I hesitantly followed Jonghyun as he ventured forward, towards the house that would have probably emitted a mysterious, scary tension even when it was thawed out. JR had his hand tightly clasped around mine as he led me towards the front door that was slightly ajar and although fear had begun to bubble up within my veins, it was over ridden by determination and uneasiness – determination to finally locate the book and uneasiness due to the ominous atmosphere around the building. I could practically feel the darkness oozing out of every single crack on the home’s exterior; I sensed that something large and powerful resided in the abandoned home and that whatever was in there would not go down quickly or quietly. That whatever resided in the shadow would fight until it’s dying breath.

“Do we really have to go in there?” questioned Youngmin, peering at the still very pale JR in concern, scared that JR would be too weak to fight.

“We have to go in there,” confirmed JR, continuing to lead me towards the door while the others all paused in their steps, not wanting to advance farther, “Trust me when I say this – the book is in there.”

“Do you feel it or something?” questioned Mi Young.

“I had my suspicions since I felt a pull leading me this way, but now there is no doubt in my mind,” responded Jonghyun pausing his steps to turn to look at the four that stood a couple of meters away, “the book is in this mansion and even if you all will not join me in the search, I will go to find it because the longer it sits here, the closer the darkness comes to locating it, to getting their hands on it before I do!”

The others nodded in understanding, moving forward finally – moving to stand just behind Jonghyun and me as we trekked through the snow and into the mansion, warily glancing up at the icicles that rested overhead, threatening to fall at any time as we slipped one by one through the door that refused to budge any more.

Upon all of us ending up on the other side of the door, Miyoung looked towards Jonghyun and whispered, “Now, where to?”

JR fell silent, closing his eyes – his eyebrows furrowed as if he was concentrating on something.

Miyoung opened to repeat the question, but I raised my hand to silence her – my gaze locked onto Jonghyun’s face as he trembled slightly before opening his eyes.

“What was that about?” I questioned, peering worriedly at the lightly trembling hand clasped around my wrist.

“The book is upstairs,” muttered Jonghyun, avoiding my concerned gaze as he realized that his skin had cooled slightly, “Come on.”

I opened my mouth to protest and to repeat my question but my mouth soon fell shut as a felt the ominous atmosphere growing heavier with each of the step we climbed on the grand stair case of the entry  hall, with each step we took to close the distance between us and the book. I was shocked when I saw an all too familiar yellow shield faintly make its presence known around us. My worry grew as I felt the hand around my wrist cool just enough to be noticeable, to slacken slightly.

“Refrain from using your powers,” I whispered, “Remember you are still recuperating.”

“Don’t worry for me,” responded JR, peering at me over his shoulder, a gentle smile played on his otherwise expressionless face, “What is up ahead is not going to be as powerful as a Guardian or Hound, so the fight shouldn’t be too strenuous.”

“Yeah, but I’m still concerned over what is to come in the nearing future,” I whispered, “About what is to come once we leave with the Book of Air in our possession.”

JR’s face darkened considerably at the thought, but stayed silent. I peered back at Mi Young to see her staring at him in concern while Baekho peered around warily; examining every door we passed as he treaded lightly behind the five of us. My gaze then landed on the twins who were trembling crazily, holding their cloaks close to their bodies, their teeth chattering from the chilly air surrounding us. My gaze drifted back towards Mi Young and Baek Ho out of curiosity, why were the twins freezing while those two showed no signs of being cold?

My attention was pulled back to Jonghyun as he suddenly stopped, which lead to me bumping into him, I spun on my heel to look at him. Following his line of sight, I saw just what he was staring at – a pair of broad wooden double doors which held a unique and intricate design carved into the surface of the wood.

“What is it?” I questioned as the tips of Jonghyun’s fingers danced over the surface, tracing the design that had been carved into the door.

Jonghyun’s expression had darkened even farther, slightly contorting into one of pain as both his eyes and finger tips traced over the symbols carved into the doors that sat before us.

Miyoung made a noise of recognition, “Those were the symbols on the…”

“On the barrier,” confirmed Jonghyun, finishing the girl’s sentence, “They are the words to a protective charm only mages know…of a charm not even the royal family knows.”

“So…” whispered Miyoung, her voice trailing off as though she had understood what the underlying message was.

“Was this…” my voice trailed off as well as I tried hard to put the two pieces together, but they refused to click in his head.

“This was my teacher’s house,” whispered JR, closing his eyes as he rested his forehead against the crystal like surface due to the sheet of ice that rested over the coarse surface, “He had up and vanished one day…”

“What do you think happened to him?” whispered Mi Young in curiosity.

“I don’t know,” responded JR, “He had raised me for ten years before suddenly vanishing; forcing me to train myself for years until the day the barrier came crashing down. However that is not what matters right now, I’m more concerned over the fact that the Book of Air is hidden within the walls of this house. He had told me countless times that he had never seen the books before – that he did not know of their location…and yet, why is it here, in his old home?”

I could feel the anger radiating off of Jonghyun, the flare of heat that coursed through Jonghyun’s hand light a jolt of lighting that caused me to pull away and grasp my wrist in shock. Jonghyun peered at me in concern as I let out a slight yelp, rubbing the fresh burn. I saw the pain, betrayal, and fear that glistened in his eyes for a couple of seconds before the onyx orbs hardened again, sealing his emotions within in.

He looked at me apologetically, whispering out a quiet apology that echoed through the silent halls.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated his hands trembling slightly, he peered down at his own burnt hand and curled his fingers into a tightly coiled fist, ignoring the pain that surely surged up his arms as his fingernails dug into the blistering palm, “I still have some issues controlling fire…it has a mind of its own sometimes.”

“It is fine,” I whispered, peering at him in concern, “It’ll heal, I’m more concerned for you.”

“I’m fine,” responded JR, turning his attention back to the frozen set of doors before us, “there is nothing to be concerned about.”

I sighed, falling silent again – knowing that there was no way I could get through to him at this current point in time, “Let’s go.”

JR nodded and took a deep breath, caressing the crystal-like surface with his hands. I watched as the ice melted under his hold, as the door finally thawed out. He looked towards me apologetically one last time before pushing the heavy oak doors open to reveal a vast library.

With a deep breath, we all advanced forward, following closely behind Jonghyun, who was leading u through the fairly dark room as we peered around us – trying to figure out just where the presence was residing. What presence was I talking about? The overbearing one we could feel surrounding us, the one we could feel watching our every move.

“Come out!” called Baek Ho in aggravation and Jonghyun’s eyes narrowed in his direction.

“Silence!” hushed Jonghyun as he moved to the railings of the balcony that over looked the first floor of the library. We rushed to his side when we heard him whisper a quiet, “No…”

I rushed to his side, grabbing ahold of his arm only to let go seconds later with a pained gasp, “Jonghyun?”

He was trembling and his skin was hot with anger, too hot for even me to touch.

“Jonghyun?” I whispered in great concern.

“Damn it, no!” growled Jonghyun, throwing himself over the railing and leaving the protective barrier that resided around the five of us as we watched him float gently down to the surface of the floor below, running over to a table.

“Come on you guys,” whispered Mi Young, “Let’s go.”

I nodded and we trekked forward through the ruined library and to the steps, freezing in shock as we were at the base, our eyes glued to where Jonghyun sat kneeled over a body covered in ice. I looked at the mage in shock, watching as his shoulders trembled and he shook his head in disbelief. I stepped forward, moving out of the protection of the light barrier, my concern for Jonghyun greater than the concern for the darkness that surrounded us.

“Jonghyun?” I questioned in worry.

“It’s not him,” whispered Jonghyun in sorrow.

“Not who?”

“My teacher…this is not him,” whispered Jonghyun, his fingers dancing sadly over the crystalized body that lay before him, “T-this…”

I felt something stab my heart as he stuttered, his voice cracking slightly with weakness.

“He wasn’t supposed to be here,” whispered Jonghyun, “He was supposed to be missing.”

“Jonghyun, you’re not making sense,” I responded in concern, resting my hand on his shoulders, still nearly getting burnt from the heat of his skin even through his clothes.

“That’s because this isn’t making sense,” whispered Jonghyun, “This is not my teacher…this is not my uncle.”

“He’s your grandfather,” whispered an all too familiar voice tauntingly, it was the voice of the man that I had met weeks ago in the woods prior to our arrival at Mi Young’s group’s camp, “The one that supposedly went missing prior to your birth – the one who vanished without word.”

Jonghyun stood up suddenly, peering around the room with fire dancing in his eyes, “What the hell is going on.”

“You aren’t as intelligent as I first believed, are you?” questioned the disembodied voice, echoing through the manor’s halls.

A large shadow danced across one of the walls and Jonghyun automatically stepped in front of me.

“I’m so disappointed with you,” muttered the voice mockingly, “it’s so depressing to think that someone as superior as I and inferior as you came from the same blood line.”

I froze in shock as Jonghyun began to tremble, shaking his head as he whispered, “No…no…no…”

“Yes, Jonghyun,” whispered the darkness, “It’s only a matter of time until you understand the truth of my words…of all the truth that was asked to be kept from you. It is only a matter of time when you realize that I’ve always had a hold on you both…”

With those final words, the overbearing presence vanished, however, the shadow lingered dancing across the floor and the walls, tossing both JR and I aside as it headed straight towards the crystalized body that lay on the floor behind us.

“Jonghyun,” I whispered in concern as he struggled slightly to push himself up from the ground, the shadow had passed through him slightly before throwing him aside.

“Get back to the barrier Minki;” whispered JR, pushing himself up onto his feet, “I’ll be able to handle this…”

I looked at him doubtfully, he didn’t even sound as though had believe his own words himself. I, however, remembered the talks I had with him before and raced back towards the barrier, diving in just as a wave of purple flames were sent my way. Mi Young quickly helped me to my feet and stood before me, tense and ready to fight just in case Jonghyun did fall.

[Jonghyun’s PoV]

I stood on trembling legs, my gaze locked onto the shadow creature that had taken over my grandfather’s crystalized body – contorting his human-like appearance into some sort of purple, deformed monster. I hissed in pain as the enlarged creature smacked me against the wall mercilessly, watching in fear as it turned towards Ren’s running form, sending a large wave of purple flames his way – roaring in anger as the flames subsided and revealed that the yellow barrier was still standing strong.

Its attention soon turned towards me and with a raspy, unhuman-like voice growled out something along the lines of, “You are no longer needed, you’ve lead us to the books that you’re connected to.”

I stared at him in slight shock, so, it was true – I was only connected to two books. I peered at him, determination and anger pulsating through my veins as I peered at the disfigured form of what had once been the shell of my grandfather but was now the vessel of some supposedly grand shadow.

I sent a wave of light forward, striking him directly in the front, a smile played on my lips as I heard the creature’s disgruntled, pain filled yelp which made it sound more like a hound rather than a spirit of some sort. He sent a wall of his own magic my way, but it was deflected by a simple shield of light. After four more rather horrible shots on my part, the creature went down – for good – shocking me with the fact that it was so easy to defeat.

After all, if the dark mage wanted to kill me – why not send a stronger force to do so?

As I sighed in relief, happy that the fight was over and that it was far easier than I had originally believed, I struggled to stay standing between old wounds, the overuse of magic, and the mental exhaustion brought about by the evil mage’s words.

“JR?” whispered Mi Young in concern.

I waved her away, motioning for her to stay in the small barrier beside Ren and the others; I limped over to the creature’s body, staring down at the body that scarcely resembled my grandfather now. I kneeled down, closing the body’s eyes, trying hard to ignore the smell of burnt flesh as I did so. I peered down at the disfigured face in sorrow, seeing that the man – despite the transformation caused by the monster – did share some features with me.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, peering down at the peaceful face, “I know you have been dead probably longer than I’ve been a live, but I’m sorry I couldn’t help you…even after your passing.”

I felt a painful tug at my heart and blinked as my vision blurred, I swiped at my eye gently – confused as to why I was crying although I never actually met the man laying before me.

“Jonghyun?” whispered Minki in concern.

“I’m fine,” I muttered, snapping – watching in slight awe and depression as the flame slowly danced across the skin of my hand in greeting. I stayed silent as I touched the purpling skin of the corpse, as the flame danced its way across the body that once belonged to my kin, “I pray that you’ll be able to rest well now.”

“JR,” muttered Ren, “Are you sure you are alright?”

I turned to look over my shoulder and smiled weakly towards Ren and nodded, “I’m fine, really, I am.”

He watched as I moved around the burning body and grabbed for the beautiful yellow book that sat in a busted display case near the mantle of the fireplace.  I pulled the book gentle from the case, brushing the shards of frozen glass from the cover, ignoring the sting of their edges biting into my skin.

“Let’s go,” I whispered, “We can’t stay here too long, there is surely an ambush heading our way, even with the book being in my procession there was an unstoppable surge of power that kicked in.”

He looked at me in minor fear.

“We’ll be fine, don’t worry,” I whispered, patting his shoulder, “But we need to make haste to the mage’s tower – once we are there, will be protected by many, many ancient unbreakable charms. Plus, there is something there that feeds mages like you and I power – which means I’ll be able to recover quicker.”

“There is also something else, isn’t there?” muttered Ren out of curiosity.

I hummed, “The locations of the original temples are hidden within the tower as well...in my father’s chamber which was locked by my father.”

“What is the key?” questioned Minki, peering at me in curiosity.

“That necklace,” I stated, pointing towards the emerald that had many different symbols and intricate designs, “Those symbols are the same that are carved into the door, the Emerald is the same shape as the key hole carved into the door, and on top of that, the necklace is glowing just as the doors were.”

“So in other words, this is one of the reasons they want me on their side?”

I nodded, “That and because to reach the four original temples – to enter them, you need some of the royal family’s blood.”

“Being the only heir left…”

“You are something they can’t risk losing and something I cannot risk letting them get a hold of.”

“Or it’ll be game over for the rest of the world,” muttered Ren, lending his shoulder to me, aiding me in my walk back to the where the other four were waiting.

I nodded, smiling weakly, “It’s finally clicking in your head, huh?”

He smiled in return, “I believe it is.” 

Hopefully this chapter wasn't too crummy...hopefully it was enjoyable, even a little bit. 

I know some confusion will arise due to the dark mage's words, but please understand that it's supposed to be that way because it will be answered in another chapter - one in the future.