CHAPTER SEVEN

Goodbye Before Hello

 Guardians were a rare kind – human-turned creatures that existed in myths told to the princes in their youth. As with all myths, they were overtly dramatic and these grand stories only ever seemed plausible when they were young and curious. Furthermore, there had been very few recounts of guardian sightings throughout their extensive history; all of them having occurred way before their time. For all they knew, guardians did not really exist and if they did, never in their lives would they have dreamed of ever coming across one, let alone having one.

“That’s not possible.” Chen mumbled, “Guardians are creations of myths. They existed in stories that were told to us when we were five! You don’t honestly believe that we’re going to trust that… do you?” He was on his feet, pacing back and forth out of confusion.

She took a deep breath and searched their faces before turning to meet Sehun’s eyes – her gaze was firm and demanding and he did not pull away. He studied her as she did him – from her doe eyes to her straight nose and small lips. She seemed so distant like a figment from a lost memory that had suddenly come back into his life and made everything irrelevant. That was the power she held over him. She was the only woman he had ever loved.

“Your father had a plan for all of you before he perished in the war.” She began, eyes clouding over with something Sehun could not quite put his finger on but it made him want to take her into his arms. He wanted to make everything right again.

“And??” Xiumin asked impatiently.

“I don’t know what it was but he said that you’d need a guardian… and he approached me.” She swallowed, “And I went through with it.” There was not much she could really say because she remembered little of the process – there was just pain; too much of it.

“You could have died.” Luhan whispered, “The process of transformation-“

“She did.” Lay’s voice was like ice, “The process of transformation requires death for the guardian to be awakened by the tree of life.” She nodded, impressed by Lay’s medical expertise, “But there’s no guarantee that the tree of life will bring you back.”

“It was a risk I was willing to take.”

“Why?” Sehun asked, brows furrowed and eyes b with tears that he didn’t know he had. He looked so sad at that moment it almost broke Jaehwa to look at him this way but Soojung was beside him, trying to lay a comforting hand on him. Jaehwa watched as Soojung’s fingers closed around his arms, only to be flung aside.

“Sehun.” Jaehwa wanted to reach out to help Soojung who had only tried to comfort Sehun in good nature but at that moment, he couldn’t care. He didn’t care about Soojung or anyone – he wanted answers from Jaehwa.

He was angry, frustrated and his heart ached for her but he didn’t know how to tell her that. Sehun surprised himself with the extent of his own feelings for her – he didn’t think he would feel so much for her; he didn’t think it would hurt this much to know that she had died for him. He was guilty – guilty for being an ungrateful bastard and a jerk to someone who had made such a huge sacrifice.

He didn’t know how to tell her he was sorry.

“Why?” He sounded more demanding; more tense as his gaze burned through her but she didn’t know what to say – she didn’t want his pity.

“Sehun,” Kai held the man back a little, easing him up but Sehun refused to back down.

“Leave us.” Sehun stated icily and the princes fidgeted for a moment, contemplating whether or not to give the two space.

“I have nothing to say to you.” Jaehwa stated just as coldly, “You don’t have to leave.” She turned to the rest of them.

Sehun’s breath came out shaky when she did not comply and in a flash he was before her, standing too close for her liking. “Well, I do.” He enunciated each word perfectly for her to hear and she felt a chill run down her spine – she wasn’t ready for this confrontation.

“I don’t want to.” She bravely lifted her eyes to meet his – a bad decision because in an instant, his hard grip was on her wrist and he was dragging her away from the group. Challenging Sehun was never a good idea because he always delivered and before she knew, they were in another part of the forest, alone.

When they stopped, she was flabbergasted and tried to break free from him but he wouldn’t let go.

“Stop it,” She fought, “Stop it – you’re hurting me.”

“Why?”

“Why what?” She hated the way he asked why because so much of her sacrifice was made out of love. How could he not know? How could he be so ignorant? She loved this man and despite the fact that she tried so hard to stop, she couldn’t help herself. She loved Sehun and somehow it still hurt to see him – it hurt to know that he could never tell how she felt about him. The truth of the matter was, she didn’t want to love him anymore. She didn’t want to love someone who could never reciprocate her feelings – she’d had enough of giving and receiving nothing in return.

He swallowed, “Why do you do this? Why do you have to make me feel this way?”

For a second, her heart skipped a beat at his question and the way he leaned into her as he closed his eyes. He looked so fragile then and she wanted to reach up to touch his face but she fought the urge when she realised that it was probably just guilt. Guilt, and not love.

He bit down on his teeth, until the out