Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Will you burn the world for them?”

Seoyeon’s eyes snapped open. She was falling.

She couldn’t see a thing, not with the pitch black shadows covering every corner of her vision, blinding her to where she was. She glanced around. Nothing. The only noise was that voice, overwhelming and too loud, as if it was speaking from within Seoyeon’s mind. Her head ached, a pulsating pain as she clutched it, letting out a scream, yet it still fell deaf on her own ears.

Where was she?

“You are in the abyss. Remember, mortal.” Seoyeon let out another cry, although it didn’t sound like her voice. It was a screech, a bird-like, high-pitched wail that tore through the silence and left her throat feeling shredded, as if she’d swallowed a hundred blades.

She didn’t stop falling. The air rushed past her, not cold or hot, simply whipping past her as she continued her descent.

“I’ll ask again, mortal.” The voice called out, and Seoyeon nearly cried.

The air around her felt colder – no. No, the air hadn’t grown more frigid, rather, she’d turned hot, her body feeling ablaze as she cried out. The air felt cold by comparison, more chilled when compared to the scorching sensation that tore through her. Every nerve felt on fire, every muscle stung with a piercing pain that left her screaming.

“Would you burn the world for them?!” It demanded, a hollow screech ripping through her ears as she sobbed.

Her body burned, her eyes stung. Seoyeon was falling, and she wasn’t sure she could stop.

=====

Seoyeon gasped, surging up in her bed as her thin blanket fell off to the side and onto the floor. She clutched her chest, hand gripping the fabric of her shirt as she let her tears fall, burning down her face. She wheezed, falling onto her size as she let the sobs claw their way out of her, her other hand gripping onto the mattress beneath her. She welded her eyes shut, trying to breathe in the dusty air of her room.

It took her a moment, silence besides her own ragged breathing, her eyes slowly opening. She wasn’t falling, not anymore. She let out a cry of relief.

She coughed, sitting upright as she shook her head. She blinked, allowing her eyes to readjust to the sudden brightness of her surroundings. In actuality, her dimly lit room was bathed in shadows itself, although Seoyeon supposed anything was lighter than where she had just dreamt she was.

Her hand went to her temple again, letting out a quiet groan. Just what was that dream?

She let her eyes wander around the room once more, before taking a cautious step away from her bed. She didn’t have time to think about whatever nightmare had plagued her, eyes falling to the clock that silently moved its hands. A gift from her mother – an enchanted clock said to not make a noise. In actuality, Seoyeon would’ve preferred the ticking – it would’ve made the absolute quiet of her house less deafening.

The floorboards creaked as she stepped through, padding towards the bathroom as coloured spots danced about in the corners of her sight. Living alone in a house her mother had bought had its perks, she supposed. She had no one to grill her about whatever she just experienced, or anyone holding up the bathroom for her.

Still, even as Seoyeon turned the water on in a hope that a shower would remove any of the lingering pain in her mind and extinguish the vague burning of her own body, she couldn’t help but wish she wasn’t so alone.

The girl left her home, leather bag slung over her shoulder as the glowing orange orb began to crawl up the horizon. She sighed with a chill, pulling her coat around her as the autumn winds began to pick up ever so slightly. She mounted her bicycle – another gift from her mother she hadn’t asked for – before cycling around the village.

The S1 province was the largest throughout the entirety of the Kingdom of Haus, meaning that the newspaper delivery workers had always divided up the work amongst them, splitting off the oversized area into smaller subsections that each would work. It meant Seoyeon mainly stayed local, although even she knew how cranky some of the townspeople would get if they couldn’t read the papers.

Her wheels whistled against the cobbles of the ground, tossing papers onto porches with practised ease. She even managed to toss one up to the balcony Mrs. Kim lived on, aware that the older woman was far too lazy to head down to the porch herself to pick it up. Seoyeon could only roll her eyes with a smile. She’d like to be sardonic, but she couldn’t blame her.

The sun had finally emerged over the horizon, the previous darker skies now a pale blue. Seoyeon slowed her pace, glancing around the village as she leaned back slightly, taking in the sight. This was it, her brief moment of peace. Soon, she’d head back and cycle home, stopping to say hello to the usual village people she’d gotten familiar with, before buying her favourite pastries.

Some would say her life was monotonous, predictable. Seoyeon saw it as quiet, tranquil.

The sun shone its gentle light against the slated roofs of the cottages across the village, reflecting off the white paints of the outer walls of each home, lined with the black wooden frames. She could smell it already – smoke, mist, the metallic scent of iron from the blacksmith’s not too far from where she was, the sounds of dogs beginning to awaken with barks, likely taking the delivered papers to their owners.

Seoyeon still had one last delivery, however.

She cycled, her wheels creaking over the uneven cobbles of the ground, her eyes tracking the way moss and ivy would crawl over the grey stone in some places. She neared the familiar home, and stopped her bike. Like clockwork, she heard the familiar hoot of an owl and a familiar chuckle, footsteps down stairs and eventually, a familiar face.

“Seoyeon, so wonderful to see you!” Dr. Kim Jungeun smiled at Seoyeon as she made her way over. Seoyeon reached into her bag, extending the paper as Jungeun smiled.

“You too, doctor.” It became a habit to call the older woman by her title. After all, she was the only professor from the esteemed Krystal Academy to come from Seoyeon’s quaint town.

Jungeun laughed, a little too loud but Seoyeon didn’t mind. “Oh, hush.” She glanced down at the paper as Seoyeon readjusted her bag, her tongue sticking out in concentration. Jungeun’s expression fell, and when Seoyeon glanced up, the older woman gave her a pitying stare.

“Seoyeon… you have read the paper, right?” Seoyeon only chuckled, nodding.

“Legendary Mage Haseul continues radio silence.” Seoyeon rehearsed with a good-natured eye roll. “Yes, I’ve read it far too many times.” Jungeun continued her stare, and Seoyeon only sighed with a smile, leaning back onto the seat of her bike, her legs keeping it steady on either side. “My mother goes on a lot of missions, and every time she comes back fine. People are making a fuss over nothing.”

Jungeun seemed to have a comment on the tip of her tongue. Instead, she crossed her arms, “That’s a lot of faith in your mother.” Seoyeon didn’t mean to laugh, it just happened to come out.

“It’s not faith,” she clarified, ignoring the look sent her way, “It’s just… My mother's busy. Really busy. I don’t always hear back from her, and sometimes I’ve gone a month or two before she pops up in the house again.” Seoyeon sighed with a shrug. “You learn to stop worrying about someone that powerful. If she wants to show up, she will.”

Jungeun sighed, crossing her own arms. “You might be right… after all, a missing-in-action alert would be passed out if they couldn’t reach her even through emergency methods, right?” Jungeun said, although she wasn’t sure if it was to convince anyone except herself. She watched Seoyeon nod, wondering if she should be alarmed at the young girl’s blase attitude.

“Yep. They’ll eventually reach her and she’ll confirm she’s fine.” Seoyeon readied to take off, “It was lovely seeing you Doctor. I can’t believe you’re heading back already.” Seoyeon pouted as Jungeun chuckled.

“Well, Krystal Academy is starting its next academic year soon. A bunch of new faces and kids to deal with…” she started with a smile, although as she trailed off, the smile waned. Seoyeon laughed, shaking her head.

“Magic… sounds like a headache. Glad it was the one thing my mother didn’t gift me.” Seoyeon glanced down, not wanting to see the pitying look on Jungeun’s face, the one she’d grown all too accustomed to seeing whenever she reminded people of her lack of magic.

“See you around, Seoyeon.” Jungeun said as Seoyeon acknowledged her with a nod, taking off to her part of town once more.

If you were to ask Seoyeon what it was like being Jo Haseul’s daughter, she’d tell you it wasn’t the amazing, fame-filled life one would imagine. In fact, it was probably the quietest existence one held.

For one, her mother was always busy. You didn’t become the greatest Mage in history and spend your days lounging around. Seoyeon thinks the last time she saw her mother was about a month ago, before some ‘perilous mission’ she had assured Seoyeon was, in fact, light work. She still had yet to see her, but again, Seoyeon learnt to stop worrying.

Seoyeon knows she once resented her mother for being so absent, and part of her still likely did, if she was honest. But Seoyeon wasn’t one to hold grudges, she didn’t see the need to hold on to that sort of thing. Her mother was a saviour to most people on the planet, Seoyeon knew that her time with her mother was just a small and necessary sacrifice along the way.

Still, it stung, she thought. It didn’t help that her father and sister passed away, their memories nothing more than shattered remnants in her mind. It also didn’t help she was incapable of following in her mother’s footsteps.

She stopped by the bakery, watching the baker offer a small prayer to the Gods before he began to place balls and rolls of dough into the oven, the fiery charcoal roaring as she stopped by. He turned, offering a smile. “Seoyeon! My little hamham, what can I get you?” Seoyeon chuckled, her cheeks warm as she simply asked for her usual.

She took the paper bag and cycled her way home, wanting to catch a small break before her assistant job at the apothecary. Compared to her mother’s illustrious titles, it wasn’t much. But Seoyeon had learnt to appreciate that.

Yet, despite her earlier confidence, she found herself slowing. She saw the troubled looks that came across people’s faces as they stared at the papers, at the pitying looks shot her way as she smiled and cycled past – a far cry from the usual warmth she was greeted with. Something gnawed at her, and that voice continued to ring in her mind as she felt her hands tighten around the handlebars.

‘Mom… you’re fine, right? Everyone’s just worried over nothing…’

=====

Heejin’s frown deepened as her head fell into her hands. A dull ache in her skull began to take hold as her wife massaged her shoulders. “Where are you Haseul…” Heejin muttered. Another dead end, another failure to reach her. They’d tried everything, including some of the most advanced magical searching spells they’d seen, and yet nothing. Like she never existed, Jo Haseul couldn’t be traced. Hyunjin lowered, whispering into Heejin’s ear.

“It’s okay… we’ll find her, honey.” Hyunjin mumbled as Heejin let the woman embrace her from behind. Her eyes shifted to the plaque on her desk, moving it to face her. Her mouth dried at the reminder of her status, of her job.

Headmistress of Krystal Academy

She let out another sigh, massaging her temple as Hyunjin pressed a kiss to her cheek. “We’ll have to sound the alarm, update her status to MIA, inform the next of kin in case it turns out she…” Heejin shook her head, “Haseul’s too powerful but… you can never be too sure.” Hyunjin nodded, moving away from her wife as she moved to the door.

“I’ll put out the order…” Hyunjin cast a look back at Heejin, her wife nodding. Her heart clenched, despising the solemn look on her wife’s usually cheerful face. Hyunjin left, the door closing with a thud as Heejin suppressed the urge to cry.

“How… how does the strongest mage in history just… disappear?”

=====

Seoyeon let out a groan, placing the box down as she stretched her back, the sound of glass clinking and cluttering around as she grunted. The tension in her back alleviated somewhat before someone smacked the back of her head with a roll of paper. She yelped, clutching it as she was met with the disapproving stare of the older woman who ran the establishment. Their frown lessened, gesturing to the box.

“Careful, Seoyeon. Don’t want to break anything.” Seoyeon offered a bashful smile in return as Kim Minji only offered a scoff, a smile breaking out onto her features. “Honestly… you know we have other employees for this, right? You don’t have to shoulder all the responsibility.” Seoyeon shook her head, crouching down and picking up the box.

“Nope. I said I’d take stock duties for today, so I am.” Minji shook her head, chuckling.

“You’re only doing this because Gahyun needed someone to cover for her because of her ‘date’.” Minji said, a mild noise of disapprovement. Seoyeon made no comment besides a light chuckle. Gahyun was Minji’s daughter, after all. Not really her business to make any comments.

“I’m doing this because it’s the nice thing to do.” Seoyeon said pointedly as she moved towards a set of shelves, placing the box down as she unpacked and restocked bottles and jars of various fluids and materials people may have needed. People arrived with all sorts of ailments and issues, ones Minji had no problem solving. Seoyeon one day hoped to be taught by Minji, perhaps running an apothecary of her own one day.

She ruminated on the idea, humming a light tune to herself as she aligned bottles beside one another. She supposed not having a single drop of the magical energy that was Mana in her bloodline did limit her options. But, in Seoyeon’s opinion, non-magical medicine was a practice humanity shouldn’t forego, so perhaps she was doing her mystical brethren a favour.

Before she could remain on that thought for too long, the bell chimed as someone entered the store. Seoyeon turned to greet them with a smile as Minji sung out a greeting, but Seoyeon paused. She could recognise the outfit anywhere – the black uniform on his figure, the badges and pins around his chest, the deep emerald cloak around his shoulders that extended to just shy of his knees. The cap on his head, the stoic expression, the weapon at his side.

He was a soldier – a mage, at that. “This is Dreamcatcher Apothecary, correct?” He asked, his voice sounding much younger than Seoyeon expected as Minji paused, nodding. “Am I correct in assuming a Yoon Seoyeon works here?” Minji raised a brow, crossing her arms.

“What is the military’s business with my employee?” Seoyeon shuddered at her boss’ tone of voice, well aware that whilst Minji might be a retired mage, she was a fearsome one nonetheless. If the soldier was intimidated, he did little to show it.

“We simply have information to relay about her mother’s… status.”

Sick. Seoyeon felt sick.

She watched the way Minji’s expression shifted, from protective to shocked, disarmed. She cast a look back to Seoyeon, and the wave of nausea hit her again. She shook her head, walking towards the officer as the screeching sound of the voice from her dreams began to vaguely ring in her ears.

Why did he say it like that? Where was her mother? She was fine, why were they making such a big deal over her being missing? It was nothing new.

She could feel the bile slowly rise up her throat, and the officer did his best to keep his expression neutral. But even then, through the shadows of his cap obscuring his face, she could see it, the glint of emotion in his eyes.

Pity.

“It is with a heavy heart that I report…” Seoyeon felt her legs wobble, preparing to hear it. There was no way, right? Her mother wasn’t… she couldn’t be…

“Your mother is now classed officially as missing in action.” Minji’s quiet gasp didn’t go unregistered by Seoyeon. Her mother wasn’t dead, it was worse. “As of this moment, Jo Haseul has been unreachable through any and all immediate and emergency forms of contact. She has been for at least twenty-four hours, hence the change in status. Whilst this does not mean she is dead…”

Seoyeon swallowed. “It does in fact mean that she is now classed as missing and a search operation will commence soon. We must remind you whilst the missing mage may be alive, simply unable to be reached due to some sort of extenuating circumstance, there is a possibility that the mage is… unfortunately, no longer with us.” Seoyeon felt Minji guide her to a seat, and Seoyeon all but collapsed.

“This… this isn’t… my mom, she’s…” Seoyeon watched the man sigh. He had previously spoken with such practised ease, likely from having to relay similar information to other families. Yet, there was an undercurrent to his voice, of something more raw, less professional. She watched the man pull off his cap, holding it near his chest out of respect.

“Your mother… I had the fortune to work with her. She’s a truly gifted person, so… I can only imagine the grief you are feeling.” He bowed deeply, and Seoyeon sniffled.

He then stood straight, reaching behind himself. “We were informed by your mother that, in the rare case anything is to happen to her, we were to give you this…” He handed over a green envelope, a wax seal fixing it closed, a letter H imprinted onto the seal. Seoyeon gingerly took it, fingers running across the paper as he bowed again.

“Should you require any further support, both Professor Kim Hyunjin and Headmistress of Krystal Academy Jeon Heejin have offered to assist you in anything you may need.” With that, the officer put his cap back on, and left.

Minji glanced between Seoyeon and the letter, clamping a hand onto the younger girl’s shoulder. “How about you rest up and take the day off, hm?” Even then, Seoyeon could feel the tremble in the older woman’s arm, the way her eyes shook slightly, the quiet, almost imperceptible trace of fear in her voice.

Seoyeon understood, almost everyone did.

If Jo Haseul was truly gone, as people had begun to mutter about as Seoyeon left the apothecary, then what did that mean for the rest of them? If the strongest mage in history could just vanish, how safe really were they?

=====

Seoyeon let her eyes wander over the letter again, sitting at the wooden round table in her home’s living room. She let it fall from her fingers onto the wood, and drummed her fingers against the table’s surface. She let out a sigh, looking through the window. In a couple of hours, it would be dusk, and that was when they’d leak from the shadows. Everyone was scared of the dark as a child, and there was a reason for it.

Because lurking in the dark were predators, hunters, creatures you couldn’t begin to understand until much later. One of the many enemies of the mages. Yet, Seoyeon glanced back at the paper, at the hastily scrawled ink.

She thought of her mother, of her desperation.

With a sigh, she picked up and pocketed the letter, throwing on a thicker coat as she left, locking the door behind her.

=====

Dear my beloved daughter, Seoyeon,

If you’re reading this, then I’ve probably gone missing. Do not worry, nothing in this world is strong enough to kill me, but I will likely be gone for some time. It is something I have unfortunately seen coming.

Seoyeon glanced up, a frown on her face. The sky had already begun to let orange slowly seep across it, the blue shifting to a myriad of colours as the shadows began to grow tall and crawl along the earth. The wind howled, a chill running down Seoyeon’s head as she pushed forward, her mother’s instructions fresh in the back of her mind. Her eyes briefly darted back to the map, to the drawings her mother had scribbled on.

Whilst I wish it didn’t come to this, if I have gone missing, that means I have likely failed to complete my mission. You see, long ago, the great wars between the kingdoms had finally come to a stop, and the Kingdom of Haus had decided to commission five enchanted daggers to act as decorative symbols of the new unity. Of course, as with all enchanted matter, they soon grew too powerful over centuries, and were sealed away.

She glanced up, and gulped. A silver mist had fallen across the ground, and left cold moisture to collect on the exposed skin of Seoyeon’s face as she shivered. The trees grew long and wild, spirals of dark bark and branches twisting through the air and cracking the ground. The chirping of birds sounded almost mocking, and far too human-like for Seoyeon, whilst the glow of the fireflies seemed almost ominous, wisps of light guiding her to certain doom.

I had been tasked with finding and recollecting the daggers, and have only found one. If I am absent, I will need you to go to the tomb I’ve buried the dagger in, and retrieve it. I have attached a map to the back of this letter. The tomb is enchanted, and only someone with my own blood can access it, a secret hidden from even The Council. Once you retrieve it, contact the headmistress of Krystal Academy, she will know what to do.

She shook her head. No, she was close. The Ashen Woods weren’t far from her village, and were also not impossible to navigate. They may have had their urban legends around them, but those were nothing more than folk tales or old wives’ tales meant to keep children indoors at night.

I’m sorry about leaving this to you, I truly wish I didn’t have to.

There are those who seek these daggers for the wrong reasons, and if I’ve failed, then they may be close behind me. Please, stay safe my daughter.

And if needed, burn the world.

Love you

- Your mother, Jo Haseul

Yet, Seoyeon still couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched, her feet crunching against the blackened and dying leaves that littered the ground. Just how much further would she have to–

There. She stopped. The Gravewood.

The large tree at the centre of the clearing, a winding and mangled mess of roots and ivy, more ancient than memory, more grotesque than any myth could capture. Its bark wasn’t an earthly brown or a charred black but rather grey and pale, like the colourless corpses of the dead. Its trunk contorted, looking almost humanoid in shape as branches clawed out, like limbs reaching to drag her in. Like flesh had become one with nature itself.

But there, at the crown of the trunk, right before the large bundle of spindly branches, was a carving. Not man-made or made through the claws of a creature, no. The tree had simply grown that way, into the shape of what could only be described as a man’s skull. A grimacing skull, fossilised mid-scream, its hollow eyes staring back at her, its gaping mouth wanting to eat her whole.

Seoyeon shook her head again and approached, recalling her mother’s words. The Tombs were bound to their blood – but would it even listen to an illegitimate child, born out of wedlock, without a drop of magic blood in their system?

She willed her legs to move, but found them rooted to the floor. She felt her mouth go dry, and she grunted, willing them to step forth as she took her first few shaky steps. She thought of her mother, how despite having not seen her in a month, how she’d entrusted this to Seoyeon, how she didn’t pity her daughter like so many always did.

“You’re beautiful,” she once told her, “And so strong… mommy could never be as strong as you…”

Seoyeon found it almost laughable, as she approached the tree. Because, after all, who else was the strongest–

Snapped. A branch snapped and Seoyeon froze as she glanced behind her and felt herself almost vomit. The first she noticed were the pale white eyes, empty and glassy. Seoyeon watched as its slender body curled and coiled around the contorted branches, sleek black fur dripping with some cloudy, dark fluid, whilst scarlet claws dug into the wood. It smiled at her, a mouth full of serrated fangs. A low snarl rumbled through the air, its jaw unclenching before unhinging.

Seoyeon froze, and she knew immediately what she was.

Prey.

The creature lunged, almost faster than she could react. She ducked and rolled, hearing it let out a high-pitched wail as it landed and scampered over the Gravewood, curling around it as Seoyeon panted, eyes wide as tears pooled.

“What… what are you…” She muttered, watching its crimson dyed claws scratch against the bark, and that’s when Seoyeon realised, the red from its claws was blood. It lunged again, and this time, Seoyeon was far less lucky. It dug its fangs into her leg, a scream ripping through her as it dragged Seoyeon across the ground. It tossed her, and Seoyeon’s head smacked against the Gravewood, and she felt her world spin.

Colours and shadows danced, the creature stalking around her, grinning maniacally. It stunk, of water, of the dead, like a bundle of dead fish. A putrid sense of rot. She glanced down, and almost screamed again. Her leg was torn, her calf shredded as she watched blood leak freely, muscles ripped and chunks of flesh bitten out. She glanced up, watching it bounce overhead.

Seoyeon barely had enough time to process it, before its slender tail whipped and wrapped itself around her neck, tugging upward as Seoyeon tried to scream, to no avail. She gasped, wheezing as she smacked against the tail, her own hits weakening as the creature let out another wail, although perhaps it was closer to a laugh.

What was it? It looked almost mammalian to Seoyeon, but… this wasn’t her world, it was her mother’s. Was this what she fought on the regular?

She felt tears pool in her eyes as she began to choke on the lump in her throat and the crushing grip around it. Was this it? Was her mother going to find her own daughter, crumpled and dead, half-eaten by a demon of some sort? She winced, and found herself begging for someone, anyone to save her.

Mom… Mom, I’m here… please I… Seoyeon felt her vision blur, her chest constrict and her mind fade.

Then, a screech.

Seoyeon’s eyes shot open as her body began to burn. She heard the creature howl in pain as whatever black liquid seemed to perpetually drip from its fur began to evaporate. The bird-like screeching grew louder as Seoyeon’s body began to feel scorched, her mind pulsating once more as that same voice called out to her.

“Moral… I ask of you once again…”

Seoyeon’s eyes teared up, her mother’s words coming to her again. Burn the world.

“Would you burn the world for them?”

Seoyeon didn’t know who ‘them’ was. She didn’t care, not now. She simply agreed, tried to nod, whatever she needed to convince whatever entity was in her head.

“Y-Yes…” she wheezed, “P-Please… I’m… begging you…” She heard a low hum, before a cackle tore through her mind, and her body burned.

It didn’t grow hot and feverish, it didn’t come with a wave of nausea. Seoyeon burned, golden flames flicking to life and engulfing her body. Seoyeon’s vision went white, blinded by the sheer light she generated as fire shot out in every direction – her eyes, palms, chest, her very soul was lit ablaze. The fire consumed, it ate at everything around Seoyeon as the creature cried in agony, unable to escape as the flames consumed it.

Seoyeon screamed, but not in pain. Like a knot being undone, like a tree finally falling over, she screamed as every ounce of pain and tension was released from her body. Seoyeon had never felt more alive. Where she reached, the fire followed. It obeyed.

Until it didn’t, and Seoyeon’s world went to black.

=====

Heejin sighed, an unsteady breath leaving her as Hyunjin gave her a supportive hug from behind. “I… I just hope she’s…” Her wife murmured as Heejin placed a hand over Hyunjin’s, a light touch that provided a reassuring warmth. Heejin glanced forward, at the large metal door to the chilled room, ice and frost beginning to already crawl along its edges.

Heejin closed her eyes, before pushing the door open with a clank and long, drawn out creak. She glanced forward, the door slowly whirring itself shut as Heejin’s nails dug into her palm. Seoyeon’s usually dark hair had somehow turned a golden blonde, the girl refusing to look up at Heejin as the headmistress wrapped her arms around herself, having underestimated the cold of Seoyeon’s containment room.

Chains, made from arctisteel from the north, kept her bound to the walls, covering her hands. Seoyeon finally glanced up, but she wasn’t shivering like Heejin, who then knelt down before the girl. Seoyeon’s eyes were kind, they always were, and it left Heejin with a growing sense of guilt in her stomach. Her innocent eyes watched as Heejin pulled out five stone chess pieces, each of a different entity, placing them before the chained girl.

A dragon perched atop a mountain. A Phoenix bursting through a cage. A serpent coiling around the world. A headless knight contemplating on a throne. A griffin guarding a chest. When Heejin looked back up to meet Seoyeon’s curious gaze, she furrowed her brow.

“Seoyeon…” Heejin muttered, “What did you do?”

Chapter Text

“You look fine, stop overthinking.”

Seoyeon cast a glance over at the talking yellow cat on the windowsill, her frown deepening as it leapt down onto the ground, shifting into a familiar human as they stood. Hyunjin rolled her shoulders, swishing her hair around as she walked over, black robes dancing around her as she stopped, patting Seoyeon’s shoulders and turning her around. Seoyeon swallowed, the sight before her something she would’ve only believed the stuff of dreams.

“Your mother… she’d be proud.”

The sleek black uniform felt almost too big for Seoyeon’s body, the dark blazer seeming too long towards the bottom, her sleeves reaching just past her wrists. The white shirt was almost too perfectly ironed, the result of some spell Hyunjin had cast. It was the kind of thing only achieved through magic, incapable of being replicated by the man made inventions of her village. She fixed her tie again, black with a pattern of thin white stripes, and ran her hands to smoothen her charcoal grey skirt again.

“Your tie will change colour once your house has been selected,” Hyunjin explained, “You’ll also get the complementary robes too.”

“I just… I can’t believe it.” She murmured, her head almost spinning. The girl in the mirror was a far cry from the dark-haired village girl she was used to seeing. Her hair was now a bright blonde, always seeming to glow in the sunlight with a faint halo, her cheeks rosier than usual.

Hyunjin hummed, shooting Seoyeon’s reflection a gentle and reassuring smile. “The universe has a weird way of working out,” Seoyeon moved her eyes away from the reflection to the older woman at her side. Hyunjin met her gaze and smiled, “It’s something Heejin always says.” Seoyeon nods, staring back at the reflection.

Seoyeon knows, it was something Heejin had told her.

A few months ago…

Seoyeon breathed out as Heejin sighed, their breaths coming out as a frozen mists that faded through the frigid air. Heejin’s question went unanswered, and she stared at the older woman with a mixture of confusion and fear in her eyes, her fists clenching. A burning sensation ran through her veins, the only thing stopping her from succumbing to the cold. The metal chains weighed heavy against her smaller body, and part of her almost felt angered by this.

‘You see how they treat us? How they fear us?’ A voice screeched in her head, and Seoyeon inhaled. ‘Set yourself free, call on my fire…’ She glanced up, and Heejin hesitated at the hint of embers sparking in Seoyeon’s eyes. However, she watched as Seoyeon’s eyes seemed to fixate on her, and she relaxed.

Seoyeon took in Heejin’s demeanour – the gentler look in her eyes, her lack of weapon, the way she didn’t hear magic buzzing around her like she had so many others when they passed her room. ‘Heejin isn’t an enemy…’ She reasoned, ignoring the voice’s cries as she smiled. The fire in her eyes died, and Heejin mentally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Did… did anyone get hurt?” She asked.

Seoyeon couldn’t remember much, simply the explosion of heat and fire, scorching the earth in every direction. Even jumping into the nearby lakes did little to quell her burning, only stopping once Heejin had arrived. She watched Heejin’s shoulders relax, the older woman shaking her head.

“No, in fact, it seemed like your fire seemed to naturally avoid everyone. Anytime someone wandered too close, it pulled away. It was…” Heejin paused, thinking over her word choice. It was certainly odd, the way the flames still seemed to be attracted towards people, the very tip of each ember moving towards the nearest person, yet the main body of the wild golden fires pulled away.

Heejin shrugged, glancing back at Seoyeon, “Regardless, it made your… relocation, easier.” Seoyeon sighed, glancing at the restraints, and glanced back at Heejin, who nodded empathetically. “I’d like to free you, but before that, we need to talk.” Heejin gestured to the five pieces she had laid out before her, and Seoyeon’s eyes scanned over each of the stone figures. A phoenix, a dragon, a headless suit of armour, a griffin and a serpent.

“You’re the daughter of the greatest Mage in history,” Heejin started, “Born without a lick of magic, but then one day, you summon a surge of fire, scorching your surroundings. Witnesses also say they heard a horrific screeching noise.” Heejin’s hand pushed the phoenix piece further, eyes returning to meet Seoyeon’s gaze.

“Tell me, Seoyeon,” Heejin asked, eyes lighting up with curiosity, “What do you know about the gods? About the Pantheon?”

Seoyeon swallowed, her mind travelling back to her mother’s lectures on the matter. ‘You may not be a mage, but as my daughter I can’t let you live in blissful ignorance,’. At times, she thought it a curse, knowing far too much about a world she’d never interact with. Other times, she saw it as a way for her to understand her mother, a way to know more about her and a world she’d otherwise never know of.

“People are born with Mana – the amount of Mana in your body is what decides whether or not you can be a Mage.” Heejin nods, a faint smile on her lips, “Then, if you do have magic, you usually have one of five affinities, which decides what kind of magic you can use."

“Six.” Heejin corrected, “But good, I see Haseul taught you well. Keep going.” Seoyeon chose to ignore the odd nervousness at the reminder of her mother, a spark shooting through her muscles, as if her body was telling her to stop entertaining Heejin’s questions and to go and find her.

Seoyeon instead nodded, “And then… you communicate with the Gods. That gives you even more power.” Heejin nodded, the cold air making the hairs on her body bristle as she tugged on the thick dark coat she wore, tightening it around her frame. How Seoyeon seemed almost entirely unaffected by the cold left swelling of anxiety in her stomach.

“We Mages…” Heejin’s eyes glanced down, fidgeting with the stone pieces before Seoyeon, “We have limits. Our Mana and magic can only do so much, and with the threats out there, we need to have more… arcane power at our fingertips. So, we call on the Gods, take their blessings as our own. There are many, some you might have never even heard of – different areas and cultures worship different ones, after all.”

Seoyeon nodded, “Alongside patron Gods of the different provinces.” Heejin nodded, sighing, her breath a frozen cloud.

“Of course, there’s always the main Pantheon – the twelve gods universally worshipped across the land.” Heejin opened her palm, a faint pink glow surrounding it, before the pieces themselves were surrounded by a glowing pink aura. They began to float before Seoyeon’s eyes, before swirling around Heejin. They spun, so fast Seoyeon could hardly make out the pieces anymore, until they stopped. They hung above Heejin.

“But, before the New Gods we now worship, there were the Elder Gods,” Heejin’s irises pulsed with hot pink energy as the pieces slowly descended before Seoyeon. “The Dragon of death and destruction, the Headless who calls upon fear and souls, the Basilisk of madness and revolution, the Griffin who guards its treasures, and…” Heejin met Seoyeon’s eyes, and noted the faint fire that briefly glowed before dissipating.

“The Phoenix of retribution and rebirth…” Heejin sighed, eyes closed as the pieces slowly fell back down to the ground, “Somehow, you summoned the Phoenix. It doesn’t make much sense, it’s been… far too long since the last time an Elder had blessed someone. At least, to our knowledge,” Heejin crossed her arms, “Some think you’re a curse, and some of the Higher-Ups had… ideas, on how to deal with you.”

Seoyeon raised a brow, “What are you saying?” The kind eyes Heejin had seen in many a picture (courtesy of Haseul’s constant need to brag about her daughter) now stared at her with fear, and she reminded herself of her position.

“They wanted to execute you,” Heejin watched Seoyeon’s eyes widen, the faintest flicker of flames around her before they faded, “Look, they think you’re a threat. Maybe even linked to cult activity and your mother’s disappearance. It’s been centuries since the last time an Elder blessed someone, let alone someone with no magic at all.” Seoyeon’s hands clenched, nails digging into her palms, her eyes closed shut as the phoenix roared in her mind.

“Is… is that why you’re here? To… to…” Seoyeon clenched her eyes harder, orange spots appearing in the field of black before she felt a light flick to her forehead. She hadn’t noticed the tears pooling in the corner of her eyes until she opened them, greeted by Heejin’s kind smile.

“Do you seriously think I’m that kind of person, hm?” She reached out a hand, and Seoyeon flinched. Heejin didn’t stop, moving to pet Seoyeon’s head, “I know you don’t know where your mother went, neither do I. I want to find out why, and why the phoenix chose you.” She then sat on the floor properly, crossing her legs and rolling her shoulders.

“Those higher-ups… a lot of them are stuffy old men who haven’t seen the field in ages, haven’t left the comfort of their ivory towers,” Heejin scoffed, running a hand through her hair, “So, I had to point out the obvious to them. In a situation like this, the only reasonable thing to say is ‘We don’t know’. We don’t know why The Phoenix chose you, we don’t know why Haseul went missing, we don’t know anything right now.”

Heejin met Seoyeon’s gaze, “The only thing we do know is we have an unprecedented situation on our hands. We can’t do something about a situation we don’t understand, so what do we do?” She crossed her arms, “We learn. That’s my plan.” She grinned, before a realisation came over her, eyes widening as she blinked, humming.

“Well, I guess my plan is more  you  learn.”

Seoyeon’s head snapped up, “W…what?”

Heejin nodded, the grin now firmly on her face, a squeak of surprise being heard on the other side of the door. Whatever Heejin’s plan was, she evidently hadn’t discussed it with Hyunjin, who was also evidently eavesdropping.

“We might as well train you. Haseul always told me you wanted to be a mage, so I guess we might as well take advantage of the situation.” A softer expression made its way onto Heejin’s face, “I guess the universe has a weird way of working out, right?” Heejin was practically beaming at Seoyeon, soft eyes and a bright smile, whilst Seoyeon’s mind replayed the events of her day so far.

Her mother went missing, she was chosen by an elder god, had narrowly avoided execution due to nepotism, and was finally becoming a mage…

Seoyeon’s head spun.

Then, she passed out.

=====

Heejin’s plan was… unordinary, to say the least. Seoyeon wasn’t even sure how much of the logistics the older woman had thought through. Part of her wished the months leading up to this moment had gone by slower, Seoyeon wanting to at least experience the last few weeks of her ordinary life as she normally would, without Heejin’s training or Hyunjin’s lessons, but alas.

They just didn’t have enough time.

Seoyeon’s eyes regarded the town, having been given one day to walk around and give her goodbyes, to remember where she came from before sleeping and heading out the next morning to Krystal Academy – the resident magical academy of their Kingdom. The sky had turned a flaming amber, with faint blushes of pink blending into the burnt orange sky. The sun had slowly begun to descend, shadows growing taller as businesses began to shut.

Seoyeon glanced around, and people gave her room. If she walked too close, they’d scutter off, parting around her. It almost stung – warm smiles and kind eyes became looks of caution or even disgust. The girls her own age whom she once spent countless hours of the day with instead looked at her like a freak of nature, the elderly gentlemen who’d smile at her when she gave them their papers now hung talismans said to ward off evil spirits.

Ever since she burned down the Gravewood, the townspeople took it as a bad omen. The only thing stopping a witch hunt was the fact that at least a good chunk of the people in the village still cared for her, and that being Haseul’s daughter left her almost untouchable at this point. She didn’t even have to sit an entrance exam for the Academy, getting in solely on Heejin and Hyunjin’s recommendation.

Seoyeon still smiled, still waved. She saw a family, watching the mother’s eyes widen and bring her kids closer whilst the father stood in front of them. She almost winced, but buried it, simply smiling and waving before walking off.

Part of her wanted to visit Dr. Kim Jungeun, but she’d headed back much earlier, along with the other professors. Hyunjin had stayed behind to tutor Seoyeon, whilst her wife was going back and forth between her duties as Headmaster and her duties as Seoyeon’s combat instructor.

“You’ll be the same age as the second-years,” Heejin had told her, “We’d have too many issues if we stuck you with the newbie first-years, so instead, you’ll be transferring in. You have a year’s worth of content to learn in only a couple of months, so you better get to cramming.”

Seoyeon pushed down a yawn at the memory, having stayed up far too late for too many nights. Her legs carried her towards the bakery, and a gentle smile greeted her. “Seoyeon!” The owner cheered as she walked over, eyes gazing over the goods on display, slowly being packed away. “My little hamham, I was wondering where you’ve been!” He took in the sight of her – the bright blonde of her hair, the weariness to her eyes, and he sighed.

“I’ve heard you finally got a blessing… and I must say, unlike some other people, I am thrilled,” he smiled at her again, and he let out a laugh, “I mean, with such fire at your disposal, I can give this old thing a rest anytime you visit!” The baker joked, kicking at the oven in the background as Seoyeon found herself smiling, finally breathing after a day of harsh looks.

A day where Seoyeon was supposed to say goodbye to her home, only to find it had already given its farewells to her.

He handed her a brown paper bag, the baked goods smelling fresh as he sighed. “My hamham… you will visit, won’t you?” He said, eyes softening, “The kids and my wife don’t fear you, we still see who you are. Don’t let everyone else trick you into thinking you’re some sort of monster,” He reached out, a hand on her shoulder, “You’re still one of us, okay?”

Seoyeon blinked, a cosy warmth in her chest as her mouth dried. She took the bag, hearing it crinkle in her grasp, the aroma of baked goods easing her soul as she smiled. “Of course… I’ll come whenever I can.” He chuckled, patting her shoulder.

“Well, don’t come around too often,” he beamed, “You’re the second person in our little town to head to the Academy! All these bigshot city folk in our province and yet our little town will have the best mage the world has ever seen!” He declared, getting some odd looks from nearby strangers as Seoyeon chuckled, warmth spreading to her face as he sighed.

“It’s an odd thing… I want you to come back, to see you, for you to not forget your roots but also…” he regarded her, a proud smile on his face, “I want to see you soar and fly – you’ve been living in our village since you were a small kid that would run in through the doors and steal the pastries I just baked,” he said, eyes twinkling with mirth as Seoyeon giggled, “I want to see you thrive and succeed. I want to see you so busy that you can barely come home, so that you can prove to everyone that you made it.”

Seoyeon nodded, and there was a lump in her throat, a wetness building up in her eyes as he chuckled, “Don’t cry now…” he mumbled, straightening up, “You have a lot ahead of you, Seoyeon. Good luck.” He bid her goodbye, and Seoyeon turned.

She had one last place to bid farewell to.

=====

The walk to Dreamcatcher Apothecary had been a quiet one, the sky beginning to darken, lamps lighting up the streets as fireflies would over around the grass. She let the soft lights illuminate her path to Kim Minji and Gahyun, to the only two people she believed would also miss her. Ever since she’d called the fire, Minji had been one of the first to check up on Seoyeon, and had instructed her to take Heejin and Hyunjin’s lessons seriously.

Apparently, the older woman was more familiar with the pair than Seoyeon had anticipated. Still, those memories allowed Seoyeon to come to a realisation. Kim Minji was more than just an employer to her, she was a mentor.

The bell jingles as Seoyeon enters, ignoring the sign saying they were closed, knowing the store was always open to her. The familiar scents of herbal leaves, crushed citrus and faint hints of lavender drifted through the air. Various viles, bottles and jars containing different assortments of materials were stacked along the shelves. She could spot Gahyun and her head of pink hair in the corner, reading over labels.

“We’re clo–” She started, glancing up, only to see Seoyeon’s new bright blonde hair. Her eyes widened, and for a moment, Seoyeon wondered what emotion would colour her expression. The smile and curious eyes relieved the pressure that had built in her chest, and she made a noise of approval. “I like your hair.” She said, and Seoyeon let out a quiet chuckle.

It wasn’t long until Minji herself appeared around the corner, waving at Seoyeon. “I was wondering when you’d finally remember to visit, you’ve missed a lot of shifts Seoyeon…” she mumbled, a conspiratorial spark of mischief in her eyes as she giggled, “Come in, I have your favourite tea brewing.” As Seoyeon entered, Gahyun was quick to take Seoyeon’s side.

“Missed you…” she said, giving a quick side hug as she guided Seoyeon towards the shared breakroom, the dark wood table at the centre, made from the same trees in the forest the Gravewood had resided in. Minji had mentioned something about it ‘adding a spiritual air’ to the shop, whatever that had meant.

The aromatic scent of the tea filled her nostrils, and Seoyeon found herself naturally gravitating towards the cup, sitting down as the chair creaked, Minji and Gahyun taking seats nearby. Gahyun took a hasty tip of the tea, making a hissing noise as Minji lightly chastised her daughter, a stern and concerned look on her face. Seoyeon glanced down at her own cup, chest light at the familiar interaction, and she sighed.

“Thank you… for still letting me in, to say goodbye…” she mumbled, the pair looking up, Minji’s concerned eyes now floating to her. “People barely even look at me anymore.” The events of the day, the eyes of the others, and the countless, tireless nights were beginning to catch up on her, now that she could finally catch her breath, and Seoyeon sighed, taking a long sip of the warm beverage, a vague hint of citrus dancing on her tongue.

“Well, that’s because they can't handle someone outside the status quo, someone who’s bending fate itself to their will.” Minji said primly, her voice cutting through Seoyeon’s swirling doubts as she sipped her drink.

Seoyeon’s grip on the cup tightened momentarily, “I… I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t work for it, the phoenix…” Minji hummed, Gahyun was quick to place a hand over Seoyeon’s.

“Does any mage choose their fate, or are they all merely living the lives already laid out for them from birth?” Minji shook her head, “I’ve read stories, I always do. The Elders…” She swirled her cup, watching the liquid dance, “They seek people out, they offer them something. The Phoenix saw something in you, and you accepted, am I right?” Seoyeon glanced up and nodded, feeling oddly exposed. Minji shrugged as she glanced down at her cup.

“Then perhaps you did work for it, in your own way. Developed a quality the Phoenix couldn’t ignore… I’m not trying to say your situation isn’t unfair,” Minji looked up, her gaze softening, “But I am saying you shouldn’t dismiss yourself. Far too many will once you go there.” Seoyeon just nodded, taking another sip of her tea before it turned lukewarm.

The silence of the air became perforated with the occasional sips of the tea, a calmness beginning to settle over Seoyeon’s mind. The Phoenix didn’t screech as loudly or as often as it once did, when it first entered her mind. She no longer found herself tossing and turning as it screeched at her, forced to sleep in a frigid cell to keep her flames at bay. Sometimes, if the air fell too quiet, too little noise in her world, she could hear its quiet screams, and if she really focused, the screeching came back. At least now, it was easier to silence.

The rustling of fabric snapped her out of her daze, eyes watching as Minji tossed a pouch over to Seoyeon, and unease settled over her. As she opened it, a quiet gasp escaped her. It was money, more than thrice her usual payment.

She froze. Her mother argued she never needed money – but coasting off her mother’s fortune, not having to work a day in her life, Seoyeon knew all too well how much of a bumbling waste she’d feel like. Unlike her mother, she also knew what people would say, and cared about the rumours and whispers that would follow the ‘lazy daughter of the greatest mage’. So, Seoyeon worked. Maybe one day she’d open up her own shop in a different province, maybe she’d be known as the greatest apothecary in history.

Instead, the universe had a weird way of working.

Even so, she knew this was too much – even without working, her mother had always told her there was a fortune waiting for her should anything happen, and Seoyeon always brushed it off. Now, she felt a queasy sensation in her stomach, guilt gnawing at her bones.

“I-I can’t…” she muttered, eyes wide and lost as she looked up at Minji. “I can’t take this…” She felt Gahyun give her hand a supportive squeeze, and Minji shook her head.

“I know, which is why you’re not taking it. I’m giving it,” she had the audacity to wink at Seoyeon, “There’s a difference.” Seoyeon blinked, mouth opening and closing as she tried to find a retort, but Minji simply sighed.

“You… you were never just another girl in this village, Seoyeon. You weren’t Jo Seoyeon, daughter to the greatest mage, you weren’t Yoon Seoyeon, who tragically lost her father and sister. You were just Seoyeon, the bright-eyed kid who always asked about my business,” she chuckled, glancing down at the now lukewarm tea, “When you were working, you showed up every day. You took every mistake in stride, and learnt. You were Gahyun’s first friend, and you make Yoohyeon laugh whenever she’s here…” Minji glanced down at the ring on her finger, a fond smile at the thought of her wife.

“All of that… It's worth so much more than just money. But money is all I have to offer you now.” Minji glanced up, and Seoyeon watched the stray tear fall down her face, feeling her own eyes beginning to water. Minji let out a fond scoff, standing and walking over to Seoyeon’s side. As Seoyeon faced the older woman, she sighed, using her sleeve to wipe away at the younger girl’s tears.

“Don’t cry… not now,” Minji’s hand moved to Seoyeon’s shoulder as she crouched down. “Listen to me Seoyeon,” she started, her voice tender as she poured sincerity into every word that left her mouth, “You’re about to be thrust into a world where everyone will try to define you on their own terms rather than your own – by your mother, your fire, your fears and doubts… you are none of that. You’re not a name someone gave you, you’re not a story someone else wrote,”

“They’ll expect things from you, demand you fit into their molds. Some will demand you to be a monster, others will see you as a goddess they’ll have to latch on to. Some will see your name as a blessing, others will see your existence as a black spot to be cursed. But they don’t know you, not yet,” Minji smiled, “Not like we do.” Gahyun patted Seoyeon’s back, as the blonde tried to not let more tears form.

“So remember this – really, truly, remember. Yoohyeon is a mage, so I know how harrowing things can get. Remember this when you’re on your knees, when the smoke from the fire fills your lungs and you don’t know how to breathe. Remember it, like how you remember the warmth of the sun after a downpour,” She rubbed Seoyeon’s shoulder.

“Laugh, loudly, proudly, take up room. Laugh because you don’t owe the world silence, laugh until the world ends. Laughter is the only magic we have that doesn’t need Gods or mana, the only universal magic that heals us,” Seoyeon finds herself giving a soft giggle, “Run – not from fear, but in courage. Run to those who’ll need you, who sing your name when they’re in danger. Even when it’s hard,” Minji stares, truly stares into Seoyeon’s soul, “Especially when it’s hard.”

She lets out a sigh, “And… be kind. Be so impossibly, stubbornly, infuriatingly kind.” There’s tears in Minji’s eyes as she sighs, “Let your kindness burn bright, like a lantern at night helping guide those who are lost. Not because you owe it to the world, not because the world deserves it – it hardly ever does,” Minji chuckles, “Be kind because you can. Because all this smoke and mirrors and fire you summon… none of it is like the fire that is your kindness, Seoyeon.”

Seoyeon nods, and feels the tight embrace Minji and Gahyun give her, as she finally lets herself cry. One last time, she tells herself.

As she heads to the door, Gahyun runs over. Seoyeon blinks at the item now in her hand. “It’s a charm.” Gahyun explains, glancing between the object in Seoyeon’s palms and the stunned look of the girl’s face. Seoyeon lets her thumb run over it, and she lets her lips curl up into a smile. Gahyun loved making charms, loved collecting materials and creating small talismans that perhaps meant nothing in the grand scheme of Gods and power, and yet still adored them.

“For what?” Seoyeon wondered, catching the glint in Gahyun’s eyes.

“For good luck and prosperity,” her smile waned slightly, “Or nightmares and indigestion. Or both, I can barely remember the exact way to make these…” she mumbled, and Seoyeon rolled her eyes, lightly punching the older girl’s arm.

“Yah… you have entire books on charm making, why do you still struggle to get these right?” Gahyun chooses to scoff, crossing her arms as she shook her head.

“Books make it boring, the real fun is making it yourself.” She grinned and Seoyeon found herself laughing. She was quick to wrap the older girl in a hug.

“I’ll miss you…” Seoyeon mumbled as Gahyun sighed.

“Me too, hamham…” With one last glance, Seoyeon turned around, the door closing behind her as Gahyun locked it. She glanced back, at her mother who glanced at a photograph. It was a framed one kept on one of the walls, of Minji, Yoohyeon and Gahyun alongside Seoyeon, Haseul, her sister and her father. The kids were all young, prior to the deaths of Seoyeon’s father and sister, and Gahyun recalls the sentimentality of which her mother always observed the picture with.

“I hope…” she starts out, quietly, “I hope the world is ready for her.”

=====

Seoyeon awakes the next morning, a weight on her chest. She cracks an eye open, only just seeing the sunlight cracking over the horizon and beginning to slowly slip in through her window. She glances down at the yellow cat on her chest. It puts a paw on her face, and Seoyeon smiles. She watches the cat flick its tail, before it withdraws its paw and lowered its head to her chest. It gave out a low purr, vibrations through Seoyeon’s body as she chuckled.

“I’m awake, ssaem.” She let herself sigh, chest rising and lowering. “I guess it’s time…”

The chariot ride is quiet, as Hyunjin gives a reminder to Seoyeon of the location of the Academy. “The founder wanted it to not reside in any one province,” she explains, waving her hands around, “So that it didn’t feel like any one province got preferential treatment. Do you remember why it always seems like the Academy is closer to you than it actually is? Why it seems an equal distance away from the S1 province and the more southern S12 province?”

Seoyeon recalled her nights, head buried in parchments, a dying light beside her as she flicked between scrolls and pages, Hyunjin nursing a cup of coffee behind her. She recalled, when Hyunjin wasn’t looking, letting the very tip of her pen dig into her skin, a desperate attempt to use pain to stay awake. Her hands ran over each other, subconsciously at the memory of it. During those nights, where exhaustion became a low noise that wouldn’t stop ringing in the back of her mind, Seoyeon would continue to remind herself of one thing – I don’t have enough time.

She recalled how the founder of Krystal Academy was an orphan-turned-tactician, who’s heritage was unknown and hadn’t been born to any single province. How he’d united them during a great war, how he led them to victory. “It’s a spell, a unique enchantment,” Hyunjin smiled, nodding, “It’s like a mirage, making it always seem closer than it is, making it always feel like it's just on your doorstep, and not a cold institution miles away.” Hyunjin let herself grin, leaning back into the red leather of the chariot seat.

The charioteer flicked the reins as the horse continued to push forward. Seoyeon heard the whinnys of the horse, and her brow furrowed. “Why use horses?” Seoyeon wondered, as Hyunjin tilted her head. “I know motor vehicles are expensive and usually the kind of thing cityfolk use, but wouldn’t it be faster?” Hyunjin hummed.

“Sure, but… we have time to kill. Besides, motor vehicles are too noisy, and I don’t trust them,” she glanced out the window, the natural road winding ahead as the sky was a greyish blue, still in the early hours of the morning. “Besides, we have a lot of time to kill. I’ll let you catch up on your sleep in a minute, but first? Pop quiz.” She grinned as Seoyeon groaned.

“Fine… worth it I guess.” She mumbled as Hyunjin chuckled, the older woman crossing her arms.

“What are the rivers to life?” She asked, and Seoyeon nearly rolled her eyes again at such an easy question.

“Aura and Mana,” Seoyeon responded without missing a beat, “Aura is the true river of life – without it, we can’t live. It’s our lifeforce, a spiritual energy that keeps us living, it’s basically our soul.” She rolled her shoulders, trying to ease the lingering discomfort of having spent months hunched over a desk or getting her ass kicked by Heejin, “Mana is the secondary river of life, since it’s not needed to live.” She gestured to herself, and Hyunjin smiled.

“It’s what powers our magic, and every being possesses some Mana. But the amount of Mana you have dictates whether or not you can become a Mage.” Seoyeon watched as Hyunjin gestured for her to continue. Unsure, Seoyeon racked her brain for more information, “The amount of Mana in your system is usually based on the average amount of Mana both your parents give, plus a little chance.”

Hyunjin nods, “Order and chaos, and the balance that comes with it,” she gives Seoyeon a pointed look, “That is the ethos to all Mages.” Seoyeon nods, the chariot rattling slightly as they moved forward.

“If someone is a Mage, their magic falls under one of six affinities – which is really just the unique way their magic manifests, and the kind of spells they can use. What are the six affinities?” Hyunjin asks as Seoyeon nods. The questions are simple, but it makes sense.

Seoyeon knows not everyone will see her as the greatest mage’s daughter who called on The Phoenix – some will see her as a lowly girl without any magic from a small village. She had to at least know her basics.

“Enhancers, Projectors, Alters, Divinators, Augurs, and Transmuters,” Hyunjin grins, giving out an impressed whistle as Seoyeon shakes her head, grumbling, “I have that stupid chart practically burned into my retinas…” Hyunjin then giggles, a mischievous smile on her lips.

She lets out a hum, and regards Seoyeon with curious eyes, like a cat watching a group of human children play. “You’ve had enough time – guess my affinity.” It’s an order, a demand. Seoyeon, however, had figured out the answer long ago.

“You make it too obvious…” she mumbles. “You’re a Transmuter – you’re transforming your entire body into a different state entirely.” She crosses her arms, but Hyunjin doesn’t reveal any signs of confirmation.

“You know that Affinities aren’t so cut-and-dry, right?” A smirk played at the corners of Hyunjin’s lips, and Seoyeon had to remind herself that this was the kind of teacher Hyunjin was. She was the Academy’s most renowned Strategy Professor, after all, games and tricks were her forte. She was trying to get Seoyeon to doubt herself. “Plus, an entire cat? Transmuters can’t transmute their bodies on such a scale.”

Seoyeon nods, “That’s not wrong…” she mumbles, her gaze turning firm as she continued, “Whilst Mages have set Affinities, once you communicate with a God, it becomes a different story.” Hyunjin smiles, glancing out the window, the sky turning lighter.

“Elaborate.” She stated, and Seoyeon couldn’t help but wonder if this was what Hyunjin would be like in class. Calculating gazes, a mischievous smile as she forced her students to talk, to think.

Seoyeon almost wishes they were going over Strategy instead of recounting basic fundamentals to magic. “Once you communicate with the Gods–”

“-How?” Hyunjin is quick to interject, and Seoyeon takes in a sharp breath of air, pushing down her frustration with a smile.

“You get high,” Seoyeon answers, and Hyunjin can’t help but let out a giggle at the wording. Seoyeon isn’t wrong, but most would phrase it in a more… elegant way, “Inhaling the smoke of burning and crushed up Angelwood leaves is said to put you in a spiritual state where you can see the Gods.” One of the few perks of working at Dreamcatcher Apothecary was that Seoyeon already knew this.

Hyunjin gestured for Seoyeon to continue with her earlier explanation, “Once you meet the Gods, you get access to so much more magic. You get access to their domains, what they command or create, and all of a sudden…” she raises her hand, and hesitates. She notes Hyunjin eyeing it, before offering a reassuring nod. With a sigh, Seoyeon flicks her wrist, and a small flame lights up in her palm.

She closes her palm, extinguishing it before the Phoenix screeches in her ear again. A couple of months, and still, the best she could do were stray embers without risking the God screaming into her mind. “You can call fire, change the weather, do almost anything… so long as it's connected to your god’s blessing. That’s when Mages can dip their toes into other affinities.” Finally, Hyunjin grins.

“You were right,” as if to prove it, she raises her arm, watching yellow fur crawl over it, fingers morphing into sharpened claws. “Different Affinities have different compatibilities with each other. An Enhancer can easily do a few simple transmutations, but you’ll rarely see one that can see the world like a Divinator does.” Hyunjin lets her arm drop, as fur turns back to human skin.

“How many Gods in the Pantheon?” A question.

“Twelve.” Seoyeon’s answer.

“How many Gods overall?”

“No one knows for sure – with how many different cultures worship different ones, and how many epithets for Gods exist, it could be countless.” It wasn’t a certainty, rather a proposed theory. Gods, if Seoyeon had to read Joohyun’s Proposed Theories of Theogony one more time, she might just drop out.

Hyunjin finally sighs, “Okay, you know your basics. That’s all I really cared about.” Seoyeon found herself frowning.

“Did you think I wouldn’t remember all of it?” Hyunjin chuckles, shaking her head.

“I’ve had students forget their basics all the time – people can forgive you for forgetting some of the other things, but your magical basics? For someone like you,” Hyunjin met Seoyeon’s gaze, and a chill ran down the blonde’s spine, “They’d eat you alive.”

Seoyeon leaned back into the red leather of the chariot seat, finding it strangely soft and comfortable. Of course, Hyunjin wouldn’t let Haseul’s daughter travel in anything but the most comforting. She watched Seoyeon settle into it, crossing her arms, robs swishing as she did so. “Sleep. You’ve worked your ass off so far, and you’ll keep working it off once you’re actually a student. Cherish the sleep you’ll get, trust me.” Seoyeon nodded, not arguing at all as she let her eyes close, the Phoenix oddly silent for once.

It wasn’t comforting, Seoyeon decided. Because it was still there, she knew. It was always there. But now, it was waiting, perched in a corner of her mind, observing as Seoyeon entered a new life she otherwise wouldn’t be able to. Not without it.

For her hour or two of sleep, Seoyeon dreamt of her mother, of her village, of a warm fire that she could control.

=====

The chariot stops, the charioteer calling out to the occupants inside as Seoyeon and Hyunjin node. They step down from the chariot, watching the charioteer flick the reigns as the horse takes off, likely to be fed and rehydrated before the charioteer makes the trek back to where he picked Hyunjin and Seoyeon up. Before them, Seoyeon looks up, and a sense of vertigo washes over her. The Academy stands before her, a monolith of ancient architecture, looking more like a fortified castle than a school.

Seoyeon takes a few tentative steps forward, Hyunjin not far behind. Before them, a wide expanse of dark blue, near black, water flows. “The Academy’s front is protected by The Dark River,” Hyunjin began to explain, and it was then Seoyeon noted the varying students who began to walk towards it, and the boats dotted around the shoreline. “You’ve probably seen it on maps, but the river itself… it’s nothing you could ever imagine. A natural line of defence.”

The blonde’s eyes dart between the boats, and Hyunjin chuckles. “An age-old tradition, second-years will guide groups of first-years on boats to the Academy, meant to help break the ice and get people comfortable. On your first few days, it’ll be just you and the other second-years, along with the firsts, readjusting to the Academy. Afterwards, everyone else comes back and moves into their dorms again.” Seoyeon nods, and notes that as she steps forward, Hyunjin doesn’t.

She looks back, and Hyunjin offers a sad smile. “This is where we part ways, I’m afraid. I have my own setting up to do in my classroom and office. You’ll see me again at the first dinner though.” She winked, before walking over. She outstretched her arms, and Seoyeon fell into the hug, tightly wrapping her arms around the older woman.

Seoyeon could recall Hyunjin’s initial hesitance at her wife’s plan with Seoyeon, a little skittish at first, before soon nagging Seoyeon over skipping breakfast or studying too late. The Strategy Professor had gone from a stranger to a mentor, and Seoyeon clung onto the older woman for a little longer than she was supposed to. When they parted, Hyunjin gave Seoyeon a silent message with the look on your eyes.

Be ready, it said, Because the real challenge begins.

“Luckily for you,” Hyunjin said, a familiar conspiratorial glint in her eye, “Heejin and I agreed you should have someone to watch over you. Part of it is to keep you safe, because people aren’t exactly happy about someone blessed by an Elder attending and we don’t want to risk you getting hurt.” Seoyeon felt moved by the intention, although she noticed the slight hesitation in Hyunjin’s eyes.

“The other is… well, to make people feel like you’ve got someone watching you, to make them feel safe.” Seoyeon tried not to show her disappointment in that, nodding. She tried to be understanding – if this would make people less upset at her existence right now, that was a good thing. Still, it left a bitter emotion stirring in her gut.

Hyunjin shook her head, “I wouldn’t worry, she’s someone Heejin and I trust a lot, you’ll get along well. She’s another second-year. She’ll be waiting for you down there, and she’ll probably be the first one to approach you. Sharp eyes, her smile kinda reminds me of a baby shark – you’ll know who it is.” Seoyeon nods, watching Hyunjin take a few steps back.

“What’s her name?” Seoyeon asks, watching Hyunjin clutch the rabbit-like charm around her neck, mumbling something into it. It took a few seconds, but soon, the wind whipped around them, and a spiral of magical energy formed before Hyunjin, a rose-gold swirl that shimmered in the air and pulsed with a low hum, its edges like liquid starlight.

A portal, Seoyeon realised, specifically one of Heejin’s. Some students finally turned their heads, stunned at seeing a portal for the first time. Heejin’s God – The Rabbit – was a god of travels, time and trade, after all.

Hyunjin shot Seoyeon one last smile, “Kawakami Lynn.”

Seoyeon walked down the shore, eyes scanning the various students. She noticed different students already at the end, in their uniforms as they boarded each boat in small groups. She could hear the echoes of laughter, see the bright smiles on their faces, and the tension in her chest alleviated. She glanced around, trying to find this ‘Lynn’ Hyunjin had told her of, and began to wish she’d been given a picture.

She noticed some students glancing her way, and she smiled, offering a wave. Perhaps one of them was Lynn, she thought. Before she could approach, they shot her wary looks and scurried off. Seoyeon’s hand lingered in the air, as she turned around, and soon, it felt like Seoyeon was right back in her village. Each set of eyes felt like daggers pointed in her direction, ready to strike if she got too close.

Seoyeon could recall seeing it on the table as Heejin and Hyunjin spoke of their plans for Seoyeon – a newspaper, from the people she used to deliver for. ‘Elder Gods select new host as Gravewood is torched…’ She could read before Heejin had tossed it into the nearby fireplace.

Word had spread, not just within their village, but likely, across the Kingdom. Of course people knew of her, and of course, everyone had to fear her.

People kept their distance, rushing off if she got too close. Seoyeon knew it would be difficult, but part of her hoped at least a few would see her as a fellow classmate. For once, she wished having the reputation of her mother’s daughter was following her around. Instead of awe, she was met with sheer disgust, any ounce of friendliness replaced with trepidation.

Still, she smiled, waving to anyone who she met eyes with as she walked towards the shoreline. She could vaguely see the other second-years seeming cautious too, all eyeing her, bodies tense and ready for anything before they were distracted by groups of first-years. Some groups spoke animatedly, evidently friends who had the fortune to all end up as Mages-in-training, whilst others remained deathly quiet, too awkward to interact.

She let out a quiet sigh, a smile still on her lips. She had to define her own image, not letting the words of others pull her down. Perhaps if she wore her smile enough, people would eventually let go of their preconceived notions.

Seoyeon was beginning to near the shore, and before she did, she heard it. “Seoyeon!” Someone said, sprinting over.

Seoyeon waved at the girl, and found herself smiling. The girl was tall, dark hair long and flowing behind her as she approached, and the smile on her face was downright infectious. Smiling. The girl didn’t eye Seoyeon with any fear, a bright, almost shark-like grin on her face, although Seoyeon didn’t find it scary.

This had to be Lynn, she realised, because even she could see what Hyunjin had meant from her description. Lynn stopped before Seoyeon, offering a hand that Seoyeon was quick to shake. “Hyunjin showed me a picture of you, and you’d think a head of blonde hair would be easier to recognise, but…” she trailed off, and as Seoyeon glanced around, noting the heads of hair that weren’t the same dark colour as Lynn’s.

“Well, kinda wished she showed me a picture of you before she disappeared…” Seoyeon mumbled, before meeting Lynn’s eyes. They were brown, dark and rich, yet sparkled as she watched Seoyeon. “But her description was pretty accurate, Lynn.” Lynn giggled as her hand fell back down to her side.

The hushed whispers that followed Seoyeon intensified, and she began to make out some of what was being said.

‘Holy shit, is that  the  Kawakami Lynn?’

‘Of course she’s with Seoyeon, they need someone that strong to keep her in check.’

Someone laughed to their friends, ‘See? We have nothing to worry about. Lynn would skewer that girl before anything bad even happens! And we’re surrounded by water too. We’re fine.’

Seoyeon did her best not to flinch at the remark, and Lynn glanced up, brow furrowed as she yelled out a comment for that same student to shut up. Seoyeon heard a squawk of fear before she reached out, hand latching onto Lynn’s forearm. “Just drop it…” she said, meeting Lynn’s concerned eyes as they glanced down onto the shore, noting the lack of boats now waiting for them, only a few left. The looks Seoyeon got left her wondering if people made haste purely to escape her as fast as possible.

She ignored those thoughts, looking back at Lynn and offering a smile, a warm one that didn’t quite reach her eyes, “I should be getting used to all that.”

Lynn scoffed, pulling her arm away as she and Seoyeon walked down, but was quick to take Seoyeon’s hand into her own. “You shouldn’t have to,” she rolled her eyes with a huff, and Seoyeon found it adorable. “People talk like this all the time… but they’ll be quick to change their tune.” Lynn said, sounding so sure that Seoyeon tilted her head in confusion.

“What do you mean?” She wondered, and Lynn let out a laugh, grinning at Seoyeon.

“Trust me… they’ll see you as a freak of nature, but the minute it helps them out…” Lynn’s eyes, both of them, flashed a glowing blue, with speckles of silver glimmering within, her pupils even seeming to spark in a white. It was gone as fast as it came. “All of a sudden you become the ‘greatest prodigy the Academies have ever seen’.” Seoyeon blinked, and all of a sudden, Hyunjin’s faith in Lynn made more sense.

“I guess my guide is a legend around here.” Seoyeon couldn’t fight off the wave of excitement that followed. Try as she might, the world of the mystical still fascinated her, even with burying her face in so much parchment that the scent of it forever lingered in her nose.

Lynn quickly seemed bashful, her other hand rubbing her nape as pink spread to her cheeks. “I mean… I guess I kinda am? I can tell you more on the boat ride if you want.” She grinned again, and Seoyeon laughed.

“Looking forward to it.” Seoyeon said, hand now more firmly holding onto Lynn’s.

Lynn was, above all, sweet. That’s all Seoyeon could decide. She kept smiling, kept muttering something about the rudeness of the students whenever they’d glare at Seoyeon, and would keep the girl at her side at all times. It was… nice. There was a quiet kindness in her gaze, one Seoyeon had rarely encountered beyond her village, except perhaps in her two mentors.

“People are so quick to judge,” Lynn started, her voice carrying an understanding of Seoyeon’s situation that she doesn’t think she’s heard from anyone. She thinks of Lynn’s earlier comments, and wonders just how much the two might share. “Honestly, unnie, you shouldn’t mind them.”

Seoyeon picks up on the honorific, and smiles, “Don’t worry, I’ve been told enough not too,” she reassured, patting Lynn’s arm as the two were now pulled closer together, arms linked. “And, I didn’t realise Hyunjin told you my birthday.” She says pointedly, and Lynn realises her use of honorifics, giving away their age gap.

“Ah… she didn’t,” she clarifies, “I just… well, you’re a second-year, so I know you’re older than me by default.” Seoyeon seems confused by this, and Lynn giggles. “Unnie, I actually skipped a year ahead, I’m around the same age as most first-years.” Seoyeon gave a bewildered look.

“I… wait, seriously?” Lynn giggled, and Seoyeon noticed the crowd around one boat, directly ahead of them, people seeming to be entertained by whomever was on it.

“I wasn’t joking about being ‘the best prodigy’,” she shrugged, “People have been interested in me for a while, so I don’t think it’s that surprising I was taken in a year ahead of most people my age.” Seoyeon thinks on the information, and feels her lips curl into a frown.

“You said you helped them out…” she pondered, “Wait… they haven’t put you into the field, have they?” She wondered, and Lynn’s expression remained oddly neutral, the smile was subdued, and her eyes didn’t have the sparkle that Seoyeon had already gotten more than accustomed to.

She nods, and Seoyeon gasps. “But I thought first-years were banned from taking part in major field missions?” Lynn hums at that, stopping behind the crowd.

“The Higher-Ups don’t really care about that when your God is the rarest in the Pantheon to get a blessing from,” Lynn gives a quiet sigh, “Nor when you get them the results they want.” There’s a quiet that falls over them, and perhaps that’s why no one in the crowd picks up on their presence. Lynn’s eyes meet Seoyeon, and they share a look of understanding.

“That’s…” Lynn waits, and there’s a look of expectance in her eyes as she analyses Seoyeon’s expression, undoubtedly having been in this same conversation many times before. “You’re just a kid…” Seoyeon mumbles. Lynn blinks, disarmed by the statement. Seoyeon blinks back, and wonders if Lynn’s usually met with awe and wonder, people asking what it's like to be out there. Instead, Seoyeon offers her what she always has plenty of – sympathy.

Lynn eventually finds herself smiling again, half-sad, half-light. “So are you. All of us are.” Is all she says, before glancing ahead of them.

Seoyeon’s eyes remain on Lynn’s side profile. Lynn is interesting, she decides.

Her eyes fall back to the boat before them, and the small crowd of people around it. Seoyeon glanced around, noting a majority of the other small wooden vessels had begun to head towards the Academy, with the remaining boats around the river bank seemingly waiting on people from the crowd to disperse and head towards them. A few of the second-year’s faces seemed worn down with impatience, whilst Seoyeon’s eyes returned to the crowd.

On the boat was who Seoyeon assumed was another second-year, and she watched as the crowd broke out into laughs around them, probably at whatever joke she was telling. “I’m serious!” The second-year said, throwing her arms up in the air with a grin. Seoyeon caught sight of the pink hair, of the way her eyes turned to crescents as she laughed, “Don’t skip out on potions class, guys.” Seoyeon stepped forward, Lynn at her side.

People finally seemed to notice her presence, and they were quick to part, a wide gap forming between her and the other students, some acting as if they were burned by her mere presence. Seoyeon did little to show how much it hurt, instead meeting the the eyes of the pink-haired girl before her.

“Ah, so you’re the firecracker I’ve been hearing about!” She beams at Seoyeon, and again, she’s pleasantly surprised. Just like Lynn, there’s little judgement in the girl’s eyes, instead an optimistic curiosity.

Something soft stirs in her chest at the smile the pink-haired girl gives her, a quiet sense of ease settling over her. She steps forward, offering a hand to Seoyeon. The other students, eyes still glancing back to their boat as they made their way over to the other boats. “Hsu Nientzu – or just Nien, if you’re a friend – at your service!” She grinned, Seoyeon taking the hand and shaking it, letting out a yelp as Nien tugs her forward with a laugh.

Lynn helps steady Seoyeon as the two clamber their way onto the ship, Nien seeming far too satisfied with herself. A few other students, despite themselves, chuckle at the action from afar as Nien sits herself down opposite the others. “Before we head out, can all passengers of the Nien-tanic make sure that all their belongings and baggage, both literal and emotional, are securely fastened down?” Lynn rolls her eyes with a smile, bumping Seoyeon’s shoulder as she places her bag beneath her seat.

“Get used to this,” Lynn smiled, watching as Nien fiddled with the oars on either side. “There’s not an awkward bone in Nien’s body, and she’s the last person to care about your magic or your heritage.” Seoyeon glances back up, and Nien happens to catch her gaze.

Something flickered in it – something she wasn’t sure she’d feel with her new reputation. The vague sparks of trust began to glow within Seoyeon, watching as Nien flashed a grin. She didn’t flinch under Seoyeon’s contemplative stare, didn’t let the whispers of those around them stop her careless confidence. She smiled, like it was the easiest thing in the world, and when Seoyeon returned it, Nien couldn’t help but grin back. Like sunlight peeking through a boarded up window, it felt like a promise.

Nien readied, arms tensing as she picked up the oars. “Why do they make you row? Why not use magic?” Seoyeon wondered, and Nien shrugged. Once again, no judgement from either her or Lynn. She didn’t feel as much of an outsider with them.

“The riverbed at the bottom is said to have black sand,” Seoyeon glances over at Lynn, “Which has anti-magic properties.” Nien makes a noise of agreement, hands on the handles of the oars.

“It doesn’t erase it entirely,” Nien clarified, “But it’s not worth the effort, so most of us just row. Besides,” Nien grins, shrugging off her blazer and rolling up her sleeve, only to flex her bicep. “I get to work these babies.” Lynn and Seoyeon share a giggle, watching Nien pull her blazer back on.

Before Nien can finally set off, a voice calls out. “Wait!” Seoyeon blinks, turning around. She locks eyes with the student heading towards them, a tall first-year. She half-expects the girl to stop and head towards a different boat once they do, but instead, she waves. She gets closer, and Seoyeon and Lynn stand, reaching out as she helps the girl onto the boat.

She takes Seoyeon’s hand, not a shred of hesitation, and Seoyeon takes note of the girl’s big brown eyes, like pools of chocolate. She gives a thankful nod as she’s pulled onto the boat.

The girl lands opposite them, beside Nien. She drops her bag down, sighing as she glances back up, offering a tentative smile towards the girls opposite her. Recognition comes across her eyes as she looks at Lynn, and a smile forms on her face.

“Lynn!” She smiled, watching the two girls share a quick hug as Seoyeon remained fixed on the girl’s voice – like a feather, light and soft.

The two shared a quiet giggle, and Seoyeon glanced over at Nien, who smiled as she finally pushed off. Almost immediately, Seoyeon is taken aback at the speed, watching Nien effortlessly row the boat towards the Academy grounds, muscles undoubtedly flexing beneath her uniform. Was Nien certain she wasn’t using any magic?

She watches Nien nudge her head towards the new girl and Lynn, and Seoyeon glances over. “Do you two know each other?” She wonders, and the new girl smiles.

“She’s ‘rivals’ with my girlfriend,” The new girl says, voice still gentle, although she sends Lynn a knowing look. “My name’s Park Shion.” She says, and Seoyeon smiles.

“Seoyeon,” she replies, before giving Lynn a curious look, “And… rivals?”

Lynn makes a quiet groan, “I need Kaede off my back about that…” She glances towards Seoyeon, and smiles sheepishly, “Kae-chan and I have been friends since we were kids. She’s always… tried to be my rival, although I think she’s just doing it for fun at this point…. Or to give me a headache.” She gestured to Shion, “Shion over here is in the year below us.” Shion nods, smiling.

“I’m the same age as Lynn, but we’re in different years,” she tilts her head, “Funny, right?” Seoyeon and her giggle, Shion’s featherlight voice a soothing song to the blonde’s ears, too prickled by the toxic barbed words of strangers that had followed her relentlessly. Shion’s laughter, melodic and soft, lingers in the air and Seoyeon’s mind, and she finds herself breathing. There’s no hushed whispers, no screaming angry gods.

Just the way Shion looks at her – no scrutiny, no preconceived ideas. The girl glances out over the river, admiring the way the sun’s light scatters across the river’s surface, making the water shine like a lake of black glitter. “You’re a second-year, right?” Seoyeon nods, and Shion lets out a quiet sigh, a smile still dancing on her lips.

“That’s a shame… well, I’m glad we’re at least doing this first day together,” Shion says, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she casts a glance out over the river. “Even if we won’t share many classes. It’s comforting… knowing someone else is starting fresh, too, don’t you think?” Seoyeon’s lips curve into something almost wistful. There’s a calm interest to Shion, quiet and welcoming, like an open window on a breezy spring evening.

“You don’t mind? That I’m…” She trailed off, and Shion shrugged.

“Lynn already told me all about you… I won’t lie and say I was never scared, but… I got over it. Everyone else should too.” Shion mumbled, a smile playing at her lips. Nien laughed, nodding. “End of the day, you’re just another girl in this Kingdom.” Seoyeon blinks, her corners of her lips upturned.

“You… you’re really kind.” Seoyeon said, earnest as Shion hummed.

“So are you,” she noted, continuing, “We should all be. There’s enough fear in this world, we shouldn’t add to it.”

As the boat raced forward, the steady rhythm of Nien’s oars matching the hushed noises of the river, Seoyeon leaned back slightly, letting the wind tug gently at her blonde hair. The Academy loomed ahead in the distance – its grand silhouette emerging slowly, like something out of a dream. Towers and bridges rose from the fog, ancient and sturdy, sparkling faintly with enchantments, magic woven and carved deep into the stone.

“Hope you guys are ready for combat lessons,” Nien said with a huff, “If we’re in the same class…” she grins, looking at Seoyeon, “Don’t expect an easy time.” Seoyeon rolls her eyes, and rises to the challenge.

“Don’t worry about me, I had personal training from the headmistress herself.” Nien laughed, head tosses back, a daring spark in her eye,

“We’ll see how far that takes you…” she muttered, both Lynn and Shion giving soft giggles. The academic monolith loomed closer now, and Seoyeon straightened up, brushing invisible dust off her blazer as she patted herself down. She stared on, and in the corner of her eye, she spotted Lynn’s wistful expression.

She looked over, and Lynn caught her eye and winked. Shion gave a small, soft nod. Nien tossed a grin over her shoulder as she rowed, the boat steady and sure beneath her. Seoyeon smiled – a genuine smile, like her days prior to being called on by The Phoenix. It was the kind of smile that started deep in the chest and spread like flame through the rest of her body. It was a sign, she realised as she laughed at one of Nien’s bad puns, that perhaps, it would all be a lot easier than she could ever expect.

=====

They pull up to the shore, watching as first-years scurry out of their boats, eager to enter the Academy for the first time. Nien hops off with a flourish, Lynn helping Seoyeon and Shion in dismounting. If Seoyeon thought the vastness of the Academy was dizzying from afar, being up close almost left her nauseous. She shakes herself out of it, catching up to the others. Nien is quick to attach herself at Seoyeon’s side, an arm tossed over her shoulders.

“I’m guessing you’re here to get sorted and then meet your roomies?” Nien asked, Seoyeon nodding. Up ahead, Lynn seemed to be catching Shion up on how things worked at the Academy.

“Since I’m a second-year transferring in, yeah,” her eyes moved, scanning the varying groups around her. Some mingled with each other, others keeping to themselves. Some even detached themselves from their initial cohorts. “Heej… The Headmistress,” she amended, “Said I didn’t need to follow the first-years around too much.” Nien nodded with a smile, pulling Seoyeon closer to her side.

“You probably don’t… so you’re missing out on the first-year tour?” She wondered as Seoyeon chuckled.

“It would probably be helpful to go on it but… yeah,” Seoyeon watched as Lynn and Shion slowed, allowing Nien and Seoyeon to catch up. “The Headmistress said appearances matter – if I’m stuck around the first-years, no one is going to take me seriously.” Lynn nodded, letting out a quiet exhale.

“She isn’t wrong,” she started, “People here can be harsh.” She mumbled, and Seoyeon watched Lynn fidget with a bracelet, orange beads, reminding Seoyeon of the shade of tangerines back in the orchards of her village, strung around her wrist, with a black bead with the letter ‘M’ carved into it standing out.

Her eyes lingered on the younger girl’s wrist before glancing forward. “How many houses are there?” In truth, Heejin had mentioned how Krystal Academy, like almost every Academy, utilised a house sorting system. However, she’d never really been told the details of any of it. “Hyun… Professor Hyunjin,” she amended again. Apparently, the professors usually preferred usage of their first names, according to Hyunjin, although Seoyeon was warned to be careful, “Said that since I only had a few months to learn a year’s worth of content, there were just some things that weren’t worth learning.”

“Like the Houses and what each one means?” Nien wondered and Seoyeon nodded. Shion makes a noise of acknowledgement.

“That makes sense…” Shion nods to herself, “You’ll probably learn that easily on the go, no point in wasting time.” She then shot an impressed look at Seoyeon, “You learnt all of the first-year curriculum in a few months?”

Seoyeon sighed, recalling the way her body would ache with exhaustion. “Don’t remind me… I had to learn as much as I could.” Nien pouts, pulling Seoyeon closer as Seoyeon lets herself rest her head on Nien’s shoulder.

“Our poor Seoyeonie…” She whined, “Well hey! At least that’s still super impressive! Hsuper impressive!” Nien beams, and Seoyeon finds herself laughing at the pun whilst Lynn makes a noise of disapproval, Shion giving a quiet giggle.

Seoyeon barely has any time to marvel at the interior of the Academy once they enter, at the stone pillars or expansive walls, at the almost labyrinth-like quality to the lengthy corridors. Although she doesn’t know why, there’s a vague hum of magic all around her, a quiet buzz in her ears, like a softer variant of the screeching that follows her fire. “There’s five,” Lynn says, as a professor begins guiding the first-years along with their second-year guides, “Five Houses.”

Seoyeon nods, and Nien stays at her side, arm over her shoulder. “You’ll get some big speech from the professor in a minute, but honestly? They’re just stretching this whole first-year process out to make sure we can all have a day-off.” She stage-whispers the last part, and Seoyeon catches the professor ahead giving her group of four a look of amusement before pushing the doors ahead.

Shion begins listening in as Nien continues, “The shorthand of it is this – each house is named after a flower,” Seoyeon must’ve looked surprised with her widened eyes, and Nien giggled, “I know! Something about the Founder’s lover being into flowers… anyway,” Nien continued, “Each house has their own colours and values, and whichever one aligns most with you is the one you enter.”

Lynn flashes her tie, a deep red. “Each has their own colour too!” Seoyeon nods, hearing ambient chatter ahead of them. She looks forth, and the professor claps her hands.

“Okay everyone!” her smile is bright, almost radiant, her eyes small crescents. “I’m Professor Kang Seulgi, head of the Potions and Herbology Department, I hope you’re all excited!” She clapped, and there were a few sporadic, but loud, cheers from second-years and their accompanying first years, including Nien’s own loud shouts. “You’re about to hit a major milestone, your first step on the road to becoming Mages that’ll make the Kingdom proud.”

As she began, Nien leant in to whisper to Seoyeon, “We’ll be watching,” she said, a light squeeze on her shoulder, her breath tickling Seoyeon’s ear, “There’s a welcome brunch they’ll do, just a small one before all the first-years go on their tour. The welcome dinner is later.” Seoyeon nodded, remembering the schedule Hyunjin had explained to her.

Lynn glances over, “I’ll be there, until you’re sorted.” Seoyeon felt Lynn slip her hand into her own, and gave the older girl a reassuring squeeze. Shion sighed, mumbling to herself.

“I hope we’re in the same house…” she mumbled, and Seoyeon glanced forth.

So did she.

=====

Seoyeon had only been inside the village’s town hall once – a terrible storm had fallen upon them, lowland areas nearby having been flooded and the ground drenched. Seoyeon’s boots wouldn’t stop squelching with each step before she sat down at one of the tables, Minji quickly throwing a blanket around her and Gahyun as they shivered from the cold, thunder roaring in the background.

At the time, she marvelled at the high ceiling, at the way the building seemed to stretch endlessly as people poured in to hide from the storm. There was enough room for kids to play around the centre, for families to gather and speak.

As she stares at the Great Hall, the town hall seems minute by comparison. The ceilings seemed almost as high as the sky itself, painted with murals of old stories of what Seoyeon assumed were ancient mages. Chandeliers hung high, light dancing around the crystals and scattering across the room. Wood, a deep and dark shade of brown, lined the floors and walls, along with the heavy grey pillars of stone.

Around the hall, banners were unfurled, five in total, and beneath each one, an expansive set of tables were sat. Seoyeon watched Nien head towards a table beneath an orange banner, lined with bronze, almost coppery brown patterns and a large sigil of a lion, its swirling and blazing mane decorated with marigold flowers.

Five. Five Houses. Seoyeon’s eyes fell to the red banner of House Camellia, Lynn’s house, explained to Seoyeon as representing love, devotion and sacrifice. The deep crimson of the banner seemed almost like blood to Seoyeon, swirling pink patterns lining the banner along with the image of a swan holding a camellia flower in its beak.

Lynn stuck by Seoyeon’s side, waving to some friends at the Camellia table, and ignored the odd stares they got from others, or the whispers above, students hiding in the balconies as they watched first-years begin sorting.

Nien was, meanwhile, situated in animated conversation at the table of House Marigold, said to embody strength, resilience and an indomitable will. Seoyeon glanced up, catching the academy’s Deputy Headmistress, one Kim Jiwoo, giving everyone an adorable smile as the older woman began a detailed rambling of what would happen, although Seoyeon found herself too busied with the other banners.

The black and purple banner of House Belladonna, a fox staring at Seoyeon from the banner, holding a belladonna flower in its closed jaw like a dagger. It’s tail seemed to fade into a wisp, a spectral appendage. Cunning, ambition, mystique. That was how Shion had described them, mentioning she only knew as much since her girlfriend was in the house. She watched Shion shyly wave at a girl, and Lynn smiled.

‘I bet you the Phoenix girl will be in Belladonna,’ she caught someone muttering above them, ‘She’d fit right in with the cunning and devious ones…’

She heard someone give an offended gasp, ‘Well I hope she doesn’t! I don’t want to wake up one day and see our dorms have burned down.’ Lynn shoots a glare above.

“Ignore them…” she started, meeting Seoyeon’s eyes, “Even if you did end up in Belladonna, it means nothing.” Evidently, it seemed there was something of a reputation of the house, although Seoyeon could catch the wary glares of their table when she glanced over.

Seoyeon then heard a loud clap, glancing up as Kim Jiwoo waved her hands about, and soon, five large white flower arrangements appeared at the centre of the room. “For the sake of keeping things quick,” Jiwoo started, half-singing as she spoke, “First-years are sorted five at a time. The white petals will change colours once you touch them, to the house you belong to.”

Lynn gave another squeeze to Seoyeon’s hand, and soon, it begun.

There were two more houses Seoyeon had learnt of, before Nien sprinted off to her friends at the table. She watched Shion step forth, with Seoyeon behind her, next in line. Lynn still hovered at Seoyeon’s side, eyes still occasionally flickering with that surreal blue magic, almost a reminder to everyone of why she was by Seoyeon’s side. She wondered why the professors didn’t just let her go to her table – surely, with all the professors currently in the room, there was little cause for concern?

Regardless, she was thankful. Lynn had, in the last hour or two, become Seoyeon’s new anchor. Shion glanced back, nodding to Seoyeon, who returned it.

The last two Houses – House Wisteria and House Dandelion. Wisteria stood tall, a deep blue banner with lavender patterns, a turtle swimming with flower plants growing out from the cracks and crevices of its shell. Wisdom, patience, and tradition. According to Lynn, not necessarily bookworms, just those who saw the value in knowledge, in whatever form it took. As her eyes briefly scanned the table, she couldn’t look at it for long. There was an unshakable feeling of being watched emanating from that table, and it send an uncomfortable shock through her system.

Dandelion, a yellow banner with white and whimsical patterns, a dove carrying an olive branch and the flower in its beak. When Seoyeon glanced over, the tension in her chest seemed to dissipate. The looks were curious, some anxious and wary, but… interesting enough, there was little disgust or contempt in their eyes. It made sense, after all, when Nien explained that House Dandelion was represented through kindness, hope and compassion.

‘They’re not just going to be all friendly, though,’ Nien warned, ‘Someone who’s kind and compassionate to their friends can still be mean to people they don’t like.’ Seoyeon wrung her hands together.

As Shion reached out, hands touching the white petals, Seoyeon could feel the buzz of magic. Nearby, the flowers of the others changed as cheers sounded out, first-years running over to their tables, ties changing colour. Shion’s delicate fingers brushed the petals, and they changed. Slowly, a deep red faded over the blank colours, and Shion blinked, turning around and meeting Lynn’s wide smile.

Elsewhere, there’s a quiet cry of disappointment from the Belladonna table, and Seoyeon watches someone stand up and walk over to Shion. They meet her halfway between the Belladonna and Camellia table, and are quick to trap the taller girl in a hug. “Kaede!” Shion says, surprised as Seoyeon nods.

Ah, that must be Shion’s girlfriend, Kaede. Lynn lets out an affectionate scoff, “Lovebirds…” she muttered, stepping forward as did Seoyeon. Lynn’s eyes twinkled as Shion’s face flushed with colour. The petals in the arrangement had finished blooming red — soft pinks blooming around the edges, like watercolour spreading through silk. House Camellia.

Seoyeon heads towards the arrangement, and a wave of silence falls over everyone. Seoyeon can feel the unease crawl up her spine and settle itself into her chest, her skin clammy and her nerves on fire. The quiet buzz of voices, the sharp edge of attention — they all seemed to blur around her. The shuffling feet, the speculative murmurs, someone whispering ‘Phoenix girl’ as if it was her real name. She could feel it, the understanding everyone had come to.

Belladonna. Because of course, right? The girl who’s been selected by an ancient and powerful eldritch lord of fire fits into the mysterious blacks of Belladonna, forced to live amongst students who shoot her glares and looks of fear. The Belladonnas didn’t want her, not one bit, but everyone had already made up their minds.

Seoyeon hated it, hated the feeling of being boxed in like that. But, she sighed with a smile, feeling Lynn’s comforting gaze behind her, sensing Shion giving her a smile and Nien letting out a loud holler of support. Lynn let’s go of Seoyeon’s hand. It sits at her side, before she stretches out her arm and her fingers cling onto one of the petals, much like everyone else. Unlike with Shion, no other student dares to touch their arrangement until Seoyeon is done.

Everyone waits, waits for white to shift to black and purple, for light to be corrupted into dark. And then, the petals began to shift.

Not to violet, not to the colour of ink and the night sky, not to the colours of a dark amethyst crystal.

They turned slowly to a pale yellow, like the dreamy morning sun through curtains.. Soft white bloomed across the outer petals, ethereal and clean. A gentle hush fell over the Great Hall, one that Seoyeon could feel settle in her skin. Despite it all, she smiled.

People didn’t gasp, they didn’t scream in bewilderment and accuse the arrangement or the magic of being faulty. Instead, quiet ripples of confusion scattered amongst everyone, and Seoyeon heard the whispers start up again as she walked away from the flowers and towards the Dandelion table.

“Dandelion…?”

“She’s in Dandelion?”

“I thought—” Seoyeon thought of how Minji had told her how these people didn’t know her, of how they had their ideas about her. She glanced back, seeing Lynn nod as she finally departed to her table, with Shion and Nien giving claps of support, Kaede even joining in.

The yellow-and-white banners of House Dandelion fluttered slightly as though in acknowledgment, and a few students stood at their table, politely clapping her in. For all the uncertainty of the morning, for all the expectation that had clung to her like a second skin – she felt, in that moment, something ease in her chest. Maybe even something soft and small begin to grow, as she smiled.

Be Kind, Minji had told her. Of course, Seoyeon would.

After all, kindness was her own fire. 

=====

Magic System Diagram

Chapter Text

Nien wasn’t wrong to warn Seoyeon, because despite the kinder faces on the Dandelion table, not one person had really spoken to her.

It almost hurts more, she thinks, watching as chatter began to grow beneath the yellow and white banner. First-years, once nervous, now animatedly spoke to each other, with the conversation dying any time Seoyeon approached them, before resuming once she left them alone. Part of her almost wished they would give her the harsh glares and the curse words, because then it was easier to see them as cruel and mean. Instead, it’s wide and alarmed eyes, but polite and small smiles. They mean well, and their fear is probably well founded.

Seoyeon doesn’t make any show of her disappointment as she sits alone, no one speaking to her. Perhaps it's a kindness to go ignored when people from the other tables still shoot her glares or eye her like some magical artefact and not a person.

Seoyeon glances down at the food on her plate – with a flick of her wrist, Deputy Headmistress Jiwoo had summoned forth a delicious brunch for everyone. Pastries, croissants, pancakes, eggs, whatever you could think of was there. Seoyeon was paralysed with choice for a moment, but filled up her plate regardless. She stares at one of the pancakes and picks up her fork, letting out a quiet sigh with a small smile.

At the very least, she made it, her tie now bearing her house colours. She’s at an academy, practicing magic, something she never once thought she’d be able to do. She only wishes it was under better circumstances. She’s about to dig in, when she feels a slight nudge against her side.

“Try to eat as much as you can now,” someone says, voice light, and she can hear a smile in their voice, “You’ll be getting this food everyday, but you try doing combat classes on a full stomach.” They chuckle, “You won’t be able to fill yourself everyday, so go nuts.” She looks over, and finally, Seoyeon is greeted with a kind smile from someone in her House.

Long waves of reddish-brown hair, wide eyes and a gentle smile that seemed etched onto their face. Their voice like honey as they spoke, “Nice to meet you, Seoyeon, right?” She asked and Seoyeon nodded. “Seo Dahyun.” She extended her hand, and Seoyeon shaked it, turning back to her food. “Sorry about the… chilly reception.” She mumbles, glancing around at her talkative housemates, not one sparing a glimpse towards Seoyeon.

“I’m getting used to it,” Seoyeon mumbles, giving Dahyun a smile, “I guess people are afraid of me, not that I can blame them,” There’s a frown on Dahyun’s face, and Seoyeon sighs, “Surprised you aren’t.”

Dahyun gives her mischievous smile, turning back to her own food, “Well,” she shrugs with a hum, taking a forkful of food into her mouth, “I’ve never really been good at listening to rumours, Kaede complains about it a lot. Says I’m missing out on gossip.” Seoyeon makes a mental note to ask if she’s also friends with Kaede and Shion as she gives Dahyun a look from the side.

Dahyun seems to notice, and continues, “People love to talk about what they don’t understand.” She cuts up a piece of food and takes it in, chewing and swallowing as she picks up a glass of juice. “You didn’t light anything on fire walking in, so I think you’re already beating the odds.” She gives Seoyeon a grin, and Seoyeon’s eyes gravitate towards the cup. She watches the volume of liquid increase, rising to where it was before Dahyun drank some.

Seoyeon gives a laugh, involuntary and soft, before going back to her food. There’s a pause, Dahyun adding some extra items onto her plate, and Seoyeon feels the knot in her chest begin to loosen, feeling more comfortable to add in some more items. If she makes accidental eye contact with someone, she smiles, like any other student. They smile back, if nervously, and Seoyeon feels a faint glimmer of hope in her chest.

“You want a bite?” She asks, pushing a slice of pie between them. “The cherry pies here are amazing, honestly. I heard the Deputy Headmistress came up with the recipe herself.” Seoyeon contemplates, moving her fork to break a chunk of the pie off, before scooping it up.

“Thanks.” She mumbles, watching Dahyun hum and take a chunk herself, letting it into her mouth before humming in satisfaction, shaking her hands slightly as she exclaimed about how tasty it was.

Seoyeon’s eyes flicker to the other tables, noticing the strange looks people give her. Dahyun seems to pick up on this, and hums, chewing in thought, “People will take their time to adjust to you, but they will, eventually.” She swallows and picks up a napkin, wiping away at the crumbs around her mouth. “You transferred in on special recommendation, your mother is the greatest mage of all time yet you only became one recently, and you can command fire older than magic itself,” Dahyun gives her another nudge on her side, “You’re someone different, something new and brave.”

Seoyeon nods, and Dahyun goes on, “And the people here…” Her eyes dart around, “I think most people here only know how to act brave. They don’t know how to be brave.” Seoyeon tilts her head, a curious smile on her lips.

“And you do?” Dahyun grins, giggling to herself before taking another bite of the pie.

“No. But I’m trying. My mom, she’s a linguistics professor at another academy,” Dahyun said, gesturing with her fork, “And she told me this saying, something like, ‘Let your first instinct be wonder, not wariness’. People are so quick to be judgemental, when it's a lot better to be curious and ask questions about people.” Seoyeon’s eyes linger on Dahyun, her own brow furrowing in thought.

“I think,” Dahyun starts with a soft smile, “That being brave is being willing to listen to a story no one else will. So, if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m here to be curious and not judgemental.” She then stares at Seoyeon’s fork, the piece of pie still wafting steam. “You gonna eat that?”

Seoyeon feels that knot in her chest be slowly replaced by a newly-kindled warmth, and she smiles, picking up her fork and letting the piece of pie enter her mouth. Her eyes widen as she gasps, and Dahyun nods, giggling, “Told you.” The two quickly slip into comfortable conversation.

Seoyeon learns a lot. She learns Dahyun and Kaede met in their first-year and have been good friends since then, she learns her mother is one Seo Soojin, and Seoyeon gets to chime in about reading her book on linguistics and modern literature. She learns Dahyun loves to sing in her spare time, is scared of the dark, and when someone further down the table does something stupid and earns a chorus of laughter, Dahyun points it out to Seoyeon.

They share a laugh, and Seoyeon begins to think that maybe, just maybe, she has a chance to survive at the academy after all.

=====

Seoyeon opts not to join the first-years on their tour. She contemplated it, but Heejin’s words rang in her mind. People already had all sorts of ideas, one of which was that she was an inexperienced disaster waiting to blow up, and hanging around first-years certainly didn’t help that.

Nien and Lynn were busy touring first-years around, Shion included, and Dahyun offered to bring Seoyeon to their dorms. Seoyeon, during the brunch, had a key magically brought before her, attached with a card with her dorm room number written on it.

“Where are your bags, by the way?” Dahyun asks, in the midst of Seoyeon being thankful for the intense combat lessons from Heejin. Her body had become strengthened after all those drills, so the lengthy walk to the dorms from the Great Hall didn’t leave her tired.

“Ah, well, professor Kim Hyunjin has been helping me get adjusted to everything ever since I awakened my magic,” she said, waving her hand about, “And she told me she’d have someone else deliver my bags and stuff to the dorm room a few days before I arrived. It was to give me an easier time on my actual first day. The bag on my back just has some smaller, more basic things” Dahyun gave an impressed whistle.

“Man, having a professor looking out for you sounds fun. Makes me almost wish I applied to the Academy my mom works at.” On the walk there, Seoyeon casts a look outside the arched windows of the brick corridor, “Aren’t you worried about your roomies damaging your things? Not everyone’s a huge fan of you…” She quickly looks up and shoots an apologetic frown, “Not to rub it in or anything.”

Seoyeon shook her head, reaching into her bag. She pulls out a gold key, with glowing yellow highlights, the bow of the key being shaped like a cat’s head. “She enchanted all my bags so that only this key could open them, and if anything was tampered with, she’d know straight away. But even then,” she slides the key into her blazer pocket, “They made sure to pick people who’d be trustworthy and wouldn’t have an issue with me being there.”

Dahyun nods, and Seoyeon goes back to admiring the view outside the window of the corridor. From there, she could see the spiralling and winding grounds of the academy, the varying twists and turns of the expansive grounds. The sun was high with the late afternoon, casting shadows on the nearby mountainous cliff-face that hid behind the Academy. “Did you know the Marigold dorms are built into the mountain? Kinda cool if you ask me!” Nien had bragged moments prior and Seoyeon had chuckled in disbelief. From where she was, she could vaguely make out some massive structure built into the mountain side.

“All the dorms are located at different points across campus,” Dahyun started, and soon, Seoyeon watched as they stepped out of the corridor, walking across one of the courtyards. They passed a gate, and soon, were greeted with the sight of an open meadow that surrounded a large, tower-like structure. “I think the Wisteria’s have the coolest one – their dorms are underwater.” Seoyeon let her eyes widen as she gasped.

“But this,” she gestured to the yellow-brick tower before them, “Is the Dandelion Tower, or some call it the Dandelion Solarium.” Seoyeon lets out another gasp, a dizzying sense of vertigo coming over her as she looked up at the structure, watching it soar into the sky. Pale yellow and ivory bricks catching the sunlight, windows spiralling up in neat intervals along the walls of the tower, all rounded near the top. Each windowsill held varying potted plants, vines and even the occasional windchime as the breeze flowed through.

Around the bottom of the tower and near the entrance, a canopy of overhanging vines and flowers bloomed, as if this area was perpetually caught in summer and not the cold autumn that had fallen over the land in the past month. As the tower stretched up, Seoyeon could vaguely make out the sun-kissed crown of the tower, just barely brushing the clouds, where there was a glass large dome that glittered like honeyed crystal.

“I…” Seoyeon blinked, “I didn’t think we’d live somewhere like this…” She says soft, near breathless. Dahyun lets out an amused chuckle behind her.

“No one ever does…” she smiled, noting the few other second-years lounging around the vast fields nearby, books in hand or levitating before them, trays of tea and biscuits beside them.

“We’re actually not too far from the Wisteria dorms – see that massive lake over there?” Seoyeon casts a glance to her right, and far off, she can make out a blue crystal lake and a surrounding building, “That’s where they are. The actual dorm rooms are under and within the lake itself. We get a lot of them over at our dorms, so get used to it.” With that, Dahyun stepped forth, pressing her palm against the wood of the door, watching the sigil of a bird etched onto it glow yellow.

Within the bird’s beak was a dandelion flower, and as Dahyun waited, the seeds on the dandelion dispersed across the door as the bud then unfurled with yellow petals. The door creaked open, and Dahyun gave Seoyeon a smile. “It’ll always open so long as you’re in the House – you’re the key, basically.” The pair stepped inside.

The warmth of the tower hit Seoyeon like a soft breeze, and she finds herself relaxing almost immediately. There’s a vague scent of sun-dried herbs and old wood as they walk through, along with the small hints of a vanilla-like aroma. “The first few floors are shared spaces,” Dahyun explains as they enter, “The common room, the kitchens everyone forgets how to use, stuff like that.” They clamber up the steps, and Seoyeon only gets a brief look at the expansive common room

“The higher floors are for dorm rooms, and at the top, is the solarium,” Dahyun makes a movement with her arms that makes Seoyeon chuckle, “It’s open day and night. It’s this nice, sorta garden-y space, people go up there all the time. Sometimes to train, sometimes to tend to the plants, and some of us go up there just to sit and breathe – or cry, if it’s been that kind of day.” She shrugs, offering a small smile, “No one judges. Everyone just... lets you be.”

Seoyeon nods, and as she glances at her key, she stops. “This floor is where my dorm is.” Dahyun flashes a smile.

“So is mine!” They share a wide-eyed look, and quickly take a look at the numbers on the cards attached to their keys. They frown slightly, “Ah… we’re not roommates,” Dahyun pouts, before shaking her head. “But I think we’re in the rooms opposite each other! I’ll visit you later?” She asks, and Seoyeon nods, before the two depart into the corridor.

=====

When Seoyeon comes to her door, she glimpses behind her, and returns the smile Dahyun sends her way. She watches over her shoulder, watching Dahyun disappear into her dorm, yelling something along the lines of “Liz! I told you to stop inviting the campus cats in here–” before the door closed. Seoyeon eyes the door, for what, she doesn’t know. Eventually, she shakes her head, looking forward at the door to her own dorm. Her fingers grasp the key in her pocket, bringing it to the lock and letting out a quiet sigh.

She puts on her nicest smile, knocking on the wood as she hears a curious hum on the other side and the clattering of objects. She raises a brow, but suppresses it in favour of her smile. “I’m coming in?” She says, and there’s a gasp on the other side.

“Jiwoo! I think our new roommate is here!” She blinks. It was a little odd – the first-years were lucky and were moving into empty dorms where they’d be for the next few years, meanwhile Seoyeon had to navigate opening an already occupied dorm. So many thoughts initially ran through her head – what if she caught her roommates at a bad time? What if no one was inside and they’d come home to a complete stranger? How would they really react to Seoyeon’s presence?

The light and joyful voice on the other side left her optimistic. She opened the door and waited, and soon someone came tumbling towards her. With a gasp, Seoyeon readied herself and caught the individual. She helped the other girl to her feet, and was greeted with a bright smile.

“You’re Seoyeon, right?” The girls eyes seemed to twinkle with admiration, and Seoyeon nodded. The girl claps her hands excitedly and pulls her in. Seoyeon surveys the room, and can’t help the smile on her face. There’s a soft golden light flowing in through the window, a quiet breeze causing the pale curtains to flutter, making the hanging windchimes from the top of the window make a quiet jingle. There are also a few suncatchers, causing rainbows to dance around the cream coloured walls of the room.

There’s a bunk bed in one corner and a solitary bed in another – her bags and cases being on the lone bed indicate its hers, whilst the bunk bed has one person lazily at the bottom, flicking through a book before glancing up. They begin to sit up and stand, shuffling into some slippers whilst the other girl from earlier looks at Seoyeon expectantly. In the centre of the room is a large circular rug, with a small and low table atop it, stacked with mugs, candles and a deck of cards mid spread.

The girl who greeted her is quick to stand before her, extending a hand, “Chaeyeon,” she smiles and Seoyeon nods, taking her hand, “Kim Chaeyeon.” Seoyeon gives her a smile.

“Seoyeon, but you probably already knew that.” They laugh, and Seoyeon’s eyes widen at how loud Chaeyeon’s laugh is. Her other roommate lightly smacks Chaeyeon’s shoulder, chuckling.

“You’re already scaring her,” she says. Seoyeon has to look up at this girl, who towers over the both of them. “Lee Jiwoo.” She says, curt, extending her own hand. Seoyeon shakes it, and for a moment, she feels under scrutiny.

It’s not that Jiwoo’s eyes are unkind, per se, but there’s an underlying glare in them, like a hawk surveying the animals below it. It’s like she’s looking for something, anything. It reminds Seoyeon of the looks she got back in the great hall, although she doesn’t pick up on much malice.

Her eyes aren’t wide with hate, tongue spitting out curses as Seoyeon walks past like in the dining hall, no. They’re thoughtful, and a quiet hum slips out of Jiwoo. Seoyeon feels as if time slows down, or that it moves excruciatingly slowly for the few seconds they shake hands. She doesn’t look at Seoyeon like a bomb about to go off, but as a fire still smouldering, deciding whether it will warm or burn. After seemingly being satisfied with whatever she finds, she lets her lips curl into a smile as she lets go of Seoyeon’s hand.

“Welcome to your hellhole for the next three years.” She jokes, slapping Seoyeon’s arm as Seoyeon nods, heading towards her bed where her bags lay unpacked. She pulls out the key Hyunjin gave her, and a small ray of light moves to her bags, as the unzip themselves automatically. Seoyeon gives a quiet exhale of amazement – magic being this common and this close to her fingertips still took some getting used to.

“When we heard Professor Hyunjin needed us to accommodate a new student, we weren’t too sure at the start… but once we heard it was you, we had to!” She claps her hands together, oddly pleased, and there’s an odd feeling in Seoyeon’s gut. She was moved by the apparent kindness, but she knew how people saw her. It didn’t sound like this was born from kindness, but rather, a different motive.

She catches Jiwoo’s eyes, still not entirely certain, but she shrugs, glancing at Chaeyeon. “Well, you wanted to ask her. Go for it.” Jiwoo gestured and Chaeyeon looked between her roommates before nodding, stepping forth.

Seoyeon tried not to wince, expecting some question about the Phoenix or her mother. Instead, Chaeyeon’s eyes are filled with determination. “Is it true you worked at Dreamcatcher Apothecary?” Seoyeon blinked.

She wasn’t expecting that. “...Yes.” She answered, a curious smile on her lips as Chaeyeon’s smile widened.

“That means you’re good with Potions and Herbology, right? Medicine too?” There was an increasing level of enthusiasm with each word, and Seoyeon almost giggled. In truth, she was. There were nine subjects the Academy taught that Hyunjin and Heejin drilled into her head – two of which were Medicine, alongside Potions and Herbology.

Seoyeon found her experience with the Apothecary led her to naturally excelling at those two in particular when Hyunjin had begun tutoring her. “Yeah,” Seoyeon crossed her arms, “Kinda excited about those two.” Chaeyeon squealed, clapping her hands before dramatically groaning and placing two hands on Seoyeon’s shoulders.

“Seoyeon, I am begging you, please, teach me your ways!” Chaeyeon shakes her slightly as Seoyeon blinks, catching Jiwoo trying to not burst out laughing.

“Chaeyeon has this dream, of being the best Mage Healer in the Kingdom.” Chaeyeon nods at this, and Jiwoo clamps a hand over her mouth as Chaeyeon gives a pleading look to Seoyeon. Clearly, Jiwoo was enjoying her friend’s dramatics a little too much.

“My Medicine grades are fine, but for some reason, my Potions and Herbology grades are…” she makes a face, and Seoyeon lets herself chuckle, as Jiwoo cackles in the background, “I may have… well…”

“She set fire to the lab last year, trying to make a Cooling Potion. You know,” Jiwoo snorts, “The thing we’re supposed to use for things like mild burns or even heatstroke?” Seoyeon blinks, and looks back down at Chaeyeon.

“Don’t look at me like I’m a lost cause… please! I need a prodigy in that subject to help me pass!” Seoyeon can’t help but chuckle at Chaeyeon’s request, any tension in her chest fizzling out.

“You think I’m a prodigy?” Chaeyeon blinks, standing up a little straighter as she smiles.

“Well… I may have overheard a… few things…” Jiwoo coughs into her fist as Chaeyeon begins to trail off, and steps forward, clapping a hand onto her roommate’s shoulder.

“Chaeyeon is one of Hyunjin’s nieces, and Chaeyeon knows she’s been tutoring you.” Seoyeon nods, and then feels heat crawl up her neck. Had Hyunjin spoken about her?

“She said a lot of good things…” Chaeyeon pouts, taking Seoyeon’s hands and clasping her own around them, “Please!” Seoyeon raises a brow, a chuckle leaving her as she shoots a surprised look at Jiwoo, who smiles in return, shrugging. There’s the sensation of something bubbling in her chest, and for once, the Phoenix is completely and utterly silent as Seoyeon nods.

“Fine, fine,” she sighs, “Just don’t set the dorm on fire, I just got here.” Chaeyeon lets out a large sigh, visibly relaxing, like a balloon deflating.

“Thank you…” Jiwoo lets out another loud laugh, and Chaeyeon smiles, delighted. “You won’t regret this,” she beams, then almost immediately perks up. “As a thank you, I’m giving you the best campus tour. Not the stiff, first-year kind where they walk you around and tell you where the bathrooms are,” she made a small ‘x’ with her fingers, and grinned, “I’ll show you how to sneak into the kitchens to grab more food, where to sneak naps between classes—oh! And the shortcuts to get to classes faster when you oversleep on those naps!”

Seoyeon looks between the pair, “Will that happen a lot?” Chaeyeon makes a hissing noise with her teeth, shooting an awkward glance to Jiwoo who only sighs. Chaeyeon shakes her head.

“Maybe not with you!” She smiles, encouragingly, “You seem the studious type.”

Jiwoo nods, a grin playing on her lips, “Yeah, maybe Yooyeon finally has some competition?”

Yooyeon. Now where had Seoyeon heard that name before? Was it one of the many students whose names slipped from her tongue as she taught Seoyeon? She’s about to ask, but Chaeyeon starts rushing around the dorm as she prepares for their tour, and Seoyeon wonders if half the props she’s bringing are even needed. She feels a light nudge at her side, and stares up at Jiwoo. There’s something fond in her eyes as she watches Chaeyeon.

“Don’t spend too much time thinking about how Chaeyeon’s mind works,” Jiwoo chuckles, “I barely get it myself.” She turns to meet Seoyeon’s eyes, more curious this time, and hums. “Why take this tour, and not join the first-years or other transfers?”

Seoyeon’s gaze shifts ahead of her, watching Chaeyeon trip… over nothing, and she winces when Chaeyeon gasps. Jiwoo sighs. “People will have all sorts of ideas of me already, and if they think I’m some inexperienced village girl who should be with the first-years, it’ll make things harder. Besides, I… need more friends.” She admits, hating how pathetic it sounds as Jiwoo chuckles.

It’s quiet between them, as Chaeyeon makes an assortment of weird noises in the background. “I’ll join you both.” Jiwoo calls out, and Chaeyeon stops in her tracks, glancing up.

“You? Willingly joining a tour?” Chaeyeon asks as she’s tying her shoes.

Jiwoo shrugs. “Someone’s gotta make sure you don’t get lost, besides,” she gives them both pointed looks, “Someone also needs to make sure you both don’t set the school on fire.” Seoyeon can sense the remark directed at her, although, it doesn’t seem to carry the usual sharpness everyone else’s comments do.

She doesn’t feel distrusted, exactly – but she does feel watched. Jiwoo wasn’t the kind to jump to conclusions, that much was clear. But she also wasn’t the kind to blindly accept a new presence in her space without reason. Despite herself, Seoyeon found she didn’t mind that. Not yet, anyway.

“Alright,” Chaeyeon chirps, brushing off her skirt, “Then we’ll set off once you’re done unpacking, Seoyeon. But be quick – I want to catch the sunset over the river. Trust me, it’s something you have to see.” She grins as Seoyeon nods, glancing around at her new room.

Still a mess of folded clothes, books, and half-open bags. She gave a quiet hum – it would only take a few minutes to finish unpacking everything, and soon, she’d be off with the other two. Something about the way the light curved through the room, the faint laughter in the background, and the strange balance between suspicion and serendipity made her feel, finally, like she was actually arriving.

=====

The Great Hall is bustling with eager first and second-years, ready for their next big meal of the night. Seoyeon trudges in with Chaeyeon and Jiwoo on either side of her, Chaeyeon linking her arm with Seoyeon whilst Jiwoo lazily yawns in the background. Her robes swish with each movement she makes, having found them waiting for her on her bed. They were black, like the night sky had blanketed itself around her body, with the inner layer being the bright yellow of her house, the insignia sewn onto the left side of the chest area.

The scents of all sorts of foods filled the air, a mixture of saccharine and sour, of bitter and baked, of cooked and candied. The food had yet to even be transported in, and already, the aroma from the kitchens had seeped into the hall and invaded the nostrils of every student. Chaeyeon let out a pleased hum, “I’m starving after all that walking…” she groans, and Jiwoo rolls her eyes.

“It was your idea for the tour…” Jiwoo and Seoyeon were, by contrast, nowhere near as tired. Seoyeon had felt any exhaustion leave her, the curiosity being too overwhelming, energising her for almost every excursion she went on. That said, the hollowness of her gut was beginning to ache.

Seoyeon spots a head of pink hair and the colour orange, and sees Nien. She waves, and sitting nearby, were Shion and the others. Seoyeon glances up at Jiwoo, and tracks the taller girl’s line of sight. She sees another table of students, although, they shot hesitant looks towards Jiwoo with Seoyeon at her side. She can see Jiwoo’s shoulders sag slightly, and Seoyeon glances back at her own friends.

“You can go to them,” she says, snapping Jiwoo out her thoughts. Chaeyeon looks over, and Seoyeon shrugs, “I won’t take it personally, I have other people to sit with.” She offers a smile, and Jiwoo blinks. She smiles back, smaller, and nods. She walks over, and Chaeyeon is hesitant, but pulls away from Seoyeon.

“Walk back to the dorm with us?” She asks, and Seoyeon nods with a smile.

“Of course.” With that, she makes a beeline to her friends’ table. She walks over, and Nien notices immediately, and is quick to shift to the empty seat behind her. Seoyeon smiles, and takes a seat between her and Dahyun. Besides Dahyun, she spots the purple of Kaede’s robes, Shion’s head popping up at the end of the table, beside her girlfriend. Seoyeon smiles, and wonders if the pair is holding hands under the table. Sitting opposite Kaede, Lynn flings a spoon at her friend, which is quickly caught and thrown back. Lynn catches it easily between her fingers, a smile on her face as Kaede huffs.

“Can you two stop throwing the cutlery around?” Seoyeon’s attention is brought onto the girl sitting opposite to her, hair tied into a ponytail. Seoyeon notices the girl’s gentle features, on the lily white skin and the red of the Camellia house on the inside of her robes and striped across her tie. There’s another girl, in the blue robes of Wisteria, sitting between Lynn and Jiyeon.

The girl notices Seoyeon’s gaze, and returns it. She’s pensive, contemplation swimming in her dark irises, before she smiles, extending a hand. “Ji Suhyeon.” She smiles, and Seoyeon blinks.

“Oh?” The blonde smiles, “Seoyeon.” There’s a small round of giggles and laughs as Suhyeon shakes her head.

“Just call me Jiyeon, everyone does.” She shrugs, a smile on her lips.

Nien elbows Seoyeon’s side slightly, leaning down to explain, “There was this other popular girl last year in the older years, Lee Seoyeon, I think? To help differentiate them, people called this ballerina Jiyeon, and called the other one Seoyeon, since she was older.” Seoyeon nods, and Jiyeon chuckles.

“Although, something tells me you’re going to replace her in terms of popularity pretty soon.” She taps her fork against the table, and there’s a spark in her eyes as Seoyeon smiles.

Nien then whispers, “Jiyeon is pretty close with Lynn, she’s cool, trust me.” Seoyeon does, and she feels all the more grateful for another friend. Her eyes are trained on the way she moves, graceful, and she finds herself wondering.

“Ballerina?” At that, Jiyeon blushes, and Kaede laughs from the corner as Lynn is quick to admonish her. Jiyeon sighs, rolling her eyes.

“You’ll get that story one day.” She mumbles, and the quiet Wisteria girl between her and Lynn lets out a quiet chuckle.

Seoyeon spares a glance to her, and takes note of her perfect posture, hands neatly folded, robes perfectly ironed and hair perfectly straightened. The only slight deviation is the small, silver bird-like charm pinned to her tie, glinting in the light of the hall.

“Sullin.” The girl says without meeting Seoyeon’s gaze, her eyes wandering around the hall. “My name is Sullin.” She says, briefly letting her eyes dart to Seoyeon, meeting her gaze with a quick smile, offering her hand. Seoyeon shakes it, and there’s a sturdiness to her grasp she hadn’t expected, and watches Sullin let her eyes wander around the hall.

“Don’t take it too personally,” Dahyun is quick to say, watching Sullin’s movements with interest. “Sullin here has a habit of reading people.” Dahyun then lets out a quiet groan, complaining about her increasing hunger as Seoyeon hummed.

“She’s the third of the trio, best friends with Lynn and Jiyeon. She’s another prodigy, just like Lynn. Same circumstances, same skipping a year ahead.” Nien leans in to whisper. Seoyeon wonders just how many children the Academy and magic world are willing to toss onto a battlefield.

“They’ve been thick as thieves since first-year. Sullin’s from one of the islands down South, came to the Kingdom of Haus when she was a kid. She doesn’t talk much, but she’s, like… scarily good at reading people.” Nien seems to shudder at that, and Seoyeon finds herself amused that the concept of ‘reading’ seems to spook Nien with just a mere mention. “I think it’s the Wisteria in her.”

Seoyeon’s eyes move back to Sullin, who’d returned to watching the table, her expression calm and controlled, although a bright smile plays around her lips as she watches Kaede and Lynn bicker, hands naturally intertwining themselves with Lynn and Jiyeon’s under the table. The air around Sullin feels serene by nature, the girl carrying herself almost like that of royalty.

At some point, Lynn pouts, leaning against Sullin’s side as Jiyeon mimics her friend’s actions. “She’s so mean to me…” Kaede rolls her eyes as Jiyeon reaches over to pet Lynn’s head.

“She is…” Jiyeon mumbles, and Lynn shoots Jiyeon a soft-eyed look. Shion then pulls Kaede towards her side, the shorter girl yelping as Shion wraps her arms around her girlfriend.

“Leave her alone.” Her high-pitched voice says, brows furrowing cutely as Seoyeon chuckles.

Dahyun looks over at Nien and Seoyeon. “Lovebirds, the lot of them.” It earns a laugh from everyone, Lynn’s face turning a shade of red matching her house colours. Before their conversation can continue and Lynn can fire back a remark, Seoyeon sees her.

Quiet falls over the halls immediately, and eyes turn to the stage in the hall. Seoyeon spots Heejin, dressed in her gold and black Headmaster Robes, a younger face amongst the staff who stood around her. Each staff member is fitted with the standard uniform for most Mages, although Seoyeon notes how each one has an armband of a different colour. She counts nine different colours in total, and nine of the staff members don’t wear armbands, but shimmering cloaks, each one the colour of one of the armbands.

There’s quiet whispers around her. Seoyeon spots Hyunjin in a yellow cloak, and she swears she’s given a wink once they make eye-contact, and Seoyeon is thankful for how close her table is to the stage. She glances at the other students, and tries to ignore how some chose to crowd around other tables rather than take any of the empty spots on their one.

“I’ll try to keep this brief, but no promises,” Heejin begins, voice smooth and powerful, projected with little effort. There are some quiet chuckles dotted throughout the hall. “Each of you here, sitting before me, have walked a long and arduous path to enter this academy. Some of you have heard this speech before, last year, whilst others are hearing my words for the first time. What I have to say is important either way, so don’t tune me out.”

A few chuckles ripple at her dry humour and charming smile, but she presses on, the weight of her words unfurling.

“You’ve travelled a long, long journey to get here. You’ve beaten the odds, passed a gruelling entrance exam, spent hours honing your skills, and even had the privilege of meeting the Gods. You might be thinking that you’ve done it, you’ve finally made it. To those people, I say you’re delusional.” Seoyeon can feel the thick and tense silence now blanketing the hall, alongside the quiet murmurs of confusion. “In the same way a beam of white light becomes a variety of colours once it hits a crystal prism, my goal is to allow you to take your simplistic worldview, and shatter it, and see the world for the complex place it is.”

Sullin’s eyes dart around the hall, and Seoyeon can see the reflective looks on the faces of the Wisteria and Camellia students, or the curiosity of the Belladonnas.

“Some of you probably grew up in abundance, everything at your fingertips, comfort coming easy. You’ll want to be ready, because your familial wealth means nothing here.” She says, a scoff playing at the end of that sentence, “Others might think that growing up in the poorer provinces has toughened you up, but be warned, your richer classmates have had an advantage since birth.” Her eyes briefly linger on Seoyeon, before she continues. It’s brief, imperceptible, and no one bar Sullin seems to notice, shooting Seoyeon a quick and curious look.

“What I see before me, are nothing more than immature children with no real idea on how the world works. But, of course you are. You’ll grow at your time here, and when I come to greet you as full-fledged mages, I’ll be greeting the adults you’ve shaped up to be.” Heejin pauses, the room breathless with attention.

“Look around you, and remember this: every single one of you is a soldier in a war,” her tone seems to darken, a sombre edge to her voice, the light in her eyes fading, “Some may be small skirmishes, and others may be battles for your lives. Instead of trying to wound each other, I only ask one thing.” Heejin takes in a sharp breath of air, and puts on the kindest smile she could muster. “Be kind. That is all, my students.”

She steps back, just enough for her golden cloak to catch the light, and the silence hangs in the air. The faculty begin to give polite claps that soon spread across the room like wildfire and become a full ovation. Nien even hollers. Deputy Headmistress Jiwoo steps forth, a smile on her lips. Behind her, the cloak-wearing staff members step forth.

“The people standing behind me are the heads of Department for each subject, also referred to as Masters,” she claps her hands, “Each Subject is designated through a colour, and each cloak and armband correspond to that colour. Makes identifying your professors easier.” She smiles, letting her arms drop down and swing at her sides.

The Masters behind Jiwoo take a step forth, and Seoyeon can barely make out the pins of differing house emblems pinned to the fabric of their uniforms. “Each Master may be a member of different Houses, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still reach out to them if you have questions. They’re all experts in their fields, and each field corresponds to one of our nine core subjects.” The blonde can hear the quiet chorus of groans at the reminders of education.

“You’ll study all of them in your first two years. We believe a well-rounded mage is a strong mage. But,” she leans forward, her smile turning conspiratorial, “In your third year, everything changes.” There’s the quiet sound of rustling throughout the hall, and Jiwoo smiles.

“You’ll choose a specialisation – one subject to truly dedicate yourself to. We call this becoming a Fledgling. A Mathematics Fledgling, or a Weaponry Fledgling, for example. You’ll still attend other classes, of course,” she waves a finger in the air, “But you’ll receive hands-on training, private tutoring, and even real field missions tailored to your specialisation, under the guidance of your Master.” Jiwoo then goes into detail on each Master, but Seoyeon simply takes note of what she needs to know.

Red is Mathematics, Blue is for Linguistics, Yellow is for Strategy, led by Master Kim Hyunjin. Green is Medicine, Orange is for Potions and Herbology, Purple is for Combat, and Seoyeon finds herself slightly unsettled by the cold gaze of the Combat Master. Black is Weaponry, Cyan is History, and lastly… Pink was for Magic and Theological Studies. The Master in question, one Wong Kahei, seemed… odd.

For starters, the staff seemed to only call her Vivi, and that was mainly in hushed whispers, trying to direct Vivi to face the students. The first thing Seoyeon noticed about the Master was her hair – soft and light pastel-coloured wisps, like clouds framing her face. She carried herself like someone lost – her eyes wide and confused, seeming disorientated. Her gaze looked nothing but confused, as if she was viewing the audience for the first time, when she’d been the first to walk onto stage.

Seoyeon could hear some quiet snorts and giggles as Vivi tried waving at everyone, although Hyunjin had to rotate the woman to properly face the students. There was a lazy and serene smile on her face, as if she was oblivious to the world around her. “Is she drunk?” She hears someone quietly whisper, and despite the frowns on the faces of the other professors, Vivi doesn’t seem to notice.

Seoyeon doesn’t find herself laughing, instead, her eyes zero in on Vivi. There’s a presence around her that just felt… familiar. Like overhearing a lullaby a mother sings to their child, only to recall it from your own youth. Vivi’s eyes seem almost glassy, and she gives a quiet hum.

Jiwoo pulls everyone’s attention back to her with a loud clap. “Once you enter your third year, you’ll each take an Aptitude Assessment, and after consulting with your professors, you’ll declare your Fledgling Path Preferences. Depending on how well you do, you may get offers back from some Masters, or you might not be so lucky,” Jiwoo shrugs with a smile, “Some of you might already know what you’re drawn to – and that’s wonderful. But for now, explore everything. Let yourself be surprised.”

She pauses, then gives a wide grin.

“Now—let’s eat!”

Magic thickens, warmth gathers at the edges of the room, and food — rich, fragrant, glistening — begins to appear before them, drifting in on trays of softly glowing silver. Seoyeon exhales, her shoulders loosening as the table fills, and for the first time since she arrived, the warmth of something almost like belonging brushes against her skin. Each platter was stacked with foods – grilled and roasted meats of almost every variety ranging from pork to beef to chicken to some Seoyeon didn’t even know existed, plates of vegetables, giving off wispy tendrils of steam. The side dishes were almost too many to count, with small pots of sauces, rolls and rice of assorted varieties.

“This… this is all for us?” Seoyeon asked, and Nien chuckles, looping an arm around the girl as she squeaked.

“Yep! Get used to it! I CALL DIBS ON THE BROCCOLI!” She yells, jumping towards it as Jiyeon pulls it away.

“Stop trying to hog the food Nien!” She admonishes as Nien whines. Meanwhile, Kaede and Lynn are already starting a small food war, flinging… peas, catapulting them across with spoons. Shion is busy trying to get them to stop, all the while, Jiyeon sighs. She feels Dahyun lightly elbow her, and Seoyeon glances over.

“You know, we might have to keep you around more often,” she jokes, gesturing to the mostly empty table, “We get to keep all this food for ourselves!” She grins, and Seoyeon laughs. Genuinely, a hard laugh, and she covers her mouth as her eyes crinkle into crescents. Nien watches her with a soft smile, before turning and flinging small vegetables at both Kaede and Shion, Jiyeon letting out a tired sigh as Sullin pats her shoulder.

Sullin, as the others start to argue, passes some dumplings over towards Seoyeon. When Seoyeon meets her gaze, and gets a smile in return. “You look like you needed it.” She mumbles without a fuss, turning back to her own food. She calms Lynn and Jiyeon down easily, and soon they go to eat, conversation spilling out.

Seoyeon thinks that, even if hundreds of other students despise her, at least she can rest easy knowing there are seven, maybe even nine, other students who’ve stuck themselves in her corner.

=====

Jiwoo sighed, settling into the covers of her bed as Chaeyeon pulled herself up the ladder before slumping down into the bed above with a thud, complaining about how her legs ached and how she wasn’t looking forward to combat drills. The room was dimly lit, nothing more than a lantern on the table at the centre of the room. Shadows danced across the wall as the amber flame inside the lantern flickered, and Jiwoo cast her eyes out through the window. A pitch black sky dotted with faint white glimmers of stars.

Her eyes turned to Seoyeon, watching the blonde fiddle with her uniform, switching into more comfortable sleeping attire. She watches Seoyeon stub her toe against the bed frame, letting out a hiss. She wonders if her eyes are playing tricks on her, or if the flame from the lantern really did grow brighter for a moment. Jiwoo almost finds herself stepping in, but watches as Seoyeon mumbles an apology to the bed, even lightly patting the headboard.

Jiwoo laid down in her bed, arms crossed as she observed Seoyeon. She’s kind, was her immediate thought. Seoyeon was nice, not the fake-kind Jiwoo was used to as the daughter of a Governor, classmates wanting to rub elbows for the prestige and favours that could come their way. No, Seoyeon was kind, stupidly kind. She held doors open for people who couldn’t care less, offered food to first-years who looked at her like some sort of demon.

But Jiwoo didn’t get so far by being naive. She’d read enough, heard enough – from instructors, her father, whispers in hallways – to know what it meant when someone had been chosen by an Elder. Power, unimaginable power, just at your fingertips, enough to drive almost anyone mad. No one was chosen by an Elder god and stayed sane.

Yet, Seoyeon pushed forward with a smile. She laughed at all of Chaeyeon’s lame jokes, and had snuck snacks in from the dining hall to give to her when they departed to the dorm rooms. Jiwoo couldn’t ignore the stirring in her own gut, the uncomfortable shudder in her body. She didn’t trust Seoyeon, far from it. But, then again, she despised the way her friends had spoken about her during dinner.

I barely know you, and I want to defend you already? She thought, narrowing her eyes in the shadow of her room. She turns on her side, wanting to let sleep take her. Instead, she spoke, words slipping out into the darkness.

“What was it like?” She asks, voice soft, barely above a whisper. Chaeyeon was still asleep after all. “Your province? S1, right?” She’d overheard Chaeyeon and Seoyeon talk about it during their tour.

She doesn’t hear anything from Seoyeon, and wonders if the girl is asleep, but hears the rustling of sheets. “It’s… nice,” she starts, a smile in her voice. “I mean, it’s huge, obviously, so there’s a lot of places… I grew up in this village…” and Seoyeon regaled Jiwoo with tales of her home life. She told Jiwoo about her little village near the cliffs, the warm salt wind in the mornings, the broken roof tiles of the blacksmith’s, and how the whole town would share lanterns during the monsoon nights.

“What about you? S3, right? Chaeyeon mentioned it.” Jiwoo shrugged, glancing off to the wall beside her.

“Loud,” she started, “Overcrowded.” She added, and Seoyeon gave a quiet hum.

“Sounds nice,” she said, and Jiwoo let herself chuckle. She thinks short of saying it was outright bad, Seoyeon would’ve said it was nice regardless. “Night Jiwoo.” Jiwoo nods, and with a flick of her wrist, the light goes out in the lantern.

“Night.” She laid there, eyes staring up at the bottom of Chaeyeon’s bunk, before Chaeyeon’s quiet snores filled the air, and Jiwoo exhaled.

At the end of the day, Jiwoo still didn’t know what to make of Seoyeon.

=====

The silver shine of the moonlight kissed the pale bricked walls, ivy crawling along them. A faint tune was humming through the air, Vivi wandered along the mossy path, barefoot in her nightgown as her wispy hair flowed with the gentle night breeze. She walked past sigils and seals, before finding it – her garden, hidden from prying eyes of those who were not worthy. Flowers and roots grew out of control, shades and colours that seemed almost unnatural on plants.

Some glowed with lavender hues, others seemed to almost sing, a quiet song whenever the wind blew against them in just the right way. Vivi smiled, sitting down and cooing at a smaller bed of flowers, fingers brushing against the petals. She began whispering and speaking to them, as if in hushed gossip. She gives a giggle at something one of the flowers ‘says’.

“You know,” a voice called out from behind her. Vivi acknowledges it with a soft giggle and hum. “If I didn’t like my job so much, I’d tell Heejin you’d be a good replacement for Potions and Herbology. You practically have your own forest back here.” Seulgi leant against the frame of the stone archway to Vivi’s garden, arms crossed, a relaxed smile on her face. Vivi didn’t need to look at her to know any of that.

Vivi didn’t turn. “No, no, I don’t think so,” she said, brushing a glistening bead of dew from the curve of a petal with delicate care. Her voice floated like pollen in the air, light. “I love my plants, but magic…” she giggled again, “It’s something…” Seulgi tilted her head as Vivi plucked one of the flowers, and sniffed it, and giggled again.

Seulgi stepped forward, and let out a sigh. She glanced at the floor, tapping her foot against the grass. “Vivi… Kahei,” Seulgi started, “Do… Do you have any updates on Haseul? Where she might be?” For a moment, Vivi hums, and looks at Seulgi, confused. Her glass-like eyes seem to peer into Seulgi, staring at something beneath her skin.

She tries to ignore the shiver that goes down her spine, and Vivi asks. “Who?” And Seulgi sighs. She offers a patient smile, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a photo. It’s back during her days as a student, and she has an arm looped around Haseul, who’s own arms are linked with Vivi. There are some other students around them, and Seulgi tries not to think about how some are no longer standing beside her anymore.

“That one,” she says, smiling as she points out Haseul. “Your souls are linked, I was just… just wondering.” She looks up at Vivi, and notes her widened eyes.

“She’s pretty…” Vivi notes with a soft smile, and Seulgi feels a squeeze in her chest. Vivi’s eyes widen, “Haseul… Haseul?” There’s a shift in Vivi’s demeanour, her back straightens, and she sits upright. Her shoulders, usually swaying to their own rhythm, freeze. She blinks, and for a moment, her eyes appear less like misted glass and more akin to transparent windows to her soul.

“It…” Vivi shakes her head, “It hasn’t changed, Seulgi. Not from the last time I updated Heejin.” Her voice isn’t airy and whimsical, and it’s like she’s been tethered to the same plane of existence as everyone else. There’s a new weight to her voice, a faint tremble too. “I can’t sense her. Not her voice in my head, not the tug in my chest… nothing.” She finally looked down at her hands, and she blinks, as if in disbelief.

“Why… why can’t I sense her? Or feel her? Where did… where did she…” Vivi mumbles, and Seulgi steps closer towards the pink-haired woman. She knelt down beside her, and watched as the lucidity slowly began to dim in Vivi’s eyes, and a lump formed in Seulgi’s throat at the giddy smile on Vivi’s face. She tried to return it, strained. “Did… did she come by? I made tea, I…” Vivi glances to the side of her, “I… I made tea. Where did the tea go? Did you bring those ginger cookies you told me about in class the other–”

She looks back at Seulgi, who tries not to let the tears fall. “That… that was years ago, Kahei. We’re in your garden, you’re a Master now, remember?” Seulgi croaked out, and Kahei nodded, her mouth turning to an ‘O’ as she glanced around.

“Oh,” Vivi said softly, her eyes scanning the surrounding garden, her garden, as if seeing it for the first time. “Oh, how silly of me. I must’ve taken a very long nap.”

Seulgi’s lips twitched into a faint smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Yeah,” she said gently. “Just a little nap.” Vivi nodded, before glancing down at her lap. Seulgi waits a beat, and Vivi chuckles, moving to stand up. Seulgi helps her to her feet.

“Sorry about that, it can get a little…” she raises her hand, before glancing at it oddly. She lets it rest at her side, “Don’t tell Heejin, okay? She gets worried.” Seulgi nods, and pats Vivi’s shoulder.

“Let’s get you to bed, okay?” Seulgi’s voice is gentle, and Vivi smiles. “You’ll get sick out here.”

“Mm,” Vivi murmured, with a smile too soft to be anything but heartbreaking. “But they’ll be lonely, won’t they? The little ones?” She glanced toward the flowerbed. “No one sings to them like I do.”

“They’ll manage until the morning, okay?” She rubbed Vivi’s shoulder, and the woman gave a nod. Seulgi escorted Vivi out of her garden, and feels the new weight in the air and to her steps, and doesn’t dare let her tears fall until she’s a good distance away from Vivi’s specialised and private quarters.

=====

Seoyeon’s first day is, as she was warned, ruthless.

With the third and fourth-year students moving back into the dorms, there’s a rush to get the first and second-years into classrooms so that the dorms aren’t swarming with panic and confusion. It’s why she’s outdoors, on the combat grounds, shivering as she rests her robes on a nearby bench. The combat uniforms differed from the school uniforms – beige variants of the standard mage attire. Seoyeon has heard how high-level mages are afforded the privilege of customising their uniforms, but unfortunately, students are stuck with the beige kit during training.

“Why do we have to wake up so early…” She hears Chaeyeon grumble beside her. Nien gives a quiet laugh, patting Chaeyeon on the back as they return to the centre of the grounds, where other students stand before their Combat professor. The older woman gazes before her students, eyes cold, purple armband resting around their left bicep.

“Careful,” Nien whispers as they join the others. Her combat class, Seoyeon learned, would have most of the people she’d befriended thus far. Chaeyeon stood beside her, Nien on her other side. She could spot Lynn and Kaede hovering near Nien, whilst Jiwoo was near Chaeyeon. “You don’t want Professor Lee Siyeon overhearing you complaining.”

“Do you have something to say, Hsu?” Siyeon calls out. Seoyeon can feel everyone around them shrink under Siyeon’s scrutiny. Nien, however, laughs brightly.

“Of course not, ssaem~” Nien beams, and Siyeon grumbles something under her breath. She then straightens up, arms behind her back, and her voice booming across the courtyard.

“First of all, I should make you aware that across all your subjects, there will be some… adjustments made to the curriculum.” Siyeon’s eyes scan the crowd of students before her, “For the most part, you’re the group least affected by these changes, but you should now know, some of the second-year education will now be taught to first-year students. That means, I expect all of you to be pushing yourselves even harder. Can you even call yourself a mage if a first-year is doing better than you?” There’s a weight that pushes down on the students with the statement, a light scoff slipping from Siyeon’s lips.

“Secondly, whilst first-year was mainly theory and whatnot, second-year and forward will focus far more on the physical aspect of the subject,” There are excited murmurs amongst the group, and a sharp inhale from Siyeon is enough to silence everyone, “Don’t go thinking it’ll make your lives easier. Your bodies will be broken and rebuilt, again, and again. Your physicality is the key to your training as a mage, so none of you better slack. To start, we’ll do some basic drills, get you all back into shape after you all lazied around over the break.”

Siyeon put two fingers to her lips, and whistled, loud. The students start with a jump, and Siyeon is quick to yell out instructions.

A couple of laps around the courtyard had, at first, seemed manageable. But, Seoyeon hadn’t truly realised how large the perimeter was. Around the second lap, her legs began to ache. Around the third, her lungs burned. Around the fourth, she almost collapsed, but pushed forth. Ahead, Jiwoo, Nien and Lynn pushed on almost effortlessly. Beside her was Kaede, who was evidently almost as out of breath as Seoyeon.

Kaede flashed a grin, “Come on!” She yells and with that, Seoyeon felt reinvigorated and pushed on, a surge of energy rushing through her limbs. Chaeyeon lagged behind all of them, and was on the unfortunate end of some of Siyeon’s yelling, alongside other startled students.

Once the laps were done, they went to burpees. From burpees to sit ups, and then to partner exercises. Seoyeon had been paired up with Nien, and quickly realised the difference in physical capability between them. It had lit a fire inside her though, and she pushed on.

“There.” Seoyeon says, catching her breath as Nien shoots her an impressed look, “Same amount of reps as you.” She sighs, sitting down on the floor as Nien offered her a bottle of water. Seoyeon took it with a smile and downed the entire thing.

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a little competitive? It’s a little scary…” She mumbles with a smile. They go from partner exercises to push ups, with Siyeon occasionally putting her foot on a student’s back, and telling them to keep going. Seoyeon almost thinks it’s a little sadistic, but keeps it to herself.

Siyeon stops near her, and Seoyeon’s arms want to give out from all the exertion. “Come on,” she starts, her voice quieter. There’s still an edge to it, as she continues. “You can’t even hold your own weight, and you want to wield magic that could split the sky?” Seoyeon feels that same fire light up inside her, and she grunts, pushing herself off from the ground and back down again, her arms and core burning, but she keeps going.

Siyeon lets out a hum, and Seoyeon wants to turn to see the look in her eyes. She keeps her head low, however, and can feel Siyeon watching her for a long moment. Then, barely audible, she says “Good. Keep going.”

The moment leaves as soon as it comes, and Seoyeon almost sighs. Forty more push-ups to go…

By the end of class, almost everyone is immobile, groaning. Siyeon claps her hands together, “Hurry up and move to your changing quarters. You still have other classes.” Siyeon then leaves with a chuckle, and Seoyeon can feel the ache in her muscles. She looks over, seeing Nien appear entirely unbothered. Chaeyeon is leaning onto Jiwoo, whose face has turned a faint pink. Lynn is nursing a bottle of water, and Kaede groans, collapsing and resting her weight against Seoyeon.

“Who has combat classes in the morning?” She mumbles and Seoyeon laughs, handing Kaede a bottle of water. Initially, Kaede declines, but Seoyeon offers again, and Kaede sighs, taking it with a thankful smile. The Belladonna rests her head against Seoyeon’s shoulder, as Seoyeon loops an arm around her.

“You did better than expected, you’ve obviously done some physical training before you came here.” Nien said, and Seoyeon nodded. “Who taught you combat?”

Seoyeon wonders if revealing it was Heejin who taught her was a good idea. Instead, she shrugged. “I guess running errands around your village pays off.” There’s a quiet round of laughs, and they eventually trudge over to get changed and head to their next classes.

=====

The weapons classroom was situated right beside a miniature arena, shadows flanking the corners, unlike the open space of the combat courtyard. The room was built from dark woods, an almost archaic feeling to it. Seoyeon had shared this class with most of her combat classmates, with the only exception being Chaeyeon. She finds herself seated beside Lynn, and glances around, noting the glass displays lining the walls. Various weapons, ranging from swords to staves to axes. A few ranged weapons were also on display, crossbows and bows, the occasional rifle.

Their professor ambled in, a cane at their side, with one of their footsteps sounding heavier than the other. “Nice to meet you all!” The professor greeted, black waves of hair tied into a ponytail, an eyepatch around one eye. Seoyeon glanced down, noting the left pant leg of their uniform was cut, exposing the black metal of a prosthetic limb. She leant against the desk behind her, smiling as she raised her right, gloved hand.

“I’m Professor Jeong Jinsol, but feel free to just call me Professor Jeong or Professor Jinsol, I really don’t mind.” She was cheerful, for a woman surrounded by a dark classroom and walking with a prosthetic leg. “I know I look a bit pirate-y, but I don’t bite.” She pointed her cane, earning a few laughs from her classmates.

Jinsol’s smile lingered for a moment longer, before she let the cane tap against the ground twice. The sound echoed across the old wood. Her voice, while still friendly, dropped to something more grounded.

“Now, before you get too excited, no one’s touching any of the weapons just yet.” A few students groaned, and she grinned. “I know, I know. Trust me, I love a good blade as much as the next gal. But unless you want to end up looking like me–” she gestured to her leg, then her eyepatch, “–you’re going to have to learn control first.”

She began pacing slowly along the front of the room, cane clicking in rhythm. “Weaponry isn’t just about swinging something heavy around. Every mage has a different relationship with the weapons they use. They’re extensions of us. Some of you will take to swords. Others will lean toward polearms. A few of you might end up with ranged tools. But all of it means nothing if you can’t hold your ground without one.”

Her tone sharpened as she halted mid-step. “That’s why I’ll be communicating with your combat instructors. Once I feel like everyone’s foundations are good, we’ll begin the practical side of things. For now, it’ll just be a lot of theory.” Seeming to notice the deflated looks on some of her classmates (Lynn included), she chuckles. “Don’t worry! There’ll be plenty of trips to the blacksmith’s to keep you all entertained! I know a good number of you have some weapon training, so I won’t try to keep you all down for too long.”

Jinsol beams at them, and someone raises their hand. “Is it true we’ll be learning how to summon our Soulborne’s this year?” There’s a rush of excited rumours, and for a moment, Seoyeon sees something spark in Jinsol’s eye, her iris turning a deep blue and her pupil a striking white. It’s brief, only for a second, much like Lynn’s own eyes when she and Seoyeon first met.

With a flick of her wrist, blue magic swirls and sparks around Jinsol’s arm. She extends it, and Seoyeon watches with bated breath as the magic collects and solidifies, forming what looked to be a crossbow, although it was unlike anything Seoyeon had ever seen.

Jinsol let the silence stretch as the room stared, wide-eyed, at the azure shimmering weapon in her hand. The deep blue was contrasted by the glinting of silver metal that curved along the weapon, alongside electric blue runes, pulsating with energy in swirling patterns, akin to crashing waves.

“This is my Soulborne, I call it Neptune.” Jinsol’s smile shifts into a grin, “I’ve had her since I was seventeen, she seems scary, but she’s a sweetheart.” The room chuckled nervously, though the awe didn’t fade. Lynn had even stopped fiddling with the hem of her sleeve, and Nien was uncharacteristically quiet and focused. Jinsol continued, casually tossing the crossbow in one hand like it weighed nothing.

“Your Soulborne is more than just a weapon or tool. It’s you,” she says, letting her arm drop as Neptune faded into a shimmering cloud of blue dust, “It takes the shape of your soul, a reflection of all the things that made you who you are. See it as just another weapon, and not an extension of your soul and very being, and it’ll cost you.” The grave warning leaves the class silent, and Jinsol then visibly perks up.

“You’ll all learn how to summon yours. Eventually. I’m hoping sooner rather than later – for both your sakes and mine. Don’t tell the Weaponry Master, but even I’m hoping to do practical classes sooner. More fun, don’t you think?” There's a round of nods, and Jinsol giggles, before beginning the rest of their introduction to the class.

“I already got mine…” Lynn whispers, and Seoyeon glances up at her, curious.

“Really?” Lynn nods, a grin on her lips.

“A trident – it’s really cool, I’ll show you at some point.” Seoyeon nods, wide-eyed with awe as she lets her eyes linger on Lynn’s side profile, the younger girl focusing on Jinsol’s current ramblings.

Seoyeon recalls students talking about Lynn as if she truly lived on a level that no one else did, and she was really beginning to see why. Kawakami Lynn was full of surprises.

=====

By the time Seoyeon reaches the Strategy Classroom, her head is swimming.

Linguistics was interesting for the first few seconds, but quickly became a bore. The professor was the first uninteresting one Seoyeon had encountered, droning on about the importance of language and the power of syntax. She did learn they’d be studying literature within linguistics, an exercise to help read between lines and read effectively, which actually sounded enjoyable. The lesson was made easier when Seoyeon found herself sitting next to Sullin.

“I can help you, if you want.” Sullin had offered in a whisper, and Seoyeon was glad.

Mathematics was as dull as it had always been. Seoyeon wondered if the use of magic would result in it being any different from the numeracy and math classes she took as a non-magical student, but no. It was like some old rule had dictated in the past that all math was to drive the student insane. She had enough of numbers and algebra by the time she escaped, and trudged up the stairs to Hyunjin’s class.

She was greeted by smiles from Kaede and Dahyun, who gave her sympathetic nods. “You look like shit,” Kaede noted, quick, “Who were your professors for Linguistics and Math?” Seoyeon stifled a groan.

“I think Professor Park and Professor Jeong,” Seoyeon didn’t bother adding the first names. Apparently, the two were so unilaterally known as ‘the most boring professors’ that everyone knew who you’d be referring to. Dahyun winces and Kaede shakes her head, placing a hand of support on Seoyeon’s shoulder.

“We wish you luck, soldier.” She mumbled solemnly.

“That makes two of us,” the strategy professor says, walking briskly past Kaede, who jumps and yelps at the voice. “Seriously, you’d think they’d brighten up after all these years…” Seoyeon caught the shimmering yellow cloak, and watched as Hyunjin’s smile greeted her as students followed her into the class. Hyunjin, the Strategy Master, was their strategy professor, and Seoyeon could already feel the grin coming.

The chairs and desks students usually sat at were pushed to the walls and corners of the room, and instead, a large, round, sand-coloured table stood at the centre. Some sort of game had been organised, with differing tiles and coloured pieces spread across it. “Most professors might have you sit down as they yap on about their subject,” Hyunjin said, taking one end of the table as students crowded around the other end. “Me? I prefer games.”

Hyunjin rolled her shoulders, and cracked her knuckles, “Strategy is, at the end of the day, one big game you plan, with the forfeit being lives,” she let the grin rest on her lips, “We will study theory, of course, but I think it’s good to get your brains going and thinking like this.” Seoyeon could see the excitement and trepidation written across the faces of her classmates.

“To start, we’ll be playing Raider’s Gambit. In essence, it’s a field simulation. There are two sides, the raiders and the mages. You have a barrier protecting your settlement that the raiders will try and get to. There are ten rounds you have to survive in order to win. Each turn, you will allocate your energy to scouting, shielding, attacking, or repositioning. Choose poorly, and your units and troops die. Choose well…”

She shrugged, a smirk on her lips. “I might not kill them all.”

There’s a buzz of excitement, but a few knowing groans. Dahyun and Kaede were two of them. “Man, no one could beat her last year when she pulled this…” Dahyun murmured, glancing up at the professor. “We were first-years too, and she wrecked us, not a care in the world…” Hyunjin lets herself quietly chuckle at that. “Not even Kaede could beat her.”

“I got to the eighth round before she got me,” Kaede said, crossing her arms. There was a fire in her eyes, as she met Hyunjin’s eyes, “But I’ll get her this time.”

“Most of us couldn’t get past round four.” Dahyun whispered, and Seoyeon could feel the anxiety bubbling in her chest. She knows this game all too well, she knows Hyunjin’s skill all too well. She hadn’t gotten close to beating her once throughout her lessons, and now, she was about to put her skills to the test in front of the eyes of her classmates.

Dahyun starts off first. She starts strong, but spreads her units too wide by the fifth round, trying to protect every angle. Hyunjin waits patiently, then is easily able to clear out Dahyun’s troops. Dahyun deflates as Hyunjin chuckles.

“Good effort,” Hyunjin offers with a tilt of her head. “But you tried to protect everything, and ended up protecting nothing. Remember that.” Dahyun nods solemnly. A few more students try to play, and again, they all lose.

Kaede steps forward next, cracking her knuckles like she’s entering an actual battlefield. The tension in the room shifts – people clearly expect more from her, and her fellow Belladonna students eye the commencing game with curiosity. She starts with a tighter formation, deploying decoys and using scouts cleverly. She even prepares a trap that surprises Hyunjin, drawing a raised eyebrow from the professor.

By round seven, though, Kaede hesitates, and tries to reorganise her central troops to reinforce the perimeter. That moment of indecision is enough, and Hyunjin, by the eighth round once again, moves decisively. Her raider units burst past the weakened middle, overwhelming the barrier in a swift and cruel assault.

Kaede slumps back, defeated but not humiliated. “Damn,” she mutters. “You’re sneakier than last year.”

Hyunjin only smirks, resetting the pieces. “Strategy doesn’t get easier,” she hummed airily, “So you just have to get better. Well done though, you nearly got to the ninth round.”

Then, her gaze settles on Seoyeon. “You’re up.”

Seoyeon nods, and wonders if she’s imagining the sneers on the faces of her classmates as she steps forth. Her hands feel clammy, and Hyunjin’s gaze is piercing, assessing every move Seoyeon makes. She can feel the air turn thick, and she picks up one of the pieces.

She thinks back to Hyunjin’s words during the private tutor sessions, back to when Hyunjin would trap Seoyeon in the same pattern of thinking, and the tunnel vision that followed. She thought of the kind smile she received, and Hyunjin’s words whenever Seoyeon lost.

“Don’t just play the game. Play the person”

Seoyeon lets a smile grace her lips, and she stares up at Hyunjin. Hyunjin returns the smile, and the two soon get started

Round one, Seoyeon doesn’t show her hand much, moving to reinforce and play minimally. In Round Two, she’s able to catch Hyunjin off guard with a feint, and Hyunjin is forced to rethink and reorganise. By Round Four, the air is tense, and Seoyeon’s troops haven’t moved much. Hyunjin has yet to gain much, if any, ground. Seoyeon’s fingers drum along the edge of the table as she thinks.

“You’re stalling.” Hyunjin notes with a hum, and Seoyeon doesn’t respond immediately. She makes a move.

“I’m thinking.” She smiles, and Hyunjin’s brow furrows. With one movement of her troops, any plan Hyunjin was building towards loses its momentum. There’s quiet murmurs through the class, and Seoyeon can hear Kaede and Dahyun whispering.

“She’s doing it…” Dahyun’s excitement was contagious, but Seoyeon pushed down the smile. She hasn’t won, not yet, and getting cocky would do her no good. Kaede hums, crossing her arms.

“It’s only round four…” she points out, “But she’s playing well.” Seoyeon can hear the smirk in Kaede’s voice, and she continues to play on.

By Round Six, it becomes a war of attrition. Seoyeon is finally losing troops, but Hyunjin doesn’t smile. Seoyeon knows why – she’s far from a victory. Every loss is calculated by Seoyeon, and each one is a strategic one. For every inch of progress Hyunjin makes, Seoyeon finds a way to nullify it. By the time they reach round nine, Hyunjin begins to feel genuine frustration. For a moment, it amazes her, and there’s a brief swelling of pride in her chest.

There’s still one round left, and Seoyeon waits for Hyunjin to make her move. The woman goes deathly still, and Seoyeon’s hands are shaking. She waits for it, the moment Hyunjin finds some weakness to exploit and use against her, but it doesn’t come. Hyunjin’s eyes widen, and a smile slowly crawls up her face as she’s quick to extend a hand to Seoyeon.

“You win.”

The two words alone earn Seoyeon praise and applause from her classmates, and Kaede and Dahyun are quick to congratulate her. Seoyeon lets out a long breath, and shakes Hyunjin’s hand. “Congratulations, no student has ever beaten me, with only one exception.” Seoyeon tilts her head at this, but nods.

“Man, I need to copy…” Kaede starts, and Hyunjin raises her brow as she quickly amends, “Take inspiration,” she says pointedly, “From your notes because that was so cool.”

Dahyun nods, clapping, “I didn’t know we had our own Kim Yooyeon.” There’s that name again, and Seoyeon wonders who she is. First Jiwoo, now Dahyun. She’s about to bring it up, but before she can, the door to the class creaks open, and a student walks through. Seoyeon’s eyes move to the intruder, and she feels her breath caught in her throat.

Long dark waves of her, like spilled ink, fall down her shoulders, her skin lily white, as if her features were carved from porcelain. Sharp eyes scan the class, and her arms are crossed over her chest. Seoyeon can make out the deep blue peeking out from the inner side of her robes – a Wisteria. There’s an arm band around her left bicep, thick and black with three narrow yellow lines running across it.

A Fledgling armband. She realises. The girl is a third-year, and approaches Hyunjin with eased familiarity, although there’s still a notable stiffness to her movements. “Master Hyunjin.” She greets with a small bow, and Hyunjin acknowledges her with a nod.

“Kim Yooyeon, in the flesh,” there’s a buzz of whispers, and Seoyeon finds herself mesmerised. There’s a way that Yooyeon carries herself, and the way her face is forever controlled. Not one hint of emotion breaks through her cold expression, although Seoyeon swears she sees a flash of warmth in her eyes as she greets Hyunjin. No wonder everyone seemed so enamoured with her. “I thought I told you to take the day off.” Hyunjin crosses her arms, a fond smile on her lips.

“I am,” she shrugs ever so slightly, “And I thought it would be a good use of my free time to see if there’s anything I need to know. I’m aware the curriculum is changing, and you’ll probably shift things around throughout the year.” Hyunjin clicks her tongue in faux irritation.

“Yah, you’ve only just become a Fledgling, let the fourth-years do all the work.” She admonishes lightly, and Yooyeon lets out a quiet breath through her nose.

“Of course she’s a Strategy Fledgling,” Dahyun whispers, “She’s like the smartest student at the school.”

Kaede nods, “You’d have to be, being blessed by two gods and all.” Seoyeon blinks.

Two? She’d heard it was possible for someone to receive more than one blessing from a God in the Pantheon, and Hyunjin had even mentioned meeting someone like that. What her mentor neglected to mention was that the person she was talking about was one of her very own students.

Yooyeon’s eyes turn to the class, and she scans the crowd of second-years. “You challenged them to Raider’s Gambit? Who got the closest to winning before losing?” Yooyeon asked, the idea of someone even beating Hyunjin apparently a foreign concept. Kaede raised her hand, and Yooyeon acknowledged her with a nod. Kaede giggled, pleased with the recognition.

Hyunjin then smirked, and waved towards Seoyeon. “This one beat me, you know,” For a second, only a mere fractional moment, Yooyeon’s eyes widened in surprise. She was quick to suppress it, and turned on her heel, eyes focusing on Seoyeon. The blonde almost gulped, the intensity in the near obsidian eyes of Yooyeon left her light-headed. “She might give you some competition.” Her eyes raked over Seoyeon, and she gave a quiet hum.

“You’re Jo Haseul’s daughter, the one who was chosen by an Elder…” Quiet whispers hummed in the air, and Seoyeon took in a breath. Seoyeon stared into the dark pools that were Yooyeon’s eyes, and it felt as if she’d fallen into an ice-cold river. There was a chill that ran over her body at the frigidity of Yooyeon’s stare. The third-year then shrugged, as if unimpressed, “I thought you’d be… taller.”

Seoyeon blinks, and Kaede gives a quiet ‘ooh…’ whilst Dahyun hisses, as if burned. The remark wasn’t inherently cruel or foul, but it was cynical. Seoyeon could feel the weight of an expectation that went unsaid, and she crossed her arms around her chest.

“I could say the same to you.” It comes out quick, and Seoyeon’s eyes widen as soon as she says it. She can feel the burning look of everyone’s eyes on her, and catches Hyunjin stifling a laugh. Yooyeon gives a quiet huff, eyes narrowing.

Yooyeon then turns to face Hyunjin. “I’ll be in the Library if I’m needed.” With that, she moves to leave, and Seoyeon can feel everyone’s eyes on her.

“Try not to scare anyone else on your way out!” Hyunjin calls after her as she slips through the doorframe, and she clicks her tongue, an impressed smile on her face. “I don’t think I’ve seen her acknowledge anyone with anything more than a nod before… man, I love that kid.” Hyunjin shakes her head fondly, and Seoyeon feels Kaede elbow her in the ribs.

“Dude, you just got noticed by Kim Yooyeon? And you said that?” She says, half-whispering and half-yelling, and Dahyun gasps.

“Do you really think… she sees you as competition now?” Dahyun sounded alarmed, and Kaede let out a quiet laugh of disbelief.

“Kim Yooyeon as your rival? You’re screwed, it was nice knowing you.” Dahyun slaps Kaede on the shoulder, and Kaede pouts.

Seoyeon doesn’t answer, not immediately. The class starts to shuffle around, but she stays rooted to the spot. She thinks over the odd judgement in Yooyeon’s eyes, the way she scanned Seoyeon, analysing her very being. She thinks of the way her head was raised high as she walked in and out, and Seoyeon begins to feel something burn in her chest and along her arms. There’s a surge of energy, and a smile unknowingly graces her lips.

“If we are rivals now…” Seoyeon starts, and Kaede and Dahyun glance towards her, “I’m not the one who’s going to lose.”

The other two share a look, and Kaede sighs.

“We love you already, but we hope you know you’re insane.”

=====

The last class of the day was Magic and Theological Studies, taught by the mysterious Wong Kahei. Dahyun is practically shaking with excitement, “They say it’s been years since she last taught a class…” she mumbled, and Nien claps a hand on her shoulder with a smile.

“Clearly she heard all about us and decided we were the kids to teach!” There’s a brief chorus of laughter as Seoyeon’s fellow classmates clamber up the steps of the tower, before eventually coming face to face with the door. Seoyeon’s classmates kept their distance from her little group, with Dahyun and Nien either side of her, Lynn and Jiwoo not far behind.

Seoyeon was the first one to open the door and step inside, with the other students following suit. She took a seat at a desk, and glanced around the room. The scent of incense hangs thick in the air, with lavenders and other flowers sprawling out from baskets at the top of the ceiling and crawling along the upper corners. The ceiling itself was almost like a mural, animals and gods depicted along it.

“I like the decor,” Nien smiles, taking a seat beside Seoyeon. “But where’s teach?” She’s not the only one confused. Admittedly, they’re late by a few minutes, but the professor themselves isn’t anywhere nearby.

Her desk remains unoccupied, save for the pens in a ceramic mug and cup of tea that had long since gone cold. A few more minutes go by, the clock ticking in the background, and Jiwoo hums, fingers drumming along a desk. Most students hadn’t sat down, and some looked wary as they glanced around the classroom.

There’s an uneasy silence, and Seoyeon glances over at Nien. “Has anyone ever… met, Master Kahei?” There’s a snort somewhere in the back of the class, and Nien shakes her head.

“Magic and Theology was a pretty barebones class last year, and Master Kahei… well, she’s a mystery.” She shrugs, and Dahyun nods.

“I hear she mainly keeps to herself, the other faculty barely speak to her. The other Magic and Theology professors barely even know her.” She murmured, brows knitted in concern. There’s a laugh somewhere in the back, and Seoyeon turns to face the person. Jiwoo does so too. Their eyes fall on another student, a Belladonna, who wears a conceited smile as he rolls his eyes.

“I hear she’s mad.” There are a few more whispers, as rumours begin to fly around. Jiwoo raises a brow, and the boy continues. “All the third and fourth years say she’s insane. She hasn’t picked a Fledgling in… well, who knows how long.”

Someone else nods, “I heard she talks to the flowers in the garden, like they speak to her.”

“Someone told me that apparently she’s actually high all the time, that’s why she’s so…” They make a swirling motion with their finger towards the side of their head. Crazy. They’re calling her crazy.

“I’m pretty sure the Headmaster just keeps her on staff because they used to be friends. Kinda sad really, she’s just a pity hire.” There’s a cruel laughter that follows, and Seoyeon’s stomach churns. Nien keeps her smile on her face, although her fist clenches on the desk.

“Hey now… she may be odd, but she’s still a professor. We still need to show her–” Dahyun tries to speak up, but she’s met with a scoff from that same student.

“Respect? What respect should I have for a professor who can’t even show up to their own class?” He pushes off from the wall behind him, and heads to the door. “I’m leaving. If it means I have to teach this damned subject by myself, so be it.” He disappears, his friends following suit.

Soon enough, little by little, people began to filter out of the classroom. Seoyeon glanced at Nien and Dahyun, who simply shrugged.

“I’m staying.” Seoyeon opts. Maybe it’s because she hated the way her classmates spoke of their teacher, or maybe it’s the odd familiarity that comes with seeing Kahei. Regardless, Nien hums, and leans back in her seat.

“Count me in.” Dahyun nods, offering a thumbs up. Soon, Lynn and Jiwoo lean back on the desks behind Seoyeon and the other two.

“Might as well,” Jiwoo shrugs, cracking her neck, “I got nothing else to do.” They sit around, and soon, amicable conversation flows out. Dahyun speaks of her home province of S10, the second largest province, whilst Lynn goes oddly quiet when they ask her about her home province of S17. Before Nien can start ranting about the farmlands in S13, there’s a quiet hum in the air, and the sound seems to emanate from the walls.

They glance over, and watch the walls behind the desk begin to shake and billow. Not as if they were thick walls of brick and stone, but rather a barrier made from fabric and silk. They peel open, and out walks Vivi.

She looks just like she did during that dinner – eyes glassy and constantly searching for something, hair wispy and flowing behind her. She was small, Seoyeon notes, and carried herself like she was weightless. When she finally looks at them and speaks, her voice is soft, almost like the chiming of a small bell in a bookstore.

“Ah.” The students freeze. The woman blinks slowly, as if she’s only just noticed them, and then smiles. “You’re still here.” Vivi takes a step forward, feet barely making a sound on the stone floor. She gazes around the room, as if she didn’t recognise it.

“I thought I was late,” she says, more to herself than anyone else. “But I was early. Or perhaps the class was early. Or…” She frowns, before shaking her head. “Time has been… strange lately.” She mumbles, her robes swishing with each step, her pink armband tied loosely around her right arm.

She drifts toward the front of the class, before the blackboard, then stops and turns to them. “You waited,” she says, examining the five of them, and for once, her eyes don’t seem so lost. “That’s unusual. Most don’t wait for my first class.”

“We weren’t sure if you were coming.” Jiwoo says carefully, suspicion tainting her voice.

Vivi hums, glancing around. “I wasn’t. Until I was.” They all share looks at each other, before looking back at their teacher.

Dahyun squints. “Are you… okay?” Vivi stares at Dahyun, and the brown-haired girl shifts uncomfortably.

Vivi smiles faintly. “I’m always okay. Except when I’m not. But I try to keep those days to a minimum.”

With that, she moves her hands around, letting any questions they may have stay unsaid. They watch, eyes wide, as her chair moves out to allow her to take her seat, her stationary and books flying around as they begin scrawling notes. Chalk floated up and began writing words on the board, and Vivi hummed.

“Theology… magic… People are so quick to think the divine and the magic are separate. That we are the magic, born with Mana, and we harness the gods to better our mystical capabilities. In truth, magic and the divine are interlinked,” she waves her hands around, “You can view this subject as whatever you wish – ancient anthropology, esoteric practices, understanding the relationship between your power and the god you call upon…” Vivi gives a noncommittal hum.

“In truth, I see it as the only way you children will ever learn what being a Mage is truly about.” Her eyes, glassy and unfocused, seem to sharpen, and there’s a tingling sensation beneath their skin, as if the mana within their bodies was begging to burst out into the air. It wasn’t painful, no. It was exhilarating.

“You’ve all seen your own Gods, most of which belonged to the Pantheon,” behind Vivi, animals were being drawn by the self-moving chalk. “The Pantheon, said to have protected us from Erebus, a being of pure dark and malice. They vanquished him, all twelve – The Rabbit, The Panther,” Nien grinned at that, “The Dove, The Frog, The Deer,” Seoyeon caught Dahyun shifting in her seat, interested, “The Falcon,” Jiwoo couldn’t hide the smirk on her lips, “The Shark,” Lynn fidgeted in her chair, fingers tracing her bracelet, “The Bat, The Swans, The Bear, The Butterfly, The Wolf…”

“All Twelve had united the other gods together, and they came down and attempted to destroy Erebus…” Vivi’s features relaxed, and she leant back in her seat. She glanced up, and the student’s eyes turned to the mural above, “They came close. His main body was destroyed, but he spread his essence out, creating humanity’s two most prominent predators.”

“The Wildbeasts, monstrous creatures who seek to predate on and consume us, and the Sorrows.” Seoyeon glanced up, and Jiwoo tilted her head.

“The Sorrows?” Seoyeon thought back to that day in the Gravewood, when that furred monster had ripped through her leg and had nearly snapped her neck. She thought of its empty and blank eyes, of its unhinged jaw. She recalled what Heejin called it.

A Sorrow…

Vivi nodded, “The Wildbeasts… humanity may try to eradicate them, and one day, in the far far future, maybe we’ll succeed… but they’ve cemented themselves on Earth like any other creature. The Sorrows, however… They are truly nightmarish. They feed on our negative emotions, and are nothing more than agents of bloodshed and chaos…” Vivi’s eyes flicker with a momentary and unspoken rage, before calming down again.

“You won’t learn about them in any other class, so you will learn to recognise them in mine, or you will die to them.” There’s a finality to her statement, and Vivi stands. “The gods are truly neutral beings… upon gifting us with the ability to use their domain, they vanished, as for us to truly have free will, they cannot intervene and govern our lives for us. The only people who can save humanity from its worst nightmares are Mages.”

For a moment, they expect her stories to continue, to hear more of the gods they call on or for her ramblings to continue. Instead, Vivi stares at them. Silence reigns over the next minute, before her eyes seem to drift off, staring somewhere behind them. Some of them glance behind, only to see the empty classroom. Confused, they glance back at Vivi, only to see her picking at the air, as if she was plucking strings.

“I can’t go on for too long… lest the threads come loose…” She wanders towards the wall she’d walked through, and stops. She points towards the blackboard, and hums. “Those books seem useful… whoever suggested them must have a reason. You should let the others know.” Vivi mumbles, as if she hadn’t been the one commanding the chalk. She then leaves through the wall before any of them can ask her to stay.

Jiwoo makes an impressed whistling noise. “Well,” she says, leaning back on the desk, with her hands behind her head, “I think that’s the weirdest class I’ve ever had.”

“Seconded,” Lynn mutters, her voice quiet but not unkind. She’s still staring at the blackboard, where the chalk had scrawled out a list of books in an elegant, looping script. Dahyun had already busied herself in noting them all down, and Lynn hummed. “I guess that’s our reading for between classes?” Seoyeon nodded, glancing at Dahyun, who looked between Seoyeon and Jiwoo with a smile.

“Dandelion trip down to the library?” Dahyun offered, with Nien and Lynn interjecting with requests to join, and Seoyeon chuckled as she nodded.

Jiwoo looked around the room, then finally at Seoyeon. “So… is she really mad?”

Seoyeon considered it – the look in Vivi’s eyes, the way her mind seemed to slide in and out of the present moment, the soft anger when she spoke of the Sorrows, the reverence in her voice when she spoke of the gods.

“Maybe,” Seoyeon said, her voice steady. “But for someone who knows the gods so intimately, she’s as sane as we’ll get.” Dahyun nods, and there’s a quiet and collective sigh. Jiwoo cracks her neck again with a groan.

“Anyone else wanna head down to dinner early?” Nien practically races out the door, and Jiwoo laughs, hot on her heels. Lynn looks between herself, Dahyun and Seoyeon, before shrugging. She takes off too, and Dahyun and Seoyeon walk after them at their own pace.

Behind them, the chalk moves, again, on its own. It screeches roughly against the blackboard, as if forcing the words out. By the time it’s done, it crumbles to dust onto the floor, leaving behind nothing more than a fine white powder. The words haunt the board, etched onto it.

Some will find the door and pass through,

To paths unknown and skies of blue.

Some will blaze like stars, alight—

Burning bold through the endless night.

And some shall fall, biting off more than you can gnaw,

Swallowed whole by the abyss’s maw.

Chapter Text

Two weeks. It had been nearly two weeks of Seoyeon at Krystal Academy, and she was almost getting the hang of it, although it didn’t make the days after her first classes any easier.

With the third and fourth-years having finally moved back in, the next few days at the Academy were rife with gossip, the air buzzing with rumours and whispers around each corner. It’s during History class where Seoyeon feels it the strongest, hearing words flying around as she scrawled words onto the pages of notebooks, trying to make some sense of the professor’s ramblings. She watches the black ink flow and dance from her pen, and feels a light nudge to her side.

She glances up, noting Sullin shooting her a curious look from the side. “You’re still trying to make sense of Professor Lee’s ramblings?” She asks with half a laugh, and Seoyeon frowns. She’s hunched over her desk, blonde hair splayed out across it. Sullin makes a pout, petting Seoyeon’s head.

“Do you not?” She asks the Wisteria, and Sullin shakes her head.

“Honestly… a lot of his ramblings aren’t about anything on the syllabus,” she leans back in her seat, “It’s a little peculiar, so you’re better off trying to focus on whatever he writes on the board. Otherwise, your notes are kinda useless.” There’s a bluntness to her statement, and it makes Seoyeon whine, forehead against her desk as Sullin chuckles.

“What should I do then?” Seoyeon asks, her head lifting, and watches Sullin shrug.

“Relax? Enjoy his stories?” Seoyeon sits up, and glances around the class. Almost everyone is sitting in their pairs at their desks. The history classroom felt suitably aged, the floors made from cobbles, the old wooden desks and chairs drenched in varnish to preserve whatever was left. The scent of ink and charcoal hung vaguely in the air, and took some time getting used to.

A few eyes were trained on her, and Seoyeon offered a smile to anyone who looked at her, although she was usually met with a sneer, narrowed eyes and a scoff, before they ignored her entirely. “I’m surprised you’re still doing that,” Sullin said mildly, more curious than anything else, “People don’t tend to smile back.”

“They might one day.” Is all Seoyeon says, and there’s a contemplative look that comes across Sullin’s face. In truth, the arrival of the older years made things feel far worse for Seoyeon. Silence would fall over the Dandelion common room anytime she walked nearby, there were so many more eyes on her whenever she walked anywhere, to the point where now Nien or Lynn had glued themselves to her side, out of fear of something happening. There were more whispers and rumours too, some of her apparent rivalry with Kim Yooyeon.

“I heard since Yooyeon is basically Hyunjin’s apprentice, Seoyeon is apparently Heejin’s, that’s where the beef comes from…” Was one that had flown around, and since then, it was difficult for Seoyeon to so much as exist without the quiet hum of gossip following the air around her.

If Seoyeon thought she felt watched on her first few days, then now it feels like the entire Academy is holding its breath around her, waiting for something, anything, to happen.

Thankfully, the arrival of the older students meant there was something other than just Seoyeon to gossip about, so all sorts of rumours had begun flying, and Seoyeon could pick up on a few as she turned back to face the blackboard, a much simpler set of notes written on them.

“Did you hear Hyejin and Jiwon broke up?”

“Do you think Yooyeon and Nakyoung are dating?”

“I wonder what the school will do for the Emberlight Festival this year…”

“Is it true there’s going to be a combat tournament?”

“Do you think Kawakami Lynn really can summon a whole monsoon?”

Seoyeon blinks, and casts a glimpse towards Sullin, who can’t hide the smile on her lips at overhearing her friend. She lets her eyes dart and meet Seoyeon’s, if only for a second, before going back to her notes.

“She could, but it would cost her.” Is all Sullin says, and Seoyeon nods. She makes a mental note to try to see Lynn in action, wanting to see her blessed magic in action. If the rumours flying around weren’t to do with herself or Yooyeon, they were almost always about Lynn. It seemed to become a running joke amongst the older years that began to spread to the lower grades – if you couldn’t do something, Kawakami Lynn definitely had.

Can’t defeat a professor in combat? Kawakami Lynn did. Can’t learn how to use a weapon in a single class? Kawkami Lynn could. “You can’t do a backflip three times and land on your nose? I heard Kawakami Lynn can.” Seoyeon overheard a group of first-years joking, and Lynn had laughed beside her. She handled the rumours seemingly much better than Seoyeon, who could only plaster a smile to her face and pretend they didn’t sting.

Seoyeon glances up at the clock in the corner, noting they only had about a quarter of an hour left before the class ended. It was then Sullin hummed, and asked Seoyeon a question she hadn’t expected. “I heard you met Master Kahei?” Sullin stared down at her book, but her eyes would flicker over to examine Seoyeon’s expression.

Seoyeon’s pen stopped mid-scribble, and she shrugged. “Yeah, she’s…”

“Is she as mad as they say?” Sullin asked, barely hiding her curiosity, “I’ve only seen her once, and she stared at me for five solid minutes before saying ‘you hold an interesting future’...” Sullin turned to face Seoyeon. “Should I be worried?”

Seoyeon holds Sullin’s gaze, and let’s her expression darken. Sullin’s eyes widen, a quiet gasp escaping her, her mind probably flooded with panicked ideas. Seoyeon then feels the laugh beginning to bubble out of her, and catches the surprised look Sullin gives her, before she then lightly smacks Seoyeon’s shoulder. “Unnie that’s not… that’s not funny!” She quietly exclaims, and Seoyeon shakes her head.

“She’s… she’s interesting. Is it true no one’s ever been her Fledgling?” Sullin shakes her head.

“Not in all her years at the Academy.” Seoyeon hums, and glances down at her notebook. “Why? Are you thinking of being her first one?”

Seoyeon spins her pen in her fingers, and shrugs. She hadn’t really thought much on her Fledgling, unlike a lot of her peers. Heejin and Hyunjin had assured her that she had plenty of time before all of that, but still. It gnawed at her – most of her new friends knew where they’d go. Sullin was deadset on Linguistics, it seemed. Seoyeon could only sigh, shrugging.

“Maybe.”

“They’ll say you’ve gone mad.” Sullin points out, and Seoyeon shrugs again.

“They say that already.”

=====

Seoyeon hadn’t expected herself to adapt so quickly to life at an Academy, but there she is, running through more of Professor Siyeon’s drills as she barks out orders for everyone. She’s jogging around the perimeter of the field, and watches as a certain pink-haired girl up ahead begins to slow down, and matches her pace with Seoyeon. Seoyeon glances up at Nien, who flashes a smile.

“You’re thinking.” She points out, and Seoyeon makes a noise, an attempt to hum, although it’s a little hard with the faint ache in her muscles.

“Just… kinda weird. It’s like I’m used to this already.” Nien nodded, glancing ahead. She sprints just a tad faster, enough to put a couple of feet between herself and Seoyeon, and Seoyeon pushes on with a quiet groan, attempting to keep pace.

“Don’t think too hard on it,” Nien smiles, patting Seoyeon on the shoulder, “You’re here, the more you overthink, the more you’ll start to doubt all of it. Just be happy, you know?” Nien’s advice isn’t bad, and Seoyeon lets out a small chuckle. Siyeon yells about a change of orders, and the two stop jogging. Their group had been split up across the courtyard, and she watches Chaeyeon collapse after some push ups, Jiwoo cackling beside her, enjoying her roommate’s misery.

“They’re close.” Nien observes, and there’s a small glow of satisfaction in Seoyeon, at knowing someone else better than Nien, who apparently knew everyone fairly well.

“Friends for years, even before the academy,” Seoyeon says, walking back to the centre, where the rest of the students were, quietly chattering as Siyeon spoke with another professor. “Along with some girl called Yubin, although I haven’t met her yet.” Nien nods, and then gasps.

“Gong Yubin? I know her!” Seoyeon can only roll her eyes, lightly smacking Nien’s arm.

“Of course you do…” Seoyeon then glances at the other Professor – an older man, greying hair and a scar around the left corner of his lip. Despite the fact he was evidently older than Siyeon, the blonde didn’t miss how he bowed and showed a clear level of reverence towards her.

Seoyeon then watches him go back to his own students, because as it turned out, with how large and expansive the courtyard was, oftentimes two separate classes would be taught at the same time. In this case, it was a class of third-years, who’s training uniforms were a muddy brown as opposed to the lighter beige the first and second-years had to wear. Seoyeon notes it's the first time she’s had to train alongside them, in the nearly two weeks she’s been at the academy.

They all stand in formation, the two classes side by side, as the two professors stand at front. “Attention!” Professor Baek, the older male Combat professor, shouts as everyone straightens up.

Siyeon nods, stepping forth. “As we’ve told you prior to this, the curriculum is changing. The Higher-Ups demand students are better prepared much sooner than later, so, certain things we’d usually wait longer on, will now happen much earlier.” She claps her hands, “Look at the class beside you. Get familiar, because from now on, combat classes will now be shared between second and third years.”

There’s a few startled faces amongst Seoyeon’s class, and she doesn’t blame them. When she glances over at the third-years, there’s a hardness to their eyes that her fellow classmates lack. Siyeon scoffs, “Don’t let yourselves be intimidated. Yes, third-years will have more experience than you, but you won’t be fighting them most of the time. You’ll still only fight against each other, unless we want to have a little fun.” Seoyeon suppresses the urge to shudder at the smirk on Siyeon’s face.

“She really is sadistic…” Nien whispers, earning a few snickers.

“What was that, Hsu?” A few people whimper and shrink under Siyeon’s glare, third-years included, but again, Nien simply laughs back.

“Nothing, ssaem~ just saying your hair looks lovely today.” Nien then makes a heart gesture with her hands, and it earns a few nervous laughs. Siyeon crosses her arms, shaking her head.

“Like I was saying, don’t piss your pants just yet,” she rolls her shoulders, “This is supposed to give you some older students to lean on and learn from. So, don’t be a little pansy and try to talk to them. Trust me, it’s the fourth-years you want to be scared of, not these guys.” There’s a few pouts and affronted looks in the third-year class, and Siyeon claps.

“That said, today will be your first time sparring! I’ve built up your bodies enough for this, so be ready. Like I said, second-years will be sparring second-years only. However, third-years,” she glances at them, and a few jump under her gaze, “You’re also going to pair up and stick to a sparring duo, and you’ll provide some feedback to the worms.” They nod, and Seoyeon glances at Nien. Once again, Siyeon’s voice cuts through the air.

“I want you paired up with someone who isn’t just the girl standing next to you!” Everyone lets out quiet sighs, and begin moving around. Anytime Seoyeon approaches, they part almost immediately. She can hear a few quiet snickers from the third-years, and tries to ignore the uncomfortable churning in her gut. She offers a friendly smile, but they almost always run back, scared, as if she’ll burn them.

One girl trips over after bumping into another student. Seoyeon is quick to try and help them up, but they slap her hand away, a fearful gaze in their eyes. Another student helps them to their feet, and they scurry off to spar. Seoyeon ignores the tense tug in her chest, keeping her smile on.

Be kind, don’t give them a reason to hate you.

Eventually, Seoyeon spots Jiwoo, who meets her eyes.

Seoyeon bites her inner cheek – Jiwoo is… she wants to call the taller girl a friend, but had grown increasingly aware of her watchful eyes. Even though she noted the way the tension in Jiwoo’s shoulders had slowly faded over the days of them interacting with each other, her eyes never stopped surveying Seoyeon’s every move. She still didn’t trust her, not fully.

Still, Jiwoo wasn’t a bad person, and her mistrust seemed more out of care towards the safety of her friends, not some prejudice.

Gingerly, she approaches, and Jiwoo smiles. It’s small, hesitant, but it’s something. “Don’t go easy on me.” Seoyeon says, extending her hand, and Jiwoo smirks, shaking it, and Seoyeon feels a wave of surprise at the strength of the taller girl’s grip.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” It’s not long before a pair of third-years approach. Seoyeon almost laughs at how the other third-years shoot this pair confused glances, as if they were mad for wanting to survey the blonde’s fight. One of them is a taller boy, dark hair swept around his face, his eyes soft and brown.

“Kang Taehyun.” He smiled, offering a hand that Jiwoo shook. The girl beside him was noticeably shorter, although there was a sharpness to her eyes, her black hair tied back, only a few stray, loose strands falling around her face. Seoyeon feels a faint rushing of heat towards her face – she’s pretty, handsome even. Her eyes seem to linger on Seoyeon specifically, tilting her head. Before Seoyeon can ask, the third-year extends their hand, and smiles.

“Park Sohyun,” she waits, and Seoyeon shakes her hand. “We’ll be watching you guys.”

“Seoyeon,” the blonde responds, quieter than she means to, “And thank you.”

Sohyun nods, as she steps back. Seoyeon and Jiwoo get into fighting stances, and Seoyeon can still feel Sohyun’s gaze on her, pressing onto her body. There wasn’t an angered glare nor a look of fear, more… confused curiosity, if anything, much like the way Sullin would sometimes stare at Seoyeon.

Seoyeon tries to push those thoughts down, focusing solely on Jiwoo. This may just be a sparring match, but she knows people will be watching her performance. It’s a chance to prove herself, to perform. She watches Jiwoo raise her arms, and Seoyeon gets into her own stance. Sohyun raises a hand, and Seoyeon still feels her stare on her, not quite judging, not quite admiring, but recognizing something in her. Like a thread quietly pulled taut, waiting to unravel.

Sohyun drops her hand and the two begin.

=====

Jiwoo and Seoyeon stare at each other, eyes hyper-focused on the movement of the other’s muscles. Jiwoo breathes in, her body vibrating with energy, like a snake ready to uncoil and attack with a bite. Seoyeon’s stance is familiar, an art Jiwoo thinks she recognises. She narrows her eyes – unlike everyone else, where Jiwoo had a year to understand the way they fought, she had no such chance for Seoyeon.

Some saw it as a disadvantage on Seoyeon’s end, they thought she was weak or inexperienced in an actual battle. But Jiwoo didn’t see it as such – in her eyes, Seoyeon was a wildcard. She knows Seoyeon had likely been trained by one of the Professors, meaning she had direct training from an expert Mage. Underestimating Seoyeon was, to her, the biggest mistake she could make here.

When she saw Seoyeon on her own, with no partner, she realised she had a chance to figure her out.

At the very least, Seoyeon knows rushing in first was a bad idea. She knows that, as much as she doesn’t know Seoyeon, the blonde didn’t know Jiwoo too well in this regard either. Seoyeon didn’t know that Jiwoo wasn’t one for hand-to-hand combat – she preferred the weight of a spear in her hands, keeping herself out of immediate range and stabbing and slicing her targets at a distance.

Still, she was no slouch. She was taller, and likely had more muscle than Seoyeon did. After a few more moments, she jumps forward, and throws a jab at Seoyeon that’s easily parried. She smirks, and throws another two jabs, one towards her stomach, and once that one was blocked, one towards her temple. Seoyeon barely had enough time to duck her head, and Jiwoo pushes forth with the blocked hit near the stomach.

Seoyeon jumps back and crouches, and readies herself again almost immediately. She had fire, Jiwoo could give her that much. She closes in again, throwing a kick upwards that Seoyeon dodges past, before one to her stomach again that Seoyeon jumps back and away from. Jiwoo narrows her eyes, and pulls back, her and Seoyeon slowly circling the other.

Seoyeon hadn’t thrown one punch, one jab. Jiwoo goes in again, and each jab and strike comes fast and hard, her height towering over Seoyeon as she uses it to angle her hits from angles Seoyeon would struggle to block from. But Seoyeon was smaller, and thus, had an easier job of ducking past and around Jiwoo. A strike to the temple misses, one to her shoulder lands, and Seoyeon lets out a grunt.

Jiwoo tries to take advantage of the stagger, but Seoyeon weaves past her hit, and drives the heel of her palm into Jiwoo’s stomach. The taller girl feels the air pushed out of her, before Seoyeon jumps up, slamming the top of her skull into the bottom of Jiwoo’s jaw. Jiwoo staggers back with a groan as Seoyeon shakes her head. There’s spots of colour in Jiwoo’s vision, pulsing as she clutches her head. She barely registers Seoyeon recovering and rushing in with a jab.

Jiwoo blocks it with the side of her arm, and drives her foot into Seoyeon’s body, and watches the girl fly back. The blonde shifts her weight, pushing down onto both feet before letting her hand glide across the ground. She hasn’t fallen, she hasn’t lost. She’s probably scraped the heel of her palm against the cobbles, but doesn’t make any show of pain.

Jiwoo feels a smile on her face, and can hear Sohyun and Taehyun whispering.

“Jiwoo likes keeping her space, I think Seoyeon’s trying to take advantage of any chance she has to get close.” Sohyun mutters, and Taehyun lets out a quiet and impressed whistle.

“I thought she’d kinda suck in Combat, but I guess being trained by Heejin can turn even a dull knife into a sharp sword.” Taehyun admits, crossing his arms as Seoyeon rushes towards Jiwoo again. Jiwoo jumps back, throwing her long arm forth with a punch to Seoyeon’s head that’s missed. Seoyeon tries to close in, and Jiwoo continues to evade.

‘She has me on the defense now…’ She realises, and can sense some eyes on them. She and Seoyeon stare each other down, and when Seoyeon closes in with a jap thrown towards Jiwoo’s neck, the girl’s eyes widen as she blocks the punch by forming an ‘X’ with her arms. ‘Just a minute ago I was on the offense… Seoyeon, you’re more impressive than I thought’.

Jiwoo then catches Seoyeon’s wrist when a punch is thrown a little too high, and twists it with her hand. The girl yelps in pain, and Jiwoo thinks she has a chance to gain a win and take her down to the ground, but she feels the heel of Seoyeon’s boot on her toes, and her eyes widen.

Jiwoo grunts, before Seoyeon frees herself from Jiwoo’s grasp and jumps back. The taller girl can sense more eyes on them, and the vague shouts of Siyeon telling people to focus on their own battles. Seoyeon’s eyes narrow, shoulders shaking with each breath, and Jiwoo’s eyes become laser focused on the shorter girl’s stance, any slight misstep, anything to give her an edge.

When Seoyeon seems to stumble, one step a little too shaky and slow, her guard easing slightly, Jiwoo thinks she’s spotted it. She closes in, and expects a surprised look in Seoyeon’s eyes, for the shorter girl to back off. Instead, Seoyeon rushes towards Jiwoo, and dives low. Her arms fly around Jiwoo’s waist, tight. One leg is hooked behind Jiwoo’s, and Seoyeon drives her shoulder and bodyweight fully into Jiwoo, twisting her body in the process. They dive to the ground, and Jiwoo loses balance too fast. She tries to steady herself, but becomes an awkward mess of limbs as Seoyeon tackles her to the ground.

She doesn’t get a chance to recover, Seoyeon taking advantage of the confusion to tightly grip Jiwoo’s wrist, and shifts the girl onto her back, pinning her arm against it, driving a knee to the back of one of Jiwoo’s legs. Before they can continue, she can see the third-years walk over, and it hits her.

Seoyeon won.

Within Jiwoo’s soul, reservations transition into reverence.

=====

The blonde lets out a breath as she pulls herself off Jiwoo and sits on the floor, feeling a pat on her shoulder, only to meet Sohyun’s eyes. It’s disarming, she thinks, to see someone’s gaze towards her hold little to no malice or anger. Granted, there is a deeper look in her eyes, akin to Sullin’s own analytical one, and it makes her wonder if all Wisteria students are like that.

She hears Jiwoo give a loud groan, turning around and laying down on her back, before going deathly quiet, her gaze fixed on the sky above as her brow furrows in thought, like gears were turning in her mind. Taehyun gives a supportive pat on the shoulder, a knowing nod.

It’s a tense few minutes, and Seoyeon begins to feel doubt creep into her mind. What if this only sours their friendship? What if Jiwoo doesn’t take losing well? What if–

Before Sohyun can provide some feedback and Seoyeon can spiral further, Jiwoo lets out a laugh. It isn’t a mocking one, or an angered one. It’s bright, surprised, and even… delighted? Jiwoo props herself up on her elbows, her smile beaming at Seoyeon. “Holy… that was…” She shakes her head, her smile still there, and something inside Seoyeon lightens.

“Are you… okay?” Seoyeon asks, concern beginning to take over before Jiwoo abruptly sits upward, startling Seoyeon.

“Are you kidding me? Unnie, you– that was–” She’s grinning, and Taehyun chuckles. Jiwoo grabs onto Seoyeon’s shoulder, “Unnie, that was insane! It was so cool!” She’s shaking Seoyeon back and forth. The blonde blinks, before a quiet giggle spills from her lips and Jiwoo lets go. “I mean, that takedown, it was– Unnie, you have to teach me how to do that I mean–” As Jiwoo rambles, Sohyun leans in, her words tickling Seoyeon’s ear.

“Jiwoo… gets like this. I remember an upperclassman got the better of her in a sparring session, she pestered them until they snapped,” Seoyeon said, frowning towards the end of it. Sohyun clicked her tongue quietly, “It was rude.” From those words alone, and from the look in Sohyun’s eyes when Seoyeon took a brief glance, she could gather that Sohyun was an alright person, empathy evident in her eyes, the cooler analytical gaze replaced with something warmer.

A smile had etched itself onto Seoyeon’s face as Jiwoo grinned back at her. “I say we go again.” She hopped onto her feet, earning a chuckle from Seoyeon as she mimicked the girl’s enthusiasm. Taehyun and Sohyun nod, returning to their own positions.

“Jiwoo, you’re relying a lot on keeping Seoyeon out of your range,” Sohyun points out, crossing her arms, her eyes returning to scanning the pair of second-years. “But the problem is your size and muscle advantage can only really be effective if you get more comfortable with her getting closer.” Jiwoo nods, and stares back at Seoyeon.

“What do you think, unnie?” It was subtle, how Jiwoo hadn’t really bothered too much with honorifics, but was now using them with so much more frequency. Sohyun blinks, clearly a little surprised that Jiwoo had so blatantly disregarded what she said, and Seoyeon resists the urge to chuckle.

“I think Sohyun’s right,” Seoyeon says, hands falling down to her lap, “You’re also a little too eager, and I think maybe you could do with holding back and waiting to see what I do?” She reasons, and Jiwoo hangs off each word like its gospel.

“I’m used to keeping out of range, I like using spears more in combat, you see.” She waves around with her hands, “My dad was a hunter, same as Yubin’s dad. He taught me how to use one. It’s a little weird, getting up close.” Sohyun hums, fist under her chin as her brow furrows.

“It makes sense… but think of it like this,” Jiwoo doesn’t look at her, and it takes Seoyeon turning her body to face Sohyun for Jiwoo to do the same. Sohyun lets out a sharp breath, clearly trying to hide some sort of exasperation. “If you’re disarmed of your spear, then somehow your opponent has gotten in close range. If you can fight Seoyeon more comfortably up close, then such a situation won’t be so scary to think about.” Jiwoo nods, and Sohyun seems satisfied.

“Taehyun, any thoughts?” Sohyun asks, and Taehyun turns to Seoyeon, a smirk playing about on his lips.

“You don’t move like a rookie.” he reasoned, shifting weight from one foot to the other, and Seoyeon chuckles.

“Ah… well, I was mentored for a few months–”

Taehyun shakes his head, still smiling, “No, no. I mean like you move someone who’s been trained in combat for much longer.” Sohyun tilts her head, and hums.

“He’s right,” she cuts in, “Your stances are steady and strong, you think fast, you can pull off textbook accurate takedowns. You’ve been trained in fighting before all this.” There’s a quiet, but not dull, edge to Sohyun’s voice, and Seoyeon sighs.

“Well… my mom did train me a little bit,” Seoyeon muttered, rubbing the back of her head. She thought of her mother’s smiles as a younger Seoyeon tried tackling her to the ground, of when she’d test to see how strong Seoyeon’s punches were. “Said I should be able to defend myself when people in the village wanted to cause trouble.” Jiwoo nods, and the older third-years hum. Jiwoo brings a fist down onto her palm, the grin never leaving her face.

“Of course!” She stares up, a fire in her eyes, that dims ever-so-slightly as she awkwardly coughs, stance shifting. “…Sorry. I, uh, I’m being weird, aren’t I?” Jiwoo mutters, her bravado faltering for a moment as her eyes flick away from Seoyeon’s. “It’s just… I struggle with combat more than people expect. I’ve always felt like I should be better, especially with how much I train, but it never quite clicks the way it does for others.”

She rubs the back of her neck, her shoulders hunching slightly. “I’ve always been good with weapons, but hand-to-hand? Not so much…” She sighs, “I’ve always wanted to be stronger, not just for myself but… y’know, for the people I care about.”

There’s a beat of silence before Seoyeon steps closer and places a hand on Jiwoo's arm, and smiles. “Let’s train more often then, yeah? My mom taught me a lot, I’m sure I could show you some things.” Jiwoo’s eyes light up, and she grins.

“Really? Unnie, you mean it?” There’s excitement sparkling in her voice, and she steps back, cracking her knuckles, already readying back into a fighting stance. Seoyeon smiles, stepping back and readying herself. “Unnie… unnie! This is gonna be great! Just you wait, I’ll take you down this time!” Seoyeon giggles, and she can hear the third-years let out their own chuckles.

As Sohyun brings her hand down again and the two move towards each other, there’s something different about the way Jiwoo looks at her.

Trust. Seoyeon realises Jiwoo trusts her now.

=====

Light filtered into the Magic and Theological Studies classroom, the windows open, letting the now chillier autumn air and wind flow through. The curtains fluttered slightly, and Seoyeon and many others chose to keep their robes on, pulling them around their bodies whenever the wind would rush a little too quick, sending a cold pulse through the class. As Seoyeon glanced around herself, she noted there were more students than from the first lesson.

Over the course of a few classes, more and more students filtered in, clearly curious about the ‘madwoman’ who taught them magic and theology. Nien gave a low and impressed whistle. “Nearly a full house.” She mutters, and Seoyeon nods, catching Jiwoo and Dahyun talking at their desk, whilst Lynn spoke to some second-year Camellia that Seoyeon didn’t recognise. The class was buzzing with whispers, with Vivi still missing. She was always late, yet any complaints from the students about her tardiness fell on deaf ears.

Vivi eventually faded in, and the class watched as a flickering amber flame from a candle on her desk, somehow left unextinguished by the flowing winds in the air, shifted to a rosier pink, before growing and roaring, spiralling before the desk, before taking the shape of a woman. As the flames blinked away, Vivi was left standing there, slightly dazed. She hums, eyeing the students with mild curiosity, before looking back at the blackboard.

“Ah… I was wondering where that went.” She smiles, padding over to it, and Seoyeon could hear hushed whispers and giggles. Vivi loftily picks up a piece of chalk, and gives a quiet hum. There’s a hush that falls over the classroom, and Vivi simply stands there. Seoyeon watches the cotton candy pink hair sway to the rhythm of the breeze, Vivi staring at the board as if it bewildered her.

“How do I make you work…” There’s some coughs behind her, and Seoyeon can only watch as Vivi hums a quiet tune to herself, her classmates’ doubts beginning to creep back in. The moment a chair is heard screeching against the floor however, something shifts. Vivi straightens up, and her chalk runs against the blackboard. Seoyeon can hear the student rush back to his seat, and Vivi begins.

“Affinities, why don’t we start there?” When she turns to face them, gone are the glassy and empty pools of her eyes and instead, expressive broken mirrors. Vivi inhales, hitting the chalk against the board behind her, revealing what she’d drawn.

A hexagonal model, one Seoyeon recognises from a textbook Hyunjin had shown her, each sharp corner replaced by a circular node, each node labelled with a word – each of the six affinities. She glances towards a student – a Wisteria, Seoyeon notes. “You, your name?” The girl lets out a squeak.

“U-Um…” She shakes her head, offering a smile. Seoyeon recognises her – a student who awkwardly smiles back whenever Seoyeon smiles at her, only to look away once her friends smack her arm. “Jiheon, Baek Jiheon.”

“What are the six affinities? What does each one entail?” Her voice is as airy and soft as it usually is, although it sounds far less distracted than anyone is used to. For a moment, she appears like any other professor.

Jiheon stammers for a moment, before collecting herself.

“Enhancers… they boost their own physical capabilities – strength, speed, reflexes, endurance. Transmuters can change their bodies or objects into something else, like making skin into steel or air into glass.” As Jiheon continues, her words become more confident, and Vivi nods, “Augurs are healers, they use magic to mend injuries and cure ailments. Divinators can… see the future. Alters manipulate things in the world, like shifting terrain or changing gravity. And Projectors expel magic from their bodies, like beams, blasts, or shields.”

There’s a pause. Jiheon shifts nervously in place, waiting for a response.

Vivi hums, cocking her head to one side. “That’s not bad,” she says finally, “But that kind of explanation will only get you points if you’re a first-year.” There’s a few giggles around the room, and Jiheon’s face turns red as a bashful smile rests on her face. Vivi simply smiles at her, not unkind, and Jiheon blinks, relaxing.

The Master of Magic and Theology turns around, beginning to scrawl more words alongside each node, chalk dancing across the board and resting gently between her fingers. “You’re not wrong, Jiheon. But you’re not right enough. You’re second-years now. Which means you should be past the surface.”

She taps the first node, Enhancers. “Enhancers channel Mana inward. Their magic becomes muscle, instinct, awareness. Their mastery is physical and sensory, their body is no more than a vessel.” Seoyeon can hear the scratching of pens against paper, as she herself begins rushing to write down her notes. “Projectors do not simply shoot magic like the cannons of a ship or bullets from a rifle. They conduct it. Release it outward, yes, but the form is theirs to decide.” Seoyeon glances back, seeing Jiheon nod as she keeps her eyes on her notebook.

“Alters mainly control existing phenomena, reshape and recontextualise what already exists. Not creators, but artists of what is and what could be,” She taps on the node before moving onto the next, “Divinators… ah,” Vivi sighs, “The most misunderstood… Divinators do not just ‘see’ the future, but see beyond what the normal eye depicts. Some glimpse a moment from a thousand miles away. Others hear truths unsaid. Their gift is clarity… and burden, sometimes seeing things not meant to be looked upon.”

Vivi stays quiet, and Seoyeon can hear the scratching of ink begin to slow down, before Vivi picks herself up again and continues. “Augurs,” she continued, now at the next node, “Are more than healers. They wield Aura – the non-magical sister to Mana, tied to being, to presence. Augurs can soothe pain, mend wounds… or, in rare cases, sever a soul.” There’s a sharp edge to Vivi’s voice, and a hum that escapes her.

“Maybe…” she whispers under her breath, Seoyeon only picking up on it as her desk was sitted on the front row. She glances at Nien, who also seems to hear their professor’s ramblings, “No… I would’ve sensed it if someone tried to sever our link.” Vivi hums, offering a quick glance at Seoyeon, before her chalk lands on the final node.

“Transmuters,” She sighed, “They change form, their own or the world around them. A limb becomes liquid. A sword grows scales. Stone becomes silk. But Transmutation is delicate. Push too far, and the body forgets how to be itself…” Vivi hums, “I’m sure you’ve heard or seen a Mage turn into an animal – if they do, they are likely a Transmuter of some kind, and the animal they turn into… leads onto my next point.”

Vivi pauses, eyes flicking back over the hexagon. “Everyone is born with an Affinity. A first language, the dominant way your magic first speaks. That’s your anchor. But…”

She begins to draw connections between the nodes, the lines dark and deliberate in some places, faint in others. Seoyeon watches as she brings the diagram to life, paths between each node, lines of differing thickness.

“...Once you form a contract with a God, that changes. If we’re to view magic like you’re drawing a picture, then your Affinity is the outline, and the Blessing is the colours. Your Affinity guides and molds your magic, but what you actually do is down to what God you have. The Falcon may let you shoot fire or soar through the air, whilst the Wolf may let you command the wind and become an apex predator.” Vivi mutters, eyes searching the board.

“And with Affinities themselves… You can begin to step across the lines. To borrow. To blend.” Vivi flicks the chalk upward, and it evaporates into a white mist, sparkles of light falling down, “Some Affinities are more compatible than others. The diagram is rudimentary, but it works well to explain things,” she raps her knuckles against the board, “The stronger the line, the easier the transition. If you’re an Enhancer, you may find it easier to do what the Projectors can, albeit not to the same level. And you’d be hard-pressed to see an Enhancer try to emulate a Divinator.”

It seems to be a joke to their professor, who dissolves into giggles as she finishes her sentence. She wipes a tear from her eye, and her voice goes from light to heavy. “But you’re never truly one who belongs to the affinity – you’re a singer covering a song, an artist tracing over another’s work, a trespasser…”

The class goes silent, and pens stop scribbling against paper. Nien isn’t even fidgeting, eyes transfixed on the pink hair of the woman before them. “These lines are the map of compatibility. But they’re not rules. They’re challenges. A rare few have walked all six paths. But such things come at cost.” She gives a ghost of a smile, and someone raises a hand.

Vivi nods, and the person asks, “Have you ever met someone with six affinities?” Vivi hummed, eyes moving to Lynn.

“I think we all have.” Her voice remains masked by neutrality, no discernable emotion clouding it as Lynn blinks, face fading to a faint red as whispers fly around the classroom. Vivi opens her mouth, before her expression shifts. She stares at a point behind them, as if she sees something, or someone. Her eyes return to their glass-like state, and she glances around.

“Where… where am…” She glances at the class, and gasps, bowing slightly, “Ah, I must be interrupting your class. I’ll make my way out so the teacher can continue.” With a click of her fingers, Vivi is surrounded by a shimmering pink light, before the floorboards below open up like a jaw, letting her fall in as they close shut.

Everyone blinked, and Seoyeon let out a breath she’d been holding onto.

“She’s mad.” She hears someone mumble.

Seoyeon doesn’t say a word, but she can’t help but almost agree, although not in any sort of malice. After all, madness and genius are often two sides of the same coin.

=====

“What are your affinities?” Seoyeon finds herself asking during lunch, and finds the eyes of the others. The dining hall is brimming with students, every long wooden table fitted with students on every seat, some even sliding in chairs between other seats, crowding around the table to sit beside their friends. Before them, varying meats lay roasted, along with an assortment of cooked and baked potatoes, a few pastries dotted around on ornate plates with flowery patterns.

The aroma wafts through the air, and some sort of purple carbonated drink fills a chalice as Seoyeon takes a sip. With Weaponry class after lunch, her plate isn’t too heavy.

Of course, she was seated beside Nien like usual, although she finds herself opposite Dahyun as Jiwoo happily takes the other seat beside Seoyeon. After their combat lesson, Jiwoo had happily traded sitting beside her friends to sitting next to Seoyeon, and had even found Seoyeon after their last class to walk down to the dining hall together, arms linked.

It was an odd change, although everyone else looked at her like it was expected. Seoyeon doesn’t find herself minding however, quietly thanking Jiwoo as she places a pastry onto Seoyeon’s plate. Beside Dahyun is Chaeyeon, opposite to Jiwoo, whilst on her other side is Jiyeon. Of course, as Seoyeon had grown used to at this point, Jiyeon and Sullin had their heads resting on Lynn’s shoulders, who sat in between them.

Kaede was busy flinging pieces of pork towards Lynn when Seoyeon’s question catches them off guard. “Just curious, it came up today in class.” She mutters, and Jiwoo smiles.

“I’m a Projector,” she answers, grinning, “We’re actually pretty similar, unnie. The Falcon is a god of fire, the sky, the sun – that sorta stuff. So we’re basically both Blessed by fire gods, isn’t that cool?” She elbows Seoyeon, who rolls her eyes fondly, elbowing the taller girl’s side lightly. “That’s why we should train together.”

Nien then smiles, “I’m an Enhancer,” she makes a show of rolling up her sleeve and flexing her bicep, and despite her attempts not to, Seoyeon makes a squeak of surprise. “I know, I know,” she boasts, and there are giggles after Seoyeon’s noise as her face heats up, “I’m shredded, I’m buff, it all works well with my connection to the Panther to make me… Nienvincible. Eh?” She looks around, and there’s a quiet group of groans as Seoyeon rolls her eyes, slapping Nien’s arm.

“The Panther…” Seoyeon mumbles, and Sullin looks up.

“God of Strength, the land, courage, willpower…” She lists off automatically, and Nien offers a whistle of approval.

“Our own encyclopedia~” She teases, and Seoyeon doesn’t miss the pink tint to Sullin’s cheeks. “Who needs an encyclopedia anyway, when we can just consult our Sullin here for the Sullution.” Nien glances around, and it takes a moment for the pun to register, but everyone’s back to groaning, and Nien giggles at everyone’s misery. However, the rest of the table soon answers Seoyeon’s question, and eyes turn to Lynn.

“I mean, for someone like me, it isn’t so simple…” Her eyes flashed – brown irises turning to a deep admiral blue, like the dark expanse of the sea, small flecks of silver dotted through them, whilst her pupils turned a striking white. There’s a quiet collection of gasps, and Nien lets out a low noise of excitement. Lynn’s eyes flicker back to normal, and she sighs.

Jiyeon giggles, nestling into Lynn’s shoulder whilst Sullin hums. When Seoyeon glances over to Dahyun, she finds the other Dandelion’s mouth agape, much like Seoyeon’s. “So… it’s true.” Dahyun says, beginning to collect herself as Seoyeon glances back at Lynn, “The rumours…” She half-whispers, cautious awe creeping into her tone.

“What? What rumours?” Seoyeon asks, and Nien busies herself with digging into the meat on her plate, cutting herself a chunk before stabbing it with her fork alongside some vegetables.

“That she’s got two Odd Eyes.” The taller girl says with a laugh, food in her mouth. Seoyeon lightly nudges the girl, and Nien giggles, closing her mouth and swallowing the food in it.

“Odd… Eyes?” She mutters curiously, and when she meets Jiyeon’s gaze, the younger girl shrugs.

“It’s mainly a second-year concept we’re taught, but, if you’re surrounded by mages and magic your whole life, you know what they are.” She says, a kind and patient smile on her face.

Translation: someone like Seoyeon isn’t expected to know what they are.

She frowns, and Jiwoo pats her unnie on the back. She glances over to Chaeyeon, who smiles. “They’re like… rare magical mutations, or gifts. They tend to make you a lot stronger.” She waves her hand around, and Seoyeon nods, albeit still a little lost.

“Think of it like this,” Sullin cuts in, and eyes fall to the only Wisteria on the table. “Anytime our bodies carry out a process, we expend energy. But energy is always given off into our surroundings – body heat, the sounds we make. That energy is ‘wasted’, so to speak. Magic works the same way, except it's constant. Our bodies always make Mana, but we waste a lot as well. If we could keep all the Mana we waste, we’d be able to perform much more powerful attacks or spells.” Seoyeon nods, and she continues.

“An Odd Eye is a rare magical mutation only few have. It allows them to ‘see’ their Mana on a more precise scale, and what you can better see, you can better control.” One of Sullin’s eyes pulses with colour, the iris turning a deep shade of dark green, with the iris turning a crimson red, smaller red sparks glowing through the iris,“Lynn’s not the only one with them, but she is the only one with two.” Seoyeon nods, and feels a tap on her shoulder.

She glances over to Nien, her left iris now a glowing amber, yellow rings pulsing through it with her pupil now akin to a swirling yellow fire. “Pretty cool, right?” She says as Seoyeon tries not to stare for too long. Lynn then continues where Sullin left off.

“One Odd Eye is enough to limit how much magic you expend, but two?” Her eyes flash again, “It means I waste nothing. Makes it a lot easier to work with the Shark.” She mutters, taking a swig of the blue drink in her chalice that emanates a silver mist. Seoyeon furrows her brow.

“How so?” She asks, having been curious about Lynn’s blessing since she’d first referenced it.

Lynn swallows, the liquid having a sweet taste, akin to crushed berries, although there’s an almost salty aftertaste that leaves her reaching for the water. “The Shark is a god of the ocean, of fear and survival… but also hunger,” Her fork picks at the seabass on her plate, “It’s one of those gods you’d pray to if you fell hungry, if your crops died out and you needed food, or if you were stranded somewhere and starving. But to use its magic? It feeds off you, it needs to consume you.”

Lynn glances up, a smile on her lips as she flicks her hair, “For me, it’s not as bad, since I can give it so much more Mana than most, but it still needs some food. I know some people lose entire limbs – like Professor Jinsoul,” Lynn points out, and there’s a wave of realisation across the table, “But my two Odd Eyes instead of her one means it’ll just take the ends of my hair, or my fingernails. Sometimes more if I need more power from it, though.” She rambles slightly, and Jiyeon sighs as Sullin nods.

Lynn continues, chewing and swallowing some seabass. “Truth is, without my eyes, I probably wouldn’t be the insane prodigy I am right now.” The usual light in Lynn’s eyes fade slightly, the smile on her face looking more tired than joyful. For a moment, Seoyeon wonders what kind of weight lays on Lynn’s shoulders, and the echoes of familiarity ring in her ears.

No one pushes again after that sentence, instead Shion lets out a sigh, resting her head in her palm. Kaede frowns, wrapping an arm around Shion’s waist, and pulling herself closer to her girlfriend’s side.

“You okay, Shionnie?” Kaede asks, and Shion gives a quiet huff, resting her head on Kaede’s.

“Did something big happen?” Shion wonders aloud, “Because this new curriculum… it’s insane.” She mutters, and Seoyeon hums.

“Yeah, I’ll say,” Jiyeon mutters with a scoff, reaching for a pastry. “First-years are learning second-year stuff, second and third-years are training together, I’ve heard fourth-years are being sent on actual professional missions now.” Jiyeon’s brow furrows, and Seoyeon overhears Chaeyeon sighing as Dahyun frowns.

Shion makes a quiet whine, “They’re already making us learn how to summon our Soulbornes! They usually save that for second-year.” Shion lamented, and Kaede patted her girlfriend’s side as Nien hummed.

“At least you’ll be struggling with us!” It does little to make Shion feel better, and Jiwoo makes a thoughtful hum.

“I mean…” Jiwoo starts, shuffling a little closer to Seoyeon, “I think we know why.” A few glances are thrown to Seoyeon, and it hits her.

“My… mom?” Seoyeon wonders, and Jiwoo nods, throwing an arm around Seoyeon as she plates some more vegetables.

“It’s just a rumour,” she says reassuringly, patting Seoyeon on her shoulder, “But people think because your mother went missing, the school’s amping up our education, trying to push us to be well-trained mages as soon as possible.” Seoyeon frowns, and finds herself leaning against Jiwoo as the taller girl rubs Seoyeon’s shoulder.

Dahyun hums, “Makes sense,” she shoots a sympathetic glance to Seoyeon, “Mage society loses its strongest mage, they’re going to try and make sure we’re ready to pick up the slack.” Kaede then scoffs.

“There shouldn’t be any slack to pick up,” she mutters, “It’s not our fault all the other Mages got lazy because Haseul was so great.” Seoyeon nods, and sighs. A few eyes move to her, and Chaeyeon frowns.

“I hope people don’t start giving you hell because of it.” Seoyeon offers a smile, thankful, and feels lighter at how Chaeyeon returns it.

She sighs, pulling herself away from Jiwoo’s side, “I’ve gotten used to it at this point,” she mutters, voice light, “If it makes people feel better, then–”

“Don’t finish that sentence,” Nien says, throwing an arm around Seoyeon and tugging the girl into her side, against her. Seoyeon yelps as Nien laughs, “You’re part of our group now! No one’s allowed to hate Seoyeon!” There’s a loud shout of agreement around the table, and Seoyeon captures it all in her mind – Jiyeon’s smile, Sullin’s laughter, Lynn reaching over to ruffle Seoyeon’s hair, a gesture Seoyeon repeats immediately.

Between that and the way Shion piles on more meat to Seoyeon’s plate (“Protein isn’t your enemy!”) or how Jiwoo pours Seoyeon another glass, she doesn’t even notice the eyes still trained on her.

=====

“The hell are they so loud for?” Nakyoung mutters, casting a glance towards Yooyeon beside her. Yooyeon’s eyes remain fixed on the blonde on the other table, watching as she laughs with her friends. Her eyes narrow, as she mutters something under her breath. Nakyoung rolls her eyes, before lightly elbowing her friend. Yooyeon jumps, and Nakyoung stifles a giggle at her friend’s reaction and wide eyes as Yubin snickers from across them.

“Does our wonderful Yooyeon have a crush?” Yubin joked, her long brown hair swishing as she yelped loudly, ducking past a fork thrown her way as a first-year beside Yooyeon huffs. Yubin’s hair catches the sunlight pouring in through the windows, making it look akin to shining copper, a soft golden glow to the bronze strands on her head.

The first-year in question smirks, “Leave unnie alone!” She says, a shit-eating grin on her face as she attaches herself to Yooyeon’s side, and Yubin rolls her eyes.

“Yah, Kim Soomin!” Yubin said, as Soomin blew a raspberry, “You’re just a first-year! You ought to respect a second-year student like me!” Yooyeon sighs, and Yubin glances at her.

“Calm down, you’re being way too loud.” She mutters, running a hand through her dark strands as Nakyoung giggles.

“Asking Yubin to be quiet… c’mon Yooyeon, you should know better by now,” Nakyoung jokes as Yubin huffs. Nakyoung shakes her head, her own short blonde hair tickling her neck as she did so. “Also, Yubin, don’t get a big head,” Nakyoung joked with a grin, “You’re still not a third-year like me or Yooyeon.” Yubin huffs, and another first-year pats her on the shoulder.

Yubin makes a whining noise, before throwing her arms around the first-year beside her. “At least my Hyebam loves me…” The ‘Hyebam’ in question – first-year Jeong Hyerin – gives a quiet groan, although stops struggling and (reluctantly) pats Yubin’s head.

When Yubin pulls away, she makes a show of ruffling Hyerin’s wine-red hair, much to the younger’s chagrin. Nakyoung chuckles at the interaction, but then she hears Yooyeon yelp. Glancing over lets her see that Soomin had decided to jab her older sister with a fork, and Yooyeon sent a glare towards her sister, one that would otherwise freeze even a fourth-year to the spot. However, Soomin had long since been immune to any threats from her sister.

“I think Yubin’s right… I think Yooyeon has a crush on the Phoenix girl.” Nakyoung glances over, catching the other blonde laughing at something Nien had said, her cheeks a faint pink. She glances back at Yooyeon, whose eyes return to her again.

“Shit… do you?!” Nakyoung said, and the other three shot curious glances. Yooyeon looked between each set of eyes, her face slowly growing hot.

“I– Wha– No?!” Nakyoung raised a brow, and Yooyeon scoffed, rolling her eyes. “I don’t, definitely don’t… there’s just something off about her.” She mutters, and although Yubin rolls her eyes, Nakyoung has known Yooyeon long enough to know what she means.

“You still don’t trust that family much, do you?” Nakyoung says, and Yooyeon sighs. Soomin furrows her brow, and Yubin tilts her head, Hyerin mimicking the movement.

“Why?” Yubin asks, and Hyerin’s inquisitive eyes meet Yooyeon’s.

“Jo Haseul’s the number one mage for a reason, she’s saved more lives than any other mage in history and was one of the people who stopped the Second Emergence – you don’t trust her?” Hyerin asks softly, more curious than anything else. Nakyoung glances at Hyerin’s blue tie, and mentally chuckles – leave it to Yooyeon’s fellow Wisteria to be the one trying to learn something new.

Yooyeon instead shrugs, “Not fully. There was a case a few years ago…” Yooyeon shakes her head, “They’re hiding something, I can tell.” Yubin hums thoughtfully, fixing up her orange tie of the Marigold house, before nodding.

“Well if you don’t, neither do I.” She says, and Soomin hums.

“Your friend seems to trust her.” The first-year points out, and when Yubin turns around, she sees Seoyeon practically glued between Nien and Jiwoo. Yubin can’t help but furrow her brow – just a few days ago, Jiwoo didn’t seem to trust Seoyeon all too much. She wonders what could’ve made her change so fast, and then, she groans.

“Seoyeon probably kicked her ass, and now she’s in worship mode,” Yubin lamented, head hitting the table with a soft thud, and Hyerin shot a concerned look towards the second-year. Soomin instead busied herself with laughing at the look on Hyerin’s face and Yubin’s own plight. “I’ll have to speak to her about that.”

“You should,” Yooyeon says, watching as Yubin tilted her head up, eyes peering through the copper strands of her hair, “I feel like there’s more we could–”

“Are you sure you don’t just have a crush on her, and this whole ‘I don’t trust her’ thing is some elaborate scheme to get us to stalk her for you?” Yooyeon rolled her eyes, smacking the side of Soomin’s head lightly as the younger girl yelped, and Hyerin rolled her eyes with a soft smile.

“Like I said, I just think…” She sighs, and the group quietens, “I just think there’s something else going on here. Call it an educated guess.” Nakyoung catches the look in Yooyeon’s eye, and nods.

“We’ll see what we can learn.” Nakyoung says, sighing.

Yubin props her chin up on the table with a sigh, twisting a lock of hair around her finger before suddenly sitting upright. “Wait – moving on from Phoenix girl and Yooyeon’s weird crush,” Yubin successfully dodges a spoon thrown her way, “Wasn’t there something about missions?” she says, brow furrowed. “Professor An said something weird earlier, I swear. Something about being ‘field-ready.’”

Yooyeon blinks. “Oh. Right.” She straightens her posture instinctively, brushing her sleeves flat like she’s reporting for duty, readjusting the Strategy Fledgling armband around her arm, Nakyoung doing the same with her Weaponry Fledgling armband, the three stripes a very dark grey. “Second-years start missions this term.”

Soomin’s eyes widen as she swallows her food. “Missions? Like… actual missions?”

Nakyoung nods, smiling brightly as she interjects, fixing up her purple Belladonna tie. “Yep! Second-years start going out more. Most of them are minor stuff – retrieving artefacts, helping out in towns, escorting trade convoys, clearing out corrupted wildlife…” She makes a gesture with her hands, as if to say ‘et cetera’.

“Babysitting goats…” Yubin mutters, and Hyerin jumps with a squeak that makes Soomin giggle. Hyerin and Yubin shudder, much to everyone’s amusement.

Nakyoung shrugs, unbothered. “Goats need love too.”

“But some of them are big ones,” Yooyeon cuts in. “The missions, not the goats,” she clarifies upon seeing Soomin’s grin and Hyerin’s aghast expression. She rolls her eyes and continues, “Major missions include dealing with Predabeast sightings, collapsed ruins, Sorrow activity – that kind of thing.”

“Sorrow hunting? Already?” Soomin gulps, although Yubin’s gaze seems to sharpen upon hearing it. “Isn’t that, like… what fourth-years do?”

Yooyeon shrugs. “Technically. But these days? With how things are changing, the Higher-Ups want us all to be as close to full-fledged mages as possible. You’ll always be under oversight, though.”

“Think of it like a test,” Nakyoung adds. “Second-years have their first round of tests coming up soon anyway! So think of it like that. A very dangerous, probably traumatic test!”

“Gee, that’s so comforting,” Hyerin deadpans and Yubin sighs.

“I miss first-year… you only have two exams to deal with, your winter and summer ones…” Yubin groans loudly, and Yooyeon can feel a headache coming on from all the noise, “Why do we have a set of exams for each season?! Is the Headmaster a sadist?” She laments, and Nakyoung giggles whilst Yooyeon fights the urge to smile.

“Like I said,” Hyerin deadpans as she shoots a judgemental look towards the near-crying Yubin, “So comforting.”

Yooyeon continues, focusing her attention to Hyerin, who meets Yooyeon’s gaze readily. “First-years’ll start getting mission work too.” Hyerin nods, listening to each word Yooyeon says, “Just minor ones. You’ll have a professor or fourth-year assigned to your team, though, so you’re not left alone. The goal’s just to get you used to working in the field.”

Hyerin frowns. “So… like, what kind of minor stuff would we do?” Soomin visibly perks up too, evidently curious as her sister shrugs.

“Could be anything,” Yubin answers, eyes turning to her as she sits upright, hands clasped on the table. “Helping villagers with disappearing livestock, investigating unstable phenomena, trips to abandoned Shrines. All the boring, slightly annoying stuff no one else wants to do.”

“But important.” Yooyeon corrects her with a pointed finger.

“Sure,” Yubin waves a hand, and Yooyeon pouts. “Important. And boring.”

“I thought it was fun…” She admits, and Soomin chooses to not make fun of her sister for her weirdly nerdy interests for once. Maybe she just doesn’t get it – after all, as a Marigold, she has more in common with Yubin.

“I think it sounds fun,” Soomin grins regardless, delighting in how her sister smiles. “Dangerous goats? Mysterious artefacts? Haunted shrine trails? That’s, like, peak storytelling.” She beams as Yubin scoffs.

“I think your definition of ‘fun’ is broken.” Hyerin says blankly as Yubin chuckles.

“You’re just scared of goats.” Soomin retorts, and Yooyeon chokes on her drink.

“Take that back.” Hyerin’s eyes narrow as Soomin giggles.

“It’s true, Hyebam,” Yubin grins, pointing. “You screamed when that ram at the last Emberlight Festival walked toward you.”

“It charged at me!” Hyerin whined, “Yubam, you’re supposed to be on my side!”

“It ambled, Hyerin,” Nakyoung giggles. “It was literally chewing grass.”

“Whatever,” Hyerin huffs, reddening slightly. “At least I didn’t fall face-first into a puddle trying to flirt with a village girl.”

“One time!” Nakyoung cries, burying her face in her hands. “You all said you’d let that go!” She whines accusatorily, and everyone giggles.

“Never.” Yubin grins as Nakyoung pouts, leaning against Yooyeon who pats her fellow third-year’s head.

Hyerin, watching all of them, lets out a long, fond sigh as Soomin leans over to her with a smirk. “You’ll get used to this,” Soomin whispers, before then stage-whispering. “Or you’ll develop a constant headache like my sister. Either way, you’ll survive.”

“I’m not so sure.” Hyerin mumbles, but she’s smiling.

“Eh, you seemed cool when we met you last year at the Emberlight Festival.” Soomin grinned, “And you haven’t given us any reason to think otherwise, Miss ‘I grew up next to Gong Yubin’s Province And Lived’.” Yubin makes an offended squawk so loud it gets the attention of a passing fourth-year student, and as he walks off muttering, the group descends into giggles.

All the while, Seoyeon catches the smile on Yooyeon’s face, the way her eyes crinkle into crescents as she laughs, ringing quietly over the loud chatter of the dining hall. She thinks of the cold eyes that stared at her in Hyunjin’s classroom, and compares them to the warmth on display now. She catches herself smiling, and looks away before Yooyeon notices her.

=====

A wooden sword clashes against the neck of a dummy, and Seoyeon hears an approving hum from her left. She glances to her side, catching Sohyun nodding. “Your form’s better than mine…” She mutters with a half-smile, and Seoyeon feels Nien throw an arm over her shoulders.

“That’s our Seoyeon… Swordyeon…” She tests, and there’s a quiet squawk when Kaede jumps up and smacks the back of Nien’s head, the pink-haired girl rubbing the spot as Seoyeon chuckled.

She glanced around, seeing varying students striking wooden dummies with wooden swords across the stony expanse of the arena. The walls to the arena were high, black wood and metal panelling around the edges, along with various weapon racks. Elevated above, one could see the windows to the surrounding weaponry classrooms, and Seoyeon spots a few curious first-years watching them.

Nien and Kaede were taking turns on a dummy, whilst Lynn and Seoyeon shared another. Jiwoo was elsewhere, temporarily busy with professor Jinsoul having decided to watch over the tall girl and judge her form.

According to Jinsoul, now that students had progressed far enough in Combat, she was having them train with actual weapons against practice within the arena. Additionally, third-years also now shared the arena with second-years, much like combat, leading to Sohyun opting to watch over and help Seoyeon and her friends.

The older girl was, as Seoyeon had come to find with many, a welcoming addition. She never once looked at Sohyun with any sort of malice, just variations of interest and curiosity. It also turned out that Nien had been close friends with Sohyun, and apparently had been for years. She watches Sohyun walk over and correct Nien’s form, and Nien beams at her, calling her ‘Ssaem’ in a sing-song tone as Sohyun shakes her head and chuckles fondly.

“I heard,” Lynn started, swinging her sword, “That apparently, we’re supposed to be sparring soon.” Sohyun nods, before helping Lynn correct her stance and grip on her weapon, hands hovering over Lynn’s.

“You’re really not comfortable with a sword, are you?” The third-year asks, moving away as Lynn giggled with a pink glow to her cheeks. From what Seoyeon gathered, Lynn and Sohyun were also surprisingly close, something about Lynn having been trained under Sohyun and another student last year, although Lynn had gotten quiet when Seoyeon tried asking more about it.

“She’s better with her weird three-pointed stick.” Kaede teases, and Lynn rolls her eyes at her friend’s comments, “Seriously, how practical even is that thing?” There’s mirth sparkling in Kaede’s eyes, and Lynn shoves Kaede with her shoulder, the shorter girl yelping as she tries steadying herself.

“Which one of us is the ‘strongest student’ again?” Lynn asks, and Seoyeon notices how all Sohyun does is nod, not even challenge the idea.

“If anyone can make a weapon like that work, it’s Kawakami Lynn.” Jiwoo says, walking over, professor Jinsoul not far behind. From what Seoyeon had heard, Jiwoo was likely to become a Weaponry Fledgling, and she knew without a doubt Chaeyeon would be a Medicine Fledgling. She doesn’t have time to ponder on her own choices, before Jinsoul claps her hands to speak to the third and second-years in the arena around them.

“Okay class!” She smiles, bringing her hand back to the cane at her side as she readjusted her stance. “I know we’re all excited, and I’m happy to say that soon, we will be moving onto sparring with each other!” There’s a chorus of cheers, and Jinsoul giggles, “I know! However, for starters, don’t think I’ll go easy on you. I am going to leave it open for third and second years to spar together, since most of you are now pretty well acquainted with each other.”

Seoyeon’s group glances at Sohyun, who smiles. Seoyeon smiles back, but as she returns her eyes to Jinsoul, she can feel someone staring at her. She glances at Sohyun, who’s still looking ahead at their professor. She almost lets her eyes wander, hoping to see who’s staring, but ultimately glances back at Jinsoul.

“Don’t be so worried, you’ll be fine!” She tries to reassure, “Third-years aren’t too scary, and if you ever get worried, you can always talk to my Fledglings over there!” Jinsoul cheerily directs them to the three third-years standing around a scarred practice dummy. One of them has short blonde hair, a shade similar to her own if a little paler, and a wave of familiarity hit her.

Where have I seen her… She thinks back to lunch, to the girl leaning on Yooyeon as they laughed, and her eyes widen.

The other two fledglings offer stiff nods, but the blonde one smiles and waves. “I know Nakyoung looks the nicest, but they’re all approachable. I’d actually recommend you fight anyone but Naky,” Jinsoul smirks, before whispering conspiratorially, “She’s a bit of a sore loser…” There’s a few chuckles, and an embarrassed Nakyoung whines.

Seoyeon catches a fond look in Lynn’s eyes as she stares over at the other blonde, and also notes Sohyun’s sudden stiffness.

Odd… Seoyeon thinks to herself, and Jinsoul hits her cane against the ground, bringing attention back to herself. “I also know you’ve all heard some buzz about exams – most of you probably know, but to reiterate,” Jinsoul begins, “Unlike your first year, second-year has 4 rounds of exams for each season. So you’ll have fall exams, winter exams, so on and so forth. It’ll be this way for the next few years.” There’s a few murmur and groans, and she laughs.

“Don’t give me long faces, your summer exams are the big ones, I wouldn’t be so worried.” However, her expression shifts, “Although… I shouldn’t technically say it, but your fall exams are the second most important. They’re supposed to see if you’ve retained everything from your first year and if you’ve retained all the new information in the first weeks. If you flunk these, it’s a bad impression for the rest of your year, and you might as well kiss your years at this Academy goodbye.”

Silence falls over the arena at the authority from Jinsoul’s voice, and the students get mental whiplash as their professor brightens up immediately, “But don’t worry! Unlike first-year, not all your exams will be essay-based. After all, I only have one thing I need to see…” Jinsoul extends her free arm, and her Soulborne manifests into her grasp, the blue crossbow shining in the light from the open roof of the arena, “Your Soulborne.”

“Per the new instructions of the Academy, first-years will also be trying to summon them, but you guys? It’s a test. I want to see you all summon,” the crossbow vanishes into a glittery cloud of blue smoke, “And de-summon your Soulborne at will. I know we’re all at different points, some have never summoned it, whilst others have, but by the end of the exams, you’ll all be equals.” She hits her cane against the ground and turns around, “Back to training!”

Everyone nods, shouting out a ‘Yes Ma’am!’ before returning to their training. Sohyun watches over the group, and lets her eyes go to Lynn.

“Lynn, you can summon yours, right?” Lynn pauses, turning around and nodding. Sohyun smirks, before giving a nod, and Lynn’s eyes widen and sparkle. Seoyeon catches on, and before she can ask if they’re even allowed (Sohyun’s cyan-striped armband clearly indicates she’s a History Fledgling, not a Weaponry one), Lynn extends her hand.

In a swirling flash of mist and vapour, a blue light shimmers in Lynn’s grasp, before a trident now sits in her hand. The long, blue-black metal of the staff has intricate engravings, akin to the crashing waves of the ocean against the shore, with white metal circling the length of the staff. The three prongs of the trident catch Seoyeon’s eye – a deep but saturated darker blue coloured the left and right prongs, with details making them look like the upper and lower jaws of a shark. The central prong was a stark white, with a jagged and sharp point.

There’s a subdued blue-purple glow, and Lynn’s Odd Eyes briefly flash as she calls it forth. Seoyeon can hear some surrounding murmurs, and Lynn swings it around effortlessly, with a much more practised ease than her clumsy work with the wooden sword. It truly does move like it's a part of her, like a dance she’s perfected over years. Lynn finishes with a flourish, and there’s a few impressed claps, although Seoyeon catches the look in Lynn’s eyes she’s quick to hide behind a smile.

Forlorn.

“That,” Nakyoung calls out, stepping forth, “Is exactly where you should all be after the exams, understood?” There’s some shouts of agreement, and as Seoyeon turns back to training, she can hear a whisper.

“I heard she summoned it for the first time as a kid…”

“Really? Well, that’s Kawakami Lynn for you.”

=====

The Camellia Spire was a structure even taller than the Dandelion Tower, and at this time of night, was almost utterly silent. Lynn’s footsteps echoed softly as she headed towards her dorm room, the warmth of the reddish walls and golden etchings around the hallway a soothing side for her tired eyes, like the heat of a fireplace on a winter night. Jiyeon’s long asleep, Lynn knows that much, the girl having a much more normal sleep pattern than herself.

Lynn twisted open the doorknob, and was greeted with Jiyeon sleeping soundly, chest rising and falling. There’s a book splayed across her chest, and her hair is in her face. She also sees Sullin at the desk by the windowsill, hunched over, evidently also asleep, and her chest feels lighter. Of course she was here – you’d be hard-pressed to find a time all three weren’t together.

She chuckles quietly as Sullin gives a quiet snore, and she’s at least thankful the girl changed into something more comfortable. She gently picks the girl up, hearing her stir. Lynn hums a quiet tune, placing her down beside Jiyeon, watching her melt into the comfort of the bed, and slip back into deep slumber. She places a pillow under Sullin’s head, drawing Jiyeon’s blanket over her.

Lynn places Jiyeon’s book on the desk, using her finger to move strands out of Jiyeon’s face, her touch featherlight. She pulls the blanket further up Jiyeon’s body, before pressing a kiss to the older girl’s temple, then doing the same to Sullin. She watches Sullin cuddle closer to Jiyeon in her sleep, and coos to herself before heading over to her own bed and getting changed.

Her crisp pyjamas are soft, comfortable, the smallest hint of lavender from being freshly washed, and as she slips into bed, her eyes fall upon the orange-bead bracelet on her wrist. She gazes at the black bead and the letter ‘M’ etched onto it, and feels a warm flame in her chest.

Mayu… She’s barely seen her third-year sister since she came back to the Academy, although she supposes she’s probably busy as a Herbology and Potions Fledgling. She hopes she’s made some friends whilst doing it, but there’s a cold feeling in her gut, and she sighs, knowing better. She ignores the swelling of irritation in her chest at the thought, tired of the way people looked at her.

It reminded her of Seoyeon, the way people glared and muttered curses about them. What did they know? She thought of the kindness in Seoyeon’s eyes, how she never saw Kawakami Lynn, the prodigy taken in by the Kawakami family, and instead, saw her, Lynn. Just Lynn, the young girl. It felt like she was being seen by someone other than Mayu for the first time, and Lynn shook her head.

She slipped the bracelet off and put it on the bedside drawer, and took one of the many plush stuffed toys on the side of her bed, drawing it close to her chest as she let her dreams slip into her mind.

…

Lynn feels small again.

She tugs the small blanket tighter around herself, knees tucked into her chest, eyes watching her surroundings. It was all too loud, too bright. She could sense people before they even entered her periphery, see their outlines through walls, the collective heartbeats around her thumping like thunder in a storm. A few Mages circled them and the ruins, all dressed in their black uniforms, muttering to themselves.

Lynn felt her sister hold onto her tighter, burying her face in Lynn’s neck as Lynn felt her heart hammer in her ribcage. She shuddered, her clothes soaked and freezing cold. The shadows of the temple danced as Mages walked through with torches, some surrounded by orbs of bright white light instead. Magic. Their eyes scanned the markings on the walls, stepping over bodies and through puddles.

Two Mages stood before Lynn and Mayu, muttering to themselves. One of them holds a palm towards them, and Lynn flinches, closing her eyes. Instead, a warm feeling rushes over her, and any lingering aches in her body fade, and she feels revitalised, as if she’d just spent hours sleeping. She reopens her eyes, and they marvel at her.

“So, this is them?” A voice calls out, gravelly and rough. The two younger Mages stepped back, and a man with greying hair stepped forth, a salt-and-pepper beard around his face, a golden sash across his standard uniform. Lynn noted the assortment of badges pinned to his chest, and the two mages bowed. He gave a wave, “At ease.” The mages stood upright as he inspected the two girls, and his eyes widened as he stared at Lynn.

“Two Odd Eyes… well, I’ll be damned. In all my years…” He muttered, glancing at one of the younger mages, “And we’re certain this is no illusion?” The mage nods, and the older man hums, low. “And she called it? A god, The Shark no less?” He nods again, and the other mage speaks up.

“We found them at the epicenter of the hurricane, it seems as if water was pouring out from the temple,” The mage sighed, “Close to a small ocean’s worth – the entire island was almost flooded.” He muttered, and the older man nodded.

“To think, the Abyssal and Mobius cults have been fighting for decades, only for the Abyssal Cult to be wiped out in one night…” He chuckled, “Do we know where these girls came from? Are they natives to the island?” One of the mages shook their head.

“No sir,” He flipped through a ledger at his side, “Records indicate they were likely picked up from S16 or S17.” The older man nods.

“Coastal areas, makes sense… what about their families, have they been notified?” He asks, and both of the other mages go silent. When the older man meets the eyes of one of the mages, he crosses his arms.

“That’s the thing sir,” the mage said, closing the ledger. “No evidence of any familial ties. Our best guess is that they’re orphans.” Lynn feels Mayu whimper behind her, and can’t help but think of how at this point, they might as well be.

The older man goes silent, his eyes turning to Mayu. Lynn glanced at her sister, and had barely processed her sudden blonde hair, a shift away from the usual darkness of Mayu’s strands, far too relieved to just feel her sister’s heartbeat against herself. “What of her younger sister?”

The mage chuckled, “Actually, sir, she seems to be the older one. Her name, based on what the younger one had been saying, is Mayu. The one who called forth The Shark is called Lynn.” The older man nods, and the other mage speaks up.

“She also bears a mark of a blessing, of the Condor. It’s possible she summoned the storm whilst her sister called forth the flood through The Shark.” He crossed his arms, “It’s… remarkable.”

There’s a long, drawn-out breath, and the older man marvels at the girls before him, pure awe in his gaze.

“Two gifted sisters,” the older officer murmurs, “And no known family.”

The two mages glance towards the entrance of the temple, and Lynn notes a man standing in the entrance. His frame was tall, lean, dressed in a pitch black suit with an odd crest embroidered onto the left side of his chest. The older man scoffs, although the lean man in the suit doesn’t react.

One of the mages sighs, “The Kawakami family has already submitted a formal bid for guardianship,” one of the Mages says, glowering at the man in the entrance. “They’re offering sponsorship and full inheritance rights. They were… quite swift.”

The older man sighs, “Of course they were…” The older man turns to face the two girls, “I suppose it’s out of our hands and in theirs now, what happens to these girls.” He grumbles, before kneeling slightly, if only to meet Lynn’s eyes.

“Yet, to summon such a flood, and yet pay no visible sacrifice to The Shark… I wonder, girl,” a frown lingers on the old man’s face, concerned now rising to the surface of his eyes, “What price did you end up paying?”

Lynn, beneath the blanket, clutches tightly onto the three bracelets in her grasp – one with beads coloured orange, another coloured with purples and lilacs, and a third, coloured in beads the same green shade as the grass. Guilt claws at her chest, and as she looks at Mayu, she thinks of how she hadn’t meant to call forth the creature screaming in her head, how she hadn’t meant to call forth the flood, how she… she…

She makes a quiet whimper, feeling Mayu tighten her grip around her body.

“Mama…” she whispers, so quietly only Mayu hears her, and the green beads feel all too heavy in her hand.

…

In the middle of the night, a broken sound echoes quietly through the air, but it's enough to snap Jiyeon awake.

Her eyes blinked open, heavy with sleep, as her ears caught the fragmented, breathy sounds coming from across the room as Sullin began to stir beside her. She doesn’t question how Sullin got there, and instead, she sat up slowly, hair falling in loose strands over her shoulder as she looked across to Lynn’s bed. The younger girl was tense, body shaking, the blanket coiling around her limbs.

She was somewhere between crying and gasping in her sleep, and she felt a tight squeeze in her chest. A nightmare, a bad one at that. Sullin began to shift beside Jiyeon, and Jiyeon gingerly patted the girl on the shoulder, and Sullin blinked herself awake just enough to follow Jiyeon’s gaze. For a moment, they simply watched Lynn, quiet and unsure, but then Jiyeon swung her legs over the bed, padding barefoot across the floor, and Sullin followed without a word.

They slipped under the covers of Lynn’s bed, Sullin behind Lynn whilst Jiyeon was now face-to-face with the crying, sleeping girl. Jiyeon draped an arm over Lynn’s waist, before using her other hand to wipe away the tears falling from her friend’s eyes. She was pressed close to Lynn, feeling the girl’s body heat emanating off of her. She could feel the mattress shift as Sullin pressed herself behind Lynn, an arm over her waist, face buried into the back of Lynn’s shoulder.

They felt the girl tense, before relaxing in their hold. Her breathing began to even out as she surrendered to the warmth around her. Sullin nuzzled her face against Lynn, before letting herself slip back into sleep, whilst Jiyeon pressed her forehead gently against Lynn’s, smiling as she stared at the now relaxed and soft features of the younger girl’s face. She places a kiss against the tip of Lynn’s nose, before drifting off to sleep herself, ready to sleep in on a weekend night.

=====

Nakyoung rolled her shoulders, body still aching from the additional combat drills Jinsoul made the Fledglings do. Most Fledglings, whilst interacting a lot with the Masters, tended to have one professor they latched onto and hung around – and Nakyoung had ended up spending most of her time with Jinsoul. It was fun, the older woman was the furthest thing from a drill sergeant, but that didn’t make her drills any less relentless.

She envied the first-years who could take things slow, and could sympathise with the panicking second-years. Sure, she’d been able to call forth her Soulborne with little issue, but not everyone had been so lucky. She almost chuckled, remembering a time a friend of hers had spent weeks trying to figure out, before getting lucky on the day and managing to call it forth. She giggles to herself.

Xinyu, wow, you would’ve been so screwed if you hadn’t… She then feels a familiar ache in her chest, a heavy sigh then leaving her lips as she cast her eyes lower, turning the corner as she heads towards the exit of the building she was in. She ignored the sense of longing as she thought of Xinyu, of all of them. Her body is already calling for the comfort of her bed, to completely melt into the mattress as she slipped into sleep, but as she rounds the corner, she meets eyes with an all too familiar face.

Something cold falls over her, and there’s a vice-like grip in her chest as she catches the yellow inner layer of Mayu’s Dandelion robes. Her steady gaze meets shaking eyes, and she bites the inner corner of her mouth, hand clenching into a fist. The smaller blonde third-year before her is shaking, and Nakyoung almost scoffs at the fear written across Mayu’s face.

“N-Naky–” Mayu starts, and Nakyoung glares.

“Where the hell are you off to?” Nakyoung cuts in, and feels something lurch at the way Mayu flinches at her words. “Didn’t think a coward like you scurried around in the dead of night.” Mayu doesn’t fire back a retort, and Nakyoung scoffs quietly, glancing away. There’s something stirring in her stomach, an unpleasant nausea that makes it difficult to be around Koma Mayu for too long.

Mayu opens her mouth, as if to speak, but whatever words were about to spill from her begin to wither and die on her tongue. She just stands there, hands balled at her sides, shaking, legs trembling. She can barely even look at Nakyoung, and Nakyoung can’t help but scoff. Even after a year, Koma Mayu is nothing but fearful.

When Mayu does dare to look up, she finds herself staring at some place to the left of Nakyoung, and the taller blonde narrows her eyes. Mayu’s voice is soft, delicate, and there was once a time where Nakyoung would rest her head on Mayu’s lap, letting the older girl hum a melody as they relaxed in the gardens. Those times were long gone, and all she feels is a cold and aching hollowness in her chest.

“I… I’m just going to see the others…” Her voice is barely a whisper, wrapping her arms protectively around herself, “Sohyun, Xinyu… the usuals…” Nakyoung feels a bitter taste on her tongue, and walks forth. Mayu freezes, taking in sharp breath, as if bracing for something. Nakyoung almost bumps shoulders with her, but can’t even do that much. She walks past Mayu, and the shorter girl catches the scowl on Nakyoung’s face as she storms past.

She waits until she’s sure Mayu isn’t following before letting out a breath, quick and sharp. Her footsteps echo down the corridor, faster now, as if she’s trying to outrun something just behind her – a thought, maybe, or a memory. Her calves ache as she finds the familiar route to the Belladonna Halls – the secret entrance behind the painting, the series of tunnels before finally reaching the familiar entrance and hallways.

Unlike the other dorms, the Belladonna dorms were located underground, with black and green vines stretching the length of the golden stones of the hallways, a thick and sweet flowery scent, bordering on intoxicating, would hang in their air from the flowers of varying shades of purple aligning them.

By the time she reaches her dorm, she fumbles for the key before opening the door and closing it behind herself. Her hand is still tightly clenched around the key, as she leans against the door. Her roommate Sangah is fast asleep, and rather than a view of the sky or the underwater view the Wisterias get in their dorm, the Belladonna’s get to view the lush foliage of a forest underground, rumoured to have been cultivated by the Master of Herbology and Potions.

Greenish blue grass and vines, along with bright, crystal clear lakes of water, flowing between the ground and down the walls. Rare flowers formed a technicolour bed, with even glowing plants and mushrooms in other places. There were even crystal and mineral clusters dotted throughout the cavernous forests.

Her eyes barely glance at the crystals beyond her closed windows, and instead, she slowly lowers herself to the ground, leaning against the door behind her. Her temple throbs, and she chuckles quietly as she holds onto it. She thinks of her earlier encounter with Mayu, and sighs. She can already imagine what her late sister would’ve said, and Nakyoung begins to feel the water build up in her eyes.

“Sorry, Hyungseo-unnie…” she mumbles wetly, “I know you’d be disappointed with how your little sis is acting… but I can’t help it, y’know?” As Sangah sleeps soundly, Nakyoung bites into her sleeve to muffle her cries.

=====

Mayu stares at where Nakyoung had walked off to, and sighs, shaking her head as the familiar feeling of guilt crawls up her spine and sends a shiver down it. Mayu considers going after Nakyoung, but she knows the only thing Nakyoung needs right now is space. She’d rather not be pricked by thorns when trying to touch a rose. Besides, the look in Nakyoung’s eyes… The familiar cold feeling of fear wraps around her limbs, and she can’t find herself unable to go after her.

Instead, she turns around and makes her way towards where the others are. The route towards the rooftops is familiar, and Mayu even manages to brave heading up a secluded stairwell, before eventually finding a ladder. With a huff, she clambers up, pulling her small body towards the roof, where she finds the four other students sitting on the flat roof. She can see Sohyun’s familiar blue-black hair and easy smile, along with Xinyu giving a wave to Mayu.

The two third years are quickly joined when Nien tackles Xinyu to the floor, a mess of Nien’s orange Marigold robes and Xinyu’s purple Belladonna robes, much to Sohyun’s amusement as she laughs. Kotone offers a wave to the arriving third-year, and Mayu shoots a smile towards the second-year, stepping off from the ladder and taking a seat beside Kotone, the second-year’s Belladonna robes neatly folded on her lap.

She watches Nien attempt to pin Xinyu down as Sohyun watches them fondly, and all she can think is how these four – Park Sohyun, Zhou Xinyu, Hsu Nientzu and Kamimoto Kotone – were the only students who didn’t look at her like a burden, besides her own sister.

Xinyu and Nien collapse into each other, quickly hugging as Xinyu peppers Nien’s face with kisses that leave Nien shrieking and begging for help. Sohyun laughs again, that loud laugh that lets itself be heard, uncaring of anyone’s judgement. Between the kisses, Xinyu casts a glance behind her, towards Mayu. “We’re so glad you could join us, Mayu-chan.” She grins, before turning back to Nien as she continues annoying her.

Mayu shrugs, meeting Kotone and Sohyun’s eyes. “How could I not? It’s the weekend, and I wasn’t going to say no to…” The blonde furrows her brows, humming, “What are we here for again?” Xinyu is shoved off of Nien and caught by Sohyun. She swoons, dramatically falling across Sohyun’s lap with the back of her hand to her forehead. Nien giggles at the action as Sohyun shrugs.

“I don’t know, Xinyu was just really insistent on coming here.” Sohyun said, and Xinyu cracked an eye open, before grinning.

“That’s because…” She shifts and leans across Sohyun’s lap to reach over to her bag, placed not too far from the group, sitting between Nien and Sohyun’s own bags. There’s a clinking noise from inside it, before Xinyu pulls something out with a flourish. “I found this!” Xinyu pulls out an ornate looking, stark white bottle, as if made from ceramic. It’s smooth, almost reflective, and there’s something sealed to the top of the neck. Xinyu moves the bottle around with a flick of the wrist, and there’s a swishing of liquid inside.

“Is that…” Kotone starts, Mayu watching the younger girl scoff in disbelief with a smile. She takes in the way the moonlight reflects off Kotone’s lighter brown hair, an almost earthy beige, the colour of sand.

Xinyu laughs haughtily, “Wine! The really expensive and aged kind – my mother sent it from home so I had to try it.” Mayu nods. Xinyu’s family were from a Kingdom towards the west, but had set up their family business in S15, and had more than become inhabitants of Haus, although Xinyu’s mother insisted on staying in their original home Kingdom, to ensure the branch over there ran smoothly.

“Should we be drinking…” Kotone muttered, ever the more cautious and responsible of the group. Nien laughed, sitting upright.

“C’mon, Tone,” she beams, “It’s the weekend! Unless you have plans tomorrow, why not get a little wasted? I say we drink the night away!” Kotone sighs as Nien and Xinyu cheer, and Sohyun chuckles fondly.

“We have our fall exams soon.” Kotone deadpans, and Xinyu hums.

“All the more reason to drink our sorrows away.” She unseals the bottle, and a scent hits her nose immediately – something rich, like berries and oak filling the air as Xinyu gives a loud hum of approval, and Sohyun casts a wary glance at the bottle.

“That thing is probably older than all of us.” Sohyun muttered, and Xinyu giggled.

“Which means it must be good.” She took a sniff of the bottle, and Kotone sighed. Wordlessly, she reaches for her bag. Mayu frowns, and half-thinks that Kotone is about to leave, when the younger second-year pulls out a pouch, which when opened, reveals a series of glasses. She places each glass cup before everyone, and everyone gives Kotone a look, half-bewilderment, half-knowing.

“L-Look, I may have had… suspicions, as to why we were out here, and knew none of you would bring glasses.” She muttered, face rosy as she snatches the bottle and pours herself a glass. There’s a soft chorus of giggles, and Kotone begins pouring everyone a glass.

Nien’s pink hair dances as a soft breeze flows through the air, carrying the thick scent of the wine with it. Xinyu sits up, now letting herself rest and melt into Sohyun’s lap, the back of her head against the shorter girl’s chest, as Sohyun secures one arm around Xinyu, her free hand holding her glass. The liquid is dark, almost red, and swirls as Sohyun takes a tentative sip before nodding in approval. Xinyu frowns.

“And here I thought I’d get to share an indirect kiss with lăo gōng~” Xinyu teases as Sohyun’s face reddens.

“Stop it…” she chastises as Xinyu giggles, taking a sip from her own glass. Kotone stops before Mayu’s, as if asking for permission, and Xinyu catches it.

“You don’t have to drink if you don’t want to,” Xinyu says, another sip from her glass, “But… I will say, we deserve a night off. With all the work we’ve been doing as Fledglings, we’ve all earned it. I know you’ve been busy running around, collecting plants and roots,” Mayu gives a soft giggle as Xinyu smiles back at her, “Let’s drink ourselves stupid and regret it tomorrow.”

Nien’s eyes sparkled. “Yes! Yes yes yes! No thoughts, just wine.” She turned to Mayu, grabbing her by the hands and giving them a reassuring squeeze, “Just one glass?” She pleads, and Mayu giggles as Sohyun warns Nien to not pressure her. Nien frowns, backing off, and Mayu nods towards Kotone.

Kotone smiles as a glass is poured out for Mayu. She takes a bigger swig of the glass, and there’s a round of approving and astonished noises. “It’s good…” She mumbles, and the others nod.

Mayu tries to forget her encounter with Nakyoung, at the bitter emotion in the younger girl’s eyes, at the frustration and rage that probably haunted Nakyoung whenever she looked at Mayu’s group. Part of her couldn’t blame her, and the other part still couldn’t shake the feeling that things were unfair. Mayu supposes it’s a bit of both, as she takes a longer, slower sip of the glass.

Hyungseo chuckles, watching Mayu’s nose crinkle in disgust. Mayu stuck her tongue out, but the taste still lingered. “I can’t believe you drink this stuff…” The pair sat beneath a cherry blossom tree, pink petals dancing to the ground as Hyungseo took back the black bottle, giving it a sniff before nodding, taking a much longer swig than Mayu did. “Should I even be drinking with a professor?” Hyungseo gives Mayu a look, before lightly smacking her shoulder.

“Aish, stop acting like you’re some baby… you’re Naky’s best friend, I think I can drink with someone like that.” She places the bottle beside her, and Mayu glances out. The deep blue night sky hangs above, the village below glowing with orange as lanterns are lit and sent towards the sky.

“Should we be drinking..? We just completed a mission, surely we should–” The bottle is thrust before her, and Mayu sighs, taking it and having another sip, her body still not used to the liquor as Hyungseo chuckles.

“Mayu…” Hyungseo starts, resting her back on the tree behind them, “Look down. What do you see?” Mayu gazes at the village. “You know what I see? A problem.” Mayu frowns at that, so Hyungseo elaborates, “Soon enough, we’ll be back out there, having to solve another one of this village’s problems. A Predabeast sighting, a Sorrow kidnapping and eating kids, a bandit raid… and yet, they get to be the ones having fun and lighting lanterns whilst we tend to our wounded, mourn our losses. Half the time, we’re not even thanked.”

“So… are you saying it isn't fair?” Hyungseo shrugs, but nods.

“Kinda,” Hyungseo takes the bottle back, and has another big swig. Mayu’s eyes linger on the bracelet around Hyungseo’s wrist – a thin silver chain with a red gemstone at its centre. “But that’s life, right? A balancing act of life and chaos. Truth is, you rarely get a chance to rest as a Mage, but it’s all worth it. To see the smiles on their faces, to see them live easily after we struggle.” There’s a contemplative look on Hyungseo’s face, and when Mayu follows her gaze, she can see Nakyoung dancing around with some of the village kids.

There’s a fond smile on Hyungseo’s lips. “But we need rest too, and that’s why, when you get a moment like this,” Hyungseo gazes at her, supportive, “You cherish it.”

She offers the bottle to Mayu with a smile, “When you take your next sip, think of it all. The people you tirelessly keep safe, the joys of your life, the smiles of your friends. Don’t think about the paperwork, or who’s covering for us whilst we get wasted, alright?” She chuckles, and Mayu can’t help but shake her head and giggle. Mayu takes the bottle, eyeing the liquid inside.

She takes a big swig, enough to make Hyungseo laugh from astonishment, and it goes down much smoother, much easier.

Mayu lets a soft smile onto her face, and glances around, before her eyes settle on the lilac bracelet on her wrist. There’s a thick black bead at the centre, with the letter ‘L’ engraved onto it. Below it, also on her wrist, is a thin silver chain, with a red gem keeping it together. She hopes that in the next life, Hyungseo gets to drink all the booze in the world.

=====

“Is the sun always this bright?” Nien asks, shielding her eyes as Seoyeon hums.

The blonde glances to the side, watching as Nien stumbles slightly, clutching her head. “You good?” She asks, before tugging Nien towards her, away from a running group of children as she chuckles. She casts a glance back at Nien, who only offers a smile, bright, although evidently her head still aches.

“Just… hungover…” She mutters, and Seoyeon raises a brow. “My friend Xinyu – I’ve mentioned her before, right?” Seoyeon nods, the sound of the marketplace beginning to grow a little louder, and she tugs on her coat, the winds of fall beginning to grow colder.

“That, and the fact you guys apparently kissed when you were younger?” She asks with a raised brow, and Nien can’t help but laugh.

“Yeah, I guess we did,” she shrugs, as if it’s the most normal thing in the world, but Seoyeon doesn’t push. “Anyways, she had some wine imported – super strong stuff.” She groans, rubbing her temple, and Seoyeon hums.

“You didn’t have to come with me, you know,” Seoyeon glances around, “Could’ve navigated this place on my own.” She muttered, and Nien chuckled, slapping Seoyeon on the back as the blonde yelped.

“And miss the chance to show you all the best spots? Never,” They look around, footsteps echoing across the cobbles on the ground, watching as vendors yelled out onto the street and shop windows were lit up with lanterns. The early morning sun shone down, although the winds carried a frigid and bitter air about them, leaving the two to huddle close in their coats. “A first visit to Wavestone is always a mon… monu…”

“Monumental?” Seoyeon offered as Nien brightened up, nodding.

“A monumental occasion!” Seoyeon chuckles at Nien’s actions.

From what Nien had told her – Wavestone was a settlement located near the mountainous region just north of S10 and S9, the most northern provinces, and was classed as part of S10, although it wasn’t connected to the mainland or the rest of the province. It was a hotspot for students to visit – an extensive village, one of the largest Seoyeon thinks she’s ever seen, with a bustling market place of stalls and shops.

“We can find you a hangover cure here, I’m sure of it.” Seoyeon mutters, “I know a good few back from when I worked at the Apothecary.”

Nien grins, linking arms with Seoyeon. “I’ll lead the way, and you’ll stop me if we find anything!”

Seoyeon rolls her eyes, and the two of them walk between varying stalls, evading the children and dogs running around, Seoyeon even stopping to pet one. The people here don’t seem to recognise who she is, and all she can be is thankful. For once, she doesn’t have to worry about people staring at her like she’s about to explode into flames every five seconds.

It isn’t long before Nien gasps, pointing to an upcoming stall. Lavish, with purple fabrics dangling around, and a variety of bottles on display. “Seoyeon, look! A tonic that promises to restore clarity, soothe the mind, and rekindle youthful glow! That’s gotta help, right?” She seems giddy, and as they get closer, they can see the bottles more clearly.

They’re shaped like hourglasses, a purple fizzy liquid that contained blue bubbles, along with silvery specks that swirled around. A man in a cobalt vest, slicked back hair, and teeth that seemed to almost shine in the light like burning specs of magnesium. “Ah, you have an eye for quality, miss!” He picks up a bottle, swirling it around. “Brewed at the base of the Full Moon Mountain, distilled and filtered glacial water from the peaks, mixed in with a saccharine syrup and Silverflower petals! Sure to cure any ailment of the mind!”

Nien gives an impressed ‘ooo!’ while Seoyeon eyes the bottles cautiously. Nothing he said makes any sense, and he didn’t even list any real ingredients… “How much?” She asks, and he chuckles.

“Only eighty gold crowns is what I ask.” There’s a glint in his eye, and Seoyeon’s eyes widen.

“Eighty?!” Seoyeon barked before she could stop herself. She grabbed Nien’s arm and tugged her back as Nien fumbled for her coin pouch.

“You can’t put a price on perfection–” the vendor began, but Seoyeon didn’t even look back.

“I can, and I just did!” She yelled back, ignoring the claps of a few local village people who laughed at the vendor. Seoyeon huffed, half-dragging Nien down the street. “Eighty crowns. For what’s probably just dyed spring water and glitter. What, do we look like amateurs? Honestly…”

Nien giggles, bumping Seoyeon’s shoulder. “That was hot.” Seoyeon’s face flames up, and she rolls her eyes.

“We don’t need anything fancy, just the right ingredients and some ginger…” She muttered, her eyes settling on another stall, nestled between a bakery and a herb vendor. An elderly woman smiled back, a few of her teeth missing, yet her smile held nothing but warmth. She gestured her wrinkled hands over the shelves stocked with ingredients that actually did something, and Seoyeon smiled, glancing over at the herb vendor’s stall too.

“I’m actually her grandson,” the young man running the stall said, offering a handsome smile, “Feel free to browse or have a look.”

“Do you know what you're looking for, dearie?” The woman asked, and Seoyeon nodded with a smile.

“I actually used to work at an Apothecary.” She offers and the old woman nods with a smile, and her grandson chuckles.

“Well, I guess we’ll let the professional take care of it then.” Seoyeon and Nien offered smiles, Nien still holding her head, and Seoyeon smiled.

A few minutes later, they stand before a bench, with Seoyeon holding a small brown pouch filled with ingredients. “All of that only cost us around three brown Bits.” Seoyeon smiled, checking her own money pouch, counting the brown coins, the few silver ones and her own bundle of Gold crowns, the golden coins glittering slightly when the light hit them. She pockets it, and gestures for Nien to sit.

“I’ll borrow some water from the bakery – you, sit.” Seoyeon disappears, and Nien shrugs, dropping herself down onto the bench. Nien busied herself with trying to get a stray cat to walk over to her, but a few minutes later, Seoyeon returned, handing over a steaming cup. “It’ll taste like disappointment and sourness, but it works.”

Nien raised a brow, eyed the liquid, a frothy and murky green with a surprisingly fresh smell, and hesitated before taking a sip.

Her face immediately scrunched, nose wrinkling, eyes squeezing shut as she made a noise like a cat licking chilli powder. “Oh my gods – it’s like if a lemon had a fight with a bonfire – how is it spicy, sweet and sour?”

“Keep drinking.” Seoyeon ordered flatly, and Nien whined, before drinking more. Each sip still made her wince, but by the time she got to the bottom, her posture had straightened. She blinked, eyes wide. “My headache’s… gone? Like… actually gone?!” She shoots a wide smile and bewildered-eyed look at Seoyeon, who can’t help but shower in the praise, shrugging.

“Never doubt my– oof!” Nien flung herself at Seoyeon, giddily bouncing up and down. Yep, Seoyeon thinks, laughing as she wraps her arms around her friend, She’s back. Nien giggles, linking arms with Seoyeon again.

“Clothes,” Nien beamed, “We’re buying you something cute. As thanks.”

Seoyeon raised an eyebrow, skeptical. “You just nearly handed a conman eighty crowns, and now you want to play dress-up?”

“Yes,” Nien grinned, tugging Seoyeon forward with a laugh. “This is how I say thank you, trained by the legend Zhou Xinyu in the art of fashion,” she said, tone dramatic as she threw her free arm up. “Now, off to the shops!”

And with that, the two disappeared into the market crowd, the scent of spiced bread and morning laughter trailing behind them, the weekend ahead seeming easy.

=====

Nakyoung jumps back, watching Lynn’s trident slam into the ground. The younger girl’s Soulborne shimmers in the afternoon light, and some other students in the arena cast curious glances over. Nakyoung extends her arm, feeling the magic shoot up the length of it as she opens her palm. Black sands and light swirl around before she grabs onto the handle of her weapon. Lynn watches as Nakyoung charges forth, swinging her scythe back before rushing towards Lynn.

Lynn levers her trident against the ground, flinging the prongs up, launching parts of the ground forth as debris. Nakyoung spins her scythe, a black whirlwind of metal, before throwing it forth, slicing any oncoming debris in half. She jumps up, grabbing it mid-spin, before bringing it down in a circular motion against Lynn. Lynn raises her trident, catching the scythe between the prongs, the ground cracking beneath her.

Lynn stares at the black weapon before her – the curved blade a pitch black, almost sucking in all light around it. The staff itself was a dark cadet blue, with a glittery black substance in various patches along it, like black stars amid a blue sky. The point between the staff and blade held two circular attachments, akin to white cat eyes with black slits for pupils. The slits narrow as Nakyoung tugs her scythe back, Lynn pushing forward with the trident.

Nakyoung rolls back, before swinging again. Metal meets metal, their Soulborne’s clashing with orange sparks of heat, and glowing sparks of Mana. Nakyoung swings towards Lynn’s neck, and Lynn ducks as the blade passes overhead. She drops to the ground, and hits Nakyoung’s ankles with the blunt end of the prong, watching Nakyoung yelped as her legs were swept. She fell to the ground, her Soulborne vanishing in a puff of black smoke, and Lynn stood atop Nakyoung, pointing her trident at the older girl’s neck.

Her foot is against her chest, and she smiles brightly. “I win!” She declares, hopping off and letting her Soulborne vanish. She turns around, unaware of Nakyoung feeling a hot emotion rising through her throat. She grumbles, hands clenching. She glares as Lynn approaches their bags, and rushes towards her.

Lynn only sighs, hearing Nakyoung run towards her. As Nakyoung swings a fist forth, Lynn ducks. She then grabs onto Nakyoung’s wrist, and hooks a leg behind Nakyoung’s. With a twist, she throws Nakyoung over her and onto the ground below. She drops the girl’s wrist, watching the older girl groan. Lynn rolls her eyes, picking up a water bottle and handing it to the Belladonna now on the ground.

“You’re still such a sore loser.” Lynn teases, and the hot feeling fades as Nakyoung laughs, embarrassed.

“Shut up…” She whined, and Lynn laughed, glancing around at the now empty arena.

“Man, people must think we’re psychopaths for training on the weekends.” Lynn muttered.

Nakyoung sits up, glancing as the younger girl sits down onto the bench. “Eh, who cares what they think?” Lynn hums, nodding in consideration. Nakyoung and Lynn had begun training together ever since Lynn joined the Academy – both having unlocked their Soulbornes at a young age, and both having unique polearms. That said, despite being a Weaponry expert in her own right, Nakyoung never had bested Lynn. Who could? Kawakami Lynn was unstoppable.

Still, Nakyoung watches as Lynn gulped down her water, and rolled her eyes.

“Careful, if you go too fast you’ll–” Lynn sputtered, and Nakyoung shook her head. “Aigoo…” She stood up, walking over patting Lynn’s back as the girl coughed and stood, before rubbing circles onto it as Lynn took another, slower gulp.

“Sorry,” she muttered, groaning, “Choked.” Nakyoung rolled her eyes, before tugging Lynn back down onto the bench, arm over the younger girl’s shoulders. Her eyes briefly flickered towards the orange bracelet on Lynn’s wrist, to the letter ‘M’ etched onto the lone black bead. Something crawled through her gut, and as she met Lynn’s wide eyes and soft giggle, she thought of the girl’s older sister.

Lynn knew what Nakyoung felt, and Nakyoung knew how much Lynn idolised her older sister, and yet, Nakyoung and her never argued. Perhaps because Nakyoung knew how much an older sister meant to someone, and perhaps because Lynn did too. Guilt began to slither up her spine, and Nakyoung plastered on a smile.

“Best of three?”

“You’re so on, Naky-unnie!”

=====

The weekend came and went, and soon, the students were back to trudging into Weaponry class, dressed in their beige combat uniforms. Seoyeon rolls her neck, having just escaped the cramped confines of the Linguistics class she shared with Sullim. The third-years also seemed to appear, dressed in their darker brown uniforms, and Seoyeon catches the blonde hair of Kim Nakyoung towards the front of the class.

Jinsoul smiles, cane hitting the ground as she stood before them. The air was practically buzzing, whispers turning to muted excitement as their professor stood before them, black armband and all.

“As you all know, today is the day you’ll begin sparring against each other. I personally believe it’s the best way to really get used to the feeling of a weapon, and to get used to fighting with the rush of adrenaline.” There are a few nods, and Seoyeon catches a glint in the professor’s eye. “But, there’s a twist.” There are confused whispers, and Jinsoul smacks her cane against the ground. “Each sparring session, we’ll switch weapons. Today, you’ll begin sparring with the wooden training swords.” Seoyeon feels herself smile – a sword was something she was comfortable with, used to, even.

A grave look comes across Jinsoul’s face, “I should warn you all, however – any shots towards the head and you’ll be punished immediately. The swords are also sharper than they look, so be careful. Any injuries will be reported immediately, no matter how small.” A smile slowly shifts onto Jinsoul’s face, “Don’t worry, though, if you do injure your partner. It’s going to happen, I just need to be aware of all of them, ‘kay?” There are a few nods, and Jinsoul whistles.

“Okay! One of my Fledglings, Ryujin, has a basket with names of everyone here. Whoever you draw is your sparring partner for this lesson. If you draw someone already in a pair, just throw it out and draw until you get someone new, alright?” There are some nods, and Jinsoul hums, “This does mean third and second-years might spar, but don’t let it scare you.” The older woman nods, “Alright, everyone step forward and get your names!”

Seoyeon sees the grin Nien flashes her, and catches Lynn giggling as she pairs up with a third-year, who actually appears somewhat intimidated. She sees a smaller second-year deflate as they’re paired up with a cocky third-year, and finally, Seoyeon draws her name. She wonders if she’ll get Jiwoo, or maybe Kaede, but instead, her eyes widen at the name as she walks away to let the person behind her draw.

Kim Nakyoung. She glances up, and meets Nakyoung’s eye. Seoyeon recalls Yooyeon’s cold eyes, and how these two seemed close (“Naky and Yooyeon-unnie are like, besties.” Lynn had told her after that class). Yet, she suppresses any of those doubts, and waves a hand. Nakyoung blinks, pointing to herself as Seoyeon nods. Nakyoung’s expression remains blank, before she smiles, walking over, wooden sword in hand.

“You’re going down, newbie.” She smiles, although not one of pure malice, and Seoyeon nods.

The two ready their stances, and it’s not long before Nakyoung makes the first move. Her sword swings towards Seoyeon’s side, and Seoyeon parries the hit, pushing back as Nakyoung jumps back, before swinging it again. Seoyeon blocks the hit, seeing the point of the blade directed at her shoulder. Nakyoung swings again, and Seoyeon manages to sidestep the blow, hearing the sword hit the ground.

Seoyeon takes the chance to jab Nakyoung's hip, and the girl backs away, although doesn’t fully evade the hit. The third-year winces, hand hovering around that spot, and she chuckles darkly. Nakyoung’s eyes narrow, and Seoyeon grows aware of the audience of students staring. She raises her sword, parrying Nakyoung’s next hit, before kicking the girl’s stomach, sending her back, and readies her stance again.

The two circle each other, before attacking again. Wood against wood, the clacking of their swords fills the arena, and murmurs fly around as Seoyeon and Nakyoung seem evenly matched. Nakyoung had skill and experience – but it was evident to Seoyeon that the older girl was not one to use a sword often, and whilst Seoyeon lacked experience, she had been mostly training with a sword under Heejin and Hyunjin, as it was a weapon both were experienced with.

Nakyoung’s style was full of flourishes, but Seoyeon was quick, reactive. She pushes Nakyoung back, and the two catch their breath. Nakyoung smiles, wide, evidently loving the challenge Seoyeon was giving her, and they’ve amassed a small crowd, including their own professor. Nakyoung gives a flick of her wrist, and readies to surge forth.

It’s then when Seoyeon feels… off, wrong.

It’s subtle at first, when a strange heat begins to simmer beneath her skin, leaving her sweaty. At first she writes it off as nothing but the effects of adrenaline. But as the fight goes on, she grows sluggish, her breath off by a half-beat, her arms leaden and aching, her mind spinning. The arena blurs and sways before her, and she blinks.

What the hell…?

She shakes her head, parrying another blow. Nakyoung lunges again, and Seoyeon barely manages to deflect, stumbling back on impact. Her vision blurs at the edges, and nausea curls in her stomach like smoke. Nakyoung chuckles. “Tired already? And here I thought we just started.”

She tries to regain her stance. Tries to ignore the way her pulse is pounding in her ears louder than before, how her fingers seem slower to respond, how her legs feel like they’re wading through dense mud. A chill prickles up her spine despite the heat in her limbs.

Seoyeon knows she has to end the fight, before she collapses for real, and can vaguely register Sohyun eyeing her with concern before Nakyoung rushes her again. Seoyeon side steps her, and aims a hit to her wrists. Nakyoung grunts, her sword knocked from her grasp, before Seoyeon sweeps her legs, and sends Nakyoung crashing into the ground below. She heaves, stepping away and dropping her sword as Nakyoung groaned.

“I win,” Seoyeon says, barely managing to keep her voice even as sweat collects on her forehead in thick droplets.

Nakyoung scowls. “Ugh, seriously?” The older girl throws her arm over her eyes and groans, and before Jinsoul can come in and end the fight, Nakyoung laughs. Springing up, she yells out, “Not so fast!” before picking up her sword and running towards Seoyeon with it raised.

Everything moves too fast – Nakyoung running at her (it’s then Seoyeon recalls Jinsoul’s remarks about Nakyoung’s short temper and sore loser status), the surprised gasps of everyone, the lights, the sounds… Seoyeon groans, her head in her hands as Nakyoung swings at Seoyeon’s stomach, the younger girl hitting the ground as Nakyoung panted, pointing the sword at Seoyeon.

There’s a screech in Seoyeon’s head, and she feels her stomach drop.

“In a real fight, you don’t walk away from–”

“Shut… up!” Seoyeon’s voice sounds almost animalistic, and shifts to a scream as pain flares up throughout her body. She screams again, dropping to her knees, arms wrapped around herself. Nakyoung jumps back, and there are other screams and whispers in the arena as Seoyeon clenches her eyes shut.

It doesn’t stop. The screaming doesn’t stop.

There are shouts from the sidelines, and Seoyeon writhes. Her heart races faster, her limbs twitching, her blood scorching as if the Phoenix inside her is clawing to get out. When she opens her eyes, she can see the amber flames burning wildly, in every direction, licking and coating her entire body. The ground crackles beneath her, and everyone stays back, around the edges of the arena.

When Seoyeon tries to raise her arm, the flames shoot outwards from the slightest movement, a blazing beam that leaves the other students shrieking and running away. Seoyeon blinks, and a broken sob leaves her, a scorching agony in every muscle, the Phoenix shrieking in her ears.

“They wish to harm you, harm us!” It roars, “Burn them, incinerate their souls, leave nothing but ashes in your wake, child!”

Seoyeon withdraws in on herself, the flames around her growing brighter, hotter, heat passing over the arena. No one says anything, and when Seoyeon meets eyes with their professor, she watches a hesitant look come over Jinsoul’s face.

The older woman extends her arm, and her Soulborne manifests in her grasp.

N-No… Seoyeon wants to say.

But no words come out, and she winces, readying for the shot to hit her. 

Chapter Text

There’s a loud bang.

Seoyeon’s head snaps up in Linguistics class, as does everyone else’s. Sullin lets out a confused hum, before another bang is heard, and their eyes widen. The sound of a yell alongside fists against flesh begin to ring in the air, and there’s a screeching of chairs as people rush to the windows. The professor belatedly tries getting everyone back in their seats, but the minute someone yells “It’s a fight!”, all hell breaks loose.

People rush to the classroom windows, Seoyeon herself included. She abandons her pen and water bottle at her desk, rushing to the window. People are still avoiding her like the plague, and thus people part, giving her a very clear view through the window. It’s a Marigold and a Camellia, two boys throwing fists at each other. Their professor gasps as they rush out the classroom, and Seoyeon can’t help but have her mouth wide open at the scene before her.

Sullin joins her side, an equally surprised look on her face. “Oh… oh wow…” she murmurs, and Seoyeon watches as the professor finally intervenes, and both boys straighten up as they’re scolded. A Linguistics Fledgling is told to escort the boys – second-years, from the sound of it – to the Headmaster’s office.

“Are they going to get expelled?” Seoyeon wonders, and Sullin shakes her head.

“Fights happened all the time last year,” she said, nudging Seoyeon’s arm, and Seoyeon glanced over, “They were bound to start up again sooner or later.” She shrugged, and Seoyeon watched the two boys be carried away. She frowned, and Sullin hummed as she stared at Seoyeon.

“Are you worried about them?” She asked, and when Seoyeon looks over, she’s met with an observant gaze.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Seoyeon mumbles, glancing over again, “They may be disruptive, but everyone fights. It’s not like it’s the end of the world or anything, kids will be kids.” Seoyeon mumbles, and Sullin nods.

The professor re-enters the classroom, reminding everyone to head back into their seats as they continued with the lesson.

When Seoyeon drank from her water bottle, her brow furrowed. It tasted a little… off, not foul or considerably worse, but just… off. Sullin shoots her a curious look, and Seoyeon shakes her head, not wanting to worry her friend over nothing.

=====

Seoyeon’s flames roared around her, her head pulsing with a fiery ache, as if a hot knife was embedded into her skull and behind her eyes. She watches Jinsoul raise her crossbow, and braces for the arrow to hit her, for it to pierce her chest and drop her dead. The Phoenix screeches in her mind, and Seoyeon keeps her hands wrapped around herself, refusing to accidentally hurt anyone.

“S-Stand back!” She yells, crying as the pain throbs in her skull, “P-Please, don’t get closer… I don’t…” An animalistic cry as Jiwoo calls out to Seoyeon, “I don’t want to hurt…” She whispers weakly, and she’s sure no one hears her.

She waits for it, for her vision to cut to black, for a hole to be in her chest. However, it never comes. “Seoyeon-unnie!” A familiar voice calls out, and Lynn surges forth. With her arm outstretched, her Soulborne manifests in her grasp.

“Lynn, don’t–” Someone says – Jiwoo? Seoyeon isn’t too sure.

“I’m not going to hurt her!” Lynn yells back, and slams her trident into the ground. Mist swirls around Lynn’s body, before she drags her trident upward, and a deluge of water rushes forth around Seoyeon’s body and flames, a whirlpool trapping her inside.

“They’ll kill us!” The Phoenix roars, and Seoyeon shakes her head. They wouldn’t, Lynn wouldn’t. The flames around Seoyeon are quelled by the flames, but the ones surrounding her body? They surge even hotter, boiling the water before it even makes contact, and Seoyeon cries out again.

Lynn watches as the flames grow and soar, and her eyes widen as they take an almost bird-like form above Seoyeon. The fiery construct screeches, wings spread, and Lynn watches as it remains undeterred by the growing whirlpool around itself and Seoyeon.

“Why… why isn’t–” Lynn wonders, and a familiar hand claps itself onto her shoulder. Lynn glances up, and is met with a familiar pair of sharp eyes. Sohyun offers Lynn a brief smile, before glancing before her. The whirlpool around Seoyeon swirls madly, a dark blue spinning tower of water, reflecting the blazing light from inside. They can all hear it now, the deafening screeches that persist within Seoyeon’s mind.

“So this is what she hears…” Sohyun murmured, and crosses her arms. She then glances between Lynn and Jinsoul, “The Phoenix’s fires are said to be inextinguishable by normal water,” she starts, “Nothing short of Divine Water, imbued with godly essence itself, could cool them down. Even then, it’s only a slight reprieve.”

“What do you suggest?” Jinsoul asks, and Sohyun glances down at Lynn, and for a moment, one of Sohyun’s eyes flickers. Her iris glows with an egyptian blue, with shimmering waves of black and a striking silver pupil. Her Odd Eye returns to normal, and Sohyun glances forth.

“Lynn, call forth a wave of Divine Water to subdue her flames, and just get me close, I–” Sohyun starts, and Jinsoul raises a hand.

“I don’t know if it’s safe for me to allow a student–” Jinsoul starts, but Seoyeon screams, her flames roaring and Sohyun shoots Jinsoul a look.

“We don’t have much choice. Just get me close, I think… I know I can calm her down.” Jinsoul eyes Sohyun warily, before giving a sigh and nodding. Sohyun thanks Jinsoul, and glances towards Lynn. The younger girl offers a slight smile, and Sohyun knows Lynn is ready.

Lynn raises her Soulborne again, and slams it back into the earth as the ground beneath her cracks. The cracks run along the ground in a line, before breaking off and encircling Seoyeon and the whirlpool. The whirlpool begins to fade, and soon, the cracks on the ground glow a faint pale blue. Water bursts along the cracks and surrounding Seoyeon, like geysers shooting into the air.

The water isn’t the deep and dark colour of the depths of the ocean – but brighter lighter. It carries an aquamarine colour, and glows, light shimmering along the water, iridescent waves of colour as it rushes around Seoyeon. The combined light is almost too much, as seafoam and mist swirl around Lynn. When Sohyun glances over, she watches the very tips and ends of Lynn’s hair glow a pale blue, before flicking away. The Shark has consumed what it needs.

It isn’t too much, and when Seoyeon glances ahead, she watches the Divine Waters quell and cool Seoyeon’s flames with a hiss, yet no steam or smoke is produced. Sohyun then quietly lets out a breath, before rushing forth. Seoyeon’s eyes widen, and she doesn’t get a chance to yell at Sohyun to move, before Sohyun kneels before Seoyeon’s writhing form. She places a hand to Seoyeon’s heart, and raises her other hand to put her thumb between Seoyeon’s brows.

“Seoyeon…” Sohyun says, and the words reverberate through her mind much like the screams of the Phoenix. When Seoyeon opens her eyes, she catches how the remaining flickers of her fire swirl around them akin to an orange and wild vortex, yet Sohyun’s skin is cool to the touch.

“She’ll hurt you,” The Phoenix tries to screech, yet its voice remains subdued. “She’ll–”

“I’ll do no such thing.” Sohyun says again, and this time, her mouth doesn’t move as she speaks. Her Odd Eye is flashing before Seoyeon, “No one here seeks to harm Seoyeon, and a training match is nothing to incur a God’s wrath, so why are you angry?” Sohyun asks The Phoenix, and Seoyeon wonders how Sohyun could even speak to a god so easily.

“Her body isn’t well, something is amiss. Something has entered her body, not something mystical.” The Phoenix’s voice grows quieter in Seoyeon’s mind, and Sohyun frowns.

“You were poisoned…” She mutters, and Seoyeon’s eyes widen. Tears stream down her face as her pain lessens with each passing second. Soon, the flames flicker away, and Seoyeon feels the weakness hit her hard. She feels tired, exhausted, and the water around them dissipates.

Seoyeon can’t take it any further, and collapses into Sohyun’s arms. Sohyun wraps Seoyeon into a hug, a tight one, and Seoyeon lets out a broken sob against Sohyun’s chest. They don’t move, and eventually, Seoyeon grows still before passing out in Sohyun’s hold.

The Third-Year glances up at Jinsoul, and nods. Nakyoung eyes the pair of them warily, and Sohyun looks away. She doesn’t have the energy to deal with her, not right now.

“She–” Sohyun starts, and someone else yells.

“She nearly killed us!” A girl squeaks as Sohyun scoffs. More offended murmurs ring around the arena, and Nakyoung makes a point to not even speak at all.

“Did she now?” Jiwoo demands, glaring at Nakyoung, “It seems more like someone couldn’t take losing in a fucking spar. Aren’t you supposed to be a Third-Year? Why the hell are you losing your cool like that?!” Jiwoo said, and Nien and Kaede are both quick to hold her back from rushing at Nakyoung.

Sohyun watches the grip on Nakyoung’s wooden sword tighten, and she meets Jiwoo’s glare. “Your friend nearly burned me – maybe I lost my cool, but is that a fair reaction? If she can’t control her magic, then maybe she ought to sit things out!” She stepped forth, and Lynn stands between her and Jiwoo, eyes moving between her two friends.

The arguments continue, as do the yells from everyone, and Sohyun glances down at Seoyeon, and bites the inside of her cheek. There’s a coppery taste to her mouth, and finally, she shouts. “That’s enough!” All eyes snap to her, and she picks Seoyeon up, carrying her in her arms, bridal style.

Seoyeon’s head rests against Sohyun’s chest, and the third-year is scowling. “If any of you had reacted how a Mage should, you would’ve asked me for what happened,” her voice boomed across the arena, and Jinsoul walked over slowly, taking Sohyun’s side. “She was poisoned.” Sohyun says, and there’s surprised murmurs and gasps.

Jinsoul puts a hand on Sohyun’s shoulder. “Are you sure?” Sohyun nods, and there’s a frown on Jinsoul’s face.

Jinsoul turns to the group gathered in the arena, her expression darkening as she processes the implications. “This will be reported to Headmaster Heejin immediately,” she says firmly. “We don’t take an act like this lightly.” She strikes her cane on the ground, and there’s a ripple of unease among the students. Some exchange nervous glances, others avert their eyes.

The heat of the argument between Jiwoo and Nakyoung fades beneath the weight of Jinsoul’s words.

“Poisoning a Mage before a spar?” Nakyoung mutters, more to herself, as some surrounding eyes fall to her. “That’s not just reckless – that’s deliberate sabotage. But… why?” She wonders, and Jiwoo only scoffs.

“Don’t pretend you care.” Jiwoo mutters, and Nakyoung offers a weak glare in return, before her eyes turn back to Sohyun.

Sohyun adjusts Seoyeon’s weight in her arms and starts to walk. “She needs to be taken to the infirmary,” she says quietly. “The Divine Water soothed the immediate damage, but if there’s poison in her system, enough to cause her magic to awaken so violently, she’ll need more than magic.” Jinsoul nods, pressing a hand to Seoyeon’s head.

“An Elder is said to make their hosts immortal, able to recover from grievous injury like it’s nothing…” she hums, “Still, it’s worth taking her there just in case.” Jinsoul sighs, “Okay – Kawakami,” Lynn looks up, “You go with Sohyun, the rest of you will stay here,” There are a few murmurs, and Jinsoul sighs, leaning on her cane, “At the moment, everyone here is a suspect until proven otherwise. I’ll inform the Headmaster, and we’ll begin resolving this issue effective immediately.”

Sohyun nods and carries Seoyeon towards the exit as Lynn trails behind silently, gripping her trident with white knuckles. Jiwoo walks over and leans her back against a wall, her hands balled into fists, and a fire brewing behind her eyes. Nien and Kaede cast a final glance at Nakyoung, who remains frozen in place, her mouth slightly open like she’s unsure what to say as she watches Seoyeon leave, something apologetic in her eyes.

As they exit the training arena, murmurs erupt again, but no one dares raise their voice this time. Jinsoul stays behind, her eyes scanning every face, her mind already calculating what needs to be done – who to question, what trails to follow.

All the while, as Sohyun steps into the corridor, carrying Seoyeon carefully, her mind races – not with fear, but fury. Lynn walks beside her, and casts a glance to Seoyeon in Sohyun’s arms. Sohyun lets out a quiet sigh, and her eyes fall to Seoyeon’s face. Someone had dared harm her. Someone had crossed a line.

How was she to let that stand?

=====

By the time Jinsoul steps into Heejin’s office, the room is in utter pandemonium. There’s sharp barbed words, accusations being tossed around like daggers, and at the centre of the room, Heejin sighs, hands clasped together and her head lowered, shadows cloaking her face and dark circles underneath her eyes. Her eyes tiredly glance around the room, people divided and falling to one side of the room or the other.

Heejin acknowledges the Weaponry Professor with a nod, and Jinsoul smiles in return, before jumping slightly as one professor loudly barks.

“She’s a danger!” One yells, a Mathematics Professor, Jinsoul notes. “She nearly immolated the entire arena and students! I don’t care what happened, someone like that should not be on our grounds.” He seethed, and Jinsoul’s eyes moved to Hyunjin, who scoffed in return.

“We have rumours of her being poisoned,” The strategy master cuts in, “Are we blaming her for falling victim to an attack on our own grounds?” There’s a disbelieving laugh, and Hyunjin glares at the opposing Professor.

“Is she a child? How well did you train that girl? Most students wouldn’t lose control so easily like that.” A Linguistics Professor sneered as Hyunjin crossed her arms, a scowl hanging off her face. “Her execution was postponed once, perhaps that was a mistake.” There’s murmurs of agreement, and Jinsoul feels something hot burn in her chest. Before she can speak, the Combat Master Siyeon speaks up.

“I think you’ll find she is a child,” Siyeon’s glare is cold, paralysing, “Execution…” she lets out a dry ghost of a laugh, “Do you even hear yourself? A student was possibly poisoned, and you want us to, what, punish the victim and not the perpetrator?” Silence fell over the room, and Jinsoul watched the fiery and enraged stares of the other professors towards Siyeon. Before one of them could speak back, Heejin’s voice cut in, deep and overpowering.

“Enough,” She stood from her desk, hands resting atop it, “You are all trained Mages and yet you’re squabbling like children,” Jinsoul watched as the professors all shrank slightly, shoulders hunching and heads lowering, save for Siyeon and Hyunjin. Heejin’s eyes fell to the Linguistics Professor. Her eyes darted to Hyunjin, to the ring on her finger, and back to the Linguistics Professor. The Headmistress’s eyes narrowed.

“May I remind you all that it was not just Hyunjin who took Seoyeon in, I did as well,” Heejin crossed her arms, and Jinsoul felt a chill pass over the room. “I do certainly hope some of you aren’t beginning to question my leadership…” Several professors squeaked before shaking their heads. Heejin sighed, massaging the bridge of her nose, “This situation…” She shook her head, sitting back down.

A tense silence fell over the room, Jinsoul’s own grip on her cane tightening, and a hand was raised as another professor – a man of small stature and frail frame – spoke up. His yellow strategy armband caught the light as he cleared his throat, “I do hope I’m not overstepping, but…” He offered an apologetic glance towards Hyunjin, who simply nodded, “We don’t exactly have much evidence beyond the word of another student. We need something more objective and conclusive if–”

The door swung open, and all eyes fell to the new intruder. A shimmering pink cloak and cotton candy pink hair caught their eyes, along with the dopey smile on Vivi’s face. She opened her eyes, glancing around the room, a glass bottle in her hand, marked with Seoyeon’s name. “Oh my…” she murmured, frowning softly, “This isn’t my garden… my apologies…” She hummed, turning to leave, but Jinsoul clicked her cane on the ground.

“Wait, Vivi,” The Theology Professor stopped, turning around and humming as Jinsoul slowly paced over, and eyes fell on the pair of them as she gestured to the bottle in Vivi’s hand, “What’s that?” She asked, and Vivi hummed, stepping further into the room. A blackish-green substance, wet and powdery, had collected at the bottom of it, and she smiled.

“Devilroot,” she smiled, “Ground up and aged. It’s a rare find these days, I might be able to cultivate a new batch with this alone.” She sang, smiling, and the air fell quiet once again, confused murmurs spreading across the room as Heejin knocked against her desk. Vivi’s head turned, smiling as she walked over.

“Heejin!” She beamed, “Isn’t this lovely? What are you doing here?” She asked, not even objecting as Heejin took the bottle from Vivi’s grasp, examining it, before handing it over to Seulgi.

“This… is my office.” She smiled awkwardly, and Vivi nodded with an amazed gasp, muttering something about ‘Heejin finally being promoted’. Seulgi let out a gasp, and all eyes fell to her.

“This… this is Devilroot…” When she glanced up, she cleared her throat, “Devilroot has similar properties to Angelwood leaves – it puts the consumer in an elevated spiritual state that lets them communicate with the divine. The catch is it’s far more potent and risky, and often used in cult-like rituals.” Jinsoul feels the tension in her chest at those words, and Heejin lets out a drawn-out sigh.

“In essence… this wasn’t a mistake or Seoyeon just losing control – this was a deliberate attempt to set her up, feeding her something that would disrupt her connection to the Phoenix and risking the lives of everyone.” The room fell quiet at that, and Hyunjin and Siyeon couldn’t help but cast vicious glares towards the other side of the room.

Seulgi gently shook the bottle, letting the flecks of residue roll along the glass as her gaze sharpened.

“And based on how it’s settled,” she added, “This wasn’t fresh. The colour’s off – notice the small brown specks and increase in black colouring? This Devilroot was brewed at least an hour before ingestion, having more than enough time to react to all the water, meaning–” Seulgi started, and Jinsoul finished her statement.

“It was planted into her drink way before the match,” She murmured, shifting her weight onto her cane, “This also clears anyone in the Weaponry class who doesn’t share earlier classes with Seoyeon.” In other words, Kim Nakyoung was entirely in the clear, and Jinsoul remembers the girl’s lost and scared eyes as Seoyeon was carried out, and a pang of sympathy hits her.

“This matter must be resolved immediately,” Heejin said, crossing her arms, thinking, “We’ll put out a statement, signed by me and all the Masters. We name the Devilroot. We name the poisoning. We publicly clear Seoyeon of any wrongdoing.” Her lips pressed into a thin line. “If that risks our reputations, so be it. We already failed a student once, we won’t do it again.” No one dares argue with Heejin, and she continues.

“The Linguistics professors will carry out an internal investigation, and I want Seulgi and the other Herbology Professors to see if we can trace the Devilroot’s origin,” she glances over as Seulgi nods, “The ingredient is rare, foreign – there has to have been some sort of import of it where a student got their hands on it.” There are more nods, and Heejin sighs, leaning into her chair.

“Keep the specifics of the investigation a secret – we can clear Seoyeon’s name, but the culprit will already be trying to hide their tracks once they know we’re after them. Do not tell this information to any of your Fledglings. That is all.” There’s nods, and the Professors quietly filter out of Heejin’s office, and she glances over at Seulgi, to the bottle. She stands, walking over.

“Do you think you could take out the Devilroot and give me the bottle?” She asks, and Seulgi gives her a curious look, “I… I want to give it to Seoyeon, and to apologise to her.” Seulgi’s eyes soften, and she nods. Heejin’s eyes fall to the lettering on Seoyeon’s bottle, and her chest squeezes.

Haseul… I’m not doing a great job, am I? I’m sorry.

=====

The first thing Seoyeon registers is the silence.

Not in the room – she can hear the lull of quiet conversation as her ears adjust to the surroundings, recognising one of the voices as Lynn and the other as Sohyun. The silence instead sits in Seoyeon’s mind, because whilst the Phoenix may not be constantly screeching in the crevices of Seoyeon’s psyche, there’s always a quiet hum in her skull, like the quiet flickering of fire as it licks the air.

She opens her eyes, and the rest of her body begins to wake up as light bleeds into her vision. It’s blurry and unfocused at first, but as she lets out a soft groan, she notes how her body feels incredibly cool, a different sensation entirely from the scorching pain that shot through her body earlier. Her vision slowly focuses, and she’s greeted by Sohyun’s neutral expression and Lynn’s smile.

“Seoyeon-unnie!” She cheers as Seoyeon sits up, feeling the mattress of a bed beneath her. Lynn springs up from the chair she was sitting in, and is quickly grabbed by the collar of her shirt, making a noise as she looked back at Sohyun. She pouts, and Sohyun shakes her head.

“She just woke up, you need to give her some space.” She chastises with a soft smile, and Seoyeon feels something warm in her chest at seeing the pair interact. Her eyes fall to Sohyun’s arm, and they widen. She had never seen the girl’s arms up until that point, always hidden behind the sleeves of a uniform, but as she reached for Lynn, Seoyeon catches a glimpse of white bandages. They’re wrapped tightly, and Seoyeon guesses they run all the way up the length of her arms.

Sohyun let’s go of Lynn, and readjusts her sleeves. “It’s okay,” Seoyeon says, eyes falling back to Lynn, “I could use a hug.” Lynn beams at that, and is quick to collide with Seoyeon, wrapping her arms tightly around the older girl, and Seoyeon is quick to reciprocate.

“I was so worried…” she hears the younger girl murmur before sniffling, “They said you were poisoned by this rare root from the mountains…” When Seoyeon glances up at Sohyun, the older girl’s arms now crossed, she nods.

“Devilroot.” She mentions, and Seoyeon feels a shudder run down her spine. “They’re carrying out an investigation soon – technically, we shouldn’t know about this, but we overheard the nurse mentioning it to Master Hyunjin.” Seoyeon nods, and sighs as she glances around.

The infirmary is a far cry from the cold and sterile environment she imagined – instead of whites or greys and harsh lighting, she feels the soft heat of the sun on her back, a large window cast behind her, letting the warm glow of the day seep into the room, falling across every corner of the room, across the pale, honey-hued timber that composed everything – the floors, the walls, even the rafters above. felt more like a countryside retreat than a medical wing of an academy.

Lined up along the windows are low cots, each with soft linen cushions and simple wool blankets, soft to the touch. There was a herbal scent in the air, emanating from the shelves lining the walls, each containing an assortment of different materials and potions. Seoyeon thinks she could stay here all day, although she doubts that’s the case as a nurse walks over to her.

“Well, Miss Seoyeon,” the nurse starts, a smile on her face, “You’ll be happy to know we found know remaining traces of Devilroot in your system.”

Seoyeon smiles, and notices Sohyun nodding. “Elders are said to render their hosts unkillable, it’s interesting to see that proven.” Sohyun mumbles, and the nurse casts a glance at Sohyun’s armband, an indicator she’s a History Fledgling. Seoyeon notices it too, and finds herself tilting her head.

“You study the Elders?” Sohyun’s head perks up, and she nods.

“I think they’re an interesting piece of folklore and history people forget, I guess it’s all just so interesting to me.” She chuckles, and Lynn nods, pulling away from Seoyeon and sitting back into her chair at her bedside.

The nurse then claps, “I’d still recommend you rest up here for a little longer before heading back to your classes or dorm – even if you’re healed, it’s evident your body is exhausted and you’re low on Mana, both easily fixed with just some more sleep.” Seoyeon nods, and Lynn taps her shoulder.

“The Headmistress put out a statement earlier – it’s all over the bulletins.” Lynn said, and Seoyeon’s brow furrowed.

Sohyun continued Lynn’s words, “You’ve been cleared – everyone knows you were poisoned, and that you didn’t just lose control.”

The nurse then sighs, “How did someone even get Devilroot onto the grounds in the first place? It’s… concerning, to say the least.” She sighed, before letting her hands clasp before her lap, “Well, I do have some things to attend to, so I’ll leave you girls alone for now.” The three girls nod as the nurse hums, disappearing into the back as Seoyeon rolls her shoulders. There’s a dull and stiff ache in them, and Lynn notices it.

A smile comes across her features as she places a hand onto Seoyeon’s shoulder, her Odd Eyes flashing before a calming sensation runs through her body. Seoyeon feels herself relax into the bed beneath her, a low hum in her chest and throat as her stiffness is soothed and fades.

“A little healing technique I picked up,” Lynn comments, retracting her hand as Seoyeon shoots her a thankful smile, “Best part about having two Odd Eyes is I can do all sorts to help people.” Seoyeon nods, and her eyes briefly dart to Lynn’s hair, and her brow furrows. Wasn’t it a little longer earlier? Seoyeon recalls the water Lynn had summoned, and recalls Lynn’s comments about the Shark, and feels something akin to guilt writhe in her stomach.

She hides it behind a smile, and glances at Sohyun. “Thanks, by the way,” her eyes flicker to Lynn, “Both of you. If you hadn’t stepped in… I don’t know what could’ve happened.” The other pair nod, and Seoyeon’s eyes return to Sohyun. She recalls hearing Sohyun’s voice in her mind, much like how she would the Phoenix, and a question begins to form in her mind.

“By the way… how did you speak to the Phoenix like that?” Seoyeon asks, and Sohyun, despite all her previous composure, freezes. Something unreadable crosses her eyes, and her brow furrows as her lips part, as if she’s finding the right words. Lynn’s expression softens into a light frown, and she places a supportive hand on Sohyun’s wrist.

“Well… you see… I–”

“Is this a good time?” A voice asks, fairly loudly, as a familiar blonde waltzes into the infirmary. Sohyun straightens up, and glances at the intruder whilst Lynn only smiles brighter.

“Naky-unnie!” She flings herself towards the older girl, a blur of beige as she’s still wearing her training kit. Nakyoung herself is back to her usual attire, and Seoyeon spots the splash of purple from the inner lining of the Belladonna robes hanging off her figure.

Nakyoung giggles and is quick to return the hug, patting Lynn on the back as she gently pulls away from the younger girl, lightly nudging her to the side as she stands before Seoyeon’s bed.

Seoyeon’s expression is neutral, and Nakyoung is acutely aware of Sohyun’s lingering stare, almost protective, and something squirms in Nakyoung’s stomach. Her eyes then settle on Seoyeon, and Nakyoung finds her hands wringing in front of her lap as she sighs.

“I came to check on you,” the older girl starts, stepping closer to the bed. “And… to apologise.”

Seoyeon straightens slightly, watching her. Nakyoung’s voice is quieter now, more careful. “I lost my cool… I know you were poisoned, but that doesn’t mean I was completely blameless. If I hadn’t been such a sore loser…” Nakyoung lets out a shaky breath, frustration spilling from her lips with one exhale, “Then things wouldn’t have escalated to the scale they did.” She bows slightly, and Seoyeon feels something stir in her chest at the genuine tone Nakyoung spoke with.

“I’m sorry.” Sohyun finds herself glancing away, and Lynn murmurs something quietly, eyes wide and sad at Nakyoung’s words. Seoyeon waits a beat, and hums with a nod.

“It’s alright,” Seoyeon says, shrugging. “I forgive you.” Nakyoung freezes, blinks, and then straightens up. Once she does, she’s met with Seoyeon’s smile, almost a little cheeky.

“I… just like that?” Nakyoung wonders, and Seoyeon nods.

“I was poisoned – that wasn’t either of our faults. You did provoke me, but you nearly got incinerated,” she shrugs with a smile, tone light and humorous. “I’d say we’re more than even anyway. I was actually planning to say sorry to you, over nearly… you know…” she frowns, and Nakyoung shakes her head.

“Anyone would lose control in a situation like that,” Nakyoung shrugs, a smile now on her own lips, eyes twinkling, “I don’t hold it against you, especially knowing what actually happened.” Seoyeon nods, before sighing.

“You know, I was kinda looking forward to fighting a third-year for the first time.” Seoyeon half-pouts, “Shame it all got messed up…” her eyes returned to Nakyoung, a little hopeful, “If you’re not put off, I wouldn’t mind maybe sparring again some time soon?” Nakyoung’s eyes light up at that, and she can’t help the soft giggle that leaves her.

“You know what… sure,” she shrugs, nodding, “I don’t mind a rematch – just, be warned, I am a sore loser.” She gives a bashful grin, and there’s a quiet amused hum from Sohyun that Seoyeon is sure only she heard.

Seoyeon grins, “Well, so long as I’m not poisoned, I should be fine.” Nakyoung lets herself laugh at that, and Seoyeon begins to move from the bed. When Sohyun gives her a startled look, Seoyeon shrugs, “I’d rather sleep in my bed than here, if I’m honest.” She says, also giving Lynn a quick look as Lynn nods.

“Let me walk you,” Nakyoung says, tilting her head slightly, “It’s the least I can do.” Seoyeon nods, getting to her feet as Nakyoung smiles. Seoyeon begins collecting her things, and as Nakyoung and Lynn talk in the background, Sohyun approaches her.

“You know,” she starts, “You’re surprisingly gracious.” When Seoyeon meets the older girl’s eyes, she sees an observant look, much like the one Sullin wore, and Seoyeon wonders if all Wisterias look at people like that. Seoyeon smiles.

“What’s the harm in greeting people with grace?”

=====

The previous cacophony of noise that had ripped through the air is long gone, replaced with a quiet stillness as Heejin sighs, hands clasped and propped up on her desk, her forehead against them. There’s a tension crawling through the front of her skull, and she doesn’t even hear her door gently opening, the yellow light of the hallway spilling into the room, only for it to close, the dark blue shadows blanketing the office once more.

A familiar scent invades her senses as a pair of arms drape over her shoulders, and Heejin finds herself relaxing, shoulders loosening as a soft kiss is placed against the side of her head. “Love…” Hyunjin murmurs, and Heejin sighs.

“Sorry, love…” Heejin replies, and Hyunjin sits herself on the armrest of the Headmistress’s chair, and Heejin buries her face against Hyunjin’s neck, a low hum vibrating against the Strategy Master’s skin. Hyunjin strokes Heejin’s head, and lets her other arm loosely hang over Heejin’s shoulders.

“I could sense the headache brewing from down the hall,” Hyunjin chuckled, running her fingers through the strands of Heejin’s hair. She glanced down, sighing, “How are you holding up? After the scare earlier today?” Heejin stays silent for a few seconds longer, and Hyunjin feels the woman shift, before feeling two arms wrap around her midsection. She feels Heejin press herself further against Hyunjin, practically melting and fusing against her.

“We could’ve lost her…” A bitter and sad frustration cracks Heejin’s voice, and Hyunjin glances up, around the darkness of the room. “How did someone do that? Sneak Devilroot onto our grounds, onto our Academy, and poison Haseul’s…” Heejin sighs, and Hyunjin pets her head, “...Our Seoyeon.” There’s something that squeezes in Hyunjin’s chest at the statement, and she shakes her head, looking back down.

“Why did they do it?” She mutters, “Set her up like that? So people trusted her even less than they already did? To hurt her, kill her?” Heejin sighs again, and Hyunjin frowns. Heejin pulls away slightly, and glances up, meeting Hyunjin’s dark and soft eyes.

Hyunjin shrugged, a sad smile now on her lips, “I suppose the why is always the hard part to answer.” Heejin shook her head, and Hyunjin pulled her head back to resting against her.

There’s a long silence before Heejin finally murmurs, “We got a report earlier. I almost missed it, what with Seoyeon’s incident and all the paperwork recently, but Hyeju and the rest of her group reported in – they found movement,” Hyunjin furrows her brow, and Heejin continues after a few seconds of silence, “From the Mobius Cult.”

At that, Hyunjin stills. Her jaw tightens just slightly, and she feels an almost burning gash across her back from the words alone, memories of her early career as a Mage spilling forth. “…It’s the first we’ve heard of them in months, especially after Haseul’s disappearance.”

Heejin nods. “You’d think the cult who was Haseul’s longest standing enemy would’ve exploded in activity after she disappeared, but they became ghosts,” Heejin felt Hyunjin’s arm tighten around her, “Not a word from them, but they’re still there… and it had me thinking, about Haseul and her long-standing quest to get rid of them.” When Heejin paused, she looked up again, and was met with her wife’s inquisitive stare.

“Haseul was the strongest Mage in history – and she just disappears one day, poof, like that,” Heejin glances off to the side, to her desk, to the title written on the plaque. “No one disappears just like that, not when you’re as powerful as her, and certainly not in the middle of such a major investigation into cult activity.” The gears turn in Hyunjin’s head, and her eyes widen.

“You think they were linked.”

Heejin nods, firm, a dull fire behind her eyes, “I’d bet everything we own on it,” Heejin gently escapes Hyunjin’s embrace, before stepping off the chair and beginning to pace around the dark room.

Hyunjin watches her wife move in measured steps, hands fidgeting and restless, very unlike the seemingly put together headmistress she posed as. Hyunjin frowns, crossing her arms, “If they are linked… if the Mobius cult had a hand in her disappearance…” she trails off, the thought alone heavy enough to finish the sentence. She leans forward, elbows on her knees, hands clasped.

“It means they might finally be moving to their ‘end game’, to create their age of darkness, the one they kept talking about whenever we caught some of their members…” Heejin groaned, massaging the bridge of her nose, “It was Haseul’s job to learn what all their talks and prophecies actually mean but…” The Headmistress shakes her head, and Hyunjin pads across the room.

When she reaches Heejin, she places a hand on her wife’s shoulder. Heejin relaxes, but Hyunjin can sense a change in her facial expression, even in the dark. Her body tenses, and she lets out a fast sigh, “What… what if it has something to do with the kids Haseul told us about?”

Hyunjin’s eyes widened, before darting to Heejin’s desk. She knows it’s there, in the drawer, a letter in a pink envelope, addressed to Heejin. At first, it seemed nothing more than a basic letter about mundane life, but after decoding it, they saw the hidden message. What Haseul had really been telling them to do.

“We haven’t found anyone with the names ‘Joobin’ or ‘Seoah’ of note or in any missing person’s reports,” Hyunjin murmured. “If we knew what they looked like, it’d be easier, but…”

Heejin sighed, frustrated, “Haseul never showed us their faces, only telling us their names right before she disappeared,” The Headmistress shook her head, “For all we know, those names could be fake code names the cult gave them. Who knows who they really are.”

Hyunjin’s eyes settle on her wife – on how even in the black of the shadows in the room, she can spot the dark circles, the tired eyes, the way her shoulders would slouch. The Strategy master shifts, facing Heejin and cupping her face. “Then we’ll find them. But not tonight,” Heejin hesitates, but Hyunjin’s hands are grounding. Her voice is low but firm. “You need sleep. You’ve been burning through your own mana just to stay awake. When did you last get some rest, darling?”

“I can’t–” Heejin starts, but Hyunjin cuts her off with a soft kiss to her nose, one that shuts Heejin up and has her turning pink.

“You can. You just won’t. But that’s why you have me.” Her tone softens further, and she presses their foreheads together. “Come on. Just a few hours.”

The fight drains from Heejin’s shoulders, and slowly, she wraps her arms around Hyunjin’s waist. “Alright,” she exhales. “A few.”

Hyunjin smiles, pulling away and linking their fingers together as she guided Heejin toward the couch in the corner of the office. It laid buried beneath old books and maps, and was put there when Hyunjin had demanded Heejin have somewhere comfortable to rest if she was never going to leave the damned room. She brushes the books and other scattered items aside with ease, patting the cushion beside her, throwing off her cloak.

“Come rest, Heejin,” she says gently, as Heejin finally sits and lets her head fall against her wife’s shoulder. “We still have time. We just have to be ready when they show themselves again.”

Heejin’s eyes flutter shut, and she rests her weight against her wife. Hyunjin’s eyes fall upon the window, on the deep blue of the night sky, dotted with white specks and stars as a full moon hangs in the sky. Exams for students were coming up, and perhaps it was better for Heejin to worry about that than cult activity.

Still, Hyunjin was lying if she said she too wasn’t concerned, and a cult resurfacing around the same time as Seoyeon was poisoned, felt too far from a coincidence.

=====

As the week had gone on, one thing had become all too evident.

Exams were finally nearing. “This is insanity.” Seoyeon groaned, the bag at her side feeling heavy with books and lists of recommended reading, notes she’d made of what to expect from each exam or how different subjects might decide to test their students. She trudges towards Vivi’s classroom, Nien laughing at her side as she patted the blonde’s back.

The pink-haired girl beamed, “Aw, come on Seoyeon,” she laughed, and Seoyeon sighed, “You’re finally suffering with the rest of us in this academic hell, you truly are a student Mage!” Her smile is bright, as it always is, and Seoyeon rolls her eyes, the smile on her lips betraying her.

“When I finally got magic, I thought I’d be casting spells and killing monsters, not trying to guess if History class will ask about ‘The Second Emergence’ or ‘The Conflict of the Orbiting Islands’.” Seoyeon hears a sigh beside her, and spots Lynn, arms crossed.

“‘You’ll be put with the second-years,’ they said,” she grumbles, “‘It’ll be fun and enriching’, they said. Now I have to know whether or not you add ginger to a health boosting tonic or not…” Lynn crosses her arms, clearly not happy with whatever just happened in her Herbology and Potions class.

“You do,” Seoyeon points out, “For the record.”

Lynn huffs, nudging Seoyeon, “We get it, you’re an expert at the subject and all of us should bow before Seoyeon…” Seoyeon laughs as Lynn pouts, linking arms with the older girl. “On that note, your notes might be the only thing that can save me from that class…” She mumbles, shooting a side-glance, somewhat hopeful, and Seoyeon rolls her eyes but nods.

Lynn cheers, and soon, Jiwoo and Dahyun join their sides as they enter the Magic and Theological Studies classroom, Vivi being early for once, standing at the blackboard and humming a quiet song to herself. Students slowly filter into the classroom, everyone taking their seats as their professor sighs, chalk in her fingers. The word ‘EXAM’ is written across the entire board, and when Vivi turns around, the students are startled.

For once, she doesn’t look dazed, doesn’t carry herself like she’s lost in another world. There’s something sharp to her gaze, and she starts, “I’m not planning to put you through studying for some written test, learning and cramming information across multiple nights only to forget it all once your paper is handed in. Instead, all I ask for your grades is one essay.”

There are a few quiet murmurs, and Vivi shrugs. Her voice is still gentle, yet more solid, a firm grasp on all her words, a certainty no one is used to. Seoyeon catches the look in her eyes – not glassy, not clouded. Clear. “You have free reign to write about any topic so long as you can link it back to Magic and Theology. Bonus points if you’re creative, or cover something no one else will.” The chalk in Vivi’s hand fades into a puff of white smoke as it vanishes.

“You can use the rest of this hour to roam around and get inspiration, or fall behind, your choice. You have until the Emberlight Festival to hand it in. That’s all.” Like that, Vivi turns around and walks towards the blackboard, and the class watches as it ripples and shakes, like water rather than a solid wall, and she disappears into it. The wall returns to normal, and Nien gives an impressed whistle.

Much like what Seoyeon predicted, her classmates don’t waste time in leaving the room, already laughing and chatting amongst themselves. She finds herself still seated, as are Nien, Jiwoo, Lynn and Dahyun. Dahyun walks over, pulling up a chair opposite Seoyeon’s desk, her dark brown and reddish hair fluttering with the breeze slipping in from the open window, and Jiwoo sits atop a nearby desk, Lynn standing beside her.

Seoyeon opens her notebook, her pen still in her fingers. “Do you guys want to try coming up with ideas?” There’s a chorus of agreeable hums, and Lynn shrugs.

“Might as well,” she mutters, “If we don’t have any ideas I might ask my sister Mayu,” at a few of the curious looks, Lynn smiles, “Apparently, she’s ran into Professor Vivi a few times whenever she’s foraging for plants for her classes. From what I heard, she’s one of the few students Vivi actually recognises and speaks to consistently.” The others nod.

“Not a bad idea… maybe she’d have a better idea of what Vivi would like?” Dahyun suggests, and Seoyeon hums.

“We should still try to think of something on our own first,” she decides, and at that, ideas start being tossed around. “Maybe something about how prayers and magic have evolved over time?” Jiwoo gives an uncertain look, before elaborating.

“It’s a pretty basic idea, the kind everyone thinks of at first – didn’t she say something about points for creativity?” The others nod, and then Dahyun hums.

“Maybe something about the application of healing spells and how much more common they are now?” She sounds excited, eyes sparkling, and Seoyeon gives an uneasy smile.

“It’s a good idea for you, something personal you know a lot about, but…” The blonde starts, before Jiwoo then claps a hand on Seoyeon’s shoulder.

“What unnie is trying to say is it’s a great idea for you, since you’re an Augur and probably know a lot about healing magic, but not for the rest of us.” Jiwoo smiles and Dahyun sighs.

“You’re right… sorry guys.” She frowns, and Seoyeon is quick to take her hand and give a reassuring squeeze.

“Hey, at least you have something to write about!” Seoyeon smiles, and Dahyun’s frown slowly curls into a smile, her gaze warmer as Seoyeon picks up her pen again, staring down at the words on her page so far as if they’ve betrayed her, “Just means the rest of us have to think harder…”

There’s a noise, a shift in the air as they glance over. The wall shimmers as Vivi steps through it, cotton candy pink hair dancing with the breeze from the open window as she steps over. Her eyes still carry that same look as she approaches their desk, but a gentle smile rests on her lips as she meets Seoyeon’s eyes.

“Why not the Elders? You’re already quite linked to them,” she said, and Seoyeon could hear the quiet cry of the Phoenix, a whisper in her mind, “Maybe it’ll do you some good to learn more about them.”

Seoyeon can feel the others’ eyes on her, and Jiwoo speaks up, “That’s all well and good,” she begins, “But people barely know anything about the Elders.” Vivi meets Jiwoo’s gaze, and hums.

“There’s more than enough materials on them within the Academy Library, people simply fear them too much to read about them,” Vivi then hums again, thoughtful, “Perhaps all you need is a direction? Then how about you cover why we only know a few of the Elders by name?” There’s another pause, and this time, it’s Dahyun who speaks, whilst Seoyeon goes quiet as she stares at her notes.

“With how you’re speaking…” Dahyun starts, “You make it sound like there’s more than five.”

Vivi smiles, “Oh, there’s many Elders, evidence suggests the true number may be almost incomprehensible.” A chill runs down their spines, and Vivi continues, “But the Five we know… their names were passed down orally, even as the Pantheon grew more popular in worship.” She waved her hand, a pink mist spilling from her fingers, and Seoyeon recognises each shape as being similar to the chess pieces Heejin once showed her.

“Yet, these five remained, as they created the life that walks this planet, life capable of harnessing Mana…” the misty visages grew, and flew around the room. Seoyeon glanced up, eyes lingering on the almost fiery visage of the Phoenix Vivi produced. “The Phoenix gave birth to the Omens through its smoke, the Dragon shed its scales and created the Wyverns, the Headless tried to create variations of itself, each with a new face, leading to humanity…” They watched the cloudy creatures float down to the ground, and dissipate.

“The Griffin created the Celestials from its light, and the Basilisk bled to create the Gorgons,” Vivi sighed, her eyes beginning to glow, and Seoyeon noticed Jiwoo and Dahyun shudder, “These days, all the species look alike, since we’ve spent so much time around each other and whatnot. But, when channeling magic or going through an intense emotional episode, you get a hint of a ‘true form’, so to speak.” Seoyeon hums.

It wasn’t exactly something entirely new – she’d recall kids manifesting horns, or their eyes flashing different colours back when she was younger, and was told they weren’t a ‘human’ like her, rather something else. She didn’t care for it much back then, and it was a regular enough sight at her old village she never felt the need to question it.

“If I may…” Vivi said, glancing at Jiwoo and Dahyun. Jiwoo shot a wary look towards Seoyeon, and was simply met with a reassuring smile. Jiwoo gave a small one back, before nodding towards Vivi. With a flick of Vivi’s wrist, Seoyeon heard something shift behind her, and glanced back.

Black and red smoke coiled around Jiwoo’s body, emanating off of her with a few red glowing sparks, as if she was a smouldering fire. Her skin seemed to lose some of its warmth, and when Seoyeon met her eyes, she watched as black clouded her scleras, her irises burning with a blood red fire, a golden glint to them. Dark horns curled up from her temples and curved back, like those of a ram.

“A Wrath Omen.” Vivi mumbled, tone pleasant, and Jiwoo chuckled. When Seoyeon glanced towards Nien and Lynn, she noted the lack of surprise on their end. Makes sense, she realised, They did share classes with her back then.

Jiwoo glances towards Seoyeon, and catches the warm and curious smile on the older girl’s face. She then notices Dahyun give a small gasp, and when she looks over, she watches a bright light pass over her body.

The light curved around the back of Dahyun’s head, taking on a golden hue, and her irises shone with a pink light. Her skin seemed warmer in tone, and a golden glow beneath her skin, running through her veins. Golden beams of light seemed to stretch out from her back, and flowed in differing directions, and Jiwoo belatedly realised what they were – wings.

“A Solar Celestial.” Vivi nodded to herself, and Dahyun smiled sheepishly. Seoyeon’s eyes widened, and she couldn’t hide her smile. Whilst she’d seen kids grow horns or burp fire, she doesn’t think she’s seen anything close to the two girls before her.

“Once a species unlocks its magical potential, the form looks quite majestic,” Vivi smiles, before flicking her wrist again, before blinking, “Humans may not have such a physical display, although their Aura will glow brightly under similar conditions.” Vivi shakes her head, and Seoyeon realises Dahyun had done the same.

“Being an Augur sucks sometimes…” Dahyun says, before rubbing her eyes and groaning, before shooting a light glare at Lynn, Nien and Seoyeon, “Why do I have to be friends with the girls carrying the brightest Auras known to man?” Jiwoo laughs, patting her back, and Seoyeon blinks.

“Is mine really that bright?” She mumbles, and Dahyun gives her a deadpan stare.

“Dazzlingly so,” she then glances at Lynn, “Although, I think hers was worse, I almost couldn’t see her,” she then gives Vivi a pleading look, “Warn me next time you do that ‘reveal’ spell or whatever…” she mumbles weakly, and Vivi giggles softly. She then meets Seoyeon’s eyes, and the blonde hums, before nodding.

“I guess I know what I’m doing mine on.” Seoyeon smiles, and Jiwoo hums, before resting a hand on Seoyeon’s shoulder, giving a confident grin towards Vivi.

“Maybe I’ll talk about Omen history or something.” Vivi gives a nod, giggling softly again, before it turns into a quiet laughing fit. The girls smile amongst themselves, but watch as Vivi calms down. When she looks at them again, Seoyeon’s smile falters, and she notes the almost glassy quality to her eyes again. Vivi glances around the room, before furrowing her brow.

“This… this isn’t my garden…” she mumbles to herself, repeatedly, before walking towards the blackboard. She hums, before snapping her fingers. A crack runs down the board, before splitting open, revealing a maw of glowing pink light, before she slides into it, and the crack closes and seals itself, leaving the wall whole once more.

“…And there she goes,” Dahyun whispered.

Seoyeon exhaled, replaying the scene in her mind. “She’s incredible. And a little scary.”

“Terrifying,” Lynn agreed. “Love her.”

“Alright,” Jiwoo said, rising, clapping her hands together, “Anyone down for the training grounds? I hear some third-years are practising,” she gives a pointed look and smile towards Seoyeon, “I hear you might even have a chance to give Kim Nakyoung a rematch.” Seoyeon then sighs, rolling her eyes as she collects her things with a smile.

“I told you to drop it, I think she’s cool.” She said, and Jiwoo nodded, linking arms with Seoyeon.

“Then I guess she’s cool in my books too!” The pair walk towards the exit, and Nien scoffs, walking with Dahyun and Lynn in tow.

“Suck-up!”

“Shut your mouth!” Jiwoo barks back, and there’s a round of laughter.

=====

The library air lacks its usual silence, with the quiet sounds of bustling and busy students softly ringing through the air, hushed conversations and pens scrawling against paper, ink dancing along the lines and margins of paper. Everyone was busy studying with the upcoming exams, and Yooyeon had insisted that Soomin and Hyerin join her and the other older girls for a study session.

“Our exams aren’t even until the winter…” Soomin muttered frustratedly as she glares at the textbook before her, and Yooyeon shakes her head, nudging her sister.

“Your official exams may not be,” she began, “But your professors will still start testing you, seeing how well you’re doing. It’s important to make a good first impression.” Yooyeon murmured, flicking through the book before writing down something in the margins of her notebook. Yubin sat opposite them, passing a book over to Hyerin as the younger girl thanked her.

“Our Yooyeon-unnie, always the studious one,” she grinned as Hyerin pushed a book before Yooyeon, pointing something out. Yooyeon hummed, clarifying what it meant as Hyerin nodded, retracting the book as Yubin frowned, “Yah, Hyebam,” she started, frowning, “You should be asking your Yubam to help you.”

Hyerin gave Yubin an unimpressed stare, “If I want to flunk, I’ll be sure to ask for your opinion and not the only other Wisteria…” she muttered, and Yubin frowned, making a whining noise as she threw her arms around Hyerin, much to the younger girl's chagrin. “YUB–” Yubin put a hand to Hyerin’s mouth, muffling the oncoming yell as the rest of them giggled.

“My Hyebam, you wound me…” she whined as Hyerin’s face flushed pink, and she shoved Yubin off with a huff.

All the while, Soomin only sighed, shaking her head. “This is so boring…” she muttered, before glancing towards the others, “Wanna talk about something more interesting?” She asked, and Nakyoung finally raised her head from her book.

“Like what?”

“Like how…” Soomin glanced around, before whispering, “Like how Seoyeon apparently lost control during a sparring match with Naky-unnie after being poisoned.” Eyes fell to the short-haired blonde, and Nakyoung couldn’t help the scoff that left her. Yooyeon’s eyes turned to her best friend, alarmed. Why didn’t she tell me this?! Before Yooyeon could ask, Nakyoung spoke.

“She was poisoned, that’s hardly her fault.” Her blonde friend muttered within the library, arms crossed, her brow furrowed. Yubin observed her friend, and Nakyoung shook her head, “Poisoning someone with Devilroot…”

“Still, to lose control like that–” Yooyeon began to mutter, and Nakyoung groaned.

“Not you too, unnie,” Nakyoung pouted, “You’re supposed to be the smart one.” Nakyoung murmured, and Yooyeon frowned at that. There was a lingering disappointment in Nakyoung’s stare, and it made Yooyeon’s skin feel cold, exposed.

“Naky, she tried to burn–”

“She didn’t try anything,” Nakyoung crossed her arms, raising her voice, “She was scared, provoked, and someone tried to poison her. Anyone would’ve acted that way under those conditions.” Yooyeon noted the annoyance flashing across Nakyoung’s features, the slight fire in her eyes. The blonde impatiently tapped her foot against the ground, before exhaling hard through her nose. The sharp sound cut through the warm tension of the table, and even Soomin shrank back slightly from it.

Yooyeon sat up straighter, eyes narrowed. “I’m not saying what happened was her fault,” she said, carefully, like stepping over glass. “But you can’t deny it was dangerous. What if someone had gotten hurt?”

“Then we should be asking who poisoned her, not picking apart how she reacted to almost dying,” Nakyoung shot back. Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was pointed, razor-sharp and cold with frustration. Black smoke began to coil around her body, and her usually soft brown eyes shifted into a brighter blue, her irises giving off a faint silver mist. “She doesn’t need everyone treating her like she’s unstable when we all know she isn’t, least of all by you.”

Yooyeon’s mouth opened, then closed. Hyerin and Yubin winced and looked away. Even Soomin had gone silent. Nakyoung slung her bag over one shoulder and stood abruptly, the omen’s chair scraping softly across the library floor.

“I’m going to the training grounds,” she muttered, not looking at Yooyeon. “Seoyeon and the others are probably there, not acting all paranoid…”

There was a beat of silence as Nakyoung met Yooyeon’s eyes, and Yooyeon hesitated. The older girl’s fingers curled on top of her notes. “Naky–”

But Nakyoung was already walking away, disappearing between shelves as Yooyeon held her breath. She knew eventually she and Nakyoung would clash over Seoyeon – despite her temper, Nakyoung was surprisingly bright, and got along well with people. Yooyeon was evidently… not that. She felt something lodged in her throat, and Soomin patted her sister on the back.

“It’s been a while since something I said did that…” Yooyeon murmured, “Making her reveal her form like that… I must’ve upset her…” Soomin sighed.

“We should get some fresh air… I know this meadow we could study in?” Soomin suggests as Yooyeon nods, and the two are quick to leave.

Yubin sighs, before glancing beside her. Hyerin already had her nose buried back into a book. “You okay?” Yubin asked, half-heartedly.

Hyerin hummed, flipping a page, although Yubin noticed the tighter grip or how the red-haired girl’s fingers fidgeted with the corners of the page. “...that felt like a real argument. Like, I don’t think I’ve seen them like that before…” she muttered, concern in her voice as she glanced up in the direction the older girls had walked off in.

“Yeah…” Yubin trailed off, “Kinda makes it hard to study after that, huh?” She glanced back, meeting Hyerin’s expression, and smiled, “But I know them. They’ll patch things up soon enough, trust me.” She bumped Hyerin’s shoulder, and the tension in her chest lightened at her friend’s small and hesitant smile.

=====

Nakyoung grunts as Seoyeon’s wooden sword clashes against hers – she pushes back, before swinging forth, and Seoyeon ducks past almost effortlessly. She chases after the girl, swing after swing, each one either ducked or parried. Their blades connect again, and Nakyoung swears she sees a small burst of splinters scatter across the ground. Seoyeon smiles, and Nakyoung can’t help the grin on her own face.

Seoyeon kicks Nakyoung’s knee, and Nakyoung drops. Seoyeon swings at Nakyoung’s head, and the girl raises her sword to block the hit. A few impressed whistles go around them, and as Seoyeon pushes her sword harder against Nakyoung, she feels a kick against her ankle, and her weight shifts. Nakyoung pushes Seoyeon away, and lands a kick against her stomach.

Seoyeon grunts, flying back before pushing her feet against the ground. She comes to a halt with a skid, her boots sliding against the ground. The more casual clothes on her frame feel lighter than her usual combat uniform, leather braces around her wrists and forearms, worn at Nakyoung’s insistence.

There’s a whine, and when Seoyeon and Nakyoung glance to the side, they’re met with Lynn’s wide eyes and pout. “Unnies…” she starts, and Seoyeon hears Nakyoung make a noise, and can see the older girl clutch her chest at the tone of Lynn’s voice. “Why do you guys have to spar when I’m trying to get them all to meditate!?”

True to Lynn’s words, when the two blondes glanced over, they spotted the other three from the Theology class, alongside Shion and Kaede. All were seated on the ground, legs crossed, and were very much not meditating. Shion and Kaede were whispering to each other, soft giggles leaving their mouths, whilst Nien had busied herself in pushing around Dahyun and Jiwoo, both of whom were clearly starting to feel their patience thin.

“What’s the point of this?” Kaede finally spoke up, and Lynn visibly deflated. Seoyeon picked up her water bottle, a hesitant look coming across her face. Jiwoo, spotting her unnie’s plight, was quick to stand up and walk toward her. Meanwhile, Nakyoung walked over to Lynn, clapping a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, Lynn’s just trying to help.” She said, smiling as Kaede groaned, tossing her head back and gazing up at the sky.

Jiwoo takes Seoyeon’s water bottle, and without placing it to her lips, takes a large gulp of water, letting it drop down into her mouth. She hands it back, smiling. “There, see? I’m fine!” She said, laughing as she extended her arms, and the bubble of tension in Seoyeon’s chest burst and fizzled away, and she couldn’t help but chuckle. “Now, even if it is poisoned, at least we’re both poisoned.” Seoyeon couldn’t argue with that, and downed the cold liquid, letting the dust in her throat be washed down.

“What would help is something that is actually helpful…” Kaede grumbles, and Nakyoung shakes her head.

“Meditation does help,” Nakyoung extended her arm, and magic swirled and buzzed in the air, “Summoning your Soulborne is about recognising the shape of your soul amid your own thoughts and the voice of the god in your head, about knowing the whole of who you are…” The black scythe materialised in her grasp, and as Nakyoung twirled it around, impressed gasps sounded out. “And once you know that, summoning it becomes second nature.”

There are some nods, and Nakyoung frowns as her gaze settles on Nien. “Nien… I could’ve sworn you already could summon yours.” Everyone’s eyes snapped to the pink-haired girl. Her expression stayed neutral, until eventually, it gave away to a groan.

“Unnie!” She whined, standing up with a grin, “I was trying to keep it a surprise!” Nien laughs, before her Odd Eye flashed, and she slammed her fists together. Orange energy burned through the air, and ran up along her arms. There was a flash of light, and when it died down, sitting on Nien’s fists was a set of orange and black gauntlets, the knuckles shining with a golden hue. Armour travelled along her upper arms, stopping around her shoulders.

“Did you name yours too?” Kaede asked, an expression on her face that seemed so done, and Lynn couldn’t help but laugh as she called forth her own trident. “Or is that something only fishbrain over there has done?” Lynn’s excitement was cut short, and she pouts again.

“I’ll have you know, Azure Riptide is an amazing name.” She mutters, kicking the ground as Seoyeon couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Mine’s called Midnight Sonata.” Nakyoung giggled, and Dahyun hums, amused.

“Do you know what a sonata is?” She asks, and Nakyoung frowns as a few giggles are heard, and she huffs, de-summoning her scythe.

“Fine,” she muttered as Seoyeon and Jiwoo stood at her side, “Mock me, see if I help any of you guys with your exams…” She crossed her arms, and Lynn giggled.

“Naky-unnie… with all due respect…” She started, and Jiwoo was quick to slap a hand to Nakyoung’s shoulder.

“You’re the last person any of us are asking for help.” Jiwoo smiles as Nakyoung lets out another whine, headbutting Jiwoo’s shoulder as the taller girl laughed, and the two quickly devolved into a mock wrestling match, Nakyoung pushing against Jiwoo as Jiwoo giggled and held back the older girl’s hands.

Despite their earlier conflict, the two had been quick to patch things up once Seoyeon had cleared the air. Despite her friendship with Yooyeon and apparent disdain for Mayu (information Nien had been the one to share), Nakyoung got on well with everyone – including Nien herself, despite the younger girl’s friendship with Mayu. The pair used to be closer, according to Lynn, and Seoyeon did catch the oddly tense gazes they’d share whenever they thought no one was looking.

Seoyeon didn’t push, instead cutting in if she felt like the two would be close to feeling odd emotions surge back to the surface.

“Well, I do wonder how much help everyone will be needing,” Kaede thought, and eyes fell to her. Upon everyone’s confusion, Kaede hummed. “What? You guys haven’t heard?” She then chuckled, shaking her head, “Apparently, someone’s been selling ‘study assists’.” She said, using her fingers to make air quotes as everyone’s confusion only deepened.

Dahyun then gasped, “Wait… I heard a classmate talking about being sold some sort of remedy to improve focus. Is that for real?” She said, leaning forward.

Lynn, having entirely given up on keeping everyone meditating, only hummed. “I saw someone mention they actually got a whole clove of crushed Joyvine, now that we’re talking about it,” Seoyeon’s eyes widened, “Said they had to cough up 20 silver princes for it, but it’s supposed to help increase your attention span.” Seoyeon couldn’t hold back her laugh, and she shook her head.

“Did you get a look at it?” Seoyeon wondered, and Lynn hummed.

“It was like… this dark green powder?” She muttered, and Seoyeon shook her head. “Oh no… Miss Herbology expert, were they scammed?” Lynn asked, and Seoyeon chose to ignore the remark on Lynn’s end.

“It’s probably just some crushed herbs that won’t actually do anything,” she shrugged, “Actual Joyvine would’ve cost you a crown at least.” Lynn nods, and Nien hums.

“I guess we’ll have to make sure Seoyeon double checks all our ‘study remedies’ that people are trying to sell.” The group chuckles, and Seoyeon hums, crossing her arms.

“I don’t know…” she murmurs, before looking up, “If people are buying these things and getting scammed–”

“-Then they’re getting what they kinda deserve,” Nakyoung shrugs, “As much as these exams suck, we’re still being trained to be Mages. If you cut corners here, how can you be trusted to not cut corners out in the real world? We have enough Mages doing that already.” Seoyeon sighs, crossing her arms.

“Still… I can’t help but feel a little bad for those people… they’re getting their anxieties preyed on and are losing money…” Jiwoo noticed the conflicted look on Seoyeon’s face, and hummed. “I know they’re being suckers, but…”

Jiwoo smiled, “Leave it to unnie to feel bad for them,” she chuckled, “Are you going to track down this mystery salesman?” She wondered, throwing an arm around Seoyeon, and the blonde glanced around.

“Maybe…” she mumbled, and Jiwoo couldn’t help but laugh, tugging Seoyeon closer to her side, grinning.

“Then count me in.” She beams, and Seoyeon feels something warm glow in her chest.

Nien narrows her eyes, “Is this your way of trying to avoid meditating with Lynn?” More eyes fall on her, and Jiwoo lets out an awkward laugh, before beginning to push Seoyeon out of the arena.

=====

There was a whizzing sound through the air, and Yooyeon’s eyes remained trained on the chakram cutting through the air. She watched as it sliced through the bark of several trees, before each one came down with a low thud, the ground shaking. The spinning circular blade returned back to its user, and Yooyeon’s eyes followed them back. She smiled, watching Soomin awe at the weapon, lightly spinning the one she hadn’t thrown around her finger.

“I’ve not even used one in my life… but…” she murmured, and Yooyeon walked over, unable to hide her smile as her sister stared down at her hands, holding both chakrams.

“It feels like second nature,” Yooyeon finished, watching Soomin’s eyes glow, “As if you’re flexing a muscle.” Soomin nods, and Yooyeon lets her eyes rest on the circular blades. The bladed and rounded edges were a light pink, light scattering across the surface. The inner rim and twisted handle that ran through the centre was an almost obsidian black, glassy yet strong in Soomin’s grasp.

“I need to think of a name now…” she mumbled, before looking up at her sister, “Thanks, unnie!” Yooyeon rolled her eyes, ruffling Soomin’s hair as the younger girl giggled. The minute Soomin had mentioned her Soulborne, the two had begun to practice how to summon it, and today had been their first success.

They’d decided to test the weapon out towards the nearby forests, to avoid accidentally maiming a student.

“Not all Soulbornes need a name.” Yooyeon shrugged, although Soomin gave her sister an unimpressed look.

“Don’t you call yours Orchid and Blossom?” Yooyeon rolled her eyes, before feeling the mana gather at her fingertips. Soomin watched her sister’s Odd Eye briefly flash – a bright rose pink iris with a glowing white light at the edges, the pupil itself a bright orb of glowing purple – before two handguns materialised in her grasp. One a vivid opera pink, with golden detailing and a red gem on the side, the other a bright purple, a silver metal lining the gun with a blue gem on its side.

Yooyeon pressed the triggers, a rapid succession of bullets bursting from the pink handgun – the one Yooyeon affectionately named Blossom – whilst a heavier thud of shots sounded from the violet gun. When the bullets from Blossom landed against the tree, several small holes formed, whilst the few shots from Orchid had blown out large chunks of wood from the tree, causing it to fall alongside the others. Smoke poured from the barrels of the guns.

Soomin rolled her eyes as her sister spun the guns in her grasp, before bringing the barrels to her lips as she blew on them, smoke dissipating. “Show off…” Soomin muttered, and Yooyeon shrugged, de-summoning her own Soulbornes.

“You say that as if you won’t be the exact same.” She muttered, the two heading to pick up their bags. They’d only dropped them nearby, and slung them over their shoulders, Yooyeon feeling the books thud in her own. She let out a sigh as the weight sat on her body – a Strategy Fledgling always had a lot to prove towards Kim Hyunjin, to see if they deserved to call themselves a tactician, if they should be at her side.

It wasn’t as if Hyunjin was cruel or some madwoman like other Masters. In fact, Yooyeon felt she was almost too forgiving – some of her other Fledglings feeling far too relaxed for their roles. But, it was said those Hyunjin favoured, were almost always guaranteed an official strategist position, high up in the Mage ranks. Yooyeon heard of how a graduate, one that was a former Strategy Fledgling that Hyunjin was fond of, was already looking at several fancy promotions – and if Yooyeon still had her goal of earning herself a lucrative position, she had to keep favour with Hyunjin.

Her eyes settled on Soomin, watching her sister groan as she slung her back over her shoulder, complaining about how many books Yooyeon made her carry. She spotted the small tip of a scar as her uniform shifted, having undone her top button and not bothered to bring her blazer or robe out to the forest. Just on the bottom of her neck, a small darker brown mark, one that Yooyeon knew ran all the way down her chest.

Yooyeon’s hand balled into a fist, I’ll keep my promise, Soomin. She thought, watching as Soomin squawked, some contents spilling from her bag as Yooyeon walked over, I’ll make sure we live in so much luxury we never have to think about them ever again.

When Yooyeon stopped, she noticed a smashed bottle on the ground, and gasped, a light brown powder spilling from it. She noted the broken glass, and glanced back up. “Soomin, are you–”

When Yooyeon met her sister’s eyes, they seemed weirdly… wet. Is she crying? Yooyeon wondered, in disbelief as her sister sniffled. “That was supposed to help me…” Yooyeon gave an unsure hum, and pulled Soomin away from the mess, sitting her down on a nearby rock as Yooyeon hovered near the mess.

“Help you?” She asked, and Soomin sniffled again, and Yooyeon frowned. She reached for a handkerchief in her pocket, before handing it over. Soomin blew into it, and sighed, sniffing again.

“Some guy… he said he bought it off someone to help boost concentration, and you know me,” Soomin said, “I can’t concentrate for the life of me, so I thought, ‘O-M-G Soomin, you better see if you can buy it off him to help yourself out’, so I asked if I could buy it,” she sniffed again, “And he drove a hard bargain, and I forked up a decent bit for it, and I’m thinking, ‘Wow, I have these exams in the bag!’” She half-cheered, but soon deflated, “But now…”

Yooyeon blinked at her sister’s talkative nature, watching Soomin continue to recount her story, more details being added by the minute. Cautiously, Yooyeon knelt down. The powder hadn’t been scorching the earth or anything, and if it was made for consumption, then it likely wasn’t too lethal. She fitted on a glove in her pocket, and scooped some up. She gave it a cautious smell, then paused.

“Soomin…” Yooyeon licked some of the powder, much to her sister’s surprise, “This is just brown sugar.”

The air goes silent, and for a moment, all that is heard is the stray chirping of some nearby birds. “As in… special brown sugar, or…”

Yooyeon shakes her head, “Just regular brown sugar.” It goes silent again, and a sudden wail from Soomin causes Yooyeon to jump, birds flying out from the trees overhead.

“I WAS SCAMMED?!” She cried, and Yooyeon huffed, walking over.

“Why would you even buy something like this?” She chastised, being met with her sister’s wide and sad eyes, “People are always going to try and take advantage of you naive first-years, I warned you.” She muttered, and yet, Soomin frowned, glancing down.

“Well… you’re always trying to help me out and stuff… and you’ve been so busy lately so…” Soomin’s shoulders trembled, “I wanted to handle it myself, so you could get a break from helping me, and I thought this was going to be a solution… I know I talk a lot or get distracted easily… and it can’t be easy teaching me… I thought it would help.” Soomin muttered, voice oddly weak, and Yooyeon’s face froze.

Something squeezed in her chest at Soomin’s voice, and she hugged her sister without even thinking. She felt Soomin bury her face against Yooyeon, and the older girl sighed. “I’d rather you come to me than get scammed,” she mumbled, “As much as I might get annoyed, I’ll always want you to come and annoy me if it’s the safer option, okay?” They pulled apart, and seeing her sister so sad, so easily taken advantage of, caused a fire to burn in Yooyeon’s chest.

“What did I tell you? That day, all those years ago.” Yooyeon asked, and Soomin sniffed.

“That… That it’s not my job to worry about all the hard things in life,” Soomin smiled, small, “It’s yours.”

Yooyeon nodded, “So come on,” she chastised lightly, “Stop crying, let me help you study, alright?” Soomin nodded, and Yooyeon glanced back at the shattered mess on the ground. She gave it a weak glare, “But before all that…”

The older girl walked towards the mess, and heard Soomin’s footsteps as her younger sister stood beside her. “We’re going to find the person behind these scams.”

=====

When neither third-year returns, Hyerin and Yubin decide to stay and keep studying. Hyerin’s pen scribbles against her notebook whilst Yubin busies herself in making a tower out of library books, balancing herself precariously against her chair. When she (inevitably) stumbles and falls back, Hyerin is quick to adjust the older girl’s chair without looking, Yubin landing on her butt with a grunt.

“I warned you.” Hyerin says, humming at something in the book as she draws a line through a sentence she just wrote.

Yubin scoffs, dusting herself off, “What would I do without you, Hyebam?” Yubin giggles as Hyerin rolls her eyes.

“Die?” She suggests, and Yubin pouts, leaning back in her chair with her arms crossed. Hyerin sighs, ‘I thought I was supposed to be the younger one’, and puts her pen down as she glances over at Yubin.

Without Yooyeon, Soomin or Nakyoung, it was just Hyerin and Yubin left in the library on their table. Ambient chatter still filled the air, a little louder as positive attitudes towards studying began to wither and wane. The Academy library was vast, Yubin’s eyes glancing around them. A separate building entirely, composed of multiple floors and an innumerable amount of shelves, all made from a dark greyish-brown wood that made the entire place feel almost gothic.

Yubin gives a quiet sigh, and Hyerin closes the book open before her. “You wanna take a break?” Hyerin asks, and Yubin shrugs.

“I just wanna talk about something other than which Linguistic Model was used during the Northern Wars or which herbs create the right blend for this super specific potion that we’ll never use.” Yubin huffs, and casts a glance towards Hyerin, the younger girl humming, wide eyes thoughtful.

“Fair… I think my hand is starting to ache.” Hyerin pouted as Yubin giggled, watching the younger girl rotate her wrist with a grimace on her face.

“Careful,” Yubin warned lightly with a smile, “Don’t want everyone’s favourite archer to start having problems because she took her essays too seriously.” She teased, and Hyerin huffed.

“We’ve been hunting together since we were kids, I’ll be fine…” she pouts again, and Yubin chuckles, patting Hyerin’s back as the red-haired girl frowns. She wasn’t wrong – Hyerin and Yubin had grown up in neighbouring provinces, and both happened to be situated directly beside the deep and dense woods of the Wildroot Forests – a deep and dense nest of foliage the size of a province itself, one that many a Mage and hunter would enter.

Their families were mostly composed of hunters, so it was no surprise that the two would often go on extended trips together, and at some point, Hyerin and Yubin tagged along, and ever since they were inseparable. When Yubin left for Krystal Academy, Hyerin had become obsessed with perfecting her archery for when she’d arrive in the following year, not wanting to lag behind.

“Aigoo, my little Hyebami~” Yubin makes a kissy face, and Hyerin groans as she palms the face away. Yubin giggles, “With all your training, you might end up earning a spot amongst The Five.” Yubin rolls her shoulders, and Hyerin gives an inquisitive look.

“The… Five?” She asks, and Yubin pauses, glancing over.

“Oh… oh shoot, right, you might not know them,” she chuckles, a look of excitement coming across her features, “The Five… they’re said to be the five strongest students – usually with one from each year and someone above all of them,” she said, and Hyerin nodded, “The lineup everyone agrees on changes every year as people move up and down, but the current one… it’s kinda stacked.”

“Who’s on it?” Hyerin asks, and Yubin smiles.

“Someone’s curious,” she teased, before leaning back, “You have Kawakami Lynn – the one above all, the strongest student and even possible the strongest Mage,” Yubin hums, “She kinda unites all the years when you think about it – same age as the first-years, is actively a second-year, and usually takes on third or fourth-year level missions.”

“That’s Kawakami Lynn for you,” Hyerin recites with an eye roll, already growing old of the sentence everyone would repeat through the halls. “What about the other four? The strongest fourth, third, second and first year?” She’s leaning forward now, books beside her long forgotten.

Yubin smirks, “The fourth-year amongst them is Son Hyeju – someone through hard work and dedication went from a weak little pup to one of the scariest students at the school. She’s like the only student who part-times as an actual Mage, leading a group of rag-tag Mages and students with wild and uncontrollable power – the Wolf Scouts,” Yubin hums, “They’re like… magical mercenaries or spies for the Academies and government.”

Hyerin nods, “Sounds… kinda cool.” Yubin nods, giving a little sigh of awe.

“God, I hope I get a position there… I think Seoyeon probably will too, maybe even take command of it one day – crazy girl with fire magic seems exactly like the sort of person Hyeju would want at her side.” Yubin then continues, “The third-year is, of course, Kim Yooyeon, who first got a blessing when she was a kid, and another when she was a little older. She’s one of the best leading strategists and marksmen, because of course our Yooyeon-unnie is.”

Hyerin nods, “I would’ve thought it was Park Sohyun.”

Yubin nods, “She’s probably just as good as Yooyeon, but… Sohyun’s also kinda a mystery.” Yubin shrugs, “All of her missions tend to be either solo ones or done with Xinyu or Lynn. No one’s seen her in action, only the damage she leaves behind.”

Hyerin nods. “So… more people have seen Yooyeon, so there’s less mystery around her skills?” Yubin nods.

“Pretty much – funny you mention Sohyun though, since the second-year member this time around is Nien,” Hyerin’s eyes widen, and Yubin chuckles. “I know – smiley, bright Nien? But truth is… she’s a beast,” Yubin’s expression shifts, something more serious, “Hsu Nientzu is notorious – even before unlocking her Soulborne, when she first got her blessing, she killed a wild Predabeast with her bare hands. She was actually licensed to take on second-year missions as a first-year, and proceeded to kill several more… she’s kinda terrifying when she’s not being the happy-go-lucky one we know her as.”

Hyerin felt a shiver down her spine, “I didn’t know Nien-unnie was so…” Yubin nods, chuckling.

“Kinda terrifying, but as a fellow hunter I respect it.” She mumbles, amused, and Hyerin leans forward.

“So… who’s the first-year?” Hyerin wondered, and Yubin hummed, leaning back with her arms crossed.

"Hard to say... I don't think there is one just yet... but, I think we might be getting one soon." Yubin answered, sitting straighter. “Tell me – have you ever heard of the Emerald Wyverns?”

Hyerin’s eyes widened, and her brow furrowed in thought. “Maybe in passing… They were like legends, right?” Yubin nods, sighing.

“The Emerald Wyverns… some say they were the first of the Dragon, maybe even direct descendants,” she tapped her knuckles against the table absentmindedly, “Bluish-silver scales, isolationists, but powerful. You know how Wyverns work – Red scales mean they breathe fire, Blue means they breathe a freezing mist, so and so forth. But the Emerald Wyverns? They could use all types of elemental breaths.”

Hyerin’s eyes widened, “Seriously?”

Yubin nodded, “Not just that – whilst the Gold Wyverns are the only ones who can channel their element throughout their body and not just through their breath, Emeralds also once held that ability,” Yubin whistles, “Imagine that, being elemental masters without even having a Blessing. The Emerald Wyverns became the elite guard of the old governments and royalty, magical soldiers unique to our Kingdom, living in the nearby mountains.”

Hyerin frowned, something not adding up, “Then why do people barely speak about them?” Yubin sighed, something sadder flashing across her features as she sighed.

“They were wiped out.” Yubin muttered, and Hyerin’s blood ran cold, “No one really knows how, but the Kingdom found them all gone. It’s believed a rival nation must’ve put a curse on them, driving them all to madness and making them wipe each other out. But, among all the bodies, the Higher-Ups of the Academies found one lone infant – newborn, and all alone.”

Hyerin’s eyes widened as Yubin went on, “The Kamimoto Clan took her in, but she still goes by her birth name. She’s been training most of her life, and something tells me she’ll be a force to be reckoned with soon enough.”

Another chill goes down Hyerin’s spine, the red-haired girl feeling the curiosity get the better of her, and she leans forward.

“What’s her name?”

Yubin pauses, and then mutters.

“Kwak Yeonji.”

=====

For Yooyeon, it wasn’t hard to figure out what her first lead would be – to talk to the person who had sold the bottle to her younger sister. Whilst Soomin had mentioned that the bottle had been resold, meaning the guy who sold it to Soomin wasn’t the original creator of this scam, it meant he’d had direct contact with whoever was running it. The hard part was tracking him down – apparently, he was a second-year, so Yooyeon wasn’t too familiar with him.

“Do you think we could ask Yubin-unnie for help?” Soomin wondered, following her sister’s pacing footsteps as Yooyeon shook her head.

“She’s busy in the library with Hyerin, I’d rather not bother them.” She muttered, and Soomin nodded.

“So, how are we going to find him again?” Soomin asked, and Yooyeon paused, glancing around the corridor.

“Well, I had this thought,” she mentioned, crossing her arms. “He probably resold his ‘remedy’ to you since he realised he’d been scammed,” she started, “That means he might have bought a lot of remedies, and is now trying to resell all of them since he wants his money back.” Soomin’s eyes glanced around at the various students standing around in their groups.

“Okay, where are you going with this?” Soomin wondered, and Yooyeon smiled, glancing at her sister.

“I put an ad on one of the bulletin boards,” she said, half-whispering, “About needing a remedy to help with my upcoming exams.”

Soomin raised a brow, “You didn’t use your real name, did you?”

“Goodness, no,” Yooyeon gave a quiet laugh, bumping Soomin’s shoulder, “No one would believe that. I used your’s,” Soomin pouted, and Yooyeon chuckled, patting her sister’s head, “Don’t worry – the guy probably thinks you haven’t caught on, and is ready to try and con you again. I told him to meet us here.”

Soomin nodded, glancing around. “You want me to point him out?” Soomin wondered, and Yooyeon gave a low chuckle.

“That won’t be necessary,” Soomin then notices a student in the corner jump, before turning around. Yooyeon raised her arm, and a pink glow surrounded him, before he was tugged towards the floor, pressed down into it. Nearby students gasp, and when Yooyeon approaches him, they shoot wary glances. He tried to move, to get up, but couldn’t, as if he was glued to the floor, as if gravity was keeping him down. “Because he’ll try and run the minute he spots me.”

He tried to move again, and Yooyeon clicked her tongue. “The Rabbit is a god of time, travels and trade, but it’s also the god of boundaries. Which means, something like the boundaries of gravity are at my beck and call. Don’t bother trying to escape.”

Soomin nods, before grinning. She glares at the guy on the floor, before lightly kicking his shoulder. “Yah! Conman!”

The sisters drag the boy to an empty corridor, and he’s cowering against the wall under the glare of the two shorter girls before him. Yooyeon flashed her Odd Eye for good measure, and Soomin cracked her knuckles as he whimpered. Yooyeon notes the orange hue of the inside of his robes – a Marigold.

“Please, if this is about what I sold you, I’m sorry, I–” Soomin scoffed as Yooyeon gave a low chuckle, crossing her arms.

“You were scammed too, right?” His eyes light up, and he nods, “You were just trying to get rid of all your bad purchases and make your money back, right?” He nods again, a growing sense of hope in his eyes.

“Yes, so–”

“So that means you had direct contact with the original scammer, right?” Yooyeon asks, and the boy then falters. Soomin interjects with her own ‘right?’, and the boy begins to stammer.

“W-Well–”

“We can handle this all discreetly,” Yooyeon says, eyes narrowing, “If you give us their name.” The boy squirms under Yooyeon’s stare, and Soomin thinks it’s almost comical how scared he is. But of course he is – he’s just been cornered by Kim Yooyeon, said to be the strongest Third-Year in the school, after scamming her little sister.

“L-Look,” he started, raising his hands, “I-I have to come clean…” When Yooyeon raised a brow, he continued, “I… didn’t actually buy these from the original seller.” He started, “I got these from some other guy – a third-year, scary-looking guy, a little shorter than me…” he gulped. “He gave me this big story on how these would help, but the minute I realised I’d been conned, he threatened me and said he wouldn’t take a refund.”

Soomin hums, glancing at Yooyeon, “Do you think that guy also got scammed?” Before Yooyeon could answer, the boy spoke again.

“I think he did,” he said, “He mentioned something about ‘getting his money back’ when he sold them to me.”

Yooyeon sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Whoever this was, they’ve started a chain reaction of reselling…” she shook her head, glancing back at the Marigold boy, a pitying gaze. “Did you at least get the guy’s name?”

The boy hesitates, before shaking his head. “N-No… sorry…” Yooyeon raised a brow, and stepped forward. He was quick to raise his palms, shaking his head, “I-I swear! I didn’t get his name! All I remembered was that he’s a Belladonna.”

Yooyeon clicked her tongue again, “I thought Marigolds were supposed to be strong and resilient,” she sighed, shaking her head, stepping away from him, “You’re cowering in your boots.”

“Anyone would in front of you…” mutters to himself, looking away as Yooyeon sighs, walking off with Soomin at her side.

“So now we’re looking for some third-year Belladonna, any ideas?” Soomin asked. Yooyeon hummed, glancing down as she crossed her arms, her shoes clicking against the floor. Truth be told, there was a number of students it could be, and Yooyeon needed something stronger to narrow down who it could be. If she went about this too recklessly, the original scammer might try to hide their tracks even further, and by that point, it’d be impossible to–

A loud thud rings behind them and the boy outright screams.

Yooyeon’s head snaps up, and she glances behind them as Soomin gasps. A tall girl – one Yooyeon recognises as Lee Jiwoo – has the boy pinned to the wall by his shoulders as he cries out. Beside her is Yoon Seoyeon, blonde hair shining how it always did, and Yooyeon feels a pit in her stomach. She recalled hearing of the incident earlier, and also of her own argument with Nakyoung. She walks over, Soomin at her side.

“Alright, spill!” Jiwoo demanded, eyes narrowing as the boy whimpered, “We have reason to suspect you’re linked to this ongoing scam in the school!” The boy shakes his head, and when Yooyeon joins them, she watches Seoyeon put a hand on Jiwoo’s wrist. Jiwoo glances at the shorter girl, and when Seoyeon nods, she slowly lowers him.

Seoyeon approaches him, dusting him off and helping fix his blazer, although Yooyeon catches the way he initially recoils away from Seoyeon. Once he’s standing upright, Seoyeon smiles, gentle, “Look, you’re not in any trouble,” she says, crossing her arms, “We know you got scammed too, we’re just trying to figure out who's behind all this and why. Can you help us?”

The boy hesitates again, and Seoyeon simply smiles warmly at him. When he sighs, he rubs the back of his neck, “The guy who sold me the things… he kinda threatened me, if I told anyone who he was.” He muttered, and Yooyeon stepped forth.

“So you do know his–” Seoyeon lightly pushes her way in front of Yooyeon, cutting the older girl off.

“He won’t hurt you.” Seoyeon says, confident.

“How do you know?” The boy asks, and Jiwoo steps forth, proud as she props an arm on Seoyeon’s shoulder.

“Because we won't let him.” Soomin mutters a ‘yeah!’ before trying to mimic Jiwoo’s stance and posture. Yooyeon can’t help but roll her eyes, but there is an oddly warm sensation in her chest.

The boy hesitates, “Alright… if you’ll all leave me alone after this, I’ll tell you…”

Later, the girls are walking as a group of four towards the Belladonna dorms. From what they gathered, apparently the student they’re after happens to be notorious for doing nothing but lounging around the Belladonna common room. “Not surprising a lazy guy like him tried to cut corners, even at his age.” Yooyeon muttered, and Seoyeon nodded, a quiet hum.

“From what me and Jiwoo found, seems like there’s a whole network of scammers now, all leading back to one unknown person.” Seoyeon raised a finger, and Yooyeon nodded. As much as she hated to admit it, the blonde was surprisingly competent as a detective, having had less leads than Yooyeon but coming to the same conclusions very fast.

“Kinda crazy to think about.” Jiwoo said, hands behind her head as she walked beside them, and Soomin nodded.

“Why would someone do it?” The youngest of the four wondered, and Yooyeon couldn’t help but scoff.

“Obviously to make money off of people’s anxieties…” she muttered, and Seoyeon hummed thoughtfully.

“That’s what I thought at first too,” Seoyeon mentioned, before tilting her head, “But as we kept looking into it, I noticed something,” Yooyeon gave Seoyeon a curious glance, and Soomin couldn’t help but be entertained at how for once, Yooyeon wasn’t glaring at Seoyeon, “Everyone who might’ve bought from this original scammer didn’t spend nowhere near as much as they’re charging, so it’s the resellers doing the overcharging,” Yooyeon nods, and Seoyeon glances forth “Honestly, it seems more it was supposed to be a harmless prank played on some of the older years.”

Yooyeon hummed, crossing her arms, “You don’t think this person had malicious intent?” Seoyeon shrugs.

“It’s a possibility.” The blonde reasons, and Yooyeon shakes her heads.

“Regardless, we still need to find that person.” Seoyeon nods, smiling, and Jiwoo can’t help but chuckle.

“Look at that, you two are getting along swimmingly.” Yooyeon shoots a glare towards Jiwoo whilst Seoyeon rolls her eyes. The four keep walking, and Yooyeon thinks back to when Seoyeon had kindly asked the boy for help, how despite his reaction to her presence, she never once glared at him. Yooyeon frowned, before shifting her expression into something more neutral as her eyes settled on the blonde.

“You were surprisingly nice to him,” Yooyeon says, and Seoyeon casts a glance towards her, “That boy.”

Seoyeon smiled, hands in her blazer pockets, “You get more bees with honey than vinegar,” she quotes, glancing forth, “Sometimes, a smile is all people need to open up.” Yooyeon nods, gazing ahead as the hallways darkened.

“Is that why you’re nice to people?” Yooyeon’s voice doesn’t carry an accusation, but it still has Jiwoo narrowing her eyes and Soomin feeling a little exasperated at her sister’s attitude. “To get something from them?”

Seoyeon doesn’t say anything at first, and then, she gives a small laugh. “No… Do I need a reason to be kind?” Yooyeon raises a brow as Seoyeon continues forth, and she feels something… strange writhe within her. Seoyeon’s expression doesn’t shift, her words don’t stutter or hesitate as if they carried a lie. She was being earnest, and Yooyeon quietly scoffs.

“Has anyone told you that you can be a little naive?”

Seoyeon laughs a little brighter this time, “You’re far from the first, and something tells me you won’t be the last.”

Yooyeon wants to comment on it again, to get another word in, when they hear it. Just before the dorms, they can make out the shadowed silhouette of the boy they’re looking for, and before him stands a younger girl. As the four walk closer, they can see orange peeking out from the inside of the girl’s robes, and Yooyeon casts a glance towards her sister.

“Is everyone in your house going to be involved in this?” She muttered, and Soomin shot a sheepish smile back as they stepped forth. The older boy’s words bounced around the walls of the hallway, booming as the four of them shared wary glances, and Yooyeon narrowed her eyes, black smoke beginning to grow and curl around Jiwoo.

“I know it was you,” the boy seethed, and to her credit, the girl before him didn’t falter, arms defiantly crossed over her chest, the sleeves of her robes bundled up around her elbows. “You helped sell those stupid ‘remedies’. Well, I want my money back.” The girl shook her head, letting out a disbelieving laugh.

“Please, you think some first-years were able to scam some of you guys?” She shook her head, “You’re barking up the wrong tree.”

He growled, stomping his foot onto the ground and pointing a finger at the Marigold girl, “The wrong tree?” he hissed, stepping forward. “You think I don’t recognize your face? You were with that other girl. You helped sell those fake remedies. You knew they didn’t work and you still sold them.”

The girl’s gaze turned slightly hesitant, before she tried turning away. “Back off, creep.” She tried walking off, but he grabbed her wrist. She let out a gasp, and before things could escalate, before Yooyeon could even get a word out, Seoyeon leapt forth.

“She said back off.” Her voice cut through the noise, and both of the students froze. The Marigold glanced towards Seoyeon, and her gaze flashed between wary to thankful. The boy looked Seoyeon up and down, and laughed.

“Of course, a no-good scammer like you would be friends with the Phoenix girl.” He sneered, and the girl tried pulling herself away. Jiwoo walked over, and was quick to tug his arm off of the younger girl and throw him back. He stumbled, clutching his arm as his eyes widened, catching the horns forming on Jiwoo’s head, the darker appearance of her eyes.

“They said back off pal.” Jiwoo muttered.

A pulse of irritation ran across his features, and he snarled. “Why don’t you guys back off?” He crossed his arms, although the confidence in his voice wavered. “My business is with her, not with any of you.”

Yooyeon stepped forth, standing in between him and the three behind him. Soomin walked over to the girl, checking her wrist and asking if she was alright. Yooyeon glared at the boy. “It is now.” Her gaze was sharp, and her arms folded neatly behind her back. Now, eyes dancing between Seoyeon and Yooyeon, any bravado the boy had displayed earlier began to slowly fizzle out.

“I don’t know why you think you have any leg to stand on,” Yooyeon challenged, voice sharp and cold, “You’ve been reselling those same remedies, and not only that, but you’ve been price gauging – charging desperate students triple what you paid, all while claiming they’d improve focus, lessen fatigue,” Yooyeon scoffed as Seoyeon smiled beside her, “None of which is true, which you’d know.”

The boy’s posture stiffened. “I was just trying to get my money back–” He argued, but Yooyeon was quick to cut in.

“Then report the original seller to staff,” Yooyeon interrupted smoothly. “But what you did is textbook misconduct. You knowingly pushed unapproved substances and lied about their effects, and conned students out of much more money. Some would say you’re worse than the original seller,” Yooyeon raised a brow, “Want to keep going?”

The boy hesitated, taking a step forward. Jiwoo matched it, rolling her shoulders as the smoke rolled and coiled around her. “You know, I could do with a sparring match if you want.” The boy gritted his teeth, glancing between the five of the girls before him.

Yooyeon took a slow step toward him. “You might want to leave before you dig your own grave any deeper.” She muttered, and he scoffed.

He shot one last look between them, before muttering and walking off. Yooyeon lets out a sigh, and catches the look of admiration in Seoyeon’s eyes, and all she can do is huff. The pair turn around, and glance at the other Marigold girl. “You alright, Miss…?” Seoyeon wondered, and the girl sighed.

“Chaewon,” she answered, before smiling, “And yeah, I’m not doing too bad. Thanks… for stepping in.” Chaewon’s eyes sparkled as they darted between Seoyeon and Yooyeon, although could feel herself shrinking under Yooyeon’s intense stare.

“Of course!” Seoyeon smiled, and Chaewon felt herself relax under the older girl’s warm gaze. “We couldn’t just let him try and walk all over you, especially since he’s the last person who should be criticising you.” Chaewon gave a grateful nod, before Yooyeon hummed.

“That said, he seemed pretty convinced you were the one selling these ‘remedies’...” She murmured, and Chaewon froze, before looking away and towards the ground.

“I wasn’t lying… I’m not the one who started this whole thing…” she murmured, and Seoyeon hummed.

“But you didn’t deny knowing who did,” Seoyeon noted gently, cocking her head. “You just denied being the one behind it.”

Chaewon’s face turned a light shade of pink, and she sighed quietly, hands balling at her sides. Yooyeon glanced between Chaewon and Seoyeon, at how Seoyeon approached slowly. “Look, you’re not necessarily in any trouble, you don’t seem like the type to do this sort of thing. But you do seem like the kind of person who’ll stand up for their friend when you need to.” Chaewon bit her lip, and Jiwoo smiled.

“We get it, it was probably some prank that got out of hand,” Jiwoo then frowned slightly, “But we want to get a handle on the situation before it spirals out of control and your friend really does end up in trouble. So, work with us.” Chaewon then sighs, glancing around.

Soomin offers a patient smile, and Yooyeon stands back, her intuition warning her that now was not the time to step in.

It seems like Chaewon’s about to speak, when another voice calls out. “CHAEWON!” A voice rings out, alongside the clambering of footsteps, and their attention is drawn to a new girl. Chaewon then huffs, crossing her arms as a new girl stands before them. A head of blue hair greets them, and Seoyeon catches a flash of purple under their robes – a Belladonna.

“Yah! Jeong Hayeon!” Chaewon accused, pointing a finger as the blue-haired girl gasped, catching her breath before sighing.

“I heard some guy went to confront you! I wanted to check on you.” She said, and Chaewon laughed, crossing her arms and looking away, face reddening.

“As if…” she muttered, “You were probably just hoping I didn’t rat you out!” She pointed again, accusatory as Hayeon raised her hands in surrender.

“Okay… maybe a little?” Chaewon gave a snarl as Hayeon giggled, before shaking her head, “I was worried though… Are you okay?” Hayeon’s voice was a little softer, and Chaewon turned her face away, cheeks rosy. Seoyeon watched the way Chaewon whispered something, and Hayeon smiled, relief coming across her expression. She hummed. Cute.

At the noise, Hayeon glanced past Chaewon, and finally registered the presence of the other girls. She blinks, eyes landing on Seoyeon and Yooyeon, the girl who called the Phoenix and the Kim Yooyeon, and pales. She grabs onto Chaewon’s wrist, ready to run off, when Jiwoo reaches out to grab both girls by the collar.

“Uh uh,” she smiles, and Hayeon tries to wrestle out of Jiwoo’s grasp as Chaewon crosses her arms, a little exasperated at her friend’s actions. “Seems like we finally found our little scammer.” She grinned, and Hayeon sighed.

When Jiwoo finally dropped the pair, Hayeon dusting herself off, she began to tell her story. “Look,” she started, “All those third-years I sold to? Assholes… they’ve been bothering all of us first-years a lot recently, so, I wanted to get back at them,” the blue-haired girl crossed her arms, and huffed, “So, me and Chae decided to get back at them by conning them out of some money.” The others nod.

Hayeon goes on, “Nothing crazy, it was supposed to be harmless. It’s against the rules for them to even buy this stuff under all this pretense of them being ‘study remedies’, so it’s not like they could even report us without getting into trouble.” The younger girl laughed. “Still can’t believe they believed all that stuff about it ‘improving focus’.”

Soomin makes a quiet huff, pouting as she looked away. Yooyeon glanced at her sister, before, raising an unimpressed brow toward Hayeon, “Keep going.”

Hayeon then gulped, Chaewon snickering as the Belladonna continued. “I come from a village near the forest in S19, so I just said these were some ancient village medicines or something. But then they started exaggerating and reselling them all for much higher – and it all spiralled out of control…” Hayeon sighed, and to her credit, did seem genuinely apologetic.

“I didn’t mean for things to turn out like this, least of all to hurt the people those older pricks normally pick on… It was supposed to be about getting back at them, not making things worse.” Hayeon rubbed her arm, Chaewon’s eyes softening.

Yooyeon sighed, and Hayeon continued, “Once it started, everyone started reselling things, and I can’t exactly go around stopping this with how many people were doing it, and I’d rather not tell the staff and risk being expelled because of some prank,” Hayeon then met Soomin’s eyes, “I really am sorry… if I knew I was bothering other first-years, I wouldn’t have gone through with it, honest.” There’s a shaking of heads, and Seoyeon claps a hand on Hayeon’s shoulder.

“Hey,” Seoyeon started, “Don’t be too hard on yourself – you wanted to stand up for you and your friends at first, that’s admirable,” she smiled, “We’ll help you guys fix this mess.” She offered almost immediately, and Yooyeon’s head snapped up as Soomin blinked.

“We are?” The youngest girl asked, and Jiwoo chuckled, patting the shorter girl’s back.

“Of course we are! If unnie says we are, then we are.” Jiwoo nods, and Soomin returns it, a fiery look in her eyes. Soomin then glances towards Yooyeon, noting the hesitance in Yooyeon’s eyes.

The younger girl walked over, and took her older sister’s hands into her own. “Come on unnie… work with us!” She beamed, and Yooyeon sighed, letting her shoulders sag, “I know those guys probably annoy you too – can you blame them for just wanting to get back at them?” Truly, Yooyeon couldn’t, even amidst her affinity for the rules. She glanced between the five before her, and shook her head.

“We’ll have to be careful – if we aren’t, Chaewon and Hayeon could also end up on the chopping block.” The first-year duo shuddered, and Seoyeon offered an inquisitive look.

“Any ideas?”

Yooyeon met Hayeon and Chaewon’s gazes, the armband on her bicep feeling oddly heavy for once.

“Lucky for everyone, yes.”

=====

A few days later, Yooyeon's eyes scanned the library, watching the scene unfold. Students were scattered around the corner, with chairs and desks stacked together, oversized cushions and pillows dotted around. Candles and lanterns were lit as the night went on, but the warmth in the corner remained. Easy smiles and laughs were exchanged as the scent of parchment mixed with a vague hint of cinnamon. Students scrawled on their pages, as baked breads and goods were served on silver platters.

The corner of the library had been turned into a functional study lounge, with students gathered together, exchanging actually helpful information and guides, older students giving recommendations, all along the Academy’s guidelines. Hayeon and Chaewon had volunteered for snack duty, Hayeon pouring some tea whilst Chaewon chatted to some older girls.

“It wasn’t a bad idea, you know.” A familiar voice spoke, standing beside Yooyeon. She didn’t need to turn to know it was Nakyoung.

“It was Seoyeon’s…” Yooyeon admitted.

“I know,” She could hear the inflection in her friend’s voice, the smile. “I know all about the Hayeon situation…” She murmured, and Yooyeon nodded.

She watched Chaewon hover near Soomin, pointing something out as her sister began to explain it to her fellow Marigold. Yooyeon felt something warm bloom in her chest at the interaction. “Seoyeon felt like this would function as an apology to anyone who was conned – a chance to gain some actual insight and get some snacks. Something about helping boost the mood around exams too.” Yooyeon shrugged.

“She wasn’t wrong…” Nakyoung murmured, “But that wasn’t the idea I was talking about.” Yooyeon froze, before turning her head. Nakyoung wasn’t looking at her, instead watching Lynn sit opposite Shion, the two girls exchanging study notes. “I heard you’re the one who took the fall for Hayeon and Chaewon…”

Yooyeon turned her gaze back, and her eyes briefly met Hayeon’s. The blue-haired girl gave a smile and a wave, one that Yooyeon hesitantly returned. Pleased, Hayeon went back to bothering Chaewon. “I reported the incident to Hyunjin… said I wanted to weed out the people who were willing to cheat or con their way into the pockets of other students and through the exams…” She chuckled, “Honestly, I think she might’ve known I was lying to cover for them.”

“She is the Strategy Master…” Nakyoung muttered, “Would not stop grilling me in class the other day.”

Yooyeon actually laughed at that, “Yeah, she’s like that.” Nakyoung then turned to face Yooyeon, and Yooyeon did the same.

“Are you in any trouble?” Nakyoung asked, and Yooyeon shook her head.

“Honestly, I got off pretty easy…” Yooyeon sighed, glancing over to where Hayeon was busy trying to kiss Chaewon’s cheek, the other girl blushing and trying to avoid it. “Hayeon and Chaewon came in around the same time I was telling Hyunjin, and started demanding Hyunjin to go easy on me… those kids…” she shook her head, chuckling softly, “Hyunjin’s taken me off active mission duty for now, and I have to help clean her classroom after the day’s done.”

Nakyoung hummed, “The classroom she keeps meticulously clean?” Nakyoung smirked, and Yooyeon met her gaze, “Doesn’t seem like much of a punishment.”

Yooyeon gave a hum and a shrug, and the two shared a quiet laugh. Nakyoung then shifted, a little closer, “Yooyeon-unnie…” she started, low, and Yooyeon glanced over. The Belladonna seemed a little hesitant, eyes darting around before finally meeting Yooyeon’s. “I’m sorry… about earlier…” Yooyeon turned, fully facing Nakyoung now, gaze softening.

Nakyoung’s head was lowered, and Yooyeon sighed, a pang of guilt hitting her as examined the younger girl and her hunched shoulders. “Naky… it isn’t your fault…” she murmured, and Nakyoung shook her head.

“No… I know you have your reasons, why you distrust Seoyeon’s family… I should’ve been more understanding.” Yooyeon sighed, reaching out to place an hand on the girl’s upper arm, offering a reassuring squeeze.

“And I should’ve tried to understand you,” she whispered, smiling, “You’re right – it wasn’t fair of me to judge Seoyeon so harshly, and her being poisoned is much more concerning than her reaction. I wasn’t being fair to another student, and you called me out, because that’s what the right thing to do was.” Nakyoung’s head raised a little, and Nakyoung gave a hopeful smile.

“Does this mean you like her now?” Yooyeon rolled her eyes, patting Nakyoung’s arm as the blonde gave a grin.

“Don’t get your hopes up,” she muttered, “It’s tentative for now. I still have my issues, but…” Yooyeon glances to a gap in the shelves, to the isolated desk she saw Seoyeon head towards earlier, “Maybe she isn’t so bad.”

“Look at that, Yooyeon’s icy heart is melting~” Nakyoung teased, before skipping off to bother Lynn and Shion. Yooyeon scoffed, shaking her head.

Her eyes glanced over, to where Seoyeon had walked towards, and soon, found herself moving without thinking.

As she navigates between the shelves, passing the dusted books and dark corners, she sees a lone desk, Seoyeon sitting at it, notebooks and old library books scattered around her, pen scribbling away furiously. Her brows are knit in concentration, the lantern at her side flickering, casting a warm glow over her skin and making her hair seem brighter and softer than it usually was. Yooyeon slowly walked over, and Seoyeon didn’t look up, not even registering the older girl’s presence.

Yooyeon observes her, watching Seoyeon’s eyes hurriedly scan between texts, and she almost chuckles. She raps her knuckles against the desk, and Seoyeon’s head snaps up. The smile on the older girl’s lips is small, faint, barely there, yet it greets Seoyeon as she meets eyes with Yooyeon. The older girl’s face is framed between the glow of the light and the shadows of the dark corner Seoyeon nestled herself in.

“Someone’s busy.” She notes, and Seoyeon lets out a tired chuckle, before blinking. Yooyeon takes note of the dark circles under Seoyeon’s eyes.

“I’ve been so busy helping Hayeon and Chaewon and practicing on how to summon my Soulborne I almost forgot about this history essay.” She sighs, shaking her head and massaging her temples. Yooyeon glances between the notes and Seoyeon’s tired expression, and she sighs, sounding fonder than she meant.

“This is what happens when you run around trying to help others all the time,” Yooyeon hummed, tilting her head curiously, “I’m surprised you still do – most people out there still seemed pretty uncomfortable when you were there.”

Seoyeon hums, glancing down at her notes lit up by the warm radiance of the lamp. “Maybe… but you can’t say it’s not worth it, look at how happy everyone was,” she smiles, and Yooyeon can’t help but chuckle, “Besides, if me being over here makes them more comfortable then…” she trails off, the sound of distant laughter ringing quietly through the air.

Yooyeon finds herself frowning, “But you shouldn’t have to compromise for them, not when you’re already doing so much…” Seoyeon hums with a shrug, as if indifferent to the idea, almost used to it, and it sends a sickening feeling crawling through Yooyeon’s gut.

She examines Seoyeon, watches the girl slowly ebb back into her previous state, hurriedly writing and noting things down, before sighing. She reaches for the bag at her side, flicking through until she finds what she’s looking for. Seoyeon’s head snaps up as Yooyeon drops a brown notebook onto the table, coloured paper tabs already peeking through the sides. The blonde glances at Yooyeon, who nods ahead.

Gingerly, Seoyeon begins to flick through the book. “They’re… study notes,” she started, “Organised, I made them during my second-year. It’s basically a–”

“A guide,” Seoyeon whispered, “Organised, colour-coded, basically a guaranteed top grade if I use this to help me…” she muttered, completely in awe, gazing up at Yooyeon. The older girl chuckles at the stars in Seoyeon’s eyes, looking away. She feels her face grow warm, hoping the shadows hide what was likely a developing pink blush to her cheeks.

“I made them for Soomin, so when she’s in second-year next year, she’ll have something to carry her through it,” she glanced back at Seoyeon, arms crossed, “You… I don’t mind lending it. Provided you give it back in one piece when you’re done.” Seoyeon smiles, and Yooyeon feels an oddly tight sensation in her chest.

“Thank you.” Seoyeon said, readying to get back to work. Yooyeon doesn’t recognise what comes over her, but she steps forth, her hand on Seoyeon’s. She slowly takes the pen from Seoyeon’s hand, placing it down beside her.

“Sleep,” she orders, “Your History essay isn’t due for another few days, you’ll have more time to work on it. Sleep is said to improve memory consolidation and emotional regulation – both of which are very needed for your exams.” Seoyeon’s about to protest, but a yawn fights its way through, and Yooyeon almost laughs, but she catches herself.

“I…” Yooyeon gives her a stare, the older sister ‘If-you-try-to-argue-I’ll-throw-you-over-a-wall’ stare she’s used on Soomin countless times, and Seoyeon acquiesces. “Fine…” she mumbles softly, moving her books aside as she sets a pillow onto her table, and drops her head down.

“You’re not going to your dorm?” She inquired, but Seoyeon had already begun to slumber. Yooyeon let out a disbelieving chuckle, before moving to Seoyeon’s side. The girl’s face… Yooyeon frowned. It was relaxed, eyebrows unknit, a soft smile on her face as she gently snored. The glow of the lantern made her skin appear softer, her hair like strands of gold. Yooyeon gingerly found herself raising a finger, moving hairs out of Seoyeon’s face.

She retracted her hand, feeling something build up in her chest. “I know I don’t trust your mother or her legacy, I know that means I shouldn’t trust you, but…” Yooyeon sighed, standing. “I’m hoping I can.”

Yooyeon leaves, but not before returning. She places a chair beside Seoyeon’s desk, a few pillows on top of it. She drapes a thin blanket over Seoyeon’s shoulders, before sitting down in the cushioned chair, closing her own eyes as she sighed, letting sleep take her as her leg muscles ached from the past days of activity.

=====

Seoyeon stands before Jinsoul, giving her professor a nod. Beside them, Nien stood with her gauntlets clinging to her arms, Lynn’s trident in her grasp, the air buzzing with magic. People had already begun summoning and casting their Soulbornes, and varying reactions had occurred. Kaede had apparently summoned hers before once or twice by accident, so when she successfully called forth a spiked whip, shades of green and yellow dancing along it, alongside the two fang-like spikes at the end of the whip, there was a cheer from Lynn.

Meanwhile, Jiwoo was still twirling around the spear now in her grasp as Nakyoung chuckled – a fierce crimson alongside golden yellow patterns, the blade itself shining in the sun, feathers trailing from where the blade met the shaft. Seoyeon now stood before Jinsoul, who offered an encouraging nod, and Seoyeon let out a breath. She extended her arm, recalling all the times Lynn had made her meditate and focus, even on something Yooyeon had said to her on one of the many days the pair were in the makeshift study lounge, and closed her eyes.

Then, she felt something in the air shift. Magic vibrated and buzzed through the air, and Seoyeon felt something hot collect in her grasp. She didn’t lose focus, and waited, and soon, she swung. She swung back again, once more, before then sighing as she stood tall. She glanced down, and smiled.

Her Soulborne shimmered in the light – the black hilt of the sword lined with golden etchings and details, swirling patterns, as if depicting fire and smoke. The hilt was decorated with the golden head of a phoenix swathed in flames, and the blade itself was a glittering gold, glowing and pulsing with heat and mana. Seoyeon glanced up, and Jinsoul clapped, and her friends hollered behind her.

Nakyoung walked over, clapping a hand on Seoyeon’s shoulder, and Jiwoo was quick to walk over and gush about the sword itself. Seoyeon couldn’t care less about the warier look of her classmates, and Jinsoul stepped forth.

“Congratulations, Seoyeon,” Seoyeon smiled, and Jinsoul grinned, “But there’s something you all ought to know, every single one of you who was able to summon it.”

The class froze, glancing Jinsoul’s way as she smiled.

“Anyone who can summon their Soulborne…” Jinsoul began, “Is officially required to start going on missions.”

Chapter Text

Hyerin didn’t often venture into the immense tower that the Camellias often called their home – she didn’t have much reason to, what with her current circle of friends not containing anyone bearing the crimson colours of the House. Yet, after everything Yubin had told her, her mind continued to be plagued with one name.

Kwak Yeonji. The last Emerald wyvern, trained by the Kamimoto clan – a name worn by some of the best swordsmen in history. She’d heard all sorts of rumours, and despite Hyerin knowing that sneaking into a different House’s dorm probably broke some sort of rule, her curiosity had gotten the best of her. After all, Yeonji hadn’t shown up to many of her classes, so the sight of her was rare, and the young Wisteria was finding herself increasingly interested.

So, she slipped into the shadows of the dorm (she wondered how the others would feel about her breaking a rule… Yooyeon would probably pop a vein, but the others would be overjoyed), and slunk along the walls. She could still recall receiving her blessing from The Bat, and becoming one with the night and shadows had its benefits. If the students she passed by glanced at the shadowed walls of the corridors, of the black images dancing across the walls, they might just spot a slightly darker blur shifting amongst them.

Or perhaps not, what with black-scaled Gorgons such as herself specialising in stealth. She took a pause, slipping out of the shadows as she quietly caught her breath – Hyerin doesn’t recall the last time she’d hidden for so long through the use of her magic. As she glanced down, she caught the way her usually hidden scales swirled along her arms, lines of deep ebony scales crawling up her arms in shifting, winding lines.

She caught her reflection in a nearby window – her upper canines extending into longer fangs, eyes now charcoal greyish slits, a few stray scales forming on her temples. She narrowed her eyes, and let out a drawn-out sigh, watching as the scales hid again, her eyes returning to normal. The first-year glanced at the nearby wall, and hummed. She could still recall having seen someone who she thought was Yeonji enter.

Approaching the wall, she sighed, pressing her palm to the wall. When Hyerin first found out she was a Divinator, it was Yubin who joked she’d never have to worry about losing anything again. ‘She was kinda right…’ Yubin thought to herself, as images flashed through her head, voices ringing through her ears as indiscernible hushed whispers. So long as she knew what she was looking for, the shadows became her new eyes and ears, sights and sounds communicating themselves through the dark.

Heartbeats pounded in her ears, and if she focused, she could locate the exact place in which each one rung out. But she didn’t care for the countless rhythmic pulses within the tower, just one. Soon enough, the image of ashy blonde hair filled the canvas of her mind, a lone heartbeat at the top of the tower, and Hyerin smiled.

‘Am I being a little creepy?’ Hyerin couldn’t help but wonder. ‘Probably… but… I’m just… satiating my curiosity.’ She told herself, rolling her shoulders. The black scales of her Gorgon heritage briefly dotted her skin, before soon, she faded from view entirely. The ability of black-scaled Gorgons – hiding from the visible world entirely. Hyerin took in a breath, before slipping back into the shadows and surging through a world of black, before eventually, she slipped along a corner, and could see her.

At the top of the tower, a lone girl sat, an oversized robe on her frame. The observatory at the top of the Camellia Tower was lined with several telescopes, built with a coppery metal and lined with ornate gold engravings. Hyerin felt her breath get caught in her face as the girl moved her face away from the telescope, frowning as she glanced up at the glass windows cutting through the domed ceiling. The pale evening sky stretched across above them, a pale blue with a few stars beginning to shimmer.

Yet, Hyerin couldn’t focus on the stars. Not as she stared at her, at Yeonji. As she moved, her deep green hair swished, falling just below her neck. Her brow was furrowed, a quiet and low hum slipping out of her. Her skin seemed flawless, as if she was carved from porcelain, yet as Yeonji adjusted the telescope, Hyerin caught the faint glimpse of scars around her hands, no doubt from countless hours of training.

“Why can’t I…” she mumbled, and her voice was a little lower than Hyerin expected. She crosses her arms, leaning back in her seat. She looked… cool, if Hyerin had to describe it. She tilted her head, and Hyerin swallowed, watching the Wyvern run a hand through her forest green hair.

Then, the girl freezes, and glances behind her. Hyerin notes she’s still hidden amongst the darkness, yet as Yeonji stares, she can’t help but feel exposed. ‘She must not be good at hiding her Wyvern side entirely…’ Hyerin thinks, noting the faint glimmers of green in otherwise brown eyes. Yeonji then stands, arms still crossed as she raised a brow. Hyerin couldn’t help but gulp.

“I know you’re there…” Yeonji starts, eyes narrowing, and Hyerin feels surprise wash over her. ‘She knows?!’

But Hyerin was hidden twice-over – even if Yeonji could sense her presence in the shadows, her invisibility as a Gorgon should’ve kept her hidden. Could Yeonji sense even that? Just what were the abilities of a Emerald Wyvern? Ready to accept defeat, Hyerin prepared to reveal herself, until a loud (and very familiar laugh) rang through the air.

In a puff of smoke, somewhere between the shades of pink and orange, Soomin manifested into the air. “You saw through my illusion?” She asked, and Hyerin watched as Yeonji’s shoulders remained tense, eyes still focused and sharp.

‘Soomin is here too?’ Hyerin stays back, watching as Soomin approaches Yeonji, hands raised. ‘Guess she was also curious…’

Yeonji, guard still raised, doesn’t back away. “...why were you hiding?”

Hyerin’s friend frowns, arms dropping to her sides, “Well, it kinda defeats the purpose of secretly watching someone if I’m not being… well, secret about it?” For a moment, Yeonji hums, low and quiet, eyes scanning over Soomin, fixating on her pigtails to the orange of her robes.

Soomin continued to ramble, and Yeonji’s lips twitched at Soomin’s endless chatter. Part of Hyerin felt something akin to fear writhe in her gut, and she almost jumped out to pull Soomin out – having already discovered how her friend’s penchant for… talking, tended to annoy people and land herself in trouble. But instead of an angered roar or a threat, out of nowhere, Yeonji laughed.

Not the awkward, reluctant kind, but a full laugh, bright and almost giddy. The sound cut through any of the tension building in the air, and even seemed to startle Soomin, although she wore a much brighter expression then Hyerin.

“Finally, something interesting is happening!” She exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. “Do you know how boring it’s been sitting up here alone for nights? Honestly, I am so happy to have the company, I mean, you try sitting up here just staring at the same three dumb constellations because the moon keeps ruining everything, and no one is willing to approach you because they think you’re this crazy scary Wyvern who skips class because she’s too cool too but really it’s because I hate being reminded of math.”

Soomin blinked, stunned for all of two seconds – then broke into a wide grin. “You talk a lot.” She wasn’t lying – Hyerin thinks that entire monologue was spoken faster than anything Soomin has ever said.

“You have to when you have so much to say!” Yeonji said, the words spilling out impossibly fast, and Hyerin catches the toothy grin she gives Soomin. She thinks she even spots a few jagged fangs, “Like, do you know how impossible it is to properly align a telescope when the humidity messes with the lenses? Or how annoying it is that every single myth about Wyverns has to bring up ‘noble destinies’ instead of how our claws are really bad for embroidery?!” She groans, her head in her hands. “Honestly, if I have to hear  another  dumb Wyvern rumour, I’m pulling my scales out.”

Soomin’s braid bounced as she burst out laughing. “Oh my gods, you complain more than I do!”

“Because I’ve got more to complain about!” Yeonji retorted, spinning on her heel to face her. “I got all these dumb older years asking to spar, Tone-unnie keeps breathing down my neck about my studies – I’ve already mentioned the claws thing, seriously, they just… spike out at the worst times and I don’t know how to sew robes yet – and I swear there’s something weird in the air because I keep shedding my scales so much more often!”

Soomin nods, hanging on each word Yeonji said, unsurprisingly able to keep up. “Dang, being you kinda sucks.” She hums, and Yeonji provides an offended squawk, although the glint in her eyes is enough to tip Hyerin off to it, mainly being in mock-offense. “I thought it’d be cooler being you.”

Yeonji blows a raspberry, “I mean, ignoring the whole ‘last of my species’ thing, which obviously blows,” Hyerin raises a brow. That was… one way to put it. “I’m kinda just…”

“Normal?” Soomin offers, and something more warm, more genuine flashes across Yeonji’s expression.

“...yeah.” She responds, a little quieter, and Soomin smiles.

“Eh, it’s not too surprising. I’m kinda glad you are the way you are,” Hyerin catches the way Yeonji’s head visibly perks up at the phrase, and her gaze softens as Soomin grins, “Come on, tell me more about the scales.”

“They’re useless!” Yeonji threw her arms wide, eyes gleaming with animated exasperation. The two of them were practically bouncing off one another, their voices growing louder, overlapping, laughter spilling freely between complaints and stories. From the shadows, Hyerin felt her jaw slacken. She had almost expected someone colder, more aloof, but there was something refreshing about Yeonji’s energy.

The last of a dead race, and yet, she didn’t wear any sort of grief on her sleeve, didn’t push people away. She seemed to deeply wish for something like this, just a normal conversation as if she was any other student.

About halfway through some rant about Linguistics, Soomin then gasped, glancing behind her. “Oh, by the way—Yeonji, meet my friend Hyerin! She’s been here the whole time!” Hyerin’s eyes widened, “I caught her acting all shifty outside the tower before I walked in, and if you hang around her as much as I do, you get pre-tty good at spotting her.”

Yeonji spun on her heel in an instant, her eyes wide with intrigue. “What, seriously?!” she exclaimed, bounding a step closer to the wall Hyerin pointed at. “You were eavesdropping too?! Come on, show yourself! I want to know how long you’ve been hiding – wait, wait, did you hear the embroidery-sewing thing? You definitely heard the embroidery-sewing thing – ugh, this is so embarrassing – actually no, it’s not, because it’s TRUE, and—”

But before she could finish, Hyerin bolted, vanishing back into the tower’s shadows with a pounding heart.

“HEY!” Soomin threw her hands in the air. “Why does she always run off when I’m trying to introduce her?”

Yeonji, however, was still leaning forward toward the spot Hyerin had disappeared from, eyes shining with amused curiosity. “That was your friend? She’s good. Like, really good at hiding. Is she a Gorgon? I heard some of them are good at that – oh! What’s her blessing?! Is it The Bat? Tone-unnie also has The Bat. What about her affinity? But wow, she missed out. I could’ve told her SO much more about telescope humidity and scale shedding – ugh!”

Soomin groaned, lightly smacking Yeonji’s arm as she plopped onto the floor beside her. “I swear, Yeonji, you’re worse than me.”

“WORSE?” Yeonji gasped, clutching her chest dramatically. “Excuse you, I think you’ll find you mean better!”

Soomin burst out laughing, and soon Yeonji joined her, both their voices echoing warmly through the dome.

=====

The first thing Seoyeon feels is the slamming of a pillow against her side. She groans, rudely awoken from her slumber, only for another hit, and then another, and one last hit that was a little too hard. She lets out a scream, failing her arms as she gets up. When she glances to her side, she sees Jiwoo holding a pillow over her head, her eyes wide like a deer caught at night by lanternlights. Seoyeon tilts her head, blinking groggily before peering behind the taller girl.

Chaeyeon is in a rush to get ready, halfway into getting dressed with a panicstricken expression. The blonde’s eyes widen, and she stares up at Jiwoo who tosses the pillow aside, expression sheepish before hardening. “Unnie!” She starts, grabbing onto Seoyeon’s shoulder, “We overslept! Mission selection started this morning!”

Seoyeon feels the colour drain from her face, and she begins rushing to stand, her tired body propped up with Jiwoo’s help. She knew little about the process of selecting a mission (Jinsol hadn’t provided nearly enough information last lesson, and Seoyeon felt a little awkward being the only one who needed clarification, so she hadn’t asked any further questions). That is to say, all she had to go off of was the stressed looks on her roommates faces as they hammered the point home – wake up early.

“What?! What time is it?” Seoyeon was hardly a tardy person, and her nerves began to fry at the thought of being late for something allegedly so important.

As the taller girl disappeared to get ready, Seoyeon tried to get her rapid breathing under control, grabbing her nearby clock, eyes shaking as she looked at the time. Then, Seoyeon gave a quiet and confused breath, tilting her head before looking up at her friends.

“Guys…” Chaeyeon and Jiwoo (both fully dressed) look toward Seoyeon, “We’re only about half an hour late… don’t we still have time?” Seoyeon watches as her two friends shoot each other a pitying look, before gazing back at her.

Now, Seoyeon liked to think of herself as a punctual person. She carried out deliveries in her home town with perfect timing and would always clock in for her shifts at the apothecary earlier than anyone else. It had gotten to the point where Minji would often let Seoyeon handle all the tasks of the early day, such as unlocking the door and setting up for the day ahead.

So when Jiwoo and Chaeyeon share such a look, as if to say ‘Oh, look at this poor lost soul…’, it stings a little.

When she gives them an unimpressed look, Jiwoo sighs. “We’re even later than we thought…” She mumbles, before running off to freshen up. Seoyeon only rolls her eyes before busying herself with her own morning routine, albeit more rushed than usual. At the very least, Seoyeon can recognise a hurry when she sees one, and decided to not annoy Jiwoo or Chaeyeon by refusing to take them seriously.

They’re sprinting down the stairs (Chaeyeon falling down the last few before getting caught by Jiwoo) before they run into a familiar head of reddish-brown hair. They pause, and Dahyun flashes a smile. “I see some people are running late.” Jiwoo groans, and Chaeyeon pushes past, her hands landing on Dahyun’s shoulders.

“Dahyun-unnie!” She whined, loud enough for nearby students to shoot the group confused looks, “Tell me… is it true? Are we too late?” Her eyes are watering, and Dahyun laughs, patting Chaeyeon’s hands.

“Don’t worry,” she says in her melodic voice, with Chaeyeon and Jiwoo’s heads shooting up. “There were still some D-Rank missions up for grabs before I left.” Chaeyeon cheers, and begins shaking Dahyun back and forth, even trying to pepper her face with kisses, much to Dahyun’s chagrin as she cries out, still laughing. “I would’ve joined you guys, but Ede had a different mission she wanted to try.”

Seoyeon, meanwhile, furrows her brow, and Jiwoo catches the blonde’s thoughtful look. “Do you remember the ranking system, unnie?” The tall girl asks, crossing her arms as Seoyeon nods.

“I think… the higher the number, the more dangerous the mission, right?” Jiwoo nods, and Seoyeon hums, “Then why not just go for an E or F-Rank mission?”

Jiwoo makes a face, and as Seoyeon frowns, she chuckles. “Those are like… baby missions. Normally only reserved for first-years. It’s simple stuff – a town needing us to investigate some woods to collect some rare plants, needing to observe wildlife in an area where there’s only a slight risk. No real combat is involved or expected, so whilst you could do it, you’d kinda be judged. Big-time.” Seoyeon sucks in a breath through her teeth, and Jiwoo nods with a smile.

“So… D-Rank is the lowest we can take?” Seoyeon asks, and the taller girl smiles.

“Yep, it’s usually killing smaller Predabeasts that have been bothering villages. You’re given oversight, and whilst there’s a small risk of injury, it isn’t anything major.” Seoyeon takes in the information, and as they continue walking (a little slower with Dahyun’s reassurance), Seoyeon thinks over the information.

“What about the higher ranks?” At that, Dahyun glances back, and hums.

“C is the highest any of us second-years are qualified to do – usually it’s a larger Predabeasts that’s been bothering a town and probably caused casualties. They’re longer missions, usually a couple of days, and require more planning and manpower,” Dahyun sighs, shaking her head, “Basically, the kind of mission no one wants to do around exam period.”

Seoyeon frowns, “But we’re still required for missions anyway? Even during exams? Why is it mandatory to begin with?”

Chaeyeon groans, waving her hand around, “Something something that new curriculum everyone is cursing,” she sighs, shaking her head, “I heard Headmistress Heejin has been losing her mind over arguing with the higher-ups on some of these decisions.”

As a frown came across her features, Dahyun nodded. “I have to agree… it used to be more optional for second-years and below to take missions – making it mandatory feels… risky,” she sighs, shaking her head, “Even if lower rank missions are supposed to be safer, it’s not like misclassification hasn’t happened before.” Dahyun’s walk slows, and Seoyeon finds herself focusing on them again.

The Higher-Ups. From what she recalled, they were the ones who first demanded her execution, when the Phoenix’s fire first called out to her and burned her surroundings. Her fists clenched by her sides. If not for Heejin stepping in, refusing their decision and insisting she could be trained, Seoyeon wouldn’t even be here. The thought still sent a chill down her spine, and something bitter crawled through her stomach.

She slowed her steps, biting her lip before she finally asked aloud, “...Who even are they? The Higher-Ups, I mean. Are they like a council? The government?”

The hesitant look on everyone’s faces tells Seoyeon exactly what she needs to know. Chaeyeon sighed before answering, rubbing at her arm. “Not exactly. They’re more like a hidden board. They run the academies, oversee mage deployments, and make the final calls on things no one else can.”

Jiwoo chimed in with a shrug. “Nobody knows who they actually are, though, besides their leader, who’s appointed either for life or until they lose the confidence of the rest of the Higher-Ups,” Seoyeon frowns as they keep walking, passing by students either groaning or celebrating their missions. “Most of their identities are kept secret – even the Headmistresses don’t openly say. Some people think they’re a mix of retired legends, politicians, and people with… way too much power.”

“The rich.” Dahyun supplies with a quiet whisper, startling Seoyeon when she suddenly appears at the blonde’s side.

“Or people with nothing better to do.” Chaeyeon muttered with a half-joke, earning a sharp elbow from Jiwoo.

Seoyeon frowned, her stomach tightening. A nameless group with the power to order someone’s execution on a whim. How many other lives had been decided by faceless voices in a room no one could enter? Just how many people came before Seoyeon, their life in the balance over something they couldn’t control nor understand?

She shook her head quickly, pushing the thought away. “...Then what about A or B-Rank missions? How do those work?”

Dahyun let out a small whistle, flashing her a knowing look. “Aren’t we getting a little too ambitious?” Still curious, Seoyeon sent her a pleading look, and Dahyun chuckled, “B-Ranks are exclusive to third and fourth years. Even then, a lot of them get snatched up by licensed mages working in the field – it’s a tier where student training and real mage duties overlap. They’re also where we start seeing Sorrows pop up.”

At that, Seoyeon hummed, thinking it over. “Makes some sense… we don’t understand Sorrows too well, so the unknown gets ranked higher.” The others nod, and Chaeyeon makes a noise, as if that concept hadn’t truly occurred to her, and it all only now made sense. It has Seoyeon rolling her eyes with affection as Jiwoo stifles a laugh.

The taller girl shakes her head before adding, “We also start seeing Predabeasts capable of threatening entire cities, that need large parties to take care of them,” she then smirks, “And as for A-Ranks… that’s where the best of the best are. Top fourth-years, professional mages – sometimes entire teams working together. The dangers are huge, the Predabeasts and Sorrows are lethal, and the stakes can sometimes even threaten the Kingdom itself.”

Seoyeon swallowed hard. “And higher than that?”

For the first time, Dahyun’s usual brightness dimmed, her tone flattening into something hushed. Jiwoo’s face falls slightly and Chaeyeon fidgets as Dahyun goes on. “S-Class. The kind of missions no one talks about openly. Confidential. Record-scrubbed. Only a handful of people in history are known to have gone on them and come back.” She paused, then glanced sidelong at Seoyeon. “One of the most famous? Haseul.”

The name hit her like a spear through the chest.

Her mother. The greatest mage of all time. Of course, those were the kinds of missions she went on. Seoyeon felt her throat tighten, an ache gnawing at her chest with a squeeze, sharp and familiar. She clenched her jaw, forcing the thoughts back into the dark corners they belonged, ignoring the quiet screech in the back of her mind.

“...Well,” she said quickly, her voice lighter than she felt. “I just hope there are still some D-Rank missions left. Don’t really want to end up weeding gardens while everyone else gets real work.”

Jiwoo groaned dramatically. “You say that, but if we’re too late, we might get stuck with an E-Rank after all.”

Chaeyeon wrung her hands, panicked again. “Don’t even joke about that! That’s a social death sentence!”

Their red-haired friend hums, “Surely it’s better than landing a C-Rank mission so early? That’ll be a lot of work so early on.” There are louder groans that escape her friends, and Seoyeon only rolls her eyes, hiding the storm beginning to burn and brew inside her chest and mind.

=====

Mayu’s world is black.

She feels nothing but the cold air rushing and whipping around her as she cuts through the sky, her own screams beginning to sound muted. When she dared open her eyes, she closed them shut again, greeted by the sight of emerald trees rushing beneath her, a blurred blanket of green, alongside the pale blue morning sky. She held on tighter, and mentally thanked whoever it was that made whatever leather contraption that kept her tied down.

The short girl dared crack open her eyes again, and could now make out the bluish-silver scales along the elongated neck of the beast she rode. Shakily, she raised her hand to smack the creature’s neck, and it let out a huff from its nostrils. Mayu shrieked as they dived down, and when they came to a halt, she whimpered. After a few moments, Mayu finally caught on to the lack of rushing air around her, and she opened her eyes.

Green grass laid a few feet away, and Mayu watched the beast claw at the leather straps around its body, a scaled forelimb bluntly nudging it. Letting out a dazed breath, Mayu set herself free, sliding down the side of the creature’s body, before letting her eyes scan the behemoth before her.

Behemoth probably wasn’t the right word, and she giggled as the creature huffed again. Metallic emerald green scales, glittering in the morning sun with darker accents scattered across them, ran across the creature’s entire body, as it towered above Mayu and the nearby trees on the ledge they landed on. It snorted, the noise deep and almost thunderous, vibrating through Mayu’s chest. Dorsal fins lined its back, each of a darker black hue, matching the dark green webbing across its winged forelimbs.

Mayu smiled. “I feel like you’re only growing, Yeonji,” she shook her head, walking over to unclasp one end of the leather contraption. “I’m sorry you had to wear this again… although,” she started, beginning to walk around her Wyvern friend, jade green-slit eyes following her movements. She reached the other side, and fiddled with the clasps. “We don’t want me flying away, I suppose…” With one loud click, Mayu smiled.

She watched Yeonji writhe and groan, before the leather bindings that had wrapped around her draconic torso and lower neck were thrown aside onto the ground. Attached to the leather binds were leather sacks, meant to carry any luggage one would bring. She retrieves her bags, slinging one over her shoulder, before picking up another. Without being attached to Yeonji, the leather seemed far smaller, more thin and easy to store, as she began folding it up to place into the second bag.

Behind her, there’s a snort and a noise almost akin to the crackle of thunder. When Mayu turns around, she watches Yeonji’s smaller, robe-cladden frame sneeze, sniffling as Mayu paced over. The blonde reached a hand out, ruffling Yeonji’s hair as the younger girl giggled, before throwing her arms around Mayu’s waist.

“Mayu-unnie!” The older girl’s eyes widened as her shoulders tensed, but she soon found herself relaxing, giggling as she wrapped the younger girl in a hug. “You didn’t have to come with us, you know…”

Mayu clicked her tongue as they pulled apart, “Nonsense!” In the distance, another scream followed by two roars rang through the air. Mayu cast a cursory glance before looking back at Yeonji, “Your Mayu-unnie may be a coward, but she isn’t letting you fly alone.”

Yeonji’s eyes swam with a fonder emotion, and Mayu found herself patting the side of Yeonji’s crown, before hearing the wind rush around them. Ahead, she caught the sight of two more wyverns. One wore scales of a vibrant blue, a cold mist seeping from their maw as they glided through the air, a similar leather contraption on their back. Beside them, a golden wyvern flew nearby, scales shining under the light of the sun, hiding the darker brown underbelly and webbing of its forelimbs.

Both wyverns land with a heavy flap of their winged limbs, the nearby trees swaying back as Mayu yelped, holding onto Yeonji. A tall girl dismounted the blue wyvern, and Mayu and Yeonji watched as she busied herself in neatening her uniform, pressing out the creases and fixing her hair. The blue wyvern then nuzzled their snout towards the girl, and the tall girl laughed before patting the side of the wyvern’s snout, the azure creature closing its eyes.

“Xinyu unnie!” Yeonji called out, and the taller girl’s head snapped towards them. “Stop being g–” Mayu put a hand to Yeonji’s mouth, and smiled.

“Nice of you to join us, Xinyu.” Xinyu nodded towards Mayu, giggling at Yeonji’s antics with a light roll of her eyes as she began removing the leather straps from the blue wyvern.

The sound of lightning scorching the air rang out, and eyes snapped to where the golden wyvern once stood. In its place, Kotone rolled her shoulders, yawning. “Ugh, I needed that…” she grumbled, walking towards Mayu and Yeonji, “I’ve been needing a good flight.” She grinned, ruffling Yeonji’s hair and slapping a hand to the side of Mayu’s shoulder. The older girl hid a wince.

A cold chill ran through the air, and all three girls stared back. Xinyu was busy putting away the leather binds that kept her bound to the wyvern, and to her side, Sohyun stood, watching her Belladonna friend with a mild curiosity. She then made her way over, and Mayu’s eyes briefly lingered on the Wisteria’s exposed forearms, to the blue scales still clinging to them. She watched Xinyu pass Sohyun a roll of bandages, as she began wrapping them tightly around her arms.

She never could fully turn into a human form, Mayu thought, watching as Sohyun crossed her arms.

“It’s a shame Nien couldn’t make it.” Sohyun muttered, and Mayu found herself nodding, quietly missing the younger girl’s louder presence.

“Eh… if she was here, she probably would’ve just made dumb jokes the entire time…” Kotone grumbled, although Sohyun caught onto the pink dusting faintly sitting on her cheeks. A quick glance over indicated Yeonji did too, and Sohyun couldn’t help the slow smile crawling onto her face.

“As if you wouldn’t be laughing at her jokes the entire time.” She can hear Xinyu laugh in the background, the sound enough to make her chest squeeze and her head to feel lighter. Kotone goes a shade redder, and Yeonji nearly cackles.

“I– wha–” Yeonji snickers at her unnie’s reaction.

“I think Tone-unnie is just sad Nien couldn’t be here with us today, she’s probably all grumpy without a partner to join her.” Kotone’s face reddens further, and she takes a menacing step forth, before trapping Yeonji in a headlock. The younger girl squealed, “I REGRET NOTHING!” as the two siblings began to tussle back and forth. Mayu sighed watching the scene, and felt a hand clap onto her shoulder.

When she glanced behind her, Xinyu offered a smile. “You alright?” She asked, and Mayu nodded, grateful for Xinyu’s consideration.

“As terrifying as it is…” she hummed, “It’s still pretty fun.”

“HA!” Yeonji said, and when the others glanced over, the younger girl was still trapped in a headlock, courtesy of Kotone. “I knew you were having fun!”

Mayu giggled as Sohyun sighed, “That’s enough of that.” The two girls pulled apart, Yeonji huffing slightly as Kotone patted down the younger girl’s uniform and readjusted her robes.

“I told you to get ones that fit better…” Kotone chastised lightly, and Yeonji huffed, Mayu catching the brief flash of red from the first-year’s Camellia robes.

“I’ll grow into them, it’s fine.” Yeonji said, waving away Kotone’s hands as the older girl frowned. Kotone sighed, ruffling Yeonji’s hair again as the shorter girl squawked, slapping the hand away as Kotone chuckled.

Watching the two girls interact, Xinyu sighed, “Why couldn’t Nien join us again?”

Yeonji’s head snapped in Xinyu’s direction, and she shrugged. “Mission selection was today,” Everyone else nodded, and Yeonji sighed, lightly kicking the ground, “Kinda wish I could’ve taken a higher-rank mission, but… whatever.”

At that, Mayu frowns, and Kotone clicks her tongue. “Yeonji, we’ve been over this…” Yeonji gives a quiet huff of frustration, and Kotone places her hands on the younger girl’s shoulders. Yeonji makes a point to not look at her. “You might be powerful and well-trained, but you’re still young, still a first-year. You deserve to have an easier time before they make you run around with the harder missions.”

“I’ve been training for so long…” Yeonji bit back a scowl, crossing her arms, “Don’t I deserve a chance to show it off? I’m stronger than half the third and fourth-years here anyway.”

Kotone bit the inside of her cheek, “That might be true, but…” Kotone sighed, giving Yeonji’s shoulders a light squeeze, and Yeonji cast a glance her way, “I’ve seen what these Higher-Ups do. They take powerful kids and turn them into weapons – just look at what they’re trying with Lynn and Sullin, sending them on Rank-B missions when they’re the same age as first-years…”

In the background, Sohyun feels something cold claw at her chest, an ache as she recalls her own mission she’s been assigned. Lynn and Sullin will be working with me… Perhaps, when the Kawakami Lynn could command an ocean it felt easy to forget just how young she was, but Sohyun could never forget that. Something akin to guilt pricked her, and she felt a hand on her shoulder. Her eyes darted up, spotting Xinyu offering a supportive smile.

Kotone tucked a lock of dark green hair behind Yeonji’s ear, and smiled, “When my family took you in, I promised myself you weren’t going to turn into that. I want you to live the life any other student would have – I’m sure it’s…” Kotone doesn’t finish that thought. It’s what your parents would have wanted, is what she almost says, and they both know it. “Regardless,” she sighs, “Just… Please, hold off on jumping to something higher, okay? Besides, power doesn’t equal experience, the idea of you getting hurt out there…”

Kotone’s concern rips right through Yeonji, and guilt settles in its wake. The younger girl sighs, before giving a soft smile, “Fine.” She acquiesces, and the gold wyvern grins.

“Good!” Kotone glances back, “Besides, a mission with Mayu is probably still plenty fun. Collecting plants and whatnot.”

Yeonji brightens up at that, and looks towards the other blonde. “Right, I forgot you’re the third-year leading us!” Yeonji then leaps over to crush Mayu in a hug, much to everyone else’s amusement. All the while, Xinyu hums.

“I wonder what kind of mission Nien will end up with…” She leans against Sohyun, and the shorter girl rolls her eyes, a faint warmth on her face.

=====

As always, the great hall’s sheer immenseness was enough to leave Seoyeon with a dizzying sense of vertigo, as the air carried the scent of parchment and ink. Banners hung from rafters, each embroidered with a house sigil, and the long wooden tables were full of students hunched over papers, murmuring and arguing and trying not to look like they wanted the same thing as the person beside them.

In the middle of it all, against a wall of carved mahogany, the mission boards stood like altars: towering wooden panels, crowded with parchment strips pinned and re-pinned in a messy lattice of assignments, ranks, and little wax seals.

Seoyeon slowed as she entered, heart still thudding from the sprint across the courtyard. In the hall she felt, briefly, the world compress: the hum of other students' Mana like a tide, forever ringing in her ears if she focused long enough. There was the rustle of robes, the high-sharp laughter of first-years. This was the place where their training stepped into the world, where theory met practice.

Jiwoo was already pulling at her sleeve. “Hurry, Unnie!” she hissed, long legs carrying her through the crowd with practiced ease. Chaeyeon bounced at her side, scarf trailing like a banner as she peered up at the boards, eyes wide as she tried to make out impossible amounts of information. Dahyun drifted behind them with that soft, patient expression that made Seoyeon trust whatever she said.

“People are everywhere,” Chaeyeon fretted. “We should have gotten here earlier!” She cried as Dahyun patted her back.

“And yet,” Jiwoo said, “We have excelled at being fashionably late.” Seoyeon rolls her eyes at the statement, and it isn’t long before someone comes barrelling towards them.

Pushing past the sea of other students, a girl with hair the colour of copper rushed forth, and Seoyeon noted the orange of her Marigold robes. The girl panted, before glancing up at the four before her. She was breathless and bright-eyed, a grin plastered across her face as she saw Jiwoo. “I overslept!” she confessed, like a proud crime. “Don’t look at me like that.”

Jiwoo rolled her eyes, lightly punching the girl’s shoulder, “I always look at you like that.” She frowns, before Jiwoo stands between her and Seoyeon. “Unnie, this is my friend, Yubin – we’ve known each other for years.”

“Unfortunately.” Yubin cuts in, squeaking when Jiwoo elbows her.

“This is Seoyeon-unnie.” The taller girl says, and Yubin turns her attention towards the blonde. Seoyeon feels the writhing anticipation in her gut, as she slowly extends a hand and smiles. She’s friends with Yooyeon and Nakyoung, her mind helpfully supplies, and she wonders what exactly Yubin thinks of her.

Yubin’s thoughtful expression shifts, and a wide grin comes over her face as she shakes Seoyeon’s hand with fervor. “Gong Yubin – nice to finally meet you,” Seoyeon beams, pleasantly surprised, and Yubin chuckles, “Hey, if Naky-unnie likes you, and if Yooyeon-unnie doesn’t seem to hate you anymore, at least, based on everything she says about you now…” Yubin chuckled, as if distracted by the thought, “Then you’re good in my books.”

There’s a warm feeling nestled in Seoyeon’s chest, and she finds herself wondering. “Yooyeon-unnie talks about me?”

Yubin raises a brow, and a smirk comes across her, “Why, you curious? You wanna know what she says?” Yubin waggles her brows, and Seoyeon feels something warm crawl up her neck at the accusation. Before she can clarify, Jiwoo tugs on her arms.

“Okay introductions and Yubin being weird are over,” Yubin lets out a (mildly offended) guffaw, “Let’s go get ourselves a mission.” Dahyun bids them good luck, as she walks over to another group of students.

The four of them approach the mission boards, Yubin at Chaeyeon’s side and Seoyeon at Jiwoo’s. Seoyeon felt the collective pause as everyone took stock, scanning the pins and posters like bears scanning a murky lake for trout. At first it was a relief – names, places, a glimmer of possibility — then, relief shifted to concern as students read more closely. Muffled curses, a few sharp words, a small exodus of bodies moving away from a section of parchment as if it had turned poisonous whilst the four stood rooted to the spot.

“D-Rank’s gone,” Chaeyeon said flatly, the words empty of hope. “All of it. People must have taken them the minute the board was unfurled.”

Yubin dropped to her knees, “We’re doomed!” Jiwoo scoffs, lightly smacking the back of her wailing friend’s head when they get odd looks from others. “Doomed I tell you!” She grabs onto Jiwoo’s leg as the taller girl yelps, trying to tug herself free. As the two of them descend into a half-brawl, Seoyeon’s eyes turn back to the board.

There’s a growing sense of unease settling in her stomach, and she finds herself wringing her hands, biting the corner of her lip in concern. This meant they’d have to do a dangerous mission, and the thought alone scared Seoyeon. It was one thing to fight an easier battle, especially with all the training Heejin and Hyunjin gave her, and how her combat and weaponry classes had been going, but something riskier?

The thought of losing control again haunted Seoyeon, but before she could descend down that particular path of thoughts, a familiar laugh sounded beside her.

As she glanced, Hsu Nientzu stood in all her pink-haired glory, eyeing the board with amusement. “You should sign up to the one I did!” She beamed, and Seoyeon raised a brow. Nien pointed to one of the mission papers, one others had avoided, and Seoyeon’s attention was drawn, alongside the three others.

The paper listed the mission’s basic premise alongside the rank – C. “A village around S8– hey, that’s Yubin’s home!” Chaeyeon pointed out, and Yubin’s eyes snapped up, a frown on her face, “A village around S8, bordering the forest, has reported missing livestock, and there are signs of burrowing and documented sightings of Terrestrial Predabeasts. Further details below.” Chaeyeon finished, and Seoyeon stepped forth.

She could recall their Strategy classes, of the different taxonomical families of Predabeasts that Hyunjin made them memorise. “There are three subsets to Terrestrial Predabeasts, right?” The others nodded, and Seoyeon’s eyes flitted down to the smaller details on the paper.

Her mind ran back to those lessons, to her days prior to the Academy, when Hyunjin was hammering home details of the monsters she’d learn to hunt. Terrestrials – known for living on ground, typically around forests, caves or deserts. Three subsets – Brute Beasts, which rely on muscle mass and strength, Fanged Beasts, which rely on agility and intellect, and–

“They’re called Tellawyrms,” Seoyeon snapped her head to the new voice as familiar faces joined them – Jiyeon, arms linked with Lynn, who offered a bright smile. Sullin had taken Lynn’s other side, hands interlaced. “They’re from the Carapace subset.” When the others turn to the newcomers, Jiyeon sighs as Lynn giggles. “Nien convinced me to sign up for the mission too…” she lamented, pouting as she rested her head against Lynn’s shoulder. Sullin glanced over, before mimicking the movement.

“Carapace?” Jiwoo questions, and Yubin hums.

“Heavy shells, tendency to live underground and in caves – Tellawyrms are basically overgrown snakes that tunnel underground.” When Seoyeon shoots a curious glance towards Yubin, the Marigold grins, “My dad was a hunter – used to work with Mages all the time to hunt Predabeasts, so you get familiar with all sorts.”

“So, basically…” Chaeyeon started, glancing at Nien, “You want us to sign up to fight giant, man-eating snakes?”

“Right? Sounds like it’ll be a lot of fun.” Nien’s grin turned positively feral. “I already put my name down, so you guys should too. Come on, if we survive, we’ll look way cooler than everyone else doing D-ranks.” Chaeyeon didn’t seem too convinced, nor did Jiwoo. Yubin contemplated it with a hum, and Seoyeon let her eyes drift over to Jiyeon.

The Camellia shrugged, “I think it’ll be good for experience.”

Nien beamed, “See? Jiyeon has the right idea.” Her eyes fixate on Seoyeon, and she smiles, warmer, “Come on. You can’t let fear hold you back, we’re going to be Mages. Our job will be to do scary things so those without magic don’t have to.” Seoyeon glances back at the paper, at the mission description.

Jiwoo groaned. “You’re all insane. Unnie, tell me we’re not actually considering—”

“I’ll do it.” The words were out before Seoyeon had time to swallow them, and she moved towards the paper to add her name to it. Chaeyeon gasped, and Yubin let out a noise of disbelief. “If Nien and Jiyeon are so sure then… I don’t see why not.”

Jiwoo’s eyes widen, and then, she hums, moving towards the paper. “Unnie is right, I thought we should’ve signed up from the start. We’d be insane to not try and take advantage of this opportunity.” Seoyeon lets out a quiet laugh at the statement, catching the way Jiwoo’s eyes glance over at her, as if searching for some sort of approval. Seoyeon gives her a nod, and her eyes light up.

Meanwhile, Chaeyeon’s eyes widen and Yubin rolls her own. “Kiss ass…” she grumbles, before sighing, a smirk on her features. “I guess I gotta go with you… you know, make sure you don’t stab yourself on your own spear.” Jiwoo flips Yubin off as her friend adds her name. When expectant eyes move toward Chaeyeon, Seoyeon is quick to give her a warm smile.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” she starts, “I’m sure another group would–”

“Of course I’m going with you guys,” she sighs, quietly mumbling to herself, “You’ll need a healer anyway.”

When their names were down, eyes fell to Lynn and Sullin. Chaeyeon frowned, clasping her hands together. “You should join us, Sullin!” It may have sounded like a suggestion, although the others only rolled their eyes at the thinly veiled desperate plea.

Sullin, seemingly not picking up on it, giggled. “Sorry,” she raised her and Lynn’s interlocked hands, “Lynn and I are already taking up a different mission.”

Lynn grinned, and Jiyeon sighed. “A B-Rank mission… Darlings… stay safe.” She pouted, and Lynn giggled whilst Sullin gave a quiet laugh.

“B-Rank? I thought those were exclusively for third and fourth-years.” Yubin muttered, and Lynn shrugged as Sullin hummed.

“Lynn and I have clearance for those missions.” She stated, and Yubin nodded.

“Right, makes sense that Kawakami Lynn gets to do missions like that.” She lightly punches Lynn’s shoulder, and Seoyeon catches the way Lynn’s usually bright smile was a little strained. Yubin then groaned, eyes falling back to Jiwoo. “If I die, I’m haunting you, Jiwoo.”

Jiwoo smirked. “It’s not like you could live without me anyway.”

Yubin made a strangled noise as Chaeyeon giggled, linking arms with both of her friends, whilst Seoyeon swore she could see lightning spark between Yubin and Jiwoo from their heated stares.

Before the bickering could escalate, a warm, amused voice spoke from behind them.

“Nice to see people signing up. For a moment, I thought I’d have to look harder for volunteers.” Hyunjin said.

The group turned in unison, some stiffening, some relaxing. Their professor stood a step back, hands clasped behind her back, her yellow cloak over her shoulder as usual. Her dark hair was tied back, and she observed the group with muted amusement.

“Thank you all for volunteering.” She glanced toward the mission board, then back to the students. “The initial request was answered and placed by Jinsol, but as she’s no longer cleared for field duty due to her injuries, I will be overseeing this assignment personally in her stead. You should see her for more information, but to summarise, you will also be accompanied by two Fledglings – one from Jinsol’s litter, one from mine.”

Hyunjin’s gaze swept over them all. “Kim Nakyoung and Kim Yooyeon will be joining us on the day. You’ll receive a full briefing in three days’ time, before departure. You’ll all be provided with your field-duty uniforms for the first time at the briefing. Between now and then, I expect you to prepare accordingly. Study the Predabeasts we’re up against. Train for combat. Rest.”

Her expression softened just a fraction as she added, “And be ready to work as a unit. The mission will be dangerous, yes, but it is also an opportunity. Trust yourselves, and trust each other.” There was a ripple through the group — Yubin biting her lip, Chaeyeon slouching in theatrical despair and Jiwoo nodding resolutely. Jiyeon’s face smoothed into calm, and Nien was practically vibrating with excitement.

And Seoyeon, she stood in the middle of them all, pulse racing, thoughts pulling in two directions at once. Terror and determination, fear and hope.

Hyunjin gave a final nod, then turned to leave. Over her shoulder, her voice carried:

“Three days. Don’t be late.”

=====

The silver sliver of the moon above glowed faintly, a pale crescent hung in the sky, surrounded by the glimmering white stars. Ringing through the otherwise silent air was the humming of cicadas, or the rhythmic tune sung by the crickets. As she walked away from Camellia tower, her eyes fell onto the nearby flowerbeds, to the fireflies hovering around them in glowing orbs. It was still, soft, and she felt her body relax in a way it hadn’t in her own bed.

Lynn couldn’t sleep.

As she walked away from the tower, aimless, she could only sigh and shake her head, hair tousling. She tugged her coat tighter around her frame, footsteps quiet against the cobbled path. Lynn could feel a soft pressure behind her eyes, rooted in her temples as she closed her eyes, letting out a long exhale as she stopped for a moment. She tilted her head up, eyes finding the stars.

“It’s pretty, isn’t it?” A voice mumbled, and Lynn’s head turned to see a familiar head of blonde hair. A smile danced on her lips, and she leapt forth.

“Unnie!” Mayu laughs as her sister throws her arms around her in a tight hug, picking her up and spinning her around before setting her back down again.

“Careful, it’s late, people are sleeping.” The older girl chastises, and Lynn pouts. She pulls Mayu into another, tighter, hug, and she sighs. Mayu lets her head rest against Lynn’s shoulder, and Lynn rests her chin atop Mayu’s head.

“I missed you unnie… we haven’t hung out much since we started school again.” Lynn mumbles, and Mayu pats her sister on the back.

“Well… we’ve been busy, haven’t we?” They pull apart, and Mayu gives Lynn’s arm a light tap as the two begin to walk, “You finally started second-year, and I’m running around collecting specimens for Professor Seulgi’s classes and… whatever Professor Vivi uses hers for…” she hums, curious, before shrugging. She glances up, catching Lynn’s uneasy smile and sigh.

“Yeah… busy…” The taller girl mumbles, and Mayu wonders if she’s imagining the dark circles under her sister’s eyes. Instead of asking directly, she dances around it.

“You couldn’t sleep?” She asks, and her younger sister chuckles.

“I’ve been struggling for the past few nights…” They walk through a stone arch, and Mayu catches the sight of some other students dotted around – some walking back to their dorms, others also heading out for late-night walks. Mayu casts a curious look toward Lynn, watching as her younger sister pressed the heel of her palm against her temple.

Mayu frowned, “You wanna talk about it?”

The older of the sisters waited, but Lynn didn’t answer. The quiet stretched between them, the only sound the crunch of gravel beneath their shoes and the sighing hum of cicadas in the trees.

She didn’t need her sister’s words to understand. Lynn would never admit to the pressure that came with being the strongest student in the academy, to being the Kawakami Lynn. She would never admit to the weight of every watchful eye, never admit how suffocating and dehumanising it felt to be treated less like a girl and more like a magical weapon wrapped up in human skin. Mayu knew Lynn, and her silence was an answer enough.

It was times like this Mayu regretted pushing for Lynn to take on the new family name they were given, whilst she hid in her shadow. It was supposed to be fresh beginning, a way to wash their hands of the past that had loomed over them, but all she did was unintentionally sentence Lynn to her new fate.

Guilt wrung Mayu’s gut, and she raised a hand to land gingerly on her sister’s arm. “You don’t have to keep it all locked up, you know,” Mayu said softly, her voice carrying in the stillness. “You can tell me anything. Always.”

Lynn’s lips pressed into a thin line. She tilted her head, gaze fixed forward on the pale ribbon of the path glowing beneath moonlight, stones reflecting the faint silver light and the glow of the lanterns. “When you’re as strong as me… you can’t. Not really.” She let out a humorless laugh, so faint Mayu barely caught it. “I have a responsibility to be strong. To never falter. What kind of example would it be if I admitted I couldn’t handle the pressure?”

Mayu’s brows knitted. “You shouldn’t have to carry that by yourself. You’re not–”

“I know,” Lynn interrupted quickly, her voice sharper than intended, before softening again. “But it doesn’t change anything. I am what I am.”

For a moment, Mayu wanted to push further. To pry open the shell Lynn had built around herself. But the stiffness in her sister’s shoulders, her sharply cut words, and the frigid air around her told Mayu enough – Lynn didn’t want to dwell on it. And if Mayu forced it, she would only drive her further away. So she let out a quiet breath and shifted the conversation.

“What’s your mission tomorrow, then?” The blonde asked gently.

Lynn gave her a sidelong glance, grateful for the change, offering a small smile. “Strange reports near the old trade route bordering S8 and S2 – sightings of undocumented Sorrows. And apparently…” she hesitated, lowering her voice, “…They talk. Almost human-like. No one’s sure what it means, but the professors want it investigated before it spreads panic.”

“That sounds… unnerving…” Mayu admitted, hugging her cloak closer.

Lynn nodded, though there was no fear in her eyes – only determination. Mayu almost wishes there was a hint of fear in her sister’s eyes, the lack of it only serving as another reminder of what the Higher-Ups had tried to turn her sister into, and were still trying to.

“It’ll be fine. I’ve got a strong team. Sohyun and Sullin will be working with Professor Sooyoung on strategy, and Xinyu will give us a fresh perspective. I’m just there if we need to hit something hard,” she chuckles, “But I’ll need to keep my head clear. The last thing we need is an unknown type of Sorrow slipping through our fingers, least of all one that’s smart enough to speak.”

Mayu nods, going over the details in her head, and shakes her head. “Something like that… part of me almost thinks I should be going,” Lynn gives her sister a startled look, and Mayu gives a self-deprecating laugh, “My younger sister is risking her life, and I’m just… running around, picking flowers. I’d love to join you, but… we both know I’m too much of a coward for that.” She mumbled, voice soft and airy, yet ringing with an understated bitterness.

“Unnie…” Lynn starts, taking her sister’s hand. “You know, what happened with Professor Hyungseo… it wasn’t your fault…” she mumbled. When Mayu doesn’t respond, Lynn doesn’t push her, instead, the Camellia hums. “What about you?” She asks, “What’s your mission? I know almost all the Fledglings are helping out on all these new ones.”

“Me?” Mayu chuckled lightly, trying to keep her tone breezy. “I’ll just be out with some first-years and Professor Vivi, collecting specimens in the Elder Forest. Nothing exciting. Vivi’s all excited about some rare fungi only popping up around this time this season.” She waved her hand. “Busy work.” She joked.

But Lynn’s brow furrowed, tension flashing across her features. “The Elder Forest? Isn’t that in S8?” Mayu hears the concern slipping into Lynn’s voice, “That’s pretty close to Seoyeon’s mission area. Closer than I’d like…”

Mayu shook her head, smiling to soothe her sister’s worry. “Relax. We’ll be outside the range of their habitat. Professor Vivi knows what she’s doing…” Lynn raises a brow, and Mayu chuckles, “I think – Professor Seulgi wouldn’t be letting her out into the wild if it wasn’t safe. We’ll be fine.”

Lynn stopped walking for a moment, turning to face her. Her eyes, so usually filled with confidence, softened into something vulnerable. “…Just be careful anyway. Promise me, unnie.”

Mayu paused, caught off guard by the rare earnestness in her sister’s voice. She gave a small, warm smile and reached out to squeeze Lynn’s hand. “I promise.”

They fell into silence again, walking the long loop around the academy grounds. Fireflies drifted lazily above the flowerbeds, their glow reflected in Lynn’s thoughtful eyes. At some point, Lynn realised with a faint laugh that they had circled back toward Camellia Tower.

“Well,” she said, tilting her head toward the looming shape of the dormitory. “I guess I should get some rest after all. Big day tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” Mayu murmured. Her hand lingered at her wrist, brushing the faint chain of the silver bracelet she never took off. “Sleep well, Lynn.”

Lynn gave her a lopsided grin, the kind that never quite reached her eyes. “Goodnight, unnie.” She slipped back inside the tower, the door shutting softly behind her.

Mayu stood alone under the moonlight for a moment longer, the cicadas’ song heavy in the air. Her fingers tightened on the bracelet, both the green beads and the silver chain, memories threatening to surface – Hyungseo’s laughter under the cherry blossoms, and the warmth of a hand she could no longer hold.

“What happened… it wasn’t your fault…”

Mayu thinks over her sister’s words, staring up at Camellia tower. “If it isn’t my fault… then why does it feel like it is?”

=====

Three days came far sooner than the group had anticipated.

Seoyeon gave a quiet hum, having received instructions along with the others to wait at a designated spot on the outskirts of the Academy grounds known as ‘The Hangar’. Apparently, it was a sort of port – airships and deliveries would often be sent here, and Seoyeon watched as the hum of car motors buzzed, watching the metallic and rounded vehicles roll up. She watched as people left, handing boxes over to staff members before driving off again.

Some deliveries were done through horse and chariot, large wooden cabins being towed by horses whose thick muscles were barely kept beneath the skin. However, it wasn’t the horses that caught Seoyeon’s attention. She’d seen horses plenty of times within the village, even the new-fangled motor vehicles and radios that were slowly becoming widespread as technology advanced. But these? Seoyeon doesn’t think she’s seen an airship once.

What at first looked like a galleon stripped from the ocean, Seoyeon realised was in fact the airships she’d heard so much of. She’d watch them slowly descend or take off into the air, carried by a power she didn’t understand. The hull was long and sleek, carved from polished wood reinforced with bands of steel, the lines of its frame flowing like the body of some great predator.

At the prow, the wood gave way to a sharp, armored beak of pale metal, shaped almost like the skull of a bird. It jutted forward with quiet menace, as if it might pierce through clouds just as easily as through enemy lines. Large sails unfurled from the masts, but they weren’t square or rectangular, like those of a seafaring ship, but stretched and curled, almost like the wings of an airborne monster. They shifted and angled in ways Seoyeon couldn’t fully grasp.

At its stern, a vast propeller turned with a steady, low hum, each blade gleaming with riveted steel. Smaller vanes and fins jutted from the sides, some rotating with mechanical precision, others locked in place like rudders. The rhythmic churning of gears filled the air, alongside the thumping heartbeat of brass and iron that gave life to the airship’s bones. Seoyeon couldn’t move her eyes away, and she felt a clap on her shoulder.

“First time seeing airships?” Jiyeon asked, and Seoyeon felt her body relax. The girl, much like Seoyeon, had an oversized bag slung over her shoulder.

Seoyeon nodded, eyes falling back to them, “We didn’t see these in my villages…” she sighed, “How do they even work?”

Jiyeon shrugged, “Beats me,” when Seoyeon turns to look at her, she giggles, “I’m not much of a mechanic. They’ve come to our family home every now and then, private deliveries my mother asked for.”

The blonde nods, and she takes in the way Jiyeon spoke. “Family home… private deliveries?” She quietly whispers, and Jiyeon can’t help but giggle again, lightly nudging Seoyeon’s arm.

“Yah, someone should really catch you up… there’s so many magical families and bloodlines you should know of, Seoyeon-unnie.” Seoyeon gives a curious tilt of her head, and she hears a (very familiar) boisterous laugh.

“What Jiyeon is trying to say,” Nien starts, the pink-haired girl throwing arms around both of her friends, “Is that she’s from the Ji family.”

Seoyeon glances Jiyeon’s way, and the younger girl chuckles. “My name is Ji Suhyeon, remember? We’re one of the more prominent magical families, even developed our own unique magic specific to our bloodline. My family’s lineage traces back centuries, so we’ve collected a… generous amount of money.”

“She’s stinkin’ rich.” She whispers, and Jiyeon huffs as she elbows the taller girl, before eyeing Seoyeon curiously.

“You really didn’t know?” Jiyeon wonders, and Seoyeon sighs. “It’s not like the Yoon’s weren’t also a pretty major family… the news had a field day when your dad married your mom, the greatest Mage of all time.”

“I might have had an idea, the name Ji did ring a bell… honestly, when Hyunjin explained all this to me, and my dad’s family before he married my mom, I kinda… tuned her out,” she mumbled, half-bashful, “It sounded interesting, but family politics were a lot less interesting than, say, learning how to use a sword.”

The other two nod, and Nien tilts her head. “Hey, wait, where’s–”

“Unnie!” A voice rang out, and Jiwoo ran over, Yubin and Chaeyeon not too far behind. She holds out a brown paper bag, panting slightly, a loose grin on her face. “I knew you were lying when you said you had breakfast, so here! I made sure to grab some stuff for you before breakfast ended.” Seoyeon’s eyes lit up, and she was quick to take the bag from the younger girl.

“Ooh, it’s still warm.” She mumbled, taking out a croissant with a smile. Jiwoo rolled her eyes, a softer, teasing grin on her face.

“You know, a thank you would be nice.” Seoyeon rolls her eyes, but makes sure to thank Jiwoo, and the taller girl tries not to brighten up too much at the praise, much to Yubin’s amusement.

Before the copper-haired girl gets a chance to tease her friend, Seoyeon feels a new hand dive into her bag, pulling out a bread bun. Confused, she spun around, and the group were greeted by the sight of Professor Hyunjin. Yooyeon only gave an exasperated sigh at her professor’s actions whilst Nakyoung tugged on the professor’s sleeve quietly. Hyunjin broke off a piece of bread for Nakyoung, and tossed another piece to Yooyeon too.

“How about we head onto the ship,” Hyunjin started, taking a big bite of the bread, “It’ll be a few hours before we get there, might as well brief you on the way.” With that, she flagged an airship down, and as Nakyoung began talking to the others, Seoyeon’s eyes locked with Yooyeon’s.

She gave the older girl a smile, and Yooyeon’s expression remained neutral. For a moment, Seoyeon thought that was all she was going to get, but then, a slow and small smile came across Yooyeon’s face in return.

Seoyeon practically glowed with joy.

.

The airship had begun its journey through the sky, and Seoyeon found herself peering out of one of the glass windows of the cabin they were all huddled in. Clouds didn’t seem so far away, the white and fluffy wisps seeming almost in reach now. The blonde gazed down, noting the sprawling landscape below, flying over cities and large masses of green, forests and fields alike.

She feels a light tap on her shoulder, glancing over to see Nien’s beaming smile, and she nods in turn. The two stare down, and Seoyeon lets out a quiet gasp of wonder.

“Alright, let’s get this briefing started so you can all head to your assigned quarters and get changed,” Hyunjin called out, and the two turned. The professor stood at a round table, and the eight students present took different spots, with Seoyeon landing between Jiwoo and Nien. “First of all, what do you all know about Tellawyrms?”

Yooyeon raises her hand, and Hyunjin hums, “Anyone? You all did your reading, right?” Yooyeon frowns, and gestures with her hand again. Everyone glances her way, and Seoyeon ends up stifling a laugh as Yooyeon’s face reddens from the attention. She waves her hand again, and Jiyeon giggles before raising her own, and Hyunjin smiles, “Jiyeon! Go ahead.” Yooyeon pouts, and Nakyoung chuckles as she pats her friend’s shoulder.

“They’re heavily armoured, like most Carapace Terrestrials,” she began, “Their scales are almost impenetrable, and they mainly burrow underground. They’re omnivores and have a tendency to eat livestock but have been documented to feed on humans too.” Hyunjin nods, evidently impressed.

“Anything else?” The professor glances around, and seems to ignore Yooyeon’s raised hand again, and Seoyeon can’t help but watch the way Yooyeon is almost pouting when Hyunjin averts her eyes away from her. Cute. She feels Jiwoo nudge her slightly, and when she catches the teasing grin on the taller girl, she realises she’s been caught staring.

Chaeyeon raises her hand, and Hyunjin nods for her to speak. “They are very sensitive to light and have very poor eyesight, relying on echolocation to see,” she pauses, as if trying to think of more to say, before her eyes light up, “Oh! They also have a weak paralytic venom in their fangs.”

The professor nods, “Your textbooks might say it’s weak, but the venom is strong enough to keep your body frozen for hours, and a high enough dose could stop your heart,” Seoyeon finds herself shuddering at the thought, and Hyunjin hums, “Although, with how big their fangs are… if one of those sinks into you, the venom is the least of your concerns.” She then claps her hands, “With that morbid reminder, any idea of their weaknesses?”

Yooyeon raises a hand, and now just looks unimpressed when Hyunjin doesn’t look at her. Instead, Yubin raises her hand, and Hyunjin nods her way. “Their scales are weaker around the point between the head and the rest of the body,” she starts, “They also carry a sensitive spot on their head, striking that is a guaranteed way to kill one. You could also try and force them to the surface through loud noises.”

The professor smiled, “Nice to see you using that hunting background,” Yubin glows with the praise, and Hyunjin hums, “Weather is another thing that’ll bring them out – usually heavy rain. Anything else?” Finally, Hyunjin glances Yooyeon’s way. There’s a fond sigh that leaves her, and she nods.

Yooyeon pauses, startled, as if she hadn’t expected to be called on. Only for a split second anyone else would miss, her eyes light up in what Seoyeon thinks is an adorable fashion. “Their fangs are actually surprisingly fragile, and the venom is neutralised once it meets the air. In essence, break the fangs, and the venom is no longer a threat.”

There’s a rustling, and Seoyeon hears the distinct sound of glass clinking, and Chaeyeon fishes out and shows off a glass vial. “Plus, I prepared some antidotes in case any of us get hit.” Hyunjin nodded approvingly, before clapping her hands together again.

“Right!” She started, “We believe we’ve located the territory the Tellawyrms have taken over, a small section of the Elder Forest. It’s the largest forest in all of the Kingdoms, eclipsing even S1 in sheer size. So, stick to your maps and don’t travel too far,” the professor crossed her arms, “We’ll be splitting into two groups – Yooyeon will lead Seoyeon, Jiyeon and Nien, whilst Nakyoung and I will lead Yubin, Jiwoo, and Chaeyeon.”

Nien flashes a bright grin towards Seoyeon as Jiwoo traps Yubin in a headlock. “I trust Yooyeon and Nien’s strength to leave you four alone,” she says towards Seoyeon and her group, “And I’ll stick with the others. But, I wouldn’t worry…” she tosses a cylindrical object of some kind towards them, and Nien almost fails to catch it.

“That there is a highly explosive flare,” Seoyeon blanches, remembering how Nien nearly dropped it. “Ignite it and shoot it into the sky if you guys need us. We’ll be able to see you even from another point on the map. There are also other missions going on, so if we don’t help you, others will.”

The four nod, and Hyunjin sighs. “We’ve only observed three in the area – it is a little odd… Tellawyrms tend to be known as solitary, and very territorial, so the fact all three have seemingly occupied one area… it’s a cause of interest, but our priority isn’t capturing them, it’s culling them,” Hyunjin’s gaze turns serious, and she crosses her arms, “Kill the Predabeasts, and once we’ve accomplished it, we’ll head back immediately. Good luck, and stay safe.”

Upon Yooyeon and Nakyoung straightening up, the second-years follow suit, and Hyunjin smiles. “You’re dismissed – head to your quarters and change into your field uniforms.”

==

Name:  Tellawyrm

Family:  Terrestrial (Carapace)

Notable Features:  High muscle strength, dense defensive scales, paralytic venom

Threat Index:  Size 2, Aggression 2, Territory 2, Magic 0, Intelligence 1, Reproduction Spread 0 → Total TI: 7 (Rank C)

Recommended Team:  at least 5x 2nd Year students, supported by 3rd Year guides and professors

Known Counters:  Fangs are brittle, venom neutralised when exposed to air, weak spot on top of skull, scales softer around neck region, sensitive to bright noises and loud sounds

Escalation/Aggression Triggers:  Damage to eyes, Loud noises

Capture vs Cull:  Cull

==

The room was dimly lit, lanternlight pooling in soft gold across the wooden floorboards. Seoyeon set her bag down near the foot of one of the beds, stretching out her stiff shoulders. She took in the green covers of the bed, rolling her shoulders before glancing around. It still hardly felt real – her first major mission as a mage was upon her, though, sharing a room with someone new still made her a little nervous. Now that Seoyeon thought about it, she and Jiyeon hadn’t interacted one-on-one before.

Seoyeon looks to the other end of the small room, and Jiyeon was already halfway through unbuttoning her shirt, humming absently under her breath as she prepared for bed. Seoyeon moved slower, fiddling with the ties of her outer robe. Her field uniform was set out before her – identical to that of a professional mage’s attire, but a deep forest green rather than the usual black, lined with a slightly lighter shade of lime green.

The rustling of fabric had her glancing sideways, to Jiyeon’s end, and her eyes froze for just a moment. Beneath Jiyeon’s shirt that she now discarded were faint, but noticeable, pale bandages wrapped snugly around her upper torso. What caught the blonde’s attention more were the scattered marks along Jiyeon’s arms, small burn scars trailing over her skin in uneven patches. They weren’t fresh, but they stood out starkly under the lantern’s glow, fragments of a painful story etched across her body.

Her first instinct was to turn her gaze away, to pretend she hadn’t noticed, but curiosity tugged at her. She chewed her lip before blurting out, “Jiyeon, those – uh… I mean–” Jiyeon glanced down at her arms, and Seoyeon turned to stare at the marks again. Seoyeon almost asked the question burning in her mind, but stopped herself, shaking her head with a flustered laugh. “No, I shouldn’t just ask, I’m sorry, forget I said anything—”

“It’s fine,” Jiyeon interrupted softly. She set her shirt aside and sat on the edge of her bed, her voice calm in a way that suggested this wasn’t the first time she’d been asked. “You’re not the first person to notice.” She says, almost amused.

Seoyeon hesitated, but when Jiyeon gave her a faint smile, the older girl sighed, sitting down on her bed, now facing Jiyeon.

“You know… these days, I’m the only daughter my parents have… but it didn’t use to be that way,” Jiyeon began, her gaze distant, fixed to the flickering flame of the lantern in their room. “I used to have a lot of siblings, too many, my mother would joke…” there was a faint smile on Jiyeon’s face, and it lingered as she sighed, “But… one day… our house caught fire when I was little.” Jiyeon sniffed, and Seoyeon’s eyes widened.

“It burned everything down. Them, too.” She lifted one hand absently, as if brushing invisible dust off her arm, fingers lightly lingering near each of the marks on her skin. “I don’t remember much. I hit my head that night and… it’s all just blank. All I really have are these.” Her fingers hovered over the pale scars.

Seoyeon’s chest tightened, but she didn’t rush to speak. She didn’t want to fill the silence with platitudes that meant nothing. Finally, she said, quietly, “It must have been so hard… being so young, and to go through something like that. Even if you don’t remember it clearly, it’s still a part of you.”

Jiyeon’s lips twitched into a half-smile, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. She shrugged lightly. “Maybe. But if I don’t remember, it almost feels like it happened to someone else… Still, the scars won't let me forget.”

“Maybe,” Seoyeon said, her tone warm but firm, “But they don’t have to define your memories.”

That earned her a more genuine smile, small but brighter. Jiyeon tilted her head, studying Seoyeon for a moment before letting the heaviness of the moment pass with a little exhale. “Thanks I… I don’t know,” she shrugged, glancing down, “Sometimes it bothers me I can’t remember much I guess… I guess I need a little reminder to not let it weigh down on me so much.”

Seoyeon hums with a smile, shrugging, “We can’t save people if we’re busy beating ourselves up over the past. We can only move forward.”

Jiyeon beamed, “Too true…” She clapped her hands together, grinning. “And on the topic of saving people – don’t we have something else to talk about?” At Seoyeon’s curiosity, Jiyeon giggled, standing and turning, picking up the shirt of her field uniform, “You were curious about my family earlier.”

Seoyeon blinked, surprised by the sudden pivot, but leaned forward. “Oh, right!” Seoyeon stood too, beginning to get dressed herself, “Your family technique – I remember reading about it when Hyunjin and Heejin were explaining all this… family politics to me, honestly, I don’t remember half of it.”

The younger girl giggled, shaking her head. She threw the jacket of the uniform over her shirt, before clasping it together. “I don’t blame you – neither do I, honestly,” she shook her head, before tying her hair back into a ponytail, “But you’ve at least heard of our technique already, right?”

Seoyeon throws her own jacket on, “It took me some remembering, but I eventually recalled it. They call it–”

“The Spectral Eyes of Ji,” Jiyeon cuts in, turning to face Seoyeon, “Extrasensory perception, being able to see Aura, looking through solid matter, that sorta stuff. But you know…” Jiyeon lowered her voice conspiratorially, leaning closer. “The Yoon family is supposed to have something similar. People whisper about it sometimes.”

Seoyeon’s eyes widened slightly. “Really? I’ve only just been getting the hang of using mine in the field.”

Jiyeon tilted her head, “Did you not know about it before your training?”

The blonde shook her head, chuckling, “My dad died when I was really young, and his side of the family never reached out so… I don’t know much about him, or his apparent weird eye magic,” she shrugged, “Hyunjin helped train me, but gods, it’s hard – like… focusing too long makes my head spin.”

Jiyeon laughed under her breath, nodding. “Tell me about it. Training with them is exhausting. But hey, maybe next time we’re both free, we can show each other what we’ve learned, what we can do. Could be fun.”

Seoyeon grinned, the earlier weight in the room easing into something lighter, more hopeful. “Deal.”

With that, the two were quick to finish up getting changed, and Seoyeon glanced over to the full-body mirror propped up in the corner. She took in the sight of herself in such a uniform, and she supposed she’d never really get used to it. Jiyeon looped her arm through Seoyeon’s with casual ease, tugging her toward the door. “Come on, partner. Let’s get some fresh air before we head out.”

Seoyeon laughed softly, letting herself be pulled along, their arms linked. As they stepped out into the cool corridor, she realized the warmth of Jiyeon’s presence wasn’t just physical – it was the steady spark of a new friendship, one she hadn’t expected but was already grateful for.

=====

The canopy of the Elder Forest stretched endlessly overhead, a ceiling made from branches that weaved together into a roof of shifting greens and golden browns. Shafts of sunlight pierced through gaps in the leaves, painting the ground in dappled mosaics. The forest was alive with the constant hum of insects of various kinds, the soft song of unseen birds, and the rustle of creatures darting through the underbrush.

For all its age and grandeur, there was something deceptively peaceful about the place, and Mayu took it all in. The older blonde inhaled deeply, the familiar scent of damp soil and greenery grounding her. She adjusted the satchel slung across her shoulder, its weight filled with parchment, quills, and the small vials for specimens that Professor Vivi had pressed into her hands with a vague, distracted smile.

‘Collect the sprigs of Aurorafern… no, no, wait, that was last year… or was it this year? Oh, never mind, it will come to me…’ The professor had mumbled, half-turned away even as she spoke, eyes like glass. Then she had wandered off down another path entirely, humming to herself and mumbling fragments of half-remembered songs, as though she had forgotten the students waiting for her.

Now, the task of guiding the three first-years fell squarely on Mayu’s shoulders, although Mayu liked to think she knew Vivi well enough that the professor hadn’t really abandoned them.

“Unnie, are you sure we’re supposed to go this way?” Yeonji’s voice broke the silence, high and curious, though surprisingly soft for once. Hyerin and Soomin eyed her curiously – Soomin had hollered when she found out they were paired together, and Hyerin couldn’t help but feel the lingering awkwardness of their first encounter. Still, Yeonji had seemed like her usual energetic self, up until Mayu began leading them.

Yeonji was a whirlwind of energy, a walking hurricane of endless chatter and jokes, tiring even Soomin at times. Yet, here, she was quiet, attentive. Every word Mayu said had the emerald wyvern nodding, the younger girl caught in a daze of reverence.

“Yes, I’m sure we’re going the right way,” Mayu said gently, glancing over her shoulder. “Professor Vivi marked this sector for Aurorafern growth. They bloom in clusters near where the light is brightest, usually along the roots of the elder trees. We just need to keep our eyes open.”

Her words seemed to settle Yeonji, who nodded seriously. Hyerin and Soomin, on the other hand, exchanged uncertain looks. Whilst the two had little idea of what Mayu was like, Nakyoung’s ardent criticism whenever the older girl came up had soured their perspectives already. They’d heard of her cowardice, how it led someone to die. The only reason they hadn’t acted worse was due to Yeonji’s own admiration of the older girl.

Hyerin adjusted the strap of her bag nervously, keeping her mouth shut as she watched a bird fly overhead. Soomin walked a little behind the group, her expression somewhere between apprehension and irritation, as if she were already bracing herself for failure. It didn’t help her bag felt a little heavier than it usually did.

Mayu slowed her pace so the younger girl wouldn’t fall too far behind, eyes trailing behind her, falling onto the Marigold. “Soomin-ah, if your bag’s heavy, we can stop and shift things around,” Mayu smiled, soft, “We can always take a break, I don’t mind.”

“It’s fine.” Soomin muttered quickly, then flushed when she realized she sounded sharp, catching the raised brow from Yeonji and Mayu’s own mild startled look. “I mean…” She took in a breath, “Thank you, unnie. It’s not that heavy.”

Mayu gave her an encouraging smile anyway, and Soomin felt something akin to guilt prick her stomach. Okay, maybe Naky-unnie is very convincing and does not like us talking about this girl. Heck, even Yooyeon-unnie gets all quiet whenever she’s brought up. But… but how do I keep being mean to that smile?

“That’s good,” Mayu said, snapping Soomin from her thoughts, “Just remember – missions aren’t about rushing through. They’re about endurance, time management,” she picked up a stray flower, with reddish-pink petals, before passing it to Soomin. “Save your strength where you can.”

That earned a faint, reluctant smile from Soomin, who placed the flower into a vial, and Mayu smiled. “Keep that one for yourself.” Soomin nodded, before sliding up beside Yeonji as Mayu walked on.

“Okay, I’ll admit it,” she started, “Mayu-unnie is nice.”

Hyerin hummed, “I suppose… She’s easy to be around.”

Yeonji snorted quietly, “Told you…”

They pressed on. Every so often, Mayu would crouch to brush her fingers along a plant with an easy smile. She’d even begun pointing out which herbs were worth noting and which ones the Academy already had too many samples of. She plucked one flowering stem with yellow-tipped petals and handed it to Hyerin, who blinked in surprise before carefully tucking it between pages of parchment.

“This one isn’t on our list, but it’s called Star’s Breath,” Mayu explained. “It’s harmless, but it only blooms at dawn. If you catch it later in the day, the petals start to wilt almost immediately. That’s why a lot of people miss it.” Hyerin nodded, and could hear the scribbling of pens against paper from Soomin and Yeonji, confirming it with a glance. When she met Mayu’s eyes again, she could see the warmth swimming in them. “Keep it – it’s supposed to bring good luck and longevity.”

Hyerin nodded, placing the book gingerly back into her bag. Meanwhile, Yeonji scribbled furiously in her notebook, her brows furrowed in intense concentration. Soomin glanced over, rolling her eyes, before turning to stare at Mayu inquisitively.

“Unnie,” The Marigold piped up after a moment, “How do you know all of this? Like, this is too many plants for one person to memorize.”

Mayu chuckled, pulling a small paper packet from her satchel. She handed it to Yeonji, who peeked inside and found honey biscuits neatly wrapped. “I’ve been in the Academy longer than you, silly. And besides, most of it comes from paying attention when professors ramble.” Yeonji took a biscuit out the bag, tossing it towards Soomin and Hyerin.

“Rambling doesn’t sound that useful…” Yeonji mumbled skeptically, but she still popped a biscuit into her mouth. Soomin nodded, taking a bite out of her own biscuit as Hyerin reached for one too.

“You’d be surprised.” Mayu giggled. “Sometimes they drop little hints about exams or fieldwork by accident, so don’t rule it out,” As the bag returned to Mayu, she smiled, “And another pro-tip? It’s always good to have snacks,” she giggled while taking out another biscuit with a wink, “You never know when a mission runs longer than you expect.”

Even Hyerin laughed at that, shyly covering her mouth, while Soomin nodded approvingly, finishing her biscuit. She extended a hand, and Mayu almost beamed as she gave the once-hesitant girl another biscuit, and the walk went on. The previous tension that had lingered among the younger girls began to ease, and Hyerin found her shoulders relaxing whilst the quiet ache of caution in Soomin’s chest began to lessen.

They spent the next hour in an established rhythm – stopping to take notes, sharing snacks, collecting samples, all with Yeonji muttering about how boring the mission was getting but never quite daring to say so aloud. The other two just assumed Yeonji held too much reverence towards Mayu for that. Mayu herself was patient, answering questions, making jokes when the silence stretched too long. The forest seemed content to remain calm, a living cathedral of birdsong and buzzing insects.

It was only then when Mayu spotted the first hole that her expression shifted. The group paused, their eyes widening to the oversized holes within the earth, each several metres wide in diameter, dirt and debris bunched up around the edges. Mayu walked closer, her legs beginning to shake. She crouched down, her palm running along the edge of the whole.

Yeonji leaned over her shoulder. “Unnie? What is it?”

“Stay back a little,” Mayu murmured, her voice tight. “Just… let me check something.”

She studied the hole carefully, her mind racing. A burrow like this, large and deep—it immediately brought Tellawyrms to mind. Soomin seemed to think the same, “Do you think it’s to do with Yooyeon-unnie’s mission?” She asked aloud. It wasn’t a bad guess, but…

“We’re too far from the established territory… Maybe they were wrong, and the habitat is far bigger than we realised…” But even then, something wasn’t adding up in Mayu’s mind. “But the soil is also… off. Tellawyrms shed scales when they dug, shards that shine faintly even in dim light…” Mayu searched, sifted, but found nothing, her frown deepening. “And look, the walls of this tunnel aren’t gouged or scarred either. They’re… they’re smooth as though something had slid through without resistance…”

Hyerin hummed, nervous, “Could it be another Predabeast?”

“Is the forest supposed to have this many?” Yeonji asked, turning to look at her new friends, and Mayu found herself biting the inside of her cheek.

“Around now, this time of year, during this moon-cycle? No…” Mayu racked her mind for answered, “What could this even…” As Mayu’s brain searched for answers, her eyes naturally fell to the silver bracelet on her wrist. A thought occurred to her.

Her stomach twisted.

No… it couldn’t be…

“Unnie?” Soomin’s voice was small, uncertain.

A Sorrow?

“These aren’t Tellawyrm holes,” Mayu said slowly, more to herself than to them. “This… this looks closer to…” She trailed off, the name catching in her throat. Her heart gave a sharp, panicked beat. If that was true, then the boundaries marked on the Academy’s maps weren’t accurate. Or worse – something had driven the creatures here.

She rose quickly to her feet, brushing the dirt from her hands. “Girls,” she said, her voice steadier than she felt. “We’re turning back. Now. We need to find Professor Vivi.”

“But–” Yeonji began, but one look at Mayu’s expression, her panicked eyes, and the tight line of her mouth, silenced her.

Hyerin and Soomin exchanged alarmed glances, clutching their bags tighter as Mayu ushered them back the way they had come. She walked briskly, scanning the ground, ears straining for sounds beyond the usual hum of insects. Every crackle of underbrush made her pulse quicken.

“Unnie?” Yeonji whispered after a long silence. “Why are we turning back? What did you see?” She hated it, hated the slight tremor to Mayu’s hands or the way her eyes darted rapidly around their surroundings.

Mayu didn’t answer. She didn’t want to frighten them unnecessarily, when her thoughts were no more than theories. But before she could decide what to say, the ground trembled beneath their feet.

It was subtle at first, a faint quiver, as though a giant heartbeat pulsed deep underground. Then it grew stronger. Pebbles skittered across the path. Roots shivered in the soil. The forest itself seemed to hold its breath. Mayu froze, her body rigid. Her hand shot out, pulling Yeonji behind her even as Hyerin and Soomin stumbled to keep their footing.

The rumble deepened, a low growl rising from the earth, and then, silence. The kind of silence that came before disaster, the calm before the storm, the slow tremors before an earthquake.

Mayu’s breath hitched.

The forest floor buckled, and she heard the earth rip behind them, and a loud, screeching hiss.

“Run!”

=====

Sohyun’s nose cringed as the thick scent of mould and rot filled the air, her footsteps echoing quietly against the cobbles as she walked alongside the other three. The village had long since been abandoned – buildings were dilapidated, the walls beginning to be worn down due to lack of maintenance, wooden support beams exposed and rotting from the water in the air. Cracked glass lay scattered around each house, and a fog seemed to have settled over the area, working alongside the silver grey clouds to block out the blue sky.

She watched an older Mage pull out a spear from a Sorrow that had ambushed them – based on it’s heavy body and the glowing crimson light pulsing beneath its skin, she could deduce what sort. “A Crimson Sorrow…” she eyed it’s fading figure, watching the now dead creature evaporate into a black ichor and vapor. The once menacing horns and bovine legs were twisted, slashed, and the bull-like monster faded entirely.

“Haven’t seen one of those in a while,” a younger woman hummed, “Must’ve charged in when everyone left.” Sohyun thinks she hasn’t seen a Sorrow in person at all since last-year – although, she did hear about how a certain blonde, Phoenix-blessed student ran into an Obsidian Sorrow back at the Gravewood.

“How long ago did you say you had abandoned the village?” Sohyun asked, and she heard a grumble ahead of her.

“It’s been around a week or so, Sorrows must’ve ran rampant once we evacuated everyone.” A deep voice grumbled. Sohyun glanced forth, catching the sight of an older man, charcoal dark hair beginning to turn white with a few strands. She watched him scratch the beard forming around his jaw, and he sighed, hardened eyes staring forth, hands tightly gripping onto his Soulborne Spear.

Beside him, a familiar woman hummed, a burgundy cloak over her mage uniform, matching the reddish hue to her short hair. Professor Sooyoung nods, “Smart choice – we don’t know much about Sorrows, but the one thing we do know is they have this… malice towards humanity. Not a predatory instinct for food, but a desire to kill.”

Two more adults flanked the pair of them, and one of them groaned, staring up at the sky. He was still older than the students, but his hair was a softer brown, and he seemed a tad younger than the older Mage and Sooyoung. “Can’t believe this is my first time spotting Sorrows,” he shook his head, ignoring the pointed glare from the older man, “Glad you could help us out professor.”

“He means it,” a softer voice spoke, and Sohyun stared towards a woman around the younger man’s age, hair a soft pale pink, almost white. “We know you have a longer history than most when it comes to this sorta thing.”

Sohyun found herself nodding, and Sooyoung carried herself with an air of confidence as they walked through the village. She’d heard plenty of them, the group of students Sooyoung had practically taken in and cared for as her own. The Wolf Scouts. “I suppose forming and leading a rag-tag group of students with magic most wouldn’t touch has its perks.” The older man huffed, and Sooyoung took the time to glance back at the four students.

Sohyun’s eyes scanned their surroundings, and Sullin mumbled quiet observations to herself, her hand occasionally grazing against Lynn’s. Lynn mimicked Sohyun, her dual Odd Eyes on full display as she scanned their environment without a hint of fear. Xinyu, meanwhile, hummed a tune to herself, a distraction amongst the wreckage that surrounded them.

“You girls see anything out of place yet?” The professor asks, and the four shake their heads. Sooyoung sighs, “We skipped out on introductions earlier, but whilst I’d planned on The Wolf Scouts joining us, Hyeju still had another mission to lead. So, these three fine mages before you offered to help.” The two younger ones offer quick waves, the older man only huffing in response.

“You guys can just call me Hwan, it’s what my friends call me,” he flashes a smile and peace sign towards the four students, resting his crossbow Soulborne against his shoulder, “I’m only a few years older than you guys – graduated from Angel Academy a few years ago now, so let’s not bother with honourifics, ‘kay?” Hwan smiled, and Sohyun nods as Lynn grins back.

“My name’s Mirae,” the pink-haired woman says, voice soft and gentle, “It’s wonderful meeting you girls.”

Eyes fell onto the older man, and Hwan laughed, throwing an arm around him. “Come on, old timer,” he grinned, “Let’s play nice today!” He slapped the older man’s shoulder, and Sohyun caught Xinyu laughing at Hwan’s casual and laidback nature.

The man scoffed, but sighed, “The name’s Seokdae,” he stares at the students, his gaze cold, “Don’t get used to it…” He grumbles, walking ahead. Hwan glances back at the girls as Sooyoung and Mirae walk on.

“He’s a little grumpy, but he means well. Even used to be a teacher, if you could believe it.” He chuckles, stepping forth as the girls keep walking.

“I bet he secretly likes us,” Xinyu stage-whispered, and Hwan and Mirae stifled giggles with even Sooyoung visibly fighting to repress a smile, “This whole thing’s an act.” Seokdae grumbles, shaking his head and muttering something about ‘kids’. Sohyun only shook her head at Xinyu’s mischief, letting the taller girl link their arms. The group continued on with their walk, the air a little lighter than it was before.

As they marched on, Lynn felt Sullin’s hand graze against hers, and she glanced down. She lets herself put on a soft grin, slipping her hand into Sullin’s, and tugs her friend closer. “You alright?” She asks, and Sullin gazes up, eyes thoughtful as they stare into Lynn’s.

“Just… thinking,” she answers, glancing around, “It’s so desolate…”

Lynn hums, nodding, “It’s almost crazy to think about… it probably used to be much more lived in, people around every corner, street vendors selling food…” her eyes fall to an overturned cart, rotting goods surrounding it, “It’s… almost scary, just how devastated a place can get in only a few nights.”

Sullin tilts her head, now staring at Lynn’s expression. “Are you… scared?”

The taller girl remains quiet, and then, she chuckles, soft, so quiet only Sullin probably heard it. “Is it bad I’m not? I don’t think much scares me anymore…” The sentence hung in the air between them, and Sullin felt something resembling an ache in her chest. She doesn’t fully understand why, but she settles herself closer to Lynn, almost hugged against her arm now. Lynn simply lets her.

Sullin wonders just how much her friend had to witness for her to become desensitised, how much the Higher-Ups and world had put her through. Yet, she also wonders just how Lynn was able to hold onto any semblance of humanity.

Ahead of them, Sohyun casts a glance behind herself, and shakes her head fondly at the pair, unaware of whatever was said. Beside her, Xinyu spoke with Hwan and Mirae.

“How long have you guys been Mages? You don’t look like… well,” Xinyu’s eyes settled on Seokdae, and Sohyun wasn’t sure if he hadn’t heard her or decided to pretend like he hadn’t. “You mentioned you graduated a few years ago?” She asks Hwan, who grins.

The brown-haired man nods, laughing, “Had to have been maybe two, or three, I get mixed up these days,” he chuckles, “You try going on months-long missions and not ruin your sense of time. Miracle I’m as sane and handsome as I still am.” He joked, and Mirae rolled her eyes, lightly smacking his arm with her sceptre.

“Do you ever take anything seriously?” She asked, fond exasperation in her tone.

“Hey, if we don’t keep our humour, how else will we deal with… well…” Hwan gestured around them, and Mirae hummed. “Besides, people dig it. They’re having fun.” He sticks a thumb in Sohyun and Xinyu’s direction, and Xinyu giggles.

“I am, you guys are nice.” Her eyes fell to Mirae, “What about you?”

Mirae pauses, her cheeks slowly shifting to a shade of pink. “I’m actually older than I look… It's been a while since I graduated, I’ve spent more years as a mage than I did at the Academy.” She supplies, and Xinyu nods.

Hwan laughs, lightly smacking Mirae’s shoulder, “C’mon, noona, don’t look so bashful. How many people can say they’re experienced and don’t look a day over twenty?” Mirae rolls her eyes, but her shoulders seem a little less tense.

“I like them…” Xinyu whispers to Sohyun, who only rolls her eyes with a slight scoff.

“You like everyone.” she mumbles, letting Sohyun tug them closer towards the front, to between Seokdae and Sooyoung.

Seokdae let out a long sigh at Xinyu’s antics, but Sohyun noticed his fingers brushing over the pendant around his neck. A little oval disc of bronze, slightly tarnished but clearly well-kept, dangled against his chest, an odd symbol carved into it. Xinyu’s sharp eyes caught it instantly.

“Oooh, what’s that?” She chirped, stepping forward with the subtlety of a child discovering treasure. “That necklace looks important.”

“It’s nothing,” Seokdae grunted. He waited for Xinyu to back down, but instead, she kept looking at him, expectantly. With a huff, he rolled his eyes, his gaze softening momentarily as he stared down at it. “It’s supposed to be a token of good luck, especially for couples who are… expecting.”

Xinyu gasped, clutching Sohyun’s arm. “You have a baby on the way? That’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard!” She was beaming now, eyes wide with delight. “Oh my gods, you didn’t tell us you were a father-to-be! How precious is that?!”

Seokdae shifted uncomfortably, muttering, “It’s… unrelated to our work, I don’t see how it’s–”

“Aw, come on! This is so sweet!” Xinyu pressed on, refusing to let him retreat. “A little one waiting at home… you must be so excited. What are you hoping for? A boy? A girl? Twins?” She clasped her hands dramatically.

Hwan practically doubled over laughing, while Mirae hid her smile behind her hand. Lynn and Sullin watched on, amused, as Sooyoung clapped a hand onto his shoulder, “Congratulations, you didn’t tell me this, you old fool.” She muttered with a smile. Sohyun only sighed, tugging Xinyu a step back so she wouldn’t press too hard.

“Don’t harass the poor man,” she said, though her tone lacked real sternness.

“I’m not harassing, I’m celebrating!” Xinyu countered, still beaming. “I think it’s beautiful.”

Seokdae, despite himself, adjusted the pendant slightly so it lay properly against his chest. He didn’t say anything more, but there was the faintest softening around his eyes. “We already have two twins at home… They're both so excited.” Xinyu cooed at the statement, and began badgering Seokdae with even more questions, and Sohyun could only sigh.

“I just, it’s so precious,” Xinyu gasped, nearly bouncing on her heels. “You’re out here doing dangerous missions with a baby on the way? That’s so noble. So brave. So–”

“Reckless.” Sohyun cut in dryly, ignoring the pout Xinyu sent her way, though her lips twitched at the corners.

Seokdae only muttered, “I didn't wear it much before, but… figured today, I should.”

Xinyu leaned forward, utterly earnest now. “Then I’m glad you did. It looks good on you.”

The man’s gruff exterior faltered just slightly, and he cleared his throat before moving ahead. Xinyu continued in her efforts to speak to the older man, and Hwan watched on, amused. His eyes briefly flitted back to Sullin and Lynn, watching the two walk hand-in-hand. Sullin would occasionally break the silence, making an observation – sometimes about the state of their surroundings, or about the lack of tracks – and Lynn would nod, a sweet smile never leaving her face.

“I like these kids…” He mumbled, and Mirae smiled.

“So do I.”

.

They continued their march through the desolate town, nerves slowly growing more fried with each creak, each noise they heard. The wind whistled like a ghoul mocking them, and Xinyu found herself shivering. Then, they heard it. A sound cut through the air, faint yet too deliberate to be the shifting of wood or the creak of rotting beams. It was wet, dragging, like something being pulled across stone.

What followed was an unmistakable groan.

Sohyun’s arm snapped out, halting Xinyu in her bouncing steps. “Quiet.”

The group stopped as one. Even Seokdae’s footsteps silenced. The fog seemed to thicken, curling around their ankles as the noise came again – closer now. A wheezing rasp, followed by words. Not clear, but words nonetheless.

“…p–please…”

The hairs on Sullin’s arms prickled. That voice wasn’t human, though it tried to sound like one. Hwan visibly paled, readying his crossbow as Mirae’s grip tightened around her sceptre. Sohyun sighed, silver light shimmering in her grasp as she called forth her Soulborne – a large, single-bladed battle axe, a wolf-like head at the end of the handle, the immense curved blade spilling from its open maw. The handle was a deep blue, the metal itself black lined with silver.

Professor Sooyoung raised a hand, her crimson cloak shifting as she gestured for caution. “Eyes sharp. That wasn’t an echo.” Lynn called forth her trident, and Sooyoung manifested her Soulborne – a crimson rapier. With a flick of her wrist, Xinyu felt her daggers manifest in her grasp – glowing red blades with black leather wrapped around the handles. Her Soulborne may not have been as large as everyone else’s, but Sohyun knew too well how dangerous Xinyu could be.

They advanced slowly, Sullin’s eyes narrowing as they turned a corner, now facing a collapsed tavern. The sight waiting for them froze every breath in their lungs.

Sorrows – several of them – hunched in the fog. Sohyun had seen many a Sorrow before – black bodies that gave off a dark vapor, pale bony armour, and horrific noises, unlike any sort of animal. Predabeasts, despite their urge to hunt, still sounded much like any other creature – howls, cries, even bird-like chirping. Yet, Sorrows sounded like something else, something so irredeemably unnatural.

But even that was nothing compared to what stood before her.

Ununiformed silhouettes, black flesh writhing, stitched together by some impossible force. A bull’s horn jutted from the same body as a serpent’s coiling tail. Wings sprouted from a back that wasn’t built to bear them, their feathers cracked and glowing faintly with a sickly azure light beneath torn shadow-flesh. The colors pulsed through them – crimson, violet, emerald – all bleeding together like oil on water.

And then they spoke.

“…end… it… hurtsss…”

The words were broken, layered with distorted tones, as if more than one voice tried to claw its way out of the same throat. Human, yet inhuman all the same. The Sorrows staggered toward them, their movements jerky, as if fighting against themselves.

Xinyu’s hand flew to her daggers. “They’re… they’re talking. Just like the reports… but I didn’t think it’d be like this.”

“Pain… it sounds like they’re in pain…” Sullin murmured, pulling away from Lynn.

“They shouldn’t be able to communicate anything.” Sooyoung’s voice was low, edged. “Sorrows don’t speak.”

“Then what the hell do you call that?” Hwan hissed, magic building up within his raised crossbow.

Before they had time to fully process the sight, one of the mismatched chimeras charged towards them, and Sooyoung’s eyes widened. “Prepare for combat!” The creature jumped, and Lynn followed suit.

She slammed the side of her trident against it’s head, sending it sprawling back onto the ground, a crater forming where it landed. Raising her weapon behind her head, she crashed it into the earth, and in a flash of blue light, water spilled forth in a vicious wave, ripping through the stone floor and a bone-crunching noise sounded as it surged upon the chimeras. Some hovered over, and the others readied.

One charged towards Sohyun, and the Wisteria swung her axe, striking the side of the creature's skull with a deafening crunch, before pulling it out and smacking another aside with the back of the handle. One pushed onto its hind legs, tail raised and poised, ready to leap towards her. Sohyun's Odd Eye flashed as she raised her Axe behind her head, wind whipping and whirling around her, in a mad silver tornado.

Special Technique, Air Cutting Slash.

The creature jumped, and Sohyun brought her Axe down, a sharp blade of air cutting through the space between them, slicing the monster in half, alongside a few of the buildings behind it before the blade of air dissipated.

Two more sprinted forth, and Sohyun swung her axe, another blade of air pushing them back. The Wisteria dashed forth, gliding through the air before kicking one in the snout, a compressed blast of air from her foot sending it into the ground with an earth shattering crash.

Spinning on her heel, she watched the other Chimera charge and Sohyun raised her axe horizontally before her with both hands. Its mouth wrapped around the handle, and Sohyun grunted. It snapped its jaw, a weak attempt to bite through the obstruction, before Sohyun rooted her feet to the floor.

The Wolf lets me command the Wind, but at this range… She could hear its snarl. An attack is too high of a risk, I could injure myself. Think, Sohyun. Her enhanced hearing picked up the growls of nearby Sorrows, and Sohyun almost snarled herself. She didn’t have time, she needed to move quick. The Wyvern, low on options, let out a breath through her nose, a frozen mist leaving it. Feeling the blue scales crawl up her neck, Sohyun opened her mouth, and an ice cold cloud rushed forth.

Ice spewed forth from the mist, cold crawling up the Chimera's body. When Sohyun stopped, the monster lay encased in ice, an almost glacier like structure. She tugged her axe from its frozen jaw, and watched as the frigid mass of ice and monster shattered into fragmented shards of white and black.

Turning to see the other Sorrows, now staring more warily at her. “Who's next?” She readied her axe, her breath frosting as she spoke, her eyes now more akin to slits as she watched the creatures surge forth.

The others weren’t fairing too badly in their own right – Hwan laughed, firing white-hot arrows of fire from his crossbow, each blasting ashen holes through their targets. One lunged at him, and he flipped back to evade it. He landed, firing two shots at it, before firing at one on his left. He heard a snarl behind him and, without looking, aimed his crossbow over his shoulder, firing an arrow. The pained cry left him grinning.

“Bullseye…” he muttered, before jumping to evade another hit. His eyes fell to the flashes of red around him, and he grinned. “You ain’t too bad for a student!”

Xinyu dashed past, slicing the legs of one Sorrow as it fell to the ground, before swiftly spinning and jamming a dagger up through the bottom of its jaw and through its skull. She retracted the blade, manoeuvring around the creature before dashing between two more, slicing their necks. The bodies fell with pained moans, and Xinyu spun her daggers around her fingers, confident smile in place.

She looked on to see two bear-like Sorrows, although she caught the horns of a bull on one, and the long serpentine tail on another. The snake-tailed chimera surged forth, and Xinyu threw her two daggers forth, a trail of red light behind each one as they sunk into the creature and pushed it back. The bull one charged forth.

An image flashed in Xinyu’s mind – the flapping of butterfly wings, and herself being crushed behind two horns. She grimaced, before closing her eyes. The Sorrow neared, and before it made contact, she disappeared in a flurry of glowing red butterflies. Hwan watched on from the corner of his eye, stunned, and Xinyu reformed onto the creatures back. Sensing something on it, the Sorrow rocked back and forth, nightmarish roars escaping it, before Xinyu grunted.

Extending her palms, two daggers manifested, and she jammed them into the creature’s neck, slicing and stabbing at whatever muscle she could find until it fell. She sighed, disappearing in a flurry of butterflies, and Hwan watched the swarm approach him before Xinyu reformed back into her human self.

He blinked. “Okay, I’m impressed – what even is your Affinity? Transmutation?” He fired two shots towards approaching Sorrows, and Xinyu hummed.

“Divination, actually,” She raised her hand, three daggers manifesting between her knuckles, before she tossed them, hitting three targets square in their skulls. “The Butterfly is a god of possibilities, after all. It’s fun seeing the future. The whole butterfly-transformation thing was sorta an accident.” Again, her eyes widened briefly, Hwan watching her irises flash a bright red, before she spun and threw a dagger at an oncoming wolf-like Sorrow.

“An accident?” He readied his crossbow, and Xinyu nodded.

“Happened during training once, comes in pretty handy.” Xinyu dispersed again, dancing between Sorrows and slicing at their limbs and weak points.

Hwan nodded, before a golden bubble surrounded him. He yelped as he heard a thud, and behind him, an insect-like creature spewed some sort of acidic spray against the golden bubble, based on how the green liquid bubbled against the magical shield, spilling down onto the ground where it burned through the stone.

“Watch yourself…” Mirae warned, light emanating from her sceptre. Hwan pouted.

“C’mon, noona, these kids are so cool! They kinda remind me of my little sister back home – so energetic and ready to fight.” He laughed, and Mirae rolled her eyes, letting her barrier fall as he fired an arrow of fire through the insect-like Sorrow, and she caught the odd tufts of fur along its carapace back.

“Just mind your surroundings…” He spun around again, and she raised her sceptre.

He wasn’t wrong.

Sullin jumped back, evading the swipe of an oversized claw as a Sorrow lunged at her. Another did so from the side, forcing her to jump to her left, before reorientating herself. Her brow furrowed, staring down the shadowed beasts before her. She could still hear it – their pained whimpers, the quiet pleas. It was as if each movement triggered a different sort of pain, as if their mere existences were nothing but agony.

She clasped her hands together, and black vein-like patterns ran along her forearms as her Odd Eye glowed. Her fingernails shifted to a deep crimson with black edges, and she watched as blood oozed out from beneath them.

I can dissect their actions later, for now… Sullin watched as a Sorrow pushed past the other two, its jaw unhinged as it sprinted towards her. The faint song of a crane whispered in her ears, and she sighed.

Special Technique, Snipe Shot.

Blood shot past her clasped hands, a straight and solid line of red piercing the creature, before its body swelled and detonated in a flash of red and black liquid. The other two Sorrows surged forth, and Sullin redirected her hands to each one, forcing them to die in gruesome fashion. Three more snapped their heads towards the commotion, and charged forth. Sullin sighed, extending her arm and clenching her hand into a fist.

Blood crawled over her arm in a thin sheen, before the coat grew and thickened. Her fingers became something akin to sharp claws, and with her other hand, she clenched it into a fist, before extending her index and middle finger, a small orb of red at the tip.

Special Technique, Crimson Construct.

Raising her two fingers, she fired off a concentrated blast of blood, a scarlet bullet sinking into one of the creatures, following it up with two more to slow it down further. As one grew close, a dark red substance encased Sullin’s leg, and she raised it to block the swipe of a spiked tail, the ground cracking beneath her. She kicked the tail aside, stabbing her claws into the creature, before ripping an armoured chunk of black flesh out, before slashing at the other Sorrow and sinking another blood bullet into it.

She glanced to the one she downed earlier, and huffed. She unclenched her hand, raising it above her head. She winced, feeling a cut on her palm as blood seeped out, before sliding along through the air, and shaping itself into a scarlet spear. Sullin tossed the weapon into the monster’s body, watching black ichor stain the earth.

“Gods, that’s terrifying…” Mirae whispered, and Sullin turned her head to make eye contact with the woman. Catching her startled expression, Sullin smiled, the otherwise scary aura completely gone as Mirae blinked at the warmth on display. “What… what god did you receive a blessing from?”

Sullin hummed, “The Crane – a minor god, supposedly the god of blood, birth and healing.”

“Don’t forget beauty!” Another voice called out, and Sullin watched as Lynn leapt overhead before slamming her trident into the ground. The earth quaked, before a geyser of water erupted from the earth, sending a large chimera into the air. She glanced back briefly, before winking at Sullin.

Sullin rolled her eyes, something warm on her face. She watched the taller girl extend her arm, before clenching her hand into a fist. The column of water then sharpened, a crystalline blue spear of water piercing the Sorrow’s body, before she made a sweeping motion with her arm, the spear collapsing onto the ground in an oversized ball of water. Lynn then tossed her trident towards the orb of water before running forth and jumping into the air.

Upon hitting the orb, the ball split into three sharp bolts of water, piercing and slaying three oncoming Sorrows, before the trident was deflected into the air. Lynn caught it, piercing one of the Sorrows that had managed to get airborne. Jabbing down, she pinned it to the ground, before effortlessly picking it up and using its flailing body on the end of the prongs to smack aside two other Sorrows.

She then struck the heel of her palm against the handle, the trident glowing briefly before three beams of water sprouted from the prongs and sent the Sorrow flying back into the wall of a nearby building. Lynn’s eyes darted to the side, watching another lunge for her, and she parried it’s oncoming claws with her trident. Another rushed forth, and Lynn kicked it back with little difficulty, smacking another aside with her trident.

“She’s…” Hwan started, amazed as he fired more arrows, and Sohyun huffed, landing beside him with a thud.

“The best? We’re more than aware.” She mumbled, and Hwan noticed Sohyun fidgeting with the bandages around her wrists, wincing, before readying her axe again.

To the side, Lynn sighed, almost as if she was bored. She kicked her leg up, sending a Sorrow flying into the sky, and when another tried to bite her, she merely grabbed its snout, keeping its jaw shut with her hand alone. “To think you dared threaten an entire village…” She raised the monster high before slamming it into the ground, a crater forming beneath her.

Hwan’s eyes shifted to Sullin, watching the girl release several crescent blades of blood, slicing up anything in her path. “That one hasn’t even called forth her Soulborne… these kids are insane…”

Sooyoung hummed nearby, stabbing her rapier through a Sorrow and kicking another aside. “You’re telling me,” She pierced another one through the head, “These children… they’re already on the Higher-Ups’ radar. A girl who commands an army of blood, and a student with enough power to one day rival Haseul herself.”

The young man shook his head, eyes falling to Seokdae.

In a whirlwind of steel, he spun around, slicing through oncoming Sorrows like a hot knife through butter. With a practised ease, he cut each oncoming creature up, each swing heavy and controlled. One lunged at him in an attempted ambush, and he turned before punching it back with his fist alone. He readied his spear again, eyes sharp. His uniform and additional armour dripped with the black blood of the Sorrows, spear smoking with execution.

He heaved, shaking his head, before sweeping his spear again. Seokdae’s chest rose and fell with the measured steadiness of a man who’d been here before – a hundred times, perhaps a thousand. His strikes lacked Lynn’s raw flourish or Sullin’s terrifying innovation, but every thrust of his spear was deliberate, final. When his blade sank into a chimera’s chest, it was not simply stabbed, it was ended. His movements were brutally economical, honed from necessity rather than artistry.

“Stay close, damn it!” He barked, sweeping his spear sideways. The haft caught a Sorrow across its midsection, splitting it open in a spray of ichor. “We split up, the chances of one of us being injured increases drastically!” Another lunged low, and Seokdae pivoted, the butt of his weapon cracking against its jaw. It sprawled onto the ground, before he finished it with a precise thrust through the skull.

Xinyu darted nearby, daggers flashing, but her eyes always flickered between their usual dark brown and bright red – as if searching through a thousand possible outcomes. Her head snapped toward Seokdae, and her eyes widened.

“Seokdae–!”

The warning left her lips an instant before the vision fully formed as a creature dashed to get him from behind. A flutter of butterfly wings, and she saw the armour break, saw the chimera’s claw driving through his chest, saw him sprawled lifeless on the stone. She could Mirae’s scream, saw herself too late–

No.

She acted before thought could catch up. Her form dissolved in a storm of butterflies, reforming just behind Seokdae as a hulking amalgam – a boar’s tusks, spider’s legs, and a wolf’s maw – surged forward, one of its spiked limbs was already descending.

Seokdae turned too late.

Xinyu shoved him aside, butterflies swirling around him and carrying him aside. As Xinyu reformed, she slid, boots skidding against stone, until she found her footing.

“Careful, old man,” she panted, grinning despite the pain buzzing in her arms. “Didn’t you say to mind our surroundings?”

Seokdae’s eyes widened for only a heartbeat before narrowing into something fierce. “Tch. Brat.” He surged forward again, reclaiming his balance, before throwing his spear into the Sorrow’s chest, Xinyu following up by throwing a dagger to its throat, their combined efforts toppling the beast in a messy spray.

Xinyu glanced towards him, and grinned, “Well, I believe this brat just saved a father-to-be, so a thanks would be in order?”

Seokdae’s eyes narrowed, and he sighed, “What has the world come to for a child to find such amusement in a situation like this?” Xinyu shrugged, and Seokdae stepped forth, but not before regarding Xinyu briefly, and muttering a deep, “You have my thanks.”

Lynn’s voice cut over the clash of steel and roars. “Don’t get sloppy! We’re not out of this yet!”

She spun her trident in a wide arc, summoning a crescent wave of water that carved through a cluster of Sorrows. The torrent hit with such force that even the stone beneath them split apart, cracks radiating outward like lightning across the battlefield.

Her Odd Eyes flared, and water coiled tighter around her weapon, sharper, until every droplet gleamed like glass. She swept her weapon forth, and three spears of liquid plunged into a chimera’s torso, pinning it against a wall. With a flick of her wrist, the spears burst, shredding the beast apart in a rain of black-streaked water.

“Gods above…” Mirae whispered, awestruck. “She’s… she’s stronger than us.”

“No,” Sooyoung corrected flatly, dispatching another Sorrow with a thrust of her rapier. Her gaze lingered on Lynn, the young woman cutting through monsters with something between fury and playfulness. “She’s stronger than most of us put together.”

And yet Lynn only smiled, spinning her trident with one hand before driving it down into the ground. A whirlpool erupted at her feet, dragging three Sorrows into its spiraling pull. With a surge of strength, she vaulted upward, the currents carrying her like wings, and then she descended—trident first.

Special Technique, Abyssal Crash.

The impact of her weapon shattered the ground, sending water surging outward in a tidal burst that flattened everything in its path.

When the spray fell, silence fell, the last of the Sorrows dispatched. Lynn gave a low whistle, leaning onto the heels of her feet as the group reconvened near her, the bodies around them slowly beginning to fade in dark vapours.

“That was…” Xinyu started, and Hwan bit his tongue for a remark as Seokdae gave a low hum, and Sooyoung scanned their surroundings. Before much else, a single noise rang through the air.

A clap.

Another hit their ears, and when they looked up, they spotted her – a lone figure, slow-clapping. Their eyes settled on her outfit, and Lynn felt confusion swirl within her mind. Is that… an Academy uniform? It was a black-purple, no discernible insignia sewn on, nor a tie indicating any house. Rather than the black robes of the Academy, a different white loose garb hung around their frame, lined with unique runes and patterns, and Lynn’s eyes widened.

She’d only seen an outfit like that in pictures, news reports.

The Mobius Cult.

The figure hid behind a mask, looking as if hands made from smooth white porcelain were cupping and hiding her face, and Lynn wasn’t even sure how the person could see behind them. Their skirt and ponytail swished as they began to clap louder, faster. “My my! What an exciting show!”

Seokdae’s grip on his weapon tightened, and everyone else took it as a cue to ready themselves. “Who are you?” His voice boomed, thunderous, and they cackled.

“My pretty’s… I had more hope in them, but watching you fight was just as delightful,” They tilted their head upwards, and they could all hear the grin ringing through her voice, “I love it when they fight back.”

“I asked you once,” Seokdae’s eyes narrowed, magic swirling around him, “Answer me – who. Are. You?”

The figure hummed, placing both hands on their hips. “Is it not obvious…” She giggled, flicking the dark hair of her ponytail. “I’m the one who created the creatures you just fought, pushed them to the next stage of their evolution…”

The figure hopped down to the ground beneath them.

“Please, just call me The Evolutionary.”

=====

“So… how much further are we going to walk?” Nien asked, and Seoyeon lightly elbowed the pink-haired girl, receiving a pout as she glanced forth.

Towards the front, Jiyeon walked steadily ahead, eyes trained on the ground. When she turned past a winding tree, the others followed. When she raised her Soulborne – manifesting as two sabres, one black and one white – to cut through foliage, the others ducked past the swinging severed vines. Yooyeon stood at her side, an occasional question.

Jiyeon glanced back towards Nien, a faint smile on her face. Where her dark irises once were, they were replaced with orbs of pale light, making her almost look blinded. Glowing white veins pulsed around her temples and around her eyes. “Not too far…” She replied, “With my family’s gift, I’ve been tracking their tunnels through the floor.” Seoyeon nods, ever-curious of that family gift, the eyes of a Ji.

Beside the second-year, Yooyeon raised a hand. “I’ve been using Jiyeon’s information to try and map out a possible trail – it’s unlikely they’re just burrowing randomly, it’s possible they have a network of tunnels they’ve been using. If we follow the right tracks,” her hand lowered, and she and Jiyeon turned to keep walking. “We’ll find at least one of the three in no-time.”

Nien cracked her knuckles within her gauntlets, grinning wide even as the tension rose with each step, crunching the floor of fallen leaves beneath her boots. “Guess that means we’re not barking up the wrong tree.” She flexed her hands, and Seoyeon caught sight of the yellow-orange vibrations running faintly through the soil with each motion, each step. “Or… should I say we’re ‘worming’ our way to success?”

The blonde’s steps slowed, and she shot an amused look towards Nien. “That was atrocious.” She shook her head, and Nien gasped.

“I think you mean hilarious.” The taller girl smirked, elbowing Seoyeon as the blonde rolled her eyes.

“I meant what I said.” Up ahead, Yooyeon glanced back, her expression stern.

“Focus, please.” She muttered, and when she turned back around, Nien pouted, before muttering Yooyeon’s words back in a mocking tone. Seoyeon rolled her eyes and suppressed a chuckle, before walking briskly ahead to take Yooyeon’s side.

“Do we have a plan once we find one?” She wondered, and Yooyeon regarded her for a moment, contemplative eyes taking in the sight of the blonde, before humming.

“Kill it – In actuality, I think we should be good to let Nien handle it,” Seoyeon cast a quick glance back to her friend, who now seemed transfixed with a butterfly that handed on her finger. “She may seem like a ball of sunshine, but Nien’s Blessing stems from the Panther.”

Seoyeon nodded, “Right, like Hyun– The Professor,” she caught herself, ignoring Yooyeon’s curious stare, “But I’m guessing Nien can’t turn into a cat? If she could, she’d do it all the time…” She murmured, and it earned a quiet snort from Yooyeon and a chuckle from Jiyeon.

“You’re right… The Panther is a god of the land, but also of strength, and unyielding will. People used to pray to it in times of weakness, where they needed resilience.” Yooyeon manifested her Soulborne, her two pistols in her grasp as she glanced over them. “Nien’s strength lies in using her willpower as a source of energy – the more she wants to fight, wants to win, the stronger she grows. Her determination makes her unstoppable.”

Seoyeon nods, “Have you seen her fight?”

Yooyeon glanced forth, and Seoyeon followed her line of sight and looked ahead. “A few times… Nien’s one of the few people who’s fought larger Predabeasts at a young age, having killed several with her bare hands. She’s been unable to fight any since becoming a student, but each time I’ve had the pleasure to watch her fight… it’s obvious she’s looking for it.”

“For what?” Seoyeon asks, and she hears Nien’s footsteps grow louder as she gets closer.

“A challenge.” Yooyeon mutters, and Seoyeon takes in a sharp breath. “Word of advice? Stay away once she starts fighting something. She may not manipulate the land directly, but she does use seismic energy. Get too close, and you’ll be the one getting injured.”

Nien sighed, clapping a hand on Yooyeon and Seoyeon’s shoulders. “I mean… why throw sand at people when I can just punch them with an earthquake?” Yooyeon rolls her eyes and Seoyeon chuckles softly. It’s not long before Seoyeon feels Yooyeon’s eyes on her, and when she meets the older girl’s dark brown eyes, she finds herself swallowing thickly.

“I’m curious, but… how good has your fire control gotten? After your poisoning incident, I was…” Yooyeon mentally cringes, recalling her brief argument with Nakyoung, “A little unsure, but Hyunjin went through a great deal to reassure me.”

At that Seoyeon hums, and extends her arm out. In her grasp, in a flash of golden light, her Soulborne manifests. “It… took a while,” Seoyeon admitted, “Honestly, each time I called on the fire, its voice got so loud… Even now, it’s still singing in my ears, it’s just easier to tune out.” She half expects some cold remarks from Yooyeon, but instead, the older girl shrugs.

“You’ve made progress – so long as you can keep it under control and stop yourself from setting the forest ablaze, we should be fine.” The lack of a frigid or wary tone has Seoyeon’s chest blooming with something warm, the consideration alone a far cry from the cold shoulder she’d once gotten. Yooyeon stared down at her pistols again, “As you’ve probably heard, I wield two Blessings. The Rabbit grants me power over boundaries and travel–”

“What, can you turn into a car?” Nien asks, a shit-eating grin in place as Yooyeon gives a flat look, Seoyeon doing her best to not laugh whilst Jiyeon does little to hide her joy.

“What I can do is manipulate the boundaries of space – portals, teleportation, and even control over gravity,” she mutters primly, “The Rabbit is also a god of time, so… in a pinch, I could freeze it.”

Nien raised a brow, “If you can just press pause on the world, why are we even going with you?” At that, Yooyeon let her Odd Eye flash.

“Because even with an Odd Eye, using two Blessings drains my Mana much faster than most – freezing reality around me takes up far too much, and like I said, it’s best reserved for emergencies.” Yooyeon mumbles, and Seoyeon hums, “It’s hardly as flashy as some people think it to be.”

“I still think it’s really cool.” The blonde smiles, and Yooyeon’s eyes remain on her for a moment longer. Seoyeon wonders if Yooyeon’s cheeks were always that rosy shade of pink, and the older girl coughs as she looks away, and Jiyeon mutters something about a lack of subtlety.

“Since we’re just… stating our powers now–” Jiyeon began, and Yooyeon was quick to cut in.

“-For strategic purposes.” Jiyeon gave Yooyeon a look, and Seoyeon thinks it’s endearing to see the older girl look less stoic and more sheepish in return.

“...Right, well, I got my blessing from the Swans – God of love, balance, duality and spiritual evolution,” Jiyeon cut through some oncoming vines, and the group ducked past an overgrown branch. The Camellia cut through more foliage as they followed her, “My Magic is… a little hard to describe – but think of it as extremes. Hot and cold, positivity and negativity, creation and destruction.”

Yooyeon nods, “I’ve read some of your transcripts before the mission – versatility will be helpful alongside raw power.” The older girl gave a small, reassuring smile, gesturing to the two younger girls beside her.

Nien grinned, “Guess you can say we have a lot of firepower, eh?” The pun earns her another elbow to the gut, and she cries out dramatically.

They walk a few more paces, before Jiyeon pauses, eyes returning to normal as she raises a hand. The others stop only a few feet away, and Yooyeon furrows her brow, stepping closer to the Camellia. “Why did we–”

“There’s something… weird.” Jiyeon mumbled, “The tunnels all lead to one point up ahead, an open clearing.” Yooyeon readied her pistols, and Nien raised her gauntlets, fists poised in a boxing stance.

The pink-haired girl tilts her head, seemingly confused at Jiyeon’s hesitance. “So… we found them, right? I don’t see what’s so weird…” Seoyeon catches Jiyeon’s uncertain eyes, and the gears of her mind turn.

“No… that’s not what you’re saying…” The blonde mumbles, and Yooyeon’s eyes fall on her. They make eye contact, and for a few tense seconds, neither speaks. There’s a curious way Yooyeon tilts her head, and Seoyeon gives a soft hum. Nien’s eyes dart between the two girls, and when a look of realisation comes across both, she raises a brow, “Were you two like… telepathically communicating something?”

“Tellawyrms are territorial,” Yooyeon started, “Aggressively so. It was already weird we found three together in one section of the forest, but…” She trailed off, and Seoyeon crossed her arms, eyes glancing up ahead. There was an unmistakable sound of something in the clearing up ahead, branches rustling, leaves cracking.

“If the tunnels all lead to one point, it suggests they were moving together, like a pack.” What they were trying to say finally hits Nien when the taller girl’s eyes also widen.

“Basically… they’re not behaving like normal, and we have three up ahead? All of them?” Yooyeon nods, and Seoyeon gives a quiet sigh, glancing at the older girl.

“The flare… should we–” Yooyeon cuts her off with a shake of the head, and Nien grins.

“I didn’t know you were such a fighter, unnie.” Yooyeon sighs at Nien’s remark, and has her pistols ready.

“If… if this is really just three Tellawyrms, we should be more than equipped to handle it. If things go sour, I can teleport us out and let us regroup. For now, let’s not use the flare… still,” she gave the three younger students a pointed look, “Don’t do anything stupid. If we need to fall back, we do it.”

With that, Jiyeon cut through the foliage, and in the open clearing, their eyes fell to the three black serpents. Holes through the ground, evidence they’d tunnelled and burrowed their way to the clearing. Their bodies were above the surface, heavy dull scales aligning most of their body, thinning out closer towards their head. Their eyes seemed greyed, dulled, likely due to not being exposed often to the surface. Their forked tongues licked the air, hisses ringing through, like some sort of foul melody.

Once again, Yooyeon frowned. “What’s with the colour?” Seoyeon cast a glance towards her, a sense of unease beginning to settle in her stomach, “Tellawyrms are usually… brown, or grey, not… not pitch black.”

Nien didn’t seem as phased, cracking her knuckles once more, “Maybe it’s some rare species?”

Yooyeon sighed, “I feel less good about killing them then. Capturing them would be better for research,” She pointed her pistols, her Odd Eye flickering, “Still. Mission’s a mission.”

Jiyeon nudged Seoyeon’s hand, now at the blonde’s side. “Seems like they’ll take one each… wanna take on one together?”

Seoyeon grinned, “So long as you make sure my fire doesn’t burn down our surroundings… sure.” They all readied into their stances, and soon, the three serpentine creatures stared at the girls, menacing hisses deepening.

It was Nien who shot forth first.

Nien charged into the clearing, pent-up aggression finally let loose as she laughed. Her boots struck the earth and the ground trembled in sync with her heartbeat, seismic energy radiating outward in faint orange ripples. The nearest serpent’s head darted towards her with frightening speed, but Nien planted her heel, pivoted, and drove an uppercut straight into its jaw.

The impact cracked like a miniature earthquake, lifting the beast’s skull metres into the air before it crashed back down, dazed and hissing in fury.

“Come on!” Nien shouted, grinning wide, her gauntlets gleaming in the filtered sunlight. “You can do better than that.”

The serpent recoiled, body writhing with whip-like precision, surging forth again with its jaw unhinged. Yet, every strike against Nien’s raised gauntlets, poised to block, sent shockwaves rippling outward, scattering energy across the forest’s floor. Trees shook. Leaves fell. The clearing itself seemed to groan under the pressure of her willpower.

With each blow, her aura grew brighter, fiercer, like the land itself was answering her challenge. She weaved past another hit, punching it into a nearby group of trees. As the wood buckled, Nien pushed off from the ground, leaving a crater in her wake. She pulled her fist back, and as the snake curled and readied to leap up and bite her, Nien punched forth.

Special Technique, Seismic Cannon.

An orb of vibrating energy slammed against one of the serpents’ fangs, and it cried out in agony as the white bone shattered, spewing yellow paralytic venom across the ground, only for it to quickly discolour into a harmless translucent sludge. It hissed, and Nien turned her back to it mid-air, before clapping. A thunderous noise rung out, and she rocketed back down towards the serpent, elbowing it into the ground in the process.

On the far side, Yooyeon had already blinked out of sight, wanting to evade succumbing to the aftershocks of Nien’s ongoing battle, only to reappear in midair above the second serpent. Blossom and Orchid materialized in her hands, their pink and purple surfaces humming with latent mana. She twisted gracefully in the air, gravity bending around her as if the world itself had agreed to her rules, not the other way around.

She fired down a series of bullets towards the serpent’s side, drawing its attention to her. It snapped its jaw, and shot upwards. Yooyeon blinked out in a flash, rematerialising elsewhere as she delivered another series of shots to the underside of its jaw, and it screeched, shaking and writhing. A faint pink glow surrounded Yooyeon’s ankles, and she levitated in the air for a brief moment, as if gravity didn’t dare touch her.

“Stay still,” she muttered, voice calm, focused. Blossom fired again – rapid streaks of glowing rounds peppered the serpent’s side, forcing its head back towards her with frustrated snarls. Then Orchid barked once, a heavy shot that punched straight through one of its eyes, burning through the socket. The serpent screeched, moving with the bullet, before slowly turning and hissing at Yooyeon, lunging for her again.

But Yooyeon was already gone, flickering out of existence and reappearing by the treeline, atop a branch. She leveled both pistols again, her Odd Eye flickering as she focused, altering the pull of gravity so the serpent’s body slammed unnaturally against the earth. Its thrashing only tore up the soil, unable to shake off the oppressive weight dragging it down, and the weak spot atop its head, where its scales turned soft, seemed to almost glisten.

Seoyeon and Jiyeon had taken the third serpent, and though its body dwarfed theirs, their rhythm was seamless. Jiyeon darted forward first, sabres flashing. One blade left a streak of frost as it carved through the air, coated in a black aura, the other trailing searing heat, nearly burning the air with its incandescent light, the two extremes colliding on the serpent’s scales. Sparks and steam burst from each clash as she forced its attention toward her.

It writhed, attempting to snap at her, but the girl was far too fast on her feet, zipping around in black and white blurs. Seoyeon held back briefly, blade ignited with golden fire as she leapt to the side, her and Jiyeon now circling the creature. Her chest burned with focus as she shaped the flames into narrow precision, amber ribbons coating the blade’s edge.

The serpent lunged at Jiyeon, but in that instant Seoyeon surged forward.

“Now!” Jiyeon shouted, parrying the strike with both sabres, blocking each of the fangs as they hit her blades. The auras around her sabres seemed to intensify, and Jiyeon grunted.

Maintain… balance, distribute… the force… The ground seemed to bend and crack beneath her feet, and the serpent seemed almost locked onto Jiyeon. It gave the blonde the opening she needed, however, her flaming sword carved deep into the exposed throat. Fire poured into the wound, searing scale and flesh alike. The creature reared back, hissing so loudly it rattled the canopy, writhing onto the floor as Seoyeon helped Jiyeon steady her footing.

“Good timing,” Jiyeon said, breath steady despite her glowing veins pulsing harder. Staring down the creature, and with a whirl of her sabres, she twirled, almost ballerina like, before slicing both her sabres down, unleashing a shock of white and black energy that cascaded across the serpent’s chest, splitting flesh and burning through its core, as it screamed.

Special Technique, Cascading Fusion.

Seoyeon exhaled sharply, hands tightening on her hilt. She could feel it – the fire urging her to burn hotter, to let go and consume the whole clearing. But she forced it inward, shaping it, keeping it focused on the single enemy before her. She could feel another supportive nudge from Jiyeon, and Seoyeon met her eyes kindly.

The serpent bucked and crashed, hissing as it reorientated itself to face the two girls.

Across the clearing, Nien had the first serpent on the defensive, fists striking like meteors. “Go on, show me what you can do!” She shouted, ducking beneath another attempt to bite her, pushing herself back and hammering both fists down onto its back. The earth cracked beneath the force, spiderweb fissures radiating out. The serpent’s body spasmed, half-buried into the ground.

Yooyeon teleported towards Seoyeon and Jiyeon, firing two quick rounds into their serpent’s wounded flank, before landing beside them. “Remember, weak points are near the neck and top of the head – hit the weak point, or sever it cleanly.”

“Got it,” Seoyeon said, raising her sword once more as Yooyeon nodded, teleporting towards her target once more.

Fire coiled tightly along her Soulborne, and with Jiyeon darting in from the other side, the two struck together. Jiyeon’s twin sabres sliced through the serpent’s weakened scales while Seoyeon’s sword burst in brilliant fire, so bright Jiyeon almost shielded her eyes.

Special Technique, Searing Slash.

The blade scorched through the creature’s flesh, severing and melting through bone. A loud bang rang out, and the head tumbled free, flames licking the stump as the rest of the serpentine body fell limp.

On the other side, Nien let out a triumphant roar and unleashed a seismic punch straight into her serpent’s skull. The ground erupted, a shockwave throwing dirt and stone into the air, and the beast’s head cracked like shattered stone before it fell limp, an explosion of black muscle and dark ichor spilling across the ground as the head splattered into mushed remains.

Yooyeon’s serpent was last. She tightened her grip, mana surging as she pulled space itself taut around the creature. Its body compressed, pinned against the earth as though trapped beneath a mountain. She raised Orchid one last time, and aimed a single shot.

Special Technique, Hollow Bullet

With a single shot, an orb of purple energy burst out, and a hole formed cleanly through the serpent’s head.

The clearing fell into silence, only the group’s panting breaths filling the air.

Nien shook dirt from her hair, wiping off any remaining foul-smelling blood from her uniform. Her cheeks flushed, grinning ear to ear. “Three Tellawyrms down! I told you we’d worm our way to success!”

Jiyeon groaned, Seoyeon facepalmed, and even Yooyeon allowed herself the faintest twitch of a smile. “I suppose we should head back, I’m sure Hyunjin and the others would be relieved to know we handled it on our own–”

But the relief didn’t last.

Seoyeon noticed it first – the head of their slain serpent twitching where it had fallen. Smoke leaked from the stump. Not normal smoke, but thick, black, tar-like mist that clung to the ground like oil. She nudged Yooyeon and Jiyeon, and the other two glanced over. The severed head shuddered – and then began to stitch itself back onto the body.

“…No…” Seoyeon whispered, blanching as Yooyeon’s eyes grew wide.

The others turned, and horror struck as all three serpents began to move again. Their wounds bubbled with black ichor. Flesh knit back together. The severed head reattached with a grotesque snap.

Yooyeon’s pistols lowered, her eyes going wide. “That… Tellawyrms don’t possess that level of regeneration. No Predabeasts do, not any that are C-Rank threats.”

“It’s the smoke,” Jiyeon said, sabres trembling slightly in her grip. “I’ve read about this, a-and look! It’s like there’s something glowing under their skin…”

Nien froze mid-step, her grin fading into something more unsettled. “…You mean these aren’t Tellawyrms?”

Seoyeon’s heart pounded. “No… They were misclassified.” She looked at the black serpents as they slithered back upright, their hissing growing more guttural, more distorted. “People hadn’t really gotten a close look, not like how we just did. These aren’t Predabeasts, they never were. They’re Sorrows.”

The realization hit Yooyeon hardest – her eyes widened, breath sharp as the weight of it sank in. The mission hadn’t been about cleaning up a few oversized beasts. This was something far, far worse. Something she was supposed to handle on a B-Rank mission, with ample time to prepare and ready herself, working alongside professional Mages. This… they weren’t ready.

“Flare,” Yooyeon ordered, her voice cutting through the rising tension. “Now.”

Nien didn’t hesitate, her hand already fumbling for the signal. She fired it high into the sky, the flare exploding above the trees in a burst of red fire.

The serpents surged forward again, stronger than before, black smoke trailing off their scales like burning pitch. The girls regrouped back-to-back, weapons ready, but their breaths were shallow, their nerves taut.

“Whatever we do… hold them off, and try to retreat…” Yooyeon muttered, before they slipped into battle once again.

=====

The figure in porcelain mask tilted her head, almost playfully, as the acrid smoke of dissipating Sorrows still hung heavy in the air. Her ponytail swished as she glanced around, and it was only then Sohyun noticed it. The greying hairs towards her right temple, looking like thin wisps of charcoal, far different to the rest of her inky strands.

“Magnificent,” The Evolutionary purred, hands coming together in a mockery of genuine applause. Their voice was warbled, distorted, yet carried an… oddly familiar undertone to it, one Sohyun couldn’t place. “You performed far beyond my expectations. Every cut, every spell, every shriek of desperation – delicious!”

Sohyun’s grip tightened on her axe, her knuckles white. The bandages she’d been fidgeting with earlier no longer seemed to itch. “Enough games. What were those things? Those Sorrows… they weren’t like any we’ve seen before.”

The masked girl clasped her hands together, rocking back on her heels as if considering how to phrase her tale. “Ah, yes. My precious children,” she sighed, glancing up at the black smoke in the air, “They were once so very dull. Ordinary Sorrows… Ordinary villagers.” She sighed dramatically, though it carried none of the weight of despair. Sohyun felt herself pause, and when she glanced at the other three, she noted the sudden pallor to their skin.

Villagers?

As if picking up on their confusion, she giggled. “You see, when I arrived in this quaint little village, I was greeted by the most dreadful rudeness. The people had already fled! Packed their bags, shuffled off, and left me standing at the door without even so much as a hello…” she sighed, voice rasping as she went on, “Imagine my heartbreak.”

Lynn’s trident shifted slightly, her shoulders squared. “So you… did this to them?”

“Oh yes,” The Evolutionary answered as though she were explaining how she’d redecorated a house. There was a clinking of metal, Seokdae shifting uncomfortably. “I gathered the ones who were slow to leave. A handful of stragglers. So fragile. So… human. I thought, why waste such an opportunity? Why not blend them with the Sorrows? A little push, a little twist, and voilà! Art– no! Evolution.”

Xinyu’s eyes flickered, butterflies stuttering in and out of existence around her shoulders. “Wait–” Her voice broke. “The voices. Their voices weren’t… weren’t just illusions.”

Sullin’s chest tightened as the pieces fell into place, her claws of hardened blood trembling at her sides. She remembered the whimpers, the strained pleas she had tried to ignore during the fight. They hadn’t been hallucinations. They had been villagers, their souls sewn into writhing flesh. Lynn felt bile crawl up her throat, and Mirae glanced back at the broken and fading bodies, a strangled noise clawing its way from her throat.

“You’re saying…” Sohyun’s voice wavered before hardening, low and sharp as broken glass. “We killed people. Innocent people.”

The Evolutionary let out a soft laugh, lilting and cruel. “Oh no, no, no. Don’t torment yourselves too much, girls,” she sighed, wistfully, “Unfortunately, the humans were already dead by the time you arrived. Long dead. But memories are stubborn little things, aren’t they? They cling. They echo,” The Evolutionary shook her head, “That’s what you heard – scraps of what they were, trapped in meat and shadow. It’s all quite–”

“Why?” Seokdae’s voice cut through her monologue, deep and edged with fury. The older warrior’s knuckles whitened on his spear, his broad frame shaking. “To what end?! What was the point of all this suffering!?”

Hwan at his side was no calmer, flames licking the edges of his arrows, eyes burning as his hand clenched. “God this is…” he screwed his eyes shut, before glaring at the mysterious figure before them. “Why do something so vile?!” Hwan snarled.

“Why?” The Evolutionary tilted her masked face toward them, as though baffled by the question. Then she giggled. “Why not?”

The answer hit like a slap.

She spread her arms as though embracing the entire world. “You fight so hard, cling so desperately to meaning – to gods, to rules, to villages and families. But what is it all worth? Nothing.” The air felt cold, too cold. “Dust in the wind. A heartbeat in eternity.” She cackled, “We are but gnats on the skin of Mobius – the god of gods, the eternal circle, the balance of all things. Nothing matters. Nothing except Him. And if nothing matters… why not play?”

“M…Mobius?” Lynn asked, anger simmering beneath the surface as she tilted her head.

The Evolutionary cackled. “Why, yes! Not some fragmented Pantheon or class of eldritch Elders… Mobius, the very weaver of our reality! The balance holding everything together! The creator of your so-called gods.”

“You’re… you’re a cultist…” Sooyoung murmured, half in disdain.

“Well, duh!” The figure answered, giggling. Her voice brightened, airy, delighted. “It’s a dog-eat-dog world, my pretties. But me? I would rather be the hyena. I want to laugh at the carnage. To pull flesh from bone and see what new shapes I can make. And oh, how fun it is!” Her sickening laughter rang through the air, and something uncomfortable lurched in the stomachs of the students as Sooyoung’s grip on her rapier tightened.

Mirae stumbled forward, her staff trembling in her hands. “You… you’re insane,” she whispered, horror in her wide eyes.

The Evolutionary twirled on her heel. “Oh, thank you.” The three mages stepped forth, weapons raised.

“Sooyoung… this is clearly a threat your students, despite their impressiveness, are not suited to handle,” he glanced back, briefly, “We’ll hold her off – once we start fighting, get them out of here as soon as you can.” Sooyoung gave a nod, protectively standing before the four students.

Before another word could be uttered, the three volunteer mages sprang into action. The gruff Seokdae gave a terse command, and together they attacked.

Steel and flame and spellwork surged toward her. A spear of glistening metal lanced the air, a storm of arrows followed, and Mirae’s healing light flared like a beacon in the dark.

The Evolutionary laughed. She raised her arm, and it twisted grotesquely, flesh spiraling, bone elongating until her hand was no longer a hand but a blade of pale, gleaming matter. “Fight me if you must… but I must warn you…” her voice dipped, deeper than it once was. “I shape souls, you old bags. Flesh is only the canvas. And once I touch you, the wound never heals.”

The Evolutionary dashed forward, her blade-arm gleaming amidst the light of the surrounding fires. She met Seokdae’s spear in a shattering clash of steel and bone, sparks flaring into the air. The ground quaked under the force, and her laughter shrieked through the air like broken glass as she pushed him back. He skidded against the ground, readying his spear once more.

Hwan fired a white hot arrow, scorching the air and arcing toward her back. Without looking, she twisted her torso – her spine bending wrong with sickening crunches, her ribs tearing apart and reforming – to let the shot pass through her like smoke. When her body re-solidified, she reached out and snapped the arrow mid-flight, sending the flaming shaft spiraling harmlessly into the dirt.

“Delightful!” she sang, leaping forth as she ducked past more arrows before swinging her blade-arm in a wide arc. Seokdae barely caught it with his spear, but the moment her weapon kissed the shaft, the steel began to wither, corroding like it had aged centuries in seconds. Seokdae cursed and kicked off, narrowly avoiding the blade as it came crashing down.

Mirae raised her staff, flooding the battlefield with radiant light, and healing magic laced through the fighters’ limbs, stitching bruises, staving off exhaustion. Seokdae stood once more, a golden aura around his body as he unsheathed a sword that had been on his back the whole time.

The Evolutionary paused, glancing at Mirae as she tilted her masked head, then cooed, “Ohhh, you’re a healer. How boring.” The Evolutionary deflated, before brightening up again. “But how useful!” She blurred, faster than sight.

“Careful now~” The Evolutionary cooed, lunging forward. Her arm-turned-blade pierced through Mirae’s chest.

The woman’s gasp was sharp and wet, crimson blooming on her robes, the air forcefully pushed out of her chest.

For a heartbeat, the battlefield went silent, and Mirae’s lips trembled as if to form a prayer. Then the blade was pulled out with a splash of crimson, and her body crumpled, the light in her eyes snuffed out.

“No!” Xinyu cried out, eyes flickering madly. She couldn’t stop seeing it – the visions, the possibilities. All the ways it could’ve happened, all the ways Mirae could’ve died, the brutality of it all. She did her best to force it all to stop, heels of her hands pressed against her eyes, and when Sohyun glanced Xinyu’s way, seeing her taller friend in such pain, something burned in her chest.

Sohyun surged forward, but Sooyoung’s rapier barred her path. “Stay back!” she hissed, her voice cracking with restraint, and Sohyun felt her chest squeeze.

The Evolutionary hummed, tilting her head as Mirae lay there, lifeless. “Such a warm soul. Soft, gentle… such a shame.” She giggled, kicking Mirae’s body, prodding it as if it were nothing more than a toy.

“You- You monster!” Hwan’s roar tore through the chaos. His fire flared higher, his crossbow ringing with mechanical clicks as he unleashed volley after volley. “You’ll pay!” Each arrow screamed through the air like falling stars, the heat blistering against the very earth.

Special Technique, Scorching Starfall.

Hwan’s fury ignited, flames surging around him, brighter, hotter than ever before. “You’ll burn for that!” His arrows flared like miniature suns as he shot them one after another.

The Evolutionary froze for a moment, her shoulders beginning to tremble. For a moment, Sullin wondered if it was fear they were seeing. Instead, The Evolutionary extended her other arm, and it inflated, growing to a cartoonishly ridiculous size as she swatted the arrows aside, letting them fall to the earth, hissing as they fell upon it. Her arm returned to normal size, and any burn marks slowly faded.

“Oh… you should know, you young fool…” the air shifted, and Sohyun almost found herself throwing up from the sheer malice radiating off of the cult member before them. “I despise fire.”

She lunged. In a blur she was before Hwan, one porcelain hand cupping his face almost tenderly. “Such an insolent little flame… Shall we make you more interesting?”

Her fingers sank into his skin like it was clay. His body convulsed, screams ripping from his throat. His flesh rippled, bones contorting. The surrounding vapours and blackened remains of Sorrows spun through the air, before beginning to meld with him as if poured into his veins. His screams deepened, warped, as black ichor spilled from his mouth, before his face shifted into something unrecognisable.

When the thrashing stopped, Hwan was gone. In his place stood something half-human, half-Sorrow, his once bright eyes flickering with fire and abyss.

Sohyun staggered backward, bile rising in her throat. Sullin’s hand clamped over her mouth, trembling as Xinyu let out a horrified whimper, black smoke slowly emanating from her body. Her friend’s eyes glowed a faint pink, tears building in her eyes as her Omen form slowly revealed as her emotions slipped.

They’d gone on high ranking missions before, but this…

What do you even call this?

“No…” Seokdae’s voice was low, hollow.

The abomination shambled, eyes flickering between recognition and void. For a moment, it almost looked at them pleading with humanity, before it roared, clawing at the air, flames dripping from twisted limbs.

The Evolutionary clapped her hands. “Oh, delightful! Look how the fire clings to his soul. So unstable. So… angry.”

Seokdae’s sword trembled in his grip. “You monster…”

“Ah… so hostile…” The Evolutionary took in the sight of the older man, and gave a quiet hum, before gasping, “Wait… are you… Park Seokdae?” The older man narrowed his eyes.

“Why does my name matter to such a foul creature?” He pointed his sword towards her. Gleefully, the Evolutionary began to hop up and down.

“My my! I can’t believe it, she did tell me you’d come for me if I hurt her!” At that, Seokdae hesitated, and Xinyu’s eyes widened. “Please tell me you knew her – the pregnant woman among the evacuees I found?”

Seokdae let out a wheeze, “N-No… it can’t be…”

The Evolutionary laughed, before howling. “Oh, this is artfully fantastic! Oh, oh I must tell you, Ahjussi,” she giggled, “Your wife? The one carrying a baby? She… oh, she didn’t get far,” Xinyu felt her stomach lurch, bile climbing up her throat as Seokdae’s eyes widened, his skin pale and sweaty, “Sweet thing, she begged for her unborn child even as she broke beneath my hands. Oh, the sounds she made when I stitched her to shadow. Beautiful. Your wife was exquisite.”

The words landed like daggers. Seokdae froze. His face drained of color, his chest heaving.

“No…” His voice cracked. “No. You’re lying.”

“Oh no, no lies. She begged for you, even at the end.” The Evolutionary’s tone was sing-song, gleeful. “And that babe she carried? Oh, getting two lives in one fell swoop… Life. Death. Don’t you think it’s poetic that your family will be reunited so soon?”

Something snapped.

With a roar that shook the air, Seokdae lunged. His sword cleaved through the abomination that had once been Hwan, ending its tortured existence with a single merciful thrust. His face was carved from anguish, his body wracked with fury, but he did not hesitate.

Then he turned on The Evolutionary. His strikes were wild, his sword a wrathful storm of steel and blood. “I’ll kill you!” The cultist laughed, deflecting each blow.

“Oh, finally,” she sighed, raising her bladed arm. “That rage, that despair – that’s the flavor I live for.”

They clashed. Sparks flew as steel met grotesque flesh, every blow from Seokdae fueled by grief. He drove her back, back again, his movements carrying the weight of a man with nothing left to lose. And yet… she laughed. Even as her porcelain mask cracked with each strike, her laughter rose higher, shriller, more delighted. She sliced his arm, and he cried out as his dismembered limb fell to the ground. Sooyoung knew they should have moved by now, but even she was rooted to the spot.

Then, with one swift motion, The Evolutionary placed her palm against his chest. “Reunite with them, then,” she murmured, voice cruel, “Goodnight, appa. I’ll make sure to get your surviving children too.”

The words were almost tender and the world seemed to pause.

And then his chest burst open, his upper body obliterated in a shower of blood and smoke, crimson droplets soaking into the cracked stone and earth below. All that remained of Seokdae, his lower body, fell to the ground.

The Evolutionary spread her arms, blood dripping from her fingers, her mask gleaming. She gave a low hum, before squealing. “Yes! That’s the song I wanted to hear!” She danced, clapping her hands at the death laid out before her. The silence that followed was unbearable. Sohyun could hardly breathe, Sullin’s claws quivered, Xinyu’s butterflies swarmed in a frenzy of grief and rage.

But it was Lynn who moved first.

Her trident quivered in her grasp, her eyes blazing with a fury that outshone fire itself. With a wordless scream, she hurled herself forward, Odd Eyes blazing, water roaring at her command.

The Evolutionary turned, laughter ringing. “Ah! And now the prodigy takes the stage!”

Lynn’s trident scraped against the dirt as she advanced, her jaw clenched so tightly it seemed the bone might shatter. Every muscle in her body thrummed with barely contained violence. The image of Seokdae’s upper body detonating, Mirae’s scream cut short, Hwan’s agonized form writhing as he begged for release – all of it swirled around in her mind, her thunderous pulse drumming in her ears.

The Evolutionary giggled again, raising her porcelain mask slightly as if to peer at Lynn more clearly. “Ah, I see. Little fishie’s angry.”

Lynn exploded forward before the words had even finished leaving the woman’s mouth. Her trident spun, slamming into the ground with such force it cracked the cobblestones beneath. Dust and shrapnel flew as the Evolutionary barely twisted aside, the masked figure’s laughter breaking for the first time into a startled squeak.

Then came the storm.

Lynn’s strikes were merciless – every thrust, every swing of her trident carried the weight of pure, unfiltered wrath. The Evolutionary blocked the first flurry with her blade-arm, but the impact sent tremors racing up her grotesque limb. She tried to giggle it off, but Lynn didn’t give her a moment to recover, striking yet again.

A second impact caught her across the ribs, knocking her sideways into a wall hard enough to spiderweb the stone. The Evolutionary staggered, wheezing – but Lynn was already on her, driving her trident forward again in a blur, jets of water shooting from the prongs, forcing the cultist back further. Lynn raised her trident behind her, water swirling around the head, before swinging it in an arc.

Special Technique, Torrential Tear.

Several sharp blade-like waves of water spewed forth, and The Evolutionary felt each one cut through her body, slicing the building behind her. She felt her knees buckle as her damaged and torn flesh slowly repaired itself, and her masked face stared up at Lynn.

“W-what—” the cultist gasped as Lynn swung forth again. She ducked, weaving, reforming her arm into a jagged chain to snag Lynn’s weapon. The chain wrapped tight – only for Lynn to yank it forward, dragging The Evolutionary off balance and slamming her knee into the woman’s masked face. Porcelain cracked. The Evolutionary stumbled back, a spray of blood misting the air.

Her giddy laughter faltered, replaced by genuine confusion. “You… you’re not supposed to hit this hard…” Lynn grabbed onto The Evolutionary’s head.

“Shut. Up.” Lynn’s voice was a guttural snarl, animal and raw. She slammed the cultist into the ground below, and then again, and again. The Evolutionary grimaced, before her body shifted, and soon, she slipped out of Lynn’s grasp as the girl stumbled from the sudden lack of weight under her hand. She watched a bird fly past her, and when she turned around, she watched it shift back into the masked girl.

She can completely reshape herself. Her mind supplied as the taller girl’s trident spun as she lunged forth, faster than the cultist could react, the shaft colliding against The Evolutionary’s shoulder with a sickening crunch.

Chains erupted again, twisting from the woman’s back like serpents. A mace of jagged flesh and bone formed in her other hand, swinging in a wide arc. But Lynn moved through it like a tide, ducking low and slamming her trident’s haft into the Evolutionary’s stomach. The wind whooshed from her lungs.

“You think this is a game?!” Lynn roared, her voice echoing like thunder. She didn’t wait for an answer. She stabbed again, trident points sparking as they scraped across the Evolutionary’s mask, gouging deep lines into its porcelain.

The girl shrieked, an ugly, broken sound as her mask was scratched. She thrust her hand forward, the mace dissolving back into a palm, reaching for Lynn’s chest. Lynn’s eyes widened, barely enough time to react, and Sooyoung surged forth, finally deciding to move in to save Lynn. But the moment her fingertips brushed against Lynn’s body, her hand vanished with a blue flash.

The Evolutionary froze. For the first time since she appeared, true silence filled the air around her. She glanced down, where her wrist ended abruptly in ragged smoke, dissolving into nothingness. Her giggle cracked back to life, this time edged with disbelief. “Wh-what…? My hand…? It just… disappeared–” She gave a grunt as Sooyoung’s foot collided with the side of her head, sending her through a wall and sprawling onto a place on the ground, further away.

They watched the cultist slowly stagger, and Sooyoung raised her rapier as Lynn readied her trident. The Evolutionary gave a hum, before a disbelieving laugh.

“…The Shark.”

Lynn blinked, rage momentarily tangled with confusion.

The Evolutionary tilted her head, blood dripping down the side of her mask. “It’s feeding on me, shielding you. How fascinating. Most gods are neutral little things, but you… it’s actively trying to protect you from me.” She giggled, slowly standing, “It must’ve sensed me trying to hurt your soul… You’ve become its vessel… its darling little predator.”

Her hand reformed again, before it reshaped and twisted itself once more, this time into a more curved blade, akin to a sickle. Her stance lowered, more guarded than playful now. “Alright, fishie. Let’s really dance.”

But before she could launch forward, the sky cracked open with a loud bang.

A red flare arced upward, bursting into radiant crimson sparks that painted the clouds above. All eyes turned to the sky for a heartbeat, its signal unmistakable.

The Evolutionary froze mid-step, then began to laugh again – bright, sing-song, delighted. “Oh! Oh my, how rude of me. That was for you, wasn’t it?” She tilted her head back, watching the flare burn. “That must be… ah, yes. The other group. The little hunters who went off to play with the Tellawyrms in that dreadful forest.”

Sooyoung’s head snapped up. “Hyunjin’s team.”

The Evolutionary giggled louder, spinning in place like a child. “Tellawyrms, Tellawyrms… except, oops!” She leaned forward conspiratorially, as though whispering a secret to Lynn herself. “They weren’t Predabeasts at all. Just my little experiments. Violet Sorrows… “ Her hand shifted again, this time into something akin to the serpentine tails they saw on the chimeras, “Stitched together in a serpentine chain. Eight heads, one body. I call it…” She spread her arms theatrically. “Yamato no Orochi!”

Sohyun’s blood ran cold. “You sent them into that?”

The cultist laughed, “The hard part was making it look like an actual Predabeast so the mission was incorrectly classified. A hobby of mine, if I must say.” When Sohyun glared, she cackled. “Oh, well, if it’s any consolation,” the masked woman sang. “I don’t even know who’s in that group. Could be anyone. Could be no one important at all! But wouldn’t it be boring to leave them alone?”

Xinyu’s trembling hand went to her mouth, butterflies flickering violently around her shoulders. “Sohyun… Nien’s in that group…” Sohyun’s grasp on her weapon tightened, and she could hear Xinyu call forth her daggers.

The Evolutionary turned back toward them, tilting her head. “Well, as much fun as this has been–” She clapped her bloodied hands together, a warped sound echoing in the silence. “–I really should check on my masterpiece. It wouldn’t do good to let it lay waste without an audience.”

Her form began to unravel, limbs breaking into smoke and mist, porcelain mask the last thing visible as it dissolved into the air.

“Do try not to die before we play again, little fishie.”

And with one final giggle, she was gone.

The silence that followed was suffocating. The smell of charred flesh and dissipating smoke lingered. Sohyun’s grip slackened on her axe, her arms heavy as lead. Xinyu finally let herself sob quietly, butterflies fluttering down to die in the dirt, and Sullin hesitantly raised a hand, before letting it settle on her taller friend’s shoulder.

Sooyoung’s jaw set, her rapier lowering. “She’s heading straight for them.”

Lynn stood motionless, trident digging into the ground as her breaths came in ragged, furious heaves. Her eyes never left the spot where The Evolutionary had vanished.

“Then we can’t waste any time.” She answered, and Sooyoung only sighed before nodding.

=====

The undergrowth whispered beneath their boots as Jiwoo trudged through the narrow trail, arms crossed tightly against her chest. Leaves and twigs crunched beneath the heavy soles of her boots, and she gave a quiet groan. She had been complaining for the better part of the last hour, and from the way her voice carried, she had no plans on stopping as Yubin rolled her eyes.

“This is pointless,” Jiwoo muttered, kicking at a half-rotted branch in her path. “We’ve been circling the same patch of forest for ages. If there really were Tellawyrms here, we’d have seen at least one by now.”

Yubin, walking a step ahead with her Soulborne balanced across her shoulders, snorted. The spiked black club didn’t seem to weigh her down much, its orange studded spikes glowing faintly, and Jiwoo could even see them shift into a softer pink here and there. “Or maybe you’d notice if you weren’t too busy sulking and glaring at the ground. Honestly, Jiwoo, you act like walking is some kind of mortal punishment, get some steps in.”

“Walking is a punishment when it’s this boring,” Jiwoo snapped back, quickening her pace to match Yubin. “At least I’m not swinging my weapon around like a flagpole for everything within ten miles to see.”

“Better than whining loud enough to scare off every Predabeast in the forest,” Yubin shot back, lips tugging into a smirk. “Maybe that’s why we haven’t found anything – your complaining is giving away our location, you loudmouth.”

Before Jiwoo could retort, Chaeyeon, who had been walking quietly near the front of the group, turned her head, giving them a patient and gentle smile, though her tone was soft yet stern. “Both of you… please. If you have the energy to argue, then save it for when we actually find something.” She mumbled.

Jiwoo froze mid-step, her irritation faltering. She glanced toward Chaeyeon, her cheeks softening ever so slightly, though she quickly averted her eyes. “Fine. Whatever, sorry unnie…” she mumbled, tone far less sharp. Chaeyeon’s eyes softened.

“Don’t worry about it Jiwoo, I just don’t want to miss anything.” The designated healer walks further on, and Jiwoo rubs the back of her neck awkwardly.

Yubin’s eyes lit up at once, catching the shift. She leaned toward Jiwoo with a mischievous grin. “Ohhh, what’s this? Someone gets all polite the second Chaeyeon-unnie says something. Didn’t know you had a soft side, Jiwoo.”

Jiwoo’s face flushed instantly. “Shut up!” she barked, nearly stumbling as she walked faster, putting space between herself and Yubin.

“Uh-huh, sure. Totally shut up. Got it,” Yubin teased, “Just… didn’t realise you were rooming with your crush.” She gave a quiet giggle, shooting away before Jiwoo could strangle her. With a laugh , she fell back in step with Nakyoung, who shook her head with a faint smile.

“You never change,” Nakyoung said, her tone warm but tired. “Still picking on her, even out here.”

“Hey, it’s not picking on her if it’s true,” Yubin replied breezily. “Besides, it’s fun watching her squirm. Been my favourite hobby for years.”

Nakyoung rolled her eyes but didn’t argue, the familiarity of their banter easing the otherwise tense quiet of the forest, and she cast a quick glance back to her fellow Omen, watching as Jiwoo began walking alongside Chaeyeon. She chuckled, before briefly glancing at the copper-haired girl now at her side. The two shared a comfortable silence for a few beats, broken only by the crunch of twigs beneath their boots and the faint rustle of distant wind.

“Do you think Yooyeon-unnie is okay?” Yubin asked, a little quieter, trying to seem nonchalant as she glanced around.

Nakyoung hummed, “Probably. You know how she is. I bet she’s already found and killed one, probably turned it into a whole lecture.” Yubin chuckled nodding. She fell quiet again, and Nakyoung watched her quietly sigh, glancing to the side as her arms fell to her sides, club lightly knocking against the ground.

“You know… Hyerin is supposed to be in the woods too… I know they’re far from us… but, do you think she’s okay?” Yubin asked, a gnawing sensation in her gut she couldn’t ignore.

Nakyoung frowned, taking in her friend’s appearance. She glanced forth, and spoke. “Professor… if we don’t find anything, and have to head back to the airship to regroup, then–”

“Yubin can check on her sister, I don’t mind.” Hyunjin smiled, and Yubin grinned, scoffing quietly.

“She’s not my actual sister…” Still, her friend’s demeanour seemed lighter, and Nakyoung managed to loop her arm with Yubin’s as they walked on, and even felt the younger girl lean against her slightly.

It was Hyunjin who spoke up again later, scanning the treeline with a furrowed brow. “Strange. For all the reports we’ve had, you’d think this area would be crawling with signs of Tellawyrms. But there’s barely anything here.”

“Barely anything at all,” Nakyoung agreed, crouching briefly to touch a faint groove in the dirt. “Jinsol-ssaem told me what we should be looking for, but I don’t think we’ve found any of it.” the blonde sighed, “All the trails are old, maybe a few days old at most, but nothing fresh. No nests, no sheds, not even proper venom residue.” She looked around, her expression troubled. “It’s like they were here, but then just… vanished.”

Jiwoo finally slowed, frowning. “That doesn’t make sense. Beasts this size don’t just disappear. And if they’d moved deeper into the forest, we should’ve seen more damage.”

“Unless the reports were wrong,” Chaeyeon said softly, brushing her fingers against the bark of a tree scarred by old gashes. “Or unless something else drove them away.”

The words lingered uncomfortably in the air. Even Yubin’s grin dimmed as the implication settled in.

Hyunjin was about to suggest turning west to follow a different trail when the sharp crack of light tore through the canopy above, a sound that could split the sky. A flare – a hot, glowing orb of red light – detonated in the sky, its fiery streak casting shadows across the forest floor.

All five of them stopped at once.

“That’s…” Jiwoo’s voice hitched, her chest tightening. She knew the signal. Her eyes widened, panic rushing in as her thoughts jumped immediately to the one name that mattered most. “Seoyeon-unnie. She’s in danger.”

Hyunjin’s expression mirrored her fear, her grip tightening on the strap of her bag. “Not just her…” She mumbled, yet she couldn’t ignore the blonde’s smile flashing in her mind. “If they’re firing a flare, then the whole group must be in serious trouble.” She then thought to Yooyeon, her knuckles turning white.

Nakyoung’s usual calmness faltered, but only briefly. She squared her shoulders, eyes fixed on the still-burning red above the trees. “Yooyeon wouldn’t waste a flare unless it was life or death. Something’s gone wrong.”

Jiwoo’s heart hammered in her chest, her earlier bickering forgotten. “We have to go. Now.”

“Agreed,” Hyunjin said firmly, already breaking into a run. “Other groups should be on their way to them as well, but we’re the closest. So let’s hurry, now!”

The group surged forward, branches whipping past as they sprinted toward the source of the signal. Yubin exchanged a quick glance with Nakyoung, both of them wearing the same grim understanding. Whatever had forced Yooyeon to call for help, it wasn’t going to be something small.

“Hold on, you idiots,” Yubin muttered under her breath, jaw tightening as her legs pumped harder. “We’re coming.”

The forest roared with their urgency, the flare’s dying glow guiding them toward the unknown chaos waiting ahead.

Chapter Text

“Run!”

The ground had split behind them with a violent crack, dirt and roots exploding into the air. The girls screamed as a massive serpent-like Sorrow surged forth, its blackened scales glinting with a faint, oily sheen in the fractured sunlight. Its maw split wide, a hiss like grinding metal echoing through the trees as it slithered after them with terrifying speed.

Mayu had shoved the three first-years ahead of her as they ran, and she doesn’t know how long they’d been running. The four of them had been sprinting through the undergrowth, branches clawing at their skin, roots threatening to trip their feet as old leaves crunched beneath the weight of their boots. Behind them, the serpent carved a trail of destruction through the Elder Forest, its body tearing down trees as though they were twigs.

Their lungs burned, legs aching as the greenery blurred around them. The serpent’s body slammed against the ground in pursuit, each movement sending tremors through the soil, each hiss raising the hair on the back of their necks.

“Unnie, it’s catching up!” Yeonji cried, eyes glancing back at the looming creature.

“Faster!” Mayu yelped, though her own chest was tight, her legs straining with the effort.

They broke through a thicket, only to skid to a halt–

The path ahead was blocked. A colossal fallen tree, its trunk thick as a house, stretched across the way. Moss covered its bark, the roots still jutting into the air where it had torn from the soil decades ago. Boulders sat atop, each adorned with overgrown vines and moss, a barrier of nature’s own making.

“Damn it!” Hyerin hissed, her eyes darting around desperately for another way, but the serpent’s hiss rang closer, the ground shuddering.

Mayu’s heart raced. Her feet refused to move.

She turned, shoving the younger girls behind her. Her arms spread out instinctively, though they trembled. “Stay back.” She ordered, her voice wavering, heart hammering in her chest.

The serpent reared up, fangs glistening with some sort of toxin, venom dripping in streams that sizzled against the forest floor. Its soulless violet eyes bore down on them, and for a heartbeat, Mayu’s breath locked in her throat. The weight of memories – old, heavy, unbearable – crushed her. The night she failed. The life she couldn’t save. Her body refused to move.

Move. Please, move.

The creature gave a low hiss, and Mayu could feel the mana crackling in her veins, yet hesitation took hold. Her body trembled.

Mayu, move, they need your help.

But she couldn’t. Mayu thinks if the creature knew how to grin, it would, and it pulled back, as it preparing to launch forth and consume all four of the girls. Just as it did, a voice shouted behind her.

“Unnie!”

Yeonji shot past her like a streak of green lightning. Her hair whipped back, emerald flames sparking across her form as she summoned her Soulborne. With a roar, belonging more to a beast than to the frame of the smaller girl, an oversized sword manifested in her hands, nearly the same height she was, wide enough that simply being impaled would cleave a person in half. It was less a sword, more a large slab of metal shaped like one. The black of the blade glowed with runes written in a language so old most wouldn’t recognise it.

The serpent shot forth, and Yeonji met it head-on. Her weapon crashed upward with enough force to crack the air, slamming against the beast’s skull. The shockwave rattled the trees, and for a second, the monster recoiled as scales scattered across the floor.

Yeonji’s chest heaved. Emerald scales flared to life along her arms, clawed talons gripping the sword tighter. Her eyes shifted, her irises glowing and her pupils becoming slits, as she inhaled, then exhaled. She spewed a torrent of flame from her throat, smoke billowing from her mouth. The breath washed over the serpent, searing scales black and forcing it to rear back with a shriek.

Behind her, Hyerin and Soomin stared wide-eyed, their hearts caught between awe and terror as Yeonji’s blade clashed against the serpent’s fangs, throwing the beast back once more. When it hissed, and attempted to whip its body towards her, they watched Yeonji jump and kick it back with surprising strength, shaking the air and ground beneath their feet.

For a heartbeat, both could only watch, paralyzed by the enormity of the monster and the deafening echo of their own fear, along with the trembling visage of the short older girl before them. But as sparks and fire rained around them, watching as Yeonji spewed forth a blast of lightning from her mouth, zapping the creature and its scales, something shifted. The sight of Yeonji, standing unyielding against a creature that could have swallowed them whole, struck like a spark to dry tinder.

Fear gave way to something sharper, heavier, stronger. Their breathing steadied, shoulders squaring as adrenaline drowned out hesitation. Hyerin’s hand extended as she called forth her Soulborne, the bladed silver edges shimmering in the faint sunlight, a contrast to the ornate curves of the black metal that composed most of the bow, and the darker purple crystals adorning it. The string looked closer to a thin purple chain, and she glanced towards her friend.

Soomin spun her chakrams around her fingers, the blades flashing in the cracks of sunlight like crescents of defiance. No longer content to cower, they exchanged a brief glance, before throwing themselves back into the fray at Yeonji’s side.

“Cover me,” Soomin said sharply. She twirled her chakrams once, her eyes narrowing as her form flickered. Smoke rose from her feet, curling like phantom mist. Then she was gone.

Illusions splintered across the clearing – dozens of Soomins darting in every direction, the serpent’s eyes moving between each one, and Yeonji took advantage of the confusion to strike it fast with her sword. The serpent screeched, before thrashing in confusion, striking at shadows, its massive coils smashing the earth apart as its prey multiplied and shifted.

Branches splintered, leaves rained down, and sunlight fractured across the scene, bouncing between flickering illusions. Soomin’s voice echoed from all sides, taunting and whispering, forcing the serpent to divide its focus. “Come on, I’m over here now…” her voice echoed, and the creature hissed.

When it turned away from her, Yeonji inhaled before spewing forth a freezing misted cloud, ice crawling up the side of the creature’s head and body as it screeched at the frigid sensation. Yeonji pulled her sword back, and felt her veins burn hot. In a flash of green flame and smoke, a large set of draconic wings emerged from her back, and Yeonji was thankful for the customisation on the uniforms of Wyverns. The scales shimmered, a dark green with an almost iridescent quality.

She flew forth, and brought her sword down, shattering the ice across the creature, ripping off scales in the process. The green-haired girl inhaled again, and she felt the heat intensify in her throat, before she let out a beam of fire against the Sorrow’s exposed skin.

Wyvern Technique: Blazing Bolt

The creature cried out, writhing as the heat burned through part of its flesh, and Yeonji found herself flying through the air, ducking past as the serpent writhed and thrashed around, before letting out a low hiss. Nearby, she caught the sight of Soomin’s clones, and could see the girl stumble as the ground shook. She tripped, and her clones faded, and the real Soomin fell to her knees and hands, her position now exposed as the serpent leered at her.

Yeonji’s emerald eyes flickered. She caught a vision – the flapping of impossibly delicate green butterfly wings, each beat showing infinite possibilities in time. She could see it, a fang snapping down on her new friend, and the thought made Yeonji’s chest tighten. Reflexively, she gathered her Aura, and flew down towards Soomin.

“Augur,” Yeonji muttered, pouting as she glanced down the cliff. Mayu sat a little further back, the sheer height alone enough to make the older girl queasy. Yeonji gazed over the rushing river below, and she groaned, flopping onto her back. “I wanted to be something cool! Not some lame healer!”

Mayu shook her head, giving a soft laugh. “Careful, healers are some of the most important Mages around,” she warned, and Yeonji huffed, glancing to the side, “Besides, Augurs can be cool. After all, they’re the only ones who can directly touch Aura – our life-force – itself.” She busied herself with picking at grass blades, and examining the small budding flowers, mumbling odd details about each one, when Yeonji’s eyes glanced up at the blonde.

“Mayu-unnie,” The younger girl asked, and Mayu hummed in response, “You’re like, super good at studying, right? You hang out with that weird Theology professor too, right?” Mayu only gave a slightly exasperated sigh.

“Yes, I happen to be one of the few students Professor Vivi likes talking to, even if I don’t really know why…” she shook her head, “How come you’re asking?”

Yeonji shifted, rotating in her seat, now giving her unnie her full attention. “Well… if you’re always studying about magic… is there any way for an Augur to… not be a healer?” She asked, voice half-hopeful, and Mayu tilted her head. She examined Yeonji’s frame, small yet Mayu knew the monstrous strength behind it, and the boundless energy running through her. The blonde hummed, crossing her legs.

Mayu smiled gently, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear, recalling one of Vivi’s many tangents she’d share whenever the professor ran into Mayu in the forests.

“Of course, there is,” she said. “Augurs aren’t limited to healing. Yes, one third of them usually focus on mending wounds, restoring life, and supporting others – but that’s not the full picture. Many Augurs learn to manipulate their own Aura, amplifying it to influence their surroundings,” she picked up a few stray grass blades, letting the soft breeze carry them away, “Some can use it to shield, some to enhance allies… and some, the rare few, can weaponize it directly.” She let the words settle, letting the rushing river below carry away any lingering tension in Yeonji’s pout.

Yeonji’s eyes widened, a spark of excitement breaking through her gloom. “Weaponize it? You mean… like actually fighting? Not just sitting there healing?” Mayu nodded, her gaze serious now.

“Exactly. Your affinity is the only one that can manipulate life-energy itself. Every swing of your Aura, every burst of your Mana, is directly linked to the essence that fuels all living things,” Mayu leant back slightly, “In a roundabout way, most Mages use Aura to power their Mana or treat the two rivers separately, but Augurs do the opposite – using Mana to power and harness the true potential of their Aura.”

Yeonji flopped back again, but this time with a small grin tugging at her lips. “So, I can be cool…” she murmured.

“Yes,” Mayu said softly, “But remember, at the end of the day, your job is to protect. That’s what makes an Augur extraordinary – being able to use your life-energy to protect someone else’s,” Mayu’s voice dipped, glancing up at the burnt orange sky, “Or to harm those who wish to harm others.”

The Wyvern nodded, gazing forth across the horizon, “I want to learn… I want to learn how to make my Aura into a weapon.”

Mayu hummed, “Well… there might be someone who could teach you…”

Yeonji’s oversized sword glowed brighter, infused with her Aura’s protective energy. She landed before Soomin, slamming her sword into the ground as a golden-green bubble manifested around them, and the serpent hissed as its fangs were deflected by the shield. Yeonji then swung in a wide arc, the barrier dissipating, and a sharp wave of concentrated force erupted from the blade. A bright green wave of energy tore through the air with a hiss, slashing against the serpent’s armored scales, leaving glowing gashes in its black hide.

Special Technique: Emerald Divide

Soomin patted Yeonji on the back in thanks, before fading into another pink puff of smoke. She reappeared behind the serpent’s hissing form, before releasing a torrent of smoke bombs that exploded into thick clouds. Each puff bent the serpent’s perception of the world just slightly, making it strike at phantom forms of Soomin that seemed to fall through the sky.

The first-year had, in actuality, landed back onto the ground. She darted through shadows, teleporting between one after another, chakrams slicing at exposed scales from their continued assault. Yeonji was back to clawing or slashing at the Sorrow, whilst Soomin ensured she never gave the serpent a solid target. At one point, she crouched and blew a trail of glittering dust that encompassed the entire ground, warping the creature’s vision, forcing it to snap at its own body in frustration.

Hyerin crouched low in the shifting haze of Soomin’s illusions, the air thick with glittered smoke. Her breath came slow, measured, as she pulled the string of her bow taut, and shadows and curled from her surroundings, before shifting into the shape of an arrow. The bow pulsed faintly, the amethyst crystals woven into its black frame resonating with her mana, casting ghostly light across her face.

Darkness welled around her like an old friend, the forest shadows wrapping over her shoulders, cloaking her body until she melted into the shade. With the practiced ease of her gorgon blood, her scales shimmered and blurred, vanishing into the thicket.

Her first arrow loosed with a hiss, streaking through the air before landing directly onto the sensitive and exposed flesh of the serpent, and she watched it shriek. She was quick to draw another, and another, firing volleys of black arrows into the creature’s side, watching the arrows rip and damage the flesh. It thrashed, whipping its body towards the trees Hyerin had hidden herself amongst, and she vanished, slipping into a world of darkness only to emerge on the other side of the clearing.

The red-haired girl grimaced, and her eyes shifted. Even with her arrows, the creature was far too large, and she hadn’t missed it already beginning to heal in some areas, gashes closing and spilling no more ichor. She needed something stronger, harder. She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again, her irises glowing with a purple light encircled by faint, pulsating rings – the gift of the Jeong family, the Dead Man’s Eyes.

The world shifted in an instant. The Sorrow’s body was no longer just a wall of blackened scale and muscle; instead, faint glowing violet glyphs appeared across its frame like constellations on a night sky, each one a pulsating point with rings emerging and fading around them. Dozens of such points, each flickering, each an opportunity.

Hyerin could already hear her grandfather’s voice in her ears.

The mountainside path was quiet, save for the crunch of gravel beneath her small boots and the heavy, steady breath of the old man at her side. Hyerin’s hand clasped her grandfather’s gnarled fingers, guiding him carefully along the trail as the late sun lit the peaks in gold. The blindfold rested over his eyes, although he still turned his head to glance around, as if his world remained unobscured.

Somewhere further below, her father and Yubin’s father were out hunting, their shouts faint echoes across the valley. Hyerin skipped a step, unable to keep her excitement hidden.

“Grandfather, I did it,” she whispered, tugging at his sleeve. “I… I think I summoned them. The eyes.”

He paused, the old warrior’s lips pressing into a hard line. For a moment he said nothing, only tightening his grip on her hand as though anchoring himself. At last, he grunted, his voice gravelly and sharp. “I… see,” he huffed, shaking his head, “Those eyes… learn to use them, to not take them for granted,” he grumbled, “Our Eyes don’t work by letting us see the truth – it creates truths for us, Hyerin-ah. Creates weak points only we can see.”

She nodded, glancing forth. She tugged lightly on his hand, helping her grandfather evade a large, jagged rock in their way. “They really worked…” a young Hyerin mumbled, “I saw the rabbit’s bones beneath its fur, saw where its heart beat. It was like… like stars lighting up.”

A sound that was almost a chuckle rumbled from his throat, his lined face softening just slightly. “That is their nature. They reveal where to strike, where to break, where to mend. Every wielder sees them differently, but always with purpose. Use them wisely, Hyerin. Not every weak point is meant to be broken.”

The battlefield snapped back into focus, the serpent’s hiss rattling her teeth. Hyerin inhaled slowly, grounding herself in her grandfather’s words. She leveled her bow, and the glowing rings in her eyes narrowed on a single weak point pulsing along the creature’s flank. The arrow loosed, whistling through the air before striking the point Hyerin had aimed at. In a burst of violet flame, the point had detonated, tearing a chunk of scaled armor from the beast’s body. Flesh split, ichor spilling onto the ground in steaming rivulets.

But the serpent was not slain. Its body reared and twisted, shrieking in fury, thrashing so violently the forest floor shook. Hyerin’s jaw clenched. One strike wasn’t enough. She scanned the shifting constellation of weak points glowing along its writhing form, but too many flickered in and out of existence, vanishing before she could line them up. Then – movement caught her eye.

Above, Yeonji hovered with draconic wings spread wide, emerald aura flickering off her scales. Hyerin’s heart thudded, and an idea sparked. She tilted her bow upward, narrowing her eyes, and shot forth another arrow, this one angled deliberately. Yeonji’s eyes widened, as if sensing the arrow coming towards her, and she raised her sword, deflecting the arrow with the flat of the oversized blade.

Hyerin watched the arrow ricochet off of the wyvern’s Soulborne, watching it land and strike the weak point she’d spotted atop the Sorrow’s head, pulsing like a beacon. In an explosion of shadow and mana, it tore through the creature, violet and black wisps spilling forth. The serpent’s head shattered, blackened scales and corrupted ichor raining down. Its body convulsed once, twice, then collapsed, tearing the earth apart beneath its colossal weight.

Breathless, Hyerin lowered her bow, the glow of her eyes dimming as the Jeong faded. She stared at the smoking ruin of the monster, chest rising and falling with rapid breaths, and the clearing fell silent, save for the heavy panting of the girls. Yeonji stood at the front, sweat running down her temple, her sword still glowing faintly. Hyerin lowered her bow with a slow exhale.

Soomin flickered back into existence, her illusions unraveling into nothingness. She wiped grime from her cheek with the back of her hand, then allowed her Soulbornes to vanish from the air. Her gaze swept the clearing, past Yeonji’s trembling stance and Hyerin’s heaving shoulders – before landing on Mayu.

The older girl stood apart, hands trembling at her sides, lips pressed into a thin line, eyes wide and haunted. She hadn’t moved the entire fight. Not once. Not when Yeonji dove in, not when Hyerin’s arrows detonated, not when Soomin herself was nearly crushed. Just stood there, frozen in place, watching.

The anger bubbled up in Soomin’s chest before she could stop it.

Her glare snapped toward Mayu. “What the hell was that?” she spat, her voice shaking with fury. “You froze! You just stood there while that thing nearly killed us!”

Mayu flinched, her lips parting, but no words came. She glanced away, guilt colouring her expression, and Soomin could only scoff.

“You’re a coward,” Soomin pressed, her tone sharp, her pigtails whipping as she turned on her heel. “We could’ve died because of you!”

“That’s enough!” Yeonji’s voice cracked like thunder. She stepped forward, wings fading, though her eyes glared at Soomin’s irate form. “Don’t you dare talk to her like that!”

Soomin’s eyes widened. “She froze! You saw it!”

“Of course she froze!” Yeonji shot back, her voice trembling, her fists shaking around her sword. “None of us expected that! Don’t act like you hadn’t done the same thing until I dove in first.”

The air between them bristled, sparks of mana bleeding into the atmosphere. “We’re first-years, she’s a third-year who’s supposed to be guarding us.” Soomin crossed her arms, and Yeonji almost snarled.

Hyerin stepped forward quickly, the red-haired girl raising her hands and standing between the two other first-years. “Enough. Both of you.” Her voice was low, firm, but not unkind. She gave a wary glance towards Mayu’s trembling form, but another towards Yeonji’s eyes. Frustration might’ve been evident, but she could see the way she almost protectively stood before Mayu. She sighed. “We survived. That’s what matters. Fighting each other won’t change what happened.”

The tension lingered, taut and heavy, but slowly, both girls relented. Soomin crossed her arms, scowling, while Yeonji ground her teeth, shoulders heaving.

It was then that the air rippled. The trio glanced over, catching a familiar head of pink hair as an older woman waltzed onto the scene, robes rustling as she did.

“Professor Vivi…” Hyerin breathed.

The older professor stepped lightly into the clearing, her expression serene, as though she hadn’t been absent during the fight at all. Her soft pink hair shimmered faintly under the dappled light, her eyes glassy but calm, and Mayu seemed to visibly relax upon seeing her.

Soomin’s scowl deepened. “Where the hell were you? We almost died while you wandered off!”

Vivi tilted her head, almost absentmindedly, as though Soomin’s words barely registered. Her gaze turned instead toward the treeline. “There’s another.” The four of them shot her a confused look, before following her gaze.

The forest floor trembled again.

Another serpent slithered forth, larger than the first, its hiss shaking the leaves. Yeonji tightened her grip on her sword, stepping forward again, Mayu giving a quiet squeak as Hyerin readied her bow again. The serpent shot forth, but before any of the students could do a thing, Vivi raised her palm.

A beam of searing pink light erupted from her hand, striking the serpent across the skull. The creature shrieked, its flesh bubbling and cracking. Once the light had vanished, all that was left was the smoking stump of the creature’s lengthy body, and they watched it thud against the floor. Perhaps the most curious part was how the wound on the serpent glowed – a soft, pinkish energy sealing over where the head was detonated, like molten glass, locking it in place. The serpent writhed weakly, yet it didn’t seem to heal.

The girls froze in awe.

Vivi’s gaze softened as she lowered her hand. “No time for questions.” Her voice was calm, dreamlike. She stared between the students, glassy eyes peering into each one. “I’ve weakened its regeneration, but who knows how long before it’s back in the fight. We need to regroup with the others.”

Yeonji’s grip on her sword tightened as she glanced back at Mayu, then forward at the path their professor had carved. Hyerin’s jaw set, Soomin scowled, and Mayu clenched her fists to stop them from trembling.

One by one, they followed their professor.

=====

Seoyeon doesn’t think she’s ever run so hard.

Her feet stamp against the ground, muscles burning from exertion as she pushes forth, heart pounding and sweat collecting on her skin in beads. She hears a shrill hiss from behind her, and her eyes widen. With a flick of her heel, flames burst out from her foot, an explosive blast shooting her forth as she landed several metres away. She took a quick glance back, watching the black serpent writhe from the brightness of the flames, before shaking its head, narrowing its eyes at her as it burrowed back under ground.

The earth rumbled, and Seoyeon felt a hand snag onto her wrist, and when she looks up, she’s met with Jiyeon’s startled eyes. “Unnie!” She cried, tugging them both forth as they broke into another sprint, pouring as much energy and effort as they could into running.

Running across the vibrating earth as the three serpentine Sorrows dug through to chase after them was, evidently, a difficult task. Seoyeon could catch sight of Yooyeon nearby, floating with a faint pink aura around her body. As another two serpents launched from the earth behind them, she raised her pistols, and a storm of bullets fired towards their eyes. The Sorrows shook their heads, disoriented, and Yooyeon beckoned them forth.

“Come on!” She levitated closer towards them, before landing and breaking into a sprint herself, “We need to keep circling the area.” She started, and Seoyeon sighed.

That had been the crux of their pain – Seoyeon doesn’t know how long they’d been running in laps of loops for, hearing Yooyeon shout out a new direction and path each time. But the older girl’s logic had made sense – if they moved too far from the original point where they shot the flare, it’d be harder for the others to locate them or the Sorrows. “Can’t you just keep teleporting us?” Jiyeon asked, shaking her head as she groaned. “Why do we keep running?”

At the sight of a fallen tree and shrubbery blocking their path, Jiyeon and Seoyeon cut through with their respective Soulbornes. “Teleporting myself?” Yooyeon started, “Easy. Teleporting others, especially those not blessed by the Rabbit and thus don’t have the same space-time manipulation as me?” Her brow furrowed, an exhale of air leaving her lungs, “A lot more Mana is needed.”

The ground trembled beneath them again, already cracking and rumbling as Yooyeon jumped and flew off, a faint glow around her ankles, gravity unable to stop her. Jiyeon and Seoyeon exchanged looks, both kicking off their heels and jumping to the side as the ground split. The serpent burst through, a twisting mass of jet black scales and smoke as its now violet irises peered down. It gave a low hiss, its maw opening to unveil fangs the size of greatswords, but before it lunged forth, a thunderous blast tore through the air.

Nien shot forth, orange shockwaves blasting her forth in ringed beams from her gauntlets. She raised a foot, slamming it against the serpent’s body as it whipped back from the contact. Nien flipped before landing, raising her gauntlets into a fighting stance as the other two serpents shot out from the nearby trees. Raising her arms behind her, Seoyeon watched orange orbs begin forming in the palms of Nien’s hands, before the taller girl threw them forth.

Each collided with the serpent-like Sorrows, shaking the air and surrounding trees as they were pushed back. The pink-haired girl grinned, a faint yellow-orange aura surrounding her body, “I don’t know about you guys, but I could keep going for–” A screech ripped through Nien’s words, and the pink-haired girl glanced back as the serpent she knocked down first was back up and lunging forth.

Before she could react, Seoyeon jumped in, palm raised as wild amber flames burst from her palm, spewing and scorching the creature’s scales as it hissed and fell back. Using the chance, the group started running again, and Nien shot a grin towards Seoyeon. “Thanks for that!” Yooyeon floated nearby, flying alongside the running group.

“Don’t get too distracted by the fight,” Yooyeon lightly chastised as Nien gave a sheepish smile, “Your Odd Eye should’ve helped you detect it sooner.”

“I can’t help it!” Nien responded, laughing as if their lives weren’t in danger, “When my heart starts pounding and the heat of a fight gets hotter, I just – it’s thrilling!”

To that, Yooyeon only sighed, readying her pistols again as the ground shook. “I’m starting to think you get dopamine from fights rather than adrenaline…” She muttered, earning a brief laugh from Jiyeon and Seoyeon before they split apart again, this time two serpents bursting out beside each other.

The ground split with a deafening crack, soil and stone erupting into the air as two of the serpentine Sorrows burst forth side by side, jaws wide and dripping with their venom. Jiyeon’s breath caught in her throat – too close, far too close. She ducked low, sabres flashing as she spun, twin arcs of white and black energy cleaving through the air just enough to ward one of them off. Its head snapped back, scales scorched by the heat and frost radiating from her blades, but the beast only reeled for a heartbeat before lunging again.

Seoyeon veered away, fire sparking across her hands, but the third serpent’s hiss cut through the chaos. It had burrowed beneath them again, the vibrations in the soil too wild and constant to track clearly. The blonde glanced at the serpent near her, and could feel the other digging beneath her. Her steps faltered, readying her sword as fire licked around her, until a thunderclap rattled her chest like a cannon.

Nien blasted herself backward through the air, orange rings of seismic energy rippling out from her gauntlets. She barreled straight into Seoyeon, arms locking tight around the smaller girl’s waist. “Hold on!” she barked, foot landing onto the ground, cracking the earth before another shockwave burst from it. The impact detonated in a concussive boom, and the two of them were hurled just as the ground ruptured.

A maw of fangs the size of pikes snapped shut where Seoyeon had been standing a breath earlier. Dirt and roots rained down as Nien and Seoyeon skidded across the forest floor, tumbling hard before coming to a stop in the mud, ripping apart the ground in the process.

Seoyeon coughed, the air ripped from her lungs, but Nien only laughed – loud, wild, exhilarated – as she scrambled to her feet. “Close one, huh?” she grinned, hauling Seoyeon up beside her. The blonde nodded, patting Nien on the back in thanks. The pair were further from Yooyeon and Jiyeon, and Seoyeon warily glanced back to where they were. The pair readied to head back, but the sounds of trees breaking and shattering rang through the air, and grew closer.

One of the serpents surged toward them, faster than before, its body blotting out the fractured light through the trees as it raised above them, its jaw unhinging. Its fangs crashed down toward Nien, who snarled, planting her feet and thrusting her gauntlets upward.

Bone met metal with a screeching crack. The shockwave of impact blasted outward, snapping branches and kicking up dust, and as it pushed against Nien, the ground gave way, and formed a crater. Nien’s boots sank into the earth as she strained, teeth gritted into a tight grin, holding back the monstrous weight of the jaws that wanted to crush her whole. Her aura flared brighter, jagged orange lines of power splintering across the ground like cracks in glass.

“Go! Help them!” She shouted, muscles bulging. “They need you more than I do!”

Seoyeon nodded, holding her sword at her side as she staggered and ran back, heat running through her veins and across her skin. Before she could assist either Jiyeon or Yooyeon, a hiss cut through her senses. She glanced around herself, and slowed. In the shadows of the shrubbery, she could make out a black body coiling and encircling the space around her. Branches creaked as she glanced forth, violet eyes breaking through the darkness, unnatural smoke billowing from the serpent’s head.

Seoyeon’s breath hitched. Her grip on the hilt tightened, flames sparking uncontrollably across the blade, but she felt almost paralysed as it stared down at her. She could still hear Nien laughing in the distance, and the sounds of Jiyeon and Yooyeon fighting the other two serpents, leaving her alone with–

Wait.

The realisation hit Seoyeon like a cold splash of water. The others are all busy with the three chasing us… She readied her sword, a quiet grunt slipping out of her. So… so why is there one more in front of me? There’s… four?! Seoyeon watched the fourth serpent’s jaw unhinge, and her mind went back to that day in the Gravewood – when she first encountered a Sorrow, when it ripped right through the flesh of her leg.

Seoyeon felt something heavy settle in her stomach as she pushed herself into a stance, waiting for the creature to strike.

Then, a voice rang out.

“Seoyeon-unnie!”

The world seemed to narrow to that sound, freezing her in place as her eyes snapped toward the trees. The hiss of the serpent bore down, shadows dancing as it lunged forth, and Seoyeon gave a quiet gasp as it threatened to swallow her whole.

=====

“I don’t get it.” Seoyeon finally sighed, eyes snapping open as she glanced at the yellow cat laying down on the grass before her. “How is meditation going to help me? It’s all we’ve been doing for the past two weeks.”

The cat stared up at her, tilting its head curiously, before stretching. Seoyeon shook her head, her posture relaxing as she glanced around. Her vision was greeted by a sea of green, blades of grass covering the expanse of the field with the occasional flower. She had no idea such a place even existed, so open and free. A faint breeze whistled through the air as Seoyeon glanced forth, catching Hyunjin now in her human form as she stretched her arms above her head with a quiet yawn.

Seoyeon’s eyes widened, “Were you napping?!” Hyunjin glanced over, amused, before walking to flick the blonde on the forehead. Seoyeon gasped, clutching her head as Hyunjin chuckled.

When she glanced back up, she noticed the smirk on her mentor’s face, as the older woman shook her head fondly. “If you were really focusing, you would’ve noticed I’d fallen asleep ten minutes ago,” she hummed, crossing her arms, “If I were grading you, I’d dock points for poor battlefield discipline.”

Seoyeon scowled. “Good thing you’re not my teacher yet.”

That earned a laugh, warm and unbothered, as she lowered herself down to ruffle the blonde strands on Seoyeon’s scalp. She let her hand rest there, and if Seoyeon leant into the touch, her mentor didn’t comment on it. “You know why I brought you here?”

“Because you like making me uncomfortable?” She asked with a pout.

“Partially.” Hyunjin winked, then her expression softened. “Mostly because this place has no distractions. Perfect to train your eyes.”

The words stirred something heavy in Seoyeon’s chest. The Eyes. It had been the topic of all their ‘lessons’ lately – the different bloodlines and all their different powers. Seoyeon had forgotten half of them already – the words ‘You won’t be tested on this,’ probably didn’t help.

Her own eyes were the one thing that tied her, unwillingly, to her father’s side of the family. To the Yoon’s. People she barely knew, people who had never reached out after her father’s death. She tried not to think too much about her late father, but sometimes she did wonder if he would’ve introduced Seoyeon to them later in life.

She shifted again, hugging her arms. “I told you, I don’t care about that. I don’t even know them.”

“And you don’t need to,” Hyunjin said gently, letting her hand move away from Seoyeon’s head, hugging her own knees. “These eyes are yours, not theirs. What matters is whether you use them. Or whether you let them go to waste.” Seoyeon sighed, and Hyunjin smiled, “The meditation is to help you focus on the feeling of Mana in your body – from what we know, Elders usually supply their Blessed with a… different sort of Mana, rather than taking advantage of any existing sources within the body.”

Seoyeon nodded, her stare changing to something more inquisitive. “Which is why I can use the fire to begin with?”

Hyunjin nodded, “You’re getting good at controlling it, by the way,” she grinned, “Heejin’s holding back on the praise so you don’t get a big head, but you’ve come a long way from nearly burning our houses down.”

She pouted, and Hyunjin cackled, “Unnie, that was one time!” Hyunjin petted Seoyeon’s head again as the girl huffed, crossing her arms as the older woman shook her head.

“Mana and Aura are the main two energies in our bodies – our bodies always leak Mana and although meditation and focus can’t help stop that,” Hyunjin tilted her head, “It’s still super important to be able to feel your Mana and Aura, so you know what your reserves are like in a fight or if someone’s magic is messing with it. The key to using those eyes of yours is channeling your Mana in just the right way.”

The blonde nodded, uncertainty washing over her. “Do… Do you think I can do it now?”

Instead of answering immediately, Hyunjin smiled. “Close your eyes.” The older woman said softly.

Reluctantly, Seoyeon obeyed. Darkness folded over her. She felt the wind in her hair, the grass brushing her calves, her own heart hammering.

“Now,” Hyunjin whispered, “listen with more than your ears. Imagine your mana flow like a river inside you. Your eyes don’t create something new, rather, they’ll pull back the curtains and let you see the world the way you are supposed to see it. Feel the warmth and the fire travel inside you, let it flow towards your head. Focus. Feel the warmth behind your eyes.”

Seoyeon closed her eyes tighter, trying to will her body into stillness. At first all she felt was the breeze, the shifting grass, the ache of her own nerves. But slowly, as Hyunjin’s words pressed into her mind, she became aware of something else – a pulse, faint but steady, coursing in time with her heartbeat, as if something else drummed in her chest.

It started low, near her stomach, like a quiet ember nestled deep in her core. With each breath, she felt it stir, spilling warmth that slid through her chest and down her arms. The sensation wasn’t like blood rushing through veins – it was wider, fuller, as though a second current lived within her, a hidden river running beneath skin and bone and alongside her blood. Her Mana.

“Good,” Hyunjin murmured. Alongside it, was something quieter, yet buzzed through her bones and entire body. Something always present, yet that blurred into the background as she lived and breathed. Her Aura. “Focus on your Mana, let it flow…” She didn’t nod, but the words sunk in as the energy flowed, winding its way back up her spine. The warmth shifted from ember to flame, not burning but pressing, insistently alive.

She gasped softly as it reached her chest again, blooming outward with each breath – a second heartbeat pounding against her ribs, every thrum laced with light. The current threaded higher, branching into her shoulders, her arms, her fingers. She could almost trace its map now, imagining glowing lines crisscrossing her entire body, a lattice of fire flowing endlessly through her, even escaping her into the air.

The warmth climbed, slow and relentless, until it pressed against her throat. For a moment she thought she’d choke, the heat swelling too heavy to bear, and a quiet screeching scraped against her ears and the inside of her skull. But she remembered Hyunjin’s words, about letting it flow towards her head, and forced herself not to pull away.

The river surged upward, flooding her skull. The pressure built until it felt like sunlight was trying to force its way out from behind her eyes. A sharp, golden brightness pulsed just beyond her lids.

Her breath hitched.

Seoyeon gasped, eyes flying open.

The world around her seemed… vibrant. More so than before, as if she was witnessing colours her normal eyes wouldn’t be able to perceive. The field still swayed, the sky still burned blue, but layered atop reality was something impossible – threads of yellow light trailing from Hyunjin’s body, coiling and sparking, burning bright and alive. Her soul.

Seoyeon almost felt dizzy. “What—”

“The Soul-Seeing Vision,” Hyunjin said, smiling. “It’s what people call the Yoon Eyes.”

Her voice was proud, but Seoyeon could hardly hear it. She stared, awestruck, as Hyunjin’s aura shimmered like a fire stoked by endless wind. Around it flickered sparks of intent, brief but visible – flashes of Hyunjin reaching out, petting Seoyeon’s head or laughing. They were only brief glimmers, and Seoyeon was mesmerised.

“You’re glowing…” She murmured, and Hyunjin grinned, and Seoyeon caught the way her aura sparked.

“Aw, you flatter me, is it the new face-cream Heejin recommended?” She asked, and when Seoyeon gave a deadpan stare, Hyunjin giggled. Seoyeon stared into the eyes of her mentor, and staring back in the reflection of her irises, were Seoyeon’s very own golden eyes.

Hyunjin shifted, now sitting on her knees as she extended a hand, letting it rest on Seoyeon’s shoulder. Her touch was warm, grounding. “The Yoon Eyes are a gift, Seoyeon. Not because of your family, but because of what they can teach you. They’ll let you see people as they truly are – fighting spirits, the flicker of their soul’s resolve, letting you glimpse at intent. And in battle, that can mean the difference between living and not.”

“Is that why I’m seeing you move before you actually do?” The blonde asked as Hyunjin nodded.

“In time, it’ll be easier to read people, to see their next moves before they even do it,” Hyunjin muttered, “It’ll help set you apart from everyone else.”

Seoyeon nodded, before a frown worked its way onto her face, “How… How do I stop seeing this? It’s… it’s amazing, but–”

“A little overwhelming?” Sheepishly, Seoyeon nodded, and Hyunjin chuckled. “Just… want it. It’s harder to unlock and turn them on than it is to turn them off.” Hyunjin’s smile softened into something practical. She leaned back, crossing her arms, “But I wouldn’t recommend doing it just yet. After all, we have one more lesson for today, and being able to see Aura will help you a lot,” Hyunjin grinned, eyes twinkling, “What you’re about to learn is probably the most useful thing in a Mage’s toolkit – Symphony.”

Seoyeon blinked. “Symphony?”

Hyunjin nodded, as if it were the most natural thing. “You felt the Mana moving through you, right? And the Aura humming quietly underneath that. Symphony is what happens when you make those two currents meet – on purpose.”

Seoyeon frowned. “Meet? Like collide?”

“Like collide.” Hyunjin nodded excitedly. “But don’t think of it as smashing them together. Think of it like harmony – two notes sounding at once and producing something new. That bump, the crash between them, gives you access to tricks you normally couldn’t reach, through an explosive reaction of Mana. Fun tricks, but dangerous tricks.”

Seoyeon’s brow furrowed. “Dangerous how?”

Hyunjin sat back on her heels and spoke slowly, the tone of someone giving a child a secret that tore at the edges of safety and power. “Symphony draws Aura – your life force – into the equation. Mana alone is expendable; your body leaks it and you regrow it. Aura is... precious. When Mana and Aura meet, their collision burns. The bigger the reaction, the more Aura you surrender. The amount of Aura you lose to achieve Symphony, we call that the Harmonic Ratio.”

Seoyeon tried to picture it, her inner river of Aura and the glow of Mana hitting one another like two currents in a whirlpool. “So it hurts?”

“Sometimes,” Hyunjin said honestly. “Sometimes it barely tingles. Sometimes it takes months off your life. It depends on you, your training, your luck.” She inclined her head at Seoyeon. “Some people perform Symphony and only lose a fraction of their Aura – less than 0.1% of it. Those are the Maestros – lucky, mysterious,” Hyunjin waved her hand around, “Like rare instruments that are perfectly tuned. The rest of us are less lucky.”

Seoyeon gave a thoughtful hum, “You know, as Mages, I thought we would’ve been taught not to gamble with our lives?” Seoyeon asked. Fear and curiosity braided together in her voice.

Hyunjin grinned. “Yes. But the world doesn’t always give you the luxury of safe choices. Symphony is what you use when you don’t have time for niceties. In total, there are three major techniques everyone learns,” Her mentor raised her middle, index and ring fingers, “There are others, but these are the ones you’ll wanna learn. Those are–”

A sharp growl cut through the air, and Seoyeon’s eyes widened. She glanced behind them, towards the forest in the distance, and watched as shadows crawled out. She saw their aura first – blood red and spindly, like spines reaching out to pierce anything close. Then, she saw the creatures in full. Large, covered in pitch fur with the occasional dark red tuft. Wolf-like snouts stared on, and even from her distance, the blonde could make out blood-red eyes staring back at her.

Silver spines jutted out along their spines, travelling down to an almost metallic tail, as if they carried a barbed blade where their extra appendage would be. Dark scales covered the places the fur didn’t, and in the sunlight, the silver claws gleamed. Hyunjin hummed, “I was wondering when they’d show up… I didn’t pick this place only for the reports of Predabeasts to not be true.”

Seoyeon’s eyes widened, “W-Wha– Predabeasts?!” She stood fast, and Hyunjin followed with a smile, staring on at the creatures who snarled as they slowly edged closer.

“Umbrawolves, to be exact.”

==

Name: Umbrawolves (Juvenile)

Family: Terrestrial (Fanged Beast)

Notable Features: High Agility, Sharp Claws and Fangs, Barbed Tail, Blood-Thinning Venom

Threat Index: Size 1, Aggression 2, Territory 0, Magic 0, Intelligence 0, Reproduction Spread 1 → Total TI: 4 (Rank D)

Recommended Team: at least 3-4x 2nd Year students, supported by a 3rd Year Guide and Professor, Alternatively a single skilled Mage or two

Known Counters: Juveniles without a Pack Leader lack the necessary leadership to be effective and co-ordinated, easier to feint and trick, sensitive to loud stimuli and paralytic agents, weak natural armour

Escalation/Aggression Triggers: Loud noises, Bright lights, Strong Smells

Capture vs Cull: Cull

==

Seoyeon glanced between the creatures and Hyunjin – and with the way Hyunjin’s aura flamed and flickered like a stoked fire, she knew retreat was the last thing on her mentor’s mind. “Why… why did you bring me out here if–”

“If there was danger? Easy,” with a flick of her wrist, Hyunjin called forth her Soulbornes – two dual blades, both having an almost cleaver-like appearance with the rectangular blades and serrated edges. The handles and hilts were adorned with a yellow and white fur, with the blades themselves being a bone-like ivory, with yellow runes dancing along the surface of the blades. “Because why yap and explain when I can just fight and show you? Besides…”

Hyunjin’s eyes narrowed, a yellow ring circling her left iris, and her eyes took on an almost cat-like appearance – her irises turning a yellow-orange, her pupils becoming black slits. “You’re in no danger. They are.”

Jiwoo’s boots crash against the ground as she runs forth. Chasing after the bright crimson light that exploded within the sky should’ve exhausted her, but the thought of Seoyeon in danger pumped adrenaline through her system, no pain shooting through her leg muscles, only a burning fire.

“Seoyeon-unnie!” She called out upon seeing a head of blonde hair. She spots her unnie, and watches as she casts a glance towards her, eyes wide and flames flickered around her. The serpent’s jaw unhinged, and Jiwoo barely had time to process how unlike a Tellawyrm it looked as it lunged forth towards the older girl. Jiwoo tried to run faster, but she could see it all – she was too far, and Seoyeon would get hurt before she made it.

Desperation clawed through her as she gritted her teeth, and time almost seemed to slow for her. She could feel her mana crackle beneath her skin, exploding as she redirected it. The pain was hardly noticeable as energy surged through her veins and to her muscles, and as her foot stamped against the ground, she pushed off. In a blinding blur of yellow light, she cut through the air, after images fading behind her. She grabbed onto Seoyeon, dashing the blonde out of harm’s way, and skidding to a halt as she slowed.

Symphony: Accelerando

The serpent’s snout collided with the ground as it hissed, and Jiwoo glanced at Seoyeon in her arms, before setting the older girl down. “You okay, unnie?” She asked, and Seoyeon breathed a sigh of relief, patting Jiwoo on the shoulder, before the pair turned their attention back to the creature before them.

“Since when were you so cool, Jiwoo?” The older girl grinned, cheeks faintly pink, before she called forth her Soulborne, the spear glinting as the cracks of sunlight from the canopy above shone down.

One of the Umbrawolves backed onto its hindlegs, sunlight making the claws glimmer like metal. It snarled, and Hyunjin stood in a stance, ready and poised for it to strike. When its growl rang through the air, Hyunjin kept her expression steady, “Like I said, there are three main Symphony techniques everyone is expected to learn. The first? Accelerando.” The creature jumped towards Hyunjin, and the professor shot forth. Seoyeon could see it – the way Mana wound around the flows of Aura, clashing and exploding against it.

She could see a faint trickle of Aura bleed out of Hyunjin with her eyes, but only after the flash of yellow light, where Hyunjin now stood several paces ahead of where the Umbrawolf had jumped from. Seoyeon blinked, watching as the Umbrawolf crashed onto the ground, howling as a dark liquid seeped out from its ankles, seeming to spurt into the air as a scarlet dust. Her eyes fell to its tail, watching it fall onto the ground, cleanly severed.

“Hyunjin-unnie did all that… when?” Seoyeon found herself murmuring, “I barely saw her move–”

The professor turned her attention to the other two Predabeasts, eyes narrowing. “Accelerando will provide a massive increase to your speed, moving faster than most people can even perceive. It’s good for quick attacks or repositioning, but be careful,” Hyunjin shifted into another combat stance, “One wrong misstep and the whiplash might just break your bones.”

The black scales of the serpent shimmer as it throws itself towards Jiyeon, the Camellia’s eyes narrowing as she jumps forth with grace, the ground shaking as its skull dug into the earth. Jiyeon’s boots landed against its spine, and she found herself rushing forth, slicing at its scaled hide as she moved, leaving behind gashes of white and black energy with each cut. She feels the serpent shake and writhe, and she jumps off with a flourish, spinning mid-air before landing gently on the ground, one sabre pointed at the creature.

With a flick of her wrist, the gashes glowed, before the black gashes seemed to shrink and pull the scales towards themselves, whilst the white gashes expanded in a flash of light, shooting off scales from the creature’s skin as it hissed.

Special Technique: Yin’s Pull and Yang’s Push

The creature writhed in agony before letting out a low hiss, forked tongue whipping the air as it quietened. The student readied herself as the serpent shook its head, and as Jiyeon sprinted through, feet kicking off against the ground, the serpent narrowed its eyes and shot forth. It was fast, too fast for Jiyeon, and she felt the creature’s hard snout slam into her as she was shot back, landing against a tree as the wind was knocked from her chest.

She heaved as she landed, one sabre stabbing into the ground as she tried to stand. It was then the ache from the constant running began to pulse in her veins, her throat dry and her head spinning. Jiyeon watched shadows dance in her blurred vision, a hiss ringing in her ears like tinnitus.

This was it, that was the only thing she could think. The creature, evidently not a Tellawyrm, would rip through her in her dazed state. She had to get up, to be ready, to–

“JIYEON-UNNIE!” A voice roared, cackling. Jiyeon’s head snapped up, catching a more human silhouette flying above. “You getting tired?” The voice was familiar, and Jiyeon glanced down, blurred vision beginning to become something more sharp. Before the creature had a chance to bite into her flesh, Gong Yubin crashed down onto the creature’s skull. Her Soulborne, a spiked club of dark metal, with various pink spikes adorning its length, slammed into the monster’s skull.

The creature cried out, and as Yubin planted her feet onto the ground, she pulled her club back, before swinging it once more into the side of the snake’s head. Jiyeon watched as the oversized serpent was rocketed into a nearby tree, the monster’s mass no match for the strength of an Enhancer like Yubin. When Yubin turned around, she quickly sprinted over, helping Jiyeon stand.

“You okay, unnie?” She asked, and Jiyeon sighed, feeling Yubin’s hands on her shoulders, an attempt to help stabilise her. Jiyeon shook her head, and Jiyeon felt a hand on her back. She glanced behind her, and smiled upon seeing Chaeyeon’s kind eyes, a green glow faintly around her body, before slowly flowing into Jiyeon’s. Clarity hit her hard, her vision completely normal, her hearing no longer dulled. Chaeyeon gave a quiet sigh, and Jiyeon gave a slight stretch, her muscles feeling refreshed.

It gave her enough time to look forward, and her eyes widened. “Yubin!” She cried, and the younger girl’s eyes snapped back and widened. The creature’s jaw unhinged as it darted towards them, somehow recovering already. Yubin gritted her teeth, leaping forth and raising her club horizontally as the creature bit down onto it. A faint pink glow surrounded Yubin, and a light flashed bright, almost searing as Jiyeon and Chaeyeon turned away.

When they glanced back, the creature’s fangs were shattered once more, and it rocketed back as if repulsed. Yubin winced, and Chaeyeon stepped forth.

Symphony: Fortissimo

Another hand gently touched Yubin’s back, between her shoulder blades, as Chaeyeon poured aura into Yubin. “Careful there,” she warned lightly, “Don’t wanna burn up too much aura.” The Augur lightly warned and Yubin nodded.

“Just leave this one to me…” Yubin muttered, stepping forth, spinning her bat in her hand. She flicked it onto the ground, letting it spin down behind herself, bouncing off of it and landing into the grasp of her other hand, before mimicking the movement so it landed back into her dominant hand. The creature backed up, hissing as Yubin chuckled.

“The second technique,” Hyunjin called out, kicking back one of the Umbrawolves when it shot forth, her foot colliding with its snout with the pulse of a yellow shockwave as it fell back. She turned, slashing at the other’s snout when it leapt towards her, and it gave a low growl as it rolled to the side, snarling as it repositioned, blood leaking from the gash around its nostrils. “Is called Fortissimo.”

An Umbrawolf pounced towards Hyunjin, and she dashed forth, evading its claws as she slid against the ground. It landed where she once stood, tail raised as Hyunjin glanced back at it. She kicked the earth, a faint yellow shockwave beneath her foot as she rocketed towards the Predabeast. It howled, swinging its barbed tail towards her as she grunted, raising her two blades before her, and there was a searing flash of yellow light, Aura flashing so brightly that Seoyeon had to look away.

When she glanced back, the creature’s tail seemed almost misshapen, like a sword bent out of shape, and it cried out. Hyunjin flew higher in the air, as it shot back, and she grinned. One blade was held in front of her chest, the other behind her back, and as Hyunjin descended, Seoyeon watched as she became a whirlwind of steel, cutting through and across the creature’s back, howling in pain as crimson exploded out.

Hyunjin landed with a flourish, blades dripping in scarlet. “Fortissimo provides you with an insane boost in durability, practically supercharges your Mana and Aura into a protective forcefield. Timing is important though, since it only lasts for a second or two. It can help block a nasty hit, but even if you fail to do that,” her stance shifted as she turned onto the last Umbrawolf, “Pianissimo is the third technique – it can help patch up your body, just enough to keep going until you find an actual Healer.”

Yet, even with her mentor’s words, Seoyeon could still see it, the Aura and Mana crackling in her system. “But, there’s still one thing you ought to see… a technique so rare that some weaker Mages go their entire lives without pulling it off. Even if you time it right, trigger Symphony within a fraction of a second before you strike, the stars still have to align for you, fate itself has to choose to bless you in that moment.”

The monster snarled. Hyunjin shifted, one leg behind the other, and she sprinted forth. “An attack so potent, it warps time and space itself, breaking through any conventional defenses…” Seoyeon could see the way the Aura shot through her teacher’s body, pulsating faster and faster like a racing heartbeat. Hyunjin jumped, as did the creature, and she swung her sword back, “To rip through your target’s body!”

Orange flames coated the tip of Jiwoo’s spear as she swung it forth, a fiery explosion ringing through the air as it collided with the serpent’s skull. It hissed, shaking its head as Jiwoo jumped off from the ground, slashing at the serpent’s snout once again, before flipping through the air and landing onto the creature’s skull. It writhed, shaking, attempting to throw her off, but Jiwoo gritted her teeth, raising her spear and jabbing it into the serpent’s skull.

As her Mana flickered, another fiery explosion roared, firing Jiwoo back into the air and thrusting the creature down onto the earth below. Seoyeon watched on as she creature hissed, before shooting upward, attempting to grab onto Jiwoo, but she watched as the younger girl manoeuvred through the air, using explosions from the tip of her spear to ricochet herself through the sky, dodging the snaps of the snake’s jaw and slicing at its armoured skin where she could, the superheated blade of her spear melting through the scales.

Jiwoo’s hand glowed as fire spun around her forearm in blazing crimson ribbons, before she tossed the flames forth, and Seoyeon watched as the flames seemed to stretch like strings, coiling around the serpent’s body, before tightening, binding the Sorrow down.

Special Technique: Blazing Binds

As fire danced around Jiwoo’s body, the tall girl almost seeming to soar in the air, Seoyeon couldn’t help but watch. Her own flames were a mix of amber and gold, burning wildly and brightly, an inferno wanting to do nothing but burn and consume. Jiwoo’s flames glowed scarlet, with undertones of bright yellows and oranges, more controlled, less angry than the fire of the Phoenix.

She watched Jiwoo pull her spear back as the bound creature hissed. The flames intensified, Jiwoo’s spear becoming a pillar of pure heat as she readied to throw it.

Off elsewhere, Yubin smacked the serpent back into the trees, as if punishing it for daring to attack her. Before it recovered again, she jumped forth, kicking it back into the ground, before raising her club and striking it down again, the ground shaking and beginning to crack. Another strike of her club thudded the air, and the creature shrieked before tossing Yubin off, a writhe of its battered body sending her flying back.

Yubin repositioned herself mid-air, her feet landing against the bark of a tree as she glanced up at the creature. Her mana sparked in her own body, and she pressed her feet against the tree before shooting off, breaking the tree in the process as she charged towards the creature, club pulled back.

When Hyunjin’s blade met the Predabeast’s flesh, a thunderclap rang through the air.

Seoyeon watched on as her mentor cut through the creature like butter, blade gliding through the armoured body as if it wasn’t even there. The Umbrawolf was cut clean in half, split open evenly as the air shook, as if reality itself had been ripped through. Yellow sparks exploded through the air like shards of neon-coloured glass, crackling like lightning, and Hyunjin’s aura seemed to flare to life, brighter than it had before as mana and light scattered across the air and field.

A breath finally left her lungs as Hyunjin landed, both halves of the creature falling to the ground. “That…” Hyunjin said, before turning to face Seoyeon, surrounded by the carcasses of Predabeasts, propping one sword against her shoulder. “Was a Crescendo.”

When Seoyeon didn’t speak, Hyunjin hummed, stepping closer. “That… it was…” She mumbled, and as Hyunjin let her Soulborne fade into a cloud of sparkling dust, she patted Seoyeon’s head, watching the girl’s eyes return to normal.

“They call it the rare note of the gods,” Hyunjin mumbled, “Crescendo isn’t something you can just do. It’s like striking the perfect note at the exact right time. Symphony already burns your Aura, right? But Crescendo?” Hyunjin stood straighter, glancing at the dead bodies around them. “If it hits, your Mana and Aura surge back to full. Sometimes stronger than before. The catch? You can’t force it. Doesn’t matter if you’re a master of Mana or the gods’ favourite – fate has to line up for you, but some are luckier than others I guess.”

“Most mages are lucky to land one in their lifetime,” Hyunjin began, gazing back at Seoyeon. “Maybe one in a desperate fight. Two? A dream. But some have been lucky enough to land multiple consecutively.”

Seoyeon blinks, tilting her head, “How many have you landed, unnie?”

The professor grinned, giving a casual hum, “My personal record? Four.” She grins at Seoyeon’s bewildered look, “There’s a trick nobody tells you–” her tone dropped, almost conspiratorial, “Once you land the first, the world slows down for you. Your instincts sharpen. You’re locked into the rhythm. The second comes easier. So does the third. You think I’m impressive?” She asked with a laugh, “The current record holder is Kim Jungeun – another professor at our Academy, she comes from your village.”

The blonde’s eyes widened as her professor chuckled, “I had no clue she was so…”

“Cool? Impressive?” Hyunjin nods, “She is – Six Crescendos. In one fight. Nobody’s touched it since.” Hyunjin shook her head with mock exasperation. “Show-off.”

The flames coiled around Jiwoo’s spear, and the binds wrapping around the serpent seemed to tighten as it writhed, carving out trenches in the earth with its body. Jiwoo could feel the heat intensify around her, a fire burning in her veins as her palms stinged from the heat. She almost thought she’d give out, but as she threw her spear forth with a yell, something shot through her, a sudden surge of energy as the spear pierced right through the serpent’s head.

A thunderous noise echoed through the air as a storm of yellow and orange sparks detonated through the air, lightning seeming to burst through as Jiwoo’s Soulborne melted right through the serpent’s skull, splintered scales scattered across the forest’s earth. The spear jabbed into the ground, glowing, whilst the serpent’s now headless body fell to the ground, black ichor pouring out from the wound.

Elsewhere, Yubin screamed as her club collided with the serpent’s body. With a loud boom, she ripped right through it, black smoke and ichor spilling forth as Yubin smashed right through the serpent’s body, scales flying out alongside the pink and black sparks shooting through the air, lightning scorching the earth and nearby trees as Yubin dropped towards the ground, skidding to a stop as the remnants of the Sorrow’s body fell behind her.

Jiwoo landed not far behind the body, and as Seoyeon’s eyes flickered gold, she could see the way Jiwoo’s aura glowed. Seoyeon also caught sight of black horns now on Jiwoo’s head, irises crimson as smoke coiled around her. She picked up her spear, before shooting a grin towards Seoyeon. The blonde rushed over, jumping to pat Jiwoo on the head as the taller girl laughed. “How was that, unnie?”

The older girl laughed, propping her own sword against her shoulder, “Amazing – of course you had to show off with a Crescendo,” she giggled as Jiwoo’s smile softened, “I wanted to jump in, but my dongsaeng is just too impressive.”

Yubin swung her club back, nearly hitting an approaching Chaeyeon and Jiyeon in the process. The two girls squeaked as Yubin let the heavy weapon rest against her shoulder. “We should probably go help–” A hiss rang through the air as Yooyeon landed another bullet in the creature’s eye. It blindly surged forth, and Yooyeon disappeared in a flash of pink, before reappearing in the air above. Landing a heavier shot with Orchard atop the serpent’s skull, it fell to the ground, subdued.

She reappeared nearby, and in the distance, a loud shout could be heard as birds flew from the trees.

Jiwoo and Seoyeon watched as Nien laughed, tugging on the monster’s fangs, seeming to nearly tug it out the earth as more of its elongated body escaped the ground, only for Nien to toss it aside, breaking apart several trees as it gave a low hiss, seeming to collapse. She sprinted over to the other two girls, who made their way back to the others.

“You all okay?” Chaeyeon asked, a green aura already surrounding Seoyeon as she felt an oddly cool sensation wash over her body, her muscles losing their prior ache, her mana and aura already beginning to grow back to their old levels.

When everyone nodded, Jiwoo sighed. “Nakyoung-unnie and Hyunjin-unnie found another one of these Sorrows further into the forest on our way over, they should be here–”

“MY STUDENTS!” Hyunjin’s voice roared as she arrived, relief shimmering in her eyes as she sprinted over, Nakyoung in tow. “Are you all okay?! I can’t believe it, the reports were–”

“Wrong, we know,” Yooyeon said, placing a hand on her professor’s shoulder, “We’re fine, Ssaem.”

Hyunjin sighed, glancing around, “I’m sorry, none of you should be fighting Sorrows, this is a mess–”

Seoyeon lets her hand rest around her teacher’s forearm, snapping her out of her rambling. “She’s right, thankfully, we’re all okay.” Hyunjin breathed a sigh of relief at that, and Seoyeon could spot her summoned Soulbornes on her back, dripping with black ichor, and the same could be said for the scythe in Nakyoung’s grasp.

“There should be more groups in the area,” Hyunjin started, “I know Sooyoung-unnie is with Lynn and the others, so they should be here–” Mid-sentence, a crack formed in the air nearby. The group jumped with a start, all aside from Yooyeon, who glanced at it more inquisitively, and Hyunjin who looked on with familiarity. The crack split the air open, and out stumbled three girls, along with a trembling Mayu. Behind them all, emerging as the crack closed behind them, was a pink-haired professor.

“Vivi?” Hyunjin asked, stepping over immediately, and Vivi glanced around, anywhere but at Hyunjin directly. Seoyeon raised a brow – Vivi may have always seemed… distracted, but the blonde doesn’t think she’s ever looked so skittish, so ready to flee at the smallest noise.

“Eight,” she started, dazed, briefly glancing at the dark carcasses, “I sensed eight before. We’ve all killed five so far, that leaves three – Nien and Yooyeon haven’t killed theirs properly, and there’s one more waiting…” She murmured, and Hyunjin’s eyes widened.

“Eight?! Vivi, what are you–” As she approached, Vivi jumped back with a start, hands raised and glowing. She tilted her head, and her eyes drifted towards Hyunjin’s blades, dripping with the blackened blood of the Sorrows. “Vivi, wha–”

“Stay back!” She almost screamed, eyes widened, and the group was quick to freeze as Hyunjin raised her hands. Seoyeon could sense Jiwoo’s hold on her spear tighten instinctively, as Nakyoung was quick to stand before the younger first-years. Vivi’s eyes had steeled over into a cold stare. “I know what you are, Butcher, don’t step any–”

“Unnie, it’s me!” Hyunjin said, glancing at the students, before back at Vivi. Her hands trembled, and her Soulbornes were quick to dissipate into the air. She offered a shaky smile towards Vivi. “Hyunjin! Your favourite dongsaeng?” She said, and the group could spot the professor’s shoulders trembling as Vivi looked on with an icy glare.

Her stare faltered, “H-Hyun… Hyunjin? What… why–” Vivi glanced around, the glow beginning to fade, “Where are we..?” She murmured, her voice losing the sudden edge it gained, sounding much more like the soft tones she usually spoke with.

“We’re not on that island.” She said, quickly, swallowing as Vivi’s eyes snapped back to her.

That island? Seoyeon found herself wondering, glancing around at the group, all looking on warily. She spotted the three girls now hiding behind Nakyoung – She recognised one as Soomin, the other with red-hair must have been her friend Hyerin, but the third girl, the one with dark green hair, bordering on teal, was a mystery.

Yooyeon shared Seoyeon’s curiosity, eyes staring briefly at the first-years, before going back to glance between the two professors, “Vivi, we’re safe,” Hyunjin said, and the glow around Vivi’s hands faded completely, “We’re fine…” She murmured, stepping closer, taking one of Vivi’s hands into her own. Seoyeon found herself walking closer, and as Vivi’s eyes settled onto her, a startling lucidity seemed to settle in her eyes.

“Right… safe…” she shook her head, and her eyes returned to their faint and glassy state. “Dearie me, I think I was lost,” she glanced around, eyes settling back onto the serpent Yooyeon had shot. “Ah right, there’s eight.” she said, pointing towards the head.

“Eight what, ssaem?” Hyerin asked, lingering between her two friends.

“Eight heads.” She said, shrugging, and the group all shared looks.

“Heads?” Jiwoo asked, and Mayu paled.

Vivi nodded, “They’re not separate creatures, or at least not anymore. They seem to share an essence – they’re all linked.” Vivi hummed, “They’re Sorrows, no doubt, but they seem… stitched together. It’s unnatural, crude.”

Before any more questions could be asked, the ground shook. Yooyeon was quick to raise her pistols as the body of the serpent she shot began to slither back down into the earth. Nien’s serpent gave a hiss before slowly sliding into the ground. The earth rumbled, and the group watched as it soon erupted, an explosion of sand, stone and bark flying out in all directions. Chaeyeon rushed forth, raising her palms as a green barrier formed around the group, blocking and deflecting any oncoming debris.

Seoyeon watched her roommate’s Soulbornes manifest – a pair of large, circular shields now resting and strapped to her forearms, intricate lettering and sigils etched on, spiralling towards the green four-pointed stars made from crystals at the centre. When the dust cleared, Chaeyeon lowered her barrier and the group gazed forth, eyes gazing up at the two serpents, visible marks on their bodies from their unhealed injuries. Between them stood a third, much greater in size, and bearing a cobra-like frill around its head.

The central head lowered, and as its jaw opened, a figure giggled, and the group froze. The Academy uniform, the porcelain hand-shaped mask with three scratches running across it. The cult robes over the uniform. “My my,” the figure giggled, lounging casually in the creature’s mouth, “Insulting my creation? I’d be offended if your descriptors weren’t quite accurate,” they swung their feet forth, sitting up a tad straighter, legs dangling from the creature’s mouth, “Although, Sorrows are far from natural in the first place.”

Hyunjin’s eyes narrowed. She cast a glance towards Vivi, before stepping forth, summoning her Soulborne in the process, “Identify yourself.”

The figure blew a raspberry, “I already got done with this whole spiel earlier…” They sighed, shifting to stand tall, “You may call me The Evolutionary of the Mobius Cult. The creator behind the beauty you all so rudely cut down.”

“Creator?” Yooyeon mumbled, and Nakyoung raised her scythe, pointing it at the Evolutionary.

“You made this thing?”

The Evolutionary giggled, rocking back onto her heels, “Mhm!” She crossed her arms, “I call it Yamato No Orochi! Eight heads, all capable of regeneration, provided you don’t destroy their hearts of course,” The hooded figure hummed, “I probably shouldn’t have said that – but how can I not gloat about every adorable facet of my baby?” She cooed, reaching up to affectionately pat one of the monster’s fangs.

Hyunjin’s grip on her blade tightened, “You stitched this whole thing together?”

The Evolutionary nodded, and Seoyeon was sure the figure had to be grinning beneath their mask. “Why, of course!” She clapped, “After all…” Their tone dipped into something deeper, raspier. “The powers an Elder grants you are immense.”

The group froze, and Seoyeon could sense the way everyone’s eyes flickered to her. The figure glanced at their nails, shrugging, “The Headless is a curious god, always wanting to carry out little experiments for nothing but the sake of knowledge – such as, what would such a hateful and resentful soul do if offered its magic?” She gave a quiet laugh, shifting her weight between her feet, “I suppose I enjoy carrying out my own experiments – did you know you could stitch humans and Sorrows together?”

Seoyeon’s eyes flickered back to the figure, a sense of nausea crawling through her stomach. Seoyeon glanced over towards Nakyoung and Yooyeon, watching the gears turn in their minds. Nakyoung gasped, “Lynn… her group were investigating those reports of ‘talking Sorrows’... do you think…”

Yooyeon’s jaw clenched, and she glanced up at the figure, who only cackled. “Oh my – you’re all friends with the fish girl? I suppose it makes sense, only such an insolent girl would have such insolent friends who’d hurt my pretty,” she sighed, clicking her tongue, “I had a run-in with that group – the damned brat scratched my mask, was all angry over all the life I’d taken, the Mages, the innocents…” they then raised their head, “Oh! Perhaps I should hurt you, to hurt her?” At that, the snakes hissed, “That would certainly be a good idea…”

Hyunjin shifted into a combat stance, “You… this was purposeful, wasn’t it? Making sure the mission was misclassified, making sure inexperienced Mages were the ones dying to your monster.”

The figure shrugged, “You aren’t too far off. You seem quite angry over it though…” She hummed thoughtfully.

Hyunjin’s voice cracked like a whip, sharp and steady despite the fear gnawing at the students. “You disgust me,” she said, blade angled low, her stance steady as a mountain. “All this talk about ‘creation,’ but you have no love for life at all, do you?” The professor gritted her teeth, her voice rising in volume, “You mock it, mock us. You mutilate it, distort it into whatever twisted image you can think of. Why even bother with power if all you do is spit on what makes it worth something?”

The Evolutionary tilted her porcelain mask, tapping her cheek as if considering the question. Then she giggled, the sound high, shrill, and horribly unbothered. “Why care so much, Professor? Humans die all the time. Cities burn, children starve, old men rot. The Headless offered me the power to shape Souls to let me have my fun, and my fun isn’t creating death, no,” she clapped, “It’s to speed up the process.”

Her voice soured, slipping into something uglier as she glanced toward the steaming carcasses of the downed serpents. “Besides…” she hissed, tapping her nails against her palm, “Whatever pitiful spell your pink little friend cast has limited my darling’s ability to regenerate.” Her mask tilted toward Vivi. “That… is irritating. Perhaps I should rip her apart first, and then go after those little girls she was so keen on protecting.”

Soomin and Hyerin’s eyes widened as the Evolutionary’s masked head glanced their way, and Yeonji gave a low growl.

In an instant, weapons raised around her. Yubin stepped forward with her club, standing before Hyerin, shoulders taut with unspoken threat. Jiwoo’s spear snapped into a ready guard, crimson flames coiling once again around the blade as she stood before Soomin alongside Seoyeon. Yooyeon’s pistols gleamed, already cocked, while Nakyoung’s scythe was leveled at the cultist’s distant figure. Even Yeonji called forth her oversized sword.

“Try it,” Yubin snarled. “See what happens.”

“Touch them, and you’ll regret it.” Jiyeon added, her voice sharp as she called forth her sabres.

The Evolutionary’s giggle dribbled out like spilled wine, whimsical and airy, until her gaze slid, lazily, over the line of students and professors… and landed on Seoyeon.

Her body went still, unnaturally so, her chest not even moving with her breathing.

The playful tilt of her head snapped rigid, the lilt in her voice cracked into silence. Her shoulders trembled – not with laughter, but with a visceral, quaking rage that made her fists clench and vibrate. She soon doubled over as though sick, a wet, tearing sound bubbling from behind the mask, one that left a cold feeling swirling in Seoyeon’s stomach. Her body convulsed once, twice, before a thick spatter of dark, clotting blood poured from the slit beneath her porcelain jaw.

The air itself felt heavier.

“You…” Her voice was raw now, scraped hollow of mockery. Each syllable gurgled, torn from a throat half-choked with fury. “You dare… you dare stand before me?! You… you…” She jumped down, and the group shifted. The cultist’s eyes never strayed from the blonde, “You wretched, indignant brat.”

“Wha–?” Seoyeon barely managed before the Evolutionary was already moving.

She lunged, her hand stretching unnaturally, bones cracking as her arm warped into a monstrous, oversized fist, skin the same dark shade of the Sorrows, veins pulsing with a myriad of different colours. She plowed through the dirt, her steps splitting earth like quakes, and with a roar that rattled the trees, she swung.

The blow connected square with Seoyeon’s chest.

The world snapped sideways – air gone, sound gone, everything drowned in the violent rush of impact. Seoyeon’s body crumpled against the force, the strike lifting her off her feet and hurling her back, farther and farther, until she smashed through trees like kindling, a streak of broken forest left in her wake.

“UNNIE!” Jiwoo’s scream tore across the battlefield, frantic and desperate.

The Evolutionary didn’t hesitate. She vaulted after her, sprinting into the collapsing treeline, the monstrous arm dragging furrows in the dirt, blood still dripping from her mask. The serpent heads hissed and shifted to shield her charge, their gazes wild and hungry.

“Move!” Nien bellowed as she shoved past everyone else, already chasing after Seoyeon, her feet cracking the earth beneath her. Her long pink hair whipped behind her as she vanished into the treeline, fury flashing in her eyes.

Hyunjin cursed, teeth bared as she darted after both of them, her cleaver Soulbornes igniting in a blaze of yellow sparks. “I’ll go after them – just try to hold these three off until I’m back!”

She sprinted off, leaving the rest of the group behind, weapons raised, staring down three towering serpent heads, their wounds already knitting – too slowly, yes, but surely enough that the other heads may regenerate entirely and rejoin the fight. Jiwoo’s hands shook as she tightened her grip on her spear. Hyerin called forth her bow, Soomin her chakrams as both stood either side of Yeonji. Chaeyeon stepped to the front, shields raised, while Yubin spun her club into a low guard, lips curling into a grim smile.

Yooyeon glanced at the others, pistols raised and steady, eyes gleaming cold.

“Three heads,” she said. “We keep them down. Whatever happens…”

Her gaze flicked briefly toward the forest, where Seoyeon had vanished, then back at the writhing monsters before them. Nakyoung nodded, offering a glance at the cowering Mayu, and only scoffed. She spun her scythe, staring down the monsters before them. “We buy them all time.”

The serpents hissed. The ground shook, and the forest braced for war.

=====

Footsteps thudded against the floor of the corridor as students and professors alike widened their eyes.

A figure cut through the crowds, dark strands of pitch black hair surrounding a pale face with triangle-shaped lips. Silver eyes scanned the small groups of students or professors, all of whom began to scurry off at the mere sight of the figure. Fear. Respect. The line between the two had become indistinguishable, and Son Hyeju had long since stopped caring. She gave a low chuckle – some things never changed. No matter how many lives you could save, a monster was still a monster, a mad dog was still mad. The Academy Uniform still itched against her skin, feeling unnatural compared to the comfort of her field uniform.

Beside her, a purple-haired girl skipped along, seeming much more at home, and people eyes would fill with warmth upon seeing her. Unsurprising – whilst Son Hyeju cut through crowds, Choi Yerim danced through them. Yet, Hyeju knew better. Beneath that sunlit smile was someone who thrived just as much in battle as Hyeju did. “What are you so cheery about, Yerim?” She asked, and her friend only giggled.

“Aw, come on Hyeju,” she sang, linking their arms together, resting her head on Hyeju’s shoulder. The dark-haired girl felt her face heat up, and she glanced ahead. “We haven’t seen Heejin-unn–” At an eyebrow raise, Yerim coughed, “I mean, the headmistress in so long!”

Hyeju sighed, shaking her head. “Still, it’s not exactly like we have much good news to offer her…” She grumbled, but at Yerim’s pout, she sighed. The air in the Academies was warm, and it unsettled Hyeju after the weeks spent in the colder regions of the mountainous highlands, sweat already beginning to collect on her skin beneath the fabric of her uniform and robes. As she glanced down, she caught the flash of purple, and Hyeju wondered when the last time she wore her house colours was.

The pair reached the end of the hall, the echo of their boots swallowed by the velvet silence that always seemed to hang around the Headmistress’s quarters. The towering doors rose before them like the gates of a cathedral, their blackwood surface carved with the Academy’s crest. The gold inlay caught the orange glow of nearby lantern light, flames flickering faintly as though they were alive.

Hyeju paused for only a moment, her hand hovering above the iron handle, before knocking twice, sharp and deliberate.

A muffled “Come in,” drifted through the door, and Hyeju pushed, the hinges groaning faintly as the weight of the wood gave way.

Inside, the room was a world apart from the bustle of the Academy. The air smelled of ink, candle wax, and faintly of old parchment. Tall shelves stretched to the ceiling, laden with tomes and reports, every spine worn from use. Maps were pinned along one wall, threaded with strings and markers in patterns that only Heejin herself could parse. A few candles flickered on the wide oak desk, their flames throwing long shadows across the stacks of parchment, neatly organized into bundles.

Hyeju glanced over towards a couch, catching the stacked pillows and blankets – a makeshift bed the headmistress must have been using. She lets her eyes move forward, and she catches sight of her.

At the heart of the room sat Heejin. At first glance, she was a picture of composure: posture perfectly straight, her dark brown hair pinned back, though a few strands had escaped, brushing her cheeks. Yet, the warm light of her room caught the faint dark circles beneath her eyes, telltale signs of the exhaustion aching in the headmistress’s bones. She looked up as they entered, a golden pen still poised in her hand.

“Hyeju. Yerim.” Her lips curved into a smile, and her shoulders sagged, as if letting out a breath she’d been holding. She places the pen down, leaning back into her chair, before gesturing to the seats before her desk. “It’s great to see you two – welcome back!” She smiled, and Yerim giggled. “Sit. Tell me how it went.”

Hyeju entered first, feet thudding against the floor, Yerim trailing lightly behind with her usual spring. Even as they crossed the office, Yerim remained hooked onto Hyeju’s arm until the taller girl finally gave a faint grunt, tugging free to drop into the chair opposite the desk. Yerim sat beside her with perfect posture, though her playful smile was tempered by the weight of the meeting.

“It went as expected,” Hyeju began, her tone clipped, soldierly. “Professor Sooyoung had sent us up towards the north to help out a village with some Sorrow sightings. There ended up being something close to an infestation,” she muttered, resting her arms against her thighs as she leant forward, nodding, “But they were dealt with.”

Heejin nodded, “That’s… good. The fact you were able to deal with it, I mean,” she sighed, glancing toward Yerim, “Was there anything out of the ordinary?”

At that, Yerim hummed, “We located what we thought was a den, possibly where they were staying. That’s where… we found it,” she mumbled, “The den was also being used as an outpost for the Mobius Cult.”

The headmistress stilled, her brow furrowing, “I see…” her head tilted. She took in Hyeju’s hunched posture and eyes that seemed fixed into an uneasy state, or Yerim’s own folded arms and constant fidgeting, “And based on the way you two are acting, something tells me you both uncovered something… unnerving?” Yerim gave a quick nod as Hyeju sighed, head lowered.

“After we cleared out the Sorrows, The Wolf Scouts raided the base,” Yerim started, “Before one of our members… got a little excited–”

Hyeju sighed, shifting to lean back in her chair as she crossed her arms, “One of them blew it up with explosives.” She muttered quick, and as Heejin’s eyes widened, Yerim gave a sheepish laugh.

“Like I said, before one of them got carried away,” the purple-haired Dandelion shifted forward slightly, hands wringing in her lap, “We found… reports. At first, it was the usual – trade routes of nearby villages, Sorrow sightings, things we believed to be linked to their ritual processes, but… there was something else.”

Heejin knew the Wolf Scouts – knew them as a group of students who’d been hardened by the outside world, youthful attitudes eroded and weathered away after constant combat and isolation from their more normal peers. Yet, even now, their top two members shifted uncomfortably under Heejin’s eyes, and it did little to soothe Heejin’s nerves. If even they were unsettled, just what was waiting to be said?

The black-haired girl sighed, “We found additional notes – ones that dictated things like student missions, which ones were being posted, which professors were leaving on the missions and which ones were staying behind,” Heejin’s brow furrowed as Hyeju went on, “School timetables, the progress of classes – intel about the Academy itself. The kind of information not available to anyone outside of these walls.”

When Heejin glanced over, she met Yerim’s eyes. “In essence… we think there’s a spy,” Heejin suppressed the urge to widen her eyes, instead fixing her posture, interlacing her fingers as she gave a low hum. “We were wondering… has anything happened here recently that was out of the ordinary?” The headmistress thought over the question, and it hit her.

“A student… she was poisoned,” Heejin muttered as Yerim gave a quiet gasp and Hyeju grunted. “Seoyeon. Someone had slipped Devilroot into her water… and we haven’t been able to find any trade routes where they might’ve grabbed it from.”

“Because they wouldn’t have had to go to any markets or traders,” Hyeju continued, “Because the cults always have this stuff on hand…” Yerim frowned as Hyeju shook her head.

“If… if they’re the ones who slipped the poison into Seoyeon’s drink,” Heejin crossed her arms, closing her eyes, “Then it would’ve had to be a student in the same class as her.”

“A student?” Yerim half-whispered, and Hyeju reached over, taking one of Yerim’s hands into her own. Heejin’s eyes darted to their hands, and despite the heaviness in the air, a soft warmth nestled itself in her chest at the action.

Heejin knocked on her desk, standing. She paced towards the window in the office, glancing down at the grounds below. “You speak of this to no one but the Scouts – with how often you’re all out on missions, it’s unlikely a spy would’ve had access to the kinds of information they did.” The pair nod, and Heejin sighs, rougher. “You’re both dismissed. Once Sooyoung returns from her mission, we’ll hold a meeting on what to do next.”

They nod, and she hears the rustling of robes as the two stand. There’s a beat, and she feels a hand on her shoulder. When she glances over, she doesn’t see Hyeju or Yerim walking towards the door, and both are at her side. She smiles, weaker, less like the composed Headmistress and closer to the woman who looked after them when no one else did. “Unnie… remember, we’ve got your back.” Hyeju muttered, tone softer, and Yerim beamed as she nodded.

She let out a breath, “I know… go, you’ve earned yourselves some rest.” She reached out to ruffle Hyeju’s hair, and the fourth-year grunted as she slapped her hand away, and Heejin let herself laugh as Hyeju paced towards the door. Yerim giggled as she followed, offering a wave as the door closed behind them.

Once they left, Heejin walked back towards her chair, and collapsed. She glanced over to the photo on her desk – of herself, Hyunjin, Haseul and Vivi, bright smiles as they were crowned official mages on their graduation from the Academy, now dressed in official Mage uniforms.

“We’re in a lot more trouble than we bargained for… aren’t we?”

=====

Seoyeon lay half-buried in the broken trees, the breath knocked out of her lungs, her chest screaming with agony where the Evolutionary’s warped fist had struck. She tried to move, but the pain lanced through her ribs like knives, and the edges of her vision blurred, a metallic taste clinging to her tongue. For a moment, she thought she might simply fade into unconsciousness.

Then a voice thundered on the inside of her skull, its tone commanding, impossible to ignore.

“Fight, child!”

It seared through her bones as she groaned, and with it came heat, a golden light pouring into and flooding through her veins, eyes briefly flashing gold. The pain ebbed away as though pulled from her body, replaced with a thrumming fire that radiated from her chest outward as she stumbled, attempting to stand. Her wounds closed, the ache dulled, her limbs no longer heavy. Her Soulborne blade shimmered in her grasp, glowing brighter than ever, the flames along its edge flaring like wings.

The Evolutionary burst from the treeline, her body convulsing grotesquely as she howled, her arm twisting and bending, becoming what looked closer to a sharp set of chains as she threw them back, before letting them shoot forth, hooked ends ready to snag onto Seoyeon. The blonde’s eyes widened, and she raised her sword above her head, before bringing it back down, an arc of flame lighting the air.

The chains snapped and shattered, but the Evolutionary lunged forth, twisting in the air to kick the side of Seoyeon’s head, knocking the girl across the forest and into a more open clearing. The blonde groaned, shaking her head, before hearing a scream behind her. Her head perked up, and she pushed herself off from the ground and rolled to the side, feeling the ground shake as something landed where she once was.

She caught the sight of the Evolutionary’s arm, now twisted into a metallic drill. Adrenaline thrummed in her veins, and Seoyeon shot to her feet, raising her sword as the drill spun, dust clouding the air as the Evolutionary swung it from the earth. Seoyeon barely had any time before the Evolutionary brought the drill back down, and the blonde raised her sword, sparks flying as the drill collided with her blade.

Gritting her teeth, Seoyeon felt the Evolutionary press down harder, her knees protesting, threatening to buckle as she was pushed down. Her sword was raised, the edge of it coated in fire as it continued to drive against the Evolutionary’s drill. Seoyeon gritted her teeth, glaring as her legs screamed out in protest. Before they gave out, an idea came to Seoyeon. In one swift movement, she followed through with a cut, momentarily throwing the Evolutionary off balance as they shifted back slightly, before the weight of their drill brought them back down.

The drill would have ripped and pierced through Seoyeon’s skin, but Seoyeon felt her aura and mana within her body, the two rivers flowing. In those fragments of seconds, Seoyeon recalled her hours of training with Hyunjin and Heejin, and swallowed.

Symphony: Fortissimo

A bright light shone, and the Evolutionary hissed as their attack was deflected, pushing them back as their drill almost hit Seoyeon’s shoulder. Seoyeon moved quick, flames flickering around her eyes as her sword glowed with the heated sparks, before she threw forth another swing of her sword, sending a slashing arc of wild golden flames, burning into the Evolutionary’s skin as they flew back in an explosion. They rolled across the ground, before their back met the firm bark of a tree.

The figure heaved, the wound slowly mending, although not fully, blood still oozing out slowly, flesh still faint burnt. “Of course…” she chuckled, rage subsiding partially, “Of course the Phoenix’s flames hurt me… they aren’t like those pathetic embers the Falcon calls forth… The Phoenix’s wretched flames just have to burn the soul itself.” She stood slowly, “Do you even know what kind of power you possess, you brat?”

Seoyeon said no words, only shifting back into a stance, and the Evolutionary chuckled, blood still dripping from beneath their mask. “No matter… What good is a weapon designed to kill me if you can’t even target me?” They extended both arms, one shifting into a spiked mace, the other a bone-white sword with two serrated edges, before sprinting forth.

The blonde raised her sword, parrying one of the Evolutionary’s sword strikes, before ducking past a strike of their mace, only for the masked figure to land a kick, sending Seoyeon back. Raising their mace again, they shot forth, and Seoyeon grunted, planting her sword firmly into the ground, slowing her down as she landed both feet against the ground. The Evolutionary neared, and Seoyeon raised her hand, wild flames spilling forth as the Evolutionary cackled, arms shifting into wings as they flew back.

“Look at you, summoning such fire without losing your mind,” One winged appendage shifted into a silver sickle, the other into the head of a heavier black-purple hammer. “Very few get to have such a privilege.” Seoyeon knew beneath the mask lied a sneer, and she watched as two additional arms clawed out from the masked cultist’s shoulders.

The figure surged forth again, hammer raised as Seoyeon kicked against the ground, flames shooting out and propelling her into the air. The hammer crashed, cratering the ground, cracks spiderwebbing out from the earth as they pulled the hammer back. Seoyeon brought her sword back behind her head, flames igniting along the edge as she came back down.

The Evolutionary parried the slash with the sickle, Seoyeon’s body shifting with the sudden change in momentum, before the top of the hammer slammed against her stomach, shooting her back towards a tree near the edge of the clearing. Seoyeon gritted her teeth, feeling the air be pushed out from her lungs as she propped herself up with her sword, letting the tip cut into the ground.

She barely had time to think before the Evolutionary cackled, growing close. The blonde parried another blow with the sickle, and let flames spew out from her side when the hammer neared, warding off the attack. The Evolutionary jumped back slightly, and Seoyeon could only imagine the figure was transfixed by the flames.

“Fire…” she grumbled, before surging forth again, hammer raised. Seoyeon felt her mana hum and intensify around her side, the flames growing hotter, roaring.

Guard Technique: Hardflame Shield

The hammer seemed to bounce off Seoyeon’s body, one end glowing red from the contact as the Evolutionary hissed. “Those flames are practically solid…” She mumbled, before giggling. “I’m getting really tired of this!” She swung the sickle, and Seoyeon’s eyes widened as she gritted, parrying away the hit, and raising her flame-based barrier when the hammer came towards her again. She was being slowly pushed out of the clearing, and the blonde grimaced, before shoving forth with a wild sword swing.

Just as her sword neared the Evolutionary, she watched their figure blur. The sword went right past them, as if Seoyeon had swung at an empty space, and the sickle swung forth, cutting through Seoyeon’s side as she gasped, before a kick hit her knee, and Seoyeon’s weight buckled. Her sword fell from her grasp, and she landed on her hands. The Evolutionary hummed gleefully, before one of the shoulder-arms picked Seoyeon up by her hair.

She winced, and the Evolutionary chuckled. “I bet you’re thinking, ‘Oh? But I’m sure I hit her?’ Well, it’s a neat little trick I picked up,” she half-whispered, giddy, “It’s one thing to mask the shape of your body, but your soul? Even your soul-harming flames would be ineffective if they couldn’t detect me~” She sang, before her voice dipped into a lower register.

“You insolent brat… let’s see you worm your way out of this one… I wonder what shape to make you…” Their other arm slowly edged closer, hand open as it closed around Seoyeon’s face, and Seoyeon felt the blood rush from her. “Oh, so many ideas~ Do you know how many people I’ve hurt? Twisted beyond recognition? Oh, oh to hear your voice when that happens…” she giggled again, “It’ll make my entire pathetic existence so much more worth it all…”

She waited for something, anything, and yet…

A scream rang through the air, and it wasn’t Seoyeon’s.

The blonde fell to the ground, scalp aching from where the Evolutionary had grabbed her. She glanced up, watching them fumble backwards, arms returned to normal, and her two extra ones now severed on the floor, skin and bone completely charred. On her main body, new blazing gashes lay on their form. The scream shifted, and the Evolutionary tossed their head back as they laughed.

The Evolutionary staggered, smoke rising from the fresh burns gouged across her twisted frame. Her laughter rattled like broken glass, unsteady and raw, but no less mocking.

“Ohhh… so that’s it.” Her head tilted, mask twitching with every word. “A piece of the Phoenix… hiding inside you. Most bodies only cradle one soul – one flame, one life, so simple to reach in and tear apart. But you…” She dragged her hands across her own chest, before smearing blood against the porcelain mask, wiping her hands down against it. “You’re a maze. If I strike, what soul do I burn? Yours… or the god’s? Either way, they bite back.”

Seoyeon forced herself to her feet, sword still heavy in her trembling hands. Her vision blurred from the wound in her side, but the Phoenix’s fire burned steadily in her chest, refusing to let her fall as the pain in her injuries slowly subsided.

The Evolutionary’s voice hardened, sharper now, less playful. “All Elders are the same, brat. They pretend to shield you, their pets, their guinea pigs. But the Headless?” She shook her head, a light laugh. “It only guards its experiments enough to keep them breathing. Not a heartbeat more. That’s why your flames…”

Her fingers flexed into claws, trembling with manic hunger. “...Are still my weakness. Immune to my own magic, and I’m weak to you… if only you had some way to see my soul no matter what, then perhaps you’d be my ultimate counter.”

At those words, an idea sprung forth into Seoyeon’s mind. But before she could enact it, and just as the Evolutionary readied to shoot forth, the world exploded in a deafening crack.

A thunderclap split the clearing, ringing through the air and in Seoyeon’s ears. A massive axe, spinning through the air, crashed straight through the Evolutionary’s chest. Her scream cut short, replaced with a wet, rasping gurgle as she staggered back, impaled as she collapsed. When the blonde looked forth, Seoyeon could make out an almost wolf-like head with its maw open, between the handle and the blade of the axe itself.

The ground shook again. A second weapon slammed down alongside a uniformed figure – a colossal warhammer, dark blue metal at the top twisting, vaguely resembling a dragon’s head, a frigid blue mist spilling forth where its eyes should have been. The air itself seemed to recoil from its weight.

Seoyeon blinked, dazed, and then she saw her.

Sohyun stood before her, the usual bandages around her arms shredded away, revealing sharp blackish-blue scales gleaming beneath her skin. Jagged fins jutted along her forearms, glimmering in the sunlight like blades, her fingers sharpened into claws. She extended her free arm, and the axe flew from the Evolutionary’s chest with a sickly sound, before landing in Sohyun’s grasp.

She glanced back at Seoyeon, eyes steady, jaw tight. She gave a faint nod. “The cavalry’s here.” Sohyun said, her voice low, serious, absolute.

The Evolutionary twitched, her form convulsing as she clawed at the hole torn in her torso. And then – she cackled. Her body moved as if she was being pulled up, and Seoyeon watched the wound repair itself seamlessly, as if it had never been there in the first place. Her grip on her sword tightened, and a thought ran through her mind.

So… this is what most weapons do to her… next to nothing, She shifted into a stance, No wonder my flames had her so angry…

“I knew something was off about you,” she wheezed, laughing toward Sohyun. “That strength, that smell, oh, I could smell it from a mile away! You’ve been hiding it, haven’t you?” Sohyun’s hands shook as her grip around her two weapons tightened, and only then did it hit Seoyeon – Sohyun was carrying two Soulbornes. Her voice rose, high and wild, every syllable thrumming with glee. “Another Elder’s little puppet. Another chosen brat.”

The serpentine hiss of her laughter filled the air as her mask tilted toward Sohyun, voice cracking with delight.

“The Dragon’s pet stands before me.”

=====

The moment the heads shot forth, the group dispersed. Jiwoo had grabbed and tossed Chaeyeon over her shoulder, before letting a fiery blast ring out from the tip of her spear. The two were launched as a serpentine maw crashed against the earth, the two landing atop a large tree further out, though still able to view the battle. Chaeyeon let out a heavy sigh as she sat on one of the branches, watching two of the heads surge forth, although she noted how the frilled central head stayed back, eyes scanning.

Before Chaeyeon could get a word out, Jiwoo had jumped down and shot forth again, before slamming the tip of her spear into one of the serpentine heads, a blast ringing out as the head rocketed back. Jiwoo landed, and held her spear toward the creature, Mayu cowering behind her. “Stay near Chaeyeon-unnie and the professor.” She ordered, and Mayu nodded, rushing over toward the tree Chaeyeon was in, and the professor seemed to wander over too, evidently distracted by an insect crawling along her finger.

When Jiwoo turned her attention back to the serpent, it shot forth fast. She readied her spear, but before it collided with her, a blur slammed into its side, causing it to slam into some nearby trees, giving a low hiss as it shook its head, stunned. Jiwoo turned, meeting Yubin’s confident grin, “Don’t get lazy now, watch yourself.” She joked, but her joy was short-lived as a high-pitched hiss rang out, and the serpent coiled before surging towards the pair.

A black arrow zipped past the pair, making their hair whip back from the sudden rush of air, and landed against the serpent’s fang, breaking it off with a surge of black and purple wisps of mana. The creature screeched, black fluids leaking from the fangs, and when the pair turned around, the sight of Hyerin’s red hair greeted them, her eyes glowing with their purple, a sign of her family’s gift.

“Don’t get lazy now,” she warned, harkoning back to Yubin’s words, “Watch yourself.” Despite her monotone voice, a hint of a smile ghosted her lips, and Yubin grinned. The older girl laughed, before jumping toward the head, and Jiwoo rolled her eyes, before following her friend.

Elsewhere, the other head hissed, flowing through the trees as it chased a running Soomin. The young girl panted, running out of breath, and when she turned around, the serpent opened its jaw wide. She let out a startled yelp, before the serpent shot forth, and bit down onto the girl. Yet, its jaw snapped uselessly, the girl disappearing in a puff of smoke.

“Ha! Look, the dumb thing thought it got me~” Her voice loomed, echoing around the trees as the serpent hissed, glancing around. The empty forest greeted the creature, and before it turned around, a sharp pain jutted into its neck.

Above, Yeonji had dropped down with a low growl, shoving her heavy sword into its neck. It screeched, writhing and tossing its heavy body around, eventually managing to wrestle Yeonji off of it, though her sword remained embedded in its neck. Yeonji grunted, colliding with several trees, all splintering the minute she hit them. The green-haired girl landed against one more, snapping the old tree in half before she fell, coughing as she slowly stood, shaking her head.

“Stupid snake…” She grumbled, extending her hand. The creature screamed, and Yeonji’s oversized blade wrenched itself out of the creature’s muscles, ripping through them before it landed in her grasp with a thud, the short girl adjusting to the weight, before shifting into another stance.

A chakram whizzed through the air, slicing at its new weakpoint, black ichor spilling out as it hissed, and Soomin giggled as the chakram was recalled back to her. The serpent shifted, glaring at her. It coiled, readying to strike, but a barrage of bullets nailed its side, a heavier shot sinking into its eye as the creature shrieked, black ichor spilling from the socket as it turned, and Yooyeon stared it down, cold. An orb began to grow and glow at the end of one of the barrels, reddish-pink in colour, and as it shot forth, it expanded, and the serpent was fired back.

Special Technique: Repulsion Rouge

Yeonji grinned, slamming the flat of her sword against the oncoming scaled body, before directing the body up into the air with all her strength. A flash of white shone above, and the creature was pinned right back down to the ground, Jiyeon’s white sabre stuck in the blown-out socket, a white glow surrounding the creature’s head. Yeonji hummed, before swinging her sword and letting it rest against her shoulder.

“What even is your magic?” Yeonji asked, curious as Jiyeon’s black sabre remained in her grasp, resting against her hip as if sheathed.

The older girl hummed, “To simplify a concept from an entirely different kingdom,” Jiyeon mumbled, before staring up at Yeonji, “The Swans are gods of Duality and Balance, and so one way this manifests in the idea of Yin and Yang,” at Yeonji’s head tilt, Jiyeon sighed, head lowering, “I’ll give you a whole explanation later… basic gist is I control extremes – hot and cold, active or passive,” she stared down at the creature, white sabre pinning the monster down, “And push and pull.”

“Not too different from unnie, then!” Soomin giggled from afar, only for a slight nudge to her side.

“You okay?” Yooyeon asked, and Soomin nodded, and her older sister sighed. “The Frog is a god of games and creation, yes, but that doesn’t mean your illusions will save you every time… be careful.” She muttered, ruffling her sister’s hair, ignoring Soomin’s protests.

All the while, Chaeyeon watched on. Chaeyeon’s eyes widened as the cobra-like head of the Sorrows arched back, its frills glowing with a venomous light. It glanced towards the serpent Yubin, Jiwoo and Hyerin had busied themselves with, and the thrills shone, before the creature hissed, a sudden surge of energy as it thrashed and burst upward. It pivoted, before lunging at a startled Hyerin, who saved herself through a jump to the side, before being grabbed and pulled away again to safety by Yubin.

Her eyes went back to the frilled head, watching it hiss, bearing its sharp fangs – something more akin to sharpened and jagged metal than bone. “Is it…” she mumbled, Mayu’s eyes snapping to her, “Communicating with them?”

Below them, Vivi hummed as she examined a beetle that had crawled along the bark. “Violet Sorrows are usually snake-like, preferring to burrow and tunnel, often fighting with Tellawyrms over territory,” she mumbled distractedly, “An Alpha Violet usually has those frills and commands the lower Sorrows – unsurprising the Alpha that was stitched on is the ‘brain’ of this chimera, so to speak.”

Chaeyeon nodded, eyes soon drawn back to the frilled head. She watched the purple glow along the frills build and swirl, and as the light grew brighter, it stared down at where the other head was. The glow’s colour darkened, and what looked like a jewel emerged on its head. The crackling hum of light built to a sharp burst before it spat a beam of violet energy from the jewel.

The blast ripped across the battlefield, towards the head targeted by Yeonji and the others. On the ground, Jiyeon barely had time to react before the force caught her mid-stride, flinging her from the serpent’s skull and hurling her across the clearing. She landed with a pained grunt, her sabres sparking faintly as she tried to rise.

The frilled head hissed in triumph before swiveling, its gaze locking onto Yooyeon and Soomin, the other head writhing and going after Jiyeon and Yeonji. Yooyeon gritted her teeth, the barrel of her guns snapping up in defiance, but the beam fired before she could brace. With a flicker of desperation, Yooyeon grabbed Soomin’s wrist, and the pair vanished in a blink of pink light.

They reappeared high among the treetops, only for the Sorrow’s head to lunge after them, its jaws snapping shut on the trunk like a guillotine, and sharp blades of air tore through the forest, shredding the greenery. Wood cracked, bark exploded outward, and the girls plummeted as the tree was ripped apart, along with their nearby surroundings.

Yooyeon rolled as she hit the earth, hissing as she rose to a knee, whilst Soomin skidded beside her, groaning as she scraped her forearm. Yooyeon stumbled, temple aching, and she froze for a moment. Her head felt lighter, and when she gazed forth, strands of her long black hair drifted down in front of her face. A quick hand through her hair revealed it to be much shorter than it once was, possibly going down to just below her neck now. The Sorrow’s strikes had sheared it short, dark locks scattering across the forest floor.

The serpent hissed again, already striking down to finish the job. As it lunged, its fangs ready to pierce her, black sand surged upward in a roaring tide, forming a jagged barrier that caught the blow with a thunderous crack. The serpent let out a startled hiss, and a familiar chuckle rang in Yooyeon’s ears, boots thudding against the floor.

Nakyoung stepped forward, scythe gleaming in her grip, a sharp smile breaking across her lips. “Careful, unnie,” she called, her voice warm despite the danger. “I’d rather not lose you to a haircut gone wrong.” Despite herself, a quiet breath of relief slipped out of Yooyeon, as she gazed forth. The sand shifted, almost blotting out the surrounding light, a deep black rather than the usual dirtied gold like the sand on the beachside.

With a sweep of her weapon, the wall collapsed into spears, stabbing outward and forcing the cobra head back. The Sorrow shrieked, thrashing as Nakyoung pressed the attack, black sand curling around her legs and arms like gauntlets and greaves. The head hissed, shooting forth, and Nakyoung batted aside its lunges with her reinforced limbs. “Go!” she barked over her shoulder, sand now shaping itself into an oversized javelin as it shot forth, pushing the serpent back. “Get back to the others!”

Yooyeon’s eyes lingered a heartbeat too long, but Soomin grabbed her sleeve, and Yooyeon sighed. Together, the sisters sprinted back toward Jiyeon and the others, leaving Nakyoung to face the cobra-like head alone. The serpent shifted, almost tilting its head as it examined Nakyoung’s stance, and its eyes narrowed as it glanced around. Its eyes moved towards the treeline and – it hit Nakyoung.

Chaeyeon, the professor… Mayu.

The Sorrow shot forth towards where the three were, and they were startled. It was fast – much faster than any of the heads so far, shooting forth like a train bursting off its rails. Chaeyeon readied her shields, and Vivi looked on, as if the monster wasn’t even there, making no effort to do anything. Mayu stood rooted to the spot, trembling as the monster’s shadow fell over her.

Mayu winced as she hit the ground hard, her elbows scraping against stone as the air tore from her lungs. A sharp pain seared through her ribs, each breath shallow, ragged, and desperate. Her Soulborne lay only a few feet away, its faint silver glow pulsing like a heartbeat, but it may as well have been a mile. She reached out, trembling fingers stretching toward the weapon, yet before her fingertips brushed the hilt, the sound stopped her cold.

A guttural huff.

Her gaze jerked up, and there it was. The Scarlet Sorrow.

Its body loomed like a nightmare given flesh, muscles bulging beneath tar-dark skin, veins glowing a fiery red. Twin horns blazed as though dipped in molten metal, heat shimmering around their edges as smoke coiled and rolled around them. With each breath it exhaled, smoke hissed from its nostrils, the stench of burning iron and rot filling the cavern. Its bovine frame lowered, one massive hoof scraping across stone with a grinding screech. Sparks danced where it struck.

Mayu froze.

Her body betrayed her, every nerve alight with terror. She knew she had to move, to call her Soulborne, to do something. But her hand shook uselessly in the air, and her chest felt tighter with every second. Fear curled through her stomach like barbed wire, spreading through her veins until her limbs locked stiff. Her ears rang, drowning out the cries of her allies.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. It was supposed to be a simple mission, yet she was staring death in its eyes – empty, sunken, yet glowing a faint crimson.

This was it.

The Sorrow roared, surging forward in a blur of muscle and hate. The ground trembled beneath its charge. Mayu could only watch as death rushed toward her, eyes wide and glassy. Thoughts flickered, desperate and horrified – Lynn weeping, alone again in a world without her, without any real family. Nakyoung’s bright smile breaking into horror, the others shattered, grieving. She wanted to scream apologies, but her lips only quivered.

The world slowed, the Sorrow’s horns lowering to pierce through her chest. Nakyoung’s voice cracked in the air, screaming Mayu’s name, useless, frantic.

A figure moved. Hyungseo.

Her robes were torn, her shoulder soaked in crimson from wounds already half-fatal. She carried no weapon in her grasp, yet she hurled herself forward with all the strength her body still carried. One desperate surge placed her between the charging beast and the frozen girl.

The Sorrow’s horns drove through her with a sickening crack. Blood burst across the stone floor, the sound of bones snapping reverberating like thunder. Hyungseo’s gasp was cut short as the Scarlet Sorrow lifted her from the ground, impaled through the torso.

Mayu’s breath caught, but she still didn’t move.

Hyungseo’s head tilted back, her eyes finding Mayu’s through the haze of agony. For a fleeting moment, there was no hatred in them like Mayu expected, only the faintest, fragile smile. A silent reassurance. A final comfort.

Then the beast roared again, thrashing as Hyungseo raised one hand, and in a flash of light, cast one last spell. With a groan, the monster collapsed, and Hyungseo’s body fell, utterly limp as crimson leaked out of her in rivers.

And Mayu, still kneeling in blood and dust, could only stare, trapped in her terror, as the last light faded from the woman who had stepped into death in her place.

The images flashed in Nakyoung’s mind, and she cursed, vaulting into its path just as the jaws descended. Her black sand swirled around her, and surged again, wrapping its teeth in a suffocating grip, holding it back with visible strain. She leapt over it, landing before Mayu and Chaeyeon. She raised her scythe, and snarled over her shoulder, voice like a whip crack. “How many times does someone else have to save you, Mayu!?”

The older girl flinched, shame burning in her chest. “Chaeyeon,” the black-haired girl looked up, “Go towards Soomin and the others, they might be hurt–” But before the short-haired blonde girl could finish her words, a blue streak cut through the air. A trident buried itself in the cobra’s skull, shattering bone with an explosion of water. The serpent convulsed, shrieking as ichor poured down its jaw, and soon, the head itself was decimated.

Two loud cries rang through the air, and a confident hum echoed behind Nakyoung and Mayu. The trident twisted free on its own, spinning through the air before shooting off and skewering a second head in a single brutal motion, before Yubin and Jiwoo. It returned to its user, and when Nakyoung glanced behind her, she was met with Lynn’s bright expression.

Her trident gleamed in her grip, her smile calm and bright as though the battlefield itself bent to her rhythm. “You look like you could use a hand.” She teased, her eyes darting between Nakyoung’s stance and Mayu’s pale face.

Around Jiyeon, a burst of red butterflies swirled around her, and she glanced around. The sounds of blades cutting flesh was almost sickening, and the butterflies soon collected before Jiyeon, before a flash of light, Xinyu now standing in their place. A playful grin danced on her face, daggers twirling between her fingers. From the shadows, claws slick with scarlet light, Sullin emerged, her calm composure sharpening into quiet menace as the Wisteria looked onto the lone head.

“Sorrows are typically a threat not meant for students of our rank,” She mumbled, claws hardening, “But I’m fairly certain we’re more than enough, right Jiyeon?” She offered, the gentle smile on her face contrasting the bloody constructs around her, and Jiyeon simply nodded.

The group looked on, and if a monster knew how to cower with fear, it would.

=====

For a few tense minutes, no one moved, and Sohyun exhaled through her nostrils, her breath misting in the air.

Sohyun’s… also blessed by an Elder? Seoyeon’s eyes moved to the older girl’s forearms, unveiling their scaled and jagged appearance as they clenched around the handles of her weapons. The Evolutionary laughed, hand shifting into an elongated clawed limb, and they shot forth.

Sohyun didn’t waste a second. She swung her axe, a gale whipping through the air and around the forest, before she brought it down against the clawed strike the Evolutionary gave. The wind howled as nearby leaves scattered like frightened birds, trunks cracked as if split by lightning, and the Evolutionary stumbled back a step from the sheer force of the gale, clawed fingers ripped clean off. The Evolutionary hissed, hand already regenerating.

Seoyeon’s hair whipped violently in the sudden winds as she staggered upright, watching the winds coil and bite like fangs.

But Sohyun wasn’t finished. Her left hand flexed, black-blue scales catching the light as the warhammer pulsed to life, a frigid cloud spilling from the dragon-headed crest. She swung toward the ground, and the world seemed to freeze. Frost crawled across the ground like veins of glass, racing toward the Evolutionary’s feet. Shards erupted in jagged pillars, encasing the monster’s legs in a sheath of solid crystal. For the first time since this fight began, Seoyeon saw the Evolutionary falter, their movements arrested, bound in glacial teeth.

Wings exploded out from their back, attempting to fly away, yet she still struggled. “The Dragon’s Ice…” she mumbled, before giggling, “The polar opposite to the Phoenix’s flames, yet just as dangerous for little old me.”

Sohyun’s voice rang out over the cultist’s, wind and frosted air whipping around her almost like a whirlwind. The strong winds nearly ripped trees from their roots, snow and ice gathering from thin air before cascading downward in a shimmering storm toward the cultist. Razor-edged icicles shot forth like a thousand spears, shredding the air around the Evolutionary, one digging into her shoulder.

The monster screeched as shards cut across her body, and yet her laughter never truly stopped. With a violent lurch, her form bled into smoke. “You’re just like that blonde brat!” Her voice echoed, and Seoyeon watched as the Evolutionary’s body truly broke apart, unraveling into a roiling cloud of ash-black vapor streaked with pale crimson. “You may carry the silver bullet, but what good is it if you can’t even see my soul?”

The icicles skewered empty air, the winds tore through smoke, and when Sohyun launched forth, her hammer bit nothing but smoke. The thick clouds coiled around the air, carried by Sohyun’s own winds, and the third-year narrowed her eyes.

Seoyeon felt her hands tremble around her sword as she shifted into a stance, glancing around. Sohyun’s attacks would have ripped right through the cultist, the shift in weight shaking the earth with each swing, but nothing. Vague visages of the cultist would flash like mirages, and each swing doing next to no damage. Sohyun backed away, and Seoyeon neared her slightly.

The Evolutionary’s voice surrounded them, multiplied and warped through the haze. “Ahhh, look at you. Wind to strip away flesh, ice to crack the marrow, flames to boil blood, all wielded like tools of the gods… but tell me, you puppets, how do you carve apart fog?”

The mist swirled, and claws shot out from nowhere, raking across Sohyun’s abdomen. She staggered, black-blue scales forming around the wound as it slowly sewed itself back together, yet Sohyun’s jaw clenched in frustration. Chains shot out from the clouds, striking Sohyun’s shoulder and slashing against Seoyeon’s leg as she gasped. Sohyun growled, swinging both weapons again when another set of chains shot towards them, wind and frost blasting outward as they shattered.

Seoyeon’s grip tightened on her sword. She remembered the way her flames had bitten earlier, the way the Evolutionary had screamed when her soul was burned. If Sohyun’s ice could do the same, then the only issue was the mask, the masquerade. Sohyun couldn’t target what she couldn’t see, Odd Eye glimmering uselessly.

Her chest throbbed, her breath quickening. The Phoenix’s warmth still burned inside her veins, an insistent drumbeat urging her onward. And then the words of the Evolutionary echoed in her head: If only you had some way to see my soul…

The eyes, the golden eyes.

Her pulse spiked. She closed her eyes, then snapped them open, golden fire flaring across her irises. The forest dimmed around her, light smothered, and the world bled into shades of pale. But through the gray mist of the Evolutionary’s cloud, she saw it – a tangled knot of light, malformed and writhing with a violet hue, hidden deep inside the storm. A soul.

“There!” She shouted, her voice carrying above the storm.

She raised her sword high, ignoring the way chains would slash at her body, flaming roaring along the edge of her sword. Her mana crackled in her veins, her blade glowing a hot white, before Seoyeon ran and slashed at the light. It tore through the mist. The flames clamped down on the soul like jaws.

Special Technique: Searing Slash

The Evolutionary shrieked. The cloud buckled, twisting violently before collapsing inward. Smoke condensed, body reformed, flesh crawling back into place until the masked figure stood before them again, clawing at the charred gash now cut across her chest. The laughter that spilled from her was strained, high-pitched, but still taunting.

Her mask turned toward Seoyeon, and her voice dripped with mock pleasure. “So that’s your trick. Those damned eyes – I almost forgot you were a Yoon,” she winced, blood oozing from the cut. “You’re starting to become… irritating.”

Before she could advance, the forest split with a deafening crack. A shockwave flattened the grass, knocking branches free from their trunks. Nien dropped into the clearing like a falling star, one palm pressed into the ground, the other raised as residual force rippled outward. Dust blasted in every direction, and the Evolutionary staggered, her footing disrupted.

“Sorry I’m late,” she panted, “But I brought company!” She shouted.

Another impact followed, faster than the Evolutionary could have anticipated – a sharp blade slamming into her back as yellow sparks exploded into the air, a loud noise ripping through the clearing. The force of Hyunjin’s Crescendo shot the Evolutionary forth, and before they could recover, Nien drove her fist into the Evolutionary’s front, rocketing her right back to Hyunjin. This time, Hyunjin shifted, and threw a kick towards the cultist’s body, another burst of yellow sparks frying the air.

The cultist hissed, tumbling as she rolled against the ground. Her head whipped toward her two new assailants, then back to Seoyeon and Sohyun, all four now standing together. Her gaze darted between them, then past them, where the forest still shuddered with the movements of her damaged Sorrow fusion. The serpent’s alpha head screamed in pain somewhere in the distance, before being silenced.

A Mage empowered by two consecutive Crescendos, an inhumanly strong freak of nature, and two blessed puppets of the Elders… She mentally cursed, slowly standing. Her tone dropped into something almost wistful. “My, my. Look at the little orchestra you’ve gathered.” Her hands flexed, shifting unnaturally, nails elongating into blades before retreating. “But I think it’s time I patch myself up… and my pretty, too. After all, its hearts still remain.”

The ground shook violently. The Sorrow’s body convulsed before plunging underground, burrowing deep, the forest floor collapsing in its wake. The Evolutionary’s outline flickered – her body began to lose definition, as though the flesh itself was unraveling into smoke. Shadows bled away from her limbs, her torso hollowed, unraveling strand by strand until she was little more than a silhouette in mist.

And yet, just before she fully dissolved, her head cocked at an uncanny angle. The air went still. Her voice, when it came, was different. No longer shrill, no longer giddy. Lower, softer, familiar in the most gutting way.

Seoyeon’s very own voice spoke back to the group.

“I hope you grow stronger, unnie,” the Evolutionary giggled. The words were hers, but warped, hollowed, dredged up from memory and twisted into something unclean. The timbre was perfect, the cadence unmistakable, and yet the venom threaded through each syllable made it alien. Her tone dripped with syrupy mockery, “I can’t wait to see your eyes go wide in agony… when you fight my pretty again. Don’t think I’ll allow you pests to leave alive.”

The words burrowed like thorns. Seoyeon froze mid-step, her breath seizing in her chest, heat rising in her throat as fury threatened to swallow her whole. Her grip on her Soulborne tightened until her knuckles paled, veins burning with the Phoenix’s fire, but before she could spit a retort, the last of the mist bled into nothingness. The clearing fell silent.

All that lingered was the faint echo of her own voice, mocking her from the void, and the furious drum of her heartbeat in her ears.

For a long moment, the clearing was still. The only sound was the faint crackle of Seoyeon’s flames dying down, the whisper of wind fading as Sohyun lowered her weapons. Her chest rose and fell, scales dimming until her arms shifted into a more blue state, brighter in colouration, and no such jagged fins ran along her forearms.

Nien straightened, brushing dirt off her uniform, and Hyunjin stood firm, blade lowered but still glowing faintly with the aftershock of her Crescendos. Their eyes scanned the treeline, wary of another ambush, but nothing stirred.

Hyunjin was the first to break the silence. Her voice was calm, but the edge of command in it left no room for argument. “We need to set up camp. Regroup, recover, and plan,” she ordered, “Based on her wording, she’ll be back, so we need to have a course of action for that.”

Seoyeon let her sword fall to her side, her arm trembling from the effort of holding it. Her lungs burned, but the Phoenix’s warmth still thrummed in her chest, not just a flame, but a reminder. She caught Sohyun’s glance, the faint nod of respect there, and gave one in return.

=====

The camp was quiet save for the occasional snap of the firewood. Professor Ha Sooyoung had chosen a clearing just off the riverbank, sheltered by jagged stone and moss-covered trunks, along with the parked airships the groups had travelled on. It wasn’t perfectly safe, and Seoyeon doubted anything in the forest ever was, but the makeshift walls gave a sense of enclosure, a place where the battered group could breathe without the looming threats pressing down on them.

A rough circle had been carved into the dirt by boots and fatigue, and a fire crackled at the centre as Sooyoung watched over it, eyes fixed on the flickering golden wisps. She’d tasked Sohyun’s squad with setting everything up, and they moved with familiarity: Xinyu knelt over a stack of crates, arranging food rations into neat rows, while Sullin had begun making markings on a map, the sound of a pen against paper strangely soothing. Sohyun had disappeared into one of the tents, no doubt resting after her fight.

Lynn sat cross-legged on a log near the edge of the firelight, Mayu sitting beside her. Yeonji had taken a seat beside the older girl, and opposite them, Hyerin sat quietly, staring at the floating embers, head resting against Yubin’s shoulder as she gave a tired sigh. Yooyeon sat close, and Soomin lingered near her sister, scissors in hand as she insisted on ‘fixing up’ the older girl’s sudden haircut. Seoyeon had to admit, the cut was cute, and Yooyeon thanked Soomin before disappearing towards the bushes.

No doubt to sit beside Nakyoung at the riverbank, and Seoyeon let her eyes drift towards there, the echoes of an old argument still bouncing around in her mind.

Nakyoung’s voice pierced the air as Seoyeon and the others returned, eyes glaring towards Mayu as Lynn stood between the two girls, eyes swimming with concern as she glanced between her sister and her friend.

“You froze again!” Nakyoung screamed at Mayu, shoulders quivering, eyes wide. “What, are you trying to recreate what happened back then?” She heaved, Nakyoung’s breaths heavy as Mayu glanced away, too fearful to even look the younger girl in the eyes. “Do you want more people to die because all you can do now is just stand there and–”

Mayu’s lips parted, but nothing came out. Her eyes glistened, shoulders hunched inward as though she wished she could vanish into herself.

“That’s enough,” Yeonji had snapped, stepping between them. Her wings were still faintly visible, light shimmering against the wreckage of the battlefield. “You don’t get to throw that in her face!”

“She could’ve gotten people killed!” Nakyoung spat back, pointing a finger towards the smaller girl. “She nearly–”

“Stop it!” Xinyu’s voice was uncharacteristically sharp as she shoved past Lynn and reached for Nakyoung’s wrist, grabbing onto it tight. “You think she doesn’t already know? None of us expected an event like that, so don’t go around screaming at people!”

Nakyoung had jerked her arm free, trembling, caught between fury and grief. “Fuck off, Xinyu,” she spat, and Sohyun furrowed her brow as she stepped forth, “You of all people know someone like her has no reason to act this way!” Sohyun pulled Mayu and Xinyu back, and Lynn gave her a thankful look.

Nakyoung’s eyes glared on, “Why do you keep acting like some sort of coward, Mayu? What happened to the only girl who’d rivalled me in Weaponry class, huh? Where’d she go? And why did she leave someone so pathetic–”

Yooyeon, ever the calmer, had placed herself between them, her voice soft but firm. “Nakyoung. Please. Enough.” Nakyoung’s eyes softened slightly, and she glanced back at Mayu’s cowering frame behind her taller friends. Yubin walked over, placing a hand on Nakyoung’s shoulder, and the older girl sighed, before storming off.

The air fell silent, only Hyunjin and Sooyoung’s hushed whispers as the older professor finally arrived and began directing everyone elsewhere. Jiwoo and Seoyeon walked over to Lynn, and the younger girl sighed, head drooping and shoulders sagging as they all walked towards the camp, Nien quickly took Mayu’s side along with Xinyu and Sohyun.

That silence had followed them all the way to the camp.

Seoyeon’s eyes watched as Nien seemed to hover around Xinyu, and she waved to a passing Jiyeon, who gave a faint smile, before retreating into their airship quarters for some sleep. Chaeyeon floated between groups, hands flowing faintly as she mended wounds such as Soomin’s scraped arm, and the younger girl thanked the black-haired older girl.

Her hands glowed with soft green light as she pressed them to cuts and burns, her expression calm but tired. Seoyeon caught glimpses of the magic knitting skin together, the soft hiss as flesh healed beneath her palms. She worked without complaint, though sweat clung to her brow.

The air was heavy, smoke curling into the cold night air, stinging the lungs. Seoyeon sat near the campfire, her sword across her lap, staring into the flames as her chest rose and fell with a steady rhythm. The Phoenix’s warmth was still in her veins, but it felt muted now, subdued into embers. She let out a sigh, watching sparks drift skyward and vanish into the night.

A tap on her shoulder pulled her from her thoughts.

“Hey.”

Hyunjin crouched down beside her, lowering herself to sit with an ease that belied the stiffness in her muscles. The elder woman’s hair was pulled back messily, her uniform dirtied, but her gaze was steady as always. She gave a wry smile. “You okay?” She asked, handing over a canteen of water. Seoyeon took it, before taking a swig and sighing.

“As much as I can be…” Her eyes returned to watching everyone else. Her eyes drifted to a tent, knowing Sohyun rested inside. She thought back to the day where Sohyun had saved her from the Phoenix’s fire, and it all made more sense now, how she was able to speak so easily to an Elder.

She wondered what kind of noises echoed around Sohyun’s skull.

Hyunjin took in Seoyeon’s furrowed brow, and sighed with a faint smile. “You know,” she started, no doubt about to make some sort of comment to distract the blonde, “It’s a good thing we weren’t still fighting that monster right now.”

Seoyeon blinked, confused. “Why?”

Hyunjin leaned back slightly, her hand resting on her blade. “Because my Oath would’ve gotten in the way.”

“Oath?” Seoyeon tilted her head, mind running back to all of their lessons. “What do you mean?”

For a moment Hyunjin only looked at her, surprise flickering in her eyes. Then she let out a low laugh, shaking her head. “I forgot. You’re still so new to this. I should’ve explained before… it’s not exactly something first-years learn about, for safety reasons.” She mumbled, and Seoyeon handed the canteen back as Hyunjin took a sip herself. “Should’ve brought some wine with me…” She mumbled, and despite herself, Seoyeon laughed.

Hyunjin smiled, and before she could launch into an explanation, another figure slid into place on Seoyeon’s other side, light pink hair fading in from the corner of her eye. Professor Vivi, in this moment looking more present than she had in the past few days, folded herself onto the log with deliberate grace. Her silvery pink hair caught the firelight, her eyes clear and oddly sharp as she spoke.

“Oaths,” she said, voice calm, “Are magical contracts. Similar in nature to the pacts struck between humans and gods, but often narrower in scope. You could think of them as bargains made with the self – or with forces beyond it.”

Seoyeon turned toward her, brows knitting. “Contracts?” Hyunjin hummed, watching as Vivi continued.

“An Oath sets terms. Binding conditions,” her head tilted, watching the flames, “If upheld, they can enhance your power, unlock potential, or grant abilities that would otherwise be unreachable. But they can also limit. Restrict. Even cripple.” Her tone carried a weight that suggested she spoke from personal experience.

Hyunjin added, “And if you break the terms of an agreement, the Oath itself enacts punishment. Always. No one gets away clean,” she sighed, “Believe me…” she mumbled, taking a longer sip of the canteen.

Seoyeon’s grip on her sword tightened slightly. “So… what’s yours?”

Hyunjin smirked faintly, though there was no humor in it. “Mine’s simple. During the night, my strength is halved. I fight weaker, slower, like I’m dragging myself through mud. But when day breaks? That power doubles. My speed, my strength, hell, my Harmonic Ratio – everything becomes sharper. Stronger.”

Seoyeon’s eyes widened. “Why would you agree to something like that?” She muttered, gazing forth, “Limiting yourself like that… don’t reports of Sorrows and Predabeasts tend to spike around the night?”

Hyunjin shrugged, “Someone has to work the day shift,” she joked, lightly nudging Seoyeon, “Besides, it made me what I am,” Hyunjin answered, her voice steady. “Sometimes, limiting yourself teaches you how to fight smarter. Sometimes, it’s the only way to survive battles you’re not ready for. And sometimes…” She paused, gaze flicking toward the fire. “You have to give something up in order to save someone else.”

The older woman held Seoyeon’s gaze, before glancing toward the riverbank, where Yooyeon and Nakyoung sat in silence.

“All Oaths have a price,” Vivi murmured, drawing attention back to herself. “The question is whether the bargain you strike is worth what you give up.”

Silence fell between the three for a moment, broken only by the crackle of wood and the faint murmurs of the camp. Seoyeon found herself staring at her reflection in the blade across her lap, golden eyes glinting faintly in the firelight. Beside her, she heard Vivi yawn, before standing, swaying slightly as she headed into the airship, no doubt to get some sleep. Hyunjin’s figure remained hunched, staring forth at the sky. Seoyeon’s attention shifted toward Mayu and Lynn sitting beside each other.

Seoyeon swallowed, “Earlier…” she mumbled, “When Vivi called you a ‘Butcher’... why?” She asked, and Hyunjin froze momentarily. The older woman sighed, shaking her head with a soft chuckle.

“I really should’ve brought some wine…” she glanced down, swirling the water in the canteen. She looked up, eyes moving to Seoyeon, “You know, I wasn’t always a Strategy Master.” Seoyeon raised a brow, the image of Hyunjin beside a strategy game being something she had grown so familiar with, “I know, I know…” she chuckled, “I used to be a Combat Professor, specialised in Predabeast Cullings.”

Seoyeon nodded, “Is… is that why..?”

Hyunjin let out a quiet bark of a laugh, “If that’s all it took, then we’d all be butchers. No… Several years ago, your mother, Heejin, Vivi and I went on a mission to an island,” Seoyeon’s eyes widened. Her mother. “All the details are confidential, but what you need to know is…”

Hyunjin trailed off, eyes staring at a place far away from where they were, “That island is what cost Vivi-unnie her sanity, and the only way we got out was through… was through an unholy amount of bloodshed from my end.” She downed the rest of the water, tilting her head back. A chill ran down Seoyeon’s spine, and a low hum left Hyunjin. “After that day… I swore to myself that such violence wouldn’t be my legacy. I’d rather be remembered for my mind than the bodies I mauled.”

The Dandelion nodded, satisfied. Her eyes moved back to the campfire, and she stood. “I’ll be back…” she said quietly.

Hyunjin arched a brow but didn’t stop her. Mayu and Lynn sat apart from the others, the older sister’s shoulders hunched, hands twisting in her lap. Her face was pale in the glow of the flames, her eyes downcast, as though she were trying to fold into herself. Lynn looped an arm around her, rubbing her shoulder in an attempt to soothe.

Seoyeon exhaled, steadying herself. Then she crossed past the campfire to approach Mayu, her eyes softening at the small knot of figures ahead. Mayu sat curled in on herself, knees drawn to her chest, Lynn’s arm draped protectively across her shoulders, and Yeonji huddled against her other side. Before them, Soomin shifted restlessly, fingers worrying at the hem of her uniform jacket, with Hyerin close enough to anchor her by holding onto her hand.

“I…” Soomin’s voice cracked, raw in a way that didn’t suit her usual bluntness. Her hand clenched around the scissors at her side as if their weight steadied her. “Earlier, when we were being chased, I called you a coward…” She murmured as Mayu flinched, “...Yooyeon told me what happened, all the stuff with Hyungseo-sunbaenim. I… I’m sorry.” She dipped her head, unable to meet Mayu’s eyes. “You shouldn’t be called that.”

Mayu blinked, lips parting, the words seeming to stagger her. She might have folded further inward if not for Lynn’s gentle squeeze at her shoulder. Mayu shook her head, the movement slowed, and a soft smile worked its way onto her face. “It’s… it’s fine. You weren’t exactly wrong… Don’t worry about it.” Her voice was fragile, but not bitter.

Hyerin threaded her fingers with Soomin’s, a quiet gesture of support. Yeonji’s lips tugged into the faintest smile, surprise flickering across her features at Soomin’s pride giving way to apology.

“You should all rest,” Mayu murmured after a beat, managing a weary smile, before glancing at Yeonji. “You too – I overheard the professors talking. Whatever we end up doing, it’ll be hard enough. Get some sleep.”

The three girls lingered a moment longer, but with Lynn’s small nod, they turned toward the airship. Hyerin and Soomin walked hand in hand, and it wasn’t long before Yeonji slid beside Soomin, a hand gingerly clinging to the older first-year’s wrist. Their voices faded into low murmurs, footsteps swallowed by the dark as they stepped onto their airship, leaving behind the crackle of burning wood and the restless whisper of the night wind.

Seoyeon hummed as she stood beside Mayu, catching her tired eyes. “Mind if I sit?”

Mayu gave the faintest shrug. “Sure…” she smiled, “A friend of Lynn’s is a friend of mine.” Seoyeon nodded at her fellow blonde, and lowered herself onto the log beside her, careful not to intrude too harshly. Lynn tucked Mayu closer still, protective and steady, shooting a smile towards Seoyeon.

A moment later Nien dropped cross-legged into the dirt across from them, her usual sparkle softened into something warmer, almost tender, as shadows from the flames danced across her expression.

“You know, I’ve always wanted to go camping,” she teased lightly. “Just… maybe I imagined less man-eating monsters.”

Mayu let out a half-laugh that collapsed into a sigh.

Seoyeon folded her hands neatly on her knees, her tone patient and even. “Earlier, with Nakyoung… it sounded like you guys have a bit of a history,” she began, and Mayu froze, “I… It seems like a lot is on your mind is all, and I was thinking,” she hummed, eyes falling to the flames, “Do you wanna talk about it?”

For a long while, Mayu only stared at the fire. Its glow gilded her pale face, shimmered in her eyes, and caught on the thin silver chain circling her wrist alongside the bracelet of purple beads. Finally, she exhaled.

“Back then, Nakyoung and I were inseparable. Best friends. We pushed each other in every class, especially Weaponry. People thought we’d be rivals for life,” she smiled, “She used to try and copy my answers during classes, and I used to beg for her to help me train for Combat. It was… nice,” she murmured, “But then…” Her voice thinned. “Her sister.”

She touched the bracelet, thumb rubbing the silver links. Her gaze went distant. “Professor Kim Hyungseo – we just called her Hyungseo-unnie,” Mayu sighed, wistful, “Everyone admired her. Strong, brilliant, kind. She was the sort of professor who’d stay after lessons until every student understood, or would crack jokes in the middle of missions so we wouldn’t be too upset.”

Mayu leaned against her younger sister, “I… I looked up to her more than anyone. I had my first ever drink with her, you know.” She mumbled.

Seoyeon smiled, “She sounds amazing.”

Nien nodded, a soft smile on her face. “She was…” the pink-haired girl mumbled, “When I was a first-year, she’d always say that we’d share a drink when I graduated.” Seoyeon glanced over, catching the remembrance on Nien’s usually bright face.

Mayu’s throat bobbed, “Of course, nothing stays perfect. During our second year, we went on a mission,” she sighed, rougher, “It was routine. Just capturing a few Predabeasts down in some caverns. Nothing dangerous. But from the shadows, we saw it… a Sorrow came.” Mayu shivered, pressing her palm hard against her arm. “It cut through us like we were nothing. And when I dropped my Soulborne, it turned on me–” Her breathing quickened, and she withdrew further in on herself, a quiet gasp leaving her.

Lynn held onto Mayu a little tighter, and the older girl closed her eyes.

“I… I froze. I couldn’t move, couldn’t even scream.” Her voice broke. “And Hyungseo– she–” Tears blurred her vision, her grip tightening on the bracelets around her wrist. “She jumped in. No hesitation. She didn’t even have her weapon drawn. She saved me. And she died.”

Silence settled heavy as ash. Only the fire dared move, crackling sharply before collapsing into embers. Mayu bowed her head, silver chain wrapped around her wrist..

“This was hers,” she whispered. “They gave it to me after…” she shook her head, and her voice went hoarse, “Nakyoung never forgave me. She said if I hadn’t frozen, she would’ve survived. And maybe she’s right,” she muttered, wiping at her eyes, “Everything fell apart after that – our group, our friendship. All because I couldn’t…” She shook her head, fresh tears streaming freely now.

Lynn pressed her forehead gently to Mayu’s temple. “Stop. It wasn’t your fault…” she whispered fiercely, her arms tightening around her older sister.

Seoyeon let the silence linger, her voice quiet but firm when she finally spoke. “Mayu…” The older blonde flinched, and Seoyeon went on, “Freezing doesn’t make you weak. It makes you human – anyone would’ve reacted how you did,” Seoyeon’s eyes flickered over to Hyunjin, and she sighed, “Hyungseo wasn’t just your professor – she was your protector,” she gazed back down, “She was just doing her job. She chose to act. She did what she believed in. That doesn’t make you guilty. It makes her brave.”

Mayu sniffled, lips trembling, her gaze caught between Seoyeon’s calm expression and the chain trembling against her wrist. Lynn gave her a thankful look, and Nien nodded.

“She’s right, Mayu-unnie…” she mumbled, smile warm, “Nakyoung… she’s just lashing out. It doesn’t make what she says okay, but it’s why she says it. None of this is your fault, I don’t even think Nakyoung believes that.” Seoyeon could only smile – leave it to Nien to speak with such warmth.

The younger blonde rose slowly, brushing dirt from her uniform. Her eyes flicked to the riverbank where Nakyoung’s silhouette sat hunched in the dark.

“Which is exactly why I’ll talk to her,” She said, her tone neither sharp nor angry, only resolute and warm. Seoyeon’s gaze softened. “Because grief doesn’t make her cruel. It makes her hurt. And even people lashing out deserve a shoulder to lean on.”

For once, Nien didn’t joke, simply taking Seoyeon’s resolute attitude in. She smiled, clicking her tongue before standing. The hug she threw towards Seoyeon was sudden, and tight, and when Seoyeon glanced at Nien’s face, the pink-haired girl’s grin was muted, earnest. “You’re a good one, Seoyeon. Don’t forget to rest after you play saviour.”

A small laugh slipped from Seoyeon as she hugged her back, rolling her eyes. “I will.”

When they pulled apart, Seoyeon turned and walked toward the riverbank, her shadow stretching long in the light cast by the campfire. The camp grew quieter as she crossed into the darkness, toward the sitting figures at the river’s edge.

The riverbank was quiet, save for the steady rushing of water. Moonlight spilled across the flowing currents, breaking into fractured silver ripples, and the soft night wind carried with it the scent of stone and ash from the smoldering campfire. Nakyoung sat on a jut of rock near the water’s edge, her knees drawn up, arms resting loosely across them. Her gaze was fixed on the dark current, but her jaw was tight, shadows crawling over her eyes.

Yooyeon lingered beside her, legs tucked to the side, fingers idly brushing reeds that bent toward the water. She broke the silence first, her voice even, but with that gentle firmness she usually used whenever lecturing Soomin.

“You shouldn’t have gone at her like that.” She mumbled, glancing towards Nakyoung.

The younger third-year’s lips pressed together, but she didn’t turn. For a moment, it seemed she might ignore it, until she exhaled sharply through her nose. “I know.” Her voice was quiet, but rough, head lowered. “I know I shouldn’t have… But when I saw her freeze like that – her expression, the way her eyes widened – all I could think of was that day, and–” Her hand curled tighter around her wrist, nails digging faintly into the skin.

Yooyeon glanced sideways, her lips parting as though to speak more, but something in Nakyoung’s expression – something brittle, on the edge of breaking – made her hold back. Instead, she only hummed softly and let the sound of the quietly rushing river fill the space.

A soft crunch of boots on soil made both of them glance up. A familiar head of blonde hair stepped into the moonlight, her golden eyes glinting faintly. She stopped a few paces away, before giving the pair her usual warm smile.

Nakyoung’s mouth curved into a bitter half-smile, giving a light scoff as she looked forth. “What, are you here to yell at me too?”

Seoyeon shook her head, easing herself down to sit on a low rock beside them. Her tone was measured, even. “No. Just wanted to say that I heard the full story from Mayu.” They were further out from the group, not so far that they’d be in trouble, but far enough their quiet conversation wouldn’t have any eavesdroppers.

The older girl nodded, sighing, “Just say whatever it is you want to say…” She mumbled, and Yooyeon shot a concerned look towards her friend.

Seoyeon hummed, gazing ahead. “Just… I don’t think you’re entirely wrong, you know,” she began, and Nakyoung’s head perked up in surprise, “If Mayu hadn’t frozen, if she hadn’t been disarmed… maybe things wouldn’t have spiraled the way they did.” She shrugged.

Nakyoung blinked at her, caught off guard by the candor, but before she could respond, Seoyeon’s voice softened, her words careful. “But you know, Nakyoung, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I wanted to know… who is it you’re really mad at?” At that, Nakyoung seemed to flinch slightly, the question hanging heavy in the air.

Yooyeon frowned faintly, shifting uncomfortably as she placed a hand on Nakyoung’s shoulder. She shot a wary glance towards Seoyeon, eyes narrowing. “Careful, Seoyeon.” She muttered, her tone a whispered warning.

Seoyeon’s gaze never wavered. “I don’t mean any harm, just… I wanted to know what you were thinking,” There was a smile in her voice as she spoke, quiet, almost wistful. “Being in a situation like that, something so scary and dire… you were probably thinking a lot of different things, and I thought that if I was thinking like that,” the Dandelion tilted her head, “I’d want someone to listen to them all.”

Nakyoung’s shoulders slumped. For a long time, the only sound was the river, the current pushing past rocks and reeds in a rhythm older than words. Her fingers dug faint grooves into the fabric of her trousers, and she bowed her head, lips pressed thin.

Yooyeon’s hand tightened gently on her shoulder, her frown deepening, before glancing up at Seoyeon a little more coldly. “You’re pushing close to places you don’t understand,” she murmured under her breath. “Not every wound should be pried open just because you want to help.”

Seoyeon didn’t bristle. She only kept her eyes on Nakyoung, her voice steady and soft. “Maybe. But sometimes wounds fester if no one touches them at all.” That quiet persistence hung in the air. Nakyoung breathed out through her nose, a shaky exhale that sounded almost like a laugh. Her gaze dropped to the silver ripples moving endlessly past her boots. “You don’t have to talk about it,” the younger blonde shrugged, “Just thought… maybe you’d want to.”

Nakyoung let out a long breath through her nose.

“On that… that day, when that thing turned on Mayu,” she said finally, voice low and trembling, “I thought… I thought I was going to lose her.” Her hand flexed, curling over her chest. “And I froze. Just like she did.”

Her confession landed heavy, pulled into the silence like a stone sinking beneath the current. She didn’t look at either of them, eyes fixed stubbornly on the dark water. “I wanted to move. I wanted to run in and grab her, drag her out of the way, scream – anything,” her voice cracked, a shaky sigh leaving her lips, “But my body wouldn’t listen. I just… watched…” she scoffed, eyes wet, “And Hyungseo paid the price.”

Her fists clenched against her knees, trembling so hard her nails dug into her palms. The tension in her frame looked as if it might splinter her apart, her whole body shaking with a grief too long carried, haunting as an ache in her bones.

Seoyeon leaned forward, voice steady, grounding as it cut through the quiet rush of the river. “Then maybe you’re not just angry at her,” she said softly. “Maybe you’re angry at yourself. At the world for throwing you both into something you weren’t ready for.” Her words lingered like an echo, low and deliberate, before she added, gentler still, “It wasn’t your fault either.”

Nakyoung’s eyes flicked toward her, widening almost imperceptibly, her breath catching in her throat. The words seemed to strike her harder than she’d expected, not due to any cruelty, but the soft tone and warmth they carried. Each voice she’d heard either carried a harsh dismissal of her feelings, or contempt for lashing out the way she did. Even Yooyeon mainly danced around the topic. But the warmth in Seoyeon’s expression was undeniable, almost inviting.

The night deepened around them. Seoyeon gave her the space to breathe in the quiet, before continuing, “There’s no world where Hyungseo wouldn’t have stepped in,” the younger blonde shrugged, “From what it sounds like, she was who she was. Someone brilliant, and selfless, and most importantly, kind.”

Nakyoung gazed down as Seoyeon went on, “She would have given her life to protect any of her students, and especially Mayu, her sister’s best friend at the time. That was her choice, her love,” Her gaze softened, turning toward Nakyoung, unwavering. “Not your failure, and not Mayu’s weakness.” She spoke softly, although more pointedly with the last part of the sentence.

The Belladonna swallowed hard, her throat bobbing as she blinked fiercely against the heat building in her eyes. She refused to let the tears fall, but they glossed her gaze all the same, making the riverlight blur and waver. Her breath stuttered, uneven, but she kept staring at the current as if the rushing water might anchor her.

Seoyeon leaned back slightly, tilting her head toward the star-flecked sky, specks of white glowing against a blanket of deep indigos and blues. Her tone shifted into something quieter, almost fragile, “I know it may not be my place,” she shrugged, “But… try to be kinder to her. You’re both grieving. And the last thing either of you needs is to tear each other apart when you could be holding each other up.”

Nakyoung didn’t answer at first. Her lips trembled, pressed tight between protest and surrender. The silence stretched, filled only by the whisper of the river and the faint chorus of night insects. Yooyeon’s eyes remained fixed on Seoyeon, gaze more perplexed and inquisitive than it had been prior. At last, Nakyoung exhaled, a long, uneven breath as if releasing something she’d been clutching for far too long.

Her shoulders sagged. Slowly, hesitantly, she shifted toward Seoyeon, her movements stiff and almost awkward. And then, without warning, she wrapped her arms around her in a sudden, fierce hug. It was raw and unpolished, an embrace born from years of bottled grief cracking open at the seams. Seoyeon leaned into it, steadying the trembling frame against her own.

“…Thank you,” Nakyoung murmured into the younger girl’s hair, her voice hoarse and frayed, barely above the rush of the current. She lingered just a moment longer, then pulled away abruptly before her resolve could falter. Without meeting their eyes, she rose, turned toward the tents, and began to walk. Her steps carried a heaviness still, but the slope of her shoulders seemed lighter somehow, as though a fraction of her burden had finally been set down.

The younger watched her go, then sat back down by the water. Yooyeon tilted her head at her, a faint smile curling her lips. “You were good with her. Better than I expected.”

Seoyeon gave a wry hum. “I just listened, everyone deserves at least that,” she shook her head, “It’s nothing special.”

Yooyeon shook her head, her dark hair shifting in the moonlight. “No, it… it actually might be,” she mumbled awkwardly, before speaking firmer, “You said what she needed to hear. And… it was all things I agreed with,” She drew her knees up, hugging them lightly, before giving a quiet chuckle, “Honestly, I… for a long time, I’ve felt Nakyoung wasn’t being honest with herself. But I’ve been too scared of saying the wrong thing and it all ending up with her pushing me away.”

Seoyeon nodded, before shuffling closer to the older girl, “You value your friendship with her a lot, don’t you?”

A bitter smile clinged to the older girl’s expression. “It’s just… Back then, when I saw everyone defend Mayu, all I could think about was how alone Nakyoung must feel in her grief,” she sighed, “She would’ve had to deal with her sister’s death more alone than ever. I didn’t want her to be left behind, even if she wasn’t handling everything the best,” uncertainty flickered across Yooyeon’s expression. “But maybe… maybe I should have said something sooner…”

The blonde eyed Yooyeon curiously, and when the older girl glanced up, her eyes met Seoyeon’s. For a moment, no more words were said, and the two girls stared toward each other. “Seoyeon…” Yooyeon started, before tilting her head, “Does that make me a bad person? The fact I didn’t say it all to Nakyoung earlier?”

Seoyeon tilted her head at the question, her eyes reflecting the pale shimmer of the river. For a while, she didn’t answer, letting the sound of water and wind weave through the quiet. Then, slowly, she shook her head, smiling faintly. “No. It just makes you human.” Her voice was calm, but not dismissive, every word considered. “You were scared. You didn’t want to hurt her more, so you held back. That isn’t cruelty, it’s… care.”

Yooyeon blinked at her, lips parting slightly as if to argue, but nothing came. She glanced away, exhaling through her nose, her arms tightening around her knees. The rippling silver light played across her features, reflecting off her pale, porcelaine skin, softening the edges of her doubt. “I keep thinking through every possible iteration – if I’d said something earlier, if I’d pushed her to face it… maybe she wouldn’t have carried it this far. Maybe she wouldn’t have said those things to Mayu.”

“Or maybe she would have,” Seoyeon offered gently. “Human’s aren’t easy to predict, there are no rules to the probability of emotions,” she chuckled softly, “Sometimes, grief needs time, or the right moment, or…” she paused, searching for the right word, “…or the right voice. Maybe tonight was the first time she could hear it,” her eyes fell to the older girl, “And you were here for her after, weren’t you? That matters.”

Yooyeon’s gaze lingered on her, caught off guard by the quiet assurance. A small laugh escaped her, breathy and tinged with relief. “You make it sound so simple.”

“It isn’t simple,” Seoyeon said, a faint smile tugging at her lips. “But it is enough.” She nudged her shoulder lightly against Yooyeon’s, her warmth grounding against the night air. “You care about her, that’s all that matters at the end of the day.”

The older girl let out a long breath, some of the weight on her chest easing, and tilted her head back to look at the stars scattered wide above them. “You talk like you’ve done this before…” she murmured.

Seoyeon followed her gaze skyward, her expression softening. “Maybe not like this,” she admitted. “But I’ve seen what happens when people are left alone with their pain – it… it isn’t pretty…” She mumbled, “People in the village being consumed with anger or grief after Predabeast attacks, families losing their Mage children to the missions, fear of… fear of the things they don’t understand,” Seoyeon shook her head, “I… I just want to help people live their lives. That’s all.”

Yooyeon turned her head slightly, studying her profile in the moonlight. Her lips curved into a faint, almost reluctant smile. “…You’re harder to figure out than I thought.”

Seoyeon chuckled at that, brushing stray strands of blonde hair from her eyes. “Good. It’d be boring if I were easy.”

The two of them fell quiet then, the river whispering on and the stars keeping watch, until the faint call from the camp signaled that the night was slipping toward its end. Neither rushed to stand. For the moment, the stillness was enough.

Then, Seoyeon tilted her head slightly, her eyes flicking over Yooyeon’s profile. “By the way… your hair suits you.”

Yooyeon blinked, caught off guard, before letting out a small laugh. “Oh, this? It’s nothing, just… the result of me letting my guard down, Soomin insisted on fixing it up,” She waved a hand as if brushing the words aside, her ears faintly pink. When she caught Seoyeon staring, she chuckled, “What? Is it that bad? I told her to just–”

“No,” Seoyeon’s voice cut in, cheeks pink as Yooyeon looked towards her, “It– It really suits you. It makes you look…” Yooyeon tiled her head, and Seoyeon swallowed with a smile “Pretty.”

Yooyeon froze, her mouth opening to form a dismissive retort, but the sincerity in Seoyeon’s voice had her coughing into her sleeve instead, awkward and flustered. She turned her face away quickly, hoping the moonlight didn’t betray the color rising in her cheeks. “…You say things like that too easily, you know?”

Seoyeon only smiled faintly, letting the silence stretch without pressing further.

The blonde sighed as her gaze drifted past the water, back toward the tents, where Sohyun was no doubt resting inside. Her expression hardened slightly, though not without warmth. Park Sohyun… she thought.

We have a lot to talk about.

Chapter Text

“Unnie, come on!”

Park Seoah’s voice echoes through the otherwise still air of the night, the hum of fireflies buzzing as Sohyun chuckled, pushing past overgrown shrubbery to catch up with her little sister. At this point in time, the twelve-year-old Sohyun struggled to keep up with her younger sister’s energy – Seoah sprinted ahead, the rest of her family lagging behind. Sohyun spotted Sunghoon lagging further behind, Gunwook at his side, and she could only roll her eyes at her brothers.

“Don’t mind them,” a voice spoke, lightly tapping her shoulder. Sohyun glanced up, smiling as her mother took her side, patting the girl’s head of pitch black hair. “Your brothers just aren’t the explorers the rest of us are.” Up ahead, Sohyun’s father chased after a giggling Seoah, and fond chuckles bounced through the air.

Sunghoon paced ahead, now at Sohyun’s other side. “So, where are we going again?” The taller boy asked, and his mother clicked her tongue.

“You should pay more attention…” She muttered, and when he lowered his head, Sohyun chuckled at the younger’s behaviour. Gunwook slid up beside them, and when they glanced forth, Seoah sat atop her father’s shoulders, carrying the young girl forth.

“Persona Lake, right?” The others nod, and he gave a small smile, “Seoah hasn’t shut up about this trip for days.”

“Not just the lake itself,” Sohyun’s mother clarified, “There is allegedly a system of rivers, tunnels and grottos nearby, said to be filled with all sorts of treasures. Legend has it the first king of Haus had used the tunnels to hide all his treasures and gold after believing his own advisors to be plotting to steal them.”

“We’re exploring that?” Sunghoon asked, an eyebrow raised, “But… that doesn’t exactly sound safe–”

“You scared?” Seoah asked ahead, and Sunghoon rolled his eyes as the youngest of the siblings giggled.

Sohyun, as the oldest, could only chuckle. “Careful, Seoah.” She warned lightly, and the younger girl pouted before staring ahead.

“The area should be fine,” Sohyun’s mother assured them, “I checked with some of the local mages – it should be entirely clear, it has been for centuries.”

“Isn’t there that rumour though?” Gunwook spoke up, and Sohyun’s eyes glanced over towards him, “Some say, one of the King’s advisors had found the tunnels and tried to steal some of the treasurers, but after tripping into one of the rivers, was weighed down by the gold and drowned,” his smile dipped into a frown, “They say his soul is still down there, waiting to drag others with him.”

Sohyun’s eyes widened at the story, and she glanced over to her mother. The older woman snorted softly, the sound equal parts amusement and disbelief. “Really, Gunwook?” She said, brushing aside a low-hanging branch as they stepped into a clearing, and her younger brother coughed into his fist, clearing his throat with pink cheeks.

The faint shimmer of Persona Lake glowed ahead, the glassy surface reflecting the moonlight, acting as a vast unending mirror. It was as if a piece of the night sky fell onto the earth itself, as stars glimmered across the surface of the water, not a single spec of mud or dirt in sight. “That’s an old wives’ tale,” her mother waved her hand dismissively, “Like those silly stories about how if you stare into the lake long enough, it shows you your future.”

Sohyun’s father, still carrying Seoah on his shoulders, chuckled from ahead. “If that were true, half the kingdom would be camped here by now.” Seoah laughed at her father’s joke, whilst Gunwook only grinned sheepishly, though a faint unease lingered behind his eyes. The others laughed it off, the air light again as they descended toward the lakeshore.

Their mother’s voice took on its usual firm confidence as she continued, “Even if something were down there, your father and I are two of the finest mages and commanders the Kingdom of Haus’ military has to offer. You have nothing to worry about.” She rested a reassuring hand on Sohyun’s shoulder.

The young girl nodded, though her gaze drifted to the lake’s still surface. In the moonlight, it looked less like water and more like a pane of glass – too smooth, too quiet. She could almost imagine eyes staring back from beneath the surface, waiting.

“See?” Seoah giggled, pointing toward her reflection. “It looks like it’s smiling!”

“Some would say that means your future is one with plenty of fortune.” Sohyun’s father laughed, setting his daughter down as she giggled.

Sohyun forced a smile but found herself stepping instinctively closer to her brothers. The air by the lake felt heavier, the chirping of insects thinning to a distant hum. She swallowed, lowering her voice. “Stick close to them…” She murmured, barely above a whisper, an uncomfortable sensation crawling through her gut at the thought of Gunwook’s story.

Her youngest brother blinked at her. “Huh?”

“Just… stay beside them, okay? Both of you.” Her voice was firmer this time, her hand brushing against Sunghoon’s sleeve as if to anchor herself.

Sunghoon tilted his head, confused, but nodded. “Alright, noona.”

Their parents were still laughing near the edge of the lake, Seoah’s gleeful shrieks echoing into the night. But Sohyun’s gaze lingered on the water, where the moon’s reflection rippled ever so slightly, as though something beneath had stirred. For a moment, the world seemed to still. The trees around them bent faintly with a passing wind, though none of them felt it on their skin.

Sohyun shivered and tore her eyes away, forcing a small, shaky laugh as she jogged to catch up with the rest of her family. None of them noticed how, behind them, the water rippled again – once, twice – before settling back into perfect, mirror-still calm.

.

They decided to make camp by the lakeside, the night deepening around them with the gentle hum of crickets and the low rustle of leaves stirred by the wind. The faint scent of pine drifted through the clearing as Sohyun’s father began pitching the large family tent, while their mother unpacked the lanterns, arranging them in a neat circle that cast warm amber halos across the grass. Fireflies blinked lazily along the treeline, their glow mixing with the reflection of the moon on the still waters of Persona Lake.

“Sunghoon, Gunwook—help me with the stakes,” their father called, voice firm but light. The boys groaned in unison but obeyed, trudging over with their usual dramatics, as Sohyun and her mother shared a scoff. Seoah busied herself chasing one of the fireflies near the campfire, laughing when it flickered just out of reach. Sohyun watched on, a faint chuckle escaping her lips as Seoah finally caught one.

The older sister sat nearby, brushing bits of dirt from her hands and beneath her scaled forelimbs from her own hard work of collecting firewood. Her mother walked past, clicking her tongue again, “Still can’t shift your forearms entirely?” She asked, and Sohyun felt her face warm as she shook her head. A hand patted her head, and her mother chuckled. “We’ll schedule another appointment with the family doctor, see if it’s anything serious.”

Sohyun nodded, and her mother walked off. It wasn’t long before her gaze drifted again toward the lake. Even from where she was sat, the water was unnervingly still, a giant unblinking eye staring at the heavens above.

When the tents were half set and the chatter died down, Sohyun turned toward her younger siblings, who had clustered together by the fire, their parents up ahead, mapping out their plans for the next few days. “You know,” she began softly, “There’s another story about this place.” She spoke in a hushed whisper, her tone enough to draw their attention immediately.

Seoah perked up, scooting closer to her older sister. “Another scary one?”

Sohyun smiled faintly, ruffling the younger girl’s hair. “Not scary. Just… older.” She pulled her knees to her chest, the firelight dancing across her face as she began. “A long time ago, before people, before kingdoms, the Elder Gods shaped our world. The Phoenix was the first to breathe life into it, creating its Omens from fire and light. Then came The Headless, who moulded humanity from dust and will, and the Basilisk and Griffin soon followed.”

Gunwook leaned in, his earlier smirk fading. “What about The Dragon?”

“That’s the thing,” Sohyun said quietly. “The Dragon watched them all from above. It was a god of destruction, meant to end, not to create. But as it saw the others give shape to beauty and life, it wanted to try too.” She paused, her voice lowering, the flickering firelight reflecting in her eyes like molten gold.

“But it couldn’t,” she muttered, solemn, “Everything it touched burned away, crumbled, or vanished into ash. For the first time in eons, The Dragon felt sorrow, grief over its inability to do anything but destroy. It wept.”

The children grew still, their faces illuminated by the shifting glow of the fire. Even Seoah had gone silent, her usual energy dimmed by the weight of her sister’s words.

“In its misery,” Sohyun continued, “It began to shed its own scales from the weight of its own cries. From those scales, us Wyverns were born – creatures of the elements, with the ability to choose whether to destroy or create,” Seoah gave a faint smile at her sister’s words. “And, where its tears fell…” She gestured toward the lake, where the moonlight shimmered faintly across the water’s surface. “They became Persona Lake.”

They all watched on, the surface of the lake undisturbed. “It’s said the lake still holds a fragment of The Dragon’s soul. Sleeping, maybe, waiting.”

For a moment, no one spoke. The only sound was the low murmur of the water lapping against the rocks from the nearby system of rivers. Then Gunwook gave a half-smile, trying to cut through the quiet. “So… if we dive in, do we meet The Dragon?”

Sohyun shook her head, though she didn’t smile this time. “That’s what some of the stories say – but communicating with a god by going for a swim is a little outlandish to me.” She chuckled softly.

Their mother’s voice called from the main tent, snapping the tension. “We’ll start exploring after breakfast tomorrow! Just a quick walk tonight to map the routes in more detail.”

Their father nodded in agreement, pointing toward the distant outcroppings where the faint shapes of tunnels glimmered under moonlight. ⁸“We’ll split up, cover more ground. Stay within sight of the torches.”

Sohyun forced herself to nod, masking the unease coiling in her chest. Seoah immediately tugged on her sleeve. “Can I go with you, unnie?” She beamed. At Sohyun’s hesitation, she pouted, tugging harder, “Please?” She glanced back, noting the encouraging nods of her parents, and Sohyun sighed. She met her younger sister’s eyes, smiling.

“Of course.” Sohyun said, ruffling Seoah’s hair again, her voice steady though her eyes lingered again on the black glass of the water. Something inside her whispered to keep Seoah close.

As the others prepared their gear and the night grew quieter, Sohyun’s gaze drifted once more to the lake. The wind rippled across the surface for only a second before it stilled again – too quickly, too completely, as if it hadn’t been disturbed to begin with.

And for a heartbeat, Sohyun thought she saw something move beneath the reflection of the moon. Not a fish. Not the current. Something vast, gliding just beneath the glassy surface.

She blinked, and it was gone. Still, when she took Seoah’s hand to lead her away from camp, her grip was a little tighter than before.

.

The descent began quietly.

Sohyun and Seoah trailed down a narrow slope of stone that glistened faintly with dampness, the golden light from their lanterns casting long, trembling shadows along the tunnel walls. The air grew cooler the deeper they went, heavy with the scent of moss and river silt. Trickles of water ran down the sides, forming small rivulets that converged at their feet, guiding them forward like silver threads through the dark.

“Unnie,” Seoah whispered, her voice soft but bright in the echoing space. “Do you think The Dragon’s really sleeping down here?”

Sohyun smiled faintly, glancing down at her little sister. “If it is, we’ll let it rest. We’re only guests here, remember?”

Seoah giggled, the sound bouncing against the stone. “Then maybe if we’re polite guests, it’ll let us take just one piece of treasure! I’ll find the prettiest one and keep it forever.” She giggled conspiratorally, eyes sparkling.

“You’re going to end up like that greedy advisor if you think like that.” Sohyun teased, nudging her lightly.

“Nu-uh,” Seoah huffed, puffing her cheeks as Sohyun chuckled. “I’d give it back after showing you! Promise.”

Their laughter filled the tunnels, easing the tension that had been coiling in Sohyun’s stomach since they’d arrived. The siblings stopped every so often to marvel at crystals embedded in the walls, glinting faintly like frozen stars, and to skip pebbles across shallow streams that branched off into hidden waterways.

After what felt like an hour of weaving through narrow passages and ducking beneath dripping arches of stone, the tunnel widened abruptly. A soft golden glow flickered ahead. Seoah gasped and ran forward before Sohyun could stop her.

The narrow corridor opened into a vast subterranean grotto, and Sohyun let out an exhale of disbelief.

Stalactites hung like the fangs of a sleeping beast from the ceiling, and pools of gold shimmered beneath them. Not molten, but coins – thousands, maybe millions – spilling from cracked urns and broken chests. Chains, rings, necklaces, even crowns spilled forth between the gold, with jewels glittered among them, reflecting their lantern light into waves of technicolor that danced across the cavern walls in reds, blues and greens. The sisters stood in stunned silence.

“It’s real,” Seoah whispered in awe, stepping forward to touch a gold circlet half-buried in the pile. “It’s really here…”

Sohyun’s breath caught in her throat. “It… that’s just supposed to be an old tale… I… I didn’t think…” The air was thicker here—almost too still. Even the faint sound of dripping water seemed distant, swallowed by an unseen weight pressing against her chest. She glanced toward the far end of the grotto, where the lake widened into a dark, mirror-smooth pool.

Her younger sister’s giggles bounced around the walls of the cavern as Sohyun hastily walked after her. She picked up a golden tiara, balancing it on her head, “Unnie, look!” She struck a pose, and despise the tension crawling up her spine, she laughed. “I’m a princess!” Seoah then glanced around, eyes moving to the dark pool. “We should show this to eomma and appa…” She muttered as Sohyun looked around.

Sohyun nodded, “Yeah… I’m sure they–” In the corner of her eye, she could spot Seoah moving towards the dark pool. A cold grip tightened around her chest, “Seoah, don’t–” she began, but too late. Seoah had already crouched beside the pool, peering into it.

Ripples moved across the surface.

At first, Sohyun thought it was her sister’s reflection warping in the water. Then something stirred beneath it – slow, heavy, deliberate. A shadow vast enough to blot out the gold beneath the rippling light.

“Unnie?” Seoah whispered, her voice suddenly small.

The water exploded upward.

A creature burst from the depths with a shriek that was less roar and more anguish made sound. Scales glistened with sickly hues of greyish green, mottled and cracked like dulled metal, its wings shredded, half-dissolved into bone and membrane. Its eyes – those hollow, milky eyes – locked on them with something like recognition twisted into rage as faint flames flickered around its maw.

“A… a wyvern?” Seoah mumbled, too paralysed to move.

Sohyun didn’t think before moved forth. She shoved Seoah back, drawing the small dagger she’d kept at her belt, in case they ran into anything. The creature lunged, faster than she could react. Its claws raked across her side, the pain blinding as crimson gushed from her side, and she felt herself lifted off her feet. The creature’s long and withering tail constricted around her bleeding midsection, before then flinging her like a rag doll. Her back hit the cold water, and the world went white with pain.

Through the haze, she heard Seoah scream.

“Unnie!”

The water closed over her head, the cold searing through her wound. Blood spiraled upward in wild, crimson ribbons, dispersing into the dark. Her lungs burned as she kicked weakly, trying to rise, but the current pulled her deeper, down toward the black. Her head spun, light and heavy all the same, and soon it became near impossible to even move her limbs. Was… was this it?

Before Sohyun succumbed to the world beyond, she heard it.

A voice, vast and distant, reverberating through her bones rather than her ears. It was both a whisper and a roar, old as the mountains above them.

Child of frost… will you answer?

Her chest heaved, air escaping in a stream of bubbles. Sohyun’s mind screamed, but her heart… her heart listened.

I can give you strength, the voice said, resonating through the water like a heartbeat. I can give you the power to destroy the broken thing that wears My blood, put it out of its misery, save yourself.

Seoah’s scream echoed faintly above, sharp and terrified. Sohyun’s hands clenched. The darkness closed in, shadows crawling along the corners of her eyes, and she whispered back.

“I…” her eyes fluttered shut, and the words escaped as a murmur. Still, they were spoken.

“I accept.”

The cold around her shifted. It wasn’t water anymore – it was something else entirely, biting and alive. Her veins burned with it, her pulse hammering as the world around her began to freeze, cold spreading through her body and outward. The pain at her side subsided as the current around her solidified into jagged tendrils of ice that burst upward toward the surface, shattering the stillness of the lake.

Sohyun’s eyes snapped open. They glowed faintly blue-white as she breached the surface, gasping. Frost spread outward from her hands, racing across the grotto’s water. The creature turned toward her just as spears of ice erupted from below, piercing its withered body. Its roar twisted into a strangled cry before it collapsed into the freezing pool, its form encased in crystal, before shattering into fragments.

Then came silence.

Sohyun stumbled forward, dragging herself onto the rocky edge, ripping herself from the ice. Her hands shook violently as she sputtered, trying to call out. “Seoah… Seoah!” Her voice cracked, echoing through the cavern.

Footsteps thundered from the tunnels – her parents, Gunwook, and Sunghoon rushing in, their lanterns spilling gold light over the chaos. Sohyun turned toward them, her face pale and wet with tears. Their eyes darted to her forelimbs – to the new black, jagged scales, to the wings that had ripped through her clothes and jutted out from her back, stronger and darker than her usual ones. Her hair no longer the pitch and dark, but a deep, dark blue, near black.

Their eyes then glanced to the open maw and dead eyes of the wyvern’s head beside her, and they watched as Sohyun gasped, water coughed up from her lungs.

“Where’s…” A broken voice murmured, “Where’s Seoah?” Her mother demanded, scanning the grotto. Gunwook slowly walked toward Sohyun, whilst Sunghoon stood frozen, eyes glancing around.

Sohyun’s mouth opened, but no sound came. She looked down at the frozen lake, the faint shimmer of fabric caught beneath the surface. She crawled toward it, her body moving on instinct, ignoring her father’s pleas to stay where she was.

The ice gave a faint creak as her hand brushed against something cold and pale pressed into the frost, close to where the creature’s body had been.

Seoah’s hand – small, delicate, isolated. The skin was red, still warm, as blood slowly oozed from the wrist. When Sohyun looked up and around, all she could see was a lake of red, and her sister’s body was not in sight.

Sohyun’s scream shattered the cavern. The echoes carried far beyond the tunnels, far beyond the lake, into the hollow places where even gods once wept.

=====

The third-year woke with a start in her tent, sitting upright in her sleeping bag as she gasped for air. Her lungs burned in the same way they always did whenever she’d think of her little sister, and she gave a soft groan, clutching her temple. Her mind pulsed with an ache, and a low growl echoed through the chambers of her mind. She opened her eyes and glanced around, before then down at her forearms.

The cobalt scales shifted to a darker colour, if only for a moment, before returning to their usual state. She shook her head, sighing as she glanced around the shadows of her tent. She was tempted to walk, clear her mind before inevitably trying to sleep once more, but there was a tap against the door to her tent.

Another tap, and Sohyun tilted her head, before a softer voice spoke up. “Sohyun-unnie?” She asked, and Sohyun’s eyes widened in recognition.

Right… she thought to herself, Like I wasn’t going to have this conversation sooner or later…

She shifted, “You can come in, just,” she shook her head, “Close the door behind you.”

The door to her tent was unzipped, and Seoyeon hummed as she stepped in. Shadows clung to every corner, with gear, weapons and tools resting in the corners. Sohyun’s sleeping bag sat at the centre, a lantern beside her. Seoyeon glanced towards it, and Sohyun nodded. Even in the darkness, she could spot the brightness of Seoyeon’s smile. With a snap of her fingers, the flame lit by itself, and Seoyeon sat cross-legged on the other side of the lantern’s light.

“You’ve gotten good at that,” Sohyun muttered, “You’ve only had your Blessing for, what, not even a full year, right?” Seoyeon nodded, and Sohyun chuckled. “That’s… a little impressive.”

Seoyeon gave a small nod with a shy smile, “Professor Hyunjin always said I was a fast learner.” She mumbled. The air was quiet, and Seoyeon gave a slight hum, “How come you’re in here? I’m sure the resting quarters in the airships are a lot more comfier…” she murmured.

The older girl glanced down, “I… get nightmares,” she muttered, “It’s easier for everyone if I sleep alone and handle it by myself, rather than worry them over nothing.”

The blonde frowned, and the blue-black haired girl only chuckled. “That… that doesn’t sound very healthy.” Seoyeon murmured, picking at the floor of the tent, and Sohyun shrugged once more, averting her eyes to one of the dark corners of the room.

“Yeah, well… when all your nightmares are about a secret not even your best friends know…” Sohyun muttered, imagining the soft and warm smiles of Xinyu and Nien, “It’s not something you want them witnessing.”

At that, Seoyeon fell quiet again, and the only sounds in the stillness of the tent were the quiet inhales and exhales of their own breathing. Sohyun sighed, closing her eyes, “Look,” she began, sharp, “The only other person who knows of my secret is Lynn. I wanted to talk to you properly about all this at some point, but… but not out of the blue like this.” She opened her eyes, still not meeting Seoyeon’s gaze.

“If you have any questions, I don’t mind answering them. But I don’t intend on giving you my life story, so–” She glanced up, only to be met with Seoyeon’s wide eyes, and the younger girl was quick to raise her hands defensively.

“Oh, no!” She rushed out, “I wasn’t actually going to ask you about that, just…” She caught Sohyun’s surprised look, and she chuckled. She lowered her arms, “I actually just wanted to say… I won’t tell anyone, if you’re worried about that.” Sohyun tilted her head, and Seoyeon glanced down.

“Believe me, I know how bad it can be, being one of the people the Elders choose, and I know how people treat you once they learn that…” She glanced up, “I just… I wanted you to know I wasn’t going to tell anyone, I don’t want to make your life any harder.” She smiled, and Sohyun gave a quiet and surprised breath.

“You… you really aren’t going to ask?” She muttered, and Seoyeon shrugged.

“I mean, I was chosen by the Phoenix after being attacked by a Sorrow and nearly losing my leg when I was investigating why my mother disappeared out of nowhere,” Sohyun blinked as Seoyeon hummed, “I don’t imagine your story is much nicer either, so it isn’t really my business to make you relive it. That said,” she crossed her arms, “Keeping a secret like this for so long… I was worried how you were handling it. So… I also wanted to check in on you.”

Seoyeon’s soft eyes and stare left a warm feeling in Sohyun’s chest and head, the previous cold of the tent’s air no longer biting against her skin. It was like being beside a campfire, heating up after hours of walking in the cold, and Sohyun hummed.

“You… I’m worried for you,” she mumbled before sighing at the blonde’s visible confusion, “Being an elder-blessed is far from easy, and if you’re so kind to everyone, I’m worried how you’ll handle it when the world decides to make an enemy out of you.”

The corners of Seoyeon’s mouth tugged into a smile, and she leaned back slightly, “Kindness isn’t weakness,” she answered, easy, words slipping out quick, “I just… someone told me to lead with warmth wherever I could, and I’m planning to stick to that where I can.”

The older girl stared on, taking in Seoyeon’s entire demeanour – the warm air that followed wherever she walked, her kindness, the bright smile. “No wonder you and Lynn are so close…” she mumbled, crossing her arms as she gave a low chuckle. “You’re both given such immense power, yet you both hold onto your humanity so tightly it almost burns your hand…” there was a forlorn look in Sohyun’s eyes, “I wish I had half your strength in that regard.”

“You don’t think you’re kind?” Seoyeon asked, and Sohyun shrugged.

“Do you think I am?” She asked, half-bitter, and Seoyeon smiled again.

“Of course,” that made Sohyun glance up, “You hang out with and train Lynn, you’re always giving tips to people during combat class – you’re strict but fair,” Sohyun felt her face heat up, and Seoyeon beamed, “Plus, you saved me! That has to count for something.”

Sohyun coughed, glancing away, “Anyone who could would’ve.”

“Maybe,” she shrugged, “But you know better than me how scary the Evolutionary was, and you still jumped in. Even if you don’t believe it, I think there’s some kindness in you, Sohyun-unnie.”

The older girl’s hands tightened around her sleeping bag, and Seoyeon slapped her hands against her lap as she shifted. “Well, I just wanted to check in on you,” she smiled, “Do you want me to wake you when they decide to gather us for a strategy meeting?” She asked, heading towards the door, glancing back at the older girl.

Sohyun only nodded, her mouth dry, “Yeah, that… that sounds good.”

Seoyeon nodded with a smile, leaving the tent. Sohyun sat there for a few long minutes, staring at the door, before shifting back into her sleeping bag. For once, the air felt less cold, more warm, almost homely, and when she went back to sleep, no nightmares plagued her.

Seoyeon… you really are something.

=====

A low hiss reverberated across the stoned walls of the cavern, and the Evolutionary sighed, running her hand along the snout of the serpent in a soothing manner. The dark scales were almost slimy, slick with moisture as her pale hands danced along the surface, a slow current of her own mana pouring into the creature, her face still hidden behind her mask.

“Oh… oh my poor pretty…” she mumbled, “Those fools really did hurt you, didn’t they?” Her sorrowful tone then shifted, a quiet giggle escaping as she spoke on, almost conspiratorally, “Don’t worry. We’ll fix you right up, and you’ll get to consume them and this entire forest soon enough.”

A purple glow flickered around her hands as she tilted her head, “Maybe I’ll make you even bigger… perhaps alter that poison… so many decisions…” another giggled slipped out, and she gave a quiet sigh. “Those brats… whatever that pink-haired looney did, it slowed down your regeneration… maybe she should be the first to go. Or maybe…” the purple light around her hand flashed brighter, “Maybe I should make sure that brat Seoyeon dies first, watch her eyes widen in agony as I–”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself.” A voice chuckled, and the Evolutionary froze, before hands clenched into fists. The serpent gave a low hiss, that soon gave way to something closer to a whimper. The Evolutionary turned on her heel as a figure emerged from the shadows.

The figure stepped forward, soundless but for the faint rustle of layered fabric brushing against itself. The dim light of the cave caught first on a sweep of red silk, its color vivid even in the gloom, like a flash of blood. The garment wrapped close to the figure’s body, cinched at the waist with a wide black sash, giving their silhouette a sharp form. The robe flared slightly with each measured step, its flowing panels whispering across the ground like the edge of a blade being drawn, dark boots clicking against the floor.

Beneath the red outer layer, black fabric pooled like shadows, glimpses of it flashing through the front slit with each movement. The sleeves were dark and fitted, banded with stripes of crimson ribbons that wrapped around the forearms and hands in silent warning. A thin cord circled the sash, its crimson tassel swaying lightly, marking the rhythm of their advance.

A mask lay on their face, similar to the Evolutionary’s, but rather than hands cupping their face, it was almost avian, a long beak stretching out. Six slits sat where the eyes should be, three either side of the mask, alongside six small horns atop the mask itself, and six jagged points on the tip of the beak. The Evolutionary gave a low chuckle.

“The Diablo… to what do we owe the pleasure?” The Diablo shifted, a lengthy ponytail with red braids of colour swishing out from behind the mask. The Evolutionary appeared relax, but the Diablo caught the slight tremor to her hands.

Flames flickered around the eye slits, and a quiet, feminine laugh, like that of a haughty, upperclass socialite, echoed through the air. Yet, her voice itself rang sharp, not unlike the timbre of a military commander. “The other commanders within our union… they’re beginning to grow wary of your work out here.” The Evolutionary tilted her head.

“Wary?” She asked, a shrill laugh leaving her.

“It’s not necessarily me,” The Diablo shrugged, “It’s the others within the Twelve Rings. They say you’re… how should I put this,” they stepped, walking in a slow, encircling manner, “Distracted with your little project. There are plans to kick things forward into the next phase, so you’d be better to either hurry it up, or ditch your little pet entirely.” Another low hiss shook the air, and the Diablo chuckled. The Evolutionary’s body tensed, and the Diablo hummed. “Is your little creature angry, or are you?”

For a moment, the Evolutionary didn’t speak, but a giggle soon left her. “My my… they give a labrat like you an official title and position, and you start throwing orders and threats around…” A purple aura flickered around her, “In days past, I would’ve had your head for that.”

A heat grew around the Diablo’s body, the air simmering in waves, “This lab rat could incinerate you and your little creation if it wanted to… but, I digress,” she sighed, “A pathetic worm like you isn’t the true fight I’m looking for, and our Grace believes you to hold enough potential to keep around. It isn’t in my purview to question His vision…” The Evolutionary’s knuckles paled with how tightly they were clenched, “Still.”

The Evolutionary crossed her arms, “So, what, are you here to drag me back?”

The Diablo sighed, as if disappointed, shaking her head, “Unfortunately, his Grace believes we are to at least offer you a chance out here. Still, should you fail, you will abandon your post here and return…”

The Evolutionary giggled, shifting her weight onto one heel, crossing her arms, “My my… you almost sound disappointed,” she giggled, higher, “Is it because we both know should I fail, the consequences will be nowhere near as severe than if you were to? Because at the end of the day, at least I–”

In one quick movement, the Evolutionary gasped, a tight grip around her neck as she was hauled off the ground. It was then the height gap became obvious, with the Diablo towering over her fellow cultist, eyes blazing beneath her mask, her hand wrapped around the other’s neck. “You should know better than anyone that neither of us are even close to human,” she growled, and the Evolutionary smacked weakly against the Diablo’s arm, “You foul-mouthed, indignant, disgusting, worm.”

“H-Hey,” the Evolutionary giggled, “I’m just talking from one little worm to a-another.” At her quiet noises, the Diablo scoffed, dropping her to the ground.

“His Grace really ought to have you gone by now… yet apparently your potential is limitless.” The Diablo shook her head, “Bullshit…” she muttered, before walking back towards the shadows. “Try not to fail so spectacularly, it’ll be an embarrassment to us all if you do…” The Evolutionary coughed, rubbing at her neck. It was then the Diablo paused, before glancing back.

“Oh right,” her eyes flickered, “Careful with your grudge against Seoyeon… we still have our orders. We need her alive.” With that, they faded, and the Evolutionary’s hand clenched, nails scratching against the stone floor like nails on a chalkboard.

“Alive… doesn’t mean in one piece.” She spat.

=====

A couple of hours later, and in the hours between the middle of night and the early yet dark moments before morning, everyone was awake. Seoyeon gave a soft yawn, Nien and Lynn either side of her as the group stood around a large table within one of the airships. A soft plush toy sat in Lynn’s arms, with both Sullin and Jiyeon lingering at her other side. The others slowly filtered in too, with Sohyun being the last to enter, having rebandaged her forearms.

Upon seeing everyone, Professor Sooyoung nodded. “Professsor Hyunjin and I have been discussing our next moves and what we should all be doing in light of the incident,” she sighed, “From what we know, the creature is a chimeric fusion of Violet Sorrows dubbed ‘Yamato No Orochi’ by a cultist known as The Evolutionary. They are a high-level threat, and unfortunately, my own group had to witness the deaths of three honourable mages at their hands.”

Lynn’s grip around her plushie tightened, and Xinyu looked away, arms folded around herself. A soft frown sat on Sullin’s lips as Hyunjin began to speak, “There’s no sugar coating this – this is way above any of your paygrades, and none of you should be out here,” she sighed, a hand clutching her temple, “The safest course of action for all of you would be to evacuate and wait for back-up, let the professionals handle this… it’s what I would do too, but…” Her eyes nervously shifted to Sooyoung, who sighed.

“...Realistically,” she started, voice low, “With the size and power of the creature, possibly becoming even stronger if The Evolutionary were to mutate it further, this would require some of the strongest mages we have. Calling on such mages on short notice would take weeks or even months of paperwork and admin, and by that point…” Sooyoung’s eyes moved to the window, overlooking the surrounding forest. “It might be too late.”

“Paperwork…” Nien muttered soft amid the quiet, “Everyone’s greatest enemy.” Seoyeon couldn’t help but be amused, if only a little – even in such moments, Hsu Nientzu would still find a way to draw levity.

Hyunjin nodded, a quiet exhale through her nostrils, arms crossed as she glanced over the students, “An unforeseen circumstance with the unexpected and shocking deaths of multiple mages, however, does classify as an emergency… which allows mages the possibility to circumvent protocol and do what is needed at the current moment,” she met the eyes of her students, one-by-one, “Which brings us to our decision.”

The group glanced up, and Sooyound nodded, “We’ll fight it,” their eyes widened, “To our best ability, we will hold it off and wait until neighbouring help arrives and we can send you all back to the Academy,” she crossed her arms, “I’m aware this is a lot to ask, believe me, I don’t want to put any of you before that creature…” Her jaw clenched momentarily, “But this is what we have to do,” her dark eyes moved between the students, “Any opposed?”

A nervous feeling settled in Seoyeon’s stomach. This was far from what she expected for her first mission, and she could spot the slight tremble in Mayu’s shoulders or even Soomin’s wary gaze. Despite it and the unease wreaking havoc through her body, Seoyeon’s hand clenched. She thought to the neighbouring villages, to the people The Evolutionary had already killed, to the lives gone and those that could be.

How was she to sit around when all of that was on the line? She was a Mage, this was her job now, to save others.

Seoyeon met Sooyoung’s eyes, and shook her head. “No, I’ll do it.” She answered. She felt eyes glance towards her, and soon, hums of agreement moved through the air.

“It’s what we signed up for, right?” Nien beamed, and soon, Soomin seemed a little more assured. She glanced towards Yooyeon.

“Monster hunting with my sister… I guess it could be more boring.” She gave a fake yawn, and Yooyeon rolled her eyes, letting a hand rest on her younger sister’s shoulder.

Seoyeon then looked towards Mayu, as did Nakyoung. Eyes all seemed to gravitate towards her, and her trembling shoulders, her eyes that seemed fixed on the floor rather than everyone else. Nakyoung seemed to bite the inside of her lip, and when Seoyeon glanced at her, the younger blonde half-expected another biting remark.

Instead, Nakyoung sighed, “No one’s making you go with us…” she muttered, “If you don’t want to, then–”

“I…” Mayu’s voice cut through, “I don’t know how much help I’ll be, but…” Her eyes shut, shaking her head, “I’m not going to do nothing when you’re all out there risking your lives when you shouldn’t have to.” Her eyes briefly flitted over to Lynn and Nien, who offered her encouraging smiles, and Seoyeon gave one too.

At that, Sooyoung looked between the students, and gave a sigh. “Alright… in that case, it’s time to brief you all on the plan.” Hyunjin rolled out a map across the table, and it soon became evident that the parchment displayed the entire layout of the forest itself.

The Strategy Master pointed towards purple lines she’d etched onto the surface, “Earlier, I’d recalled some of the movements of the creature, trying to map out its tunnels,” she explained, “Based off what we know – if the creature is stitched together, that must mean all the heads are connected somehow, maybe to one central body that acts like it’s central nervous system,” she glanced up at the students still peering over the map, “Maybe that’s what we need to target to kill it permanently.”

Sohyun hummed, “Follow the tunnels, and we could figure out where that body is,” she nodded, “Makes sense.”

“That… person,” Chaeyeon muttered, “Did say something about how destroying that thing’s hearts would kill it…”

Jiyeon nodded, “Plus… my eyes did sense something off.” When everyone glanced towards her, she shifted, “During our fight… I couldn’t focus properly…” she murmured, and Lynn’s hand didn’t hesitate to slide into her friend’s, “The whole time… I kept seeing something. Vibrations in the ground, a mess that kept shaking the earth slightly… it was throwing me off.”

“Vibrations…” Sooyoung muttered, “Like..?”

“A heartbeat.” Hyunjin finished, and Jiyeon nodded.

“A strong one too.” The second-year murmured, and Hyunjin shook her head.

“Maybe not one strong heartbeat… but eight heartbeats in-sync.” Hyunjin’s eyes flickered to Vivi’s sleepy form in the corner of the room, half-asleep, mumbling nonsense to herself. “Vivi-unnie did mention something like that…” She closed her eyes, shaking her head before reopening them and gazing at her students. “Okay, so we find the main body, destroy it, and that might kill it.”

“We’d need two squads then,” Sooyoung nodded, glancing down, “One to find the body, the other to fight the creature in the mean time… okay, if–”

“Not exactly,” Hyunjin cut in, massaging her chin, “We’re overlooking one variable – The Evolutionary herself,” A realisation dawns over Sooyoung’s face, and she curses under her breath, “Something tells me she won’t sit by and let us hurt her creature,” she sighed, shaking her head, “We’d need to keep her occupied… but how…”

As Hyunjin kept her eyes down, something squeezed in Seoyeon’s gut as she raised a hand. She recalled the Evolutionary’s ire upon seeing her, the crazed ramblings and the coughs of blood. Eyes snapped to her, and she spoke, “I mean… we know she kinda loses it when she sees me… Maybe we could bait her into something?” Yooyeon’s eyes flickered to Seoyeon, widening slightly.

Immediately, Nien shook her head. “Woah woah, we can’t just–” She looked over toward Hyunjin, “We’re not just throwing Seoyeon against that thing, are we?”

The blonde in question placed a supportive hand on Nien’s arm, “I’ll be fine,” she muttered, glancing toward Hyunjin, “We don’t have much of a better option. I could keep her isolated, distracted, enough to buy time to find the body or repel the Sorrows again.” Unease settled amongst the group at the words, not one person looking entirely okay with the idea.

As Seoyeon glanced up, she noted how her pink-haired friend’s eyes swam with concern, “Seoyeon…” and guilt lingered in her chest, only growing when she glanced over to see similar looks on Lynn and Jiwoo’s faces.

“We… we can’t just let unnie…” Jiwoo muttered, giving a soft grunt as she looked away.

Hyunjin nodded, her own uncertainty clear as day. Seoyeon bit her lip, knowing all too well what Hyunjin’s thoughts were. How logically, it made sense, but how emotionally, the professor couldn’t send Seoyeon to a battle like that in good conscience. “I… I don’t know if that’s our safest option… we could–”

“I think Seoyeon’s idea makes sense.” Eyes snap to Yooyeon. The third-year’s voice was calm but steady, a deliberate contrast to the tension buzzing around the room. She leaned forward slightly, both palms pressed flat against the table as everyone turned toward her. “Think about it,” she began, meeting Hyunjin’s gaze first, then moving to the other students, “She’s already fought the Evolutionary once and lived. That counts for something. Seoyeon knows how she moves, how she fights, and what she focuses on. That gives her an edge none of us have.”

There was a beat of silence before Jiwoo scoffed, a flash of anxiety beneath her defiance. “An edge?” She snapped, “She barely made it out alive. You’re seriously vouching to throw our friend in front of a cultist who wants her dead?”

Nakyoung crossed her arms, jaw tightening. “Yeah, unnie…” her voice softened slightly, “We all want to win, but this isn’t some training exercise.”

Yooyeon met their sharp words head-on, lifting her chin. “No. It’s not,” she replied evenly. Hyunjin tilted her head as her Fledgling went on, “Which is why we need to use what advantages we have. I’m not throwing Seoyeon to the wolves,” her eyes briefly flickered to the blonde, “I’m saying she’s the only one here who’s already proven she can survive against this monster. If we keep her completely on the sidelines, we’re just wasting that.”

The weight of her words hung heavy, and even Jiwoo faltered a little, lips parting without a retort, and Nakyoung glanced down, considering her friend’s words. Hyunjin’s brows furrowed, thoughtful now rather than resistant. “Seoyeon?” she asked, voice low, “Do you have any plans on how to deal with her?”

Seoyeon straightened her posture, as if expecting the question. “She can’t kill me,” she said, voice quiet but clear enough for everyone to hear. When they looked at her in confusion, she added, “The Phoenix won’t allow it. The Evolutionary might try, but she can’t touch my soul or mess with my body,” Hyunjin’s eyes widened at the revelation, “Plus, my fire already burned through her defenses before. She knows it can hurt her.”

The faint flicker of gold in her irises made the lanternlight seem brighter for a heartbeat, and a soft smile slowly grew on Hyunjin’s face as Yooyeon gave a small nod.

“So she’s not just bait,” Yooyeon said, picking up the thread without missing a beat, “She’s also the only real threat to that thing we have, an Elder-blessed to counter another,” she crossed her arms, more assured, “If anything, the Evolutionary will be more focused on her than anyone else – and that might give the rest of us the breathing room we need.”

The mood shifted subtly. What moments before had felt reckless now felt… tactical. Sohyun crossed her arms, lips pressed tight, her eyes flickering between Seoyeon and the professors. “It’s still dangerous as hell,” she finally muttered, her voice low but firm as it broke through the silence. “Her soul may be untouchable, but that doesn’t stop a blade from cutting her down, and then our plans will crumble before they even had time to start.”

Seoyeon opened her mouth to respond, but Sohyun raised a hand, stepping closer to the table. “Which is why she’s not going alone,” Xinyu and Nien’s eyes darted at her, somewhat alarmed, “She and I fought that freak together once already. I know what to expect too. If Seoyeon’s drawing her in, I’ll make sure she doesn’t have to hold the line by herself.”

She gave a small nod toward Seoyeon – to everyone else, she just looked bold, willing to risk her life to also keep Seoyeon safe. However, they both knew the reality – if Seoyeon’s soul was untouchable, so was Sohyun’s, and that small nod conveyed a wave of solidarity between the two girls.

“I’ll go too.”

Heads turned as Sullin pushed away from where she had been leaning against the wall in the space beside Jiyeon. Her dark eyes were steady, her hands folded down around her lap. “My blood magic has longer range than most of you can manage,” she said matter-of-factly, “I can keep pressure on the Evolutionary without ever getting close enough for her to touch me.”

Lynn’s gaze grew wary, and Sullin gave her a soft smile, “I’ll be fine,” she then looked toward Jiyeon, “I know what I’m planning.”

Sooyoung exhaled slowly, eyes narrowing at the table as the pieces of the plan began to align. “Seoyeon, Sohyun, Sullin distracting the Evolutionary…” she muttered to herself, then gave a single nod, “That could work.”

Before Hyunjin could add anything else, a soft groan came from the corner of the room.

“Why… is everyone so loud…” Heads turned toward the sleepy visage of Vivi, yawning as she sat up, eyes dancing between everyone before settling on Mayu. Her eyes brightened, and she gave a wave to the student, who only shyly waved back to the professor, nervous as the older woman swayed as she stood.

“Vivi-ssaem…” Mayu mumbled, blinking as the older woman clumsily rubbed at her eyes. Her soft pink hair was mussed from sleep, and she nearly stumbled as she crossed the floor in socks, still wrapped in a thick coat that had clearly seen better days.

“Mm?” Vivi blinked, almost owlishly, voice hoarse with sleep. “Oh… I had the weirdest dream…” she mumbled, plopping down into a chair without a shred of awareness for the tension still humming through the room. “There was this big snake, like really, really big – someone poured wine down its throat….” She giggled to herself as everyone looked on, confused.

She gave a hum, shifting, “It was the fancy red stuff too… not the cheap kind. The poor thing started getting all wobbly,” her eyes darted towards the two other professors, glowing with familiarity, “You know, like when Hyunjin tried her first bottle of wine.”

Hyunjin’s eyes widened in faint indignation, pink dusting her cheeks. “That was one time…” She muttered with a pout, and Seoyeon held back a snort.

Vivi wiggled a finger, still too sleepy to care. “Anyway, the snake got poisoned. Couldn’t regrow its scales as fast, couldn’t slither properly. Then this sword came down and–” she made a lazy slicing motion through the air, nearly toppling sideways as she yawned. “Boom. No more evil snakes.”

A few people exchanged looks, unsure whether to laugh or ignore her. Sooyoung sighed softly, running a hand over her face. “Vivi… maybe sit down properly. We’re talking about strategy,” she offered a smile, straining, “Not bedtime stories.”

But before Vivi could mumble another half-asleep comment, Hyunjin tilted her head, expression sharpening slightly. “Wait. A poison…?” she murmured, eyes narrowing in thought. She turned toward Vivi more fully. “Are you suggesting something?”

“Eh? Am I?” Vivi blinked at her, head tilted and eyes glassy and lost. Hyunjin’s shoulders sagged slightly, but she crossed her arms.

The Strategy Master began to ramble quietly to herself. “It… it could work…” She glanced up at the others, “Some Sorrows are particularly sensitive to certain types of poisons… maybe with the right kind and the right dosage, we could weaken its regenerative abilities?”

The room went quiet for a moment. Then Yeonji’s eyes widened slightly, remembering something. “Wait, when Professor Vivi blasted one of its heads earlier… There was some kind of residue left behind. A pinkish, glassy sorta thing.”

Eyes shifted toward the professor, who tilted her head, humming, “That does sound quite familiar…” She gazed up at the ceiling of the room, quietly whispering a soft tune. Hyunjin lightly nudged Vivi’s shoulder, and the professor went on, still looking upward, “There’s a weak venom I know to create with my magic… I remember hitting something with it recently… Everything’s just a little hazy these days…”

Hyerin nodded, before gazing between her peers, “That does line up with something the Evolutionary said – about how the Professor attacked it, casting a spell that weakened its regeneration.” The others who were there at the time are quick to nod.

Hyunjin glanced toward Sooyoung. “Then we have a potential weakness,” a smile threatened to tug onto the corners of her lips, “If Vivi-unnie can replicate that venom, and make it stronger, we might have a way to keep it from regenerating long enough to keep it weakened…” Her eyes moved back to staring at Vivi, only for the professor to be across the room now, distracted with fogging up a window with her breath and drawing meaningless shapes, “But something tells me we might need help with that avenue.”

Mayu straightened up a little, her earlier nervousness giving way to focus. “I can help,” she said softly, but there was a quiet steadiness in her voice as the eyes moved back onto her. She shrunk slightly, but went on, “I… I’m a Potions and Herbology Fledgling for a reason… I have a lot of spare ingredients in my bag, rare ones,” despite all her previous anxiety, Seoyeon thinks the older blonde’s voice sounded more assured than it ever had. “If we mix the right ones, I can brew something far stronger.”

Chaeyeon lifted her hand a little. “And I can help refine it,” she offered with a beaming expression, “I have pretty good medical knowledge to help Mayu-unnie out,” she gave the older girl a small smile, before back at Hyunjin, “Plus, it’s probably good to have your healer away from any danger.”

A hum escaped from the side, and Chaeyeon glanced towards Yooyeon, the older girl nodding, “Probably… keeping you out of harm’s way ensures we have someone to rely on to keep everyone healthy…” Her gaze then slid to Soomin, practical and direct. “You should help with the poison,” she said without any flourish, shrugging. “You know things about brews and tricks that the rest of us don’t.”

“Huh?” Soomin questioned, brows raised, “I mean–”

“She does?” Yeonji asked, skepticism tinging her voice as she tilted her head. Soomin glanced towards the younger girl, catching an almost mischievous glint in her eyes, and the older first-year was almost offended at her doubt.

Soomin hummed, before she straightened. “I do, actually,” she replied, voice steady, confident smile resting where it always did. “The Frog’s whole thing is trickery and games, sure, but it covers medicine and toxins too. I’ve read more than I let on,” She muttered, almost primly, “Poisons, antidotes, delivery methods…” She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as everyone looked on, as if now a little embarrassed by her rambling.

Mayu’s face lit up at that. “Oh! I overheard the Potions and Herbology professors once mention a first-year who talked too much but got everything exactly right in practicals, more so than some actual mages. That must’ve been you, Soomin!” She beamed in the younger girl’s direction, warm, “They were very impressed.” The comment came out softer than boastful, and Soomin gave a brief, almost embarrassed nod.

To the side, a green-haired girl took in the information, a red-haired Hyerin at her side, before nodding, as if in approval. When Soomin looked over, she caught Yeonji’s smile, “Cool. Didn’t know you were some potions nerd.” At that, Soomin rolled her eyes and gave her a playful nudge.

“Good,” Yooyeon nodded, “So, you can stay away from the frontlines and help Mayu and Chaeyeon.” She mumbled the latter part a little quieter, as if more to herself than anyone else. To everyone, it sounded almost innocuous, but Seoyeon tilted her head ever-so-slightly.

The blonde had caught the small protective edge in Yooyeon’s words, and picked up on the way Soomin’s jaw tightened for a split second. She registered both the care and the implication, but Soomin didn’t call her sister on it. Instead, she let out a deliberate breath and offered a tight smile. “Fine. I’ll join Professor Vivi, along with Mayu and Chaeyeon-unnie so we can give all you losers a real chance.”

Yooyeon nodded once, satisfied. “Good. Coordinate with Chaeyeon and Mayu will make sure the herbs are handled properly. Professor Vivi can stabilize and amplify the effect on a magical level.” Practical, curt, and efficient – the plan closed with no drama, only purpose, and Soomin set her jaw ready to work.

“Perfect, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were the strategy professor here, Yooyeon.” Hyunjin muttered with a proud grin, and Yooyeon coughed as she looked away.

“It’s… whatever.” She muttered, and Hyunjin chuckled.

The professor then clapped her hands together, “Okay! That’s one group down.” She leaned over the map again and began assigning positions. “Vivi, Mayu, Soomin, and Chaeyeon will focus on creating the toxin.” Hyunjin’s eyes flicked to Nien and Jiyeon. “I’ll go with Nien and Jiyeon to track the body and the hearts – Jiyeon’s eyes and my own senses should be enough to find it, and Nien’s strength will probably be needed.”

The other two students nodded, and Sooyoung then glanced towards the two Elder-blessed students. “Seoyeon, Sohyun, and Sullin will draw the Evolutionary away. Everyone else will be the primary fighting force against the Sorrows themselves,” Her eyes danced between the Fledglings, along with Jiwoo and Yubin, “I trust you four to keep yourselves alive… but,” her gaze shifted to Hyerin and Yeonji, “I’ll keep a close eye on you two. If I order you to retreat, you will.”

The two first-years watched Sooyoung’s steady gaze, her voice lowering, and the two gulped before nodding. Sooyoung gave a small nod in return, gazing back at the group, “Alright, so the groups are settled.”

Lynn shifted uneasily at that, arms tightening around her plush toy. Her eyes moved between Sullin and Seoyeon, a movement noticed by Jiyeon. She gave her friend a supportive hand on her shoulder, but Lynn spoke up regardless. “I want to go with Seoyeon,” she said, voice low but firm. “She’ll be going up against the Evolutionary. We already know I also can’t be hurt by it, you saw it,” her jaw clenched as she met Sooyoung’s steady eyes, “We know I’m strong enough, so–”

Sooyoung shook her head before she could finish. “We need you here,” her voice was firm, no room for debate. “The Sorrows are powerful enough on their own and our strength is already being spread thin. If they’re stronger than we expected, and we lose control of them, it won’t matter what the others do.” She sighed, shifting her weight onto one heel, “We need insurance, we need someone as strong as Kawakami Lynn to keep things in order.”

Lynn’s jaw clenched, her throat bobbing with something unsaid. Jiyeon slid her hand back into Lynn’s, and Seoyeon gave a comforting squeeze to her forearm, still clutching the plushie close to her. She let out a sharp breath and nodded once. “Fine…” She muttered, eyes down.

Hyunjin gave her a look of quiet understanding before continuing. “This isn’t going to be clean. Or easy. But it’s what we have.”

The sound of distant night insects filled the small pause that followed. The airship was quiet save for the low hum of its engines. Outside, the moon hung just above the treeline, casting long shadows through the glass windows to the ship. Everyone knew what was waiting for them out there, and did their best to ignore the unease in their stomachs with how slim their odds realistically were.

“You have your orders,” Sooyoung said finally, breaking the stillness. “We’ll have maybe an hour or two more before I predict it’ll attack again. With the size of the forest, I’ll need some help monitoring it for any activity,” She gave a nod to Xinyu, whose eyes widened before she reciprocated it, “The rest of you, get whatever rest you can. We’ll have a long day ahead of us…”

As they began to disperse, the weight of the plan settled on all their shoulders. Vivi yawned again and stretched, but her eyes were sharper now, the sleepy haze replaced by quiet focus. Mayu followed behind her, clutching a notebook to her chest, while Soomin and Chaeyeon followed quietly behind, already mumbling things about ingredients. Lynn walked out the airship briskly, and Jiyeon and Sullin shared worried looks as they followed suit.

Hyunjin and Sooyoung exchanged a brief, heavy glance, for they all knew all too well what the coming hours would bring.

=====

The campfire’s glow flickered low against the dark of the night sky, its flames crackling softly as wind swept through the clearing. Lynn sat a little apart from the others, elbows on her knees, her Soulborne manifested as the trident lay across her lap like a blade she wasn’t ready to set down. Her face was mostly hidden behind the dancing shadows left behind by the flames, but the line of her jaw was tight – the kind of tightness born not of worry, but wrath that had nowhere to go.

Footsteps squelched against dirt and moist grass. Without a word, Jiyeon lowered herself onto the log beside her, knees drawn up, hands out toward the fire. Lynn glanced over, catching the soft smile on her friend’s lips, “Professor Hyunjin’s finally getting some rest,” she murmured, sighing as she drew her hands back to her lap. “About time. She deserves her beauty sleep after wrangling us all together.”

There was a slight mischievous spark in her voice, but Lynn didn’t bite.

Sullin arrived a moment later, slipping onto the other side of her, hand automatically going to Lynn’s wrist. She latched on, and Lynn made no effort to stop her, nor did she shove Jiyeon away when the older girl leant against her. The three sat in the quiet hum of the camp for a few heartbeats, listening to the wind skim and whistle through the trees like a breezy song. Jiyeon finally tilted her head, studying Lynn. “You’re still pissed…” she mumbled, too soft to be a question, more an observation.

“Mirae… Hwan… Seokdae…” She muttered, jaw still tight, “Those were their names. Of the mages who were with us.” Lynn’s fingers tightened against the shaft of her trident, the weapon glowing faintly. “And she… she laughed…” she muttered, almost spitting out the words as they came out rough, low.

Jiyeon glanced over, catching the worried eyes Sullin gave her friend as Lynn took in a shaky breath. She glanced up, catching the faint shimmer of something wet in Lynn’s eyes, “She laughed while kicking Mirae’s body, while she turned Hwan into… into…” She bit down on her lip, and Jiyeon let out a concerned and high-pitched hum when she spotted the faint hint of blood.

When Jiyeon looked over to Sullin, the Wisteria gazed forth towards the flames. Jiyeon didn’t need to ask – if it was like anything the cultist had raved about when she first appeared before them, then no doubt Hwan met a foul, inhuman fate. “You know, Seokdae, he was supposed to be a dad… him and his wife were both supposed to go and have another child and yet–” Her voice hitched, and nearby, the water of the river seemed to crash against the riverbed.

Sullin’s grip tightened, only momentarily, and Jiyeon practically nuzzled against Lynn’s side. Their friend sighed, before her voice then steadied into something cold. “I’ve seen Sorrows. I’ve killed plenty, ever since I could summon this thing,” she gripped tighter onto her trident, “But I’ve never wanted something dead like I want her.”

Sullin leaned forward only slightly, close enough that their shoulders brushed as she shuffled closer. “You didn’t just want her dead,” she mumbled gently. “You threw yourself at her like nothing else mattered.” Another observation, another shaky shudder from Lynn that seemed to drag its way out of her chest.

Lynn shook her head, “I didn’t care if I got hurt. I didn’t even think. I just… hit. And hit. And hit,” her head lowered, both her Odd Eyes seeming to shine, “I barely used anything that would’ve kept me standing, none of the defensive techniques I spent years honing. If the Shark hadn’t stepped in, I’d be…” She shook her head, jaw clenching. “I got lucky. I don’t think I’ve ever felt anger like that before.”

“She didn’t deserve your restraint,” Jiyeon said simply, her voice light but steady. Her hand gently grazed against the back of Lynn’s, before also settling onto her wrist, mimicking Sullin. “But you’re not there now for a reason, Lynn… This… This isn’t something any of us should be dealing with.”

Lynn gave a quiet scoff, “It’s the kind of thing I’m supposed to deal with.” Lynn spat softly, eyes fixed on the flames. “The strongest student. The Kawakami Lynn. Yet, when it comes down to it, when my friends are in danger and there’s an opponent I nearly beat… I still can’t do anything about it,” she shook her head, hands shaking around her weapon, “What’s the point in being blessed with all this power when I’m cursed to do nothing with it?”

For a moment, the only noise in the air was the gentle flickering of the fire, the quiet crackles sparking into the air as embers faded into the deep, almost purplish blue of the night sky. Her two friends didn’t say a word, but she felt the heat from their bodies grow as they both shuffled closer. It was Jiyeon who spoke up first, voice breaking out over the silence.

“You’re not some weapon, Lynn,” she mumbled, softer, voice on the verge of breaking. She took a sharp inhale, steadying herself as she went on, “No matter how many times they throw you towards a target, you’re still a student, still just another girl we’re friends with… you shouldn’t view this as your responsibility.” She glanced up, her stare pointed as Lynn swallowed.

“She’s right,” Sullin hummed, gazing into the amber heat as a golden glow was casted over her pale skin, “This is a team mission, we all have our parts to play. You could fight the Evolutionary… but you could also trust Seoyeon, Sohyun and I. We know Seoyeon-unnie is a perfect counter, we know Sohyun-unnie is ruthless, and…” Sullin smiled, lightly nudging Lynn, “Have some faith in me too. I’ll come back in one piece.”

Jiyeon hummed, amused. “I’ll be fine too. I don’t need the tall and scary Kawakami Lynn to come to my rescue…” she chastised lightly, “I just need my best friend Lynn to fight the big scary snake, and keep everyone safe. Because that’s who she is – not some sword that kills the bad guys, but at her core, she’s a hero,” Lynn glanced down, catching the softness to Jiyeon’s almost black irises, “A girl who saves others.”

Lynn’s breath caught for a moment, quiet and uneven. The words hung in the cool night air, sinking deep in a place she usually kept tightly locked. Hero… Her grip around the trident slackened, just slightly, enough for the weapon to ease its glow. She blinked hard, once, then again, as though trying to will away the sharp pressure building behind her eyes.

Jiyeon’s hand stayed on her wrist, firm and warm. Sullin didn’t say anything this time, she didn’t need to, knowing all too well that the combined presence of her and Jiyeon was, to Lynn, its own kind of anchor.

“…Thanks,” Lynn muttered finally, voice rough around the edges. She glanced between them, letting the weight of their quiet solidarity settle somewhere beneath her ribs. “I don’t say it enough, but… you two keep me from going under.” She mumbled.

Jiyeon smiled, soft and bright. “That’s what we’re here for.”

Sullin bumped her shoulder gently against Lynn’s. “Exactly. It’s unfair if you carry this alone.”

The wind shifted again. Somewhere far off, a nightbird cried, and the shuffling of the others could be heard. Someone by the riverbank, others still at the airships, with a few trying to get rest. Above, the faint red glimmers of Xinyu’s butterflies could be spotted – her own sentries, watching over the forest for miles to detect anything odd. Lynn closed her eyes, and for a moment, a cool sensation washed over her, the building pressure behind her eyes easing as the faint sound of rustling leaves echoed behind them.

“Hey,” came a familiar voice from the treeline, smooth and clear, like a breeze through tall grass. Mayu stepped into the light emanating from the campfire, brushing a few stray leaves from her blonde hair. A small pouch hung from her belt, the faint smell of herbs trailing behind her as she neared the group. “I was picking fresh ingredients for the poison. Thought I’d check in.”

She took in the three of them with a raised brow, a soft curve to her lips when she spotted how Jiyeon and Sullin were huddled against Lynn. “You all look like you’ve been stewing in your heads for too long,” she mumbled, thinking, “Want to come with me? A walk might do you some good.”

The tension in Lynn’s shoulders cracked, if only a little, and something unspoken passed between her and her sister, something akin to a quiet understanding, the kind that passed between them without explanation. She rose slowly, her Soulborne dissolving into a glittery dust that scattered into the wind.

“Yeah,” she said, a hint of warmth softening the edges of her voice. “Thanks, unnie.”

Jiyeon stretched with a dramatic groan and hopped up after her. Sullin followed with a small, wordless smile, falling into step at Lynn’s side. And together, the four of them slipped into the whispering dark of the forest, greeted by Soomin and Chaeyeon, the campfire’s glow fading behind them as the night folded close around their laughter.

=====

The moonlight danced across the river’s surface as ribbons of silver-white light, the water ebbing down the length of the river, along the sandy bank dotted with reeds. Seoyeon sighed, rolling her shoulders, a faint stiffness to them as she gave a quiet huff as she stretched her arms. She hugged her knees close to her chest, watching the water flow, the sounds of the camp not too far behind.

It wasn’t long before another presence also returned to the riverbank, settling in the space beside Seoyeon. The blonde didn’t need to look – already spotting the short black hair in her peripheral view, Yooyeon shuffling slightly, sitting cross legged as she watched a bird dip down and take a sip from the river. The faint crackling of the fire whispered on the wind, along with the distant howl from a wolf, too far to be of any concern.

Fireflies buzzed further along the bank, and it was then Seoyeon finally spoke up. “Thanks for… for earlier,” she mumbled, smiling as she found the words, “I really appreciate it.”

Yooyeon shrugged, indifference across her expression as she looked down at the water. “It’s… I was just doing what I thought was best – your decision made logical sense, so I saw no reason to not also suggest it.” The words were clipped where they needed to be, not a trace of warmth behind them, and yet, Seoyeon still smiled.

She lightly nudged Yooyeon, snapping the older girl out of her staring at the river. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re already warming up to me.” She beamed, and it earned a soft chuckle, Yooyeon gazing across the river, to the large rocks on the other side, imposing and towering.

“Who knows?” She shrugged, a noncommittal hum, “When I first saw you, that day in class… I almost wondered if Hyunjin let you win that strategy game on purpose, if she was being blinded by sentimentality. Now though…” She let her head turn, taking in the visage of the blonde, smiling girl, before shaking her head, looking forth. “I see why she likes you so much.”

Seoyeon raised a brow, “And why’s that?” She wondered, voice lit with excitement and curiosity.

The moonlight reflecting off the surface of the water shone an almost blue glow onto Yooyeon’s face, “As her Fledgling, if there’s one thing I’ve learnt about the professor, it’s that as smart and strategic as she is… there’s also no one as reckless as she can be,” Yooyeon hummed, “Not in a hot-headed sort of way, but in that, if it came down to it, Hyunjin-unnie wouldn’t let concerns of her own safety stop her from committing to a plan.” A fond smile danced on Yooyeon’s lips, and Seoyeon chuckled.

“Is that what you think I’m like then?” The younger girl asked, and Yooyeon shrugged, glancing to the side.

“Your plan was logically sound… but, even with your many advantages, not a lot of people would still suggest throwing themselves in harm’s way like that,” she met Seoyeon’s eyes, and swallowed, “Perhaps the reason you can beat Hyunjin-unnie in strategy games like that is because you’re both cut from the same cloth, so to speak. For that reason, I understand why she’s so fond of you.”

Seoyeon nods, a faint smile on her lips and warmth to her cheeks. She wondered how Hyunjin would feel, hearing such words from one of her own Fledglings. “Is this your way of saying that you are warming up to me?” She asked, eyes sparkling, and Yooyeon held back another chuckle.

She waited a beat, before giving a sigh, “...It’s a work in progress.” She muttered, and at that, Seoyeon pouted. Yooyeon took a tentative glance her way, spotting the downtrodden expression on the younger girl’s face, and cast her gaze elsewhere. Something lingered in her chest, a heavy feeling weighing on her heart, and there followed the bubble of frustration, more towards herself than the younger blonde beside her.

She almost glared at a nearby tree, sighing, “It’s not you I don’t trust…” she mumbled, and Seoyeon’s head perked up, and she glanced at the dark-haired girl. She took in the tightness of her jaw, her pale hands clenching into tight fists, and she let out a quiet exhale.

“...You’re being hesitant,” she mumbled, “Because you’re worried you might upset me with the truth… which means the person you don’t trust… it’s my mother?” Seoyeon asked, quiet, and the Wisteria beside her only shook slightly, her shoulders giving way to small tremors.

Seoyeon’s gaze softened, and she glanced forth. “Don’t worry… I…” she chuckled, letting a hand drop down to draw mindless shapes and lines in the sand, “I know… I’ve always known, someone as high-up and powerful like her, was bound to make enemies, or hurt people who didn’t deserve it…”

Her muttering drew back Yooyeon’s attention, and the blonde met the older girl’s eyes, not an ounce of hesitation. “I don’t know what she’s done, and I… I’m not going to make you tell me,” she shrugged, a soft smile on her lips, “But… I hope you can at least trust me. I’m…” she shook her head, “I still don’t know who I am just yet, but trust me on this unnie,” the smile on the blonde’s face left a tight squeeze in Yooyeon’s chest, “I’ll become someone you can call a friend.”

Yooyeon gazed forth. She watched the bird flutter away, watched the fireflies float and swim through the air, and she sighed, “Most people would despise someone who didn’t trust or suspected their missing mother of something foul,” she glanced back, almost wincing at Seoyeon’s bright eyes, so hopeful and uncaring of Yooyeon’s cold words, “You… are almost annoyingly kind.” She muttered, her half-scowl shifting into something closer to a small, subdued smile.

The sight was enough to make Seoyeon brighten more, a spark of joy flaming in her ribs as she giggled to herself. “So I’ve been told…” she mumbled, letting her boots tap the sand of the riverbank as Yooyeon shook her head, glancing away to hide the smile that threatened to grow.

The soft sounds of thudding footsteps drew their attention, and they glanced as a third student settled on Seoyeon’s other side, fidgeting with the pale bandages around her forelimbs. Seoyeon caught the way Yooyeon momentarily froze, and when her eyes darted over, she caught Sohyun offering a single raised palm. “Relax,” she mumbled, “I don’t see the need in dragging Mayu and Nakyoung’s issues into our own interactions.”

Seoyeon nodded – Right, Sohyun was Mayu’s friend, Yooyeon was Nakyoung’s, no doubt it was assumed that there’d be some tension. Still, Seoyeon glanced over, noting Sohyun’s relaxed posture, the way she softly hummed as she watched over the flowing river, shoulders not tight with tension. Yooyeon slowly relaxed too, hands easing as they clasped together in her lap.

“This spot’s nice…” Sohyun murmured, tilting her head slightly, “The wind almost makes a song with the reeds, if you listen close.” Seoyeon caught the faint smile on Sohyun’s lips, and she tilted her head.

To her side, she heard Yooyeon chuckle, and the blonde let her eyes wander over. “You haven’t changed much at all,” she hummed, observing whilst still watching over the water. Speckles of the fireflies’ light danced across the surface as yellow dots, and Yooyeon leaned back, resting her weight against the heels of her palms, “Still always finding music somewhere in the world.”

At that, Seoyeon glanced back at Sohyun, smiling. “You like music?” She asked, and Sohyun nodded.

The older girl chuckled, “I used to play the piano religiously as a child… the other kids would always say my Wyvern claws were too heavy, that I’d break the damn thing,” she shrugged, “But they weren’t the ones being praised by some of the best private tutors the Kingdom has to offer.” There was a quiet air of confidence about her statement, and Seoyeon heard a soft noise from Yooyeon, almost a snort.

“Careful,” she warned lightly, glancing at Seoyeon, “If you let her, she’ll go on and on about how she dreamed of being a musician before tragically discovering her latent Mana and eventually getting her Blessing,” the short-haired girl rolled her eyes, “I guess you’re still a little full of yourself, Sohyun.” She mumbled, though Seoyeon could tell it lacked any bite, if Sohyun’s (surprisingly loud) laugh was anything to go by.

The blonde let her eyes dance between the two, and what she only imagined was years of camaraderie and friendship was slowly beginning to seep back to the surface.

“I think you have to be at least a little bit,” Seoyeon added, and the two older girls glanced her way, “You have to always have some pride in your work.”

Sohyun nodded, her lips quirking into a slight grin, “See? Seoyeon gets it.” Yooyeon scoffed at the childishness of it, and the trio glanced back over the river.

The oldest of the three sighed, taking in their surroundings, “You are right though…” she muttered, harkening back to Sohyun’s earlier observation, “It is nice out here… shame, given our current circumstances.”

The blue-black haired girl nodded, “Believe me, I’d like to have the time to take it all in too…” she mumbled, “The Elder Forest is home to some of the rarest plants and fauna around… and yet, instead of appreciating it and taking it all in, we’re here to kill a monster that shouldn’t even exist,” she hummed, “I suppose there’s irony in there somewhere.”

Seoyeon gave a quiet groan, letting her legs stretch out before her, “Never thought I’d say it, but I almost miss the classrooms around now…” she gave a soft yawn, and Sohyun chuckled. “I’d rather be reading and writing then… worrying about all that.” She muttered, and the other Elder-blessed girl nodded.

“That makes two of us…” she muttered, and Yooyeon shrugged.

“Make it three,” she chimed in, before pursing her lips, “That said, I don’t miss that new curriculum.”

The other two groaned, and Yooyeon’s eyes widened in mild surprise at the sudden noise. Sohyun clicked her tongue, “Tell me about it…” she muttered, shaking her head, “It’s all just so… confusing now. First-years are learning what was once second-year material, second-years learning some third and fourth-year stuff… It's madness.” She muttered, and Seoyeon nodded.

“I’ve heard…” she sighed, “Poor Heejin-unnie… she’s probably just as annoyed about it.” The other two made noises of agreement, and Seoyeon shook her head. “Does Theology class get any less confusing as the years go on?” She asked, and Sohyun chuckled, Yooyeon muttering something under her breath.

The blue-black haired girl sighed, “Only gets more confusing…”

Seoyeon gave another groan, crossing her arms with a huff, “We’ve only just gotten to Epithets…” she shook her head, dramatically grasping her temple with her hand, “My head’s already spinning… doesn’t help that Professor Vivi jumps between making sense and making… well, nonsense.” She mumbled, softer, and Yooyeon nodded. Sohyun gave a long exhale, her breath misting in the air.

“Epithets…” she began, “I’m guessing you still haven’t developed yours?” She asked, glancing back at the blonde. Seoyeon could sense Yooyeon’s eyes on her too, and at that, she shifted, nervous.

The Dandelion liked to think of herself as studious – her notes were well-kept, she already felt caught up when compared to most of her peers, and she even outperformed people who’d been entrenched in the magical world for much longer than she had. Yet, even now, such a concept remained so foreign to her, and she slowly shook her head as Sohyun nodded.

“I…” the blonde began, “To be honest, I barely understand what they even are.”

“You wouldn’t be alone in that,” Yooyeon started, shifting slightly. “There’s so much jargon thrown around in those textbooks that it makes it hard to define, but in essence,” she started, capturing both Sohyun and Seoyeon’s interest, “When you first gain your blessing, your affinity guides you, and you get access to the broad range of domains your god will command. But, over time, you’ll probably grow comfortable with a specific way of fighting.”

Seoyeon nods, “Like how The Falcon is a god of the sun and the sky, but Jiwoo mainly just uses the fire aspect of it?” Yooyeon smiles, nodding.

“Exactly,” the older girl continues, “It makes no sense to keep stretching yourself thin, so, your affinity and blessing merges into one particular style you can train and strengthen,” her eyes meet Seoyeon’s, “The way they come together, that’s what forms your Epithet,” her eyes move back to the river, “It takes time to develop one, most students finalise theirs in their third-year, although with this new curriculum… there’s more pressure for even first-years to figure theirs out.”

Sohyun scoffed, “Foolish if you ask me…” The Blue Wyvern muttered as eyes darted to her, “Your Epithet… for some, unlocking it is like figuring out an integral part of who you are,” her dark irises reflected the shattered light of the stars scattered across the water, “You can’t… you shouldn’t force that.”

The oldest of the trio remained silent, not disputing the notion. Instead, she let out a breath, meeting Seoyeon’s gaze once more. “You have time to develop your own,” she shrugged, “And knowing you, you’ll probably develop it sooner rather than later.”

Seoyeon nodded, a faint chuckle leaving her lips. She weighed the older girl’s words, “So… is it like taking an Oath? Giving up access to the god’s other domains to strengthen what you’re already used to and good at?”

She felt a nudge on her other side, and was met with a nod from Sohyun, “Leave it to you to pick things up this fast,” she hummed, “You’re right – once you develop your Epithet, you may lose access to your god’s other domains, but your Mana usage becomes more efficient, your range greater.”

Seoyeon tilted her head, brow furrowing slightly. “Then… What about you two?” she asked, curiosity lacing her tone. “You’ve both been here longer than me… Do you already have yours?”

Yooyeon’s lips quirked into the faintest hint of a smile, something wry glinting in her sharp eyes. “Of course,” she answered simply. “Two, actually.”

Sohyun let out a low whistle. “Show-off.”

Yooyeon ignored the jab, turning her wrist upward, palm open to the night. “It’s because I have two Blessings,” she explained, her voice steady, methodical. “The first is from the Rabbit, god of boundaries and travel, amongst other things.” She bent down, scooping a few smooth pebbles from the riverbank. With a flick of her fingers, the pebbles rose from her palm and began to orbit around her wrist in a slow, graceful arc, glowing a soft, warm pink.

Seoyeon’s eyes widened. Even with each display of magic she witnessed, the amazement that came with it was never dampened. “Whoa…”

Yooyeon’s gaze stayed fixed on the stones, her tone detached but undeniably confident. “Wonderland. That’s the name of this Epithet. It lets me distort the rules of space-time to my will.” She rotated her wrist, and the pebbles spun faster, their orbit tightening like moons being dragged closer to a planet. “I can alter gravity, bend forces of attraction and repulsion. Adjust weight, velocity, direction…”

Then, in one quick movement that made Seoyeon jolt, she flicked her wrist. The stones shot forward, skipping and dancing through the air toward the river. Before they could splash into the current, Yooyeon whispered a single word:

“Pause.”

The river froze. Mid-splash. The water hung suspended in the air like a sheet of living glass, droplets hanging weightless between ripples. The fireflies hovering over the bank shimmered against the suspended surface, caught between motion and stillness.

Seoyeon’s mouth fell open. “You can… stop time?”

Yooyeon shook her head. “I can, but it costs too much mana in the long run,” she gave a soft hum, “So, to compromise, I usually halt objects within a defined boundary for a few seconds, maybe longer if I pour more mana into it. It’s… more like creating my own pocket of stillness.” Her eyes flickered, and she muttered, “Resume.”

The river surged forward with a soft rush, the night resuming its rhythm as if nothing had happened. “I can also speed up or rewind time in similar pockets, if needed. Of course,” Yooyeon added, brushing stray sand from her fingers, “This level of control doesn’t come free. Wonderland is powerful, but incredibly demanding. One wrong calculation, and…” She mimed an explosion with her fingers.

Sohyun glanced over the river, “She means she’d end up launching herself into a tree or sucking everything into a black hole.”

Yooyeon shot her a flat look. “Which brings me to my second Epithet.” She tapped her temple. “Laser Sights. From the Deer.”

Seoyeon blinked. “Laser… sights?”

“It’s less flashy,” Yooyeon admitted, “But far more important. The Deer gave me the ability to process information at high speeds – instantaneous calculations, spatial awareness, physics, trajectories. Think of it as…” she tapped her forehead again, “…a built-in abacus and encyclopedia that keeps me from accidentally breaking my own magic,” she shifted, hugging her own knees close to her chest, “It also helps me spot patterns. Weak points. The way someone’s magic might function, even if I don’t fully understand it yet.”

Sohyun snorted softly. “In other words, she got an extra brain just to keep herself from blowing up.”

“It’s all about efficiency,” Yooyeon replied simply, her eyes flicking back toward the camp. A faint light flickered in her irises, quiet, calculating. “Wonderland’s useless without Laser Sights. The two exist to balance each other out.”

Seoyeon tilted her head, a grin spreading across her face. “That’s… kind of amazing.”

Yooyeon blinked at her, as if surprised by the genuine awe. “It’s… practical,” she finally muttered, looking away, her cheeks glowing pink.

Sohyun chuckled under her breath, then leaned back on her hands. “Well, if she’s gonna show off, I guess I might as well too.” She lifted her hand and let a soft gust of wind spiral around her fingertips, catching bits of sand and reeds, weaving them into little swirling streams of air. “Mine’s from the Wolf – Rhythmic Winds. It comes in two parts.”

The wind picked up around her as she spoke, dancing around her wrists like invisible ribbons. “I can shape and control wind currents – cut through stone with blades of air, or crush something with whirlwinds if I have to. That’s the first part.”

Seoyeon watched, wide-eyed, as the air gathered and whirled above Sohyun’s palm, tightening into a sharp, focused spiral, before dissipating. Sohyun tapped her chest. “The second part’s trickier. The Wolf is also a god of music, and perhaps my inclination towards music is why it picked me to begin with…” She wondered with a hum, “The second part of my Epithet lets me hear the world as a music sheet – I can read an opponent’s movements, break them down into sound, rhythm.”

Beside the blonde, Yooyeon nodded, “And then, Sohyun can use the patterns she’s heard against her enemy, figuring out their next moves before they do.”

“All songs have a melody,” Sohyun shrugged, gazing forth, “Even the song of battle.”

“That’s…” Seoyeon breathed, “So cool.”

The trio sat in companionable silence for a moment, the moonlight painting soft outlines along their faces. Wonder and admiration sparkled in the blonde’s eyes as she looked between the two girls sitting either side of her, and she couldn’t help but let out a quiet laugh, hugging her knees again. “Yours both sound incredible,” she admitted. “I can’t even imagine what mine’ll be like.”

Yooyeon’s eyes softened briefly, a flicker of something warm cutting through the analytical cool. “Knowing you,” she said, “It’ll probably be something…” Her eyes met Seoyeon’s, the warm pools of her kind irises leaving an odd sensation in Yooyeon’s chest as she looked away, coughing, “...Ridiculous.”

The blonde blinked, “...Thanks?” She laughed, and Yooyeon hoped the dark of the night hid the redness that was no doubt clinging to her cheeks. To her relief, the familiar sound of a younger girl’s laughter rang through the air, and when she glanced behind them, she could spot her sister laughing at something Chaeyeon said.

The older girl stood a moment later, brushing sand from her trousers. “Soomin’s over there,” she murmured, nodding toward a cluster of tents near the treeline. “I should check on her.”

“Go on,” Sohyun said, waving her off, a knowing smile on her face as she spotted the older girl’s crimson cheeks in the moonlight. Unaware, Seoyeon smiled and waved her off too. Yooyeon hesitated briefly, just a second, then turned and headed down the riverbank, her figure soon melting into the shadows beyond the firelight.

Now alone, Sohyun exhaled softly, leaning back until her palms dug into the cool sand. “You should know,” The older girl started, “That there is another one I have.”

Seoyeon glanced at her. “Another one?”

Sohyun’s eyes caught the moonlight, glinting pale blue. “From the Dragon,” At that, The blonde goes quiet, eyes widening as she shifts her gaze, staring forth. The wind stirred around them both, colder now, heavier. “Dragon’s Frost. You have your fire, I have ice.” Her voice softened, “I can create glaciers like they’re nothing. Freeze the air itself into weapons, fortresses… anything. It’s the kind of magic that doesn’t just freeze flesh — it freezes the soul. Just like your Phoenix flames can burn it.”

Seoyeon shivered at the imagery, but her heartbeat quickened, a spark of determination flickering behind her ribs.

Sohyun noticed. A slow smile pulled at her lips. “You’ll get there, Dandelion. Whatever your Epithet turns out to be, I have a feeling…” She mumbled, standing to her feet, brushing sand off her uniform as she stretched. “It’ll be something bright.”

The wind hummed softly through the reeds, a quiet melody threading through the night as Sohyun walked off, leaving Seoyeon alone with thoughts swimming through her mind.

=====

The morning sun bled over the horizon in a pale gold wash, its warmth struggling to cut through the sharp chill hanging in the air. Dew clung stubbornly to the grass as the students moved in disciplined silence, boots crunching against damp earth. The forest ahead trembled, not with the wind, but with something alive. Something too large to belong in this world.

The distant sounds of trees crunching echoed in the air, shaking it as Hyunjin’s grip on her cleaver-like blades tightened. “We’re getting closer…” she muttered to the students. “Just a little closer, right Xinyu?” Her sharp eyes moved over to the tall third-year, who nodded, already twirling her daggers around her fingers, butterflies seeming to float around her. Apparently it was through these butterflies she’d managed to locate the creature, having woken up the Professors to alert them of her findings.

Now, the group moved, already divided. Beside the professors, Jiwoo glanced around her, the grip on her spear tight. What stuck out immediately was the four missing individuals – Professor Vivi had stopped further back, along with Chaeyeon, Mayu and Soomin. They’d already begun work on the poison, wanting to work somewhere between their camp and the alleged location of their targets.

“How long do you think they’ll take?” Yubin asked, a half-whisper as Jiwoo shrugged.

“Professor Vivi was a little cryptic about it…” Hyerin muttered, her bow Soulborne in her grasp as she walked close beside Yubin, “But Mayu-unnie said it shouldn’t take too long, since they already made some headway last night.”

“We still need to be on our toes,” Sohyun’s voice reverberated behind them, the trio giving her a quick glance. On one side of her was Xinyu, the other Seoyeon. The blue-black haired third year continued, “We might end up needing to keep those things busy for a few hours, we can’t risk being lazy or complacent with this.”

The trio nodded, “Heard.” Jiwoo and Yubin called out, before letting their eyes shift forward once more. The crashing sounds of bark shattering and birds squawking and screeching grew louder, and Seoyeon’s grip on her sword tightened. She offered quick glances towards everyone, briefly catching Nien’s eyes, and the taller girl made a slight ‘fist-bump’ gesture in the air, as if to say ‘We got this!’. Seoyeon only nodded back with a smile.

A particularly loud noise caused everyone’s attention to zero-in on the sight ahead.

“...There,” Jiwoo whispered, her voice low, reverent and afraid all at once.

Through the gaps between the ancient trees of the Elder Forest, Yamato no Orochi stretched upward like a nightmare pulled from the deep. Eight serpentine necks twisted and coiled over each other, scales glistening with oily black, with glowing rings of light pulsing down the length of its body in deep violet hues. Each head was large enough to crush a cottage beneath its jaws, the fangs dripping with venom. Trees bent beneath their weight, entire sections of the forest had been flattened into ashen mulch as they writhed.

Their breath carried a stench sharp enough to burn the throat, and the scales seemed even more jagged than they had prior.

“They’ve grown,” Yubin muttered. Even she sounded breathless, readying her spiked club. “Gods, they’ve grown…”

Sooyoung adjusted the grip on her rapier, her face unreadable. “We’ll bring them down anyway.” She muttered, giving a quick nod towards Yubin. The creature finally seemed to register the group’s presence, each head turning to face them. The hiss was lower, closer to a monstrous rumble that made boulders shake than the sounds of any kind of serpent. Seoyeon readied her blade, and it’s then the realisation hit her.

Wait, if the creature is here… then where…

A sharp, metallic hum cut through the air before she could speak her thoughts aloud, and a figure shot towards her in her peripheral.

Sooyoung surged forth, meeting a blade that seemed carved from the ivory of bone. A shrill laugh echoed through the air, and when Seoyeon gazed forth, she caught the visage of the Evolutionary’s scratched mask.

The cultist emerged from the treeline, and her school uniform seemed to drip with blood in some places as she giggled. Sooyoung pushed through with her weapon, watching as the Evolutionary shot herself back, before grabbing onto a branch in a tree, spinning around it like some sort of deranged acrobat, before finally perching herself atop the tree, her blade-like arm returning to normal.

Her head moved, as if taking in the sight of each girl, before it snagged, inevitably, on Seoyeon. She tilted her head, and Seoyeon felt that fire grow hot in her veins.

“So many young talents,” she mused aloud, voice like silk hiding steel. “All for me.” Her lips were no doubt curled into a sneering smile beneath her mask, before she glanced back at the serpent. “My little experiment… it took a few tries, but she’s really pretty now, wouldn’t you say~.” Seoyeon’s eyes flicked toward the writhing serpents behind the cultist. “I rebuilt it. Reforged it. Fed it everything it needed to outgrow its limits… oh, oh my pretty…”

Her hand twitched, shifting and spiraling until steel lanced from her forearm like a spear. “It’s perfect.”

Seoyeon stepped forward before anyone else could. The wind caught on her hair, strands of blonde gleaming in the morning light. “Perfect? You call that thing perfect?” The Evolutionary’s head snapped in her direction, shoulders tensing.

Off to the side, Yooyeon nodded, That’s right, she thought, readying her own pistols, Goade her.

“All I see are two monsters waiting to be cut down.”

The Evolutionary’s jaw clenched, not quite rage, but something like it buried beneath the surface. She laughed, high, in disbelief. “You should be grateful, brat,” she tilted her head, “Now all you and your little friends can meet the same end, unified under my own creation.” She giggled, and Seoyeon’s hold on her sword tightened, eyes flickering gold.

“No one’s dying today,” Seoyeon said, voice steady and cutting through the rising wind. “No one except for that abomination you’ve created.”

For a heartbeat, the Evolutionary hesitated. Something flickered in her figure, a faint glow around her body, muscles twitching in an inhuman manner, spasming in ways they shouldn’t. Then she lunged, fast. The lance of her arm cut the air with a shriek, a blur of steel aimed straight for Seoyeon’s chest as the blonde readied herself, flames sparking to life–

–but a blast of wind struck first. Sohyun’s magic slammed into the Evolutionary’s side like a cannon blast, throwing her across the clearing and through a half-toppled tree. She hit the ground hard, sliding through the dirt, carving a furrow into the earth.

“Careful there,” Sohyun muttered, rolling her shoulder as the air coiled and snapped around her like an eager beast. “Don’t let yourself get too comfortable.”

Seoyeon shot her a quick grin, heart pounding. “Didn’t plan to.” The Evolutionary screamed, jumping to her feet, readying to jump back at Sohyun, only for a crimson beam to shoot through the space between Seoyeon and the third-year. It collided with the Evolutionary, firing her back even further, out of sight.

Special Technique: Snipe Shot

When the pair glanced behind them, eyes were on Sullin, hands clasped together, her expression unreadable but focused. “We can’t let her interfere with the others. Keep her away from the creature.”

Seoyeon nodded once. “Then let’s move.” Seoyeon, Sohyun and Sullin sprinted forth into the shadows of the trees. The ground shook, and Hyunjin nudged both Jiyeon and Nien.

“Let’s go too – Jiyeon?” The second-year nodded, closing her eyes, only to reopen them and reveal the pale glow to her irises. The other trio shot off, Nien’s laughter growing fainter with distance, as Jiyeon barked out directions.

The rest glanced forth, the monster’s attention now solely on them. Jiwoo rested her spear against her shoulder, and Yubin laughed, striking the ground with her club. Hyerin shifted closer to the shadows across the ground, bow raised, and wings decorated with dull black and shimmering green scales sprouted from Yeonji’s back. Nakyoung twirled her scythe, a pink glow around Yooyeon.

“Stay alert,” Sooyoung barked, “Hyerin and Yeonji, stay with me. The rest take on a head each,” her eyes flickered to Lynn, “Except for you, Kawakami. Think you can handle three?”

Lynn’s eyes glowed blue faintly, her trident manifesting in her grasp. Rather than answering directly, water swirled around her, and she shifted. With one swift throw, her trident collided with one of the serpent heads, and destroyed it almost immediately, the stumped neck now spasming and twitching as ichor squirted out. The others glanced at her, and Lynn rolled her shoulders.

“Easily.”

=====

The little clearing where they’d chosen to set up was soaked in soft gold light, morning mist clinging to the undergrowth. Chaeyeon wiped her brow with the back of her hand as she sighed, her uniform jacket discarded and her forearms exposed to the cold air. Before her, a small cauldron bubbled quietly in the center of a ring of hastily drawn sigils, etched into the damp earth with a faint pink flow, courtesy of the Professor.

The air smelled sharp with crushed roots and bitter herbs scattered around, alongside the tang of iron that stung their nostrils. All the while, Mayu’s hands moved with a steadiness that surprised even herself. She poured a ground-up black powder into the cauldron, the dust curling upward like smoke. “Careful,” she muttered under her breath, more to herself than anyone else, “Nightshroom reacts violently with devilroot if it’s not mixed at the right tempo.”

“You sound like Vivi-ssaem,” Chaeyeon teased softly, bumping her hip against Mayu’s, offering the older girl a small smile. She stirred another pot on the side, and the heat licked against her face as a small fire glowed beneath the pot. She leaned back, wiping the sweat again before continuing to stir, the purple-blue mixture shimmering faintly in the light.

Professor Vivi hummed dreamily from where she sat cross-legged on a smooth stone, her head tilted toward the sky as if the drifting clouds were more interesting than the world. “Nightshroom is stubborn,” she sang half-angry. “Like cats… or second-year students who forget their homework.”

Soomin blinked. “...Professor?” She glanced up, catching the older woman giggling and singing a soft song as she pointed to a cloud.

“That one kinda looks like Heejin…” she giggled again, and when Soomin raised a brow, the older woman hummed. “Stir counterclockwise twice,” Vivi said without looking down, voice slipping back into a sharper register. “If you don’t, it’ll curdle. And if it curdles, you’ll just make a very expensive, very deadly salad dressing,” she glanced down at Soomin, eyes flickering over to Mayu, before pouting, “And I’ll be sad.”

Mayu immediately adjusted her movements. “Got it.”

The shift between Vivi’s floaty musings and sudden lucidity was unsettling, but oddly reassuring to the young first-year. The woman might sound like she lived life through dreams, but there was something solid threaded through the haze, something sharp that would cut through every now and then. Her soft ramblings chipped away at the young girl’s nerves, and her reminders kept them focused. They weren’t alone, that’s what mattered.

The bubbling pot hissed as Chaeyeon added a pinch of silverroot powder, a curl of green smoke rising from the surface. She then slowly walked over, pouring the contents of her pot into the cauldron. “One third at a time…” Mayu mumbled, and Chaeyeon nodded, pausing as Mayu stirred in the first third.

Soomin crouched nearby, giving a quick glance at the older girls before looking back down, sorting ingredients with the sort of precision born from anxiety. Her hands moved quickly through pouches and cloth bundles: crushed bone lilies, dried dragonmint, preserved serpent bile (how Vivi managed to get that, she did not want to know). She glanced at the horizon. In the distance, just beyond the dark treeline, the ground rumbled. The sounds were faint but unmistakable, like thunder wrapped in screams.

Her throat went dry. “They’ve started fighting.” She could feel the Mana run beneath her skin, the itch to call on and throw her Soulborne, letting the chakram zip through the air. Instead, she stayed behind.

Soomin glanced over, and caught the way Mayu paused, only for a heartbeat. There was the faintest tremor in the hand of a girl who usually couldn’t bring herself to speak above a whisper, no doubt fear crossing her mind at the thought of fighting such a monster. The older girl shook her head softly, beginning to stir again.

“I know,” Mayu said softly, before gesturing towards Chaeyeon. The second-year nodded, pouring in the second third from the pot. “All the more reason to make sure this works.” She gave a faint smile, adjusting her glasses, only usually worn when she was deep in studying. Though, at this point, they’d long since slid crookedly down her nose as she leaned over the cauldron. Steam licked against her face, and she adjusted her glasses again.

Her eyes flickered to Soomin, noticing how the usually talkative girl had been silent for an unusually long time, and her stirring slowed. Soomin spoke, voice croaking slightly, “…Yooyeon’s out there too,” she spoke as she sorted some flower plants aside from some mushrooms, her voice tight. “I… I know she can handle herself, but–”

“Yooyeon’s a third-year,” Mayu cut in, not unkindly. Her tone was firm in a way that startled them both. Soomin glanced up, and Mayu gave a smile. “She’s got better control over her magic than half the professors I’ve seen. She’ll be fine.”

Soomin lowered her eyes. “I just… don’t want her to get hurt… again…” Her hand clenched as she sighed, “Yesterday… she almost got hurt because of me…”

A silence hung between them, broken only by the bubbling cauldron and the distant echo of something massive roaring.

Chaeyeon glanced down at her hands, at the faint tremor she hadn’t noticed until now. “Yubin and Jiwoo are out there too,” she said quietly, thinking over Soomin’s own concerns. “I… I’m worried too, they’re both the kind of people who dive in to save people without thinking… even so,” she glanced up, a spark in her eyes, “All we can do is make sure they’ve got a fighting chance.”

Mayu nodded, giving a soft squeeze to Chaeyeon’s wrist as she nodded, “Chaeyeon is right,” she met Soomin’s nervous eyes, “That’s what this poison is for, why our work is so important,” she muttered, pointed, “If we start falling apart here, they’ll have nothing to rely on out there.” Soomin hesitated, before nodding. She picked up a few ingredients and walked over.

The older blonde smiled, “You can use that pestle and mortar to grind it up, then add some to the cauldron.” The first-year nodded, quick to busy herself.

Off to the side, Professor Vivi tilted her head and smiled dreamily, her cotton candy pink hair brushing against her shoulder. “I like when you sound like a leader,” she said softly, as if it were a secret she was sharing with the wind. “It suits you.”

Mayu’s face flushed red instantly whilst Soomin and Chaeyeon stifled giggles. “P–Professor–”

“Add the serpent bile now,” Vivi continued lightly, as though she hadn’t said anything strange at all. “Add the last third, and stir until the smoke turns greenish-blue. If it turns red, we run. Or die. Maybe both.”

“Comforting,” Chaeyeon muttered, but she followed the instructions anyway.

The air grew thicker as the mixture deepened into a dark, murky color, viscous and alive-looking. Mayu leaned over the cauldron, eyes sharp, lips pressed together in determination. She didn’t often get chances to lead, to be something other than the quiet one at the back of the classroom. But right now, she was the one everyone was looking to.

And as she stared over to the treelines, already imagining Yeonji fighting fearlessly where she couldn’t, one thought crossed her mind – she wasn’t about to let everyone down.

.

The first head lunged toward Hyerin like a falling tower. She was already gone before its fangs struck the earth, a blur of motion swallowed by the shifting dark as she slipped into the shadows and reappeared elsewhere. Her black gorgon scales shimmered, pupils turning into slits briefly, before the red-haired girl vanished from view in the dark. Around her, the forest shadows bent to her will, moving like tendrils before spinning into the shape of an arrow.

Her Jeong eyes flickered with pale light, the purple-ringed look overtaking her iris. A faint white spark shimmered along a patch of scales beneath the creature’s jaw, and she pulled the string to her bow back. The arrow head split into five smaller ones, as she let go, five shadow-wrought arrows slammed into the mark. Black-and-silver cracks split the scales like glass, ichor spraying into the air as scales blew aside.

Special Technique: Quintuple Shot

The serpent reared back, hissing violently, and Hyerin frowned.

“Good shot!” Yeonji called, wings beating once as she landed where Hyerin reappeared, the two watching as Professor Sooyoung shot forth like lightning, her rapier jabbing and striking at the creature as she evaded the writhing swings of its heavier body. Her movements looked almost like a dance, acrobatic and swift as she swung her crimson Soulborne, the rapier glinting in the air.

Still, Hyerin’s eyes remained on the black blood leaking from the wound of the Sorrow, a few scales shot off. She thought back to earlier, when she’d managed to blow an entire chunk from its body. “It’s tougher now,” she deduced, already stringing another shadow arrow, “Earlier, attacking one of its weak points almost killed it, now…” She muttered, before feeling a pat on her shoulder.

“Just means we have to hit it harder.” She grinned, her wings beating, shaking the air as she lifted upward. Her wyvern heritage flared around her as faint translucent draconic scales bloomed across her skin in green patches, her eyes looking closer to jade slits. She drew in a deep breath, and the world seemed to tense.

Then she exhaled. A beam of fire shot from her mouth, searing through the serpent’s damaged throat, attacking the wound Hyerin had caused prior. The creature shrieked, before slamming its snout towards Yeonji. The flapping of a green butterfly’s wings flashed in her mind, and Yeonji called forth her heavy Soulborne as she blocked the attack with the flat of her blade.

The air rushed around her as the creature gave a low noise, and Yeonji gritted her teeth. She briefly let go of her sword, only to kick it hard, and the force carried through into the Sorrow as its head was smacked back. Yeonji flew to catch her sword, and as it landed in her grasp, she followed the Sorrow. With a sharp inhale, Yeonji blew a concentrated blast of air around her heavy blade, and watched it swirl around the metal.

The creature shook its head, narrowing its gaze as Yeonji swung her sword back, a whirlwind still around it. Hope you don’t mind me borrowing one of your techniques, Sohyun-unnie…

Special Technique: Air-Cutting Slash

With a shout, Yeonji swung her sword forth in an arc, the whirlwind spinning wild before forming a sharp blade of air, pushing the scaled behemoth back further as a gash ran across its body, dark ichor spilling into the air as a mist. The creature’s muscles contracted and coiled, and it gave a low hiss as it caught itself, body stretching unnaturally as it levelled its gaze towards Yeonji.

“Oh…” The young girl murmured, eyes widening as the creature shot towards her fast, and she yelped, flying down and out the way. “Those flying lessons with Tone-unnie better pay off– AH!” She flew past another attempted bite.

On the ground, Sooyoung narrowed her own eyes and short forth, rapier striking flesh as it chipped away at the scales. She pivoted beneath the beast’s reeling weight, blade stabbing in clean and controlled arcs that cut between plates of scale with surgical precision. Each movement was beautiful – frighteningly efficient, like a song written for blood.

Get the attention off Yeonji, keep the kids safe… Her hold on her weapon grew impossibly tight, Do not fail another student, Sooyoung…

She drew two fingers close to her mouth, and whistled. Crimson energy swirled around her, sparking with blue electricity, before birds manifested either side of herself – those on her left blue, those on her right red.

Ha Sooyoung - Blessed by The Swans

Epithet: Birdsong of Red and Blue

Embodying the concept of duality, the user can split their Mana into positive and negative Mana, and summon familiars created from either current. Red birds are made of positive energy, and carry explosive heat, whilst Blue birds make use of negative energy, and call on lightning. Either can be used for reconnaissance, acting as the caster’s eyes and ears in the field.

Sooyoung watched the red birds fly high, heated embers firing off from their bodies like fireworks as they drew close. Two shot forth, cutting through the air like a streak of flame, leaving heated marks across the serpent’s body as it hissed, coiling away from Hyerin and to the birds now flying around it, only to swoop down and cut across the mass of dark scaled flesh with their wings.

The professor slowed, raising her rapier and pointing it to a third bird. The bird then spasmed, before shooting forward towards the underside of the serpent’s jaw. As it grew closer, its muscles swelled unnaturally, before the bird let out a shriek and detonated in an explosion of fire and feathers. It rang through the air, and the snake hissed as it was knocked back.

Special Technique: Cardinal Crash

She watched as the green-haired girl flew downward, closer to the earth before skidding to a halt beside Sooyoung. Hyerin reappeared at her side, and the serpent’s eyes darted, beginning to reorient itself as the two first-years looked to the professor.

The older woman tapped her rapier against the ground. “Keep it busy,” Sooyoung called, her usually calm voice tight with focus. “Don’t give it time to breathe – Hyerin,” the girl jumped slightly, “Stay out of its line of sight, keep back. We can use you as a way to escape especially dire situations. Understood?” Yeonji gave a nod, and as the serpent looked down on the trio, they readied themselves again.

Hyerin didn’t bother replying as she pulled back another arrow, her irises turning purple once more. Her next shot cracked through the beast’s eye.

Further down the battlefield, Yubin’s roar echoed like thunder. Her spiked club met a serpent’s fangs in a shower of sparks as one cracked, a viscous liquid oozing around the crack. Yubin winced before she pushed back, and the serpent screeched as it shook its head, disorientated. Yubin panted. Her muscles bulged with glowing pink patterns akin to tiger stripes, veins alight with shimmering mana as the ground beneath her boots cracked from the force.

“COME ON!” She shouted, sporting a grin as she drove the club upward as the serpent shot forth again. The impact landed with a crunch as the creature’s jaw snapped wide, and she twisted, hurling the beast’s head sideways with a strength that would have snapped trees like twigs. Birds squawked as they attempted to fly away as the scaled mass crashed against the trees.

Yubin shifted, and soon, the serpent shot forth again. Already– Yubin raised her club horizontally as the snout of the beast slammed into it, firing her back into a larger tree. She winced at the pain now blossoming on her back, and her arms tensed as the creature pushed on, the oozing venom from its fangs dripping onto the forest floor, hissing as it corroded the earth.

“You guys…” The creature attempted to snap its jaw, and Yubin sent it back with a kick, only to raise her club quick to block another lunge, its fangs crashing against her heavy Soulborne. “...are a lot more feisty than yesterday, huh?” She forced out a weak smile, feeling the creature’s muscles coil and push against her own smaller body.

Further in the distance, she could hear the roaring of flames, and took a quick glance to confirm what she thought.

Jiwoo. Her friend blasted around, flames exploding from the tip of her spear as she jumped and evaded past the twists the serpent’s head took to bite into her. Occasionally, she’d swing her spear forth in an arc of reddish-amber flames, searing against the serpent’s thicker scales. At one point, the head tried to coil around her with a swift manoeuvre, but she slammed her spear into the ground, only to vault upward in an explosion.

Flames trailed behind her like a comet tail, crimson ribbons of fire twisting around her and her weapon. She spun midair, then dove, as she drove her spear into the base of the creature’s skull, and it shrieked in agony as it shook and writhed, attempting to throw her off as Jiwoo yelped.

“Jiwoo!” Yubin barked as a low hiss vibrated out from the creature’s throat.

“Busy!” Jiwoo shot back, deciding to forego freeing her weapon and instead thrusting it further. As the creature shook and hissed, Jiwoo felt her own ire grow. Just… die… already… Black smoke coiled around her frame, her voice deepening into an almost animalistic growl, horns sprouting from her head. Her irises flashed crimson, her scleras black, and for a moment, time slowed.

Jiwoo sighed at the library, her head meeting the book as Seoyeon chuckled beside her. “Unnie…” she pouted, and Seoyeon simply patted the younger girl’s head, before letting her hand rest there, and she lightly scratched at Jiwoo’s scalp in something close to a light massage. “We’ve been here for so long I think my brain’s starting to melt…” She glanced up, catching the way Seoyeon rolled her eyes before patting her head.

Her hand moved back to her book, flipping the page as the older girl nodded, humming, scribbling ink against the pages of her notebook. Jiwoo tilted her head, furrowing her brow as she let her eyes dart across them. Nien had busied herself with napping, whilst Lynn and Dahyun were caught up in some sort of board game Dahyun had found nestled between the shelves.

The tall girl’s eyes moved back to Seoyeon, and she sat up and leant back, watching as the blonde continued to write. “You’re taking this essay stuff for Professor Vivi’s class seriously, aren’t you unnie?” She asked, and Seoyeon only hummed.

“Do I have a reason not to?” She wondered aloud, and Jiwoo nodded to herself.

“I guess not…” she murmured, before leaning over to read some of it. “Is this what you said it’d be about? About the Elders and what they created?” Seoyeon nodded, briefly tapping the top of her pen against her chin, before nodding to herself and going back to writing.

“Mhm…” she murmured, golden hair swishing as she stretched her neck. The older girl then leant back, rolling her shoulders, “Gods, I’m stiff…” Jiwoo giggled, resting her arms against the table.

“Because you’ve been writing nonstop for hours, unnie,” she teased, and was rewarded with a soft kick to her leg and a small smile from Seoyeon. She rolled her eyes, and Seoyeon sighed. Jiwoo’s eyes flickered back over to the pages, and caught the words written on her most recent lines. “That part’s about Omens, right?”

Seoyeon nodded, glancing up at the taller girl, who still seemed to tower over Seoyeon even as they sat down, “You’re an omen, right?” Jiwoo beamed, flashing a toothy grin as her eyes briefly shifted colour.

“Yep,” she leant back, crossing her arms, “Need any help with anything?” She asked, a half-chuckle leaving her as she said it. Still, Seoyeon gazed at her words, eyes glowing with a thoughtful look. “Do you actually have a question?” Jiwoo wondered, more curious as Seoyeon hesitated, before nodding.

“Okay, so,” she began, “This word,” she pointed at a transcript in the book, quoted from some old relic, “Is apparently translated to mean something like ‘Damned’, and it appears a lot…” She huffed, cheeks puffing slightly, “And in weird contexts. Something about you making ‘Damned’-somethings… these translations aren’t the best…” she murmured, sighing.

“It’s because you keep accidentally reading sources from non-Omens,” she pointed out. At the blonde’s confusion, Jiwoo moved to pick out a book from her own bag, placing it down between them. “Non-Omens will always do a worse job at explaining something related to us, kinda like how we get confused if we read something about Wyverns that wasn’t written by one.”

Seoyeon nodded, “Right…” she sighed, shaking her head, “No, yeah, that makes sense…”

Jiwoo hummed, “There’s a section in the library, if you need more direct sources,” Seoyeon gave a thankful nod, but Jiwoo wasn’t done. “And for the record, if I had to hazard a guess, I’m assuming they’re talking about Damned Mana.”

The blonde gave a look that, to put it bluntly, conveyed utter confusion, and Jiwoo laughed, enough to snap Lynn and Dahyun out from their game. They eyed the tall second-year warily, before slipping right back into it.

“Damned Mana?” She wondered, and Jiwoo nodded.

Black smoke coiled around her faintly as she spoke, irises glinting red in the light. “Omens who’ve unlocked their Mana get access to a third source of energy to use in fights,” she started, “That energy is powered by our emotions – mainly our negative ones. That energy is what we call Damned Mana, and it powers our… more innate abilities.”

The older girl nodded, taking in the words as she gazed down at her notebook. “Right…” she murmured, and Jiwoo took it as a sign to go on.

“Your innate ability as an Omen depends on what kind of Omen you are,” she tilted her head, “Omens like Nakyoung-unnie are Sloth Omens, and they can stockpile energy whenever they’re resting to use later in combat in quick bursts,” she smiled, pointing towards herself, “And Wrath Omens like me… we can detonate our Damned Mana.”

Seoyeon had already started scribbling words against the pale paper of her books, “Like an explosion?”

The brown-haired girl nodded, “One strong enough to dampen someone else’s Mana flow, weakening their spells afterward.” Seoyeon gave an ‘ah…’ as she wrote more, and Jiwoo held back a giggle, almost amused at her friend’s eagerness.

“That must be good for someone like you,” Seoyeon said, flashing a smile, “Since you’re usually exploding around anyway.”

Jiwoo grinned, “You bet it is.”

The tall girl felt heat crackle beneath the monster’s scales as black and red sparks floated around her. She gripped her spear tighter, watching as blackish flames with a crimson glow flowed down the handle, and began to swirl and almost pop at the very tip. Gritting her teeth, Jiwoo kicked against the serpent’s head, and an explosion of blackish-red fire burst out, and the creature hissed in agony.

Jiwoo was sent flying back, and she kicked against the air behind her, a more amber flame detonating behind her foot as she was sent forth once more. The creature had tilted its skull back mid-writhe, and Jiwoo swung her weapon back, amber-red flames licking the bladed end.

Special Technique: Crimson Caw

Jiwoo swung her spear in an arc as she sliced through the creature’s exposed neck in one clean cut, the flames around her spear shifting into an almost bird-like shape. The head fell from the body as the stumped neck twisted, black ichor spurting from where the head had once been attached. Jiwoo landed onto the ground, heaving as her body burnt with an intense heat. She winced slightly, panting as she tried to let the cooler air bring her temperature back down.

Off to the side, the intense light created by Jiwoo’s attack seemed to momentarily stun the sorrow, and Yubin wasn’t about to take a chance like that for granted. Feeling it’s momentum weakened, she stamped her foot against the ground and pushed against the fangs, sending the creature’s head upward. Bringing her club behind her, Yubin threw it forth with a shout, and an explosion of pink sparks surrounded her, electrifying the air as a crescendo landed against the Sorrow, sending it back into the treeline.

“Nice one.” Jiwoo sighed, walking over.

“I call that one a home run,” Yubin grinned, and Jiwoo rolled her eyes at how savage it looked. Leave it to her friend to get some odd pleasure in fighting monsters… “Landing the crescendo was a bit overkill, but hey,” she flicked her coppery hair, and Jiwoo rolled her eyes so hard she nearly saw the back of her skull, “What can I say? I guess I’m just that–”

A high hiss pierced the air, and they caught the glowing eyes of a serpent in the treeline, where Yubin had just pushed the serpent into. To the side, Jiwoo blanched as she watched the stumped neck move toward the severed head, pushing against it as the scales and flesh mended itself, and once dead eyes glowed with life once more.

“Shit…” Yubin muttered, and both friends shifted back into a fighting stance.

.

Lynn stood alone against three heads, water swirling around her like a living storm. Her trident spun in her hand, blue mana glowing at its tips. Her Odd Eyes shimmered, and as one head launched towards her, Lynn disappeared in a blur. The other two heads watched as Lynn ran so fast she almost couldn’t be seen, and when the head landed in the dirt, she emerged on top of it, running along its neck, her trident digging into the scaled flesh.

She jumped up as the head shrieked, and another launched towards her. With one swift swing of her trident, an explosion of black blood spilled into the air, as chunks of flesh and scales scattered across the ground. The stumped neck hit the ground, and Lynn tilted her head as she floated, a blue glow around her, akin to the way light shimmered on an ocean floor.

The second-year prodigy watched as the head she’d run along earlier began to heal, and she glanced up at the third head. Its frills seemed even more pronounced, with scarlet patterns running along them. It eyed her, and Lynn stared back, daring a challenge. She watched the purple gem on its crest glow, and she sighed. “Seems like your regeneration got amped up,” she muttered, watching the severed stump already begin to regrow, “Figures.”

A purple beam shot towards Lynn, and when she glanced up, it was halted a few feet away from her face. Blue and black sparks shot out, as if it was colliding with something, and Lynn hummed. “Last time, I lost my cool,” she chuckled, glancing as one of the earlier heads twisted, as if readying another lunge, “I even dropped one of my best defenses… what’s the point in developing and perfecting your Epithet if you can’t even use it?”

The head shot towards her, and Lynn made no effort to stop it as the jaw unhinged, and closed around her, swallowing her whole.

Kawakami Lynn - Blessed by The Shark

Epithet: Abyssal Waters

Embodying the Shark’s domain over the sea, the user gains the power to manifest the very concept of the underwater abyss. They can create and control large volumes of water, even upgrading it to Divine Water at the cost of more mana, but are also capable of manipulating water in the atmosphere to alter the weather. The user can also manifest the abyss itself – all-consuming nothingness – in different ways…

The cobra-like head eyed the other head curiously. The other head attempted to swallow Lynn, yet felt no movement. Curious, it tried again, and only then did it notice the building pressure in its maw. A blue glow emanated from within its mouth, and before it could do anything, an explosion of blue light and water shattered the air and the serpent's body, and it fell towards the ground, lifeless.

The frilled head gave a low hiss, and when Lynn raised her head, a wild grin met the Sorrow, black ichor dripping from her hair and uniform.

Guard Technique: Abyssal Barrier

“That shield…” she giggled, “Works by layering the very concept of nothingness, of the abyss around me. Think of it like throwing something into a bottomless pit…” she shifted, her trident shimmering with light as another purple beam was shot towards her, once again being halted by a pool of blue and black sparks, “Your attack can’t reach me, its threat being lost to the void.”

She then shifted, floating closer towards the frilled head, the light of the beam growing brighter. “You should consider yourself lucky,” she hummed, amused, “Most of you monsters don’t get to live to hear me explain my techniques… you’re actually kinda fun.” The head winced.

The air had shifted – the girl before her wasn’t a student, no. If she was a student, it’s instincts wouldn’t be screaming at it to burrow underground to hide, to run tail and ignore its creator’s orders. The girl’s aura, her very presence, inspired a primal fear it did not know it could even feel. The serpent shifted, firing the beam towards one of the other heads, the first one Lynn beheaded.

Lynn glanced down, watching as its eyes pulsed violet, and snapped towards Lynn. “I see…” she murmured, hugging her trident, before glancing back at the frilled head, “You’re like their commander!” She gasped. In the background, the head shot towards her, and Lynn only outstretched one hand.

Special Technique: Whirlpool

An orb of bright blue energy glowed to life in her palm, as water swirled around it, spinning more violently with each passing second. It shot away from Lynn’s palm, and towards the approaching serpent. Once it grew close enough, it pulsated with a blue light, before expanding and pulling loose debris towards it. Like a vacuum, air rushed in, as did the serpent itself, flesh and scales twisting as they were absorbed into the whirlpool.

With a pop, the orb dissipated, and everything fell towards the ground in a messy shower of mud, splinters, stones and scales. Lynn watched the head, shifting her trident to behind her, “I know this probably won’t kill you, but still…” her smile faded, and water swirled around the head of her trident, “What happens if I cut you down? What happens to the others?”

.

Further away, Yooyeon flashed in and out of existence like starlight. Her pistols barked with crisp rhythm, as she rained down bullets towards one of the heads chasing her. It shrieked as it writhed and twisted, smashing trees and raising its fangs. It snapped them down, and Yooyeon disappeared in a flash of pink light, reappearing above it as she raised Orchard, and fired one heavy shot into the top of its skull.

The creature shrieked, and a pink glow surrounded it as it was tugged towards the earth. Yooyeon aimed another shot, but a low hiss to her side caught her attention. Despite it, she made no effort to move, and as a second head charged towards her, a mass of black sand surrounded her, blocking the scaled creature’s fangs.

Nakyoung’s scythe cut wide, a gleaming black arc that sent streams of shifting sand swirling upward as she sliced one of the fangs clean off. The black sands swirling around her snaked along the serpent’s body, latching onto the side of its face and coating the broken fang. The creature screeched, writhing and thrashing in an attempt to rid itself of the sand.

Yooyeon ducked as a stray chunk of tree and rock was thrown her way, and she levelled a glare at a sheepish Nakyoung. “Keep that thing under control!” She glanced back down at the other head, a purple glow charging at the end of Orchard.

“Already on it!” Nakyoung’s sands surged like tendrils, penetrating and rooting themselves to the ground. The beast’s head was tugged down, and Nakyoung surged forth, black smoke coiling around her body. Her fingers stretched and darkened, the nails becoming something closer to claws. Her eyes shifted into blue slits, a faint blue glow to her body.

Black streaks ran through her otherwise blonde hair, and atop it, a set of black ears formed, almost feline-like. Her teeth sharpened to fangs as she gripped her scythe, and a blue glow surrounded her leg and the blade of her Soulborne. She jumped up, a blue pulse shooting out from her leg as the glow of light dissipated, propelling her forward at an almost blinding speed.

Yooyeon fired a purple orb from Orchard, and it ripped right through the serpent, cleanly leaving a hole as its body stopped struggling from the force of gravity.

Special Technique: Hollow Point

Meanwhile, Nakyoung’s scythe gleamed as she flew above the creature, and cleaved into it with a savage downward swing. A blue pulse firing her blade directly into the creature’s flesh.

Damned Technique: Surging Swing

The serpent convulsed, roaring in fury, and with one clean swing, Nakyoung severed a vein as chunks of flesh were ripped out, black blood spraying across the forest floor and the nearby trunks of trees as it collapsed. Nakyoung landed, grinning as her ‘ears’ atop her head wiggled slightly, and she turned to Yooyeon, who stepped off of the other serpent.

“Good thing I rested up last night!” She smiled, clenching a hand as a blue glow surrounded it, “Stockpiled a lot of energy.” Yooyeon shook her head, fond, before glancing back at the devastation their battle had carried so far, and at the already regenerating bodies, life slowly ebbing back into them as they shifted whilst their flesh sewed itself back together.

“Be ready…” she muttered, “From what we’ve seen, their regeneration is–” A shrill cry ripped through the air, and they watched as the slowly regenerating bodies of their serpents twitched. Nakyoung’s head snapped up, her ‘ears’ having pressed down onto her head before they slowly raised again, flickering toward one direction.

“That was Lynn…” she glanced around, and noticed how whilst the wound she created was mending, it was at a slower rate, and the creature seemed unable to move as it healed. “Is it just me, or are they more like they were yesterday?”

Yooyeon hummed, levelling Blossom towards the serpent she’d fought, firing shots into it. The bullets sunk in, and again, they healed, but far slower. “Lynn was fighting the frilled head, correct?” She glanced at Nakyoung's way, and her younger friend nodded. The older girl hummed, “Then… it’s possible by harming it, she slowed the regeneration down. She didn’t kill it, but…” Yooyeon smiled, thinking, “This does give us another advantage.”

“We can slow it down even more, cool,” Nakyoung grinned. It wasn’t long however, before the bodies moved again, and the two girls were quick to shift back into a combat stance, back-to-back. Lynn’s laughter rang out further away, and Nakyoung sighed, “But seems like once that heads regenerate, things are back to normal.”

Yooyeon sighs, readying her guns as a pink glow surrounds her, her odd eye flashing as a purple glint overtook both eyes. “No matter – we just wait for the poison or for them to find the main body…” Nakyoung sighed, black sand swirling around the pair.

Hyunjin-unnie… Mayu-unnie… come on…

=====

“My my!” A voice sang as a masked figure rang through the forest, arms shifting into spiked maces of bone. “You girls sure are persistent!”

Behind the Evolutionary, the others chased after her, air whipping around Sohyun as flames glowed around Seoyeon’s body, her sword raised. Behind them both, Sullin trailed after them, her fingertips and nails already morphed as blood floated around her, eyes focused on the target ahead.

The trees bent under the weight of the wind as Sohyun shot forth, and the older girl’s axe came down in a wide arc, splitting the air with a howl, and a wall of pressure exploded outward, shredding branches as if they were paper. Leaves spiraled up in a storm around them, the forest floor a blur of shifting greens and browns as the wall of air pushed on and collided with their target.

The Evolutionary grunted as the pressure hit them, throwing their body aside and twisting it like a ragdoll. They skidded back along the dirt, before their back met a tree and seemed to snap, limbs bent in awkward shapes as the group slowed. She cackled as her masked face glanced up, her body already twisting with sickening crunches, bones snapping into new configurations with wet, deliberate cracks.

Seoyeon landed beside Sohyun, her sword drawn, the blade glowing faintly with orange heat. Flames flickered along her shoulders like wings ready to unfurl. Her breathing was even, but there was an edge to it, a sharpness that came from knowing exactly what kind of monster stood before them. Ahead, the cultist tilted her head, and Seoyeon wondered what kind of ghastly expression hid behind their mask.

“You’re all so impressive~” the Evolutionary crooned, voice bending in and out of multiple registers, as though three people were speaking at once. “To think you’re all after little ol’ me~” She giggled, and Sohyun gritted her teeth.

“Enough of your games,” Sohyun snapped, bringing her axe up in a ready stance. A gust curled around her, catching the edge of her Soulborne as she spun it with ease, wind sharpening the blade to a silver gleam. “We aren’t letting you escape unscathed, not after what you did to those people…” She grumbled, and the Evolutionary giggled again.

“So angry…” she muttered, and Seoyeon’s grasp on her sword tightened, flames surging up the length of the blade.

She lunged forward without a word, boots striking the dirt, and the world blurred around her as fire bloomed behind each step. She raised the sword behind her, coating the edge of the blade in condensed heat, before bringing it down. The Evolutionary cackled as her arms split apart – one appendage becoming two, then four, then eight – spreading out like sickly webs of flesh and bone.

Bladed protrusions formed along her wrists, akin to eight small daggers as she met Seoyeon’s strike head-on, her grin stretching far too wide as the metal of Seoyeon’s Soulborne collided with a clang against the Evolutionary’s grotesque mutations. Seoyeon didn’t relent however, and pulled back to swing again, and again. The cultist cackled, parrying each of Seoyeon’s hits, and she mutated her other arm into a boned mace.

She swung it, and Seoyeon dodged it, raising her palm and blasting a torrent of flame to rocket herself out of the cultist’s way. Before the Evolutionary had time to readjust, Sohyun swept in from the side, wind rushing with her. The moment the Evolutionary had gone in for the attack, Sohyun’s axe came swinging towards her ribs like a storm. Wind howled as she swung, and the impact kicked up soil in a violent burst.

The Evolutionary twisted her body unnaturally, just enough that the blade cleaved through the air and met the ground in an arc instead of cutting through her ribs. The axe met the ground, and Evolutionary readied to twist her body back around, no doubt to try and smack Sohyun, but the older girl grunted, ready. She twisted the handle to her axe, and with a deafening boom, a pressurised blast of air shot out from the top of the axe’s handle.

It blasted into the Evolutionary’s body, firing the cultist back several feet once more, and they coughed, a faint red liquid behind their mask. Seoyeon readied herself, adjusting her stance, and Sohyun eyed the cultist warily.

It was then Seoyeon glanced over, catching the way Sohyun’s hand, the one not holding her axe, twitched. Sohyun likely longed to call forth the ice of the Dragon, but was hesitant to do so unless needed, likely due to Sullin’s presence, and how the young girl had no idea of Sohyun’s hidden blessing.

Without Sohyun’s ice, her wind attacks can only do so much… Seoyeon thought, doing her best to fight off a grim expression as she faced the cultist, already watching her bones snap back into alignment, spine twisted in odd circles, as if fixing itself piece by piece. She can’t keep the Evolutionary down for long… that has to be my job.

The Evolutionary giggled, feet finding purchase on the base of a trunk. “Ah,” she purred, her voice slithering across the wind. “So strong. It’s almost… cute.” She giggled, arm shifting back to normal as she pointed at Sohyun with almost child-like glee. Her stance shifted, and the cultist’s voice dropped an octave, “Too bad I’ll have to cut you down.”

Before she could leap again, crimson needles whistled through the air. They slammed into her shoulder, her thigh, her side, crimson liquid blades of hardened blood. Sullin stood at the tree line further back, her uniform jacket whipping in the wind, eyes sharp and glowing faintly. Cuts danced along her exposed forearm, her sleeves rolled up, and another wave of blood shimmered out the cuts. It floated around her like a living tide, forming into spears poised to strike again.

“Don’t ignore me…” Sullin said softly, yet her eyes still fixed in a piercing glare.

The Evolutionary looked down at the blood buried in her flesh and only smiled. She ripped the spikes out with wet sounds, the wounds closing before the crimson droplets even hit the ground. Seoyeon’s flames roared hotter at the sight. Sohyun adjusted her stance.

“Seoyeon…” Sohyun murmured, her wind swirling tighter around the axe.

“I got this.” Seoyeon answered, her flames flaring.

“I’ll be watching…” Sullin gave a short nod from her vantage, already clasping her hands together.

Seoyeon shot forward again, their coordination seamless after spending the better part of last night planning and strategising. The Evolutionary’s body rippled and stretched to meet them, tendons reconfiguring into new armor and weapons. She twisted under Sohyun’s first swing, blocked Seoyeon’s second slash as her arm shifted into something akin to stone.

She then launched a heel at Seoyeon’s chest, only to have a sharp spear of blood rip through her ankle, and Sohyun smacked her back with the flat of her axe. Seoyeon pulled her sword back, fire dancing along the edge, the heat intensifying as she brought it out in an arc.

Special Technique: Searing Sla–

Her blade slipped right through the cultist, the Evolutionary’s figure slipping into a watery substance, reforming with a hiss as Seoyeon’s sword slid through. She stumbled, caught off guard, and the Evolutionary grinned as a hand met Seoyeon’s head. The Evolutionary giggled, only for a screech to rip through Seoyeon’s mind.

“Hands off my chosen!” It shrieked, and a torrent of flames overtook the cultist’s body as she howled, jumping back. Seoyeon then grunted, watching as Sohyun pushed past, raising her axe. One strike, then another, and another. The Evolutionary screamed a curse, hand shifting into an oversized axe of their own, and they met Sohyun each time.

Sparks flew, but all the while, Sohyun’s eyes remained closed. Because to the older girl, she didn’t see a forest of grass and bark, of flying dirt and metal.

The world appeared almost vacant, blank, a rough outline of the environment around her, but with each collision of their weapons, a pulse of white bounced in the emptiness, lighting up the edges of her world. Each pulse echoed like the beat to a song, and Sohyun matched it.

“Do…” She muttered, smacking aside the Evolutionary’s blade, “Re…” she delivered a sharp kick to the Evolutionary’s chest, “Mi!” She swung the axe down, ripping through the skin as a gash darted across the cultist’s skin. She threw another kick to their side, and a gust of wind shot the Evolutionary into the air.

Almost as soon as she was launched into the air, the cultist attempted to morph their arms into wings, but nails of blood shot towards them, ripping past the skin. Upon landing, Sullin gave a soft hum, opening her clenched fist into a palm, and blood-red chains spurted out from the nails, encasing the cultist’s arms as she grunted. “That girl is really starting to get on my nerves…” she muttered.

Seoyeon launched forth, jumping toward Sohyun. The older girl held a small smirk, raising the flat of her axe as Seoyeon landed on it, only to then push forth with a swing and launch Seoyeon into the air after the Evolutionary. Flames burned and coated the girl, surrounding her blade as she drew it back. Her eyes flickered gold, the outline and sparkle of the Evolutionary’s twisted soul becoming clear. No escaping me this time… She thought, grip tightening.

Special Technique: Searing Slash

With a swing, fire burned in an arc as she sliced right across the Evolutionary’s body, blood spurting out as she howled, falling back down to the ground, skidding against the floor as dark fluid leaked from her wound.

Two jets of fire shot from Seoyeon’s back, seeming to slow her descent towards the ground, although she still landed rough, stumbling and steadying herself. Sullin and Sohyun appeared either side of her, and she raised her sword at the Evolutionary.

“I’ll… admit…” the figure cackled, propping themselves up by their hands, blood oozing from the wound as it slowly mended, “That’s… leaving a mark, you bitch.” She spat, slowly standing.

Sohyun felt an itch in her forearms, and the cultist chuckled. “You’re… lucky I can still heal,” she stumbled as she rose to her legs, shaking, “Your flames might burn my soul… doesn’t mean I can’t still heal,” she chuckled, coughing, “The Headless is kind enough to offer that much… though, any more training,” her body shifted, “And you could burn me before I even have that chance.”

Seoyeon held her sword at the ready, flames licking up its length. Sohyun stood at her flank, wind whispering through the clearing. Sullin stayed in the shadows, blood floating at her sides like an unseen army.

The Evolutionary laughed. It wasn’t loud. It was quiet, soft, breathy, and all-too wrong. “You’re actually… competent. But even the most competent buckle and falter under pressure…” Her body shifted as she spoke, the wound knitting with a soft ripple of flesh. “Maybe you’re finally worthy of a demonstration.” She chuckled, low.

Her right arm undid the buttons to her blazer, revealing the inner pockets. Out, something crawled, writhing like worms that slowly inched along her body. Finger-like creatures in how they moved, too long, too thick, letting out high and pained whimpers. Each one was covered in fine, black hair that twitched and moved independently, confused eyes swirling and gazing at the sudden light.

“Ma…ma…” One mumbled into the air.

Sohyun’s grip tightened. Sullin froze, her usual impassivity breaking for just a second. Seoyeon stared, jaw tight.

“You’re wondering what these are.” The Evolutionary tilted her head, almost gentle. “They were people,” she giggled, and then cackled, breaking into laughter that ripped through the air. She sighed, a low groan leaving her, head tilted to the sky, “But people are… soft. Fragile. Bound by such inconvenient limits,” she lowered her gaze, giggling, as if in on some cruel joke no one else understood, “So I fixed them. Isn’t it beautiful?”

The Evolutionary - Blessed by The Headless

Epithet: Shapeless Evolution

The user can distort and twist the shape of their target’s aura (and by extension, their soul) through physical contact. As the shape of one’s Soul and Aura is tied to their physical form, changes to this shape are reflected in the user’s body. Such changes are irreversible. The user can also alter their own physical form, and are particularly weak to opponents who can directly target and harm the soul.

The finger-limbs twitched, and from the shadows behind her, shapes began to move, mutate and swell in inhuman shapes. They shuffled forward on limbs that were too long, too thin, some crawling like spiders, others stumbling upright with twitching heads and half-formed faces. One looked like a blue-furred wolf with a purple tongue and too many eyes, another looked closer to a green-haired ape, with a single eye. Others looked closer to insectoids with reddish exoskeletons.

Some pale humanoids with too many arms, others furred spiders. There was still something deeply… off about each being. Something too human – ears where there shouldn’t be, eyes that looked closer to the iris of a human than the sharp eyes of an animal, mumbled words. Seoyeon’s skill crawled, and the Evolutionary giggled, hands clasped.

“My Shapeless Dolls,” she cooed, like a mother showing off a nursery, “The aces up my sleeve!”

The blood around Sullin rippled, her jaw clenched as her hands balled into fists. Sohyun stepped half in front of Seoyeon out of reflex, eyeing her warily.

Seoyeon’s hand twitched at her side, and this time, it wasn’t the coiled readiness of a fighter. Her knuckles had gone white. Her breath hitched, too sharp, too loud in her own ears. Her eyes flicked between the twitching muscles of the dolls to their faces half-slagged and wrong, bones twisted into cruel shapes.

The world seemed to press down on her chest.

She wasn’t breathing evenly anymore.

The Evolutionary saw it. Of course she did. She laughed, too high. “Oh,” she breathed, voice sliding like oil, “You’re frightened.” She took a slow step forward, arm shifting into a blade as it dragged through the dirt. “Is it the faces? Or the way they move?”

She leaned in slightly, almost delighted, laughing as her voice shifted, sounding once more like the warped parody of Seoyeon’s own. “No – no, it’s their eyes, isn’t it?” She spoke with mock fear, “You can still tell they were people once… how precious,” she sneered, “A little flame who’s too soft to handle the truth.”

“Seoyeon.” Sohyun’s voice was quiet, but edged with steel. Her eyes flicked sideways – searching, watching Seoyeon tremble just slightly. Watching the way her pupils had narrowed, how her breath stuttered in short bursts.

“I can smell it,” the Evolutionary crooned, delighted now. “That little shake. That little gasp,” she raised the blade-arm, “You’re not ready for this, girl. You’re nothing but a spark waiting to snuff itself out.”

Something in Seoyeon’s throat tightened, unbearably so, her jaw clenching so hard it ached. She could taste copper clinging to her mouth from how hard she was biting her tongue. Her stomach turned at the sight of the Dolls, how they lurched forward like broken puppets, their skin sagging and twisting, their faces frozen somewhere between life and something else. She hated it. She hated how her legs wanted to take a step back.

And then her flames roared to life. Not a flicker, not a quiet ember burning to life. A roar, a sudden flash and burst of light, one that scorched the air and robbed the air of any of its moisture. Sohyun and Sullin flinched at the sudden flare, and Seoyeon shot forward in a blaze of heat, blade igniting in a violent arc, not to protect anyone else this time, but to burn.

Her expression contorted with anger, and her sword came down, ripping through two of the dolls in heated slashed, before striking the Evolutionary’s blade arm. The cultist faltered, cracks ripping across the ground as flames exploded outward, the sheer force knocking back several of the dolls, and shaking the earth beneath Sohyun and Sullin’s feet.

Seoyeon exhaled, heavy and trembling, not from fear, but from the molten fury coursing through her veins. Her eyes burned wide, pupils flaring gold at the edges.

“...How many…” she said, her voice quiet at first, then carrying effortlessly through the wind, sharp and clear, “How many people did you do that to!?”

The Evolutionary tilted her head, amusement flickering in her gaze. “Does it matter? They were weak. Fleeting. I made them something better.”

Seoyeon’s knuckles whitened on her sword hilt, the tremor in her wrist betraying the weight of her rage. Sohyun’s hand moved reflexively to her axe, but she didn’t step forward. She could sense the simmering rage beneath Seoyeon’s skin, and wondered just how strong the anger of a kind girl could be.

The nearest Shapeless Doll lurched forward, watching as Seoyeon glared down at its creator. Its movements were unnatural, almost hesitant, the remnants of humanity writhing beneath its twisted form. No growl, no scream – just a wet slap of misshapen feet against dirt.

Seoyeon’s reaction was instantaneous. She surged forward, blade singing as it sliced through the Doll. The head vanished in a burst of molten-orange fire, two halves landing with a sizzling thump.

As more charged towards her, her muscles ached with heat, and Seoyeon gave a low sigh, flames leaving her lips.

Special Technique: The Firebird’s Dance

Another Doll moved to flank her. Another fell. And then a third. Fourth. Fifth. With each kill, the Evolutionary’s alarm grew, watching as Seoyeon’s strikes were precise, efficient, unrelenting. Seoyeon didn’t stumble, didn’t falter. Her boots scorched the soil, leaving trails of fire, the heat bending the air around her. It was almost a dance, flames curling and spinning in scorching arcs of light, like ribbons swirling around Seoyeon.

The Evolutionary watched as Seoyeon stood, the burning remains of the dolls surrounding her.

What… what the hell is this presence?! The Evolutionary’s hand twitched.

“You.” Her voice cut through the roar of flame like a blade, sharp and unyielding. She leveled her sword at the Evolutionary, yet not looking up to meet the cultist’s eyes. “You dare call yourself human. You dare take people and turn them into this.” The flames around her seemed to pulse with her heartbeat, casting long, quivering shadows. “People laugh. People cry. People hope. They dream, they fight for one another – they…”

Seoyeon’s hand gripped onto her sword, and she spun, swinging forth a slicing curve of fire, cutting right through the Evolutionary’s arm, and the cultist howled. When she met Seoyeon’s eyes, it was as if the girl’s irises and pupils were no longer there, nothing more than vacant white with glimmers of gold. “They live!” She roared, “They aren’t toys for you to break!”

Seoyeon stepped forward, the heat radiating from her so intensely that the morning mist warped and curled around her. “You’re a monster,” she spat, voice cracking and rising with the fury of everything she’d witnessed. “A monster who doesn’t even understand what it means to be alive, what it means to live! A monster like you…” In the distance, the Evolutionary’s severed arm landed with a thud, blood oozing out of her unhealing arm.

“A monster like you doesn’t deserve to call itself human.” Seoyeon muttered, colder, distant, and her words landed with a blow heavier than any strike.

Something in the Evolutionary twitched, a muscle spasmed slightly. Not a person… The words echoed in her mind, and a laugh ripped through her, gutteral, a half-cry. She reached her stump forward, and one of her remaining dolls howled as its body contorted and twisted, the flesh flying back towards her. Seoyeon spun, as if to cut the upcoming blob down, but it flew past her.

It fixed itself to the Evolutionary’s arm, growing and swelling, before turning into something resembling an arm. It was blackened, disproportionately large compared to the Evolutionary’s frame, and clawed.

“Oh,” She whispered, voice dropping low and shaking with restrained fury, “You shouldn’t have said that.”

Seoyeon’s flames leapt higher, licking the sky, orange and gold fire scorching the mist. Her sword gleamed, heated with the intensity of her anger, each movement a promise.

“I won’t let you do this…” she muttered, eyes seeming to return to their usual state, “I don’t care how powerful you think you are, I won’t watch you destroy people like they’re nothing! You don’t get to call yourself a person, you don’t get that right!”

Her flames surged, brighter, hotter, wrapping around her Soulborne as she lunged. The cultist chuckled, shooting forth.

“Don’t you dare mock me!” She screeched, and it wasn’t long before Sohyun shot forth too, and Sullin readied a new wave of blood.

=====

Mayu wrinkled her nose as the last of the petals dissolved into the viscous green liquid bubbling in the cauldron, sending up a faint pink mist that shimmered in the air. Chaeyeon stirred the metal basin slowly, her expression tense as the poison bubbled and popped like something alive, and she cringed as it somehow whistled an odd noise that made Vivi and Soomin giggle.

The air was heavy with a sharp, sweet scent – deceptively pleasant for something designed to kill a monster. “It’s done,” Mayu murmured, stepping back as the liquid darkened to an oil-slick black glimmering with almost iridescent pink streaks. “This should be strong enough to get into its bloodstream and hurt it… just… how?” She realised, glancing up at the others.

“Maybe…” Soomin started, tilting her head as she rubbed her chin in thought, “Maybe we can dip a blade in it? Have everyone strike at it?”

At that, Chaeyeon shook her head. “The scales on that thing are too thick… probably won’t effectively do anything like that.” The trio frowned, staring at their mixture.

Vivi was humming softly, spinning in slow little circles around the cauldron as though she’d forgotten what they were doing. Her loose hair drifted with every step, her coat trailing like a half-tucked nightgown. “Mmm,” she sang, “Poisons work best when they’re sipped… swallowed… savored~” She giggled, skipping.

The three girls stared at her.

“...You mean it has to drink it?” Chaeyeon asked, tone flat and thoroughly dreadful.

“Or eat,” Vivi corrected dreamily, gaze fixed on something that wasn’t there, tilting her head. “Snakes swallow. Big mouths. Big throats. A lovely meal…” she muttered, beginning to slip into nonsensical ramblings as the others stared on.

“Aand we’ve lost her…” Soomin murmured as the only real adult in the vicinity started to give chase to a butterfly. “So, what,” she started, tilting her head, “We have to trick a giant scary snake monster into drinking the poison we made?”

“Easier said than done,” Chaeyeon muttered, brushing sweat off her forehead, crossing her arms with a creased forehead. “It’s a snake, not some toddler who’ll eat anything we hand it.”

Mayu pinched the bridge of her nose. “Okay. So unless someone can convince a serpent to politely sip this down with a straw, we’re in trouble.”

But Soomin – who had fallen quiet as Chaeyeon and Mayu went back on forth on what to do, the young girl’s lips pursed as she stared at the massive cauldron – brightened in an abrupt jump. “...Actually,” she said, a little too cheerfully. “I might have an idea.”

The older girls blinked, and their expressions shifted into concern.

Chaeyeon groaned. “I hate that tone.”

Mayu sighed. “I really hate that tone…”

Vivi only giggled softly, hands clasped as though watching a play. “Oh… this will be fun.”

The first-year huffed, rolling her eyes. “Guys, c’mon,” she pouted, before throwing her arms in the air, “This will be a great idea!”

.

“This was a terrible idea!” Soomin screamed as an eight-headed serpent tore through the forest after her, a chakram returning to her grasp as one of the heads bit down onto an illusion of hers, a puff of smoke clouding its vision.

The young girl darted between trees, her pigtails bouncing, lungs burning, the earth shaking with every slam of the scaled monster’s coiling body. Branches snapped like brittle bones overhead, and behind her, the frilled serpent head snapped its jaws inches from her shoulder, its breath hot and reeking of rot.

“KEEP RUNNING!” Nakyoung shouted from somewhere off to the side, her scythe glinting as she and the others tried to intercept the other heads. Jiwoo fired off another blast of fire that seared across one head’s flank, drawing its attention. Yubin launched herself from a tree, club smacking into another, while Hyerin and Yeonji did their best to reach their friend, although were held back by their own serpentine attackers.

“WHAT DO YOU THINK I’M DOING?!” Soomin shrieked back, tripping over a root and barely catching herself before face-planting. One head hissed, shooting towards her from an angle she didn’t expect, and another on her other side. She yelped, panic shooting through her as the heads closed in. She expected to feel fangs digging into her flesh, or the need to create a last-minute illusion, but instead, loud sounds vibrated through the air, and low hisses of monsters being repelled.

She gasped, glancing to the side only to catch Lynn’s smile, eyes glowing blue as a torrent of water spills forth, pushing the serpent back.

Soomin grinned, but on her other side, she caught another sight, and her eyes widened. Mayu stood, arms trembling as she held onto her own weapon – her own Soulborne, as winds swirled around her, along with the faint crackle of lightning and notable drops of water. A staff-like weapon, gleaming, made from what appeared to be an almost rose-gold metal, shimmering with a faintly cool-toned glow.

“Five prongs…” Soomin murmured, almost mesmerised, “A quin-dent?” She wondered, and Lynn chuckled to the side.

Mayu watched the serpent shoot towards her, and before the older girl could move, a sharp arc of black sand sliced at the serpent’s throat, before wrapping around it and pinning it down. Nakyoung landed, and pointed ahead. “Guide the frilled head! We think if that one’s poisoned, the others can’t avoid it either.”

Soomin nodded, and hearing a low hiss behind her, she squeaked and ran off again, legs protesting, but she pushed on. In the distance, she could see it – a cauldron built from dark metals, glinting under a canopy of leaves and fractured light. It was nestled against a fallen log, steam still curling faintly off the black surface of the poison.

The frilled head spotted the visage of the running girl, and sneered. A high hiss shrieked through the air, the monster’s jaws stretching wider, the frills flaring in a grotesque display as it lunged. Soomin didn’t look back, already sensing the air rushing behind her, already hearing the hissing screech grow louder, almost stinging her ears from the volume.

“Almost there, almost there, almost there…” She murmured in a half-whimper to herself. Higher ahead, Yooyeon blinked between trees, tailing her sister. She’d ignored orders to stand back, to keep fighting her designated serpent head, but how could she? Worry burned through her nerves, her skin alight as she blinked and jumped from branch to branch, before kicking off and levitating in the air.

She watched her sister smile, nearing the cauldron, when the serpent shot forth, jaw wide.

It… It’ll… Yooyeon’s eyes widened, and a cry tore through her throat.

“Freeze!” Yooyeon’s voice cut through the chaos, and a pink ring of magic burst from her throat, encasing the world in a blanket of pinks and whites.

Time fractured.

The serpent froze mid-air – jaws still open, frill still spread. Leaves hung motionless around Soomin, suspended like little green stars. The world was silent except for Yooyeon’s heartbeat. She appeared beside her sister in a flicker of light, sighing with relief. She holstered her guns, picking Soomin up, bundling her sister up in her arms with a slight huff. “Got you.” She smiled.

Then they vanished, reappearing several meters away, as far away from the monster as they needed to be, and Yooyeon nodded with a whisper.

“Resume.”

The serpent’s head crashed down onto the cauldron, its screech echoing through the air as the group hesitated. A wet clang rang out, and an explosion of dark, shimmering liquid followed as a gaseous cloud of miasma spilled forth. Poison splashed across its face, down its nostrils, its fanged mouth. It reared back with a guttural screech, shaking its heads as the liquid burned down its throat.

The group watched on, grips on their weapons loosening as the frilled head thrashed and screamed. Mayu felt her heart hammer, and one question was weighted on her mind – Will it work? She gave a slight whimper, and Nakyoung briefly glanced back at her, before looking ahead.

Blossoming along the creature’s body, thin pink runes flared across its scales like glowing cracks in stone, racing down its long, coiling body. One head thrashed violently. Another head sagged, dizzy. The ground trembled beneath its convulsing form.

Yooyeon set Soomin down, and Soomin immediately threw her hands up. “I told you this was a good idea!” She wheezed, and Yooyeon sighed, staring forth. “The poison worked!” Her younger sister cheered, and the serpent gave a low noise – a whine.

“Are you okay?” Yooyeon asked, lowering to place hands on her sister’s shoulders, though her voice shook with adrenaline. She stared back at the serpent as it swayed, sluggish now, movements less precise.

Jiwoo, panting hard, gripped her weapon tighter. “It’s working…” She gazed over at Chaeyeon, the older girl panting as Jiwoo slapped her back, “Unnie, it’s working!”

Yubin took a step forward, swinging her club loosely as she sighed, resting the heavy weapon against her shoulder. “Then we just need to hold it down long enough for Jiyeon and the others to find the main body.”

Yooyeon’s eyes flicked to the distant treeline where their other team was. “Please,” she whispered under her breath, watching the pink markings pulse along the monster’s body, “Hurry.”

=====

Jiyeon knelt in the dirt, fingers sinking slightly into the damp soil as her breathing slowed. Her pupils narrowed to thin rings of white, faint radial lines spreading outward from her irises like hairline fractures in porcelain. The forest fell away to a hush.

“Alright,” she muttered. “Let’s see what we find…”

The world opened as her pale eyes glowed.

The surface world blurred at the edges, colors draining into lines and pulses. Roots webbed beneath her like veins, tunnels became hollow threads of space, the whisper of wind turned into vibrations crawling along her skin. The entire forest was connected – one entire living, breathing ecosystem – and beneath it all, something ancient and cold stirred like a heartbeat in the earth, faint, but possible to trace.

She swept her gaze left. Right. Down. The serpent’s eight heads flashed like beacons at the edge of her vision, their movements jagged and feverish, and trailing beneath the earth. She knew what she’d find if she followed the trails like she had been doing for some time, the tunnels the elongated heads had spawned – a dense, coiled mass. A presence so large the earth seemed to breathe with it.

“Talk to me, big brain,” Nien drawled. She was leaning back against a crooked tree, one boot tapping at the dirt, arms folded like she’d rather be anywhere else, though a relaxed grin rested on her face. “Found the oversized noodle ball yet?”

Jiyeon’s brow twitched. “No,” she pouted, glancing at the older girl, “And shut up.”

“Aw, don’t be like that,” Nien sing-songed, flashing her a grin as she looped an arm over Jiyeon’s shoulders, “We’ve only been running around forever, getting eaten, almost dying–” She rambled, and a hand to her shoulder cut her off.

“Nien,” Hyunjin cut in, her voice smooth, “There’s a time and place for jokes.”

Nien pouted, “Like when you’ve been staring at dirt for twenty minutes with nothing to do?” She muttered, and Hyunjin rolled her eyes with a chuckle, ruffling the second-year’s pink strands as they moved on.

They made it a few more paces, Nien casually whistling to some tune, before their professor raised a hand before lowering into a crouch. Her pupils slit sharply, inhuman for a heartbeat, and she inhaled slow, deliberate breaths. The air around her shifted. Her shoulders rose and fell like a lion scenting prey. “Something’s close. Scent’s heavier here. Earth smells… damp. Wrong.”

She dug her fingers into the topsoil, brushing it away in thin, neat arcs. “Ground feels… uneven. Disturbed, the result of sudden shifts in pressure.” She glanced at Jiyeon. “You’re right to look down – the movement suggests we might be getting close, and that the body is definitely beneath the earth.”

Jiyeon didn’t answer whilst Nien nodded, beaming. The Camellia just listened—to the quiet beneath the noise. Her vision tunneled deeper, past the jagged lattice of stone, past the tree roots, past the choking black of compacted soil.

And then she heard it.

A heartbeat.

Slow. Heavy. Too steady for something that had been thrashing their friends aboveground.

“There,” she whispered as her glowing eyes snapped open. “Fifty meters down. Big. It’s not moving… something heavy, pulsing.”

Nien’s grin sharpened like a knife. “Well then. Why don’t we pay it a visit?”

Jiyeon watched the older girl punch her fists together, and frowned, “Be careful…” she murmured, and Nien’s expression softened, offering a nod.

Hyunjin smiled, “Do your thing, Nien.”

The pink-haired girl grinned, before laughing. With a feral whoop, Nien launched herself upward with a yellow-orange pulse from her gauntlets, twisted in the air, and came down swinging. Her fist struck the earth like a bomb going off.

The ground exploded.

Dirt and roots burst apart as a shockwave rippled outward, leaves and bark lifting into a whirling storm. A crater yawned open where she’d stood, and Nien disappeared into it like a bullet dropped down a barrel. Hyunjin walked over, staring down as Nien burrowed beneath the ground, and Jiyeon sighed.

“…She’s insane.” The other second-year muttered.

“Yes,” Hyunjin replied flatly, standing and dusting off her knees. “But effective.”

.

Below, the world was noise and pressure and soil crushing in. Nien tore through the packed earth like it was nothing, the gauntlets on her hands burning hot, punching away layer after layer of stone and clay. The deeper she went, the thicker the air became, growing humid, clinging to her skin. A musky, rotten stench seeped into the air, earthy and alive.

She laughed, breathless but thrilled. “Oh, I’m so getting yelled at by Tone when she finds out about this.”

The walls around her began to moisten, clumps of earth giving way to slick surfaces as curiosity overtook her, and she didn’t stop. Heat radiated upward, not the warmth of the ground, but of something warm, a body, living below. Her laugh faltered when the tunnel abruptly widened, the floor crumbled under her boots–

“Uh-oh.”

–and she slipped.

She fell into blackness, the wind tearing at her hair, as she flailed–

THUD.

She landed on something warm.

Something moving.

The cavern she’d dropped into stretched far beyond what her eyes could follow, the darkness broken only by faint phosphorescent veins crawling across walls of flesh. The serpent’s true body lay coiled around itself like an endless loop, muscles twitching beneath its glossy hide. Its breathing was a deep, tectonic rumble, every exhale making the walls shudder like the cavern itself was alive, breathing with the mass of scaled muscle.

A dozen massive arteries of flesh and scale stretched up into the ceiling – connecting to the eight distant heads like grotesque puppet strings. She followed one of them with her eyes, then another, until she realized they all met here, where she was laying.

“…Holy shit,” Nien whispered, awe and adrenaline mingling in her grin. She reached out and knocked her knuckles against the creature’s flesh with a soft thunk. Warm. Pulsing. Real.

Her grin widened. “Oh yeah,” she said, voice bubbling with thrill and reckless glee. “You’re ugly.”

Somewhere deep in the creature’s massive ribcage, the heartbeat sped up.

.

On the surface, Jiyeon blinked as the ground beneath them began to hum, low and deep, like something waking in the bones of the earth. She furrowed her brow, lightly kicking at the earth, and tilting her head. Beside her, the professor mirrored the girl’s confusion.

“…Nien?” Hyunjin called down the hole Nien had burrowed into, frowning, head tilting slightly as she listened to the tremor.

The hum grew into a pulse.

The pulse into a quake, the ground shaking as the student and professor made eye contact.

“Back.” Jiyeon hissed, instincts screaming as she stumbled one step away from the trembling soil. Hairline fractures spiderwebbed outward beneath their boots, roots heaving and splitting like broken bones. All around them, birds exploded upward from the canopy in a black cloud, their cries cutting through the building roar. The wind itself seemed to hold its breath.

The two ran, fast. Jiyeon and Hyunjin pushed on, and they didn’t stop, not until they were far enough from where Nien had dug into the ground.

Then the earth itself came undone.

A blinding yellow shockwave roared up from the forest floor, splitting it like a wound, an entire portion of the Elder Forest uprooted and decimated.

The blast was brutal. Trees snapped like twigs, entire trunks flung upward in a whirl of splinters and soil. Stones, roots, and torn chunks of earth spiraled into the sky in a fountain of debris. The forest floor caved in and then erupted, and from the maw of the earth, the serpent’s colossal body was launched like a flailing corpse dragged from the deep.

Eight heads thrashed in unison, shrieking as they too were catapulted into the sky, their cries splitting the air like sirens. Sunlight struck its slick, glistening flesh, steam hissing where hot sun kissed its cold, subterranean body. Back on the ground, Jiyeon and Hyunjin could faintly spot a head of pink hair, and Nien grinned as she stood in a deep crater, a fist raised to the sky.

Max Technique: Door to the Valley

In the distance, the group that had been busy fighting the serpent heads, every single one of them locking onto the sight of the monster revealed at last as their enemy was hurled into the air, the heads trailing behind the thick mass of the main body.

“There it is…” Nakyoung breathed, voice low with grim awe.

Above them, the storm gathered, and their eyes moved. Lynn spun her trident once, twice, the air bending and twisting as if gravity itself was answering her call. Black clouds swirled into a vortex, lightning veins stitching across the sky, and rain suspended itself mid-fall under the sheer weight of her magic. The sky blackened momentarily, as clouds spun rapidly in swirls.

She inhaled, throwing her spear towards the storms above, before jumping after it. The swirling clouds spun faster, before seeming to float and condense around the second-year’s trident, and Lynn’s grip tightened.

Then, she threw.

Max Technique: The Just Spear of the Storm

The trident screamed through the air like a comet, wrapped in a pillar of wind and lightning, a single spear of light carving a straight, merciless line toward the serpent’s exposed core.

When the weapon pierced the black hide, the resulting explosion wasn’t a sound – it was an event.

A flash of white-hot energy slammed through the clearing, swallowing the monster in a wall of light. The air buckled, and the forest bent with the force. A tidal wave of wind and thunder tore through the trees, snapping branches and hurling loose debris like shrapnel in all directions.

The serpent convulsed, a guttural scream rattling through all eight throats at once. Black ichor burst outward like ink spilling into water, but it never touched the ground – Lynn’s storm burned it into vapor before it could fall with wicked arcs of white lightning. Its massive body shuddered once, twice, and then went utterly still.

The eight heads fell in near-perfect unison, crashing like felled trees as they slowly dissipated into blackened ash. The rain of pitch vapor drifted down, thin and quiet, before being swallowed by the wind. The storm, now untethered, unraveled into a soft drizzle, water hissing against the scorched soil as Lynn heaved, her trident returning to her grasp.

For a long, suspended heartbeat, no one moved.

Yubin let her club fall to the ground, and let out a low, shaky whistle. “Damn.”

“Remind me never to piss her off…” Jiwoo muttered, half laughing, half terrified.

From the tree line, Jiyeon and Hyunjin emerged, covered in dirt and dust, blinking at the smoking crater where a forest used to be. Behind them, Nien climbed out, coughing and still grinning like a madwoman. “Told ya I’d find it!” She rasped, brushing a smear of mud across her cheek like war paint, and Jiyeon rolled her eyes, before doing the same to Nien’s other cheek.

Soomin threw her arms into the air and whooped, the sound breaking the silence. Yooyeon exhaled, a hand over her chest. Mayu laughed, the sound soft and trembling, eyes flickering to her sister.

For the first time in what felt like hours, the forest was quiet.

Almost.

Because then Mayu’s smile faltered.

“…Wait,” she whispered. “Where’s–”

Lynn stood a few paces away from the group as she fell back to the earth, her trident buried in the soft soil. The storm had dispersed, the magic dimming from the metal like dying embers. Her shoulders rose and fell in shallow, uneven breaths.

And where her right hand and part of her forearm should’ve been…

There was nothing.

The flesh ended in a ragged, glowing wound, faint traces of water and mana evaporating from the stump like a mist. She stared at it numbly, as if only now processing the cost of what she’d unleashed.

Yubin’s voice cracked. “Lynn–”

Lynn didn’t flinch. Didn’t stumble. She just tilted her head slightly, watching the vapor curl off her missing arm. A single drop of blood fell to the dirt and hissed against the scorched ground.

=====

Elsewhere, the battle against the cultist halted as the creature died in the distance, and a whine tore through the Evolutionary’s throat.

The cultist fell to her knees, hands clawing at the ground, nails scraping stone and dirt as the last echo of the serpent’s death reverberated through the forest. Her shoulders shook with a guttural howl, raw and inhuman, echoing in the air like the roar of some primal beast. The dark scales of the fallen creature reflected dim light, now motionless, lifeless, but the fury in her chest burned hotter than any fire.

The others, standing at the clearing’s edge, let out simultaneous sighs of relief, chests heaving as they stared into the distance. Sohyun stepped forward, axe raised as a cold mist spilled from her lips, voice laced with mockery.

“Well, looks like your precious pet didn’t survive the day.” She called, glaring.

“Yeah,” Seoyeon chuckled, “Suppose all your efforts were in vain, hm?”

The Evolutionary’s eyes snapped to them, chest heaving as she shuddered, and a low, menacing growl rolled from her chest. Her body shifted violently, armor-like scales rippling as her right arm elongated into a jagged, metallic drill, teeth spiraling along the length with a sickly glint. “You…” she whimpered, “You…” She practically snarled as the cultist lunged forward, a missile of pure rage aimed at Seoyeon, Sohyun, and Sullin.

“DIE!” she screamed, voice cracking with unhinged fury. The air itself seemed to tremble around her, a faint distortion rippling outward.

Before her drill-arm could make contact, a sharp voice cut through the tension.

“Enough.”

The Evolutionary froze mid-lunge. The sound was measured, casual, yet carried an authority that made the air chill. Across the slow stretch of seconds, the drill receded, retracting into her arm with a sickly hiss as purple energy dissipated. Her shoulders slumped, and a sharp exhale escaped her lips.

From the shadows, a new figure stepped forward. The red of her robe seemed to drink in the light of the sun, flowing with an unnatural grace. The figure’s presence bent the temperature, drawing a faint current of heat and pressure toward her.

Seoyeon’s grip tightened on her weapon, eyes narrowing. Sohyun’s knuckles whitened whilst Sullin braced herself, instinctively shifting forward as blood pooled in the air around her.

The newcomer tilted her head, a faint, amused chuckle curling around the air of the clearing.

“Who… are you?” Sohyun asked cautiously, voice firm but edged with curiosity.

The figure’s head cocked slightly. “I am known by many names… Perhaps you’ll be best to call me The Diablo, of the Mobius Cult.” Her voice was smooth, commanding, yet tinged with an almost playful arrogance. To the side, a Shapeless Doll turned and faced the newcomer. Lacking any awareness of the shift in the air, it lunged immediately, managing to have survived Seoyeon and Sohyun’s combined attacks.

Its spiked forelimbs shot forth, and embedded themselves into the Diablo, ripping a large chunk from its side. The flesh darkened, blood spilling out as the Doll gave a soft grunt. A loud crack rang out, and for a heartbeat, it seemed the new cultist might falter. But red lightning surged along her skin, healing the wound almost instantly as the group watched on, wide-eyed.

The figure’s clothes seemed to mend themselves too, and the Diablo raised a hand towards the Doll. “You ought to get better control of your little freaks.” She chuckled. Her eyes glinted through the mask’s slits, and a white-hot flame erupted from her palms, incinerating the Doll into a pile of ash and cinder before the group could blink.

That regeneration… Seoyeon’s hand trembled, That fire… Seoyeon’s brow furrowed. “Is she… another Elder blessed?” She whispered, loud enough for the Diablo to overhear.

The red figure laughed, low and melodic, eyes glinting with amusement beneath her mask. “No. Far from it.” Her hands folded in front of her, energy pulsing faintly from her fingers, like contained storms ready to break.

Then, she tilted her head and slowly removed the mask, and their eyes widened. A pale human face emerged, serene and almost cruelly calm, skin lacking its usual colour, hair a deep crimson. Six eyes stared back at them, black scleras and orange irises, three on each side, perfectly aligned, glimmering like polished gemstones. Each eye seemed to weigh, to pierce, to mock.

“If you wish,” she said, letting the mask rest at her side, “You may call me something else… Fury of the Seven Horsemen.” A small, predatory smile curved her lips as she watched the group’s reactions, delight flickering behind her unnatural gaze.