Ever walk into a room and feel like everyone’s staring at you? It’s an unpleasant feeling. Jack and I had to learn how to subdue our presences all over again after we emerged from our ten-year seclusion. Apparently, the way our auras functioned had changed now. Everything below the immortal and nascent-immortal ranks simply emanates spiritual energy. Once you reached the nascent-immortal rank, spirit and flesh became increasingly merged and your very presence gained a gravity, not unlike that of a moon in the night sky. Capable of shifting the oceans and altering the tides. Instead of creating squalls made of spiritual energy, you became the wind itself.

Simply stepping outside the house caused astronomical events, and aberrational phenomena, not unlike the descent of an angel, or the ascent of a demon. It was very dramatic, and very much a pain in the ass, to avoid. It was big enough a deal that I could understand why most universes’ heavenly wills would just say fuck it, and ban all existences of our level from staying in the lower-energy areas and “earthly”-realms.

Fortunately, by the time Jack and I accepted our latest escort mission, we’d gotten a handle on not warping reality around us simply by moving around in the world around us. That being said, we still occasionally get some looks but I’m pretty sure it's just because it has been ten years since we’ve been out and about, and since we didn’t really mingle that much beforehand, there’s probably a lot of folks who have no clue who the hell we are.

We stood on the outer edge of the gold lounge, where all of the other elders on this job were apparently hanging out before the actual work began. I was having flashbacks of being in pre-school hoping to make a friend. Well, considering the size of our town, it was more just like a playgroup that was overlooked by one of the older-women in the town, than a proper pre-school, but that’s beside the point. The point was, we were standing there feeling awkward, and getting the sense that we were simultaneously getting too much attention, and absolutely no attention.

Jack was usually the one to bail us out of these kinds of moments, but it looked like she was having an off-day or something. Or maybe, she was just feeling as shy as I usually felt. I couldn’t just rely on her always, so this time I took the lead. I looked around for a friendly face and said,

“Oh, er...Hey, Elder Trefor! How are you doing?” I said. As I led Jack and me over to the bar where High-Elder Trefor was sitting.

“Yo, Elder Calloway. Glad to see you up and on your feet,” said Trefor. Smiling. Thankfully not looking annoyed that I called out to him.

“Yeah...It was a bit touch and go there, but at the very least I managed to get something out of the whole ordeal. Anyway, it looks like the sect has changed too much since Jack and I secluded ourselves,” I said.

“Heh, well, that’s sect life for you...Shit stays the same forever...until suddenly it doesn't,” laughed Trefor.

The lady sitting next to Trefor gave him a subtle look, that might as well have been a not-so-subtle nudge. Trefor jolted as if he’d been kicked in the shin and said,

“Ah...Er, let me introduce you to my young buds, Jilbert and Jacqueline Calloway. Jack and Jill, this is my senior-sister, and long-time friend, High-Elder Miya Makoto,” said Trefor.

“Charmed,” said Elder Miya.

“A pleasure,” I said.

“Nice to meet you,” said Jack. Finally seeming to come out of whatever funk she was under.

“So,...I don’t want to pry, it’s totally fine if you don’t want to answer, but I couldn’t help being a bit curious about those gains you mentioned. Are we talking insights or just in terms of cultivation,” said Elder Miya.

“Well, actually, funny you should ask. We kind of got-...”

“*Ahem.*”

The sound of a newcomer clearing their throat killed the conversation, which clearly seemed to peeve Elder Miya. Miya and Trefor were startled. Jack and I were kind of started but it was less in an “ah, you were there?!”-way, and more in an “oh, we were aware of you for so long we kind of forgot about you”-way. I looked down and saw that the person behind us was a familiar face.

“Oh, hi, Elder Hong,” I said.

“Hey, Mirae,” said Jack. Apparently on better terms with the Hong Mirae than I was. I couldn’t help wondering when “that” happened, but quickly reckoned that it was during the period when I was dangling between life and death. Somehow the fact, Jack was able to still make connections even when under extreme stress made me feel happy and a little relieved. It had been a long time since she’d been that scared, angry, volatile little girl but I still worried about what she might do if one day she suddenly found herself on her own. I often vacillated between worrying about that, and worrying that I was overthinking things and getting a big head.

Elder Hong squinted up at me and frowned. Then she pointed at me and said,

“You...Giant….I owe you a bundt cake.” and then she walked away.

“.....?!” I looked over at Jack hoping for an explanation.

Jack just smiled.

“Sweet! Hong Mirae’s bundt cakes are legendary...And she often gives a whole damn 5-star meal with them so, yeah...I'm totes looking forward to that,” said Jack.

It wasn’t much of an explanation. I was going to complain but then Trefor butt in.

“Hold up...Hong Mirae can cook...Scary as fuck Hong Mirae?! That's the Elder Hong just promised you a bundt cake…?”

“Yeah, she can cook. She ran a restaurant for a couple of decades,” said Jack.

“Really?!...Wow...Okay, that’s a bit mind-blowing. Now I feel like...rethinking life or some shit. And also, can I get a slice just to see what the cooking of a person-of-mass-destruction tastes like?” said Trefor.

“Her cooking is actually pretty damn good, but sure...Why not...Or like, you don’t mind right, hon?” said Jack.

“Huh? Uh, yeah, Nah...I don’t mind,” I said. Feeling a bit lost.

Meanwhile, Elder Miya no longer looked annoyed but had gone to looking vaguely bored and distracted.