Trying to get out of the forge turned into them trying to figure out how to turn Jungeun back into a sword. 

Surprisingly, she was open to turning back, even with the slight chance of not being able to become a human again. 

Jinsoul wasn't so sure. “There's been some research into human transfiguration,” Jinsoul said. “I think there could be a bit more to go from there. Then we'll know."

Jungeun shrugged. “We’ll try it.” She then picked up some of the metal and tossed it out of the hole, one by one. It was almost as if they weighed as much as a heavy book.  

Jinsoul frowned. “Try what?”

“Get me out of there—not much, but a little,” she pointed up, “and we’ll see how it goes from there.”

“Are you sure that’ll work?” Jinsoul didn’t even know if the hilt counted as Jungeun’s head or if the blade was the rest of her body. What if her feet were just out of the hole?

“No.” 

Jinsoul frowned. “Then we should talk about this a bit more.”

“We will,” Jungeun said. “But first let’s try this. If it doesn’t work that way, we try something else.” She closed her eyes. 

“Don’t you think I should be holding you for it?” Jinsoul asked. Then she realised how strange that sounded. “Sorry, that sounded weird.”

She peeked out of one eye. “You might be right.” She held out a hand. 

Jinsoul wondered where this was coming from. Then again, she’d just known Jungeun for less than two hours. It didn’t matter that she’d had Eclipse for almost all her life. 

She took her hand then. 

Jungeun’s brow furrowed. Then there was the loud sound of crashing metal. A golden glow filled the area around them. 

And then Jinsoul was holding Eclipse again. 

“Can you hear me?” 

Yes. Jungeun’s voice was a lot calmer than the last time she’d been in her head. 

Like this too? Jinsoul thought. 

That too. She sounded surprised. 

Could she actually sound like anything if Jinsoul was hearing it in her head? 

Think less about that and let’s try what I said. A pause. Please. 

“Didn’t think you had manners like that.”

Jinsoul. A hint of a warning came. There is some way that I can move like this. Don’t test me. 

“And how will you get out of being a sword?” Jinsoul asked. “I could just keep you in the scabbard.”

The sword started to hum. 

“But what am I supposed to do?” She still felt uneasy with just trying this out. What if Jungeun got hurt? 

Just lift me up. You don’t have to throw me out. We can try that later, but I’m not sure if I’ll turn back that way. 

“And if you fall?”

Then I fall. A few seconds passed. Do it.

Jinsoul grit her teeth. 

The worst that’ll happen is a broken nose or a twisted ankle. Then we’ll see if a part of me’s actually metal or not. 

The sword rose in her hand slightly. Had that been Jungeun? 

Come on. 

Jinsoul lifted the sword to where she’d fallen through. “You’re a third of the way out.” 

Clashing metal. 

Suddenly Jungeun was staring down at her, hand outstretched in her direction. 

And then she started falling, her feet caught on the edge of the whole, before slipping. In the next moment, they were both toppling to the ground. 

Jinsoul felt the impact on her chest and back. It knocked the wind out of her. 

Jungeun coughed. “Are you,” another hack, “alright?”

“I think so? Unless you broke my ribs.” She managed to get out a laugh. “Luckily you don’t weigh like you’re made of metal.” 

Jungeun pushed herself up. She was sitting on her legs, looking slightly dazed. 

Jinsoul’s mind immediately went somewhere else. She shoved the thought out of her head. 

The others would just tell her she’s been single for too long. She’d tell them that Jungeun was too pretty. 

Then Jungeun gingerly got off of her. She pulled Jinsoul up as well, brushing some of the dust away. 

“Sorry,” Jungeun grimaced, “but we know it could probably work.” She looked up. “We could try just holding the blade.” She looked around. “We used to have mitts here.” She went walking around the forge. She found another bit of metal and threw that out too, without offering an explanation as to why she was doing that. 

“Or,” Jinsoul frowned, looking up, “you could pick me up. I’ll grab your hand from up there and you turn into a sword. Then I’ll lift you up that way.”

Jungeun’s eyes lit up. “Yes! Let’s try that.” She came over. “Maybe throw that bag out first?” 

“What if someone comes by and takes it?” Jinsoul asked. “I’ve got food in there too.”

At the mention of it, Jungeun’s lips parted. “Do you think I’ll be able to eat?”

“Are you hungry?”

“Not really.” 

“Then we’ll find out after,” Jinsoul said. “I’ll leave it on the ground and you hand it up to me?” 

Jungeun shrugged, before bending her knees slightly. “Let’s see if it works this time.” 

Jinsoul felt more than a little weird getting closer this time. It didn’t get much better when Jungeun’s hands took her arms. She cleared her head of whatever other thoughts she was having.

“Put your foot on my leg,” Jungeun said. 

“I’m not sure if it’ll work this way.”

“Me neither.” Jungeun looked at her leg. “But do you have any other ideas yet?” 

“I could try casting some spells?”

“Is there a chance this would collapse?” Jungeun asked. 

“I don’t know.”

Jungeun chuckled. “Then we’ll try this way first. Put one foot on my leg. Then push yourself up on the count of two.”

Jinsoul really didn’t like the idea of that going wrong. She was also wearing boots that still had mud on them. They’d also hurt. 

“Can we try your idea first?” Jinsoul asked. 

Jungeun lifted a brow. “I thought you didn’t like it.”

“I don’t,” she admitted. “But it’s better than mine.” 

Jungeun took one of her hands then and turned into Eclipse. 

Jinsoul carefully took hold of the blade and held it up. 

“Almost half out,” she said. “Careful.”

When Eclipse turned into Jungeun, she was holding her foot. She immediately put her other one below Jungeun’s other foot. She hadn’t realised the girl was barefoot. 

Jinsoul’s arms weren’t nearly as strong for this as they had to be. 

“Stay still,” Jungeun called. “I’ve got a hold here, but not enough to get out.”

“Trying.” Jinsoul grit her teeth. “I’m not exactly strong.”

“I thought you’d gotten better from when you last dropped me.” 

Jinsoul pushed her feet, arms shaking. “I did.” 

“Okay.” Jungeun grunted as she pushed herself up. Jinsoul wondered if they’d had bench presses three hundred years ago. 

Pieces of dirt fall, hitting her in the face, but the ground doesn’t collapse like it had for Jinsoul. She isn’t sure if she’s supposed to be offended by that or relieved. Maybe both. 

Jungeun’s face popped out by the hole next. She smiled. “Is this where I leave and let you to try out those spells of yours?” 

“It’s been a long time,” Jinsoul said. “I think you’d want me around for a little longer.”

“We’ll see” She held out her hands.

“Bag first,” Jinsoul said, giving it up. 

“What’s in here?” Jungeun stared at it. 

“Stuff.”

Jungeun gave her a look, now holding her hands out to her. “That’s helpful.”

Jinsoul took her hands. “Please don’t transform.”

“I won’t. Probably.” She hauled her up, gritting her teeth slightly. 

Jinsoul was more than surprised that Jungeun was able to do this. Her shoulders started to ache. 

And then she’d been pulled out. 

Jungeun let out a breath. 

The moment she looked around, her face fell. She hadn't looked before. Maybe because she'd known what she'd find? Or just too focused on getting them out? 

Jinsoul wished she’d given her a warning before. 

“What happened?" Jungeun's voice was strained, anger filling her eyes. "You said they spared the village. What—why's it gone?" Her eyes were teary. She was still looking at the ruins. 

“They did,” Jinsoul told her. “But at one point, people left this place. There’s a darkness here, and it hasn’t left even after all this time.” 

She deflated, whatever anger that'd been there vanishing. “How much,” Jungeun whispered. “How much time passed?”

“Three hundred years.” 

Her expression crumpled. 

Jinsoul grabbed her hand. “The people you knew lived out their lives,” she said. “I didn’t read about anything bad happening.” Except what happened to you. There might've been others, but she really hadn't found anyhting for that. 

Jungeun nodded, but she was crying. “I knew a lot of time passed,” she said weakly. “I just didn’t know how,” she trailed off, “three hundred years?” She looked at what was left of the house. Her home. 

“I’m sorry.”

She shook her head. “Stop apologising,” she muttered, squeezing Jinsoul’s hand. “You’re the one who got me like this.” She waved at her body. “I haven’t had a body for hundreds of years.” She chuckled. Golden tears still clung to her chin. “But it felt like a hundred, at most, maybe fifty.” 

Jinsoul didn’t know what to make of that. It was good that Jungeun hadn’t felt that time, but that said nothing about the reality that she’d missed all of that time. So much had changed. They were lucky that they spoke the same language, but even that would have words Jungeun didn’t know yet. 

“Can we leave here?” Jungeun asked. “I don’t really—”

“Let’s go.” Jinsoul let go of her hand. She might’ve constantly held Eclipse, but that didn’t mean she knew Jungeun. Or was anywhere close to the friends and family she’d had. She didn’t have any of them anymore. 

_____

It probably shouldn’t have been funny, but watching Jungeun stare at the cooking pot nearly made her laugh. 

“What’s that?” She pointed at the black handles. 

“Plastic.” 

“Pla,” Jungeun trailed off. “What?” 

“It’s a pretty cheap material. Based on structure, it can be flexible or durable.” She dug around in her bag and pulled out a small plastic bag. “Here.”

Jungeun held it as if it were something alien. She pinched it and tugged lightly. “Strange,” she muttered. “And this’s supposed to be cheap?”

Jinsoul nodded. “Wood’s more expensive.” 

“But you can just get wood from the forests.” 

“It’s usually illegal if it’s not from your property, and not your job.”

Jungeun frowned. “That’s ridiculous.”

“Maybe, but it’s the law now.” 

“No one would know if I cut a tree down now, so what’s the difference?” 

“I’m a law-abiding citizen,” Jinsoul replied. “I’d probably stop you.” 

Jungeun smiled. “I’d like to see you try.” 

“Please don’t tell me you got some crazy sword training too.” Jinsoul grimaced. Jungeun was pretty, inventive enough to create a sword like Eclipse, and smart. 

“I don’t.” She chuckled. “But I’d probably win if it was a test of strength.” 

“Strength’s only a part of the story. There’s skill too.” 

Jungeun smiled. It was still strained at the edges. Of course it was. She was grieving.

Jinsoul didn’t know if it was different to actually experiencing the news directly, if it was worse, or just disorienting. She didn’t want to ask. She wasn't sure if she even could. 

“Ready.” Jinsoul put part of the food into a bowl. “This’s instant ramen. You just have to put boiling water in, mix in what’s in the packet, and then there’s this.” She handed it to her. She also gave her a fork. 

“No chopsticks? Is that also a thing of the past?” Jungeun asked, looking between it and the food. 

“It still is,” Jinsoul reassured her. “I just like travelling with a fork more. It’s easier.” 

She looked confused by it, but turned her attention to the food. She started eating, gingerly balancing the noodles on it. 

“It works better if you twirl it.” Jinsoul showed her. 

She did it and ate the first mouthful. Her eyes lit up. She started chewing with such an excitement that Jinsoul had to smile. 

“This’s so good!” Jungeun said. “And it’s ready-made?” She stared at it in wonder. “I would’ve needed so much time to make anything this flavourful.” 

“It’s not exactly healthy,” Jinsoul admitted. “When we get back. You’ll see real cooking again.” 

“But still, this is amazing.” She grinned. “Thank you.” She kept eating, savouring each bite. “I can’t say we weren’t fed well, but I’ve never had a portion this big.” She frowned at it. “I don’t think I’ll be able to eat it all.” 

“I can store the rest for leftovers,” she said. At Jungeun’s confused look, she added, “I’ve got plastic containers. They keep them in good condition, at least until tomorrow morning or later today. If you get hungry again.” 

“Amazing,” Jungeun muttered. “Is there a lot more that’s changed?” 

Jinsoul could only nod. “Do you want a huge shock? Or should I tell you about it?” 

Her brow furrowed. She looked at the pot. Then Jinsoul’s bag. “I think I’ll find out as I go along,” she said. “I don’t really like huge explanations.” She looked back at her, eyes once again wandering. “But am I supposed to just accept that the clothes of your time are really different?” 

“Sorta,” Jinsoul shrugged, “you wouldn’t stand out much.” Except for the stains across the front. They looked like oil, as well as scorch marks. 

“Except for this.” She held up her arm, showing the silver skin there. It reflected the firelight slightly, turning bronze. 

“Except for that,” Jinsoul nodded, “but I’m not bad at illusions. I could help with that.” 

“You don’t have to,” Jungeun said. “You’ve helped me so much already. I can see how to fix this by myself too.” She gave her a small smile. “I’m sure you’ve got a life you need to get back to.” 

“I do,” she replied, almost relieved that Jungeun probably hadn’t been there for when deprecating humour started to go to ‘having a life’ or not. “But that’ll include getting you back to being—you know, not part sword.” 

Jungeun shrugged. “I’m not sure if that’ll happen. I’d never heard of a curse like this before, so I don’t even know if a solution ever came along with it.” 

“But maybe there is,” Jinsoul said. “I have to look into it, and ask people I know about what they know, and maybe we’ll find something.” 

The doubt in her eyes softened, if only a little bit. “But the second this whole thing starts to interferes with your life, you can stop helping me and I won’t mind.” 

Jinsoul gave her a look. “One, I don’t like doing that. Two, if I do have to do something, then I’ll just be taking a break from helping you, not stopping.” 

Jungeun was quiet. She was looking at her, almost as if she was trying to see something. 

After a few more seconds, Jinsoul shifted on the spot. “Unless you don’t want my help. I get that.” Maybe if Jungeun found out more about her, she’d change her mind. 

“I do,” she said. “It’s just, you don’t know me, even if you’ve heard of me.” She frowned slightly. “And the most I can do for you is turn back into a sword that you can use again.” 

“You won’t owe me anything,” Jinsoul said, hopefully sounding sure of herself. 

“I do,” Jungeun repeated, voice a bit sharper. “And you’re going have to accept that.” A pause. “I don’t know what it’ll be, but I’ll repay you for all this. Somehow.”

Jinsoul was close to arguing that this wasn’t something you repaid. 

Then Jungeun straightened. “You said you knew what happened. How? Was there really news about it?” 

“It’s the work of historians,” Jinsoul replied. She pulled her bag over again and looked. “Over the years, my family wanted to have histories for each of the blades you and your father made.” She pulled out her notebook. “I did some extra research into the town and found a few logs compiled about you.” Then she grimaced. “Sorry, that sounds weird. Again.”

“It does.” Jungeun nodded, looking apprehensively at the book. “People bothered enough to make notes about me?” Then understanding entered her gaze. “Right,” she scowled, “disappearance.” 

“From what I understand, any witches that were involved vanished too,” Jinsoul said. “But at the time, all that meant was that they probably left the country.” 

“And how did Eclipse,” she sighed, “how did I get back to this one? I know you said the previous Jinsoul found me, but do you know where?”

“Just that it was in a palace.”

Jungeun laughed then. “I was once able to go to a brief visit to the throne room.” She shook her head. “Are there still ones with finery like that? All in an entrance?”

Jinsoul just nodded. She tried to keep her expression neutral. “They’ve also got incredible armouries. At least the ones I’ve seen.”

“You’ve been in palaces?” she asked. Then her brow rose. “Are you a noble? Royalty?” She glanced at the book. “Or is your family just really interested in history?”

“It’s complicated?” She really didn't want to start explaining that. 

“Ah.” Jungeun laughed softly. “A modern technicality or just very,” she tilted her head, “not what I should know?” 

“Not for right now,” Jinsoul admitted, pushing away the thoughts that came with it. “But I’ll tell you.” 

She just nodded. “But considering what you can tell me, who are you, actually?” she asked. “You seem to my history well enough.”

Jinsoul raised her hands. “I’ll tell you if you stop saying that like I’m creepy.”

Her brow rose, but a smile was starting to appear as well. 

“I’m not!” Jinsoul protested. “It’s not my fault I know who created my sword.”

“Technically it is,” Jungeun said. “You asked the questions and did whatever research you did.” She poked the book with her toe, frowning. 

“It’s called knowing your history.” 

Jungeun waved her hand. “Which isn’t really that important.” 

“That depends on the person.” 

She gave her a look. “When did knowing about an old civilisation ever save your life?” 

“Me knowing who you were and where you were from is the reason you’re not a sword right now.” 

Jungeun closed . 

Jinsoul grinned. “But to answer your question, I’m Jung Jinsoul, a wandering magician.” 

“Isn’t that just another word for a witch?” She said the word like it was foul. For good reason too. 

“Witches have covens and they don’t exactly use weapons most of the time.” 

“Magic counts as a weapon.” Jungeun glowered at her skin.

“Didn’t say it doesn’t,” she replied. “But they don’t have swords, not usually.” 

Jungeun nodded once, but she still looked confused. “You didn’t exactly use me—the sword much,” her eyes were on the empty scabbard, “so you’re not a mercenary or anything like that?”

Jinsoul shook her head. “I guard transports most of the time and do favours for the places we stop at.” 

“What sort of favours?”

She shrugged. “Wards, repairs, but most of the time I actually end up making them something new.”

Jungeun looked up then. “What do you make?” 

It was endearing to see the change. Jinsoul wondered again how conscious Jungeun had been over the years of being a sword. She hoped not so much. 

“Armour. I tried to make weapons, but it didn’t work all that well.” 

“And why don’t you wear any?” 

“I need the money.” 

Jungeun frowned. “With all the things you do, don’t you have enough?”

I used to. Jinsoul blushed. “There’s high material costs.” 

She was quiet for a bit. “And?” 

She looked away. “I spend it on other things too.” 

Jungeun still looked confused. 

“I’ve got other projects,” Jinsoul said. “Things I can’t sell yet, but I’m working on them.” She then went to her bag, opening it. “Like this.” She took out one of her other books and put it in Jungeun’s lap.

The girl stiffened. 

Jinsoul got out one of the boxes. “I’m still working on the design, but,” she opened the book to the right page, “once it works, I think I’ll be able to make something great out of it.” 

For some reason, Jungeun looked relieved at the sight of the sketches. She traced her fingers over one. “What’s it supposed to hold?” 

“A spell,” Jinsoul said. “I’ve been trying it with illusions, maybe to get people who can’t to turn invisible, but I can only get destruction spells in.” She aimed the box at the sky and opened it. Flames shot from it in a long spurt. 

Jungeun gaped at it. “That’s incredible.” 

“Thank you.” It then sank in that the creator of over a third of the Jung’s arsenal had just complimented her work. Her face warmed. 

“Can I?” Jungeun looked at the box. 

She gave it to her. 

Jungeun peered at it, once with one eye squeezed shut, then she turned it upside down. “Did you enchant the whole thing, or the individual pieces too?” 

Jinsoul smiled, feeling a bit lighter now. “Enchanting multiple components needed more magic, a lot more than just the pieces.” She’d done it with armour occasionally, but not always. 

She shrugged. “I’ve never done it with something small or as detailed, but it can be more receptive to certain spells.” She looked at her hand. “The first times I made this sword,” she pinched a piece of her hair, the strands that were red, “the grip burned even when I tried to make it resistant.” 

“Until you divided the pieces?” That explained why it wasn’t nearly as smooth as the other ones. She’d grown accustomed to it, but it made sense. 

Jungeun smiled. It softened her entire expression. “I’m not sure if it’d be the same thing with illusions, but it might be worth a try.” She looked back to the book, turning the pages. “These are all yours?” 

Jinsoul had to fight the urge to hover or just take the book back. She wondered if the writing was too messy, or the scale too off to make any sense. “They are.”

She nodded, peering at one. “Still trying to make weapons?” She flipped it over to show a dagger. On the diagram, the hilt had been disconnected and the blade split into two. “Is it supposed to do more than stab someone?”

Jinsoul fought a smile. “It’s supposed to be a multi-tool of sorts. Maybe look harmless if I flipped the pieces around.” She pointed to the parts with the screwdriver. “And then, if guards left it alone, you’d have this with you.” 

Jungeun gave her a look. “Do you get into those situations a lot?” 

“Not really,” she said. “But things like this help me if a plan goes wrong.” 

Jungeun smiled slightly. She gave her the book back. “And what brought you here?” she asked. “Was it just to see where Eclipse had been made?”

“I wanted to see what was left,” Jinsoul admitted. “See if I could learn something from the forge you’d made. Or find anything else that could’ve survived.” 

“You can still do that,” she said immediately. “I think I’d just stay back a bit. Maybe wait.” Then she put her head in her hands, letting out a long sigh. “Or I could just tell you.” She peeked out through her fingers. “We also never made notes. The closest you would’ve come to were the orders my father made, and our sales, but I don’t think they exist anymore.” She tapped her head once. “Except for what I remember.” 

“Which is?”

“Almost everything,” Jungeun replied. Then a broad grin spread out across her face. “I think I know how I’ll repay you.”  

“I told you, you don’t have to.” 

“But you want to make weapons, don’t you?” Jungeun tapped her book. “I’m not sure how I’ll do as a teacher, but I’ll try and show you all I know.” She patted the stack of metal beside her. “You do have a forge where we’re going, don’t you?” 

Jinsoul stared at her. Jungeun had made Eclipse. Eclipse. And now she was offering to show her how she’d done it. 

She almost felt faint. 

“Are you alright?” Jungeun frowned at her. “Does your head still hurt from that first fall?” 

“No,” she laughed, “this is just a bit surreal.”

“A bit?” Jungeun repeated. “It’s been three hundred years. The sky might be the same, but we’ve got an entirely new material and hot food that can be ready in minutes. What’s next? There’s people flying?” 

Jinsoul didn’t reply. She almost didn’t want to tell her she was right. 

Except Jungeun caught that and her face grew slack with shock. She lay down in the next moment. 

“Don’t explain it,” she said. “Please.” 

“Did you want dessert?” 

Jungeun sat up, silver eyes bright. “You have that too?”

“Cookies,” she pulled out the little bag, “either nuts, chocolate, or both.” 

A smile appeared again, the brief existential crisis fading away. 

Jinsoul wondered if she should keep modern world discoveries strictly to food. 

_____

Author's Note

First of all, thank you for reading this! This's a story that's just so much fun to write, which I definitely needed this week. 

I'd like to say I expect this to be a short story, but I can't guarantee that. It'll definitely be nowhere near as long as some of the others, but we'll see. I'll admit, having a character out of time is a favourite trope of mine.

Hope you're all doing well! Do let me know what you think. 

See you next chapter.

Twt: hblake44

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