Horizon | Choi San

6

"And there it is," Yunho pointed.

"I can't see," Yeosang stood on his tiptoes, holding on to Yunho's arm for support.

"You can't see it," Yunho chuckled. "You can feel it."

"Boring," he muttered, standing back straight. Hongjoong picked up the map and drew a red cross on their location- there was no significant pattern for now as he scanned the other two crosses. Mingi looked at him.

"It doesn't necessarily have to be a pattern, right?"

"With things like these, there is always a pattern," Hongjoong shut the marker. "We're just not smart enough to see it. But in our case, we've only pinpointed 3 locations. There should be several more."

"What if we can't understand the pattern?"

"I have a feeling that we will, Yunho," Yeosang looked grim. "Someone told me that there was definitely a pattern in the locations."

"Who?" Hongjoong asked.

"Just a bored to death spirit," Yeosang scoffed. "Someone bored enough to follow the black hole everywhere- but he also told me that it did not simply 'move', it disappeared and reappeared elsewhere."

"Could all the spirits feel it?"

"Yep," Yeosang looked at Mingi. "I think I didn't feel it because, well, I'm not entirely a spirit. Plus, during the time that this black hole was travelling in that dimension, I wasn't really using any sort of magic. I was resting."

"Right," Hongjoong got up, peeking over from the edge of the boat to look at the flow of water in the sea. "So far, all the three occurrences have left mini sinkholes, is that right?"

"Yep," Yunho confirmed. "These sinkholes must have been formed because of the energy formed in the black hole itself- this sinkhole looks like it's about to close soon."

"So it is a result of the after-effect of the whole process?" Yeosang asked. "Isn't that strange?"

"It kind of is," Yunho nodded.

"So far, there is only one pattern- and I have a theory about that," Mingi looked at the three. "We had one hole near Regulus. The next one was near River Al Ard in Zubenelakrab, and we have the other between Zubenelgenubi and Zubeneschamali. We're bordering the land so far, aren't we? Where should the next hole be?"

"North," Yunho told him. "Towards Altarf."

"Yunho, you felt it in the Diamond Sea, right? Not the Topaz Sea?" Mingi asked and Yunho nodded. Mingi continued, "So this black hole... it's been travelling around this continent. Why? Because it was Gaeul's home- Wooyoung's Kingdom, or because her power of nature is very closely aligned with Jongho's kingdom, or...?"

"That's plausible, but I feel the most occurrences near Altarf for some reason," Yunho tilted his head as he thought about it. "What possible connection could Gaeul have with the Kingdom of Cancer? Or Earth magic?"

"Could be because of her magic- if she possessed more power for the earth element in her nature magic," Hongjoong was deep in thought. "But it simply cannot be that. I understand that the last spot had to be Ascella- that's nearest to where she must have died. But why does it look like the hole circled this continent?"

"That's the thing," Yeosang nodded slowly. "Everything with this situation... this resurrection, if you can call it that, is happening for a reason- we have to keep that in mind. If the black hole appeared right here, there is a very valid reason behind it. If it occurred various times near Altarf, there is a very valid reason behind that too."

Hongjoong's heart sank- he had a suspicious feeling that somehow, San was involved in this. He looked at Yunho who pursed his lips.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?"