|Recap: After discovering the true identity of her oppas, Krystal becomes the target of her adoptive brother Kai. In the chaos Kai succeeds in capturing Krystal. Handing the safety of their sister over to Kai, they plan on coming face to face with the Sky Kingdom to save Suho, and in the process get their revenge on a mysterious man they call ‘King Lee Soo Man’.

Grains of sand brushed against my face as a cool breeze blew in the refreshing scent of blossoming flowers. I opened my eyes to cherry blossoms blowing in from a small window, and as I looked around the small wooden room, I heard footsteps walking towards the door. A strange person walked in, dressed in a casual blue outfit.

“You’re finally awake!” he walked in with a bright smile.

“Would you like something to drink?” he asked generously.

“You are?...” I asked, turning my attention to the cherry blossoms falling into the window.

“Oh sorry about that, I was so relieved you woke up I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Luhan, Prince of the Abyss Land and second to throne. It’s a pleasure to meet you Krystal,” he replied in a mannerly way.

“Luhan—huh? Wait…What?!” I questioned confusingly.

“No need to be so surprised,” he chuckled.

“You were unconscious when Kai brought you here. You must’ve fainted when he drained your energy in attempt to help you.”

“Help me? He cruelly separated me from my oppas!” I spurted out in disagreement as I stood up.

“I was living a harmonious and ordinary life, and he had to ruin everything! He saved me 17 years ago, and now he was back to capture me. What does he even want from me?...” I said in frustration.

Walking past my back, Luhan neatly folded the messy bed sheet I left behind. And from the blanket he pulled out a large black cloak, carefully placing it onto my shoulders.

“I think you’ve misunderstood him. What he did back then was to protect you. You were just not aware of the danger that you were in. Why else would he have brought you here? Besides, at the very moment your oppas revealed their true identities, you’re life was no longer considered as ordinary,” he openly stated while heading out towards the door.

“Underneath the biggest and most enchanting tree... That’s where you’ll be able to find him,” he said with his head tilted as he walked out, softly closing the door behind him.

Standing there, I reached out and took off the silky cloak. Almost immediately I recognized that it belonged to Kai. I couldn’t understand what he was thinking, and wasn’t sure if he was someone I could trust. It seems that there was more to him that meets the eye, and that made me feel guilty for saying such horrible things. Lying down on the wooden floor, I cuddled myself up as I cleared up my head. As the time ticked by, I came to a sudden conclusion. No longer did I want to be the girl who needed to be protected. Instead, I wanted to be someone who could help and protect the people which I claim are precious to me.

Before I changed my mind, I held tightly onto the cloak and climbed out the slanted window. The view was breathtaking. With both my feet attached to the ground, I swung my arms around the cool breeze allowing the Cherry Blossoms to land onto my long, wavy hair. Above the higher trees birds chirped to a melodic tune as if they were inviting me to come and join. It didn’t take long until I stumbled across an oddly looking tree. It was massive and had branches spreading out reaching for the clouds. However, it was vastly different to what Luhan described it to be. Compared to the other trees it was an outcast. Even the adaptable grass found it difficult to grow near it. What really surprised me was that none of its flowers bloomed. Rather than enchanting, it looked more like a lifeless tree awaiting for its destruction.

Walking around its edges, I saw Kai slumbering underneath the shady tree with his back up against its trunk. I loudly cleared my throat, checking if he was awake, but he didn’t respond. Assuming that he was still in the midst of his nap, I cautiously scurried to him and placed his cloak neatly beside him.

“Quickly get back inside. You shouldn’t be wandering off around in places you’re not familiar with,” he said, with his eyes still tightly shut.

I was startled to know that he was aware of me. Even though I was clear that he didn’t physically abuse me, I was emotionally hurt. Everything that happened was so sudden. It made me feel that all the events which happened till now were just a long nightmare.

“You should’ve of said something if you were awake,” I said in an unkind manner.

“But I wasn’t. Not until you stepped into my personal space,” he replied.

I moved back giving him a slight glare, and all of a sudden, I sensed a smirk appearing behind the silver mask.

“Don’t forget that I’m not human. Even if I can’t see you, I am still able to sense what you’re doing and detect what you are feeling.”

I was a prideful person, and for him to look right through me so easily hurt my pride. The short experience only made me dislike him more, and so I figured that it’ll be the best to keep my distance from him. I quickly stood up, and after just a few steps an enchanting silver coated flower fell right in front of me. I looked up, surprised that the lifeless tree actually had a single blooming flower. Reaching down I picked it up before I continued to make my way back to the wooden house.

Holding the beautiful flower softly in my palms, I wondered what my oppas back home were up to without me there. Did Chanyeol oppa hog the whole bed when I wasn’t home? Did D.O oppa still cook boiled potatoes for everyone in the morning? Did Sehun oppa fall asleep while studying each night? Did Baekhyun oppa forget his puppy duty and left Jet hungry again? And most importantly, is Suho safe after being captured by the Sky Kingdom? Thinking about all of these things made me feel frustrated. But what saddened me more was were they still worried about me? And if they were then what’s taking them so long to come and get me out of here? I missed them, and I will continually miss them until I can no longer remember them. That was all I wanted to tell them. Tears began to flow as the windy air blew each drop away, evaporating it into the atmosphere.

Walking back to where I started brought back a depressing feeling. Other than this old wooden home, I had nowhere else to go. In this vast mystic forest, I was alone. In the midst of my thoughts, I saw Luhan leaning on the window I climbed out from earlier. His eyes met mine, and with his arms crossed he suddenly approached me.

“Depressing isn’t it? Not knowing who to trust and not knowing what you should believe. It’s all but confusing, isn’t it?" he said, accurately reading my mind.

“Chanyeol, Baekhyun, D.O and Sehun...they are no longer searching for you.”

Tired and dispirited, I tightened my fists as I spoke.

“You don’t have to say anything. I won’t believe anything that comes out of your mouth,” I said in disgust and walked past him.

He grabbed my arm from behind, causing the silver flower fall to the ground and said to me,

“I see. But before you decide to give me your final verdict, there’s one thing that I must tell you. Your brothers didn’t abandon you. They are planning to infiltrate the Sky Kingdom in attempt to save Suho.” I shook off his hand and swiftly turned to him.

“So now are you trying to convince me that my oppas have discarded me and chose to save Suho oppa instead? Did you think that I would let you use me to get whatever you’re looking for if you accused them like that?” I loudly blurted out without thinking.

I didn’t despise him, he was a friendly being. Although I was just a lowly human, he never once reminded me of that. When I offended him, he could have easily killed me. But he didn’t. I wanted to believe him, but I couldn’t bring myself to trust someone who I knew so little of. And so, I did what I did. Force myself into believing that everything he did was to get whatever it was he wanted from me.

“Now that you’ve let everything out, you must feel a lot better,” he said with a smile.

“Always let your emotions out, if you don’t, then it’ll eventually break you.”

Hearing him say such warm and delicate words filled me with guilt. I desperately fought back my tears as I felt ashamed for being so weak.

He held onto my frail and lifeless shoulders as he spoke.

“Instead of us, they’ve decided to go after Suho first because they believe that we won’t harm you. They didn’t believe in the place where they’ve come from, but they believed in us. So don’t believe in us, but have faith in your brothers who trust us,” he said with his hands still attached to my shoulders.

My legs weakened and I fell onto the soft grass.

“Should I? Should I stop lying to myself and trust you?” I uttered.

“But...can I trust you?” I finally managed to ask, helplessly looking up at him.

Being careful not to step onto my frail hands, he kneeled down and looked straight into my watery eyes.

“Yes. You can trust in me and Kai. I, as the second Prince of the Abyss Land will make sure that you will never have to regret making this decision.”

Finally I let out a burst of warm tears, allowing my sunken heart to rise up once again. At that moment I believed that it was destiny that brought me here. This was what fate had in plan for me. From the discovery of the true identities of my brothers to the meeting with Kai and Prince Luhan, everything which occurred until now was inevitable. Now it’s just the matter of finding out more, and dig in deeper into the secrets which the three dimensions had to offer.

Three questions, why does Kai and Luhan have to protect me? Who are they protecting me from? And lastly, why are they after me? Until I have these three questions answered, I will embark on an unimaginable journey, on a quest which will eventually lead me to who I was, to a place which I may have once existed. This is where my quest for answers will begin...