If Jungeun herself was surreal, then watching her work should’ve been something out of a fairytale.

Maybe that was overdoing it, but with Jungeun’s skin being silver, the same colour as the Aster she was shaping, and a content look on her face, Jinsoul felt happy just watching her. 

Listening to her explain while she worked wasn’t all that either. There was a very specific manner in crafting the blade, folding it several times.

“Maybe we would’ve been able to make more of the Aster if we didn’t use one piece for a sword,” Jungeun said. “But we made enough from one blade to justify it.”

“Your blades can cut through almost anything, even the metals we use now,” Jinsoul said. “I’m not sure if it’d have been as good if you’d cut down.” 

The clang of the hammer on the metal was sharp. There was a lot of force behind each swing, but it was controlled, slowly working on flattening the Aster into a larger sheet. 

“You’re flattering me.” Jungeun was smiling. “Feel free to keep going.” She winked at her. 

Jinsoul laughed. “I’ll save that for another time.” 

They spent the next hour with Jungeun showing her how to fold the metal. As she did, she told her about the different swords, the little changes they’d made with each one. She never talked as if it was just her who’d done it, or only her father, but the two of them. She mentioned enchantments too, which Jungeun was saving for later. 

“First you need to see it all,” Jungeun said. “At least that’s how I learned it,” she looked sheepish, “is that working for you?”

Jinsoul nodded. “My teachers took the theoretical approach first, making me learn about the different metals and types of smithing.”

She frowned. “That sounds horrible. Did they have you read books on it as well?” 

“I wrote essays too.” 

Jungeun’s arm stopped mid-swing. “About what?” She stared at her. “The advantages of different curves in the blade? What leather to use?” 

“Which fit which fighting stance the best?” Jinsoul said, already blushing. “And yes, there was a discussion of the sword’s slope.”

Jungeun laughed. Loud. “I can’t believe it.” She finished the swing. “Books about this?” She shook her head. “Sorry, I shouldn’t laugh.” She put the metal back into the hearth. “But did you have to write about it? You didn’t try them out and see what worked best?”

“That’d have taken too long,” Jinsoul replied. “I got to the practical stuff pretty fast.” 

“But did any of you really know what to do?” she asked. “You can’t be told how to do it. You can get the instructions while you’re working, but you have to have something in your hands.” She pulled out the now red-hot metal. She grabbed the tongs and pulled at the edges, creating the start of a curve. Then she put it back. “And that shouldn’t be paper.” 

“It worked,” Jinsoul protested. “I wouldn’t know a lot of the things I do without the classes.” She grabbed her notebook from a table. “These only came from them.” 

Jungeun looked at it for a few seconds. “Oh.” She then repeated the action, tugging the metal in one direction again. “But did it help to make weapons?” 

“I specialised in armour,” Jinsoul said. “And there you learn a lot more. More in practice than theory too.” Then she frowned. “Guess that proves your point?” 

She continued to work on curving the metal. There were steps to getting rid of some of the lumps and making them perfect. Jungeun was leaving it for later as well. 

“Maybe?” Jungeun shrugged. “I just learned through my father.” She was focused on the blade. “I never even knew you could learn any of this out of a book.” 

And it showed. Jinsoul had seen the well-fitted poise she’d only ever seen among the best of her teachers. There was a confidence that only came with knowing the craft in and out. It also looked natural, as if she barely needed to deliberate on the motions. 

There also wasn’t a diagram she was following. She was only doing it from whatever vision she had in her head. 

“I didn’t mean to insult you,” Jungeun said quietly. “All of those lessons worked.” She nodded at the book. “With armour and more.” She was hammering on the metal again. There was a different edge to her expression there. It looked awfully close to guilt. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Jinsoul told her. “A lot of it was a little ridiculous.” 

“You’ll need to tell me all about that,” she replied, smiling slightly. “It’d be good if you convinced me.” She pulled some of the metal away again. 

“I’m not sure if you need that.” 

Jungeun shrugged. “It’s always good to improve,” she said. “Eclipse was my last sword. I want to make something that beats it.” She chuckled. “Or do I say me?” 

“You’re not really your sword,” Jinsoul said. 

“It doesn’t always feel like that.” 

The words hung in the silence then. 

Jinsoul felt like she’d gotten whiplash. Since when had Jungeun felt like she hadn’t turned back? Had she just never said it? Or had it gotten worse with time?  

Jungeun laughed then. “Don’t look like that,” she said. “It’s not that important.” 

“It is,” Jinsoul protested. 

She shook her head. “I think it’s probably normal—as normal as being part sword is.” She nodded at the sword she was making. “I was metal for a little while.”

“But even then,” Jinsoul frowned, “that didn’t mean that–that—” She didn’t know how to say that. 

Jungeun just smiled. “I’m not saying I am a sword, but it feels like that.” She looked at her arm pointedly. “I mean, my skin’s silver.” Then she chuckled lightly. “This isn’t that serious.” She sent her a smile. “Probably just something I have to get used to.”

Jinsoul could only nod. She hoped so. She also hoped that it wasn’t just Jungeun trying to make light of things. 

And then Jungeun started telling her a bit more about how to make a proper curve in the blade, followed by keeping spaces to put in gems if she wanted them for extra enchantments. 

As Jinsoul listened, she kept thinking that she wanted this to last. 

She also kept thinking about what would happen when the curse ended. She knew it could be lifted. It had to be. Haseul had told her they needed more time. Apparently, there was more work they needed to do. Jinsoul could only hope that was a good sign. 

She was also glad for the delay. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to hear those answers. They were getting closer to actually learning what could happen to Jungeun. Jinsoul was still scared that they wouldn’t like what they’d here. 

And what would they do if they did? 

______

A high drone filled the silence. Jungeun yelped. 

“It’s nothing dangerous!” Heejin shouted. “It’s a vacuum cleaner.”

“A what?” Jungeun looked between her and Jinsoul, slightly frantic. 

“A machine that up dust,” Jinsoul explained. 

“You can do that here too?” A familiar expression of awe came then. 

“Want to try it?” Hyunjin asked. She looked too hopeful. 

“She’s just trying to give you her chores,” Jinsoul put a hand on Jungeun’s arm before she stood, “but she’s skipped the last two times.” 

“Ah,” Jungeun sat back, “so you’re using my ignorance.” She was smiling. 

Hyunjin grinned back. “Maybe. I almost had you.” 

“Almost.” She leaned slightly into Jinsoul’s side. But should I be doing any of this as well?

Jinsoul almost smiled. You really don’t have to. You’re already doing something.

But she’s also looking into the curse. Jungeun met her eyes once. 

Don’t worry about it, Jinsoul told her. 

“Wait,” Heejin narrowed her eyes, “you’ve got some kind of telepathy, don’t you?” 

“Maybe,” Jinsoul replied. She realised then she was still holding her arm. She didn’t let go. 

Jungeun laughed softly. “I found out it worked silently by accident, but it’s probably the same magic that lets me change when—“ She nodded at Jinsoul’s hand. 

Now Jinsoul pulled away, feeling her face warm when Heejin and Hyunjin both sent her a look. It definitely wasn’t familiar, but she knew what it meant. 

“That might mean that there’s more to this than just keeping you trapped,” Hyunjin said. 

Jungeun frowned. “How?” 

“There’s something in place that can take you out of being a sword,” she explained. “And it’s probably got to do with that spell that you put on to make a tie with whoever had Eclipse.” Her brow furrowed. “No idea what that means, but it got you out of that when Jinsoul went to where it happened.” She turned the vacuum cleaner back on and kept sweeping. She still had her thinking face on. 

Jungeun’s face was pinched as she watched. 

Jinsoul took her hand. Too loud?

Her face slowly turned bronze. Maybe. 

Jinsoul stood, pulling her up as well. 

Heejin looked up, a small frown appearing. 

“Downstairs,” Jinsoul mouthed. She’d ask her about the weird looks later. 

They reached the workshop pretty quickly. 

“Did Hyunjin study magic?” Jungeun asked. “She makes those connections faster than anyone I knew before.” 

“She’s always wanted to be the one to lift curses,” Jinsoul said. “And with how spells can be combined to make those, you have to learn more than most.” 

“And why does she work here?” She picked up a blade she’d made, tracing along the edge. “Because you’re friends?”

“That,” Jinsoul chuckled, “also because of Heejin, and curses aren’t really common enough to make a living. Hyunjin also doesn’t like charging a huge amount for it.” 

“Sounds familiar.” Jungeun peered at the hilt of the blade. She was frowning. 

“Don’t like it?” 

“I do.” Then she snorted. “That sounds conceited, I know.” 

“But it’s true,” Jinsoul sat on the workbench, “that almost looks better than the other swords.” 

“Even Eclipse?” Jungeun glanced up at her, the corner of her lip tugging up. 

Jinsoul’s face warmed slightly. “No.” 

“Good answer.” Jungeun put the sword down, letting out a small breath. “It’s strange to think I can still turn into that.” Her eyes were contemplative again. “You’d think the truth of that would’ve sunken in for me long before.” She looked at her hands. “But it’s only starting now.” 

“I kept thinking about you as Eclipse at first,” Jinsoul admitted. “Those two things’re hard to match up. Usually it’s a human and an animal if there’s been any transfiguration.” 

“So you’re saying that if I’d been an animal, I would be having an easier time?” She wore an expression that was a smile and a frown at the same time. 

“Maybe?” 

Jungeun smiled fully then. “You’re right. I would’ve been able to love them, hopefully awake too.” 

“You would’ve made a great owl.” 

Her brow furrowed. “An owl?” 

Jinsoul put a hand over . “It slipped out?”

Jungeun laughed. “You put some thought into that?” 

She shook her head. Her face was burning now. 

Jungeun reached over and squeezed her shoulder. “I believe you. I think.” She went over to the forge then. “Want to give making a blade a try?” She held up a piece of Aster. 

“Already?” Jinsoul stared at it. “You showed me how to make it once.” 

“But you know how to mould metal,” Jungeun replied. “You just have to change how you do it a bit.” 

“There’s a technique to it,” she said. “Just like there is to making armour.” 

“Should I make a chest plate while you make a sword?” Jungeun asked. “We’ll see how it is on the first try for both of us.” 

“But you need a plan for that. The right proportions.” 

“I see it there.” She nodded at the wall, before frowning slightly. “You’ve got a model there.” She pointed at the sword she’d made. 

Jinsoul bit back that it wasn’t enough. 

“You could draw up something, if you need it,” Jungeun said then. “I’ve just never used one.”

“You learned it from when you were little.” Jinsoul waved at the armour. “I was an apprentice first, only following instructions for the first years.” 

“And now your instructions are the drawings, right?” Jungeun pulled papers over. “It’s how you work best, right?” Her gaze was encouraging.

Except Jinsoul didn’t really want to use a plan. Not this time. 

“I’ll try?” She took the metal. “And if it’s horrible, don’t laugh at me.” 

Jungeun smiled. “We’ll just melt it down and start again.” 

They ended up having to restart twice. The Aster didn’t get ruined by repeated melting and reforming. Jungeun also managed to get the sharper edges and folds back to normal. 

She didn’t get impatient like Jinsoul’s old teachers had. She just stayed at her side, murmuring a few tips as Jinsoul hammered out the third sheet of metal. She pointed to where Jinsoul should put the most pressure to get the proper folding. 

Jinsoul wondered what it was about her teachers before, or the swords she’d learned to make. They’d preferred slimmer blades, ones that looked elegant in a sheath, or could keep you at a distance when fighting. 

Maybe it was the materials they used, but those blades were brittle. 

“Don’t get distracted.” Jungeun poked her shoulder. “Do you want grooves in the blade or just something simple?” 

Jinsoul almost opted for simple, but she’d probably not get another lesson like this. Not when they’d start again with deliveries in earnest, or anything with Jungeun started moving along. 

And if Jungeun didn’t stay, either because she couldn’t or didn’t want to—

“Jinsoul?” Jungeun looked at her, a hint of worry appearing. “You alright?” 

“Grooves,” Jinsoul said. “We should go overboard with this one. I know someone who’d probably end up taking it.” 

The smile came back. “That might involve a lot of detail work,” she said. “And time.” A bit of hesitance came then. “That’s fine, right?” 

Jinsoul returned it. “Perfect.” 

______

It took two weeks for Jinsoul to learn how to make a sword on her own. Jungeun had been at her side for the first few days, but near the end of the first week, she’d taken to doing a few tasks elsewhere that Jinsoul needed done for the armour. 

As expected, Jungeun managed fine without a plan. Once Jinsoul had to stop her from making the faceplate too thick, as well as a few other small things, but that was all. 

Jinsoul was currently putting the final touches on the hilt, slotting the metal clasps into the spaces. 

This was the third sword she’d made. The very first had been almost too much, while the second had been a simple, more polished version of it, and this last one took more inspiration from Eclipse than it probably should have. 

Jinsoul still wasn’t sure what would happen once they broke the curse. She wasn’t sure if Jungeun would survive, if her and Eclipse would be separate entities again, or anything. 

Except there was hope of breaking the curse. She reminded herself of that. 

The last click came and Jinsoul wrapped the leather around the handle once. There was another slot embedded in the leather that went into the pommel. She was happy to say that’d been her own idea. 

Jungeun had loved it when she’d suggested it, her silver eyes practically glowing. 

Secretly, Jinsoul hadn’t wanted to stop making swords with Jungeun beside her. She’d loved the little discussions on the form and enchantments they could put on the blade. It made the hours spent on the swords pass easily and she’d enjoyed every minute. 

She wanted to keep something like that. She wanted Jungeun to stay. 

And that was also why she’d told Jungeun she’d make this next one by herself. 

Still, that didn’t mean Jungeun wasn’t in the workshop. Either she was following a plan Jinsoul had drawn up, or recreating the larger version of an armour model. 

There was a time when Jinsoul wouldn’t have let anyone do that. Heejin had been the first who’d even helped with hammering out the metal and Jinsoul had been almost too overbearing.  

______

Jungeun was sitting on the floor, leaning the foot of Jinsoul’s bed when she came in. There was a somber expression on her face. 

Jinsoul gently closed the door. 

Then she looked up, the expression fading into a small smile. It wasn’t all that convincing. 

“Can’t sleep?”

Jungeun chuckled. “I could ask you the same.” 

“I’m a night owl,” Jinsoul replied. She went over. “Can I?” 

She patted the carpet beside her and Jinsoul sat down. 

“Are you working like that because you want to?” Jungeun asked. “Or because you’re behind on production?”

It didn’t take much thought to know what she was getting at. 

“I never really go to bed earlier than two in the morning,” Jinsoul told her. “I like maximising what I can do in a day.” She smiled then. “And I’m on schedule too.” She even had time for another project, but she didn’t tell her about that one. 

“And what about the other things?” Jungeun turned to face her, tucking her legs under her. “Like that box?” 

“I’m making a few more prototypes of different kinds,” Jinsoul said. “And it’s only after I finish the armours that I can really put in a little more magic.” 

“You could use mine,” she said. “Didn’t that one—er, Haseul say I have a lot of it?” She tilted her head lightly. “I’ve already tried it with the metal. I think I have more than I did before.”

Jinsoul looked to see if this was some kind of courtesy Jungeun was trying to extend—another attempt to settle whatever debt she thought she had to repay. 

She didn’t find that. 

“Unless you want to do it yourself?” Jungeun smiled ever so slightly. “I’ve been told that you’re used to working alone on your craft.” 

Jinsoul blushed. “And in how much detail did they go?”

“The first time Heejin even started enchanting a faceplate, you were hovering around her the entire time?” Jungeun rested her head on Jinsoul’s comforter. She looked tired, but her eyes were still bright with interest. “And Hyunjin was meant to hammer out some iron, but you banned her when she kept making it too thin?”

“Hyun does other stuff now,” Jinsoul said. “She puts the stuff together when it’s done.”

“And helps with carrying it into the van.” She chuckled. “Apparently you did that alone at first too?”

“Then I threw my back out,” Jinsoul replied. “Twice.” She also leaned her head back. It felt strangely intimate to just sit here with her, instead of in the workshop. She tried to ignore the little flutter she felt at that. 

Jungeun’s brow furrowed. “No wonder you don’t lift things. I nearly did that when we got new tools for the forge.” 

She held her gaze. “I’m not sure if you’re still calling me weak, or actually being nice.” 

“Both.” Jungeun laughed softly. “And you’ve got more strength than most. It takes a good amount of arm strength to flatten silver like that.” 

Jinsoul flexed her arm once. 

Jungeun laughed again, before covering . “I’m sorry!” She waved her hand. “I didn’t mean that.” 

“Are you sure?” She fought a smile. “You laughed at my muscles.” 

“I laughed because you tried to show them off.” Jungeun was grinning. “They’re good.” She gently poked her arm. “Well trained.” Her lips twitched, as if she was holding back another laugh. 

“Then let’s see yours then.” Jinsoul pushed back her sleeves.

Jungeun pulled hers up. Just below her shoulder, there were impressions on her arms, almost like brands around the arm. 

Jinsoul didn’t comment on them. Neither did Jungeun. Was that the work of the witches as well? 

“Fine,” Jinsoul looked away from her arms when she flexed them, “you win.” 

“Win what?” Jungeun sat up. One eyebrow rose as she looked at her. “Were we competing?”

Her face warmed again. “No?”

“Hyunjin was,” she said. “Wanted to arm wrestle.” She shrugged. “I won.” She patted her arm. “And I still don’t know if that’s enhanced by me being this.” 

“You think other things changed?” 

“I think they had to have changed,” Jungeun replied. “Don’t know how, but there could’ve been something.” Her expression turned pensive. Her mind was going back to some place she hadn’t talked about, not much at least. 

All Jinsoul knew about that was that she was still so tied to her life before. Why wouldn’t she be? For her, it hadn’t been long ago at all. 

Then Jungeun shook her head. “Sorry,” she muttered, leaning back against the bed again. Her eyes went to the ceiling. 

“Tired?” 

“Not really.” Her voice felt smaller. 

Then Jungeun held out a hand, eyes meeting Jinsoul’s once before looking away. Did she want to turn into a sword? Now?

Jinsoul took her hand. 

I don’t really want to say this aloud, Jungeun said in her head. But I can, if you want—if hearing my thoughts is odd. 

“You can say it this way.” 

Jinsoul could feel how thoughts started to form, before they were pushed away. It was a weird feeling, as if she were watching someone start to speak, but they never did. 

I miss my life. Jungeun’s eyes were downcast as they took in the floor. I feel selfish for that. 

“You don’t have to be,” Jinsoul said. “You lost your family, and you can’t go back to that life before. Almost anyone would miss that.” 

But not everyone gets a chance to have a second life like I do. Pause. Everyone I knew would’ve never imagined seeing a world like this, not in their entire lifetime. Her eyes went to the closet, the lights in the ceiling, and then Jinsoul’s desk. But I’m here now. 

Jinsoul remained silent, but she lightly squeezed Jungeun’s hand. 

I’m learning so much too. I thought I’d stopped for the most part when my father started letting me make the weapons alone. Jungeun met her eyes then. But now I’m here, and there’s so much still to learn about the world, but also the work I’d done before. A smile started to appear. You’ve been teaching me a lot of that, you know. Armour, enchantments, and especially plans. 

“Plans?” Jinsoul repeated. 

“I never made anything with an elaborate end-product in mind. I started and reworked things as I went along. A lot of the time, that made it all sloppy, but sometimes it worked.” She chuckled. “That bow, the other daggers, Eclipse,” she sighed, “those’re actually products of a lot of failed little projects of mine.” 

“So trial and error?” 

“A lot of errors,” Jungeun said. “But my father never minded as long as I ended up making something we could sell at the end of it.” She was still holding her hand, even if she was talking aloud. 

Jinsoul shifted a bit to face her more. “Can I ask you something?” 

“Whatever you want.” 

It left room for some other questions, but none of them had the right timing. “Would you have still been able to do all of that when you married?” 

Jungeun blinked. “You remember that?” 

Jinsoul didn’t say it was a detail she’d kept in mind since she’d said it. “Yeah.” 

She was quiet for a few seconds. Then she nodded. “I told him I wouldn’t marry him if he made me stop,” she said. “That he said yes was the only reason I agreed to it.” 

“You make it sound like a contract.” Jinsoul couldn’t help, but think that was a sad condition for anyone to agree to a marriage to. Yes, he’d respected her wishes to keep doing what she loved, but it being the only reason?

“It was,” Jungeun said. “There was no one else I wanted to marry in the town. Not even the noblemen who stooped to ask for my hand.” She laughed then. “I think one of them was actually my age, but I definitely wouldn’t have been allowed to smith.” 

“One of them?” Jinsoul repeated. “You’re saying multiple nobles?” All things considered, she wasn’t exactly surprised. 

“Four, three of them were old enough to by my father or older.” She wrinkled her nose. “As for the last one, he’d courted me once, inviting me out for a ride in some fanciful carriage, but it’d been so boring.” 

“And the one you said yes to,” Jinsoul started. “Would you have come to love him?” 

Jungeun looked at her, eyes flitting between Jinsoul’s for what seemed like a full minute. “No. He would’ve been a friend and nothing more.” She looked away. “I only actually realised that recently.” 

“Recently as in your recent?” Jinsoul asked. “Or mine?”

“Yours.” She let out a small laugh. “It was after I met Hyunjin, I think.”

Jinsoul blinked. She hadn’t expected that. 

And then Jungeun was shaking her head, almost too fast. “I meant when Heejin kissed her,” she said quickly. “When the rest of you told me it was possible to,” she broke off. Her ears were turning bronze. “Well, to love a woman.” Her eyes were looking past Jinsoul, probably at the shelves. 

“Oh?” Jinsoul knew she sounded like an idiot. She hadn’t expected Jungeun to say much on that, let alone that directly. 

“Oh?” Jungeun echoed. “In my time that was unheard of, in this it’s still a kind of confession, isn’t it?” 

Right. Jungeun had essentially just come out. She was also looking at Jinsoul, with a brow partially raised and a look in her eyes that made her almost too endearing. 

“It is!” she said, maybe a bit too quickly. “A little smoother then mine was, so a good one.” 

Confusion filled Jungeun’s face. 

“It took me a little while to tell my parents,” Jinsoul explained. “Getting them sat down, a longer explanation, and then I told them I already had a girlfriend.” 

Jungeun’s brow furrowed. “A girlfriend?” 

“Right, a lot of you just jumped into marriage back then,” Jinsoul forced a laugh, “but that’s a step up from friends, but below actually getting married.” Then she added, “like courting, but a little more than that.” 

“So engagement?” 

“No!” Jinsoul shook her head. “Under that too.” 

“And that’s what the others are?” Jungeun almost looked overwhelmed again. “Because they mentioned something about a date, and I didn’t ask.” 

“A date is,” she trailed off. Then she pulled out her phone and typed it in. “It’s ‘an appointment to meet someone or go out with them, especially someone with whom you are having, or may soon have, a romantic relationship’.”

“Did you also not know what it was?” Jungeun asked. 

“I did.” Jinsoul wondered if she was just digging herself into a hole now. “Just didn’t really know how to explain it.” She looked up at the ceiling. “But I’ve dated people,” she added hastily. “I know how it works.” Shut up, she told herself. 

Jungeun stared at her. "I didn’t say anything?”

Right, they were still holding hands. 

“Oh my god.” Jinsoul pulled her hand away and buried her face in them. “I meant that I should shut up.” She shook her head. “You should ask Soo about this. Or Jiwoo. Anyone else in this house.” 

Jungeun didn’t say anything for about forty seconds. Then hands wrapped around Jinsoul’s wrists, gently pulling them away. She didn't let go of her immediately. 

“You were the probably the least daunting for it,” Jungeun said. “And I was right about that.” 

What did that mean? How did Jungeun even mean that? 

Her brow rose. “I mean that I wanted to talk to you about this first.” 

Jinsoul was still sending thoughts over to Jungeun. 

“You are.” Jungeun’s lip curled upwards. “Should I let go of you to leave your mind in peace?” 

“Please?” Jinsoul grimaced. “It’s not that I don’t like it, but—” She broke off. “Just,” she pulled her hands away, “I’m not that good at this.” She wanted to curl away and hide. Maybe she’d just go back to the workshop and wait until Jungeun fell asleep. Maybe she should just sleep on the sofa instead. Sharing a room with Jungeun hadn’t been a problem until she’d started making an absolute fool of herself. 

“It’s alright.” Her eyes still held a little bit of laughter. “I’ll leave you alone now.”

“You don’t have to,” Jinsoul said. “We just have to stop with the mind-reading for a little while.” 

Jungeun leaned back on her elbows, watching her with a tiny smile. 

Jinsoul couldn’t look her in the eye without her stomach flipping, so she grabbed the nearest thing and started fiddling with it. It was one of her sketchbook. She’d told Jungeun that she could look through any of them. She’d picked one from two years ago. 

“Did you,” Jinsoul bit her lip, “want to ask me anything? About—you know.” 

“Actually yes,” Jungeun nodded, “but I didn’t know if it’d be too personal or not.” Her cheeks were still dusted with bronze. 

“Ask me whatever you want.” 

A few seconds passed. 

“Is there someone in your life? One you love?” 

It was a surprisingly easy question to answer. Jinsoul shook her head. “Not anymore. Also not the ones who came after.”

Jungeun nodded once. She didn’t ask about what’d happened, or who it’d been. Jinsoul almost wanted to tell her, but Jungeun most likely didn’t want to hear about that. 

“You already know mine,” Jungeun laughed again, “and other than that there’s not much to tell.” 

It felt like there was room to say something after that. Either Jinsoul or Jungeun, but neither of them filled the silence. 

It was awkward—at least Jinsoul felt like it was. Jungeun still seemed at ease, but she was looking at the ceiling, almost calm. 

“I’ll go get ready for bed,” Jinsoul pushed herself to her feet, “see you.” 

“See you,” Jungeun called, her voice sounding a bit faraway. 

Jinsoul closed the door of the bathroom and let out a long breath. Had that been a disaster or something else?

She had no idea. 

______

Jinsoul’s phone chimed. 

Jungeun went over and picked it up. She handed it to her without looking. 

Angel: We’re here.

“Haseul and Vivi.” She grinned, getting to her feet. “Come on.” 

“But they won’t have figured much out, correct?” Jungeun followed her. “They’d have to have seen the actual curse first.” 

“That’s why they’re here,” she nodded, “but they were looking into whatever we could’ve missed.”

“And the information you didn’t have access to,” Jungeun finished. She looked nervous, but it left soon after. 

Jinsoul knew what she was wondering. What if there isn’t a way out? What if the solution wasn’t going to give Jungeun what she wanted? What if she’d stop living once the curse broke? 

A hand slipped into her own then. “Ready?” 

Jinsoul gave her a look. “I’m supposed to be asking you that.” 

Jungeun smiled. If you’re ready, then I might be too.

It happened every so often that Jungeun preferred to say something in her head than aloud. Jinsoul wondered if it was because she felt like she wasn’t really admitting to not knowing something, or not being ready to learn about something else. 

Whatever it was, it seemed like it helped. 

Jinsoul squeezed her hand. Then I’m ready, she told her. 

They went upstairs. Jinsoul let go of her hand. Depending on how this went, she’d probably have to hold her hand again so she’d turn. 

There was a brief knock on the door then. 

Jinsoul opened it. Haseul and Vivi stood there. A bag hung from Haseul’s shoulders, filled to the brim with books and papers. 

“Am I gonna have to read that?” Jinsoul eyed it. 

“Jiwoo and Hyunjin will,” Haseul said. “But we’ll tell you the most important stuff.” 

”Great!” Hyunjin called from the kitchen. “You brought homework.” 

The two smiled as Jinsoul let them into the house. 

“So this’s what you normally look like?” Haseul asked, looking at Jungeun. 

She looked down at herself. “Right now, yes.” Then her eyes went to Vivi.

“I’m her wife,” Vivi said. “I also did most of the research.” 

“Did not,” Haseul dropped the bag onto the sofa, “she just had the transfiguration theory part. I went through the actual cases of it.” 

Jungeun’s mouth had formed an ‘o’. “There’s that much to know?” She looked at the bag. 

“Not for you,” Vivi smiled, “don’t worry.” 

She nodded, looking relieved. “But is there hope?” she asked. “Do you think I can stop being a sword?” 

“Of course,” she replied. “You actually being able to turn back is a big plus.” She shrugged. “Some people push the spell too far so that their entire essence is stuck. They’re basically fused with the object of animal, sometimes even the person, and you can never get them out.” 

“Unless you destroy it,” Haseul said. “Then you can free their spirit.” 

Jungeun looked pale. 

Jinsoul went to her side. “But that didn’t happen here,” she said. “So let’s not get into those details.” 

Both of them looked apologetic. 

Jungeun’s hand brushed her arm. That all sounded terrifying. Thanks for stopping it, I think they were going to go on. 

Jinsoul fought a smile. They might have a few more things to say. Brace yourself. 

They all went to sit around the coffee table. Jinsoul made five coffees and a hot chocolate. She gave the witches, Heejin and Hyunjin the coffee, while Jungeun got the hot chocolate. 

Jungeun gave her a small smile. Jinsoul returned it, before sitting down beside her. 

Heejin caught her eye then, an eyebrow raised. 

Jinsoul ignored her and pushed down the growing feeling of unease.

Vivi and Haseul had exchanged a look with one another, as if deciding there who’d say something first. 

“I’ll get straight to it then,” Vivi said then. “We think the people who bound you to the sword’s form are still alive.”

“What?” Hyunjin leaned forward. “Really?”

Right. She’d theorised that same thing. 

Haseul nodded. “I think we found a few records that were theirs. We found families who always lost one person. That happened once every twenty years.”

“Fifteen people?” Jungeun’s face had fallen. “Or more?” 

“From what I could find,” Haseul grimaced, “I think you were the first one.”

She frowned. “There were no other disappearances beforehand?”

“There were, but not like this.” 

“Not like what?” Jungeun’s confusion almost radiated out of her. “You’re saying there was a trend? Something that was the same?” 

Haseul suddenly looked uncomfortable. 

“Tell me.” Jungeun's hands were fists now. Her knuckles were a pale silver. “It doesn’t matter what it was, just say it.” 

“They took the children of those they labelled as enemies,” Haseul said. “Either them, or the others they knew. I still don’t know.” 

Jungeun was looking between them. There was denial in her eyes, then frustration. 

Jinsoul wanted to reach out, but she held back. 

“You,” Jungeun started. She swallowed. Her jaw was clenched. “We never wronged the witches. We asked them for help. They got some of our weapons too.” Her voice was quiet, almost shaky. 

Except she was hiding the doubt now. Her gaze was bordering on harsh now. 

“Did you know about everything your parents were doing?” Vivi asked. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jungeun snapped. “They taught me everything I’d have to do when I started leading our sales and the smithing.” 

Jinsoul’s stomach twisted then when she remembered. “What about the Aster?” 

Her eyes shot to her. Something cracked there. “No.” She was already shaking her head. 

“What’s Aster?” Haseul looked between them. 

“The metal for the weapons,” Jinsoul replied. 

Something shifted then. Haseul and Vivi looked at each other. 

Jungeun’s expression crumpled then. “He stole it?” 

“The metal comes from a volcano, within its walls. It’s a sacred place, but it was mined in smaller amounts.” Haseul bit her lip. “It wasn’t guarded so well at first and so there’d been some who’d gone illegally. They’d followed many of the thieves, only to see that they’d been hired. All the thieves had been cursed.” 

“But we sold to witches,” Jungeun protested. “Why didn’t they do anything?”

“That volcano should’ve been a secret,” ViVi said. “Your father must’ve heard from someone. Maybe they gave him the first ingot.” 

“But they knew what would happen,” Jungeun said. “They knew something could’ve happened to us.” 

“Maybe they tried to protect you,” Haseul shrugged, “you managed to make those weapons for pretty long.” 

“But they didn’t come when the others did.”

“They could’ve been on trial,” Vivi replied. “There were a lot of those back then. When witches weren’t really allowed to share their secrets or only when they’d gotten the allowance for it.” 

Jungeun didn’t say anything to that. Jinsoul recognised that expression. It pained her just to see it. 

“The metal’s been commercialised now,” Vivi said, wrinkling her nose. “So that’s why none of these,” she waved at them, “have been crucified for using weapons like that.”

Jungeun nodded, but the motion was weak. She looked sick. 

“So the others,” Hyunjin started, “were they turned too?” 

“I think so,” Haseul said. “With most, they reported it to the authorities, but they never found the identities of the witches. A few logs didn’t say who’d disappeared either, only that they’d never been found.” 

Jungeun’s knuckles were white again. She was close to shaking. 

Jinsoul put a hand over hers. She could feel Jungeun’s confusion, the anger, and the doubt. Everything that came when you suddenly realised you’d been wrong, that someone you loved hadn’t told you the truth. 

Did you know? Jungeun’s thoughts were pointed. Did you know he was a thief? 

No, Jinsoul said. I didn’t know any of this. 

“But what did they do with them?” Hyunjin asked. “Did they take the magic they still had? Did they take their lives?” 

Vivi shrugged. “They lived that long for a reason.” 

Jungeun’s hand tightened around hers. 

“Then why am I alive?” Jungeun’s voice wasn’t trembling anymore. “Why was there even a chance of me being turned back? Why was I awake for some of the time?”

“Either they hadn’t nailed the spell as well as they’d wanted,” Vivi said. “Or it was the metal they bound you to, or the enchantments you put on it.” 

“Or?” Jungeun repeated. Her hand slipped out of Jinsoul’s when she stood. “So I shouldn’t even really be alive? I should’ve just disappeared into Eclipse until it was finally melted down or shattered?” 

“We don’t know,” Haseul said. “We wanted to see what the spell was really like.” Her gaze turned apologetic then. “But even though there were cases where it didn’t go right, yours isn’t one of them. The people who faded into what they were transfigured into didn’t have the chance to be conscious in the first place.”

Jungeun looked at her. It was almost a glare. Then she grabbed Jinsoul’s hand and turned into a sword in the next moment. 

Jinsoul could feel what Jungeun was, but there was no thought sent her way. She was silent. There was also no flicker of an eye in the blade either. 

She felt weird giving her to Haseul and Vivi. It was even stranger when the two started discussing the curse, bringing up the mechanisms about curses that Jinsoul didn’t understand. Hyunjin did, but Heejin didn’t seem like she did either. 

Jinsoul got to her feet. “Let me know when you’re done. So I can,” she waved at the sword, “you know, turn her back.” She walked back to the stairs. 

“I’ll come with you.” Heejin got up as well. 

Hyunjin looked back, frowning. 

“This’s my expertise.” Heejin waved a hand over her face, turning her eyes bright pink before making them brown again. Then she followed Jinsoul. 

They didn’t say anything on the way down, but Jinsoul knew that Heejin was going to say something. She didn’t want to hear it, but she’d have to. 

Jinsoul opened the door to the workshop. She’d left the sword on the forge. Molten metal had dripped onto the floor. 

She cursed, rushing over and pulling the rest out. She pulled her leg back before she could get melted metal on her feet. 

“Use a repair charm!” Heejin called from the door. “You actually learned that one.” 

Jinsoul cast it, watching as the metal droplets rose into the air, attaching to the rest. It made a misshapen mass of iron. 

“That was actually gonna be a good one,” Jinsoul muttered. She was about to put it back when Heejin’s words stopped her. 

“Jinsoul,” Heejin started. “Have you thought of what might happen when we break the curse?”

“Of course I have.” She dropped the slab of metal onto the anvil and went back to her book. She had a new sketch, two actually. One was a weapon, the other wasn’t. 

There was no response to that, but Heejin was just looking at her, expectant. 

“Anything could happen,” Jinsoul said. “Maybe she stays, or maybe she vanishes. Or it’s something else that we don’t expect.” 

“And none of us know,” Heejin added, almost carefully. 

Jinsoul put the book down. “What’re you trying to say?” 

“Be careful.” She walked over. “She’s already been here long enough that we’d all hate it if something happened to her.” A long pause. “But be careful you don’t make that any worse.” 

Then it made sense. The looks they’d sent her way, the occasional questions about Jungeun, or what they were working on. 

Jinsoul’s stomach twisted. “I’m not treating her like she’s temporary,” she said. “She lost everything to time and she barely even knew it. Whatever could happen, this new time needs to feel like a constant.” 

“But you can’t think of her like that,” Heejin shot back. “There’s a difference.” 

“I know that.” 

She gave her a look. “She’s teaching you how to make a sword. You’re taking her with you for deliveries.”

“Because that’s what she’s used to!” Jinsoul wished Heejin could see that. “She already feels lost and out of her depth. Smithing, delivering—that’s what she did before.” 

Heejin was quiet, but Jinsoul definitely didn’t feel like she’d won any argument. 

She didn’t want to say anything else. Heejin definitely thought she was wrong. Maybe she was, but if she went that direction, she’d be turning her back on Jungeun. She didn’t want to do that. 

“You really care about her,” Heejin muttered. 

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

“It means,” she sounded more confused than anything, “that we thought you just felt this sense of duty to help her. Like the rest of us.” She snorted. “Because only ty people wouldn’t try to help her.”

“But?”

“And she’s a great friend,” Heejin said. “But this’s different.” 

Jinsoul stared at her. 

“Don’t look at me like that,” she raised a hand, “she’s perfect for you.” Her gaze softened slightly. “Anyone could see that.” Then she sighed. “But that’s why I need to make sure you hear this.” 

“No you don’t.” 

“You could lose her,” Heejin said sharply. “And you’re not ready for that.”

“I don’t want to be,” Jinsoul snapped. “I’m done with not trusting someone, with acting like they won’t—she won’t stay.”

“She might not be able to.” 

“Or she won’t want to,” Jinsoul said. She felt all her anger leave her. “She’s bound to me. She’s been trapped by everyone before me.” She grit her teeth. “You’re acting like I don’t think any of this is possible, that she might not survive, that she might leave if she does, that something, or anything else changes—I know.” 

Heejin took her hand then. 

Jinsoul nearly pulled away, but she knew that wouldn’t help anything. She also liked having someone there to ground her. 

But what was she supposed to say? This was different? Of course it was. 

She knew what she was doing? Did she?

“They’re not the same.”

Heejin’s expression soured. “I never said they were.” 

“But you’re acting like I’m as naive as I was before.” 

“I don’t want you to get hurt again,” Heejin said. “None of us do.”

I won’t was what she wanted to say, but the chance that she would was high. 

“It won’t be her fault,” Jinsoul said. 

Heejin blinked. She frowned then, her head definitely filling with all the reasons why Jinsoul was making a mistake. 

Then Haseul was at the door, holding Eclipse—Jungeun. 

“Anything?” 

“More than we had,” Haseul held her out, “the spell’s too strong for us to break like that. I also have no idea how we’d do it without causing more damage than helping anything.” 

Jinsoul took the blade and Jungeun materialised in front of her. She still looked ill, but she didn’t let go this time. 

“But they want to see if we can find the witches,” Jungeun said. “For that we’ll need my memory of them, so they’d be able to scry for them.”

Jinsoul almost smiled. “Sooyoung’ll be happy.” When all of them looked at her, confused, she chuckled. “You’ll be meeting their favourite witches.” She pulled out her phone, flicking through the contacts until she found the name. She typed out a quick message before sending it. 

“Chaewon?” Haseul smiled. “Will Hyejoo be coming too or do you think they’ll save Sooyoung the headache.”

Jinsoul gave her a look. 

Haseul laughed. “I almost wanna be here when they come.” Then she shook her head. “But we’ve still got stuff to do,” she said. “Tonight, we’ve got two birthdays and some other big group where we still don’t know for sure if they’re coming or not.” 

“And what else can we do?” Heejin asked. “Any idea where we’re supposed to start outside of finding the witches?” Her eyes landed on their hands, before looking back to Haseul. 

“Honestly, not much,” she shrugged, “Hyunjin and Jiwoo’re still doing something, but the rest of you probably can’t do much other than make sure they don’t burn out.” Then she said her goodbyes, before going back upstairs. 

That left Jungeun, Heejin, and Jinsoul. 

“You could hear everything up there,” Heejin said. “How was that?”

“Confusing.” Jungeun squeezed Jinsoul’s hand once, before pulling away. She sat down on the nearest chair. “I never bothered with curses or any of that magic, so it all sounded pretty much terrible for me.” She raked a hand through her hair. “But the main thing is, this curse can be broken. They couldn’t find a chance of separating the sword from my form.” She frowned, confused. “Because they weren’t sure if it was my soul possessing the sword, or the sword possessing me?” 

Neither of them said much. They didn’t know either. 

“And I guess,” Jungeun shrugged, “they think my body could still be somewhere? Or the real Eclipse?” Her brow furrowed. “I don’t know. If my body’s supposed to still exist, wouldn’t it be a skeleton by now? Or less?” 

Jinsoul did not like the image that put in her head. 

“I’m thinking they preserved it?” Heejin suggested. “Either that or the spell hasn’t let your body decay.” 

“You mean that?” Jungeun lifted a brow. “Or is this just a reassurance?”

Heejin looked embarrassed. “Not really sure, but if I had a body lying around, I wouldn’t exactly want it turning into a skeleton or anything like that.” 

Jungeun looked more than slightly disturbed. Then she let out a long sigh and put her head in her hands. 

“Just don’t think about it!” Heejin said. She patted her shoulder. “Want something to eat?” 

Jungeun shook her head. “Thank you.” Her face was still hidden by her fingers. 

Heejin went to the door, looking back only to meet Jinsoul’s eyes. She couldn’t read that look. Was it encouraging? Or one that was telling her to not do anything? 

Whatever it was, when the door closed, Jinsoul sat on the workbench, a little way’s away from Jungeun. She stayed quiet, wondering if Jungeun would just tell her to leave as well. She debated asking her, but she wasn’t sure if that was pushing her or not. She also wasn’t sure if she should’ve just left. 

“I’m sorry,” Jungeun mumbled. 

“For what?” Jinsoul frowned. 

“Earlier.” She lifted her face. There were a few stray tears on her face. She was already wiping them away. “It should’ve made sense. I never heard about it, but I never asked either.” She sighed. “I just can’t believe it was stolen—that he hired people to take it.” She frowned. “He didn’t even do it himself.” 

Jinsoul heard the underlying question there. Had he been a coward?

“Had I known growing up, maybe I would’ve been fine with it,” Jungeun scoffed, “but he didn’t say anything. No one knew. I don’t even know if my mother was like me, or if she knew.” She stood, pacing between the stool and the wall. “But they,” she faltered, “they’ve been dead for years. I won’t know why he lied or anything, so wondering about it won’t make a difference, will it?”

“It might,” Jinsoul said. “But knowing the reason for something doesn’t always help. I’m not even sure if it should change how you see your family. At least not way too much?” She prepared herself for Jungeun to start denying that. 

Except Jungeun paused in her steps. She looked confused. 

“With getting a reason.” Jinsoul focused on the armour harnesses. “There might not be a good one, or you’d just be better of not knowing it.” Then she added, “but that really depends on how you see it.” She picked up a pencil from the bench. She twirled it around her fingers as she tried to find the words. “Your dad probably never thought he’d get caught. Maybe the witches said you’d all be fine. Maybe it was supposed to be fine, but the people who cursed you just took the chance to punish him somehow.” She put the pen down. “But he never made anything after that. Your family was safe from then on. I think that whatever happened, none of that changes that he loved you and wanted the best for you.” 

Jungeun’s brow rose. “And the best included getting transformed into a sword?” Her brow furrowed. “I’m not doubting that he loved me.” She shook her head. “I’m,” she faltered.

“I don’t think you are,” Jinsoul said. “But sometimes, the more you think about a lie like that, the more you doubt what else wasn’t real.” After a few seconds she added, “but that is from personal experience and it was nothing like what you’re going through.” She grimaced. “So you could ignore what I said too.” 

Jungeun had sat down again. There was still a tear on the middle of her cheek. It was silver. 

Jinsoul reached over and wiped it off. 

“Or I could listen,” Jungeun replied. She didn’t just mean to what Jinsoul had just said. 

Was Jinsoul really going to tell her that now? After Haseul and Vivi might’ve just shattered a part of Jungeun’s worldview without meaning to? 

“But you don’t have to tell me,” Jungeun added then, but it looked like she felt a lot better than before. Was it because she’d recovered a little more from earlier, or because she was distracted? 

Distraction could help sometimes. At least at first. 

Jinsoul steeled herself. “Remember the Parks?” 

A tiny nod.

“They were like my family,” Jinsoul said. “I got more lessons through them and spent all day with their kids—my best friends.” She didn’t add the other part. “They kept pushing me to do more, encouraging me that I was doing everything right, with the smithing and the armour, all of it.” She wondered if she was doing the right thing telling her about that. Some people wanted to hear a story like theirs. Others hated it. 

Then Jungeun nodded again. Her brow was furrowed again, but this time in concern. With the little information Jinsoul had given her at first, Jungeun had an idea of what’d happened. 

“So I started making armour to keep for myself. To sell it on the markets,” she explained. “I didn’t really tell anyone, but I worked on more armour pieces to make sure they weren’t missing anything. I went to sell the first piece and I got a really good price for it.” 

Jungeun wasn’t saying anything. She was waiting, but her fingers were holding the edge of the stool, digging into the softer leather. 

“When I got back, they’d taken the armour and destroyed all of my books.” She remembered gathering the ashes, hoping that somewhere there’d be a witch who could save them. No one had, not even Haseul. “They threw what was still mine—clothes, a few things from my old home—into the river by the palace.” 

“And they muddied your name?” Jungeun asked then. Her jaw was clenched. “That’s why you couldn’t sell at better prices?” Her other hand was on the table. 

She nodded. “But back to my point,” she started, “your dad lied for your sake. Maybe a part was for his pride, because he didn’t want you knowing how he got the Aster, but he never did it to keep you in that scheme. You said it yourself, you would’ve helped him, and I get that.”

“But?” Jungeun stood and sat on the workbench as well. She looked back, checking if it was holding her weight. 

Jinsoul almost told her it’d been drilled into the ground and could hold an entire suit of armour without a problem, but this wasn’t the time for that. 

“He wanted you to keep doing what you loved, and what he loved, without you knowing the price of it. I think he wanted to keep it all simple, something where you could just enjoy yourself.” She paused, hoping desperately she wasn’t saying this wrong. “It blew up in his face and the witches made you their target, but he never meant for any of that to happen.” 

Jungeun’s nod was almost imperceptible this time. “He begged them to take him instead,” she said. “They put wards around them to stop them from moving.” Her brow furrowed. 

Jinsoul almost told her she didn’t have to keep going. From where Jungeun was coming from, it’d only happened a few weeks ago. It’d taken a few years for Jinsoul to be ready to talk to Sooyoung and Heejin about what’d happened. They’d known something had happened, but not how. Even that’d been toned down at first. 

“And then they started the ritual.” Jungeun’s hands traced along her chest. “I told Hyunjin about this. She asked me last week if I remembered anything, but all I could tell her were flashes.” She sighed. “It’s still just flashes.” Then she tugged the collar of the shirt she wore down. 

Jinsoul in a breath when she saw the top of a scar emerge in the centre of her chest. It was a brighter silver than her skin. It wasn’t all of it, but she also didn’t want to see the rest. 

“They used Eclipse,” she continued. “And I knew I should’ve died then, but I wasn’t. I couldn’t breathe, but I wasn’t losing myself—you know, like you think death’s supposed to go.” She let go of her shirt and started rubbing her legs, as if trying to get rid of the feeling in them. “The rest I remember is jumbled. I saw the looks in their eyes. I saw another standing over me, but then she wasn’t. Then I remember something burning, before my body started changing. It wasn’t exactly agony at first—that came in spikes, and then everything was gone.” She took a deep breath, before letting it out. “I’ve been hoping that my dreams’ll tell me more, but even if I do go back through that, it’s essentially the same thing I remember.” 

Jinsoul didn’t know what to say. Well, she didn’t have much else to say except, “you want to remember the rest?” 

Jungeun shook her head. “I don’t want to, but I should.” Her smile looked a lot more like a grimace. “I’m at the centre of this problem and I could have a few answers to their questions.” She pointed at the roof. “If I just remembered.”

“Chaewon might actually be able to help with that.” 

She looked at her, before her eyes lit up. “Right!” Then she laughed a bit. “Should’ve realised that when you said she’d be the one getting the memory.” 

“Well she’ll have to do something,” Jinsoul muttered. “I told her to find records, because her coven have a few others that Haseul’s might not, but she never sent anything back.” She looked at her phone, only to see that Chaewon had actually replied to this one. 

Brainsucker: I’ll be there. Tomorrow. 

Jinsoul sighed. “And if it’s something she likes, or she’s curious about it, she’ll help.” 

“I’m not sure if Jiwoo and Hyunjin would’ve wanted even more information.” Then she tilted her head. “Why wasn’t any of that stuff electric?” she asked. “That sack was close to bursting.”

“Haseul’s as old fashioned as the first people who made those logs,” Jinsoul said. “And they can’t be bothered transcribing it all to a computer, because no one’s figured out spells that can actually combine electricity with magic to store information, or control a car.”

Jungeun made a small sound. It sounded like something in between a laugh and a cough. “I don’t even know how you can use electricity to store something.”

“Neither do I!” She grinned. Then a thought hit her. The witches had been in the forge, because that was where a part of the spell on Jungeun had been broken. Except— “They left metal in the forge.”

Jungeun frowned at her. “What?” 

“The ones who cursed you,” Jinsoul said. “If the metal was so sacred to them, why didn’t they take it back?”

“They were just focused on us? The magic drained them and they just left? They had to leave quickly?” Jungeun shrugged. “I wasn’t there.” She huffed a small laugh. “Sorry, that’s not funny.”

She smiled at that. “Not really,” she admitted. “But you tried.” 

Jungeun looked at her then, a small smile appearing. 

“Thank you.”

Jinsoul stared at her. She didn’t really think what she’d said had been encouraging. 

“For everything,” Jungeun continued. “And for even telling me about what happened to you. You didn’t have to.” Then her silver eyes hardened. “But if you ever want to threaten one of them with Eclipse, you don’t even have to ask.” 

Jinsoul laughed. “You mean you wouldn’t be threatening like this?” 

Jungeun raised a brow. “I didn’t say that.” A pause. “You don’t think I’m intimidating?” 

“I do,” she admitted. “But I also know by now that you don’t exactly scream threatening.” 

Jungeun got to her feet, standing in front of her. “Are you sure?” Her eyes were glinting with something Jinsoul barely recognised. 

And it was mildly intimidating. She had to fight not to look away, the blood rushing from her neck to her face. 

“I mean, I make armour for a living, so I don’t think the person actually has to be intimidating.” She waved at the armour. “Just think about getting punched by one of them. It doesn’t matter if you’re short, you’d still do some damage.” 

Jungeun’s lip curled. “So I’m short?” She grabbed Jinsoul’s hands and pulled her from the workbench. “You’re not that much taller.” She peered at her. 

“I’m tall enough.” Jinsoul looked at her forehead. “If I look straight ahead, I’m not looking at your eyes.” 

“Maybe,” Jungeun stood on her toes then, meeting her eyes, “but I thought we already established that I win when it comes to strength.” She smiled. “So height doesn’t really matter then, does it?” 

They were close. Really close. Jinsoul couldn’t help but stare. Jungeun’s skin sparkled a bit in the light, as if there were flecks of metal still scattered across it. She also really liked the thin red crescent in her left eye. 

Beautiful, she heard in her mind then. Jungeun’s voice. 

Jungeun didn’t seem to have realised she’d let that thought slip. 

“That was a low blow,” Jinsoul got out.

“Technically high,” Jungeun replied. “If you’re so much taller.” 

Jinsoul pulled one hand from Jungeun’s, only to push down so she went back to her normal height. “Ever worn high heels?” 

“Don’t men wear those normally?” She looked puzzled. “Or is that a nobility thing?” 

“Neither,” Jinsoul pulled her to the door, glad to put a little bit more distance this time, “it started being feminine a while ago, but both can wear it.” 

Jungeun followed her up the stairs. “And why was there a switch?” 

“No idea,” she looked over her shoulder, “some guide I am for the twenty-first century.” 

“You’re a good one.” Jungeun caught up with her. “You and the others explained all the important parts.” 

They got to the living room and Jinsoul saw how both Heejin and Hyunjin looked up from Haseul’s papers. Heejin’s gaze was unreadable, while Hyunjin looked confused. 

Jinsoul just pulled Jungeun up the stairs. 

Are they alright? Jungeun asked silently. Was that because of my outburst? 

Jinsoul shook her head. “You didn’t do anything,” she said, knowing the other two would hear that. 

She just nodded in response, but didn’t look convinced. 

Jinsoul just kept walking. She wondered if she’d have to tell her about Helen, or if the others could keep quiet about that. 

It wasn’t exactly something Jungeun had to know about, was it? 

She hoped not. 

______

Author's Note 

The last 'scene' was actually three in one, because I'd had them planned for a little while, but then realised they actually fit in for one continuous piece. 

If it feels like the story's moving faster (at least I hope it is), it's because I want to get to closing this story up. I don't plan on rushing it, but I also didn't plan on making this story like the other ones either. 

Hopefully you're enjoying this story so far! Let me know your thoughts. 

I hope you're all doing well and I'll see you next chapter! 

Twt: hblake44

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