Chapter 11
"You're already there."
Suddenly, the trees and the hut were gone, to be replaced by the surreal green plains, and the ocean-blue sky. There was no sun, the scenery was lit as if the light was coming from the colors themselves. A gentle breeze glided across the plains, multicolored flowers decorating the green. Clouds of cotton hovered up in the sky, picturesque in their unique shapes and sizes, as well as their movements.
"Beautiful," said Tomochika, her breaths stolen from her.
"…where is this?" Jinah asked.
"You're in my domain, the Realm of Eternal Rest," Jinwoo explained. "I can create anything, shape anything in this world. For you, this will be your safe house until we return home."
"Eternal Rest? You mean this is like Heaven? Hell?"
"No… it's a little more complicated to explain."
Jinah took a step back from Jinwoo, her brows creasing and eyes trembling nervously.
"Who are you?" she asked. "I mean, you coming to this world was weird enough, but you being some kind of god who can control space? Are you really my brother?"
"Jinah?" called out Tomochika, feeling some wrong from her classmate. "What's wrong?"
"I'm asking you a question! Who are you!?"
"I'll tell you when we—" Jinwoo tried to explain before being cut off
"No!" Jinah shouted. "You need to tell me now! How can I trust you when I can't even be sure of whether you're actually my brother or not! The Sung Jinwoo I knew was a human!"
"And I think of myself as human," Jinwoo responded, walking closer to his sister to calm her down. "Jinah, I know this is a lot to take in…"
"Yeah, it is!" exclaimed Jinah, pulling away from the being in front of her. "First my class was transported to another world, and then I get rescued by some god posing as my brother!"
"I AM your brother, Jinah. I'm your brother, the one who held you when you were born, the one who slept with you when you got scared during a thunderstorm, the one who helped you with homework, the one who disappeared during middle school and came back two years later. Look—"
Jinwoo took another step towards Jinah, who froze with the recognition of the things he said.
"A lot happened," Jinwoo said gently, lowering his voice just above a whisper. Despite this, his voice seemed to reverberate across the open world. "a lot that I can't tell you right now. But I promise, I'll tell you when I have time, alright?"
"When we get back."
"Alright, when we get back, I promise." Jinwoo said, smirking as he put his hand on her shoulder.
"Does anyone else know?" she asked. "Does Hae-in unni* know?"
(*honorific for older sister women used by girls)
"Yeah. Chief knows too."
"WHAT!? Him too!"
"That's all I can tell you, for now. But, I really will tell you more when we get back."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
The beautiful plains turned into a background that Jinah knew very well.
Home.
The living room TV was on, playing an anime that played a decade ago, the wooden floor still a little creaky, the kitchen/dining space next to the living room and the doors to the bathroom their rooms by the side.
"Stay here until I come back, alright? Tell your friend too."
"Alright."
"Oh, you can go outside too."
Out of nowhere, with a whoosh, a circular, purple thing opened up next to Jinwoo.
"See you until then," said Jinwoo.
Jinah, still a little vigilant, waved, smiling weakly. Tomochika waved awkwardly. Jinwoo stepped through, and the portal instantly disappeared.
Jinah collapsed on the couch and closed her eyes, utterly tired. Tomochika stood on, looking at Jinah and then at Mokomoko. She glanced at her ancestor and asked:
"Sooo… what happened?"
Jinwoo exited the portal, returning to where he had left.
Where is Ayaka? Jinwoo questioned a shadow.
Jinwoo looked and saw a girl in a high school uniform. Long blonde hair, eyes cold, face like a stone. She was walking to what seemed to be a village.
When his shadow had notified him about her whereabouts, he initially thought that the shadow was mistaken. By his sister's and her classmate's testimony, Ayaka was supposed to have been killed and eaten. And at the present, he didn't have the power to fully resurrect someone with their physical body, even if he could raise a shadow through DNA alone.
Shadow Exchange.
Jinwoo's presence thinned out like a needle, and disappeared in a pillar of twirling black mist. And in an instant, he was right behind the supposed dead girl.
She must have sensed his presence right away because she immediately spun and swiped behind her. Jinwoo bent behind, low enough that his back almost reached the ground. Where Ayaka swiped, trees fell, unlucky animals were bisected, and the lunatic behind the both of them was carved with three thin lines.
Jinwoo stood back into place and looked at the girl. Unknown energy coming from her hands still lingered, a sign of vigilance and aggression.
But there was something else Jinwoo was interested in.
"Who are you?" Ayaka questioned, looking up at Jinwoo.
"Funny, I was going to ask the same thing."
She had no soul.