Shadow | Huang Renjun

37

After catching up to Miyeon and Jisung, the trio joined them in checking out the row of mausoleums.
Eunah avoided the Archdemon as subtly as possible, while still being polite if he approached to look at something nearby.

Currently, she's rubbing some dirt away from a name engraving. Once it's legible, she raises her brows and calls the others over.

"I think it's this one."

"You're sure?" Miyeon asks, coming to stand beside her.

"Well, the date matches. And it's the only one small enough to likely have a baby in it..."

The Nightmare shivers, earning a few looks.
"I keep forgetting we're looking for a baby... Something really creepy about it."

"I'd say it's tragic or sad, but okay."

Eunah gently pushes the door open, wincing at the crunching of stone and loud creak as it scrapes along a worn, marble floor. Her back is rubbed reassuringly by Renjun, while the others enter the mausoleum first.

"You sure you want to go in?" he hums, noticing her hesitant look.

"It's what we're here for, right?" she replies, fiddling with her handbag strap.

"Yeah, but– you seem a lot more affected than we are."

"Are you two coming or not?" Donghyuck interrupts, voice echoing off the elaborate interior walls.

They share a look, Renjun glancing down at her hand which is flexing nervously. He holds his own hand out, ignoring the increase to his heart rate when she gently slips her fingers between his.

"Thanks..." she mumbles, cheeks tinted rose with honey eyes firmly on the floor in front.

"You're, um– you're welcome."

Clearing his throat, he leads the way inside– glaring at the mildly smug looks he gets from the others. He mouths a quick 'shut up', flicking his gaze towards her downcast expression so they understand it's not the time.
Miyeon raises her brows, intending to ask what's wrong, but he shakes his head, so she keeps it to herself.

"It's a very pretty room," Donghyuck comments, breaking the silence.

Looking around, Eunah nods in agreement.
"It's the most elaborate one I've been to..." she remarks quietly, admiring the intricate wall carvings of wings, plants and doves.

"You've been in mausoleums before?"
Jisung's question brings her to face him with an attempted air of confidence, nodding.

"References for writing."

"Ah."

She lets go of Renjun to crouch beside the tiny coffin in the centre, reluctant to touch it in case she breaks anything. Although made of a sturdy material, its size and the corpse within make it seem fragile.

Engraved into the side is a heartfelt message to the deceased, followed by a poem she doesn't recognise.
Usually, famous poems or the favourite poem of the deceased is written on their gravestone, but this one looks to be about the Soul Amulet.

She pulls her notebook from her bag, flipping to a new page while the others peer over her shoulders.

"Why can't they just tell us directly...?" Donghyuck groans, earning a faint, breathy laugh from the Angel.

"The more convoluted it is, the less likely the pieces will end up in the wrong hands," she explains, standing up and putting her book away.

"I guess..."

"Don't worry, we'll figure it out together."

"You mean you'll figure it out, while the rest of us dick around..." Miyeon mutters, sending a sharp look towards her boyfriend and Jisung.

The only reason she doesn't look at Renjun is because he often joins Eunah while she's researching.

"I don't see you helping either," Jisung retorts, at which she pokes out her tongue.

"Let's... not fight in the mausoleum of a dead baby..." the Angel interjects, defusing the situation for the moment.

Having got the information they wanted, the group head back out into the graveyard, which is now bathed in the warm glow of sunset.
To the confusion of the others, Eunah kneels in the moist grass and places her hands together with her head lowered. She utters phrases they can't quite understand, which seem to be in Hebrew.

A golden aura travels from her feet upwards, lighting the ground beneath and forcing the others to step away to avoid being burnt. It grows brighter and brighter, almost blinding, before it explodes in a glittering swirl that ripples out across the graveyard– her pristine wings bursting from her back and fluffy hair floating around her head.

When she looks up, opening her eyes, the residents of Hell blink at her– the scene burned into their retinas.
Her eyes are no longer a soft honey, instead entirely vibrant gold with a faint wisp emanating from them.

Renjun can't help but stare, mouth agape, which Donghyuck gently closes for him.

The light slowly dies down, her hair returning to rest on her shoulders and hands lowering to her thighs. Her eyes fade back to normal, the Angel herself shaking her head free of the residual tingling sensation.

She gets to her feet, brushing down her dress which has a slight grass stain, and folds her wings away.

"What... did you just do...?" Jisung asks hesitantly, taking a slight step forward.

Startled, Eunah jolts.
"Oh– sorry, I– I probably should've warned you guys..."

"Probably, yeah."

"I blessed the grounds," she clarifies, noting the concerned looks she's getting.
"Not like that, it's still safe for everyone. I just– thought maybe their souls should be allowed to rest properly."

"How does that work?" Donghyuck asks, beginning to walk towards the gate with the group.

"There's different kinds of blessings," she replies, at the back with a suddenly quiet Renjun.
"The one you guys know, to cleanse evil and stuff, is the main one. But there's also ones that work directly with souls or the environment. Mine was a protective type of blessing, that lets the souls buried here rest without judgement."

"Judgement?"

She nods.
"Knowing what I do now... I want to make sure they're at peace, without the torment of Heaven's unfair judgement. I can't protect them fully, I'm nowhere near powerful enough for that, but all who're buried here should now have genuine peace."

"Sounds complicated..." he mumbles, rubbing the back of his neck.

"A little, but it's easy to learn."

Miyeon joins them moments later, linking arms with Donghyuck in order to talk to him– leaving just Renjun and Eunah at the back of the group now.

The Angel nudges him gently, which is enough to make him jump. She tilts her head, worried eyes scanning his sheepish expression.

"You okay? I didn't upset you, did I?"

"No, not– not at all," he stutters, avoiding her gaze.

This only serves to worry Eunah more, her inching closer while they walk until her hand slips into his. She rubs her thumb over his knuckles, wanting to comfort him like he did for her earlier.
He doesn't let go or say anything, but his shoulders relax so she figures it might be okay.

"C'mon, let's go home."

~~~~

Progress!

I know I'm focusing a bit more on Renjun's feelings than Eunah's right now, but I feel like he struggles more with expressing himself and she's kinda just waiting for that confirmation to pop up in her head.

Little spikes of emotion here and there aren't certain indicators of real attraction for her, she likes that concrete evidence. Kind of like her research, I guess.