Deus Didymus: Rend

Pt2Ch76: Starship XVII

Bae pulled himself from the shadowfell, clutching his side. Shortly after, he pulled Gaeul through the portal whereafter Riwon emerged with Daeun in her arms. The three looked deep into Kami's cave where the familiar presence of death loomed over their shoulders.

"The air's so heavy..." Gaeul mumbled.

Inside, the three approached the gates where Jinju stood wearing casual clothes. Riwon's eyes flared as the light around the woman distorted. What looked heat waves bent the space atop her head, in front of her eyes, and around her waist until her true sight discerned illusory magic. Riwon gasped as feline features appeared on Jinju's body one by one. First, her pupils thinned out to resemble Riwon's. Then, a pair of secondary ears appeared followed by a tail wrapped around the woman's waist.

"You're..." Riwon breathed.

Jinju pressed her finger against her lips. Shock filled Riwon's face as the woman's reaction hinted she knew about Riwon for a while. Prior to now, Riwon spent all of her time in the Dragonforge while Jinju stayed in the dwarven city.

While Jinju escorted Bae and Gaeul, Riwon returned Daeun to her home. Three simple knocks was all it took to get Wonyoung's attention. That is, if she wasn't aware of Riwon's presence. Sneaking past Wonyoung's prescience didn't take superhuman coordination or power; running her allele burnt her out very quickly, and she only used it at the beginning of the day or when she needed to make decisions. Her ability to sense energy was the problem. Compared to Riwon, Hayoung and Jinju, Wonyoung's senses reached the furthest without a doubt. From the town to the Dragonforge, and outside the cave, Wonyoung could tell the exact position of a person down to the faintest trace of their wellspring.

Riwon raised her hand. Each knock felt heavier than the last and her breaths grew shallow. A light click quickly followed revealing the fair woman. Her dark, burgundy eyes stared into Riwon's without a hint of emotion.

"Ms. Jang... I-I have Daeun here..." She extended the sickly girl toward her mother, biting the inside of her lip. "I-I'm really sorry! I should have taken better care-"

"It's okay," Wonyoung said with a calm-eerily calm voice. The woman took Daeun into her gentle embrace, caressing the girl's forehead with the back of her hand. "I planned for this."

Wonyoung turned away, pulling the door closed. Before closing it completely, she turned her head toward Riwon. "You might want to visit the Dragonforge. They've been working hard in your absence."

With Daeun in her bed, Wonyoung pulled a chair to her side. She took a deep breath in anticipation, shifting her eyes toward a swirling portal. IU, Sakura, and two unfamiliar women stepped through the portal. The first, a taller woman with black hair, extended her hand, collapsing the portal. The second, a petite woman with white hair and gray eyes rested her palm on the pommel of her katana.

Before either party could speak, Kami emerged from the shadows. The sheer pressure and dread from his presence sent the two women into shock causing the smaller one to grab her handle. Frosty mist expelled from her lips and a surge of energy rushed through her channels. Despite the flare of battle spirit, the white haired woman shuddered in her spot. Before her stood a being so unfathomable she could only compare it to rumors of Park Ji Hoon.

"Stand down, Ayaka," IU said with her hand raised. "It is not wise to point a weapon at someone in their own home. Much less a god."

"It's been a while," Wonyoung remarked. "Does it take a continent wiping disaster to get in contact with you now?"

Sakura frowned. Vine-like markings wrapped around her body as she kneeled next to Daeun. "A lot has happened since the invasion. My position is no different to Kami's now."