Chapter 82 (1/2)

Chapter 82: Chapter 8 Crossroads-5

Despite Li's warning to stay locked in her room, Dor could feel that something was not right in the living room. She opened the door.

When she stepped back out, the first thing she saw was a large flame. The fire spread quickly through the sofa, cushions, and the old carpet. And near it, Li was lying unconscious. The inferno looked close to swallowing Li at any moment, so Dor ran over and pulled her by her legs away from the flames.

”Li! Wake up! Li!”

Fortunately, Li woke up. By the time she did, however, the flames had already surrounded them. Li hugged Dor tightly and trembled at the thought of Alice. Angrily, she thought how unfair it would be to die this way. Besides, she was not alone. But what could she do?

She suddenly remembered the power she had harnessed to get rid of the sedatives in her body. It was different from her healing powers. She had never felt anything like it in her 18 years of life. Li thought that this had to be magic.

She knew the way to release her magical powers. The magic circulating in her body had to be summoned by her will. Her desire to command it had to combine with the surroundings to create its power. And finally, she had to ignite the magic to release it.

What they needed now was water. Li collected all her will and strength to release that power outside her body. In the least, she had to stop the licking flames from coming any closer to them.

After failing several times, Li finally succeeded in doing what she wanted. The magic of water and her urgency combined fluidly. Li's instincts told this was the perfect time to release it.

”Give me water. Enough to shower everything around us.”

Dor, who had her head buried in Li's embrace, lifted her head when she felt something on her neck. It was raining inside.

”Huh? It's rain.”

The magic circulating inside Li's body listened to her request. The cold and wet rain was sprinkling around the room, slowly taking out the flames.

Later that day, when March returned home from finishing his requests, he found his house burnt to black. He jumped in surprise and ran inside, but what met him was a bright voice calling out to him.

”Brother, here!”

”Dor! Are you okay…? Li?”

He turned toward the sound and quickly spun around. What he saw was the white face of Dor with smeared black ash and Li, who was asleep on her shoulder. March ran toward them.

”What happened? Why is the house like this?”

”Uh, so what happened was…”

Alice's visit, the sudden chaos, fire, Li, who had fainted, and raindrops—Dor recited the story excitedly in fascination, but March was not fully paying attention to her words. He clenched his fists.

”And the other people helped us, and we stopped the fire...Brother?”

”...Let's ask White Rabbit to let us sleep at her place today,” Dor added.

The sun was going down. March carried Li on his back, but Dor gripped the end of his shirt.

”Are you mad, Brother? I'm sorry. I couldn't bring anything from inside…”

Only then did March realize that his face had frozen like stone. He tried with all his might to change it to a softer expression as he petted Dor's hair.

”I'm not mad at you or Li. Here, hold your brother's hand.”

Dor held his hand. It was not easy to lift Li with one arm, but he did not let go of his sister's hand. His heart sank as he imagined how close he had come to losing her.

”I'm so glad both of you are safe.”

He muttered. There was a surprising desperation in his voice. Hearing this, Dor burst out laughing.

***

The people who lived in Wonderland had nowhere else to go. To these people, fire was a sensitive issue. The buildings were so close together that there was a high chance of flames spreading. Everyone had helped quell the fire, and March's house did not suffer much damage except for some scorch marks on the exterior.

The next afternoon after they all had dealt with the fiasco, Dor and Li were fast asleep as SoYoon came over to help March examine the interior for damages.

The first must have started in the living room because only remnants of the sofa, carpet, and curtain were left. As March checked the bedrooms, SoYoon checked the round piece of carpet left in the living room. Although the thought occurred to SoYoon, who was aware that Li was originally from Outhouse and assumed she probably had magical powers, this idea never crossed the minds of any of their neighbors.

March came out after checking the bedrooms. ”The inside looks to be okay.”