「 episode 23; arc 6.1 」 —first respite (b-side)//future memory— 「 yerim i 」

“One more lap!”

“You...you can’t be serious! M-my legs...they’re noodles right now, man!”

“And the whole point of this is to make them anything but noodles, Yeojin, so keep going until they give in!”

The shrill squeaking of shoes against the freshly polished floor of a wide open gymnasium overshadowed the whirring noise of a hefty elevator door splitting itself open nearby. From within, a girl with locks dyed bright lavender wearing a small backpack in the shape of a fruit bat stepped out. Approaching the scene before her, the smile she seemed to be naturally equipped with by default steadily grew in magnitude as her focus closed in on her target: the shortest girl of the four in the room, her brown hair quickly done up in a messy ponytail.

In the spirit of good health and wellbeing, Sooyoung was in the middle of leading her team through an early morning workout. Small spires of ice no more than a foot tall each dotted the gym’s floor, laying out an ovular track which the four sorceresses had been jogging around for the past half hour. To Yerim’s eyes, their general pace was comfortably brisk, but to Yeojin’s untrained body, it was merely pain incarnate. 

Hyunjin, Sooyoung, and Jiwoo didn’t appear to share the same experience. The woman of ice was coated in just a light sweat, her stride and form clean and composed. Yerim was sure Sooyoung could have kept going for another half hour, an assessment she could make just as much for  Hyunjin right next to her. With perfectly controlled breathing technique, the girl of earth found equal ease in maintaining a sustained episode of endurance cardio. Both were dressed in tank tops and form-fitting leggings, and it was obvious that the muscles of their toned bodies weren’t just for vanity’s sake. Of all of LOONA’s sorceresses, Hyunjin and Sooyoung were effectively the most dominant pair when it came to physical fitness. How fitting and even unsurprising it was then that they had ended up together as a couple, Yerim found it, as it was just one of many similarities between them.

With a peach-colored jacket tied around her waist, Jiwoo was only a little ways behind them, visibly more tired as she wiped her brow clear of sweat. She handled herself well with her own measured breaths, however, clearly more than capable of hitting the finish line. Further behind her—rather much further, in fact—was the team’s Neophyte, who just so happened to come to a complete stop with her hands on her knees right as Yerim had settled her gaze on her.

As their workout was soon to come to a close, Yerim elected not to seat herself on the nearby bottom row of wooden bleachers. She stood idly by and waited patiently for the team to conclude their business, giggling softly as she watched Yeojin fall onto her back. The younger girl seemed to be questioning what choices she must have made in her life to result in her having to experience the dread and horror of exercise.

“Alright, good hustle.”

Simultaneous with the completion of her final lap alongside her significant other, Sooyoung’s voice came to life a minute later. Jiwoo’s conclusion came just a few seconds after, her breaths of recovery halfway between that of the experienced duo’s and the downed sorceress’ heaving gasps. With their workout finished, Yerim neared the group. She brought her backpack to her front as Sooyoung’s odd eye momentarily gave off a gentle glow, her icy track markers dissipating into dust.

Attention was drawn to her as she procured something from her bag, and appreciative smiles broke out as the group saw what it was: four ice-cold water bottles, the sight of which alone made them realize just how parched they were.

“You’re a lifesaver, Yerim,” Hyunjin thanked her junior with a wide grin as she took her bottle. Depleting half of it in one fell gulp, she addressed Yerim with due curiosity while twisting its cap back on. “So what’s going on? Need something?”

“I’m just here to pick up Yeojin,” Yerim revealed, her hands now free of three bottles. “Since it’s our first actual day off, I thought I’d take the opportunity to finally show her around Mobius. Haseul told me that I’d find you guys working out here.”

In the midst of rehydrating, Jiwoo nodded as she refueled herself. “Yeojin hasn’t had much of a chance to explore the city, that’s true,” she stated in realization afterwards. “After your formal induction into LOONA, the two of you and Hyejoo were rather busy with your lessons the past two weeks, weren’t you? And then you were all immediately into our first legitimate expeditions yesterday. This really is her first chance to see Mobius in full, then!”

“Yeah, given how we’ve kind of been cooped up in this building since our training, I thought it’d be a nice break,” Yerim reasoned. Her smile was mirrored on each of her seniors’ faces. “At the very least, I want to show her the Mobius Council House and the MBC Arena.”

“I do remember her mentioning that she had plans when Sooyoung called us here for our workout,” Hyunjin said with a potent stretch of her neck, producing an audible crack. “Guess that’s what she must’ve been talking about.”

“She’ll have to at least get up if she wants to go anywhere,” Sooyoung commented, her eyes now on her sub-unit’s still grounded main healer. Extending an open palm towards Yerim, she motioned for the remaining water bottle. Yerim handed it over and promptly followed Sooyoung with the others as she approached Yeojin. 

Dropping to a squat, Sooyoung offered Yeojin the refreshment as the girl of wind slowly propped herself up. Drenched in sweat and still breathing a little heavily, she only managed a small sip before letting loose a deep sigh. “Fighting fiends for a living...isn’t enough of a workout already…?”

“It’s not,” Sooyoung said without hesitation, much to Yeojin’s dismay. Yeojin met her eyes head on after another swig of her water, feeling an intense yet well-meaning soberness coming from her leader. “Beyond the general benefits of regular exercise, cardio especially will help you develop stable breathing and build up your lung capacity. And what is it I told you to always remember?”

As if she was expecting the question, Yeojin replied almost automatically. “A magus...a magus is only as good as their ability to breathe…`” 

“Right. Breathing is everything,” Sooyoung lectured. “Over time, this’ll make it easier for you to breathe more without exhausting yourself. That, in turn, will make it easier for you to use more of your mana more quickly. With more mana at your disposal and with finer control over it as you continue to develop your skills, situations like the one we dealt with yesterday won’t be as difficult.”

Captivated by curiosity much like her Master sorceress sisters, Yerim pressed for further information with an inquisitive tilt of her head. “What happened?”

“Three mid-bosses at once and a whole slew of adds as icing on the cake,” Hyunjin explained, cracking her knuckles with a shake of her head as she recalled the event. “Just way too damn many, honestly. It almost felt like a raid encounter...there was just a hell of a lot going on. All things considered, it might’ve been too much for a first-timer to have to deal with, even more so from a healing perspective. I even had to off-tank for a bit.”

“Yeah, I’m, uh...still not all that used to the idea of actively healing people’s barriers. I think nerves might’ve been getting to me,” Yeojin confessed after another drink of water, her eyes falling halfway. “On top of that, I couldn’t even finish running the last lap...man, I’m a mess. Sorry…”

“None of that now, Yeojin. I told you to keep running until your legs gave in, and that’s exactly what you did. You don’t have anything to apologize for.”

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Yeojin’s eyes perked up. She found Sooyoung staring hard at her, the swordswoman clearly eager to dispel whatever worries were ailing her before they swelled any further. “You’re putting forth an honest effort and doing everything in your power both on the battlefield and on the track. That’s all anyone could ever ask from you,” the Master sorceress assured her. Be it through sympathy, pride for her junior, or more likely both, Sooyoung was unable to stop the spread of a small smile across her face as she gave Yeojin a nod. “You’re doing fine. Keep up the good work.”

Yeojin experienced a rush of warmth in her core as the other three sorceresses didn’t hesitate to share Sooyoung’s sentiments, each bestowing the girl of wind their own smiles of support and appreciation. Yeojin’s face flushed with red as she scratched the back of her head, her eyes darting away out of embarrassment. “Y-yeah, for sure. Thanks.”

Lifting herself up from her squat, Sooyoung helped Yeojin up to her feet with an extended hand while Jiwoo quickly broke off to the bleachers to grab a set of towels the group had prepared. She distributed them upon her return, and Yerim addressed Yeojin as the four briefly patted themselves dry of sweat. “Ready to do some sightseeing, Yeojin?”

“Yeah, definitely. I should probably grab a shower first, though,” Yeojin realized, still feeling far too sweaty for her liking even after a thorough drying of her face. “Can you give me about half an hour?”

“Sure thing!” Yerim agreed with a nod. “Just text me whenever you’re ready and I’ll come get you!”

“Yerim, it’s the first of the month, isn’t it?”

A sudden question from Jiwoo brought attention to her. Draping her towel across her shoulders, the diviner’s odd eye of oceanic azure seemed to twinkle with a tinge of excitement as she posed a question to Yerim. “Would you like to go forward with your usual monthly reading?”

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Yerim said. Jiwoo’s eager anticipation became her own, clearly evident through her immediate nod of agreement. “Yeah, I’d love to! Um...maybe we should get that done before we head to Mobius, then. We were planning to be there most of the afternoon, and then we were going to study tonight. You know, reviewing some basics and stuff now that we’ve had proper field experience!”

“Lovely!” Jiwoo said. “I’ll need just a bit more time than Yeojin. I’d like to set up the room for you before having a proper bath myself.”

Yerim turned her focus to her fellow Neophyte. “Yeojin, can we meet at Jiwoo’s dorm room in about half an hour, then?”

Halfway through finishing her bottle of water, Yeojin’s response was slightly delayed as she chugged the rest of it. “Fine by me,” she confirmed after a moment. 

“Hey, you two said you’d be in Mobius most of the day, right?”

Reintroducing herself into the conversation, Hyunjin called out to Yeojin and Yerim. She had been standing off a bit to the side with Sooyoung, both looking over something on Sooyoung’s phone. The woman of ice pocketed the device before setting her towel over her shoulder. “Hyunjin and I were gonna go out for lunch with Heejin and Jinsol in a few hours,” she revealed. “Might even drag Jungeun with us if she’s in the mood for it. You’re all welcome to join us, if you want.”

“That sounds fun!” Yerim exclaimed. Seeking Yeojin’s opinion, she turned to her. “What do you think, Yeojin?”

It took Yeojin a moment to respond. 

Even two weeks into joining LOONA and having what she could consider a proper group of friends again, the exiled mystic was still parsing the reality of her new life—she had yet to fully readjust, leading to things even as simple as being invited places still momentarily throwing her off. “Uh...yeah, definitely! I’m down.”

“Sick,” Hyunjin said with a smile. Bringing her eyes to Jiwoo, she was keen not to leave her teammate out. “What about you, Jiwoo? You and Haseul wanna come with?”

With a smile far more reserved in nature, Jiwoo courteously declined the offer. “Thank you kindly, Hyunjin, but Haseul and I already have plans for today. Please do enjoy yourselves on our behalf.”

“Will do.”

“Where will we be eating?”

“Eyedi’s, where else?” Sooyoung answered Yerim. “Been a few weeks since her favorite customers have bothered her. We owe her a visit.”

“It’s probably gonna be packed today with the Grand Prix semi-finals today, so I’ll text you once we’re already waiting in line,” Hyunjin promised, giving the two a thumbs up. “Don’t be late!”

With that, the pair of earth and ice bid their farewells, departing towards the stairwell exit. Hyunjin seemed to be laughing about something as they left earshot, leaving the three to smile at the sight of Sooyoung responding with a light, playful shove against Hyunjin’s shoulder before they vanished behind the door.

“I’ll be making my leave as well then,” Jiwoo announced, looking at the Neophytes one last time. “I’ll see you both very shortly!”

The girls of wind and fire waved goodbye to Jiwoo as she made her way to the stairwell, equally disappearing from sight.

“Alright, until I can start to feel my legs a little bit again—”

Feeling a gentle rush of wind suddenly breeze past her, Yerim was caught by surprise as Yeojin’s left eye had its brown hue washed over by bright green. She giggled as her friend lazily stepped onto her patented discs of concentrated circulating air, sighing in exhaustion.

“—I’m just gonna say I’ve earned a break from using them for at least a few minutes.”

“Sounds like a fair reward to me,” Yerim agreed. “Shall we, then?”

“Yeah. Another second in this gym and my mind’s gonna associate it with pain and torture instead of cool and flashy sparring bouts…”

With the woes of physical fitness behind her, Yeojin casually skated at a pace which matched Yerim’s steps. Making their way to the elevator, the two were engaged in excited chit-chat about the day ahead. After being nearly inseparable since meeting one another, they were eager to explore Mobius with the friend they now easily considered themselves closest to in all of LOONA—each other.

「 ⮞⮞⮞ ★ ⮞⮞⮞ 」

A series of knocks disturbed the tranquility of an otherwise quiet dorm room. At the sound of them, a woman dressed in a comfortably baggy shirt and black sweatpants beneath a green apron stepped away from a set of eggs sizzling in a frying pan atop a stove, making her way over to the front door.

Opening it, her eyes of deep brown smiled as much as as she was met with the sight of the Neophyte package deal. “There you are, Yeojin and Yerim. Jiwoo told me to expect you.”

“Yo,” Yeojin said simply, bringing her index and middle fingers to her forehead. “What’s up, Haseul?”

Picking up on the scent of a homemade breakfast in progress, the delicious smell caused Yerim to skip her introduction as her eyes lit up. “Haseul, that smells great! Are those eggs?”

“Hello to you too, Yerim,” Haseul playfully whined, opening the door further and granting them full passage inside. Her younger sister atoned for her sins with an immediate bear hug, deepening Haseul’s smile. “I’m in the middle of cooking breakfast for Jiwoo and I, so yes, those are eggs. She only got out of the shower a second ago, so she’ll still be a minute. Make yourselves at home, alright?”

Released from the vice grip of her loving sibling, Haseul hurried back to the stove in order to save her cooking from becoming inedible. With the kitchen only separated from the general living space by means of an island counter, Haseul easily heard the two stepping forward further into Jiwoo’s dorm, and so too did she hear how taken aback Yeojin was by the sight of it. “Man, Jiwoo’s place is...something else…”

With her hands in the pockets of her dark orange pullover hoodie, Yeojin came to a stop in the center of Jiwoo’s dorm room. The first things that caught her attention were the decorations that hung from the ceiling—string lights in the shape of stars, moons, and suns spanned the general area, draping around window curtains and coiling along the outer edges of bookshelves. The furniture set adorning the area was not the standard fare that Yeojin’s room had come arranged with by default. Invariably more decorative and pristine, each piece was exceedingly well-cushioned and tailor-made with quality in mind. Pillows and throw blankets matching the superterrestrial theme were on display, with stylized key art of various Arcana embedded in their fabric.

Nearing a beautifully cut end table of marble painted peach and blue, the girl of wind examined a deck of cards splayed atop it. They showcased similar designs to the ones she had seen Jiwoo use in battle just the previous day. “She really surrounds herself in this Fate stuff...looks like all of this goes way beyond a hobby for her. Guess I should’ve expected as much, since it means so much to her that it actually went and manifested as her personal concept of a weapon…”

“Hey, Haseul, how long has it been now? Four or five months?”

“Since what?”

“Since Jiwoo and I started dating.”

The sound of an egg cracking open was simultaneous with Haseul clarifying Yerim’s question for Yeojin. “To which the answer is, as of last week, yes, five months now.”

“Wait, you guys haven’t even been together half a year yet? Huh,” Yeojin said with a blink. She approached the side of the kitchen’s island counter, stopping next to Yerim and resting her arms on top of it. “For some reason, I just kind of assumed that you’ve been a couple for way longer like the other two pairs of lovebirds we’ve got with us.”

“Well, they all initially had more compatibility to begin with,” Haseul stated calmly, as if she had been expecting a comparison to LOONA’s other couples. “When it comes to matters of the heart and love, Hyunjin and Sooyoung are easily the most blunt people I’ve ever met. They’re rather similar in more ways than I can count. In the same vein, Heejin and Jinsol always seem to be on almost the exact same wavelength at all times. Looking back on it now, it doesn’t surprise me how fast both of those relationships sparked.”

“Yeah, I remember Hyunjin and Sooyoung started dating really soon after you guys brought that group back,” Yerim recalled. “Couldn’t have been more than a month or two afterwards, and that was two and a half years ago now, so they’ve been together for over two years. Heejin and Jinsol ended up together pretty soon after.”

“So you’re saying you and Jiwoo didn’t really have a whole lot in common starting out?” Yeojin asked, her eyes shifting towards Haseul. To her surprise, both of the sisters laughed.

“Quite an understatement, Yeojin, but yes, that would be the point I’m making here,” Haseul affirmed, her smile widening as she transferred the prepared eggs from pan to plate with a nearby spatula. “In reality, the idea of destiny itself being preconceived simply went against much of my own personal beliefs. To this day, it still does.”

“You and Kahei always were pretty serious women of science, and your time working under Grandmaster Hyuna as aetherial researchers only served to push that further,” Yerim said with a nod. “That’s why I was so surprised to hear that you started dating Jiwoo.”

Upon learning the critical context she had been missing, Yeojin’s eyebrows rose steadily. “Count me just as surprised, then. Science and divination...definitely sounds like two completely opposite worlds for sure.”

“Well, they always say opposites attract, don’t they?”

Yeojin and Yerim went silent as Haseul turned towards them, carrying two plates topped with a fresh, appetizing breakfast of eggs, toast, and waffles. It was with a soft tenderness that her voice continued as she headed towards the dining room table between the kitchen and living room. 

“I believe what ultimately drew me to Jiwoo was how accepting and understanding she was of those who can’t accept her faith,” Haseul explained in the midst of organizing forks and knives at the sides of each plate. “She’s not looking to convert anyone. She’s eager to share her interest in it and discuss it should you be curious or be of the same faith yourself, but she’s very respectful of those who deny it. In the end, all she ever asks for is consistency in what side you choose. Believing in Fate only when it’s convenient for you and lambasting the idea of it when it doesn’t go your way...from the very beginning, it was easy to understand why she took a major issue with such an attitude, and the more I learned about her, the more that understanding grew.”

Haseul’s train of thought came to end with a curt breath as she finished setting the table. With her hands folded in front of her waist, she brought her eyes to her juniors in kind. “So, to the original point, yes, we would be the newest couple here, as our differences made it take a fair bit longer for things to go beyond friendship. Not that I was aware that people were even keeping track of this sort of thing. Is there some sort of ranking system with a grand prize that I should know about?”

Haseul’s jest brought forth laughter from the Neophytes. Making her way back towards the fridge, she procured a pitcher of orange juice from its depths and started to pour two glasses as Yeojin addressed Yerim with an open question. “So, both of your sisters are scientists who don’t really buy into this Fate stuff, but you get monthly divinations from Jiwoo...you into it, then?”

“I’m...I’m not really sure.”

Yeojin watched Yerim smile at nothing in particular as she considered the question further, her eyes appearing to search within herself. Strands of her bright violet hair had found their way between her fingers, and it was in a profound sort of introspection that she slowly curled them around their ends. “Maybe...maybe part of me just thinks it’s kind of neat, and maybe another part of me really believes in destiny,” she pondered aloud. “Whatever the reason is, when Jiwoo gives me a reading, my head clears up a bit. Whether its good or bad, it just makes me feel like I have a general idea of what I should do next. It’s sort of like she’s guiding me forward along a path I can’t fully see myself, and that guidance is...comforting, I think.”

“I believe you share the same sentiment as most who seek insight from the threads of Fate, then.”

A fourth voice pulled Yerim out of her thoughts. It was Jiwoo, standing in a nearby hallway with an appreciative smile on her face. Freshened up, she was dressed in soft, cozy homewear of a fleece sweatshirt and matching pants, both decorated with tiny penguins. True to her style, she was wearing an assortment of necklaces and rings, her penchant for jewelry remaining constant even at home.

“Those who insist upon Fate to give them clear cut answers to their questions are far and few between. Many instead view the act of divination as a general idea or suggestion of what might await them or how it might influence them,” Jiwoo shared, much to the genuine interest of the Neophytes. “As a diviner myself, I am of the opinion that such is the proper way to see it. Divinations in which I can positively claim without a shadow of a doubt that Fate itself has ordained something...such readings are…”

Chaewon must speak to that girl. It is meant to happen.

Yeojin and Yerim felt the air in the room stiffen slightly.

This is something that needs to happen, because it can never happen again.

Unbeknownst to them, Jiwoo had unintentionally recalled a certain night two months prior in a lost world claimed by corruption. Haseul seemed to remember it all the same, pausing to look at her significant other as she set the refreshments down next to the prepared plates.

“Well...suffice it to say, such divinations are exceedingly rare,” Jiwoo summarized, gathering herself quickly as her smile returned to her. “When reading the threads of Fate, one should never seek nor even expect definitive answers of what is meant to be. It simply doesn’t happen very often at all. As we must accept whatever destinies ultimately await us, Fate should be utilized as a beacon of guiding light to help us shoulder the futures ahead, be they positive and negative. So, I am very happy to see you viewing our divination sessions under that exact pretense, Yerim. Thank you.”

Becoming the target of both appreciation and reverence from Jiwoo on a degree she hadn’t quite received before, Yerim could only manage a small nod out of equal respect.

“Yes, well, I can warn you of one bad future: the one where our breakfast gets cold,” Haseul spoke up, reminding Jiwoo of the imposing time limit. “This won’t take too long, will it, Jiwoo?”

“No longer than it usually does, dear,” Jiwoo promised. With an eager smile, she looked back to Yerim. “Shall we, then?”

Ushered forward, Yerim started to walk towards Jiwoo, but stopped halfway. Turning around, she eyed Yeojin. “Did you wanna see, Yeojin?”

Yeojin could only manage a blink. “Wait, what? Isn’t this, like...some sort of super private thing?”

Jiwoo was quick to dismiss the notion with a shake of her head. “Not at all! Attendance is entirely up to the person requesting the reading. Should they permit it and should you be interested, you’re more than welcome to bear witness to it as an observer.”

A nervous uncertainty froze Yeojin for a moment. It was Haseul who ultimately inched her forward with a gentle shove on her shoulders. “Go on, Yeojin. You haven’t seen a proper divination yet, and Jiwoo really likes showing off to first-time viewers.”

“H-Haseul!”

The pair of sisters laughed as the prophetess suffered playful teasing from her own beloved. With a final look of encouragement from Yerim, Yeojin gave in. “Yeah, alright. Sure.”

“No more than ten minutes, please,” Haseul politely requested as the three headed down the hall. “Microwaving something I just cooked feels like a cardinal sin…”

Shepherded forward by Jiwoo, the Neophyte sorceresses were led towards the furthest room of the diviner’s dormitory. Coming to an accessorized door with a peach wreath and a selection of laminated Arcana cards pinned to it, Jiwoo opened it for her two visitors and showed them inside before quietly closing it behind her. Stepping into the room, Yeojin found herself at a loss for words. 

What was supposed to be the empty barrier-infused training area much like the one she had in her own dorm had been entirely repurposed. She was standing in a homely den of zealous fortune-telling, complete with dim atmospheric lighting from celestial-shaped string lights which ran across the ceiling similar to the living room. The center of the room housed a small circular table of finely cut marble with plush chairs positioned on opposite ends. Courtesy overflowing, Jiwoo pulled out the chair closest to the entrance for Yerim before making her way to the other side, allowing the girl of fire to comfortably seat herself. 

Yeojin came to Yerim’s side as Jiwoo sat down opposite to them, bringing her mixed hues to Yerim. “Would you like the usual spread, Yerim?”

Yerim’s confirmation came with a polite nod. “Yes, please.”

“Very well,” Jiwoo said with a smile. “Through a spread of three Arcana aspected in the realms of physical reality, conscious mentality, and subconscious spirituality, allow me to determine what may await you along the threads of Fate.”

A subdued flash of azure light came forth from Jiwoo’s odd eye. With a silent breath, a dense cloud of her mana came into existence, and in an unhurried manner, she gradually coalesced it into her weapon—a semi-transparent cobalt crystal ball, water gently swaying within it. It floated above the center of the table, and through another quiet exhale from its master, it found itself surrounded by a ring of oceanic mana.

Cued by a nod from Jiwoo, Yerim proceeded to summon forth a small amount of her own crimson dust. Her gray-blue hues temporarily lost their uniformity as her left iris became tinged with scarlet, her assembled mana moving towards Jiwoo’s. Watching the silent exchange with mystified intrigue, Yeojin watched the two sources of mana become one combined ring as they mixed together. Fused properly, the ring of red-blue dust began to seep past the crystal ball’s glass surface, becoming one with the water inside.

Yeojin witnessed a level of focus in Jiwoo’s eyes that she hadn’t yet seen before. As the water within her sphere of prophecies began to stir, the woman of water kept a keen view on it. At regular intervals, the fluid rippled from its center, and with each ripple, a brief pulse of light flashed from Jiwoo’s altered eye. With each pair of actions, the water receded further and further against the insides of the crystal, pushing against its inner surface and attempting to break free of its prison. 

“I see…”

A succinct statement from Jiwoo broke the silence of the room. Her words were synchronous with one final flash of her azure hue, and in the next moment, the water within her crystal ball completed its escape, breaking free of its prison and shattering it into hundreds of pieces.

Turned into a mix of blue and red from their mana, the water quickly broke into segments, taking the shape of three vertically standing rectangles. In an instant, the water turned back to dust and then immediately coalesced again, becoming blank cards with only combined streaks of crimson and azure upon both sides. 

At the same time, the floating fragmented shards of Jiwoo’s crystal ball assembled themselves behind her, taking the form of her guardian. Yeojin stared at the vaguely humanoid-shaped construct for a moment. Its faceless head focused on nothing in particular, simply waiting for Jiwoo’s command. 

“Very well, Yerim. Your reading is ready.”

Rising into being once more, Jiwoo’s voice summoned the full attention of both Neophytes before her. 

She proceeded with a brief explanation that Yeojin thought was for her sake, but as Yerim well knew by now, Jiwoo’s routine was immaculately practiced and done in full for customers both old and new. As Jiwoo spoke, Yeojin was spellbound by the aura of bestilling tranquility which so heavily permeated from every pore of her body. Now witnessing the diviner in her natural habitat, she was quickly gaining an understanding of her true character, something that was only ever fully apparent when she was actively engaged in the facet of her life that defined her.

“Through insight I have acquired from the crossing betwixt your quintessence and the threads of Fate at this precise moment in time, I have divined three Arcana in correlation to the previously mentioned aspects,” the prophetess explained. “These Arcana are unique and specific to you and your position along the threads of Fate at this exact juncture. Allow me to present them to you in full.”

The first of the floating cards started to emit a gentle crimson light. As all shades of blue gradually vanished from its surface, what was originally an incomprehensible blob of colors revealed itself to a monochromatic scarlet canvas.

“Magician, the First, drawn upright and aspected in the realm of physical reality.”

Yeojin and Yerim were met with a crimson painting of a woman dressed in robes and a headband. An assortment of four tools were assembled before her on a table—a cup, a sword, a pentacle, and a wand. Above her head, an infinity symbol rested.

“Through the acceptance and acknowledgement of your true potential, you’ve taken the steps to manifest a new beginning for yourself,” Jiwoo announced, her voice clear and her focus remaining upon Yerim. While Yeojin’s eyes continued to absorb the card, Yerim shifted her gaze to meet Jiwoo’s. “You’ve been inspired to take action. You’ve found yourself roused by a new goal or dream, and you’ve realized you have the tools at your disposal to actualize it in full.”

I think I’m done sitting around. 

Jiwoo’s claims resonated deeply with Yerim’s own words to Archmagus Lee two weeks prior—an exchange the Neophyte had been replaying in her mind daily ever since she underwent her training with Yeojin and Hyejoo and started her new life.

It’s already been three years and my sisters have done so much...I feel like it’s time to help them out.

Jiwoo’s description of the card and its meaning finished moments prior to its design and matching text being fully revealed. As Yeojin took it in, she found herself taken aback by two things: first, the apparent ability Jiwoo had to divine the Arcana before it had even finished revealing itself. 

「 arcana the first ★ magician 」

Second, the strangely overwhelming feeling of sudden déjà vu, as if this wasn’t the first time she had been standing in this room at this exact moment in time, witnessing this exact reading.

“Judgement, the twentieth, drawn reversed and aspected in the realm of conscious mentality.”

The first card completed, Jiwoo spoke ahead of her prophecies once more as the next one began to glow in a similar vein.

The display repeated itself much the same—the second card lost all hints of Jiwoo’s blue, leaving behind only shades of Yerim’s reds and revealing the previously masked image. Painted upside down, Yeojin and Yerim had to stare at it a little harder than usual. Drawn upon the card was a gathering of people reaching up to a trumpet-blowing angel above them.

“Doubt...it has risen within you, and it likely has remained present in your mind for a measurable amount of time now—enough so that you’ve now become fully conscious of it,” Jiwoo surmised, finding Yerim’s eyes meeting her anew. “You’ve long since known what you’re capable of, but you’ve been doubting yourself in some fashion or another. It may have led you to ignoring the call of something greater, possibly in fear that you were ill-equipped to handle it. Yet, all the same, you feel that you shouldn’t have ignored it. You’ve realized that your doubts and self-criticisms stopped you from answering it when you felt that you should have, and you’ve found that hard to live with.”

You’re really okay with Yerim’s decision here, Haseul? You’re fine with not having her undergo arcanist training?

Yerim felt the muscles in her fingers tighten as she gripped the black fabric of her skirt.

It’s her choice, Sooyoung. We can’t force her.

The girl of fire’s mind backtracked to a distant memory. It was something she had made an unfortunate habit of dwelling upon regularly, and never in a cheerful fashion. With Jiwoo’s commentary, however, she became absorbed by it in full as seeds of realization were planted in her mind.

Listen, if you think this is some attempt from Jennie and I to try to draft her into the Eden Defense Force, it’s not. We’re just—

She’s made up her mind. Please, Sooyoung, just...give it a rest. 

A vivid recollection of a night seven years past. In the dark of her room, her body was pressed up against the surface of the door. A single ear against its wood picked up faint whispers which were just clear enough for her to hear, and they only served to sink her heart.

I’m just trying to look out for her. We both are. She only has everything to gain from developing full control over her aether.

Sooyoung—

Yerim is an arcanist, Haseul. She can defend herself, defend you and Kahei. She’s incredibly smart, just like the two of you. Who knows what she could manage with that potential of hers...and you’re fine keeping it locked away? You’re fine letting your sister think she’s in the same boat as common trash?

Enough of your blatant racism, Sooyoung! They’re not garbage! They’re humans, as are we!

The sound of something slamming against a surface shook her momentarily. Collecting herself, she pressed her ear even closer against the door.

She’s fourteen, Sooyoung, and she only just started manifesting aether today! Before an arcanist and before a human, she’s scared and confused! Not every arcanist awakens to their abilities as excited nine-year-old children blinded by grandiose fantasies like you and Jennie did, nor is every arcanist predisposed to hurriedly make use of their potential from the onset in the same obsessive manner as you both!

That isn’t—

If the sole purpose of your visit tonight is to try and convince my little sister into becoming what you think she should be as per your own prejudice, then I’m going to have to ask you to leave, Sooyoung.

Haseul, I just—

A screeching sound of a creaking door being forced open cut Sooyoung off. 

Leave, Sooyoung. And be sure to tell Jennie that I won’t suffer a visit from her, either.

Silence persisted for a moment, and then a few more. In time, sound resumed—footsteps further and further away, followed by the door closing. Hearing further footsteps afterwards which came closer and closer to her door, Yerim scrambled from her position and dove into her bed, hastily wrapping herself under her blankets and turning her back to the door.

She heard a hand grasp the other side of the door handle. After a brief delay, nothing came from it but retreating steps fading away.

“Yerim?”

A voice pulled the girl of fire away from a memory that she had more than once spent too much time living within.

Looking up, Yerim found herself being stared at by both Yeojin and Jiwoo. There was a distinct concern in their eyes as they fully perceived the shift in atmosphere coming from her. “Everything alright?”

“Yes,” Yerim quickly answered Yeojin with a nod. “I’m fine.”

“Would you like to proceed? If you’re feeling ill, we can postpone this reading.”

Jiwoo’s question brought Yerim’s attention to her. “No, please continue,” she requested without hesitation, the scene fully dispelled from her mind. Unpleasant though the recollection was as it always had been, for the first time, Yerim was beginning to view it in a new light.

“Very well, then,” Jiwoo said. “Then, the conclusion of the spread which dictates your current placement along the threads of Fate…”

As Jiwoo continued, Yeojin’s focus wandered back towards the completed image of the second card. Her gaze was stuck on the upside-down text printed along its top, the sight of it triggering something within her beyond her own awareness.

「 arcana the twentieth ★ judgement 」

“...the Arcana which binds reality and mentality, connecting them as one…”

With her sight shifting to the third card, Yeojin felt something inside of her that she couldn’t quite place.

It was a temporary feeling, instant as it blinked across the expanse of her mind, but she felt it all the same. A disturbing sensation, evolving beyond the growing déjà vu she had already been experiencing and feeling more akin to the bizarre notion of recalling a memory that hadn’t actually happened yet. Thus, beyond Yeojin’s own control, it occurred once more—the phenomenon that Sunmi was secretly so fearful of when Yeojin had posed her question to her and Sooyoung. 

By means of pure cosmic variance, Yeojin had sidestepped history once again, deviating even further from the predetermined path she was meant to take along its course. 

Death.

This time, it came in the form of her remembering the card before Jiwoo had even announced it.

The thirteenth, drawn upright.

“...Death, the thirteenth, drawn upright and aspected in the realm of subconscious spirituality.”

With half of its color drained, the reddened image of the third card became clear as day. It was a skeleton clad in armor atop a horse, stopped in front of a group of people before it. Amidst them, a corpse lay on the ground. With those gathered around it appearing to be making a plea to the skeletal figure, it was easily interpreted as the Grim Reaper. The sight of it seized Yerim’s attention in full. Despite the implications of it, she appeared calm and collected as Jiwoo explored the nature of the reading. 

Yeojin could only pay a small degree of attention to the diviner’s explanation—the girl of wind was far too busy being entirely addled as to how she knew the card was coming even before Jiwoo did. What confused her even more was how it in no part felt like a random guess or even a sudden premonition. Rather, she could have sworn she was simply remembering something that hadn’t happened yet, as little sense as that made.

A memory of the future, as it were, the asinine notion of which made Yeojin swallow hard as it started to give her a dreadful case of anxiety, and she couldn’t at all understand why.

“The person you used to be, the person who was once prisoner to doubt...that person has passed on, and in their place, you stand firm,” Jiwoo said, her tone built on a foundation of confidence. As she continued, Yerim’s gaze drifted towards her. With each word of guidance delivered forth, Yerim felt her core growing warm. It was her soul itself, resounding with Jiwoo’s divination as it latched onto the confirmation of what she had been feeling.

“Without even being consciously aware of the full scope of it, you’ve changed. You’ve left the past in the past, parting ways with it so that you might embrace the future,” Jiwoo ascertained. “You’ve doubted yourself for some time now, and it was only recently that you cast it aside and acknowledged your potential. The drive you found yourself instilled with which compelled you to take action and to lay your doubts to rest...it arose from the subconscious death of who you used to be. You no longer need to doubt yourself, as you’ve accepted what you’re capable of.”

Reaching the end of her divination, Jiwoo’s odd eye gave off a gentle, steady glow in unison with the three cards presented before Yerim. The girl of fire watched them slowly dissipate into nothing, left with Jiwoo giving her a warm-hearted smile as she repeated her final point. “You’ve broken free of the restraints placed upon you by the person you used to be, Yerim. Henceforth, you can live your life progressing towards whatever goals you might have, free of their doubt holding you back. You’ve unlocked your potential. Such is what the threads of Fate have shown, and such is what I have discerned.”

Absorbing the impact of her words, Yerim allowed Jiwoo’s statement to permeate the air between them for a moment. It wasn’t long before she nodded, the prophetess’ smile becoming reflected upon her own face. “I understand. Thank you very much, Jiwoo.”

“You’re very welcome,” Jiwoo said politely, bringing a full conclusion to the reading. The sound of chairs shifting against tile came about as she and Yerim stood from their seats and pushed them back in. As they approached the door, they noticed the lack of response from their observer.

“Yeojin…?”

“H-huh? Ah, yeah,” Yeojin stumbled back into reality upon Yerim’s call. She hurriedly shoved aside the conundrum of the temporal displacement which plagued her mind. “Sorry, I just…”

“Newcomers to readings of Fate are often disturbed when the Death Arcana shows itself. Doubly so during the first proper divination they’ve ever observed,” Jiwoo said calmly, incorrectly assuming the source of Yeojin’s current state of distress. “It’s not as ominous as it might seem. On the contrary, it’s often quite positive. You’ve nothing to fear.”

“Right,” Yeojin quietly managed to say, secretly thankful that her shift in mood had been misunderstood. With little idea of what to even think in regards to what she had just experienced, the Neophyte was content to try and move on as quickly as possible, hoping it all to just be a form of déjà vu somehow born of her stress. “Good to know. That was, uh...it was cool.”

“I’m quite glad to hear you enjoyed it, Yeojin!” Jiwoo said in thanks as she held the door open for the two. “If you’d ever like to have a reading done, just let me know!”

“Yeah...yeah, for sure.”

Led back through the hall, the party’s arrival back into the common area aligned with the loud beeping of a microwave. Standing in front of it, Haseul showed them a pout halfway between joking and serious while she opened it and retrieved its contents.

“My apologies, dear,” Jiwoo apologized in earnest as she took her seat at the table in front of an already reheated meal.

“I suppose these things simply can’t be helped sometimes,” Haseul submitted with a light sigh. Placing the plate at the table, she turned to her guests. Her hands found Yerim’s head, and she affectionately began to fix her younger sister’s hair. “What about you two, then? What’ll you be doing today?”

“I’m gonna show Yeojin around Mobius, and then we’re gonna have lunch with Heejin, Hyunjin, Jinsol, and Sooyoung!” Yerim excitedly announced, her infectious smile breaking free and spreading to Haseul. “They invited you guys too, but Jiwoo said you two had plans…?”

“I guess we do, if you consider watching a movie and then probably napping to be much of an itinerary,” Haseul said in slight embarrassment. “Feel free to leave that part out, though. We’re just looking to keep to ourselves today.”

“Lips are sealed,” Yeojin promised, receiving a nod in thanks from the couple. “We should get going, then. Enjoy your breakfast, guys.”

Yerim’s goodbye came in the form of another quick hug with her arms tightly ensnared around her older sister. Haseul responded in kind, returning the affection before showing them back to the door. “Bye, Haseul! Bye, Jiwoo!”

With a final wave from Yerim’s elder sister, the pair of Neophytes faced each other as the door was gently closed shut. “Okay! Ready for some sightseeing, Yeojin?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be, I think. Let’s get going before we miss the next bus.”

With Yerim as her guide, Yeojin proceeded down the black and white hall with her best friend at her side. Between the two, entirely different emotions were settling in after Jiwoo’s divination of Yerim’s current position along Fate’s axis.

Yerim found her head clearer than it had ever been before. Inspired and driven by the support of Jiwoo’s reading, positivity was spiraling around her entire being even more than it already did by default. She was doubling down on the pride she had found herself flowing with after deciding to join LOONA in full, confident in the future she was now carving for herself as a sorceress fighting alongside her sisters—the future that she was, at one point, too scared to see herself working to make a reality, despite always feeling like she had been meant for it.

Yeojin, on the other hand, was experiencing a completely opposite response.

It was a struggle to put it to rest—the idea that what she had just experienced was mere déjà vu and nothing more. From her reservations to how Sunmi and Sooyoung had answered her question to this now bewildering sensation of seemingly remembering something which had yet to occur, Yeojin wasn’t sure where to start placing her thoughts.

“Yeojin?”

Once again, Yeojin had mistakenly allowed said thoughts to consume her to the point where Yerim had to pull her out of them.

Blinking, the girl of wind looked up. Yerim was standing inside of the elevator, keeping the door open for her with a continued press of a button. She shot Yeojin a curious look as she ran inside. “Hey, is everything alright? You’re not hung up about that Death card or anything, are you? Like Jiwoo said, it’s nothing to worry about.”

“Yeah, I know. Just feeling a bit out of it after that workout, I guess,” Yeojin half-lied, shaking her head and dismissing her thoughts in full. “Probably just need some fresh air.”

“Well, we’ll be getting plenty of that, so you’ll be feeling better in no time!”

Yerim’s promise brought forth a nod from Yeojin, and with another press of a button, the mechanical drone of the elevator’s descent filled the space between the two of them.

You’re just tired. Exhausted, even, Yeojin reasoned with herself, the sounds of the elevator’s mechanisms filling her ears. Yesterday was your first day on the job as an actual sorceress, and today you worked out for the first time in...literally forever. It’s fine. You’re fine.

Persistent though the strangely anxious feelings of a supposed future memory were, Yeojin took a silent breath and expelled them from her mind in full, aiming to not have her free time with a good friend ruined.

Everything’s fine.