Krystal walked abnormally fast, and the entire party noticed the change in her behavior behind her back, stiffened into silence as they followed like a train. Lisa had her head low, obediently walking and only glancing up once when Krystal’s steps were making too loud of a rustling noise. Kai quickened his pace as well and slowly pulled Zhitao by the arm. ‘Watch the blonde,’ he whispered at him before catching up to Krystal’s speed.

Krystal noticed him and gave a brief look of acknowledgement. ‘You don’t look like you like her,’ he said. She curved a smile that did not portray happiness.

‘Suspicious would be more accurate,’ she replied.

Kai smirked, then grabbed her by the arm when he saw they were nearing the edge of a low but steep hill down that led to a beachy coast. The rest stopped as well. ‘Alright,’ Yixing clapped his hands together and gathered the rest. ‘You two,’ he pointed to Lisa and Krystal. ‘Talk,’

Krystal crossed her arms, a look of intolerance on her face. Lisa looked around her.

‘It’s clear,’ Kai assured her.

‘Alright,’ Lisa sighed. ‘This is going to be a long story,’

‘Are you a spy?’ Krystal asked.

‘They think I am,’ Lisa answered. ’We’re working undercover,’ she started. Krystal raised a confused eyebrow. Lisa scratched the back of her neck. ‘Alright, I’ll make it short.’ She looked around. ‘Can I have some space, please?’

The boys took several steps back. Lisa crouched down, then a small violent whirl of wind twisted and spun around her, along with leaves and sand. Her shadow faded into nothingness before forming into a smaller matter, and wind died down along with whatever it blew in its way. Krystal felt a jolt of shock run down her spine and she almost fell back from a minor heart attack.

There on the ground stood a large bird with delicate brown feathers covering its entire body. It then transformed back into Lisa within a fraction of a second and Krystal had to shield her eyes from sand. ‘The Aquila,’ Baekhyun said.

‘I suppose I owe you a proper introduction now,’ Lisa said. ‘I’m Lalisa and I belong to the Aquila house,’

Krystal was still staring in awe at her.

‘What about your father?’ Kris asked.

‘We’re working undercover. We’re trying to save sorcerers, animaguses, and anyone from the Dark World.’ She explained.

‘By killing them?’

Lisa chuckled and shook her head. ‘None of them reach the scaffold,’ Upon seeing their still clueless faces, she continued. ‘Our entire family is working in the Judiciary Section. If we cannot appeal for exile, we help them escape. It’s easier to appeal for animaguses but for sorcerers,’ she clicked her head, an expression on her face that did not mean anything pleasurable. ‘-it’s one of the things the Queen is always willing to invest in.’

‘So what do you do?’ Krystal asked, not wanting to imagine what it would be like if Kris, Kyungsoo or her ever gets caught by the authorities.

‘We suggested a more torturous machine,’ her smile was sly, and it reminded Krystal of how frightening Lisa could be concerning these matters. She and the rest were aware of the penalty for sorcerers. Ever since Ailee’s stepmother’s famous death of having to dance around in iron shoes filled with burning coals; they have always been associated with the fires of Hell.

Ailee’s only wish is to let them die in a manner in which they will suffer from their fate in the Afterlife. ‘Hellfire,’ Kris murmured. Kris and Krystal have never watched any of the public executions, but have heard talk of what happens. Ever since they were 14, there were no longer burnings by attaching to wooden poles and tying the convicted sorcerers and burning them bare for all to smoke their smell of their burning bodies.

Instead, they would be locked into a large steel box, called the Hellfire. The justification for such an instrument was that the metal conducted heat and would create further intensity in the burning. The walls and floors would all be lined with oil. It had only a door and one hole at the top to let smoke and also for the purpose of allowing the convict’s screams to echo through into the cold air. The convicted would be forced in with their hands bound and locked. Lisa’s father will give a long warning and prayer before he shoots a burning arrow through the hole on top and light the convict in flames. Lisa’s father had cleverly convinced the Queen to use such a machine. ‘Imagine instilling a greater fear by using only the sounds of their screams. It will sound like the screams of Hellfire,’

‘We give them potions, one to keep them temporarily fireproof. And another to allow them to transform into a fly.’ Lisa told them. ‘Amazing, is it not?’ she threw her arms wide and grinned.

‘Wow,’ Baekhyun shook his head, feeling lightheaded.

‘I-‘ Krystal found it hard to digest. It sounded impossible. She wanted badly to believe Lisa; she did, but no matter what for her own safety and everyone else’s she kept a strong doubt within her.

‘It is possible,’ Kai intervened. ‘If that makes you feel better,’

‘And she is an Aquila,’

‘A tattoo? I’ve never seen it before,’ Krystal said.

‘The one on her arm is a faux,’ Kai told her. ‘Show them,’ he told Lisa. Lisa pulled her braid aside to bare her neck and turned so that the side was facing Krystal. ‘Take a look,’ Kai told her. Krystal approached Lisa along with Kris. There was a smaller tattoo located lower just behind her ear. This one indicated one single black feathered wing, lined with of gold.

‘The Emblem for them Aquila house is a wing. Black and gold, am I right?’ Kai said. Kris backed away and nodded.

‘So why do you have that on your arm?’

‘To trick the rest,’ Lisa said.

‘The rest?’ Kris’ voice was tinted with skepticism, and his pessimism was confirmed by Lisa’s hesitance.

‘I did not come out here on my own,’ she crossed her arms. ‘That’s why I’m here,’

‘Why?’ Krystal asked.

‘It’s getting worse back in the Mountain,’ she shook her head, her face grim with fear and worry. ‘She has gotten more determined ever since she returned from Hufeirat. Now she’s slaving to the Temple.‘

Kris exchanged glances with Krystal. ‘There’s also talk of war,’ Lisa added. ‘Or conquest,’

‘And Kyungsoo?’ Krystal’s face had worry written all over it,’

‘He’s fine,’ Lisa assured them. ‘He was the one who told me to find you. We’re all planning to leave for good,’

‘Is it really that dangerous now?’

‘More than ever,’ Lisa put on a sarcastic smile. ‘Kyungsoo told me he would follow suit. He would find you two. He said not to worry about him,’

‘And you?’

‘I left early. But I needed a reason to do that. The Scouts apparently had their eyes on you two,’ she said.

‘The Scouts?’ Krystal raised her voice. Kris pressed his hand against his forehead. ‘This is a joke,’ she paced around the area.

‘They are a delusional trio,’ Lisa shrugged. ‘I was assigned to look for any citizens who had recently left unregistered, and they wanted to be part of the mission.’

‘Who assigned you?’

‘The Court. It’s a minor mission and my father proposed it, so that I could get out. The Scouts immediately raised your name,’

‘They were after us?’ Kris demanded.

‘Were,’ Lisa emphasized. ‘I needed to get them off your backs. So I turned this whole thing into an undercover mission.’

‘Smart,’ Kai complimented.

‘Thus the fake tattoo and the unconvincing scene back there,’ Lisa said.

Krystal inhaled deeply. ‘Quite a story, huh?’ Lisa put her hands on her waist.

‘So where are you headed?’ Baekhyun asked.

‘I’m not really sure myself,’ Lisa said. ‘If you would allow me, wherever you are headed.’ She turned to Krystal. Everyone waited for her. ‘If you don’t, I’ll part ways.’

‘So?’ Kris turned to his twin sister. ‘They all seem to have no problem,’ he said to her quietly. ‘She is your friend. Maybe she is here for a good cause,’

‘Krystal,’ Yixing approached her, and leaned towards her ear, whispering something. Lisa waited, feeling slightly offended but she knew Krystal had the right to be. Still, Lisa would have hoped Krystal trusted her more.

‘You can,’ she told Yixing. ‘But I believe her,’ she said, looking towards Lisa’s direction. ‘I’m doing the right thing, yes?’ she asked her.

‘Y-yes,’ Lisa told her. ‘Of course.’ She clapped her hands together like a prayer.

‘Great,’ Krystal smiled. ‘Should we continue our journey?’

‘Let’s go!’ Zhitao hopped and took the lead. Lisa glanced once at Krystal, and the both of them felt a slight awkwardness spark.

‘How far yet?’ Krystal asked. She was restless, and the past few days trekking through the jungle with no permanent source of heat, shelter and food made her tired.

‘We’re here,’ Yixing descended onto what appeared to be a stretch of sand below a very low steep hill from the trees they were passing through.

For a moment, Krystal, Kris and Lisa stood in silence overlooking what lied beyond them. The water was a still a slight distance away and it looked like a solid splash of greyish blue. Its end met with the start of the sky; a canvas of watercolour in light hues of yellow and purplish blue. Wisps of white floated like a feathery vehicle moving slowly above their heads. Some were big, some were small. Some were faded, some bore a hard solid colour of pure whiteness. It all seemed like a painting, and neither of the three knew what to focus on.

‘Breathtaking, isn’t it?’ Lisa said. ‘I never had the chance to stop and look all these while,’ she breathed, then hopped down to the beach with the rest of the wolf pack.

‘This is it,’ Kris looked around. ‘We’re going to see what the other side looks like,’

‘Let’s go,’ Krystal could not hide the anticipation from her face.

‘You do know how to do this, don’t you?’ Baekhyun asked Lisa, who confidently nodded. It was part of their trials against her, just in case. She climbed onto one hilly rock that pointed outwards towards the sea and stood at its edge.

‘Hey, twins. Watch,’ she called out. Krystal and Kris did as they were bid and stood by Kai, waiting for what was to unfold. Lisa put her arms above her head in an aerodynamic position. She took a deep breath, then pushed her feet off the rock. She twisted her body so that her head was falling downwards into the water. Like a dolphin, she dived into the sea with a crashing splash.

Krystal waited for her to emerge, but even after 10, 20 seconds, no figure seemed to come into view. ‘Where is she?’ there was slight urgency in Krystal’s voice.

‘On the other side,’ Baekhyun assured her.

‘Oh,’ Krystal pressed a hand over her chest.

‘This is your first time, isn’t it?’ Yixing asked her. Krystal nodded.

‘All you have to do,’ Baekhyun tugged on the horses’ reign, and the pair followed him as he approached the waters and let his boots immerse in them. ‘-is want to get to the other side.’ He glanced back and smirked at the twins before walking onwards. ‘Then you close your eyes, and let the gods judge your desires.’ The rest watched him as he walked further into the sea until not the tip of the horses’ head could be seen.

Krystal sharpened her senses, and watched beneath the water, but could see nothing of them at all.

‘Easy, isn’t it?’ Zhitao grinned and followed suit.

‘Need any help?’ Kai asked Kris.

‘I think I’d like to try this on my own,’ he replied, doing the same as what the two previous had done before him. Krystal’s lips curved into an excited smile as she watched her brother descend into the water until he was fully immersed. Again, like Baekhyun, his image below water was nowhere to be seen.

‘Is there a chance I won’t pass?’ she turned to Kai.

‘Always,’ he answered. ‘Don’t be nervous,’ he leaned forward to look at her face. ‘It’s not as scary as you think,’ he assured her. Krystal returned his glance, a sense of confusion floating within her insides. ‘Come on,’ he offered her his hand, and she took it. She might as well; she was feeling far too unsure about what lay ahead.

His grip was reassuring, and Krystal did as she was told. She walked beside him into the water, feeling her toes curl as she felt the chill of the water seep in. She took step by step into the depth of the ocean. When the water reached her chin, she held her breath, and closed her eyes. She felt the water closing in, devouring her in such a calm motion and coolness that she enjoyed it all. Krystal then felt her feet float from the ground.

Kai’s grip on her hand tightened and she consented, slowly opening her eyes to filtered sun rays washing over her face. Krystal exhaled, then she looked around her. The rays seemed to shoot from an odd angle, almost as if they were below her. Krystal looked to her feet, suspended within the waters, as was Kai. ‘Huh?’ she traced the light rays, only to find that below her there was no sand.

Instead, she was looking down at the water surface.

Then she felt gravity pulling her in, and spun around to its flow, turning upside down so that they were both upright. Kai pulled her in with haste, and Krystal felt something pass by her with speed. Alarmed, she looked to see, and found herself in another world.

Her eyes widened at what she saw. There was a woman, or what she thought was a woman drifting through the waters swiftly and gently, leaving a trail of faint sparkling light. The woman had no legs, but instead her lower body was one long fishtail. The scales glistened in silver and gold as she swam through the lights, joining the rest of her group.

Krystal then heard a groan echo through the waters and looked to her back. A shadowy black figure in the shape of a giant snake was swimming in the distance, coiling and calling to something. Kai pulled her gently, then nodded upwards, leading her out of the water. Krystal gasped for air, looking around to see masses of pine trees surrounding them. She wiped the water off her face. ‘What was that?’ she asked in what sounded to be awe and fear all at once.

‘Mermaids, and sea serpents.’ Kai answered. To their east, they saw a rocky lakeside, where a group of people were gathering. ‘They’re over there,’ he said.

The two swam to shore, and found the rest of the party drying off their clothes. ‘You would think they would provide a drier option,’ Baekhyun was seated, and was shaking out the water from his boots. Zhitao and Yixing, who had already transformed into wolves were shaking off their wet fur. Lisa was also in her falcon form, and was standing idly next to Kris.

‘Is it time to make camp and start a fire?’ Krystal asked.

‘We won’t be needing to stay out anymore,’ there was a knowing look on Baekhyun’s smile. ‘Oh yes,’ he turned around to Kris and Krystal.

‘Welcome to the Other Side,’