Pneuma | BbangHyun✅

Arrival

[현]

I banged against the wall then stopped as small electric waves were sent through my hands. I didn't know where I was nor how I got here. "Hello?" I wasn't going to deny the fact I was scared. I couldn't use magic wherever I was either. I thought of Younghoon and how worried he might be knowing I'm not there. I needed to get out, but what could I do?

I sat with my knees to my chest as I sat surrounded in darkness. "Hoon..." What was he currently doing? My mind raced, chock full of thoughts of Younghoon. Was I going to die here? I didn't want to die. There was so much more about myself and my past that I wanted to learn about. I thought of Younghoon again and wondered if he'd be distraught by my death. Would he eventually forget me? I sighed heavily as it seemed darker than before in this entrapment I was in.

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How much time had passed? I didn't know. My stomach was growling and I was basically living off my saliva. The place kept getting darker. It was bright before, so how did it all change so fast? I pressed against the wall then felt a shock go through my body. It was worse than earlier. "I need to get out...I want to see Younghoon." I missed him terribly. The isolation was killing me. I continued to attack the wall with my bare hands, wincing each time electricity passed through my body.

The brightness had started to come back and I noticed the wall had started to crack. I used more force then smiled as more cracks appeared. I was going to be free soon. I gave it one last hit before collapsing to the floor, electricity emitting off my body. I started to shake then heard cracking noises. The wall in front of me crumbled and a soft light shone through. I wobbled onto my feet then squeezed through the crack.

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I opened my eyes and saw Younghoon mere inches away from my face. I felt heat rising in my cheeks as we quietly stared at each other. I took note of my hands holding his face and quickly let go. "Jae?" "I'm sorry." I closed my eyes as my body temperature started to decrease. "Is this my Jae?" His Jae? I sat up then gave him a questioning look. "'My Jae'? Since when have I become yours?" He pulled me into a hug. "Thank Ra..." I didn't say anything as the back rubs were quite pleasing.

He soon let go and I finally decided to ask. "What happened?" "I don't know. Suddenly you were acting like a child and then I finally caught you, but then you..." He trailed off as he looked down. "You wanted to kiss..." My mouth hung open. Was someone controlling my body? There was no way I'd want to kiss him. "But my body says otherwise..." I quietly looked at Younghoon then heard my heart beating in my ears. The thought of kissing him was terribly embarrassing. We were just best friends. Two best friends...

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We arrived at one of the doors and I placed my hand on it. It noisily opened and we walked in. "Wow..." "That's what I said the first time. Let's not dawdle anymore than we already have." I pulled him along as I pieced together the fragments of the route to the library. Something about the place felt different. "Hoon, do you feel anything?" "Not really. Why?" "No reason." What was this ominous feeling?

I pushed on the library's door then poked my head in. I quickly closed the door then received a look from Younghoon. "It's crawling with shadow creatures." "What?" Of all times and places for them to gather, it had to be here and now. My back started to throb along with my mind. "Jae!" "It's happening again..." It felt worse than last time. "Your wings..." I weakly looked back and saw that they were slowly losing color. "When...did they...come...out...?" I couldn't bring them back in. Younghoon leaned me against him and hurried away from the library door.

My symptoms had gotten slightly better, but my wings hadn't gone back to normal. "Can you move them?" "Yeah, the colored area..." The area that had lost color felt as heavy as a ton of rocks. "How can we turn them back...?" "The answer is probably in the library. But I think it'll be suicide going in there." He stroked my hair as he looked at me with a sadden expression. "Why can't I do anything for you? Why am I useless?" I gave his cheek a slap while fuming. "Why would you say that? You do know that even the small things you do help a great deal. Even now, when I could hardly move..."

"Sorry. It's just when I see you suffering, it makes me upset. Upset with myself that I can't help you. Upset that it's not happening to me too." He wanted to share my pain? I couldn't believe what I had heard. Who would want to experience pain? "Hoon..." "I want to always see you happy and healthy. I want to be someone you can always come to and rely on." "This feels like a confession..." I quietly stared at Younghoon as I didn't know how to respond. Was I overthinking and he simply said it as a worried friend? I didn't know, and I wasn't given much time to think as Younghoon suddenly picked me up and took flight.

"What-" I looked down and saw a darkness taking over the floor. "Above!" Dark hands started to reach out and attempt to grab hold of us. "What should we do?" "Try my parents room." "Why? We'll be like sitting ducks." "I don't know, I just feel like it'll be okay. Would you rather stay here?" We looked up as the hands had started to stretch. "Fine." He quickly took off as I directed him to the room.