CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

Lucere

HAEYOON FELT IT RATHER than see that they had finally crossed over to Lucere. She still had her eyes closed and there was no mistaking that her other senses were suddenly heightened. She can feel it and it was so strange. It was nothing like she felt before and it was overwhelming her.

Her lips parted a little as she took a deep breath, feeling the ground beneath her buzz with unexplainable energy that seemed to shoot up her spine and settle in her core. She felt her spirit flow more freely through her veins and in every nook and cranny of her body; like a shot of sheer adrenaline.

She had never felt so alive.

It was when she opened her eyes that everything suddenly fell into focus. Everything seemed to be clearer, sharper and brisker. Her warm brown eyes turned into a swirling icy blue, glittered with radiant gold as she took in the sight of her vibrant surrounding.

They were standing in the middle of a cluster of tall majestic trees. But it was nothing like the trees she saw in the human world. The leaves were the color of the most rich green but what made it extraordinary were the streaks of glittery silver that seemed to be embedded on the shiny surface of the leaves, looking like moving and flowing everytime the wind will come by to sway it. The bodies of the trees were no less magical because infused with the rough barks were strips of gold that shine beautifully under the sunlight. Beneath the tall trees were small bushes of wild flowers that Haeyoon had never seen before. They were so pretty and colorful and Haeyoon was sure there were some of the colors that she had never seen before. 

A pair of gorgeous butterflies hovering over a clump of flowers caught the princess’ attention. They were no ordinary butterflies because their sizes were bigger than her two palms combined and the colors and patterns of their gleaming wings changes every now and then.

The place was like something straight out of her favorite fairytale book and she can’t quite believe that such place really exists.

It was breathtaking.

Mesmerizing.

And the whole place roused something deep within her but she can’t quite place a name on it.

A small gasp pulled her out of her stupor and she turned to find Jackson looking at her with awe.

“Your…eyes…” he breathed in wonder because it’s the first time he saw a Saperian’s eyes up close and its beauty captivated him, rendering him in complete reverence for the princess.

All heads turned to them and when their eyes fell on Haeyoon, they could instantly tell the change in her aura. She was glowing in a certain way that only a royalty would. Her spirit was flowing from her in waves and they could feel the strength of the power she didn’t know she had.

The twelve Guardians felt the bond they had with the princess grew tenfold, the pull getting stronger. Her eyes turned a more vibrant icy blue when she made eye contact with Kyungsoo before her lips curved into a soft smile. It was the exact same shade that her father, King Zardus, had and it made the Guardians miss the king so badly.

Watching her standing like that next to them made them feel utterly blissful and complete. She really is their princess and now that she’s back, everything will finally be put into its rightful place.

All of a sudden, Myungsoo went down on one knee and bowed his head like the loyal servant he is and said, “Welcome back, Your Highness.”

The Guardians together with the Hunters and Yoongi did the same, kneeling and bowing before her in utter veneration.

Haeyoon blinked and felt overwhelmed at the respect they’re showing her. Until now she was still adjusting to the fact that she was, indeed, a princess. For her, she was still Min Haeyoon, a simple happy high school girl and being a royalty will take a lot of getting used to.

“Y-you can get up now, guys,” she stuttered, splotches of pink tainting the apple of her smooth cheeks.

There was a sudden shift in the atmosphere and her eyes caught a blur of movements in the shadows behind the trees. Her breath hitched in and all colors drained from her face. The Guardians felt the change in her emotions and they looked up to see her blanched face, her icy blue eyes hardening in fear. That was also when the Hunters felt another presence aside from them.

In an instant, they all stood up in an alert and defensive stance around Haeyoon. Yoongi stood the closest to her and he tucked her protectively behind him. He won’t let anyone or anything harm his sister.

They were surrounded and outnumbered by a large group of men armed with weapons that were all pointed offensively at them. 

Kris, being the front liner together with Suho, JB and Mark, assessed the sorcerers in front of them. With narrowed eyes, he tried to gauge them and he knew that they can take on all of them despite their large number. But Kris wasn’t the kind to dive head first into a fight without knowing anything about their opponent at all so he asked, “Who are you and what do you want?”

A brown haired young looking male stepped up but instead of giving a direct answer he replied with another inquiry, “What are you doing in our territory?” he narrowed his eyes, “Are you from the palace?”

“Your territory?” JB scoffed.

Before the male could respond again, another figure stood beside him and clamped a hand on his shoulder as if telling him to back down. He looked definitely more mature and older than the brown haired one. “Let me take it from here, Seungri.”

“But, Jiyong—,” the male named Seungri tried protesting but one stern look from the other made him instantly back down.

Jiyong took a couple of calm steps towards Kris and stopped a few feet away with a guarded look on his face. His dark eyes gave nothing away but one of his hands rested casually on the hilt of his sword hanging from his hips, alert and ready for attack at the first sign of threat.

No one spoke for a few tensed moment and all that could be heard were the rustling of the trees and the whistling of the wind. Even the animals in the forest, seemed to held their breath in trepidation for what was about to come.

From behind Yoongi, Haeyoon took a peek and she noticed the black tattoos on both of the guy’s forearms. From her point of view, the complicated marks on his pale skin seemed to move about and change patterns constantly. The patterns seemed familiar to her and she remembered seeing them on one of Myungsoo’s book of protection and shield spells. As she squinted to look closely on the Jiyong guy’s tattoo, he spoke suddenly, his voice shattering the pregnant silence.

“How were you able to cross the barriers?” he asked in an even voice but there was a hint of danger at the edges of his quiet tone. His words implied that they weren’t supposed to cross the barriers he’s talking about, that it should be impossible to do it.

Kris was about to say something again but Myungsoo beat him to it. “It’s because we didn’t cross it,” he said as he stepped forward. “We appeared in the middle of it.”

Jiyong’s eyes flickered in recognition and his entire handsome face lit up the moment he saw Myungsoo’s face and his whole demeanor changed from coiled hostility to astonished disbelief.

“You’ve grown a lot, Kwon Jiyong,” Myungsoo said with a touch of pride in his voice. “Are you the one who made the barriers? The way I thought you how?”

“Myungsoo?” Jiyoung said in utter surprise. “But I—I heard—I thought you were dead?” he took a step forward, making the Guardians and Hunters shift in alarm.

Myungsoo turned to them and said, “It’s alright, I know him.” It made them less tense but still alert, nevertheless.

“It’s been two decades,” Jiyong spoke with pinched eyebrows, “You disappeared right after the death of the king spread, I thought you were dead, too!” he trailed his eyes behind Myungsoo and towards the group behind him. “You disappeared together with the…Guardians…” Then realization hit him hard and he exclaimed, “You are the Guardians, I can’t believe this…you’re all alive all along.”

“We need to keep the Prince and Princess safe until they turned the right age so we hid them in the human world,” Myungsoo explained, “We encountered some obstacles but we’ve come back to make things right.”

As if something clicked inside his head, Jiyong’s eyes widened, “You have the Prince and Princess with you now?”

Myungsoo’s face turned grim at the thought of the Prince. “No, the Tainted Ones got the prince,” he shook his head solemnly, “But the princess is safe and she’s here with us right now.”

Myungsoo looked back and met eyes with Haeyoon. With an encouraging smile, she beckoned her to come to him.

Jiyong waited in anticipation for the princess to come out and when she did his breath got stolen from him. He only had a glimpse of her once when she was still an adorable tiny infant and now that she’s all grown up, she was everything he expected her to be and more. Her gentle beauty was enchanting and even from where he stood; he can feel her enormous power. 

When Haeyoon stood beside Myungsoo, Jiyong instantly dropped on one knee. The rest of his people let go of their weapons and did the same.

“Your Highness,” they chorused.

Haeyoon’s lips parted in surprise at the huge number of people bowing before her. She briefly wondered if she would ever get used to this kind of scene everytime.

* * *

“So you’re saying that you met him when he was still young?” Sehun clarified as he and the others sat around a circular wooden table. 

Jiyoung brought them to their hidden campground somewhere in the middle of Mountain Spirit. He and many other Lucerians had been living there for almost two decades now, since the death of King Zardus. They had built small houses for each family and became a sort of independent community.

“Yes,” Myungsoo nodded, “I was on a mission that time to restore the protective barrier I set up around the forest and I met him as a kid back then.”

“I was so amazed by how he created and casted those spells that I pestered him into teaching me until he gave in,” Jiyong smiled at the memories.

“Your tattoos are amazing,” Haeyoon said. Her sparkling eyes that had returned to their warm brown color were pinned on his marks that were really changing patterns every now and then.

Jiyong pinked at the princess’ compliment. “It helps me cast spells quicker and easier without the use of mediums such as sand and gems.” His eyes darted to Myungsoo, “I can put marks on you if you want.”

Myungsoo smirked, “I see you’ve learned a lot on your own.”

“Years and years of experimenting,” he shrugged.

“Anyway, what are you doing hiding in this mountain?” Yoongi suddenly asked and Jiyong’s face became taut as his expression darkened.

“Yeah, I’ve been really curious about that, too,” Baekhyun added, “You even have to put barriers just to make sure that your place was well hidden, why? What’s happening?”

“When the King died and all of you disappeared, we’re under the impression that the Guardians and the royal family all died. The remaining members of Oraculum took over the throne,” he started. “Everything was fine at the beginning until one day a few people started behaving weirdly.”

“What do you mean by weird?” Jongin asked.

“Like they weren’t themselves. They are literally following the Oraculum’s every order like some kind of puppets,” he continued. “Not long after, almost the entire town people started to became like lifeless puppets so some of us tried to escape,” he laced his fingers together in front of him. “We do not want to be like them so we did everything to be able to escape. The palace soldiers tried to stop some of us but we still managed to break free and we ended up taking refuge here in Mountain Spirit. I set up barriers to hide this place and to protect us from the Oraculum’s eyes because they wanted to get rid of us as well. We’re a threat to their dominion.”

“Why would the Oraculum do that to the people?” Myungsoo asked with furrowed brows.

“We are not sure about that but I have a hunch that they have something to do with the last war,” a new person sat beside Jiyong and joined in the conversation.

“This is Taeyang, my right-hand man,” Jiyong introduced the tan handsome man.

Taeyang met eyes with Haeyoon and bowed his head, “Your Highness, it’s an honor to finally meet you.”

Haeyoon bowed her head too and smiled an endearing shy smile.

“What do you mean by that, Taeyang?” Luhan asked as the others thought the same.

“I think some of the Oraculum had sold their loyalty to the darkness,” Taeyang said with resentment.

The gears in Myungsoo’s head started churning. “Are you saying that some of the council members conspired with Magos to raise that war?”

“I don’t know for sure but it’s not impossible,” Taeyang said. “Some people can easily get blinded by power which I believe Magos offered them in exchange of their loyalty.”

“But still, we don’t know for sure, right?” Chanyeol tried to argue. He refused to believe that the Oraculum he looked up to were actually one of the reasons to their kingdom’s demise.

“There’s one way to find out,” Mark spoke, catching the attention of everyone on the table. “We have to go to the palace.”

“What if what Taeyang said was right?” Yongjae asked, “It’ll be a death trap for all of us.”

“It’s a risk we have to take,” Haeyoon said as her mind drifted to her missing friends and brother. “No matter what, we have to find Jungkook and the others.”

“I’m finding it really strange,” Jiyoung said, “Why would they take the Prince with them?”

They had told them the story of the prince and other five human boys getting kidnapped by the Tainted Ones in black cloak earlier.

“We are thinking the same thing,” Xiumin piped in. “It was as if they need something from the prince.”

“Something…important,” Lay murmured.

“We have to make a plan,” Suho said, “We can’t just head there without preparation.”

“Suho’s right,” Jinyoung agreed, “If the Oraculum is really working for Magos, until now, even though I find it weird because he’s already dead, Haeyoon and Jungkook’s life will be at great risk if we showed there without any plan at all. We would be like sitting ducks for them.”

“Magos is not really dead,” Kyungsoo reminded them. “He still can be revived.”

“How?” Yoongi asked.

“Through the Forbidden Spell,” Myungsoo said.

“What kind of spell is that?” Bambam questioned.

“The only spell that can bring dead to life,” he answered. “It was an accidental spell created by a powerful healer long long time ago.”

At the mention of “healer” all eyes turned to Lay.

“It’s not me,” he said with wide innocent eyes.

“Since then all records of that spell was burned and destroyed except for that one copy that was hidden in the palace,” Myungsoo continued. “But I don’t think that the Forbidden Spell will ever work for Magos.”

“Why?” Chen asked.

“Because one of the most important things needed to complete the spell is a drop of blood of the dead’s kin,” he said. “Magos is an orphan and he doesn’t have any living family left.”

There was silence as a wave of uncertainty passed across the table.

“I hope you’re right or there would be a repeat of that horrible war,” Jackson muttered, shivering at the thought of another chaos.

“You can stay the night here,” Jiyong offered, “We’ll help you plan and carry it out to the best of our abilities.”

“Are you willing to take the risk?” Tao asked his as he searched Jiyoung’s face.

“Yes,” Jiyong replied in a firm determined voice. “We had been hiding for years now and it’s time we do something for our kingdom.”

“If ever my suspicions are true,” Taeyang said, “We’ll help you bring them down and take Lucere back.” Then he looked at Haeyoon with eyes full of devotion, “You can count on us, Princess, and we’ll help you bring your friends and the prince back. It’s the least we can do to repay the King and Queen’s kindness to us.”

* * *

That afternoon, Haeyoon was whisked away by some of the female sorcerers for a tour around the campground because the people wanted to meet Lucere’s princess. They fawned over her and asked her questions about the human world. She answered each question cheerfully and comfortably because she liked talking to these nice people. She spent half of the afternoon chatting with everyone and telling stories about her aunt’s café which seemed to amused them all. Well, anything she told them about the human world seemed to amuse them.

A few moments later, the Guardians joined her. She watched them as they talk to other sorcerers and she saw how happy they were to be able to finally return to the place where they grew.

“Princess,” a tiny voice called her attention before she felt a tug on her pinky finger. She looked down to see a pair of huge doe-like eyes staring up at her. It was a cute little boy with blue hair. The kid dragged her away from the crowd towards a dead log where they both sat.

“Hello there,” she said with a doting smile. The child was so cute and she wanted to pinch his chubby cheeks. “What’s your name?”

“Mingyu,” he replied in a squeaky voice.

“You look really handsome in your blue hair, Mingyu,” she said and the kid blushed. “How old are you?”

Mingyu raised one hand and spread his five little fingers. “Mingyu likes red,” he said as he reached up his tiny hand to run through her soft auburn hair, “Mingyu thinks that Princess is really, really pretty.”

“Thank you, Mingyu,” she cooed and she can’t help but squish his rosy cheeks. “You are so cute!”

“Hello, princess,” a set of small voices chorused, making Haeyoon turn her head. “Hello, Mingyu.”

Standing before them were three other little boys that seemed to be the same age as Mingyu. One boy had shoulder-length blue hair but with a lighter shade. Another boy had short orange hair that reminded her so much of Taehyung and the third boy had jet-black hair and cute round eyes.

“Hello,” Haeyoon smiled widely at the little boys before turning to Mingyu. “Are these you friends, Mingyu?”

Mingyu nodded, “That one is Mingyu’s brother,” he pointed at the one with blue long hair.

“Come on, you can sit here,” she scooted over to make space for Mingyu’s brother while the tow other kids decided to sit on the ground on front of her. They gazed up at her in awestruck.

“Waah~ the princess is really pretty,” the two boys on the ground chorused.

Haeyoon blushed. “So, what are your names?”

“I’m Jeonghan,” Mingyu’s brother said.

“Joshua!” the orange-haired boy raised his hand. Haeyoon’s heart squeezed painfully and she realized how much she missed her bestfriend. She missed Taehyung’s rectangular smile and his silly attempts on making her smile every single time.

“My name is Seungcheol,” the black-haired boy introduced himself. 

“Such cute names,” Haeyoon smiled affectionately at the kids.

“Do you have a brother, too, Princess?” Jeonghan asked and Haeyoon felt another painful shift inside her chest.

“Yes,” she replied. “I have two actually.”

“Are they here?” Joshua asked.

Haeyoon nodded and pointed at Yoongi who was talking with Myungsoo and Jiyoung. “See that brown-haired boy over there?”

“Oh, the one talking with Jiyong?” Seungcheol blinked.

“Yes, that’s one of my brothers. He’s Yoongi.”

“Where is the other one?” Mingyu asked innocently.

Haeyoon took a deep breath, “He’s not here, but we will take him back.”

“Can we see him once he’s back?” Mingyu asked.

A bitter-sweet smile curved up her lips. “Yes, of course. He has red hair, too. You like red, right?”

Mingyu visibly brightened at that. “Yes, Mingyu likes red.”

“What’s his name?” Jeonghan asked.

“Jungkook,” she said quietly.

Her mind drifted to Jungkook again and she thought that he must be so scared right now. The only consolation she had was the fact that Jungkook was physically fine at the moment because she would surely feel his pain, too, otherwise. She hoped that there was some way that she could figure out their exact location so that they could go and save them. She wished that their connection would somehow help her find his whereabouts.

A sudden agonized scream yanked her out of her reverie and she whipped her head towards the source of the familiar voice. Her eyes went wide with panic as fear crawled up when she saw Yoongi on the ground, writhing and screaming in pain as he clutched on his head. Myungsoo and Jiyong were bent over him in worry.

She immediately shot up from her sit and ran towards her brother.

“What happened?” she asked in a shaky voice.

“I don’t know, we were just talking about how we usually hunt here in the mountains when he was still young before he suddenly clutched his head and fell to the ground,” Myungsoo replied as he tried to keep Yoongi from thrashing around so he wouldn't scratch                and bruise himself in the process.

Lay and the others rushed over but just as the healer was about to touch Yoongi, the latter suddenly stopped moving and fell limp.

“Yoongi!” Haeyoon shouted in horror as she dropped on her knees to shake her brother awake. “Wake up! Yoongi, please!”

A pair of warm arms went around her shoulders and gently pulled her away, “Calm down, Haeyoon, he’s fine now, he just lost consciousness,” Lay told her in that soft voice of his.

Her heart was still throbbing wildly against her chest as she took deep breaths to calm herself. “A-are you sure?” she asked him. “What happened to him?”

Lay shook his head. “We won’t know until he wakes up. But I assure you, he’s fine for now. It was just the shock, I think.”

Haeyoon gazed down at her brother with worried glassy eyes.

“Let’s bring him to my house,” Jiyong said and the others helped to carry Yoongi’s pale limp body.

Haeyoon tried to stand but her knees buckled beneath her. Fortunately, Lay was there to catch her. 

“Are you okay?” he asked worriedly.

She bit her quivering lips as she stared at Yoongi as they took him away. 

“No, I’m not.”