It seems as though this chapter was deleted when the site was down... No worries, though! Re-posting it right now. :) I'll place the comment replies with the next chapter, which should be up by Saturday or Sunday. If it isn't, you guys have the right to flood my wall.

Myungsoo was exhausted. He had flown all over the city that night, sticking letters on the bed posts of all who knew about him. First stop was at Sungyeol’s place, followed by Moonsoo and then Daeyeol. He had his charm on the whole time so that none of them would see. But when he got to Hoya’s place, the last stop, he found him awake, and was staring at him as he entered through the open window.

“What’re you here for?” Hoya inquired, gesturing with a nod of his head for the younger boy to sit. Myungsoo obeyed, and did so quite awkwardly. It wasn’t until Hoya cleared his throat that he realized that he was to tell him something; that he was here for a reason.

“I’m leaving.” He said simply. “How long?” Hoya returned, tone a bit too casual for the seriousness the topic actually held. “Too long.” Myungsoo muttered, heaving a sigh.

“I want you to take care of her for me.” The angel requested. Hoya nodded. “I always have.” Myungsoo smiled softly, relief dotting the sadness in his eyes. “That’s why I trust you.” He said ruefully. “Make her happy.”

“I will.”

“Don’t let her cry over me.”

“I promise.”

“And... If it’s not too much, could you give her this?”

Myungsoo pulled out a small velvet box. “There are blanks in the memories of my past life, but I most definitely remember getting this. I would’ve proposed to her with this very ring.” He opened the box to reveal a silver ring, an infinity sign on the place that most engagement rings would have a gem. It glinted in the light of the moon. “I may have been seventeen at the time, but I somehow knew that she would be with me in the future - that we were infinite. Not like this, though. I never thought it would be this way.” He laughed bitterly, tears forming in his eyes, more spilling over his cheeks even as he tried to hold it in. “We were meant to love. But we weren’t meant to stay. Life is truly the cruelest reality we’ll ever have to face. And what the most, is that from the moment my heart started to beat, I’ve been living a ‘life’.”

“I don’t have any words to say to comfort you.” Hoya murmured regretfully. Myungsoo smiled through his tears. “It’s fine. I need to be off now.”

He stood quickly, wavering at the sudden motion. He placed the velvet box carefully in Hoya’s hand. “Don’t forget. Please.”

The older boy nodded solemnly, watching Myungsoo’s figure disappear out the window.

*

Myungsoo fell asleep in his old home, his charm still on in case Moonsoo decided to check his room for no reason at all. But when he woke up, he was in a completely different place.

All he could see ahead was a completely straight path, the sides lined with tall hedges the reached up to a height so high that he could only be as tall as it if Sungyeol stood on his head (which he didn’t want to try). He sighed. He missed Sungyeol.

It was a dead end behind him, so he had no choice but to move forward. He took one step forward, and the hedge behind him moved as he did. He took deep breaths, trying to keep his heartbeat normal. It would do him no good to get anxious now.

Myungsoo took cautious steps forward, looking left and right although there was nothing but a hedge to look at. Was this a dream? He had never been here before, though, and as far as he knew, a person could only dream of things they’ve seen before.

Don’t let your mind deny it. You cannot afford stupidity now that you’re here. A voice whispered, so softly he could barely hear it. “Now that I’m where?!” He shouted when he couldn’t find the source of the voice. It sounded so much like Jangmi.

You have entered the gateway. The voice said, not answering his question. It is common knowledge that all those who lived to tell how they entered were brought in when they are least prepared. Although, in your case, you seemed to have been given a slight consideration. Myungsoo was beyond confused. What was this woman talking about?

He walked faster, trying to block out the voice, but ultimately failing. It’s your chance of saving her. Myungsoo stopped dead in his tracks. By ‘her’, did she mean... Jangmi?

Your first and last chance. Your only chance. Now, where in any of the realms existent, would you be given nothing but choices, mind-battles and chances?

That’s when it hit him.

He was in the Maze of Chance.

*

He had gotten over the initial shock a long while ago, and was trying as hard as he could to calmly walk the straight path ahead. He was expecting traps and ambushes to pop out with every step he took, but nothing happened. This confused him.

It felt like a million years had gone by when he finally reached a clearing. There was nothing but grass, grass and... more grass.

Open your eyes. A voice said gently. He furrowed his eyebrows. His eyes were open. Open your eyes. The voice repeated more sternly. He looked around more carefully.

He noticed that his vision was slightly fogged up. Like there was a wall of mist in front of his eyes. He concentrated on breaking the barrier, scrunching his face up in order to focus more.

Myungsoo could hear something that sounded much like glass breaking, and his sight was much clearer now. He could see a little house standing in the middle of the field, of which the grass was now yellow.

Enter. The voice commanded, and he did.

*

“Welcome.” A lady greeted him with a smile as he entered. “You must be Myungsoo. Winter Angel, yes?” He nodded his head. He didn’t even bother questioning how she knew that. “I am Angelia. A daughter of the God of messengers, or as I prefer to call it, angels.”

Myungsoo froze. This was her; the only one who could take his wings off. “And I know what you have come here for. You need your wings to be... Err, removed. I may do just that right now, but tell me, boy, why should I? I believe that is something we have in common. We do nothing unless there is a good cause.”

“I... Don’t you already know the answer?” He asked. “I do.” She confirmed. “But the facts have been translated to match my level of understanding. I need to hear it in your own words.”

He couldn’t concentrate with her voice sounding like Jangmi’s. He took a deep breath. “Why must you assume her voice? It’s making it difficult for me.” She smiled. “I’m afraid that I have no control over that. My voice sounds how you hear it. It’s not in the manner in which I deliver my voice, but rather, it’s in the manner of which you hear it. Now, answer my question.”

“I’ve still one more question.” He said. “Yes?”

He stared at her, eyes not wavering. “All throughout the time I’ve been here, no traps were activated. It was almost... To easy to get here. May I know why?”

“You’re a very lucky one, compared to the others, you know. This place is technically a dream space. It is very much real, but very illusive. Do you know that you’re presently in more than one place?” She asked, a glint in her eyes.

He furrowed his eyebrows. “More than one place? But how?” He echoed. “You are immortal. All immortals have this ability. When a mortal dreams of an immortal, part of the latter’s spirit stays with the dream. Because you are not fully here, nothing apart from other immortals can harm you. So, simply put, she’s dreaming of you right now.

“Now,” She said more sternly. “If you would please answer my question.”

“Well...” He began awkwardly. “There’s this girl...”

“There’s always a girl.” She put in teasingly. He smiled. “Well, she means... Everything to me.” He said slowly, choosing his words with care. It probably won’t do him any good to sound like a greasy romantic.

“Everything?”

“Everything.” He confirmed. “I was assigned to look over her until her death, which I would be the cause of and I just... couldn’t. She was my girlfriend before I died, and, selfish as it is, I wouldn’t want to experience what she did. So if I manage to get out of this, I’ll wish for her to be freed.” He realized that he hadn’t breathed during his explanation and was now breathing rather hard. “I see.” Angelia said, standing. Myungsoo winced when he felt a firm tug on his wings. “Ready?”

Myungsoo nodded.

“I want you to think of her.” She murmured, hands beginning to glow yellow. “This is going to hurt.”

*

Jangmi shot up from her bed as an agonizing scream sounded in her head, interrupting her dream of her and Myungsoo’s first date. Her eyes darted everywhere around the room, but she saw no one. The ring Hoya had given her – which he swore was from Myungsoo – seemed to be burning her finger.

She could feel something painful tugging at her heart, and at that moment, she knew what was going on.

“That idiot...” She muttered through the tears that begun to fall.

*

Pain.

Everything hurt.

Myungsoo felt as though there was some (a lot) of weight missing on his back, and when he attempted to stand from the cot he was lying on, he found himself clumsily trying to maintain balance.

“A side effect.” A voice said regretfully. “You passed out from the pain.” Angelia informed.

“No crap.” Myungsoo muttered, sarcasm dripping from his voice. She studied his posture carefully before nodding to the door.

“You’re free to go. And remember, keep your eyes open.”

*

He saw through the mist of which his eyes were covered with. When he stepped outside, he could see that path where he came from dark, eerie, and he was really glad that he didn’t see that on the way.

Another path stretched to his right, and he cautiously went through it, remembering to go slowly as not to lose balance.

Because there was no mist, he could see many other paths, but with a block on all of them. Had the mist still been there, those might’ve been open. He went straight through the rest of the maze, until he reached a large wooden door. He took a deep breath and gave the door a gentle push.

The fragrant breeze that enveloped him was nothing he had ever smelled before. It was sickeningly sweet, and he covered his nose in disgust. Flowers of all kinds of colors dotted the meadow. A single petal surrounding the center of the flower, just like he imagined.

He treaded the path carefully, looking for the yellow flower, the single plant that he treaded the whole maze for, had his wings ripped off for and that he had to leave Jangmi for. When he finally caught sight of it, he felt like jumping and squealing for joy (and he didn’t do squealing). Slowly, as if it were made of glass, he picked it up, said his wish and named his sacrifice.

As the world begun to fade to black, he could see pale shimmers in the air, beginning to drift away to nowhere.

And he knew it had been done.

*