Chapter 35

THE NIGHT WHERE IT BEGINS

[PART 3]

   -----xoxoxo-----   

Mino heard noises coming from the garden. It was faint but he was certain that it was a scream. He walked across the room and proceeded into the balcony which was connected to Aurie's room. He unlocked the door and went out. Then his eyes scanned the darkness of the night as he tries to find anything suspicious across the garden. The garden have lamps along the pathway and several other corners that illuminate in the darkness of the garden but when he sees nothing, he shrugged and go back inside the room.

"Is everything okay?" Aurie asked him, curious about why he suddenly went out on the balcony.

"Yeah, I thought I just heard something, but it was nothing." Mino said. It was probably the lover he sneaks out early from the garden.

After a few minutes afterwards he heard another one again but this was different, it's a scream of a person in pain. Mino rushed back out of the balcony. His eyes wildly sought the owner of it. Then he heard another again and he froze for he recognized that voice.

"." Mino curse silently.

He pivoted and sprinted across the room and hastily opened the door his eyes search the hallway for a person that he might come across with. When he found no one, Mino curse again. He thought to get back in Aurie's room and tell her, heck, maybe begged her not to move or escape.

He was about to go back and halted when he saw Jisoo walking on the other side of the hall. He sprang towards her and grabbed Jisoo's arm, making her jump in surprise.

"Mino. What the hell?" Jisoo said.

 "Come with me." Mino demanded and dragged Jisoo with him.

"Hey!" Jisoo protested. "Where are you taking me?"

Mino answered her through action as he opened the door of the room in the hall. He stepped in with Jisoo just behind him and slam the door shut.

"Jisoo?"

Jisoo hand flies to her chest as she heard a familiar voice call her name. She turned towards the bed and her eyes widened in surprised.

"Aurie?"

Aurie has the same reaction with Jisoo.

"You know each other?" Mino asked from behind Jisoo.

"What are you doing here?" Aurie asked her, as she looked at Jisoo in confusion.

"Oh, she lives here." Mino answered for her. "She's the queen's daughter."

"What?" Aurie exclaimed.

Jisoo closed her eyes and silently curse Mino. The secret that she'd been hiding has finally revealed by Mino. She wants to struggle him, but she can't blame Mino since he has no idea about her relationship with Aurie.

Jisoo taped as she hesitated.

"Jisoo." Mino said and Jisoo was thankful to Mino because she really had no idea on how to explain to Aurie everything right at this moment.

 "Listen, I need you to watch over her while I'm gone. Take good care of her because she's a really important person." Mino said, hastily. "I don't have time to explain right now because I'm in a hurry and if I don't get it on time something might happen to Lisa."

"Why? What happen to her?" Jisoo asked, worriedly.

"No idea." Mino said as sprint back to the balcony. "That's why I need to go after her to find out."  His voice faded as jumps over the balcony and landed on his feet, racing at full speed. He heard Jisoo voice from the background telling him he's stupid and telling him to come back.

But of course he dismissed it as he leaped over the pavement, opening his senses widely, striding in the darkness of the night. Mino walked through the trees when he felt someone watching over him. He came to a stop and jerk around, but there’s no one there. He allows his senses swirl around, feeling for anything that alive, he looked around and his eyes dart everywhere. 

"Trainee Song, what are you doing out here?"

Mino spun around. Doo Joon, a unit trainer stepped out of the shadows from the bushes. Held a silver dagger in his right hand.

Mino made a quick bowed to him, but his eyes reminds on the dagger he was holding." Sir, I heard someone's screaming out here so I'd come to check it out."

Mino wandered maybe Doo Joon heard the scream too, that's why he brought out a dagger with him.

 As for Mino he had his stake intact in his holsters underneath his jacket and a small hidden in his boots. It's better to be prepared at all the time. That's what his trainer always told him.

Doo Joon nodded. “I actually heard it too."

"You did?" Mino said as his eye him in mild surprise. "So I wasn't the only one who heard it. Did you call for back up? You know, just in case."

"There's no need for back up since it's not of a big deal."  Doo Joon said and Mino thought he picked up some regrets flashes through his eyes.

"But what if someone invaded the territory without our knowledge." Mino insisted.

"No one's going to come here because I already took care of them."

Mino’s eyebrows drew together as he looked at him in utter confusion.

What the is he talking about?

Then his eyes noticed a bloodstained from his dagger.

"You---" Mino stepped backward a little away from him.

"You shouldn't have come, trainee Song. You should just disregard what you've heard." Doo Joon eyes glinted with fury. "You were great a trainee probably the best among them. I'm certain I'm going to regret this later, but I have to. I'm simply following orders."

I probably doubt that. Mino thought as his mouth tightened in fury.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not that easy to kill."

"That's a very strong confidence you have in there." Doo Joon laughed in bitterness.

"Because I am." With that Mino charge towards him.

Doo Joon swung his dagger, but Mino instantly dodged it and his right hook slammed in Doo Joon face, cracking his jaw. Doo Joon attempted to meet Mino's charge, but was knocked down. Mino takes him to the closest tree and he jammed in the stake through his chest that Doo Joon didn't even noticed was coming.

"How fast?" Joon cough with blood. "Where is this speed coming from?" Doo Joon grunted.

Mino shrugged. "It's my special ability. I told you, I'm not easy to kill."

"You did a great job. Thanks." Doo Joon blooded mouth stretches into a grin before he took his last breath.

"He thanks me?" Mino shook his head in confusion. "I killed him and he thanks me. Stupid."

A moment later, Mino heard another scream, but it wasn't Lisa's it's coming from another female voice that he couldn't recognise.

Mino sprinted along the bushes trying to determine where the scream was it coming from. And it really bothered Mino that the higher ranking NC units haven’t noticed it. He was certain that the units that Doo Joon killed weren’t from the high ranker because those are the best unit the Elite 7 squad unit of NC a.k.a the lucky 7. Usually they are the squad that will send to a special mission. Mino heard that each, squads have a distinctiveness that was assigned to them and members of the squad were chosen based on their skills and ability. That's why compared to the other squads they have a smaller quantity in terms of members.

Mino dreams to be part of those squads.

Mino skid to halt and scrambled back toward the wall of bushes.  Sensing that they didn't detect him, Mino peeked down and counted the people from the other side. There are a total of 9. Eight vampires and one of them has a very strong presence, one was lying along the ground, probably dead.  And last one,  Mino can't comprehend what she was. He can't feel what she was.

"Why did you do that?" Mino heard the woman called out. "You were after me. She has nothing to do with any of this."

"I have no choice. She got involved with you." Mino heard the one with a strong presence said.

"This man's belong to a higher class, probably pure blood." Mino murmured. "But his voice sounds so familiar."

"Give her to me. I'm not done with her." He ordered the man who was guarding the woman.

"I'm so sorry, my lord, but you can't kill her."

The pure blood turned his head to man who spoke behind him and Mino finally had a better look at him. This man belongs to the one of the most influential household in the city, Lord Joon gi.

"And why not?" Joon gi growled at him.

"It's Lord Jaejoong's order." He answered, as he held his head up high as if he was proud of what he said to Joon gi.

Mino eyes widened. He hasn’t heard the man's name for years, not even Jisoo mention his name ever since he was exiled to the territory.

And who are these people? They’re Jaejoong's acquaintance?

Mino shook his head. That can be... They are more like working with him.

Joon gi clicked his tongue. "Why had he always protect this girl?" he sighed. "Then, what's Jaejoong up to this time?"

"Change plan, my lord." of the man answered him. "He instructed everyone to report in the Hive."

"Is that so?" Joon gi said, and then he sighed after a long paused. "Then, let's go back now."

"But what are we doing to do with her?" One of the man asked Joon gi and pointing at the body lying on the ground.

"Throw her body away." Joon gi demanded.

"But my lord, this is Lord Abbe's daughter. What if someone saw her body?" the man said.

"Then buried her." Joon gi growled at him. "Well, you use your ing brain for once."

"Understand, my lord." He bowed to him and signals the other to help him carry Lisa's body.

Mino on the other hand froze about what he heard.

Lisa's dead!

His eyes wildly stared at the body of Lisa on the ground and just then he noticed the stake impaled in her chest.