Ha-Yoon broke the silence, her voice thoughtful. “I remember my teacher saying something about sprits not being immortal,” she said, leaning back slightly in her seat. “They only live for a couple hundred years or so, and the lessers? They only live for about fifty years, if they’re lucky.”
Lirin glanced at her, intrigued. “That’s true,” she replied. “It’s one of the fundamental differences between sprits and fae. Sprits, even the higher ones, don’t have the same connection to serein that keeps fae immortal. Their mana veins give them a completely different relationship with their energy, but it doesn’t sustain their life indefinitely like ours does.”
Oapa, who had been quietly observing the conversation, chimed in with a somber nod. “It’s a hard truth,” he admitted, his voice steady but tinged with something unspoken. “Even among the higher sprits, age catches up with us eventually. It’s why our elders are so revered—they carry the wisdom of centuries, but they also remind us of the limits of our existence.”
Si-Woo tilted his head, absorbing the information. “So, you’re saying even with all the power sprits have, they can’t extend their lives indefinitely?”
Oapa’s green eyes met Si-Woo’s. “Not in the same way fae do. But life isn’t just about how long you live—it’s about what you do with the time you have. That’s why the elders dedicate themselves to preserving our history and guiding the younger generations.”
Ha-Yoon nodded thoughtfully. “I guess it’s kind of poetic,” she said softly. “To have so much power, but still be bound by time.”
Lirin, who had been unusually quiet, smirked and crossed her arms. “Leave it to a human to find poetry in mortality,” she quipped. “But she’s not wrong. It does give them... perspective.”
The table fell quiet for a moment, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Si-Woo found himself reflecting on what Lirin and Oapa had said earlier about him and Ha-Yoon being different, anomalies in the natural order of things. If sprits, with all their power, still faced limits, where did that leave him and Ha-Yoon?
“Maybe,” Si-Woo said finally, “it’s not about how long you live, but how much you do with the time you have.”
Oapa smiled faintly, his expression approving. “Spoken like someone who’s already wise beyond their years,” he said.
Ha-Yoon snorted, breaking the somber mood. “Don’t let it go to your head, Si-Woo,” she teased, earning a laugh from the table.
The conversation shifted to lighter topics, but the weight of their words lingered with Si-Woo. The question of what their unusual connection to serein meant, and how it would shape their lives, remained unanswered. But for now, surrounded by his friends and his sister, he chose to focus on the present moment.
...
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
The midday sun beat down mercilessly as the students of the athletics course jogged along the winding trail. The instructor’s booming voice cut through the air, barking commands and reprimands at those who dared to slow down. “Pick up the pace! If you fall behind, you’re just dead weight!”
Si-Woo adjusted his pace, falling back slightly to match Lirin’s. She was panting heavily, her posture slumped forward as she trudged along the path. Her arms flailed awkwardly with each step, and Si-Woo couldn’t help but notice that her running form was, to put it kindly, unpolished.
“Lirin,” Si-Woo called, his voice barely above the instructor’s relentless shouting. “I’ve been meaning to talk to Oapa about what we saw back at the mansion.”
Lirin glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, her face flushed from exertion. “You… want to talk now?” she wheezed between breaths.
“While… running? Are you insane?”
Si-Woo chuckled lightly, though his gaze remained serious. “I just think we can’t ignore it. That tombstone—”
“Ugh, screw this!” Lirin interrupted, coming to an abrupt halt. She planted her hands on her knees, gulping for air. “This is meathead activity,” she muttered before standing upright and trudging off the trail toward the shade of a nearby tree.
“Lirin, we’re going to get yelled at,” Si-Woo warned, though he followed her without hesitation.
“Let them yell,” Lirin shot back, slumping against the tree trunk and letting out a long, dramatic sigh. “At least I won’t collapse on this ridiculous trail.”
Si-Woo crouched down beside her, the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves casting faint patterns on his face. Z, perched snugly on his head, chirped in approval of the reprieve.
“So,” Lirin said after a moment, still catching her breath. “What exactly do you want to tell Oapa? That we found a cursed tombstone in the middle of nowhere, guarded by creepy vibes and a monster growling in the woods?”
Si-Woo nodded. “Pretty much, yeah. He needs to know. If the sprit kingdom has already been infiltrated like Quorge mentioned, that thing could be connected.”
Lirin tilted her head back against the tree, her indigo eyes narrowing thoughtfully. “You’re not wrong. But if we bring this up, we need to be smart about it. Oapa already has enough on his plate, and if this gets out to the wrong ears…”
“I know,” Si-Woo replied, his voice steady. “But staying silent doesn’t feel right either.”
Lirin groaned, pulling her knees to her chest. “Fine. We’ll tell Oapa. But after athletics is over. I’m not dealing with his lectures on protocol while my legs are still screaming.”
Si-Woo grinned faintly. “Deal. Let’s just hope the instructor doesn’t find us slacking off here.”
As if on cue, a distant shout rang out. “Who’s hiding in the shade? Get back on the trail before I make you run it twice!”
Lirin groaned loudly and cupped her hands around her mouth. “MY VAGINA IS BLEEDING!” she bellowed with no hesitation.
The instructor froze mid-yell, his face instantly turning red. He coughed awkwardly, looking away and immediately pivoted to the other students who had stopped to gawk at the scene. “You lot! Eyes forward! Keep running, or I’ll have you sprinting laps until sundown!”
Lirin smirked, leaning back against the tree with a smug satisfaction. “That shut him up,” she muttered.
Si-Woo stared at her, his expression a mix of disbelief and amusement. “I can’t believe you just said that.”
Lirin shrugged nonchalantly. “Desperate times, desperate measures. Now, are we done here? My legs still feel like jelly.”
Si-Woo shook his head with a chuckle, standing and offering her a hand. “Come on. Let’s finish this before he finds another reason to yell at us.”
This time, Lirin didn’t swat his hand away, letting him help her up before they both jogged back onto the trail, Z chirping in amusement from his perch.