The bright and sunny scenery of the warehouses shocked both Hyomin and Hwayoung as they stepped out of the portal behind them. The shock caused the two Guardians to stop and look around and up at the sky. Behind them, Boram stepped out of the portal and walked right into the two taller girls.

“Ow!” They all cried out at the same time. Hyomin and Hwayoung turned around to face the short hunter who was looking at her surroundings all of the sudden.

“Boss!” Kyuhyun called out to Hyomin as he and five others walked out of the main warehouse. All of the Guardians except these six had left to guard the city so currently all of the warehouses were empty except the main one.

“I’m so glad to see you’re okay. What we’ve been seeing on the news…what is going on?” Kyuhyun asked Hyomin as he and the Guardians behind him walked closer to the three women.

Hyomin, Hwayoung and Boram turned around to look towards the direction of the city and they could still see the dark thunderous clouds looming over the city and the lightning strikes seemed to never end. What Jaehee had told them had been true. Their headquarters were the safest place in the area surrounding Seoul.

“There is a massive attack on the city at the moment. There are Shadows everywhere; so many that we couldn’t count or defeat them all.” Hyomin responded while looking down at the ground and annoyingly kicking some rocks and dirt away from her feet.

“What…?” The Guardians behind Kyuhyun asked and the taller man seemed to scan the ground. “All the news stations are reporting a powerful thunderstorm and random explosions going off around the city…aside from all the lightning strikes.” 

The sound of confusion on Kyuhyun’s voice was caught by Hyomin as she listened to what the young computer hacker was telling her. It was possible that other Shadows could have targeted different areas around the city to distract the citizens from what was happening at the university.

“I need to see what’s being-” Hyomin started to say but was suddenly interrupted by a sudden scream.

“Ahhhh!” Jieun screamed as she stepped out of the portal with her hand covering her eyes and then crashed into Boram and Hwayoung who caught the frightened human girl.

“Whoa! Calm down!” Hwayoung told her and rubbed Jieun’s shoulder.

“Yeah, you’re okay Jieun-ah. Open your eyes.” Boram told her and offered the human girl a smile as Jieun removed her hands from her eyes and opened them to look at Boram and Hwayoung. Behind the short hunter Jieun could see Hyomin and six other people.

“Where are we?” Jieun asked as she started looking around the surrounding area and taking in the bright and sunny skies shining down on her.

“In our headquarters.” Hyomin responded and turned around. “Let’s go inside.”

Everyone began to follow behind Hyomin to head inside the main warehouse. Boram pulled Jieun along who was still in shock. They were about to enter the warehouse when Eunjung and a surprised Jiyeon stepped out of the portal. The two girls stopped in front of the portal and Jiyeon took in a huge breath of air before letting it out.

“Wow…can we do that again?” Jiyeon finally smiled.

“Jiyeon!” Jieun called out and let go of Boram to run into the arms of her best friend. Jiyeon caught Jieun and held onto her friend tightly as Jieun began to cry now. Everything that had just happened was too overwhelming for the human girl and Jiyeon rubbed her friend’s back in order to help her calm down.

Like the others had done before, Eunjung turned to look up at the sky and then directed her sight to the scene far away behind the portal. The sight of the massive thunderous clouds and the lightning striking the city let the leader of the Guardians know that what Jaehee had said had been true. Eunjung thought back to the fight they all had just been a part of, clearly remembering everything she had seen and those she had fought against.

Those images were suddenly invaded by other images, of a grand battle just like the one she had been a part of. Swords clashed against each other, people ran away screaming in terror, blood being spilled everywhere ¾ Eunjung shook her head and opened her eyes to face the portal from where Gyuri suddenly stepped out. The human girl had tears running down her shocked face.

The images that Eunjung had just seen were forgotten as Gyuri wrapped her arms around Eunjung waist and buried her face on the Guardian’s shoulder. In a low faint voice Eunjung heard the one question she could not answer for the human girl. “Please tell me Jaehee will be okay?”

Eunjung could not even bring her arms to wrap them around Gyuri because she felt it would give the human girl hope for something that Eunjung could not assure her of. Qri stepped out of the portal with a blank look on her face and walked past Eunjung, Gyuri, Jiyeon and Jieun towards her girlfriend who was standing by the door to the main warehouse.

Hyomin and Hwayoung had already walked inside the warehouse followed by the rest of the Guardians. Eunjung turned to Gyuri and placed her hands on the human girl’s shoulders to gently pry her off her body. Feeling the Guardian pushing her away, Gyuri let go of Eunjung and moved her hands to wipe some tears away and then completely cover her face with said hands.

The portal wavered as it was getting ready to close and at that moment Soyeon stepped out of it and finally the portal closed behind the High Priestess. Soyeon had a grim look on her face as she looked at everyone standing in front of her. She stepped up to Gyuri and placed a hand on the human girl’s shoulder.

“Jaehee is strong…the only thing we can do is believe in her…” Those were the only words Soyeon could offer Gyuri to comfort her before walking away towards the warehouse. Gyuri removed her hands from her face and looked at Soyeon walk away from her and then turned to look at Eunjung who offered a nod.

Gyuri wiped her tears away again and turned to look towards the direction of the city. Eunjung, Jiyeon and Jieun joined her as they stepped up to Gyuri and set their sight on the city.

“Soyeon unni is right…we have to believe in Jaehee unni.” Jiyeon said with a determined look.





Even though Jinyoung and his army had retreated, the dark thunderous clouds remained. The lightning strikes started to cease and were followed by a loud crackling sound from the clouds. Kyurhee felt a droplet of water fall on her head and it was followed by another that landed on Jaehee’s now exposed arms. Sometime during the battle, she had lost her jacket. The droplets started falling faster and a heavy rain started to drench the entire city and whatever areas were covered by these dark clouds. 

“We need to get Jaehee back to the temple. Seunghyun, you and Jiyong stay back and burn all the bodies of these Shadows. We don’t need the humans finding out what really happened here. Hyori and I will take Jaehee back. Meet us back at the temple when you’re done.” Kyurhee ordered her two best friends and turned to face Hyori.

The priestess summoned her mount and Kyurhee gently placed Jaehee on the ground to summon her own mount. After calling the mount, Seunghyun and Jiyong helped Kyurhee place Jaehee’s unconscious body on the back of her mount after the rogue had taken her seat on the saddle. After securing the unconscious Shadow’s body on the undead horse, Kyurhee and Hyori took off in the direction of the temple.

The dark energies of the temple would heal any other injuries Jaehee might have sustained and would restore her energy. Seunghyun and Jiyong took off to set all the bodies of the Shadows in the area on fire. The green flames would not burn out until the bodies were turned to ash and were carried away by the winds. The scene left behind on the school would seem like the site of several explosions when the human authorities finally arrived.





“Rain has finally begun to fall on the city after these dark thunderous clouds loomed over the city. The lightning strikes have also ended and reports are coming in from all around the city of several explosions going off. One report says that the majority of explosions happened at Korea University. The authorities are currently investigating the very odd events that happened today. We will continue updating as more news comes in.”

Qri let out a sigh as the reporter on the TV continued to talk about the weather with the weatherman. The Guardians had been watching the news to see what was being said and like Hyomin had stated earlier, it seemed as though the explosions around the city had been used to distract everyone else from the battle happening at the school.

Eunjung, Jiyeon and Jieun had joined everyone else inside the warehouse and only Gyuri remained outside still looking on at the clouds covering the city. Hyomin and Kyuhyun had gone to try and contact the rest of the Guardians out in Seoul to receive their reports. Soyeon and Boram had gone to the kitchen area to prepare a meal for everyone.

“I hope Taeyang is okay…and Seungri oppa…Jaehee unni…everyone…” Jieun said as she sat on one of the love seats by the TV with her knees up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs.

“Most of the phone services seem to be down right now Jieun. Once Hyomin unni and Kyuhyun oppa find a way to get through we’ll contact Taeyang oppa okay?” Jiyeon tried to comfort her friend.

Jieun turned to look at Jiyeon who was sitting next to her, “What was all that? You…you have powers…?”

Eunjung, who had been pacing back and forth behind the couch Qri was sitting in, finally stopped when she heard Jieun’s question. Turning to face the back of Qri’s head, Eunjung finally spoke. “Qri, can you open a portal back to the university? We need to retrieve our vehicles.”

Qri finally became alert and turned to face Eunjung. “I can…but do you think it’s safe to go back? We don’t know if Jaehee is still fighting.”

“The clouds seem to be dissipating now that the rain is falling. Whatever happened out there must have ended. We’ll find out when we get there.” Eunjung explained. 

Qri stood up and nodded. “I’ll open up a portal then.”

“Good, I’ll get Hwayoung to join us.” Eunjung said and turned to head out of the warehouse with Qri following behind her. She heard Jiyeon trying to explain to Jieun what had happened and knew that it would keep her girlfriend entertained while she was gone.

Hwayoung had moved to stand outside the door of the warehouse now; she was keeping an eye on Gyuri who remained motionless. Hwayoung felt sorry for the human girl. She hoped to never be in the spot Gyuri was in when it came to Hyomin.

“Hwayoung,” the young warrior turned to face Eunjung, “Qri and I are headed back to the university to retrieve our vehicles. I want you to come with us so get the keys to Hyomin’s car.”

Hwayoung smirked and reached for the copy she kept of the key in her pant’s pocket. “I have one right here.”

The key shined brightly due to the sunlight. Eunjung gave Hwayoung a nod and started walking towards Gyuri. Perhaps letting the human girl know that they were returning to the scene would give Gyuri some relief because they would be able to return with news about what happened. After Eunjung explained to Gyuri what they were doing, she didn’t receive a response from her.

Gyuri was most likely numb to her surroundings at the moment so Eunjung decided to let her be and turned to walk back to Hwayoung and Qri who were standing by the portal the mage had just opened up. Eunjung stepped inside the portal followed by the warrior and the mage.






The path back to the temple was shrouded in heavy rain but the mounts Kyurhee and Hyori were riding seemed unaffected by the heavy rain. Their speed remained constant as they traveled back to the temple. The rogue and shadow priestess were greeted by the sight of Junseop and Sangchu who had stepped out of the temple when they heard the sound of horses galloping their way.

Covering themselves from the rain with umbrellas, Junseop and Sangchu stepped up to the two women who quickly dismounted. Upon seeing Jaehee’s unconscious body on the back of Kyurhee’s mount, Junseop gasped in shock and dropped his umbrella on the ground. Sangchu was shocked by the sight as well but kept a tight grip on his umbrella.

“Oh no! Jaehee!” Junseop cried out as he stepped closer to the unconscious woman’s body.

“Help me get her inside. She needs immediate treatment.” Kyurhee told the two men. Sangchu handed his umbrella to Hyori and moved to help Junseop. They undid the strap Seunghyun and Jiyong had tied around Jaehee’s body and then Sangchu picked up the younger woman and threw her over his shoulder.

Sangchu followed Hyori and Kyurhee inside the temple while Junseop bombarded Kyurhee with questions about what had happened. Obviously everyone in the temple was aware of the dark clouds amassing the city and had been curious all this time about what was going on. Annoyed by her former nanny, Kyurhee asked Junseop to wait outside of the infirmary with Sangchu so that she and Hyori could prep Jaehee for her treatment. She would explain to the two men what happened later.

Normal treatment would not be enough for Jaehee at this moment; the death knight needed the dark energies to flow through her body in order to heal her and restore her energy. Kyurhee and Hyori removed all the heavy clothing off of Jaehee’s body and left the younger woman in just a black tank top and black brief shorts.

Using the stretcher that Sangchu had laid the injured woman on, Hyori and Kyurhee moved Jaehee to a room that was located in the very back of the infirmary. Aside from the congregation room inside the temple, this dark room in the back of the infirmary was the only other place where the purple waves of dark energy could be seen. They rose up high into the ceiling meeting up with the waves of energy from the congregation room that rose up from behind the altar.

In the middle of the dark room there was a heavy long and wide stone podium that was just over a meter tall. All the sides of the podium had different runes carved into it and the top of the podium was completely flat. The dark energy waves cast a light purple glow on the stone.

Kyurhee and Hyori struggled a bit trying to transfer Jaehee from the stretcher to the podium. Once Jaehee was lying completely on the stone podium, Hyori began chanting a spell to divert the dark energy illuminating the room towards Jaehee’s body. The dark energy moved to the death knight’s body. It caressed Jaehee’s skin and seemed to seep into her as well.

“The dark energy will heal her completely but it will take sometime. I can tell by the darker shade that Jaehee has lost a lot of energy.” Hyori commented as Kyurhee kept observing the dark energy surrounding her younger sister.

“I will leave you in charge of her recovery Hyori. I need to take over Jaehee’s role as leader right now and calm everyone down.” Kyurhee explained and bowed to Hyori before walking out of the room. Hyori kept her eyes on Kyurhee until the rogue disappeared from her sight after walking out of the door to the room.

The Shadow Priestess turned her sight back to the unconscious woman lying before her. Hyori moved her hand to caress Jaehee’s face and a small smile adorned the older woman’s lips. She leaned down and whispered something into the death knight’s ear.




It didn’t take Eunjung, Qri and Hwayoung long to get drenched by the rain after they stepped out of the mage’s portal into the parking lot of Korea University. Lucky for all three of them, Qri had opened the portal close to their vehicles. Hwayoung rushed off towards Hyomin’s car and Eunjung walked behind the warrior towards her own motorcycle.

The leader of the Guardians directed her sight towards the school and the land in front of the school after reaching her motorcycle. Parts of the school had been blown up and large pieces of bricks lay scattered on the ground. In the grassy areas lay small craters caused by the shadow bolts and pieces of concrete that belonged to the sidewalks had either been broken up and scattered or completely turned to rubble.

The one thing Eunjung did not spot were the bodies of those Shadows they had killed in the battle. She herself had killed two Shadows near her motorcycle and all that she could see on the ground now was a small green fire burning out and the pile of ash around it was being blow away by the wind.

Hwayoung pulled up behind Eunjung in Hyomin’s car and rolled the window down. “Eunjung, are you ready?”

Eunjung turned around, “Not yet, I need to investigate the disappearance of all the Shadows’ bodies.”

“I’ll join you.” Qri mentioned as she walked up to the space in between the car and the motorcycle. The sound of Qri’s voice stirred the sound of what sounded like whimpering. The mage turned around towards the direction of the Jeep and from her spot she could see a soaking wet Sasha whimpering and calling out to Qri.

Hwayoung and Eunjung turned to look as well and by this time they could see Qri running towards the wet wolf. Qri’s expression was a worried one because the closer she got to Sasha, the more she could spot the wolf’s injuries. One of Sasha’s legs was obviously broken and the patches of blood on the wet fur marked areas where the wolf had been cut by the enemy’s swords.

“Sasha! Oh my God, I thought you had run away from here and headed back to the base. I’m so sorry we left you behind.” Qri told the whimpering wolf as she hugged Sasha tightly. Sasha stopped whimpering and Qri’s face letting the mage know she was happy to see her.

While Qri, reunited with Boram’s wolf, Hwayoung had stepped out of the car and walked with Eunjung towards the school to look at all the destruction left behind by the battle. As they looked around they spotted several small green fires burning out leaving piles of ashes behind. Eunjung knelt down near one of the flames and picked up a small amount of the ashes.

Despite the rain pouring on them and on the ground, the ashes seemed to be completely unaffected by the water and remained dry. Eunjung opened her palm to look at the ashes by they were quickly blown away from her hand by the wind.

“Someone must have set the bodies of the dead Shadows on fire with these green flames. They obviously did not want to leave any traces behind of who was behind this.” Eunjung said as she watched the ashes fly away from her hand.

“What about Jaehee? Do you think one of these piles of ashes belongs to her?” Hwayoung asked.

Eunjung shook her head, “I don’t know. There is no way to tell.”

Hwayoung was about to say something when both Guardians heard the familiar sound of sirens headed their way. The human authorities were finally making their way to ground zero where the main event had happened.

“We need to get out of here now. Let’s go.” Eunjung said and took off running in the direction of their vehicles with Hwayoung following right behind her.

Once they reached their vehicles, they quickly started them and Eunjung turned towards Qri. “Qri! Portal now!”

“I know! I’m on it just give a few more seconds to make it wide enough for our vehicles!” Qri yelled back and turned back to her spell to increase the size of the portal. This would drain her more than the battle already had. Once the portal was big enough, Qri ran away from it towards the Jeep that was idling in its parking spot.

Hwayoung quickly hit the accelerator on Hyomin’s car and sped her way into the portal followed by Eunjung on her motorcycle. Qri backed the Jeep out of its parking spot and then drove it right into the portal. The portal closed behind the Jeep just in time as the police cars, fire trucks and ambulances pulled into the parking lot of the school.





The portal Qri had created opened up by the entrance near the highway of the Guardian’s warehouses. Hwayoung sped through the portal and down the road like she was leading a NASCAR race and only slowed down when she reached the parking lot near the main warehouse. Everyone inside of the main warehouse was aware that Hwayoung, Eunjung and Qri had left and were waiting outside for them to comeback.

They did not know where the three Guardians had gone to but Hyomin was ready to scold Hwayoung for just disappearing like that, so when she saw her blue Nissan GT-R speeding her way, Hyomin looked like she was going to burst a vein.

“Woohoo!” Hwayoung cheered as she stepped out of the car and Hyomin ran up to her girlfriend and grabbed her by her collar.

“Where the hell did you go?! I was worried about you, you idiot!” Hyomin yelled at Hwayoung who looked at the older girl with surprised eyes.

“Whoa…baby, calm down. I went with Eunjung and Qri unni to get out vehicles back.” Hwayoung explained and as she said that, Eunjung and Qri pulled up to parking lot and parked their respective vehicles.

Jiyeon ran up to Eunjung and Boram to Qri while everyone else stood back and watched with slightly amusement at the interaction between Hwayoung and Hyomin. Jieun and Gyuri were the only ones who did not look amused at the scene in front of them.

“Jungie! I was worried about you as well.” Jiyeon told her girlfriend after wrapping her arms tightly around Eunjung’s waist. The Guardian ruffled the top of Jiyeon’s head like if she was child and the younger girl seemed to enjoy it.

“We needed to get our vehicles back and I also wanted to find out what happened to Jaehee.” Eunjung explained. Jiyeon pulled away from the older girl and turned around to look at Gyuri who was looking at the ground while Jieun had an arm wrapped around the older girl’s shoulders.

In the time that the three Guardians had left and returned, Jiyeon had answered all the questions Jieun had asked her about what had happened. Jieun had taken in all the information that Jiyeon had given her and her reaction had not been what Jiyeon expected. Seeing everything happen before her eyes had probably caused Jieun to come to terms that what had happened had not been a dream or an illusion. Everything she had ever read, seen, heard or learned about magic and fantasy had been proven to be true before her own eyes.

This had helped the human girl calm down a lot but she was still worried about her boyfriend, friends and family. Gyuri on the other hand looked lost and her eyes were blank. Jiyeon was convinced her friend was thinking of the worst possible scenario.

“Is Jaehee still alive?” Jiyeon asked without turning to face Eunjung.

Letting out a sigh, Eunjung answered, “I don’t know. When we arrived, the battle had ended and all that remained was the destruction left behind by the battle. Even the bodies of the Shadows who we killed had vanished.”

A frown marked Jiyeon’s face. That was not the news she wanted to hear because it was the news she was going to give to Gyuri. “We need to inform Gyuri.”

While Eunjung and Jiyeon headed over to the two human girls standing next to each other, Boram was tending to the wounds Sasha had suffered. Boram knew when she had entered the portal that Sasha was still battling with the Shadows outside of the Anti-Magic Dome Jaehee had created, but the hunter was certain that her pet would make it back to the warehouses on her own with minimal injuries.

The hunter never expected her pet to be in the condition that she was and Boram was continuously apologizing to Sasha as she mended the wolf’s wounds. Qri had told Boram to stop blaming herself and that Sasha felt the same way because the wolf kept on Boram’s face. Despite knowing this, Boram still felt guilty.






By the time the phone and cell phone services came back, it was already starting to become night time. The dark thunderous clouds over Seoul had gone away and now the night sky was blanketing the city. Some of the Guardians had made their way back to the warehouses and given Hyomin a report of what they had seen and experienced out there all day.

Both Jiyeon and Jieun had called their parents to let them know that they were okay and safe at Eunjung’s house. The girls’ parents wanted them to come home, but as crazy as everything still was in the city, they decided to remain in the warehouses until morning. Jieun had also been able to contact Taeyang and she was relieved to hear that both he and Seungri were okay.

The only person who had not received any kind of relief was Gyuri who kept herself away from everyone else. The news that Eunjung had brought back only caused the human girl more worry and agony. Jiyeon had suggested for Gyuri to call Jaehee and anyone else she could that would give her some information about the Shadow’s whereabouts.

Gyuri had done as Jiyeon had suggested but she never received a response from anyone. Jaehee did not answer her phone and neither did Seunghyun or Jiyong. This had just sent Gyuri into another spiral of worry that could only be relieved by Jaehee herself.

Jiyeon and Eunjung were currently eating some of the soup Boram and Soyeon had previously prepared but Jiyeon kept her eyes more on Gyuri than her food. It was bothering her to see her friend like this.

“There must be something we can do to figure out what has happened to Jaehee. I think even knowing that she was captured or killed would bring some relief and possible closure to Gyuri’s worries. I really hope that is not the situation but knowing something is better than knowing nothing at all.” Jiyeon said while keeping her eyes on her friend.

Eunjung moved her eyes away from her food and looked over at Gyuri before looking back at her girlfriend. “I have an idea.”

“What is it?” Jiyeon asked turning back to face Eunjung.

“I know the location of the temple that Jaehee sometimes resides in. Perhaps there I can find an answer to her whereabouts.” Eunjung explained.

“Why didn’t you say this earlier? You need to go now!” Jiyeon scolded Eunjung. The Guardian nodded, picked up her bowl of soup and chugged down what remained of it.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can. Pray that I come back with good news.” Eunjung told her girlfriend and Jiyeon gave her an approving nod. Eunjung stood up and made her way out of the warehouse towards her motorcycle.





After leaving her sister in the treatment of the dark energies, Kyurhee had called everyone into the main congregation room of the temple. With the King absent, and Jaehee currently unconscious and out of commission, Kyurhee needed to take her sister’s place as the leader of the Shadows for the moment. The rest of the Shadows had not argued over Kyurhee taking the position seeing as how she was their Princess and still one of the rightful heirs to the throne.

Kyurhee needed to come up with a plan now on how to deal with what happened. She needed to assign some soldiers to different posts around the city and overall keep everyone calm and assure them that Jaehee would make a full recovery. The rogue was certain that a lot of the people in the congregation room were currently in shock or afraid of the enemy Shadows.

Feeling it was best to let them rest, Kyurhee dismissed them all. As the Shadows made their way out of the room, only Sangchu and Junseop remained by her side. Seunghyun and Jiyong waited outside the temple doors for everyone to exit out and then they could walk in to report back to Kyurhee.

The rogue let out a sigh of content when she saw the two men walk inside the temple. Seunghyun and Jiyong bowed to Kyurhee as they stepped up in front of her and Jiyong handed Kyurhee Jaehee’s brown leather jacket.

“We burned all the bodies of the Shadows liked you asked. We also took care of those we found through out the city and the ones we had killed on our way to help Jaehee. Jiyong found her jacket on the university grounds.” Seunghyun explained.

“How is Jaehee doing?” Jiyong asked.

Kyurhee was holding tightly to her sister’s jacket and pressed it closer to her body while answering Jiyong’s question. “She’s weak and still unconscious, but the dark energies are currently healing her body as we speak. Hyori thinks it will take sometime for Jaehee to recuperate and wake up.”

Just as Kyurhee finished talking, a guy burst in through the doors of the temple and ran up to Kyurhee. He shoved his way in between Seunghyun and Jiyong and kneeled before Kyurhee. “Princess, there is a human outside the gates of the temple requesting to see you.”

Sangchu, Junseop, Seunghyun and Jiyong all looked at each other before looking over at Kyurhee who was frowning at the messenger kneeling before her. “A human…? Is she a Guardian?”

“I believe so. Her holy aura is quite strong.” The guy replied.

Kyurhee had a feeling it was perhaps that Guardian by the name of Eunjung. Her sister had mentioned the Guardian a few times before Kyurhee had left to North Korea. “Let her in and bring her directly to me.”

The Shadow kneeling before Kyurhee bowed, stood up, and took off running once again to do as Kyurhee had ordered. Two minutes later, the guy walked back inside the temple with Eunjung following behind him. Everyone focused their sight on Eunjung who should have struggled to walk up to Kyurhee due to the strong dark energy surrounding the temple but the Guardian seemed unaffected.

Stopping next to the messenger, Eunjung offered a bow to Kyurhee. The rogue looked at Eunjung briefly, studying the woman’s posture and demeanor. The look in Eunjung’s eyes was blank just like the expression she carried on her face.

“What can I help you with Guardian?” Kyurhee asked.

“I came to find out what happened to Jaehee. Her girlfriend Gyuri is worried about her well being and whereabouts. I thought perhaps I could find the answers here.” Eunjung answered.

“Gyuri is with you?” Jiyong asked but Kyurhee motioned for the warlock to not ask or speak. Jiyong bowed his head.

“Jaehee was injured badly in the battle and she also exhausted all her energy. She’s alive, although weak and unconscious. She’s currently receiving treatment and with the dark energies. Jaehee should recover in a few days. Now that you know this, please answer Jiyong’s question.” Kyurhee informed the Guardian who still remained expressionless after receiving the news about her friend.

“I’m glad to hear that Jaehee is alive and yes, Gyuri is with me though not here. Jaehee asked us to watch over Gyuri when she saved us from the Shadows.” Eunjung said and that caught Kyurhee’s interest.

“Saved you? You and your Guardians fought alongside Jaehee?” Kyurhee asked, surprise marking her face.

“If it wasn’t for Jaehee and her leadership, we could have all died. We were never able to sense the Shadows and we knew something was wrong when the dark clouds covered the skies above the university. She led us through the fight, fighting bravely alongside us and making sure that no one died and everyone escaped. After casting the Anti-Magic dome to protect us from the meteors created by the warlocks, she told us all to retreat back to our base where it was the safest place near the city. After we disappeared into the portal, we found out that what she had told us was the truth, but we had no way of knowing if she would even survive the onslaught that awaited her after the dome disappeared.” Eunjung explained and looked at the ground as she remembered everything that had happened.

Kyurhee was surprised to see that these Guardians were willing to fight alongside her sister. Jaehee had mentioned how she wanted to gain their trust and even after meeting them at the club Kyurhee had had her doubts about that. Indeed, the rogue had missed a lot after leaving for the North.

“You say that Jaehee saved you, but in turn, I believe you guys saved her as well. Without your aid, I don’t think the others and I would have arrived in time to help her. Thank you.” Kyurhee genuinely said and stepped up to Eunjung and handed her Jaehee’s jacket. “Please give that to Gyuri and let her know what I’ve told you.”

“Thank you as well, but don’t you think it’s best that I just bring Gyuri here?” Eunjung asked and Kyurhee shook her head.

“Jaehee asked you to look over her correct?” Kyurhee asked and Eunjung nodded. “Knowing my sister, I’m positive Jaehee will either send for Gyuri or go pick her up herself once she wakes up. The temple is not the best place for a human.”

“I understand.” Eunjung replied and bowed to Kyurhee once again who returned the bow to Eunjung. Knowing it was her cue to leave; Eunjung turned around and walked out of the temple towards her motorcycle.

Kyurhee kept her eyes on Eunjung until the Guardian disappeared from her line of sight. Jaehee was to right to be curious about this one.






When Eunjung arrived back at the warehouses, she noticed that all of the Guardians had returned from the city. Most of them seemed to be heading towards their resting quarters after having a long day out in the city. It was perhaps not a good idea to leave the city unprotected but after all that happened; Eunjung was not going to ask them to go back out there. They needed the rest they were about to get.

Grabbing Jaehee’s jacket from underneath her seat, Eunjung headed towards the main warehouse and when she walked inside she saw that everyone had pretty much gone to sleep except for Jiyeon and Gyuri who were sitting on the big couch in front of the TV.

The Guardian walked over to the couch and leaned just slightly down to speak. “I’m back and I’ve brought news about Jaehee.”

Jiyeon practically jumped off the couch and turned around to face Eunjung while Gyuri simply turned around to face Eunjung. The worried expression that had marked her beautiful face all day finally changed and this time it showed some excitement over the news that Eunjung had.

“What did you find out?” Jiyeon asked.

“Is Jaehee okay?” Gyuri finally spoke.

“Here, it’s Jaehee’s jacket. Her sister asked me to give it to you.” Eunjung said and continued as Gyuri took the jacket from her. “Jaehee is alive, but she’s weak and unconscious. Apparently the battle took almost everything out of her.”

Gyuri was shocked and relieved at the same time after hearing what Eunjung had just told her. Jiyeon smiled and placed her hands on Gyuri’s shoulders. “I knew Jaehee unni wouldn’t go down just like that. Aigoo…I’m so glad she’s okay.”

“Can I go see her? Take me to her Eunjung.” Gyuri told the girl standing behind her but Eunjung shook her head.

“Her sister said it’s best if you stay here with us because the temple is not a good place for humans. She said Jaehee would send someone for you or come pick you up herself when she wakes up. You just need to be patient now Gyuri.” Eunjung told her and Gyuri let out a sigh and nodded.

“I know why Kyurhee would say that. I’ve seen some Shadows argue about our relationship.” Gyuri said while looking down at Jaehee’s jacket and rubbing her thumbs on it as she held it. She pulled the jacket up to her face and took in the familiar scent of her girlfriend.

“I guess we just have to be patient. Don’t worry Gyuri, Jaehee unni is strong and will probably wake up and come pick you up soon. You’ll be safe here too.” Jiyeon told her friend.

“Jiyeon is right. Get some rest Gyuri. You’re welcomed to use the room that belonged to Hwayoung.” Eunjung told her and motioned for Jiyeon to follow her up her room. Gyuri nodded at both of them and watched as Jiyeon and Eunjung walked away towards Eunjung’s room.

The human girl reached for the remote to the television and turned it off. She leaned back on the couch and stretched out her legs to lie on the sofa and covered her upper body with the jacket that belonged to her girlfriend.Jaehee…please be strong and wake up soon. I won’t be completely relieved until I see you once again.





Four days had passed since Kim Kwangsoo’s forces had attacked the university being led by Park Jinyoung. In that time, life for the citizens of Seoul had started to return to normal as much as possible. All news reports said that the authorities had ruled the attack on the city and Korea University as terrorist attack from unknown assailants. The particular weather that had accompanied the attacks was deemed as just a bad thunderstorm that happened randomly.

By now Jieun had returned home and reunited with Taeyang as well. Jiyeon too had returned home, but because classes had been cancelled at Korea University until the damage to the school had been repaired, she had more free time to come and spend with Eunjung and the rest of the Guardians. Gyuri had made herself at home with the Guardians even though she couldn’t help but worry about Jaehee while she was there.

Guardians had also been sent back to guard the city but for the past four days it had been quiet. There had been no reports of sightings or attacks by Shadows. In turn, the Shadows that were part of Jaehee’s forces had returned to training for war like they had been doing before the attack. Kyurhee wanted to move the forces herself and launch a full on attack on Kwangsoo but Seunghyun, Jiyong, Sangchu and Junseop had advised her against it.

It was likely that Kwangsoo and Jinyoung were preparing for another attack as well but leading a demoralized army into battle would not result in victory for the King’s army. Jaehee’s current state had demoralized the Shadows training in the temple; if their leader could end up in such a state after fighting the enemy, then they could only imagine how defeat would come to them if they went into battle.

Kyurhee understood this, and she understood the advice given to her, which is why she remained patient all this time. She would wait for her sister to recover, raise the morale that had been lost among the soldiers, and then lead a counter attack on their enemy. Hopefully, they would not attack again first.





Jinyoung’s heavy armor made a loud clinking noise as he walked inside the cave where the King and Queen were currently being held. The death knight had been patiently waiting for Kwangsoo to give him the order to proceed with the second part of their plan but so far the warlock had kept him waiting. Tired of waiting, and growing impatient, Jinyoung was ready to convince Lord Kwangsoo to go through with the plan.

Lord Kwangsoo was sitting on a chair reading the original Book of Knowledge when Jinyoung finally reached him and stopped to bow at the warlock. Jinyoung’s eyes moved to observe the unconscious King and a Queen that grew weaker as her powers were being drained. The size of the dark orb had increased in size but even after draining the Queen it would not be ready.

Kwangsoo closed the book, stood up and turned to face Jinyoung. “I know why you’re here Jinyoung.”

“My Lord,” Jinyoung began to speak but Kwangsoo raised his hand to stop him.

“Their uncertainty has grown in the past four days. Contact your spies and have them proceed with our plan.” An evil grin spread across Kwangsoo’s face. Jinyoung smirked and bowed once again before stepping out of the cave. This was the part of their plan he would enjoy the most.





Hyori ran her right hand down the side of Jaehee’s face. She continued her trail until her hand rested on the younger woman’s chest. Over the past four days, Hyori had spent most of her time with Jaehee, simply watching over her. Jaehee’s body was being nourished by the dark energies and the Shadow Priestess was positive that all of the younger woman’s injuries had been healed by now. It would only be a matter of time before Jaehee gained back all her energy and finally woke up.

Hyori leaned down to Jaehee’s ear and whispered. It was something she had been doing since the day she and Kyurhee brought the younger woman in here. Hyori hoped that when Jaehee woke up, she would remember what Hyori kept telling her.

The door to the room opened and Hyori pulled away from Jaehee and looked up to see Kyurhee walking towards her. The priestess bowed to the rogue and then set her sight back on Jaehee. Kyurhee observed her sister and sighed; she was hoping the younger woman would have woken up by now.

“Why is it taking so long? Did the battle really take this much out of her?” The frustration was clear in the tone of Kyurhee’s voice.

“She used some of her most powerful spells all at once. I’m surprised she did not pass out just trying to hold them all up. We can’t rush the dark energies Kyurhee.” Hyori explained and Kyurhee sighed once again.

“I know…maybe if…maybe if she heard Gyuri’s voice? I hear from Seunghyun and Jiyong that Jaehee is really in love with her.” Kyurhee replied. She gave Hyori an apologetic look after realizing what she had said because she knew the woman in front of her was very much in love with Jaehee.

“I’m sorry Hyori, I didn’t mean to.” Kyurhee apologized.

“Its fine Kyurhee…I know how Jaehee feels about that human girl.” Hyori replied and looked down at the ground.

The rogue ran a hand through her hair while looking down at her sister. “I’m going to go rest now. With luck, maybe Jaehee will wake up tomorrow. Good night Hyori.”

“Good night Kyurhee.” Hyori bowed as Kyurhee turned around to walk out of the room. The Shadow Priestess looked down at Jaehee once again and smiled. “Perhaps Kyurhee is right. Gyuri might be the key to waking you up.”

Hyori leaned down and placed a kiss on Jaehee’s lips and walked out of the room. There was a determination in her eyes to help Jaehee.





Junseop had taken a walk around the temple in order to enjoy the cool night and look at the bright stars in the sky. He happened to be walking near the rogue training grounds when he spotted Hyori walking at a fast pace through the training grounds. She was headed towards the building where some of the rogues would take respite during the night.

Hyori stopped abruptly though when she spotted Tablo. Curious as to why Hyori would be out here at this time, Junseop made his way around to come up from behind the building. He knew it was bad to drop in like this but he wanted to hear what Hyori might possibly want with Tablo. Lucky for him, Junseop was able to clearly hear the conversation between Hyori and Tablo.

“Tablo, I know you spent some time training the rogues for the Guardians which is why I came looking for you. I would like to know the location to their base.” Hyori explained.

Tablo seemed taken aback by what Hyori had just asked of him. “I know where it’s at but why do you need the location? I promised Jaehee I wouldn’t tell anyone.”

“Jaehee is the reason I need it Tablo. According to Kyurhee, Jaehee left Gyuri in the care of the Guardians. I think that if maybe I bring Gyuri to see Jaehee and talk to her, Jaehee might finally wake up. I want to help her.” The tone in Hyori’s voice was desperate as she pleaded with the rogue trainer.

Junseop was surprised to hear that Hyori was willing to get along with her rival in order to help Jaehee. It was no wonder why TaeIn had chosen Hyori as her successor, the woman had great compassion within her.

“Oh…well if that’s the case then I think it’s a good idea. I can accompany if you’d like.” Tablo smiled at the thought of Jaehee finally waking up. It would boost everyone’s morale.

“No it’s fine Tablo. I just need to you to give me the address or directions. I think if Gyuri sees too many of us she might worry even more.” Hyori explained and Tablo nodded. He told Hyori to wait for him while he went and wrote down the directions to get to the Guardians’ base.

After about five minutes, Tablo came out of the building and handed Hyori the paper with the directions and wished her good luck. Hyori thanked him and took off in the direction of her quarters. Junseop followed behind Hyori after Tablo had walked inside the building. He wanted to accompany Hyori on her trip to bring Gyuri back.

Jaehee had introduced Junseop to Gyuri a while back and a familiar face would help the human girl remain calm and stress free. Gyuri knew Hyori, but just seeing Hyori would probably make the human girl hesitant seeing as how the two of them were rivals for Jaehee’s love.

“Hyori!” The short man called out the Shadow Priestess before she could walk inside her room. Hyori turned around and gave Junseop a curious look.

“Hyori! I heard your conversation with Tablo and I think it’s a wonderful idea. I would like to go with you so Gyuri feels comfortable with a familiar face around. It’s not that you’re not familiar but you know you two aren’t the best of friends.” Junseop explained while trying to catch his breath.

Hyori chuckled and waved her hands in front of her. “It’s fine. I understand what you mean and you’re right. Please wait for me out here. I need to call my driver.”

“Yeah, no problem.” Junseop replied and offered Hyori a smile. She smiled back at him and walked inside her room. About two minutes later Hyori walked out of her room and the two of them headed towards the temple building where Hyori’s driver was waiting for both of them.

The drive to the Guardian’s base did not take as long as the two of them expected. Since it was night time, the traffic wasn’t as heavy and Hyori’s driver liked to drive fast. Upon seeing the lit up warehouses as they drove down the drive way to the parking lot, both Junseop and Hyori were surprised to see that the Guardians would choose such a location to set up their base. They honestly expected something a bit fancier.

The Guardians lingering outside the warehouses stopped what they were doing in order to eye the mysterious black car that had just entered their base and parked next to all the other vehicles in front of the main warehouse. After noticing the car, all the Guardians sensed three strong dark auras and made their way closer to the vehicle.

The doors of the main warehouse opened, and all of the Elite Six stepped outside followed by Jiyeon and Gyuri. The Guardians were unsure of who the dark auras belonged to and were full of curiosity. Hyori and Junseop stepped out of the car and walked towards the main warehouse well aware of all the eyes that were following their movements.

When Gyuri saw it was Hyori and Junseop, she gasped and pushed through Eunjung and Hyomin to step up to the two Shadows. There was an excitement in Gyuri’s eyes and steps as she ran up to Junseop and hugged him. She was surprised to see Hyori, but if Junseop was with her it most likely meant that Jaehee had woken up and sent the two of them to pick her up.

“Oppa!” Gyuri cried out as she hugged the man that was only a few centimeters taller than her. She pulled away from him and bowed at Hyori. “Hyori-ssi.”

Junseop offered Gyuri a smile and Hyori gave a head nod to Eunjung and the Guardians standing next to her. “Junseop and I are here to pick up Gyuri and bring her back to our temple.”

“Were you sent by Jaehee? Has she woken up?” Eunjung asked.

“No, unfortunately Jaehee has not woken up, but we feel that Gyuri’s presence will help her wake up.” Hyori explained.

“Jaehee asked me to watch over Gyuri so without her direct permission, I don’t think that Gyuri should leave.” Eunjung replied and everyone turned to face her. Jiyeon who had now moved up to stand next to her girlfriend nodded in agreement.

“We understand,” Junseop replied and continued, “but we believe that if Gyuri sees Jaehee and talks to her, then she will wake up.”

“Eunjung please. I want to see Jaehee again and even if she didn’t send them personally, I know she will appreciate it in the end. I want to go with them.” Gyuri told the leader of the Guardians.

Eunjung looked at Gyuri’s pleading eyes and nodded. “I understand. Please take care of her and let us know when Jaehee wakes up. As a friend and ally, we are all genuinely worried about her well being.”

“Thank you and thank you everyone for your hospitality.” Gyuri bowed at Eunjung and everyone else. She turned around and followed Junseop to the car they had arrived in. Hyori looked at everyone until her eyes landed on Soyeon’s who had her sights focused on the Shadow Priestess. Hyori bowed and turned around to head back to the car as well.

The Guardians did not move until the black vehicle was out of their base and sight. Eunjung turned around to head back into the warehouse and Jiyeon followed closely behind. “I hope Gyuri’s presence will help Jaehee unni.”

“I hope so too Jiyeon. Let’s finish eating dinner.” Eunjung replied. Jiyeon smiled and nodded as they headed back to the dinner table. Jiyeon was happy to know that Gyuri would finally see Jaehee again.

While everyone returned to what they were doing, Soyeon stood outside still looking towards the exit of the warehouses. She found Hyori interesting and at the same time, she hoped Gyuri would help Jaehee finally wake up.





On the way back to the temple, Hyori and Gyuri had managed to hold a conversation but only because it was about Jaehee and her recovery. Both Hyori and Junseop had assured Gyuri that Jaehee was fine and it was only a matter of time before she woke up. The human girl was feeling relieved to know that her girlfriend had recovered.

On the way back to the temple, the clear skies had suddenly become dark thanks to the clouds now covering it. It began to rain and this slowed down the pace at which Hyori’s driver was driving. It seemed to be taking longer than normal, even with rain, to reach the temple but no one inside the car could make out their surroundings from the passenger windows due to the heavy rain.

Suddenly the driver abruptly stopped the car and everyone flew forward just a bit even with their seatbelts on. Hyori unbuckled her seat belt and was about to open the dark window inside the car that created a barrier between the back seats and the front seats, but her driver beat her to it.

“Miss, someone is blocking out path! I don’t think I can go around them either.” The driver seemed worried and this caused Hyori and Junseop to look at each other with worried looks as well.

“Junseop, let’s step out and see what’s going on. Gyuri, please stay in the car.” Hyori ordered them and both Junseop and Gyuri nodded.

Junseop and Hyori opened the doors next to them and stepped out of the car. The rain quickly drenched them but they needed to find out why their driver couldn’t keep going. The head lights illuminated part of the area in front of the car but they could only spot the Shadows of those standing in front of them.

It seemed as though the people blocking their path were mounted on horses. Horses? Junseop thought and looked around his surroundings to see if he could stop anything but all he could see were tall forest trees. Had our driver taken a short cut?

Hyori and Junseop managed to walk just in front of the car’s headlights when the sight of five mounted Shadows clad in heavy armor stepped up to them. The one in the middle let out a cackle and pointed at the two Shadow Priests.

“Your death is near!” He yelled out and both Junseop and Hyori cast protective shields around their bodies. More Shadows appeared from all sides and both Shadow Priests stood back to back ready to defend themselves.

They started casting their spells to fight off the Shadows and Junseop seemed to be having some success as he brought down two Shadows. His protective shield dissipated and he was about to re cast it when he was hit in the back of the head with a heavy blunt object. Junseop was unconscious before he hit the ground.

“Well, that takes care of him.” Hyori’s driver said and grinned. He lowered his mace and Hyori stopped casting her spells that missed her opponents on purpose.

“Fool…” She said as she walked up to Junseop and kicked him.

“Excellent job in fooling him Hyori.” Jinyoung said as he dismounted and stepped up to the priestess. Hyori bowed at him and both turned to face the car. “Bring the girl out here.”

“Yes sir.” Hyori responded and made her way towards the rear door of the car. Inside the car, Gyuri remained still since she couldn’t see anything through the windows. She could hear the rain and the sounds of fighting outside but suddenly everything had become quiet. The only sound that remained was that of the heavy rain.

Suddenly the door on her left side opened and Hyori reached inside to unbuckle Gyuri. “Get out of the car you piece of filth!”

Hyori’s harshness and words shocked Gyuri as she was pulled out of the car onto the muddy ground. Gyuri pushed herself off the ground and had just stood up straight when Hyori pushed her towards the front of the car.

“Walk!” Hyori yelled at her. Gyuri was shocked and afraid because of the way Hyori was suddenly treating her. The older woman had made her believe that she was taking her back to the temple to see Jaehee not assault her in the middle of a muddy dirt road.

Gyuri’s eyes went wide and she stopped walking when she saw the freighting men standing before her. The one in the middle removed his helmet and grinned wickedly at the human girl. “Gyuri…tell me, have you tried to contact your parents lately?”

Gyuri gulped but didn’t answer the man. Annoyed by the girl’s silence, Hyori pushed her and Gyuri fell on her knees on the muddy ground. “Answer him!”

“It’s fine if she doesn’t answer because I know she most likely has.” Jinyoung grinned. “Do you know why your parents never answered? Because I captured and killed them!”

The look of horror marked Gyuri’s face as she heard Jinyoung’s words and the body of her dead parents were tossed right in front of her. Gyuri wanted to scream, to cry out for help, to wake up from this suddenly horrible dream but nothing came out when she tried. Only tears rolled down her face and her lungs gasped for air as she moved up to touch her mother and father.

Gyuri’s hands never reached her parents bodies because Hyori kicked her side harshly causing the human girl to fall on her side. Hyori reached down and pulled Gyuri up by her hair. “Scream all you want! Cry out for help! Call for Jaehee! DO IT!”

Gyuri was crying hard now, the tears never ending. She didn’t know what was going to happen next but she couldn’t scream. Only one word managed to escape from her lips and it sent Hyori into a bigger fit of rage. “Jaehee…”

“Jaehee?! Jaehee will never be yours! She’s mine! She always belonged to me you stupid girl!” Hyori yelled at Gyuri after shoving her to the ground once more, this time face first.

“My Lord…” Hyori looked at Jinyoung and extended her hand out to him. Jinyoung smirked knowing what Hyori was asking for and handed her Frostmourne. The rune blade shined brightly knowing that it would get a chance to feed tonight.

Gyuri pushed herself off the ground once again and stood up. She turned around to face a menacing Hyori who was now holding a sword in her hands. Gyuri shook her head and waved her hands begging Hyori to stop. “Please Hyori…I’ll do anything…please don’t…I’ll disappear from Jaehee’s life…please…”

Hyori sneered at Gyuri and shook her head. She grasped the sword tightly in her hands and moved swiftly before Gyuri could react and pierced the human girl’s midsection thoroughly with Frostmourne. The hilt of the sword was touching Gyuri’s midsection as the rest of the sword stuck out from her back. Gyuri gasped and her eyes grew wide knowing that Hyori had stabbed her with the sword.

Her hands moved to weakly grasp Hyori’s and look into the Shadow Priestess’s eyes. Hyori’s eyes had grown wide too knowing that she had taken Gyuri’s life, knowing that the human girl was no longer going to be a part of Jaehee’s life, and that made her happy.

Gyuri could feel her life slowly fading away from her just like the blood flowed down her body. The last image in her mind was that of the one person she had grown to love more than anything in the world. With her last breath, Gyuri called out to her once more, “Jaehee…”

Gyuri’s head slumped forward and her hands fell away from Hyori’s. Hyori pulled Frostmourne out of Gyuri and watched the dead girl’s body fall to the ground. Jinyoung grinned and walked up to Hyori to remove the sword from her hands. “Excellent job Hyori. I couldn’t have done it better myself. Lord Kwangsoo will reward you handsomely when all this is done, but remember you must continue being our spy for now.”

Jinyoung stepped up to the body of Gyuri and smiled as he looked at the dead girl. Hyori remained silent and kept a blank look on her face as she watched what Jinyoung was going to do next. The death knight held Frostmourne above Gyuri’s lifeless body and the sword began to shine brighter than ever.

“Frostmourne, extract her soul and make it into my servant! Rise banshee! Rise!” The sword began to pull out the soul inside Gyuri’s body and formed it into a ghastly banshee that looked like Gyuri except her fingers were now clawed; her teeth sharp, ears pointed, and hair wild like a lion’s.

The banshee let out a piercing cry and floated before Jinyoung as he stepped up to her. “Yesss…” He hissed. “You will be the key in finally breaking Jaehee and capturing her.”

Jinyoung walked over to his mount and turned to face Hyori who was now facing him and looking at the banshee created from Gyuri’s soul. Hyori bowed at Jiyoung and watched him ride away with the banshee following close behind.

The four warriors then took turns in beating up Hyori’s driver and Hyori herself. By the time someone found them, it would seem as though Hyori and Junseop had fought a hard battle trying to defend themselves and protect Gyuri but failing in the end. When Hyori’s unconscious body hit the ground, the warriors picked up the dead bodies of Gyuri’s parents and took them with them.

At the temple, in the dark room where Jaehee was recovering, the dark energies encasing Jaehee’s body moved away from her. Jaehee’s right index finger began to twitch and her head moved slightly to the side. With a loud a gasp escaping from her lips, Jaehee’s eyes shot wide open.