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Mira and Zoey used to think that the bond between them and Rumi was something stable, certain, concrete. They’d believed they knew each other completely, that the connection between them was as pure as a soul connection.
They remembered the first time they felt Rumi’s soul through the Honmoon, how connected they were during their training days. They’d moved in perfect sync as they worked together to improve their skills, they could read each other, sometimes Zoey would joke that she could read their thoughts and always knew what their next move would be in a duel.
But Rumi had been distant since their debut.
Since their first hunt.
It had happened right after their first liveshow, a performance of their first single that had enchanted so many people, a success across the entire continent, numbers rising every day. The album release exceeded the company’s expectations, and Celine was immensely proud of them. She was finally back in Jeju now that Huntr/x had settled in Seoul and had begun working on their first live performances and appearances on variety shows. And Bobby had been showering them with praises, so happy with their synchronized dancing, immensely proud with each successful performance.
But then, along with the success of their first single, came the first challenge of this new life.
Just as night fell after their first live performance, when all they wanted was a snack before heading home, they felt it. A vibration from the Honmoon, a glow that varied from pink to purple, so potent and vibrant, pulsing like a warning and drawing the attention of the hunters.
They had seen that glow before, many, many times. Celine always told them to stay safe while she dealt with it, but this time they knew the responsibility was theirs. That they would have to annihilate the threat. They exchanged nervous glances, yet still with an excited glint. After so many years of training, they were ready for this, and they would make sure to send that demon back to the depths where it belonged.
Zoey and Mira skipped excitedly the whole way, waiting for their leader’s signal, waiting for the order to attack. Rumi was the most focused, always so quiet and attentive to nearby threats. Celine’s favorite pupil; the first to summon her weapon through the Honmoon, the princess of pop, and, above all, their best friend. Mira and Zoey trusted her implicitly, always eager to see her in action, always excited about each day they shared together. They had known each other for so long that trust was natural between them; they had built that dynamic since their training days, always following Rumi and letting themselves be guided.
They thought that this first hunt would be incredible, special. The first moment that the three proved they were truly ready for the mission entrusted to them. They could already feel the Honmoon strengthening since the first single was released, but they also knew it wouldn’t be enough to stop the demons who would continue looking for openings to try and harm people when they least expected it. They knew that only the golden Honmoon would bring the triumph of never having to deal with them again, and they would achieve that together.
Together, always.
Together from the very first moment, united in a bond that brought them such a strong connection, functioning almost as one. That night, Rumi gave them the signal as soon as she found the troublemaker, or better said troublemakers. Three of its kind. Sneaking through the dark, their eyes fixed on humans returning home after a long day’s work, so tired they were inert to the danger. This was what they were there for, what they had trained their whole lives for, and Mira and Zoey moved the instant Rumi guided their movements. Mira moved the Gok-do with ease and enthusiasm, striking the first one by surprise, just as Zoey did when she threw a shin-kal. But the third one, the one Rumi should have attacked from behind to prevent it from dragging on for too long, noticed the hunters’ presence and tried to attack Mira.
Zoey acted quickly, throwing a second shin-kal that struck the demon squarely in the head before its claws could sink into Mira. As they turned their confused glances toward Rumi, they found her with eyes wide, gripping her Saingeom so tightly her knuckles turned white, the blade trembling as much as her tense body.
Mira and Zoey didn’t ask any questions on the way home.
They just followed Rumi in silence, both worried the entire way, both remaining worried when Rumi locked herself in her room after whispering a small apology, and only breathing a small sigh of relief when they finally saw each other again the following day.
Zoey and Mira had deduced that Rumi must have been nervous, perhaps frightened. And as soon as Rumi joined them near the coffee table for breakfast, Mira and Zoey placed a hand on each of her shoulders, reassuring her that it was okay to have panicked. It was their first hunt after all. Rumi had simply been too nervous to react, and nothing had happened to either Zoey or Mira because of it. They managed well on their own. Everything would be alright.
Mira had assured her that it was normal for the shock of reality to hit her at a moment like that. Training was different from acting in practice. Rumi would be able to fulfill her duty eventually, they were sure of it.
And then things went back to normal between them for a few days, with Rumi feeling lighter after all the understanding her friends had offered—they hadn’t insisted on discovering that the real reason Rumi had chickened out was simply because the moment she'd come face to face with those demons, her mind had taken her straight to a memory she wanted to erase.
She’d always gotten like this as her birthdays approached. It was awful to remember what marked that date. It was terrifying to think about the patterns that marked her skin and the reason she was like that.
Rumi was born on the same day she lost her mother. On the same day she lost her father too. Celine had recounted the hordes of demons that had attacked that day, how many of them had taken advantage of the hunters’ moment of vulnerability to try and destabilize them, tears opening up through the Honmoon directly towards the vicinity of their house in Jeju. Celine had told that story so many times that it was now as etched in Rumi’s mind as those patterns marked her own skin.
Rumi wished she didn’t have to think about it. She wanted to erase from her memory the idea that she could end up like those demons if she didn’t get rid of the patterns. And she had spent so much time trying to separate her heritage from who she wanted to be, but the moment she was face to face with one of them, all that came to her mind was that it was a demon, like her father was. A demon, like part of what Rumi was too.
And the thought that if she failed in the attack, if she moved without the necessary precision, if she made any tiny mistake… they would find out. They would see who Rumi truly was and wouldn’t understand that not all demons are evil. That there were some, like Rumi’s father, who would never harm them. That Rumi herself would never do any of that either.
And so, Rumi simply failed.
To make matters worse, as soon as she woke up the next morning, the patterns that had previously only been scattered near her shoulders began to descend to her arms, now so close to her elbows that Rumi needed to wear longer-sleeved clothing in that early summer.
Their second hunt wasn’t any easier to handle, but Mira and Zoey didn’t wait for Rumi in the line of attack this time; they simply moved together and annihilated the demons, both turning to Rumi with beautiful smiles afterward. Rumi watched them gratefully, but her heart ached. She didn’t want to continue being protected; that was her life mission too, and if Rumi couldn’t prove that she was good enough to handle some of the demons lurking in Seoul, how could she be useful to her family once Huntr/x began expanding activities around the world on tours?
Rumi gripped her sword with a little more confidence when they'd went out together to hunt demons the third time the Honmoon summoned them, and this time, as soon as Rumi gave them the signal to advance, she went with them.
And she’d thought everything would be alright now that she had managed to move and actually advance towards the demons, but it was only after she came face to face with one of them that she noticed the tension consuming her body. This time, they were disguised as humans with small fangs, patterns showing on their skin. The memory of her father prevented her from moving, and once again Rumi could do nothing but tremble and watch as Zoey and Mira annihilate them all without hesitation, with the harshness and strength of true hunters.
Hunters who weren’t part demon.
Rumi tried to handle this failure well, thought that she would be okay because Mira and Zoey were more understanding than Rumi deserved once again, but Rumi was trembling so much on the way back to their penthouse, so immersed in her own turbulent thoughts that she was inert to what was happening… until Zoey tried to hug her in the elevator.
Zoey just wanted to tell her how good she had been on the hunt that night, that she was proud of Rumi for trying.
But as soon as she touched Rumi’s arm, her hands pressing so close to where the patterns were scattered across her skin, Rumi panicked.
She pulled away from her so harshly that Zoey stared at her in confusion, her smile fading as she watched Rumi’s frightened expression.
Rumi locked herself in her room until her idol duties forced her to come out.
The fourth time they went out together to deal with a call from the Honmoon, Mira and Zoey didn’t know what to expect, but they didn’t want to take any chances. They just told Rumi that it was okay if she didn’t want to go with them, and so the two left together, alone, without their leader this time.
They thought they were doing what was best for Rumi.
But when they got home, Rumi was still just as nervous, tense, and apprehensive as she would have been if she had gone with them.
Mira and Zoey had even considered calling Celine. However, their mentor’s voice reminding them that they are hunters, and that their faults and fears must never be seen, along with the anxiety of potentially failing their mentor so soon after their debut, didn’t seem very appealing.
That was when they decided to change their approach and wait for Rumi to actually say something this time, instead of Mira and Zoey trying to solve the problem on their own.
That was apparently the worst idea they’d ever had, because now that they were sitting in the most awkward silence possible, their breakfast getting cold while they waited for Rumi to say something, their only desire was to either offer to call Celine to seek some kind of exposure therapy that would teach Rumi how to kill demons in practice, or simply offer to handle the situation by leaving Rumi as emotional support for Mira and Zoey during the hunts.
“Okay, look, we need to talk, Rumi. This can’t continue like this.” Mira broke the silence between them, in a way that wasn’t very delicate for Zoey’s liking.
Zoey gently placed her hand right on top of Mira’s, exchanging a calm look in a silent request for her to let Zoey take care of it.
“What Mira means is that we’re worried about you, Rumi. And about Huntr/x too…” Zoey tried, her voice a little shaky at the end. Facing their leader and seeing her nervous brown eyes dividing her attention between the two bandmates made Zoey almost regret starting the conversation, but deep down she knew that something had to be done. They needed to help Rumi, for the sake of them all. “It’s okay, really. We just want to help you, Rums. We just need to find a solution that won’t make you so nervous. We want to do this for you, so it won’t be so difficult when we need to…”
“Go out,” Mira added, and Zoey thanked her with a gentle squeeze of her hand. “Rumi, I’m sorry for being so harsh with you. It’s just that we’ve noticed how hard it is for you to be out there, and we just want to make it easier somehow. Do you have any idea how we can do this for you? Maybe if you came with us and didn’t attack it would be better? Could you try to stay on our defense or something like that?”
Rumi lowered her gaze to the untouched kimbap slices on her plate. She was so sad, both about the situation and for not being able to truly explain herself to them. What would she do? She couldn’t verbalize how she felt, couldn’t tell them what she had hidden from them her whole life. Celine had been clear when she said that nothing could change until her patterns were gone.
Rumi hated herself for not being able to fulfill her duty. This was what she had trained for her whole life, after all. This was what Celine had prepared her for.
And now that that duty had fallen on her shoulders, Rumi had failed. She had failed her mentor, she had failed her mother and her father, she had failed her aunt Kim, she had failed her fans… she had failed Zoey and Mira.
Zoey and Mira didn’t understand what could be so wrong with Rumi’s troubled mind, but watching her with teary eyes made them exchange glances, a decision they didn’t need to verbalize; they only knew they would stay to help Rumi no matter what the reason. They would offer her more time if necessary, Mira and Zoey didn’t mind waiting a little longer until Rumi was ready to deal with it.
They moved together, ready to offer comforting touches to Rumi’s trembling hands, when a sudden tremor passed through the Honmoon and made them look up at its pink strings. At first, they thought it was another attack nearby, but they were surprised to see a tear forming right before their eyes.
Of all the things they'd imagined would happen in their lives as hunters, demons invading their home before the group’s first anniversary wasn’t on their bingo card. Yet, there were three demons emerging right before their eyes, and to make matters worse…
All three creatures that had passed through the Honmoon looked exactly like them.
Except for one detail in their Rumi version. Apparently, the imposter demon hadn’t managed to mask its patterns before crossing the tear to get there.
Mira and Zoey gritted their teeth as they watched them fully emerge right in their living room. They had no idea what they could possibly want by invading their house like that, but they certainly weren’t in the mood to ask questions.
Mira clicked her tongue as she stared at the demon trying to impersonate her, almost succeeding if it weren’t for the completely different hair style. But what could she expect from demons, right? Totally incapable of doing anything other than stealing souls.
“Stay here, Rumi, we’ll make it quick,” Zoey warned in a gentle whisper before standing up and summoning her shin-kal through the Honmoon. She and Mira were already in position and walking towards those imposters when something rather intriguing happened.
“Wait!” Zoey’s version said, waving her hands in exasperation in front of her face. Mira raised an eyebrow in doubt, staring at her with a bit of strangeness. “Calm down! What’s going on here? Where are we?”
The three figures who had just passed through the tear exchanged confused glances, but their worried gaze soon turned to Mira, with a Gok-do raised and ready to be used against them.
“Don’t play stupid on me, fucking demon. You’re so pathetic you can’t even hide your patterns. I don’t know what you wanted coming here, but this ends now.” Mira’s teeth chattered as she moved forward, advancing towards them with her Gok-do, Zoey following suit, ready to annihilate those sneaky demons, but they were surprised to receive a response that was anything but typical of demons.
“Girl, calm down!” Mira’s version said, and the way her voice sounded exactly like her own Mira’s made Zoey shudder. “We’re not demons, wait a minute, let me speak!”
Mira didn’t want to give them an opening for tricks. She simply narrowed her eyes and stared at that version of Rumi, full of shimmering patterns in shapes she had never seen before. But a demon was a demon, and she would kill that imposter before it tried to hurt her Rumi.
As expected, the demon teleported away just as Mira’s blade was about to strike.
"Not demons, you said?" Zoey got six more shin-kal, throwing them towards the demons, but they only defended themselves with perfect mastery, barely making much of an effort.
Zoey and Mira moved together as they tried to deal with the problem, but no matter how many attacks they made, the demons defended themselves with incredible synchronicity. They had never fought such strong and smart demons before, and Mira was already getting tired of this game. She swung her Gok-do through the air, channeling energy with each spin, ready to plant it in the ground and destroy those demons for good, when that version of Rumi with shimmering patterns did something that left both hunters speechless.
They froze in place as they watched the demon summon a weapon through the Honmoon, using the sword to defend herself against Mira’s attack.
“Please, listen to us. We’re not demons,” she said, sword firmly in hand, in a defensive stance so typical of their Rumi when they were training that both Mira and Zoey froze in place. “I mean—” She showed a sheepish smile, then scratched her cheek. “I kinda am part demon, but I’m not here to hurt you. Please, stop trying to kill us and let’s talk about this calmly, okay?”
“You heard her, put those down.” The other Mira crossed her arms, pointing to the weapons they still held firmly in their hands. “We swear we’re not here to hurt you. We don’t even know why we’re here. We’re just as confused as you are.”
Mira and Zoey exchanged glances, panic gleaming in their eyes. Their minds raced faster than they would have liked as they began to hypothesize about what might be happening. If a demonic version of Rumi had just interacted with the Honmoon, and the other versions of Mira and Zoey claimed not to be demons while possessing a fighting style too perfect to be compared to those insignificant creatures, the only thing on the girls’ minds was that those figures were being sincere. But if it proved to be true and this wasn’t a trick by Gwi-Ma, if those versions of themselves right before their eyes weren’t demons, what was the explanation for the patterns scattered across Rumi’s body?
Both Mira and Zoey turned to their Rumi, seeking support from their leader, seeking her decision to listen to those intruders or attack them. They expected to find Rumi still seated, analyzing the situation, perhaps standing and ready to join them in the fight, but as soon as their gaze fell on their friend, all they saw were purple marks glistening through her clothes, purple patterns pulsing and running down her arms, purple patterns that accompanied a frightened, panicked look, one of her eyes glowing an amber hue.
“Are you a demon?” Mira asked, her voice bordering on disbelief, her eyebrows furrowing in a mixture of frustration, surprise, and confusion.
Mira’s words echoed in Rumi’s terrified mind, who still couldn’t even control her own racing heart. From the moment she realized who was on the other side of the tear, from the unfortunate moment she saw the resemblance in the patterns scattered across the arms of that version of herself… Rumi simply froze. Panic engulfed her as quickly as she lost the ability to breathe, and soon all that ran through her mind was how much she was failing her family.
They knew.
They knew who Rumi truly was.
There was no more denying now.
She was so desperate. Seeing those weapons still held so firmly while the disappointed gaze of her best friends fell upon her, hearing the clear irritation in Mira’s voice, perceiving their astonishment at seeing Rumi for who she truly was.
She couldn’t bear it.
Something within that agitated mind reacted to the situation before Rumi even thought of a way to reverse it, and she simply—
Evaporated.
“What? No!” young Zoey screamed, trying to run to her and reach that cloud of purple smoke that rose, but there was nothing to be done. Rumi had simply disappeared after those patterns appeared on her body, and she and young Mira widened their eyes, fear consuming them.
“Where is she?” Young Mira turned to the source of the problem, teeth grinding against each other as she raised her Gok-do and pointed the blade directly at that imposter, that de—
“I told you to put that down!” Another Gok-do appeared in the living room of the penthouse, blades clashing in mid-air. Mira stared at the youngest with such hatred that both the younger girls became apprehensive. “Do not point weapons at my Rumi, do you understand me?”
“Mira, hey,” their Zoey called, gently touching Mira's shoulder and pulling her away from the youngest. “Their Rumi just disappeared after they found out about the patterns, take it easy. We need to help them solve this problem—if we can do anything at all.”
The eldests went to a corner of the room, whispering amongst themselves, occasionally glancing worriedly at the younger ones. Zoey and Mira couldn’t even react, petrified in place, both with trembling hands and heavy eyes, long-forgotten weapons, hearts as uneasy as their minds.
They only wanted to help Rumi deal with her difficulty in killing demons.
Now they’d discovered that their Rumi wasn’t who they thought she was.
Mira should be angry. She should call Celine and tell her they needed someone to help them with the hunts now that their supposed leader had sold her soul to Gwi-Ma. Zoey should be angry too. She wanted to be sad about the lies, she wanted to not solve that problem and isolate herself for a few days until she could find some peace with herself…
Yet, all they really wanted was to find Rumi and make sure she was alright.
Rumi wasn’t sure what they were doing there. One moment, they were training on the lawn, helping their pupils interact with the Honmoon, guiding them through what should have been an incredible, magical training. Rumi still remembered how ecstatic she was the first time she summoned her sword, she wanted her pupils to feel that euphoria too. Instead, the Honmoon had simply decided to pull the three tutors straight into a tear, taking them to—
They weren’t sure. Everything seemed exactly as it used to be. Zoey had said that they were at their penthouse, that they seemed to be in a past era of their lives. Mira agreed, saying that this temperament from her younger self was quite typical during their debut year, when they were too stressed to be kind to themselves.
They had no idea what was happening, why the Honmoon had brought them there. But they knew they were dealing with something big at that moment, they knew they had just revealed the secret that truly bound them together, that secret that should only have been revealed years and years in the future; almost six years from now. If their theory was correct, the Honmoon had taken them straight back to their first year as hunters, and that meant that many things could go wrong from then on.
Good thing all those years fighting together had accustomed them to working under pressure. Their minds worked quickly, analyzing situations and sharing possible solutions, but nothing Mira and Zoey suggested seemed to lead them to the root of the problem. Rumi remained silent for a while, just listening to them, just seeking the help that their brilliant minds always offered her, and it was when Mira said she remembered the stress of the hunts back then that Rumi remembered an important detail about herself, too.
“Yeah, that’s true,” Rumi whispered, running her tongue between trembling lips right after. “I struggled a lot back then. Remember? During our first hunts.”
“Yeah, but you got over it quickly then. Now they’ve just found out about your patterns and mini-Rumi disappeared. That didn’t happen in our past,” Zoey whispered-yelled, somewhat exasperated by the change that was happening. If their theories were right, if the Honmoon had indeed taken them straight to the past, they were there changing the order of how things should have happened between them.
“Or we don’t remember it happening,” Mira suggested, one eyebrow perfectly arched as she thought, and thought, and thought. The whole situation was certainly stressing them all out, especially the younger ones.
Rumi turned her gaze to the younger versions of Mira and Zoey, both paralyzed in place with wide eyes and saddened expressions that sent a clear and direct message. They were scared. The fear that had always gnawed at each of the three of them was becoming a reality for Zoey and Mira… the fear of losing each other.
“We’re not going to get anywhere talking here,” Rumi whispered, as quietly as possible, turning to her wives. “We have to find Rumi. We need to help them. Then we can deal with our problem.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” Mira crossed her arms, her eyes falling to the ground, thoughtful. “We leave them here and look for little you? How are we going to do that?”
“No, that wouldn’t be good,” Zoey called their attention, a hand going to her chin as she considered what they would do to solve the pending problem. “We can’t leave them alone, I don’t think they’d be okay here. Besides, we need them. The more people helping look for mini-Rumi, the faster we find her before…”
They exchanged a worried look, all three imagining the same thing. Before something happens. Before events occur, events that the current hunters wouldn’t be prepared to face. The possibility of Gwi-Ma sensing Rumi’s fear and shame and attracting her was real; they remembered well when they'd heard his voice in their minds. They needed to prevent this at all costs, they needed to act before the demons noticed that opening and used it to weaken the Honmoon—that wasn’t even stable yet.
The most experienced hunters remembered well how things were during their debut. Celine alone hadn’t managed to keep the Honmoon so strong since the Sunlight Sisters had separated, and when Huntr/x took over that duty, they needed to strengthen the Honmoon quickly. They had released so many songs in the group’s first year of activity, working tirelessly to reduce demonic activity around the world, and even though they had made some progress, their second year wasn’t much different, not with the Honmoon still stabilizing and so many attacks happening wherever they went during their first world tour.
The possibility of those concerts not even happening sent shivers down their spines.
If they didn’t find young Rumi and solve that problem soon, they would end up ruining everything.
Rumi turned her gaze to the youngests, worried about encountering such frightened and helpless looks as theirs. This was quite atypical of them during their first year, when everything was so incredible for them, when they were all so excited about the possibilities the future held for them. Rumi approached them slowly, determined to bring a smile back to those saddened faces.
“Hey...” Rumi moved closer, addressing young Mira first. She tried to offer comfort by gently touching her shoulder, but young Mira recoiled quickly, shrinking back, frightened just by looking at the patterns. Rumi frowned for a moment, but softened her expression quickly, showing an understanding smile instead.
The way her patterns glowed purple didn’t go unnoticed by any of the others. Mira and Zoey were well aware that despite Rumi knowing she was loved by them, she still carried the pain of the rejection she had suffered in the past. And the pain likely intensified at that very moment, seeing young Mira and young Zoey not even accepting her around.
“Listen…” Rumi tried again, this time without forcing her way in. Mira and Zoey approached the youngests together, positioning themselves on either side of Rumi, Mira hugging her waist and Zoey gently wrapping her arm around hers. Rumi looked at them, smiling.
“We need to find your Rumi.” Zoey took charge of the situation, as always. Always with the best ideas, always the first to come up with a thousand solutions to save them from predicaments like this. “And we need your help. I know everything seems really scary at the moment, but I also know things will work out for all of us. I don’t know why the Honmoon sent us here, but I’m sure we’ll figure it out together.”
“Yeah, girls.” Mira gently squeezed young Mira’s wrist, drawing her attention, and oh boy, how strange it was to be face to face with her younger-self. “We’ll figure this out, we always do, don’t we? We just need a little patience now. Let’s go find your Rumi.”
Young Zoey and young Mira exchanged apprehensive glances, uncertain whether they should actually listen to them, whether they should lower their guard around them. They remembered Celine’s lessons about how demons liked to try and deceive hunters to take advantage of them, remembered how they could assume the forms of other humans to try and blend in.
But demons couldn’t interact with the Honmoon.
And they remembered well how that demon—how that version of Rumi had summoned a sword through the Honmoon.
But they still couldn’t trust her, no matter how similar she was to their Rumi, she was still covered in patterns, covered in sins and lies.
Rumi noticed that look, she knew how to read it, she could identify the anger at the betrayal shining behind the crystalline tears caused by fear.
And she knew they wouldn't be able to make it work if they didn't reassure the younger hunters. And since they were frightened because of Rumi, perhaps it would be better if Rumi left.
“I’ll go alone,” Rumi whispered, her brown eyes downcast, her expression considerably desolate. The rejection still stung, even after so many years since she last saw that look directed at her. “I can’t waste time here. You stay with them and call me through the Honmoon if you need me.”
“Rumi, no.” Zoey held her tightly, her nervous eyes staring intently at her. Mira, on the other hand, looked at the two younger hunters with a mixture of irritation and understanding.
“I need to go.” Rumi gently stroked Zoey’s hand until her grip loosened. “I’ll be back soon, I promise. Stay with them here.”
Mira wanted to stop her from leaving alone, but gave up the idea when she saw Zoey do the same. They couldn’t leave the younger hunters unsupervised, and they had a feeling that even if Rumi stayed, the youngests wouldn’t change their attitude; they would still be wary of their Rumi, treating her like a monster. It was better for Rumi to go out alone for the moment, at least while Mira and Zoey tried to talk to them. Mira wanted to start that conversation right then, perhaps to reason with them and remind them of the urgency of solving that problem, but as soon as she took a firm step towards the younger ones, Zoey grabbed Mira’s forearm and slowly shook her head.
“But—” Mira gestured towards them, however, a firm look from her wife was enough to change her mind; she preferred to let Zoey handle the situation instead.
“I understand that this is… too much,” Zoey said gently, softly. She pulled her Mira close to herself, keeping her there to prevent her wife from doing anything that would cause more problems for that timeline. “I know you didn’t expect Rumi to lie to you. Believe me, we understand that perfectly.”
Mira lowered her gaze, painful memories flooding her mind. Memories of the day they confronted Rumi backstage at the Idol Awards. Memories of what they did to her.
“We don’t want to cause you any problems in any way. I don’t know if it would be wise to talk about Rumi’s reasons, but if we can guarantee you one thing, it’s that she never meant to hurt you. She only did what she thought was right. Perhaps it would be better if we helped you find her now? So you can talk about it?”
They stared at the younger girls expectantly, waiting. Young Zoey wiped away some stubborn tears, her bright eyes lifting towards the eldests with less anger; she seemed more upset than furious, and that seemed better than nothing. Young Mira had a huge pout, arms crossed, eyes half-closed.
Mira snorted upon noticing the attitude of that younger version of herself. She used to be so stubborn back then, still so resentful of the treatment she received from her relatives that it was clear she wouldn’t handle more lies happening in the family that had taken her in. Mira remembered how she used to act at that age, remembered how difficult it was for her to deal with the truth about Rumi years after the debut, and then Mira relaxed her shoulders and sighed deeply. They were still too young to handle the situation any other way, and Mira couldn’t blame them for being defensive.
“Everything will be okay.” Mira crouched down slightly to get eye level with the two younger hunters. Slowly, she raised a hand close to young Zoey’s face, giving her time to avoid contact if she didn’t want it, but continued when she noticed that young Zoey was looking at her more lightly now. Mira stroked her cheek and wiped away a few crystalline tears that still stubbornly lingered, then turned to young Mira and gently cupped her cheek. “Rumi will talk to you, you’ll work this out. You guys always manage to work things out, don’t you?”
“But Rumi is a—”
“Shh, I know, I know.” Mira stroked young Mira’s face slowly, silencing her with that gentle, welcoming affection, smiling as she saw her lean her face in her palm. “She’ll explain everything to you. I’m sure she will.”
“But you know it,” it was young Zoey who spoke this time, her voice soft and shaky. “You know why she lied and what’s happening. Why don’t you tell us?”
Zoey and Mira exchanged understanding glances and small smiles. Indeed, they could just tell the truth right then and there, but they knew it wouldn’t be the right thing to do.
“Don’t you think it would be better to wait for Rumi instead?” Zoey offered, giving them a small smile. “We’ll find her soon and you guys will be able to talk, I promise.”
The younger hunters remained silent for a while, so still they seemed like little statues. They didn’t even blink for a while they were so lost in their own thoughts, so immersed in considering all the possibilities of what could happen now, of how they would go on from there. Mira was almost trembling at the possibility of losing them, of losing her family, but that restless heart calmed when she felt the warmth of Zoey’s hand in hers, intertwining their fingers and gently caressing Mira’s palm with her thumb. They exchanged an understanding look, a look that reassured each other, a look that assured them that everything would be alright as soon as they found their Rumi and heard what she had to say.
“Let’s go find her,” young Zoey said, encouraging Mira to join her in that decision with an excited smile. Young Mira nodded in agreement, facing the older versions of themselves with determination.
“Let’s do it,” said the older Zoey, also pulling her Mira by the arm and encouraging her to join the younger ones in the search.
“We can’t go together, though,” the two Zoeys said together, surprised by their synchronicity, but setting that aside to devise a plan to avoid problems if they were recognized in public.
And that was how they ended up dressed in efficient disguises, with the two Zoeys wearing the same outfits consisting of huge cargo shorts, oversized shirts and a bucket hat covering their hair so that, if fans found them, they wouldn’t suspect the difference in their haircuts. The older Zoey didn’t have bangs, and her hair was much longer, but they were confident that this disguise would come in handy.
The Miras dressed in loose hoodies, completely hiding their hair so that the purple and blue strands wouldn’t be noticed among the older Mira’s pink hair. Her hair was much shorter too, shoulder-length. It was much better to avoid any problems by putting on that hood, even though they knew the heat would make them regret that idea very soon.
“Okay, we ready?” young Zoey asked when they gathered in the living room again, and the four of them gave a thumbs-up in response. “I’ll go with Big Mira and you go with Big Me, so we can communicate better.” She completed the little plan by raising her phone, then looked at each of them to see if everyone agreed with the idea, but older Mira didn’t seem very happy with it. “Something wrong, Big Mir?”
“Um.” She straightened her posture, in that way she always does when she’s trying to disguise some dissatisfaction. “Just… please take care of her.” Mira stared at young Mira, her nervous, restless eyes wandering around the room, looking at every piece of furniture while thinking of a thousand things that could go wrong at that moment with the Honmoon still so fragile.
The idea of leaving her Zoey alone with young Mira didn’t seem very appealing.
“Don’t let her overexert herself,” Mira said, her nervous eyes now fixed solely on young Mira. “She can’t run much either, or do parkour, and if some demon shows up do not let her fi—”
Zoey stopped her from continuing by wrapping her arms around Mira’s neck in a tight, lingering hug. The younger girls stared at them from a distance, confused by Mira’s excessive concern, but simply shrugged when they saw them hugging, choosing to ignore it for now.
“Maybe you got hurt in the future or something?” Young Mira suggested, looking at her Zoey, the two making assumptions while the eldests talked further away.
“I don’t know. Big Me changed clothes in the bathroom, so I didn’t see any bandages or anything? But maybe, yeah. We don’t know what future holds, and they won’t tell us.”
“Yeah, they didn’t even want to tell us about… Rumi.” Young Mira looked away, arms crossed once more. “Whatever. Let’s finish this quickly. The sooner we find Rumi, the sooner we can figure out what to do to send them back home.”
“Uh-huh, true,” Zoey agreed, already bouncing in place just imagining what could happen next. “Whoever finds Rumi first, send a message.”
They agreed with a firm nod, ready to part ways and begin that mission, but before Mira could leave her side, Zoey just pulled her into a quick, tight hug.
“It’s going to be okay,” she whispered in her ear. “We’re going to find her.”
“Yeah, we will. I mean, we seem to be doing good in the future.” Mira tightened her arms around Zoey too, enjoying the bear hug. “We’re still good friends.”
“Right!” Zoey smiled as she broke the hug, placing her hands on Mira’s shoulders enthusiastically. “You won’t get rid of us that easily.”
Mira snorted, less scared now. Zoey was right. Whatever had happened to Rumi, whatever the reason she had to have hidden it from them, whatever would happen from then on… they would be okay. They knew it.
“Shall we go?” The older version of Mira called as she approached the window, and young Zoey swallowed hard.
“Yeah, sure!” She masked her own apprehension, even though she was trembling at the thought of jumping from there to the neighboring buildings until they could get away enough to start the search.
They couldn’t risk leaving the building together, they would attract too much attention. Young Zoey had suggested that one of the pairs go parkouring across the buildings, but she genuinely wasn’t ready to put those skills into practice yet, much less knowing that the Huntr/x building was so tall that the nearest building was at least forty meters shorter.
“Let’s go?” the older version of Zoey called, intertwining her fingers with young Mira’s, walking with her to the elevator.
“I still think we’d do this faster if we went with them through the window,” Mira retorted, but still let herself be pulled to the elevator, not even bothering to break the contact between them. Zoey’s hand remained soft and warm, comforting.
“Yeah, I know. Sorry about that. I just can’t do it right now.” Zoey scratched the back of her neck after pressing the button that called the elevator.
“Why not? Like, I know Mira said you can’t, but why?”
“Um…” Zoey scratched her cheek, visibly nervous, and young Mira couldn’t even imagine why. “I can’t tell you, pumpkin, it’s a confidential secret from the future.”
“Whatever.”
Zoey snorted at seeing her act nonchalant, even ending the contact between their hands, now putting her hands in her hoodie pockets, ready to leave the building and maintain that facade.
Mira then used that time in the elevator to think. Think about places where they could find Rumi, places they used to go together. She and Zoey were going to let each other know which places they had already checked, deciding that one should go north of the city and the other south, that way they could better cover all their bases, but before Mira could tell Future-Zoey where they would go first, she squealed and tugged at Mira’s forearm, pointing towards the hot dog stand she spotted across the street.
“Oh my goodness! I love that hot dog! It’s been so long since I last ate it, but I still can taste it on my tongue.”
Mira almost said that Zoey ate three of those last night, but remembered that, despite being just like her Zoey, that wasn’t her Zoey—
Or was. Just a few years older.
Still the same ray of sunshine, though.
“Yeah. You really love that hot dog. Doesn’t Mr. Kim sell it anymore in the… future?” Mira whispered the question, moving closer to her so they could talk quietly about it.
“I dunno! We moved to— That’s confidential!” Zoey whispered-yelled, quickly remembering that she shouldn’t share information about the future with the youngest. “Anyway. Can we stop for a quick hot dog? I really really really want one.”
“Um.” Mira smiled, kind of awkwardly. She found it both adorable and surprising how Zoey’s mannerisms remained the same even after so many years. “Sure, but let’s hurry. We have to find Rumi.”
“Thankyouthankyou.”
Zoey jumped up and down before hugging Mira, then quickly pulled her across the street, ready to make her pay for at least five of those hot dogs. Zoey chose not to say how desperately she wanted to eat it. She couldn’t raise questions after all—it was better to avoid talking about how much she was salivating, the taste already exploding in her mouth, how much she missed the time they’d lived in Seoul. Zoey was already prepared to make her wives travel for hours just to get more snacks for her as soon as they got home. That simple hot dog stand reminded her of a thousand other junk foods they used to eat together back then, and Zoey would certainly pester her wives to find that mango and blackberry iced tea that Zoey used to drink when they were trainees.
But she would do that after they found mini-Rumi because although she had cravings, she needed to change her list of priorities at the moment.
Rumi hugged her knees, trying to somehow cover herself on that cold night. Her eyes were half-closed, staring at the city below. It was incredible how vast the expanse of lights was, and even more incredible to see the Honmoon they were creating shining brightly above every house and building in a pale blue hue. Rumi could spend hours admiring the Honmoon on other days, but at that moment she could barely concentrate on its glow, not when all that raced through her mind was the possibility of everything crumbling soon, of never being able to transform that glow into gold, of being stuck in that dead end forever, of never being able to fulfill their duty because of who Rumi truly was.
To make matters worse, now there was no way for her to deny the truth to her friends who had already seen those patterns, who already knew who she was—what she was.
A demon.
She’d tried to see things on the bright side at dusk, after she’d managed to calm her own fears and realize that even in a moment like this, she still could resolve it. She just needed to cover the patterns that had spread, and everything would be alright once she explained herself. Celine could love her despite the patterns, couldn’t she? All Rumi needed to do was cover these up and tell Mira and Zoey that she could get rid of them as soon as they fulfilled their duty and sealed the golden Honmoon.
The patterns were completely covering her arms now. Rumi would have to get used to wearing long sleeves all the time, but that wasn’t a problem. Her legs were free of patterns, her stomach too. Only her arms and part of her chest were affected.
Mira and Zoey would forgive her… they had to forgive her. They had to understand Rumi. Rumi didn’t want to lose them. She wanted them close. She needed them to avoid completely losing her mind. She couldn’t do this alone.
Rumi lowered her face, resting her forehead on her arms, crying as she hugged her knees, once again feeling so scared and alone. She should go home. She should go down to the penthouse and tell them she was sorry for lying, she should beg them on her knees not to leave her, but all Rumi could do was tremble and cry. She was unable to face her friends after what she had done, after what she had hidden from them. She was unable to cope with those looks of disappointment, and…
Unable to face that version of herself with so many patterns scattered across her body.
Rumi wondered what could have happened for versions of themselves to have passed through the Honmoon. She wondered why the Honmoon had opened such a large tear right in their living room.
Was it her fault? Because of who she was?
She couldn’t understand why that version of herself had so many patterns. She looked so much older. She should have gotten rid of the patterns, instead she was covered in them and didn’t even bother to hide them, talking about being part demon as if it wasn’t something to despise about herself. Rumi wondered what could have happened to end up like this.
Was it because of her inability to kill demons?
She dug her nails hard into her knees, digging crescents there. The mere possibility of failing the Honmoon was already driving her to the brink of madness. She couldn’t fail. She had to overcome those barriers she herself had created, but she had no idea where to begin.
She just wanted to fulfill her duty.
She just wanted to make Celine proud.
She just wanted to be with Mira and Zoey, truly help them, be the leader they deserved.
But Rumi just felt like a complete mistake at the moment.
A mistake that shouldn’t have even been born.
"I should have guessed you’d be here before searching the entire city.”
Rumi startled in place, summoning her sword purely by reflex, her trembling hands trying to raise the Saingeom in a defensive position, but she didn’t make much progress when the threat in front of her looked so much like herself.
She walked calmly, hands raised in a plea for calm. She was dressed in a tank top and gray sweatpants, barefoot. Her long purple hair perfectly arranged in that same braid, always styled that way even though she looked so much older.
“I’m sorry for scaring you,” she whispered as she approached, now standing right beside her.
Rumi’s sword disappeared from her hands as the figure sat on the roof of the Huntr/x Tower right at the edge, tapping the empty space beside her, beckoning her to come closer. A request that Rumi couldn’t help but accept as she calmly lowered her guard and let herself be led there.
“I always used to come here when I wanted to scream and cry without the girls seeing,” the eldest said, her shoulders swaying as she let out a soft giggle. “I remembered that a little while ago, after passing by Namsan Tower and wondering where you could be. It’s been a long time since I came to Seoul. I didn’t remember how much I missed this place.”
Young Rumi just stared at her in silence, a little confused and mesmerized at the same time. She couldn’t understand how this version of herself seemed so light in her own skin… she didn’t understand how she could show her patterns so freely, either.
“Have you eaten anything all day?” the eldest asked, turning her gaze to her, but Rumi just shook her head slowly. “Well, I think we’d better go get something then. Does ramyeon work?”
Young Rumi stared at her in silence for a long time, her eyebrows furrowing as she observed how light she was, how indifferent she seemed about her patterns, how strange it was to be looking at herself and seeing so many patterns scattered in an iridescent tone that they were even on her own face.
That was when Rumi’s gaze focused more on the color of the marks, instead of paying attention to their pattern.
Had her patterns changed color, then?
No longer scattered in a shameful purple, but an almost pearlescent tone that seemed to mark her slightly?
Rumi wondered how this had happened, when things had changed so much that she didn’t care about showing her patterns around her friends.
Was that the reason she was there?
The eldest versions of Mira and Zoey didn’t hate her. They defended her when she was attacked. They didn’t care that Rumi was a demon, then?
Could Rumi let her guard down and allow herself to believe that things would be alright from that day forward, now that her best friends knew the truth about her?
“Why aren’t your patterns purple?” she asked, her eyes fixed on the marks. “Why are they so widespread?” She stared at her face, where more patterns marked her. “Why don’t you hide them?”
“What reason would I have to hide them, if they’re part of who I am?”
Young Rumi raised her eyebrows at the answer, deeply touched by the simple fact that she was right, and young Rumi would admit it if she weren’t too afraid to accept the truth.
The eldest gazed sweetly at her, her calm, understanding brown eyes analyzing her expression. She slowly moved her hand closer to the youngest’s arm, then touched it, making the patterns hidden by the hoodie glow a vibrant purple.
“They are part of who we are, they always will be. We can’t change who we are, Rumi.”
Rumi wanted to ask if that meant they hadn’t managed to get rid of the patterns, but she stopped herself because it was too silly to think about. Of course, this Rumi had never managed to get rid of her own patterns, she was standing right there with each of the iridescent marks exposed.
But she still wanted to know if everything would be alright, at least that way she might be able to calm her own mind from those persistent fears.
“We couldn’t seal the golden Honmoon?”
The eldest offered a small smile in response, then chose to move a little closer to the youngest, now sitting right next to her, feeling her trembling shoulders against her strong ones.
“I can’t tell you how we manage to make things work,” she replied, raising her gaze to the starry sky above them. “But I can assure you that everything will be alright, Rumi. You just need to allow yourself to experience things, one at a time. Perhaps accepting something to eat would be a good starting point?”
“But how can I fulfill my duty when I can’t even… I-I…”
She looked away, trembling hands going to her knees and digging her nails into her skin forcefully, her eyes already filling with tears as the fear of failure began to consume her again.
“I know it’s hard. Believe me, I do. I remember how things were back then, how difficult it was for me to learn to discern what separated the demons we need to face from those who are like my father used to be, from those who could be like me, like us.” Rumi gently nudged the youngest’s shoulder with hers, lowering her face closer to hers, chocolate eyes meeting those filled with tears. “But demons like our father wouldn’t be out there trying to harm innocents, don't you think so?”
The youngest paused for a moment, nervous eyes fixing on the eldest face, tense shoulders ceasing to tremble, restless hands easing the grip on her skin, heart calming its beating. Now that she could breathe easy, now that her mind had found some peace, she could think about what had been causing her so much anxiety.
The story of her parents’ love came flooding back to her mind, the way her father fought against the demons sent by Gwi-Ma. Celine had said that her father used to be an acceptable demon, that he fought against his own nature day after day to be with her mother, but she also said that demons were all untrustworthy. She said that Rumi should follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a hunter to annihilate them and turn the Honmoon golden. And the weight of that duty weighed on the reality of who she was, where she came from, and what marked her skin.
Rumi was still unsure about many things.
But she felt in her heart that demons like her father wouldn’t be trying to hurt innocent people.
And she knew she needed to fight for those people, for the duty entrusted to her from the first day Rumi felt that connection with the Honmoon.
The same connection which warned her about an attack that was happening in the city. Purple strings glowed in a call, an alert, and from up there the two half-demons were able to pinpoint exactly where the tear had formed.
“Do you think we can stop to deal with this before snacking, little one?” The eldest asked, standing up, patterns pulsing in such a beautiful blue that Rumi’s eyes shone with admiration.
She didn’t know what would happen next, but she knew she didn’t want anything to change. She wanted to live that future where she felt comfortable in her own skin, where she could be herself without fear or hiding, without lying.
She wanted to stand up and fight for that future.
And so she did, ready to face her own fears once and for all, ready to summon her sword and send those demons back to its place, ready to fight for the safety of the people who needed her.
Rumi was still trembling as they approached the place where they had seen the tear open. She ran so fast across the rooftops, letting herself be guided by the glow of those patterns. Rumi’s heart pounded, her breath broken as she tried to remember her training, as she focused her mind on the purpose that should keep her centered on the mission of annihilating those who wanted to cause harm in the world she was meant to protect. Rumi gritted her teeth and gripped the hilt of her sword tightly, keeping the memories of the talk she’d had a short time ago as a reminder of reality. She wouldn’t be hurting demons like her father, she wouldn’t be hurting someone like herself, someone who just wanted to live a normal life, someone who didn’t want to follow the instincts of an evil predator. She was hunting demons loose in the world who wanted to steal the souls of innocent people to feed their king, and she needed to stop that.
She needed to remember the mantra that would help her fight those demons and stop Gwi-Ma.
But all that confidence within her threatened to falter the moment they arrived at the place where they saw the open tear and found a horde of demons trying to invade the city.
“Mira! I need help here!” Young Zoey shouted from the corner, she had six shin-kals in her hands and threw them whenever more demons crossed through the tear, but it wasn’t enough. The two Miras were busy near the exit of that alley, preventing the demons from getting out into the city using their weapons, and there was the other Zoey high above them, providing reinforcements from afar.
“Zoey!” The older Rumi called out upon finding her up there, about to jump and go to her, but Zoey shook her head no.
“You help them down there! I’m safe here, Rumi!” she screamed, then summoned more shin-kals and hurled them at the demons emerging from the gap in the Honmoon.
“The tear,” young Rumi said, her voice shaky. Her eyes widened, fixed on the threat, so frightened and insecure.
“Hey, listen to me,” Rumi turned to the youngest, gentle hands holding her shoulders. “You’ll be alright. If you can’t face them yet, stay here and help from afar, but don’t forget who you are, Rumi.”
“I-I—” young Rumi stammered and gasped, almost letting that fear return to haunt her, but she remembered well the mantra she chanted every day with Celine, the mantra that would guide her that night.
“We, Rumi. We,” the eldest said firmly, squeezing her shoulders a little tighter. “We are hunters, voice strong.”
Slaying demons with our song.
Fix the world and make it right.
When darkness finally meets the light.
The eldest jumped first, heading into the dark alley illuminated only by their weapons, and now by the patterns scattered across her body as well.
“Better late than never, Rums!” shouted Mira, immediately spinning her Gok-do in the air and launching it towards her wife, striking the demons gathered around her. Rumi had dodged the blade with precision, her own sword already in hand, going straight to the source of the problem alongside young Zoey.
“Whoever kills the fewest demons does the dishes today, Mir!” Rumi shouted back, allowing herself a smile despite the situation.
They had dealt with worse things; what was a small seven foot tear that refused to close? Rumi certainly saw no problem in having a little fun before dinner.
From above, Zoey helped them as best she could, focused on analyzing the situation and carefully throwing her shin-kals, worried about hitting her half-demon girl who was now fighting avidly alongside the others. In the next building, right in her field of vision, stood young Rumi. She was trembling so much it was visible, her sword swinging before Zoey’s eyes, her nervous gaze fixed on the battle raging below them, occasionally shifting her attention between the demons and the other hunter who hadn’t directly joined the battle but was still there fighting for their family.
Rumi didn’t want to let fear continue to dominate her, but she also couldn’t find the courage to leap headfirst into that sea of danger. She kept tapping her foot repeatedly, trying to convince herself to go down and help them, but every time she took a deep breath and prepared to descend, she froze in place, her heart racing and her knuckles white from gripping the sword hilt so tightly.
She didn’t want to fail. She wanted to be there with her family. She wanted to help them, to rise and fight alongside them, to use her powers for good.
Rumi flexed her muscles and shrugged, forcing herself to move and be their leader once and for all. She would jump in and help them stop the demons.
Rumi glanced in Zoey’s direction, seeking some inspiration to be brave like her. Zoey still helped her family from afar with her shin-kals, her eyes fixed on what was happening in the dark alley… oblivious to the danger that had emerged right behind her—demons lurked silently and were about to advance towards her.
“Zoey, behind you!”
In that very moment, Rumi realized there was something bigger than her fear of failing, than the fear of, in fact, being nothing more than a mistake. Seeing a demon approach Zoey at a moment when she was alone and vulnerable filled her with a mixture of fury and a new fear.
Fear of losing her.
Fear of losing her family.
Fear of being in that world without them.
She moved before she even registered what she was doing, leaping from a rooftop to the other with her sword firmly in hand, and her blade struck a demon firmly in the neck, turning it to dust instantly. She spun in a swift motion, striking the second demon quickly, crossing her sword across its chest. Rumi gritted her teeth as she slid across the floor beneath the legs of a third demon, quickly rising with her sword firmly in hand, striking two at once, impaling them on her blade.
Zoey thanked her for the help as she joined her in that combat, the two moving together as they dealt with that new tear together.
“Zoey!” Shouts came from below, her Mira and her Rumi noticed the movement on the roof. The tear in that alley was now completely closed—the demons having decided to attack the most vulnerable area.
“Mira, watch out!” Rumi shouted as she saw more demons approaching them.
Even with the tear closed at the end of the alley, there were still enough demons to keep them trapped in a battle they needed to end now so they could help their wife up there.
Rumi no longer cared if she was influencing major changes in that timeline, not when her wife was in danger just meters away. She no longer had time to play at killing demons, she needed to annihilate each one of them and run to help her. Rumi let her fangs and claws out first, feeling every bone in her body burning as patterns glowed purple and red, pure rage taking hold of her feelings as she sank her claws into the first demon and hurled it against the nearest wall, piling bodies on top of each other, aiming to immobilize them first while she waited for Mira. This was always a quick and easy method of killing demons with her wife: one would gather them into a pile, the other would destroy them all at once and send them back to the depths.
Young Zoey and young Mira watched the scene for a few seconds, both stunned by the way they moved, fighting together as if one were the complement of the other, driven by pure battle instinct in perfect sync, but they didn’t allow themselves to stand still for long, not when the older version of Zoey was up there alone with their Rumi.
“Let’s go help them,” Mira called, climbing the building ahead of her soon after, knowing that Zoey would follow her without hesitation.
Getting up there was a somewhat frightening experience for them. They had never seen so many tears opening at the same time, so many demons crowding together, and all of them heading towards a single target: Zoey.
She tried to defend herself and stay close to Rumi so they could fight together, but the demons pulled her closer and closer to the edge, all seemingly moving with the sole purpose of hurting her, and the possibility of it becoming a reality was terrifying for each of them, especially for Mira. She had promised she would take care of Zoey, and she wouldn’t fail her now.
“Rumi! Zoey! We need to resolve this now!” Mira cried out desperately. The oldest were still busy downstairs, and they would never forgive themselves if they let anything happen to Zoey.
“Come with me!” Rumi called, throwing her sword towards one of the demons surrounding Zoey.
The three moved in sync, in a way they had never managed in past training sessions. Rumi fought with speed and efficiency, plunging her sword blade into demon after demon, using Mira’s Gok-do hilt for support whenever she saw her nearby. Zoey leaped onto the rooftop, throwing shin-kals at demons that tried to attack her bandmates, spinning in the air and always landing near one of her friends, who quickly helped her back up with a precise push. Mira noticed the tears narrowing as they moved together, and with each spin of her Gok-do she felt more energy vibrate within her soul.
In the alley, Mira and Rumi had just finished off the last wave of demons when they looked around for the other girls, but their gaze was drawn to the rooftop above when they heard the first scream, a scream that sent shivers down both their spines, a scream that almost broke their hearts.
“Zoey! No!” They screamed together upon seeing a demon so close to their precious girl. She was trying to summon a shin-kal through the Honmoon while its claws threatened to sink right into her belly, but it couldn’t.
Because Zoey slipped off the roof before it could do anything against her.
“Rumi!” Mira shouted, summoning her Gok-do instantly, sinking it in the ground so Rumi could climb onto the shaft and jump in time to catch her in mid-air.
Mira followed right after her, ready to help Rumi, willing to embrace them both as soon as they met in the air. She would never let them get hurt from a fall at that height. Mira would never forgive herself if her girls were even slightly injured. She needed to reach them, she needed to hold them both tightly in her arms.
And so she did, managing to find them both at the right moment, holding Zoey close to her chest with one hand and the other firmly on Rumi’s tank top. Mira was about to calculate the best route for a safe landing when she looked down at the ground and all she saw was the bluish glow of the Honmoon opening and receiving them inside a tear.
Up on the roof, three young hunters fell to their knees, so exhausted that breathing seemed like the most tiring task in the world. Rumi could still feel the adrenaline keeping her on cloud nine, the euphoria of the moment consuming her intensely. She smiled despite the situation, smiled despite her own confusion. The whole day seemed like a big mess in her memories, uncertain of what she was doing when she arrived there. The feeling that there was something important she needed to do was so urgent, but even if she tried to remember what she was doing or who she was protecting, nothing really came to mind.
“That was quite a hunt,” Mira said, breaking the tension between them. She wiped her forehead with her hoodie sleeve, then lay down on the ground and allowed herself to relax despite being on someone’s roof. “You guys okay?”
“Doing fine over here,” Zoey replied in one breath, immediately starting to pant as she rested her hands on her knees. “Still got a terrible feeling that I’m forgetting something, though. Do you guys remember if we turned off the stove?”
Mira let out a humorless giggle at their maknae’s pointless question. They had spent the entire day resting after busy weeks promoting their debut album, they’d been so lazy they didn’t even get up to cook, ordering takeout all day, but for some reason Zoey didn’t even remember that.
Blame it on hordes of demons that appeared without warning right at dinnertime.
Mira tilted her head slightly to the side, gazing at their leader with a proud and grateful smile. Rumi was still trembling and looked as confused as Zoey, but certainly more tired than the two of them. She still gripped the sword tightly, frozen in place as she stared at the spot where a tear had previously opened.
“You did it, Rums,” Mira said, so proud. She looked at their leader with a tired, yet still quite radiant smile. “I knew you could do it.”
Rumi smiled in response, though extremely confused by the lapses of memory that appeared in her mind, filling spaces that had previously been empty. She didn’t understand exactly what had happened, or why she was feeling so mentally exhausted on a day off, but she could blame it on those damned demons. Rumi gripped the sword hilt a little tighter before letting it go back to the Honmoon, relaxing tense muscles and collapsing to the ground near Mira, staring at the sky for a long time on that night which, thanks to the three of them, was now peaceful.
“Hey, don’t lay on rooftops without me, that’s betrayal,” Zoey whined before throwing herself to the other side of Mira, falling to the ground limp with a loud thud.
“Zo, don’t dive in. It’s not a pool. It’s concrete.” Mira gently stroked her hair, as if that were enough to ease her pain for the moment.
And judging by the smile Zoey offered the next second, it seemed to be.
“I need a vacation,” Zoey whined again.
“We just debuted,” Mira reminded her, trying to sound amused despite sharing the feeling. She was equally exhausted.
“We still have many years ahead of us, girls,” Rumi whispered. The response came in the form of loud, exaggerated whimpers, but it was enough to elicit a bright smile from her.
“It’s gonna be okay, Zo,” Mira assured her, turning her gaze to Rumi and raising her free hand to stroke her purple hair as well. “Now our leader will be with us in our battles.”
Rumi looked back at them, meeting the weak, joyful smiles of her best friends, and even though this first hunt that they shared truly together had been exhausting enough, she knew Mira was right.
Everything would be alright now.
Because they were together.
“I’m in my big bed all alone and cold,” Zoey complained audibly, her eyes filling with tears so easily. Those were the magic words that always got her the desired attention—all she had to do was whine a little louder and add a dash of drama, and soon she’d have two wives doting on her.
This time, however, only one wife appeared in the room after the first whimper.
Zoey curled her lip into a wobbly pout, threatening to burst into tears at any moment. Mira just snorted and moved closer to her to shift Zoey’s focus, succeeding the instant she sealed her lips to hers, kissing her again and again, distracting her with caresses over her tired body.
“Let me give you a massage, aegi?” Mira offered, sitting on the bed very close to her, opening a drawer from the nightstand to get the jar of cocoa butter.
“Why do I only have one wife here with me?”
Mira paused for a moment to laugh a little. Even with all their attempts to distract Zoey, they should have known that no matter how hard they tried, their girl would always whine if only one of them showed up in the room when Zoey called.
“Rums is with our little huntresses. Today is training day, remember?” Mira opened the jar right after, applying a reasonable amount to Zoey’s thighs first. She was wearing only panties and an oversized shirt, giving Mira easy access to accomplish her mission and start the massage right away. “How are you, aegi? Did the headache ease?”
“Yeah, much better since our crazy time travel,” Zoey mumbled the last part so as not to risk it being too audible, just in case. Their pupils were as sneaky as little devils, which made the former hunters need to be careful about what they said, even in their own room. Zoey still shuddered when she remembered the time they found Minji hiding with one of Zoey’s old notebooks—thankfully, that one didn’t have any inappropriate lyrics.
“Want me to rub your feet too, babes?” Mira asked after finishing tending to her wife’s thighs, but Zoey shook her head. She’d spent the whole day resting in bed, there was no reason for a foot massage.
But there was someone who had spent the entire day using her little feet and probably could use a massage.
Too bad her little feet were out of reach for now.
A smile spread across Zoey’s face as she felt the little kick inside her, and she lifted her shirt so she could talk to their little one better.
“Do you want to talk to your Mama, peanut?” Zoey asked, placing her hand right where she’d felt the first kick, and then another one came.
Mira smiled, her eyes welling up even before she brought her hand closer to where Zoey was pointing, and when she felt their baby moving there, she just let those insistent tears fall all at once.
“Hey peanut,” Mira whispered as she approached the belly, planting kisses all over the baby bump. Zoey carried small, even in her sixth month of pregnancy there was hardly any noticeable difference in her body, but those strong kicks brought the certainty that there was a little baby listening to Mira’s voice at that very moment. “I love you so, so much.”
Zoey gently stroked Mira’s hair, running her nails along her scalp the way her wife loved so much, while Mira talked to their baby. The patterns scattered across Zoey’s belly pulsed with each kick from their baby, and their smiles perfectly matched Rumi’s, who left her three pupils sparring in the yard while she took a five-minute break to kiss her wives and talk to their daughter.
It had been a long road to get there, but it was all worth it for Rumi just to see her sweet Zoey relaxed against soft pillows as she rested after their latest adventure, with Mira sitting on the bed right next to her, leaning close to the baby bump while peppering kisses on her wife’s little belly.
Their family was about to grow a little more, and Rumi could hardly wait to meet their peanut and tell her every day how loved she was.