To Replace a Dragon with a Phoenix [BBANGSAZ AU]

Chapter 5.) An Itch that Can't be Scratched

The months that followed after the decree were the worst in the history of the Kim Empire. The decree had been made by a raggedy old hag, who had interrupted Minjae's coming-of-age ceremony. She had claimed that Minjae was not a prince, but a princess and that he had been living a lie since his birth. She also claimed that the emperor had sinned against heaven and nature and that he and his dynasty would be cursed and doomed. She had given a prophecy, a vision, a curse, that the empire would suffer from war, famine, and disease, and that it would fall into chaos and ruin. The people had dismissed her words as lies and blasphemies, and the emperor had ordered her to be removed and executed. But as she was being dragged out by the guards, she had kept screaming the decree, and some of the people had heard and believed her. They had spread the rumor, the doubt, the fear, among the others, and soon the whole empire was divided and conflicted.

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Minjae's POV:

The chanting pursued.

I was in the middle of a Buddhist ceremony, the third one of the day, dressed in elaborate white robes. I was supposed to be praying for the well-being of the empire, the emperor, and the people. I was supposed to be showing my respect and gratitude to the gods and the spirits. I was supposed to be seeking their guidance and blessing.

But I was not.

I was bored, annoyed, and frustrated. I was tired of the endless chanting, the repetitive bowing, the meaningless rituals. I was sick of the false hope, the blind faith, the empty words. I was angry at the useless prayers, the passive actions, the wasted time.

"God..."

I muttered under my breath, as I painfully went down for my nth bow in a row.

"God... when was this shit going to end?"

It wasn't that I didn't believe in god, gods, or spirits. But I did believe that no matter how magical they were they wouldn't be this kingdom's saving grace. Even if they were real they wouldn't have cared to save us here. They couldn't solve our problems. They couldn't end our suffering. They can't break our curse.

I slipped deeper into my thoughts, as I tried to ignore the ceremony.

Praying isn't going to make everything magically better. This isn't a fairy tale. Staying passive and putting blind faith in gods that won't help is not going to do anything.

I thought about them, the problems that we faced, the enemies that were approaching, the outcomes that we feared. I thought about the war, the famine, and the disease. I thought about the curse, the doom, and the prophecy.

I thought about what I could do, what I should do, what I wanted to do. I thought about all the training that I had, all the skills that I had, all the talents that I had. I thought about how I could easily make wiser choices than these men who called themselves officials and such. I thought about how I could lead the army, fight the enemy, and win the war. I thought about how I could find food, water, and medicine, and distribute them fairly and generously. I thought about how I could heal, treat, and care for the sick, and use my skills, knowledge, and compassion. I thought about how I could restore order, peace, and justice, punish the criminals, and reward the virtuous. I thought about how I could comfort, encourage, and inspire the people, and give them hope, faith, and love.