Eunae giggled as Jia’s illusion technique subsided, Goryeo’s throne room dissolving into Yoshika’s much smaller courtyard garden.

“That was a terribly cruel trick you just played.”

Jia chuckled. The negotiations had gone very well. The queen couldn’t unilaterally promise anything concrete, but with the support that Eunae and Misun had preemptively garnered for Goryeo’s pro-Jiaguo faction, she expected her proposals to pass quickly—at least, as quickly as anything could happen in politics.

Trade agreements, mutual non-aggression and non-interference, and a student exchange program with the colleges were a start. With the foundations for a partnership with Goryeo in place, Jiaguo was free to focus their foreign affairs—such as they were—towards the situations in Yamato and Qin.

“What are you going to do when my aunt figures out that the magic you demonstrated is something nobody but you is capable of replicating?”

Jia waved off Eunae’s concerns.

“She’s not stupid—she probably knows that much already. But the fact that we can do it demonstrates that it’s possible, and we’ll have the reflecting pools functioning soon enough, isn’t that right Haeun?”

Haeun beamed eagerly, a fire in her eyes.

“Uh huh! It’s hard to get the essence to understand when it's not smart like Heian or Iseul, but Lingling’s been showing me lots of tricks that help!”

Yoshika was starting to get a feel for Haeun’s magic. The little princess had a talent for sensing the intent within essence. With that intuitive understanding, she had learned to ‘talk’ to the mana around her, learning critical information about the spells and techniques of those around her and even replicating them by simply asking the mana in her aura to do the same.

Most infamously, she had once borrowed a tiny fraction of Heian’s Shadow essence to turn herself invisible with a variant of Jia’s Steps of the Stalker, sneaking her way out of the royal palace in order to play with Narae.

That had gotten everybody involved in quite a bit of trouble, but it was a valuable look into the way Haeun’s unique magic worked.

As it turned out, Long Ruiling’s dragon magic was very similar. Ruiling was more ritualistic about it, but like Haeun’s magic it didn’t rely on complicated formations or spell forms to force the essence into the right composition. They each imbued the essence with pure intent, creating a sort of pseudo-spirit which would take the necessary form on its own.

The trouble was, Yoshika still couldn’t quite figure out how to ‘speak’ with essence the way they did. Reading it was simple enough, but to imbue the essence with her intent required her to cultivate it within her or channel it through a spell.

“Good work! With any luck we’ll be able to generalize it into a broader practice, then finally get those reflecting pools working.”

She was certain that Haeun’s method was the bridge between spiritual and arcane techniques she was looking for. If she could just figure out how to do it herself...

----------------------------------------

Back in Goryeo, Eui had been granted her request to speak with Do Hye and the Void Elemental, but before she could meet with either of them, Seong Minhee had demanded an audience of her own—in private.

Eui felt a little bit awkward as Eunae’s mother joined her in the palace’s guest quarters. Technically, it was Princess Seong Minhee’s home, but Eui was expected to play the host, since the entire wing was allocated to her. Yet another display of extravagance.

“Would you prefer tea or alcohol? I’ve always served tea to my guests, but I’ve recently come to learn that many prefer stronger drinks.”

Minhee raised an eyebrow at her, then glanced away dismissively.

“Only recently? Well, no matter—what kinds do you have?”

Oh great. A test. Eunae liked her tea, but she wasn’t really picky. She did have a favorite, and it was a variety of green tea that was grown and prepared on a mountain near Nayeong. The soju, Eui was entirely clueless about—she’d just asked her dad what the best kind was and gotten that on his word.

“I have Nayeong green tea, something called Moonlight Jade Tea from Qin—though I guess it’s technically local to Jiaguo now—ki-infused sake from Yamato, and Eogeum Seung soju.”

“Hm. Master Eogeum’s brews are passable—certainly the best among mortal brewers. From which harvest is your Nayeong green taken?”

“I’ve made sure to stock samples from each, but most of it is sejak grade.”

“Tch. Eunae’s imparted her taste onto you, has she? And the Qin variety?”

Eui sighed—Minhee wasn’t being hostile, per se, but the visit was already going sideways.

“Our friend imported it from the Awakening Dragon sect. A qi-infused tea that thrives in moonlight and is harvested at night. We don’t have much, since Yan Yue grows it herself in a personal garden.”

“That will do.”

Stolen story; please report.

While Eui set the tea brewing, Eunae’s mother paced slowly around the room and scrutinized the decor—as if Eui had any say in that. Everything in the tea room had already been there before Eui arrived.

Once the tea was ready, Eui served Minhee and herself each a cup. The princess took her seat and accepted the tea with an almost ritualistic grace. The motions were clearly practiced and deliberate, from the way she adjusted her robes as she sat, to the precise way she tested the aroma of the tea before taking a delicate sip and setting the cup down without a sound.

“Tell me of my daughters.”

She sure didn’t mince words.

“Eunae has established herself as the de facto Goryeon ambassador to Jiaguo. Due to the way our government works, she’s also the acting representative of any mages residing there. She doesn’t have a lot of work as a councilor, since the demographic she represents is fairly small for now, but we’re happy to have her.”

“She should be representing the interest of our clan. Tell me—as a leader does it not occur to you that it is inappropriate to have a member of a foreign state actively participating in your government? Especially one capable of subverting the hearts and minds of anyone she wishes.”

Eui frowned.

“Eunae is a friend. We know how much of a burden her power places on her, and we know that she would never use it to hurt us—or anybody else, for that matter.”

Minhee took another sip of tea.

“And if that trust is misplaced?”

“It isn’t.”

She raised an eyebrow, her piercing blue gaze boring into Eui.

“You really believe that. I heard that you had a hand in helping Eunae quell the spirit within her.”

“I’m not sure I’d put it that way. We all have inner spirits, but they aren’t foreign influences possessing us—they’re just part of who we are.”

“Elaborate.”

Eui pursed her lips. Seong Minhee’s demanding tone was irritating, but she kept a lid on her temper and simply answered as best she could.

“Many half-spirits who’ve practiced spiritual cultivation have, in some form or another, achieved communion with their spirit-halves. For most of us, it’s just a vague sort of sense—after so many generations the strength of our spiritual ancestors has mixed and waned, and while one fragment or another might achieve dominance within us, it’s still quite weak in the grand scheme of things.”

She took a sip of tea to collect her thoughts before continuing.

“For Jia and Eunae it was different—and probably plenty of other half-spirits, too, but I can only speak for them. Jia’s spoke to her in dreams—tried to share ancestral memories and guide her towards other fragments.”

“And Eunae?”

“You know some of the story already. The fragment of your ancestor, the Kumiho, was more direct. She wanted Eunae to embrace her power, and ended up making a ‘deal’ with us to help Eunae do so in exchange for help unlocking the secrets of divine essence.”

Minhee nodded slowly.

“The geas my daughter placed on you—which led to you dragging her across the continent to Qin, where she was nearly murdered. Twice.”

“Yeah, that one. Well, we made good on our end of the exchange. And in the process, we learned that our inner spirits aren’t really spirits at all. They are just...us. A part of us that still remembers, if only distantly, what it was like to be our ancestors.”

“Is that so? And what do you make of Do Hye’s claims that our ancestor seeks deification?”

Eui crossed her arms and considered the question carefully. It was hard to tell sometimes what the Seong Clan thought about their spirit ancestor. Misun reviled the Kumiho, while Eunae feared it—their traditions suggested reverence, but she remembered the queen questioning her about Seong Heiran. That was not a proud moment in their history.

“Maybe that was her plan, originally, but she’s dead and she’s never coming back.”

Minhee’s eyebrows rose at that.

“You say that with such conviction. Some of my sisters might consider that claim heretical.”

Eui shrugged.

“It’s just a fact. Some of you, like Haeun, are born with stronger fragments, and Eunae has proven that they can be cultivated. But whatever she used to be, the Kumiho of antiquity is gone. Even if you did reincarnate her, it wouldn’t be the same spirit.”

“Misun thinks that Seong Heiran went insane because of the Kumiho’s influence. Worried for two decades that the same would happen to Eunae.”

“It’s not like our spirit-halves don’t influence us. They are part of us, after all. Tell me, does any of this sound familiar? Pride, cunning, vanity, ambition, a desire for control.”

Minhee inclined her head.

“The common traits of our clan—albeit phrased somewhat uncharitably.”

“Tendencies, yes—but none of you are controlled by them. Eunae’s inner spirit didn’t bind us to her in order to push some grand plan generations in the making. Eunae was just scared. She didn’t want to let us go, and she wanted help. Do you want to know what my theory is for why Seong Heiran ended up the way she did?”

The princess cocked her head—it was such a familiar gesture that for a moment Eui could see Eunae in her.

“Go on...”

“I think she was just a sadistic psychopath who took pleasure in her tyranny. She wasn’t driven mad by the strength of the Kumiho fragment within her. She was just insane.”

“Perhaps there’s some truth to that. I’ll have to think on it. Enough about Eunae, then—what of my youngest?”

Eui relaxed a little. She still wasn’t sure what to make of Seong Minhee—she was intense in a way that reminded her of Eunae and Misun, but a hundred times more focused.

“Haeun is rapidly becoming our star pupil. With her talents, she’s already on the cusp of inventing an entirely new form of magical discipline.”

“I noticed she called you ‘master.’ Explain.”

“We’ve taken her on as a personal disciple. With her talent and potential, she might one day reshape the world of cultivation as we know it.”

Minhee pursed her lips.

“Like you did?”

“I wasn’t going to say it.”

“I don’t think it’s appropriate for the future queen of Goryeo to be mentored by the leader of a foreign state.”

Eui shook her head.

“Shouldn’t it be the opposite? A future ruler could learn a lot from another leader willing to take her under their wing. We may be new to the role, but we’re taking it very seriously. You can trust us with your daughters—both of them.”

“Consider yourself lucky that my younger sister agrees with you. If it were my decision to make, both of them would be returning home at the next opportunity. You are adequate as the leader of a protectorate, and your talent for cultivation speaks for itself, but you have bitten off more than you can chew. Your reign will be short and bloody, and I’d rather not subject my children to such hardship.”

She finished her tea, then rose and bowed fractionally.

“I am satisfied with this meeting. Thank you for the tea—it was...novel.”

Before Eui could offer a response, she turned and strode out of the room. Yoshika, even with all of her aspects combined, had no idea whether that meeting could be considered successful or not.