Previously on Lux Indeficiens: The Aeradias students returned home from Eleutherius Heim, but not before Sooyoung found out from Siwon that sixteen years ago (her mother died 16 years ago), a war had happened between a gorup named Volksraad and the rest of the community known as the Magical Alliance. Following that day, during their Special Ability lesson, Kahi decided to teach the first years about three very important stones; the teleportation stone, the healing stone and the memory stone. 

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Chapter Fourteen

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Sooyoung, Seohyun and Yoona were in the library when they met their senior, Kim Taeyeon, once again.

Taeyeon, by now, has become the person the trio would turn to whenever they had questions to ask regarding their school. Anything which they found intriguing but confusing, they decided to also find the older female for answers.

Head buried deep in one of the books on the table, Taeyeon didn’t realize the presence of the younger students until her friend nudged her by the arm. “Hey, you’ve got visitors.”

Sooyoung raised an eyebrow slightly; Taeyeon’s friend looks rather familiar to her, though she didn’t exactly know where she has seen her before. Taeyeon’s friend glanced at her briefly before returning to the book in her hands.

“Oh, hi!” Taeyeon greeted with a small smile at the sight of her juniors. “What’s up?”

“Hi, Taeyeon-sunbae,” The three of them greeted politely before Yoona spoke up, “Do you mind if we share table with you? There’s no other seats available and we really need to finish this research today.”

Taeyeon nodded without hesitation as she eyed the files on their hands. “Kahi-songsaengnim’s homework, I bet.”

Yoona smiled sheepishly as she took a seat across Taeyeon while Sooyoung took the seat across the quiet blond friend of Taeyeon. Seohyun, on the other hand, has disappeared to find for reference books they could use. “This is Jessica, by the way,” Taeyeon introduced her friend upon realizing that Sooyoung and Yoona had never spoke to her friend before. “She’s one of my roommates, and she’s also Headmistress Jung’s—”

“Hello, nice to meet you.” Jessica interrupted hastily, putting on a smile and nodding at the younger females. “We’ve met before, haven’t we?” She was looking at Sooyoung, who blinked in surprise at the sudden question.

Briefly confused, Sooyoung tried to rake her brain for any possible images which may explain Jessica’s sentence. “Er…”

“I approached you before and asked if you really had no ability.” Jessica further explained, triggering Sooyoung’s memory suddenly as she remembers the older student from a few months back, when she had been the number one subject in Aeradias. “Which, to be honest, was quite rude of me. I’m sorry,”

Taeyeon quirked an eyebrow at her friend’s sudden apology, though she said nothing to interrupt. Sooyoung quickly shook her head. “It’s okay, please don’t apologize.”

Looking at the student seated opposite her, Sooyoung felt a sudden sense of familiarity in Jessica’s facial features. She frowned, trying to remember what the older female had said to her back then; something about not understanding her grandmother’s decision sometimes…

Sooyoung blinked, surprised at her new found information. “Jessica-sunbae, are you—”

A loud thump of books against the desk interrupted her question, her direction shifting abruptly from Jessica to her friend who has just returned from bringing reference books as thick as History 101.

“Sorry, these are really heavy.” Seohyun grumbled slightly, eyeing her two friends who were sitting so comfortably with the two seniors while she had been searching for the books. Realizing that her two seniors were looking at her, Seohyun then introduced herself to Jessica before taking the remaining seat beside Sooyoung.

“Taeyeon-sunbae,” Sooyoung suddenly asked, stopping the trio from beginning their research. Taeyeon too, glanced at the younger girl. “May I ask you something?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Headmistress Jung wasn’t present in today’s assembly…”

“Oh!” Taeyeon seem to already have an answer before Sooyoung could even finish what she wanted to ask. “Headmistress Jung has a few meetings to attend with the other two magic schools. She’ll probably be back by the end of next week.”

Ears perked, Yoona leaned forward to whisper, “Speaking of Headmistress Jung and the other two magic schools, I heard that there’s a rumour saying that her granddaughter is in Versailles Institution. Is that true?”

Taeyeon suddenly became flustered, glancing at her right but not saying anything.

“Yes, it is true.” Jessica was the one who answered Yoona’s question in the end, her voice so soft that Yoona almost missed it.

“B-but …”

The blond student raised her eyebrow, noting that Yoona was contemplating to ask her question. “But why isn’t she here in Aeradias?” Jessica ended Yoona’s sentence for her, the latter nodding nervously.

Jessica’s answer was as short and crisp as her previous answer; “She chose to go there.”

Sooyoung and Seohyun looked at each other in curiosity before glancing at the Third Year again. “If her grandmother is the headmistress of this school, wouldn’t it be more logical for her to attend Aeradias, though?”

Taeyeon has returned to her book by now, but she wasn’t reading anything from the page her eyes were on. She listened on in silence.

“She never liked being tied down to family.” Jessica said smoothly after a pause, her expression remained straight. “Krystal was always hidden behind the shadows of her grandmother and mother and even…or so she claimed, her sister.”

Surprised at the new information gathered, Yoona leaned back against her seat, suddenly feeling that she has wronged Headmistress Jung for sticking her nose in her private affairs. “Krystal?”

“That’s Headmistress Jung’s granddaughter who’s in Versailles Institution.” Taeyeon quickly explained, slightly nervous as she stole another look at her friend beside.

“Er…”

“Doesn’t she have another granddaughter studying here? And Yunho-songsaengnim is her grandson, right?”

“Yunho-oppa is my cousin brother.” Jessica answered despite knowing that Seohyun had directed the question at Taeyeon. She watched how the three curious juniors turned to look at her again, confused, before their eyes widened in pure surprise. Taeyeon covered her face with one hand.

Jessica smiled slightly and stood up, indicating that their conversation was over. “My sister is in Versailles Institution, but that does not make her any different from us here.” Turning around, Jessica waved lazily at the first year students. “See you around.”

Taeyeon hastily stood up as well, hands tidying her books in two swift motions. “Good luck on your homework!” She smiled before hurrying after her friend who has left the library.

Stunned, the trio sat in silence for a good minute before Sooyoung cleared softly. “Well, that was…awkward.”

“Remind me next time not to simply ask random people anything, please.” Yoona said, her face as red as a beetroot.

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After the encounter with Jessica Jung, Headmistress Jung’s granddaughter as well as Jung Yunho’s cousin sister, the trio would find themselves bumping into the older student occasionally at the most random time and places. Still somewhat embarrassed, Yoona would look down until Jessica herself greeted her first.

The incident which took place in the library no longer lingered in Jessica’s mind, which was a huge relief to the trio.

“So, do you want to ask me about Yunho-oppa?” Jessica teased when they met in the library again, much to Yoona’s surprise. She turned scarlet before shaking her head vigorously. “N-no.”

“It’s okay, Yoona.” Jessica waved her hand in the air. “I get asked about him on a daily basis, it’s normal.”

Yoona clamped shut, her cheeks flushed hot with embarrassment. How did Jessica know of her small, harmless crush for the male Aeradias teacher?

“But Yoona has a lot of competitors, doesn’t she?” Seohyun joined in with the teasing, much to Yoona’s chagrin. She didn’t even know Seohyun was capable of saying such a sentence.

Jessica laughed. “If Taeyeon was here, she’ll probably exaggerate and say the whole school has a crush on my cousin brother.”

“So that rumour is false?” Yoona asked and Jessica laughed again. “Of course that’s false! Only first and second year students would still have a crush on him. We seniors already know he has eyes on someone, anyway.”

Gasping, Yoona has a feeling she already knew the answer to Jessica’s revelation. “Miss Kwon, isn’t it?”

Jessica shrugged. “He won’t admit it to me, but he’s very obvious, isn’t he?”

“I knew it,” Yoona slapped Seohyun’s arm and then Sooyoung’s a few times, “I told you, Seohyun, Sooyoung, I told you!”

Startled at the sudden contact, Sooyoung jumped in her seat as she snapped back into reality. “Huh, what?”

Jessica observed the younger student in silence while Yoona sighed. “Weren’t you listening, Sooyoung? We were talking about—“ She stopped midsentence when she realized Sooyoung wasn’t even looking at her. “Sooyoung? Are you okay?”

“What?” Clearly in a daze, Sooyoung glanced at her friends and at her senior. “Sorry, I was thinking of something else.”

The expression Sooyoung had on her face suggested that her mind was occupied with something her friends didn’t know. A mixture of sadness and seriousness were clearly seen that even Jessica was slightly concerned, despite only knowing the younger student for a few days.  “What’s wrong, Sooyoung?” She asked kindly. “Is there anything you’re troubled with? Homework? Your ability, perhaps?”

Sooyoung shook her head slightly, forcing herself to look at Jessica properly. “I’m alright. Don’t worry.” Glancing at her watch, she offered an apologetic smile at her three friends before standing. “Actually, I have something to do, so I’ll see you later at the dorm.”

Without waiting for Yoona and Seohyun’s response, the girl had turned around and left. Her roommates glanced at each other worriedly, wondering if they should follow Sooyoung despite not knowing exactly what was going on with the latter.

“What’s wrong with her?”

“I don’t know. Should we follow her?”

Jessica shook her head then, halting the two friends in their tracks. “Don’t. I think it’s something personal. Let her be alone, she’ll be alright tomorrow.”

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While Sooyoung had turned around and left the library, Park Kahi had stepped outside the school grounds with a bouquet of flowers in her hands.

She slowly made her way into the forest just outside Aeradias, turning right when she reached the end and walking further along the pathway until she emerged from the trees to an open pasture. By then, Kahi could feel the gentleness of the breeze caressing her cheeks, unravelling the knots of her hair so that her long locks danced around her face and her neck. For a moment, she looked calm and peaceful.

Kahi continued walking, now making her way slowly across the green pasture. Unconsciously, her grip around the bouquet she held in her hands tightened.

Slowly, the calmness on her face began to fade. Each step she took felt heavier, harder, but she willed herself to continue walking. It was only when she reached her destination; below a lone oak tree at the end of the pasture, that she finally halted—the oak tree was enough to trigger all memories kept hidden and locked in the deepest recesses of her mind.

The Deputy Headmistress, who used to possess the liveliest of a smile, found it difficult to perform that action again. She laid down the bouquet of flowers between the roots of the tree and slowly sank into her knees. “Hi,” She mumbled softly, knowing that if she were to be any louder, her voice would crack. “It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”

As she leaned against the tree, Kahi closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“How are you two, anyway?”

A few seconds went by in silence. Opening her eyes so that she was now looking at the bright blue sky above her, Kahi spoke again. “Your daughter reminds me so much of you, Saeyoung. I hope you’re proud.”

Kahi was prepared for the silence that came, but even so, she couldn’t stop the tears that were now b on her eyelids. “Ah, look at me. Every year I promise not to cry,” She laughed to herself softly and wiped the tears away hastily. “But I’ll still end up crying. You two must be thinking how weak my mind is, right?”

“There was that one year though, when I almost succeeded not crying.” Kahi continued the conversation she was having alone out loud, “Do you two remember? I was doing so well, had even walked away…until I broke down in the middle of the forest because my heart was hurting so badly.”

Even when she was sure no one was around, Kahi bit her lower lip to supress the agony she felt in her heart. She suppressed the wails that could have easily come with a clamp of a hand against , fought back the tears that were springing out non-stop. She swallowed the cries down , forcing them down and locking them firmly inside.

“I wonder if you two ever miss me,” On cue, Kahi felt a squeeze in her heart and suddenly, she felt difficult to breathe properly. Hugging her knees close to her chest, as if that action could calm her now pounding heart, Kahi buried her face between her knees and finally, began to sob loudly. “Because I miss you two. A lot.”

From a distance, Kangta watched on; his heart equally in pain as he squeezed his eyes shut.

He remained hidden behind the trees.

--

By night fall, Sooyoung had told the truth to her two friends; today was the death anniversary of her mother. Her mother, whom she has never seen before, whom she has never felt her love before. Sooyoung told Yoona and Seohyun that her grandmother had told her stories of her mother, but never had she mentioned how her mother had passed away. Whenever this date arrived, Sooyoung explained, that she would anticipate it, because her grandmother would tell her more regarding her mother. But she would also despise it, because no amount of memories would ever cover up the fact that her mother was gone, that she would never return again.

“I’ll be fine tomorrow, though.” Sooyoung assured her roommates with a more genuine smile. “So please don’t worry about me. Just treat today like any other day. It’ll be over in three hours, anyway.”

Despite Sooyoung being optimistic, she had been wrong.

Because half an