Winter felt herself being dragged, the crunching of leaves and branches, she felt the hard ground beneath her. The harsh whispers of two people, and Winter still couldn't force her eyes to open. Her memories were blurry, all she could remember was something purple - the sculpture, and the old woman, then nothing. It's like her whole body was immobilized, as if she was tied together - her limbs not moving an inch even if she focused on it.

Quick steps and Winter felt being dragged again, the dirt from the ground all clinging on to her with no tomorrow, probably wiping it all clean. Then soon enough, there were shouts everywhere and more running, and Winter was still on the ground - probably all wounded up from all the dragging, she doesn't know.

She couldn't feel anything.

"We couldn't just leave her here!"

Someone whispered rather loudly, enough to be flooded out by the shouts but was still clear for the people near her.

"We'd get caught!" Someone replied and Winter felt an arm loosening her hold on to her shirt, "Don't be stupid, let's go."

"Ryujin, don't - "

"Shush!"

Winter couldn't do a thing but to listen, feeling a presence much different than the two people earlier. This one felt menacing, as if they would kill any second - any movement, even an inch of hair falling would be done for. She felt the two people keeping still as well, listening to the heavy footsteps, and metals clanking to each other.

"Where are they, I saw them going here!"

"Sir, I don't see - "

"Then look for them!"

Just then, Winter felt her body - the blood rushing everywhere as she felt her breathing quickening, as the heavy footsteps faded away, she gasped for air as she jolted up from the ground, catching her breath, gasping. She looks around to see that she's in the woods, with no recollection with how she got there, and she looks beside her to see the two people she heard earlier - two girls, probably around her age, looking at her in surprise as they were quietly hiding behind a huge trunk.

"Who, who are you?" She gasped out, looking at how the two girls were dressed - all with ragged clothes, sewn up with patches. Their hair both tied in a bun, as some of the dirt was on their faces, Winter looked around for any sign of other life but all she could see was darkness. The woods, and branches of trees converging around her - she was nowhere near the exhibit.

She quickly looked for her things, but her bag was all empty, no cellphone, money, anything that she carried during the exhibit - nothing.

The panic starts to set in, realizing that she's completely alone in a place that she doesn't know - with no point of contact, except for the two girls with her. She looks at them again, only to see them staring at her as if she has been resurrected from the dead.

"Where am I?"

The one with black mid-length hair answered, "In Asteria, who are you?" she asked back.

But Winter frowns at the answer, because what the is Asteria and where exactly is that place?

Winter was about to stand up when heavy footsteps started to approach them, and the two girls widened their eyes - pulling Winter to them, causing her to stumble in her steps. The red-haired girl puts her hand over Winter's mouth to stop her from screaming, "Shush, we're going to get caught!" she whispered harshly, pushing her right behind the large trunk where they were hiding.

Winter swats the hand away, frowning at the girl who was about to put it again - moving away she heard the low voices.

"I don't see anyone there," one guy said with a huff, "I don't think Jeno actually saw people here."

"He won't admit that, so we need to look around like crazy until he's satisfied." Another one answered.

Winter moved a little bit, peeking from the trunk and suddenly another wave of panic overwhelmed her. The two guys were wearing armors, plated armors that were obviously out of date from her place. But what made her completely fear them are the way their eyes were glowing - a faint hue of blue, visible in a certain light and angle, but Winter cannot be mistaken. It was the very same glow that she saw from the old woman, just in a different color.

Just then, a sound of a branch breaking caught the attention of the two guys, quickly turning to their direction. Winter heard the breaths of the two girls with her hitching, and so she instinctively looked away with her eyes closed, chanting a prayer in her mind.

For a split second, she stared directly at a pair of glowing eyes.

Please, don't see us. Don't see us, don't look at us.

"There's nothing here," one guy said and walked away, talking to the other one and slowly, their voices were out of earshot.

"We need to get out of here," the red haired girl said, "are you coming with us or what?"

Winter would be insane to join them, in a place she doesn't have any idea of - but she'd bet she wouldn't survive a day alone as well. So with her life on the line and weighing the options, it was either starving and dying alone in the woods, being captured by those unknown armored soldiers or were they guards, or going with these two girls who have probably survived and witnessed things that Winter could only imagine.

She'd choose to be insane in that moment if it means she would survive.

"I'll go with you."

And so she joined them, walking quietly into the woods - her thoughts all to herself, not trusting anyone in that unfamiliar place. She doesn't need to let them know that they have the upper hand on her.

***

The walk to wherever they are going felt long, and Winter managed to get to know the two girls with her. The black haired girl was Ryujin while the other one, the one with the red hair is Yunjin. Somehow after knowing their name, Winter felt quite safe for a little bit - in an unfamiliar place, she'd rather choose to know someone's name to hold on to the illusion of familiarity. The two girls were sisters, not by blood but they've known each other since they could remember. Winter didn't ask where their parents are, as it's a subject of years of friendship - not something they would share to someone they just met a few hours ago.

After all, Winter simply shared her name to them and when asked what she was doing there, she didn't know what to answer.

"We thought you were dead," Ryujin said, remembering the time she saw Winter's body earlier, "You weren't breathing, you know? If you didn't flinch then we would have left you there."

Winter furrowed her eyebrows, she felt that she wasn't breathing but she didn't know that she wasn't actually breathing that time.

"For the record, Ryu here was about to leave you there if you didn't wake up," Yunjin added.

"That's too much Yunjin," Ryujin glared and glanced at Winter, but she couldn't be bothered by it as she was still slowly processing what Ryujin shared with her. Was she dead for a moment there, lying on the ground with no idea what had happened at all?

"Where are you from by the way?" Yunjin asked, curiosity in her voice and Winter took a moment, she didn't know what to answer, especially being aware that this is an unfamiliar territory.

"Just, I'm not quite sure, I don't remember actually," she managed to get out.

After what felt like hours, Winter looked up when she started hearing faint sounds of laughter, people shouting - a sign of life and the end of the woods, where she could see a glimmer of faint light. She thinks about the things that Ryujin and Yunjin shared to her, that they are in Asteria - a place that Winter still doesn't have an idea of. As they continued walking, the sounds became clearer and louder, and soon enough, they were out of the woods.

Winter gulped as she felt bewildered by what she was seeing, everything was full of life - not the usual nightlife in Seoul, but this is different. The streets were full of kids, no single sighting of any machine or vehicle, but what surprised her is the amount of people settled on the side of the street, selling things that she doesn't know.

Lines were hanging around, floating lights keeping the street all bright as children ran past them. That's when she saw the sky, and her breath hitched - she realized that she was indeed in a different territory altogether. Because there was no way in her lifetime, she imagined that the sky would be this clear - the night sky carrying what seems to be the milky way.

The awe was evident in her but the panic creeps in, clawing inside her but she needs to keep it down. Then suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder, and presence on her both sides.

"Welcome to Asteria, the land of the stars." Ryujin and Yunjin said simultaneously, all smiles and excitement in their faces. Not aware that Winter is trying to look for a way to get out wherever she is.

She needs to talk to Wendy - she needs to wake up if this is a dream.

**

It's been a few days already and Winter is still there, and sooner enough she feels like she's going to be insane. She tried asking for books, but it was of no use as it was written in a different language - all she saw were weird shapes, and not an ounce of idea how to decipher it. She couldn't ask Ryujin nor Yunjin as she feels like it would raise suspicions from them. Currently, the two of them welcomed Winter to her home - or rather what they call home. It's quite small even for two people, what more of three?

Ryujin already apologized for the lack of space, and that's when Winter got the idea of the present status and hierarchy in Asteria.

"Magicaes all get the good stuff," Ryujin grumbled as she fixed a foam for the three of them to lay down on, "we only get the scraps, nulla magias are nothing to them."

Winter furrowed her eyebrows, the terms were obviously not familiar to her which was noticed by Yunjin, because soon enough the girl managed to fill her in about it.

"The guards earlier, they're magicaes, not a strong one of course, their magical ability are just good for simple guarding and fighting," Yunjin said and explained based on the color of their eyes, "Blue are the lowest in the pyramid of magicaes, I'm sure you know that. But still deadly to us nulla magias."

Winter got the wind of it, hiding her nervousness with a smile and nod of understanding. Realizing that she wasn't just in an unknown place to mankind, but magic is normal there - and very much a status symbol. The more she knows, the more she wants to wake up.

"What are they guarding," she voiced out, which earned a surprised look from the two. Ryujin and Yunjin exchanged a glance, and Winter was about to get ready because she felt like they were now suspicious. She's already composing her speech to the two of them, begging them to let her stay and just spilling everything to them when Ryujin laughed.

"I don't know where you were but they're the kingdom's guards," Ryujin said and gestured to her arm, "haven't you seen the emblem on their arm?"

And in the present day, probably 3 to 4 days after that night, Winter finally saw the emblem that they were talking about. It was of a star along with a crescent moon, pierced by a sword and spear. It was made out of silver, and unlike the night before, when Winter glanced at the guard's eyes, she couldn't see its faint glow.

She felt a tug on her shirt, a different one, almost the same shirt that Yunjin and Ryujin were both wearing - all ragged and dirty. "Don't look at them, they won't like it." Ryujin whispered harshly and pulled her away, now right in front of the flowers that they sell.

Right, for the past days, Winter has been selling flowers, the business that Ryujin has to fend off hunger and their needs - it was not enough, especially with Winter's addition but she's quite grateful that the two still haven't kicked her out.

Winter sat beside Yunjin who was simply watching her with a smile, it's like a smile never left her face even for a second - always the mischievous one, as if she's watching an entertaining scene. "Why didn't their eyes glow like that night?" Winter asked curiously.

Right now, they've been used to her asking all the questions she's curious about - and Winter couldn't care right now if she's being suspicious. What she knows is that she's probably missing already for 4 days, with no communication to Wendy - gosh, her older sister must be worried sick right now.

She would need every question answered right now, as long as she could go back to her sister - to her family.

"I told you, blue is the weakest," Yunjin said and cut out the thorns from the rose she was holding, "it won't glow in this light, unless it's a purple."

"What do you mean?"

"Purple is one of the strongest magicaes," Ryujin answered her, scraping some dirt from her shirt, "only a number of them are present, mostly in the kingdom."

Winter clenched her fist, the adrenaline seeping out, "Have you seen one?"

"We wish," Ryujin scoffed, "they're most likely a high and noble person, nulla magias only see one if they're their slaves."

And Winter suddenly couldn't breathe, standing up as the questions of Ryujin and Yunjin went unanswered, the noise and bustling street suddenly getting blurry once again. All she could see was the glowing purple eyes of the old woman in the exhibit. She bumps into other people, ignoring their sneers and cusses, she wanted to get out of there - she wanted to go back.

Winter needed to go back home.

She needs to breathe, she needs air - Winter stumbled on something and suddenly, she could hear loud shouts, her vision fading once again. Was it because of hunger? Panic?

The worried and concerned faces of Ryujin and Yunjin, as the world spins once more the purple glimmer of eyes succumbing to her, before she heard the faint shouts of the two girls for help.

Waking up in an unfamiliar place once again, a world that Winter was never supposed to be in is the last straw for her sanity. The panic managed to claw its way out from Winter's composure from the moment she opened her eyes, ignoring the worried looks from Ryujin and Yunjin. She sat up, still welcomed by the small space that they call home.

She broke right then and there, Winter did not care but she needed to go home - and she would get the help that she would need from anyone. And if these two girls could help her, even for a little bit, she'd risk it because she can't hold it in anymore. "I'm not from here." she gasped as she sat up, looking from Ryujin then to Yunjin.

"We know that, you were - "

Winter shook her head, "I mean, I am not from this world."

Then everything was laid in front of the two, Winter telling everything from the beginning from the exhibit that she went to, then to the old woman that approached her. Mentioning that the last thing she could remember was the old woman's eyes which glowed purple, and whispering a phrase that she has never heard of in her life. Then the next thing was she's in this world, with no recollection on how she got there.

"Wait, what, you're not from here? Like from this world, from Asteria?"

"There's no Asteria in my world," Winter explained frantically, her nails digging through her skin as she panics. "No magicaes and nulla magia, no floating lights, or those glowing eyes."

Silence.

No one uttered a single word after everything that Winter said, Ryujin and Yunjin looked at her blankly before the former pulled Yunjin out of the house. Winter could only close her eyes and sigh, she didn't care if they think she's insane, if they do not believe her then she'll do something else just to go back home.

Standing up, Winter looked for her clothes that she wore the first night there - she needed it to feel safe in her skin. But before she could grab it, Ryujin called her, making her turn around. The two were already inside the house again, Yunjin leaning on the wall as Ryujin had her arms crossed.

"You, you're telling the truth? That you're not from this world, and you're from Seoul?" Ryujin asked, saying Seoul as if it was an unusual word for them - accented and heavy, not the same ones that Winter would hear, but this one is sharp on the edges.

"Yes."

"And you need to go back, how?"

Winter sighed, "I don't know, that's why I need your help."

"The old woman you saw," Yunjin said and glanced at Ryujin who was frowning at her, as if telling her to stop. "Ryu, it's not a coincidence. She saw someone with purple eyes and then she woke up in the woods."

"But we just can't point at someone," Ryujin exclaims, controlling her voice as she glanced outside, "that would be treason!"

"At least we know where to start," Yunjin said and looked at Winter with a soft smile, "did you get her name?"

Winter nodded her head, "Ning, she said just Ning." she furrowed her eyebrows as she recalled their conversation, nodding her head in confirmation and repeating the name.

"I'm sorry, did you just say Ning?" Ryujin asked, her voice sounding too surprised and in disbelief, watching Winter to check if she's lying. "But it's an old woman, that's just impossible."

"Ryu..." Yunjin calls out, and right now, Winter is much more confused than before. She doesn't know what the girl was saying, what was impossible? That Ning is an old woman? Why would that be impossible?

"Do you know her?"

"Everyone knows a Ning with purple eyes,"