Chapter 4

As I closed the door behind me, Hongbin was on my bed while May was cleaning some dust from the cupboard. I walked up to May if she can leave the room for an hour, so she can have some freedom. She was surprised about my request but was pleasant as I allowed her to have fun. Also, I asked her if I can do her hair at times, if she wants me to. May was delighted and asked permission from Hongbin first. He got off the bed and gave me a glance for a second than granted her freedom. I smiled as saw her walking out of the door with a happy face while Hongbin talked to the guards outside of my room for a moment. The guards left when he closed the door behind him.

Its just me and Hongbin in my room. I was staring at his eyes for a minute or two as I saw his eyes with a calm look. I broke away from the awkward eye exchanges as I headed towards the window in my room. I opened the windows up, being welcomed as the wind breezed through my hair. The wind made my hair dance with peace as I was observing the scenery. One my side of the Castle, I saw a forest with some gloomy shadows in a far distance. I do not know why, but I started to get chills down my spine as I closed the window.

Hongbin slowly approached me, “You okay?” He wondered.
I nodded.
He grinned, “That’s good.”
I turned to face him. He was in front of me. I looked up into his eyes again. “Why are you helping me?” I asked.
Hongbin got lost, “Pardon?”
“Back on the normal world, why were you a jerk to me?” I asked while holding in my tears. “It’s scaring me how you’re all nice all of a sudden.” I paused. “I know that this is a bit rude of me, but I want to why you are all nice and happy here?”
He stayed quiet as I kept on asking him the same question.
“Is it because of me?” I asked with a soft tone.
Hongbin finally spoke, “It’s not you.” He hugged me. “Ahri, she made me cold back then…”  He confessed.
I embraced the hug for a second and thought about Ahri. “What did she do?”
“It was a vision I had a long time ago, I keep on have the same vision on repeat.” He explained a bit, “Ever since the party, I keep on having different visions with you in it.” He stopped. “I don’t know why the visions have you in it.” He let go off the hug.
I looked at his eyes with a blank thought.
Hongbin grabbed my arms, “The others want to talk to you in a special meeting room.” He whispered, “Oder doesn’t know that the room exist.”

We started to go down the stairway near my room. Somehow, the stairway keeps on going down to a dark hallway. It’s not the dungeon since it’s about 10 meters below the Castle. Hongbin held a light touch close to us as we walking down the dark hallway. Some rats screeched as it made me scared so I hadto have a tighter grip on Hongbin’s hand. He smirked as he saw me getting scared. I caught him with my tongue sticky out as a joke.  Hongbin placed the touch in a torch light holder, next to a room. He opened the doors, as some bright lights attacked my eyes.

The room was fairly big. There was a long wooden table with about seven seats with cushions on them. Five guys was standing near the chairs, I can’t tell who they are since my eyes are adjusting to the brightness. I can see about a few windows that shows the forest. The window glass is gloomy but you can clearly see the forest outside of it. Hongbin started to walk down to the table with me.

The guys wore their own hoods with different patterns on them on the right side of the chest. It was a symbol that looks familiar… The sections of the Castle on one of the floors, it’s the same patterns on each different hood. All of the five guys are reasonably tall. The patterns are small with black outlines: one of the guys with Platinum White hair Mohawk has a pattern of a small black outline print of a phoenix on it, another guy with Red hair has special six sided star, one of them has a big nose with Orange hair has water drop with some curves of small patterns on the outside, a guy with Blonde hair has six triangles but all of them connected and the guy next to Hongbin has Black hair and his pattern is an old clock stop watch with some of the features broken with some details of the hands broken apart.

“Welcome to Destiny,” I heard a voice that was similar to Hakyeon’s voice.
My eyes settled down to the light brightness. “Thank you…” I spoke with a soft voice.
Hongbin gestured me to sit down next to him on a cushion seat.
Leo smiled as he sat across to me on the table. “Hello, Yuri.”
I shyly hid my face, “Who are you guys?” I blunted.
“It’s us.” Ken spoke with his orange hair.
The guy with Platinum White hair spoke, “Did you warn Yuri about Oder yet?”
Hongbin replied with a serious tone, “I already did Ravi.”

I stayed quiet and tried to understand the important situation but I was distracted by Hongbin serious look. It made his face stand out with his light brown hair and a scar on his face. It’s next to his right eye… The scar may look small but its bright huge if you think about it. But it suits Hongbin quiet well. Wait a minute. WHY DO I HAVE FEELINGS OR THINK THAT HONGBIN IS HOT ALL OF A SUDDEN? He treated you like a jerk before… but he told me before that Ahri was the reason why…

The Red hair spoke, “Yuri,” He faced me. “Do you know any abilities?”
I had a blank look with a soft reply. “No...”
He asked Hongbin, “We cannot let Oder know her powers.” He explained to the others.
Hongbin interrupted, “How do we know, if Yuri has her powers yet Hakyeon?” He asked.
“Good question…” Hakyeon complimented.
Leo spoke with his soft voice. “When the time is right, she will achieve her powers.” He looked at me, “Yuri, when you do get your powers. Please tell one of us immediately. Do not tell Oder or you will be in danger.”
I stared at Leo’s eyes with a slow nod.
The guy with Blonde her started to talk, “Does anyone have any questions?”
I stood up. “What is going on?” I demanded, “Why can’t I tell Oder about my powers, which I don’t have?”
Hongbin interrupted, “Hyuk, maybe you shouldn’t have asked that at the moment.”
Hyuk protested. “She needs to know the truth and why we don’t trust him.”

With a sigh out of Hongbin, “Fine,” He gave up and explained it to me after I sat down on my seat again. “Oder ordered your parents to go after Tim’s mother. After that, he started having secret occasions when he leaves the Kingdom for ‘important’ meetings. That’s why we started to get suspicious.” He paused as he grabbed my hands softly. “Your parents were the Royal Guards to Oder, but they were actually the real King and Queen of Destiny. Oder somehow convinced your people that he was the real King and made your parents get bad reputations. The only way to get that out was to defeat Tim’s mother.” Hongbin stopped for a second and looked into my eyes with his tears about to flow. “That was meant to be our job, but Oder wanted your parents go on a suicidal mission. He kept the mission a secret from everyone expect for the guards. He somehow convinced them the truth.”
“What about your parents?” I asked him.
Hongbin smiled softly, “Our parents were Loyal to your mother and father. They were all close friends as they were Ruler of Six of Eight Realms until Oder came along. Oder destroyed all of our Realms into rumble and pieces because the Realms were ‘evil’ and that made the people of the Realms go against our Parents…”
I listened to the sad story as the others started to leave with respect while Hongbin continued on the story.
“This may be a lieto you, Yuri.” He looked into my eyes as his tears slowly feel, “But it’s not.”
I nodded with a curious question, “Why did he decide to be King of Destiny?”
Hongbin blunted, “To take control and power on his own…”
“What powers did my parents have?” I asked.
He shrugged, “I can’t remember, I was only fifth-teen when we were searching for you. In Destiny, we are only nineteen. We only age every four years. I remember that either your mother or father had a special power of darkness or something… I’m sorry.”
I wiped his tears away and gave him a smile. “Thank you for being honest to me,” I hugged him. “Maybe I should forgive you…” I hid my face.

Hongbin grinned and started to tease me, “What do you miss me being a jerk to you?”
I reacted quickly, “No…” I lost my words. “I like this new you, I guess…” I quickly got up, “Oder must be looking for us.”
“,” Hongbin cursed. “We must hurry before he finds out that you’re missing.” We swiftly rushed to my room.

We arrived at the hallway peacefully, hoping that Oder isn’t inside my room. I slowly opened the door with Hongbin behind me. A strange figure was near the window, observing the scenery. Hongbin decided to be ahead of me. The person turned around. It was Ahri… She looks different. Her eyes changed to light grey, her hair is light brown and she somehow has nine light brown with mixed colours fox tiles on her. Hongbin started to get cautious about her as she walked towards me. Ahri had a slight giggle, the giggle didn’t sound pleasant at all. She blew a soft kiss at the two of us, and then she swiftly got away. The kiss distracted the two of us for a moment.  When she left, a knock on the door was heard. Oder opened the door with May. May didn’t look to be happy as she quickly ran behind me. I hugged her. She’s scared.

“What was she doing?” Oder yelled.
I looked at Hongbin for a second but stayed quiet.
Oder threatens May, “If she leaves, she will be thrown to the Forest to surviveon her own.”
 “I let her out for an hour for freedom.” I blunted as I kept May close to me.
“How dare you. You didn’t…” Oder got cut.
Hongbin stepped in, “Yuri asked May, May asked me. I allowed May to have some freedom.” He explained.
“You see, May is still young. She’s a maid, I know but she can’t be a maid all the time.” I expressed my feelings about May. “She is only in her teens, I guess that she hasn’t been out and go to places like the other teenagers.” I made a statement at Oder. “This is just cruel to keep a young person without any guardians to do adult jobs.”
Oder was about to say something to me but kept it to himself. “Fine, have it your way.” He warned May. “If I see you outside of your job, you will be punished.”
Leo joined in from behind Oder, “Yuri has a point.” Leo smiled at me, “May is only sixteen years old, she’s been a maid since she was only ten. May is the youngest maid in the Castle. Of course she needs some freedom as she is still growing up.”
Oder yelled. “Enough!” He gave me a glare, “If you ever allowed anyone to have a free time, you should be careful Yuri…” He smirked with a mumble. “Just like your parents…” He left with guards as Leo came into the room.

May cried on my stomach, poor girl. I went on my knees and told her that she did nothing wrong. I was the one in fault. I promised her that I would look after her, the boys agreed. I told May to have a wash up and take a warm bath. I’ll look after her. May thanked me as she told me about her past and her parents. The boys listened to May as I invited May to sit on my Queen-size bed with me. She started to tell about her past.