01/26/13

Update o.O lol maybe I'll have the story done even before spring break! I think here will be around 3 more chapters left.

Thanks for the comments, guys!

            Where am I? Hyunseung thought to himself as looked at his surroundings.

            He was sitting in a place that starkly contrasted with the desert land that he was used to. Instead of the wavering sand giving in to his weight, the ground below Hyunseung was stable and hard.

            Granite. Yes, that’s what it’s called. He remembered learning about it in school. The teacher had brought in a granite rock for him and his classmates to look at. While granite was not rare, it was hard to come by in a day to day basis.

            But right, now, granite was surrounding Hyunseung. Above him, below him, beside him, all Hyunseung could see was rock. Suddenly, he remembered how he got there.

            :::        

            After Advisor Rasfin casted the invisibility spell on Hyuna and Hyunseung, the two of them ran away from the camp and headed toward the desert. Hyunseung, too preoccupied with getting the both of them as far away from the camp as possible, didn’t realize that Hyuna was struggling behind him.

            By the time he realized that Hyuna was dragging behind, it was already too late. She had begun to feel faint, and she collapsed due to dehydration.

            In the midst of all the confusion, their hands separated, and the invisibility spell broke. Hyunseung remembered how his stomach dropped and how the hair on the back of his neck stood up. Not only was Hyuna unconscious, but they were also in plain sight.

            Frantically looking around, Hyunseung spotted an entrance to a cave. Weird. I could have sworn that entrance wasn’t there before.

            Despite his misgivings about the cave, Hyunseung and Hyuna were in desperate need of a hiding place, and this cave would be perfect. Picking up Hyuna, Hyunseung carried her into the cave. Not long after, he also fell unconscious.

            :::

            Hyunseung looked at Hyuna, who was lying beside him, still unconscious. He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. Damn. I shouldn’t have been so careless. Now she’s not even waking up!

            Without thinking, Hyunseung reached over and touched Hyuna’s cheeks. Her skin was unnaturally warm. And her lips… they were so parched they looked white. Hyunseung frowned. I need to get her some water.

            Picking Hyuna up, Hyunseung got up to his feet and decided to explore the cave. For some reason, he felt like he had been in the cave before, and his feet automatically knew where to go. Soon, Hyunseung reached a portion of the cave that contained a lake, and he gasped at the sight of it.

            This is beautiful.

            The way the light reflected from the water transformed the cave into a blue paradise. Ripples from the water reflected on the walls of the cave, making the room seem alive. If only Hyuna can see this.

            Hyunseung shook his head to clear away his thought. Hyuna will see this. When she wakes up.

            He laid her down on a smooth rock. Ripping off a part of his tunic to serve as a piece of cloth, he wet the ripped cloth with water from the lake and placed it on her forehead. After a few minutes of waiting, there was still no sign of life from her. Hyunseung’s stomach dropped for the umpteenth time.

            Damn it! I can’t even take care of her! How useless am I?!

            “You are not useless, master.”

            Hyunseung started at the sudden female voice. Looking up, he saw a woman, or more accurately, a body of water in the shape of a woman, gazing back at him.

            “What- I mean- who are you?” Hyunseung asked, surprised at himself for feeling so calm. “How come you can read my thoughts?”

            “I am a water spirit,” the female voice came out from the body of water. “And you are calm because this is not the first time we met, master.”

            “Master?” Hyunseung furrowed his eyebrows. “Not the first time we met?”

            “In your previous incarnation, you created this cave in order to assist the king and queen,” the water spirit explained. “Since you knew that you will not be able to guard this cave yourself, you appointed me as the cave’s guardian.”

            “I never knew people were allowed to… own water spirits,” Hyunseung stated skeptically.

            “People are not allowed to, but you once saved my life. I was indebted to you.”

            For some reason, Hyunseung believed everything she said. Then it must be true?

            “Whether or not you believe me, it does not matter.”

            Hyunseung laughed. Yeah, he believed her. But apparently it didn’t matter. “I hope you don’t hold a grudge against me for appointing you as guardian of the cave.”

            The water spirit shook her head. “On the contrary, I prefer this place. I would rather be here in the cool rocks than be outside fighting against the blistering heat.”

            “Then I am glad,” Hyunseung smiled. “One more question, why… and how… did I create this cave? I know I created it to assist the king and queen, but why did they need a cave?”

            “It was created to be an escape route from the Palace,” the water spirit replied.

            Hyunseung’s eyes widened. “So this cave leads to the Palace?”

            “Precisely,” she nodded. “You had realized that the king and queen desired freedom from their caged-up lives, so you secretly created this cave for them. Foreseeing other uses for this cave, you appointed me to guard this cave as a way to keep this cave alive.”

            “I’m glad I had that foresight,” Hyunseung looked over at Hyuna wistfully.

            The water spirit paused before speaking again. “As for how you created this cave, you used magic.”

            “Magic?” Hyunseung repeated. After seeing the water spirit nod, he gave a small smile. “I’m glad my magic was actually useful in my past life. Sometimes, it feels like this gift of mine is not beneficial.”

            “That is usually the predicament that magicians face,” the water spirit stated. “Rational thinking is not something that comes naturally for magic users, but it is only because irrational magic has taken an enormous part of their lives. The help of people who are not magic users will also be beneficial.”

            “I truly have been trying to be more rational.”

            “That is commendable,” the water spirit nodded. “However, rationality and magic can coexist. I urge you not to give up on your magic to become more rational.”

            Hyunseung was about to respond when suddenly, she disappears. Confused, Hyunseung looks around. After a few seconds, he heard voices from the mouth of the cave.

            She must not appear to non-magic users, he thought to himself. Wait, how in the world do I know that?

            He shrugs and decides to investigate on the people coming into the cave.

            ::::

            Just as they thought they were going to collapse from exhaustion, Victoria and Nichkhun stumbled across a cave. Wordlessly agreeing to enter the cave, the two of them climbed down. Victoria tried her best to concentrate on walking down, but everything seemed so... unfocused.

            “Ah!” Victoria yelped as she slipped on a ledge. She felt Nichkhun’s hand tighten on hers. But their palms were sweaty from the hours of contact, and the tightened hold actually caused her hand to slip away from his.

            Before she could register what happened, Victoria was looking at Nichkhun, whose arm was wrapped around her waist. Their noses were practically touching.

            Her breath was caught in . She could feel his warm breath on her lips.

            “Ahem,” someone coughed.

             Victoria and Nichkhun immediately separated. They breathed sighs of relief when they realized it was Hyunseung. Thankfully it was a familiar face.

            “I see that everything is resolved between the two of you?” he asked the two of them, raising an eyebrow.

            “What do you mea—Oh,” she looked down to hide the sudden redness of her cheeks. Gosh, I forgot Hyuna and Hyunseung lived in the rooms next to us. What did they hear last night?

            Nichkhun laughed. “Fancy seeing you here, Hyunseung. Where’s Hyuna?”

          Hyunseung’s smile faltered. “Umm, well, there’s… there’s some bad news that I have to tell you…”

            “What is it?” Nichkhun asked.

            “… Before coming here, Hyuna fainted.”

            After hearing that, Victoria’s blood ran cold. “Where is she right now?!”

            “Come with me,” Hyunseung said solemnly. He guided them to the lake.

            “Hyuna!” Victoria shouted as she saw her best friend’s lifeless figure. Rushing to Hyuna, Victoria felt the side of Hyuna’s neck. “Good, her heart rate is still normal. Hyuna’s always been sort of weak health-wise. Running was always a struggle for her. I’ll get some water and—”

            “Victoria, l-leave Hyuna to me,” Hyunseung stuttered. He was looking at the floor. “You and Nichkhun must hurry to the Palace. You two are needed there.”

            Victoria was surprised. The soft and easy-going Hyunseung is taking a stand? Hyuna has done it again. She nodded and squeezed Hyuna’s hand before standing up.

            “This cave actually leads to the Palace,” Hyunseung began. “Take the next left, and go straight. In around three hours, you’ll reach the exit of the cave, which is located inside the Palace grounds.”

            “How do you know this?” Nichkhun asked.

            Smiling, Hyunseung shrugged. “I’ll tell you guys later. But you guys better hurry. Hyuna and I saw Taecyeon surrender himself as the king. Although they won’t kill him until they reach the Palace, they’ll arrive at the Palace any second now.”

            Victoria and Nichkhun nod.

            “Oh! One more thing,” Hyunseung took out the pouch that Advisor Rasfin gave him. “Hold hands.”

            The king and queen complied, and after Hyunseung sprinkled the magic dust on them, they disappeared.

            “Good luck,” Hyunseung called out to the empty space ahead of him.

            “Thanks,” both their voices came from the right. Then, Victoria shouted, “You’d better take care of Hyuna! I’m entrusting her to you!”

            Hyunseung nodded. He didn’t know where his confidence came from, but he replied, “I’ll take care of her.”