"We will not give in to your threats!" replied Chen defiantly. "I know full well what you intend to do with us."

Lord Kim raised the Black arrow threateningly once more. "Don't give yourself so much credit. You are nothing but a foolish prison guard, and I have given you more than ample opportunity to cooperate. But if you choose to elect the path of pain, then so be it."

The Black General refused to surrender. "You know you have to keep us alive, or you would've killed us already!"

Lord Kim let out a derisive laugh. "Do you really think a peasant like you is worth that much? Why? Because Luhan cared about your worthless life? I hate to burst your little bubble, but neither he nor his runt of a cousin have the courage to save you. You are truly gullible to have fallen for their feigned affection. If it weren't for your treachery, this war would have ended long ago. Amazing how much damage a delusional little prison guard can do."

"You wouldn't know anything about affection," answered Baekhyun, lifting himself up off Jisung's motionless body. "You couldn't even love your own son."

"ENOUGH!" yelled Lord Kim, eyes full of hate. "Restrain them!" 

Despite their best efforts, Chen and Baekhyun were no match for the Blue Prince's royal guards. The heavily armored men dragged the two of them from the bedside and held them in place, arms twisted behind their backs. Prince Changmin himself lifted Jisung into a sitting position by his throat, causing the injured boy to awaken. The pain on the young lieutenant's face was unmistakeable as he stared sadly at his sidelined companions. 

"Now," commanded Lord Kim, stepping forward with the Black Arrow still tightly within his grip. "You will tell me what you know about this Black magic, or I will have to find out the hard way."

"Don't listen to him!" gasped Jisung, struggling to breathe against his broken ribs.

"SILENCE!" yelled Lord Kim, slapping Jisung across the face with the back of his hand.

Baekhyun let out a string of profanities, while Chen kicked and screamed against his captors. But their struggle was all in vain. There was no escape.

"Perhaps there is another way, your Holiness," suggested Prince Changmin, releasing Jisung, so that he fell back into the bed. "In our Kingdom, when an enemy refuses to speak, a taste of the Blue flame usually loosens his tongue."

"That sounds like an excellent idea," snarled Lord Kim, lips curling into an evil smile. "I will let you lead the interrogations."

He then turned his eyes towards Jisung, who, despite his best efforts, was grunting in pain. Without another word, Lord Kim raised the Black arrow high above his head, and with a swift motion, stabbed Jisung through the heart. Immediately, the boy's broken body vanished into a puff of Black smoke. As the haze faded, all that was left behind was a small pile of ashes.

Baekhyun and Chen simultaneously let out blood-curdling screams. The sound was so terrifying that even the guards recoiled somewhat.

"Now Prince Changmin," spoke Lord Kim, voice eerily calm. "It is your turn."

The Blue Prince kneeled before his prophet, and the surrounding guards followed suit, forcibly dragging Baekhyun and Chen down with them. 

"As you wish, my lord," replied Changmin, getting to his feet and signalling to one of his men. The guard stepped outside the room for a few moments before returning with an unlit torch, which he handed to his master. The Blue Prince reached into his elaborate robes and pulled out a small crystal vial filled with a thick black liquid. He placed just one drop of the liquid onto the wick and then twirled the torch like a wand in a circular fashion. At once, Blue flames erupted from its tip.

Changmin carefully held the torch out towards Lord Kim. "I present to you, our most prized possesion, the source of our Kingdom's power."

Lord Kim dug into his own robes and pulled out two additional Black arrows. Gripping them in one hand, he reached out to take the torch with the other. But something went terribly wrong just before his fingertips reached their intended target. Screaming in pain, he threw the arrows onto the ground and looked down at the linear red streaks they had left along the palm of his hand. 

"What is this evil magic?" exclaimed the Blue Prince, instinctively pointing the torch towards the arrows, as if to ward off their curse.

"NO!" yelled Lord Kim, just before the Blue flames made contact with the shaft of the arrows. Commotion erupted at once as an explosive reaction blew everyone in the room outwards towards the walls of the Black Tower. Dense Black smoke filled the air, making it nearly impossible to see.

Baekhyun struggled against the stinging sensation in his eyes as a loud pitched ringing filled his ears. Out of nowhere, he felt a hand grasp his forearm and pull him up from the rubble. Before he knew what was happening, he was being dragged down a winding wooden staircase.

"Quickly!" gasped Chen, coughing to clear the smoke from his lungs as they reached the base of the tower. He pulled Baekhyun into a narrow passageway, which lead into a secret tunnel.

"Where are we?" whispered the Admiral, as they descended further into the darkness. "What j