Chapter Text
Hongjoong faded in and out of consciousness for a while.
He had memories of attempting to tell the inspector off for letting the coroner check on him - he was alive for magic’s sake - then the jostling ride in one of the cars and the feeling of Seonghwa’s shoulder under his cheek, soothing words murmured as warmth and a comforting spicy scent enveloped him.
Then he fully fell into a dreamless sleep.
The next time he resurfaced, it was to the gentle bubbling of slowly boiling water.
He was bundled up in soft blankets in an unfamiliar bed that smelled of spices, herbs and beeswax, and an intricately woven fabric that depicted the starlit sky covered the wall in front of him. He tried to reach out with his magic, but the ache the attempt caused made him rethink the idea. Instead, he turned around slowly, even though his muscles were not faring much better.
He was surprised by how far up he was, the bed resting atop a dais that looked over the whole room through embroidered sheer curtains and draping thick fabrics. That was when he realised he wasn’t in a room, but rather what he was seeing was the interior of a wagon.
The ceiling curved upwards into a clerestory roof, the rows of small windows on either side letting in light and highlighting the whimsical patterns that were painted onto the ceiling and the herbs that hung from drying racks. Two walls were lined with shelves, cupboards and a well-organised workbench that also held the distilling equipment responsible for the gentle bubbling sounds. Even a tiny talisman-lined cast iron stove was squeezed between the workbench and a small sitting area made of dark pearwood and piled high by embroidered pillows. The windows were covered by hanji, softening the light pouring in from the outside, and fresh plants thrived on the sills. The single door that led outside was cracked open and a familiar cloak hung by the frame along with his satchel.
It was small and homey and suited the hedge witch, because it was his wagon without a question.
Hongjoong sat up slowly, groggy and aching all around, and let his legs dangle down the side of the bed as he tried to orient himself.
It’d been a while since he last slipped, and Taehyung had been almost more ghost than spirit at that point, twisted and warped by the dark energies that kept him prisoner for a long time.
It left Hongjoong scraped out and raw when his own memories and emotions got dragged to the surface along with the spirit’s, making a devastating mix with his violent death and everything it entailed. That was all just made worse by his depleted magic and all the physical marks that were left behind by the spirit’s touch.
Darkening of death, his master used to call them.
Then there was the death of Taehyung’s coven mates and the book of secrets that got exchanged for that insidious ritual, an obvious deception that used the green witch’s desperation.
Beware of those who smell of red yuhyang.
It sounded familiar, something he’d read about before. He recalled time-darkened pages, red cinnabar ink and the smell of old magic.
But it was all hazy, lost to the passing of time.
‘Hongjoong?’
He raised his head, finding Seonghwa by the door with a fresh bucket of water that he placed down carefully and walked the short way down the wagon to his side.
‘Yeah, awake and present.’
‘You slept for nearly 20 hours,’ the hedge witch told him, taking up a cup of tea and holding it out for him.
‘Doesn’t feel like I did,’ Hongjoong grouched, accepting the cup and noting how Seonghwa hovered but took care not to touch him.
It seemed uncharacteristic, especially after what they went through together. Hongjoong fought down the urge to listen to his inner voice that immediately whispered of scorn and distrust and of course, what was he expecting after all that, and instead observed Seonghwa’s withdrawn form.
He was fiddling with the protective charms of the necklace he gave him, shoulders hunched as if he dreaded what was coming.
It was familiar — too familiar. It was the same wariness that he wore like a second skin around living people, the wariness that came from waiting for judgement.
Then it finally clicked. Despite whatever happened in the aftermath of the shutdown of the ritual, the hedge witch still felt unsure of his reaction to his expert handling of that dark ritual.
And Hongjoong more than understood the instinctive caution - most witches would’ve cried blood-touched already.
They really had a lot to discuss, but shunning Seonghwa was not one of them.
Now he just had to figure out how to tell that to him without withering on the spot.
Why was dealing with the living always so unfairly hard compared to the dead?
So Hongjoong steeled himself and cleared his throat, fixing his gaze on the far side of the wagon. ‘Umm, I don’t want to spill this on your blankets, so… Can I get a bit of help here?’
The spirit witch could see Seonghwa freeze out of the corner of his eyes and he was almost glad his magic was so depleted. There was no way his embarrassment would’ve left the plants in the wagon alive.
Then a tentative touch nearly startled him out of his skin as Seonghwa helped him hold the cup steady.
‘Don’t worry, it’s not another tonic,’ he teased, eyes bright and smile wide.
‘Are you sure?’ Hongjoong asked, making a show of sniffing it before taking a sip.
‘Might’ve added a few mint leaves to the brew, but nothing drastic,’ he amended. ‘I don’t really think you are well enough for those. Your magic levels are too low for them to properly work.’
‘Yeah, about that…’ Hongjoong trailed off uncertainly.
‘Oh, you want to have that discussion now?’ Seonghwa asked, raising one brow.
‘Only if you feel up to it to finally shout at me.’
‘I think I got over the urge when you tried to bite the coroner.’ he chuckled, making Hongjoong duck his head as his ears turned red. ‘But do you feel up to it?’
No.
Working alone rarely entailed heart-to-hearts and explanations.
Or anyone being worried about him.
And it didn’t leave any part of him vulnerable.
But he promised, so trying his best at letting go of his past hurts and opening up it was.
‘Yeah, well, we will have to talk to the inspector too, but this doesn’t really concern him. Only you. I do owe you an explanation and… an apology,’ Hongjoong began, allowing Seonghwa to refill his cup and climb up next to him onto the mattress. ‘I know you made the decision to come with me, but I didn’t warn you about what might happen when the spirit I work with is in any state other than peaceful and cooperative. You didn’t know what harm could come to me or you if anything went wrong. I’m sorry for not making sure you knew.’
Seonghwa nodded, pinching his neck in an absentminded gesture. ‘I’m sorry, too. I didn’t tell you about what I was trying to do either - we both could’ve been hurt or worse if I messed up.’
‘It worked, though,’ Hongjoong reassured him, since it was true in both cases.
‘Yeah, but only because I spent decades researching dark rituals,’ Seonghwa whispered, hunching his shoulders in shame.
‘And Taehyung’s soul wasn’t consumed by the ritual thanks to you,’ Hongjoong said, having none of it as he bumped their shoulders together and it relaxed Seonghwa a bit.
‘Yeah. I haven’t seen that exact ritual before, but I’ve memorised enough of them to recognise what they are and where their weaknesses lie.’
Hongjoong turned to stare at him with wide eyes.
Ritual magic was one of the hardest fields thanks to all the varying and volatile components, and most needed to know the guidelines to even do one, much less reverse engineer it or even modify it. Dark rituals were on a whole other level, especially if they were based on lost runes and sigils.
‘You’ve never seen that one before?’
‘Umm, no.’
For Seonghwa to successfully disrupt an active ritual and shut it down in a matter of minutes without studying it in depth, and all that without using dark magic… It was dangerous, sure, but also-
‘Amazing. By magic, you are amazing,’ he marvelled and Seonghwa hid his face behind his hands. ‘How do you even do that with your light magic?’
‘I worked out a method to bypass the dark components, but it wouldn’t be possible without my… unique magic,’ he muttered.
That astounded Hongjoong more as he met the eyes peeking out from behind his fingers with unmasked awe.
‘But enough about me!’ Seonghwa exclaimed, lowering his hands to reveal a flushed but sombre expression. ‘What happened to you? You scared me. I didn’t know what to do, not when you and Taehyung just…’ he trailed off with a frustrated wave of his hands to encompass everything he witnessed.
‘I slipped,’ Hongjoong began, sighing because he knew no amount of explaining would make it any less harrowing of an experience, but he’d try. ‘I didn’t have enough power to fight his influence off, not when he was actively trying to hurt me and I was at less than full capacity,’ he continued, feeling the phantom pain in his core. ‘My magic was meant for communicating with and guiding spirits, so I’m very receptive to their energies and if I don’t shield myself… well, you saw it. It’s like drowning, getting pulled under by the spirit’s emotions and memories and it pushes my own to the surface.’
‘You fell apart very suddenly, as if you were shattering. Your voice changed, and your eyes glowed even as you both cried… and those awful silent screams…’ Seonghwa shivered. ‘I felt the emotions, the despair, like everyone else. It influenced me, but you… You truly drowned in it.’
They stayed quiet for a while as Hongjoong gathered his thoughts to put into words everything that was mostly instinctive for him after so many years.
‘Think of the worst day you’ve ever had, how awful you felt, how even years later remembering it can be viscerally agonising. And still, there’s no comparison to what people whose life ended violently feel even after death,’ he broke off, looking away towards the open door. ‘It gets exponentially worse when a ghost uses this to actively harm people. I shield myself so I can help and be present and guide them through their pain. It’s still awful, every time. But slipping is different…’
There had been enough of an opening for Taehyung to latch onto and pull him in deep. 20 minutes were long enough to burn through a lot of his magic and if it had gone on longer...
‘You didn’t respond at all, Hongjoong. I tried to talk to you both, but it didn’t work until I-,’ Seonghwa’s voice broke, but he kept going in a hoarse whisper, ‘until I told you about what happened to me.’
The spirit witch startled at that but still reached across the space between them, finding his hand in a trembling, white-knuckled fist. So he blanketed it, giving it a quick but reassuring squeeze.
‘When I slip, I lose my senses to the powerful emotions. I don’t remember what you said, but it worked, Seonghwa,’ Hongjoong comforted him. ‘You reached us. You reached me and anchored me even if you didn’t know it.’
‘Anchor you?’
‘Yeah, normally that charm on my satchel is my anchor. It signs when I’m in danger of losing control or when a powerful spirit is around so I can plan accordingly. But sometimes it’s not enough.’
‘Like yesterday.’
‘Yes.’ Hongjoong nodded. ‘That’s why it also holds a vial. If I ever slip and fall too deep, taking it can cut the connection forcefully. It hurts a lot, but it works.’
‘But if there is no one around to do that for you…’ Seonghwa whispered, horrified by the implication.
He said nothing to that because there really wasn’t anything to say. Instead, he sipped on his tea and let Seonghwa come to his own conclusions.
‘Can I do that deliberately?’
‘What?’
‘Be your anchor.’
Hongjoong choked on his tea, shocked by the offer, as he coughed furiously.
‘W-what?’ he wheezed.
Seonghwa jumped down from the bed abruptly, starting to heat the water he brought in earlier on the little stove and shutting down the distillation equipment with the ease of someone who’d done it a thousand times already despite the hurried movements.
‘Just think about it,’ he said and Hongjoong felt utterly dumbfounded, blinking owlishly at the hedge witch’s rapidly reddening nape.
Seonghwa opened one of the cupboards, disappearing behind the open doors as he continued to putter around and left them both in the even more rapidly growing awkwardness.
‘Master Park?’ came the call from outside and Seonghwa must’ve jumped and hit his head because a low thud reverberated through the wagon along with a muttered curse.
‘In here, Inspector Lee!’ he called back and Gikwang pushed the door open from the outside, looking comically small from his position on the ground as he glanced in.
‘Ah, Master Kim, good to see you’re awake at last.’ he grinned, lifting a familiar backpack into the wagon. ‘I’ve brought your effects from the temple you stayed at. Hope you don’t mind, but we thought you might like to change into something new.’
‘Thank you,’ Hongjoong croaked out, trying to catch Seonghwa’s eyes as Gikwang stepped away with a wave.
‘You can clean up here. I’ve prepared you scented clothes to wash with and towels. It’s not much, but the merchant station doesn’t have a bathhouse attached,’ Seonghwa rambled, straightening up his already neat workbench without meeting his eyes. ‘If you are up for it, the inspector wanted to talk to us before the celebrations began.’
With that, he all but dashed down the steps, pulling the door close behind him with slightly more force than necessary, and Hongjoong felt like a whirlwind just passed through the tiny space as he blinked rapidly at the closed door.
Then, before he could recover, Seonghwa was back just as quickly, stopping in front of him with a pinched look.
‘I’m sorry. Forgot to help you down from there,’ he offered as an explanation, before taking his empty cup from him and standing close to do just that.
Hongjoong slipped down from his perch by holding onto his offered arm, landing on wobbly legs but secured by Seonghwa’s other arm around his back.
‘Thanks.’
‘Don’t mention it.’
Before he could disappear again in a similar frantic fashion, Hongjoong called after him.
‘I’ll think about it!’
The resulting smile did a better job of silencing his inner voice than anything before.
‘Sorry again for bothering you on the equinox, but I always find it’s better to record testimonies while they are fresh,’ Gikwang explained once Hongjoong made an effort to look presentable again, smelling of lavender and of the cream he used for his bruises.
And only after he made sure all horses were safely in the stalls for the night, far away from the carts and wagons that used the merchant station that was just outside the southern gates but closed in by a much smaller wall.
‘It’s okay,’ Hongjoong reassured him as he was helped down the stairs by Gikwang. ‘I thought you might need a more coherent answer than whatever I was capable of yesterday.’
‘Other than trying to bite me? You were pretty out of it, Master Kim,’ the coroner, Yang Yoseob, joked as he sat by the merrily cracking bonfire that Seonghwa was setting up for the night, one of the many that dotted the field around the merchant station.
‘Yeah, sorry about that. Despite my magic, I don’t enjoy being mistaken for a corpse. I think we established that last time we worked together.’
‘I think we also established that I’m actually capable of looking after the living, too.’ he grinned. ‘But I have to admit, Master Park here did a much better job, despite vowing he is no actual healer.’
‘I’m not.’ Seonghwa smiled, settling down on a bench by the fire. ‘As a hedge witch, my focus is mostly on herbal medicine. I can’t simply transfer energies as full-fledged witch healers do, and even with my concoctions serving as a medium, I can’t do it on that scale.’
Hongjoong thought that didn’t sound exactly right, but maybe he felt it wrongly in the chaos, so he didn’t push it. Instead, he settled down next to Seonghwa, opposite the inspector and the coroner.
‘Hence my continued wobbling.’ Hongjoong nodded. ‘I overdid it and not even Seonghwa can do much about it right now.’
‘I heard good things about a hot spring. It’s supposedly good for magical maladies,’ Yoseob noted, and Seonghwa perked up next to him, obviously interested in the news. ‘But first, eat.’
‘The least we could do for bothering you on the equinox is to bring you a late lunch.’ Gikwang smiled, motioning towards the neatly packed boxes. ‘Especially after inadvertently putting you through such an ordeal.’
‘Good idea, I’m starving.’ Hongjoong nodded gratefully, and they chatted while he more or less managed to not make a complete mess out of himself even as Seonghwa allowed him to trade vegetables for meat in a silent negotiation of chopsticks.
‘You know the procedure, Master Kim.’ Gikwang sighed once they were finished and Hongjoong nodded with an equally long-suffering sigh.
‘There wasn’t a body, so everything we tell you will mostly have to stay out of the official records.’
‘What do you mean?’ Seonghwa asked, looking as confused as Hongjoong had when he was first faced with this problem.
‘Spirit witch testimonies on behalf of the dead mean little - supposedly because no one can verify it, but it’s mostly because of the usual distrust surrounding our magic,’ Hongjoong explained, and Seonghwa’s eyes grew wide in appalled shock. ‘Officers can still use our words to find physical evidence in their investigation, but without a body… Well. It will be much harder to do so.’
‘But that’s…’
‘It is what it is.’ the inspector nodded, before adding with a slight smirk. ‘But I believe we have quite a few extra records that turned out invaluable in the long run.’
‘Just give me that stupid talisman and slap it onto your official records.’ Hongjoong rolled his eyes, knowing that they still needed to explain who they’d asked help from.
‘Catch.’ Yoseob chuckled and Hongjoong did it without dropping it.
The cedar talisman was round and smooth, the white tassel hanging from it was decorated with the carved silver beads of the Ministry of Justice. It was as official as Hongjoong ever got, preferring to stay out of the kingdom’s bureaucratic jungle as much as possible.
He still had enough magic to activate the talisman, the cool energy making it glow as an etched sigil appeared on its smooth surface, proclaiming him as death-touched.
‘Should I also do this?’ Seonghwa asked and Hongjoong shared a look with the inspector.
Ritual magic was tricky, dark rituals were worse, especially the ones involving blood magic. Putting him on the record might not be the best idea, no matter what method he used to counter its effects.
‘I believe since the ritual burned itself out, destroying any evidence of your involvement,’ Gikwang stated carefully, ‘we can keep you out of this.’
Seonghwa pressed his lips together, nodding his understanding.
‘Good. Now, tell me everything that happened.’
Hongjoong took a deep breath and began explaining what they saw, letting Seonghwa add what he deduced about the ritual based on its structure and the sigils he’d recognised.
‘Even more completely off the record,’ Yoseob perked up, ‘but what did you use to trick it into letting the spirit go, Master Park? What little was left behind was scorched beyond recognition, but I have a feeling that, unlike our victim, you didn’t use actual blood.’
‘No. It’s my formula - it would never be enough to power the ritual, but I can stop it with its help,’ Seonghwa explained, and the inspector hastened them along before the coroner could continue drilling him for more information.
When they reached the part about Hongjoong slipping and everything he learned from Taehyung after, the inspector’s expression turned grim and troubled.
Hongjoong sighed. ‘Don’t bother lecturing me about the risks.’
‘I think Master Park has that covered.’ Gikwang shook his head. ‘No. I’m more worried about the why…’
‘We don’t know what their book of secrets holds. But it can’t be anything pleasant,’ Seonghwa noted grimly.
‘We can presume the coven was attacked the first time for that reason too,’ the inspector nodded as he looked through his notes, ‘and since the attacker failed to get what they aimed for, they used Taehyung to get it at a later time - it’s just not plausible to assume it was done by two different perpetrators. There are coincidences and then there are these cases.’
‘So he was tricked?’ Yoseob asked.
‘In a way,’ Hongjoong said with a bitter smile. ‘The witch who gave him the ritual wanted the book of secrets. We know Taehyung didn’t know the full extent of what the ritual was capable of, and it might’ve been the aim all along.’
‘To not leave witnesses, just like they didn’t leave one during his coven mates’ demise,’ the inspector acknowledged, glancing down at his notes once more with a frown. ‘Is it possible to force a spirit to pass on? So there is no way for them to linger and talk?’
‘Yes. But that’s the only positive option we can consider,’ Hongjoong said, shuddering slightly at the far darker options that came to mind.
‘What about his last warning?’
‘I don’t think I’ve ever heard of the red yuhyang before. There are several common types, but red…’ Seonghwa trailed off, turning to Hongjoong.
‘I might have read about it once, but nothing I can recall.’ he shook his head and Gikwang noted that down as well.
‘We’ll ask around. Maybe someone has more information,’ the inspector said, and Yoseob nodded his agreement.
They sat in silence for a moment, just absorbing the details that made up the complicated and sinister picture that cost four lives, knowing there weren’t any real answers they could come up with. The motivation was murky at best and without substantial evidence, there wasn’t much the police could do either.
‘Do you think there was any chance for Taehyung to survive the ritual?’ Gikwang asked finally.
Hongjoong stared into the fire, remembering the spirit’s distorted form and the deep well of his heartbreak that pulled him under. Whoever picked that ritual knew there wasn’t any way Taehyung would resist its pull. It was just by chance that they could reach him before it was too late to save his soul and make the connection with the coven’s tragedy.
But that wasn’t everything.
‘In magic, intent matters, Inspector,’ Hongjoong said finally. ‘He wanted to be with them more than anything.’
‘I understand,’ Gikwang said, standing up along with Yoseob to thank them for their help with a formal, deep bow. ‘We’ll do everything to find the real perpetrator and do this coven justice. I would like to formally thank you for your invaluable help. Please keep in touch with us if you find anything during your travels. May magic bless you.’
Hongjoong stood to return the bow with Seonghwa’s help, accepting the traditional payment the kingdom offered for a spirit witch’s help and refusing the extra Yoseob tried to sneak into the carved box. They talked for a while longer, letting the case rest for now as they moved away from the heavy topic. Instead, they let Yoseob tell them about the hot springs he heard about and what he planned for the equinox.
‘We’ll let you enjoy the celebrations now.’ Gikwang smiled. ‘I hope we’ll see each other again.’
‘Yeah.’ Hongjoong smiled and Seonghwa waved them goodbye as the sunset approached and with it, the swell of magic that signalled the impending equinox.
They stood there by the crackling bonfire, just enjoying the natural currents that gently moved towards that moment of the perfect cosmic balance of eum-yang.
The spring equinox welcomed the light and life back into people’s homes with flowers and offerings and fires lit through the night. It was something Hongjoong hadn’t indulged in since he left his coven and he had a feeling Seonghwa was in a similar situation, yet after everything that happened yesterday, he felt like he should.
‘I made a flower wreath from the flowers that bloomed in the coven’s gardens,’ Seonghwa spoke up softly, and Hongjoong turned to him in surprise. ‘It felt right, and I thought we could do something with it if you want to.’
‘I used to float lanterns during the spring equinox,’ Hongjoong whispered, the old and faded memory resurfacing in its threadbare beauty like a nearly forgotten glimpse of happiness.
‘I used to do that during the autumn equinox. The whole city did.’ Seonghwa smiled with a bittersweet tilt to his mouth, eyes glittering with his own worn memories.
‘Why don’t we combine the two?’ Hongjoong asked, and the hedge witch’s smile turned sweet in answer. ‘I have an idea.’
Hongjoong collected his satchel and the lantern the temple gifted to him from his bag, leading Seonghwa back into the city proper even as he waved away his concerned questions. This much he could do.
He went towards the canal ways that were less busy now that people were returning home for the sunset and rented a small boat.
‘Just follow the current,’ Hongjoong said when Seonghwa pointedly grabbed the pole to propel them down the shallow waters.
‘Till when?’
‘You’ll know when we arrive.’ he chuckled, taking up the flower wreath to gently tie it to the lantern with a ribbon, not getting distracted even as on both sides of the canal, houses lit up with bright lights and the colours of the setting sun, painting a beautiful picture of pinks and golds.
Seonghwa had to duck low under an old, wide bridge, the shadows swallowing the warm lights and only leaving a beckoning beam at the end of the dark tunnel. Hongjoong smiled, knowing where it opened up to and rested their offering in his lap so he could fully appreciate it for the first time in years.
The shadows gave way to mellow purples and burnt oranges as the canal opened up into a glittering lake that was hugged on all sides by gentle slopes full of fresh spring flowers and delicately bowing trees. The single pier in the distance was lit with lanterns and the pavilion stretching up the hill was decorated with flower wreaths and fresh greens, melting into the setting sun that dipped below the horizon right behind the building.
‘This is beautiful!’ Seonghwa gasped from the back of the small boat, his movement ceasing as only the gentle currents pulled them along towards the middle of the lake.
‘This is the oldest part of the city,’ Hongjoong said, reaching his hand out to brush his finger along the water’s surface. ‘This used to be the garden of a witch king’s summer residence. Now it’s open to everyone.’
‘How did you find this place?’
‘A spirit told me.’ Hongjoong grinned, turning back to look up at Seonghwa’s standing form.
His eyes were on the horizon, face aglow with the golden red rays. His lips bore the semblance of a smile, just enough to show that he was enjoying his thoughts, whatever they may be. Hongjoong was reluctant to disturb such calm serenity, so he let them drift in silence for a while longer as the magic swelled around them.
‘Come on, sit. It’s nearly time,’ Hongjoong whispered, tidying the wreath that now hugged the lantern as Seonghwa carefully settled down and reached forward to smooth out the blossoms with his magic. By then the sun was hidden up to its chin in the worn green blanket of the trees, its warm, golden ray caressing their faces for the last time as the lights scattered away on the surface of the lake until finally the dusk covered them both in its muted colours.
They waited for the magic to reach its apex, the very second the dark and light energies balanced out, to light the lantern and let it float away from them, watching as it glittered like the stars the dusk beckoned.
Hongjoong took out his piri and began playing a slow melody that danced along the magical currents and travelled across the lake until the velvet dark of the night enveloped them in starlight. Still, they sat there in silence long after the echoes of his music faded away, and Hongjoong felt both light and heavy in its comfort as he thought of everything that happened in these short few days.
But something settled amidst all his tempestuous thoughts and feelings, and he took his anchor in his hands, twisting its delicate body to open it. Inside sat a small vial, his last line of defence. He held it up to the night sky, watching as the gentle light shone through its content and remembering what his master told him of anchors.
There were old tales of living anchors, whispered words that promised something few spirit witches could even dream of. But this moment felt like the point to start dreaming again.
He handed it over to Seonghwa wordlessly.
‘Hongjoong?’
‘I want you to hold on to this for me.’
Seonghwa clutched it close to his heart without a word, watching him with eyes that reflected the stars, with eyes that knew what dreaming of impossible things felt like.
And it felt right to open his heart to the opportunities spring brought along.