celestial strings | h.js

one.

"What is this spell for?" he asked, staring at it with intrigue as he wriggled his fingers, imagining how it would feel if he had the magic to use it.

"This is a healing spell. A very strong one, like giant gashes and bullet wounds," you said. "The stronger ones tend to fix you right away, so there is no need to go to the hospital. The medium spells usually does patches on big wounds so you can buy time to get actual help."

"Oh..." Jisung nodded before he looked at you with furrowed brows. "Have you guys found the cure to cancer yet?"

"Jisung, we do magic, not miracles." You rolled your eyes with a snorted laugh. "We can buy some time and alleviate pain, but I think regular medicine and chemotherapy also do the same thing. Except you guys pay thousands of dollars for it and we just..." you looked at your hands and grimaced with a mutter, "do it ourselves?"

"Imagine! DIY cancer treatments!" He hollered out a laugh, almost doubling over dramatically but thought better of it because of the fragile string woven between his fingers. "If someone invented that, it would cost thousands for us to have one kit."

"Hey, maybe someday they will figure it out," you said. "And I promise I will learn it so you can grab a free ride through me."

"Or maybe you will figure it out! These strings feel very trustworthy," he joked, arching his brow at you as a bashful smile appeared on his face.

"Sure. Hello, I'm [Name], the cancer cure founder," you joked grimly, looking at your hands. "If my own people didn't take me out years ago, your government will."

After a moment of thought, you finally decided to let go of the patterned string. You stared at the shimmering line, the sun bouncing off the celestial lights printed on the material, and you felt your eyes glass over with nostalgia. It looked just like the way it was when your parents first introduced you to it. It was such a shame that you could never look at the strings with the same amount of delight you used to anymore.

"I can't even cure my uncle, not to mention cancer." You shoved the string back into your pocket and crossed your arms.

It was a fatal flaw of yours; your lack of knowledge.

Magic is diverse. Like the skeletons in every families' closet, every bloodline utilises a category of magic uniquely, and each families within the bloodline will have a slightly different variation of the craft. You have not learned enough about other types of magic for you to fully understand how to defend yourself and others entirely from it.

An simple spell is still a unique spell. Sometimes the simpler it is, the harder it is to understand. If you never learn in-depth about other categories of magic, you will have a hard time reversing them.

Unfortunately, that was the case with your uncle.

Jisung frowned, his arms lowering in front of him at your dejected state. He still could not imagine, and he knew he never would be able to imagine how it feels to have to constantly worry about a bedridden loved one from across a city, one that was filled with people trying to exploit your life.

He supposed he couldn't have helped you any better, but sincerely, he wished that he could have at least been there for you. That he blamed it on the universe for messing up. How could it put you both in such different worlds but still tie your fate strings together? How dare the universe let his soulmate suffer so much without his presence there for moral support?

"I'm sorry I can't help out with that," Jisung muttered under his breath suddenly, gaining your full attention. His steps slowed and he looked over at you, a serious expression replacing his once goofy smile. "And I know this isn't my fault, but I never got to say I'm sorry for not being able to be there for you when everything happened."