It was late in the night when Kai's father had returned home. Several unfamiliar faces had accompanied Mr. Kim back to the house and were now seated in the living room, busy in conversation. They were all vampires, apparently, from neighboring clans. Minji, Taemin, Kai and his mother sat nearby as they heard the discussion.

"How can we do such a thing," a foreign voice echoed around the room, "Sycorax has been part of the tribe for ages!"

"I understand how this may upset you Mr. Park. You can leave if you don't wish to be apart of–"

"No!" Kai watched from the corner of the room as an older looking man with dark shoulder-length hair got to his feet to speak. "What would you do if it was your son?" The man who previously spoke was hushed into silence. His head hung low as he contemplated for a valid answer, but came up with none. "She has betrayed us! She is not to be trusted!"

A woman who supported a fiery red pixie haircut spoke this time. She went by the name of Red. Her voice was soft, a nice contrast to the anger-driven voices of the other people in the room. The room went quiet when she made her contribution. "She's done wrong, there's no doubt in that. She must pay for her wrong doings. But I think we are all forgetting that she is incredibly powerful. Her power can surpass all of ours combined. How exactly are you planning to take her on?" Her question left the others silent, pushing them to think of a possible solution.

Then, a man sitting at the far corner of the room with slicked back copper hair cleared his throat and all heads turned to look at him. Throughout the discussion, not a single word had left his mouth. He quietly analyzed all the people that were gathered with a piercing gaze. The copper haired named Jung Lee had a very dominating and menacing aura around him, Kai noticed. And he was very attractive. His vampire form was on full display, with skin as pale as fresh snow and eyes that shone like emeralds. From what Kai had heard earlier in the discussion, when his father was introducing the invitees to each other, this man was the oldest vampire amongst them. He spoke in a very quiet and calculated manner. "I have a solution," he stated. Everyone huddled closer to hear what he had to offer. "This is what we can do."

¤ ¤ ¤

Red led them all through the forest, dark and cold from the night, with the help of her keen sense of smell. After they left the Kim family's house, they had gone to Sycorax's cabin. However, they had soon discovered that the witch had in fact fled, but her scent was quickly picked up by Red. She guided them through the forest, getting deeper and deeper, the scent getting stronger and stronger, until suddenly, it vanished. Red came to a halt.

"What's going on," the man with the dark shoulder-length hair stepped in.

"Her scent...it disappeared. She's trying to mask it. She knows she's being followed." The other vampires exchanged nervous looks, not knowing what to do at this point. Red was their only hope. She sniffed the air around her a few times. "There you are!" she suddenly exclaimed, and began speeding off deeper into the darkness of the forest, followed by the other vampires. Taemin, Minji, Kai, and his  mother stayed close behind, trying to keep up with the other far more experienced vampires.

At some point during their chase, Jung Lee climbed a tree and jumped from on tree to another. He picked up speed and ran far ahead, slightly distancing himself from the crowd. The night engulfed him. Minutes later, a loud shriek was heard from somewhere close by. Red quickly changed directions and charged towards the scent of the copper hared man. They all reached the sound and were surprised to see Jung Lee holding up none other than Sycorax by the throat, her body levitating a few inches above the ground. Her limbs lashed and gurgling noises escaped her thin dry lips as she struggled against the strong grip. Jung Lee's nails were digging into the old wrinkled skin of her neck. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, her lungs growing desperate for air. 

"No, stop!" yelled Red, now jogging her way towards Jung Lee, the others following her lead. Jung Lee gave her a questioning look before loosening his grip on the witch and setting her down. The rest encircled her, blocking any exit by which she could attempt to escape. "I think Mr. Kim would like to have a word with her."

Everyone turned to look at Kai's father, who was hidden behind the crowd. They all gave him an encouraging nod, and Mr. Kim stepped forward, approaching the witch. Sycorax was on her knees, rubbing her neck and unable to stop coughing. Two feet stood right in front of her face, Her eyes traced the body, and she trembled when her eyes met Mr. Kim's. The sheer anger in his eyes was enough to strike fear in the witch, and her weak body crawled away in an attempt to get as much distance between herself and Kai's father, but she had nowhere to hide. 

"Please! Spare me!" her hoarse voice cut through the silence of the night. She began to panic. "You can't do this to me! I have been in the tribe for ages! I was only doing what you requested!"

"You betrayed us!" Kai's mother finally spoke. "We asked you to help our boy, but not at the cost of ruining two other innocent people's lives!" 

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

Suddenly, Kai immersed from the crowd, anger boiling his blood as he marched towards the witch. "Cut the bull! Admit what you did!"

"No Kai, stay away!" his father ordered, but it was too late. 

Sycorax's face was stretched into an evil grin, all her yellow rotting teeth on display. In the blink of an eye, tree roots sprung from the ground and wrapped themselves around Kai's ankles, locking him into place. Sycorax quickly took this opportunity and fisted her hand into the vampire's hair, yanking his head back. She placed the palm of her free hand on Kai's left shoulder blade, right behind where his heart is. Everyone froze in spot as they realized the witch's intentions.

"If anyone dares to move, it will cost this boy his life!"

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Hi!

I apologize for the very long wait, been busy very since college started again. I'm so looking forward to just ending this story already ugh DX Chapter 27 is the last one, but it's just divided in two parts, so technically there will be another update. 

The names for the other vampires that I used all all made up names, so if it happens to actually be someone, just ignore it!

Talk to y'all next time!