We rode until dawn. Even though it was a turbulent ride, sometime along the way, I fell asleep. I thought it was a miracle I didn't fall off the horse, but when I woke, I found Hoya's hand wrapped around my own, keeping me sturdily in place. It was warm.

The horse slowed to a trot, and I looked up to see a towering black gate. It unnerved me. I wondered again just where this strange person was taking me, and I stared back the way we came, wondering how different things may be if I had made a break for it and picked my way back to civilization. Something about all the people I've been meeting recently seemed... off.

But Hoya rode straight up to the gate before stopping and peering upward. I followed suit, but the top of the gate was so high up that I couldn't even see its end. Then Hoya reached down and produced a small curved horn from his utility belt, and blew loudly into it.

At his signal, there was a strange whizzing sound, and I realized in panic that an arrow was headed straight towards us.

"Gah!" I shrieked, covering my head in panic and falling off the horse. But Hoya kept his cool, caught the arrow, and swiftly pulled his bow from his back and shot it back up the way it came! Then he looked down at me and smirked coolly.

"How?!... How did you do that??"

He chuckled, dismounting himself from the horse and reaching a hand down to me. "All part of my Skill."

I frowned. There it was again. That word 'skill'. I made a mental note to find out what that meant. Then, I took his hand and let him pull me up, just as the massive gate opened and allowed our entry. I guess shooting arrows at visitors was a normal thing here.

I walked with him into a bustling town center. Women with headscarves pushed past, carrying baskets of fruit or water on their heads or hips. Men stood about, talking or haggling over the prices of the food stands. Different types of animals, ducks, chicken, and the occasional hog or sheep, scattered about the market floor, only just moving away as we neared. I heard the faint tinkle of a flute being played somewhere. And I was suddenly struck with just how... medieval it all seemed.

Wasn't it still 2015?

"FISH! FRESH FISH FROM SORI! GET YOUR FISH HERE WHILE IT LASTS!" a street vendor called to us.

"Oh, I love fish," Hoya muttered to himself, thinking. He neared the vendor. "How much for one?"

"Fifty dollars."

My jaw almost hit the ground. Fifty dollars?! 

Even Hoya looked put off, which, for once, was something that made sense to me. "Yahhh... isn't that too much? Dari up the street would only sell it for forty!"

I ogled him. Forty dollars?! Nevermind about Hoya finally making sense.

"Times are rough and a man's gotta make a living," the vendor said. Then, his eyes narrowed, and he studied my companion. "Say... aren't you Hoya the Warrior?"

I felt him stiffen beside me. "Yes," he answered shortly. Warrior?, I thought.

The vendor then turned his discerning gaze towards me. "And who's she?" he asked Hoya. His look was so intense that I turned my eyes to the ground.

"Her name is Suni. Another warrior, from Provi," he lied. I shot him a glance, but his face was serious and, honestly, convincing.

"But where's all her gear?" the vendor asked.

"Lost it in a raid. We're here to buy some back."

The vendor slowly nodded, still staring considerably at me. Finally, he turned back to Hoya. "You fought against the Syndicate in Busan, didn't you?"

Hoya nodded.

"My kid brother died in that battle. Ken, from Dagu. He always did speak highly of you."

"I knew him. He was a brave fighter. Good kid. Funny, too."

The vendor nodded slowly. Then, he went back into his stall. When he returned, he offered us a wrapped package. "For your service, and for helping my brother. Two of our best fish. On the house."

Hoya took it with a bow. "Kumawoyo," he said.

The vendor nodded, never once smiling. He stared at me once more. Then, slowly, he turned away from us.

"Kaja," Hoya said. "Let's get you to Jjang. Before you draw any more attention."

So many questions swirled in my head. But Hoya didn't seem to have time to wait for them. He led the way and, obediently, I followed.

*******

We walked all the way through town to its very edge. We stopped at a decrepit old building with a beat-up wooden sign hanging from its eaves that simply read "TAVERN." The path continued past the building, up a few long and steep flights of steps. I followed them and noticed that they led up to some very palatial-looking buildings at the top of the hill.

Hoya led his horse to the building's adjoining stable, tied him up, and fed him a couple apples from his sack. Then, he turned to me and motioned that we enter the tavern.

"Keep your head down," he ordered. "And don't say anything until I say it's alright to speak."

I nodded, suddenly fearing his meaning.

The tavern was packed with tunic-wearing men, sitting at long tables in forlorn conversation as they each sipped at a giant pint of beer. It was dimly lit inside, dingy in its own way, and each person seemed to be some level of dirty. I noticed at once that there wasn't a single other girl there, save for a heavy-set middle-aged woman bartending, so when I passed, the men look up at me in interest.

Hoya confidently charged forward and took a seat at the bar. He invited me to sit next to him. The bartender looked to him affectionately, like a mother seeing her son.

"Omo! Our Hoya has returned!" She immediatey set about filling him a drink. It seemed he was a regular. "But Hoya, we were so nervous... We heard about your bout with the Syndicate in Busan. It's a miracle you came out alive!"

Another of the bartenders looked up and smirked proudly. "Of course my kid brother would survive! He's a Warrior, after all! Besides, I taught him everything I know with a sword. That alone should get him by."

"Aishh," the woman rolled her eyes. "What could an Alchemist like you possibly know about swordwork?!"

"Yah! At least I have a Skill!"

Hoya chuckled with their bickering. I watched, interest piqued. It always struck me as fascinating to meet people's family and old friends. Plus, Hoya had quite the charismatic grin.

"I'm actually here on business." Then, he leaned in to whisper. "I need to see Jjang."

The two behind the counter stopped playing around and looked at Hoya seriously. The woman nodded, then pulled another glass and turned her back to us. When she finished, she handed us a single glass of murky fluid.

"You remember the entrance?"

"Of course."

The woman then let her gaze slide to me. I could tell she wanted to ask who I was. But she didn't.

"Let's go." Hoya said. He rose from his stool, took the glass, and then made a show of taking my hand. I froze in slight alarm, but then realized that others in the bar were watching us. The look on his face willed me, play along.

"Ja. We'll head up to bed then," he announced loudly. A couple men chuckled in understanding. Then, I followed this stranger around the bar, through an unlocked door and up a dark flight of stairs. The door slammed shut behind us, and I suddenly felt fearful once more.

We ended up on a dark circular landing, where five different doors lay before us. He took the door to the far left, which led to a small bathroom. The flourescent light flickered on when we entered. It struck me as odd that this medieval world would have modern electricity. But then again, what did I know about this world?

He pulled me in after him, released my hand, and then promptly locked the door behind us. It should have scared me. But at this point, I found myself trusting this stranger. Far more, perhaps, than he deserved. Besides, I was burning to ask him some questions. But he had ordered me not to speak.

Swiftly, he downed half of the murky tonic. I watched his sharp jawline as he swallowed. Then, he wiped his lips and held the drink out for me.

"Here. Finish this." I took it slowly, nervous. "It burns a little, but otherwise, it's alright. We need to take it if we're going to go see Jjang. To quell our nerves. Otherwise, he'll think everything we say is a lie."

I eyed the liquid. It looked menacing. Then, I put the glass to my lips and sipped. A burning sensation immediately hit my throat and I wanted to sputter. But Hoya was watching, and on his direction, I finished the rest of the glass.

I coughed a bit once I finished. He smirked, patting my back. Then, he took the glass from me and reached inside. He pulled out a small key, which I didn't notice had been hiding in the murk.

"We need to wait to digest it a bit. In the meantime... you've been very quiet. Don't you have any questions for me?"

Of course!!, I wanted to shout. I hesitated... was I really okay to speak? And then, I let loose my tirade of questions.

"Where exactly are we?"

"A small town called Rivall."

"What are we doing here?"

"We need to see Jjang. He will give us direction."

"Who is Jjang?!"

"One of the leaders of the Rebellion."

"What rebellion?"

At that, Hoya finally frowned. "Do you really not know what's going on?"

"No... No, I don't."

"What really is the last thing you remember?"

"Like I said before. I was with Sunggyu. My fiance."

At the name, Hoya shuddered. It struck me as odd. I continued.

"We were downtown, in Seoul. We were on our way to work, and he was buying me coffee, and I was waiting at a street corner."

"Seoul?... But Seoul has been a desolated city for centuries. Unless--"

"Mwo?! I was just there! You said... didn't you say I was only in a coma for five days?"

"Not to mention, there's been a shortage of coffee for the past 20 years. It's only something that the super wealthy can buy on the black market..."

I frowned hard at him. "...HUH?!"

"Minji," he said, calling me by my name for the first time. "What year do you think it is. And where, vaguely, do you think we are?"

"2015. And aren't we somewhere in Korea?"

At that, Hoya finally hung his head, crumpling all the way to the ground where he held his face in his hands. "How could this be?" he finally muttered.

I was horrified. "W-why? What year is it?"

"It's 3001. And Korea has long been disbanded. The earth has moved enough that all of the former continent Asia has fused together. We are now one people, known rather unaffectionately as Sehae. Cheesily meaning 'New Year.'"

"But... but..."

I suddenly felt desperately lightheaded. I, too, crumpled to the floor. Was what he was saying true?? Everything I had ever known... my entire life, my family, Sunggyu... was it all lost? Is this reality? Or was it all a dream?

I willed myself to pass out, so that I could wake up from this nightmare and find myself once more in Sunggyu's tight embrace. I felt nauseous, and hoped that the consciousness will leave me. But it didn't. No matter how much I wanted otherwise, I stayed awake, sitting there across from this stranger, breathing in and out on a cold bathroom floor. I wondered if it was that murky liquid keeping me so steady.

"And this whole time, I thought you were playing dumb," he said.

I stared at him.

"What are 'skills'?"

"Chincha, doesn't even know Skills?" he muttered to himself. "About a tenth of the population has them. They are super-human characteristics, and there's a wide variety of them. If you have them, you're envied and cherished as an idol. So long as you use them for good. Many times, you're assigned a trade based on them."

"And you're a Warrior?"

"Yes, but that's my trade. Technically, my Skill is Speed. At least, my primary Skill is."

"You have two?"

"Neh. Most people who have Skills actually have two. Their primary one, which gets documented in the census and which everyone can see. And a secondary one, which is kept hidden from everyone else."

"What's your second Skill?"

At that, he grinned. "I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. But that wouldn't do anyone good."

I thought for a moment. What he said seemed a little weird, but I waved it off. There was still so much I needed to ask.

"What is a Syndicate?"

"The government. They're hell-bent on tearing down the Rebellion. If it was up to them, Sehae would be burned to the ground and re-built according to their standards. They are elitist, and they are led by a heartless, calculating man who scours the country and who seems to love to destroy. Just saying his name in front of Rebellion die-hards can get you killed."

I shivered. "Is he..."

"Neh. Kim Sunggyu," he said with a shudder.

Could it be... MY Kim Sunggyu?, I wondered. "Have you ever met him?"

Hoya smirked. "Yes. Once. He's the one who gave me this." Then, he undid the top of his tunic, holding it open so I can see his bare chest. There, right above his heart, was a violent scar, white on his tanned skin. From its shiny center, it radiated outward with crooked rays that looked like lightening.

"Omo!..." I gasped, staring at it. Then, without thinking, I reached up and touched it, tracing where each ray stretched outward toward his shoulder or the center of his chest. "What happened?!"

He chuckled. "That famous battle of Busan. That leader... he sure is brutal. It's withheld from the public census, but I'd bet my right hand that his primary Skill is Ruthlessness." He began closing up his tunic again. I immediately decided that it must be coincidence. My Kim Sunggyu was loving and charismatic. Sure, he was fiery and passionate, but also, quite level-headed. There was no way he could be tied to this evil leader of this alternate universe.

Could he?

"Any other questions?"

"Yes... who am I?"

Hoya smirked. "That's exactly what I was about to ask you." He finally stood, walking towards that first stall in the bathroom. "You... you really don't remember anything, do you? The last thing you want to do is lie to Jjang."

I shuddered, and then searched my thoughts. Blank.

"Well, then. Let's get us some answers." He pushed open the stall, stuck the key into a small otherwise-unnoticable hole in the wall, and turned it. I watched as suddenly the entire wall pushed forward, revealing a hidden passageway. I was immediatly struck with how wealthy it looked. The floors were a polished mahogany, the hallway was lit by candlelight, and the walls were lined with expensive-looking paintings that might as well have belonged in a gallery.

"Kaja. And like I said... mind what you say. Jjang is a good guy. But he could sniff out a lie like nobody's business."

Then, Hoya disappeared into the hallway. I blinked for a moment. Then, I made to follow him.

---

What's this?! An update posted less than 72 hours from the last one?! By golly I'm on a roll! I think it's because writing this story is so much fun. And also, I bought like 5 boxes of Pocky on sale the other day and it's become my writing fuel. No shame. Anyways, thanks for reading and subscribing! (^.^)