DragonHeart | Minsung

XXVI

The aftermath of the dragon confrontation lingered in the air the next morning, creating some tension between them. As they started their day, Jisung couldn't help but steal glances at Minho, who was packing up their belongings.

They mounted their horses, the deer meat secured in their bags, and continued. Minho had noticed the shift in Jisung's mood and knew there was something else going on within his head, and decided to break the silence.

"Are you still mad at me?" Minho asked, glancing at him with a soft expression.

Jisung shook his head, "I'm not mad...you just- scared me." He admitted.

Minho frowned and looked away from him, that hurt. "I'm sorry..." he started, "I won't shift unless I have to.."

"No, no, not that," Jisung said, realizing that Minho thought that his dragon form was what scared him. He still needed to get used to it, but it didn't scare him anymore.

"I was just scared of something happening to you, that's all."

Minho nodded, "I know I should've stopped, but I would've if I knew that I'd lose. I won't let anything happen to you, Jisung."

Jisung's ears and cheeks turned a shade of pink at the sentiment. He knew that Minho couldn't let anything happen to him, because they were connected, but there was something more there.

"Thanks, Min."

They rode in a comfortable silence, the rhythm of the horses' hooves against the ground aiding in the calming atmosphere of the ride. The landscape changed as they continued their journey, the dense forest giving way to open fields, giving them a clearer view of the tall mountains that awaited them ahead. The sun climbed higher in the sky, casting a warm glow over everything.

As the day progressed, they reached the home of the Druid, Bang Chan, who Hypatia had mentioned. The brown, curly-haired man welcomed them with a warm smile as they approached the small cottage.

"Minho, is that you?!" It's been so long! It's nice to see you," The man said, almost giddy as he spoke.

After greeting Minho, he looked at Jisung, giving him a small wave, "Hi..."

"It's good to see you too, Chan," Minho said with a smile, chuckling softly at the druid's excitment. "This is Jisung."

"Nice to meet you, Jisung."

He wasn't sure what he was expecting when they'd talked about meeting Chan before, but it wasn't him. By the way Hypatia spoke about him he thought they'd be meeting an old wise man, but he was young, very young. He looked like he was around the same age as Minho.

After they greeted each other, Chan guided them to his small stable to mount their horses. Jisung's assumptions were soon proven false as they began to talk, realising that Chan had wisdom beyond his years.

The pair would give him a short summary of their journey so far, the discoveries that they've made, and why Hypatia told them to meet him; to know more about how to find Jisung's mother.

Chan took a moment to process all of the information that they gave him, leaning against the fence to the paddock. He'd eventually nod, "Let's go inside, I think I might have something."

They entered the cozy cottage, and immediately went to one of his many shelves, beginning to rummage through a collection of old books. Minho and Jisung exchanged glances as they waited, and after a while, the druid pulled out an old book that had a damaged leather cover.

Chan flipped through the fragile pages, eventually stopping and presenting the page to the other two men. "This."

The paper had a map drawn on it, along with a sketch of the landscape, and some text in the corner in a language that Jisung couldn't understand. The drawing showed the layout of one of the many mountains in Gimpo, this one having many caves throughout. One cave was pointed out in the drawing, labeled with larger text, clearly having more significance.

"There are many caves here, but this one is Varentawa," Chan said, pointing his finger to the cave on the page.

Minho furrowed his eyebrows. "We're not going in Varentawa," he said sternly.

"What? why? What's wrong with it?" Jisung asked, confused by Minho's quick refusal. Chan hadn't even gotten a chance to explain.

Chan sighed. "Varentawa is all-knowing," he began. "Dragons and druids have entered seeking knowledge for centuries....they go to them for aid in times of hardship..."

"I believe that they will tell you more about your mother," he finished, eyes looking back and forth between them.

"..that cave is a killer," Minho added. "We're not going. We'll figure something else out."

"Her disappearance frankly doesn't make any sense...this is the quickest solution I can think of," Chan said calmly.

"...a killer?" Jisung asked, confusion still plastered on his face.

Chan sighed and nodded. "Varentawa consumes those it deems unworthy...but you two shouldn't worry about that."

"Not worry about it?" Minho scoffed.

Chan raised an eyebrow at him. "Do you think he has malicious intent here?" He asked, pointing at Jisung.

Minho seemed to be taken aback, like he was being accused. "No. Of course not...but.."

Minho paused and shook his head, and before he could speak again, Jisung piped in. "I need to find my mom, Minho." He said, placing his hand on the other's leg.

The dragon sighed. "I know, and I want you to find her," he said, sincerity in his tone. "...but we agreed to not do anything reckless....and this is too risky."

Jisung sighed and shook his head. "You said you wouldn't do anything reckless...I never said anything."

Minho was a bit shaken by Jisung's sudden boldness, but he couldn't object. Jisung was technically right.

Chan looked at Jisung, a smug smile forming on his face, almost like he was proud of the prince. "It's settled then."