Pneuma | BbangHyun✅

Landing

[현]

I sat on the disorientated bed as Younghoon paced around. He probably still doubted me, and I couldn't blame him. I doubted me too. "Nothing has come yet. In case something does, let's make a plan." "We could always teleport." "True, but it takes a toll on me." "Then as a last resort?" He nodded then continued to pace around. I lied down then tried to bring my wings back in. I thought I had it, but they soon came back out. I sighed heavily then heard shuffling and other noises. "Hoon, what are you doing?" "We might as well explore while we're here, right?" "You have a point."

I slid off the bed then peeked underneath the bed. "Oh?" I pulled out a stuffed toy and a box. I opened up the box and saw a bunch of aged papers piled on top of each other. "How did they miss this during excavation...?" I picked one up and confirmed it had been written a hundred years ago by...me?

I couldn't stop reading them. They were cute, sad, funny, heartwarming. I must've really loved my parents. My mood had dropped as I remembered the way they had died. Why didn't I go with them? How did I live for a hundred years? I placed all of the drawings and letters back in the box then picked up the stuffed toy again. It was falling apart, but I could tell it was well loved.

"Jae? Found anything?" "No." I slid them back under then stood up. The room was pretty disoriented, but you could still move around. I walked over to a hanging picture then gently touched it. It was terribly burnt, but I could feel something from it. "Mom..." "What?" I looked back at Younghoon who was looking at me. "What what?" "You said something." "I did?" He gave me an annoyed look then went back to searching through drawers. I closed my eyes then felt my consciousness being pulled elsewhere.

I opened my eyes and saw a clean room. The photo had been restored. "Hoon?" No answer. Did he leave the room? I peeked out of the room and noticed everything looked polished. Debris was no where to be found. The same could go for people. I walked myself over to the library and saw all the shelves perfectly lined up and not a hint of a shadow creature. "...and this is a curep!" "Curep!" It was the voice of a woman and a child. Did I travel to the past? I peeked around the corner and saw three people at a table. The child I assumed was me and the woman teaching was my mother. The other person was most likely a servant. "Little prince, what do you want to do when you get older?" "Uh, I want to be just like Papa!" My mother and the servant laughed. "It's also good to be your own person. Maybe you should aim higher." "I want to be better than Papa!" Her smile was so warm...

I felt myself being forced back towards the bedroom. We continued to talk, but I couldn't hear as I got farther away. I had stopped in front of the picture then lost consciousness.

ㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣㅣ

"Jae!" I sat up then collided heads with Younghoon. I rubbed my head then felt him hug me. "Thank Ra you're okay." "Did something happen?" "I heard a thud and saw you collapsed on the floor." "I saw my mom...and myself too." "Which mom?" I pointed to the burnt picture. "She asked me what I wanted to do when I got older. I replied with like my dad..." What peaked my interest was how I was able to see it. "I think she infused that picture with magic that shows memories." I looked at Younghoon curiously. "That's the only way to explain it. And the only way it could be viewed was through you. But how did she know whether you were alive or not...?"

I hadn't thought about that. "Maybe she knew I'd live to see it. Maybe she had a hand in how I lived." My mother had left us a valuable clue. "Is there any kind of magic that could rebirth someone?" "The answer probably lies in the library." I sighed then walked towards the door. "Jae, wait!" I opened it and saw the hall completely covered in darkness. I stepped out then noticed I wasn't being sucked in. "What...?" A small circle appeared underneath me. "I'm going to get those books! Stay here!" It made sense. Why the room wasn't covered in shadows and why I was able to walk freely about. My mom had left a sustainable amount of magic that keeps them at bay. And after seeing that memory, it's now a part of me. Mothers really do think ahead.

I entered the library then quickly looked for books that we needed. I picked up a few then felt a dull throbbing in my back. "Not now." I needed to find one more. The dull pain had started to get worse. "Hoon..." I fell to my knees as my back ached terribly. "Jae! Is everything okay?" Did he leave the room? He didn't have protection. He flew into the room then landed by me. "I'll get you out of here." "But there's...one more...I need..." "We'll come back when we're stronger." He picked me up then flew out the room.