The talk with Sooro went out well as she had expected.  She doesn’t know what pulled her sanity back on her. She just found herself staring at her sister’s picture and like a falling comet it hits her hard.

Nothing will happen if she will just sulk in her own world. No one will avenge her sister’s untimely death if she would just wallow inside their home. No one will take the risk of replacing her position in the Hollows as she continues living inside her own bubble, crying endlessly about her sister’s demise. The world will never stop just because of her sorrow.

Sooro told her about Kyoung Jae’s nobility about withdrawing her participation. She was startled from the news, but she found herself smiling at her brother’s words. Just right after clearing her name and intention of not withdrawing, she stepped out the said conference room with a clear head, set to get her goal.

The sun had finally deserted the sky leaving the moon to reign with the stars. She took a deep breath to let the wind clear her head. It’s good to finally be out in the open after a long while. The upcoming fourth call will determine her fate; either she lose again or win and continue the competition.

A moving shadow on her right caught her attention. She turned around and saw a man who immediately ran off the dark part of the place. With adrenaline pumping on her blood, she started to chase the guy.

It was a long run as they move on the various parts of the nearby district; shadowed or bright lanes, crowded or deserted, noisy or completely quite. She was just able to corner him on a dead end.

The frantic figure of the guy on his back on her looking up the towering walls of the buildings for a possible escape is what she saw.

“There’s no means of escape in here. Tell me who are you,” she crossed her arms, surprised that she is not that exhausted.

The said guy turned around, the shadow of the wall completely veils his face which is covered with a face mask, giving away only his eyes. His head is covered with a cap, twisted back. His shoulders rise up from the long run; trying to calm his respiration despite the mask covering his face.

“Who are you?” she asked again, stepping forward as he backs down the dead end.

She pulled out a gun behind her, pointing it to him as he felt the wall on his back.

“Speak up or I will blow your head,” she threatened.

But with all the possible negotiations, the guy didn’t even bother to reply. Something about his jacket gleamed despite the dark place and she knows already who this man is. There would only be one, no make it two, who owns that emblem. A double silver capital T gleamed on the pocket of the said guy.

‘Twin Trouble’s pawn, the Reaper,’ she concluded.

“I don’t know what they gave you to lure you in this kind of mess, but believe me; it will do you no good if you will stick to them. You are young; you still have much more time ahead of you. Don’t waste it on them,” she said, trying to buy off some time so she can finally get a closer look on the guy.

But when she stepped forward, he was able to twist her hand that holds the gun. She suddenly lost the said weapon and was pinned on the wall with a gun point. The roles had been reversed.

She was shocked by how did the guy managed to do it fast and she has to curse herself for trying to bribe time by talking. Their distance soon grew shorter from the said position.

A flashing light made it on their way and the only thing she saw was a pair of blank coal-lined eyes before darkness enveloped her world with a thud sound on her neck.

**********

She woke up from the bright sun rays.

‘Am I dead already?’ she thought.

Voices filled her ears as she tries to open her eyes. She recognized the nearest one on her, Sooyoung’s voice.

“Where am I?” Hyoyeon asked as she tries to pull herself up.

“Oh! You are awake already! Does it hurt anywhere?” Sooyoung moves to sit beside her on the bed, helping her to sit.

“Why am I in here?” she asked again.

“Xiumin saw you being chased and when he gets to you, you are already slumped on some dark dead ends,” the married one relayed.

When her eyes adjusted, there goes Kris and Xiumin by the foot of the bed, the twin stands beside their mother while Summer sits opposite her mother on the bed.

“Here, have a drink,” Sooyoung gave her a glass but she waved it off, mumbling a small thanks.

“You should not go out more frequently alone. Look what had happened on you,” Sooyoung held her hand.

“Soo, I am fine. Someone just tried to make advantage of me, good thing he did not succeed,” she assured the worried woman.

“I’ll send you home right after lunch,” Xiumin said letting out a sigh.

That made Hyoyeon think, “How long was I out?” she asked.

“Xiumin found you by around eight last night so you had been out for about 14 hours,” Sooyoung smiled.

She stared at her bestfriend for a while, shock very evident in her face.

“Now that you are fine, I’ll just go down to get your lunch, Summer can keep you company, right baby?” Sooyoung held out her hand to caress her daughter’s face. The said girl gave a toothy smile.

By around two in the afternoon, after a refreshing bath which Sooyoung insisted, Hyoyeon and Xiumin paved their way using the latter’s car.

“Why were you in there?” he asked.

“I tailed the Reaper, underestimated him and he outsmarted me. It was nice to know that he did not kill me,” she sighed, feeling the faint trace of pain in her neck.

“So you got to recognize him?” he asked.

“No, I did not even hear his voice despite all the interrogations I made, just a pair of coal-lined eyes,” she replied.

When Xiumin had dropped her off their gate, her phone rang. She picked it up and a mechanical voice started to speak.

“The fourth mission for the Apple and the Reaper; name the original members of the Octagon out of the sixteen listed ones. The eight members should be named and written in a confidential e-mail to be delivered on the provided e-mail address which will be sent right after the delivery of the message. The time frame will be three days. The mission commences right after the delivery of the e-mail address.”

After the said call, a message arrives which contains the said e-mail address.

“Now let get this mission rolling,” she muttered and opened their gate.