Chapter 14 : Where's Your Confidence?
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Jungwon hadn't seen Suyin since morning–none of them had. Not even Master Wonchul had seen her, and he hadn't informed the boys on anything. Jungwon usually saw her every now and then around the palace, but she was gone.
Suyin was absent from the dinner table today, not that it wasn't normal. Suyin usually trained extra longer on her own or with Wonchul. However, today, her stressed eyes wouldn't flee Jungwon's mind. How could they? The moment she flashed her eyes at Jungwon, a voice called to him. Jungwon stood right in front of her and witnessed her powers–it happened twice now.
"Jungwon-ah," Jay broke his train of thought. Jungwon looked up to his elder, who placed stir-fried bok choy into his bowl. "Eat well~"
Jungwon side-eyed the redhead who pinched his cheeks, but he melted into a small smile nonetheless, displaying his apparent dimple.
"LOOK AT HOW CUTE– oh my God," Jay gushed. "And his dimple pops out whenever he eats something."
Jungwon rolled his eyes, but before he could speak, the Cryo butt in. "Quit acting like that. It's annoying," Sunghoon grumbled on Jungwon's opposite side, sparks of snowflakes floating in his frigid aura.
Jungwon sensed the heat blazing from Jay's skin. The boy had a fire warming up inside him like an oven, and his eyes flared up. "Oh– you really want to comment on something again, huh?" Jay chuckled wryly.
Cold temperatures spiked Jungwon's arm, foreshadowing Sunghoon's next retort. Heat waves and icy air hit him on his opposite ends. Jungwon exhaled, and he shut his eyes. "Guys, we need to get along," Jungwon cut in. The two lowered their heads at the younger's statement, and they sulked in their chairs.
Silence filled the dining room for a moment until Sunoo cleared his throat. All eyes pinned on the pink-haired boy. "So...Have any of you seen her since this morning?" Sunoo asked. Everyone shook their heads in reply.
"We haven't seen her powers since the Sky Arena incident... I'm honestly still dumbstruck to see them, let alone knowing the fact that she's actually on our team," Jake commented.
"I haven't spoken to her once," Jay said, sipping his hot tea. "And I'm never getting close to that Shadow Wielder. The way she released her power was uncontrolled."
The boys nodded their heads.
"It was terrifying...I still wonder why the sword even chose her. She's like the complete opposite of what a chosen warrior should be," Sunoo added.
While the boys chatted away, Jungwon slipped into his own head and wandered off into his thoughts.
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Standing on a pavilion that watched over trees, the gentle midnight winds soothed the girl's skin. Trees cried cherry blossom petals, creating pools of pink on the ground ever so delicately. A dark shade slept over the distant green mountains, and numerous spots of light glimmered like a reflection of the night sky. Those were the flowers illuminating naturally during the night.
But even when the winds sang lullabies for Suyin, tears settled on the cliff of her eyes. Constant flashbacks of this morning shot through her mind. As if she traveled back through time, she felt the shadows yanking at her weak heart again. How could her powers feel so familiar yet daunting? The shadows were like a distant person she was forced to befriend—after years of their lives unspoken to each other.
She yearned for home. She wanted to see her best friend, Miyoung. She wanted to fall into the comfort of Miyoung's mother. She missed home.
"You haven't been eating," a voice remarked. Suyin flinched out of her thoughts.
If a person were to appear out of nowhere and say something, it definitely would have been Master Wonchul. However, Suyin turned to see someone completely out of the blue–the last person she would expect.
Jungwon nudged a roll of bread against her arm, waiting for her to accept it. Suyin cocked a brow, hesitantly taking the warm bread from his hand. Their fingers brushed, and she mentally took note of how he froze for a second.
"I haven't been hungry," Suyin responded, examining the warm bread. She peeled pieces of the fluffy roll, eating it moderately. She had no idea how the boy had found her, but she didn't care to ponder over it.
When she anticipated for Jungwon to leave, he stayed. They stared off into the astonishing scenery together. The high winds caressed their cheeks and stroked pieces of their hair. Suyin didn't notice, but Jungwon gazed in her direction, raking his eyes over her side profile. The air blew her bangs that she usually parted, and a glint of the moonlight spoke through her eyes. After secretly scrutinizing her, Jungwon finally stepped back to leave...until she spoke.
"Were you scared?" She wondered, not lifting her eyes off of the moon. Suyin fiddled with her hands. She couldn't tell if Jungwon didn't know what to reply with or if he simply chose not to, for she didn't have the courage to see his reaction.
"Were you?" Jungwon asked calmly.
Suyin parted her lips, and she rubbed her thumb against her wrist to find comfort. She averted her eyes from the luminous moon, analyzing her hands. "Who wouldn't be," she mumbled. Suyin rested her elbows on the railing. She glanced at Jungwon, who still had his eyes glued to her. She shifted her awkward gaze away. "What?" She questioned his stare.
Jungwon heaved a sigh. "...Show me your powers."
Suyin snapped her head up, dumbfounded by his words. "What?" She repeated
"Do it," Jungwon urged, cocking his brows.
"Why? I could hurt you," she stammered.
"Ew, you care?" Jungwon's nose wrinkled. "You can't hurt me anyways. I can easily defend myself."
"It can get out of hand–"
"If Master Wonchul has seen and witnessed your powers during your private training, then there shouldn't be any worries," Jungwon pointed out. "And it isn't like I haven't witnessed your powers either. I saw you at the Warrior Trials. And I saw you yesterday night at the third training area, you know."
Suyin stood frozen with a soft flush in her cheeks, recalling the moment she discovered her shadow blend method. "Oh."
"So why have fear in showing your powers right here, right now in front of me?"
Her hand refused to lift or move at all. She couldn't bring herself to display her dark powers in front of Jungwon–an incredibly rare and skilled crystal manipulator. She feared his judgement. She feared harming him. "I...can't," Suyin whispered, ready to ball up her fist and hide.
Before she could curl up her fingers and disappear, Jungwon's voice stopped her. "For once...I won't judge you," Jungwon reassured, slipping into a mumble, "whether I like it or not...one of the Eight Swords claimed you as a warrior."
Suyin bit her tongue. She ignored her head and hoisted her hand. She faced her palm up while fingers flared out. Her eyes slit, ordering the shadows that surrounded them. Her heart knocked on her chest, a constant reminder of how Jungwon was watching her. Her fingers became tense–slightly shaking. Her narrowed eyebrows twitched until a warm hand slipped under hers.
"Relax." His voice quietened. "As I said, I'm not judging."
Their gazes met. For a moment, Suyin didn't see a speck of unease in his eyes, and she couldn't understand the relief that washed over her because of it. Her hand relaxed on its own, welcoming a flurry of blackness to the center of her palm. Once Jungwon let go of her hand, Suyin resumed independently. The shadows gathered into an orb until it escaped its perfect sphere–particles swirling above her palm. Dare to say, it looked...quite fascinating.
Jungwon stole a glance of her concentration—thinned lips and a bit of her tongue peeking out. He studied a faint glow in her eyes that he hadn't noticed till now.
"Now what do I do?" Suyin asked, observing the shadow living in her hand.
"Don't ask me. You're the one in charge of your powers."
"Um...okay." Suyin's fingers squirmed around, attempting to execute an action she hadn't even thought of. Blood flushed her cheeks in embarrassment. Master Wonchul usually gave her the next steps.
After Suyin flickered her hopeless eyes to Jungwon, he clicked his tongue. "Here, just do this." Jungwon smoked a glowing crystal from the center of his palm. He lifted his hand further out towards the distant mountains. His hand splayed, and the crystals cracked into multiple floating pieces. He swung his arm back and sent the crystals flying off by a forward throw.
Watching the luminous crystals twirl through the air, Suyin scoffed. "Do you really expect me to go into that much detail?" Suyin deadpanned.
"Why not? Are you that bad compared to me?" He quipped.
"Is your ego that big?"
Jungwon leaned in. "Yeah."
Suyin rolled her eyes and followed his moves anyway. Confusion wriggled in her head, but she managed to slowly copy his moves.
Jungwon shifted his gaze, and he spotted a dim light glowing inside her eyes once again. Purple fluttered inside her irises like butterflies. A slight smile on her face curled once she projected the shadows into the air. Her throw wasn't perfect, but at least she did it.
"See?" Jungwon said. "You easily did that in front of me without getting out of control." Suyin nodded her head with a proud smile displayed, inhaling a deep breath of relief.
Jungwon watched Suyin twirl shadows through her fingers, playing around like she had finally somewhat bonded with them. He tilted against a nearby pole, and he hummed as a curious question arrived at his mind. "Before the sword chose you at the trials...did you ever use your powers?" He inquired.
"Barely. I restricted myself from using them because I couldn't get caught by anyone. Otherwise, I would've been automatically executed," Suyin answered. "So I never went beyond a certain point. But sometimes...I uh... shaped shadows into animals...because it was the easiest thing for me to do." She slit her eyes as an amused scoff sounded.
"No wonder why you're such a beginner," Jungwon commented, and he noticed a pained look shooting across her face. He shifted away. "I mean, you're not that bad now. But you know that you're still as much of a peasant to me, right?"
"You're still as much of a dick," she muttered.
"What was that?" Jungwon asked, and his jaw dropped as the girl shot a marble of shadow at his chest. "Yah! I just helped you!"
A smile squirmed on Suyin's lips, refusing to release her laughter. Despite how rude he was, she was honestly glad he wasn't acting differently towards her since she lost control over her powers. She truly thought everyone would ignore her completely, especially this boy.
"Ungrateful peasant," Jungwon scowled. "Go choke on that bread roll I gave you."
Suyin chucked the rest of the bread at his head.
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okay, y'all are making me blush at the 3k now
btw i'm posting this at work so excuse any mistakes i missed💀💀