"Sunny, is that you?"

"Soyeon," with wide, shocked eyes, Sunny stepped towards the girl that appeared before her, momentarily forgetting Hyomin. "What are you doing here?" she stuttered, left completely stunned at seeing the girl she once knew from several years ago.

"I could ask you the same thing," Soyeon smiled as she stepped closer to Sunny. She would've given her old friend a hug but she too was briefly staggered by her sudden appearance.

"You know her?" Hyomin asked, walking up from behind Sunny.

Soyeon looked up to Hyomin and exchanged glances between the two. "You know her?" Soyeon asked pointing to Sunny.

"You know her?!" Sunny exclaimed, pointing to Hyomin.

"Um, yes," Soyeon answered, "Hyomin and I live together. How do you two-"

"Wait," Sunny interrupted her, "you live with her?" Sunny asked, pointing back to Hyomin again.

"Yes," Soyeon nodded, "why?"

A smile broke loose on Sunny's face; she had just received a blessing in disguise. Perhaps Soyeon could help Sunny convince Hyomin. She took a cautionary look at Hyomin before leaning forward towards Soyeon.

"Does she know where you're from?" Sunny whispered to Soyeon's ear. Soyeon spared a glance to Hyomin before turning to Sunny and shook her head. "She doesn't?" Sunny asked. If Hyomin did not even know of Soyeon's origins, would she even have an easier time believing her? Sunny's hope was quick to fade.

"How do you know her, Soyeon?" Hyomin asked.

"Oh, well," Soyeon trailed off for a moment, "Sunny is… a childhood friend of mine, from Busan."

"Uh, yes, that's right," Sunny said, following along with Soyeon's explanation.

"So," Soyeon then turned to Sunny, "what are you doing here on…" Soyeon trailed off for second and cleared , "in Seoul?"

"Uh," Sunny looked back to Hyomin, "excuse us for a moment," she said to her before pulling Soyeon off to the side with her. Once they were a safe distance away from Hyomin, Soyeon turned to address Sunny again.

"How are you on Earth?!" Soyeon questioned her in hushed tone.

"The King sent us to retrieve something important," Sunny explained. She would not hesitate to reveal all to Soyeon as she was, after all, once one of their own. "Something terrible has happened on Kaia, Soyeon."

"What? What happened?" Soyeon asked, still speaking quietly so that Hyomin would not pick up their words.

"You knew of many of the old myths didn't you? Do you know the one of the Tyrant?"

Soyeon averted her eyes for a moment as she thought. Soyeon had always had a particular interest of old folklore, holding a vast knowledge of old tales and tradition that would leave many stunned. "I think so. The Tyrant was a war lord who fell to evil ways?"

"Yes, that's right! He gained demonic power and they had him imprisoned for eternity."

"Ok, so?"

"He's escaped."

"What?"

"He somehow broke out from the Realm of the Reaper over a month ago and now he's-"

"Sunny, wait," Soyeon interrupted her, "the Tyrant is just a myth."

"It's not a myth, it's truth," Sunny told her. "He's wiped out two whole villages and has killed so many people. We have to act quickly and retrieve the Key that would lock him away into the Realm of the Reaper again before he kills anymore people!" she spoke urgently.

"Okay," Soyeon nodded her head, slightly overwhelmed but taking note of Sunny's urgent tone, "then the Key; where is the Key?"

"The Key is right here on Earth."

"Have you found it already?"

Sunny looked off to the side, "right there."

Soyeon turned to where Sunny's eyes were directed, right at Hyomin, who stared back blankly at the two. "Huh?" she turned back to Sunny.

"Hyomin's the Key," Sunny said, looking back to Soyeon.

"Wait, what?"

"The Key is inside Hyomin!"

"How the heck is the Key inside Hyomin?!" Soyeon exclaimed.

"The Key is able to be absorbed into any being; Hyomin must've come across the Key at some point in her life and made contact with it. It is now inside her," Sunny explained.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm absolutely sure!" Sunny asserted, "I need Hyomin to come back to Kaia with me immediately, but she doesn't believe anything I'm telling her. I need you to help me convince her," Sunny urged her.

"You need to take Hyomin to Kaia?" Soyeon asked, surprised by her request.

"Yes," Sunny nodded her head. Soyeon exchanged glances between Sunny and Hyomin, her old friend's appearance was alone a shock but now she spoke of taking Hyomin to their home planet which was not what she would have expected to hear at all. "Soyeon, please, you have to help."

Soyeon spared another glance back at Hyomin and sighed. She knew Sunny would not lie about such a thing, her presence on Earth to begin with was a serious matter as Kaia chose to not maintain any relations with Earth.

"Ok," Soyeon said, "lets head up to my apartment and talk a bit more about this first."

Sunny nodded and the two walked back to where Hyomin remained waiting for them.

"Hyomin," Soyeon called to her, "lets head on up."

"Is she coming with us?" Hyomin asked, pointing to Sunny who stood beside Soyeon.

"Yes, um, there some things we need to talk about."

-

Once they reached their apartment, Soyeon asked Hyomin to excuse her and Sunny as they further conversed in the living room. From the door of her room, Hyomin watched as Sunny told Soyeon more about God knows what and from the look on Soyeon's face, she seemed to believe in it all. Hyomin sighed but decided to let them be, perhaps it was something just between the two of them. After a while though, Soyeon came into Hyomin's room.

"Hey," Hyomin greeted the older girl, "what's up?

Soyeon closed the door behind her and leaned against it. Her eyes were averted from Hyomin and she did not speak for a moment.

"What's wrong?" Hyomin asked taking note of the troubled look on her face.

"Hyomin," she finally spoke, "sit down. There's something I need to tell you," she said as she walked over to Hyomin's bed and took a seat on the edge. Hyomin walked over and sat down in front of her.

"What is it, Soyeon?" Hyomin asked. Soyeon took a deep breath and reached out to hold onto Hyomin's hand.

"You trust me don't you?" Soyeon sincerely asked her.

"Of course," Hyomin answered, becoming slightly concerned by her apprehensive tone.

"I have something I need to tell you," she said in a hushed tone, as if wanting to relay a secret she did not want any other person to hear, despite the two being alone. She took a pause before continuing. "I lied to you guys. I'm not from Busan."

"Oh, ok…"

"I'm not even from Earth."

"…excuse me?"

"I'm not from Earth."

"Let me guess," Hyomin said, "you're from a planet named Cairo, galaxies away from Earth?"

"It's Kaia."

Hyomin stared into Soyeon's unflinching, stoic eyes. She then pursed her lips to repress the laughter that she was unable to resist.

"Oh come on, Soyeon, what is this?"

"I know, it's a little unbelievable," Soyeon said to her.

"Did that girl brainwash you?" Hyomin asked, pointing towards the door, behind which Sunny still sat in the living room.

"No, everything she told you was the truth. She and I are both from Kaia, we were friends from when we younger. We're both mages."

"Mages?" Hyomin asked, lifting a brow.

"We have magic abilities," Soyeon explained.

Hyomin groaned and rolled her eyes, "Soyeon, this is just silly. You're not an alien and you're not a mage. You're just…"

Hyomin trailed off when Soyeon lifted up her hand and ignited it into a purple flame. Hyomin gasped and flinched back at the sudden combustion in the other girl's hand. dropped open and she stared with wide, shocked eyes at the animated flames that engulfed Soyeon's entire hand.

"Wh… what…" Hyomin stumbled over her words, dazed eyes fixated over the cackling flames before her. "Soyeon, how are you-"

"I told you," Soyeon smirked, "I'm a mage. I can do magic."

"Is that… is that real?" Hyomin reached her hand out to the ball of fire but immediately retracted it when she felt the heat resonating from it; it certainly felt real. The flames then lifted up from Soyeon's hand and formed into a ball, hovering above her palm. Hyomin saw a similar feat performed by Sunny which she immediately dismissed as a trick but what she was seeing before her right now was something else. Soyeon then curled her fingers inwards and the fire dissipated into thin air. Hyomin looked up Soyeon, the shock still clear in her eyes.

"Would you like to see something else?" Soyeon smiled but Hyomin did not respond, still trying to come to terms with what she just witnessed. Soyeon then reached her hand out to the dresser in the room, Hyomin intently watching her motion. Suddenly the jewelry box on top of the dresser lifted itself up and levitated in the air. Hyomin instinctively stood up at the astonishing site, watching as it floated towards the two of them. She slightly backed away as it approached them, eyeing the enchanted object cautiously.

"Are you doing that?" Hyomin asked, sparing a glance to Soyeon. The older girl smirked and nodded her head, taking mild amusement in her friend's fascination. Hyomin warily stepped forward and reach a hand underneath the jewelry box.  She waved it to and fro, trying to detect anything holding up the small box. She felt the air above the jewelry box as well but found nothing. Suddenly, various other objects in the room lifted into the air and began floating about. Startled, Hyomin stumbled back onto the bed, eyes wide in amazement as she watched the objects float above and around them.

"Ok, this is definitely a trick," Hyomin said.

"It's not a trick."

Hyomin blinked. She had just heard Soyeon speak, but what had caught her off guard was that her lips did not move.

"Cool, huh?"

Hyomin opened to speak but stuttered; there was Soyeon's voice again yet her lips remained unmoving.

"I'm talking to you with my mind Hyomin," Soyeon's voice explained, "you're hearing my voice from your own mind and not from your ears." Hyomin lifted her eyes up, as if to look into her mind. "Talk to me using your mind. I can hear you."

Hyomin looked back to Soyeon who stared blankly back at her. She bit her bottom lip and attempted what she was just instructed.

"…Soyeon?" Hyomin thought.

"Hello!"

Hyomin gasped and recoiled back against the bed. "Is that really you talking?"

"Yes, it is," Soyeon smiled.

"Ok then, tell me what number I'm thinking. You have to say it out loud."

"…two hundred, fifty-six," Soyeon confidently spoke. Hyomin's mouth dropped, Soyeon had answered perfectly.

"Ok, stop, stop this. Stop all the…" Hyomin gestured to levitating objects in the room. Without lifting a finger, Soyeon had them all float back into their respective places. Hyomin spared a glance around the room, now calm and without any magical phenomenon. She released a deep breath before addressing Soyeon, "you… can really do magic?"

"Do you need me to show you more?"

"How is this possible? I…"

"I told you Hyomin," Soyeon said as she reached out to hold Hyomin's hand, "I'm not from this world."

Hyomin stared back at her incredulously. "Really?" she uttered.

"I know it's a lot to take in, but I really need you to believe me right now. Believe both Sunny and I."

-

"Well I'm totally failing that exam," Jessica said as she walked alongside the others after they were finally released from the exam hall.

"I cannot believe we just sat in there for hours and Hyomin had already left," Yuri sighed.

"It was an interesting examination though. It reminded me of our days in the Academy," Seohyun smiled.

"Don't tell me you actually did the exam," Hyoyeon looked at Seohyun.

"Oh but I did," Seohyun innocently responded. Hyoyeon was about to responded but decided against it as she heaved a sigh and patted the younger girl on her shoulder.

"So what now?" Tiffany asked, glancing to the others.

"Hang on, I'm giving Sunny a call," Shinyoung said as she lifted her cell phone to her ear.

"Hey, who was Shakespeare?" Yoona asked. "I kept thinking milk shake."

"Some milk shake would be good right about now," Sooyoung groaned.

"Sunny!" Shinyoung spoke once Sunny had picked up her call, "I've got the others with me right now, where are you?" she asked. She listened as Sunny spoke from the other end; the girls taking note when Shinyoung's expression changed to that of surprise.  "Seriously?" she asked into the phone, the others watching Shinyoung intently. "That's great!" a huge smile broke out on the shorter woman's face, brightening up the other girls faces as well as they hoped for good news. "Oh, okay then. Sure, we'll see you there. Bye," Shinyoung said before hanging up the phone.

"What did she say?" Taeyeon asked.

"She said she has Hyomin with her and she'd bring her back to my place," Shinyoung relayed to the others.

"Really?" Taeyeon broke out into a smile.

"How did she convince her?" Jessica asked.

"She didn't say, just that we should wait for her."

"Well then come on, let's head back!" Tiffany said.

-

"So…" Hyomin looked up to the two girls before, processing the information she had just received, "this evil… warlord… person, wants to destroy everything and the only way you can stop him is by locking him in this… Realm of something?"

"Realm of the Reaper, yes," Sunny said. She and Soyeon stood in the living to explain the happenings in Essinia to Hyomin, who sat before them on the sofa.

"And to do that you need the key to the gate of the Realm… which is inside me?"

"That's right," Sunny answered.

"Now how did this key end up in me?"

"That I cannot say for certain," Sunny said as she moved to sit down on the edge of the coffee table. "The key is able to embed itself into any being upon a touch alone. Do you recall at all coming across a sort of large crystal in the past, maybe even when you were young? The key landed on Earth many years ago."

Hyomin bit the inside of her cheek and thought for a moment, trying to recollect any memory of a crystal. She thought to various jewelries she had seen and possessed, but nothing she could recall struck her as what Sunny would be after. She tried recalling memories from a child but she could hardly remember much. Hyomin sighed and shook her head, "not really."

"But I can already confirm though you have the key within you," Sunny said.

"How though?" Soyeon asked.

"We were given a device to locate the Key," Sunny said looking back at Soyeon, "and it pointed me straight to Hyomin. I don't have one with me right now but the others do," Sunny said standing up, "come with me to see the others, both of you."

"Hang on one moment," Hyomin said, "if I have the key inside me, can't you just take it out?"

"Um," Sunny averted her eyes as she thought for a moment, "actually I'm not really sure how to do that. We weren't really expecting a person to have the key, but when you come with us to our world, there are people who will help us with that."

"How do we get to your world?" Hyomin asked.

"You don't have to worry about that," Sunny smirked.

Hyomin sighed, she was still extremely skeptical of this whole matter, only choosing to hear Sunny out as her own friend Soyeon requested it of her. Plus, the spectacle she had witnessed earlier had certainly piqued her curiosity.

-

Seohyun stared out the window of Shinyoung's house, eagerly waiting for Sunny to appear. They had been waiting for a little while now but Sunny had yet to return.

"Not back yet?" Yoona asked stepping up beside Seohyun.

"Not yet," Seohyun said turning away from the window. "I'm slightly worried since she's alone."

"Don't worry, she'll be fine. She can handle herself," Taeyeon said, standing in the living room where the others were seated.

"You know, this was much easier than I thought," Jessica commented, comfortably seated on a one-seat sofa. "This is only our second day on Earth and we already found the Key which could've been anywhere in this country. We should get a medal."

"A medal?" Sooyoung asked from the adjacent sofa, "a medal for finding something that was coincidentally right under our noses?"

"Sure," Jessica smirked, shrugging her shoulders.

Tiffany laughed at Jessica's remark. "I was kind of hoping we'd get to go around a bit more," she said wistfully.

"Yeah but not like we'd have any spare time to spend," Sooyoung said.

"Heard you and Hyoyeon spent some time running from people," Tiffany giggled.

"Her fault," Sooyoung said pointing to an oblivious Hyoyeon who was fascinated by the magazine in her hands.

"She's here!" Yoona exclaimed from the window, the other's head spinning around to her.

"Sunny's back?" Yuri asked, standing up from the sofa.

"The girl Hyomin is with her too!" Yoona said, eyes still staring out the window. "And…"

"Soyeon?" Seohyun uttered.

"Soyeon?" Jessica asked.

"It's… it's Soyeon!" Seohyun said in a surprised tone. The door bell then rung and the girls all stood up. Shinyoung appeared from the other room and made her way to the door while the others remained waiting.

"Sunny!" they heard Shinyoung's voice. After a few moments, Sunny appeared through the living room entrance accompanied by Shinyoung and two other people, one of whom evoked gasps from all the girls in the room.

"Soyeon!" almost all of them exclaimed.

"Hello, everyone," Soyeon widely grinned, greeting her old friends as she waved her hands to them. Hyoyeon broke out into a huge grin, immediately got up from her seat and ran towards the girl.

"Soyeon!" Hyoyeon exclaimed as she embraced the girl, the others following behind her, "it's so good to see you again!"

Hyomin awkwardly stood back and watched as the other 8 girls she had seen at her University greet and embrace Soyeon. It was apparent they all knew each other and were being reunited after quite some time. Hyomin glanced to her side where the short, stout woman who answered the door stood. Shinyoung offered Hyomin a smile; though still feeling out of place, Hyomin gave a small smile in return before quickly looking away.

"What are you doing here?" Tiffany asked Soyeon, "do you live here in Seoul?"

"I do, actually," Soyeon answered with a smile.

"How did you find Soyeon, Sunny?" Sooyoung asked.

"Huge coincidence. Soyeon,” Sunny looked back to Hyomin, "and Hyomin actually live together."

"Are you kidding me?" Yuri asked as all eyes then turned to Hyomin, who shyly waved at them.

"Wait…" Taeyeon said.

"Well praise all that is holy," Jessica remarked.

"This is good!" Taeyeon smiled. "Soyeon, you can help us-"

"I've already spoken to Hyomin and she has agreed to help," Soyeon said with a smile. Hyomin then cleared , directing all eyes to her.

"I only agreed to hear you all out. I'm still not sure about all this."

"Why don't we all sit down and talk this over," Shinyoung suggested. The girls all moved to sit in the living room where they could further talk with Hyomin. Soyeon explained to her that these nine girls were once her closest friends during her days in an academy in Essinia, her original birthplace. Like her, they as well possessed magical abilities.

To demonstrate their belief that Hyomin possessed the Key, they brought out one of their compasses and placed it in Hyomin's hand. It reacted in the same manner in which Sunny's did, when she first handed hers to Hyomin at her University. While Hyomin did not understand what she was looking at, Soyeon easily placed confidence in response of the compass.

"So you just need me to go back with you to your world?" Hyomin asked the girls who sat around her with Soyeon seated by her side.

"Yes, and it's urgent you come with us as soon as possible," Taeyeon said.

"For how long?"

"Well," Taeyeon trailed off and looks at the others.

"Could be a little while," Sooyoung said.

"Days?" Yoona said.

"Maybe weeks?" Hyoyeon added.

"Weeks?!" Hyomin exclaimed.

"Don't you just need to extract the Key from inside her?" Soyeon asked.

"Well that may not be possible," Seohyun said.

"It's not?" Sunny asked Seohyun.

"Well from what I read in the records, once absorbed into a being, that being becomes the Key," Seohyun explained. "Perhaps there is a way around it, but I'm not certain for myself."

"Whatever the case, you will need to return with us for a short while," Taeyeon said to Hyomin.

"You'll come with me right?" Hyomin asked Soyeon.

"Yes, of course I will," Soyeon said before a thought struck her. "Oh…"

"What?" Hyomin asked.

Soyeon averted her gaze from Hyomin's as she mulled over a realization. "If you are going to be gone for a while, I may not be able to come with you."

"Why not?"

"We need someone to cover for you here."

"We can say I'm on vacation?"

"The thing is when you're on Kaia, there'll be no way for us to contact you; the others would be worried then."

"So I have to go alone?"

"We'll be with you," Hyoyeon spoke up.

Hyomin spared a glance to the nine girls surrounding her but an uncertain expression donned her face. "Is this going to be dangerous?" Hyomin asked. "You did say there was an evil warlord on a killing spree."

"We will keep you safe, of course," Seohyun said.

"I don't know…"

"You can trust them, Hyomin," Soyeon said.

Hyomin looked at Soyeon with an unsure face, "you sure?"

"Hyomin," Soyeon said as she placed her hand over Hyomin's, "you know how you and the others are like family to me, right?" Hyomin nodded in response. "These girls were like that to me once. I promise, they'll keep you safe."

"So what do you say, Hyomin?" Shinyoung asked.

"Please Hyomin," Tiffany pleaded, "there are a lot of innocent lives at stake."

Hyomin released a deep sigh and spared a glance at Soyeon who was gazing at her intently. She was still unsettled by all this talk of magic and another world, but she would comply with their wishes, if only for Soyeon's sake.

"Ok then," Hyomin said looking up to the others, "whatever you need me to do."

"Great!" Sunny said standing up, "let's go then!"

"Where?" Hyomin asked Sunny.

"To Kaia, of course," Taeyeon said as she stood up as well.

"Now?!" Hyomin asked.

"Well," Sunny spared a confused glance to Taeyeon, "yes, if there's nothing else, we should leave immediately."

"But we still need to find some way to cover for her here," Soyeon said. "If she leaves without telling anyone or without our other friends seeing her first, they might become worried or suspicious."

"The sooner we can leave, the better," Sunny insisted.

"Don't I get at least till the next morning?" Hyomin asked.

"You have to consider Hyomin's position. You are about to take her galaxies away from her own home," Soyeon said.

"Giving her some time shouldn't be too much of a problem," Sooyoung said.

"It will be if there's another attack in Essinia," Sunny responded.

"At least the attacks are not daily, but span over some weeks," Yuri said.

"We can leave tomorrow in the morning," Tiffany suggested. Sunny poked her tongue at the inside of her cheek, the others seemed willing to grant Hyomin some time, whereas she was more eager to return to Kaia as soon as possible. Glancing back at Hyomin, she realized this must be very overwhelming for and would need time before she could pick leave with them.

"Alright," Sunny eventually agreed, "but we leave first thing in the morning."

-

Hyomin plopped onto her bed and released a deep sigh. She had returned to her apartment with Soyeon after talking things over with the others. Soyeon had immediately conjured a cover plan for Hyomin while she would be in Kaia. They told Eunjung that she had received an internship in the US and was required to leave immediately for some time. They added that Hyomin would be staying with some friends who would look after her, as she has actually never travelled to the US before and that would have caused concern for the others. Eunjung was a bit disappointed at the mention of Hyomin leaving tomorrow morning but showed she was genuinely happy for this opportunity she received. She shared the news with the others and had seemed to have successfully convinced them with their ruse.

Night had now fallen and Hyomin had retired to bed, but her mind still mulled over what was to come tomorrow. She felt doubtful and anxious after receiving all the information she did today. The talk of magic and a different world, she still thought it ridiculous. Her only reason for cooperating was Soyeon; she wouldn't push her into something meaningless or even unsafe. Hyomin witnessed something spectacular from Soyeon today but she still remained uneasy.

Hyomin placed a hand over her chest; what was it that was inside of her? A Key they spoke of. It didn't feel she had a key inside her. Wouldn't that cause her to be sick? Hyomin did not understand it at all. She shook the thoughts out of her mind and reached down to pull the covers over her. Perhaps she was worrying herself too much as for all she knew, this may be something simpler than she thought.

Hyomin turned to her bedside table to switch off the lamp and snuggle into her bed.

-

"Stop stressing yourself out," Taeyeon said to Sunny.

"I know, I know," she said, "I just can't help to think what if something has happened back at home."

"We've only been here for two days, and if anything has happened, they'll be able to handle themselves for now."

"I guess," Sunny said folding her arms. She spent the remainder of the day stressing over lost time, still ever so eager to return to Kaia as soon as possible. The others had retired for the night but she remained wide awake staring listlessly out the window. She shared a room with Taeyeon and Tiffany, who had already fallen asleep but Taeyeon could not beckon herself to sleep as she grew concerned for Sunny the longer she stayed awake.  

"We're going back already tomorrow morning. This is all to going to be over soon," Taeyeon assured her.

"You're right," Sunny nodded her head, "once we get back home, we can make everything better again."

"For now, get some sleep, ok?" Taeyeon said, lightly smacking Sunny on her behind.

"Alright," Sunny chuckled, "I'll lie down in a moment."

"'K," Taeyeon said before retreating back to the bed. She laid herself down beside Tiffany and closed her eyes to sleep.

Sunny remained by the window, staring out into the night. Indeed she was relieved to have found what they were looking for so soon but afterthoughts began to strike her. What if they made a mistake? What if the compass led them astray and Hyomin did not possess the key at all? They did after all find her with too much ease, something one would be thankful for but Sunny was just unable to shake off her restlessness. The King personally entrusted this task to them and Sunny felt responsible to see her uncle would not be disappointed in them.

Sunny brought a hand to to repress a yawn, it was late into the night and her body was beginning to take its toll. It would be better to worry over this tomorrow she thought as there was nothing further she could do for the time being.

-

The following morning, Soyeon had awoken Hyomin earlier than she usually would get up so that she could prepare her before sending her off today.

"Are clothes all I need?" Hyomin asked as she brought out a large shoulder bag and placed it on her bed.

"Yes, just few, not that many," Soyeon said. "You won't need your cell phone or any other gadget."

"Wait why can't I have my cell phone?" Hyomin asked.

"Do you really think you're going to get a signal galaxies away from Earth?"

"Right, galaxies away from Earth." Hyomin said sardonically.

"Besides I'll need your phone in case the others try to contact you."

"What if they call you?" Hyomin asked as she moved about to collect some clothes from her wardrobe.

"I'll just answer," Soyeon shrugged.

"They'll know it's you. You don't sound like me at all."

"You don't have to worry about that."

Hyomin jerked her head up when she heard a third voice in the room but found only Soyeon standing there. The sound of the voice alarmed her, it was eerily familiar. She looked at Soyeon and noticed the smirk on her face.

"Was that you?" Hyomin asked.

"I don't think there's anyone else here," Soyeon said and Hyomin immediately gasped. Soyeon's voice had completely changed. It was in fact an exact imitation of… her own voice!

"How…" Hyomin stumbled over her words, "you sound just like me! How are you doing that?!"

"Another one of my tricks," Soyeon spoke in a precise replication of Hyomin's voice. "So don't worry if the others call, I'll be able to handle it. Now come on, pack your things," Soyeon instructed, grabbing one of Hyomin's shirt and folding it. She glanced up at Hyomin and noticed the wide eyed, stunned expression on her face. Soyeon giggled and cleared . "There," her voice now reverted to her own, "better now?"

Hyomin nodded, still gazing at Soyeon with bewildered eyes but continued readying the rest of her things.

"Once you're done, come on out for some breakfast," Soyeon said before making her way out of the room.

"Soyeon, wait," Hyomin called to her.

Soyeon stopped in her tracks to address her, "yes?"

"I was wondering about something. You said you're originally from this planet, Kaia, right?"

"That's right," Soyeon nodded her head.

"Why are you here on Earth now?"

Soyeon was not expecting her question but instantly found herself reminiscing about her earlier days on Earth, when she first arrived to this foreign planet. She remembered how terrified and lost she was. She was completely alone but somehow made it through the initial days through the kind assistances of others.

"Well," Soyeon began, "let's just say I felt tired and… disconnected when I was training as a mage."

"What were you training for?"

"I was meant to serve under our King, along with the other girls, but I realized I wanted different style of living."

"So you came to Earth?"

"Yes."

"Don't you miss your home then? And your family?"

"Sometimes I think about Kaia and my family, in the beginning I even thought about returning," Soyeon said followed by a sigh, recalling the memories of her hardship. Hyomin listened to her words intently, noting the saddening expression on her friend's face. "But I made a new home here and even have a new family," Soyeon said, her sad face having completely faded as she smiled brightly up at Hyomin, who in turn returned her smile. "I just needed a change of scenery. I was happy in Essinia but I have no regrets coming to Earth," she sincerely spoke. "Anyways," Soyeon said, shaking away the past memories, "finish packing!" she instructed the younger girl.

"Ok," Hyomin obeyed and she continued preparing her bag. She noted the sincerity in Soyeon's voice but did not know what to make of her story as she was admittedly still not convinced of this outer world.

Before Soyeon was about to leave the room, she saw Hyomin placing one of her cameras into her bag. "No, no, no!" Soyeon exclaimed as she walked back to Hyomin and grabbed the camera from her bag. "You can't take any pictures!"

"Why not?"

"Kaia is isolated from Earth and we like to keep it that way. Photos can risk the discovery of Kaia."

"Oh come on! I won't give them to anyone and who's going to believe they're pictures of a different world anyways?"

 "Still, it's a strict rule," Soyeon firmly spoke as she handed the camera back to Hyomin, "put it away okay?"

Hyomin pouted her lips at Soyeon but the elder girl's stern gaze persisted. Hyomin sighed and turned to place her camera away in her drawer.

"Good," Soyeon said. "Now hurry up and come eat breakfast," she said before making her way to the door again, not noticing Hyomin quickly slipping her camera back into her bag.

-

"Why do you have to leave so soon!" Eunjung whined and she tightly hugged Hyomin in her arms, rocking her to and fro. After a quick breakfast, Hyomin was now bidding goodbye to Eunjung, Qri and Boram.

"Believe me, I didn't want to have to go so soon," Hyomin said, sparing an irritated glance to Soyeon.

"You have to always keep in touch okay!" Eunjung said stepping back from the hug. "Call, text and email us every chance you get!"

"She'll be pretty busy so let's not pressure her," Soyeon added.

"Let us know when you've reached though, and how your job is going okay?" Boram said.

"I will," Hyomin nodded her head, not taking any particularly concern as she knew Soyeon would take care of all contact.

"Hey," Qri called to her, placing a hand over Hyomin's shoulder, "you have to bring me back things."

"Unnie!" Hyomin laughed.

"Oh! Bring us back lots souvenirs!" Eunjung happily chirped.

"Okay," Hyomin chuckled, "I'll try." Having already been warned of Kaia's secrecy, Hyomin knew she would of course not be bringing back any souvenirs.

"Alright, time to get going. Say your goodbyes," Soyeon said. Boram engulfed Hyomin into a hug followed after by Qri.

"I wish we take you to the airport as well," Boram frowned.

"Don't worry about it unnie, you all have to get to work."

"Ohhh," Eunjung whined as she hugged Hyomin again, "I already miss you!"

The four all shared a group hug before Soyeon broke up their moment and pushed Hyomin towards the door.

"You really packed light by the way," Qri said, noting the only bag Hyomin carried.

"Oh, well, they need me there immediately so I didn't really have time to pack much. It's okay though, my friends will take care of me," Hyomin reassuringly smiled.

"Take care then Hyomin, and good luck!" Boram said.

"I will!"

"Bye Hyomin-ah," Eunjung waved her hand, as did the others, pouting her lips.

"Bye," Hyomin waved back and reflected Eunjung's expression as Soyeon opened the front door for them and the two walked out. As soon as the door shut, Hyomin looked at Soyeon. "Is it really necessary to lie to them about this?"

"I do trust them, but the less people know, the better," Soyeon said as she and Hyomin made their way down the corridor.

"I just feel bad lying to them about going away to a different country."

"Well you will be going away to a different world though."

"Right," Hyomin said, rolling her eyes.

-

"Everyone ready?" Taeyeon asked as she walked into Shinyoung's living room.

"Just waiting for Hyomin now," Yuri said from the couch.

"Already gave Soyeon a call," Tiffany said, "they're on their way."

"Good," Taeyeon nodded. The nine mages had already dressed themselves in their original clothing from when they first arrived on Earth. They now patiently, but eagerly waited for Hyomin's arrival.

-

Half an hour later, Soyeon and Hyomin arrived at Shinyoung's house, parking the car in the drive way. Soyeon turned off the engine and waited for Hyomin who was on her cell phone, bidding goodbye to Jiyeon.

"Ok, I have to go now. I know, I know, I'm sorry. I love you ok! I'll see you soon. Bye," she said before hanging up the phone. Hyomin took in a deep breath and heaved as she looked up at Shinyoung's house, suddenly feeling a trace of regret over what she had gotten herself into.

"Alright, time to go. Let me have your phone," Soyeon said putting out her hand. Hyomin placed the cell phone into her hand before getting out of the car and grabbing her bag from the back seat.

"They're here!" Sooyoung said, watching from the window. Shinyoung quickly made her way to the door to allow Soyeon and Hyomin in before they could even knock. She led them to the living room where the others waited for them. Immediately, Hyomin took notice of the nine girls' attire; long, light, elegant dresses of different colors. She quirked her eyebrow, becoming even more doubtful of what Soyeon had dragged her into.

"Are you ready?" Tiffany asked with a bright smile.

"Um, I guess," Hyomin responded to her.

"Should we get going then?" Shinyoung asked.

"Yeah," Sunny nodded her head, "let's go."

"Come on, follow me," Shingyoung told Hyomin before making her way through the house and to the staircase. Hyomin hesitantly followed after, looking back to make sure Soyeon stuck with her at all time, the other girls trailing behind.

Shinyoung led the girls to her attic, the initial starting pointing of the nine mage's travel to Earth. Upon entering the attic, Shinyoung walked to the end of the room to retrieve something while Hyomin and the others waited behind.

"Um, why are we in the attic?" Hyomin asked, eyeing the shabby room which seemed like any other normal attic, not the alien world she thought to expect.

"Just wait," Yoona answered her with a smile.

Shinyoung knelt down and lifted a panel from the floor, retrieving the small box from within the hidden spot. She got up and walked to the center of the room, opening the box in her hand and picking up the two large gemstones. Shinyoung held out the stones in her hand and began mumbling and incantation. Hyomin watched closely, picking up traces of her mumbling but not understanding a single word she spoke. She gasped when she saw the gemstones lightly glow and lift themselves from Shinyoung's hand, floating in the air. They levitated away from Shinyoung and began to distance themselves from each other. It was a similar feat to what Hyomin had witness Soyeon perform before.

"What's happening?" Hyomin whispered to Soyeon.

"Just watch," Soyeon merely answered with a smile.

The room was then silent; the only movement was of the floating gemstones. Suddenly a light whoosh of air and cackle was heard. The glow of the gemstones became stronger and the cackling sound continued until they could see hints of energy cracking around the gems. The electric energy spread into the space between the two gems and screeched loudly as the energy clashed into each other. Hyomin took a step back in fear as she watched the electric energy began to screech dangerously now, looking as if it could burn anything upon strike. Then with final streak, there was a burst at which Hyomin recoiled back. The air between the gemstones was now rippling, the current still coursing through it. Hyomin became breathless and hung open.

"What is that?!" she frantically asked.

"That is our way home to Kaia," Yuri answered.

"Time to go then," Shinyoung said.

"Wait-" Hyomin stuttered, feeling uneasy after witnessing the spectacle she just had.

"It's okay Hyomin," Soyeon assured her, placing a hand over her arm.

"I'm not so sure about this anymore," Hyomin said looking at Soyeon with troubled eyes.

"It'll be okay, trust me. You'll take care of her," Soyeon addressed the others, "won't you? You'll keep her safe?"

"Yes," Sunny answered, "we will."

"And you'll bring her back home safe and sound?" Soyeon questioned. Sunny glanced at Hyomin who looked back at her with soft, shaken eyes. She realized how overwhelming this was for her and now that they would be whisking her away into a different world, she would become their responsibility. Hyomin had no relation to Kaia and thus had no obligations towards them, but chose to cooperate by her own will. They were in debt to her for this, to protect her at all cost.

"Yes," Sunny nodded her, "we promise."

"You'll be okay," Soyeon told Hyomin again, rubbing her arm in comforting manner. "You have to get going now."

Hyomin took a cautious glance at gateway. "I'm not sure where I'm going, or what I'm doing but I'm only doing it for you," she told Soyeon.

Soyeon smiled and pulled Hyomin into a tight hug. "Thank you," she said to her, caressing the back of her head. Soyeon was regretful to let Hyomin leave on her. If it weren't for the circumstances, she would follow right behind her. She was protective of Hyomin, as her other friends; they were the most valuable people in her life on Earth. Hyomin was about to enter a completely different world and would have trouble adapting. Though thankfully for her old friends, Soyeon knew she would at least be in good hands.

"Go on now," Soyeon said as she pulled back from the hug, "and be safe!"

"But wait, where exactly is it I'm going?" Hyomin asked.

"You just have to walk through that gate," Yoona said, pointing to the rip formed by the gemstones.

"I don't see any gate," Hyomin said. Yuri giggled and walked forward.

"Just watch," Yuri said as she stepped up to the teleportation gate. Without hesitation, she walked through the ripple and disappeared from view. Hyomin loudly gasped when the girl vanished, nowhere in sight on the other side of the attic.

"Where did she go?" Hyomin asked, curiously stepping forward. Yuri's torso suddenly reappeared through the rip causing Hyomin to jump back. She stared with wide eyes at Yuri, or at least the top half of her.

"Come on," Yuri smiled as her arm reappeared and she reached her hand out to Hyomin. Hyomin was hesitant and did not move. "Don't worry, it's okay," she assured her with a soft smile. Hyomin took a deep gulp and cautiously accepted Yuri's hand. Yuri then began to slowly move back through the gate, gently pulling Hyomin along. "Soyeon, Shinyoung, see you again soon!" Yuri bid the two women farewell before disappearing once again, only her hand holding onto Hyomin's in sight.

Hyomin questioningly looked at Soyeon who only urged her with a smile. Looking back at the detached hand that held her own, she let it pull her into the rip and she watched as her hand slowly disintegrated through the air. She became entranced by the scene as her arm disappeared into the rip as well and as it slowly reached her shoulder, she shut her eyes tightly in fear as if the invisible gateway would harm her. Soon, she too had disappeared from the room.

"I guess I'll see you girls when you bring her back," Shinyoung said to the others.

"Thanks for everything Shinyoung," Sunny said as she went up to woman and enveloped her into a hug. The others as well said their goodbyes to Shinyoung and Soyeon before making their way through the gate one by one.

"We'll see you again soon," Jessica waved back to Soyeon and Shingyoung. "Didn't I say this was incredibly easy?" she said to Sooyoung beside her.

"For all we know, this was the easy part," Sooyoung said before the two disappeared through the gate as well.