In the suburbs of the majestic city is a commune that looks like everyone’s dream resort. There are gentle curved roofs and serene gardens. The buildings seamlessly blend old and new architecture. It is highly exclusive and few get in.
Within the high walls, the rich and powerful practice their magic. They learn from each other and find out more about their biology in the commune’s high-tech labs. They extend their invitations to all those they deem strong and capable of adding to their pool of knowledge.
But the commune keeps secrets even from those inside. When everyone is asleep, people are smuggled into the underground chambers in the dead of night, never to be seen again. Do you hear their screams?
On the planet Geunyeok is a private community of the most powerful magic users in the galaxy, headed by an enchantress named Sun Ok. Magic users are invited there to test and share their powers. The people there do experiments, make new inventions, and combine their magic to create something greater. They also secretly study other unique magic users, sometimes resorting to kidnapping to bring them in. They are very determined to hunt and capture fairies.
The sunlight in Spectra Shadore is less bright than other planets, but the colors are so vibrant hardly anyone seems to notice.
The sunlight in Watermania is blazing. The mountain dwellers bask in the heat, while the lowlanders hide in the shade.
All kinds of weather are welcome in Suseonhwa Commune, since they can all be taken advantage of or harnessed.
There is no sunlight in the Kaleidoscope King’s realm. The realm glows with a never-waning orange light. It comes through the stained glass windows in the palace, creating jeweled reflections on the floor.
Sunlight brings no surprises for seasoned time travelers. They know the weather patterns of the times they’ve visited, and they use them to their advantage.
Ohu was waiting for Sun-Ok in her office, knowing she might have a task for him when she emerged from her secret room.
Sure enough, the door opened. Ohu turned and stared.
Sun-Ok had come in, holding a sheet of paper, just like she did after every hunt. But Ohu was gaping at her face.
She looked shaken. She was staring straight ahead without registering the world around her.
Ohu was stunned. Sun-Ok never, ever lost her composure, not even when her son misbehaved and scared guests.
He silently took the paper. It had a map drawn in black ink. “Who are we hunting this time?”
Sun-Ok sat in her chair behind her desk, her eyes still unfocused. “I don’t know how describe it,” she said.
Ohu poured a cup of tea for Sun-Ok, but she didn’t touch it.
“It was like … I was looking beyond this galaxy,” Sun-Ok continued. “No, beyond all galaxies. Beyond the universe.”
Ohu didn’t understand what she was saying at all. “Was there a power surge?”
“No, it was a magical event. Some use of magic I have never witnessed before.” Sun-Ok fidgeted with her hands. “I saw it for a second and then … then it vanished.”
“What does it mean?” Ohu asked.
“I don’t know.” Sun-Ok finally looked at Ohu and clenched her fist. “We need answers, and we need the people involved in this.”
The first snowfall of the year was a big deal at Suseonhwa Commune. The colorful gardens and curved roofs became blanketed with white, erasing any other color. People slid open their doors to be greeted with blasts of cold.
Snow was a great thing to play with, with or without magic. The magic users gleefully thickened the ice on the ponds so they could skate, or created ice sculptures and snowmen. Even the servants were excused from their duties to enjoy it. Warm clothes were distributed to those who were ill-prepared.
Sun-Ok watched everyone in the commune revel from under her fur-lined hood, her hands in a woolen muff.
Winter meant opportunity. The commune was harder to get to when the snow piled high, so it was semi-closed. Then they could really kick things into high gear.
Sun-Ok had not built the commune to be a hotel resort. It was strategically positioned, like a machine, to stimulate mental dexterity and physical health within its residents.
The entire planet of Geunyeok functioned as a transmitter. Magic settled in various crevices and pools of the planet. The commune was in one of these pools, which made it easy to run. Nobody knew how to harness the planet’s powers better than Sun-Ok.
After several hours, the crowds went back indoors, pink-cheeked and laughing, to warm up on the heated floors. That was when Sun-Ok acted.
She briskly crossed the courtyard and entered a door in the wall.
The commune was full of secret tunnels and underground passages.
Sun-Ok stepped into a small underground room. The heating was not as strong down there, so it was cold, but she shed her winter clothing anyway. Here, the magic was so thick, the air felt humid.
Every aspect of the room served a purpose. Potted plants, a fountain with decorative rocks, metal vases and paper lanterns were dotted around the room. In the centre was a short stand with an open book.
Sun-Ok let the sound of the fountain relax her. She knelt in front of the stand and read a spell from the book.
Everything seemed to fade away, and Sun-Ok felt her senses heighten. A pulse seemed to radiate from the room, extending beyond the commune. Now, Sun-Ok was connected to the planet itself.
The snow made it hard for her to see, like her senses were muffled, but she pushed past it, something she had become good at. This was how she hunted her prey.
She could feel the sparks and bursts from people practicing magic. She could smell the sale of enchanted objects. She could see magic wafting down the streets.
Then something brilliant appeared. Something that tore a hole in the fabric of universe. It was only for a moment, but for that moment, she glimpsed worlds she had never seen before. She felt the dazzle of galaxies and constellations she did not recognize. Something grander and vaster than anything she could have imagined.
