Jail of Freedom

The Gentle Battalion

I was about to turn back when the door disappeared on the solid brick wall of the castle. I slept and woke up and here I am again still surprised by all the mystery in this place.

"Did Hyesung told you about the favour that I'd like to ask?" Minwoo's voice suddenly spoke from nowhere. It was hard to tell where he is since the hallway is dark and the only light that can help me find him is the ambient rays from the moon passing through the glass windows.

"Can you – show yourself?" I asked him politely.

"I won't if you don't say yes." He demanded.

"Wait – what is the favour that you are asking again? Your friend didn't explain it further." I told him honestly.

I can hear him breathing from the wall behind me as his silent footsteps approached me.

"Can we hug each other for 10 seconds?" Minwoo told me with a restrained tone.

My mind jammed with a lot of thoughts in a split second before I answered him with a "Yes."

Before I slept, I promised myself that when I wake up again and I find myself still trapped in this place, I better do my best to cooperate with them regardless. I should return their kindness as what they did to me. My discretion of trusting someone has been tarnished by the people whom I've encountered in my life time. Sometimes, people fear monsters but the thing that they don't know is that they are monsters to their own kind too.

Minwoo's turtle neck was still covering almost half of his face; his piercing gaze is still as terrifying as yesterday. He didn't say a word when he immediately locked me in his arms. I hugged him back just like what he asked me to do. I felt his lilac scented hair brushing my right cheek and we stood still for 10 seconds. I heard his voice counting every moment. He let go of me as soon as he finished.

I watched him remove his garment from his face and a warm smile curved his lips all of a sudden. He looked grateful in a way that I don't understand.

"At last I can talk to you comfortably. The feline scent is gone. I waited for a week to meet you again." He told me with such liberation in his tone.

"A week?! I've been sleeping for a week already and you chose not to wake me?" I can't believe what I just heard from him.

"Oh, didn't Eric tell you? When he alters the time here in his territory, it stretches the normal time zone that we have on our lands. This is the reason why we needed to do every child invitation with a pattern. It gets messed up whenever the number of people in his castle is increasing but the only thing that mattered to us right now are the full moons." He revealed to me.

"Come, we need to travel while the moon is still up in my area. It's hard to travel in the darkness." Minwoo bent in front of me motioning both of his hands to ride on his back. It seems like he is going to carry me from this point.

I eliminated my negativity and followed his lead. We went out of the castle and his pack is all there waiting for him. They started to run in a formation of an inverted V. We are on the middles and the rest looked like a guarding barricade all around us.

It didn't take much time before half of the mob of oversized hounds rearranged to a diamond still leaving us in the middle. I looked at my palm to check the dots and now, there are just two left on my hand. I can't help but become emotional. I suddenly find myself getting used to this place and now – I am about to live.

"The hug that I gave you a while ago, it is not a normal skinship for our kind. The moment I enveloped you in my arms, you were also covered by my pledge to be protected at all costs. It also eliminated your human scent and now it makes us equal in their eyes. As their alpha with a partner on his back, they give you high regards. My territory is full of untameable beasts; they might attack you by mistake for you don't resemble a Sigbin at all." Minwoo commented as we sprinted in full speed.

The setting changed immediately after passing the last remaining pine trees from Eric's castle ground. It seemed to be another forest. It was different from Dongwan's with huge trees and a constant pouring drizzle, Minwoo's lair is dry but extremely cold. It is located on a high terrain and the amazing layer of rocks aligned our way to a cave. I saw a two different looking creatures standing in front of the entrance.

The first one was a black horse with a torso of a man standing on both of its feet while the other one was a water buffalo with the same features. Both of them stood tall beside each other with crossed arms. They must be the guards of the place.

"You arrived early my Lord." The horse spoke to Minwoo with high respects in his word.

"Kidlat, did you forget to put up the maze?" My companion asked the creature.

"We did – that is why we are surprised that you are here this early." Kidlat, the horse admitted.

"Kulog, did you see any siting of Junjin?" He then asked the water buffalo who's been looking at me for a while now.

"I can sense that he is already on his way my Lord. The young lady at your back, is she a Diwata? I've seen her sparkling from afar while waiting for you." Kulog inquired.

"Ahh, that may solve why my maze was over-ruled." Kidlat exclaimed.

"No – she is a human. Maybe that is because she had Dongwan's tears." Minwoo reanalysed the situation as he said that significant information.

I never imagined that the potion that was given to me was that useful. I tapped Minwoo's back to let me down. He might damage his back if I keep on sticking on it like a koala. He let me down carefully.

"You are paper weight my darling. Don't worry about me. You don't have to worry. Let's enter our cave; we will go to Hyesung's place thru a tunnel while Junjin covers the moon." He casually grabbed my hand to go inside.

It was to my surprise when the Kulog stopped me from entering all of a sudden by means of blocking me with his horns.