Chapter Text
Carrying Seo Yul away from the carnage in the gambling den, Jang Uk couldn’t help but notice how thin and lifeless his best friend looked.
How could he and Dang Gu didn’t see, he quietly laments, when his best friend was wasting away, dying slowly day by day?
Entering Jeongjingak, he raised a shield of thick fog over the institute, keeping everyone out and the one he was looking for inside.
Buyeon, who was waiting in anxiety, raced to them and helped Uk laid down onto a spare bed, loosening his robes to give them access to his chest. Uk swallowed down a curse as he could see ribs prodding under his skin, bruises littering the pale, thin chest.
“Can you see it? The blood parasite?” He asked Buyeon, who stared intensely at Yul.
“Yes.” She said tensely, her fingertips resting lightly on his stomach meridiem, “its currently eating through his energy in his core, most of spiritual pathways are tattered and in ruin. He must be in severe pain.” She said compassionately. “How are we going to help him?”
“There is a way.” Uk took off his outer robe and hovered over his friend. “I will use the sky energy accumulated by the Ice Stone and kill the blood parasite inside him. Jin Buyeon, use your divine gift and guide me through the process so I won’t kill him by accident. Please, help me save my… no, help me save our friend.”
Taking in Uk’s earnest plea and Yul’s pain, the priestess nodded and used her fingertip to pin point the exact location of the blood parasite. “Here Jang Uk, focus your energy here and push it outward and through his pathways.”
Yul suddenly groaned and opened his eyes. “U-Uk-ah? Na.. Jin Buyeon, what’s going on?” The young mage coughed, blood and spittle going out of his mouth.
“We’re saving your life.” Uk bite out angrily. “You idiot, why didn’t you tell us? We’re your best friends damn it!!”
“I’m taking responsibility for my past cowardice.” Yul smiled sadly, his eyes on Buyeon. “You should have let me die.”
“Shut up, you suicidal idiot! I’m saving you and when you’re getting better, I’m going to kick you ass into the damn lake.”
Uk took a deep breath and gathered the energy around and inside him into his palm and pushed downward into Yul’s chest, the latter screaming as he feels ice cold fire burning inside him, racing through his veins, strengthening them as the alien energy consumes him.
Buyeon can see the mist coming out of her mouth as she breaths, temperature dropping dramatically as the ice stone inside Uk consumes the warmth in the air, turning Yul into ice.
The priestess took a deep breath and gathered her fledging strength and gently pushed her own energy into Yul’s core, keeping him warm under the icy assault.
Only three breaths.
Yul’s voice suddenly whispered in her ears, another memory began to bloom, the phantom sensation of two people holding hands, a gentle energy pulsing inside a strong core echoed in her.
Buyeon gritted her teeth, ignoring the memory as she guides Uk’s energy to reinforce Yul’s core, the white-hot radiance glowing brightly as the energy from the three of them blended as one.
When Yul opened his eyes hours later, the first thing he noticed was gentle breeze and the open sky. He puzzled over the ruined ceiling before realizing two someones were sleeping beside him.
Uk was slumped over his chest, sleeping soundly while Buyeon, who was waking up the moment she sensed his return to consciousness, smiled brightly.
“Are you alright, my foolish friend?” she grinned. “You made us so worried over you.” She grabbed his hand and holds it tightly. “It’s alright, Seo Yul, it’s over now. You going to live now.”
Yul couldn’t help the tears in his eyes.
Here was the woman whom he loved, finally coming back to life and standing right now in front of him, comforting him.
Here was the man whom he loved, willing to wage war against Cheonbughwan just to save his best friend and using the power everyone had forbid him to use to save his useless friend’s life.
And to think he had planned to take her with him into death in thinking it would amend for everything.
He wanted to take both of them away, leaving Uk behind, alone.
He cried, regretting his dark, suicidal thoughts, regretting that he almost hurt two of his most beloved friends, regretting that he couldn’t accept So-I’s love and how she selflessly sacrificed herself to save him.
Loud sobs racking his body as he cried the last of his pain and regrets.
Park Jin, Heo Yeom and Songrim mages stormed the Jeongjingak when exact moment the fog barrier fell, fearing that they might found death inside the institute.
In their shock however, they instead found the three of them in one of the open-air pavilion, Seo Yul and Lady Jin Buyeon resting beside Jang Uk, who was glaring at them, his arms wrapped around the two people he was protecting.
“Go away. I finally got them to rest again.” He hissed, using wisps of the ice energy pushing them away.
“Be reasonable, Uk-ah. We need to check Seo Yul.” Master Heo pled, worry for his grandson evident in his face.
“Uk-ah.” Yul whispered softly; his eyes still closed. “Let them come close. I need to tell Master Jin and Master Heo everything.”
The mage huffed but pulled back the energy into him, letting the group come close.
Yul opened his eyes and turned aside to look at his best friend and her.
“After Master Heo finished checking me, I will come to you. There is something we need talk about. Something that we should have talked about the moment I knew about it.”
Uk searched his face and nod. “Fine.”
Master Heo frowned as he prodded Seo Yul. After scolding soundly at his wayward grandson for hiding his fatal conditions, he had examined the young mage for any lingering effects from the blood parasite and side-effects from the reckless usage of ice stone Jang Uk had used on Yul to save his life.
He was surprised to find Yul’s spiritual veins and pathways were strong and practically leaking pure energy, his internal organs functioning perfectly and his heart were beating steadily.
And yet.
Master Heo prodded at the foreign energy residing inside Yul’s core, beating a gentle, steady pulse.
Impossible.
And yet no one knew the exact extent of the mythical power the ice stone possessed, especially how unprecedented the situation right now.
“Someone, summon Master Lee and Jang Uk to come here right now.” Master Heo said faintly as Yul frowned up at him. “Quickly!!”
Jang Uk felt like he wanted to faint himself the moment he heard the verdict from Master Heo, Buyeon had already swooned and fainted the moment she heard the news (thankfully he managed to catch her before she fell) while Seo Yul was staring blankly at the wall in front of him, his hands resting protectively over his stomach.
“What do you mean,” Uk yelled, the words clawing out of his mouth like a wild beast hellbent on a rampage, “HE’S PREGNANT?!!!!”