Playing Among The Stars | Minsung

- Prologue -

The Lee family helped build this capital. The Lee family brought this once good-for-nothing village out of the mud and into a powerful empire.

The Lee family has and continued to serve this empire, not as pretentious kings or bloodthirsty warriors, but as advisors to the rulers—sorcerers that keep the idiot that runs this kingdom from crashing it into the ocean. They were the right hand and the brain, as well as the heart and potentially the legs too. The Lee family had the most power, and everyone knew and respected them for it.

"Minho, stop looking out the window and continue to study."

And Lee Minho could laugh!

Could he not stare out the window and daydream? Did his nose have to be stuck in a book all the damn time? His brain in between the lines? It hasn't been a minute yet, and his uncle was already berating him about his studies—Minho studied! Studied the arts, magic, politics, religions, bits, and pieces of innovations—everything. Yet, he couldn't even look outside, how tragic.

With a huff, Minho glances away from the window and rests his chin on his palm. Returning to this book about—what was it about again? The Ins and Outs of an Egalitarian: For Dummies. It was just so damn boring, Minho forgot whatever information he was absorbing the second he finished reading a sentence.

But it's snowing today. It rarely snows out here in The Capital. Sure, temperatures drop, and there's the occasional storm, accompanied with the harsh winds that every autumn and winter brought along. But snow? It snowed maybe once every year, twice if they were lucky.

But it's been snowing for a week now. No, it's not a storm, but it's snowed enough that thick sheets of white stacked outside, on the grounds and the roofs of The Capital alike.

It's snowing so much because you're ruining the balance! His grandma told him, become an advisor, continue your studies. Then the Gods will be happy.

Or you need to learn and follow your seniors. His uncle said, the spirits are angry with you for your disobedience and disloyalty to the empire!

Leaning over, Minho peeks past the many shelves of books and artifacts, glimpsing his uncle sitting on the desk ways away, writing something by candlelight. His quill scratched back and forth onto the paper, dipping the tip into an inkwell every other word. Though as his eyes glance up to check on the young sorcerer, the younger immediately turns his head back toward his book: The Ins and Outs of an—

"Minho, if you don't want to study, just say," his uncle says.

"What? No, no, no. I want to study." Minho waved him off, furrowing his brows and following the lines of texts with his fingers, trying to fool his uncle into thinking he had been reading all along. Though even he couldn't fool himself. "I'm just... Cold... Just cold."

"Ah, I see. Sorry, I know how the archives could become freezing in the winter, now that it's snowing and all..."

"It's fine, uncle. I'll live."

"Well, I don't want you to get sick. Your mother'll kill me." His uncle returns to writing, pushing up his glasses before waving off Minho. "You're dismissed. But go home immediately. Don't stall."

Minho scrambles to his feet, shutting the stupid book The Ins and Outs of—Whatever! Minho was out of here! 

He blows out the candle on the table, returning the books to their proper shelves (his uncle was a patient man, but couldn't handle anyone ruining the order and laws he set in the archives), before rushing out the door.

Immediately, the cold winter air kisses his cheeks, shivering and rubbing his hands together at the unexpected slap to the face. He almost scampered back inside the building, if it weren't for the thoughts of a warm bed and maybe an even warmer cup of chocolate, possibly continuing his studies in the warm comforts of his room instead of the chilly scoffs of the archives.

Taking his uncle's words into consideration, Minho runs through the snow, past the minimal residents of The Capital that dared to walk outside, past the children playing with the snow and the barren trees looking forward to their next bloom, or the white wasteland of the streets.

While he wanted to go home quickly, dive into five sheets of blankets and sleep for the rest of the day, he also wanted to take in the surrounding scenery. Sure, it's not as bustling as spring, or as sleepy as autumn, but it wasn't every day that Minho got off studying early; he wanted to take his time.

Though he really should get home quickly. If his mother ever found out he wandered off, he'll be beat, maybe even prohibited from leaving his studies early ever again if he really got on her nerves.

"Get it! Don't let it run away!" Minho yelps as a small group of little boys run past him, chasing after a mysterious creature Minho couldn't quite catch. They threw rocks at it, sticks and such to slow it down, running to the forest that connected to the street.

Boys will be boys and whatnot. But as much as Minho wanted to go home, he also didn't want those children to hurt a poor creature. Damn his moral consciousness, his parents would understand, right?

"Hey! What are you doing?! Leave that poor animal alone!" Minho barks at the little children, terrorizing a kitten as it hissed and scampered into a small dugout under a tree trunk, deep enough that the children couldn't reach.

"Mister, she keeps stealing pastries from the baker!" one boy exclaimed. "And you know how he gets about that!"

They agree unanimously, one speaking up, "And he paid us to chase it away. Driving away business and whatnot."

"Still, don't throw things at it." Minho scratches his head, searching for his pockets. He hands the boys some coins, gesturing back toward the street. "Tell the baker I took care of it and to pay him for this loss. Also, tell him to pay you, boys."

"What if it steals something else from the baker? He won't like that."

"Then, it'll be my fault. But I assure you it won't cause any more trouble." The boys glance at each other before nodding, scurrying off. With a sigh, Minho turns to the dugout, crouching low to glimpse the darkness that enveloped the creature. He saw two large orbs staring through him, white paws with striped orange. It laid on its side, close to the dirt that stained its fiery fur, growling when Minho inched closer, flattening its ears against its head. Though it couldn't move,—it got hurt from what Minho could see.

He unfastens his scarf, murmuring some spell under his breath to calm the creature before he carefully reaches inside the burrow, wrapping the scarf around the cat before he pulls it out. It groans lightly; under the calming spell, it fell limp in Minho's arms as he properly covered the marmalade cat from the cold. He only hopes that the trivial spell was strong enough to ease the pain as well. Those boys really did a number on her.

"You'll be okay," Minho shushes, running past the trees and back home.

Maybe his parents wouldn't know that he wandered off. Maybe he'll skip past the lecture about the Lee family and its importance, or whatever the hell. Though, he knew that his parents wouldn't allow a cat into the manor.