“You didn't tell me why you were holding a knife yesterday Baekhyun,” I murmured while shoving a piece of strawberry inside my mouth. So I liked strawberries, and in this hot summer, it was perfect. It was already noon, and I was still in my room. I was too embarrassed to go out and face my parents, too ashamed that I screamed so loud in my mother's face. Baekhyun was sitting down beside me on the bed, his hands folded awkwardly in his lap. I had offered him some of the strawberries – I had sneaked downstairs to get them when my mom wasn't aware, felt like a pro at stealing – he didn't of course willingly take one until I tricked him into talking and shoved one into his open, busy mouth. He then started eating by himself, though his moves were slow and calculated. 

Baekhyun fidgeted in his place, his eyes sweeping to the right and away from mine. I pushed another small strawberry inside my mouth, chewing on it loudly and enjoying the juices that spilled into my mouth. I stared at Baekhyun, and found him awkwardly scratching on his head. 

“Well?” I questioned out loud, popping two strawberries at once inside my mouth and chewing obnoxiously. 

“Hani, I was trying to chop on vegetables more properly and learn, so I can be better when we do it again…” He explained, his eyes looking over at me with guilt in them. I chewed on my strawberry and patted him strongly on the back, trying to tell him he shouldn't be worried by action since my mouth was kind of busy. “Then my mom caught you, I guess..” I completed the story once I swallowed the strawberry, quickly picking out another one and eating it more elegantly now. “She grew defensive when I was holding the knife, and thought I was going to do something about it,” he said curtly, and I felt kind of happy because this is the longest he has talked to me, despite the depressing words of his. Then I remembered the card, and how I vowed I would ask him about the stars. I jumped from my bed hurriedly when I remembered, feeling like I might just forget about it if I was late for even a second.

I snatched the card from the night stand and hurried back to Baekhyun. I bounced on my bed beside him – really close – and caused the bed to squeeze and squeak at our both weight. I leaned down under Baekhyun's shoulder and pointed at the five stars in the back of his card. I felt Baekhyun shift a little in discomfort, and I leaned away from him, but still showing him the card in full view.

“These five stars appeared on your card when your name appeared. What does that mean?” I asked him, my eyes glued to the golden stars aligned together in a straight line. Baekhyun looked down at the card, and there was an obvious twitch in his eyes before he started explaining.

“Hani, there are rankings in the Wielding society that is represented by stars. Each warrior has an amount of stars that can tell you how strong your warrior is. Some warriors rank from one to two stars; and those are the common warriors, the average ones. Three or four stars are the stronger ones, those are usually the ones sought for, since they have strong abilities and marvelous physiques.” Baekhyun explained, his eyes staring at the card and the five glowing stars. My heart skipped a beat, and I knew what was about to come wasn't something I could have ever imagined. 

“Five star-ranked cards are.. rare. They exist, but not close. There is a percentage of one to one hundred in the whole wide world, and usually Wielders tend to fight savagely in hopes of attaining one. However,”

“However..?” I squeaked, trying to make my words muffled by the fear and terror that started to consume me. “However, only five star ranking Wielders can bond with them, as lower ranked Wielders cannot bond with stronger ranked cards. The cards could easily reject the Wielder if it wasn't at par with its power, or more powerful than it. Do you get it, my.. I mean Hani?” I looked up at Baekhyun with a pale face, and I could see the guilt and worry inside his eyes that made me wonder what's the reason behind that specific guilt.

I didn't know there was something like this, like ranks and what not in the Wielding society. I mean of course I had expected for strong and stronger cards to happen, but I didn't know there were rare ones, and that I, of all people would actually have one close to that. Does that mean people would want my card from me? Would they take Baekhyun away from me if they found out he was a five-star warrior? 

“Abilities.. you said abilities,” I squeaked once again, trying to drift my thoughts away from the possibility of my card getting taken away from me. “Yes Hani, supernatural abilities. We warriors are not normal, we have abilities to help us alongside. The larger the amount of stars there are, the stronger the ability,” Baekhyun explained, fiddling with his fingers and avoiding my eyes. I gulped down my saliva, and stood up from my bed to walk in front of my bed in a zigzag pattern, panic clear in my eyes.

I'm a five-star Wielder, I have a five-star card, and everyone could fight me for it. Me, the weak pathetic girl that I am. At first when my parents told me about Wielding and the existence of supernatural beings, I was panicking like now, but I was fine with it – maybe mad but only because my parents didn't tell me – I thought it would be fine as long as Baekhyun would live with us, get accustomed to our life-style, and then we will live happily ever after. I mean sure my parents told me people might want to take my card away, but I brushed that thought away, thinking of the absurdity of the situation because that didn't dawn on me yet. But now, with a clearer explanation and being able to understand it wholly makes me afraid, because those are things I didn't know. What other things are hidden from me beside this? If I hadn't asked Baekhyun, he probably wouldn't have told me about this at all, and this entire situation wouldn't have even happened if the stars hadn't appeared in the first place. So what about the other things that I don't know, that doesn't need to appear in my face to realize they exist? I know I didn't ask, and that probably could be my problem, but I didn't know what to ask, I still don't know what there is to ask about.

I flung the door to my room open, telling Baekhyun to wait inside while I staggered downstairs. My parents got surprised when I walked towards them conversing with hushed voices. They lifted up in their place and glanced at me, and I could see displeasure in my father's eyes – did my mother tell him? Of course she would – and I didn't mind the look because I was panicking.

“Mom. Dad, what does it mean if you were a five-star Wielder?” I asked in a rush, forgetting about all the silent treatment I have been giving them. My parents’s eyes widened, and I could see shock in my father’s eyes, while my mom clasped on my shoulders to calm me down.

“Why are you asking this Hani?” I looked at my mom with terror, and I found out a similar one in her eyes. She looked back at my father, wrapping her arm fully around my shoulders and pulling me to sit beside her, enveloping me in her warmth. In spite of my sour mood – and embarrassment - from my mom, I have to admit her hugs are the best kind of hugs. My dad kneelt in front of me and clasped my hands, noticing my shaken body. 

“Are you alright?” my father asked, and I silently gave him Baekhyun's card, wanting him to see the stars himself. He did glance down at the stars, and I could have sworn he had cursed under his breath. 

“It's alright baby, it's fine to be a five-ranking Wielder,” my mother smiled – a forced smile, I noticed – and patted me tenderly on the head. I hugged her waist tightly, not even wanting to look at the card in my dad’s hold. 

“Look, Hani. It's not a bad thing that you are a five-star Wielder, if you were able to send energy waves strong enough to intimidate the others, they won't bother hunting for your cards. Beside, usually lower ranked Wielders fear the five-star Wielders, because they know they would outmatch them. Don't worry baby,” my dad tried to reassure me, patting my knees. I peered down at him, and I found him sharing a look with my mom.

“But how? I mean I thought I don't have any Wielding gene, but now I’m suddenly a rank five?” I asked, my voice apparently shaking. My dad started rubbing more and more on my knees to reassure me, and I could feel myself calming down. 

“Your mother and I.. well we are not of a strong Wielding gene. She is a rank three and I’m a rank one. I don't honestly know why you are rank five, but I don't think it's genetic,” my father said, his face filled with distress and suppressed fear. My mother pat my head gently, nodding at my father’s words. 

“What should I do?” I whispered, feeling my head going blank because what should I do? What would I do if I was suddenly cornered at the side and someone with a bulky body and strong cards demands for my own? What would I do with a lanky body and brain like mine? 

“Honey, I’m going to send you into a special school to control the power you have and enhance it so you would be able to protect yourself. It's an old school of mine so I trust its education,” my father once again said, lifting his hand up to brush my cheeks slightly, a small smile blossoming on his mouth. 

“School in summer..?” I whispered in a daze, feeling weirded out because who starts school in the summer? Anyways, I was scared something bad would happen to me, so I didn't ask much about it or declined – secretly I was glad because superpowers and combat are my favorite – I stared my parents, and they confirmed my question.

“They start in the summer so Wielders would be able to get human education in the normal years.” I understood, and I nodded my head at him before my mom stood up, muttering something about enrolling me right now with suppressed glee.

“Hey mom?” I stopped her, and she looked back at me with wide eyes, filled with depth and emotions. I gave a sheepish expression, feeling embarrassed with red cheeks before I spoke.

“I’m sorry,” she gave me a smile, understanding me before she left. 

-

It was