As the dawn breaks to a new day, something was discovered missing. The mystic cloak was gone, and so was the royal horse. The Arichun people searched far and wide to discover who had such bravery and guts to steal such fine thing from the kingdom of thieves. And of course it only took awhile to know that it was one of their own, for their own king was no where to be found near the lands.

                They prayed that the king was only in an adventure and will come back again to their noble lands to claim yet another victory but one knows better than the rest. The priest knows the fool well too much that he knows what fool of their king will do. It hurts Junmyoon the priest that his foolish friend will give shame to their land and let their spirits curse them to their death. So they gathered at the flames once the moon had shone and the day had passed without their king to guide them in their lives.

                Yixing, then stood next to the priest by the fire in front of their people. "Friends, worry not. Let the spirits guide our king in his adventure to give us yet another treasure. By the dawn of the next three days he will come back to our land and proclaim our victory like the noble that he is." And as the lies of Yixing were declared, the people roared with happiness but soon was cut short by what the priest had said.

               "But, my children, we do know know if he will be safe. If, by the dawn of the third day had passed and our mighty king had not yet to return, we shall hold another ceremony. To claim and continue the throne's victory. We shall claim a new king."

                The roars where turned into gasps and whispers. Every one of them wanted the king to come back but some of them also wanted to be king. Some where joking that they will be the next king, some of them was joking that the Imps where planning their revenge upon them, scaring the little ones but one was brave enough to stand and declare "I'll search for the king!" All went silent and looked at the boy that was standing proud. They identified him as King YiFan's little brother, Sehun. The only thing that YiFan treasured more than his wealth and power.

                 "I'll search for him. Even if I have to go into the Forest of Dawn.Please don't lose hope on him. He gave us something that no one ever had. He had gave us the black crystal. He had defeated an Imp for us. No one in history over this lands had such bravery and strength like our King, my brother, YiFan had. So I will not let any weakling take the rightful place of my brother. He had earned it at a young age and no one can defeat him. Bear that in your mind that YiFan will return to our side with yet another rare jewel." He declared at those that was his age, joking to be king, and went straight to where his brother's friend and their high priest had been. He asked for permission to go on in his journey to search for his beloved brother.

                 The elders gave him permission but they had come into an agreement. If King YiFan did not return or could not return to their lands, then it will be Sehun that will take his place because of his bravery. "Let the Wolf guide you so that every Imp you came across fear you for what your brother had done to them. Let the mighty Stallion lead you so that you shall find your beloved. Let the Magpie be with in you to search for the important clues and treasure you may come across. And may the Lion give you the strength to come back safe with your brother" The priest had blessed the young man to guide him in his adventure.

                  They sent him along with a horse, some food that will keep his strength for three days and some clothes if he may encounter his brother. And so Sehun began to search.

                   But little did they know, YiFan was safe. All day long, the only thing he was doing was staring at the water beneath  his feet. Loving the stillness than brings his state into calmness. Stirring the water now and then with his movements, he went deeper into the water. His eyes closed shut and over flowing with tears, remembered Zitao. The only beautiful thing that stole his heart. Placing his hand over to his heart where it once hold the mark of the Arichun, he could still feel the constant beating but for well he knew, his heart was no longer his to claim, but to Zitao.

                   Suddenly the flowing water stopped. He felt the familiar feeling that sent waves to his body. Everything stopped. Everything was still, except for him. He opened his eyes and looked around. He remembered this scenery, that was exactly what happened when he first met Zitao, so he felt excitement across his whole body. He searched for signs like the last time. He searched for eyes that was watching him, he searched for a body that was to perfection.

                   And he was there. Standing right in front of him, piercing him with his feline like eyes, body like a god and face so beautiful that it made YiFan cry when he remembered what he did to the boy. He killed him, but he was now standing right in from of him, defying death itself. "Zitao." He whispered his name like it was to holy to be said by a man such as himself.

                   "You don't belong here, human. Leave." The creature stated, scaring the man that was in front of him. But to his failure, the man still stood there proud and smiling at him. "Zitao" The man whispered. The Imp slanted his eyes and bore holes into the man's body. "How did the King YiFan of the Arichun know me?" he asked the said man. But YiFan continued to cry, his lover did not remember even an ounce of their love. Zitao noticed the man crying and came near him, "Why are you crying?"

                    But YiFan just shook his head and smiled at the boy, "How did you know my name? No creature knows the real face of the king of Arichun. Nor were they sure that I am one of them for I have no mark on my chest."

                    "I can see through you YiFan. You ran away from your own kingdom. Scared that people will shame you for some one had stolen something precious to you. You had removed your mark and fled from the city to travel here, at the Forest of Dawn to search for some one. To ask for it's forgiveness. But who? Your memories are clouded and I can not see through what blocks your mind. But I do know why. It was because you killed him. You took his life away from him because he was the one that stole something from you. He stole your heart." The boy was precise with everything that he had said.

                     But YiFan panicked. What if this was not the Zitao that he was searching for. They look like the same but they act differently. It was really confusing by the way that they have the same name and the way that YiFan felt attraction the same way he felt when he first saw the boy.

                     "You could not remember me?" YiFan asked the boy that was staring at him. The questioned boy was confused "I was only born on the last four moons and do not remember such pity humans like you. I do not dare leave my land unless it was under attack."

                      YiFan thought what happened the last four moons, he knew it was important but he can not remember what. And then it hit him. That was the day after he returned back. The day after Zitao died. Maybe, maybe this was the Zitao that he had come to love. Maybe he was Zitao that stole his heart. "Taeyn Synyr to-ay to-oynra" He whispered to the beautiful creature in front of him. The words that came from the king took the boy's breath away.

                     "You. You killed me before. You're the man that stole my old crystal."

                     YiFan was bewildered by what Zitao had said to him. He knew what he did, but to be told of his own sin by his own love was worse than knowing you killed him with your own hands. He did not have any say in this scene any more. What YiFan did to Zitao will forever be stuck to the young boy's mind.

                    YiFan's sentence was cut short when he wanted to call the young boy in front of him. "Zitao-"

                    "Leave." Zitao gave a stern look and YiFan can sense the hate in his lover's voice. Is it true? Did Zitao really hate YiFan for what the older man had done to him? Or did he just hate the thought of YiFan leaving him behind? But the older did not move even an inch. Zitao stared at the tall man with fierce eyes, "LEAVE!" He screamed at the top of his lungs causing the time to go on again.

                   "No." YiFan disobeyed the boy's command. "No." He said again at the fuming boy. The wind blew furiously at the two, making a disturbance in the forest.

                  "No?" Zitao repeated the man's words, "NO?!" The ground was shaking at a steady pace. "What do you mean, 'No'?! This is my sacred ground!! NO MAN LIKE YOU IS WELCOME HERE! LEAVE!!" and by then the ground started to form a large mass of wall surrounding YiFan, he see no man nor thing in sight, only the walls made by wet soil. "You are not welcome here. Your actions had caused a disturbance in my land. If you do not choose to leave, then you shall stay here forever." Zitao's voice was stern with hate and YiFan's heart broke by the thought of Zitao not wanting to see him. The thought of Zitao making him leave.

                   It was different than the first time they had met.

                  When Yifan first saw Zitao, the boy was desperate of the king's attention, not wanting him to leave the forest, not wanting Yifan to go, not wanting to be alone any more. But now, the circumstances had changed. Zitao hated the thought of Yifan. He hated that Yifan was back again. He hated that Yifan might repeat his actions and hurt the poor young man again.

                  "Keep me here forever for all I care." Yifan said inside to the walls that surround him. "For the past few days, weeks, moons. Every second, minute, hour. I have devoted myself to you. I may never have you again, but as long as I get to see you one more time. Then you might as well just kill me now for I can rest in peace."

                  "Every second of my life I was reminded of you."

                  Yifan was taken aback by what Zitao said. But when Zitao finished, he was in a state of devistation. "My only memory of the past is waking up without you by my side, and my source of energy gone. Stolen away from me. I waited for you here, right in this very spot, for you to come back to me. But you never did."

                   "Zitao I-"

                   "I showed you everything there is in my lands. I had wasted magic and energy so that your worshipped spirits may bless you. And all I asked in return was your love. Simple thing for you humans but something worth nothing more to us. But you gave me nothing." Yifan may not know it, but tears were starting to fall from Zitao's eyes. Hands clutching his chest. "The feeling of being loved is something that gives us strength to live. It gave us a chance to have a heart, not some stone strapped at our necks, choking us, making us remember that we do not own a heart."

                   Yifan sighed deeply. Eyes watering and starting to flow out. His kind mocked people by marking their heart, making them known to be heartless and yet his beloved was suffering for not knowing what a beating heart felt like. By the time then, Yifan was silently crying his heart out, biting his hands so that Zitao wouldn't notice his doings. "I hate you." He heard the boy clearly and it made Yifan cry out even more.

                  It hurts that you know the sins that you did but it hurted more when some one was bluntly describing what you did to them. Specially from a lover.

                  It hurted Yifan, but he couldn't stop his heart from loving the boy. "Even if you hate me, Zitao. I love you."

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                  Sehun was stunned by what he was witnessing. He could not believe the words that had left his brother's lips. Am imp stole some thing from Yifan, the honored and almighty King Yifan. A disgusting creature such as an imp stole his brother's heart. A person will clearly see the disgust written all over Sehun's face, but for the sake of his brother, he will forget what he had witnessed. What happened in the Forest of Dawn, stays in the forest of Dawn. Both of them know pretty well that no one will respect Yifan and treat him like a king if they found out the happenings inside the forest and that was the reason why Yifan fled his land.

                  And as nearer and nearer did night drew, Sehun stayed in his spot waiting for an opportunity to free his brother. Waiting for the vail creature to leave the place. And once that the imp had fled the lake, Sehun rushed out to his brother that was trapped inside the mud wall. "Yifan." He called out for his brother. But no response came to him. "Yifan!" He said the name lauder, with caution so that the imp will not notice him.

                  "Sehun?" he heard his older brother whisper his name, greatful that he was still alive inside this monstrous trap.

                  "Brother, wait for me. I'll free you." He said as his went to his stabled horse and grabed a small shovel. He went back to his brother and shoved the dirt. Removing the walls that surround his dear brother. But to his hopes, the mud was endless, an illusion created by the ceature. "I can not remove the walls. Yifan, can you climb out?"

                  Yifan then look up, and was met with a endless walls, stretching upwards. "No. It's endless." He responded to his brother. But Sehun did not believe his brother for the wall was only steep. It was possible that Yifan can climb it because of his long limbs unless it was completely closed.

                  "It is not. I am very sure that some one as tall as you can climb it." He remarked.

                  But Yifan only sighed. "Sehun, did you dug through the walls?" He asked and was answered by a soft yes, "Did the wall seemed to be too thick that looks like it was endless?" And a yes was also the answer. "Then every thing is an illusion. I can not come out unless Zitao freed me himself."

                  "How?" Sehun asked. "How can he free you?"

                  "I have to leave the forest." Yifan calmly said with composure. "Then leave." Sehun stated. "Let's leave this Forest and go back, return to Arichun. I had came hear to find you, brother. If we do not come back, if you do not come back to the lands then they will name a new king."

                  "Who?"

                  A question that Sehun did not want to answer. Who will they name the next king?, he was nervous of what Yifan will say. "Sehun, who will be named the next king?" Yifan asked again to his brother.

                 "I am." Sehun whispered, but the king heard it well. "I will be the next crowned king even with out a stolen good." Sehun braced himself for what his brother will say to him, instead he was taken aback by a calm voice. "Make me proud, King Sehun."

                 And by then, Sehun knew what his brother's decision is."Why?" He asked. "Why won't you come home?! Do you really want to stay here, brother?!" He asked the king that was trapped.

                 "I love him Sehun."

                 "And I love you! You are my brother! I will not let you taint your ownself just by loving this- this disgusting creature that has entrapped you here! The hideous thing will only leave you here to rot! Why would you rather stay here while you can be happy and safe at Arichun? Please, do not let that monster control you, brother."

                 "And who are you to call me names, human?"

                 Sehun then looked behind him and was met with such beauty. But he knew well that this was all an illusion. An imp will always be hideous even if they use such illusions to make themselves beautiful. So Sehun kept a straight face as he stared deep holes at the monster in front of him. "If his highness King Yifan of Arichun wants to stay miserable then let him be. He has to suffer for what he did."

                 "And what did my brother ever do to you to receive this kind of punishment? He has done nothing wro-"

                 "Sehun." Yifan cut his brother short. "Please, Leave us be. Let me be a man that I am and let me solve this." He said to his brother.

                 "Bu-", "Did you not hear your king give you an order? Leave, foolish boy. And let him die alone."

                 Sehun was stunned. His brother loved this creature so much that he was willing to die for him. He looked at the imp, "I will come back."

Sehun, walking alone in the  forest, was stunned by his brother's sudden action. How could his brother do that to himself? How much did his brother love this foul creature? How much will YiFan have to give up just to be with that unholy being? How much does he have to sacrifice just to stay by that thing's side?

              Sehun hated the thought of his brother, dying with such fate but also worried for well he know that he could do nothing to change the fate. He wanted to help his brother realize that such thing is not capable of loving the king back. And it hurts the young boy's pride that his brother will be put into shame if the people shall know of the news like this. He cannot go back to the free land with such news just for the people to brag about such disappointment.

              "What shall I do with you?!"  the young boy shouted out his frustrations.

              But the path was suddenly to dark. The trees were suddenly to large. The lights were suddenly gone. The air, suddenly filled with nothing, slowly suffocating the boy. "Has any one ever told such child like you to be very quiet?" A sudden whisper was heard.

               "Stop this nonsense." Sehun stated, making the imp laugh, "I am not afraid of who, nor what you are. Please stop playing such stupid games." He heard snickers from his behind and the moment later, every thing is back to the way he has started, except for that one beautiful person standing right in front of the boy. A beautiful imp.

                 But it was also the same imp that has captured his brother, that only god knows what kind of torture that the imp shall bestow upon the king. How can such beauty like this be so dangerous? Sehun thought as he observed the beauty, murmuring enchantments.

                  "Tell me, filthy human, do you also wish to be king? Just like the demon of a brother that you have?!" Tao spat the words out which angered the young man for all the insults he had told about his mighty king and beloved brother in just one statement.

                  Sehun then lashed out "Do not even dare call my brother a demon. You do not KNOW what he did for the kingdom! For the families! For our family. Such foul creatures like yourself won't understand what love is. For we know all to well that the like of you do not even own hearts."  Such foul language came out of the boy's lips, and such words like love made the vengeful imp furious.

                   The ground then started moving, shaking, the dirt beneath them began to shake. The trees looked longer than before, the skies looked much brighter and in a flight of seconds later, they were at the lake side. The place where YiFan and ZiTao first met each other. And Sehun saw it. He saw his brother, he saw the imp, he saw the way his brother’s look at the creature, he saw the love, he can feel the love between them. He saw another ZiTao, there’s two of them. The other one looking at his brother and the other one looking at him. One of the imps laughed at Sehun bitterly, "You can feel it, don't you, child?" He asked the human.

                  "You can feel it just by looking at us. I myself, can feel it." The imp looked at his past self with rage. "And you dare tell me that I can not love? That I did not know how love feels like?" He moved closer to Sehun, eyes starting to water. "This is how YiFan and I first met. Be grateful that I am letting have a glance at my memories."

From all the sadness, then the happiness. Starting from the confusion till they both confess their love. All the memories that Zitao shared with his beloved brother, Sehun saw it all. He saw how Tao, stopped time just so he can look at the king, to observe the man's body. He felt how Zitao felt when Kris looked into his eyes. It was like Sehun was Zitao at the moment.

Sehun was amazed, at how blessed his brother is. He had the chance to see their gods, he had seen their spirits and they had blessed him. And all of it was because of this imp, standing right beside him, watching the scenes as well.

He watched how happy his brother was in the arms of the imp, he saw how the imp took care of YiFan.

But the way YiFan looked at Zitao full of hope, and the way Zitao looked at the older with love, he can never forget that. He saw every stolen glance, every side steps, every smile that his brother shared with this creature. It hurts his heart knowing that YiFan sacrificed his throne, just for an Imp named Zitao.

Sehun saw how happy the two lovers were, but everything suddenly changed with one night. YiFan suddenly left.

The imp walked closer to young man, “Can you see what I see now? The pain that I feel whenever I see your brother?” He asked with bitterness in his voice. “I loved your brother, yet what did he do? He promised me he’ll stay by my side and love me forever, “ He paused for a second, wiping his tears “Child, the mere existence of your brother is the definition of a liar, he proves that promises were meant to be broken.”

Sehun shook his head, everything disappeared. They were now back to the lake. He now see Yifan standing right in front of them, looking right at them with sorrow in his eyes. “Sehun,” He called out to his brother, “I-“

But Sehun cut his sentence short, “You.” He pointed at his brother. “You stole an imp’s heart, their life source.” He sighed and looked straight at his brother. “Why would you do that when you love him?”

Kris looked at ZiTao, the imp, once again. “I was a disgrace. I let Zitao stole something important from me.”

The beautiful creature then bursted out his anger, “I  NEVER TOOK ANYTHING FROM YOU! I DID EVERYTHING WITH LOVE AND HONESTY AROUND YOU AND YET YOU KILLED ME!” He screamed and trashed around the King and yet the response he heard made his heart melt.

“You stole my breath away with your beauty. You took away my heart.”

Sehun tsked at his brother. “Our heart was never ours, brother. It’s true owners are the one that we love. For you’re case, it’s Zitao.” He sighed one last time and looked at his brother, “My main task is to bring you back safely to our land, my King. But shall you not return, they shall bestow the royalty to me. And as my two eyes can see, you have no interest to go back.”

Zitao looked at both brothers. “Yifan, go back.” He ordered the young king, but he received a shake of the head. Yifan smiled at the imp, “I once promised  you that if you let the gods bless me, I shall love you with all my heart and stay with you here forever. I am here to do as I promised.”

And Zitao’s eyes water, his heart melt. “Why only now?”

“Because I only realized it now.”

Sehun watched as the lover reunite once more. He smiled at the scene of the two and walked away. Tis moment shall always be and shall only be in his memory. No one shall know. He set his pace back to his steed and rode the strong horse back to the land.

And may the gods bless Yifan and Zitao’s heart forever.