Sophia stood beside Hoya, dripping in oil, covered in blood, surrounded by dirt—all sorts of things that sullied her normally extremely perfect appearance. She patted down Dongwoo's shirt that she still had on. Compared to Hoya, she was completely filthy. He patted her on the head a couple of times before taking off his blazer. What amazed Sophia was how Hoya managed to keep himself clean, especially when she had not been in any major fights and she looked like she'd been through hell and back.

"You look—"

"Disgusting," she finished his sentence for him.

His hands lightly touched her shoulders, prompting her to take off his brother's shirt and put on the clean dark blazer. Hoya couldn't help but keep a smile on his face as he stared into Sophia's eyes. Her beauty was unimaginably glorious, that not even the largest amounts of vile items could deface her. "No, I was going to say a bit dirty. Just a smidge."

And that glorious grin he held brought an angelic aura to surround him. It was filled with love and care, and every time that she saw it caused her to enter another world. She felt her blood rushing to her cheeks as she attempted to hide her little grin. The Princess took off the redheaded Prince's shirt and replaced its place with Hoya's jacket. "I don't look any better. This is just going to get dirty too."

"It's not to make you look cleaner," he took a hold of her hand and swiftly started to pull her through the backyard's hills.

Sophia tried to disect what he meant. When they finally reached the cherry blossom tree, where he first kissed her, she voiced, "Then, why...". This thought raced through her mind pretty slowly. It wasn't something that Hoya had possibly hinted on. "You'rejealous because I'm wearing his shirt?"

"No one ever said anything about jealousy."

"So you aren't?"

"I never said that," his cheeks became another sort of colour. Hoya wasn't the type of person to blush so easily. He was extremely loving and an observer; someone who watched from the sidelines most of the time.

A small grin formed across Sophia's lips. "Ah, I see."

This time, the screams and yells from the village could no longer be avoided. They were so loud, so ear piercingly heart wrenching that Sophia could barely focus on where she was even stepping without hearing someone beg for mercy. A part of Sophia wanted to rush off into the village itself to see what sort of damage had truly been done. To see if there was any way she could help. Anyone. And then it hit her.

She had been so focused on the boys that she had forgotten the beings that she truly loved the most.

Her family.

"Oh God!" she screamed as she tried to rush off into the direction of the palace gates.

Hoya quickly pulled her back, causing her to crash against his body, as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She bent forward, in an effort to force him to release her, but the amount of strength that the Prince held was definitely too much for her to even think of overpowering. The Princess tried to kick, wiggle, and put her every effort and power into being unreleased. Well, obviously nothing worked.

"Let," she took a breath, "me," another, "go!"

The Princess was confused as to why Hoya wasn't letting her go. His opposition of her actions had caught her off guard. Yes, walking into the village may be suicide, but it's her family. She was willing to go through hell for them; and well, she still is. Just to know that they're alright... All to know that they're safe.

"Stop Soph!" Hoya yelled at her as he tightened his grip around her body. "Rushing off into the village won't help anyone!"

"I have to get them out! I have to get them to safety! I've been so focused on myself," tears began to stream down her face like waterfalls. "I've been so distracted that I... I forgot about them... I forgot all about them..."

Hoya stood back and waited for her to stop fighting back. As she calmed down, a flood of thoughts went through his mind. He didn't know if he was in a position to tell her what he was doing as everyone else was fighting diligently. There was a reason why he looked extremely clean compared to the others. Instead of protecting certain vicinities, this Prince had rushed off into the village to help out those who were in trouble.

(Flashback begins)

My legs did not seem to touch the ground fast enough. Fires were already engulfing homes, schools, buildings; just claiming all sorts of victims with no remorse. It seemed like there was no end to the flames power. I turned left and right. Everything was damaged, everyone was panicking. Stragglers and assassins seemed like mere blurs and monsters to the normal humans. All of it was... a nightmare. If Soph didn't make it through the surgery... heaven forbid... then she'd appreciate it if someone helped her family get out of this war.

I approached an elderly woman, who looked extremely frantic, and asked her, "Do you know of where Jun and Cathy Song are?"

"They are on the other side of the village," the elderly woman replied. "A home with red roses on its window pots."

"Thank you, ma'am," I bowed to her before running off into the direction she pointed at.

The surroundings all around me were extremely chaotic. I saw people rushing out of their homes, grabbing onto whatever they could, as they tried to escape the madness. There were mothers grasping onto their crying children, fathers packing bags hastily with foods and necessities, grandparents remembering a war that occurred so long ago. And the bodies... the bodies I saw were endless. They were bleeding across the stone pathways. Just dead members of society. Blood splatters covered the once spotless village, all over the walls, doors, windows, trees, pathways, carriages. Everything was... destroyed.

All of the hard work that was put in to fixing up the entire village. Adding the lights. Cleaning up everything. Growing so many beautiful plants, which were taken from Sungjong's garden. It was all done by my Mother and Sophia. Their true home is now burning to the ground.

A few buildings from Sophia's home, I ran into an elderly man holding a vase of white lilies. He was struggling to walk and was covered in blood. My heart sank as I watched him waddle from one side of the street to another.

"Let me help you," I offered him a hand.

"No no sonny, you go get out of here as fast as you can," he replied kindly, rejecting my suggestion.

"I can't leave you behind, sir. That would be impolite of me." He really didn't seem like he was trying to leave at all. What could be so important that he wasn't planning on leaving?

"I insist that you escape the village as fast as you can. Kingdom Seoul is where I was born, and it will be where I will die. This is the only home I've known. My... my daughter was lost here. My wife died here. And... And today is the anniversary of my daughter's disappearance. I have to bring these flowers to her grave. I can't just leave."

His response made my world crash. This was the only place he called home. And to see it in a state like this must have caused his whole world to crash. Even though the war had never approached the Kingdom's walls when it was Mrs. Moon's time, they could definitely hear the news of how other kingdoms had fallen from the casualties. This entire area was saved because of Sungwoo Moon's sacrifice. And his family. His daughter disappeared, yet he insisted that he bring flowers to her grave. Her body wasn't there. It was just a plaque in the ground meant for her. He didn't have anyone else. His wife had already departed from this world.

This man was all alone in the world.

I put my hands around the vase, tugging on it nicely. "I'll put the vase on her grave for you. Just... just find somewhere safe please. I insist."

"That's too nice of you. I'll do it myself. You have more to live for than an old man like me."

"I have a higher chance of getting there alive and leaving alive. I really hope that you'll find somewhere safe to settle down in. I'll deliver these safely."

The old man stared at me for a few seconds. His eyes were so familiar to me. But I couldn't pinpoint just how familiar they were. I had definitely seen them somewhere before. "Okay," he nodded. "Be careful. The grave is right beside the only cherry blossom tree in the cemetery. They were my daughter's favorite tree, and this is her favorite flower."

"Cherry blossom tree," I nodded to show him that I understood. "Okay. Please, find a place to hide until this is all over."

"If I were to die now, I can say that I regret nothing about my life," the old man sighed but his smile was so genuine. His life was truly worth living to him. "Don't worry about me, young man." He fully let go of the vase so I could grasp it tightly in my arms. The frailness of his body made me worry about him even more. "You remind me a lot of my daughter. She had the same stubborn, determination that you hold. And your eyes—the gentleness and care behind them are just identical."

I tried to process his words properly. But I had already wasted so much time with him, and within another second I was already running off into the direction of the Song's home. I approached the house with red roses cautiously. Their colour reminded me too much of blood itself. It was a sickening dark red, something hauntingly beautiful. The front door was opened wide. The tables were broken, chairs were mangled and destroyed. Everything inside was a mess, but it was definitely Sophia's home. Her lingering scent was all over the place.

There were blood splatters on the wall. I approached the kitchen with wide eyes. No one was there. Placing the vase of white lilies on the counter, I tried to prepare myself for the inevitable. The next rooms I noticed were the bedrooms on the first floor. And then I smelled the most wretched scent I had ever experienced in my entire life. I cracked open the wooden doors slowly, and the smell definitely engulfed my nose like an intruder.

Inside the room was something more horrifying than anything I could have ever imagined. There were the bodies of six children. The broken, bleeding, dead bodies of six Song siblings. Sophia's siblings. The two oldest, a girl and boy, looked like they had the most damage done to them. I approached them as I covered my nose with my sleeve. Avoiding the pools of blood, I bent over to lightly graze by their faces with the hopes that at least one would be alive.

But no, it was already a lost cause.

The oldest boy had bite marks down his arms and neck. He had cuts up and down his torso, as if he was fighting to protect his siblings. His eyes had lost its shine, indicating that he was already long gone. His blood was taken and there were no indications that venom was left in his system. The girl right beside him had long flowing dark hair, like Sophia's, and she was holding onto two toddlers. A single stab wound was left on her stomach, as the throats of the two in her arms were slit also. I couldn't see her eyes, if I had... I'm sure I would have broken down. Behind the four of them were the other two. The boy, who was clearly older, was holding onto the hand of the girl. He had a large slash across his torso and his grip on his sister's hand was strong. The young girl had trails of tears flowing from her eyes. They were dried by that point. And her wound was on her back, similar to the slash on the one holding her hand.

Everyone was dead. And they were so young.

A noise from upstairs caught my attention. I turned my back on the deceased Song siblings, leaving behind a prayer for them. I hope they entered the other side safely. They were just children... They had the rest of their life ahead of them. Closing the door behind me, I focused in on the stairs. I tiptoed up as quietly and quickly as I could. Poking my head into the only bedroom upstairs, I saw a vampire assassin feeding on a grown man.

Squinting, I looked for a weapon to use around the room, and settled for using the vanity chair beside the desk. Without another thought, I rushed, broke the leg of the chair, and slammed it against the enemy. He immediately dropped the weak body of the man, still hanging onto the last moments of his life. Before the assassin could fully react to what had just happened, I punctured him in the heart. The veins around his body protruded through his skin and they blackened in colour all together.

I ran to the side of the man, but his body was already failing him. A single bite mark was the only injury on his body. His bones had been thoroughly broken before he was fed on, similar to how a snake does so to its meal, to make sure that he wouldn't fight back. I lifted up his head onto my lap and applied pressure on the wound itself. But nothing could have helped by then.

He looked at me, staring for quite some time, maybe to figure out who I was before uttering, "Thank you... Thank you..."

"I'm... I'm not a saviour," I simply told him. "You must conserve your energy. I'll bring you to a medic and we'll get you fixed up."

"No... No... I'm already gone... and my children... my children are going to meet me..." He began to cry simple tears. The sadness behind his eyes was overwhelming. But the satisfaction was endearing. He tried his best to save his family. And this man had known his children were already dead. The pain of knowing that he couldn't protect his family must have broken his entire world.

"I... I... I'm sorry I wasn't here earlier to help..."

"No... No... Don't think that..." He smiled a bit at me. "Here you are... a complete stranger... coming to my rescue. And I'm the old man..."

"There must be something I can do, something anything."

"There is... there is.... My wife... my wife, Cathy... She went off to the cemetery earlier today... And she hadn't returned..."

"I'll search for her; I'll find her and bring her to safety."

The light in his eyes began to darken. They started to fade with every passing second. "I hope she forgives me... I really tried my best to protect... protect the kids... and Sophia... Sophia my other daughter... She's in the palace... She was supposed to go on vacation tomorrow..."

"I can ensure you that she is safe, sir," I could only tell him the truth that I believed in. The results of her operation may not have been known by me. But it was her. She wasn't going to let that disease take over her life.

"You know her...?"

"Yes."

"And she's safe," a bigger smile formed on his face. "Thank God... I can... I can go in peace..." His eyes began to start closing. But he tried his best to keep them open. "Tell my wife that... that I love her... and that... that the kids love her... and that... I hope she... forgives me..."

And those were the last words he had ever spoken, before entering the unknown world of the other side. 

I placed his body on the bed before looking out the window in search for the cemetery. I found a large cherry blossom tree in the not so far distance and decided that was my best bet. Rushing down stairs and grabbing a hold of the vase, I turned my back on the Song family home. What I had seen in there, what I witnessed, is something I can never forget. Ever.

My world was slowly breaking upon thinking of how I was going to explain the truth to Sophia.

In a matter of no time, I reached the cemetery. It was... achingly quiet. There was a sort of fog covering the entire area. Finding the bright pink extensions of the cherry blossom tree wasn't hard, especially since it was one of the bigger trees. Approaching it with cautious eyes, I saw someone kneeling down against the grave. She was accompanied by another girl. The cherry blossom above their heads was losing all sorts of petals. The pink flowers floated in the sky, almost dancing a graceful melody in the air. They surrounded us like the fog, mixing in with them similar to a song being formed from rhythms and beats.

The long blonde hair of the woman was a contrast to the light brunette hair of the other. I should have recognized her right from the start. "...Mother...?"

My Mother turned her face to see me. Her eyes were red from the tears. She held onto the body of the dead woman, I presumed she was Cathy. Cathy had a bite mark on her neck and her lifeless force was in the arms of my Mother. She buried her face in the woman's neck. Her spirit had already been broken.  

I was confused as to why they were there. Until I approached the gravemarker, and there it was engraved on the stone. My Mother's name.

She was the daughter of the old man. She was the one that disappeared.

I had just met my Grandfather earlier.

I fell to my knees at her grave, right beside her. She leaned against me as she continued to weep at the death of Cathy Song. Placing the vase on her grave, I noticed it was surrounded by white lilies already and the broken pieces of a shattered vase surrounded it. Sophia's mother was dropping off flowers at my Mother's grave? And then it hit me. Cathy was the best friend my Mother left behind when she turned. She had disappeared. She had left everyone's life so abruptly. And that's what we had feared from the beginning for Sophia. We never wanted her to go through that hell. We only knew such simple facts. The seven of us had known of our Mother's choices, and the consequences of those decisions, but we didn't know the details.

Our lives, Sophia's and the seven Woo brothers, had been intertwined in such a twisted way. Fate wouldn't let us go through life without being connected to each other. Every time it seemed like we wouldn't properly meet, a new path formed that made it happen.

We were meant to be a part of her life, and she in ours.

"NO! Cathy! Cathy! I'm so sorry Cathy!" My mother's voice echoed in my mind. Never had I ever heard her weep so much. Never had I ever heard her break down like that before. "Please forgive me dear friend. Forgive me for falling off the face of the earth for so long... Forgive me for never meeting you..."

I touched my Mother's hand, showing her that I'd be there to support her. But it was unnoticed. She was too... destroyed. "Mother, we should go."

"You go. I'll stay here a while longer..."

"But..."

"Hoya, please. This... This is my best friend... My best friend just... She died as she visited my gravesite... She... She didn't have to do that... But Sophia, she told me that every year she visited the cemetery to drop by my favorite flowers and talk to my gravestone as if it were me... I.. I had to go see her... I had to make sure she was safe... She was my closest friend... I had... I had left her out of nowhere... I was... I was stupid... careless... heartless... selfish in my choices..."

"You didn't ask to be transformed."

"I also didn't fight to visit her. I was capable of it... I was..."

"Mother..."

"Go Hoya," she tried to order firmly, but the sadness was too powerful. "Go please... I can't lose anyone else... I can't... I just... I have to part with her... I have to do it on my own terms..."

I stood up from the grave, patting down my oddly effortlessly clean clothes. My mother looked angelic as she continued to weep. She still continued to lean against my legs. I had never seen her this... damaged mentally. Her best friend was in her arms. Her best friend that she hadn't seen for over two decades. Her best friend that was just like a sister to her. She was frozen in time as Cathy had dealt with her humanity. They truly cared and loved for each other, through life and death.

"I'm sorry Mother."

"...For what?"

"For you having to go through something like this..."

"It's my punishment; for the most selfish choice I made."

And then, a large boom caught our attentions in the distance. I focused in on the direction of the palace, where a blazing force entered the sky. It seemed like a fire was started. That was my cue that I had to return to my post and see if Sophia was alright.

"The flowers," I thought I might as well tell her since she had focused in on them, "they're from an elderly man. He was coming to drop them off here before I stopped him." I turned my back on my mother and prepared to run back to the palace. "He told me I had your eyes. And that he had lost his daughter years ago. He always visited her grave every year on the anniversary of her disappearance."

I stared out into the distance, half expecting my Mother to talk to me. But then, there was no physical contact and so that would be impossible. I smiled at the thought of finally being able to meet my Grandfather.

"I'm sure it was your father, my Grandfather."

(Flashback ends)

"I have to go... I have to go back home..." Sophia continued to fight against his hold, but her spirit was breaking.

Hoya sighed loudly, tightening his grip around her waist. He had come to the conclusion that it was his duty to tell her. Finding the words to softly illustrate what he had witnessed, he began to panic. "Going back will only result in... devastation."

The girl in his arms stopped struggling fully. She turned her body around, so that she could face him. He still had his arms around her. Staring into his eyes, she simply asked, "What do you know, Hoya?"

The Prince couldn't bear looking at her eyes. They spoke to him more than her words could ever do so. He knew that her entire being would crumble once he told her. But he couldn't lie to her. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry Soph..."

Without even uttering a single description of what had happened, Hoya told her all that he had witnessed in such simple words. It all signaled tragedy. Expressing his sorrow, his sadness, his pity for her was enough to prove to her that her family wasn't around anymore. She began to slam her wrists against his chest, trying to force him to let her go. But he didn't. He just pulled her closer to him, as she rested her face against his collarbones. His biceps tightened as she cried on him. She had now dirtied his clothes, but it didn't matter to him.

"You're lying! You're lying!" All that she could say. The only words that she could find.

He patted her head down lightly. Hoya snuggled his head against hers. "I wish I was... I really do..."

"No! No! No!!"

"I'm really sorry Soph..."

"They can't be dead. They can't be... You... You saw the wrong people... You..."

Hoya didn't know what else to say. He couldn't illustrate all that he had seen, especially not to her. Unlike him, Sophia wanted to know what had happened. She wanted to hear about all that he had witnessed. She had to know what happened to her family—to her father, mother, and the kids. They were nothing but loving to her. They supported each choice she made. They loved her like she was truly their own.

A darker sky began to roll into the kingdom. A light drizzle began to rain down upon the duo. Hoya's shirt tightened around his torso, hugging each muscle with ease. Sophia's long hair absorbed the water and stuck to her clothes like glue. Even the sky cried with her at this moment. Was this a message from her family? That they were on the other side watching over her? Do they see her broken without them? A strong gust of wind crept up into the hills. The beautiful light pink petals of the cherry blossom tree began to simultaneously fall with the sky's tears. They mixed well together, dancing with the wind. A melancholic environment invaded the burning town. The flames within the village began to calm down.

This point of vulnerability was when a legion of vampire assassins attacked them. They approached at lightning speed, separating Sophia from Hoya's arms. Her scream could be heard from miles away as she was forcefully taken from the Prince's grasp. Hoya tried to fight back the assassins, but he was weak compared to them. There were six of them, with four holding onto Hoya and the other two onto Sophia. The Prince was forced to kneel on the mushy grass as someone tied a black blindfold across his face.

"What the hell are you doing?!" he yelled at his assailants.

"Having a bit of fun," one of the assassins laughed at him.

Another, one beside Sophia, said, "You're going to be in a lot of pain soon, sweetness." He tried to touch her cheeks with his forefinger, but the Princess spat at his feet and turned away.

"Let go of her!" Hoya screamed at those he couldn't see.

Even though Hoya was blindfolded, Sophia could still see everything. One of the guys holding onto her them slapped her across the face. The impact of his hand on her face caused Hoya to flinch in anger. She didn't scream at that point. She knew that was what they wanted. They were going to torture her to torture him. Hoya could endure any amount of pain bravely, but once something was done to Sophia, that was how one tore him to pieces. Another slap was given. Then a kick in the stomach. And a punch. Over and over again. But she bit her tongue from the pain.

The Prince tried to wiggle his way out of the assassins' hands. But nothing worked. All he could do was kneel back and listen to them attack the girl he loved. The anger built up exponentially in his body. First, he told her that her family was gone and now he couldn't even save her from being hurt. What sort of protector is he?

Sophia couldn't tell if the droplets falling down her cheeks were tears or the rain. Her vision began to give out on her. Everything was blurring, but she tried her best to stay conscious. If she were to fail now, she would certainly die. And so would Hoya. The blood rushed up into her nose and .

"Hoya..." She focused in on the Prince in front of her. Her hands tried to reach out to him. "...Hoya..."

"Everything is going to be alright, Soph," Hoya spoke out into the blackness of his sight. "I'm going to get us out of this..."

And as Sophia's vision blackened, she pictured the life she had led. All of the decisions she made to bring her to that point started to haunt her. Was it worth it? Was meeting the boys worth it? Was it all worth it? All of the pros that came out of it were balanced out by the cons. She didn't regret any of it. She blamed herself for all of the tragedy attached to it. But then she realized, she saved the life of her old best friends—the BEAST boys. She also lost the lives of her family, such young children and her loving parents, and the caring Mrs. Moon.  

"...Forgive me..." She begged for one last time as she hit the ground from the weakness of her body. That phrase was directed to everyone, everyone in her life and everyone she loved.

Just then, six boys rushed up to the legion of vampires and each took over fighting one. The assassins were distracted from that point and had let go of their hold on the Prince and Princess. Hoya ripped off his blindfold and crawled to Sophia. Seeing her bleeding like that burned his whole being. It was worse than the dead bodies he had seen. This happened to her because of him.

The BEAST boys were too quick, too skilled, too strong, too powerful for the assassins to take on. They had spent a extremely lengthy amount of their life perfecting their battle skills. The crazy Professor had chained them down in a cage and watched them fight prisoners he had stolen from the Vampire Headquarters. And these assassins were nothing special. They possessed the same weaknesses as the others.

Each of them had heard Sophia's scream, and scouted out the area from a distance before running to their rescue. With the powerful hearing senses of an owl, it didn't take a lot of effort to zone in to the duo's location. The six of them had been separated at that point, each at a different section of the kingdom, but they could focus in on the hill and watch from a distance as the vampires blindfolded the Prince for they had the same powerful eye capabilities as an eagle. As soon as they witnessed the attacks made onto Sophia, their blood began to boil with fury and not another thought was given as they sped off to save her—and their speed was absolutely no joke like a cheetah. With the sense of touch as a crocodile, they could tell just where the assassins were trying to attack before they could even touch the BEAST's skin. And with their fast moves, they could easily be avoided and counterattacked. Every hit, punch, ad kick they administered injured the assassins far more than they anticipated. Since the BEASTs were incorporated with the strength of a bear, they were much stronger than the vampires could be.

Meanwhile, Hoya shook Sophia's unconscious body in his hold. "You... You can't leave me..."

Sophia slightly opened her eyes and smiled at the vision of Hoya looking down on her. His tears had fallen on her face like the rain. "I'm... alright..."

He pulled her close to him in happiness. "Oh thank God you aren't dead!"

"Take it..." She whispered in his ear. "Take my blood."

"What?"

"You need to help... them out... Take my blood..."

Hoya was caught off guard by her words. Why would she offer her blood to someone like him? He had done nothing but cause her misfortune. He couldn't save her family for her. He couldn't even keep her safe. She was about to die because of him. She was tortured because of him. She was injured because of him.

"Please..." Sophia begged as she pressed her injured hand onto his cheeks. "I can't... I can't lose you too..."

And with that final request, Hoya bit into her hand with ease. Even though her blood was all over his clothes and his surroundings, he had controlled his urges. This Prince, however, did not feel very knightlike. He felt dark. He felt overshadowed. All that he had done to help people ended up in failure. He felt like he was the failure of his family. He had the goal of saving Sophia's parents and siblings, and he was too late to do something significant for them. Had he been faster. Had he been stronger. Had he been... better.

The shadows of what he had seen were going to haunt him forever. That was his punishment. And that was his power. His shadow began to morph into something... alive. The darkness that overpowered his thoughts and heart began to grow. It was about to overtake his whole body. Until a shining light took over. It was his love for Sophia. He realized that she would always love him, and that she did not blame him for what had happened. She knew that he loved her. She undeniably loved him. And that was all that mattered. He tried his best. And she acknowledged that. Never did she want him to feel obligated to take the blame for her.

Shadows are always following someone. There was no way to escape them. They were like your conscience. They saw everything you saw. They were everywhere that you were at. You couldn't run from them. And everything had a shadow.

What was about to destroy him morphed into his slave. That was the source of his ability.

The BEAST boys didn't have the opportunity to finish off the assassins for black beings began to fight alongside them. They had been caught off guard by the elongating shadows. The six BEASTs froze in their spots as Hoya's dark slaves stood from the ground, gained life and power, and did his bidding. None of them had ever witnessed a vampire with any ability. And this was certainly something special. Each shadow thickened into a body like form, but they remained hairless and . Each being was as dark as can be and had no face or defining features. Hoya focused on those who attacked Sophia first, and their shadows grabbed a hold of their throats and began to choke them. They then reached into their torsos, grasped onto their beating hearts, and pulled them out like it was nothing. Then, the shadows returned to their original places, with no life and no power, at the dead bodies of the assassins. Hoya grinned at the thought of his power being able to help. In another moment, the shadow of the cherry blossom tree right above Hoya began to elongate its branches. It slithered to the other assassins as they tried to escape it. It was similar to protruding roots out of the ground, as it grabbed onto their legs and forced each of them to fall onto their faces. Then their own shadows gained life also and pulled their heart out of their bodies before returning to their lifeless beings.

Hoya turned back at Sophia. He placed his right arm under her neck and his left under her legs as he lifted her up in a hold. The faint beating of her heart signaled that she was alright. She was still alive. He had done something right.

"What the hell was that?" asked Hyunseung as he approached the Prince.

Each BEAST boy walked with caution towards Hoya, not sure if he would turn on them. But he was not going to harm any of them. Without the six BEASTs, he and Sophia's fate were certainly death. He just focused on the girl in his arms and tried not to imagine a life without her. The shadows of his heart would definitely have taken over had their love not existed.

"That... that was me," he sighed as he looked up at them.

Doojoon stretched out his arm muscles and cracked his neck before saying, "That was cool actually."

"Cool but creepy alright," Kikwang added onto the eldest's words.

"We've never dealt with a vampire with abilities," Dongwoon told Hoya. "So seeing something like that from you was pretty new to us."

"The level of badassness that you hold at this moment is impeccable," Junhyung admitted. And this was Junhyung speaking, someone with already a shining amount of badassery himself.

"Is she alright?" Yoseob reached out to touch Sophia's face. He felt the warmth of her cheeks and her blood rushing all over her body as it healed her injuries. She was part vampire after all. There wouldn't be any evidence of the bruising in a matter of hours.

"Yeah, she's good," Hoya smiled as he looked down on her. "Thanks by the way. Certainly would have died without you."

"That's what we are here for," Kikwang smiled brightly.

The rest of the BEAST boys nodded in agreement. "Glad we could help out at least," Hyunseung grinned. "Thought we would never be able to use our abilities again."

"Which, by the way, is also badass," the Prince told them. "I never thought you guys were that great."

"There's a reason we are still alive after all this time," Doojoon explained to him. Each of them had been inserted with the genes of the best attributes of the strongest animals. They weren't called BEASTs for nothing.

The youngest Woo brother ran up to the seven boys as the rain began to stop. He had heard Sophia's scream, but was fighting off a herd of stragglers before he could approach them. Hoya sighed at the sight of Sungjong, knowing that it meant he had to part with Sophia. Sungjong's eyes enlarged as he realized that Sophia was in Hoya's arms, and well she looked dead to him.

"Oh my God! What the hell happened?!" the youngest Woo brother yelped.

"All is good, young one," Junhyung spoke for Hoya. "The seven of us handled those stupid assassins with ease."

"Yeah! No need to worry," grinned Dongwoon as he fixed up his wet hair.

Yoseob turned to look at Sungjong and said, "She has just fallen asleep."

Hoya took the few steps to approach his brother. His eyes spoke the wide range that was racing through his body. It was now his brother's turn to watch over her. "Take good care of her alright," he spoke was he handed her to him. "She's really hard to watch over."

Sungjong held onto Sophia lightly. The beating of her heart eased his soul. She was alright. But the bruises on her face worried him. "I'll keep her safe," he promised all those around him.

"Good," Hoya patted Sungjong at the top of his head. He believed in his younger brother. There was no possible way that Sungjong could mess up like he did. "I'll see you later, okay? And thanks, guys, for all the help."

Hoya then sped off into the distance, absorbing the transformation that he had just experienced. His shadow trailed off after him, following its master. No longer was Hoya going to let the darkness take over. He realized that he had to stop blaming himself for everything and to start acknowledging his power. The gift of Sophia's love taught him that.

The casualty count of the war had risen up from one to nine in what seemed like a blink. And yet, the one that was foreseen to join Aurora on the other side still hadn't. And the old Princess of Akore waited patiently at the gates of the palace, to welcome the soul that was going to accompany her.

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MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE <3 I updated quick bc i wanted this to be sort of like a present to my subscribers :D I hope you are all enjoying yourselves during the holidays, I know I sure am. I am extremely pleased to hear positive feedback about the path that this story has taken. But I must warn you my friends, all good things must come to an end. well, it may. depends. :3 

I just want to say thank you for all the support and to those who leave behind comments, a special hug and thank you for you! <3 I wouldn't have stuck around this long without any of you, especially those who have given nothing but kind words and supportive messages to me. I really hope that my story has pleased your fangirl hearts. 

And now time for the big stuff! It was really hard finding a power for Hoya. I mean, what sort of damn power could come from a damn cherry blossom tree? hahaha. This was the chapter I had been contemplating until I did some research and thought of a good idea! I hope it makes sense. :3 Pretty badass right?! And did you think I forgot about the BEAST boys? WELL I DIDN'T. :D I hope I described everything enough. I mean, the BEASTs are just... too kickbutt. <3

I hope you forgive me for what I've done. You know, in terms of those who have passed away. T_______T 

Leave your thoughts and feelings below! Or drop by a comment on my tumblr! Thanks everyone!

And once again, have a Happy Holiday! <3

~Tiffany