An psychic echo of her sister's voice and scream echoed in Jessica's mind, sending her bolting upright in bed.

Something was wrong.

She clutched her head momentarily, ears and mind still ringing and reeling from the Sonic psychic scream Krystal had sent unconsciously through her mind.

Jessica shook her head tentatively, only realising that someone was frantically pounding on her door.

“Jessica get off your or else your sister's gonna die!” Hyoyeon's voice bellowed outside her door. “Taeyeon's already on her way there but---”

“What?!” Jessica groaned, trying not to flop onto her precious bed. There was a pause.

“Jess, Krys tried to assassinate Jiyong."

Jessica sat bolt upright in her bed.

“Okay I'm awake.” She announced loudly, before frantically throwing on all her garments onto her body.

“Finally.” Jessica heard Hyoyeon grumble loudly. “I swear, she doesn't wake up to anything unless it's about Krys.”Jessica hopped on one leg as she threw open the door, still desperately trying to pull on her pants up her leg.

“Oh. Ew.” Hyoyeon grimaced. “I did not have to see that.” Jessica shoved her slightly, huffing.

“You were saying Kryssie tried to assassinate Jiyong?” She grumbled under her breath. “I knew she'd do something stupid, but not as stupid as this.”

“Well, apparently she did, and got Yoongie roped in too. Taeyeon's already going there to do some damage control.” She threw a sword and a couple of knives in Jessica's direction.

“What the hell? What are these for?” Jessica caught the weapons, an incredulous look on her face.

“Well, in case we'd need to fight our way out.” Hyoyeon smiled crookedly. “I've got a feeling Jiyong ain't the same no more.”

~~~~~

The point is, Taeyeon tried to do some damage control.

Keyword, tried.

But with blood seeping all over the floor from Krystal's wound, there wasn't much damage control she could do here, maybe save for trying to stop Jessica from murdering Jiyong.

Yoona whimpered, arms wrapped defensively around the older girl, towering above them a long purple haired monster in a form of a girl.

Where the hell was Jiyong?

Taeyeon whipped her head around frantically.

Don't tell me that thing got him too.

But there was no time to worry about Jiyong. She had to get her sisters to safety first.

“Hey you!” She shouted, fists clenched, nails digging into her palms. “Get away from my sisters!” The demon whirled around, and Taeyeon's breath froze in her chest.

“K-kiko?” Purple-red eyes bore into her, a wide grin spreading across the pale vaguely familiar face. A bloodied hand went up to cover the bluish lips.

“Oopsie Daisies.” Kiko giggled, eyes wide and innocent. “The cats out of the bag.”

~~~~~

Kiko smiled patronisingly at the mad dash Taeyeon took to stand between her and the younger girls.

She couldn't understand why Jiyong chose someone as pathetic as her to be his bride.

She was fragile.

Breakable.

And human, most of all. The most despicable species of all kinds. She snarled, baring her serrated teeth, fangs dropping from the roof of .

She would take care of this weakness for her king. He wouldn't need to lift a finger.

Yes.

A triumphant and jealous glint blistered in her eyes as she raised a hand, an almost insane light in her purplish eyes.

Die.

Her hand flashed forward, and Taeyeon uttered a small terrified scream, squeezing her eyes shut and preparing herself for the sharp stabbing pain.

“Arrgggghhh!” The sound of a distressed cry and the terrifying sound of crushed and cracking bones filled Taeyeon's ears. She peeked beneath her fluttering eyelashes, eyes widening at the long haired Jiyong before her, holding a oddly angled hand of Kiko's in his hands.

“Who told you to touch her?” His voice was calm and smooth, and Taeyeon shuddered. Jiyong had caught Kiko's arm in time, and in the process had proceeded to crush Kiko's hand entirely, shredding the bones out of the surface of her skin. It would heal, of course, due to a demon’s high regenerative ability, but it still hurt.

“But my king, why?” A barest flutter of annoyance crosses Jiyong's face.

“Because she's mine, that's why.” A possessive edge seeped into his voice. “So you can't touch her.” A petulant edge of tone, so reminiscent of Jiyong filled her ears. Instinctively, Taeyeon clutched his arm, tightening her grip around his forearm. Jiyong patted her head like she was a pet, letting her soft dark strands fall through his fingers.

“Hm. Curious. Your hair is really soft.” He sounded highly amused. “Or maybe it's just me, since it's been more than a millennia that I've fully felt something in my hands.” Her eyes met molten gold ones, and she shuddered. “Oh, don't be afraid, my little kitten. I'll keep you safe.” He leant slightly towards her. “So that I can keep this Jiyong's body.” She stiffened at his words. “ Because he'll defy me if I don't.” His eyes floated towards the sobbing Yoona and the other girl.

They were a mess.

“You take your two underlings with you, my dear, and settle them in.“ He traced a finger across her cheek. “Its the first and the last time I'm letting them off. Because of you.” He prodded her chest lightly. “Go.” Terror flooded through Taeyeon's veins, and she scrambled for Yoona, who reached for her simultaneously. Trembling at the deep jagged scar that ran from Krystal's brow to her upper lip, Taeyeon dragged her cloak across the younger girl, who cracked open a single eye to look at her.

“T-taeyeo--” Krystal croaked slowly

“Shh.” Hot tears dripped from her eyes onto the younger child's face. “Let's get you out of here. Help me, Yoong.” She picked the younger girl up gently in her arms, quickly hurried outside after stealing a glance in Jiyong's direction guiltily.

“Kryssie!” Jessica's terror-stricken voice echoed loudly from the other end of the hallway. She nearly flung herself over the younger girl in desperation.

“She's fine, Jess.” Taeyeon said lowly, handing the girl over to her distressed sister.

~~~~~~

“This is the damage control you could do?” Taeyeon barely flinched as Jessica snarled at her, not bearing to watch as Tiffany tended to her sibling cautiously, spreading a thick paste over the jagged line in her skin. “My sister is disfigured!”

“Scarred. Not disfigured.” Tiffany snapped. “It could have been worse, Jess.” Jessica whipped around angrily.

“Oh yeah?”

“Something stopped the scarring just in time. I can't tell what it is, but a kind of liquid seeped into her wound, stopping the bleeding and lightening it's impact. Perhaps it's Jiyong who gave it to her while we were rushing there.  She'll just have a line across her face, Jess.” Tiffany snapped. “If it's the person you should be snapping at, it should be your sister, who got herself into this mess in the first place, not Taeyeon!” Jessica stiffened, ready to roar to the defense of her younger sibling.

“Stop yelling! Stop it!” All three turned their heads to the outburst of crying in the corner, Taeyeon's eyes softening guiltily at Yoona's tearful face. “I don't wanna see you quarrel anymore!”

“Oh sweetie.” Taeyeon mumbled. “We're just a little tense here. It's not quarrelling, really.”

“You're lying.” Yoona mumbled wetly. “Liar. I can tell you're quarrelling.” Taeyeon sighed resignedly.

“I'll have to go to Jiyong and thank him, if that's what he truly did for Krys, stopping the bleeding and all. You, are staying here.” She looked pointedly at Jessica, who glanced away stubbornly. A cloud of white smoke billowed from the pendant sitting in the corner. Daesung floated out, his eyes brooding and quiet.

“I don't think you should go.” He muttered, stunning both Taeyeon and the girls. “Just now, when I went with you to Jiyong’s Chambers Tae, I felt something strange from Jiyong. Like it was----”

“Demon yet to not demon, but becoming something like it.” Hyoyeon muttered under her breath. “I felt it too.”

“Yes.” Daesung said darkly, nodding his approval. “And whatever that demon is, possessing him, it's very strong. I can tell he's struggling to hold on to a part of himself.” Daesung turned to her. “You. You were and are his everything, Taeyeon. To Jiyong, his world revolves around you. To lose you might just make him lose his control and give in, or fight back against the demon so they're not attacking you.” Daesung's eyes widened in understanding. “Jiyong's clinging on to the thought of you himself to protect you.”

“So you're telling me our original motive to stop the possession from happening failed?” Taeyeon collapsed, dropping her head in her hands.

“Yes.” Daesung said softly. “Perhaps it was destined to fail because of the secrets you kept.” He looked into her eyes solemnly. “We all know that secrets aren't the best when they're well kept and then revealed, right?” Taeyeon flinched at his words.

“I...meant to tell him. I swear I did. I just..”

“Didn't want to lose him?” Daesung finished her sentence helpfully. “Oh Taeyeon, you should have already saw this possibility coming when you and Seunghyun made that choice to give your body to Jiyong instead. It's a neverending cycle of retribution that a secret holder can never stop.” He smiled sadly. “This time you lost. Knowing too much of a person's character can do that to you and let you make wrong decisions.”

“Well? So now what?” Hyoyeon crossed her arms. “We can't just let Jiyong fall from Grace like that.”

“But he'll eat us.” Yoona's tiny voice piped up. “I saw him eating human flesh like it was some kind of delicacy.” Hyoyeon sighed roughly.

“Taeyeon?” Her eyes stared at the crushed girl on the floor, staring emptily into her pale hands.

“It's all my fault.” Guilt coloured her tone. “My fault. My fault.” She curled into herself and begun to cry. “I shouldn't have---”

“Shut up, Kim Taeyeon!” Taeyeon felt a sharp stinging slap across her face swing her head to the side, stunning all in the room, the reddening handprint visible on her pale cheeks, and Jessica's hand still trembling from the force of the slap she had given her. “Why don't you use your brain to think of a solution, rather than sit and cry?” Taeyeon stared tearfully up at Jessica. “Only useless people cry and blame themselves for things they can control but make no effort to control!” Jessica's chest heaved. “You knew this was coming, didn't you? That's why you took us in, trained us, made us who we are. Whatever it is, be it intentional or unintentional, you're going to pick yourself up, stand like the leader you are, and lead us in what we should do! Not sit here and cry!” Her eyes were wild, raged and angry. “And if you love him that ing much, go and take him back with your own hands.” She gripped Taeyeon's collar tightly. “You have us at your Beck and call. Use it.” Taeyeon's cheeks flushed pink as Jessica slowly let go of her collar, having had some sense knocked into her by her sister's sudden rant. Her eyes grazed every person gathered in the room, soft eyes meeting steel determined ones, unwavering and yet loyal.

Taeyeon passed her hand through her hair and laughed. Jessica was right.

She was going to take back what was hers.

Jiyong.

A slow smile spread across her face.

“Now, that's more like the Taeyeon I know.” Hyoyeon folded her arms and shot her a smirk. “So what are we supposed to do, Your Majesty?” Taeyeon turned to face them resolutely.

“Let's start by dividing ourselves according to abilities. Political and Marshal. Reconnaissance and Whispering.” She instructed carefully. “That way, I can delegate our tasks much better and more efficiently.”

“Should we consider sending out calls for recruitment