The scenery was foreign to her eyes, dark clouds covering the skies while blood and dust covered the earth. She frowned as she looked around, a familiar place, yet all of it was burned to dust, piles of bones in each corner, smoke slowly tracing its way towards the sky were the dark clouds shined with lighting. Chaerin gasped as she looked at the very end of the street a figure walking towards her. It looked like a weak and frail woman at first, and her first intention was to help her. She ran forwards, panting as the dull air floated to her lungs. The air was intoxicated with burnt flesh and bones, the odor of blood roaming freely as she ran, until the figure slowly turned from the delicate young lady into a strong, fierce woman with long, red hair. Chaerin widened her eyes as she stopped abruptly, almost falling on her as she gasped.

“Alina.” She said out of breath as she crawled back. Alina’s face turned into a smirk as an evil and dark laughter escape her body, but didn’t moved.

“Joselyn, or should I say, Chaerin.” She said as she moved to the front, and Chaerin noticed, with a hint of horror, that her feet were floating. She gasped as she tried to stand up, almost screaming as she felt her body hovering over hers.

“Get away from me!” Chaerin screamed, trying to push her concentrate on her power, but to her surprise, they didn’t work. Alina laughed louder, tracing a finger over Chaerin’s face. Her nails were long, pointy and scarlet red. Chaerin gulped as her nail stopped at the nape of her neck.

“But I just got here.” She said. “And I like it.”

“No!” Chaerin muttered as she tried to push her away, but her hands were glued on the ground. Alina inhaled deeply as she looked at her, her round eyes narrowing as she looked into Chaerin’s eyes.

“I can’t believe he’s protecting you, after all you did.”

“I did nothing!”

“But you have no idea what, such a shame.” She said. “And such a shame, you’re so weak, I could kill you with my own hands.” She traced the nail deeper into Chaerin’s skin, cutting her. Chaerin flinched as she tried to move to no avail. She knew she was dreaming, but for some reasons, she couldn’t seem to wake up.

As she thought of waking up, Alina’s laughter grew so loud it hurt Chaerin’s ears. “Not a dream, reality. Your own living hell.”

Jiyong’s hands were intertwined as he looked at the portrait of him and Joselyn. He had always loved the way it was painted, so real that it almost seemed like a picture. It had been long since he had been able to see artist that painted like that. He put a hand at the foot of the picture, chanting some words as his eyes slowly closed. “Da mihi ingressum ad somnia vestra.”

He opened his eyes, his vision shifting towards another plane. The skies were covered in dark clouds, the ground burned and charred, corpses all around as piles of bones took every corner. He saw blood, so much blood all around him. His nose scrunched at the smell of fresh blood roaming around the wind. He looked around and his body stiffened as he saw Chaerin running. He tried to call after her, but the figure at the end of the road stopped him from doing so. He squinted his eyes as he saw a frail woman begging for help, her hand extended towards Chaerin. He frowned as he walked closer to the woman. Her hair slowly turned long and red, and he didn’t hesitated anymore, he ran after her. He stopped abruptly as he saw Chaerin’s horror expression retreating as she fell on the floor.

Fear, it was all he could hear, a terrible fear, fear of the unknown, fear of the known and the things yet to come. He felt himself powerless as he froze, looking at Chaerin’s own fear revealing itself. He looked at the Red haired woman floating towards Chaerin, and he hadn’t felt any more powerless than in that moment. Alina, hovering over Chaerin, protecting her own world as she threatened Chaerin’s wellbeing. He tried to scream, to move, but in that realm, he was powerless. Chaerin wasn’t in her body, her soul had detached from her flesh and he had no domain over a roaming soul. He took a deep breath as he tried to move back, but he was frozen, completely unable to move.

“Traven.” He heard from a distance. He closed his eyes as he let himself being pulled by that voice. “Jiyong, come back.” He pushed all his strength to the limits, being held hostage on his own charm. He opened his eyes as he felt himself being dragged, a swirl of image around him until he finally came back to his body, the ceiling of Dara’s cottage over his head. He let out a breath as he abruptly stood up, pushing away whoever tried to help him.

“Jiyong, the flowers have withered, we have company.” Dara said exasperatedly. Jiyong nodded as he panted, holding onto a sofa as he tried to move towards Chaerin’s room. Jonghyun, who apparently was the one helping him up, held his arm as they half ran towards Chaerin’s room. Jonghyun kicked the door opened and stopped. Jiyong looked up and his eyes widened.

“Alina.” Jonghyun muttered. A semitransparent Alina was floating over Chaerin’s body. She looked back towards them and smirked, her hair flowing around her

“It’s too late, she’s trapped.” She said. Jiyong moved a hand, and the earth trembled. Jonghyun held him tighter as he moved his fingers, chanting words under his breath.

“Terra in terram; Spiritus Telluris. Quiescentibus Corpus absque anima, et corpus eius in aeternum claudant, et corpus illud claudat.” Jiyong looked furiously at Alina’s floating spirit, chanting the spell over and over, each time with more strength. Alina flinched and whimpered.

“Locking me away?” She crooked her head as she turned towards them. Jiyong never stopped chanting, his eyes firm on her as she shrieked and screamed, her spiritual body spasming as she slowly vanished, leaving a trail of white flakes around the room. Jiyong let out a sigh as he collapse on Jonghyun’s arms.

“Hey, you ok there?” Jonghyun asked, slowly shaking Jiyong’s body. He nodded as he panted, his forehead sweating, his hands shaking.

“Too much for one day.” He panted. “Bring me to her.” Jonghyun nodded and they went over Chaerin’s sleeping body. He held the sheets tight as his arms trembled. He saw her, breathing unevenly in her dreams.

“What happened?” Jonghyun said, going to the other side of the bed.

“She’s not dreaming, she’s trapped in Mundum in Inmortuis.” Jiyong said as he put his trembling hands over her chest. Jonghyun grabbed his wrist, stopping him. Jiyong lifted his head with a weak smile.

“You can’t, you’re not strong enough.” Jonghyun muttered. “You can get stuck there and there’s no one here to take you out.”

“I’m the High Warlock, the Magna Veneficus, Insegnante Veneficus, I can do it.” Jiyong said as he extended his hands over her chest. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, his mind focusing on Chaerin, alone in that vast desert of blood, bones and rotting flesh. He felt himself slowly being dragged towards her, and she screamed when she saw him appearing in front of her.

“Chaerin.” He said in a weak voice, extending his hands towards her. She had been crying, her hands were scratched and bloody, her face stained with mud and blood. Her neck had a red scar that spoke of deep. He flinched invisibly as he remembered Alina’s nail digging into her flesh. “Come with me.”

“W-What?” She said as she crooked her head. He wanted to tell her so many things, but he knew she must've be confused. “You abandoned me here.” She hissed. Jiyong shook his head.

“I didn’t.” He told her. Tears fell out of her eyes as she moved away from him.

“So many days…” She muttered as she looked around, her clothes ragged and dirty, her hair tangled and stained with blood and mud. She shook her head as she looked at Jiyong. “You left me to rot here!” She screamed. Jiyong let out an exasperate sigh and moved closer to her, his body aching as his energies deflated almost completely.

“If you don’t come now, we won’t be able to go, ever.” He said. She hesitated and looked at him. With hesitant steps, she walked towards him and grabbed his hand. He closed his eyes and pulled her with him as the swirl of images took him and her into the darkness. She shrieked as her hand let go of his, and he searched frantically for her.

He fell into another kind of darkness, heavy, rotting darkness. He took a deep breath, the stench of rotting blood burning his lungs as he did. He shook his head as he fell onto a soft ground, his body wet from whatever liquid he had fallen on. This is the end, High Warlock, the rotting end for your kind. Jiyong squinted his eyes as he looked around. His eyes could only make shadows of figures running around him, the sound of their feet touching the ground as they seized him.

“Have you come to take me?” He said, his voice ringing again in the echo of the vast. The creatures laughed sinisterly as they approached him. We want, but now it’s not our time. Jiyong scoffed, his eyes slowly closing as his muscles gave in and an unbearable pain took the best of him.

He panted, trying to grab hold of anything, but he was too exhausted, too tired to even try to move. He could feel warm touches around his face, a string pulling him away from the rotting odor of blood and flesh. He moved his head to the side, the warmth of the touches pulling him like an unknown force, holding him together.

‘Come back to me.’ He heard, a melodic, angelical voice calling him in the darkness. Jiyong smiled as he slowly nodded, yet he knew he was too exhausted to go on.

“Too tired.” He muttered.

‘Come back to me.’ Her voice called him. He smiled again, and the string completely pulled him out of the darkness. He fell on the floor, coughing and panting as he put his knees towards his chest. ‘…to me…’

“Jiyong, are you alright?” He heard Jonghyun’s voice at a distance. He tried to answer, but he was too tired to even move. His body weighted more than he could manage, and his head hurt, as if hammers were constantly hitting him, over and over again all around him. He coughed, and even that hurt.

“He’s exhausted himself.” He heard Dara’s voice over him. He felt the coolness of her hands around him, and as she touched him, the coolness penetrated his skin until it reached his head, the pain subsiding, and the consciousness as well. This time, he wasn’t sent towards the heavy darkness, and he thank the Gods for that.

The vast Green lands surrounded him, and he held in a gasp as he looked around. How long has it been since he had been there? He kneeled and touched the ground, feeling the grass between his fingers. Home, the warmth of love filled him, and he smiled unconsciously as he lifted his head, looking at the big mahogany doors. He walked towards the marble stairs, closing his eyes as he remembered with his soul every bit of that mansion. With his left hand, he touched slightly the doorknob, and the coldness gave him peace, he was back Home.

Without another hesitation, he pulled the doors opened and entered. A breeze invited him in, the white curtains flowing freely as he entered. The big portrait at the middle of the two spiral staircase called him, and he obeyed. Of Traven and Joselyn, the owners of this mansion, this manor and all the lands. He touched the foot of the portrait, as he always did, and spoke to it on his natal language. “Where is she?” The portrait moved, and Joselyn’s face smiled at him.

“At her room.” She said. He smiled and nodded, caressing the portrait before walking away. He walked the stairs, touching the handrails, remembering, feeling the wood he had picked himself. How much he loved that house? How much he loved every person living on it?

“Master, welcome back.” He heard Safira saying. He turned around and saw her smiling. He quickly went over her and hugged her. He felt the surprise in her, but he didn’t cared, he was happy.

“Traven?” He heard from the other side of the sand color hallway. He turned around and saw her, standing in front of her door with a black dress covering her body. Her cleavage was exposed, her forearms too. She had her long, jet black hair loose, touching, caressing her hips as she looked at him.

“Joselyn.” He said as he walked towards her. She had her face made into a frown as he grabbed her hands and pulled her into a hug. He took a deep breath, smelling her hair. It smelled the same, nothing of her had changed, the aroma of vanilla decorating her skin as coconut filled her hair. He loved every bit of her, and no matter how much he hugged her, he could never get enough of her.

“Why are you acting like this, my love?” She asked as she pulled away. Jiyong smiled and shrugged.

“I have missed you, so so much.” He said. She crooked her head.

“But it was just now you left, how could you miss me so much?” She said. He shrugged again and touched her face.

“I can never get enough of you, mea venus.” He said. She smiled and nodded, putting a hand over his. He kissed her lips, slowly, tenderly, longingly. She kissed him back, slowly putting her hands on his neck as she pulled him closer.

“Yet you have to leave.” She whispered on his lips. He frowned and pulled back, looking at her with wide eyes, she shifting slowly in front of him. Her black hair turned blonde, shorter. Her face shifted from the loving one to the fierce one, her eyes darkened around, a long line of liner decorating the eyelids. He shook his head as he grabbed her hand. He saw how her clothes slowly turned from the medieval dress to the leathered pants and the black loose blouse.

“No, don’t make me leave.” He said. Chaerin smiled and crooked her head.

“But it is too late now, you said we should merge, and that’s what I’m doing.” She said as her hair turned brown, a shade lighter than black and a shade darker than blonde. Jiyong frowned, her eyes turned softer, her lips had lost the red in them. “We merge.” She said, and as if she had pushed him away, he fell from the stairs, floating away from the mansion.

He sat up straight, panting, grabbing the sheets as tears fell from his eyes. Realization hitting him straight in the face. He shook his head as he put the sheets over his face, screaming at the tops of his lungs. The door opened hastily and Jonghyun stormed into the room. “What happened?” Jonghyun said as he went over him. Jiyong was weeping, holding on to the sheets as he pictured her face, the disappearance of her within his grasp.

“I have lost her.” Jiyong cried. “I have lost her completely.”

“Joselyn?” Jonghyun said as he put a hand on Jiyong’s shoulder. Jiyong sobbed as he nodded, sorrow and suffering, he was used to them, but the feeling he was having now was foreign to him. The feeling of lost, of mourning, of emptiness.

“She’s gone.” He said. Jonghyun hugged him and he cried as he had never done in his life. It was all he needed, to mourn for her death, to mourn for the one that die and the one reborn. He needed to mourn the change, the constant change he would never be part of. Mourn the never ending cycle, mourn the forever life over him. He needed to mourn, he needed to let go.

Gily's Notes: Hello and sorry!

I am honestly sorry for the late update, it was hectic!

But I have done now, and hopefully will do more constantly. I'm almost finished with next chapter, so it must be posted soon.

Enjoy for now, loads of love and peace!

Happy Reading ~

Gily ♥