Zzip! Zzip!

Jieun managed to dodge every attack Taehyung threw at her. He would throw little discs of glowing light. However, once the light touched an object, it would capture it, dissolve the object's components, and put it in a 2-D form on the disc. If anything, Jieun knew that she shouldn't touch the light at all. It had already touched the sofa and the bookshelf, and Jieun wasn't sure if there was any other place to run. She had tried to find the door in the covered room, but she could find none.

Zzip! Zzip! Zzip!

Jieun shrieked as three discs flew at her. She ducked and watched the disc transform the lamp and vases into a two-dimensional object. She gulped and tried to throw her stars at Taehyung, but every time she did, he would dodge it and the sharp points of the stars would latch itself on the walls.

I'm so screwed, she realized. The best way to get out of the mess was to wish herself out of the room, but that would take time and concentration. She could probably whip out a door, but with Bora sealing the entire room and causing the doors and windows to disappear, she wasn't sure that she would get out of the dome and end up in the village.

"Get. In. The. Disc!" Taehyung shouted angrily, fed up. 

He made five additional discs appear between his fingers. Jieun widened and whipped up five more throwing stars. They threw their weapons at the same time. When Jieun realized that her stars were eaten by Taehyung's disc, she gulped.

Looks like my offensive powers aren't going to work against him, Jieun realized. My option is only to get out of here by wishing myself out and risking getting attacked.

"You're running out of places to hide behind," Taehyung said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Or… An insane idea popped in her head. She glanced at the portal besides Taehyung—the portal that Taehyung and Jiyong had came through. I can risk it and escape out there. I don't know if the enemy will be on the other side, but it's open. Maybe I can escape through there and hopefully run.

She shook her head, trying to focus. All she had to do was get Taehyung far enough from the portal for her to go through. 

But how am I going to do that? she wondered. If I want to get close to the portal, that means that I have to get close to Taehyung. He barely even budged when he was throwing his paper-absorbing thing at me. She bit her bottom lip. Do I make a run for it? Should I just go?  She narrowed her eyes. Or…if I can somehow form a shield that deflects a Dimensional's power, then I might be able to save some time to get into the portal—Woah!

Jieun ducked, avoiding one of Taehyung's attack. She quickly shot back up and gulped, noticing that Taehyung was taking advantage of every second. She couldn't afford any distraction. She had to make the shield—now or never.

Jieun quickly pulled our a star from her hand. With it, she made a circular shape in the air. The golden shimmers covered the disc, later forming a magical strap. She quickly put her arm through the strap. The stars disappeared, and she was now in defensive mode. 

"That's not going to work!" Taehyung exclaimed, laughing. He quickly covered his mouth and grunted. "That's… That's not going to work!"

His laugh was similar to how Bora laughed earlier, before she had lost her mind. Jieun made a deep frown.

He's loose, too, Jieun thought. If this shield works, I can probably take advantage of his situation. She gulped. Hopefully it works. I wished for a shield to protect me against a Dimensional power, so it should work… if my powers don't fail me like before.

"One, two!" Taehyung exclaimed, throwing two discs. 

Go! Jieun started running towards Taehyung, using her shield to block off the disc. The disc didn't eat up the shield, much to Taehyung's surprise. Right when it seemed like Jieun was about to strike him, he moved away from the portal out of instinct. At that moment, she pulled her body to the portal, disappearing from the room. Taehyung, shocked at Jieun's success attempt to escape, gritted his teeth and angrily jumped into the portal.

I can't let the Wanted One escape! If I do, I might end up dead like the previous Captain of the Third Court! Taehyung cried out in his mind. His body dissolved into small particles, accelerating at a great speed until it found the exit.

When Taehyung came out of the portal, he closed it immediately, preventing anyone from coming in. He looked around, noticing that he was back on the tree. His eyes locked with Jiyong's and Yoona's, who were staring at him.

"Where's the Wanted One?" Jiyong asked. "I thought I told you to take care of her."

"I-I did! I did!" Taehyung exclaimed. "Wait, no. Never mind that. Did you see where she go?"

"Where she went? So you didn't take care of her?" Jiyong inquired.

"I—Well—She escaped!" Taehyung stuttered. His head lowered as his eyes met the cold gaze of the First Court and the Second Court. "She escaped through my portal! The portal only leads us to here! Where did she go? You must've seen her!"

"We didn't see anything," Yoona said, flapping her white angel wings. She tilted her head innocently. "Oh, but if you lost the Wanted One, then that's not good. As the Captain of the First Court who's overseeing this mission, I must inform the Council Leader that you have failed your task. I mean, we were very close to getting the Wanted One in our hands. Jiyong, you can be my witness, right?"

"I was there," Jiyong said, nodding his head.

Taehyung tensed and paled. "I-I will find her! Just help me look for her!"

"Oh, but wasn't this your job?" Yoona asked. "I can't possibly help a Captain. I mean, as the Captain of the Sixth Court, you should be able to handle this kind of task." She tapped her pink lips with her slender finger. "If you can't handle this, then doesn't it mean that you're just as useless as the Captain of the Seventh Court? Well, maybe you're even worse than her. After all, she was useful as bait. We would hate it if a Captain who's higher than the Seventh Court is proven useless."

"W-What about the Captain of the Fifth or Fourth Court? They're not doing anything!" Taehyung retorted.

"Well, they captured the Wanted One's friend. They've proven their use."

"What about you two? You two haven't done anything at all!" Taehyung shouted. He held his breath when he realized that he had said the wrong thing.

"Oh?" Yoona's wing turned black. Her eyes gazed down at Taehyung, who quickly got on his knees. "So you think that I, who has given you another chance to not screw up like the Captain of the Seventh Court, is incapable of getting the Wanted One? You think that I am lower than you?"

"I-I humbly apologize for my ignorance!" Taehyung exclaimed. "Forgive me!"

"Jiyong, would you do the honor?" Yoona asked, folding her hands. "I would hate to get blood on me. As an angel, I should be pure, no?"

Jiyong didn't even hesitate. He pulled his arrow and pointed at Taehyung, who shook in fear.

"P-P-P-Please d-d-d-don't h-hurt m-m-me," Taehyung stammered, trembling.

Yoona giggled softly and smiled. "It's only when Jiyong pulls out his weapon that I'm the happiest. I love it when people cower in fear like this."

"Do you really want me to shoot him?" Jiyong asked.

"Ah, hm… I don't know. Should I let him shoot you, Taehyung?" Yoona asked teasingly.

"Oh please, do not! I beg of you!" Taehyung exclaimed. "I plead for your forgiveness!"

"I say we use him a bit longer," Jiyong said. "Tell him to clean up the mess we've created here."

"Oh, that's a pleasant idea," Yoona said, nodding. Her wings turned back to white and she gave Taehyung a soft smile. "Get up, Captain of the Sixth court."

He did. He scrambled onto his feet, but he didn't meet their eyes. Cold sweat trickled down his neck.

"Sweetheart, please be a dear and clean up the area, will you? Fix the village. Also, tell the Captain of the Fourth Court to remove his soldiers," Yoona ordered.

"Y-Yes, ma'am! I will!" Taehyung exclaimed. He opened up the same portal he had just came from and retreated back to Bora's home, where he would clean up the mess.

Once he was gone, Jieun poked her head through the large crowded leaves on the branch above them. She stared at Yoona, who glanced up and gave her a gentle smile. The angel waved at her, which made Jieun subconsciously wave back. Jiyong looked up at her from the corner of his eyes, but did nothing.

"Come on, Jiyong," Yoona said. "Let's return. I have a report to do."

"Understood," Jiyong said. 

Yoona stretched her white wings and flew away. Jiyong, on the other hand, made a signal with his hand. An incredible large bird flew in below. He jumped from the branch and dropped on the back of the blue bird. The bird screeched before it flew back up into the sky, following the Captain of the First Court.

Jieun watched the two disappear into the sky. She remained silent for a while, wondering why the two had hidden her and saved her from Taehyung. Weren't they supposed to capture her? For now, she deemed them to be good guys, but she made a mental note to the side that they weren't to be completely trusted.

Right. I need to go find Mino and Taemin, she realized.

"Where have you been?"

Jieun turned and saw Taemin approaching her. He scowled and flicked her forehead, causing her to yelp softly and grunt in pain.

"Ow! That hurts!" she complained.

"Never mind that. You've been gone for some time. I saw Mino, but we split up. It looked like Naeun wanted something," Taemin said.

"Oh, right! Naeun! I saw her with Mino. They looked like they were fighting," Jieun said.

"I think they were fighting over a cat," Taemin said. "I saw Mino a couple of minutes ago, but we split up. He's going around to find Naeun, but if he can't by the time he goes around the town, then we're probably going to move."

"Move? Where?"

"Somewhere safe. It seems like Naeun is under the orphic's control. We can't do much with Naeun until there's something that can overwrite the Captain of the Fourth Court's hypnosis or until we directly beat the Captain," Taemin explained. "So, we'll have to try and figure out how to get Myungsoo."

"And you know where he is?" Jieun asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Not quite, but I have a small idea of where he is," Taemin said.

Jieun paused and looked at him. "How would you know? He's in the hands of the enemy."

Taemin took out a flyer and gave it to Jieun. She took it, confused at first. Her eyes widened and her eyebrows went up as she noticed the familiar beaten-up face. It was Myungsoo, except with a black eye and some teeth knocked out. The image of him was a complete mess and would terrify anyone who didn't know him.

"W-What is this?" Jieun asked, horrified.

"A fight club. An underground fight club."

"Myungsoo is fighting? Why?"

"It's not like he wants to," Taemin said. "It's more like he's forced to."

"How are we going to get to wherever he is? How will we find him?" Jieun asked.

"Jieun. Look at the flyer carefully," Taemin said, rolling his eyes.

She did, and her eyes only got bigger. "Underground in the Vampire Realm? Is he fighting vampires?"

"I don't know, but they're putting bets on him. His blood is shared to everyone who wins the bet. That's a lot of blood. It's a show, Jieun. Myungsoo is the show. He's the main attraction."

"So how are we going to do this?" Jieun asked, nervous. 

"This little thing will be the key," Mino said, appearing in front of them. He raised up the black cat, dangling it in the air. "Its name is Minhyuk. Say hello, everyone."

"That's the cat that you are Naeun were fighting over?" Jieun asked, shocked.

"Naeun wants to kill it. I don't know why," Mino explained shortly. "Anyway, are you okay? What happened with the witch?"

"The witch…is dead," Jieun murmured. "I think, at least."

Minhyuk widened his eyes and stopped struggling from Mino's grasp. "What. What witch?"

Jieun gasped and paled. "T-The cat! T-T-The cat talks!"

"Jieun, I thought you'd be used to all the weirdness in this world by now," Mino said, rolling his eyes. 

"Wait! I demand to know which witch you're talking about!" Minhyuk purred.

"Anyway, this thing will lead us where to go," Mino said.

"Why should I help you?" Minhyuk hissed.

"Death or aid. Which one?" Mino asked.

"Death!"

"Your fate has been sealed. It has chosen aid," Mino said. "Therefore, you will help us figure out where this underground fight is."

The cat hissed and tried to claw Mino, but Mino pulled it away from him so that the cat wouldn't leave a single mark. Taemin snickered while Jieun gave Mino a pitiful look.

"Well, it's going to take us a few days to get there," Taemin said. 

"Don't we need a Civilian Slip or something? I'm sure that there's a tough security system," Jieun asked. "Or can I just wish us inside?"

"Wishing us inside is too risky. We don't want to attract attention. Also, we don't need a Civilian Slip. The Vampire King had always made it so that anyone can enter freely. Even if there's some kind of restriction law, the vampires are one of the few groups who don't follow it," Taemin explained.

"But traveling is going to take us longer. Also, the Council might be on to us," Mino pointed out. "I say we take the risk."

Taemin narrowed his eyes. "No! We don't even know where Myungsoo exactly is. One irrational action can lead us to death!"

"We got the cat. The cat can help."

"How do you know that the cat can help?"

Mino paused. "I…have my ways."

"Well, I don't trust them."

"Really? If anything, we shouldn't be trusting you. The whole time, you've been getting us into trouble and reckless situations!"

"I'm not the one hiding a cursed mark, am I?"

"At least I come clean with the truths earlier than you do! You always vaguely answer my questions," Mino argued.

"Guys, please! Don't fight now!" Jieun interrupted their argument. "I say we do Taemin's plan. If something goes wrong, then we'll do Mino's plan. Okay?"

"Why can't you just wish for Naeun and Myungsoo to both appear?" Mino complained.

"Like I've been trying to tell you, something limits my wish. I'm not some kind of god or anything. I can't make everything happen the way I want it to," Jieun said. 

"Whatever. So now what? Do we rest? Or should we travel?" Mino asked.

"Jieun, are you good for walking?" Taemin asked.

"Oh, okay. Ask her if she wants to rest or not. It's not like I'm the one who's been fighting all day with Naeun, right?" Mino said sarcastically.

"Hey, I've had a tough day, too. First I got kidnapped by a witch, then I ran into some of the Captains, and then—"

"Woah. Wait. Back it up," Taemin said. "The Captains? Which ones?"

"One had Dimensional powers—"

"The Sixth Court. Taehyung. You escaped him?"

"Yes. I also ran into an angel and a guy with arrows—"

"The First and the Second? Jieun, did you fight them?"

"No, they let me go."

"Let you go? Why would they let you go?" Taemin murmured. He gave both of them a sharp look. "Listen, guys. If you guys ever encounter the elf or the angel, run away at all cost. They are the most powerful people. They're probably more powerful than some members of the Councils. You don't stand a chance beating them alone. It's always best to hold up your guard and run away."

They nodded. Taemin sighed and looked below the tree.

"We should get off the tree," Mino commented as his eyes followed Taemin's.

"Yeah. We'll walk a bit until sunset. Then we'll camp out," Taemin said. He glanced at the cat. "Does the cat eat like a cat or like a human?"

"I feed off of my witch's magical energy," the cat said. "I don't need your pesky food."

"Of all the familiars you captured, it just had to be this one," Taemin grumbled.

"Hey, it's not my fault. Like I said, Naeun wanted it," Mino argued.

"Why did Naeun want the cat?" Jieun asked as the group got down from the tree.

"No idea. When I ask the cat, he doesn't know, either," Mino said, shrugging his shoulders.

But for Minhyuk, it was more like he couldn't remember what happened. When he had woken up, he had found himself in Mino's grasp. The cat knew most of his past, but he just couldn't remember anything significant in the past few hours. All he could sense was that Mino was dangerous and that he had done something to him—he just couldn't figure out what.