Oftentimes when tales of terrible deeds and nightmarish events are told, they will begin with the common refrain of ‘it was a dark and stormy night’, or that ‘there was an ominous tension in the air’.    But the surprising truth about it is that when terrible people with terrible intentions decide to do terrible things, it often occurs on an otherwise beautiful day, when all seems to just feel right in the world.  Perhaps this is actually what triggers those who are capable of such atrocities to take action - it is only when the world around them has become to feel just a bit too happy, that the need to make others feel as miserable as themselves becomes undeniable. Such would seem to be the case in this story - Kai Yun’s story - as it was indeed an otherwise beautiful day in the woods to the South of the city of Miranda when Kai Yun’s entire life would change forever.

Kai carefully placed a large fish into his water bucket - the fifth large fish that he had caught since arriving at his favorite fishing spot shortly after dawn. He looked up towards the Sun, and noted that the Sun was already passing it’s highest point of the day - the fishing had been so satisfying for Kai this morning had not even noticed that the entire morning had already fully passed him by, and now it would likely already be close to the end of lunch time back in his village. It did not matter to Kai though, as he knew that he would be able to sell his catches of the day quickly and then he would make his way across the village to his favorite place, ‘the Coral Reef’. The Coral Reef is the local drinking house in the fishing village of Brighton, where music, song and drink would surely lead to another memorable evening of blissful peace for Kai and his friends. Truly, the life of a fisherman during the many bountiful years of abundance that the Southern Lands had been blessed with in recent years had made for a very comfortable and satisfying life for Kai Yun.

But as Kai reached for his fishing pole which was resting on a nearby rock beside him, he had to quickly stop and steady himself. A moment of confusion passed over him, as he suddenly felt both nauseous and anxious. Both feelings were disconcerting for Kai, as he very rarely was ever ill - Kai’s family would often credit his love for consuming all things made with fish oil, which they would swear up and down is their family’s secret ingredient for their enjoyment of continual good health. But even more so, the feeling of anxiety was disturbing for Kai. Kai had never been known to be someone who worries about things beyond his control, and in fact Kai rarely even suffered from the average nightmare that everyone experiences. As Kai struggled to regain his balance, the moment of confusion intensified. In fact, for just a moment he thought he was someone else. A soldier? An angel? It made no sense at all.

For a moment, Kai Yun believed that his name was Kunn, and he remembered having lived a different life. He had still grown up in the same fishing village as before, but now he remembered a great war that had stretched across the land which began while he was still a youth. He had been drafted into an army by… someone. Aha? Ra’Ha? The river beside him began to spin in a way that he knew it shouldn’t be spinning, and then the name on his lips escaped him. Suddenly he remembered (…imagined? …hallucinated?) a much more terrifying moment that caused his legs to give way and he landed unceremoniously onto his backside in the grass behind where he had previously been standing just a moment before.

Kunn remembered the terrifying feeling of being stabbed in the back by something sharp and deep. He remembered his mind processing the warm feeling of his life’s blood beginning to spill down his back as he spun around to see who had attacked him from behind. But strangely what he would see was a beautiful woman standing there, mockingly laughing at him. But as Kunn remembered the sound of that laugh, and how… how evil it sounded, he knew that this could be no ordinary woman. Somehow he knew that he was about to die at the hands of something far more sinister - was she a demon??

Kai Yun (…Kunn?) was now laying on the ground. In one place, Kai Yun was looking beside himself at his fishing pole, still resting on the rocks nearby. In another place, Kunn found himself looking up at a friend who had carried him from the battlefield to a place whose name he somehow knew, although he had never heard the name before. Kunn had been brought into the Vadhis Empire, and was now being told to drink from a flask that was being held to his lips. The flavour tasted of copper, and some other ingredient that he knew he should remember, but he couldn’t place it. But as the first few sips of the liquid began to make their way down Kunn’s throat, he remembered the name of the strange drink - it was the ‘Inmyeonjo potion’. And at that moment he remembered that there was only one species who could make this drink, because it required a small amount of their very own blood to create it - Kunn was being healed now by Angels.

As Kunn finished drinking the last drops from the flask his head began to spin, and suddenly Kunn became aware that he was no longer in the Vadhis Empire - he found himself laying in the grass beside a river that seemed vaguely familiar to him. He thought at first that it might be a memory from his childhood coming back to him, in some sort of feverish dream? But as his thoughts slowly began to clear, Kunn found that many other details began to fade away. Why did he even think his name was Kunn? That’s not who he is, his name is Kai Yun! How could he have forgotten that? And he was never a soldier in any army - he was a simple fisherman from Brighton village, a few hours journey south from the city of Miranda. And strangely enough, just for a moment… he thought he had had wings? And could fly? Oh, Kai Yun… maybe we should just skip the Coral Reef tonight? It seems like we might be enjoying life just a bit TOO much these days!

And with a chuckle to himself, Kai Yun’s head was finally clear again and he was able to stand up. How strange - Kai Yun could feel a lifetime of memories slowly slipping away, as if he had just woken from a long night’s dreaming. Had Kai hit his head when he lost his balance? Likely not, as he felt perfectly fine once again, with no sign of any injuries anywhere.

But there was one thing that seemed a little off to Kai Yun… as far as he could tell, his dizziness had only lasted for a few moments. The Sun was still in the exact same position in the sky that it had been when Kai had went to put his fifth fish into his water basket, but now there was a young Mother across the stream from Kai, with a young child playing in the water as his Mother washed her laundry. They were both calling out to each other and enjoying the sunshine, so how had Kai not noticed them there before? How very strange indeed…