Please be advice that the story is not mine and I already ASK for permission to post it. Please visit her website at http://wattpad.com/thedispirit - the author of this story is thedispirit.

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Chapter XXVI

My feet gravely shuffled along the empty sidewalk. My gaze focused at the ground as I fight my tears with every painful minute passing by in this hollow world. The howling of the wind, the mourning of the rain and the shout of the silence are the only company I could get.

I am in a world that resembles Earth in many ways. Every shop, every place, every posts, every trees and every rock is the same as where I have been a few hours ago. The only thing that differentiates the two worlds from one another—the one that I am fond of and the one that I am in now—is that the former, I know the lives revolving there. I know every bit of sound that I hear in that world. While the latter, I can’t even find the right word.

I don’t know who I am in this world. I don’t know what kind of people are in this world. I don’t know if I will be able to cope up with this situation I am in. and above all—I don’t know if I will find Jiyong again.

“Jiyong…Jiyong…” I whispered his name again and again. Stupidly, I just realized that I am letting people step on me. I am letting people run my life. I am letting them destroy everything.

I looked up in the sky and wished that this is just a mere dream—a dream that I will soon forget after I wake up.

Dara.

The familiar voice inside my head ignited the wick of the candle in me.

The hope in me flashed invisibly inside my head.

Leeteuk’s voice lingered in my head.

“Leeteuk?” I whispered in the wind, hoping that Leeteuk could hear me.

Are you holding the book of heroes?

“Yes”

This is bad. He paused after a sigh of disgust, Dara, listen to me. To be able to get out of there, there are two ways.

“I’m listening.” I mumbled silently. I listen attentively to Leeteuk who seems to be the only one who’s there through my downs and downs.

I can’t directly tell you how but here’s some information. The first one: The two worlds are the same, but only one spot will ignite the flame. The flame that will bring you light is the flame that will end this fight.

I repeated the riddle Leeteuk said in my mind three times for me to remember it distinctly.

“What’s the other?”

The other one. He paused for a minute as if he’s hesitating somehow.

I wouldn’t suggest for you to do this. Please, Dara…just choose the first one.

Somehow the way Leeteuk said it made me feel the doubts towards him. He said there are two ways and yet he wouldn’t tell me the second one. If ever the second one is related to something he doesn’t want me to do, then it could involve Jiyong.

“Leeteuk, just tell me.” I insisted, clenching my fist and feeling the dripping rain pour down all over my body.

I want to get out of this world. I want to live this unknown place.

But something—or someone is holding me back.

Dara. Trust me. You wouldn’t want to do the second-

“Leeteuk! Just believe in me! It’s my life and it’s my decision! I decide for myself!” This time, the new Dara will be stronger.

But it would risk your life!

“Leeteuk!” I will not let people run my life.

Fine. But I will not tell you completely. Do it yourself.

Leeteuk’s voice was rough and coarse.

I nodded accepting the challenge his offering me. I won’t depend on anybody except myself.

The second one. He paused. My prevision rose when Leeteuk wasn’t talking inside my head for a while.

Back then when you’re young, you humans love to read fairy tales. Cinderella, Snow white, Sleeping Beauty—all of them had the same conflict and the same solution. It’s the same for you Dara. But remember, the solution to your problem will also be the conflict to your decision. Choose wisely.

His voice faded.

The howling wind stopped and the rain came to a complete halt. I looked around me. I hoped that something changed. I hoped that something will definitely give me clues to whatever Ice just said. But nothing around me gave me mercy.

“Why, hello there, Dara.” A coarse and haunting voice whispered next to me. I gasped and took a step back as I saw those preternatural eyes of his. The redness like blood made my stomach churn inside me. His left eye reminded me of a vampire. The redness feels like death. The other eye of his—the black one—produced a cold sensation and appearance before me. His black eye symbolized death.

“Y…You? What are you-“

“What am I doing here? My, my, my. Let me tell you something,” he circled around me, caressing the strands of my hair with his pale fingers, “Entering a strange land by yourself and not knowing what lies within this world is simply-“ he stopped in front of me. He leaned down towards me and a sly smirk played on his lips, “Let’s call it suicide.”

I stood in front of four other men with their hungry eyes laid at me. They are the same like the first time I ever saw them. Their desire for my death is vivid and obvious.

The walls were pure white and the ends met at the endless top of the sky. The lightings and chandeliers towered above me. But something odd caught my eye. The heavy lights are being held above by familiar faces. Their wrinkly skin looked pale and weary by holding the heavy burden in them. Their golden eyes showed tears and pain, begging for mercy. They seem to want to drop what they are holding but something is threatening them to do so.

The prick of pain flowed inside me at the thought of the Bums being used as a slave to death.

“Why are the Bums holding the heavy lights? Can’t you afford to buy an electrician or carpenter?” I growled at the man holding my hands together behind my back. He took me as a prisoner without any valid reason committed by me as a crime

“It’s their punishment for being useless, low beings.” He said the words as if it’s an obvious and a usual matter.

“Your friends!” I roared, hearing my angry voice echo around me.

“Shush now. You better ready yourself. We don’t want our princess to look horrible before her death now, do we?” the four other men sniggered quietly in front of me as they took their hungry glances at me.

The man behind me pushed harder as I tried to stop to walk. His cold hands gripped my cold skin as the other four lead me to nowhere.

“Isn’t this breaking the deal? I still have four more days before my execution!”

“Four? Are you sure?”

The man’s word raised the panic flag inside me.

“What do you mean?” The weakness travelled from my voice down to my legs.

He chuckled behind me, patting my head with his free hand as his other one easily gripped my two hands together. “I told you, breathing the air in this world, walking on the land in this world will only lead you to your own death.”

“You entered this world with four more days left before your execution. But little did you know that time flies fast in our land.” The man with the eyes of a snake spoke. His soul-reaping eyes send down the shiver all over me.

“T…Then…”I gulped, trying to calm myself down, “How many days-“

“Two.” The man holding me as a prisoner shut me off. 

Two more days until my death and I still haven’t figured out Leeteuk’s riddle and wasn’t able to make a decision.

“Bukas!” the man with the snake’s eye raised his hand in front of him, commanding an unknown word to my vocabulary. The big white door that towered above me made a loud thud as it opened clamorously in front of us.

“Come out.” One of the men with the different colored eyes mumbled audibly to no one. 

A silhouette slowly appeared out of the light.

A sudden wave of nervousness crashed down at me leaving the tingles all over me and making the strands of hair in my body stand up unconsciously.

“You called?”

His voice rumbled inside my ear like roaring thunder.

His deep brown eyes widened with evident anger focused at me.

“Why is she here?” his eyes averted from me. His fists clenched to his side, his voice made the entire hall shook— defeating the intensity of an earthquake.

“Well, that wasn’t the greeting that I expected.” S eye guy commented.

“I expect some emotional hugging and kissing from you two.” The man behind me chuckled as he let go of my hand brusquely and pushed me to the floor.

I fell on my bottom making me growl at him for the pain.

“Thanks for being a gentleman.” My sarcasm fought back at the man who just lowered his head in a sarcastic respect and smiled knavishly.

“Now, now, Jiyong. Shouldn’t you be grateful to us for bringing your dearest wife here?” the guy with the amphibian eyes, whose name I don’t know, circled around me. He stopped in front of me and kneeled down, grabbing my chin and tilting it up so my focus would only be on his face.

Jiyong didn’t respond.

He then smiled, “I am quite aware that Park Leeteuk informed you something.” His attractive face greeted the chills in my body. He’s too handsome to be a villain but I guess when it comes to power, anyone will always be the bad guy.

“I don’t know—“

“Let her go.” His voice made my heartbeat win a marathon. I looked passed at the guy in front of me until my eyes landed on him. His breathing became arduous.

His eyes are raging with anger—not to me but now he is angry at the men taunting him and me about my death.

“Jiyong.” I whispered his name with little joy in me.

The man in me chuckled softly. He stood up and faced Jiyong.

“I see. Now it gets commoving, exciting!” he laughed and walked towards Jiyong.

He stopped halfway until he’s being the wall between Jiyong and me.

“You are not oblivious, Kwon Jiyong, to the fact that she’ll be the one to make the decision this time. She won’t depend on Superman. Agreed?” The man looked at me then to Jiyong.

My eyes met Jiyong. For the countable time—I’ve finally seen the stars in Jiyong’s eyes.

No, it’s not in his eyes. It’s in mine.

Just by those little words he said. Those sheer words that served as my savior—I am ready to make the decision.

And I am certain, I am choosing the second way that Leeteuk doesn’t want me to choose.

Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty.

All of them were saved by a kiss.

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Four more Chapters to Go!