Ara : I Know...

Chapter 6: Comfort

"Stop." Taeyang held his hand up.

"Again?" I sighed. It was already the fifth time I failed.

"You are not concentrating enough." He stepped away from me. "Have you fed?" He asked.

I shook my head. I could feel the hunger more strongly tonight than I have the passed two nights.

"He is always out with your halfling. He has thrown me to the side." I sat on the bed.

We have only been practicing for an hour and already I am tired.

"Maybe we should stop. I am not getting this anyway. I am useless." I hung my head in disappointment.

"You can do it. These kinds of gifts are hard to learn because the immortal mind is very strong. We each posses secrets that could bring harm to ourselves." Taeyang walked closer to me.

"How long did it take you to master your gift?" I asked when I remembered he had a similar gift.

"Many months." Taeyang sat next to me on the bed. "Your master told you of my gift?" He looked to me.

I nodded. "Can you see into other's minds just like me?"

"No." Taeyang crossed his legs. "My gift, to put it simply, is like a hypnotist whispering suggestions into their victim's ear."

"So you just whisper a scenario into someone's mind and they imagine it?" I asked. I was still a bit confused.

"Do you remember your mother? She abandoned you at a very young age. Do you still remember her face?" He asked.

"Barely, I only remember this dress she used to wear. It had a pink floral print and she smelled like a certain type of flower." I recalled the few memories I had of my mother.

"Close your eyes." Taeyang smiled. It was odd to see him smile.

I was hesitant but I did as I was told. I closed my eyes. I remained sitting there with my eyes closed for the longest moment.

"What's the point?" I opened my eyes and suddenly I wasn't in my room.

I was outside. The sun was shining brightly and the heat beat down on my face. I recognized this place. It was a playground from my childhood.

"Byungjoo! My Byungjoo!" It was a familiar voice. I looked and I could see my mother in the distance. She was waving at me.

Immediately my heart dropped. My mother! She was standing just a short distance from me.

"Mom!" I ran to her. She wrapped her arms around me and I inhaled her familiar scent. "You're here. You're really here." I held her tightly.

I heard her laugh. Her voice was so delicate. "Of course, I am here. Where would I be?"

"I thought you left me?" I whispered into her embrace.

"Leave you?" She sighed. "I could never leave you. You are my son. I love you."

"I love you too." I enjoyed the feel of her embrace.

"My Byungjoo.." Her voice faded out and suddenly I was ripped from her arms.

The air was knocked from my lungs as I crashed into the ground. The scene from just then was gone and replaced by the walls of my room.

"He is my master! How dare you!" I recognized that voice full of anger. It was Taeyang's halfling.

I sat up and realized I had been thrown far from where I had been. I was so confused.

"What were you doing in my master's arms? He is mine." Jiho came stomping towards me. "I'll kill you!"