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Liang was no where to be found. One day he was there and the next he was gone, vanished from their sight. Jaemin, Chenle and Ivy searched every corner of the shop, their eyes occasionally scanning the walls and the floor for any signs.
"It makes sense that he's gone." Chenle kicked the entrance door. "I wouldn't stay here after getting caught." After receiving no responses from neither of his friends, he hustled towards the stairs. He slid up, the squeaks of the wood distracting the boy from the conversation the other two had begun.
"Stop staring at me."
Jaemin felt a rush of redness forming in his cheeks as he focused his eyes on something else, but they managed to land on Ivy once again, causing her to shift her attention towards the boy.
"Were you ever going to tell me?" She asked, studying his face carefully for any visible answers. "The reason why you broke up."
"I told you—"
"This might sound selfish to you but I don't want to let this go only because you said so." Ivy whispered, her feet barely moving as Jaemin reached her. "Look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't want me. Do it and I won't question your choice ever again. If it makes you feel better, I will return to my world."
Jaemin fixated his gaze on her fondly, nervously reaching for her hands and holding them in his. "I'm sorry. I still like you and I want you more than you want me."
"What's stopping...you?" Her eyes darkened. Removing one hand forcefully from his grasp and hiding it behind her back.
"My father." Jaemin sighed, finally deciding to spill the bitter truth. "He threatened me to end our relationship. If I didn't, he would've killed my mother. My ill fallen mother..."
Ivy winced at the sharp pain which formed in her head, her vision blurring and tilting as the room spun, black spots consuming her sight. She inhaled a deep breath, trying to regain her consciousness and exhaled as she finally managed to do so. Her lips curved into a mischievous smile unknowingly, as if the pain wasn't there at all.
"Are you alright?" Jaemin questioned, reaching out for her hands again.
Ivy avoided his affection and nodded. "Of course I am." Her eyes wandered in the room, spotting a blade on the table next to her. She quickly grabbed it, her actions being unable to be controlled at her own will while she desperately tried to go against her doings.
"What are you doing?" Jaemin's eyes widened in realisation, taking a few steps backwards until his back hit the wall. "Ivy, no. Come back to your senses."
Ivy cried inside. She was trapped and useless. Someone controlled her like a puppet, making sure every action she took was against her will.
Meanwhile at the top of the stairs, Chenle studied the antiques of the past, wandering between the shelves and taking in the curves and shapes of each. As he continued walking in the narrow hallway, his head peeked into one of the rooms.
It wasn't completely empty. There were a few boxes and other objects stored in the corners, waiting to be used again. His body quivered, aware of the stillness around him. Chenle's focus swung back to the door, thinking if it was better to go back and stay together with the rest.
He didn't trust Jaemin staying alone with his sister. Quickly he turned over to step out of the room but he clumsily tripped over a small velvet box, hitting his body against the wooden floor harshly as he let the pain take over his body.
Chenle sat up quickly, rubbing his back while mumbling out a few curse words to cope with what happened to him. He then picked up the small object, bringing it closer to himself and inspected it strangely as if a clown head could pop out and scare the hell out of him any moment. Yet he was the clown here, the box was nothing but a placeholder for bracelets.
"It's not empty." He smirked, not hesitating to unlock it. "Wow...so pretty. Looks just like the one around Ivy's—"
He furrowed his eyebrows, throwing the bracelet aside and picking up the piece of paper placed underneath the jewellery. "Greatest invention by Merlin. Control your victim after bewitching them into wearing it. Warning...do not wear for more than three days. Death, falling ill, feeling nauseous may occur so be careful."
Chenle shook his head. "No...this isn't true. The bracelets are look alikes and Mr.Na gifted her—SINCE WHEN DID I TRUST THAT MAN?!"
A loud piercing scream which belonged to his sister brought him back from his thoughts. He whirled towards the staircase, shoving the box and its belongings in his jacket and dove for the stairs. Then he took the fastest run towards the edge, ready to beat up whoever hurt his sister.
But he did not expect Na Jaemin lying unconscious on the floor.
Chenle grabbed the wall in shock. Jaemin was almost lifeless, struggling to breath as he croaked. His jacket was stained with blood and he had a gash in his stomach. His sister sat on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably with bloodied hands.
He quickly hurried to his side and tried to staunch the blood. Chenle's panic expression brought a smile upon Jaemin's face, a painful one.
"Quit smiling, you creep." Chenle breathed. "Ivy, what have you done?"
"It wasn't me, I swear—"
"There's a sharp knife next to you and your hands are dirty!" Chenle barked, fishing out his wand and trying to think of a good spell. "We'll talk about this later—"
Chenle's eyes stayed still on her. The exact same bracelet he had found upstairs hugged her wrist, glowing brighter than the last time he had seen it. The boy left Jaemin's side and approached the girl before ripping out the object and shoving it in his other pocket.
"Help me first. We have to take Jaemin back to his Manor before it's too late to save him."
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