Intro: Long Journey

Voices murmured, anticipating another failure and indeed it was. Long sighs could now be heard, frustrations from anxious and scared citizens rose like sprouting buds and what blooms after were sobs and prayers of desperation.

“There will be no hope for salvation at this rate, San!” Wooyoung groaned, “This will take forever and by then we’d all probably be in ashes!” he continued.

San exhaled, he turned to look at their leader, Hongjoong, for answers. Hongjoong simply shook his head. “Are there anyone else in this village who has not stepped forward?” Hongjoong asked the elderly man standing in front of him.

“There are three left but they’re just young girls like you, master,” the old man said, looking around for the girls he just mentioned. “They should be back by now,” he continued.

Three feminine figures immediately came to sight, and as they got closer, Yeosang who was sitting idly over at the side let out a small huff and said, “I think we can just skip them, I don’t think any of them would make it anyway.”

“No, you heard the Elders, we are to skip no one in this test,” Hongjoong reprimanded before walking towards the girls.

Lana knew why Hongjoong was walking towards them. She nodded her head and fastened her pace to Hongjoong, Jaera and Aeyoung followed suit.

“I apologized for our tardiness, master. We were out hunting for rabbits,” Lana explained. Hongjoong smiled, “Well I hope you girls caught a few and it’s alright. Please, go over to where Seonghwa is, he will test each of you with the sacred gem.”

Jaera was up first. Seonghwa held the gem in front of Jaera’s face. Nothing. The green orb they earnestly hoped for desperately for the past months did not light up. Yeosang grunted. Aeyoung stepped forward. Once again, there was nothing. The gem did not show any kind of ownership towards the girl.

“Okay hurry up and let’s just get this done and over this,” Yeosang spat.

“Language, Yeosang,” Seonghwa scolded the younger boy and turned to look at Lana. “Your turn Lana,” Seonghwa smiled and held the gem in front of the girl. Again, nothing. Lana let out a sigh, “I’m sorry for the disappointing results, masters.”

“No, wait,” Seonghwa hushed the girl. The gem was heating up and before he could even let go of it from the pain, the gem lit up. It was rich in green, emerald-like almost gold shone out of the gem’s edges. Seonghwa carefully let go of the gem and he retreated his hand away, the gem stayed in the same place floating in the air in front of Lana.

“We did it, we found Aurora!” Jongho stood up and started clapping. Yunho and Mingi started doing the same, giving themselves congratulatory hugs. “We can finally go back home!” Mingi screamed.

Lana stood in front of the gem dumbfounded. She was the Aurora the world has been looking for and needed. She watched the gem float right in front of her very eyes. Lana screamed in agony, she was in pain. It had happened so fast, one moment she was just staring at the gem, mesmerized by the light it was giving out when it went right into her heart.

“Lana!” Jaera rushed to her sister’s side and held her, “What’s wrong Lana, speak to me!”

“Lana, the pain will subside, give it a little more time. The gem is embedding itself into you, in your heart so it can be one with you, relax Lana. I need you to slowly sit uo and take slow deep breaths,” San explained, helping her up. Wooyoung came over to do the same.

Slowly, Lana eased up and let her hands, that were clutching onto her chest, down. She took slow deep breaths as intructed by San and felt the tension in her body relaxed followed by a surge of energy she could physically feel rushing through her veins. Lana stood up carefully and dust off the dirt on her pants.

“Ateez greets your highness, Aurora,” Hongjoong lead the group and they went down on one knee before lowering their head down to a bow.

“Will you join us?”