Taeyeon finally uncovers grave secrets.

Beyond Horizons, Chapter IV - "This Side of Paradise"

If I could live with you again, I would do it in a heartbeat.

...

Death comes knocking at any time without notice. For Chief Edward Hwang, it came on a sunny Thursday afternoon.

The funeral was held not too far from the park itself. Though it was a drive down and through the backwoods of the small town, Winterhaven Memorial Cemetery was now the new home to the Chief.

Standing in the blistering heat, Taeyeon was struggling to maintain her posture as she stood by the sides, saluting as an official member of the Ranger Force. Her uniform was a long-sleeved midnight black, her name embroidered in bright yellow was visible across her chest. She was beginning to feel faint.

Still recovering from her injuries, her entire backside was covered in stitches. Her last trip to the After World had weakened her and she struggled to do basic tasks. When her hand began to tremble, she knew she was at her limit.

She swallowed and felt herself losing control when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. The injured ranger turned around and found herself facing a wheelchair. Bishop gesturing her to sit quietly.

Taeyeon sighed in relief when she finally relaxed herself on the chair, tilting her body sideways so her arm would cushion against the chair. She winced when they started to move and reached out to release tension. Sunny leaned down and held her hand, giving an encouraging smile.

Perhaps she was just hyper aware of everything, but it was strange to Taeyeon to be able to feel stitches literally holding your skin together. It hurt a lot, but she didn't dare speak out of her discomfort, especially during the Chief's funeral. The injured woman was taken to the rear and under the shade. 

"I'll be right back." Bishop disappeared into the bathroom, emerging with a damp, white towel. He firmly pressed the towel against Taeyeon's head and tilted it backwards. She exhaled in relief and closed her eyes.

"Quit putting yourself at second place." He said quietly. "If something's bothering you, just tell me."

"I thought I was okay." The taste of blood crawled up and she lunged forward, coughing into her hand. Warm liquid dampened her hand. Bishop gave her a strange look when she fiddled around her pockets, bringing out a dark handkerchief to cough into. Quickly, she wiped her hands on the fabric.

They stayed in the rear entrance of the site. Surprisingly enough, it was louder than the service itself, Taeyeon frowned when she found a small group of men smoking in their heavy suits, complaining about the length of the service. 

The heat made people irritable and despite the sadness that fueled tears, many just wanted to pay their respects and go home. The Chief did not have very many family members left, and a majority of the attendees had been friends and previous workers. By the time Taeyeon recovered and felt well enough to return, they'd already started lowering the coffin into the ground. A slow, somber hymn was sung into the air. Many bowed their heads down and closed their eyes. Taeyeon did the same.

It was a little past mid-day when the funeral was officially over. But the feelings remained.

Taeyeon didn't feel like heading home and pretending nothing happened, but she didn't feel like moping around or doing anything else. But with her back injury still recovering, many of her activities were limited.

She had the next month off work to fully recover, but there were faint whispers regarding the woman herself. Taeyeon had been acting too strange, injured too often, perhaps it was time for her to retire, some rumors would say.

Bishop escorted her to the base camp and headed inside to grab his keys. He parked her wheelchair just outside an open window where the woman patiently waited. Unbeknownst to her, she'd been sitting outside of a rather secretive meeting.

"We need to elect a new Chief." The voices were faint at first, but clearer as the voice echoed outside. Taeyeon twitched and reluctantly pressed her wheelchair forward.

"For the time being, why don't we just bring another superior from a different park? They've already got the experienced needed."

"Wouldn't it be wiser to just promote from the already existing pool of employees at this park?"

"I don't think it would be the right time to address a promotion.."

"I don't think there'll ever be a right time."

Taeyeon continued to eavesdrop as the head officers rattled off a list of names, some of which she recognized, as potential new Chiefs. There was disarray over the position and the argument continued for a while. Bishop returned and began to usher Taeyeon to the car, leaving the voices behind.

But there was one sentence that left a mark.

"If only I could ask his ghost what he wanted.."

...

...

"Bishop..Bishop wait." Taeyeon took a deep breath and moved forward, stepping off the wheelchair to stand. Her coworker gazed with concern. "I don't want to go home yet."

The tall man squinted and crossed his arms. "Okay, what do you want to do?"

"I want to stay here." She looked up expectedly. "Alone."

The corner of his mouth twitched. His normally calm demeanor began to disintegrate. "Do I have to remind you that just a week ago, you were attacked by a bear?" He said, more like a statement than a question. "And that you barely have enough energy to stand straight for more than a few minutes?" The volume in his voice was increasing.

"That for the past couple of weeks, you've been acting strange, ignoring my calls, disappearing into thin air only to come back even weaker? How long have we known each other, Taeyeon? Sometimes, I feel like a stranger to you. You won't let me in your life. Not even to help you."

His outburst caught the ranger off-guard. It disappointed her how he responded, though a part of her had already expected this. Taeyeon struggled to formulate a proper response. The silence urged the angry soldier to continue.

"I don't know what's been going on with you, and I know I have no business in it, but I can't just sit back and watch you disintegrate."

"I'm not..!" She her lips and rubbed it against her sleeve. "Can I just be alone for a little bit, please?"

"So what? I turn my back for one second and you disappear with my revolver?" The two glared at each other. "I'm not stupid, I know you've been using it. God knows what for..you haven't used any bullets since the first time anyway."

"Bishop.." Taeyeon nearly cried. "I don't want to argue right now. I promise I'll tell you what's going on soon, but right now..I just need to go."

She tried her best to walk normally, but the stretch in her posture made her back hurt. Biting down her lips, she forced herself to continue forward, disappearing into the meadow.

The soldier glanced in the direction that Taeyeon disappeared into, debating whether or not to follow.

X X X

Taeyeon entered an empty, quiet cabin and was surprised to be alone. Rather than searching for the mage herself, she opted to stay inside and await the woman to return. Her feet ached and her torso felt constricted. She started to pick up the bowl for water, but had another thought.

The cabin itself was not much bigger than a modern bedroom. The mage had no needs for a bathroom, nor a kitchen. Instead, the furnishings in the house were largely compromised of bookshelves and tables. The walls itself were bare, but the endless piles of journals and pages around gave it a rustic, welcoming feel. Taeyeon found it odd for a highly organized woman such as Tiffany to have such a messy interior, but she didn't question it too much. There was a small picnic table by the entrance accompanied by a heated cauldron. There was a small couch-like bed stuffed in the corner that the mage used to rest.

She peeked at some of the notes, most written in an illegible language, but she recognized some drawings. In one of the edges, with the ink still drying, was a recently painted map of the surrounding forest.

It was rather detailed, the ranger quietly agreed, analyzing in great detail of every speck of ink. Something told her that Tiffany was home and she turned around just in time to be greeted by the mage.

Her surprised gesture melted into a mellow smile. "Taeyeon, perfect timing. I'd like your help."

Accompanied by the guiding eyes of the mage, the two made arrangements as they prepared various materials for their adventure. Tiffany briefed her on the situation that she had felt someone else enter. Before they left, Tiffany made a quick study on Taeyeon's wounds and offered medicinal treatment afterwards.

Strutting down a rather steep hill, the mage couldn't help but comment on Taeyeon's rather weak movements. "You're dressed in a pretty formal attire. Perhaps it constricts you of bigger movements?"

Taeyeon understood the genuine concern. "..I'm just a little tired, that's all."

"You've always seemed to be that way. Taeyeon, have you ever considered..well..resting?"

The ranger looked down, focusing on her footing. She was mentally gauging the distance between the jump down when she felt Tiffany's cold hand slip into hers. Taeyeon held her breath when she felt her feet lift off the floor, her weight in the air before resting against Tiffany herself. Without breaking a sweat, the mage carried the older woman in her arms, much to Taeyeon's dismay.

Taeyeon caught her breath with surprise and tried to jump off Tiffany's arms. "Woah, you don't have to do this."

"It's no trouble to me. You're not heavy."

"That's not the point..this is embarrassing.."

"To whom?"

"To me!"

Tiffany snickered finding joy in their small bickering. "But you need to take care of yourself. Haven't you noticed? Your health has been getting worse."

As much as Taeyeon hated to be corrected, she was right. Shyly, she relaxed and let herself go, wrapping an arm around her friend's shoulders. opens with hesitation. "While I was hospitalized, the doctors ran a series of tests of me. I told them about the crazy migraines, the random nosebleeds, the constant fainting, how I was vomiting blood, and my fragile state."

"What did they say?"

The ranger shrugged, and smiled wryly. "They couldn't explain it. It wasn't a disease, a parasite, or some monster. It was just my body reacting abnormally, as they said it. The closest thing I got to an explanation was one of the older doctors basically explaining my body was aging faster than normal. Like I was stuffed in a time machine."

Tiffany, of course, was not pleased upon hearing this. Her grip around Taeyeon's body tightened. "As you may know, time flies a lot faster in the After World."

Taeyeon nodded and rested her cheek against the mage's shoulder. "That's right."

The two continued their way further South. Glimmerings of light colored the sky, guiding them closer to their target. She was relieved when Tiffany finally set her down, mentioning that it wasn't too far now. Tiffany's footsteps gradually slowed into a stop, she turned around, her hair whipping around lavishly. Her vermilion eyes set softly on the floor, her voice just barely above a whisper. "Taeyeon, how long are you going to do this? Don't you know? You're killing yourself."

Her brow creased, but she didn't disagree. Her uniform weighed on her heavily, the medals -- though not too many awarded -- still held an immeasurable amount of pride for Taeyeon. She didn't randomly dedicate her life to being a Park Ranger out of the blue. There were many stories, favors, and regrets that anchored her intentions to stay. It wasn't just about cleaning garbage from the trails, issuing warrants, or doing paperwork. It was the idea that she was physically connected to the world that made her crave the satisfying feeling of nature. But it was also the fact that she'd save a good number of people with this new power of hers. The power to enter a world no one even thought existed, meeting a woman who's fate was unknown, searching for people and bringing them back.

There was too much to say for Taeyeon to properly formulate a correct response. Instead, she replied humbly. "What about you? I don't think anyone forced you to do what you're doing now. You never said you were obligated to help lost souls, you just do. You could use your endless power and magic to roam the earth freely..but instead you make this forest your home, helping a small population. Am I any different of a hero from you? Do I need to have a reason to help others? I don't think so..I think it comes to me naturally....as long as my soul and body continue to work, I will keep doing this."

Tiffany, as many of their conversations go, decided to remain silent. She glanced around their surroundings and merely nodded in approval. But it relieved Taeyeon to know she understood and hopefully, deter from asking again.

There were many questions that Taeyeon wanted to ask too. How does she feel about me? What are her secrets? If she could live..what would she like to be..?

But her questions evaporated when they brushed pass a thick bushel of branches. There, lying on the floor in a rather ethereal setting, was a very familiar man.

The man turned his head, his eyes widening with surprise.

"...Chief..?" Taeyeon said breathlessly.

"Taeyeon?"

X X X

Tiffany didn't question why they recognized each other. She saw their uniforms and pieced the information together. After the two calmed down, she introduced herself and explained where he was. She was expecting a lively reaction as many who cross over do, but all the Chief did to communicate a response was nod. Tiffany led him back to their cabin where she prepared a small banquet.

Taeyeon had learned a long time ago that people cross over after they died in the real world. The After World expanded the entire Earth and was not limited to the forest itself. Tiffany merely stated she preferred staying at the park and figured other magus' like herself would harbor to other locations. Elias was good example of an adventurous ghost, often visiting other parts of the country.

According to Tiffany, the After World acted as a temporary realm until judgment came upon the soul in questioning. Sometimes it was instant, sometimes souls lingered and became ghosts, sometimes others simply didn't want to leave.

One thing the mage found that was holding people back were regrets -- and everyone has them. She would spend days listening to a ghost's last wishes and hopes, goodbyes that would disappear into the air once they were judged. She found it both fascinating and incredibly depressing.

Sitting across the table from herself was her friendly ranger and whom she assumed was her boss, Edward Hwang. The two talked on and on, Taeyeon crying into his shoulders. Tiffany simply stayed quiet and watched from a distance.

"They told us it was a heart attack.