Chapter 18

After they were done with their lunch, they just dumped the dirty dishes into the sink and went to the basement to get started with their training session. They both had left their phones in the living room so they won’t be disturbed and focused entirely on the session. They changed into more fitting clothes – easier to move in and comfortable – consisting of tank tops and training pants. Luna locked the door behind her and they both sat on a cushion across from each other.

As part of their training, Victoria had Luna to meditate with her for about half an hour to clear their minds and let themselves relax. Then, they stretched their limbs and got into a sparring match to test their endurance and strength, all the while sharpening their reflex and agility. It also helped them to be able to think of a move in a pressured situation if they were ever trapped in one.

Luna started it off by driving a punch to Victoria’s midriff but the latter blocked it with one hand and used the other to deliver a blow to Luna’s side but she was stopped at last minute by Luna. She tried to trip her but Victoria moved away just in time, tumbling backwards which showed off her flexibility. Luna stayed in her position with both her hand guarding her face – like a boxer would do – and waited for Victoria to make a move. To humor her, Victoria lunged forward and aimed at Luna’s stomach or so she thought when Victoria spun and got behind her. Before she could get a hit on Luna, she counteracted her by doing the same move but in the opposite direction and caught Victoria off guard as Luna elbowed her back. She successfully brought Victoria face down to the ground and held her hand on her back, as if ready to handcuff her.

“Good, you’ve improved,” Victoria complimented.

“Thanks Vic-unnie,” Luna replied, her hold on Victoria loosening.

“Got you!”

Victoria freed her hands from Luna and managed to flip her around so Luna would be pinned to the ground instead.

“Touché.”

Victoria got off of her and extended her arm to give Luna a hand so she can pull herself off the ground. They bowed at each other to mark the end of their match and each grabbed their bottles to have a nice cold drink before sitting down on the chairs.

“Let’s begin.”

Victoria took off her ring-slash-limiter from her ring finger and had it in her palm as she crumpled her hand into a fist. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the object in her hand as a turquoise glow escaped from between her fingers. When she opened her eyes, they were a shade darker than it originally was. In her palm, there was a ball of turquoise light swirling in a perfect circle and it shifted into a miniature dagger within seconds. Luna followed her example and summoned her very own concentrated ball of maroon light but it was more oval than circle.

“I know it’s difficult with majority of your power sealed but you did great. Now try to conform it into anything you like,” Victoria instructed.

It took longer but Luna managed to shift the orb of light into a medium-sized chisel. She tried to grab the handle with her other hand but it went through the chisel.

“The objects are like holograms; they are there and yet they aren’t. It’s not a physical object. It is just a concentrated mass of your power. Now look closely at my dagger.”

Victoria’s initial was carved into the wooden scabbard carefully, each groove smooth with constant depth. The designs were intricate but humble and pleasant to the eyes. The handle was a perfect fit for a woman’s use and easy to grasp. At the curved end, there was a ruby gem integrated into the handle to add into the glam look. In comparison, Luna’s chisel was merely a metal probe attached to a wooden handle. The blade of the chisel was crooked and it had uneven thickness throughout.

“So it’s a matter of precision?”

“In most cases, yes. Being more precise, in the context of your ability, means having more detailed visions – not only what you can see but you could also smell and to some extent, taste whatever was in the vision. At your level now, it’ll be like watching movies in 2D but eventually your honed power can make you see it in 6D.”

“So that’s the reason Amber-unnie must do it with you, so you can help maneuver her and boost her power,” Luna realized.

“Partly. You’re there because we needed to have the original power source nearby so the vision would be more vivid.”

Deflextion

Amber was told by the receptionist that Dr. Kim had finished with his last patient and that he was ready to meet her. She was escorted to his office down the hallway, a distance away from the waiting room for complete patient’s privacy. She was welcomed by the young doctor and he offered her a cup of coffee after he made sure she was comfortably seated.

“So detective, I’m assuming you’re here because of the late Hye Gi-ssi.”

“Yes. I need to know why she was having weekly appointments with you or any doctor in this department generally, of course.”

“Well, she had been rather anxious and restless. Edgy, sometimes. She came to see me a few years back, months before she called off her engagement. She expressed her fear of being committed to someone of a high profile and if anything should happen to her loved ones, she might crumble. I assessed her condition as general anxiety disorder,” he explained, taking a sip of his coffee.

“So you gave her medication? Did she improve?”

“The first few years she didn’t need any but about a year ago I prescribed her Lexapro because she had been having panic attacks frequently. She was getting better at first but she was rattled lately. She had been receiving threats about her cause and about her ex-fiancé.”

“What about him?”

“His disgruntled fans had been writing her letters about how she had ruined a perfect man and how she should pay for playing with his heart. They wrote nasty stuff and she had been more reclusive during our appointments.”

“Do you happen to know where she kept the letters or who managed her?”

“Despite the nature of their relationship, her ex-fiancé hired a team of people working as her managers and representatives. You should probably contact him if you want to know,” the doctor responded.

“Thank you for your co-operation Dr Kim. Off the record, about the patient you just had. Nam Seul Hee, was she doing fine? I know about the doctor-patient confidentiality so I won’t ask further. At least tell me how’s her condition?”

He hesitated but he saw the pain in her eyes and the way she was practically pleading, he gave in.

“She’s better. She’s more emotionally stable now.”

“Thank you, doctor. I’ll be on my way now.”

When she got out of the office, she subconsciously grabbed her right shoulder and massaged it, as if her old injury was acting up again. She walked as fast as she could to get out of the hospital and stayed in her car for a couple of minutes to clear off her mind before driving out of the parking lot to meet up with Victoria.

Deflextion

“That’s it for today. I need to get back to work so let’s head upstairs,” Victoria concluded the training session as she wiped off her sweat with her towel.

On the ground in front of her, Luna was sprawled in exhaustion and Victoria extended her hand to help her up. She was a little wobbly but regained her balance after a few seconds and they went back up to the living room. Luna went straight for the refrigerator and grabbed a cold drink to replenish her lost fluids. She offered some to Victoria but she politely declined as her eyes didn’t look away from her phone’s screen, which Luna assumed was about work. She washed her face to freshen up and went back to Victoria’s side.

“Amber’s finished her interview and I just got a list of employees and volunteers to go through. I’m sorry Luna but I have to go.”

“It’ alright but do I still have to pack the stew to go?”

“That’d be great, thanks! I’ll just have a quick shower, do you mind?”

“Go ahead. You know where the guest room is and your change of clothes will be in the closet,” Luna gave the okay as she entered the kitchen.

Victoria turned to the left from the living room and went down the hallway to the guest room. On the bed, a neat stack of towels sat comfortably so Victoria took one for her and directed her attention to the dresser across the bed. She noticed that there were a lot of clothes folded and organized by names; Victoria, Amber, Sulli and Krystal. It seemed that Luna had decided that she would have spare clothes for each of them in case they needed to crash at her place.

Victoria picked a gray flannel blouse and a pair of dark blue pants before entering the restroom to shower. She tossed her dirty clothes into the laundry basket and carefully put her pendant on the dry part of the sink, heading to the shower booth afterwards.

Meanwhile, Luna had transferred a hearty portion of her stew into a Tupperware and rummaged through her cabinets in search of disposable cutleries when her phone rang. She ran over to the living room to get it and she immediately picked up when she saw the caller ID.

“Ssul!”

“Hello Luna-unnie. Are you busy?”

“I was. But I’m done for today. Why?”

“Actually, I’m with the 94-liner right now but we’re hungry and our allowances were spent.”

“You’re in luck! I made extra stew so come on over!”

“Really? You’re okay with it?”

“Yes of course. Just text me when you’re nearby.”

“You’re the BEST!!”

“I hear Krystal and Jiyoung. We’ll talk more when you’re here.”

“Thanks unnie. Bye!”