The information that he had just been bombarded with made Hongjoong feel trapped. He was in an unfamiliar realm with both unfamiliar and sort of familiar faces and he felt like the world was spinning. His head hurt immensely.

"Where's San?" Hongjoong muttered.

He doesn't exactly know why San was the first person he thought of, but San felt more familiar than the others. This was most likely because the knowledge that San had been from Hongjoong's world made him seem like the safest person to go to in that moment.

Seonghwa frowned, "San is most likely with Yeosang and Jongho, or exploring the kingdom-"

Hongjoong was up and out of the underwater house in seconds, and it seemed the potion still worked as well. He glanced around, trying to spot the familiar mop of red and black hair, but he couldn't see him. He swam ahead, only barely registering Seonghwa shouting at him to slow down, and as Seonghwa had said, he found San with Yeosang and Jongho.

San floated there a little awkwardly, and Hongjoong barrelled into the younger without a word. The Pixie was surprised, looking down to see that Hongjoong's face was buried into his arm. He wasn't crying, but there was clearly something wrong.

Seonghwa swam up to them, and San raises an eyebrow.

"What happened?" San asks.

"I told Hongjoong about the prophecy" Seonghwa answered.

"You what!?" San exclaimed, catching the attention of Yeosang and Jongho.

"What's going on? You seem angry San" Jongho frowned.

"I...I told him about the prophecy. The one where a descendant of Taemin is meant to be the one to slay Mikaelis" Seonghwa bowed his head, looking very guilty, "I know I shouldn't have, but it seemed to have slipped out. I can't hide things for very long, especially not from those I-" he cuts himself off.

"Those you care about?" Yeosang finishes, looking curiously at the Elven Prince.

"It's a little more than that" San chuckles, "you love Hongjoong"

Hongjoong's head snaps up as soon as he hears the words, and whips his head around "you love me!?"

It had only been a few days and he had already had an Elven Prince falling for him. He should be feeling a little superior about that, but in all honesty...it felt both right and wrong.

"You can't" Hongjoong swims away from San, turning to fully face Seonghwa, "we're from completely different worlds. It'll never work Seonghwa"

"I know that" Seonghwa seemed to deflate even more, "but we can't help what we feel"

"And maybe, just maybe, you could experience it just a little" Yeosang smiles.

"It would make it worse" Hongjoong whimpered, "if we go any further than friendship, leaving here would be so much more painful"

"Isn't there a saying in your world that distance makes the heart grow fonder?" San smirked, and then realised, "oh right...nevermind. Out loud that sounds a little stupid"

"Maybe we could-" "No Seonghwa, I can't" Hongjoong shook his head, slowly swimming backwards.

San rested a comforting hand on Hongjoong's shoulder, "come on Hongjoong, let's go explore"

"I will come with with you" Yeosang grinned, "it would be my pleasure to introduce you to the wonders of Aurorialis"

"Alright" Hongjoong turns to Yeosang, offering a shaky smile.

He's then dragged off, leaving Jongho and Seonghwa behind.

"Why in the name of Aurora would you tell him about the prophecy!?" Jongho exclaims.

"Like I told San, I-" "yes, you love him. So why, then, would you tell him that?" Jongho glares at Seonghwa.

Seonghwa says nothing, and Jongho comes to a realisation all on his own.

"You want him to stay? You think that him knowing, or perhaps thinking he's the son of Aurora's creator that it would give him the incentive to stay?" Jongho asks.

Seonghwa slowly nods, and Jongho rolls his eyes, "well, that was very idiotic of you! I think, rather than making him want to stay, you've given him more of a reason to want to leave"

Okay, so, this whole thing with the prophecy was NOT planned, by the way >~< I have a whole main plotline planned out and we're already veering off in another direction damnit :/