Note: there's a scene that describes the aftermath of a lot of violence. It's descriptive and may be unsettling, so if you're uncomfortable, feel free to skip over it. 

______

Yeojin felt her presence before she saw her. The ground trembled slightly, while the scent of dirt and the trees became slightly more pronounced. 

It wasn’t even a surprise. Yeojin had actually been watching out for those changes. She’d known the elf would come. 

“Where’re you going?” Choerry asked. She bound over. That incessant smile was on her face. 

“I don’t have to tell you that.”

She wasn’t fazed. She hardly ever was. “No, because I already know.” Her purple eyes glittered. “And neither you nor I should be doing it.”

“Then you don’t have to.” Yeojin kept walking. “But you will,” she muttered. 

Surprisingly, this wasn’t unusual. Choerry somehow knew when Yeojin was going off with Yuqi or someone else and when she wasn’t. 

There were times when she came along even when Yeojin wasn’t alone. On those days, they came across more spirits, both good and bad dark spirits, as well as bad bright ones. 

Other times, Choerry didn’t manage to find her when she went off by herself. And Yeojin had a more uneventful time, encountering only a handful of spirits, most of them good. 

Sometimes, Yeojin wondered if the spirits were drawn to Choerry. Others, she wondered if Choerry had some unconscious access to the future. 

Mostly, however, Yeojin thought it was because the two of them were less-than-tolerated acquaintances. She didn’t like the older girl’s smile, while the latter had a bone to pick with Yeojin’s ‘recklessness and restlessness’. 

“Do you even know where you’re going?” Choerry fell into step beside her. “Or were you planning on asking directions in terrible Korean?” 

Yeojin glared at her. “I was gonna figure it out myself.”

She shrugged. “Could’ve just asked me. We did all that work for oyu.” A small smile. “It’s called efficiency.”

Fighting the urge to shove her, Yeojin kept walking. She knew the girl was right. She just hated the way she was saying it. 

But Yeojin also remembered yesterday and how Choerry’s smile had vanished completely. She almost preferred the smugness to that. Almost. 

“It’s this way.” Choerry turned them left. 

After a few seconds, Yeojin heard Choerry exhale. It wasn’t a sigh, but it also wasn’t something to dismiss. 

She still dismissed it. 

Choerry didn’t make idle conversation or pull on the branches and roots to either smack her on the head, or trip her. 

Another thing Yeojin didn’t pay much mind to. 

“Why do you want to go there?” 

Yeojin glanced at her. Choerry was looking at the ground, a weird furrow in her brow. 

“I’ve heard enough stories,” Yeojin said. “I need to see these things for myself.”

“This was a massacre,” Choerry replied. “Something she didn’t even do. Why do you have to see that?” 

She frowned. “Did you come here to help me or bring me back?” 

“Both.” Choerry sighed. “It’s your decision, but I’m here so you don’t get lost here if you decide to go.” She waved at the forest. 

Those words bothered her. Yeojin didn’t stop to figure out why. “You didn’t even see them, you didn’t know what’d happened.” 

“I know enough,” she snapped. 

Yeojin blinked. She’d never seen Choerry get impatient or anything close to angry. 

Around them, the branches had started too curl. Even the ground felt a bit more unstable. 

“We saw him alive,” Choerry muttered. “He’d seen Hyejoo. He’d been terrified.”

“Serves him right.” Yeojin clenched her fist. If she’d been in Hyejoo’s position, she might’ve even gone through with it. 

Whether or not she agreed, Choerry didn’t show it. She just told her the detailed version of what’d happened after and how they’d seen Hyejoo. How she’d told them not to tell anyone. 

“Then why did you?” Yeojin turned to look at her. “They’re hunting her now.”

“They were looking for her anyway,” she replied. “Not one of the other girls thought it’d have been her. They’d be going after someone they’d think was a threat. They wouldn’t be trying to find her—to protect her.”

Yeojin couldn’t argue with that. “And the real threat’s dead, right? She killed him.”

Choerry nodded. 

“But he’d have lived longer,” she said. “He would’ve lived even longer. And he was like her right, cast out?” Yes, he’d killed, but at least one of them had deserved it. Had this fairy deserved it?

“Mortals are powerless, Yeojin.” Choerry’s voice was almost empty, yet it still held a tremor. “And the fairy killed even more than the one he was sent for. Those men had families and lives they could’ve lived to old age.”

She bit back a retort. She knew, again, that Choerry was right. She also wasn’t smug this time. 

Yeojin didn’t really like what she saw in purple eyes now. It wasn’t exactly cold or even sad, but something in between. 

They walked in silence. Amazingly, only one spirit came their way. They turned it easily. 

Yeojin had sensed others, but they’d been good light and dark ones. 

And as she kept looking for spirits—it was too good to be true that no other spirits were coming after them—she saw something else. A person. Yellow streaked through the pale light surrounding them. 

“We’re being followed.”

Choerry nodded. “Hyunjin.” She turned around, suddenly expectant, but surprised. 

Then the light started to move faster. She was running over. 

Normally, Yeojin would’ve had it with being constantly monitored. When Hyejoo had first been banished, Yeojin hadn’t been able to go anywhere without Jungeun, Hyunjin, or Haseul coming after her. She also knew that Choerry had been monitored just as much, only that she’d been held back by Jinsoul. There’d been something wrong with her other magic. Yeojin didn’t remember. 

She didn’t think she’d asked. 

“Gone to see it first?” Hyunjin asked. “Haseul’ll hate you being gone all this time.”

Choerry smirked. “But you’re here. Our fine protector.”

Hyunjin ruffled her hair. “I’m damage control.”

“For what damage?” Yeojin looked up at her. She didn’t like how much she had to crane her neck. She did that for almost everyone. 

She shrugged. “Mortal property for one,” she squinted at Choerry, “and cultural misunderstandings.” Her gaze went to Yeojin. 

She raised her hands. “No one ever told me their language had honorifics and all that.”

“Yes they did,” Choerry said. “Yuqi excels. She also doesn’t curse people out.” 

“That hag tried to cheat me.” Yeojin reached behind Hyunjin, fully intending to pinch the purple-eyed girl. 

She didn’t succeed. Choerry had already stepped out of reach. Was Yeojin that predictable?

“And the damage to each other.” Hyunjin grinned. “I’m amazed you both made it out of here without a brawl.”

They were both silent. 

“If Jinsoul knew about that,” she began. “With all the injuries she’s healed of yours.”

“She won’t,” Choerry said hurriedly. 

Yeojin snickered. 

“And Haseul?”

“She’s used to it.”

Hyunjin sighed. 

“You’re saying you never tried to beat Heejin up?” Yeojin had seen the two when everything had been fine—before the bond. They’d either huddled together, shot remarks and playful jabs at each other, or both. 

“Now I do.” There wasn’t much humour there. 

Yeojin wasn’t all that oblivious to love. She just really didn’t care for it like the others her age and above did. Not yet. There also weren’t any real candidates. 

Immortality also made ‘courting’ really messy. At some point, everyone might’Ve been somebody else’s ex-partner and another’s future counterpart. 

Too complicated. Unnecessary too. 

But she did know exactly what was between Heejin and Hyunjin. It was another example of messed up their world was that neither of them could be together. 

“Why’re you out here?” Choerry asked. Yeojin was half-surprised that she didn’t already know. 

“Sick of me already?” 

“Yes,” she grinned, “but I thought you were on guard.”

“Haseul let me off,” Hyunjin replied. “And training with Heejin is cut in half. The other sessions can wait.” A pause. “So babysitting was the next best thing.”

Something was missing from that explanation. 

Instead of commenting on it, Yeojin whacked her arm. Her hand just smacked against muscle. 

The taller girl laughed. “Don’t hurt yourself.”

She hit her again. That just made Hyunjin laugh harder. Choerry joined in. 

Yeojin found herself smiling. If she could get these two feeling better, then she’d have done something right. For once.

______

“You’re serious?” Jungeun tried to give Jinsoul her best glare. It was terrible. She knew that by Jinsoul’s infuriating chuckle. There was also the added fact that staring daggers at the person healing you didn’t work. Even if they were telling you everything you didn’t want to hear. 

“Your body’s exhausting itself healing both real wounds and working against the darkness.” Jinsoul gave her a stern look. “Some sicknesses need at least a week of complete rest. This’s three days. Maximum.”

“I hate it when you go full healer on me.” She sighed. She wasn’t sure if she was telling the truth there. “You know I hate this.”

Jinsoul grinned. “And that’s exactly why I can’t trust you to sit still for longer than an hour.”

She frowned at her. What was that supposed to mean?

Jinsoul winked back. “I’ll be visiting you.” Then she walked over. “Drink.” 

Jungeun drank. The water was almost too warm. She knew it was because she was too cold. 

Jinsoul began to change the bandages. She soaked the new ones in moonlight-infused water. It did wonders against how much those wounds ached. 

“You’re not using too much?” Jungeun asked. “Yoona and Yuri were hit bad today.”

“The younger ones are getting water. I’ll treat it with the light Nuala gathered.” She knelt down beside the cot. “And they’ll be fine. Just like you will.” Her deep blue eyes bordered on desperate with how much conviction was in them. 

Jungeun knew why that was. She’d heard too late that Elre had died. It’d been while Jungeun was away. She’d known how hard Jinsoul had tried to save her. And she hadn’t been there. 

“It wasn’t your fault.” Jungeun took her hand. It was so much warmer to the touch. Normally, Jinsoul’s was always cool. “Too much had reached her heart. She hadn’t had enough in the first place.”

Jinsoul closed her eyes. “We could’ve had enough. If people hadn’t been going off, more could’ve been given. If there’d been more of the moon—”

“If, if, if,” she tightened her grip on her hands, “and nothing will change what happened. The moon’s coming out now and Heejin’s working on getting hunt numbers down.” 

The older elf scoffed. “We need patrols and hunting parties. They have to find the threat, not the next inn.” Her sneer was countered by sad eyes. 

“I know.”

“And we’re not the ones who make those decisions.” Jinsoul sighed. Her shoulders fell. 

“But we do know people who can. They’re trying.”

She shrugged. 

Jungeun knew this look well. She knew that Jinsoul had gone through this even before coming to the Astra. While she’d never been an elder, Jinsoul had certainly gotten a say in things as one of the main healers of her people. So much so that the responsibilities she’d gotten had overwhelmed her several times over the years. Next to the threat of conflict with other elves (usually from the sea), fairies, and other creatures, Jinsoul had been both tending to their wounds and teaching others to use their water magic. 

So when she’d come here, Jinsoul hadn’t needed to bear those same responsibilities anymore. She’d hated it at first, terrified that she was leaving her people to a worser state than before. It’d started slowly, but Jungeun had been there to help Jinsoul get used to the lack of responsibility. Before she’d been roped in to become a healer again, Jinsoul had even started enjoying it. 

Jungeun still remembered the first proper smile she’d gotten out of her. It’d taken time for Jinsoul to properly trust her and not just see her as the only other person who knew what she was going through. Shared experiences meant little if there wasn’t a deeper form of trust. And when Jungeun had managed to get that, Jinsoul had started smiling. 

And now she’d been called on to devote her life to healing others again—to trying everything to save them. Jungeun knew the stress from that would rise quickly. She knew that the burden had returned. 

She needed to find a way she could help. 

“What can we do?” Jungeun asked. 

Jinsoul’s eyes widened. “We?” She said the word as if it was something precious. As if she’d not said it in years. 

Jungeun felt guilty. 

“You, me, and Yerim.” She squeezed her hand. “When you finally let me walk, we’ll do exactly what we used to.” 

“You’ll wait for me?” Jinsoul’s eyes sparkled more than usual. 

Jungeun had trouble not looking into them. “I’ll wait.”

“And I’ll hold you to that.” Jinsoul smiled. 

Jungeun felt her chest swell at the sight. The ache there subsided. She was always happy when she got Jinsoul to smile. She hadn’t been doing that lately. Now she would. 

______

Nearing the house, Hyunjin caught hold of both girls’ arms. This was the main reason she was here. She was planning to go the next day, but as soon as she realised that Yeojin and Yerim were off, she cancelled that plan. 

Now that she was seeing it, now that she could feel the violence that still clung to the house, she needed to try and turn them away. Already, she knew it probably wasn’t going to work. 

“This isn’t like seeing one body and having that as your impactful life experience,” Hyunjin said. “Even if there’s not that much blood or outright gore, this was a slaughter.”

She remembered going after a rogue vampire coven. Their feeding grounds had been a village. There’d been survivors. That’d almost made it worse. 

“I can do it,” Yeojin said, while Yerim nodded. 

Hyunjin had thought that too. 

“I know,” she replied. “But if you don’t want it to haunt you, you’d stay out.” Yooa had given her that same warning. Hyunjin hadn’t taken it seriously. She still wished that she had. 

And when she saw the defiance in orange and purple eyes, she knew her words hadn’t made a difference. 

“It’s not a test of your strength,” Hyunjin whispered. “I’ve seen things like this, but it doesn’t mean I’m strong. There’re people who haven’t and they’re twice the person I am.” Immediately, she thought of Heejin. 

“And then there’re people like Priad who’ll talk about this place as if he’s seen it,” Yeojin said. “He’ll be blaming Hyejoo for it without having even felt what’s around here.” She looked at the house. Thankfully, she looked wary. “I’ll have seen it. I can make sure people know they’re wrong.” 

The darkness within the house was unmistakable. While a lot of spirits just had more darkness and that made them harder to fight, others had the darkness that came with death and murder. That took a lot of light to turn. The wounds they left were difficult to heal. Else had been one of those attacked by one. 

And she’d died. 

So now Hyunjin waited for that darkness to scare these two away. She waited to spot the doubt. Yeojin either held it down, or she was absolutely convinced of what she’d just said. 

Hyunjin was proud. She was also sad to see that Yeojin’s conviction had to be shown when it came to brutality like this. 

Yerim looked equally resolute, but she didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to. 

Hyunjin nodded. Then she let them go. 

The wood of the door melted. Yerim’s work. It was completely dark in the house. 

She went in first. The cold flooded her. Her stomach twisted at the feeling of the darkness. It already tried to creep over to her. She called on her light to fight it. That illuminated the scene before them. 

Hyunjin saw the first body. Down its front, the cloth was charred, revealing blackened flesh. His face wasn’t recognisable. The skin upon it might’ve been melted or torn off. Hyunjin looked away before she could figure it out. 

The smell reached her in the next moment. She covered her nose. Her eyes began to burn. 

Yeojin gagged. Yerim gasped. 

It kept going. The guards had charged into the house, either alerted by the house’s owner or their friends. They’d rushed in, only to be cut down in the next second. 

Swords had been melted. Hyunjin chose to focus on the deformed metal as she walked through the carnage. 

“I know that one,” Yerim whispered. “He told us about what happened. He’d helped us.”

The man was young. His eyes were wide. The fairy’s magic had been lightning. It’d pierced through his chest, leaving a gaping wound, its edges completely scorched. 

Hyunjin looked away. Only now did she notice how cold the house was. There was so much darkness. She didn’t know what they were looking for. She had no idea where the target would be. The fairy had branded them all as one. 

“This way.” Yerim stepped over the mortal she’d pointed out. She went straight for a door further down the hall. 

She didn’t open it. 

Hyunjin reached her and knew why. There was both the darkness of death and fear as before, but another had dined. There was anger, one that churned slowly in the mind. It was a cold sort of fury. 

Yeojin was on her other side. She was the one who opened the door. 

The smell that greeted them was sweet, as though a bakery had made something with the dark sweet that the mortals ate—was it chocolate? 

That scent was joined with rot. 

Then she saw him. She suddenly hated how their skin was able to illuminate a room to the extent that it did. 

He was slumped against the wall. A large smear of black blood was left above him. There were dark lines all across his skin. His eyes were open. They were completely black. His jaw was slack. He seemed to look at them through empty eyes. His clothes had been soaked completely with black blood. It’d dried now. 

In front of him, there lay a deformed black lump. Two actually. Whatever it’d been before, it was torn in half. 

Hyunjin looked back at the man. Through the ruined clothes, she realised that a portion of his chest was missing. She was glad that the sight was black from blood and darkness. Had she seen the decay there, she would’ve been pushed past her limit. 

“He tore out his heart,” Yerim said. 

Yeojin retched. 

Hyunjin turned to help her out of the house, but Yerim beat her to it. 

“This’s enough,” she said. “Isn’t it?” 

Yeojin nodded. Her eyes were watering, but Hyunjin knew she’d already been crying. 

Once Haseul knew where they’d been—what they’d seen, she’d be devastated. As would Jinsoul and Jungeun. Hyunjin didn’t even want to think of what Yeojin’s parents would think. 

The wall of the house parted. The two started walking towards it, their steps hurried. They were glad to be leaving. So was Hyunjin. 

“Go to a tavern, or explore their nightly market,” Hyunjin told them. “But eat and drink something warm. No matter the cost.” She tossed them a small bag of money. 

Yerim frowned. “And you?” Her eyes kept going to the mortal. When had she started to be able to handle this? Or was she just that good at hiding it? Hyunjin didn’t like what that meant either. 

Some of the older elves talked about watching them grow up with smiles on their faces, cherishing how immortality allowed a person to grow. And yet other elves cautioned of other changes, the sadder ones. 

Hyunjin knew well what the others had spoken of now. 

“I,” she began, “I’ll need some time.”

Thankfully, Yerim just nodded. Then she left. The wall reformed. It looked as if it hadn’t been disturbed in the first place. 

Hyunjin took a deep breath. The air was revolting. There was burnt and rotting flesh, and then there was the strangely sweet scent. 

Still, she needed to breathe. She felt the anger and pain each time. Anyone who came in now, be they immortal or mortal, would feel this deep sense of wrong. The darkness would lunge for their exposed hearts. It’d haunt them for years on end. Not even the families of the dead would be able to enter the house to retrieve the bodies. 

Unless the darkness was gone. 

Hyunjin drew on even more light. She let it fill the room. She forced it towards the broken black heart and into the man’s body. The light destroyed much of the darkness. Some of it fled across the floor. Some of it went straight for her. 

Hyunjin turned away from the man, no longer full of darkness, but still dead. 

She did the same for the rest of the house. The cold had numbed her fingers. The darkness surrounding her was drawn to her. It would come no matter what she did. 

Short pulses of rage came to her. She felt betrayed. She felt abandoned. 

This was the Alluin her parents had defended. This was the Alluin the Astra had thrown out. They’d turned away because of the very magic that was trying to work its way into her now. 

Hyunjin knew why they’d been afraid of him. She knew why they were meant to fear the dark. If it was used like this, it had to be evil. 

But it’d only been used like this because he’d been banished. 

And Hyejoo didn’t do this, she thought. Hyejoo had had the choice and she’d chosen not to kill. Had that led to more death? Yes, but not by Hyejoo’s hand or even her wish. The fairy had done this. He’d wanted to kill them all. Alluin had sent him here. 

Hyunjin had to remember that. Yeojin was right: few would remember, or even experience this for themselves. No one else was coming to the site of the murders. Some didn’t, because they didn’t want to subject themselves to seeing something so horrific, which Hyunjin more than understood. 

Others didn’t want what was happening to Hyunjin now. She also wished she didn’t have to go through with it. Even though it needed to be done, few wanted to get rid of the darkness themselves. A piece of it always managed to survive the light. It always managed to reach you. It always tried to corrupt you as it did a bright spirit. 

And those wounds always took time to heal. They took time and more light. 

Hyunjin closed her eyes. She kept destroying the darkness. She kept absorbing what survived. When they got back, everyone would see it. They’d know she’d cleared the house of one horror. Either the elders or soon-to-be elders would contact the fae. They’d help the people rationalise what they’d seen. They’d make them forget the worst of the details. 

Lost in her thoughts, Hyunjin lost her grip. Either the light she had within her wasn’t enough, or the darkness was too great. 

It surged towards her. 

Hyunjin didn’t move. She knew she couldn’t dodge what came at her. So she summoned more light. It tugged at her heart and her head, but she kept taking out light. Even if it didn’t pierce your skin, the darkness could still cause wounds that could kill you. 

She forced the light to eat away at what it could. Some still came to her.

A cold ache had started to settle into her body. 

Hyunjin tried to summon more. A spike of pain pierced her head. 

More darkness came. 

Then it stopped. 

A soft glow had come into the room. It wasn’t Hyunjin’s light, or Yerim’s or Yeojin’s. 

It was a yellow cat. It was quickly turning black. Its paws were on the ground in front of Hyunjin. The spindles of darkness were all flowing towards it. 

Hyunjin didn’t think then. She grabbed the cat and lifted it up. Its warmth was leaving it, but it was soft to the touch. 

It meowed and looked up at her. Its eyes were a startlingly bright shade of pink. 

Hyunjin realised then that its head was still yellow. Along its body were patches of black. They didn’t move to overcome the entire spirit. 

The rest of the darkness moved away from the two of them. 

It flowed into another person at the door. Yerim. 

She hissed when it came to her, but her eyes were wide as she looked at Hyunjin. 

“Are you alright?” She sounded out of breath. “You said you needed a moment, but that was an hour ago. Then I saw—” She cut off. “What happened?” 

Hyunjin looked from her and back to the cat. It still stared at her with those pink eyes. 

“I think,” she frowned, “it saved me?”

The cat replied, “aeong.” 

“Was that a yes?” Yeojin was frowning. She looked worried, but leagues better than earlier. 

An hour ago, according to Yerim. Had it really been that long? Being exposed for a few minutes wasn’t good. Had Hyunjin fainted? Or completely lost track of time?

She didn’t know, only that she was awake now. The ache in her hadn’t faded, but she didn’t feel as if the darkness had overcome her completely. She felt cold, but not lost. She felt angry, but not enraged. That had to mean something good. 

And then there was the spirit that’d saved her. 

She set it down. It trotted over to Yerim. 

Hyunjin followed. 

“Are you really okay?” Yeojin asked. Her brow was furrowed. “If we’d have known what you were trying to do, we’d—” 

“It’s done,” Hyunjin said. “And it’s not that bad.” She flexed her hands. “Just needs some time and light, then I’ll be good as new.” 

They both nodded. Then their attention went to the cat. 

Hyunjin walked with them. She was quickly starting to feel tired. The ache was still there. Hopefully, when the next full moon came, Hyunjin would be able to start healing properly.

That was when her legs gave out. The world turned black. For a moment, Hyunjin thought the darkness had crossed some threshold. 

Before her face met the earth, she realised it was the exhaustion taking hold of her. 

______

Choerry watched the ground for paths that’d cross theirs. She only found those of raindrops. 

She practiced tuning them out. It was much like looking at a tree and not focusing on the individual leaves. 

At first, she’d gotten the worst headaches trying to sift through the paths. It Jinsoul had barely managed to temper them, only really succeeding with elixirs. 

She thought of Jinsoul’s desperation when she hadn’t known what else to do. Choerry still felt guilty for that. With all that was happening, she needed to tell her. Too many questions were coming up. And though Jungeun would never tell anyone unless allowed to, Choerry knew she hated to lie to Jinsoul. 

Even though she’d made up her mind about telling the truth, Choerry was scared. Not only was she going to admit to Jinsoul that she’d been lying to her for years, but she was also going to admit that she saw the future. 

Jinsoul was someone who’d always found seers unnerving (Choerry had, and still did, even after becoming one). If a seer told her that someone’s light had faded and they’d be dead the next day, Jinsoul would give that person so much light in order to change their fate. There’d been a few times when she had been able to save them. 

And it was because seers acted like their word was final that Jinsoul had found herself hating them. 

Choerry was almost fully certain that Jinsoul would look past that for her, just as Jungeun had. That didn’t mean she wasn’t terrified of having that conversation. 

She closed her eyes. She’d known that man would die. She hadn’t realised that the guards had also been at risk. Had it just been a spur-of-the-moment decision? 

Choerry wondered what she could’ve done. Had she made Jungeun stay, could they have protected those mortals? Could they have fought the fairy and his lightning? Choerry knew she wouldn’t have been able to do it alone, but Jungeun was one of the most skilled fighters she knew. Together, she knows they could’ve done it. 

Then again, when he’d realised they were there, she’d felt her death looming over her. Maybe she wouldn’t have survived if they’d stayed. Jungeun would’ve, but would she have been worse off for it? On their way back, they’d have still attracted spirits. Jungeun would’ve been left weaker for it. And she’d have been alone. Choerry wasn’t sure if she’d have survived the way back.

And if she had, there’d have been more darkness. She might’ve ended up like Elre, with Jinsoul trying her damnedest to save her. If Jinsoul had tried and failed to save Jungeun, Choerry wasn’t sure what would’ve happened. Jinsoul was able to hide it well, but she always worried for the two of them when they went on patrol. She worried because Choerry wasn’t yet so experienced and Jungeun was still too reckless. She worried because that combination could lead to them never coming back again, or coming back broken. 

And if they’d stayed to protect the mortals, the two of them could’ve very well never come back. Were the lives of those mortals really worth sacrificing themselves? As much as the dilemma disgusted her, Choerry had an answer. Jungeun’s life was in no way worth that. She wanted to say that her own was, but that didn’t have the confidence in that statement. If she’d actually known how the man would’ve died, how others would have died with him, would she have actually stayed behind? 

The answer was no. Jungeun would’ve stayed. She would’ve firmly believed that they could’ve saved those men and she would’ve wanted to. 

Choerry wasn’t even sure if she’d have wanted to. If it had been just the man at stake, she’d have left him. For her, it had just been the man. The guards hadn’t had any dark paths in front of them. If she’d only known they’d been at risk—

She gritted her teeth. She hadn’t stayed behind. She hadn’t known that the other guards were going to die. She hadn’t even known that the fairy was coming. 

The mortals had died. The fairy had tried to kill Jungeun and Choerry as well. Hyejoo had saved them. 

That was what’d happened. And she couldn’t change that. 

Hyunjin stirred then. She whimpered, but kept sleeping. Her brow was furrowed. A nightmare?

Yerim and Yeojin had tried to take the darkness away, but it hadn’t worked. Even giving her light hadn’t done much. The darkness had buried itself in her. 

At one point, Choerry had stopped them. It’d earned her a glare from Yeojin. 

“We have to help her. She’s still freezing.”

“We still have a while to go,” Choerry had told her. “If we don’t have enough, it won’t matter if she’s warm enough or not.”

Yeojin had stared at her. She’d looked stunned. 

Choerry grimaced thinking about it. She didn’t like how she’d sounded either, but they needed to get back with at least one of them in good condition. They needed to get back with all of them alive. 

The cat spirit had laid down beside Hyunjin. It was still there.

Between the two was a bond of white and dark grey. Choerry couldn’t help but think of Hypnos then. There was a bond between them as well, but it was just grey. 

What light remained in the cat matched Hyunjin’s eyes. Except for the spirit’s own eyes. They were distinctly bright pink. What did those two things mean? And what of the cat being partially turned? 

“She’s cute,” Yeojin said. 

Choerry hummed. 

They were quiet again. Choerry watched an insect fly along its path. There was no divergence to do a fancy dive or even turn off south or west. It just did as it was supposed to. Its path was dark a way’s away from them. A bird probably awaited the insect. 

“Wanna talk about it?”

Choerry looked up. Yeojin looked back at her, her brow furrowed. 

That was weird. Yeojin could care less about her and what she thought, let alone felt. Not once had they ever talked about Hyejoo. Even though the two of them were the perfect ones to talk about it with each other. 

“Why?”

She shrugged. Of course. “Normally, you’d be talking my ears off by now.” 

“I’m tired.”

“That never stopped you before.” There was no bite to that statement. Yeojin just started looking into the fire. Her eyes matched it. 

Choerry swallowed her next words. She knew it’d have been too harsh. The other girl had seen exactly what she had. She was as shaken and disgusted as Choerry was by what’d happened, but she was sure Yeojin wasn’t thinking about how she could’ve saved them—and had decided not to. 

But what they probably did have in common was that they both regretted being stubborn enough to see the bodies in the first place. 

And if Choerry knew anything about Yeojin, it was that she avoided talking about this sort of thing. She wanted her to speak because her thoughts had gotten too loud. 

“I have a spirit who follows me too.” 

Yeojin straightened. Some of her troubled expression faded. 

Choerry tugged at the bond. Hypnos was usually near, but he avoided Astra. Of course he did. Their magic burned him. 

“He’s called Hypnos. He’s a dark spirit.” 

“He?” 

Choerry didn’t know how to answer that. 

Thankfully, Yeojin did it for her. “You just knew?”

She nodded. 

There was the sound of wings flapping. Then rustling leaves. 

The cat stood and hissed. 

Hypnos dropped down at Choerry’s side. He stumbled. Then his eyes locked on Yeojin. He looked wary. 

“It’s alright,” Choerry patted his head, “it’s safe.”

“What is that?” Hyunjin mumbled. 

“Choerry’s friend,” Yeojin replied. Then she chuckled. “Cool.”

The cat hadn’t fled, nor had it attacked. It’d sat down. Now it watched Hypnos with its odd eyes. Choerry thought of Heejin when she saw them. 

She didn’t mention that. Hyunjin had most likely already noticed. Choerry also didn’t feel like bring that complicated topic up. 

The two of them helped Hyunjin sit up. She was stronger than earlier, but still weak. She kept saying that she just needed time. Choerry hoped desperately that she was right. 

Hyunjin had always helped her with combat when Jungeun was away (which was a lot). She was both patient and insistent. 

Choerry couldn’t bear to see how little light Hyunjin’s path held. She could only hope that when they got back and Jinsoul saw them that the path would finally brighten. She knew she’d do anything to make that happen. 

“How long?” Yeojin asked. 

Choerry was relieved to see the girl actually looking curious. She was at least taking Yeojin’s thoughts away from that house. 

“Forty years,” she replied. “At least.” He’d come after Hyejoo had been cast out. Choerry didn’t say fifty years. She didn’t want that connection to be made. 

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Hyunjin inched closer. “He’s cute.”

Surprisingly, Hypnos didn’t back away. Even so, Hyunjin didn’t touch him. Choerry was grateful for that. She still wasn’t sure if full Astrans could touch a spirit without hurting it—even if that spirit wasn’t aggressive. 

Why didn’t you tell us sooner? Choerry knew that same question would be in Jinsoul’s mind soon. If Chuu ever opened up, it’d be on Yves and Gowon’s as well. 

“I didn’t know if he’d like Astra.” And she’d lumped him in with secrets she’d keep. Jungeun and Jinsoul knew about him. He’d followed her on one of their rare patrols. Jinsoul loved him. Jungeun didn’t show it, but she’d slowly started to like his presence. 

He hadn’t come with them on the way to Hyejoo. Choerry still didn’t know why. 

Yeojin frowned. “You’re Astra. Even if you weren’t born it.”

Not the person Choerry expected to hear reassurance from. She also hadn’t expected her to comment on Choerry’s word-choice. 

She just nodded. She was technically Astra, but it’d be a stretch to say she felt like one as well. 

“If you want, you can tell Viian about him?” Hyunjin said. “I don’t think she’s seen a benevolent dark one yet. And it’d probably get the questions going.”

Choerry smiled. The fae curiosity, as infuriating as it could be, usually seemed to get them happy once it was fed. She’d definitely introduce her to Hypnos. Maybe she’d end up figuring something out that the rest of them couldn’t, or she’d pick up on something they’d been ignoring. Or she’d help with protecting dark spirits like Hypnos. 

Viian was starting to open up, but all that progress seemed to have gone out of the window when she heard about Hyejoo. 

A part of her was relieved that Viian had been so outraged. It showed where her principles lay. And it showed that she didn’t believe in what the Astra did. 

“Sometimes I wish they talked.” Hyunjin rubbed a spot behind the cat’s ears. It actually began to purr. “It’d answer so many questions.”

“Until the others start taunting you,” Yeojin said. “Or they get to smart that they set a trap.”

“Key word was sometimes,” Hyunjin chuckled, “but I see your point.”

“How’re you feeling?” Choerry asked. Jinsoul would’ve asked that the moment Hyunjin woke up. 

She shrugged. “Not that exhausted. I think we can start going. After we eat.” 

And so they ate. Of the three, Yeojin cooked the best. She’d also brought a lot of food. 

“Were you planning on eating twice your weight?” Hyunjin asked as she handed over what she’d brought. 

Yeojin didn’t reply immediately. was set in a line. 

“Did you know you’d get lost?” Choerry poked her side. 

She twisted away. She glared at her. “I knew I’d have company.”

Surprisingly, her eyes held Choerry’s gaze. Then they went back to the food on the fire. 

When Choerry looked to Hyunjin, the girl was grinning, her sharper teeth shining in the firelight. 

She looked away, trying not to dwell on how her face warmed, despite having been warmed by the fire. 

They had a meal that changed from silence, to light conversation about everything but current events, and more silence. 

Unsurprisingly, Yeojin had cooked a delicious meal out of what they’d brought. 

“What do you think,” Hyunjin leaned back, “a day’s walk?”

“Less if we hurry,” Choerry said. 

She grinned. She looked a lot healthier. The light still hadn’t come back, but at least she wasn’t as drained as before. 

“So let’s hurry.” Yeojin got to her feet. 

Choerry let the ground smother what was left of the fire. She could pack the dirt so tightly that iw as almost like soft stone. It could certainly hurt if tossed at someone. 

Hours of walking followed. They attracted a few dark spirits. They took each of them down. 

Then the day came. Hyunjin and Yeojin became tired the moment they saw the sky lighten. Choerry felt the urge to sleep as well, but not as strongly. 

“Didn’t you get used to the day with Hyojung?” she asked. 

Hyunjin huffed. “Being out at this time was rare.”

“It’s late morning.” 

“Sunrise is way too late,” she grumbled. “Everything that follows is even worse.”

They kept walking. It was late afternoon when the silence broke. Bright spirits had already started to emerge. Most of them were good. They steered clear of those that were questionable. You couldn’t fight bright spirits, but they could easily kill you. 

“What did you actually do after you left?” Yeojin asked. “Out there?”

Choerry tried not to look too interested. She only knew the smaller details that Hyunjin had told them. She still wasn’t sure if those years away had been good ones. All Choerry knew was that Hyunjin had come back enjoying life a bit less than she once had. Instead of sneaking out with Yeojin, Hyejoo, and Choerry, she’d been the one to either silently follow and step in if a spirit came along, or she’d tell them to come back. 

In the house, she’d seen how the carnage had pained Hyunjin. But she’d stayed in the house when Yeojin and Choerry hadn’t been able to. She’d taken the darkness for herself, nearly been overcome in the process, and was now leading their group. 

Something about that time had hardened Hyunjin. Choerry still didn’t know what that was. She wanted to ask her, but she knew the mention of it could bring back unwanted memories. It was the same with Jungeun. Choerry knew what she did, because Jungeun had been ready to tell her. Hyunjin probably wasn’t. 

“Did things like that,” Hyunjin nodded behind them, “going to places where mortals were most afraid, or just tracking down the creatures aiming to hurt them.”

“And spirits.”

“And spirits,” she nodded, “but we dealt more with vampires and wolves.” 

“Did you kill the wolves?” Choerry felt some discomfort. Werewolves became more or less mindless in during the first years of their transformations. They just attacked, no matter if the person themselves was aggressive or the most peaceful of all. Choerry pitied them. 

Hyunjin shook her head. “Not usually. We got them tied down. The light made things better.” A shrug. “Apparently that craze they have is from a huge amount of anger. We gave them chains of light against it.”

“Their anger?” Choerry asked. “Or drawn in?” Some called it lunacy. Most rejected that the moon could cause something as terrible as a werewolf rampage, so they’d concluded that werewolves were dark creatures who couldn’t tolerate the full power of the moon. But what if it was actually the moon that caused it?

A small smile appeared. “I never asked, but you can if we ever see the stiffs again.”

Emotional fae would know. Of course. The few Choerry had met had either been terrible at hiding their facial expressions, or too good at it. And they always talked about emotions in the weirdest of ways. Anger was hot, while fear was freezing. They also all had colours attached to them. 

Those fae also never looked you in the eye. They were always looking into your emotions. Just like mental fae always looked into your mind. Just like seers always looked into your future. 

“Was it worth going?” Choerry asked. 

Hyunjin nodded. “I learned a lot.”

She knew that. It wasn’t what she’d wanted to hear. “But were you happy out there?” 

No response. 

Yeojin met Choerry’s eyes. “Didn’t you want the adventure?” Her deep voice was softer now. No anger there. It suited Yeojin more than the constant scowl and venom did. 

Hyunjin shook her head. “I wanted an escape.”

From what, neither of them asked. They didn’t need to know either. 

“They actually knew who Alluin was,” Hyunjin said then. “They were younger at the time. Your ages, maybe less.” The corners of her lip tugged up. “But they ignored the connection with my family. Actually told me what they knew.”

“Was he the type to get people slaughtered?” Yeojin asked. The bite was back in her voice. 

“He was angry,” Hyunjin said. “Went to witches and fairies a lot, learning the other magic because he didn’t have the light.”

“What did he do?” Choerry couldn’t help but wonder why Hyunjin’s parents hadn’t told her, but Hyojung’s group had. She barely knew them, having only seen glimpses when they’d returned with news or other gifts. 

“Patrol and combat,” she replied. “There was a lot if it then.”

“And when the other magic came?” Yeojin’s jaw had clenched. 

“They didn’t know exactly. There'd been a fight with other elves. They hadn't been there.” Hyunjin looked at the sky, squinting in the sunlight. “But it’d come then. He’d used it. And then he’d never come back.” She let out a long sigh. “I think my parents had been there. They’d never talked about it. I just know that he came the best kept secret of all Astra.”

Choerry thought of a blackened corpse. She thought of his heart, torn in two. Alluin hadn’t done it, but he’d given the blade. He took in people capable of killing with relish. People willing to cut the short lives of mortals even shorter. 

But he also took in people like Hyejoo. 

I didn’t need to stay. 

He hadn’t given her a home. 

And he’d sent her to kill someone too, Choerry thought. 

“Not anymore,” Yeojin said. “We’ll tell them who he was.”

“No,” Hyunjin said. 

Orange eyes widened. “But look what happened to you—”

“Exactly. Look what happened.” Hyunjin scowled. “They did all that for something most of us didn’t even know happened.” Her pace quickened. “We were against Hyejoo going and they did nothing like they had then. What if they do here?”

“Let them!” Yeojin threw up her hands. The light in her darkened further. “They have to know it wasn’t Hyejoo. He’s out there. They can find him and—”

“And kill him?” Choerry asked. “Or put him in bars like they did her?” What if they already had? 

“I,” Yeojin started. Nothing else came out. 

“Think about what’s coming,” Hyunjin said. “Years of life. A lot of them. You do something and you’ll never have a say in any of them. Not in how things work, not in how we think either.”

“But Haseul—”

“Is selfless, leads well, and will stand her ground. They respect her.”

“You do that too,” Choerry said.

Hyunjin blinked. The shock softened the darkness that’d been starting to grow in her. “I wasn’t chosen to be an elder. And they don’t say it, but they need her.” Her eyes fell. She deflated, her shoulders sinking. 

Choerry knew what she was thinking. 

They don’t need me.

She went back over Hyunjin’s outburst. She’d never spoken this much. She’d never sharpened her voice either. The dejection had always been there, so had the frustration, but the anger wasn’t like her. Not completely. 

Hyunjin had lost more light. It was just grey now. 

“People need you.” Choerry took her hand. It was freezing. “Yeojin and I’d be lost without you.” Maybe not in this moment, but they’d needed her at the house. They’d needed her when they went off alone. They’d needed her training. “The others need you too.” 

“No they don’t,” she muttered. 

Choerry immediately thought of a girl Hyunjin had left behind. The light in Heejin’s eyes had faded when Hyunjin had gone. The occasional singing at meals and periodic wanderings she’d done between fire pits had also stopped. Choerry didn’t know what Heejin had been doing in that time, only that it’d taken up every free second she’d had. 

She was about to tell Hyunjin that when Yeojin’s light darkened to a shade below silver. Hyunjin’s vanished completely. 

A sick feeling came over her. It was warm, but the type that came out when it was too humid. 

“Run,” she told them. “Run!” She pushed them off the path they were taking. 

Both ran without question. 

The sun had set. 

The twisted path reformed. Hyunjin hadn’t reclaimed her light. She was dying. 

The exact wrong feeling came over her: panic. 

Corrupted bright spirits loved that. Just like malevolent dark spirits, they were drawn to people who felt anger, fear or any sort of devastation. The emotion had to be strong enough for a spirit to risk showing itself and giving chase. 

Choerry found a second of clarity through her panic. She could use this. Hyunjin was always calm in this situation. Despite the darkness in her heart, she was now. Yeojin was just confused. They wouldn’t attract the spirit, at least not immediately. 

“Don’t follow me,” Choerry said. 

Then she ran from the path. She let her fear come. She thought of how afraid she was for Hyunjin’s life. She thought of how terrified she was that Yeojin would get hurt here. 

Neither of them followed. 

So Choerry let other feelings come. She thought of Hyejoo and how she’d felt when the girl had said she wasn’t coming back. She thought of telling Jinsoul the truth and the dread and guilt that came with that.

She saw her own path dim. Hyunjin's light returned. Yeojin’s brightened. 

Choerry ran faster. She drew on the hatred that’d been brewing for the Astra ever since Hyejoo had been banished. She called on the hatred she felt for the moon for giving her not only light, but also her sight. She let all of it flow.  If she could save Yeojin and Hyunjin, those emotions had to be felt to their fullest. 

She heard hissing behind her. 

More fear came and she let it come. She was afraid of her path disappearing. She was afraid of dying. 

Her path was the colour of coal. 

Choerry kept running. 

______

Author's Note

So, where the previous chapter was a lot of talking, this one had more action. I hope the way I describe the light, darkness, and paths isn't too confusing. The way I see their sight working is like when you're focusing on one specific thing, like a book, laptop, or pen in front of your face. Everything else is still there, but it's either blurred or you don't even pay attention to it. When the elves look at someone's light, that light 'fades into view', if that makes sense. 

Either way, there's a lot of thoughts to be had for these characters. I wanted to finally write from Yeojin's perspective a bit, the sort-of-friendship-sort-of not thing she has with Yerim, and then show more of the fallout from Hyejoo's decision not to kill that man. There's other things I keep revealing, I know, but my goal is to show you twelve characters, each with depth to them and room to grow further. 

Would love to know your thoughts so far. 

See you in the next chapter.