“Kim Minjoo, heir to House Kim, will you swear your loyalty as the Royal Spirit Guide to the Kwon Kingdom?” One of the royal Guidemaster placed his staff upon Minjoo’s left shoulder. Minjoo stayed quiet for a short time, making people wonder what she was doing. She lifts her head and shakes her head from side to side.

“I refuse.” Gasps rang out in the conference room. Minjoo’s grandmother, who was watching from the stands made no moves to do anything. It was as if she was anticipating Minjoo’s response. The royal Guidemaster’s eyebrow twitch was imperceptible but Minjoo had seen it from her position up close. She could feel her own lips itching to twitch up into a smirk but kept it neutral for it was not socially appropriate to be smirking in the middle of the ceremony.

Minjoo continued, lifting her hand to brush off the staff on her shoulder, “I wish to complete the Sojourn that all Guides must go through to become a true Spirit Guide. Therefore, I must decline, honorable Guide.”

Whispers broke out in the room. The royal Guide raises his hand to silence them. “Indeed, all Guides complete their own Sojourn to be full-fledged Spirit Guides. However, you have displayed exceptional talent at the academy, along with your rare familiar.” He nods at the girl standing a few meters away from where Minjoo was kneeling. The girl looks disinterested at what was happening, tapping her feet in an effort to keep from bolting out of the room. “We are in need of talented Guides now more than ever. I’m sure you’ve heard the news about the...veil.”

Minjoo rises to her full height, looking the man in the eye. Whether this was a disrespectful gesture or not, the people watching were already engrossed in this situation which was unconventional in so many ways. A young Guide was rejecting one of the highest positions in the land. A story for the front cover of the newspaper.

“All the more reason for me to complete my Sojourn. As you have said, I am talented and I should be sharing this talent with the people of the world. Isn’t that the cornerstone of what Guides do? Helping the people?”

Flustered, he turns to her grandmother in an effort to sway the girl, but he is met with cold eyes. The grandmother stands from her seat, leisurely strolling towards the exit. “Madam Kim! Where are you going?”

“My grand-daughter has made her decision and as a Guide, Kyung, you know that you cannot force a Guide into submission. We Guides are autonomous, as it has been for thousands of years. We do not serve the human race alone.”

The doors to the conference room slam shut at Madam Kim’s exit, engulfing the room in a deafening silence. Minjoo turns around with a smile on her face. She beckons the other girl standing behind her to follow.

“There you have it, Guidemaster. I shall be taking my leave.” Minjoo bows, almost comically given the situation and skips out the door. Her companion gives one last look at the gaping Guidemaster before mockingly bowing the same way.

--

“I ing hate humans.” Minjoo says once the door to her bedroom is shut behind her. Her companion chuckles and grabs the nearest chair to sit down on.

“Well, you can finally leave this place and do whatever you want. No more pesky humans who only want to use your powers for selfish reasons!” Minjoo laughs at the girl and nods her head.

“Yep. We can go anywhere now Chaewon.” Minjoo moves to pull out her briefcase from under the bed frame and opens it. Her staff, clothes, and some money are neatly compartmentalized in the case. She doubted she would need more than this, as Guides are taught to be free of materialistic things. Spirit Guides are the balance in this world. They must not be tied down by anything beyond or behind the veil. Minjoo’s grandmother had drilled that into her head since day one of her training. And yes, Minjoo really took that to heart, considering the fact that her room is nearly empty of personal belongings.

“...Are you really going to be okay with just this much? Your grandmother offered to pay for transportation to each place you will need to visit for the Sojourn.” Chaewon asks, lifting her legs to float comfortably midair. Minjoo turns to the pink-haired girl and tugs at her white haori.

“I don’t want to be dependent on my grandmother. Plus, I’m not worried, Chaewon. I’ll have you with me the whole way, right?” Minjoo gives Chaewon a blindingly bright smile, to which Chaewon simply sighs with a half-smile.

“You definitely are the strangest human I’ve ever met Minjoo.” Chaewon allows her feet to be on solid ground as she opens the door to leave the house. She holds the door open for the Guide-in-training. Minjoo skips past her and twirls around, taking in the fresh air of the outdoors.

Turning back to look at her familiar, no, her soulbound Spirit, the brunette lets out a twinkling laugh, “I’m not like any other human you’ve ever met. After all, I ing hate humans.”

--

The beginning of their journey takes them to a small village on the outskirts of the Kwon territory after hearing stories about spirits going rampant here. The town seemed normal enough, if they ignored the fact that no one is outside even though the day is still bright out. Some curious children tried to look through the window slits but their parents would pull them back in and shut the curtains. Minjoo, in her white long coat with hood and Chaewon in her traditional haori stuck out like sore thumbs.

Giving Minjoo a sidelong glance, Chaewon crosses her arms behind her head as she walks, “You sure coming here was a good idea?” Minjoo chuckles nervously next to her.

“I heard from the academy grapevine that this village has seen frequent spirit attacks in recent years so I figured we hit the problem at the source. Think the chief of this village would be willing to help us?” Minjoo looks around for a building or house of some sort that would lead her to the chief. She tried knocking on a few doors to ask for directions.

“Excuse me, I’d like to know where I can find the chief. I’m Kim Minjoo, from House Kim and I’m a Spirit Guide. I hear there have been some issues with them.” But all she got was either silence or a yell to go away. Minjoo sighs and ruffles her hair in frustration. From the stories that she has heard from her peers and grandmother, Spirit Guides are very well regarded as guardians of the human race. They were always lauded in every place that they visit. People treat her grandmother, who is one of the most influential Spirit Guides ever, like she’s some sort of mythical god. They would probably kiss the ground she walked upon, if they could. So it surprised Minjoo to see the exact opposite reaction to her presence, especially on her first mission.

She is snapped out of her thoughts when Chaewon grips her arm. Chaewon is facing away, out into the forest as she speaks.

“Minjoo, the veins here are very strange. They seem...uneven, for lack of a better word.” it was only then did Minjoo begin to notice the same. Trees were either half grown or dried out. The grass looked like someone had taken a lawnmower and drove it in random patterns. It was all wrong. Very wrong.

“How is this possible? The Kwon territory boasts the most powerful concentration of vein energy. Even if this village is a little far out, it’s still a part of the territory.” Minjoo approaches one of the pulsating veins on the floor and leans down to get a better look.

Just as she was about to reach down to touch it, a voice calls out, “I wouldn’t touch it if I were you. It’s dangerous, even for Guides.” an older man steps out of a small house. “You’re the one they sent from the capital? Come inside and we can talk about the situation.”

The two girls share a look before walking inside together. They take a seat as they watch the old man close the blinds and lock the door. He seemed paranoid, as the rest of the villagers do.

“So what’s going on here?”

The old man sighs, “...We also don’t really know. It started a few years ago. One of the main veins started taking on a weird shape so we called the Spirit Guild to send someone to look at it. But when they arrived, a mass of frenzied spirits appeared out of nowhere and killed the guy. As soon as he died, they went away.”

Minjoo placed a hand on her chin, processing the information she just heard. Based on this, the spirits were specifically waiting to attack the Guide? But why? Guides are more attuned to the nature of spirits compared to other humans, so why?

“Things were actually okay after that. Our crops grew like normal but the land that was reliant on that specific vein was useless now. But then the Guild sent people to investigate the death of that man. And the cycle repeated itself. Guides that come here get killed or chased off if they’re lucky by those frenzied spirits. It’s come to the point where it isn’t safe to go outside and the capital won’t send us any support.”

Chaewon was listening on the side as she peeked through the curtains to assess the condition of the veins. They were in bad shape. Literally and figuratively. Veins are normally straight, glowing lines on the ground but these were twisted and darkened.

“Why haven't the spirits attacked us yet?” Chaewon asks bluntly, not taking her eyes off the veins outside.

“The spirits attack at random times of the day. There hasn’t been any sort of pattern that I could tell you.”

“And their appearance? What kind of spirits?”

“Fae. Or at least, I think they’re fae.”

“Fae?” Chaewon and Minjoo glance at each other. “By any chance, are these fae combined with one another into something red and blobbly looking?”

The old chief nods vigorously.

“Alright, we will see what we can do.”

--

Chaewon and Minjoo step outside into the forest, searching for rogue spirits.

“How could legions be appearing here, especially in fae?” Minjoo says, thinking out loud. Chaewon shrugs. She’s starting to feel tired and annoyed by the sun’s heat so she opts to transform into a small fox and jumps into the hood of Minjoo’s hoodie.

“Lazy bum, hitching a ride.” Chaewon bites into Minjoo’s neck using her small canines. Minjoo winces slightly, feeling ticklish at the tiny fangs. “Anyways, what do you make of this Chaewon?”

Chaewon sits back in the hoodie, contemplating for a moment. “Forest fae almost never turn violent, much less into legions. Something or someone must have corrupted them badly. Perhaps this wasn’t the best choice to begin your Sojourn.” Minjoo chuckles mirthlessly.

“Too late. But we will get to the bottom of this. For the sake of those fae. They must be suffering.” Minjoo has newfound determination in her eyes, something that Chaewon never ceased to be amazed by. Minjoo’s purpose has always intrigued Chaewon. Everything the younger girl did was for the sake of helping spirits instead of humans. It was ironic, considering Minjoo was a human herself.

Before Chaewon could take her thoughts further, dark energy gathered in the air making it difficult for Minjoo to breathe. She immediately collapses to her knees. Chaewon jumps out of her hoodie and transforms back into her human form to catch Minjoo.

“It’s coming.” Minjoo rasps. Chaewon glares into the direction of the fast approaching spirit. She raises her hand in front of her face, as if she were about to put on a mask. Blue flames erupt from her hands and over her body, transforming her into her true form - a soon to be nine-tailed kitsune. Her body was larger than the average dog and her fur was pure white, except at the tips of her pink tails. Chaewon only had two tails at the moment but she was powerful enough to clear the air around them for Minjoo to breathe easier.

The legion approaches, in all of its ugly, red, bloody glory. It only vaguely looked like some forest faes mashed together but their faces and bodies were distorted in a gory manner. It lets out a blood-curling roar and jumps to attack Minjoo. Chaewon intercepts it and releases a blast of blue flames. The legion screams and moves away. Chaewon makes a move to give chase but Minjoo places a hand on her back to stop her.

“Wait. Don’t kill them.” Chaewon growls lowly but Minjoo just grips her fur in warning. With her staff, raised she focuses her energy and shoots out a dark light, hitting the legion head on. The legion stumbles but becomes visibly less aggressive. In fact, Chaewon might even describe it as confused. Spirits tend to react that way to Minjoo’s spirit magic. It’s very...different to say the least. But it’s what made her so powerful and talented beyond her peers.

And that talent right now is calming a legion down, practically unheard of. The legion floats closer but is no longer in an aggressive stance. Instead, it is curious. It makes sounds that seem like 10 voices speaking at once but is indiscernible, even to a spirit like Chaewon.

Minjoo steps closer and the legion makes no moves to attack her. Chaewon stands to the side, ready to intervene if Minjoo gets hurt. “Who is hurting you?”

The legion makes more intelligible sounds before settling down once again. Minjoo raises her palm with that same dark energy swirling around it again. She touches the legion and for a short time, nothing happens.

Then a bright explosion rings out, uprooting flowers and small trees from their spot. When the air clears, Chaewon sees the legion splitting apart into many forest fae that made up the creature. However, unlike most fae, these forest spirits lost their glow, blinking out like a dying light. The fae were barely afloat, in pain. They were all saying different, indiscernible things and they were grabbing their heads, as if to rip them off.

Chaewon transforms back to her human form and places a hand on Minjoo’s shoulder. Minjoo’s eyes shone with worry. “Minjoo.” Chaewon calls softly, knowing that her Guide was about to cry. “Minjoo, you have to perform the sending. It’s the only way to free them of their pain.”

At that, Minjoo’s tears fall freely. She raises a hand to cover , the other going up to wipe the bloody tears falling from the legion’s eyes. The legion stops squirming, leaning into the human’s hand like it was a balm for healing. Chaewon urges Minjoo to bring her staff out and Minjoo complies.

Removing her hand from the legion, the brunette takes a step back. The legion makes a move to follow, but Minjoo shakes her head and asks it to stay in place. It seemed to understand her and does as she wished. Her white staff shone in the sunlight, releasing an energy that encased the legion in a circle with an intricate pattern.

Minjoo began to wave her staff around in a way that only she knows, dancing around the legion with the lightest of steps. The legion began to glow in a holy light, until it started to break into tiny lights. Minjoo continued the ceremony, not caring that her body was beginning to feel the exhausting effects of performing a sending. All she cared about was helping this legion.

It was in moments like these that Chaewon thought Minjoo was absolutely beautiful. Minjoo was very different from her usual clumsy self when she was performing a sending and somehow, it stirred an unidentifiable emotion in Chaewon. It was hard to describe. It didn't make her feel completely sad but also not happy either. Perhaps something closer to pity or sympathy. (But Chaewon knows neither are the case; she knows what each feels like and this wasn’t it.)

Powerful spirits like herself were above emotions, for it was simply a side effect of her vessel, but in times like these, Chaewon finds herself indulging in watching Minjoo in her most beautiful state. To be able to feel this emotion again, to understand it. Chaewon figures that she would eventually get a clear understanding once she gains more tails.

Finally, the grotesque body of the legion fades into a million lights, gathering in Minjoo’s outstretched hand. Once gathered, they form a single butterfly in the human’s palm, wings fluttering. Minjoo brings her palm up to her lips and places a kiss against the butterfly. It flies off towards the sky, never to be seen again.

Minjoo takes a deep breath, the staff slipping from her hand, and her eyes shutting close. She feels her body come to rest on something soft. Opening her eyes blearily, Minjoo is on top of Chaewon in her gumiho form.

The gumiho turns her head to look at her human, “You did well. Rest now.”

The last thing Minjoo hears and feels is the smell of the forest whipping past her as Chaewon brings her away from it all.