Seungwan stared at Sooyoung and Yerim in utter disbelief, her jaw hanging open and eyebrows raised as she tried to process what she was seeing before her.

    She knew Sooyoung and Yerim were close. She knew that Sooyoung had a massive crush on the younger girl. She even knew that they were romantically involved, at least in some capacity. But she never imagined this.

    She never imagined to see this furious passion in their kisses, or the way they clung to one another, as if they were each other’s ultimate salvation from endless damnation. It was a shameless display of pure devotion that had an effect on Seungwan that she could never have anticipated: raging, unfettered envy.

    Seungwan hadn’t expected to develop feelings for Yerim. At first, the blonde was merely one of the many passersby they’d seen, just another face in a crowd of people who rarely remained long enough for her to remember their names. Though her arrival to the house was an unorthodox one, and upon hearing the tale of how she’d evaded her pursuer with such tenacity, Seungwan had certainly been impressed, but the witch couldn’t foresee how large of an impact on her life Yerim would have.

It started small, with subtle nuances and quirks that Seungwan noticed: the younger girl’s habit of playing with her hands when she was nervous, the way her entire face became a mask of mirth when she laughed, the smoky gleam that came to her eyes whenever she was lost in thought. Small things, but things that Seungwan had never pointed out or focused on in anyone else. And as they got to know each other better, as they grew closer, Seungwan started to appreciate Yerim’s personality more and more. She put others’ emotions above her own in almost every instance, showing a grand sense of empathy that the witch had never experienced before, even from the other witches within the circle. It had been so easy to open up to Yerim, to finally show some type of vulnerability after all this time; the thick shell of coldness that surrounded her heart was exhausting to keep up, regardless of how necessary she believed it was. To Seungwan, vulnerability was weakness; all it did was allow others to take advantage of you, to hurt you in the worst ways by using your own emotions against you. That is, until she had her first one-on-one conversation with Yerim.

The blonde had been so distraught regarding what had happened to her school friend; she hadn’t cared that she might get in trouble, or her secret revealed in some way, but instead she was worried about his well being. About the fact that, in her mind, he was hurt because of her actions. Seungwan now regretted the advice she’d given Yerim. Why mar such a spotless sense of morality with dumb rationalizations intended to cover for her, rationalizations that, in the end, wouldn’t have made Yerim feel any better about the situation anyway? Regardless, the conversation had evolved into the younger girl confessing her feelings on everything she had been going through. And to Seungwan’s shock, she truly cared about what Yerim had to say. These types of conversations were so rare in her life that she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had one. All the tears that Yerim shed and the honest sadness in her words were reminders of what it was like to be human again, of what it was like to drop the facade and make an attempt to connect with someone on a visceral level. And, as a result, Seungwan had reciprocated. It happened naturally, with no second thoughts or regrets. An automatic reaction, as if by pure instinct. For the first time in her life, Seungwan opened up to someone who wasn’t her older brother.

Seungwan spun the tale of how she’d ended up as a witch. She told of the harrowing events leading up to it, told the story in full for the second time, just like how she’d done when she first arrived at the house. Unlike the other girls, who either couldn’t fathom the impact of the mental wounds she’d been inflicted (in the case of Joohyun and Seulgi) or were unable to fully connect with them (in the case of Sooyoung), Yerim had the ability to not only recognize Seungwan’s feelings, but to take them and impress them upon herself, recognize them for what they were and comprehend the impact they had on the witch. She’d cried tears of sympathy as she held Seungwan tight; the auburn-haired girl could practically relive the sensation of Yerim’s arms around her, a surprising development to start, but then a supremely welcome one. Such a simple gesture, but one that meant the world Seungwan’s heavy, aching heart.

From that moment on, those feelings towards Yerim grew exponentially, a rapid expansion that was akin to a supernova. It manifested and strengthened whenever Yerim was at the house, regardless of whether they were together or not. A supernova that was fueled by rage and indignance when Yerim and her friend were nearly killed by Joohyun and Seulgi’s recklessness. She could still hear the desperation in Yerim’s voice as she pleaded with her to restore her best friend’s mind to normal. When Seungwan heard that desperation, all she wanted to do was heal it, to mend everything that was internally harming Yerim and prevent her from ever being hurt again.

As their friendship continued to develop, Seungwan started to believe that Yerim may perhaps feel the same way about her, at least in some capacity. Like many of Yerim’s traits, those potential feelings consisted of more subtle behaviors, ones that Seungwan only noticed because she was paying attention to them. A glance here, an upward intonation there - it started small, but increased quickly as their solo encounters became more frequent. Although their most intimate moment was marred by Sooyoung’s harrowing prophecy (a prophecy that Seungwan, even with the shell of feigned indifference she’d constructed in her years, was unable to process properly, instead ignoring it and only half-accepting its inevitability), she believed that perhaps, had Joohyun not walked in, things would have progressed further. In fact, she was almost sure of it. She felt the sour pangs of jealousy gnawing at her as Sooyoung and Yerim grew closer, but she ignored them. She rationalized that Sooyoung’s sentiment towards the younger girl were merely a product of her child-like, at times clingy personality. She had no idea whatsoever what was going on behind the scenes between the two, and now, as she stood and watched what might have been the love of her life being stolen away from her, Seungwan gave in to her emotions.

There was no expressive outburst, wail of agony, or cry of rage. No, it was more of a plummeting sensation, as if she’d been dropped off of a sheer cliff and into a boundless, bottomless pit that there was no hope of ever escaping from. She tried to fight it off, to focus on the much more pressing matter at hand. She hated the way she reacted. Yerim’s life was about to be in grave danger, but to her, the loss was already there.

The tears that formed in her eyes came just as fast as she walked, silently slinking from the room, unnoticed by all but Seulgi, who gave her a concerned glance as she disappeared into the foyeur.

When she was out of sight of the other four girls, she broke into a sprint, making a beeline for her room.

***

    Yerim detached from Sooyoung, remaining in the older girl’s arms as she turned to face the other witches. To her surprise, there were only two other women in the kitchen with them; Seungwan had mysteriously disappeared. Yerim furrowed her brow.

    “Where’s-”

    “We don’t have a lot of time,” Seulgi cut Yerim off because she could finish her thought, though the urgency in her voice sounded slightly forced for some reason, “We need to get you prepared to go into the basement before you start to develop magical abilities.”

    The reality of the journey she was about to embark on started to settle in. The fog of Sooyoung’s confession was parting, making way for a spike of pure fear. She began to tremble in her lover’s arms.

    “It’s okay, baby,” Sooyoung whispered, rubbing her shoulder, “It’s okay.”

    “You can change your mind at any time,” Joohyun said, her eyes pleading with the younger girl to agree with her, “Please, please consider staying with us. We can find someone else to go down there.”

    Yerim swallowed, pushing back her misgivings and fears and hardening her expression in an attempt at stoicism.

    “I can’t, Joohyun,” she said, nearly flinching at the utterly defeated look on her friend’s face, “For you guys, for my family… I can’t just give up this opportunity. And I wouldn’t forgive myself if I let someone else go in my place. It’s my job. I agreed to do it.”

    Joohyun inhaled raggedly as she unsuccessfully fought against her sobs. Seulgi stepped forward and took the raven-haired woman in her arms. To Yerim’s surprise, Joohyun molded to Seulgi’s form, hiding her crying face away in the taller girl’s chest.

    “Thank you, Yeri,” Seulgi said in a low tone, “This means the world to us.”

    Yerim nodded, her gaze drifting over to the now foreboding-looking wooden trapdoor in the corner of the kitchen. It had a menacing air to it, as if the monster below was patiently waiting for her to walk into its jaws, so it could devour her whole. For a second, she wondered if it was part of her imagination or not, but then decided that it didn’t matter. She was going down there regardless; there was no use contemplating such trivial things.

    “Because of the way the barrier is down there, you can’t bring any magical items with you. However, you can bring weapons. Conventional, human weapons,” Seulgi glanced around the room, the corners of twitching downwards as she seemed to realize that the person she was searching for was no longer present, “I’ll call Seungwan down. She’s got a better idea of this stuff than I do.”

    “No, we can just go up to her…” Yerim murmured thoughtfully, “I wonder why she left…”

    Yerim took Sooyoung’s hand with the intent of leading her upstairs. The blonde didn’t want to spend so much as a few minutes away from Sooyoung before she left on what would likely be her last journey. She cursed herself for being such a pessimist, but she had to face facts. Frankly, it wasn’t likely that she’d make it out of this alive.

    Before the couple could exit the kitchen, Seungwan’s footsteps echoed throughout the house, shoes clicking on the hardwood as she came. When the auburn-haired witch entered the room, her face had an oddly tired and puffy appearance to it, as if she’d recently gotten done crying.

    “Spea of the devil,” Seulgi said with a grin, one that Seungwan didn’t bother addressing. In fact, Seungwan didn’t bother addressing anyone in the kitchen besides Yerim, ignoring them completely as she approached.

    “Crossbow,” Seungwan said, her voice cracking ever so slightly on the first syllable, “You have a natural talent for it. I would give you a gun, but…”

    “But I’d probably just break my arm from the recoil,” Yerim finished with a smile, prompting the melancholy older girl into smiling back, “I’m more comfortable with the crossbow, anyway.”

    Seungwan nodded and conjured the weapon out of thin air, holding it out for Yerim to take. This weapon was slightly smaller than the one she’d used previously, which she quickly realized was the correct adjustment, as it fit perfectly in her grasp as she went to shoulder it. The entire body of the weapon was matte-black besides the arms, which were hued a muted, almost velvety red. There was a long leather strap hanging from it, one that Yerim assumed was used for slinging the weapon over her shoulder.

    “Here’s some bolts, too,” Seungwan conjured three leather quivers: one large one that was meant to be slung crossways over Yerim’s back, and two that were meant to be strapped to each of her thighs, “There’s about thirty bolts between all of those. You’ll probably have to pick them up after you use them. They won’t break, they’re made out of the hardest material I could create.”

    Yerim’s eyes widened.

    “There’s gonna be that many things for me to shoot at?” she asked, her cheeks growing pale.

    “I’m not gonna sugar coat it,” Seungwan said, taking both of Yerim’s hands in her secure palms, “Yes. We’re not really sure how things end up there, or why specific things tend to be in that location, but it’s generally the worst of the worst that pops up. Things that… almost don’t make sense. It’s hard to explain. Not all are aggressive, but it’s better to proceed with caution.”

    “I’m scared…” Yerim muttered, her head darting back and forth between Sooyoung and Seungwan, searching for some kind of emotional anchor, “I… I don’t think I’m going to make it out of this.”

    “Yes you are,” Sooyoung said indignantly, her voice echoing throughout the room as she swept Seungwan aside, taking Yerim’s hands in her own instead, “Please don’t talk like that, Yerimmie.”

    “I’m just being realistic…” the blonde could sense the tears coming, but pushed them back, “With how impossible this seems to be, and the dream you had… I don’t think I stand a chance at surviving.”

    Seungwan remained silent, staring down at her feet, displaying the most shyness that Yerim had seen from the older girl in all the time she’d met her. She was a realist if nothing else. She must have agreed.

    Yerim’s stare settled on Sooyoung’s. Again, there was a strong, reserved resolve in those brown orbs, as if the taller girl had made her mind up on some monumental decision, but refused to speak of it.

    “You’re going to live, Yerim,” Sooyoung said in a quiet but steady voice, “I promise.”

    The sureness and solidity in the taller girl’s tone was so present that Yerim almost believed her.

    “Ah, there’s one thing I forgot,” Seungwan cut in, holding out a short, sheathed dagger, “Just in case you run out of bolts.”

    Yerim took the knife in her hands, marveling at how light the seemingly bulky handle felt to her. It had the same color tone as the crossbow, complete with a lining of that same red hue around the edges of the blade, which appeared sharp enough to slice through metal.

    “Thank you, Seungwan,” Yerim said, struggling to attach the weapon to her belt, eventually needing to be assisted by Joohyun, who ran over and clipped it for her.

    “You’re welcome,” the older girl said sincerely, stepping in front of Yerim, “And… listen. I want you to succeed. With every ounce of my being, I want to see you come out of that basement alive. Please try your best.”

    Yerim, heart overflowing with sentiment that she was unable to speak of publicly, opened her arms for a hug. The auburn-haired witch reciprocated. She folded her arms around Yerim’s waist, pressing their bodies together in the tightest, most intimate hold that the blonde had ever experienced from the older girl. She even went so far as to rest her head on Yerim’s shoulder. It was alarmingly expressive for Seungwan. Yerim could almost palpate the unspoken words that the embrace carried. Words that Yerim felt a measure of guilt for enjoying, words that maybe the blonde would have uttered for herself as well, words that echoed throughout her soul, resonating deep within her. She wished they were in private, so she could have explored these feelings more, perhaps garnered some kind of closure and understanding for them. But alas, this wasn’t the case. Those words remained unsaid, and they released one another, holding each other at arm’s length for a moment, as if neither of them wanted to break their final, fleeting contact. Staring into those sad, previously icy eyes stirred up sensations that Yerim found shamefully familiar, sensations that she shoved away with disdain for herself.

    I couldn’t break Sooyoung’s heart like that.

    “You ready to go?” Seulgi inquired, the impatience in her voice shining through even though it was clear she was making every attempt to hide it.

    Sooyoung, Seungwan, and Joohyun shot her angry glares.

    “Yeah… almost,” without pretense, Yerim then walked over to Joohyun, providing her with a long hug as well.

The older girl’s usual ability to provide her with a sense of calmness kicked in again; she no longer could hear the maddening pulses of blood pumping in her ears.

“Pl-please don’t go, Yerim,” Joohyun cried, “Please… I d-don’t want you to…”

To Yerim, it was saddeningly intriguing that, as much as Sooyoung had matured in such a brief span, Joohyun seemed to have done the opposite. But the blonde forgave her. She assumed it was the equivalent of sending your child to their death.

    “I have to, Joohyun. Don’t you want to get out of here too?”

    “Not if I risk losing you,” Joohyun moaned.

    “I… Joohyun… don’t…” Yerim stammered, her heart swelling at the older girl’s sincerity, “I’m going to try my hardest, okay?”

    Yerim was forced to break the hug first, turning to Seulgi, who was now standing awkwardly to the side, shifting from foot to foot and looking downturn. The blonde reached out and held her, too - despite the other girl’s disdain for Seulgi’s intentions, Yerim found that she couldn’t blame the older girl for wanting to be free so badly. It was logical to want to be released from this magical cell.

    Seulgi returned the hug without hesitation. There was certainly less weight to the embrace as compared to Seungwan and Joohyun’s, as Yerim had gotten to know Seulgi the least out of all of the girls, but there was still grand sense of finality, a kind of deep punctuation, about saying goodbye to each of the girls in turn.

    And that’s what this is, isn’t it? It’s a goodbye. I’m probably never going to see them again.

    But Yerim didn’t allow her dark misgivings to control her. If she did, she would have ended up staying behind, allowing herself to stay trapped and waiting in the house for someone else to come along and sacrifice themselves.

She took a step back and looked over the four girls who had so drastically changed her life. Seungwan, with her hard eyes that contrasted her chubby cheeks and small stature, standing there, lips set as she tried to maintain her stoic appearance. Sooyoung, with her baby-ish face and expressive posture, weeping silent drops of moisture that rolled down her cheeks and splashed onto her shirt. Joohyun, with her motherly stare and otherworldly beauty, sobbing into her hands, unable to contain the sorrow that consumed her. Seulgi, with her slender form and withdrawn demeanor, a conflicted frown on her face as she tapped her foot against the hardwood.

Yerim inhaled deeply and turned her back on them, now facing the corner of the kitchen where her destiny awaited. She walked slowly, Sooyoung rushing to her side as she went, interlocking their fingers in a desperate grip that the shorter girl returned with fervor.

They stopped in front of the wood-covered opening. Compared to the rest of the home, it was decrepit and worn-looking, shut by a single, rusted metal bolt. Yerim stared down at it, sizing it up, preparing herself to enter its enigmatically frightening depths.

Seungwan walked to the side of the trapdoor, crouching beside it and procuring a key from her front pocket. Yerim wondered if Seungwan always carried that key on her, but after less than a second of contemplation, she found that it didn’t matter. Not many things did anymore.

The wooden planks swung open with a stereotypical creak, one that Yerim had heard many times before in horror movies, a wave of dust following in its wake as Seungwan casually dropped the door onto the kitchen tile. Beads of sweat formed on Yerim’s forehead as she stared down into the cellar.

The light from the kitchen should have illuminated most of the immediate area, but it didn’t. Instead, the only visible area from the girls’ vantage point were four rickety-looking stairs that lead into a small circle of mottled, yellow-grey cement. Beyond this circle, there was a solid, unforgiving darkness, one that refused to yield, as if it were alive.

“H-how am I supposed to see anything down there?” Yerim asked, panic trickling into her tone.

Seungwan calmly stood, striding over and unslinging Yerim’s crossbow from her back. She placed the weapon into the blonde’s hands, reaching under its stock and pressing a small switch, one that was almost imperceptible without looking specifically for it. A burst of alien, fluorescent-like whiteness sprung from below the barrel and cast a razor sharp beam of brightness into the basement. It sliced through the darkness, revealing all that fell under its powerful glow.

“Just be careful not to shine the light in your eyes. It’ll blind you immediately,” Seungwan warned.

“Wow… I thought you couldn’t bring magic stuff down there?”

“You can’t. It’s not magic. Just very advanced science. I didn’t come up with the idea, actually. But that’s a story for another day,” Seungwan smiled in an almost reminiscent way.

Yerim didn’t have the heart to tell her that there likely wouldn't be another day.

“How long does the battery last?” she inquired, inspecting the switch.

“Almost indefinitely. Much longer than you’ll need to get to the heart of the beast that lives down there.”

Yerim nodded and sighed. It was almost time to go.

She looked up at Sooyoung, holding the crossbow downwards in her left hand and reaching up to caress the side of her lover’s cheek with her right. Sooyoung nuzzled against her hand like a snoozing puppy, shutting her lids and enjoying the sensation of Yerim’s palm pressed to her one last time. The taller girl drew forward, bending over slightly so that their foreheads could meet. Yerim closed her own eyes, savoring the sensation of breathing the same air as Sooyoung, inhaling and filling her lungs with the older girls sweet scent.

“I love you.” Yerim whispered.

“I love you, too.” Sooyoung replied.

The kiss they shared then was chaste, almost reserved, unlike their previous kisses. It was a kiss that conveyed everything it had to in the short amount of time it was afforded, a kiss that was more sentiment than physical sensation. They parted, the very core of their souls yearning to prolong their contact. As much as Yerim wanted to stay in Sooyoung’s arms, she knew that if she went back to them, she may never be able to find the strength to leave them again.

“Goodbye, everyone,” Yerim said tearfully, turning to the witches before her.

Joohyun’s sobs grew into moans that sounded almost pained; she tried to speak, but all she was able to do was blubber out a few vowels before she buried herself in Seulgi’s chest once again.

“Maybe it’s not goodbye,” Seungwan took a deep breath through her nose, though the tears had already started to escape onto her visage, “Maybe it’s just ‘see you later.’”

Yerim smiled.

“I’ll see you later then.” the blonde answered.

Yerim looked at each of her friends in turn, taking in their images, locking gazes with Sooyoung one last time before beginning her descent. Her fingers dug into the barrel of the crossbow as her feet landed on each step, producing echoing booms that seemed to travel forever into the distance. Her light was already switched on when her left shoe settled onto the concrete . She didn’t take the time to look back before taking her first step into the unknown.

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I meant for this chapter to go directly into the action, but I figured it would be too long (10k+ words) if I started that stuff, so it's just another setup chapter. I promise the next will be more exciting!

Also, if you've read a certain other story of mine, there's something in this chapter that gives you a little hint as to a little guest appearance in the next chapter (:

Thanks for reading<3