snowflake ☆ k.dy ☆ ayakashi series | ✔

doyoung [twenty-nine]

Lunch was a rather quiet affair, but you didn't mind. When you had finally finished the food and let it settle, you felt the meal coming to a close. Time to put back on all your layers and return to the cold. With a sigh you began pulling on your multitude of clothes as Doyoung packed up the picnic things.

The bag was dropped back off at the kitchens, then the two of you were off into the city.

"So, any pressing questions about Erethulia?" Doyoung asked as the two of you began your descent.

"Uh, I think I saw something this morning, on Chaewon and Chanshik's necks. It was this grey triangle with a flower in it, on the back of their necks. I don't remember it being there before, but I could've just missed it."

"No, you wouldn't have been able to see it before. Those are their bond marks, their connection to their Onmyoji. Only other Ayakashi and Onmyoji with their powers can see them most of the time."

"Bond marks?"

"Every Onmyoji, like yourself, will have five True Ayakashi—the people whose souls you are most connected to in this world—and the connection manifests in a mark on the back of your neck. The Onmyoji and their five True Ayakashi all have the same mark."

"So Chaewon and Chanshik have the same Onmyoji."

You hit the beginnings of the dwellings then, and felt eyes following your slow descent, but nobody made a move to approach you, and Doyoung made no move to address them either.

"Had," he corrected you. "Bond marks are typically black; they turn grey when the Onmyoji passes and the bond between the souls is broken. My parents had the same marks, too, and a Satori as well. The six of them were the best of friends... I suppose Jiwon and Ren left when the Chancellor took over, and at some point Jiwon must have passed."

You squeezed his arm to show your support, these sounded like people who he all knew in his childhood and were his parents' best friends. Chaewon and Chanshik had bond marks, but you couldn't remember there being anything on Minhee's neck, or some of the other Erethulians you had seen briefly.

"Does every Ayakashi have an Onmyoji?"

"Yes."

"But some of the Erethulians here don't have bond marks."

"Their Onmyoji doesn't have their powers yet. Your True Ayakashi must have just gotten their own marks yesterday, you as well."

"Really? What's mine?"

"A lotus blossom. Very pretty, very striking."

You leaned back slightly then frowned, "You don't have a mark. I thought you said my True Ayakashi are the people whose souls I'm most connected to."

"Yes."

"Then why aren't you one of my True Ayakashi?"

Doyoung's face broke out into a fond smile, "I don't know. Chaewon would say that would be a question for arwel, not me."

The mention of 'arwel' caught your attention, "That brings me to my next question: Who, or what, is arwel?"

Doyoung took a moment to narrowly dodge a gaggle of Erethulian children of various ages running by before answering, "The will of nature. Sort of like the human idea of fate, but stronger, more deliberate and slightly less vague. Not any easier to predict, but more meaningful, more purposeful. It's the closest thing we have to religion aside from Erethulia herself."

"And who is Erethulia to you all, then? Sicheng thought she was a goddess of some kind."

"Erethulia isn't a goddess or deity to us, just someone whom we revere and thank."