Hyunjin could feel Heejin hovering at her side. The pain was still there, a ton of it, but somehow she felt at ease. The rock Vivi had put around her had helped, even if it was weird to be surrounded by it. Knowing she wouldn’t be allowed to move, unless she broke through the stone. She was too weak for that too. 

Weak. Of course she was. She hadn’t stood a chance against that spirit, but a part of her had thought she would. All of her had known she needed to get Heejin out of the way. With the darkness that was still within her, she’d been a better target for it. That was what she’d been good for today. 

And it was enough. She was the one encased in stone. Heejin was safe. 

But she was worried. 

“You know,” Hyunjin began, “the light might be useful in getting rid of the darkness. Did you check that yet?”

The sound of shuffling feet came then. By the sound of it, Heejin had sat down by her side. She was far away. She didn’t hold Hyunjin’s hand as she had before. It was probably because she thought it’d hurt her. Hyunjin wished she still could. 

Then she stopped herself. Because she was hurt, people would still be able to excuse Heejin’s initial reaction. But now, if she did anything more, that’d bring questions. 

“No,” Heejin said quietly. A long moment passed. “You might be right, but I,” she trailed off. 

Hyunjin wished she could do something to quell that fear, but she didn’t even know herself. Darkness drained, but it also acted like a poison. The wrong type of light was just a poison. It burned too. 

And now she had both. On the one hand, her case was a rare one. The healers, if they were interested, would end up wanting to know what could happen. Jinsoul would definitely try to figure it out. No one wanted to lose someone else, not when they were already losing too many. 

“Hyunjin?” Heejin’s voice trembled. 

“I’m awake,” she replied. “I don’t feel tired, or anything like that.” Jinsoul had started the healing process on her wounds. Even the one on her neck was alright. Had an actual animal mauled her, she would’ve survived. Once again, the benefit of being an immortal. 

“Okay.” 

“Heejin,” Hyunjin wished she could meet her eyes, show her that she actually felt better, “I’m not dying.”

“Don’t say that,” Heejin shot back. Then a second of quiet. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” she said. “I acted worse to you earlier.”

When she next spoke, Heejin sounded weak, fragile. “You didn’t attract any spirits. I did.”

At first, she was confused. Then she realised why she sounded like that. Heejin was blaming herself. 

“We all did,” Hyunjin said. “They never come here because one person’s having a breakdown. Otherwise, we would’ve been swarmed when Jungeun got hurt.” She didn’t want to think of how terrible Jungeun had looked when they brought her back. She didn’t want to think about a friend being that close to death. 

She also didn’t want to think about how terrified Yerim and Jinsoul had been. 

“It came for me,” Heejin whispered. “You’re like this, because you tried to protect me.”

“I wouldn’t have let it hurt you.” Just the thought tore at her. 

“I could’ve fought it.” By the sound of it, Heejin was crying. “You couldn’t have.” 

Hyunjin swallowed the spite that rose at those words. Heejin was right. Hyunjin hadn’t fought it. She wouldn’t have been able to. 

“We can’t change what happened anymore,” Hyunjin said instead. “And this wasn’t your fault. Everyone was on edge, everyone was arguing. And if it hadn’t been me, it would’ve been someone else.” The spirit could’ve gone for Jungeun, someone who held even less light than Hyunjin did. Or Yerim, who was still recovering from her own fight with a spirit. Hyunjin was glad she was the one to get clawed at and not any of them. 

Heejin didn’t reply. It either meant she saw Hyunjin’s point, or she was ignoring her, getting dragged down by a guilt she shouldn’t have had. 

And if she wasn’t listening, there weren’t many other ways to reach her. Nothing Hyunjin could really do now. She couldn’t look into Heejin’s eyes as she told her it wasn’t her fault. She couldn’t hold her. She couldn’t even tell her she was fine. Hyunjin didn’t even know if that was true. She just felt better, but that was it. 

She closed her eyes, but it didn’t block out any more light than before. Vivi had done a really good job on keeping the light out. 

“Give me your hand.”

The low breaths stopped for a moment. For a few seconds, Hyunjin heard nothing but the distant murmurs of the camp. Everyone had been subdued since the attack. They were both in shock and resigned to something very close to shame. The spirits had been attracted to the anger of the entire camp. 

“You won’t hurt me,” Hyunjin continued. “It didn’t hurt earlier once you took back your light.”

A few more moments passed. Of all the days for Heejin to become conscious of the boundaries between them, Hyunjin was surprised it was today. It also saddened her. Even though it shouldn’t have. 

Then a warm hand slipped into hers. Heejin gave her hand a gentle squeeze. Hyunjin felt a slow wave of warmth pass up her arm. It wasn’t light, otherwise it would’ve burned. It was the same thing she’d felt when Dahyun had helped her. 

The ache fades around those closest to you. 

There was more to that. Different emotions had different effects. Humour didn’t warm as much as happiness did. And so on. 

Hyunjin stopped those thoughts. Instead, she just squeezed Heejin’s hand back. 

“I think we can find a way to fix this,” Hyunjin said. “The light’ll fade, just like it did with Yerim. Then we’ll just have one problem left.”

“A big problem,” Heejin added. 

She laughed. “Yeah, but just one.” 

A thumb brushed across her hand. More warmth came over her. 

“But the seers stopped looking so concerned whenever they looked at Jungeun,” Hyunjin told her. “Doesn’t that mean the future might turn out alright?” At this point, she wondered if she was really going to need her magic back. Hyejoo had lived most of her life without it. Hyunjin would have to be ready to do the same. 

Heejin was letting her talk. Hyunjin could almost see the expression she was wearing. Eyes half glaring at her, lips pursed, and nose twitching every now and then as she thought. 

“I think I’ll be okay.” She didn’t leave time for Heejin to reply. “I think is the best we have right now. It’s not the best, I know, but, well,” she chuckled, “it’d be nice to stay a little hopeful.”

“It’s just been a few hours,” Heejin muttered. She was definitely pouting now. 

Hyunjin had to smile. “And?”

“I’m still in the worried phase.”

“The moon’s a phase ahead of that.” At least she hoped so. There were still places she wanted to go, if not with Hyojung’s group, then on her own. Maybe Yerim would come with her, or even Yeojin. Briefly, she thought about taking the person beside her with. They’d taken a trip to one of the coldest parts of the world once. They’d huddled together for warmth, both of them glowing as bright as the moon to stop their fingers and toes from freezing off. Frostbite was still possible to get as an immortal. It was just easier to stop. 

There were footsteps then. Hyunjin debated whether or not she should let go of Heejin’s hand. Much of her wanted to, even said hand. She didn’t. At least today, she’d put being there for Heejin above what the rest might think. 

“Is this a bad time?” It was Viian. That was surprising, to say the least. 

“No,” Heejin said. She didn’t sound aggressive, or even passively so. Also a small surprise. 

“Then we’ll need you both to come with us.” Haseul was also here. “Jiho said we should try seeing the witch.” 

“Jungeun too?” Hyunjin asked. 

“They only got help with the light.”

Something felt off. Why wasn’t Yerim included there? They’d been there at the time. They’d found them. 

Unless there was something else. 

“Hyunjin?” Heejin sounded hesitant. Hyunjin knew it was because she wanted to say yes. She knew it was because Heejin didn’t want to make the decision for her. 

“Okay. How am I getting there?”

She was suddenly lifted into the air, her back resting along stone that’d suddenly wrapped around her back. 

A laugh burst from her lips. The warmth of the emotion coursed through her. 

“Wow,” she said. Her grip on Heejin’s hand had tightened. She was surprised Heejin hadn’t let go. 

“Is it okay?” Vivi asked. 

“It’s cool,” Hyunjin replied. “I’m basically flying.” The closest she’d gotten to that was someone letting the wind envelop her or Jinsoul encasing half her body in water and lifting her up. She’d also tried lifting herself up by wrapping moonlight around her body, but that had failed. This was different. Her body felt secure, but she knew she wasn’t on the ground. It was exactly in between the chaos that was flailing in the air and being held within it by a portion of your body. Here, her entire body was just floating. 

She felt the subtle drag behind her as they moved forward. Vivi’s grip on the rock never loosened or shook. It was a testament to how much control she had over that part of her magic. 

“Hanna’s been sent on her way,” Haseul said. “Yerim prepared the ground. Yooa and Seunghee went with her.”

“You really think she won’t be a problem?” Heejin asked. Her voice was steady now. A topic like this, one that extended to their entire camp or external relations—they grounded her. Hyunjin was glad that Haseul had brought that in. 

She let herself doze as they discussed the risks and benefits of sparing that elf. On another day, she would’ve listened. But Hanna was also indirectly the reason why she was hurt now, so she didn’t much care for her. It was good they’d spared her, but that was that. 

“You saw her?” Heejin’s voice cut through the peaceful atmosphere. It was filled with surprise. 

The question was a reflex. “Who?” Hyunjin asked. 

“Hyejoo.”

The name made her heart twist. She’d often thought she’d been detached when it came to that situation, but whenever the thought of Hyejoo came to mind, she realised how much she missed her. She’d stopped looking for her at the campfire pretty quickly, but it was hard not to think of her when she saw Gowon, Yves, and Chuu sitting at the fire, an obvious vacancy among them. 

“When I left,” Vivi started, “I was running from one of those bright spirits. She fought it and healed the wound I had.” 

“Why didn’t you tell us that when Yerim got hurt? Or Jungeun?” Hyunjin wanted to trust the girl, but if this was only coming into play when she’d gotten hurt, that was a problem. 

“Yerim was healing when I returned. No one thought she was in danger after you’d found her,” Vivi said. “And I didn’t know how to raise the topic of Hyejoo while there was another trial underway. With one of Alluin’s followers present as well.”

“Okay.” She could understand that. “But if Hyejoo can help us, she’ll need to help Jungeun too.” 

“You know her better than I do.” Vivi sounded closer now. “So you’d know if she’d help or not.”

“The Hyejoo I know would,” Hyunjin replied. “You saw the person she is now.”

“You think she’s changed?” The confusion in her voice was plain. There was also a little bit of defensiveness. 

“I don’t know.” She’d never really been a person for change. Not really. Both Heejin and Haseul had matured when the burdens of becoming an elder had been placed upon them. So had Yves, while Chuu had grown more serious for different reasons. Jinsoul had changed since first coming here, having needed to overcome a few prejudices, specifically the ones about Jungeun. And after Hyejoo’s banishment, the change in Gowon couldn’t have been missed. That had been the quickest change. 

“How was she?” Heejin asked then. “When you saw her?”

“Healthy,” Vivi said. “Took to the darkness just as you—we do to light.” 

“And how was she really?” Haseul definitely sounded cautious, but Hyunjin knew she’d be hoping for good news. She wasn’t sure if she’d get it. 

“It looked like she’d actually gotten settled into her situation,” Vivi explained. “But she seemed lonely. And angry.” 

It wasn’t surprising, but it still hurt to hear. 

“She knew I was tied to the moon,” she continued, “but still helped me when that spirit was after me. She took the light too.” A pause. “I’m almost certain she’d help you if you came to her.” 

“If we came to her,” Haseul repeated. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Heejin sounded defensive this time. 

Hyunjin squeezed her hand. 

Her tone softened. “Do you think she wouldn’t help the rest?”

“Could we really blame her if she didn’t?” Haseul asked, sounding far away. “What happened wasn’t anything a person could ever forgive.” 

“One thing at a time,” Vivi said then. “This will be the first time you see her. You’ll see if she’s changed or not, how much if she has, and if she’d still want anything to do with the rest of you.” 

That left all of them quiet. Hyunjin liked how Vivi had reduced the situation to a few points. She also didn’t like it, because she didn’t know how to think of a response. 

Then again, maybe that was how she’d have to reassure Heejin. If this didn’t work, she’d definitely have to. 

“You think this is the right choice?” Vivi asked. Hyunjin was sure she was asking Heejin. 

“Yeah,” Heejin said. “And if it could save her, we have to try.”

“And with me not telling you sooner?” The hesitance was back. It was like Vivi expected to be berated by Heejin. It wouldn’t be impossible.

“I think you had a good reason for it,” she replied. 

“Really?” Vivi didn’t even hide the surprise in her voice. Hyunjin was shocked too, but a part of her started feeling proud. More warmth came then. “I trust you,” Heejin continued. “You had a good reason.”

Then she felt Heejin’s hand shift. For a moment, she thought she was going to let go. Heejin laced their fingers together instead. The last time they’d held hands like this had been years ago. Before the bond between Heejin and Priad had been revealed. Of course it had. 

Hyunjin felt her mood sour. She also felt the urge to pull her hand away. The only people there were Vivi and Haseul. She didn’t have to let go. 

So she didn’t. At least not this time. 

______

The sight was back. Choerry might’ve missed it, but she wished it had stayed away. 

It hadn’t helped Hyunjin. The spirit’s presence had come too late for that—for all the people with the sight. 

She’d only been able to watch how Hyunjin’s path had disappeared a second time. She could now see just how faint Jungeun’s path still was. 

“Were we not supposed to go?” Yeojin was looking at her, the hurt evident in her face. 

Haseul had said it was better if they kept the group small. Neither Yeojin nor Choerry had wanted to stay behind, but they’d needed to. 

“We can’t risk them finding her,” Choerry replied. 

That got rid of any plan Yeojin might’ve had. Choerry watched her shoulders deflate and the disappointment take over. 

“I don’t know yet,” she started, hoping she’d be able to reassure her, “but we’ll be able to see her.” 

“Unless she leaves,” Yeojin muttered. 

“Then we could follow her.” 

She frowned. “You wouldn’t leave here.” 

Choerry shrugged. “It’s not exactly leaving. We’d be doing what Binnie and Dami do. We’d come back.” She didn’t think Jungeun or Jinsoul would be able to stand her leaving. She also didn’t want to ever leave them. They were as good as family—better than family. 

Yeojin didn’t look convinced. “Then why didn’t we do that sooner? Why didn’t you?”

“I didn’t know if she’d want to see me,” she replied. She remembered how relieved she’d been to finally see Hyejoo again. “We still don’t know if she wants to see us.”

She just nodded, before sighing. “I get it,” she said. “We’re a reminder that she can’t come back. And what she doesn’t have.” She looked up to the sky and scowled. “I hate this.” A piece of moonlight appeared in her hands. She stabbed it into the ground. Then her eyes widened. “This doesn’t hurt you, right?”

Choerry laughed. “I’m not connected to the ground like that.” Then she glanced up at the moon. “But we don’t know if hitting that would hurt you—us.”

Yeojin looked at her, the scowl softening. “Do you still feel like you’re not Astra?”

“What?” It was a pointed question, one she’d grappled with for a while. “I do.”

“But you still think of it like there’s a ‘you’ and ‘us’,” she said. “It’s still a reflex for that to be distinct.” She didn’t look distrustful like before. She didn’t look as sad either. It looked like she just wanted to know. 

So Choerry didn’t reply immediately. When she’d first come here, she’d thought she’d never be a part of the Astra. She’d never thought they’d let her in, so she’d decided that she wouldn’t even try. 

She’d been told that Jinsoul had been like that in the beginning too. She hadn’t even wanted anything to do with Jungeun. Choerry had been the opposite. She’d stayed near both of them, even though she’d not wanted to speak. She hadn’t wanted the Astra knowing any more about her than they needed to. She’d wanted to stay a stranger. 

But the others hadn’t let her. Jungeun and Jinsoul had gotten her out of that shell, Hyunjin and Hyejoo had come next. And then they’d brought her into the fold. 

Over the years, Choerry had needed to see that the moon’s light had ensured that she’d always been a part of the Astra. Even if some Astra still struggled to justify that, Jungeun, Jinsoul, and her were all still Astra. Vivi was Astra, as was Hyejoo, even if she hadn’t gotten the moonlight. It was either the light that made you one, or the place you called home. Choerry had finally gotten to the point where the Astran camp was her home. 

“I thought there was a difference,” Choerry said. “I didn’t want to belong here, because it meant I didn’t belong with my family anymore.” She still missed them. They visited the different elves often. They’d also visit Vivi’s family when the time came. “But I don’t feel that way. Haven’t for a while.”

Yeojin nodded. She looked between the ground and her. Choerry was used to her being either fiery with enthusiasm or something close to irritation, or anger. Now she just seemed subdued, thoughtful. 

“I remember when you first got here,” Yeojin said. “But not really the way you acted.”

“I didn’t talk to any of you,” Choerry chuckled, “of course you didn’t know what I was like.”

“Still,” she shook her head, “I didn’t try. 

“You didn’t have to.” And as far as she knew, she wouldn’t have been all that welcoming to Yeojin. 

“But after that too,” Yeojin sighed, “I just saw you as someone who smiled a lot. I barely thought about what you’d been through. That you had to leave your home.”

“Jungeun and the others did the same.” 

“I know,” she said. “But that never really sank in. I just thought it was hard, because we didn’t acknowledge it at first.” Her orange eyes closed. “And it was that, but also the rest of it came into that. It’s like what Vivi’s going through too, right?”

Choerry nodded. It felt strange listening to Yeojin spill her thoughts this way. She was used to those thoughts coming out on impulse, but not like this. 

“I’m sorry for that.” Yeojin looked at her. “I’m really sorry that I’m just realising that.” 

“It’s okay,” she said. 

Again, she shook her head. “No it isn’t. It’s that thinking that made Jungeun’s first years here . It’s what made you, Jinsoul, and the others not want to be here. It’s what Vivi’s got now, and it’s like we haven’t changed.”

“But you realise that,” Choerry told her. “Not many were before. Things’re getting better now. They will get better.” Maybe not to the point where Hyejoo could come back, if she even wanted to, but the rest of the Astra would accept Vivi and any others who weren’t fully elven. 

And if Yeojin and others like her were seeing where things had gone wrong, maybe they’d get to the point where others wouldn’t be rejected. That would include the people who didn’t get the moon’s blessing. She hoped it would also include the ones who got the opposite. 

______

Olivia’s stomach twisted when she felt the light. Both the pure light of Astrans and the sickly light of bright spirits. She wanted to turn away. She wanted to run away. 

But she forced herself to stay where she was. She forced herself to look into the light of those people. 

And then she recognised them. All tension faded. Confusion took its place. Why was Viian leading them here? Why did one of them only have darkness and corrupted light? And what had happened to take Haseul away from camp? The thought of seeing Olivia? 

She also recognised the grey shadows of fear in them. It was the strongest in Heejin. She also had the darkness of anger, as did Haseul and the third person Olivia couldn’t recognise. Except that person’s anger wasn’t her own, but Alluin’s. The anger in Heejin and Haseul was their own. How could they have gotten so much in the past years? Not even Viian had that much. The half-elf had a fair amount of darkness, but in the way that Jungeun and Haseul had always had—darkness from years of fighting. That darkness wasn’t anger, nor was it hatred. 

Her feet started moving. How would it be to see them again? She’d already seen Yerim and Jungeun. She’d barely had the choice of seeing them or not. They’d needed her help. 

She had the choice now, didn’t she? She could disappear and then run off. They wouldn’t find her. Alluin might, but she doubted they’d be able to. Alluin had said that the sight of the seers wasn’t fully accustomed to people like them. She could hide. 

But whoever that fourth person was, they did need her help. 

And she could always run after that. 

Still, she let the shadows close around her as she walked. 

As she got closer, she could hear them speaking. 

“How am I supposed to know how much a spirit can take?” Viian was asking. 

“You learn how much you have to use,” Heejin replied. “Some people still use too much, but if you’re lucky, that’s either not absorbed, or you can take it back before it is.”

“But you haven’t quantified it?” 

A chuckle. It came from Haseul. “No one has to. It’s something that comes with experience.” 

“But wouldn’t it be more efficient if you knew exactly how much you could use? How much you had with you?” 

Now Olivia could see them. Haseul had cut her hair short to just above her shoulders. She could see the fatigue in her eyes, but there was something tender about the way she looked at Viian. 

Heejin stood beside a floating piece of rock. It was about the size of a person—no, it held a person. The fourth one Olivia couldn’t recognise. The person who’d been poisoned by light. 

“We went over this with Darie—I mean, Dahyun, one time,” Haseul told her. “She said we should figure out how much the moonlight we had weighed and maybe base some calculations off it. I asked her if she knew exactly how much of one emotion she had.” 

“Did she know?” Viian sounded hopeful. 

“No,” she replied. “But she told us she tries to find the answer to that every month and that we should do the same.”

Olivia was close enough that she could see Viian deliberating over that. She could also see the tenderness in Haseul’s gaze, as well as the humour in Heejin’s eyes, despite the girl still looking worried, and close to exhaustion. She was holding the hand of the person in the stone.

She pulled herself away from the shadows. She watched the surprise enter all three of their faces.  

“You shouldn’t start with that,” Olivia said. “Otherwise you’ll be spending centuries on something you don’t need.” 

Viian’s brow furrowed. She opened , as if to reply. Then she looked to the other ones around her and the confusion on her face vanished. She took a step back. 

“Hyejoo.” Heejin sounded as if the breath had been knocked from her lungs. Her eyes were wide, but they shone. 

“Hyejoo?” The voice was muffled by the rock. “You’re really here?” It was Hyunjin. 

Then someone engulfed her in a tight hug. Olivia recognised them immediately. The subtle scent of jasmine and the all-encompassing embrace gave it away. 

Olivia felt herself relax into Haseul’s arms. “Hi.” 

Haseul laughed, pulling her closer. “I always hoped I’d see you, but I almost didn’t think I would.”

“Me neither,” she admitted. Until she’d seen Yerim and Jungeun. That’d made this seem more possible. 

But seeing Haseul, Hyunjin, and even Heejin—it made it real. 

“Why’re you here?” Olivia asked. “What happened to Hyunjin?” 

Haseul pulled away. Tears were trickling down her cheeks. Olivia had rarely seen her cry. She immediately dabbed at them with her sleeve. 

“We were attacked by two bright spirits,” Heejin said. “One went for me, but Hyunjin stopped it.” Some of the shadows around her surged. A new type of darkness, one Olivia hadn’t seen much of. Guilt. 

Olivia nodded. Then she went over and pulled Heejin into a hug. She hadn’t given a hug in a while. Now she was. Someone from the Astra at that. 

Heejin hugged her back, almost stronger than Haseul had. 

“I missed you,” she said. “So much.”

“Same here,” Olivia admitted. 

When she pulled away, she looked at the rock surrounding Hyunjin. She could faintly make out thin strands of yellow in her light. It wasn’t enough. She didn’t know what happened to people in this state, but she didn’t want to find that out. 

“Come on,” she said. “We’ll go to a place without any light.” She poked Hyunjin’s palm once. “Then I’ll make sure you can actually be in the moonlight.”

______

Chuu stared at the ground. One path stood out to her. It was the path that called out to her most of all. It crossed hers perfectly. No matter where she moved, it would still cross hers. It was inevitable. 

She walked deeper into the forest, maintaining the glow of her skin. She wasn’t supposed to risk being exposed to another spirit, but the next hour was going to be important. Maybe it would be more than that. Or less. 

She’d seen the path of that bright spirit too late. She’d shouted out the warning too soon. It hadn’t mattered, but she’d said it. Sooyoung had been beside her too. She’d looked bewildered. 

And then exactly what Chuu had said had come about, with the other seers recognising that change as well. 

Sooyoung knew now. Or she had a very good idea. Either way, she was going to confront Chuu about it soon. 

And she dreaded it. 

She found a decently sized stone and sat down. Her head found her hands. She found some comfort in just closing her eyes. Even if she only saw paths behind them, at least she didn’t have to look at the actual world. It had always been overwhelming growing up. Her only solace had been sleep. And even that had given her occasional visions. It was often something happening elsewhere in the world, so often related to the lives of mortals. She’d seen kings fall in battle, nobles poisoned at meals, while soldiers were struck down in waves. 

Whenever she woke from a vision, she was relieved to only be in the present. Even if she still saw paths, it was better than being submerged in the future. 

“Did you know I was coming?” Sooyoung’s voice wasn’t cold, but it didn’t hold any warmth either. 

“Yeah,” Chuu replied, knowing her voice was muffled by her hands. She didn’t dare look up. 

“And that the spirit was going to attack?” The accusatory edge in those words hurt to hear. 

“Too late,” she said. “There was a lot already happening. The change in Hyunjin’s path came suddenly. And with the darkness she had, I hadn’t been able to see her path well in the first place. The same for Jungeun.” The words spilled from . In a way, it was a relief to be able to talk about it so freely. It also was far from freeing, when she knew that Sooyoung was stuck in a spiral. She probably felt betrayed, each subsequent mention of Chuu’s sight feeling like a stab. 

“That’s how you knew they were in danger. Her, Yerim, and Yeojin,” Sooyoung was closer now, “right?” 

Chuu’s eyes were burning. She was glad she was covering her face. Whatever happened now, she didn’t want Sooyoung seeing her cry. That would make her feel guilty. And that was far from the truth. All of this was Chuu’s fault. She was the one who’d lied. 

“Yes,” Chuu said. “Their paths were going home, they looked fine.” She still remembered the dread—the panic. “And then they started fading. Hyunjin’s was gone. Then Yerim’s vanished too.”

“Because she knew Hyunjin was going to die,” Sooyoung said. “Because she’s a seer too.”

She felt ice trickle down her back. 

Chuu lifted her head. “What?”

Sooyoung held her gaze, her expression unreadable. “When you started going on patrol with Jungeun and her, there had to be something else. Now I know why.”

Something in her felt weak. She felt her shoulders droop. She looked away from Sooyoung. There wasn’t a path that led away. Not yet. 

“When did she get the sight?”

“After Hyejoo was banished,” Chuu said. “She was out on patrol and it overwhelmed her. She came to me then.” 

Sooyoung was quiet for a few seconds. Then, “so Jungeun and Jinsoul know too.”

Her heart sank further. “Jinsoul only found out recently.”

“They lied to her too?” There was a clear bite in her voice. 

The words stung. 

“She was scared,” Chuu said. “Jinsoul hated seers.” Just like you sometimes do, she thought. 

“That’s why you never said anything?” Sooyoung asked. “You were scared?” The calm in her voice was falling away. “You kept it a secret from all of us. What if you knew something that could help us?” 

Surprisingly, Chuu felt angry. Was it because she was defensive? “If I could help—properly help—I did,” she said, getting to her feet. Now she forced herself to look Sooyoung in the eye. “I told Jungeun if I knew someone was in danger. Or Eline, because sometimes she hadn’t been looking at the same paths.” I tried to follow if she wasn’t there, she thought. And I tried to lead us in the right direction each time. 

“You told them,” Sooyoung repeated. “Just like that?” 

“Eline and Jungeun are the only ones who know,” she replied. “Both can act better than I can once I’ve seen what’s coming.” 

“We could’ve found Hyejoo sooner,” Sooyoung hissed. “You would’ve known where she went, right?” 

She had. She didn’t reply. 

“Did Eline forbid it?” she asked. “And you thought those rules were more important? More important than keeping Hyejoo from hurting others? From making everything worse?” 

“She didn’t know.” Chuu shook her head. “We never looked, because there was never a time for it.”

Sooyoung scoffed. “And you can tell that too?” She stepped forward. “Did this conversation have the right time?” 

“Yes.” But she wasn’t sure if what followed would be in either of their favours. “To look for Hyejoo before would’ve been to find her at her very worst,” she said. “And whatever risk we’d had when we actually sought her out would’ve become a definite threat.” She let that sink in. “We both know we’d deserve that.” 

The other elf winced. 

“Instead, when she saw me, she ran away.” Chuu sighed. “And the first people she talked to were Jungeun and Yerim. Now the others are going to her, Hyunjin’s hurt. She’ll help her.”

“And you know that?” Sooyoung raised a brow. “You know they’re safe?”

“Not yet.”

A long pause. The more seconds that passed, the worse Chuu was feeling. She’d dreaded this moment for years. Now that it was here, it felt worse than the rest. Sooyoung wasn’t screaming at her. She wasn’t outright calling her a liar either. She was just asking these questions, a mixture of anger and hurt in her eyes. 

And Chuu could still see the bond that stretched between them. Its light hadn’t flickered once. 

“Why’d you let Jungeun find out?” 

“I couldn’t not,” Chuu told her. “Yerim told her what she was seeing. What else was I supposed to do?”

“Give her an excuse!” Her red eyes glittered with anger. Surprisingly, it didn’t make Chuu want to shrink away. “You always did that with us. Every time something seemed a little too convenient. You told them way before you told any of us.” Her voice quieted. “You never told Chaewon. You never told me.” A pause. “Why?” A crack showed in the anger.

Chuu was lost. How could she explain it? Without falling into a misunderstanding she’d have difficulty manoeuvring away from? 

Sooyoung was still looking at her, both still angry, but also asking her to say something. 

So Chuu looked for what she could say. Then she spoke. “It was always supposed to be a secret. For a long time I thought the sight was a curse and then it became a cage.” 

She looked up to the sky. That always helped. There’d be no trees illuminated to show her path. Up above were only stars, clouds, or nothing. Sometimes the moon came into that view, but she turned away then. 

“Why tell you of something I didn’t want to think about?” Chuu asked. “You’d ask me questions, though only out of curiosity, and I’d answer, dwelling on what may or may not come, rather than what was and is.” 

“You could’ve told me you didn’t want that,” Sooyoung replied. “And I would’ve never asked.” 

“You would’ve been stuck questions that would never be answered,” Chuu smiled, “and that’s exactly what you hate.” It was then that she realised Vivi and Sooyoung would get along well. If today didn’t end a catastrophe, she’d work on getting that. 

She also realised that she had to say something else—that she had to be completely honest. 

“There’s another thing,” Chuu began. She felt the dread build up in her. She was torn between looking at her and avoiding her gaze. Her gaze was too insistent, too filled with emotion. “The moon bound us. It was before Heejin’s bond showed itself.” She remembered how terrified she’d been. She’d dreaded the day the elders would reveal it. She hadn’t ever wanted Sooyoung to know. The beauty she’d found in other people had been admirable. She’d fallen for them, so often unconditionally. Chuu had never wanted her to think she had to bow to the moon. 

And the elders had never announced it. Chuu still didn’t know why. She’d asked Eline once. The response had been that they wouldn’t have revealed it. 

“How long?” Sooyoung sounded quiet again. 

“More than a century,” she said. “Halfway to two? 

“You’ve known all that time.” Her voice was too level. “And expected what to happen?” 

“Expected?” Chuu found it in herself to look up. That anger was back. “I expected nothing. If I’d ever wanted that, I would’ve told you.” She knew that came out wrong. She’d felt something for Sooyoung before the bond had come. 

“I wonder why I never felt at home with the rest,” Sooyoung began, “and why that feeling was only ever with you.” Her eyes hardened. “You could’ve told me. This could’ve all made sense.” 

“It’s not as if the light binds us forever,” Chuu protested. Her eyes weren’t burning anymore. That surprised her. 

She frowned. “That’s exactly what it is.” She looked as lost as she did angry. Chuu wished she wasn’t the reason for that, but she was. 

“It doesn’t have to mean anything,” she said. “It’s our actions and feelings that’ll mean something.” She didn’t mention that she’d let her own actions turn Sooyoung further away from her. She didn’t mention how she’d tried to fight against the bond, desperately trying to never to strengthen those feelings. “So we just let the light exist until it fades. And it will,” she said. It just hasn’t yet. Not even now, when you could so easily hate me. 

Sooyoung blinked. “You want it to fade?”

No, Chuu thought. “It seems to be the better option.” 

Her eyes widened. “What?”

Was she surprised that Chuu would say she wasn’t an option for her? Was she surprised that Chuu would doubt the moon? She wasn’t sure. 

Chuu just nodded. “You never wanted to be bound to anyone,” she said. “And you never respected seers. You also hate liars.” She shrugged. “Wouldn’t it be better if you weren’t bound to one?”

Sooyoung didn’t reply. The hurt was still there. The anger was too, even if it’d been dampened by everything else. 

“I need to go,” Chuu said. “I was on guard.” 

As she walked off, Sooyoung didn’t say a thing. She didn’t move either, if Chuu’s ears were to be believed. 

Chuu let out a long breath. She’d feared Sooyoung learning of this, but now she knew. There was some peace to be found in that. She’d worry about what followed later. After she’d finished guarding the camp. 

______

Heejin watched as the sickly light coursed through Hyunjin’s skin and towards Hyejoo’s hands. She heard a sharp intake of breath. Hyejoo’s fingers turned a pale yellow and they tensed up. 

“You can give me some,” Heejin said. 

“No,” Hyejoo shook her head, “it’s just a brief pain.” She pulled her hands away. The strange yellow light had spread to her wrists. 

Then the skin turned black, as though she’d dipped her hands in ink. Hyejoo sighed, the tension leaving her body. 

“Is it all gone?” Hyejoo asked, her voice heavy. 

Hyunjin sat up, the rock around her crumbling with gentle cracks. She was pale, but no light flickered in her skin. Her eyes weren’t that weird shade of yellow. “It’s gone” she croaked. “I—oh!”

Heejin had pulled her into her arms. Her skin was cool, no longer that strange warmth from before. 

Hyunjin chuckled and returned the hug. Her grip was weak. 

Heejin closed her eyes, trying to warm her as best she could without giving her moonlight. And she needed Hyunjin to be as close as possible, where she could hear her breathing, feel her heartbeat. 

Vaguely, she heard the others leave the cave. She silently thanked them. She’d thank them again. After this. 

“Heekie,” she began. Finally that name. “I think I’m—”

“Wait,” Heejin tightened her grip, “wait.” 

Hyunjin was silent. In the next few moments, it turned into Hyunjin holding her. Another low laugh. “Don’t cry. I’m okay.” 

“That’s what you said last time.” 

“This time I mean it.” A soft kiss was pressed to the top of her head. Another thing she hadn’t felt in years. “Thank you.” 

Heejin shook her head. “Viian and Hyejoo saved you.” 

“You trusted her.” A longer kiss was pressed to her temple. 

Her chest tickled at the contact. How long had it been since Hyunjin had done anything remotely like this? 

Too long. 

“I didn’t have a choice,” Heejin said. 

“Maybe,” Hyunjin murmured. “But you can be stubborn even when you have no other options.” 

“Not for this,” she shot back. “Not for you.” Had she let her pride rule over her, Hyunjin would still be suffering. She might have even died. It was because of her that Hyunjin had gotten hurt in the first place. Because she’d let everything build, because she couldn’t control her anger. 

She closed her eyes and rested her head on Hyunjin’s chest. The girl’s heart beat slowly, weakly still, but it was beating. 

A hand combed through her hair. “If you want to sleep, give me a warning.” 

“I won’t sleep,” Heejin replied. “I just need to know you’re here.” With me. 

“You know,” she could hear Hyunjin’s smile, “I’ll still be here if we start walking back.” 

“I know.” 

“And we should go outside. There’s people I need to thank, and someone I need to hug.” Her arms tightened around Heejin. “After that I won’t leave your side.” 

Heejin smiled. “Promise?” She looked up to see Hyunjin’s eyes were starting to reclaim their glow. They really were beautiful. 

“I promise,” Hyunjin whispered. 

Heejin wanted to lean in, but she caught herself. They were far from that. Whatever closeness Hyunjin allowed herself to have would vanish. 

Hyunjin pressed a kiss to her forehead then. Her lips were cool against her skin. “Help me up.” 

Heejin didn’t want to let go, but she pulled her arms away, only going back to take the other’s hands. 

Hyunjin began to stand, but her legs were shaky. Heejin tried her best to steady her as she pulled her up. When they were standing, she wrapped an arm around the other’s waist. 

“This is where she’s been living,” Hyunjin murmured. Her eyes searched the cave. “Alone.” 

“I know,” Heejin said. The space had clearly gotten some pieces to it to make it more comfortable, but it was still a cave. 

They went outside then, spotting Haseul, Viian, and Hyejoo sitting together at the edge of the plateau. None of them were speaking. 

“Hyejoo,” Hyunjin rasped. It sounded painful and Heejin cringed. Hyunjin gave her shoulders a squeeze before letting go. 

Hyejoo stood, turning, her eyes both hesitant and hopeful. What was going through her head? Seeing them after so many years. Having to help them, despite not speaking a word to them in those years. 

“How’re you feeling?” Hyejoo asked. Her voice was quiet, careful. 

“I’m not burning and I’m not sick.” Hyunjin went forward then, her steps slow and unsteady, but Hyejoo met her halfway. 

Heejin watched as the tension left Hyejoo’s body and she buried her face into Hyunjin’s neck. 

“Thank you,” Hyunjin said. “Thank you for agreeing to help. You didn’t have to.” 

“I had to,” Hyejoo muttered. “Viian said it attacked you in camp?” 

Once, she would’ve called it ‘home’. 

“Yep, in the day time too,” she replied. 

“And a bright spirit.” Hyejoo pulled away. There were tears in her eyes. “I don’t know what’s been happening,” she frowned then, “has anyone else been hurt?”

The words shouldn’t have had such an impact, but Heejin felt her chest tighten then. Hyejoo was still worried about the others. That didn’t mean she’d forgiven them or didn’t hate them, but she wouldn’t turn them away. 

“Yes,” Heejin said. She didn’t explain the extent of it. “And the other kind have become more aggressive and harder to convert.” 

When she looked at Hyunjin, she saw her looking at Hyejoo with a strange expression. It vanished soon after, replaced by rapt attention as she listened to her. 

Hyejoo nodded once. “So that’s why they started looking for me.” 

Hyunjin froze. “What?”

She looked between them blankly. “I thought you knew about the searches.” She glanced at Viian. “Didn’t you?”

The pink-haired girl shook her head. “We never got to that.” 

Heejin tried to quell her anger. “They’re blaming you?”

“It’s their theory,” Hyejoo shrugged, “but they can never find me, so most ended up giving up.” 

And she’d let them find her. She trusted them. Still. 

So much of the past years flew back at Heejin. The anger, the guilt, and how much she’d missed her. It struck her like a slap. 

Her eyes burned again. It was a wonder that she still had tears left to shed. 

Within seconds, a pair of arms had gone around her. Not Hyunjin’s or Haseul’s, but someone who smelled just like the cave they’d left. Someone who was just muscle and bone now. Someone whose skin was naturally cool. 

Heejin returned the hug. Maybe with more force than she should’ve. 

Hyejoo huffed a laugh. “You’re going to crush me. Almost did earlier too.” 

“Sorry.” She loosened her grip. “I missed you,” she said again. It was far from everything she wanted to say, but it was at least a piece of it. 

“I missed you too.”

“I’m sorry we didn’t come to look for you sooner.” 

“I wasn’t in this country.” Hyejoo patted her head. “And I don’t think you would’ve been allowed to.” 

“That doesn’t matter,” Heejin said. “I don’t care about what they’ll let us do.” She pulled away to look her in the eyes. Hyejoo’s eyes had gotten darker. They lacked the flickers of light from before. They were also more sunken. “I should’ve looked for you.”

A small smile appeared. “You’ve seen me now.” 

Heejin wanted to say something else. She wished she could ask her to come back. She wished she could stay with her, even if it meant sleeping in that cave. She wanted to know everything about the years that had passed. She wanted to know how she was. 

More than anything, she didn’t want to leave her alone again. But they were expected to come back. Hyejoo was supposed to stay far away. If they thought she was responsible for the spirits, there was no telling how she’d be treated. 

“So you have spirits as companions now?”

The smile grew. “One. Ikopar.” She raised her head, before hesitating. “Don’t be afraid. You’ll be safe. I promise.” Her eyes were tender. 

“We trust you,” Haseul said. Her green eyes were glassy. Heejin knew she felt many of the same things she did. 

Hyejoo nodded. Then something rippled in the forest. A dark green wolf bounded up at the edge of the ledge. Had it just appeared or actually jumped? It had light green eyes. They seemed familiar. They weren’t cold. Nor was the green around it. 

The spirit then sat down at Hyejoo’s heels. It looked between them, remaining where it was. 

“He’s very different from the ones who attack,” Hyejoo said. “I don’t know how to describe it, but I can feel the differences.” She frowned. “He attacked when I was in the west as a bright one. There was a spirit with him, but that one didn’t come along. He followed me all the way over here.” 

“And he doesn’t forget?” Heejin felt strange ascribing a gender to the spirit, but Hyejoo said it naturally. Could she sense that as well? If these spirits originated from humans, then they probably had a gender. It made sense. 

She shook her head. “Some of the spirits I’ve turned will fight with me, even if the other spirit is dark. They can somehow sense the difference. They don’t attack bright spirits unless they’ve attacked me directly.” 

Heejin watched as Hyejoo crossed her arms. Along her wrists were bite marks. Something else that shouldn’t have been happening, but it had: physical harm. Hyunjin would have the same markings. 

“Does it happen often?” Hyunjin asked. “The attacks?”

A shrug. “If often is a few times every month, then yes, but time goes so slowly for me.” She looked over at the fire. “So ‘often’ becomes rare.” 

Heejin saw the edge of loneliness in her eyes. She saw a maturity that could only be born from solitude. She hated that Hyejoo had needed to grow without them. 

“The day will come soon,” Hyejoo said. “You need to get back.” 

“We’ll come again.” Haseul went over, putting a hand on her shoulder. 

“Maybe,” she smiled, “or I’ll move along.” A sigh. “If more get hurt, then more will look for the cause, which I don’t think I am,” another frown, “but I keep feeling like the dark spirits are familiar. If you look closer, you’ll feel the same thing with me. But I don’t know about the light ones.”

“You’re not the cause,” Heejin said. Her voice sounded certain to her ears. She hoped they would to Hyejoo’s. “How should you be able to cause this and solve it all in one?” She urged Hyejoo to look at her. “What you can do, it helps, it heals,” she said. “That’s very different to the spirits of corrupted darkness and light.” 

Hyejoo only nodded. “I wouldn’t dismiss it.” She looked down at her hands. “I hardly know what I can do. I only know I can heal because of Vivi.” She smiled at said girl. She then gave each of them a tight hug. “So if another does get hurt, try to find me.” After she’d let go of Heejin, she sat down in front of the fire. “I hope I’ll be there.”

______

Author's Note

So I'm very much in the middle of being busy, so this chapter came a bit later than planned. However, it was a really important one to get to. I also had a lot of fun writing some of the scenes, especially the reunion. I tried to keep things balanced when it got more serious, like Sooyoung finding out that Jiwoo is a seer was countered with Hyejoo and the rest. 

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Would really love to know what you thought. Thank you all for the support of this story. We're at 100 subscribers, which makes me extremely happy! Whenever I read your comments, it makes me so happy to see that people are invested in this story. At times I know it can be a lot, but that you're still with this story is wonderful to me. 

See you in the next chapter!