Centuries had passed since the end of the War of the Ancients. Human nations had begun to rise and fall as humans struggled to prove each other superior. What remained of the Shadows had been scattered around the world, most of them living as common people trying to blend in with the rest of the humans. Slowly those that belonged to the government of the fallen empire had begun to reassemble in secret.

The Royal Shadow family had settled in the southern area of what in the future would be known as the Korean peninsula but none of the members held any position of power within the new kingdoms of the humans. In this area, a new kingdom had risen over three hundred years ago. Without an official name, the kingdom was just known as Saro-guk or Sorabeol. It wasn’t until King Girim that the kingdom received its new name, Silla.

That was roughly fifty years ago, and now in the newly established reign of King Naemul a five year old Park Sunyoung found herself sitting on the steps that led down to the training grounds for the King’s soldiers. Her father was a nobleman, descendant of the founder Silla, Hyeokgeose. Park Wonsoon was one of the Generals for the King’s army and he was also entrusted with training all the soldiers.

Even though Sunyoung’s mother scolded her for being too interested in her father’s work, Sunyoung couldn’t help but be amazed at how the soldiers moved and attacked with their weapons. There were times when she would pick up small sticks and pretend to use them like swords just outside the training grounds where no one could see her.

One day, her father had caught her practicing sword movements but instead of telling her to stop, he watched and noticed how talented she was. Wonsoon, feeling proud of his only child even though she was girl, had a wooden sword especially designed for Sunyoung. When her fifth birthday had come, he had gifted Sunyoung with the wooden sword much to her mother’s dismay.

When Sunyoung was not learning how to read and write with her tutor, she was out with her father and the soldiers practicing with her wooden sword. Many of the soldiers had taken a liking to Sunyoung and encouraged her to train harder and she returned the gesture to them. But because Sunyoung was a girl, some of the younger boys, sons of other noblemen, teased and bullied her because they felt that girls should not be learning to fight like she was.

At first Sunyoung had not tried to defend herself because she was much younger and outnumbered by the boys. It would only take three times for them to push her around and finally make her break. Angered by their bullying, Sunyoung finally picked up her wooden sword and beat up each one of the five boys.

Sunyoung’s mother was enraged after hearing about what her daughter had done. She yelled at her husband and Sunyoung so much that Wonsoon decided to stop Sunyoung’s training indefinitely much to the little girl’s disappointment. This is why now all Sunyoung could do was watch the soldiers train. Watching them did not mean that Sunyoung wasn’t learning though because at night before she went to sleep, she would practice the moves she had watched that day.

It had been about a month since Sunyoung had been banned from training that one of the King’s messengers had arrived to deliver a message to her father. That night while eating dinner, Wonsoon had informed his wife and daughter that King Naemul had heard about Sunyoung’s prowess with a wooden sword. Impressed with what he had heard, the King had asked Wonsoon to continue training his daughter until she became a well seasoned warrior.

The Queen had given birth to a Princess two years ago and when the Princess became of age, she would need a bodyguard to protect her. The King thought his daughter would be more comfortable having a female bodyguard instead of a male one. That is why when he heard of Sunyoung’s talent, he had requested for her to continue training, so that ten years from now Sunyoung could guard the Princess.

Knowing that the King had personally selected Sunyoung to become a bodyguard for the Princess made him proud and thankful. The King’s benevolence towards his family meant that his work was recognized and that his family would live a prosperous life. With the King being the one requesting Sunyoung to become a warrior, Wonsoon’s wife could no longer argue about their daughter training.

The ban was lifted, and Sunyoung once again found herself training alongside her father and the soldiers. She was filled with determination and a resolute to not let her family and the King down. It would take ten years for the King to finally assign Sunyoung her official position as a Royal Bodyguard to Princess Eunbin.

In those ten years, Sunyoung had learned and mastered everything her father had taught her. The King had observed her training throughout the years so when he finally assigned her the position, he felt confident about Sunyoung’s ability to protect his daughter.

During this time, the Kingdom of Silla had been experiencing attacks from not only Mangal tribes but from Wa Japan as well. In order to avoid losing key fortresses and lives, King Naemul had asked Park Wonsoon to take control of the army and lead the soldiers to defend the country. Sunyoung had wanted to join her father in battle but as a newly appointed Royal Bodyguard her duty was to remain in Sorabeol with the Princess.

At the age of thirteen, Princess Eunbin was growing up quickly and becoming more beautiful everyday. Sunyoung had been enraptured by the Princess’s beauty when she first met her, and Princess Eunbin had taken a quick liking to Sunyoung.

It was during this time, while Sunyoung served as bodyguard and her father was away at war, that Sunyoung’s mother became sick. Even though the doctors tried everything they could to help the woman get better, she ended up passing away just a few days before Wonsoon returned from war. Her mother’s death was taken hard by Sunyoung’s father and even though she tried to remain strong for both of them, Sunyoung would eventually have a breakdown after two months.

This is when Sunyoung first found herself in the comforting embrace of Princess Eunbin. The Princess’s words and care had helped Sunyoung endure the loss of her mother and helped the two of them become even closer. As the years went by, the two girls developed a close friendship.

Sunyoung made sure to always talk properly to the Princess everywhere they went, but in their private moments, Princess Eunbin had asked Sunyoung to talk to her informally. By the age of eighteen, Sunyoung was positive that she was in love with the Princess. Her heart would beat faster every time the Princess would look at her and she would get butterflies in her stomach every time they talked.

Princess Eunbin had a knack for being adventurous and would travel around the country as much as she could. Traveling with the Princess had become one of Sunyoung’s favorite things to do. As long as they remained in the palace, Sunyoung found very little excitement other than being with the Princess. In her time as a bodyguard, she had only had a few encounters with people that posed a threat to the Princess but they were rather insignificant.

It had been about two months since Princess Eunbin had decided to go out into the country and Sunyoung was hoping that a trip would happen soon. She really wanted to get out of the capital for a while and hopefully find some trouble along the way so she could fight once again.

Sunyoung had been assigned by the Princess her own room in the section of the palace she lived in. One morning, while her servants were distracted with their chores, the Princess sneaked into Sunyoung’s room while the older girl slept deeply. The Princess giggled at Sunyoung’s sprawled out form on the bed and so she tip toed her way up the older girl.

“Sunyoung-ah…” Princess Eunbin whispered close to her bodyguard’s face. “Wake up!”

Sunyoung didn’t even move and the Princess pouted. She started poking her bodyguard’s ribs and then pushed her slightly in order to wake her up. “Wake up you babo!”

Startled by the poking and sudden noise, Sunyoung shot her eyes open and jumped off the bed taking the Princess with her. The Princess landed on her back on the floor and Sunyoung fell on top of her. Their compromising position made both of them blush and Sunyoung quickly pulled herself off the younger girl and helped her sit up before bowing and asking for forgiveness.

Princess Eunbin giggled. “It’s okay Sunyoung. I shouldn’t have startled you while you were asleep.”

Sunyoung kept her head down. “What can I help you with?”

The princess moved her hands to lift Sunyoung’s head up so the older girl could look back at her. “I want to go out again but this time I want it to just be the two of us. No servants, no additional guards, and no palanquin. I’ll even dress up as a commoner in order to hide my identity.”

“Just the two of…us? Eunbin…I don’t know…what if we get caught?” Sunyoung asked the Princess worriedly.

“We won’t silly! I’m just tired of everyone following us everywhere. I want to have some privacy where it’s just the two of us. If it helps, you can dress up like a man.” Princess Eunbin grinned.

“I already dress up like a man…” Sunyoung pouted and the Princess giggled.

“So what do you say? Will you go with me on this wild adventure?” Princess Eunbin asked with a hopeful tone. Sunyoung sighed and nodded.

“Yes! Okay, we will wait until tonight to sneak out of the palace. We will meet at the water well by the south gate.” The Princess ordered and then got up and left Sunyoung’s room.

That night the two of them met at the water well near the south gate. They were both clad in commoners’ clothing. There was an opening in the wall of the palace by the south gate that allowed the two of them to sneak out. In about an hour they made their way out of the capital and into the rural area outside of it.

Since Sunyoung was dressed like a man, they agreed to pretend to be a couple in order to ensure their safety. Even though Sunyoung was a highly trained warrior, it was still too dangerous for the two of them to let everyone they came across know they were both female.

The rush of sneaking out of the palace and capital excited both girls. Princess Eunbin had informed Sunyoung that she wanted to head to the southern part of the country. She wanted to go see the sea and play around on the beach. As the days turned into weeks and they traveled further down south, the two of them began to hear stories about the Princess and her bodyguard disappearing from the palace.

Knowing that the rumors were true, the two of them decided to avoid big towns as much as possible. By now the King had probably sent out a search party to find the two of them and they did not need officials in big towns to notice them and realize who they were.

After traveling for a month, the two of them made it down to the southern part of Silla. Princess Eunbin happily ran down the beach letting the waves hit her feet as she ran. She had been to another part of the country and seen the sea before, but this was the one place she had wanted to travel to the most.

Sunyoung was amused by the Princess’s excitement and eventually joined her down by the waves. When night time finally arrived, the two of them laid back on the sandy beach looking up at the stars. Princess Eunbin closed her eyes for a little while and Sunyoung began scanning the area around them. They needed some wood to start a fire so that they could prepare a meal. Luckily for them, on the eastern side of the beach was a small wooded area.

Sunyoung picked up their belongings and asked the Princess to follow her into the wooded area. They could find firewood there and set up camp for the night. As they made their way up to the wooded area by walking through the plain grass, Sunyoung continued to look around their surroundings. Ever since they had arrived at the beach, she had been getting this feeling of being watched.

In the horizon, she spotted a dark figure but honestly could not make out what it was. Sunyoung turned to look forward and about a minute later turned back to where she had seen the figure but this time there was nothing or no one there. Once they reached the wooded area, Sunyoung began looking for firewood and in a matter of minutes, the two girls had set up a camp for the night and Sunyoung had started the fire.

Taking a small pot, some rice, and water Sunyoung began to prepare a meal for the two of them. When the rice was cooked, she split the portion in half and gave a bowl to the Princess along with some dried meat. They enjoyed their meal in silence and after eating, they laid down on the ground near the fire to keep warm.

Princess Eunbin took this opportunity to move closer to Sunyoung and rested her head on the older girl’s chest. Sunyoung was surprised by the Princess’s actions but she could not deny that she was enjoying this moment.

“Sunyoung-ah…” The Princess started off and Sunyoung looked down at her.

“Yes?”

“Have you ever had a crush on someone…or been in love?” The Princess’s question made Sunyoung’s heart start beating faster. Of course she had a crush on someone and was in love with the Princess, but could she tell her? Sunyoung wasn’t sure.

“Yes…I have. Both I believe.”

“I’m in love with someone as well.”

Sunyoung slightly gasped at the Princess’s confession. Many thoughts ran through the older girl’s mind. She was curious as to who it was that the Princess was in love with. There were many eligible bachelors back in the capital that were interested in the Princess and Sunyoung hoped that it was none of them who the Princess wanted.

“Really?” Sunyoung knew her reaction probably sounded stupid.

“Yes…and if you’re wondering who it is, well it’s someone I’m close to.”

“Oh…who?”

“It’s…it’s…you. I’m in love with you Sunyoung.” The Princess finally confessed and sat up. She was afraid of what her bodyguard’s reaction would be.

Sunyoung was shocked to say the least. She couldn’t believe what the Princess had just confessed to but at the same time she was so excited. So happy to know that her feelings would be returned but then it hit Sunyoung like a ton a bricks, she was just a bodyguard and worst of all she was female. There was no way the two of them could be romantically involved.

“Sunyoung…?” The Princess called out her name worriedly.

Sunyoung sat up and looked at the Princess while a tear rolled down her cheek. She smiled and pulled the younger girl into a tight hug. “I…I love you too Eunbin…”

Princess Eunbin smiled and pulled away from Sunyoung’s embrace. “Really? It was me you were referring to right?!”

Sunyoung nodded but the smile on her face was a sad one. The Princess noticed it and wiped the tears away from her bodyguard’s face. “Why are you crying? Why are you sad? This is great news Sunyoung-ah!”

“Yes, I know Eunbin but you realize we can’t be together right? I’m just your bodyguard and most importantly I’m a girl. I’m not worthy of you in anyway.” Sunyoung told her.

Princess Eunbin took a hold of both of Sunyoung’s hands and looked down at them before looking back up at her bodyguard. “You are more worthy of me than any man my father might choose for me. I love you Sunyoung. No one has to know about our love and no one has to know that you’re the one I chose to give myself to.”

Sunyoung was shocked. The Princess began undoing her clothing and opened up the front of her dress to reveal her body to Sunyoung. Eunbin was still covered by her undergarments but Sunyoung took in the sight of the girl she loved. She placed her hands on the Princess’s cheeks and pulled the younger girl into a heated kiss.

That night would be the first time the two of them would be intimate with each other. They became each other’s first in everyway and the next morning Sunyoung woke up to find the Princess sleeping peacefully in her arms. Sunyoung was feeling hungry as well and knew that the Princess would soon wake up with a hunger of her own.

Gently, Sunyoung pulled herself away from the Princess and got dressed. She restarted the fire and began preparing a small meal for the both of them. As she waited for the food to finish cooking, Sunyoung looked around her surroundings again and began to get the same feeling from the previous night. Once again, she felt like someone was watching her.

Soon after, Princess Eunbin woke up and got dressed before joining Sunyoung for breakfast. The two of them had big smile on their faces as the day went on because of what had happened the previous night. The Princess went to the beach one more time and this time Sunyoung caught a few fish that would become their meal later on that day.

By the afternoon, the two of them had started to make their way back home. They hoped to not get caught by the men the King had sent to look for them because they wanted to spend the way back to Sorabeol as a happy couple before things went back to what they used to be. Princess Eunbin knew that she also was going to have a lot of explaining to do to her father.

On the trip back home, Sunyoung continued to feel as if someone was watching them and this time it also felt as if they were being followed. She shook it off as nothing and continued on the trip. A few days into their way back home, the two of them took a different route and this time they had to cross a forest. It was dusk when the two of them heard the sound of galloping horses.

Suddenly there was a wave of panic in both girls because they feared those riding the horses would be the King’s men. The galloping was getting louder which meant the horses were getting nearer. Sunyoung grabbed the Princess’s hand and started running in hopes that they could escape.

Their run came to a halt when two horses appeared in front of them and the riders looked at both of them with big grins on their faces. The two men had not been sent by the King because they wore common clothing and looked very suspicious. If they had been the King’s men, they would have been wearing uniforms and royal insignias.

“Well, well, look at who we have here.” One of the men said as he looked at the Princess. Sunyoung drew her sword and stood defensively in front of the Princess.

“Who? A cute girl and skinny boy trying to protect her?” The other man said and started laughing.

“No you idiot! That girl right there is the Princess of Silla! I’ll put my only good eye on the fact that I’m one hundred percent sure on it.” The first guy said and pointed at his left eye. He had an eye patch where the right eye used to be.

The second man laughed some more. “Brother! You only have one eye!”

“Brothers! Join us! We’ve found a way to make a lot of money!” The first guy yelled out and suddenly more galloping noises were heard.

Sunyoung maintained her stance and looked around trying to figure out how many horses she could hear. She wasn’t able to count all of them by listening to the galloping because they all approached them way too fast. A total of ten men arrived and with the two already there, it meant that twelve men were going to try and capture the Princess.

“Look kid, you don’t stand a chance. Just hand over the Princess and we’ll let you live.” The one eyed guy said. The rest of the men let out a chuckle and looked at the Princess hungrily.

“You’re going to have to go through me if you want her!” Sunyoung shouted out.

“I guess you’ve made peace with yourself already. Don’t worry; we’ll make your death a quick one.” Their leader told her and drew his sword out as well. “Kill him!”

One of the men kicked his horse and began moving towards Sunyoung with his sword drawn and ready to cut her down. Sunyoung pushed the Princess back and started running towards the guy on the horse. She used the side of the leader’s horse to use as leverage and jumped into the air and cut deep into the guy’s neck almost severing his head off his body.

Shocked by her speed, the men jumped off their horses and headed for Sunyoung to strike her down. Sunyoung dodged the first swing of a sword from one guy and kicked his back before parrying another guy’s attack. Her father’s training was proving to be valuable as she fended off the men, but she still remained outnumber eleven to one.

Sunyoung parried two attacks with her sword and kicked the guy in the stomach to push him away from her. As the guy fell back, another guy came up behind her ready to strike her with his sword, but Sunyoung moved her sword backwards and stabbed through the guy’s stomach. She pulled the sword out just in time to avoid another attack.

As she avoided that attack, another sword came swinging her way and left a shallow cut on her bicep. Sunyoung cried out in pain but continued to dodge attacks and swing back at them with her sword. She heard a scream and behind the guys attacking her, she could see their leader running after the Princess.

Seeing Eunbin in danger angered Sunyoung. She charged directly at the guy in front of her and slid under his legs as he swung downwards with his sword. Sunyoung stood back up behind him and cut a deep gash on the guys back. Wasting no time after that, she started running in the direction of Eunbin in order to stop the one eyed man from grabbing her.

The rest of the men did not begin chasing after Sunyoung. Instead they pulled out their bows and started firing arrows at her. When one arrow flew right beside her head and hit a tree, Sunyoung turned around and saw the rest of the arrows flying her way. She tried to dodge the arrows as best as she could but one of them caught her right shoulder and another embedded itself on her left calf.

Both arrows, especially the one in her leg, sent Sunyoung crashing forward face first. One of the rocks on the ground cut into the side of her eyebrow and blood began flowing down her face as she looked up to see the leader grab the Princess. Eunbin screamed out Sunyoung’s name begging for her bodyguard to save her.

Sunyoung grasped her sword tightly and turned around to swing it at the guys trying to grab her. They took a few steps back and withdrew their swords to kill her. They all swung the swords downwards towards her and Sunyoung, who had gotten up on her knees, blocked their swings by holding her sword horizontally. All the men pushed down harder to try and break the sword but Sunyoung managed to hold them back. The pain in her shoulder was unbearable as she maintained this position and the arrow in her left calf seemed to dig deeper into her leg.

Hearing Eunbin scream again finally gave Sunyoung the push she needed. Somehow she gathered up her strength and pushed herself up to her feet and pushed all the men back once again. She turned around to try and run towards the Princess but a sudden dark figure came flying down where the leader of these men was struggling to keep the Princess still.

The figure held a heavy wide blade sword in its hand and cleanly sliced diagonally across the leader’s head. The man’s arms loosened around the Princess and his body fell with loud thud on the ground. The figure turned to look in Sunyoung’s direction and this time Sunyoung got a clear view of who this person was.

It was a woman, clad in leather straps with locks running down her body. Her hair was cut short in a way that Sunyoung had never seen and just the entire outfit of this figure surprised her. She had never seen anyone that looked this way. The woman narrowed her eyes on the men behind Sunyoung and charged at them.

Sunyoung noticed the two handles on the sword and as the woman ran past her, she saw the woman flick her wrists and turn the handles on the sword. She turned around and saw how quickly the woman split her sword into two pieces and instantly cut down two of the men. The rest of the men launched themselves at her but their efforts were in vain. She cut them down like they were just a bunch of bamboo stalks.

Once the men fell, the woman turned around to face Sunyoung and at this moment she felt a pair of nimble arms wrap around her torso. Sunyoung’s eyes rolled to the back of her head and went unconscious.

When she woke up, Sunyoung felt a sharp pain run across her entire body. She tried to sit up but Eunbin pushed her back down. Sunyoung groaned as she lay back down. A few feet away from them, she saw the woman from before grinding down some plants with a rock.

“She bandaged you up and is preparing some medicine for you. She said you’re going to be okay. Your wounds aren’t too serious.” Princess Eunbin informed.

The woman picked up the plants she had grinded down and walked over to Sunyoung. She began stuffing the plants underneath the bandages on her shoulder, arm, and the one on her leg. She then placed a few leaves on Sunyoung’s eyebrow.

“Who are you?” Sunyoung asked the mysterious woman who stood once again.

“My name is Eunjung. I was the one who was following you. I know you could sense me.” Eunjung told her and Sunyoung gasped.

“Yes…I could…but how….” Sunyoung didn’t get to finish her question.

“How did I know you could sense me?” Eunjung asked and Sunyoung nodded. “It’s because I wanted to you to sense me. I wanted you to know I was there.”

The Princess looked at both of them and then stood up and grabbed one of Eunjung’s hands. “Thank you for helping us. I was so afraid for Sunyoung. I know she’s an excellent warrior but there were a lot of them.”

Eunjung pulled her hand away from the Princess’s hold. “Yes, she is. But she was also unprepared for that fight. It seems like even though you can fight well, you haven’t put it into practice in a long time. It’s a shame because your skills are being wasted by being her bodyguard.”

Both girls gasped at Eunjung’s comment. The Princess took offense to it and stomped her foot. “How dare you?!”

“I only speak the truth. Soon you will be married away and will no longer need her services. When that day comes, I’ll be waiting for you Sunyoung. Great things await you.” Eunjung then bowed at the two girls and turned around to walk away from them.

The Princess was angered by Eunjung’s words and tried to chase after her but Sunyoung sat up and grabbed her hand. “Just let her go. Don’t worry about what she said. She doesn’t know us to make such assumptions.”

Princess Eunbin sighed and turned back around. She took a seat next to Sunyoung and gently rubbed the older girl’s forehead. “I promise to never leave you my love.”

The Princess’s words would eventually be nullified. After Sunyoung recovered from her wounds enough to start walking again, the two of them continued their way back home. Before they could arrive at Sorabeol, the King’s men found the both of them and took them back to the palace.

There Princess Eunbin explained to her father that her disappearance along with Sunyoung’s had been her idea. She took the responsibility for what had happened and promised to never do it again after seeing how much danger she put both of them through.

That helped Sunyoung avoid punishment, but the real punishment would come a week later. The King informed Eunbin that she needed to marry and that she needed to select one of the candidates chosen for her.

The relationship between the two of them had returned to that of Princess and bodyguard. Their private moments had dwindled and it was rare for Sunyoung to ever call the Princess just by her name. Sunyoung’s heart was breaking to see Eunbin with the man she had chosen to marry. The Princess had told Sunyoung that she did not love him, that she loved her and that her heart was breaking too, but she had no other choice.

A month later, Princess Eunbin was married off to the man she had chosen as her future husband. He was a handsome guy, son of a nobleman who was a daedeung and who would follow in his father’s footsteps. The day of the wedding, Sunyoung found it difficult to control her emotions but she managed to maintain her composure until she returned home.

Her home was now empty just like she was. Her father had passed a few months ago and the home had been left empty since she was not living in it. Now that the Princess was married, she was informed that her service to the Princess was no longer needed because the Princess’s husband was hiring his own bodyguards. Sunyoung felt like she was worthless now. She had no one in her life that was close anymore and her heart was shattered into pieces.

For the next five months, she lived her life alone in her house just taking care of the garden she had made and raising the animals she had bought. From the gossip in the market, she had learned that the Princess was pregnant with her first child. Because of her nobility status, Sunyoung was able to enter the palace and visit the Princess.

Eunbin informed Sunyoung that she was happy to be pregnant with her first child because she had always wanted children. Her husband was treating her well and she was beginning to fall in love with him. The Princess told Sunyoung that she would always remember and love her because Sunyoung was her first love but their love was doomed since the beginning.

As the years went by, Hyomin continued to live alone and had lost contact with the Princess. She focused on practicing her fighting skills and continued to tend to her garden and animals. It was a boring life, but she managed to find peace with it.

The King’s health had been deteriorating recently and a man by the name of Silseong had returned to Silla. Sunyoung heard something about him being held hostage in Goguryeo in the markets but did not pay attention to the details. When the King passed away, Silseong took his place and became the new King.

It was on that day that Eunjung appeared in front of Sunyoung’s house. Sunyoung was shocked to see the mysterious woman but invited her inside. She offered Eunjung some tea which the woman declined and instead got to what she had come for.

“You’re not at the coronation of the new King?” Eunjung asked Sunyoung who she knew was nobility.

“No, I honestly have no interest as to what’s going on in the palace.” Sunyoung answered.

“I see. That’s good. Remember what I told you in the forest that day?” Eunjung asked and Sunyoung nodded. “You’ve become disenchanted with what Silla has to offer you. You are no longer needed here. That is why I’m here to offer you something new.”

“What do you have to offer?”

“A new purpose in life. Basically, a new life. There are bigger things in this world than trying to rule a country or serve a King. All these kingdoms fight foolishly over land that one day will not even belong to them anymore.” Eunjung explained.

“What are those bigger things you speak of?” Sunyoung asked.

“I fight for the light of the world and that is what you could be fighting for too. The guys who attacked you in the forest were not human. They are the true evil in the world and the ones you and I can fight against and keep in line.”

“So you want me to fight…um…demons or something?” Sunyoung raised an eyebrow and Eunjung nodded.

“They’re called Shadows. I don’t know if they’re demons, but they’re evil. And you have much more potential than you think. I’ll give you three days to think about it.” Eunjung told her and then stood up from her chair. She bowed at Sunyoung and turned to head out of the girl’s house.

Sunyoung watched Eunjung disappear into the wooded area near her house. She sighed and thought about what Eunjung had offered her. In all honestly, she didn’t understand why she needed to do any of things Eunjung was suggesting but it did offer a new chance of adventure.

The three days passed, and when Eunjung returned she noticed the animals were no longer behind the house and the garden was just a patch of dirt. She walked over to the door and knocked on it. Sunyoung opened the door and smiled at Eunjung while welcoming her inside. Inside the house, all of the furnishings had disappeared and the entire house was empty.

“It seems like you have an answer for me.” Eunjung stated.

“I do.” Sunyoung replied.

“And the answer is?” Eunjung asked while turning around to face Sunyoung.

“Yes. The answer is yes. I will join you.” Sunyoung replied.

“Excellent. If you have everything you want to take with you ready, then we will head out away from this place.” Eunjung told her and walked over to the door and opened it.

Sunyoung picked up the bag she had put some things in and then grabbed her sword. She and Eunjung headed out the door and started walking towards to the wooded area.

Before they entered it, Sunyoung stopped walking and turned to Eunjung. “I have one request.”

“What is it?” Eunjung asked.

“I no longer want to go by the name of Sunyoung. From now on, I want to be known as Hyomin.”

“Very well then. It’s nice to have you join us Hyomin.” And with that, the two of them walked into the wooded area.