Magic Man, SeongJoong

꧁•⊹٭𝚂𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚎٭⊹•꧂

Hongjoong screamed as his part of the castle was quickly falling towards destruction. He was tumbling down the hill, unable to move as he was holding onto Heen tightly. He felt he was falling forever, and he was scared to hit the floor and die, so he closed his eyes.

Hongjoong had passed out for 5 minutes, before his consciousness was regained by a dog licking his face. He took a few seconds to come to his senses, but there wasn't much to gather. He realised he had completely fallen down the side of the mountain, and half the castle he fell with, had crumbled down all around him. He was hurt, sad and completely lost.

He sat on the cold stone floor, and put his head in his hands. So many things had gone wrong. Hongjoong thought it was already selfish for the others to go in dangers way just so Hongjoong could try and rescue Howl. He didn't even have a plan to help Howl, he didn't even know what he was doing, and it put everyone at risk. He felt so helpless, so selfish. Tears sprung to his eyes, and dampened his spirit.

He poured water on Calcifer. He killed the little fire that would sit in the fireplace of the moving castle. Hongjoong deserved to be away from everyone, perhaps Yeosang and Jongho would have a higher chance of actually surviving. He felt so guilty as he sat in the mountain side crying. He looked at the dog who sat by his legs.

"Oh Heen, look what I've done. I poured water on Calcifer." Hongjoong's voice trembled as the tears sat perfectly on his water line, and clouded his vision, "What if I killed Howl!"

He was sobbing now, the fear and heartbreak of being the one to kill Howl after everything Howl did in the war. After saying he wanted to protect him, Hongjoong had accidently killed him. Hongjoong was distraught and immensely guilty, he was unravelling at the idea of never seeing his favourite person ever again. Dealing with his life after knowing the tragedy he caused. How would he ever move on?

All he could think about was erasing time, and desperately wanting to bring back the orange flames which belonged to Mingi. He wanted the castle back. He wanted Howl the most.

Hongjoong wasn't aware of the ring on his finger lighting a dazzling orange. Instead, Heen, the spy dog, huffed and followed the light. Hongjoong was still crying into his hands, so the dog jumped up and down and kept huffing. Hongjoong, who promised never to be so selfish again, looked at the whining dog to see if it was hurt. Instead, he saw the faint hue of orange from the ring.

"Is Howl alive? Show me where he is." Hongjoong wiped his tears, and stared at the ring, waiting for some sign.

The line from the ring became 5x stronger, and it was a clear sign that the ring was leading Hongjoong somewhere. He looked forward, following the sign, and it pointed through a scrap of metal that was leaning up against the stone face of the mountain. Hongjoong stood up, his knees incredibly weak, and walked through the castle's mess. He gently moved behind the scrap metal, and pushed it away from the mountain with all of his might.

Behind the scrap metal, was a door. A strange singular door, only for Hongjoong's convenience. It was magic, the magic belonging to a certain hair changing wizard. As Hongjoong looked at the door clearly, he was surprised to see the door belonged to the castle. He checked the ring on his finger once more, and then made eye contact with the spy dog.

They seemingly both nodded to each other, confirming that the ring wanted them to go through the door. Hongjoong touched the cold handle and pulled the door open. He was expecting something, perhaps his way back to the castle, or even back in time. He was desperate for something that would show him the right way.

Instead, beyond the castle door was complete and utter darkness. There was nothing beyond the door, nothing that Hongjoong could see and if he entered, he would only darkness. He hesitated. Could this lead Hongjoong back to the other half of the castle? Is it the right way? What if this is punishment for killing both Calcifer and Howl?

There was no other option for the young man. He lifted up the ring one last time, making sure this was the right way. The orange light disappeared into the darkness, encouraging the young man to enter and go forth. Hongjoong's heart was set. He believed the words of his wizard.

'Summon Calcifer with your heart.'

Hongjoong entered the veil of darkness, and a cold rush washed over his body as he entered. The spy dog wasn't far behind him, making pig squeals so that Hongjoong knew where he was in the darkness. The ring held a bit of light to it, yet Hongjoong couldn't see beyond his own feet. He held his head high, and braced the darkness head on. He never stopped walking, but he hoped to reach somewhere soon. He needed to know whether everyone was alright. He needed to know if Seonghwa was still living after what he had done.

It seemed almost urgent in Hongjoong's heart.

Hongjoong wasn't sure how much time had passed them. He guessed 5 minutes, perhaps 10. Darkness really twists time, and Hongjoong wasn't so fond of it. His eyes started hurting, but there was a shine on the tip of his shoes, his squinted his eyes. A blue light was far into the distance, and Hongjoong sighed a relief although it didn't look like the castle.

"I'm going to run Heen, keep up. Okay, boy?" Hongjoong whispered gently to the dog by his feet.

He heard one last squeal before Hongjoong started running towards the blue light in the distance.