Mai eventually sprawled against the tree, laying her back on the rough wooden base of the massive plant. It wasn't a comfortable position but she needed some sort of foundation to lean against. She stared out into the distance as reality began to blur while a flood of memories invaded her mind like a raging tsunami hungry for some destruction. Everything that she had pushed aside in her journey towards Earth was forcibly finding a way to remind her of what she was desperately missing. It took a great amount of power and courage to turn her back on all that she loved; yet it was even harder to continue this venture. How much more can she handle? When will she finally break?

"Ex-boyfriend?"

Focusing her eyes on the individual towering over her, a figure blocked the sun from penetrating her sight. It prevented her from having to lift her hand to block the rays of light. Mai nodded with a reply, "No."

"That's a relief," the classmate grinned whilst settling down right beside her. "Imagine the uproar when people hear that you had dated him—if you had."

She turned to stare down at her hands. It was a terrible habit of hers that she just couldn't seem to fix—not being capable of looking someone in the eyes when she was searching for words to slyly divert their attention from the obvious elephant in the room. "There are already rumours going around. I don't think another would matter." The disinterest, however, was not concealable. She was too easy to read in terms of getting to know her real emotions and thoughts just by her tone or her posture. Just another method for others to take apart her mood, which she terribly hated.

Her classmate nudged her lightly by touching her shoulder with his own. He was looking down on her slightly because his torso was longer. The way she was angled caused her to focus in on how sharp his jaw line was and the small amount of fat lodged in his cheeks. "What's wrong, Mai?"

"Nothing, Taemin," she shoved her lie under her breath. "Nothing at all."

Taemin wasn't as unaware as she had wished, but he was able to sense that this was a subject that wasn't his to question. Nodding his head as he smiled sweetly at the alien, he replied, "Okay. Whatever you say."

Mai noticed how Chanyeol wasn't eyeing them like he normally would. The tall, fiery Prince was one of the ones who were overprotective of her, alongside the other towering figure of their galaxy. Maybe their height had added onto their authority, but it didn't make her obey them any more than it would if they had D.O's figure. He was in the not so far distance, staring out at the green hills afar. This large eyed yet grinny individual did have this weird habit of losing his thoughts or getting distracted awfully too easily.  As expressed earlier, he even had an odd tendency of jumping onto conclusions quickly. But all of his words were built on a foundation of nothing but love; and she definitely knew that.

Trailing off into her thoughts, Mai began to question her real motives and how her choices had affected all those she loved dearly. It was impossible to shake Chanyeol's words, actually their entire conversation, from her mind. She had foreseen anger and frustration—all of which had to be directed towards herself. But she never imagined their strong friendship falling apart like this. Similar to how a tall tree with years of wisdom falls ever so gracefully once its roots are damaged or have no soil to grasp onto tightly.  It is the inevitable fate of a living being without a foundation.

Death.

Fighting back her tears of sorrow, Mai whispered ever so lightly. "May I... May I ask you something?"

"Of course," Taemin nodded while fighting the urge of looking at her. His intuition was telling him not to glance at her, not even for a brief moment. They were never going to be close enough for her to just confide in him so easily; but it would be foolish to try to say that his presence didn't add some sort of moral support.

With a small yet heavy sigh, she asked, "What if someone left you so quickly that there wasn't even a proper parting... How would you react and feel?"

"I'd..." Taking a few seconds to gather up his thoughts and find words to illustrate his honest opinion, he continued his sentence, "I'd be hurt. If we were as close as I thought, then even a goodbye is needed. I mean, it'll be painful either way and hurtful words may be exchanged in the process of parting; but at least it was said then and not held onto for however long it takes for that person to return. It may get to the point where I search every nook and cranny of the universe just to catch a glimpse of them once more; or I may turn my back on that thought and just honour their memory. I guess it depends on what someone believes is best."

What a clever choice of words, that was overlooked by the Princess of Amatorius.

"Even if looking for them may take years, you'd still do it?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Wouldn't they do the same for me if I were to leave?"

Countering her question with another, Mai was easily silenced by his words. She grasped onto the concept of everything being an endless cycle—painful and vicious nonetheless. The Princess had done to the Princes what was done to her. And the Princes left behind their kingdoms in search for her.

Why?

Why would someone do that?

Who would be foolish enough to do something so selfless?

The shower bell, indicating that the end of the period bell was ten minutes away, began to ring. It was an annoying, yet very distinct passage, so that every student outside was aware of the time. Taemin straightened himself up as he patted his shirt down of any loose leaves that latched onto his clothing. Extending a hand for the lost girl to grasp, his smile didn't fade. Something about him caught Mai's attention so easily, and she was going to figure out just what. Reaching out for his grip, the soft touch of his skin added comfort to her burning heart in a way.

His words should have echoed in her mind like a beautiful recorded message on an old audio player.

It was too easy for the dancer to pull the Princess to her feet. "See you in homeroom later. At least you won't crash into any track captains there," Taemin waved and bowed slightly before rushing off to follow his dance buddies as they retreated into the boys' locker rooms.

Mai was left to dread the all too familiar walk back into the girls' locker rooms. The loneliness of her journey collided with her regretful mind and almost turned her knees into doughlike structures as her legs transformed into noodles. Her ultimate weakness was not focusing. No matter how well she faked her physical and emotional power, it all inevitably crashed right before her eyes. One would think after having fallen victim to this ailment time and time again, she'd have adapted to avoid such stressful and mentally draining situations. She was preparing herself for meeting the grassy field in her fall from grace. But instead of tripping on herself, strong and leans arms extended to support the weakened Princess like a structure.

A deep voice echoed in her ears. It was soothing to know that this person was there to help her even when she insisted on being left alone. They merely wished a simple order for her to follow, reminiscent of another figure she had missed achingly. "Be careful."

She felt his grip around her waist tighten as he forced her to wrap an arm around his neck. In another quick movement, the tall figure had her in his arms. With her legs hanging over a limb while the other supported her back, Mai snuggled her head against his chest. The faint beating of his heart soothed her. His scent, however, was what led her to identify him so easily. Over the years, she'd grown accustomed to how he always smelled like a summer's day—the ocean mixed with the aroma of a blooming field of flowers on a dewy morning.

"...Kris..."

He lingered on how Mai's aroma hadn't changed at all either. The feeling of her soft skin touching his own sent chills down his spine fluidly. Taking a note of how her eyes were starting to close, breaking the trance between his pearly grey pupils and her dark red ones, he immediately brought the Princess' body closer to his own. He'd be her strength, her tower of protection, her guard; just as he had promised so long ago.

"I've got you," Kris reassured her.

Chanyeol rushed to the only member of their old group that was taller than him, pushing aside whoever he needed to in an effort to get to their location swiftly. He looked up to the blonde Prince, noting how he may not have been the best at expressing feelings but he was always a source of leadership for all of them, before trailing off to the withering girl. This occurrence was something he was used to, so the feeling of sudden panic wasn't present in his body. His worry was written all over his face.

Acknowledging that it would be best for Kris to stay with her at a time like this, he told him, "I'll bring your clothes to the infirmary." In his mind, that was the best place to bring her; at least until he could somehow track down Lay for some medical help. 

Kris hadn't trailed his eyes off of Mai. He was able to sense that Chanyeol was still staring at him waiting for some sort of response. The taller of the two quickly asked, "You knew I was here the whole time?" before the fiery individual sped off into the locker room.

"I'm not as inattentive as I lead people to believe," the brown haired Prince laughed as he spoke. Transferring his attention to her, it seemed as though Mai was a true sleeping beauty. He'd really missed being able to converse with any of the other members of the opposing group or even the Princess like this. "I should be the one thanking you for giving me some time to talk to her."

Kris eyed the younger Royal, transferring as much strength as he could to him. "She needs to ease into the idea that we're here and we aren't going anywhere. And if talking to us individually like this is the best approach, then it must be done. It is the most logical and safe choice to make."

"Spoken like a true King," Chanyeol silently praised him before parting from the duo. He acknowledged how Kris' aura was so demanding and captivating as it sparked just a bit of jealousy in his blood. From what Chanyeol could determine, Kris was truly a man born to lead and watch over others with an assertive yet loving force. "Hey, I'd watch my back if I were you. You're getting a lot of death wishes on yourself by doing this." And with that final parting message, he ran off into the boys' locker room, planning on fulfilling his words while informing the others of what just happened.

Kris was well aware of how it seemed like time froze over the past few minutes, ever since he even uttered a word to Mai. This wasn't Tao's doing, but just human nature. Surprised expressions covered the whole vicinity, even the teacher didn't know how to explain what was happening. How trivial humans were to the demanding Prince; and he'd probably never fully understand their odd nature.

He crept up towards a female student and asked, "Which building is the infirmary in?"

"It's... It's..." she seemed to be at a loss of words before extending her arm out to point at a small building not too far from their location. "... There..."

"Thanks," the blonde brushed off her awkwardness as he grazed by the teacher adding, "I'm taking her to the infirmary. It'll be appreciated if someone were to stop by and bring her belongings there, for I already have someone dropping mine off. Have a good day."

Kris kept his eyes focused on the white and beige building ahead while paying attention to Mai's pulse. She was never the type of person to be aware of her critical condition until it was too late. Her stubborn personality prevented her cautious side to seep through when it came to her health. It worried him a lot when they were younger, and that translated to now. This was not the most efficient way for a soon-to-be powerful Queen of the EXO galaxy to behave. When would she ever learn?

The nurse took immediate notice of them as they approached her office and strategically cleared a pathway for the duo to make it into one of the private rooms without any problems. She was dressed in the typical white coat with a stethoscope hanging around her neck and all of the other gadgets in her pockets. Being somewhere around her fifties or sixties in Earthling years, the old woman didn't even struggle as she followed Kris. Her white hair was tied in a bun as large circular spectacles rested on her nose. It wasn't like she was doing anything important, just reviewing the health files of students one by one to make sure they were up to date on all needed procedures and shots.

"What is the matter with this one, dear?"

"She just has an intense headache," Kris came up with what he believed to be the best excuse. He carefully and gently placed the immobile alien onto the soft white bed. Tao wasn't the only one of them who had ever gone into a comatose state; the only difference was that his was connected to his abilities while hers was just a condition of her physical body. It seemed as though no matter how many times she was warned to take care of herself; she'd overlook them repeatedly. Such a tenacious Princess, definitely.

"Probably from being out in the sun for too long without rehydrating herself," the old woman told him while waving her pen everywhere. "No matter how many times I seem to tell the coaches: make sure your kids get a lot of water—none seem to listen! A much needed rest and a pitcher of water should help. I'll be right back!" She hustled into the main office to gather the needed supplies, leaving the door that separated her from the duo closed for some privacy.

Kris paid careful attention to how she'd always have some sort of smile on her face while sleeping; because it was the only time in the ten year war that she wasn't forcing such a gesture. Her dreams were a place for her to escape reality to the fullest of her ability. A part of him wanted to know just what was running through her mind, since she wasn't the type to ask for anyone's help. He extended a hand out to fix the strands of her hair that were out of place.

"Kris!"

A small girl's laugh echoed through the hallways of the grand castle on the planet called Volatus. She peaked into countless rooms searching for her friend. The entire chateau in itself had influenced the Medieval times of Earth; where large stone walls and glass stained windows were the base of the entire kingdom. Decorated with antique pieces and shining gems, it was a simply designed home. A beautiful feature of this planet was how the crystals that form from the cave homes of the dragons were their light source. They emitted a strong and bright luminous glow of any colour depending on the crystal's hue. The windows were illustrations of historical events, while dictating the victorious reign of the powerful Royal family. Even the smallest and lightest of steps were magnified greatly from any area.

Well, that is if the powerful roars of the native dragons weren't already overpowering someone's senses. Those mystical and magical creatures were nothing short of graceful or perfect, and added a strong aura of uniqueness to the entire world. They ranged from all sizes and all types, benefiting from all sorts of attributes, but were the respected guardians of the land. Their most special quality was what identified Volatus as the 'flight-bearing' planet of the EXO galaxy.

The little Princess was wearing the traditional dragon riding gear—a white collared shirt tucked underneath some black leggings for stretchability and topped off with a glimmering red dragon leather belt that caught every drop of light from any angle. Her black gloves were clipped onto a belt loop and they also matched her flat top knee high boots. It was clear and obvious that she was of some sort of Royal blood; her outfit was custom made and her belt was made from a revered and loved dragon of an old member of the Volatus' Royal family that had passed away recently.

"Kris!" She called out once more, running from one hallway into another. It wasn't an odd thing for there to be so many balconies and entries into every section of the castle because it was easy to greet dragons or fly from one place to another with this outline. Still, trying to find a friend in such a grand palace was difficult for her.

The individual that she was searching for zoomed into her area with ease. He comfortably had his hands in his black pants' pockets and didn't seem to twitch as his feet touched the stone pebbles of one of the balconies. Her curls hung from her roots down to the lowest part of her back as the Princess continued to search for the Prince. A small grin formed across his face as he approached her, silently whispering, "I didn't expect you to be here on time."

She immediately turned around with a large smile plastered alongside her chubby cheeks. "I am super excited for my first dragon flying lesson!"

"Are you sure you're really forty years old?"

"Yes! Now take me flying!"

Kris chuckled under his breath as he adjusted his hair. "Dang, so demanding."

"Take me flying..." Her eyes enlarged to give a large, puppy eye effect. Even just a moment of interlocked concentration with her deep red pupils was enough. "Please?"

"Since you asked so nicely, Princess Mai," he winked while dragging her to the closest balcony. The softness of her skin slightly caused him to blush; but he tried his best to stop the blood from rushing into his cheeks. He had to keep reminding himself that she was just a friend, and nothing could blossom from their relationship.

That day was the perfect to start dragon training. It wasn't too windy or foggy, so visibility and optimal balance benefited all of the new fliers. Kris' palace was perched high on the highest peak of any mountain on Volatus. Actually, his entire planet was consisted of mountain ranges and hidden caves covered with gems, jewels, and crystals underneath waterfalls. There were even the most sacred shrines built in the floating landmarks that could only be reached by the strongest dragons. Thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands, of dragons called Volatus their home; and being able to live side by side with them was a wonderful privilege. They were the citizens' dearest friends and respected guardians—a source of knowledge and a sign of strength.

Kris reached into his pocket and pulled out a carved whistle made from his dragon's baby horn. Dragons all have a series of horns that scale from the top of their head all the way down to the tip of their tail during their adolescence. Upon reaching adulthood, they will shed those horns permanently or replace them with adult ones depending on what type they are. It is an old tradition to carve a whistle made from the dragon's original horn that is plastered on the very front of his head, for it is the one most in tune with their mind and body. The signaling device is special because only the sought out dragon will hear such a lowkey sound and fly to wherever their masters are. It is also best to keep in mind that once a dragon and their chosen human companion connect, which is something that cannot be explained unless one goes through the emotionally wavering process themselves, that they will be connected until death. This is how loyal and devoted these creatures can truly be.

With a simple blow into his handmade whistle, an adolescent dragon flew right up into Kris' and Mai's eye range. It was a glimmering white scaled being that seemed to have light blue crystals embedded into its body that captured the light at every angle. A hefty breath released from its nose showed how at ease it was with flying so high off a stable ground. The beautiful creature was already in the process of molting its soft baby skin, scales, and horns to replace them with the more durable and sharper attributes of his species. It would take several cycles to achieve the steellike scales and diamond strong horns that was unique to the type of dragon he was; but nonetheless such a process signaled growth and prosperity. His wings continued to flap proudly with the stable wind, proving to his master that he was a very experienced flier. Its most captivating feature may have been its eyes—an eerie light pearly gray colour that was too reminiscent of Kris' own eyes.

"Are you ready?" Kris asked the girl who tightened her grip around his hand.

Without even having to take a look at her, one could notice how panicked she was about her decision. She kept her eyes locked on the grand creature in her sights, which was about fifteen feet in length from snout to the tip of its tail. No matter how much she may have convinced herself that she was ready, her courage had definitely dropped with her heart. "Yes. Yes. Yes. I'm ready."

Kris tried to contain his laughter from seeing her panic. She had said that in a heartbeat, within a second, all in one gulp of air. He had never gone through this experience for being around dragons was something he had been doing since birth. If anything, he learned how to fly before knowing how to crawl or walk, according to his parents' tales. "Are you sure? You can back out, you know. This may be—"

"I'm sure. Let's do this before I really do change my mind," Mai insisted. She had placed a lot of trust in someone who was a mere ten years, give or take a year, older than her. He was a prodigy in his kingdom, having mastered the art of flying and dragon training before his fortieth year. Nothing bad would ever happen to her just as long as he was with her, right?

Kris then let go of the aching girl, flying onto his dragon's back with ease. Its horns retreated back into its skin where it knew its master would sit, so there was no painful contact or damage done to the Prince. It just felt like a few raised bumps along the rugged creature. With a slight bend forward, he grazed by the shining scales of his trust companion and whispered, "This is Mai, Fang."

Fang focused on the youthful beauty before nodding in approval to show that he understood what Kris had said. Mai found great comfort in just staring at the dragon's unbelievable eyes. As if the creature was speaking to her, a flood of feelings escaped her body and was replaced with tranquility.  With another hefty flap, Fang crept closer to the balcony to shorten the distance between them and the Princess.

"He likes you," Kris grinned while readjusting himself on Fang's body. "And he doesn't like people very much."

"Sounds a lot like someone else I know," Mai coughed under her breath while taking another step closer to the pair.

"What are you waiting for exactly?"

The detail that sort of scared Mai was the fact that Fang did not have any harnesses along his body. It was just his bare, freshly washed dragon scales. Whenever she had ever seen a dragon beforehand, they adorned the wonderful symbol of Volatus with shining armour or leather straps. "Are you sure this is safe?"

"Of course it is; I've done this a thousand times," Kris reassured her. With a simple gesture, he extended a hand for her to latch on to. Mai couldn't help herself but to hold onto it as tightly as she could. This was definitely going to be a flight to remember. "Trust me."

And she never looked back.

Mai slightly twitched her head side to side slightly in response to his gesture. She parted with the bittersweet memories flowing through her mind. The first thing she was to see was the blurry outline of the worried Prince, still in his pristine and clean physical educational uniform. The aura of his stature and the beautiful colour of his hair was enough for her to identify who it was.

Not like she expected anyone else to wake up to.  

"You always seem to be the one to look after me," she turned her head to not face him.

He kept his eyes locked on her. "Because I said I'd keep you—"

"Safe. I know. I was there."

Ouch. She was adorning a different mood talking to him as opposed to Chanyeol. Mai and Kris had opposing personalities, similar to Kai and herself, but the way that situations were approached were held differently. Kris was the type of person to just wait until both sides of the fence had calmed down to a negotiable level, while Kai would go on head strong about his side until beaten down.

Trying to locate just where such an angry disposition had originated from, Mai fought against the urge to look him in his eyes. It would definitely be her downfall. Why was it so easy to sit down and converse with Chanyeol, yet be so difficult to even be around Kris like this? Was it because she was bearing a grudge for something that occurred long ago? Or maybe it was because she felt as if she had something to prove to Kris: that she was just as strong and powerful as he led others to believe he was?

Mai shrugged off her adored memory of her very first flying lesson, trying to withhold the smiles attached to such a time. She had to give him a chance. It was only fair, right? "So, this means you were there the whole time."

"As you talked to Chanyeol," Kris nodded to confirm her thoughts. How he remained calm after her grouchy comment, one wouldn't know. "Yes. I was."

"You always were the type to approach things with an observant and watchful eye," Mai muttered as more and more of her memories knocked.

"I have to, or else how do I begin to explain things to such a logical and hardheaded Princess."

Mai understood that neither of them had really changed from their childhood. She'd be the one to let her emotions get the best of her while he was the one to always have an open mind. That was just the way the universe had to work, huh? "Okay, you've got me there," she slightly sat up to straighten her back. While straightening the pillows behind her, she continued, "I better not hear some sort of speech about how 'I should take better care of myself' or 'why haven't I learned all these years', because quite honestly—"

"You won't be," he was the one to cut her off this time. She stared at him, noting how he his shoulders drooped now or how he wasn't as proper as he used to be. Kris let out a sigh of his own. "I've learned that you'll just do things as you please; and worry about consequences later on."

"...I see..." Mai had her breath out of her lungs at that point.

Clasping his hands together and placing them onto his lap, Kris courageously tackled on the elephant of the room. "You at least owe me an answer—for all of the hell you've put us through."

"No one forced you guys to come looking for me."

"And no one forced you to leave."

"No one asked me my opinion."

"On what? The marriage?" Kris' groan basically shook the room. "I know you. And I can easily assure anyone that you would have gladly gone through with the marriage simply because you are marrying one of your best and closest friends in the process. So don't try to tell me, like everyone else believes so, that you left because of it. You and I both know that—"

And before he could even finish his opinion, the door inside their private room had opened widely. That conversation would have to be settled elsewhere at a different time. A member of his half of the divided group stood there, knowing just how the tension of the room was basically choking everything. The simple curvature of his lips displayed sweetness alongside some innocence.

Seemingly unaware of what was going on, this Prince bowed while entering the room. "Chanyeol burst into my classroom going on and on about how you were in the infirmary, thought I might as well leave and find you before the embarrassment could reach a new height," Lay placed the female uniform and Mai's bag down on a table. "And a girl handed this to me on my way here; said it was for you. I wasn't interrupting anything important, was I?"

Oh, how clever that naive seeming Prince was. How clever indeed. 

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Hello my lovelies! I've finally gotten around to updating, and will do so more regularly now, I promise! <3 Tell me what you guys think so far! I've definitely dropped hints on the future twists and turns of thie story, since it does star out going in one drection them there are about five forks in the road and you have to guess which is true and which is a trap! :D I'm so glad to have such awesome reders like you guys, but I am BEGGING FOR YOU ALL TO LEAVE SOME COMMENTS. I'm probably sounding demanding since I'm like 'come on comment dammit' but I love to hear people's opinions and thoughts while I'm writing stories cuz without any feedback i feel like i'm doing a ty job. 

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