I Like This Ability

IX (A Twice Witches AU)

 

 

“Sana?” Called Jihyo upon opening the door to the library, allowing her voice to echo around the room three times before parting her lips to call out again, only to be interrupted by a tap on her shoulder from behind. She turned around in a start and was met with a grinning blonde. “How do you do that?” She asked in confusion, knowing for a fact that Sana was human, and definitely unable to teleport. 

 

Sana grinned and pulled a bag of herbs out of her pocket. 

 

“Are those Poof Poppies?” Jihyo asked, trying not to laugh at the children’s toy, and Sana pouted. 

 

“Little tricks like these are the closest thing I’m ever gonna get to magic.” Complained the bookkeeper, and Jihyo smiled sadly. 

 

“I still don’t understand why you’d want to have abilities.” Jihyo sighed, “I’d much rather never have to worry about mundane things, like what color to paint the walls or how many radishes I’ll need to feed my family than what I worry about.” 

 

“Think of it as a ‘grass is greener’ situation.” Sana shrugged before taking a seat atop a table. “So, what did you need?” Sana asked, and Jihyo’s eyes lit up as though remembering the reason she came here in the first place. 

 

“Look what I learned how to do!” Jihyo exclaims before putting her hand, pointing it toward a shelf. Her eye twitched with concentration before, at last, a book nearby came flying out, across the lobby and hitting the wall across from it. 

 

Sana rose a brow in confusion, and Jihyo’s smile didn’t fade as she explained her deed enthusiastically. 

 

“I can move things now!” She laughed. 

 

“I thought you could always do that.” Sana admitted, making Jihyo’s shoulders sink. 

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I mean…” Sana lowered herself from the library table and moved to grab the discarded book. “You slammed the doors shut last night after your father left.” She recalled, and Jihyo had to sit down to let her mind catch up. 

 

“I-I thought that was you.” She admitted, and Sana chuckled. 

 

“Nope. I was on the third story until I saw you close the doors. I thought you knew.” 

 

Jihyo frowned, “I thought I had come closer to unclocking my potential, but it turns out I already had that ability.” She pouted, causing Sana to scoff with the roll of her eyes. 

 

“You know, for someone who’s supposed to be a genius, you’re pretty stupid.” 

 

“Excuse me?” Jihyo gaped, causing Sana to sigh exasperatedly. 

 

“Only you could feel jilted upon finding out you can move things with your mind.” She grumbled before sitting back down and setting the book in front of her. “You just found out that your mind is far more capable than you thought.” Sana rationalized, “If you can slam a heavy oak door with your mind in a fit of blind rage, imagine what you could do with practice and a determined mind. This is the next step to Psychological Dominion.” Sana had a soft, hopeful smile, and the more that Jihyo let the human’s words sink in, the more she realized she was right. 

 

“Okay… you’re right.” Jihyo finally determined with a sigh, maybe of relief, maybe of exasperation, or of impatience. 

 

She wasn’t sure. 

 

“So… what’s next?” She asked, giving Sana a moment to think of a proper next step. 

 

“What’s next is you tell us where we can find archives on the Lost Prophecy.” Spoke someone from behind Jihyo, and when the two met eyes with Nayeon, she giggled nervously. 

 

“Sorry… I just wanted to make an entrance.” She scratched her arm under the sleeve of her top, making a certain human grin bigger than she expected. 

 

“I’m Sana.” The blonde grinned, immediately standing up and leaving her newest companion in her seat before addressing the flock of witches who just entered. 

 

“Nayeon.” Grinned the gummy smiled woman, reaching a hand out to shake with the other, only for the girl’s smile to fade. Nayeon has shaken the hands of thousands of different types of witches and elves and trolls and vampires and pixies, but the embrace has never felt like this. “You’re…” For the first time in her life, Nayeon was at a loss for words. She tilted her head and tried to catch it in her eyes, her skin tone, her scent, anything, but she couldn’t figure out what she was. “What are you?” She finally asked, and Sana blushed, breaking their contact, much to Nayeon’s dismay. 

 

Nayeon couldn’t get enough of that feeling. It was refreshing. 

 

“I-I’m human.” She blushed, trying to ignore a grunt from one of the witches behind her. 

 

“Fascinating.” Nayeon gasped, walking around Sana, eying her up and down closely as though she were some sort of experiment to be examined. “I expected you to be ugly.” She admitted, and Sana gave her a look of confusion. 

 

“Thank you? I think…” 

 

“You’re welcome!” Nayeon shrugged with a smile before taking the time to think about it, “...I think.” 

 

“Listen,” Jeongyeon interrupted, stepping forward to address Jihyo. “Do you happen to have any books on this prophecy my friend keeps gawking about?” 

 

“There are hundreds of thousands of prophecies in my archives.” Sana finally snapped out of Nayeon’s intense gaze, and Jeongyeon had to hide the surprise on her face that the human knew more about the archives than the Quizmaster witch.

 

“Well this prophecy is about the Sacred Seven. The seven women who were destined to play a part in the end of the magical world.” 

 

Sana supposed that there was a reason the prophecy is called ‘The Lost Prophecy,’ given the fact that she’s never heard of such a prophecy, which would be absurd considering she grew up in the most knowledgable library on this celestial plane. 

 

“Wait…” Jihyo stood up and turned to meet Nayeon’s eyes. “My mom told me stories about something like that. She explained, “‘Seven women were destined to change the world.’” She recited, and Nayeon continued. 

 

“A woman with the weight of the world on her shoulders…” 

 

Tzuyu and Chaeyoung were listening in from the fourth story balcony of the collosal library, the shorter of the two looking along the spines of the books on magical botony as the taller leaned over the balcony to listen. 

 

“I hope the end of the world doesn’t mean fighting. I’m not much for fighting.” She admitted, expecting some sort of response from the blonde, but coming up with nothing. 

 

Chaeyoung enjoyed the silence as long as she could before Tzuyu spoke again. 

 

“Can I ask you something?” She asked, making the death witch sigh, giving the girl the go ahead. “That strange, enthusastic witch jumped in the middle of a fight, and when she didn’t get hurt at all, she knew you were around. Why was that? What did you have to do with her not getting hurt?” 

 

Chaeyoung has never had to explain it to anyone. 

 

To be honest, besides Sooyoung, Chaeyoung hasn’t had to talk to anyone at all. 

 

“Necromancy isn’t my only ability.” She relented, “In fact, it’s the least of my abilities. I hold dominion over life and death.” She explained, “I direct souls home when the soul leaves the body, and I protect souls from early departure.” 

 

“So in other words… Nayeon didn’t die because…” 

 

“It wasn’t her time.” Chaeyoung shrugged, grabbing a book on crystals and opening it on the table to look at while she waited for the others to gather their information. 

 

“What if you weren’t there?” Tzuyu asked, not quite catching the sound of Chaeyoung’s exasperated sigh. She threw her head back against the chair she was slumped in before deciding to answer because, as annoying as she was, Tzuyu’s curiosity was endearing, in a slightly irritating way. 

 

“If I wasn’t there for her soul to tether off of, it would’ve slipped into a state of floozy, forced to bounce around in pergatory for the rest of eternity.” She rolled over the explanation as though she’d given it a thousand times, but still, for some reason, Tzuyu didn’t catch her annoyance. 

 

“That sounds horrible.” Tzuyu uttered sorrowfully. 

 

“Nobody’s ever come back to tell me how it feels.” Chaeyoung said, finally happy to end the conversation and get back to her book about glorified rocks. 

 

“I just don’t know what goes after the list of seven.” Nayeon admitted to Jihyo as she sat across her with a quill and piece of paper, writing down everything the two had recited from memory while being spectated by Sana, Mina and Jeongyeon who sat at neighboring tables, all seperate from one another, Mina the furthest from the rest. 

 

Jihyo closed her eyes and racked her brain for a moment, recalling the times when she was young enough that her mother told her stories. She recalled the smell of her mother’s perfume, the taste of the warm goat’s milk she gave her every night, the feeling of her soft hands in hers as she looked at her with those warm green eyes. 

 

“‘When two opposing elements merge, and the dead can rise, fall and rise again… when the unexpected arises and the sun and moon can finally embrace again will the sands of time run thin.’” Jihyo muttered, and Nayeon cheered, happy that someone finally understood what she was talking about. 

 

“Two opposing elements.” Nayeon uttered pointedly, eyes moving between Jeongyeon and Mina, who hadn’t stopped glaring at each other since their run in this morning. “And the thing about death...of course it has to be Chaeyoung.” 

 

“Nay…” Jeongyeon sighed, “What even are we supposed to do when we find this so-called ‘Sacred Seven?’” 

 

Nayeon didn’t know. 

 

Of course she didn’t know.

 

“It’s obvious isn’t it?” Sana spoke up, capturing the attention of the other girls. “You stop the end of the world.” 

 

… 

 

“Today was the best day of my life.” Dahyun sighed, making her companion turn her head from where she was lying on the blanket to look at the girl beside her. 

 

They decided to take their coffe date on the road, to an arcade, then to a late lunch, then to feed the ducks, then here, to watch the sunset as they laid on a blanket in the middle of the grass in Central Park.

 

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Smiled Yerim as she let her eyes drink in the sight of Dahyun’s porcelain skin being painted the sky’s blues and oranges and purples as they melted together as day fades to night for what felt like the billionth time in Yerim’s life. 

 

“Have you ever beein in love, Yeri?” Dahyun asked, opening her eyes and finally meeting them with her date. 

 

“More times than I can count.” Yerim hummed, and Dahyun let her lashes rest on her cheeks again before facing the sky, allowing the remnants of light to dance around in the darkness between her eyes and their hoods. 

 

She’s found herself in love with many things too. 

 

Sunset.

 

The ocean.

 

Bibimbap.

 

She understands exactly what Yerim means. 

 

“Though love is a lot simpler now than it was during my time.” She hummed, and Dahyun’s brows laced together, but she didn’t dare open her eyes. 

 

“You sound like you’re from the dark ages.” Dahyun teased, and Yerim hummed blissfully. 

 

“I’m a lot older than I look, Dahyunnie.” She sounded almost teasing back, and the shop owner couldn’t help but grin and humor her.

 

“Yeah? How much older?” She asked, causing Yerim to chuckle. 

 

“I don’t think you can count that high.” She teased again, making Dahyun let out a genuine, hearty laugh. 

 

“I guess I have a thing for older women.” The girl giggled, and Yerim sighed before turning her whole body to face Dahyun, who sensed it and did the same, finally opening her eyes, somehow meeting a more beautiful sight than the one she had behind her eyes. 

 

“You know, of all my years,” Yeri took Dahyun’s hand in hers, clutching it tightly, “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone quite like you Dahyunnie.” She admitted, and the blonde felt her chest heaving at the closeness. Felt the intimacy. 

 

Felt herself melting. 

 

“Yerim, I’ve only known you a year, and somehow,” Dahyun smiled nervously, “I feel like I’ve known you all my life.” Her eyes hooded, and she felt herself leaning in, eyes flitting to the woman’s lips. 

 

“Maybe you’ve lived a lot longer than you remember.” Yerim smiled softly, and Dahyun took Yerim by the wrist, resting the woman’s palm on her own neck.

 

“I don’t think I’d ever be able to forget this feeling.” She whispered, her breath grazing Yerim’s lips. 

 

“Is this okay?” Yerim asked, lips ghosting over Dahyun’s, waiting for the moment she’d say yes. 

 

When she uttered that blessed word, their lips were already firm against one another, Yerim’s fingers twined in Dahyun’s blonde hair, pulling her closer as they moved in sync, a kiss searing, yet somehow so full of familiarity that Dahyun felt like she’d done it a thousand times over.

 

Yerim pulled away breathlessly, chest heaving and voice hoarse as she spoke to the girl in her arms. “Until we meet again, Dahyunnie.” She whispered, and when Dahyun opened her eyes in confusion to ask Yerim what she meant, the girl was gone. 

 

“Yeri?” Dahyun asked, looking around for any sign of her companion, but she didn’t see anybody. Not even a shadow. “Yerim!?” She shouted, standing to her feet to run and look for her, but that was the last thing she remembered before waking up her bed the next morning. 

 

… 

 

Dahyun’s eyes fluttered open, and she looked around her room to see if anything was out of place, but it wasn’t. 

 

The only thing different about her room now from when she left it the morning before was that the potted plants on shelves and hangers had grown twice the size overnight. “Yerim?” Dahyun shouted before slipping out from under her blankets and slipping her feet into her bunny slippers. She shuffled across the floor of her loft, rubbing her eyes and yawning as she made her way to the coffee machine. She breifly wonders if she just fell asleep while stargazing with Yerim, and the girl just drove her home and brought her to bed, rationalizing that it was the only normal reason behind how she went from having her dream girl confess her love to waking up in her bed immediately after.

 

She stretched and groaned as she opened the curtains to her third story flat, looking down at the bustling city below and smiling. 

 

She loved New York City. 

 

She climbed out on the fire escape and inhaled the early morning air, thanking Ganesha herself that she’s become immune to the urine smell by now. 

 

She closed her eyes and dropped her head back, remembering her dream, and how wonderful it was to actually think Yerim could feel so strongly for her after over a year of hoping she’d notice her in the way she liked.

 

She couldn’t help the giddy smile, or the way her fingers ghosted over her lips, remembering how real the dream had felt. 

 

But alas, it was just a dream. 

 

It was just a dream, and her coffee is ready. 

 

So, not quite wanting to get up yet, she simply opened her eyes, only to jump when she was met with someone else on the fire escape above her, looking down at her attentively. 

 

“C-can I help you?” Dahyun asked the strange girl, who just chuckled bitterly. 

 

“Oh, I’m beyond help.” She assured, making Dahyun decide it was time to go back inside. 

 

Maybe she had gotten too much sun, and heat was messing with her. 

 

However, when she stepped inside, she was met with someone standing just inside the threshold, a big, goofy smile on her face as if she hadn’t just broken an entered. 

 

“Gah!” Dahyun exclaimed, jumping back and stumbling over the ledge of the window, only to be caught by yet another girl. 

 

“Be careful! If you die, nobody will be able to take care of the plants.” She exclaimed, making Dahyun scream again. 

 

“Do you have to be so dramatic?” The girl from the fire escape above her asked, bored as she jumped down onto Dahyun’s escape with her and the weird plant girl. The one with the black hair and smile pulled Dahyun in the window, making her stumble to the ground. 

 

“W-who are you all?” Asked Dahyun in terror as she tried to scoot back. 

 

“Friends of Yerim’s.” Spoke somebody from Dahyun’s kitchen, finally catching her attention. 

 

“W-what are you doing in my house?” She asked, trying to calm her pounding heart. 

 

“Excuse my friends,” Smiled a kind blonde woman who was holding Dahyun’s favorite coffe mug out to her as though to hand it to her. “They’re not… from around here.” She chuckled nervously as Dahyun took the coffee and smelled it suspiciously. “As a matter of fact, I’m not really from around here either.” She admitted. “My name is Sana.” She put out a hand for Dahyun to shake, but she simply eyed it with the same suspicion as the coffee. 

 

“Okay, Sana. What are you doing in my ing hourse?” She inquired, and finally, the girl in the kitchen chimed in again. 

 

“Yerim… the girl you met. She’s one of us.” She admitted. 

 

“And… what are you exactly?” Asked Dahyun, voice still harsh. 

 

“Magical!” Grinned the enthusiastic one brightly, making the shop owner scoff.

 

“Is this some kind of sick joke Yerim is playing? Because if it i-” 

 

“It isn’t.” Called another girl from the bathroom, making Dahyun groan at the idea of six girls somehow breaking into her apartment. She pays an extra thousand dollars a month just so she doesn’t have to live in a neighborhood with frequent break-ins. “We’re witches.” She smiled, her voice small. 

 

“Most of us.” Said yet, another woman who came in from the window. 

 

“Jesus christ, how many more are there of you?!” Dahyun shouted. 

 

“Witches?” Asked Tzuyu, “There are millions of us. But in your dwelling, just seven.” She grinned a dimpled smile, as though proud of herself for her answer. 

 

“Oh, well if it’s just seven.” Dahyun rolled her eyes before standing up with the cup of coffee in hand. 

 

“Cute rabbit sandals.” Teased a taller woman with short, blonde hair, and Dahyun rolled her eyes. 

 

Who the hell calls them rabbit sandals?

 

Witches, apparently. 

 

“Okay, well I’m gonna go call the police.” Dahyun announced, and the only one who did anything to stop it was Sana. 

 

“No, Dahyun, please. We can prove it.” She offered, and Dahyun rose a brow, skeptical. 

 

“Alright,” The shop owner scoffed before dropping the cup of coffee from her hand, waiting for someone to stop it, but it just clattered to the carpet, soiling the white fuzz with brown liquid. 

 

It was silent for a moment before Nayeon spoke up, this time being the one to look at Dahyun like she was the weird one. 

 

“Were we supposed to catch that or something?” 

 

“Yes!” Dahyun groaned.

 

“Well, Jesus, Dahyun, we’re witches, not mind readers.” Nayeon countered, and Sana moved to speak up. 

 

“Well, technically-” Jihyo covered to stop her from making it any worse. 

 

“That’s it,” Dahyun sighed before rumaging around for her phone, “I’m calling the police.” She sighed, and Chaeyoung smirked from her place on Dahyun’s bed, holding the woman’s phone. 

 

“I was wondering what this was. You humans can’t keep your eyes off of them.” She held it upside down and poked it experimentally.

 

“Okay,” Jeongyeon sighed, “if someone shows you our power, will you believe us?” 

 

“That’s literally all I ask.” Dahyun groaned exasperatedly. 

 

Everyone silently looked around at one another before Jihyo spoke up. 

 

“I’m glad everyone agrees it should be Tzuyu.” 

 

“Dude, you have got to stop doing that.” Chaeyoung complained, and Dahyun rose a brow.

 

“Unless you want Jeongyeon to light your apartment on fire, or Chae to give you a cold, it should be Tzuyu.” Jihyo explained. 

 

“Mina could do it.” Sana offered. 

 

“I-I can’t.” She blushed, and Dahyun spoke up again. 

 

“Why not?” 

 

“I uh…” Mina sputtered, and Jihyo spoke up again. 

 

“Perfomance anxiety.” 

 

“I don’t think that means what you think that means.” Dahyun countered, and Tzuyu rolled her eyes before finally stepping forward and rolling the sleeves of her robes up. She held her palms out in front of Chaeyoung and the girl moved to take them. 

 

“Don’t do that.” Tzuyu barked, making Dahyun jump and retract her hands into herself. 

 

Suddenly, from her hands sprouted a beautiful crown of daisies, laced together in braids that looked hand woven. 

 

“Wow…” Dahyun gasped, and Tzuyu smiled before placing the crown atop the shop owner’s head. She turned to look into a mirror hanging on the wall and smiled at herself. “I like this ability.” 

 

“Me too.” Tzuyu smiled kindly, and Dahyun looked around, realizing the power that must be surrounding her in this moment. 

 

“So, where exactly is Yerim if she sent you all here?” Dahyun asked, looking around, expecting the woman to pop out of nowhere with her own special power. 

 

“That’s the thing…” Sana spoke up, “We don’t know.” 

 

… 

 

“So let me get this straight…” Dahyun grumbled from her place in a kitchen chair across from her bed, where Jeongyeon, Nayeon, Tzuyu and Mina all sat respectively. Chaeyoung was seated -if you could call it that- pirched on the back of the chair, boots planted in the seat of the wooden chair to keep her up. Sana and Jihyo both sat on the floor. “Magic is real.” 

 

“Mhm.” Sana spoke up.

 

“You guys all met like, today, aside from you two.” She said, pointing between Jeongyeon and Nayeon, who nodded. “And you’re all a part of some weird prophecy that brought you guys here.” 

 

“Yup.” Jihyo sighed, and Dahyun’s eyes fell on Chaeyoung. 

 

“And you’re like, God of the dead!?” She asked, causing the shortest woman to shrug. 

 

“Who am I to argue with that?” 

 

“Wait, folklore suggests that necromancers can’t be seen by the living. Does that mean-”

 

“No, you’re not dead.” Chaeyoung rolled her eyes, “Being on a human plain allows me to appear as human to everyone, instead of the dead or the special exceptions.” 

 

 “See?” Jeongyeon sighed, “Nobody’s dead.” 

 

“Not nobody.” Mina hissed, and the reality of the situation suddenly hit the girls on the bed. Tzuyu took Mina’s icy hand, but the witch pushed it away and scooted a few inches away before pulling her knees to her chest. 

 

Dahyun did the smart thing and decided to ignore the exchange. 

 

“Wait, so what does that have to do with Yerim?” 

 

“We were actually hoping you could answer that.” Sana admitted, “It was strange, we were all together, arguing in the library, and then suddenly, we were standing in a park with nothing but an unconcious girl and her memories of someone who can only be described as an Oracle.” 

 

“A-an Oracle?” Dahyun gasped, “I made out with an Oracle?” 

 

“Apparently.” Chaeyoung shrugged before sighing. “I have a few theories on where she is though.” She admitted, “I don’t feel her on this plain anymore, but I feel her, which means she’s alive. Though it makes sense she would be, considering the fact that Oracles are not easy to kill.” 

 

“There are things worse than death.” Mina muttered, and Tzuyu gave her a look that was ignored. 

 

She went from shy and giggly to broody and emotionless in a matter of one day, and that was, to say the least, concerning. 

 

“I agree.” Chaeyoung sighed. “But the good news is that Dahyun’s girlfriend isn’t totally lost yet. I just need to do some searching. But I’ll need to find a few things, and I have no idea where to find ritual items in this realm. 

 

“Oh, we’re in luck! I own a shop down the road.” Dahyun offered, and Jeongyeon and Chaeyoung chimed in, laughing at such a notion. 

 

“You’re just a human,” Jeongyeon shook her head in amusement. “I admire the enthusiasm though.”

 

Dahyun seemed offended, and Sana shrugged. 

 

“Her kind is notoriously prejudiced.” Sana profiled, “Men hating puritan amazonian warriors.” 

 

“Well, I don’t blame her on the man hating part.” Dahyun giggled, as well as everyone in the room, other than Mina, who seemed to be on the verge of tears. 

 

“Okay, well,” Sana stood up and wiped her hands off on her cloak, “I say we go to Dahyun’s shop. It’s the best we have right now, and even if it doesn’t work, maybe it’ll strike some ideas.” She suggested, and Nayeon was the first to jump up, digging her elbows and knees into Jeongyeon in an attempt to get up. 

 

“I agree, let’s go!” She said enthusiastically, running toward the door, but Dahyun took her by the wrist before she could leave, catching Nayeon’s attention deeper than she had expected. 

 

“Wait, wait. First, we have to get you out of those cult robes.”

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ATS9873 #1
Chapter 9: I've reread this a few times, but it's still so good! Excited
Cheerupbaby09
#2
Chapter 8: Hope for jeongmi more interaction..
heehye
#3
Chapter 8: oh i can't wait for the next chapter
NiceFishy #4
Chapter 7: Woah didnt expect that. im very excited for the next chapter

its sad that few read this, but its such an amazing story

keep it up! :D
DubuDahyunFan #5
Chapter 5: Tea ?
nojamOppaJEONGYEON
#6
Ooooh looking forward
Cheerupbaby09
#7
Chapter 2: Wow! this is interesting..i like it. Thank you!.. Hoping for more updates..