“Can we delay everything, except the worst deadlines?” Jinsoul asked. 

Heejin stared at her. “For what?” Then her eyes went to Jungeun, eyes widening. Jinsoul had let the illusions drop the moment they'd come in. 

“There’s,” Jinsoul paused, “it’s urgent.” 

“Did she stumble into some jinx?” Heejin raised a brow. “And a good one hundred pieces of silver are worth cleaning it up?”

Jungeun frowned. “You’d delay a hundred silver?” She looked at Jinsoul, bewildered. “What’re the things you have to do?” she asked Heejin. 

Heejin looked even more confused now, looking between the two of them. “Uh,” she sent a silent question Jinsoul’s way, “wards for an estate, plus breaking of a curse for a treasure some people found. Soul's also got a few armour pieces to get delivered."

“You still have to do it,” Jungeun said. “It’s mad to risk the price going down for this.” 

“Jinsoul,” Heejin broke in, “who's that?” 

“Ecl—it’s Jungeun.” 

“And I’m supposed to know her?” She frowned. “Someone coated in silver paint?” 

“It’s not paint,” Jungeun crossed her arms, “it’s my skin.” She tilted her head in Jinsoul’s direction. “I was her sword.” 

A few moments passed. Heejin looked from her, to Jinsoul, to Jungeun, and then to the empty sheath at Jinsoul’s waist. 

“Very funny,” Heejin said. “You tried that with Hyun and the cat. I’m not falling for it again.” 

Jungeun’s brow furrowed. Her eye started to glow red. 

Jinsoul put a hand on her arm. “I’m not lying. She’s actually Eclipse.” She pointed at Jungeun’s eye then. “Look. It’s just like the lining of the sword.” 

Heejin was shaking her head. “As if you didn’t just cast that.” 

Jungeun muttered a sharp curse. Then there was the sound of metal slashing against metal. She glowed bright gold. 

Then the sword clattered onto the ground. 

Heejin jumped back, stumbling. She stared at the sword. 

Jinsoul knelt down and picked it up. She could practically feel Jungeun’s annoyance. 

If she doubts you now, I’ll see if I can jump out of your hand. As if to prove the point, the sword started to hum. It was distinctly the same pitch as Jungeun’s voice. 

“She says she’ll impale you if you don’t believe us.” 

Heejin’s eyes widened. “So she’s crazy too?” 

Jinsoul felt the sword start to move and tightened her grip on it. “Don’t say that!” 

There was a pale yellow light as Heejin summoned a protective ward around her. “She was actually serious?” 

You need your money soon, Jungeun said in her head. And then we can work on removing this curse. It’d be simple and very nice if she stopped acting as if this were the impossible. 

Then the sword grew heavy. Jinsoul was holding Jungeun’s hand in the next moment. Jungeun pulled away, sending a sharp gaze Heejin’s way. 

“I’ve been stuck this way for a few years,” Jungeun said, her voice softening. “And it’d be nice to keep things as simple as possible.” 

Surprisingly, Heejin nodded. “Need a change of clothes?” 

Jungeun looked down. “Why?” 

“No reason,” she smiled slightly, “unless you want to keep the oil stains on you?” 

“Oh.” She pursed her lips. “These’re,” she trailed off. 

“We’ll see if we can find any that fit,” Jinsoul told her. “Come on.” 

“Wait!” Heejin grabbed her wrist, while Jungeun went on. “How’d this happen? When?” 

“After I went to the town,” Jinsoul replied. “Somehow it woke her.” 

“Did anything change when you were getting farther away?” 

Jinsoul shook her head. “Still as crabby.” 

Jungeun had paused in the door. Even from there, Jinsoul could feel her glare. 

“I’ll tell you more later,” Jinsoul patted her head, “but I’m not telling that story multiple times, so make sure the rest come.” 

“The rest?” Jungeun repeated. 

“I don’t work alone,” she winked, “so you’ll have a chance to see even more of this generation.” 

She grimaced. “Wonderful.”

“Is it that bad?” Jinsoul asked. 

Jungeun shook her head. “It’s not bad,” she said. “It’s just a lot.” 

Jinsoul almost felt stupid for not remembering sooner. The people were new, the time was new, and Jinsoul barely even knew how finally returning to your own body felt. “You don’t have to be there. I can get something else set up too.” 

The girl’s brow rose. “Really?” 

Jinsoul felt guilty for how hopeful she sounded. “Yeah.”

Then Jungeun shook her head. “I should probably try. It can’t be too different.”

She grimaced. “I wouldn’t be so sure. They’re a handful.” 

Jungeun smiled slightly. “So‘re you.” 

“You’re more that than I am. Technically.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’ll give you that.” 

Jinsoul held the door to her room open. 

Jungeun’s eyes widened when she took it in. “This’s as large as my home.” She sounded in awe of it. Then her face fell slightly. Was.  

Jinsoul felt a pang then. With how times had changed, so much had gotten larger. What would Jungeun think when she saw a city? Everything would be compare to her life befored. There was no way around it. 

Then Jungeun started to frown. “What are those?” She went to the shelves to the left. “Tiny statues?” 

“Models,” Jinsoul went over to her, “it’s how I design my armour.”

Jungeun lifted a hand, but pulled it back. 

“You can pick it up.” Jinsoul took the one she was reaching for and handed it to her. 

“So you design in miniature first?” Jungeun traced her fingers along one of the arms. 

“I sketch it out first,” she said. “Usually.” 

A surprisingly soft smile appeared then. “Even among the people I knew before, you put an incredible amount of thought into this.” She looked at her, still holding the model. “I’d really want to see all this in full.” 

Jinsoul blushed. "Got a few deliveries, so you’ll be seeing those.” 

Jungeun nodded. 

Then she remembered why they were even here. “Clothes.” She went to her wardrobe and opened it. “Take your pick, I guess?” 

Jungeun was still holding the model when she came over. “You people wear colours like this?” She pointed at a red jumper, then a blue dress. “Or is this where you tell me you’re related to royalty?” 

Jinsoul snorted. “These clothes‘re cheap, don’t worry.” 

She frowned, confusing flooding her eyes. 

“Wear whatever you want, but I’d recommend these.” She grabbed a red shirt and black leggings. “It’s comfortable.” Then she realised something else and pointed at a drawer. “There’s also underwear there if you need it. I think it’ll fit.” 

Jungeun only nodded. “Thank you.” She met Jinsoul’s eyes, smiling. “Probably haven’t been the best of company so far.” 

“Not bad,” Jinsoul shrugged, “and you were amazing as a sword too, so that helps.” 

She rolled her eyes. "I was also quiet then."

Jinsoul just grinned back before she left the room. 

When she went back downstairs, Heejin was bent over a book. She looked up and raised a brow. “What’s got you so smiley? The sword?” 

“Not a sword anymore,” Jinsoul corrected. “At least not a full one.” 

Heejin didn’t look any less confused. “But she’s been a sword for three hundred years?” she asked. “How’s that a few years?” 

“It’s how she took in the time,” Jinsoul said. “When she was conscious at least. She knows it’s been longer but,” she bit her lip, “it doesn’t feel like that for her.” 

She hummed once. "And you're close to freaking out, because?"

“She’s the smith for these weapons!” Jinsoul patted the empty scabbard. “Her and her dad, they made all of it.” 

Her brow rose even higher. “Don’t tell me you’re fangirling right now.” 

Jinsoul felt a bit embarrassed, but she was, at least a bit. “Whenever I realise who she is, yeah.” 

Heejin sighed. Then she smirked. “Doesn’t help that she’s pretty, does it?” She tapped her chin. “What was that you said, pretty and creative will get you any day?”

“Don’t say anything like that!” Jinsoul made a cross with her arms. “We’re going to help her and that’s that.” 

“Is she straight?” 

Jinsoul opened and closed . Then she heard the door upstairs open. “Not a word,” she whispered. “We’re going to make sure she’s not completely overwhelmed, so only explain something if she asks.”

Heejin gave her a look. “We existed before too, you know.”

“Still,” Jinsoul waved her off, “not yet.” She didn’t know what Jungeun thought about it. She didn’t expect the worst to happen, but the beliefs of their time were also things to ease into. Jungeun was still trying to wrap her head around unions between entire countries and the lack of nobles or royalty in a large part of the world. 

“Everything alright?” Jungeun asked from the top of the steps. Except for the obvious silver skin, she looked like she belonged in the present. 

Jinsoul looked away before she started to stare. “Everything’s fine.”

“Okay.” Jungeun was at her side now. Then she looked at Heejin’s desk. “What is that?”

“A computer.” Heejin looked between her and Jungeun. Then she slapped her hand to her head. “Right! Sorry, I forgot.”

Jungeun lifted a brow. “You forgot?” 

“Give me a little credit,” she went over to the computer, “do you already know what electricity is?”

“Controlled lightning?” Jungeun looked Jinsoul’s way. 

“Did you show her your phone?” Heejin asked. 

“A what?”

Jinsoul grimaced. “I was getting too that.” She hadn’t even called Heejin before they’d come. Maybe she should have, but she had no idea at what pace they were supposed to be going. 

Heejin gave her a look. “Anyway, you’re in for a ride with this.” A smile was starting to play on her lips. “With this, I could write a book if I wanted to, find out a lot of information in a few seconds, and play videos.”

Jungeun was staring at the computer. “What’s a video?”

“Did you explain anything to her?” Heejin whipped her head Jinsoul’s way. 

“She told me about new materials,” Jungeun said. “The partial change in weaponry, some of the history I missed, what a car is and why she doesn’t really use them,” she shot Jinsoul a tiny smile, “and cooking.” 

“Well,” Heejin turned back to the computer screen, “if you scream because the screen lights up, you can blame her.” She moved the mouse. 

Jungeun gasped, but didn’t scream. 

“Wikipedia has everything and most of it makes sense,” Heejin explained. “All you have to do is search for something, maybe destruction magic, or other kinds of computers, and it’ll probably tell you.” She clicked on the page for fire magic. “We’ve got a few official schools for it. If you click on the blue, it’ll take you to another article that’ll tell you what’s known about that.” 

Jungeun’s brow was furrowed. She was looking at the words, but her eyes kept jumping around. She looked frustrated. 

“Show a video,” Jinsoul said. She’d ask later, but she had a slight suspicion of what the problem was. 

Heejin did. It was a cooking video. She started the video from the beginning, because she was already half of the way through. 

“How did they do that?” Jungeun asked. “Preserve it in a piece of glass?” She frowned. “But then how is it accessible so quickly?”

“It’s called the internet,” Jinsoul told her. “It’s like this massive pool that can hold all that stuff, and we can access it from devices like that, or this.” She held her phone up. “This is that in smaller, a few different processes happen, but I can still watch videos or look things up.” She unlocked it. 

Jungeun took it carefully. “What is all this?” She pointed at the apps. 

“Let’s sit down.” Jinsoul tugged at her arm. “I’ll show you how it works.” 

“I don’t need to have one of those, do I?” Jungeun asked. When Jinsoul shook her head, she looked relieved. “Good.”

They sat down on the sofa. Jungeun frowned again, running a hand over the fabric. "Is this leather? All of it?” She looked at Jinsoul. “How big was the animal?”

“No idea,” Jinsoul admitted. “This was a gift when we moved in here.”

Jungeun nodded once. “Now,” she looked at the phone, “tell me what this is.” 

“You two want something to eat?” Heejin was looking at them both oddly. Jinsoul wanted to ask her what that was, but she held back. Heejin probably wouldn’t hesitate to allude to something that Jungeun would definitely ask about. 

Or they’d just have the conversation somewhere else, which would make Jungeun even more suspicious. 

And the best thing for all of them would be if Jungeun trusted them. She didn’t really have to know about what came before. Not yet at least. 

______

Jinsoul should’ve know something would happen when Heejin was all too eager to open the door this time. It’d all been peaceful, with polite greetings and curious glances sent Jinsoul’s way about the stranger. Still, there’d just been simple updates about the different tasks and what’d been finished, or delayed. 

Jungeun straightened, seemingly bracing herself for what was to come. She’d already managed to get through greeting Yerim, Jiwoo, and Sooyoung. Jinsoul had cast another illusion over her to make her look human (but also to avoid immediate questions. The entire time that they’d been discussing things, she’d looked torn between trying to listen and being completely disorientated. 

The door opened to reveal Hyunjin, looking bored. 

And then Heejin proceeded to give her a long, lingering kiss. 

Jungeun gasped. Jinsoul looked only to see that the girl’s eyes were as wide as plates. She didn’t look disgusted, which was a plus, but she looked as if she couldn’t believe her eyes. 

Sooyoung snorted. “What? Never seen two girls before?” She sighed, looking Jinsoul’s way. “Please tell me this isn’t another sheltered noble's daughter.” Beside her, Jiwoo touched her arm, shaking her head slightly. 

Jungeun had flushed bronze. Even the illusion over her skin couldn’t mask that. With it, the colour looked a bit off. No one would notice, unless you knew what you were looking for. 

“My father was a blacksmith,” Jungeun said, her voice strained. “And no, I’ve never seen that. We never had,” she trailed off, “that.” 

Sooyoung frowned. “Where the hell’re you from then? And if you start telling me it’s a sin, you’re in exactly the wrong place.” She waved at the rest of them.

Jungeun looked at Jinsoul, panic growing in her eyes. Jinsoul wished she’d just told Sooyoung what’d happened immediately. Explaining it three times wouldn’t have been that bad of a thing. Saying it now didn't fit, but it explained a part of it. 

“She’s Eclipse,” Jinsoul said. “She’s the one who made the sword, a lot of ours actually, and then someone trapped her in Eclipse.” She waited for one of them to tell her she was completely mad. No one did, but some exchanged looks, with Hyunjin sending a questioning look Heejin’s way. “When I went to the village, I found the old house. The magic that was still there woke her up again.” Jinsoul waved a hand Jungeun’s way, removing the illusions she’d cast. 

Her skin and eyes turned silver, while her hair lost the brown. 

The rest gasped. 

Jungeun was still looking at Jinsoul. “Should I turn into a sword too?”

Jinsoul held out her hand. “Probably?” 

She took it and Jinsoul felt a slight tremor. The sound of metal filled the stunned silence and then Eclipse was in Jinsoul’s hand. Jinsoul spotted Jungeun’s eyes in the blade, before they were replaced with her own. She’d relaxed. 

I’m sorry for what I said, Jungeun’s voice was back in her head. I was never someone for love beyond friends and family. The boy I was set marry to was the only person I’d had to think of that way. It didn’t work, but I thought that was normal. 

The words settled in. Jinsoul felt a weight settle in her chest along with them. 

It’s okay, Jinsoul replied. Just tell them that. Be honest. 

Then Eclipse was humming again. 

And Jungeun appeared at her side. 

“I didn’t mean to be so,” she trailed off, “not understanding.” 

Sooyoung snorted. 

Jungeun grimaced. “I forgot it was an option.” 

“An option?” Heejin repeated. 

Jinsoul sent her a look. Were they making it difficult on purpose? 

“Wrong words, I know.” Jungeun shook her head. “But it’s no sin, I promise you I don’t think of it that way.” She met each of their eyes. 

“Okay,” Sooyoung relaxed, “now that we’ve handled that. Are you seriously the person Jinsoul’s been going on about? Did you really make this?” She pulled out a dagger, holding it out to her. 

Jungeun’s eyes widened. “I did.” Then she let go of Jinsoul’s hand. 

Jinsoul jumped. She’d barely noticed she’d still been holding it. 

Jungeun took the dagger, holding it as if it were priceless. “Amazing. It’s survived all these years?” Then she held it to her lips, whispering something. 

A pale orange light filled the room. 

“Woah!” Sooyoung stared at it. 

“It just needs an incantation?” Yerim asked, leaning forward. 

Jungeun smiled. “The magic’s still there.” She looked to Jinsoul. “Did your family preserve it?” 

Jinsoul shook her head. “That was only your magic.” 

She gaped at her. “Really?” 

Jinsoul couldn’t help but smile. “Didn’t think you’d muster up a spell like that?” 

“No.” Jungeun gave it back. “You’ve maintained it well.” She sent Sooyoung a small smile. 

“Can they all do that?” Hyunjin asked, looking much more awake now. 

Jungeun nodded. “All with the same incantation.” She told them it. It was from one of the older languages. 

"This too?" Yerim had come back from the door. She was holding her bow, made of silver lined with veins of purple. 

Jungeun's jaw fell slack. She gently took it, nodding. "My father made this one," she said. "Did the string break?" She pinched the one it had now. 

"Well," Yerim looked down at her feet, "a demon might've sliced it. Sorry."

"It's alright," Jungeun handed it back to her, "but it has the same incantation, and then some. It can pass it on to the arrows to, just as long as they won't block it." 

"I only know about the fire one," she said. "There's more?" 

She smiled. "A few," she chuckled, "I'll show you tomorrow." 

Yerim grinned, before casting the spell for light. 

Jungeun looked a lot more at ease now.

“Is it the same for Ecli—I mean—you?” Jinsoul asked. Everyone else was trying it out with their swords, illuminating the room to the point that it was almost blinding.

“I think so.” Jungeun was staring at the weapons, wonder in her eyes. “I never thought of what would happen after.” 

“After what?” 

“I died,” she said simply. “I was too young—am too young to have thought about legacy. All I could think of was making more.” She pressed her lips together. Jinsoul didn’t know if the emotions she saw were the good or sad kind. 

She took her arm anyway, squeezing it lightly. “You have one,” she told her. “Your blades have been with my family for generations. They’ve gotten us through a lot too.” 

Jungeun met her eyes. They were glassy. “Thank you,” she said. “For more than saying that, I mean.” 

“So if I’m getting this right,” Yerim looked at her, “you’ve been a sword this whole time?”

Jungeun nodded. 

“Did you know you were one?” Sooyoung asked. 

She shrugged. “I didn’t really know what was happening. I remember losing all feeling, the sense that I was in my body.” She glanced at it. “And then I just knew vaguely what was happening. Every time I was held, I think, I woke up, feeling a little more myself.” She looked Jinsoul’s way then. “By the time I got to this time, I think I was hearing everything when I was held. I was definitely the most awake.” 

“So you heard us too?” Sooyoung laughed slightly. “You really found a great bunch here.”

“I didn’t hear everything.” Jungeun looked more relaxed, probably now that she was sure Sooyoung was smiling instead of doing that thing where she looked a lot more intimidating than she actually was. “If no one was holding me, there’d be,” she frowned, “well, nothing really.” 

There was a small shift among them. 

“Was it hard?” Jiwoo asked. She’d come a bit closer. 

Jungeun looked up, clearly thinking it through. “Not really?” She laughed, but it sounded empty. “I didn’t really think at all when I was in that form. When you—er, we,” she met Jinsoul’s gaze, “got to the village, I started to actually wake up. I knew we were somewhere important, then slowly I realised where we actually were.”

“When I started going in that direction Eclip—you flashed red. Nothing happened until we were there. Then you started humming.”

“Humming?” Yerim repeated. “Like voice humming?” 

“Metal.”

Jungeun shook her head. “No idea what that would be. Maybe just the magic acting?”

“Or the curse breaking,” Hyunjin said. “It might’ve been trying to resist being so close to where it could be broken.” 

“But it isn’t?” Jungeun frowned. 

“There might be one that forced you to stay as the sword. Maybe they combined your soul with Eclipse too.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

“Not really,” Hyunjin replied. “Something had to happen to your body, to make you a shapeshifter.” She frowned. “There has to be something for that, but it’s been illegal for a while.” 

“They never found a body, did they?” Jiwoo looked Jinsoul’s way. 

She shook her head, wondering how that would sound to Jungeun. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” Jiwoo said. “Yet.” She looked to the ceiling, muttering something. 

“How,” Jungeun started, looking between them, more than a little lost, “how do you know all this?”

“Soul didn’t tell you?” Hyunjin raised a brow. “It’s the other thing we do. Well, she doesn’t, but we do.” 

“Is that making curses or breaking them?” Jungeun seemed uneasy. 

“Used to make them, now we break ‘em,” she smiled at her, “don’t worry. I’ve never transfigured anyone. I used to want to do it to myself, but then I realised it’s actually really painful.”

"The first time was." Jungeun grimaced. “The rest are alright, at least when it comes to this.” She tapped her arm. “Unless that’s the exception?” 

Hyunjin shrugged. “I’d have to look into it some more.” She glanced at Jinsoul. “Which I will.”

“Thank you,” Jungeun looked at all of them, “but none of you have to—”

“Oh we do,” Sooyoung clapped her on the shoulder, “you saved our asses several times."

Jungeun frowned. 

She waved to the blade at her waist. “Good enchantments? Well balanced? Durable? It’s helped.”

Jungeun chuckled. “I’m not really sure that counts.”

“It does for us.” Yerim smiled. “So deal with it.” 

Jungeun blinked. “But that’s not—”

Jiwoo made an ‘x’ with her arms. “It’s how it works here.”

Jungeun looked to Jinsoul then, bewildered. 

“Don’t look at her,” Sooyoung said. “She would’ve forced us to help you if we didn’t.” 

Jungeun frowned. “She could?”

“She’s the leader of this little group,” Heejin said. “Even if a few of us end up taking over for a couple of things.” 

“Oh.” Jungeun’s eyes were on her again. Confusion was apparent, as well as surprise. “Wow.”

Jinsoul wasn’t sure if she should be offended or not. Did she really not seem like that?

“Bonus!” Jiwoo grinned. “She probably respects you more than she does us. You know—” She broke off when Jinsoul kicked her ankle. She gave her a look. 

“I don’t know?” Jungeun was looking even more confused. Almost overwhelmed again. 

“Can we get back to having dinner?” Jinsoul asked, knowing very well her voice sounded a little bit too high. “The food’ll get cold.”

She proceeded to ignore the looks the rest were sending her. Instead, she focused on getting a bottle of wine, making sure the glasses of certain people were properly full. 

______

It was a movie night for some, but Jungeun had clearly been exhausted by the dinner. The daily life of the rest was new to her, from the jobs they were taking to whatever was currently happening with the politics. 

“We had a spare room,” Jinsoul said. “But Jiwoo and Yerim turned it into the game room, and Sooyoung uses it to dance too.” She frowned at her room. “You don’t have to room in here. Or I can go share with someone else.” She pointed at the bed. “I was planning to sleep on the floor.”

Jungeun smiled. “I’m sure the actual bed’s comfortable, but I don’t think it’ll be for me.” She shook her head. “Do you have a mat? Our beds were much thinner.”

Jinsoul bit her lip, thinking. “We’ve got an exercise mat?” 

She raised a brow, before shaking her head. “I don’t want another explanation today.” She looked embarrassed. ”Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Jinsoul went to her closet and reached for the mat on top of it. She unrolled it and flattened it out. “I’ll see if we can get something different.” She wrapped the mattress cover around it as best she could. 

“You won’t have to, I think,” Jungeun replied. “I’m particular, but not with that.” She pressed on the mat. “And I think this’ll work, unless you need it.” She pursed her lips. “To exercise.” 

Jinsoul lightly shoved her arm. “I’m very fit, thank you very much.” 

She smiled. “I didn’t say you weren’t.” 

Jinsoul picked up a small pile of clothes. “These’re pyja—I mean, night clothes,” she said. “I put an extra toothbrush in the bathroom. You can shower too if you want.”

“I think I’ll wait until then,” Jungeun said. “Water just flowing out like that is something I’d want to prepare for.” She looked down at herself. “Unless I smell?”

“No,” she said quickly. “Even if you were a sword all this time, you’re not really musty.”

Jungeun snorted. “Thank you for saying that.” 

“So, if you’re not tired, you can have my phone or something. Maybe a book.” 

The change was immediate. “Thanks,” she said, "but I'll just sleep.” The smallest of an edge to her voice was there. 

“Did I say something wrong?” Jinsoul asked. 

Jungeun’s eyes widened slightly. “No,” she shook her head, “not at all, it’s just—” She sighed. “I can’t read.” Her gaze went to the bookshelf. “And it seems all of you can—like most people in this world can, if that internet thing is so accessible.” 

“A lot can,” Jinsoul nodded, “but not everyone.”

“I tried to teach myself once,” Jungeun said. “Then I realised it was a waste of time.” She leaned back onto her hands. 

“You don’t want to learn?” 

Jungeun laughed. “I don’t even know what happens when this spell breaks. You think I’ll spend hours learning to read or actually exploring what this world has to offer?” 

Jinsoul's heart sank. She wasn’t thinking enough. Jungeun was only partially freed from the prison they’d put her in and none of them knew what would happen if she was actually freed. Would her body age to the years she’d missed? Would she just fade out of existence? Or would she survive and be able to live a normal life?

In the back of her mind, she decided that if Jungeun did survive, she’d find a way to get her to read. She had a feeling Jungeun would adore science fiction. 

Either that or she’d hate it and just go for romance. Jinsoul couldn’t be too sure with Jungeun. 

“And I’ve got work to do,” Jungeun continued, her voice light. “Tomorrow I’ll start by showing you how I make a blade. Unless you’ve got—”

“I don’t have anything,” Jinsoul grinned, “I’m pretty sure I’ve got the whole day.”

She returned the smile, before a thoughtful expression crossed her features. 

“What is it?” Jinsoul asked. 

“I was thinking about what they said earlier,” Jungeun said slowly. “Sooyoung said you talked about me, but before,” she trailed off, her brow already rising. 

Jinsoul’s face flared up. “It just means I look up to you. A lot.” 

“Me?” she repeated. “I lived hundreds of years ago, not for that long either. I can’t even read.” 

“You made an entire arsenal out of nothing but the forge and your own head. You didn’t make the plans, you just created, always improving.” Jinsoul smiled. “What you did then was incredible. It being a long time ago doesn’t matter, and whether or not you could read doesn’t matter either.” 

Jungeun was staring at her. Her ears were turning a deep shade of bronze. 

She looked away. “I talked about you a lot, because I didn’t want anyone forgetting that you made our weapons. You’re also one of the reasons I wanted to make armour.” 

“Really?” 

Jinsoul just nodded. “You and your father made so much. Each piece I’ve seen is incredible.”

A small smile. It was tinged with sadness, but it didn’t overtake her expression. 

Still, it reminded her that Jungeun had more to process than just the different times, the internet, and everything else she’d learned today. She still had to grieve. Maybe the mess of the day had pushed most of that down. 

“I’ll be going,” Jinsoul said. “Sorry we don’t have a spare room.” 

“It’s alright,” Jungeun told her. “Tonight, I’ll definitely not be a light sleeper.” Almost exactly on cue, she yawned. “At least I hope not.” She got to her feet, the pajamas in hand. “I mean it when I say this, thank you, Jinsoul.” She bowed her head slightly. “Being out of that state they put me in,” she took a deep breath, “even with everything else, that might’ve been the biggest gift anyone could’ve given me.”

She had no idea what to say to that. She knew that Jungeun still felt like she owed her. There probably wasn’t anything she could say to convince her that wasn’t true. 

“But,” Jungeun fixed her with a surprisingly insistent gaze, made even more piercing by silver eyes, “you keep giving and I want to make sure you don’t give me too much more.” The corner of her lip tugged up, but her expression was still serious. “I’ve been lost for most of the time I’ve been here, but I can find out a lot for myself too.” 

Jinsoul nodded. “You might be a better help than I am.” She chuckled. “I should’ve told you what a phone was before we got here.”

Then she was shaking her head again. “I’m glad you hadn’t. I enjoyed having a bit more time without complicated technology.” She laughed as well. “I usually ended up taking too long to learn something new. It’s why I never had a plan in mind when I worked.” She scratched the back of her neck. “But I won’t keep you longer,” she muttered, stepping away slightly. “Goodnight, Jinsoul.” She gave her one last smile before she went into the bathroom. 

“Goodnight,” Jinsoul called after her. 

She was still smiling when she left the room.

“So she’s settling in?” Sooyoung was waiting at the door to her own room.

Jinsoul shrugged. “She’s not scared here, but settling in’ll probably take a while.”

“Right,” she sighed, “I can’t exactly wrap my head around it. She was the sword this whole time, she knew that, but it didn’t feel like three centuries?”

Jinsoul nodded her head down the hall. “I was going down,” she said. Behind Sooyoung, she could see Jiwoo at the desk, bent over a book. “Were you busy?”

Sooyoung shook her head, before starting to walk down the hall. “She’s checking for any accounts of human transfiguration. I don’t think anyone’s touched that book for a few years.” She frowned. “I guess it’s a good thing that we don’t have much on it, but we’ll need more.” 

“I was thinking of asking Haseul for help,” Jinsoul said. “And then I wanted Hyejoo and Chae to get to seeing if there was any record of the witches who cursed her in the first place.”

She narrowed her eyes. “If this gets outta hand again, you’re letting me jinx the brats.” 

“They’ll just retaliate,” Jinsoul retorted. “I’m not risking showing up to a deal pink again.” 

“I still got us what we wanted,” Sooyoung elbowed her, “and they’ll deserve this one. I learned a new one.”

Jinsoul stared at her. “You’re preparing for it?”

“You know they do it too!” 

She shook her head. “Wait until we know they’ll actually help us. We don’t even know if there’s a time limit on her, or anything.” 

Sooyoung’s mood seemed to sober in the next moment. “I don’t think there is,” she said. “Even if her enchantments lasted this long, curses don’t work like that.” 

“Also,” Hyunjin called from the couch, “she can still turn into a sword.” Her legs were flung over Heejin’s lap. “If they could’ve trapped her again, then it probably would’ve the first time she turned back.” 

Jinsoul sat down in one of three armchairs. She leaned her head back, the fatigue of the day washing over her now. 

“I already sent Vivi a message,” Heejin said. “Unless it’s date night, they’ll already be going through the logs.” 

“Thanks,” Jinsoul muttered. “There’s so much to do.”

“Which is why it’s good you got us involved,” Sooyoung replied. “Not like you’d be able to hide what happened.” 

“I could’ve,” she retorted. 

“You would’ve either convinced her to turn back into the sword, somehow tell us you lost it, which I’d never believe, or cast an illusion.” Sooyoung winked at her. “But you’re a terrible liar, so none of that would’ve worked.” 

Jinsoul took off her sock and tossed it her way. 

“She’s right,” Hyunjin said. 

Jinsoul did the same with her other sock. 

Hyunjin caught it, before cringing. “You’ve been walking in these all day.” She tossed it at the fire. 

She scrambled out of the chair and slapped it away before it could get ruined. “Washing machines exist, or do I have to give you a rundown of that too?”

“Not sure if that one can be saved.” Hyunjin smirked at her. 

Jinsoul sat down on the floor this time. She closed her eyes, very close to falling asleep then and there. 

“Was there anything weird about the town?” Hyunjin asked. 

“Except for it being pretty much ruined, nothing.” Jinsoul peeked out of one eye. “Why, do you think we could break the curse there?” 

She shook her head. “Not sure yet, but I don’t think so.” She frowned. “But I’m thinking the curse could’ve done more than just turn her into a sword. Maybe they took something else from her.” 

“Like what?” Heejin frowned. Clearly, Hyunjin had just been silently thinking this through. 

“Her life?” Sooyoung suggested. “Because she hasn’t exactly had one this whole time.” 

Jinsoul turned her head, almost too quickly. She massaged her neck. “You’re saying they could still be alive?” 

“Either more, or just one of them,” Hyunjin nodded, “it’s possible, but we’ll need to know more about who they were.” 

“I’ll ask her.” She just hoped it wouldn’t be too hard a moment to think back on. 

Then again, it probably—definitely would be, but if Jungeun knew it could help, she’d tell them what she knew. 

“You know,” Sooyoung drawled, “when I told you to get yourself back out there, I didn’t mean summoning your dream girl.” 

Jinsoul frowned at her. “I didn’t summon her.”

“Not denying that last part?” 

She tried to scowl at her. Judging by Sooyoung’s laugh, she failed. 

“Isn’t she upstairs?” Yerim asked from the kitchen. “I’d keep that all until for another time.” 

“Thank you, Yerim,” Jinsoul called. “You’re getting a raise.”

“With what money?”

“With what we’ll make this week.” 

Yerim came back and handed her a glass of water. “Sure thing, Soul.” She sat down beside her and leaned her head on her shoulder. “But instead of a raise, can you fix some of my arrows?”

“Sure thing.” Jinsoul rested her cheek on top of Yerim’s. 

She wondered what the next few days would bring. She didn’t have much more she could help Jungeun with beyond getting her out and into the form of a sword. She was glad they had the others. The rest would work itself out. Somehow. 

______

Author's Note

First thing's first, thank you so much for reading this story so far! It's definitely been something I've wanted to write for a little while, and I've been busy, so this has been a great accompanyment for the past few weeks. 

I don't plan for this to be a very long-winding story, but I'm excited to share more of it. The other members will feature, but not prominently. This isn't exactly a simple story, but it's been a more relaxed writing experience for me. 

Hope you're all doing well! See you next chapter. 

Twt: hblake44

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