02x09 - Episode 9

[bunniefuu]

ALCHEMY OF SOULS
PART 2: LIGHT & SHADOW

You…

Who are you?

I am exactly what you see.

I am a soul shifter

with blue marks in my eyes.

What?

When the blue marks happened to reappear,

I remembered who I was.

I am not Jin Bu-yeon.

My soul…

belongs to someone else.

Someone else?

I ran away
because I did not want to get caught.

But here we are.

What will you do now?

Jang Uk.

Did you find her?

Yes, I did. She is safe with me.

Is she hurt? Are you all right?

She was just startled by the wraiths.

She is calming herself down.

Do not worry.

Is that so? There are wraiths?

Come to think of it,
this is one dreary forest.

The marks are only detectable
from this close.

I will decide what to do with you.

No one else should know.

Keep it in mind.

Only I am allowed

to come this close.

Fine.

Only you are allowed…

to come this close.

Are you saying Naksu realized
who she truly was?

I believe so.

Now that Naksu has regained her memory,
will her soul leave the body?

Will the body be Bu-yeon's entirely?

Seo Yul told me.

I will not blame you
for deceiving me, so please tell me.

If Naksu's soul leaves the body

and she becomes Bu-yeon again
while she is in Gwido,

will she be able to come
out of there alive?

She will be fine.

Bu-yeon's soul has immense powers

that even I fail to fathom.

The one who attacked me earlier
was the wraith of this corpse.

Unlike the other wraiths that avoided me,

this one chased me.

What is that blue object?

This is an ice stone.

An ice stone?
I did not know there was one in Gwido too.

That ice stone has no energy of the sky.

It is different from Uk's.

It desires to absorb human energy

like a soul shifter that has run wild.

It is best that we let it be.

Someone with an ice stone who died here…

This body must belong
to that mage of the Choi family.

That mage held deep resentment
toward Jin Seol-ran.

You were likely attacked as it sensed
that you were her descendant.

It seems so.

The wraith must have noticed
that this body belongs to the Jin family.

Hold on.

-How did you two find me?
-I thought you summoned us.

What do you mean?

-I summoned you?
-Yes.

I went to tell Jang Uk about this
after you had entered Gwido.

You summoned us here,
so we came to your rescue.

After you and Jin Mu
agreed to throw me in here,

you came to rescue me?

Does that mean
you went all the way to North Fortress

to tell him about me?

I was never

at North Fortress to begin with.

I never sided with Jin Mu either.

I am on his side.

You do not need to come so close.

Stay still.

I offered to join hands first

since I am the Crown Prince.

I will hide behind Jin Mu like you said,

and I order you to go far away.

It sounds like

you and Jin Mu can only begin
your scheme once I leave.

That is right.

I will remain here
and uncover those behind his power.

His secret organization?

He has made countless soul shifters
with the Soul Ejector,

and they are still aiding him.

I do not know how many there are
or their identities.

But I know that they need the ice stone
to prevent themselves from running wild.

We need to wipe out
his entire secret organization

if we want to stop him.

And you are the only one
who can do just that.

Are you saying

that you want to join hands with me?

Tell them you will go to North Fortress.

Then return immediately.

Meanwhile, I will gather
all the soul shifters

in one place so you can annihilate them.

You could gain great power
if you side with Jin Mu.

So why have you decided to go against him?

He got rid of my turtle.

Your turtle?

I am not going to add
a grand pretext for my decision,

such as wanting to save the world.

The moment he got rid of my turtle,

I decided to abandon him as well.

What is it?

Is my trivial reason too unbelievable?

You have decided to go against him
because of a single turtle.

That sounds more believable
than a grand justification.

So did you find your turtle?

It is nowhere to be found.

It is a smart turtle,

so it should be able to find its way back.

It may have died.

Jang Uk of the Jang family

will be appointed
as the general of North Fortress.

No one will know
that you did not leave for the time being.

I have sent one of my men
to get on that boat.

So no one will know that you are missing
until the boat arrives at its destination.

Stay here and wait
for Jin Mu to make his move.

Dang-gu and Yul
will take turns and stop by.

Could you not have found
a cleaner place for me to stay in?

Look at this place.

-There are so many spiderwebs.
-My goodness.

He does not seem
to like this place either.

-There are still spiderwebs here.
-Please be careful, Your Royal Highness.

How am I to go through them?

Goodness.

I thought you did not like
how he was slowly crawling toward you.

But I guess you opened your heart.

He did not want us
to be hostile toward each other anymore.

So I told him to stop bugging me
and to step aside.

Goodness.

I want Songrim
to give full support to Jang Uk.

As for me,

I will hide and make way for us.

Bring them in with the gifts for the King
that get imported from the volcano.

Jin Mu's items will be brought in
alongside the gifts for the King.

Do not inspect them and just let them in.

-Yes, my lord.
-We need to place them

throughout the canals before the rite.

Will you allow me to do that,
Your Royal Highness?

I will inform the men of the Night Watch
who guard the city at night.

You may use them.

These are the areas where the Night Watch
placed the earthenware.

We can retrieve the earthenware
from those places later.

The earthenware will help the fire bird

become stronger once it awakens.

It is similar to adding fuel to a fire.

Once the Unanimous Assembly begins,
Jin Mu will go for Jinyowon.

And I will help him.

Once he gains Jinyowon,
he will try to bring out the fire bird.

His secret organization will get to work
within the next few days.

Is Bu-yeon staying in Jinyowon right now?

Does she know that you are here?

No, I did not tell her.

I see.

If she finds out that you left
for North Fortress without her,

she will be hurt.

Right.

You did not tell the shaman?

Why not?

She is not a shaman, Eunuch Go.

Did you two fight?

That was why you could not tell her.

Goodness.

Why?

Why did you argue?

She told me a few things
about your relationship

during my eunuch days.

So tell me.

Did she

mention me often?

She talked about you all the time.
She was heartbroken because of you.

How ridiculous.
That is rich coming from her.

What is it?

Did she break your heart this time?

Did she cheat on you as well?

Seriously?

I was just joking.
Has she really fallen for someone new?

He is not new.

Then a former lover.

So? Did she go to him?

No, she did not.

He does not recognize her,
and she cannot go to him.

Is that so?

That must mean he is…

-married.
-Married?

Married?

That must be why he is ignoring

and rejecting her.

Darn it.

Seeing how he is not giving in,
he must be a good man.

She is the dangerous one.

She is ready to abandon you
and act like a moth to a flame.

She is not a moth.

And she has not abandoned me yet.

Yet?

Does that mean you expect her
to abandon you in the future?

Darn it.

I should not be making a joke out of this.

So please…

Please stop confusing me

by saying the guy is married
or that she is a moth.

Despite owning an ice stone
and reaching Hwansu,

you have failed to win your wife's heart.

That power of yours is useless.

Despite your frustration,
you cannot see her due to this situation.

I will meet with her myself
and ask her what is going on.

Stay here.

A married man?

Darn it.

There is no way I can bring up that topic

in a situation like this.

If I stop Jin Mu right now,

everything will fall apart.

This is our chance to attack Jinyowon.

The plaque is missing,
and Bu-yeon is trapped in Gwido.

In addition, Jin h*-gyeong
is too weak to protect her.

Will you make your move right away?

I promised to introduce you
to the secret organization.

We will gather together tonight

and open Jinyowon's doors.

Tonight?

Tonight?

It is sooner than expected.

Please inform Songrim as well.

But there is one problem.

Jin Bu-yeon is locked
in Cheonbugwan's prison.

What prison?

Gwido, the prison that holds those
who once performed sorcery.

She is in there right now.

If you want me
to open Gwido's door right away,

I will do so.

However,

if I side with Jinyowon now,

Jin Mu's organization
will not gather tonight,

and Jin Mu will no longer trust me.

What will you do?

I will do as you say.

I must go inside Gwido.

Please feign ignorance
and step aside, Your Royal Highness.

Jang Uk.

It is a turtle.

That is my turtle.

She took that turtle with her into Gwido.

Hey, turtle.

How did you get out of there?

Jang Uk, come here.

That is the door to Gwido.

But why is it here?

Did you come out of there?

Someone opened the door here.

They must want us to go in there.

Who?

Turtle, was it you?

The person who summoned us…

must be the one who is inside.

Bu-yeon must have summoned Uk
with her divine powers.

She must have opened the door
to protect herself.

Was it not you?

That is correct. Bu-yeon opened it.

You have incredible divine powers.

With such powers,
you could have cast away the wraith.

Why did you open the door
and summon Jang Uk?

You are right.

I should not have done that.

In the end, he saw something…

he should not have.

The ice stone in Jang Uk's body

was left behind by Master Seo Gyeong
to save Jin Seol-ran.

But she passed away.

So why do you think
he still left it in Jinyowon?

He could have just destroyed it.

What do you wish to say?

I heard you first took out the ice stone

to use it to save
your unborn baby that had died.

And that baby grew up to be Jin Bu-yeon.

If Jin Seol-ran's soul
remained in the ice stone,

I thought maybe the baby you had saved

could have been Jin Seol-ran herself.

Bu-yeon was blind from birth
just like Jin Seol-ran

and possessed astounding divine powers.

Have you never

found that odd?

How is that relevant
when I gave birth and raised her myself?

If Bu-yeon possesses divine powers
similar to Jin Seol-ran's,

she will make it out of Gwido.

Perhaps Naksu willingly went there,
hoping to retrieve her divine powers.

Has she decided

to disappear in Gwido?

I looked around and found no threats.

But this place is quite big.

Do you think
you can find the plaque alone?

This body will find it with divine powers
equal to Jin Seol-ran's.

Jang Uk tried to look for you
with his red jade.

Do you have the blue one?

Did he call me through this?

I did not know.

Did he give that to you?

That is not yours.

That belongs to someone else.

I know.

He temporarily left it with me

so I could read her memories.

You even have that kind of power?

You are indeed not a shaman,
but a powerful priestess.

Give it to me.

It is not yours,
so I will return it to him.

In the past,

you also tried to take it.

I gave it back.

Do not lie.

She picked it up after you threw it away.

You know one too many things.

She must remember me

as someone who is heinous.

She always wished

you were Jang Uk's ally

and not his enemy.

I am sure she is happy to see…

that you are helping him.

Whenever I showed
my pettiness in front of her,

she bad-mouthed whomever I disliked.

Despite it all,

it was annoying and impressive to see
that she always sided with her master.

That is why I liked her.

She deceived you…

all along, Your Royal Highness.

I am aware of that.

So when she died,

I thought I would quickly forget about her
since she deceived me.

However,

that never happened.

I wanted to have her.

My graceless desire to destroy something

that I could not have

definitely played a part in my decision
to turn my back on Jang Uk.

That is why whenever I think of her,

I feel ashamed of myself,
and I feel painful remorse.

If she knows that you are in pain…

she will probably

be content with that.

You are right.

She is not someone
who would tell me to stop being in pain.

If it is possible,
I would like her to know

that I am in…

an inexplicable amount of pain.

Still…

she would not want the pain to last.

After you have been in enough pain…

you should let go.

I found it in So-i's belongings
during her funeral.

The potion looked strange,
so I brought it here.

This is a soul potion
that is used in sorcery.

It is a heinous and bewitching potion

that helps divination.

Master Heo.

Was not the Queen, who had been
locked up after shifting souls,

fed this potion?

You are right.

Shaman Choi concocted this.

How did So-i have this?

Jin Mu of Cheonbugwan

had something on her and was using her.

It could be from Cheonbugwan.

I will look into it.

It must be that potion.

Madam So-i and Yeom-su,
a Cheonbugwan mage,

would feed it to others
once or twice a month.

She called it the bell potion.

The bell potion?

She said you would hear bells
and go insane if you consume it.

Do you know where and on whom she used it?

No, I do not.

She rarely told me anything related
to Cheonbugwan since it was dangerous.

But she once mentioned
an individual who consumed it.

I rarely feel guilty for the things
I have done in my life.

But one thing bothers me.

There is one person I feel bad for.

That person was very kind

and treated me well.

It must have been a guy.

You are wrong.

She was a girl I had met in Sari Village.

Had I not stolen what was hers,

she would have found
her parents right away.

Then she would not
have gone crazy and died.

Gone crazy and died?

She was also a victim of the bell potion.

So a girl she met in Sari Village

consumed this same potion?

Yes.

You ignored me just like your father did
and never visited me once.

And now, you barge in here
and demand to know about the soul potion?

I heard you were force-fed
that potion when you were locked up.

Did you perhaps

hear the sound of bells during that time?

I do not want to relive those moments.
That is enough.

This is important.

Someone seems to still be controlling
the soul shifters with this potion.

Shaman Choi, her brother, and Jang g*ng

turned her into a soul shifter.

They are all dead, so please do not
torment Her Highness anymore.

The potion may have altered your memory,
Your Highness.

Please try to remember.

I know it may be painful,

but please try to remember.

I said that was enough!

I am still in pain.

You do not deserve to ask for my help
when you cannot take away this pain.

We are trying to end the alchemy of souls,
which is the root of your pain.

I do not want it to end.

I do not understand why it is forbidden.

I, the Queen, want to take
a young, insignificant body.

Why is that wrong?

You almost died recently, Yul.

If the alchemy of souls is permitted,

the precious son of the Seo family
will never worry about dying.

And you will be able to stay powerful
forever as the great leader of Songrim.

Do you not want that?

If someone powerful

has everything they want and is immortal,

what will become of this world?

Rain is necessary,
but it should not last forever.

The sun is also necessary,
but it should set as well.

And no one

should stay powerful and live forever.

That hypocrisy is
what makes everyone uncomfortable.

What do you think
other powerful individuals think?

We all want to join hands with the one
who will grant us everlasting power.

That is the truth.

And is that individual

Jin Mu?

-What?
-Please calm down, Your Highness.

Her Highness is very distressed.
You should all leave.

Jin Mu controlled the soul shifters
with his divination.

Perhaps Naksu

was also one of his victims.

Even so, that does not change the fact
that she practiced the alchemy of souls.

Still, I would like
to reveal the truth and lessen her burden

regarding the tragedy three years ago.

Even Uk is in pain
as he is paying the price because of her.

Do you think he is in pain

solely because he is taking responsibility
for Naksu's sins?

Do you remember what the Queen said today?

She did not see the fault
in powerful individuals

gaining everlasting power.

Uk already possesses that power.

What troubles him the most

is that he must take responsibility

as someone who possesses the power
that Jin Mu and the Queen desire.

Depending on who Uk's target is
and which path he takes,

he could dry out this world,
just like Jin Mu wishes.

Or he could stop him.

Deciding whom to target

and which path to take

will always be painful and a burden.

It may be too much for a human to handle.

I saved her life

and took care of her.

You have taken what Jin h*-gyeong

has tried so hard to hide.

Master Lee must have known
that there was another soul within her.

He recognized it

and feigned ignorance once again.

The same blue mark.

There was a huge tree
where I used to live.

So I imagined myself sitting alone
on top of a tall tree.

The same memory.

Just die if you are not
going to do anything.

It is better to die than do nothing.

Are they the same person?

We found our way here thanks to it.

It could help you find the plaque,
so keep it with you.

I will leave first.

Talk it out with Uk before he leaves.

You should also reconcile.

He will be…

in a huge battle today.

Jin Mu's secret organization
will gather to attack Jinyowon.

And Uk will annihilate
all of the soul shifters.

We do not know their number
or how strong they are.

However, we must wipe out
every single one of them who is in hiding

to put an end
to Jin Mu's everlasting greed.

And Jang Uk is the only one
who is capable of doing that.

All of them will have to be
eradicated for this to end.

Every single one of them.

The Crown Prince left first.

We are now…

the only ones here.

All right.

You can ask what you are curious about.

No.

I will not.

So you better not say a word
before I respond.

The w*r that I am about to start

is clearly and precisely right.

I am doing what I can to stop them

from doing what they should not do.

Some will try to condone it
with a believable justification.

Others will come up
with countless excuses to stop me.

But this fight is the right thing to do.

That is why I know
exactly whom to point my sword at

and I know which path to take.

That is why

I must not recognize you here.

But let me ask you…

something else instead.

Should I…

not leave here?

Should I do absolutely nothing…

and stay here with you?

Should we do that?

I can probably close Gwido's door.

Then should we…

stay here together?

But the answer is…

that such a decision
would clearly and precisely be wrong.

No matter the justification or excuse.

Even if…

we were deeply pining and longing…

for each other.

Dang-gu, go to Jinyowon.

Inform everyone and defend it.

-Yes, my lord.
-Yul and Sang-h*.

Once everyone is gathered
in the secret room,

go to Cheonbugwan and stop the officials
who are outside the secret room.

-Yes, my lord.
-Yes, my lord.

Once the battle begins,

I will go to the palace
and meet with the King.

I thought Jang Uk
had gone to North Fortress.

But he is going up against Jin Mu
alongside the Crown Prince.

He has decided to undertake
a great responsibility.

Please keep him safe.

Be safe as well.

Once the sun sets,
Jin Mu's gathering will begin.

Once this night passes without problems,

the world they wish to see
will never come.

We will bring back the sky
from that fateful day 200 years ago.

The world will dry up.

And when we perform the rite,

the ice stone, full of energy of the sky,
will fall into our hands.

We will live in a world
where the strong gain greater power

and continue to rule forever!

Are you saying they are all soul shifters?

Those who wished for youth
received younger bodies.

Those who wished for power
received the bodies of the powerful.

And those who wished for beauty
received alluring, beautiful bodies.

They all fulfilled their desires

through soul shifting.

They may be in hiding for now.

But once the door to the new world opens,

they will be of great use to you,
Your Royal Highness.

Gwanju.

When that new world emerges,

what will become of those
who lose their bodies?

The young will age,

the powerful will lose their position,
and the beautiful will become ugly.

Your Royal Highness.

Did I not tell you not to allow yourself
to cling to something so insignificant?

I do not think that trying to protect
such things is a sign of weakness.

Rather, it is a sign of strength.

And I am about to show you
exactly how powerful that strength is.

You have deceived me.

No, you just underestimated me
and thought I was weak.

I did everything for you.

And yet, are you going to abandon me?

That is not how I would describe
an enemy whom I am about to confront.

I am here to fight against you
alongside Jang Uk!

Jang Uk?

Attack!

There is a barrier around the secret room.

Jang Uk.

You are here.

There is no need to be alarmed.

I have only created a barrier.

But this one is much more complicated
than the one you had locked me in before.

I must say, I am quite busy
fighting all 78 soul shifters as we speak.

Funnily enough, only you,

the head of this secret organization,
are not a soul shifter.

Were you afraid of running wild?

Then why did you encourage others
to do something so harmful?

So you are finally here
to take your revenge.

I would not have come
to do something that meaningless.

I left behind a world
that I had always pined for.

Do you really think

I left that world solely to k*ll you?

What you are doing is absolutely wrong,

and it is absolutely right
for me to stop you.

So I am here to do what I need to do.

It is true that I vehemently resent you.

But that revenge is not mine to take.

Go.

Go do what you can.

And I will stay here…

and do what I can.

Send Jin Mu here.

Why am I here?

The ice stone?

I definitely saw an ice stone.

Has there been one here as well?

It was here as I suspected.

That is an ice stone.

Right.

I forgot that you were here.

Jin Bu-yeon.

Did you find this?

Yes, just like how I found one
in Lake Gyeongcheondaeho.

I thought you had lost your memory.

Anyway, I am impressed
that you found it once again.

You can have it.

It is yours.

The ice stone possesses
the energy of the sky.

Only the chosen ones
can possess its power.

Jang g*ng and that mage of the Choi family
were able to use its power.

But they could not possess it
as their own like Jang Uk has.

Shall I help you?

You?

That is right.

You are a priestess comparable
to Jin Seol-ran, Seo Gyeong's lover.

All right.

Go on.

I will

make that yours.

What is happening to me?

My energy…

That ice stone is empty.

It only desires to absorb energy

like a soul shifter who has run wild.

You will not die quickly.

You will slowly wither away

like a piece of wood.

Just like that mage of the Choi family.

Why would you…

do this?

You must remember my face, do you not?

I guess you never thought
it could actually be me.

Danju.

Naksu?

This prison holds those
who have performed sorcery.

This is the kind of death
that suits you perfectly.

Do not resent me too much.

I will likely meet my end…

in this place as well.

Jang Uk.

You have finally done it.

Uk, are you all right?

Your body is as cold as ice.

It is bearable

for now.

Where is Jin Mu?

I sent him to Gwido.

He will meet a demise that suits him.

But Bu-yeon is still in there.

She asked me to send him there.

She wanted to fulfill her role
in all of this.

Uk.

Jin Mu of Cheonbugwan has been sent
to Gwido, the prison for sorcerers.

And every soul shifter in his organization
has been petrified to death.

And was this done single-handedly
by Jang Uk and Songrim?

Without telling anyone?

Today seemed like our only opportunity,

so we had no time to discuss it
with you or the Unanimous Assembly.

The ice stone's power
that Jang Uk possesses sure is incredible.

He, who belongs to Songrim,

has gotten rid of Jin Mu, his only rival.

Songrim will challenge the royal family
and the Unanimous Assembly in no time.

This was not a power struggle,
Your Majesty.

We only interfered
with Jin Mu's dangerous scheme

of trying to steal
the fire bird from Jinyowon.

Whatever it may be,

everyone was forbidden
from possessing its power.

But Songrim indeed is
the only one to possess it.

Not everyone will be happy about this.

Jin Mu is dead?

Then what will become of me?

Will I…

be trapped in this body forever?

He is trapped in Gwido.

I do not think he will make it out alive.

Find a way.

You must find a way!

Seeing how Jin Mu came here,

Jang Uk and your master
must have done their job.

I will remain here…

until my soul disappears.

Then only Jin Bu-yeon will be left
to leave this place.

If that happens…

I will not have to be
Jang Uk's final task.

It went into the sea.

But then again, you are a turtle.

It is only natural that you go to the sea.

This is the Jinyowon Plaque.

Did you find it for me

so I could leave this place?

In any case,

thank you.

THE BLACK TORTOISE

I met a sacred animal that possessed
the energy of the Black Tortoise.

It was diligently crawling somewhere.

It must have found a path for someone.

I heard Jang Uk entered Gwido
to look for Jin Bu-yeon.

Seeing how he left that place,
he must have found his path as well.

After putting an end
to the difficult battle,

Uk is single-handedly enduring
the consequences.

He is weathering the wraiths
that are drawn by the energy of the sky.

He is fighting another battle
in a cold, dark place all by himself.

Why do you think he was chosen

to carry this burden?

Is he paying the price for being
a product of the alchemy of souls?

While the most powerful
fought over the ice stone,

it found its way to him.

I believe

she was behind it all along.

She? Whom are you speaking of?

The one who first received
the ice stone from Master Seo Gyeong.

I believe she has remained here
and has been protecting the ice stone.

Are you talking about Jin Seol-ran?

It is my assumption that she chose

both Jang Uk and that girl.

Are you all right?

I am sorry.

I should have gone instead of you.

I am all right.

I found the plaque.

You did it.

You are really my daughter, Bu-yeon.

I am sorry.

Do not be sorry.

Now that you have found it,

Jinyowon will be safe.

The Unanimous Assembly
will be summoned today regarding Jin Mu.

You will have to explain
what happened in Gwido.

Will you

be able to do it?

Yes, I can.

I will attend the Unanimous Assembly.

Seo Yul has been waiting for you.

You should go see him.

Uk and I…

have decided to feign ignorance.

I hope you will do the same.

I have something to tell you.

Jin Mu could control
the soul shifters with his divination.

So I believe…

that the tragic events in Songrim
three years ago

did not occur out of Naksu's will,
but because of Jin Mu.

So that was why

I heard those bells.

If you are blaming yourself
for what happened,

I wanted to let you know
you do not need to do that.

I hope this excuse…

will let you stay where you want to be.

I was merely a soul shifter
who was driven by vengeance.

I was an assassin raised in Danhyanggok
with that one purpose.

And I just simply met my demise.

So that…

cannot be an excuse.

You are really going to North Fortress?

If I remain here,

people will torment Lord Park
and Songrim regarding the ice stone.

I must obey the King's command

for the Crown Prince's sake as well.

When will you be leaving?

I have been given a position there,
so I must leave right away.

So I am afraid

that I will not be attending your wedding.

That is not the problem.

You are going far away.
Who knows when we will meet again?

You can visit me with Lord Park.

Then how about I follow you for now--

No.

I said no.

Do not say that to him.
He is already very jealous of me.

It cannot be helped.

You will always be my top priority.

I know.

But do not express such feelings to him.

He does get sulky easily.

Maidservant Kim.

I may not be there for the wedding,

but make sure you are
the prettiest person there.

Make sure you look like
the happiest woman in the world.

I will.

I promise to look the prettiest

and happiest.

I did not know
Uk was concerned about that.

Let us also move
to North Fortress after our wedding.

Will you be fine with that?

I am no longer the leader of Songrim.
I am free to go wherever I want.

Is that why you did not attend
the Unanimous Assembly today?

If I remain here,

they will pester Uk
regarding the ice stone.

That is exactly what he said.

In that case,

let us move there right after the wedding.

Promise me.

Hold on.

Why are you wearing
the ring on your pinky?

It is for this finger.

It is too small.

It stops my blood circulation.

Is that so?

Then take it off.

I will make it bigger

or get you a larger size.

Goodness.

That is fine.

It is a promise of our everlasting love.

I do not mind it.

That is right.

It is a promise.

Will you be going to North Fortress
by yourself as arranged?

There will only be peace
and quiet if I leave.

Uk.

I am here to tell you something

that will bring about
neither peace nor quiet.

The pain you will feel
upon learning of it or ignoring it

is something you should endure,

not for me to decide.

That is why I am here.

Naksu will disappear soon.

She believes that no justification
is reasonable enough to stay by your side.

But will this be

a good justification for you?

Yul.

Do you know how I felt

when I decided to feign ignorance…

and leave her behind?

I turned away with the knowledge

that I must slay her
if I acknowledged who she was.

Her approaching death

cannot be an excuse for us to be together.

Instead of using my coming death
as a cowardly excuse to be together…

It is much better…

for us to be tormented instead.

I, Jin Bu-yeon,
the eldest daughter of the Jin family,

have retrieved the plaque
from Gwido to prove

my power as a priestess.

I heard Jang Uk sent Jin Mu to Gwido.

What happened to him?

I found the ice stone that belonged
to that mage of the Choi family

and put it inside of him.

Jin Mu…

will eventually wither away and die.

It desires to absorb human energy

like a soul shifter that has run wild.

So you put that inside of him.

It may have lost the energy of the sky,

but it is still an ice stone.

And you put that inside of him.

I am impressed by your divine powers.

If you could put it inside of someone,

that must mean
you can take it out as well.

The main purpose
of today's Unanimous Assembly

is to discuss what to do
with Jang Uk's ice stone.

Since she can take out the ice stone,

we can retrieve Jang Uk's ice stone

if we agree on it today.

But Jang Uk will die
if the ice stone is removed from his body.

He should have died three years ago.

He is only alive due to the decision

of the royal family
and the Unanimous Assembly.

If Jang Uk did not stop Jin Mu,

the fire bird would have emerged
and caused chaos in the world.

Songrim should not intervene!

We are only having this conversation
because you decided to be rash

instead of asking the royal family
or the Unanimous Assembly for permission.

I took part…

in their plan.

Do not intervene.

You deliberately did so
without my consent.

-You should not have done that.
-But, Your Majesty…

We only allowed Jang Uk
to keep that ice stone

so that he could obliterate
the soul shifters.

He does not need its power anymore

since there are
no more soul shifters left.

-Right.
-I agree.

-True.
-Take the ice stone back.

That is only natural.

-Right.
-He is right.

If that is what
the Unanimous Assembly decides,

you must also abide by it
as a fellow member

and Jinyowon's heiress.

If that is
what the Unanimous Assembly decides,

then I must follow their decision.

Your Highness.

That is the door to Gwido.

You can find Jin Mu there.

You can ask him where the Soul Ejector is

and how you can perform
the alchemy of souls.

Yun-o, how did you find
the key to that door?

My friends from Cheonbugwan helped me.

Is that so?

Let us go.

Uk.

Where is Bu-yeon?

She agreed to abide
by the Unanimous Assembly's decision.

She has left now.

We were discussing what to do
with the ice stone within you.

If we decide to retrieve it,

Jin Bu-yeon, the priestess of Jinyowon,
will take it out of you.

Did she say that she would abide by it?

That is right.

And she exposed
all the sins you have committed.

Last night,

he spared one soul shifter.

He knew that individual
was a soul shifter,

but he feigned ignorance.

Is that true?

Yes.

I feigned ignorance.

So did she want me
to slay that soul shifter?

Please tell him
to stop feigning ignorance.

Tell him to confirm its existence

and watch it…

wither away.

She gave me a reason
and an excuse to find that soul shifter.

A reason and an excuse?

That was your duty.

In that case,

I will fulfill my duty

and no longer feign ignorance.

I will confirm its existence

and watch it wither away.

Now,

I will leave.

Where are you going?

We are discussing what you have done!

That is over now!

I will accept your reason and excuse,

and I will leave.

Stop uttering such words.

We are only telling you
to fulfill your duty!

Are we not retrieving the ice stone?

What is going on?

There is still a soul shifter?

That is right.

Uk will not return

until he catches them.

In the end,

you used what is between us
as a reason and excuse

to bring me here.

My merciless master.

I am not your master anymore.

I have already…

let you go.

I found him, Your Highness! I see Jin Mu!

Gwanju!

You are on the brink of death.

Jin Mu.

Tell me one thing before you die.

One last Soul Ejector remains.

Where is it? Do you have it?

Pull yourself together. Where is it?

Jin Mu. Give me the Soul Ejector.

You made a promise to me.

Hand it over before you die.

Yes.

Where is it?

My last Soul Ejector

is inside the blood
of the mage of the Choi family

who created it in the first place.

Are you saying it is inside of me?

I put it inside your body

when I was shifting your soul.

I guess you did not remember that.

It is all coming back to me now.

The one who shifted my soul
and locked me up

was you,

Jin Mu!

Gwanju.

I came here to rescue you.
Let us leave together.

That is right.

We will leave this place together.

No.

I will leave this place in your body.

Did you go to Gwido?

Was Jin Mu still alive?

So you were the one who sent me there
to save him, Your Majesty.

He had promised to give me immense powers,

so I must at least know
how to acquire them.

So tell me. Did you meet him?

You are looking at him right now,
Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Do you still not understand?

I am Jin Mu.

You have shifted souls!

So this is the very power
that you have promised me.

If we share the power of the ice stone,

we will live forever
as the strong gain greater power.

Now, come on out
and let us walk down the path together

to acquire that very power.

ALCHEMY OF SOULS
PART 2: LIGHT & SHADOW

There is only one reply I can give you

in our last moment together.

We must go to Jinyowon at once
and bring out the fire bird.

-Bring me the ice stone.
-Your Majesty!

What are you trying to do by fooling
the King and Unanimous Assembly?

Uk.

Uk, Jin is…

I fear that the same kind of chaos
may occur once again.

The fire bird will awaken.

I was told that
it is going to happen no matter what.