— 1 —

With a stick in hand and her feet securely rooted to a rock, Daeun tries to reach a plant in the middle of the bubbling mud pit. The wind blows gently as the evening light begins to set, shadows warping and changing the later it gets. She’s able to rub a leaf with the end but is unable to connect any further. Around it is some sort of boiling mud; a downside to living next to a volcano, despite the snow. Leaning back, she lets out a sigh and looks for more rocks. When seeing a small, unstable one, she decides to take her chance. Daeun tightens the fur closer around her body before setting her foot on it. It shifts a little under her weight but ultimately stays. Once making sure it’s not moving any longer, she reaches out her stick once again for the plant. It takes her a few moments and an uncomfortable stretch, but once she reaches it, she doesn’t hesitate to snatch it. She gently pulls it from its roots before opening her satchel, placing it inside. 

 

Daeun nods victoriously. When she tries to pull back to safety, away from the pit, the rock under her once again shifts. She tries to push off it and begins to panic as the stone below falters. She tries to grab a nearby branch with her gloved hand. Her foot slips, causing her eyes to grow wide and snap down to look directly at the mud pot. It gets closer as she falls; boiling and threatening to pull her in. Daeun gasps when she stops only a foot away, cringing when her knee lighting tips into it. Something grabs the back of her cloak roughly yanking her back. Daeun falls back onto her bottom, grunting when she hits the ground. Rolling around, she clumsily pushes the hood from her face.

 

Seyeon stands in front of her, her hands on her hips. She pushes her own fur hood from her long, dark hair, giving the girl a pointed look. They both wear similar outfits. They have a hybrid of a fur coat and poncho held closed by some hooks. Their tight black pants tucked into boots. “What would your parents do if you fell in? They’d kill me, Daeun!”

 

Daeun smiles sheepishly at her best friend. She looks into her bag, sighing with relief when finding the herb safe. “Sorry,” she apologizes. “Thanks.”

 

Seyeon sighs as she takes a step forward. She pulls Daeun up and fixes her jacket. “I leave you for one minute and this is the mess I find you in.”

 

“Did you get it?” 

 

Seyeon nods as she picks up a large bag, showing off her dead deer; there’s a couple of rabbits as well. She went out to hunt and Daeun had asked to join. They’ve known each other their whole lives, their parents being best friends in their youth. According to Seyeon, her father used to protect Daeun’s; as she does. “Of course. What’d you get?”

 

Daeun proudly opens her bag to show off all of the berries and herbs she had collected. “I might not be a good hunter like you, but I’m good at gathering.”

 

“Hey, don’t worry; you’ll learn,” Seyeon says, putting a hand on her shoulder.

 

“I’m not good with a bow like you are,” Daeun mumbles, shyly picking up her own bow she had set to the side. Her friend begins to lead the way back to their village.

 

“As I said, you’ll learn,” Seyeon repeats. As soon as they reach Daeun’s home, she turns. “Well, I have to get ready. Try not to get into too much trouble?”

 

“I’m so jealous! I want to go to your wedding, even if it’s an arranged one…”

 

“I know. I got lucky too! He’s kind AND handsome AND an amazing hunter,” she chuckles and waves before heading toward the butcher’s building. “I’ll see you when I come back from the city!”

 

Daeun smiles and enters her home. “I’m home,” she announces as she pulls off her bow and hangs it up. Their home is quite nice and comfortable, always a hearth going in the fireplace. The kitchen and living room are downstairs, while the two bedrooms are up the stairs. They, sadly, have to go out into the outhouse to do any business; it’s especially bad at night.

 

“Hello, dear,” her mother hums as she stirs a pot. “How did it go?”

 

“I think it went well,” she admits as she begins to empty everything out into a nearby wooden bowl and begins to clean it before handing it over. “Is dad around?”

 

“No, he’s in a meeting. Are you going to the statue today?”

 

Daeun nods. “Yes,” She responds and places the bowl to the side. Her mother smiles and grabs it after placing a gentle kiss on her daughter’s head. 

 

“Now, remember. Don’t-”

 

“Eat the snowberries. I know, mom,” she finishes and laughs a bit as she pulls on a much warmer coat. “I’ll be careful,” she says and once again heads out. She begins to make her way toward the snowy hills. It’s about two miles out of town, after traveling through the forest. It’s getting dark but she always visits at this time and nothing seems to ever attack her; despite the presence of bears and wolves.  She picks some flowers and snowberries on her way there.

 

Daeun begins to hum as she approaches the large, stone dragon statue. “Good evening,” she greets, bowing deeply. She shivers a bit. Not from the cold but from that feeling of being watched. It’s probably her imagination, but she’s always felt comforted by the idea that something is watching over her. Perhaps the dragon. She chuckles as she sits down at the base and leans against it. Daeun brings her knees up to her chest and lets out a long sigh; watching her breath in the cold air. “This is ridiculous,” she sighs as she draws in the snow. “Back in the village, I'm surrounded by people and yet I feel alone.” Daeun looks up at the statue and into its sapphire eyes. “Do you feel the same? Dad, Seyeon, the other villagers...they don’t think that there’s something out there watching over us...but mom and I do. It comforts us…” She goes on. “Mom believes it’s more than that. She thinks you were trapped in your temple and can only see and hear through all your statues. That’s ridiculous and yet I'm speaking to one like an old friend.” Sighing, the girl stands up and faces the statue. She pulls out all of the offerings from her bag and gently sets them at the dragon’s feet, arranging them like a wreath. Daeun looks up into the sapphire eyes and takes a deep breath. “I should get back.” Before she has the chance to turn and begin her walk, sudden dizziness hits her like a strong gust of wind. Daeun grabs her head, blinking rapidly. The world spins and she can feel herself fall, landing on the soft snow as her consciousness fades.

 

The smell of heavy smoke stirs her awake, causing her to let out a soft groan as she opens her eyes. Daeun rubs her eyes and she looks around in confusion. She slowly stands, furrowing her brows. “Did...I pass out?” She asks herself. The girl notices something in the distance. Smoke, like from a large flame, in the direction of her village. And then she sees it. With large wings outstretched, a large obsidian-colored dragon, swooping down; screams can be heard as its fire shoots from its mouth. Her eyes grow wide. “N-no!” She gasps and quickly makes her way down and into the forest. Daeun begins to pant heavily as she runs through the snow, ignoring the ache in her face due to the cold. 

 

Daeun stumbles into the village but she almost wishes she hadn’t. Fires had erupted from the houses, but the wood has already become blackened and starting to fall about. She cries out when the building to her right creaks and some of the wood crashes in. The girl pushes herself to go forward, desperately making her way to her own home. She pushes her way into the door, flinching as debris falls. “Mama?!” She calls out, coughing from the smoke. “Papa?!”

 

“D-Daeun!” a voice calls out, seeming from upstairs.

 

Using her scarf to cover , she pushes past some pieces of wood that had collapsed in. She pushes up the stairs, blinking a few times as she looks around. When seeing two figures on the ground, she gasps and quickly goes to their sides. “Mom!? Dad?!” Her eyes scan all of the burnt rubble and new, fresh wounds on their bodies. Her father doesn’t move but she can still see the heavy, ragged breathing of her mother. “Mom!” She gasps, trying to push the fallen logs off. When her mother lets out a cry of pain, the girl quickly stops. 

 

“D-Daeun…”

 

“Mom, w-what happened?!”

 

“T-thank the gods y-you’re...you’re safe,” she whispers, struggling with her words. “I...I was preparing dinner. Your father, he...he ran in s-screaming about some...some dragon.”

 

“I saw it…” Daeun admits, glancing out of the hole now in their home’s roof.

 

“It’s...It’s him.”

 

“W-who? It’s who?” 

 

Her mother coughs and shakes her head. “B-baby, I need you to...do something for me. Before I…I die.”

 

Daeun swallows hard, already feeling her chest tightens. “Don't’ say it, you’re going to be fine, mama.”

 

“Daeun, t-that dragon isn’t gone yet. He’ll...he’ll come back until we’re all...dead,” she murmurs. “But not you.” When she flicks her wrist, it gets her daughter’s attention. Daeun can see a small necklace in her palm. “Take this...b-bring it to the Winter Dragon’s temple. I-in...the town hall, there’s a trap...trap door in the back...office. It will lead you there w-without being...seen.”

 

The girl slowly takes it from her mother, clutching it tightly in her fist. “W-what for?” Her mother her lip, seeming to try and say something. “Mama, what for?!” She looks to her father, furrowing his brow when he doesn’t move, even now. Tears begin to fill her eyes.

 

“Y-you’ll...do great things, baby. I love you...so much.” her mother whispers as her head slowly rolls to the side.

 

Daeun touches her cheek. “Mama?” she calls out quietly. “Mama?!” The girl jumps when the sound of roaring echoes through the village. She looks to her mother once more. No response. “Mom...dad…” She slowly stands and pulls the necklace around her neck, tucking it into her clothes. Daeun stares down at the lifeless bodies of her parents, swallowing hard again and backing up. She grabs a walking stick before pushing the door open again. She squints a bit at the cold breeze. Daeun looks around before spotting the large beast hovering above the statue, where she had just been. She tries to push down the lump in . She needs to mourn later. She has to. 

 

Daeun dashes over toward the town hall. She squeezes her way through the ruined doors, just as she can hear the thundering of large wings approach the village. The girl looks up and at the hole in the roof. Keeping to the right wall, Daeun gets on her hands and knees, crawling toward the office doors. She cringes as some of the wood creaks beneath her, making her stop a few times. Her eyes grow wide when the top of the building falters under a heavy weight. She covers tightly when a large eye appears in the hole. Daeun scrambles behind one of the large poles, pressing her back up against it. Holding her breath, she screws her eyes closed and waits. The large beast’s breathing can be heard along with the straining of the wood, struggling to hold the weight. When she dares to take a small peak, the eyes are slowly scanning the interior, opposite the girl's location. Still holding her breath, she begins her crawl back to the office. The building’s noises masked her own. She slides through more broken doors and quickly turns into the room.

 

Daeun finally lets out a long, deep, shaky sigh. Keeping on her knees, the girl begins to look around the room for any sort of trap door. When spotting it under the desk, she carefully opens it up and slides inside. She lets out a soft grunt as she lands on the hard rock below. Shaking her head, Daeun rubs her arms as she looks around. It seems to just be some sort of underground cave that leads somewhere; the way forward consumed by darkness. After gathering herself, she presses on. Darkness doesn’t scare her. Not with that thing waiting for her.

 

Daeun’s not quite sure how long she’s been walking. But it feels like the same amount of time it takes to get to the statue she visits, in the woods. She almost lets out a sigh of relief when seeing the small rays of light coming from what seems to be another trap door. It takes a bit of effort to push it up, finally managing to do it after a few tries. The girl blinks a few times, furrowing her brow in confusion when she sees nothing but trees. Once she climbs up, she lets it drop as she looks around. “It...lead me here?” She asks quietly. She had come up from right behind the Winter Dragon’s statue. 

 

Her eyes go to the village, the fire, the smoke. She nervously begins to back up when seeing that dragon still on the town hall building. Taking this moment to turn and bolt for the temple. Daeun’s not sure how good a dragon’s eyesight, earring, or smell is; but she tries her best not to think or pay attention to that. About the horrible thought of “What if he sees me?” The girl runs as fast as she can, looking over her shoulder every five seconds. She lets out a grunt as her foot snags on a root, causing her to fall forward. Quickly scrambling back up, her legs begin to grow heavy and hurt.

 

Daeun looks up at the temple as she approaches it. Large and gorgeous, made of marble and built into the mountain. She almost slips when running up the stairs, barely catching herself on the nearby railing. Panting heavily, she practically slams face-first into the large doors, pressing her palms against it. Glancing over her shoulder again, the dragon seems to still be in the village; more fire coming from its maw. She begins to push as hard as she can, the ice making it difficult. Once she manages to get one side open, she steps inside. Daeun struggles to get the heavy door closed again, taking a bit more push than when she had to open it. When it finally closes, she lets out a grunt when she’s pulled with it; gently knocking into it. 

 

She takes a deep breath and slowly turns to face the interior of the temple. It’s cold, with most of what little furnishing it has frozen over. It only seems to be one large chamber with two doors on either side of that dragon statue that rests at the far end. At the right and left walls are windows taller than the doors; stain glass depicting some sort of war between dragons. 

 

Daeun hugs her coat closer to her body as she walks forward. People only visit once a year, evident by the lack of any life. She, herself, makes the trip once a month with her mother to pray and leave offerings. She swallows hard at the thought of that and tries to think of something else. She approaches the great, large statue; much bigger than the one on the hill. She stares up at it. It’s so life-like, with sapphire gems for eyes. “What am I supposed to do…?” she whispers and falls to her knees. Sniffing, she wipes her eyes with her sleeves and tries to stop the tears again. But they fall and they fall hard. Her chest is heavy and tight as her sobs echo throughout the larger chamber. She slowly puts her forehead to the cold marble floor as she shakes.  “What am I supposed to do?! Why was I sent here?!” 

 

Daeun pulls the pendant from inside her clothes and stares at it. She didn't have time to look at it before, at the symbol. It’s made of strong iron, a triangle with a circle, and other designs inside of that. She gently runs her thumb over the crest and sits back. Looking back up at the statue, she squints the chest. There’s some sort of triangular hole; like something can be placed inside. She glances back down at the necklace and then back at the dragon before slowly standing. It’s quite a bit of a climb, if not seemingly slippery. She bites her lip as she sets down her bag. 

 

Daeun looks for the best spot to climb up, deciding to approach the side of it; by its wings. She tucks the necklace back into her shirt and grabs onto the statue’s foot. She manages to hoist herself onto the leg before trying to find the proper footing to make her way up. When she reaches the chest area, she keeps a firm grip on its arm as she pulls out the pendant. Once Daeun manages to fit the strange triangle in and secure it, she begins to look for a way down. 

 

The crackling of stone begins to fill the chamber, capturing the girl’s attention. She stops in her tracks and begins to slowly look around. When she feels the statue beneath her hands begin to move, her eyes grow wide, causing her to accidentally let go. She lets out a yelp as she lands on her back, the breath knocked out of her. Crying out a bit, she whimpers and rolls onto her side. She turns her head at the scene above her. Daeun stares with wide, fearful eyes as blue and white scales are revealed beneath as the stone crumbles from the dragon’s body. Once it gets to the wings, they spread with a loud flap. She gasps when it turns to look down at her with those big sapphire eyes. It takes a step back and lifts its head. Before she can truly grasp what she just saw, the dragon seems to shriek, forming into a new, smaller shape.

 

Instead of a dragon, a human man stands before her. Tan skin and dark eyes, short messy black hair. The man wears white and blue silk robes, nothing covering his feet to protect against the icy floors. He’s absolutely gorgeous. He slowly stands as he lets out a long breath. He raises his hands, flipping them over and seeming to observe each one. “It has been so many years since I have been in this form...or any form, other than that of a statue.” The man looks at Daeun and narrows his eyes. “...I know you.”

 

“O-oh my gods,” she gasps. “Y-you’re….You…”

 

The dragon frowns and looks around. “My temple is…”

 

“Abandoned…”

 

“It used to be full of life and priests…”

 

Daeun swallows hard as she stands. “You’re Kai...I've seen paintings of you and,” she motions to a stain-glass window that shows the man. He’s standing in front of people wearing nothing but his robes and holding a sword. “But I never imagined in years that you would have been the very dragon I always pray to; I thought those paintings of you were...perhaps a priest.”

 

Kai chuckles and looks at it. “Yes...it used to be well known that we dragons have humanoid forms. But that was…before we were sealed.”

 

“All dragons? E-even that big...black one?”

 

Kai furrows his brows. “Black dragon? I only know of four other colors, other than…” he trails off, a low growl under his threat. They both look toward the door when a thunderous roaring echoes outside. She widens her eyes and subconsciously gets behind Kai, as if for protection. When something large slams against it, Daeun squeals and clings to his robes. “Zitao,” he whispers. 

 

“I-I think he knows I’m here.”

 

“Did he hurt you?”

 

“No, but he might’ve followed me...I think it’s because of that,” She says, pointing to the necklace that he now wears. “I don’t think he wanted me to reach the temple.”

 

“No...I imagine not. We should go now before he goes into human form and sees that I’m awake,” he says as he grabs Daeun’s arm and gently pulls her into one of the rooms to the back. It seems to be a simple room, where priests might sleep. Once locking that door, she’s led further to the back, into what seems to be a storage room. Kai pushes some chests in front of the door as some sort of barricade; revealing a trapdoor of sorts on the floor in the corner. Daeun watches as he effortlessly yanks it up, the ice that had frozen over easily broken and it makes her wonder just how strong he really is. That’s a ridiculous question to ask a dragon. Kai offers his hand, which she shyly accepts, and allows herself to be led down the steps of very narrow stairs; extremely slippery if she hadn’t worn the right boots.

 

 “You said you know who I am,” she speaks up as they find their way into the darkness below.

 

“I’ve watched over you for...it must have been years,” Kai replies. “It feels strange to say, I remember when your mother first brought you to see my statue.”

 

“I think I was only six,” she agrees, though there's still nervousness in her voice. They both pause for a moment when they hear the doors upstairs slam open, causing the place to shake a bit. Kai quickens his footsteps, gently dragging the girl along.

 

“I need to wake up the others,” He whispers as they make their way down the narrow hallway and into an ice cavern. She glances over the sides, swallowing hard at the long drop into the darkness below. 

 

“The others?”

 

“The other four dragons,” He says. “Keep close to me. You don’t want to fall and I don’t think I can change fast enough to catch you.” 

 

Daeun clings to the man and sniffs. “Where does this lead?”

 

“Into the home owned by my High Priest. It was supposed to be kept as a place of retreat for me...I’m hoping it’s still that at least. Though I imagine we can’t stay long, Zitao will try to meet us on the other side.”

 

Daeun slowly nods. “What’re you supposed to do? It’s nothing but snowy mountains for miles a-and my village…”

 

“I...saw,” he whispers. “I’m sorry. Are your parents…?” When the girl goes quiet, he lets out a soft sigh. “There are no words I can say...”

 

“It’s okay,” she lies. She’s relieved to see a ladder up ahead, which Kai goes up first; once again pushing the door out from its frozen frame. He slowly peers his head out, completely exiting when he seems sure it’s safe. Daeun gasps when he reaches down and easily pulls her up. “I-I can get up on my own,” she quickly says, a bit flustered.

 

“My apologies,” Kai chuckles as the girl looks around. It’s a nice home, actually. And obviously not abandoned. Decorated with bookcases, paintings, dead plants. The colors are the same sort of blue as Kai’s scales. There only seems to be a couch, a side and coffee table, and a fireplace.

 

“No bed?” She asks.

 

“Well...no, dragons don’t need sleep.”  The dragon goes to a chest she hadn’t seen before, out from behind the couch, and begins to rummage through it. He grabs a backpack from inside and begins to fill it with all sorts of things from around the house. Blankets, a cloak, several changes of clothes, what seems to be a bag of coins. “Are monasteries still running?” He asks. “I know mine isn’t, but they’re used to be ones for refugees.”

 

Daeun nods. “I haven’t been out of my village much other than to visit your temple but I know they exist…”

 

“Excellent. When we manage to find one, you can stay there and-”

 

“No!” The girl gasps and steps closer quickly. “This horrible dragon completely wiped out my whole village, clan, and family! A-and my mom must have sent me to you for a reason; to...to do SOMETHING!”

 

Kai lets out a sigh. “I appreciate your passion, but you’re only human.”

 

“I may only be human but...when is the last time you’ve been in the world? I might not have been out much but I still know more than you do, with all due respect.,” She points out. “A-and the dragon already saw me, so he knows I survived…”

 

“That’s...all true,” He groans. “You’d be safer by my side than with some monks...and being with them would put them at risk.”

 

Daeun smiles and crosses her arms. “Then it's settled!” She raises a brow when Kai pulls out an ancient-look map. “What...is that?”

 

The dragon glances at the girl briefly. “A...map?”

 

The girl shakes her head. “That’s...completely outdated. We should buy a new one..”

 

Kai furrows his brows, once again looking down at the parchment. “Outdated...oh, I...suppose it would be, after all this time.”

 

Daeun shakes her head. “We should get...a map, a tent, a bedroll…”

 

“I don’t sleep.”

 

“But humans do, remember?”

 

“Right!” Kai clears his throat, seeming suddenly flustered. “Now...I wish I could allow you to rest but…”

 

“I understand...Zitao will find us if we don’t leave soon...”

 

The dragon nods. “I’m going to change out of these robes.” He grabs the couch and easily pulls it over and on top of the trap door. “If it moves, come get me.”

 

Daeun nods as well, keeping an eye on it. Kai leaves her as he goes into another room, leaving the door slightly ajar. She takes a deep breath and keeps her back to a wall; her gaze never once leaving the trap door area. To her relief, it doesn’t move an inch the whole time the dragon is gone. But when she hears the front door unlock, her eyes grow wide. She opens to call out for the dragon but nothing comes out as she stares in fear; her body frozen in place. A man steps inside, holding what seems to be some logs for a fire. He wears robes similar to Kai but seemingly made of cotton instead of fine silk. His hair is black and neatly brushed, his skin a lighter tan than the other dragon’s. He jumps a bit when seeing the girl, his own eyes wide with surprise now.

 

“Oh!” He gasps, dropping a couple of the logs. “Why are you...why are you in my home?”

 

“I...um…” They both look when Kai steps inside, an immediate smile reaching his lips when seeing the other boy.

 

“Kyungsoo,” Kai greets, not hesitating to go to him. “I’m pleased to see you’re still around.”

 

“And I am pleased to see you awake, my lord. It has been a long time.” The man is quick to bow. 

 

“Well, I wasn’t...asleep,” He admits, causing Kyungsoo to furrow his brows. When seeing his confusion, he continues. “I was simply sealed...I could only see through my statutes. But we have more pressing matters. Zitao-”

 

“Zitao is back,” Kyungsoo finishes for him as he starts a fire, setting the logs inside. “I know. I saw the bastard…”

 

“Where?”

 

“He was flying south...are you going to wake up the others?”

 

“That’s our plan.”

 

“Our?”

 

Kai motions to Daeun. “This is...Daeun. She unsealed me and will help me unseal the others,” he pauses. “I’m curious, though...why did a human woman have my necklace and not my high priest?”

 

Kyungsoo stands and wipes his hands off. “In cases like these...if he were to return. He knows my face and if he had caught me, he would have gotten your necklace, so I gave it to a woman living by your temple, years ago; she had a very young child with her.”

 

“My mother…?” Daeun whispers.

 

“That’s...well, I suppose so,” he says but suddenly frowns. He glances at Daeun. “But perhaps that….is why…”

 

She hugs herself. “You think he...he targeted my mother?”

 

“We can’t be sure but that seems to be the case.”

 

“Will he go after the others?” Kyungsoo asks with concern.

 

“If the temples are abandoned like mine…”

 

“They are not.”

 

“Then I don’t think so,” Kai says, watching as Kyungsoo begins to pull all of the things out of the bag the dragon had backed and repack it correctly; folding everything. “My...temple. Why is it abandoned…?”

 

Kyungsoo lets out a soft sigh as he motions to Daeun. She goes to him nervously. He hands her another bag he seemed to have packed in a small amount of time; she doesn’t even remember seeing him do it. “I don’t know, to be honest. People just...started to leave. For the first couple of decades it was fine but the north just...started to get colder and colder. The rest of your followers, who withstood the cold, settled in that village.”

 

“The...village I’m from?” She asks and the priest nods. “How come you stayed here all this time?”

 

“Well, considering I’m an ice dragon as well, though lesser, the cold doesn’t affect me.”

 

“You’re a dragon too?!”

 

“All high priests are.” He looks at Kai. “Who do you want to get first?”

 

“Jimin,” Kai responds almost instantly. “With his healing powers, he can help.”

 

Kyungsoo nods. “An excellent idea, my lord. I will stay here and-”

 

“No, I want you to leave. If Zitao comes back to look for me, I don’t want you getting hurt.”

 

The high priest lets out a soft sigh. “I suppose...there is nothing left for me here if you are gone. Where do you suggest I go?”

 

“Is Baekhyun still at the fire temple?” He asks. When Kyungsoo nods, he motions. “Go there. I know you two are very close.”

 

Kyungsoo nods and bows respectfully. “It is good to have you back…” he glances at Daeun. “Getting Jimin first will be good. Not only for his healing powers but for the other...support he is said to often provide.”

 

“Other support?”

 

The high priest smiles tightly and turns toward the other room. “Good luck,” He says before disappearing into it. Daeun looks at Kai oddly, who just shakes his head. 

 

“Well, he’s very...proper.”

 

“You should have seen him before I was sealed,” Kai chuckles. “When I first met him, he wasn’t able to look at me and he was constantly bowing.” After hoisting the packs on their back, they exit the home, into the cold. 

 

“Are...all high priests like that?”

 

“Um...you’ll see,” Kai says before clearing his throat. “It’ll take us about a week to reach Jimin’s temple. I suppose it would be quicker to fly but I’d rather not attract too much attention to us. 

 

Daeun slowly nods as they begin their walk toward the east. “These dragons...are they all like you?”

 

“Ice element, you mean? No. As you heard, Kyungsoo is headed south, for the fire temple. There, a fire dragon named Chanyeol has been sealed as well. East, Jimin is air, wind, healing. And lastly, to the west is the rock temple, where Jungkook is. He represents rock, strength, and art.”

 

Daeun raises a brow. “Art?”

 

“You’ll see. Keep your hood on until we get to the East, okay?” The dragon commends, yanking on his hood. The girl nods again and pulls on her own. “And stay close to me at all times. If Zitao comes for us, we have to put up a fight, both of us.”

 

“Um...I don’t...I don’t fight…”

 

Kai looks at her in surprise. “What? You don’t know how to fight?”

 

Daeun fiddles with her cloak and shakes her head in embarrassment. “My best friend was trying to teach me but…I’m not good at it.” 

 

The dragon shakes his head. “No matter. I’ll protect you. But we need to be careful until we reach the air temple.” He offers his arms. “Come.”

 

Daeun shyly grabs on, keeping her head down. She suddenly gasps and looks up at him. “W-wait! Oh my gods, Seyeon! S-she-”

 

“She already left before Zitao attacked.”

 

“S-she did...oh, thank the gods,” She lets out a sigh of relief. 

 

Kai smiles a bit and looks forward. “It’s a long walk. Let’s stay on guard.”

 

Daeun clings to the man’s arm. “Y-yes...alright.”