The Eighth Chapter
Dragon's Mate [용의 반려]The sun shined brightly over the blue sky. Butterflies of all sorts of colors were gracefully flying about, and the slight breeze that roamed the air was drenched with a scent of spring. Celebratory flowers were in full bloom and display, while the chairs were perfectly lined across the blades of green grass. Preparations for the Glory Tournament were busily going on, and everyone seemed to have their hands filled with something to do.
From a distance, I saw the students practicing their powers, making sure their routine was perfect before showing it off during the tournament.
"I hope you're excited for the sights you'll see later today, Haeun," someone said from behind.
I turned around and saw Principal Soohyun standing behind me, gazing at the preparations going on. There was a smile on his face, but there was also a faint hint of worry.
"I sure am," I replied excitedly. "It's not everyday I get to see a bunch of dragons showing off their powers!"
Soohyun gave off a light chuckle. He let out a sigh, and gazed off into the distance again. Although he was smiling, there seemed to be something weighing down his chest.
"Haeun..." he began slowly, "No matter what happens today, promise me you'll keep the dragon species safe from destruction."
"...What do you mean 'destruction'?" I asked in confusion.
"You'll know in due time," he answered as he placed a hand on my shoulder.
I looked up to ask him what he exactly meant, but by the time I did so, he was already gone.
Two days before the Glory Tournament, Soohyun had been visited with a horrifying dream. He had seen a shadow of a man within an eternal blackness. The man had rose his hand high up in the air, and a small flame lit up on his hand. The flame was beautiful to the eye -- it's colors familiar yet novel. It danced on the man's hand, until suddenly, a blinding light hit the shadow of the man. Within mere seconds, the small flame engulfed the man, and within the violent flames, the silhouette of the man in pain could be seen. The dream was completely silent, but Soohyun knew the silhouette was screaming in agony. He was about to run towards the silhouette and help, but some invisible force held him back. Just as he was about to break free, a bright light blinded his eyes, and he shot awake from his ominous dream.
Beads of sweat rolled down Soohyun's face, and he couldn't help but gasp for air. He placed a hand on his chest to calm himself down, when a photo frame on his nightstand caught his eye. He glared at the old photo with eyes of disgust, until he finally knocked it face down.
Soohyun hurriedly pushed himself up from his bed, and made his way to his library. There, he furiously rummaged through books and files, desperately looking for an answer. When nothing was of use, he violently push a section of books off the shelves, and helplessly made his way to his desk. He picked up an old fashioned telephone, and began dialing a number.
The line rang and rang, but no one picked up. Soohyun slammed his desk out of frustration, and dialed the number again. This time, a voice answered from the other line.
"Hello?" a raspy voice answered.
Soohyun let out a deep sigh, unsure of what to say or how to phrase it.
"Principal Kim? Are you there?"
"...."
"Hello?"
"...He's coming," Soohyun finally muttered.
"What?...Who?"
"It's him. He's coming."
Dawn was still far to come, and all was silent, dark, and empty at [Glory of Dragon] -- all but the footsteps Minseok was echoing in the hallways. Minseok had an idea of why he had been called for at three in the morning, but he desperately hoped he was wrong. Minseok approached a door which he knocked on, and a voice from the other side called him in. When he pushed the door open and stepped inside, he was taken aback. Soohyun had always been a very collected and well put together type of man, but the state of his bedroom chamber was a mess. There were papers, books, and newspapers all spewed out on the floor, and Soohyun was silently sitting on his bed, looking defeated. Without a word, Minseok began picking up the mess from the floor, and organized them neatly. He stacked the papers up neatly, folded the newspapers, and returned the books to their shelves. When he noticed a photo frame had been knocked down on Soohyun's nightstand, he walked over to it, and placed it upright. It was a picture of Soohyun from some years back with a young boy on his shoulders. Both looked so happy that the photo looked ethereal. "It's him," Soohyun finally mumbled. "He's coming back." It was only then that Minseok's worst possible scenario had been confirmed. "Baekhyun," Soohyun whispered. "He's coming for the Terin." Minseok's expression turned dark, and his grip on the photo frame tightened. It was unbelievable how a boy who had been so bright and joyful was coming back for revenge. Minseok had once thought of Baekhyun as his most precious student, but things were different now. "How do we stop him?" Minseok asked, taking his eyes off the old photo. "We can't," Soohyun answered. "What do you mean we can't?" Minseok asked in horror. "There's nothing we can do," Soohyun said in a low voice. Silence echoed in the room, as the two thought of a possible way to stop the destruction that was soon to come. Some time later, Soohyun's eyes widened, and he ran towards the library in search of something. "Professor, what is it?" Minseok called. Soohyun, however, was determined to find confirmation in the thoughts that were developing in his head. He rummaged through piles of books and flipped through mulitple pages until he finally froze. "The Terin..." Soohyun said. Minseok walked towards Soohyun and the book in his hand, confused as to where this was going. "We must awaken the Terin," Soohyun said as he looked up from the book. Contrary to the look of hope in Soohyun's eyes, Minseok was in disbelief. "Professor," Minseok began, "it's been over five hundred years since a Terin has been awaken. I don't even think there's any human, let alone any dragon alive to know the proper process to the awakening. It's just...impossible." "No, no, Minseok," Soohyun argued, "here's where you're wrong. The Terin does not necessarily need a proper process to be awakened. Although that would be the most preferable, a Terin can also awaken when she feels that the species is in danger of a genocide." Soohyun's words echoed in Minseok's ears, and he was in a state of horror. "....G-Genocide?" Minseok repeated. "You don't mean to say that Baekhyun is coming back to start a genocide, do you? With the motive to kill off every dragon alive?" "No, Minseok," Soohyun said, "I am afraid he is. And unless we can awaken the Terin, there is no more hope for us."
"Attention please! At this time, we would like all of our contestants to come meet behind the stage. The long awaited Glory Tournament will begin shortly, so please do make your way to your seats. Thank you."
As the announcement for the tournament ended, the audience, consisting of professors and students, began making their way to the seats neatly organized along the green grass. I chose a seat that wasn't too far up, and sat down, anticipating the tournament to begin. Not long after I had settled down, someone sat down to my right and leaned in to my face.
"Hey, noona."
It was none other than Sehun. He had popped out of nowhere, that his appearance made me jump up in surprise. Seeing my reaction, Sehun couldn't stop laughing.
"Noona, how's it possible that you're so cute?" Sehun asked with a smile.
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