Cursed Hearts | ATEEZ

033

No matter how far I ventured into the park and how high I climbed the sleeping volcano of Cerro Santa Lucía, there were no signs of life except for the echo of my heartbeat in my ears or the melodious songs of bird and crickets, and the whispers of leaves fluttering in the wind as occasional breezes danced through the tops of the trees above me.

The stones covering the path beneath my feet cried out with every step I took, and yet, there was not a single citizen, visitor, or tourist in sight. I was absolutely alone in the forest the colour of jades and apples, silently making my way through the lively and harmonious landscape which, the more the colour grew in strength, reminded me of the Kings of The East and Spring, Yeosang and San, more than it did Jongho.

I remembered their strikingly green eyes of spring and new beginnings, of mischief and calm and nature itself, though, as I looked up at the clear skies overhead, broken only by a few clouds, memories of the King of The South's eyes flooded me as well; their endless seas and heavens of blue and serenity.

I had no other way to tell how much time had passed other than the sun above me which was steadily moving across its arc in the sky, its flaming hot beams of light burning at the exposed skin on my neck and hands, not to mention my face which was already feverishly hot from the lack of shade I had managed to found.

It was only when I suddenly realized that the rubble-covered path underneath my feet had not only replaced the cobbled road on which I had begun my journey, but had now turned into a small dirt trail that cut through a patch of lush, green grass, that I came to a halt and took a moment to glance around at my surroundings.

I whipped my head around in the direction I had just come from, finding the path blocked by tall bushes and trees waving lazily in a nonexistent breeze that hadn't definitely hadn't been there a moment before. I furrowed my brows, "What-" I halted, turning around again to stare around at the forest around me, suddenly not recognizing any of my surroundings, "Where am I?"

Despite having been through much, much worse things than this during The Trials of The Eight Mountains, I immediately felt my heartbeat pick up as I continued down the trail, my footsteps quickening with every breath that left my lips as I suddenly found myself running past the trees and bushes and logs on the ground. I had gotten lost. I had wandered around and I had gotten lost-

But then I heard it, a low rumble which rolled through the forest around me, growing louder, more rhythmic, steadier, with every step I took as I continued to run down the trail, sounding more and more like a heartbeat, the familiar sound immediately reminding me of the King of Autumn.

"Not all those who wander are lost," I huffed as I pushed myself to run faster, nearly tripping over the stones and branches and twigs that made up the ground beneath me, hiding away within the grass and dirt and rocky surface of the lush forest.

For once, the announcer's words brought me hope instead of despair, faith instead of gloom, as I followed the sound of the enormous heart, the beating of my own falling out of step with it as I tried to control my breathing, climbing the hill and stumbling through a wall of growth only to come to a halt as I found myself in a bright clearing, the thundering sound suddenly coming from everywhere around me.

I closed my eyes for a moment, feeling overwhelmed by the storm of emotions washing over me only to let my eyes flutter open once again and lock onto the spectacle at the very center of the clearing.

An enormous tree, ancient and grand and overgrown, stood tall and proud amidst the surrounding ones almost as if looking over them. The sounds of birds and crickets and the songs and whispers of the wind had disappeared completely, leaving me all alone with nothing else but the woods and the steady sound of the heartbeat all around me.