Reluctant Hero ✔️

Twenty-Three

TIMESKIP 1 WEEK

Haerin and Danielle watched as a stone pedestal appeared in the middle of the shrine they stood in, the bear that had summoned it taking a few steps back.

"What do I do with the shield?"

"It'll disappear with the sword."

The cat nodded, summoning her sword as she walked up to the middle.

"This'll seal the evil for good?"

Minji sighed, "unfortunately not for good, but long enough until another full reincarnation cycle is needed."

Danielle glanced over at the older girl, "why do you and Hyein get reincarnated every life cycle even when Haerin and I don't? And what do you do if Hyein reincarnates later than you?"

"Good question, I honestly have no idea. And for your second question, I'm just in this limbo of empty space, I guess just waiting to be born again alongside her."

"And you just... accepted it?"

Minji shrugged, "yeah."

Haerin stared at her two hands that held the sword's hilt, a part of her didn't want to give the sword up.

"Haerin?"

The grip she had on the handle tightened, "I don't want to put it back..."

"Why?"

"Because then..."

Haerin swept her gaze to look at Minji, "you're gonna die."

She weakly chuckled as she looked at the sword again, "I can't do that to Hyein, Dani, and Hanni... And I don't think I can handle it if I know that this is the reason why you always die first."

Minji walked up, gently resting a hand on Haerin's shoulder, "hey... Look at me."

The cat reluctantly did as she was told, "I don't want you to die Minji."

"I'm not going to die."

The bear tried to give her a reassuring smile, "not this time."

"How can you be so sure? Can't we wait until we're older? I can put it back when we're like- grandmas can't I?"

Minji took a step back, still smiling, "it feels different this time... I feel like I've truly lived as a normal kid while hanging out with you guys."

"Haerin-ah... Trust Minji."

Danielle gave the cat a smile, "I can feel it too."

"..."

"Haerin... Put the sword back, now is the right time."

Haerin sighed, mumbling a low "okay..." before readying the sword.

She struck the sword back into the stone, a glow casting upon the three in the shrine.

Minji stepped forward once more, doing another intricate motion with her hands as the sword and the pedestal disappeared.

"Try summoning your shield?"

...

"I can't."

Minji nodded, "then it worked. Let's go, our work here is done."

Danielle and Haerin followed Minji back out of the shrine, the eldest resting a hand on Haerin's back.

"I'm going to be okay."

She then rested her other hand on Danielle's back, glancing at her before looking back to where Hanni and Hyein waited.

And seeing her younger sister and the Vietnamese girl goofing around made her smile to herself.