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sorryimananti-romantic · 10 months

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Horizon (Chapter 2)

series masterlist

faerieprince!san x oc

royal/fantasy au, soulmate au

chapter wc: ~20k

chapter warnings: fluff, angst, tragedy, violence warnings, mention of death/su!cide, past traumas, a lot of atz interactions

chapter synopsis: gaeul grows closer with san, wooyoung and jongho and they go for a little retreat. when hongjoong, yunho, yeosang and mingi reach wooyoung's castle and meet gaeul, they learn that kieran might have targeted gaeul because of her prestiged bloodline, though they are not sure why. they also learn that san is the only one immune to gaeul's magic. hongjoong tries probing into her magic but things go south. yena and seonghwa's arrival saves the day and after matching facts, they decide to travel to ascella- gaeul's hometown- to get answers.

manager-nim: @eightmakesonebraincell (shared her brains with me until we realised we're sharing the same braincell)

Getting someone’s memory back was way easier when it was blocked than this amnesia thing Gaeul had going on, San realised. With Yena’s block, all he had to do was lace his magic with hers and voila. But with Gaeul…

“I’m sorry if I end up rupturing your eardrums because of my screams,” Gaeul grimaced before she sat down on the grass cross-legged in front of San, extending her hands. “Someone has been kind enough to tell me that’s exactly what’ll happen.”

The two immediately looked at Wooyoung who was sitting at the nearby bench with Jongho. He gave them a thumbs-down and San shook his head, telling her it was okay and then taking Gaeul’s hand-

There it was. The slight shock the two would get whenever they would so much as touch each other. Gaeul’s brows wrinkled in confusion. “What’s this mini-electric shock I get everytime we touch?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” San gave her a half-smile. Now it was Gaeul’s heart that got the mini-shock and she did not need to ask anyone what it was- she knew. San was just so incredibly handsome and every time he smiled at her or looked at her with soft eyes, her heart melted.

This is not good, Gaeul told herself. He’s a Prince. You’re nobody.

“I’m going to slowly let my magic in,” San explained, locking eyes with her, finding the silver in her eyes shine in the sunlight. “And this time, I’m not trying to provoke your magic. I’m going for the memories. So relax, and let me in.”

“Okay,” Gaeul cleared her throat, nodding. “I’m ready. But if I feel like you’re in danger, I’m letting go of your hands. I don’t want anything to happen to you-”

“Nothing’s going to happen,” San assured her with a squeeze of his hands. “I’ll let go myself if I feel it, I promise, okay?”

“Okay,” Gaeul smiled, satisfied, and San shut his eyes close, Gaeul following soon after.

San let his magic in, and he could see it then- nothing about her magic was normal. The black magic that glowed silver… it wasn’t like a thread or coil intertwined in her brain like every other faerie’s. It was moving as if it was an entity of its own. San wondered if this was like possession- her magic was parasitic in nature. San’s thread of magic avoided touching hers and he reached the core-

Just like Yena’s block to her memories, Gaeul’s was sealed off too. He could not access it without the risk of dying. Perhaps… Hongjoong’s light magic could win against this. Or Seonghwa’s dark magic could pass undetected.

So San decided to do something else- he roamed around in her mind to confirm whatever memories she freely had were real. He wondered if he should warn her because he was practically invading her privacy, but it was too early to say she was a friend and not an enemy. So he went around and saw images of who Gaeul used to be when she was young and had longer, beautifully flowing hair, how she played around on the beach most of the days, how sometimes she would hide in a cave near her home when she missed her parents.

And then he felt something tug at his magic- he turned to look at the memory that bugged Gaeul the most-

Her death.

San saw her face, surprised to find that her eyes had no trace of silver in them. And then he turned to look at the person who had killed her-

Kieran. The face he wore when he pretended to be Jinki- Seonghwa’s Right Hand man.

Why did he kill her? San looked around- they seemed to be somewhere near Rukbat. He watched the memory flow- Kieran had killed her with his magic alone, and then he bent down to watch Gaeul’s soul leave her body- his eyes glowed and he smiled devilishly as he whispered something in her ear, making her sob loudly.

So she had indeed died. The memories of when she came back to life, when she was not herself… he had seen flashes of them the other day. Just what had Kieran told her before she died? Was she hiding it on purpose? Whatever it was, San was sure it was something very vital to understanding just what was going on-

San let out a pained groan as he felt Gaeul’s magic stab his magic and she immediately snatched her hands away, gasping for breath, her forehead beaded with sweat. “I’m sorry, I tried to hold back-”

“It’s okay,” San winced but he was fine. He patted her arm. “It’s okay. I couldn’t access your memories, but… I saw some of your other memories.”

“I know,” Gaeul nodded. “I could see them too.”

San pursed his lips. “Do you remember what Kieran whispered in your ear before you… died?”

“Not at all,” Gaeul looked helpless and San knew she spoke the truth. “That’s what I keep trying to recall, but whenever I do, my magic gets anxious.”

“I see,” San got up, extending a hand and helping her up, “Good job today.”

He looked at Wooyoung and Jongho who watched the two with bored gazes. “Kieran killed her. I just confirmed it.”

“Thought so, but why?” Jongho asked.

“The ‘why’ makes her magic fight back,” San explained. “Kieran told her something before she died. She can’t recall, and whenever she tries to, that anti-nature magic episode occurs.”

“I see,” Wooyoung nodded. “Makes sense. How do you feel right now?”

“Me?” Gaeul asked. “I’m fine.”

“What do you say we all go camping?” Wooyoung got up. “I’m tired of sitting around. It’ll take Hongjoong a few days until he comes, and he has instructed us to not try anything stupid, so why don’t we pretend we’re just a bunch of friends hanging out in the meanwhile? I bet you haven’t had a good memory in a long time, Gaeul.”

Gaeul was touched- she expected to be shut in the basement again. “Can I really join? Won’t I be a risk?”

“With the three of us, you’ll be fine,” Jongho got up. “Let’s take a break. We’re all tired, aren’t we?”

The three dispersed to pack and make arrangements, assuring Gaeul again and again that it was fine and that a breather could actually help her. Gaeul went down in the basement to her room, going through the clothes that Yoohyeon had bought for her- she liked her choice very much. While Gaeul was picking through her outfits, she heard someone walk in, smiling when she saw it was just who she had been thinking about.

"I heard you're going on a little trip," Yoohyeon waved a pair of boots in her hands, smiling giddily. "Thought these might come handy. And here's a bag for you."

"Thank you," Gauel grinned. "Anything else that might be necessary?"

"I'll ask Wooyoung to stop by the market and get you some necessities," she said but Gaeul frowned.

"Should I be in a crowded place?"

"Uh… I don't think so," Yoohyeon grimaced. "But if the princes think it's okay, then you're all good."

"Alright," Gaeul gave her a thumbs up. "Help me pack?"

A few moments later, Gaeul was dressed in a white button-down shirt with lace details and black pants with boots, the front of her hair braided back. She was even wearing a little lip tint. Yoohyeon stood satisfied as she scanned her. "This is what you must have looked like when you were… alive."

Gaeul peeked at the mirror. "Definitely."

Yoohyeon grinned and at that moment, they heard footsteps coming down. "I hope you're ready because Wooyoung and Jongho are about to- wow."

To say that Gaeul blushed at the way San halted and scanned her with his mouth parted was an understatement. Even her ears went red and she helplessly turned to look at Yoohyeon, suddenly very conscious of herself. Yoohyeon did nothing to help, teasing her further as she winked at her.

"You look… good. Really good, Gaeul," San chuckled nervously. "The hair suits you."

"Thank you, and please stop," Gaeul hid her face- it was so obvious she hadn't really cared to dress up in a good while. They laughed and Yoohyeon told Gaeul she should put some effort into her appearance more often if that's how they were going to react everytime. Taking her bag, Gaeul followed San upstairs, and he scoffed as he pointed at Jongho who was-

Strangling Wooyoung with a vine, a leaf very graciously covering Wooyoung's mouth so he couldn't speak. Jongho laughed devilishly when San clapped. "You got him to shut up for a minute. That's progress."

Wooyoung in the meantime broke free and sent a gust of wind at Jongho, blowing all his hair away from his face rather messily. Gaeul clapped when Wooyoung bowed. He got up and looked at Gaeul, smiling widely and giving her a thumbs up. "You look less like you just came back from the dead."

"Uh, thanks," Gaeul wasn't sure if that was a compliment but knowing Wooyoung, it probably was. Even Jongho whistled when he finally looked at her.

"Can we move instead of gawking at me like an alien?" Gaeul laughed.

"Technically," Jongho began, "You are one-"

"And that's your cue to shut up," San put an arm around his shoulder, winking at Gaeul as he dragged him along. Wooyoung took Gaeul's bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"So we're not taking any guards or healers?"

"Just us," Wooyoung confirmed. "We have a good amount of healing magic too, in case you didn't know."

Gaeul ooh-ed at that. "So you're like a whole package, all of you?"

Wooyoung looked at her funny. "If you put it like that…"

"I always wondered how people with, let's say, affinity for air magic are different from you, the Prince of Air. Obviously the magnitude of the power, but… there are other perks too, right?"

"Yep," Wooyoung began, helping her into the carriage that was going to drop them outside the town. "The magnitude makes all the difference. Air is the deadliest weapon, mind you. In a second I can steal your breath-"

"That sounds like a very, very bad pick-up line-"

"Shut up, Jongho," Wooyoung turned his attention to Gaeul who was stifling her smile. "Imagine a field of men, ready for battle. I can limit their air intake and suffocate them in a second-"

"Hey, hey, slow down," San laughed. "Tell her about the good stuff."

"But the good stuff is boring," Wooyoung grinned, earning groans.

"Let me tell you about the good stuff," Jongho leaned forward. "Do you remember what you could do with your magic while you still possessed the magic of nature?"

"Well," Gaeul bit her lips as she thought. "I remember that I could grow plants, save them from dying. I remember my mother had the same magic so she always taught me not to go overboard with it- she said we did not have the right to grow something or bring back something to life unless necessary- not change the course of nature."

"The course of nature… that's wise."

"Well, if she was alive and saw my magic now… she'd pass away right there- I'm not even kidding," Gaeul scoffed. "We had a good relationship, mother and I, but she always forbade me to test the limit of my magic."

"She was right to do so," Jongho nodded. "The magic of nature is not as simple as everyone thinks. It's not just plants and life. Changing the course of nature can lead to irreversible damage. The flow of life… it really shouldn't be messed with."

"Wow," Wooyoung exhaled. "It's been a while since I’ve heard you talk like this."

"I mean, it's no surprise for me, her magic, if it really is reversing on itself," Jongho slumped back. "If she had a little affinity for healing, she'll unheal now. If she could give life to plants, she's taking it from them now, isn't that so?"

Before San or Wooyoung could say anything, Gaeul was nodding. "But even the magic of nature is dangerous. How is my anti-nature magic any different from the magic of nature when used in the wrong way? Apart from what we’ve seen so far?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” Jongho rubbed his chin. “I mean, even as a Prince, I can’t do what you can currently do- and we don’t know the extent of your magic or the magnitude of it. Let’s just pray it stops here, eh?”

“Let’s stop this boring talk too, we’re here to relax-”

“What’s the extent of your magic, Jongho?” Gaeul’s face was going pale and San stopped talking- it looked like she was on the verge of figuring something out. “What’s the one ability I shouldn’t possess right now?”

Jongho pursed his lips. “I wanna be wrong about it. And I don’t want to tell you right now- but it looks like you already have an idea.”

“I do,” Gaeul admitted. “My family- I remember it. We’re the yin-yang bloodline.”

San and Wooyoung looked from Gaeul to Jongho as the colour left both of their faces. Wooyoung frowned. “What’s the yin-yang bloodline?”

“Uh… it doesn’t necessarily activate in everyone in the bloodline though,” Jongho exhaled as he tried to think. “Are you sure about this?”

“I’m sure- but I’m not sure about me. I guess I ‘died’ before I could figure it out.”

“What’s the yin and yang bloodline?” Wooyoung repeated. “Hey, tell me.”

“You really don’t wanna know,” Jongho sighed but Wooyoung wasn’t having any of it. San was also eagerly looking at the two. Jongho looked sceptically at Gaeul but considering that she already knew about her bloodline, it was no secret anymore. “Possessing the magic of nature allows me to access everything natural- so my magic is, in a sense, similar to all of your magics- I can control most of the elements. For the faeries with nature magic, they can usually control the earth element since it is the closest to nature, or air, or water and so on. One can possess a single elemental connection, or two, or if they’re very blessed, three.”

“And you can control most of the elements because you’re the Prince?” San asked and Jongho nodded.

“Anyways, the yin-yang bloodline is a whole new case. They possess the ability to connect with their mates on a magical level and thus borrow their elemental abilities as well as lend them their own.”

“But that’s… cool,” Wooyoung said. “Why is it a bad thing?”

“If she is from the yin-yang bloodline as she so claims,” Jongho pointed at Gaeul, “her magic is taking a different form right now, so she should be able to control a multitude of elements, if she ever gets this magic under her control. As for the other part- I don’t know if she can still sense her soulmate, but if she was killed because of some sort of twisted plan…”

“Ah,” San nodded. “I get it. Her power could be used by someone for evil plans.”

“Something like that,” Jongho said with a weak smile.

“Do soulmates really exist? I thought it was a myth,” Gaeul looked at the three.

“We believe it’s true. People stopped believing it because not everybody lives long enough to find their soulmate,” Wooyoung replied.

“And we’ve witnessed it,” Jongho smiled. “Seonghwa and Yena turned out to be soulmates.”

“Wow,” Gaeul looked at the three dreamily and they laughed. “Does everyone have one?”

“Probably,” San smiled and Gaeul nodded slowly.

“How do they know?”

“We don’t know that yet,” Wooyoung laughed. “You’ll have to ask Seonghwa or Yena.”

The carriage halted and the four got out, wearing their bags. Wooyoung pointed at the mountains. “We’ll see how much we can walk before we decide to camp.”

—---------------------

Yena knew something was up the moment she portalled to Yeosang’s castle and learned that he had gone to Mingi’s castle and had informed the court that he wouldn’t be back for a while.

It wasn’t unusual, Yeosang visiting Mingi. The two met often enough. However, when she portalled to Mingi’s castle right after and his court members panicked a little, that’s when she knew that the two knew something about the whole situation that they weren’t telling her.

“You can be honest with me, Jae,” Yena was practically smirking as she saw Jae squirm while he decided whether he should really spill that Hongjoong was with the three too. “I’m gonna know soon anyways. It would save me a couple of portal trips.”

“Uh, they really, really didn’t tell me where they were going. In fact, they themselves did not know.”

“Oh? Interesting,” Yena looked around. “How’s Hongjoong?”

“He’s fine- wait, how do you know?”

“So he was here,” Yena grinned and Jae groaned loudly, shaking his head in amusement.

“I surrender. There’s three of them- they went for some sort of an outing. Didn’t tell me the why and the where.”

“That’s okay,” Yena got up after drinking a glass of water. “I’m going home now. When they come back, let them know I was very pissed at them.”

“I got you,” Jae gave her a thumbs-up and Yena portalled to her castle- it was near and she needed a break- she still couldn’t manage so many trips in a day without exhausting herself. She walked out of her room to let her court know that she was back, and when she opened the door, she was greeted with the sight of a few of her very mischievous court members playing cards in her living room.

“I see that’s what you do in my absence,” Yena folded her arms and earned loud yelps and screams, making her wince.

“Thank you for scaring the shit out of me!” Haechan put a hand on his heart. “What are you doing here? You’re not supposed to be back for now.”

“In case you forgot, this is my home,” Yena laughed as she looked at each one of them who were also grinning guiltily. “I just had a feeling you all were up to something and I decided to check.”

“Go back, we were having fun-”

“I thought I banned him from coming into my chambers for two months?” Yena pointed at Jaemin who was laughing shamelessly.

“Everyone, clean the mess,” Haseul, her Right Hand, got up but Yena shook her head.

“No, please continue. I’m only here to get my energy back before I portal back to Seonghwa’s,” she said and narrowed her eyes when some of them visibly relaxed. “In fact… I should join you all. I have this sudden urge to play against the few of you who won’t stop teasing me.”

After a very chaotic game of cards where Yena managed to win twice, followed by a dinner which left her more exhausted than replenished because of the constant bickering and laughing, Yena decided to take a walk alone, as she had to beg her court who loved to spend the most time with her whenever she came.

She smiled as she went to the garden- she was still not used to having such a large amount of court members who adored her and had a very friendly relationship with her. They were also not used to having her- though the ice had melted rather quickly, but she hadn’t always been in her own castle. Before her marriage, she first spent a good few months with Yeosang as she practised how to portal accurately. She would also spend a good amount of time with Seonghwa, mostly spending the nights together- the first few months were hard to the point that she couldn’t sleep alone.

Apart from the nightmares, it was the anxiety that kept her awake. She wasn’t sure if what she experienced anymore was a dream, illusion or reality. And now… it was the anxiety, the same feeling again. Something had gone wrong because of her, she was sure, and this very hunch had brought her to visit Yeosang to discuss it.

If Yeosang, Mingi and Hongjoong were out there somewhere, it made it so painfully obvious that something, indeed, was wrong. If they had simply met up, she wouldn’t have batted an eye. However, at a time like this, she was sure they weren’t simply roaming around like everyone claimed they were. She sighed, wondering just what they were up to.

Maybe she should pay a visit to someone else later.

But the feeling stuck in her throat told her she wasn’t ready to face the consequences of her decisions. And something told her that everyone, including Seonghwa, was trying to keep her out of this as long as they could.

So Yena decided to wait in blissful ignorance for the time being until they had no other choice.

—-----------------------

“And there it is,” Yunho pointed.

“I can’t see,” Yeosang stood on his tiptoes, holding on to Yunho’s arm for support.

“You can’t see it,” Yunho chuckled. “You can feel it.”

“Boring,” he muttered, standing back straight. Hongjoong picked up the map and drew a red cross on their location- there was no significant pattern for now as he scanned the other two crosses. Mingi looked at him.

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be a pattern, right?”

“With things like these, there is always a pattern,” Hongjoong shut the marker. “We’re just not smart enough to see it. But in our case, we’ve only pinpointed 3 locations. There should be several more.”

“What if we can’t understand the pattern?”

“I have a feeling that we will, Yunho,” Yeosang looked grim. “Someone told me that there was definitely a pattern in the locations.”

“Who?” Hongjoong asked.

“Just a bored to death spirit,” Yeosang scoffed. “Someone bored enough to follow the black hole everywhere- but he also told me that it did not simply ‘move’, it disappeared and reappeared elsewhere.”

“Could all the spirits feel it?”

“Yep,” Yeosang looked at Mingi. “I think I didn’t feel it because, well, I’m not entirely a spirit. Plus, during the time that this black hole was travelling in that dimension, I wasn’t really using any sort of magic. I was resting.”

“Right,” Hongjoong got up, peeking over from the edge of the boat to look at the flow of water in the sea. “So far, all the three occurrences have left mini sinkholes, is that right?”

“Yep,” Yunho confirmed. “These sinkholes must have been formed because of the energy formed in the black hole itself- this sinkhole looks like it’s about to close soon.”

“So it is a result of the after-effect of the whole process?” Yeosang asked. “Isn’t that strange?”

“It kind of is,” Yunho nodded.

“So far, there is only one pattern- and I have a theory about that,” Mingi looked at the three. “We had one hole near Regulus. The next one was near River Al Ard in Zubenelakrab, and we have the other between Zubenelgenubi and Zubeneschamali. We’re bordering the land so far, aren’t we? Where should the next hole be?”

“North,” Yunho told him. “Towards Altarf.”

“Yunho, you felt it in the Diamond Sea, right? Not the Topaz Sea?” Mingi asked and Yunho nodded. Mingi continued, “So this black hole… it’s been travelling around this continent. Why? Because it was Gaeul’s home- Wooyoung’s Kingdom, or because her power of nature is very closely aligned with Jongho’s kingdom, or…?”

“That’s plausible, but I feel the most occurrences near Altarf for some reason,” Yunho tilted his head as he thought about it. “What possible connection could Gaeul have with the Kingdom of Cancer? Or Earth magic?”

“Could be because of her magic- if she possessed more power for the earth element in her nature magic,” Hongjoong was deep in thought. “But it simply cannot be that. I understand that the last spot had to be Ascella- that’s nearest to where she must have died. But why does it look like the hole circled this continent?”

“That’s the thing,” Yeosang nodded slowly. “Everything with this situation… this resurrection, if you can call it that, is happening for a reason- we have to keep that in mind. If the black hole appeared right here, there is a very valid reason behind it. If it occurred various times near Altarf, there is a very valid reason behind that too.”

Hongjoong’s heart sank- he had a suspicious feeling that somehow, San was involved in this. He looked at Yunho who pursed his lips.

“You thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Yeah,” Hongjoong looked grim. “I think… for now there is no other explanation but that San- or his ‘Prince of Earth’ persona is involved in this. It could be a magical reason- Gaeul’s magic is basically the opposite of Jongho and San now, as they tell me. Let’s wait to hear more from them before we jump to any other conclusion.”

“Alright,” Yeosang nodded. “I’ll ask my contacts if they have any knowledge or clues to share.”

“I like how he always calls them his ‘contacts’,” Mingi teased.

“Don’t get me started- you used to name the different flames of your magic by colour-”

“Hey, I was five!” Mingi yelled and the others laughed.

“Before you guys start arguing, I’m going to speed up this boat,” Yunho grinned and changed the flow of the boat, making it drive speedily, laughing in satisfaction when he saw Yeosang and Mingi hold on to each other for dear life.

—-------------------

“You really didn’t think this through, did you?” Gaeul asked Wooyoung. “I mean, you’re lucky that you’re athletic. I haven’t walked for so long ever since I came back to life. And I only got healthy enough to walk without almost dying now.”

Wooyoung looked at Gaeul who was sitting on a rock, taking a break in the middle of their walking-to-the-mountain trip. Her cheeks were flushed and sweat beaded her forehead, making some of her hair stick to her face. She finished another water bottle, wiping her mouth with a nearly trembling hand. Wooyoung would never admit out loud that he made a mistake.

“I’m trying to get you back in shape,” Wooyoung looked away, afraid she’d catch on to his lie. “If we can’t do anything about your magic and you have to live with it, you need to be physically healthy to train.”

Gaeul made a face. “I don’t want to live with this magic, thank you very much-”

“Eh, that’s not a good thing to say,” San scolded. “Do you know that we hate a part of our magic too? We don’t love it entirely, so we learn to live with it.”

“But I hate my magic entirely, there’s nothing good about it,” Gaeul pouted, asking Jongho who was standing nearby to pour some water in her cupped hands so she could wash her face. San sighed, looking at Wooyoung who only shrugged in defeat. San glared at him- Wooyoung wasn’t being helpful right now.

“He’s right,” Wooyoung rolled his eyes at San. “I hated my magic- I couldn’t even control it. The basement was created to keep my magic under control because I could have blown away my own home.”

“Whenever I got angry,” Jongho admitted, “The floor would break apart and plants and vines would take over. I gave the castle residents quite a hard time.”

Gaeul nodded slowly, looking at San and waiting for him to add something but it looked like he would rather not talk about it. He only said, “Earth magic is very versatile and… it was hard to control it. Gave me and everyone around me a hard time.”

The air suddenly felt thick. Gaeul got up, brushing her clothes. “Well.. I understand what you all are getting at, but I don’t think I can live with this magic. It’s killing me inside and keeping me alive at the same time. How long do you think I have anyway if this keeps going on? Look at this-” she pointed at the grass where her feet had just been resting, now grey and dead. “One day it’s going to cause some irreversible damage- I’ve already done much.”

Jongho frowned- the grey part was shaped like her shoes. It was like she was oozing this magic right now. “Is this because you’re tired that your conscious control of your magic slipped and this happened?”

“Maybe,” Gaeul bent down and touched the grass- nothing happened. “I think when I’m a bit emotional, this happens.”

“Should I rile you up and test this theory?” Wooyoung scoffed and Gaeul huffed as she glared at him. Right then, the grass that she was still touching turned grey. Wooyoung clapped.

“See?” He looked at San who was shaking his head in mild amusement. “It worked.”

“You’re insufferable-” Gaeul started but San held her hand impulsively and Gaeul pulled her hand back as if she had touched something hot. “Are you crazy? I could have hurt you!”

“San-” Jongho and Wooyoung warned but San went ahead and grabbed her hand, locking it in his.

Nothing happened. But Gaeul felt a little shock course through her whole body and she looked at San in confusion. San looked equally as confused and Gaeul had a feeling he had felt it too. He shifted his fingers to check her pulse- she was still riled up.

“Jongho,” San unlocked their hands. “Can you try touching her with your plant or something? Don’t touch her directly- it could be dangerous.”

“If you can touch her, I probably can as well-”

“Just do what I asked,” San sounded serious. Jongho looked at Wooyoung who stood baffled.

“Just to be safe at first,” Wooyoung nodded. “Go on, Jongho.”

Jongho extended his hand and a vine sprouted from it, extending cautiously to Gaeul. Gaeul hesitantly touched it and gasped when the vine immediately turned to dust, speedily travelling to Jongho’s hand and before it could hurt Jongho, he cut it off in horror, looking at the three.

“I felt it,” Jongho nodded. “Not a good time to be near her. If I touched her directly, I’m pretty sure my hand would have turned into dust.”

“Woah, woah, wait,” Wooyoung put his hands on his hips, assessing the situation. “Why is San able to touch her?”

San held Gaeul’s hand and he felt the mini-shock again. Gaeul looked at him, exhaling. “Why does it feel like my magic is trying to attack you but can’t?”

“Or trying to protect me?” San raised a brow. He put a wild flower he had plucked earlier in her palm and watched it turn grey. His face paled and he looked at Wooyoung who looked like he was ready to cry because of the confusion.

“I probably shouldn’t take the risk, but…” Wooyoung walked forward, hovering his hand over San’s and Gaeul’s linked hands. “Yeah. I’m not even trying. I don’t even want to find out if I’m immune or not- hey!” Wooyoung rubbed his scalp from where San had plucked a hair and he watched him put it on her extended palm. It turned grey. Then San plucked a hair from his own head- it didn’t.

“You’re immune,” Jongho exhaled in disbelief, walking around them as if he couldn’t believe his eyes. “You, of all people, are immune!”

San couldn’t really hear him over the buzzing in his mind- the answer, he felt, was right in front of him but he couldn’t see it. He met eyes with Gaeul and couldn’t look away. His fingers slipped further to check her pulse again- she was still unstable. “I think you should calm down now, even though this is so confusing.”

“Why are you immune?” Gaeul almost whispered. “Why you?”

San didn’t look away as he sent his magic through her hand to soothe her- it worked and he felt her calm down- it was like at that moment they were linked- he could feel her pulse and breathing even without his finger on her wrist.

“Well,” San finally broke apart, smiling helplessly as he looked at the two baffled men in front of him. “I don’t know why but it is what it is.”

“This trip was supposed to be magic-free and relaxing!” Wooyoung pointed at San. “Not full of mini heart attacks!”

Gaeul chuckled, “Who said it’s over? These things are beyond our understanding now, it seems. Let’s go find a good spot and set up a camp.”

“Why is he immune but you’re not?” Wooyoung looked at Jongho. “Aren’t your magics practically the same?”

“They’re not-” San and Jongho said simultaneously, laughing.

“And what’s with you sending her your magic to heal her or whatever but we can’t?” Wooyoung carried on.

Gaeul narrowed her eyes at him. “If you don’t shut up, I’ll turn you into dust and then you can become one with your element, Prince Wooyoung of Air.”

Jongho and San laughed out loud shamelessly, leaving Wooyoung even more baffled. Jongho put an arm around him and dragged him along to the front, trying to shut him up. Gaeul and San walked behind the two. Gaeul looked at him. “You shouldn’t have done that so impulsively. You could have been hurt.”

“I knew what I was doing,” San looked back at her, a little smile creeping up his face.

“I don’t quite believe that,” Gaeul narrowed her eyes.

“Okay, yeah, I just had a feeling,” San admitted, scratching the back of his neck.

“But that was risky, and I hope you don’t do that again,” Gaeul almost scolded. “I was only a little riled up right now. I don’t want to think what could happen if I truly lose control.”

“If that happens,” San’s voice was low and it made Gaeul’s heart flutter. “I’ll be there to calm you down.”

“You’re… very stubborn, you know that?” Gaeul said and San laughed a bit. “I’d like to find out why you’re immune, though. I think there’s a connection between us, isn’t there?”

San looked at her with a confused frown on his face- did she know something that he didn’t? But that wasn’t the case- he could see it in her eyes that she had no clue. Whereas… he had quite a few theories, and he needed to talk to Hongjoong or someone about this, because if he was right about this…

This was all so, so messed up.

“I think… there definitely is,” he raised a brow. “I could feel you from miles away. The others could feel your magic but I… I could feel you. I don’t know if anyone else did too, but I did. It’s what brought me here, I needed to see just who was in so much pain.”

“Might have something to do with our magic, right?” Gaeul wondered. “Maybe I have more Earth magic than Nature? Didn’t you say your magic was really sensitive and you could feel who Princess Yena was too when you met her?”

“Yeah, but so could the others, to some extent. I think I really knew about her when I linked our magic trying to heal her. But with you… the more I know you, the more confused I become.”

“That sounds… bad,” Gaeul laughed helplessly, looking down as she walked but San shook his head.

“Not necessarily in a bad way.”

Gaeul looked up at him- Prince San… he was so confusing. She wasn’t sure if he was intentionally doing whatever he was doing but gosh. He was making her heart do somersaults that she didn’t know her dead-with-a pit-of-emptiness heart was capable of. And when he looked at her like he just did… she had never felt so shy in her life before, she was positive.

And she was also positive that Prince San was the most charming person she had ever met and would ever meet.

San was sure she had no idea what effect she had on him- especially when her cheeks visibly blushed whenever San looked at her differently or said things like this- San thought she was just shy around everyone but he had noticed that it was usually only when he said or did something. He wondered what went on in her head, but he wanted to tell her that she was unknowingly making him so restless- and he liked it.

He was sure he was crazy. He had no idea who Gaeul was. He had only spent a few days with her. But it was as if deep inside, he knew. His magic reacted differently with and around her.

So he decided he would leave more magic-interaction until Hongjoong and the rest arrived- he didn’t want to mess anything up. It was still risky, he knew. He decided to get to know Gaeul- not the back-from-dead anti-magic Gaeul. Just who Gaeul really was.

“Let’s stop here,” Wooyoung announced and Gaeul sighed in relief. “We made it to the foothills! This is a good spot.”

“Thank you,” Gaeul bowed dramatically, making them laugh. The boys immediately started setting the tents and Gaeul decided to gather wood for a fire. In about an hour, they were done arranging everything, washing up a bit by the stream that flowed, gathering wood and lighting up a fire, and heating the half-cooked lunch they had brought from the castle. They ate the food sitting in a circle around the fire while Wooyoung told them about the history of this land while they watched the sunset.

“If we’re the ones writing the history books,” Wooyoung was concluding, “I wonder if we should write about Yena’s history in these mountains.”

“Well, it wasn’t a bright part of her life, but won’t people learn from it?” Jongho wondered.

“Are you including the bit where you both refused to portal because you both got nauseous when you portalled-”

“Shut up,” Wooyoung simply said, making Gaeul snort.

“Tell me more,” Gaeul made puppy eyes at them.

“I should tell Yena she has a fan now,” Wooyoung laughed. “Yena was here when she got kidnapped as a kid. We came back to see if we could find or learn anything.”

“And? Did you?”

“Yep, it was quite fruitful, wasn’t it?” Wooyoung asked and the two nodded. “It was because magic has memories, her memories that were blocked got triggered by being in the same place-”

Wooyoung paused, his eyes going wide as he clapped. “That’s it! Magic has memories! We should go to the places she’s been in and see if her deep buried magic can be triggered and her memories come back completely!”

“Plausible theory,” Jongho was nodding. “But shouldn’t we wait until the rest are here? I don’t want it to go wrong, though there’s a high chance it will work.”

“Same,” San nodded. “It would definitely work but we have to be careful because if her memories come back and she becomes unstable…”

“Let’s not do that right now,” Gaeul nodded.

“Let’s not talk about magic at all,” Wooyoung nodded furiously. “Gaeul… tell us something about yourself, if you’re okay with it.”

“Getting to know the enemy?” Gaeul wiggled her brows and Wooyoung raised his in amusement. Gaeul laughed. “I’m kidding. What do you want to know?”

“Well,” Wooyoung rested his face between his hands. “Anything. What was your childhood like? Do you want to go back home when you get better?”

“If I get better,” Gaeul corrected. “I don’t know. It’s been… two years since I’ve been ‘dead’, right? I used to live with my uncles after both my parents died but they didn’t really care for me. I was spending most of my time alone or working.”

“Any friends?” Jongho asked.

“A few from work,” Gaeul nodded, frowning. “Is it weird that I remember more now?”

“Not at all,” Jongho smiled. “It looks like you don’t remember much from near the time of the incident.”

“Yeah,” Gaeul sighed, stretching her arms. “My childhood was fun until my parents died. After that… It felt like I was walking on eggshells. It wasn’t that bad,” Gaeul looked at the three, “but it wasn’t the best either.”

“I get it,” San nodded. “Our parents didn’t have long to live after they spent most of their energy bringing us to this planet. We knew that but we weren’t prepared when the time came.”

“You can never be prepared for that,” Jongho nodded. “And after they did… it did feel suffocating. We were still kids. But the people around us… they’re the ones who make us feel that we’re home, don’t they?”

Gaeul stared at Jongho, his words resonating within her and she realised it then- she hadn’t felt so comfortable and safe in a long time. And it was in the company of three Princes. It didn’t feel like she was home yet, but it was close enough. Gaeul slowly nodded. “I should thank you all for making me feel comfortable and safe and not a threat, even when I am who I am. I never imagined I’d live to sit with not one but three of you, as casual as this-”

“Oh, shut up,” Wooyoung waved a hand in dismissal but everybody knew he liked hearing it. “You’re making me feel too soft. Carry on.”

“Oh, the generous Prince Wooyoung, the kind, the handsome!” Gaeul waved her hands dramatically, making Jongho and San holler while Wooyoung deadpan stared at her. “Is this what you’d like to hear?”

“Nevermind,” Wooyoung looked away, disappointed, though Gaeul could see the hint of a smile on his face.

“No, but really,” Gaeul looked at all three of them. “I can’t imagine where I’d be and what chaos would be ensuing if Wooyoung didn’t save me and I didn’t meet you all. I don’t feel suffocated like I did before. It’s like I can finally breathe. And I’m having less fainting spells!”

“Yay,” San cheered. “Keep in mind that a positive mindset contributes a lot to one’s healing. It’s not all thanks to us- it’s you too.”

“Well, I wouldn’t have this ‘positive mindset’ if I hadn’t met you all, so,” Gaeul looked at Wooyoung and he shook his head- it looked like he still hadn’t told anyone that when he met Gaeul, she was trying to kill herself. At that moment, Gaeul felt an immense amount of respect for the Prince. “All’s well that ends well, eh?”

“It’s not the end-”

“Shut up, Wooyoung,” Gaeul gave him the side-eye and he grinned. Gaeul looked up at the purple sun- the orange one had set, it seemed. The sky was beautiful pastel colours, growing darker with every passing minute. “Do you think I could make it? I mean, will I ever be able to adapt to my magic?” The Princes looked at each other and Gaeul knew that they weren’t sure either. Gaeul continued, “The fainting spells, the losing control… it’s only better right now because I have three of you with me. It won’t stay that way forever.”

“Well,” San began, “I think you have a good chance-”

“I’m sorry to interrupt but..” Gaeul shifted to sit cross-legged. “I don’t want to hear anything if it’s a lie. And San… you keep giving me hope when all I see ahead is darkness.”

San was sure his heart had just broken into pieces after hearing her say that- he had never looked at someone who could say such a thing with such a sad smile. San looked away, swallowing down his feelings.

Jongho cleared his throat. “Honestly? What you need right now is a miracle. We don’t understand what’s wrong with you, and you’re right- we shouldn’t be too hopeful either. This nature of magic isn’t something we can ever imagine controlling. But… the tables could turn when Hongjoong and the rest come.”

“Exactly,” Wooyoung nodded. “I’m sure they’ll figure something out. But… don’t give up just yet, Gaeul.”

Jongho and San knew at that moment that there was a certain understanding between Gaeul and Wooyoung as they looked at each other and passed subtle nods. Wooyoung got up, brushing his clothes. “Anyways, enough of the depressing talk. I brought board games!”

—--------------

“Strange,” Yunho frowned as he looked at the intersection of the sea. “Very strange.”

“Quick, you need to tell us where to go,” Yeosang patted his back.

Yunho ran his hands through his hair in frustration. “After how many- 5 black hole occurrences bordering Altarf alone, we’re at a crossroads. I can feel something along the river that’s passing through the continent, but I can also feel something along the continent like we predicted.”

“So the occurrences are bordering Altarf, aren’t they? Around San’s kingdom, basically,” Hongjoong sounded grim but looked more curious.

“Can you tell if we should go around the continent or through the continent?” Mingi asked.

“According to my sources, there are only a few bordering Altarf itself- look at this,” Yeosang pointed at the cross marking where the last black hole should be, and it was around San’s castle.

“Did your ‘source’ draw this cross?” Hongjoong teased.

“Yes,” Yeosang looked at him pointedly and Hongjoong wowed.

“Is there anyone here right now?” Hongjoong leaned forward. Yeosang smirked.

“Right behind you, with a hand on your shoulder-”

To say that Hongjoong jumped in his chair was an understatement. The three of them burst into laughter, knowing it was a prank, but Hongjoong scowled. “Let’s talk business.”

“Okay, since the last one is here, we should take a look at this one before we go around the continent- or, we could just go through the river until we reach Ascella. I think we should investigate at least these two.”

“Good point. Do you think we can reach Ascella quickly after this? Because I’m done travelling on this ship,” Mingi sighed.

“I got you,” Yunho nodded. “Though I should take a nap to have enough energy. Wake me up when we reach the one in Altarf.”

“Wait, who’s rowing?” Yeosang looked around.

“Figure it out yourself if you want to cut this trip in half,” Yunho grinned, lying down on the seat and pulling a blanket over himself. “Or we can spend another two days in the sea-”

“No, we’ll row,” Hongjoong handed oars to the two, glaring at them. “Come on. With pain comes gain.”

Yeosang groaned but his eyes lit up. “I have an idea.”

“Don’t even think about it-”

“It could work!” Yeosang clapped and Yunho opened one eye to see what was going on. “I’m going to ask a favour from my sources. Let’s see who’s quicker- the Prince of Water or my spirits.”

“Hey, hey,” Mingi laughed. “Is that a challenge? Are you hearing this, Yunho?”

“Go ahead,” Yunho yawned. “I’m done.”

Yeosang shut his eyes and he was in the realm of spirits immediately, spotting his ‘sources’ who were actually just a few spirits from here and there that provided him information in exchange for an extended stay. Yeosang called them, counting 6 people- enough for now.

“I need extra hands.”

Which was how the trip that would have been at least two hours rowing normally was cut into a mere forty minutes, scaring the shit out of Hongjoong and Mingi who clung onto each other the whole time. When they spotted the sinkhole, Hongjoong gasped- it was larger than any they had seen earlier, and they had seen more than ten.

“Wake Yunho up.”

Mingi shook him awake and Yunho was both surprised and disappointed that the trip lasted so short. But with the amount of energy he felt in the water, he immediately got up and walked to the front of the ship, examining the sinkhole.

“It’s not just this,” Yunho tsk-ed. “I can feel the remnants of energy in the air. Whatever magic brought the faerie back, something changed in here.”

“Could this be the beginning?” Hongjoong thought out loud.

“Could be, but it could also be that something triggered the black hole to change its form here. I can feel two different types of energies- and one is similar to what we’ve all been feeling. But the other… it’s almost normal. It’s not exactly magic, it’s something else.”

“I can feel it too,” Hongjoong nodded. “But the real question is… how in the world do we cross this?”

“Oh,” Mingi sighed. “I didn’t even notice it was so wide- it’s basically taking up the whole river, right? And if we try to go around, we might sink.”

“And I’m not taking a risk trying to go around,” Yunho raised his hands in surrender. “I could try going under it, since I’m a water dragon, but I don’t know about the rest of you-”

“Shut up,” Yeosang glared at him. “None of us can swim-”

“I can-” Mingi raised his hand and Yeosang gaped at him.

“You’re a lizard.”

“Salamander,” Mingi laughed. “I can stick to Yunho and we can go under it.”

“I’m a lion, so I can run fast, but Yeosang,” Hongjoong faltered, breaking into uncontrollable laughter.

“Yes, I might be a meerkat but I can travel quicker than any one of you,” Yeosang scoffed. “In case you forgot, I can portal now.”

“Ah, let’s all portal-”

“No, you can run, Hongjoong,” Yeosang folded his arms, making the rest laugh while Hongjoong pouted. “Do we leave the ship here?”

“Let’s just travel by land now,” Mingi suggested. “How far can you portal?”

“Wooyoung’s castle,” Yeosang nodded slowly, “Since I know the place… I can’t risk portalling into an unknown place yet.”

“Good enough, we can meet Gaeul, get our facts straight and go to Ascella, all of us,” Hongjoong nodded. “Let’s tie this ship by the shore in case anyone needs help travelling around. The citizens must be disturbed to see this.”

—------------------

“And it’s another win!” Jongho high-fived Gaeul, the two of them giggling as if they were drunk- Wooyoung and San supposed they were drunk. Drunk on victory. “We make a good team, eh?”

“The best,” Gaeul grinned, “I can’t believe we’ve been winning on a streak after letting them win once-”

“You’re cheating!” Wooyoung scowled and San tried to calm him down, laughing in defeat. “I can’t believe this! Change partners, right now!”

“Hey!” San slapped his arm and Jongho shook his head.

“Nuh-uh. Whenever we play next time, I’m teaming up with Gaeul.”

“Let her decide!” Wooyoung shouted. Gaeul looked at him guiltily.

“I mean… if I have to win, I’ll team up with Jongho-”

“Traitors, both of you!” Wooyoung started to pack the games and Gaeul laughed at Jongho who was grinning like a kid. She shook her head- he looked adorable when he laughed, unlike his usual serious demeanour.

“Ah, I’m so tired,” Jongho stretched. “I’m heading inside my tent. What about you?”

“I want to walk around,” Gaeul got up, hands on her hips while she looked around. “I’ve never been here. Anyone wanna join?”

“Not me, nuh-uh!” Wooyoung said mockingly, making Jongho giggle again. San got up, kicking Wooyoung lightly and telling him to grow up. He looked at Gaeul, licking his lips.

“Want some company?”

Gaeul’s stomach swooped dangerously but she managed to nod, helping the others pack first since they were going to leave early in the morning before it got too hot. After Wooyoung disappeared in his own tent to sulk, San motioned for Gaeul to come along.

“I know a place,” San gave her a half-smile, “if you’re up for a little hiking.”

“And by little, how much exactly do you mean? Because Wooyoung told me this spot was ‘right next’ to his palace and made me walk miles-”

“Oh, it’s not that far- and trust me, you won’t regret it one bit.”

Gaeul shrugged, tossing two water bottles in her bag before following San who was grinning at her. He asked, “Have you ever been to any mountains?”

“Nope,” Gaeul answered. “The beach was where my life started and where my life ended.”

“I see,” San nodded. “The last time I came here was when we were with Yena- the three of us. I’m having deja vu,” he smiled. “There’s a lake up there- it’s really pretty. We were too occupied with our mission back then to appreciate the beauty of it.”

“Have you been to the mountains in your kingdom?” Gaeul asked, “In Arkesh, right?”

“Yeah, a few times when I was a kid,” San nodded. “I should visit more- maybe I could find good spots there too.”

“Ascella had caves on the beach, if you remember,” Gaeul looked at San and he shook his head. “I had a cave that I was pretty sure no one else had spotted yet- you had to go through numerous others to reach that spot. It was my hiding spot.”

“Why did you need to hide?”

“Don’t you feel like you need to hide from the world sometimes too?” Gaeul asked and San smiled, nodding. “Just a place to get away from reality. Do you have some place like that?”

“Not really,” San admitted. “When I want to get away, I just… do. It’s pretty selfish of me but sometimes I just don’t tell anyone and go in the woods- even my court is used to it now. There’s an old lady that lives there who had no idea who I was until two years ago- I used to stay at her place sometimes.”

“How did she find out?”

“Long story,” San laughed a little. “She referred me to a healer and ended up finding out- but she still treats me the same. I still go to her place sometimes- she has a little cottage in the woods that’s absolutely warm and adorable.”

“You must really like her,” Gaeul smiled. San nodded, and he offered his hand when they came by a big rock that Gaeul couldn’t step on without help. Gaeul took it and gave herself a second to let that little shock course through her body before jumping up. “You felt that?”

“Yep,” San stifled his smile.

“Do you really think it’s related to our magic?” Gaeul asked cautiously. “Sometimes I get this feeling that it’s something else- I don’t know what, and it makes me feel all jumpy.”

“I’ll admit it, sometimes I feel like the answer is right in front of me,” San paused, locking eyes with her. “But… I just can’t see it yet.”

Gaeul nodded. “You summed it up. Let’s hope it’s not something dangerous, eh?”

As they continued walking, San wondered if there was a possibility that it could be both dangerous and safe. Kind of like the feeling he had whenever he touched Gaeul. Her magic tried to hurt him or protect him- it was one of the two, and he couldn’t tell which one it was. San offered his hand once again, and when Gaeul took it, she almost slipped, making San grab her by the waist and pull her to him-

He was positive he was losing his mind- and the electricity coursing through his body now that he was basically holding her to himself as the rock she had stepped on slipped and slid down- it wasn’t helping his already swooping heart as he got a closer look at Gaeul, her eyes wide as she looked down at what could have been a very dangerous fall and then back at San who was too close. San wondered if she could feel his rapidly beating heart- her hands rested on his chest.

“Uh,” Gaeul licked her suddenly very dry lips, “that could have been dangerous.”

“Well,” San breathed, not looking away from her eyes- he was mesmerised, and it was stupid, but he was. He was absently caressing her hair with his other hand that had instinctively held her. He realised their position and slowly let go, careful not to make her feel too awkward. He rubbed her shoulders, “You okay?”

“Yep,” Gaeul said. “Let’s walk carefully now.”

San nodded. “You… can hold my hand if you want. The road ahead is tricky.”

Gaeul almost sighed in relief, muttering a little ‘sorry’ before holding his hand, now walking side by side with him as he guided where to put her foot on the rocky path. After silently climbing with an occasional joke, they could finally see the division in the mountain leading to the lake.

“Look at how it’s shining!” Gaeul gasped and San laughed. “It’s beautiful! And so blue!”

“I told you, you won’t regret it,” San smiled and let go of her hand and she walked around the lake. She looked at the cabin and pointed at it questioningly.

San shook his head. “That cabin was where Yena was kept hostage as a kid. It’s full of bad memories.”

“Ah,” Gaeul nodded, “Let’s not go near it then.”

San settled down near the lake and after Gaeul was done looking around, she sat beside him too, staring at the purple reflection of the moon. “I could watch this all night.”

“I know,” San smiled. “It’s really calm here, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Gaeul brought her knees to her chest. “It brings back memories. One of the caves had a view like this back home. I used to sit just like this and watch the waves wash my feet.”

“Do you want to go home, Gaeul?” San asked. “I know we talked about it, but… if and when your magic gets under control, you could begin a new life-”

“I don’t want to give myself hope, San,” Gaeul sighed. “I killed someone accidentally. His face haunts me every night. I don’t want to hurt anyone else- if I do, I won’t be able to forgive myself. This magic… there’s no end to it. I feel it- a bottomless pit in my heart. I can’t live with it.”

“It’s too early to say that,” San scolded. “You are allowed to dream of a new life, Gaeul. Even if nothing can cure this, you are allowed a new life-”

“Am I?” Gaeul shook her head. "This magic is only going to get out of control if you can't get it under control. So… let me be prepared for the worst too."

San's heart broke- there was an immense sadness he felt at her words. Just what wrong had she done? She had lived her life pretty normally. What sin, what wrong was she paying for? San cleared his throat. "I believe there was a reason why it had to be you. After what happened with Yena, I've learned one lesson- nothing is a coincidence. Everything happens for a reason. And I… I want to know just why it had to be you."

"You mean it's not some unfortunate coincidence?" Gaeul looked amused. "Because unfortunate coincidence is my second name-"

"No," San laughed a little. "No. There had to be a reason."

Gaeul shrugged, looking back at the river, wondering if it had fishes or some other mysterious creatures that she had never seen-

She felt tickles on her spine and turned to look at San, finding his hand near her head and his face incredibly close to hers. San was looking at something in his hand and he said, “You had something in your hair-”

When he finally looked at her, he paused, and Gaeul took that time to take in his warm eyes, his sharp cheekbones and jaw that was clenching and unclenching as he stared back at her, his grey hair at the ends that curled on his neck, the dark hair falling on his forehead, his parted plump lips-

“You… had something in your hair,” San found himself saying again, gulping as he watched her scan his face. He didn’t know if he wanted to draw back at that moment- there wasn’t just the electricity coursing through his body as his hand touched her hair again, but even the air felt different-

“Ah,” Gaeul turned to look at his hand, spotting a leaf. Gaeul took it from his hand but it turned grey and Gaeul put a hand over her mouth- this was so embarrassing. She was nervous and it was so painfully obvious and she couldn’t hide it from San-

“Are you okay?” San frowned, drawing away a little, looking worried.

“Uh, yeah, I am,” Gaeul pursed her lips as she looked at San and watched understanding cross his face and his worry turned into a devilish smirk.

“Nervous?” San raised a brow. Gaeul threw the leaf at his face, making him chuckle deeply. San put a hand on hers, leaning forward again until they were so close that Gaeul could feel his breath caress her face. “Tell me… do I make you nervous?”

Gaeul couldn’t look at his sultry gaze anymore so her eyes fell to his lips- she looked back at him and watched his smirk grow wider and wider. Gaeul shook her head. “Yes. You make me nervous. Now-” Gaeul put a hand on his chest and pushed him lightly, “that’s better.”

San tsk-ed at her, grinning. “Where’s the fun in that?”

Gaeul frowned, folding her arms. “Are you flirting with me right now?”

“Hmm… am I?” San stifled his smile.

“Well… I know I make you nervous too, Prince,” Gaeul decided to test him- she wasn’t going to lose after that embarrassing revelation. She trailed her finger up his arm, making him shiver a bit and she knew it wasn’t because of the sensation- it was that connection. “Does it tickle?”

“That’s not fair play,” San shook his head, laughing, but it faltered when he felt her absently caress the scar on his bicep.

“Does it tickle? Everytime I touch you?” Gaeul almost whispered.

“Yes,” San admitted. “It does.”

“I wonder who you are,” Gaeul tilted her head, trailing her finger down his arm, letting go multiple times along the way so they felt the little shock again and again- it made her restless and calm. How was that possible? “I wonder why it had to be you too.”

“I have this sinking feeling that magic is the last reason,” San admitted.

Gaeul looked at him, her grey eyes almost catlike in the moonlight. “What else could it be?”

“I don’t know,” San ran a hand through his hair. “I’d like to know though.”

“Me too,” Gaeul nodded. “Tell me, do you feel it when I indirectly touch you? Like this-”

San gaped at her when she ran her hand through the lake and splashed a little water on his face. “What was the reason!”

“You looked sleepy,” Gaeul grinned. “I thought I’d wake you up.”

“Me? Sleepy?” San scoffed. “I have never been more awake.”

Gaeul felt butterflies in her stomach and she realised even San said it impulsively as he carefully looked at her reaction. Gaeul smirked, splashing more water at him. “Just so you don’t fall asleep when we go back.”

“Oh, I’ll get my revenge,” San bent to cup water in his hands and Gaeul almost squealed as she ran away from him but she felt water hit her back- Gaeul’s mouth was wide open as she looked back at San.

“How dare you wet my white shirt!”

“I’m so sorry-” San began but Gaeul took that chance to bend and splash a good amount of water on him, watching his face turn into disappointment as water dripped from his nose onto his black shirt. “That was on purpose, wasn’t it?”

“Was it?” Gaeul wiggled her brows at him. San shook his head, cupping water in both his hands.

“If you surrender and come to me, I’ll only splash a little. If you don’t… I’ll drench you.”

“Wow, is that a threat?” Gaeul scoffed. San touched the ground, making the ground around her rise.

“I can trap you,” he smirked. “Make your decision.”

“Prince of Earth against a faerie who came back to life and lost her magic and possesses something she doesn’t even know what. Great. I surrender.”

“Come here,” San motioned with his hand, laughing. Gaeul pouted, standing in front of him.

“Don’t try a dirty trick, okay? You promised ‘only a little’.”

“I promise,” San nodded. He cupped a handful of water and Gaeul shut her eyes, ready to be splashed by that amount which frankly wasn’t less. She felt San draw closer, and then felt his fingers tuck her hair behind her ear, trailing to her chin and he pushed her face up. San only sprinkled a few drops on her face.

Gaeul opened her eyes, looking at him from underneath her lashes, which was when San splashed the rest of the handful on her face, laughing at the squeal that came from within her. Gaeul wiped her face. “That’s the dirtiest trick anyone has ever done to me in my life!”

“Glad to know,” San saluted, wiping his own face. “Let’s go back- it’s already late.”

Gaeul smiled, looking around- she wasn’t sure if she would ever come here again in her life. “Thank you for tonight, San. It really means a lot.”

San patted her back, nudging her along. “You don’t have to thank me for anything. I had a good time too.”

“Tell me something about yourself then,” Gaeul looked at him.

“What do you want to know?”

“Anything,” Gaeul was looking carefully at where she stepped now- she didn’t want any more of the mini heart attacks San had been giving her the whole night. “What’s your animal form? I heard all Princes have one.”

“Well, if you can guess mine, Jongho’s and Wooyoung’s, I’ll answer any question for the rest of the night,” San challenged.

“Are you sure? Because I am good at guessing. I’ve read a lot about it too- we had someone in our family with an animal form. They said you either look like it or act like it, other than it being the most convenient with your magic type.”

“They were right. Go ahead, make a guess.”

“Give me two chances,” Gaeul negotiated.

“Done,” San laughed. “Mine is pretty easy to guess anyway-”

“Fox?”

“See? You don’t need the two chances,” San laughed.

“You literally look like one, it’s hard to not see it,” Gaeul smiled.

“Ah, that brings back memories. When I first met Yena, she guessed mine too. She said either a cat or a fox- it had to be one of the two.”

“I can see it… Jongho’s definitely a bear?”

“Definitely,” San shook his head in amusement. “Wooyoung?”

“He has to be a bird, but I don’t know which bird.”

“Right,” San nodded. “Take a guess. You have three chances.”

“He can’t be the plain old sparrow, can he?”

“Two chances.”

“Not fair!” Gaeul gasped. “Is it something grand? Like… dinosaur grand? Or something small? Is he a parrot because he speaks way too much-”

“Last chance,” San laughed. “A parrot would have made sense too. Think of something… in the middle. A bird that would have the skills too.”

“I don’t know. An eagle? Or a hawk? Falcon-”

“Hawk, though you lost your chance-”

“I guessed it!” Gaeul slapped his arm. “Please?”

“Okay,” San gave in, “Ask me anything.”

“Do you like your animal form?”

“Yep,” San nodded. “It’s pretty convenient.”

“Right… Do you like being the Prince?”

“You ask weird questions,” San smiled. “I was born a Prince. I sometimes wish I could have lived a normal life but then… where’s the fun in that?”

“Nice answer,” Gaeul smiled. “How was Princess Yena and Prince Seonghwa’s wedding? I know if I had been alive- well, if none of what happened did, I might have even attended the wedding.”

“Really?” San frowned. “How?”

“One of the healers in Princess Yena’s court is my cousin, so I might have begged her for an invitation… though I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t allow me.”

San laughed. “It was… good, the ceremony. All that Yena dreamed of.”

“Have you all adjusted to the fact that she’s the Princess? I mean… it was sudden for all of you too, right?”

San nodded. “You really want to meet the Princess, don’t you?”

“Who doesn’t?” Gaeul smiled.

“Well… she got to spend a lot of time with all of us, individually and together. I spent the most time with her- when she wasn’t aware of her identity. She’s good friends with everyone. We felt the connection too- we tried to ignore it, but it was hard not to see what was right in front of you. So interacting with her… it was easy. She felt like family before we even knew, you could say.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Gaeul smiled. “How could you feel her? All of you?”

“Our magics… at least the princes, and her, we are linked. We are the elementals, so with our magnitude and relation, we can instantly feel when someone is close. Like I can feel Wooyoung and Jongho right now too.”

“Can you feel other faeries too?” Gaeul asked.

“Only you,” San admitted. “I’ve never felt anyone else’s magic from so far. I haven’t even felt any of the others from such a distance as well.”

“Did all of you feel me?”

“They felt your magic, or the thing that brought you back. The black hole, as they’re calling it. I felt… everything they did but also felt you. Without knowing who or what it was.”

“I see…”

“We’ll know soon,” San smiled reassuringly at her. “I know it sounds confusing and nothing makes sense, but once it does… you’ll be okay.”

“Yep,” Gaeul nodded. “Go ahead, you can ask me anything too.”

“I’ll keep this offer for later too,” San said and Gaeul laughed. “I’ll ask only one question right now- you might hate me, but I have to ask.”

“What?”

San stopped walking. “I’m still not sure about you, Gaeul. In Yena’s case, we were betrayed by someone we thought of as family. After that… we have the right to suspect you, don’t we?”

Gaeul understood. Of course they did. She would too. “You have. But even I know only as much as you do.”

“And that’s understandable. I have seen it- but you’re still connected to Kieran somehow. And that makes me suspicious, even when I know you’ve said nothing but the truth so far. But if you ever recall something… and if you have, I need you to promise me you’ll tell me. So tell me, have you recalled something that might put you in danger with us? You can simply answer with a yes or no, if you don’t want to explain.”

“San, I haven’t,” Gaeul smiled helplessly. “I wish I did. It’s got me as frustrated as you all. I don’t know who Kieran is or why he killed me. I don’t know why I came back. I don’t want this magic- what faerie would want this magic? That’s why I always say that if you ever feel like I’m a threat, feel free to end me right there-”

“Hey,” San cupped Gaeul’s face and she shut her eyes momentarily. “Look at me.”

Gaeul did and San looked guilty. “I won’t apologise for asking- I have to, for the safety of everyone, but I don’t know how I can feel it when you say the truth or you lie. It makes me wonder if your memories have been twisted so I wouldn’t know if Kieran did this as some sort of revenge or something. But I saw your memories. I know you even without knowing you, somehow I do. And I… I trust you. You haven’t given me a reason not to.”

“Thank you,” Gaeul whispered.

“And if you say something like that again,” San scolded, glaring at her but a smile crept across his face. “Do you know that every time you’ve been in pain, I’ve felt sick- even before I met you. I haven’t told anyone about this. What do you think I’d feel if you died?”

“Why do you feel that, San?” Gaeul brought her hands to his that were still cupping her face.

“I don’t know,” San sighed. “I shouldn’t have told you, but you… you make me do things and say things I usually don’t.”

Gaeul sighed internally. “San? Don’t say stuff like that. Don’t make me more confused than I already am.”

“I’m confused too,” San scanned her face. “I don’t know what to feel. I want to figure it out soon. Until then…” San leaned forward, planting a lingering kiss on her forehead that made Gaeul aware of every sensation she could possibly feel. Even San shivered. “Let’s go back.”

San took her hand and started going down, and they had nothing to say to each other anymore. They were as confused as the other.

They also felt the same as the other at that moment.

—---------------

“I can’t believe you all went camping while we were out scouring the entire continent for the damned black hole!” Hongjoong was furious.

“I haven’t slept in days,” Yunho sighed.

“I used an army of spirits to row us and spent all my energy there!” Yeosang pointed at Wooyoung, shaking his head.

“You used an army?” Mingi asked.

“Two’s a company, three’s an army-”

“Three is a crowd, Yeosang,” Jongho pointed out and he only stuck his tongue out.

“So, Mingi,” Wooyoung looked at the red-haired Prince. “What contribution have you made? Do you wanna yell it out like the rest of them?”

“I-” Mingi started to shout but then calmed down, “I did nothing, just kept them awake.”

Gaeul, who was hiding behind Wooyoung, giggled at that and Mingi grinned back.

The four had been bombarded with this the minute they got back from their camping trip. Gaeul had been greeted with not one but four princes, all looking very pissed and tired and she instinctively hid behind Wooyoung, who she believed was the only one loud and gutsy enough to challenge them. She was absolutely right.

“Now can we settle down like civil people and exchange introductions so this poor soul can stop hiding behind me?” Wooyoung put his hands on his hips and Gaeul made a face- she didn’t realise Wooyoung knew she was hiding. She guessed he knew her well now.

“This poor soul,” Yeosang began, “is anything but poor and-”

“Shut up, Yeosang,” San put an arm around his shoulder, muttering something in his ear that made him shut up and slap San’s arm.

“Maybe you should all get some sleep before we settle down because frankly, it looks like you’re the ones who came back from the dead, not her-” Jongho was interrupted when Gaeul glared at him.

“Okay, I’ll scold you all later. I just can’t believe it. We portalled here only to find out you’re all on a little trip with your new friend.” Hongjoong slumped on the couch and Wooyoung watched how all of them settled in his living room like they owned the place, leaving a chair for him. He shook his head, making Gaeul sit next to him and San.

“This hotheaded one is Hongjoong,” Wooyoung told Gaeul and she bowed, earning laughter from everyone. “She’s gonna do that, get used to it. That tall one is Yunho. That’s Mingi, and the angry one’s Yeosang.”

“Got it,” Gaeul bowed again before sitting down. “It’s an honour to meet you all, I never thought I’d see this many of you in one place-”

“She sounds like Yena when she didn’t know who she was,” Yunho laughed. San nodded, smiling.

“Gaeul, it’s… a pleasure to meet you,” Hongjoong looked pained.

“I know it’s not,” Gaeul laughed, “but thank you anyway.”

“I like her,” Mingi approved.

“Tell us your story- all of it,” Hongjoong looked serious, his ginger hair glowing in the warm sunlight that illuminated the room, his blue eyes fierce. “We need to piece together what we have.”

“Okay,” Gaeul breathed. “I am from the yin-yang bloodline of the nature element- do you know of it?”

Hongjoong paled and San noticed how his eyes dashed across the room to look at him before he looked back at Gaeul. “Yes… I’ve heard a few stories, though I’d suggest you refresh it.”

“The yin-yang bloodline of nature element is different from other nature wielders,” Gaeul looked at Jongho and he nodded. “Usually, a faerie possessing nature magic holds power over one associated element- like earth, water, air, and so on. It can be two as well, if you’re very lucky and blessed, it can be three, but we’ve never heard of a case with more than three. Anyways, the faeries of yin-yang can usually control two. But they have a secret- they believe that when they connect with their counterpart, or their soulmate as you call it, they can share their power. For example, I could already control nature and earth magic- if my counterpart has water magic, I can share their power through them and control water too, and they, in return, can control my nature and earth magic.”

“But… does this actually work?” Mingi asked. “Like… let’s talk about fire magic, which is the hardest to control and the most dangerous to possess. If your counterpart has fire magic, how can you control it without ever using it and not burn your own self? I mean, even as the Prince of Fire, I have burned myself quite a few times.”

“If your partner has good control, you have it too. Magic is like second nature to anyone, no matter what form it is. As long as I know the principles of controlling it, I can control any, if given to me. That’s, at least, what the theory is. I haven’t witnessed it yet but my elders have, so I’ve only heard from them.”

“Interesting,” Yeosang nodded. “Linking magic… kind of like that, right?” Gaeul nodded and he continued. “So you can possess a multitude of elemental magic if you meet your counterpart. Is that why it’s kept a secret?”

“Yes. Only the yin-yang bloodline knows this secret- the other nature magic users don’t know about us. And I can see only Jongho, the Prince of Nature, and Prince Hongjoong knew of this- isn’t that right?”

The two nodded. Hongjoong cleared his throat, “Continue.”

“I was living a normal life in Ascella, San can confirm it- he saw some of my memories,” she said and San nodded. “I lived by the beach. I think I was travelling to Nunki- that part is a little fuzzy- when I encountered who everyone believes to be Kieran? Red hair and glowing amber eyes?” Yeosang cursed under his breath, urging Gaeul to continue. “I don’t remember this part much and San tried to see it too but to no avail. He could only confirm that it was Kieran indeed.”

“Wearing the face of Jinki,” San added, looking at the four.

“I think he had a reason for killing me- I’ve heard that he was very meticulous and did not go around killing random people-”

“Would you say that you are a ‘random’ person though?” Yeosang asked.

“Well,” Gaeul shrugged. “I had a pretty random life until that point. I was practically non-existent, a speck of dust in this universe-”

“Okay, continue,” Wooyoung slapped Gaeul’s arm and she scowled at him before continuing.

“Kieran whispered something in my ear before I died. It might be something crucial and we tried to recall it but I can’t yet-”

“It could be either a ‘that’s what you get for crossing my path’ with some curses or something very crucial,” Wooyoung added. It was his turn to get slapped.

“It has to be something crucial,” San said. “I saw that memory- I may have made a little trip inside her head, stop glaring at me, Hongjoong. I could see Kieran’s face when he said it- he looked like he had accomplished something big. And Gaeul… I think it hurt her more than the sword in the middle of her body.”

Gaeul nodded. “Anyways, I die. About two years later, I found myself in the middle of Ascella beach, all skin and bones, unable to walk. I practically crawled a good distance until someone found me. From then on, it was me going in and out of consciousness, a lot of throwing up, a lot of internal bleeding, until a few days ago when my magic finally worked. Until then, I could just feel that something was horribly wrong with me. I knew I possessed some sort of magic but it felt unnatural.”

“We felt it too,” Yunho nodded. “I couldn’t pinpoint the source but I knew it was somewhere in the sea.”

“I don’t remember much of that time, and even at that time I had no memory- what I could recall, it felt like a dream or a past life, because there was no way I died and came back to life, right?” Gaeul sighed. “When I was in Nunki, my magic worked for the first time, and to my horror, it was the opposite of what I could do. I could breathe life into flowers, but this time I turned it to ashes.”

“Wow,” Mingi exhaled, earning a glare from Yeosang.

“It’s not fun,” Gaeul smiled sadly. “I ran away from the healer who was going to get me to the High Healers. When I reached the river near Rukbat, in the forest, I encountered a man and felt unsafe- my magic activated. I… killed him.”

“I know all about that,” Yeosang nodded. “That poor soul… it was nothing like I’ve ever seen. You didn’t kill it, Gaeul. You… I’m sorry but you destroyed his soul- he had no chance of living even as a spirit.”

Gaeul bit her lips, sighing, and Wooyoung was about to pat her back to comfort her but felt her magic ooze out. San shook his head at Wooyoung- he shouldn’t touch her right now. “I’m sorry that happened. It wasn’t my intention- I had no idea what magic I possessed, what harm I could do.”

“That’s okay. I understand all of it must have been very confusing,” Hongjoong said and Gaeul nodded, glad that he could understand. “What happened next?”

Gaeul looked at Wooyoung and he sighed. “I think you should tell them.”

“Tell us what?” San frowned.

“After that happened, I went to the river and… tried to drown myself- I couldn’t possibly live with this magic.”

San’s heart sank to his feet and he looked at Wooyoung for confirmation. He nodded. San sighed, his heart clenching uncontrollably at the thought. Gaeul muttered a little sorry to him before continuing. “I don’t think I could have killed myself. I mean, Wooyoung interrupted and saved me but when I tried to kill myself, my magic didn’t allow it. It ended up exploding in a wave, which some of you might have felt.”

“I felt it,” San whispered so only she could hear. “Not the magic, but you.”

“Well, I’m here now,” Gaeul shrugged, smiling but San could tell she felt nervous talking about this and her magic was getting unstable. He put a hand over her’s, letting his magic soothe her. “Wooyoung tried the basement trick on me, but apparently the thing that’s supposed to dull magic just aggravated mine since I’m ‘anti-magic’ now.”

“Technically… your magic became the opposite of what it used to be when you came back to life, right? So you are… anti-magic in that sense, though it’s very stupid- who came up with this word?” Hongjoong looked around and Jongho raised his hand.

“Uh… that would be me. But it makes sense, doesn’t it? Do you have a better word? Anti-nature? Anti-magic?”

“Whatever,” Hongjoong dismissed. “Anything else you’d like to share?”

“I had a few episodes here,” Gaeul said, “but thanks to them, I was able to control it. But… I think you should hear San’s story.”

Hongjoong’s gaze fell on their linked hands. San cleared his throat. “I came to Rukbat because I could feel not the magic but the state. The state of a faerie who was in absolute pain because of its own magic. I had no idea who it was, I just needed to get here. When I saw her… Whenever I touch her, we both feel this little electric shock in our body- I don’t know if it’s because her magic is trying to attack me or protect me, but it’s either one of those. And… I’m immune to her magic, it seems.”

“What do you mean immune?” Yeosang almost fell out of his chair.

“She’s feeling nervous right now, and when that happens,” San took his hand away and Gaeul could no longer control her magic fully- it was unstable because of how nervous she was. San picked a flower from the vase, putting it in her extended palm and earning wows from the four as they watched it turn into dust. Gaeul blew it and Wooyoung almost slapped her arm.

“Not on my carpet!” He sighed, waving a hand and blowing the dust away.

“If any one of you touched her right now, I can’t guarantee what will happen. Jongho tried touching her with his plant extension- is that what you call it? Anyways, this happened and if Jongho hadn’t cut it off before it reached his hand, pretty sure his hand would have turned to dust too.”

“I could try touching her as a spirit,” Yeosang suggested. “Though… now that I’ve seen what I’d look like if it went wrong, I don’t want to.”

“How do you know you’re the only one immune?” Hongjoong asked. “Wooyoung?”

“We tested with a strand of hair,” Wooyoung nodded. “I’m not. I’m not going to touch her. Like… not even when she’s normal-”

“It’s not that bad,” Gaeul laughed.

“Should we test too?” Yunho suggested. Hongjoong shrugged, getting up and plucking a strand of his hair and putting it on her palm. It turned grey.

“Well, clearly I’m not,” he pouted, going back to sulking on the couch. The others tried too but it was clear that they weren’t immune.

“Let me try something,” Yunho looked at Gaeul and she nodded. “I can make a water body and test how it works with magic.”

“Not on my carpet!” Wooyoung shouted but Yunho waved a hand, creating a water person that seemed to be an extension of him. He stood in front of Gaeul and gave her the signal. Gaeul touched the waterbody and it immediately lost form, wetting-

“My carpet!” Wooyoung wailed and Yeosang rolled his eyes while Mingi hollered.

“Well, that certainly proves it.”

“Yunho, you should have given me this idea!” Mingi slapped his back. “I should make a fire body and hug one of you with it-”

“That’s exactly why he didn’t give this idea,” Yeosang pointed out. “Should I try with one of my spirits? Though… none of them deserve this fate- but there’s this one spirit that’s broken all rules of that realm and needs to be sent to the underworld dimension for punishment. I could try it on him.”

Gaeul grimaced. “Do you have to?”

“If we need to test every theory… then we have to,” Hongjoong nodded, giving the signal to Yeosang and he shut his eyes for a good minute while everyone watched silently. When he opened his eyes, everyone could feel another presence in the room though they couldn’t see it. Yeosang remained sitting and Gaeul frowned, but then she almost screamed when she felt something touch her- it had to be the spirit. Yeosang gasped, standing up and wiping his forehead.

“The spirit died,” he looked at Gaeul and then at Hongjoong. “I mean… if a person could die twice.”

“Well, no need to try anything else. Why is San immune?” Yunho asked.

“No idea,” Gaeul shrugged. “Maybe because I possessed nature magic and earth magic?”

“Jongho should have been immune too, then,” Hongjoong frowned. “San? What do you think?”

“I don’t know, but… there definitely is a connection. I don’t know if it’s a magic connection or something else, but I can feel her differently than any one of you.”

Hongjoong nodded slowly- it looked like they really weren’t sure. “Well… I’ll tell you our story now. Yunho felt it first- apparently when she came back to life- the time matches with what Gaeul told us and what Yeosang’s spirits told him. His spirits were bored enough to follow the black hole that caused her to come back- and there’s not one, but many occurrences of that black hole appearing and disappearing in this world, bordering the continent and mostly around Altarf.”

“Black hole?” Wooyoung frowned.

“Like in necromancy, yes, but it’s different,” Hongjoong nodded. “If it was simply someone bringing Gaeul back from the dead, it would have been a single black hole, at the place of her death, near a water body. But this time… there were several black holes and it looks like she was travelling in time and space before she finally dropped in Ascella.”

“But no one has a reason to bring me back to life,” Gaeul frowned. “I wasn’t exactly Miss Popular. No one would have missed me.”

“I like how blunt she is,” Yeosang commented.

“No one brought you back to life, Gaeul,” Hongjoong confirmed. “I believe… we messed up. Big time.”

“Explain?” Wooyoung demanded. “She knows everything basically, so don’t hesitate.”

Hongjoong gave Wooyoung the side-eye. “Kieran… he clearly knew what he was doing. I believe this is a result of the timeline mix-up. She’s basically a glitch in the matrix. When Yena went back in time, there were two Yena’s existing- the present Yena and the Yena who was travelling back. Yena was careful not to mess with the natural time flow until it needed to be messed with, which was Seonghwa’s death. So when she came back… she dropped in the middle of the ocean, right?”

“Yeah,” Yunho confirmed. “Near my kingdom. I saved her.”

“Where would Kieran have been at that time? Seonghwa confirmed that Kieran wasn’t in his castle at that time, which means Kieran must have been somewhere on this continent- close enough to sense Yena suddenly appearing in the middle of the ocean. I mean… he could sense Yena- he had linked his magic with her. That Yena, the one that travelled back… she had none of Kieran’s magic-”

“Wait, this is confusing,” Wooyoung shook his head, getting up to get a paper and pen so Hongjoong could draw as he explained. Hongjoong sighed but gave in.

“Let’s call the Yena that was going along naturally with time ‘Yena 1’ and the one who went back in time ‘Yena 2’,” Hongjoong drew a rough map. “Yena 1 was in this continent- with Wooyoung, Jongho and San. If Kieran was in this continent too, and we know that he was because Yena mentioned seeing him in Altarf earlier at that time, it means that Kieran could feel Yena 1. Is that clear?”

Everyone nodded and he continued. “Kieran is going around doing god knows what, but then… Yena 2 travelled back in time and found herself in the middle of the ocean- between this continent and Yunho’s. So Kieran must have felt Yena 2 and thought, ‘Oh. Two Yenas. One with my magic and one without my magic in her.’ Now, Yena is the Princess of Time. Put these together and he concludes that Yena 2 is the Yena from the future. Now… he’s pissed because it means he succeeded in his plan to kill Seonghwa but Yena came back in time to save him.”

“But he wanted Yena to succeed anyway,” Mingi pointed out.

“Exactly,” Hongjoong sighed. “It means… He knew Yena was going to come back in time for Seonghwa. How would he still want to mess her up? He creates this glitch in the matrix- Gaeul. I don’t know how he figured it out, but he somehow did. He knew it was going to come back and screw us up one day. So… the question is, who is Gaeul? Why Gaeul? Was it because she’s from the yin-yang bloodline? Are there other secrets of the bloodline that we don’t know yet? Somehow he did his homework before he decided to kill Gaeul.”

Everyone sat in silence as they digested all of this. San spoke, “He must have known it would affect me, right?”

“He must have,” Hongjoong confirmed.

“There’s also the matter of the missing faeries throughout this continent,” Yeosang said and watched Jongho, Wooyoung and San appear confused. “I have reasons to believe these two matters are connected as well, because this began after she came back to life. Apparently, there are some ‘otherworldly’ creatures prowling throughout the continent, dragging the faeries to their dimension. The black hole might be a gateway.”

“No way,” Wooyoung whistled. “As if this wasn’t enough. But if the black hole is a gateway, what dimension or world exactly lies on the other side? And does that mean Gaeul came from there? Is she not a faerie from this world then?”

“I am from this world,” Gaeul rolled her eyes and Wooyoung waved a hand in dismissal. Gaeul looked at Yeosang. “I’m not sure but I think I saw something in the forest the night I… killed that man. I didn’t exactly ‘see’ something, I just felt it and saw a pair of glowing eyes before I passed away. I thought I hallucinated since I wasn’t in the best condition at that time.”

“I believe you,” Yeosang nodded. “We have no idea what these creatures look like and there’s a good chance you may have hallucinated because no faerie that has encountered them has come back to tell the tale- unless…”

“Unless…” Jongho was shaking his head in disbelief. “Don’t even say it out loud.”

Hongjoong watched Gaeul pale and he sighed. “Now we need to investigate four things: Who is Gaeul- what is her history, why Gaeul, why San, and finally, her connection to those creatures and the gateway. We need to meet the elders from the yin-yang bloodline to get some answers because there’s nothing in the books. And… we might want to tell Yena now.”

Yeosang groaned. “She doesn’t need to know.”

“Pretty sure she already knows what’s going on,” Hongjoong patted his back. “She’s not dumb.”

“Do you think we can get answers from Kieran?” Mingi asked. “I mean… Yena could contact Neve.”

“Neve? The other darkling who took Kieran back to his planet?” San asked and he nodded.

“It’s up to Yena. I don’t think she would want to do anything that involves Kieran and… he might not be alive,” Hongjoong said. “And San… I need to get inside her head and examine what’s going on, but it looks like I’ll have to look indirectly through you.”

“Now’s not a good time,” San pursed his lips. “Let’s do it when she’s calm.”

“Okay, now that everything’s settled,” Wooyoung got up, clapping. “Who’s hungry?”

It was Gaeul’s first time in the Great Hall, and it truly was grand. The glass in different colours and patterns that made the walls of the hall through which you could see outside almost blinded her, and it made the whole hall a colourful mess. And the food…

“Stop drooling,” Jongho shut her wide open mouth with his finger. Gaeul glared at him.

“I’m just mad I haven’t been here before,” Gaeul pouted. She watched them all take their seats, and to her dread, the only empty seat remained between Yeosang and Wooyoung. She knew her ears were going to fall off by the end of the lunch.

Halfway through lunch, she was proven right.

“I’m only saying that you were dumb enough to approach a very angry Gaeul- that’s not bravery.”

But Gaeul was also the one participating in the non stop bickering, and it weren’t her ears that were going to fall off but everyone else’s. “Right! Imagine him being stupid enough to manhandle me at that time. He would have disappeared in the air- truly like-”

“The Prince of Air,” Yeosang completed and the two grinned at each other while Wooyoung looked baffled.

“I thought we were friends, Gaeul!” Wooyoung slapped her arm.

“If you touch me one more time, Wooyoung, I’ll turn your hand into dust.”

“Yes, yes!” Yunho, who was sitting in front of them, clapped.

“Good one!” Mingi, who was next to Yunho, high fived him.

“All of you always gang up on me!” Wooyoung pointed at them. “I saved your ass, Gaeul! This is what I get?”

“You saved your ass, Wooyoung,” Gaeul sipped on her drink. “I saved my own- or rather, my magic saved mine.”

“You unnatural witch!” Wooyoung scoffed, making them all laugh. Hongjoong, who was sitting next to San at the corner, watched them with mild amusement and he turned to San. “You’ve all warmed up to her pretty well.”

“She’s hard not to,” San smiled.

“Is there anything else you need to tell me, San?”

San looked at Hongjoong. “If you stop being cryptic… maybe I will.”

“Tell me what you really feel about this link between you and her, San.”

“I…” San sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t think it’s because of her anti-magic thing. I think this link is something else, and it scares me.”

“I have a few theories too,” Hongjoong smiled knowingly. “But we have to rule out every possibility before I get to that, and I have a feeling we’ll figure it out eventually. We also need to figure out what exactly Kieran said to her.”

“That’s gonna be hard,” San looked at him and he nodded. “But we can try again, now that you’re here.”

“Let’s do it tonight.”

—---------------------

“Was this necessary?” Gaeul asked no one in particular, knowing the answer was yes anyway. Hongjoong still nodded, sitting down on the ground with her and San took his place beside Gaeul.

“You’ve heard how bad it can get,” Hongjoong said, referring to Yena’s healing process he had told her about earlier. Yena could have sent everyone within a few miles in a time vortex if things went wrong during her healing but thanks to all the princes being there, they had minimised the damage. He knew Gaeul was just nervous since everyone was watching her, ready to create a shield if necessary and prevent something like that.

“Since San is immune, he’ll be holding your hand, I’ll be holding his. I don’t want to take a risk,” Hongjoong passed a smile that did nothing to help her. “I’m only looking inside your mind indirectly. We’re not going to do anything… yet.”

“Okay,” Gaeul exhaled. “I’m ready.”

San took her hand, squeezing it reassuringly before he shut his eyes and Hongjoong followed. Hongjoong could feel and see San’s magic enter Gaeul’s mind which was fully dark without the usual presence of a glowing thread of magic.

“San,” Hongjoong said, “I’m going to try entering indirectly.”

“Okay,” San braced himself- he had forgotten the sensation that came when someone’s magic entered their mind, like something actually slithering inside the brain. He had gotten too used to being the one doing that. Hongjoong sent his magic through San’s body and further to Gaeul’s-

Gaeul jumped, groaning in pain but San held her hand tighter. Hongjoong could see it then- he was enveloped in darkness with no origin and no end. Her magic… It was different from anything he had witnessed. He feared the darkness would envelop him if he made one wrong move- and this darkness wasn’t like Seonghwa who was the Prince of Dark himself, or even Kieran who was a darkling.

“You can’t even see the memories,” Hongjoong noticed.

“You’ll have to dive deeper for that,” San replied. “What do you want to do?”

“You said her magic might be trying to attack you or protect you- which means either you being immune is because of your magic itself or because of her. Let’s see which one it is.”

“How?”

“Just roam around. I’m watching,” Hongjoong said. San nodded, letting his magic flow around and scour the darkness. Hongjoong remained as invisible as possible, following his magic. He noticed how the darkness split until he reached the core of her memories, sealed like Yena’s by her own magic itself. “Can you try touching the core?”

“Nothing happens, watch,” San let his thread of magic try to prod the seal but nothing happened. It remained as it was. Her magic remained calm.

“Let me wrap my magic with yours now. Let’s try then,” Hongjoong suggested.

“Are you sure it’s safe?” Gaeul asked. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I’ll draw back if I feel threatened,” Hongjoong assured her and wrapped his magic around San’s, now letting it flare-

All hell let loose as Gaeul screamed like nothing any of them had heard before, making the others panic and immediately create a shield as the darkness inside her attacked both San and Hongjoong. Hongjoong flared his magic even more in an attempt to buy time to get the hell out but it was too late- San groaned in pain and doubled over and Gaeul snatched her hand away, breaking the contact and clutching her head-

Her magic was going to explode. There was no time- Gaeul had to contain her magic inside herself at least until Hongjoong could create a shield. She heard the faint shouting of instructions and clenched shut her eyes, begging her magic to stay inside just a little longer, crawling away from them-

She couldn’t hold it in anymore and let out an ear piercing scream as she spent all her energy controlling the wave of unnatural magic trying to escape from within her. Her back was bent in a painful angle, tears of blood trickling down her face and San watched in horror, about to go to her but his hand- it was turning grey.

“We need to get away!” Hongjoong shouted. “Use all your energy on the shield, all of you!”

Everyone except San created a shield, unsure if it would be enough. They needed San’s magic too- it would have been able to battle Gaeul better, but the veins on his hand that had been holding Gaeul’s were turning grey.

“I can’t use my magic right now,” San clutched his hand, breathing harshly as he tried to heal his own self. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s my fault,” Hongjoong looked grim. “And to save you all right now, I’ll do anything-”

“No,” San glared at Hongjoong, nothing like he had ever done before. “You won’t.”

“San,” Hongjoong warned. “It’s for everyone’s safety.”

“No. You see this?” San raised his greying hand. “It’s not because of what we did. It’s because she’s a part of me. When she hurts, I hurt. And right now?” San pointed angrily at Gaeul. “I’m in as much pain as her. Even if it doesn’t seem like it-”

Hongjoong needed no further evidence as San bent down and choked on his breath, coughing up blood. This was beyond his understanding now and he had to do something, he had to end this-

“I got this,” he heard a familiar voice and his eyes went wide when he saw Yena walk through a portal. “Thank my instinct.”

Seonghwa followed, hurrying to San and sending his own magic through him in hopes of helping. Yena watched the poor faerie, not older than her, struggle to contain her magic but failing as her insides bled. Yena walked near her.

“Gaeul? Gaeul, can you hear me? You don’t need to hold back anymore. Let it go. Let all of it go, at the count of three, okay? Nod if you can hear me.”

Gaeul could, in fact, hear her, though it sounded more like it was in her head. She shook her head no- it had to be her hallucinations again-

“I’m Yena. I’m shifting you into another dimension, so you can let go without hurting anyone. On the count of three, okay?”

Gaeul struggled but nodded and she heard the countdown, shutting her eyes and finally exhaling at the count of three, and everything went black. Meanwhile, the Princes watched Gaeul disappear into thin air.

“What have you done?” San almost asked angrily. Yena sighed, sitting down in front of San and examining his hand.

“I’ve sent her to another dimension, where her magic can freely escape without hurting anything. I bet you didn’t think of that,” Yena looked at Hongjoong and he bit his lips guiltily. “As for this…”

Yena waved her hand over San’s greying hand and San watched it turn back to life. “A little healing magic mixed with time magic. I’m still practising this, so it could have gone very, very wrong-”

“I can’t believe you’re testing this theory on him,” Hongjoong shook his head. “Extreme times. What about Gaeul?”

“She’s unconscious now,” San muttered and the three of them looked at him.

“How do you know?” Seonghwa frowned. “She’s in another dimension- oh no, is this what I’m thinking?”

“San? Are you sure?” Hongjoong’s guts were twisting with worry.

“What sort of a connection could let me feel her even across dimensions?” San asked Yena and Seonghwa and they looked at each other. “Didn’t you two feel each other too? All those times?”

“But…” Yena frowned. “It could be a magical connection too. Kieran could feel me because his magic was inside me-”

“My magic is not inside her, and her magic,” San scoffed. “Definitely not inside me. I need you all to rule out every possibility because if nothing else, then only one possibility remains.”

“That she’s-”

“Don’t even say it right now,” San interrupted, sighing. “I don’t want to think about it. If I’m right and Kieran knowingly did this to hurt me because of Yena…” San looked at Yena who looked ready to cry. “This is so messed up.”

“Oh, San,” Yena put a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll figure this out, quick, now that I’m here. I promise. I’ll help you, because all of this… It’s because of me. I’m responsible for this-”

“I didn’t mean it like that-”

“I know,” Yena nodded. “But that doesn’t change the fact that it happened because of me. Because I went back to save Seonghwa and Kieran found out and killed Gaeul because he somehow knew it would create trouble in one form or another. Let’s do this together, okay?”

San nodded, finally smiling at his old friend. “Just like I helped you.”

“Just like you helped me,” Yena smiled back.

“Oh god,” Seonghwa ran a hand through his hair. “Not again.”

Hongjoong patted his back. “I’m glad you’re here right now.”

The rest of them finally recovered from their expended magic and walked tiredly to the four. “Look who’s here! The one person we didn’t want to know!”

“Shut up, Wooyoung,” Yena laughed, hugging him. “It’s been a while.”

“It sure has,” Jongho pouted. “When’s the last time you visited me, traitor?”

“Traitor?” Yena gasped, slapping his arm but then Jongho crushed her in a hug, picking her up and making her squeal.

“Don’t call my sister a traitor,” Yeosang slapped Jongho’s butt, laughing and ruffling Yena’s hair, making her pout. “Call her a mega traitor because this little-”

“Not fair!” Yena slapped his arm away, grumping at her messy hair and Mingi messed it up even further. Yunho poked her in the head, making her finally scream in frustration and Seonghwa laughed, shaking his head at how everyone turned into little kids when they were with Yena.

“Seonghwa!” Wooyoung finally noticed the eldest prince, running to him but Seonghwa dodged him, making him almost fall on the ground. “I’m just glad you’re here, finally someone who’ll take my side-”

“What makes you think I’ll take your side, pray tell?” Seonghwa stuck out his tongue and watched Wooyoung gasp in horror.

“If you all are done messing up each other,” Hongjoong clapped, grabbing everyone’s attention. “First of all, I’m glad Yena’s instincts worked because god knows we would have disintegrated into dust,” he laughed. “Secondly, who the hell told Yena the whole thing?”

“I’m guilty,” Seonghwa raised his hand, earning groans. “She portalled to Mingi and Yeosang’s kingdom behind my back and learned you were with them too, travelling god knows where. She asked me and I couldn’t lie…”

“Well, I’m glad he couldn’t,” Yunho laughed. “Really, really glad.”

“I don’t know everything,” Yena scoffed. “Only what Seonghwa knows- unless he still hid something from me-”

“Nothing, babe,” Seonghwa crossed his heart. “I hid nothing from you.”

The boys burst into groans and a chorus of ‘ew’. Wooyoung pointed at Seonghwa angrily. “Don’t call her that in front of us! It’s disgusting!”

“You’re just mad that you’re single, Wooyoung,” Yena mocked him.

“What are we going to do now, Yena?” Hongjoong changed the subject. “Should we bring Gaeul back now?”

“Yep. On it,” Yena said and opened a portal right where Gaeul had been, bringing her back. San was the first to move, bending down near her unconscious body and drawing her hair back, wiping her bloody face with his sleeve. He put a hand over her forehead, sending his magic cautiously to soothe her. It worked. His sigh was full of pain and everyone but Gaeul heard him.

“I’ll take her inside,” San said, not waiting for a response as he picked her up in his arms, surprised to see how light she still was. He went ahead, stopping after a few steps and turning to look at the rest who stood watching him. “Well? Aren’t you guys coming?”

After taking her inside where they let her rest in her room in the basement, the others went to the hall in there, settling down, suddenly all grim, stealing cautious glances at San who was biting his nails nervously.

“I suppose you could tell us how much you know, Yena,” Hongjoong said. “Do you really believe this is a result of Kieran finding out about your time travelling?”

“Definitely,” Yena nodded. “For a person’s magic to reverse like this, for a person to literally come back to life in a way that is even more unnatural than necromancy… it has to be a result of an anomaly caused by Kieran messing with time. Think about it- Gaeul must have possessed a certain something that made Kieran choose her. And he must have killed her right when I travelled back. All of you lived through some period of time twice- that period being the duration of my time travel. It’s sort of a loop, isn’t it?”

“I… I’m sorry but I don’t have the brains to understand it,” Wooyoung sighed. “Dumb it down, Yena.”

Yena scoffed. “I know it’s confusing. It’s confusing to me too. Seonghwa died once before I went back in time and saved him, right?” Wooyoung nodded and Yena continued. “So there were two timelines- the one where Seonghwa dies, and the one where I don’t let him die, understand? These timelines flowed together until I ‘deleted’ the timeline where Seonghwa dies, which means only I remember reliving twice. Understand?”

“Kind of,” Wooyoung said and everyone agreed.

“Now, the risks of time travelling are many, the most basic being that if I change the past too much, I could risk creating multiple timelines. For me to not do that, I had to become one with my other existing self, which I could because of my magic. If two Yenas exist, two timelines exist, get it?”

“So how did Kieran know?” San asked.

“He’s… well, a genius and I hate to admit it,” Yena sighed. “I mean, his plan was perfect. He killed Seonghwa, knowing I’d manage to learn time travelling on my own to save him. He used Seonghwa to get me to learn what would have taken years in a few months. And then when I save Seonghwa… he takes me to use for his revenge. His plan was flawless but he forgot that all of you would also do anything to save me.”

“But how would he have figured all of this out? He must have killed Gaeul right when you arrived in the past, right when not one but two Yenas existed. Once, Gaeul stays dead, like Seonghwa. The other time, why doesn’t she simply live like Seonghwa?”

“I think Kieran didn’t kill her only once,” Yena answered Yeosang. “So Gaeul… she’s lived the past twice like me too, in that sense. She was killed not once but twice- at least that’s my theory. But even if she was killed once, Kieran must have known Gaeul possessed some certain sort of magic which would cause her magic to be very destructive when she comes back- and she came back as a result of the time dimension trying to fix itself.”

“But it’s all theory,” Seonghwa added. “There’s no way of knowing why this happened unless we ask Kieran himself and he is kind enough to explain… which he won’t. The important thing is how Kieran found out that Gaeul was special- and why Gaeul is special. Why was she the one Kieran chose to mess up everything.”

“Her bloodline is an obvious reason,” Jongho commented. “If Kieran had succeeded in his plan with getting Yena to travel back in time for his revenge, he might have used Gaeul’s anti-magic as a weapon. As you all saw today, San seems to be the only one who he might have targeted.”

“Bet Kieran didn’t predict that,” Mingi scoffed. “He should have done more research, in my opinion. Gaeul as a weapon would have worked but then San would be her weakness. And Kieran… I don’t think his plans were very flawless. I think his impulsivity and a bit of good luck must have been with him when he decided to kill Gaeul. Even Yena and Yeosang don’t know the principles of time magic fully- how would Kieran know, unless there’s someone else with time magic who helped him?”

“You’re right,” Yena nodded. “I think it’s better if we forget about the ‘how’ for now. Can you tell me what exactly happened today? If San is immune, why did his hand… die?”

San chuckled helplessly at the choice of her words. Hongjoong, who was sitting next to San, rubbed his thigh. “I’m the one to blame. If Yena hadn’t arrived on time, all of us would have been at risk. I was dumb-”

“Don’t worry, everyone makes mistakes, even the mighty Hongjoong,” Wooyoung waved his hand in dismissal. “Just tell us what happened.”

“San’s magic passes almost undetected inside her mind,” Hongjoong explained after shooting a glare at Wooyoung. “As soon as my magic attached with San’s, Gaeul’s magic attacked us, which is why San’s hand, uh, died.”

“But apparently, San’s magic is not inside her, and her magic is not inside him,” Yunho commented, watching how San, Hongjoong, Seonghwa and even Yena tensed. They definitely had a suspicion they weren’t telling out loud right now. “How is it possible that San is immune? If she had nature and earth magic, Jongho should have been immune, not San. Because her primary magic was nature, like Jongho’s. The black hole trail that we observed… most of them were around San’s kingdom too. And San could feel her, not her magic, which is why he arrived. Isn’t the answer… right in front of us?”

Yunho watched as understanding flashed across Yeosang and Mingi’s eyes while Jongho looked confused and Wooyoung- even more confused. San sighed. “We’re not sure, and we should look at every possible reason-”

“What are you not sure about?” Wooyoung looked from San to Yunho. “What are you not telling me?”

“Don’t tell this big mouth,” Yeosang laughed. “He’ll damage things beyond repair.”

Everyone including San laughed as they watched Wooyoung burst into a fit, saying he wasn’t dumb enough that he wouldn't figure it out soon. Jongho shook his head. “Let’s try to trigger her memories instead of roaming around in her mind from now on. Dangerous business, that is.”

“I agree,” Hongjoong nodded. “Let’s go to Ascella, take a look at the last black hole occurrence and see if it’s really a gateway to another world, and find out more about the yin-yang bloodline and the extent of their magic. Also… I think we should start to train Gaeul to control this magic instead of letting her magic control her. If she wants to live, she needs to live with this unnatural magic and accept it as her own.”

“Good idea, but I’d suggest training her in one of the other dimensions,” Yeosang raised his hands in surrender. “We don’t want to put others at risk.”

“Exactly… we’d need to train her in some other dimension. Anyways, it looks like Gaeul is awake.”

Everyone looked from San to Gaeul who was standing in the corner of the hall, looking extremely guilty. Hongjoong was the first to get up and the rest watched as he patted Gaeul awkwardly, apologising for what happened while Gaeul shook her head furiously, probably telling him it was okay-

“I can practically hear them,” Wooyoung scoffed. “So fucking predictable.”

Mingi and Yunho burst into giggles while Seonghwa glared at Wooyoung in amusement. Gaeul finally came to where everyone was sitting, looking nervously at Seonghwa and Yena who wore warm smiles. Gaeul’s eyes fell to San’s hand and he gave her a thumbs up, watching how she visibly relaxed.

Gaeul looked back at Yena and Seonghwa, bowing. “Thank you for saving everyone… and me.”

“It was nothing,” Yena grinned, getting up and shaking her hand and the rest grinned at how awed Gaeul looked. “I’m Yena.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Princess Yena,” Gaeul smiled.

“All good things, I hope. Just call me Yena. And call this grumpy ass Seonghwa.”

“Hey!” Seonghwa scoffed. “Grumpy who?”

“You’re making her nervous staring at her!” Yena shook her head, looking at Gaeul. “The first time I met Seonghwa, I couldn’t eat my dinner because he didn’t even look at his food while eating, just kept staring at me. Please ignore his rude habit of staring.”

“That was different!” Seonghwa laughed. “I saw two of you! Of course I would stare!”

“Gaeul’s basically an alien, of course you would stare,” Wooyoung mocked. “You have no right to make my guest uncomfortable!”

“I think I should leave,” Seonghwa started to get up and everyone laughed, Gaeul waving her hands nervously.

“Please, I’m used to all this staring now,” Gaeul looked pointedly at Hongjoong who gasped. Seonghwa thanked her, apologising for rudely staring which Gaeul dismissed, taking the empty seat between Yunho and San. She couldn’t meet eyes with San, feeling extremely guilty that she hurt the one person who had helped her the most.

“We’re wondering if you would like to go to your hometown,” Yena asked with a smile. “It might trigger your memories and we’d know more about what happened to you so we can do something about it.”

Gaeul looked hopeless but Wooyoung added, “We want to train you, Gaeul. You should live with this magic. It might not seem to be the best magic to possess right now but it might come in handy.”

“Come in handy?” Gaeul scoffed. “Me hurting people and killing them with an unnatural death would come in handy?”

“You could join the police…” Jongho suggested but shut up when everyone glared at him, relaxing when Gaeul laughed at that. “Just a suggestion. What I’m trying to say is that there is order in chaos too. We need to be able to order your chaos.”

“Right,” Gaeul nodded slowly. “And if I can’t control it?”

The room fell silent and San was about to protest when Gaeul raised a hand. “All of you are here tonight. You’re the reason this world is in order. If I do anything that disrupts this order… I want you to kill me- I don’t want to cause irreversible damage, and we’ve seen what I can do. I should have been dead anyway.”

“Well,” Yena was the first to speak. “Life is a gift, no matter how hard it is. Let’s stay optimistic for now, yeah? Don’t give up so easily, Gaeul. And remember that fate works in mysterious ways- whatever’s happening now that is so confusing will all make sense one day.”

Gaeul wasn’t sure she understood entirely and wondered if Yena had a story to tell about it- perhaps one day she would hear it. She sighed and nodded. “Let’s go to Ascella then. Who’s coming?”

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