CHAPTER 8: MAIDEN FLIGHT WITH A MERMAID, SORT OF

WHITE AREA

MERMAID COVE CLEARED OF PARTISAN ACTIVITY

(SECOND EVALUATION ON-GOING)

WE SHALL LIVE IN PEACE AS ONE

-GOVERNMENT OF WONDERLAND

A white heart-shaped insignia gleamed at the bottom of the crooked wooden sign. The letters were hastily painted. The two ‘D’s in ‘Wonderland’ dripped down, giving the sign a rather sinister aura. The Mermaid Cove, contrary to its mythical name, was a desolate place full of rocks: dry rocks, moss-covered rocks, quivering rocks, odd-shaped rocks, polished rocks and six people who had reached rock bottom. The six of them were too weary of their past adventures, and all they ever wanted was a hearty meal and a good sleep.

Kai was yawning his way through the Mermaid Cove, Lay was complaining of hunger, Tao was daydreaming of a huge feast, Eun-soo and Kris stole some forty winks along the way while Baekhyun was getting dimmer and dimmer. When they weren’t looking, Baekhyun would flicker, get blurred or vanish temporarily, but after that he would revert to his normal translucent self.

“See? Even your tummies go ‘eureurong, eureurong, eureurong’ right now!” Baekhyun quipped. His voice was muffled, though. Was someone smothering him with a pillow? Apparently, no. He rubbed his stomach and began to hum a catchy tune. As he hummed, his body went from translucent to transparent—so transparent that the others could clearly see the rocks of Mermaid Cove through his body.

“Baekhyun? Baekhyun?” Eun-soo asked her pale shadow of a friend with a concerned look.  “Kwaenchana?”

“Yeah, you look kind of… unwell.” Tao chipped in.

“We’re not too far now.” Baekhyun flickered again, vanished, reappeared, then blinked, blinked and steadied at last. “I-I hope so.”

Baekhyun continued to hum his song until shimmering lines came into view at the horizon. It was a lake! The lake was pleasing to the soul, vibrating in harmony with the pulsation of their heartbeats. The water was crystal clear and full of life, nothing like the ocean of death. Silver fishes swam about, some smaller than Eun-soo’s hands. Both the fishes and water-skaters agreed to chase each other in the tranquil lake. The sound of lapping water told it all.

The magnificent beauty gave them a breather in the middle of chaos.

A swishing sound was heard. A spray of half-water half-mist flew to their faces. The water-drops shot straight through Baekhyun, forming small rainbows through his body for a moment. When he flickered again, the mini-rainbows faded. He huffed and puffed—releasing not a cloud in the chilly air—and smiled complacently.

“Guardian of the Lake, hear me.” Baekhyun spoke in a grave tone in one of his rare solemn moments. He placed his hand over his chest. “The Key of Fire and the Dragon Warrior has arrived.”

“I understand.” A benign male voice replied. “Let the two of them see me. You may take a rest now.”

Kris and Eun-soo stepped forward to the edge of the lake.

Baekhyun was lost to their sight, gone like a blown-off candlelight.

A white figure surfaced from the lake. Its brilliant blue-green tail splashed against the water, forming a trail of small waves behind him. It swam with the swiftness of a sailfish and the graceful movements of a dancer. The water lathering its body caused its pale skin to glow eerily. Its smooth, dark hair cascaded over his strong forehead just above his eyes. Eun-soo was enthralled. She had never seen a mermaid—wrong, merman!—before.

The merman turned to Eun-soo. “So, you’re the prophesised Key of Fire?”

She nodded.

“I’m the Guardian of the Lake.” The merman bowed formally and politely to her. “My name is Suho.”

“My name is Han Eun-soo.” She bowed back nervously. There was something about his eerie glowing skin that sent a shiver down her spine. Brrr.

“Eun-soo ah, you’re fully informed of your responsibility, aren’t you?” Suho asked.

She abruptly shook her head.

“And you,” Suho turned to Kris, “you have a lot much more to learn.”

Kris gawked at Suho in disbelief.

“Tell me now what can you do.” Suho spoke to Kris in the tone of an old, seasoned school counsellor. “Prove it.”

“May I?” A confident Kris gripped his flight bracelet.

“Yes, you may.” Suho motioned to Kris. “You may start now.”

Kris levitated several inches from the rocky ground and poised for his next stunt. “Watch and learn.” He smirked.

“Yeah, right.” Kai rolled his eyes.

“3,” Lay counted.

Kris tensed his muscles.

“2,”

Eun-soo dragged her palm down her face.

“1,”

Kris flew across the lake and dashed out of the Mermaid Cove with the astounding speed of a jet-plane. A strong gush of wind blew from where Kris had left his companions. They coughed and sneezed, thanks to the cloud of dust falling in the air. Kris flew too fast indeed!

“Isn’t that impressive?” Eun-soo asked Suho, yet the merman seemed unfazed by her question.  His eyes were fixed and his reactions were a tad objective. The prospects looked a little grim as his flat expression won’t budge. He just twirled his water-drop necklace with his fingers without saying even a word.

Kris flew back from the Ocean of Death and Misfortune (the name given by Lay for the unnamed ocean) and returned to the Mermaid Cove. He landed on his two feet with a flourish. The astonished audience clapped like drunken seals.

“Daebak!” Tao and Eun-soo gave Kris two thumbs-up.

“Impressive!” Lay and Kai complimented in sync.

“Pathetic.” Suho leaned against a rock and flipped his fish-tail. The Guardian was not amused.

Kris cringed at Suho’s blunt statement. ‘Pathetic’ was way too harsh for him. “What went wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing’s wrong.” Suho chortled. “It’s just… pathetic.”

“Yah! What do you mean by pathetic?” Kris hollered at Suho and lifted a fist, looking as if he wanted to have a Suho tail sushi for dinner. “The word pathetic won’t do!”

“I’m sorry to say this, but that was far from enough. Show me what else you can do.” Suho challenged the agitated Kris, agitating him even more. “Aren’t you the Dragon Warrior? Aren’t dragons supposed to breathe out fire?”

“I’m Jabberwocky’s heir. I’ll give you fire.” Prepare to be a fried fish, Kris said mentally. He drew out his right hand and furrowed his thick eyebrows. Oh, if only that could cause fire to blaze out of his hand! He grunted, panted and waited. Still, nothing happened. “Come on! Come ON!” Kris berated his poor innocent hand for not giving out even a mere spark of fire. It didn’t work anyway.

“Oh my God! Look at your face! Are you constipated or what?” Eun-soo remarked sharply.

“Shut up!” Kris glared at her. “I’m in focus right now!”

“Don’t overexert yourself. It’s not going to work anyway.” Lay laughed. The others followed suit. Kris’s failed attempt resembled a cheap skit more than an attempt to prove his ability as a human flamethrower.

“Don’t worry, Kris. Constipated or not, you still look cool.” Eun-soo was blinded by her tears. Kris’s efforts ended in hysterics.

So much for a heir of Jabberwocky.