Chapter Text
This is the story of how I died…But don’t worry! This is actually a very fun story, and the truth is, it isn’t even mine. This is a story about a woman named Rumi, with incredible abilities. But it does not have a very happy beginning.
Once Upon a Time…
The sun and moon blessed the Earth with a special gift each. From the sun, a single drop of light fell from the heavens and with it, planted a brilliant golden flower. It had the ability to heal the sick and injured. And from the moon, no one really knew for sure. But legend spoke of a piece of the moon itself that implanted itself somewhere in the depths of the forest.
Two centuries passed, and no one had yet been able to find the sun’s gift, until one particular day. Deep within the forest rested the golden flower, glimmering with a special kind of pollen. And who should come upon the gift is a young woman. A young woman with child. She was due any day. But, unfortunately, she had received word from a Seer a few months previously that her beautiful baby daughter may not make it. So, she sought a miracle.
The mother discovered the gift alongside her close friend, Celine. (Try to remember Celine, she is kind of important to this story.) The sundrop was quite simply the most beautiful flower either of them had ever seen. Her friend was hesitant to dig the roots of such a beautiful plant from the ground, especially for one of such a rare kind.
But she had no time to question it any further, because right at that very moment, the mother kneeled over in pain, clutching her belly instinctively. She was about to have a baby. Celine had no choice. Once she dug the sundrop out from the ground, she stuffed it into her satchel, and they raced off to a nearby inn on horseback.
It was a long and grueling process upon reaching the inn. Even with the innkeeper and his wife doing what they could to deliver the baby, it was unlikely they would make it. So, Celine makes the rash decision that would change the course of her life moving forward. She’s forced to make a medicine that can save the little one. She works quickly, leaving the room in the process, and creates a golden tonic. But once she arrives, well… Let’s let the scene play out for itself, why don’t we?
“Nari?” Celine whispered in terror.
She winced while her friend bent down to her side. “Please, give it to the baby.”
“But how-h-what about you?” Her breath hitches.
“Give it to her, please. And care for her.” Nari weakly holds her friend’s shaking hand. “I t-thank you for helping me to-this far.” Celine sobs for her friend; bringing their hands to her forehead as to get the courage for what she’s about to do. But the pleading look from her friend’s eyes left no time for that.
The baby arrives, but there wasn’t a pulse, no screaming fresh from the womb, nothing. A stillborn. Celine had no choice. Even if her friend was dying beside her, she gave the tonic to the baby. And within moments, the baby’s eyes open and cries the way newborns do.
For a time, Nari’s baby daughter stayed with Celine in her Hanok in the village. But that did not last long. You see…Unbeknownst to anyone, there came a side effect of the sundrop as a counteract to the moon’s gift. Within hours after the baby was born, she had grown a full head of blonde hair with black streaks. It surprised Celine. The blonde hair didn’t come from Nari, and as far as she is aware, the father didn’t have any either. But the black streaks seemed normal. Or so she thought.
One fateful day, she attempted to comb through the infant’s hair. She sniffled with every attempt. Celine found a nasty knot already forming. She tried to be as careful as possible when it happened. She pulled a bit too hard to get it out, and the baby cried out in pure agony.
Her hair started to glow, and suddenly, Celine got thrown back against one of the pillars by a mysterious force. And in her shock, she dropped the baby on the cot, who was screaming like a banshee. A bright blue glow filled the house and within seconds, these large black rocks burst through the floor and walls of the house. Celine herself narrowly missed getting pinned to a wall by one.
She dodged the different ones, picked up the child, and darted out of there as fast as her legs could take her. And yet, the rocks followed them all the way out into the woods. Villagers were left deeply confused by the presence of the rocks, even more by the destruction of the Hanok.
The baby calms down after a lullaby from Celine. But the damage is already done. Her home has been destroyed, and this child’s hair had something to do with it. It terrified her.
After sneaking back into the village late into the night, she gathered some supplies before saying goodbye to her home for good. The journey to find someplace safe and hidden took weeks. The blisters on Celine’s feet permanently damaged them from that time forward. But she didn’t dare take a break for more than a day at a time.
It took a month, but she found a safe place to hide the child, now a month and three weeks old. A very secluded tower hidden by a cavern with vines blocking the entrance. It appeared to have been vacant for decades. It was perfect.
In that tower, Celine raised the child as her own. And as time passed, her hair grew and grew, both in length and indestructibility. And every night, she brushed her hair and sang a special song together.
“Flower, gleam and glow, let your power shine, make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine. What once was mine.” The little girl sang for her adoptive mother as she gazed into the fire before her. Her hair glowed gold whenever she would sing the song, but she did not understand why.
“...What once was mine.” Celine finished the song with her, sighing in relief. She couldn’t help how at ease she felt every time she sang. How at peace she would feel knowing that as long as she sang that song, her life was safe.
The little girl sighed sadly. “Why can’t I go outside?” She asked solemnly.
Celine shook her head. “Your curse is too dangerous for the outside world. If anyone found out what you could do, they’d be terrified. You must stay here where you’re safe. Do you understand, Rumi?”
“Yes, Celine.”
But unbeknownst to Celine, whether it be when she was away or asleep, the walls of the tower couldn’t hide everything. Once a year, Rumi would sneak towards the window to see these glowing lights in the sky. Alongside these grand and colorful explosions that would last into the night. And even if she had no idea what it meant, it gave her hope. That someday, she could leave the tower, and find all the answers she wanted. And maybe, just maybe, she can be free.