It wasn't a wise decision, that she realized.

But it was the only choice she had, this - unfortunately - she knew more. 

She knew nothing about magic. Nothing about her powers, not a single thing about being a witch. And to have her powers awakened and to have such dangerous ability to unconsciously use it, she knew she needed help. 

Hence, the only person she could turn to, the only person whom she knew was capable enough to help her, was none other than Kim Sunggyu.

She had heard from Sehun how Sunggyu had helped Europhinia with her powers and how he had the power of Omniscience. She also knew that Sunggyu needed her powers. Hence, she went to him. She thought that if she agreed to help him with whatever he wanted of her, he would help her control her powers. 

After all, wouldn't she need to learn how to use them before she could help him?

Days went by, she would come to the library every morning after her lessons, and have the older teach her ways to control her powers. After which, she would return to her dorm for a short nap before she left for her curriculum classes once again. She worked hard, she didn't give herself much rest and time, because she knew if she didn't do so, it would jeopardize the safety of everyone around her. 

This also meant that she didn't get to see Sungjong or Sehun much either, and her avoiding them also didn't help that fact. She didn't want and didn't know how to face them. She knew they were against her helping Sunggyu, and her being a terrible liar wasn't going to help her keep that secret away from them. Hence, the only way around this whole situation was to avoid them for the time being, until it was all over. 

She had to admit, trying to avoid them was one of the most difficult task she had ever assigned herself to do. Especially since she was sitting in the middle of them during lessons, she literally had no chance to avoid them. Hence, whenever the two boys tried to ask her a question she either had to play deaf or reply them curtly, so they wouldn't hold a conversation with her. It was difficult trying to resist the temptation to just start talking to them like she used to, since she really missed them. 

The boys too felt confused. Why did she act that way around them? They wondered too why she wasn't talking to them like she used to. They knew she was avoiding them, it was obvious. But they didn't know why she was doing it. Was she feeling confused about her powers? Was she angry with them over something? They had to know, but whenever they tried to ask her after lessons, she would just leave quickly the moment it ended. They haven't talked to her in ages, and they too, to be very honest, missed her previous self - both Sungjong and Sehun.

The first few lessons were pretty simple to her. All he had taught her was how to meditate and how to control her emotions. Since her powers were now linked to her emotions, it was necessary of her to master this aspect. She did find it ludicrous though - how a vicious and brutal bloodthirsty vampire like Sunggyu would know anything about meditation and peace. 

But as time went by, she realized - was he really as ruthless as they all thought of him?

As every lesson past, she realized how sincere Sunggyu actually was in helping her. It made her realize that Kim Sunggyu did have a kind-hearted side to him. He wasn't just all a big bad wolf, he actually was trustworthy too. 

But why hide it all then? If he was really good on the inside, why act as if he was all diabolical? Was it something that happened, that made him change into what he is today? She had all sorts of questions about him, and she wasn't going to just silently think about them to herself.

"I heard," She spoke, flipping through the pages of the spell book, glancing at him from time to time after her long pause in speech. "That you killed Europhinia." The words hesitantly left her lips and she soon regretted asking such a personal question soon after when she saw how he had stopped his actions. He simply stared ahead of him blankly for a whole while.

After some time, he exhaled deeply and turned around to face her. "I did." He crossed his arms, a flash of pain was seen from his eyes as he stared at her. "I'm a monster, did you forget?"

"You're not a monster." She spoke, and as she saw how his body stiffened and how his eyes softened, she knew she was right. "You're just trying to act like one. why?"

"Because it's easier that way." She heard the slight crack in his voice as he spoke. The older turned away from her, in an attempt to hide his soon tearful eyes, and began to stare out the window.

"What is?" She asked.

"It's easier to turn off my humanity, than to actually feel all that's within me."

"What do you feel inside?" She tried to dig deeper.

"We're supposed to be concentrating here." Sunggyu turned to her once again. This time he tossed her another spell book and motioned for her to continue her work, but the girl simply continued staring at him.

"You're avoiding my questions." The younger sing-songed, attempting to lighten the atmosphere again. Now she knew that Sunggyu wasn't at all what he seemed, she was no longer that afraid of him. "Why did you kill her?" She asked softly.

He hesitated at first, he didn't know if he should answer such a question. He didn't know if he should ever open up to anybody. That was why he acted inhumane all this time, because he couldn't talk to anyone. It was too hard for him, he couldn't even speak to his brothers about this. That was why he shut off all his feelings and hid them deep inside of him. Because it was easier to hide them away on the furthest shelf and lie to himself that he never cared, than to face it all. At some point of time, it overwhelmed him, it made him fear his own feelings. But he didn't want that anymore.

He could trust her, right?

"She begged me to." He whispered, trying his best to let the words escape his lips. "She told me to rip her heart out, because she could live no longer."

As the sun began to peek through the tinted windows, the light reflected on his face, and she saw clearly, how his eyes were misty. She noticed how his lips were slightly trembling and how his hands were balled into a fist. 

“Why did she do it?”

“Love.”

“Love? She fell in love?”

“Love made her do foolish things.”

"You loved her, didnt you?" She said as she recalled how Sehun mentioned that Europhinia was in love with someone.

Sunggyu glanced towards her direction before showing a faint smile, something that shocked the younger. It was a first for her, because she saw how sincere his smile was, as if he truly was happy just remembering their love. "I did, and I still do."

"If both of you loved each other, why did things turn out ugly then?"

"Because happy endings only happen in fairytales, Yunhee." He replied, sadness filling his entire voice. "It doesn't exist."

"I think otherwise." She said, and as he turned his head to her after hearing her words, she gave him a warm smile. She knew he needed one. "I believe everyone deserves one. Even you."

With that, Sunggyu smiled at her, he laughed even. Not because he found her foolish, but because he admired her positivity and optimism, and how she had such a strong belief. He felt warmth from her words. 

"My father wanted her to give him a certain power - Omnipotence; the God-like ability to have unlimited power. But she told him that she couldn't, she told me that it would kill her." He paused. "And being the cowardly person I am, I didn't listen to her, because i could not disobey my own father; the person whom i feared the most in my entire life. And so I convinced her to just do it, for my sake."

Seeing how the boy was trying his best to swallow his tears, she stood up and sat closer to him. She sat by the window, in front of him, and placed her hand on his shoulders, trying to comfort him.

"She was furious, hurt, betrayed. She thought I pretended to love her just to get what my father wanted. But I didn't, I truly did love her." As Sunggyu spoke, the girl couldn't help but notice how familiar this was sounding to her. Maybe she shouldn't have gotten so angry with Sungjong. Was it all just a misunderstanding? She thought to herself, but snapped out of it soon after she heard the older continue. "So when my father threatened her one last time, she had had enough and had placed a curse on father."

"Eternal slumber?"

Sunggyu nodded as he continued. "No one was truly happier than I was the moment I heard his heart slowing down. Because I always thought he was the man that destroyed my happiness; the man that took Europhinia away from me." He shook his head. "Years after that, I gathered up courage and went to see Europhinia. By then, she was frail and wrinkled. But one thing that never changed was the way her eyes held so much hatred and anger towards me. She was only 33, but aged much faster than anyone, because of the curse she had placed on my father. It was a much easier spell to do than what we wanted from her but it still had its consequences. I felt apologetic, to see her in pain, to see her eyes hold so much hurt and anger. To realize that it wasn't my father's fault. It was mine for being cowardly; for not taking her side; for actually convincing her to kill herself for my father.

"I told her I wanted to help her, and she said the thing she wanted dearly, was her death. I refused at first. How could I kill the woman I loved? Then I realized, how much pain she was in and that maybe such an option would be better for her. Because then she would finally be at peace. And so killed her. Till today, I hear the sound of her heart being ripped out, I still see the face of hers when she was dying. And it haunts me in my nightmares everyday, for the past hundred years."

"Taking the easy way out; being cowardly, comes with consequences." Yunhee summarized as she gave him a grateful smile, thankful that he had opened up about himself to her. She watched as the boy smiled sadly to himself as he nodded at her words. "I never knew you had such a dark past."

"I had never told anyone." Sunggyu shrugged lightly. 

"How does it feel to finally let it all out?"

"Thank you." He said, sincerely and gratefully.

No one, not even his brothers, had heard his side of the story. They had always thought Sunggyu was just a cold-hearted monster that killed the one whom he had pretended to fall in love with for his father's sake, and Sunggyu knew that. Hence, he played the role they had thought of him. He found it easier to be that monster who didn't care for anyone, than to open the box he had hidden deep inside of him and let all his emotions flood out. He didn't want to feel what he felt like a hundred years ago.

But now someone had helped him. Someone personally reached out for that dusty little box deep within, and told him it was okay to feel that way, that he needn't be afraid to feel. 

In the hundred and fifty years that he has lived, he had never felt so relieved of his pain than now. And he was grateful for Yunhee.

"I have a question, though." She spoke. "Doing magic has consequences?"

"There are two kinds of witchcraft - natural magic, and black magic." The older stood up and handed her another book, and continued on as she started reading. "Natural magic is basically any kind of witchcraft that doesn't affect the balance of nature. It is magic that comes from within, it is pure. Whereas, black magic is a kind of witchcraft that allows one to meddle with the lifetime of a being, or give someone powers they are not originally entitled to. It intervenes with how the universe works, hence, when you use it, there are consequences."

"So the power that your father wanted Europhinia to give him required black magic? And the curse she casted was also black magic?" Yunhee asked, and watched as the older nodded. Then it struck her, he had wanted her to undo the curse, increase their powers and their blood status. All these required the black magic he spoke of. "You said you wanted my help, right?"

Sunggyu nodded.

"Does it.. require black magic?" 

He nodded once more, this time quite hesitantly.

And in that very moment, she felt the exact feeling of betrayal she guessed Europhinia would have felt. Even if she didn't want to feel that way, even if she tried to convince herself that he may have his reasons or to at least listen to him before jumping into useless assumptions. Black magic would kill her, she knew that crystal clear, but what she didn't understand was why he was following into his father's footsteps. Why he was asking her the same of what his father asked of Europhinia. 

"What do want me to do, exactly?" She asked, trying to look him in the eye as he lowered his head, something she never saw him do before. And when he didn't respond to her, she spoke once more. "You want me to release the curse, increase your powers and blood status. Is that what you want?"

She couldn't help but feel hurt. In the end, she was going to live the same fate as Europhinia, wasn't she? She thought Sunggyu would be different, at least. After what she heard, she thought his father was someone he had hated the most in his life, so why follow his footsteps and repeat his selfish mistakes? Why be who was was? 

She watched as the boy raised his head slowly, but was surprised when he shook his head as he stared into her eyes. 

"No." He paused and watched as the girl's expression spoke of relief and confusion, both at the same time. "I need your powers, but not for that reason. I am not my father." He reassured her.

Yunhee felt relief, that she was right about him all along. At the same time, she was confused. What else would he need her for, if not for that exact reason? "What for, then?" She asked, muddled.

"To bring Europhinia back to me."

he wasn't all that bad guys<3 >A<

hope you guys are enjoying so far! i may edit this chapter a tiny abit soon but for now imma sleep for now, its super late here and im tired :'(

do comment please >A< 

subscribe, upvote, comment, and enjoy!!!!

kamsahamnida for reading everybody i loves you manimani<3 :D