“You know this guy?” Minho’s face whipped towards them as they came close, Tiffany’s eyes sparking in recognition as the sharp familiar pair of brown eyes came into view, alongside the handsome and well cut features.

“He’s a human. Our friend back in the human realm.” Tiffany replied helpfully, watching Taeyeon carefully as her best friend choked on her words, looking as though she’s swallowed a dead fish.

“I..I, I don’t understand!” A hysterical edge seeped into Taeyeon’s tone as she brushed past the rest of the girls, who made exclamations of displeasure. “Wooyoung’s human. He’s not..not..” She struggled with the right words to describe her fond memories of the warm but cuddly boy that she knew in her youth.

“I lied.” Wooyoung barely flinched at the sight of Taeyeon’s destroyed face, the strength of her belief in her friendship--the only things that she held to dearly as a reminder of her human love and strength crumbled into nothingness around her. Tiffany flinched at the look on Taeyeon’s face, the room falling into a depressive state at the overwhelming despair that seeped from Taeyeon’s tiny frame. “I was never really your friend.” The deadened brown eyes, once bright and warm, always cheeky and tempting her to chortle a laugh pierced through Taeyeon’s eyes and stabbed right into her heart. “I was merely a mole that they sent to keep tabs on you. Because you were his sibling.” The hiss of discontent seeped from between Wooyoung’s lips. “That stupid aloof brat of a brother of yours.” Wooyoung spat disdainfully. “He was of royal lycanthropic blood, just like me. We were half brothers, as a matter of fact, but why should he be the one left to his own devices, happily living without restraint, while I sat in a hellhole of darkness, with no one to save me?” The tone of his voice shrilled higher in insanity and burning fury. “When I saw your happy faces, did you know how much I just wanted to grab him and tear him apart, limb by limb?” A malicious glint of insanity lit his brown depths. “The happiest day of my life was when they finally executed the plan to eliminate your brother.” His chest heaved with emotion, the words spilling forth from his lips like a torrent of dirty water. “The sound of a car screeching and careening into the rocky mountain wall had never sounded so pleasant to my ears.”

“You were there.” Tiffany’s face turned cold as she tugged Taeyeon back, a cold ball of rage settling deep in her chest. “You were there, and yet you did nothing.”

“Of course I did.” Wooyoung spat. “I even saw you awaken your Patron and save Hayeon and Taeyeon.” He grinned, baring his teeth. “But you were way too occupied with both of them to actually notice that Jiwoong was still breathing.” Spittle flew from his mouth as he raged at them, a triumphant gleam in his eyes. “While you disappeared into the night, and got whisked away by the hospital folk, I ended your brother’s life.” His arm muscles flexed slightly as he grinned menacingly. “I saw him breathing, and smashed my foot into his diaphragm. He died after struggling to breath for a couple of hours. Drowned, more specifically, in his own blood after his diaphragm got crushed.”

“Get him out of here.” Jessica took a momentary step back at the cold look of burning fury on Tiffany’s face. “I want him out of Taeyeon’s sight. Get him out before I kill him myself. Now.” Tendrils of purple but ghoulish light lit the depths of her amethyst eyes. Wooyoung chuckled at her temperament, his arms flexing subtly to test the strength of Minho’s magically cast bonds.

“You know what? Save your time and energy.” He rose to his feet proudly, chin jutting out with pride as he stared at a distracted Minho, who tried to balance between holding him down and restraining him---a job clearly too much for the new wizard. “You can’t hold me down, witch boy. You aren’t that experienced just yet.” A ripping sound of muscles and skin from the bonds Minho was desperately putting round Wooyoung’s muscular body sounded in their ears, sending a spray of blood, thick and warm scattering all over their faces in a bloody mist, before Minho collapsed to his knees, pale and panting from the magical drain from his body.

Jessica clenched her fist at the imprint of a warm, bloody body against the wall, but Wooyoung was nowhere to be seen.

~~~~

“What happened?” The call of Jiyong’s voice was abnormally loud as he took large strides towards Taeyeon, his arms fluttering frantically by his sides. “Oh god, you’re hurt!” Fear turned to anger as he scrutinized the cut on her face, his eyes drinking in her dazed and shattered look with much unbridled rage. “What. Happened.” He to Jessica furiously, grinding his anger out between his teeth. “You promised me that she’s safe. How did you manage to let an assassin into the air blip and lose him all within the same time?” His voice rose shrillingly. “When I entrust Taeyeon to you I expect explicit protection--”

“We are not infallible, Jiyong.” The one that interrupted his rant was none other than Yuri, who had a deterring arm on her snarling girlfriend. “And there was a leak hours after the leak of you leaving the city that specifically divulged a trail of our movements.” The purse of her lips was half angered, half irritated. “I should be asking how did your men handle information that was supposed to be private?” Jiyong shifted on his feet uncomfortably at her question.

“They’ve narrowed it down to a couple of suspects.” The thought of his father being a possible culprit sent uncomfortable chills down his bones. “We’ve gotten a couple of suspects already detained.” Jiyong’s lips pursed uncomfortably. “We’re currently working to detain more traces of the leaks. But for now, we need to stay here. I would prefer that they know we are in the Dwarven village and wait specifically for us to make our move rather than having us move and them being able to follow us everywhere we go. Once the leak has been taken care of, then only can you girls continue on with your movements.” He turned pulling Taeyeon roughly into his arms, anger and worry etched deep in the lines of his face. “Oh, and I would like to meet Sunny in the meeting rooms later. Just her alone. There's something I need her to help me with.”

“Fine.” Jessica snapped. “I'll tell Sunny about your highness’s demands. Just make sure that spy in your ranks stay out of my ears and my range, because when I find him o