ᴏɴᴇɪʀᴀᴛᴀxɪᴀ ✘ ᴛxᴛ ✘ ᴛᴏᴍᴏʀʀᴏᴡ x ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ✘ fᴀɴᴛᴀsʏ ᴀᴜ

T W E N T Y

⌌⊱⇱⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊰⌍
The 'forbidden' gates of Mazalayag,
⌎⊱⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⇲⊰⌏

Snarking flares of the fire was the only thing audible despite the eerie sound effects of the gusts of winds, a sign of the spirit's disturbance. The young maiden stood before the familiar male, almost mirroring each other.

".. Why did you do that?"

It had slipped out her tongue almost heavily, feeling a discomforting weight upon her shoulders as her pupils dilated out of ominous despondency, her body shaking. The male only smiled at her, being surrounded by a spiral of flames. That was the only thing he could do on the other side of reality. "Beomgyu... You had enough time to escape..." she said, placing the palm of her hand against the barrier, resulting in a harsh burn to scar her beautiful, pale skin.

"Why didn't you...?"

<<I shall not allow my life and responsibilities to intertwine with yours... For that is not my destiny>>

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The lot was currently mounted on their horses as they slowly rode out of the woods, the males noticing the terrifying burn on the maiden's hand, as well as the uneasy expression on the girl's face.

The fellow magic wielder, Taehyun, cleared his throat as he road beside the girl, taking a glance at her burn.

"Do you... Do you perhaps want to speak about it?" he asked, looking at the older girl with concern. However, she did not answer. She couldn't possibly do so. She had vowed not to. It was a promise she made to him. And she had no plans of breaking it. ".. I see... I understand it's a sensitive topic to talk about..." he nodded, sighing deeply. "Beomgyu... Is alive, right...?"

Areum understood their concern over the boy. They were all like brothers after all. ".. I'm waiting for Inara's response," she began. "But we should carry on before we'll be wiped out of the face of this universe,"

The younger wizard nodded, pressing his lips into a thin line. However, their worries and concerns nearly vanished for a moment as they saw a young pale boy in old worn-out clothes, his black hair drenched in water as he stood beside an even older, shaky bridge, almost fallen apart to the pits of the unknown.

The group, but one, furrowed their brows into a fallen arch, almost resembling the arch of the distorted bridge.

The group, but one.

The boy lifted his finger to point, stirring up confusion before turning to realize what his small finger pointed at.

Heuningkai.

"You are not welcomed here," the young boy spoke, firmly pointing at the male, his expression not faltering. Heuningkai didn't say a word. But to say the least, he appeared to be somewhat uneasy.

His friends remained confused by the words of the young boy. Nonetheless, they needed to pass. "We only wish to cross to the other side. We won't be disturbing you or your home," Yeonjun explained, getting off his horse before holding a steady grip on the leash of the saddle. However, the young boy didn't move an inch. Instead, he repeated his words, in a much colder manner. "You are not welcomed here, traitor..."

"Traitor???" Yeonjun furrowed his brows, turning to look at the youngest with a confused expression.

Heuningkai remained silent, his eyes never leaving the young boy. Slowly, a second figure appeared with similar clothing. He was a middle-aged man, who placed his hand on the young boy's shoulder, "Edzgar, that is not how we greet our guests," the man spoke.