Work Text:
Celine sat in front of her best friend’s grave.
Flowers of every color were scattered at her feet, ready to be placed in the vases near the small altar, but for now, forgotten.
Her hands were clasped in a gesture of prayer and respect.
And yet, her mind was drifting elsewhere.
So many emotions were overwhelming her.
Ever since Rumi had left to fight Gwi-ma, Celine hadn’t been able to find peace. She was worried—afraid that, in that state, Rumi might do something dangerous. To herself... or to the world.
When she found out that everything had been resolved in the best possible way, she could barely believe it.
But the joy of victory was quickly replaced by something else: guilt.
She kept thinking about the things she had said to Rumi that night—so harsh, so desperate—and about all the things she had never managed to say.
Rumi had now accepted who she was—the duality she was born with, the part of her she'd always tried to hide.
For her own good...
No. That was a lie.
Celine had thought it was for her own good.
That hiding Rumi’s demonic side was necessary. That she could never live a normal life otherwise. That no one would ever accept her.
But she had been so wrong.
The world had accepted her. Even with the patterns on her skin. Mira and Zoey had been the first to do so.
So why hadn’t she?
Why had it been so hard to accept and love Rumi unconditionally?
Why was it so hard to tell her she loved her—truly, completely, like a daughter?
Why did it feel like it would have been a lie?
She still remembered the day Rumi came into her life.
She was not even three days old.
Everything before that moment was still a blur—confused, hazy. All she remembered was how fast everything had happened.
After her friend gave birth, Celine had gone to visit her. But when she entered the room, she froze.
Next to the bed where Mi-Yeong lay, cradling her newborn, stood a demon.
Her friend was weak, lying back with her eyes closed.
She probably hadn’t even noticed his presence.
Celine had to protect her.
It all happened in seconds.
She drew her weapon and lunged at the demon.
She would never forget the surprised look on his face—nor the pain in Mi-Yeong’s eyes when she saw what had happened.
Celine had thought she was doing the right thing.
But she realized, far too late, the terrible mistake she had made.
Mi-Yeong was too weak.
Rumi wasn’t an ordinary child.
And the grief of losing her beloved was too much—it took her last strength.
Celine knew that, despite everything, her friend had forgiven her before dying.
But she... she couldn't even bring herself to believe it.
Saying it out loud would’ve felt like a punch to the gut.
When Rumi started asking about her father—and the demonic patterns began to appear on her arms—Celine believed hiding the truth was the right thing.
That protecting her meant keeping her hidden.
Hiding the part of her that might get her killed.
Like her father.
She had been afraid.
Afraid that if Mira and Zoey ever found out Rumi was part demon, they would act as she had.
With fear.
And try to destroy her.
“We are Hunters. Voices strong.
Slaying the demons with our song.
Fix the world and make it right,
Till darkness finally meets the light.”
It had always sounded so simple when they sang that song.
The same song she had taught Rumi since she was a baby.
She had always told her that to be “normal,” she had to seal the Honmoon.
That she would only be accepted if she defeated Gwi-ma.
That she would only be loved under those conditions.
Loved by the world.
Loved by her friends.
Loved by her.
Celine gently touched her friend’s grave.
A tear ran down her cheek.
She began to pick up the flowers that had been abandoned on the ground, placing them carefully in the vases.
She worked slowly, making sure not to damage the petals.
A sad smile started to form on her lips.
She wondered what her friend must be thinking, watching all of this from the afterlife.
How Celine had raised that child without love.
How she had made her feel wrong, different.
How she had used her, always, to fight.
Surely, that wasn’t what her friend had hoped for when she entrusted Rumi to her in her final moments.
Now the flowers were arranged, and the grave was full of colors.
Celine stood up to leave—but then stopped.
With new resolve, she turned back to the grave and made a vow.
From that day on, she would try.
She would try to understand Rumi better. All of her. Both parts.
And she would try to do what she had never been able to do all those years.
Love her.
Love her completely.