53: An Old Face 

   Previously on 'The Lost Years' (since it's been about a *billion* years since the last update):

   With Kyungsoo's worsening condition as a Lost Mage, he decided with a heavy heart that it would be best to break it off with Jeongri and leave the group to ensure their safety. Unfortunately, shortly after he left, things took a turn for the worst for the group when Junmyeon's ultimatum with Sehun reached it's deadline. He and his men descended upon Greyfleur, massacring the hamlet as a response to Sehun's continual refusal to join Junmyeon's side but the resident's fought back, hysteria built from being terrorised by vampires over the past month. Caught in between this conflict and completely unprepared, the group lost everything, barely escaping with their lives.

   Chapter 53 continues the story with Kyungsoo. He wanders alone, with no knowledge of everything that had just happened in Greyfleur.

   The week alone in the wilderness of Pangaea had not been kind to Kyungsoo.

   A sheen of sweat covered his gaunt face and dark circles hung underneath his eyes. Despite this, he forced his aching legs to keep walking, knowing that he'd be at Hallowmire soon. Only then could he stop. The sleeves of his black sweater hung inches past his fingertips, hiding those deep red scars that had spread to the back of his hands. It was like a visual time bomb, each scar reminding him of how little time he had left. Hallowmire was on the horizon now. He was so close. From the side of his backpack, he pulled out a worn looking water bottle and drank, letting the water run over his chapped lips, parched from continually pushing himself.

   To his side, a small black manifestation of negative magical energy bobbled up and down near his ankles, keeping in pace with his footsteps. With every bounce, it scorched the floor leaving a trail of where Kyungsoo had travelled in his week of solitude. It had no form nor notable features but it had a voice.

   A voice that Kyungsoo could hear loudly in his mind.

   "Hey," it said, floating up so that it was shoulder level, "Hey. Aren't we getting too close? Trust me, turn back whilst you can."

   Kyungsoo tried to ignore it's singsong voice but it was futile. The black manifestation circled him, almost as though it was dancing to get his attention.

   "You were the one who brought her to Hallowmire," it said, "It's your fault Hallowmire turned out like this."

   Kyungsoo stopped briefly and let out a heavy sigh. Closing his eyes, he reached deep within his pocket for a small chunk of bread and wrapped his fingers around it. Just touching it seemed to calm the rumbling in his volatile magical core. The black manifestation stopped, inches away from his face.

   It seemed to tremble.

   "They hate you there. They'll kill you if you go there," it said, a hint of desperation in its tone, "They'll hate you just like she does."

   But Kyungsoo stayed calm, repeating the mantra 'it's just words' over and over again in his mind to drown out the voice. With a deep breath, he counted out loud to ten, synchronising his breathing with every number.

   One, Two, Three… Just keep calm…

   Four, Five, Six… I can do this…

   Seven, Eight, Nine… I can beat this…

   On ten, he opened his eyes.

   The black manifestation had gone and it was silent once more.

   He let out a sigh of relief and clasped his palms against his face. It had been easy to get rid of it this time but it hadn't always been. From within, he could feel his magical core rumble gently. He knew it would return again. It always did, ever since it appeared to him on the night he left Greyfleur.

   Just thinking of Greyfleur brought back memories he'd rather forget. He remembered running until he could run no more, collapsing somewhere deep within the forests of Greyfleur, heaving and unable to stop the tears from falling. His words had been like shrapnel, ripping both him and Jeongri apart from the inside. He could never forget the anguish on her face as she grasped uselessly at his distancing image. It plagued him. He apologized over and over again but there was no one to hear his tumultuous cries. Caught up in his emotional turmoil, he let his feelings run wild, wreaking uncontrollable havoc over his magical core until eventually all that negative emotion spilled out as a physical form.

   Kyungsoo remembered waking up the next morning to see a small black manifestation, no bigger than the size of a pea, floating near his head. In an instant, horror flooded his entire being. A Lost Mage was someone who had lost control of their magical core, letting it leak out into the real world but in a small percentage of Lost Mages, the leakage would form into physical manifestations, feeding and growing off their hosts until they became monsters that consumed the host itself. A horrific ending with no hope.

   He would never forget the first words it had said to him.

   "My maker is finally awake."

   Bathed in fear, he scrambled to his feet, running as fast as he could but it followed him, continually egging on his negative thoughts like a devil on his shoulder. It fed off his negative emotions and by the third day, it had grown to the size of an apple.

   Darkness had consumed his life and he wandered alone, without a goal, waiting to succumb to his eventual death. But on the fourth day, he stumbled upon a farm owned by an elderly couple. He was scared, not just for himself but for their safety. However, they smiled broadly and insisted that he should stay for dinner because he looked like he hadn't eaten properly for days. For those three hours, he lived a 'normal' life as normal could be. His solitude had been broken by these two kind souls, spilling light into his dark world and for the first time in four days, Kyungsoo felt a spark of happiness.

   The manifestation didn't appear to him that night. Nor the night after. He kept a small chunk of the elderly woman's homemade bread in his pocket as a reminder of how he felt that night. It appeared to be the only way that he could control his magical core for now.

   Kyungsoo stowed away his water bottle and blinked the sweat away from his eyes. The Gates of Hallowmire were so close now. The manifestation hadn't been the only thing that seemed to stand in the way between him and the Capital. He'd already encountered soldiers of the Demon Army on his way here, each encounter as hostile as the last. They seemed to be everywhere, more so than before but it wasn't going to stop him. If he couldn't be by Jeongri's side when she must fight her father, then at the very least, he wanted to be nearby to help when the time came.

   That is, if he lived to see that day.

   Soon, he was at the entrance to the broken district and he stopped, wincing at the sight before him. The gate had been blown out of its foundations, left strewn as an abandoned pile of metal on either side. The watch post had been long deserted and there was no one around for as far as the eye could see. He felt uneasy as he stepped back into his former district, the place a shadow of its former self.

   For five minutes, Kyungsoo walked through unfamiliar yet familiar streets, his footsteps echoing loudly across the broken asphalt. Even though he had been keeping himself updated with the news ever since they left, it was like a whole other experience witnessing the destruction firsthand. Tens of thousands of lives had perished in the conflict. Those that did survive took refuge in the neighbouring districts of Wildevale and Aerehaven. Large areas of the district had been left untouched since the battle and there was not a living soul in sight. It seemed neither the humans or the demons had taken responsibility for the mess that they'd left behind. 

   Quietly, he apologised for not staying to help.

   The sound of a voice from up ahead brought Kyungsoo out from his solemn thoughts. He quickened his pace, the sound was slowly forming into a multitude of voices. Everything seemed so bleak. The thought of life in this abandoned district was something he sorely needed. As he turned the corner to Hallowmire's single park, his eyes widened at the sight before him.

   There was people. Lots of people. More than he could count. Two large marquee tents had been erected in the center of the park, each one painted with a large red cross. A wave of familiarity washed over Kyungsoo as he realised what he was looking at; a medical area, but then he frowned, noting the hundreds of wooden crates that were being packed with supplies. Were they moving in or moving out? He watched on as people in white coats hurried to and from each marquee, a familiar tiredness plastered on their expressions as they carried stretchers of people into waiting vans.

   He entered cautiously, noting the amount of armed plain clothed individuals that were dotted around the site but it seemed no one really noticed him. Everyone was busy packing away equipment in the wooden crates and chatting amongst themselves. He wondered why they were moving but he was scared to ask. The atmosphere seemed filled with tension, murmurs of disgruntlement filling the air.

   Distracted by his new surroundings, he didn't notice a young woman walk into his path. They crashed into each other with a loud yelp, the girl falling onto her hands and knees. Kyungsoo winced out loud but scrambled to help the woman, cursing himself for being so unaware.

   "Ah!" she said, nursing the fresh grazes on her palms, "That's gonna hurt for a while!"

   "I'm so sorry!" Kyungsoo said. All of a sudden he felt flustered seeing the bandages around her arms. Of all the people he could walked into, it had to be a patient, "It was my fault! I wasn't looking at where I was going. I'm sorry, are you okay?"

   "Nah, it's alright. I'm good, I'm good," she replied, chuckling as she did. She hoisted herself up before dusting off her worn looking trousers, "I guess I was always this clumsy."

   Her distinct accent told him that she must have been from Merehua or the countryside around it, he wondered what she was doing here in Hallowmire of all places. As she brushed her short bob behind her ear, Kyungsoo felt his mouth drop open at the woman standing before him.

   It was Cheong Mori, elite soldier in the