Cursed | Yang Hongseok

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Flashback: China, 1020. (Hongseok's P.O.V)

After we exited the dungeons, I found myself standing at the middle of a field that was only now starting to get caressed by the earliest sunrays, and not so far away I noticed Yuto standing with a familiar girl.

"Look who I found." Yuto said, but all I could see in that moment was her. And it seemed like all of my need were out aside by a single one – the need to kiss her.

"Hongseok! Are you alright?" She said, running towards me. "He found out about the two of us, I swear I didn't know–"

"It's okay, and don't worry, I will be fine. How about you?" I asked, interrupting her.

"I think I will also be alright." She smiled ever so slightly, but then her expression changed. "Is– is he..."

"Don't worry, I took care of him." Wooseok proudly said, cleaning his sword. Surprisingly enough, Xia had no reaction to the news of her husband being murdered.

"Forgive me if this is the wrong moment, but I just need to kiss you again..." I said quietly, and she nodded in agreement.

"Me too." She said.

We slowly leaned towards each other, feeling the excitement as if we were kissing for the first time. But I surely did not expect what happened next.

As soon as our lips connected, she pulled away, and when I saw the scared look in her eyes I knew something was terribly wrong.

"Xia, what's wrong?!" I asked in panic, but my question wasn't even heard due to her screaming.

Withing just a few seconds, her whole body started burning as if it caught some invisible fire.

I tried doing something, anything, to help and save her, but it all happened so quickly.

She opened her mouth as if she was going to say something, but then the incredibly quick flame caught her face, too, and within seconds, the love of my life that stood in front of me just seconds ago was now just a pile of ashes.

"No..." A weak whisper escaped my mouth and I fell on my knees, still not being able to process what just happened.

"Not you, Xia." I started to choke on my own tears, recalling the commander's words. He said he had something much worse than death in plan for me. He said he would make me and people around me suffer. I assumed this had to do with the incantation he was reading from that parchment.

Yuto and Wooseok also stared in disbelief, not able to do anything. I didn't blame them. After all, this was no one's, yet everyone's fault.

Especially mine.

I took some of the ashes in my hands, staring at it numbly, because I still couldn't accept the fact that she was gone. I kept on staring at this heart-wrenching sight for what seemed to be an eternity.

"Hongseok... we have to go." Yuto whispered gently. "I know this is hard for you, but... there's nothing you can do to bring her back."

"That's not true." I said, my voice cracking due to all the pain I felt. "I know it isn't. She's still somewhere, I can feel it. She just can't be lost."

After just one more look at the ground, I dropped the ashes back.

Only to realise that the cut on my hand was completely healed, as if it wasn't ever made in the first place.

A/N: I decided to post a double update today, since this chapter would've been too long if I didn't separate it into two chapters. Anyways, all of this might be a bit confusing now, but trust me, everything will be explained in later chapters as we go back to present time and Xia's P.O.V.
As always, I hope you like the story and please vote and comment if you can! :)