Chapter One
~ White from Red ~

Though legends stated that magic can only be found in the mysterious land of Virgula, traces of it could also be found in the Three Kingdoms. It was a very, very faint trace, for people who have it fear of consequences of exposing it. Some of them flee the security of their kingdom, choosing to live in cities not under control of any of the three royal families. But there are those who restrain it, locking it inside themselves because they can’t leave like the others. One of them is the Second Prince of Cyphus.

“Your Highness, are you all right?” a maid asked.

It was the morning after he fell during his mother’s lavish birthday celebration. He closed his eyes upon remembering. What an embarrassment he was last night!

“Your Highness,” the maid whispered, sympathy lacing her voice.

“Could you please leave me alone?” he said simply as he continued to lie on his back, looking as if he’s in pain.

“But Prince Sehun,” she continued.

“I’m fine, just…” Sehun closed his eyes tighter. “I need to be alone, okay?”

The young maid bowed and retreated, leaving the tonic the healer had given for him. He waited until he heard the door close before he sat up. The pain that had made him curl up at the ballroom floor last night was already gone. He was just feigning that it was still there. He was in a dangerous state right now, with his magic behaving like a tornado inside of him. What happened last night… Well, it made restraining his abilities more difficult.

He lifted his undershirt’s neckline to peek at his chest. It was there. He thought he imagined the burning feeling on his skin last night that accompanied the fire spreading inside him all of the sudden, being that the former was a far lesser pain than the latter. But there was something weird about the burn. He pushed himself off the bed, heading straight to the mirror on his dresser. Pulling down his undershirt, he observed the burn. The skin around it was still red, but the shape was prominent. It looked like a simple paper fold of a pair of wings. What the hell does this mean?

He let out a disbelieving huff, unintentionally letting go of his restraints for a second. But that second was enough to make all the loose papers in his room scatter and make some of his lighter books tumble off their places. He quickly inhaled, as if bottling the air he just released, then held his breath until the last loose paper lands softly on his bed. He hates this. He had no idea what the brand on him means, but if it makes his power more uncontrollable, he hates it.

~~~

Ahra did not feel any pain last night at all. No, what she felt was a surge of energy. That’s why when she had slept and started dreaming, she had asked Ren about it. Since he was a self-proclaimed all-knowing bastard, it made sense to question him about it.

“That means you have a new mission.” He smirked at her, his gentleness eleven years ago had long been replaced by a cocky attitude. It fits him much better, if she’s being honest.

She was tired of asking when the