Mina lay in bed that day, trying to sleep. It was almost five in the morning, she thought. But why can’t I close my eyes? She felt strange to sleep in stranger’s house – especially when she barely knew them few hours ago.

She remembered the scratches on Tzuyu’s side – bleeding and deep – last night out of the blue. She knew that something had happened to Tzuyu and Nayeon that night, something very important for them.

Am I living with a gangster? Mina surprised with her own thought. The clothes they wore was completely black. They went out at night. They went back in the middle of the night. Two of them went back home injured. They did not sent their friends to the hospital despite the injury.

Are they involved in illegal activities? Are they trying to hide from the authority? Mina shook her head. Stop being paranoid. Maybe they’re helping people, just like what happened to me that night.

She wanted to ask Jeongyeon who they were or what they were doing but she didn’t know how to talk to her about it. She couldn’t. They might think that Mina was a nosy person.

Mina closed her eyes and tried to drift off to sleep. It had been a long day, and she had just spent a night treating Tzuyu and Nayeon. She should be exhausted, yet she could not stop thinking about them.

She knew that she should be frightened, remembering their selection of attire in the hour like last night. But for some reason she was not scared at all. In fact, she wanted to run right up to join them. She never planned to go out from her comfort zone but if she had a chance, she really wanted to try one day.

She turned her body to the other side of the bed, almost bumping Jeongyeon. I don’t have any memory of lying beside her, Mina thought. Last night I lie on the sofa watching television before – Mina mentally snapped her fingers. Now I got it. Maybe Jeongyeon lifted me up when I dozed out on the sofa and brought me here.

She sat up, dragged her feet off the bed and rubbed her knuckles onto her eyes. She stretched her arms above her head and yawned. She watched her legs dangled above the off-white polyester carpet. She glanced at the bedside clock and groaned. Four thirty o’clock, she thought. It was way too early to wake up. I might as well get an early start to prepare the breakfast, she thought. Carefully she opened up each bedroom door and counted the number of sleeping members before showered and dressed quickly, then went to the kitchen to make an American breakfast.

Mina placed the last meal set on the table before stared at the clock in the living room. It did not take more than half an hour for Mina to prepare the meal, as expected from a part-time kitchen assistant. Why am I not surprised, she amused herself. She hoped that the members would like the breakfast.

Maybe I should try to continue my sleep, she thought. It was too early to wake up for her especially in the hour like that. After washed her hands, Mina entered the bedroom and lie beside Jeongyeon. She closed her eyes, but it was no use. She was totally awake. She tried to lullaby herself, rewinding everything memory encountered last night.

She learnt that Dahyun and Sana were a very best friend or ‘best duo’ as what they claimed themselves when she served them supper last night. She knew Jihyo’s name as Sana and Dahyun pointed the young woman who talked to Jeongyeon on the balcony. Sana described Jihyo as a ‘rational and tactical leader even though she always nagging over almost everything.’

“She’s nice,” Dahyun added. “There’s no reason for you to fear and approach her. Go on. Talk to her.” She encouraged Mina.

Mina brought two glasses three-fourth filled with orange juice to the balcony, planning to greet Jeongyeon and Jihyo, not to interfere their conversation. She dropped the glasses on a table by the chair before realized that there was a half-bottle of Jack Daniel with a pair of glasses, along with an ancient book on the table.

Mina’s heart began to race with mixed feelings. Fear. Excitement. Curious. It was the book that kept showing in her dream. The book appeared for the first time since four years ago and now it appeared right in front of her. The book seemed to be calling her, tugging at her.

She wanted to run away from the house but in the same time she wanted to run right to the balcony to read The Thorn of the Black Rose from cover to cover. There was so much that she wanted to know.

She tried to stop thinking about it. I should go to sleep, she told herself. If Jihyo allowed me to touch or borrow the book I’ll read it by morning. But as soon as she closed her eyes, the image of the book flashed into her mind.

I’ll never get any rest until I read it, Mina decided. She pushed off the covers and got out of bed. She grabbed the doorknob and slowly twisted it. She did not want to wake Jeongyeon by opening the door loud.

After walking along the hallway and pass through the dining room, Mina reached the living room. The window was open. She glanced around cautiously as she walked to the balcony.

Everything was normal.

No lightning.

No strange chill in the air – except the breeze from the mountain.

No burning candles.

No shadow or figures that standing next to the window.

Mina crossed to a coffee table where The Thorn of the Black Rose lie. Jihyo must have left it there before they went asleep, Mina thought. She gently picked up the book and brought it to the living room, sitting on a sofa.

There’s something to this, she thought, turning a page. There has to be a reason I accidentally saw this book on the very right time. Maybe there is even reason why I am here when I should not – like destiny or something. I’ll figure out, she vowed.

Werewolves. Vampires. Warlocks. Faeries. Over the century the four nations lived together in the Shadow World in peace and harmony. Then everything changed when the Vampire Nation attack. Warlock and Faeries Nations, once mighty, lies in ruins. The city swarms with suffering and degradation, the citizens living in the shadow. With cold in blood, the Vampire Nation attacked and killed each and every army and protector in the nation of Warlock and Faeries Nations.

Wow, Mina thought. I never learnt any of this in school.

Werewolves, also known as the Children of the Moon, had the ability to transform – or change – into powerful wolves and gained their inhuman strength and enhanced capabilities. Every young Werewolf will left their family and sent to the School of Guardian, a prestigious school in Werewolf Nation. They will be trained with mercenary agents, highly trained in martial arts and stealth.

Only the best and fighting expert Werewolf will be graduated and given an official clothing – a dark red robe with golden rope around the neck. Never forgetting the knowledge of fighting, the official graduated Werewolf became a Guardian, the protector of Master.

Master, the beautiful character developed with high expectation, fate with a story of pure magic to balance the Shadow World. With the cast of magic came out from their mouth, none Guardian could deny their power and majesty thus obey their Master. Stunned with a long, hooded black robe, each of the generation born something different than anything encountered by the community of the spiritual world.

Mina gasped. Black robe! The figure that appeared in my dream – always – wearing a black robe.

Never forgetting the oath between the Guardian and the Master, each of the duo possessed a silver, shining necklace with a ring as a pendant.

Okay. Mina let her breath out with relief. The necklace that appeared in my dream was not silver. She remembered the writing on the ring wore by the figure in her dream – Sacrifice.

Mina turned another page, then stopped short. “‘The Legend,’ ” she said softly. What legend? Mina wondered. Breathless, Mina read on:

With each generation, the partner will grow stronger and stronger – until at last, the Legend will arrive and only they are the one could stop the war began in the Shadow World. Together, the Legend will be the most powerful duo in the world has ever known. The Legend wears the only crystallise necklace with a ring designated for them and have the ability to unite their power and become one. It will be a joyous day when the Legend is begotten.

Mina gasped. The necklace! Does this book talking about the same necklace that appeared in my dream?

She let the book fall flat on her legs. She tried to take a deep breath, but she could not. There was too much to handle. Mina remembered the dream she clashed with every night since four years ago.

Black robe. Crystallise necklace. The ring. Am I the Legend in the book? Is the book about me? About us? Am I a part of the Legend?

“No. It can’t be.” Mina shook her head. “It’s just can’t be. That would mean – that would mean I am either Werewolf or Master.” The ring on her finger accidentally knocked her forehead as she tried to hold her head in her hands.

The ring. Mina twisted the ring on her ring finger at her left hand and pulled it carefully. She rolled the ring between her point finger and the thumb, examining the design. There was a word crafted at the inner part of the ring. Even though the writing on the ring were too small to be read but she could see it clearly.

“Hope,” Mina spoke under her breath.

The ring immediately glowing as if it knew Mina realized its presence.

Suddenly, a warm breeze blew through the room, and Mina noticed the faint scent of burning wood in the air. She straight up straight. What’s happening? She wondered.

Her heart pounded hard on her chest. The pages of The Thorn of the Black Rose fluttered as the breeze grew fierce.

Her stomach churned as the odour of burning wood grew stronger and stronger. But it was not only wood that she smelled. When the odour of burning wood dispersed, her eyes widely opened when she recognized the scent of a flower. Lavender.

Mina wanted to run out of the house as fast as she could, but it was impossible. She could not move. Her feet felt like lead, and her body seemed to be transfixed to the chair.

Is something hold me here?

Maybe the ring was evil. Then Mina glanced at The Thorn of the Black Rose. Maybe this book is evil, too! She thought, panicking.

A