Ping

Balling my fist, I let my fingers digging into the flesh of my palm to keep me awake. The vines are getting thicker and thicker around my body, limiting my will to fight back and get free. Another stinging pain passes through my ankle before a warning hiss can be heard.

That hurts.

My mother is losing her breath. I know I couldn't give in just like that or both of us will die. But the vines seem to know my intentions and eventually tighten more. "Let my mother go..." I plead, tears welling up and flowing down my cheeks, forming a tiny waterfall. "She deserves nothing like this."

Another bite on my forearm and I gasp. However, the snakes begin to calm down while the vines around us loosen. With my wounds still bleeding, I land on my knees on the ground and that is when I realise I was lifted up to the air a while ago.

"The fairy understands nothing about human language, efret," states a familiar voice behind me. I turn and eventually meet those pulsing magenta eyes. They are scorching straight at me like lasers. The dream elf blinks with its aura remains before squatting down to stroke the calming vines. "Sleep tight, Earth Fairy." It coos as white light makes its palm appealing until they spread through the vines, shutting it down.

"Why are you-" But before I can ever take a steady breath, the elf has already squat down in front of me. A smirk reveals on its, or his delicate Asian face before he reaches out and grabs my neck.

"What? Free?" He asks, trapping me by the wall. His breath ghosts around my nape as he whispers to my ear, "Your father is the one who set me free."

Bitterness spreads through my chest as oxygen is squeezed out of my lungs. I can't help but to only open my mouth when my eyes are rolling to the back. I'm going to die because of this stupid creature.

***

Third Person POV

Watching the girl turning weaker and weaker is so amusing for the dream elf to feel superior. Catching the chance presented inches away, he leans down and connects his mouth on hers, capturing her sweet essence. But it is not even 1 second and the elf has already retreated with a shocked expression.

His hand touches the burning skin on his neck, where a cross mark is glowing furiously in fluorescent red. I hereby give you this curse as a lesson. Starting the moment when I free you from this trap, you will be punished if you ever try to hurt my daughter. Chuckling sadly at the memory, the elf shakes his head. He takes a quick look at the girl and then at the woman, who has turned into a cold, lifeless body.

"Pity," he spits when the burning sensation cools down. He gets onto his feet and walks toward the girl, who has completely lost her consciousness. The left side of her neck is bleeding non-stop, so do her forearm and ankle. Mixture of blood, sweat and tears has stained her beautiful face, the dream elf thinks as he bends and carries the girl bridal style.

_____

Her eyelids flutter as the sunlight kisses her cheeks. The morning breeze is refreshing as she breathes in the cool air, stretching herself without noticing that she's not sleeping in her own room.

Underneath her is a blanket, wet and brown with dirt. Her neck, forearm and ankle are bandaged in a nasty way, though she doesn't feel the pain again.

"Awaked, efret?" She gasps upon the sudden voice. It sounds familiar but scary for her. There she curls and retreats, until her back pastes on the wall of the place she's once lied in.

"W-what do you want?" she asks through her heavy breath. "Why are you keep calling me an efret?"

"Because this is what you are," the elf answers absently. "Your father is an elf, your mother is a human. So that makes you an efret, efret." She gulps at the answer with mixed feelings as it feels so bad for her to know about herself from a stranger.

The memory of her trying to escape the hospital building with her mother floats back in her head. "Mum," she whispers, her heart stops for a mere second at the thought of her mother. "Mum!"

"Easy." In a flash, the dream elf appears right in front of her, stopping her from getting up to her feet. "Your wounds will break apart." His tone is soft when he talks to her this time.

"Where is my mother?" She asks with her voice cracked. But the dream elf chooses to keep silent. "Where is she?" There she repeats as tears begin to wet her eyes again.

"She-"

"...dead?" Ping guesses, and according to the elf's reaction, the answers seem to be correct. "Right," her voice shakes before she sniffles. "It is real this time..." Not as expected by the elf, she doesn't lash out at him or break things because of rage. All she does is burying her face in beneath her knees and sobbing silently.

Watching her cry makes him recall his childhood which he would not wish to think about anytime. Out of discomfort, he prefers to leave her alone. And that satisfies the girl as well at the moment. At such timings, Ping would more likely to prefer being alone rather than being accompanied.

Not long after, he enters the shelter quietly with a basket of freshly picked plums. The girl is no longer crying but leaning sideways by the thin wall. It is neither a stone wall nor a tree trunk, it is an enormous empty snail shell and that wall transmits coolness from the earth which keeps them away from the burning sun. But right now, it is not a right time for her to enjoy such an amazing thing.

"I suppose you are hungry?" The elf assumes hesitantly as the girl doesn't move from her resting spot.

"Why did you save me?" she demands weakly.

"It is none of your concern," answers the elf stonily.

"Thank you," and he is taken aback by what she has said. "For bringing me to safety." She forces out a tired smile and the elf smirks.

"Don't thank me just yet," he says. "I'm not that kind as you think." Without any of them noticing, the dream elf has already found his way into the shell and taken a seat. His hand reaches for the plum before he takes a mouthful bite.

"I know." She admits tiredly. "You tried to kill me back then. You think I can't remember?" The elf stops chewing for a short while before he shrugs and continues the action.

"That's my nature, can't help it," he takes another bite before adding, "Especially when I'm hungry." Ping gasps lightly but calmness soon convinces her that she's save at this moment. If she's going to die in his hands, she couldn't have talked to him here in the first place.

"What's your name?" she asks curiously, her tone softer. "My name is HuiPing. People use to call me Ping."

"Ping?" the elf echoes. "As in your pink eyes?"

"I don't know, I suppose so." Ping answers as she grabs a plum and takes a small bite. The skin of the fruit cracks under her teeth and she bites through it, forming a soft crunchy sound.

A short pause dominates until the elf says, "Jimin. Park Jimin imnida."

ʜᴇʏ ɢᴜʏs, ʜᴏᴡ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʙᴇᴇɴ sᴏ ғᴀʀ? ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ? ʀᴇᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴛʀᴀɪʟ ʙᴇʜɪɴᴅ ʙʏ ᴘʀᴇssɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴀʀ, sᴏ ɪ ᴄᴀɴ ᴅᴇᴅɪᴄᴀᴛᴇ ʏᴏᴜ sᴏᴍᴇ ᴅᴀʏ ❤

ᴛʜᴀᴛ's ɪᴛ ғᴏʀ ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ, ᴡᴇ'ʟʟ ᴍᴇᴇᴛ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴇxᴛ ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ.

ᴘs ɪᴛ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴀ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪ sᴛɪʟʟ ᴡɪsʜ ʏᴏᴜ ɢᴜʏs ᴡɪʟʟ ᴜʀɢᴇ ᴍᴇ ғᴏʀ ᴀɴ ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʜᴀʜᴀʜᴀ 🤣🤣