White Sand Hourglass; Yeonbin

7

(UNEDITED)
Soobin looks around the field and watches as the young kids walk around in the field, their animal ears peaking up from excitement. The green grass and the beautiful blooming flowers embrace the view. The blue skies and the warm star glazing from afar, the sound of just giggles and laughs.

If Soobin could only realize that all of this would be taken away in just seconds. The young kids disappeared and the green grass turned into complete sheets of snow. The flowers wrinkled and died along with everything else. The skies turned gray and the sun hid behind cloudy skies for eternity. Nothing was ever heard again, not even the screams of suffering and torture.

It was his fault.

He didn't deserve to be called the forest guardian if he couldn't even fight and defend his own people. He was selfish and he knew it, because of him people died and people continue to suffer because of him. His body is becoming weaker day by day, just because he decided to surrender and be the weak leader. After that, he hid for decades not daring to show his face ever again.

And because of his fault, his friends were also dragged into this mess. "You can go yourself but I'm not risking the rest". Those words were the most damaging words that Soobin heard in so long. He risked everyone else like a selfish king throwing his soldiers out to fight his own war. The winter guardian can still remember that day, he was scared.

He was tortured.

He was filled with fear.

"Your wings look beautiful," The dark image said with a corrupt smile while holding onto a large gold sword in his hands. His dark and black wings embraced the whole room.

Soobin's body was beaten up badly he could barely hold himself up from the ground. His friends were lying on the floor, unconscious. He couldn't think straight. He knew deep inside him, he couldn't give up but he couldn't take any longer.

The narculises took heavy steps closer to Soobin. He didn't have time to think before he felt a sharp pain in his back, he saw heavy loads of blood dripping on the floor. The guardian yelled out in pain, his fist hammered to the floor. His wings. They were gone. The dark image held the gorgeous white large wings in his hand. Tears streamed down Soobin's face. He couldn't do this anymore.

The dark wooded column stood in front of him. Soobin looked at the rest of the guardians on the floor before raising his head back to the column. The deer like boy slowly drags himself across the floor and places his hand on the column making the dark figure smile. Once his hand makes contact the column glows blue, Soobin could feel the power draining from his body, the painful sensation of being ripped off his skin.

He yelled out in pain but his hand didn't leave the column. The column grew brighter and brighter as the heavy electric strikes were heard. He reached the final straw before pulling his hand away and falling completely to the floor, his eyes closing. "What a good boy," the figure says chuckling before Soobin completely passes out.

——-

It became night quickly, the only light illuminating the cave was the fire that crumbled in the middle. The smell of the moose killed that morning fresh in the air as Taehyun was spinning it on the fire. The blizzard had calmed down and the starry night was in view from outside the cave. The winter guardian was sitting my the opening facing the exterior of the cave while munching on some pansy flowers quietly all alone.

Yeonjun was just staring at the boy from afar. How did Soobin look so beautiful but so broken at the same time? The prince couldn't even think about all the things the winter guardian has gone through. The look he had given him earlier just looked so...painful. The way his eyes glowed and looked like a deep dark lake with no end.

Taehyun handed Yeonjun a piece of the cooked moose, the prince looked down and only thought about going home. He missed his parents. He missed the dusty halls. He missed the green garden and blue skies.

The older boy took a bite of the thick meat, but if there was something he would miss it would be Taehyun's cooking. It just gave him a feeling of comfort and home.
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