>_____<;;

They’d cleared the woods hand in hand, both their hearts racing in a flurry. Chorong’s scream had suddenly died out and Victoria felt a fear flush through her. It was a kind of fear she’d felt when Namjoo was in the hospital.

A large gust of wind rushed at them when the trees disappeared behind them and they reached another clearing of land. In front of them was a monster of a size she’d never dreamed of seeing before. Victoria felt her jaws drop and heard Namjoo gasp from beside her before she saw the monster hold its hand up. Namjoo belted out a cry when they saw a body hanging off the hook of its large claw.

“No!!” Victoria screamed dashing forward.

The King slightly budged upon her attacks and annoyed he turned around with his eyes a deep shade of red. A growl echoed in the air and Victoria smelled its horrible breath, but couldn’t turn away. She saw Chorong’s head hanging back, her arms and legs dangling in midair. It stung her heart like never before and Victoria felt all, but rage surge through her.

“Chorong!” Victoria threw out her hands to attack it with her powers, but only watched it slightly budge and cry out irritated.

“Victoria!” Namjoo screamed when it lashed its hand out.

She felt Namjoo throw her down and when she regained her senses saw Namjoo flying to the ground. A cry heaved through Victoria’s chest. She wasn’t about to lose her sister. She couldn’t lose Chorong now after almost losing Namjoo. It just couldn’t happen!

“Let her go!” Victoria cried out angrily and agonizingly. “How dare you take my sister, you monster! Let her go, dammit!”

Victoria screamed and shrieked so loud that a bird finally flew off into the sky. On the third try when she threw out her hands again she watched the King blow up. Black particles flurried into the air and blue substances flew in the distance of the crest hill before Chorong’s body landed into the water. Victoria, though, was unable to react to it.

Her eyes widened and her mind struck with shock and surprise. By her side she listened as Namjoo raced into the water crying for Chorong before she finally caught her senses.

“No…Chorong, open your eyes. Open your eyes,” Namjoo cried hoisting Chorong’s head up from the water. “Chorong…”

Jumping into the creek never minding how soaked she might get she also grabbed Chorong.

“Chorong, Chorong,” Victoria called struggling to pull her sister onto dry land. “Wake up. Please wake up.”

Tears lit her eyes and she ran a hand over her sister’s face drenched in marsh water as she lay there on the grass. This couldn’t be happening. This had to be a dream.

“No…Chorong, don’t go…” Victoria sobbed grabbing her sister’s hand and pressing it to her face for warmth. “Please wake up.”

>_____<;;

Namjoo felt a sob fall out of her lips before she saw the blood soaking the ground by her knee. Her mind stilled for a minute upon the shock. Tears stood on the edges of her eyes before her crying calmed and she ran her hand over her sister’s arm. A glow immediately lit up from her hands before the deep scratches slowly disappeared and her ripped shirt magically repaired itself.

A hopeful gasp dropped from her lips and she ran her hands over her sister’s body before Chorong suddenly took in a deep gasp as she came back to life and sat up. Her deep breaths quicekened before her hands landed on the ground.

“Ch…Chorong?” Namjoo stammered appalled by what she’d just done, but Chorong hadn’t heard her. She was, instead, searching dramatically around before suddenly crawling forward.

“Suho! Suho!” Chorong cried out and ran back into the water before suddenly tripping, but pulling herself back up continued running toward him.

When Namjoo and Victoria turned they saw Suho’s body floating in the water.

>_____<;;

“How is he?” Chorong pushed the door open to their grandma’s bedroom that had suddenly gone from being a library to the guest room.

After returning from the long walk through the marshland with a long half hour struggling to carry Suho they finally discovered their cars. While Chorong and Suho got into Victoria’s car, Namjoo took control over Chorong’s car that was suddenly working wonders before driving back home.

Namjoo turned from where she was sitting, “I think he should be ok now. He’s breathing normally.”

Chorong let out a sigh of relief, “Thank goodness. Thanks Namjoo.”

“No problem,” Namjoo smiled and stood up. “At least things are going back to normal now. The sun’s going to rise in an hour.”

“Yea,” Chorong agreed, “24 hours of thwarted reality is almost up.”  

Namjoo put a hand on her shoulder before walking out the door. Taking the chair Namjoo had been sitting in Chorong glanced at Suho and wondered what kind of excuse she’d tell him when he woke up.

She had been really scared back there and was unable to forget the concern he’d had in his eyes when she told him to run. He’d been really determined to protect her and she felt like that was his true instinct no matter what kind of person reality turned him into. A smile lit her face when she thought she would miss hearing him call her ‘my love.’

>_____<;;

On her way to the kitchen Namjoo spotted Victoria wiped out on the couch. It’d been such a hectic night that Victoria had only been able to change into something dry before sitting around restlessly. Victoria had been scared to death when she saw Chorong hanging off the King’s claw that she’d been unable to do anything, but attack him. And now that it was over, she was finally sleeping. Namjoo thought the sight was calming and she was glad her sister was sleeping it off.

Heading upstairs she grabbed a blanket and walked back into the living room to drape it over Victoria. Then making herself a cup of coffee watched the sun rise normally, thank goodness.

As she sat alone in the kitchen she ran over in her head what she needed to do and when the clock striked 9, she was off.

Borrowing Chorong’s car she drove down their quiet neighborhood enjoying the sight of people talking, arguing, and walking along the roads. It had never felt so good to see the streets occupied with traffic.

Namjoo took her time cruising through the streets before she started down the highway into the countryside. There was a pounding in the far corner of her heart and she suddenly felt like she was going in the right direction.

As she passed the quiet roads she stared into the rice fields and the landscapes in the distance. She could almost see in her memory men riding horses and women in casual hanboks walking around tending to their daily businesses. Huts made of straws would fill every corner of the countryside and children would run around noisily without knowledge of education. Namjoo could picture the whole Joseon Dynasty in her head and felt heartsick.

She brought the car to a stop a few minutes later and turned to stare at the green field slowly turning gold underneath the golden rays of the sun. It was a large empty field of nothing, but wheat and more wheat growing in the distance. The farthest house was about 10 miles away giving her peace and leaving the land undisturbed.

Namjoo paused by the side of the road as she turned to take in the sight and felt tears rise in her eyes. Swallowing and pressing her lips together she took a step toward the field silently hearing the hooves of a horse running in her head.

She tilted her head down and watched her hand brush over the tips of the wheat. When she looked back up she could see the soldier helping her down from the horse’s back before she limped toward Luhan’s corpse inside the bed of hay and sticks.

Standing there against the soft wind she felt tears drizzle down her face and let out a sob at the agonizing pain. Luhan was buried here in the ground somewhere. It was the only place on earth that treasured his remains and would forever be a secret in her heart.

As Namjoo cried she could hear him telling her of how he loved her and of the family he’d wanted to have. It stung her heart like arrows and she cried about how she’d lost him in the palace. Every memory would forever remain with her, because she wanted to remember as much of him as she could.

For a long hour she stood there in the middle of the field grieving as she readied herself for a final goodbye.

In the past, she’d had a life with Chanyeol and she knew in this life she would have a future with him as well, but things couldn’t work out smoothly unless she came to accept it. Namjoo knew in her heart that there was no choice; she couldn’t be stubborn any longer. She needed to turn over a new leaf and find a resolution to be happy the way she was with what she had. And by accepting it she would be able to move on, because without it she would only live in agony forever.

Luhan had been trying to tell her all along to let go of him. Only when she did would her spirit become happier in the next life, but thinking about it made her heart ache. She didn’t want to let go of him. He’d been everything to her…but there was no choice.

Lowering her head she heard herself sob miserably. Looking around once more she bit her lips, “I won’t forget you. I love you. Goodbye Luhan.”

And turning away she walked back to her car to drive back into the city. An hour later she was in front of Chanyeol’s apartment and looked up at him when he opened the door.

“Morning,” she greeted, “can I come in?”

>_____<;;

Chorong straightened up in her seat when she heard Suho move around. He had opened his and eyes and was looking around confused before abruptly pulling himself up when he saw her. There was a flush of embarrassment on his face.

“Surprise,” Chorong sarcastically greeted.

Suho looked confused before stuttering, “W…h…how…what am I…is this your house?”

Chorong smiled and held back a laugh, “Slept well?”

Suho glanced around before turning back to her with an awkward smile, “Too well.”

“We,” she glanced at his outfit, “were going to watch a play last night, but you lost the tickets on your way here. And you slipped on the steps so you out.”

“I did?” he asked with a frown, but Chorong was confident he would believe her.

Chorong nodded, “It’s a really long story.”

“Oh…” Suho still looked confused before saying, “then…I guess I should leave now.”

He was embarrassed; she could see it in his face. It was almost surprising how well she could read him now after yesterday’s incidents.

“How about breakfast?” Chorong suggested. “Since you’re here, might as well eat before you go, right?”

“But…school…”

“It’s a Saturday,” Chorong shrugged before getting up to open the door and wanted to laugh at how ridiculous he looked in the tux. He may have looked more confident in it yesterday when he was preaching his ‘my love’ speeches.

“Ok,” Suho replied then asked, “did I…really come in this yesterday?”

Chorong slightly chuckled, “You look fine. Come on.”

Pushing the door open she started down the hall and paused when she saw Victoria asleep on the couch. Yesterday had indeed done them in good.

Chorong couldn’t remember dying, but she didn’t think she did die. Perhaps she’d been near the brink of death, but she hadn’t literally died. And she was glad Namjoo had been able to bring both her and Suho back.

She, Victoria, and Namjoo really did need to stick together. Their powers made up for the lack of strength in the other. Now that she thought about it, how had the King died? Was it her who had destroyed it? Or was it her sisters? She’d definitely have to ask Victoria when she awoke.

>_____<;;

Victoria didn’t know how long she’d been asleep for, but she jolted awake when she heard the doorbell ring. She turned to look at the clock on the wall to see that it was 10 in the morning before stretching then got up. There was a quiet sigh from her lips before she pulled the door open.

“Hi,” Changmin greeted at the doorway.

Victoria slightly narrowed her eyes and wondered if it was a trick before leaning to the side to look through the gap between him and the door. There were no kids outside drawing graffiti or adults on their front lawn. There were also no rocks shifting back and forth through the air.

Normal, everything was definitely normal.

Changmin let out a slight laugh, “Something the matter?”

“Huh?” Victoria turned back to him confused before shaking her head. “No, but what are you doing here?”

“Actually,” Changmin held up a CD of relaxing music, “for you and your sisters.”

Victoria took the CD from him and turned it over to look over the tracks on the back.

“I came across it in Incheon,” Changmin explained, “I thought some relaxation would be nice since Namjoo just got out of the hospital not too long ago, and that it might help lower any stress you girls may be experiencing.”

“Stress huh,” Victoria repeated.

Oh yea, stress, there was plenty and she’d be glad to lend him some if he asked for it.

“Victoria? Hello,” Changmin waved his hand in front of her face.

“Oh…what,” Victoria said monotonously when she glanced up at him.

Changmin smiled again before saying, “So, movie tonight? It’s a Saturday.”

“I don’t know. I was actually thinking about staying in to relax.”

The thought about all the exhileration from yesterday made her feel worn out. She’d had enough with those monsters and the wild run through the marshland to look for Chorong only to find her half dead. If they’d been one minute later they could have really lost a sister. Suddenly everything from last night seemed so nightmarish Victoria didn’t want to think about it anymore. 

“So no?”

“Wait,” Victoria stopped him from continuing on, “oh the other hand, a movie sounds nice. It’s on you, right?”

Changmin frowned before smiling, “Ok, why not?” 

Victoria eyed the smile on his face before watching him laugh.

“Am I acting weird or something? Why are you acting like that?” he wondered.

Thwarted reality should have ended already, so what was she suspecting him for?

Shrugging the strange feeling off she said, “Nothing, but maybe you should make sure you get your spy of our asses because he gets really annoying.”

“Lee Dongsun?”

“Whatever his name is, but before I report him for harassment, pull him off our block or something.”

“I’ll check into that when I get into work. You’re not going to make me work on a day off, are you?”

“Why would that matter to me?”

“Well, just saying,” Changmin said. “Then lets meet later at 5?”

“Ok, whatever,” Victoria agreed, “but why don’t you drive tonight? I’m kind of lazy. One of those days, you know?”

“What?” he asked. “You want me to come pick you up?”

“That’s what you heard, right?” Victoria asked. “Ok, bye.”

Closing the door in his face she headed up the stairs to resume napping in her room. 

***So goodbye to Luhan ;~; 

***ChangToria has a date ^^ but will she make it for the date? hahahaha

***Next up: some fairytale!