Everyone came back from the mission after Yeong sent back another message using his magic to their HQ. Eun-woo opened a portal again for them to return. As soon as they got back, 'the loudmouth party' (AKA Il-seong, Yeong and Kwang) started jumping up and down and explaining what Ae-rin did, how she looked some awesome Blah-Blah-Blah, you got the point.
And Yu-jun was still trying to process that moment in his head. Ae-rin and Jae-geum stood at the sidelines with a rather calm demeanour and sweat-dropped at the rest of their chaotic energy. Hyunwoo tried to make them calm down and ended up losing his own cool, but we can all imagine how things go when the 'leader's patience is ticked off, right? Get as creative as you want.
Well, when the light comical head-butting finally came to an end, Do-hoon spoke, "So, Ae-rin, what I understood is that you used magic for the first time, and it was on a scale that took down 4 Shadow-Alcyoneuses in a flash and broke the magic barrier around it. Is that right?"
"Yeah, exactly!" Il-seong answered on Ae-rin's behalf. Thanks, Il-seong-ah!
"That's quite hard to imagine." "Ya, that means her power level is already of an elite." Min-ho and Ha-neul said.
"Ae-rin, can you do that again if you were to be put in that kind of situation again?" "I don't know, Daeshim-ssi." Ae-rin answered truthfully.
"As I thought. But did you pick up on any specific detail when you used the 'spell'?"
Ae-rin thought for a bit and figured.
"Warmth, sir."
"Warmth?"
"Yes, it felt like forever since I felt this warmth. A feeling… that I am not just there without a reason. A feeling of being included and not being alone. It might sound weird that I have just met you all, but I haven't felt this comfortable and fuzzy inside for a long time now... Feels like I have known you guys for years now. And back there, it felt as if I said 'no' to an unseen force, not to take away this same fuzzy feeling away again."
Everyone else was confused, but as Do-hoon and Daeshim already knew about her situation, only smiled softly. Sun-hee and Seo-young shared a look and went to hug Ae-rin.
"We're happy that we could make you comfortable enough."
"And it won't be taken away. You'll always have this place to call your 'home'."
"Home, you say." Ae-rin's eyes softened at their acceptance.
A memory of her 8-year-old self and her sick mother conversing came flashing in front of her mind's eyes.
"Home is a place where you would always want to come back to, a place where you know you're protected, you've people who care about you, people who you care about, where hearts sway, you keep visiting that place, a place that fills your soul with warmth and takes away all the bad thoughts. Home is where your heart is, with people that you care deeply for."
'Have I finally found it, Mom? My home? Here? In this unknown world?'
"Yeah." Ae-rin mumbled
A smile so bright that it would put the sunlight to shame, indeed, a divinely beautiful one.
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It was night. Everyone was busy freshening up and getting ready to go to bed. Sun-hee couldn't find Ae-rin, so she went out looking for her. At the front yard, Ae-rin was sitting, looking at the full moon.
"It was full moon, hah?"
Ae-rin didn't flinch; she knew it was Sun-hee. She nodded as a response. "Reminiscing about your world?"
This time, she shook as 'no'. "Thinking about my past. I never noticed the subtle hints my mom tried to give me to move away from my father while she was still alive. I realised just earlier that she might have known about my father's relationship with his 'mistress' from way before her last moment. She had never used the word 'Family' in front of me. And I never noticed until now? Ain't that crazy? I know he hasn't even thought of me as his own. Guess the saying is right, sometimes to see the bigger picture you need to move farther away."
"It's not your fault. Nobody at such a young age would have figured it out."
"Uh-huh. I am not sad; I am grateful that I got away." Sun-hee had an unreadable look in her eyes, hearing Ae-rin's response.
"That I got another chance to live things differently in a different place. I met good people here. That I could find a reason to do something, try and learn, be proud if I figure things out, because I know at least I would have people who would celebrate my success and be proud of me with me. That I could finally feel that I am not being used for other means, that I can go to bed feeling this peace and wake up looking forward to a new day. Tell me, Sun-hee, am I asking too much? Am I a fool to hope?" Ae-rin laughed a little. "Honestly, I never believed I could ever say all that out loud, definitely couldn't have in my previous world. But I am happy that I can now. And now I have got two friends who listen to me rambling."
Seo-young was eavesdropping on Ae-rin saying all that, standing behind the sliding door. She flinched. "You knew?" "Uh-huh."
"And I am happy that this time it's not a facade anymore." Remembering her 'best friend' only 'caring' in front of others. How did she look over such things before…
"Ae-rin-chan, we care and we will always. Don't ever feel you're alone ever again. You can tell us anything, we'll hear." Seo-young finally sat down beside Ae-rin.
"Yeah, you have us to listen to all the rambling you have in you. And take your time to open up. There's no rush."
They weren't sugar-coated words, Ae-rin can tell. She was happy, really happy.
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For the next couple of days, Ae-rin tried to get used to the 'new life' in Goguryeo sun. Well, it was anything short of liveliness. Everyone there loved a little chaos, a little fun, a little scolding and a little encouragement in their daily dose of shenanigans.
Ae-rin was basically seeing her favorite manhwa characters bantering and fussing and then laughing around doing something stupid. She wouldn't deny that the tints of the past sure came back more than once when it got a little quiet in her living chamber, but those thoughts would stay for a few minutes. Someone would always just barge in every time, noticing her solemn eyes.
Ae-rin started small training sessions too, with Hyunwoo and Yoon-hwan. She still hadn't grasped how she even used… whatever magic that was. For the time being, Hyunwoo gave her a physical strength regimen, nothing more. Very clear instructions from him not to swing around a sword because someone in the group, *Ahem* Yeong or Kwang or Il-seong *Ahem* overexcitedly told her to. A clearly traumatized captain about past experiences with those three, It seemed. Poor Hyunwoo, but no one is better suited for the captainship role there!
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It had been a few days already.
After their breakfast was done, which Ae-rin helped the girls to make, she saw Hyunwoo and Yoon-hwan talking to Do-hoon and Daeshim when she brought them tea.
"The water problem is quite big, ha?" Daeshim said. Ae-rin remembered him mentioning something like that to Kwang and Yeong yesterday.
"Oh Ae-rin. Perfect timing, I was about to call you up." Do-hoon said.
"Oh? Yes?"
"Have you ever heard about Maru Village of Goguryeo sun?"
"Maru village? I heard the guests discuss about that, the ones who came two days ago.
"They were the messengers reporting. Maru village is the oldest village in Goguryeo-sun. We are planning on a survey mission. I want you to join our group. I believe if we are to find something about your power and the four divine cosmic sorceries, Maru village might be our best shot."
"Some of the clans there have stayed since the formation of our nation. So, we should find out something there, right?" Daeshim added.
"The village is also known as the Fountain falls. You would know why once you visit the place. More or less, the village provide the whole Goguryeo-sun drinking water, but for some reason, the villagers informed us that 'the water flow is going down rapidly.' It's been a week, and we still haven't sent our members to check in on them. The information we have so far is from the village chief, Ha-jun-ssi. And it's looking to be a bigger problem than we thought before. So, we decided to let Hyunwoo, Yoon-hwan, Jihoon, and Seung-tae handle the problem. I think you should go along with them, too."
'Hajun-ssi… isn't he supposed to be Daeshim's grandfather in the manhwa and the former coach for the volleyball team?'
"Well, the village chief is my grandfather. He'll tell you everything about the problem once you get there."
'Oh, there you go. Wait, I should be surprised in this scenario, right?'
"Oh!"
"Ya, the previous master of this place."
'Bak Ha-jun? Really? I am gonna meet everyone, huh? I'm not complaining tho'
"I see. Sure, I would love to go. The place must be beautiful, given the name."
"It is. You'll see it." Yoon-hwan seemed to be just as excited as Ae-rin was.
"I am in!"
"Then you should go and pack up your bag," Hyunwoo mentioned.
"Hu?"
"It's not a one-day visit. It's going to be an expedition, might take a while."
"Jihoon was pissed we didn't tell him earlier that he would be joining us, Hahahaha." Yoon-hwan almost sounds like Yeong right now. Calm down!
'Ya, I can imagine that… but what got into you, dear Yoon-hwan… you're not like this. Come back to the fandom,' Ae-rin just sweat-dropped at the mental image.
"I'll go get my things ready then."
"Ya."
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It was the evening when everyone gathered at the yard again.
"Eun-woo, you have visited Maru once, right? You can drop us there?" Hyunwoo said
"I have gone to Elvin Forest, not to Maru, but it's right beside it. You shouldn't have to walk much."
Apparently, a portal can't open to places where the magic-caster has not been, so not a huge cheat code, but a cheat code indeed.
"Ok then, Elvin Forest it is, then," Yoon-hwan said.
"You are being way too excited to see 'it', don't you?"
'Don't poke him for that, Hyunwoo!'
"Can you blame me? It's one of the most beautiful water bodies the world has to offer. Of course, I am excited!"
Ae-rin was even more curious about the place, now. It got Yoon-hwan on his toes, can you believe it? Well, won't take too long to get there, so hold on!
"Ok, you guys are ready, right? I'll open the portal then."
Ae-rin looked at Jihoon's face, and it literally read "I am not, but the hell I can do about this situation!" but she didn't laugh. It's a dangerous world, alright? She can't make a wrong move. Specially, sarcastically.
Well, Il-seong, Yu-jun, Yeong and Kwang got to know that Ae-rin was going away to the expedition, they all volunteered to go with her, but Jihoon didn't get lucky for his replacement because Daeshim refused to give him one. "Gotta put his internal cogs running." As he put it.
Eun-woo again opened up the portal. Seo-young looked really worried for Ae-rin but a reassuring smile was enough to calm her down.
"All the best for your first ever expedition, Ae-rin." Sun-hee said with the loveliest smile on her. Such a warm moonlight she is!
"Ya, I'll be back soon! And will talk all about it!"
"Angel-chan! Please don't forget! I am only a call away! If you're in danger, call out to me. And I'll be by your side!" Yeong held onto Ae-rin's two hands.
"No, he won't." There goes Yeong's heartfelt confession midway down the drain. Good job, Tsuki!
Let the two males bicker in the background.
"I hope I could've joined. It's definitely going to be fun!"
"There is nothing we can do now, Il-seong!" Yu-jun mourned with Il-seong.
"You two are on the Patrol duties tomorrow! And you won't run away from that!" Daeshim instructed.
"Yes sir!"
--------------------------------
Finally, after all the shenanigans out of the way, the 5 people in the group let Eun-woo breathe and crossed through the portal. Poor Eun-woo always overworking… It almost dropped them at the village entrance, but still not exactly there. At least, the view of Maru from there was, to simply put, marvellous…
An air-borne land with a massive globe waterbody with multiple waterfalls falling from the globe around the air-borne land, and it almost looks like the ethereal phone wallpapers on Pinterest but in reality… right in front of Ae-rin's eyes. How did even Eun-woo come so close to this place and never go inside?
"T- This is Maru?" That Ae-rin was awestruck was an understatement.
"Yes, it's my first time visiting it. Maru is a beautiful place, isn't it?"
"A gorgeous one! Look at the Sky rivers, hah… So beautiful."
"Yes, I agree with Yoon-hwan! It almost looks like heaven to me. I get why it's called Fountain Falls."
"Ok, everyone. We must get there before midnight."
'How are you so calm about this, Hyunwoo?!'
"Otherwise, the gates will be closed."
'Oh-'
"Ok!"
Here is the deal. If you thought the view from afar was marvellous, the view from up close doesn't have words to be described with.
"We're here." Hyunwoo declared. The gate opened on its own once the group came closer. Watching the huge waterfalls coming down from the sky from both sides, and it is falling right down to who knows where, right by the village.
Ae-rin and Yoon-hwan were too lost looking at the beautiful view.
The team eventually met up with the village chief, Bak Ha-jun.
"I am William Ae-rin. It's nice to meet you, sir."
"It's nice to meet you, too. I am Bak Ha-jun, Maru's village chief. And this is my assistant."
'Oh, another familiar face!'
"Hello, I am Jang Beom-seok. Nice to meet you. And welcome to Maru."
"Nice to meet you, too, Udai-san."
"We would like to know about the matter at hand."
"Yes, yes, Hyunwoo, we know you focus on the work first but at least rest for the night. It's quite late already." Hyunwoo sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck while Seung-tae and Yoon-hwan chackled at their leader.
"Ae-rin, you must be a new recruit. Most of the time, they don't send the girls out on a mission like this. Is there something else you're here for?" Ha-jun bulls-eyed the target without any context.
"Ah- yes. Do-hoon-ssi said that Maru is one of the oldest villages in Goguryeo-sun. If I am to find something about 'Divine priestess' or the 'four divine cosmic sorceries', I should ask you."
For a moment, the two new acquaintances stopped in their tracks.
"Why-" The realisation hit them.
"She has the lotus marking on her nape," Yoon-hwan confirmed. "And she literally blasted 4 Shadow-Alcyoneuses at once!" "Her first time using magic, by the way."
'I guess, at least I won't need to flex anything myself"
Yoon-hwan and Seung-tae almost sounded like proud moms. On the other hand, Beom-seok and Ha-jun were a little shocked by that. After a while, Ha-jun spoke again.
"Well then, I am more than happy to be of any help, 'Divine priestess'."
"Please just call me Ae-rin. That title feels too heavy right now."
"Alright, Ae-rin. Well, sad to say this, but the things I know might not be the information you are looking for. But it can lead you to it. You need to figure it out yourself, though."
'Only if it were that easy… I swear I am in an isekai world, and I am mad. Why make things hard for your protagonist, damn it!'
Character development, dear.
"I see." She looked at her friends. "I'll try my best."
"Guess we just need to take a look around for that as well."
"Ya, it's almost like treasure hunting!"
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