"Tiffany/Unnie..." Both said. Yuri moved from her position and was carrying Tiffany on her back. After securing her, Yuri talked to the two and started walking.

"I'm assuming you're Taeyeon." The girl nodded. Yuri looked at the other girl.

"...you must be Krystal."

"How did you know?" Taeyeon asked.

"Jessica might keep to herself but she tells you thing like that once in a while. Try living with her for a long time."

"Who are you then?" Taeyeon asked.

"I'm the current guardian, Black Pearl, Kwon Yuri." Taeyeon and Krystal nodded then looked around.

"Where's Unnie?" Krystal asked. Taeyeon gave her an apologetic expression.

"It seems we're a bit too late. She probably went back already." Krystal looked down, clearly forlorn about not seeing or meeting her sister. Yuri sighed.

"That pabo already made the decision. I'll tell you both about it when we get to the palace." After that, they walked back to the palace. Unlike the time it took to get to the East entrance, the four were able to reach the palace right away. They saw someone waiting for them behind the palace doors.

Taeyeon stopped walking and looked at the girl at the gates. They stayed silent for a while. Yuri took it as a sign to go in. They will talk later, once Tiffany wakes up. She motioned for Krystal to follow her in and the two were alone.

"Sunny..." Taeyeon whispered her name. Sunny didn't say anything but quickly ran to her. She embraced the Kim princess tightly. Once Taeyeon was able to recover from the affection, she held onto Sunny as well.

"I missed you very much, Tae..." Sunny said, still hugging Taeyeon. Taeyeon smiled.

"I missed you, too. It’s been years since we last seen each other." They broke off the hug and looked at each other.

"You've grown more beautiful." Taeyeon commented, causing Sunny to blush a bit, a smile still on her face.

"You have as well. I see you still have that flattering ability of yours." Taeyeon chuckled.

"Only for you..." Taeyeon whispered quietly, which Sunny didn't hear.

"Hm? What did you say?" She just shook her head.

"It’s nothing." Sunny shrugged it off. They started to walk in the palace to meet with everyone. A thought crossed her mind and she wanted to ask.

"What's going on?" Sunny asked.

"About what?"                                                                                       

"About the forest. There's been an attack outside the forest, in my court. My trainees were wounded but I didn't see the assailants. Sooyoung, Hyoyeon, and Seohyun told me that the shadows attacked them. Jessica and Yuri finished them off." Taeyeon looked up the sky. It was dark and a half moon was visible.

"And why did you tell them to meet you here? What are you here for?" Sunny asked.

"I need everyone's help. I planned to meet here because Jessica was here and she just made an irrational decision. I was supposed to change her mind but I was too late. Now the book's prediction came true..." Then it hit Taeyeon.

"Book? What book?" Taeyeon reached in her pockets and took out the book.

"This book was also one of the reasons I came here. I need help translating it." She eyed the cover. There were no words on the cover anymore. She touched the cover, wondering why the note was not there. She frowned.

"May I see it?" Taeyeon handed the book to Sunny. She inspected the whole cover, front and back. She decided to open it. She looked at the other girl and pointed to the text inside.

"What do you need help translating this for? It’s Korean. Are you getting older, Taengoo? Or Jumtaeng?" Sunny couldn't help but chuckle. Taeyeon couldn't believe that the text was legible. When she got it, it was like reading Greek letters and now, she can read it.

"Let's go to the others quickly. It said before that all will be known when the half moon appears on the night of brokenness." Taeyeon took Sunny's hand and ran towards the room. Sunny didn't understand what Taeyeon was saying but nonetheless hurried. They reached Yuri and Tiffany's room and found Tiffany awake, her face clearly marked with despair, with Krystal beside her. The other three were also there. Yoona wasn't there at the moment though. She doesn't know that Yuri was back.

"Taeyeon..." Tiffany saw her and was about to cry again. Taeyeon quickly sat beside her. Once she was near, Tiffany could only cry and Taeyeon and the others comforted her.

"It's okay. Stop crying." Taeyeon answered.

"She's gone." Tiffany choked out between sobs. Yuri looked at Tiffany and spoke.

"You want to get her back." It wasn't a question. Tiffany stopped crying for a moment to nod. She wiped her tears away. She reached in her clothes for a handkerchief but felt a piece of paper. It was the paper Jessica gave her. There were no characters. It looked like it was blank. Taeyeon eyed it.

"Tiffany, what's that?"

"This is something Jessica gave me. It seems to be some sort of talisman but there is nothing written on it." Tiffany frowned. She took a brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote Jessica's name on it.

Taeyeon, thinking it was time that she mentioned the book, got everyone's attention.

"I think I know how to get Jessica back." The others listened to her instantly. She held up the book and everyone eyed it curiously.

"This was a book written by the Jung guardian, Jessica and Krystal's father."

"What?" Tiffany and the three second lieutenants exclaimed. Yuri, Taeyeon, Krystal, and Sunny looked at them questiongly.

"You didn't know?" Tiffany nodded. The other three didn't say anything but did make mental notes.

"Ok. As I was saying, this book was written by Guardian Jung. Beforehand, I didn't know what it contains because it was written in a language I couldn't read. It seemed like spells but I couldn't really understand it. There was a note on the cover the last time I checked. It said that all will be known when the half moon appears on the night of brokenness."

"I'm assuming that this refers to you Tiffany." Yuri said

"Me?"

"I agree. The night of brokenness refers to your heart right now." Taeyeon mentioned. The others could only listen. Tiffany was suddenly perturbed.

"What does this have to do with me? Why would we base this on that book?"

"It's the book that can help us get to Jessica."

"She said it herself that she didn't want to stay around me. Why are we even discussing this?!" Tiffany raised her voice. Clearly, the sadness and despair she felt a while ago overshadowed her judgment. She realized what she had just said and looked down. Tears fell once again but she made no sound.

"Tiffany. Jessica will die soon." Tiffany looked at Yuri with shocked eyes.

"What? How did that happen?"

"She was planning on sacrificing herself to save your mother." Taeyeon spoke this time. Yuri just nodded in agreement.

"My mother is gone. How could Jessica save her?"

"Your mother's soul is still trapped in that forest over these years. And Jessica lived in that forest to train until she is finally strong enough to do so. She has trained herself to become a guardian." Taeyeon answered.

"You told me guardians can't die. Then, Jessica won't die." Tiffany asked when she turned to Yuri. Yuri nodded in confirmation.

"That's true. However, Jessica is different from other guardians like me. Unlike Jessica, I wasn't poisoned by the shadows as a young child. When Jessica was young, she got this scar in her right forearm and she got it from an ancient shadow. That shadow was the last of the oldest shadows. While training, Jessica already finished it off. All the other shadows in the forest now are not as strong as they were. Now, the poison is pretty dormant and slow. She could really live longer than you guys even if that poison is still in her." Tiffany frowned.

"How would it kill her then? If it’s dormant, it will be like she is just a carrier." Seohyun said.

"That's where her plan comes in. In order to free Tiffany's mother from imprisonment and to defeat all the shadows, she has to use her guardian form. This is said to drain her life, control her mind, and she will stay in her guardian form until she dies." Taeyeon answered. Tiffany couldn't contain her shock.

"How do we help her then?" Taeyeon turned to the book. She read for a bit. Her face showed different expressions as she read through the thin book. Yuri, who got tired of waiting, spoke up.

"It’s simple. In order for her to not use her powers, we have to help her in the fight. That's one of the things we can do. The other one is not an option to prevent her from changing forms. It’s one that will destroy the poison in her." At the mention of another method, they couldn't help but ask.

"What's the other one?" Yuri frowned.

"I told you it’s not an option. If we go with the plan to help her, then we won't need to do the second one."

"You're the one who brought it up. So tell us." Before Yuri can answer, Taeyeon finally looked up from the book.

"Jessica has to be killed by a special sword." Yuri almost hit Taeyeon but Sunny saw this and pulled Taeyeon away. Tiffany, shocked of the revelation instead of Yuri's actions, spoke up.

"What?! Who will do such a thing?" She saw Yuri sigh.

"You will, Tiffany. I wasn't supposed to say anything but that's the only option we have if we find her in her guardian form already."

"Why me?"

"Because it’s your sword. The special sword that will rid of the poison in her body is the sword she made you. The sword a guardian makes for someone has the power to make them mortal. In Jessica's case, to remove the poison. It can also serve as a key that will allow the bearer to go back and forth the forest."

"I don't have it. Jessica took it."

"That's why we are going back in the forest."

"We can all enter the forest with your help, right, Yuri?" They all looked at Yuri expectantly but were disappointed when she shook her head.

"I can't help with that because of this." Yuri showed them a seal mark on her arm that Jessica had marked on her.

"What's that?"

"Well, it’s a seal. This eventually vanishes but it takes a pretty long time. This prevents me from using my powers that help me cross through the forest's barrier. I can’t help you." Yuri said, leaving things behind. Krystal noticed this and pointed it out.

"There's more to that. Please tell us what it is." Yuri looked at the young Jung incredulously. She chuckled.

"You really are a Jung... Yes, there is one more method. The first one involved me getting my seals broken. To do so, like any other guardian, I have to be strike by a sword I made. This method removes me of all my seals and thus unleashing my true form. But as I've said, guardians don't die. It’s just complicated. After our seals are broken, we have limited time to walk around until we vanish."

"Is that why you said that it wasn't an option?" Yuri nodded.

"For Jung-ssi, he was able to come back after it happened. It is not guaranteed for all guardians. We can either come back or never." The others looked more troubled. Yuri smiled at their efforts of trying to think of a way but she already had it all sorted out when Jessica sealed her.

"In two days, there will be a full moon and we will settle with the latter option of saving Jessica. We have to leave tomorrow to get to Jessica. I'll break my seals tonight so I'll have a few days to walk around."

"How are you planning on doing that?" Sunny asked.

"I'll handle that. In the mean time, study this book. See what else you can get from it." Yuri stood up and made her way for the door.

"Aren't you going to stay and learn with us?" Hyoyeon asked.

"I know most of those things already. You guys need to know more. I'm going out to remove my seals." Yuri stepped out of the room and left the others. All seven of them in the room studied and read through the facts. The book had background info about Jessica and Krystal's father and how he lived. The first thing written was a diary entry. Most of the other things written were all about helping Jessica. They were all amazed.

"Wow... Your father must have anticipated this." Tiffany said to Krystal. Krystal was amazed as well. She couldn't help but feel proud and sad at the same time. Proud because of how her father was and sad that she wasn't able to meet him. They continued to look through the book.

The shadows are created from the guardians themselves. They formed when the guardian cause an imbalance in the flow of energy in the forest. This is usually caused by either the opening of portals or a sudden outbreak of energy. Sometimes, it’s caused by an untimely change of guardianship. When the guardian before me suddenly vanished, no one was there to control it so it caused imbalance. That’s why I left Jessica with the power to change the guardians. I figured that she can handle it.

 Each guardian in the forest had to handle their shadow but was unable to. They were overwhelmed. I was with her mother at that time. Jessica was already breathing. She had just been born a couple of weeks ago. I had to use my true form to help my fellow guardians. Thinking that I finished it, I ended my guardianship. A few years later, I was able to come back. I was already human. In a couple of years, Krystal was born. Everything was perfect until the shadows came out from nowhere and attacked us.

All nine marveled at the diary entry. They read through the others as well and came to a page that they needed.

A guardian can only have their seals broken if they are turned into mortals. However, doing so will not guarantee that they will come back. There are times that their souls move on and they don't come back at all. They must be mortalized by the sword in which their blood has solidified. Such a sword can open up a portal that helps the bearer to explore the forest without any trouble.

Another way to remove our seals is to wait for a full moon. But this is a temporary ritual. Since they don't die, their seals aren't really gone. It will take an estimate of five days until their seals are once again in place.

The next part shocked them.

This method won't work on Jessica. She was poisoned before she was able to train a guardian's resistance to the poison. Unfortunately, I couldn't do anything about this. The only way to save her once she transforms would be to mortalize her... Unlike the average Kwon guardian who vanishes after five days once the seals are lifted, a Jung guardian will vanish right away. The average Kwon guardian comprises of eagles, horses, and all the other possible animals. The only exception would be that of a gumiho. A Kwon guardian that has the spirit of a gumiho will have two days before they vanish.

They were speechless. They dropped the book and started talking, planning, getting ready for the next day. It opened to the last page that only had a small paragraph on it. However, they didn't even pay attention to it. Soon, the book was closed; no one saw the last page. It was written:

To use the talisman, you must write something on the bottom after the characters. This is an illusion that will help you when you need it. It will only be triggered by extreme danger to its bearer. Good luck.

Earlier with Yuri

Yuri went out and closed the door behind her. She looked up at the half moon and sighed. She walked to the court and stood there in silence. She took a deep breath and soon, a magic circle started forming. This circle was a bit different and could only belong to Yuri. Other than the usual star and intricate writings, this had nine circles that line the outside barrier. This was the circle that shows the seals a guardian has. There were two circles that weren’t colored in and were hollow. The other seven were all closed. She started muttering a spell. The circles glowed and one by one it seemed to have opened. But as soon as she was on the last one, it was as if her powers were rejected that the six she was able to open closed again, leaving her on first base. Tears started forming on her eyes. She knows what she has to do. She has to tell Yoona to make her human.

She held back the tears that were about to fall. She was about to turn and look for Yoona when she was enveloped by two arms. She was embraced tightly that she didn’t have the strength to turn and break from it. She felt a familiar presence and her senses picked up an also familiar scent.

“You’re here…” Yoona said.

Yuri felt her heart break at Yoona’s tone. Even if she doesn’t see the girl’s face, she knows she cried. She cried and was hurt by her.

Yuri planned to go away after her goodbye earlier that day. She knows that by wanting to be with Yoona, they have to do the ritual. She knows that the girl will just get hurt so she wanted to disappear, to just watch her from a far. But Jessica had to ruin her plan, too. That was why Jessica placed another seal on her arm. So that she will not be able to go back the forest, so she could spent time with Yoona.

She tossed all those thoughts back. She made a mental thought to thank Jessica when she sees her. Right now, she only wanted to focus on Yoona.

“I’m back…” Yuri felt the arms holding her loosen and she took this opportunity to hug the other properly. Both slightly pulled away. They looked into the other’s eyes. Yuri could see Yoona’s sad expression.

“You’re not staying, aren’t you?” Yuri suddenly felt like an open book. Nonetheless, she shook her head.

“I’m not sure yet…” They decided to go up the same roof they were at when Yuri transformed. They sat in silence. Yoona held her hand as if she was about to disappear. Yuri couldn’t help but smile at the affection.

“What happened a while ago?”

“Jessica placed another seal on me… It’s temporary but it takes a while.”

“What does it do?”

“It basically prevents me from entering the forest on my own.”

“Do you know why she did it?”

“… She wanted me to stay until the seal she placed on me is gone.” Yuri looked at Yoona with a smile, squeezing the other’s hand as well. Yoona understood that she also has to thank Jessica.

“Yoona… I love you.” A blush splayed across her face. This time, Yoona’s bubbly smile was seen again. She faced the girl completely. Her heart rate was rising and she took a deep breath.

“I love you too, Yuri.” She spoke with love. She slowly leaned in, as if waiting for permission. Yuri chuckled at this and met her at the kiss. The kiss told something to Yoona. There was something that was uncertain. Yoona knows it’s not the feelings both feel for each other. It was something that told her to wait.

They pulled away from the kiss. They looked up at the open night sky and talked again.

“What will you do now?” Yuri didn’t answer right away. Yoona just waited.

“I want you to remove my seals.”

“Why?”

“Jessica is in trouble. We have to help her. The girls are looking onto it in Tiffany’s room. We have to get in the forest to help Jessica but I have to have my seals lifted if I’m going to open the portal for all of us.”

“How would I do that? I don’t have anything special.” Yoona looked at her in confusion.

“You have the sword I made you.” Yuri pointed out. The girl removed the sword from its scabbard and inspected it.

“Ok. What do you want me to do?” Yoona noticed the sudden change in Yuri’s expression. She wondered if she asked the wrong question. She was about to ask if she was okay but the girl stood up and jumped down from the roof down to the court. She looked at Yoona and spoke.

“I need you to strike me with that sword.” Yoona’s eyes widened in disbelief. She jumped down and rushed to Yuri. She held her tight again. She shook her head.

“I can’t do that! I won’t do it… Even if it’s for Jessica…” Yuri knows that this is the first step. But she can’t allow this. She has to make this decision. Both of them have to make this sacrifice. She didn’t say anything. Yoona pulled away with a sad expression. They locked eyes again and Yoona knows what she has to do.

“I’ll let you be selfish this time. Next time, it’s my turn.” Yuri nodded at her.

She stepped away from the guardian and stood straight. She held her sword on her right hand and took a stance.

“Won’t this hurt you?” Yoona worriedly inquired as she readied the blade.

“It might hurt a bit but I promise it won’t be very painful. I can withstand it.” Yuri prepared herself. She closed her eyes and started creating the same magic circle she created a little while ago. It showed the same nine circles with two open and seven closed. In a swift movement, Yoona striked at Yuri. Yoona saw pain flash before Yuri’s eyes and withdrew her sword. The wound brought forth bright, red blood and there was a bright light. Yoona saw one by one, the closed circles started opening, flashing pillars of light up. She used her hand to block the light that was directed to her eyes. Once the nine circles were all opened, the light shattered and turned into blue light fragments. Yoona couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Yuri was glowing white in her human form; her aura was a combination of blue and green. Behind her were her tails, all nine of them. They flickered back and fro. Yoona could only watch in awe. Yuri opened her eyes and revealed ocean blue colored eyes. They didn’t seem shallow and opaque. It was as if they had the same depth as that of an actual ocean. The circle vanished and Yuri approached Yoona. The girl was still shocked. Yuri waved near her face. The girl gave no reaction. She smiled, amused at the girl’s dazed expression. She cradled Yoona’s face in her hands and kissed her forehead. This managed to snap her out of it. She could only blush while Yuri pulled away.

“This is my strongest form. In the other forms you saw were the temporary ones. As a fox, my energy is well conserved and on the night of the young moon, my tails can come out. But my powers do not.” Yuri looked at her arm where Jessica placed the seal on her. It wasn’t there anymore. She smiled.

“Let’s sleep. We have to go in the forest tomorrow. In a few days, it will be a full moon. And by then, we would be late.  Come on.” Yuri and Yoona walked beside each other, holding hands, toward Yoona’s room. The night was peaceful in the East Palace as all nine (out of ten of our special characters) slept. They all knew they had to be ready.

In the Forest of Shadows: That night

Jessica wasn’t peaceful. She wasn’t panicking either. She was worried.

Earlier, when she got back, she checked every corner of her house. She also paid a visit to the Kwon household. Everything was in check. They were no problems. Her talismans were still there and they did a good job securing the place. When both places were already safe, she decided to venture around. She looked at every nook and she encountered a handful of shadows. What she saw in the sky is what concerned her a bit. When she saw nine pillars of light shot up to the night sky, she knew she made a little mistake: she forgot to take Yoona’s sword.

It honestly didn’t worry her until now. It crossed her mind before that she should take Yoona’s sword but she didn’t think that they would actually go through the procedure. She frowned.

‘That girl doesn’t really know when she’s not needed.’ She thought. She went to the front of the East entrance. She knows she couldn’t stop Yuri and the others from coming in because Yuri is now more powerful than she is at her current state. She started placing some talismans on the trees. She patterned them in some sort of circular plane so that the shadows that are going to avoid the traps will be imprisoned here.

‘This could buy me a bit of time.’ She was still looking for the entrance to the forest’s heart. At the forest’s heart, she knows that it is the location where she will find Tiffany’s mother. Once she destroys the whole system, Tiffany’s mother would be free and the shadows would return to their respectful guardians.

She decided to go back to her house. She decided to start opening her seals. She can open them on her own but it was much easier and less strenuous if done on the day of the full moon. It was still two days from that night. She had to avoid the others once they come.

‘This will just be training and preparation. I know I can’t open my seals yet until the full moon.’ She said to herself.

(A/N: Wow… I’m burned out. I don’t know how to deliver the next chapter. ^^; And I feel like I forgot to add something to this chapter. Well, I’ll figure it out soon. If you guys got confused for a bit, just ask. Thanks for the comments and new subscribers again. I don’t have anything more to say. Oh, heads up, guys. Next chapter could possibly be an exciting chapter considering its events. I’m not sure yet if I can write it as I imagined it but look forward to it next week. So what you guys think of this one? ^-^v)