"Should we head back towards Orabel?" The boy ask. He had delicate features, thin lips, fair white skin. His hair was blonde, one of his ears was pierced with a earring of a cross dangling from it. He took a step back from the grave to look at the person he was speaking to.

 

His companion was knelt down before another grave. His eyes were closed, his full lips sealed together, a long sword resting on the earth besides him. The boy opened his eyes looking at the grave before him once more before he stood.

 

"Yeah." He spoke, the sun hitting his bronze skin and mocha hair. "There has to be a trace of him somewhere."

 

The blonde walked, the chains of his weapon clinked softly with his steps. The other followed after as the two walked away from the graves. The wind blew softly, the small flower placed on top of the graves moved, its small mass being easily shifted by the gust. Behind the graves was a house, broken down, wood of the walls broken with some planks missing.

 

Just like everyone in the area of the houses in similar if not worst conditions that surrounded it .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Still I hold onto this dream of a scar-less heart and a spite-less mind
No longer shall I try to find a name-less ghost nor provide
A shelter for my [Demons]"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She wasn't complaining, she really wasn't. She expected them to be traveling some distance but not this much. She shoulders were hurting, he calves were burning, her feet were cursing at her with each step now. She didn't say anything for a while now, but after some hours she was now ready to complain.

 

"Can we finally take a break," Ailee finally cracked and asked.

 

The back she watched of the black-hooded cloak male stopped, head turning back to look at his new companion. He looked up to the sky, using the sun as a time gage. The had left her town around noon and it was still an hour or so before it hit nightfall. They had covered a good amount of ground in their hours of walk so a break wouldn't do any harm he supposed.

 

"Sure," He said. "Let's just move until we hit a clearing. We'll set  up to camp out for the night."

 

"Yes!" Ailee cheered, a new energy in her. She walked quickly ahead eager to find a clearing. "Hurry up!"

 

Kyungsoo watched the girl back, a smile of amusement coming up on his face. He followed behind, catching up to her steps easily.

 

"Look," She pointed ahead. "There's an-"

 

She stepped forward but her foot got caught on a root making her trip forward. She closed her eyes in wait for the impact but instead she felt an , one much stronger feeling than appeared to the eye, around her.

 

"You're pretty clumsy." Kyungsoo said as he pulled to girl up.

 

"S-Shut up!" She hissed, swatting the helpful hand away as she stormed forward. She felt the heat of embarrassment on her cheeks but she shook it away.

 

They finally reach a clearing in the midst of the woods and Ailee didn't hesitate to throw down her things.

 

"Man my shoulder hurt," She rubbed the sore muscle.

 

"Well," Kyungsoo leaned against a tree. "You did take a bit much to travel around with."

 

It' was true that Ailee had took only what she thought was necessary but it may also be true she may have had took a bit too much judging by the large size of her bag compared to the smaller things the other carried.

 

"We'll need some of these things in here one day, trust me." She justified rubbing her arms in attempt to warm herself from the friction. Out of all the things she did pile into her bag, she had forgotten her shawl of all things.

 

She felt the weight of fabric come around her shoulder, the cold diminishing and being replaced by warmth. She looked up and saw her face near the archer's who was placing his own cloak around her.

 

"Even though it's spring I guess it's still getting a bit cold towards the night." He stepped back and Ailee for the first time got to catch a full overview of his attire.

 

He wore black, from his black tunic with a v-lined decorated gold design near the neck to the black pants he wore beneath. The pants looked to be a bit baggy but it was the  effect of his black stringed-up boots that came up mid-way his calves that the fabric was tucked into. Around his waist was a strap the she knew was used when someone was holding a blade, the short blade she was almost attacked with before she assumed. The strap around his torso held the bag that rested on his back. Topping off his look was his black hair, bangs almost covering his eyes but the back was kept short. The dark attire contrasted his white skin, and his wide eyes and heart-shaped plumped lips made him seem weak and feminine compared to their societal ideal model of men but he held a strength that wouldn't be expected from his looks.

 

He especially contrasted Ailee's own self as she dressed as she would be seen in society. Her hair was long and black, her pink tunic with pattern of black at certain points, fair skin and body. The ideal woman, but not who she wanted to be after looking at Kyungsoo.

 

He fascinated her if she were to say. Not only in appearance but in the air of mystery he held. How could a boy like him hold such depth in the look the had saw him with before?

 

Kyungsoo set his bow against a tree. "I'm going to go get firewood. You brought food, right?"

 

She blinked and response, he seemed to snapped her from whatever thoughts she was having staring at him. He could feel her stares upon him , it would be natural to assume that she might be wondering about him, who he was deeply or maybe why he is doing the things he's doing.

 

The feeling was neutral.

Though she told him before of her quest in finding her sister, he wondered why her sister disappeared to begin with. There were questions he would like to ask but the time to ask them was not now.
 

"I did." She moved to the bag she carried and pulled out a small bundle. "It should still be a bit warm but it may be a bit cold."
 

"That's fine." He smiled lightly to reassure her. He stepped past the tree stumps as he walked into the direction of the forest.  "I'll be back. Stay here until I return."
 

"Okay," She called, watching until the figure retreated into the woods.
 

The wind slightly rustled through the branches. The silence of the forest settled.
 

"No biggie...,” She muttered to herself.  “Just gonna wait here... in the middle of the woods... by myself."
 

She jumped hearing a small snap of a branch. Her eyes darted up to see a small bird fluttering in on a branch looking at her curiously.
 

"...He needs to hurry up."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By time Kyungsoo came back with some wood, he was nearly knocked over by his traveling companion.

 

"What took you so long?!" She yelled at the other

 

"Um, sorry?" Kyungsoo said, unsure of what the problem was until he took in the situation.  "Were you afraid being alone? "

 

"No," Ailee quickly denied. "Just thought you for attacked by a bear or something. "

 

Kyungsoo didn't respond, he just hummed to himself in slight amusement. He started up the fire during the right moment as nightfall was slowly coming over the skies. He ate the food the other brought listening as she told him her tales of things that happened in the pub while she worked there.

 

 

"I'll have to say,"She adjusted in the spot. "Out of all the people I have seen, I think you are one of the people who has left an impression on me."

 

"One of the people?"

 

"Well, you see a lot of people in my town and I would be lying if I said only one person left an impression on me my whole life." She laughed a bit eliciting a small smile from Kyungsoo. A yawn escaped her lips next, her hand coming up to cover as she did so. "I think I'm going to call it a day."

 

"Feel free to," Kyungsoo said as she moved over to her bag to grab a blanket.

 

"You're not going to sleep to?" She asked.

 

Kyungsoo shook his head. "I'm more use to traveling than you are. I don't get tired as easily. You go ahead and rest and I'll watch over things."

 

Ailee eyed him momentarily before nodding her head. "Sure if you say so. Goodnight Kyungsoo."

 

Goodnight.

 

 

When was the last time he heard someone tell him?

 

 

"Good... Good night." He responded almost quietly. He wasn't sure if the girl heard him because silence followed soon after and he looked at her quiet from rest by the fire.

 

The breeze came by and he felt it through his sleeve almost forgetting he gave the girl the cloak she was wearing while sleeping.

 

She shouldn't be here.

 

The regret of bringing her along was now starting to seep into his mind. He couldn't afford to have company in his life and she couldn't afford to have her life in the danger that was to come. He had his own demons to find and they would attack him at any time like he was ready to do to them.

 

But he made her a promise.

 

His brown eyes stared up at the crescent moon. The crackle of the firewood  mixed with the night sounds of insects and animals as the lived on around him. The rising and falling of the chest of the girl grew steady and Kyungsoo now took in her appearance once again.

 

She was pretty indeed. Most women around her age would be looking for suitors to start a family with. She claims to be strong, she even shows it by putting herself in this situation with him traveling to find the sister of hers. Though she tried not show it Kyungsoo knew this was her first time out in the forest and her fear was noted but she was pushing herself to overcome it.

 

Kyungsoo would protect her.

 

It becomes a promise a part of himself makes at that moment before he realized it. Until the day they find her sister she would be under his care.

 

He closed his eyes with that resolve on his mind and he let the probability of his dreams commence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Alright," The older boy waited for the younger boy to slip on his shoes by the front door. "Get your bow and let's go."

 

"Okay," The eight year old boy scurried up running his feet against the wooden floor to the room that was his and grabbed the small bow and bag of arrows carrying both back the way he came, past the room where a man and a woman sat on the floor around a table. The boy stopped in the middle of his run to wave at his parents. "Bye mom, bye dad."

 

The man looked up, cup raised up against his lips. "Bye? Where are you going this time?"

 

 

"Hyung is taking me out to practice shooting." The youth said excitedly.

 

"Kyunghyun honey," The woman raised the volume of her voice to project through the wooden home, "Watch out for wild animals. The Lee family said a wolf almost attacked them the other day."

 

"Yes mom." The voice of the elder child was behind the younger, the rehearsed tone of the words made the younger look up at his brother. The elder looked down, hand coming to lay on top of his brother's head.  "Let's go Soo."

 

The younger smiled, nodding his head. "Okay!"

 

---

 

Feet stepped through the grass and dirt earth carpet. A long pair of legs stepped over a fallen branch of a tree, a smaller pair of legs mirroring the action. The boys traveled for fifteen minutes through the woods in practice silence, a content silence. The older boy stopped first, raising his arm slightly to signal for the younger boy to halt his steps as well.

 

The elder reached his hand back for an arrow out of the bag strapped on his back, moving cautiously and quietly behind the trunk of the nearest tree as he lined the wielded stick along the lines of his bow. The younger boy moved quietly as well as he fell in step hiding with his brother. The young boy looked around on the opposite side of the tree trying to catch a peak of what it was that his brother had stopped to shoot.

 

It was a boar.

 

It looked young but all the while matured enough to pass off as an adult. The animal sniffed around the ground in search of food, stopping once it caught a whiff of something in the air.

 

 

"Hyung," The young boy whispered. "Are you going-"

 

"Quiet Kyungsoo." The tone was commanding but soft as the boy stepped a foot out slowly, body completely focused on the hunt before him. He lifted his bow, eyes trained on the animal and arm pulled back as he pulled the string of the bow back along with the speared stick.

 

The air seemed to sill, time seemed to slow down, and Kyungsoo watched in the same fascination he always did as the arrow was released from the hold and pierced the side of the beast. The animal let out a shriek as it fell down with one piercing blow to the ground and the boys waited a moment before approaching the animal to confirm the death.

 

"That was so cool!" Kyungsoo exclaimed. "I can't wait to become as good as you one day."

 

"Trust me Kyungsoo," Kyunghyun said with a small laugh as he ruffled his younger brother's head. "You'll be even greater than me one day."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eyes fluttered open, a small pain shot through her limbs as she stretched them out in place. The light of the morning sun touched her cheek, coaxing her to wake up.She blinked a few times, letting her eyes wake along with the rest of her body. She stared at the blurry figure before her. It looked brown with a roundish shape to it. She blinked again, a frown coming up her face.

 

The figure had antennas on it now, ones that moved slightly. Its many legs held it in place as its round eyes seemed to bore into her own.

 

She blinked a final time, the figure clear before her and standing too close to her face.

 

Birds fluttered from trees  as a screech echoed from the body below that scrambled up and away.

 

"KYUNGSOO!"

 

The male appeared almost instantly from some trees, his hands armed with his bow, arrow already drawn back ready to attack. He lowered his bow, seeing as there was no danger but instead looking at Ailee as she yelled for him to "kill that evil thing".

 

"It's not funny," She huffed, walking behind the male who chuckled lightly.

 

"I didn't know you had a fear of bugs." He said in obvious amusement. She had returned his cloak back to him and the fabric moved along with his every step.

 

"I'm not scared of bugs," She claimed. "That thing just snuck up on me and attacked me out of nowhere! I was sleep and everything and it just came up on me!"

 

"Sure it did." The male hummed, lifted a low hanging branch for the other to move under.

 

Ailee looked up pondering. "Maybe I need a weapon."

 

"A weapon?" Kyungsoo took a glanced at her with a questioning brow. "For the bugs?"

 

"Not the bugs, silly," She said. "I meant in general. What if someone, not a bug, snuck up on me unexpectedly?"

 

"I'd be there." He answered.

 

"Well what if you weren't." She insisted. "I need to have something of my own to-"

 

"To do what?" Kyungsoo had turned around sharply, the fabric of the cloak moved sharply with him. His body now in front of hers as his eyes pierced into her's. "To protect yourself with? How when you have no experience with a weapon at all."

 

"I handled things before." She defended herself, a anger bubbling in her at the other's sudden attitude.

 

"Like what?"

 

"A knife."

 

"A knife for cutting is not the same as a blade for fighting." Kyungsoo turned back around continuing with their way."You don't need one."

 

"Hey," She took steps ahead, cutting off his path to stand in front of him now. The irritation and anger in her face was evident. "Who are you to tell me what I do and don't need?"

 

"I'm the one who actually handles the weapons between the both of us and has actually harmed and killed people with it." He said. "If you're not ready to take a life to protect your own then you have no business carrying a weapon you won't use."

 

He moved passed her but she wasn't going to back down from the argument. "Then it would just be a front to scare people off or it would be hidden-"

 

"No," He denied her again. "If the found a weapon on you at all they will place you to be a higher threat than just an innocent victim and wouldn't hesitate to harm you."

 

He was right, they both knew it but Ailee wasn't going to let him know that. She stayed quiet, letting her anger bubble inside of her as she walked behind him.

 

She may have no experience but it's not like she couldn't learn. She didn't want to keep being protected and looked down on. She wanted to be able to fight on her own as well.

 

"What if you teach me?" She proposed her thoughts aloud. "It doesn't have to be a blade, it could be the bow too. You're great at it so it should be easy to teach me."

 

"I'm not great." Kyungsoo said after a moment of silence. "There's others that are probably better than me." He sighed.

 

"But the fact is you are the best fighter that I know of so far and you can teach me." She stopped herself from walking into the body that stopped before her.

 

Kyungsoo turned around, his large eyes looking down and into the eyes of the his traveling companion.

 

"Ailee," He spoke, "Don't worry about it, okay? For now, as long as you have me know that you will be safe. I'll protect you. Understand?"

 

His vice was genuine, his eyes sincere, and Ailee found herself being drowned in the feeling they casted upon her that she could only nod in agreement and let the conversation drop at that.

 

"Good." Kyungsoo said. He turned back on his heel. "Now stick close to me, town is almost near."

 

Sapphy was the town closest to the border of Orabel and was often a place largely gathered in due to that reason. People bumped into each other one by one, some carrying items for sell or returning items from the other country, while others were just travelers who were resting in the town as the came back or were getting ready to leave to Orabel.

 

Ailee stayed close to Kyungsoo as instructed but she couldn't help but let her eyes wander to some of the people and things around here.

 

"Are you fascinated?" Kyungsoo asked seeing how the the other eyes moved from things to thing.

 

"Just taking in the view of a different place." Ailee responded. "It's not like I got to travel much- hey! That place over there seems to have a lot of people! let's go eat there!"

 

She tugged on Kyungsoo's cloak as she pointed in the direction of a shop. Kyungsoo weighed the options in his head. He would have originally told the girl that their budget would be strictly for resting and gathering more supplies for their travel but Ailee was already dragging him inside of the shop. With a sigh he guessed they could eat in the shop as she wanted.

 

"Welcome," A waitress greeted them, she held out a paper with writing on it. "Here's the menu. Tell me if I can start you with anything."

 

"Thank you." Ailee smiled, reaching for the menu but her hand was smacked away and the menu was pushed back towards the waitress.

 

"We'll have the cheapest dish and some water." Kyungsoo said.

 

"A-Ah, okay." The lady said before scurrying off to get their orders.

 

"The cheapest thing?" Ailee gaped. "You didn't even look at the menu! What if it's something nasty?"

 

"If you're hungry, you will eat it." Kyungsoo reasoned. He shrugged the bag from his shoulder resting it on the floor leaning it and his bow against  leg of the table.

 

Ailee huffed, eyes looking off. Kyungsoo followed her eyes to a table were two travelers were talking. He could pick up bits and pieces of discussion about some towns they came across but he found all of it irrelevant to listen to. And so did Ailee. The girl let out a small sigh, eyes turning to look at the others in the room.

 

"Is there something you're doing in particular?" Kyungsoo asked.

 

"I'm listening for information that could be useful." She said. "This town has a lot of travelers and in a place like this I'm sure a good amount of them may be talking and if I get lucky they may be talking about something I want to know."

 

Ah, so that's why she choose this place. A smart choice it was actually, Kyungsoo did the same thing when he came to towns from his travels. But in all reason, he doubt if anyone would be talking about a lone female if that was the case.

 

Just in his moment of thought on the gir Kyungsoo's body tensed slightly- something that usually happened when he was being watched by someone. His eyes moved across the room cautiously, not wanting to alert the person that he knew he was being watched. The waitress came with their water first, placing the steel mug before them before disappearing off again. He took the drink, using it as a cover to find his watcher.

 

His eyes stopped on the body of a male. And his body almost jolted in surprise to see that the male was blatantly staring at him, not batting an eye now that their eyes were connected and looking at one another. Or maybe the guy didn't realize that Kyungsoo noticed him because his eyes looked taken back for a fraction of a moment before they casted away and he began talking to a male that sat across from him.

 

What the hell, Kyungsoo thought as he studied the guy. He had mocha hair, an angular jaw tan skin, not too tan though, just lightly as if the sun kissed his skin. He could be a worker than. No, he didn't seem to be one. He had a build but he seemed to be slender just like the blonde male before him.

 

"Talking about me staring." Ailee muttered gaining Kyungsoo's attention away from the male. The waitress came back with a bowl of food, a soup with chunks of meat. "Well this doesn't seem too bad."

 

"There was a guy staring at me." Kyungsoo picked up his own utensil to eat with.

 

"What guy?" Ailee darted her eyes around.

 

"Behind," Kyungsoo jabbed into the meat. "Brown hair sitting at the table with the yellow haired male."

 

"Brown hair? Yellow hair?" Ailee frowned. "Didn't know people actually had hair colors like that but I guess we are in a area of travelers." She faked stretching, turning her body catching easily a glimpse of the two males, especially the brown hair one who was indeed looking in their direction and at her now.

 

"Okay so they are staring," She said when she turned back around. "Do you think they want to fight us?"

 

"They wouldn't fight us, they would fight me." Kyungsoo emphasized. "But I don't think they want a fight... but it is pretty suspicious."

 

"Well," Ailee took a spoonful of her soup, bringing it to her lips as she ate it. "Maybe he thinks you are pretty."

 

"Pretty?" Kyungsoo frowned.

 

"Yeah, I mean you have the adorable wide eyes-"

 

"Don't," Kyungsoo stopped her, "you dare finish whatever else you were going to say... Strange woman."

 

"Have it your way," She hummed before speaking boy. "Pretty boy."

 

She snickered at the glare from the other she received and even though Kyungsoo wanted to be upset, he wasn't. He found their small transaction to be... pleasant? The word may be  stretch, but then again it has been a while since he had talked to someone in such a way.

 

"Help!"

 

A cry of a female voice floated to the archer's ears from outside the shop they were in. He turned his head, eyes catching sight of a female trying to release herself from the grip a man had on her arm.

 

"Someone please help move this man!"

 

Kyungsoo stood up, his chair squeaking along with the action. He was ready to go help the woman, but he stopped. His eyes now landed on the scene before him. The man who gripped the woman was pinned down by the brown-haired boy who had been staring at him before while the woman was pulled back in a protective hold by the golden hair boy that he saw with the other.

 

Kyungsoo was amazed. He didn't even see the two get up let alone hear them move. The eyes of the brown haired male looked up and once again they were locked on his own. The were analytical, studying Kyungsoo once again while Kyungsoo himself was trying to do the same. There was a depth in the male's eyes, one Kyungsoo could say he was familiar in seeing in a few people he had cross paths with over the years.

 

And himself.

 

Kyungsoo walked back to the table. In a swift move he picked up the bowl of soup and downed it all. Ailee watched with wide surprised eyes as Kyungsoo placed down the now empty bowl, wiping his mouth as he placed down a couple of coins.

 

"Let's go." He told his traveling partner as he turned around.

 

"L-Let's go?!" Ailee shrieked. "But I'm not-" She shoved a couple of spoonfuls of the soup in before running to follow Kyungsoo out.

 

 

"Hey, wait!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kyungsoo stood against the outside wall of a shop, the sixth shop to be exact, as he watched the people go by. His eyes moved to the door when he saw the familiar female walk out the shop with a sigh.

 

“No luck with clues?” He asked, for the sixth time as well.

 

“Nothing.” She sighed tiredly. “I don’t think anyone in this town will know anything from what I’m seeing.

 

After they left the pub they went to the local markets to restock their traveling needs and from their he has been following behind Ailee as she tried to ask various of people for information on who she was trying to find.

 

Kyungsoo looked up at the sky. They could travel some more before nightfall hits. It would be but more ground covered towards Orabel if they start now.

 

“I guess we can leave this village if there’s no clues here.” He pushed himself from the wall. “Do you have anything else you need to get from here? It will be a few days until we get to Orabel.”

 

“A few days? Well damn,” Ailee muttered. “I don't think there’s anything else...”

 

“Good. Let’s get moving.”

 

They walked in silence- well as silent as Kyungsoo figured it would get with his new companion. the “silence” consisted of a moment of silence spaced between random hums, thoughts or questions from the girl.

 

But that wasn’t bothering him in the least bit, well not right now it was. It was the eyes that were following him in the distance that distracted his mind. It has been going on since they left town and he decided not to say anything to the other so that she would continue to act casual while Kyungsoo waited to see if they would come out.

 

But they haven’t. They haven’t yet for about two hours now and Kyungsoo was starting to grow impatient and annoyed at being followed.

 

“So do you thi- whoa!” Ailee yelped when she saw Kyungsoo snap arund swiftly pulling out his bow, an arrow already lined against it as he aimed in the direction of a bush a few feet back from them.

 

“Get out here, the both of you.” Kyungsoo ordered firm and fierce, his eyes narrowing a bit.

 

“Who are you talking to?” Ailee asked. “There’s no one there.”

 

Kyungsoo ignored her and kept his eyes towards the bushes. “I’m going to release my arrow in three, two-”

 

“Okay!” A male, the golden hair boy from the shop, popped up from the bushes with his hands raised up in defense and a smile on his face. “Don’t shoot me please. Well I mean you could shoot Kai if you let me move first.”

 

“Well I guess there was someone there. What do you know.” Ailee said. “And who’s Kai?”

 

“Thanks for spilling me out,” The brown hair male, Kai Kyungsoo presumed, came up next. “Some brother you are Taemin.”

 

“Why are you two-” Kyungsoo began to ask but was cut off my the Taemin boy.

 

“What’s that suppose to mean?” Taemin said, eyes narrowing a bit. “I let you eat most of the food earlier!”

 

“Can you two-”

 

“Because you drunk all the water before!” Kai retorted.

 

“Hey!” Ailee shouted, gaining the attention of the two boys. “He’s trying to question you two right now. Listen.”

 

Kyungsoo sighed, lowering his arrow. "Thanks Ailee."

 

"No problem." She chirped.

 

"Anyway," Kyungsoo turned to the males. "Why have you two been following us all this time?"

 

"Well formal introductions, I'm Taemin and this is Kai," Taemin said as he gestured from him to the male besides him.

 

"Yeah, we got that." Ailee rolled her eyes.

 

"Oh, feisty. I like," Taemin smiled at the girl gaining him another eyeroll. "And we wanted to know if we can join you two."

 

The golden haired male smiled with his delicate features, one a bit hopeful to have Kyungsoo's agreement as an answer. Kyungsoo let his eyes travel from the golden hair boy to the other who looked at his more nonchalant, but there was a small hope, maybe a curiosity in the glint to hear what Kyungsoo would say. And Kyungsoo had only one answer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"No."