ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗜𝗙𝗧𝗬-𝗙𝗜𝗩𝗘
─◌✰್ 𝗐𝗂𝗅𝗅
❝𝗶 𝗮𝗺 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱.❞

"Thank you, Tessa."

You stared at Yeonjun, your father, the dark spirit, standing before you. His head was bowed, but he was still looking at you, the most earnest, sincere expression that you had ever seen, on his face. It made you realize that everything you knew about him, everything you'd witnessed up until this point, had been an act. Well, maybe not an act, but a different, inauthentic side of him. This was truly who he was, before the darkness had consumed him.

And then, Yeonjun did something that you never could have comprehended.

He fell to the floor, and started to cry.

At first, you weren't sure how to react. Seeing the person you thought, just moments ago, was your enemy show such raw and real emotion, made you more than a little uncomfortable. And you had to admit, his complete flip from taunting and injuring your friends and the light spirits, to collapsing down on his knees and crying in front of you, was a shock to your system.

Call you naïve, but you knew, deep in your heart, that this was real and honest. It was in this moment that you felt like you truly knew him.

You came forward and knelt beside him, placing a hesitant hand on his shoulder.

"Yeonjun..." you started, unsure what to say.

He turned to face you, that pale, almost pathetic face streaked with tears. A pang of pity zinged through your heart.

"I'm sorry for what I've done," he rasped, voice hoarse with emotion. He glanced around at the rest of the group, who were still unconscious. "I'm sorry for everything. For so long, I've been consumed by anger, and revenge is all I could think about. I haven't always been like this, but after awhile, I couldn't turn back, even if I wanted to. I-I don't know what I can do, if I can do anything at all, but I want to make this right. Whatever you want, Tessa, my daughter, I will do."

You nodded in understanding. "Can you heal them?" you asked quietly. "I love my friends, my dad. And I love Minho, more than I've ever loved anything. I need them. You understand that now, don't you?"

Yeonjun paused, pondering your words. "As a dark spirit, I don't know if I will ever fully understand," he began slowly. "But... I see the way you look at Prince Lee. And I saw the way that you were both willing to sacrifice yourselves for each other when I attacked you. You would do anything for one another. I thought that if Minho broke your trust, you would never be able to forgive him, but I was wrong. I understand that, at least."

"So... will you help me, and heal them?" you asked, tilting your head hopefully. "It would show me, and the light spirits, that you've changed. I believe you have changed, but your actions would prove it."

Yeonjun steeled himself, and nodded. "Yes, I can heal them," he agreed. Jaw set, he marched over to Minho first, and waved his hand over the man's motionless body.

A pale mist, completely different from the black tendrils and smoke he'd released earlier, emitted from his hands, and drifted towards Minho. When it landed on him, he immediately began to stir.

You raced over to him, just as he was sitting up, and rubbing his eyes. His hair was a mess, some pieces sticking up wildly, others plastered to his face. He had bruises all over his cheeks and arms, the beginning of a black eye settling. Dark purple marks appeared on his throat from where Yeonjun had held him, but as you watched, they were already fading. Yeonjun's magic was working.

"Minho!" you cried, coming to a stop in front of him.

He gazed up at you dazedly for a moment. Then, the smallest of smiles spread across his face, cracked lips curving up in a mixture of relief and confusion.

"Princess..." he croaked, voice cracking from how dry his throat must be. "What happened?"

But you ignored him, instantly throwing your arms around him, and hugging him so tight, the breath huffed out of him in one big gust. But you didn't care. He would have to pry you off of him if he wanted to breathe, because you were never letting go.

"I was so scared for you," you mumbled against him, tears pricking your eyes as you recalled seeing his prone form, lying motionless on the ground. You never wanted to experience that again. "I thought that you were going to die, I thought I'd lost you."

Minho shook his head, finally pulling you away, and meeting your gaze, his eyes watering too. "You would never lose me, Princess," he whispered fiercely. "I thought I'd lost you, when I lied to you. And then Yeonjun took you from me, and I realized just how badly I needed you in my life. I'm so sorry for how I treated you, and I will continue to beat myself up over my idiocy for the rest of time."

You glared at him. "No you will not, Lee Minho," you snapped, both of your hands coming up and cupping his face. "I've forgiven you. I know that you did what you did because you love me, and you want the best for me. If you can't forgive yourself, then I've already done it for you. Because I love you."

He smirked. "What did you just say?"

You blushed, glowering at his hands, when you couldn't meet his gaze. "What, that I've forgiven you?" you mumbled.

This time, he grabbed your chin, lifting your face to his, that mischievous look still lighting his eyes. "You think that I love you, too?" he asked in amusement.

You rolled your eyes. "Duh, of course you love me." You paused. "You do love me, right?"

He raised a skeptical brow, leaving you hanging for much too long. Then, "what kind of dumb question is that?" He snorted in disgust.

You opened your mouth to protest, but he interrupted you.

"Of course I love you, Princess. I've loved you our whole goddamn lives."

You groaned, slapping his arm, hard. He winced, as you hit a bruise. "You're such a bitch," you mumbled, burning your face in his chest, cheeks still burning with embarrassment, as you kissed the hit bruise.

He laughed, peeling you off him, and meeting your gaze once again, face solemn. "It's true. Even when I was a fucking idiot and didn't realize it, I loved you. The way I've always relied on you, the way you've always been there for me. You're the only constant in my life, and I don't deserve you. You were the smart one. You knew we were meant to be together wayy before I did. The fact you even gave me a chance after I was so stupid, after I rejected you and made you feel like shit, and I lied to you about your past, is beyond me. You deserve a worthier man than me. But if you still want me, I will try my best to be that man."

His words were like balm on a wound, healing your past, and your heart. Even after everything you two had been through, Minho wanted to be with you. "I want you to be that man," you whispered sincerely. "I know better than anyone, and you're already that man. You're kind and hardworking, smart and funny. You're so respectful, and you care about me. Even when we weren't talking, when all we would do was fight, I think I knew, deep down, that you still cared about me, just from afar. Even when you were being a real pain in my ass, I felt safe around you. And even though I thought I hated you, when you made mistakes or hurt my feelings, I loved you. I will never stop loving you, Minho."

He studied you with that heated gaze of his, a look that always made you blush, and turned your legs to pudding. Then, his hands were on your waist, and he was pulling you close, right there on the cold, stone floor. "Get the fuck over here," he growled, fingers pressing into your skin, until he'd gotten you mere inches away from him, both of you staring face to face at one another.

"Why, do you have something to say?" You grinned innocently, batting your eyes at him.

He narrowed his eyes at you, one hand sliding to the back of your head, as he pulled you closer. His echoed across your lips, he was so close.

Just as you were about to lean in and close the gap between the two of you, someone grabbed you from behind, and embraced you in a tight hug.

"Tess!" You whirled around at Lanhua's voice, a huge smile on your face. As much as you were dying for that kiss from Minho, knowing that your friends were alive and well was even more important.

"Hua! JJ!" you cried, embracing the two of them tightly. "I'm so glad you're both okay."

"Yeonjun healed us!" Mya cried from her spot on the floor. She was sitting there in Jeongin's lap, a huge smile on her face. It looked like those two had more than made up. "Who would've thought?"

"I thought that he was trying to kill us!" Jisung chimed in. He was on his feet, holding Robin's hand. And when he glanced down at her, they shared a smile.

Maybe Yeonjun had given your friends a gift after all, you thought with amusement. When their lives were in danger, they realized just how deep their feelings were, and truly forgave each other.

"My head still hurts like a bitch," Alaska piped up, rubbing her skull and wincing. "What happened?"

Felix kissed her on the cheek fondly. "I think we should just be happy we're alive, babe."

Christopher and Riley were embracing. His eyes were bloodshot and tired, but he looked the most relieved of all. "I agree with Lix," he called over the top of Riley's head. "I'm just glad Yeonjun came to his senses now, rather than later."

"Are you saying you forgive him, just like that?" JJ asked skeptically, raising her brows at him. Hyunjin had come over to her, and offered a hand after she'd finished hugging you. She clung to his hand without acknowledging his touch. You had seen with your own eyes that she'd protected him with her life, after he'd passed out. Clearly, she cared more for him than she let on.

"Isn't that what the light spirits taught us?" Renee asked from the corner. She sat next to Seungmin, as he gripped her thigh with one hand. "They told us that we need to forgive people, if they've gone through the steps to deserve it."

"You're right about that."

You turned around at the sound of Jacheongbi's sweet voice. Both she, Samshin, and Jishin, the earth goddess, all stood next to one another, also having been healed by Yeonjun. Their bright glow had returned, and they looked even more heavenly, if that was possible.

"I am?" Renee echoed, staring wide-eyed at the three goddesses.

"We're supposed to forgive him?" Robin pointed at Yeonjun, who was now standing behind Jacheongbi, like he was trying to hide.

Jacheongbi smiled at all of you. "The dark spirit, who you call Yeonjun, has done some terrible things. He has deceived all of you, in different ways, and used your naivety to his advantage. Not only that, but he spent years of his existence trying to destroy all of humankind, because he gave into his darkness, and wanted revenge, instead of forgiving. But now, after he met his daughter, and saw how his actions pushed her away instead of bringing her closer, he has expressed his regrets for what he's done. Is that right, moon child?" She turned to you.

You gulped, suddenly put on the spot. "Oh! Well, yes. He stopped his attack, and he said that I could do anything to him, if I wanted. He said that he truly felt bad, and he just wanted to be my father, so we could be be reunited. He said that he's spent so much of his life making the wrong decisions, and giving in to hate. But he wants to stop now."

Jacheongbi and the rest of the group listened to you with rapt attention. Then, she spoke. "And do you believe him?" she asked.

You nodded without hesitation. "I know that I've said this before, and I was wrong. But now, I really believe that he wants to be better. He even said himself that he wasn't always like this, and he wants to stop. I trust him. And..." You looked Yeonjun straight in the eye, "I forgive him."

This time, Yeonjun stepped forward. He looked more like a real human than you'd ever seen him, tears sliding down his cheeks as he moved in front of the spirits to address you and your friends.

"Everything my daughter said is true," he said. "Ever since Dal died, I've made bad decisions, and let the darkness not only consume me, but also define me. I was just the dark spirit, nothing else. But at one point in the past, I was able to love. Dal was what kept me in the light. And now that I have another piece of her, my daughter, I want to stay in the light again."

"You were light at one point?" Changbin, who was now holding onto Lanhua like she was going to disappear at any moment, frowned at Yeonjun.

"Yeah, how could the dark spirit ever be light?" Robin asked, confused. "I've never heard of that before."

Jacheongbi answered. "Well, all dark stems from light," she said. "But darkness only grows when light has been corrupted. The dark spirit was created when he gave into hate. But when he was first created, he was not the dark spirit. He was, in fact, born as a light spirit. But when he found out that darkness could give him more power, he took that, instead. He was the dark spirit before Dal died, because he was greedy. But Dal had unwittingly helped him to try and move past it by falling in love with him, which ultimately failed when she died."

"Staying light is hard," Yeonjun admitted. "It was so easy to take the easy route, and just continue to harbor resentment towards you all. But now, through my daughter, I know that it's not right. I want to start making the right decisions. So..." Yeonjun turned around to face the light spirits.

Jacheongbi stared right back at him, gaze searching him like an x-ray. "So, how do you think you'll be able to stay in the light?" she asked.

Yeonjun swallowed, looking down at his feet, which were shuffling back and forth across the stone floor. Was he embarrassed?

"If you would accept me, I would like to go back with you, and become a light spirit. Like I was before."

"Yeonjun, look at me," Jacheongbi demanded, powerful voice reverberating throughout the dungeon.

The dark spirit turned his gaze to meet hers, instinctively cowering at the beauty of it.

She smiled down at him. So did Samshin and Jishin. When they did, it was like a blinding light hit your eyes, and you squinted against it. Their goodness was so pure, it was hard to face it head-on.

"Of course you can come with us, dark spirit," Jacheongbi finally said. Then, she reached her hand out to him. "You still have lots to learn, and you will face punishment for your crimes against humankind. But we forgive you, and we invite you back as a light spirit with open arms."

"Th-thank you," Yeonjun stammered, stretching out to accept her hand.

The moment their fingertips touched, a cloak of white mist descended down upon him, covering his entire body. When the mist cleared, you gasped.

Yeonjun's black cloak had been replaced by a white cloak, the same one that Jacheongbi, Samshin, and Jishin were wearing. He no longer looked like the evil dark spirit that he had been. Instead, you could see the lightness inside of him, the man that your mom must have fallen in love with.

Jacheongbi smiled at you all. "It's time for us to leave now," she said sadly. "Remember to continue growing, because as long as you learn and grow and try to be good people, it will allow you to continue loving and forgiving one another. None of us are perfect. And moon child, thank you, for bringing us another light spirit, and for staying in the light yourself."

Yeonjun smiled at you. You had never seen him look so happy. Was there even some color coming into his pale cheeks?

"Thank you, daughter." Tears glimmered in his eyes once more. Wow, he really was a softie, wasn't he? "Thank you for showing me love and forgivness, and giving me a reason to return to the light. I'm sorry I can't stay here with you, but I know you have another father, one who you can't live without. But just know that even if you can't see me, I'm with you, always."

And in a burst of bright white light, the four light spirits vanished, never to be seen by a living being ever again.

laska's note —
okay that was WILD! yeonjun is officially a light spirit now! it's kind of crazy that he was born as a light spirit, and only became dark when he chose darkness, huh? i'm just glad that tessa could give him a second chance, and now, he can be better. even though he'll still face consequences for his actions, he will no longer fight against tessa and the other humans! what will happen next, now that everyone is alive and well, and HAPPY? the story is almost over, i hope everyone can just celebrate and be happy 🥰

𝖭𝖤𝖷𝖳 𝖴𝖯：
𝟱𝟲 - 𝗯𝗲
┊ ⇄ ◁◁ II ▷▷ ↻ ┊