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Fates Parallel Chapter 36 - Confessions
🕑 Added 2021-02-27 19:38:40 +0000 UTCEui paced back and forth restlessly within the tiny living room.
“What the fuck are we supposed to do now?”
“You’re sure we can’t just go with the cave hermit plan?”
Eui let out a frustrated sigh and shook her head at Jia.
“No, as tempting as that is. I think we have to deal with this properly. We’ve worked too hard for what we have to do otherwise.”
Jia nodded in agreement. She was as frustrated as Eui was, though she was a bit less kinetic in expressing it. She fidgeted nervously with her hands in her lap before looking up at Eui again.
“Well, maybe I could apologize to Tae In-Su? Do you think he’ll let me off if I give him a bit of face?”
“I don’t know, maybe? Mages and nobles can be pretty vindictive. Not much need to give someone face when you’ve got more power and status than they’ll ever have.”
Jia paused for a moment as something occurred to her. She furrowed her brows in thought.
“Wait, does he?”
Eui halted her pacing and turned to look at Jia, her eyes wide.
“That’s a good question. Jia, does he have more power than you?”
Jia thought about it carefully. She had only seen a very limited display of power from Tae In-Su, but there were certain clues she could use. The talisman he had used against her was a common, mass-produced attack talisman. She hadn’t known that at the time, but Dae had been educating her on the ways of mages back home.
The wind burst talisman was a simple and efficient spell that was popular among the mage colleges because it was cheap to produce, easy to cast, and non-lethal. All of which made it a solid and reliable basic spell for low level mages and friendly duels. The fact that he used it against her meant that either it was what he was most accustomed to, or he was consciously going easy on her.
The other clue was his age—he had been quite young for a city administrator. While he was on the older end of the academy students, he was still extremely young for a cultivator. Most likely he was only in the first or second stage, though Jia would need a closer look at his aura to know for certain.
Jia was in the early second stage, herself—and in all three disciplines—though she had learned there was a large potential gap, even within the same stage. Yan Zhihao had been manageable for Lee Jia—if only barely—while he was at the early second stage, but Dae and Hayakawa Kaede were both at the peak of the second stage and Jia couldn’t hold a candle to either of them.
Ultimately, the only conclusion she could come to was that she might be stronger than Tae In-Su. Charitably, she decided that she probably was, but that she couldn’t be certain yet.
“I don’t know? I think there’s a pretty good chance he doesn’t.”
“Then you don’t have to give him shit! Just put him in his place like he so happily did for you last year. Give him a taste of his own medicine.”
Jia chuckled at Eui’s enthusiasm for violence, but didn’t really share her taste for revenge.
“I think I’ll still offer an apology after all. If he refuses to accept it then...well then I can consider more forceful options, I guess. It feels really, really weird thinking that way. Half a year ago I’d be quaking in my shoes at the thought of facing a mage’s wrath—five minutes ago I was.”
“I know what you mean, I’m still used to thinking I’m at the bottom. I’m not used to being a big fish, yet.”
Jia smiled wryly and shook her head at Eui.
“We are mid-sized fish at best, and only in the tiny pond of academy students. Hayakawa and Dae can beat both of us at the same time while blindfolded, and that’s not even considering monsters like that Jianmo.”
Eui shuddered at the mention of the demon that they had accidentally released during their mountain expedition a few months ago.
“Good point. Thanks, Jia, I’ll try to stay grounded.”
“So that solves my problem—sort of, I still feel like I’m not ready, but I’m a little less freaked out about it—but what about yours?”
Jia watched as the mounting excitement and restless energy drained from Eui in an instant. She sat down and hung her head with a heavy sigh.
“I don’t know, Jia. I never thought I’d see her again. I entertained the possibility of meeting someone from my old life but—ancestors, I wasn’t ready for her, of all people.”
Jia felt a complicated tumult of emotion from Eui, and it was hard to place any individual feeling. She fidgeted a bit as she tried to wrestle with the question that was on her mind.
“Um, Eui, when I was talking to Sun Jaehwa she said something that didn’t make sense...”
Eui looked up and tilted her head curiously, her expression betraying her nerves as much as Jia’s ability to sense her emotions.
“Oh? Do I even want to know what it was?”
“Well, she said that you had killed her fiance—well, she didn’t specify that it was you I just sort of assumed—”
Eui chuckled sadly.
“Hah, yeah, that was me. I told you about that already, though.”
“You did, except—I thought you said it was a mage making unwanted advances.”
Eui froze for a moment before scowling and slumping into her seat with a defeated groan.
“Ugh, you’re right—I did. You probably already knew that what I told you wasn’t the whole truth. I didn’t lie—or at least I didn’t mean to—but there are parts to that story that I didn’t know how to explain. I still don’t, but I guess I don’t really have the luxury to work my way up to it anymore, do I?”
Jia shifted uncomfortably. She didn’t want to push Eui into talking about something uncomfortable, but at the same time she felt like she deserved an explanation of some kind. Eui saw her discomfort and smiled.
“It’s fine, Jia. I really was going to tell you I just—” Eui blushed “—I was trying to work my way up to it.”
Through her connection with Eui, Jia felt an intense flood of an emotion that made her own face grow warm just from the feedback. It felt like a combination of embarrassment and something—Jia couldn’t identify it.
“Oh, ancestors, this is difficult. Where to begin? First, I suppose I should confirm that Yeong Jiwoo—the mage I killed—was engaged to Sun Jaehwa, but it was an arranged marriage. Second, um, Sun Jaehwa and I were—uh, m-more than just...friends.”
Jia blinked at Eui in confusion. Eui had gone so bright red that she looked like she might set the couch on fire, and she was cringing as if expecting someone to hit her.
“You mean like...best friends?”
The color immediately drained from Eui’s face as her head jerked up to stare at Jia in shock and disbelief. She stood up and shook her head.
“Jia, no. I refuse to believe you’re this dense. I’ve put up with a lot, but this is too much—there’s no way you can be this ignorant!”
Now it was Jia’s turn to blush as she felt ashamed by Eui’s rebuke, and a little upset that she was being insulted by her best friend.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about Eui! Could you please just speak clearly instead of being mean!?”
“Jia, I like girls!”
Eui was red-faced with anger and embarrassment as she shouted, but she almost immediately deflated, collapsing back onto the couch as if a huge weight had been lifted. Her voice was barely a whisper as she stared down into her own lap.
“Sun Jaehwa wasn’t my best friend, Jia. She was my girlfriend.”
Jia’s expression was blank as it finally clicked for her. Eui’s teasing, her jealousy over Dae, her embarrassment when talking about Sun Jaehwa. The new context explained so many different things.
“Oh.”
Eui covered her face with a hand and sighed.
“Oh? Jia, you are the queen of underreactions.”
Jia blushed and scratched her cheek. What was she supposed to say to that?
“Eui, do you like—me?”
Eui’s intense blush and the equally intense flood of emotion that Jia felt from her were answer enough, but she closed her eyes tightly and managed a tiny nod.
Jia tried to think about how she felt about that, but she found that her mind was a complete blank. Whether positive or negative, she just didn’t know what to think. After a moment, she gave up on processing it.
“I see. Ok.”
“Jia, I swear to my ancestors I am going to fucking slap you.”
Eui’s threats were somewhat dampened by the pained expression on her face, and Jia held her hands up defensively.
“Sorry! I just—I don’t know what to think about it. I’ve never thought about—that before.”
Eui sighed heavily and wiped at her eyes.
“I know, Jia. I knew you would react that way, but it still hurts.”
Jia could feel Eui’s sadness and regret, and moved to sit next to Eui, unsure whether a hug would be appropriate in this situation. She decided to go for it anyway and wrapped Eui up in a tight embrace.
“I’m sorry, Eui. I wish I could give you a real answer, I just—I don’t know how yet.”
Eui shook her head and sobbed gently into Jia’s shoulder.
“I know. I wanted to give you time—to give myself more time. Damn Sun Jaehwa, and damn that stupid Do Hye for bringing her here.”
The pair of them sat like that for a while as Jia tried to comfort her best friend, and process the fact that it was her who had caused Eui such distress in the first place. Eventually, Eui was able to calm down enough to finish her story.
“Sun Jaehwa and I had been dating in secret for about a year when she received the news of her engagement. We were both furious about it, but her father convinced her that it was for the good of their family.”
Eui wiped her eyes and sniffled, before continuing.
“I was angry, heartbroken, I felt like I had been betrayed, so I did something I shouldn’t have.”
“You killed him?”
Eui giggled and shook her head.
“No, stupid. I’m not that crazy—you think I just went straight for the knife?”
“I mean, when we first met—”
“Anyway! I confronted him about my relationship with Sun Jaehwa—told him to his face that things would never work out between him and his future bride because she preferred girls.”
Jia cringed a bit—she knew just how brutally direct Eui could be.
“How did he take it?”
“He laughed in my face. Told me he didn’t care what she preferred—he would have her, regardless. Then he threatened that he’d have me beaten if he ever discovered that I was continuing my ‘degenerate relationship’ with his fiancee and told me to get lost.”
Jia frowned a bit and gave Eui a questioning glance.
“That’s it?”
“No, obviously it doesn’t end there. I didn’t tell Sun Jaehwa that I had confronted Yeong, and we didn’t end our relationship. I convinced her to wait until the marriage—it was stupid and selfish, but I just didn’t want to let go. Of course Yeong found out, and we were together when he confronted us.
“Sun Jaehwa was already a mage by that point, even though we hadn’t joined the college yet—noble tutoring. I guess Yeong knew that and expected her to try to protect me from the beating he promised, so he attacked her first. It was just one of those wind burst talismans, but I didn’t know that. When I saw her go down I just—I was so angry.”
Eui stopped to wipe away a few more tears, and Jia could feel the anguish from Eui as she relived her trauma. Jia considered telling Eui she didn’t need to say any more, but it felt like it was too late for that—Eui had to get past this for her own sake.
“I had a knife. It was something my father taught me—to always be armed, especially as a young girl. I don’t think Yeong expected me to be armed—he was so shocked after the first slash that he miscast his spell. I was panicking, not thinking clearly, and—and I thought he had killed Sun Jaehwa so...I just kept stabbing. By the time his friends pulled me off of him, he was gone.”
Jia and Eui sat for a moment in solemn silence for a few minutes before Eui sighed.
“It could have ended there. Probably not well—I’d have still gotten in trouble for killing a mage—but there were witnesses who saw that he had attacked us first. It turned out, though, that my first mistake was also my worst. I should never have told Yeong about me and Jaehwa.
“I thought he would have kept it to himself—out of shame if nothing else—but he didn’t. He complained to all his friends about being married off to a ‘degenerate’. He slandered us to anyone who would listen to him, and by the time my trial happened, the Sun family’s reputation was in tatters. She—”
Eui had to stop as she failed to choke back a few more sobs. Jia hugged her again and waited patiently for her to continue. After a minute or two of sniffling, Eui regained her composure.
“Sun Jaehwa did what I should have always expected her to do. I don’t think I ever meant as much to her as she did to me. She always put herself and her family first, and I was just a bit of fun she had on the side.
“When she testified at my trial, she denied everything. She claimed I had lied to Yeong Jiwoo about our relationship, that I flew into a jealous rage when he confronted me about my lies, and that Yeong had died protecting her from me. Her story was corroborated by all of Yeong’s friends.”
Jia felt a bit sick as Eui finished her tale. It was only one side of the story, but she believed Eui. Besides, she didn’t think it was even possible for Eui to lie to her face at this point, not with their emotional link.
“That was the last time you ever saw her?”
Eui shook her head ruefully.
“Not quite, no. She was there when I was branded. She watched without flinching or shedding a tear as I screamed in pain. It’s not just a burn—the branding ritual violated my soul on a level I can’t even begin to describe.
“When it was over, and they dragged me away for exile, Sun Jaehwa looked me straight in the eye and told me to my face that I deserved what was happening to me. For a long time, I believed her. Sometimes, on bad days, I still do.”
This time it was Jia who failed to hold back her tears as she once more wrapped Eui up in a tight embrace. It was hard to reconcile the sweet, but intense girl she had just met with the cold-hearted manipulator that had ruined Eui’s life.
“You don’t deserve that, Eui. Nobody does!”
Eui shook her head, weeping softly into Jia’s shoulder.
“I know, it’s just—it’s not always easy to accept that. Some of the things I’ve done—”
“Shh, it’s ok, Eui. It’s ok.”
The girls sat in each other’s embrace for a while as they let their feelings out. When they finally ran out of tears, they still sat like that for nearly an hour before Jia finally separated from Eui and stood to stretch.
“Ahh! That’s better. Nothing like a good stretch after a long day of cuddling.”
Eui blushed and jabbed Jia in the side with a frown.
“No fair, Jia. You can’t leave me hanging after a confession and then tease me about my feelings.”
Jia giggled and smiled apologetically.
“Sorry, but you teased me so much about my friendship with Dae that I felt like a little payback was only fair.”
“I don’t know if that’s the same thing, Jia. Also you do realize that he actually has it bad for you, right? After today I think I have to really make sure.”
Jia sighed and shrugged sadly.
“I guess I do. I’ve been trying not to think about it—or rather, it never even occurred to me to think about it. I don’t think I’m very good with this sort of thing.”
Eui stared blankly at Jia.
“You don’t say. Why is that, anyway? I’ve never heard of someone so innocent growing up on the streets, and it seems like more than just willful ignorance.”
Jia hesitated as she tried to come up with an answer then shook her head.
“I—I’m not really ready to talk about it yet. I’m not even certain I know the answer, myself—I need to organize my thoughts.”
Eui stared slack-jawed at Jia for a moment before scowling and throwing a cushion at her.
“Oh you bitch! I just told you everything and you’re going to leave me hanging like that!?”
Jia put her hands together and bowed at a ninety degree angle in apology.
“I’m sorry! I know it’s not fair, but I really do need to figure it out for myself before I feel comfortable sharing.”
Eui crossed her arms and huffed out a sigh of frustration.
“Ugh, fine! Unbelievable! That’s twice you owe me, now.”
Jia shrunk back a bit from Eui’s predatory gaze and cleared her throat, eager to change the subject.
“So, what do we do about Sun Jaehwa?”
Eui shook her head helplessly.
“I don’t know. I doubt she wants to see me any more than I want to see her—she probably thinks I’m dead, by now. It’s been over a year since we last saw each other, and I have no idea what her motivations are. Maybe she’ll be content to just pretend I don’t exist if we leave her alone.”
“Maybe. I’m worried, though. Do Hye must have brought them here for a reason, and I doubt that reason can be dealt with as simply as apologizing to Tae or ignoring Sun.”
Eui shrugged and sagged in her seat, looking utterly defeated.
“If you’ve got a better suggestion I’m listening.”
“Well, what if we asked Yoshika?”
Eui paused for a moment, furrowing her brows in confusion before realizing what Jia meant.
“...We’re not actually calling her that, are we?”
“Why not? I think it’s cute, and it feels wrong to just leave her nameless.”
“It’s a silly nickname that Rika came up with to tease me about—you know what? Fine! Yoshika, then. But I thought we agreed to only focus on cultivation while meditating.”
“We did, but that was back when our thoughts and feelings got all weird and jumbled when we meditated. Now there’s a whole other us that we’ve kind of just been bullying out of existence for the last couple of months.”
Eui sat and considered it for a few minutes, then sighed and nodded her head.
“Ok, I guess you’re right. And the more I think about it, I pretty much just unloaded every reason I had for avoiding it, anyway.”
“Great! Let’s get started, then.”
Jia sat next to Eui and they both joined hands as they adopted a meditative pose. In perfect synchronization, they both took a deep breath before allowing themselves to relax and fall into the steady rhythms of their unique breathing technique.
Once, it had taken a great deal of effort for them to link up for joint meditation, though they had practiced it enough that it had become second nature. Now, their domains merged automatically, and as soon as they began to meditate, their spiritual essence naturally and effortlessly began to blend together and circulate.
A few moments later, the connection was complete and she was once again whole.
