So far in “Alchemy Of Souls,” Mu Deok regained her energy while being inside the ice stone barrier, but she refused to use the ice stone to make herself powerful again because that would mean letting others die. Jang Uk pretended to be dead to let Mu Deok show him her regained powers. As they had promised to each other, Mu Deok retracts her sword, and Jang Uk promises to marry her.
Spoilers Ahead
The Rise Of The King’s Star
Jang Uk has had tremendous growth as a mage, and though he was treated like a nobody, he has grown to become a fine mage who is about to realize the enormous power he holds. He has discovered a way to break the ice stone barrier using Tansu. The ice stone doesn’t have a form. It can be of any size and can be fire, water, or wind. A mage loses his powers to the ice stone, and Jang Uk deliberately decides to transfer his energy to it. He not only had to work hard but also risked his life many times to become this powerful, but he is ready to lose it all because he doesn’t want anyone else to use the ice stone’s energy for destruction. Both Mu Deok and the prince opposed him, but to no avail.
Dang Gu and Cho Yeon deliver the poetry book and go out to search for the shaman that Uk had mentioned. Park Jin convinces the king that the poetry was intended for the master’s lover, and he left the ice stone behind for her. However, his lover didn’t use the ice stone because she knew the destruction it would cause. The mages are more concerned about the ownership of the ice stone than actually breaking its barrier and saving the people trapped inside it. Dang Gu and Cho Yeon get shocked to see Cho Yeon’s father entering the shaman’s apothecary and learn about his entire façade. Park Jin reveals that the queen is a soul-shifter shaman, Choi, and Cho Yeon’s father tries to kill himself to save his sister.
The queen exposes Jin Mu as well, and he exposes Jang Gang and Lady Jin for using ice stone before and blames Songrim for covering it. Master Lee had written a letter to Jang Gang and told him to confess his wrongdoings. Only then would the king’s star appear and save Daeho. Jang Gang arrives in Songrim when the queen’s issue has just been resolved and confesses to performing the alchemy of souls, having learned it from Shaman Choi’s guidebook.
He doesn’t tell anyone that Jang Uk is the late king’s son born due to soul shifting but admits that he used the ice stone and hid it in the lake Gyeongchangdaeho instead of destroying it. He takes the fall for everything and petrifies himself. The king forgives Songrim and Jinyowon since Jang Gang killed himself for the crimes. Before going, Jang Gang saved Uk by again proclaiming that he was not the son of a sinner like him.
Jang Uk performs Tansu just when his father petrifies himself. Uk gets lost for some time and finds himself among the stars, holding the ice stone. That’s when the king’s star appears in the sky, and everyone in Daeho witnesses what they had only heard until now. The barrier breaks, and the wind storm turns into rain. Jang Uk comes back to reality and notices his flow of energy is gone for good. He had asked the prince to tell everyone that he broke the barrier because Jang Uk didn’t want the spotlight on himself. Neither Jang Uk nor the prince were aware of the consequences.
The elders enter Jeonjingak and believe the prince is the reason for the rise of the king’s star, as he takes credit for breaking the barrier. Park Jin knows Jang Uk is the one but keeps quiet for Uk’s sake. Both Jang Uk and Mu Deok are powerless now, but they are happy since they still have each other. The ice stone has disappeared, and Daeho is back at peace. The marriage of Dang Gu and Cho Yeon has been announced, but there are still some things that Songrim needs to take care of.
Jin Mu is a fugitive and has disappeared with no trace. He only shows himself to the prince, and his intention is clearly to get the prince on his side. He tells the prince that Jang Uk is the real owner of the king’s star and is a threat to the prince. He convinces the prince that he is the only one who can help him and protect him from Jang Uk. While the prince worries about Jang Uk taking his place, Jang Uk is busy romancing his lover and proposes to Mu Deok for marriage formally at the place where they first met. He formally requests his master, Naksu, to end their training and start a new phase in their life together.
Who Brought Naksu Back?
Lady Jin has kept Cho Yeon’s father alive because she still needs to find her real daughter, and she wants her father to be alive to see her. While Songrim is busy with preparations for Dang Gu’s marriage, Park Jin also asks maidservant Kim to marry him after a dramatic sequence of realization. Jang Uk reveals to maidservant Kim that he will get married after Dang Gu, and the woman he loves is Mu Deok. Kim gets startled because she never thought it would be Mu Deok, despite seeing them together all the time. She approves of their relationship, and the Jang house is ready to welcome their new lady of the family.
The prince confirms with Mu Deok that she is getting married to Jang Uk and also that they will leave Songrim to go live in a faraway village. The prince tells her that it is better and she shouldn’t show herself with Jang Uk because he doesn’t want his petty jealousy to turn into wicked hatred. The prince doesn’t have to worry about the king’s star anymore as Jang Uk will leave soon, and he asks Jin Mu to surrender himself by the end of the day. Jin Mu is stuck, but he still hasn’t stopped his wicked intentions. He needs to kill Cho Yeon’s father as he knows about everything they have done until now. He gets hold of Shaman Choi’s cursed potion and is going to use it on Mu Deok to check if she is Naksu, as he doubts it.
Jin Mu has shaman Choi’s cursed potion and bells which can control and hypnotize the soul shifters. He tests it first on Mu Deok and confirms that she is Naksu, who taught Jang Uk how to master Tansu, her signature spell. So Yi sneaks into Jinyowon to get the medicine for Seo Yul, who has been suffering because of the bloodworm, and gets caught. However, she gets away because she is the only one who knows the real Bu Yeon. Mu Deok has resigned from being a maid, and she gets drunk with maidservant Kim at her farewell party. Jang Uk puts her to sleep, but she expresses her sincere feelings to him before sleeping, stating tomorrow is uncertain and she doesn’t want to regret not telling him. Mu Deok hears bells in her sleep and ends up in Jin Mu’s secret chamber.
It’s Dang Gu and Cho Yeon’s wedding day, and they sneak out to meet Cho Yeon’s father to take his blessings before their marriage. Jin Mu hypnotized Mu Deok and ordered her to kill Cho Yeon’s father. He has transferred his energy into her, and she is already running wild. In the past, Jin Mu manipulated Naksu to kill the mages, who were actually soul shifters and could get Jin Mu in trouble. This time, he uses hypnotism and wants her to kill all the major mages. Mu Deok kills the Sejukwon guards and kills Cho Yeon’s father just as she arrives there with Dang Gu. Dang Gu couldn’t kill Mu Deok because he still trusted her, and she ran away. Jin Mu returns to Songrim shamelessly and informs them about the assassin Naksu, who has come back as a soul shifter.
A Tragic End For Lovers
The guards follow Mu Deok into the woods, and Park Jin follows. Everyone at Songrim has got the news of Naksu’s return, and Uk and Yul are no exception. Park Jin shoots his arrow at Mu Deok, but Uk covers her, and Jin retrieves his attack. Jang Uk saves her from dying at Park Jin’s hand, but Mu Deok runs her sword through Jang Uk. Jang Uk doesn’t waver and keeps whispering Mu Deok’s name in her ear. Mu Deok comes back to consciousness for a brief moment and realizes what she has done. She wails in despair and tries to retrieve her sword, but Uk hugs her tight and lets the sword pass through him entirely.
Jang Uk keeps two of his promises made to Mu Deok. If she ever uses her sword to assassinate people, Jang Uk promises to die at her hands as the one who sets the assassin free. When they decided to get married, Jang Uk promised to hold her hand like it was a wedding ring until the day he died, and he didn’t let go of her hand until he had his last breath. Everyone cries for the loss of Jang Uk, but he also gets defamed for protecting Naksu all this time. Master Heo forbids Yul from leaving the fortress because he doesn’t want people to know that the eldest son of the Seo family also protected Naksu. Cho Yeon wants to avenge her father’s death, but her mother wants Mu Deok alive because she suspects she is Bu Yeon.
Mu Deok escapes the guards and jumps into the Gyeongchangdaeho lake. She understands in her last moment that she is being controlled, but she has no option left as she is getting petrified. However, when she jumps in, two mysterious people bring Mu Deok out of the lake. Jang Uk is being cremated without any honor, but Master Lee comes to his funeral, only to say that a king’s star won’t die like this. Jang Uk has the ice stone inside him, and it takes the energy from the fire, and his pyre explodes with blue flames. The deceased Jang Uk rises from the ashes like a phoenix. The ice stone inside him has possibly given him all the energy he lost, and he is ready to avenge all those who wronged him and his fiancée.
‘Alchemy Of Souls’ Season 1 Ending: What To Expect From Season 2?
Jang Uk was supposed to come back to life as he had the ice stone, but we don’t know how much power he holds now. He had always been ridiculed for being an illegitimate child with no flow of energy when he was fated to become a great mage born with the king’s star. He lived a miserable life until now, but his rebirth will change his course of life. Jang Uk and Mu Deok had decided to live a peaceful life after giving up their energies, but they met an unfair end. Jin Mu is the devil behind it all, and he has been ruining many people’s lives for a long time. It is preposterous how Jin Mu does the evilest deeds and yet gets away with them.
“Alchemy Of Souls” Season 2 is set to continue the story in December as “Alchemy Of Souls: Light and Shadow.” A glimpse into the next season depicts a dark and vengeful aura where Jang Uk, Dang Gu, and Cho Yeon have changed and look ruthless. Jang Uk is seen using Naksu’s sword, proving the immense energy he has received to be able to handle her sword and also indicating his desire to keep his lost lover close to him. More than anything, the most surprising appearance will be Naksu, who has returned to her original body. Who saves Mu Deok, and how does she return to her original body? The preview promises the next season to be more intense, action-packed, and riveting.
See More: ‘Alchemy Of Souls’ Episode 17 And 18: Recap And Ending – The Sorcery Of The Ice Stone
