The wind was blowing hard, the gray clouds covering the sky as it announced the start of rain. The ferocious wind blew open the windows, and a few drops of rain fell on Chaerin’s face. She squinted her eyes as she put a hand over her face. With slow movements, she sat up, blinking rapidly until her eyes adjusted to the lights. It could be morning, or afternoon, she couldn’t tell, the day seemed dark, the rain starting to fall more abundant. She kicked the sheets off and put her feet down. She widened her eyes in realization. She wasn’t home, she recalled being drugged and carried somewhere.

Chaerin looked around, her eyes narrowed as she took in the room. It was simple, made of wood. Only one vanity on a far wall, the queen sized bed made of wood and the white sheets. The windows were made of wood, French style, white curtains moving rapidly as the wind blew hard outside. Chaerin put a hand on her forehead as she stood up, her legs shaking from numbness. She approached the window and closed it, feeling relieved the cold was subsided. She looked to the side as she heard voices approaching the room.

“We’ve put her to sleep, she needed it.” She heard Dara saying.

“How long?” She heard another voice. One too familiar. Jiyong.

“A whole day now.” Jonghyun said. She heard the doorknob moving and she jumped back on bed, throwing the sheets over her body, feign being asleep. She heard footsteps walking into the room. She moved slightly, her hand over her face.

“She looks so, peaceful.” Jiyong muttered.

“Should we wake her up?” Jonghyun asked.

“No, let her sleep. After all, her sleep has been disturbed enough.” Jiyong said as he walked closer to the bed. Chaerin stirred as she slowly opened her eyes, looking to the side. She saw Jiyong smiling at her, wearing a black shirt and black leathered pants. His hair looked wet, and she guessed he had just arrived.

“Hello there.” He said. She frowned and looked down, at Jonghyun. He was looking at her with worried eyes, his hands deep in his pockets.

“Where am I?” Chaerin murmured. Jiyong put a hand on the sheets and retreated it.

“Dara’s home. You’re safe.” Jiyong said. She sat up slowly, and he put a hand on her arm, but she shoved it away. She saw his smile falter, and for a brief second, she could see sadness on his eyes, a flicker of white and silver flashed over the dark orbs, then disappeared, as it had never been there.

“I’m safe from what?” Chaerin said. Jiyong let out a sigh and nodded, straightening up.

“From everything, until you’ve controlled your powers.” He said. Chaerin nodded. “I’ve been told Jin has already blessed you with the Clarity of the Wind, am I right?” Jiyong asked and Chaerin shrugged.

“I honestly can’t say.” She said. Jiyong pouted.

“Can I ask what you were dreaming about?” He said, taking a glance out the window, then at her. She shrugged and kicked the sheets out of her body.

“Nothing.” She lied. Jiyong smirked and opened the window, a storm was pulling out. She widened her eyes as she felt the wind blowing inside the room.

“Are you sure?” Jiyong said with a raised eyebrow. Chaerin nodded, but then, she noticed her heart was beating uncontrollably and her veins were popping. She looked to the side, remembering all the dreams she had.

“Don’t do it!” She saw him running towards her, she had a dagger in her hands, her eyes widened but her body moved on its own.

“You shall pay for your treason!” She said. She saw Jiyong running towards her, and when he reached her, the dream shifted, and she was back at the vast green lands, her barefeet caressing the ground as she walked, her black dress flowing freely as the wind blew. She had her hands extended, her eyes closed, but she could see clearly where she was going.

“Jin sure blessed you right.” She heard a woman saying. Chaerin opened her eyes and looked to the side, the red headed woman was smiling at her. Alina.

“She will bless us all.” Chaerin said. Alina shook her head and walked towards her.

“Not all of us are bless with the Gods, Joselyn. Some are blessed with something else.” Alina said, and Chaerin noticed a strange darkness running through her eyes. As if a shadow had walked through them, and the depth of her eyes sent shivers through her body.

“Something else?” Chaerin said. Alina smirked and nodded, walking away.

“The Gods are not the only ones with power over us.” She said and disappeared.

Chaerin looked at her trembling hands, taking deep, silent breaths. “Are there any other entities out there?” Chaerin asked. Jiyong frowned and looked at his own hands. He extended one towards the window, and Chaerin noticed, with amazement, how the storm slowly subsided, until it disappeared completely. She felt her own heart beat slowing down until it calmed, and the burning through her veins disappeared.

“There are,” Jiyong said as he dusted his palms. “More entities, evil entities.”

“Do they have power over us?” Chaerin asked, her head slightly crooked. Jiyong looked at Jonghyun and Dara. Dara nodded and walked out of the room, though Jonghyun stayed, looking sternly at Jiyong.

“They can taint us, make us believe they are right and the Gods are wrong.” Jiyong explained as he took a wooden chair next to the window and pulled it close to the bed, sitting on it. “Jonghyun, why don’t you take a seat too?” And Jonghyun walked towards the edge of the bed, sitting comfortable as he looked at Jiyong.

“Are the Gods wrong?” Chaerin said. Jiyong smiled and shrugged.

“Who am I to know? I haven’t lived long enough to find that out.” Jiyong said. Chaerin nodded as she looked at her hands, her nails had turned white. “Amazing, isn’t it? How the elements take power over us so easily, yet is so hard to learn how to control them.” She looked at Jiyong and noticed he was looking at her nails. She shrugged and looked back at her hands.

“How long did it took for you to learn to control them?” Chaerin said. Jiyong smiled and crooked his head slightly.

“Just the same as it took you, once.” He spoke. Chaerin looked at him with raised eyebrows.

“Right, we were siblings.” She said, not completely convinced. Jiyong nodded, and Chaerin saw that Jonghyun breath harshly, clenching his jaw muscles.

“Yes, we were.” Jiyong said as he clenched his hands together.

“And why do you know so much and I so little?”

“I’m older than you.” Jiyong said with a slight shrug. Chaerin nodded and looked at Jonghyun.

“And you?” She said. Jonghyun looked at her, she saw again the little wall building up in his eyes.

“I’m a guardian. Whenever I’m born, I know.” He said. Chaerin nodded, not finding any sense in all of that.

“Are you still afraid?” Jiyong said. Chaerin shook her head slowly.

“No, I just,” She said hesitating. “I just can’t get used to this.” She said as she looked down at her trembling hands. 

“It’s hard, always.” Jiyong said, his hand under his chin. Chaerin looked up, her eyes shimmering, she felt them watery and an aching in the back of them she couldn’t hold.

“Don’t tell me how hard it is.” She hissed in a distant voice. She saw Jiyong looking at her with a serious face. Jonghyun looked too, his face perplexed.

“Excuse me?” Jiyong said, his legs crossed. Chaerin felt the aching running through her body until it reached her hands, and she had to ball them into fist due to the aching.

“Don’t expect me to believe your lies.” She said again. Jiyong straightened up, looking at her sternly. “Don’t expect me to believe you care when you have run away so many times!” Chaerin yelled, her voice so distant she couldn’t almost hear it. She saw Jiyong lifting his face, and by the corner of her eye, she saw Jonghyun standing up. Help me.

“Chaerin?” Jiyong said, his voice terribly calm, though his eyes seemed fierce. “Or Joselyn?”

“I’m glad you know me so well.” Chaerin heard herself saying. She saw Jiyong smiling as he clenched his hands together.

“How could I forget?” Jiyong said. “Being you the core of my misery.”

“Me, the core? You have got to be delusional.” Chaerin heard her voice saying as she slowly stood up.

“Jonghyun, why don’t you give us a moment?” Jiyong said as he smirked at Chaerin.

“No.” Jonghyun said. Jiyong looked at him with fierce eyes.

“It is nothing a guardian can deal with, leave.” He said, his voice stern, strong, with such authority even Chaerin, trapped in her own body, shivered.

“Yes guardian, just leave.” She heard herself saying. Jonghyun opened his mouth to talk, then closed it and stormed out of the room. Chaerin looked back at Jiyong, who was still sitting casually on his chair.

“So nice to see you again, my beloved torment.” Jiyong said. Chaerin scoffed and put her hands on the arms of the chair, her legs dangerously close to Jiyong’s.

“I bet you missed me.” She hissed, getting closer to his face. “Brother.” She spatted the word, as if it tasted bitter on her tongue. What’s wrong with me?! HELP! Jiyong smirked and nodded, his hand close to hers.

“Sister.” He said, crooking his head. Chaerin gulped, but then again, it wasn’t really her.

“Lies, all lies. It’s all you’ve ever known.” She hissed. Jiyong smirked and nodded.

“That’s all you ever see.” He hissed. Chaerin smirked, and just then, in a blink of an eye, Jiyong put his hands in the back of her neck and pulled her closer. “Yet you have failed to see the suffering I’ve gone through, just because of you.”

“I have suffered, too. Doomed, cursed to this.” She hissed. Chaerin screamed inside of her own head, though the body didn’t moved. Chaerin closed her eyes and moved her head rapidly. “She’s strong.”

“Of course she is. She is you, Joselyn.” Jiyong said. Chaerin opened her eyes and hissed.

“No, no one can ever be me.” She said, her voice dangerous. “I can’t be replaced.”

“When are you going to finally understand is no replacement?” Jiyong said. “It’s a continuity.”

“And you have to get on the pants of every continuity, don’t you?” She hissed as she pushed him back, panting.

“Stop fighting it, it’s consuming you.” Jiyong said as he stood up. Chaerin put her hands on the bed as she panted, fighting for air.

“It’s stronger than I thought.” She said as Chaerin screamed and kicked inside her body. “She’s too strong.”

“She will be the end of all of this, allow her to do her part.”

“Never! This is my power, this is my blessing. I have to end this war, this is my destiny.” She hissed. Jiyong shook his head as he put his hand on either sides of her face. Chaerin could see, from a distance, his saddened face, his tired eyes looking directly at hers.

“It was yours, but now, another one had taken your place, and you have to accept it.”

“I can’t accept it. Why are you still you, when I have to keep changing!” She screamed out of breath. Jiyong closed his eyes as a tear slowly escaped his eye.

“I’m doomed to lose you for all eternity. We are cursed.” He muttered.

“It’s your fault, you made it happen!” She screamed as she lost her strength and fell on his arms. Jiyong held her tight as he hugged her, slowly sitting on the floor.

“I will make it stop.” He muttered. Chaerin felt her own eyes aching, and slowly, she was starting to feel alive, awake.

“She is too strong, I can’t control it.” She said. Jiyong made soothing sounds as he caressed her head.

“Don’t fight it anymore, don’t waste your energies just because you want to talk. Learn to merge.” He said. Chaerin shook her head as she sobbed.

“I don’t want to lose this, I don’t want to die.” She sobbed. Jiyong cried as he hugged her tighter.

“You have already, now it’s time for you to accept it.” He said. She closed her eyes, and Chaerin slowly fell herself regaining complete control of her own body. “Merge Joselyn, become one.” Jiyong said. Chaerin had stopped sobbing, and she pushed a little away from Jiyong. He let go as he cleaned his tears, looking to the side. Chaerin stayed on the floor, feeling exhausted, drained, as she looked at Jiyong standing up.

Chaerin let out a sigh as she cleaned her tears with the back of her hand, not even being able to properly move her hand due to her exhaustion. “What – What was that?” She panted. Jiyong dusted his clothes as he looked at her, his face a wall of protection.

“That was something you have to learn to control, never let her take over again.” Jiyong said and walked towards her, helping her up. Her head felt light, dizziness taking over her as he put her on bed. Her eyelids closed slowly as she looked at him.

“Who was her?” Chaerin muttered out of breath. Jiyong straightened up as he looked at her through his eyelashes.

“No one we should be talking about.” He said and walked towards the door, closing it after him. Chaerin tried to keep her eyes open, but the eyelids were too heavy, the exhaustion on her body too much for her to bear. As she slowly closed her eyes, she heard Jiyong’s voice in her head, as if remembering from a dream.

“How could I forget? Being you the core of my misery.”

“That’s all you ever see. Yet you have failed to see the suffering I’ve gone through, just because of you.”

“I’m doomed to lose you for all eternity. We are cursed.”

“I will make it stop.”

As distant as a dream, she slowly drifted into darkness, Jiyong’s crying face was all she could see, and for a brief moment, she felt a pang of sorrow on her chest, a string pulling her as she extended her hands towards nothing.

“I love you.”