*AN: Sorry folks, there are going to be no gifs in this chapter. I've gotten really busy again, but I didn't want to keep delaying this. I really want to wrap up Season 2 of BG, so here we gooooo~

Previously on Black Gold:

Taeyeon: Yoona? What’s wrong?

Yoona: I-I-I…I…I thought I might be able to fix it on my own, b-but it’s not getting any better.

Taeyeon: …Yoona…show me.

//

Yoona: D-do you know ho-how long this is going to take?

Taeyeon: I don’t know. I wasn’t bitten, so my transition was a little different.

Yoona: …I-I’m not going to change like you, am I?

//

Yuri: You’re asking me if I think its best that Yoona…gets a mercy killing?

Taeyeon: She wouldn’t want to be left like this. She asked me not to leave her like this.

Yuri: Then why are you even asking me? You already know what you have to do.

Yuri stares across the dungeon floor at her former roommate and shivers at the murderous glare that she’s receiving. Taeyeon’s bright gold eyes have always been hypnotic, but Yuri finds Yoona’s new eyes terrifying. Her fierce heterochromia stare doesn’t suit the soft features of her face at all.

“The full moon’s tonight, so…so we really need you to snap out of it, please,” Yuri begs. “The sun’s not even up yet. You have plenty of time before the full moon is active tonight. You can still snap out of it.”

Yoona growls as the other girl takes a cautious step forward.

“Don’t be like that,” Yuri growls back, tightening her own clenched fists at her sides.

She stops short of the line that Taeyeon’s carved into the floor, indicating Yoona’s restricted reach with the chains bound to her arms, legs, and neck. As soon as her toe almost touches the line, the emerging werewolf snarls and flashes her mouthful of jagged teeth as she surges forward. Sure enough, the enchanted chains grip her tight and pull her back to the brick wall.

Yuri flinches from the roars and snarls that are reverberating off the basement walls. “P-please snap out of it,” she begs again. She sinks down to her knees as she watches Yoona continue to thrash against her bindings, hell-bent on breaking out of her restraints. The sight of Yoona begins to blur as tears cloud the fox’s vision.

“I don’t even know you yet,” she tells Yoona. “W-we...we were just starting to get to know each other. I want to know you better.”

Yoona responds with another explosive snarl and Yuri cringes as drool starts to dribble down the girl’s pretty face. God. It doesn’t suit her features at all. The feral look on Yoona’s face is making the fox’s insides twist with repulsion.

“S-sooyoung told me that you ran out there because of me. Is this…is this all my fault? Why did you come outside? W-we could’ve handled it! It was just a couple scratches. I know Tae and I have had our differences, but she’s always got my back out there. Hyoyeon too. You didn’t have to come after me….”

Yuri falls silent, unsure of what other parting words she can say to the young witch. The last thing she wants to say is, ‘goodbye,’ because it would feel like giving up and Yuri doesn’t want to give up.

“Bora got a few good claws into me,” she suddenly mentions, trying to find anything else to talk about. “Stung like a when she got them on me, but I think my fox cloak did something to help shield me or heal me. It didn’t seem so bad after the fight. Sica made some potions to help accelerate the healing overnight too and it worked really well…but it was nothing like your white magic,” she says, thinking about the comforting warmth that’s always packed in Yoona’s healing charms.

Yuri hums for a moment, lost in deep thought about her friend’s circumstance. “You know…if I could resurrect Taeyeon with my ninth tail, my eighth should also be really strong too,” Yuri rambles, wholly unsure how the concentrated spiritual energy will react in the mortal world. “It’s not like resurrection-strong, but it’s still a lot of spiritual energy. Maybe my eighth tail could help you,” she proposes, perking up at the thought. “M-maybe it can help make you strong so that you can take the bite—and make you a nagual, just like Taeyeon!”

Full of renewed hope and determination, Yuri holds her hands out in front of her and concentrates on allowing her energy to bridge the synapses of her two beings. “I can save you too,” she desperately tells her friend. In a bright flash of smoke, she feels her warm fox cloak encompass her body before her tails fan out around her in swirls of light.

The emerging werewolf was full of nothing but snarls and growls, but as the bright, pearl energy illuminates the entire dungeon floor, Yoona howls and whines from the blinding light. Squeezing her eyes tight, she shuffles back into the wall and tries to shield herself from the glowing gumiho.

“Don’t be scared,” Yuri says, trying to comfort the whimpering chimera before her. “Don’t be scared, Yoona. I got you,” Yuri whispers before pulling her eighth tail in front of her and severing it with her hand.

***

***

Tiffany stays seated on the wooden stool on the opposite side of the dungeon, keeping a generous distance between herself and the line that Taeyeon’s etched into the floor. Arms folded over her chest, she keeps her holly wood wand clutched tight as she leans against the wall at stares at the girl mutating before her.

“Yuri told me what she tried to do,” she sighs. “She’s so goddamn rash. She doesn’t even know what severing her tails could do. What if she’s slowly dying in our world and going back to the spirit world? She’s so ing stupid sometimes,” Tiffany angrily huffs, upset about her friend’s thoughtless decision.

Thinking about Yuri though, Tiffany’s temper sudden cools as she sadly mutters, “Did you…see how disappointed she was when it didn’t work? Do you even know what sad looks like anymore, Yoona?”

Exhausted, Yoona only softly growls in response as she leans against the support of the brick wall on her side of the dungeon.

“Please tell me that it wasn’t a waste. Please just…suddenly wake up and tell me that Yuri isn’t just hacking off her tails like some stupid party trick. For all we know, she might’ve just super-powered you for the full moon tonight,” she pessimistically says, frowning at the thought of how they’ve been starving Yoona for days now.

Thinking about chimeras though, Tiffany can’t help that her eyes begin to water up at the thought of laying Bora into her snowy grave. “There was…no way that we could’ve saved Bora from what she became, but you still have a shot, don’t you? It’s only been a couple of days. You still have a chance to snap out of this before the full moon tonight, right? Tell me that Yuri didn’t cut off a tail for no reason, okay? A-and Tae’s bite should’ve done something different to you, right? She’s special! So just…come back. Go back to the way you were before.”

The only reply that Tiffany receives is Yoona’s heavy breathing as she continues to fight her painful fever—and Tiffany’s sure that the rising full moon is making her symptoms worse as the hours tick by.

“It’s...been kind of a ty week, Yoong,” Tiffany tries to reason with the sick girl. “I don’t want to dig anymore graves.” She briefly pauses and attempts to restrain herself from crying as she suddenly snivels, “It was...supposed to be a stupid fieldtrip for plant-life studies. H-how did everything get so ed up?”

Overwhelmed with the memories of what they’ve endured over the past few weeks, Tiffany can feel the anger pressurizing in her gut. She’s so mad that all this drama keeps piling onto them. Piling onto a bunch of college kids. She knew that her future work as a potential auror would be dangerous, but she had never dreamed of something like this. Hyoyeon’s right though. All of this isn’t far off from what she was preparing her future self for.

“Look, I know I don’t know you that well, but I’ve seen what you mean to the other girls. Don’t go dying on them. They need you. And about Yuri,” Tiffany pauses as she chuckles at the warm thought, “I think you’re really good for that rascal. Just…wake up. Everyone misses you.”

Unable to tolerate the thought of saying, ‘goodbye,’ Tiffany rises up from her seat, prepared to exit the dungeon. “Yoona, if you can hear me, j-just…don’t let this take you. I...I-I don’t want to dig anymore graves. Please.” Before leaving, Tiffany takes one last, long look at the disheveled Hufflepuff witch and whispers, “And if you can’t hear me…I’m so sorry. I should’ve been out there….not you.”

***

Nervous about coming into the dungeon on her own, Seohyun enters with Sooyoung holding her hand and both of them stall in their steps as soon as Yoona comes into view.

“H-hi, unnie.”

As if she can smell the fear and timid nature of the humans before her, Yoona curls her lips back and scares the Ravenclaw witches with her mouthful of sharp, pointed teeth.

Sooyoung gulps at the low growl that Yoona’s emitting, but continues forward regardless. “H-hey, Yoona,” she softly greets, “how are you doing?” She knows it’s a stupid question since the girl can’t reply her, but she tries her best to continue to humanize Yoona and not to treat her like anything less.

The emerging werewolf just barks back before she ceases her threatening growls.

“That’s right, it’s just us. Just a couple a’ Ravenclaw nerds here,” Sooyoung continues to say, trying to make herself more and more meek to the chimera.

“She looks so...different,” Seohyun whispers as she studies the girl across the dungeon. “She looked totally different just a few days ago,” she says as she remembers Yoona’s scared and crying face.

“You were down here a few days ago? She let you?” Sooyoung asks, remembering the way that Yoona had screamed and begged for everyone to leave her alone.

“Yeah,” Seohyun nods. “I was helping Taeyeon-unnie with these enchanted chains. Unnie said that since Professor Choi was always down here with her, they never needed to bind her in her human form, so they were too big for Yoona-unnie’s body. These enchanted cuffs will grow with Yoona-unnie if she transforms and they’ll also pull her back if she pulls too hard on the chains.” The young witch points to the etched line on the ground. “We measured out how far she’d be able to reach before the chains would reel her back.”

“You really are something,” Sooyoung sighs in awe.

“I just…want to help however I can.” Seohyun slowly kneels on the ground, careful not to spook the chimera with any sudden movements. “She looked tired and sick a few days ago, but,” she pauses as she absorbs the sight of Yoona’s hardened glare and the oversized incisors peeking out past thin, pale lips. “Unnie looks scary,” she whispers softly.

Sooyoung nods as she carefully takes a seat on the floor of the dungeon beside her housemate. “Yoona always used to be really scary, remember?”

“Seems so long ago now.”

“Yeah, it’s feels weird thinking about how we all were with each other before. I know it really wasn’t that long ago, but it feels really long ago…right, Yoona?”

The chimera doesn’t respond as she continues to study the witches in her dungeon with fierce attention.

Sooyoung sighs before finds the nerve to start speaking again. “Yoona…do you remember this one day back in third year? Taeyeon and Tiffany got into this crazy argument after charms class and you and I were the only ones there with them. I was so scared of Taeyeon suddenly attacking Fany, just like that time she sent her to the infirmary. I can’t remember exactly what happened, but I think Taeyeon lunged, so I freaked out and pushed her back.”

Reliving the memory in her mind, Sooyoung chuckles as she mentions, “God, you’re so damn skinny—just like me—so it freaked me out when you leapt in started shoving me too. You’re so much stronger than you look. Before we got separated by Professor Lee, I remember I fell and I even bruised my . I couldn’t believe a twig like you was so strong…made me realize how weak I was,” she sighs. “I’m sorry I’m still so weak. I wish I could’ve helped.”

“I wish I could’ve helped too,” Seohyun adds, suddenly beginning to cry.

Sooyoung also feels tears begin to well up in her eyes, but she tries to comfort her junior by wrapping an arm around her. As she holds Seohyun, she looks as the glaring chimera across from them and confesses, “Yoona...I wish there was more that we could do.”

Unsure of what else they can possibly say, the two Ravenclaw witches spend the next while in an eerie silence with Yoona. The chimera doesn’t roar or snarl, but simply studies the quiet witches that cry before her, like they’re at a gravesite. When they finally rise to exit the dungeon, they both take turns to leave Yoona with a deep bow before sending the next witch down to say their farewells.

***

Jessica keeps fidgeting on the stool as she shifts her weight from side to side, finding it rather difficult to just sit still, because if she does sit still, she’ll have to look at the girl in front of her…and Jessica doesn’t want to. Instead, she picks a spot on the floor.

Scared of being alone with the feral girl, Jessica tries to keep Yoona calm, so she keeps her voice as soft as possible while she whispers, “Hyoyeon and Sunny were hoping that I’d have the same effect on you as I did Taeyeon, but—”

“RWARRR!”

With the sudden roar and the sound of chains rattling against the wall, Jessica instinctively draws her wand in defense, pointing it at her friend. She feels her bottom lips quiver when the girl before her looks nothing like Yoona, at all. “S-something tells me I’m not going to be able to help you,” she sadly mutters, slowly dropping her raised wand. “I’m not tethered to you that way that I am to Taeyeon….”

Yoona curls her upper lip as she softly growls, taking in the foreign scent of the human invading her territory.

Realizing that the new werewolf is bound well, Jessica relaxes her rigid posture before leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees. “I-I’m sorry. I wish I could help. I tried reading some of Taeyeon’s parent’s work, b-but I have no idea where to even begin. Some of their stuff is so advanced. I’ve read a lot of transfiguration studies, but nothing like this. They keep mentioning something about ‘property M’ that’s able to bind mythical creature DNA to a magical person’s, but,” Jessica sighs exhaustedly, “that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I don’t even know where to begin to understand how they fused the DNA, let alone if it’s possible to reverse.”

Yoona only grunts.

“I know,” Jessica sighs, now staring back and the yellow and blue eyes that are glaring at her. “I know this isn’t useful—at all. I…I’m not useful.”

Jessica thinks about being the ‘new’ transfer student, but she’s been in Korea and at SKY for months now. Somehow, it feels like she’s been here for a year already because of the girls she’s befriended. She thinks about how they all would be cramming for finals now that the semester is almost over and she wonders if Yoona would also be studying hard, despite the kind of reputation she had in her younger years.

“You were…terrifying the first day I met you,” Jessica softly laughs. “I still remember meeting you in the cafeteria. You were towering over me and shoving your face into mine, but you turned out to be such a sweet, silly goof,” she tells her friend with a smile. “This…this doesn’t suit you at all,” she tells Yoona, gesturing at the girl’s feral werewolf demeanor.

“I know that you know this way better than I do, but,” Jessica sniffs at the thought, “Taeyeon’s been through a lot already. Please don’t make her do this. You don’t know what it was like listening to her ask about the most humane ways to put you down,” she says, hearing her voice crack. “God, it was awful listening to her discuss some options with some of the other girls. You’re not a dog, Yoona. You’re a freaking human, so come back to us.”

Standing up from her seat, Jessica simply tells Yoona, “I miss you,” before she turns to leave for the exit, hearing nothing but depressing howls bounce off the stone walls behind her.

***

“Eat,” Hyoyeon says as she slides a metal tray of food across the etched line.

“I thought we weren’t supposed to feed her,” Sunny numbly mentions as she watches Yoona begin to scoop the fried rice from the bowl and shove handfuls into .

“Taeng said that Yoona was too nauseous and kept throwing up food during the first few days of her fever. She felt less sick on an empty stomach I guess.”

“Aren’t they worried that feeding her right now might just send her into some sort of frenzy?”

“ that,” Hyoyeon scoffs. “She should get to have whatever she wants,” she softly says, wanting to avoid using the term last meal. “Sorry, Yoong, I wanted to bring fish cake soup down for you too, but…” she trails off as she watches the girl savagely grab a handful of kimchi, “but I figured you’d be eating like this.”

“Yoona! Slow down! You’re going to choke,” Sunny scolds the younger girl.

When the werewolf-chimera continues to rapidly gobble up her plates and bowls of food, Hyoyeon sighs. “Even if she did understand you, Yoona still eats like Yoona.”

“Like a freaking pig,” Sunny laughs. “You know, for someone that teases Tiffany and Sooyoung about how much they eat, she shouldn’t being saying anything.”

Hyoyeon smiles at the comment, enjoying that they’re remembering Yoona in her true light and not as the creature before them. “Hey, you know I told Fany about how we first met,” Hyoyeon says to Yoona, chuckling while the memory plays through her head. “She doesn’t believe me. But I guess for anyone who’s met me, it’s hard to believe that you were the one beating up some kids for calling me a mudblood.”

“She didn’t beat anyone up,” Sunny laughs. “She just pinched the crap out of Gyuri’s nose—served her right though. ran a lot.”

“I think you might’ve been the bad influence on us, Yoong,” Hyoyeon accuses.

Sunny bursts out laughing. “You were the one that broke into the roof entrance. You were the one who found Professor Ra’s stash of soju!” she reminds her housemate, pushing at Hyoyeon’s shoulder. “Do not blame Yoong for your delinquent .”

“Uh, you were right there with me for both of those events,” Hyoyeon reminds Sunny, earning a guilty laugh in return.

“Rwar!” Yoona barks as she tosses her empty bibimbap bowl to the side, sending the metal kitchenware clanging across the cement floor.

Hyoyeon and Sunny feel themselves get right back into reality to the state their friend is currently in.

Sunny gulps before she explains to the younger girl, “Taeyeon didn’t want us down here—she doesn’t want anyone ­down here—for when she has to…do it. So…here we are, Yoong,” Sunny sadly says to the girl. “I wish…you could understand us.”

The chimera her head to the side and, for a brief moment, Sunny thinks that girl looks like a puppy trying to interpret the Korean language, but the thought quickly vanishe