The fall of Illian.
3.1k words
Chapter 1
Bold = Korean
Not bold = English
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My name is Senara. Nara, for short. I'm a young unemploymend woman who moved to South Korea.
Why did I move here? Simple. My uncle recently passed away and I inherited his house.
I lived in New York before, Worked as a part timer in a family restaurant. My life was hell, Literally. Waking up everyday to work from nine in the morning until four in the afternoon, getting paid the minimum wage just for all the money to go to rent and food.
I can't even remember the last time I spent money on luxury things I wanted.
Now, I stand here in a stuffy, dirty house my Uncle owned. I was never close with my uncle. I myself am surprised that he left the house for me, but I am Greatful. He gave me another chance to start a new life in South Korea, the country that's gaining fame through the new media. Kpop idols, Korean drama and all.
I am found of their books. Korean Manhwa. To be fact I happily moved here knowing access to the manhwa's will be easier, a little of a stupid reason to move here into a new country ,but I still did know some Korean, not much.
I covered my nose to block the dust from entering. Taking a good look around the house, I grabbed my suit case and walked in further.
My suitcase was light considering I had nothing valuable to it.
The house my uncle owned was a good looking house. A two story house, a small living room greated you when you walked in. The kitchen ,side of the stairs that led upstairs.
I held the side of the stairs tightly in fear of the wood collapsing. In the small platform of the stairs was a mirror. I looked at my reflection.
My short black hair was neatly presented on my head. My brown eyes looked tired from the jet lag. And my outfit looked ridiculous, the bright red sweater and grey/black pants were not a great combination.
I let you a big sigh and kept walking up the stairs and finally reached the main room. The upstairs of the house had a single bathroom and two bedroom. One of them was my uncle's and the other belonged to guests.
I opted to rest in the guest house. I still wasn't comfortable to sleep in my dead uncle's room.
The door opened with a creak as more dust blew onto my face. Granted the trauma cleaners had done their jobs in removing what they could ,but with no one setting foot in the house, dust was all over the place.
I sighed at the sight on the room. It was bigger than my appertment in new York. I Set down my suit case on the bed and started to look for something inside.
A brown envelope that my uncle's lawyer had given me. Before I could arrive to the house. I had met with the Lawyer, Mr choi. He told me I could come to him for help anytime. And he gave me an envelope of money, money my uncle saved up for me.
800 000 won, about 555 USD.
That was more than enough for me and considering I was given a free house that was completely paid for. I couldn't complain.
It was in the afternoon but I bet shops in Korea were still opened. I took the side bag that was in my suitcase and wore it around my neck. I placed the money in my bag as well as my phone.
Running downstairs I looked for anyplace where cleaning materials were being kept. I found an old worn out broom and a few cleaning materials.
I was going to go out buy some cleaning supplies and food. I might be lucky score a part time job.
Hesitating I held the door knob, I was scared that this was a dream and if I walk out I'll never return.
" You're okay, Senara. You're perfectly fine." I repeated to myself. Calming myself down.
With a bit more confidence I opened the door, Stepping outside into the humid air of Korea. Considering that I moved to a house that was near Seoul The air wasn't the best.
I looked to my neighbours Infront of my house. An elderly woman who seemed to be heading this way infact.
" Ah, hello." She waved at me.
" Hello miss." I greatest back as I watched her cross the street. She was holding some sort of lunch box in her hands.
" Wow, your Korean is very good." She smiled innocently at me. I found it funny I only said two words yet she's complimenting me.
" thank you. I'm still learning." I humbly replied.
" My name is Kim Seyeong. I made Korean kimchi for you." She held out her box to me. I lightly took it from her.
" Thank you miss Kim, my name is Senara." Kimchi huh, I only ate it once in a restaurant in New York. It wasn't the best taste.
" Ah, you can always come to my house in for anything Se-nara. You're uncle was one of my friends" She laughed as he said my name. Her face slightly fell as she mentioned my uncle
I couldn't understand some words in her sentence, but I'm guessing she said something about coming to her house and my uncle.
" yes, but right now I go to shops." I cringed as I forgot some of my sentence structures.
" Ah, yes yes. Goodbye." The elderly woman smiled, waving from me as she walked back to her house.
I looked at the lunckbox in my hand. Breathing out a breath I smiled at my first interaction with a native Korean, except Mr choi, . I walked back to the house, placing the kimchi in the fridge.
I ran out of the house. Making sure to lock the door since I couldn't be too safe. I wanted to go to A shopping center.
The walk only took a few minutes. I had no trouble expect some weird looks here and there, People mattered the word "foreigner" a lot on my way.
The first shop I stopped in was a home supplier shop. I only needed some wiping paper and a mop. The broom I have now will do.
Checking them out was a success. They proved to be surprisingly cheap. The convince store was my next stop.
On my way there something caught my eye. A book store. A wide smile appearing on my face. This was it. My 70% motivation of coming here. Maybe I could treat myself... Just a bit.
The bell rang in the shop signaling the owner.
" Welcome-" the owner stopped after looking at me
"oh, umm hello, welcome to my store." The owner cringed at his English speaking skills.
" You can talk Korean, I know some." The owner laughed once I spoke. My mind thought I had made a mistake in my sentence.
" Ah, you should have stopped me. Now I look like a fool." He covered his face with his hands. I giggled at his reaction.
" Ah, no your English is good." I comforted the shop owner. He only dismissed my comfort as he tried to bury his head into his hands with embrassment.
I chuckled again at his reaction.
Walking further inside the book store I was met with the manhwa section. Amongst them I saw my favourite and first ever manhwa. Who made me a princess. Further into the section were more manhwa's I recognized.
It seemed the isekai, historical manhwa was popular since it was the one mostly In stock.
A special manhwa caught my attention. It was covered in a rich, red glowing cover that sparkled when you looked from a different angle.
My hands lightly took the manhwa from its shelf. The cover was even more amazing. It was a girl, a red head girl. She was beautiful, but she looked sad.
The story of Marie. ( Fan favourite winner )
It was a side story for Marie. It seemed she was a fan favourite and got her own side story. The original book was ' The great fall of Illian '. My hands searched for a book with that title.
And finally found it. The book itself was half glowing blue and red. I read the back summary of the manhwa.
Cursed by an Ancient magic , the kingdom of illian is faced with challenges. The five princesses must set aside their differences and work together for their kingdom, only to realize they, themselves are the cause of the curse.
I held the first volume of the manhwa in my hand as I took out the phone in my pocket. I searched up the manhwa and I saw how it was an ongoing manhwa.
As of now, five volumes and a side story volume have been released.
Before I made the decision of buying any of the manga's physical I searched for them on any online website i knew. I had found all five volumes ,but I couldn't find the side story.
I made my decision. I'll read the main story online ,but treat myself to the side story as a physical, soft cover.
Walking over to the cashier. I placed the side story of Marie on the counter. The owner from Earlier taking it to swipe. Asking me if it was cash or card. I answered Cash since I hadn't made a card yet.
I bid my goodbye to the owner before continue to buy some food to stock up on food back home.
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I arrived home a bit later, at about five pm. I think picking out that food I wanted lasted longer than I hoped. I still wasn't confident in my Korean cooking skills and didn't have the time to search up YouTube tutorial so I opted for the easier option, instant food.
I quickly went up to take a shower, I made sure to be aware of the water and my hair. I remember reading somewhere that the water in Korea might not be the best unless you have a shower filter. I didn't want to risk any hair loss yet.
The water wasn't as warm as I hoped, but it was better than cold water. After showering I dried myself with my little towel from new York. I dressed myself in simple Pj's - which were a simple black oversized shirt with some sport pants from highschool - after getting dressed i walked downstairs.
I turned on the TV and the first thing was the news, but I wasn't going to pay attention to the television. I just needed some background music while I read my manhwa.
I walked to the kitchen to pour some hot water in a pot to put on the stove and prepared a cup of instant Noodles. One thing I like about moving to Korea is how cheap things were. Back at new York they were crazy expensive. I smiled at how much my life had changed in such a short time.
The water on the stove started boiling. I quickly put them in one of the brand new cups I bought and continued on preparing the noodle packs.
After I was done, I poured the hot water in the noodle cup, and closed it so the hot water could be trapped instead.
I took the cup noodles to the old sofa next to the TV. I took out my phone to look at the time.
6:05 pm.
I'm surprised how well I was handling jet lag and how I was about to hit two days without sleep (?) The time zones messed me up ,but when I left America it was sunset and when I came here to Korea, it was in the middle of the day.
I started going to my online websites to look for ' the great fall of illian.' once I found it I started reading like a mad woman.
The first seven chapters already had me hooked. I almost forgot to eat the instant noodles I prepared.
So far, there are five Illian princesses. The first born princess Bloom and her twin Willow, Diana the sketchy princess, Marie who seems the shy type and Evelyn the youngest.
I kept reading the Manga pulling me into its thick plot. It wasn't until I was on volume 3 , did a yawn break my concentration. I checked the time.
8:34pm
It would be bad to sleep late ,but it just won't hit the same in the morning. I looked around the house and noticed that the moon that was bringing light was no longer there and the house was black and dark. I quickly went to close the curtains and light up the house.
I discovered the kitchen lightbulb wasn't working.
But it was fine. The light from the living room would be enough.
When I returned back to my set. I noticed how the TV now showcased something about Tax's rising. The person was also talking at a fast pace that I couldn't understand it all.
Whatever. The fall of Illian was calling to me. So far I could See why Marie was the fan favorite, she willingly agreed to be sold off to the tyrant of another kingdom for her kingdom to gain an alliance and she also had a heartbreaking moment when she was defending Evelyn from her sister so they wouldn't sell her off to the neighboring kingdom. I'm thinking that the second book tells us of her life after her marriage because she hasn't appeared since her marriage.
Oh to be sold off to the cold duke of the north. I started fan girling at the thought. I placed my phone down as I started talking to the closest wall beside me.
" Now listen Mr wall, imagine. You're a princess and you're living in a big mansion with jewels and big pretty dresses and more jewels." I threw my arms up in the air.
" And suddenly, the cold tyrant duke of the north." I stood up and covered my lower face like a villain "comes to you and your father sells you for Jewels and money."
" But!" I turned dramatically. " The cold duke of the north that is somehow always back haired with red eyes isn't a cold duke at all. He's a kind giant who will do anything for you, he hates everyone except you and his personal guard friend."
I collapsed onto the sofa, my ears not missing the sound of the springs.
" Oh to have a life like that. One where you don't have to work yourself to the bone, one where you don't question what you're going to eat tonight, one where you have a life and people love you. I desperately wish to have that life. "
I lay down on the sofa holding my phone in my hand , ready to continue reading.
All the five sisters were illustrated to be red hairs, except Bloom. She had white hair. Or to have blue or red eyes. Their mother had red hair and blue eyes. While their father was a white haired man with red eyes. Marie was the only one in the family to have only one family feature. Red hair. She had light silver eyes.
I myself still classify her eyes in the blue colour category ,but the people in this Kingdom didn't. I don't blame them honestly. The author made it clear that a symbol of the royal family were their bright eye colours ,but Marie had the eye colour of a commoner. This led many to believe she was a child not born from the king.
" You deserve the world Marie." I cried out in frustration.
I continued on reading volume 3. Until I was done with the whole of volume 5
11:46 pm
I had so much questions. I knew Diana was sketchy, she was after the throne. Diana killed her own blood. She killed Bloom right infront of Evelyn.
I stood up with my messy hair and held my head tightly. I was going to get a headache.
And I was right. Marie never appeared again. Once she hears that her big sister was killed by her sister... Oh my I can't sleep now. I need to find out what happens next.
I quickly held the side story of Marie in my hands. My bed time was practically non existent at this point.
The book consistent of 12 chapters, But they seemed long considering the books thickness.
I started reading the book . My head was buried deep in the pages as I tried to get answers.
1:56am
I ended up throwing the book to the wall in a fit of anger and shock.
" No more!"
Honestly that side story is traumatizing. The cold duke of the north is actually a cold duke of the north. He-he raped her, he abused her. He's an animal.
He manipulated Marie into thinking she's nothing but a useless vessel for him to order around.
I only ended at chapter seven. With the way things were going. Marie was going to kill herself.
I placed around the room and I started to bit my nails. A bad habit I picked up over the years.
" Honestly if I was her I would also kill myself." I held my head in frustration furiously combing through my hair.
I took a breath as I walked to the kitchen and saw Miss Kim's Kimchi. Maybe if it it won't taste so bad.
Taking a slice of a leave with my hand. The crunchy, spicy flavor overpowered flowed in my mouth. This was good. Definitely better than the one I ate in the restaurant in New York.
I ate another leafy piece before I licked my hands to go pick up the side story of Marie.
.
.
.
2:26am
I hate the author of this book. This crazy animal of a man stabbed Marie and made it look like she did it herself. His acting skills somehow convinced everyone to think she actually did it.
Marie's side story ended when she's in bed and we still don't know if she's alive or dead, only the fake as Duke who's crying crocodile tears beside her, tricking everyone to believe he's a good husband.
Such a cliffhanger and I don't think there'll be any new chapters considering the author is on hiatus.
I laid the book on the wooden floor.
Staring at the ceiling of the living room, my eyes feeling heavy. I guess it was time to sleep, maybe I might have a good dream.
Tomorrow I need to properly search for a job. I can't really survive on the money my uncle left, not when Korea has such nice things.
I turned my body, the spring in the sofa accompaning me with a song at my movement.
I could get used to this life.
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How does Batman feel about some Kamen Riders killing their enemies?
I think that's going to be strongly situational! The problem, really, is determining the theoretical personhood of any given Kamen Rider enemy versus whether or not the Rider has an actual choice in killing them. Like, the problem with crossovers like this is always that you're going to be working with two different fictional worlds which have their own narrative conventions and rules, and those conventions and rules aren't always going to jive.
Batman's enemies are primary humans, who are (theoretically) capable of being rehabilitated, and that's a factor in his no-killing rule as much as his personal convictions are. Riders are not, for the most part, fighting humans, and the monsters they fight aren't even consistently sapient. So let's run through the modern shows, enemy type by enemy type:
Kuuga - Godai kills the Grongi, who are in time revealed to be much like normal humans but with modifications they have made to themselves, but he's not happy about it even from the beginning. Unfortunately, given the cultural convictions of the Grongi, killing them is the only way to prevent them from killing others. (They're also arguably undead, which is a whole other can of worms.) I think Bruce would recognize this as a necessary tragedy.
Agito - The Unknown/Lords aren't people, they're killing machines sent out by the Lord of Darkness. There's no indication that they're genuinely intelligent. Destroying them is not an issue.
Ryuki - Shinji only ever kills Mirror Monsters, which are, again, man-eating monsters, not people. His unwillingness to kill people is one of the driving factors of the show.
555 - Orphenochs are people. This is undeniable fact. However, it is also an undeniable fact that Takumi hates himself, hates what he's doing, and wishes it would all stop. Bruce would encourage him to get therapy, I think. (This is before we address the Orphenochs being on timers inherently.)
Blade - The Undead are distinctly people, but also Kenzaki and the others aren't killing them, just sealing them in cards.
Hibiki - Makamou are giant, dubiously-sapient monsters manifested by...the spirit world? They're big mindless man-eating demons, is the point, it's them or Hibiki and an indeterminate number of innocents. Not an issue.
Kabuto - Worms are people. They're alien invaders and also murderers, but they are people. However, I think Tendou's willingness to kill them would only be the start of Bruce's difficulties with him.
Den-O - The relative personhood of the Imagin versus the ethics of destroying them could take up an entire post by itself and I simply do not have the energy right now, but suffice it to say that I don't think Bruce would have a problem with it?
Kiva - Fangires are absolutely people, but they are also sort of vampires, and Batman is willing to kill vampires.
Decade - I am not prepared to dissect this one. Like, we've covered nine of the different kinds of monsters that Decade fights already, but I'm not ready for an in-depth discussion about how Bruce would handle Dai Shocker, especially given Tsukasa's relationship to it.
W - Dopants are drug addicts and Shoutaro and Philip don't generally kill them. The Sonozakis, as I recall, are mostly killed by other circumstances (see: Sonozaki Ryubee dying in the house fire, etc).
OOO - Any individual Yummy is not a person, it's a mindless monster generated from a victim's id. The deaths of the Greeed are tragedies in-story, but are also theoretically reversible. (Indeed, in OOO 10th they have been reversed!)
Fourze - Zodiarts are not killed! Whole thing in the show, obviously. Even Gamou isn't killed, in the end, he just sort of vaporizes.
Wizard - Phantoms are intelligent, but whether or not they're people is sort of arguable--they're malevolent demons inhabiting corpses. Destroying them is more akin to a banishment or exorcism.
Gaim - An Inves is an animal, and thus not a concern here. The Femshinmu are people, but I feel like Bruce usually makes an exception for malevolent invading aliens.
Drive - I think we'd have some problems here yeah. The personhood of Roidmudes and how they're handled in the show is already a huge issue with Drive.
Ghost - Takeru doesn't kill! What he destroys are Eyecon-based avatars of Ganma in physical stasis. Several Ganma do die over the course of the series but that's not his doing.
Ex-Aid - A Bugster is a sapient computer program, not a living being, and can't actually be killed? "Killing" a Bugster involves interrupting their main process in a way that causes them to suspend operation, but you could theoretically get them back out of that.
Build - Sento beats himself up about every death he's even potentially responsible for, and is also severely underslept. I think Bruce would get Alfred to make him dinner and then drape a blanket over him when he inevitably falls asleep on the couch.
Zi-O - Another Riders are not killed, the power's just...removed from them. Plus there's that whole timeline reset reviving the few people who did die. Bruce would complain about time travel and then go do something else.
Zero-One - Every Humagear in Zero-One is treated as a replaceable being, except in the V-Cins. Almost nobody actually dies. This has its own problems.
Saber - The only people I recall actually dying in Saber are Kento's dad, Master Logos, and the Megid, and in every case we get some kind of force ghost indicating that they sort of welcomed it. (Right, and Desast dies, but not at the hands of the heroes.)
Revice - Revice as a show is pretty death-averse, and its few deaths are mostly the outcome of irreversible demonic transformation, which is the sort of thing I suspect any DC Comics hero worth their salt would understand. I doubt the death of Giff would even register as a concern for Bruce.
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