The wind was blowing hard, as usual, clearing her mind. It had become a habit, to get isolated and blow wind as hard as she could, only to get herself together, to arrange her thoughts and control her heart. With extended hands, she let out all the breath she could, and the wind blew harder. Her mind was starting to ease up, but her heart wouldn’t stop beating. Something within her was calling, was yearning something she didn’t wanted to admit. She could feel strings pulling her, pulling her so hard she felt she would be dragged back any time soon. He was calling her, all her body knew she needed him, and their lips touching was proof enough, the tiredness on her was vanished with an energy she hadn’t realized she could have. Would he have felt the same? Or was she just being too over him? She couldn’t tell, and as the wind blew, her heart continue to beat so fast she thought it would gallop out of her chest.

As she closed her eyes, the wind brought noises close to the woods, footsteps as strong and steady as the own wind. She snapped her eyes open, feeling a surge of adrenaline running through her as the steps got closer. Her body crouched slightly, her eyes looking from side to side as her hands moved in round motions, ready to seize on whoever was approaching her. She couldn’t quite see herself, but by the burning on her veins, she could tell her hair was blazing with fire as her eyes turned red. She knew that as she knew her little mole on her face, or the slight twitch on her eyes every time she felt those adrenaline rushes.

A person appeared in front of her, a black silhouette walking slowly towards her. She had prepared to launch whoever that was a blast of fire, but his face got into clearer view, and her heart stopped beating as she saw who he was. Jonghyun, and with a guilty mind, she set her hands down, the fire completely vanishing from her as the fear of hurting him rushed over her.

“Jonghyun,” She said out of breath. “You scared me.”

“It wasn’t my intention, I’m sorry.” He said. She smiled and nodded, looking at him. Her smile completely vanished from her face as she noticed his eyes, dark, tired and full of anger. She had known him too well, almost as if she had been his twin sister to know he was mad, too mad at something, or someone.

“Are you alright?” She asked. He smirked sarcastically and nodded.

“Better than ever. Are you training?” He said, his hands deep on his pockets. Chaerin raised an eyebrow and slowly shook her head.

“No,” She said, “no I was just, I was just trying to refresh myself.” Jonghyun nodded, and for the first time in her life, she felt in danger so close to him. He took a step forward, and she had to make an inhuman effort to not back away from him.

“I see, you look quite flushed.” He said, now just a few inches away from her. She nodded and gulped, trying to control her galloping heart. “He was forcing himself to the limits, that Jiyong.”

“What?” She said, he looked too serious to be just blabbering.

“He is always like that, pushing himself to the limits.” Jonghyun said. “But for what? No one can tell. He had been the Magna Veneficus for so long I don’t even remember how it was to have another king on his throne.”

“A king? He isn’t a king.” Chaerin said. Jonghyun chuckled, his hand brushing away a loose strand of brown hair from her face. She slightly back, and he looked down, a crooked smile on his face.

“Has he finally taken you away from me?” He muttered. Chaerin shook her head and held his face on both her hands, making him look at her.

“What are you blabbering about?” She said, her hands slightly trembling. “I am not anyone’s property, how can he take me away?”

“You are rightfully his, but I have always wanted, always yearned for you to look at me.” He said. Chaerin felt a guilt creeping through her chest, and as if a song was put on her mind, she heard Dara’s words again. That man is dying for you, you should give him a try.

“I am looking at you.” She said. She knew those weren’t the words she had to say, but those were the only ones she could muster, and she hated herself for that.

“No,” He said and put a hand on her cheek, “You are going to look at him, and then I’ll just be your guardian.” Chaerin shook her head.

“You will always be my best friend.”

“I love you. I have always had loved you.” Jonghyun said, his cheeks flushed.

“Why are you saying this now?” Chaerin said, tears burning at the back of her head. Jonghyun clicked his tongue and walked back, harshly letting go of her.

“Because I saw you,” He said, his hands trembling in anger. “I saw how you kissed him, I saw how you looked at him and its killing me.” He looked down, and Chaerin held back tears. She had been in a strange trance, not even realizing she had kissed Jiyong, but now, his lips lingered on hers, and she touched her lips, her hand acting on its own.

“Jonghyun…” She said. He chuckled grimly and looked at her with his head hung low.

“Don’t say anything, I know I can still win you over.” He said. Chaerin shook her head.

“Jonghyun, you have always been my friend, why are you like this now?”

“Because I’m sick and tired to be there, looking at you, loving you, and then being casted away, like a used doll. It’s not fair.” He told her, his hands frantically moving on his sides. “I’m sick and tired to be there, life after life, protecting you, only for him to find you and take you away. It is always like this, and I’m stuck on this, all because of him.”

“Jonghyun please, I don’t even know what are you talking about!” Chaerin said, tears falling from her face as she looked at him, at his eyes, big and rounded, a hint of sorrow on them, tears threatening to fall out.

“No, but you will know, and once you know, then I’ll no longer be here.” He said and ran into the woods, so fast she didn’t had time to properly scream after him, to call him back. He left her there, alone to think on everything, and the tears fell down, silent sobs creeping through her soul like knives. The wind stopped blowing, the water stopped running, and for a moment, she thought the trees cried with her, as their leaves slowly fell down, around her, moving in soft motions, imitating her own emotions.

The windows were completely opened, letting the wind blow inside the dark room. His body was aching all around, still sweating, panting as he looked at the sky, almost imagining her with her extended hands, making the wind blow uncontrollably. He could almost taste her through the wind that was blowing inside of his room, making the curtains dance around him. He stood in front of the window, watching the woods as the trees danced around a certain place. He could imagine her there, her smiling face looking at the sky as the wind blew her long hair all around. He inhaled the scent, smelling her in the wind. It was her wind.

As he got lost in the moment, a fear crept through his veins as poison. He snapped his eyes open, still glaring at the outside, at the wind slowly subsiding. The fear slowly changed to guilt, and he narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out what was going on. “Where are you?” Jiyong muttered as he put a hand on the window, balancing his body. The wind had stopped completely, and an emptiness washed over him like the waves of that ocean he dreaded the most. His mind drifting as a picture of blood, of a pale corpse lying lifeless at his feet.

Jiyong shook his head violently as he took a deep breath, now holding himself steady with the frame of the French window. The blood still appeared in front of his eyes, a long forgotten, but never unfamiliar pain washed over him, and he had to hold back tears as a new pain got the best of him. Sorrow, loneliness, sadness, depression, it was all he could feel. He looked up, the trees were mourning, slowly bending down until he could finally spot a hint of light emanating from the center of the woods.

“Chaerin.” Jiyong muttered as his loneliness deepened, and a feeling of guilt caught him off guard. “What is going on with you dear?” He muttered to the wind. He could feel how his own power flowed out, a soft breeze running into the woods, the shape of birds flying in the wind. He narrowed his eyes as he felt a pair of eyes looking at him.

“Could I ever be back to normal?” He heard her soft voice in the wind. Jiyong looked down, on his mind her face, stained with fresh tears, her body trembling as she could no longer hold herself steady.

“My dear, you were never normal.” He muttered. He heard a sob and saw her falling on her knees. He wanted to go to her, he yearned to touch her, to hug her and tell her everything was ok, but something within him told him to stay, to stay as far away from her as possible.

“I don’t want this anymore.” He heard her sobbing. He bit his lower lip as he held back his own tears, had to be strong, strong enough for both of them, strong enough for the entire Coven, whose safety and stability relied on his shoulders.

“There’s no way back.” He said and broke the small connection they made, her image vanishing from his mind as a tide of pain, of sorrow washed over him. Jiyong fell to his knees, a hand held close to his mouth, preventing the sobs. He heard his door opening, and a person walked in, but he didn’t cared who that was, he didn’t wanted to talk to anyone at the moment.

Jiyong felt the person walking closely to him, and it was only when a hand touched his shoulder that he looked to the side, only to find Dara there, looking at him with worried eyes. He quickly cleaned his tears and stood up, his legs shaking a bit. Dara held his arm tight as she walked him to his bed.

“Where is she?” Dara said. Jiyong sniffed as he sat on his bed, still sobbing.

“In the woods…” He said. Dara nodded and sat next to him.

“How is she?”

“Depressed. She doesn’t wants this, and I can only feel guilty that her own life had changed so drastically.” Jiyong said, hands holding tight onto his sheets. Dara shook her head and hugged him, kissing his shoulders.

“No, brother, don’t blame yourself.” Dara muttered. “It wasn’t your fault, nor mine, it was destiny, her own destiny.”

“She wants out of this,” Jiyong said, his voice almost a whisper. “She wants out, I can’t force her in.”

“She’s already in.”

“The least I can do is give her the most human and normal life.” Jiyong muttered. Dara pulled away and looked at him with narrowed eyes.

“And how do you plan to do that?”

“I will not interfere in her private life. I will not make her fall in love with me, nor will I.” He said. Dara widened her eyes and stood up.

“You need her.”

“As much as she needs me. I’ll be there, just not as her lover, but as a friend.” He said. Dara shook her head.

“No, you can’t do that.”

“My heart, Dara,” He started saying as he grabbed a handkerchief from the first drawer of the little night table next to his bed. “My heart can’t take this anymore. I’m too old, too tired to keep on suffering like this.”

“It’s not her fault. She might be different, but you can’t alter what you are.”

“She will be the Insegnante, I will be the Magna Veneficus, and we both will rule, as friends.” Jiyong said, cleaning his tears. Dara shook her head again and knelt in front of him.

“Brother, the Gods had made you like that because that’s your destiny, your own vitality.” Dara said with tears on her eyes. “I almost lost you once, I can’t lose you know. That decision, that will kill you and you know it. And not only you, it will kill her too.”

“We will find a way.” Jiyong said and held her hands. “We will find a way to live without each other.”

The day seemed to turn dark in less than a second, her own heart beating slowly, almost not beating at all. She didn’t wanted to go back, didn’t wanted to walk through the doors of that fashionable prison. It was better to stay away, she had thought since she got there. Her feet were sore, her hands cold, her eyes blurry as she walked aimlessly through the woods, feeling her own heart slowing down with every step she took. It must have been the disillusion, it must have been the exhaustion, it could have been anything, anything to slow her down, but she was decided, as everything in her life, she had made a choice. She wasn’t to go back, she wasn’t going to be back, not towards there, not towards him, not anywhere close.

But she was too wrong, far too careless, far too naïve. She was, as one could say, confused and disoriented, and in her own pain, she hadn’t noticed one single growing pain through her limbs. It wasn’t until she had stopped to take a breath, not far from a road now, that she felt it, and an excruciating pain went through her like needles, one by one, getting inserted through her skin, peeling her skin off. It was then, when she realized, she had made a bad choice, and now, falling on the floor, panting and screaming, now she realized, she did needed help.