They had hurriedly packed and set off toward Syameon. The place they had been and Syameon were on opposite ends of the region. If traffic was light, it would still take them four to five hours to reach it. Cho Hee's call had come at the right time. There were things Aera wanted to ask her aunt. It wasn't normal for Jackie and her to see the exact same vision at the same time. Since that moment, Jackie had avoided discussing it and seemed visibly distressed. Was there something he was hiding from her? These thoughts gnawed at Aera's mind constantly. She hoped that this time, she would learn the reason behind Jackie's sudden mood changes and the many mysteries surrounding him.
She glanced at Jackie, who stared blankly at the road. Shouldn't he have looked relieved? Then again, no one had said they found a definite solution. Still, she believed with all her heart that Jackie could be saved.
...
They finally reached the village. They had driven without a single break, and her legs were completely numb. Cho Hee opened the door. "My aunt is waiting for you," she said. They went straight to her aunt's room.
"You're here? Sit down," the woman instructed. They did as told.
"I won't waste time. The situation is more complicated and dangerous than I expected." Aera looked at Jackie with worry, but he kept his expression unreadable, quietly listening.
"After the Great War, the reincarnation of an ancient soul was strictly forbidden. Anyone responsible would be eternally destroyed regardless of who they were." She fixed her eyes on Jackie. "Right now, an ancient soul stands before me, in a human body. This situation is beyond me. I visited my old mentors to seek guidance. They allowed me to read the old scripts."
She paused and pulled an ancient scroll from her bag.
"Hundreds of years ago, a second war between heaven and earth nearly broke out. All because of a forbidden love."
She handed the scroll over.
"Look."
The moment Aera unrolled it, the shock caused her to drop the paper. Jackie picked it up and placed it on the table.
"Why didn't you look?" her aunt asked.
Jackie didn't answer.
"I don't understand. That's us! Just like in the vision I saw."
"Vision?"
Aera explained to her aunt what she had seen after the shooting star in the forest.
"Your life isn't confined to just this moment. You are the cursed pair. Your death prevents a great war. The writings didn't give more detail."
Her aunt reached across the table and took Aera's trembling hand.
"I'm sorry, Aera. I can't help you."
"Can't help, or don't want to help, Aunt?"
"Jackie is a cursed soul. He should have been destroyed, but he's still walking this earth. If I help you, calamities will follow me too."
Aera yanked her hand away in frustration. "Then at least tell me what to do!" She was yelling now. She wasn't going to give up so easily.
"Aera, stop!"
She couldn't even imagine the disappointment Jackie must be feeling. "I won't let you vanish."
"Aera, please. I've already hurt you enough. Just let me go."
"No, don't say that."
"I remembered what happened that day. What I did to you, everything."
The past? Why couldn't she remember?
Jackie stood up.
"I'll free you from all of this, Aera."
He turned to the darkness. "Great JiHoo, I know you're watching. I don't know why I was brought back to this world, but I know you had a hand in it."
Who was he talking to? Aera was utterly confused.
"Brother, please."
Brother?
Jackie collapsed helplessly to the floor. She had never seen him look so vulnerable.
The room filled with a heavy silence.
"Sang Hoon, rise!"
A glowing silhouette appeared in the dark room. Jackie immediately stood and bowed deeply. JiHoo placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You are from the Gijeog bloodline. I don't want to see you like this."
"B-Brother JiHoo... I thought I could handle everything alone, but I failed. I destroyed everything. You can punish me however you want. Torture me for centuries if you must, but please help Arin. She has done nothing wrong."
When JiHoo's eyes turned to Aera, she felt her blood run cold.
"Why don't we ask Arin what she wants? Shouldn't she decide her own fate?"
His gaze pierced her soul. "I'm not Arin. You've mistaken me for someone else."
"Brother, please, let's keep her out of this."
"There are powers even I can't control. I used my essence to restore your soul. I'm not as strong as I used to be."
He approached Aera. "Let me look into your eyes."
He got close enough to touch her. She froze in place.
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Arin is still a priestess. I can see the universe in your eyes."
She tried to control her voice, but it shook. "P-Priestess?"
"Priestesses were messengers between Earth and the Celestial Kingdom. They also communicated with shadow spirits. Evil spirits manipulated human greed through priestesses. All were destroyed."
A chill ran down her spine. "You're wrong. There are still others who can see spirits."
"Those you speak of are mere shamans. Their powers don't come close to yours."
"Let her live a normal life."
"That's not up to me. This is a part of her forever."
"But she's in pain."
"That pain doesn't come from her powers."
Aera didn't understand what he meant.
"When the time comes, you'll understand what truly haunts you. Now, let's return to the real matter. Do you want to help save Sang Hoon?"
If saving Jackie meant helping, she would do anything.
Jackie tried to speak, but JiHoo's voice turned harsh.
"You ignored the laws and put both worlds at risk. I had no choice but to kill MY OWN BROTHER with my own hands. Do you know the punishment I faced just to save you?"
Aera was struggling to keep up. Everything they said was so foreign. Even when it concerned her, she remained silent.
"If I hadn't intervened, they would have killed Arin. I couldn't allow that."
"Arin was meant to die. Nothing you could have done would have saved her. I had to wait centuries for your soul to be reborn. You needed a human body. I searched the country for the right family and found one who adopted orphans. I believed they would love you, and they did. I watched you grow, but I couldn't protect you. Even in a human form, your soul was that of a star. A shadow spirit, hidden for centuries, sensed your presence. I failed to see it in time."
He looked visibly sorrowful.
"I already watched someone I loved disappear once. I won't let it happen again."
"Brother, I'm sorry. I know you never forgot Yumi. If you had the chance, would you have broken every law to save her? Would you risk everything?"
JiHoo looked genuinely pained. "She's never coming back. That question has no meaning anymore."
He turned to Aera. "Will you help?"
"Yes."
He placed two pouches on the table. "The purple one contains a rare herb called Byeol. You must get Sang Hoon to ingest it. It paralyzes spirits. He must be present. When his soul leaves the body, use the moonstone in the blue pouch. It's fatal to dark spirits. Blindfold yourself when using it. Your eyes act as bridges. They might try to use you to escape. You have only one month. Hurry."
One month?
Panic swelled within her.
She wanted to scream. Everything was becoming more confusing. Just when she thought they were close to a solution, another problem arose. She didn't even recognize most of the names they had mentioned. She used to think she just saw ghosts, but now, entire realms were involved.
They kept calling her Arin. Was she really the blindfolded girl she had seen in the vision? It all felt too insane to believe.
Was she losing her mind? Maybe she made it all up. Seeing ghosts was one thing, but celestial realms? Madness. Maybe if she had accepted help the first time they called her crazy, none of this would have happened.
Would a divine spirit really choose her of all people?
She snapped out of her thoughts and realized everyone was staring at her.
Jackie stepped closer and took her hand. "You're not crazy. You just need time to accept what you heard."
She couldn't even process it. So many names, so much confusion.
Wait. How did Jackie know what she was thinking?
"Because you're thinking out loud, Aera. You need rest."
Thinking out loud? WHAT?! "Did you hear everything?" Jackie nodded.
"Alright then. I haven't even heard everything yet. You said so much I couldn't understand. I need to know."
"Know what?"
"Everything. Who I am. Who I was. What happened."
"Sleep now, Aera. You can ask anything tomorrow."
JiHoo added, "Humans should have been resting hours ago." He glanced at her aunt. The woman had fallen asleep. She looked older than ever.
"Fine. But tomorrow, you all better tell me everything."
"I'll return tomorrow," JiHoo said and vanished.
Aera asked Cho Hee for help placing her aunt in bed. While preparing the room, Cho Hee bombarded her with questions, but she couldn't answer any.
At last, they were alone.
"Will you stay with me tonight?"
Jackie smiled and sat beside her. "You kicked me out the first night, remember?"
"Not much time has passed, but it feels like a lifetime ago."
He lay beside her, turning to face her.
"You've been through a lot. You don't have to help me."
Aera stroked his cheek.
"Every moment with you means everything to me. I had no one, and you became my family. You showed me what happiness is. I was in love with you in high school. You became famous, but I always cared. If there's even the tiniest chance to save you, I'll do it."
Jackie held her hand and kissed her palm. "I guess I should confess too. I liked you back then. I even left you a gift on Valentine's Day. I tried to tell you, but I always got too nervous."
Her eyes widened. "That necklace... you left it? I thought someone made a mistake and left it at the wrong desk. So it was you. I kept it anyway. Wow... the school's most popular guy was shy?"
"There's so much you don't know about me."
"Then tell me everything. But first, help me send that cursed soul back to the hell it came from."
Jackie smiled and pulled her into his arms. They fell asleep like that.
And in that moment, she felt like she was in the safest place in the world. She could never let him go.