“Bride?” Jieun frowned. “What are you talking about?”

The man got up. Jieun flexed out her arm, using the gold shimmers to reveal her weapons. She pulled out her stars and pointed the tip at the old man. The man chuckled. He pulled out his long wooden staff out of thin air, surprising her.

“Don’t worry. I won’t strike you,” the man said. “I’m just an old wizard.” He made his staff vanish. He looked at her. “You wish you find answers, yes? A way to stop the chaos? The End? The Apocalypse?”

Jieun stared at him with wide eyes. “How did you know?”

He chuckled again. “I’m a wizard. Wizards know everything.”

"If the Creator is above you, then shouldn't wizard knowledge be limited?” Jieun questioned him.

“I’m the oldest creature in the world, though,” the wizard said. “I was part of the Council, too. We’ve met before.”

"Yes. I remember you. You gave me a bracelet that would kill me," Jieun said bitterly.

“Yes, I did, but I knew that the bracelet wouldn’t work,” the wizard said. “You see, I’m a wizard. I know everything.”

Jieun wanted to roll her eyes at him. It seemed like his excuse for everything was that he "knew everything" just because he was a certain kind of creature. She didn't like him. Not one bit.

“So why’d you give me the bracelet? Why didn’t you let me leave peacefully back then?” she asked him.

“Then that would’ve caused mass distress in the Council. It would’ve brought on the Apocalypse too early. There would’ve been a riot or a revolution within the government,” the wizard pointed out.

"Couldn't the Creator change something?"

"You wouldn't be fooled."

Jieun grimaced. "So you knew that the Apocalypse was going to happen, but you've decided to do nothing to prevent it?"

“Well, of course I knew about it,” the wizard said. “After all, the Creator created me first. I didn't do anything because the Creator wouldn't erase me."

"What?" Jieun stared at him, confused.

The wizard chuckled. "Oh, Creator's Bride, you have so much to learn." He gestured her to sit on the chair across from him. "Come. Sit."

Jieun hesitated, but she slowly made her way to her sat, sitting down as he prepared tea to tell the story. He passed her a cup, which she cautiously accepted. She didn't sip it. She swirled it calmly, keeping her eyes on the wizard, who sipped his drink without a care. It was like he wasn't in the middle of an apocalypse. 

"Where should I start?" Jongsuk muttered to himself.

"Start from the beginning," Jieun told him.

"But which beginning?" Jongsuk tilted his head. "The beginning of the Creator? The beginning of this world? The beginning of the very first world?"

"Tell me the beginning of the Creator," Jieun said.

Jongsuk smiled. "Well, I don't know too much about that."

"I thought you the the Creator's first creation?"

"Indeed, I am, but he has existed here long before I did," Jongsuk said. "You see, I was created out of the Creator's loneliness and despair. I'm afraid that that's all I can tell you because the Creator never told me anything else. He just told me that my job was to be his friend and to accompany him on everything, regardless of what he does. We played several roles. Good guy, bad guy, heroes, villains…"

"And in this one, he was a villain, wasn't he?" Jieun murmured.

"Is that what you think he is?" Jongsuk asked. Jieun didn't say anything. "Forgive me for my rudeness, Bride of the Creator. I didn't mean to intrude on a sensitive topic."

"Why do you keep calling me that?" Jieun asked. "I'm not Taemin's bride. We aren't married."

"Well, that brings me to the beginning of the worlds," Jongsuk said. "In each world, the Creator created a place for his enjoyment. People of his kinds would cross to his world and would play, but they would never stay. No matter how many times he enticed them with absolute god-like power, they never wanted to stay. He eventually realized that he would need to trick his people to stay, so he created trials and stories for them to follow. He hoped to entrap his kinds to excitement and adventure."

"Like how he did to me and Mino," Jieun said.

"Precisely," Jongsuk said.

"What about Naeun and Myungsoo? They're humans, too, right?" Jieun asked.

"Well, yes. They were The Creator's initial plans," Jongsuk said.

"Initial plans?"

“Naeun was going to be the bride. That’s why the Creator had her under his influence first,” Jongsuk explained to Jieun. “That’s why she couldn’t remember and thought that she belonged in this world. The problem is, Myungsoo came to the world with her. Originally, I suggested to get rid of him, but the Creator thought that he could be his best man, his best friend. Later the Creator managed to get a bit more influence over Myungsoo, which is why he was able to remember certain things about the real world by the time you two arrived.”

“Then what about me and Mino? What was our purpose?” Jieun asked.

“Well, originally, Naeun was going to be Taemin’s bride and Myungsoo was going to be their best friend, but he saw you. You know, at the well.”

“When I fell.”

“Before, too.”

Jieun frowned. “How?”

“I don’t know,” Jongsuk muttered. “He just said that he saw you. He said that he pushed you into the well.”

Jieun grew cold. She faintly remembered being pushed into the well, but she also remembered hearing Mino tell her that she had fallen in to the well out of her own will. Was Taemin capable of crossing to their world and hiding from other's eyes?

“And that’s how I got here,” Jieun mumbled.

“Yes, correct.”

“So why did he change his mind when he saw me?”

“Because he fell in love with you.”

Jieun’s frown disappeared. In an instant, she had a rosy cheek and a flustered expression. She sat still in her seat, not daring to move or make an awkward movement. It felt fuzzy to know that she was loved, cherished, but it also hurt knowing what he had done to her just a few moments earlier.

Jongsuk saw this and smiled, making her more embarrassed.

“I have never seen the Creator so happy since the moment I was created. It fascinates me how someone like you can finally move his heart. I have seen so many of the Creator's kind come and go. When you came, the Creator picked you as the new bride in a heart beat. The Creator usually takes a few days to get to know people, but with you, it was instant. The whole time, the Creator was very impatient and wanted to destroy this world as soon as possible, but he couldn’t do it as long as your motives were to go back.”

"Why not?"

"If you were stuck in this world and wanted to go back, it would make you feel miserable. The Creator was kind enough to consider that," Jongsuk explained. 

"Are you trying to tell me that he cared?" she asked.

"He was very conscious of you. It was quite cute," Jongsuk said, grinning from ear to ear.

Jieun was flustered. "B-But why does he have to destroy the world?"

"Destroying the world means that you get to be the Creator's Bride permanently," Jongsuk said. His tone became serious. He stopped smiling. "This is where I come in to warn you. Lee Jieun, you have a limited amount of time before you are forever trapped in this world. When this world is fully eradicated, you will no longer return to your own world. You will obtain the same powers as the Creator and live forever with him here."

Jieun went white. She couldn't believe what he was saying. Sure, it was her intentions to stay, but…forever? She wasn't sure if that was what she wanted.

"W-Wait. But if this world is destroyed, then nothing would be the same," Jieun said, faking a laugh. "I-I mean, I made some friends here, like Donghae the elf? Wouldn't he die?"

"If you want him alive, you can," Jongsuk said simply. "It's your choice after the world ends."

"I'm not going to just…spawn a copy!" Jieun exclaimed.

"Or if you're sure that you're going to stay, you should let the Creator know as soon as possible," Jongsuk said. "The Creator is currently making preparations for the new world, but how it unfolds depends entirely on whether or not you're going to stay or not."

Jieun was confused. "I don't get it. Why do I have to stay?"

"Because you are the Bride of the Creator."

"Why am I the bride?"

"Because the Creator loves you."

Jieun grew frustrated. "Can't you tell Taemin to not destroy this world? To let me go back and forth from this world to the next world?"

"Of course not. It's not like he can go to your world. How could we possible trust that you'll come back?" Jongsuk asked.

"So the Creator is doing this because he doesn't trust me?" Jieun asked.

"He's doing this because this is the proper way," Jongsuk said.

"Proper way of what?" Jieun asked, growing tired of Jongsuk's vague answers.

"Creator's Bride, I am just a puppet," the wizard said in a heavy voice. "I'm trying to answer the best I can, but I cannot explain things in detail without the Creator's permission."

"So the Creator doesn't trust me enough to tell me anything, huh?" Jieun muttered. She gave the wizard a painful look. "Then I have no choice but to leave this world."

The Creator looked stunned for a second, then gave her a broken expression.

"I just felt the Creator's feelings," Jongsuk said softly. "He feels extremely heartbroken."

"He was listening?" Jieun asked. She looked around the room. "Taemin! This is Jieun! Please, I need to talk to you—"

"The Creator will not talk to someone who does not want to stay," Jongsuk said coldly. He stood up. He summoned his staff and stomped it on the floor. A portal appeared next to Jieun. "I'm afraid that I will have to ask you to leave."

"You answered nothing!" Jieun shouted.

"I answered everything I could as the Creator's creation!" Jongsuk snapped. He changed to his old form. "Leave!"

"How do I even do that?" Jieun asked.

"Sometimes, to exit a room, you go through the same door," Jongsuk said.

Jieun stood still in silence. The wizard turned around.

"You mean fall into the well?"

"If that's what got you here, then that's what's going to get you out," the wizard said.

Jieun wanted to scream. All this adventure, all this walking and running—all of this could've been avoided if she had just turned and fell back into the well. She would've felt less pain, less agony… She wouldn't have met him.

"I need to tell Mino," she whispered to herself. She stopped and stared at the wizard. "Are you going to stop me?"

The wizard glanced at the portal. "I've created that for you. Shouldn't that suffice for an answer?"

Jieun nodded. Without another moment of hesitation, she entered through the portal, disappearing from the wizard's sight.

When she was gone, the wizard's home started to shake. Then, everything started to crumble, turning into flower petals. The wizard turned around and smiled warmly at Taemin, who was hiding behind a few bookshelves that were turning to petals.

"So that is her answer," Jongsuk told him. "Will I be destroyed?"

"Temporarily, like always," Taemin said. "I'll bring you back soon."

Taemin waved his hand. Jongsuk began to turn into petals starting with his feet. The wizard nodded.

"I will see you in the next world, Creator," Jongsuk said.

Mino was frantically running around until he realized that he was in an area that looked quite familiar. He wasn't sure exactly where he was, but he knew that he had been in the area before. By now, ghouls and zombies were rising from the cracks in the floor, roaming around the world, eating on any of the creatures they could land their eyes on. Sometimes, when they saw Mino, they would try to chase after him, but Mino would manage to defeat them with speed.

As he ran, he suddenly bumped into someone. He gasped and was in fighting stance until he realized that it was Naeun who was in front of him. Naeun widened her eyes, shocked to see him.

"Mino!" Naeun exclaimed. "I can't believe I found you!"

"Naeun!" Mino cried out. "You're okay!"

"What's going on? Taemin and I were running, but then a couple of revenants were trying to attack him. We split ways, but we promised to meet up soon," Naeun said. "Do you remember that town that's painted in yellow? We're meeting up there! It's only a few miles away from here!"

Mino blinked his eyes. No wonder this place looked familiar! It was the first location that the group had gone to when they first started their adventure.

He grabbed her shoulders. "Listen, Naeun. Taemin isn't trustworthy!"

Naeun bit her bottom lip. "I know that I said that I had my doubts on him, but I think I'm starting to doubt that. You see, Taemin helped me out when I was unconscious—"

"No! Listen, he's planning this or something! I don't know what his motives are, but—"

A portal suddenly appeared next to them. Jieun quickly jumped out of the portal and looked around, examining her surroundings.

Naeun widened her eyes. "Jieun! You have Dimensional powers?"

"No time to explain!" Jieun exclaimed. She grabbed Mino wrist. "We need to go back to the well!"

"The well?" Mino repeated. "You mean the place you fell in that brought us here?"

"Yes! We just need to fall in it and we'll get back to our world!" Jieun said quickly.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Mino retorted. "No way. It's not that easy. There has to be a catch."

"There isn't!" Jieun said. "It's probably going to hurt, but it's going to save our lives!"

"What do you mean?"

"Once this world is gone, we're trapped. We need to find that well before this world officially ends!" Jieun explained.

Mino widened his eyes. "If that's the case, we need to start running!"

"If you're talking about the graveyard that you came from, it's not too far from here," Naeun said. She pointed at a certain direction. "Just run down this path and you'll find it."

"Thanks, Naeun!" Jieun exclaimed. She was about to run, but Naeun grabbed her wrist.

"Wait!" Naeun exclaimed. She frowned. "You're…leaving?"

"We have to," Jieun said urgently.

"You're not going to help us? Help me? Help Taemin?" Naeun asked.

"Taemin… He's the one who betrayed us," Jieun said. "He's the Creator. He's the reason for this Apocalypse."

Naeun stared at her. "Is that how you talk to someone you loved?"

"What?"

"I thought you loved him?"

"I did until he betrayed me!" 

"He didn't betray you!" Naeun exclaimed. "Just a few minutes ago, he saved me! He was looking for you! He was crying over you!"

Jieun clenched her jaws. "Naeun, I'm sorry, but I have reasons not to believe him anymore. I don't have time to explain because Mino and I really need to leave."

"It doesn't have to be for Taemin! What about me?" Naeun asked.

"Did you fall into a well when you came here?" Jieun asked. Naeun shook her head. "Then I can't help you."

"What do you mean?" Mino asked. "Naeun's human like us, isn't she?"

Jieun looked at him. "The wizard told me that to get out of this world, it has to be the same way to get in."

"Did he really say that?" Mino asked. "Is that the only way?"

Jieun didn't say anything else. She turned back to Naeun, who had a hurt expression on her face.

"Naeun, I'm so sorry. I wish you lots of luck," Jieun said. She brushed away Naeun's hand and grabbed Mino's ago. "Let's go!"

Mino awkwardly nodded. He gave Naeun a pitiful expression before running down the path with Jieun.

Naeun took a deep breath before yelling, "Myungsoo died for you! Are you really leaving me like this? He died to protect me! To protect you guys! Guys! Come back! Help me!"

Tears filled her eyes. She lost strength in her knees. She collapsed on the floor, bitterly glaring at Jieun and Mino, who had heard her message. Feeling guilt, the two continued to run, leaving Naeun angry, hurt, and offended.

Like Naeun said, it only took them a few minutes before arriving at the graveyard. The graveyard was filled with zombies, ghouls and revenants. The dead creatures roamed around the field, hungry, starving, searching for something to suffice their endless hunger. Mino and Jieun looked at each other and nodded. They started charging through the crowds, avoiding the monsters narrowly. When one of them saw the well, they screamed and pointed to alert the other. The duo continued running, almost at the destination. Surprisingly, there were less monsters near the well as if it was meant to be unguarded.

Upon arriving, the two took a deep breath and stared down at the well. It was black, dark, deep. Mino and Jieun gulped, nervous about hitting their heads. 

"Ladies first?" Mino asked. Jieun glared. "Okay, never mind."

He climbed over the stones and closed his eyes. His cursed mark glowed a little as he fell into the well. He could hear the old witch's voice ringing in his head:

"For the price of an incredible power, I shall take away memories that you will need when precious time comes! You shall never remember unless your pitiful love leaves you!"

Jieun stared down at the darkness. Her legs trembled and her hands clung onto the edges. She took several deep breaths, trying to tell herself to calm down and to just fall.

Then, she felt a push from behind. She wasn't sure who pushed her, but she lost her balance, slipping into the well once again.