Chapter 01

 

~*~

 

 

“Welcome to Changhung, Mr Park!” A middle age man welcomed with a warm smile as he stretched out his hand to Chanyeol. The college boy replied him with a smile as well, and they shook hands. “Nice to meet you, Mr Kang,” He greeted, bowing his head. The man, who wore some kind of a traditional outfit that usually a sami would use, chuckled. He then gestured Chanyeol to hop into a truck.

 

 

“Let's go now, shall we?”

 

 

Nodding his head, Chanyeol climbed up to the truck and sat down. He put on his seat belt and his bagpack was placed on his lap. He was now in Changhung for his college assignment as what the teacher had instructed them to do. They were assigned to go visit a village far from Seoul where there are legends or histories about it.

 

 

He took out a notebook and jotted down something on it as he wait for Mr Kang to get into the truck already. He then wrote all the things that he will need for research. When he was too engrossed with his note, his bag pack was in the mid of falling down from his lap and a book slipped down.

 

 

Chanyeol sighed. He stop writing and bent down to get the book. “Eh?” He raised his brows. “When did I brought it here again? I thought it's in my house,” Murmuring, he picked up the book. He stared blankly at it then put it back into his bag when Mr Kang climbed into the truck. The old man then started the engines and now off they went, heading towards their destination.

 

 

The journey to the place took for about an hour or so as it was really far from the capital. Now Chanyeol wondered why did he come here. If it wasn't for Baekhyun's constant begging for him to go take a look at this place then he wouldn't be stuck in a far away village while his two best friends were probably at Daegu or Busan. And if Tao wasn't that clingy and protective over Baekhyun then Chanyeol was more to be honored to be the first person that happens to tie up Byun Baekhyun on their college's flag pole that time.

 

 

Ah, a Bacon Flag...

 

 

 

Then Chanyeol snapped out from his daze when he heard his phone beeps. He immediately pick up his phone and found one message from none other than his mother.

 

 

'Chanyeol-ah, have you arrive there yet?! I was worrying that you couldn't make! Why haven't you call your umma!'

 

 

Chanyeol widened his eyes and he quickly tap his finger on the keys, not wanting his mother to be angry. His mother was really protective over him, neither when he was still a little boy or when he was now a grown up young man. Mother nowadays, can't seem to realize how grown their children are, except for Baekhyun's. His mother was never ending crazy, just like her son.

 

 

When he finish replying his mother's messages, Chanyeol leaned his back against the seat. Mr Kang was really focusing on the road that he doesn't even say a word and it made the young man awkward at times. Bored to death and tired, Chanyeol looked at the scenery besides him. He rolled down the windows so that he could breath in the fresh air of the cold breezy mountains. He looks like a little kid who just came for a first visit to his grandmother's house, in which Chanyeol really does acted like that when he visit his grandparent's house.

 

 

Not less than half an hour and Chanyeol began to feel more bored. The only thing he had seen was just the mountains and forests and that was seriously not that much interesting at all. He stifled a yawn, already felt tired and sleepy. He then asked to Mr Kang when will they arrived and the old man just simply replied him telling that it will be about 40 more minutes until they arrived.

 

 

Sighing, Chanyeol took out his phone but only to find the battery was running low. Great, just his luck.

 

 

~*~

 

 

“Mr Park, Mr Park,” Chanyeol felt something shaking his shoulder. He furrowed his brows and his eyes flattered open, only to be welcomed by the shining sunlight. He block the rays with his hand and sat up straight. He looked around and found that the vehicle had stop moving and Mr Kang was now at beside him, his door opened. Mr Kang smiled. “We're here, young man,” He announced.

 

 

Then the young man's eyes quickly looked up to where Mr Kang was saying and a smile plastered on his lips. “Oh great thank god!” he exclaimed. Rushing to pack up his things, Chanyeol jumped down from the truck and Mr Kang closed the door for him. Chanyeol's smile brightened when he saw a temple, many men who wore the same clothes like Mr Kang were working with their own jobs.

 

 

The temple, yes old, but look magnificent than any other normal temple he used to see in Seoul. This temple was more sacred looking, the sounds of the crickets echoing throughout the place, the small pond was filled with guppies and beautiful gold fishes. And the scenery itself was extraordinary with the background of the forests behind it.

 

 

“This is so cool,” The young man commented and Mr Kang chuckled in delight.

 

 

“I'm glad you like this place, Mr Park. We have been taking care of this temple for more than 10 years,”

 

 

Chanyeol awed in fascination. The sami then guided Chanyeol into the temple. The people from in the temple greeted to Mr Kang and Chanyeol bowed his head every time he passed them, followed by a simple smile. He followed Mr Kang as the old man lead him to the gardens.

 

 

And the garden was even more captivating than the rest of the place. Chanyeol's eyes widened in awed. He never seen such a beautiful place in his entire 20 years of living. It couldn't be rightfully describe with just words. It was far more tremendous. How can just a simple designed landscape can be this eye catching? And Chanyeol knew, this was the most attractive spot than the other places in that temple.

 

 

Mr Kang grinned proudly when he saw the expression decorated on the college boy's face. He opens the small gate and lead Chanyeol walks in.

 

 

“This, young man, is the sacred garden where the Protector of the 12 stars once settled in,”

 

 

“She lived here?”

 

 

Mr Kang nodded. “Yes indeed,” he said and guided Chanyeol to an end of a wooden bridge. He steps onto the bridge with the railings painted in maroon red and perfectly carved with a pattern. Then Chanyeol followed him behind. “Have you ever heard the story of the Dragon Lord?”

 

 

“You mean about this village that was protected by this so called dragon lord?”

 

 

“Do you know the story?” Mr Kang asked as he took steps along the bridge.

 

 

Chanyeol nods and muttered a yes.

 

 

“Mind to tell the story to me, Mr Park?”

 

 

“Well, the village was peaceful and was protected by a very godly looking dragon lord who always come to visit the village and female swooning over them while the village men hated him. The one day they found the dragon lord and very sick and need to find a lover to cure him. But then suddenly he was missing,”

 

 

Mr Park let out a small 'Owh..'. He placed his hand on the left railings. “That,” he spoke. “Isn't really the true nor full story. Do you want me to tell it to you?”

 

 

“Yes please,”

 

 

“Very well then,” Mr Kang cleared his throat before he starts to speak.

 

 

“A village that was located far in the mountains. Peaceful and calm by the dragon lord's protection. The village came from the isolated area in China. And legend tells that the Dragon lord was indeed godly looking that it makes every female fallen in love with him. And this as the reason why some village men dislike him. Until one day he fell ill by a curse. But it wasn't from a village man, but from one of the daughter of the village men instead. She was absolutely in love with the dragon lord, but her heart was shattered and broken to pieces when her love was one sided. It ruins her heart and she cursed the dragon lord, with the help of a sorcerer,”

 

 

Chanyeol gasped in horror. Then Mr Kang continues as they were almost reaching to the end of the long bridge.

 

 

“In order to be immortal again, the Dragon Lord needs to find a girl as his lover. But this girl wasn't just a normal human being girl, but it was said only the chosen special girl was rightful to be the dragon lord's one and only love, and it was the Pheonix, the goddess of flames and protections. Unfortunately, the Pheonix was no longer exists and the goddess herself had died out of mortality's nature. And then after unsuccessfully searching for the right girl from east to west, the lord suddenly went missing. However, he wasn't dead or vanished, but he was taken away or might just say saved by the Protector of the 12 stars. She brought the dragon lord to her place-,”

 

 

“Which it's this place?” Chanyeol cut in and Mr Kang nods his head before continuing.

 

 

“And so they lived in here and the protector acted as a mother to the dragon lord, along with other 11 lords and goddess. And as what you heard just now, it's 11. the originality was 12 but because of the death of the pheonix, it became incomplete. They lived together for almost more than 10 years, that is until one day an evil witch suddenly attacked them, and she killed the protector, as while the rest were split away to different places thanks to the protector when she managed to save them in time, except for the dragon lord. Instead, he was still stubborn to be by the protector's side, and until then after the witch was gone, he stills loyally stayed by the protector's side though she was now disappeared,” Mr Kang then stops walking as they finally reach at the end of the bridge. He took out a deep breath after the long story he had told to the young man.

 

 

He then turned around to face Chanyeol and he smiled a little. “And this, young man, is where the Protector's tomb was placed along with the spirit of the dragon lord,” he said as he showed Chanyeol to a a small hut but very beautiful. It was made out of old woods but was neatly decorated with golden statues. Mr Kang then opens the door and Chanyeol was even more surprised.

 

 

There at the middle of the walls placed a panting of a beautiful woman and a dragon around her, which Chanyeol could guess the Dragon Lord and the Protector of the 12 stars. The two men walked towards it to take a closer look. “This, as what you can see is the painting of the protector and the dragon lord,” Mr Kang explained and Chanyeol could only nods his head, eyes won't leave from the painting.

 

 

Then he flinched when he caught something moving in that painting. His jaw dropped and he was about to say something when he found the painting was normal again. This time he frowned.

 

 

“Any problems?” Mr Kang asked when he saw the boy's expression. Chanyeol could only shook his head and muttered a “No,”

 

 

He looks up to the painting again and felt shivered just by looking at it, especially to the dragon.

 

 

~*~

 

 

That night after Chanyeol had finished everything up and help Mr Kang with the temple works, he went straight into his room to get done with his assignment. His phone was left charged on the corner as he was busy making notes for his studies. Then the scene where he found something odd about the painting replayed back into his mind. He shivered at the thought and quickly shook his head.

 

 

When he completed his notes, Chanyeol was looking for his novel to read. He rummaged around his bag pack but he couldn't found it, except for the old ancient Chinese book. He rolled his eyes and sighed. Bored and felt so blank, he opens the book, lazily flipping from one page to another, that is until he found something different about it.

 

 

His hand stop flipping the pages, and was stuck on a particular page that he had never seen or noticed before. Chanyeol found a new page that he clearly remembered was blank. But now he found it was filled up with writings in Chinese.

 

 

001

The Dragon Lord's Truth

 

The truth has been revealed,

The dragon wasn't dead,

nor gone,

But was kept sealed,

Sealed in the Protectors of the 12 Elements of Stars

 

 

Chanyeol flinched when he heard sudden thunder roars and lighting sparks. The windows then suddenly went open and closed by the strong wind. Guess the rain was coming. Scared, the college boy called it for a day and decided to get to sleep early. He closed the lights and immediately went to sleep.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Little did he know, the door was slightly creaked open a tiny bit, and pair of eyes were watching him.

 

 

“He's cute,”

 

 

 

TBC...

 

Author-nim feel so sad today cos the person who she have a crush with had just transferred school to UK for 3 years TT^TT And he was my class's tower (since he's the most freaking tall!..... and the 4D Prince) My class and heart feel so incomplete ;_;