ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗜𝗙𝗧𝗬-𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗘
─◌✰್ 𝖺𝗇𝖽
❝𝗶 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱...❞

"I need some time to think about all this..." you began, unsure how to proceed after Yeonjun's demands. You couldn't join him, there was simply no way. And yet, you felt unable to full-on reject him. Not just because you had a feeling he wouldn't take it well. Something inside you was preventing you from saying no.

Just as Yeonjun was about to respond, arguing broke out behind him.

"Ya know, if you'd all just used your brains, none of this would have happened to begin with!" Seungmin complained. Then, he pointed directly at you. "Especially you! You got us into this."

You glowered at him, momentarily caught off guard. But he was right. If you hadn't given the go-ahead to side with Yeonjun, you all might have stood a chance. But you'd been blindsided, both by him, and your complete lack of information on the whole situation. "Yeah, and who were the ones who led me to make that decision?" you challenged. "If I had known everything that Yeonjun had done, I might not have agreed! But no one told me!"

"Yeah, that was all Minho," Seungmin dismissed. "He kept telling us to keep it a secret, even though we didn't want to."

"Especially me." Lanhua raised her hand, and Changbin surprisingly agreed with her, silently nodding his head. "Right when I found out that Yeonjun was the dark spirit, I wanted to call you, but Minho insisted that he would tell you. Clearly, he didn't. And that bit all of us in the ass."

"I'm honestly still pissed off about everything that happened back at the mansion," JJ commented. "I almost got murdered, and when I came back, Hyunjin didn't even apologize to me! And when I finally call him out, I get sent to a jail cell. That's so fucked up! I want to leave. I don't really care how, even if it means joining Yeonjun."

"That's so stupid!" Hyunjin burst out. "I feel like I've proven I'm not dangerous to you, and that I'm sorry! But if I apologize now, it's gonna sound like I'm only doing it because you said I should. "

JJ shrugged. "Well, I'm waiting."

"Yeah, and you never apologized to me about what you said after we broke into Yeonjun's office!" Robin shot an accusatory glare at Jisung. "I'm still not over it."

"As pissed off as I am at you, I am a little sad we never got our date." Lanhua cut a look at Changbin, who sat next to her. Everyone continued to argue around them, but it looked like the countess and her guard had taken a short break. "I bet we would've had a lot of fun."

"If me constantly saving you from getting killed is fun, then sure," Changbin responded sourly. But you could see the glimmer of disappointment in his eyes. It was clear that he'd been excited for their date too, even if Lanhua had never officially asked him.

Yeonjun smiled at them. "If you two agree to join me, then you would get the date you missed back at the mansion. I would allow you to have as many dates as you want. You could court, even get married if you want. But you know that can't happen if you continue to oppose me."

Lanhua and Changbin stared at each another for a moment, and you could tell they were seriously contemplating. How had it come to this? Multiple people, yourself included, debating if you should join the literal dark spirit?

Minho.

Well, he was at least partially at fault for this, you reminded yourself. He'd certainly fucked up, keeping your real past a secret from you. If you had known about it, while the news would have devastated you, you would have gotten over it. Then, the two of you could have worked through it together, deciphering clues, gathering evidence, just like you had at the beginning of your time at the mansion, and even back at home. You had been like a team, like the old days. But this secret just had to get in the way of that.

You should be pissed off at Minho for destroying what you had together, because he was scared. You should join Yeonjun, because he was the only person here who had told you the real truth, even if it hurt your feelings. Even if it meant betraying your friends, your mother, brother, and dad. You could get back at Minho, and everyone else who claimed to love you, for everything they'd done wrong. You should come away from this hating Lee Minho.

And honestly, you had.

And yet, you no longer felt any of that. No anger, no hurt, not even embarrassment. You just felt... calm, and at peace with what had happened. Like you'd accepted it, and were ready to move on.

Did that make you weak? Overly naïve? You certainly didn't think so. No one had ever used those words to describe you. Quite the opposite, really.

You knew what the cause of these feelings really was.

You loved him. Even after everything he'd put you through, everything that had happened between the two of you, from the heartbreak early on, to the lying and secret-keeping, you still loved him. And you wanted him back in your life, every messed up, imperfect moment of it. You understood, honestly, you always had, that he did everything because he cared about you, and he wanted you to be happy. And you'd never truly gotten that from anybody else. And, fueled by that love, you...

"I forgive you, Minho," you whispered under your breath, so quietly that no one else in the dungeon could hear you.

Right as you uttered those words, something impossible happened. Well, you would have thought it was impossible, if it hadn't happened before your very eyes.

A blinding ball of light flashed through the entirety of the jail. Actually, it flashed all across the kingdom. For a split second, you couldn't see anything except bright white, even when you squeezed your eyes shut to protect yourself from the glare.

Suddenly, someone was screaming. Your hands slammed over your ears at the horrendous sound, one of pure fear and anguish. You had never heard something like that before, and it shook you to the core.

And when you opened your eyes, it was like angels had fallen from heaven. Three of the most beautiful figures you had ever seen stood before you, bathed in white light, clothed in buttery silk that draped over their bodies and flowed to the floor. The bright glow was in stark contrast to the drab grays and blacks of the Obsidian jail cell, but somehow, the disparity made them even more glorious. For the first time in your life, you were truly lost for words, your mind stumbling over itself as it tried to make sense of what it was seeing.

And yet you knew, through your confusion, that these must be light spirits. The creatures that had been fighting so long to take Yeonjun down, and save humankind. A sense of calm settled over you at the thought. Maybe, with their help, you would be safe afterall.

But you were ungraciously snapped out of your hopeful daze, as the screaming started, once again.

"NO, NO, NO!" Yeonjun was covering his face with pale, bony hands, as he stared at the light spirits. "What are you doing here? You know you can't win! I've already got them on my side! My daughter has already agreed to help me!"

The middle light spirit, clearly the leader, spoke first. She was the tallest, standing at almost six feet, with long brown hair tumbling down her back. She looked to be in her early thirties, and yet she felt centuries older, like she'd lived hundreds of lives.

She shook her head knowingly at Yeonjun, a small smile on her beautiful face. "We know that's not true," she said gently, her voice sweet at syrup. "Let's talk about what is. My name is Jacheongbi."

Before she could continue, the door to the dungeons burst open once more.

"TESSA!!!"

You jolted. Not at the sound, but at the voice. Your eyes widened, your heart thudding uncontrollably, as you sought out who you knew to be speaking to you right now.

Minho stood at the door, one hand holding it ajar, the other gripping a sword. God, he looked so good, hair messy, forehead drenched in sweat. Those biceps pressing deliciously against a white button-up, the same one he'd been wearing back at the mansion. There was a wild, almost feral look in his eyes as his head whipped back and forth, desperately searching for you.

"Minho!" you cried, voice cracking on the word. You instantly raced towards the bars of the cell, peeking your head between them as far as you could reach.

And then he came to you, gripping the bars so hard his knuckles turned white, eyes so wide you could see the whites all around them. You could sense the immense stress inside him battling with relief of equal volume, neither winning.

"You're here," he croaked, hard face softening as he took in your features. "I'm so sorry it took so long to get you, I was fighting-"

"We were fighting your mother, and Minho's father."

You turned, and gasped, covering your mouth in further surprise. Your father stood beside Minho, a grave expression on his aging, but ever-charming, face. He too held a sword. It was then that you noticed both of them had cuts, all over their cheeks, hands, and bodies.

"A-are you okay??" you whispered to both of them, reaching out and touching Minho's cheek with your fingertip. His eyes widened in surprise at your touch, but he didn't say anything. "What happened?"

"Umm," Renee piped up from behind them, biting her lip nervously, glancing back and forth between you and the light spirits. "Can this uh... wait until later? I think there are more important things happening right now."

"Yeah, there's sort of three light spirits standing here waiting to drop major tea on us!" Lanhua called in support.

"We want to know what's going on!" Robin declared.

"I want to know more about the prophecy," Seungmin agreed.

"And why is Yeonjun cowering in the corner!" Jeongin pointed at the dark spirit, who had all but flattened himself against the wall, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"I am not cowering," Yeonjun snapped, even though his already-pale face had gone a few shades lighter. "The prophecy has said that my daughter and I will defeat the light spirits! I have nothing to fear."

Jacheongbi frowned at the dark spirit. "You are in denial, Yeonjun. You are also an all-powerful being, so you know the truth. You must be lying to yourself."

"No, no, I'm not!" Yeonjun cried, eyes wild. "I heard the prophecy with my own ears. I know it to be true."

Jacheongbi glanced at the other two light spirits, before speaking. "It is true that you heard this prophecy," she began, dipping her head at you. "However... it was not the only prophecy about the moon child."

Before you could try and decipher what she meant by that, the light spirit continued.

"Minutes after this prophecy occured, the one you heard, dark spirit, there was another. The prophecy actually came from a light spirit. And she is here with us today." Jacheongbi nodded to the spirit to her right, a short, older woman with black hair. She was still stunning, even at her age. "When Samshin felt that the second prophecy was coming, we used our magic to ensure that no one except light spirits could hear it, knowing that it might be an addendum to her previous prophecy. Addendums to prophecies often happen within minutes of the original prophecy, especially when they come from Samshin, who is known to speak directly with fate, which is always shifting and changing. Once she tells you what the prophecy was, you will understand why we have kept it a secret for so long, and why even the dark spirit himself doesn't know it."

"Why can he know it now?" Robin asked. "Won't that endanger it from coming true?"

Jacheongbi smiled. "Do not worry, magic child. Everything will come to fruition. It is time for everyone here to know the truth. Samshin, if you would."

The older light spirit stepped forward, and spoke. "As the season of joining approaches, the moon child will be reborn, despite their struggles, hatred, and anger. The dark one will be drawn to the moon child, because he believes they are one in the same. He will try an uprise, but the moon child is the dark one's only weakness, and they will be his undoing."

The entire room stood in silence, as the meaning of the true prophecy dawned on them.

A sense of understanding washed over you, as you played the final words over and over again in your mind. The only difference from the prophecy Yeonjun had relayed had been a few words. And yet... it changed everything. It foretold Yeonjun's downfall. And not only that, but...

"The prophecy is about you, moon child," Samshin whispered, the wrinkles around her eyes creasing even more as she smiled at you. "You are foretold to destroy the dark spirit, your father. We gave you a chance at rebirth for this exact moment."

"Rebirth...?" you interrupted, suddenly perturbed. You had kind of skipped over the beginning of the prophecy in favor of focusing on the ending. But... what did she mean? Were your earlier suspicions about the consequences of being related to Yeonjun correct?

When Samshin looked uncomfortable, it was Jacheongbi who stepped forward. "What Samshin means," she began gently, "is that you were born many, many years ago. When your mother, Dal was alive. But when she died, and the dark spirit momentarily left earth, we took you with us, as a baby. We kept you with us, preserved in a way, for the right moment, when we thought it was safe. We knew if the dark spirit found out about you, he would either kill you, or take you with him. But when the treaty of peace was made between Moonstone and Obsidian, we knew it was time. We also knew that Yeonjun would have a high chance of finding you, but we had no choice. We had to believe in you and your strength. And here we are. What happens next all comes down to you, and your decisions. And it seems like you've started making the right ones."

You frowned. "How would you know that?" you queried. "It feels like everything I've done at the mansion, even before, has all been wrong. First, I thought I was wrong for hating Minho this long. I thought trusting my parents had been a mistake when they changed the courting laws. Then, I was wrong for trusting Yeonjun, and before that, I thought I'd messed up by trusting Minho again. And now... what if I make another mistake? I don't want anyone to get hurt. Including Yeonjun."

Jacheongbi watched you with such compassion, you felt tears pull at your eyes. You were used to people just telling you what a fuck-up you were, or how you might have deserved what you got, because of your mistakes. That you weren't good enough to be queen.

"Oh moon child, you have always made the right decisions. Even if they felt wrong in the moment, even if you temporarily gave into the darkness that the dark spirit passed down to you, you have always done the right thing. Because it's all led you to this moment. And do you want to know what called us to you?"

You nodded silently.

"You," Jacheongbi said sincerely. "When you forgave Minho, you summoned us here. The dark spirit is full of hatred and rage. He refuses to forgive humankind for what happened to Dal, even though none of you are at fault. He gains power from this hate. The light spirits gain power from forgiveness. And by forgiving someone who wronged you, you turned your back on the darkness inside you, and gave us the power to come to earth, and aid you in ridding the world of the dark spirit. But we will not be responsible for his downfall. As the prophecy says..."

"I will," you whispered.

Jacheongbi nodded. "So, moon child, what will you do to achieve it?"

You turned to face your friends. Your father. Minho. He met your eyes steadily, wholehearted trust shining in their depths. Seeing everyone here, staring at you with all the faith in the world, was something you never expected. Your throat constricted for a moment, and you swallowed, trying to gain the strength to speak.

"You got this, Tess!" Alaska whispered, encouragement lighting her face.

"Speak from the heart," Jisung urged, avoiding Robin's searching gaze.

"Whatever you want, we'll follow," Minho said, voice filled with resolution.

You nodded at him, his words of faith spurring you on, as you addressed the room, determination coloring every word.

"We will fight against Yeonjun, and fulfill the prophecy. All of us, together. And we'll win."

laska's note —
omg, so much happened in this chapter! the light spirits have officially arrived, and they're going to help everyone beat yeonjun, as they've been doing for centuries. and maybe even more exciting, minho and tessa have been reunited! and tessa has officially forgiven minho for keeping secrets from her, which is what brought the light spirits to them in the first place. the child of the dark spirit, who has the capacity for darkness, chose the light! that must make her extra powerful, huh? 🤭 now, we get to see if they can all work together, forgive one another, and defeat yeonjun once and for all!

𝖭𝖤𝖷𝖳 𝖴𝖯：
𝟱𝟰 - 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆
┊ ⇄ ◁◁ II ▷▷ ↻ ┊