CHAPTER 9: FOREVER CALL

Silence filled the comfy cave where Suho lived. Kai crashed out sprawled on the ground, his feet several inches away from Tao's face. Tao was sleeping soundly like a baby, snuggling at Kris's side. The worn-out Kris slept his failed attempts from his lacklustre eyes. He, too, dozed off next to Tao.

The Dragon and the Panda looked so cute when they slept.

"You're still awake?" Lay asked kindly, seeing Eun-soo stirring the bonfire in front of her with a glass rod.

"I can't sleep." she replied.

Lay peered at the glass rod. It was carved with a horse-head motive at the handle. An amazing work of craftsmanship it was. "That's a present from the Looking-glass Kingdom. Where did you get it?"

"Suho let me borrow it. This night is too cold." she replied again, still not making any eye-contact with Lay.

"Correction: this night is too silent." Lay walked away from Eun-soo and shouted to the other side of the cave. "Do you have any guitars here?"

"I have no guitars and all I have is the old reliable harp." Suho swam into the cave and pointed at a big D-shaped object draped under a black sheet. "You can play it as you please."

With profound cautiousness Lay tugged the black sheet from the harp. The sheet fell folded on his feet. Laid bare, the harp stood as a majestic piece of art amidst the dry, callous rocks. The harp was carved with the same horse-head motive also. It was imported from the Looking-glass kingdom, not a native of Wonderland.

Lay sat down, strummed the harp's fine strings and sang.

"This is the land we came to know,

A beautiful kingdom hidden below..."

Suho remembered the song very well. His face was enlightened by a sudden surge of rekindled memories. He swam nearer to the cave to sing along.

 "The land so peaceful we called our own,

If we shall suffer we're never alone..."

Soon, they sang together to form a mellow, soothing duet.

"Oh, how we long for our glory days,

When Wonderland was a wonderful place,

Where not even a gloomy cloud stayed,

Where many an Alice had been amazed,

Suho rested his head in his arms while Lay's eyes were glazed over. Their voices soared higher in the midnight air.

"Time shall pass, and our blood shall flow,

 Yet all the violence won't give us a blow,

 Here we all stand assembled in stacks,

The brave Resistance of Shuffling Decks.”

Eun-soo was touched by their splendid performance. She didn't cry, but her face was flaming. She stole a glimpse at her reflection in the lake. She looked as if her every cell was red from crying.

"Seriously, the song would sound better if many of us weren't asleep." Lay smiled at Eun-soo. The dimples on his cheeks made his smile even more sincere.

Suddenly, an idea flitted through her brain. There was something she needed to know. She just need to find the right time. "Guys, can I ask something—if you don't mind?"

"Anything you want." Suho nodded. "What is it, Eun-soo ah?"

"Wonderland is full of wonderful creatures, some even have amazing superpowers. But why isn't the Reign of Fire overthrown? Why does Wonderland have to wait for the Dragon Warrior and the Key of Fire to arrive? Tell me, please."

"Ladies and gentlemen, let me elucidate. It's a tale told long, long ago, something like this." Lay strummed the harp for emphasis. "Right after the Great Alice of England left Wonderland, The late Queen of Hearts (King Chanyeol's grandmother) was horrified by Alice's rude demeanour and the disorder she had brought that the Queen forbade anyone from Above from entering Wonderland and forbade Wonderlanders from leaving. She summoned her secret weapon, the Twelve Wolves pack of cards to seal the Rabbit Hole—the only entrance from Above to Wonderland—so the same chaos won't reoccur. The Twelve Wolves cards even gave her another advantage—protecting her castle from any intruders with their magic. Only the royal family, the Card Soldiers and selected Wonderlanders fire-branded with the heart insignia were allowed to enter.

"However, the magic came with a price. As an exchange, the royal family was cursed. If any member of the royal family is assassinated, Wonderland will disappear forever!" Lay strummed his harp again. "They must be kept alive as the Hearts family is the heart of Wonderland. If a part of the heart is killed, Wonderland will die!

"To stop the Reign of Fire, only the Dragon Warrior can infiltrate the Castle of Hearts because eventhough he possessed the body of a Wonderlander, his heart was awakened by an outsider—a Key from Above. This, my friend, is the Key of Fire."

"Why was that again?" Eun-soo was confused by Lay's lengthy explanation. "I don't get it!"

"I wished I could help you, but I can't remember the rest either." Lay scratched his head.

"Twelve Wonderlanders wielded the elemental powers of the Twelve Wolves cards, as they were affected by the wave of energy released by the late Queen's summoning ritual." Suho explained on Lay's behalf. "The leading members of the Resistance and the ruling family are some of them. Including me." Suho showed Eun-soo his water-drop necklace. It gleamed a pale blue in his grasp.

"You are a crucial component to help the Resistance of Shuffling Decks overthrow the Reign of Fire." Suho continued. "The whole mechanism won't work without a key."

"So, what can I do for you?" Eun-soo rounded her eyes.

"Make the Dragon Warrior fall in love with you." Lay chuckled and strummed his harp. "That's how it works."

"Mwo?" Eun-soo blurted out.

"When he falls in love with you, you will awaken his heart and unlock the warrior within." Suho calmed her down. "Please, Eun-soo. Wonderland depends on you."

"No! Never!" Eun-soo screamed her head off (not literally) and adrenaline flared inside her. First, Konstantin. Then, Kris. This is pushing her towards the edge. She couldn't stand it anymore. She couldn't stand still. She tightened her lips and stared down at Suho."If you're the Guardian of the Lake, I'm the Guardian of the Stove! I'll boil you into steam! Don't make me!"

"Eun-soo ah, listen. It's just—"

"Yah, no one on Earth or Wonderland could force me to love someone I don't!" She barely heard her screams over the gushing blood in her ears. Her words came gushing out as well. "Love is not something you can force at your will! Why am I entangled in this? I'm not even a Wonderlander!"

"You're a feeler, Eun-soo. Emotions will distort your judgement. Think first, then analyse the effects." Suho smoothed her unruly blonde hair. "Breathe... It's your negative prejudice that deprived you of happiness, not the circumstances."

Eun-soo was at a loss of words.

"I know, you might feel controlled, but nothing of these unfortunate events can control you. They can't control one thing. It's how you tackle a crisis that defines your happiness. You define your own life, not me or your problems."

Eun-soo sobbed and collapsed to her knees.

"There, there... The memories of your life Above hurt you? You will not experience true happiness if you won't let your negative thoughts go." Suho playfully splashed some water to her face with his hands. "Let them go."