cheolsoo • The Society of The Shadow / Eng ver.

6. lit the fire, then let it burn out

New spell unlocked:

"Phantotis is a common spell that will unlock a door that is ours..." - Joshua.

***

Two days later, Joshua can finally return to class. He wanted to get out of bed sooner, but Seungcheol definitely disagreed. Jeonghan came to visit in the evening and met Seungcheol every time. They exchanged greetings but never talked more than five words. Joshua had no idea that would make them feel so weird, so he decided to spend lunch with both of them to make them feel more comfortable.

Fortunately, it worked well. Given that they are both Warriors, Jeonghan and Seungcheol grew closer.

Sadly, Joshua was unable to help Jeonghan and Mingyu. The two had a major problem, but it appeared that they couldn't resolve it at this time. It had already been six months. Joshua can't help but think that Jeonghan is concealing his true feelings for Mingyu.

The best friend never admitted it, not even with Joshua. But it's clear that Jeonghan can't let go of his past romance.

Eventually, Jeonghan and Mingyu built up an odd vibe whenever the four of them gathered. It didn't appear to bother Seungcheol. But it's driving Joshua insane.

One week later, after facing the mysterious Blackcoat Lady, Joshua and Jeonghan have managed to get over their trauma. They could fulfill the task they promised Miss Sandra at last.

They returned to the hallway in the middle dimension in search of the Hidden Library.

Everything was great until Jeonghan couldn't stop Joshua from asking Mingyu-related questions, such as:

"Did you guys talk?"

"Did you see his face when he spotted you from afar?"

"Don't you have anything to say?"

"Why don't you tell The Prince that you still like him?"

Finally, Jeonghan was the one going nuts. He screamed:

"Can you please just SHUT UP and focusing on our mission? FOR MERLIN'S SAKE!"

Joshua stared at him for a few seconds before opening his mouth. He couldn't be offended at Jeonghan; he was only shocked since Jeonghan became enraged when he mentioned Mingyu.

Joshua grinned. He knew his best friend too well to pretend nothing happened.

"Very well." He went on to say, "But if our spell can't open this door, we need help from Seungcheol and Mingyu."

Jeonghan looked around and sighed briefly. He couldn't protest Joshua's plan considering that they were stuck on what to do next. Seungcheol had the ability to kill the blackcoat lady, so it was clear that he could help opening the door on the right. Mingyu may have learnt magic from a top warrior, therefore they would require his support in difficult situations.

They may encounter some threats along the road. Finding the truth might land them in unanticipated jeopardy.

The best friends were standing in a freezing hallway with snow falling from above. The longer they stood here, the lower the temperature became. Jeonghan noticed Joshua's hands trembling and his lips turning pale.

"I don't know if we are heading in the right direction." said Jeonghan.

"What? The hallway has only two doors. The left one leads to our meeting room, so the right one must be it." Joshua then lowered his voice. "Perhaps..."