“They’re in Eisei.”

Baeri didn’t need to hear more. She knew very well who Yoseob meant, by ‘they’. They were at her home and she knew what they wanted, she knew that her family would protect it at all costs. Knowing their strength she knew that it wouldn’t turn out well. They were range fighters, whereas her family of healers worked on close range. They stood no chance. How could she stay in Shunkan, knowing all that? She couldn’t and she wouldn’t. That was the reason she had taken off without a word and was running with all her might, as the air teared violently in and out of her lungs. She felt dry up, feeling like it would tear by the force of her breathing. She didn’t know how, but she kept her balance while running at a speed she had deemed impossible for her. It didn’t take her long to run down the stairs, moments before the elevator, she had pressed and gave up on due to the lack of patience, arrived.

Jeffrey had felt her presence thundering down the floors of the building and had made his way to the main hall, knowing Baeri would come to find him. Without her even having to ask, he had set up the portal, ready for usage. Baeri had seen the portal and flashed the man an appreciated smile, before halting in the centre. She waited for the scenery around her to change and to find the familiar surroundings of the remote village, or the walls of her house, but nothing happened. She felt herself starting to panic and eyed Jeffrey who was looking into the direction of the elevator and the staircase. Baeri had followed his gaze, but upon discovering nothing, she wanted to speak up. It was right before her voice was about to be produced by her vocal chords, that she felt familiar presences approaching her. She let out a frustrated cry, loud enough for her and Jeffrey to hear.

“Have patience.” She heard him say.

Patience? Patience? That word didn’t exist in her dictionary at that moment. It had been completely erased of this world from her. She didn’t have the chance to retort though, since the doors to the staircase opened with a loud smack and from behind her, people approached the scene as well. Hearing the familiar voices, another cry escaped her lips, desperate, frustrated and panicked. She wanted to leave as soon as possible and if it weren’t for these slowpokes, she would have arrived already. Seconds were ticking away and time was a luxury she didn’t have. Every second that was spent here waiting for the group to be complete, was a second Baeri could protect someone and the thing they were after. There was no way she would allow them to touch something that precious.

“Hurry up!” Her voice eventually burst out of her heaving chest.

Although they found it unnecessary for her to lash out at them, they knew she couldn’t help it. Baeri saw the results of her shout and let out a sigh. Within seconds the group of six men and Chaima was in the circle, right beside Baeri, who eyed Jeffrey sharply. The latter let out a sigh before stepping out of his portal himself. When the lines finally started to light up, the scenery started change. To Baeri’s dread it was way later than she wanted it to be. She didn’t blame anyone though. She knew they couldn’t let her go alone, because if the roles were switched she wouldn’t allow any of the others to go alone either. She cursed her own inability to do anything though. At times like these, she hated not having an ability like Chaima or Jeffrey, that allowed her transportation and was more useful in battle.

Once the images around her were completely solid, Baeri dared to make a move. She would usually wait for the reeling sensation in her head to fade, but seeing that Jeffrey had transported them to the outskirts of the village she called home, she didn’t have the time. Her feet moved before her mind could think of more and the others could react to her abrupt behaviour. They took her to the roads in between the small and large, antique crafted buildings. The buildings were all in soft colours, either white or a soft cream or peach, creating a peaceful scenery. The usual scene of the village was coated with a blanket of silence. From her childhood days, Baeri knew that there wasn’t much tolerance for loud sounds and the children were raised in a quiet environment. Her peers had their hands full on suppressing Baeri’s personality, as she was quite a ‘loud’ one since her young days.

Although the calm and silence was a preserved thing in the village, it felt different to Baeri. There was no nostalgia to this scenery, there was a cold tension that sent shivers down her spine, with an ominous undertone. An unsettling anxiety ran through her veins, spreading a nauseating sensation through her body and leaving a sour taste in . Baeri didn’t bother to think of questioning whether the group was following her, knowing that they did anyway. She was more concerned with the lack of signs of life in the village. She even slowed her pace a little to be able to observe her surroundings better. She didn’t see smoke from any of the chimneys, nor did she feel many presences. Some faint ones, as if they were fading. Baeri feared for the worst and picked up her pace again, ignoring the agony her legs and lungs were in.

Baeri had lost count of how long they had been running, not that she tried to keep it in the first place, but her legs told her that they should stop. She didn’t have the intention though. She would keep running until she reached her destination. It was ironic how things never went according to plan in desperate times. The arms that circled around her body from behind her, one wrapping around her waist and the other on , proved so. If the scent of the figure and the grasp on her weren’t familiar, to her, the person attempting this act would have ended up dead on the ground. Or at least unconscious. Baeri felt her body being pulled back against a torso and the two of them turned around. She heard the light sound of a back colliding into a wall, cautiously, while the grasp on her body never loosened.

The elf tilted her head, to be able to look up and was met with Gikwang’s sharp jawline. His face was turned away from her, gazing guardedly towards the street she had been pulled from. Another turn of her head and she could see the slouching figures of the 6 others. Her eyes then moved quickly back to the street upon hearing the sound of footsteps. It was a miracle she could hear the shuffling, as her head was pressed against Gikwang’s chest, forcing her to hear his loud breathing. A frown formed and she harshly nudged the man with her elbow. She earned a satisfying gasp in surprise and he halted his breathing, knowing what she wanted from him. This time around she was able to hear the footsteps louder and her ears even percepted voices, though she only heard a few words of what was said.

“... boss wants us to hurry up…”

“...impatient…”

“... wind bearer…”

“... force field… barrier…”

“... that half elf’s house…”

The healer’s eyes widened, but she couldn’t move nor utter a sound as she was still locked in Gikwang’s hold. It was tight enough for bruises to form and all she could manage was a twitch. He wanted to glare at the beast tamer, but from the corner of her eye she could see Chaima being held back by Doojoon. Baeri couldn’t sigh as was still covered, so she resorted to a mental one. Chaima had probably heard as well and the ‘wind bearer’ could only be one person, Saenan. Baeri was more concerned that her speculations were right. They were headed for the mansion she had in mind. In the worst case they were already there. It wouldn’t take long for them to accomplish what they came for.

“The only half elf in this village…” Doojoon mumbled in a whisper.

“Is, Nii. I mean… my brother.” Baeri managed to say through her clenched jaws.

The figures had already passed the alley they hid in and when Gikwang was sure he couldn’t feel their presences anymore, he had let the rest know with a simple nod. He had also released Baeri from his iron grip, knowing the she’d attempt to numb his nerves with her ability. No she would do it, knowing she’d be able to reverse it again anyway. Without further thinking, Baeri eyed Doojoon, telling him that she needed to get to her house with her desperate gaze, where her brother was. Baeri herself was a full blood Elf, but her brother’s father was a human, while they had the same mother. When she was small she had never understood why he was always outcasted. Now she did, but he did not deserve a treatment like that. He had turned into the Eisei’s scapegoat and never disobeyed the will of the others. This time again, he was being used.

The nod she received, was all she needed to turn on her heel and start her run again. She didn’t carelessly rush straight to her house though, knowing that they’d be expecting her. Instead she glanced back at the group, motioning for them to follow her. Without further questioning they did as she asked. Baeri dashed from alley to alley, until they reached what seemed to be the border with the forest, the village was built in the centre of. Another glance was directed at the group, mainly Chaima, before she started walking between the trees, using them as a cover. Baeri directed them all the way around the village, through the forest. They tried to make as little sound as possible, but it didn’t work out very well. Although Gikwang, Baeri, Hyunseung and Junhyung were good at sneaking soundlessly, Dongwoon, Doojoon and Baeri had more trouble with it.

Through the forest, they managed to reach the gates that outlined the property of the mansion that was Baeri’s home. The property was quite large, as the large mansion took only a third of the total surface. It was surrounded by a large garden filled with fruit and vegetable plants and trees, herbs and many other flora. Here and there an animal could be seen dashing or flying. The gate though, was about 5 metres high. Impossible for anyone to go through, unless of course, you have an alchemist on your side. Doojoon stepped forward when all eyes were on him and took a pen out of his pocket. He drew some symbols on the back of his hand, circling them around to form a larger symbol. With a touch of his hand the metal bars bended to the outside, leaving a gap big enough for them to walk through. Once all of them had entered, he erased two symbols and touched the bars again to return the metal fence to its original state.

Making their way unnoticed through the garden was easy with all the vegetation around. They managed to keep stay hidden quite well, even with the guards around. Yoseob had cast a spell to hide their presences completely, which also gave them a hand in their invisibility to the enemy. Doojoon made a hole in the wall of an empty room to get them inside the building, before sealing it off perfectly again. They wandered through the halls and as expected it didn’t take them long to come face to face with a group of Vexes. They were similar to the ones they encountered before and knowing their weaknesses, taking them out was easier this time. Chaima simply burnt some, while Baeri’s touch was enough to make them collapse to their feet. Doojoon had used the marble floor to create spears to throw and spikes to shoot up, penetrating the cores. Dongwoon used the gravity to crush their bodies and the cores with them.

The rest didn’t even have to move, since the group wasn’t large. This tactic was also the fastest way to reach the destined room. They encountered two more groups of Vexes and took them out in a similar way, before they managed to find right place. There was a single door leading to the room and it opened abruptly. Baeri was a bit astonished when she jumped back in order to avoid the piece of wood that swung open. She gazed through the opening, joined by 7 other pairs of eyes. Saenan was in the room, dressed in the black attire she wore the previous encounter. She wasn’t alone. Hana was right beside her, with a chair in between them. The person in the chair was slumped and fought to keep his consciousness, Baeri saw. It was scary that it didn’t even shock her to see her brother in that state. Hana and Saenan both knew him, very well actually. She would have never thought that she’d see them hurting him though.

“Let him go.” Baeri hissed sharply, through her still clenched jaw.

It only earned her a scoff from Saenan, who didn’t even make a move. Hana however lifted her hand to bring it to the dark haired man’s chin, but not before lightly sweeping her hand past the pointy ears, that twitched lightly at her touch. She lifted his face, letting the eyes lock with Baeri’s, whose own ears twitched in pure fury. Her brother’s pointy ears were more rounded and human-like than her long ones. She hid the top of her ears with her hair most of the time, avoiding the attention she would get by showing them. Elves were quite rare in this part of the world and quite valuable as well. Once her eyes locked with her brother she could see the stern gaze he gave her, despite being almost unconscious. He told her to leave, to take the treasure and leave him behind. Her hands curled into tight fists, letting her nails dug into the flesh of her palm.

“I said… Let him g-”

“Oh it up, Kim Baeri. You think we’d just obey, just like that?”

Baeri’s eyes locked with Saenan’s whose lips were playing with a smirk. The amused expression disgusted her.

“Let the man go, Saenan.” Hyunseung repeated in Baeri’s stead.

The coldness in his voice almost gave her goosebumps, almost. She could hear the softness that was behind the facade of coldness although it disappeared when the response came. “No.”

The next scene went too fast for anyone to be able to follow with their eyes. Doojoon had knelt to touch the ground and the marble rose from the ground, forming a tube around the chair Baeri’s brother was in, protecting him from the possible harm that could be caused. Hyunseung, Chaima and Junhyung sped towards Saenan, while Gikwang, Baeri and Dongwoon turned to Hana. Yoseob kept at a distance, chanting spells with his singing voice, while Doojoon made his way to the chair.

The battle had commenced.

Author's note:

To be continued~ 

It's 1 AM xD I'll write a proper author's note when my mind is working. SORRY OTL