The Black Prince & The White Prince

White Crystals

*Hey! Don't kill me but for a few of the future parts, there will be a similar concept with Minhyun - Universe mv but with my own twist on it cause Baekmin for the win! So if you haven't watched it yet (what are u even doing with your life then, I'm sorry), go check it out because it's a really beautiful mv*

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At first, there was only silence but then a numbing pain started seeping in. Coursing through the muscles and causing unintentional twitches. A blink. Another blink. Head drooping and up again. Blink. Eyes opening and closing at a slower pace, trying to focus on what was around. A sharp pain in the head. Hand reaching for it. Touching hair. Feeling skin. Blink. Eyes scouting the area.

"You're awake," a voice. A voice so familiar yet so... unfamiliar. A figure came closer as his eyes started adjusting to the brightness around him. He could tell it was an old man. White hair slicked back with a gentle look. He blinked again, trying to think.

Think.

How long has it been? He glanced around the room, noticing a mirror. He stared at the reflection, moving a hand and watching it move back. Right. That's him.

"Who... are you?" He spoke in a hoarse distant voice, feeling prickles in his throat as though he hadn't used it in a long time.

"You don't remember me?" The old man asked as he walked behind the chair that he was seated on, removing what seemed like a bicycle helmet off his head. It made his head feel lighter but also dizzier. He shook his head.

"Who... am.... I?" He muttered, trying to move his hands and feet. They were numb and there was a stretching pain all over his body. He felt a sigh escape his lips as he managed to sit up. The old man walked to the front and knelt down to his eye level, gently taking his hand.

"It's alright. Take it slow," the old man said and patted his hand. He blinked and looked at himself in the mirror again. The black hair. Tired eyes. Black cardigan that didn't seem to fit him properly, loose shirt and pants. He wondered why they felt weird on him even though they were comfortable.

"I'm..." The old man got up and poured him a glass of water as he took his time recovering. He took a sip, thanking the man. Then it came to him and he muttered the words out. "Hwang Minhyun."

"Right. That's your name. Do you remember anything else?" He shook his head and turned back to the old man.

"Can't you... tell me?" He asked, finding his voice again. He cleared his throat and placed the water down. The room was decorated in a very vintage style with an aquarium filled with gas and crystals instead of fishes. A chair that he was sitting on comfortably. Weird machinery. A large carpet. He didn't know where he was. Worse yet, he didn't know who he was exactly. Only his name came to mind.

"I'm afraid not. You'll have to remember slowly," the old man replied, tinkering with the machine. "It might come as a shock to you if I told you everything now. This machine will help you remember slowly. I will help you control the dosage and everything needed to help you so you just take it easy and rest up."

Minhyun looked at the machine. For some reason, he didn't trust it. He didn't know if that was just part of his cautious personality but something about the machine just smelt fishy to him. Nevertheless, he just nodded and didn't ask anymore as the old man picked up a bucket filled with crystals.

"Wait... How shall I address you?" Minhyun asked.

"You can just call me old man for now. Maybe when you remember who I am, you can start calling me by that instead."

"Old man..." Minhyun felt a bit rude to just call him a literal old man but didn't want to disrespect the other's choice as well.

"If you're ever hungry, just ring the bell over there. Food will be brought to you," the old man said before shutting the door behind him. Minhyun turned to see what the other was saying. There was a hatch with a bell connected to it. He wondered if there were other people here. He got up, slowly stretching and trying to get used to his body. It felt foreign like he was some new soul stuffed into a rag doll.

He walked around the room wearing slippers, touching and feeling things. He tried to recall his memories but nothing really came up. Why? Why couldn't he remember anything? It made him feel lifeless, floaty as though there was nothing keeping him attached to this place. This world. He found a sliding door and pushed it, revealing a balcony to him. He stepped out and looked at the oddly built buildings around him. He noticed the old man on one of the floors opposite his with a chair on the walkway.

The old man entered the building and Minhyun was left to look around at his surroundings again. He stared at the blue sky up ahead, squinting slightly. Everything felt... weird. Felt off. Were clouds always that still? He couldn't see a lot below either, as though there was a void messing with his mind. It made him feel nauseous so he went back inside to take a seat. He touched his chest, feeling a stinging pain.

He lifted his shirt up and saw a small scar right in the middle of his chest. Confused, he touched it. It seemed to have closed up already but why was there pain? He wasn't sure. He had no answers to the many questions budding in his mind. All he had were this room and the old man. And this machine that was supposed to help him remember.

He sighed and laid down on the chair, staring out blankly at the ceiling.

"Minhyun."

Minhyun jolted up and looked around. He was confused. He had heard a voice but it was so distant and soft that he felt he must have had heard things. He clutched his head as he felt a light throb.

"Who am I?" He asked himself but no answers came. He sighed and tried to get some sleep, wondering why he still felt so fatigued. Sleep pulled him in almost immediately as he shut his eyes.