Chapter Text
Jinu
I remember Gwi-Ma’s fire searing against my back, pain flaring through every nerve.
And I remember Rumi's face as she stood tall.
You gave me my soul back. And now… I give it to you.
The pain faded, replaced by glowing warmth.
I remember the howl as Rumi's power—the power of all the humans singing as one—sliced through Gwi-Ma.
And then there was nothingness.
So, how do I still remember?
I feel pain, first. Itching, unbearable pain rippling through limbs I shouldn’t have, throbbing with every beat of a heart that shouldn’t have moved again.
My arm is moving, but I’m not the one moving it. Then there’s… fur. Short and coarse. A familiar wet tongue. Tiny feet prickling along my chest.
A groan forces air through my lungs, and my eyes blink open. The blinding light slowly fades, revealing a glowing blue feline face with a stupid toothy grin.
“What are you doing here?”
The tiger leans down and plants a slimy lick on my face.
“Ugh… what am I saying. What am I doing here? Where even… is here?”
The tiger’s glow illuminates the trees around me, and I push upright on the leaf litter. I remember everything—including the pang of shame that rips through my chest at the memory of my mother and sister. My patterns are as bright as they’ve ever been.
But one thing is missing—Gwi-Ma’s voice.
I press my hand to the ground, reaching out my senses for the Honmoon. Azue threads vibrate under my fingertips, laced with glimmers of gold.
“She did it. They did it.” A smile spreads slowly across my face.
The magpie flutters down and perches on the tiger’s head, three pairs of eyes blinking in sequence down its neck.
“Is this… the afterlife?”
Suddenly, there’s a deafening growl overhead. I tense until I make out the blinking lights of a plane flying low.
“Do you think there are planes in the afterlife?”
The magpie gives me a skeptical look.
“Yeah, okay. Probably not.” I push to my feet, groaning at the stiffness in my limbs, but the pain has already lessened.
There’s a rustle and a moan, and I sink into a ready stance, turning towards the source. The tingling of power that usually gathers in my palm is missing. Instinct takes over, and I duck behind a tree.
The moan gets louder. “Oh my head… Wasn’t I just… on the train? Wait—Yeeun, is that you?!”
A child’s voice rings out across the forest. “Mommy? Mommy, where are you?!”
All around me, more voices arise.
I turn to the tiger and whisper, “What’s going on?”
The feline just tilts its head and looks at me with that unchanging grin.
I huff. “Useless cat.”
The magpie twitters in agreement as I evaluate the tree in front of me. My demonic powers may be interrupted, but my muscle memory proves intact as I clamber up the trunk, gaining a vantage point.
I can hear them and see them in the gentle pink of the breaking dawn light: hundreds of humans, disoriented and confused, but alive—just like me. The city’s lights glimmer nearby, not more than a couple miles.
The magpie flutters to land on the branch.
“This doesn’t make any sense,” I say to him.
The bird blinks at me.
I sigh. “Neither does talking to you, I guess. You’re also useless.”
The bird smirks and preens his feathers.
“Hundreds of missing humans…” My eyes widen. “That could only mean… Rumi freed them? From Gwi-Ma? I didn’t even know that was possible… Wow. She’s amazing.”
The magpie chirps.
“What?! It’s professional respect. That’s it.”
The magpie rolls all six of its eyes.
Another wail cuts through the air from the frightened child. My sister’s face flickers through my memories. I slide down the tree, ready to put as much distance between myself and these humans as possible. But Gwi-Ma’s voice is silent.
I realize… I have a choice. I take a steadying breath, and turn towards the cry. “For you, dongsaeng. I’ll make a different choice this time.”
I step through the underbrush, finding the little girl who can’t be older than six in a clearing. She wails and runs towards me, clinging to my leg. “Mister, do you know where my mommy is?”
“Erm, no—”
She lets out a sob.
“I mean, yes!” I kneel next to her.
“Don’t lie just because I’m a kid.” The girl gives a big sniffle, wiping her nose with her arm.
“Okay, I don’t know where your mom is. But I know how to find her. There’s lots of lost people right now, so you’re not alone.”
The little girl looks around, noticing all the voices. “Well… we’re not really lost if we’re together, right?”
“Yeah. Sure. C’mon, the city is this way. We’ll find your mom there.”
I take a few steps and she follows, tugging on my shirt. “Can I… hold your hand?”
I shy back from her a moment, shame weighing on my chest. I’ll just let you down.
But then I take a deep breath, and hold out my hand. She grasps me tightly. I remember leading my sister through the market like that when the crowd scared her.
It will be different this time, I promise again.
If the gods have given me a second chance, then I know what I must do with it.