The sun rose in the high sky and illuminated through the gaps of the trees and leaves. The trees reaching the sky spread its shadow over the vast ground. Lost in the middle of the giants, a small boy wondered where he was. The flowers bloomed as he passed them. Just looking at the different shades of colour and the antic scenery was breathtaking.  The peculiar shapes of the branches and bushes gave a strange exaltation that was indefinable to the boy.  The boy felt acquainted to the flora. The boy touched the hard thick trunk and looked up to the sky. He felt as though he knew this place but he couldn’t remember it. He took in the fresh smell before walking where his instincts led him. His field of sight which was blocked by the trees earlier, now expanded to the open ground with a pond.

The field sparkled like stars, filled with the melody of the singing birds. The boy looked at the butterfly which approached him. He reached out his hand for the butterfly to land on his finger. The butterfly stayed on his finger for some time and took off. Playfulness took over him; the boy started chasing the butterfly in bliss. He felt so happy at the moment that he didn’t think of anything else except for the butterfly. He chased the butterfly till the pond where he marveled looking at the crystal clear water. He could see the soft earth as though the water is invisible. Looking further into the pond he found a rainbow created by school of fishes; dancing gracefully in the water.

The boy sat down and never left the sight of the unique beauty of the fishes. He continued smiling until his thoughts were interrupted by a soft giggle. The boy looked up and found a girl around his age standing in white frock on the other side of the pond. She looked serene and mature beyond age. Her hair obstructed his view of her face. Even without looking at her facial features, one could tell she looked resplendent; her milky white skin and her black hair added to it. The boy was curious as to how the girl looked like. She reminded him of snow white. He wanted to go near her and play with her.  But the boy froze in his place looking at her in perplex as his rate of heartbeat increased. He closed his eyes in hopes of calming his heartbeats. When he opened his eyes expecting to be invited by the image of the handsome girl but saw nothing. There was no girl, no pond, no trees, and no birds chirping happily in the sky. It was silent as death and the boy could only see himself and nothing else. There was no colour that filled the area; it was just blank; worse than the lack of sight of a blind man.  The boy didn’t know what to do… he tried running away from the emptiness which only succeeded in only draining his energy.

Slowly the colours filled in the emptiness. The boy released a sigh of relief thinking he can finally escape from this emptiness. Bright red, yellow, grey and pitch black entered his vision accompanied with the smell of ashes. Fire surrounded him, trapping him inside with no escape. Beyond the dancing fires which surrounded him were buildings covered in crimson flames. Fear crept inside the boy trying to block the excruciating screams and chaos that enveloped him. The dancing fires did nothing but agonize him in misery, taunting him to take leap into the fire and forever drown in hell. The boy curled up, trying to protect himself and felt his tears roll down his cheek. He stayed there, shivering like a lost and hurt kitten fearing death…

Like a sudden lightening, he jolted up with a terrified look spread on his face. He clenched his shirt hugging his chest as he adjusted to his forgotten reality. He looked around and released he had fallen asleep listening to the lullaby sung by the wind and leaves. He took a deep breath and wiped the beads of sweat on his forehead. He relaxed on the trunk of the tree and noticed the increase in the rustling of leaves. He looked up and found a creepy smile hidden in the branches aimed at him. Just then a person filled with euphoria popped out and hung upside down, giving a cheesy smile to the person leaning on the trunk.

“So, how was the nightmare Xiaodh?” asked the person hanging upside down wearing a size bigger shirt which threatened to fall down if it wasn’t tucked in.

“What are you talking about Lyre?” Xiaodh asked acting clueless.

“You know what I’m saying! I saw the look on your face” Lyre confessed, hoping Xiaodh will tell him.

“It’s none of your concern” Xiaodh said flatly.  He didn’t want anyone to know about his nightmare that he was getting for the past few years.

“Come one! We are brothers! We share our darkest secrets with each other! You know about my nightmare so you tell me yours!” Lyre said with enthusiasm as curiosity builds inside him.

“You’re worst nightmare was a giant burger chasing you and trying to eat you. So scary it was” Xiaodh said sarcastically.

Lyre jumped from the tree and sat beside Xiaodh. “It was! It was freaking huge and could fly! I could see something sharp inside when it kept on chanting that it will eat me. It was even scarier when I could hear an evil laugh in the background!” Lyre’s eyes went wide in horror, furiously shaking his hands to explain his nightmare.

“Yet you eat burgers, calling it heaven. You should see a psychiatrist” Xiaodh suggested, not much caring to the situation.

“Aw…! I didn’t know you were worried about me! No worries brother! I’ll forever stay by your side” Lyre gave his brightest smile and slung his hand on Xiaodh shoulder.

“That is what I’m most worried about…” Xiaodh said in an inaudible voice and sighed. Lyre was too bright and happy for Xiaodh and no one could make Lyre sad or irritated or in a bad mood. Though Xiaodh was troubled by Lyre cheerfulness and at times childlike behavior, he respects him as his brother and admires Lyre for easily finding happiness which is not an easy thing for Xiaodh.

“So are you going to tell me?” Lyre said in hope to find out about his nightmare.

“No” Xiaodh said firmly.

“But I thought you love me!” Lyre exclaimed.

“I don’t” Xiaodh said with a pause. Hearing it, Lyre faked a throbbing pain in his chest, “Ouch! That hurts.”

Before Lyre could continue with his drama, Astaroth presented himself in front of Xiaodh.  Astaroth bowed in front of Xiaodh and Lyre and said looking at Xiaodh, “Lord Daimon wishes to see you immediately.” I wonder what happened, Xiaodh thought as he got up from his comfortable position. Xiaodh followed Astaroth, leaving behind Lyre.

Astaroth bowed in front of Lord Daimon and left. The only ones remaining in the room were Lord Daimon and Xiaodh.  Daimon gave a gentle smile and said, “Greetings son.”

“Greeting father”

Daimon’s smile faded away and he looked out of the 8ft. tall window showing the most beautiful scenery in the area. “I know you’re wondering why you are called suddenly. I have a task for you. I want you to go to Homin-em clan with an assigned companion from Angelus clan and report to me if anything out of the ordinary happens. Preparations have been made and you’ll get more details about you’re work and you’re return, once you reach the Angelus clan.” Hearing Homin-em clan, Xiaodh wondered what had happened.  The thing that concerned Xiaodh was the Sors in Homin-em clan was missing, making it impossible to travel to another dimension. The only way he knew to travel through dimensions or that which was the common knowledge among everyone was through Sors. There had only been ways in which one could communicate or transfer information without the use of Sors.

“Yes father”, Xiaodh had trust in his father and his father’s order is a must and absolute.

Daimon looked back and stood in front of Xiaodh, placing his palm on his shoulder gently, “And be careful.”

Xiaodh became confused as to why his father told him to be careful. His job was to simply go Homin-em clan and report anything unusual. It was anything dangerous. Xiaodh knew that his father is not saying everything and that none of the elder who know the secret will tell him. So he had to find out the secret on his own, “I will leave immediately” Xiaodh gave a nod and left his father’s room.

Daimon looked at his son leave. He wished his son would be livelier and recover from the accident that happened 15 years ago. Because of the accident, Xiaodh lost his memories and always felt empty inside. It was at that time that his nightmare started and Daimon knew about it.  With Lyre’s help, Xiaodh started recovering but there was still a hole in Xiaodh’s soul. Daimon and Lyre wanted to help him recovery fully but Xiaodh’s door was closed and heavily sealed.

Xiaodh took time to reach the Embers Garden where the Sors is situated. The garden was surrounded with 24 ft. high wall along with magic. In the centre of the garden lay the Sors. It is the most unique tree and always a feeling which couldn’t be described. Variety of flowers and plants surrounded the Sors. Beyond the flowers were the 12 Zodiac statues placed in a circle. Xiaodh passed a number of guards before entering the garden. The Sors is guarded so that no one misuses the power of Sors. Sors is very sacred and a blessing from the Gods.  Sors is the only way anyone could travel from one dimension to another.

Xiaodh walked towards the tree and gently touched the trunk of the tree. He closed his eyes and thought of the place he had to go and chanted “ potentia animae ratio da cantata faucibus.”  With a swirl of wind and sweetest melody playing in the background, Xiaodh reached Angelus clan. It had taken barely a second for teleportation, Xiaodh felt drained. Traveling through Sors always made one tired.

Xiaodh was standing in front of Sors. The surrounding was exactly same as it was in Daimon clan. The same flowers grew in the exact place. One would think that they were in the same dimension but Xiaodh could tell the difference in the sky. In Daimon clan, the sky had a tint of red with clouds hovering above, while in Angelus clan, it was a clear blue sky.

Xiaodh left Embers Garden to meet Lord Angelus.  It would take time to reach the main city since the Garden was located in a secluded sacred area. On his way out of the Garden, Xiaodh met a peculiar looking man. He had fair tone skin, with pitch black hair and was only a few centimeters shorter than Xiaodh. The man stood in front of Xiaodh wearing a three piece suit; black vest with matching colour jacket and pant and milky white shirt with a dark grey tie.

“Good afternoon. I’m Tao, your caretaker for this dimension. Lord Angelus is expecting you” Tao said and walked towards his silver sleek car; SSC Tuatara. Xiaodh would have preferred to walk but given an option to go in car, he would happily oblige.

They passed a field of wild flowers that grew around the wall of Embers Garden, followed by thick forest. The Embers Garden was located in the centre of a thick forest, Silvam and a path led straight to Ecminare, the main city of the Angelus clan where Lord Angelus stayed.

The place where Lord Angelus stayed looked like a medieval castle, plants covering the walls with few flowers blossoming at this odd time of the year. Even Xiaodh stayed in a castle but it had more of a modern look. A lake was situated near castle, famous for its natural sweetness.

The ride till the castle was smooth and fast. Tao parked the car and swiftly entered the castle, followed by Xiaodh. Tao signaled Xiaodh to sit and disappeared through one of the many doors that were present. Xiaodh has been in the castle many times but whenever he looked up at the ceiling, the paintings would always look new to him. The castle is like a labyrinth, corridors leading to the most secluded rooms and underground passages. Every dimension’s castle; even Homin-em clan’s castle which was mysteriously destroyed in the absence of Sors; was a labyrinth and the most complicated one was of Magia’s clan.

Xiaodh’s observation of the ceiling was interrupted when Tao entered the room. Tao stood beside the door and waited for a mysterious person to enter. The moment Xiaodh saw the mysterious person, he smirked. Xiaodh saw the mysterious person remove a concealed item, a sword and charged towards him…

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The longest chapter I ever wrote!!! I don't know how you guys complete writing chapters fast but I am having tough time just to complete 1 chapter @.@ 

About Xiaodh, I can only tell you this............ that is he is from Shinee!  I will reveal who is Xiaodh in the next chapter and even the mysterious person will also be revealed! XD

And I have to confess something........ even I am confused where this story will lead... *hopes it comes out good >.<* I will update the next chapter soon (possibly by next week) depending on how much work my school gives me =.=''

I would love it if you give me your views!