The world fell silent again, but for U-Mo, the silence felt oppressive. The people in the valley slowly retreated, staring at U-Mo with expressions that were hard to decipher—either adoration of a god or fear of a monster. U-Mo himself simply stood there, frozen, staring at his still-warm palm. He couldn't understand how such a small push could paralyze a man three times his strength.
"U-Mo..."
A hoarse voice called out from behind the dense bushes. A middle-aged man appeared, his body hunched from years of carrying firewood. It was Dae, U-Mo's father. Behind him, his mother, Hana, was seen tightly hugging U-Mo's little sister, So-Ah, who was trembling with fear.
Dae approached with hesitant steps. He saw the giant man who had attacked his son still lying limp in the mud, unable to lift a weapon.
"What are you doing, son?" Dae asked, his tone more like a worried whisper than a curious one. "You... you didn't hit him. But he won't get up. What kind of magic have you brought to our village?"
"I don't know, Father," U-Mo answered honestly. His voice sounded hollow. "I'm just trying to breathe like rain. I just want him to stop..."
Hana approached, touching U-Mo's shoulder with a rough, cracked hand. "You're hot, U-Mo. It's like there are embers lingering under your skin. Go home, don't let these people keep staring at you."
As the family began to leave the blood-soaked valley, two young figures ran after them.They were Ba-wi and Gil, U-Mo's childhood friends who grew up together in the same forest.
Ba-wi, who was well-built and always relied on physical strength, looked incredibly excited.
"U-Mo! Did you see that?! That was incredible! How did you do it? You moved like a shadow! You have to teach me how to take someone down like that!"
In contrast to Ba-wi, Gil, with his sharp and alert eyes, stared at U-Mo with a deeper gaze.
"That wasn't just a movement, Ba-wi. I saw it. U-Mo didn't even blink as the axe passed beside his head. U-Mo... it was as if you knew where the axe was going before it even started swinging."
U-Mo could only shake his head.
Inside their small hut made of piled stones and a hemp roof, U-Mo sat alone in a corner. His family ate in silence, the only sound audible was So-Ah chewing on boiled roots.
U-Mo's confusion deepened. Until now, he had only considered his breathing meditation a way to calm his weary mind, overcome by the violence of the world. But today, he realized that the "Little Pool" in his belly was no longer just a metaphor. The energy was real. It flowed, swirled, and could explode if triggered.
The energy overflowed in his body as if it wanted to consume him, but at first, for some reason, he was able to control it a little, channeling a little of his energy into his hand as if creating a subtle vibration effect on his hand, and the energy shot towards the big man.
What exactly is the true identity of the energy he feels in his body? Is this the will of the heavens to end this world of oppression? It feels faintly subtle, but an unbearable anxiety is also felt, he is afraid that his energy will make changes to this world, he is afraid of losing control and destroying everything in his muttering.
"Huh, why is all this happening"
The seconds felt like he were being stabbed, the marks on his hands felt rough because of the energy he had released earlier, why did all this happen? What awaits tomorrow? He muttered non-stop and didn't listen to what his two friends were saying, while on his way home with his family.
On that day, U Mo really felt a deep silence. He experienced great confusion because of himself, but he sank back into a feeling of gratitude that as long as the people closest to him were okay, the world still felt safe.