───아가페┊사랑～

|𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔲𝔫𝔣𝔞𝔦𝔯 𝔭𝔯𝔬𝔵𝔦𝔪𝔦𝔱𝔶 𝔬𝔣 𝔞 𝕯𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖒|

The void of darkness stretched incessantly. No sky to stare above, no ground to be plant her feet and no light to see ahead─── only the pitch black darkness that drifted her in the silence that enveloped her. A dream that she could realize which, always ended and started the same.

Only the darkness and silence as if she's ended up in a prison of nothingness.

It appeared to be she could drift in the air, touch nowhere but her own skin. The words and whispers she's struggling to let out oblivion to her own ears. Even her breath seems to be indistinct, arising the question of being deaf in this world or space where her mind suffocated.

Yet, she was waiting for one.

A voice that seeked past the silence for a few days. A whisper, a call or nothing but her own mind meddling inside this dream.

Hours, she waited. Seconds that stretched out as an pricking needle to defend her thoughts of being insane to herself, lewd.

Then, a voice.

The one she waited til now.

Soft at first, even alluring to be recounted. A familiar yet, imperceptible by the lingering touch of sinister. It didn't simply call out for her, rather it was inaudible whispers that can't be memorised in the consciousness.

Her eyes traveled to the distinct pitch darkness where the voice raised, straining to grasp the sound, only to be disappointed as it didn't stir. Yet the voice have. It taunted past her ears again, vivid in the instance.

" ──𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮.𝓒𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓸𝓷..... "

The Incomprehensible words frustrating her mind to the fullest, she tried to drift close to the voice. Questions that trapped inside her throat, reeling into something more desperate as she calls out only to fall on to the deaf ears. She only called again, curling around like unseen fingers reaching through the void.

Then she heard.

" 𝓘𝓽'𝓼 𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮, 𝓒𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓸𝓷 𝓷𝓸𝔀..... 𝓘 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝔀𝓪𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓮𝓷𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱 ....𝓓𝓸𝓷'𝓽 𝓫𝓮 𝓪𝓯𝓻𝓪𝓲𝓭 𝓸𝓯 𝓲𝓽....𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓯𝓲𝓷𝓭 𝓶𝓮 𝓪𝓯𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮... 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓽𝓻𝓾𝓮 𝔂─"

"── Young Lady! Wake up, it's just a dream. Wake up!! "

The abrupt light that creaked inside her eyes almost blinded her sight for a mere second before her gaze gradually fitted on to the two women that sat right beside her side. Their features filled up with panic with a mixture of frightening as they stared into the disoriented girl.

" You've been suffocating and muttering words in your sleep, are you okay?!? "

The young girl questioning her lady as she hurriedly dabbing away the sweat beeds like droplets rolling down through her forehead and neck, solely by the aftermath of nightmare that has been eating her alive for past weeks.

" Is it that nightmare again?? Young lady, how many times is this now? it was only voices but now It's been weeks you are having these nightmares often! " ───Voicing out the depth of relevance and seriousness the continuous plight held, the elder woman cupped the girl's face gently as if to inculcate the situation ." Aren't you anyways serving in sejukwon?Ask master Heo about this... What if something terrible happens.."

The concern that has been building up in the woman for weeks, since the awful nightmare has started never surpassed the fear that indulged in the girl's mind and heart simultaneously.

Nonetheless, she didn't wish to share the same fear among the one's she cared and cared about her. So inevitably, her lips were sealed for any information that led to their concern rather than tip of the voices and nightmares.

" Kim Do-joo, don't think too much. It's probably just nightmares. "

Her answer didn't even slightly reassure or relieved the latter's dilemmas, as the woman could see the girl's own contemplation of words that conflicted behind those reassured gaze she concealed to everyone. The voices that excluded any type of Void of emotions that pinned to her head every night when her eyes shut close and everlast til her eyes could fit any image, It terrified her to the core of her mind.

Yet, it can't be shown or showcased.

If that is something that could make her appear weaker with no privilege.

" Then what about the voices?? I can see that it's getting more complicated! "

The voice of concern was deflecting into an yell at the moment with a thin line of crossing. Regardless, the girl kept her calm and reassured composure as if it can't be crumbled into the ground in seconds with an tight embrace.

" It's just voices. I already asked Master Heo about this... But there is no remedy for this.... " Her words almost broke apart, almost faltered in the last words that disregarded even a slim hope.

Her gaze subconsciously dropped down to her hands, the thoughts that should be buried along with her tears of the late night flooding in before she caught on by herself.

" But it's completely fine. As I said, it's just voices, I can just....ignore it." Shrugging off the predicament from her shoulders, the infectious tug in the end of her lips uplifted to ease the woman in front of her.

" You're just like your mother, young lady. " The face of her friend appraised away barely a second through her eyes.
" So are you saying that my beauty is unrivalled in this whole world?? "

Cupping her own face as if it's a treasure to be withheld, the response to the comment stirring a pleasant subtlety in the heart of the girl hearing to be appearing similar to the woman she most idolised even when her eyes were unfortunate enough to never to be fallen upon her in this lifetime.

" Well it is true... You got lady Do-Hwa's and Master Jang-Gang's beauty- " A slight slip of words it was Yet, the playful air died down in a second of the mention of the man.

The most loathed name to exist in Jang Na-ra's little world.

Her own father that abandoned and drove his own house to humiliation.
Na-ra despised the name, and the man from the day she or anyone could recall, and the hatred only appeared to grow as the time passes by.

Deserting his own kids and family wasn't the sole reason, the motive that he spewed out accusations to the public why he did-what he did, was the root of her hatred.

The false accusation of her mother───his wife having an affair.

She could still feel the pointed fingers that pushed against her shoulders, with infectious laughter and mockery from her peers under the meticulous words that implanted to her own mother of being a unfaithful wife, shrewd and much more names which she wishes to erase from her mind.

And she wished it would've stopped there.

Right after she and her brother were born into the unwanted world, the first on their so-called-father-do-list was to block their gate of energy. It was equal as making them a cripple in the world where the strongest thrives in the energy that was given by the sky and weak perish forgotten. By this act, the rumour that they are illegitimate children or in worse terms that is more liked to talk behind as bastards were spread like an wildfire.

Since the two couldn't perform or learn any spells, completely casting them to a pit to survive Yet, as if an invisible ladder that was termed as hope was undeniably rooted into Jang-uk's mind.

He took two steps into the ladder to only fall back to one, again and again. Even when everyone that surrounded him pointed their fingers for humiliation, he simply ignored or pretended to. He kept seeking out masters like an mare to open his gate of energy.

Regardless, as an answer, repeated refusal was shunned to his head.

Because, the one who shut it completely was Jang-Gang─── one of the greatest mages in Daeho, who was also the head of Cheonbugwan.

They wouldn't dare to oppose his decision.

The younger twin, Jang Na-ra, is the complete polar opposite of her brother. She never acknowledged the ladder, simply since she doesn't want to.

She hated the idea of being a jester or a mocking piece for others to probe like her brother.

Inevitably to uphold the house name, the girl chose to study under Master Heo. Since, the energy wasn't a key point to study every book to heal one. She obtained the knowledge of every remedy when it came to illness, except hers.

ꕥ

The late night breeze that flew pass the window like a whisper, plummeting down the warmness inside the room. The silent whispers of the wind slightly gracing the girl's skin who's appeared to be entirely immersed in the dark ink upon the page as the soft chill ran through her bones.

A feeling of something that isn't quite right intruding her mind before a knock on her door was heard upon.

" Young lady, you have been called to songrim by Master Heo and Master Park."

The relayed message that came forward pressing the girl to knit her brows in puzzlement by the unanticipated request for her presence in the blue hour.

" Master Heo and Master park called for me at this hour?... What could it be? " Repeating the relayed words to herself as an question, she took a single second to sink in the thought before placing beside the book in her hold.

Master Heo and Master Park have always been entitled as the ones who behave, represented and even regarded as equivalent as her father. Undoubtedly aware that the two wouldn't be asking for her presence at this hour if it weren't relevant, she

" Young hee, relay the message to
Kim do-joo as well. Let her be aware that I'll be visiting songrim under Master Park and Master Heo's insistence."

" Yes, young lady. "

" You can't go. " A single minute couldn't pass by as the door to the girl's room was an victim to Kim Do-joo's hectic entrance where the girl was still engaged in preparing to leave." Young lady, why do you need to go at this night?? What does that master Park thinks of himself telling a girl who can't even protect herself going to songrim at this late night?!? What if there are vicious people on the way?? Let me accompany you too! "

Throwing multiple inquiries as if she's caught for theft, the woman didn't stop her questions til the choice of her, string along put an end. Yet, the latter could only smile upon the concern that drew past her.

" Kim do-joo, stop worrying much. And what do you mean by a girl who can't protect herself ?? what kind of idiot try to mess with the lady of Jang family?"

The words were almost playful, yet true in different forms of hierarchy. Regardless of the fact, the family didn't possess any energy at the moment, the Jang family upheld the title of one of the most influential families in Daeho and that validity alone was enough not to act any foul way towards the household.

" But──"

" No buts. I need to get going now or I will be late to arrive there, and late to return back here. "

The insightful words of hers treading past the woman's mind for a second as the logic appeared to be reasonable enough. Pursuing the lips as she's not entirely buying the words of the girl, yet choosing not to interfere in her choice either, she nodded down in acceptance.

" Try not to get into any problems, will you? "

Kim Do-joo advised as her fingers caressed the girl's hair strands slowly, anteriorly anxious for the girl, who she took as her own daughter in her heart from the day her past unrequited love abandoned in her hands, while the latter appeared to be quite offended by the remark.

" Do you really think I'm going to get into a problem in one nigh─── "

" ───Certainly. "

The defence to clear her own name couldn't be finished, the counter was too quick to even argue, which inevitably compelled the girl to send out a scoff of disbelief.

However, then again, the woman wasn't wrong either.

ꕥ

The walls of Songrim have always been piqued the girl's interest, not in the preferable way. She somewhat infallibly felt the need to be away from it as far as possible, as if she never once belonged to the reputable place yet, she never felt the discernment of belonging anywhere.

" Young hee, stay behind here. "

The secret room.Which, Only one could pass by the approval of the two Masters of songrim. The room was filled with traps for the outsiders that trespass. One mistake, and you're trapped inside with no viable way of breaking free without the two Master's compliance.

As she stepped into the room, her gaze rather quickly fitted onto the two figures, Master Park and Master Heo. Nonetheless, the pleasant ambiance after meeting the two was soon replaced and an dismal feeling soon invaded her as her gaze leaped to the boy beside them.

" Seo-yul? "

◌ ☯ ◌

───아가페┊𝔞𝔰𝔶𝔱𝔥𝔷𝔷𝔨𝔨