Donggun stood on the cold white golden soft sand, his favorite spot in the astral version of Rhakotis, looking thoughtfully at the clear blue waves of the sea. A year had passed since he traveled back to the past, living with Meritamun and Addaya, improving his powers and focusing on gaining control.

It felt much longer than just one year. They spend most of their time in the astral world, where time does not exist. Donggun gradually merged with everything around him, from dressing like them to learning their language and magic secrets.

Their journey was filled with intense teaching from Addaya to Donggun, with Meritamun accompanying them to make each day brighter and more memorable.

Nebuaui forbade any time traveler from remaining in the past or discovering any hidden secrets about their powers stored in the two mighty books. Addaya, on the other hand, believed that their knowledge should be spread to the entire world for it to evolve and that time travelers were the only ones who could do so.

Addaya never told Nebuaui about Donggun, and when he was questioned about it, he lied and said he told Donggun what happened to Eisai and then returned him to his time. Nebuaui didn’t question his son because he was too preoccupied with his new job. Addaya insisted that Donggun never leave the astral world to avoid interacting with Nebuaui.

Donggun’s hair was messed up by the strong but refreshing wind that hit his entire body. He ran his fingers through his hair, which was covering his eyes, and moved it to the back, and a smile crept across his lips.

He never imagined he’d cut his hair that short; one day, Meritamun persuaded him to do so, claiming it would make him look more attractive; even though having long hair was important to him, he couldn’t say no to her.

Meritamun always enjoyed running her fingers through his hair when they were together because it was cut to a medium length. He couldn’t stop grinning when he remembered the first time Meritamun saw him after cutting his hair. She dashed up to him, lightly holding his hair and then moving her hands to his face. “You look handsome with short hair and this beard looks so good on you,” Meritamun exclaimed happily.

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“I’ve never let it grow this long before,” Donggun said, leaning over her soft hands.

“I love it,” she exclaimed, laughing at his flushed cheeks. Donggun vividly remembered her words. He never imagined that a few changes in his appearance would cause her to look at him in that way; an admiring look that he would never forget.

He had fallen in love with her from the moment he set foot on this foreign land.

Meritamun’s presence filled his heart with unexpected joy and happiness. Their bond grew stronger by the day. He wasn’t sure what to call their relationship; was it romantic or just friendship? He knew her heart belonged to Addaya, but her beautiful soul was enticing his young heart to fall deeply in love with her.

Donggun felt a tap on his right shoulder and turned to see Addaya smiling at him as they walked back to the building. “I have a surprise for you,” Addaya announced as they entered the room. He moved to the left and extracted some papyrus from a hidden area. “I got a spell for you,” Addaya said, standing in front of Donggun’s puzzled expression, and continued, “My father told me before that our ancestors created a spell to give them access to time travel,” Addaya said.

“Wasn’t there time travelers back then? Why would they create a spell to accomplish this?” Donggun said.

“The elder sorcerers created this spell to allow them to use time traveler’s energy to travel with them,” Addaya explained, circularly waving his hands in the air. “It says here that every time traveler has different energy that can be altered or controlled by this spell,” Addaya said, pulling a chair to sit and pointing to a specific sentence on a papyrus.

Donggun grabbed another chair and sat down, waiting for Addaya to finish. “It’s all in here,” Addaya said as he reached into his pocket for a bright blue gemstone necklace.

“In this?” Donggun asked, mockingly.

“It’s my father’s; it has unrestricted access to the forbidden hall,” Addaya said calmly. “My father told me before that it contains the book of the dead, and that book contains the mightiest spells,” Addaya said, looking Donggun in the eyes.

“How powerful are those spells?” Donggun’s pupils dilated.

“Deadly, that’s why it’s called the Book of the Dead; the elders said anyone who uses it will die; we need to get that book,” Addaya exclaimed with enthusiasm.

“What? No, I don’t want to die!” Donggun exclaimed in a shrill tone.

“Don’t worry, I have a plan.”