GATEWAY 🝔 LEE JENO

🝔 1.7

"Won't you look at that" she stepped out of the stables brushing her hands against one another to get rid of the invisible dirt. "It seems like my brother's clothes fit you alright" she said examined him up and down.

Jeno sat down on the same bench where she found him that very morning. "So mind telling me why you came back if you so badly wanted to leave?" she questioned taking a seat beside him. She found it a bit strange. Not only the fact that he returned but the way he behaved. She couldn't help but notice how is different. But she was unable to pin point how or why.

Blatantly ignoring the hint of teasing that rang in her voice he carried on looking up front. "I wanted to come back" he lied but she just scoffed well aware that he wasn't telling the truth. "I don't think so, Mr Lee Jeno. You looked like you saw a ghost or something" instantly he raised his eyebrows in shock.

"Mum told me your name" she answered before he could even question her. It was like she knew what he was thinking. A small chuckle left his lips, eyes lit up. He was clearly amazed by her ability of being perceptive. 

At first, he was too stiff however, now he did not seem so. Leading to a small smile to surface her features glad to see him loosening up into comfort. "So tell me what did you see?" the girl tilted her head to him undeniably curious as to what brought him back.

Humming lightly he glanced down at his fingers a pit of embarrassment raising through his nerves as he spoke the truth. "I saw a pair of red eyes staring at me" he confessed in a quiet voice, shivered at the thought of it. Mouth falling agape she gave him a are you serious look before pursing her lips together finding it partially hilarious. "You got scared of a racoon?" she breathed out.

Furrowing his brows he snapped his head to the side. "A racoon!" He repeatedly finds it unbelievable. "Well it could've been a rat?" she tapped her chin deep in thought. "A rat?" he yelled out in disgust. "Or a hedgehog"

"I thought it was a wolf"

"A what?" she laughed out unable to refrain it any longer. "A-a wolf" Jeno stuttered out watched as she held her stomach laughing at his petrifying experience. Rolling his eyes he clicked his tongue. "Lee Jeno you're funny. Wolves don't just come out into the open. They stay deep in the forest. On top of that their eyes aren't red in the dark. They're mostly yellow or amber."

Sealing his lips he tried his best to not show his embarrassment however the tips of his ears were not much help to him. At that exact moment, the sound of a neigh caught his attention, making him glance over to the stables. Roman was munching on hay with another horse beside him. A gorgeous chestnut mare. He smiled lightly watching as it tried to steal Roman's hay.

"What's the other horse's name?"

The girl lifted her head rubbing her teary eyes from all the laughter. "Her name's Fena" Nodding he looked over to the female horse that was still trying to steal Romans breakfast. "She has a habit of eating a lot. She would eat Romans but if he finishes his food then she won't hesitate to bite and pull on your hair."

"Hair?" Jeno's eyes widened, making her nod and chuckle at his reaction out of amusement. "Just don't get too close to her when she's hungry. Apart from that, she is a sweetheart" he nodded curtly, taking that into note before noticing something.

"So Merida, are you going to tell me your name?"

"Later" she breathed out a heavy gust of air staring up into the sky. "I told you mine" he monotoned, finding this rather unfair. Glancing over to the boy momentarily she shrugged her shoulders unbothered. "No Lee Jeno. My mum told me your name. It's totally different"

As much as he wanted to protest he felt like its petty so the boy just followed suit, looking at the sky just like the girl did. He admired the rich colours painting the sky. The sun rising. Vibrant paints of bright orange and red extended far and wide raining down warm hues to the people below.

Suddenly, a large majestic bird flew across, catching his attention. The same type of one which he saw in the forest. And what was shocking was that it was indeed on fire. He was not mistaken. Back then he thought that he was hallucinating but now he thought otherwise. 

"What. Was. That?" panic struck his mind unable to comprehend a thing. Naturally, his eyes dilated, rubbing them astonished by what he had seen. Due to the long silence being broken, her heart raced at an abnormal speed flinching as her train of thoughts took a halt. Lifting her chin up to find a retreating species flying off she scoffed out. 

"You've never seen a Phoenix before?" she found his behaviour absurd. She thought he was just messing with her until she identified the serious look in his eyes. "Seriously, what are you?" she turned her whole body towards him questioning the boy, bewildered by his lack of general knowledge. 

Jeno was in the middle of a mental breakdown, a headache slowly creeping up to his forehead. He genuinely wanted to wake up from what he presumed was an endless nightmare. "You're really strange you know" she gawked at him, shifting away on the bench in fear.

"I am strange!" Jeno spoke out, finding her statement dumbfounding. "You are. Everything around me is. First I can't find my way home and walk into what looks like the ancient medieval era, however it's so modern because of the brick housing and building."

"Umm you mean Kyoto houses?"

"YEAH WHATEVER!" he screamed, making her flinch at his harsh tone. Exhaling he carried on. "Anyway! There are no cars around but horse-drawn carriages. You guys said my money was fake but you also gave cash. And some random armoured guards attacking me. Now there are some Greek mythological creatures roaming the skies freely which you happen to tell me is a PHOENIX!!" He yelled, ranting out all his anger and frustration that built up during the whole day yesterday.

The girl's eyes dilated, not expecting the sudden indignation from him at all. Jeno huffed out air, his chest rising up and down as he tried to stabilise his breathing. Feeling slightly terrible towards her, he relaxed his tensed up muscles. It wasn't on purpose but he couldn't control it any longer. "I'm sorry I just had to let that all out" he coughed out, averting his eyes away from her out of guilt.

"It's ok. But I think I understand now" She smiled softly, her eyes randomly shining as if she was up to something devious. However, before she spoke she hummed to herself like she was contemplating on whether it was true or not. Eventually, clicking her finger, the girl pointed it towards him instinctively making Jeno back his head away from not wanting to be poked.  

"You lost your memory. You can't find your way back home and you don't recognise anything around you." 

Featured drooping into dismay he bored out in a dull tone - "I what?"