Chapter Text
"Hurry, Jakob, or we'll be late!" The blonde girl giggled, dragging Jakob towards the open field on the edge of town. She sped through the uneven landscape with ease, her eyes laser-focused on the crowds in the distance. Jakob just barely kept pace with her, nearly tripping over himself as he propelled his slight frame as quickly as he could towards the grass field littered with faerie lights and market stalls. As they approached the bustling night market, townsfolk fluttering between stalls in search of sweet treats like cloud sugar or small trinkets which would bring fortune to their homes, Emilia slowed her pace and Jakob took the time to catch his breath.
Tonight was the Saeeng's Mercy festival, one of the many the townsfolk had held over the moons to teach the young ones of Saeeng's legacy. To Jakob though, it seemed like just another excuse to impart the town's ideals of morality onto them. It was also a fantastic excuse for the craftsmen and wandering traders to share their wares with the rest of the townspeople who would otherwise be uninterested in purchasing their items. No, only during Saeeng's Mercy did they "ooh" and "aah" over the little figurines supposedly blessed with Saaeng's Force.
Eventually, they jogged across the field, leaving behind the throes of laughter echoing behind them. Jakob shot a glance at the nearby Spintop Wheel, but kept moving in accordance with Emilia. They'd have time for that later. They always did.
As they entered the forest edge, dewdrops clinging to their pantlegs, their eyes adjusted to the darkness. The moon beams illuminating their path were scarce, but enough for them to keep their bearings as they slid into the shadows of the trees. The buzzing chatter of the field soon faded into a soft serenade of cicada chirps. Pushing on, they passed by a series of brambly bushes, its stems having crept further and further out into the forest path since the first time they'd been here. Perhaps he should borrow a pruning saw from his neighbour next time—surely she'd have one if her back garden was always such a lovely sight.
Finally, after skipping over the muddy puddles left from this afternoon's showers, they crawled under a large bush and emerged in a small, circular clearing. And as always, its tall grass glowed white from the light of the moon.
“We’re here!” Emilia giggled, the front of her clothes now stained with silt. She spun around in the open space, her fingertips brushing against soft grass tips. Like a spotlight shining down on its prima ballerina, the moon illuminated Emilia as she leapt into a beautiful half-arc before landing back down on her toes. She turned around, smiling at Jakob as he waded towards her.
In just those few moments, however, the silver glow of the meadow was stripped away by the low light of the night, leaving only a sea of green-grey grass blades spotted with tiny white buds of soon-to-bloom daisy flowers. Just like that, the ethereal glint of the moonlight faded away, swallowed up by the shadows of the evening.
Jakob pouted, staring up into the sky. “Aw, we were late after all–”
“Ah!”
Jakob snapped his head back down, eyebrows furrowing in concern. Just as quickly as the jolt of panic had shot through his body, it faded away when he saw Emilia squatting in the grass with no discernible wounds marring her flesh. As he made his way over, however, a new wave of anxiety washed over him. Emilia lifted her head towards Jakob, grinning mischievously. “Look, there’s a little mushroom ring here today.” She prodded at a particularly large mushroom, and the stiff brown fungi bounced back into position with each push of her finger. “Do you think the faeries brought them here?”
Jakob cringed. “Millie, we’re not supposed to touch those!” he whispered, taking a step backwards. Despite his growing urge to reach down and pull Emilia back, he instead chewed on his lip, arms frozen by his side while he edged ever so slightly backwards. He watched Emilia peer closer at the mystical lifeforms, and as she stood up, she brushed the sole of her foot against the mushrooms. Her foot dangled dangerously above the wild fungi.
Jakob's eyes widened. “Millie, no!” The words hadn’t even left his mouth when Emilia stepped across the boundary, crossing over the ring of mushrooms into a realm of forbidden magicks. Or so she hoped she'd be.
Now standing in the centre of the circle, she frowned, spinning around to squint at the same scenery she had seen on the way here. Jakob had squatted down just a couple feet's lengths away, his eyes squeezed shut, hands covering his ears, and body heaving with each breath he took.
“Nothing happened,” Emilia lamented, pouting, removing herself from the faerie ring. Jakob twitched an eye open, his posture relaxing when he saw Emilia out of the circle, safe and unharmed. She plopped down on the ground, lying back onto the plush grass with her legs stretched and hands clasped atop of her stomach. Jakob shuffled towards her, sitting down gingerly and hugging his legs.
“Don’t do that again,” he muttered, pulling his legs closer to himself.
Emilia waved a hand at him.
The both of them sat in peaceful silence for a moment, floating constellations filling their eyes. The world around them seemed to still, the cool spring breeze escaping into rustling leaves and retiring for the night.
"Do you ever think about the stars?" Emilia piped up, her voice ringing out clear in the night. "They say they're what's left of Saaeng after xe finished creating everything." She raised a hand up, squeezing her palm around the far off specks peppering the cloudless navy sky.
Jacob pursed his lips. "Not really? My family's always followed the Keitou Spirits, so I don't even know much about Saaeng's story."
"Right, but surely they would've mentioned it, even in passing?"
Jakob shook his head, and after a brief moment, replied to her verbally.
Emelia tsked. Her hand dropped to her side, and she rolled over, pulling Jakob in closer to her. The children's eyes met. For a brief moment, it felt like they were lying in the midst of the stars. Emilia reached out her hand, and the moment was broken when she tapped Jakob's nose with her finger.
"Got your nose!" The two of them let loose a stream of giggles, and Jakob retaliated with a jab to her side. It didn't take long before they ended up buried in each other’s embrace. A soft floral scent drifted into Jakob’s nostrils – was it the wildflowers they lay on, or the lingering scent of Emilia’s floral-infused shampoo from this morning?
As they quieted, he took in another deep breath, then sighed and turned away. As he stood up, he tapped on Emilia's shoulder. “C’mon Millie, it’s getting late. They’ll be wondering where we’ve gone at the festival.”
She pouted again, blowing her cheeks out in a sign of mock reluctance. She stuck her hand out, her fingers brushing against Jakob’s already extended palm. Their hands clasped around each other's. “Same time next moon?” she asked, brushing grass blades out of her hair and dusting off soil from her woven cotton shorts.
Jakob's eyes shone as he trailed after her sauntering figure, following her back the way they came. “We should come earlier. We’ll have more time with the moonlight!" Then the light faded from his eyes, and he dropped his gaze to the floor. “But… I don't know if we should keep traipsing about here when there’s faerie rings about.” He picked at his fingernails as he walked, then dropped his voice into a slight whisper. “I don’t want to get in trouble with the Fae.”
Emilia lifted a hand to wave off Jakob’s concerns. “Come on, Jakob. It’s been 4 moons, surely something would have happened if the forest Fae were displeased! Besides, this is how we get closer to the Spirits, right?”
Jakob sucked in his cheeks. After a brief moment, he shook his head, and fell into step beside Emilia. The journey back took them longer, but they were soon greeted by the blinking lights and delighted screams of young children on the Spintop Wheel. A small smile found its way onto Jakob's lips. He remembered begging his parents to ride with him just a few years prior. A lot of things had changed since back then, when the cold breeze had ruffled his dark curls while he leaned over the handrail at the top of the wheel before his father had pulled him back into his seat.
He glanced over at Emilia only to realise that she was already looking at him. A warm flush rose to his cheeks, and a slight smile played on her lips as she looked back at Jakob, waiting for him to speak.
Try as he might to press his lips into a thin, neutral line, Jakob smiled all the same. “Do you want to go on the wheel later?”
Emilia grinned at Jakob. She nudged him with her shoulder, and before he knew it, she had shot ahead of the path, looking back only to yell at him. “I’ll race you there!”
Jakob scrambled to follow, not wanting to lose to her despite his shorter stature and propensity for breathlessness. Alas, Emilia’s physicality (and headstart) won out, and Jakob caught up to her moments after, wheezing with his hands on his knees.
“I win!” Emilia lilted in a sing-song voice, “That means you should win me a present!”
Jakob rolled his eyes, approaching one of the game stalls to quickly uphold his end of the bet. Emilia was always pulling tricks like this, but he had to admit, having someone to win a tufted tapestry or blessed clay figurine for improved his performance in the games. Besides, these trinkets often made their way back to him anyway on Hidden Blessings Day.
But today, a simple item bobbing game would have to do. He dunked a copper piece into the stall’s moneybox and rubbed his hands, looking down at the water bucket filled with knotted straws. Which to choose…
A loud voice interrupted his thoughts. “Where’s your friend, Emi?” Jakob turned around, wincing. His eyes met that of Chai’s, who stood a distance away from the stall, his arms crossed. Chai scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Of course he’s by your side. Why wouldn’t he be?”
Emilia stood with her hands clenched by her sides, returning his snide remarks with a cold response of her own. “Leave us alone, Fahmar.”
Chai scowled, his eyes darting back to Emilia. “You know looking for faeries isn’t good for you.”
Both Emilia and Jakob bristled at the cavalier tone of his voice and the implications behind the words he left unsaid. Jakob tensed, eyes flitting between Chai and Emilia, the rush of blood in his ears roaring at his mind so vehemently that he wondered if they could hear it too. He clenched and unclenched his fists, staring down the stocky pre-teen lording before him. For a brief moment, Jakob pondered over whether to curse the Spirits for blessing him with the forest’s strength over Saaeng’s.
For a moment, Emilia glowered at him. Jakob furrowed his eyebrows, stretching out a hand to hold her wrist. Her thumb shifted slightly to caress Jakob’s palm, a motion which didn't go unnoticed by Chai. He scowled, and for a moment, Emilia puffed out her chest.
Then her shoulders went slack. She rolled her eyes, pushing past Chai with her free arm.
His hand clamped onto her shoulder, and she swivelled her head around, ready for more irate comments to stab at her gut. What she didn't expect was for Chai to push her away from Jakob, ripping her arm out of his grasp and causing her to landing heavily onto the craggy soil beneath their feet.
Chai’s face twisted into a look reminiscent of one of the local area's theatre masks, his wide eyes and open mouth a perfect picture of the Masque B’geug's forlorn expression. “Why don’t you get it, Emi?” He cried, wholly ignoring Jakob. “We were supposed to do good together! Why’d you have you go and ruin it?” He screamed, his cries devolving into hiccups.
Jakob looked on at the sight, unsure of what he could do—what he should do—at the moment, his hands trembling by his side.
Chai seemed to calm down for a bit, clearing his throat enough to spew yet another jab at Emilia. He threw his hands up in the air. “Why are you even here? It’s Saaeng’s festival, remember? You betrayed xem for whatever stupid Spirits you worship now!”
Jakob swallowed the growing lump in his throat as Chai continued to lambaste Emilia, his speech full of swears and words he couldn’t recognise. Though, it didn’t take much to infer the abhorrence Chai held against her newfound faith. That was how Chai had reacted from the moment Emilia shared her interest in the Keitou Spirits and the forest Fae. Jakob couldn't deny that her desire to get closer to the Fae was worrying, but to think so little of the Spirits... it made his blood boil.
Regardless, Jakob wasn’t sure what had happened. He hadn’t really gotten close to Emilia yet back then, and he never tried to pry. From what he had heard, though, it seemed like they’d fallen out after she had decided to take on the Spirits’ teachings in addition to Saaeng’s. Considering Chai's family background, it wasn't too surprising that he'd taken that as an insult. Was it really that big of a problem though, for that to have been all it took for him to disregard their old friendship and shared memories?
It was rough after the fallout. Most people, Chai included, would shun Emilia. They’d whisper to themselves and leave her out of their games. When he’d met Emilia sitting alone in the park, he was rightly confused. After all, she and Chai had always been the powerhouse duo in the town’s Junior Sect, and that continued on when they graduated into the Senior Sect. He felt a tiny bit guilty being thankful for that, though, or he'd never have become such good friends with Emilia.
Jakob watched as Emilia picked herself up from the ground, standing tall in front of Chai. “You can’t just change Saaeng’s plans like this, not like this!” He flinched, watching Chai yell in Emilia’s face. Even so, she held fast, lips pressed thinly in a line.
It was the raising of his arms yet again which set Jakob into action. With astounding agility, almost like he’d been gifted with the power of Saaeng’s Breath, he charged at Chai, arms outstretched. He squeezed his eyes shut, palms impacting Chai’s chest with a soft thud. “Stop it! Leave her alone!”
Chai stumbled backwards, blinking slowly. Jakob let out a shaky breath, then lifted his gaze, his body trembling from a mix of exertion and fear. He hadn't need to say anything before the comforting warmth and pressure of Emilia's hand rested on his back, steadying his stance. He quickly shot Emilia a grateful glance.
Chai scowled, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. “I just want my friend back,” he said.
Emilia looked away, biting her lip. “I never left.”
“But you’re not him!” Chai groaned, wiping away the tears which had begun streaking his face. “I want him back, Emi! We had a future together, we were what this town needed–”
Emilia cut Chai off before he could finish wailing. “The Emi you knew doesn’t exist anymore, Chai, but I do! I know you never liked the Spirits, but this is my Keitou. Can’t you see that? I don’t want to be one of Saaeng’s priests! Why do you need me to become one of xis knights?”
Emilia paused, drawing in a short breath. “I’m tired of fighting with you, Chai. I want the old us too, but you just don’t get it! And I’m sick of having to try so fucking hard for nothing!” She sniffled, her face burning up in the coolness of the night.
She tugged at Jakob’s arm, drawing him away from Chai, back to the light games and conversations they were having before the dark night reared its ugly head. Even the market’s lights, shining a few paces away from them, seemed dimmer now.
Chai looked away, sniffling in response.
“Emi, Emilia, I don’t care what you call me, or what you think about what I wear, or do, or- or- the gods I worship. I’m the same as I’ve always been. You were the one who changed!”
The three of them stood in silence for a moment, stewing in the dying chatter of the market, its monotonous noise broken up by their occasional sniffling. Emilia turned to look at Jakob with wet eyes, feigning a smile. She gestured towards the water bucket. “Go on, if we hurry, we can still make it to the wheel in time.”
Jakob looked between Emilia and Chai with hesitation, then turned and quickly dunked his head into the water. He resurfaced with a piece of straw in his teeth, knotted thrice. A small prize, but probably for the best tonight. He placed the straw on the stalltop’s mechanical surface, watching as a mini figurine dropped its way from the prize box attached to the roof of the stall. Ooh, Emilia was going to love this.
He turned back around, biting back a small smile as he placed a tiny wooden alligator in her palm. The moment her eyes landed on the specimen, she gasped. She wiped her face with the sleeves of her tunic, sniffling once again before she giggled and squealed over its little snout. Jakob giggled too, infected by the sound of her laughter. His joy was short-lived, however, as he caught sight of Chai standing behind her. He cleared his throat, closing Emilia's fist around the toy. “You can look at that later! We still gotta go on the wheel, right?"
Emilia laughed in agreement, and they set off running towards the Spintop Wheel. Her smile faded when she accidentally caught sight of Chai, his arms hanging limply by his frozen figure. Then she turned back to look at Jakob, grinning at the sight of his brunette curls bouncing in the wind, a dizzying smile on his face.