A little past afternoon, judging from the light pouring through the low-hanging clouds, we found it.

                It was not a rock. It was an enormous boulder, about 10 feet in height, and could have fit 25 persons stuck closely together. Its shape is a triangle considerably disfigured but nonetheless, it displayed a round tip that points to the sky. The boulder's color is whitish gray underneath a thick pile of snow. If not for its size, the boulder would have looked like any other boulder: nothing extraordinary, nothing really flashy. However, I felt it, it draws me, for reasons I cannot understand. With the help of Kai’s wind duire, the snow was all swept away, making it easier for us to check the whole deal. The others questioned me if I’m sure this was it. I couldn’t tell them that someone hinted about the location, so I just insisted and surely, when I held out my wrist, there it is, the absolute proof: a silver bracelet turned purely gold.

                The others surveyed the boulder. Tao, being the greatest of them all in jumping from place to place, went to the top to look. I kept palming the rock and even put my ear close to it. I couldn’t hear anything nor can I feel something powerful. It’s just pure hard and rough, almost like it couldn’t have anything. So much for a medallion. I was about to doubt if this is really it and not just some sick trick, when I heard Tao speak.

                “There are markings…” Tao yelled from above. “But I can’t read it.”

                “Help me up,” Kyungsoo called out to him.

                Tao reached to the side and with his duire, turned his red ribbon into a rope. D.O. climbed slowly, and when he was a little bit closer, Tao pulled him by the hand. There was silence for some seconds and then we heard Kyungsoo speaking. “Ancient duirean writings. They almost look like hieroglyphs if I don’t know better.”

                Then, both of them jumped back down, rolling on the ground. Kai and Sehun both helped them go back up their own feet.

                “This is the place,” Kyungsoo finally confirmed. “Though I don’t see any entrance.”

                “We have to wait,” I said and all of them looked at me. I didn’t give any explanation. “It would have to be at night. Let’s settle down first.”

                And so we did. Xiumin and Chanyeol laid down the tent, not really setting it up, but just to put a place for us to sit without getting ourselves cold. Tao settled in a tree again, guarding the perimeter. Kyungsoo is sitting beside me as always, but he has his eyes closed like he’s trying to search for what his duire can see. Luhan and Kai are still both standing up, though they are a bit far apart from each other. They were both roaming around and I can see that Luhan’s eyebrows are furrowed. Kai’s expression remained as stoic as usual. Sehun was lying down, like he’s trying to sleep. This kid, how can he be so carefree? Chanyeol sat beside Kyungsoo, watching as Kris and Xiumin made an agreement to train.

                Train, yes, we need all the training we can get. I doubt we can get out of this unscathed.

                Luhan kept pacing, almost as if he’s searching for something.

                “What’s wrong?” I asked him, worried that he’s not feeling good.

                “Nothing…I just feel restless,” he looked at me and I can see what he means. His mark is threatening to glow. “I don’t understand. We’ve been traveling for several days and not one enemy is appearing. But they are certainly around. I don’t get why they are not attacking us even if we’ve found the place.”

                True. I’ve been wondering that myself.  Are they really not doing anything or are they moving secretly behind our backs, waiting for the right time to surprise us?

                “Or maybe, I’m just being paranoid,” he said, giving out a small smile to me.

                “No,” Kai suddenly spoke. “They are certainly around.”

                Coming from Kai, then that is a little bit surer. He can sense them better than any of us. He is as sharp as a hawk’s eye when sensing danger or an upcoming attack. I can see that by now.

                From beside me, Kyungsoo suddenly moved, and when I looked at him, I can see that he’s worried too. “Something’s going to go wrong. There’s something powerful in there. We have to keep our guards up.”

                “Powerful what?” I asked, though I don’t really want to know.

                “Something ancient, Mi Yeon…” he said as the mark on his forehead glows. “And a lot of other things. I can’t really see. I feel like my mind’s being blocked. And I can’t see the enemy as always, but I can feel that they are not going to attack right now or even when night falls. As for the reason, I do not know too.”

                “Call Tao back,” I asked Luhan. “Tell him there’s no need to guard. We need to stay close, everyone of us.”

                Luhan nodded at me and went off. I watched his back for a while, a little bit concerned as that stupid thing I heard Ji Hye said in my head kept coming back like a disease spreading through my veins.

I wished I know what she’s talking about, the same thing concerning the matter with Kai. Talking about him, though, I can see that he’s not planning to sit down. He’s still staring out in the open, watching for any signs of unwanted movement.

                I cleared my thoughts of anything. I need to be mentally strong too, and physically if I can help it. I know by now that any fantasy of getting the medallion easily is not going to come true. There definitely would be some obstacles, but we just simply have to get it. At least, before the enemy does.

                The light is slowly fading, and my nervousness is slowly creeping up. I looked up at the sky. We have to wait for the moon to reach its peak, so that means by midnight. I wonder what will happen then? Would scary things just appear in front of us? Will the medallion show itself?

                Tao returned behind Luhan, and even before I could ask them if they’d like to sit down, they also went practicing like Xiumin and Kris. Kyungsoo had his eyes closed again, concentrating and maybe clearing his mind like me. The idiot, Sehun is just dozing off but from where his hands are down, I can see that his turning them to ice.

                Everyone of them is concentrating and I’m starting to feel useless once again. If there’s a perfect time to realize my duire, it is now. I raised up my hands in front of my face again, trying to look for something in them. As always, I’ve produced weak red sparks, like electricity gone faulty. Even that, I can’t control.

                I’m about to get pissed off once again and forget it when I suddenly remembered myself thinking before that I think I got stronger. Eversince I met with that Lay, I feel strange things with my body, like there’s something that wants to get out. I’ve been feeling more restless too, like I always want to keep moving. Would this be about my duire? The others are telling me also that they always feel like they are seeing a burst of red light around me, but when they look closely, it just fades out, like they’re just imagining it. But then, it seems to happen most often now. I know I can emit that red light, but I never made it happen by will. It sort of just does.

                How about trying now?

                I fixed the way I sit and put my hands on each lap, concentrating hard. I don’t even know what to think. I let my thoughts wander until it find itself stuck with the memory of Seijira when we met. His human form, to be exact. He was godly, as any powerful creature would definitely be. I remember how his eyes are shining bright, like there’s something gold about his pupil. I remember how his hair turned gold to red to its tips. I remember him saying that he is me…and then stepping inside me, like a spirit that binds itself to my soul willingly…like it’s destined…like we really are one…

                That’s when I felt a harsh tugging inside my body, it was almost painful and yet feels somewhat good. I fisted my hands and I heard something whisper to me in a voice that feels like my own and yet entirely different, “I’ve been waiting.”

                And then my chest pumped and I could see red light all around me, lining my figure. I looked around, trying to see if anyone had noticed. I feel somewhat strong and powerful and mighty…so strong…uncontrollably strong…painfully strong…

                And then my eyes start to water, my back hurts, I can feel my self shaking…

                And then suddenly, as soon as it came, it went gone, like I imagined the pain, and you know you can’t do that.

                “I know what you did…” I turned to my left and saw Kyungsoo with his eyes still closed. “Don’t summon powers that are too powerful for your body to take, Mi Yeon. You might end up burning yourself.”

                I was about to ask how he knew but I stopped myself. Of course, D.O. knows everything that goes around. I shook my head. I can’t seem to shake the pain I felt though it’s nowhere to be found anymore. It felt terrible…but comforting…how can something be so contradicting?

                I stood up, feeling more restless than ever. That’s when I felt my back hurt so much. I was about to hit the ground, when Chanyeol who was just getting up too saw me and helped me to my knees. What the hell? Why my back? It felt like its throbbing, like someone stabbed me.

                “Yah,” Chanyeol said. “Are you okay?”

                “Mi Yeon?” Kyungsoo was also on his feet now, looking at me. When I looked at him, I accidentally saw my hands sending out sparks again.

                “Just okay,” I told Chanyeol, smiling, but my back is really killing me. Nonetheless, I pushed myself upright.

                “Did you encounter something you’re not telling us?” D.O. suddenly said. I whipped my head to look at him. Now, how does he know that?

                “Like what?” I decided to play innocent.

                “Anything, I don’t know…” he said. “Your duire seems to be getting out of control lately. I’ve been monitoring you. It just goes on and off. Sometimes too strong…sometimes close to the edge.”

                “I don’t know…” I’m being truthful, but not completely. “I’m just feeling weird lately…but it’s still not coming out anyway.”

                “It’s worrisome,” he admitted. “It’s so strong and I don’t have any idea why there’s no sign of it coming out.”

                “Maybe, I just need a little more push,” I said thoughtfully.

                “Maybe…but we shouldn’t be impatient,” he said, sitting back down. “In any case, try to control your mind, Mi Yeon.”

                I didn’t know what to react to that, so I just kept quiet. Chanyeol kept looking at me even after that small exchange, so I spoke to him, “wanna practice? let’s see how fast you can change forms.”

                “Sure, why not?” he answered back, grinning at me before leading me to a soft expanse of field  no one is currently using.

………………………………………………..

                Night fell and the moon has risen. It has turned more eerie and quieter in the area, like no animal would even dare to step in the perimeter. I was back to sitting and staring at the boulder. I don’t have any idea how many more hours we should wait since none of us really have a watch. My gaze shifts alternately to the moon back to the rock. I can’t help it. I keep feeling something’s going to happen soon.

                All of my warriors are just around. Kai started another fire to keep us warm for the meantime. All their marks are glowing, like they too can’t stay still.

                It is a full moon, tonight and I don’t know if that is a good omen. The sky is dark blue, and thank Seijira it’s not snowing. We don’t need any more catastrophe.

                Luhan sat beside me now and put his arms around me. It felt absolutely comforting.

                “Nervous?” he asked, as he always do whenever we have to face something.

                “Yeah…” I admitted.

                “You’ll come out alive,” he assured me.

                “We’ll all come out alive,” I corrected him. He didn’t bother arguing with me and just smiled.

                I looked at him and tuck myself closer to him, hugging his waist. I feel scared for the others, I don’t mind if something happens to me because this is my sworn duty, but them…they don’t need to die protecting me.

                “Save your thoughts,” Luhan said.

                “What? Can you read minds now as well?” I lightly joked.

                Luhan flicked my forehead. “Knowing you, your head would be swarming of bad thoughts.”

                “Tss…” I made a sound. “Lulu…”

                He hates it when people call him that, I’ve noticed whenever Sehun does. But he didn’t react badly when I did. Maybe he likes me that much?

                “Say Luhan…” I said. This has been the most comfortable we’ve spent together in so many days. It seems like the time we had at the hotel was ages ago. “Are you hiding something from me?”

                Luhan looked at me and fixed me with his gaze. I felt uncomfortable but I stared back at him.

                “Why are you asking?” he said. He has the same reaction with Kai, I noted in my head.

                “Nothing,” I said. “I just wanted to ask.”

                I felt guilty when I asked him.

                “But it doesn’t matter,” I quickly added. “I trust you anyway.”

                “I told you before,” he said. “You trust people too much.”

                “And you said you can’t complain, because you’re benefitting from it,” I said, remembering the little conversation we had before.

                “True,” he said and even in the moonlight, I can see how soft his brown eyes are and they are looking at me. I felt myself turning to sponge. “And you’re forgetting one more thing I told you then.”

                “What?” racking my brain when all I can really think of is the way he’s touching my cheeks with his soft hands.

                “I said, I like you,” he said, melting me as simple as taking out ice cream from the refrigerator. His voice is just plain velvet. And then he kissed my forehead. “So it doesn’t matter.”

                “Honestly,” I said looking at him as he’s so close to me. I just can see his long eyelashes. “I really don’t know why someone like you would like me…you have so many fangirls in school, everyone’s dying to be with you…you look good yourself, you’re almost perfect…” I admitted, blushing at my words.

“And I’m just…me…”

                “Thank you,” he said, smirking, making my already-crazy heart palpitate. I didn’t know you think of me that way.” And then he kissed the tip of my nose, making me stop breathing. Is this guy seriously trying to give me a heart attack?

                “Do you think I’m joking?” I said, slightly frowning at him.

                “Are you doubting my sincerity?” he said, suddenly moving away and I immediately regretted it. What am I saying? I sound like an insecure freak. I looked down at my hands.

                “I’m