-Kai’s POV-

One day has lapsed since I’ve left home with only the Flame and Water Nobles knowing about it. As I made my way to the location of the Portian emblem, I was left with too many questions playing in my head. I was wondering how the others have been fairing since I’ve left. I was wondering if D.O. hyung was fine, wondering how the convention was going, if my father had noticed that I wasn’t really the one sitting beside him but another one of his guards. There were too many things I wanted an answer for, but above them all, I was wondering what my future would be. The quest I was in, was without a doubt, something that would define how things would go on just like how it had been for Baekhyun hyung and Suho hyung. They were both lucky enough to have withstood the trial and have someone come to their rescue.

I wasn’t used to someone answering the questions for me though I knew the answers for most of them. Shinhye had chosen not to read the others’, leaving me as an exception. It was just to my advantage that she didn’t feel like reading my thoughts before I went away to fetch the others from Lumina. She had been suspicious of me, I knew that, but I was glad she didn’t make any move to stop me if ever she knew what was really going on. That girl won’t ever forgive me if she learns about it from them. I just hope that they would endure her inquisition until the time limit I’ve set for myself, attested to by Chan Yeol hyung and Suho hyung. I’d certainly be back. I vowed to return to her side and the others’ once this was over. If I don’t succeed before that time, I will definitely be back. For now, I needed to prove myself worthy to be standing on my place.

With the ancient scroll that was given to us by the Oracle Minister, damn him for his imprudent and incompetent mind, I was able to locate the whereabouts of the emblem. Of course, it wasn’t without the aid of some stolen ancient scrolls from the sacred library at the outskirts of the capital city. I had to or I’d be walking blindly through the quest. That wasn’t good at all and as much as I hated travelling for long distances, I’d definitely hate that ever more. I needed all the resources I could take and it didn’t matter to me if the elders would condemn me for acquiring knowledge that shouldn’t be known.

It wasn’t something the people in Portia were proud to talk about unlike in the other cities. It is taboo to our family, to the elders and especially to the nomads.  It is only now that we were forced to discuss the matter especially when all were in favor of the prophecy. The land was practically purist-free just like Pyria, the home of the Flame Nobles, is. Still, it is a necessity and some were still in doubt about my capability to hold and contain the powers it was bearing. To the people, it was a curse instead of a beacon of hope and it had everything to do with the history of the nobles, my family.

It all started when Kim Ji Woo, the former lord of the Portian Lands, my grandfather, stumbled upon the legendary ring of the greatest warrior of the land. It was said to bring forth power over space without regard to its span, similar to my power, but it had the ability to make its owner teleport to places unknown to mere Elyxians, places of the sacred and powerful and ultimately, the other side of the river. Hungry with power, my grandfather was able to obtain it though it didn’t belong to him and waged war against the nomads and the elders by slaughtering the tribesmen that didn’t wish to succumb to his whims. He was a murderer and I regret bearing the bloodline he wrought.

He abandoned my father and halmeoni in his quest for more power, ravaged the whole land with his selfishness and ego. It brought nothing good the first time it was brought out into the open and so, once they’ve defeated him, the people decided to keep it somewhere safe, protected in a fortress – the only place in Elyxo where our powers as the Teleportation Nobles didn’t work. I was embarking on my journey to that tiny piece of land eastward - Kindra.

I have teleported to the closest village to it and from there on I had to travel on horseback for half of the journey and on foot again until I got to the border. The place was resisting my abilities from the moment I got there. I was unable to teleport for more than a hundred yards from where I was standing. The spirits that protected the village stopped me from doing so. I had to pay my respect and though I could save time by teleporting as much as I could and saving myself the sweat and the effort, I still chose to walk. I didn’t want to try their patience and I definitely needed to get them to my side if I was to obtain the ring.

I’ve reached the sacred temple of Kindra to whom the place was named. She was one of those tribe’s people that were left after the massacre and she sacrificed her life to protect the ring from people who didn’t deserve it. She was gifted with everlasting youth until the ring is claimed by its rightful owner. With the sin of my grandfather weighing heavily on me, I was at a disadvantage, especially that he was directly supposed to answer to her, the holder of the legacy that her fallen people have taken. I didn’t know if I was worthy, but it was worth a try. I wouldn’t fail Shinhye and I would definitely not fail Elyxo.

I walked into the path that led into the ancient doors. The moment I stepped in front of it, I felt power come out of me as if something was the life out of me. I looked around and saw nothing. It was just a gust of wind, passing through me and from that moment on, I knew it wouldn’t be easy. Judging from how the Water and Light Nobles described how their journeys had been, it had not been without any difficulty. In case I fail, I wonder who would come for me. I came for Baekhyun hyung. Suho hyung’s father came for him. Who would come for me? I’d have to see.

I breathed in and took out the scroll that was given to me. It was canvass with a thin sheet of gold on the inside where the words would illuminate once I opened it, but would remain blank in the eyes of others. Each time I open it, it had a different content. As I unraveled it, the words came out in ancient Elyxian. I read through it, wondering what it was then I realized that it was a spell to summon the sacrosanct lady named Kindra. I read the words, proclaiming them to the closed doors with all the sincerity and determination I had in me. I was going to obtain the ring and there wouldn’t be any other way.

I repeated the incantation over and over again until I felt the heavy door lift from the ground and swing open with a loud thud and a strong blast of air and dust. The power that engulfed the place was too overwhelming that I had to shield myself with my arm as I took my first step in. The air was oppressive and inside, there was nothing but gray walls of concrete with moss subduing its dull color. It was a prison in all sense of the word with no windows and just walls. Above were more fortifications and all the light there was is the one coming from the burning sunlight through the door. It was stifling inside with no means of escape but the way I’ve come from.

I took my third step and progressed to my fourth and fifth until I was almost in the middle of the room. The doors behind me suddenly swung shut with a loud bang that echoed through the place for some time. It took a little longer than normal for the echoes to subside and it was deafening. I looked around me, adjusting to the sudden darkness and before I could even do that, torches lit up from one corner of the room, revealing a shining crystal dome at the center of the room where a marble table stood with a seat like that of a throne. I looked behind me once more and saw nothing but darkness, the small space making me queasy. That when I realized it. I had no escape.

“Teleportation Noble…” a woman suddenly spoke out of nowhere.

I knew I was alone, but then, I heard it loud and clear. My gaze was directed to a ghostly apparition seated on the chair. I saw the woman and I knew that instant that it was Kindra. She had long, flowing hair the color of the moonlight, flowing down her shoulders and over her white robes. I immediately fell on my knees and bowed, paying my respect for her.

She smiled then. “Rise, young one.”

I did as I was told. “My apologies for intruding into your abode, my lady, but I’m afraid I must retrieve the ring to fulfill the prophecy.”

“Very much straight to the point. You’re a smart young man,” Kindra said in that rather chilly voice of hers. “No tricks up your sleeves?”

I fervently shook my head. “I never mean to deceive you, but I need your help.”

The smile on her face never disappeared. “I know. Though the blood that runs through you is that of Kim Ji Woo, I know you’re not like him. I saw through your heart, Kai.”

I was quite taken aback that she knew the nickname that my friends called me with, but I just nodded. “Then what you saw is the truth. I mean no harm, but instead, I would want to help the other nobles unite the land just as I was tasked to.”

She nodded and stood up from the throne which disappeared and touched the crystal dome which protected the ring. That was easier than I thought…or maybe I was wrong. She lifted her hand. “Come here,” she beckoned.

I walked slowly towards her and the dome slowly disappeared, revealing the ring. It bore the emblem of the Portian Nobles. It glowed in the dim firelight as she made it levitate with her hands, spinning slowly as she presented it to me. I hesitated and she took my hand with an encouraging smile and passed it to me.

I bowed slightly. “T-thank you, my lady.”

She shook her head. “No. Thank you. I can finally rest. It had been a long time. I wish to be united with my people.”

“I…” I shook my head.

“Yes?”

“I don’t understand.”

“What do you mean?”

I shook my head, feeling guilty. “Is this the test? Nothing else?”

She shook her head. “The ring chose you. It belongs to you, but do remember that after this, you’re on your own.” The ring fell into my hand and she folded my fingers around it with her own. “Though you’ve gained the power over space, you must know where your heart lies and where you ultimately want to be.”

I gazed at the ring with a smile then looked up at her. She was fading slowly. I panicked. “Wait. How am I supposed to –”

She smiled. “Look into your heart. You’ll know.” With that, she was gone and everything else disappeared except for the fire. I looked around me and stared at the ring again. I wore it and the moment I did, the fire that served as my only light was blown off and the fortress shook under my feet, all around me and over. I couldn’t see anything and I the ring. If I had control over space then maybe I could teleport back to the capital where Shinhye and the other were. I tried, but when I did, I realized that it wasn’t working.

The walls continued to rumble around me and I stepped back, shocked to my core when I realized that the walls were moving closer together at such a fast pace. I tried as hard as I could, sweat forming on my forehead when I realized that I couldn’t really do it. It was a trap. I might have gotten the ring, but I couldn’t get out of the cramped place.

I hated small spaces. I always longed for wide open spaces, the world, where I could move freely. The air was getting scarcer as I tried to struggle on how to get out. I tried pushing on the walls, but I was a fool to have thought I could keep them apart. I shook my head. The space was getting smaller and smaller and I knew that in a span of minutes, I’d be crushed. I could feel blood rising through my head, rushing and pounding. I couldn’t breathe properly and my lack of sight to the things around me gave me a frightened sensation running its course though every vein in my body.

No…

I breathed in and out, trying to calm down, feeling the walls closing it. I tried to stand on the corner, feeling my soles of my shoes scraping against the rough floor, pushing forward even as I tried to dig my heels on the ground. It wasn’t working. I leaned forward pushing the wall against me, controlling my breathing until it slowed down. I needed to think and quick. Things flashed through my mind at random.

I saw the time I first met Shinhye a she crawled away from me in fright. I saw the others as well, but then again, I would see her. I saw her lashing out at Sehun, saw her ruthless attempt to avenge us all when that purist tried to kill us back in Lumina. I realized things suddenly especially when I acted like a coward when she let me kill the purist. I didn’t want to take lives as much as possible, but she let me do it and nobody blamed me for it. I knew that she was just protecting my best interests especially that I was the target of the purist back then. I’ve forgotten to thank her for giving me the courage to stand up for what was right no matter how merciless the means was.

Suddenly, the words Kindra let go of made more sense. I smiled to myself even as the space grew smaller and only enough for me to inhale and exhale. I closed my eyes, visualizing where I wanted to be. Look into your heart…You’ll know… I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and imagined in my mind that I was already standing where I wanted to be. It took a while. I didn’t want to open my eyes when suddenly, warm breath fanned my face, followed by the sound of singing birds and blowing wind. I couldn’t hear the rumbling any