Page 8 of King Foretold
Minju sits at the modern conference table, a solemn frown on her exquisite face. She is nowhere near as uncompromising as Captain Seo, but I’ll take the captain’s nasty sneers over the historian’s quiet disappointment any day.
“You’re late, Sunny,” Minju chides in a calm, even voice. “You know how important these lessons are. Time is not on our side.”
“I know, and I’m sorry,” I say stiffly and walk into the study. “For some unfathomable reason, Jihun asked Captain Seo to give me one-on-one training, so I spent two hours after the regular training being berated by her. Then, as punishment for mouthing off at her this morning, I had to clean the floors with an itty-bitty rag ...”
“Oh no.” Minju rises from her chair and crosses the room toward me. “Have you eaten?”
My face crumples at her concerned words. It’s been a long day. I sniff and nod. “Hana brought me some rice balls.”
“That’s good.” She leads me to the table by my hand. “Are you hurting anywhere?”
“Everywhere.” I have the weirdest urge to hug the historian and sob into her shoulder, but I fight against the disquieting impulse. I’m stronger than this.
Minju gently nudges me to take a seat at the table and sits down next to me. Then she places her hand on my thigh and softly chants an incantation, a silvery light glowing from where her hand meets my leg. My aches and pains disappear like magic—har har—and my body feels like my own again.Ifeel more like myself. I hurriedly shift my leg, forcing Minju to withdraw her hand.
“Thank you,” I croak and lock away my vulnerabilities.
I have to remember I’m not safe here. This realm isn’t my home, and the Shinbiin aren’t my people. As for Jihun and his team—Hailey, Jaeseok, and Minju—aretheymy people? What about Draco, the angsty dragon spirit who reminds me so much of my younger self? Are Hana and Haesan my people?No.They’re not my people either. I can’t deny that they are my friends, but friends come and go. Forming attachments only leads to pain. It’s inevitable. I can’t forget that.
Case in point, all I got from falling in love with Ethan was constant heartache. It hurts I can’t be with him when I know in the depths of my messed-up soul that he’s my person and my home. And having him sonear makes it hurt even more. Gods, I hate it here. This perfect little kingdom that has no place for me.
Ethan and my friends only make me want to belong somewhere I can’t. The more time I spend with them, the more I want to stay by their side. They’re changing me, and I’m afraid it’ll ruin me. I want to run until I forget everyone, even myself.
An unsteady breath hisses through my teeth. What I want ceased to matter the moment Daeseong reentered my life. There is no running from this. If I run, all will be lost. I will loseeveryone.
“This realm is fucking me up.” I have no choice but to stay, so I might as well ask Minju for her help. “It’s ... messing with my magic. My spirit eyes are acting strange.”
“Your ... spirit eyes?” The historian squints in consternation.
“That’s what my mother and I used to call it.” I purse my lips. “Maybe you guys have a different term for it up here. You know, it’s like ... Gods, I don’t even know how to describe it.”
“Try,” Minju says in all seriousness.
“Spirit eyes are like ... like your third eye.” Itryas I’m told. “It’s a different kind ofsight. It’s the power that lets you see the gi around you.”
“How ...” Minju swallows. “How do you see ... What ... what does the gi look like?”
“What do you mean what does it look like?” I give her the side-eye. “It looks like gi.”
“Just humor me, please.” Minju focuses her gaze on me with an intensity that tells me I might be missing something here.
“All beings of the Shingae have an ... aura around them.” I circle my hands, urging the words to come. “The aura, or glow, kind of ... looks like a rainbow. The colors are distinct, but you can still see through it.”
“The colors?” the historian chokes out.
“Yes, the colors,” I repeat slowly. She is the smartest person I know. Why is she acting like she doesn’t know any of this? “You know ... blue for Water, silver for Sky, green for Mountains, and red for Underworld. You do realize you’re acting weird, right?”
“Can you open your spirit eyes right now?” Minju asks urgently, ignoring my question. “Can you ... see my life force? What color is it?”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.” I throw my hands up, confused as hell. What has gotten into her? “I don’t need to open my spirit eyes to see the gi anymore. I saw Gang Haesan’s life force with myphysicaleyes earlier. I think it has something to do with this realm. But I’m not sure I can even control the power anymore.”
Minju slams her palms on the table, making me start, and pushes up to her feet. Then she paces back and forth, mumbling under her breath. She does this often. It helps her think, so I usually wait it out. But tonight, her nervous pacing only makes me more apprehensive. Before I can ask her to just tell me whatever she is thinking, the historian suddenly pivots to face me.
“What were you doing when you saw his gi?” she demands.
“We were about to spar, so I ... I kind of zeroed in on him.” My eyes widen, and I jab my pointer finger at her. “You’re a genius. I need to concentrate on someone—”
“Look at me.” Minju snatches my finger out of the air and pushes my hand down. “Tell me the color of my gi.”
