The pitter patter of rain hitting the pavement echoed through the dark streets of Seoul. With a groan I dragged my feet as I made my way back to my apartment. It hadn’t been the best of days, or weeks, heck it had probably been one of the worst months in my life! I thought that moving here from Suwon would open me to many more opportunities; I wanted to be a singer or dancer and Seoul was the place to be! It seemed the universe wasn’t on my side though. I had been here for a little under a year and I still hadn’t had any offers. I worked annoyingly long hours at a records store and every weekend I would grab my electric guitar and put on a show at the bar near my work. The pay wasn’t bad and helped me pay for the apartment I shared with my roommates, Park Kyung and Woo Jiho (although he preferred to be called Zico).

       Cringing I shook the thought away. Not that I had anything against gays but it was a little disturbing to walk in on your roommates in a…compromising predicament. This was another reason why this month hadn’t been the best and just tonight I was fired from my job at the bar for who knows what reason! I slammed my fist against the cement wall of a convenience store, earning disapproving glares from passersby.

     It was almost 3am and the rain did nothing to lighten my mood as I turned into one of the alley ways, a shortcut to my house. Trudging through its shadows I heard people talking in loud, obnoxious voices. Ignoring them I picked up my pace rushing past them until my arm was wrenched by me and I was slammed against the wall. Staring up at the men I tried to scream but one of them covered my mouth and lifted me so my feet were kicking the air.

“Hey, isn’t diisss the boooy from the bar?”

     His words were slightly slurred as I struggled in his grasp. He was huge, with broad shoulders and cold dark eyes. He pressed himself closer to me removing his hand to replace it with his mouth. My eyes widened as I felt something wet poking at my closed lips. Opening my mouth I waited for him to insert his tongue before I bit down on him. He screamed in pain and hit me hard over the head. Pain shot through my skull but I ignored it. Taking my chance as his hand loosened on my arm I kicked him and made a run for it.

     Their footsteps pounded behind me, coming closer and closer as I dashed through alleys trying to find my way back to the main street. My chest was heaving and my legs felt heavy but I continued to run. Turning to my right I stumbled into an abandoned warehouse. No this isn’t where I want to be! A low chuckle forced my attention back to the three men blocking the exit.

“Hey .”

     Backing away as fast as I could I didn’t notice the gap in the floor. As the man lunged at me I whimpered as his fist connected with my stomach. As I bent forward his knee rammed into my forehead, knocking me back. When I went to put my foot down I didn’t feel the floor and fell back. Each step of the staircase was like a powerful blow as I tumbled down. An electrifying pain shot through my head as I hit the steel railing. The muffled curses of the men barely registered as I heard their footsteps quickly running away.

     With a groan I pulled myself up, stumbling forward I saw a light in the distance. Hoping that it was the underground train station or something I made my way towards it. It was better than going back up and maybe meeting those men again. My legs felt weak and I could feel the blood trickling down my forehead. When I finally reached the light I gasped. It was like a glowing blue wall. It moved and rippled like water and small lights danced over its surface. Stumbling forward I reached out and touched it. It was like the wind, giving soft caresses to my fingers.

    Suddenly a loud clanking shocked me and I jumped up, falling backwards through the wall. The floor was suddenly very slippery and unsteady and I tripped and fell on my arm. Crying out in pain I tried to fight the darkness at the edge of my vision. Shouting I heard footsteps running towards me. Glancing up I saw a blurry image of a boy with black hair and large hazel eyes. He bent over me and that’s when I couldn’t fight it anymore.

     The trees were tall and had large leaves that filtered the suns light into a glowing green on the forest floor. Making my way through the branches I pushed the vines out of my way. When I finally reached my destination I smiled. It was a clearing, with tall soft grass and small purple flowers. It was circled by the large trees and was at the base of the mountain of gods. There was a small cave on one side, half hidden by brush. It was here that I came when all the training became too much. The seers were certain that I would become the wisest of all the priests; that I was chosen by the gods for some special journey of knowledge and compassion.

    This all just lead to extra training and working my powers past their limit. Being a telekinetic already meant that I was valuable, tap on the fact that I was the son of a clergy priest and then this ‘magical destiny’ the old seers have upon me just adds to the work I have to do. With a sigh I closed my eyes and let the stress leave my body. Loosening my robes let it fall open revealing my torso over the coarse cotton of my pants. The stupid robes of the temple were made of thick cotton that became unbearably hot in the summer days. Making my way through the grass I sat on a large boulder next to the mouth of the cave and watched the baby fairies chase each other through the trees. In this tranquil spot it was easy to forget the poverty and torture that the non-gifted had to go through.

       Closing my eyes I tried to block it out. Tried to block out sneaking into the lower city to see all those shunned by god, not gifted with any abilities; they lived in rundown shacks and ate the scraps the more generous priests would give them. Most would offer themselves up as experiments or testing for the mages to earn a little money. The fear in their eyes as I was learning to control my powers was horrendous. As a telekinetic I had many non-gifted people that I had to practice on…to this day I still feel the guilt. With a sigh I blew my hair out of my eyes.

     A scream brought me out of my thoughts. Turning to the face of the cave I heard it again. Jumping up I ran inside and saw a glowing wall that I was certain hadn’t been there before. Lying in its glow was a boy with dark red hair and strange looking clothes. Tilting his head up I gasped as I saw his bruised and battered face. His dark eyes sparkled and his cut lips pulled into a small smile before he passed out. Panicked I used my gift to lift him onto my back and not bothering to tie myself back up, sprinted back to my room in the temple.

     My head was pounding slightly as I woke up. Keeping my eyes closed I listened around me. I could feel the soft sheets of a bed underneath me and voices. Remembering what had happened I figured the boy had brought me somewhere, only where was here and what was that wall? Where were the men? Zico and Kyung are going to kill me when I get home! With a groan I pulled myself up and stared at the two boys in front of me.

     They were wearing weird clothes; the one with black hair and big eyes that I had seen before wore white pants with a matching white robe and gold symbols embroidered on its fabric, at his waist was tied a gold and black belt. The other was a short boy wearing the same style clothes only his were green with black embroidery and a white belt. They both stared at me as I pulled the sheets up to cover my ripped shirt and tattered jeans.

“He is non-gifted.”

     The short boy said as he looked over me with something that looked like…pity? What was going on? I don’t understand! The walls here are stone and everything looked like a picture out of my medieval history books. Curling up into a ball I stared at the taller boy as a whirl wind of emotions played over his face.  Suddenly he stood up and yelled.

“No! By the gods no! Please Taeil you can’t tell anyone! If my father finds out… by Ellira my father CANNOT find out! Please Taeil he will be tortured and experimented on, please!”

“B-Bomb I promise but we have to tell P.O, he can hide him and get him some clothes, because those are horrendous.”

     With a nod from the taller boy the shorter one, Taeil, walked through the heavy wooden doors. The other sighed and looked up at me. He looked worried and what seemed like a hint of fear swam in the depths of his eyes. Glancing at me up and down he stood and cautiously took a seat on the bed facing me. Slowly he took my hands and gave them a tug. Warily I moved out from under the blankets and faced him as he rubbed circles on top of my hand which were surprisingly calming.

“I’m B-Bomb, what’s your name?”

“K-Kim Yookwon.”

“Okay, so U-kwon do you know where you are?”

“N-no.”

“Where do you live?”

“I live in Seoul where am I now?”

“You are in Dentheryrth, the city of dragons, more specifically in the Ellira temple, in my dorm.”

“What the hell! Where is this? What are you --DON’T TOUCH ME!”

      Scrambling back in the bed I tried to move away as his hands began glowing. A flash of annoyance crossed his face and suddenly I was pinned under him. He brought his hands under my temple and a searing pain shot through my head. Images flew behind my eye lids at rapid pace. Crying out in pain I clutched my head.

   When the images finally stopped I understood now. There was a legend here on Dentheryrth that every hundred years a portal would open, creating a bridge between two dimensions. One is Earth, where I am from and it is ruled by science and technology. The other is Dentheryrth and it is ruled by magic. It was ruled by the gate keeper god, Jaehyo. I also saw all the horrible things the ‘non-gifted’ went through and suddenly I understood his fear.

     I shuddered and looked up at B-Bomb and was surprised to see tears in his eyes. Confused I crawled over to him and wiped the tears from his cheek. He was staring at me with an emotion I couldn’t read and it scared me. For some reason I trusted him. He knows I am a non-gifted and judging from his reaction he isn’t going to lock me up or throw me out in the streets. Rubbing his arms soothingly I looked over him slowly.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m so sorry I did that to you, the look…the fear. I’m sorry!”

“H-hey its okay you didn’t do anything wrong. Why are you crying?”

“I hurt you. They always scream when I do something…it must hurt.”

“No no! Not that much. It’s worth it because now I know everything and I know the risk you are taking.”

   The last part came out in a hushed whisper and I looked down, dropping my hands onto my lap. He chuckled softly and pulled me into a hug which surprised me. Cautiously I hugged him back and found that I could relax. B-Bomb was nice, he was safe and I feel like I can trust him. Just then the door opened and I threw myself behind him. He laughed, a nice musical laugh as he went to the tall blonde and retrieved the bundle in his hands. The tall blonde was wearing bright red robes with orange embroidery with matching orange belt. When he spoke his voice was deep and I could only stare dumbly as B-Bomb returned and gave me the new clothes.

     Glancing at my clueless expression he sighed and shooed the others out before motioning for me to change. He then followed the others and the door closed with a soft click. Staring at the clothes in my hand I sighed and removed my torn and dirtied shirt. Next I shimmied out of my now ruined jeans. Pulling on the purple pants and matching silver embroidered robe I tied the rope around my torso then opened the door. The three boys jumped then looked me over.

“He can pass as a seer.”

“A what?”

“A seer. They see into the future, predict natural disasters and give destinies.  I’m P.O by the way; it’s nice to meet you U-kwon.”

“Same to you.”

   We all stood in an awkward silence as I played with the rope wrapped around my waist. Staring up through my bangs I glanced hesitantly at B-Bomb while he slouched back against the wall. I knew he was thinking so I didn’t want to ask any questions but things were getting a little…awkward. With a small sound of approval he pushed himself off of the wall and snapped his fingers.

“Taeil I don’t have any lessons later right?”

“Not that I know of.”

“Perfect! Then why don’t I show you around U-kwon? Since you’re here you might as well learn from it! Oh unless you want to go back that is…”

“Huh? Go back? What no, no I’m good staying here!”

    To be honest I was still worried that the men were still there and even more scared over the reaction my roommates would have if I came home overly battered and bruised. It was weird, how most of my injuries were already almost healed. After re-inspecting my arms for any scrapes and bruises I looked up into the glowing face of B-Bomb. I felt my heart jump as he took my arm excitedly and waved to the others before dragging me off.

“So where would you like me to show you first? We have the school, library, temple, main town OH the forest is beautiful! You have to see the baby fairies this time of year!”

“F-fairies?”

“Of course…don’t they have fairies on earth?”

“Only in myths and fairytales. They aren’t real in my world.”

“Well then there’s even more reason to go see them!”

    He took my arm and carted me around. It was weird seeing the serious boy from back in the room, who was worried over powers and being proper, now all bubbly and excitedly showing me where he studies. Although I can’t really say much because I probably looked like a lost puppy going on a walk for the first time; in my defense the place was massive. The study halls were huge with symbols carved everywhere! In one of the rooms there were floating gems all of them giving off a strange glow and in another it was full of strange animals walking around the room, they weren’t even in cages!

    Finally we made it to the temple and it seemed like the whole place emanated power. It resembled a Buddhist temple in the way that everything seemed to be made of gold. Not a single place was left bare and at the end of the hall stood an alter with a great statue of a woman. Her arms were held out in front of her cupping a jeweled star with her golden wings fanned out behind her. I must have been staring because B-Bomb tapped my chin and I shut it immediately, blushing madly as he chuckled.

“Who is she?”

“She is the goddess Ellira.”

“Oh! What does she do?”

“She is the goddess of creation. She created everything and is the sole ruler over Dentheryrth. She created the dragons that rule under her.”

“Yeah but the dragons aren’t real…are they?”

“Why of course they are!”

    He laughed again ruffling my hair. Pouting I fixed it as he smiled at me. I could feel my cheeks flush and pretended to fix my belt. He took my hand again and led me out of the temple babbling about eating some Bung Frok. Scrunching up my face I frowned; that did not sound appetising, although thinking about it now I hadn’t eaten since lunch the previous day and I could probably eat a horse. As if my stomach had heard me it growled really loudly and B-Bomb had a good laugh before pulling me through a set of wooden doors.

    We emerged on a stone pathway that lead to a bridge over looking clear…purple, water. Once we made it over the bridge the atmosphere seemed to change immediately. Suddenly there were people moving all around and talking in loud voices. They were all wearing different colours robes and the bright colours made my head spin. It was like being at a festival and I didn’t know where to look first.

     B-Bomb chuckled as he led me through the crowd and to a food stand. There was a large fire burning stove that was cooking a weird…I think it’s a fish. B-Bomb seemed really happy about this and pulled me over explaining the menu. To be honest I zoned out halfway and just admired his smooth voice…wait what? No I mean I admired his passion for food? Yeah that was it.

“Two Bung Froks please!”

   The man nodded and flopped two more of the funny looking fish on the stove. They fizzled and the smell surprisingly made my mouth water. By the time the man handed us our food I was ready to devour the thing whole. Tugging me over to a table I followed B-Bomb as I eyed the fried deliciousness in my hand. When we sat down I immediately started eating and I couldn’t help but let out a content moan as I ate. It tasted like fish yes but there was something more to it, like this tangy and spicy flavour and I just devoured it. B-Bomb laughed as he leaned forward to wipe some off of my cheek. I blushed, realising not for the first time, that he had a really nice laugh.

“So you explained to me all about the powers and religion and stuff but I’m still confused about some things. What kind of powers to you have? What do the robes mean? Does the colour matter? What are Taeil and P.Os powers? Why can’t your father know about me? What does it mean to be a non-gifted? Why are they treated so badly? Are we really going to see fairies?”

“Haha whoa! Slow down one question at a time. Yes we really are going to see fairies and the colour of the robes, along with the symbols indicate your power and rank. Like my robes are white, which means I’m a telekinetic, which was how I was able to put those images into your mind. The symbols show that I am of 4 star rank and that my father is a clergy priest, which is a really high up title by the way.”

“Wow so you’re really powerful and important right?”

“In a way, yes.”

“Cool! So what are Taeil and P.O?”

“Well, Taeils robes are green right? So he has the power of healing which why you don’t look so beat up now. He is a five star rank and he is a few months older than me. P.O has red robes so he can control energy and fire. He is a two star mage and he is 19 so he’s three years younger than me.”

“Oh! So I should call you Hyung then.”

“Hyung?”

“It’s what we call our older brothers or friends. You’re two years older than me so I would say B-Bomb-Hyung.”

“Oh okay that’s cool!”

“Okay so we really are seeing fairies?”

“For the last time – Oh my father! What are you doing out of the temple?”

     I spun seeing a tall man with the same hazel eyes as B-Bomb only he held himself differently. The way he walked and carried himself was like an air of authority while B-Bomb flip flopped between serious and bubbly. I started feeling nervous remembering that I wasn’t supposed be near this man. My heart was racing in my chest as he came towards us, taking long powerful steps.

“Hello son, you don’t have lessons now?”

“No sir. I have a break so I came out to practice my powers in a crowded environment sir!”

“Very good and who is this?”

“He is a colleague and seer from Rakith, sir.”

     Scrambling to get to my feet I copied the bow that B-Bomb had done when his father came forward, one hand in a fist over my heart while the other was held out straight by my side, palm facing out. Straightening I looked at the man and tried to hide my uncertainty. He looked over me and I refrained from sprinting through the crowd or hiding behind B-Bomb.

“So you are a four star rank. That’s impressive; I heard the Rakith temple was very tough, of course not as hard as our temple.”

“Yes it is sir but all the training is well worth the reward.”

“As it should. I expect you too to continue training hard and I will see you later on.”

    We both bowed as he walked away. I let out a sigh of relief as he finally disappeared in the crowd. Turning to B-Bomb I saw that he was a bit shaken from his father’s appearance also. Taking my hand he quickly pushed through the crowd until we reached a spot that was far away from any people. Spinning me around he placed his hands on my shoulders and looked me straight in the eye. This worried made me feel uncomfortable and I squirmed in his grasp.

“Do you want to know why my father can’t find out about you?”

“Y-yes.”

“Well it is because you are non-gifted. Those without powers live separate from us who do because it is believed that they had done terrible deeds in their past life and were shunned by the gods. As a result they didn’t receive any powers. You’ve already seen from my memories that some offer themselves up as experience for money. Well, now I’m going to show you how they live, are you sure you can handle it?”

“I need to know, because technically, I am one of them.”

     He nodded, reverting back to his serious self. I already missed his laugh but straightened up and followed him a little ways down the path. Placing his hand in a small hole in the wall he muttered something under his breath and the stone glowed for a second. Stepping back I gasped a small hole appeared, just large enough to crawl through.

      Going behind a tree B-Bomb produced two pairs of torn and battered clothes. They look like they had been made out of the potato sacs you would do races in. Turning my back to him I quickly changed into the new clothes and hid my old ones alongside his. These clothes were rougher than the robes and incredibly itchy. Trying not to scratch I followed him through the hole. As soon as we were across it closed.

    We walked for maybe two minutes before my stomach churned and I nearly threw up my Bung Frok. You know when you see the commercials for kids in Africa and other places ridden with poverty? Well take that and this was ten times worse. Everyone, man, woman, child no matter if they were young or old did not have clothes. Even if they were lucky to scrounge up something to wear it was barely more than rags. Their houses, if you could call them that, were just giant leaves formed in the shape of tipis. Everyone was skin and bone, there was no meat on any of them and their eyes were empty and full of despair.

      I clung to B-Bomb as he led me through the back ways, moving behind rocks and large piles of dirt. He shoved me aside quickly and we hid behind a large stone as men wearing robes appeared. The people gathered around them as the men, with disgusted looks on their faces, handed out stale bread and wilting vegetables. To my surprise the healthiest of the group came forward and took the food. They bowed politely then moved to the children, elderly and the sick. They fed the ones who needed it most first and by the time they were done there was barely any left for them. When they were done the ones who had gathered the food hugged their loved ones and with tears in their eyes left with the robed men.

“They are going to the temple for the experiments.”

        B-Bomb clenched his fists and anger clouded his face. I remembered the images of what the people had to go through with these ‘experiments’ but I had also felt the guilt that B-Bomb held about doing it. Taking his hand in mine I squeezed it and he gave me startled look before showing me a soft smile. As the men moved away we hurriedly moved passed the rest of the town and entered the forest. Our hands were still together as we moved through the trees and it really was beautiful. We walked for a bit in a comfortable silence before we reached a clearing and we settled down on the soft grass.

“You know…if my father ever found out that would be you right?”

“I know.”

“You were really amazing back then…I know he can be really intimidating and you were really brave.”

“I wasn’t really; it was just something I knew I had to do.”

“Here let’s get off this topic and enjoy the day! The fairies should be out soon so come here.”

    Confused, I turned to him. He pulled me closer and placed both his hands on my temples. Pulling away I immediately felt bad as I saw the hurt in his eyes. Shaking my head I pulled my courage together and settled myself back in front of him. This time he cupped my face with his hands and let out a soft sigh.

“This isn’t going to hurt I promise. It’s just to put you more at ease and not worry about things.”

“Oh…but what about you?”

      He smiled sweetly and ran his thumb over my cheek. Closing his eyes he let out a soft breath before his hands began to glow with a white light. Immediately I felt calmer. My shoulders relaxed and I felt myself sink further into the grass. I placed one of my hands on top of his and leaned into his touch. Faster than I had wanted it to, the light disappeared and I dropped my hand away from his. Pulling back he smiled brightly at me.

“Feel better? And to answer your question just being around you makes me feel more comfortable and calm.”

      I could feel the heat rise in my cheeks as stuttered what I hoped was a suitable response. Just as I was about to hide myself in the ground from the compliment something whizzed by my face. Shocked I stared down at my palm where a little girl with long blue hair and purple feathered wings sat staring up at me. She chipped and flew from my hand to come up to my face and poke my nose. She talked rapidly in a language I didn’t understand.

“Snooglecake this is U-kwon, he is a friend.”

     The little girl chirped again before coming to land back on my lap. She made wide motions and funny faces and I couldn’t help but laugh over how adorable she was. Lightly her wing with my pinky finger I could swear I heard her almost purr in delight. Soon enough more little boys and girls with feathery wings were flying all around. I was in heaven really, if it weren’t for B-Bomb giving me strange looks every time I pinched myself I could have sworn I was dreaming.

      We must have been there for hours but it felt like five minutes. I was sitting next to B-Bomb as he translated some of what the little people were saying as they flew around playing amongst themselves or dancing through my fingers. Then something wonderful happened. The all took seats, either on trees or B-Bomb and I, and they began to sing. The melody was soft it was sweet and still held a nice beat. Without noticing it I was dancing to the unknown language. It felt nice to move and dance like this again and the world just melted away as I moved to the soft tune. I could feel a pair of eyes on me but I paid no attention until the song ended and I gave a bow. When I came back to sit B-Bomb was looking at me strangely.

“What was that? The thing that you just did.”

“Um…dance? I do that often back on earth.”

“What is it?”

“You mean you don’t dance here?”

    He shook his head staring at me with wide eyes. His words didn’t really register in my mind. How could you not dance? They clearly had music so why not dance? Even the fairies seemed interested as they flew around me or landed on B-Bombs head and I had to laugh at how cute it looked. Scratching the back of my head I suddenly got an idea.

“Hey Hyung since you showed me around your realm…would you like to come see mine?”

“I would love to but what if I’m not the one that has been chosen to go through the portal?”

“Well it couldn’t hurt to try! Do you know where the portal is?”

     He nodded and pointed towards a small cave near the edge of the clearing. Taking his hand I led him to it as the fairies dispersed. Careful not to twist my ankle on the uneven stones I made my way to the back of the cave where the glowing wall was. It swam with the same blue glow as when I fell through it yesterday. Gripping his hand tight I counted to three then we jumped through the glow and just like that we were on earth.

    I landed on a flat surface and I held onto U-kwons arm to steady myself. He turned to me and flashed me a bright smile that made my heart flutter. I wonder if he has figured it out yet. Shaking the thought I followed him through the dark and dingy room. The walls were made of a strange material and the stairs made a funny sound as we walked up them. When we emerged through a hole in the floor my jaw hit the floor as I looked around. The building that we were in was made of a sort of metal I guessed and it was dirtied and empty. Turning to U-kwon I saw him scratching the back of his neck.

“Yeah this isn’t the best first impression of earth; then again I don’t live in a luxurious temple like you do. Here my house shouldn’t be more than ten minutes away. Oh and don’t be scared of my roommates they’re really loud but super nice.”

     He shot me a bright smile and led me out of the weird building. Turning to the street it was made of a strange smooth black stone. There was white painted onto some ends and I nearly fell over at the size of the buildings. All of them were nearly the size of the temple, some were even bigger! From what I know our temple is the largest structure in all of Dentheryrth and it took over a hundred years to construct, how could they have built these. We made our way through each street and I stared at the weird shops with glowing signs and it was weird that they were all inside. Turning down a final street we left the stores behind and it was all tall houses.

“Wow you live in one of these! You must be rich!”

“Haha that’s funny! No I’m not even close to rich, I rent an apartment, which takes up maybe a quarter of one of these floors and I have to share it with two other guys.”

“Oh…”

    I tried to imagine what the size would be but I found myself unable to. Tugging me down a final street I felt U-kwon pull me closer which made my heart race, even if he was just gripping my shirt. He pointed to a pair of scantily dressed women standing under a doorway. He then shifted his finger to point to a group of men sitting outside a house. They lit a stick and put it to their mouths and puffed out smoke. I wonder if they are entertainers, like when P.O does fire breathing! A sharp tug on my shirt made me look down into U-kwons now serious face and it seems I was wrong.

“Hyung, stay away from them. Those women are not nice, they will try to get you to go places with them and you DO NOT EVER go with them got it? And those men over there, they will try to get you to take things. You see that smoke? That smoke is bad, stay away from them at all cost.”

    Nodding rapidly I clung to U-kwon tighter. I had never seen him serious before except when he talked to my father so I made sure to listen to what he was saying. He quickened his pace passing by the people who called out to us but we moved too fast to hear it. Finally we made it to a house and he pulled something out of his pocket that made a jingling noise. I poked him in the arm and pointed to the contraption in his hands.

“Haha we don’t have magic in this world. To lock and unlock doors we use these, they are keys and you stick it in here and turn it like this. There we go now the doors unlocked!”

“That’s cool!”

“Hey wait! Before we go in you need a name.”

“But I already have a name, why do I need a new one?”

“Because you know how my name is Yookwon?”

“Yes but U-kwon is a normal name.”

“But B-Bomb isn’t…just listen for a second this will help you trust me…how about…Minhyuk? Yes! Lee Minhyuk. How does that sound?”

“Min…hyuk?”

“Yes!”

“My name is Lee Minhyuk.”

      He smiled brightly and I couldn’t help but smile back, although I found the name weird as long as it made U-kwon happy. We walked up another flight of weird stairs then down a hallway until we reached the door at the end. U-kwon pulled out his contraption of keys and placed one in and the door made a click sound. We went in and stared wide eyes at the place. There was fluffy looking seating along one wall and a weird box on a table. There was another larger table on one side then another room with weird shelving units and white contraptions everywhere. Shuffling further inside I saw a long hallway with three doors. Walking back to U-kwon I tugged lightly at his sleeve before I heard a yell.

“KIM YOOKWON!”

“Oh this isn’t good.”

     I stared puzzled as another man, probably the same height as U-kwon, stormed in. He had black hair and weird rectangles over his eyes. He was also wearing something that was similar to what U-kwon was wearing when I first found him. The man ran forward and jumped on U-kwon. I stared honestly confused to if this was a normal greeting on earth. U-kwon had a grimace and he seemed to be in pain so this couldn’t be right.

“KIM YOOKWON DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I WAS!? YOU STUPID IDIOT ATLEAST IF YOU’RE GOING TO SLEEP OVER AT YOUR BOYFRIENDS HOUSE GIVE US A CALL! YOU KNOW IT’S DANGEROUS! BY THE WAY WHEN DID YOU GET A BOYFRIEND!? WHEN DID YOU PLAN ON TELLING US THIS!? STUPID AGGH!”

“Kyung baby, please calm down. Isn’t this good news? Kwonnie is safe and he has a boyfriend so he will leave us alone more often.”

     Another voice interrupted the one yelling as another man walked in. He had short blonde hair but he was taller than me. He came over and pulled the shorter man away from U-kwon and wrapped his arms around his waist placing a kiss on his cheek. Shuffling over to U-kwon I tugged at his sleeve again and he finally looked at me, giving me an apologetic smile.

“Kyung, Zico this isn’t my boyfriend. This is my friend Minhyuk-hyung, he let me stay at his place last night and I’m sorry for not calling but it was late and we sort of lost track of time.”

“If you say so Kwonnie. Hi Minhyuk-hyung, is it okay if I call you that? I’m Kyung and this is my boyfriend Jiho but you can call him Zico.”

“Hello and no I don’t mind if you call me that.”

“Perfect now are you coming to class Kwonnie?”

“Oh no I was thinking of just spending the day with Minhyuk. By the way, would it be okay if he stays over?”

“As long as you two don’t make too much noise in that bed then I don’t mind, what about you Zico?”

“Just a friend eh?”

“Aiish why don’t you two get to class before you’re late?”

       The two gave us a weird look before grabbing bags and running out of the door. U-kwon sighed and turned to me scratching the back of his head. With a sigh he took my hand which shot sparks down my arm as he led me through the hall and to the room furthest on the right. He cursed under his breath and quickly gathered up some clothes from the floor and shoved them into a corner. The room was small but nice. It had blue walls and a large fluffy looking bed with a table beside it. There was another table on the other wall with a weird flat contraption sitting on it and next to that was a weird red looking thing that resembled a lute but not so much.

        U-kwon turned to me throwing me some clothes and I turned away blushing as I fiddled with the new clothes. Soon I was dressed in a comfortable pair of what he called jeans and a white shirt which I appreciated greatly. Turning to him he was wearing jeans also but he had on a purple shirt instead. It made me smile seeing him move around with confidence and familiarity instead of following me like a lost puppy although I did miss him clinging to my arm.

     He shot me a kind smile before taking me into the room with the weird shelves. He said it was the kitchen and he spent the rest of the morning teaching me what the stove, fridge and microwave were. By the end of it we had made a food called eggs and bacon and I was so hungry I practically inhaled it. When we finished I helped him put the plates into the dishwasher.

“So you have three choices. We can go down town, to the school or to my work…on second thought you have one choice we are going downtown.”

      He gave me a pair of shoes to wear and we left his house. I clung to his arm the entire walk but it was nice and nearly twenty minutes later we were in a busier street than the one before. Everyone was wearing different styled clothing and all the shops were inside. The place was huge and many people were walking around. I felt a tug on my wrist and I followed him into a small bakery. It smelled delicious and bread and little cakes were displayed behind the class. U-kwon moved up to the cash and asked for something. He pointed to some tables outside and he asked me to go wait for him there.

     Soon enough he came out holding a green cake and two drinks with stuff in it. He placed it in front of me and I stared at the weird fluffy green thing, wondering if something of that colour was edible. When I asked what it was he waved me off and encouraged me to try it. With a sigh I took the fork and tried a bit. It was very fluffy and had a nice flavour to it. It was sweet but not too much and the cream was smooth against my tongue. Wondering what the pink drink in front of me was I took a sip and I let a moan escape my lips, which I immediately clamped shut. Glancing up I saw U-kwon chuckling and I pouted.

“Okay so this green thing you were so hesitant to eat is green tea cake and this pink drink is strawberry bubble tea. Here try some of mine its chocolate.”

“Wow it’s really good also!”

     He smiled and we continued eating the cake and I was thoroughly enjoying my time when suddenly I felt someone cheer. Glancing up from my beautiful green dessert I saw cardboard laid out on a stage while a black box sang out music. A group of maybe five boys and girls were doing some cool moves on the cardboard. I was fascinated. It was like what U-kwon had done with the fairies but this music had more of a beat and the moves were more powerful. Looking up to U-kwon I saw his face light up.

“You know when I said that I was dancing?”

“Yes.”

“Well that is dancing also. That is hip hop and that’s what I’m really good at.”

“Why don’t you join them?”

“Do you think I should?”

       I nodded excitedly and he stood from his seat and walked over to the group. He went to one of the boys and talked to him and the boy nodded and motioned towards the makeshift stage. As U-kwon stepped out onto the stage I was so shocked I completely forgot the heavenly dessert in front of me and just watched as his body moved. It was smooth but at the same time powerful. His moves were sharp but fluid and he timed everything perfect to the beat. I was mesmerised and so was the crowd as he danced. When the song ended he bowed to everyone and made his way towards me.

“Come on Hyung lets go home, I still haven’t showed you the wonders of a TV!”

     He took my hand and I was still so surprised I could just stumble after him. When we reached his house we sat on the more than comfortable couch as he called it. I found myself leaning against him as he the box he called a TV. I thought I could do magic but so could U-kwon! Different picture were flying on the screen, some in languages I have never heard before. I sat riveted as we watched something he called a drama.

       After the show ended I stood and played with my fingers. There was something I wanted to ask but it was really embarrassing considering I’m supposed to be naturally talented at everything, at least that’s what my dad says. U-kwon sat at the edge of his seat and I could tell he knew I wanted something but he waited patiently for me to say it. Mustering up my courage I blurted it out in a rush.

“Will you teach me how to dance?”

“On two conditions.”

“Huh two? That doesn’t seem fair…what are they?”

“One, you teach me how to talk to fairies.”

“Okay deal and the second one?”

“You become my friend.”

“U-kwon you oaf that one was a given.”

    I smiled happily as I gave him a hug. He was warm and I would have been happy to stay in his embrace but we quickly parted as he moved to some machine and turned it on so that music came out. I wonder when he will notice…I hope it is soon. I shook myself out of my thoughts as he moved beside me showing me some simple moves.

        Trying my best to copy him I listened to him patiently as he taught me. He was a good teacher I’ll give him that. It also helped that every time he would touch me to show me the right it would send butterflies to my stomach. Soon enough I realised that dancing was really fun and U-kwon said I was a natural and was getting the moves down quickly. It made me feel good to make him proud.

      When we were done practicing U-kwon got a call on something called a cell phone and he said his roommates weren’t going to be home until really late. So we made something called a Frozen Meal which is just food that you put into the microwave machine and it makes it for you. It’s also surprisingly good!

     When we had polished off our plates we put them into the trash and made our way back to his room. I took a seat on the bed as he walked over the thing that looked like a lute. He plugged something into it and then took a seat next to me. He was smiling brightly as he fiddled with the things at the top of it and I watched contently. Finally he turned to me and grabbed a little doo hickey off of the table beside his bed.

“This is an electric guitar it plays music.”

“So like a lute?”

“Yes something like that but it makes a really different sound, here listen.”

      He moved the little thing along the strings and it made a powerful noise. It wasn’t an unpleasant noise; in fact it was quite enjoyable. As U-kwon played I noticed my body moving to the beat and soon enough I was putting to practice what he had taught me. We were both laughing by the end of it and were just lying in his bed talking about our lives and I was surprisingly comfortable. He lent me some clothes to sleep in and we crawled under his blankets then I suddenly remembered something that made me frown.

“Tomorrow I have to go back…I have classes that I need to attend, plus my father is probably already angry at me skipping afternoon extra training.”

“And I have to go to school, I can’t miss two days in a row…what should we do?”

“In the afternoon do you want to come back to Dentheryrth and come see the mermaids sing?”

“Wait you have mermaids also!?”

“Haha of course silly! I suggest you bring a bathing suit and some sort of weapon because mermaids can be like those women outside. They try to lure you place and many people drown if they aren’t prepared.”

“That doesn’t sound very safe or pleasant.”

“But there songs are the most beautiful things ever plus I’ll be there! I’ll always protect you.”

        It’s been three months, three whole months since I stumbled through that portal. Every afternoon either B-Bomb or I would go over to the other realm and we would spend the night there. We would do innocent things not what Zico and Kyung have been suggesting every time I come home tired. Really Dentheryrth was beautiful and full of magic. Heck B-Bomb was magical. With his powers he taught me how to talk to fairies in less than a minute! Those little fairies were smart if really sneaky.

      Tonight it’s his turn to come here. I’m going to take him to see the fireflies over the lake in the park. It really is beautiful and magical in its own special way. It’s going to be really nice, wait! What should I wear? Rushing into my bedroom I started rummaging through my closet and I had no idea what would look nice. B-Bomb always looked nice, whether it was in his robes that showed off but a bit of his chest and toned arms or how he filled out the clothes that I had let him borrow. Either way he always looked good. Hold up, why am I thinking this? Argh this dimension changing must be messing with me.

“Hey Kyung! What should I wear for tonight?”

“Just wear the robes you always wear when you go over. It’s not like you look bad in them.”

    I groaned and padded my wait out to the living room. Having to tell Zico and Kyung that I was travelling through a portal when they found my robes I kept for when I went to visit B-Bomb was a little more than hard. I had to wait the whole day until B-Bomb could come and use his powers, which frightened the poor couple for a good minute and made B-Bomb feel awful, before they would believe me. Standing in front of Kyung I held up a white button up shirt and a blue plaid one.

“Which one.”

“Neither.”

“What!?”

“Where are you going?”

“To the lake to watch the fireflies, I want to show him our version of fairies.”

“Awww romantic! Okay then go with your plain blue one, the light blue one with the little designs on the collar and cuffs.”

“Thanks Kyung and we’re just friends!”

“Sure sure.”

       With a sigh I found the shirt Kyung suggest and put it on, cursing my friends fashion sense because it did look good on me. I heard the door close as Kyung and Zico left on their date and I flopped on my bed. I tried to picture the night; B-Bomb and I walking along the pathway, lit by the dim lanterns and the stars. We could be holding hands…wait no. We would be walking and stop just as the little balls of light would appear. His face would light up like it always does when he sees something new. He’s really cute when he does that…then maybe I would lean my head on his shoulder…wait! I’m sounding like a lovesick teenage girl. Standing up I straightened my shirt and stood in front of my mirror.

“Alright Yookwon. Now you are straight and you do not love the son of a clergy priest. You do not; I repeat DO NOT love a telekinetic from a different realm. You do not like B-Bomb.”

      No I love him. Groaning I flopped myself on my bed and started the interior argument in my head. No I do not like B-Bomb. You keep saying’ like’ because you can’t deny that you love him. You know what!? Yes I can. I do NOT love Minhyuk. That’s cheap that’s the name you gave him. Face it you can’t deny that you love B-BOMB! With a groan I flipped myself onto my back as I finally manned up and faced the truth.

“I’m so screwed. I love B-Bomb. I LOVE B-BOMB!”

“Told you so!”

“KYUNG!”

“Sorry forgot my wallet, at least you finally admitted it to yourself idiot.”

“Love you too!”

“Hey he’s mine!”

“Would you two go on your date already!?”

“Alright bye lover boy!”

        As the door closed I fell back on my bed. He’s going to be here in about an hour. I got ready way too early for this. Plugging my headphones into my ears I set my iPod to shuffle and just listened to the music. I hadn’t even noticed how tired I was but the long nights without sleep were finally catching up with me. With a sigh I rolled over in my bed. I have plenty of time to take a nap.

        I woke up to my alarm and slammed the snooze. Yawning I looked around and was surprised to see I was wearing jeans my blue dress shirt. Shaking my head I stood to get ready for school then I remembered why I was dressed like that. Wait did I sleep through our date, I mean get together? I must have but B-Bomb would have woken me up if I did…did he come last night? My stomach was doing flip flops and I felt nervous. Shaking it off I got ready for school. He will come tonight that’s for sure.

       The day passed by slowly and now it was 2am and B-Bomb still hadn’t shown up. This was worrying me. If something came up and he was going to be late he would always talk to me through telekinesis, which is really cool. Never before has he not sent word and never before has he missed one of our get togethers. Something was terribly wrong and I needed to find out now! Heck I needed to know yesterday so I could have fixed it before I would have to worry about it now.

      Grabbing the purple and silver robes I quickly put them on and shoved my feet into my shoes. If I was running a race I would have beat the world record over how fast I got to the portal. Without hesitation I walked through it, careful not to trip on the uneven floor of the cave. Emerging into the moonlit clearing I got an idea and started knocking on the tree trunks. After what felt like ages a small head of blue hair fluttered over to me.

“Hey Snooglecake do you know where B-Bomb is?”

      She tilted her head to the side and looked at me with pensive purple eyes. Raising her tiny little finger in the air she motioned for me to wait where I was. She flew up and out of the clearing and up to a willow wisp. These mostly came out at night and were more like ghostly jellyfish that swim in the air. Snooglecake flew in circles above the ghostly figure, chirping loudly to it. When she finished it shook its tentacles and little sparkles fell from them. In a whirlwind they spun around getting faster and faster until the whole sky above the clearing was covered by blue sparkles. The sight was truly breath taking, if only I knew where B-Bomb was I would be able to enjoy it.

    Suddenly my feet were lifted from the floor and Snooglecake flew beside me as the sand carried me along its winds. We flew high over the emerald trees and past the forest to an almost barren area. Peering through the sparkles and darkness I could make out the mountains and mountains of dirt and rubble. The sand startle to swirl down and that’s when I saw the figure. It was lying face down and its tattered white robes stood out in contrast to the dark dirt. I could hear my heart beat ringing in my ears as I was dropped next to B-Bomb.

        Scrambling over to him I flipped him onto his back and gasped. His clothes were barely more than rags covering his body. Dried blood covered practically every inch of his pale body and his face was black and blue. He had multiple smaller cuts all along his body but there was one large one along his chest that was still bleeding. Thinking rapidly I grabbed my robes and tore a clean strip from them and using my belt, fastened it tightly around it. Turning to Snooglecake I begged her to get the wood elves. She nodded once then disappeared in a flash.

“Hey Hyung! Hey you crazy telekinetic wake up! Who did this to you? You know if you don’t wake up I’ll go and beat up whoever did. You always told me to go with you because I’m non-gifted. Well if you don’t wake up I’ll go! I swear I will!”

     Sobs raked my body as I pressed the cloth harder on his chest. Tears were streaming from my eyes but I kept yelling threats and cursing the elves, the fairies anyone because all I needed was for my B-Bomb to be okay. Something poked my cheek and I turned to see the stocky wood elves with a sleigh made of pine wood and pulled by jack rabbits. With the help of the wisps sand I was able to place B-Bomb onto the sleigh and strap him down with the vines of a willow tree. Snooglecake translated that we needed to take him to the temple of Ellira, quick.

       As the elves sped off, their light footed jack rabbits speeding through the dirt and trees with ease, I hopped onto the sand and headed for the temple. The wisp held me high outside one of top window of the dormitory. Using all of my strength I lunged forward and broke through the window. There was a loud scream and suddenly flames flew around me. I shrieked and pulled away from the light before the flames could touch me. Glancing up I met the eyes of a startled and frightened P.O.

“P.O what the hell are you doing here!? This isn’t even your room!”

“Oh Ellira U-kwon you scared me! What the Geth are you doing jumping through a window in the middle of the night!?”

“It doesn’t matter where is Taeil!? Put your shoes on lets go!”

“U-kwon what in the name of—“

“I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS B-BOMB IS HURT REALLY BADLY AND MIGHT DIE SO GET YOUR SORE BUTTS OUT OF BED THIS SECOND!”

     With this the two flew out of bed and put on their shoes not even bothering to grab a coat before sprinting out of the room. I led the way, dashing through the halls I had practically memorised since I came here. When we finally reached the courtyard the elves had placed B-Bomb on a blanket of large leaves while Snooglecake held pressure over his wound.

      Taeil kept a straight face as he got to work on the wounds, his hands glowing a steady green. Shuffling over to the tiny fairy I held her in my hand and told her to thank the others and that they could go.  She nodded her head sadly and fluttered to the others. As soon as she was off my palm I collapsed next to B-Bomb holding his limp hand in mine.

       I was incredibly thankful for Taeil as I saw the gaping wound closing nicely until there was only a faint pink scar that would fade with time. His other scrapes and bruises were also healing nicely. When he was done Taeil stood and wobbled falling back into the strong arms of P.O. Shooting off the ground I embraced him in a crushing hug, tears still falling down my face. When we finally pulled apart P.O lifted Taeil into his arms and carried the tired healer back to his rooms.

     Hearing a groan behind me I jumped immediately and came down to cup his face as his eyes fluttered opened. His hazel eyes looked around before falling on me and I smiled, the tears still falling. Grabbing his hand I squeezed it tight as I moved the hair from his face. A soft smile graced his lips as he gave a weak squeeze of his hand. Chuckling lightly I pressed my forehead to his, so thankful that he was still breathing, that he would be okay.

“Hey silly, good morning.”

“U-kwon, you’re crying.”

“Of course I’m crying! You didn’t come see me for two days and I come here to find you practically dead out in the desert.”

      Trying to keep my voice calm I slowly rubbed his arm soothingly as he played with the ends of my tattered robes. My head was spinning a mile a minute. So much had happened in the past 15 minutes that I just wanted to curl up next to B-Bomb on my couch and watch TV like we always did. A cool hand pressed against my cheek as he wiped away my tears and I smiled, leaning into the touch.

“You really scared me you know.”

“I know, I’m sorry.”

“As long as you’re okay that’s all that matters. How did you even wind up like this my all powerful telekinetic?”

“There was a rogue necromancer. He seemed easy enough so they sent me after him. It was all very easy, almost too easy to defeat him. When I went for the final blow, he was ready. He conjured a scythe and sliced me down my chest. He put his life force into the blow so when I used my powers it bounced back against me. He tried to take over my soul but I didn’t let him and in the end his life force wasn’t enough to sustain the spell and he fell straight to Geth.”

“At least you sent him to hell.”

“Haha yeah. So, how did I get back here anyway? My father said if I didn’t return he wouldn’t send a search party.”

“I asked Snooglecake to get the elves and wisps to help me. What do you mean your father—“

“It’s custom. When you leave for a mission, you come back when it’s complete or you don’t come back at all. That is the code.”

“But you completed your mission! You defeated him; you would have bled out for days even!”

“It doesn’t matter. If you cannot make it back it is considered a mission failed no matter if you were able to get them or not.”

      I sighed massaging my temples as a head ache came on. Glowing hands came under mine and I immediately felt the ache fade away. I sighed in relief then glared down at the man smirking on the still bloodied tiles of the courtyard. Lightly slapping his arm I placed my forehead against his.

“You idiot. You shouldn’t be using your powers right after you were pulled from the edge of death.”

“But I feel so much better! And I hate seeing you in pain, even if it’s the smallest thing. It hurts me more that I caused you to cry.”

“You really should feel bad. Now you know never to do it again and you can thank Taeil-hyung for healing you.”

“That’s not it.”

“Hm?”

“The reason I feel so much better is because you are here. You came and saved me, you cared enough to come and search for me when no one else would have.”

“Of course I would, I love you.”

          I shot my head up and clamped my hands over my mouth. Please tell me I didn’t just say that. Really I just accepted my feelings and uality two days ago and now I’m admitting them to a man who just came back from the dead, great really romantic Yookwon. Gold star for trying. Where’s the nearest rabbit hold I could jump—

      My thoughts were interrupted as a pair of chapped and split lips pressed against mine. B-Bomb pulled away and moved a hair out of my eyes. He pulled himself up into a complete sitting position and cupped my still stunned face within his bruised hands. A cheeky smile crept its way onto its lips before he pressed his lips to mine again. This time I responded, moving my lips in sync against his. I pulled away first, a little out of breath and stared wide eyed at him.

“I have been waiting for you to realise this since the day we met!”

“Wait what!? Realise what?”

“Well you remember when I said P.O has the power of energy?”

“And fire yes.”

“Well that also means the energy between two people. So in a way he kind of predicted this and I accidentally read his mind so I knew it was going to happen and OW! HEY I’m wounded!”

“And NO ONE bothered to tell ME this LITTLE detail!?”

        I sighed dropping my hand as B-Bomb rubbed the spot I hit on his shoulder. He pouted at me, giving me puppy dog eyes and I groaned. Leaning forward I placed a quick peck on his lips and he smiled like a little kid. He clapped his hands and jumped to his feet although he wobbled and I had to quickly stand to catch him again. Once we were steady he shot me a thumbs up and I couldn’t help but chuckle how he could go from serious to child in a matter of seconds.

“I love you.”

         It was a sunny day as I emerged through the portal. Is was a weekend for U-kwon and also his birthday so I had faked ill and managed to escape through the portal. The animals called birds were chirping and I couldn’t help but twirl and skip to their tune. It has been four wonderful months that we have been together and cheesy as it sounds, I couldn’t be happier. Turning down the final street I straightened myself out and in my best father impression marched right by the men making smoke out of sticks and up to U-kwons door just as Zico and Kyung were leaving.

“Hey Minhyuk-hyung! You’re here for Yookwons birthday right?”

“Hey Kyung. Yes where are you two going?”

“Well you know the park that we’re hosting Yookwons surprise party at?”

“Yes of course I have to bring him there for…8:30?”

“Yes! Well we’re just going to set up. Don’t get too rowdy!”

“Zico I swear—“

“I know, I know responsible Minhyuk-hyung we get it”

“Good.”

        Waving to them as they walked down the street I used my key to open the door. The great thing about keys is you could copy them and give them to people if they needed it, such wonderful inventions! Making my way up the stairs I tucked my present inside my jacket pocket and knocked on the door. I could hear the thump of footsteps from the other side of the door and I had to smile. Moving to the side I pressed my back against the side where the door opened. When it opened U-kwon stepped out into the hallway and frowned. Just as he was going to turn around I wrapped my arms around his waist and spun him around. He let out a yelp of surprise but soon chuckled as his feet were reunited with the floor. Spinning around in my arms he kissed me, wrapping his arms around my neck. Circling my arms around his slim waist I pulled him closer. I could never get tired of this. When we reluctantly pulled away he let me into his apartment and we twirled around the small living room.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY U-KWON!!!”

“Hey I’m sure the neighbors can hear you.”

“Hopefully! Maybe they’ll make us cookies.”

“You’re such a kid sometimes.”

“Only because you bring out the best in me!”

        He laughed and I swear it was the most beautiful sound in the world, yes even better than a mermaid singing. We continued to dance around the room just talking and enjoying each other’s company for what seemed like five minutes but had really been an hour. Falling down on the couch I pulled him onto my lap and nuzzled my nose into his neck. He was playing with my fingers lazily when I remembered what was in my jacket pocket.

“Oh! U-kwon I have something for you!”

“That’s right! Hold on a second.”

           He jumped up from my lap and raced through the hall into his room. I stared puzzled at the birthday boy as I heard him cursing around in his room. Shrugging it off I went to my jacket that l had half hazardously thrown onto the floor. Searching around for a second I produced a small leather bag. Smiling to myself I settled back down on the couch as my boyfriend jogged down the hallway and sat back down on my lap. Confused I looked at the black box in his hand.

“Since we missed your birthday I got you something also!”

“U-kwon!”

“Before you say anything, yes I did. I’m your boyfriend now open it!”

          Puffing out my cheeks I looked at the stubborn boy on my lap as I took the box. Shifting its lid off the top I gasped as I saw the purple device sitting on the Styrofoam platform. I knew what it was; U-kwon had taught me how to use his some months ago. Pressing the center button of the iPod the screen lit up and when I unlocked it I couldn’t help but smile. The background was a picture of us we had taken on one of our dates. We were both smiling and holding up the peace sign to the camera. It was cute and dorky just like us. Although it still confuses me how he got it from his phone to here.

“Here check the songs.”

        Flipping through the iPod I found the music and couldn’t help but squeeze him tighter. All the songs we danced to were on it. Right from the song where he had danced on the card board boxes right up to our last date when he tried to teach me how to pop and lock. Pulling him into a kiss I nearly forgot the leather bag that lay right by my side. Breaking away I heard him whine in protest but I only smiled as I placed the bag in his hand. He stared confused before he opened it revealing a plain metal ring with one white gem on the top. His eyes sparkled and he seemed really happy. Funny it hasn’t gotten to the best part yet. When he put it on his finger I took his hand and brought it to my lips. Whispering the incantation I kissed the shining jewel. He gave me a confused looks as the ring glowed with my magic then dimmed back to normal.

“What did you do?”

“Well you know how you were always so eager to learn new languages and communicate with all the creatures?”

“Well yeah.”

“Well this ring makes it so that no matter where you are or what you’re doing, if you have this on you can communicate with any animal, human or mythical creature. It’s like a personal translator but better and more convenient.”

           His eyes lit up and he pulled me into a crushing hug. Giving him a quick peck on the lips I pushed the hair from his eyes. Glancing at the clock behind I nearly screamed. Hustling him around the house I blurted some random nonsense about going on a walk to see the stars. He was looking at me quizzically as I shoved his jacket towards him. Shrugging he pulled it on and out the door we went no later than 8:15.

        Going at a little faster pace than usual I dragged him through the streets. I had learned to map my way through this place fairly easy and the park is only about four blocks away. Turning into an alley I felt a tight grip on my arm and I turned to see a frightened U-kwon. Facing back in front of me I saw a group of men, clearly intoxicated in front of us. The fear on U-kwons face scared me, we walked by drunkards all the time, why was this group so different?

“Hey guys! Here he is!”

“Run!”

        I didn’t protest as U-kwon grabbed my arm and started weaving in and out of the back alleys. He was still running at top speed as we reached a dead end. He cursed and turned back to the men who were breathing hard and glaring at us. Pulling U-kwon behind me I glared at the men wobbling in front of us.

“This little prick caused us so much trouble! We only wanted to have a bit of fun and then you went and ran away. Heck we thought we killed you when you fell down those stairs. Next thing we know you’re all well and walking around. Now we can’t have you involving the police now can we?”

       His tone sent chills down my spine and I could feel U-kwon grip tighter onto my jacket. These men had already hurt my U-kwon once and by Ellira I was not going to let them do it again. Before I really had time to think things through the men were all on the ground gripping their heads. Pulling the one who had spoken up with my mind I brought his face mere centimeters in front of mine as I spoke.

“Listen, you ever come near him again you’ll have me to deal with, got it?”

      I didn’t wait for a response before I dropped the man from my grip and released the others from my spell. Grabbing U-kwons hand I lifted us above the men because I didn’t want him anywhere near them for even a second more. When we were finally far away I dropped down and cupped his face, wiping away the few tears that had escaped there.

“Hey there’s no need to cry they won’t bother you anymore. Were they the ones that attacked you when I first found you?”

    He nodded slowly and I pulled him into a soothing hug. Lacing my hand in his auburn hair I sent a soothing spell to him and soon he stopped sobbing. Pulling back a bit I placed a tender kiss on his forehead then another on his lips. When we pulled apart he was smiling and I led him to where the others were waiting, hoping that the party would lighten his mood and it seemed to do just that. When we crawled into bed at the end of the day he came up next to me and placed his head on my chest. My new iPod was playing a slow song in the background while I gently felt over the ring on his finger.

“Hyung, thanks for the amazing birthday and always being there for me.”

“I’ll always be there for you because you never gave up on me.”

“I love you.”

      The next morning I woke up to U-kwon shaking me awake. When I said I always wanted to wake up to U-kwon next to me this wasn’t exactly what I pictured. Groggily I checked the time to find that it was 6am. Spinning around to glare at U-kwon I stopped when I saw the panic in his eyes. Jumping up from bed I followed him over to Zico and Kyung staring down at the computer. Peering behind their shoulders I gasped. They were watching a video of us; it was from last night in the alley and it clearly shows me using my powers. I cursed and paced around the room. I didn’t know anyone was there! I wasn’t thinking I just wanted to get U-kwon out of there!

“That’s not the worse part.”

“Zico, I fail to see how this could get any worse.”

“Well the government is getting involved.”

“How do you know!?”

“Um advanced computer engineering and coding! When they took the video down I had just enough time to hack through before they set up the firewalls. It seems the government wants to get their hands on you.”

“Really this can’t get worse!”

      Just then there was a knock on the door and I heard U-kwon curse to ‘mischief gods.’ Kyung shot up and went to the door, peering through the peep hole.  His face visibly paled as he motioned for us to run. Reading his mind quickly I grabbed U-kwon by the arm and sprinted out the back. Throwing his window open I wrapped my arms around his waist and jumped, slowing us just in time not to make a big splat on the floor. Taking his hand I started running again before ducking into the inside of a doorway.

“Hyung…what’s…going…on?”

“They…found us.”

     We managed to speak through our heavy breathing. When I felt that the coast was clear we started sprinting again. I sent a silent prayer to Ellira that Zico and Kyung will be alright but they were tough. Slipping onto a main street I was hoping that we would be able to blend in but there was no one around. Spinning in a circle my breath caught as I found that we were surrounded. For once couldn’t the government think it was a simple parlor trick?

“Come with us calmly and we won’t harm you.”

        A man dressed in swat gear besides the helmet stepped forward holding a megaphone. U-kwon gripped at my arm but I held his hand. They would be honorable right? Prying his fingers from my arm I took a step towards the man. I saw that the others still had their guns raised and pointed at me but I pushed it aside. Stepping forward I stopped when I was about a meter away from U-kwon. Turning back to U-kwon I smiled softly raising my hand and pointing to my ring finger, silently telling him to always hold me close. His eyes were watering as he the band on his finger. Shifting my attention back to the man I froze. His thoughts flew at me in a blur. Ring…Danger…must get it…all cost…

        Within seconds his gun was raised pointed straight at me and I froze. There was a scream behind me. Footsteps flew by me and a bang rang out. The heart wrenching shrieked reached my ears too late as U-kwon fell to his knees clutching at his arm. The man had been aiming for me seeing as it barely grazed the top of his shoulder. The same blind rage from before hit me as I sent the man and the rest of his troops flying back. A searing head ache was starting to form behind my eyes but I pushed it back, racing forward to grab U-kwon by his healthy arm. Pulling him up we raced through the streets until we reached the same old warehouse. Ducking inside we flew over to the hatch in the floor. With hurried steps we made it down the stairs and sprinted to the portal, finally making it through.

 

---

 

          It has been five months, five months since B-Bomb and I have escaped to Dentheryrth. I was now living as a visiting seer from Rakith and I spent most of my days either with B-Bomb or in the forest when he was off studying. With a sigh I dropped myself onto the grass letting it softly tickle my cheeks with each passing breeze. The sky always seemed to be clear here, it made me wonder how anything grew without the rain. Snooglecake came and stood on my chest, showing me a routine she had recently learned from the sprites. She was cute, twirling in her dress of tulip petals. Suddenly she took a bad step and tripped over her feet, landing on her with a soft squeak. I couldn’t help but laugh but then I felt my chest tighten and sadness flooded over me.

     Kyung had always been a bit clumsy; it just made me remember him and Zico. I missed them; they really were like my second family in a way. Luckily with the help of B-Bombs powers I was able to send them a message, saying that we were alright but the strain it had on me not to mention B-Bomb, kept us from trying to contact them again. With a groan I flipped onto my stomach, ignoring the curses the annoyed fairy shot my way. Poking one of the purple flowers that dotted the field I wondered what they could be doing as an arm s around my waist.

“What’s wrong U-kwon?”

“Nothing, I was just thinking about Kyung and Zico.”

“I’m sorry…”

“How many times have I said you shouldn’t be apologising over this?”

“356? But it’s true, if I had been able to control my powers the government would have never found out and we wouldn’t have had to escape to here.”

“And the men would have beaten me and killed me and left me somewhere to be forgotten over time. Seriously stop beating yourself up over it!”

      He smiled shyly and nodded, placing a quick kiss on my forehead. With a clap of his hands he pulled me up and led me through the forest. Following the same path as always, we travelled through the lower city and back through the hole in the wall. Changing back into our robes we entered the temple through the back door and back up to his dorm through the spiral staircase in the entrance way.

      When we arrived Taeil and P.O were already inside. Taeil was sitting comfortably on the younger’s lap as he read over a book while P.O was playing with his flames in his hands. When they saw us enter they put their studies away. We sat comfortably, talking about random non-sense around the temple. The mood was lighthearted and comfortable like it always was. Suddenly the door opened and my breath caught in my throat.

“Father!”

     We all scrambled to our feet and bowed politely; one hand fisted over our hearts the other open, palm facing him. When we rose again he nodded his head politely looking us over before his gaze landed on me. I froze, his gaze piercing and I felt my entire body become hot. With a wave of his hand he motioned for P.O and Taeil to leave. They bowed again and shot us worried glances before they made their way out. With the same hand he motioned for us to take a seat on the bed while he pulled out the chair from B-Bombs desk and took a seat facing us.

“U-kwon, you are a seer is that correct?”

“It is sir.”

“That is good. Have you learned to control your vision into coming whenever you wish?”

“No I have not, sir.”

“Pity. Here, if you come with me I will show you to one of the masters and they will teach you how. It would be good for my son to be around a learned seer. Why don’t you come with me?”

“Yes sir.”

         Pushing myself off the bed I shot B-Bomb a panicked look as I followed his father out the door. We walked along the long hallway in silence. We would pass by many students, all of them giving a polite bow before walking ever so slightly faster past us. Fear was eating away at me and I could barely fight the fear to turn around and run back to the safety that was B-Bomb. My mind was beginning to wander as I almost walked into his father as he stopped at a door.

       Glancing around I noticed that I hadn’t been in this part of the temple before. He pushed the door open and we entered a large cement room that looked more like a dungeon than anything else. The walls and floor were bare; the only thing there was the three men standing off to one side and the door we had entered by. Following B-Bombs father I took note that two of the men were wearing green robes and one was wearing blue robes. Once in the middle of the room B-Bombs father turned and gave such a look of hatred and disgust I wanted to throw up.

“I know you’re a non-gifted and you will be treated as such. My son will be punished for this and you are not to see him. You shall be returned to the lower city where you belong; in the mean time you have business here.”

     Just like that he strode over to the door and slammed it with a loud bang, leaving me behind with the three men. My knees buckled and my knees collided with the floor. The pain barely registered as I repeated the man’s words. My brain refused to process them; it had been five months what had tipped him off!? Everything had been fine! I just don’t understand! My mind was so muddled and screaming so many different things at me that I hadn’t noticed the men step forward until one of them spoke. Shooting my head up I scrambled backwards as I was met with the face of one wearing blue robes, less than an inch away.

“Now you get to train on a real life candidate. We will fill his lungs with water and you have to save him. Remember what I taught you.”

       The young boy looking no older than ten nodded and stared excitedly at me as if I were a piece of cake about to be presented to him.  Shooting up on my feet I made a run for it but shrieked as a searing pain shot through my neck. Tumbling forward I clutched at my nape, pulling my hand away to see it covered in blood. Spinning around I saw the water mage step towards me, the whip still in his hand. Crying out I tried to dodge it but every time I was met with a hard blow. By the end of it I was lying bloodied on the frigid floor. My clothes were shredded and I was bleeding from multiple gashes. My body was limp and every soft touch from the cloth rustling my skin sent a new wave of pain through my body.

       The man placed the whip by my face as he knelt by me. Dragging me up I cried out as he threw me down onto my back. Placing his hands on my chest I felt a weird sensation flood my throat then it began to get painful. My lungs were aching and crying out. Gripping at his wrists on my chest I screamed as I felt them filling with water. Coughing and clawing at his arms I pleaded between my gasps for him to release me.

“Remember what I taught you, now go.”

         The man above me moved and soon the face of the boy appeared above my teary eyes. Placing his hands where the other mans were they began glowing green. Clawing at the floor I felt the water rise painfully in my esophagus and I began coughing out blood and water over the floor. I was starting to feel relief as sputtered out more of the repulsive liquid. A new feeling came over me as he moved his hands lower. My insides were twisting and contracting and I felt like I was going to implode. Desperately I fought to move his hands but I was too weak.

      Everything was beginning to fade out when I felt another pair of hands on my torso. The pain came back tenfold and I cried out until my voice broke. My silent please and screams were ignored by the healer as he worked to remedy the damage done by the apprentice. A few moments later he retracted his hands and I lay there in a pool of water and my own blood. Curling up into a ball I sobbed silently as my vocal cords strained to create a sound.

       Suddenly the door flew open. I didn’t bother to look until I saw the three mages flung against the wall and a familiar hand cupping my face. Fresh tears sprung to my eyes as I gazed up at the concerned face of my boyfriend. He brushed the hair from my face and took count of my injuries. Cursing to himself I felt my body being lifted gently until I was placed softly on his back. With a quick apology sent my way he started sprinting down the halls. With each movements pain coursed through my body and I was almost thankful for abusing my voice so I wouldn’t cry out every time.

            Within minutes that felt like hours we made it to the back entrance where P.O and Taeil stood. They both gasped at my state and Taeil quickly set to work. He couldn’t do much, only enough to get to walk and talk again. Dropping down onto unsteady legs I gripped B-Bombs shoulder until I was steady. We all looked to each other as footsteps echoed down the hallway we just came. Shooting out the door P.O set a spell that had flames at the door and its surrounding stones to stall the men a little.

         Sprinting through the main city we quickly made it to the spot in the stone that was the doorway to the lower town. B-Bomb placed his hands on the stone and practically obliterated the wall as we dashed through. Speeding through we pushed people out of the way as we went until we reached the opening of the forest. We were shouting to the creatures nearby in all sorts of languages. One by one they came out and blocked the path behind us as we ran by. Finally we made it to the portal and we stopped right before it. Turning back to P.O and Taeil I panicked; we had tried with them, even Zico and Kyung, but they couldn’t pass through the portal.

“What about you guys? What will happen?”

“You know I’ve always wanted to visit your home town of Rakith.”

       P.O sent me a wink and I burst into tears again. Running forward I ran into the youngers arms and cried into his robes. When I pulled away I threw myself at Taeil and sobbed into his shoulder. He pat my back as we pulled away and I could see the tears in his eyes also. Stumbling back into B-Bombs embrace I stared at my new friends for what would be the last time. Tilting my chin B-Bomb kissed me long and passionately. I melted sensing his fear and uncertainty but also his love and care. We pulled away and rested our foreheads against each others.

“I love you, U-kwon.”

“I love you too B-Bomb, so much.”

        He nodded again and we stepped through the portal. I felt something wrenched from my hand and when I landed on the other side I saw Zico and Kyung there smiling at me. They ran to me pulling me into a warm embrace going on and on over how they waited every day for me to return. Chuckling I returned their hug then I felt my stomach sink. Pulling away I noticed B-Bomb wasn’t with me. Spinning around I saw him on the other side of the portal hitting against it but he couldn’t get through.

        Fear gripped at my chest as I ran forward slamming my hand against the hard surface. He looked at me with helplessness deep in his large brown eyes and I broke down into dry sobs as I had run out of tears. Slamming my fist against the portal again I cried out in anger. With more force I kept hitting the wall hoping that it would break or go let him through. He was doing the same on the other side until both our fists were bloodied and we fell to our knees facing each other. Placing my hand flat against the wall he placed his in the exact same spot. My heart broke again as I couldn’t feel him through the flowing wall. Just then his voice broke through in my head and my heart shattered, he sounded so lost and helpless. Even in my head I could hear him crying.

“B-baby…I c-can’t get through.”

“Shhh I know but we’ll find a way.”

“U-kwon it’s the myth…the year is up.”

“NO! There must be way! Come on think t-there has to be.”

“U-kwon, please baby don’t cry anymore.”

“You’re not doing much better.”

      Even in my head his laughter was beautiful. It would always be beautiful, just like his voice and his face. Like the way he was always serious but managed to be completely childish. Or the way he cared so much about everyone around him, human or animal. The way he would protect me and love me, just everything about him was so perfect and he was just the most amazing person I could have hoped to love. Right under my fingers I could feel the wall thinning. Gripping at it I could only stare as it began to fade. I wanted to hold him, tell him that it would be okay. That we would find each other one day, pretend the government wasn’t after him and that his father approved. I wanted to tell him that it would be okay, that we could be happy but I could only watch as he faded away in front of my eyes. The gem on my ring twinkled as my hand shook.

“I love you U-kwon…forever and always. I will always have our songs and our memories. I will never love anyone as much as I love you.”

“I love you too…so very much. I won’t forget you and I’ll cherish all our memories. B-Bomb, I love you so so much.”

A/N: It wasn’t meant to be so long!! Just a simple oneshot I’m sorry if that was what you were expecting. ^.^’ I warned you about the angst so I hope it was good! I know B-Bomb is a little OOC so I’m sorry about that. :S Please leave a comment and I hope you enjoyed it!

Tumblr!!! :D

Some gifs for my lovely readers!

this man is too much sometimes :3