"Want to go on a little expedition?" Junho asked. We sat in front of the fire, my body wrapped in his hold as I sat on his lap, with the blanket around both of us. I'd had one more bowl of soup and some crackers while Junho had two bowls for himself.
He explained I must have been tired from the energy I'd used with the crystal, combined with all the swimming and lack of oxygen. He wanted me to try and sleep, but it had been thirty minutes and I simply couldn't manage it. Guess my body was wide awake after the few hours I was knocked out. We didn't know how much time had passed, but Junho assumed it was well into the night by now and it would be about five or six hours before sunrise.
We were far out from where I'd jumped off the cliff, but Junho said he could call Niko to help us get back without exhausting ourselves or risk the possibility of me running out of air.
"Okay. Is there more to this place?" I asked, curious if this lagoon led to somewhere like in the movies.
Junho grinned. "Niko went exploring when you were resting and said there's a little pool down that path over there."
He pointed to our left and I followed his gaze to see the entrance of a dark tunnel. "Interesting. I think a little adventure would be fun," I commented, deciding it would be nice to take advantage of this opportunity and explore this place.
It wasn't somewhere you could just come whenever you wanted, since it was a sacred place for souls who were judged when they crossed over. I wondered if Esmeralda had been to this place and witnessed its beauty?
We got up and Junho put out the fire, reassuring me he could teach me how to create fire without the element being near me to conduct the spell. We walked hand in hand, making our way through the tunnel that was lit by the beautiful crystals embedded into the cave's walls.
It didn't take us long till we entered a clearing. I sighed in awe, my eyes grew wide as they took in the natural beauty of the cave.
The water in front of us was practically glowing a beautiful mixture of blue and green, while the droplets that fell from the spiked rocks hanging from the ceiling were purple. There were different colored flowers circling the little pool and they too, looked like they were glowing, a light pink with dark green leaves.
"Junho...this place is incredible," I whispered, my voice barely audible.
I noticed his silence as he squeezed my hand, making me look over to him. He was staring up at the ceiling and I noticed a sad expression on his face and that his eyes looked glossy.
"Jun..ho?" I asked, moving closer to him so I could hug him. He blinked out of his daze, slowly looking down at me. He bit his lip, trying to compose himself.
"Sorry...ah..." He trailed off and let out a little laugh, which seemed to initiate the waterworks as tears rolled down his cheeks. Junho.
I didn't know why he was crying, yet my heart clenched in agony at his apparent pain as he lifted his free hand to wipe away his tears.
I noticed how the crystal on his bracelet glowed slightly. I pulled him into a hug and he held me tight, unable to hold back the sobs that escaped him as his shoulders shook.
I held him for a long time as he continued to cry, making me even more curious as to why he was so upset. Junho always projected himself as the confident, dominant type who never seemed phased by anything whenever he was around me.
Yet, somehow the simple glimpse of this beautiful place made him cry like he'd lost something dear to him.
It took a few more minutes before he finally calmed and I pulled back to look at his sad eyes that were red from his tears. "Why don't we go sit?" I whispered, pointing to a little patch of grass that was surrounded by glowing flowers.
He nodded and I walked with him to the spot, doing our best to avoid crushing the flowers with our bare feet.
When we reached the spot, we both sat down crossed legged facing each other, my right side and his left side facing the pool of glowing water.
Junho was silent for a while, his hands fiddling with my left hand that had been in his grasp the entire time. He took a calming breath before he spoke.
"I was originally born in South Korea, but my parents wanted me to be raised in the cities deep within the ocean. Think of it as our version of Atlantis, but on a smaller scale and with more advanced technology. We were in professional relations with the Japanese water shifters. We existed together in harmony, learning each other's languages and traditions. It was really nice, and growing up there was an amazing experience, since we were in the depths of the Pacific Ocean and could mingle with people from around the world,” he explained.
"Is that how you learned other languages like Russian?" I asked.
He nodded, smiling slightly. "That's actually how I met another snow tiger. There was a section in our underwater city where there was air and you could be in your human forms with ease. He'd come with his family for business with my parents, and it was when I'd newly gained Eun. We were having difficulties adjusting at first and that was one of the reasons why the indoor sanctuary area was created. Since my friend was willing to teach Eun and I how to cope, they were allowed to stay longer than they had originally planned. It was an amazing summer," Junho admitted.
"After that, my parents continued to do business exchanges, but in Japan, there's two major clans of high rank, one being royalty. Both clans were having their own feuds, but soon it came to a point where all parties involved had to make a decision on who they would support- the royal clan or the other clan. My parents were close to the royal clan and together, they had connections with other realms, including Makoto's realm, Heila. The most logical decision was to stay with the royal clan, rather than support the other clan who wasn’t favored for many reasons. The other clan was upset with this result. They vowed there would be consequences and then they disappeared for some time." Junho frowned and his face hardened.
He turned his head to look at the water, seeming lost in his own memories.
"The father and son of the royal family went to negotiate after hearing the other clan had re-emerged. They tried to maintain the peace, but instead they were murdered," Junho revealed.
"What?!" I exclaimed, shocked by his words. "Weren’t they royalty?" I asked.
"It's...complicated. They are, but from what I remember about the incident, their royalty in terms of being associated with a realm was a secret, so only a select few knew. I still don't know which realm, but well...I doubt it matters anymore," Junho admitted.
"What do you mean, it doesn't matter?" I asked for clarification, not following.
He turned his gaze to me. "The same day that clan allegedly killed the father and son, they sent assassins to kill the rest of the royal household," Junho whispered.
"Everyone...wasn't there any survivors?" I asked.
Junho shook his head and sighed. "What I remembered was that the only body not found was that of the youngest daughter, but they found one of her shoes next to her mother's body and another down a stream. She was presumed to have drowned or been eaten. I don't know anything else other than that."
I swallowed the lump in my throat. My instincts told me there was even more information he hadn’t shared. "What happened after?" I asked.
He met my gaze, noticing the hurt in my eyes. He gave me a sad smile. "By the time the news of what happened spread to us, it was too late. Our underwater city was attacked and everyone was killed," he whispered, taking a shaky breath as he blinked his eyes.
"But..." I trailed off, unsure how to word my thoughts. He said they were killed, but he was right here with me.
"My father, older sister, and I were here in LA at the time. That was the first time I'd met Kendrick. My father was discussing what we could do about the feuding. We didn't hear about the attack until everything was already gone. Father went with teams from PINC to find if there were any survivors...but it was all gone. Just floating bodies..." he whispered, looking down at my hand in his.
A tear fell onto my palm and he smiled. "My mom had stayed behind...since...she was pregnant with my younger sister...and well...ya."
"Junho..." I let my tears fall, shocked at his words.
He looked up and reached out to wipe my cheeks. "Hey...you’re not supposed to cry, silly." That only made me weep harder.
"That's not fair. Did they go to jail? How could that be legal? Where's the justice?!" I demanded.
"There was nothing we could do. Since the clan was wiped out, the opposing clan had the right to take control of everything. If, by some miracle, one of the members survived, they are the only ones who can claim their birthright back and fight back, but that all happened years ago. None of us support the other clan in power now. Everyone basically cut ties and they had to start over from scratch. Sure, they're powerful after years of rebuilding, but my guess is they're using illegal means to gain power since no one on the 'good side' is willing to support them," Junho explained.
"I'm so sorry, Junho," I whispered. I was angry for him. Mad that he had to grow up without his mother and baby sister.
No one deserved to experience such a life, especially when it was due to someone’s selfish actions because they were unable to claim the power they so desperately desired, but weren’t entitled to.
He shook his head and looked back at the ceiling, a few more tears rolling down his cheeks. "When we came to this place...the crystal felt hot on my wrist and in a blink of my eyes, my mom was there. It was as if time had stilled and there she was, cradling my little sister in her arms and smiling down at me. She looked so proud...no...she was proud. She said so..." he whispered.
I realized he must have experienced something similar to what I had when I'd met Monako and Esmeralda, time seeming to freeze as we talked, before returning to the present.
"She said how much she missed me and how remarkably proud she was. She'd watched me and my sister grow and said we should try to put up with our stubborn dad because he truly loves us, even if he doesn't show it a lot." Junho chuckled, shaking his head before he lowered his gaze to meet mine.
"She then said that you were very beautiful and have a kind heart. She explained you'd help change this world, even if you yourself can't see it yet. She basically blessed our relationship and told me to hold onto you tight because you'd make me happy and that I'd do the same for you. She wished me the best of luck as the guardian of the crystal and said now she and my sister could finally move on. That's when a group of spirits appeared around them. Many of them were people I recognized from our city. It made me realize that all these years they had been here, waiting for the new guardian to allow them to cross over."
I was speechless as his words sunk in. Imagine dying a horrible, unreasonable death, just to be stuck here for years, unable to cross over.
Sure, the view here was alluring and gave a sense of comfort, but after some time, it would just be a dull waiting room and you would have to face the reality that no one knew when the day would come that they could cross over.
"They all thanked me...every single one. There were shifters young and old...even humans too. One by one they crossed over, leaving my mom and baby sister as the only ones left. She wished me good luck and told me not to change. Regardless of any flaws I had, I would always be perfect in her eyes and I shouldn't let society change me. After that, she was gone." He choked on the last part and took another calming breath before continuing.
"That's when the previous guardian, Esmeralda, appeared and told me that this place and getting to see my mom and sister crossover was a gift to me because of you,” he revealed.
"Huh...because of me? Why...I didn't do anything?" I whispered.
Junho smiled and slowly stood up, presenting his hand to me. I placed mine in his and he helped me up before he looked at the water before us.
"Esmeralda said that she's waited decades for someone to retrieve the crystal. She placed it in a place that the individual would have to be smart to retrieve it, but the purpose of the challenge was that in order to get something as precious as the crystal, you would have to give up something of your own in return,” he confessed, turning his body so we faced one another.
He lifted his hand up and ran it through my hair, which was dry and fuzzy, making me remember about my hair tie. "You gave up your hair tie, which was the only thing you could have given up that wouldn't hinder you from getting back," Junho elaborated.
"But...I could have given my watch," I countered, realizing I was no longer wearing it.
"You could, but you wouldn't have known how much time you had left and wouldn’t have realized you couldn't make it. If you went further out, it would have been harder for Niko and I to reach you in time," Junho acknowledged.
"Giving up your hair tie was the logical thing to do. Anyone else who's come looking has never offered an item in exchange. That was the reason the crystal stayed where it was for all these decades and was why Esmeralda wanted to get rid of it entirely. She said she'd lost hope in humanity and believed no one selfless would come for the crystal, which meant it would always be in danger of being used wrongly. She couldn't afford the possibility of someone using the crystals for evil, which is why she was willing to sacrifice it. But then, you arrived and because of our dual effort, she rewarded us by pointing us towards this place and allowing me to see my people move on." He grinned proudly, before he pulled me into his arms.
"Thank you, Scarlet,” he whispered, kissing my neck before holding me tightly in an embrace.
"Junho. No, thank you." I spoke quietly, returning his embrace. It was thanks to him that I was alive now, listening to his story. It had always been one of my goals to learn more about each of the guys. I was determined to get more information and background from each of them, but work had kept getting in the way, which only made it harder for us to have such moments together.
Though this experience was frightening, I was given the opportunity to gain some closure with my mom and witness Junho do the same with his mother, baby sister, and the rest of his people lost in the mass killing. I was able to learn more about him than I ever expected, and it made me feel a lot closer to him.
I just prayed I'd be able to get the chance to learn more about the others as well.