celestial strings | h.js

two.

The green string was generous with your usage of it. With shaking arms, you shoved off the rubbles on your body and cleared a space to sit up. You could feel Hyunjin under your knees. Before you even looked for your other friends, you gazed downward to find him lying beneath you.

Anything below his waist should be fine. You suspected that since most of the damage you took were done unto your arms, torso, and head. That would make sense. The building collapsed on you mid-chant, meaning the protection spell you were casting was done halfway from the ground up, protecting your legs and lower body. Hyunjin seemed to have gotten the short end of the stick with the heavy rubbles as blood trickled down the side of his face from an invisible spot on his head. The back of his palms was bruised with red; you swore you could feel them near your head when it all went down.

You called his name, and he responded with silence. "It's okay," you said to yourself as you hastily pushed off the cement blocks covering his body so you could pull him out from under the weight.

Preoccupied, you did not notice the floating figure descending from skyward. When he called out your name, you finally looked up, and you froze at the recognizable face—the councilman who took charge of you after your family's murder. There was no concrete evidence of his involvement, but from his forceful way of care and blatant distaste for you, it was evident to you, even as a child, that he was part of the plan to take your family down.

Jisung watched with praying eyes as you scrambled to pull Hyunjin's unconscious body toward your chest as if protecting him. He followed Felix and Seungmin's gaze toward the councilman, who finally reached the ground with his feet and mumbled, "Who is that?"

"Nobody good," Seungmin replied.

The councilman observed the destruction he caused with disinterest. His mind was focused on accessing the group of children he saw—one he wanted and the other four disposables. A sparkle in the air caught his keen and experienced eyes, which he soon realized was the red string of fate. It tied between you and the scrawny-looking boy wearing a dirtied school uniform. He clicked his tongue; he disliked unkempt clothing, but what mattered now was the string and its meaning. So it was one child he wanted, one child he could exploit, and the remaining three (or two) were disposable.

"What are you doing here?" you asked aloud to gain the elder's attention. When he shot a sharp glance at you, your glare deafened into a flinch, and you unconsciously cradled Hyunjin closer to you. You were still afraid of him. No matter how many years have passed, you would always be more afraid of him than you could hate him, and you hated him a great deal.

"Pointless question, [Name]," he replied calmly. "What other purpose would I have other than to bring you back to the city."

Felix could piece two and two together much more quickly this time. The severity of the situation and the fearful adrenaline burning in his chest could have forced his brain to react so quickly. The second he heard the councilman speak of taking you away to where you escaped from, he knew he could not listen to a single word that man had to say. He shouldn't already, considering what happened to you and Hyunjin—a whole building? Was that necessary?

Snatching his hand away from Seungmin, Felix bolted toward you and knelt beside you. He crossed his arm through yours, holding you tightly, and glared at the councilman. "They're not going anywhere with you! Leave us alone!"

Seungmin watched defeatedly when Jisung escaped his grasp to follow Felix's lead. He genuinely could not tell the thought process, but supposed he could not be the odd one out. Fixing his backpack straps, he scoffed in annoyance and turned to the councilman.

"You!" he called out impolitely. "Has it not been years? There is no point in bringing them back to the city now because having them there serves no real purpose. You should also start letting things go. How long do you really have to enjoy political power at your age?"