and the Ethereal Bloom

Excerpt from the novel: James Yeun and the Ethereal Bloom

Prologue

On the 14th of March, two babies were found bundled up on the steps outside of the Boston Public Library, which, unfortunately, would not have been entirely unusual save the fact that the two stone lions that had stood tall on their pedestals on either side of the stairs inside the building for more a century were now curled around the boys as if protecting them. This puzzled the people of Boston, seeing as stone did not normally move in this plane of the world, but to those watching these events transpire, it was in no way unusual. Eventually, the whole event was chalked up to vandalism, because, nine times out of ten, people would rather blame any abnormality on crime rather than even begin to ponder the impossible. The two boys were taken to a local orphanage. When unwrapped from their blankets, the only identification on the very clearly newborn babies was two matching necklaces, each a gold pendant inscribed with an illuminated ‘J.’ ‘J Yeun’ for the dark-eyed baby, and ‘J Robinson’ for the blue-eyed one. The orphanage workers, who were not paid enough to name little loose babies off the streets, gave them the first two names that came to mind: James, quite unoriginally, and Jason, as the second worker had been on a bit of a Greek mythology binge recently. As the years went on, no one came forward to claim them, and they grew up together in the orphanage, side by side. It was clear they were not related by blood, as Jason grew to be a strapping, blondhaired blue-eyed confident, friendly child while James stayed small and scrawny, with dark, almond-shaped eyes and a distinct distaste for social interactions and an affinity for science. Despite their differences, Jason finding fun in sports and theater- his first love performances of all kind- and James sitting on the side of the recess yard under a tree with a good book and even better thoughts, they stayed close friends, intrinsically linked by the subject of their birth, but beyond that, the bond of brothers. Every night, as they lay in the cramped attic space Jason had charmed the old lady who ran the orphanage into letting them renovate into a private room, they talked about all the theories of who their parents were: leaders of a mafia or a secret society, wizards, or gods. James had always found fantasy impractical, but the light their stories brought was prize enough for him. Jason never thought their existence was normal- how could he? Two babies, the babies who moved lions of marble- it was too good to be true. He held himself with importance, and his pride showed like gold. James, on the other hand, was always skeptical. The reality was disappointing, why hope for magic only to be met with disappointment? But both boys could always feel the energy in the world around them, whether it was when they lay silent in bed with the lights off or hurrying home through the city as the sunset on the horizon. The darkness always seemed to watch them, waiting, listening, poised to strike. That was the one thing Jason could never feel optimistic about. It was the one thing no amount of reason could overcome for James. It was an unspoken understanding between them when the light darkened and their hands slipped together, squeezing as they walked faster and faster, jaws tight and hearts pounding. While others dismissed it as a child’s fear of the dark, James and Jason both had an indescribable understanding of that danger in the shadows. Unbeknownst to them, their intuition was right. Nothing is more dangerous than the void.

Chapter 1

Ah. March. Home of both the coldest and warmest days of a thawing spring. Unfortunately for James, whose hands were constantly as cold as ice, it was the first. He and Jason were on their way home from school after another grueling day of sixth grade, a day as bland as any other, save for the fact that it was their shared birthday. Unfortunately, the weather of Boston didn’t seem to think this was worth celebrating, nor did anyone else in the world. The streets were wet and icy, dirty snow and slush piled up on the edges of the sidewalks. The sky was grey and overcast, the sun hovering over the horizon, and the air a biting 18 degrees. The day was nothing special, but James could only smile at the thought of their birthday celebration. They had saved up all their meager allowance for two cupcakes and a movie, and their annual tradition of pillow forts and staying up past midnight never failed to bring warmth to James’s chest. Beside him, Jason chattered on like the air was eighty degrees and the world was bright and sunny. Despite everything, he radiated heat- a stark contrast to James, who was bundled in as many coats and sweaters as he owned. “You know James, I get that you hate intermediate school, but we’re so close to being finished! Just a month or so more, right? Then we’re off to middle school- we’re gonna be so big and responsible and we’ll get to a world where

everything makes sense. One more month and then we shall finally be free of tyranny!” he cried. James grinned and rolled his eyes.“Come on, it can’t be that great,” James reasoned. “School is school- it will always be more of the same with a cookie-cutter curriculum that doesn’t care about its students.” “Oh come on- you’ve seen the movies! Adventure! Responsibility!” He grinned and elbowed James. “Romance~” “Oh ew-” James laughed and shoved Jason, barely moving him. Jason gave him a shove back and James stumbled a little, both of them laughing even harder. “James. Jason, I see you are back from school.” Both of them straightened up, nodding immediately. Jason reached up to straighten his hair and James brushed off his jacket. It was Miss Gertrude Milicent Clive, the head of the orphanage, aging, stooped old lady with a stern face and hair as grey as steel wool and twice as rough. Unfortunately, she was also in charge of anyone and everyone who was presented as an option to be adopted, and while she held a soft spot for Jason, James had always remained unimpressive in her eyes.

“Yes, Miss Clive,” they answered automatically, Jason grinning, James serious. She looked over them with flat, ice blue eyes lined with wrinkles and tutted. She let out a withering sigh.

“James, I must speak with you in my office.” James gritted his teeth and nodded, wondering what on earth she could take issue with now. His untidy hair? His chipped glasses? Wearing too many sweaters? She loved to pick on him. Knobbly knees, skinny ribs, too serious, he understood that she wanted him to be perfect so someone would adopt him, but he shouldn’t have to change who he was for someone to want him, should he? “Okay.” He blinked and looked down. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over at Jason, who met him with a comforting smile. “Great! What is it? Has someone looked into adopting us?”

Jason said, voice full of his signature never-pausing energy that was so comforting to James. Miss Clive’s eyes narrowed. “Alone, please.”She turned and began marching into the building, her long, wool overcoat dragging in the slush behind her. James let out a sigh and followed her inside, heart pounding harder with every step. After Jason heard the door to the office close, he slipped inside, crouching in the hallway, eye pressed to the keyhole. The door clicked shut behind them, and James gulped at the sight of two men, both slick and smart-looking, dressed in impeccably pressed black suits. Miss Clive gestured to the seat across the desk from the men, and James sat. It felt like nothing less than an interrogation. Instantly, James’s body tensed. Something about the men put him off. Something didn’t feel right. He squeezed his hands together. He wished Jason was there. “James Yeun, these men have a proposition for you,” Ms. Clive said with no lack of distaste in her voice. “Ridiculous intellectuals.” The first man sat forwards, a sleazy and winning smile on his face. “Mr. Yeun! My name is Sade and this is my partner Abstruse, and we have heard all about you. You’re an extremely talented young man, and your latest science project-” “The one examining how the quantum field relates to the general theory of relativity,” Abstruse interrupted. Sade grinned, nodding

along.

“Well, it would be an understatement to say that it has caught our attention,” he finished. James blinked at them. “Okay?” he said, clearly confused. “Well, long story short, we’re recruiters for a boarding school in New York specializing in STEM fields. We’d be willing to offer you a full scholarship for all six years,” Sade explained, his grin never wavering. James’s eyes widened. “A full scholarship? Seventh through twelfth grade?” They both shot him winning smiles. James grinned. This felt too good to be true… a full scholarship… to a school that specialized in his interests; he loved learning. But public school felt like it was slowly beating him down. Maybe, just maybe, this school could fix everything. “Why yes! You’d be in a place filled with intelligent, creative students just like you! A place that values intellect, a school that treats individuality as the blessing it is!” Sade said with a grin. “I-I can’t believe it…” James sat back in his chair, wonderstruck.

Ryan Waite

The men looked at each other and smiled. “Well kid, a genius like you doesn’t come around every day,” they said. James smiled. “That sounds amazing.”

Outside in the hall, Jason’s heart dropped. He fell back from the door as it had burned him. James- James was going to be taken away from him- James, the one constant in an ever-changing world. Sure he had other friends, but James- he loved James. He needed him. He stood, mind racing, eyes burning with tears. James wanted to go. James was going to leave him. James didn’t care about him anymore. Jason turned and ran, running all the way up the stairs to the attic. Everything felt like it was spinning. The whole world felt like it was upside down. He looked around- everything, everything about their lives was tied together. They were a pair! Inseparable! He glared at the cupcakes sitting on their worn desk. Vanilla for him, strawberry for James. His heart hurt. It was their birthday. It was their birthday, and James had betrayed him. James had destroyed their lives and torn apart everything they had built together. Jason let out a cry and smashed his hand into the box, crushing the cupcakes, tears streaming down his face. He deflated, sinking to the floor. James was going away. James was leaving him.

James looked back and forth between the men. This was a dream come true. This was amazing! Finally. He had spent his whole life in the shadows, brushed past in the halls, looked over by teachers for the most trivial of reasons, always held to the highest standard and beyond, yet with no reward for his hard work. But this… now everything could be better. Everything would be perfect. But what about Jason? He couldn’t leave his brother. “This- this is amazing! I’d love to go, but is it possible that I could bring my friend? He’s smart too, and so talented at theater and sports-” Sade looked at Abstruse, and they both grimaced. “Do you mean Jason Robinson?” James nodded, and the two men sighed. “I’m sorry to break this to you James, but, well you’re old enough. You turn twelve today, right?” James nodded again, his smile fading. Sade continued. “I’m going to be honest with you. Jason just… isn’t smart enough for our school. He’s not like you, he’s not... special.” Abstruse shot James an apologetic grin. “Besides, we only have room for one scholarship student a year. What do you value more? A friend, or your future?” James was silent. The decision was easy. He knew exactly what Jason would do in this situation. They had gone to school with each other for eight years and they would go to school together for six more. “I’m sorry, but I can’t leave him. He’s like my brother,” Jason said. Part of his chest hurt to give up such a wonderful opportunity, but he couldn’t stand to think of all the pain that decision would have brought Jason.

back. Sade smiled thinly and sat

“Of course, of course. But we urge you to reconsider. We’ll come back soon. Very soon. In the meantime, I would think long and hard about this. We need more… special people like you at our wonderful school.” James looked down. “Okay. I’ll think about it.” James stood up and made his way to the door. He stopped and looked back, and for just one second he swore both men’s eyes went pure, empty, black. His heart slammed in his chest. He blinked, and just as suddenly, everything was back to normal, probably a trick of the light. He took a few deep breaths and stepped out of the hallway, making his way back upstairs to their room. “Hey, Jason! You ready for cupcakes?” he said, opening the door. Then he froze. Jason was sitting in the middle of the floor, his back to James, his body shaking with sobs. “Jason? Are you okay? What’s wrong?” James started to move forwards, his hand resting on Jason’s shoulder. Then Jason whipped around and pushed him away, redfaced and furious. “How could you?!” “What?” James stepped back. Jason rose, towering over James, face twisted in fury and betrayal. “How could you, James? You promised we’d always stay together! How could you leave me?!” he cried. “I-I don’t understand- what are you talking about Jason?” “I heard everything! The office! The fancy school of whatever for amazing smart kids who want to leave their family!” Jason snapped. “You- you eavesdropped?!” James clenched his fists and glared. “Don’t you trust me at all?!” “Not anymore,” Jason sneered. “Jason, Jason, please. Just listen to me; we can talk this out -”

James started forwards. Jason’s eyes flashed and he snarled, lunging forwards. He shoved James, sending him tumbling back into the desk. James gasped in pain. Jason glared down at him, tears dripping down his face before he turned and ran down the stairs, out of the orphanage, and into the streets. James stumbled to his feet, wincing as he ran after Jason. The streets were wet and the sky was cloudy and overcast and everything was pitch black and freezing. James ran after Jason, feet slapping the icy pavement as he chased after his best friend.

“Jason please- wait! I can explain! I swear I wasn’t going to leave you!” James’s lungs screamed as his breathing grew heavier and heavier. James was many things, but athletic was not exactly in the top ten. Or twenty. Maybe even fifty. Jason veered down a side street and stopped at a small square and stopped, panting. He turned to face James, a glare on his face. James stumbled after him, panting harshly and looking up at Jason with pleading eyes. “Jason, Jason, please-” The anger in Jason’s eyes flared once more. “Will you just stop-” Then two twin chilling laughs echoed around them. The lights around the square slowly went out one after the other in puffs of shadow. Jason and James both gulped, immediately rushing to each other’s side, quarrel forgotten. The last lamp flickered and crackled to its death and the boys were plunged into thick, impenetrable darkness. The laughter grew and grew all around them as two familiar figures stepped into the square, their eyes flashing darker than the shadow, grins glowing and silver. Pure black seemed to ripple from them in vicious waves. James and Jason froze. Their hands slipped together. The figures stepped forwards. “Have you thought more about our offer, James?” Sade said. His voice sounded unnatural, high and low and soft and grating all at once; it felt like the crunch of bones of a dead bird on the side of a desert highway had learned to speak. James looked to Jason. “Run?” “Run.” They bolted, splitting up and ducking past both Sade and Abstruse and weaving back together, diving, rushing, sprinting towards the light of the streets. Behind them, the two men shrieked- a terrible, inhuman sound, the sound of bones splitting and cracking under ice- and their bodies dissolved, their suits roiling and consuming them, rippling and pouring outwards into indefinable mountains of shadow. Their pale faces twisted into carved masks splattered with gruesome, gleeful expressions. They chased after the boys, and as they did, it was like they were ripping all the shadow from the world and bringing it with them. Alongside the boys, every streetlamp they passed popped and went dark. In a race between shadow and light, it was very clear who was winning. Just as James and Jason skidded around the corner, a brilliant flash of white light erupted from the wall of the building, and a girl stepped out of a glowing portal onto the wet, dirty streets of Boston. She was short, almost as short as James, with brown shoulder-length hair and bangs. She wore a sort of cloak, a long pearly blue hooded robe stretching down to her knees with elbow-length sleeves that couldn’t be doing much against the wind. But the most noticeable thing about her, aside from the glowing magic, were her eyes. They were a stark silverwhite, milky and distant. She was blind.

“James!” she cried, grabbing James’s and Jason’s wrists. “Who are you? How do you know my name?” James said. “Talk later! I need to get you out of here!” She tugged their arms and they tumbled after her, running in tandem down the streets of Boston as the mass of shadows grew and grew behind them. James felt his lungs growing thick with the cold biting air, his legs working faster than they ever had, fueling him forwards with nothing but the pure adrenaline of terror. The shadow creatures screeched behind them, and the girl cursed in some old language James didn’t understand. “Why are they here so soon? We were supposed to have time!” she panted. They darted across the street and into a park. Yanking James close, the girl reached deep into the pocket of her robe and pressed something into James’s hands. Then she pushed him towards the shadows and fell to her knees, her hands glowing with white-gold energy. James unfolded his hands. The girl had given him a silver necklace with a swirling purple crystal embedded in the center. He looked up. The shadows were growing closer- he could see them swarming around the block. He looked back at the girl, eyes wide and hands shaking. He watched as she traced her hands in a circle on the cobblestones of the path, glowing marks following her touch.

“What do I do with this? Throw it at them?!” James asked. “No, you idiot! Press the crystal!” she cried. James raised an eyebrow. Today had been… insane, but what

was the necklace going to do? Turn into a weapon? He pressed the crystal and that was exactly what it did. The necklace glowed, purple light dancing before James’s eyes. The necklace grew in his hands, gold and silver weaving around his fist and outwards into a thin, sharp blade. The hilt wrapped around his hand in a lattice of gold and silver, purple crystals embedded in the hilt. It was a rapier. “What on Earth-” “Did it work?” the girl snapped. “Yeah! It- it did!” James replied, still in awe. The girl stopped scribbling at the ground, wonder flashing across her face. “So you are the one.” “Wait, you gave me a magic sword thing without actually knowing if it would work?!” “I was like, seventy percent

sure!”

“That’s not sure enough! Ninety percent would make me feel better!”

A scream interrupted them and James turned back to the alley entrance. The shadows were growing closer.

“What do I do?!” “Fight the dark ones! And don’t die!” she called back. James nodded, squaring up to the shadows, sword held tight in both hands. Jason looked between them, seemingly forgotten. “What should I do? Do I get a magic sword too?” Jason said. “Nope! All out of magic swords! Just, uh, stand over near me! I need to finish summoning our portal out of here!” The shadows roared. James could feel his legs shaking, his whole body trembling with fear. How the heck was he going to fight literal shadows? Wouldn’t the blade just pass through them like leaves through smoke? The shadows shot forwards and James slashed at the semicorporeal swarm, fully expecting the blade to pass right through. It did not. It felt like he was dragging the blade through syrup, thick and sticky. A shadow screamed, a sound like razor blades on a chalkboard. He winced and pulled the sword back. Thick, dark sludge coated the blade. The shadow collapsed, dissolving back into the darkness. James grinned and raised the sword, confidence flooding through his veins.

He slashed and stabbed, taking down shadow after shadow. It felt natural. The rapier was perfectly balanced like it was an extension of his arm. The blade worked alongside him to take down shade after shade. It felt right like he was meant to do this. His mind switched into overdrive, calculating and anticipating each shade’s attacks and retreats. It would have been easy if there weren’t so many of them. They swirled around him, dissolving and recuperating like a swarm of fish in the ocean. The storm tore at James, wind dragging his arms down and exhaustion drenching him to the bone. His muscles burned, and he could feel himself tiring. There were just too many. There was no way he could do this by himself. A blast of gold-white light lit up the darkness behind him. The girl stood beside him, magic flickering around her. Her silver eyes flashed dangerously as she fought, landing blow after blow. James watched in amazement. It was like she knew where each shade would strike next and how best to fight back. Even blind she was doing way better than him. She slashed through one particularly large shadow, hand engulfed in a crackling lavender glow.

But they still couldn’t last forever. It was the two of them against the darkness, and the tide was beginning to turn. The shadows began swarming towards James, bypassing the girl and swooping towards him in a wave of darkness. The girl began defending him, but James could see her strength draining. “James! The portal’s ready! Go!” she cried, grunting with effort as she blocked a particularly nasty blow from a shadow. “I’m not leaving you behind!” James said, forcing his voice out through gritted teeth. “I’ll be fine! I can handle this! But you need to go! Before it’s too late!” “I’m not-” And that’s when James got stabbed. Well, clawed was more like it. One of the shadows surged at him from behind and dug its thin, boney claws into the small of his vulnerable back. James doubled over in excruciating pain, gripping his stomach. Dazedly, he reached behind him and his hand came away slick and red. His vision blurred and his head began to spin. He stumbled forwards, and the shadows surged after him, shrieking in victory. Then the girl dove in front of him, using her magic to push them back. She looked around frantically, eyes wide and scared. “James! James! What happened?! Why’d you stop moving?!” she cried. “I-I-” he stuttered, a wet cough rattling his lungs. “Did you get hurt?!” “Just stabbed. A little. Y’know how things go,” he forced out. His mouth was beginning to

taste like blood. “What?!” “I’ll be fine,” he slurred, swaying on his feet. “No! Go through the portal! Don’t worry about me! I’ll be right behind you,” she yelled. James nodded weakly and stumbled back towards the portal, gripping his side. Jason darted forward and grabbed James, steadying and supporting him as they rushed to the swirling silver abyss of light. Just as they were about to step through James looked back. His eyes widened in horror. The girl had fallen to her knees, the shadows swarming above her. She braced herself against a shield of magic, pushing back against the roiling cloud of evil darkness above. But she was failing. She grit her teeth and James could see the sweat dripping down her forehead. James wanted to run forwards and save her, but the world was growing fuzzy. “Hey!” he called, voice

weak.

“James, James come on! We need to go!” Jason said, tugging him towards the portal. The girl looked around towards his voice, and faintly, James could see her expression break. Then she grits her teeth and turned back to the shadows, pushing back against them with renewed vigor. “James! What are you doing?! Go!” she cried. Then the shadows dissolved only to remerge as one enormous mass of darkness. It rose into the air, an amalgamation of horror and the void, and slammed down on her shield. It cracked like a potato chip. The girl let out a horrible, desperate scream as the shadows swarmed around her, enveloping her small frame, raising her high in the air, and smashing her down into the pavement with a sickening crunch. She stilled, head lolling to the side. James’s eyes widened in horror. They had- they had- he wanted to run forwards and tear the shadows apart, but his stomach burned and it felt like the world was dissolving around him. Then the girl raised her head, glaring weakly at them both. “James! Go!” she croaked, voice intense and determined even on the brink of death. The shadows turned towards James, and there was no time to argue. Jason yanked him forwards, and the world dissolved around them. They stumbled through the portal from a dark, cold, and gritty Boston park to the center of a bustling city in less than a second, just like stepping through a door. After the day they had it pretty much made perfect sense. The city was gorgeous and warm, filled with odd buildings, overflowing gardens, and storefronts of shining gold and pastel. A river ran beside them, under a bridge and between the colorful buildings. Yet all of this beauty and warmth was dominated by a massive, beautiful marble mansion adorned with gold and pastel stained glass. The world was so bright, colors saturated and sharp as they spun around James. His mind was stuttering, failing to load details as they arrived. He coughed, lungs rattling. The portal flickered closed behind them, and James collapsed onto the cobblestones, the rapier still clutched tightly in his hand. Faintly, he could hear Jason calling for help, for medical attention. As black spots danced in his vision, James could feel himself slowly drifting away. Above him, he heard shouts. Two people drew near; the first a tall and serious woman and the other a stunning teenager with bright blue hair. Jason hovered behind them, face twisted with concern. Their faces loomed over James, and he snickered, head spinning. He reached up a bloody hand and poked the teenager’s face. “Heyo. You’re pretty.” he giggled and patted his hair. “I think I’m dying,” James slurred, grinning lethargically before passing out cold.

~ Eliza Chun