Hours had passed since Minho had told Jinki the truth, well, some of it, and Minho sat atop a small bench with Jinki beside him, the male playing with a plate that held his lunch. Neither had spoken much since then and of course, Minho was frustrated beyond belief. He didn’t know what to do in order to fix things, what he should say or what he should do but he had to try something.

“Jinki,” He mumbled, falling silent again when the other man sent him a pointed look, a heavy sigh escaping Minho who stood up, breathing in deeply before forcing himself to continue. “Look, you can sit here and sulk but I am going inside, it’s late.” He said firmly, glancing down at Jinki who was staring up at him in faint confusion.

“I’m coming,” he whispered before standing as well, holding the plate tightly as he took a step closer to Minho, planning to follow him inside silently.

It hurt Minho to know that the other was upset, which he very clearly was, he seemed to want nothing to do with anything anymore, not with the world before him or even with Minho himself. “Look,” he whispered as he reached out to place a had on the small of Jinki’s back, “I’ll send you home tomorrow,” he finished, though the thought of doing so made his heart heavy, sinking down to the pit of his stomach.

Jinki seemed to tense further at this, causing Minho’s heart to break before he heard the quiet whisper, “I want to help,” causing him to freeze, looking down at the other in surprise. “I’m just not sure if I can, I’m not the man you want me to be I just look like him,” he said sternly, brows creasing as he turned the plate around a few times.

For a moment Minho couldn't breathe, unsure if he was happy or in disbelief. He reached forward, slowly, grabbing Jinkis shoulder and turning him so that their eyes locked. "But you want to, right?" He asked, staring into the other's eyes, watching as he slowly nodded, causing a swell of hope to rise in the Choi's chest. His arms pulling Jinki into a tight hug. "That's all that we need for now." He breathed, closing his eyes as Jinki's arms slowly rose up to wrap around Minho's torso. He wanted the other to want everything that was to happen, if Jinki wanted it then everything was likely to go much smoother.

"Really?" The boy asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes, everything else you can learn, I can help every step of the way, I mean- We have time," Minho breathed, pulling back from the hug to smile down at Jinki, who in turn beamed up at the male causing Minho's heart to take off, launching itself towards the sky. Minho took a moment to bask in the feeling before clearing his throat, looking to the side to hide the reddening of his cheeks as he nodded. "Let's go then," he whispered, rubbing his nape as he opened the door to the castle, pressing his back against it to keep it open as Jinki scurried inside, his head bowed.

Later that night the two males were sprawled out across the large bed, Minho ready to sleep, hair wet from the bath he had taken earlier meanwhile Jinki was still in his clothes from earlier, though his hands were now adorned with rings that he found to be much too heavy for no reason, hips fitted with a thick belt. "I hate this," He muttered before beginning to slide the rings off his fingers, letting them drop atop the bed.

"It's what you'll need to start wearing, it's what he'd wear," Minho said from his position on the bed, glancing up at Jinki as the male began to his shirt, his brows creasing for a moment before he forced his gaze in the opposite direction, though he wanted to keep watching no doubt, "You have to look the part, then you can learn to act the part." He added before slowly sitting up.

The other scoffed, tossing the shirt onto the bed and pulling on a larger one he had been given to sleep in. "And the rings? There was no way his fingers were that big when he died!" Jinki snapped, hopping back onto the bed as he began to struggle with the belt.

"No, but they were his father’s. He would have inherited them and worn them with pride" Minho mumbled, making his way over to Jinki in order to help the boy remove the belt, carefully sliding it out of the loops, his heartbeat picking up once again as he tried to focus on what the boy was saying, ignoring the blood rushing to his face.

"Still, why weigh down your fingers. Who is that helping?" He asked, watching Minho before leaning back and humming quietly in relief as the belt was removed, "Thank you."

"You'll need to learn how to do that," Minho said with a playful grin before sitting on the bed once again, tossing the belt onto Jinki’s lap before crossing his legs and playing with the rings that Jinki had dropped. "I can't always undress you," He said with a small smirk, laughing when Jinki hit him with the pillow a quick glance shows that the male's cheeks were pink, the color seeping down onto his neck.

"Shut up!" Jinki hissed before seating himself across from Minho on the bed, his arms crossed as he tried to avert his gaze. "Anyway... you promised to teach me about the kingdom..."

Minho nodded, his eyes staying locked on the flushed skin before he leaned down, peeking over the side of the bed to grab one of the many books he had dragged up from the basement and left there. "Then we’ll get started," he hummed, opening the book and flipping through the pages until his found a map of their kingdom. "This is the kingdom. We are in the very center so that each district can reach us easily." He explained, pointing to three black blocks that lined the borders. "These are our main defense points and the brown areas," his finger traced along the area lazily. "They are our poor areas, they need the most help but are also where thieves and killers tend to hide."

He glanced up to make sure Jinki was still listening only to raise a brow at the frown he found on the boys face, the others index finger reaching out to trace the darker browns area. "What are these?" He asked, as his fingers ran to the deep blue area of the map.

"That's where the rich live," Minho replied, smiling as the other began to point and ask about each part of the kingdom he would own, that is if everything went according to plan, that was thankfully coming together. Though Minho still feared that something would throw it all off, and his main concern, if that were to happen, would be to return Jinki home. To make sure that the boy was safe, even if he was in a place in which he would eventually regain his sickness and pass away.

It was odd, how much Minho had come to care about the boy, as he had been rather distant from most people in his life. He assumed on some level it was simply because it was the first person he had allowed himself to be physical with, and he loved it. The other was gentle and didn't treat Minho as though he had to have the feet beneath him worshipped, which he did not. If his father hadn't been a killer then he would have been a peasant working the fields. As he was meant to.

Within an hour Jinki had most of the landscape down when a map was presented to him, and while it would take a while for the male to remember it all it was a huge leap forward. "Am I doing well?" The boy asked, looking up at Minho who flashed the other a smile and nodded.

"You're doing great, but for now we should rest." He said, moving to pull the blankets up in order for them both to slide beneath it and sleep. Taking a moment to blow out the candle before moving to lay down, Jinki having settled beneath the blanket already. His body curled into a tight ball, eyes closed tight, his hair ruffled into a mess due to his nightly routine of running his fingers through it a hundred times. "Goodnight," He whispered, laying his head on the pillow and closing his eyes trying to rest.

"Minho," Jinki called, causing the Prince to raise a brow, rolling onto his back to glance at the other.

"Yeah?" He asked, a hand reaching over to rest a hand on the Jinki's arm.

"I'm scared," Jinki whispered, "I don't know why... but, I miss my mom and dad and if I do this can I ever go home?" He asked, his voice breaking after a moment, a soft sniffling sounding from Jinki's side of the bed.

"I-" Minho cut himself off, fingers curling to hold the other's arm before the prince shifted, sliding his arms around Jinki and pulling the male to his chest, doing his best to comfort the other. "I don't know Jinki," He whispered, feeling Jinkis fingers slowly close around his hand. "I'll do my best to make sure you can... I promise you I will."

The morning light pierced through the windows, hitting Jinki's eyes and causing the male to huff as he rolled over and pressed his face into the pillow. The material not as soft as his ones at home but they did well enough, at least he could sleep. Though his mind continued to spin at a million miles an hour, as hard as he tried to play it cool he was panicking. Minho expected him to play some elaborate role and he wasn't sure if he could, or even if he wanted to. If he helped Minho would he ever go home? Would he be forever stuck in some kind of game, playing the part of a version of him long dead? His parents stuck wondering where he went for the rest of their lives? He didn't exactly get along with his parents but they still raised him, they were his family and the idea of them worrying about him into old age hurt.

He sighed heavily into the pillow, he was only supposed to visit for a small while and yet there was a sudden weight on his shoulders to do something he never dreamed of. Reaching up the male slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, eyelids heavy as sleep clung to him. If he were home he could just roll over in bed, continue to sleep, not worrying about anything. Though if he went home he'd die, his sickness coming back full force and Jinki did not want to die, he wanted to live  just like everyone else he knew. Plus, if he left then so many people in Minho's world would suffer and it would be on him. It would all be his fault.

It wasn't fair that he had to decide all of this, not at all. Especially not while Minho continued to sleep, his gaze drifting over to the male who was snoring quietly. Was it his plan from the start to trap Jinki in his world? Was that the only reason he even began to speak to him? Their entire friendship based on some weird supply and demand? It hurt to think about and so Jinki shoved it from his mind, turning to toss his feet over the side of the bed, toes feeling the cold wood beneath them before he stood up. The clothes he wore weren't his own, the bed he slept in was not his and the air he was breathing wasn't from his world. His head fell to the side as he walked to the window and peered out, staring at the world that expanded before him.

The few buildings he could see were torn down, parts of them burned. The landscape looking bleak and gray all but for the small patch of woods within the palace walls, the ones he had ridden through with Minho. If he left the people would be forced to suffer through more injustice and yet he still was hesitant.

"Jinki?" He heard Minho mumble, his voice heavy with sleep, arm sliding out along the bed to search for the boy, eyes shooting open when he didn't find him.

"I'm here," Jinki called out, stepping back towards the bed and sitting down, noting the obvious relief in Minho's eyes as he slumped back into the bed, muscles relaxing. He watched as the other male took a moment before sitting up, twisting his body until his back cracked and then slid off the bed to get ready for the day ahead. He was so relaxed, so calm and composed that Jinki was jealous, but it made sense, he wasn't losing his entire life. Leaving it behind on a whim. "What are we going to do today?" He asked, pulling both legs back up onto the bed and crossing them as Minho jerked open the doors to his dresser and picked out an outfit. The clothing for Jinki rather limited, but at least they were clean, he was thankful for that much.

Minho reached back to scratch his nape as he turned to look at Jinki, lips pursing in thought, "Today we can just run over what we know about Onew? Get you a little more familiar with him." He suggested, grabbing his boots before sitting on the edge of the bed and tugging them on as Jinki grabbed one of the few outfits available to him. His movements slower than usual as his mind was still muddled with concerns. He had to shake them out of his mind, at least for the moment, he could worry when he had time to think everything through he had time, and that was all he needed.

He changed as quickly as he could, tugging at the shirt before walking over to Minho and smiling, an honest smile. He still enjoyed the time spent with the other male, he could just pretend that they were still just hanging out.

Something was off, Minho knew it but he didn't want to say anything. He was concerned but didn't want to push the other, he had already laid so much on his shoulders that prodding him was not a good idea. Plus, he had his own worries, how was this going to work out. He had accepted the idea as his own but wasn't sure of the steps.

Step one was to get Jinki familiar with the area, he had to know his supposed home. Step two, teach Jinki how to act like a Prince, have people see the prince and start rumors and finally have Jinki take over the throne. The easiest way to do that was to have a few townspeople who were skilled and Minho fight to the top for Jinki, as he was sure the male didn't want anything to do with battle.

That was when the real problems reared their heads though, Jinki had expressed concerns about going home and if he was to take over as the so-called King then he couldn't go home. But that wasn't fair to the boy. Not to mention that he was not of this world, his energy was not the same and while everyone had some inert ability within them Jinki had nothing that was beyond basic human capabilities.

"So- no one knows where he was buried?" Jinki asked suddenly, snapping Minho out of his thoughts as he looked down at the book that rested on Jinki's lap. It was the Prince's journal before his murder, with a few additions from Minho to tie off his story.

"Well, my father had some of the Lee's close friends bury them and then had them killed as well, so no..." He trailed off, not wanting to focus on the horrible deeds of his father, wanting instead to pay attention to who the Prince was and who he may have become if he hadn't been killed.

"That's messed up," He breathed out before flipping back through the pages he already read, stopping on one from about a year before the murders and running his fingers over the hastily written words. "He was so excited to become King one day, he really loved this place," Jinki whispered, the sadness in his voice paining Minho as he leaned over to read the words written there, only to blink in shock when Jinki snapped the book shut. "I want to find where he's buried, they deserve markers and to be visited."

Minho frowned, shaking his head at the others words, "We can't, he's not supposed to be dead, remember you have to be him. Plus, even if we could acknowledge his death we wouldn't be able to find where he was buried." He said sternly, brows creasing to show his displeasure as Jinki stared down at the book, breathing deeply.

"No, I don't care who I am supposed to act like him and his family deserve to be respected! Even if it's just by one or two people." He whispered. The idea of being buried and forgotten after death hurt him, if he went home and died as he was supposed to he doubted his mother would visit much less his father. Being forgotten was scary, and while people might cry for the rightful king back they didn't care about Onew, they cared about the family name. "I want to find his grave..." Jinki repeated quietly.

The other male kept quiet, watching as Jinki ran his fingers along the spine of the book before heaving a sigh. Of course, Minho felt bad, so much was being sacrificed for his plan because he was too weak and too scared to take over from his father, all Jinki wanted to do was ensure that someone was remembered and he was unwilling to even bend to that idea. "We can try to find them," He whispered after a moment, reaching out to drape his arm around Jinki's shoulders, sighing happily when the other leaned against his side. "It won't be easy or fast... but we can try." He repeated, leaning back against the tree behind them as Jinki let out a small noise of thanks and stared up at the leaves towards the sky.

"Thank you," Jinki whispered after a moment, feeling the sadness within his chest dull for a moment as he focused on the area around them. The small area within the walls where life thrived, if he stayed the entire kingdom would become like that and then Onew and his parents, from wherever their souls had settled, would rest peacefully. He was doing good, and he needed to let go of his hesitations but it was hard.

It was impossible for anyone to let go of their lives completely, even harder when he had to take over someone else's life.

Would he lose himself during this? Or would he simply hide inside a shell of himself, forcing out lines that felt more receited than anything else.

He was scared and he was unsure if he'd ever feel happy with any choice he ended up making.

A shudder ran through his body, fingers wrapped around the small pile of clothes that had been tossed into his arms as Minho continued to dig through boxes of the Prince's possessions. He seemed to have lived a rather lavish lifestyle, books bound in leather, jewels filling boxes to the brim and clothes made of fine fabrics. It almost encouraged Jinki to step into the males life and live it as his own. Almost. The rest of their lesson had gone as expected, Jinki continuing to run over the layout of the land and learn a few facts about each place, though most of the information had already escaped his mind. Minho said to give it time, and that no one could remember so much in only a few hours and he guessed that he ought to agree.

"What are you looking for?" He asked with a heavy sigh, watching as the other jumped at the sudden voice before continuing to dig setting a few wooden boxes of jewelry aside before grunting as he sat up straight and looked towards the smaller man. "We've been down here for a while if you tell me I can help you look," Jinki added before pursing his lips and setting down the clothing.

Minho grunted and sat on the floor, legs crossing before as he finally and gestured to some boxes that Jinki could go through, "I'm looking for one of his journals, he had quite a few," He said with a hum as Jinki made his way to the boxes and tugged them open slowly, sorting through the materials within. "It should be a red backing, like his others," he drawled out as well.

Jinki cocked a brow at that, setting aside the plain books he found, "You have his other ones... can I read them?" He asked quietly, glancing up at Minho who had tugged another box closer and had begun to sort through that as well.

There was no response for a moment, Minho continuing to sort through the items before slowly nodding. "Sure, but you can't take them out of my room," he said warily causing Jinki to snort in amusement pushing aside a few knick-knacks.

"Yeah, because I have so many other places to go," He said with a heavy sarcastic tone, perking up when he saw a red book, jerking it out from the stack before flopping back and flipping through the pages. "I found it! I think," he called out, looking up when he heard Minho scramble up and rush over. Snatching the book from his hands and flipping through it, stopping to read a line here or there before sighing heavily and nodding.

"You did," He said happily, sitting back down and patting Jinki's thigh. "These will be really helpful, especially for you," Minho added before standing up and extending a hand to help the other male up as well. Lifting him easily before nodding towards the other items that they had gone through. "If you want anything you can take it, I mean, it's technically yours now."

The words had Jinki's lips pulling into a thin smile, a weight settling in his stomach. He really was stealing a life.

Minho was hesitant to allow Jink to read the journals, or to take any of the items from the storage. He was scared of what could happen if the energy from Onew would take him over, as Minho had yet to reverse the original spell that he had put over the male's body. But it was just a journal, just words that were written down and couldn't extend beyond.

They made their way back to Minho's room, Jinki silent as he held the clothes he had taken to his chest though there were no guards around, as usual. They made it to the room safely, Jinki launching himself  onto the bed and watching as Minho grabbed the other two journals from his desk and tossed them to the male, watching as he fumbled to catch them before sighing and setting them down, opening the covers to check the dates before picking up the earliest one.

"I actually have a question," Jinki asked as he set the journal on his lap and looked up to Minho, the other only nodding as he leaned down to slide off his boots, waiting for the other to ask. "You said that there was magic here... can I see some?" He eventually breathed out, the other furrowing his brow before snorting when he recalled that it wasn't something known in the other's world.

"Sure, what kind?" He asked, making his way over to the bed and sitting beside Jinki, the other pausing for a moment as he thought it over before grinning wide and wiggling his fingers in the air.

"Make like-- fire!" Jinki cheered the other laughing before tilting his head to the side.

"I can't do that, some can but I can't. My powers are more like..." He paused before extending his hand and taking hold of Jinki's, sliding the pad of his thumb over the others fingers  

Jinki jerked his body upwards as a surge of electricity shot through his arms, eyes opened wide, staring at Minho in shock as the male laughed and reached up to poke one of Jinki's cheeks causing the male to lean away and laugh. "That's so cool!" He chimed before blinking and nudging Minho once more, "Can you do something else with that too?" He asked.

Minho nodded at the question, extending his hand towards the pillows and allowing a small burst of energy to escape him, throwing the pillows off the bed. "Things like this mostly, it's based on my energy so if I am sick I will not be as strong." He explained as Jinki stared at the pillows before grinning and leaning over to grab them, his fingers still tingling. "So, essentially I let some of my energy enter you."

The older male paused at that before laughing and setting the pillows back down, "That sounds... weird," he breathed before looking down at his fingers and curling them inwards towards his palm. "Did..," he paused before trying to ask again, "Did Onew have any powers?"

"Yeah, he did," Minho breathed, voice more somber than it had been before, leaning back on the bed and allowing his head to rest on the pillows before closing his eyes to relax as Jinki nudged his side a few times, "I'm not going to tell you, you can read it instead," he pushed, figuring it was better for him to hear it from Onew's words rather than his own.

Reading had never been one of Jinki's strong points but he pushed forward anyway, reading as fast as he could, only having to read a few parts over due to the handwriting though it was much like his own.

It wasn't until midway through the first journal that Jinki finally found something of interest, though it wasn't what he was looking for, his eyes growing slightly wide as he read through the pages before looking to Minho who had since managed to doze off.

"Since I have learned of the mirror I have found it immensely interesting, what is the other world like? Why are we not taught such things? And what are the dangers of bringing oneself through, passing into the other realm? Of course, I have pestered mother about it, but she is firm on the idea that it is too dangerous, that one's soul is not meant to travel into the world it was not created within. She said that if I attempted to pass through I could lose myself to my reflection."

Lose himself? Dangerous? Minho had said that it was perfectly fine and, to be honest, he also felt healthy but the words left a sense of worry within the pit of his stomach. Minho must have read the journals, he knew what the deceased prince had to say about bringing him over to the realm.

"Minho," he hissed, leaning over to shake the other gently, waiting a moment before sighing and trying again and smiling faintly when the other groaned. Reaching up to rub his face before opening his eyes and peering at Jinki, taking a moment to process everything before sitting up.

"What's wrong?" Minho asked, his voice thick with sleep and eyes lidded. Jinki swallowed once before moving a bit closer and holding out the book, pointing to the page he had read, staring up at the other as he waited for an answer, tensing when the man sighed. "This is nothing," Minho dismissed, though his voice didn't sound perfectly confident as he took the book and closed it. "Do you feel as though you're being possessed?" He asked, wiggling his fingers in the air as Jinki had hours ago when he had asked for magic, causing a small amused grin to break out on the youngers face, feeling bad for assuming.

"No, but I was worried," He whispered as he swallowed after a moment, looking up at Minho to meet his gaze, the others smile catching him off guard for a moment. Minho was definitely handsome enough to be a prince, "What does it mean to lose yourself though?" He pressed, causing the other to groan.

"It means that- well... Onew would take over your body." He said quietly, a rush of guilt riding through him for a moment. That had been his original plan, to sacrifice Jinki, and the thought of doing that after spending such time with him was painful. To lose Jinki would destroy him, even the thought of allowing Jinki to become the Prince had him feeling anxious. He wouldn't be that close to the other male, almost positive that the townspeople and guards would want him as far away from the old (though new) royal family.

Jinki wrinkled his nose before shaking his head, "That would be... terrifying," he whispered, staring down at his lap, "Slowly losing control of your body until it's not yours I- I would never recover from that." His voice died out slowly along with his words, causing Minho's heart to clench as he reached out to the other and pulled him into his arms. The sudden urge to hold Jinki having two motives, one to comfort and the other just to hold him. To be close to the male. He let out a huff before burying his face into Jinki's hair and breathed in slowly.

He felt odd around the other, much more protective and much more- well, soft. Something he had never felt towards his friends nor his family, not even his mother who held a very special spot in his heart. It didn't worry him though, he quite enjoyed the feeling as long as Jinki was close by him.

"Don't worry," he whispered as he laid down, pulling Jinki down beside him and staring up at the ceiling, not wanting to let go. "I'll protect you and your soul until my last breath." He added before smiling as Jinki nodded and turned to press himself against Minho's side, seemingly comfortable in his arms.

"Thank you."