Eunhee is frustrated with me. 

   Luhan was certain of the fact. Normally, by this time, he would have approached her bedroom door and asked entrance so that he could spill out all that had happened during his visit into town. 
 
   But he hadn't. For he couldn't. No, he wouldn't tell Eunhee about what happened. He wouldn't tell her what led him to abandon her instructions in the first place.

   But he also couldn't leave her in the state she was in at the moment. He had detached his mind from hers ever since he had entered the palace, so she wouldn't be able to read what was he was thinking, which must have been frustrating her a great deal. Sighing, Luhan rolled off of his bed and left his bedroom. 
   
   The walk to Eunhee's room was rather silent. It shouldn't have bothered Luhan, for it was usually this quiet during his late night walks, but for some reason it did. Luhan could sense an aura of foreboding mystery in the air, and Luhan was never wrong about such things. 

   Never.

   Suddenly concerned, Luhan opened his mind for the first time since he'd entered the palace that day. 

   Eunhee? Eunhee, are you awake?

   There was no answer. Luhan realized, to his own dread, that he could not even feel Eunhee's mind anywhere, not in any sort of close distance. The only way Luhan wouldn't be able to touch the Princess's mind was if she was not in a stable distance from him. 

   Or if she were dead.

   Worry and fear attacking his mind, he began to kick at the door with his boot, causing its hinges to screech and crack in protest. He began to remember all of the times that Jaezinian assassins had crept into the castle in the past, almost succeeding in murdering the King. He remembered dead knights, blood on the the stairways, screams, fear -

   Eunhee!

   Finally, the door burst open and Luhan scrambled inside. 

   There was a human-sized lump atop the Princess's bed. If any other person but Luhan were to see such a visage, they would have slowly crept out of the room so as not to wake the slumbering princess. 

   But Luhan was not any other person.

   Already knowing fully well what he would see, Luhan approached the bed and tossed over the bedcovers to reveal a carefully placed array of pillows. Luhan felt his heart start to beat ever faster. 

   Eunhee...where have you gone...

   "You hellion! You satan child! How dare you walk back into this household and expect me to feed your sorry arse!"

   Chanyeol had finally returned to the house, the stench of ale emanating from every fiber of his being. At the moment, he was cowering behind Sehun, a fearful expression on his baby-like face. Kai was slightly amused at the scene, if he were to be honest with himself.

   "Do you suppose our family to be of royal ancestry? If not, why do you spend our money as if you are a prince?!" 

   Sehun looked rather horrified as Chanyeol hid behind his tall form. Kai was surprised as well. He hadn't thought such an old man could yell like that without tipping over. 

   Sehun met Kai's gaze, sending him a look that begged for an excuse to relieve himself of such a scolding that was not his to receive in the first place. Kai smiled sheepishly and shook his head slowly. The last thing he wanted to do was interfere with the wise old man's temperament. 

   In the corner of his eye, he noticed Baekhyun leave the small house, his brown hair bobbing slightly as he walked out. Willing to escape the fiery scene before him, Kai followed suit. 

   "Is there something you wish to say to me?" Baekhyun said once Kai was in earshot. The tiny brunette had become engrossed in hacking at the wooden tree stump before him with a homely steel axe, his skin glistening with sweat under the orange glow of the setting sun. 

   "Not particularly," Kai answered slowly. He had never before carried a casual conversation with someone other than Sehun. It was an oddly foreign feeling. But if he wished to remain without any further reasons for the family to be suspicious of them, he had to abide by it. 

   "Then why have you followed me outside?" The boy's breaths were coming rather constricted as he hacked at the wood, tearing strips from its bark and tossing them to his side. 

   Kai considered the question for a moment, realizing that he did indeed have a reason to talk to the young man. 

   He paused before he spoke. Then, "Why are you housing us?" he asked. "Why are you feeding us? Why did you go to such lengths to heal my brother when you could have merely left us to fend for ourselves? And why...why do you not question our presence anymore?"

   Kai watched the shorter male work for some time before he answered. 

   "You know, I would have been asking the exact same questions had I not spoken to Lay the other night," he said, shaking his head. "But I am allowing everything because of Grandfather. As you know, he is a foreteller. He knows things that many of us don't, as of yet anyway. But because he is willing to house you and your brother without question, I am also willing. For I know that there is some reason, or meaning behind it. I know that you mean something to us, to Araesia. I just don't know what that is, quite yet."

   Kai stared at Baekhyun for a while longer, neither of the two speaking a word. He did not understand why he felt a small sort of sorrow tugging at his gut, but he refused to believe that it was because he was feeling sorry for what he was sent here to carry out. 

   They reentered the house together, both males holding a bundle of firewood each. 

   I am glad you possess such logic, Baekhyun. For if you did not, we would not be speaking to each  other like so. 

   ~~~

   Kai stood atop the roof of the largest grocer's building he'd found in Araesia's marketplace, watching the numerous knights beneath him with an expressionless look implanted on his face. It was a still, calm night; there was no wind that blew across Kai's dark clothing, only the soft glow of the crescent moon in the dark sky that graced itself over his face.

   He had snuck out of the house when he was sure that everyone had fallen asleep, careful not to garner any newfound suspicion. He merely wanted some time for himself - it felt like a lifetime passed since he had obtained some sort of peaceful isolation - so that he might be able to contemplate just how he would find his way into the palace as a trusted worker. 

   The job was much easier said than done, especially with Sehun along for the mission. Kai felt extremely pressured, so much that he felt almost suffocated by his stress. If the King did not receive word back in a matter of days regarding his position, Kai would have to face consequences. That was not his main concern, however. It was what would happen to Sehun if they were to fail.

   The knights seemed noticably tired below Kai. However, in this way, they differed from the nights of Jaezin. Rather than abandoning their location to find a suitable place to sleep away the night's shift, they remained alert and upright, taking the occassional glance or stroll around the vicinity.

   There was one specific knight that captured Kai's attention the most.

   He was tall in height, much taller than the other knights. He couldn't see his face very clearly, but Kai could tell that it was quite angular. He didn't know why the particular guard caught his interest in the first place, but for some reason, there was a sort of indescribable belief that took place inside of Kai that made him think that this specific young man would be of great importance.

   Then, suddenly, the knight turned and looked up - locking his gaze directly with Kai's.

   Kai looked on indifferently as the guard's eyes widened, mouth parting in surprise.

   "You!" he shouted. "Who are you?! Get down here!"

   Kai rolled his eyes. He knew fully well that he was too far and dressed too darkly to be made out clearly in the darkness. He also did not feel like dealing with such unpleasantries this late into the night.

   "Kris?" another voice called out somewhere close by. "What is it? What did you see?"

   The knight - Kris - disregarded the other guard and took a step closer in Kai's direction. 

   "You! Stay right there!" he yelled. "I'm coming to get you!" 

   Kai almost laughed as the knight began to run in his direction. What was the idiotic man planning to do in order to reach him? Fly?

   And then the knight took a giant leap. 

   And Kai realized that the man was no longer on the ground. He was now soaring - no, flying - in Kai's direction, rather swiftly.

   Well, Kai thought with slight incredulity, I suppose I should have seen that one coming. 

   And then he disappeared - 

   - and reappeared once more, colliding instantly with a petite form.

   Kai felt himself rebound back, crashing into the ground rather heavily before rolling over twice on the cold grass. Finally, he came to an abrupt stop, his breaths coming out in gasps. 

   All of a sudden, he felt a scalding pressure over his eyes, and he inhaled sharply. All he could see was a bright, mesmerizing pink. A warm, whole feeling took place in his stomach and chest. It was a feeling he couldn't describe, but it didn't feel bad. Rather euphoric.

   What was happening? 

   He looked almost blindly in front of him, to see a small, hooded form sprawled before him. She was a woman, no doubt, with a relatively small build. Kai saw her turn her head his way, and he noticed immediately that her eyes were glowing with a pink light upon her lovely face. 

   And then the feeling disappeared, the light draining from his eyes. 

   Kai became suddenly aware of a few minor wounds on his body from his fall: a scrape on his right elbow and his left knee, and a few scratches on his forearm. He was lying in a small clearing just outside of town. About a league from where he lay, he made out the floating form of the Araesian palace, looking like a sleeping giant in the darkness of the night.

   "Are...are you okay?" he heard a soft voice ask tentatively. 

   Kai looked up at the woman. Her face was abnormally pale under the moonlight, but her loveliness was unmistakable, almost unearthly. He realized she must have been not much older than he was. Younger, maybe.

   For some reason, Kai's heart skipped a beat. 

   "Y - yes," he said, feeling a tad self-conscious. He could not remember the last time he'd spoken to a girl. 

   He wanted to disappear. 

   "Please!" she said suddenly, stopping Kai from teleporting away.

   He looked at her, a startled expression on his face. 

   She gave him a somewhat chagrined smile. "Please...don't go just yet."

   He continued to look at her for a moment longer. He did not understand why, but there was a sort of fluttery feeling in his stomach that took place whenever he looked at her. He did not like it. 

   "How...how did you know that I was about to leave?" he asked. 

   She laughed. It reminded Kai of bells tinkling.

   "Well, you appeared from thin air, so I suspect you are able to teleport." 

   Kai flushed, grateful for the darkness so that it could hide his reddening face. 

   "You...are right." 

   She smiled again. "What is your name?" she asked. 

   Kai immediately felt the borders he normally set around himself rise up, a stoic expression taking place on his face.

   "What is yours?" he asked back. 

   Her smile didn't waver. "I...am Eunhee. Song Eunhee." 

   Kai stood up in an instant, eyes widening. She was...the princess?!

   Kai's mind began to run in circles. If she was the princess...and he had just bumped into her...

   "Please, do not think too much of me," she said immediately, pushing herself up to stand beside him. "Just think of me as another person of the same stature. It is nice to meet you. Your name is?"

   She was the princess. The princess he was sent to assassinate. She was in front of him. 

   "Kai," he answered abruptly.

   She cocked her head to the side.

   "Really?" she asked. 

   Kai suddenly felt like the biggest fool on the planet. Kai was an obvious Jaezinian name. 

   "Um - actually - " 

   "Just Kai?" she asked. "Do you have a surname?"

   Kai breathed an inner sigh of relief.

   "I prefer to just be called Kai," he answered.

   Finally, he set his mind to work. If this was indeed the Princess, he needed to set a good impression. He needed to find a way to infiltrate the palace, anyway. Befriending the princess was a formidable start.

   Kai opened his mouth, but the princess spoke before him. 

   "Would you like to work at the palace?"

   Sehun ran from the guards as fast as he could. 

   "Come back here!" the tall knight at the front yelled. 

   Sehun deeply regretted searching for his brother at this time of night. When he had seen Kai roll away from his place beside him, Sehun immediately suspected him to teleport into town. He knew of his brother's habit of appearing in isolated places when he wished to be alone, and the town was the only place Sehun could think of. 

   Now, all Sehun wanted to do was have the ground swallow him up from underneath him. 

   And who knows, from what he's seen in this bizarre kingdom, it might do exactly that.

   All of a sudden, Sehun felt an overwhelming presence in his mind, ringing like an alarm in his ears. Instantly he dropped to his knees and clasped his ears, attempting without result to blot out the piercing sound. 

   He looked back blurrily to see that the guards were doing the same. 

   And then he felt someone haul him up by the arms and drag him away behind what he vaguely recognized as the blacksmith's shop he saw from earlier that day. 

   And then the ringing stopped. 

   Feeling shocked and confused, he turned his head upwards to look at his capturer. And he gasped.

   It was the boy from earlier. Luhan. He was wearing his bedclothes, like Sehun, and instead of the hood he wore atop his head before, his light, silvery hair blew in tousled tufts across his forehead. Sehun's heart began to race so quickly he feared the boy could hear it as well.

   Don't make a noise, he heard in his mind. 

   Sehun jumped, startled. He opened his mouth, about to ask whether Luhan heard the voice as well. 

   I said don't make a noise! the voice repeated urgently. 

   And then Sehun felt something in his mind click. Luhan was speaking to him. With his mind.

   This was just too much.

   You...you can hear me? Sehun thought openly, testing out the boy's power. 

   Yes, now stay down. They're almost gone. 

   Sehun followed his instructions and listened as the knights conversed in bewilderment amongst each other. Then he heard their voices slowly fade away as they retreated back to their positions. 

   "Was...was that you, as well?" Sehun asked aloud when he was sure the two were out of earshot. "That...thing. In my mind. While I was running."

   "Yes," Luhan answered truthfully. "That was me. A trick I learned, when I was young. Rather helpful." 

   A moment passed in silence, where all Sehun heard was the chirp of numerous crickets in the calm night. For some reason, he felt very comforted around this boy, whom he had met just that afternoon. He didn't know if it had something to do with the strange "pink light" occurrence the two had experienced, but it wasn't a bad feeling. Sehun wouldn't admit it...but it felt rather nice.

   "Why...why did you help me?" Sehun asked in a soft voice. 

   The boy hesitated. "A reason you would not understand at the moment."

   "Why?" Sehun demanded, sitting up. "Why won't you tell me? Do you believe me to simpleminded? Because I assure you, I am anything but."

   The boy laughed. "Normally, I would read your face to see whether you are lying or not, but I cannot sense a single thing when I speak to you. It's..." He turned to Sehun and met his gaze. "...confusing."

   Sehun stared back into the boy's eyes, his stomach making unfamiliar flips. There were very large, wise eyes, and he noticed that they sparkled charmingly under the light of the moon.

   He...has very beautiful eyes.

   Luhan smiled, making Sehun's face flush. 

   "Thank you," he said. Then he stood from his crouched position and began to walk away. "You should head back to wherever you came from soon, before the knights make another round." 

   Sehun sat in shock for a moment. And then he scrambled to his feet and rushed to catch up with the boy. 

   "Wait!" he called. "Come back! Did - did you just hear that?"

   The boy didn't answer, he just continued to jog forward. 

   "Wait!" Sehun called. "Tell me - tell me what happened this afternoon! What did you do?"

   Luhan continued to ignore Sehun. Sehun realized with desperation that the light-haired boy was close to disappearing from him completely. Sehun was tired of these confusing, mysterious moments. He felt like everyone around him knew things that only he didn't understand. He didn't know why, but it was only Luhan's presence that comforted him from that thought.

   And he was disappearing.

   "I said STOP!" he screamed.

   Suddenly, he felt his eyes burn with the same sort of pressure he'd felt after touching Luhan for the first time. The still air around him immediately became alive, and wind began to blow around him vociferously. 

   And then, before he knew it, he felt a body collide with his, toppling him over. 

   The pressure dissipated from his eyes, and Sehun found himself lying face to face with a very bewildered Luhan. 

   "The wind - what - " the light-haired boy stammered. 

   He looked to Sehun. 

   "Was that...you?" he asked.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading the eighth chapter!! 
                           Yes, I know, I know, it's late D: But I promised I wouldn't miss an update day again and I didn't! Yehet! Haha xD
                           I had it finished earlier on this afternoon, but it got deleted when my laptop malfunctioned D: So now you have this ugly rushed chapter...I'm so sorry! It's not proofread at ALL so please forgive any mistakes you found!
                           Please leave a comment at the bottom! Subscribe if you want to keep up with updates :3 

                           Thank you to to all my precious readers! 

P.S., I apologize about the random nonexistent update you saw earlier today! I'd accidentally updated half of the chapter by accident! LOL 
No early spoilers for you guys AHAHHA~ 

Until next time, chingus~