Fantastical Destiny

When was the last time you looked in the mirror?

Such is the question wandering around Jiyu’s head. For it’s been a long, long while since the last time she did. 

An elf doesn’t forget, and she couldn’t stress enough how much she wishes they would.

“I wish he was never born.”

You overheard your mom’s prayers in the middle of the night. Your cheeks felt warm, and soon after it felt wet too.

.

Living with your mom should be enough. You only have each other. A good son would have to be able to persist, to live strongly, to pay back all the good deeds your mom has ever done to you.

Good deeds. Breakfast, mostly consisting of cheap spaghetti and salt. Dinner, still spaghetti and salt. Sleep? You’d be lucky if your mom didn’t call you to her room. Extinguish her half consumed cigarettes on your back. Throw the cans of beers right onto your head. Smash your shins with the handle of the broom. Study. School? You only ever learn by overhearing the kids next door working and mumbling through their homeworks. 

You still considered your mom as the kindest person ever. She still tended to your needs, even after everything she’s done in between. She provided a house, a bed, foods. That’s what’s called being responsible, right?

.

“Why did you leave me?!”

Why indeed. Why would father leave her alone? Why would he leave you in her care? You would never know. After all, what even is the point of having a father? Your mom is all you ever need to live.

.

“Take off your pants.”

“Yes, mom,” you obliged. Reluctant, hesitant, but never defiant.

It’s a ritual, she once said. To strengthen our bond. You nod. You could never remember what happened in those nights.

.

“I finally got myself a boyfriend! I will get rid of him tonight. Thank you, Lord!”

What was she even saying? A boyfriend? But she always said she hated dad. Mom always said she would never, ever have another dad. Weren’t you enough? She always said you were the perfect companion. A friend. A partner. Get rid of him. By him, did she mean…you?

The door to your room slammed open that night.

You weren’t there.

You weren’t everywhere.

“Neighh! Neighhh!”

Laughters. The two girls laughed in front of the mirror.

“That’s not how unicorns sound, stupid Haum!”

“Eh? Have you even seen one? I have!”

“Where?”

“In my dreams! Bweh~”

“Stupid Haum!”

“Stupider Jiyu~~”

Crash!

“Whoah!” the girls scream in unison. A boy suddenly came rushing through the front door of their house.

“Hel-help, help! My mom-she-she’s trying to kill me!”

What? The initial reaction is silence. Confusion. A complete stranger just broke through the door. Now he’s saying something taboo so very casually? Well, not casually per se. He was gasping, his face as pale as the sea of Banyu. He wasn’t lying. But, to say that his mom was going to kill him?

Jiyu decides to kneel forward. She’s trying to hold his shoulder as gently as possible. He still jumps at contact.

“W-what? Whe-where am I? I was just running through the forest…, and-and…, this was the first house that I see…,” you still gasp. You’ve run for so long, so far. Your throat can no longer lubricate itself. The sweats on your body have completely dried out. You pass out seconds after.

Thud.

“Akh!” the girls still standing are screaming.

“Haum! Go get the guy water, or something. Hurry! I can feel his soul trying to escape the body!”

“O-okay, okay! Hang on!” Haum rushes to the water source just at the back of the house. She pulls out the leaf of the Kelor around this small fountain. Holding just enough water to–hopefully–bring you back.

Jiyu doesn’t stay still. She quickly lifts your body and takes you to the bed. She puts you on the cushioning layers of animal hides. Your body is sizzling hot to her touch. She leaves you there, going to the kitchen to conjure up a special mixture of herbs to bring your temperature down. She’s really quick with her hands.

“Here!” Haum hands Jiyu the bowled leaf, full of fresh water.

“Give me a hand?” Jiyu carefully lifts your head up, then rests it on her raised thigh. She’s kneeling beside your unconscious body.

Haum quickly responds. She brings the leaf closer to your mouth, nudging your stiff chapped lips slightly open. The water trickles down, you gulp instinctively.

“There, there,” Jiyu points her mouth to where the special mixture is placed. “It should help, the Jamu will stabilize his body.”

Haum nods and does exactly what she did before, just with Jamu instead of fresh water this time.

And work it really does. Your breath calms down almost immediately as your dangerously high fever cools down. Jiyu puts your head slowly back down and leaves you to lay there in peace.

“Phew!” Jiyu wipes her forehead upon leaving the room.

“What even was that?! I thought unicorn was something, but this? This is a whole new world!” Haum excitedly exclaims.

Jiyu looks up at her–Haum is slightly taller, a fact Jiyu will never be able to live down. “Don’t treat her like some kind of an exotic creature. That’s not polite.”

Haum shrugs. “Welp. He broke into our house. Don’t know which one is worse at this point.”

“You know what, that’s a fair point.”

It’s been a week. Maybe. You’re not entirely sure. Actually, you’re not even sure if this entire ordeal is real or no deal. You just remembered feelings. Anguish. Dread. Exhaustion.

All of a sudden you’re here. Inside this really weird shaped house. Being taken care of by two divinely pretty girls. Come to think of it, you haven’t even talked to them at all–you did, you forgot those, you were messed up then anyways.

“H-hello-”

“Oh, hi! Are you feeling well already?” Jiyu answers attentively. She’s initially just standing in the room, looking into the mirror–specifically, at your reflection. Her eyes catch yours when you open your mouth. She turns around to face you, face all bright and sparkly. This is the first time you open your mouth for reasons other than eating and drinking.

“Yeah…, those bitter liquids…, I feel like they help a lot. Still very bitter though.”

She chuckles. “Yeah, I know right? Those are called Jamu, they’re good for you! Even if the taste isn’t,” she’s sitting on the edge of this…bed…? It feels very primitive. Seeing that it’s made up of nothing but woods and mixture of animal skins and furs.

“Yeah. Uhm, thanks. Y-you’re so kind.”

Jiyu closes the distance. Very quickly at that. This was something you realised ever since you gained consciousness. She moves like the air itself, light, swift, weightless. This is one of those examples, by the time you know it her hand is already on your shoulder. “You’re very welco-”

You hurriedly back away. Dragging the sheets of animal fur with you. Your heart is palpitating. Hands gripping the sheets tight. Your eyes blink rapidly, without you realizing. You look at her like she’s holding a knife pointed right at your face.

“I’m sorry. I, uh,” she retracts her hand awkwardly. “It seems like you still need some time. Well, if you ever need help, just call my name okay?” her voice is naturally high pitched, but it sounds gentle and caring. She backs away and stands by the bed, just as swiftly as always, before leaving the room.

Your breath is stuck at the upper part of your throat. You know she doesn’t mean any harm. Your body just does these things involuntarily, ever since you left that place. Actually, you don’t even know whether or not your body has been doing this for as long as you can remember. Which is the main issue for now, you can’t remember shit.

Just a memory of someone threatening you, apparently a female. Mom. Do you even have a mom? You’re not sure, but this exact figure is super vicious, scary, everything regarding her is just so bad. Then you remember being exhausted to the point of almost dying, before you came here. That’s it, anything else is just a hazy memory.

.

“So, how was he?” Haum asks. Her hands are muddied. She just tended the garden.

“He finally speaks.”

“Well that’s good then! How about we-”

“Still terrified of us. Like, he’s looking at me like I’m something really, really bad. I don’t think there’s much we can do for now,” Jiyu sighs. Her position shifted from just in front of Haum to now sitting on the chair behind. A chair made entirely of solid dirt and pebbles.

Haum sways her hand, pointing sideways. The chair Jiyu is sitting on is extended just enough to fit two people. She crashes her ass down; “Huft! Well, at the very least you’ve introduced yourself, right?”

Jiyu exaggeratingly facepalms herself. The air around the room breezes upwards in accordance. “I haven’t!”

Weeks gone by. You have now understood that this isn’t the world of humans. It’s unclear what it is, at first. But you slowly start to pick things up.

The residents of the house, the two beautiful girls–can you even call them girls?--named Jiyu and Haum are creatures that utilise the energy around them for everything they do. Elves, they told you, when you mumbled about it on the bed. Jiyu uses the energy of air, which explains her tendency to move really quick. Haum on the other hand uses earth, which explains the frequent vibrations in and or around the house–you genuinely thought they were earthquakes at first. She’s way stronger than she appears. 

“Morning!” Jiyu greets. She’s floating in the air in the backyards. “Ah, do you wanna try? Here, hold my hand!”

You politely decline. Yes. You have progressed to explore the world outside the room now. This house is way larger than what you’re familiar with.

“Aw cmon, how many times do I have to tell you that I won’t bring you any-” Jiyu pushes the air below her, blowing into the fountain and redirecting the air right onto your face; “-harm!”

The water is wet in this world–duh.

Your hand fidgets around your waist. You’re soaked. Jiyu is laughing now with her belly pointed up, she's curling up in laughter. You’re not sure what to do. So, in the midst of confusion, you dig up a handful of dirt and throw it to her. It lands right onto her face.

The laughter stopped. Jiyu freezes up–still in air. Then, in one swift motion, she’s floating right in front of your face. Her slender finger, the index, is tapping your nose. “Now up!”

You scream. You’re fucking flying. How can you not scream?

Jiyu’s laughter is back with double the intensity. You’re finally floating with her.

You spend the whole afternoon in the air. Floating around. Screaming around. Playing around. It was an afternoon well spent.

“O-okay Jiyu, n-now is really the time to go back to the ground…I’m…hungry…?”

Jiyu chuckles at your pathetic attempt to lie, though she does let you go down. In air, she’s lying down while resting her chin on both of her palms. Her legs are folded, her soles swaying around similar to how a duck moves. “So, how was that?”

It was an unknown variable. To try out flying, of all things. But the fact that you didn’t feel hurt anywhere, whether physically and mentally, could only mean that you actually had some fun, right? Jiyu has done nothing but good deeds.

“T-thanks. What do I need to do i-in return, Jiyu?”

Jiyu’s wide smile loosens. Her facial muscles are tightening in response. She’s landing gracefully. “Hey, you don’t need to do anything. We just had fun. Together. Us. Okay?” she’s considering gently patting your shoulder, but decided against it.

Your jaw trembles. That doesn’t feel right at all. 

“B-but, I have to repay any good deeds I get! O-or, or else-”

You feel something touching your cheek. It feels feathery. Like falling into a sea of pillows. It’s warm, comforting, it’s everything you’re expecting a touch from someone would be. For the first time since you got here, Jiyu braved herself to touch you, on your cheek of all places. Weirdly enough, you have no intention to shy away from it.

“If you insist, let’s eat dinner together. Is that okay?” Jiyu’s voice is a warm soothing wave crashing into every ending of your nerves.

You’re not entirely sure of it, but for the first time in your life, you feel like it’s really okay to just be.

“Did you guys have fuuunnnnn??? I brought mushroommsssss from the jungiesss~~” it’s Haum. She sounds elevated—zoomies exists here.

Jiyu instantly withdraws her hand the moment she hears Haum. Her cheeks are slowly filled with life as she throws her face aside.

Months into this life in the new realm. It is very similar to the environment you lived in before. Same reds. Same greens. Same blues. Everything looks the part, except for the fact that everything is bigger here.

You’re outside, floating beside Jiyu, waiting for a flying creature to pass by. The familiar term for this is hunting, but Jiyu insists on calling it an act of maintaining the balance of nature. Quite a roundabout way of spelling hunting, but you shrug.

“Have you ever done this before?” Jiyu whispers. Her eyes are focused on the sky.

“Hunting-” Jiyu cuts you off with a sharp stare. “I mean, maintaining balance? No, not really.”

Jiyu looks proud of herself, high smile and all. “Well, you’ll learn from the best,” she points at herself, displaying a cocky smirk. Chin pointing high up. Her chest is puffing up. What a cute elf. Wait, cute?

Then, a thundering sound is heard. It sounds like a clap, almost. A clap that cuts through the air, a cannon. This clap can be heard multiple times. And it gets louder with each repetition. Whatever it is, it’s huge. And approaching fast.

You look at Jiyu. Your face is all scrunched up. This is dangerous, right? What if the creature is overly aggressive? Based on the sound you already know it’s gonna be massive. Your brain is running on nothing but negative thoughts. On the contrary, Jiyu looks thrilled. Wide smile. Bright eyes. Her most excited face so far. She’s making multiple hand signs–no, it’s not a Rasengan–as the sound gets closer and closer.

“It’s here! The Elang!” she says, all smiles.

What you see next, however, isn’t something exactly fitting to be smiling at. It is a creature, and it is flying, but you cannot comprehend one thing; the sheer size of it. It’s a floating goliath. Its wingspan is as big as a damn schoolbus, if not more. The body is feathery, and the head has a pair of beaks, instead of horrifyingly sharp teeth–thank God. But then you see the claws, they’re the size of a small moped, each. You take cover behind Jiyu’s back. You’re not sure why, but the air behind her feels way more intimidating than the literal monster closing its distance.

“Here goes nothing,” Jiyu stretches her neck, turning her head left and right, before jumping ahead. Her hands are vibrating. No, the air around them is. Her fingers are all straightened up, like a blade almost. As she’s getting further from where you’re at, the air around her hands are vibrating more and more, making it look thicker and sharper. “Hey!”

Slash!

That’s it. That’s all you hear before this flying behemoth suddenly stops in its tracks. It doesn’t even have the chance to screech. It doesn’t even seem to realize that its head is slowly separating from the body, with Jiyu floating closely underneath its neck. Wow.

“Hup!” Jiyu claps her hand, the thick air around it instantly disperse. She keeps her hand together though, seemingly charging the air. Then, she motions her hands down and up. The creature, that was starting to fall, is held on by the invisible force. 

Jiyu gives you a thumbs up. “It’s done!” she says, all smiles. Like she didn’t just kill a monster without breaking so much of a sweat.

You can’t close your mouth, the same applies with your eyes. You’re not sure whether it’s fear or astonishment. Probably both. However, seeing Jiyu so cheerful like that you can’t help but follow the excitement. You clap for her. Then she’s waving you over, bringing you closer with a gentle push from behind your back.

“Uhm, do we, uh, what do we do with… this?” you point to the lifeless body of the creature towering above the two of you.

“We eat them, of course. But this doesn’t belong to just us! We will share the meat with the other house, and the animals around. And the carcass will be the food for the jungle! Haum will take care of that. Now, to cut them evenly~”

Jiyu does the hand signs again, before the vibrating air appears around her hands. The invisible blade cuts through the meat and bones effortlessly. It takes no more than 10 minutes to split the creature evenly in 10 portions. She separates the remains and lets it fall slowly onto the jungle below. You can only watch with your hands folded and your legs curled up. You would consider throwing up at the gruesome scene playing right in front of your face, but Jiyu’s surgical cuts and her seriousness negates it. Instead you’re left with an open mouth and an open mind. She really is cute.

“So, do you wanna come with me delivering these to the other house?” Jiyu asks after clapping her hands.

You shake your head right after she says that. Not because you don’t want to, but because your thoughts get really far, really fast. One second you're thinking she’s cute. The next you’re thinking of having a happy family with her as the center of your everything. The audacity. What do you even have to offer? You can’t even kill a monster by yourself. Escaping one is your only achievement–barely.

“Uh, no! I mean, sure! Haha…”

You glide alongside her to a place further than ever. The landscape slowly changes. What was first a sea of thick-dense forest has now changed into that of literal sea. You are traveling along the skirt of the ocean. The sea breeze, the sound of the waves, the unique smell, are all something you have never experienced before. It is soothing your nerves–ones that are completely overwhelmed by the fact that you are traveling in flight mode with nothing but a thin veil of air for protection.

“This is Banyu!” she shouts. Barely audible. “We could search for animals here, but the one who protects it is rather annoying, and don’t get me started on her companion. Tch.”

You completely missed that one. Probably not important. You instead focus more on the jumping fishes below, seemingly greeting your presence. Those fishes are hella big.

.

“And we’re here.”

You nod. In front of you is a house right by the end of the cliff, on the edge of the beach. It looks just as big as the one where Jiyu and Haum live.

You land with a thud, while Jiyu’s is smoothly silent. “This is the house of fire and water.” she exclaims with an uncharacteristically flat voice. Upon second look, the house does look darker than hers–aura wise.

Jiyu knocks on the door. Three times, before an answer comes up.

Click.

The door opens. Two girls are behind it. Dark hair, and an even darker stare. Both of them are taller than Jiyu and Haum.

“Ssup,” one waves, it’s the tallest girl. The shorter one only greets you both with a chin-up.

“I got Elang meat. Here. About three months worth of supplies, more or less. Is my cured meat ready to pick up?”

“Oh yeah, come in. Let me pick it up for you.

Wait, Jiyu only, not that,” the taller girl points at you.

“Watch your mouth Sui.”

The mocking girl, apparently named Sui, faux a smile. “What? Jiyu.”

“This, here, is not that! He’s a friend!”

“Hah! A friend you say. If he’s really just a friend then why do you tend to him this much? Hm? You think we wouldn’t know?”

You can feel Sui literally heats up. Even though you are standing quite a distance away from the door, the heat emanating from her body is felt. Clearly she doesn’t want you in the perimeter. First it was a tickle, gentle poke of heat here and there. But then it escalates into a smothering ropes of fervor. The heat is so intense you can feel yourself almost getting a heatstroke. It doesn’t get better that the air around you feels a lot thinner than it initially is, as if all the oxygen is being sucked up to a point somewhere. Your head is getting lighter as your knees start to sway.

“Sui. That’s enough.”

“Shut up Leesol! Jiyu is the one at fault here!”

Leesol, the shorter girl, grabs Sui on the shoulder. The exact spot where she grabs her is steaming. An evaporation, if you remember the term correctly. The heat around you instantly cools down. You can breathe again. Then you look at Jiyu on your side, her hand is already forming the blade sign.

“Jiyu, it’s okay. I don’t really mind this at all, alright? Please don’t get hurt because of me,” you struggle to form sentences. Sweating all over the place.

Hearing that, her invisible blade dissipates. She huffs to the side of the ocean, it creates a strong gust of wind. “Relax. I won’t lose to her.”

“Jiyu, that’s not what I meant,” you grab her by the arm. You know there’s something around it, but you won’t pussy out just because of that. You’d rather get hurt yourself than seeing her fight for your sake. The air surrounding her cuts your hand, unintentionally. “Grrh!”

“No!” her air dissipates in an instant. Jiyu approaches. Her eyebrows furrow, her eyes are full of regret. You instantly back away. “N-no, sorry. I didn’t mean to do that…,” tears well up in the corner of her eyes.

She is crazy powerful. That’s a fact you can never forget. But, strangely, even though you are a bit terrified at the moment, the thought of her being angry at you still doesn’t get you in the slightest. If anything, you pity her right now.

“Ha! See? Just a friend you said? Then why don’t you accidentally cut his arm clean off!”

“Sui!” Leesol grabs Sui’s shoulder tighter. You can feel apprehension in her voice.

Jiyu grits her teeth. Her fists clench so hard it turns red. Is that blood dripping through her fingers? In a move you can never expect, she punches the air to the direction of their house. The boom is loud, so loud in fact, that you didn’t notice that Jiyu is screaming her heart out in front of you. A flurry of storm-like air blasts in the direction of her punch. Then you see the point of attack. There’s a thick wall of water shielding it.

Behind the water you can see Leesol is putting her arms up. Her entire person becomes a body of water. Beside her, you can also see Sui’s entire body enveloped in flames. The two have similarly turned themselves into an embodiment of their power. The ocean roars. Sending terrifying ripples of waves to the rocky cliff. Even through all the rough winds and splashes of water, you can still feel the air literally heats up. The situation is pretty similar to how it would feel to stand inside of a tornado. It’s fucking scary.

Your breath is halted. Your saliva is stuck in your throat. The impact from the heat before is still hindering your ability to speak normally, let alone scream, but you fight through it. It should be infinitely easier than watching them fight right here right now. “J-Jiyu!” you grab her shoulders once again, now also leaning into her. Your forehead touches hers.

Jiyu looks up at you. Her eyes are sparkling with a green hue, almost glowing. You haven’t considered it up until this point, but her tensed cheek, her gritting teeth, and her deep stare. Jiyu looks like she’s desperate for someone. Your hands move upwards to grasp her jaw. 

“Let’s go home,” you give her a smile. Earnest and hopeful.

A gulp. You can see her eyes sparkle. She silently nods. A single tear leaves the corner of her eye. The attacks stop. Much to your obliviousness, the sky that was dark before brightens up once again. She brings her fists down. Her tight jaw slackens, as is her shoulders. She’s calmed down.

The heavy atmosphere surrounding the area also gets lighter. As the sky gets bright, the wall of water slowly disappears. The raging noise of turbulent water slows down. The hot and uncomfortable air is getting cooler. The literal heat you can feel staring and burning into your body is gone. 

You brave yourself to look at the house. Sui and Leesol are no longer enveloped in their element. Sui folds her hands, looking to her side—the one without Leesol in her view—with pouting lips and furrowing eyebrows. She looks incredibly annoyed. Leesol beside her shakes her head and release her grip from Sui’s shoulder. She then walks up towards the two of you.

“Hey, Jiyu. Sorry about that okay? Just hang on a second I’ll bring your cured meat,” Leesol calms her down. She then looks at you with an apologetic pair of eyes. She bows a little, too, which is a surprise to both you and Jiyu. Leesol returns inside after you bow back. No more than 10 minutes later she’s back bringing heaps of supposedly cured meat. You can no longer see Sui around.

“Here you go, should be enough for five years or so,” then she leans in forward. “And if you all have it in you, please forgive Sui as well. The girl can be really fiery sometimes. Because, well, you know, fire,” Leesol gives you two a wink.

Jiyu weakly turns her head towards the house. Gives Leesol a nod. It is indeed a lot of processed meat, probably equal to two or three portions of the raw Elang meat she brings.

No further conversation is made after the exchange. Jiyu gives them more than enough raw meat, before taking off with all the cured meat behind her. It goes without saying that you’re following her flight by the side. Jiyu stayed silent for the whole trip, even after we reached home.

“Welcome~” Haum opens the door to see Jiyu in a somber expression just walks past her. She doesn’t look as puzzled though, when she sees the state you’re in. “Come in.”

Right when you pass her, Haum stops you in your tracks. “Come with me tomorrow,” she whispers.

You and Haum walk through the jungle. It is her duty to take care of yesterday's remains. Unlike Jiyu–and probably the other power wielders–Haum doesn’t really have a method to travel fast. Walking to yesterday’s spot will take us about four hours. 

Similar to Jiyu's manner yesterday, Haum doesn’t really speak much, if at all. You don’t try to conjure up a conversation either. Four hours felt like two days. You notice that your steps are way lighter in this realm. Or is it the residue from Jiyu’s power?

“Hey,” Haum strikes something up, finally.

You are already near the spot. The carcass is visible to the naked eyes. The smell is starting to get bad. “Yeah?”

“Brace yourself,”

“Wha-” then a hit. You bounce off the ground, flying several meters back. Haum’s hand is forming a fist towards where you were standing. You’d expect to get hurt, badly. Like several broken bones level of hurt. To your surprise, it doesn’t. It felt like the punch was cushioned, and so was your fall.

“Hah. So it is true,” she sighs. Then jumps towards you–she leaps like a leopard.

You wince, instinctively backing away. With those predator eyes she has, who wouldn’t?

Haum just laughs at it. “Relax, I won’t do anything more. She would kill me herself if she found out I hurt you. Here,” she lends you a hand.

You grab it in confusion. Still without a word.

“You notice it too, right? Don’t play dumb or else I will punch you for real this time.”

“N-no-I mean! Yes! Yes I do. No, please don’t punch me,” you raise your hands in surrender.

She chuckles. “Haaah…Jiyu likes you,” her voice low and sorry.

“...”

Haum looks up, staring at your face. “Do you not understand?”

You’d honestly prefer lying to her. To say something like ‘I do’. But you don’t, you can’t. Not when you truly don’t know what it even means to like someone. “N-no. I-I don’t know, I just, I don’t meet that many people. My world was limited to only…, one person before. I, respectfully, really don’t know what it is like to like people. But I do feel comfortable around Jiyu.”

“Yeah that’s called liking someone, asshole-” mean words, but her voice is soft and polite. “-You see, in this world, liking, loving someone is a taboo. Something we don’t normally do. Ever.”

“W-wait, I thought Jiyu and you are lovers?”

A laugh breaks through her mouth. It is quite hysterical, to the point of her bowing down holding her stomach because of it. “Seriously? Do we even look like that?”

“I mean, you two live in the same house…”

“Just because of that?” she laughs still, just not as hard. “Hah, oh well, I don’t really know the rules in your world, but no. We aren’t lovers okay? We came in pairs. Born in the same place. That house,” she wipes the tears from her eyes.

You frown. “Born? So your parents are?”

“Mother Earth, or Biyung, in our language. You see, we elves are an extension of our respective element. I’m sure you already know at this point, but Jiyu is air, I’m holding earth, and the two girls you met yesterday are fire and water. We keep the balance of our world, until it’s time for someone to take over. Well, I mean, we’re not the only ones per se, there are lots and lots of element wielders spread across this realm and us four just happen to be the strongest for now.”

You open your ears wide and keep your mouth shut tight.

“Don’t fret though, we still have like, around 5000 years more to live, before the change happens again. We’re still below our 500, so still young, one might say. The problem is, we can only live so long because we have no need to love. You see, loving someone means sacrificing our power. 

Now, do you see why it’s taboo? For us specifically, loving means we will share our power with the partner. A shared power means a weaker one. A weak power means a weak link in the chain of the world's balance. A weak balance, well, to put it simply, means a fucked up earth. Every earth.

It happens before, exactly once, this phenomenon of love. It was a couple we refer to as Annyeongz. The curse of it-”

“Curse?” you can’t hold it back. Cutting her mid sentence.

She laughs, a somber one. “Yes. Curse. Like I said, love drains our power. So the lovers will be forced to return their power back to Biyung. In other words, to die an untimely death.

Because, once we fall in love, we love forever.”

A silence. Haum’s face is filled with an emotion so complex you can’t quite get a grasp on it. Grief being the biggest, presumably. Her eyes keep staring at the ground.

“You see, Jiyu is a good elf. I like her, as a sister, but yeah. If she already fell to it, to you, then I guess there’s nothing I can do,” Haum rubs her eyes with her forearms.

“Wait, you said love drains your power, right?”

She nods.

“So it doesn’t happen in an instant?”

She shakes her head.

“In that case, you’re in luck,” you sigh in relief.

“I can only live to, I dunno, 70, on average,” your lips curve in satisfaction.

Haum on the other hand, is looking at you with a grief way deeper than before.

It’s been five years in the realm. You slowly start to get better and better at controlling air.

“Now straighten your hands! Keep it tight on your sides!” she yells at you mid flight, before flying at a speed you can only guess is faster than a commercial plane.

You did what she told you to. But bravery is one factor making all the difference, you couldn’t catch up to her.

“Waah, you arrive about 15 minutes later than I do, hmmmm.”

You land on the colorful hill. It is a flower field right on the edge of a cliff. Quite the scenic place she’s chosen for the fly training this day. A loud blow is audible once your feet touch the ground, you are nowhere near Jiyu’s level of smoothness and mastery.

Jiyu laughs. A crisp laugh full of freedom. It’s the way her head tilts slightly up, her eyes shut tightly, her teeth showing, and her nose slightly scrunched up. So this is what it means to fall in love. You still don’t understand how such a beautiful thing could be considered as a curse.

You sit beside her standing self. Even in your sitting position she’s still about three apples tall. “That was scary.”

She looks down, still between the laughs. “What is?”

“You’re going so fast!”

“That was not my full speed you know~”

“I know,” you let your body fall on the soft grass. Thud. “Oof. Hm,” your hand reaches the clear blue sky. “I wonder how do you feel the first time you fly,”

She sits her body down right beside you. Looking up towards the same view you currently indulge in. “I remember it like it was yesterday.”

You turn your gaze towards her. Her neck-length hair flows and twirls to the motion of the wind. Her skin is so smooth you could’ve swear you almost mistook it for the sky itself. 

“It was…scary.”

“Wait so you can get scared as well?!” you feel an elbow poking at your stomach. Aw!

“Of course I do! I still have feelings like all elves do! How about you?” suddenly she drops her body on yours. She’s laying herself on top of your chest, her hands folded between it and her chin. “Do you remember the first time getting scared?”

Remember. Remember. A flash of unpleasant imagery comes to mind. A woman. A bleak and dirty bedroom. A scene of-

Your body jolts forward. Your heart is palpitating. There are cold sweats all over your body. Your hands instinctively cover your suddenly aching stomach.

Jiyu, surprised by the sudden movements, is watching you in silence. It’s been five years. Your wound hasn’t healed. She touches your shoulder as gently as she can. You look over it. Jiyu offers you a home. You drop your head onto her shoulder. She feels nice. Peaceful.

She’s cradling you like how a mother carries their firstborn–supposedly. “I’m sorry.”

A stream of warm tears flows through her body. You feel freedom whenever Jiyu is around. She brings you safety, comfort, everything you could only dream of before. You let yourself cry the scars away.

.

.

.

“Feeling better?”

“Yeah…thanks.”

“No problem.”

A question pops in your head. You raise your head to see her eye to eye. Your face is no more than a palm away from hers. “Why do you do this Jiyu?”

Rose slowly filled her cheeks. “W-why? I-I don’t know, I just want to keep seeing you happy. I-is that a good answer? I don’t really understand it myself, you see-”

“Jiyu.”

“Yeah!”

“I love you.”

You lean in. Closing the gap between her breaths and yours. Jiyu couldn’t believe what’s happening, her face flushed rose. You kiss her as softly, as gently as you can. You have no idea where you learned to kiss someone before, but you don’t mind. You shouldn’t. The most important thing is the girl in front of you. The one currently freezing in place, even though her body is heating up. Her small, shy lips are slightly open, unmoving. You guide her slowly through it. Her eyes slowly closed.

.

You unlatch yourself from the comfort her soft lips bring. A string of drool is the only thing connecting our body. Quickly, you stand up and back away. You look at her for several seconds. Neither of you can make eye contact. Jiyu is sitting there dumbfounded. By comparison, she is still the brightest flower of them all.

In this haze, you fly away from the flowery field. You let your heart take your body away wherever it wants to. You cut through the air. Butterflies in your stomach. You couldn’t stop yourself from smiling wide. A little giggle comes through every so often. Your mind feels clear. The thought of Jiyu makes you happy. Then you remember what she said. Straighten your hands and keep it tight. You do that. It makes you fly at a speed supposedly faster than a commercial plane.

A year later. 

You’re in the kitchen. Cooking the last of the cured meat with a makeshift pasta out of the greens you find in the backyards. Jiyu and Haum like your cooking, and you never expect that you can cook at all. For the things you ate from the past have been nothing but canned foods. Is it curiosity? Is it bravery? Is it freedom? Or maybe even love? You’re not sure. One thing that is certain is both of the girls are waiting behind you with a grumbling stomach–and probably a drooling mouth!

You flip the food inside the clay pan. The meat is slowly regaining its moisture, the silky pasta is thickening, the slowly melting grated cheese. Also the green sauce to your left, waiting to be added to the warm everything. It does look appetizing.

“C’mooon hurry up!” Jiyu whines. She’s had the biggest appetite so far. That said, Haum to her left isn’t doing much better. Her mouth is closed, yes, but she cannot hide the way her throat repeatedly moves up and down due to her excessively salivating mouth.

“Here you go girls, enjoy~”

“Yeeyyyy!” Jiyu claps repeatedly, like a seal in a circus(authors note : do NOT support animal exploitation folks)

Haum awkwardly nods. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure.”

The three of you eat dinner happily.

.

You taste her neck. Mmh. Smooches on the underside of her jaws. Mmffhh. Licks on the collarbone. She tastes divine. Your palm travels through her smooth surfaces, every single one of it. Rubbing her sides, and up. Your fingers meet her stiffening nipples, you pinch it. Ah! She squirms under your weight. Her back arches impossibly high, her chest heaves as the diaphragm touches your abs. Her legs are squeezing your waist, the warm feel of her soft inner thighs declares her feelings. Ngghh!

Then you stop. Raise your head up high, sitting straight below her crotch. Jiyu is profusely sweating. Her surfaces are all flushed. Her back crashes back down as you release the teasing. She’s writhing in heat.

“Please…,” a bite. Her own teeth against her bottom lips. Her eyes, hazy, high, desirous. Her legs spread wider. Blessing you with the view of her wet, smooth, glistening fold.

You stroke your shaft gently, pointing it to her entrance. Push a little, the head is breaching her tightness, ever so slowly. It stays, for now. You look up. Nghh! Jiyu is arching her back. A drop of sweat glides down her sweaty midriff. Her right hand is pinching her own nipple. Her left hand plays with the pink pearl below. She opens her hazy eyes, noticing your stare. Mmhm.

You push further. Your tip parts her damn tight walls. Her tightness is soaked, heavily, but it is exactly that, tight. You cannot go any further. The noise from her mouth is just moans and indescribable babbles. Your hand explores her sweaty core, rubbing it, worshipping her.

You go down. Nibble on her ear for a bit, then whisper. “Brace yourself honey.”

Pop! 

A paused, guttural moan follows as you thrust your cock in the deepest point of her pussy. Her tightness is a borderline violence on your shaft, pushing it from every side as if to crush it. Your groan matches hers, though her neck is stretched far up, she’s facing up, digging the bed with her head. Both her hands are tightly gripping the sheet.

Your hips stay still, her hole you–fully–fill. You cradle her jaw, planting kisses left and right to her tensed facial muscles. Relax. You whisper right in front of her mouth. A kiss ensues. Sloppy from the get go, her tongue reacts. There’s still a fight in her, so you pull your hips, leaving only the tip in her narrow heat.

Plap!

Your hips meet hers, again, harder this time. Her mouth is wide open, even with your own guarding her from doing so. No voice lets out this time. You pull again.

Plap!

And again.

Plap!

Ooooghh! Well would you look at that, a new reaction. She can finally open her eyes. Her hands crash into your neck with an exaggerated speed. There’s a barrier of air vibrating around her fingers. You’re lucky you can control the air around you too somehow, as Jiyu is gripping your neck as tight–if not more–as her pussy is to your cock. She pulls you towards her, pushing you into her own neck. She squeals into your ear. Harder!

A rhythmical clapping sound emits. You fuck her steadily hard. Maintaining the pace to not explode quicker than you’d like. Kissing really helps, as it is the least stimulating in comparison to biting her neck or just looking at your girl in the heat of sex. All hands are on each other's neck. Cradling, squeezing, worshipping.

I’m close. You whisper to her ear, in between kisses to her lovely rosy cheek. Together! Jiyu moans.

Smacks, brutally hard. Squelches, incredibly arousing. You wrap your hand around her back, she does the same. Fuck! You scream, together.

Silence follows, both being forced as the two of you literally cannot make any noise. Both mouths open, subtle ahs, but nothing more. Spurts and spurts of thick whites shoot inside her. Excessive squirts sprays on your crotch. The bed is ruined.

Then the crash. The tension suddenly disappears. Both of you can no longer move a muscle. All spent, gasping on top of each other. 

“That was awesome…” Jiyu utters weakly.

Your head is lying right by hers. You giggle. “Yeah. Hah.”

“We should do this more. I love it.”

You smile, seriously there’s no strength left to respond. She turns her head towards yours. Coincidentally, your forehead is right in front of her lips. Jiyu gives you a small loving peck.

“I love you.”

.

.

.

The door to the bedroom opens only for Haum to see a pile of passed out naked bodies. “Whatthefuck!”

You slash through the massive piece of log in the forest. An attempt to make new furniture by yourself, with the guidance of Haum looking from afar.

“Is this enough?” you scream at her.

She leaps closer. “Huh. No. You have to cut cleaner, more precise. Cmon, you can do better than this, surely. Considering how you cut through Jiyu’s pussy like that.”

“Goddammit Haum it’s been years and you’re still hung up on that? Listen, I’m sorry okay? Not like I intentionally forgot to lock the door for you to see us like that. Would you please forget it…”

“Brother. Believe me. I would do anything to be able to forget that,” she pinches the bridge of her nose. “Alright, alright sorry for bringing that up. Anyway, let’s go through another piece. You’re already doing good actually, the next one should be perfect.”

“Okay, phew!” you stretch your arm out.

“Wait, your nose.”

“Hm? What about it?”

“It’s bleeding…”

Your vision blurs. Haum splits into multiple people. It looks like she’s worried about you, why is she reaching out anyways? Huh, you can’t hear anything she says. Your ear is ringing. Your head feels like it just spins itself three times in a row. Your body is heavy. And all of a sudden everything goes black.

.

.

.

You slowly open your eyes as you feel the warmth of the sun lights up the room. There’s something, someone, weighing the left side of your body. As your vision gets clearer, you look down. Jiyu is sleeping on you. Her head is on your stomach. She’s not fully leaning down on you though, as you feel your hand can still move unobstructed. Her air helps fill out the miniscule space in between, her hair flowing freely to the shape of her face. You swipe the strands of her hair to see her sleeping face beneath. You would never know otherwise, that the sight of someone sleeping could be this ethereal. Your fingers swipe her forehead, it’s a bit damp. Then your thumb sweeps across the corner of her eyes, it’s also damp, and crinkled up a bit. She opens her eyes slightly as she notices the touch on her face.

“Hey cutie,” you palm her cheek as she opens her eyes fully.

All of a sudden you feel her arm around your head. Your face nuzzled up against her shoulder. She feels as comfortable as ever. You can hear her sobbing, then warm tears falling on your shoulder. You hug her back, gently rubbing the back of her head. Hoping to provide her the same amount of comfort she always gives you. Then you hear the door creaking open, Haum enters with a hand covering her mouth. Her eyes aren’t as sharp as usual. She walks up towards the bed to hug the two of you.

“H-hey, guys. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I like being hugged. But what is it? Why are you all acting like I’m dying or something? Ahaha.”

“You’re out cold for two weeks straight,” Haum says. You can’t see her face, but her voice sounds like she’s holding back tears herself.

Two weeks straight. What the hell? You don’t even feel like you’re tired back then. Just that Haum told you about the nosebleed. That’s all. What does this even mean? Is it because you’re a human? Is this the limit of your body? Can you even blame yourself for using the power Jiyu blessed on you?

“It’s okay. It’s okay. I’m probably just tired,” you exclaim. Sighing after. A weak curve of your lips shows. Your eyebrows drop down as the muscles in your forehead tightens. Your words leave an uncomfortable sensation in your mouth. You’re never a good liar.

You’re not sure how many years have passed. Your hair has turned white. Your body feels sluggishly weak. You’re nothing but skin coated bones now. You can barely walk out the room nowadays, and Jiyu has been tending you for the past five years or so. Her looks, on the contrary, hasn’t changed one bit.

You see her entering the room. Flashing you a smile. It’s fake, you know it. You know that once she’s out, right after she closes the door, she would break down right then and there. She would usually cry her eyes out right beyond the door. To the point of no tears are left for her to cry any more. You know it. For her eyes have been swollen to the point of no return.

“Morning,” she greets. Her lips subtly quiver. Her voice trembles in desperation, but she’s masking it with a smile. It doesn’t really help in hiding her sorrow whatsoever. You respond with a smile, an immediate cough follows. It hurts to even move your lips.

She’s immediately giving you the Jamu in her hands. The one she’s been giving you for the past…you’re not sure. It’s been so long. The bitter taste doesn’t even faze you anymore. It does the job though, you feel better right after the liquid traverses through your fragile throat. A surge of strength comes in, you can somehow feel like this would be the last of it.

“Jiyu,” your weak hand grabs hers. “Can you take me to the flower field on that cliff?”

She nods. She doesn’t even ask you where it might be. She instantly knows what you mean. With one flick of her hand, you’re floating. The sheet and the blanket wrap around your body, tight, leaving only your face visible. Jiyu exits the room with your wrapped body floating in her trail. Haum sees her, she was about to ask, but decided against it when she noticed the way Jiyu bites her own bottom lips so hard it bleeds. Jiyu’s jaws tremble, no, her whole body is trembling. Her fists clenched up. Her shoulders tensed just as much. Her head is looking down, so much so that her spine is visible through the back of her stretched neck. With the last of her attempts of suppressing a cry, she flies away. Leaving Haum alone.

You can feel the wind gently rubbing your face as you fly to that place. It feels nostalgic. You remember everything. Your first time floating in the air, Jiyu was there. Your first time doing the act of maintaining balance, Jiyu was there. Your first time seeing Jiyu genuinely angry, you were there. The first time learning to fly, Jiyu was there. She was always there, by your side. Even now, when you can no longer do anything by yourself, Jiyu is still there. You feel your cheeks warm up as your tears break out from the corner of your eyes. Jiyu is always there, but you can’t always be.

You arrive. You notice when the cloud stops moving and her face shows up. Jiyu brings you closer as she lands on the ground beneath. She opens the layers covering your body. She sits on top of her folded legs and puts you right on top of her laps. Jiyu gently strokes your hair. The smell of flowers, the colorful sight, the beautiful sky above, and the pretty girl looking at you from above, you remember. The same flower you were once sitting on top of, the same colorful scene you were once enjoying while you fly yourself, the beautiful sky you once had no trouble reaching. This is the same place you confessed your feelings to her. The same place you once shared your first kiss with Jiyu.

It turned out to be both a blessing and a curse. You finally understand why Haum said so. This, love. This act of sharing powers. You can do anything, everything you could only dream of before. You can fly away from all the troubles. You can shove everything away with your own hands. Not that you ever need to. Ever since you came here, you’ve been met with nothing but good deeds. From none other than Jiyu, a friend, a partner, a teacher, your lover. Perhaps this is where the good deeds are finally paid. With your own life, no less.

Is it worth it?

Yes. Yes it is. It is always worth it when you get Jiyu in return. If you could do it once again, with everything at stake, you would still choose Jiyu over, and over, and over again.

Look at her. You struggle to open your eyes once more, just one more time. You see her face right above yours. Her lips are quivering hard, even with her teeth biting and holding it in place. Her eyelids tremble, doing everything they can to hold those tears from breaking away. The way she looks at you, even with all those tears in the way, is still the same as the way she looked at you all these years. With nothing but love beneath those warm and comforting stares. 

Thank you, Jiyu. Thank you for all these years. Thank you for showing me that the world can be beautiful. Thank you for helping me heal my wound. Thank you for always being here by my side. Thank you for loving me.

You meant to say that out loud. But your throat feels like it’s lodged by the harsh air on top of the cliff. Nothing but coughs come through it. You try harder, but it only makes you cough harder too.

Strangely, it looks like Jiyu understands. Her tears finally flowed freely. Her face is no longer as tense. Her lips curve in this gentle smile. She’s blushing. You can see her trying her hardest to keep an open eye. Then she mouths “I will always love you, too.”

You smile back. You give every last bit of your remaining strength to move your hand towards her trembling hands on your hair. Your touch calms her down. It trembles no longer. You drag her hand to your chest. It beats one last time as you close your eyes.

Silence.

.

.

.

Jiyu crashes her head down on your unmoving body. A guttural scream scratches upwards from the pit of her lungs through her already sore throat. Her voice grows hoarse with every passing second she spends venting her worst frustrations, hoping the pain she's causing herself would somehow be enough to bring you back.

It doesn’t. It never will.

Jiyu hates mirrors. For it always reminds her of the day you first met her. 

An elf doesn’t forget, and she couldn’t stress enough how much she wishes they would.