The spirit whimpered as it turned. Pale green became the colour of a stormy sea. Its eyes turned from yellow to pale blue. Vivi would’ve thought its eyes would be dark as well. 

“Why’re you here?” someone rasped. It sounded as if they were about to cough. 

The newly transformed tiger turned to where the voice had come, a place of more concentrated shadows. In the setting sun, that spot stood out more than anything else. Looking at it, Vivi felt both uncertain and curious. She also felt a slow-moving sadness. 

“Well?” A figure emerged from the shadows. They clung to her skin, reluctant to let her go. They left a tall, thin girl with hair the colour of darkness. No light reflected from it. There wasn’t even a hint of that in her eyes either. 

This was her. It was Olivia—or was it Hyejoo? If she were a mortal, Vivi would’ve said she was only a little older than twenty. 

Her dark eyes locked on her leg. She frowned. 

“This would help.” Olivia waved a hand, gathering some of the shadow as if it were cloth. Then it fell away. “But if they sensed it within you, the chances of your being cast out would increase.” She knelt knelt down in front of her. “Unless that’s why you’re here. One exile to the other?” A small smile appeared, but there was a tinge of sadness to it. 

“I haven’t been cast out,” Vivi said. “Not yet at least.” 

“Few Astra ever go out alone,” she studied her, “most call it foolish.” 

Vivi could almost agree with that. Her leg was on fire, but strangely bearable at the same time.

“I’m not Astra,” she muttered. “Not even a full-blooded elf.” 

Olivia’s brow rose. “Stuck between two worlds then?” Her fingers were fiddling with the shadows across the ground. They’d collected around her. 

Vivi watched as darkness travelled up Olivia’s arm in distinct branches. She’d heard them here of black blood. Was that true?” 

“Yes,” she nodded, “are you Olivia?” It was a name that’d probably be received badly, but she had to see the reaction. She didn’t even know why some used two names in the first place. It was like the growing custom of middle names in other areas of the world. 

The girl flinched, but there was no anger. She held out her hand instead. “My real name’s Hyejoo.”

Vivi took her hand. It was heavily calloused. Not something she saw often in immortals. Their skin usually healed too quickly for those. Vivi’s callouses had come from handling stone her entire life. 

“This may be egotistic, but are you here for me?” There was a small smile on her face. 

Vivi was surprised to see it. She’d expected to see someone b with rage like Heejin was. She hadn’t expected someone who could smile at a person they knew had gotten the magic of the moon. 

The stories of the Astra really had changed her perception. She’d thought she was above that. 

“I wasn’t out here for anything, really.” She shrugged. “But you could say I left because of you.” 

Hyejoo’s brow shot up. “How so?” 

“I heard a bit more of the story.” 

“And,” she tapped her chin, “do I live up to my reputation or am I underperforming?”

Vivi frowned. “What?” 

A light laugh. “That was a joke.” Hyejoo shrugged. “Probably not a good one.” 

Her leg flared with heat, as though flames were starting to at it. 

Vivi gasped. She looked to her ankle. Then to the bite on her waist. Both areas were warm. They glowed differently than her skin did, a sickly white, almost yellow. She tried to pull out the light. Immediately, she felt nauseous. A sharp pain started forming in her head as well. She stopped trying. 

“What is it?” Hyejoo asked. She moved closer, her movements slow. It was like watching a predator, but the girl’s eyes were only filled with concern. 

“I think,” Vivi looked closer at the injuries, “their bites are poisonous?” 

“That’s never happened to me.” Her brow furrowed. “But you’re not like me.” She reached out. “May I?”

Vivi held out her arm. It was too soon to say she trusted her, but she had a feeling Hyejoo wouldn't hurt her. She was also curious as to what would happen. What could Hyejoo do that other healers couldn’t?

Hyejoo’s skin was cool. That same feeling spread up her hand and to both bites.

“Are you doing something?” Vivi asked. 

“No?” Hyejoo let go. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be.” The uncomfortable warmth had returned. She felt nauseous. “I think you were helping.”

Tentatively, the elf reached out again. The same cool feeling happened. It spread to the bites, encircling them. It felt as if the cold was subtly reaching into her blood. 

The more Vivi concentrated on it, the more she felt what was wrong with the light in the first place. It made her feel angry, but also scared.

A sigh broke her concentration. 

She looked up to see Hyejoo’s eyes brighten, looking less like shadow and more like obsidian. Then they closed. She winced. 

Vivi made to pull her hand away. 

“It’s alright,” Hyejoo said. “Just started concentrating.” The cold feeling pulled back. Then she pulled her hands away. 

She watched as the elf’s skin glowed before the light sank into it. Darkness surged from the ground and onto her skin. It bathed her entire hand in black before that disappeared as well. 

“Better.” Hyejoo smiled. “What about you?”

Vivi nodded. “What happened?”

“I destroyed the light?” Hyejoo’s eyes fell. “Not anything reassuring to an Astra, I know, but I can do it with both types of light.” 

“Thank you,” Vivi said. “Did it hurt?”

She shook her head. “It’s just weird.” 

A part of her didn’t believe that, but she didn’t press her. 

“Thank you,” she said again. 

Hyejoo’s brow rose. “You don’t have to thank me,” she shook her head, “leaving you with a strange light like that. It wouldn’t have been right.” She flexed her hand. “I’ve done it with mortals too.” 

“There are people who wouldn’t have helped.” She wondered if that Alluin was the type to help, or if that was only to his group of outcasts. 

Hyejoo shrugged. “Me doing this doesn’t mean much either.” She got to her feet. “Need a hand?”

Vivi nodded. The burning had gone completely, but the gashes and bite marks were still there. They still hurt too. 

Hyejoo helped her up. Standing now, Vivi saw that she was a bit taller than her, but the girl immediately fell into a more slouched posture. Relaxed. 

But there was something else. Vivi felt something pulling her towards the girl. It was a subtle sensation, but unnerving. When she looked at her feet, she saw that the shadows of trees were all leaning towards Hyejoo. Her own was as well. 

“Hungry? My visit to town was a few days ago. I’ve got enough for a decent dinner.” 

Vivi was hungry, but should she say so? Hyejoo looked like she hadn’t been getting a lot of sleep. Her eyes were also more sunken, her cheeks more gaunt. It defined her features, making them even more piercing. Still, it didn’t seem like they’d been caused by an abundance of food. 

She decided to comment on something else. “What did you do to it?” She nodded at the tiger. It had prowled over to Hyejoo’s side. Even though its expression was almost friendly, Vivi leaned away from it. 

Hyejoo smiled. “I don’t know what it means, but turning them dark helps. You probably know by now that something’s really wrong with them, especially if they attack you.” She shrugged. “It’s also a she, by the way.” 

To Vivi’s surprise, almost horror, Hyejoo’s hand went straight for the creature’s head. Vivi had learned the hard way that touching a dark spirit was a good way to nearly freeze your skin. If being burned by ice was possible, that’s how it usually felt. 

And yet, Hyejoo just the tiger’s head. The spirit’s eyes closed. Vivi wouldn’t have been surprised if it started purring. 

“Do you control them?”

Hyejoo laughed. “‘Course not.” Then her gaze softened. “They’re just grateful.”

Like the dark spirits turned bright were. 

Would you abandon the person who helped you?

When Hyejoo withdrew her hand, the tiger walked off, a spring in its step. It climbed up the nearest tree. As far as Vivi knew, she’d never seen a creature this large do that successfully. 

Then again, this spirit had also been made good by being turned with darkness, so what Vivi thought was ‘normal’ was probably wrong. 

“So,” Hyejoo crossed her arms, “food? I’ve got deer, rabbit, and bird.” 

“Do you have fruit too?”

The corner of her lip rose. “A bit, yeah.” Then she started walking. “Most of them don’t like an open fire, especially not after a fresh transformation.” 

Vivi noticed then that they were walking exactly in the direction she had been before. She’d been letting her feet carry her, but she knew she’d been going this way. 

She also couldn't put all her weight on her foot. She let a bit of light coat the ankle. A gentle warmth came over the skin. Some of the pain subsided. 

“Where’re we going?”

Hyejoo glanced at her. “To my,” she pursed her lips, “well you’ll see. It’s not a tent, but it’s where all the food is.” 

They walked on in silence. 

Vivi had questions, but she didn’t want to bombard her. If she had to go off what she knew, Hyejoo had been alone for a very long time. She didn’t seem socially awkward, but there was a degree of confusion on her face. Vivi didn’t want to overwhelm her. And watching her act now would show her more than asking questions when she didn’t want to ask them. 

The dark-haired girl didn’t break the silence with questions or remarks, or even empty conversation. She only looked around the forest. Was she looking for other spirits? 

“There it is.” Hyejoo pointed to a larger rock formation. “Where I live.” 

“Live?” Vivi repeated. She felt a strange familiarity seeing it, but she was almost certain she’d never come across it before. She sensed darkness coursing through it. Not the one that the dark spirits had, but the one that surrounded Hyejoo. The 'good' kind of darkness. 

“Yeah,” she chuckled, “I’m a cave dweller. Don’t tell.” There was humour in her eyes, but the words carried weight. 

“Should I leave?” Had Vivi made a mistake crossing paths with her? What if she just put Hyejoo in danger by being here?

“No,” Hyejoo said. “It’s just I’m on my way to making it my home. I don’t wanna leave it any time soon.” She looked at the rock with a degree of fondness. Then she let out a tiny, “ah.” She turned back to Vivi. “Earlier, with the spirit and the stone,” confusion crossed her features, “what was that?”

“My other magic,” Vivi replied. “I can control stone.” A very simplified way of putting it, but it didn’t feel like the right moment to explain. 

“Wow,” Hyejoo looked back at her cave, “so if you wanted to, you could bring that whole thing down?” This was also said as a joke, but there was a bit of unease there. 

“Or I could make it more comfortable.” 

She nodded. “Right, sorry.” She crossed her arms, her gaze falling to the ground. “Could’ve thought of that first.”

Vivi was tempted to reach out, but she thought better of it. “Most people assume elementals just fight and destroy. I was lumped into that with my clan, but they were the same people who taught me to think past that. Now I can do this." She tugged on one of the boulders and forced the stone to form a chair. 

Hyejoo scoffed then. “That’s the difference. You’re taught to think.” A harshness had entered her voice. 

It was the first time Vivi was seeing the anger that sometimes took over Yeojin and Heejin. Surprisingly, it didn’t scare her. It just made her want to know the exact root of that anger and help Hyejoo quell it. What if she asked an emotional fae to help? 

Then again, that probably wouldn’t help. And if they did, it’d have a cost. Emotional magic could be unpredictable. And she didn’t even know if Hyejoo would agree. 

The two of them climbed a short stretch of stone. It was well hidden between bushes and other outcroppings of rock. The foot- and handholds weren’t natural. Vivi felt flecks of darkness in the grooves as she climbed. They tugged at a deep sadness, one she’d only felt a few times in her life. 

At the top was a small plateau. Naturally formed. It disappeared into a low-hanging mouth of darkness. Hyejoo went straight for it. Vivi followed. She felt how the shadows around them also followed the elf. There was a tugging sensation, as if the ground was about to drift away from her. She’d felt a bit of that earlier, but not to this degree. Was Hyejoo holding herself back from doing something with Vivi’s shadow? 

“Can you already glow?” Hyejoo asked. The shadows fell away, but Vivi could barely see the inside. She knew how big the cave was, as well as how the walls and ceiling had been worked away, bit by bit. Hyejoo had been trying to make the place bigger. How long had that taken her? It was something that would’ve taken Vivi a few minutes to do. 

Vivi let some of the light go. Her skin burst to life. The cave was flooded with light. 

Hyejoo averted her eyes. 

“Sorry,” Vivi muttered. She pulled the light away from her skin. It dimmed. 

She looked around, catching sight of a sorry excuse for a bed, laden with a set of thin blankets. She saw a flat stone, also carved out by darkness. On it was what Vivi could only hope was meat, wrapped in cloth, as well as a few loaves of bread. 

I’m well on my way to making it my home. 

“Here.” Hyejoo handed her a stone bowl. It was filled with some apples, cherries, and berries. “Some’re bruised, but they’re not bad.” 

In this light, Vivi saw even more of the girl’s features. She looked worn. All around her neck were markings. If they were burns or scratches, Vivi couldn’t tell. 

“Thank you.” Vivi took the bowl. 

Hyejoo hummed in response. She was gathering some wood from another part of the cave. In her other hand was a slab of meat. 

“I’ll make the fire.” Then she went outside. 

Vivi followed with the bowl of fruit. She took out an apple and bit into it. It was indeed partially soft, but she still ate it. Surprisingly, a fair amount of her clan had turned their noses up at the thought of such food. Her brief time with the Astra had shown her that they, or at least Haseul and Yeojin, hardly ever wasted food. But, as always, things got both complicated, and easier, once there was someone with plant magic. She wasn’t sure if Choerry could reverse the process of decay, but she’d seen the girl spend a good amount of time on the Astran garden. 

Hyejoo was on all fours, tracing a fire sigil with a small black pick. 

“So what do you know?” Her tone made it seem like a casual conversation. 

Not enough, Vivi thought. ‘Casual’ had been the last thing on her mind when she thought of the mysterious Olivia. “That you got the magic of darkness instead of moonlight. You were exiled for it. And I heard stories of what you did afterwards.” 

Hyejoo nodded. She stacked the wood over the sigil in a neat tower. “I only ever killed one human,” she said. “The rest weren’t me.” She completed the sigil and fire erupted from it. “But I stole from them and might’ve traumatised a few.” Her eyes were glued to the flames. “As far as I know, the mental fae helped out there.”

One human. Vivi wondered how that'd happened. With the regret Hyejoo's eyes at that, she thought against asking her about it. 

“Emotional ones as well,” Vivi said. “They step in if a wolf’s gone out of control too.” Or any other supernatural. Feral vampires, either driven mad by an elf, fairy, or witch, could also end up tormenting entire villages. Vivi had always been glad she hadn’t been born with a connection to the mind or emotions. She preferred hunting down those vampires to reliving memories or feeling someone else’s terror. 

The meat was held over the meat with a black stick. It looked out of place, using darkness to cook. It’d also been bizarre to see people cooking with light. They ate it too. Vivi wondered if Hyejoo did the same. 

“And Alluin?” Vivi asked. 

“Isn’t a demon.” She met her eyes. “No one I wanted to follow for long, but he isn’t evil. If that’s what you’ve been hearing.” 

“I didn’t hear anything, really,” she admitted. “Hyunjin did, but I don’t know how.” She remembered that the detail had been forgotten on that day. 

Hyejoo looked surprised. Then worried. “How are they? Hyunjin, Yerim, Yeojin—I know Hyunjin took the darkness from the house,” guilt filled her eyes, “but I didn’t get to see if Yerim got out okay.”

“Got out from what?” Vivi asked. Choerry had already been out with Jungeun, hadn’t she? Didn’t that mean they took breaks after longer journey like that? She thought that was how it worked. If Choerry had gone out again, what did that mean if she’d come across another dark spirit?

“You don’t know?” 

“I left a few days ago. Right after they came back from seeing you.” 

“Oh.” Hyejoo sat back. She twisted the spit of meat. The furrow in her brow hadn’t gone. 

“How did Hyunjin take the darkness?” Vivi asked. “Astra can’t control it.”

“No,” she said. “But when something like this happens.” She glanced at the cave. “I mean, things like people getting killed with darkness, or places where the cruelty of an immortal is out of control,” she sighed, “it leaves the place corrupted. With their light, Astra can destroy a lot of it and it isn’t dangerous for mortals anymore.” 

The words hung. Hyejoo continued to cook her food. Vivi finished her apple. 

“But they absorb some of the darkness?” 

Hyejoo nodded. “I saw it happen with me, mine,” she pointed at her shadow, “it stuck with Yerim. I don’t know if it disappears with time, or anything. Just that it goes right in.” 

Vivi knew she must have looked confused. Hyejoo just gave her a small smile. 

“You probably got the whole thing on light being focused in different places.” Her smile fell away. “Mine was in my eyes.”

“I did,” Vivi said. “So those’re the weak spots?”

“Sort of,” Hyejoo shrugged, “but most people—Astra, have a key part of their light in their heart and head.” She took away the meat and a plate of darkness appeared. 

“And if that’s overcome, they die.” Vivi thought of Elre, someone she barely knew, but whose death had come as a complete surprise. Few immortals were ignorant of death, most were painfully aware of its reality. That didn’t mean that every immortal grew numb to it. 

“Seen it happen?” The elf’s expression was unreadable. “With how the spirits are changing, it’s probably gonna keep happening.” 

Vivi tried to sift through her tone. She tried to see if there was regret, guilt, or satisfaction. She found none of those things. 

______

Haseul found Yeojin sitting by the river, downstream from where Choerry was, surrounded by a shield of dirt. She didn’t know if Yeojin was waiting for something or guarding. 

“Did you eat yet?” 

Yeojin jumped, but relaxed when she saw her. 

“No.” She eyed the food Haseul held. “Is that a plate?” 

Haseul looked at the iron platter. “Sort of.”

She raised a brow. “I thought you had a good stock.”

“I do,” she nodded, “but that doesn’t mean I’ll make a plate just because I can.” 

Yeojin scoffed. “Tell that to Teveril. He can’t even stand using a silver spoon.” 

Haseul sat beside her. She decided not to comment on the Yeojin’s slightly swollen eyes, even though she wanted to. “Eat.” She put the food down in front of her. 

“They keep going out too far,” she said. “They’re looking for her, but they’re bringing back drinks and junk.” 

Haseul had seen fanciful food, wine soju, and other mortal luxuries. She agreed that it wasn’t right. 

“Some lost loved ones. Some think they’re losing them. They need the escape.” 

That might’ve not been Teveril, but she knew that Kolina was enormously stressed. Priad’s heavily unbalanced bond with Heejin had also continued to take a toll on him. 

Yeojin started eating. She glowered at the rushing water as she did. 

“And isn’t it better if they’re not looking for her?” Haseul asked. 

A shrug. 

Haseul’s chest tightened just thinking about what could be going through Yeojin’s mind. The guilt, the worry, the powerlessness. It was everything she knew, but nothing she wanted the young elf to feel. 

“Any sign of Vivi?” 

“Vivi?” It was an oddly endearing name for the girl, especially someone who fought like she did. 

“Nickname.” Yeojin gave her a look. “They exist too.” 

Haseul lightly kicked her. “I know, but were you the one who thought of it?” 

Another shrug. “She told me to call her that.”

Haseul had missed those two getting closer. How had she missed that? 

Discussions, she thought. Both with passing elves and the other Astra. She’d been too busy. 

“Do you think she’ll come back?” Yeojin asked. 

Her chest twisted. “I don’t know. After what she heard, and whatever she went through with the fairies, maybe not.” Even if Haseul actually hoped she would. There was a lot left to learn about Viian. There was also a lot to learn from her. Haseul hadn’t been surprised to see that Viian had lived through more moon cycles than she had. A fair amount actually. 

“But she’s not strong enough to be out alone.” 

“She’s not weak either,” Haseul countered. 

Yeojin raised a brow. “If Hyunjin’s got trouble out there, she’s got no chance.”

She had to nod. “But she might be stubborn enough to try.” Which was even more worrying. 

“Then she might die.” Orange eyes were slowly filling with anger. Again. “Because we’re just that ty.”

Haseul was tempted to agree, but someone had to have the counterargument. “If she comes back, she’ll be able to see there’s more,” she said. “If not to us, then to our magic.”

“So what?” Yeojin frowned. “She learns what she can and then she’s gone?” 

“If that’s what she decides.”

“And what about having a home?” She set her fork down. “What if when I’m ready to get out there, I want to leave?” 

Haseul’s heart sank. “Would you?” 

The defiance faded. “Probably not, but if I did?” 

“You could.” It wouldn’t be the first time. Some had even come back after a few decades spent elsewhere. Hyojung’s group had barely been able to stand the Astra, but they hadn’t exactly left—just taken extensive breaks from their society. 

Yeojin smiled slightly. “You hope she’ll come back.”

Haseul returned it. “It’d be a shame if she left so soon.” 

The look in her eyes turned playful. Haseul was happy to see it, even if it was to her expense. 

“What’s better, her hair or the muscles?” 

Haseul threw a piece of apple at her. 

Yeojin caught it, cackling as she did. “I’m guessing that means both.” Then she moved on to the fruit bowl, no anger in her expression. 

“When you’re better, same for Hyunjin and Yerim,” hopefully, “you can go on the search party.” She didn’t mention that the position was freed because of Chuu. That would just ruin Yeojin’S mood again. 

She nodded, a small smile on her face. “Good.”

Haseul let herself relax as they sat there. Certain things were growing terrible and others getting even worse. But for right now, she could appreciate the brief moment where she’d gotten Yeojin to smile. 

______

“So why’re you actually here?” Hyejoo began to eat. Cutlery had appeared in her hands. She ate quickly, but not messily. “If you weren’t looking for me?”

She wondered if she should tell the truth. What would Hyejoo think if she told her what her exact reaction had been to hearing her story? Would it dig out the other buried emotions of anger and resentment? Or would it reveal something else? 

“I needed time alone,” Vivi said. “Jungeun and Choerry had come back, Jungeun injured, and then they’d told us that they’d seen you. I hadn’t known what’d happened, so they’d told me a few things.” Not enough. “And I realised why one person truly didn’t want me there.” 

“But Haseul has been okay with you being there, right?”

Vivi looked at her, stunned. “How do you know that?”

“She wanted me to stay, made it damn clear that she wanted to as well,” Hyejoo said. “And I’m sure she’d jump to your defence.” There was no trace of sarcasm in her voice. There was only warmth. 

“It’s not just her.” Vivi couldn’t forget that, even if the list was short. “Jinsoul, Choerry, Hyunjin, and even Yeojin don’t seem to be offended by my presence.” The same applied to Yves, Gowon and Chuu, but Vivi knew enough about the situation not to mention them. 

“And Jungeun?” 

“Don’t see much of her.”

“That’s nothing personal,” Hyejoo replied. “She’s just made sure she has the most amount of work.”

“But she works with the other two,” Vivi said. “I’m supposed to join their group when I’m ready.”

“She covers for them.” Hyejoo tore off a chunk of bread. “Always has.”

“They take advantage of her?” She’d seen that behaviour in many. She hadn’t expected those two to be one of them.

She shook her head. “Yerim isn’t ready yet for everything they do,” she said. “And Jinsoul’s a slave to honour and duty.” A shrug. “She doesn’t realise she can take proper breaks from the healing.” 

“But they value her abilities a lot,” Vivi countered. She remembered how Jinsoul had sat by the river, surrounded by waterskins. “I saw her try to go on patrol with Jungeun the first day I came here. Jungeun avoided it. She goes on more patrols with Yerim.” 

Hyejoo looked confused at that. “Those two’re complicated.” 

That seemed like an understatement. 

“What about Heejin?” the elf asked. 

Vivi shook her head. “One of the ones who doesn’t want me there.”

Hyejoo stopped eating. “But she was like Haseul,” she said. “Spoke up when the vote turned to me being banished or killed.” She turned her attention on the fire again. Clearly, the light from there didn’t bother her. 

“That was an option?” She felt her stomach twist. Even though the other girl spoke about it almost dismissively, she couldn't hide the tension in her eyes. The thought of never going back became more tempting.

“Everyone can be brutal,” Hyejoo muttered. “I met people who’d kill for money. I met mortals who’d do anything to get ahead, even paying for the death of others.” 

“But turning on your own isn’t so common.” Anyone could turn their back on you, Vivi knew that. But murdering her had never been an option. 

“But not exclusive to the Astra, let alone elves.” Hyejoo hugged her arms. “Didn’t one clan kill a fairy at birth?” 

Vivi remembered the outrage they’d felt once they’d heard that news. “The emotional fae.” She remembered how furious her parents had been. Even so, they hadn’t interfered. Neither had she, or anyone else. “He’d had the emotion of grief in his soul.” 

“What colour is that?” 

She hesitated. It would do no good to lie or avoid the question. “Black.” 

“Guess it could’ve been worse for me.” Hyejoo sighed. “Why’d they do it?”

“They believe your core emotion is tied to what emotion you’ll cause most in life.” 

“Is it proven?”

“One of the only times the emotional fae ever fought was due to a fae tied with red. Anger.” 

“I remember,” Hyejoo said. 

“You were there when he attacked?” Vivi asked. How old was she? The attack must’ve been at least three hundred years ago. Vivi was almost positive that she was younger, but by how much? Maybe they were closer in age than she’d thought. 

“They killed some people I knew,” Hyejoo said quietly. “But on that day," she trailed off, "I remember the anger he’d used on us. I remember how it burned.” Then she straightened. “But I know the Astra retaliated.” She chuckled, the sound empty of humour. “Just as brutally.” 

The Astra. She was all but fully distancing herself from that. 

“They did,” she said. Vivi hadn’t been anywhere near that fight. For that, she was glad. 

“Did they get people you knew?” Hyejoo looked pained. For her? Or remembering someone she also lost?

Vivi hesitated. “A friend.” A member of the fairy’s clan, but she hadn’t been responsible for any of the elves’ deaths. 

“I’m sorry.” 

“It was a long time ago," Vivi said. “Unless it hasn’t been for you.” Grief could stick with a person, always hurting every time the thought of the deceased crossed your mind. It could also fade into the past, becoming only a vague pain. 

“Always depends, right?” Hyejoo shrugged. “For me it's been a long time, but I can still remember the way it felt in my mind." She frowned. "I even rememebr how it felt afterwards."

“I know,” Vivi said. “But the majority of his clan almost always reject violence.”

“You know them well?” 

She smiled. “I knew only few very well, but almost every conflict they’ve had ended peacefully.” 

Another empty chuckle. “I bet you’ve got a lot of more wonderful stories.” 

“There’s a lot you can gather just from their stories. Lying, at least among those I knew, is rare.” 

“Because the right fairy can poke around in your head for the truth,” Hyejoo replied. 

“That,” Vivi nodded, “and there’s little use to it.” They lived too long, too closely together, and too exposed to keep up lies for long. “Conflict causes lies just as much as lies lead to conflict.” 

“I almost forgot you’re part fairy,” the corner of her lip tugged up, “but then you say things like that.” 

“Overly complex? Convoluted?”

“Wise,” Hyejoo said. 

She finished her food. Then she prodded at the burning wood. 

“So how’s living with elves compared to the fairies?” Hyejoo asked, a smile returning to her features. “Are we as divided and daft as you thought?”

Vivi smiled. “Yes. But not as different as you’d expect.”

She didn’t say anything, but the question in her eyes was clear enough. 

“Keeping someone like Alluin a secret may be difficult,” she said. “But the systems we have, like elders, scouts, and even the fighters—they’re all quite similar.”

“And the way you treat outsiders?” 

Vivi shook her head. “It’s not better,” she said softly. When she saw the disbelief, she continued, “I’m about eight hundred years old now. When the call came for me to come to the Astra, there was no opposition, except for my closest family.” Not even from her teachers, nor any of the elders. Her friends were sad, but they’d accepted her fate faster than she had. 

Hyejoo didn’t reply. She just looked at her with a frown. There wasn’t any pity in her eyes. Just understanding. 

“I was one of the few without any magic from the moon," Hyejoo said, letting out a small sigh. "I also had eyes like this,” she pointed at herself, “and Jungeun, Yerim, even Jinsoul, were always seen as different too.”

“Jinsoul told me it got better.” 

“Once you’re useful,” Hyejoo muttered. The resentment in her voice was familiar. Underneath it was also a flicker of rage. Vivi could feel the way her own light recoiled from it. 

They started talking about simpler things then. Some of it included what Hyejoo did now. She worked mostly for the witches, gathering what they needed, while also turning the worser bright spirits, if she came across them.

Hyejoo didn’t ask about her past. Vivi took that as indication enough that she should do the same. The closest they came to it was Hyejoo asking her about her magic. Vivi learned a bit more about Hyejoo’s, that it worked like the light, but almost never ‘ran out’. There was always darkness, be it the shadows made by the sun, or what was always there whenever night fell. 

In the back of her mind, Vivi wondered whether or not it was partially a blessing to receive control over darkness. It didn’t have to be evil, she’d seen as much today. Unlike moonlight, one always had access to it. 

It was a lot of power to have at one time. Vivi wondered if there was a cost. To use stone as a weapon, Vivi had needed to train for years, not just the magic itself, but also her body to even wield anything of rock. Emotional fae were stuck between their two worlds and almost always saw the multitude of other people. The same for the mental ones. 

That just left the question: what was the cost of darkness?

"Were you going anywhere?" Hyejoo asked. The moon was firmly in the centre of the sky. The elf had moved towards the inside of the cave. "Nearby town, to the sea," she hesitated for a moment, "visiting family?"

Vivi shook her head. "I just needed time to think."

The corner of her lip tilted up. "About?"

"Do I go back?" Vivi looked to the moon then. "And how different will it actually be to my old life?"

"From what you told me," Hyejoo paused, "probably not that much different?" She started looking apologetic. 

She just nodded. "But I did end up happy there." She made sure to watch the girl's reaction. "A part of me thinks it could happen again." 

The look in Hyejoo's eyes went from stunned to warm. She smiled then. "Then try going back." 

"It's that simple?" 

She shrugged. "You can always leave." Her smile grew. "But talk to Jungeun some more. She knows what you're going through more than you'd think." 

Vivi remembered the small piece of it that Jinsoul had told her. The first of the non-Astra to be able to control moonlight. A complete exception to the rule and she'd gotten there herself. And then Jungeun had been there for all the subsequent elves. Vivi was almost certain she'd do the same for her. It was a comforting thought. 

"If you're tired, you can definitely stay for the day," Hyejoo said, leaning against the stone. She looked more tired than Vivi was. "But I don't know what this kind of darkness will do to a person." She patted the wall. "Just that people who were attacked by spirits get nightmares and a lot of their negative emotions are amplified." 

She could see why that was a problem. She also got a small sense that Hyejoo still wanted to be alone. Vivi could understand that too. 

"I'll make my way back." Vivi stood. Her ankle felt fine. Her side stung. She'd manage. If she walked slowly. 

"Make sure you're using a lot of light," Hyejoo said. "Dark spirits hate light and the bright ones're also drawn to darkness. So, don't feel terrible." Another small smile. 

She grinned at her. "I'll try my best."

Should she say more? A part of her did want to take Hyejoo up on her offer. She wanted to know her more, but also keep her company. Solitude was good in shorter bursts. Sometimes, she could be alone for weeks. Others, she could barely manage two days. 

"Need me to make it bigger?" Vivi raised a hand. "I can double its size if you want."

Hyejoo laughed. "You'll take half my work from me." 

"But if you need more money,  I can look for precious stones,” she said. Hyejoo had to wander the forest, gathering herbs and weeds for witches. That couldn't have been fun. “Or metals.”

The elf shrugged, a smile still on her face. “I’m doing alright. I’ve been getting proper food and slowly getting a home.” She looked up at her cave. “So I’m set.” Then she looked at Vivi again. "But thanks," she chuckled, "it's been a while since—nevermind." Her eyes fell to the ground. 

Vivi's heart hurt. How long had it been since Hyejoo had been the receiver of actual kindness? Whatever home Alluin had offered her had had the caveat of: steal and kill for the mortals—money is the reward. 

"Alright," Vivi said. She’d bring something back, maybe a few blades to sell to paranoid guards. Or ingots for blacksmiths. Something.

Unless Hyejoo didn't want her to come back. 

As if she’d known what was coming, Hyejoo continued, “if you do decide to come back, just make sure you’re not followed.” Silence. “And don’t bring anyone else, not even Yerim or Yeojin.” 

Those very people knew Hyejoo much better than Vivi did. They were people she knew needed to see Hyejoo again. 

The taller elf responded to silence, again anticipating her protests. “The seers may not be watching your path. They’re looking out for hunters and at the ones on patrol. Other Astra who leave for a while will be looked after, either by Haseul or someone else. Elders, or future ones, will—”

“Be followed,” Vivi finished. 

The response was a nod. Then it was goodbye. 

Walking away from Hyejoo was harder than it’d been leaving the Astra. 

Vivi couldn’t help but think of the loneliness the girl was bound to feel. At least she could still come back to visit her. 

Even then, she hadn’t even asked if Hyejoo wanted to walk back with her. She’d known exactly what the answer would be. 

Somehow, seeing Hyejoo had made it all the more clear. Vivi needed to go back. She saw little hope of fixing any bridges between Hyejoo and the Astra, but there was something else. Hyejoo could heal wounds of light and turn the bright spirits that attacked. She’d come back to this country and was probably safe here. That meant she’d stay. 

Vivi didn’t know how she’d do it, but she’d have to try and keep it that way. Maybe she’d find some way of fixing something else in a small way. Maybe. 

She knew she wouldn't make a lot of progress. For years, Heejin and Yeojin had been burying themselves in rage, Choerry had been grieving the loss of a friend, while Chuu, Yves, and Gowon had been drowned in their guilt. Gowon seemed the most weighed down by it. 

The only ones who seemed intact were Hyunjin and Haseul. The latter, however, seemed to have taken on too much responsibility for what’d happened. And she was looking after the ones most affected by it. Or at least trying to. The same applied to Jinsoul and Jungeun. 

Hyunjin, on the other hand, was near unreadable. It was either stoicism or numbness. Vivi couldn’t tell yet. Then again, Hyunjin seemed compassionate enough to still be missing Hyejoo. Vivi had no idea. 

She could at least try to figure that out. 

And to do that, she had to go back. 

______

Author's Note 

With the exception of one small section, this was focused on the characters whose situations essentially kickstarted this story.

I basically devoted this chapter to that, but because there wasn't as much action (more just conversation), the next chapter will hopefully be coming sooner than normal. I'm still in the middle of exam prep, but I've got the day of tomorrow. 

Would love to know what you thought of this chapter. This is one of those chapters where the character-focused part of this story is more emphasized, but I also hoped to show a bit more of Vivi's character. 

See you next chapter!