𝐔𝐍𝐒𝐄𝐄 ✓

08: ADUMBRATION

In the vast expanse of the cosmos, where stars twinkle like forgotten memories and galaxies dance their eternal waltz, there existed a world where the danger of falling into the evidential fallacy loomed like a shadow over the minds of its inhabitants. The people of this world had long embraced empirical evidence as the ultimate truth, forsaking all that lay beyond the reach of their senses.

As generations passed, whispers of caution echoed through the corridors of academia and the alleyways of common folk. Scholars warned of the perils of confining reality to what could be observed, measured, and tested. They spoke of the unseen forces that moved the tides of fate, the mysteries that whispered in the winds of change, and the magic that danced just beyond the corner of the eye.

Yet, the allure of certainty was a seductive siren's call, and many succumbed to its song. They turned their gaze away from the ethereal beauty of dreams and the kaleidoscope of emotions that colored their world. They sought solace in the cold embrace of facts and figures, forsaking the warmth of human connection and the wonder of the unknown.

But as the shadows of ignorance grew longer, a few brave souls dared to question the validity of their reality. Among them was Doojin, a young scholar with eyes that sparkled like stardust and a mind that hungered for the forbidden fruit of knowledge. He delved into dusty tomes and whispered legends, seeking answers to questions that others dared not ask.

Through his studies, Doojin uncovered a truth that shook the foundations to its core. He discovered that by embracing the evidential fallacy, his people had sealed themselves off from the true richness of existence. They had closed their minds to the magic that pulsed in the veins of the world, blinding themselves to the infinite possibilities that lay beyond their narrow perception.

With courage as his guide and wisdom as his shield, Doojin embarked on a quest to shatter the shackles of ignorance that bound his people. He journeyed to the edges of the known world, where whispers of forgotten truths echoed in the howling winds. There, he encountered beings of unfathomable power and beauty, who opened his eyes to the boundless wonders that awaited those willing to see.

Through his tireless efforts, Lysandra ignited a spark of curiosity in the hearts of his fellow people. The flames of knowledge spread like wildfire, consuming the barriers of fear and doubt that had kept them locked in the prison of the evidential fallacy. Together, they cast off the chains of limitation and embraced the vastness of reality in all its glory.

And so, the people learned that true wisdom lay not in what could be measured or observed, but in the boundless depths of the human spirit. They grew to understand that the universe was a tapestry of light and shadow, of fact and fiction, of truth and mystery. And in this understanding, they found freedom, joy, and a sense of wonder that would guide them on their journey through the cosmos for all eternity.

...

Jeong had a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach, like when you're swimming and you want to put your feet down on something solid, but the water's deeper than you think and there's nothing there. He didn't know whether that was really true or not, but he realised something which was tremendously liberating: he didn't care. Not only that, but he was expended from reckoning and believing and still did not know. He was also tired of being bewildered, like a man who had entered a cave on a trick and now began to suspect he was lost.

Sighing for the umpteenth time, Jeong joined his knuckles ready to tap on the door, but that wasn't necessary anymore.

"I knew you were here," Chim smirked at the man eyeing him all the way up and down, "Consul Jeong."

Jeong took his time contemplating his life decisions. Why on earth did he let that boy befriend him? Why did he allow that boy to act all grown-up, which he was, yet why?

But he was a Tewunian elf, all the powers imbibed into him through eras. He might look like a small boy, but a 6789-year-old elf was nothing of the sort he was taken as.

"Hey, midget!"

And the switch that had been turned off for days now flickered on. Chim was enraged. Say whatever you want, but not about his height!

"Most of the time, I don't know whether to fight you, spank you, or screw you. You make me crazy, and you don't listen to me, which makes me want to strangle you and cut you into pieces and feed them to the dogs!"

And the consul forgot his whole point of coming up there and rather indulged himself in the lovely fight.

"Who the fricking fracking frick is that man?"

Jin's eyes broadened comically as he gaped at the man standing at the door.

Have you ever been addressed by a grim-looking man, carrying a bare sword with a knife about ten leagues long on his back, in the middle of the night, beneath the stars on your door?

"Hyung, you don't know Jeong?" Stopping the catfight, Chim turned to face an astonished Jin staring at the bare biceps adorned with every other ink.

"Uh..." Jeong? He had heard the name somewhere, from Eubin!

"Consul Jeong!"

Bowing in an exact forty-five degrees, Jin gasped in a highly audible trance.

The boy smiled at the older man, a Jaishian with a heart like that. Jeong hissed incredulously, tilting away from him and marvelling if maybe this was all just a hoax. Or a dream.

'Don't judge Jeong!' And the love of his life had taught him how often what we see isn't even the actual truth.

"Hyung, call me Jeong! You are Chim and Hyon's hyung, so you are my hyung as well!"

Jin straightened up at his words; how true a Sangjian was, how soft, mellow, and loving!

"Jeong!"

And the eldest of them all smiled warmly at him, truth spoken and seen; love is always more than enough.

"Hyon!"

A screech put a halt to all the gathering happiness as the three men ran inside to see an enraged Kwan grumbling in his slumber.

"He-"

Jeong leapt forward, encasing Hyon in the tightest hold he could offer.

Nothing needed to be said; nothing could be said. It was there, all around them. Things were legible, a resilience; something, she meant, was immune to change, and shined out in the face of the flowing, the fleeting, the ephemeral, like a ruby; so that again tonight he had the feeling he already had today, of peace, of rest. He reasoned that the thing that lasts forever is constructed of such minutes. This would not change.

"Je-jeong Kwa-kwan hyung..."

And heart-wrenching sobs shivered the entirety of Pirropi as it made its call to the unseen catastrophe.

The reality of revelations is as necessary as the fantasy of reasons.

They knew he would be awake soon, forgetting how she looked, her name, her moles, her lips, her eyes, yet her touches would make him stay awake.

Unsee: Kwan , would unsee.

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All good? ♡

Oh, kato!
Thanks! Katopark!