Magnolia caught the metal orb as Hanjoon tossed it to her, her fingers closing around its cool, intricate surface. She traced the labyrinth-like carvings thoughtfully, her brows knitting as she considered what the sphere might contain. Without a word, she moved to the navigation table and placed it carefully in the center.
With a flick of her fingers, the orb hummed to life and a soft glow emanated from within. A brilliant holographic map unfurled, projecting a vast web of stars and planets that flickered and shimmered in the dim light. The room transformed, filled with constellations that spun gently, casting the walls in a celestial glow. Distant worlds pulsed in hues of violet, gold, and blue, their orbits stretching outward to the edges of the room as if reaching toward her.
She stepped forward, her gaze scanning the sprawling display, fingers ghosting through trails of stardust and shifting coordinates. She was looking for something specific, something hidden in the folds of space—a hint of the Dragon’s Cradle but she didn't know that.
Hanjoon never told Magnolia what she was looking for on maps. He just gave them to her and she told them where they were going. Wildflower and its crew listened.
“Are you sure whoever you got this from didn't trick you?" In-Su asked, lounging back with a half-smile as he sipped his drink. He watched Magnolia weave through the map, her lilac hair catching the light from distant stars in the hologram. There was an air of curiosity in his tone but he seemed more entertained by the scene unfolding before him than concerned with the map itself.
Hanjoon’s gaze remained steady, a flicker of something unreadable passing over his amber eyes. "I'm sure," he replied, his voice even, resolute. He knew the game well enough to trust what he’d been given, especially given who had given it. Still, his gaze lingered on the swirling projection, shadows of concern hidden beneath his calm exterior as he watched Magnolia’s fingers trace the paths leading to the unknown.
In-Su, lounging with an almost exaggerated ease, narrowed his eyes in curiosity. “And you still aren't inclined to tell us who?”
Hanjoon’s lips quirked in a brief, humorless smile. “Nope.”
In-Su sighed theatrically, leaning back in his chair. “You’d think, after all this time…”
Hanjoon’s gaze flicked over to him, and though his face was calm, there was a subtle challenge in his eyes. “Some things aren’t meant to be shared,” he replied, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Magnolia’s fingers continued moving over the map, her focus unwavering, though a small, amused smile played at her lips. She glanced up briefly, meeting Hanjoon’s gaze with a glint of mischief. “Secrets make everything more interesting, don’t you think?”
In-Su rolled his eyes but couldn’t help the grin that broke through. “As long as they don’t get us killed,” he muttered, raising his glass in a mock toast.
Magnolia had truly been wasted as a nobleman’s daughter; the way she commanded the stars, she might have been born for this. Her fingers moved with deft precision, each flick of her wrist zooming in, sliding clusters of planets and nebulas out of the way as if rearranging the heavens themselves. The holographic light danced in her eyes, colors shifting in sync with her focus, her expression intense.
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"Here," she murmured, finally halting her hands. She leaned closer, zooming in on a dark, almost unsettlingly empty spot in the map—a shadowy void that seemed to swallow up the surrounding stars, like a black hole carved into the fabric of space. But it was only about the size of a single missing star.
The room fell silent, the other stars and planets fading slightly as the map centered on this blank expanse. Hanjoon’s gaze sharpened, and even In-Su paused, lowering his drink, his casual demeanor slipping.
"I don't see anything," In-Su said, breaking the silence. His eyes narrowed, squinting at the dark patch as if willing something to emerge from its depths.
"Yeah," Hanjoon added, his voice steady but skeptical. The emptiness was unsettling, a void in a map full of stars and planets, as if something vital had been purposefully hidden or erased.
Magnolia didn’t look up, her gaze still locked on the empty space as her fingers moved in a slow, careful motion. "That's the point," she said, her voice low, almost reverent. "This isn’t just a blank spot. It’s a place hidden between systems, like it doesn’t want to be found. But it’s there." Her fingers tapped lightly, guiding a faint, almost invisible pathway that the map had only just revealed.
Hanjoon and In-Su exchanged a glance, a flicker of something unspoken passing between them. They trusted her instincts—and yet, the sight of an absence this complete left an uneasy feeling hanging in the air.
“Something is there,” Magnolia whispered, her gaze fixed on the void, eyes shifting in hue as her magic stirred. “I can feel it.”
Her voice held a strange certainty, a quiet conviction that sent a shiver through the room. The empty patch on the map seemed to pulse faintly in response, a subtle shift that only someone deeply in tune with the map—or with the magic flowing from her—might have noticed.
In-Su watched her, the casual amusement in his expression fading into something more serious, more attentive. He knew better than to question Magnolia when she was like this. Hanjoon, meanwhile, studied the dark spot with narrowed eyes, feeling the weight of her words sink into him.
“If it’s hidden this well, it must be something important,” he said finally, his voice a low rumble.
Magnolia nodded, her fingers hovering over the void. “Something powerful enough to need hiding,” she murmured, almost lost in her thoughts as she continued to trace a careful navigational path, her eyes flickering with shifting hues as she mentally mapped their course.
“Hey,” In-Su interrupted, a hint of amusement lacing his words, though his gaze was sharp. “we're getting ahead of ourselves. We don't go anywhere until Lee and Han are back and have agreed.”
She blinked, as if waking from a dream, her fingers stilling. “Right,” she said, her voice regaining its usual confidence. Her eyes lingered on the dark patch one last time, a quiet determination settling over her features.
Hanjoon exchanged a glance with In-Su, a silent agreement passing between them. Whatever lay out there, they’d be ready—or as ready as they could be.
Magnolia’s quarters were as much a sanctuary as a statement—a carefully crafted fusion of nature and technology, where wilderness met refinement within the heart of Wildflower. After sealing the hidden navigation room with a shimmering panel that melded back into the walls, she joined Hanjoon and In-Su in the main area, the metallic gleam softened by living green moss and delicate vines twisting along the edges. Soft blue lighting bathed the room, illuminating bioluminescent flora from distant moons, casting a dreamlike glow that whispered of worlds far beyond.
The air was rich and faintly fragrant, holding the warmth and scent of a spring forest. Above, a holographic skylight displayed scenes of sky—morning light to starlit night—that synced with her rhythms, an illusion of endless freedom within the metallic confines of the ship.
At the room’s center, a low circular bed draped in soft, bioluminescent fabrics mirrored her homeland’s aesthetics, while crystalline panels around it hummed quietly, creating an atmosphere of deep forest stillness. Along one wall, a glass-paneled greenhouse held a row of exotic plants, each cultivated from seeds collected on their journeys. Tiny drones flitted through the air, watering the plants and maintaining the living display, an elegant blend of nature and technology.
A tranquil meditation area lay nearby, where a thin stream wound through carved stone channels, lit by gentle azure lights that cast shimmering patterns along the walls. The stream’s quiet trickle created a calming soundscape, masking the distant hum of the ship. With a touch, Magnolia could adjust the holographic interface embedded in the stone, setting the water to a rhythm of her choice.
By the entrance, a small armory displayed delicate weapons—a tribute to power as much as beauty. Ceremonial blades gifted by Hanjoon and relics from worlds unknown lined the wall, glinting in the soft light. An ornate dagger from her homeland and an obsidian mirror with intricate carvings stood among them, each a symbol of her past and the stories that came with it.
Here, Magnolia’s space was an expression of herself—a balance between the wild and the controlled, the opulent and the practical. Every piece told its story and every feature reflected some hidden depth of her life on the Wildflower, all woven together into a room that, like her, was both armor and comfort, mystery and sanctuary.