Horizon | Choi San

2

Gaeul couldn't believe what she just did.

After summoning up her magic for the first time in as long as she could remember, she breathed death into a flower instead of life. She couldn't believe her eyes.

And it didn't stop at that. When Gaeul followed the old woman inside and she touched her forehead to heal her, the woman jolted back as if she had been hit by an electric current.

"What have you done?" She simply asked before she fell unconscious. Gaeul almost thought she had killed her too, but when her panic wore off she saw the healer's chest still rising up and down, though slow enough to call for some medical attention. However, Gaeul was in no state to try that. She wasn't even sure if she was a danger by simply being near. So Gaeul did what she had been doing for a while now- she ran.

She couldn't risk being discovered anymore. She was a danger to all the living beings around her- her magic was getting out of control and as she dived deeper into the forest, she realised the trees around her that were unfortunate to have touched her were all wilting and dying as well.

She was death itself.

Gaeul had no idea how long she ran but she stopped when she heard the faint footsteps of men and a horse. Gaeul hid behind a tree, careful not to touch it. She peeked to see the two figures clad in black, muttering something.

Gaeul decided it was time to calm herself before she did any more damage. She shut her eyes and inhaled, breathing deeply in.

Everything would be okay. She would be okay. She would go to the High Healers herself. She would figure this out. There was no reason to give up yet-

She heard- no, felt something whip through the forest behind her-

"What have we got here?"

Gaeul's eyes flew open- she hadn't even heard the men come in front of her. The other man scanned her rather slowly, up and down. She gulped.

"What's this pretty little thing doing in the middle of the forest at this hour?"

This wasn't good. Her calm heart started beating rapidly again and she could feel the magic stirring in her stomach- perhaps their horse felt it too, because it panicked as soon as their eyes met. One of the men tried to hold its reins but the horse ran in the opposite direction, making the man follow him. The other who simply watched shook his head.

"He always gets unlucky at times like this," he scoffed, but it changed into a smirk that made Gaeul draw back until her back touched the tree. "Perhaps, I can offer you some help-"

She felt something whoosh past where the horse and man had just been running off to. The man in front of her turned too, frowning but dismissing it as nothing. Gaeul decided to use the distraction to her favour- heavens knew what prowled in the forest at this hour.

"I'm- I'm good," Gaeul managed to say, "I'll be on my way."

Gaeul started turning away, wanting to run, but the man grabbed her arm and Gaeul tried snatching it with a glare, but he pulled her forward.

"Now, now," he whispered, "Be a good girl for me, will you?"

Something went off inside Gaeul. She nodded and grabbed his other hand, and shut her eyes, sending her magic through, and it wasn't until she heard the man gasp for breath that she opened her eyes to see that he had shrivelled, just like the flower.

That was not what Gaeul had intended to do. She dropped her hands but the remains of her magic inside the man made sure that every last ounce of life was sucked out from him. Gaeul's eyes blurred and she started running away, unable to breathe or run properly, but she couldn't stop.