Chapter 1 - Misguided
Kiss the Ring
(Aphrodite’s POV)
I kept on tossing and turning in bed all night long. I was exhausted but couldn’t get a wink of sleep. Finally, I settled down by laying on my back and staring through the vast emptiness through the crystal clear glass ceiling. It was a full moon and there were so many stars; their light radiating all around making the velvet black blanket of a sky shine through the night.
Sleep had hailed upon me just before the break of dawn...
I woke up to a heartache. it hurt so much I thought the Gods lied to us and told us we were immune to everything and immortal. I got out of bed immediately and headed to The window which leads to Earth. I didn't care if I was still in my sleeping gown. I had to go there. my heart was telling me that something just wasn't right. "OPEN UP!" I yelled so loud, in an attempt to hide the shakiness in my voice, to the gate to The window to Earth. it opened and my son, TOP, was just staring right through the window I thought it was his gift to stare right through things. As that was his gift, I was afraid that he would see right through my soul. I was worried, though I didn't know what worried me. I felt the walls caving in on me. My mind was telling me to leave, but my legs wouldn't move, not even an inch. There was no way that I would leave without asking him what he was doing here because he doesn't usually come, unless he always came without anyone noticing him.
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(T.O.P’s POV)
I stare at the earth from high above wondering how life is like down there, and then I hear a soft whisper, “What are you looking at dear?” asked my mom.
“Umm...nothing, really.” I said, with a desperate feeling deep down in my chest, as I got up and walked away into the profound unknown of this ‘world’ I live in. Even though my body is here, I’m always mentally wandering, always thinking. Sometimes I feel like I’m talking to myself. I constantly think about how different my life would be if I lived on earth. With normal people. At least I would be able to naturally fall in love with a person rather than being a part of an arranged marriage that would ruin my life for the rest of eternity.
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(Haru’s POV)
The downpour was heavy indeed. Even though I was only looking from my bedroom window, I had a weird feeling of being drenched in water. My room was warm but I was shivering as if I were wearing a tank top and shorts during a snow blizzard. I looked at the raindrops on my window and couldn’t help but feel like there was something missing. More like ‘someone’ missing.
--
(TOP’s POV)
I eventually made it home after taking a really long walk which helped me make a few decisions.
The front gate opened and I got in. I was walking hesitantly towards the door but I knew that I had no other choice but to have that conversation with mother. The only way I’ll know is by asking her. I continued to walk in the same manner until I reached the door. My heart started racing so fast that it was about to jump out of my chest. I went up stairs still thinking it wasn’t a good idea but insisted on doing it anyway. I turned around and made it to my mother's chamber, Aphrodite, hearing an echo of every footstep I make on the golden polished floor and looking at my beautiful reflection on the marble covered skyscraping walls. As I got to her chamber's gate, I took in a deep breath and knocked slowly, but clearly and it echoed. "you may enter!" was my mother's reply, loud and clear.
The gate doors opened magically which is why no guards were present or needed. The gates would stay locked in case of an intruder. I entered, looked straight through my mother's soul and asked her a brave question "I want to know what Earth is like! Why don't you ever tell me what's going on there?"
“Why are you suddenly interested in what the world looks like down there?”, asked my mother.
“I want to know. I need to know. You used to live there long before I was born, so why are you suddenly surprised by my question?!”, I said confidently.
“How did you know that I used to live there? No one knows except for our supreme god Zeus and I know that he wouldn’t tell anyone.”
“I found out using my own methods.”, I said as I started to get more and more feisty. “It wouldn’t harm to tell me what it is like.”
Mother got infuriated and said, “You are completely aware that talking about the earth is absolutely forbidden in the kingdom, yet you insist on doing so.”
“Okay, I’m through with this.”, I said as I turned around and walked out of her room with complete disbelief, rushing to my room and cautiously locking the door behind me. I closed all of the curtains to make sure that no one could see me. I immediately took out a backpack and started packing some clothes and other necessary stuff. After I was done packing, I made sure that the bag was carefully hidden.
At that moment I knew that I had to do something in order to be thrown out of the kingdom and deported to earth. This was the only way. I am absolutely sick and tired of being ordered around to do those horrible things to people. I was once ordered to slit a man’s throat because someone implied to Aris that he had stolen a huge amount of money from someone, when the truth was that the deceased didn’t even know the guy whom he was accused of robbing. If Aris thinks so, then it is so. There are many other similar incidents. I can’t keep on living as this type of person in, what I truthfully think, such a horrible place. I have to get out one way or the other.
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(Haru's POV)
After a horrible nightmare, I had that feeling like my day ought to be just as bad. I got up anyways, showered, brushed my teeth, got dressed and tried to compress the nightmare down in my head. I didn't want it to affect a fresh start to my day. "Come on dear, you're gonna miss your breakfast and be late for school!" yelled my mom. I just love how my mom never stops caring about a tiny thing like breakfast even at my age. I always hope this never changes, I never want the day, where I'll be too busy to take care of my parents, to come. " Coming in just a minute, mom!" I yelled back. I rushed down the stairs, gave mom a kiss on her forehead, gave Dad a bear-sized hug and took huge bites, that were hard to swallow, of my breakfast. "Bye mom, Bye dad!" I yelled, as I rushed to my bus. It had come right on time. Those nightmares made me very sleepless to the point where I thought I would probably be a great candidate to insomnia. This made it hard for me to wake up early, and finish my daily routine fast. Always rushing. That's me. "Annyeong Haru!", said Carla, my friend, as she made room for the seat she usually saves me on the school bus next to hers. Actually, she's more of a kindred-soul and the best friend anyone could ever have. She's always there when you need her. Always willing to give her shoulder to whoever needs to cry on it. That's my best friend, and no one could ever replace her. "Gutmoning Carla!", I replied, "You got lucky today, you're early! The ALMIGHTY HARU is "early for school"!", she said teasingly. "well, I am doing my best everyday." I replied sarcastically. We both giggled and chatted the rest of the way to school.
That was another method I used to box my nightmares away, I used sarcasm and fun to distract me from what seems to be a curse. I wasn't able to get a wink of sleep all last month. It didn't just start last month, it happened gradually. At First, they were just passing unpleasant scenes that would ruin a happy moment in the dream. It got more and more intense later on. I keep on falling from the Heavens, but it always seems like I'm a stunt in this part of the dream. As in, I'm only seeing what's happening through the person falling's eyes instead of it being "physically" me.
We got off the bus and we took our separate ways to our classes.
The day was over and we went back home. "how was your day sweetie?" asked my mom, with a sincere smile on her face, "better than what I had in mind" I replied. "what's that supposed to mean?" she asked, her tone of voice suddenly growing concerned, "are you having high-school issues?" she asked, in a very concerned tone of voice, "my gosh, and I thought this day would NEVER come!" she said with sorrow and deep concern. "Mom, don't jump to conclusions yet..just let me tell..", " I want your principle's phone number immediately!" she interrupted, "we have to stop this as soon as it's still in our hands to do so!", she continued, "I don't want my daughter, from my blood and flesh, getting bullied! I know just what to do dear, now hold on to that thought while I look for my cell phone!", she said. As she reached for her cell phone and dialed the principle's number I ran as fast as I could, all the way to the second floor and took her cell phone away. "MOM! don't jump to conclusions yet! Just let me explain!","I've been having nightmares for a very long time now and it's always the same dream but with something extra to it.", I carried on, "Only recently have those dreams become so vibrant and lively, it was hard to convince myself it was just a dream." I said. "And...? What happened in your nightmare?" , she asked as if nothing has even happened, "I don't wanna talk about it. I'll just get my mood ruined. I'm just glad the day went well.", I replied, with obvious tire in my voice, "UH, okay dear! Don't worry, I know just what'll make your nightmares regret the day they decided to gamble with you. A hot cup of milk and your grandma's recipe cookies!" she yelled behind me, as I carried on to my bedroom.
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(TOP’s POV)
I'm moving out of here and I'm not going to get second thoughts about this, I whispered with commitment to myself. "My blood-stained hands days are over!", I said, getting louder. "Today, I make history. Today, I'm breaking free!", I yelled. "They will write books about this mom!", I whispered again, regaining control over my emotions. That's what I've been taught up here since I was a child, to control my emotions. Well, not anymore. "You wanna control everything and everyone right Zeus?", I yelled, knowing all the Gods could hear me. "Well, you're gonna be one person short of controlling!", I screamed this time with my lungs about to explode. I never thought I could do that, screaming or yelling, that is. I guess, there are more things about myself I still haven't seen or known.
I threw my bag out of my window and landed on one of these perfectly polished floor tiles. I saw my reflection and wondered if Earth had something like that. I didn't think too much or cared either. I just had to get out of this place. I pushed myself forward and ran to the edge of our kingdom. I've never been allowed to be as much as a kilometre near the edge of our kingdom. It was dangerous, because once you fall you can never come back. For it's the biggest law anyone who lived in the kingdom would break. Even greater than killing the innocent.
I took a deep breath and chose to face Zeus's eyes behind the palace walls. I didn't have to actually "make" eye contact with Zeus, for Zeus is a God and Gods are special. They know everything going on and can see everything the moment it happens. That's why people who lived in the Kingdom never had secrets between each other. The Gods will always know it. They are everyone's eyes and ears.
I kept the eye contact and felt him look back, waiting for my next move. Then I saw it, he didn't think I had the courage to do it. I just had to prove him wrong. I left my eyes open because I wanted to know how it felt and looked like to fall from the Heavens. I pushed forward and jumped right over the edge and then I felt lightning struck me. Everything went just as planned, he my powers out to the very last drop. Now, I'm as vulnerable and as mortal. The lightning pushed me to the side of the edge of the kingdom and I broke my arm. I've never broken any part of my body before, so it felt strange and very stingy. It felt like a thousand lightning bolts hit me all at once and I yelped. I still insisted on keeping my Eyes open as I fell. I wanted to remember every single smell, view, feeling of falling right through a cloud. Oh God, the clouds were the best part. softer than the finest silk I've ever worn and so gentle I almost forgot there would be an end to this free falling.
I saw a sequence of tiny brown dots in the middle of a green square. I didn't know where I was landing. will I land on the dot or the square? I wondered to myself. Suddenly, my heart started thumping so hard I didn't know what to do about it. My chest was like an over-pumped balloon. It was going to pop. I started having second thoughts, though I promised myself I wouldn't allow them to get to me.
The dots and the squares kept getting bigger and bigger and my heart beat so fast, I thought I would Die in mid-air before I landed on earth.
It got hotter and I started sweating. I knew nothing of what was going on around me. I wasn't used to such a weak body. I passed out, I never knew I would ever pass out in my life but I did. Next thing, I smell weird and everything around me is blurred and then I see this girl and a man. That girl..I know her..but how? I've never seen her in my life, but my heart feels this connection.. and I just.. I pass out and everything turns black.
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(Haru’s POV)
I just want to forget everything about my life, I whispered to myself. There's nothing left for me to do anymore but study, graduate, get a great job, and take care of my parents. I'll never fall in love and that's a fact even my parents know but are afraid to admit. I threw my backpack on my bed and took my shoes off, that's when I heard an enormous crash in our backyard. It shook the entire house and all the cutlery in the kitchen fell. I was petrified. My dad rushed outside to see what had happened and he actually thought it was a meteor, but as I went to check on what happened I believed that I was looking at exactly what everyone else was looking at. It was a man. The most gorgeously handsome man I've ever seen, I thought I would just keep on staring at his face for the rest of eternity. I got a deja-vu feeling, like I knew or saw this guy somewhere, though he was covered in dirt and looked harmed from the crash. It was the man who was in every single nightmare I've had up till last night. I just knew it. He was the guy who kept falling and falling from the sky.
Dear God, I've never seen this man in my life, but somehow I felt connected to him somehow. Who is he? Why do I feel like I met him before? Any why did he crash instead of fall in our backyard? I kept asking God all sorts of questions. This is no time for questions! I scolded to myself. Please God, save him! I want to know who he is and why he's here and how he crashed in our backyard. Please God. Please God. I prayed he would get better all night long and didn't move an inch from his side.
The sight of the man lying on the ground before my eyes was frightening. I was tremendously quivering. The sight itself got my legs glued to the floor and I felt paralyzed. Its like the signals from my brain were preventing from reaching my limbs. I felt numb all over as if someone splashed ice cold water from a bucket directly at my face. My dad rushed towards him.
“Haru, ppalliwa!”, yelled my dad, and those were the words that brought me back to reality. My mind was in a place even I know nothing about. It is somewhere I, unintentionally, tend to go to. After realizing what just happened was real and not a dream, - definitely not a dream - I rushed towards them and tried picking up the strange man’s body. His body looked really weak and fragile like those people who get lost in the desert. His body was filled with cuts and bruises. If we hadn’t seen him fall out of the blue I would have never believed it and I would have thought that he got into a really huge fight.
We carried him into the house and placed him on the couch. He hasn’t regained consciousness yet. As I was pulling my hands from beneath him, I sensed great warmth. His body was burning hot. I rushed to the kitchen to get a bowl of cold water and a towel, oh, and I almost forgot...a thermometer. His temperature must be skyrocketing through the roof by now...I started soaking the towel and placing it on his head. My parents were pretty much in shock too. They are still in denial that this guy fell from the sky like a flaming meteor.
“I think you should both go get some rest and sleep. I know you’re both worried, but don’t worry, I’ll handle everything.”, I said to my parents with a worryful tone in my voice. “Don’t worry. Just go to sleep and everything’s gonna be alright.”, I assured them but still having the same tone. So, they headed upstairs and I stayed with the stranger. I better choose a name for him instead of keeping on calling him a stranger, I thought to myself. I had no idea what to name him though. “I’ll just think about it later.”, I whispered to myself. I have noticed that his temperature started to gradually decreasing. This gave my heart a bit of rest. Suddenly, as I turned around to face this stranger,-man! I need to think of a name for him. Fast.-, I noticed that his left arm looked peculiar. The bruising was nothing like the rest of the bruises on his body. This one was a darker shade of blue, almost black and also swollen. I tried to not jump to conclusions so I just ran a small checkup to see his reflex. I got a reflex hammer to check on how he'll respond to a little bump on his arm and hit his elbow softly. His arm didn't move an inch so I hit a tiny bit harder and yet it didn't move. He suddenly moaned in pain and I knew what this meant, his arm was fractured. I had to do something, but tire kept creeping in on me, eating me up to my very last hair.-have to help this stranger..KEEP IT TOGETHER HARU! HE'S GOT A BROKEN ARM. I don’t drive...so...the only solution left was to make him lean on to me until we get to the nearest hospital. I thanked God that it wasn’t too far. I managed to get him up even though he was most probably still unconscious. I started panicking again though this time I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep it together. I feel paralyzed again. Not now, not now, not now, I thought to myself. I’ve. Got. To. Take. Him. To. The. Hospital. I insisted with great determination. Moving as cautiously as I can, so that his injuries don't get any worse, he started , not so loud though for he didn't have the energy to do that. "It's okay, it's okay. I'm taking you to the hospital. Your arm is kinda'...well, broken." I said hesitently...
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(Aphrodite's POV)
I could not believe what I just saw. I could not believe that my son would actually do that. His actions struck my like lightning and I felt like I was about to get electrocuted and die. My knees were weak and my legs were shaking; I had no choice but to drop to the ground. I collapsed with my hands clenched into really tight fists. My fingers were inseparable from the palms of my hand as if they were sewn together. I felt an old 'wound' tear my heart into bits and pieces making my heart an unidentifiable lump of muscles. Nothing mattered anymore. That old pain that I had locked away into a deep part of my brain and heart and had promised myself that I would never go back to being in that situation ever again. Unfortunately history had repeated itself...
An expression of anger and agitation has overwhelmed the face of Zeus. He had strictly ordered my son to not jump or even get 1km close to the window - and yes, ‘ordered him’. Everything in this kingdom goes by orders. People are constantly told what to do. They were never given the chance to express their opinion in something, and probably never will.
“Would you care to explain what just happened before our eyes Aphrodite?!”, said Zeus in utter ferociousness.
“I...I...I...don’t know”, I replied with a shaky voice.
“WHAT?! YOU DON'T KNOW?! How could you let something like this happen? As you may remember - hah! of course you do! - I have already given you your first and last chance last time, and you swore you wouldn’t let this happen again. And now this?!”
“But...I didn’t know. There was nothing I could do about this. I didn’t even have a say in what had happened and you know that for a fact for you saw everything with you own eyes.” I started to panic even more. I knew evil is on its way to haunt me again.
“This is not acceptable.”, He said as he raised and pointed his golden pitchfork right to my head...
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