CHAPTER THREE, Realize

2 girls. one boy.

3rd memory

"Eun-ju, I don't think this is a good idea."

The girl mumbles under her breath. Her friend ignores her And asks the guard to open the door to the shed. Her friend steps inside and the girl hesitates but slowly follows behind.

"God this is disgusting. You should be thankful that I'm even in here, peasant "

There inside of the shed was a little boy who was tied up. His skin, a golden brown. His hair, a dark ebony. This is the boy that the little girl's friend had ordered to be captured.

"Eun ju. This definitely isn't a good idea."

The girl whispers meekly. Her face twisting looking at the poor boy. Her friend begins to untie the boy and the little girl steps forward.

"Eun ju I said I don't-!"

"Shut it. If you back out now. You'll be a wimp! Hear me? A w~im~p."

The girl's friend glares at her. As if daring her to object. When the girl doesn't, her friend smirks and turns her attention back to the stable boy. He was shaking.. His teeth chattering. He was scared, it was obvious. So was the girl. Her friend wasn't but she was, and so was the boy.

Two scared little kids. Too scared to make eye contact, because one thinks that the other will hurt them and the other thinks that what they're doing is wrong. But either way they must both have these feelings. Just not in the same time frame.

The girl's friend yells at the boy to strip. He doesn't. She yells at him. He doesn't strip. She threatens him. He doesn't strip. She hits him. He doesn't strip. She whips him. He doesn't strip.

Tired of trying to make him bend to her will she gives in and Although the girl's friend finds it less fun this way she strips him herself.

In horror the girl watches the most inhumane, absurd thing happen.

Rape.

My hand still aching, I rush down the hallway.ignoring the pain along with all the stares and whispers. i nearly trip over myself trying to get out of the hallway. soon enough I reach the library and lock the door behind me. Wincing when my hand makes contact with the cold brass. It stung, it hurt. Breathing hard, I remember the rippling mirror and clench my fist. Although only my hand was injured, Everything hurt. Everything ached.

Laying my head back against the door I sighed. Everything seemed to slow down. Everything seemed to be against me. I slump down and rested my hands in my lap. The blood still flowing, ruining my silk robes. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to feel like. I don't know what is going on. I laugh bitterly. my mind recalling Tao's face when he asked me if I really didn't know. I truthfully don't. With all this power. The world still moves without me. It doesn't need me.

So why am I still here. It wasn't a question anymore. I was demanding something. An answer maybe? But who the hell was going to answer? No one. I stared down at the blood in my hand. Was it coming from me? Or because of me? Was it my fault that the blood was flowing? Or was it flowing from me just because. It could be both. I caused something and I was also affected by that same cause. Only a heavenly being can escape the human reactions to the pull. To the balance every human being needs. Only a heavenly being can escape a human's needs. The need for food. The need for warmth. The need for water. The need for love. love

Biting down on my lip hard. What would he do? My mind blurred and Min-ho's face appeared in my memory. When we were toddlers and children and kids. Although we never got to be together after that. We grew into our personalities, our peak times and then he was gone. He was taken away from me when I was thirteen and I was left to become the Empress.

Then when he left, He looked regretful, but also happy. Happy that we got to spend most of our time together. Now that time was gone and my feelings for him weren't that strong. I hated that. He was the one person who I thought I could trust and believe. But how can you trust that someone will come back when they're just human?

The thing with humans is that they are incredibly weak creatures. They have no control whatsoever no matter how hard they try. The only things that they can influence are other humans. And it wasn't very impressive to control us. It's quite easy to manipulate human beings.

The part of the human mind that thinks of doing such horrible things with their control is the same exact mechanism that gets us manipulated. Such an interesting mind. How terrifying.

Uncomfortable with my position I heave myself up and peer into the library corridor. Books hundreds and thousands of books. They show no harm. And can't be manipulated once they are published. I take one step and another, and slowly walk down the passageway stopping only when I see a book that catches my eye. None of them really do. I skim through the rows.

Rows….rows and rows of books lined up in alphabetical order. Books, are much better than people. Books hold much more value than the average human life. Books certainly are worth more than I would ever be sold for. I stare into the hallway my eyes peering down the corridor. It seems to stretch on forever. And ever. But nothing last forever, this library will soon be destroyed.

And no one will care. No one will mourn. A sudden click snaps me out of my trance and then I feel a cool breeze against the back of my neck. I feel the hair on my skin rise as I shudder. I raise my hand and touch the back of my neck. A startling bound of wind catches me off guard.

"Ah?"

I turn toward the wind. Oddly enough the wind rushes against me even harder. On instinct I throw up my arm to shield my face the wind rushing against me. Strands of hair whip around me.

"Ugh.."

I stumble a bit and stagger against the gust of wind. Soon enough I reach the window. Squinting i close the window. I..? I close the window.. I have closed the- why won't it close? The wind rushes even harder and I shriek. Quickly I grab the frame and the window and force it shut immediately stopping the cold Zephyr from coming in. Sighing I slump over and laugh.

My hair was probably all over the place. I glance up at the window. Gazing at the faint reflection it showed me. Adjusting my eyes I look out at the garden. Everything looked so peaceful from here, so pretty. So up-kept. A sharp pang throws me off guard. Was I jealous of a garden? I narrowed my eyes and looked away. Focusing on the library once more.

The rows towered over me. The library has been here since my mother was alive. She created it. She wished for a place with every book you could name. She created the design and let anyone and everyone into this library. What a kind woman. And what a dreadful ending. My mother.

I start to walk through the corridor again Muttering the book names as I go. Fantasy, romance, mystery, smut, I reach a historical book and pause. The binding was odd. It seemed to be foreign. A…

"A Roman catholic book…"

I almost whisper, intrigued I observed the binding. English letters lined the fringe. My curiosity soon twisted into horror. Why was this here? Technically this shouldn't be allowed as the Palace chose not to concern themselves with a certain god under the elders advice. I grab the book out of its section and turn it over, Observing the cover.

"The study of demonology.."

I mutter under my breath.

What does that mean? The roman church's views on demons? I gaze at it for a moment then think better of it. People are always watching. It would be better to just leave it. I glanced back up at the section I had gotten it from. The opening to put the book back in was gone. I looked over at other sections close to it. No openings. Like the space it was supposed to be in..was gone. Vanished like it had never been part of the library in the first place. But that couldn't have been possible. I just saw the exact place for this book. I swear I did.

"Did I?"

I wonder out loud. No one answers. No one really cared. So I guess it was fine. Right?

"It's fine."

I mumble and open the book, The first page was blank. Absolutely nothing. The page was empty. I flip to the next.

"Ow.."

the wound was irritated again. I glance back at the book and flipped back to the first page. blood was smudged on the beginning of the blank page. Shit.

I turned my hand over and looked at my palm. The blood was smeared all over my hand and was slowly beginning to flow again. I sighed, perhaps I wasn't going to be able to look through this book. I'll just bandage this up first. Shutting the book I get up and head toward the door.

Reaching the door again I tried to open it but it wouldn't budge. Pausing for a second I stared at the door in disbelief until realizing I had locked it before. Placing the book under my arm I began to unlock the door before I heard voices. A pleading male voice, another male voice who's tone seemed to be angry And a female voice who also seemed to be pleading.

I waited until their voices seemed far enough away. But the distance they were away from the door stayed the same. Sighing, I began to unlock the door again until the male's voice cried out.

"I swear I didn't do anything to her..!"

He seemed desperate.

"You honestly expect me to believe that?! You must take me for an idiot"

"Chol…please…I don't want this to happen again..just leave him alone. You don't know what he might do!!"

The girl sounded choked up

"You're crying?! You're crying??! I should be the one crying..you're the one who touched me?!"

The male voice yelled. Upon hearing that I froze.

"you- you..you told me her majesty needed help and then you.."

The boy couldn't speak. He was exasperated and was breathing hard everytime he repeated something.

"You're lying again?! That doesn't happen to boys!?"

The library door was thrown open. Sa rang couldn't tell whether it was her or not, but something in her stomach was churning. This was none of her business but.

"What exactly can't happen to boys?"

"Wh-what..?"

In front of her stood three people.

Two males. Both black haired. Both dark brown eyes. But one's face was longer and more mature. He had mercenary clothing. The other still had the charactics of a teenager..a kid. and the clothing he was wearing surely wasn't warm enough for the dreary weather. Then a girl with short brown hair with handmaiden clothes.

The girl was staring at me as if I was a ghost. The boy just glared at me like I was just another passerby. And the kid..looked nervous.

"Please, what can't happen to a boy?"

I asked once again.

"Why don't you mind your own business lady?"

The boy asked. his teeth bared.

"What if I told you that I was the empress..?"

I asked, hanging my head to the side. He looked shocked for a second. They all did. But then the boy simply looked at me. His face smug.

"So? Everyone knows that the Empress has no power over anything, over anyone."

"Well you're not entirely wrong."

I said trailing off. He grinned at me, his face becoming hystercial.

"But I can still get away with a lot of stuff."

Atleast to the public I thought to myself but then brushed that off And glanced back at the kids. Their faces were white. They hadn't thought of the actual possibility that I could be the empress.

Poor them.

"Your..your majesty please.."

The girl rushed over to me and got to her knees.

"Please..please just overlook this..just this once."

She sobbed. The boy grabbed her arm and pulled her up.

"Ja-Hye!! Don't bow to her.."

He hissed and brought her behind him. As a protective gesture. How sweet. I gazed at them. They seemed like they would last forever And they probably thought that too. I pitied them.

I glanced over at the boy. He looked tired. Like he had been worrying about something for a while and it hadn't been resolved yet. I didn't even know the whole story yet I was doing this. Getting myself in unnecessary trouble never ended well for me.

I straightened my back and ran my fingers through my hair.

"So I will ask this once again. What can't happen to boys?"