"Life's under no obligation to give us what we expect."

It was a windy night on the first week of October. Autumn this year fades in like a powerfully sung hymn. Harsh and cacophonic, especially at this part of the country; up north near the Hwimang Mountain Range of Sector Korea. The strong gust outside was busy dancing rumba with the autumn leaves, painted in all kinds of beautiful reds and oranges.

The thick window glass rattled noisily, faint howl of the autumn gale could be heard from afar. Mr. Jung Yunho sat on his warm fluffy chair, contemplating and waiting. Earlier, he had received a message from an old friend. A message he had hoped never to receive as it served as a bad omen, according to their agreement years and years ago.

He grabbed his expensive custom made pen and twirled it around his finger. His sister always pointed out about this habit of his that shows his restlessness, a signature nervous tic. Once in a while he glanced at the huge window on his left. There was nothing for him to see as dawn had yet to risen, but he could make out a few lights from the village across the valley. Dark water from the castle’s lake reflected the shy moon above, creating an ominous feeling.

Indeed, it was quite a nerve-wracking night for Mr. Jung. He wished he could at least kindle the fire on his fireplace. It could offer him a respite from the biting weather. The dance of lights and shadows spilled from the fireplace could also paint the room a sanctuary of warmth.

Just as he was about to stood up to actually do something to ease the tension, a big black portal conjured in his furnace. Mr. Jung held his breath. He remembered to put on an invisibility spell on himself just in the nick of time. As his legs slowly disappeared, the intruder; a girl dressed in a long cotton blue nightgown and grey cardigan slid out of the huge fireplace. She had a small backpack secured in her arms.

He didn't dare to move. He had to first make sure she was the correct person he had been waiting for before he showed himself.

The girl bent over as she coughed multiple times. Mr. Jung guiltily remembered that he should've at least cleaned up his furnace before opening the portal connection. The poor girl must have inhaled some of the piling ashes and dust.

After one full minute the mysterious guest had stopped coughing. She stood up straight and looked around in confusion. Mr. Jung could finally see her face. He watched her carefully. Judging from her appearance, the girl couldn't have been older than eighteen.

Her hair was dark brown, cascading down her back in a pretty pattern of waves. She could've used the help of a hairbrush though. Her face was youthful with a peachy glow on the apple of her cheeks. Her eyes —though puffy are doe like, darting everywhere in confusion and anxiety. Her irises are the lightest of brown, with speckles of hazel...

Just like her mother’s, Mr. Jung remarked in his mind.

In fact, immediately after he saw her face Mr. Jung knew that this was indeed his awaited guest; Moon Eun-gi, the daughter of his old friends. Her resemblance to her mother was uncanny. The only difference that set the two apart would have been on their color pallet, whereas Eun-gi was an array of warm colors –brown, peach, blushes just like her father– her mother was as cold as winter. If Mr. Jung's memory served him right, Seraphim, Eun-gi's mother had silver hair accompanied by the palest of pale complexion. Such unusual colors for an unusual girl. Seraphim was a special creature after all.

As usual, at the thought of Seraphim Mr. Jung felt a pang of dull ache in his chest. He helplessly found himself caught up in the past. In the times where he was just a naïve young student, a foolish boy madly in love with the most sought-after girl in their town. A smile of fondness curled upon his lips caused by her memories. If only he could turn back the time...

As he snapped himself back to reality, he found the teenage girl wandering around his office in awe and wonderment.

Admittedly, the girl, Eun-gi had never seen a room with so much furniture and so many hues of earth color before. Wooden tables, cabinets, and shelves adorned with small trinkets that held sentimental values are everywhere in the circular room. The walls were more photographs than paint. Pictures of old people, men and women covered the walls in an eerie sentiment. If there were one thing they had in common though, was the endless wisdom and wit reflected on their canvas eyes. The floor is a dark walnut, just like they had back at their house. She smiled bitterly at that.

The young girl couldn't help herself from caressing and touching some of the most intriguing part of the decor. Mr. Jung however had to hold his breath again as Eun-gi suddenly stopped walking in front of a full length mirror. The ancient mirror stood on the corner right below the spiraling staircase heading to his personal library upstairs.

The antique was undeniably beautiful. The reflector part has rune carved around the white stone framing it. The top part was cut in a curvaceous shape with swirling pattern of flowers sculpted on the topmost part. Eun-gi stared hypnotized by the mirror’s artistry before her gaze landed at her own reflection. Her nose was black with soot. She hastily rubbed the dirt away, ashamed of her unruly appearance. Her eyes were still puffy and red. Her hair was hideous and there were smudges of soot everywhere on her clothes and bag.

After she was done patting the dirt on her away, she gave herself another once over from the beautiful mirror. That was when she felt this pull. She had felt the magic of the mirror since she first landed her eyes on it but the more she stared the stronger it pulls her. It was like something from the inside of the mirror was calling her. Which was insane, because mirror doesn't have a room inside of it, she thought warily.

She couldn't resist though. She saw no harm in doing it, so she reach out her right hand and spread her palm flat on the cold surface of the mirror.

Without warning, a holographic lion came out from the mirror and roared right in front of her face accompanied by a strong gust of warm air. The transparent object let out two more powerful roars as it spun its head around. And as sudden as its appearance, the lion disappeared back into the mirror, as if it was being pulled to the other side.

To say Eun-gi was shocked was an understatement. She fell on her bottom as her knees gave away from the fright. Her ears were ringing from the crazy lion's roar. She clutched her right hand with her left in front of her chest, bag long discarded from her shaking arms.

What in the world was that?!

Mr. Jung who had witnessed everything in silent raised his eyebrows in interest. He smiled satisfactorily before he schooled his expression to one of indifference and cancelled out his invisibility spell. He had seen enough, it’s time to properly address his guest.

"Welcome," he greeted the girl sprawled still on his Persian carpet.

Eun-gi jumped on her bum before she hurriedly stood up and turned around. A shocked expression etched deep in her face, her eyes were almost trembling. She was sure she hadn't seen anyone sitting there previously, and no one had come in either. "W-who... How..?"

Mr. Jung chuckled in amusement. He waved his right hand and a small transparent bird flew off of thin air, right through the wall and out of the room. Eun-gi stared, perplexed. "There are always ways, Miss. But of course, seeing as this is my office, I have all the right to be here even without announcement, am I right?"

Eun-gi cleared . She glanced down at the fancy looking nameplate on the work desk in front of the odd man and read; 정윤호 with cursive Y.H. Jung written under.

"I'm sorry Sir... My name is Moon Eun-gi. I-I was sent by my fa- I mean, by Mr. Moon." Eun-gi stuttered, glancing at the older man nervously. Her father had warned her to be cautious before she was allowed to disclose further information. "I was instructed to see Mr. Jung Yunho. M-Mr. Moon said Mr. Jung