Fallen Lightbringers' Return

Chapter 19: Coughing

The Mother of Ravens, Ji-ah. There was no one in Lee Dojin's old life that did not know of that woman denomination. Just the mere utterance of her name would send shivers down one's spine. She was one of the few surviving humans in the latter part of the apocalypse, and there was a good reason as to why.

She had the A-Ranked attribute of Decay. Now, although strong, she was not the only person to possess this power. That was not enough for Lee Dojin to remember her. No, what made her really fearful was the skill that came with it: Decaying Future. Through only a touch, she was able to decay even fate itself. Any creature coming in contact with her would have their destiny siphoned until it shriveled away. Without fail, every person marked by her would end up dead, or worse, through utmost mysterious reasons.

In the end, Lee Dojin herself had slain her. Her vengeful behavior had become a hindrance to humanity's survival. It was as simple as that.

"Huh? Who?" Ji-ah looked at him with confusion. She slid her hair behind her ear. Vapor escaped her mouth as she breathed out.

Lee Dojin held his mouth and stepped back. He had to swallow the numerous words left stuck in his mind. He understood that this world was different from his past one. Here, Ji-ah had not become the Mother of Raven, Ruler of Decay, yet, and there was a slim chance of it never happening. Still, the anxiety engraved in his bones, could not help resurface upon seeing her face.

Ji-ah watched the silent Lee Dojin with mild interest. Though they shared no classes, she remembered him. He, even though had great grades, would always end up in the teacher's lounge for some reason, thus she remembered his name. She already knew from the other teachers that this kid was shy and reserved. Witnessing his behavior firsthand, she realized these words to be true. As a teacher, she ought to be patient with him. "Dojin, if you don't go in now, you'll be late for your class."

Lee Dojin swiped his hair up and approached her. "Forget school. Let's go to a cafe and have a chat, just the two of us, how about it?" He grabbed her hands, and stared deep into her eyes,

Great confusion welled up inside, Baek Ji-ah, and she almost let her folder containing today's lecture fall. Comprehending what Lee Dojin had asked, that confusion changed to embarrassment.

Those damn rumors could not be trusted after all!

Kim Jyejin, who had just arrived, had her mouth hanging low. She was always late for school, as she could never wake up in time. At one point, she had gotten so good at timing the way from home to school, she could enter the door right at the bell. During that time, she had seen many hectic people do weird things, such as trying to jump over a fence and slipping or convincing the guard that they had been there the whole time. However, in all her life, she had never imagined witnessing Lee Dojin hitting on a teacher.

She thought about his actions yesterday. The familiar Lee Dojin she knew did not fit into the image she was seeing now. "Did he swap bodies with another guy or something?"

Baek Ji-ah lightly pushed him aside. She brushed his statement off as a joke and said, "Maybe after class, though you'd have to watch me great all these papers in silence. Sounds rather boring, no?" She waved her hands then walked away. Though Ji-ah appeared composed on the outside, with a faint smile on her lips, one could see her red ears if they focused enough.

"Hey, Dojin, mister! Why are you getting it on with the new teacher?" Jim Jyejin approached him with a sly smile. "Can't fault you on the taste though, she certainly is a looker." She whistled and glanced at Ji-ah who was quickly walking away.

Lee Dojin scratched his head. "Hmm, I suppose that was a little too straight-forward." Well, what could he do? He was strapped for time. He walked away, his chin in his hand, and his head full of thoughts.

"Hey, where are you going? Our class is the other way!" Her frustrations with this guy grew. She sighed as Lee Dojin did not seem to listen to her. "Tsk, aren't you a bit too old to do this mysterious roleplay?" Kim Jyejin quickly ran after him.

...

"...And if you substitute this formula for x, you will see that we'd and up with the number 22,6." Baek Ji-ah wrote the number on the table. The sound of chalk echoed in her otherwise silent classroom. "Rounding that down, we can see that the alpha radiation would pass through around 22 paper walls." She turned around, seeing her students diligently take note. Great satisfaction welled up inside her. "Any questions?"

A female student immediately raised her hand. "Yes."

She smiled. "What don't you understand, Miss Wenji?"

The student stood up. She asked, "What's with those people standing behind us?" The girl pointed at Lee Dojin and Kim Jyejin cooped in the corner and staring holes into Baek Ji-ah.

Ji-ah smiled wryly, the edges of her mouth pulled apart. She sensed an incoming headache. "Uh, anything relevant to the task?" If she knew that answer, she would have said so long ago.

Kim Jyejin stepped forward. She bowed slightly. "Actually, Ji-ah Seungsengnim, we've been sent here to observe by our homeroom teacher. Lee Dojin over here is planning to become a teacher, so he is taking this opportunity to pre-emptively study what the educator job entails. As Seungsengnim has just graduated from the academy not long ago, we've summarized this place to be an excellent place for learning." That girl said everything without showing a quiver of emotion. It was almost scary. What teacher? What studying? Did she not say she wanted to come since it may turn out interesting? What a great liar she was, Lee Dojin nodded to himself.

Ji-ah narrowed her eyes. "And you are?"

"My name is Kim Jyejin, Seungsengnim."

"...I see." Ji-ah pursed her lips. She knew that name rather well too. In fact, there was no one who did not. Kim Jyejin, niece to Kim Illsan, founder and CEO of conglomerate Wayward Pharmaceuticals. And putting her family ties aside. She too was a model student with great grades.

Still, why were such exemplary students bullying a new teacher like her? Did she do something wrong? Or did they just not like her looks? She quietly swallowed her tears and continued the lesson.

Kim Jyejin asked much the same question. really, Lee Dojin was such an enigma these days. However, neither of them could dream guessing what Lee Dojin was currently thinking.

He bit his nails, racking his brain. It really was worth it, coming here to school. It was like opening a random oyster and finding a great pearl inside. He now only needed to polish it.

Though the question was whether he could. Now that he thought about it, he did not know much about her personal life. It wasn't like they were the greatest of friends. No, in fact, saying they were enemies would not be wrong. He only remembered that she was always alone. He always thought it was because of her powers, which allowed her to create the ego of herself, but with the affinity and skills, she had absorbed from her victims, thus making it unnecessary for her to have any followers. However, there seemed to be another reason too.

He went through all the information in his hand and tried to categorize them. She had messy hair that flowed down her face, unlike the Ji-ah he currently saw. She also always wore a black raincoat. Actually, everything she wore was black. Was it because she was mourning someone?

Ji-ah who was about to start a new topic suddenly coughed out loud. Her students did not mind, seemingly used to it. They continued taking notes, not bothered by the sound.

"Uh, is she alright?" Kim Jyejin asked worriedly. Those coughs did not sound simple at all. Rather, it felt like they came deep from the core.

A student reassured her. "No, it should be alright." He scribbled down some numbers in a book. "At first we were as surprised as you, but Seugnsengnim herself told us not to worry about her. Apparently, it was allergies."

Lee Dojin thought of something different though. His eyes narrowed down to a slit. Taking some tissues, Ji-ah continued coughing, and the chalk felt out her hand. The student who had just talked to Kim Jyejin grew worried too. As she was about to pick up the chalk, she stumbled and fell to the ground. She repeatedly gasped for breath and her face turned pale.

The sudden change stunned everyone.

Lee Dojin quickly ran forward and felt her pulse. He also checked if she was breathing. He turned to Kim Jyejin and shouted, "Call an ambulance!"

He remembered now. The Mother of Ravens had been ill since birth. Something to do with her lungs, he reckoned. Through this experience, she had gotten her affinity. It was this illness that shaped her, gave her happiness, and took it away.

He gently placed Ji-ah's head on his arm. Old memories resurfaced from deep within him.