It’d happened gradually—Jungeun still didn’t know how it’d happened, but she’d stopped feeling like Jinsoul was judging her every action. 

She still felt as if she had to prepare herself every time she met those eyes, but that dread was a little bit different now. There wasn’t much hostility there, but she couldn’t help but feel intimidated every time she had to meet them. 

That was something Sooyoung found absolutely hilarious, and so did Chaewon and Hyejoo, of course. Jungeun was lucky she hadn’t said it aloud in front of Jinsoul. 

There were some days that things were actually civil with the two of them. If they talked, it’d be about simple things and Jungeun had only ever heard a pointed remark once over the past weeks. 

Things were still impressively awkward, but a little bit better than before. 

It still wasn’t hard at all to see that Jinsoul thought she was only a few steps away from being a complete monster. What was harder to accept was the fact that Jungeun didn’t exactly have anything to say against that. 

And that Jinsoul was right. 

Jungeun had managed to stop thinking that way, at least most of the time. 

It became a lot harder when she was around Jinsoul. 

They were on their way to another patrol. Jinsoul had been catching on pretty quickly. She’d also started becoming friends with Yeri, definitely a good development. For the both of them. 

“Is it hard taking the darkness?” Jinsoul asked. 

Immediately, Jungeun knew where this was going. She’d been hoping that Jinsoul would want to avoid something like that. Many tried too. 

“It depends,” Jungeun said. “Learning it doesn’t take long. It’s actually like trying to use your own magic instead of light.”

“So,” she looked over at her, the lightest of furrows in her brow, “if there’s someone who needs it today, can you teach me then?”

She pretended to think it over. She’d really wished Jinsoul wasn’t the person to want to take the darkness. 

“I asked Haseul and she said the darkness already has to be there,” Jinsoul continued. “But healers don’t train by causing a cut.”

“At least not most of them.” Jungeun shrugged. Then she grimaced, realising what she’d said. “Sorry.”

Surprisingly, she didn’t look bothered. 

“It feels like when a spirit hurts you. It lasts longer too, forcing you to remember memories you wanted to stay buried.”

Jinsoul raised her brow. “I hope you’re not going to start blocking me from that.” A pause. “Ideally, we should’ve been swapping who was taking and when.” 

“Well,” Jungeun focused on the forest floor, “not always.”

“Really?” The doubt there was painfully clear. 

Jungeun nodded. “I just, well,” she still couldn’t look up, “it’s better to have one person at the strongest they can be in that moment, not two people who’re both weaker.”

“That’s called sharing a burden, you know.” Jinsoul’s voice was quiet. 

She could only shrug. “I’ll show you how it works. Some people get used to it, some don’t.”

“What’s the difference?”

“I,” she started, before shaking her head, “I don’t know.”

Jinsoul frowned. She didn’t believe her. Of course she didn’t. 

Jungeun fought a sigh. “It depends on who gets what,” she said. “Someone could know terror well, but at the darkness could unlock their traumas again.” She hoped Jinsoul wouldn’t ask too much more, so she kept saying what she could. “And it doesn’t stop. You’ll either get anger, maybe even hopelessness, or just get right into the memory the next time you,” the words caught in . She’d said too much. 

“The next time you fall asleep,” she finished. “Is that why?” Her frown faded. “Why you don’t sleep?”

Jungeun almost said no. Then she realised that she’d extend this conversation more than necessary if she did. And there were other things she wanted to avoid talking about. 

So she nodded. “Most of the time.” 

Thankfully, Jinsoul actually dropped the subject. She didn’t actually talk anymore. 

It felt weird. Sometimes, Jinsoul would talk a lot, seemingly enjoying it. From what she saw with Yeri, Jinsoul was b with curiosity, but also stories from her time before. Many of them lighthearted. 

Except she wasn’t like that with the Astra. And she didn’t ever really feel the need to fill the silence when she was around Jungeun. 

She didn’t know yet, but it was probably for a good reason. 

Still, Jungeun found it hard to push down her own questions. She still wanted to know more, but she knew full well that Jinsoul wouldn’t want to tell her much of anything. 

But she was still curious. 

With a pang of disappointment, Jungeun kept shut. 

______

Jungeun stood back as Jinsoul knelt beside the girl. 

Don’t push on anything, Jungeun had told her. Just pull.

And if she was right, Jinsoul would see where she landed on the spectrum of people when it came to taking the darkness. 

Jinsoul hoped she’d be able to handle it. 

She sent another smile to the mother, before taking the girl’s hand. Her arm was covered in grey and black shadows. Her skin felt like ice. 

It felt so distinctly wrong that Jinsoul nearly pulled her hand away. 

She forced herself not let go and instead looked right into the light and through to the darkness. 

It felt like being near those spirits. She felt so much at once, not only fear or anger, but also pain—the kind that came from betrayal and loss. It made her think of her father. 

That was when she felt a surge of cold along her hand, grey spindles following that chill. 

She realised that the darkness had been drawn to her. It’d wanted to join what she already held. 

Jinsoul gritted her teeth and pulled. 

A large part of it came easily, but it didn’t feel like light or water. It felt sluggish, bringing with it all the turmoil it’d trapped the child in. 

Just the thought that this small girl had been forced to feel this encouraged Jinsoul to take the rest. 

It was surprising how quickly it came. She hadn’t even needed more than one try to take all of it. 

Was that because taking it had a cost? 

Jinsoul pulled her hand way, only to see the last of the shadows sinking into her skin. She felt heavy. She was starting to feel hopeless too. Anger joined it. 

“Someone’ll be here soon,” Jungeun said. “She won’t have nightmares after that.”

Faces seeped into Jinsoul’s mind at the sound of her voice. The people she’d failed to save. The ones who’d sunk into a stunned stupor, only to jerk away if someone drew near. Others who’d fall into hysterics if they so much as heard the crackle of a fire. 

Jungeun had been the reason for some of that. As had some of the Astra. 

But many others as well. 

Jinsoul didn’t want the girl’s mother catching on, so she walked away. She could barely keep the restlessness from her feet. Her hands wanted to ball into fists, but she didn’t let them. 

This was the darkness. It brought out what had been buried, but like Jungeun had said, it’d come all at once. Jinsoul felt the outrage she still had towards Jungeun. She was also reliving the fear of her first battle, of her first real dive into the ocean. 

Then she heard Jungeun follow. She almost wanted to scream at her the moment she saw her. 

She probably would have if Jungeun had opened . 

Except she just met her eyes once before walking past her. 

It struck her that Jungeun wasn’t ignoring her, but avoiding something else. Maybe the actual blow up? 

They left the town, going long the dirt road. There was farming ground, and Jinsoul could see someone walking among the crops. Were they checking their conditions? It was nearing the end of the year, a bad time for many harvests this side of the world. 

Jungeun was quiet as they walked, two metres off to the side. 

Jinsoul still saw their faces when she looked at her. She saw others too, ones driven mad by the fae, ones whose minds were maimed by spirits. 

“It was easy,” Jinsoul said. “Was it for you as well?”

“Yeah.” She wasn’t looking at her. 

“Easier?”

Jungeun only nodded. 

“How does it find some things sooner than others?” Jinsoul asked. “It latched onto my grief, but everything else was dragged up after.” She knew her words sounded harsh. “What was it with you?”

Jungeun’s steps slowed, but she kept walking. “A lot of things.”

“No surprise there,” she muttered. Before the last word left , she knew she’d gone too far. 

But the fire elf didn’t react much. 

And somehow, that made Jinsoul want to push her further. “And why can you handle it better?” she asked. “You have so much more than I do—than most.”

“A part of it’s practice,” she said slowly. “You get used to it. Eventually.”

There was something she wasn’t telling her. Jinsoul nearly asked. 

“Pull on your light,” Jungeun told her. “Or hold it in your hand. It’ll make it be over faster. You’ll feel better during it too.”

“How does that make a difference to what I already have?” Still, Jinsoul summoned some light. It was harder to do that before, but it still came. Her eye warmed and the ice in her arms eased. 

“It’s stagnant otherwise,” she replied. “This way there’s an actual flow to it.”

“Okay.” She could already feel some of the tension already starting to lessen. 

Jungeun went into the forest, looking around as she did. Then her hair turned blonde again. 

“What’s next?” Jinsoul was glad her voice wasn’t as sharp as before. 

“Hunting,” her left eye turned white, the red crescent prominent, “there’s one nearby too.” A white axe appeared in her hands and her step quickened. 

Jinsoul followed, an eagerness settling into her mind. She wanted to fight. 

And that scared her slightly, but the moment she felt the spirit’s presence, that fear vanished. 

She forced a blade of light into her hands, still not sure what to make of the darkness she’d taken. Instead of simple eagerness, she felt something a lot like bloodlust. 

______

When Jinsoul had come back, she’d all but fallen onto her bedroll. The darkness had drained her, but much of it had faded. 

Its absence left her exhausted. She wasn’t even sure if Jungeun was going to sleep either. She didn’t care to look. 

As she drifted off, no dream came to her, not even a nightmare. 

When she woke, it was night again. The heaviness of her grief was still there, but so much less than before. She wondered if she’d have to go to Nuala. She both wanted to see more of how the Astra’s healers worked, and she didn’t. 

Jinsoul forced herself to get up, clean her teeth and change into something else. Jungeun, of course, wasn’t there. It didn’t even look as if she’d used her bedroll. 

As Jinsoul got dressed into one of the Astra’s pale linens, she took a proper look at the tent. Some others had a tent in the rounded shape like Jungeun did. She wasn’t sure if they were laid out the same and she didn’t know if she’d ever find out. 

Her eyes caught on the table. On it were several maps. 

Jinsoul went over. There were spells for navigation and if someone was travelling a longer distance, they usually used the earth to travel. You didn’t need to know the route you were taking, only the general location. 

The first was a general map of the world, an older one by the way the paper was cracked in several places and how the ink was faded. 

There were a few markings, along with a messy scrawl of Korean, not crosesh. That was strange as well. 

Group four here? She’d circled the bottom part of Africa. 

There were numbers all across different mountain ranges. Were those the number of people Jungeun had sent there? The amount of people she knew of being there? Or just a way of knowing which settlement (or prison) was which? The Warsa were some of the most tightly knit people Jinsoul knew of. They alternated which of their groups would overtake which residents, be they willing or not. Jinsoul knew of only one dispute that’d ended in violence. That’d been in the last three hundred years. 

There were a few other mentions of groups. Jinsoul was sure those meant groups like Sua’s, ones that’d decided to leave the Astra, but still carry out their duties. 

When Jinsoul looked to where her own people had been, she was surprised to find a faint circle around the area. 

Full moon. 

That made her pause. The moon had been waning when Jungeun had come. A full moon must’ve been a week before, maybe more. And Jinsoul’s magic had started to change a month before that, around the time of the new moon. 

Then she remembered that Jungeun had had a horse. She hadn’t travelled through the earth, but if she’d left at a full moon, then she probably wouldn’t have gotten to the camp at the right time. 

It didn’t make a lot of sense. 

Jinsoul felt a small surge of irritation, something she shouldn’t have been feeling at all. 

The darkness. She needed to get rid of it. 

She left the tent, finding that the fire was lit, there was a pot there, but no one else was. 

She peered into the pot to see there was some meet and grilled vegetables. It didn’t take much thought to know that’d been left for her. 

Finding the healing tent wasn’t hard. It was the largest, flanked by stone pillars too. It was another reminder that most elves were relatively ridiculous when it came to making their homes. Fairies too. They were more than capable of making houses, but the tents remained. It was one way of saying that the places they’d found weren’t permanent. Some moved around very often, like most emotional fae, partially because they kept separate from the other fairies. In the past, the Astra had moved around, but they’d settled in Korea for the past few centuries. Why they hadn’t bothered with houses yet still was a mystery. 

Then again, many of Jinsoul’s people had still remained in tents as well. Even the ones who’d been there before they’d come. 

“Was this the first time?” Nuala asked, her eyes flickering from Jinsoul’s arms to her face. 

Jinsoul felt slightly self-conscious. She nodded. 

“You should’ve come here immediately,” she sighed, “it just prolongs your discomfort.” She held out her hand. 

She took it. Warmth came over her in a large wave. Nuala’s eyes glowed even brighter. 

“The solution is to put more light in, direct it,” the healer said. “We can’t do that with people not tied to the moon, but among ourselves we can.” She let go. “It takes some time to finesse it, but you’ll be able to learn it.”

There was an expectance in her voice. 

Jinsoul stiffened at the implication of that. “Does everyone take the time to learn it?” Or was Nuala trying to get her to learn it for another reason? 

Nuala raised an eyebrow. “Only if they go away for a longer time. Otherwise they just come here.”

“Then I’ll be doing the same.” Even as she said it, it felt like a lie. She wanted to know how to direct the light, but somehow Nuala knowing of that, it made her stomach twist. She didn't want to be made responsible for the Astra too. Not yet. 

The healer simply nodded. Then she turned around towards one of the beds. There weren’t that many and only a quarter were occupied. Four of the Astra there were silently crying. The darkness that clung to them was one of grief, or pain. Jinsoul wondered if that was because they’d been struck badly by spirits. 

The one Nuala was tending to was shivering. “The darkness reached her heart. It takes longer to remove that, but we can do that,” she said softly. “But lots of light is also needed.”

Jinsoul nodded once. Then she left, knowing full well that was rude. 

She didn’t want to see Nuala’s patience. She didn’t want to know the different effects of the darkness on them. She didn’t want to hear about how to help them either. 

In the back of her mind, she could see her mother’s gaze, the one that told her she was being immature. 

And she probably was. 

Jinsoul found herself looking for familiar faces, but she found none, save for Hyunjin, but she was sitting at a fire, Heejin by her side. Some others she didn’t recognise were with them as well, but it didn’t look like the two were involved with that conversation. 

She looked away, quite sure that wasn’t any of her business. She felt lucky enough already that she didn’t have anyone among her people she’d loved like that. At least not anymore. 

Some people smiled at her, introducing themselves too. She tried her best to be polite and it wasn’t that hard. Not anymore at least. 

But she managed to stop the conversation before it went on for too long. She preferred it that way. 

Jinsoul made for the river instead. 

She spotted a fire between the trees. 

When she looked into the light, she spotted the people she recognised. Including Jungeun. 

She didn’t go in their direction. There was a reason they’d chosen to be at the edges of camp. 

But going to the river did mean she was going closer than she wanted to. 

At first she only heard distant voices. She could’ve heard what they were saying if she strained her ears, but she didn’t want to. 

Jinsoul focused instead on the flow of the river, the speed at which the water flew between the banks making her smile. 

But as she walked closer, she started hearing the conversation. 

Sooyoung was speaking. “Just look at Nuala, would you say she’s the ideal?”

“If we went by that logic, no one is,” Haseul replied. “Especially not you.” 

There was a sound, then a small screech, followed by a chorus of chuckles. 

“But even if she is that great, that doesn’t change what’s happening now,” Sooyoung said. 

Jinsoul felt uneasy. 

“It just means she’s not usually like that.” Jungeun sounded tired. “And the same thing happened here.”

“That doesn’t mean it’s normal.” It was Haseul again. “And if you won’t do it, then just let us talk to her.”

“No.” A pause. “Don’t even bring it up.” 

“So you’re just going to let her keep treating you like that?” Sooyoung asked. “You want us to let her do that?”

“Can we not talk about this?” Jungeun didn’t sound annoyed, but it seemed like the step that came before that. Jinsoul knew what that looked like now, slightly narrowed eyes and a furrowed brow. 

“We have to,” she shot back. “You’re letting her walk all over you.” 

A long moment of silence followed. 

“She’s right,” a new voice said. It was Hyejoo. “You’re doing all this for her and she isn’t even seeing it.”

“And even if she did, she wouldn’t thank you.” That was Chaewon. 

“It’s not something to be thanked for,” Jungeun said. There still wasn’t an edge to her voice. “And it’s not as if she has to trust me,” she continued. “She doesn’t know any of us.” 

“You haven’t done anything to des—“ 

“Don’t start with that,” she snapped. The first time Jinsoul had heard her being even remotely close to angry.

“Jungeun,” Jiwoo began, "don’t start this again.” 

“Plus,” Chaewon piped in, “all you’ve done is help her.” 

Jinsoul heard Jungeun stand and immediately crouched down by a tree. She was supposed to have been way out of earshot. That was also probably why they'd come out here to eat. 

She heard her sigh, but that was it. 

Jinsoul nearly laughed at herself. Was she expecting Jungeun to mutter her thoughts under her breath? 

She just heard her steps, somewhat heavy, as she left. 

Jinsoul peeked into the light to see she was walking deeper into the forest. The shadow around her wasn’t anger. It was shame. 

“I’m telling her,” Sooyoung suddenly said. 

“No.” Jiwoo sounded defensive. 

“Most of us have killed more people than the murderers in those prisons,” she replied. “She doesn’t get to treat Jungeun like she’s one of them.”

“We should stop talking about this.” Her bubbly counterpart sounded the most serious than Jinsoul had ever heard her. “She might be awake soon. Or Jungeun.” 

“Let her hear it,” Hyejoo grumbled. “Jungeun’ll never say it to her face.” 

They were all quiet after that. 

Jinsoul took that as her opportunity to keep walking to the river. She even cast an illusion over her footsteps to keep them from being heard. 

To her face, they were all being kind. Genuinely kind too. She didn’t think they were putting up a front, but they still very clearly cared about Jungeun. They did know about what she’d done and they still cared. They even got defensive about it. 

Was that even justified? The thought of defending a killing spree made bile rise up in . 

She reached the river and sat down. She still felt heavy. 

The current leaned onto the river banks, making a pattering sound as it collided with the rocks, taking some with it. 

Jinsoul pulled the river closer, feeling the mass of water move towards her. Her hands sank into the water. It was freezing, but she welcomed those temperatures. She also adapted fast.

And now, just feeling the force of the river travelling over her hands, it felt good. 

“Wow.” 

She nearly dropped the river, but managed not to. 

Jiwoo was gaping at her. 

Jinsoul looked back. When she’d first started mastering her magic, lifting a part of the river out of the ground did look amazing. Now it was just fun for her. 

“Hi,” Jinsoul said, trying to put on a smile. 

“I know you were listening.” 

“Oh.” She eased the water back down into the banks. “Sorry.” 

Jiwoo shook her head. “Like Hyejoo said, it’s good you heard.” 

“How did you know?” 

For a moment, there was a waver in her gentle smile. “Unlike the rest, I was looking for any potential eavesdroppers.” 

Jinsoul nodded. The weight in her was heavier. 

“I’m not trying to say you’re wrong,” Jiwoo began. 

“But you think I am.” 

She just nodded, a sheepish smile on her face. “She might not be a born Astra, but she’s one of my closest friends.” 

They were diving headfirst into the subject, so Jinsoul didn’t hesitate to say what she wanted. “How?” It was harsh. She knew that, but Jiwoo had come to her. 

Jiwoo’s smile turned gentle. “That’s a very long story.” 

“Then tell me why.” 

She sat there for a long moment, thoughtful, but not at a loss. 

“She’s one of the bravest people I’ve ever met,” Jiwoo said. “You’d be surprised how many people scatter when they see two werewolves coming their way.” Before Jinsoul could say anything, she added, “she didn’t burn them, if you were going to counter that.” 

Jinsoul didn’t say anything. She probably would have tried to argue.

“And not a lot of people bother to treat the mortals with respect.”

Jinsoul had seen that. “But why is she your friend?” 

Jiwoo seemed to take a moment to think about it. 

When she spoke, it was with a soft smile. “Even when she didn’t trust us, she went on patrols, completely ready to learn what she could do on them.” A pause. “I didn’t know why she was so excited for it, but it wasn’t something I’d expected. Not a lot of people actually like patrols, especially if it involves humans.”

“That’s most of them.”

Jiwoo nodded. “I never expected someone like her, stories and all, to be the first person to go on patrol, not caring who it’s with.” Her eyes turned a bit sad. “It reminded a few of us that what we were doing was important. You start forgetting,” she sighed, “you know, when it’s all you end up doing.” 

Jinsoul did know. She’d spent so many years just focused on healing. Faces blurred together and the only time she remembered them was when she’d failed. 

“I’m not going to tell you about the times we saved her life, or she saved ours, but they happened.” Jiwoo shrugged. “Saving a life doesn’t exactly mean you deserve to be trusted,” then she looked at her, “but taking them doesn’t mean you should be condemned either. At least not forever.” 

“But time passing doesn’t mean they should be forgiven,” Jinsoul said. “Just because she’s a friend, doesn’t mean she didn’t kill those people.” 

“I know,” she said. “We all do.” She held her gaze. “And it’s not about forgiving her.”

“So you just accept it?” Jinsoul asked, feeling her chest twist. “And you’re here to tell me I have to? Just accept that what she’s done is unforgivable and move on?” She noticed how the water was curving towards her more. She pushed it back. 

Jiwoo was eying it. “I don’t think I’m even asking you for that. At first, maybe,” she said. “But I know this’s something you’ve been involved with more than we have.” 

She scoffed. “Involved?” she asked. “That’s not even the main reason. You can’t tell me that if she’d fought against you, if she’d taken people from you, or traumatised them with her magic, that you wouldn’t have fought back.” 

Silence. 

“If you respect her, if she’s a friend to you, to the rest of you,” Jinsoul said, "that’s not the problem. My problem is you telling me I have to see everything you do, that I have to understand someone I’d hate in any other world.” 

“You don’t have to,” Jiwoo replied. “We just want you to try.”

Jinsoul didn’t reply. If she said the exact thoughts she was having, she’d probably make things a lot worse. 

But she couldn’t agree either. Not when it wouldn’t be true. 

Jiwoo just nodded, as if she knew that as well. 

______

They were on their way back from another patrol. It'd been relatively uneventful. Jungeun had taken the darkness from the elder farmer, muttering something about it being her turn. Jinsoul had let her.

She hadn't been able to stop thinking over Jiwoo's words. They'd followed her over the days that'd past. She wanted to know how it'd been when Jungeun had come. The Astra had probably all had their reservations, but they'd moved on from them. There had to be some more specific reasons. 

But Jinsoul still couldn't believe that those reasons were justified. How could they be? 

She hadn't spoken much this time. Jungeun was also surprisingly perceptive when she wanted silence, so the fire elf had also refrained from filling the quiet. A few times, Jinsoul had found herself wishing she'd just asked a question, just so she could talk. 

And then all of a sudden, Jungeun stiffened. 

Jinsoul stopped walking. “What?” 

She was listening, her expression lacking the warmth of before. It was similar to what she wore when fighting. 

“Someone’s following us.” Jungeun’s voice was barely a whisper. “If you don’t want to be a part of this, go.” Her eyes were already glowing, as though the fire needed to go to them before reaching her hands. 

Jinsoul frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“They’re after me,” she replied, turning around. 

“And you’re going to go to them?” Was this where she’d finally see the person she’d always heard about? 

“I’m not turning this into a chase.” Jungeun met her eyes. In them varying shades of red whirled around, fighting for which would dominate. “They follow, they’ll find the camp.” Then her eyes narrowed. 

There was a flash of light. 

Jinsoul felt a warm hand grab her arm, yanking her back. In the next moment, the air tasted like metal. A sharp sound broke the silence. 

And a burning pain struck her foot. 

Two people screamed. Jinsoul was one, Jungeun the other. 

The scent of something burning reached her nose. 

A white wall suddenly appeared in front of her. 

She saw Jungeun scrambling to her feet. A long, jagged gash had been drawn along her arm. The skin around it wasn't burned. 

“Go,” Jungeun threw over her shoulder, “they’re just here for me.” Then she disappeared around the wall of moonlight. 

Something lit up the forest. The next sharp crack. A tree several metres away exploded. 

There was a sound that almost sounded like the air tearing apart. An orange glow flashed once. Then it remained. 

Jinsoul got to her feet, only to see that her shoe had been burned off, the skin below bright red. 

The sounds were still there, ones of lightning and fire warring. 

She wanted to leave the spot from where she stood, but something held her back. 

Still, she forced herself to look past the wall of moonlight. Being nearer to it cleared her head. 

She saw Jungeun wreathed in fire, moving faster than she’d ever seen her, evading the sparks sent her way. In one hand she held that axe of hers, in the other a shield of light. She was using it to block the lightning. 

Jinsoul saw their attacker next. She was moving slower, but erratically, the lightning leaving her hands in short bursts, but sometimes longer streams too. When she caught a glimpse of the person's eyes, they were wide with desperation. 

The pair were surrounded by fire and deep gouges in the earth. 

Jinsoul remembered what Sua had told her then. People came after Jungeun, trying to get revenge for what she’d done. Some were killed. Jinsoul still didn’t know what happened to the others. 

And she didn’t know what she was supposed to do now. She barely had any water with her, save for what was in the waterskins. It’d be enough for a fight, but not enough for what was happening in front of her. She fought when she had the advantage. 

Here there was no such thing. 

She watched as Jungeun sent a column of flames. A spout of lightning returned, but some of the fire passed through. 

The attacker cried out. Sharp white tendrils exploded from her. 

Jinsoul whipped behind the moonlight again, the hairs on her neck rising with the static. 

She heard the moonlight crack, but it still held. 

The sound of a blow being landed came then, along with a sharp grunt. 

Jinsoul looked, only to see Jungeun swing her arm, hitting the lightning-wielder in the chest. She flew back, landing on the ground. She struggled to get up. 

“Why’re you here?” Jungeun didn’t look like she was in pain, despite the multiple tears in her clothes that revealed several gashes. Her white clothes were either burnt or soaking in red. She walked closer, the moonlight on her arm held in front of her, as if she was ready for the next onslaught of sparks. 

“You,” the woman began, “killed,” she coughed. 

Jungeun lowered her arm. “You’re from the Crosa in the West. The empire.”

A sharp hiss left the elf as she pushed herself to her feet. She launched herself at Jungeun, sparks travelling along her arms. 

Jungeun grabbed her wrists, keeping them away from . There was the faint sound of crackling. 

Jinsoul watched as Jungeun grimaced, before throwing the other elf to the ground. 

And then a small flash of light came. Jungeun leaned to the side only for the bolt to strike her shoulder. She stumbled, a gasp leaving her. 

Jinsoul realised that something was off. Jungeun could’ve dodged that. She could’ve stopped the elf from getting up in the first place. She was more than capable than that. 

“You killed our people,” she gasped, “one person against seven. You humiliated us.” She coughed again. “And then the Astra come to negotiate trade. It just took them ten years.” 

Jinsoul watched as Jungeun’s expression lost whatever harshness it’d had. “Do they know you’re here?” 

The elf had managed to sit up. She spat out a clump of blood and spit. Tears were drifting down her face. Across her leg and one of her arms were burns. 

“Of course they don’t,” she sneered, “it’s suicide to go after you.” 

Not always, Jinsoul thought. She didn’t think Sua would lie about people being spared. Clearly, that information hadn’t been spread among others. 

“I’m not going to kill you,” Jungeun said. 

The elf gaped at her. Then her face contorted with anger. A trail of lightning erupted across her skin. It went straight for Jungeun who held the shield of light in front of her heart. The lightning still hit her. She flew backwards. When she landed, a high cry left her. The right side of her chest was smoking. 

The elf got to her feet. Her hands were shaking, but sparks still traveled across her fingers. Yet Jinsoul could see the hesitance in her stance. 

Then she screamed, collapsing to the ground. In her knee was a long strip of moonlight. An arrow. The next one hit her shoulder. She yelled out. 

“Stop,” Jinsoul shouted in the direction it’d come from. 

There were the sounds of quick steps. 

Jiwoo appeared first, then Chaewon with a bow in her hands. Immediately, Jiwoo went to the fallen elf as the moonlit arrows gradually disappeared. Her eyes were drooping, as if the energy had left her. Then Jiwoo poured a vial of something in . 

“Eline told us to come after you,” Sooyoung said. She was frowning at the elf. Her eyes widened when she saw Jungeun. 

“She’s okay.” Hyejoo was at the fire elf’s side. “Might be in shock.” 

Jiwoo shot her a look. “Not the time.”

The elf had fallen asleep, breath low and easy, despite the burns along her arms and legs. 

“Well she’s right,” Jungeun said, her voice strained. “Help me up.” 

“Jungeun,” Hyejoo started. 

“The worst thing wrong is a few broken ribs,” she shot back. “I’m fine.” 

Hyejoo pulled her up. 

“So Eline knows she’s here?” Jungeun asked. She was leaning forward, a hand gingerly on her chest. It wasn't just broken ribs. The muscles holding them had also been hurt. Badly. 

Jiwoo nodded, her jaw clenched. 

“So what now?” Sooyoung asked, gaze hard as she looked to the elf. “Is this an assassin?”

“No.” Jungeun walked over, a hand over her chest. She twitched every now and then, but she seemed unaffected, despite having countless cuts and segments of reddened skin, in some places black. “They wanted to storm one of the mountains bordering the mortal empire.” 

“Free one of their people?” Jiwoo asked. Hyejoo had moved to her side, opening the pack she’d been carried. There were several vials and a few cloths. A healing kit, but it looked rushed in how it’d been put together. 

“More than one.” Jungeun nodded. “We couldn’t risk them getting out, so we intercepted.” 

One person against seven. Did that mean it’d only been Jungeun sent out? Or that she’d sought them out herself? 

“It wasn’t something everyone’d known about on their side, but ours did. And after they’d managed to break in, so did the Warsa there.” 

Sooyoung was still glaring at the elf. “So we’re putting her in the dirt?” 

“You’re not killing her,” Jinsoul walked over, “and you have to clean the wounds first.” She pointed at Jiwoo’s waterskin. 

“We’re not killing her,” Sooyoung threw back. “Why would Jiwoo have a healing kit if we were killing her?” 

Jinsoul didn't answer. Instead, she focused instead on the elf. She uncapped her own waterskin, placing it along the wounds from the arrows, as well as the burns. There were thin coats. 

“Here.” Jiwoo held out hers. 

Jinsoul took that, as well as that of Chaewon. 

“Why’d you use fire two arrows?” Jinsoul asked her. 

“First one is the shock,” Chaewon said. “Second is for the effect of my light.” She held out a small clump. “It subdues people.”

Jinsoul gingerly pinched it. Calm came over her, but it felt heavy. She dropped it. 

“Still overkill,” she muttered. “You know the healing runes?” 

Chaewon nodded. 

“Then start drawing.” 

She did. 

Jinsoul started the same by the ground beside her leg, knowing full well that the rest were watching her work. 

“Here,” Jiwoo had gotten to her feet, “drink this.”

Jinsoul peeked up to see Jungeun squinting at it. 

“It’s not going to make you fall asleep,” Jiwoo muttered, pressing it into her hands. 

Jungeun drank it. She coughed. “But she’s going back. Don't let them interrogate her, just send her to the Roman Crosa, or close to it.” She leaned back. “I need to see Yeri, check if there’s anyone else coming.” 

Jinsoul saw their expressions change. Chaewon and Hyejoo disappointed, while Sooyoung just sighed. 

“And if no one is?” Jiwoo asked. 

Jungeun didn’t say anything, she just shook her head. Her eyes held a message Jinsoul couldn’t understand. It looked like Jiwoo did. Her shoulders drooped. 

Jinsoul quickly wrapped the wounds. “How long until you send her back?”

“The seers’ll want to see if she’ll be a threat,” Sooyoung said, looking irritated. “So a couple hours most.” 

“If she doesn’t stop bleeding,” Jinsoul got to her feet, “try for another rune, but she’d still be fine until you send her off.”

Jungeun was watching her, her expression unreadable. 

“Chae and I could go to Yeri,” Hyejoo said. “You two could go back.”

Jungeun shook her head. “I’ve got it.” 

Jinsoul could feel the rest preparing to argue. 

“I’ll go with you,” Jinsoul said. 

There was a stunned few seconds. Including Jungeun. 

“Okay,” Sooyoung suddenly nodded, going to Jiwoo’s side, “we’ll take her.”

And all of a sudden, the matter seemed to have been solved. Hyejoo and Chaewon held the elf between them, while Sooyoung and Jiwoo started walking in the direction of the camp. Both of them sent Jungeun looks, questions in their eyes. They then looked away, the fight going out of them. 

Jungeun was already walking in the opposite direction. She was hunched over, holding her chest, but her steps never faltered. 

Jinsoul joined her. 

The fire elf said nothing. She didn't even let any of the pain she was feeling show in her eyes. 

Jinsoul wanted to tell her that pushing through the pain wasn't how you did this, that they needed to take a break and she'd heal her, but she didn't. 

Jungeun didn't speak at all as she walked. 

So Jinsoul didn't either. 

______

Author's Note

Jungeun's first narrated chapter might be a tad underwhelming, though I did really want to show a bit more from her perspective. It won't be that frequent, because Jinsoul is the main perspective here. However, I do want to write from Jungeun's pov every now and then. 

As for what's going on, something is shifting, but the way forward is still slow-going. It's been difficult to write, because I know how they end up, but it's also been a really interesting dynamic for me. I hope it's something you enjoy reading as well. 

A lot has been happening in the world, on top of our current circumstances too. At this point, I've been wishing for a period of time that's largely uneventful, but we'll see. Until next chapter!