The Valley

It was dawn.

Voidborn looked at the mobile communication device in his hands.

“Report received. Proceed with camp eradication.”

He kept it and walked out of his room, waking the rest, before gathering them into his room.

“I have something to say.”

Everyone turned to look at Voidborn.

“What is it?” Jimin said. “Why does it sound so ominous?”

“Are you forfeiting the escort mission?” Derrick asked.

“No.”

“Are you going to say you like Chaewon?”

Voidborn looked at Rei.

“No.”

Jimin heaved a sigh of relief internally.

“I can see emotions.”

Silence.

“You can see what?” Derrick asked, eyes wide.

“Emotions.”

“Wait, you can see emo—”

Jimin cut Rei short.

“You can see black?”

“Yes.”

Her eyes widened.

“Really? So you saw what I did last night?”

“Yes.”

“Then you're like me!”

“Like you?”

“My power is related to sadness too!”

Jimin jumped in excitement, grabbing on to Voidborn’s hands.

“Hold up,” Derrick interrupted. “So what you're telling me is that you can see sadness just like Jimin.”

“Yes. I saw black exploding from all the goblins last night.”

“I can see black, but I didn't think I’d meet someone who can see black too!”

“What do you mean by ‘too’?”

“Oh, Reborns of our type can only see one colour.”

“One colour?”

“Yeah.”

“But I can see a lot of colours.”

Silence.

“T-That can't be,” Jimin stuttered, breaking the silence. “Mom said that Diviners can only see one colour, and it’s random and different for every Diviner…”

“Diviner?”

“Yeah! That's what our type is called.”

“So you really aren't a Savage,” Rei remarked, rubbing her dark-circled eyes.

“What are Diviners exactly?” Voidborn looked at Jimin and asked.

“Hmmm, like I said, Diviners can see emotions as colours. They can also—”

Knock knock.

“Who is it?” Derrick asked.

“It’s me, Chaewon. The Wordwraiths are downstairs.”

“Got it. We’ll be down in a bit.”

Derrick turned his attention back to Voidborn.

“Why keep silent about it till now?”

“I don't go around advertising my abilities.”

“Then why tell us now?”

“For us to plan and fight more effectively.”

“Fair enough,” Derrick said. “Anyway, let's leave this for later. We have business to do.”

The group nodded, standing up to leave.

“I didn't know you were a Diviner!” Jimin said, grabbing Voidborn’s hand. “We're fated to be!”

She continued to blabber as the group walked out of the room, his hand still in hers.

“My mom told me seeing black is rare~”

“Jimin,” Derrick called.

“What?”

“Let's do this later,” he reiterated. “At this rate, you're going to announce all your secrets for the entire world to hear.”

“Right,” she chuckled.

“Joy!” Rei squealed, jumping into her arms.

“Good morning,” Joy smiled, embracing her warmly. “Why didn't you hug me last night?”

“Awww, I was sticky and smelly from the ambush! How could I?”

Joy let go of Rei and gave Derrick a small nod.

“Come, let's begin. Robert came back a few hours ago and I have new information.”

The two groups took their positions and gathered. The four tables of the inn had been merged into a larger one, papers strewn all over it.

“I’ll get straight to the point,” Joy said, her smile disappearing as she got serious. “We'll strike at noon.”

“That soon?”

“I’ll explain. Or rather, Robert will.”

Joy gestured to Robert who stepped forward. He pointed to a drawing on the table and started explaining.

“I've made a sketch of the enemy’s camp. It's heavily guarded.”

He swiped his fingers around the perimeter of the base.

“There are countless goblins on sentry and patrol, but they are all regular ones. Senia will be able to easily deal with them with her shock spells.”

“The issue is here.”

He pointed to the back of the camp.

“A purplish fog was spread all over this area. Coupled with the fact that it was night, I couldn't see clearly. But nevertheless, that is most likely to be the shaman’s living quarters.”

“Then why the rush?” Derrick asked. “We do not have sufficient information.”

Joy looked at Chaewon.

“Miss Chaewon, did you retrieve your leader's Rebirth stone?”

“N-No… I barely managed to escape.”

“Shit,” Derrick cursed. “I didn't think of that. That's going to be a huge problem.”

“Why?” Jimin asked.

“What do you know about Rebirth stones, Lady Yoo?” Joy asked.

“They are Rebirth advancement materials, and uhhh… they are used for Reborn equipment or artifact crafting.”

“Correct. But there’s more.”

“More?”

“Where do you think monsters come from?” Joy questioned.

“Hmmm…” Jimin pondered for a moment, scrunching her brow. “I don't know.”

“They come from Rebirth stones,” Rei answered. “Rebirth stones have the ability to cause surrounding wildlife to mutate into monsters.”

“Wait what?”

“She's right, Jimin.”

“T-Then where did the stones originate from?”

“There have been some theories and rumors,” Rei explained. “We are currently in the Revolutionary Era. Some say that it was a by-product of the God War during the Cataclysmic Era, others say that they have already existed since the Prehistoric Era. None has be confirmed though.”

Jimin stared at Rei, dumfounded.

“Anyway, we are going off topic,” Derrick interrupted. “This will be a huge problem if we don't act fast.”

“Right,” Joy said. “Going by your description, the shaman should have at least consumed a tier two Rebirth stone. Now that it has an additional tier three stone, who knows what will happen.”

Derrick clicked his teeth and tapped his finger on the table.

“If we don't act quick, this will become troublesome for not only the village, but for Zylos and Kandar.”

“S-Sorry to interrupt.”

Everyone turned to look at Chaewon.

“Did you see my teammates? Are they alive?”

“T-This…” Robert stuttered, scratching his cheek. “The fog blocked observation. I could not get near enough due to the heavy security.”

“Oh…”

Chaewon’s eyes faltered, then lit up brightly.

“At least they're not confirmed to be dead. There's still a chance!”

Robert avoided Chaewon’s gaze.

Voidborn’s eyes narrowed.

The colours within Robert churned.

“Have you guys rested enough?” Joy asked.

“Not entirely, but enough,” Derrick answered. “I was building some special stuff last night.”

“You?” Joy said, smiling warmly at Rei.

“I'm good! I recovered better than expected, thanks to advice from Mr Voidborn here.”

Rei gave Voidborn a smile of gratitude.

“Then I guess we can set off in an hour's time. We’ll discuss the specifics on the way.”

“He’s lying.”

“Who?” Derrick asked, loading a bag onto the cart. “Robert?”

“Yes. He lied when Chaewon asked about her teammates.”

“How did you know?” Rei asked, scribbling on her tome as she sat on the soft cushion on the cart.

“I can see more than one colour.”

“Are you for real?” Rei asked.

“Yes.”

“Then what if I said ‘I think Derrick is handsome’?”

Voidborn born narrowed his eyes and focused.

Yellow.

“You're lying.”

“Hey! That was uncalled for.”

“I think you're handsome, though,” Jimin chuckled.

“You sound fucking sarcastic,” Derrick rolled his eyes. He closed his eyes and summoned his mechanical horse.

“Lady Yoo did not lie.”

“You serious?”

“Yes.”

“I love you, Jimin-ah.”

“Now, now, Derrick,” Rei said. “Only three people are allowed to love my unnie.”

She raised three fingers and pointed to each of them

“Uncle Yoo, Auntie Yoo, and Voi—ouch!”

Rei glared at Jimin who pinched her arm.

“Please ignore what she said, Voidborn.”

“I don't mind.”

“Anyway, you have quite the useful ability,” Rei said. “A walking lie detector?”

Voidborn nodded.

“Is your ability to dodge attacks also due to your ability to see many emotions as colours?”

“Yes.”

“How does it work?”

“Every emotion has intent. I can see their flow and predict how they move in advance.”

“Sheesh, that's overpowered as hell.”

“No. I would lose in a fight with you both.”

“That's where you're wrong,” Derrick said. “You're only a Rebirth 1. You can't compare an ant with an elephant. Wait till you advance.”

“What Rebirth are you?” Voidborn looked at Jimin and asked. “How does a Diviner improve their skills? What's the names and abilities of their Rebirths?”

Jimin leaned forward and flicked Voidborn’s forehead.

“Now you're interested in me?”

She grinned.

“Too bad. Earn it.”

“I—”

“What?” Jimin cocked her eyebrows.

“Jimin, please tell me.”

Her eyes widened in shock, and a grin spread all over her face.

“About time you called me by my name, you dense idiot. I’ll tell you along the way.”

“Sorry for the lovebirds conversation interruption,” Derrick coughed. “I’ll be joining Joy and her team on their ride to discuss further details.”

“Then what about the cart?” Rei asked. “Who's gonna drive it?”

“Oh, don't worry. I’ve set it to on autopilot mode, and it will follow us at the front. If anything happens, I can control it remotely through this terminal.”

Derrick waved a handheld console to the group.

“Okay. What about Chaewon?” Jimin asked.

“She’ll be joining us in the discussion.”

The trio nodded.

“I have a question,” Voidborn said. “Supposedly her teammates are most likely dead, won't it be an issue?”

“How so?” Derrick asked.

“That means five more tier 2 stones are in the shaman’s hands,” Voidborn answered.

“Shit,” Derrick cursed. “This complicates things. I’ll bring this up to Joy later. Good point.”

“Another question. Did you find the lady who gave us the charm?”

“No,” Derrick shook his head. “I met the guard who talked to us when we entered the village. He said he knew of no such person.”

Voidborn frowned.

“I've also asked around the village. No one has any recognition of such a person. The village is quite small, and everyone knows each other.”

Derrick shrugged his shoulders.

“But no one has seen or heard of this woman before. Weird.”

“Very weird,” Rei said. “The four of us definitely saw her.”

“Anyway, that isn't our concern right now,” Derrick said. “I suppose all of the charms have been disposed of?”

Everyone nodded.

“Great. Then let's get moving.”

Derrick turned to join Joy, who was waiting with the Wordwraiths in their hovering truck.

Voidborn’s frown did not fade.

He was very sure that he saw a pure white honesty and deep blue sincerity.

Something gnawed at his chest, but he didn't know what it was.

“Jimin.”

“Call me a few times more.”

“Jimin.”
“Jimin.”
“Jimin.”

“Wow, I love it so much~”

She giggled shamelessly.

“I've never felt so good hearing someone call me by my name so much.”

“You're such a bully,” Rei said. “Why am I the light bulb now?”

“Heh, you're always bullying me, so let me bully someone for once.”

“He’s gonna slice your head off if you keep doing that,” Rei said, trying her best to do the most Karina Yoo Jimin impression she could.

“How dare you copy me?!” Karina pouted. “Voidborn, she's bullying me!”

Voidborn looked at her, puzzled.

“Jimin, can you tell me?”

“Right,” she coughed, cheeks red with excitement. “Sorry for teasing you. So to answer your question, I’m a Diviner. It's not one of the publicly known Reborn types, so please keep it a secret, okay?”

Voidborn nodded.

“Why?”

“I don't know. Mom and dad just said to not let anyone know. Which is the reason why I rarely use my powers unless it’s needed.”

“Oh please, you said you don't care what Uncle and Auntie Yoo said,” Rei said. “You told me you hated using your powers because it makes you sad.”

“Bleh~”

“Why do you feel sad?”

“I don't know about you, but we Diviners are able to sense and see only one emotional colour. For me, it is black of sadness and grief.”

Voidborn listened intently.

“Our Flaw is tied to that particular emotion. The more we use our powers, the more our body produces that emotion.”

“That’s why I cried a lot last night.”

Voidborn thought in silence, then asked.

“Then why were you always smiling when you cried?”

“It’s part of our Flaw as well,” she explained, sighing at the thought of it. “To counter the overflow of emotions, our facial expressions try to act in the opposite way. So… while my body is filled with grief, I smile.”

“I look stupid right?”

“Yes.”

Voidborn said.

“He said you look stupid, unnie,” Rei giggled.

“But I don't care,” he continued. “I think what's inside is more important.”

“You…” Jimin looked at him, face flushed with embarrassment.

“You guys are disgusting, just kiss already,” Rei said.

“No.”
“No!”

“See? Losers flock together.”

“You're the loser,” Jimin shot back. “I'm a Rebirth 3, you're only a 2.”

“You're a Rebirth 3?” Voidborn asked.

“Yeah. The corresponding names up to Rebirth 3 are Insight, Empath, and Confessor.”

“We’re kind of weak at the start. As an Insight, we are just basically granted the ability to see emotions as colours. That's it. Advancing to Empath allowed me to slightly invoke and influence emotions.”

“Is that why I always felt sad for no reason?” Rei asked. “Even when I successfully created new spells?!”

“Uhhh… no?”

“Unnie!”

“Well, I had to get back at you for always bullying me somehow.”

“I’m gonna bully you more—”

“What about Confessors?” Voidborn asked.

“Ah, we’re able to freely manipulate emotions. So what you saw last night was my Grief Explosion. It's simple, but very effective.”

“Thank you for saving me last night.”

Jimin blinked, then grinned.

“I'm awesome, right?”

Voidborn nodded.

“You owe me one,” Jimin said smugly.

“Yes.”

“So, anymore questions?”

“How do you advance to the next stage?”

“Hmmm… this is the challenging part. Well, it's not really challenging, but it's troublesome.”

“Troublesome?”

“For an Empath, you just have to keep using your powers constantly. Keep watching the colours, understand what the emotions really mean.”

“When I was young, I followed dad around during some of his patrols. I saw a lot of sad things. Then one day, I just advanced to the next stage.”

“How long did it take?”

“About a year?”

“That's long,” Voidborn remarked.

“No?” Rei butted in. “The average advancement time for Rebirth 1s to the next is about three to four years! One year is for geniuses or the talented.”

“Thank you for bestowing me the title of Talented Genius,” Jimin bowed. “I’ll gladly take it.”

She patted her chest and boasted. “I took just two years to become a Rebirth 3.”

“Show off,” Rei grumbled.

“How long did it take for Derrick to become one?” Voidborn asked.

“I think it was about five years?” Rei answered. “Uncle Yoo took about four years and that's already considered fast. He then spent about two decades at Rebirth 3 before he decided to eat a Rebirth 4 stone instead.”

“How long have you been able to see emotions?” Jimin asked.

“Since I was a child.”

“And you haven't advanced to Rebirth 2? That's weird.”

“Maybe it has to do with him being unable to feel emotions,” Rei said. “Perhaps he needs to feel and understand emotions to advance.”

Rei looked at Jimin.

“And the reason why it was not an issue for you is because you do know what sadness is. Not him.”

Voidborn looked down and pondered.

“Maybe.”

“Anyway, it must be cool to be able to see so many colours,” Jimin said. “What do you feel when you see so many colours?”

“Nothing.”

“Tch. You're so lame.”

Voidborn left Rei and Jimin to their banter and squabble.

He turned his attention to the passing scenery outside.

Trees blurred past one after another. Dense forest stretched endlessly beyond the dirt road, broken only by the occasional boulder or cliff face.

See emotions.
Understand emotions.
Feel emotions.

The words lingered in his mind.

He understood what sadness looked like.

He understood what anger looked like.

But understanding was different from feeling.

Was it truly impossible to advance otherwise?

The mechanical horse slowed. The cart began to climb a winding slope and the forest gradually thinned around them.

Then the trees parted.

The cart came to a complete stop.

They were right on a cliff's edge.

Joy’s truck stopped in front, and the people inside started to alight. The trio did the same.

They gathered on the edge.

A cool breeze swept across Voidborn's face as he looked downwards, taking in the sight of the huge valley below.

In the distance, hidden amongst the mountains and dense woodland, sat a cluster of crude wooden structures.

It's the goblin camp.

Voidborn's thoughts faded.

There would be time to think later.

“That's the camp,” Robert said, pointing downwards.

“Jeez, that's big,” Rei said, looking down at the spectacle below.

Poorly built crude huts sat in the middle of the valley, surrounded by tall wooden fences formed from thick tree trunks.

It was just like the picture that Robert view.

Bone totems formed from animal and human remains were erected throughout the entire camp — a declaration of the numerous innocent lives that had been taken.

Dark purplish crystals protruded out of the ground, surrounding the back of the camp where it hugged the valley head.

It was a proof of Rebirth stone corruption.

Then came a scream.

Chaewon collapsed onto the ground, gagging on nothing but her own saliva.

Voidborn looked at her.

Ashen-white shock mixed with jet black grief.

“N-No…” she started shaking, tears flowing out of her eyes uncontrollably.

Jimin walked towards Voidborn and stopped beside him, looking at the camp.

She gasped in shock, her hand instinctively grabbing Voidborn’s.

She retched at the grotesque sight.

At the front of the camp's gates stood six figures.

Dead headless figures.

Vines had skewered them upright through their torsos, holding them up like grotesque banners. Their arms and legs were no longer attached to where they belonged. Instead, each limb had been pierced onto blood-soaked vines that spread outward from the body like the points of a star.

For a brief second, Voidborn failed to recognize what he was looking at. Then he realized those stars were people.

Their heads were not missing.

They had been stuffed into the gaping cavities of their own waists.

Eyes remained open.
Mouths frozen in silent screams.
Loops of intestine draped over their faces and shoulders like ceremonial decorations.

The wind blew through the valley.
The corpses swayed gently.
As though the dead were still welcoming visitors to the camp.

A warning.
A trophy.
A ritual.

One still wore the shattered remains of imperial armour.
Another had a broken greatsword hanging from a vine.
The largest corpse still had the broad shoulders of her team leader.

Everyone stared in horror.

Sobs filled the air.

“Do we proceed?”

Joy spoke, breaking the silence.

“We kill it.”

Chaewon looked up, rage burning in her eyes.

There was no more black or ash white.

Only the overwhelming flames of crimson red that blazed throughout her entire body, burning away the grief itself.

INFOGRAPHIC