CHAPTERS 18 and 19 OF THE GILDED FREEFALL IS POSTED!
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Excerpt from Chapter 19:
The isolation at least makes it easier to catch her breath though, as Jinu crouches beside the shallow waters to wash his face.
She asks, "Do you know when all of this was created? The demon realm."
"No clue," Jinu replies, dirt-tinged water dripping from his chin. He splashes another palmful of the lake into his face, then cups more to pour into his mouth, eager to rid himself of the bitter aftertaste of his shame. When he spits, he continues, "It's always been this way for me. And if it was different at some point… any demons that existed that long ago are all dead now."
"Oh." She deflates, trying not to imagine the shriek of demons falling at her hand; just because it has been a necessity doesn't make it as easy to stomach as it had once been.
Such thoughts don't take up her attention too long, though, not when the sight of Jinu suddenly snaps her spine straight. Like the clay that had once clung to his skin, the healthy color of his face has started to slough away, dripping down his cheek. Periwinkle flesh covered in the sharp lines of Gwi-Ma’s markings show where he had scrubbed away his human facade. One of his eyes have began to glow golden as it peers through his idolatrous human guise, studying her with confusion at first.
"What's wrong?" he asks, and worry paints his tone.
"Your face," she says, and he runs his hand across it with a furrowed brow. It's not until he peers into the reflective edge of the water that his frown deepens. He runs his fingertips down his cheek, his expression subdued when more of his magic is wiped away to reveal his true form beneath the lie. Rumi can't help but watch with bated breath, unsure what he thinks — or what she should say.
