» Friable «

𝙭𝙭𝙭𝙞𝙭.

It's that blasted handcuffs again!

Looking around her surroundings, she felt like her head wasn't going to tear itself apart in agony. She was suddenly hit with Déjà vu seeing the grimy walls, prison bars, rusted pipes, the damp floor, and the dim lighting. Was she in a dungeon cell again?

"Hey there, sleeping beauty." A voice greeted. Looking away from her surroundings, she realized the sound was coming from the prisoner opposite her, chained to the wall.

"Why does this keep happening to me?" She grumbled in annoyance.

"Who knows? Maybe you've always meant to be a prisoner of war, or maybe it was destiny. Who cares anyway? What matters is we finally meet again, Dawn!" The man, whose name she still has no clue, grinned, winking flirtatiously.

She grumbled incoherently under her breath, deciding to ignore the crazy guy. Unfortunately, the man didn't seem to understand that she did not want to talk to him.

"Come on, Dawn. How would you even be able to escape this place? And did the King ever ask you if you'd like to help him? Oh yeah! Or did you refuse to cooperate?!" He continued, ignoring her attempts to silence him.

"Can you please shut up?" She glared at him.

The man let out an exaggerated gasp and clutched his chest dramatically. She wanted to smack him badly, but that would be considered animal abuse.

"Now, now, darling. You're really starting to scare me." The man suddenly leaned forward, looking right into her face. "And I've never been scared."

She blinked and backed away slightly, feeling uneasy with what the crazier man wanted from her. There's something off about him... Something sinister that made her feel unsettled. Like she wasn't talking to the real person.

"Who are you? How did you know my name?" She demanded, glaring at him coldly.

"You can ask me questions, but I can't? That's not how this work, princess." He answered, looking at her innocently. "If you want answers, answer my questions first, Dawn." He smiled, knowing that she'll take the bait.

She hesitated, but eventually decided to humor him. "Fine. Ask."

"Tell me, Dawn. What was it like traveling to a different world?"

Her head snapped towards the man, having difficulty stifling her surprise. What did he just say?"How about your magic? When did you get those? How do they exactly work? How could you destroy a magical item like it was nothing?"

It might be her imagination, but she saw his eyes darkening with anger. A dangerous aura emitted from him, and not even the air seemed to give the illusion of it being safe.

"Who are you?" But instead of answering his questions, Dawn asked him one of her own.

She couldn't answer his questions. They were too personal, something someone couldn't know unless she told them of it...

She gasped in realization.

No, no, no, no, no! He couldn't be, right? How could he?

She didn't want to believe it. But she spoke of her adventure to no one but the boys.

"Ah! It seems like my little trick had been found." The man suddenly stood from his position, and the cuffs in his hands were disintegrating into black shadows.

As he walked towards her, shadows on his face shifted until they formed into a face that she knew perfectly well. The light from the torches illuminating his face showed him a cruel sneer, almost mocking her.

"Beomgyu....?" She whispered in disbelief. Her eyes were pricking with tears. She felt her heart clenched at the pain of betrayal.

The man in front of her had the same hair and eye color that he had before, but he didn't have that smile on his lips anymore. His whiskey brown eyes that used to reflect happiness and warmth, were now dark and void.

『• • • ✎ • • •』

*gasped dramatically* It's been Beomgyu all along!?

But on a positive note... YEONJUN IS ALIVE!!!