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“And then the moon
like to a silver bow
new-bent in heaven."
ㅡWilliam Shakespeare
If Jeno so much as groans one more time, Jaemin won’t hesitate to push him off of his horse. Gently. Just as a warning.
They’ve been travelling for almost a week now, having passed through at least ten villages. Jaemin knew the journey would be arduous and difficult but their current state reveals to him that he may have overestimated the... capabilities of his current party. Of course, Jeno and Mark are on a league of their own and Jaemin knows better than to question their strength. They can take on a lot of damage even without the reassurance of mana and health potions but the others in his party can’t. Jaemin may have placed too much trust in them even before he knew what they were capable of.
Over the course of their journey, they had crossed several bridges and bridges meant only one thing: Trolls. The bridge they had just passed proved to be more dangerous than the others, their battle resulting in multiple injuries, healing disruptions, and with their mana levels dropping—especially Jeno’s.
Their party is on the brink of fraying; they’re all exhausted and wounded. Jaemin, for one, is both of those and more. They lost almost half of their supplies during the battle and they’re losing health with every step they take. It’s not the most ideal situation.
Jaemin is no stranger to his failures and he has to make it past this particular one. He has to or else the party breaks and the mission is lost, staining the guild’s spotless reputation. This mission is the most important task he’s been given so far. He knows he can’t afford to slip up but he’s feeling miserable and annoyed and every unpleasant noise is making him tick, from the incessant squawking of the dark Obsidian crows along the road to the discordantly sporadic groans from the male beside him. Jaemin understands Jeno’s pain, he really does, but his sighs are pushing him further off the edge.
He’s about to command the party to stop and rest for awhile so he can venture for possible trading stalls further down the path when Mark’s horse sidles up beside his. He wastes no time in responding.
“What is it?” He asks, hopefully not unkindly.
Mark raises an eyebrow, indicating that there was a sharp edge to Jaemin’s tone. Jaemin quickly mumbles an apology and runs his hand through his hair, tugging on a few strands to remind himself to get a grip. Mark shakes his head while waving his hand in front of his face in a no-problem gesture and promptly procures a map from thin air. He sidles up closer, showing Jaemin the map and despite the rocky road, they maintain a steady trek.
“We’re almost to a small village,” Mark says, pointing to a spot on the map near their current location. The map is magickal and allows a real-time update of their journey. The glowing red horse marker represents their party and Jaemin observes as it nears a little hut symbol. Jaemin knits his eyebrows in confusion and turns to Mark.
‘’Has it always been there?” He asks, eyes wide. Jaemin had seen the map prior to their adventure but he doesn’t recall seeing the small hut icon on this part of the map. He’d only focused on the capital villages, one of which was their last stop before the Onyx Woods. He looks back at the map and spots the big green hut symbol that marks the next capital villages on their planned route. They’re a long way from where the green hut is. He hums thoughtfully. A small village just when they needed it the most? What a blessing.
“Apparently. I didn’t see it at first either but thankfully, one of the sage assistants heightened the clarity of the map. I’m guessing it’s a quick stopover site, probably overlooked by most adventurers,” Mark says and shrugs before folding the map and waving it away back to wherever with the use of magick. “Anyway, it would do us well to stop and rest, replenish our resources and prepare.”
Jaemin originally didn’t want to stop for more than a day after he found out that they were two days behind schedule. The recent bridge battle alone had taken them half a day to clear.
He’s crossed forests much like the Onyx Tangle Woods more times than anyone in his current party has, which, considering their size, is quite troubling. Honestly, Jaemin should’ve known they would need more help, maybe more preparation before starting their mission because of how large their party is and how unfamiliar they are of each other. They’re huge for a party: a paladin, a guardian, a ranger, a priest, four sage assistants, and the powerful sage. To ensure maximum success, a party should generally only hold around five to seven people; to carry more would dampen the success rate. Regretfully, this was an oversight on his part.
And this oversight really had cost him. However, if there was one expectation that was fulfilled, it was the strength and vigor of his friends. Jeno and Mark were as powerful as ever and Jaemin owes the success of the latest battle to their unwavering strength. They’re skilled, nearly legends in their own right but they’re not immortal. They need rest. They all do.
Jaemin was about to agree when Mark places a hand on his shoulder.
“Jaemin, they aren’t us. We can handle the journey without restocking...probably,” Mark reasons albeit poorly and gestures to the others in their party. “But they can’t. We have to stay for a night or two.”
Mark probably thought Jaemin would disagree. If the mission wasn’t so important, he would actually take the risk. But the gravity of this particular task is daunting and Jaemin knows he shouldn’t. And Mark is right—their other companions aren’t like him or Mark or Jeno. Who knows what would happen if none of them got any proper rest.
“I wasn’t going to disagree, Mark. Jeez,” Jaemin laughs as Mark releases his hold on his shoulder with a smile and a roll of his eyes. “You’re right, as usual. We all need to rest. Go and inform the sage that we’re stopping at the small village.”
Mark gives him a two-finger salute before moving to the carriage at the back of the party to inform the great sage’s assistants.
Jaemin really should start considering the other people in his party. If push comes to shove, the great sage would probably be fine but the others won’t. He was so used to travelling with his other guild members that he forgot about his current party members and the significance of this mission.
They’re travelling with a sage who shot up through the ranks just recently, his newfound fame partially based on the fact that nobody knew who he was or where he came from prior to the incident that led to his promotion. It was a few months ago that a nameless plague struck about a dozen outlying towns in the Western Region. The plague nearly wiped out the entire populace of several towns but because of the unprecedented appearance of the sage, the plague was promptly eliminated. Until now, the methods that the mysterious mage had used to eradicate the disease remains unknown, his methods said to have been unfamiliar.
The king, upon hearing of the entire ordeal, immediately requested the sage to be escorted to the Capital City to be honored. He had also bestowed the sage a seat in his Circle of Advisors—if the sage would have it. This was a royal mission, a mission of utmost relevance given to his guild simply because they were the best of the best. And he was chosen to carry it out because he was one of their most powerful leaders. He wasn’t about to let his guild or his king down.
Jaemin clutches the reigns of his horse even tighter, trudging forward on the dirt path leading to the next village.
As expected, it was a quaint village. A simple agricultural hamlet spattered with beautiful Moonshine Willows and gigantic Appletune Oaks. There were several ponds teeming with Emeraldite snappers and Gemdune Oysters, their loud splashes making it hard to ignore their abundance.
The villagers had welcomed their party with open mouths and glittering eyes. It seems that they rarely get travelers and when they do, it was never this time of the year. They were approaching winter and as such, the sun rarely comes out to extinguish the lingering Moon Dust in the air. The high amounts of Moon Dust heavily impact dark elemental creatures, especially those in the Onyx Woods. It’s during this time that the creatures in the Woods like the Onyxtine Wolves and the Onyxion Furies become even larger and powerful. Since the town is near the edge of the huge expanse that is the Onyx Woods—yet not quite near the entrance to the path Jaemin and his party are supposed to pass through—some of these elemental creatures would wander into town and wreak havoc.
Jaemin wonders whether the overabundance of the Moon Dust in the Woods is one of the reasons why the mission was done by special selection. Of course, the sage had requested for his own people—the assistants and the priest. Truthfully, it made things difficult, made some sort of power imbalance in the party, but who were they to deny the request of such an esteemed figure, venerated by the king and possibly even blessed by the Moon herself?
“Thank Luna!” Jeno exclaims when they enter their shared room in the only inn the small village had to offer. Jaemin rolls his eyes good-naturedly and smiles as he watches Jeno jump onto the bed in unabashed glee.
“It’s Mark you should be thanking and the sage assistants,” Jaemin says as he lowers himself onto his own bed, feeling his muscles loosen and his mana and health slowly recover. “I initially didn’t want to stop but your groans were getting really loud it made me almost push you off of your horse. So, I caved in. To save our friendship and the mission. You should be thankful you got me as the leader.”
Jeno raises his head to shoot him an annoyed look. “Look, it wasn’t my fault that the priest dropped his satchel along the way! He lost almost half of our mana and health potions! He endangered the entire party and the mission! I really don’t understand why we couldn’t have some of our supplies in the carriage.”
“I suppose that was a very regretful decision," Jaemin says, nodding solemnly. It was by the great sage’s instruction that all the mana and health potions were to be carried by the priest and the priest only. Jaemin couldn’t say no even with his position as their party leader.
“I had to take on continuous smashes from fifteen Opaline Trolls all by myself!” Jeno huffs, plopping down on the bed once again. “I know that’s the reason why I’m here, guardian tank and all, but still! Wonder why the great sage didn’t warn us about that battle. Surely, he would know, right? He probably would know about that stupid priest and his stupid object impermanence too.”
“You do know that the great sage isn’t supposed to exhaust himself during this trip, right?” Mark chimes in from the doorway, holding a jar of water and a wooden cup. “He’s supposed to save the huge pool of mana he’s currently gathering for when he meets the king. After all, he’s gonna be tasked to meet the Moon and the Star spirits himself by the king’s orders and stuff like that.”
“Really?” Jeno’s jaw goes slack, as if this had never occurred to him before. Granted, it hadn’t occurred to Jaemin as well before but after reading the full mission primer, he understood perfectly. Sages are a different class all on their own, every one of them idiosyncratic in their own way. The fact that Jeno is surprised means that he hasn’t read the primer yet. Jaemin isn’t really surprised. “That is quite...astounding.”
Mark voices his agreement and then sits down on his own bed on the other side of the room.
“Jeno, I shouldn’t be allowing you this much since you just revealed to me how little you’ve read of the mission primer,” Jaemin says, watching Jeno as he rubs the back of his neck and looks away from Jaemin while whistling softly, “but as your best friend, I suggest you take the entire day off. No using of mana whatsoever. Just stay in bed. All day.”
“Aw, Nana,” Jeno clutches his chest, his eyes wide open and his lips in a pout. “You’re so adorable. I’m so touched.”
Jaemin pointedly ignores him, plastering a blank look on his face before continuing, “I can call the priest to put a special recovery spell on you. It will help you regain your mana twice as fast.”
“Wait, Jaem,” Mark says, effectively stopping Jaemin from rising from his position on the bed. “How about I go do that? The assistants asked me to help in gathering some of the supplies and apparently, the great sage requested that you get some of them. I looked at the list and found out why. The sage is one scary man.”
Jaemin furrows his eyebrows and watches as Mark shudders. “Me? But why? What about the sage assistants?”
“They’re assisting the sage," Mark answers simply, his eyes unblinking as if that explanation alone is enough.
And it is.
Jaemin sighs, resigned, and runs his fingers through his pink hair in mild annoyance. He takes time to strip his armor, feeling his body lighten and slightly weaken. He’s left in his silk tunic, brown pants, and a dark navy cowl cape he had grabbed from his satchel. He wraps it around his head and shoulders to keep him warm. All ready to go, he approaches Mark with an outstretched hand.
“Fine, let me see the list.”
Jaemin now understands why he had to be the one to obtain some of the supplies. The list of items the sage assistant had given to Mark for him to procure were heavily magicked, something that Jaemin has had an affinity with ever since he was born. Of course as a ranger, Mark was just as gifted with magick like him but Mark has a quirk: he has difficulty managing the sudden influx of magick in magicked items when he carries them. This is is why he specializes in gateway magick, a magick that allows him to store items in a pocket of time in his surroundings, mostly in trees and in lakes. For Jaemin, however, the amount of magick doesn’t matter and it’s not just because he’s a paladin. Magick just came to him naturally, flows like a river in his veins and beats like a heart in his system.
According to the list, he had to get Shadow Banning runes—magick-imbued stones that will help them fend off wielders of dark elemental magick; Agua Moonshine drops— droplets of rain said to be the Moon’s tears, puddles of which are usually found near locations favored by the Moon (like Moon Berry shrubs, cat houses, etc.), which grants the user immunity for a certain amount of time depending on the potency; palm-sized Moon Berry packets with crushed Moon Berry seeds that, when thrown, will unleash a strong powder that will temporarily immobilize creatures of the dark; and pickled Luna Grass, Mark’s favorite herb to chew on from time to time which keeps migraines and stomachaches at bay, effectively steadying mana levels.
Judging by the items, the sage had lent the party a helping hand. The runes, drops, and packets are probably meant to ease their journey along the Woods and were chosen specifically for certain situations the sage had seen they would have trouble handling. Maybe the sage had felt guilty for the last battle.
One way or another, Jaemin’s thankful and yet, he can’t help a sliver of doubt creep up on him. These are all high-grade items. Jaemin doubts that they’d be able to get all the items on the list in this tiny obscure village but he tries anyway. If the sage is as powerful as they say he is then he would’ve seen that they were available in this village.
He asks eager villagers on the street for a magick shop and thanks them for treating his party so well. Jaemin finds out later on that his guild has a bit of a following in this village, tales of their famous guild adventures sung during night parties over a raging bonfire. Jaemin was surprised, flattered, and extremely humbled. He promises to tell his other guild members about this when he gets back from the mission.
After half an hour of inquiring and indulging excited villagers by showing them his “famous” longsword, he finally comes across a small girl who lives near “a shop with pretty colors and weird sounds”. Jaemin asks for directions and the girl guides him personally.
It’s right on the edge of the village, a stone’s throw away from a stone bridge that Jaemin figures will lead them to the wide plains where the next capital village is located.
Jaemin thanks the little girl and fetches a magickal red Roseteria flower from his pack which, when shaken, will release dainty pink-colored sparks in the shape of butterflies. It’s a treasure he had acquired through a Guild Raid but with Jaemin’s current skill level, he can probably get another one through the Capital City Magick Market. The girl’s eyes light up and she zooms away, giggling while aggressively shaking the magickal flower. Jaemin chuckles softly at the sight and turns to trudge down the dirt trails leading to what looks to be an oddly shaped hut.
He approaches the shop, finding the structure a tad whimsical, peculiar in its shape and coloring. The shop was circular with no rough edges and just refined curvatures. The wooden walls were a soft cream, luminous in its light shade. It looked like the Moon, sunken deep in the ground with only half of it jutting out.
As he comes closer, he feels a slight tug in his gut. Curious, he reaches out to touch the wooden walls. He lets his hand rest on the surface and almost immediately upon contact, a small light appears underneath his palm. He feels his blood rush and once he gets enough of the feeling, he pulls his hand away, surprised and strangely endeared when glowing spore-like particles stick to his fingers. Jaemin hums, expecting as much, the slight tug in his gut now turning into a steady beating.
Magick. And copious amounts of them.
The shop was alive with magick and he could feel it seeping through the off-white walls. It seems like Jaemin came to the right place.
Jaemin reaches out one more time to push the door open, the glowing spores now dancing across his forearm, but before he could touch the door, it opens inwardly by itself.
Despite having only entertained two customers for the entire month, Renjun is tired. Somehow, he remains perpetually tired regardless of the workload. He reckons it must be the weather, the calm autumn now teetering dangerously into the somber winter.
Maybe it’s the high levels of Moon Dust in the air? Renjun doesn’t quite understand it yet. People say he’s liked by the Moon, having been born during a Full Winter Moon and having been blessed with soft platinum Moontile grey hair. But if he was really blessed by the Magnanimous Moon, wasn’t he supposed to feel stronger during the winter?
Renjun’s a mage and he knows a lot about magick and anything to do with the cosmos—except for the Moon. He doesn’t have the extraordinary abilities to understand the Moon like a sage does and he doesn’t dare to claim to know everything about the Moon. Knowledge of the Great Moon is as elusive as it is physically unreachable.
Psh! Stronger, yeah right, he scoffs inwardly as he blows his nose into the nearest piece of cloth he can find. Great, he’s coming down with a cold.
He’s about to throw the cloth away when he feels a tingling sensation on the tip of his nose. He suddenly wrinkes his nose and peers down at the grimy cloth, groaning when he spots the unmistakable red soot from a custom rune order made with Garnetian pebbles. His luck is really...He hopes it doesn’t cause him to cough out fire...
Renjun thinks for awhile, debating whether he should drink a blue Aquamarinette herb to prevent any fire tornadoes or just let it be since he’s too lazy to get up from the counter. After a few seconds, he concludes it’s not worth the risk. He loves his home too much to take any chances.
He was about to head to the Apothecary cupboard when he feels a tingling situation in his temples.
A customer.
Renjun groans again, unable to stop himself from falling over his table in exasperation. The tingling sensation heightens, as it does when a customer draws nearer, and Renjun all but whines, forcing his body to straighten. He reaches into a cupboard and clicks his tongue once he realizes he probably misplaced his comb somewhere.
However, a few seconds later, his comb along with a few herbs that would temporarily hold down his cold magickally appears right beside his hand. He must be feeling frantic deep down, his magick levels going haywire because of his approaching cold, worrying the magick that courses through and suffuses the shop. The shop is breathing with his magic, a permanent spell that required a major cut of his mana to cast and requires reinforcement spells once in a while to maintain its form. It's an anthropomorphic enchantment that starts off slow before it finally reaches self-awarenessㅡ a ball of disjointed traits that proliferates into a solid personality in time. Renjun likes to believe this spell was of his own making, though it has no basis since he hasn't left home in a long time in fear of his shop suddenly collapsing in his absence.
Renjun feels a spike of fear at that thought and shakes his head, sending warm waves throughout the shop. Seems like he's not as courageous as he thinks he is.
He thanks the magick for their help before ingesting some of the herbs and combing his hair in order to look more presentable.
After a few brushes, he conjures a reflective surface and checks his appearance. His nose is still red, his cheeks the color of burnt Kunziterian peaches, and the dark circles under his eyes put the Onyx Woods to shame. He hangs his head in defeat, his hair falling haphazardly over his head no matter how many times he had fixed them to stay in place.
The tingling sensation is back but has now become a steady thrumming. Renjun sighs, fully giving up and places the comb on his desk. As expected, the comb immediately disappears to whatever cupboard the magick deems appropriate. He tugs at his hair, the tips of which slightly fall over his ears and lightly touch his shoulders.
Renjun hears footsteps and feels the magick bounce around, suddenly tangible and alive. Renjun eyebrows shoot up in pleasant surprise. His magick is living and breathing and gets giddy when encountering strong pools of magick. It normally sizzles like a will-o-wisp, small yet burning, when it meets his customers who are mostly locals without high levels of magick. So Renjun is surprised when his magick all but dances, twirls around like erratic winds at sea beating against unsuspecting sails.
The customer is fast approaching and Renjun feels the air simmer down to an effervescent calm like Solis spores exposed to rain, wrought with magick and a silent, subdued power.
Renjun turns in time to lock eyes with the customer and he feels the air squeeze to halt for a split second before calming down again to a stable thrumming. Renjun’s stomach drops like a falling border.
The customer is well-built but not too bulky. He has a navy blue-colored cowl around his head and shoulders that should hide his features but because of the Moon spores gently cradling his entire person, Renjun can see the sharp lines of his face and the cool lavender Amethystian tones of his eyes. There’s a quiet vivacity to his aura, present in his countenance which tells Renjun that he’s strong and skilled at what he does. Renjun reckons he’s either a guardian or a paladin judging by the longsword hanging around his waist.
The traveler is also quite a handsome fellow. Renjun has to be blinded by Terra dust spores to not see that. He inwardly sighs, suddenly conscious of his haggard appearance. Renjun’s supposed Moon Luck is nonexistent, he figures. Well. Whatever. It’s not like he’s looking to impress anyone nowadays. With that thought in mind, he quickly composes himself.
“Welcome, traveller,” he says, watching the customer come closer. The newcomer snaps out of his composed mien. He suddenly seems to be unsure of his footing and keeps on fiddling with the hilt of his sword. Renjun’s eyes narrow in suspicion, feeling a slight annoyance creep up on him. Maybe...
He fixes the traveler with what he hopes is a bright welcoming smile—well, as bright as his cold would allow—and continues, “Are you perhaps lost?”
This is just great. He had worked himself up on the wrong problem, worrying about his appearance instead of a more pressing matter: not earning enough to get by winter, which seems inevitable given that the stranger in front of him looks like he’s about to high-tail it out of his shop. This is not the first time that strangers come into his shop just for curiosity's sake. Renjun can take this rejection but he can’t help but get slightly annoyed at the false hope this adventurer brought him. Great, just great. Whoever said that being born during a Full Winter Moon would grant the child greater luck during the winter is a fraud.
Renjun continues smiling, hoping it doesn’t look like a grimace and hoping that he’s not showing any signs of annoyance. The traveller stares back, still fiddling with the hilt of his sword and just when Renjun was about to open his mouth to repeat the question, the traveller clamps his hand around the hilt of his sword with a loud Clang! and shoots Renjun a wide grin. The whiplash in character sends Renjun mentally reeling. How annoying.
“Quite the opposite, really,” the adventurer says breezily, so trance-like and so brazenly delighted that the spores around his body jump and gleam even brighter. “If anything, I’m found.”
Renjun furrows his eyebrows, the side of his lips upturning in barely concealed disgust. “Excuse me?”
The adventurer’s smile dwindles a little before it lights his face up again. Like a flickering flame. If Renjun wasn’t so sick, he’d feel guilty for being too harsh with the customer but as it is, Renjun’s having trouble breathing properly and he’s trying so hard to keep himself from scratching his nose. To put it simply: he feels like an absolute wreck.
Oh! But he’s a wreck who needs to make money by being kind to potential customers. Right. Yes. Renjun can work with that.
Renjun takes a deep breath. He needs to focus and needs to be more welcoming, warm like the summer he won’t be experiencing soon. He still has to live through winter and if the adventurer isn’t toying with him, he’s here to buy some items. Hopefully.
"I apologize," Renjun starts, cool and calm.
The customer's smile grows wider and he shakes his head. The spores subsequently react, as if sensing a change in his aura. They dance back to life, nearly hitting the traveller in the eyes.
Renjun visibly flinches when the male in front of him gently cradles the spores away from his face while chuckling deeply. Renjun’s heart swells whenever someone plays with his magic like that, as if they were old friends meeting again for the first time in a long timeㅡ with faux exasperation concealing deep fondness. His heart clenches in an emotion he's too afraid to name, too cowardly to acknowledge.
The way his chest hurts must be because of his cold.
"For being so rude and for the," Renjun continues and gestures toward the spores around the traveller, "for, well, my magick. We don't get visitors very often so they like clinging to any source or magick they can get."
Renjun ends his speech with gritted teeth. He was aiming for a smile but it came out as a grimace. Renjun's proud. Too proud, as his friend would always like to add. If he could hate someone just based on their disastrous first meeting, he would go through great lengths to sustain that feeling. He doesn't like that part of him that much and he's seriously trying to tone it down but on top of this infuriating cold and the not-so-nice first impression this customer gave him, he’s finding it hard to invest in the energy to be as welcoming as he can.
"It's fine," the customer says, finally letting his cowl cape down and exposing Renjun to the striking sight of his pink hair. It takes all of Renjun’s willpower to not stare. "I'm kinda used to it by now."
Renjun just nods silently, not wanting the stranger to share information he doesn't want to. He bites his lip from force of habit, ignoring the way the customer flicks his eyes down to follow the movement of his lips and ignoring the way his already red cheeks flush even more.
"What would you like to buy?" Renjun says, thanking the Moon and her greatness that his voice doesn't tremble.
The customer jumps, seemingly as flustered as Renjun. "Oh, yes. Right. Here you go."
He hands the list he got from his satchel to Renjun. Renjun takes it gingerly, careful not to brush his fingers across the other's skin. Some spores around the customer's palm transfer onto Renjun's.
Renjun peers over it, tapping his fingers unconsciously against the wooden counter. He hums as he scans the list. Renjun's more than surprised. The items listed on the list are high-grade items. Travellers don’t normally buy these items, especially from a small town magic shop like his. He breathes easy, heart unclenching once he realizes that he can visit the Market to buy food supplies soon.
“We have all of them," Renjun tells the traveller and finally shoots him a genuine smile, too happy and too thankful. If the traveller was surprised at the display, he didn’t show it and instead just closes his eyes to sigh in relief.
“You’re quite lucky,” Renjun can’t help but add as he grabs the scroll containing the inventory of the shop. “This is the first time these items have been requested from this shop so I have more than enough.”
“It’s less of luck and more of magick, actually. I don’t dare claim the credit," the traveller grins handsomely, charming in his delivery. Renjun’s heart skips a beat at the boyish grin.
“Is that so?” Renjun replies, feeling a bit courageous. Oh no. Maybe it’s the Garnetian-infused runes.
“I’m just a humble paladin. What am I compared to a revered sage?” The traveler replies with a dramatic flourish, placing his palm on his chest in an exaggerated manner, smooth and playful. The traveller is a paladin, as expected. The sage bit, however, captures Renjun in surprise.
“Sage?” Renjun asks, his eyes wide. “Are you travelling with a sage?”
The traveler just nods in response, unsure of what to say.
“We don’t get many adventurers here, much less a sage," Renjun explains as he finishes fixing the inventory.
“So I’ve heard," the paladin nods grimly, the playfulness now gone.
“We’re a small town, if you can’t already tell. We’re barely on maps,” Renjun smiles back, not really finding being so obscure such a bad thing. If there’s one negative thing, though, it’d be the fact that income is slow. Otherwise, it’s quiet and quaintㅡ just how he likes it.
“I know,” the paladin says. “Stopping by this town was as unexpected as it was necessary.”
“I see,” Renjun nods before snapping his fingers, the scroll immediately disappearing. “Must’ve been a rough journey?”
Renjun doesn’t know what’s driving him to engage the paladin in a conversation but he has to admit, talking to someone that he didn’t grow up with or someone he doesn’t see on a weekly basis is refreshing. Donghyuck is right, he needs to go out more.
“Rough is an understatement,” the paladin laughs. It’s a pleasant sound, like Solis bells in the wind. The spores seem to think the same, jumping and bumping into each other. “We lost half of our supplies and our guardian is going to need the entire day to restore his health and mana.”
“If you’re staying the night, you can pick up your items tomorrow, if you’d like,” Renjun offers, not forgetting to be considerate. If the paladin had more important work to do, he can get the items just before they leave the town.
“No,” the paladin says a bit too quickly. Renjun’s eyebrows shoot upwards as the paladin clears his throat, likewise surprised about his speedy reply. “It’s-it’s fine. I can wait. No rush at all.”
Then he shoots the mage another one of his blinding smiles. Renjun ignores the flutters in his stomach and nods at the paladin before excusing himself to go to the backroom to fetch the items.
Jaemin's heart rarely quivers in front of monsters, knees rarely tremble at the face of death, and yet a small smile from a grey-haired mage is enough to send his heart aflutter. It's a strange yet pleasant feeling.
When he first saw the mage, Jaemin had almost lost his footing, hand clutching the hilt of his longsword for some semblance of balance. He didn’t even care to notice the black circles under the mage’s eyes and his red nose and red cheeks.
If Moon Luck was real, this encounter would certainly be its manifestation.
Jaemin watches the mage move to the backroom and when the other is out of his sight, he slumps onto the wooden counter, feeling his cheeks and ears warm. He didn’t know what got to him, saying cringey lines like he’s “found” when the mage asked if he was lost. Jaemin’s relatively famous and he gets a little friendly at times so he’s more than used to talking to people he might be interested in. He’s naturally composed, confident in the way he carries himself and in his interactions with other people.
But the encounter with the mage is unprecedented, completely unexpected, enough to throw him off his course. Call him dramatic but seeing the mage had left him breathless, speechless, and utterly captivated. He’s never felt like this towards anyone before so he feels like he’s wading in shallow watersㅡ feels like he’s losing control of his emotions. They’re all over the place.
It’s taking the mage a long while to get the items and judging by the sounds of floorboards creaking, objects dropping, and metal clanging, Jaemin figures he won’t be coming out soon. Not that he minds or anything. Jaemin wasn’t lying when he said he could wait and so he picks himself up, the spores hopping back onto his shoulders and head, and starts walking around the shop.
The shop is as alluring inside as it is on the outside. Its exterior may look like the moon, pale and otherworldly, but its interior is the complete opposite. The inside of the shop is warm and earthy with bookshelves full of thick dog-eared books, strange plants on poles and raised ledges and with bizarre trinkets spattering empty spaces.
Jaemin approaches a bookshelf with royal blue leather-bound books. He reaches out towards a particularly worn-out looking one and widens his eyes when the gold markings of the book glow like the Solis. His hand hovers above the spine of the book in hesitation and after a split decision, decides against taking the book out. The glow dies down when he retracts his hand.
He moves on and stretches his hand, feeling a pool of magick dancing in his palm. Passing by books of the same golden engravings and casually tinkering with the strange artifacts, he finally stops in front of a dark violet curtain. The air surrounding the curtain is odd, the magick around it tight and tense. Jaemin feels an unpleasant tingle at the bottom of his spine and he’s about to move away when he hears a voice.
“Traveller?”
The mage is back.
Jaemin turns around just in time to feel the air around him fluctuate and crackle. He turns back to the curtain expecting the sizzling magick to come from the strange curtain, but is perplexed when he finds it gone. The area where the curtain used to be is suddenly covered with plants and dusty books on stools. Jaemin knits his eyebrows together in confusion.
“Traveller? What are you doing back here?” The mage says while looking at Jaemin with narrowed eyes, curious yet suspicious. Jaemin quickly turns to face the mage.
“Just looking around. You have...an interesting array of books and trinkets,” Jaemin comments despite having only casually glanced at the said books and trinkets. He caresses an iridescent crystal ball to prove his point and in his carelessness, uses more force than what is necessary. In a flash, he lurches forward to chase the falling ball and reaches his hands out just in time to catch it.
Jaemin’s breathing so fast, his heart thumping rapidly it almost hurts. Jaemin shakily takes a deep breath and cradles the ball in his arms. The ball vibrates violently in his hands, as if it knew how close it had gotten to being turned into dust. He’s still catching his breath, frightened at the prospect of causing any destruction to the peaceful abode of the beautiful mage when he catches the other’s eyes. He quickly looks away and clears his throat awkwardly while gingerly putting the ball back on the shelf.
“Woops. Sorry about that. Ha ha," He laughs nervously and pats the vibrating ball for good effect.
The mage furrows his eyebrowsㅡin anger or amusement, Jaemin doesn’t knowㅡbefore turning away to let out an amused snort. Jaemin looks on, bemused yet enchanted, as the mage’s shoulders shake in silent laughter. Jaemin feels his cheeks heat up and clears his throat again to try to dispel any awkwardness in the air. The spores clinging onto his shoulders and neck gleam sporadically, as if in alarm, one with his silent panic.
His back still turned away, the mage takes a deep breath. Jaemin runs his fingers through his hair as the mage turns to him with bright eyes.
“It’s okay. Some of the artifacts and books here are actually for saㅡ” the mage stops mid sentence and heaves a deep breath in preparation for a sneeze. Everything slows down for a minute as the mage’s face contorts to a look of panic and as Jaemin feels a tingle down his spine, a faint scent of burning wood just under his nose.
Oh no.
His senses on high alert, Jaemin unsheathes his longsword just in time for the plume of smoke to spill out from the mage’s mouth. Fire meets metal and within the next second, the blaze disappears in a flash of light. Jaemin takes a deep breath and watches as smoke rises from the broad end of his sword, the fire now contained and extinguished in its metal.
The mage looks ragged and distressed, sweat coating his forehead. He looks like he’s about to vomit and Jaemin scrambles around to look for some sort of bin to give to him. His eyes zero in on an empty pot and he’s about to get it when a blue herb magickally appears under the mage’s nose, effectively calming him down.
The mage takes deep breaths, all the while inhaling the herb and bit by bit, the herb loses its blue hue. Jaemin’s heartbeat calms down to a steady pace. He approaches the mage just in time to catch the falling herb, now brown and dry and devoid of its healing properties.
“I-I apologize,” the mage says in between deep breaths, tucking his hair behind his ears to allow the cool air to fan his face and neck. He raises his wrists to pat the down his sweat with his sleeves.
“I inhaled a bit of Garnetian dust by accident and forgot to take some Aquamarinette herbs immediately. I apologize,” The mage’s voice sounds heavy, guilt tinting his voice. The mage looks more calm now, his breathing coming in slowly but steadily and his face gaining some of its color back.
“It’s fine,” Jaemin says softly, sheathing his word when the smoke finally dissipates.
“No, it’s not. I can’t believe I almost burned down my house and you,” the mage says disdainfully, nearly slumping to the floor. Jaemin jerks forward but the mage maintains his footing at the last second.
“It’s really fine. I’ve been through worse," Jaemin grins at the mage assuringly and it widens when the mage returns a small smile. “Hey, it’s really okay. Don’t worry about it.”
“Alright," the mage sniffs and then abruptly slaps his palms to his cheeks. Jaemin’s lips quirk upwards at the action. Cute.
The mage’s cheeks turn even redder but somehow the action had made him more focused. “I would still like to properly apologize for endangering you and to thank you for saving me.”
“It’s honestly fine, you don’t have to do anything.”
“If you say ‘it’s fine’ one more time,” the mage mutters under his breath in exasperation and mild desperation. Jaemin catches it and only smiles wider, not at all put out by the mage’s remark. He finds the mage’s easily irritable attitude quite charming.
“Please,” the mage continues this time in a louder tone, unyielding and gives Jaemin a levelled stare, silently pleading the other to give in. Jaemin’s breath catches in his throat and he easily caves. The mage should know that Jaemin finds it hard to say no to him.
“Okay.”
He follows the mage back to the counter and spots the items he ordered on top of it. The mage circles the counter and stops in front of the two steaming cups beside the bundles.
The mage stares at them before letting out a pleased hum. He pushes one of the cups towards Jaemin.
“Here, have some tea. Seems like the shop wanted to thank you for saving it,” the mage looks down at his cup and frowns. “Solistella Tea? Seriously? The shop seems to be mad at me...”
As if in agreement, the light in the shop dims down and Jaemin feels the spores around him crackle as if on fire.
The mage just waves his hand and says to no one in particular, “Alright, alright. I’ll be careful next time.”
The light returns to normal and the spores go silent. The mage shakes his head and smiles, noticing the sudden appearance of a piece of triangular bread next to his cup.
Jaemin watches the interaction with amusement and fascination. The mage catches him staring and looks down.
“Is it strange?” The mage asks sheepishly.
Jaemin tilts his head in confusion.“What is?”
“Me. Talking to the shop,” the mage gestures around him. Jaemin looks around the shop once again, aware of the lush plants and the abundant power and magick stored in every corner of the room. He feels the air breathe and puff, whistle and hum. The shop is so very alive. It’s captivating.
“No? I mean. Magick is magick,” Jaemin answers, truthfully, honestly, and absolutely without any judgement. It’s a sufficient answer. Magick comes in different forms and interacts with the cosmos in varying ways. There’s nothing too ‘strange’ when it comes to magick. Well, to Jaemin at least.
The mage just stares at him while absentmindedly chewing on his lower lip. Jaemin tries not to look but fails, his eyes traitorously falling down to the other’s lips.
“That’s,” the mage starts and Jaemin quickly snaps his eyes back up, “straightforward and simple.”
Jaemin doesn’t know what to say. Was what he said wrong? Suddenly he feels his chest constrict.
“Thanks, I guess," the mage rubs the back of his neck and Jaemin relaxes. “For not being weird about... all of this.” He gestures around the shop again weakly.
“It’s nothing you should be thanking me for,” Jaemin says with a smile and decides to take his honesty home. “If anything, I find the shop interesting. It’s so alive with magickㅡ”
He fixes his eyes on the mage’s. The mage catches his stare and holds it.
“It’s kind of breathtaking.”
They hear creaking, the wind blowing a harmonious tune, and finally, a book dropping. Both boys are knocked out of their stupor and the light shifts intermittently around the shop. The mage regains composure first.
“I think the shop just blushed,” the mage cracks a grin and he reaches out to take a piece of the triangular bread and yelps when it suddenly disappears.
“Hey!” The mage chides and the light shifts once more. When the bread doesn’t appear again, the mage just grumbles and takes a sip out of his cup of tea.
Jaemin does the same, both to hide his growing smile and to ease the dryness of his throat. He hasn’t stopped smiling since he entered this shop.
The mage sets his cup down after several sips and starts rearranging the items on the counter. Jaemin scans them and nods in satisfaction. All the items are accounted for and are in perfect condition. The great sage would be pleased.
“Here are the items you ordered,” the mage starts stacking them in order to form a square shape. “Have you double-checked them?”
“Yeah. They’re all there. Thank you,” Jaemin says and watches as the mage nods his head and snaps his fingers. Immediately, the items disappear and what’s left on top of the counter is a round transparent crystal.
“I’ve condensed all of the items in this crystal ball so it’ll be easy for you to carry,” the mage picks up the ball and presents it to Jaemin, who is staring at the round object in intrigue. He’s about to pick it up from the mage’s palm when the mage suddenly draws back.
“Oh! Wait! Before you go, please, take whatever you like from the shop. Once again, I apologize for nearly killing you and I’m grateful to you for saving my home,” the mage looks down shyly. “I know I could never repay you for what you have done. Maybe...maybe you can take any seven items from the shop? Or I could give you these for freeㅡ”
“Your name.”
The mage blinks out of his rambling. “Excuse me?”
“You don’t have to owe me anything,” Jaemin clarifies and sifts his fingers through his hair, feeling blood rush up to his cheeks. “If you really want to give me something, then I’d rather you just tell me your name.”
He shoots the mage a lopsided grin. The other just looks flustered, his cheeks reddening. The spores buzz vicariously beside Jaemin’s ear. He grins wider. Perhaps...
“Are you sure? I mean, if you wanted to know my name I could’ve just told youㅡit costs nothing. If you don’t take anything, it’ll just make me feel worse. Please.”
The mage looks like he wants to rip his own hair out, the words rapidly leaving his mouth to chase some sort of expectation. Jaemin concedes immediately.
“How about I take that crystal ball, you know, the one I almost broke,” Jaemin suggests and nearly flinches when he mentions the near incident.
The mage nods enthusiastically, relieved that Jaemin is accepting at least one of his many offers. He flicks his wrist and the grey crystal ball that Jaemin nearly dropped appears in his hand. The ball vibrates as if purring, red smoke swirling inside for a few seconds before the smoke disappears and stays still.
“Thanks,” Jaemin mutters and looks down at the ball with mixed emotions before placing it inside his satchel.
“And the other one?” Jaemin asks, placing his forearm on the counter to lean a bit closer to the mage. The mage almost withdraws but doesn’t and Jaemin’s delighted at that fact.
“Oh,” the mage’s blinks. “Renjun. My name is Huang Renjun.”
Renjun. Jaemin smiles and nods his head.
“Nice to meet you, Sir Huang Renjun,” Jaemin stretches a hand out for the other to shake. “My name’s Na Jaemin. Thank you for the efficient service.”
Renjun nods and tilts his head in contemplation, clasping his hand around Jaemin’s, giving it a firm shake. Jaemin relishes in the way their hands fit perfectly and relishes that telltale spark.
“You’re very much welcome, Sir Na Jaemin.”
Renjun then promptly gives the ball of Jaemin’s items to the other. Jaemin places it in his satchel and starts pulling his cowl around his head and shoulders. The spores sitting on his shoulders float away with whining noises, probably missing the pool of magick that is Na Jaemin.
Jaemin reaches deep into his bag to fetch his pouch of coins. Renjun notices and hurriedly grabs a piece of parchment paper with the amount.
“The total comes down to this but I’m willing to cut it down by half, for the trouble I have caused youㅡ”
“Again, it’s really fine,” Jaemin cuts the mage off before he could ramble into another one of his speeches. Money didn’t matter to Jaemin all that much. He has enough of it to spare.
“Butㅡ”
“Please. Let me.”
This time, it was Jaemin who pleads. “And it’s nearing winter. Income’s going to freeze over like the rest of the town. I wouldn’t want you to freeze over, as well. ”
Renjun stands still, breathing steadily with a slight blush spattering his cheeks. Jaemin knows that he’s right and doesn’t hesitate in giving the exact amount. And more. A tip because the service was beautifuㅡJaemin’s thoughts trip and he immediately corrects himself. A tip because the service was excellent. Yes.
Renjun’s eyes bulge out and he sputters, picking up the extra coins to shove them back into Jaemin’s hands. Jaemin ignores him as best as he could and steps away from the counter, even if the idea of being away from the mage is starting to irk him a tad bit.
“Well then, see you around, Sir Huang ” Jaemin says firmly. It was a curt yet friendly statement, dripping with promise.
“But, Sir Naㅡ”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it," Jaemin says with resolve. The mage deflates before finally giving up. He stashes the hill of coins begrudgingly.
“So...see you around?” Jaemin tries again, a hopeful lilt to his tone.
“I doubt it, Sir It’s-Fine-Don’t-Worry,” Renjun gives him a small smile, attempting a harmless joke to lighten his mood. “But, neverthelessㅡ May the Moon guide you on your journey.”
Jaemin doesn’t doubt the fact that they will probably see each other again. If the Moon won’t allow it, Jaemin will just have to defy the divinities. He’ll make it work.
With a smirk, Jaemin flashes Renjun a two-fingered salute. He walks to the door and says a quick ‘thank you’ when it opens by itself. And with a flash of natural Solis light, he’s back to the outside world.