𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒊𝒅𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝑹𝒐𝒔𝒆

𝕭𝖗𝖔𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗

"Bonjour, Lloyd!"

He looked over. He saw a woman with short black curly hair, pinkish skin, horns, and weirdly shaped eyes. He was afraid again, not daring to move as she went to him. She couldn't walk, she didn't have any legs. She flew instead.

"Don't you remember me?" She became sad, stroking his chin with her long seven fingers with her left hand. "I'm your own flesh and blood."

He shook his head, his body trembling.

"Lloyd, I saw you. You saw me. Remember that day you were alone in the house?"

He got chills. When he was alone in the house when his mother left, he hid in the blankets. Before his uncle came, there was an imaginary friend. They spoke about games before he fell asleep.

"It's you. Rainbow." He touched her face.

"My name is Da-Eun, but call me Da."

He wrapped his arms around her and began to weep. "You're my sister! Mom and dad love you!"

"Ah, I know." She gently pulled him away and wiped his tears. "I don't look like you. I never had a chance to develop a human form."

"That's fine." He picked up a flower and put it in her hair, making her blush. "You look beautiful regardless."

She picked him up, scaring him again. He clung to her as she flew, afraid to see the ground moving below them. Lily greeted them, laughing when she saw her scared little brother.

"Welcome back! Grandma and Grandpa want to see you!"

"I see." He turned to Da. "Can you put me down?"

She put him on the ground, kissing his head. "Pussy."

"Hey!" They all laughed, the older two ruffling his brown hair.

He strangely knew where to go. He went to a forest, the same one where he got the necklace. Hidden by the trees were his grandparents, both human.

"Oh, my shining star." His grandfather was the first to embrace him. "Look how you've grown. As strong as a mountain! Please eat more, less smoke!" He popped a butterscotch candy in his mouth.

Da-Eun kissed his face, hugging him. They were around same height, no need for bending down.

"Now that you're here, we can finally explain everything."

Lloyd smiled. "Please do."

She took his hand, grandpa taking the other. They walked around, showing him the best sites from Korea, North and South. Of course, Grandpa Doh had to sneak in sweats in his pockets.

"During The Two-Year War, our great-great-great-great grandfather discovered a plant. It was called heleusa. When he ran out of food during battle, he ate it. It gave him unmatched ability and ambition, he singlehandedly won the war."

Lloyd listened close, grandpa picking him up so he could pick fruit from the orange trees.

"However, after the war, his once black hair turned as white as snow. His eyes turned blue. The village he fought so hard for buried him alive, fearing he was a witch. His daughter, Hwang, was so desperate to free him that she ate the remaining parts of the flower and worked two nights and three days to get him out, digging with her bare hands.

When he was out, he escaped to a different country, nobody knows where. Hwang died young, leaving two sons. Ye-eun, her oldest, was born with the powers of the plant. One night while his wife was giving birth, he saw a beautiful woman that told him that one day, one of his descents would bring honor back to the family and would finish a job for the Goddess of War."