Only I Am A Reader

'Can I be more than that?'

The main question that stuck out in Yeon's mind wasn't how far she wanted to go, this was something that she already had the answer to. Rather, she pondered the possibility of going that far.

'Can he be more than that?'

Their relationship sparked by a special case that was almost impossible to replicate was almost impossible to break, but it was also how it started that built a thick boundary, disallowing it to go anywhere. They were each other's 'homes', but that seemed to be.

'Can we be more than that?'

Although Yeon knew that she wanted more, Baekho's mentality was completely based on the concept. To protect her, to be the place that she could always return to. That was the limit. Until…

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Even as Yeon's blade moved, her eyes seemed to be glued to Leo's. He was pushing forward to prove something to himself, to her, to everyone watching, but all she could see was the same thing she saw during their first meal in the Heavenly Furnace…

'Would it be possible now?'

Change.

The person in front of her was still Baekho, but he also wasn't just Baekho. This was something that she could easily tell. Yeon didn't know how it happened, but he was no longer just a mirror who reflected a certain kind of behavior…

'I will show you.'

Swish!

To 'use it' didn't refer to using the sword, that was merely just a part of it. In a split second, the tiger suddenly spread out his wings, changing form into something that was much more!

The fully grown White Tiger wasn't something that he should have shown to others, but Cheon Chang had given him the pass to. It didn't matter what others thought now, in their eyes, this could only be something he passed on to him!

Swish! Swish! Swish!

He didn't have the superiority when it came to skill, but change was a strong concept. Without a certain pattern or tempo, a decided force or speed, even skill couldn't react to everything!

When the sharpness of 'Metal' was added upon that unpredictable beast dancing in Leo's hand, the result of the battle could no longer be easily determined, but…

'This is not enough.'

The result no longer mattered. This was his first battle with Yeon, and also what he hoped to be the last. Since they were going to clash only once, he wanted to show his everything!

Bang!

Black sparks charged the tip on the spear stabbed into the ground as he held its shaft, launching it out before he let the sword fall into the same cavity. Yeon's blade didn't stop in the middle, but his spear faithfully met it with full force!

Thud!

Exchanging the sword and spear seemed too inconvenient to be of any real use in battle. However, the true purpose of the Black Dragon and the White Tiger wasn't to grow larger fangs or claws, rather, it was to work together towards one direction!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Leo admitted that a better method exchange was needed, but the moves were perfectly aligned to allow the flow to continue. Both swing and thrust didn't seem to differ that much from each other.

Swish! Thud! Swish! Thud!

Just like he did it the first time, Leo didn't hold the same weapon for too long. The battle that everyone thought would end in minutes had almost lasted for an hour. Most importantly, both sides didn't appear to have any plans to end it soon!

'I can… right?'

The array of emotions that Leo had laid out throughout the entirety of the battle sparked out something suppressed inside Yeon. The desire suppressed by Baekho's rigidity was being released by Leo's flexibility!

'No, I want to.'

The willingness to accept things as they were out of care for Baekho's own desire was quickly fading in front of her wants. The Leo, who had accepted Baekho into his vastness, was allowing her to dream! To have hope!

Thud! Swish! Thud! Swish!

Just like Leo's weapon kept changing, the blades surrounding Yeon's kept shifting as well. From icy coldness to nonchalant wind. From flowing water to a raging fire. The barrier she encased herself in was slipping off her as she immersed herself in giving it her all…

Instead of giving up the battle, both sides surrendered themselves to the battles. Everything was still directed towards the weapons, but their emotions were being seamlessly transmitted!

Swish! Thud! Swish! Thud!

Leo desired the right to stand as her equal, while Yeon desired their relationship to be more than just that. She didn't want to end it as just two who would stand by each other's side. She wanted to expand the concept of home to being each other's everything!

'At the very least…'

Their hearts were currently the most out of sync they were, but Yeon understood that. Although Baekho changed, that didn't necessarily mean it would be in the same direction that she wanted him to go. This was something that could only be achieved with time, but…

'I want to be his.'

To be by his side, to be the one who would accompany him for life, to no longer shrug away her feelings. The freedom to be together was no longer Yeon's sole desire. She wanted more, and she was willing to be the first to walk towards that goal.

'So that he would truly become mine.'

After spending so much time with Cheon Jeong, Yeon was no longer a clueless child. Her master translated what she couldn't understand, but she had been ignoring them. Now that she decided not to, a certain obsession was already budding in Yeon's heart…

Swish… Swoosh…

Before they knew it, the pair's weapons started to slow down. Their battle of thoughts and emotions had been ongoing for 8 hours, but they felt like not even a minute had passed…

Buck! Thud!

Although their minds believed that they could still go on, their bodies had other things to say. After depleting their stamina and over a half of their Internal Energy, the weapons in Leo and Yeon's hands dropped down as they followed them not too long after.. Just like that, the twin stars' battle silently came to an end.