Chapter Text
Once upon a time, there was a place where fairies live in a faraway forest – somewhere away from humans’ existence. Inside the forest was a caged palace, where the fairies go on their way. Where they play around every day, with no worries or problem. There was, however, one fairy who was naturally curious. His mind often wanders outside their place. Questions plaguing his young mind – at least in a fairy age – often gets the best out of him. He always and will always visit the fairy of fate at night. His small lips would whisper to the elder fairy with wide and twinkling eyes that matched the stars at midnight.
What was the world like? Are there more fairies outside? Are there different kinds of fairy? What are humans? Are they fairies? He would tilt his head in wonder while the Fairy of Fate would gaze at him with loving pretty eyes. Then, just to distract the wandering mind of the young fairy, the Fairy of Fate would peck his nose with murmurs of words. “You’ll know soon enough, young flower, you’ll know.”
Every time his twin and sibling, the Fairy of Memory, hears about his question, He would always say, “Cale, the outside world is not for us. It’s better to stay here and live without worry.”
Cale, the Fairy of Time, would always laugh at his statement.
“But, don’t you want to see the world?!” He raised his hand to the sky, flickering his wings behind him with a bright smile. “I want to see it! Someday!” Cale turned to his brother and his smile brightened. The sky above them was bright and clear. “Roksu! Let’s go outside when we grow up!”
The Fairy of Memories looked conflicted before he felt warm arms grabbing him forward and burying his face on a chest. “Eep!” He almost stumbled down forward, but his hands quickly grabbed Cale’s arms.
“Then we’ll taste all those foods that Uncle Nature told us about!” Cale was still grinning from ear to ear. “Right?!”
But humans are...
Roksu can still remember the scary stories their uncle had told them. The tragedies of humans, the destruction of nations, and the fallen empires. After a few seconds of silence, he gave in. “Yes.” Roksu did not argue any longer, and sank into the warm embrace of his twin. As long as we’re together.
Bzzt-
Bzzt-
There was fire everywhere. Explosions can be heard around the palace. The walls were falling, the ceiling buried the ground, and fairies were crying, running, and screaming for their lives.
“THEY’RE HERE!”
“CAPTURE THEM!”
“BURN DOWN THOSE TREES!”
“RUN!”
When did it start? Humans… Ah right… Uncle Nature always said that humans were tragic… Their soul are easily tainted and barely any of them… Barely any of them were pure.
“Cale! Cale where are you?!” Roksu flew past the fallen debris. His eyes darting everywhere, looking for anything red. Silky red. Anything that could lead him to his twin. He didn't feel the need to look at other things, thus he couldn't see the arrow coming his way. "Agh!" It scraped his shoulder, barely saving his neck. He flew up and dodged another arrow from a man who stood not far away from him. The man was huge and full of scars. With no choice on hand, he casted a spell.
"Diffuse!" The man who had shot him immediately fell to the ground.
"Roksu!"
Roksu's heart leapt when he heard the voice of his twin. He looked to the source of it and saw his twin casting something.
"Run!"
Cale was fending off some crowd of people running after him.
"That's the fairy! Get him!"
"Shoot him!"
"Cale!"
"Roksu! Run!"
Bzzt-
Silence.
What... Roksu suddenly felt his body unmoving. He couldn't shift a single muscle, but he can see. Clearly. Everything was frozen. Everyone was a statue. Unmoving and frozen like a wood. Except for one—
Cale... Cale! Cale, come on, turn this way...
Cale was floating above the crowd of hunters. His face couldn't be seen because he was turned away. However, Roksu can see his trembling hands. "Roksu." He finally turned around, enough for Roksu to see his face.
Cale was crying.
No no no. Cale never cries. He never cries. Cale— They made him cry. They made Cale cry. Those hunters will pay for this.
"Can you hear me?" Cale softly asked. Roksu knows he is talking to him.
Yes, Cale, I can hear you.
"I'm sorry. It was my fault."
Roksu knew. Cale wanted to meet the humans. To go outside. And he knew that something went wrong when he went there. That was how the hunters found this place and entered it.
"I- I'm going to fix it though. I can."
Roksu, Cale, you two are special. You were born together and go together. The Fairy of Time is always followed by the Fairy of Memory. Through time, Memory is made and through Memory, time is conserved. So, you two must always protect each other alright?
"I just know I can, I'll turn back the time and then—" Cale slowly flew towards him. "I'll bring back your peace."
No, wait. Please wait.
Roksu, you are everywhere. Your essence is everywhere. However, Cale is not. He can be anywhere, but eventually, he leaves. That's his rule. Right now, as fairies, you two can still see each other. The final phase of a fairy is when they fully merge with their essence. Most fairies will remain like you... however—
"If I just accept my essence then I can control my power."
Cale, you're not thinking!
"I have to, Roksu, I have to." Cale softly said, caressing his cheek with a smile.
Fairies like Cale... they're the ones who slip away in a blink of an eye.
"I'm sorry."
-Bzzt-
"Hello, little Fairies."
"Hello little Fairy."
"Why are you not asleep hm? Roksu, Cale?"
"Why are you not asleep hm? Roksu?
"Their memories are where their time together is conserved... if I extract enough memories. Perhaps I'll be able to meet time - is what I think the legendary Fairy was saying." A hand delicately stroked the canvas.
"That's some crazy conclusion you have there, dongsaeng." A voice, deepened by exhaustion added to the one who was speaking.
Lee Soo Hyuk only visited his Dongsaeng to get his portrait drawn, but for whatever reason, this usually quiet dongsaeng of his started talking about history. If you ask Lee Soo Hyuk, the figures in their history were lunatics. Especially that one fairy—ah yes, magical creatures were normal ever since the early age of their world although those creatures usually stay in isolation, away from humans—who wreaked havoc across dimension.
Lee Soo Hyuk wouldn't have believed it, except, the apocalypse happened and now, they're working with magical creatures and that buried history became quite famous around these days. Now, his Dongsaeng who seems to have taken an interest to those history is now rattling his ears off with the Fairy of Time and the Fairy of Memory.
"Well, I have to find some things to help me grasp this ability of mine, don't I?"
Kim Rok Soo pointed to his temple. The Record. His ability was a record. He can remember anything at great accuracy. Though because of some changes in it, Roksu had to study it more. Well, thanks to his study, he managed to find out that he can extract memories from an individual which the others definitely shied away from.
"You should profit off your paintings dongsaeng." Lee Soo Hyuk slowly stood up from his seat to look at his drawn painting. "Since the apocalypse seems to be ending now, you'll need an income outside the company." It was true. The portals to another dimensions were closing and their work became lesser and lesser. In five years, there will be no more monster popping out from one place to another.
"No. I'm not doing this for profit." Roksu backed away to let Lee Soo Hyuk observe his painting. "This is just... another way to preserve memory and time in a creative way."
"There you go again."
"Can't help it."