CHAPTER ELEVEN: SALVATION

[Winter.]

“Ah, Jinyoung and Eunji? Yeah, they’ve been in a tag team ever since they almost beat me while teaming up together, although the Hell of Damnation proved to be the trick—depleting their energy before they could deal the finishing blow.” Seulgi unnie said while me and the others make our way towards the Kang Family’s VIP room after Mr. Jinyoung and Miss Eunji had issued that challenge to me, and I know that I can’t refuse since it’s part of tradition—but isn’t two against one kind of unfair, even for a newbie like me?

“So my advice would be to deal with Eunji first, and then deplete Jinyoung’s energy before dealing the final blow to him—or you could do it as you wish.” Seulgi unnie said, putting a hand upon my shoulder while she made me sit upon one of the chairs next to Joohyun unnie who nodded at me, while the others sat behind me eating the food that was served upon this place.

“In the meantime, you should rest; the both of us have fights, surprisingly.” Seulgi unnie said, smiling as she escorted Joohyun unnie towards the exit, and I asked the others to move closer, to watch the fights closer upon the window that magnified the arena from where we were and even amplified the sounds upon the battle that is currently happening, and I sigh as I lean back upon my chair.

“So that’s Miss Seulgi Kang?” Sunghoon asked and I nodded at that, thanking Jaemin who brought me some of the food that he had ordered from the kitchen being paid for by Lady Reina and the Kang Family, and I start to eat, wanting to catch my breath and regenerate my energy for the fight that would happen later, and immediately after taking a bite I see Seulgi unnie and Joohyun unnie standing upon the stage, facing other two people who had probably challenged them to the fight.

“That’s Miss Seulgi and… eh? Who’s that? Are they fighting together?” Hangyul asked, and I nod at that, knowing that their name would soon be announced, that they would be known and that Joohyun unnie would not be able to hide anymore because she had been asked to accompany me to this event—

“Seulgi Kang and Irene Bae versus Johannes Frost and Franz Edwards.”

I notice the others widen their eyes and gasp in shock while Jaemin and I only continued eating, knowing that this would be the first time that we would see the both of them fighting together like this, and I wonder how they would fare in a fight with the two of them.

“You… you know that the woman from earlier is the legendary Irene Bae?!” Yuqi exclaimed, and I nod at that while chewing through the toast that came with the food that I had been given, and I immediately wince in pain as Yuqi knocks upon my head, and instincts fly through me as I immediately stop Jaemin from attacking Yuqi—his instincts are still there, it seems.

“Well… she prefers to be called Joohyun unnie—the name that she uses is Joohyun Kang.” I explain while I drink some of the sweet coffee that Jaemin had gotten me even if I did not ask for it, and I lean forward, intent on watching the fight that would soon start.

“Ah, the Kang Family adopted her like you?” Soyeon asked but I shake my head—I already told them about the past that I had, and oddly enough they didn’t seem like jerks about it; Chaewon even told me that she had come from one of the families under the Kim Family Line and had been cast out as well for being a Water user, and had lived alone ever since.

“Haven’t you heard? They’re married.” I utter, and they widen their eyes and gasp as they hear me say that, but I shush them as the bell rings, signifying the start of the fight—and immediately shock overtakes me as I see the difference me and Seulgi unnie has in the years that she had trained for almost twenty years, as she tells me.

“Powerborne State; Eternal Winter.” Joohyun unnie utters, but oddly enough I still see the necklace upon her neck, signifying that she had not removed it—Seulgi unnie had probably forbidden her to remove it after she unleashed it weeks ago, fighting Yooji… I wonder how she is after she was surrendered to the Kim Family?

“Powerborne State: Eternal Furnace.”

The field that is enveloped in cold snow suddenly gets enveloped in a lake of fire, but oddly enough the snow doesn’t melt—it mixes in with the liquid fire, making the cold State twice colder than ever, while the fire is two times hotter, that even in the distance I could feel it raging from within its depths, and the two enemies seemed to be taken aback, probably that their enemies had used their States from the beginning.

“Powerborne State: Hell of Damnation.” What? She used even that? I stand up as chains immediately rush up from the mixture of fire and ice, threatening to encoil itself upon the enemies’ legs and hands, and Joohyun unnie persistently attacks the enemies with ice beams and different ice attacks, not letting them have a moment to rest, endless knives and spears formed out of ice attacking the enemy from all directions as they are reached by Joohyun unnie’s state.

“Powerborne State; Ice Queen.” Joohyun unnie utters as she raises Seulgi unnie up an ice platform that the woman sits upon, her hand laid out as the chains she controlled chased around the enemy until they reached a certain spot—

Two gigantic hands sprung from the icy ground, laced with the fire that had come from her wife, grasping the two enemies who does not even have a time to think or even a time to attack them even just once, and like what Joohyun unnie did to Yooji, she squeezed.

Gripping tight—but something was different this time, as I could see the ice spread from the gigantic hand and towards the enemies’ bodies, freezing them into place excluding the head, and as they could not struggle anymore, a huge fire erupted from the ground, climbing upwards towards the gigantic hand and towards the two enemies’ bodies, bursting into fire while all we could hear are their shouts of distress and pure pain.

The gigantic hands disappear immediately as the shouts die down, and the enemies’ final states are revealed—their clothes are wet but their bodies are dry—filled with burn and ice wounds, their expressions dazed and looking upon the ground, and it took five people to hoist them out of the arena.

“Seulgi Kang and Irene Bae, Winner!” Seulgi unnie shouted triumphantly, a mischievous smile upon her lips that I could only interpret to be that thirst for power that she has emanating from her as I could feel her otherwisely tame fire raging from within, probably in an excited state as it was the first time that they had unleashed that kind of power before, while Joohyun unnie only has a grin upon her face—and that isn’t even the full extent of her power, still limited by the limiter that keeps her essence in check.

“As expected from the second and third ranker upon the whole Asteria Region, of course. I heard that those enemies were ranked first and second upon the Camellia Region, and this fight would only prove that our Region is more powerful than they are.” Shuhua says, sighing as she finished eating, looking bored as we already know that Seulgi and Joohyun unnie would win so effortlessly like this—but still I am shocked on how powerful they are.

“So you live with them?” Chaewon asks while I nod at that, fidgeting upon the limiters that I have as I know that a lot of questions would arise, but I don’t mind—I just can’t push the thought of the fight off of my mind, especially as I feel afraid that I might lose since Seulgi unnie said that she had almost lost against the two of them if not for them getting exhausted.

“Seulgi’s fight was eight years ago, if that is what’s bothering you.” Joohyun unnie said as she moved upon the seat that she had been in earlier, and when I asked where Seulgi unnie is, she said that some people had talked to her after a fight and she had come here first, as she isn’t really a social person.

“And in eight years, those two could even be more powerful.” I say, sighing as I stared at the other fights that are happening, knowing that those two had put our fight at the last for this day, probably aiming to humiliate me and for me to be more cautious even as I’m ranked fifth, just below them—I’ve heard that a lot of these things often happen to high rankers, putting people in their place by these fights.

“But you’re also powerful; don’t you believe in yourself?” Joohyun unnie utters, and I sigh as I recline upon my seat, my heart in its most anxious state ever since I was first cast out from my true home, and it hadn’t been long ever since.

“I’ll take a walk; rest assured I’ll appear in the fight later.” I utter, somehow out of it as my feet take me out of the room, Joohyun unnie posing little to no struggle in trying to stop me as she lets me wander out of the premises and to somewhere I don’t even know until I reach a small garden where no one seems to go to—offering a peaceful refuge amidst the chaos that is happening due to the fights.

I sit down upon the concrete bench that decorates the flowery paradise, feeling a small gust of wind pass by me, possibly fate’s attempts to calm my heart down or possibly set it on fire here—but I do not let a moment’s chaos ravage my heart, still keeping my composure even as my heart racks me full of nervousness that I feel nausea rising at the back of my throat—

No. I can’t possibly destroy this garden here.

“Minjeong,” a voice says, and I look up to see her.

“Yooji?” I utter, and she sits beside me—though I could feel the cuffs upon her wrist refashioned into bracelets, removing each and every bit of her power from her system, and I also notice the key laced upon her neck, but otherwise she seems peaceful, void of anger unlike the last time that I had seen her, getting hoisted away because of something that she had done when we were still children, something I don’t even remember her doing.

Idiot, how can you remember when you don’t even know the difference between ice and fire principles back then? My mind chides me so, but I push those thoughts away as I smile at her and she smiles back—few inches closer now and then, but not exceeding a second or so, like she does not fully want to come close to me, like something bad would happen when she would.

“I am to replace your place, at least to be the representative of the Kim Family under their sponsorship so they would not lose face because you had gone.” She utters, becoming the first words she utters aside from my name earlier, and I nod at that, kind of expecting that to happen as I realize how power hungry they are—but I don’t mind, as long as I’m here—

“And I am to beat you and Jaemin, if it means securing my spot upon the Regional Rankings and having the supposed punishment decreased, and as much as possible beat my older sister and secure the second spot.” She says, and I widen my eyes at that—staring at her wildly, searching for any disapproval or sign of rebellion upon her face, but there is nothing, not even a small speck or a small trace that I could grasp upon cause it’s her.

“Yooji, I—”

“Do not go easy on me just because of the things of the past.” She says, warning me as she grasps the key upon her neck with one finger and raises her wrist with the other, and I look down as I stare at my own wrist—three limiters on each hand, acting like a handcuff that is keeping me from displaying the full extent of my powers, and I know that she could still feel my fire raging from within, meddling with my emotions although faint.

“I want to beat you with my own strength, because you are, after all, my creation.” She says, and her kindly smile is all gone, like Taeyeon unnie, that night—and I hate it.

“The rookie monster, I imagine it gracing the headlines tomorrow as you beat Jinyoung Park and Jung Eunji today, and it serves as a reminder of the mistake that I made.” She says, and I grit my teeth as I stand up and grasp her shoulder, aiming to shake her awake, to break free of this hold that family already has on her, but she does not even look at me.

“No, I… I can’t beat them, and you know that—”

“You can. Because it means that you’ll be able to face me, and I’ll be able to beat you to save my sanity, Minjeong.” She says, but she still does not raise her head to meet my eyes, to look at me, no matter how much I try to make her do just that.

“Beat them, to cement your status upon the region, to cement your status upon yourself, so I can beat you and make people know that I’m strong enough to do so—because you losing upon my hand would be my salvation, Winter.”

The name burns against my skin, burns against the fingers touching her shoulder, burning against my throat as I back away, but she still does not look in my direction, and she… she rises up like all my fears come into life, the terrible and bitter taste of fear and anxiety rushing through every crevice, every nook and cranny leaving nothing behind, and even with the limiter I could feel the fire inside me raging violently, wanting to be let out as some of the flowers go up in flames before my eyes—

A whitish thing falls upon my palm as snow falls upon the sky, turning into a small blizzard that immediately extinguishes the flames that had surfaced from my emotions going haywire as I notice the cuff upon her left wrist already unattached, ripped off as the key stuck upon it down the ground, and there I see her eyes, looking at me.

The kindly smile settles upon her lips but it horrifies me as she rips away the other handcuff, my fire taming down in the presence of her ice as she moves closer towards me, a sigh escaping her lips as she stares at me and I could not look away—

“Goodluck on your fight, Winter.” She says, the snow disappearing as I momentarily look back upon the garden and see it drenched with her ice, ruined by the snow that had dropped upon it and the burns caused by my fire that had been lulled to sleep by her presence alone.

“May you win.”