// Chapter 16 \\

After his words, we immediately took to going towards my study before continuing the rest of the conversation over the information Yeosang had brought with him.

We sat at opposite ends of the lowered coffee table, crafted of dark mahogany and dark blue stained glass. Sitting over top the table was a tea set which I didn't even know why I bothered myself with getting when I was clearly not prioritizing refreshments over the news Yeosang brought— and his news.

I didn't believe what he said because it shouldn't be true. No, Yeosang's news had irked me. I was uneasy on the walk to my study. If Yeosang had noticed, he didn't show it, just politely walked along and tried to make a bit of small conversation which helped ease the shaking in my hands. Why did my hands shake from this news? It was like I was reminded of something so bitter that it would engulf the world in spite.

It was even an effort now to keep the shake of unease from my palms as I held them tightly together in the center of my lap. I didn't even bother to move them to get my own tea and Yeosang was quite the same. He sat across from me, observant as ever in the silence.

But he broke it as he unfolded his own hands and leaned forward slightly as he asked, "So, how are you feeling?"

I didn't react for a moment but when I did I decided to act confused about what he meant. I tilted my head and furrowed my brows and asked in confusion, "About what?"

"Well," Yeosang nodded his head, "About... being one out of the eight individuals of the Crescent." He tried to add a smile at the end jokingly to light the mood.

However, that only had me prone to give a small fake laugh as I lightly shrugged my shoulders, "Just... shocked I guess- surprised." I laughed a bit more, "I... I just wasn't expecting to hear something like that after getting back from..."

"From Dawn Court," Yeosang tilted his head in curiosity as he actually didn't know why I'd gone there. I knew he was wondering why I'd been there.

I nodded my head in conformation and hummed as well before giving a bit of a smile. I didn't want to tell him why I'd been at Dawn Court— about my dreams— about falling asleep more than I ever had. I wanted to keep that to myself for now. It was odd I wanted to do that because Yeosang was my friend. We'd known each other since we were kids. We'd known each other before Court Selection. Yeosang was different back then but that changed nothing about the comfort and trust I had with him. Normally, I would tell him, but a part of me told me not to. So I guess that's why I was eager to change the subject.

"You have more news about this, though?" I pointed as a question. I dared to make the move to reach for my tea to make the question feel casual, smooth. My hands shook slightly as I reached out but no more as I successfully grabbed a cup and poured the purple-sparkling liquid from the pot.

"I do," Yeosang spoke before he too leaned forward to take some tea.

He dropped the subject and I couldn't be more relieved.

After he situated his cup, Yeosang took a sip of the tea before he finally began to speak, "I suppose I should start with how I figured out you are a wielder." Yeosang waited for any sort of response from me which never came, so he continued, "Well, I was researching more on the interesting phenomena. I was trying to find any sort of hints in the scripts of what the magical powers of the eight individuals might be. It was hard to get any direct translation in the readings I've found, but I believe I've finally narrowed down the eight different abilities into titles. Even so, these titles came from translations of scrambled languages, they could mean something entirely different from how they appear."

I nodded, listening carefully as I allowed my interest in the information to drown away my interest in worry, "And the titles?"

"The Protector, The Ticker, The Reader, The Warder, The Imaginer, The Balancer, The Jumper, and The Brawler." Yeosang paused to take another sip of tea, "I believe you, Star, are The Reader."

"How?" I asked, "I mean, I understand I have the ability to read minds but mind reading abilities have been a thing of the past."

"The Reader has the ability to peer into another's mind, not only hear thoughts, but see memories, see imaginations— thorns, even manipulate another's true mind." Yeosang leaned forward, "And I still remember those days you invaded my thoughts, Star."

I stiffened then, before a calmed myself, "I- Yeosang, I told you I was sorry about that, I have rules for myself now—"

"Star, I know," Yeosang gave a quick reassuring smile, "I only brought that up because you would describe exactly what I was seeing in my mind, and that was because you saw it, isn't it?"

I bit my lip for a moment before I gave a nod, "And that's why you think I'm The Reader?"

"Yes," Yeosang gave a slow nod in confirmation before he smiled and joked, "Not to mention any mental shield I tried to use you easily map out before I even realized you were in my mind again."

"A-Again, I'm sorry-" I quickly apologized but I was stopped when Yeosang rose his hand.

"Star, it's okay, I was just trying to make a joke out of it. I'll-" he licked his lips, "I'll stop."

I sighed before I gave a slow nod, "Right." I let the word settle in the room before I changed the subject, "So... how did you find out the information about The Reader?"

"Assumptions of what the stories talked about. The reader was one more talked about in the information I found. However, I couldn't assume the same things about the others. I have barely enough information for that."

"So it was hard to figure out what the abilities could be?" I asked.

Yeosang tilted his head with a sigh, "Many of the excerpts I've uncovered were told in the length of a story and it was surprisingly rare to find an instance where a said wielder would use their powers. I assume it's rare. Sometimes, I could only tell the document was about the wielders with this... strange symbol."

"A symbol?" I tilted my head in interest.

Yeosang only looked at me for a little bit before he held out his hand. For a moment, there was nothing, and then there was a yellow bud sprouting from his palm. Bits of glitter complimented the petals as they curved and moved and overlapped, sculpting a but that soon had an empty center and brackets of rectangular petals dotted around the circular outside. The shape immediately got my attention for I knew that shape.

"A gear," I spoke without hesitation as my eyes sparkled to the object.

"A... a what?" Yeosang looked up to me with furrowed brows and— was that bewilderment?

"A gear," I nodded as I leaned over slightly to get a better look of the gear-shape from the flower sculpture. But I looked back up to Yeosang with a bit of shock in my voice, "Do... do you not know what a gear is?"

It was rare when Yeosang truly didn't know something. It wasn't heard of for someone to know something Yeosang had never even heard about.

"I don't," Yeosang slightly narrowed his eyes before he leaned back and asked, "What is a gear?"

"Well, it's an object that works together with others— other gears— they move in sink, rotating and they make things," I let a sigh escape from me— one of relief— as I said, "Calm, peaceful... whole."

Yeosang gave a silent look of awe and wonder before he whispered, "Where did you hear that?"

To that, I shrugged, with a shake of my head, "I don't remember."

I saw it in a dream.

Yeosang didn't push it further than that as the gear-shaped flower faded into mist from his hand, "Anyhow," Yeosang then lifted up that hand to brush back strands of his pink hair, "There was one line in a document that also caught my attention."

I hummed as I took another sip of my tea, content with myself and wondering what more Yeosang had to say.

"It was a line which translates to 'Kill the Crescent,'" After Yeosang said those words, the world had stopped, "It was followed by a description of 'the figure in black.'"

I didn't have room for words as my mind shook.

"Star, I knew the Takers were around for a long time, I knew they wanted something to do with the Crescent, but," Yeosang shook his head as he looked into my shocked eyes, "I never thought it would be... something this ancient. Usually, ancient is unknown, forgotten, and that's not good for us."

I tried to speak some words but none came and Yeosang could tell this— he grimaced as he noticed the features of my face.

"Star, you're keeping that Taker here." Yeosang started.

"No, please, don't," I whispered with a shake of my head.

Don't say those next words I know you're going to say. Don't make me do something I realize I can't do yet. Don't make me go down there. Don't make me look at his face.

"He knows," Yeosang's eyes glinted in the faint light of the room at his short statement. There was a long pause before he continued, "Star, he knows what this means. That Taker, we both know, is far more intelligent than the average Taker we come across. We have an opportunity—"

The teacup shattered with a splintering crack as I didn't bother to place it on the table before I got up and walked around the chair I'd sat in, back to Yeosang. It was so much of an effort to keep my hands from trembling, my face from falling, for the fear of what his words brought to finally sink in.

He wanted to confront Jung Wooyoung.

It was a long period of silence before I heard his questioning voice, coming out quieter than expected, "Star?"

I turned around to find he'd walked past the sitting area, now a couple paces away from me, hand slightly reaching out towards my direction, his head slightly tilted with curious turquoise eyes on my gold unblinkable ones.

"Yeosang, I..." And that's when I let the deepening frown show and the shaking of my hands as evident as the shake of my head, "I-I can't go down there."

Yeosang's eyes showed concern immediately as he stepped forward, then there was a soft touch of a flower, vibrant and warm, at my hands as they were brought up from where they were at my sides. I looked down to find my hands were entrapped in his between the two of us. I looked up then to find Yeosang's gaze had gone down to where our hands are but his turquoise eyes came back up to mine after a moment. His eyes— which usually had curtains of secrets and mystery— were drawn wide and open for all to see. Except there was no one here to see them but me.

There was a flicker of empathy and some understanding, but most of all was a gentle warmth I couldn't even find the name for. My mouth was agape in awe as I'd never seen this many emotions expressed in his eyes. It was quite the opposite to what I'd somehow expected which was a stern look to 'get over it' but that wasn't what this was at all.

"I know," Yeosang murmured as he leaned in slightly closer, his rose scent becoming more apparent "But sometimes we have to do the things we say we can't do," He raised his head up, voice so low and lips so close until I found that they had brushed against my brow. It was only a small peck but it had brought a sense to the unstable nature that had taken over my soul. It was like a bloom of calmness had settled within me. He smiled faintly as he pulled away, "And we can do those things, Star."

REMEMBER:​​​​​​

1. Smack dat butiful star

2. Leave a comment talkin abt dis tea

3. Share dis tea induced book with yo fwends

WHY? Because I appreciate it 🥺

\\ See u in the next chapter! \\