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Fates Parallel Chapter 49 - Meeting
🕑 Added 2021-03-25 20:33:02 +0000 UTCJia and Eui’s connection had been severed—torn apart somehow by Yan Yue’s technique. Jia didn’t know how it had happened or how it could be possible. It didn’t seem as though it had been intentional, but that was a small comfort when her cultivation might have been irreparably damaged.
There was too much she didn’t understand about both Yue’s technique and the nature of her now-damaged connection with Eui. She had to believe that it wasn’t destroyed permanently—once Eui woke up, they would find some way to fix it.
Lee Jia had stopped talking to Yue entirely. She had been holding out some hope that perhaps they could find some common ground, but now she was too angry and upset to think about anything other than tearing the traitorous girl limb from limb. So she didn’t speak—instead, she watched carefully, probed about with her domain, and watched for any weakness she might be able to exploit.
---
Yan Yue had made a terrible mistake. She had underestimated the strength of the connection between Lee Jia and An Eui, and her Melody of the Dreaming Moon had somehow severed it. She had thought it was a clever idea to keep An Eui trapped in her dream while drawing Lee Jia into an illusion.
Then the screaming started. Yue shuddered—she had heard less visceral death cries. She knew immediately that her clumsy attempts to separate them had failed, and her attempts to fix the problem had obviously failed as well.
Now, Lee Jia had become despondent, and Yue could feel her glaring from the corner. Lee Jia’s body was sitting in front of the mirror as Yue carefully brushed her hair—making her presentable for the upcoming meeting with Sun Jaehwa—but her spirit was sitting on the bed with her knees drawn up to her chest and staring.
Yan Yue sighed. She had stopped hiding Jia’s real body from the illusion to conserve qi—it was much easier to reflect the truth than to fabricate a completely false dream—but there was no practical way to hide Jia’s spirit from her own vision. Her control over the body was contingent on maintaining the dreamscape.
Satisfied with Lee Jia’s appearance, Yue sat down on the bed and hummed a few soft notes. Through her meditation, she allowed her spirit to enter Lee Jia’s dreamscape entirely—or at least, that was how she understood it. It was a complicated technique, and true understanding of its nature was one of the obstacles between her and the xiantian levels.
Yan Yue stepped away from her own body and approached Lee Jia’s. On some level she knew that most of this was just visualization—her spirit was still within her own body, as was Jia’s. That separation was all part of the illusion, but she had found that such visualizations were enormously helpful when it came to controlling her technique.
She stood over the much shorter girl and had a momentary pang of guilt as she realized that Lee Jia had to be at least three years her junior—though the poor girl seemed to be the type that didn’t have much growing left to do. Yue shook her head and schooled her emotions—this was no time for pity.
She stepped forward and envisioned herself overlapping with Lee Jia’s body and taking possession of it. When she opened her eyes, she saw Lee Jia’s placid face staring back at her in the mirror. She stood and stretched, then practiced making expressions in the mirror for a few moments—it was always tricky adapting to a different body.
Strictly speaking, this possession was unnecessary—she could always control the bodies of anyone trapped in her dreamscapes, even several at once—but doing this gave Yan Yue much finer control, and allowed her to hijack the senses of the body she possessed. It wasn’t something she did often, as it had a prohibitively limited range, but it had its uses and the house was more than small enough to accommodate her limitations.
Yue turned to leave and jumped when she saw Lee Jia’s spirit standing right behind her with a dark scowl on her face. She hadn’t been visible in the mirror, and Yue had forgotten about that particular quirk of her illusion.
“What are you doing?”
Lee Jia’s tone was openly suspicious and accusing. Yue sighed—what a frustrating mess she’d made for herself.
“I’m going to deal with Miss Sun for you, and then I am going to send your regrets to Miss Seong. Something has come up, and you’ll be going into closed door training for a little while, so you won’t be able to join her for training.”
Jia didn’t respond, except to scoff and turn away.
“This would go more smoothly with your cooperation, you know. I’m genuinely sorry that it had to come to this, but it’s in both of our best interests for my plan to go smoothly.”
“You won’t even tell me what your real plan is! Getting strong enough to be able to refuse was just a lie, right?”
Not entirely, but the situation was more complicated than that. If there was any chance of Yan Yue sparing Jia and Eui, she couldn’t tell them the whole story.
“Of course I won’t, but I do mean what I say. Once this is all over, and my freedom is secured, I will release you both. I’ll even do everything I can to help you repair whatever damage I have caused.”
“You—how do I know you’re not just lying to me again? How can I trust anything you say?”
Yan Yue could hear the desperate hope in Lee Jia’s voice, and once again felt a small sense of guilt gnawing away at her. The poor girl was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She’d overstepped when she took Zhihao’s ring, but she didn’t deserve this.
“You can’t, obviously, but what other choice do you have?”
She crushed that feeling of guilt within her as she responded. The world of cultivation was more ruthless than Lee Jia knew, and Yue could ill afford to be sympathetic. Perhaps, if she survived this ordeal, Lee Jia would come out stronger for it.
Lee Jia turned back towards Yue, her head hanging sullenly as she looked up at Yue meekly.
“What do you need me to do?”
Then again, perhaps it was her destiny to be trampled underfoot by those meant for greatness.
---
Lee Jia wasn’t sure if she had ever hated anyone as much as she hated Yan Yue at that moment. More even than Boss Lee, who had treated her like a piece of property to be bought and sold, or the thugs who had ransacked her hideaway and threatened to do much worse if she hadn’t escaped. Lee Jia had encountered people in her life who caused her no end of troubles, but Yan Yue was different.
She had liked Yue—genuinely wanted to help her. She had given Yue her trust and had hoped that she had earned the same in kind. Yet the moment that it was no longer convenient or expedient, Yue had betrayed that trust—completely shattered it. Yue’s manipulation was so total that Jia no longer knew the truth from the lies.
Worse yet, it was still working! Every word out of Yue’s mouth seemed to chip away at Jia’s certainty. Yue had violated her trust, her autonomy, and even her bond with Eui, yet even as Jia stood watching like a ghost as her own body prepared tea—Yue had brought her own—she couldn’t help but feel like Yue had a point.
What choice did she have? Even if every word that Yue spoke was a lie, even if Yue planned on killing her the very second she was no longer useful, what else could she do but cooperate? Struggle in vain? Sacrifice herself—and Eui—just to spite her? She wished that she could ask Eui—or anyone—what to do, but she was alone, for now.
So she would play along, and she would hate Yan Yue, hate every moment that she danced to her tune, and hate herself for chasing after the tiny scrap of false hope that Yue dangled in front of her.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a knock on the door. Jia watched as Yue answered the door for Sun Jaehwa and greeted her in Jia’s voice.
“Welcome, Miss Sun. Please, come inside.”
Sun Jaehwa bowed in greeting before stepping inside.
“Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Miss Lee. I apologize for asking so abruptly, but I feel that the matter is quite urgent. It’s about your roommate, Miss An—she’s not here, is she?”
Yue smiled as she ushered Sun Jaehwa inside and set out tea for each of them.
“My roommates are out at the moment, Miss Sun. It’s just the two of us.”
“Plus one ghost.” Jia added. “Also, she’s a mage. If you’re not careful she’ll sense your aura from the bedroom.”
That was mostly a bluff—it was possible, but most mages didn’t have a mana sense as refined as Eunae or Dae, much less her own domain. Yue ignored her, and Sun clearly wasn’t aware of her presence as she continued speaking.
“That’s good. I have to confess that I haven’t been entirely honest with you, Miss Lee. I have actually met An Eui before, I only pretended to be a stranger to avoid trouble.”
“Oh? What kind of trouble were you expecting?”
The surprise in Yan Yue’s voice was genuine, and Lee Jia realized that she hadn’t informed her of the past between Sun Jaehwa and Eui. Sun gave Yan Yue a curious look.
“I—to be honest, I thought you were already aware, from the way you reacted before. Has she said anything about me?”
Yan Yue cast a glance towards Lee Jia, but she just crossed her arms silently—let her squirm.
“U-um, no, not at all. I noticed that she had some animosity towards you, but Eui’s like that with everybody.”
Lee Jia clicked her tongue in irritation. Yan Yue was a smooth liar, and it disgusted her more and more that she’d been taken in by it. Sun Jaehwa’s face fell as she sighed.
“She never used to be... Miss Lee, do you recall what I told you when we first met?”
Yan Yue shot Lee Jia an urgent glance, because of course she didn’t. For a bare instant, Jia considered staying silent, but in this case Yan Yue’s embarrassment would be her own embarrassment, so she threw her a bone.
“She’s probably talking about her murdered fiance.”
To her credit, Yue managed not to look surprised as she responded.
“You mean about what happened to your betrothed?”
Sun Jaehwa nodded.
“Yes. I imagine you must have wondered how Miss An got her brand—as you might have already guessed, it was her who killed my fiance. She was exiled for it.”
Yan Yue’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Oh! I knew she must have done something, but I had no idea...”
Sun Jaehwa bit her lower lip.
“I hadn’t planned on talking to anyone about it—I was prepared to simply put it behind me for both of our sakes, but when I saw you two together, I knew I had to warn you. Miss An is dangerous.”
Yan Yue bit her thumbnail and looked thoughtful. That wasn’t a habit that Jia normally had, and she took note of it as a possible tell.
“If it’s not too forward, may I ask why Eui did something like that? Did he do something to offend her, or—”
“It was simple jealousy. We were friends, but she imagined it as something more. When she discovered that I was to be wed, she went mad with rage. The rumors that spread after the murder were enough to nearly destroy my family’s reputation forever. The trial put an end to most of that, and instead, it was only my reputation tarnished.”
Sun’s voice was bitter as she related her side of the story.
“The truth of the matter is that my reputation as the ‘sweeping star’ isn’t really because my betrothed was killed. It’s simply not polite for the nobles to openly say that they believe the rumors about me reciprocating An Eui’s advances to be true. The bad omen is a convenient excuse.”
Yan Yue tilted her head and eyed Sun Jaehwa with a knowing look that seemed completely foreign to Lee Jia’s face.
“Were they? The rumors, I mean. Did you reciprocate Eui’s feelings?”
Jaehwa’s face began to turn red and she stared down at her own lap, fidgeting with her hands awkwardly.
“T-that’s—I mean, w-would you?”
Jia looked between Sun Jaehwa’s hopeful, upturned gaze and Yue’s sly smirk, and nearly gagged.
“Fucking ancestors! No, Yue! Not a chance! Don’t you dare use my body to flirt with Sun Jaehwa. I don’t care if you’re just trying to manipulate her—no!”
Yue glanced towards her and Jia met her own golden gaze, seeing Yue’s malicious glint behind her eyes. She shuddered at the implicit threat—it wasn’t just her life that was at risk. Yan Yue’s expression turned solemn as she gave Sun Jaehwa a sympathetic look.
“I’m sorry. I should never have asked—that was terribly rude of me.”
Sun Jaehwa’s downcast gaze made her disappointment clear, but she quickly schooled her expression.
“It’s alright, I take no offense—I’m long used to such things. It really doesn’t matter, in the end, does it? The nobility have already chosen what they believe—that I will end the line of any who would be wedded to me.”
Lee Jia couldn’t help but pity Sun Jaehwa, despite her uncharitable representation of Eui and her unwanted advances. She seemed earnest in her concern, and had genuinely suffered as a result of the incident—though perhaps not so much as Eui herself had.
“Well, I’ve delivered my warning. Be careful of Miss An, please. You seem close, and I wouldn’t want you to suffer the same fate that I did. Don’t hesitate to come to me if you have any concerns about her.”
Yan Yue nodded amicably.
“I will, thank you. I also promise to hold what you’ve told me in complete confidence. This academy is a place of new beginnings.”
“Thank you.”
Lee Jia watched as her own puppeted body exchanged farewells with Sun Jaehwa—the poor girl didn’t even know that her confidence had been betrayed the second it had been given. She realized that Yan Yue was right about one thing, however. The academy was a place for new beginnings.
It was only a shame that Yan Yue had chosen to begin anew right where she left off in the first place.
---
“By the E—ancestors! I really should get into the habit of using Goryeon parlance. When were you going to tell me that Eui was a homosexual?”
Jia glared at Yan Yue, who was back in her own body to conserve qi, with a mix of anger and disgust.
“I wasn’t, because it’s none of your concern. Really, it wasn’t Miss Sun’s place to tell me, either—much less you!”
Yue waved a hand dismissively.
“It might have been if An Eui had attempted to make advances on one of us—wait, has she? Are you two lovers? Oh, that would explain so much!”
Lee Jia cursed herself for blushing furiously—her body was supposed to just be an illusion, damn it!
“That not—it’s—I don’t have to answer that for you!”
“Oh, ancestors—hah, I got it right! You are, aren’t you!?”
She shook her head vehemently.
“No! We’re not—at least not like that, or—it’s complicated, ok!? I don’t want to talk about it with you right now!”
Or ever with anyone—though Jia knew she would have to, eventually. She just wished it would stop coming up so often when she wasn’t ready for it.
Yue scoffed.
“If you say so. I never saw the appeal, myself. Girls are cute and all, but boys are so much more fun—and easier.”
Lee Jia pushed her ears down against her head and covered them with her hands, even though it was meaningless to do so—Yan Yue could make her hear whatever she wanted.
“Can we please talk about literally anything except for this? Just put me back to sleep—or kill me—please.”
Yue raised an eyebrow at Lee Jia.
“I hadn’t taken you for such a prude. You’re telling me you’ve never enjoyed girl talk like this?”
Lee Jia grimaced and shook her head.
“First of all? No. Second, absolutely not right now with you. Did you forget that you’re holding Eui and I as mind-prisoners or thralls or whatever the hell you want to call this? Stop trying to make me like you!”
Yan Yue frowned, and Lee Jia worried that she might be taking a risk by antagonizing her, but she was getting irritated by Yue’s attempts at bridge-building. Especially because it was sort of working! Jia chastised herself internally—was she really this easy?
Whatever response Yue was about to give was interrupted by a knock on the door. Both Yue and Jia cast a confused glance towards the unexpected interruption. Yue narrowed her eyes and looked askance at Lee Jia.
“Another appointment you neglected to mention?”
Jia held up her hands defensively and shook her head.
“No, I have no idea who that could be. Maybe Sun Jaehwa forgot something?”
Yan Yue cautiously rose to answer the door as Lee Jia followed invisibly behind her. Her body was still safely stashed away in the bedroom, but Yan Yue had been maintaining the illusion instead of putting her back to sleep—perhaps out of loneliness.
Yue opened the door to reveal a tall, slender beauty with dark hair, tall fox ears, and a pair of bushy white tails. Her eyes were closed, but Jia would never forget that soul-piercing, vivid blue gaze.
Seong Eunae bowed politely in greeting.
“Pardon my intrusion, Miss Yan, but is Jia home? I have an urgent matter that I need to discuss with her.”
