Horizon | Choi San

9

"Was this necessary?" Gaeul asked no one in particular, knowing the answer was yes anyway. Hongjoong still nodded, sitting down on the ground with her and San took his place beside Gaeul.

"You've heard how bad it can get," Hongjoong said, referring to Yena's healing process he had told her about earlier. Yena could have sent everyone within a few miles in a time vortex if things went wrong during her healing but thanks to all the princes being there, they had minimised the damage. He knew Gaeul was just nervous since everyone was watching her, ready to create a shield if necessary and prevent something like that.

"Since San is immune, he'll be holding your hand, I'll be holding his. I don't want to take a risk," Hongjoong passed a smile that did nothing to help her. "I'm only looking inside your mind indirectly. We're not going to do anything... yet."

"Okay," Gaeul exhaled. "I'm ready."

San took her hand, squeezing it reassuringly before he shut his eyes and Hongjoong followed. Hongjoong could feel and see San's magic enter Gaeul's mind which was fully dark without the usual presence of a glowing thread of magic.

"San," Hongjoong said, "I'm going to try entering indirectly."

"Okay," San braced himself- he had forgotten the sensation that came when someone's magic entered their mind, like something actually slithering inside the brain. He had gotten too used to being the one doing that. Hongjoong sent his magic through San's body and further to Gaeul's-

Gaeul jumped, groaning in pain but San held her hand tighter. Hongjoong could see it then- he was enveloped in darkness with no origin and no end. Her magic... It was different from anything he had witnessed. He feared the darkness would envelop him if he made one wrong move- and this darkness wasn't like Seonghwa who was the Prince of Dark himself, or even Kieran who was a darkling.

"You can't even see the memories," Hongjoong noticed.

"You'll have to dive deeper for that," San replied. "What do you want to do?"

"You said her magic might be trying to attack you or protect you- which means either you being immune is because of your magic itself or because of her. Let's see which one it is."

"How?"

"Just roam around. I'm watching," Hongjoong said. San nodded, letting his magic flow around and scour the darkness. Hongjoong remained as invisible as possible, following his magic. He noticed how the darkness split until he reached the core of her memories, sealed like Yena's by her own magic itself. "Can you try touching the core?"

"Nothing happens, watch," San let his thread of magic try to prod the seal but nothing happened. It remained as it was. Her magic remained calm.

"Let me wrap my magic with yours now. Let's try then," Hongjoong suggested.

"Are you sure it's safe?" Gaeul asked. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"I'll draw back if I feel threatened," Hongjoong assured her and wrapped his magic around San's, now letting it flare-

All hell let loose as Gaeul screamed like nothing any of them had heard before, making the others panic and immediately create a shield as the darkness inside her attacked both San and Hongjoong. Hongjoong flared his magic even more in an attempt to buy time to get the hell out but it was too late- San groaned in pain and doubled over and Gaeul snatched her hand away, breaking the contact and clutching her head-

Her magic was going to explode. There was no time- Gaeul had to contain her magic inside herself at least until Hongjoong could create a shield. She heard the faint shouting of instructions and clenched shut her eyes, begging her magic to stay inside just a little longer, crawling away from them-