At another battle field...

            Minzy breathed fast, her gloved right hand still gripped her short sword tightly. It has been an hour and half since she got serious in the battle, but it seemed that her attacks which she launched to her opponents still futile. Even she faced two female soldiers of The Sleepwalkers, she’s actually just fight against one of them. The one who named Lisa, while the other one wasn’t the kind of close-distance attacker. Yet, since the start of their battle, both Minzy and Lisa still haven’t released their true power. Both female soldiers battled in sword and knife, tried to drain each physical energy.

            ”It looked like you still hold your ground so well, Minzy-ssi.” Lisa mocked the dark red short-haired 21 soldier.

            ”Your attacks were nothing in front of my sword, little girl.” Minzy replied as she sheathed her sword. She could saw Lisa’s expression changed a bit at her movement, while the other girl who stood a bit far from her place looked lazily at her. Minzy still didn’t know what kind of Lisa’s true power but she’s sure enough that her magic element was stronger than Lisa’s. The one thing that bothered her so much since the beginning of her battle was the power possessed by the wavy-long haired female soldier who positioned at the far end of that battle field. From her movement, it seemed she handled something invisible which could controlled something else. But what is it?

            ”Why are you sheathing your sword, Minzy-ssi?” Lisa asked as she folded and unfolded her knife in her right hand.

            ”Sword art play wasn’t my specialty, little girl. It seemed you’ve known my ability, aren’t you?” Minzy asked Lisa back.

            ”Yeah...” Lisa placed her folded knife into the pocket of her coat. ”Earth type magic user.” Lisa continued as she smirked. ”I’m so impressed of your ability as I saw it through many videos. I can’t help my eagerness to see it right in front of my eyes, right now.”

”Then, I hope I can entertain you, little girl.”

Minzy materialized earth-gloves and earth-boots which were covered her hand palms and legs. Seconds later, she knocked the ground below her with a single click of her earth-boots. Soon after that, two giant earth salamander appeared in front of Lisa. A small smirk appeared on Lisa’s lips as she saw the twin giant salamander materialized in front of her. Just like what Seungri had told Lisa before, Minzy really used that earth salamander as her first offense against Lisa. Lisa didn’t make any move as the twin giant salamander approached her place.

”Oh... it touched that.” Soohyun who stood a bit far from Lisa said with a made-up surprised expression on her beautiful face.

”What...”

It happened so fast before Minzy could finished her words, her earth-salamander suddenly lift up from the ground, tied up on something invisible. It wriggled in pain against the invisible thing which tied it up then stopped moving. Minzy’s eyes got widened as saucers as she saw her earth-salamander’s life ended so easily against her opponent’s power.

”What have you two done?” Minzy asked calmly.

”I’m doing nothing, Minzy-ssi. Just like what you saw.” Lisa replied amusedly.

Minzy’s gaze came upon to Soohyun who seemed didn’t like to answer her question.

”Ah... and she, I mean my friend there was just put a small trap on the place where your twin giant salamander stood before, and the rest... you have seen it.” Lisa continued while she produced her knife. ”I’m telling you, Minzy-ssi. She has put countless traps in this area. If you don’t want to end like your salamander, better you watch your step carefully.”

Minzy got alerted as she listened to Lisa’s brief explanation of her companion’s power and as she saw Lisa’s knife slowly fused into an ashes. It’s her magic power? Minzy asked herself. If it’s true, based on Lisa’s magic attribute was impossible to win against her magic attribute. But, because of Lisa’s friend’s magic power, has put her into a bit difficult place. Minzy shifted into her defense pose as she saw Lisa was ready to launch her first attack.

”Here we go!”

===

            Drops of blood smeared the battle ground. His very first blood has redden the snowed pavement. His brown eyes looked at it plainly, then moved to the long wavy brown haired girl before him.

            ”How it felt like? Your unusual opponent made you drop your own blood?” Her angelic voice sang in the quiet battle field of theirs.

            ”Nothing special. It just a little scratch.” He talked back as he froze his bloodied left arm with his magic power.

            ”Is that so?”

            ”You can make it bigger and stronger than it’s now, am I right... Rosé-ssi?” Donghyuk pointed to her whip.

            Chaeyoung didn’t reply to her opponent’s question or should she called it as his bait to make her angry. Chaeyoung saw her opponent took care of his injury with his magic power. Ice-typed magic power. Chaeyoung has realized that her opponent this time was someone who good at battle moves also healing. His movement was so fast, she remembered as she attacked him with her thorn whip, he dodged it, cut it so fast, so precisely.

            ”Why... are you doing nothing?” Donghyuk asked Chaeyoung calmly as he looked at his treated injury. ”You know, if you attack me now...” He paused, then faced her. ”You may could win this battle.”

            ”I’m not the kind who attack someone whom his/her attention on something else than me.” Chaeyoung said as her grip on her whip tightened.

            ”Geuraeyo?”

            Chaeyoung narrowed her eyes as she heard that short word came out from his lips. She didn’t know why... after she heard that word, her body trembled a bit. A part of her past flashed in front of her so fast. Soon, her surroundings felt cold, like it got frozen. Chaeyoung’s eyes widened as she saw Donghyuk stabbed the ground with his silver sword then a small pure-white fountain appeared from the place where his sword stabbed before. After he made the five beautiful fountain in front of him, he pointed his sword to Chaeyoung.

            ”Ice Dance act 01: White Ballet.”

             The very first instinct Chaeyoung made was circled her thorn whip around her as the white fountains came forward to her place, even its movement was so beautiful in her own eyes. So beautiful, just like its name. The white fountains stopped as it made contact with Chaeyoung’s thorn whip, then crashed down to the ground the moment after.

            ”Your thorn was truly sharp, Rosé-ssi. My ice even looked nothing against it.”

            Chaeyoung let her thorn whip opened up. ”If you don’t mind, may I take the next turn, DK-ssi?”

            ”Of course.”

            Chaeyoung put her spiritual force into her whip, made it grew longer, more sharp thorns on it, made it stronger and more dangerous. She started moving her whip in the circle movement, approached Donghyuk’s place. Suddenly Donghyuk stuck into a thorn cage made of her thorn whip.

            ”Thorn Ribbon stage 02: Prickly Ash Cage.”

            As Chaeyoung said the name of her attack, the prickly cage got narrowed, as if it started to shut in Donghyuk from his surroundings. Donghyuk still looked calm even the prickly cage got narrowed as time went by. It was when the very first thorn of the prickly cage was about touch his coat, Donghyuk stabbed the ground then pure-white beautiful flower like crystal surrounded him, stopped the movement of the prickly cage.

            ”Ice Dance act 03: Ice Flower Axel.”

            The thorn clashed against the ice crystal’s tip, made a strange noises in their quiet yet calm battle field. With more force, the prickly cage tried to get narrowed, forced to crash down the ice flower which held it get closer to Donghyuk. But to no avail, the ice flower got more new petals as the old ones got crushed. As he didn’t want their battle ended so easily, Donghyuk put more magic force into his ice flowers. As for the result, the prickly cage which touched the ice flower’s tip got frozen, then the moment later was it got crushed and evaporated into the cold air. Chaeyoung who saw it happened, stood on defense pose. Her thorn whip which its part got frozen, has been cut off but the remaining part was unable to get longer, didn’t matter how much she has put her magic force into it. Out of the blue, Chaeyoung felt her hand which grasped the thorn whip trembled.

            What’s happened? Out of all the times, why I should tremble now? And why... I can’t think of something?

            Those words keep replaying in her mind, even though her eyes still focused on her opponent before her. Then suddenly reality hit her hard when she realized her opponent did nothing. He just stood there, looked at her calmly, his silver sword contained ice magic stayed by his side, unmoved. Why?

            ”It seems you haven’t remembered it well, Chaeyoung-ah.”

            Chaeyoung’s eyes widened as she heard the strange boy in front of her called her name, her real name. Has “The Sleepwalkers” really got so much information, such as like its soldier’s every name?

            ”I’ve frozen your Prickly Ash Cage, and yet you haven’t used “that”.” Donghyuk said again, made the beautiful girl before him confused.

            ”That?” Chaeyoung asked him back with a questioned look on her face.

            Donghyuk gave his bitter smile as he heard that simple question word from her. ”You’re really not remember it?”

            Chaeyoung frowned as she got another nonsense question from him. ”What are you saying? Stop your rambling as if you’ve known me for years, DK-ssi.”

            ”And what if actually I’ve known you for years?”

            Even she hasn’t blinked her eyes yet, Donghyuk has approached her, stood right in front of her. The next thing happened, she didn’t know. She felt the time stopped, frozen, as she felt a sharp yet cold knife stabbed in her upper-left chest, two inches from her beating heart. Slowly, her vision got blurred, her breath got shorten and faster. Her limp body got caught by her opponent. Donghyuk who held Chaeyoung crumbled down because of his sudden “assault”, looked at her silently. His brown eyes still admired in silent of her beauty even in her unconscious state.

            ”I hope you have a beautiful dream in your sleep. Just a little bit more, after I help my friends defeat those bastards... and I will come for you, to fetch you, so we could come back home together, Chaeyoung-ah.” Donghyuk lied down the unconscious Chaeyoung to the ground near the crumbled wall, then sheltered her with ice cage similar to her own Prickly Ash Cage. After he made sure that she’s safe enough, Donghyuk dashed off from that place, to the aimed place just like what he has been told before.

===

At another place, another city

07.34 am, December 30th 2135 M

- Pluvia -

            A group of Seleas soldiers walked in silent through the dead pavement. A mist fog of their breaths looked so apparent because of the cold air of the winter. Their polished black boots created boot-print on the white carpet made of the fallen snow.

            ”It could be better if that old Yang Hyunsuk sent 7th Division to this dead city instead of us.” Mayor Oh Sijin, the vice commander of 5th Division – Crimson Dawn, spoke for the first time, broke the coldness of their entourage.

            ”Better you don’t let your guard down, Mayor Oh.” Colonel Jo Jaehwan, the commander of 5th Division, responded while his gaze still bored to the front as he led his group to their destination, The Sleepwalker’s headquarters.

            ”Even we didn’t saw a single live-being here. Only wreckages of buildings covered in snow filled this city, and yet that old man asked us to clean this place.” Mayor Oh Sijin talked back while put his gloved hands inside the pocket of his long coat.

            None of the rest of the group members responded to his words. The group kept walking until they stopped right in front of the tall building in the center of the city. The building which was previously functioned as one of the big malls in Seleas. Without hesitation, they got into the building. While the group of 5th Division entered the building, a pair of eyes watched their movement behind the scope from the building across the old mall building.

            ”Shun-ssi’s prediction was right. Out of all the divisions, they sent Crimson Dawn to this city?” Kang Sunghoon, one of the high ranked members of The Sleepwalkers, muttered as he saw his soon opponent to be eliminated from his scope. He then put down his scope, took a cigarette from his coat pocket with its match then lighted it up. As he inhaled slowly the smoke of his cigarette, he remembered when his superior gave him the mission.

===

[Flashback]

            It was ten minutes before he, Kang Sunghoon, together with his superior aka Hiruma Shun, Lee Soohyuk, and Kang Dongwoon left Pluvia, headed to Seoulite. Suddenly Hiruma Shun asked him to have a private talk for a bit.

            ”What is it, Shun-ssi?” Kang Sunghoon asked the leader.

            ”I think, you’re better here, Sunghoon-ah.”

            ”Pardon?”

            ”It’s too exaggerate if the three of you should remain by my side.” Hiruma Shun said with a bit playful tone in his wise voice, together with his smile. But then, he turned into serious. ”Even we have nothing in our headquarters, but they must sent some of their own to this city to clean things up. There are still resided several families in this small city, I want you to protect them. You know what I mean, Sunghoon-ah?”

            Kang Sunghoon bowed. ”Yes, Shun-ssi.”

            ”Then, the safety of Pluvia rely on your hand.” Hiruma Shun patted Sunghoon shoulders, then he left the younger man.

[Flashback End]

===

            Kang Sunghoon let out a vague smoke from his lips as his eyes caught the sight of 5th Division’s group got out from the old building across the building he stood in. He counted them. Seven soldiers, didn’t forget the fact that two of them was the best fighters in the group.

            ”If I confront them by myself, I will ended first before I could protect the citizens.” He paused for a while as he inhaled his cigarette again. ”Maybe I could take those two.” He eyed the commander and the vice commander. ”And the rest of them... I trust them to you all.”

            ”We’re ready to act anytime, Master.” A deep voice answered. A group of dark shadow of assassins stood behind Kang Sunghoon.

            ”Let’s give our guest our finest show in this beautiful small city.”

===

            Major Oh Sijin frowned along his way out of the old building which they predicted as The Sleepwalker’s headquarters. He and the rest of the group members found nothing.

            ”Can you stop making that stupid face of yours, Major Oh?” His leader, Colonel Jo Jaehwan spoke as they reached the empty road which led to the old building where they had got in before.

            ”Huh?”

            ”It’s time for serious, my vice commander.”

            The entourage stopped as they saw a man stood about fifteen meters away from them. Dressed in pale green shirt with a loose black tie matched with khaki pants, completed with dark brown long coat. His hands covered in white hand gloves stayed in his side. The man didn’t look have any kind of weapon with him.

            ”Who are you?” Colonel Jo Jaehwan asked him.

            ”The one you’re looking for, Colonel Jo.” The man answered.

            Colonel Jo Jaehwan’s eyes narrowed as the man answered his question so lightly. Even that man knew his title, also his family name.

            ”The Sleepwalker’s member, huh?”

            ”Tablo. You must have known him, right? Since... he has gave you the most beautiful greeting before.” The man said the leader of the group. ”I’m... just one of his old friends.”

            ”Your name?” This time, Major Oh Sijin asked the man.

            ”Is that really important to you?” The man asked Major Oh Sijin back.

            ”Of course. You’re...”

            ”You must have known us, aren’t you?” Colonel Jo Jaehwan cut his subordinate before the latter could finished.

            ”Who knows?” The man paused, then eyed the entire group in calm. ”Standard uniform of Seleas military unit’s uniform, not to forget that they used pale violet shirt matched with crimson neck tie. The logo of a crimson sun behind the hills on the back of the coat. It completed with both its vice-commander and commander which were brought a long dark-red sword behind its sheath.” He ended his rambling, then gave the group a serious look. ”The 5th Division of Seleas Military Unit, Crimson Dawn.”

            Colonel Jo Jaehwan stayed in silent as he listened to the stranger’s long yet precise answer. There were seven of Crimson Dawn’s members, and that stranger was alone, unarmed. If he’s there to confront them, was he in his right mind? Confronted seven men in the same time in the same occasion was suicide, not to mention that the men he brought along was the best fighters in Crimson Dawn.

            ”Are you here alone, old man?” The vice commander of Crimson Dawn asked.

            ”Yes. I’m the only one who left here. As you know, we... The Sleepwalkers was running out of people.”

            ”And you still wish to stand against us, old man?”

            A small smile appeared on the man’s lips. ”Kang Sunghoon, that’s my name. Also, I’m not old enough, Major Oh.” Then he turned around, his back faced the group of Crimson Dawn. ”I’m telling you... I’m the kind whom not really fond of battle. So I’m asking you all...” He turned back, faced the group. ”Leave this place... peacefully and silently.”

            ”What if I refuse?” Colonel Jo Jaehwan asked Kang Sunghoon back. ”You know... if I leave this place doing nothing, I don’t know what kind of report I should make later.”

            ”Huh? You’re so interesting, Colonel Jo. In the time like this, you’re still thinking about things like that.” Kang Sunghoon responded.

            Soon after that, the soldiers of Crimson Dawn’s put their hands on the hilt of their weapons. Kang Sunghoon whom still stood on his place, looked at the group calmly. His face was unchanged.

            ”I’m asking you again, old man. You still wish to stand against us... alone?”

            ”Whom you call alone, young man?”

            A deep voice responded at Major Oh’s question. Surprised looks appeared in the eyes of Crimson Dawn’s soldiers. There were numerous black shadow of assassins surrounded them, coming from out of nowhere. They appeared in both male and female, teenage, adult, and old. All of the assassins have each weapon in their hands.

            ”Is it your magic power?” Colonel Jo asked Kang Sunghoon.

            ”No. They’re my gold demon. Shadow Company.” Kang Sunghoon stated, bluntly. ”They’re really hardheaded, you know. As you all seen it, they showed themselves even before I commanded them to show up.”

            Gold demon, the spiritual weapon which The Sleepwalkers developed. From the source Colonel Jo and Major Oh had, the gold demon should appeared as the usual weapon lik