In this cool and clear autumn night Park Soyeon stared at the night sky from her bedroom window. The stars shined brightly and the candles scattered all around her bedroom lit up the room enough to allow her to draw and study the constellations she could make out. Since she was a little girl, studying the constellations had been her favorite past times, and now at the age of sixteen, she pride herself in all the knowledge she had attained about them.

Her dream was to one day make it to the temple in the palace at Sorabol where she could learn even more from the priestesses there. She knew the priestesses used the constellations to learn and predict the will of heaven but Soyeon was only interested in the stars themselves. In order to make it to the temple, Soyeon would have to become a trainee before she could be a priestess and this was something she was sure her parents would never allow.

Soyeon herself wasn’t sure if she should even join the trainees at the temple but it was the only way for her to study her passion. The thought had crossed her mind before but becoming a priestess entailed a lot of things. The most important one was leaving her family behind and dedicating her all to the task.

Park Soyeon had been born to a nobleman who was part of King Jingpyeon’s court. Her father’s status meant that she and her siblings, all male, enjoyed a worry-free and prosperous life. As of late, she had heard small parts of conversations between her parents about how their wealth was dwindling. Just the other day Soyeon had learned the reason why this was happening; her father was spending their money on gambling.

This worried Soyeon, not because she was afraid of being poor, but because she knew the rest of her family would not be content living as commoners. Even if her father was part of the king’s court, it didn’t mean that he could pay off all the debt he owed because of his gambling habit.

Soyeon finished placing the last star of a constellation and then started drawing the lines to connect them. She was about to connect the last star of the Libra constellation when she heard the sound of a chair crashing on the floor. Surprised by the sound, Soyeon moved away from the window and placed her paper and brush on the nearby night stand.

She walked over to the door and slowly slid it open to not make any noise. The young girl made her towards the common area of her house and hid behind one of the wide pillars. Soyeon spotted both of her parents, her father currently picking up the chair and taking a seat on it. Across from him, she could see the worried look on her mother’s face.

“I don’t know what to do anymore! If we don’t marry off Soyeon to Lord Dohwan then we will lose everything. Her marriage to him will save us; he has promised me this already.” Her father’s words were loud and clear. Soyeon covered as she gasped.

“But dear, Soyeon is still young and Lord Dohwan is so much older than her…” Her mother added but her father slammed his fist on the table.

“He’s a good man and he will take good care of Soyeon and us. Soyeon might still be young but she’s old enough to become a good wife to him. Lord Dohwan will be our saving grace.” His tone was full of confidence as he spoke about marrying off his daughter.

Soyeon was leaning against the pillar still covering . She couldn’t believe her father’s words. He was willing to sell her off, because that is what it really was, in order to save himself. Lord Dohwan was around the same age as her father; he was a big man who was full of himself and already had three other wives.

He was not attractive and in fact he disgusted Soyeon. Since she had reached puberty and started to develop into a young lady, Lord Dohwan had always eyed her with a lustful gaze. The thought of being touched by that man sickened Soyeon. She did not want to hear anymore of what her father planned to do anymore so Soyeon quietly walked back into her room. Sleeping did not come easy that night.

The next day would be the day that Soyeon would finally make up her mind about joining the priestesses at the temple in the palace. Her father had called her early that morning to let her know that he was arranging her marriage to Lord Dohwan. Soyeon had pretended not to know about this and acted surprised at her father’s words.

The man had not even asked for her opinion in the matter and she knew it was because he didn’t care. Her mother had not even bothered to comfort Soyeon after she had heard the news. The woman had just offered her daughter a sad look and walked away. Soyeon gave her a hateful glance as the woman walked away from her.

It was clear to the young girl that her parents were only interested in saving their hides rather than making sure their daughter was happy. Soyeon had spent the rest of the day thinking about the marriage and the temple. The marriage was something she did not want so therefore, joining the temple was her only salvation.

Is it wrong of me to leave my family to fend for themselves? That’s what will happen if I do not go through this marriage. May the heavens guide me to the right choice. That night, Soyeon gathered the little things that mattered the most to her, mainly her collection of star constellations, and ran away from the grounds of her home.

Her family lived in Sorabol, the capital of Shilla, which meant that the walk to the palace would not take a long time. Thanks to her status as a noble, Soyeon was able to easily enter the palace even though it was night time. She did not waste any time making her way towards the temple but because it was night time, Soyeon knew that she would not be able to talk to anyone there until the next morning.

The sight of the temple brought a smile to Soyeon’s face as she approached the building. She stood on the other side of the bridge looking at the temple and studying the beautiful architecture of it. Finally her eyes landed on the main entrance and from it she saw a girl a few years older than her exiting the temple. From the way the girl was dressed, Soyeon could tell she was one of the Princesses but she wasn’t sure which one of them it was.

Soyeon thought the Princess would walk in a different direction, but she actually started walking in the direction that Soyeon was. It didn’t take the Princess and her servants long to reach the bridge and start crossing it. When the Princess neared her, Soyeon bowed to show her respects and hoped the Princess would just keep walking but she was shocked to see that the Princess actually stopped next to her.

“Were you headed for the temple? It’s closed now. Even I could not stay any longer.” The Princess was actually talking to her and Soyeon didn’t know what to say.

Stuttering, Soyeon replied. “Y-yes, P-princess.”

The Princess offered Soyeon a smile and Soyeon felt a bit of heat rise up to her cheeks. She was embarrassed standing in front of the other girl.

“What brings you to the temple this late?” The Princess asked with a tone of curiosity.

“I-I was thinking of…of joining.” Soyeon replied even more embarrassed this time.

“That is brave of you. What is your name?” The Princess asked her.

“Soyeon, Park Soyeon.” Soyeon responded while looking shyly at the Princess.

“It’s nice to meet you future Priestess Soyeon. I’m Princess Deokman.” Princess Deokman offered Soyeon another smile and this time Soyeon smiled back. It wasn’t a big smile, but one subtle enough to let the Princess know she liked what she had just called her.

“I’m honored to be in your presence.” Soyeon told her. Inside Soyeon was jumping and screaming out in excitement. She had heard of Princess Deokman and how intelligent she was. Soyeon could only aspire to be as great as Princess Deokman, even though the Princess had not accomplished much yet.

Princess Deokman turned to one of her servants, “Please prepare one of the spare rooms in my living quarters. Our guest here will spend the night there.”

Soyeon gasped and one of the servants bowed and stepped away from the group to do as the Princess had asked of her. Princess Deokman turned back to Soyeon while smiling. “I can’t leave you out here in the cold. I will have one of my servant’s you back to the temple tomorrow morning.”

Soyeon tried to protest with the Princess about her generosity and how she could not accept what she was offering but Princess Deokman added that she would not take no as an answer. Deciding it was best to just do as the Princess asked; Soyeon followed the group back to the Princess’s living quarters. There, Soyeon had a full night’s rest.

The next morning, one of the maids had brought Soyeon breakfast and then had escorted Soyeon back to the temple. The current High Priestess accepted Soyeon to become part of the trainees because she was not willing to turn down anyone who wanted to join their cause. That and the temple was looking for more young maidens to join their ranks.

Once someone had joined the temple and become a trainee, there was no way for the trainee to leave if they regretted their decision to join until after they were given the examination to become a priestess. It would be their last chance to live a free life once again.

With the knowledge Soyeon had gained about joining the temple, she was positive that her father could do nothing to take her out of this place if he ever found her.

It would take her father two weeks to find out that Soyeon had joined the priestesses in the temple. Even if he frequented coming into the palace, he was not able to spot her once. Soyeon had managed to hide from all the men she knew were working for her father when she was outside the temple. She had even spotted her two younger brothers one day and managed to hide from them.

It was her older brother, who was currently one of the Hwarang from Sorabol who had finally spotted her. Park Yi had told her that he had no choice but to let their father know of Soyeon’s whereabouts. Soyeon understood why her brother had to do that; he couldn’t turn his back on their father, but Soyeon also knew that her older brother’s intentions weren’t malicious.

The next day Soyeon’s father had come to the temple to bring Soyeon back home. He had caused a ruckus and tried to go into the temple in order to get his daughter but the female guards stopped him. Even if he could not enter the temple, he didn’t give up and continued to yell out his demands.

Even the presence of the High Priestess could not stop him from making a scene. She had informed him that Soyeon could not leave since she was now a trainee and he would have to wait on Soyeon’s decision after her examination. Angered by the High Priestess’s words, Soyeon’s father shoved her out of the way and ran inside the temple.

The guards wasted no time in catching the man and throwing him out. Upset by everything, he had not choice but to leave. The look of resignation was on his face after leaving the temple. He knew that Soyeon would never leave the temple and that his plan to save himself was ruined. Everything he owned would be lost all due to his gambling debt.

Two years would pass by before Soyeon became a full fledge priestess. On her first day as a priestess at the temple, Priestess Soyeon was visited by Princess Deokman who had been following her progress closely. Soyeon was honored to be in the Princess’s presence once more.

She had heard that Princess Deokman was starting to be favored by the King to become the successor to the throne. After her sister’s death, Deokman had been working hard to prove to her father that she was the best choice to become the heir seeing as how the King had no male heirs.

Princess Deokman had come to offer Soyeon a once in a lifetime chance to learn and train with Master Wolcheon. He was a Buddhist monk who excelled not only as scientist and astronomer but also as a healer. The Princess was looking to have Soyeon become one of her people as she worked on her way to gain the throne.

Soyeon accepted what the Princess had offered her and after working with Master Wolcheon, Soyeon had gained more knowledge than she ever could have had by just being at the temple. While training Soyeon in the art of healing, Master Wolcheon had noticed the young priestess prowess in this particular skill.

Unbeknown to Soyeon while practicing the skill on a wounded soldier, the Light had embraced Soyeon completely. Soyeon represented everything that the Light was about, her actions were always justified and in her heart there was nothing but goodness and compassion. As she applied the medicine she had prepared for the soldier’s wounds, a dim glow of light formed around her hands and it surprised Soyeon.

She was not only surprised by the glowing light coming from her hands but also how the wound on the soldier’s chest was healing rapidly. Soyeon moved her hands away from the soldier and the glow disappeared. Not wanting to alert anyone else to what she had just done, Soyeon quickly applied the medicine to the almost healed wound and then wrapped the soldier’s torso with a bandage.

The glow around her hands started to increase the more Soyeon tried to help someone with her healing abilities. It wasn’t until the Light fully encased her body with the glow that Soyeon knew the heavens were blessing her because of her great deeds. In secret, she began manipulating the powers she had received in order to make them stronger.

It had now been four years since Soyeon had become a Priestess and had begun training under Master Wolcheon. Now at the age of twenty, Soyeon was in the running to become the High Priestess after High Priestess Sori had passed away. There were a lot of talks going around about who would gain the position and one of the rumors Soyeon had heard was that Princess Deokman had voiced her choice and wanted Soyeon to become the High Priestess.

Unfortunately for the Princess, Soyeon lost that ‘race’ to another priestess who had more experience than her. She was not disappointed about this because becoming High Priestess was not Soyeon’s goal. While she still loved to gaze at the stars, Soyeon’s specialty was healing and it was something she truly enjoyed doing.

As the years went by, Soyeon became one of the Princess’s supporters and continued to train with the magical healing abilities she had gained. By the age of twenty six, Soyeon had gained a reputation of being an amazing healer and was offering her services to those who needed them in Sorabol; that was something Master Wolcheon had done until he passed away three years ago.

The year was 632, when Princess Deokman ascended the throne and became Queen Seondeok. It was on the day of her coronation that Soyeon decided she no longer wanted to remain in Sorabol or be a priestess in the temple. After the Queen’s coronation, Soyeon decided to pay her a visit.

“Priestess Soyeon, it’s good to see you. I heard you wanted to speak to me?” The Queen asked the priestess.

Soyeon bowed respectfully at the Queen and took a seat on the chair across from the Queen. “First I wanted to congratulate you on your coronation your Majesty.”

“Thank you. I owe thanks to you and everyone who has supported me through out the years.” The Queen offered Soyeon a sincere smile.

Soyeon smiled back and nodded, “I’m honored but the reason I came to see you is because I’ve decided to leave the temple and Sorabol as well. I want to offer my healing services to all of the people in Shilla who need it.”

The Queen was surprised by Soyeon’s words. She thought that the Priestess would remain by her side throughout her rein just like other people she favored. “I was hoping you would remain by my side but if that is your choice, I will not force you. You do know that if you leave the temple, you can never come back to it, right?”

Soyeon nodded, “Yes, I know how that works your Majesty. I have no plans of returning to it anyways. Thank you for understanding as well. It’s been ten years since we met and you have been supportive of me all this time.”

“It indeed has been ten years. I want to thank you as well Priestess Soyeon. Without your support I wouldn’t have gained the throne.” The Queen stood up and smiled at Soyeon.

Soyeon stood up as well and bowed once more to the Queen. “I know you will accomplish all that you seek to do your Majesty. Goodbye.”

Soyeon turned around and walked out of the Queen’s room. That day would be the last time Soyeon remained in the palace grounds and Sorabol. The next day, after gathering her things, Soyeon dressed up like a monk and made her way out of the capital.

Her travels around Shilla had made her popular and the people talked about her incredible healing abilities and she was recognized everywhere she went. During her travels, Soyeon also heard about how much Queen Seondeok was doing to help the people of the country and the ex-priestess knew that the times in her beloved country were changing for the best.






“It’s been so long since we’ve been in Kyerim! Last time I was in Shilla, was when I left with you.” Hyomin mentioned as she and Eunjung walked into the region known as Manno Gun. In this region there was also a Fortress by the same name and this is where both of them would find something to eat and place to rest.

“Yes, we have been away from this place for a long time now.” Eunjung said as they walked past the gates of the Fortress.

“So what’s the name of the person we’re looking for again?” Hyomin asked as she looked around the marketplace.

“Park Soyeon. The Lord said that she’s gifted in healing abilities gained from the Light. She’s been blessed.” Eunjung informed Hyomin who simply nodded at the information. A healer sounded like a good addition to their group.

“Did you say Park Soyeon?” One of the salesmen in the marketplace asked and both women turned to face him.

“Yes.” Eunjung answered and the man looked at her suspiciously. He was curious but this woman in front of him was dressed in very odd manner. He had never seen anything like it.

“Do you know Park Soyeon?” Hyomin asked him and the man turned to face her.

“Yes, well no. I mean, I don’t know her personally, but I’ve heard of her. She’s rumored to be an excellent healer. They say she can cure almost any ailment except death. I also heard she was headed to Manno Gun.” The man responded.

Hyomin and Eunjung looked at each other and turned back to face the man. “Thank you for the information.” Hyomin told him and slightly bowed before walking away with Eunjung.

They stopped at restaurant not far from the salesman’s post to get something to eat. The information that the man had given them about Soyeon was a good sign. If she was headed to where they were, then that meant they would not have to spend a lot of time looking for this woman. The only thing that would possibly take time to do would be to convince her to join their cause.

“I just thought of something.” Eunjung said and broke the silence between the two of them.

“What?” Hyomin questioned before stuffing the rest of her rice in .

“Her name is Park Soyeon. Perhaps the two of you are related.” Eunjung joked although she did not laugh.

Hyomin burst into laughter before she started choking on her rice. She pounded her chest roughly with her fist and took in a big breath of air. “Eunjung that’s hilarious!”

She swallowed the rest of the rice and continued, “I doubt it, but if we were, then she would be a very very very very distant cousin or something.”

Hyomin had no siblings and no children so if they were related then their relation would be very distant as well. They were most likely not, since there were many different Park clans nowadays. Hyomin, even though she looked no older than twenty three, had now been living for over 200 years almost 300. Any relatives she might have had were dead by now.

“My jokes are not very tasteful.” Eunjung commented and continued eating. Hyomin chuckled and nodded in agreement.





The rumors of Soyeon making her way to Manno Gun were true. It was the next place she had decided to head to and offer her services. There had been talks of colds affecting many people since the winter season was close. At this time, she made a rest stop in a town near Iseo Gun which wasn’t that far from Manno Gun.

Soyeon was about to enter the inn of the town when she was approached by a man and his son who were in need of her healing abilities. The man’s daughter had a cold and a fever that just would not go away. Soyeon took one last glance at the inn before following the man to his house. As she followed the man and his son, two suspicious men eyed Soyeon from behind a tree that was near the inn.

They had been following Soyeon for sometime now without her ever noticing. They needed to capture her before she made it to Manno Gun and Iseo Gun was the place they needed to do it. The man leaning against the tree turned around to face the man behind him and told him to go tell their master about Soyeon’s current location.

After Soyeon had finished treating the little girl who was sick, she had left a packet of medicine for her parents to prepare for her. The family thanked her and Soyeon bowed at them before stepping out of the house and heading back to the inn. She planned on spending the night and the next day in Iseo Gun before making her way towards Manno Gun.





Word about Soyeon staying at Iseo Gun had spread all around the Fortress in Manno Gun quickly. It didn’t take Eunjung and Hyomin long to hear it while walking around the marketplace and they decided it was best to make their way toward Iseo Gun. They needed to convince Soyeon to join their cause and since her current location was known, it was best to do it now.






In her last day at Iseo Gun, Soyeon had provided her services to a few other families and by the time she made it back to the inn the sun was beginning to set. Before Soyeon entered the inn she was approached by her older brother. She was surprised to see him because she though that Yi would be in Sorabol training with those in Kim Yushin’s army.

“Soyeon! Wait up! I need to speak to you.” The older man called out to his sister as she walked past him.

Soyeon sighed and turned around to face her older brother. “Yi…what are you doing here?”

“Is that really the best way to greet your older brother?” Yi smiled at her and Soyeon looked down at the ground and shook her head.

“I’m sorry. How are you doing Yi?” Soyeon asked him.

Yi scratched the back of his neck and smiled once again. “I’m doing well. I just got promoted to lead the Calvary of her Majesty’s army. General Yushin was impressed with my skills.”

“Congratulations, I’m sure father is proud of you.” Soyeon replied and Yi nodded although he seemed apprehensive at the mention of their father.

“He is in part, but after losing everything he’s not a very happy man.” Yi answered. It was true, their father had become a bitter man after losing all that he owned and lost his post in the kingdom’s government. Being the responsible oldest son, Yi had taken in both of his parents and thanks to what he earned by being in the army, their parents were well taken care off. But their father was still unhappy because he had no money or anything to call his own.

Their two youngest brothers had moved on and lived with their own families now. They were currently Hwarangs and that sustained them just fine.

Soyeon knew that her father had lost everything because she didn’t marry Lord Dohwan but she never blamed herself. She knew her father blamed her for failing to do her duty as his daughter but the reality was that he had done that to himself. Soyeon was not willing to give up her life and happiness for her father’s sake and that reason caused the older man to condemn her for life.

“I know he blames me for everything. Is that why you have come here Yi?” Soyeon asked him feeling rather annoyed.

“No. I came here because mother is sick and I was hoping that you would return to help her with your healing abilities. She also misses you.” Yi explained and looked at his younger sister with hopeful eyes.

He explained what was ailing their mother and tried to convince Soyeon that she was the only one who would be able to help her. Soyeon was saddened to hear that her mother was sick, but part of her disliked the fact that her mother had supported her father’s decision. She was not willing to return to Sorabol now or possibly ever.

“I’m sorry Yi, but I cannot return. My duty lies here and there are people in Manno Gun waiting for my arrival. The only thing I can do is prepare a medicine for mother’s condition. It should help her get better.” Soyeon sternly told her older brother.

Yi sighed and gave up. He knew from the beginning that Soyeon would not return with him but he was at least relieved to hear that Soyeon was going to give him some medicine for their mother. Soyeon wasted no time after that and headed to her room in the inn to prepare the medicine. Yi watched in amazement at how she blended and grinded the herbs together.

After tying up all the packets together, Soyeon handed the medicine to her brother. “Thank you Soyeon. Even though you’re not coming back with me, I know mother will be happy to hear that you prepared these especially for her.”

Soyeon nodded, “Please tell her that I hope she gets well and that I miss her too, but my duty falls before anything, even family.”

“I’ll tell her, but there is one thing I want to tell you before I leave.” Yi mentioned.

“What is that?” Soyeon asked.

“I never liked father’s plan to marry you off to Lord Dohwan. My father saw him as a great man but Lord Dohwan is a disgusting man who deserves the worst. I was proud to see you rebel against father’s wishes and join the temple. You’ve grown up so much and have learned so much as well. I’m proud of your caring heart and willingness to help the people of our country. I love you Soyeon.” Yi bowed at his younger sister and was surprised to feel a pair of arms wrap around his waist.

“Thank you Yi. I love you too big brother.” Soyeon told him before pulling away and bowing at him. They said their farewells and Yi left Soyeon’s room and the inn to head back to Sorabol with the medicine she had given him. Little did they both know that this would be the last time they would see each other.

After her brother left, Soyeon found it odd to be in the room. She decided to pack up her things and leave for Manno Gun which wasn’t that far from here. Soyeon felt like once she reached Manno Gun, she would feel much better than she was feeling now.

It didn’t take the Priestess long to make it out of Iseo Gun and walk down the mountain path to the Fortress. Once again Soyeon was being followed by the suspicious men. This time though, the two of them had a group of five men with them making it seven in total. Their goal was to capture Soyeon before she made it to Manno Gun.

The men were thankful that Soyeon had decided to leave when the sun had gone down and it was night time. This made it easier for them to follow her without being noticed. The leader of the group stopped just a few meters away from her behind some trees. He turned to look at his men before signaling to them to step out of the woods and surround the Priestess.

They ran fast and drew their swords as they stopped in front of Soyeon who abruptly stopped walking and was shocked to see all these men surrounding her with their weapons drawn. They had their faces covered and the only part of their faces that Soyeon could see were their eyes. All the spells she had developed with her powers to defend herself suddenly came to Soyeon.

She did not cast any of them as the men started circling her. She was waiting for them to launch themselves at her and that is exactly what the one who seemed to be the leader did. The man launched himself at Soyeon and tried to grab her but Soyeon managed to dodge him.

Her hands began glowing and Soyeon turned to the next guy who launched himself at her. She aimed her right hand at him and the glow on her hand jumped over to the man chest causing him to fall forward and yelp in pain. She sent the one on her left hand towards the direction of another attacker and then cast a shield around her body to avoid the swords from the rest of the men.

Shocked by the inability to hit the woman with any of their attacks, the men decided to drop their weapons and just try to grab her with their bare hands. Soyeon managed to cast a spell she had been recently practicing and one of the men was suddenly engulfed by flames. There was a smirk of success on Soyeon’s face before she was finally tackled by the rest of the men.

Her shield disappeared as they all tried to hold her down. Soyeon wasn’t physically strong enough to push any of them off and one of the men pressed her face into the ground with his elbow. She heard the leader call out for their real leader. Despite having all these men trying to hold her down, Soyeon continued to struggle against them.

All these years that Soyeon had spent practicing her healing abilities she had also spent finding ways to create spells that could help her defend herself just incase she was attacked by someone. So far Smite and Power Word: Shield were the ones she had perfected. Holy Fire needed more practice even though she had just successfully used it against someone. There remained one more spell she had been working on but Soyeon wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to pull it off.

This spell was strong and it took a lot of energy and concentration to pull it off. It was a spell that benefited those on her side but hurt those who were her enemy. Holy Nova she had named it, and it was basically a dome of light that expanded from her body. Right now, Holy Nova was the only spell that would help her get these men off of her and hurt them as well.

Soyeon shut her eyes and began concentrating on the spell. This would have to be the best Holy Nova she had ever done. It needed to be powerful and big. Soyeon’s face seemed to dig deeper into the ground and this caused Soyeon to draw in all that she had. She pictured a grandiose attack and that was what she was able to achieve.

“Holy Nova!” She managed to shout out and suddenly the dome began to expand from her body. The men felt their clothing burn along with their skin as the dome expanded and with a loud boom, all the men went flying in different directions.

Shocked by being able to pull the spell off, Soyeon moved her hands to help her get up. As she got on her feet, finally, Soyeon looked up to see none other than Lord Dohwan staring back at her with a huge devilish grin on his face. Soyeon panted as she tried to catch her breath and noticed that even though ten years had passed since she had last seen him, Lord Dohwan still looked the same.

“Impressive Soyeon.” Lord Dohwan clapped his hands. “You will make the most interesting of my wives.”

“Even though I’m no longer in the temple, I’m still considered a Priestess. I pledged to never marry and remain celibate when I joined and I intend to keep that promise. I will never become your wife!” Soyeon told him.

He cackled and then signaled the men behind him to capture Soyeon. The men nodded and started running towards Soyeon. The priestess knew that at this moment she no longer possessed the energy to fight these men. For once, it seemed like Lord Dohwan would finally get what he wanted from her and Soyeon prayed that whoever gave her these powers would give her the energy to fight the men off.

Soyeon braced herself when she saw the first man launching himself at her to tackle her. The tackle never came though because an arrow struck the middle of them man’s chest and he fell forward and crashed into the ground. Another two arrows flew out from behind her and struck two other men.

Suddenly a woman wearing all black jumped down from the tree behind Soyeon and struck a man with her massive buster sword. All the men stopped in their tracks and stared at the mysterious woman with shocked faces. The woman turned her head to look at Soyeon and then turned to face the men once more.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! KILL HER AND GET SOYEON!” Lord Dohwan yelled at them and the men finally reacted by drawing their swords and pointing them at Eunjung.

They screamed their battle taunt and launched their attacks at Eunjung. More arrows flew towards the men this time and Eunjung took this opportunity to get down on one knee and hold her sword flat above her head. Another woman came running past Soyeon and jumped up to land on Eunjung’s sword.

Eunjung quickly jumped up and pushed her sword up to help Hyomin jump high in the air and come down to strike one man’s head in half. After he fell, Hyomin struck another man in his chest and then threw her sword at another man killing him instantly.

Eunjung split her buster sword into two and quickly deflected any attacks aimed at her before moving to strike her opponents. In a matter of seconds, all the men fell to the ground dead. Eunjung and Hyomin turned to Lord Dohwan who looked at both of them with a smirk on his face.

“I thought I sensed a Shadow.” Eunjung said.

“And an ugly one at that.” Hyomin added.

Lord Dohwan burst into an evil cackle and suddenly his eyes began to glow red. Two dark matter orbs formed in his hands and he launched them at Eunjung and Hyomin who jumped out of the way of the attack.

“He’s a warlock! Be careful and keep Soyeon safe. I’ll deal with him.” Eunjung ordered Hyomin and started running towards Lord Dohwan. He wasted no time casting and throwing more Shadow Bolts at Eunjung. The Guardian dodged two of the bolts and joined her swords together in order to block another bolt with the buster sword.

Hyomin took the opportunity of Eunjung distracting the man to run towards Soyeon who was looking at everything in shock. It was shocking when she had first seen the glow in her hands, but seeing these two women and Lord Dohwan suddenly using magical attacks was unbelievable.

“Hey! I know this might be shocking even to you, but we need to get out of here now!” Hyomin grabbed Soyeon’s hand and pulled her away from where she was standing. Soyeon began running with Hyomin but never turned to look away from the battle between Lord Dohwan and the other woman.

“What about your friend?” Soyeon finally asked Hyomin when she turned to face her. Hyomin was still running and pulling Soyeon along with her.

“She’ll be fine. We must believe in her but you need to remain alive and safe.” Hyomin told her and Soyeon finally pulled her hand away from Hyomin’s. Hyomin stopped running and turned to look at Soyeon. “What are you doing?! LET’S GO!”

“You friend needs-”

BOOM! The loud explosion made both girls cover their ears and fall to their knees. They turned in the direction of which Eunjung was battling Lord Dohwan and saw a huge plume of dark smoke float up into the night sky.

“Eunjung!” Hyomin yelled out and got up to run back in the direction of Eunjung. Soyeon followed behind the warrior.

The scene before them was an incredible one. There was a huge crater on the ground, around the size of a house, and just ahead of it Eunjung stood in an attack position with her sword extended in front of her. Lord Dohwan, well his two halves, laid sprawled out on the ground. Eunjung had cut his body in half through his midsection.

There was no doubt to Hyomin that the Shadow was dead and Soyeon who was standing next to Hyomin finally fainted. Everything had just happened to fast for her. Hyomin turned to the Priestess and gently lifted her head and tried to wake her up.

Eunjung walked up to the two of them. She had a busted lip and eyebrow but no other significant injuries. “Let’s just take her back to Manno Gun. We’ll explain everything to her when she wakes up.”

Hyomin looked up at Eunjung and nodded. She picked up Soyeon and threw her over her shoulder and then they headed back towards the Fortress.






When Soyeon finally woke up, she was met with the sight of a ceiling above her, a damp cloth on her forehead, and a warm blanket wrapped around her body. She turned to look to her right and saw the two women from earlier. Soyeon tried to sit up but Hyomin gently pushed her back down on the bed.

“You’ve been through a lot in such little time. Please get some more rest.” Hyomin told her.

Soyeon looked at her but didn’t protest. Instead she asked about what she had encountered and seen. “Lord Dohwan…what was that? And the two of you…who are you?”

“I’m Park Hyomin and this is Eunjung.” Hyomin told her and pointed at Eunjung. “We came here to look for you. It’s nice to finally meet you even if the circumstances weren’t ideal.”

“Lord Dohwan was a Shadow and our common enemy. I’m sure he was there to kill you.” Eunjung quickly replied.

This time Soyeon sat up before Hyomin could push her back down. She peeled the damp cloth from her forehead and placed it on the blanket covering her legs. “I doubt Lord Dohwan was trying to kill me…but what is a Shadow?”

Hyomin and Eunjung looked at each other before looking back at Soyeon. “Why would he not try to kill you? You’re blessed by the Light and that makes you his enemy.” Hyomin told her.

“What?” Soyeon shook her head and continued, “Lord Dohwan wanted to capture me so that he could marry me. That had been his desire for many years now.”

“No way!” Hyomin exclaimed.

“Well whatever it was it doesn’t matter anymore. He’s dead and you’re alive which is all that matters.” Eunjung said and Hyomin nodded in agreement.

Eunjung and Hyomin wasted no time in explaining to Soyeon what a Shadow was. If she was going to join them, Soyeon needed to be informed about everything pertaining to being a Guardian. Everything sounded incredibly hard to believe, but Soyeon knew that the two women were not lying to her about any of this. Even though Lord Dohwan had wanted to marry Soyeon, the fact that he was Shadow like they were telling her meant that perhaps he would have tried to kill her because of her powers.

“Those healing abilities you’ve learned and even the magical attacks all come from the blessing the Light has given you. You are favored by the Light and that is why we wish you will join us.” Hyomin finished explaining.

“What you are doing for the people of this country with your abilities is to be commended, but your abilities could be put to use for a greater cause. So what do you say Soyeon? Will you join us?” Eunjung asked her.

Soyeon thought about everything both of them had told her. She was curious about the cause they kept talking about. Soyeon always believed what she was doing was a great cause but if they had even greater one then why not join them? They had already saved her life and Soyeon felt like she could trust the two of them.

“I have one condition before giving you my answer.” Soyeon told them.

Hyomin looked at Eunjung who wasted no time in responding. “What is it?”

“I want to offer my services to those who have been waiting for me in Manno Gun. After I’m done with that, I will give you my answer.” Soyeon told her.

“Fair enough. We will remain in town until you’ve given us your answer. We hope to hear from you soon. Hyomin, let’s go.” Eunjung said and the two of them got up and headed out of Soyeon’s room.

Just like Eunjung had waited three days for Hyomin to give Eunjung her answer almost three hundred years ago, Hyomin and Eunjung waited three days for Soyeon. At the end of the third day, Soyeon met Eunjung and Hyomin near the main gates to the Fortress.

“So what is your answer?” Eunjung asked Soyeon as the shorter woman approached them.

“My answer is yes. I wish to join the two of you so that we can accomplish the greater cause you spoke to me about.” Soyeon answered. Eunjung gave her a nod and Hyomin grinned.

“Welcome to our group Priestess Park Soyeon.” Eunjung told her and the three of them turned to main gates and proceeded to head out and away from the Manno Gun Fortress.