It had been a tense two weeks after their last mission. The evacuation had gone smoothly thanks to all the prep work Umji and Yerin had rigged before swooping in to pick up the team. Umji didn’t ask what happened to the crew who had been on the helicopter before Yerin liberated it for their use. Likewise, none of them shed a tear when the scene of their battle blew up in a spectacular display of pyrotechnics as a good half of the building collapsed.

No doubt there would be an investigation, but the point had been not to leave any evidence leading back to them behind. Sowon had shot a glare at the unrepentant culprits as they flew off. Yerin was as unbothered as they came, more concerned about the comatose Yuju than anything else, while Umji just grinned sheepishly. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Besides, it got reported as a gas leak explosion the next day anyway,so they had obviously gotten away with it. More than one party had interest in covering things up, and were happy to scrub away all suspicion from public notice.

But back to the present. Following their extraction by Spartan forces, they then proceeded to secure immediate medical attention for the most badly wounded -- Eunha needed emergency surgery to repair her stomach, SinB had three cracked ribs and a dislocated shoulder, Sowon had multiple internal bruises and a bullet lodged in her side that she hadn’t even noticed while high on the adrenaline of combat, and Yerin had to have broken glass removed from her head and back before getting stitched back up.

By contrast, Umji considered herself quite lucky. She only had a few superficial scratches and bruises to her knees when she had climbed out of the hotel window to jump onto the chopper when Yerin came to pick her up. That was practically nothing compared to her teammates.

And then there was Yuju. The multiple lacerations over her body looked pretty gruesome, especially with the gaping wounds on her wrists and ankles. But physically, it was probably less debilitating than what the rest had to deal with. What worried Umji though, was her mental state. She hadn’t woken up in two weeks.

Umji had heard about what happened from SinB, of course. Along with the little she managed to film with her little golden drone from afar before they managed to navigate the chopper up to reach the rest, Umji knew the extent of what Yuju had done. It also led her to excessively research all known cases of blood magic and the practitioners who wielded it.

The results were not very heartening. Yerin had probably been understating how nasty blood magic could be the last time Umji had eavesdropped on that particular conversation. The sheer human cost of every recorded blood magic incident was...staggering. People died in droves when blood magic reared its head. It was just the way it worked.

Fortunately, those incidents were also quite rare. One did not simply pick up blood magic at the store. It had to be learned, and that knowledge did not come free or easy. Everyone knew the theory behind it, but the actual execution was not something that anyone could just read off a book or figure out on their own. There were some people who tried working with the raw theory in order to take advantage of the power boost that blood magic offered, but it wasn’t the same as true blood magic. Blood was often applied in magical rituals as a result of this tinkering, but it was still just a shadow of the real thing.

And they had seen the real thing in action just two weeks ago. The atmosphere around their new base of operations had been heavy ever since. Shortly after it had been safe to move their wounded, Sowon had determinedly chosen to relocate despite Bo-geun offering them a place to stay. Umji supported the decision. Although the Spartans had been allies in their last mission, it didn’t feel right to continue associating with them. Call it the instinct of a renegade, but Umji didn’t trust any of the major power players on the continent.

They were but simple mercenaries, and the games of power involved stakes too high for them to mess with. Some people might argue that the only way to be safe was to hold the reins of power themselves, but Umji didn’t want that. She had no interest in joining any kind of power struggle. It was enough that her team was safe and healthy. She liked their life just outside of the law, oddly enough. Legitimacy wasn’t particularly important for her, as a hacker born and bred.

Besides, it wasn’t like being legitimate did much for anyone these days. All it gave was an identity to pass with when they had to go through checkpoints, but Umji could forge those if that ever came to be a problem. Staying outside the system had its benefits.

They were no one’s catspaws, free to go wherever and do whatever they liked. That was what she valued, and Sowon clearly felt the same. At least though, they had gotten a huge payout from the whole dragonslaying gig. The Spartans would be busy hunting down the remnants of Mireu, and Bo-geun had promised to clear the bounty on their heads. Life, it seemed, could go back to normal.

Or, some kind of normal, ensconced in a luxurious safehouse that was more penthouse than hole-in-the-wall. Then again, with the number of zeros on that last credit transfer, they could more than afford it. It was interesting to have a place that wasn’t some kind of underground dive or ruined shelter. They even had a concierge downstairs. That was kind of nice. Odd, but nice.

None of them were in any shape to be out and about for a while. Well, Umji was the exception, but she was perfectly happy with her Matrix connection in their new pad. Bed rest was necessary for SinB, Eunha and Sowon, while Yerin…

Yerin just never left Yuju’s side. Two weeks without the shaman stirring, and Yerin grew visibly concerned as time ticked by. Eunha hobbled over whenever she could, despite the fact that she really should be staying still to let her stomach wound heal, and the two erstwhile rivals appeared to have laid their differences aside in light of Yuju’s condition.

Yerin was no mage, and needed Eunha to check on Yuju magically. Thus far, other than being almost drained to nothing, Eunha had pronounced Yuju to be simply in need of rest. The dissolution of the imugi’s pact, as Eunha theorized, had probably severed the source of Yuju’s endless mana regeneration. That made Yuju just as mortal as Eunha, perhaps even more, considering Eunha now had a draconic soul, while Yuju was only human.

Human, and in need of recuperation from the excessive discharge of wild magic. There were limits to how much power a magic user could safely hold and use without burning themselves out like a candle. Blood magic might overwrite some of those rules, but Yuju had also been casting normally and at high capacity, before turning to that as a last resort in the final confrontation. It left her reserves critically low, and from Umji’s monitoring of the shaman’s vital signs, even her organs had weakened terribly from the strain, and only a constant stream of medicine and nutrients through an intravenous drip was helping the comatose girl recover.

At least with modern medical advances, it wasn’t too difficult to nurse her body back to health. Getting her to wake up, however, was the problem. Eunha’s early assessment had not been as favorable in the first days. Yuju had gone almost completely dark on the astral plane, the magical representation of her soul withering like a flickering candle in the wind.

Despite being fresh out of surgery herself, Eunha had fought to stabilize what remained, feeding her own strength to Yuju. It was like pouring water down a sinkhole, and surprisingly, Yerin had been the one to stop her from overdoing it. That had been the beginning of the thawing of their relations, and Umji was quite fascinated by the shift. This warranted more observation, and she was eager to document how it would affect the nascent love triangle.

SinB had not been pleased with this though. Umji couldn’t quite blame her. Blood magic was dangerous, and SinB had witnessed it with her own eyes at close range. Umji couldn’t deny that the whole thing made her nervous, but curiosity won out over terror. That, and Umji knew what kind of a person Yuju was. The shaman would always go out of her way to help others, and if she hadn’t been forced beyond all other options, the shaman would never have tried to hurt anyone else.

Other blood mages sought power for themselves, Umji believed that Yuju reached for power only to protect those important to her. She chose to trust Yuju as a person, even though blood magic was wild and unpredictable. If it really did corrupt her though…

Sowon would do what needed to be done, and Umji would not stop her if it came to that. She would do everything in her power to save Yuju from herself, but if Yuju became a danger to them, she would not hesitate to do whatever it takes to stop her. Her family came first, and nothing was allowed to threaten that.

Not even if it came from one of them.

It hurt Yerin to see Yuju so helpless, her puppy growing visibly thinner as the days went by. The IV drip kept her alive and supplied the essentials, but only just that. It was no substitute for real food, but they couldn’t quite force-feed her right now.

They all had their own rooms in the new base, but Yerin practically lived in Yuju’s at this point. Eunha was dozing on the other side of the same bed, and Yerin didn’t begrudge her that. The fire mage had been monitoring Yuju’s condition almost constantly since Yerin couldn’t check up on her magically.

Despite their competing interests for Yuju’s affections, Yerin had never hated Eunha to begin with, jealous at times perhaps, but she could never really bring herself to dislike pretty girls. This whole situation was making her revise her opinion on the fire mage though. She used to think Eunha’s affection for Yuju was a little on the shallow side, but this was definitely not as fleeting a crush as she had first thought it was.

Eunha choosing to defend Yuju despite seeing her go full blood mage had completely altered Yerin’s assessment of her. The girl was committed,which honestly should feel like a threat, but Yerin was oddly relieved by it. One more person to help her check on and take care of Yuju definitely reduced the amount of stress she faced.

And she was definitely stressed. Blood magic would do that to anyone. She hadn’t even known that Yuju knew blood magic, real blood magic, not the pale imitations she had encountered and hunted down before. She had been sent before against apprentices wielding a shadow of what true blood magic entailed, and even then it had caused many civilian deaths and the loss of several comrades each time.

Blood magic could only be taught, not learned via self study. Yerin didn’t quite understand the principles behind it, but everyone knew the theory. Blood was a symbol of life, and life had power. How to tap on that power was the key, and that key never came easy or free.

Not that it ever stopped anyone from trying to devise their own shortcuts. Old Aztec blood rituals were one such attempt, and frowned upon in most civilized countries. No one liked the idea of human sacrifice being legitimized, after all. Even animal sacrifices were heavily contested in countries with strong animal rights lobbies. In modern times, even with the Awakening rewriting the rules, ethical progress over generations didn’t get wiped away instantly. It was a small relief.

But blood magic was powerful, and where there was power to be taken, there were those who were willing to sell their souls for it. Even then, finding a source who could teach it was difficult. How had Yuju learned it? Someone had to have taught her. Had she always known it, even before they met? Yerin didn’t know for sure. Certainly, Yuju had never exhibited any signs of it previously. If anything, the girl had been nothing but a pacifist since they first met. Yuju could barely hurt a fly in the entire time Yerin had known her. It was difficult to reconcile that image with the usual stereotype of a power crazed and murder-happy blood mage.

SinB was definitely spooked by it, and Sowon looked troubled whenever she came by to check on them. Even Eunha had a perpetually worried look in her eyes, but there was something else that bothered the both of them.

Blood mages had a tainted aura. It was the price of ripping the life out of others to power your spells. But Yuju was clean. Yerin hadn’t believed it when Eunha first mentioned it to her, putting on her own magical lenses to scan Yuju for the signs. It was exactly as Eunha had said though. Yuju’s aura was visibly weakened by her exhausted state, but the signature of it was the same as before. It was terribly suspicious though. Yerin had never really thought about it before, but Yuju’s aura had always seemed awfully normal for a mage of her power level. Everyone’s aura on the astral plane corresponded to the level of magical activity present in them, with normal human beings being the dimmest, and Awakened beings, human or not, being brighter. Logically, the more powerful a magic user, the brighter they shone on the astral plane. There were ways to hide it, but had Yuju been masking her aura the entire time? Even now, when she was unconscious? Was that even possible?

Eunha couldn’t answer that for sure. Neither could Yerin, but both of them wisely chose to drop the subject after it had been broached. It was starting to look like neither of them actually knew what Yuju was capable of, and it was beginning to feel ever more terrifying.

How many secrets had her puppy been hiding? Yerin brushed a hand over Yuju’s hair, smoothing the strands away from her sleeping face. She had been massaging the unconscious girl in her sleep to make sure she didn’t get bed sores. It was the least she could do under the circumstances.

No matter what, she would choose to trust Yuju. The girl had stayed with her through her most difficult times, and she would do no less for her. If she wanted to burn the world, then Yerin would be right there with her. It was crazy, but Yerin didn’t care.

She had chosen her side, and she would stick with it to the end.

Yuju was tired.

Exhausted, deep into her bones, and all she wanted to do was sleep a thousand years. In her dreams she could hide, pretend the rest of the world didn’t exist. Didn’t have to face reality, and the cruel truths that would shred the last bits of her sanity.

She had always known, perhaps. Known that deep down, a monster lay sleeping, waiting to wake. There was a reason why she had run into the woods after the disaster that had taken her parents. Her memories surrounding that event were vague, but enough of it lingered to drive her away from civilization. Fear of hurting others, until she could learn control.

It was this that made her reluctant to truly accept others. What if she hurt them? She couldn’t be sure. The illusions the imugi had shown her had called up deeply buried memories she hadn’t had to think of in years. The mirrored cell had felt familiar. Deeply, uncomfortably, familiar.

Something had gone terribly wrong, then her parents had died. She had had to run away, all on her own. How had she gotten away? She was still little more than a child then. Her hands hadn’t always been scarred either. But she had always had those scars ever since she was out in the woods, and for the life of her, she couldn’t remember how she got them.

The holes in her memory were deeply frightening, and Yuju shrank further into her dreams, unwilling to wake. It was safe in her dreams. No one could hurt her there.

Except. She could still vaguely hear Eunha calling her. It wasn’t a clear message, and Eunha probably wasn’t even consciously doing it, but she feltthe other girl’s energy feeding into her, and the link it made couldn’t be wholly ignored. Yuju hid from it, unwilling to face reality at first. She didn’t want to wake up and face the fact that Yerin was gone.

She had felt a tearing pain rip through her soul when Yerin had fallen out of that window, beyond the reach of her senses, and the resulting frenzy she went into still frightened her. Granted, she knew the imugi was up to its mind tricks to try and weaken their defenses, but not being able to sense Yerin had terrified her. They had never been separated for long in the last three years. She could always feel her, and that fact helped to ground her.

It was why she didn’t want to wake up. In her dreams, she could still feel as if Yerin was right there by her side. It was cowardly and selfish, but Yuju was hurt, and only wanted to her wounds in peace. She needed time.

But they just wouldn’t stop. The whispers at the back of her mind, Eunha’s almost constant presence at the edges -- which, was a lot more comforting than she had expected. She could feel the worry the other mage had for her, and it made her feel guilty. She wanted to reach out to reassure the other girl, but a part of her was afraid.

She knew Eunha liked her. But the depth of the other girl's devotion had terrified Yuju when Eunha kissed her the last time. Yerin was not a mage, and couldn’t communicate her feelings in the same fashion, at least not without Yuju voluntarily looking into her eyes to see into her soul. Eunha on the other hand, had no such restriction. Her feelings had been like a tide that washed over everything in its path, and Yuju hadn't been prepared to deal with that. It was overwhelming, suffocating, even.

And it hurt. That pure, clean, love and devotion had hurt her almost physically. Yuju always avoided looking too deep into Yerin’s eyes for that reason. It was easier to pretend that it didn’t exist, so she didn’t have to deal with it. It was selfish, and Yuju knew it. But love on that levelfrightened her, for some reason.

She couldn’t quite put a finger on it, but even feeling it caused her pain. It brought back memories of helplessness, terror, and death. It was unfair to those who loved her now, but Yuju wasn’t even certain about the source of her fear. She wanted to confront it, but at the same time, feared the consequences. She wasn’t ready. She didn’t know when she would ever be.

Guilt was a familiar companion to her by now. Could have done more, could be better than this. For all the power she wielded magically, deep inside, she was still that same little girl who could do nothing when everything went wrong all around her. She needed to be strong, but it was just so hard and…

A familiar warmth, soothing and so very close. Yuju knew she could wake, should have woken way before this, but she had subconsciously remained as she was. Unconsciously, she reached towards it, and felt someone clasp her hand in return.

"Puppy?" That was Yerin's voice. She was hearing things. Yerin was gone, wasn't she? This was an illusion. It couldn't be real. She was imagining things.

But she felt it. A soft touch on her cheeks, breath on her eyelids, a familiar scent tickling her nostrils. Yuju trembled in her sleep, cringing away, but she couldn't move and then a familiar sensation on her forehead, soft kisses trailing down to her nose and then lower still, murmured whispers in between each one, and it was practically force of habit when she frowned instinctively and croaked out.

"Stop that."

A chuckle, more a broken half sob, came back in response. Yerin leaned in, pressing her forehead to a groggy, confused Yuju.

"You would do that, you dummy."

"...Yerin?" Her voice was still rusty from disuse, her lips dry and slightly cracked. Not as bad it could be, since Yerin had been dabbing water on her lips as well when cleaning her up. As for how much touching the older woman did while she was doing that, well, let's not ask, shall we?

"I'm here." Yerin tightened her hold on Yuju, as if afraid the girl might fall away from her. Yuju blinked slowly, as if trying to process dream from reality.

"You're here." Yuju repeated numbly, closing her eyes in disbelief. Yerin tensed, leaning in closer until she was practically nose to nose with her confused puppy.

Yuju whimpered from the proximity, making a small sound of distress in . But when Yerin tried to shift away, the shaman reached up and locked her down with a surprisingly strong grip for someone who has been unconscious and bedridden for two whole weeks. Yerin held her breath when Yuju opened her eyes and met her gaze, an unfamiliar desperation in the younger's eyes.

"Don't go." Don't leave me.

"Never." Yerin breathed, and was taken utterly by surprise when Yuju pulled her further in, closing the already miniscule distance between them. It was an awkward, clumsy, not at all skillful kiss. In fact, it hurt a little when their teeth collided against each other. Yuju nuzzled at her like a puppy seeking attention, as if trying to verify that it was really her and not just an illusion. It was all a little too adorable and not even ually charged, and Yerin couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed.

Yuju was actively, voluntarily, kissing her. Not very well and not even in a romantic way, but her puppy had never initiated physical intimacy like this before. It was always her pushing the boundaries, getting Yuju comfortable with her by force of habit, to the point where Yerin had almost given up on Yuju ever actively reciprocating. It was such a shock that for a good long moment, Yerin even forgot to respond, freezing in place as Yuju nuzzled against her affectionately, innocent lip-on-lip contact that showed the shaman's inexperience.

Yuju pulled back, half confused by Yerin's lack of response, but then her eyes widened when Yerin seemed to finally fall out of her moment of shock, almost aggressively pulling Yuju back in to renew the kiss. This time with a lot more passion and significantly less innocence.

"This is how you do it."

Yerin her lips in satisfaction, smirking at the blush on Yuju's cheeks as the shaman caught her breath. Yuju turned her face away, mumbling slightly.

"Definitely not an illusion…"

Yerin laughed, shifting her weight atop Yuju to avoid tugging at the tube still attached to the shaman’s arm. She had gotten distracted earlier and almost forgotten that her puppy was still technically an invalid. Her fingers linked with Yuju’s as they quietly held hands, the older woman sliding down beside her to snuggle into her side.

“I was afraid you wouldn’t wake up.” Yerin confessed, whispering into Yuju’s ear. Her breath was hot against the sensitive skin, making it turn pink, and Yuju determinedly kept her face turned away as her heart raced. It was an unusual feeling. Yuju wasn’t sure how to feel about it, but it was sort of...nice?

“I thought you were dead.” Yuju mumbled, circling her thumb on the back of Yerin’s hand. It still felt unreal to some extent, but the comforting sense of Yerin’s presence was helping to anchor her back into reality. Her eyes travelled to the third person on the not very wide bed, just inches away on her other side.

Eunha. Of course. Eunha had been feeding her mana consistently while she was unconscious, and Yuju knew how draining it could be. The fire mage appeared to be sound asleep for now, a not unexpected result. Mana was a magic user’s life energy in a sense, a fact that Yuju was acutely aware of now that she had awakened (re-awakened?) her connection to blood magic, and she could see how Eunha had literally stretched her own reserves to critically low levels just to keep her stable.

And even with all that, Yuju still felt weak and tired. Years of living with a ridiculously large supply of life energy that could be converted to mana for use had altered her capacity for magic quite significantly. The breaking of the imugi’s pact had taken that supply away, but the channels running through her body were still a lot wider than what a typical mage would possess.

If power were a river, then a mage’s body was a conduit, with mana as the fuel to control and direct it. Yuju had the capacity to handle a lot of power, but with the wellspring from the pact gone, she didn’t have the fuel to process it. It was sort of like having an empty gas tank at the moment, leaving her high and dry after being so used to being filled to the brim, though Eunha’s contribution had ensured that she didn’t shrivel away entirely from the withdrawal.

That absence was calling to her now, loudly making itself known. Yerin was saying something, but Yuju was having trouble focusing thanks to it. The emptiness within yawned like a gaping maw, and almost involuntarily, Yuju’s magical sight latched onto the nearest life forms closest to her, hungry to be fed. They pulsed with life, energy that could feed her empty reserves and…

No. Yuju broke the connection forcibly, shutting off all her senses as she tensed, suddenly furious with herself. These were her friends, not food.How could she...what was she thinking…

“Puppy? Are you alright?” Yerin’s voice broke through at last, the erstwhile assassin cuddling closer despite the danger she hadn’t even known she had been in. Yuju flinched away, the comforting warmth of her partner suddenly burning her like a hot coal. She had almost...how could she even have thought of possibly hurting Yerin, even for a second? Of hurting Eunha, who had been helping her every step of the way? What kind of monster was she becoming?

“What’s wrong? Talk to me.” Yerin shifted, propping herself up to take a better look at Yuju. Next to them, Eunha stirred, snuffling like an adorable little hamster as she rolled closer to Yuju unconsciously. Yuju stiffened, internally paralyzed by self-loathing, but she didn’t want to worry Yerin. She couldn’t tell her about this. She had to get this under control. Don’t hurt anyone. Run, hide...

“I’m hungry…” The shaman muttered evasively, changing the topic. It wasn’t a lie. Her stomach was growling, and she was still a little dizzy from lack of food. Yerin slapped a hand to her forehead, as if the thought had only just occurred to her.

“I should have thought of that. What do you want to eat?” The specialist slid off the bed, glancing at Eunha, who went from groggy to awake in about two seconds flat at the mention of food. A soft chuckle bubbled at the back of Yerin’s throat, and she squeezed Yuju’s clammy hand comfortingly. Yuju smiled wanly, trying to suppress the dread still crawling at her insides.

“Look who’s awake, bunny.”

Eunha rubbed at her eyes groggily, rolling over onto her stomach as she propped herself up with her elbows. Her eyes widened when she saw Yuju looking over at her, the fire mage practically pouncing onto the startled shaman and wrapping her into a bear hug.

“Hi Eunha.” Yuju greeted her awkwardly, wincing as the tube feeding into her arm got yanked sideways again. Yerin noticed and carefully moved it out of harm’s way, allowing Eunha her moment with Yuju. It was only fair with the amount of effort the mage had expended to keep Yuju safe in the past two weeks. Yerin wasn’t completely heartless.

“You’re okay…” The relief in Eunha’s voice was palpable, if slightly muffled by the way the mage had her face buried in Yuju’s neck. Yuju reached up to pat her on the back with her free hand, glancing up at Yerin for help. The assassin shrugged, then prodded at Eunha.

“Give her some space, Eunha. I’m gonna grab some food, you want something too?”

The fire mage twitched at the mention of food, carefully rolling off Yuju to avoid jostling her. Her eyes went slightly distant as she automatically started scanning Yuju magically, a habit she had developed over the past two weeks. Yuju swallowed nervously, keeping a tight hold of the hunger that was gnawing at her from the inside. The hum of magical activity was really not helping, and a bead of sweat trickled down the shaman’s forehead. Yerin noticed the tightening around Yuju’s jaw, and tensed inwardly as well. She tugged at Eunha’s elbow.

“I won’t be able to carry all the food you’re going to want on my own, Eunha. Come help or I’m not getting your share.”

“Hey!” Eunha protested, her concentration broken. Yuju exhaled slowly, her teeth unclenching as she tried to relax. Her eyes flicked up at Yerin, who nodded at her, leaning down to kiss her on the cheek.

“We’ll be right back.” Yuju nodded numbly as Eunha climbed off the bed as well. Yerin squeezed Yuju’s fingers reassuringly, meeting her gaze head on. Yuju’s lips pressed together tightly, and Yerin nodded at her, voluntarily breaking eye contact after a moment, giving Yuju’s hand one final squeeze before letting go and maneuvering Eunha out of the room.

Yuju watched them leave, letting out a breath she hadn’t known she had been holding when Yerin had made eye contact earlier. It was frightening how well Yerin knew her at times. How much had her partner noticed? Probably too much. And yet, when she looked into Yerin’s eyes earlier, there had been no fear. Only trust, and acceptance.

No matter what you choose, I am here for you.

Yuju closed her eyes, gripping the sheets around her tightly. She only hoped that she could live up to it.

“Spill.”

Eunha stopped in the middle of the hallway once they had turned the corner from Yuju’s room, looking expectantly at Yerin. Yerin halted, looking around before pulling Eunha into the nearest available room -- her own.

“Yuju’s not well. Did you see anything earlier?”

Yerin was on edge. After the initial euphoria of Yuju finally waking up, reason reasserted itself and started analyzing the situation. There had been little telltale signs that Yuju was feeling off. Yerin trusted her puppy, but she didn’t trust what blood magic would do to her. The tension had definitely gotten worse when Eunha started using magic around her, and that was when Yerin knew she needed to interrupt before anything unexpected happened.

“Not much, you broke me off before I could go deeper.” Eunha shook her head, folding her arms. “Her aura is stable now though, at least on the surface. No changes of the kind we were expecting.”

Yerin exhaled slowly, pacing slowly around her room.

“There were flecks of red and gold in her eyes earlier. I had to stop you. Just in case.”

Eunha inhaled sharply. “I didn’t notice that.”

Yerin shrugged. “I was watching, and it was gone in a flash anyway.” There was a moment’s hesitation, resignation tinged heavy in her voice.

“It’s hurting her, somehow. I wish I knew how to help.”

Eunha leaned against the wall, massaging at her temples. She was exhausted still, her energy levels low with her near constant channeling into Yuju over the last two weeks. She ate a lot and slept when she could to recharge, but it was still a strain on her body.

“What are we going to do? ”

Yerin shook her head slowly, reaching out to clasp Eunha on the shoulder. The pair shared a moment of comfortable, if heavy, silence. It was all too much, and they didn’t know enough about the situation to do anything about it. All they wanted was to protect Yuju, but could they really? Could they afford to risk it all on a maybe?

“We’ll figure something out.” Yerin said finally. Eunha nodded, closing her eyes.

What other option did they have?

A dart thudded heavily into the bullseye hung on the wall, followed by another, and another, all concentrated within that tiny circle. SinB flexed her wrist experimentally, bouncing the last dart over to her other hand. She aimed, and threw.

It fell way off target, managing to clip the edge of the board before bouncing off and tumbling harmlessly to the floor, rolling over to a pair of slippered feet. Sowon paused, narrowing her eyes at where SinB was currently lounged on the couch, the supporting strap keeping her injured arm at the right angle taken off and tossed carelessly to one side.

“You’re not supposed to be moving that arm until it heals, idiot.” Sowon scolded. SinB rolled her eyes, walking over to the dart board to retrieve her darts.

“It’s been almost three weeks, Sowon. I’m bored. Gotta do something before I start rusting away.”

Sowon couldn’t deny the logic. Being confined to bed rest was hell on all of them, even though it was the right thing to do. It was even worse for SinB, the most restless one among them. Not being able to leave the apartment was hell for her, and Sowon had instructed Umji to lock down their apartments and prevent anyone who wasn’t supposed to be moving from leaving the place at all. SinB might have been able to walk around after the first week, but with her still delicate ribs and wonky arm, she wouldn’t be able to defend herself with her usual skill if she went out.

And the remnants of Mireu were still out there. Sure, the Spartans were cleaning up, but one didn’t purge a cult overnight. It was why Sowon had chosen a completely different type of place to serve as their hideout. No one expects a gang of shadowrunners to be holing up in one of the more luxurious districts in Incheon, and as long as they didn’t show themselves for a while, they could rest and recuperate in safety.

The official news had mostly died down after the first week, but rumours still flew around in the Underground. The shadows had a long memory, and even with the bounty taken down after the first few chaotic days, it was best for them to lay low to avoid any old rivals who would love nothing more than to take on the newly minted dragonslayers.

They were famous now, inadvertently. There was no actual combat footage leaked, but everyone who was anything at all in Korea knew about the run that ended with the death of the imugi, and the subsequent collapse of Mireu’s influence. Put two and two together, especially with Mireu’s previous bounty out on them, and it wasn’t hard to figure out who had been involved.

Fame was a double-edged sword in the shadows. On one hand, they could likely command any price they wanted on high-value runs. Accordingly, the danger levels for those missions was likely to be a lot higher than normal. That was the least of their problems though.

There would always be those who would come to challenge them now, if only to make their names. Reputation meant a lot in the shadows, and there were always some crazies wanting to be the biggest, baddest folks in the dark. If anyone could successfully take them down, it would be a huge prestige boost. Of course, not everyone was going to be out for their necks, since they were still nominally associated with the Spartans, and most people never wanted to get on the bad side of a whole faction.

Which was why Sowon was so adamant about everyone laying low for now. They were all in various states of injury, and in no shape to be fighting anyone for a while. Rest was good, but then again she hadn’t accounted for the sheer boredom of it all.

For almost two decades, Sowon had shrugged off most injuries like the flesh wounds they were, and it was distinctly uncomfortable to have to wait and heal like a normal person again. She was no less restless than SinB, but she hid it better and bickered endlessly with the grumpy gunslinger to pass the time.

Then, of course, Yuju had finally woken up a week ago, and that added a lot more tension to the household in general. Sowon had been checking in on the girl almost daily, and wasn’t sure if it was relief or disappointment she felt when Yuju had made it through the critical early stages when the doctors thought she was going to suffer from multiple organ failure at the beginning. The backlash from the pact could have killed her, but it didn’t. Eunha couldn’t really explain it, and Sowon didn’t understand it. Magic was an odd thing, and even now, fifty years after the Awakening, there were still things humans didn’t understand about it.

But the fact remained that Yuju had survived, and was going to be an unknown factor when she eventually woke up. Sowon was somewhat relieved when Yuju didn’t immediately go berserk and murder them all in their sleep -- the blood mage bogeyman was a terrifying specter in a post-Awakening world -- but the shaman had seemed tired and withdrawn ever since waking up. She barely left the confines of her room, and didn’t talk to anyone except Yerin and sometimes Eunha. Even Umji had been turned away, as the shaman locked herself up in her room.

SinB the television, the holographic screen taking up the bulk of one wall as she idly channel-surfed. Sowon settled in beside her, enjoying the comfortable silence as they let the sounds from the television fill the space around them.

It felt oddly domestic, with the sun’s rays spilling in through thin curtains on the far balcony. If this was peace, Sowon thought she could probably use more of it. It might be boring, but it was safe, at least for now.

All of them had survived. Sowon exhaled slowly. That was all she had ever wanted. Yuju’s condition was worrying, but the shaman had been on her best behaviour ever since waking up, even if she seemed sort of depressed all the time. But Yerin was with her, and Sowon had some small hope that it would be enough for Yuju to recover from this.

Umji had mostly recovered from her previous burnout, and Eunha had finally been able to eat something other than nutrition packs a few days ago now that her intestines were in a less delicate condition. SinB could finally use both arms to do simple tasks, though clearly anything more strenuous than picking up light objects was going to need more time.

Sowon’s hand moved to her side, feeling through her shirt the scar where they had removed the bullet from it. Scarring was another thing she would have to get used to. But they had all gotten out of this alive, and fortune willing, physical scars were the only thing they would have to bear.

Mental and emotional scars were less visible, but present nevertheless. Sowon knew about SinB’s insomnia, and often found the gunslinger staring into the distance while her pistol. She pretended to not notice how SinB’s gaze sometimes wandered over to Yuju’s door. As long as the girl didn’t do anything rash, she wouldn’t bring it up. It wasn’t like she didn’t understand the kind of nightmares that haunted her. Sowon couldn’t blame SinB. Fear was a logical response in this case.

Time. They all needed time to heal, to recover from the trauma of their experiences. Yuju needed time to prove that she wasn’t a threat, and Sowon wanted to believe that she was trustworthy. It was hard. She remembered the Yuna who would die for her team, and time and again Yuju had proved herself to be made out of exactly the same mold.

It wasn’t like SinB didn’t understand this. The gunslinger remembered when Yuju had pledged her life to bring Eunha back to them safely, and the shaman kept her promises. She had let it slip to Sowon on one sleepless night, sharing a beer at the balcony, and Sowon had gone silent at that. Both of them had. They wanted to trust their friend, who had proven herself before. But the horror stories of blood mages and everything they were capable of hung heavy in their minds. It was shameful to doubt, but it couldn’t be helped.

“Tch, Tristar trying to pull a hostile takeover on Hyeongdae Heavy huh? Didn’t think it’d finally escalate out of the shadows…” SinB commented snarkily as she paused on the news. Sowon shrugged.

“It’d be weird if Tristar didn’t start to make any moves with Hyeongdae temporarily weakened from what happened to Mireu. All of them want control over more assets.” That was basic runner knowledge. They were the ones who did the sabotage and espionage work, the dirty and dark dealings behind the shiny corporate facade of amiable relations. It was, however, quite rare for it to escalate out of the shadows, and the ‘bloodshed’ happening over the news now was entirely legal, though no less brutal in its own way.

“Betcha there’s a lotta runs out there we’re missing out on right now…” SinB sounded almost disappointed. Sowon laughed, reaching out to mess with SinB’s hair.

“Don’t get greedy. We’re good on money for a while now. Maybe when everyone gets better, we could even afford to go on vacation for a bit.”

SinB batted Sowon’s hand away, but the smile that tugged at her lips didn’t go amiss. It prompted a smile of Sowon’s own, tentative and hopeful.

Things were going to get better. She would make sure of it.

The sun had long gone down, and all was quiet, far up in their apartment in the sky. Moonlight filtered through like crystal shades, turning shadows opaque and inking the room in grayscale.

A long shadow stretched from the window, a tattered breeze sending dark hair rippling like silent undercurrents in the murk. Pale fingers gripped the edge of the window frame, a snapshot of the world below tiny and toy-like in the distance. The scarred knuckles were white in the moonlight, not so much bleached by the faded illumination, but more from the tension puckering the skin stretched shiny across wounds old and new.

Summer had come and gone, and now fall was upon them. The crisp bite of the chill night air tingled on skin gone sallow from lack of exposure to the sun. Her cheeks were sunken in, eyes hollow from unspoken strain. She had not left her room in weeks. It was too difficult, seeing other people.

The night was easier on her, shadow calming and hiding her fears. She knew the others were worried, or feared her. She could not blame them. She feared herself, and the things she could so easily do.

The moon was full overhead. It had been almost two months since the last battle. Her physical wounds had mostly healed, allowing her free movement if she were ever to leave her self imposed confinement. It was also good that they were so high up now, far away from distractions and other people. She didn’t want to test her self control around strangers.

The hunger was always there, like stalking jackals in the shadows. Ready to rip, tear, kill. To feed. She was always checking herself, always aware, always careful. It had gotten better as she slowly regained her natural reserves of energy, but it was so slow, and she was still starving, unsatisfied and unfulfilled.

Yerin was asleep on the bed behind her. She hadn’t wanted to let the other girl stay, but Yerin had insisted. You shouldn’t be alone all the time.And Yuju couldn’t bring herself to chase her away. She craved contact, despite her self-imposed isolation.

But she couldn’t stay like this forever. She was a danger to them and herself, and she knew it.

I need to leave.

The thought came to her, not for the first time. Yuju closed her eyes, bowing her head. She was being selfish, staying here, grasping on with greedy fingers the feelings of companionship and belonging. She didn’t deserve to…

Warm arms wrapped around her waist, soft lips nuzzling at her neck. Despite herself, Yuju relaxed into the embrace, eyes fluttering open as her hands moved from the window to cover Yerin’s. It was easier to ignore the hunger when she was warm, like this.

“Come back to bed, it’s cold without you,” Yerin complained softly, burying her face into Yuju’s back. Yuju turned, pulling Yerin into her arms to try and chase the night terrors away. She knew Yerin worried about her. She knew Yerin loved her. It was getting very difficult to ignore.

But Yerin never asked her for an answer. She only gave what she could, without demanding anything in return. Yuju’s eyes reddened as she buried her face in Yerin’s hair. She didn’t deserve this. Yerin deserved better.

“Why…” How could you love someone like me?

“Because you’re warm, puppy.” Yerin moved her arms up to hang loosely around Yuju’s neck, enjoying the closeness they shared. It hadn’t escaped Yerin how haunted Yuju looked at times, or how the shaman avoided the others, as if afraid of them. Or afraid for them.

Yuju was struggling all on her own, and Yerin could only be by her side, keeping her company and offering support in the best way she could. A small voice of reason wanted to remind her that she was putting herself in the direct line of fire should Yuju ever lose control, but Yerin trusted her gut. Yuju needed her love and trust more than anything else right now, and pulling away would only exacerbate her condition.

The past few weeks had proven her right. Yuju, despite being silent and withdrawn, had not crossed any lines that would mark her as dangerous to the rest. Even SinB was starting to look less like she was planning to murder Yuju in her sleep. It wasn’t easy for Yuju though, and Yerin could see it. The shaman did not sleep well or easily, startled by the lightest of sound and movement. Sharing a bed with her was a trial in the first few nights, but eventually they had gotten used to each other’s little habits. In fact, Yuju now automatically sought her out in her sleep. Yerin was rather proud of that one, actually.

It was a little selfish, but she wanted Yuju to need her, even depend on her to some extent. Yerin was not ashamed to admit that she wanted Yuju’s attention all to herself, and only sort of begrudged Eunha during the day when the fire mage came by to spend time with Yuju as well. Eunha wasuseful to have around, and Yerin knew she still needed someone who could keep an eye on Yuju’s state.

Yuju was fragile right now. That much Yerin knew. She was more than willing to wait and give her puppy all the time and space she needed to recover though. All she ever wanted was to be with Yuju always, and this worked perfectly fine for her. It still hurt to see Yuju distressed and nervous though, but Yerin knew it would take time before things got better.

“You’re too good to me…” Yuju murmured, pressing her cheek against Yerin’s face and rubbing against her fondly. She was growing almost tooattached to Yerin, and Yuju knew it. There was just one more step, or really just half a step at this rate, and still Yuju hesitated. As if sensing her unease, Yerin pressed a finger to Yuju’s lips, meeting her gaze evenly.

“Don’t pressure yourself, puppy. I want to be here with you. Don’t even think of pushing me away.”

“I won’t…” Yuju mumbled vaguely, shifting to nuzzle at Yerin’s cheek like the giant puppy she was. Yerin smiled and tilted her head, capturing Yuju’s lips with practiced ease. It wasn’t the first time she had done this since Yuju had woken up, and to Yerin’s surprise, Yuju never rebuffed her as she once used to. Her puppy was a lot more needy these days, and Yerin would admit she totally took advantage of it.

Still, she didn’t push things too much. Just a quick nibble before letting go, though Yerin backed up at the same time, tugging Yuju with her as she fell back into bed, all tangled up with her favorite girl. Yuju snuggled into her, head pressed against Yerin’s chest, listening to her heartbeat as the older woman played idly with her hair. It was reassuring to feel Yerin so close to her. She couldn’t bear it if they were separated again.

Mine. Crimson flashed deep in the depths of Yuju’s eyes, but neither of them noticed. Sleep came slowly, and only the moon held its secrets, silent witness to everything in its light.

The city slept on. A storm was brewing in the distance, the chips falling as they will. Sides will be chosen, lines drawn across the sand.

Question was, would they be ready for it?

TO BE CONTINUED IN BLOODLINES