The afternoon light shone, bringing warmth to the damped ground. Eris got off in Sumgyeogsa which was located far from the concrete jungle. Sumgyeogsa was more like an isolated place. The only ones staying in a place which was there in a valley were the ones who lived here for a long time and occasionally few visitors. She tried to clear her mind to bring out even the tiniest shard of clarity that was left behind. 

"Ah! So Sungyeogsa is our destination!" Kai said after breathing in the fresh air.

"It is not our! Don't club me with you!" Eris exclaimed and walked off towards her destination.

Sumgyeogsa lied in the valley which was surrounded by an abundance of green life. The sky cast a shadow on patches of the moist mud. Being untouched and pure, the nature sung into an air of silence, resonating it's voice in every crook and cranny. Eris focused on the ground as she walked towards the entrance of the town. She preferred looking at something that was of a darker colour which reminded her of the empty void that was slowly growing inside her soul. 

"Your mind would be more calmer if you look at the grass instead of the soil."

"I don't have to, I am calm" Eris said in a low whisper.

"If that  is so, then you wouldn't emit the look of death on your face" Kai smiled when he saw Eris stop in the midst of her tracks. She looked up at him and plastered a fake smile to contradict him and continued walking.

Kai's voice gently sailed along the breeze, "Have you ever wondered why the grass is green and peaceful to look at?"

"I don't care" 

The sound of laughter erupted which made Eris halt in her steps. 

"I don't need to know and I don't understand why you would find that hilarious", she glared at him and resumed her walk.

"But aren't you ever curious?"

"Haven't you heard the saying, 'Curiosity killed the cat' " 

"There is no fun in living safe. You should know that more than anyone else," he said with a knowing smile.

Eris tried to block out the words and looked into the distance with frustration. The nearest civilization seemed to be miles ahead and the sun didn't seem to go easy on her. Spotting a shady tree, she walked in haste towards it with Kai humming a cheerful tune behind her. Settling herself on the ground, she felt her body go limp with weariness. The sound of leaves rustling almost made her doze off until her stomach growled with hunger. Being lethargic she ignored the calls from her stomach. Time passed by and the sounds continued until something hit her head. 

"Yah! What do you think you're doing?! My head is not something to play with!" Eris eyes flared with anger. 

"Instead of yelling at me, it would be better to quiet down the cries for hunger." 

Eris held her stomach with embarrassment and ate the fallen apple as the shades of evening painted the sky. 

"If you would just open your heart again to the wonders of the nature, you wouldn't have to suffer so much."

Eris turned around to look at Kai.  "What do you mean by again?!" she glared at him. 

"Well it is obvious that you weren't always like this. I bet you were once a person who basked in the radiance of the sun and had the touch of innocence" 

"It is because of that innocence that I had become ignorant to the reality, to the cruelty that lies outside the dreamland and I have paid the consequence due to my naïvety" Eris cast her eyes down, clouded with the memories of the past. She snapped out of it and looked at up with flames of anger burning inside her, "I even lost an important-". Eris was intrupted by the sound of a truck.  

~~~~~~

"Eris! Come here fast!" a voice called to a girl of 7 years. The girl ran as fast as she could in her white gown and with slippers. By the time she reached the child around her age who her called her, she was out of breathe. 

"You could have ran a bit slower Scar!"  Eris huffed. 

Scar smiled with his eyes shining brightly. His scar that ran along from his hairline to his left eye almost stayed hidden with his platinum blond hair. If it wasn't for his calming presence with a tinge of mischief, people would have stayed away him due to his unusal hair colour and the mark on his forehead.

"If I didn't then we would have missed it!" Scar said with joy. Eris had no idea what he was talking about. The only thing that was in front of them was a field of multifarious coloured flowers. Scar took a step towards the flowers and like magic all the flowers flew in the air, surrounding them. Eris looked at it with amazement twinkling in her eyes. 

"The flowers are flying!" Eris said with excitement.

"They are not flowers. They are butterflies" Scar corrected her.

In her 7 years of her life, Eris had never seen a butterfly and a sight so beautiful as the scene before her. She ran around them with her arms stretched out, feeling the touch of the butterflies. Scar joined her and both of them laughed away to happiness. When all the butterflies flew away, Eris sat down in sadness. She wanted to spend more time with the butterflies but there were no more. Scar held Eris's small hand and led her towards a plant which had chrysalis hanging on one of its leaf. 

"Watch closely" Scar whispered.

Eris was filled with curiosity and looked at the cocoon's transparent layer, displaying a mix of blue and white and swirls of black. Slowly the cocoon's layer teared open and a wing protruded. Another wing came out. The butterfly had not fully emerged out of the chrysalis. It stayed it that position for a very long time. A vigorous force of wind swept past them  leaving behind a mass of shadow crushing the chrysailis before them. The emerging butterfly laid dead on the uneven grass. Tears gushed from Eris's eyes and Scar silently stood, looking at the scene before him. He turned towards Eris, hugged her in attempts to calm and comfort her. 

 

Eris stirred in her sleep. She felt something wet on her cheek and tried to wipe it lazily leaving her skin moist. Her mind stayed alert as flashes of her dream played in my mind. A sense of suffocation controlled as she looked around in the cold empty room. In an attempt to escape from room, she grabbed her beige jacket and stepped onto the terrace the silhouette of the shivering cold night. The soundless breeze made her wrap the jacket tightly. Leaning on the railing, she lit her cigarette and released the smoke to dissipate into the darkness unaware of the presence that joined her on the terrace. He leaned with his back against the railing and snatched the cigarette from her. 

"I would really like it if you left me alone for now. I don't have the energy to deal with you" Eris said with a resigned sigh. Her wine coloured hair swayed along with the breeze. 

"I happen to be very fun to be with," he said with a playful smile.

"All I see is a delusional person whose goal is to torment random strangers"

"It is a matter of perspective." He stepped closer to her. Startled, she looked straight at his clear chestnut brown eyes as he raised his hand and lifted her chin towards the night sky. The sight was beyond words. The magnificence of thousands of tiny lights made them feel like they entered a whole new world. It had been a very long time since Eris looked up to the night sky. A sense of nostalgia of forgotten solace swept over her. 

“I wonder when was the last time you looked up" he whispered.

Shivering from the cold wind, Eris wrapped her arms around. Warmth filled her when another pair of arms held her close. Normally she would have beaten him up to a pulp, but at this moment, she didn’t mind the extra heat, it felt right. For the first time after the incident everything made sense to her, everything fell into place.

“Isn't it beautiful? I believe our souls contain light that shine brightly in the darkest moments of our lives and the moment our vessel dies, our light shimmers in the night sky to prove our existence, that we lived on this very land and now watch over the young” he spoke softly, gazing at the glistening sky. 

Eris eyes watered as her mind summoned a memory from the past. 

“Eris! Come here! There is something you have to see!” an excited voice called. Curiously Eris followed where the source of the sound and found herself standing out in the open where the source was mesmerizing looking above. She was struck at how beautiful the night sky looked. It shined brightly, spreading its light over the vast ground.

“They look like the souls of those who passed on, telling us that they also lived where we are living and are now watching over us. Almost as if our parents are still with us” Scar spoke, still amazed. The child saw the world in a different view which was what Esen liked the most.

Esen looked at the other and said, “How do you know all of this?!”

“It is just a feeling I get”, the later smiled and held their tiny hands.

A drop of tear slipped out of her eye leaving a moist trail on her cheek. Her chest ached when she remembered her past that was supposed to be hidden deep inside her, almost forgotten. A sudden realization dawned upon her. This only happened because of Kai. What she had been trying to get rid of, Kai was bringing them back. Frightened by the outcome she was getting, she pushed Kai away and wiped the lone tear.

“Stay away from me!” she screamed and ran away, shielding herself.

Kai released a sigh. He was so close, but now he had a long way to go for his wish to be granted.

Eris could no longer handle being near Kai and entered the nearest bar to escape from him. Upon stepping closer towards the counter, her eyes were drawn to a familiar person, finding the perfect distraction she needed for the night. The moment he saw her face, a smile lit up on his face and he walked towards her with confident strides. His raven black hair consumed the light that shined on it, his pale skin gave out a ghostly feeling and his eyes hid the sinister in it. 

"Hey stranger. Surprising to see you here." 

“Arrivied here few days ago when I heard something interesting about this place. So what do I owe the pleasure of meeting you again?” he asked.

“Thought you were capable of giving me relief” Eris said with a flirtatious smirk.

He moved closer to wrap his arm around her, but was interrupted with the sound of a cough. Kai was standing in front of them with unreadable eyes as he looked at the dark haired man. Eris released a frustrated sigh and was about to tell Kai to leave her alone but her companion spoke before her.

"And who is this friend of yours?" 

Eris looked at Kai with a frown. "He is not my friend and you should just ignore-" 

Before Eris could complete her sentence Kai introduced himself, "Hey, I'm Jongin, Eris's travelling partner"

"No, you're not!" Eris exclaimed.

"Well it's a pleasure meeting you Jongin. I'm Tao". Tao brushed his hair back with his hand making his eyes more visible than before.

---

 

It has been a very long time since I updated this story but I have finally figured out what I should write in the final chapter :)

Enjoy :D

---