Every step she made, her feet felt heavier.

Looking back, Shuhua could now hardly see the border. She did not know if the royal guards went after her but if they did, she must have escaped them since she saw no one following her. Despite that, the feeling of safety wasn’t there. 

The trees surrounded her once again. However, unlike those of the kingdom, the place felt dead. It was as if the only thing alive around her are the trees. Even though the sun is shining down on her, there is some sort of coldness that no amount of sunlight can warm up. 

The sound of the leaves rustling because of the wind made her jump. Even the sound of her own footsteps scare her. Every sound seemed so amplified that the anxiety within her does not rest even for a bit.

As she continued walking, her mind was beginning to catch up with everything that happened. She just left home, ran across towns and broke through the border. She was supposed to go to a festival with Soojin today, wearing the dress she finished making. She was supposed to be walking around the city and enjoying art. She would go home to her mother’s delicious cooking and her father’s happy stories. But here she is—walking barefooted, shaking because of the cold and getting lost in an unfamiliar place.

“Excuse me,” a male with a deep voice called her.

In an instant, she found herself holding tightly into her bag and leaning against a tree as she stared wide eyed at the two men in front of her. Both of them were wearing a long brown coat that covers a shirt and pants. The taller one was holding a knife that seemed to be made out of a crystal. Her heart was beating so loud that it’s the only thing she hears.

Are they the shadows? She doesn’t know but who else would they be? No humans lived out here. 

The guy placed his knife in a sheath in his belt. That did not calm her even a but.

"No... Uh," the taller guy murmured and looked at the one beside him.

Her eyes moved from the taller guy to the other one. He looked a bit younger and softer. 

"I'm human," the younger guy stepped towards her and showed his arms. "See? Not a Nightling."

"A... A Nightling?" She asked softly and shakily. She has never heard of that word.

He gently smiled at her. "Yes. We're not the shadow people. So, you are safe."

“I-I'm safe...?" 

The two nodded slowly. 

Is this safety? She was tired. All of her was tired. Her feet were shaking even as she stood still. The cold numbed her wounded skin. Her breaths were already ragged. Her mind was a mess. And her heart... it was tirelessly and painfully pounding.

How did she get here? How is it that just yesterday she was walking around the city, excited for the upcoming festival and now, she’s out in the unknown with aches she did not know exist? All of it happened in less than a day.

Before she even knew it, her legs gave out as all the tears she kept earlier flooded her face.

“Hey,” she heard the younger called. 

She did not look up and just allowed herself to cry. Suddenly, a pair of arms encircled her. The warmth it brought comforted her so much that it made her cry even more.

“You’re going to be fine,” she recognized the voice of the younger. 

It was the first time she cried that hard. It was also the first time that she needed to do so.

Shuhua had a hard time opening her heavy lids. She blinked her eyes a couple of times as an effort to clear her vision as she looked around. Confusion hit her when she realized she was moving and that she was being carried on someone’s back. The last thing she remembered was that she was crying in the arms of a stranger.

“You’re awake?” A soft and deep voice asked her. 

She raised her head and realized that the older guy earlier was carrying her. Her arms were around his neck while his hands were holding her up. She tried to glance down at her clothes and saw that she now has a large brown coat around her. The warmth felt good and the fact that it covers her more than what her tattered dress could comforted her. Also, for some reason, most of her fear earlier was eased even though she is practically with strangers.

She glanced around and saw three more people. One was the other guy earlier. He was a little bit ahead of them with a bag that contains a bow and some arrows. Beside him was a girl with a shoulder-length hair wearing a black coat. Ahead of them was another guy who’s also wearing a long black coat.

“I’m sorry that I have to carry you,” the guy said, speaking in almost a whisper. “We have to go somewhere safer.”

She recognized some unfamiliarity in the way he spoke the words. It was as if he was speaking another language. The way the words tumbled down his tongue is fast and light.

Her cheeks then heated up when she realized that he must’ve been carrying her for a long time. She immediately removed her arms from his neck. “You... you can put me down now. I can walk.”

Instead of letting her go, the guy took her arms in one hand and placed them back. “You will hurt your feet more.”

“I... I can walk barefooted,” she said.

The guy ignored what she said. “Where are you from?”

“I’m from Crescent Kingdom.”

”Oh...” He quieted down and nodded to himself. “I was right...”

Questions freely popped out of her mind. Why are there people outside the kingdom? How is it that the way they speak differ? Are there other kingdoms out here? Do they have magic too? 

“Where are you from?” she asked as they turned to the left, now following a river.

“I’m from many places,” the guy replied. She might just be imagining things but his voice seemed to became a bit cold. “But I now live in Highlands.”

She never heard of that place. But honestly, she never heard of any other place aside from their kingdom. And according to this guy, he had been to many places.

“Do you know where the city of light is?” She suddenly remembered where her mother told her to go.

The guy didn’t reply. She took it as a no.

“I left the kingdom to go there...” she absentmindedly muttered.

The rest of the walk was filled with some comforting silence. More questions filled up the space of her mind. But above those things, she just realized that the world out of the border was big and wide. There are so many places, so many people, and all of those she has no idea of. That scares her so much but at the same time, it amazes her.

They reached a small house in the middle of the woods. She was in awe as she stared at its exterior. It was made of wood but there were bits of shiny crystals embedded on its walls. The light from the setting sun made them shine in a mysteriously beautiful way.

The woman with them looked at her for the first time. Shuhua could not understand her expression. Her face showed no emotion but her eyes were filled with some kind of uncertainty.

The girl then faced the guy leading the way earlier. “Shall we... take a rest now?”

The said guy spared them a quick glance before leading the way inside the house.

As soon as they entered, the guy carrying her put her down. She muttered a small thank you and gave back the coat. As soon as her feet landed on the shiny wooden floor, she cringed at the pain. Her legs were also sore and it took some effort for her to remain standing. She looked around and saw nothing but a fire place, a human-sized bookshelf and some blankets neatly folded on the floor.

She looked at the people with her and immediately felt awkward when she realized the atmosphere. The two older guys were looking at each other intensely, as if having a fight through their stares. The short-haired girl was eyeing her with distrust. The younger guy, on the other hand, was nowhere to be found.

The girl removed her stare and faced the two guys. “Let’s check the place first.”

The two guys held their stares for a few more seconds before turning away from each other.

“Hi.” The younger guy suddenly appeared beside her with a soft smile. He gently tugged her towards the bookshelf. “You must be very uncomfortable with your clothes.”

When they reached the bookshelf, he handed her the rucksack and a bucket of warm water with some cloth. She watched as he pulled the bookshelf away from the wall. The distance was able to fit a person.

“You can clean up and change your clothes there,” he said.

She pointed the space between the bookshelf and the wall. “H-here?”

He smiled apologetically. “This place is for temporary rest so there is no bathroom.”

She stared at the space for a moment before looking back at the guy. She felt really uncomfortable. But the guy already turned his back from her and went to the front side of the shelf. The others were already gone.

She reluctantly went behind the shelf and took out a warm top and loose pants. She cleaned herself up as quietly as she could while wearily listening to her surroundings. She was relieved when she removed most of the dirt and dried blood from her body. She cringed when she saw how dirty the water was after she dressed up.

She went out from behind the shelf after wiping some water she spilled. “Thank you.”

“Oh?” The guy faced him. “You’re done?”

She helped him push the shelf back to the wall. She also helped him throw out the water and the cloths she used. She saw no sign of the others but that made her a bit comfortable.

Shuhua and the guy spread out blankets on the floor. She then settled on the one nearest the wall and watched the guy cut his hand and let a drop of blood drip in the fireplace. The woods then lit up with flames, slowly warming up the place. 

He has magic, she realized. Don’t all the people with her have magic? Is that how they survived being outside the border? 

She then remembered how she got out of the kingdom. A part of the magical border collapsed all of a sudden. It’s not because of force, she was sure. Was it because of magic? Does she have magic?

The guy sat down the blanket beside her and watched the fire. His stomach growled, causing him to glance at her shyly. She quietly chuckled and remembered the food she has in her bag. She took a bread out and handed it to him.

“Thank you. We should share,” he said as he took only half.

They ate in silence for a few moments before he started the conversation.

“I’m Xion, by the way. I’m sorry for the late introduction.” He looked at her as he finished his bread. “You?”

“I’m Shuhua,” she answered.

“Shuhua... Shuhua...” He pronounced her name as if testing it in his tongue and she found it cute. Once he was satisfied, he proceeded to talk more. 

She learned that he used to live in Crescent Kingdom too when he was young—that made her a bit comfortable around him. Something happened in his home so he was forced to go away by himself. He then wandered around outside the kingdom for days until Leedo and his team found him. She also learned about the Nightlings—which were apparently the shadows she knew, and the quartz crystal used against them.

He also proceeded to talk about a few things regarding Highlands. Shuhua just listened. Sometimes, she also gives her own short replies. 

”You should’ve introduced yourself to the others but I think it will happen later since they’re still checking out the surroundings. Should I just tell you their names?”

“Okay.”

“The one who carried you is my big brother Leedo. We’re not really blood related but he’s like a brother to me.” He looked around and moved near her to whisper. “He’s kind of cold, scary and sometimes annoying but he’s kind.”

She nodded at that.

“The other guy, the one with small eyes? His name is Seoho. We’re not that close but he’s also kind. He and my brother aren’t really in good terms so please excuse the tension between them.” He sighed, as if suddenly worried. 

He immediately shook the feeling off and continued. “Anyway, the girl with the short hair is Yves. She’s also good but she’s... uhm... very careful. Ravn and Jiwoo will be here later.”

She nodded and got a little bit nervous at the thought of meeting other strangers. Xion saw it so he smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry. They’re good people and I think you will be comfortable with Jiwoo.” He suddenly paused and his smile faded. “But...”

She waited for him to continue. Worry began to fill her when she saw his hesitation. “But...?”

He looked at her straight in the eyes. “Prepare yourself. I think... it will be a long night.”