Juhyeon just found it so difficult to focus in class the next day. She was having an extremely painful headache and she couldn’t stop wondering about the strange dream she had the previous day. “Is it even possible to dream of people you’ve never seen in your life?” she mumbled to herself. She was so fascinated by the amount of comfort she felt when she was in the Queen’s arms and the amount of security she had when the King smiled at her. They felt just like family.

Truth to be told, she really wished that dream was a reality. She’d have parents who will love her and care for her. She’d had someone to turn to when she felt hopeless and lost. There’d be someone there to comfort her whenever she felt upset. There would be someone there to love her.

“HELLO? Earth to Juhyeon?” Haneul called out, tapping on Juhyeon’s shoulder. Juhyeon made an abrupt turn to face Haneul. “Y-yeah?” Juhyeon asked. “It’s lunch break! Didn’t you hear the bell go off? What’s up with you today?” Haneul placed a hand on Juhyeon’s forehead. Juhyeon sighed and shook her head. “It’s nothing. I’m just having a very bad headache.” Juhyeon decided that her dream wasn’t worth mulling over because after all, it was just a dream.

The two girls linked arms and made their way down to the school’s canteen to grab a bite. They were queuing up for their food when Juhyeon spotted an unfamiliar face in the crowd. Strangely, he was staring directly at her. He had brown hair with fringe falling just above his eyes, thick lips that curved into a smirk, a sharp jaw line and the most beautiful pair of eyes. He stood perfectly still with eyes still fixed on Juhyeon, and everyone was walking past him as if he didn’t exist.

Juhyeon tore her eyes away from the boy and tugged on Haneul’s arm. “Haneul, do you know that guy other there?” she asked, pointing in the direction she had seen the strange figure; but he was gone. “What guy?” Haneul asked, eyes scanning the place. Juhyeon was flustered as she searched for the boy but to no avail. “Nothing, he must’ve walked away,” she said, shaking her head. She massaged her temples as she felt a sharp pain shoot through her head.

They settled themselves at a table once they had gotten their food; Juhyeon got a cookie while Haneul got herself a sandwich. “Are you feeling better?” Haneul asked. Juhyeon smiled weakly and gave a small nod. “It hurts but I’ll be fine.” Haneul gave Juhyeon a nervous glance. Juhyeon rarely fell sick. For all the years Haneul had known her, Juhyeon had only fallen sick once. Now that Juhyeon was feeling unwell, she couldn’t help but feel worried.

“I’ll be fine, really,” Juhyeon reassured. Suddenly, a black blur behind Haneul caught Juhyeon’s attention. The blur had disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. “What are you looking at?” Haneul asked, turning around to follow Juhyeon’s line of vision. “Nothing, I just thought I saw something,” Juhyeon said, “I think I need the toilet. Throw this away for me, will you?” Juhyeon passed her cookie wrapper to Haneul and left for the nearest toilet.

Her head was pounding so hard she found it difficult to focus on where she was walking. Feeling too weak, she stopped and held onto the wall for support as the world started to spin around her. Juhyeon’s breathing started to quicken as the excruciating pain in her head intensified, as if her entire skull was about to get crushed. Everything around her started to darken and her vision started to blur. The last thing she felt was a burning sensation rushing through her body.

“Nice to see you again, your highness,” Lord Taeyong greeted. Juhyeon looked around, realizing that she was in yet again, another unfamiliar place. It was a dark room, lit only by a few torches along the walls. Skulls hung from the ceiling and black curtains covered what Juhyeon presumed to be windows.  There was an oak study desk on one side of the room with a matching oak chair behind it. The shelves along the walls were filled with books imprinted with words of a language Juhyeon had never seen before.

“Where is this place?” Juhyeon asked. “This is The Mellow; world of the Demons. I’d like to welcome you to my study room, one of my favourite rooms in my entire castle. Would you like a drink?” Lord Taeyong asked, pouring a strange green liquid into one of his porcelain cups. Shuddering, Juhyeon declined politely. “What am I doing here?” she asked again. Lord Taeyong placed the cup onto the table and made his way towards the curtains, pulling them open in a swift movement.

Juhyeon realized they must have been at a very high level as she could see the whole of The Mellow. The sky was dark and gloomy with old and vandalised buildings covering every inch of the towns. Strange creatures roamed the areas; some smashing whatever it found in its path while some battled with each other. There were also human beings like Lord Taeyong, just that they weren’t as well dressed.

“I have brought you here to meet my son but I believe you’ve already met him,” Lord Taeyong stated.  There was a knock on the door and Juhyeon turned around to find herself face to face with the strange boy she had met today in the canteen. Up close, she could see that his beautiful eyes had red pupils – just like Lord Taeyong’s. “Father,” he greeted in his husky voice. His gaze then travelled to Juhyeon and he gave a curt nod.

“You’re the one I saw in the canteen a few minutes ago!” Juhyeon exclaimed, mouth agape. The corner of his lips formed a smirk. “I was excited to see how my wife-to-be looked like. And now that you’re so close,” he started, and within a second he appeared right in front of Juhyeon, leaning in so close that his face was just an inch away from hers, “you look so much more beautiful.” His breath was hot against her cheek and she stepped back, feeling uncomfortable.

“Wife-to-be? I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’m getting married to someone I don’t even know,” Juhyeon proclaimed. Lord Taeyong closed the curtains and walked over to the couple, placing a hand over his son’s shoulder. “My son, Kim Jongin, will be your future husband. You two are to get married to bring peace to both of our worlds.”

Juhyeon gave a confused look. “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand.” Lord Taeyong chuckled, sending shivers down Juhyeon’s spine. Juhyeon realized how the room was so quiet that every time someone spoke it’d echo around the room. “I see the King and Queen of Andelphia have not told you about the circumstances of the wedding. I shall let Jongin explain all of this to you when he has the chance,” Lord Taeyong said.

Another knock came and a short man in a maroon suit entered. His hair was completely white and he had a pair of glasses on. The wrinkles and scars on his face told Juhyeon that he must have been many years older than Lord Taeyong. “Lord Taeyong, Lord Kai, the commanders of the army are here to see the both of you,” he notified. Without another word, Jongin and Lord Taeyong made their way out, leaving Juhyeon all alone in the room.

Before she could protest against being left alone, she felt the ground underneath her shake and the cup on the table fell and shattered on the ground. The walls started caving in around her and fear overwhelmed her as she wondered if she would be crushed inside the room. The books fell from their shelves and Juhyeon watched helplessly as the skulls rained down from the ceiling. The last thing she saw was the torches along the wall go out before everything went dead silent.