After the bombing of the Army Base, the Nabi Empire’s defenses were now down and they were open to all conquerers. With the Pearl of the Gods in their hands as well as the Empress, they were just as good as doomed. Empress Sandara knew she had to come up with a plan to save her city and win the Pearl back. For all her troubles, she had one man to turn to, her messenger Hero Jaejoong.

Hero Jaejoong seemed to be connected to the Empress in some way because despite the lack of her presence, he sensed that she needed his help. The ever faithful messenger was left with no choice but to turn to the gods for help. Hero Jaejoong desperately made his way to the temple and upon arriving at the majestic worshipping place, a feeling of gloom and need settled in. The messenger held in his hands 5 incense sticks and a prayer in his heart. There, in the copper temple with gigantic statues and intricate designs, knelt the faithful messenger of the Empress and prayed to their deities in their time of crisis.

A beautiful aroma of incense and mint enveloped the room. Smoke filled it and the fumes blinded him. Hero tried to open his eyes but couldn’t see through the fumes. He fanned the fumes away from his face and concentrated on the gods. He could feel a certain energy from within him coming, telling him how to lead and protect the city.

There’s only one way for you to solve this, said his conscience, the gods are telling you to find a worthy champion of the city who will lead you to victory and prosperity once again.

“But who could this be?” asked Hero Jaejoong.

The person you least expect. The one who’s not so likely to lead. May not be the strongest person around but if you push this person to the limit, you can create a leader out of it.

“Person you least expect, hm?” Hero placed a hand on his chin and nodded. “I shall search for that person.”

You don’t need to search. This person will come to you in a way you wouldn’t expect. So keep your eyes peeled.

Upon hearing this, Hero stood up and bowed down before the statues of the gods. He hurriedly left the temple in search of the one person who will save their nation.

[AT SCHOOL]

Soo Young was definitely in no mood for school. She and CL, who slept over in her house last night, were still down and depressed because of the news that Soo Young’s father died in the explosion set off by the neighboring empire. CL wishe she could comfort her friend but didn’t know what words to say. Soo Young just kept on biking, letting the wind touch her face while her friend tried hard to keep up with her.

“I don’t want to go to school today. I don’t want to have to deal with the worst people in the world on the worst day of my life.” Soo Young said with angst as she pedaled harder and harder to make the bicycle go faster and faster. CL ran to Soo Young’s side and begged for her to slow down.

“Please. Slow down. I can’t keep up with you.”

“You can’t.” Soo Young stepped down from her bike and threw, note, threw it down on the ground aggressively. “Nobody can.” She walked away from CL and bravely, though broken inside, faced the campus she dreaded the most alone. CL caught up with Soo Young who was walking slowly down the hall with her backpack and books in hand, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. CL caught sight of the bullies who were angrily making their way down the hall, presumably headed to the libraryfor their community service. CL trembled in her shoes but Soo Young confidently faced them with her head held high, angry and guilty because of her father’s death. She was in no mood to be a weak, scaredy cat.

Donghae and his posse didn’t turn, instead walked straight ahead and hit Soo Young with his shoulder, making the slim girl hit the locker. Soo Young evilly eyed him and watched him as he smirked. She went after him and tapped him on the shoulder.

“What’s your problem? Being an again!!” Donghae rubbed his jaw and pushed Soo Young, her back hitting the steel lockers. Soo Young retaliated by aiming a hand at his face but Donghae was swift and grabbed her ankle.

“Let go of me you !” Donghae looked back at his friends and told them to back off.

“This is something I have to handle on my own.” his friends gave Soo Young wicked stares and watched with pleasure as their leader was about to beat the out of Soo Young again. Donghae gave her a huge fist across the face, making her fall hard on the floor, even hitting her head on the locker. The wimpy young girl refused to give in and with all her might tried to stand up and fight back, angry at them for making jokes about her now deceased father.

“You’re a dickhead!” she tried to punch Donghae in the shoulder but her hit wasn’t strong enough. “YOU MADE FUN OF MY DAD AND NOW HE’S DEAD! HE’S DEAD! HE’S ING DEAD!” Soo Young just wouldn’t stop hitting him to no avail. Donghae had enough of her weak hitting and grabbed her by the hair. He dragged her all the way to the corner of one room where a huge garbage can stood. Soo Young had her eyes closed the whole time and a great horror greeted her as she opened them. She saw the garbage can and panicked, scratching and clawing Donghae’s hand.

“Let me go! Let me go!” since Soo Young was relatively light and Donghae was strong, the big, bad bully lifted her off her feet despite of her struggling and threw her in the garbage can. So many students who were passing by saw this and gasped with either amusement or digust. Donghae and his friends pulled out their phones and took pictures of Soo Young in the garbage can, upside down with her feet up and kicking, trying to get herself out of the can of rubbish. Everyone was laughing while some were just murmuring amongst themselves, too scared to help for Donghae might do the same thing to them. All of a sudden, CL came dashing towards the trash can, pushing everyone aside to check on her best friend.

“SOO YOUNG! SOO YOUNG! ARE YOU OKAY?!” CL tried to pull Soo Young out of the garbage can and when she realized she couldn’t, she asked help from the other students.

“Hey guys! Help me with her please!” Donghae and his friends continued to take photos of Soo Young and the others trying to get her out of the garbage can. The mean guys just laughed and laughed, ridiculing them. When they were finally able to get her out of the trash can, Soo Young grabbed some papers and plastic cups and threw them at Donghae before running out of the school. Yes, she left the school and decided not to attend any of her classes. In her messy state, she got on her bike and pedaled her way home to save herself from humiliation. CL wanted to run after her and stop her but she felt that Soo Young really needed time for herself. She was really embarrassed on her worst day. Her dad died and she was thrown in a garbage can in front of the entire school. Soo Young rode her way home with angry tears in her eyes, trying her hardest to fight them off.

At school, the bullies replayed the videos and looked at the pictures over and over again, laughing and sharing this with others. CL couldn’t help but feel bad about her friend who was being talked about behind her back. She long wondered what it was about Soo Young that these bullies hated so much.

So Hyung was cooking when she heard a noise at her doorstep. She dropped her things and carefully walked to the door to check who it was. The doorbell rang several times and so So Hyung had to open the door immediately. She was shocked to see her daughter, a mess and in tears before her.

“What happened to you?” Soo Young breezed past her mother and aggressively wiped the tears from her eyes. She ran upstairs to her room, completely ignoring So Hyung and locked herself in. So Hyung heard banging, throwing, and the shower. She knew something was wrong with her daughter. She went upstairs and knocked on the door.

“Soo Young. Soo Young are you there?” she heard the shower go off and after some opening and closing of cabinets, which took quite a while, the door finally opened and Soo Young showed her mother her bruised face as well as wounded arms and legs, something she can no longer hide from her. So Hyung looked at her daughter’s body with shock.

“How did this happen? When?”

“They happen everyday. Each day I get a new one.”

“Why haven’t you been telling me? You mean you’ve been keeping this for years?” Soo Young sheepishly nodded and cried. Her mother pulled her into an embrace and sniffed her hair. So Hyung herself cried at her daughter’s situation. She never knew that her daughter was being bullied so bad at school and for so long she continued to believe that Soo Young was doing fine. Soo Young finally let her mother in her room and on her bed, began her teary confession.

“Everyday I go to school, I get beaten up, I get talked about…” Soo Young just poured her emotions out, most of which were brought about by her father’s death. “People…people in school hate me and I don’t know why. They just always find a way to make me feel miserable though I try my hardest to be nice to everyone, they always find a flaw in me…” Soo Young continued to sob. So Hyung comforted her daughter whom she had no idea had been feeling this alone and friendless.

“You can never please everyone, my child. But you can be yourself. You can show them that you are a respectable person and with that, they will bug off. Show them that you’re not someone they can just push around.”

“CL told me that. I tried it but it only made things worse. I started acting all tough and they got even tougher on me.” Soo Young cried harder once more. Her mother embraced her and said,

“You don’t have to act tough. You just have to be assertive enough to hold your own when you’re with them.”

“I feel like a failure.”

“Well you shouldn’t. Just because you’re being bullied now doesn’t mean you’re a great failure. You know, so many great people today were bullied and underestimated when they were younger but look at them now! People practically worship them!” This gave Soo Young some kind of hope that she could become a great person.

“All you have to do,” her mother added. “Is believe in yourself and work hard. Show them that you have passion and determination for what you’re doing and they’ll see the light. But you don’t have to let it get to you. They can say whatever they want to say but when school’s over and you’re all your own persons now, that’s when you open your mouth.” Soo Young beamed at her mother and embraced her, thanking her for the advice.

“I’d like to take a good bike around the village, just to see what I can find.” So Hyung realized that her daughter needed some relaxation and alone time and agreed.

“Just be home before lunchtime.” she said. Soo Young, who was in a tee and jeans, put on a jacket to brace herself from the cold winds. She dashed down in her black Chucks and got on her bike to take a scenic ride around their still somewhat peaceful subdivision. Soo Young biked down the road in order to ease her tension. The wind was cold and it made her feel thankful that she wore her jacket. She biked all the way to the tranquil park. Upon reaching this place, she stepped down from her bike and set her foot on the green grass with fallen dried leaves and flowers. There weren’t that many people, just a couple on the bench and some children playing. Scenarios like this relaxed Soo Young’s mind and took the stress and pressure off of her. For once she tried not to think about the bullying and just focused on the scenery. There was a spare bench that she sat on.

Soo Young spent at most 30 minutes at the park roaming around and biking and finally, she decided it was time to go home. She got on her bike and pedaled her way home when she spotted a young man in a suit walking around, looking like he was lost.

“Excuse me can I help you? You seem lost.” Soo Young stopped her bike in front of the man. The man turned out to be Hero Jaejoong!

“You! You are the chosen one!” Hero said, grabbing her arm. Soo Young got creeped out and tried to pull away but Hero wouldn’t release her.

“What are you talking about, man? Let go of me!” Hero refused to let go of Soo Young and even yanked her and her bike towards him.

“You are the chosen one. The gods have led me to you.” Soo Young furrowed her brows and stepped down from her bicycle. Hero never let go of her arm and dragged her all the way to his side. Soo Young fought his grasp off but he only clung tighter.
“What is this bull you’re talking about?” Soo Young cursed him, obviously confused and scared.

“I hope that this wouldn’t be a bother-”

“Stop hoping! You bothered me sick!” Soo Young hissed.

“But I am the Empress’ Messenger.” Soo Young’s facial expression shifted from angry and annoyed to surprised and nervous.

“You’ve got to be ting me.”

“I obviously am not kidding you. Listen, the Raven Prince is planning to take over our Empire because of the death of his father. If you still haven’t heard, the Raven Empire has attacked our city twice and our Empress as well as the Pearl of the Gods is with them.”

“What are you saying?” Soo Young raised her eyebrow and walked towards Hero Jaejoong.

“I’m saying that the gods led me to you. It is your destiny to save our nation. You are to lead this empire to victory.”

“You are insane.” Soo Young got on her bike and rode away from Hero Jaejoong who chased after her and told her to calm down.

“I shall lead you to the temple, come with me.” he said referring to the Temple of the Gods.

“I have to go home now! My mom will kill me!” she complained but Hero still pursued her.

“Come with me or have no nation to come home to.” he threatened. It dawned on Soo Young that there was indeed danger present and without the commanding skills of her father, she wasn’t sure who exactly would lead them to victory. She agreed to disobey her mmother and go with Hero. Hero told Soo Young to leave her bicycle behind as he had a car that would take them to the Temple of the Gods.

“What about my bicycle? I can’t afford to lose this, this is my only mode of transportation!”

“At the back then!” Jaejoong said as he lifted the bike and tried to fit it at the back of his car. Miracuously, it did fit! Soo Young walked over to the other side and got inside. Hero entered the driver’s area and began to drive all the way to the Temple of the Gods. The whole time Soo Young was confused about what Jaejoong had just said.

“Did you just say that I’m going to lead our city to victory should the Ravens wage war?” Hero looked at her and nodded. Soo Young shook her head and sighed.

“Do you even know who I am? What made you say that I, Choi Soo Young, the weak and bullied Choi Soo Young can give our empire the victory?”

“The gods have lead you to me. There must be something about you.”

“The only thing about this war that is related to me is my father, who is dead now!”

“What is your name, young lady?” asked Jaejoong. Soo Young flipped her bangs to the side.

“Choi Soo Young. Daughter of General Commander Choi Jun Hyuk.” Hero’s eyes widened in shock. It was all starting to come together.

“No wonder the gods pointed you to me. You’re the daughter of the General Commander.You have a fighter’s blood!”

“I have a fighter’s blood but I am most definitely not a fighter!” Soo Young asserted.

“A fighter is in everyone. It is just up to the person to unleash it.”

“As much as I love this place, I do not want to unleash my inner warrior, thank you very much.” They finally reached the Temple of the Gods. Hero led Soo Young inside and Soo Young, who had never been to a temple before, marveled at all the stautes of the gods and at the smell of incense that lingered forever in the Temple. The smoke started to fill her eyes but Jaejoong fanned them away from her. He led her to the Prayer Room, the most silent and holiest room in the Temple of the Gods. This was where they talked.

“Have a seat.” he invited Soo Young to sit on the floor. The young schoolgirl took her shoes off and sat down in front of Hero Jaejoong.

“You are the chosen one. The gods have called for you.”

“But this is one huge mistake!” Soo Young cried. “I am not a fighter. I cannot even face the bullies in my school! You know what they did to me this morning? They beat me up and threw me in the garbage can! Can you believe that!? This happens to me every single day and you expect me to lead the army against the Raven Empire? Whereas I can’t even throw a good punch that’ll knock the head of the bully group down?!!”

“As I’ve said, it is not by physical strength that a leader is defined. It is also through strategy, determination, and will.” Hero said calmly. “Besides, it is your destiny. You have a fighter’s blood.”

“I’m a coward, I’m telling you! I’m a loser! I can’t do right! If I can’t defend myself what more an entire land!?”

“The will of a person can never be matched by physical ability.” Hero spoke like a true orator and a wise man. Soo Young just shook her head and refused to do his work.

“I am not doing this. I am telling you.” Soo Young turned and walked away from him, puzzled and annoyed with this ‘prophecy’.

“Then you dishonor the gods.” Hero stated. Soo Young stopped and turned around. She saw the serious and worried look on Hero’s face and gave herself a moment to reflect on her decision. “You dishonor the Empress. You dishonor your land.” Soo Young heard these and they hit her in the heart like an arrow. “You dishonor your father.” The thin young girl turned around and walked back to Hero, her chin up like a dignified warrior-to-be. With her father on her mind and a lot of anger and disappointment in her heart, she nodded before the Empress’ loyal Messenger.

“Let’s do this.” Soo Young nodded. Hero smiled at her and lead her to the door.

“Show up here tomorrow morning.”

“Tomorrow morning? But I have school tomorrow.”

“Are you willing to fight for your land and for your father’s honor?” asked Hero.

“Yes. I am.”

“Be here at around 7 am. We shall start in the morning.”

“Will you be my trainer?” asked Soo Young, getting on her bike, set to leave for home.

The bike ride was a confusing time fro Soo Young. It was also the time for her to finally decide on what she was going to do. Fighting a battle is hard and she could get herself killed, especially her! An inexperienced fighter was usually the easy target. Soo Young knew nothing about hurting other people, physically and verbally so the thought of leading an entire army of soldiers to victory.

Upon arriving at the front yard, Soo Young leapt off the bike and threw it down the ground. She stood at the doorstep and rang the doorbell several times. So Hyung opened the door and in ran her daughter, not daring to look her in the eye. Nonetheless, she still pushed the question.

“Where have you been? I was worried! It’s getting dark and-”

“Mom, I need to eat dinner right now. I have some things to do.” Soo Young hurriedly said. Without hesitation, her mother prepared a quick dinner of rice and vegetables. Soo Young packed these to her room and locked herself, as she would always do. Soo Young sat on her bed and ate the meal, contemplating about her decision. She knew it was right to fight for her nation but what she didn’t know was if she could do it. Soo Young knew her limitations and her capabilites as a person, physically wise and fighting was definitely not one of them.

RING! RING!

Soo Young’s cellphone rang. She scrambled to get her bag and answer her phone. It was CL, she was sure. She answered it and on came the voice of her best friend.

“How are you, dear?” asked CL.

“I’m fine. Eating in my room. I’m a whole lotta nervous right now.”

“Nervous? Bout what? Them bullies?”

“No. Not them. Listen, promise to keep this between the two of us.” Soo Young spoke with a low voice, raising CL’s curiousity. She couldn’t wait to hear this story that her friend had to share.

“What’s it about? Spill.” CL snickered with curiousity.

“I was riding around the park on my bike when this weird yet cute guy approached me. He told me some about the war with the neighboring empire and all and he told me that the gods chose me to lead the soldiers in battle in place of my dad who died. “ Soo Young explained as quickly as she could. CL was dumbfounded and coughed a bit.
“Are you ing serious?”

“Yes. I am mothering serious. He really did tell me that. As a matter of fact, I will start training tomorrow.” Soo Young ate another spoonful of rice and vegetables.

“Training? Tomorrow? But there’s school tomorrow.” Soo Young swallowed her meal and spoke.

“Yeah. I’m gonna miss out on school for this.”

“Are you really gonna do this?”

“Yeah I’m really gonna do this. I want to fight. I want to save our country.” Soo Young said.

“You can’t even get past the bullies at school!! How are you going to survive those warriors! With their weapons and their swords and !”

“That’s what I thought at first.” Soo Young said. “But he shared a quote of wisdom. He said that it’s not the physical strength that defines a warrior, rather it’s the determination.”

“Are you really determined to do this? Like are you really gonna risk your well-being for the sake of our country.”

“I’m not doing this for fame, CL. I’m doing this for our country. For the Empress. For the gods. For my father. This is for honor.” Soo Young spoke poetically. CL shook her head and rolled her eyes.

“I’m gonna pray for you. Because you really need a lot of prayers. I’m really worried.”

“You don’t have to be.” Soo Young smiled, reassuring her friend. It took all her courage to smile that simple beam when inside she was as nervous as hell. “I’m gonna make it through this.”

“I believe in you. And as much as I want to believe that you can, something holds me back.”

“Doubt me all you want but I’m gonna do it.” Soo Young didn’t know where she was extracting all this confidence but she liked the fact that she had her head up high the whole time she and CL were talking. And the tone of her voice was really strong, suggesting that she was ready for this. Soo Young hung up on CL and finished her meal. Soo Young thought of nothing but this decision.
Me? In battle? That’s like the most impossible thing in the world! I can’t imagine myself on a battlefield with an armour and weapons. If that was to happen, I’d most likely be the first to die. With a spear to my heart. Ouch. Soo Young stood up and clutched her chest. She thought of all the painful ways that she could die on the battlefield and each one creeped her out. Soo Young got out of bed and went to the bathroom toe xamine herself for the first time. In her bathroom was a full body mirror . Soo Young looked at her skinny body and her weak stature. Her face was pale and bony and underneath her eyes were dark circle, suggesting weakness, fatigue, and lack of sleep. Soo Young was the epitome of a wimpy young lady which made her question her ability as a warrior. Evaluatng her appearance, Soo Young deemed herself too demure looking to be a warrior. With this unsatisfaction, the lanky young girl walked over to her study table and took a sharp pair of scissors. Her hair was tied in a ponytail over to the right side.

“This is gonna take a lot of guts.” she whispered to herself. Soo Young firmly held her tied hair in place and positioned her hair between the blades. She waited for years for her hair to grow long and to cut it was heartbreaking for her to do. Soo Young shut her eyes and took a deep breath, bravely trying to cut her ponytail off.

“Here we go!” Soo Young bit her lip and cut the ponytail off. The long hair was gone and her crowning glory was now short and boyish looking. She disposed of the cut hair and tossed her short do. The look suited her very much and honestly, she didn’t regret cutting her hair. She actually thought it looked cool.

“I look like a guy.” she mustered to herself. Soo Young looked around the bathroom and found her mother’s hair dye substance in the cabinet. Curiousity got the better of her, making her grab the box and experiment with the color. The color of the dyeing substance was light brown. Soo Young opened it up, read the instructions and proceeded to dye her short hair. After a few hours and a little bit of pain in her hands brought about by the dyeing substance, Soo Young dried her hair and the finished product was more beautiful than ever. Her new hair was short and dyed. Soo Young smiled in front of the mirror and ran a hand through her brown bangs.

Wait for my comeback tomorrow… she smirked.