On the search for clarity and justice, 20 year old Minji struggles to survive as an inexperienced Witch in a world of Mythical creatures and Supernatural beings. She learns quickly that she has to adapt and grow stronger to overcome the various thre...
I stayed frozen in place for a while, unsure of whether I was going crazy or not. I tried to breath and force myself to take a step but my body wouldn't function. I grew frustrated as I tried to calm myself down. Why do I shut down like prey when confronted with danger? I have no defense, I'm weak and pathetic. Why does he have to bring this emotion out of me? He's nothing.
I didn't notice I was crying until I began to hyperventilate. The dizziness finally causing my joints to release, and my body to collapse onto the cold damp ground. I grasped fistfuls of greenery as I attempted to calm my breathing and my racing heart. It was then I noticed the Moon shaped tattoo on my hand began to glow blue.
I've had the mark since a child, my mother used mana infused ink and incantation spells to create this built-in warning beacon. Mine was a moon, Sunji's was the sun. In case of emergency, either medical or physical, the marks glow, notifying the barer.
The dull blue light spiked another adrenaline rush, which got my limbs to finally respond. I quickly picked myself off the moss and sprinted out of the clearing, toward home.
I got to the river about a mile from the house before breaking. I leaned against a nearby tree while I caught my breath. Was mom alright? Sunji? Did something happen to them or do I still have time to save them?
"Minji?" an exasperated Sunji appeared on the other side of the river. I straightened and approached her desperately.
"Are you hurt? Is everything alright?" I questioned, assertively. She shook her head, her eyes looked distant. I looked her up and down then at our still glowing hands.
"The last time this happened was when we were in the city. When mom got robbed" Sunji said numbly. Our mother had been in town getting food for the week. She went down the wrong alley and was confronted by a man with a knife. We didn't know what happened, we just saw our marks glowing and wouldn't rest until Jinyoung brought us to her to make sure she was safe. She ended up with 12 stitches because of it.
We stared at each other, without even taking a breath, for a long moment. A wolf howling nearby yanked us from our shock. We hurried together to our house through the dark trees and thick brush. We jumped and dodged and tripped and fought our way through the dusk until we were finally able to see the familiar yellow glow of the house. Sunji took a timid breath before advancing through the trees, she stopped a few feet from the tree line before stumbling back. I lunged toward her, grabbing her before she could fall to the ground. Her skin was pale, more pale than my own, eyes wide and crazed. I lay her on her side and wrapped my flannel around her small frame. I couldn't tell if she was shaking from the frigid air or shock. That's when I heard it, the low rumble. I stood and looked toward the house only to see flames engulfing the entire property. The air caught in my throat, everything turned numb. My brain stopped working, the only thing on my mind, Mom. She was still in there, I knew she was. My feet moved before I could even comprehend what was happening. The flames licked up the siding of the house and heated my cheeks as I hastily approached the blaze. My pace quickened to a run and I held up my arms, as I smashed into the burning door.
It crumbled into timber easily as I rolled to the floor, grunting in pain. I kept low and squinted through the thick smoke, searching for any sign of my mother. I had to work quickly before the building caved in. The house was ransacked, objects strewn about, As if there was a large explosion. I dodged cracking beams and falling debris. Suddenly there was hacking and wheezing from the bedroom, hope filled my chest. I crawled to the door and kicked a few times but no luck. I slowly stood and braced myself as I thrusted my shoulder into the door, once, twice. It wouldn't budge.
The lack of oxygen starting to slow my movement, I bent over to take a couple shallow breaths before stepping back as far as the burning walls would let me. Then I ran full force through the bedroom door, hot compressed air burning any exposed skin, and slammed to the floor. The impact knocking the wind from my lungs. I gasped for a moment, my lungs were scorched from the heat and my body was weak. My eyes stung from the smoke, I tried and failed to open them. I managed to drag my body forward, feeling carefully around and following the faint sound of spastic wheezing. Finally I felt the soft, warm skin of her bare arm.
"Mom??" I croaked out, barely audible. I scrubbed my eyes and squinted through the tears rushing down my face, the only thing preventing my eyes from burning from the sockets. Pulling myself up, I grabbed my mom, ready to try to run as far as my fatigued body would take me. My mother grabbing my arm made me hesitate, I looked down worriedly and assessed her state. One arm wrapped around her crimson torso, the other grasping my arm tightly, her eyes were barely open and mouth agape, gasping for air. Her lungs rattled as she beckoned me closer, I held my breath as I anticipated her inevitable goodbye.
She raised a shaky hand to my face and gently held it while mumbling something I couldn't make out. I dropped my head closer while she struggled to inhale.
"Don't worry about me,- Please just take care of your sister. There are dangerous people out there, Demons - will charm you, don't trust them. They thirst for our power. " She choked out between gasps. I struggled to respond, as my vocal cords were burned.
"How..? I can't..-" She shook her head and patted my cheek.
"You will be the most powerful of us all. You - will precede even myself. You HAVE to be strong enough. – And I know you will be, I'm so proud of you." She cried, smiling sadly at me. I sniffled and watched as her eyes dimmed and her hand dropped to the floor. The vague sound of her raspy breathing finally silent. I released the breath I was holding and sobbed into her neck, pulling her closer. I head the buzzing inferno, smoldering behind me and lumber falling to the ground like thunder. I felt my head get faint and everything around me get fuzzy.
I suddenly felt a strong, cool breeze fill the room, I assumed the roof collapsed at last. Then a long pair of arms engulfed me from behind, attempting to yank me from the room. I tried to resist and fight my captor, to no avail. I kicked and squirmed, feeling pathetic and helpless, I opened my eyes again and we were suddenly outside.
"We're here to help" the deep, calm, caramel voice mumbled in my ear, momentarily stunning me as he gently placed me on the grass next to Sunji. I inhaled deeply, the oxygen igniting my throat. I sat, gulping as much air as I could, trying to find my bearings. My vision continued to blur and my head was swimming as if I was drunk. I tried to raise my head to identify the figures rushing around us but my body was weak and my consciousness was failing me. I strained to climb to my wobbly feet once again, feeling the familiar comfort of darkness encasing myself. I was finally too feeble to combat this, and let my body crumble to the ground. Expecting to face the hard ground, I instead felt the warm embrace of strong arms catching me before I fainted.
A/N: Here's some last minute reference pics to help you visualize cause I suck at details. (This is my first published story bear with me pls)
Choi House(prefire):
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Minij's hand tattoo:
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