DELUGE | HWANG HYUNJIN

Prologue

"Focus all your energy on that water droplet. Let it grow. Feel it cohere to more water. But never should you crumble under that weight."

She crushed her eyes, trying to push all her energy from her fingertips, fingers pressuring themselves against their joints. It was a constipated effort when she finally felt a sliver of energy slip through. 

"Iris!" 

It stopped, retracted, any energy she had pulled forward had vanished. She whipped her eyelids open, furious at her instructor who had stopped her midway. 

"What?" She gritted out, hand clenched into a fist.

"Look." Her instructor pointed out, both pairs of eyes trailing to her palm. The few rain droplets from outside had crystalized, not fully into a delicate ice sculpture, but small intricate peaks were forming. 

"I ask you to make more water and you freeze it instead."

"Maybe if I was allowed to concentrate more, it would've worked." Iris scoffed, flicking the snowflake away with a swift motion from her other fingers. Her instructor only sighed, before she stood up.

"At this rate, you're never going to get the hand of it. End of today's lesson." Her instructor walked out of the temple-like gazebo, her figure dissipating into molecules of black dust, as it swirled away from the area. Iris sighed, before inhaling deeply. 

"I'm going to get this. Just watch. The rain goddess is watching me as proof." Iris swore under her breath, the elegantly carved statue of the goddess sitting feet in front of her. 

"Just focus on the water." She repeated to herself multiple times as she shut her eyes. She felt its texture, its smell, its flowing life onto her hands. She imagined it swirling around her, trapping her in an unconscious state of focus. She needed this water, the water that birthed life to all organisms, the water that was the one source, the water that fell from the heavens itself.

"Iris!"

Iris shot open her eyes once again, momentarily glancing at her hand. Water had swirled around it like an upward spiral, it adorned her pale hands. This was what she was supposed to do.

"Iris!" The beadlets of water burst, splashing naughtily on her face and neck. She gasped in shock, as her sister appeared in front of her. 

"Do you have any sense of time? It's evening already!" Irene aggressively pulled her sibling up from the floor, her bare feet feeling the wet drops on the floor. 

"Didn't you see what happened? I controlled water!" Iris gleamed, walking out of the safety of the gazebo into the heaviness of the monsoon rains. 

"Impressive, but don't you remember we have to open today's rituals?" Irene reprimanded, the two sisters running, water drenching their clothes. 

"You're such a strict person, I literally came outside an hour ago." Iris skipped around, letting the rain travel down her skin under her blouse.

"We're the ones who only have 30 minutes to get ready." Irene chided, taking lunges to get back quicker.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Move!" Iris sped past her, the rain drizzling onto her messy braided hair. 

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"Welcome to our humble kingdom, Your Majesties. Our monsoon festivities are the best time to have a visit, and you will be sure to enjoy yourself."

"The pleasure is ours, Idris. And please, call me Youngchul. We're going to be allies after all." King Youngchul extended his hand gingerly, receiving a firm handshake from Idris. 

"Hyunjin, why don't you seat yourself next to your mother and Queen Raina while I talk to His Majesty Idris, hmm?" Youngchul suggested to his son, who simply nodded and left the two kings alone. "Tell me more about this festival, Idris. No one in the surrounding kingdoms celebrates the monsoons as you do." Youngchul chuckled.

"I would love to, but what's the point when my daughters can explain perfectly well?" Youngchul's face morphed into one of confusion, as his new friend led him up a flight of stairs, seating the both of them in a lush booth with velvet chairs feet above the ground. 

"Just watch. Experience the story."

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@gabithequokka my part of the deal is done :)