The patriarch frowned, his voice heavy with disbelief and pain:
— This is absurd! My son would never betray the clan.
I looked directly at him, with the calm that only the certainty of truth allows.
— I'm sorry, Father. But this is the truth.
A murmur ran through the hall.
Then Elder Baek, one of the oldest and most respected council members, stood up. His gaze was as sharp as his reputation.
— There is something that doesn't make sense in this story, he said, staring at me. — If Jaegal Sun had made an alliance with Taejin and Elder Ma Yung, why wouldn't the elder protect him? Why would he let the clan's son die? Wouldn't it be more advantageous to deliver him alive? A patriarch of the Jaegal Clan in their hands would be worth much more than a corpse.
I took a deep breath. The moment demanded precision.
— "Well..." I began, what I'm about to say is just a hypothesis. But I believe Elder Ma Yung made a secret alliance with the Mingxu Clan. They provided poison to Jaegal Sun and, in return, were authorized to attack the Gwan Clan while it was weakened by the war.
I scanned the faces around me before continuing.
— Perhaps Ma Yung... wanted to become the patriarch of the Jaegal Clan. And, for that, offered help to the Mingxu Clan as a bargaining chip.
The silence that followed was almost physical. Dense as fog.
— With Jaegal Sun dead, with my middle brother still absent, and with my father... weakened by pain and years... — I paused, staring at the throne — ...who would be left to occupy the throne?
Some elders exchanged glances. Others avoided my gaze.
— Of course, I added, "this is only a hypothesis.
But the seed of doubt had already been planted.
— Whatever the full truth is, one thing is certain: it all started with Ma Yung. And it all ends here.
The patriarch remained silent for long seconds. His eyes — once full of pain and disbelief, now carried a different weight. No longer the look of reproach, but of someone who, although reluctant, recognizes the strength of the truth presented to him.
He looked at the vial with the ink ashes. At the seal on the plank. At the witnesses. And finally, at me.
— ...Execute him.
The words fell like thunder in the ancestral hall.
— And let his execution happen before the people. Let all see the price of betrayal. Let no one ever dare rise against the Jaegal Clan.
Guards approached, but Ma Yung stepped back, eyes wide.
— "No! NO!" — he shouted, desperate. — "This is a mistake! A trap! You will regret this! I HAVE SERVED THIS CLAN FOR MORE THAN HALF OF MY LIFE!"
He began to struggle, the chains clinking against the stone columns.
— Patriarch! LOOK AT ME! I have always been loyal! They are lying! YOU ALL ARE BEING DECEIVED!
But no one answered. Not even Elder Baek. Nor the others.
— I was the pillar of this council! — he shouted, desperate, as the guards dragged him away. — Don't let me be silenced! I know things! I—!
The door slammed behind him with a dry sound. His voice faded down the corridor.
Silence.
The patriarch stood up and his eyes met mine. That gaze no longer held doubt or fear that once dominated him. It was the firm look of a man who, even unwillingly, recognizes who has the determination and wisdom to lead the clan.
He turned and left the ancestral hall.
But the echoes of that day... would last for a long time.
---
The central plaza of the Jaegal Clan was packed.
Elders, warriors, disciples, and even common residents had gathered. The air was tense, heavy. At the center, a hastily built wooden platform stood. On it, Ma Yung, kneeling, chained. Dirty face, eyes red with anger and despair.
The patriarch climbed the platform with heavy steps, dressed in the clan leader's formal robes. Silence fell completely.
He raised his voice:
— Ma Yung, elder of the Jaegal Clan council, is here to be executed for treason.
A murmur echoed.
— He conspired with the enemy. Hid alliances with rival clans. And allowed a traitor to infiltrate the heart of our lineage. The death of Jaegal Sun... the war with the Gwan Clan... it all started with him.
The patriarch paused. The crowd held their breath.
— And it was my youngest son, Jaegal Arata, who uncovered this web of lies and betrayal.
A roar of shock and applause echoed from the crowd. Some started shouting:
— Arata!
— The exiled son?!
— He saved the clan?!
For the first time, my name echoed with pride — not pity, nor as a reminder of the Jaegal Clan's failure.
And then the tomatoes came. The first hit Ma Yung's shoulder. Another hit his face directly. Soon, a shower of fruit peels, mud, and food scraps followed.
— TRAITOR!
— SHAME!
Ma Yung writhed, screaming like a cornered animal:
— IT'S ALL A FARCE! A FARCE! I HAVE SERVED THIS CLAN FOR MORE THAN HALF OF MY LIFE! I SPILLED MY BLOOD FOR YOU!
— And sold your soul for power, shouted a man in the crowd.
— Good riddance, said a woman, spitting on the ground.
As Ma Yung screamed, others began whispering:
— What will become of young Arata now?
— Maybe he will become the new patriarch…"
— Impossible, replied another. — There's still the heirs' competition. Without winning it, he can't take over. At most, he'll become an advisor or chief strategist.
— Still... I never imagined that exiled boy could do so much.
On the platform, the patriarch glanced one last time at Ma Yung.
— May his death serve as a warning. The Jaegal Clan will never be divided by internal snakes.
He made a gesture.
The blade descended in a silent arc.
Ma Yung's scream was brief — cut short like a lie revealed too late.
A crimson flow spread across the wooden platform, staining it with the color of the fury that sustained the clan.
And the silence that followed was heavy. But not of mourning — of relief.
In the eyes of the people, in the murmured voices, a new seed began to sprout.
The name Jaegal Arata… was ceasing to be a scandal. And starting to become a legend. Só para ter certeza não há uma única vez que falamos do nome ryun