Yeonji didn’t know how long Jangmun could hold his king off. She didn’t know whether he would even make it out alive. The tears from her eyes silently admitted an outcome she wished to deny. She didn’t think the loss of a wendigo would affect her this much, but it did. It wounded her with guilt and regret that translated into physical pain.   He did this to buy her some time, so she couldn’t let his effort go in vain. She maneuvered over Namjoon’s monstrous body, sprinted towards the throne, and picked Bacon up in her arms first. Then she slid her way and knelt down beside Baekhyun. The two guys were still under Namjoon’s binding spell.   “Go, now,” Baekhyun said through his gritted teeth and staggering breath. His eyes stared out in front, glaring at Namjoon who showed his true nature as a heartless leader. The monstrous look suited his cunning heart.   The wendigo king kicked Jangmun’s body over the narrow pathway, watching in satisfaction as it toppled down and fell into the fiery heat of hell. His mouth elicited a dark grin. With the same darkness brooding from his eyes, he turned to them.   “Leave us, Yeonji,” Hoya uttered this time, soft enough so that only she could hear it. He tried wriggling his way out of the invisible chains, but for the nth time, the black magic was stronger.   Yeonji wrapped Bacon tighter against her chest, feeling her heart rate quicken in fear. Her hair was damp, and her entire hands were sweating. She looked around with frantic movements, pupils continuing to circle dizzyingly. There was no place for her to run to. The chamber was concealed. They had come in through the small opening, but leaving through the same entrance was an impossible option.   Jangmun would know what to do. If she had trusted him more, maybe he’d still be alive. She was the cause of his death. There was no way she would let Namjoon hurt Baekhyun or Hoya when she was responsible for so many death. When the wendigo king came closer, she quickly left Bacon in Baekhyun’s care, and defensively stood in front of the two with her arms spreadeagled.   Namjoon’s yellow eyes blinked in surprise, and he cocked his head as if in awe. What an adorable attempt to try and save her friend, though they would all wind up dead anyway. Namjoon the upper part of his mouth. A tongue the length of a serpent and painted in the purple color of a poison mishap, caressed his glimmering scales. Every step he took made the ground tremble and debris fall off the wall. He had grown even bigger in the short time.   “What would I get for joining you?” Yeonji began shouting. She had no idea what she was doing, but goblins tend to be convincing, always thinking of ways that benefit themselves. At this moment, survival would be the greatest benefit they could earn. She tried negotiating with the monster.   “Life,” Namjoon firmly answered. It snapped its finger—or rather, beastly claws—once, and Jihye returned to her normal self. It took little to no effort for him to break off any other magical power.   Jihye shuddered a little, wildly shaking her head to regain consciousness. She was closer to the ones bound on the ground and took a fighting stance immediately.   “The question remains the same,” Namjoon spoke, his tone filled with terror. He continued striving forward until a meter distance stood between him and the goblin girl. “You are either for or against me. What shall it be?”   “Don’t do it,” Baekhyun pleaded at her from behind.   Yeonji stayed quiet. Instead of considering the offer, she tried thinking of more ways to buy them time. But her bright mind was obstructed by negative thoughts of more guilt and fear receding over her. She swallowed her saliva, unable to maintain the intense eye contact he kept.   “I take your silence as a refusal,” Namjoon said. He had meant for it to sound friendly, but with the beastly and bass undertone, it sounded demonic. Part of him sounded disappointed, he really wanted her to be on his side.   “Run now!” Even Hoya begged. He was crouched against the floor, like Baekhyun was. When everyone was trapped by the wendigo, at least one of them had the freedom to escape. “Please, Yeonji.”   Namjoon broke the momentum by raising his fingernail, winking to Jihye to come forward. “Kill them,” he commanded in his low sinister roar, and Jihye happily complied.   The werewolf girl let out a loud cry, her golden eyes shimmering almost as toxic as Namjoon’s yellow ones when she jumped up against the flickering fire illumination. widened, showing off her sharp fangs.   Yeonji stood frozen in place, knowing that a step aside would give Jihye access to the guys. It was time for her to meet her final fate, to die by the hands of a wendigo’s minion. She squatted down, wrapping her entire body over Baekhyun’s in a final attempt to protect him and Bacon. Whatever pain they inflicted on her, she would endure for their sake. The pain would surpass her capabilities, but she would willingly shed blood for her loved ones. It was the least she could do after everything they had done for her. Death was coming for her. Even a soothing melody transcended from heaven, welcoming her.   But death never came.   Instead, a loud explosion resonated through the room. The chamber was clouded by dusty smoke, blinding one’s vision. But the small area they were at was unaffected, and the smoke couldn’t pass through a circular barrier. They were in a protective forcefield that could only be created using magic. Yeonji had seen this before.   “Come with me,” a voice, a familiar male voice suddenly spoke.   The spell lifted from Baekhyun and Hoya when Namjoon lost focus. With the pet dragon in one hand, Baekhyun wrapped his fingers around Yeonji’s using his other hand, and pulled her along. He could barely catch the unknown male’s figure, only seeing his dark colored hair and pointy ears. Hoya’s footsteps was closely following from behind.   The male led them through the back of the royal throne, rubbing his hands against the wall for a moment. He then pushed one of the ordinary looking brick, and an opening revealed itself between the cracks.   “Of course. A hidden passageway,” Baekhyun muttered under his breath, breathing a sigh of relief.   They followed the male who went through the opening, deciding to trust him. They escaped the chaos succumbed by the explosive smokes. They muted out Jihye’s and Namjoon’s yelling. Instead, coming face to face with the impossible when two people greeted them.   “Hoseok! Chiyeon!”   The two elves—whose dead body they had seen earlier—were breathing, alive, and well.Their outfit was an exact replica of that night by the campfire. The only difference was found in their darker and more swollen eye bags, and a more wrinkled and dryer skin. Symptoms of an exhausted person.   Yeonji let go of Baekhyun’s hand, not caring about her composed image when she wrapped her arms around Chiyeon. Every single emotion bottled up within her heart finally unleashed in the form of endless tears and countless apologies. But most of all, she was grateful for their survival.   “We thought you died,” Hoya said, staring blankly at the two.   “You guys aren’t the only ones who can fake your death,” Chiyeon told them with a wink.   “Although having to pretend being a dead man for this long nearly made me wanna kill myself,” Hoseok said, earning a small jerk from Chiyeon against his ribcage.