January 7, 2023, 6:23 pm, Seomun Market, Daegu, South Korea.
As soon as they entered the settlement, Zeke, Jihyo, and Seojun were immediately assessed by an on-site medic. He patched Zeke and Jihyo's wounds from the clash and confirmed that Seojun didn't have his grave injuries anymore, much to their surprise. As soon as the treatment was completed, Minhyuk gave them a tour around the place.
Zeke and Jihyo looked around the district area, surprised to see that it had little damage and teeming with survivors of all ages. Electricity and clean water were present--- thanks to car batteries, backup generators, and water purifiers inside the place--- and some food, medicine, and clothing stalls are still open, seemingly for business.
"I'm amazed at how.. preserved is this place. It looked like it didn't get caught in the destruction that happened 3 days ago..." Jihyo said.
"It was sort of a miracle, even," Minhyuk replied. "This is the only building in the Seomun Market not destroyed or frozen over completely by the bombs that fell in Daegu. As soon as we, the people in here, realized that, we immediately went to work to protect this place and rescue the other people who were nearby. We already had the resources, we only needed the manpower. And with a lot of effort, this place came to be."
"You must be a pretty good leader then," Zeke said.
"Aish, I can't really call myself that.." Minhyuk chuckled as he scratched his head. "We had a lot of struggle in the beginning... But we try to be better every chance we get. That's what matters."
Minhyuk then leads them to a store they turned into a makeshift apartment. As they checked inside, there were four sleeping bags, a table for four, a working sink and bathroom, and a few drawers.
"It's not much we have, as we haven't fully fixed this place, but I hope it'll be enough for you three."
"Oh, no, this is way good enough, Minhyuk-nim. Thank you." Jihyo said. "All we need is a proper sleeping bag, to be honest... It's hard to sleep on a cold floor... Right, Zeke?"
"Cold floors give me nightmares. It's way worse than saying that the floor is lava." Zeke said as they all laughed.
"Thank you, young one," Seojun said. "Your efforts are not in vain."
"Pleasure to be helping. Oh, I'll ask some people to get your new clothing soon. You can pick whatever you want, free of charge."
"Oh, yes... Right. These clothes of ours really need some changing, it's been what, three days? Look at this!" Jihyo said, pulling her torn coat sleeve with blood. "These wouldn't save us from the cold and monsters. I feel cold in these already."
"Right," Zeke said, looking at his own torn attire. "Same here. Thank you, Mr. Minhyuk."
"Alright, I'll leave you three so you can rest. Come to my office anytime, it's just across this place." Minhyuk said as he closed the door.
Zeke and Jihyo just had an eventful day. Tired and beaten up, they sat down with Seojun in the dining area, who now was about to explain to them what's the deal with him and his mystical cane.
"So.. to kick off this conversation, Mr. Seojun... how did you fully recover?" Zeke began.
"That cane is the reason why I'm in good health again. It's one of its distinct powers... In short-- it's not just a regular cane. It's a thing we call a Manifest."
"Mani..fest?" Jihyo said, her face contorted with confusion. "What's that?"
"Well, erm... Manifests are manifestations of a weapon with unique powers, disguised as regular earthly items. That wooden cane you just used is one of them. They were given by a very powerful celestial artificer as a gift to various humans that he deems worthy throughout humanity's vast history. If he sees one is worthy, he imbues their possessions with various powers through his essence called the Artificer's Essence.. basically turning them into weapons." Seojun said.
"Wait wait, Mr. Seojun... This is too much brain fart. So let me get this straight. This cane.." Zeke said, pointing at the old man's cane Jihyo was holding, "contains an essence that can turn it into a disguised weapon with unique and different powers at will?"
"Correct," Seojun replied.
"He must've loved humans more than anything else, then, giving them such things ever so easily..." Zeke said.
"Yes, he did! He always wanted to prove that humans were good souls deep down. And most of them did prove it! That's why there are hundreds of them across the globe as of this point in time." Seojun said.
"H-hundreds?!" Jihyo was shocked. "So they're just.. scattered all over the planet..? Wouldn't that be too dangerous? I mean what if some bad person discovers it and they abuse it?"
"Well, nobody can do it easily, though. Every Manifest contains an enchantment symbol that protects it from being activated immediately. You saw it, right, Jihyo? The symbol that appeared on the cane before it turned into a blade." Seojun asked Jihyo.
Jihyo nodded.
"That's the Armistice Seal-- a locked seal that prevents an item from manifesting the weapon. If the wielder is truly, strongly passionate about a certain goal or achievement, the seal will appear and unlock the power inside, and the Manifest becomes yours." Seojun said.
"Ooooh, so it's an ownership thing," Zeke asks. "Neat."
"Yes. If you manage to unlock a Manifest, you become what they call a wielder, and it immediately makes you physically stronger by a lot, and grants you enhanced combat awareness and fighting ability. That stays permanent, even if you lose the Manifest."
"No wonder I felt like I could bend metal all of the sudden when I held it... And it also explains why my back pain suddenly disappeared.." Jihyo said.
"Yes. It does remove alot of lifelong injuries, too." Seojun chuckled as he continued. "And, like I said earlier, it grants you a unique power."
"So I'm assuming that this cane is capable of generating light." Zeke asked. "That's the unique power it bestowed upon Jihyo, right?"
"You're almost correct. That Manifest, which my ancestors call the Seraphim, basically grants the wielder the ability to control and materialize light into different forms each one of the previous wielders possess different forms of light. Yours, it seems, is a form of light crystallization ability. You can make things out of solid, crystal-like light, I suppose. Like glowing orbs."
"Wow..." Jihyo said in amazement. "Can I really do that?"
"With a little practice, yes! Here, try to make something out of this Manifest and see if it works." Seojun hands her Seraphim.
Jihyo held the Seraphim in one hand as she concentrates, and soon enough, she was able to materialize a small orb of crystallized light on her hand that faintly illuminates the room. Her eyes filled with glee. Zeke was starstruck as well.
"Amazing.." Zeke and Jihyo both said.
"I know! fourty-five years of handling that Manifest and it still never ceases to amaze me every time." Seojun said, chuckling.
"So.. how did you get this, Seojun-nim?" Jihyo asked, her eyes showing intrigue.
"The Seraphim... was given to me by my father. He said it's one of the oldest existing Manifests in the world, and that my bloodline has wielded it for many generations. Out of all of those generations, only three people were able to use the Seraphim: An English woman named Clementine, my father, and I." Seojun said.
"So both Clementine and your father had a passionate goal, and it manifested," Jihyo asked.
"Yes, well, for Clementine, she used it to quell the evils of her town. For my father, he used the Seraphim to protect me on more than one occasion. I guess you can say he was very passionate about keeping me safe from harm. Jihyo may have a certain passionate goal as well, hence the Manifest answered her call." Seojun said.
Zeke and Jihyo nodded, seemingly getting the idea.
"That's... wow..." Jihyo looked at Seojun.
"Amazing what a regular cane could do, hmm?" Seojun said. "I'm glad it's now in your possession."
Jihyo gasped. "Seojun-nim, are you telling me---"
"Yes. This Manifest is now absolutely yours." Seojun said, smiling.
"But... this is on your ownership, Seojun-nim. I can't take this.." Jihyo said.
"You can. Look, Jihyo, I can no longer wield this Manifest properly, much to say I may have lost total ownership of it, anyway."
"That's possible?" Zeke said as his eyes widen.
"Yes. I am old, you see. 61 year olds like me don't really get to handle Manifests well by this time. I don't even have the mental strength to wield it fully so it just.. partially locked itself out. Sure, I could still use it and its powers, but I can't do it for long periods and it'll probably wear me out after a few minutes. Sometimes, it wouldn't even work anymore if I tried to manifest it." Seojun sighed. "So when Ms. Jihyo here manifested it completely, I knew it was her. I knew she was the successor I've been waiting for."
"A..are you sure.? This is... This is a big thing." Jihyo looks at him with worry."
"Yes, Jihyo. And besides.. not all people who held Seraphim have manifested its power. I've felt it in you. And I've seen enough." Seojun smiled as she looked at Jihyo and the Seraphim with trusting eyes. She firmly holds the Manifest as she takes a good look at it for the first time.
Its handle has a silver color, complete with a black wrist cord attached to its near end. Along the shaft of the varnished wooden cane are imprints of what seems to be a dove's feathers, glistening in prismatic light.
"It sure is amazing to touch... I never got to see this thing in detail since I'm busy with those monsters... But now I get to take a good look at it... It's just... Wow." Jihyo said. "Are you sure of this, Seojun-nim..?"
Seojun nods and smiles. "Yes. I am sure. You'd make a fine wielder, Ms. Jihyo. Who knows, you may be able to even unlock the full potential of that Manifest one day."
"It's an honor," Jihyo said as she looks at Zeke. "Zeke, imagine all the Halloween costumes I'd make with this!" Seojun chuckles at her remark.
"I don't think that's the main purpose of that weapon.." Zeke replied as he stifled a laugh.
"I'm joking," Jihyo said, also laughing.
"Man, I'd love to have a power like that.." Zeke dreamily said. "Mr. Seojun, can I borrow it and use it's power?" Zeke asked Seojun.
"No, sadly. Once a person unlocks a Manifest, it cannot be used by a non-wielder." Seojun said.
"So.. no one else can use it if they're not wielders," Jihyo reiterated.
"Yes. Even if non-wielder finds a Manifest, they wouldn't be able to easily unlock its power. It's not like you can just wish the thing to appear, anyway.." Seojun replied.
Jihyo nodded.
"That's too bad..." Zeke frowned. "But what if it's a wielder, then? And can they hold two Manifests?" Zeke asked. "That would be overpowered."
"Well... If you're a wielder and your previous Manifest gets destroyed, you can own a new one. However, no one can handle two Manifests at the same time. They'll be immediately drained of strength. If you already have a Manifest and you try to activate or use another.. you'll probably just faint immediately due to the immense mental strength it requires. Believe me, I've tried." Seojun said, chuckling.
"Oh, complicated for my taste, but I get it." Zeke said.
"That doesn't matter now, does it? Hehe, what truly matters now is that I'm not just cute now--- I'm also uniquely superhumanly strong too!" Jihyo grinned as she tried to flex her muscles.
Seojun was looking at Zeke and Jihyo as they laughed.
He doesn't know what's going on in this apocalypse. He has high hopes for Zeke and Jihyo's skills, but he was also worried that they might be in danger if he left them alone like this.
They needed some proper guidance. Assessment, exercise, training, and everything in between. Things that they'll need from here on and out.
Seojun comes to a concrete decision soon.
"Would you like to be trained in combat?" Seojun suddenly spoke. Zeke and Jihyo looked at him.
"Huh..? Seojun-nim..?" Jihyo remarked.
"Training. You know, teach you a thing or two about hand-to-hand and armed combat. You may need it." Seojun said.
"R..really?" Jihyo said, surprised at his offer. "You're going to.. train us?"
"Yes. The passive combat abilities given to you by your Manifest is not enough, Jihyo. You have to hone those first."
Seojun then looks at Zeke. "And Zeke, you're vulnerable without your own Manifest. You'll need some proper training if you want to survive this whole ordeal and get to your own goals. Sounds good?" Seojun smiled.
"Are you sure you can handle teaching us, Seojun-nim? I mean.. I'm worried about you.." Jihyo said.
"If it's because of my age, don't worry. I assure you, I still have a lot much strength in these 61-year-old bones." Seojun chuckled as he looks at Jihyo. "So please, let me help."
"If he's really okay with this.. then I'm all for it. We are going to need training, too. Zeke?" Jihyo said, turning to Zeke as she waits for his approval.
"I... I don't know." Zeke said, taking a deep breath.
"You could use the training," Jihyo said. "I mean, if you want to get to the airport going home.. and take your chances that a plane in there might still be functional... You'll need all the skills you can get." Jihyo said. "To fight snowmen, Scrapers... as well as other beings. It's worth the shot."
"Well.." Zeke scratches his head. "Honestly, I don't know. I always thought this was an easy choice. Seeing people in movies get trained and all look cool, but when you're actually here, it's totally different. I'm in a place I don't know, everything is a mess, and none of these make sense. It's nerve-wracking."
Zeke looked down at the ground.
"Then again.." He continued, looking at Seojun. "I don't have any other choice, do I? It's weird enough that I'm here in South Korea, in a freezer-like apocalypse, next to one of my fave idols wielding a magical cane. A little more weird stuff won't hurt now, would it?" He chuckled.
Seojun just smiled at him. "I'll take that as a yes."
"Well then.." Jihyo said. "This is going to be exciting. It's just like practicing for a new song. I like it." She then smiled.
"And this means I'm a trainee now. And I'm training with you, then." Zeke added, looking at Jihyo.
"Well.. yeah." Jihyo laughed. "If that's how you put it, We're basically new trainees. It almost feels nostalgic.."
Jihyo and Zeke turned to Seojun and bowed.
"Seojun-nim, thank you. For trusting me. For trusting us." Jihyo said.
Seojun smiled and nodded.
"Now, I will be having my rest. These old ass bones need some relaxation. It has been an eventful three days.." Seojun said as he tucked himself into his sleeping bag, immediately going to sleep.
As Jihyo was about to do the same thing, Zeke suddenly spoke.
"Hey, Jihyo.." Zeke said as he sat down on his sleeping bag.
"Hmm?" Jihyo looked at him. "Why?"
"When you said earlier than we were friends... What did you mean?" He asked.
Jihyo sat down in front of him as she smiled.
"Well, us TWICE members have always told ONCEs that they're our friends over the years, and of course, you aren't an exception."
"Oh, yes, right.. right.." Zeke replied as he nodded.
"But.. to be honest.." Jihyo continued. "Even if you're not a ONCE, Zeke, I'd still probably befriend you. You're a kind, trustworthy and friendly person. It's nice to have you around, you know."
"W... well... We just met like, three days ago. How do you know that?" Zeke asked.
"Being in the entertainment industry for so many years... I've seen and mingled with different types of people. I just... know a good person when I see one, Zeke." Jihyo smiled.
"T... thanks." Zeke blushed at her remark as Jihyo giggled.
"So... if that answers your question.. and to formally clarify to you what we are.." Jihyo said as she reached out her hand for a shake. "Friends?"
Zeke took a while to respond, trying to process what was going on. It was strange. One moment, he was running away from cube bombs and frosty snowmen. The next thing he knew, he was now friends with Park Jihyo.
The thought that came into his mind onlywas that he was glad someone like Jihyo considers him a good friend.
Well, that, and the thought of how Aria would react if she found out that her brother was now friends with the leader of TWICE itself. Surely, she would flip.
He chuckled, and then finally spoke to Jihyo.
"As long as you don't make fun of me like how you make fun of your members sometimes, I'm good." He said.
"Can't promise. Tee-hee." Jihyo replied as she flashed her gummy smile.
Zeke chuckled as he reached out his hand to shake.
"Well then, friends it is."