A wolf’s howl racked the entire city of London. Everyone hid in fright after the ominous warning that the animal’s call had made. Something was looming over the city. Something evil and sinister.

Count Black awaited at the harbor. He heard the sound of the wild wolf. A smile crept onto his face as he smelled the sea from the docks. A ship was coming. His master was on it and a welcome feast was waiting for them courtesy of none other than himself.

A crate of meat was waiting for his master and his comrades. It was something he had prepared for them all. Meat. It was expensive but it was worth his trouble. He had also prepared humans for his master. Oh, his master will be delighted!

The ship revealed itself to the harbor. It was an old gypsy ship wasted with years of travel at sea. Its deck was infested with moss and seaweed but it was still manageable. It was still fit for travel. This was the same old ship that would surface on ghost stories later on. Count Black chuckled to himself.

‘Silly tales of old people…’ he thought.

When the mysterious floating vessel had docked, the werewolf count approached as men in light shirts and coats jumped off the ship and onto solid ground. They were lean and muscular. The cold never fazed them despite the light clothing they had. They were werewolves after all. Some were neophytes as Count Black could point out while majority were experienced.

“My brothers, welcome to my homeland!” Count Black mused as he approached his fellow men. Then, his eyes caught the familiar figure of a man with a few scars on his body. Gray eyes caught his interest as the werewolf count strode towards him.

The young man bowed before the middle-aged man with gray eyes. “Master, you have finally arrived.” Count Black mused.

Gray smiled at his subordinate, “You have prepared well. I can smell a feast waiting for all of us.”

Count Black raised his head and gave his master a knowing smile. He gestured to the warehouse nearby. “Dinner is served in there, master.”

Gray eyed his men before a satisfied smile graced his face. “What are you waiting for, men? We dig in tonight because this land will soon be ours!”

The werewolves roared and dashed towards the old warehouse where the young count had laid out the meat for them. This night will be the beginning of the werewolf’s reign. 

England will tremble before the paws of the wolf clan.
 

***

The eerie call of the wolf disturbed Taeyeon. Yes, it had come from a normal wolf but it did remind her of the battle she had with one of the wolf clans. She remembered full well what had transpired. Her life in her homeland had always included werewolves. She remembered why she and her family’s current generation had come to this place. Their kingdom had been overrun by werewolves and she remembered her father’s orders of sending them to the land of the Queen to investigate the growing population of rogue vampires. But Taeyeon knew her father had only wanted them to escape.

She knew why Yoona and Yuri were then sent to Bulgaria after she, Jessica, and Krystal had set sail for the Queen’s country. And later on, Sunny and Tiffany were sent along to the Jung mansion situated in England. Of course, Hyoyeon and Sooyoung had been sent on a mission before they all left. Taeyeon didn’t know of the purpose but now, after seeing the legendary Carnelian treasure tied to her belt, she now knew of the perils that her cousins had gone through to retrieve such precious thing for them but Taeyeon was still troubled. Why was she and her twin sister sent on a journey when everyone practically needs them?

“Taeyeon.” Jessica’s gentle voice popped Taeyeon’s thought bubble. “Look… A beach…”

Taeyeon’s eyes followed Jessica’s finger and the calm waves of the sea the sand welcomed her sight. Their horse stopped a few paces from the shore as Taeyeon and Jessica alighted from the black steed. The wind was cold and biting but the scent of salt waters and the soothing sounds brought by the splashing of the incoming waves onto the shore gave a calming feel to the twins.

Jessica laid there on the sand. A soft sigh came from her lips as she stayed still. Taeyeon settled down beside her twin with her legs brought closer to her body and her hands clamping them still while she rests her head on her knees, her gaze lost in the beauty of the horizon where the cerulean waters met the fairly gray sky. The gloomy weather was still present but the twins were calm, unfazed by the dark aura of the atmosphere.

“Jessica…” Taeyeon softly called but there was no response from the figure lying beside her. “Sooyeon…” She called again, her voice so light as feather and this time, Jessica’s crimson eyes opened to take in her sister’s features. Taeyeon had laid on the sand, propping an elbow to face her sister.

“Yes?” Jessica asked.

“Do you want to practice using the new swords?” Taeyeon suggested.

The younger one thought for awhile before coming up with an answer. “Let’s try them out, then.”

Taeyeon smiled before planting a kiss on her sister’s forehead. “Same rules then, but this time… We won’t use our elements… Deal?”

“Sure.” Jessica mused as they both got up, walked a few paces from their spot, and unsheathed their weapons.

Not waiting for her sister to move, Taeyeon rushed towards her sister, the sword clutched tightly in her hands. Its point was lowered and steady. She was about to lash out at her sister when Jessica had blocked her own attack with the other half of the twin sword.

Their strength made the two clashing swords tremble under their grip as they tried to outmatch each other. Sparks flew as the two weapons clashed with great force exerted from both parties. Then Jessica pulled away, a satisfied smile came to her as she tightened her grip on her sword. Without wasting a breath, Jessica lunged towards Taeyeon who was anticipating her strike.

The older Jung was ready to counter the younger one’s attack as auburn hair and chestnut locks fluttered in the cold wind. Two forces were meant to collide and a spark of fire had been anticipated with the friction that the two metals caused. 

The unexpected happened though as Jessica feigned an attack only to move sideward and catch a fabric covering Taeyeon’s arm. She skillfully made a slit onto the fabric without touching her opponent’s skin. When the deed was done, Jessica moved backwards as she blocked the sharp blade with her own. Taeyeon had missed her by a centimeter. Jessica could have been skewered by her own sibling had she not moved a step back in time. Thank the heavens for the younger vampire’s quick reflexes although they were indeed unearthly to human standards.

“You’re getting more aggressive, Sooyeon…” Taeyeon muttered through gritted teeth as she tried swinging her sword at her sister.

Anger was brewing from deep inside Taeyeon. Those frustrations and mistakes she made as a leader and as the eldest of their generation began biting back at her.

“And you seem to be affected by your emotions, Taeyeon…” Jessica managed to say as she struck a blow to her sister’s sword, creating a space between them with the force she had mustered. The two forces separated from the push that Jessica had done. They were both panting. Breaths released misty foam from their lips as they exhaled. Their lungs took in the harsh sting of winter as they struggled to breathe.

Taeyeon’s eyes were burning in pent up anger and Jessica could see it very well. The eldest twin was a perfectionist and her scorn for failure was currently seeping through her being. She was getting mad at the fact that she couldn’t best her younger sister. And Jessica had seen that.

Jessica knew it wasn’t out of jealousy. She knew what’s occurring inside her sister’s mind. The chestnut-haired younger twin knew that Taeyeon only wanted to be the best because she thought it was her duty - an obligation to protect her family. Yes, Taeyeon wanted to be the best so that she could protect her loved ones. And to some extent, that drive for perfection became the eldest one’s prime weakness. Taeyeon had failed to fully grasp the very essence of her own element. As much as the eldest had wielded one of the most powerful affinities in the kingdom, Jessica could see that Taeyeon lacked something although she couldn’t pinpoint what. The younger Jung just knew.

Taeyeon lowered her sword. She pushed forward ing the pointed edge to her sister’s direction. Jessica knew she will have to parry her sister’s anger. The strike will be hard and she needs to even out its strength. The younger twin knew she will need to face the depth of her sister’s emotions through this not so simple skirmish.

“Yah!!!” Taeyeon screamed as she lunged forward with blinding speed, her sword thirsting for blood as she raised it above her head. Jessica didn’t back down. She used her sword to block her opponent once again.

“Taeyeon-ah… You’re mad… You’re revealing your frustrations… through this fight…”