[ By xxFiction ]

After a quick breakfast, the group looking for the antidote was on their way again. Stopping every now and then because of the girls getting tired because of the poison, the guys exchanged nervous glances.

They were worried whether or not they'll make it in time.

At first, it seemed as if they could make it with time to spare, but the poison is spreading and having more effect that they predicted. Sookyung even became too tired to protest about resting, and Chunhee could barely walk by herself. Even on horses, it was hard to travel when the two girls are constantly threatening to fall off the saddle, and the guys had to ride on the same horse as them to keep them from dropping over the side. It wasn't an easy road through the forest, and sometimes the horses would jerk around because of the uneven ground, which made it even more likely that one of the frail girls would end up on the damp forest ground.

"Are we there yet?" Hoya asked.

"Almost. We'll make it, don't worry." Kikwang said.

"I'm glad you sound so confident about it." Dongwoo commented.

"I've been here many times before." Kikwang shrugged as he kept his eyes on the road.

Sookyung suddenly stirred in her seat with Dongwoo, and he peeked at her face. "I'm thirsty." was all she said. Dongwoo twisted in his seat and reach for the water bag as he tried to keep the horse on the right track and keep Sookyung on the saddle. Eventually, he wrestled it out with some help from Kikwang, who was riding beside him.

"Hang on, Sookyung, we're almost there." he told her, and she nodded.

"How are you doing, Chun Hee?" Kikwang asked the girl who was riding with Hoya.

"Fine." she said. "Peachy."

"Good to know." the guide for the trip smiled. "We're close. Don't worry, we'll make sure you get cured."

"Thanks."

"Anything for you pretty girls." the traveling entertainer said with a wide grin. Chun Hee rolled her eyes at his response.

The group traveled for a while longer. Even though Kikwang had said that they were close, it didn't feel like it. The forest seemed to have no end, and everything looked the same to the girls. They were seriously doubting whether they would make it back from the trip alive.

 

After learning about the meanings of a pink sky, none of them could focus completely on their training. Many accidents happened in the first hour, and Key had offered for them to end the day since none of the could concentrate anyway, but they refused.

"What if we need to fight to get our friends back?" Min Hi said.

"Yeah, I'm not just going to sit there and just do nothing." Sora added.

A smile made its way across Key's lips before he nodded approvingly. "I like your attitude. Keep up the good work. I look forward to seeing the result of your hard work."

"Are you okay?" Himchan asked as he helped Kyunglim stand up. He had accidentally tripped her and she had fallen pretty hard.

"I'm fine. Thanks." she told him. She took a step forward to keep going, only to feel her ankle give away and make her fall forward. Luckily, Himchan caught her just in time and steadied her again. "Thanks." she repeated.

"What happened to your ankle? Are you sure you're alright?"

"I think she sprained her ankle." Mi Cha said as she bent down to examine Kyunglim's ankle. "It's nothing big, and it should help within a few days."

"Then you should go sit down and rest." Himchan told the girl he was holding up.

"I'm fine."

"If you don't heal it properly, it might never be the same again." Mi Cha warned. Kyunglim hesitated at her words, the nodded and allowed herself to be guided to the side by Himchan. When he returned, he had a worried look on his face. "What's wrong?" Mi Cha asked.

"It really won't heal correctly?"

"No, no I was just lying so that she would go and sit down." Mi Cha laughed. "I can believe you guys fell for that." A relieved expression melted onto Himchan's face.

Sora had gone back to her spot on top of the statue, and she watched halfheartedly called out misses or bulls-eye to the people shooting arrows below her. The sun was beginning to set, and it painted the scene in front of her a warm, orange-y red. Though she usually didn't like the colour orange, it was a calming sight.

I've been acting so unlike myself lately. she thought. Yelling at people I've barely met, and losing my temper like that. Not to mention crying. When was the last time I cried in public, excluding just now?

"You shouldn't start daydreaming like that when you're so high up, you know." a voice interrupted her thoughts. It was Myungsoo.

Sora looked down and saw a dark haired figure leaning against the statue. "I won't fall." she said.

"You think you won't fall doesn't mean you won't." he told her without looking up at her.

Sora frowned as one of the only skills she has confidence in is insulted. However, instead of arguing back, she sighed and said, "Okay. I'll keep your advice in mind."

Myungsoo seemed surprised when she didn't say something harsher back. Like her, instead of saying something back, he just walked away silently. Sora watched him walk away.

"Looks like someone is worried about you." a voice called under her. Sora looked down and saw Kyunglim. She had limped from the spot Himchan put her at to sit by the girl on the statue.

"Hi, Kyunglim. Is your ankle better?" Sora jumped down from her spot and went to sit next to her friend, ignoring the remark she had made earlier.

"Yeah, it doesn't even hurt anymore." Kyunglim told her. There were a few moments of silence. "How do you think Yerin is doing?"

"I'm sure she's fine." Sora said.

"Mmm..."

"What are you two talking about?" Min Hi joined the conversation. She had left her sparring practice with JR when he started dissing her for no reason. At first, everything was going surprisingly well, but she knew that sooner or later, he would go back to her usual jerk self. Of course, she was right. After maybe an hour of teaching her techniques, he had gotten impatient with it, and began picking on her. Mi Hi tried to ignore it at first and keep going, but eventually, she couldn't take anymore and just walked away.

"Just wondering what the others are doing." the two told her.

"I hope they're not being treated badly. I won't forgive whoever does." Min Hi threatened.

"Me either." Mi Cha joined too. "We should go and hunt down those stupid attackers."

Soon, everyone was gathered around the statue, and they were talking about the other abducted girls at first, but then it began to turn into random topics that made them laugh.

"He was snoring so loud that I had to throw my shoes at him! I seriously felt like duct taping his mouth." Min Hi said, and everyone around laughed at different degrees at how she described the scene she witnessed.

"I've been through something like that too! It was--" Kyunglim was interrupted when loud footsteps ran towards them. Surprised, the group turned their heads to the sound of it. It was Min Hyun.

"Guys! L-listen! They.... they're back!" she yelled, completely out of breath from sprinting the long way.

"Who?"

"The other... other girls!" she said between gasps for air.

The group that had gathered by the statue shot up from their sitting position and began running to where Min Hyun had come from. Once they arrived at the main hall, they saw that she was right. There were the three girls that had been taken before, and they were standing in a circle in the middle of the room. Key hadn't arrived yet.

"Yerin!" Kyunglim yelled as she ran forward for a hug from her friend. Sora followed her example. Since Yerin was already occupied, the other girls threw themselves at Minah instead. Deul Lae didn't receive a welcome nearly as warm. Everyone gave her cautious and suspicious glances, and refused to approach her.

"Why did you do that to--" Mi Cha was cut off as Key entered the room.

"Welcome back, girls! Although I guess I can't really say back when you've never even been here before. How was your journey? Are you tired? I bet you are. I've already prepared rooms for you, please go rest and we can talk all we want tomorrow. Okay? Settled? Good. Please show them their rooms." Key said all in one breath, not even pausing for a response from the others.

"But--"

"No buts. Tomorrow. You can't expect them to give decent answers when they're so tired. Just look at them! The bags under their eyes. That's not good. Go, go, get some sleep." Key hurried the three girls along with the servants. When they were out of the room, Key's expression turned serious.

"Those are the girls you've mentioned that are poisoned too, correct? Was the girl who stabbed Taemin one of them?" the Emperor asked.

"Yeah."

"You have to be careful around them. Who knows what has happened to them. Don't go near them unless necessary right now." Key told the group.

"But they're our friends. How can we just ignore them like that?" Mi Cha protested.

"Your friends? Maybe on the outside. Did you see their eyes? It's obvious that they've been brainwashed." Myungsoo put in.

"He's right. I noticed that too." JR said.

"Is there a way to cure them then?" Min Hyun asked.

"I'm not even quite sure what happened to them. Too bad that the other girls who were with thembefore are away on their trip right now, or else I could get more information from them."

"We'll have to wait until they get back then?" Mi Cha asked.

"That's our only chance." Key said. "Before then, be careful around them. Who knows what they'll do."

"Okay."

Nervous glances exchanged in the room, and there were quite a few minutes of silence before Key spoke up again. "I'm going to get some more research done. See you tomorrow. Don't hesitate to call me if you need any help, or if they're causing trouble."

"Okay." the group repeated.

Key left the room followed by all the guards and servants that had entered with him, and after her was gone, the room was silent. It was night time now, and the moon was rising in the sky, and the group wasn't sure what they should do.

"We should have some people keep guard." JR suggested.

"Why? You don't trust our friends?" Mi Hi challenged.

"Maybe I trust your friends, but those girls can hardly be counted as who they used to be." JR replied evenly.

"I think that's a good idea, just in case." Myungsoo said.

"Whatever." Mi Hi huffed and stormed out of the room. Her roommates quickly followed her to help calm her down.

"This is sure going to get complicated." Myungsoo sighed as he walked away to go and find Sungyeol.