The waves caressed the shore, the sound of their love crashing on her ears as she walked, the water gracing her feet as they buried in the sand. Her hair flowing freely as she walked by, a dress, slightly wet, flowed around her legs. She looked at the distance, the white sands shining as the sun illuminated it. Her lungs filled with air as she inhaled the salty scent of the beach. Her heart beating rapidly as she walked, the emptiness and calmness of the place giving joy and peace on her heart.

At a distance, a shadow of a man walking, a body in arms. She squinted her eyes as she walked faster, approaching him. His feet touched the water, and she noticed something dripping from his hands. She got closer, and finally took a good look at him. Jiyong, carrying a woman with black hair on his hands. She stopped as she felt she was close enough, looking at him with a hand on her chest. He walked deeper into the water, until it reached his knees, a silent sob escaped his mouth, and Chaerin walked into the water, not able to take her eyes off him.

She saw him falling to his knees, letting go of the body on his hands. Her air got caught on as she saw herself floating away with the tides of the water. What she had seen dripping from Jiyong’s hand was, in fact, blood, scarlet and shining as the water cleanse him and took it away. Sobs and the tide caressing the shore was all she could hear as she saw her own body drifting away into the ocean.

“It will never happen again.” He sobbed and Chaerin started to run towards her body, into the water. She panted as she threw herself, swimming nowhere as she cried, sobbed as hard as she had ever cried. She tried and tried to reach the body, but she found herself submerge in nothing but darkness. She fought as she tried to swim towards the surface, but as much as she tried, she found herself trapped in the nothingness of the darkness, slowly consuming her.

“Chaerin!” She heard, and as she had been pulled out, she sat up abruptly, panting, sweating as she looked around, no one was there with her, only the silence of the room, the birds singing outside as the wind blew uncontrollably. Chaerin put a hand on her forehead, a habit she had acquired over the years, and let out a breath, grabbing the sheets under her as she got out of bed, her hands trembling. Answers, she thought, I need answers.

“Are you sure it’s alright for her to know?” Jonghyun said as he walked in circles around the living room. Jiyong let out a breath as he put a hand under his chin, the head ache worsening as he thought, over and over again, the same thing he had thought for the past years, maybe centuries.

“No, is not.” Jiyong muttered as he crossed his legs. Years of patience had escaped his grasp, the first time in his long life he had seen something like that happen.

“It wasn’t normal, and you know it.” Dara said as she played with her fingers. Jiyong let out another sigh and stood up, walking towards the window.

“No, it wasn’t.” He simply said as he looked at the trees in front of the cottage. He closed his eyes, as he remembered the last time he had seen her perish on his arms. The shore hit his feet as he walked, the silent cries making its way out of his soul as he carried what he had loved the most in this world, and had lost it again. He opened his eyes, as the memories of his own curse haunted him. The images of him letting go of her dead body, of it drifting away into the nothingness, burdened like all the others, but this time, he was determined.

As he was lost in thought, the wind started to blow uncontrollably, and a silent chuckled escape his mouth. He continued to look at the small blizzard forming outside.

“It is her, isn’t it?” Jonghyun said and Jiyong nodded, slowly closing the window.

“She’s going to kill us all if she doesn’t controls herself.” He said as he walked towards the living room. He stopped abruptly as he saw her figure standing close to the hallway. His eyes widened momentarily, he had not felt her there. “Chaerin.” He said out of breath as he composed himself.

“Morning.” She said, her eyes narrowed.

“How were your dreams? Appealing?” Jiyong said. Chaerin didn’t said anything, didn’t showed any gesture, and Jiyong frowned slowly as he noticed her lack of emotion.

“We were not siblings, weren’t we?” She said. Jiyong smirked and sat in a chair close to the window.

“Why does that matters now?” He said. Chaerin walked towards the sofa, next to Jonghyun, and sat down.

“It matters, there must be a reason for all of this.” She said. Jiyong saw Jonghyun looking at him with raised eyebrows, then Dara smiled as she stood up, trying to break the tension. Jiyong smiled as he shook his head, looking at his hands. He noticed his nails slightly white, then back to normal. He was losing his self-control, he knew as much.

“I’ll make you breakfast, Chaerin. You need to eat.” She said as she walked towards Chaerin and put a hand on her shoulder. Chaerin was going to say something, and Jiyong smirked again.

“We were not.” He said. Dara stopped abruptly as she slowly looked at him.

“Jiyong.” She said. He looked at her and smiled.

“We were not siblings, no.” Jiyong said.

“So she was right, you’re a liar.” Chaerin said. Jiyong looked down at his nails, they turned blue, white, then red, and a hint of green appeared on them, and then, they turned back to normal. He closed his eyes, knowing well they must’ve changed their color too.

“There’s so many things she still doesn’t know, doesn't understand.” Jiyong muttered, and slowly opened his eyes.

“It is enough.” Dara muttered, her hair turning red and her eyes gleaming fire. Jiyong looked at her, a smile on his face.

“Didn’t we agreed she should know?” Jiyong retorted with his head crooked. Dara scoffed, her hair turning back to brown.

“We have so many things to do first.” She said. “Like preparing her. She’s completely vulnerable!”

“She’s not. I am here, you are here, and so is her guardian.” Jiyong said. “She’s not vulnerable.”

“We will not be there with her at all times, she needs to learn.” Dara hissed.

“Then let’s learn. First, Chaerin, you must know who you are.” Jiyong said as he stood up, totally desperate by Dara’s stubbornness.

“Who am I?” Chaerin said, her eyes still firm on Jiyong. He smirked and showed her the picture on the back of the living room.

“You are, you were, the Insegnante, the High Witch, before the Witch’s Trial. You were the one designated by the Gods to protect the coven.” Jiyong said. “Your powers are blessed by the Gods, and they will always respond to your pleas, as long as they are not selfish. The head mistress of the coven was married, to the High Warlock, the leader of all men with powers. Like yourself, the High Warlock is also blessed with powers from the Gods, but neither of them can be complete without the other.” Chaerin had her eyes glued on Jiyong, but he could see the fear on them.

“You mean, I was married?” Chaerin said. “With whom?”

“With me.” He said and pointed at the pictured. Chaerin looked back at the picture she had seen more than once. Her sight landed on their intertwined hands, the matching rings on their annular fingers.

“You said we were siblings.” She said out of breath.

“This is outrageous Jiyong.” Dara hissed.

“It is the truth, and once you have processed it, you can finally become, once again, the Insegnante.” He said. “I have always been by your side, because without you, my powers diminish, just like yours.”

“Your powers?” Chaerin echoed. Jiyong nodded and lifted a hand, a spark of flame dancing on it.

“The God's blessings were taken away from me the moment you died, only Nero stayed by my side.” He said as he threw the spark into the fireplace, igniting it.

“Nero?” Chaerin said.

“The Water God.” Jonghyun said.

“Two males, two females, the eternal divine balance.” Jiyong said. “Obviously, their representation on earth must have the same balance, and thanks to… to this, the Divine Balance and the Cosmos are at risk. The Insegnante must pass her powers towards another witch, so does the High Warlock, we haven’t been able to bestow our powers on another, for centuries.”

“Centuries?”

“Enough of history, we need to train.” Dara said, her face had changed colors, and now a pale white danced on her flesh.

“Let’s train.” Jiyong smirked as he opened the back door.

The scenery was calm, calmer than she had ever thought. As she laid down, panting and sweating, she looked at the sky, blue and white over her. She shook her head as she stood up, already feeling numb all around her body.

“You have to focus, if I’m able to throw you to the floor, there’s no chance for you to survive out there.” He said as she straightened. She shook her hands as she cracked her neck. It had been a few good hours since they started training, and Jiyong had done nothing more than throwing her to the floor with slight breezes. She had been told she had to learn to control her emotions, to feel the power running through her veins as she focused on her enemy. She couldn’t focus, couldn’t picture Jiyong as her enemy.

Again, he flicked his hand and a warm breezed enveloped her completely. She closed her eyes, imagining the power flowing through her. It was useless, and once again, with a loud shriek, Jiyong threw her a few meters away, her back hitting the soft ground. She gasped as a stick buried itself on her side, and the warmth of her blood ran through her back. Chaerin closed her eyes as she sat up, slowly holding the stick and pulling it out of her ribs. She noticed it wasn’t a stick, it was a piece of metal, a knife. She looked up and saw Jiyong running towards her, his eyes wide.

“What happened?!” He said as he touched her side, his hand coming out bloody. Chaerin smiled and shook her head, slightly coughing. “Dara!” Jiyong screamed as he tried to lift Chaerin up.

“I’m alright.” She said, a bit of blood coming out of . Jiyong looked at her with wide eyes and shook his head.

“Training is over for today.” He said but Chaerin shook her head, straightening herself.

“I will no longer be called weak, let’s go.” She said. Jiyong kept his hands in front of him, stained with Chaerin’s blood. He smiled as he looked at his hands. Chaerin frowned as she looked at him, but he had already given his back at her. She took a deep breath and readied herself, the blood oozing from her side.

“You’re ready?” Jiyong said from the other side of Dara’s backyard. Chaerin hadn’t stop and admire it, the colors of it. Green and red and pink with violet and blue. All kinds of flowers, blooming around the house. A clearing was her backyard, big enough to train, to run. Chaerin took another deep breath as she felt the fire burning within her flesh. She closed her eyes, concentrating on Jiyong.

He had given her time, and she could hear him breathing, slowly, calmly, she could feel his hands moving in front of him, his eyes on her. She took another deep breath, and as if she had the eyes open, she saw a faint light run through his body until it reached his hands, and he moved them, and she could hear the gush of wind going towards her. She extended her hands, and she could see the light running through her until it reached her hands. She fell a burning escaping her hands, and suddenly, she was evolved in a small blizzard, winds running around her, but not touching her. Chaerin opened her eyes, feeling slightly scared, until she heard Jiyong’s laughter behind the wall of wind. She laughed herself, out of breath as she felt her energies spilling from her hands.

Her hands, nails as white as clouds, and the hair flowing around her, completely white. She looked around, surprised by what she had done. Her hands fell down, and the winds stopped, letting the leaves and flower fall scattered around the place. Jiyong was walking towards her, a smile plastered on his face. “You have learned to control the power, letting it flow until it escaped your hands.” He said. She smiled and fell on her knees, the blood lost had weakened her. Jiyong quickly went over her, his hands shaking as he put them again on her side.

“!” He said as he put it back. “Dara! ing come out here!” Jiyong screamed again. Chaerin looked up and saw Dara running towards them.

“What happened?” She said as she threw herself next to Chaerin. Jiyong, holding her between his arms, moved her a bit, showing Dara her injury.

“Just an injury, heal her.” Jiyong said. Dara closed her eyes and rubbed her palms together. Chaerin looked at her with amazement as Dara’s hair turned blue with strands of white. Dara opened her eyes, as blue as the sky, and put her hands to her side. Chaerin felt a burning, a burning that ran through her body. She closed her eyes as she held back a scream, only to feel nothing then, no pain, no burning. Chaerin opened her eyes and looked at Dara, her hair turning back to dark brown, so did her eyes.

“There, as good as new.” She said standing up, dusting her skirt. Jonghyun was at her side, smiling at Chaerin.

“H-How?” Chaerin said as she touched her side.

“Water heals, I told you.” Jonghyun said as he kneeled besides her. She grabbed his hand and he helped her up. She saw Jiyong grinning at her, his hands extended. She heard a click inside of her as she saw the flicker of flames on his palms. His eyes slowly turned red, the hair glowing eerily as she felt her own veins swimming with liquid fire. With a flicker of Jiyong’s wrist, the flame from his hands shoot out, pointing at her direction. She thought of Jonghyun, of him being burned to ashes as the fire approached them. She knew she had to do something, and quick.

The veins spilled through her hands as she closed her eyes. Extending her hands, she felt the liquid blood escaping her hands, and with a slight scream of effort, she let it all go out. Her hair flew up as the wind blew, a hot wind blowing around them as a blaze storm. She saw light behind her eyelids, and slowly opened her eyes, only to see the same storm, but instead with wind, it was with Fire. With one last effort, she flicked her wrist, and the fire subsided, charring the ground beneath them. She let out a chuckle out of breath and looked at Jiyong, who was panting, sweating, but none the less, he was smirking.

“This will not be as hard as I thought.” He said, in a clear English accent Chaerin had never heard before. She crooked her head, but as she did, she felt the exhaustion on her body, and fell to the floor, panting, until everything turned dark and she was no longer on the cold, hot ground.

‘No, it just beginning, and it will get worst, far much worst.’

Gily's Notes: Oh goodness gracious! So many subs! Well, I do hope all of you are enjoying this as I am!

I thank you all for reading my story, and for comenting, and for those who upvoted, thank you! It trully means a lot!

Enjoy this chapter and wait eagerly for the next one!

I love you dearly,

Happy Reading ~

Gily ♥