Maya woke up, the sun still down and the moon is still up. She woke up from the sound of painful whispers inside her head. It was almost like they were mumbling something to her, and it was making her head ache.
Maya turned into her true form, groaning in pain as she clutches onto her pounding head. She lost her balance making her fall from the tree and into the cold, dirty, ground, making a loud thud.
The female couldn't hear anything anymore as if her ears were being blocked by something. Suddenly, her hands began to hurt, as if it was getting pinned by a tons of niddles. She looked at her hand only to gasp in shock.
She could see her hands, slowly faiding away, turning into ashes as gets carried away by the strong breeze. Maya silently cried, wanting the pain to stop.
Maya mentally screams to herself as she slowly disappeared, leaving ashes that the wind–soon blew away.
_ _ _
The sun arises from it's bed, as the moon slowly fell into deep slumber.Another Morning, another day of trailing off the road, back into their kingdom.
Hansol fluttered his eyes open, waking up from all the commotion outside the tent. He peeked and saw the others, scattered around the area.
Hansol stood up and was curious of what was happening in their surroundings, he grabbed the nearest person beside him, hoping to have answers to his questions.
"Hyung what's happening?"
"Maya went missing, we don't know if she got assassinated, kidnapped, or even worse, took her as a prisoner" Jun frowned, with a hint of worry in his eyes. Maya could be the only way for them to get back home, and now... She had disappeared.
"W-what? What do you mean? She was with us last night—"
"Hyung, no one knows where she could be. She might even betrayed us if she had a choice."
At this point, Hansol was furious. All his emotions are all scattered around. Surely, Maya was too kind, she even helped them escape for good sake.
Hansol grabbed Samuel's collar and swung his fist into the air, reading to punch the younger as he just stared into the older's eyes with fear. All his hyungs began to surround them, trying to calm the atmosphere down.
"She wouldn't betray us! How dare you say tha—"
"Hansol stop it."
Hansol shifted his gaze as all the anger in his began to disappear. His eyes softhen, staring into his eyes. Seungkwan, he looked at Hansol with a frown.
"Why are you being like this?" Seungkwan muttered.
"Agreed, Hansol you know violence isn't the answer to ease everything down." Jeonghan frowned, with a hint of worry in his tone.
Hansol slowly placed the younger down as he finally calmed down. Samuel ran up to his older brother, hugging him with fear rushing over his whole body.
Hansol didn't know why he got angry all of a sudden. Was it because of Maya? Yes. It was because of her. Why? Maya reminded him as her sister, Sofia.
Hansol misses his home. He wanted to check of his family is safe, he wanted this all just to end and go back to normal. He can't loose one of his family again.
And the thought of Maya betraying them haunts his mind. What if she really left and betrayed us? Selling them us out to the witch.
No. This can't be. Maya trusted Hansol with her most precious secret. Surely it wasn't just a way to get more loser to Hansol, right? What would she even benefit from it?
"We need to find her, now."
_ _ _
Wonwoo is in the forest, not so far from the area from they were before. He could still see the campsite from a far, even if thick trees were surrounding him.
The male slowly walked around the area, tring to find and traces of Maya. Who knows where she could have been. Besides, anything the witch of the wastes was nothing near good or pure at all.
That's what Wonwoo thought.
Wonwoo shook off his own thoughts. The most important thing to do is to find Maya, she is the only way for them to get back to their kingdom. But how could they even find such a small bird?
This is all just a waste of time.
The dwarf thought, and continued to walk around the forest. Yet, something strange began to happen.
What used to be an area with thick trees, and piles of leaves turned into a field. Just a regular field to be exact, yet Wonwoo was confused. Surely it was just an area with thick trees just a second ago. Not it's all gone.
Wonwoo rubbed his eyes, only to reveal that the field had two trails. One to the left, and another one to the right. He stood in the center of the two trails, clearly confused. Was he the only one seing this?
A strong, powerful wind brushes through his face sending shivers down his whole body. The male looked back to the others, wanting to call them over and investigate the forest's secret. Yet, once he looked back at the scene. The trail disappeared, turning back into a forest, witch thick trees, falled out leaves and even mushrooms growing from the ground.
Wonwoo was confused.
He got enough sleep, and no he hasn't eaten nor drank anything weird at all. Was he hallucinating? Was his own mind playing with him?
All he knows that something is not right.
"Am I going crazy? The trail was here just a second ago."
"What trail?"
Wonwoo jumped from the sudden voice, he turned his head only to come contact with Soonyoung—who was looking at him with a frown.
"What are you doing here?" Wonwoo aaked, trying to hide his cold sweat dripping down from the sides of his face.
"Nothing, I thought you might need help finding Maya in this area. Are you alright?" Soonyoung asked, concern for the younger. "You seem to be a little... Off this morning. Everything okay?"
"I'm fine." Wonwoo shortly replied.
The male was debating if he should tell Soonyoung the mysterious trail he discovered ealier. Yet, he was afraid the older might call him crazy, besides, it's gone now. No one would believe him. Was it even real?
Even if it was... Why did it appear to him all of a sudden?
"Let's just get to searching, I bet you're just hungry. We should get breakfast after this." Soonyoung patted the younger's back before going to the opposite side of the area.
Wonwoo looked back to the area where the trailed used to be as he squinted his eyes. He needs to make sure he remembers this scene correcty.
The male ripped a thick, red piece of string off from the cuffs of his pants his mother made for him. Wonwoo knows his mother worked hard for it, but this is the only way.
Wonwoo tied the thick string on one of the branches of the trees where the trail disappeared. This could serve as a reminder that the trail was placed here, whenever they would come back this area to further more investigate the strange trail.
Wonwoo took one, last glance at the area before turning his back on it, and walking away to go back with the others.
Not knowing the trail appeared once again.