Shine Bright Like A Diamond 

Chapter Thirty 

Ha Yi and Dong Wook had followed the instructions that Hope had given to them. 

They had gone deep into the forest near the lake, and making sure that their hands were covered in cuts and their own blood, they cut down exactly three trees. Every part of each tree was going to have to be used, not a single piece of it wasted. So they had to creatively build small canoes, and using the spare wood as rows, to get through the sea. But they were going to have to be careful. In the sea, there lives a monster. He hates the sweet taste of the trees that they had chosen to make their canoes out of, and thus it would keep him away. But if either of them were to let the monster know that they were there- they would surely get killed. After all, this creature loved to eat bloody flesh.

It seemed too simple, even for Hope whom was guiding them that everything they needed was so conveniently placed. Hope couldn't help but feel that there was a catch. Something was about to happen to ruin their chances, but they were all ready to take on anything that would try and stand in their way.  And then Hope saw it. Because it was not the creature under the water that they had to look out for. It was a small colony of goblins. One had seen them cutting the wood and now he was angry, it had become displeased the moment that they had touched the trees. the attack itself had been unexpected, as they found themselves back in the mainland. With no way to get to the other side, neither of them knew what to do. 

But their struggle had become amusing. Before either of them knew it a whole audience of Reapers- all of them old and withered stood around them, surrounding them, and silently watching. But the feel of their interest was heavily upon them. The sight of them was scary, the way they didn't move an inch.

"This could mean trouble," Ha Yi whispered to herself. 

Dong Wook reached for her hand as goblins started to surround them. Their short stout bodies, and flesh colored orange, with eyes so red they seemed to bleed. Every one of the ugly little creatures had sharp black teeth, and weapons in their gangly clawed hands.  "What do we do now?" Dong Wook asked Hope. 

"We fight," the small deity said in a tone full of fear. The small creature dropped to the ground in front of them, taking a human form once more, and got ready to help them fight.  

They had no other choice. 

And then the goblins charged their way! 

There was no way that they were going to let them just go. They were in trouble now.

Hye Yoon helplessly waited outside of the castle. 

She had been watching it for a few days now as she ruminated about what was currently happening. She had seen Dami several times, but that was about it. She had not dared to call out to her or even approach her, and not for the lack of trying either. With the way that the dark castle was so heavily guarded, there would be no doubt that she would be viewed as an intruder, or an enemy. They would want to kill her, and when they saw that she wouldn’t die from their weapons, they’d think even worse of her.  She had no choice but to wait until Dami herself stepped out of the castle. It was frustrating! Because Dami wasn’t coming fast enough and all she could do was wonder about how Seung Hyun was fairing in his run through the path.

How much time did he have left?  

Hye Yoon was about ready to give up on Dami ever coming out. It seemed very impossible even though she willed and pleaded in her mind that she would. That very afternoon, the castle doors opened as she was trudging back to the village, each widely at either side, and three boys rushed out, followed by an angry Dami. The boys were laughing, and calling her names as they went. But before Dami could curse her brothers for being so damned idiotic, she was stopped by a girl, with long black hair, pale skin, and deeply black eyes. Dami couldn't help but feel that she had seen her before. "May I help you?" she snappishly asked, taking her arm back. This caused, Daesung, Seungri, and Young Bae to return. They had been wanting to leave the castle in hopes of learning anything new, or seeing if they themselves could find Seung Hyun, but Dami was not about to let them go on their own. So they had decided to trick her and leave, but the presence of the new girl made them halt in their run and stare at her.

She was beautiful. 

"Yes, Dami," the girl said, her tone sounding very tired, but melodic to them.  "I need your help. I did something wrong, Seung Hyun went down the path. He's hoping to escape the abyss and get to Ji Yong that way, but what can I do now? He'll lose all his years before he reaches the end!" She looked desperate now, with tears building in her eyes.

But it had been the mention of Seung Hyun's name that immediately peaked the brothers’ interest as they ran to her. Seungri grabbed her by the shoulders, "Where is the path? Where is Seung Hyun- hyung! Please tell us how to get to him so that we can help him and bring him back home," the young vampire pleaded, getting in her face. Hye Yoon’s eyes were wide and slightly confused.

"Here?" The girl looked up, and looked towards the castle, "Is this where Ji Yong is?" she asked, recognizing that home would be where Ji Yong is, for Seung Hyun.

"That's prince G-dragon to you," Dami stepped forward, placing her hand on Seungri's shoulder, gently making him take a few steps back. The small vampire looked at her, about to protest, but she had already gotten in front of the girl, giving him her back, refusing to listen to anything that he would have to say. "Where is Seung Hyun if you know so much, and how do you know him?" 

The girl frowned, taking one step back from how cold Dami was coming on to her, "You don't remember me, of course," she looked down, taking a deep breath. "Remember, you and I were looking for Seung Hyun so Death could take him back to the Abyss where he belongs. He was meant to be Death's mate, and now..." She stopped talking when she saw everyone's shocked faces. "Why are you guys looking so shocked?" she asked, narrowing her eyes to them, "My brother is in danger!" 

"Seung Hyun-hyung is your brother?" Daesung asked.

“Seung Hyun- hyung is going to be Death’s mate?” Seungri asked.

The girl didn't answer as she looked around herself instead, feeling that every second that slipped by, even more anxious that Seung Hyun was heading to the very beginning of his life- until it ceased. She pressed a hand to her chest, and pulled out a bright light that seemed to take shape at her palm. In a few seconds, the light vanished, showing a crow, before it morphed into a human like creature. "This is my deity, Despair," she said, smiling softly, "It will help you to remember Dami," 

Dami looked at the small creature with trepidation."If you are trying to harm my brothers," Dami bared her fangs.

"I would never," The girl snapped.

"What's your name?" Young Bae snapped, tired of these guessing games. He didn’t know what was going on, but he needed straight answers. If there was any way that he could help his brothers, then this was the first!

"Hye Yoon," she answered him. "I'm a reaper." And bowed slightly.

"Take us to Seung Hyun!" Seungri urged, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet as soon as he heard that she was a reaper. He couldn't help but feel excited. This was probably the closest that they have gotten to finding out where their brother’s mate was! Young Bae grabbed him around the waist, and pulled him close to himself. 

"Calm down love," he whispered into Seungri's soft neck. The young vampire scowled at his mate, but did as he was asked. That still didn’t stop his blood from rapidly rushing through him.  

"But," 

"We can't get excited, she might be an enemy," Daesung hissed, becoming defensive.

"I'm not an enemy," Hye Yoon snapped, and then turned towards Dami once more. She had a pleading look in her face now. There was no way that Despair could make Dami remember everything at once, but it eventually would. They just needed the time, but at this point she was feeling like there was no more time to waste "Please I have to help Seung Hyun, but I can't do it on my own. He will never have been born if I don't help him." 

Dami looked at her brothers and then back to Hye Yoon, "Alright and how are you going to help Seung Hyun?" 

"By getting him through the path, by sending him my years," Hye Yoon said, "Seung Hyun and I are connected because we were created at the same time; it shouldn't be so hard to send him my years, if Life so allows it."

"What do you mean by sending him your years?" Young Bae asked, "You are not making any kind of sense here. There is no way that someone can become unborn," 

"Aren't any of you listening? Seung Hyun is taking the only path in the Abyss that can let him go, without Death's permission, but to cross it he has to pay a price. And that price is his life. He has to pay by the years that he has lived. Seung Hyun would never be born at the rate that he is going," Hye Yoon looked down, "He is only one thousand five hundred, and others with more life than him have gone in and never come out the other end.  So please, I need a place where I can concentrate and send my years to him, as many as possible," 

Dami sighed, "Is this some sort of joke or lie for you to get into our castle?" she asked, baring her fangs. 

Hye Yoon flinched back, shaking her head. "I really do want to help," 

"We can't be sure that you are not lying though, so we can't trust you," Young Bae said. He was more used to being the older brother figure amongst them, so when Dami stepped in and treated him like a kid it bothered him a bit. But no matter what it was like one or the other would be overstepping the bounds that they felt were rightfully theirs. So the fact that Young Bae was taking charge made Dami push him back so she was in front, taking the lead. Young Bae growled, but held back from snapping at her when Seungri clung to his side, grabbing his arm tightly. Daesung himself hid slightly behind Young Bae. The other two were used to Young Bae, but not to Dami.

“We can’t trust you, so we will do things on our terms. After all, innocent until proven guilty, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.” Dami said, baring her fangs as she glared, “but if you are lying and are to back stab us, I won’t hesitate to kill you,”

“Why would I do that when I love you?” Hye Yoon asked, seeming hopeless.

Dami’s eyes widened slightly.

“You’re going to let her come into our home?” Seungri asked, shocked at what he was hearing.

“Dami, we can’t just” Young Bae started to protest.

“Shut up!” Dami snapped turning to them, “This is the best lead that we’ve got in any of these days, if we are going to help Ji Yong and Seung Hyun reunite, we are going to have to take some risks!” she hissed . The three stayed silent. This was the first time that they had noticed the worry shinning in Dami’s eyes. She was worried about all of them, and even Ji Yong whom she had yet to meet because he was asleep, and Seung Hyun whom was gone and no longer here. “Come Hye Yoon,” Dami said, and then turned to her brothers. “Seungri, set the room in the attic, Daesung, bring blood and food, Young Bae, and help me secure her so she is restrained,”

The brothers quickly moved to do as they were told, and in a matter of minutes had Hye Yoon in the center of their cluttered attic, sitting in a chair with her hands and legs tied. Hye Yoon felt her heart squeeze, as she looked down at her Deity, scared at Dami’s actions. She had never treated her this way before. Her Deity looked at her with its dead blank eyes, and placed a hand on her lap—and Hye Yoon closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, and focusing on what she needed to do.

Seung Hyun! Listen to me, and focus on my voice. Please, let me give you more years!

Dami, Seungri, Young Bae, and Daesung quietly watched Hye Yoon for a while. Nothing happened at first, and Dami was getting impatient.

When suddenly a bluish bright light started to surround Hye Yoon, slowly going from the soles of her feet up to the very top of her head, and her head dropped back. The sight of her long neck made a sort of memory of it flash in her mind, and caused her heart to speed up. Hye Yoon then parted her lips, gasping, and her eyes drew open, glowing a deep blue.

Seungri, Young Be, and Daesung watched in awe, but Dami was starting to feel scared and worried about the girl in front of her, but she still didn’t know why!

Why?

How long had he been running? It felt like just a few minutes...no maybe it had been nothing but a few seconds. 

Seung Hyun had qucikly learned that when you were running down this path, it was like you had entered a whole other realm. There was no sense of time here, no beginning no end- everything just was. Even himself, he could feel himself just being there. There was no way to tell how many years he had lost already. There was no way of telling how old he was now. 

The last time that he had checked, he had been...about one thousand five hundred...at least he thinks. He couldn’t be sure. He never celebrated his birthday, and it just didn’t seem to matter to him.

But now he really was not sure how old he was, where he was, or where he was going. The only thing that he had pegged himself to be focused on was Ji Yong's name, and that alone kept him moving forward. Seung Hyun looked down at his hands, wondering why every step he took felt heavier, and why his lungs felt so squeezed. But to him his hands looked the same as always. The same size, and shape- of a grown up- Seung Hyun closed his eyes for a few seconds, willing himself not to fall asleep...

His mind fuzzed over, and he felt dizziness settle in the center of his head, making him want to drop in his exhaustion, and when he opened his eyes once again, he was in a ghost town. 

It looked like a desert, and he was standing right in the center of some train tracks. Seung Hyun took in the wooden cabins around him, looking everywhere, when all of a sudden, he heard loud ringing. He then noted the flashing red lights on each side of him, and then the heavy sound of the train making his way towards him, rapidly. But if it was coming from his left or his right, he was not sure. He moved to jump out of the way, but found that his body was moving slow towards his own thoughts. Who had made everything go so slow motion? Seung Hyun struggled, moving his body as he tried to get away.

He took the time to look to the side to where the sound of the train had just gotten louder, and now he could see it. It was heading his way, moving a lot faster than he was. His hand made a grab for the red and white stripped bar, and he pulled forward, dropping down to his knees as he felt his bones lock. Pain ripped through his muscles, and Seung Hyun crumbled forward, falling from the side of the railings, until he was falling down the slopped hill. The train zoomed past him, and Seung Hyun felt his heart thundered when all of a sudden things sped up, and he was rolling down the rocky hill, with large stones jabbing into his stomach, hips, ribs, and then his face. Seung Hyun felt the pain slowly come, and then slowly ebb itself away again as he sat up once more. 

Seung Hyun rubbed his face, trying to get the dirt out of his eyes and he looked around himself once more. The ground underneath him was warm, but the sun above him was hot and blazing. From the other end, there were waves of heat rising from the ground and Seung Hyun found himself getting to his feet. He wasn't sweating, but he was starting to feel warm- and his mouth was drier than before. 

Focus, he told himself, as he started to walk forward once again. Seung Hyun started to move through the sun baked world, breathing even faster, and swallowing thickly- as he noticed- his own blood. He dared to look back just once more, and the world around him had started to fade away. There was no way of going back there, and Seung Hyun feared that he was about to fade with that world if he didn’t keep moving forward.

Ji Yong…

Death chewed on his lower lip while his hands remained balled at his side. It had been exactly five days since Seung Hyun had left to his journey through the path. The path took fifteen days to complete- no more and no less. In that time Seung Hyun had lost a thousand years of his life. If he lost one thousand years in just five days, there was no way that Seung Hyun was going to pull through the whole fifteen days. It was amazing really, how he had made it so far already. 

Others would be going in circles and not moving forward at all at this point, wasting time- well their years- going in circles. But although Seung Hyun had his tumbles and small moments, he kept moving forward, and Death found himself silently cheering him on. Life sat beside him, watching as well. "I wish he wasn't going through this," Death mumbled. “His pain is killing me, my baby,”

"There’s nothing either of us can do now, Seung Hyun is on his own," Life whispered. After all, the path was built as a medium between Life and Death- something beyond their control to balance the world. There was always an opposite, or an obstacle, no matter whom you are.  

Death sadly looked down, "He's going to vanish, isn't he? There is no way that he could go the next ten days on just five hundred years,"

"Four hundred and fifty," Life corrected, keeping track of Seung Hyun’s years.

Death groaned, bringing his hands up to his ears. "Can't you say something more cheerful instead?" 

"Sorry," Life smiled, suddenly he felt a pull in his chest. He looked down at the sphere, and at Seung Hyun. “Wait,” he said.

Death turned to look at him, “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Seung Hyun is gaining years,” Life said, “Rapidly,”

“How many?” Death excitedly asked.

“He’s one thousand once more…” and the years kept adding on. Life shook his head, and turned towards Death, “This could be a miracle, but,”

Death stood up, “I know,” and he left. Death was being called to work.

Reapers all around were cheering as the fight with the goblins had become a never ending battle that both Ha Yi and Dong Wook felt no longer capable of winning. Hope had been hurt in the progress, it’s light flickering every now and then as Ha Yi held on to it. The goblins were giving them no room to rest, and they had to build up their defenses. Dong Wook glanced at Ha Yi, worry filling him so badly. He didn’t want to see her any more hurt. Taking a deep breath, he moved closer to her.

“Ha Yi, leave- Get to Seung Hyun in another way. I will stop them from following you and then be right behind you,” Dong Wook urged.

“There is no way that you can fight all of them!” Ha Yi snapped, fear filling her. She didn’t want to leave Dong Wook’s side.

“You’re going to have to!” he gave her a stern look. Ha Yi flinched back slightly, before shaking her head.

“We do this together,”

“If we both die, then there is no way that we are going to help the ones that we love.” He reminded her. Ha Yi looked sad as she looked down. There had to be another way! All the cheering reapers suddenly fell silent, and they all seemed to take a step back. Death was standing at the center now, looking angered. The goblins bowed at Death, while Ha Yi and Dong Wook were shocked at how much he looked like Ji Yong.

“What is going on here?” Death asked.

“We’re here to save Seung Hyun!” Dong Wook proudly said.

Death shook his head. “You’re too late, he is no longer here. He escaped.”

“What?”

Death looked at both battered vampires and smiled softly. “When the time comes, take care of him.” he flicked his fingers, and transferred both Ha Yi and Dong Wook out onto earth. Once there, Ha Yi fell to the ground on her knees, wondering what had just happened.

“What did he mean, omo, Seung Hyun,” she slammed her hands on the ground. The opening to the Abyss was closed to them now. Ha Yi was about to say something else when she heard a thud. She turned around to see what it was, and saw Dong Wook on the ground, clutching his side. Hope in her arms worriedly flicked over to him. “Dong Wook, what is wrong?” Ha Yi asked.

“Ha Yi…” he whispered.

“He’s been bitten,” Hope said, revealing the bite marks near Dong Wook’s waits and hip.”The poison is slowly killing him,”

“No…” Ha Yi reached for Dong Wook, pulling his head into her chest. “He can’t die!” she cried. Hope watched her.

“The poison is slowly killing him, unless you have a way of taking it out of him. I have no doubt that Death let him go because it’s not yet his time. So save him, Ha Yi.” Ha Yi nodded her head and started to think. How was she going to save Dong Wook?

Within the last two days, Dami had seen Hye Yoon just sit there, with the blue light surrounding her, but nothing seemed to have changed. Sure, she could tell that something was happening while Hye Yoon was in transition, but nothing much had changed. She was not sure what she was doing- or if what she was doing was working, but no one was allowed to disturb her. Despair wouldn’t let them. So they just all sat back and watched. During this tedious time, Dami had started to get flashes back- of her old life- the one that she had lived as a spirit while her body slept- and she started to understand whom Hye Yoon was to her.

At the end of the second day she remembered her completely, and dread filled her. If she had known, she would have never let Hye Yoon do this. She would have asked if there was another way to help Seung Hyun, but now it was too late.  

Watching her closely she started to see that she was becoming younger, in a way. Hye Yoon was regressing rapidly by the beginning of the third day- Hye Yoon was nothing but a five year old now. The light around her stopped by Despair, whom held her in place.

The years had completed and sent to Seung Hyun.

But was it going to be enough?

Dami could see that Daesung, Young Bae, and Seungri were surprised by how small the girl had turned, but neither of them moved from were they were seated in the bunch of stacked boxes. Dami rushed to Hye Yoon, and grabbed the small, weak girl, pressing her close to her chest. “Hye Yoon?” she asked, shaking the girl in her arms. She could hear her brothers standing to get a better look, but she didn’t turn around to look at them.

“So she sent her years to Seung Hyun-hyung?” Seungri asked, “But I still don’t get it” The young vampire looked around, “How is this going to help with bringing Seung Hyun-hyung back?”

Dami huffed, and stood up, with Hye Yoon still in her arms. “You three need to calm down and understand that everything is going to be fine,” she glared at them. “I’ll go get Gummy to check that Hye Yoon is alright.” She said.

Young Bae scoffed, “There is nothing that Gummy-noona can do for her,”

“What?” Dami asked, looking at him with anger.

“That’s right,” Daesung said, “She couldn’t even help Seung Hyun-hyung. Reapers are a species of their own, or at least that is what I heard,”

“When did she say this?” Seungri asked.

Daesung and Young Bae didn’t answer him. They didn’t want Dami to know that they had asked Gummy to let them know what she knew about Reapers, since she had treated Seung Hyun. But no, they didn’t need Dami to know that they were trying to figure out more about Seung Hyun and trying to escape to bring him back. They had, after all, learned from the best – Kwon Ji Yong- when it came to escaping and finding things around the Dark Castle.

“I’ll ask Gummy myself,” Dami said, feeling more frustrated. But she didn’t let Hye Yoon go. She needed her to wake up, so she could ask her what had happened when she had left, and went away. But even when she reached to medical room and Hye Yoon was placed in a bed, and looked over- she didn’t wake up.

And that worried Dami even more.