A/N: Please have this beautiful melody to accompany you reading :)

Wait.

Was this some kind of a comic book?

Or was he trapped in one of those girly princess tales Baekhyun loved to read for him as a bedtime story when he was a kid? 

Because if that’s true, then it explained everything that happened to him now.  How he felt like he forgot how to breathe, how he felt like all words he knows disappeared from his head, how he felt like everything was going in a slow motion—the time the man stepped into his line of sight.  There’s no way a person could look so glowing like that, as if someone held a super huge flashlight behind him to make a dramatic effect like one of soap operas he once watched; there’s no way a person could make each step and move he made to be so fascinating like that, as if he was some kind of a superior predator approaching his prey, paralyzing him with his strong scent of presence, making him feel weaker and weaker with each step he takes.

There’s no way a normal person could make him unable to think of anything like that, if he was not some majestic creature from a fairytale.

Or probably, he was only dreaming?  And the man was some kind of a dream-nymph or something like that?  Or perhaps an incubus, it suits the man better.

But—no.

As the man climbed down his window in a smooth move, walking towards the bed where Sehun still dazed without being able to do anything in soundless steps, Sehun realized it was not a dream.  The entrancing dark flare in his eyes was too real to be a part of a dream.  The man curved his lips into that alluring smile again—and Sehun suddenly hope that it was really not a dream.

“What a comely free soul I see here,” he said, as he took a few more steps closer to where Sehun was.

The way he was looking at him made Sehun feel —transparent for him to read anything that might hidden in his mind.

“Such an unfortunate to be kept in a tall bricked wall, far from any wonder out there.”

—hey.  Did he really just read his mind?

Why was he talking as if he knew how much Sehun wanted to see what lies outside the castle, outside the kingdom?  Why was he staring at him as if he knew how much Sehun wanted to go, to wander, to explore, to the paths and ways he never stepped on out there?

The man brought himself down, kneeling on one knee right in front of Sehun, and still with that fetching thin smile of his, he reached out his hand to him—offering him to take it.

“So, princess, may I have the honor to treasure you?”

Why was he saying like he would take him to a whole new world he never knew?

Dazzled and astounded, Sehun impulsively raised his hand, taking the offer, let it being held by those rough yet gentle grip.  The man’s smile curved deeper, he lowered his head to plant a soft kiss on Sehun’s knuckles—whispering,

“Welcome to my home.”

And suddenly, Sehun felt like he was being pulled into an invisible whirl of space, dissipating him into an entrapping dark fog, evanescing him into nothing,

—before he could feel his feet on the ground again.  In a different place.

Sehun blinked his eyes.  Once.  Twice. Thrice.  Where was he?  How did he get there?  Sehun looked around the room, and he realized that it was not a part of his castle.  The walls weren’t made of stone bricks, it was wooden; a very rough one, as if the builder didn’t bother to polish it, giving the feeling of a pure nature despite the rough texture and wild impression it made.  On one side of the room there was a bed made of roots, braided smoothly and rigidly.  White bed with pillows and beige-colored blanket covered it.  At every corner of the room, hanging a chandelier, showering the room with serene dim lights.  At the side of the room, there were frameless round windows, displaying the dark cerulean night sky.

The room was unfamiliar for Sehun—but it somehow made him feel at home.

“Do you like it, princess?”

A deep voice cut through his mind, snapped Sehun from his own amazement.  He turned his face to the voice, and his eyes met a smiling face of the man. 

The Thief.  To whom he just let himself being taken. 

Stolen.

Sehun’s face suddenly turned into a color of an over-ripe tomato—but no no no, Oh Sehun couldn’t lose his cool.  He frowned his eyebrows into a line of anger, crossing his arms on his chest, puffing his cheeks.

“Stop calling me princess!  I’m a prince!  Prince Oh Sehun!”  He said, with the most threatening voice he could make, pointing at the man’s face, “And don’t smile like that!  Don’t be so proud!  I didn’t come by my own will!  You stole me!  You kidnapped me!”

The Thief tilted his head casually at him, replying calmly,

“Well.  That’s not what I see from the way you took my hand.”

Sehun’s face reddened even more.

“T-that was my habit, you know!  That was an etiquette!”  He retorted, trying to look as fierce as possible with his cheeks puffed like red cheery dumplings, “When someone offers you his hand, you should take it as a part of being polite, that’s what a princess should d—NO, WAIT, I MEAN PRINCE!”

The Thief chuckled at Sehun’s mistake—and his adorable lisp that popped out here and there between his supposed-to-be angry yells.  Sehun was about to throw another tantrum to cover his embarrassment, before the man bend his back slightly, bowing his head,

“I understand, prince, please accept my deepest apology,” He said modestly, before raising his head to look at him again, offering his hand, “Now, would you let me give you a warm welcome with a tour of my humble abode?”

Sehun turned his face away in a sulky way, puffing his cheeks even more, but upon seeing the hand that was offered to him, the invitation to take a tour of the simple but somehow fascinating house—and that smile that should be cursed for being too charming; Sehun eventually took the hand.

Oh no no.  Please.  Don’t take it the wrong way.  It’s just a part of being polite, okay?  He was just practicing what his etiquette teacher taught him, okay?  Okay?

“Follow me.”

The Thief led him to a vertical wooden stairs at one corner of the room, and Sehun followed him climbing it.  Sehun was expecting another room, another homely yet cozy-looked room with brown color dominating it—but he was wrong.  Instead of a room, Sehun was greeted by mild chilly night wind at the end of the stairs—he was on the outside of the room.  Of a tree.  Sehun dropped his jaw as he realized why the walls looked so rough, because it wasn’t made of wood—the room was in the tree.  A very big one. 

“This way, prince.” The Thief called out for him, “We have almost arrived to my most favorite part of the house.  Please watch your steps.”

Sehun quickly hopped from the stairs to catch up with the Thief’s wide steps, who was now crossing a thick branch of the tree.  Thanks to his daily playtime with Tao, he was able to jump between the branches easily, reaching the end of the branch in no time, where the Thief already sit himself.  And what’s with that wide smile?  What is it that he wanted to show hi—

“Whoaaaaah...”

Sehun’s eyes widened in awe, his lips formed into a full O letter.  There, on the night sky, floating colorful lines of lights, waving gracefully like a big curtain of glows.  It reminded him of auroras that Suho once told him about, but there was something significantly different about it. 

The lights were shaped into particular forms, with different shade of glows shimmering on it. 

“That, Your Highness, is the Lights.”

Sehun turned his face to the Thief, who tapped his side, inviting him to sit on the same branch next to him.  Sehun quickly run to his side and sit, looking at him enthusiastically, asking him with sparks of curiosity filled his eyes.

“The Lights?”

“Yes, the Lights.”  The Thief smiled at him, starting to explain it patiently, “It’s the gift from the sky for each kingdom, floating on the sky above each kingdom.  It’s a shield; at the same time a symbol.”

Sehun nodded eagerly as he listened to the explanation, bouncing in his seat, couldn’t wait to hear more of it.  The Thief let out a deep-voiced chuckle before continuing his words.

“You see that indigo glows of narwhal there?”  The Thief pointed at one of the floating lights, “It is Tonitrus Kingdom’s.  The symbol of eagerness and honesty that the people of the kingdom have.”  He pointed to another light, “That ivory glows of bear, is Duratus Kingdom’s.  The symbol of strong will and kindness of the people there.”

Sehun listened to the Thief’s words attentively, solemnly, mesmerized by the new knowledge—and the voice that reciting the words for him.

“That carmine glows of phoenix, is Ignis Kingdom’s.  The symbol of vehemence and modesty of the people.  Slightly bigger than the rest, the verdant glows of dragon, do you see that?  No, prince, not that one, but that one, you see?  That’s Volans Kingdom’s.  The symbol of toughness and loyalty.  And, that one, the brightest of them all, the golden glows of butterfly,”

He made a few seconds of meaningful pause before he pointed to the last light, leaning closer to Sehun as he spoke.

 “Is Ventus Kingdom’s, your kingdom’s.  The symbol of tenacity and sincerity, of the people there.”

He turned his face to Sehun and smiled genuinely at him,

“And that’s my favorite Light.”

Sehun felt a blush burning on his cheeks again, and he quickly turned his eyes away from the Thief’s face to hide it, raising his voice again, to distract himself.

“If it’s your favorite, why didn’t you come to it first?”

The Thief let out a hearty chuckle—another thing that Sehun found appealing from the man.

“Because I love to save the best for the last.”

...it was a mistake to ask it.

Once again, Sehun trapped in the way those deep obsidian eyes looked at him.  The way he said those words, the way he stared at him, it made him somehow feel special.  That he was actually something the man longing to see, to find—to steal to be only his.

Sehun quickly shoved that thought out of his mind.  No, no, no, no, no, Oh Sehun.  You were imagining things.  You were just being carried away by the atmosphere.  You were just being tricked by those smooth words and captivating dark orbs.  Yep, that’s it.

Sehun purposely cleared his throat, to shake the strange feeling that the man made him feel, and to break the silence between them.

“Ahem, so,” Sehun tried to regain his composure, “If it's floating above the kingdom, why did I never saw the Lights before?”  He turned his face at the Lights again, feeling the chilly wind blow on his face, “Why do I just see it now?  Why can’t I see it from the castle?  From the kingdom?”

“Because sometimes,” The Thief said calmly as he took of his long coat and put it on Sehun’s shoulder to protect him from the cold, forming that thin curve of enchanting smile again, “We have to see from a different side to know better.”

And that was how Sehun spent that night.  On the thick firm branch of the tall big tree afar from any kingdoms there, witnessing the wonders his eyes never greeted before; with the velvet voice accompanying the serenity, telling him more of the Lights that he never knew, telling him more about other things out there that he hadn’t yet discovered.  Everything felt so peaceful, as if the time decided to slow down its pace to give Sehun more time to enjoy it tranquilly—next to the one who took his hand; who lead him to see another side, to know better.

Sehun didn’t really remember how he got home.  The streak of light of the sunrise started to paint the horizon when he slowly gave himself up to the drowsiness, feeling a pair of strong arms caught him, securing him in a tight embrace.  He felt himself being lifted, and he flew—they flew, into that invisible whirls of space again, dissolving both of them into thin air, before he could see the ceiling of his room again in a blink of an eye.

The Thief put him down on his bed, covering him with his blanket.  Sehun’s eyes were almost closed, his consciousness was starting to get covered by the hands of the sleep, but he managed to raise his hand to clutch on the Thief’s sleeve as he was about to pull away from him.

“Why...taking...me...home?”

Didn’t you say you want to steal me?

The Thief smiled at him, pulling Sehun’s hand off of his sleeve, tucking it safely under the blanket.

“I already got what I wanted.”

In his half-conscious state, Sehun couldn’t make himself to think what that words might imply, and he didn’t have enough strength to ask.  But when the Thief was about to stand up—about to leave, he once again forced his voice to speak; one thing he wanted to know before he really left.

“Name...your...?”

The dark tall man chuckled, once again lowering his head to caress Sehun’s cheek, whispering in his low mesmerizing voice,

“It doesn’t matter how I called.  What matter is how you engrave me in your memory—because that’s what define my existence,” The man lean in closer, giving a kiss right between Sehun’s almost closed eyes, smiling in a reassuring way at him, “Now have a nice sleep, princess.  We’ll meet again soon.”

And with that, Sehun fell asleep, safe and sound; engraving the face he met that night into his memory.

* * *

“DIDN’T I TELL YOU TO STAY IN YOUR ROOM, OH SEHUN?”

Sehun gulped in anxiety.  Suho was rarely gets angry.  But the fact that his usually calm older brother looked at him furiously, raising his voice at him, and calling him by his full name, Sehun knew he was in trouble. 

“I-I’m sorry, hyung...” Sehun looked down at his feet, clutching the hem of his shirt nervously, “I was bored so I...I decided to take a little walk outside and...”

Suho was still glaring at him, and Sehun knew a set of his usual aegyo wouldn’t save him this time.

“I’m sorry, hyung, I didn’t mean to disobey you, I just...” He couldn’t bring himself to look at his brother’s eyes, so he just lowered his head deeper, guilt heard in every word he said, “I’m sorry...”

Suho heaved a sigh.  He never could stay mad at his little brother for a long time.  Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Suho patted Sehun’s head, telling him to raise his face.  Sehun hesitantly looked at him, and Suho gave him his usual warm smile.

“Alright.  It’s okay,” He said as he ruffled Sehun’s hair lovingly, “But please don’t make me worry like that again, okay?”

Sehun smiled back at him and nodded, hugging Suho and saying the apology one last time before his brother left him to go back to his work; preparing to welcome the guests.  Sehun sighed in relief.  Thanks God Suho believed him, because he couldn’t just tell him where he actually went last night, could h—

“You can deceive Suho-hyung, but you can’t deceive me, Sehun-ah.”

Tao said calmly yet threateningly as he combed Sehun’s ruffled hair with his fingers, tidying it. 

“You owe me an explanation, and don’t even think to lie to me.”

Sehun pouted.

“Fine, fine,” He said, defeated by those pairs of piercing glare his panda best friend gave him, “But later, okay?  After all of this over.”

Tao gave him a pat on his head as an answer, before taking his position beside Sehun; ready to welcome the guests.

It was the day for the dance party.  The main event would actually start by afternoon, but they have the tradition to welcome the guests—the princes and the princesses—in the morning of the event.  So there he was, standing next to his mother, in his tight shining yellowish suit and cloak, with a silver crown on top of his head.  Suho, who already finished coordinating the guards into their formations, now standing at the other end of the line, next to their father, with Yixing on his side.

One by one, the guests arrived, entering the wide front yard of the castle.  Baekhyun led the kingdom’s choir and musicians to play the usual song of welcoming every time a new guest comes.  The first to arrive was—as always—the descendant of the dragon, Wu Yifan.  He slid down smoothly from his huge dark red dragon, walking towards them with his usual superior aura—sneakily giving a brief wink at Yixing as he walked past him.  The next was Park Chanyeol, entering the yard with his usual bright wide smile—Baekhyun was almost led the orchestra into chaos as he was being distracted by Chanyeol’s presence.  After a few more princes and princesses, the forever-young twins of Duratus Kingdom, Kim Minseok and Luhan arrived, greeting him with their usual friendly hugs and warm smiles.  Kim Jongdae, the half-merman who had the ability to control the storm and lightning came not so long after them, almost made Sehun fainted by giving him a gift box with a banshee-look-alike clown doll jumped out of it when Sehun opened it.

It was just like another dance party.  The guests greeted each other, shaking his hand and giving him hugs just like always.  The gate was almost being closed by the guards as all of of their usual guests already arrived and about to come into the castle—when a silhouette appeared out of nowhere.

There was a twirl of black smokes, and a person suddenly appeared in it.  The smokes vanished as soon as the person stepped out of it.  Sehun couldn’t see him clearly from where he stood, but the person seemed to wear a white shining suit beneath his long cloak with the same color, with an emblem of a kingdom on his chest.  Unlike the other guests who came with their guards and chivalries, the man came alone, all by himself.  But he gave out a fierce and intimidating aura that made the guards and other guests step aside in line, giving him a way to walk straight to where Sehun and his family was standing. 

And as the man walked closer, Sehun could finally see him.

His hair was as black as a night sky.  His skin was a color of bronze.  His face and figure was like a masterpiece of hand-chiseled statue, standing tall and firm.  His eyes were shining in a dark pair of obsidian-like orbs. 

It was the Thief.

Sehun’s eyes widened.  As the man approached him, bowing slightly and reaching out his hand at him to greet him—Sehun snapped.

“What are you doing here?”

A/N: Annyeonghaseyo~ *bows* ^^ Whoah, 100+ subscribers with only one crappy first chapter ;;~~;; Dear readers, you really are too nice ;;~~;;  Anyway, I must apologize that I can't update Alohomora for a while, but I hope you'll like the new chapter for this new story of SeKai ^///^  And I hope you like the side stories of Alohomora that I just posted, too ^^  Thank you so much for subscribing, upvoting, and leaving me comments, dear readers, it means so much to me :")

This chapter is dedicated for my amazing Junnie and Den-chan, who love TsunderellaHun as much as I am lololol, and for Nida, who always cheer me up with her sweetness <3

Please stay safe and healthy, everyone.  Saranghamnida~~~ \(>///<)/