Page 106 of Reign of the Talon
The Prophecy stands in the Jeon’s palace, poised to take Bonseyo with the death of a dynasty. I can feel it,feelthe approaching doom as Eunbi and I burst onto the next level, panting hard, trying not to focus on the fiery pain in my left leg.
Quick. We need to be so godsdamnquick. I need to reach my body before the Prophecy reaches Fulfillment. The urgency is terrifying, utterly horrific, and I struggle to rein in my panic as it crawls up my throat and threatens to spill out.Gameunjang, I think desperately,I hope you are right.One way to stop the Prophecy. To thwart our deaths.Please let this be the way…
“What is this?” Eunbi breathes, interrupting my frantic prayers. I blink, sucking in a deep breath as my eyes widen, taking in…
A hall of mirrors.
And…something about them seems far more ominous than the gilded looking glass I faced with Chara and Chryse beside me. It is wholly dark here, save for some strange, silver-tinged light streaming from an unknown source above. There are dozens of us, of Linas, of Eunbis, all panting and soaked in a sheen of sweat. I tug my sister closer to me, curling my fists, muscles tensing. This is not a memory. And there are no figures from my past here, either. At least, not yet.
There are only reflections—reflections upon reflections upon reflections. The mirror charm on my neck warms as I meet my own eyes with less difficulty than before. Mouth dry, I analyze the mirrors themselves. They are positioned to allow a small path through the sea of reflections, and further along, the path seems to branch off into two. A maze. It’s a maze, and we must go through. The stairs will be waiting on the other side. Yet surely it cannot be so easy. I can feel, somehow, that we are nearly at the very top of my consciousness, that I am only a hairsbreadth away from reclaiming what’s mine. So for this to be only a simple maze of mirrors cannot be true. There is somethinglurking.
Someone.
And with Yego dead, there is only one monster it can be.
Stay close to me, I tell Eunbi, tightening my hand around hers. She nods as we step into the labyrinth. Our reflections move with us, a small curly-haired girl and a young woman with haunted brown eyes. With my other hand, I clench the three truths hard, the small charms of gold growing slick with my sweat.
When a sudden motion lurches out of the corner of my eye, I jump, but it is only Eunbi’s many reflections—Eunbi, scouring our surroundings with abrupt movements. I try to calm my rapidly beating heart.
A large mirror, a burnished-black framed sheet of reflective glass, stands before us as the path winds to the left. Yet something about it has my steps stilling. Something isstrangeabout it. But what? Perhaps it is the small plaque above the frame, reading THE SISTER. And then it strikes me—Eunbi is not in the reflection. It is only the young woman with the sad eyes…
“Lina,” my other self says in the mirror, voice echoing through the hall, and I can only watch as she steps out from the glass. She is thin, with bruises underneath her eyes and cheeks sunken in from hunger. Yet there is a kind smile on her face as she looks to Eunbi, as if seeing Eunbi happy and whole is the only sustenance she needs, craves. “You found her,” she says softly. “Good.”
Who are you?I sign warily, and the young woman only shrugs, gesturing to the plaque. THE SISTER.
“Part of you,” she replies gently. “Only one of a whole.”
I inhale sharply as Eunbi’s hand tightens in mine. “Why…why do you look so…hungry?” she asks in a small voice. The Sister smiles beatifically.
“All I have, I give to you,” she murmurs. “My life, my love. All that I am. I live for you. I am nothing without you.”
Eunbi edges closer to me. “I…I see your ribs. You’re…sickly, aren’t you?”
Something flickers in her eyes, and her smile fades. “I died when you died. I deserve suffering, pain, and anguish. I am nothing without you,” she repeats. “I am nothing.”
“That’s not true,” breathes Eunbi, and she stares up at me. “Tell her—tell yourself, Lili. You’re not nothing!”
My words of smoke waver in the air as I try to reply to Eunbi.I…
“Go on, Lili,” begs Eunbi.
It feels as if I am swallowing glass as I turn back to The Sister. I do not summon my words to the air, instead speaking with my hands. This—this is only for us, these words.
Part of me still feels that anything I say now would be a lie. But Eunbi’s small hand is still in mine, and there is a dongsimgyeol charm above my heart, reminding me of my worth.
You are not the monster you think you are, I tell The Sister, watching her teary eyes track my hands.You’re not…nothing. You have made mistakes, yes—terrible mistakes. But there is still time to wash your bloodied hands. And…I look to Eunbi, the reason I have lived, breathed, and fought these past few years.And perhaps you need to learn to love yourself as much as you love her.
“Love?” scoffs The Sister bitterly. “Love is for the innocent. Love is not for me.”
How many times have I told myself the same thing? My fingers drift to the dongsimgyeol charm as Gameunjang’s words drift back to me before fluttering into the air.
You can be worthy of love, if you allow yourself to be.
The Sister’s throat works, a tear spilling down her cheek. I knew how Gameunjang’s words would affect her: they affected me the same way. And we are one, she and I.
The Sister hugs herself around the middle with skinny arms. Slowly, I let go of Eunbi’s hand and take a small step toward her. Gently, I embrace her. I embrace all that she is and all that she is not, this part of me that has been broken for so long.
I do not know how long it is before we slowly untangle. The Sister’s eyes shine with the light of dozens of stars as she cups my cheeks in her hands. “Thank you,” she whispers before shakily retreating. I blink unsteadily as The Sister steps backward toward the mirror. Its surface ripples, like mercury. “Be careful,” she whispers. “Your other selves are not as kind.”
