The Alchemist: Myul Mang: I

As I swung open my eyes, a flash of bright light struck my retina causing me to close them just as quickly, I tried opening it again, but this time I placed the back of my palm at least two inches away from my eyes.

"Where am I? Am I dead?" I became quite scared, I could still feel the pain in my body, it still hurt. I was in a white room, just like ARIES - a very open space, a total cliché

"Where did everyone go? Why does it feel like I'm dead," I asked myself.

Eagerly, I stood up from the bed where I had been lying down, as I tried making my way towards the door of the room I was in, my legs suddenly became numb, and I fell flat on my belly.

"What is this place? Dong Hwa! Daesang-a!"

I called but no one answered, I tried calling everyone but no response came from any of them. It started getting annoying - "How could they leave me all alone here, pieces of shit...." I continued lamenting and soliloquizing, thinking of how I'd reap Daesang's head off when I caught him and how I would make Dong Hwa suffer till the end of time. Suddenly I just felt this kind of adrenaline rush within me, feeling like someone or something was controlling me, I got up and started walking towards the direction of the door, my limbs as firm as an anvil. Upon opening the door, I didn't bother looking at the floor I just leaped out and started falling, when I looked up, the place I was in was just a room suspended in the sky

"Mwo (what)? What's going on?" I said.

I forgot I was even falling, I looked down, and all that was there were just clouds, and the more I descended, the more clouds I came across till a sudden flash of white light struck my eyes.

I opened my eyes slowly, this time I found myself lying on the floor in a place that looked like a mountain. The mountain seemed familiar but I was too discombobulated to say which it is. The mountain had a very, very cool breeze, flowers sprung up here and there.

"What is going on? Is this some kind of tactical test? I thought that only happens the third week of every month but it's only the 10th day of the month.

"Come on guys, this game is getting really tiring -I haven't rested well, and my body still hurts, so if you guys would pity me that'd be nice" I shouted facing the sky.

I was shirtless, wearing only the black joggers I had on before the incident. I walked for a while and I came across a door, the door didn't seem too inviting to open, it was just a door standing alone in the middle of a mountain, with no pillars holding it up, just the door standing there all on its own. I was weak already, so I didn't care - I just opened the door, what could be the worst that could happen? Probably just fall into the clouds again and experience déjà vu.

I twisted the door knob and swung open the door and as expected, I found nothing, just a white light shining, I was used to seeing the color, but I was getting tired of it already. I walked into it, all fearless, suddenly it became dark, and it got eerie, things were starting to become weird again. Then I saw a distant blue light, then it changed to red and then white and then it became brown. I peered closely at the light and started moving towards its direction and it suddenly went pitch black again.

I started hearing footsteps, receding and moving closer at the same time, "were they two people? How could I be hearing a receding footstep and the same time footsteps moving towards my direction". I touched my thighs, "dang" I wasn't with my sashimi, gobshites, I was half naked. I touched my neck and couldn't feel my necklace, I hadn't taken cognizance that it wasn't on me. Not wanting to be caught unawares I already took my stance ready to fight.

"That's what I'm talking about," a voice said.

It was too dark for me to get where the voice was coming from, it felt like I was in a closed room; the sound of the voice echoed.

"Come out, let's meet up man to man, come at me," I said turning round in circles breathing slowly, trying to maintain focus.

From nowhere, a wild breeze just came from every direction and knocked me off my feet, I hit my head so hard on the floor that I immediately lost consciousness.

I couldn't say how long it was, it seemed like just a second ago because I could remember how it felt.

My eyes fluttered open, and I found myself in a dimly lit room. I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through my chest, making me wince. I remembered the battle with the creature and the injury I had sustained.

As I lay back down, I noticed a figure standing in the corner of the room. I got up and stepped towards the figure.

"Annoyeong (hello), nuguseyo (who are you)? I asked.

The figure turned around and stepped forward, and I saw that it was a human, he looked young but he seemed old, his style of fashion seemed like he was from the past, he was blindfolded with red cloth of silk material, with a fraction of his light brown hair hanging over it and wore pure silk Hanbok, his jeogori and baji both black and his coat was gray, I became perplexed trying to figure out who this mystery man was, a person with a young face but old countenance.

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice weak from the pain.

"I am Myul Mang" he replied. "I have been searching for you, Han Su Jin."

My eyes narrowed. "How do you know my name?" I asked him

"I know many things about you, Han Su Jin," Myul Mang said with a smile. "I have been watching you from afar. You are a special individual, one who would have the power to change the course of history, you don't have it now but with time I know you'll get there."

I was skeptical, but Myul Mang's words sparked my curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that you have the responsibility to hold this timeline so as for it not to crash into other timelines," Myul Mang explained. "And I am here to help you in any way I can through your journey."

My mind raced as I tried to process this information. "Hold this timeline? On what journey?" I questioned curiously.

"The journey you shall find that out yourself" Myul Mang replied. "you saw it yourself, you didn't just notice it.

"Notice what?" Myul Mang's words only made me more curious and anxious"

"Where do you think you are Su Jin?" he asked me in a very strange tone.

My eyes widened as I realized the significance of Myul Mang's words, Trulyy where am I? For sure this isn't Aries but why does it feel so real" I thought. I tried to keep my composure and replied to him. "I never thought of it, I thought of it as some training that our Handler put up to test if I'm fit, he always goes on about how much of a liability I can be to the team but I know he does it for my safety."

"Nugu (who)? Seong Seo Woo?" He smiled, shook his head and smiled again.

"Seong Seo Woo? Who is that, I don't seem to be familiar with that name" I became perplexed.

"Dangsin-ui haendeulleo (your Handler), Seong Seo Woo," he said, "it's fine if you don't know his name, he doesn't tell it to anyone, I understand his point of view."

I started hitting my head against the wall, I was seeing things now, I was talking to myself in my subconscious state

"I'm crazy, finally I've gone nuts" I whispered and continued hitting my head against the wall.

He placed his hand on my shoulder, and I could feel the coldness in it, "you're cold" I stated

"Well I'm not meant to be here, not now, you see I am probably from your next life…" he said as if to humor me, instantly I began to laugh,

"Next life? Probably? What are you saying, boy? Are you lost, man?" I said and continued laughing.

"Boy?" He said looking all perplexed and insulted.

"Ne (yes), namjaai (boy), you're just probably my age and you want me to talk to you formally? I said tapping his chest.

Things didn't go really well for me after saying that to him, I probably shouldn't have tapped his chest. Soon before I could see anything else I was already hanging upside down, from a very high mountain, my two legs held by his two hands, but still I boasted…

"Ha, ha ha, am I meant to be scared, drop me and I'd probably just fall through the cloud and disappear to some place I don't know.. again.."

He smirked and looked at a moss of rock and just by looking at it, the rock broke into tiny pieces, he left one of my legs to free his hand and controlled the tiny pieces of Rick towards my direction. They sprayed me badly, and even though he knew they would cause no damage based on their sizes, he succeeded in passing the message he wanted me to know. I asked him immediately "Neo mwoya (what are you)? Dangsin-eun ingan-ibnikka (are you human)?"

"Aniyo(no)" he replied

He smiled and dropped me from the mountain.