He was walking in the crowded street. He knew what will happen. It was always the same thing. First, that little girl running in front of him, hugging her doll against her chest, making her black hair bounce with each step she did. After came the fish seller, he asked him if he wanted one, and to not perturb the course of events, our young boy had to refuse. He would have like to bit in that fish, it seemed really good. That good you didn't even have the idea to cook it and bite in already. It would have pleased his mother if he could take a fish like that to his house, the fish was that big he wasn't sure he could carry it alone. He should ask help for that. Maybe the next time, if the fish man ask him again. The next time, he will take it home. But maybe he won't, because more than the willing to eat that fish, he had the willing to know who it was.

A man approached him to warn him about the strange man, but our boy didn't listen to him. He took his first step and the instant after everyone had disappeared. Letting him alone, here. Him, and that other masked man at the other side of the street. They watched each others. It was always, the same street, the same man. He was wearing a weird white mask covering his whole face, and a big white fur that long it was dragging on the ground. He wanted to warn the man that he would make his beautiful coat dirty if he kept walking on the ground. This place wasn't a place for a person with such magnificence clothes. Then he remembered where he already saw that man, except from that empty street. He had already saw him before, when he was younger. The masked man was the Prince.

Since he saw him on his huge white horse that day in his childhood, he could have never forget him, him nor even the whole population. Sometimes they talked about the Prince between them, they talked of him as being a dream they all had had in common. To protect his son, the King never let the Prince going out much often, but each time he would pass in the city's streets he would always let a big impression in his people's mind. Even without knowing him, the people knew the Prince was as kind-hearted as his father. Even if his face was hidden, the Prince was beautiful, glorious. The people knew the Prince was handsome. People working in the Castle didn't have the right to talk about the Royal Family, but the city's Doctor who sometimes went help the Royal Family's Doctor when he needed help had told people. He couldn't talk precisely about it, but he assured to everyone who asked him, that the Prince was, indeed, marvelous.

So Yongguk watched the Prince from across the street, he admired him. He knew now he was dreaming, and he enjoyed that the Prince appeared in his dream. He did talked about it with other people, and it seemed like the Prince liked to appear in everyone's dream. The time he walked the city's street on his big white horse, hadn't exceeded ten minutes, but it had remained in people's mind as a big event. In his dream, the Prince had the same coat and same mask as when he saw him in real life. The uses was that people had to bow to the Royals when they passed by them, the Royals were kind and understanding, but people needed to show them respect, so they didn't have the right to make some eye contact with them. Yongguk knew at that time he didn't have the right to look up, but he couldn't have stop himself. The Prince was right in front him, the horse wasn't walking that fast and that's when he met his eyes. The Prince...was a man, of course, but Yongguk felt the same feeling as when he met his girlfriend the first time.

People really loved the Royals, and Yongguk had really fall in love with the Prince. It was pure admiration and gratitude, that kind of love. Yongguk felt his cheek blushing as he couldn't tear off his eyes of the Prince's one. The Prince who was, actually, looking at him. The Prince was looking at that young boy who dared watching him, he stopped his riding right in front that reckless people and the instant after a guard was on him. The guard grabbed Yongguk by his neck and made fall on the ground, his face in the mud. “HOW DARE YOU WATCH THE PRINCE!! YOU OFFENDED HIS MAJESTY !! DON'T YOU HAVE RESPECT FOR OUR BELOVED ROYALS ?!” The guard rose up his whip to hit the young brat but when he was about to lower it, it had disappear from his hands. He looked above him and everyone watched the scene amazed. The Prince had gripped the whip, because he didn't want his people to be hurt. The guard already made the boy fall face in the dirt, he found it was already more than what he could expect. Even too much, he didn't like his people to lower themselves more than they already were, he had just wanted the people to excuse himself.

Yongguk lift his head at time to see the Prince shaking his head, telling the guard to not whip him, and since that time Yongguk had a profound respect for the Prince, even more he had for the King and the Queen. He couldn't wait the time for the Prince to ascend to the throne, and for him to serve him. Meanwhile, he had to content himself with theses apparitions in his dreams. Every night he dreamt about him. No one dared to mock him about it because everyone had the same dream. The Prince had a lasting impression in his people mind. Yongguk kept admiring him but he knew he had to wake up, so he bowed to the Prince, putting a knee on the ground and the Prince nodded to him, as to giving Yongguk permission to wake up.

He let out a deep breath and opened slowly his eyes. He felt the monster he had rescued during the great downpour a year ago climbing on his bed. Yongguk open his hands for the big white angora cat to come get his morning caress. His fur was soft and he was really a magnificent cat with his eyes with different colours, he had one blue and one yellow which had scared his little sister the first time he brought back the cat home. Yongguk knew cat were a pet for rich families, which his family wasn't, so he had hope the cat to be to the Royals and for the firsts months he had waited anxiously, expecting at any minute to see disembark Royal guards to get back the cat. He even hoped for the Prince himself to come get back his precious cat, he had imagined the Prince in despair to not see his pet back. But no one came reclaim the cat and Yongguk had grown attached to it so it would be painful when someone will want it back. For the moment Yongguk petted the cat, he had never give the cat a name, because of the previous reason, so it was 'the cat'. He knew he seemed dumb to call a cat 'the cat' but he wasn't really brilliant in finding names. He already had hard time to find one for his sister when she came into the world.

At that time, Yongguk had even suggest his parents to call her 'young sister'... His parents knew he wasn't a dumb kid but that was how brilliant he was for finding names and how oblivious he was to that sort of thing. He didn't mind names, but finally he was glad his parents hadn't accept his proposition, which he had spent many hours thinking deeply about, so instead of 'young sister' the little girl name was 'Sun Hwa'. Yongguk liked that name and of course he liked the person which wore this name, he would sacrifice his own life for her. Yongguk was a kind-hearted person, at least he tried his best to be, even if he didn't have to force himself to be this way with his family, his friends and the city's kid. He loved each one of the kid of the city, and as for his sister he would be able to abandon everything he had to protect them. Yongguk wasn't a guard nor a soldier, simply the blacksmith's son, but he felt like this work wasn't the one he should do. He liked his father and he had many respect for his father's work, but he felt useless when he helped his father. He liked more to wander in the city with the kid, to make sure nothing would happen to them or even when he left the city to go hunt in the forest.

It wasn't the hunt he liked the most, but he liked to make sure his companions were in security. How he wished he could exchange his place with his friend Jongup, who was a city guard's son, so he would become a city guard. Yongguk felt weird and out of place to think this way, but he wished he wasn't forced to do the same work as his father. That was, beside his dream, something he couldn't speak with others about. Everybody would think he was a traitor and wanted to mess with the city peaceful life, that wasn't what Yongguk wanted so he bit back his bitterness and complied to his society rule. More than his own personal and egoist wishes, he wanted more the peace in the city. The only person he could tell his heart out without having to restrain himself in his choice of words was his best friend Kim Him Chan. With Himchan they had this occupation in common, which was to take care of the kids. Kids were the future, they were the hope of the on-going peaceful life. They simply couldn't help themselves, that's how they became best friends. Himchan usually hide at the Doctor's house when he didn't want to stay at the orphanhood when he was a kid. The orphanhood and the Church was the same place, it was the priest of the city who took care of all theses poor children who had lost their parents while they were too young. Now Himchan had grown up and couldn't stay at the orphanage, he couldn't buy himself a house, because there weren't house to be sold. So he stayed to Doctor's house. That was the first place Yongguk went in the morning after he finished his breakfast.

This day Yongguk hadn't to help his father so he could stay with the child. They always met at the same place, the city was quite big but once you get used to it, to would notice it wasn't that big and everybody knew everybody. The most well known places were the market, which was also where Royal announcers went to share what the King wanted to tell them. It was also at the market place where the gallows was standing, surrounded by the market stalls. It wasn't often the gallows were used, because the city was a calm place, maybe one or two time a month someone was tied up over there and beaten in front everybody because he had robbed something or talk harshly about the Royals. That was the place Yongguk had escaped to ended when he had eye contact with the Prince, that was why he felt so thankful to that last one. He had never went on it and hoped to never go, as any over inhabitant of the city. Another well place, was were the kids liked to gather, which was at the city fountain. They gathered around it and played all day. When the days were too cold, they gathered in an old abandoned house they scavenged for themselves.

“FOR YOU!!” a young peasant boy jumped on the two elders and before they could say or do anything, they had wristband tied tightly on their skin.

“What is it ?” Yongguk asked the boy eyeing the 'jewel' which he wasn't sure if he could call it this way.

“To protect you against magic of course!” Youngjae burst to the boy rolling his eyes, what could it be if it wasn't for that. Yongguk was about to thank the young boy for the present but he was overtaken by this other boy who laughed, loudly.

“I won't wear your thing ! It's too trashy ! ” Youngjae was a peasant boy but he was quite bright, so of course he constructed his amulets with what he could find, which this time was with two wheat stems braided together.

“Then don't wear it but don't come complain if something happened to you !” The peasant boy and the guard boy argued everyday about the same matter.

“We're not even sure this is working !

– IT WORKS!

– Okay.” Jongup took the handmade wristband and walked toward the young mage, who was sitting on a same barrel he sat everyday, which was at the other side from the 'kid's house' of the round fountain place. The child were all at the forecourt of the house watching Jongup walking away.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING ?” ; “ARE YOU MAD ?” ; “COME BACK!!” They screamed to the fearless boy who was becoming too much near the mage, the last one who had saw the boy walking toward him and stood up from his sitting place. The kids became afraid, never the warlock move from his place, and each time he would blink they would run away in every senses. So him standing up was a great danger.

“IT'S TOO DANGEROUS !! COME BACK YOU SILLY !!” Even Youngjae started to scream to the boy, he thought he didn't care about the guard boy but seems like he did a bit...

Jongup was still walking and had now reach out his arm, with the amulet in his hand toward the mage who walked backward without turning his back to the boy walking on him, as if he was afraid the boy would do something to him if he did so. He was sort of powerful wizard according to the others, but this was just bull to Jongup who kept walking. Finally, he was right in front the mage who had his back glued to the wall behind him, when the amulet was just inches away from the warlock's face, that last one crouched and took his head in his hands.

“Is this really working ?” the guard boy asked to the shivering boy who nodded with his face toward the ground his head still tightly bound in his hands. Jongup shrugged and walk back toward the group who could release their breath they were holding. Jongup put the wristband on him. “Ok, I'll wear your thing...but you should at least made it more chic.

– I find it stylish,” Himchan defended the poor boy, who hadn't have anything else to made it. It was already something incredible he could have done one for all the kids in the city in one week only, since the last time he had came running to them screaming he had found a new amulet to build and that was why they hadn't saw him through the whole past week.

“You...you have tastes, as the girl you are.” Jongup sighed toward the older boy who didn't know how to answer back than pouting, which he did while some girls run after guard boy to hit him.

“Are you telling me you find that thingummy pretty ?” the boy screamed behind his arms while the girls hit him, they weren't paining him but he wouldn't hit a girl, never.

“No... but you insult us saying we had ty tastes !!

– Ah... then it's fine. Much to me, then it's only Himchan who has ty tastes.” The said boy started crying hearing the young boy talking harshly about him, Himchan wasn't really the type knowing how to handle a quarrel, even a friendly one. He didn't understand Jongup was just teasing him and he took to heart every word he said. Everyone watched him crying not knowing what to do, that's when Yongguk chosen to intervene.

“Apologize Jongup.” He ordered softly, embarrassed by his best friend's behavior, but still it was an order.

“Is it my fault if he doesn't act like a man ?!” If Jongup liked to chan every time it was mostly for him to realize that he was really acting like a girl, which was something Jongup couldn't stand when it was a man older than him.

“It is because you are so mean to me...” Himchan sniffed and lowered his eyes when he met the annoyed ones of the younger.

“Apologize.” Yongguk recalled him.

“I'm sorry...

– ANYWAY !! THIS IS TO PROTECT YOURSELF ! NOT TO PONCE AROUND !” Everyone seemed forgetting the amazing work Youngjae had done and he liked to come back to it. Not that it wasn't interested in his friends' quarrel, but it happen everyday whereas his exploit was only for today and he'd like it to be his day.

“Even if protect yourself can't you be chic while doing so ?!”

While the whole quarrel Yongguk had observed the young mage who had sit back normally on his barrel, as if nothing had happened. Everybody feared him but Yongguk didn't felt any threat emanating from him, this too was something he couldn't tell anyone, and this time not even his best friend. He didn't knew what but something was disturbing with the kid. Yongguk pitied him, after all, he was just a young boy who wanted to have fun as any other kids. He had had many misfortune in his young life, his mother who had chased him from his home which has been a traumatic event, not only for the mage but for the whole population. No one wanted to talk to him afraid he would control their mind, but deep down regardless what he would think of the young boy, people were scared of him and Yongguk had to protect the people from their fear, mostly the kids.

People are afraid of magic, the best example amongst all the population being Youngjae. Yongguk could understand people were afraid, he was quite a bit too but he tried to not show it, but it was another level with Youngjae, everyday he invented new gadget anti-magic, he was really bright when it was about this matter. He went to the Doctor's house in secret to learn how to read, so he could read many book about magic and creatures, but mostly to learn their weakness. There hadn't many books in the city, the Royals didn't want the population to know too much about the danger outside their walls. The blacksmith's son didn't care but it scared Youngjae even more when he learnt the Royals were hiding things from them to not scare the people... Mato City was the best well guarded city in the whole country, everyone knew this but still Youngjae was scared. He was that scared that, even when he was inside the city he didn't felt secured. That's why Yongguk tried to be by his side the most he could, if Youngjae didn't felt secured with him and Jongup by his side Yongguk would felt such a failure. People came from the other end of the country to live in the city, and if they did, it was because of a reason. There weren't much place left for the people, that's one of the reason Himchan or even Yongguk himself couldn't have their own house. Kids lived with their family, until the house became their at their parent's death. Every week there were new arriving, traumatized, scared and when they learnt that there was a mage in the city, they feared and hated him. Yongguk had grown up with the mage and at first, when he was a little kid, he didn't seemed that dangerous.

Yongguk thought like this until the incident happened, when the very young warlock had been chased from his house by his mother. It's well known that magic creatures can't enter a house without being invited inside, and when the owner of the house asked them to left, they were obliged, and Yongguk had witnessed it from behind his window. The young mage who was barely more than ten at that time was crying his lungs out in the street right in front his house. It was the same day he had lost his father who had committed suicide, and because of that he couldn't had be buried. They had throw his body away, far from the city's fields. His father had been a respected man before his son came into the world. Because his son was a monster the whole city had hated them, it was their fault if the wife had gave birth to an abomination. The kid was crying after his mother had threw him away, Yongguk being the good-hearted boy he was, wanted to go to the sad crying kid. Since he was a kid himself Yongguk liked to take care of other kids, it was in his nature. His parents knew it and were proud of him, but his mother asked him to not watch the warlock yet. It wasn't a kid in her eyes, but it was a monster, as in any other adult's eyes. It was reluctantly that Yongguk closed the curtains and the time the two fabric piece came in contact they heard a big explosion. This time even his parents came to watch what was going on. The house of the mage was in flame with the woman burning inside. The little boy was crying harder asking his mother to forgive him, that it wasn't his fault and to get out of the house, to which his mother answered she rather die burning, that she preferred to leave join her husband rather than staying by his side. It had been really horrible at the moment to hear that, and the whole population pitied the poor boy for a mere instant, while they listened to the woman's pain cries. All the people who were in the city since that time remembered well that happening, and since that time Yongguk had never heard the young boy talking ever again.

The days after that event, everyone was afraid of the young boy and no one dared to approach him. First, the boy asked people to give him food and water, but people kept avoiding him, crossing the street when they happened to be on the same side as him. Never, someone gave him food and came a time the boy was starving since too long, he went to the market. No one talked to him, not even to tell him to leave. They ignored him, praying inside themselves for him to leave quickly. Everyone moving away on his way, he wandered between the stalls until he grabbed a bread and some fruits before running away. The city wasn't that big, and he knew where the kid had left. If there was something Jongup hated was when someone was stealing, it may be something he inherit from his father. He ran after the robber, his friends trying to prevent him, but Jongup wasn't afraid of the said 'mage' because he didn't believe in magic.

“There's no proof it's him who exploded his house, maybe his mother had ahead of the curve, that would explained why she made him leave the house, for him to not die. He was still her son and she couldn't kill him.

– He had been accused and found guilty for that!

– And did you never thought he could report himself so his mother could be buried, whereas it would have been found like a suicide ?

– It's silly.

– It's you who're silly. How do you want him to exploded the house without anything ?!

– With his powers!

– Powers or not, it's bad to rob.”

They had finally found the boy devouring his booty, at the same place where he always sat since he didn't have a house any more. All the kids stopped afar and only Yongguk accompanied Jongup until the mage, he didn't want to but he couldn't let Jongup go by himself. The warlock glared to them to not approach more, he protected his food as a wild animal and jumped on Jongup when he wrested an apple from him. Yongguk grabbed the young boy by his wrists and started to scream how wrong it was to rob and the bad it did to the city when he did so, for the people who had worked hard for that food to be sold. His deep and low voice scaring the young boy who had never been scolded at watch him with big round eyes and let go of the guard boy. He lowered his head and that's how he became the shadow of the city. Yongguk told Jongup to leave with the others and when they were only the two of them, Yongguk let go of the kid. “Do not rob ever again.” He warned him and the mage nodded, afraid of the elder who gave him back the robbed food before he left in his turn.

Since that happening, it looked like the mage was scared of Yongguk whereas the other hadn't done that much. They were at the market to help the adults to wrap their stuffs, Yongguk watched the little girl running hugging her doll. She made it fall on the ground when she passed in front the mage, she was afraid so she hurried and noticed she had lost her favorite toy only when she reached Yongguk's side. She grabbed Yongguk's hand while they all watched the warlock picking it up and walking toward them. He reached out the doll to the girl who ran away crying, she didn't knew why she was afraid of him, it was just her parents who warned her to not approach him. Usually, parents used bogeyman to scared their kid and made them more obedient whereas bogeyman will come eat them. In Mato City, it wasn't bogeyman, but beware or the wizard will cast you a spell. Yongguk sighed annoyed and tear the doll from the warlock's hands. “Don't do unnecessary things like this.” He said and the young boy nodded, never he met Yongguk's eyes who felt like a Royal when he did so.

After they ended to help the adults, they went back to the fountain place, where Yongguk wanted to give back the doll to the girl but she didn't want. Because the wizard had touched it, it was maybe enchanted, so she asked him to burn her favorite doll. She cried watching her beloved doll burning in front her eyes, but never she looked away. That's when the warlock arrived and he watched them sadly. When they all had left, Yongguk stayed alone to clean what was left from the doll and the warlock approached him. He knelled down next Yongguk and did a little mute prier for the doll, in which Yongguk joined. When he watch the young boy going back to his barrel he wondered how he managed to find food since he never heard he was robbing. He knew the young boy had no other choice than robbing, it wasn't like someone would give him food or a work so he could buy his own food. He just hoped for him to never get caught again so they would avoid problems which could trouble the peace of the city.

When he was done, Yongguk stayed stood still. It was like in his dream. The streets were empty, the girl with the doll. Only missing the fish seller and the man who came warned him. But Yongguk hoped he would appear. He watched around him waiting to see the Prince at any moment, but there was no one and Yongguk felt stupid, it was just a dream after all. He started walking but stopped before leaving the fountain place, and turned round slowly. The mage was watching him, in the eyes, with a serious look on his face. He didn't knew what it was but Yongguk felt like the young boy knew what he was thinking earlier. Then again, no one really knew what was the warlock's powers, some said he could mind reading and mind control. The strange man Yongguk had to distrust … may not be the Prince...

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