Chapter 5 The Broken Iceberg

It was already night, and Oh and his other entourage decided to take a break from their journey and make a campfire to warm themselves from the cold of the night in a place not far from the lake. Dan Oh, Siera, Gwi, Ryu and Key sit in a circle around the campfire while enjoying dinner from their hunt. They caught some fresh fish from the lake while Gwi had managed to bring back a stag as a result of his hunt when he turned into a wolf.

While the other members of the group were busy preparing and enjoying dinner together, Woon the prince of Hwon country was still alone and sitting by the lake. It seemed that the man did not want to rejoin his entourage in a meantime. No one tried to reprimand and invite Woon to come back, it seems that this kind of thing didn't just happened for the first time .

The prince was happy to be alone for some time and didn't want to be disturbed. All his colleagues already understood about this, they allowed Woon to calm himself down and give the man as much time as he needed to be able to come back and deal with whatever was bothering his mind. Everyone knew what the man had gone through and didn't want to demand too much from him. They try to be understanding, and will only always accept him back with an open arms when the man is ready to come back.

"Have I done anything wrong?" asked Dan Oh, who was watching the prince's back from a distance. Seeing how glum the man was, this cheerful girl began to feel guilty even though she didn't yet understand what made the prince so sad and offended by her behavior.

"not really.... No... It's just that, I guess Woon the accident occured today just remind him to the same event that had happened eleven years ago ......" Prince's Siera answered Dan Oh's question calmly. Her expression seemed flat and calm, yet there was a flash of sadness on her beautiful eyes. Dan Oh change her gaze and looking at the other three members. They seemed silent after hearing Siera's words. It seemed that they felt the same sadness that caused the prince to become gloomy today

"The same accident?" asked Dan Oh, who didn't understand. Siera sighed before continuing her story.

"Woon.... He.... His fiancée Pysche who was the adopted daughter of Binju and became our cousin has died as a result of the Cheol attack. At the time we were all fighting. As of today, Pysche had been hit by the cheol spear arrow after fighting to repel their attack and try to protect Woon from an attack that he didn't even realized" the princess began recounting the tragic events that befell her brother eleven years ago. The worst year they've ever had, after losing both of his parents Woon must also witness the death of his beloved fiancée before his own eyes.

"Fiancé? So he has a fiancée?" asked Dan Oh curiously. Princess Siera just nodded slowly.

"So that's what made him so cold and stiff, he had lost the fiancée he loved," Dan Oh muttered in her heart.

The girl then recalled the events of this morning when Woon handed over the bow she now has. The bow previously belonged to Pysche who had died. Now Dan Oh understands the meaning of the facial expression Woon shows when talking about his adopted cousin. The prince was so sad and missed his lover, the original owner of the bow. Dan Oh looked at her new bow with mixed raging feeling.

"Woon always blames himself for Pysche's tragic death. For him.... He was the cause of our cousin's death, as were as our two parents... If he hadn't been born in this world, Binju wouldn't have caused all of this damage to seize the kingdom's power. What a ridiculous thoughts he has" Siera flashed a wry smile as she said it.

"Even if Woon doesn't exist, Binju is still Binju. He will do everything in his power to fulfill his ambition of getting invincible power. If it was me... Obviously I wouldn't think that I was the one who is responsible for Binju's atrocities, but Woon.... "

" ..... That little boy had a heart that was too soft. It would be easier for him to blame himself than to blame the circumstances befallen him or blame others" Siera laughed sarcastically for her brother's tenderness. Sometimes under these circumstances she wishes that her brother had at least a little tough heart just like her, so that Woon would no longer get hurted. The princess looked at her brother's back from a distance that looked so sad and lonely.

" He thinks he's the one who caused all the death and destruction on the planet. If he had never been appointed as the heir to the throne then Binju would never have a grudge against our family and caused the deaths of our parents. But it's not his fault, not at all. And Pysche's death.... Woon assumes that if only that time she didn't try to save him, then the girl wouldn't have died." Siera continue the tragic story about her brother.

Dan Oh feel sorry for the prince's circumstances. How can he make all the mistakes that are not even his faults to burden himself alone? The thought of a beloved someone dying as a result of his or her mistake is a very painful and a suffocating thing. For the past few years, all the burden of regret has been fall on Woon shoulder by himself.

"he's made it too hard for himself," muttered Dan Oh slowly. Siera nodded softly in response to the earth girl's sentences. That's the thing That's also been on her mind all this time, it's just that she doesn't know how to make her brother could understand about it. Siera is not a warm person, it is not easy for her to be able to comfort her brother to return as his old self and become cheerful again. She didn't know how to say sweet or motivate her own brother properly.

"Before all of these things happened to him, Woon was someone who glowed. He was a kind, friendly, gentle and loving boy. But now he has turned into a person who is so cold and distant after all of the things that happened to him" muttered the princess feeling the loss of the real figure of her beloved brother. She missed her brother's radiant attitude and was full of smiles like he used to be before. Her memory of the younger brother when he smiled cheerfully was still so clear in the princess' mind. But now she never saw that warm smile which painted on the prince's face anymore.

"He's never smiled again now," the princess continued

Dan Oh thought for a moment in silence. Then she got up and took a large piece of perfectly cooked meat and placed it on a clean foliage. She planned to make up with the Prince.

"He needs to eat, right?" the high schooler girl asked the princess. Siera smiled faintly and nodding.

Dan Oh walks slowly with a definite step towards where Woon is sitting alone by the lake. Actually the girl still felt a little awkward when recalling the way the man scolded her this morning, but after hearing the story about him from the princess, there was a feeling of sympathy that appeared in her heart. The feeling that made the girl feel unable to ignore and left the man alone in his slump. The little girl took a seat next to the prince who was sitting on dry grass on the side of the dark lake. She placed the meat she was carrying before the prince who was staring on the dark lake silently.

"this is for you" said the girl flatly. Woon just glanced towards Dan Oh. The girl was avoiding an eyes contact with him and chose to observe the dark lake water which reflecting the moonlight on its surface. No wonder the man likes to stay alone in this place, actually sitting alone and looking at the lake from this place is not a bad choice.

Dan Oh can see the beautiful amazing scenery in front of her. She also found that there were some small creatures as big as fireflies flying around them. The creature emitted a beautiful violet light. When she viewed it at a close range, it turns out that the tiny creature has a shape like a small baby that has wings. Every now and then she could also hear the little chant of the flying creature. They are antutu, little night fairies that live in areas near the lake.

" I'm not hungry," Woon said coldly. The man's voice swelled Dan Oh's reverie who was observing and admiring the tiny creature that had just landed on her fingertips. The girl stared at the mini creature happily on her face which was exposed to the glow of the antutu on her finger.

"Hmm.... I guess you're the kind of person that no one else wants to bother, you certainly don't want to trouble all of us because you suddenly suffocated from hunger right?" the girl taunted the prince in a condescending tone without looking at him and still focused on the antutu who had just flown away from her finger. The size of the creature was only about an inch. Dan Oh followed antutu's flying direction with a glint of her eyes full of admiration.

"cchhh" sighed the prince annoyedly listening to her scolding. The man also began to observe antutu which flying in front of his face.

"I'm sorry Prince Woon," Dan Oh apologize suddenly. The prince turned his gaze to the little girl beside him. He saw the high school girl looking at him with a serious facial expression. Woon stared flatly at the girl without saying anything.

" I didn't mean to make you remember the sad thing that happened to you eleven years ago," Dan Oh continued. Woon let out a long sigh and turned his gaze back towards the lake. The antutus were dancing cheerfully in a small horde that formed a circle.

"Did you force my sister to tell you something? My big sister is not the kind of person who likes to chat with other people," asked the prince without looking towards Dan Oh.

"yes, you can take it as you like," Dan Oh replied briefly. Woon nodded

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to be angry like that to you," the prince sincerely apologized to the girl next to him. Well he knows, Dan Oh did absolutely nothing wrong to him and he actually has no right to treat the girl harshly. He began to regret it now.

" No.... Never mind.... Wouldn't it be more of a relief to vent your anger at others than to keep it in yourself? At least we can apologize," Dan Oh said lightly and used her hand gestur while talking. Woon turned his head towards the girl with a clueless look, could he consider it that simple? He hesitate.

" That doesn't mean you can be grumpy all the time to someone else tough" Dan Oh plays her right hand and makes it seem like her fingers are talking. He opened and closed her five fingers as if her mouth was speaking. The girl voiced her opinion using her belly voice. She was trying to look funny to comfort the prince and smiled amusedly on her own silliness. But Woon only looked at her with a face that remained flat.

" Cchh, have you really forgotten how to smile?" asked the girl annoyedly as she lightly hit the prince's left arm. Woon just shrugged his two shoulder to answer Dan Oh's question. The high school girl then let out a long sigh at the lack of response from the descendants of the king of Hwon Kingdom.

"But.... Woon.... That's right, don't blame yourself anymore..." The girl omitted the prince's sentencez in front of his name and advised him like a close friend, removing the honorific Between them. Woon took his eyes off Dan Oh then looked silently at the grass beneath him. This was the first time anyone had directly called his name without a Prince word other than a member of his family, but he didn't care about the girl's irreverence towards him right now.

Although the girl was not a royal descendant and just an ordinary civil society.

" Even without you... All living things in this world, in whichever dimension it is, will surely die. It's just that sometimes we are in the moment such an event happens and get involved in it. But that doesn't mean it all happens because of us, it's all just a part of destiny. And it's not your fault... "Dan Oh said a sincere smile to the Prince. Well she wanted the prince to stop putting all the heavy burdens on his owb shoulders and bear all regrets and responsibilities alone.

" Really?" Woon asked briefly as he looked towards the earth girl. Dan Oh just nodded steadily and didn't let go of her exchanting smile.

" So you know? I've heard this phrase before. The more we grow up, the more we will lose the reason to keep smiling, because of that. We are the ones who have to force ourselves to smile so that our lives become more beautiful and happy. So.... Smile... Smile... "Dan Oh said as she looked at Woon with a Full bright smile.

" Smile.... " The girl made a smile curve with her hands right in front of her lips, trying to get the man to smile by following her gestur. She kept putting on her smile and repeated her hand gestures several times and over a long period of time. But the prince still only looked at her with an unchanging flat expression, there wasn't the slightest smile on his face at all.

"Cch.... It doesn't seem to be happening to you," Dan Oh get annoyed by his lack of respond. She took her eyes off from Woon then looked at the night sky of mirac planet. In this place the moon looks more beautiful and so close. The antutus were playing romp with their kind of friends. Their happy chanting voice filled Dan Oh and Woon's ears who returned to their own silence. They could also see stars shining brightly in the sky, some stars showing flashes in yellow. Some were light blue flickers and some showed a majestic violet color. There is also a collection of stars that form a long milky-ways.

"waaah.... It is indeed a really beautiful night..." Dan Oh muttered to herself.. Woon followed the girl's direction and silently observing the sky. The prince then lowered his head then smiled for a moment after repeating Dan Oh's words in his mind. The girl didn't realize that Woon had just smiled because of the sentence that she said previously. He had just forced a smile in order to be able to feel a simple happiness once again.

"Eun Dan Oh" called Woon slowly. The high school girl turned her head and looked at Woon with a question mark.

"Where's your crystal? Let me put on a protector so that the Cheol monster can no longer feel its aura," the prince explained to the girl.

"Ah, wait for a moment..." Dan Oh said, taking out the blue crystal from her pocket and giving it to the Prince.

Woon, the prince of Hwon's kingdom held the crystal with his left hand then placed his right hand on top of the crystal. There was a bright red light emerging from his hand. The blue crystal that was originally shaped as a chunk of stone suddenly turned into a glowing white metal necklace with a crystalline-shaped pendulum of eclips surrounded by a faint blue light around it

" wooow... It's so beautiful... Do you want to put it on me?" said Dan Oh enthusiastically collecting her hair strand to the right of her shoulders and holding it with her right hand. She showed off the part of her neck that will be used as a place to hang the beautiful necklace. She also shifted her seat to get closer to the prince and showed her little back before Woon. Woon was silent to see the gesture from the girl. His mind drifted back to the events that had happened a long time ago.

" Look at here.... Father gave me a very beautiful necklace," Pysche said enthusiastically showing a new necklace on her hand that was a gift from Binju, her adoptive father. Woon took the necklace from Pysche and watched it closely. This girl admires and loves her father a lot, she always respects her father and wants Binju to feel proud of her. When the adoptive father gave her the gift of a beautiful necklace she felt so happy, she felt that his father loved her so much.

"Uncle gave you this?" asked Woon incredulously. Binju always looked serious and emitted a sharp aura around him. He never thought that such an uncle would ever think of giving a sweet gift to his adopted daughter. But seeing the happy facial expression of Pysche made Woon unable to show any other expression than to smile at her. Pysche was so enthusiastic about showing this necklace to her fiance shortly after she had just received it from her father.

"This...." Woon smiled and return the necklace on his hand to Pysche.

"I don't want to... Can you put it on me instead?" asked Pysche sheepishly and lifted her long silver hair and showed off her white bare neck. Woon just complied and put on the necklace carefully around the neck of the girl he loved so much.

" Does it look good on me?" Pysche asked happily while gently holding her crystal necklace.

"Beautiful," replied the prince with a smile. He didn't praise the beauty of the necklace. He was praising her lover's incomparable beauty instead. She is too dreamy.

Suddenly the memory of Pysche's beauty while wearing her new necklace and happy twinkle in her eyes came back in the prince's mind.

"What's wrong?" asked Dan Oh astonished when she saw the prince just fixated on seeing her.

"I don't want to, I want to eat now," Woon said, throwing the necklace at Dan Oh's feet. The prince picked up the meat before him and started to focus on eating it. He acted as if he was enjoying his solitude without any disturbance of Dan Oh's exsistence beside him. He treats her like a thin air.

"yak! You!" the girl was annoyed to get the treatment she didn't want from the prince. Reflexively the girl punched Woon's left hand hard because of her annoyance toward the prince. He was quite disappointed that the man refused to put a necklace around her neck and instead he threw it at her feet. The blow was quite hard but the man did not budge and chose to endure the pain on his left arm.

" What an annoying guy!" she snorted in annoyance toward the Prince Who doesn't take any attention on her and only focus enjoying his diner.