During times I got nothing better to do, I usually read books. Sometimes I read those calculated history books on the shelf that I know were manipulated to make people believe that Korya have always been a peaceful world. On times when no one is looking though, I read the fantasy ones of people not having abilities like ours; about their high-end, modern technology, and androids, and machines. I sometimes think it might be so much better to be living in a world of honesty and transparency. At least that is what it says in books. I believe it though, since without these abilities, people can be fairer amongst each other, and betrayals will not be as easy. I want to be living in a fantasy.

A knock on the door halts me from my reading. I quickly keep the book about androids under my pillow and put up a void expression.

“Miss? Are you still awake?” When I did not answer, “Perhaps you aren’t.” My servant prepares to leave and I am just about to turn around when I spot the letter she is holding.

“Wait! I am awake.”

“Oh thank heavens!” She scurries to stand on my bedside. “I saw this letter in the garden earlier. I wouldn’t have risked taking it if it wasn’t addressed to you. It looked unusual.”

“A letter… addressed to me?”

“Yes, indeed, Miss.”

She passes to me the heavy paper and I find the letter really fascinating. It does not have a ribbon nor does it have a seal, and I have never seen anything like this before. Its paper is somewhat made of thin glass. I do think it is not even called a paper at all, but I got nothing better to call it on. A press on a protruding button in the middle is all it takes to unwrap itself and present the transparent paper letter to me. I touch the screen and it immediately speaks to me, telling me to tap the screen once I have made sure I am the only listening ear in the vicinity. I turn my head towards my servant.

“Where did this come from, you said?”

“I checked the silver paper covering it earlier and it simply says Jung Soojung, your full name, Miss. The silver paper quickly turned to dust after I held it.” My brows crease from the information. How does it suddenly become ashes just like that? I try and rake my brain to a possible ability that can make it happen but there was never really one that operates on its own without the owner in the vicinity itself. With the Bastions always both at offensive and defensive stances, I know no one can just as easily pass through, unless of course, you are my friend.

“How did it turn up in the gardens then? This looks too fantastical to be real.”

“I don’t have a clue, Miss.”

I slowly nod. “It is okay, but this is hushed between us only, do you understand? No one else should know about this.” The servant nods and she respectfully leaves right after. Sitting up on my bed, I tap on the letter’s screen as seconds later it shows a blinding blue light that fades as quickly as it appeared.

THIS AUDIOSCREEN WILL IMMEDIATELY MALFUNCTION ONCE DETECTED THE PERSON LISTENING TO THIS IS NOT JUNG SOOJUNG. PLEASE TAP THE SCREEN IF YOU THINK YOU ARE JUNG SOOJUNG.

I hesitate for some seconds because of the blatant threat this device has spoken to me but knowing I am Jung Soojung, I do tap the screen still showing the blue light, but only faintly now.

COLLECTING DATA… ACCESSING… DATA ACCESSED.                                                               
THIS AUDIOSCREEN HAS TRAVELLED THROUGH A SERIES OF DIMENSIONS LOCATING JUNG SOOJUNG. THIS LETTER WILL ONLY BE PLAYED ONCE. THIS AUDIOSCREEN WILL TURN OFF ONCE THE LETTER HAS BEEN HEARD. INITIALIZING DATA…

After some seconds of buzzing, the monotone voice, rough like an android’s as I imagined it in books, is replaced by a person’s voice. I run over memories trying to figure out who the voice belonged to but I keep getting stuck in a dead end.

“Soojung-ah, I know this is all too weird for you but we have risked a lot by trying to get this to you. We don’t know if this will get to you on time but travelling through dimensions isn’t actually an easy thing to breach into without causing suspicions. You don’t remember me as the council erased most of your memories but you can trust me all the same. There will be a lot more letters like this and we hope everything would get to you very soon. Keep an eye on the silver papers.”

The audioscreen ends and like the android voice had said, the screen turns off, good as nothing anymore. I walk towards my bureau plat and neatly place the now useless transparent glass under the folded cloth where I keep my forbidden books. My friend has been the one to give me all the books I have. I suppose the council think I am too scared to at least not do these kinds of rule breaking that they do not check my things at all. They are wrong with that, obviously.

 

I have not a clue what the high-technology letter meant at all, but it has been keeping me wide awake and paranoid even after preparing for the institute and eating breakfast. The council was not around this morning and I am more than happy as I would not have known what to say if they ask me why I look restless. My guardians and I still take the rough road towards the institute through horses and it is a miracle I manage to reach the building safely even with my crazy thoughts never leaving me the whole ride.

My guardians once again disperse throughout the institute once Sungjong leads me to the clearing like yesterday. This time, he gives me a short nod, indicating he will be leaving me alone, waiting for whatever it is that may happen.

It has been half an hour of me sitting on the fallen tree branch a little on the corner of the clearing when I hear that familiar swirling of wind above me. I am no longer astounded seeing Mr. Shin floating right on top of me. He gives me a wide grin and slowly settles himself to stand in front of position.

“Good day, milady!” He then again bows like he did yesterday and follows my suit, only sitting on the ground instead. We share a staring game for a long time, no doubt I am feeling fuzzy about, until I decide to ask him. “What exactly are we doing, Mr. Shin?”

“Oh, I am simply testing your patience, milady.”

He extends his arm and checks on his wristwatch. “Exactly two hours, 58 minutes and 26 seconds,” he cheerfully says and then looks up at me, suddenly wearing a stoic expression I am almost caught off guard on. “Quite a long time for someone who does not have an idea why.” He stands up and taps away the imaginary dust off his equestrian suit. “Unfortunately, it shouldn’t have been that way.” I get confused with his answer but I let it pass since he does not look like answering it any second from now.

Mr. Shin asks me to stand up as he continuously does rounds of questions about me, and what I remember of the past. I can count in one hand the number of answers I did not hesitate saying. It basically showed how little I know of my childhood, though I still do not know how this would help in my training at all.

“I am going to tell you something you should swear not telling anyone of, do you understand?” He asks me, eyes full of conviction. I can only nod out of strong confusion. He breathes in a good amount of air. “I will need you to unlock your erased memories. It will be painful, but it’s the only way.” I suddenly feel shivers run down my spine as it slowly sinks on me the fact that Mr. Shin is telling me to do something that is not only forbidden, but also impossible. How can one even unlock a memory when it has been long wiped out of the system?

“Well, for one, the head council cannot exactly erase memories. She can only lock them down in the deepest parts of your head you would never be able to cross paths with. She coins it erase, as it sounds more fearful.” Mr. Shin shrugs like he is not talking about the head council at all. And how did he even get what I was thinking?

“Milady, you are talking to me inside your head. I suppose we also have to work on fixing that one up.” He chuckles and I almost feel so humiliated if it was not for the sudden rush of memory in my mind so painful it makes me want to hit it somewhere hard.

 

 

It was the beginning of winter ten years back when the council decided to put an end to my misery and hired me my own set of guardians, as they call it. They were also young and must have been full of life when the council chose them to be my protectors until it was no longer needed. It was not exactly a very inviting request as I heard they were threatened to obey. My said guardians were forced out of their Houses and forced to living with me, always at high alerts for any danger.

It was one particular cold sunset by the gardens when I heard rustling of leaves somewhere on the further ends of the little forest behind the Bastions. I had always been keen on every sound and movement on my surrounding. It was a given since I was used to living by fending for myself as I grew void of memories and friends. Everything I encountered on the Bastions always used to fascinate me so much more than it should. Maybe I was naïve, but I lived for precious moments worth keeping.

I was not able to focus on the sunset then for I was distracted by a shadow slowly appearing to be walking towards me. It was cold and I was shivering but it did not matter much after seeing the walking silhouette. I closed my eyes, wondering why there was such and at the same time hoping it would vanish away when I looked again. It only ended on me opening my eyes by the sound of a young boy’s voice so velvety I was confused for a while. He was so close it was hard to keep myself from running.

“You’re afraid.” He muttered. I feigned truth and showed not a wave of emotion dying to consume me. “How would you know?” I asked.

“I’m Sungjong, from the House of Souls.” He casually replied as he stepped closer. “I’m one of your protectors.” I nodded not quite understanding the whole idea of his creepiness. “I see,” I answered anyway. The council had briefly talked to me about certain guardians from top Houses to be approaching me starting this day but never had it crossed my mind of the guardians being kids as well. He might be older, but he looked younger than me.

“Why are you so stiff?” He asked after a long moment of silence.

“Why do you look so scary?” I asked back.

His eyes widened as he bowed down in apology seconds later. “Oh, I’m sorry. It takes a lot of my concentration to use my power on high-leveled Houses like yours.” He smiled and looked too young to be working as my guardian that I asked him how. He continued how it was supposed to be kept a secret from me that I got stirred up until someone else showed up.

“Jesus, Sungjong. Just shut your mouth if you have nothing better to say,” the boy nagged from behind me. I saw Sungjong rolled his eyes at him and bit myself from laughing out loud.

The new boy with messy blond hair bowed towards me and stood beside Sungjong. “Jung Daehyun, House of Times.” He extended an arm that I only stared over with. I heard him sigh as he took my right hand in his and moved it up and down in a shaking manner. “Are you honestly this much of an idiot?”

I felt my cheeks burning. “I… but I—”

“Never mind what he said. He’s just always grumpy like this,” Sungjong quickly butted in that I felt relieved with. “And you’re supposed to be a counselor of some sort?” Daehyun immediately calls back in an unbelieving tone. Sungjong’s eyes widened once again, “I’m only telling her the truth! Stop that tone on me!” They bickered for a while after that as I just stood admiring their somewhat friendship, if you may call it.

“Honestly! Do I always have to find you two in this situation?” Another voice screamed from a distance as I am slowly reeled back into present times, my heart beating rapidly, my breath barely helping me.

 

 

I can hear my desperate breathing when I open my eyes and find myself staring at the blue sky with my guardians all huddled around me, worry almost etching on their faces. I hear a series of slow claps as they start to back away with Mr. Shin crouching beside me.

“Now, now. Don’t you worry so much on this as it will come more often than not,” Mr. Shin reassures my guardians who look so much calm after. Mr. Shin helps me sit up with that unnerving grin on his face. He nods with the look on his eyes telling me he knows something I do not.

“You’re a fast learner, milady. I haven’t even gotten the chance to teach you yet you come flipping over and about screaming and unconscious.”

He pushes me to stand and encircles me again. He starts to come off thinking deeply and stops in front of me with satisfied, wide eyes. I am itching to know what he is thinking about.

“May I know what you are thinking as of now?” I ask that he laughs on. “Let’s see…” He acts as if pondering, with his thumb and pointer finger rubbing his chin for some sweet recalling. I keep myself from showing annoyance until he stops what he was doing and extends an arm towards me.

“Would you mind taking it step by step this time?”

 

 

YOU GUYS WON'T UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH FEELS I'M GETTING ON THIS BC //BIASES//
ON A SIDE NOTE, IF YOU'RE A READER OF HUSHED AND HAPPENED TO PASS BY THIS ONE,
I'M GOING TO UPDATE IT IN ONE DROP SO I'M TRYING TO FINISH UP THE LAST CHAPTERS OF IT BEFORE POSTING THEM ALL.
I HOPE YOU GUYS COULD WAIT A LITTLE LONGER.
BUT FOR THIS, HOW ARE THE FASTPACED-ISH EVENTS GETTING ON YOU SO FAR?