Cursed Hearts | ATEEZ

032

Wooyoung was still in the shower, cleaning off the dough and flour which had been sticking to absolutely everything from his hair and skin to the luxurious robes which had now been discarded in the corner of his room, giving me a moment to myself within the grand chambers of the king to explore before he got back.

And explore I did, tip-toeing across the cold marbled floors which shone brightly in the golden light from the sun as its warm rays streamed through tall windows, lighting the way into every nook and cranny of the room. I passed by the raised dais on which his enormous bed was placed, overlooking the space, and made my way towards the library instead.

A small maze of bookcases and shelves had been pushed into a corner of the king's chambers, overflowing with literature and art which had been placed against the old wooden frames of the furniture, offering glimpses of fields and mountains and lakes and endless landscapes of skies as I shuffled over to his desk and sat down in the old leather chair, overlooking the rest of the room with a small smile on my face.

I sighed, falling against the backrest as I took a moment to ponder my next move, swinging around again and again only to freeze as my eyes locked onto an envelope which had seemingly fallen to the floor and now lay slightly hidden underneath the desk, something about it calling to me as I got off the chair and bent down to pick it up.

An unexplainable feeling of gravity settled over me along with the taste of dread on my tongue as I held it in my hand for a moment, studying the broken seal, a crescent moon, before turning it over to read the address on the front, my heart sinking as the weight of the words settled over me.

The 555th Trials of The Eight Mountains

The year of change

The Declaration, Sector 8, Rome

I didn't even hesitate for as much as a second before my shaking hands fumbled to open the envelope, feeling my mouth go dry as I pulled out the note from inside, studying the gilded edges and the name in the middle, my name, with disbelief.

The sound of doors opening and soft footsteps padding across the marbled floors seemed far away as my breath caught, reading the two words again and again as if they would change, as if they would disappear if I just wanted it enough, but they stayed the same; Kang Yuna.

My hands trembled as Wooyoung's melodious voice echoed through my very bones, though I was unable to hear the words that had slipped past his lips as I found myself rooted to the ground, unable to move, to turn around and face him as he came closer, mumbling questions I couldn't make out.

I lowered my hand, needing to catch my breath but, as I did, the light caught the surface of the note just in time to reveal two more words underneath my name; Fengári and Σεληνη, the both of which I simply stared at with detached emotion before they disappeared again, my arm now hanging limply by my side as I slowly turned to Wooyoung, shaking, breathing harshly.

"What does this mean?" I whispered, searching his face desperately, naively, for any sign of surprise as his hazel eyes moved to the letter in my hand.

"Why do you have this?" I breathed, hoping, only to feel myself shatter at the disappointment that the King of Autumn did not look shocked, but rather guilty, as his eyes widened at the sight of the envelope, quickly flickering back to mine as he took a step forward only to freeze as I flinched at the movement, guilt turning to hurt and then horror, panic.