JINHAE

Apparently, Tao was telling me the truth. He explained to me some of the details when Lay joined us at the meadow and told me about the rest as he walked me back to the room they’ve given to me. Everything, and I mean everything, in Elyxo was alive one way or the other. The Guardians made it so and one of them was Ahn Han Seul – the infamous Lake Guardian. According to the elders, eighteen years ago, he escaped to the human world with the child he fathered with an Elyxian woman. The reason for his escape was unknown, but the Oracles had every reason to believe that he was the one they have appointed to prevent the prophecy from ever happening.

It was a bit unsettling how secretive our father had been and the fact that his name was the same as the Guardian they were talking about was beyond shocking. I and my sister weren’t foreigners in the human world, nor were we mixed for that matter. The possibility that we were one of the rare, genetically-altered humans was also there to consider and then there’s being a half blood…The more I think about it, the more far-fetched the idea was. Still, it speaks of a child, not twins. I guess everything’s a coincidence. It sounds a lot like ‘Narnia’. 

“W-what happened to him?” I asked Lay who seemed to be in deep thought.

He glanced at me then smiled. “I don’t really know, but they said that if we go to your realm, we will lose our abilities and we age faster.”

I arched a brow at him. “You age faster?” I frowned in confusion. “Does that mean you’re older than you look like?” At that, he made a face at me. Uh-oh! He really looked like a scary when he‘s offended. I stepped on a landmine. 

“Of course not!” he said, and to my surprise, he chuckled. “I’m only twenty one.”

I suppressed laughter. Well, it was possible! “I see.”

“And you are?”

“Eighteen. It’s my birthday today…I mean yesterday.” I sighed. “I don’t know anymore. I don’t really have sense of time here.” I sounded morose even to myself. I diverted the conversation to our real topic. “So he grew old?”

He nodded. “That’s pretty much what would become of him, but some were saying that his life force came back just recently. The lakes are alive again.”

“Hmm. What does that mean?” I asked him.

He glanced at me then shrugged. “His body is dead, but his spirit remains.”

“Dead?! How recent is recent?”

“A month ago?”

I chuckled, stopping dead on my tracks, pacing back and forth in front of him. “You couldn’t be serious.” I was suddenly torn between being mad and fascination again. “You don’t mean that.”

Lay’s lower lip jutted out and he shook his head. “Do I look like I’m jesting, my lady? The lake creatures never resurfaced for as far as I could remember and now they’re all appearing.”

This is outrageous! “Father…”

“Yes?”

“H-he died a month ago,” I told him and his eyes bugged out. I’ve been stuttering words since I got here.

“You jest?” His eyes narrowed at me.

I shook my head gravely. “I don’t. Why would I?”

He suddenly turned around. “I’m sorry, Jinhae, but I couldn’t continue walking with you. I need to talk to the others.”

“O…kay.”

He smiled ruefully at me then hurriedly walked off. “I’ll have Poh summon you at dinner,” he said then continued on his way, half running.

I was left to think about what he had just said. I wondered what he had to talk about with the others. Maybe I was a sworn enemy. I hope not. Where was Shinhye when I needed her?!

LUHAN

I’ve finally reached the mansion just before darkness devoured the land. I’m quite disappointed that I wasn’t able to find what I was looking for in the artifact hall at the south of the capital. It had been one tiring journey and I wished to do nothing but rest. I really hated travelling long distances. It’s just too bad that my home was actually on the south-western side of Meropia just west of Glacia. Even the Nephylus couldn’t ease me with the hassl