When Himchan woke up he felt himself being wrapped around someone he thought to be the young mage. He had spent almost over a year and a half sleeping alone in his big bed, and since a week, Junhong had come back to him. Without opening his eyes he slipped his hands on the body leaning next to him, he felt abs and the musculature of the other; he didn’t remember the young boy to be that muscular. He opened his eyes, and gasped before putting a hand over his opened mouth when he recognized his best friend. Then he smiled watching Yongguk being asleep, in ten years it was the first time he shared his bed with his best friend; thing he had wished to do more than one time. He always felt lonely every time his friends would invite each other to spend their night to the others' house and he couldn’t go.

He tightened his grip on Yongguk and laid his head on his best friend’s chest. A position he was used to have with the young boy and his heart was beating fast as he was doing this for the first time with Yongguk. Not that he would have reject him, but Himchan had never dared to act too touchy with him, Himchan was sort of people who liked to have skin contact with others, to feel nearer to them. Sometimes others would understand his behavior in a wrong way as Jongup did. Thinking about the guard boy, Himchan watched behind Yongguk and Jongup was missing in the bed. When he turned round, he saw Youngjae and Daehyun almost in the same position as them. Except that Daehyun had his arms around Youngjae’s head as though he didn’t want the younger to go anywhere far from him. Himchan felt jealousy rising inside him, he knew Yongguk since ten years, and those two who barely spent a day together seemed to be nearer than he was with his best friend.

Himchan grabbed Yongguk’s arms and put them around him, so they were exactly the same position as the younger. His best friend sighed in his dream but tightened his hug on his friend, which made Himchan smile and blush. He plunged his face in Yongguk’s chest, he felt so happy and wanted to stop the time or to die right now. This would be the most beautiful death. He was tore off his thoughts by whispers in his room, he thought everyone was asleep but then he remembered Jongup wasn’t in the bed anymore. Slowly he turned his face toward the door wondering with who the guard boy could be talking to. That’s when he saw him whispering with Junhong. They were acting like they were chatting as if they knew each other since a long time. Of course, they knew each other but since when the two of them chit chat together this way?

Junhong seemed like he was trying to prevent Jongup from leaving. The young guard had his hand on the handler ready to open it; he looked also a bit upset. When Himchan tried to listen what they were talking about they stopped suddenly and turned toward him. Himchan opened wide his eyes when he saw Jongup. The young guard watched him upset, and Himchan felt shiver running along his spine. Himchan’s mind froze and he couldn’t think anymore, nor felt anything. Jongup left finally the room angrily. “Wh-”

Himchan started to ask the young mage when he recovered the use of his brain after Jongup had left. But the second after Junhong was over him (and so over Yongguk). The young mage put his long finger on his eyes, so Himchan couldn’t see the yellow eyes of the younger, he knew the Prince didn’t like when he used his powers on him. “Shh, you still have time left. Sleep a bit more your Majesty.

– No. Don’t do that. Junhong. Why Jongup left already? Why did he look furious? What happened? Is he alright? Stop it!

– Shh, everything’s alright. You should enjoy the time left for sleep; we will need you to be in good shape. Sleep a bit more your Highness.”

Damn that kid, he was as stubborn as Youngjae. When he doesn’t answer there was no way to make him talk. Himchan felt himself being slowly driven to sleep by Junhong’s lullaby. He tried his best to fight against it, but there was no chance for him to win over the powerful boy above him. Junhong watched Yongguk and wondered if he should do the same or if he could trust him to stay silent toward the Prince and what he was doing right now. The older boy must have guessed the mage knew he wasn’t sleeping, and that he had perfectly heard everything. He opened slowly his eyes and met the yellows’ one. ‘I’m sorry…’ Junhong said in his head before slowly erasing Yongguk’s memories.

Himchan felt himself being shaken and he woke up lazily. He stayed leaning in his bed, watching the others preparing themselves. He felt a bit weird…often he woke up like this, with a headache, but he hadn’t drunk anything the day before… He tried to remember. He had vague memories of Jongup talking with Junhong, but that was weird. Never the two had talked together, it must be a dream he did. He was confounding reality and imagination. Also Himchan remembered his dream, Jongup was angry against him… it happened often; for the young guard to appear angry in his dream. Himchan thought it was because Jongup was always angry or annoyed after him.

Himchan tried to act manlier but he was like he was, and always his true self would come out at a time, breaking all the efforts he had done. The Prince wasn’t used to be hated, that’s why Jongup was the one to personify his fears in his nightmares. He kept wondering why the young boy hated him that much, he understands the fact that his comportment could annoy others, but since the time they knew each others… Himchan was weak, but there were people weaker than him, since, Jongup didn’t hated or felt annoyed by them, so why ? Why was he always doing everything to make him cry?

The only thing in revealing his true identity was that he had been afraid that they would change their attitude toward him; he had hoped they would stay the same. Exception of Jongup. He had always dreamed of this, hoped for the young boy to be nicer to him… He kept wondering watching the guard boy clothing up for a few minutes, before he pushed those bad thoughts aside as he always did after a nightmare. Himchan watched his friends, and he noticed they were putting the clothes they had the day before. He went to his closet and took out a few clothes he threw to them. “We can’t!

– You have to. You’ll be the represent of Mato.” The Prince said putting white clothes in the young peasant’s hands. The eyes of the Royal on him were too much for him so Youngjae watched the tissue in his hands. Never had he seen, even less touched, something that beautiful, soft, rare and expensive. He blushed a little, he felt like Cinderella, except that he was a boy… He watched up when he felt Himchan’s hands on his shoulders, he met his elder's soft smile and nodded, then he walked away to dress himself.

“When you came on street to come search the mage after the witch's attack…” Yongguk started to ask Himchan, benefiting he was that near to him so he could whisper for the others to not hear them. Himchan watched him, wondering what he wanted to ask. He couldn’t help the happy smile to appear on his face when he saw Yongguk wasn’t watching him actually, and even blushing a bit. His friend was blushing the same way he always did when he talked about the Prince, that blush had always warmed up Himchan's heart. His friend didn’t know he was talking about him at that time, and it had quite excited Himchan each time. “…you…you had the same coat as in my dream…”

Himchan smirked to Yongguk, and watched in front of him. He waited a little before he gave his answer, enjoying the shyness of his best friend toward him. “Yeah….I did it on purpose,” he cooed letting his voice lingered. He glanced to Yongguk and chuckled seeing him pouting.

“Not nice to play with your peoples’ feelings my Lord…” the people complained and the Prince laughed.

That morning they ate with the King and the Queen, which put them all really ill-at-ease. Even more when the King apologized to them for his behavior the day before. “Please, just for the time we eat consider me as Chan's father only.” They spend some times before applying it. Himchan's father was as nice as he seemed to be and really joyful, joking about everything which made Himchan sighed at all his jokes. “Don't force yourselves to laugh...” he said which earned the others to chuckle even more, seeing the Royals acting like...a normal family. Himchan's friends felt blessed to witness something like that. The Queen was really caring for everyone and she ensured they didn't lack anything.

When they finished their breakfast, Himchan put on his mask and they left the Castle to go on the main place in the City. For the first time of their life, Yongguk and Jongup were in the center of the attention. Daehyun had already been when he had been attached to the pillory and Youngjae when he had been attacked the day before. But it was the first time for the four of them to be in that sort of attention. People wondered how they ended in that situation, standing next the Royals as if they belonged there. Youngjae met his parent's eyes on him and they were watching him as if he was the proud of his family, he saw them bragging to other peasant families. He didn't know how to react, the day before they had acted like they didn't care if he would simply disappear, and now this. The peasant boy couldn't hate or despise his family, because it was like this peasant families worked. He wished his family had been like Himchan's one. But how could he compared his family with the Royal's one ? Himchan was an only kid. Youngjae loved his brothers and sisters, but he had to recognize sometimes he felt oppressed, forgotten, insignificant to his own parents.

They waited at the market place, exceptionally they hadn't installed their stalls and waited. They waited for the creatures to arrive, and they didn't waited long. With the sun's light they could see them better, they were four big panthers, each one was from a different color : there was a brown, a white with gray stained, a completely gray one and the dark one who walked until them. The three others waited a bit setback and Youngjae felt someone pushing him in the back. He glanced to that person and saw the young mage telling him to walk to the creature. When he turned back to the beast, as he was standing in front him he noticed for it to be two times much bigger than him, so his face was right in front his maw.

The creature bowed to him and Youngjae bowed back, awkwardly. Then, nothing. They waited in silent, and suddenly Youngjae was afraid he couldn't hear the beast anymore. He took a step back but then again he felt hands in his back, the mage pushing him toward the beast again. As soon as Junhong's hands touched Youngjae’s back the creature groaned to him and the mage retreated himself. Youngjae watched the beast amazed and didn't dare to move again, had the beast groan to him because he had try to retreat or had the beast groaned to the mage because he had touched him ? Youngjae didn't know and didn't want to push his luck enough far to discover it.

“Human.

– Yes ?” The peasant boy finally felt relieved he could hear the creature's voice in his head, he was now aware that only him could hear it. It felt strange, it was like the creature was talking normally, except the others didn't seem to hear. It looked more to him as if they weren't listening. It was quite impossible for him to imagine they couldn't actually hear, it sounded more like a big prank. Through all this years he had studied magic, he had read that when someone was talking by telepathy it would did like an echo in your mind, as if you had your head in a bucket. Same thing for the mind control, the book said that you would suffer hell, it would feel like a big headache, as if someone was hitting the back of your head with a hammer. Now, Youngjae knew all this was bull, or the people who wrote it didn't knew anything and had imagined it to be like this, or they were themselves magic creatures who hadn't wanted human to be aware of magic's effect so they wouldn't know when they were being mind controlled or that someone was reading in their mind...

“Will you help us ?” The question tore off his thoughts the young peasant. Finally, talking by telepathy wasn't as scary as he had always imagined it to be.

“If we can...” He wondered if as the day before others could hear him, was he talking by telepathy too ? He felt himself talking with his mouth, throat and breathe, but he also had felt like this when he had scream. “...We need to know more about what is happening and how we can help...” Youngjae repeated what the King had demanded him to ask. The beast watched him understandably (at least, Youngjae felt it like this) before answering.

“In the most remote regions of the country, where the sun rise up, a war broke out between magic creatures and humans. Magic creatures had been persecuted by the humans for too long times, they started to rebel and want to kill all the humans. It's not what we want. All magic creatures don't think the same toward humans as all humans don't think the same toward magic creatures.” Youngjae felt like the creature was telling him a tale, it felt so unrealistic but yet he translated it to the King. To be sure the King was actually hearing him, he summed up his courage and dare turn his back to the creature to watch the King.

“I understand...” the King exchanged a look with the mage who nodded to him, “tell him we accept, and that we'll be ready to leave tomorrow morning.” Finally, Youngjae turn to the beast and translated. He felt reassured the King had accepted, he didn't knew how the beast would have reacted if they had refused, as he was the one to translate. But at the same time, it meant people from Mato would leave the city, and he pitied the ones who will have to leave. He would never leave his city, not even for all the gold in the world.

“Thank you human.” The beast bowed and here again, Youngjae being polite and afraid to offend the creature, bowed back. The beast chuckled and Youngjae watched him amazed. He approached Youngjae again so his maw was only a few inches from his face. The Royals guards started to take out their weapons but the mage made them sign to not. Youngjae thought the mage was tempting his chance with the beast a bit too much to his taste, he had still some doubts about the fact for the young boy to be aware of everything. He couldn't know if the beast wouldn't rip his head at any moment. Then he thought back at what Jongup had said :

“If I understand well...if we are meant to die...you will let us die ?”

The peasant boy gulped hard as he watched the beast turning around him, and he squinted when his tail passed in front his eyes, it was really composed of many knives. Only a hit of it and he would sure be dead in the next second. The tail brushed against his body but yet it didn't rip his clothes nor hurt him. Once it was back in front him he heard the deep voice of the creature again.

“Do you have a name young human ?

– Youngjae.” The peasant boy answered after he had nodded.

“My name is Hermes.” Youngjae bowed and the creature put his snout on his cheek as he already done the day before. He didn't know how he dared do this, but Youngjae lifted up his hands to caress it. The beast's fur was soft under his fingers. “We will see each other tomorrow then young Youngjae.” Hermes started to leave.

“Ah...I...I'm not going.” Youngjae left out and the beast turned back to him.

“...why aren't you coming ?

– I...I'm not a soldier or...anything...I'm nothing...just a peasant boy...I...I'm no use so-” Youngjae said uneasily, it looked like Hermes was annoyed at what he was saying; but it was the truth, Youngjae wouldn't be of any help to them.

“See you tomorrow Youngjae.” The beast said and left, without letting any choice to Youngjae, and he felt now scared the creature would be angry when he will see he won't be part of the adventure. Or maybe Hermes wouldn't mind. Who would mind about a peasant ?

“That all the men ready to fight for the glorious future of our country and to make the name of Mato shine, stand ready ! Army will leave tomorrow. There will be test for the courageous, and a beautiful rewarding are waiting for the ones who will leave when they'll be back.” The King announced once the creature had left the city.

Youngjae had stayed stunned watching Hermes leaving, he didn't plan to go. He didn't want to leave Mato. He felt like he would never come back if he left...

That's what they all thought, that they wouldn't come back alive. Money would go to their family and that's why all families tried to make their elder's son to pass the test. All peasants had passed the test, forced by their parents but they all failed. Not everyone could be part of the expedition.

Youngjae had try to use the excuse they all had fail to not pass the test, but his father dragged him to place test. Over there, he had been told that he didn't need to pass the test as it was already settled that he would be part of the convey. The young mage had heard Hermes telling it to Youngjae, and he had said it to the King.

The King not wanting to unleash any conflict with the creature had decided to accord the beast the only wish he had personally asked. The peasant boy hadn't talk about that matter to the King because he knew he would order him to join. He didn't want it. He didn't like the fact that other people were deciding about his life.

But here again, who was he to complain ?

He was nothing.

He had nothing.

Not even the right to make his own decisions.

That was in moment like this he needed Daehyun, he searched him but couldn't find him. So, it's defeated, sad and worried that he walked back to his home with his proud parents. Proud their son had become important, and happy because that he came back alive or not they would get the reward. Important. Youngjae didn't feel anything like this. He felt less than unimportant. A tinpot. Petty and so fiddling.

“You have the choice to do what others want you to do, or you can do what you feel like you would do by your own.”

What choice ? Could Youngjae choose to not go ? Would others really let him at peace like this ? Wouldn't it be considered as betrayal ? Then he would be killed hanged. Being killed by the King or by some dangerous creatures ? This was the only choice left to him. He felt all the weight of fate on his shoulders, and he sighed sadly, on the edge of breaking down.

It had felt more hopefulness and beautiful when Daehyun had told him that. He thought more about the blonde boy, in a so short time he had grown attached that much to him, he was actually the only one who could make his mood better. That's when he noticed that if he left Mato, he will also have to leave the priest boy and that thought was the straw that broke the camel's back.

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