XII. Time

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” ~Buddha

Year 972 (23^rd year of King Gwangjong’s Reign.)

At Haeinsa Temple, inside the Abbots meeting room.

Gyeo and Leom stood inside the Abbots meeting room with documents in hand.

“Welcome back.” The Abbot greeted them both.

Both monks greeted the Abbot,“We are happy to return, Abbot.” Leom said.

“How was your stay at the palace?” The Abbot asked.

Leom and Gyeo approached the Abbots desk. Leom set down the book on his table.

“Our work is complete; The King has received a copy of the fully translated book.” Leom stated.

“He asked that the book be kept away from the palace in a safe place. Therefore, we have brought it back with us.”

Gyeo addressed the Abbot, “Here is our full report.”

The Abbot took a few minutes as he read Gyeo’s report.

Both monks waited patiently.

The Abbot stopped reading, looked up, and asked, “Ji-Mong?”

Gyeo, answered, “The King’s star diviner. On our arrival at the palace, he met us.  We remained as guests in his tower.  He proved instrumental in helping us decipher the more difficult parts of the book.”

Gyeo stopped for a moment before continuing. “He died a year later. He drowned at the Daminwon during an eclipse.”

The room was quiet for a minute as the Abbot remained in thought.

Leom then continued, “We believe the information in the book was as much of interest to Ji-Mong as to the King.”

“Go on.” The Abbot said.

“The book contains specific dates. 1,000 years into the future. It records the relationship between the eclipses, the Daminwon and a way to travel between incarnations. We believe Ji-Mong was searching for this information.” Leom said.

“What relationship would that be?” The Abbot asked.

Leom answered, “Certain events can trigger the door to open.  For example, the eclipse, when it reaches totality. It is a marker that shows the door has opened.”

The monk continued, “The Daminwon, and travelling thru water, we believe it changes the traveler. The nature of the trip. It helps them retain their memory after reincarnation.”

Then Leom said, “And something else….”

The Abbot’s eyes stayed on Leom.

“This, Ji-Mong did not learn of this before leaving. The way a person reincarnates affects the traveler….

The lady’s reincarnation as an adult. It interrupted the usual cycle.

The Heaven’s way of keeping balance. The natural order of being born from childhood to adulthood.”

Gyeo chimed in then, “Ji-Mong was searching for this information. He understood the door would open, but he wanted to understand the side effects affecting the traveler. He didn’t understand the relationship with the lady’s heart condition.”

“He was seeking confirmation from the lady’s writing.” Gyeo finished.

The Abbots face remained calm, as he nodded deep in thought.

In a calm voice the Abbot added, “The Heavens kept balance. They provided Lady Hae Soo with a heart in Goryeo strong enough to help King Gwangjong to become King.  What she gained in strength she lost in time.”

Silence filled the room again.

“He has returned, then?” The Abbot asked.

Both monks nodded.

“We believe after his second trip to Goryeo, Ji-Mong has returned to that future.” Gyeo said.

Both monks met the Abbot’s eyes then.

All three stood in silence again.

The Abbot’s gaze traveled to the window. 

He then slowly gathered the materials on his desk, and with a small satisfied smile said, “Well done Leom and Gyeo. Thank you for your work.”

“Please ensure the book is kept in a safe place.” The Abbot added.

Both monks nodded in agreement.

Then bowed to the Abbot before exiting.

Inside the Palace at the Daminwon

King Gwangjong stood watching the outside pool at the Daminwon.

Two ladies approached carrying tea to refill his cup. He turned seeing them approach and dismissed them with a wave of his hand. 

He stood alone by the pool in contemplation.

A memory of another time, came back to him. 

He had returned to the palace as a prince after being a hostage.

King Taejo had asked him to return for the rain ritual. Ji-Mong had suggested he bathe at the Daminwon pool. 

He had entered this same pool then.

That day, as he entered the pool, he had met Hae Soo.

Emerging from the pools depths, she had moved as fast as a water dragon, startling him into taking a step back.

From the start, all their encounters had been far from ordinary. 

He had first met her in the town street, as he galloped towards 8^th Prince’s home.

She had ended that encounter riding his horse, as he tried to keep her from falling into a creek.

Afterwards, she restrained his horse with her bare hands. A feat few soldiers would even attempt.

Their second meeting had ended with him physically restraining her from beating prince Eun.

No one else would have dared touch a prince, but she had pushed the young prince to the ground and sat on him.

Everything about Hae Soo had been different.

As the memories returned, he felt a sense of amusement now looking back at all of it.

He remembered the time a young Prince Jung had been attacked, and she had come to his rescue.

She had single-handed fended off a gang of criminals with just a stick.

Prince Jung, Prince Wook and himself had been too surprised to do anything but just watch her as she ended that encounter with a big smile and a hug for Prince Jung.

Only now did he understand enough to know why she was different.

Only now did he understand the courage it must have taken for her to keep this secret for so long.

He knew now, that whatever the place Hae Soo came from, or whatever her name, it was her heart he had fallen in love with above all else.

The heart that had allowed for Goryeo to have a King Gwangjong.

That heart had changed the King he became.

She had been as trapped by the constraints of the palace, as she was by time itself and his own history.

Ji-Mong had been a puppet master all along in this play that fate seemed to have set for them.

Pieces in the puzzle he had spent most of his reign searching for, now fit into a complete picture.

He knew enough now, to make sense of their life together.

Scenes of that life replayed in his mind.

He had analyzed every detail, so that he felt like he had lived several lifetimes with Hae Soo instead of just a portion of one.

Without her, things would have turned out very differently.

He spoke her name out loud slowly, trying to familiarize himself with the sound … “Hae   Jin.”

Time, the work of two persistent monks, and mounting evidence had all brought him to stand at this pool today.

The Daminwon had held its secrets for too long.

Ji-Mong had died at this pool during an eclipse.

King Mu had drowned here too.

Hae Soo had traveled to him in this pool, as well.

He moved to take a step down into the pool, but before he could reach it, waves suddenly stirred in the pool.

The ground shifted under his feet.

He struggled to keep his balance.

He heard ceramics shattering on the floor behind him.

Yelling inside the Daminwon followed as the ground continued shaking more violently.

The ground slid away under his feet as the waves from the pool increased in strength and splashed him.

The thought of that water dragon came to him again.

He almost expected it to come rising out of the pool.

Small rocks from the rock wall surrounding the pool, fell into the pool adding to the churning waves.

The columns shook, and he expected them to fall into the pool as well.

For a moment he couldn’t understand what was happening. 

Shouts inside the Daminwon echoed from its first and second floor.

“Earthquake!”