𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔽𝕒𝕥𝕖 𝕎𝕚𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟 𝕆𝕦𝕣 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕤 (ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕖𝕣 𝕚𝕟𝕤𝕖𝕣𝕥)

Chapter II: Elven Mage

   "Soobin-hyung!"

   "Kai, quit it"

   "Haha, try to catch me Beomgyu-hyung!"

   "Soobin that's macaroni. Macaroni!"

   "It's not funny Tae."

   "Kekekekeke"

   "Yeonjun! Hyuka! Tae-."

   "Hahahaha"

   "How pitiful."

   "Beomgyu?!?!?"

   Gasping, he opened his deep brown eyes, almost falling off his seat. He got weird looks from the other passengers on the train, but he paid them no mind, wiping off the sweat gathered on his forehead. His mind was elsewhere, still replaying the dream he'd just seen as a flash of images and sounds.

   These recurring dreams with the exact same people had been the norm for Soobin his entire life. He knew it was weird. Dreams were supposed to be random, just images created by your brain about whatever that was clouding your subconscious. But that wasn't the case for him.

   The dreams themselves were random. Even though there was no set arrangement, he always saw the same people. Always. The five boys he stuck with through thick and thin. Who he laughed with, fought with, cried with. At this point he knew everything there is to know about them. He knew everything by heart. The thought of those four boys warmed his heart because even if they were a mere dream, he wasn't invisible to them.

   He was seen and loved.

   When the robotic voice of the woman announced his stop, he got up and stood at the doors for it to open. Pushing through the rush of people who walked to and from the train station, he got out, now walking at a steady pace towards his house. Even though it was close to dusk, he was in no hurry to get home, his feet dragging as if they weighed a ton.

   The gates opened as soon as he arrived, guards stationed there bowing to him. He paid them no mind, a sour expression on his face as he walked through the driveway, and into his humble abode. A three-story mansion, that he and his brother shared. He didn't linger in the bottom floors for long, going straight to the top floor which was his. He chose to be as isolated as he could be from the people his brother associated himself with, particularly not fond of anything related to his brother. Avoiding everyone like the plague, he made his way into his room, flopping onto his bed to relax and gain back the energy he lost from being outside for too long. Being an introvert, he felt like he just used up ten years' worth of energy.

   Another heavy sigh left his lips as he hauled himself off the bed, making his way into the bathroom to freshen up. He could never sleep before taking a warm shower to soothe his muscles. All the while his mind never stopped replaying the events that occurred in his dreams as if it was the movie, he had set out to watch this evening.

   Soobin liked to think that the people in his dreams were real people, who'd accept him into their hearts accept him into their hearts despite the occupation that was forced onto him. A small part of his brain believed they were out there in the world for him to find. But the bigger, rational part in his mind knew the truth. They were mere fragments of his imagination. Ones his conscious built up to shelter his fragile mind from breaking down from the self-depreciation and loneliness.

   After showering and throwing on comfy sweater and sweatpants, he walked out of his room, his hair still dripping onto his shoulders. Stalking carefully through the halls, he arrived at the only place in his house he could call home. The home that sheltered him throughout the years, from his brother's torment and his parents' violence.