The clock on the night stand next to Eunjung’s bed marked 5:00 AM. She had found it particular hard to sleep earlier and had managed to dose off for maybe three hours before waking up once again. Her mind was filled with thoughts of Jiyeon and of the day before when she had spent lunch with Jiyeon and her obnoxious friend Jieun. Thank goodness that Hyomin had been there to take most of the blunt comments from Jieun while she just stared at Jiyeon’s beautiful face.

She knew Jiyeon had noticed the stare. She had caught Eunjung a few times and managed to simply blush and look down at her food or try to concentrate on the conversation going on between Hyomin and Jieun. 

Eunjung sighed and rubbed her eyes to try and get some of the sleepiness off them. A yawn escaped her lips while she stretched and then headed over to the bathroom. The hot water from the shower felt good on her body. The time when she took care of her personal hygiene was the only time when the black leather straps would disappear from her body, but as soon as she dried herself they reappeared, covering her completely and locking themselves in place.

When she headed downstairs to the cafeteria, she was met with the sight of the priests preparing the tables and chairs in the cafeteria. The rest of the priests were preparing and cooking breakfast for everyone else. 

“Couldn’t sleep?” Soyeon asked her while carrying two plates of food. She placed the plates on the table near Eunjung and motioned for her to sit.

“Yeah. I think I barely managed a few hours.” Eunjung replied and grabbed a pair of chop sticks from the holder in the middle of the table.

“Is it the thought of going to school that’s keeping you awake or is it Jiyeon?” Soyeon smirked and took a bite of her breakfast. Eunjung was caught off guard by Soyeon’s comment.

“I…Jiyeon-ah…” Eunjung sighed, “Yes, I was thinking of Jiyeon.”

“Hyomin told me about her. And also about the way you look at her.” Soyeon explained and placed a hand on Eunjung’s forearm. “Hyomin said that when she shook Jiyeon’s hand that it calmed her down. She’s quite strong if she can affect both of you and she hasn’t even developed or discovered her powers yet.”

“I don’t know why but I feel a special connection to her. She makes me feel things. Things that I haven’t felt before and I like it. I honestly can’t wait to see her and be around her.” Eunjung’s tone seemed to perk up a little just talking about Jiyeon.

“It has to be her aura that does that to you. She probably affects all of us in a different way and with you; her presence allows you to actually feel emotions. You were the first of the Guardians, so your connection to the Chosen One is probably stronger than what we can feel.” Soyeon’s words made sense to Eunjung, but a part of her told her that it had to be much more than that.

Eunjung nodded and continued eating her breakfast. The two of them continued eating in silence for a few minutes before Soyeon broke the silence by sliding her chair back and getting off her seat. Eunjung turned to see her head towards the kitchen area and then turned back to her food. A black backpack appeared in front of her as she took her last bite.

She looked up at Soyeon who was smiling at her. “I got you this last night when I was on watch duty. Luckily for you, the toy store near Jiyeon’s house also sells school supplies. I even got you this since you‘re majoring in ‘archeology‘.”

Soyeon pulled out a purple stuffed Stegosaurus keychain from the backpack and handed it to Eunjung.

“Thank you.” Eunjung studied the details on the stuffed dinosaur then attached it to one of the zipper handles. “You know, Jiyeon has a stuffed dinosaur on her backpack too.”

“Really? Well, I guess you guys have couple key chains.” Soyeon giggled at her own comment and noticed the slight glimmer in Eunjung’s eyes. Eunjung looked at the priest and simply nodded letting Soyeon know that she too found her comment amusing.





The warmth of the morning sun marked the end of the shift for the group Qri had been assigned to. Seeing as how she was the strongest of the Guardians in the group, she had made herself their leader and had sent them off before the sun even finished rising. Her group was assigned to the location of Jiyeon’s apartment building. Hyomin had felt that one of the Elite Six should always be near the girl.

Qri had made her way down to the entrance of the apartment building. Her plan was to see Eunjung before she headed to school with Jiyeon. She had taken a seat in one of the benches placed just outside the doors. The chirping of the birds in the trees near the bench aided in making this a beautiful morning.

Qri grinned when she saw Eunjung pull up a few minutes after she had been sitting. She headed towards the Guardian and s her arms around Eunjung’s neck catching the short haired girl by surprise. “Eunjung!”

“Good morning.” Eunjung said and freed herself from the mage’s hold. Qri ran her hand down the black and white plaid shirt the taller girl was wearing and grinned.

“You look so hot.” Qri complimented Eunjung while running her hand down the black tank top underneath the plaid shirt. Eunjung shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She was flattered by the girl’s compliment but she couldn’t reciprocate the same feelings to Qri. Sure, the mage was beautiful in her own right, but Eunjung saw her as a comrade and friend.

“Thank you…but um, didn’t your shift end a little while ago.” Eunjung asked and dismounted her motorcycle. 

“Yes, but I decided to wait here until you arrived. You know, to make sure nothing happened, but mostly because I wanted to wish you good luck.” Qri shrugged and ran her hand down the side of Eunjung’s face.

Ten floors above the two Guardians, Jiyeon what witnessing the interaction happening outside her apartment building. She had woken up a few minutes prior, on time this time too, and had headed over to her window to look outside before getting ready for school. The brightness of the sun seemed stronger than usual today, which was what had attracted her to look outside for once.

She felt a bit of jealousy looking at the long haired girl hang all over Eunjung. Who does she think she is hanging all over her like that! Eunjung is mine! Wait, what are you saying to yourself Park Jiyeon?

Closing her drapes, Jiyeon ran off towards her bathroom to shower. She barely even knew Eunjung and thoughts of a crush and considering Eunjung hers’ was ridiculous. What she needed to find out is why the short haired girl had suddenly appeared in her life, why she was waiting outside for her every morning, and who those cloaked people were from the other night. She had many questions that needed to be answered and she was determined to get those answers today.

After showering and getting dressed, she kissed her mother goodbye and told her that she would buy breakfast on the way to school. Her mother tried to protest but Jiyeon had made it out the door before the woman could get a word out. Once Jiyeon exited the elevator that took her to the first floor, she noticed that the girl that was with Eunjung earlier was still there and still fawning all over her.

“Jungie~ Please tell Hyomin to take me off this-” Qri’s begging was cut short by Jiyeon.

“Eunjung!” Jiyeon waved at her and smiled. Eunjung’s head snapped towards Jiyeon’s direction and then made a dash towards the brunette. Qri scowled at the young girl who had not only interrupted her but had stolen Eunjung’s attention.

“Hey Jiyeon! How are you today? Ready for school?” The excitement in Eunjung’s voice shocked Qri. She had never heard their leader talk with such enthusiasm in her voice.

Jiyeon’s eyes met the shocked mage’s for a second. She smirked and then gave Eunjung a sickening sweet smile, according to Qri. “I’m doing well. Finally managed to get up early.”

Jiyeon giggled and continued, “I should have dressed a little more appropriate for your motorcycle though. These sundresses are not the best but they’re my favorite.” 

She pouted and twisted and curled the bottom of her dress a bit which caught Eunjung’s attention. Qri narrowed her eyes at Jiyeon and gritted her teeth. How dare she flirt with my Jungie? She’s mine you stupid girl!

Deciding to stand up to Jiyeon, Qri stepped closer to the two and introduced herself. “I’m Qri, Eunjung’s girlfriend.”

Eunjung’s eyes grew wide and she snapped at Qri. “No! We’re just friends! Don’t lie Qri!”

“It’s nice to finally meet you Qri. I heard a lot about you from Hyomin yesterday.” She grabbed the mage’s right hand and shook it. Qri was caught off guard by the sudden energy flowing through her body. All the jealousy that she felt towards Jiyeon disappeared and now she regretted what she had said.

“I hope they were good things. It’s nice to meet you too Jiyeon, and Eunjung and are I are just close friends, but you know, I like saying girlfriends.” Qri let out a nervous chuckle. She was surprised with how humble she was suddenly sounding. It was so unlike her and it all had to do with Jiyeon’s touch.

Eunjung raised an eyebrow at the mage. She too was surprised by Qri’s sudden change. Soyeon’s words resounded in her head again. She probably affects all of us in a different way…

“Well, I need to get going. I hope you guys have a good day at school. I’ll see you later Eunjung. Bye!” Qri bowed at both girls and turned around to walk away. The two girls watched the mage cross the street and disappear around the nearest corner.

“Jiyeon, I’m sorr-”Eunjung tried to apologize for Qri’s words but she too was cut off by Jiyeon.

“No Eunjung. I want you to tell me who you are. Why have you suddenly appeared in my life and what’s going on? Tell me the truth…please.” Jiyeon took a hold of both of Eunjung’s hands and pressed them close to her chest.

The Guardian’s breath was suddenly caught in . She could feel Jiyeon’s heartbeat and the hold and closeness sent waves of pleasure across her body. “Jiyeon…I will tell you everything…but not right now. Later today okay?”

Eunjung felt heat rise up to her cheeks and for the first time, she was blushing. Blushing at Jiyeon’s touch and how soft the girl’s hands felt on her face. Jiyeon, who was now cupping Eunjung’s face, lightly rubbed the taller girl’s cheeks and nodded. “Okay. Let’s head to school now. I don’t want you to be late on your first day.”

Eunjung nodded and lead both of them towards the motorcycle. She helped Jiyeon mount the vehicle first and then mounted it herself. Once they were both ready, she the motorcycle and headed out towards the university.





Unlike the bright and warm sunshine that covered Seoul, the mountainous area where the Shadows made their training grounds home was covered with dark clouds, thunder and lightning. The area was filled with fog that clung low to the ground. Loud thunder rolled in the clouds and rain began pouring with great intensity. Jaehee found herself drenched in a matter of seconds. The rain washed away some of the blood on her body and stung every time it hit one of the many shallow cuts that littered her body.

Her breathing was still fast, the fact that she was standing for a few seconds without moving had not slowed it down one bit. From her peripheral vision she could see the two swords headed straight towards her, the undead warriors were being relentless. They allowed her no time to catch her breath but her movements were still quick and effortless. She dodged both swords by moving her torso and head back, but the sword coming from her right side hit the edge of the sword coming from her left. The tip of the right sword caught the area right below her left eye and awarded her with a new cut.

It was a shallow cut, but it still bled enough to cover most of the area underneath it. The bit that reached her jaw dripped down onto her shirt as she moved backwards once again to dodge more attacks from both undead. The metal armor covering parts of the undead warriors’ bodies made clanking noises as they hit the uncovered bones on their bodies.

The one attacking from the left decided to strike at Jaehee in an upwards angle to her right side. She side stepped to her left and grabbed his arm to stop his attack. The undead to her right was now directly across from her and wasted not time to launch his attack.

The heavy two handed axe wielded by her right hand swung down hard into the shoulder of the undead warrior and sliced him two at an angle. She then harshly yanked the arm of the undead that had attacked first. The arm came out of its socket leaving the undead completely defenseless. Jaehee discarded his arm and took a hold of the heavy axe with both hands. She swung the axe and beheaded the warrior.

She turned to look in every direction around her. Her boots sank into the muddy ground as she moved and the ground was covered in limbs of undead warriors. She took a deep breath and rammed the axe into the mud at an angle. Her eyes radiated a bright green as she began casting a spell to resurrect the undead warriors. 

“Haven’t you had enough of chopping these things down?” Kyurhee’s unmistakable voice stopped Jaehee’s spell casting. She turned around to look at her sister and sighed.

“You returned sooner than I expected.” She grabbed the axe and headed towards her sister.

“Yeah, well when you have your own people following you and trying to kill you, it’s not much fun.” Usually Kyurhee’s tone would be filled with sarcasm but this time it wasn’t.

“You were followed all the way to Turkey?” Jaehee asked raising an eyebrow.

Kyurhee nodded. “Yes, and they were able to hide their presence from me. I couldn’t sense any dark magic around me. I was completely caught off guard when they attacked me. I killed them, but when I searched their bodies for any clues as to who they were or who sent them, I found nothing.”

“This probably has to do with the message Seunghyun received yesterday.” Jaehee turned to look towards the temple which was located north of their position. “Follow me.”

Outside of the temple, the bodies of the King’s men had been laid out on podiums for their families to arrive and pay their respects before they were buried. Kyurhee’s face was filled with shock when she first saw them. She ran a hand over the armor of one of the men; the carefully crafted plate armor reminded her of her father.

“These guys…they’re some of father’s most loyal men. What happened?” Kyurhee traced the outline of the royal insignia on the right side of the chest plate.

“They arrived bearing a message for Seunghyun. They said that death would come to those of us who do not join them, and that the time of the Shadows is upon the world once more. According to Seunghyun, they were dead before they even arrived. Someone resurrected them and took control of their bodies to deliver that message.” Jaehee’s explanation had Kyurhee’s thoughts running wild.

On one hand it made sense for the Shadows to take control of the world once again, but seeing that it had been her father’s men who had delivered such message meant that her father was in danger or possibly dead himself. That did not sit well with the rogue.

“Who ever did this probably has dad or worse…they killed him already!” Kyurhee slammed her fist onto the stone podium.

“I know…which is why I’ve asked Jiyong and Seunghyun to find out who is behind this.” Jaehee placed a hand on her sister’s shoulder to calm her down.

“I want to help find out who they are as well because they already consider us better off dead. They tried to kill me already, they will probably try again, and eventually they’ll go after you and mom.” Kyurhee slammed her fist on the podium once more.

Jaehee smiled at her sister’s determination and nodded. “I would appreciate that. I on the other hand plan on getting closer to the Chosen One.”

Kyurhee frowned at her sister. “Why? She’s probably surrounded by her Guardians.”

Jaehee grinned. “Exactly.”

Kyurhee raised an eyebrow and asked, “And how are you going to do this?”

“By going to the same school she goes to. I’ve already filled out everything I needed, paid the tuition, and got accepted thanks to my excellent score in the college entrance exams. I’m supposed to be starting today.” Jaehee’s grin lit up her face but not in the way Kyurhee expected. Her younger sister seemed more excited than devious.






“Eunjung your Stegosaurus key chain is so cute!” Jiyeon fawned over the purple dinosaur attached to Eunjung’s backpack. She swung the dinosaur’s spiked tail back and forth while taking a bite of her breakfast sandwich.

Eunjung’s face showed the faintest of smiles. “My friend bought it for me. She also bought me this backpack.”

They had stopped at a café near the school so Jiyeon could buy breakfast and now they sat on Eunjung’s motorcycle in the school’s parking lot facing each other. Eunjung sat with her backpack in front of her while Jiyeon happily played with the stuffed dinosaur. 

“It wasn’t Qri right?” Jiyeon was curious about the other girl. She obviously seemed to be crushing on Eunjung but from what she had heard the previous day she knew the girl could be egotistical and demanding. She didn’t want to dislike Qri but the mage was making it very hard on Jiyeon, especially since she too seemed to be developing a crush on the mysterious girl in front of her.

Eunjung shook her head, “No. It was Soyeon. She’s a really good friend.”

Jiyeon nodded and smiled. “She doesn’t have a crush on you like Qri does right? Because I have a feeling that you’re quite popular with girls.”

“No! No!” Eunjung shook her head and waved her hands in the air. “Honestly, Soyeon is more like a mom to us. I’ll introduce you.”

Jiyeon chuckled, “I was only kidding, but I would love to meet her. Like I said, I want to know more about you and about everything that’s happened.”

“Right.” Eunjung replied and was about to continue when the sound of Jiyeon’s cell phone interrupted her.

The younger girl picked up and from the sound of it, it was Jieun. After ending the call, the two of them headed towards the main entrance of the school to meet up with Jieun. Jiyeon had made sure to hold hands with the older girl as they walked. Eunjung’s senses heightened when they neared the main entrance. The same dark magic from the previous day was in the school’s vicinity again.

By the gates of the school they noticed Jieun yelling at a girl much taller than her. The short girl was pointing at the other one with her guitar case while the taller one waved her arms and motioned to Jieun that she was crazy. Eunjung’s hold on Jiyeon’s hand tightened, something the younger girl noticed.

“You crossed the street when they light told you not to!”

“You should pay more attention when driving! And you owe me my lunch!”

“Jieun?” Jiyeon’s voice interrupted the argument between the two women.

“What?!” Jieun’s shout startled Jiyeon a bit and Eunjung stared down the taller woman next to Jieun.

“Sorry, it’s just this jerk almost ran me over!” Jieun yelled and pointed at Jaehee.

“But I didn’t and I told you I would compensate you for your spilled lunch. Jeez. Calm down already.” Jaehee replied and crossed her arms.

“Jieun let it go okay? You’re fine and don’t worry about lunch.” Jiyeon let go of Eunjung’s hand to place her hands around her best friend’s shoulders. Jieun puffed and nodded her head.

“I’m sorry about my friend.” Jiyeon apologized to the taller women but frowned when she got a better look at her face. “Don’t I know you?”

“Yes, you’re the girl who bumped into me the other day!” Jaehee grinned and pointed at Jiyeon. “I never got your name by the way.”

“And I didn’t properly apologize and thank you for helping me.” Jiyeon bowed at Jaehee, and to Eunjung’s dislike, offered her hand to the taller woman. “I’m Park Jiyeon.”

Jaehee reached out and shook Jiyeon’s hand; the burning sensation quickly engulfed her hand. “I’m Kang Jaehee.”

“Nice to meet you.” They both said at the same time.

Eunjung stepped closer to Jiyeon and Jieun. “We should get going.”

Jiyeon nodded at Eunjung and then turned back to Jaehee, “We need to get to class but it was nice seeing you again Jaehee. Do you go to school here by the way?”

“I’m either going to start today or tomorrow. It depends on what they tell me at the Admission’s Office. Either way I won’t have missed much since classes didn’t start ‘til just a few days ago. So I guess I’ll be seeing you guys around?” Jaehee explained and smiled.

She turned to Jieun, “Once again, I’m sorry I almost ran you over Jieun but I’d be willing to take you out to lunch if you want. Actually, the three of you can come.”

Jieun narrowed her eyes at the taller woman but sighed in resignation. “Fine, I’ll accept your invitation to lunch, but you two have to come with me!”

“We’ll be there. I’m Eunjung by the way.” Eunjung offered her hand to Jaehee. This was her opportunity to know more about the Shadow and find out more about her. Jaehee shook Eunjung’s hand and gave a genuine smile. Unlike the burning sensation she received for shaking Jiyeon’s hand, shaking Eunjung’s hand caused absolutely no reaction. To the Guardian, the Shadow’s dark magic felt strong, alluring, and soothing. Her dark magic is not evil and twisted. Interesting.

The girl bid farewell to Jaehee and headed towards the school while the Shadow headed to her car to go park it where it wouldn’t get towed. Jieun skipped her way ahead of Jiyeon and Eunjung who were once again holding hands. Once inside the school, Eunjung seemed mesmerized by all the students walking in and about. It gave the hallway more life than when they were empty.

After asking Eunjung to show them her schedule, the two girls were shocked to see that the Guardian’s classes were the same as Jiyeon’s. Jieun snorted once she thought about how her best friend seemed to have a crush on Eunjung. She knew that now that the two girls would be spending all their time together, that they would end up growing closer and possibly dating. This made Jieun happy for her best friend.

The three of them had their first class together so they started walking towards the classroom. While there were people standing around and in the middle of the hallway, they noticed that suddenly people standing in the middle of the hallway were starting to part away to let someone walkthrough. 

Park Gyuri walked the hallways of the school with such a confident aura that no one stood on her way. Her beauty had made her instantly popular; guys wanted to date her, girls wanted to be her, and others hated her. Despite her popularity, she was known for her cold demeanor and narcissism. She liked to make sure things went her way and whatever she wanted she would get.

Jiyeon and Jieun stopped walking and pulled Eunjung towards the nearest wall. Both girls disliked Gyuri; they had known her since high school, and back then she used to pick on the two of them. Unfortunately for them, Gyuri had been accepted to Korea University and they even shared a few classes together. They had no intention of dealing with the girl if she said something, but they knew that she would mostly likely just pass by them without even giving them a glance.

To say that they were surprised when Gyuri stopped in front of the three of them was an understatement. Jieun and Jiyeon’s eyes grew wide and their mouths hung open when Gyuri seductively grinned at Eunjung.

“Jiyeon-ah, introduce me to your friend.” Gyuri ran a hand down Eunjung’s shirt while looking directly at the taller girl. Eunjung didn’t move and looked back at Gyuri with a blank look. Jiyeon balled up her fists and glared at Gyuri. She didn’t want to introduce Eunjung to her.

“I guess since you’re not going to, I’ll introduce myself.” Gyuri stepped a little closer to Eunjung and smiled. “I’m Park Gyuri, and you are?”

“Ham Eunjung.” The taller girl answered and stepped back.

Gyuri grinned, “Eunjung is a fitting name for someone as hot as you. I hope to see you around often.” She winked at Eunjung and stepped away from her. She smirked at Jiyeon and Jieun and continued on her path towards her classroom.

“I can’t stand her!” Jiyeon growled.

“Me either.” Jieun agreed. “Let’s just get to class.”

The three of them continued in the direction they were headed. Before entering the classroom, Eunjung finally commented. “Gyuri sounds like Qri. They both make me uncomfortable.”

Jiyeon and Jieun laughed.





Thousands of miles away from the city of Seoul, and of South Korea, King Kang Daesung was chained onto the wall of a cave. He was barely conscious but he could still hear the steps of the people approaching him. From his body, a pink energy wave moved towards a black orb that floated in front of him.

He tried to open his eyes but his eyelids were heavy and in his weakened state he couldn’t fight back to stay awake. He slipped back into unconsciousness before the two figures arrived. The two figures stood before the weakened King of the Shadows.

“He grows weaker as the days go by but his power alone is not enough to energize the orb. I have already sent men to capture his daughters but the task is harder than I expected. The rogue is extremely skilled; she killed four of my men already.” The figure covered in plate armor spoke.

The robed figure spoke next. “I don’t care how many men it takes, just make sure you capture them. Once we have them, we will only need the Chosen One to complete our plan. We will turn this world into ashes!”

The robed figure ran their hand over the book they were carrying. With the original Book of Knowledge in our hands, no one will be able to stop us.