“Well,” Mr. Jung suddenly said, trying to break the tension between the boys. “We’d better find Zelo a bedroom. Since he’s one of the six, he has to stay here. I’ll contact his parents and tell them, although I’m pretty sure they already know, considering his luggage is right there..” he pointed to Ria, who was standing by the door, holding a large suitcase.

 

The two boys stopped staring at each other, and Zelo looked at Mr. Jung. “It’s okay,” he grinned. “I’ll just share a room with Hana.”

 

“What!” Daehyun growled. “Hana’s a girl! You can’t sleep in the same room as her! I won’t allow it!”

 

Zelo pouted. “But I want to!” he said childishly.

 

“You can’t!”

 

“Who says?” Zelo challenged.

 

“I say so! Hana is living at MY house, and so these are MY rules! You can’t stay in the same room as her! If you’re rooming with her then so am I!” Daehyun huffed.

 

Zelo raised his eyebrows and then burst into laughter. “Oh my gosh! You’re just jealous! You want to stay with her too! Pwahaha!!”

 

Daehyun scrunched up his eyebrows. “No! I just don’t want you in the same room as her!”

 

Mrs. Lee cleared . “Technically, this is MY house, Daehyun. It isn’t yours yet, oh no. And nobody is going to be rooming with Hana. Daehyun, you have your own room. And Zelo, I can’t let you stay in the same room as Hana. She’s a girl, you know. It wouldn’t be proper to have a boy sleeping in the same room as a girl. If you want to be close to her, you can have the room right next to hers. But respect her privacy!” She spoke firmly, but her face was full of amused smiles. “Ria, please take that to the empty room next to Hana’s.”

 

“Yes, Ma’am,” Ria answered politely, taking the luggage up the stairs. “This is your room, Mr. Zelo.” Zelo followed Ria up the stairs, but he dragged you up with him. Daehyun attempted to follow, but his mother stopped him.

 

“Let the two meet properly,” his mother said, smiling at her protective son. He grumbled, but did not disobey his mother.

 

You entered Zelo’s room. “Um, so how are you?” you said awkwardly.

 

“A hundred times better now that I’ve found you,” he said, grinning at you. His eyes suddenly widened. “Ah! That was so cheesy! I’m sorry, I don’t think before I speak,” he said.

 

You laughed. “That’s okay, I don’t either. I say some pretty weird stuff sometimes.”

 

He smiled, his eyes curving into little crescent shapes. He took the suitcase from Ria and thanked her. She bowed, and went back downstairs. “Oh, I doubt it. You don’t look like a weirdo to me.”

 

“Thanks,” you chuckled. “So how did you get the ring anyway?”

 

Zelo put the suitcase down at the foot of his bed. “It was passed down through my family. Well, my mother’s ancestors. Technically, my family and Daehyun’s family are all from the same lineage… but..” He scratched his head. “Gah, I don’t know. My mother’s ancestors got it from their ancestors, who got it from theirs, who got it from the original guy, Ji-Yong. You know, the best friend of Seung Hyun. At least, that’s the legend. I wonder if the story was altered over the years, though.”

 

“I doubt it,” you said. “Grandpa Xi told the story from the memories of older generations, so I’m sure the information is all valid.”

 

“Yeah, probably,” he agreed. “So yeah, that’s basically it. The rings were scattered throughout the growing family over the last century, and my parents had one. I was chosen about two months ago. A few days ago, though, I started to feel really weird, like I had to go somewhere. The thing is, though, I didn’t know where.” He smiled widely at you. “The feeling’s finally gone, now that I’ve found you!”

 

He opened his arms and squashed you in another tight hug. He was so tall, the top of your head only reached the base of his neck.   

 

“Ack!” you cried, struggling for air. Your face was smashed into his chest.  “Can’t breathe!”

 

Zelo released you, rubbing the back of his neck shyly. “Sorry, I got a little too excited…”

 

“It’s okay,” you chortled at his cute facial expression. “So… what do you want to do?”

 

He leaned towards you, getting a little too close for comfort. “I want to get to know you better, noona.”

 

“Noona?” you repeated. “You’re younger than me?”

 

“Well, you’re eighteen, aren’t you?” Zelo asked.

 

“Yeah,” you answered. “How old are you?”

 

“Sixteen.”

 

Your eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. “Sixteen?! How can you be sixteen years old! You’re so tall! Taller than Daehyun, and he’s probably older than me!”

 

Zelo grinned shyly again. “I don’t know why I’m so tall.. Good genes, I guess?”

 

“I’ll bet,” you laughed. You looked over at Zelo. Now that you knew his age, he seemed to look a lot more innocent and childish in your eyes. “Hey, so earlier, you were that kitten. Is that your power? Turning into a cat?”

 

“I can turn into any animal,” Zelo smiled, showing his teeth. “Even ones that don’t exist. I can’t turn into inanimate things, though, like trees or rocks. It has to be a moving, live animal.”

 

“Wow,” you said. “That’s so awesome! I wish I could do that.” 

 

“Oh, I’m just getting started,” Zelo winked. He was in the mood to boast. “You haven’t heard much yet. Not only can I transform into animals, but I can do the things they can do as well. For example,” Zelo closed his eyes and suddenly began to morph. His face became distorted and he started to shrink. A few moments later, Zelo was a small lizard. He scampered across the carpet and began to climb up your leg.

 

“Ah!” you squealed, feeling his tiny claws moving up your leggings. “That tickles!” He hopped off your leg, but instead of morphing back into his original form, he spread his little beige legs out into a strange stance. He opened his mouth, and suddenly small streams of orange flame burst out.

 

You stared wide eyed as lizard-Zelo continued to breathe fire. He morphed back into his original form after he had finished with his show.

 

“Any guesses on what that was?” he asked you in a smug manner. 

 

“Er.. a lizard?” you asked.

 

“Close, but they don’t breathe fire.”

 

“Wait…” you said, a thought popping into your head. “Don’t tell me.. was that a baby dragon?”

 

“Correct!” Zelo shouted, clapping. “It was a baby dragon! The wings and horns haven’t come in yet, see. That’s why it just looks like a regular lizard.”

 

“Oooh,” you nodded. “What else can you transform into? This is so fun! I wish I could do something like that!”

 

“I’m sure your power will be much cooler,” Zelo nodded. “Oh, by the way, I can’t speak when I’m in animal form, since animals don’t talk.” He closed his eyes again and morphed again. You gasped in delight. It was a cheetah cub! It was so cute! You got on your knees and petted the cheetah’s head. His eyes closed and he began to make purring noises. You remembered that the cheetah was Zelo, though, and stood up quickly, slightly embarrassed.

 

Zelo transformed back, smiling. “Would you like to see more?” he asked. You nodded happily, and he continued to transform. After a couple of minutes, you began to realize something. Zelo had transformed into a kitten, a dragon hatchling, a baby cheetah, a bear cub, a chick, and a wolf cub. Everything he had transformed into were babies.

 

“Hey, wait, Zelo,” you said. He transformed back. “Hmm?”

 

“Why is it all babies? I’m not complaining or anything, just curious.”

 

“Ah.. well…” Zelo scratched his head. “Honestly, I’m not really that powerful yet. I’m still training. I can’t do adult animals yet, since it takes a lot of energy and power to transform into a full grown animal. It’s easier to do babies, because they’re smaller and simpler.” he answered.

 

“Oh I see,” you responded, nodding.  “So neat! I want to transform too! Say, when you’re able to transform into full-sized animals, can you transform into that dragon again and take me flying?”

 

“Sure, if you don’t mind getting seen by humans,” he replied, his lips curved upwards. “Dragons don’t exist in the human world, Hana.”

 

“Oh, right,” you said, palming yourself. “How could I forget? The rest of the world doesn’t even know powers exist! Heck, I’ve never even seen a power until two days ago!”

 

 

 

“Hana!” a voice suddenly called. It was Daehyun’s mother. “Can you come down for a minute? There’s something I want to discuss with you!”

 

“Okay!” you called back. You turned to Zelo. “I’ll get going now. It was nice meeting you, Zelo!  I hope we can get along in the future.”

 

“I know we will, noona,” he responded, smiling happily at you. You smiled back, and went downstairs. “Yes, Mrs. Lee?”

 

“I found two more,” she said. “I messaged everybody in my family last night, and word spread that the prophecy child is in my house. I received a few messages back, and two of them claim that their son is one of the six that will guide you. Here’s the message.” Mrs. Lee handed you two sheets of white parchment. You read them carefully, pondering over the words.

 

“Um,” you said. “I think we should let them come over. What do you think?”

 

“The same,” Mrs. Lee replied. “I figured that you’d want to meet them, but I asked you anyways just to be sure. I will message them, and they’ll probably arrive sometime today or tomorrow. They don’t live very far, only a few hours away.”

 

“Okay!” you said excitedly. “These names sound like boy names, though. Why are they all boys so far? Where are the girls?”

 

“I don’t know,” Mrs. Lee replied. “That’s just how the prophecy is. There’ll still be two people after these kids come over. Perhaps those two will be female, you never know.”

 

“I hope they are,” you said slowly. “I don’t think I could handle six men.”

 

Mrs. Lee laughed. “I’m sure there’ll be at least one girl. Six men IS too much,” she agreed.

 

“Yeah..”

 

“I’m going to go message them now, then!” She stood up and began to walk out of the living room.

 

“Alright!” You smiled. You watched her leave, and then went up to your bedroom. You threw yourself onto the bed and let out a heavy sigh.

 

“Everything’s so complicated now…” you muttered softly to yourself. “So much is happening now.. so exhausting.. How can I possibly save planet Mato?”

 

You lay there for a long time, deep in thought. Eventually, though, your eyelids closed, and you fell asleep.

 

 

 

 

You woke to the sound of the doorbell. You sat up and blinked sleepily. You had fallen asleep! You stood up and went downstairs to open the door. However, Mr. Jung had reached the door before you, and he opened the door.

 

He was greeted by a nervous looking boy.

 

“Ah,” he said softly. “Is this.. Is this the right place? Are you Jung Yesung?” You walked over to the door, and the boy’s eyes darted over to you. He stared at you, and you stared back, slightly uncomfortable with his intense look.

 

“Yes,” Mr. Jung replied. “And you are?”

 

“My name is Moon Jongup,” he said shyly, looking away from you. “I’m one of the people in the prophecy…”

 

“Ah,” Mr. Jung smiled. “Come in! Chaerin! The Moon’s son is here! Come meet him!” He turned to you. “Oh, Jongup. This is Hana. Hana, Jongup. Jongup, Hana. She’s the one you’ll be guiding, Jongup.”

 

You held your hand out to him.

 

“Y-You’re the one?!” Jongup stammered, shaking your hand. Mr. Jung began walking towards the couches, and you two followed as well.

 

You raised your eyebrows slowly in confusion. “Umm… yeah? Why? Is there something wrong with that?”

 

“E-Er.. no..” he said, his cheeks turning a bit pink.

 

You cocked your head to the side in confusion.

 

“It’s nothing,” he stated.

 

Mrs. Lee entered the room and smiled widely. “Hello Jongup! I’ve already prepared a room for you, so if you brought your luggage, Ria will take it upstairs for you. Sit, everyone! I’ll go make some tea.” She hurried into the kitchen. Ria walked out of the kitchen and bowed.

 

“Hello, Mr. Jongup,” Ria said respectfully. “Do you have your luggage?”

 

“Hello.. Yeah I left it outside..” he said slowly, slightly shrinking into the couch.

 

“Okay, I will go fetch it,” Ria bowed again and went to get Jongup’s luggage. Mr. Jung stood up. “Well, kids, get to know each other some more. I have to go out and buy some groceries.”

 

“Okay, Mr. Jung,” you replied. “Have fun!”

 

He chuckled. “You too.” He grabbed his keys and went outside.

 

 

 

The two of you sat in silence. You wanted to break the awkwardness, but you weren’t completely sure how, since you weren’t an outgoing or popular person. You were shy as well… You didn’t know how to act around Jongup.

 

“Er.. So how was your trip?” you asked.

 

“It was fine,” he replied, quickly glancing at you. When your eyes met, he looked back down.

 

“Oh.. I see..That’s good.”

 

You tapped your fingers together, trying to think of what you could say. Jongup was looking around the house, puffing out his cheeks and blinking quickly.

 

“I’m sure you’ll like it here,” you said reassuringly. “Everybody’s nice. And the house is huge! I can show you around, if you want, although I’m still not too sure where everything is.”

 

“Yeah, okay,” he gave you a shy smile.

 

Well, at least he smiled. That showed some progress. You felt like a mother trying to make her son talk, and smiled at that thought.

 

Mrs. Lee appeared again, holding two cups of tea. She set it down on the table and smiled. “Getting along fine?”

 

“Yeah..” you said uncertainly. You smiled at her, trying to reassure her.

 

“Mmm.” Jongup replied, noticing your perplexed facial expression. He made a mental note to try being more affable.

 

“Oh. I see,” Mrs. Lee replied, noticing the awkward atmosphere. “Well, I’ll be in the living room, watching TV.. If you guys want to join me later, feel free.”

 

“Thanks, Mrs. Lee,” you smiled. She smiled back at you and left the room.

 

 

 

“Sooo…” you said casually. “How has your day been?”

 

“Great,” he responded.

 

“Hmm.” You peeked at him and could not resist grinning. “Hey, do you have any powers or anything?”

 

“I can teleport,” Jongup responded, looking back at you. “What about you?”  You could tell that he was slowly getting used to you.

 

“Ooh! That’s awesome! I can’t do anything yet, I think.”

 

“Oh. I’m sure you’ll find your power soon.”

 

“Yeah, I hope,” you replied. “Hey, what if you accidentally teleport into a brick wall or something? Do you die? Or get stuck?”

 

He raised his eyebrows at you and smiled again for the second time. His smile was really cute. “Well,” he said. “That’s where my second power comes in.”

 

“Two? Wow.” You breathed. “Ah, sorry for interrupting.” You said. “Please continue.”

 

He nodded, his lips curved upwards. “I can also pass through solid objects. I don’t know what it’s called, so I just call it Phasing. You know, from X-Men. Kitty Pryde has the same power, you know?”

 

“Uh… no, sorry..” you said, confused. Kitty Pryde? What the heck?

 

“Nevermind,” Jongup said. “It’s just from a comic I like. One of the characters has the same power that I have.”

 

“Ohh,” you replied in understanding. “I never read any, that’s why. I get it now, though.”

 

“You should read them. I’ll lend some to you, if you want.”

 

“That’d be great.” You smiled and stood up. “Hey, you should go unpack. I’m sure Ria’s already taken the luggage to your new room. We should go see which room is yours!”

 

Jongup nodded and stood up with you. “This is so scary… living with other people. I’ve never done it before.”

 

“Me neither,” you agreed. “Before, it was just me and my parents.”

 

“How did Mr. Jung and Mrs. Lee find you?” Jongup asked. You told him about the death of your parents and how Daehyun had found you in an alley a week later. Jongup kept quiet the entire time, listening carefully.  The two of you walked up the stairs and found his room. Ria had left the door open to indicate which room was his. His brown suitcase was inside.

 

“Well,” you said. “I’ll get going now. I’ll be in my room, which is right there.” You pointed to your room. “You should show me your power sometime! It’ll be fun!”

 

“Yeah, definitely!” he said. “I’ll start unpacking, I guess.”

 

“OKay,” you said. “It was nice meeting you, Jongup.”

 

“You too, Hana.”