“My dear daughter, do you believe in magic?”

 

Chaeyoung remembered her father asked her when she had just found out that she could move something with just her thought alone, without any physical contact. Chaeyoung was ten when her unique traits started to surface. It was around the same time when her father introduced her to the art of fighting with weapons. The first time it happened was when Chaeyoung was in a sparring session with her father.

 

Instinct would sometimes awaken another potential inside a person. Chaeyoung was almost get hit by her father’s waster when she closed her eyes and hoped that the waster would miss her head. Chaeyoung’s father, being an excellent swordsman for more than thirty years, surely wasn’t going to miss something as easy as targeting an opponent’s head. He also never intentionally went easy on his daughter because he knew that his daughter wore enough protection. Not to mention he wanted to teach Chaeyoung that a real battle was never a forgiving one.

 

Then it all happened. When she was expecting the blow on her head, all she could heard was a loud thud when her father’s waster landed loudly on the ground. Chaeyoung’s head remained unscratched. As if he recognized and understood what he just saw, Chaeyoung’s father immediately gave her a serious talk, one that always happened whenever he was about to teach Chaeyoung something new. A talked that begin with the question ‘Do you believe in magic?’

 

Being ten years old at the time, Chaeyoung knew that there was still so many wonders in this world that she hadn’t discovered yet. However, something as convenient as magic, never once that she believed that. She only believed that good result would only come after hard practice. That’s all she’d been doing all the time. Be it in horse riding, hunting, or fist fighting. If she neglected her practice even for a day, she could feel that her ability wasn’t the same as usual, even if it’s only a slight change.

 

Son Chaeyoung was a hard worker and so, believing in something as bizarre as magic would make all her effort seems meaningless. It would crush all her believed all this time. However, what her father said to her changed her life forever. Chaeyoung’s father told her that some people were born special. Since her father knew that Chaeyoung didn’t like the term ‘magic’ he changed it to ‘gifted’ and ‘special’ instead.

 

People who born with a special gift could do something that normal people couldn’t. For example, someone with enchanted memory could remember great volumes of information in greater detail and for much longer than average people. Or someone with ability learning could copy other ability just by seeing it and focusing upon it. To Chaeyoung’s surprise, she was actually one of the gifted people.

 

                “But Jeonghoon is also a fast learner! Doesn’t that make him a gifted person too?”

 

Sitting across each other at their house’s training field, Chaeyoung tried to deny what her father said about her. She still couldn’t accept this whole ‘special’ and ‘gifted’ thing. Her ego was too big to admit it.

 

                “Hahaha you’re right, he is indeed special.” Chaeyoung’s father gave her his typical loud laugh while patting her head. “But it’s a different kind of special.”

 

Chaeyoung furrowed her eyebrows when she heard her father’s statement. She didn’t understand what was so different about her ‘special’ and her little brother’s ‘special’. Chaeyoung’s father noticed the unpleasant expression that his daughter made. He smiled warmly and started patting his daughter’s head again.

 

                “Let’s see, how about I show you instead of just explaining it with words? You never good with words after all.” He laughed again.

 

Although she felt a little upset by what her father said, she knew that he was right and so she nodded enthusiastically. Even though she somewhat hesitated and a little afraid, it would be a lie if she said that she wasn't interested at all. Chaeyoung loved learning something new after all.

 

                “You see that rock over there?” Chaeyoung’s father pointed to a small rock several feet from them, far enough from Chaeyoung’s little hands.

 

                “Yes.” Chaeyoung nodded innocently.

 

                “Now, I want you to imagine that the rock will move over here.” Chaeyoung’s father patted the empty space between them. “You just need to concentrate and imagine.”

 

It was a bizarre request coming from her father. Chaeyoung knew that something like that couldn’t happen unless what her father said was true, that she was actually gifted. To found out about that, as weird as it sounds, Chaeyoung looked at the stone and started to concentrate. She pictured with her mind that the stone would move towards their direction. Surprisingly, focusing on that one thing made her sweat a lot. It drained a lot of her energy.

 

Nothing happened. The rock remained peacefully in its place. Feeling a little bit dejected, Chaeyoung tried once again. This time, Chaeyoung reached out her hands to the front and moved her palms as if she was calling for the stone.

 

Then it happened. The stone was slowly but surely moving in their direction, without anyone touching it. Chaeyoung’s eyes widened in horror when she realized that the stone moved faster than before. As soon as her concentration broke, the stone stopped moving. Chaeyoung felt exhausted, her breath had gone irregular. Both her hands were placed on the ground, supporting her body’s weight. Drops of her sweat fell to the ground. She looked at her father in disbelief.

 

                “Fa-Father,” Chaeyoung tried to talk between her breaths. “That was…?”

 

Chaeyoung’s father looked at her with an expression she couldn’t comprehend. It was a mix of relief, happy, anxiety and… sadness.

 

 

Chaeyoung awoke from her sleep with a gasp. It’s been a long time since she had that dream again. Maybe it was because the topic was brought back to her recently. She rubbed her eyes and looked up at the dark sky above her. Judging from the stars, dawn was drawing near and the sun should be up in about two hours. Even though Chaeyoung had learned how to read time using sun and stars as her guide, without a proper clock, she couldn’t tell if her reading was actually accurate or not. The clock only presented in a city after all. Moreover, it’s still rare, and as far as she knew, one city only possessed one clock.

 

After stretching her body, Chaeyoung got up and saw that Dahyun was still sleeping soundly beside her. Although the fire from the bonfire wasn’t as strong as before, Chaeyoung could still felt some heat radiated from it. Thankfully, it still enough to keep both Chaeyoung’s and Dahyun’s body warm. She smiled and then fixed the position of Dahyun’s blanket. Somehow, she felt a little guilty because she made Dahyun slept in the open. Chaeyoung used to sleep in an open field, or even sometimes, forest because of her father and her hunt for days once in a while.

 

However, Chaeyoung was sure that Dahyun wasn’t. Dahyun was the daughter of the person who ruled Sudic Province, who live in a huge castle and served by more than twenty maids. All her needs were always met, and she never did it on her own. When Chaeyoung explained to Dahyun that they might have to spent the night outside occasionally, Dahyun smiled brightly and said that she always wanted to experience that at least once. Knowing that she could at least make one of her wishes came true, Dahyun was beaming with happiness. Chaeyoung was glad that Dahyun wasn’t that kind of spoiled, meticulous noble. It was really unfortunate that they couldn’t find any shelter for the night though. Chaeyoung noted to herself that she needed to recalculate her plan so that they could reach a town or even a barn to spend the night.

 

While rolling her bedroll and tidying up her blanket, Chaeyoung was reminded of what happened five days ago.

 

                “I want you two to find someone named Minatozaki Sana.”

 

That request from Marquis Kim was so sudden and unexpected. Sure, Chaeyoung had a feeling that it was something to do with her ‘gift’ but to search for people she never heard of? She never expected that.

 

Thirty years ago, Kingdom of Lume was in a war with its neighboring Kingdom, Kingdom of Soare. It all happened when both kingdoms wanted to claim the southern continent as their own. After ten years, both The King of Lume and The King of Soare agreed to make peace because poverty struck both kingdoms hard. They agreed to divide the south continent into two regions, one for each. The King of Orizont, which had been a neutral party all the time, was the witness of the peace agreement.

 

Although twenty years had passed since the peace agreement was made, the tension between Lumian and Soarean was still there. That’s why they built a wall called Chenar to prevent unwanted things.

 

According to Marquis Kim’s information, Minatozaki Sana now resided in a small village, which located at the foot of Gazen’s mountain in Osteneia Province, Kingdom of Soare. That means that Chaeyoung needed to travel to Lomatia first, then cross the boundary between kingdoms from Hebare Gate and head to Mountain Range of Gazen. From her experience, travelling from Mirea to Hebare Gate would take about five to six days. Behind Hebare gate, was the Kingdom of Soare and Chaeyoung was absolutely clueless about what was there. Her journey would be a lengthy one if Marquis Kim didn’t give her a map to guide them.

 

A bizarre request came with a bizarre condition. Travelling to Soare wasn’t really something that Lumian preferred to do if it wasn’t really needed. Chaeyoung knew that this request wasn’t really a peaceful one. There could be danger waiting for them on the way. If that were the case, normally, she would’ve been given enough skilled warriors to protect her and Dahyun from the unexpected. Yet, Marquis Kim said that just the two of them must do this task alone. It wasn’t impossible but it wasn’t easy either. It’s a different story if they were asked to find someone in Lomatia. However crossing the border between kingdoms just to find someone was too challenging. Not that Chaeyoung could say no to Marquis Kim.

 

                “It’s not going to change anything even if I keep thinking about it.” Chaeyoung let out a sigh and faint white smoke travelled to the air.

 

Good thing that Chaeyoung was combat ready. She had trained for years with her father and she was confident that she could protect herself and Dahyun. As for Dahyun, Chaeyoung knew that the older girl also learned how to defend herself. Dahyun was also an excellent hunter and so there was no need to question her skill with a bow. Plus, they still have their ‘gifts’ as their trump card if unfavored situation befalls them.

 

After finished tidying up her belonging, Chaeyoung put it back to Ice’s panniers. She took the handmade hook and line and walked to the river near the spot where they spent the night. It was still dark indeed, however, Chaeyoung had trained to see in the dark since she was still a child. Sometimes, she went for a night hunt too. Her father said that it’s important to train in a different kind of situation because they wouldn’t know what nature would throw at them.

 

The cold water made Chaeyoung’s eyes wide-awake. After several splash to her face, Chaeyoung fished something for their breakfast. They needed the energy to continue the journey to Chenar Wall. If her calculation was right, they should arrive there this afternoon. With three mackerel in hands, Chaeyoung walked back to where Dahyun was.

 

Still wrapped in her blanket, Dahyun woke up to the sound that Chaeyoung made. The younger girl was preparing their breakfast, cooking the fish that she had caught in the fire. Dahyun rubbed her eyes to clear the hazy clouds that block her vision. The sun had just arisen and Dahyun could hear the sound of birds chirping among the trees.

 

                “You awake?” Chaeyoung shifted her eyes to Dahyun when she noticed some movement from the older girl.

 

                “Hmmm…” Dahyun’s voice was hoarse and her long caramel hair was a mess.

 

                “You might want to clean yourself in the river, breakfast will be ready when you come back.” Chaeyoung said while turning her attention back to the fish that she was cooking in the fire.

 

                “Okay…” Dahyun yawned and stretched her hands in the air. She got up and lazily walked to the river, forgot that she should take care of her bedroll and blanket first.

 

Looking at Dahyun’s back, Chaeyoung couldn’t help but laughed. Dahyun was such a cute mess. Her oversized long sleeve tunic and trouser combined with caramel hair that tied in a messy ponytail were really adorable. It was different from her usual attire at the castle; beautiful and colorful dresses that shows up her mature aura. With one look, everyone could know that it was Dahyun’s first time having a long journey by herself.

 

After she was done with the fishes, she placed it on a big leaf. Chaeyoung got up and tidying up Dahyun’s belonging, placing it inside the panniers of Dahyun’s horse. She looked up at the sky, observing the sun. If her reading was correct, it was now around seven in the morning. If they could finish their breakfast and continued to travel around eight, they should have enough time to find a shelter for tonight.

 

Dahyun came back with a more decent look than before. When she noticed that all her belonging was already cleaned up, she looked at Chaeyoung who was sitting on a log and grinned happily.

 

                “I’m not doing this every day, okay?” Chaeyoung ignored Dahyun’s stare and move to take one of the fish on the leaf.

 

                “Okay, okay, I understand.” Dahyun sat beside Chaeyoung and giggled. Despite what she said, Dahyun knew that Chaeyoung had a soft spot for her because she did too for Chaeyoung.

 

They eat their breakfast in a comfortable silence, occasionally talked about their plan for today and how far should they travel. After putting off the fire and checking up on their belongings once again, Chaeyoung and Dahyun rode their horse and started travelling again.

 

Actually, they had passed Lomatia already. At first, Dahyun suggested that they should give a visit to Chaeyoung’s house but the younger girl said that they could do that some other time. Chaeyoung wanted to finish the request given to them as fast as she could.

 

Mostly, Chaeyoung and Dahyun travelled through the vast field of grass. Sometimes, they crossed a shallow river and woods, passed a hill and small village. If they still had some energy left, they travel even in the night. However, riding a horse nonstop was extremely exhausting. The next day they would surely get saddle sore. Not to mention that their horses were also tired from the push. Because of that, they decided that travel at night was not a wise choice.

 

The sun was almost set when they finally arrived at Hebare Gate that attached on Chenar Wall. The one and only meant to cross the border between Lume and Soare. Chaeyoung looked at the great Chenar Wall, which perfectly divided the southern continent in two. Although Chaeyoung had went to the wall for several time with her father, seeing it up close still amazed her every time. Chaeyoung looked up to the upper end of the wall. It must be at least thirty feet tall.

 

                “Wow…” Dahyun, who was seeing the wall for the first time, dropped her jaw in awe.

 

                “Yeah, wow…” Chaeyoung followed with the same expression.

 

Growing up in a castle, Dahyun was used in seeing an enormous wall of bricks and tower, but the wall in front of her was different. Nothing back at the castle could come close to the Chenar Wall. The guard tower was even more dazzling. The guard tower was taller than the wall, probably thirty three feet tall. The title of the tallest building in Sudic was sure not a joke. On top of it, Lume’s national flag fluttered dashingly.

 

Slowly, Chaeyoung and Dahyun approached the guards that were standing near the gate.

 

                “Halt!”

 

One of the guards said and half shouted. Chaeyoung and Dahyun immediately stopped in their place.

 

                “Please show us the written permission to cross the border.” The guard continued.

 

To cross from Lume to Soare and from Soare to Lume, one actually needed a written permission from respective village heads, which had been approved by either a chancery by the order of the marquis or by a viscount or baron. Chaeyoung and Dahyun pulled their hood down and revealed their face to the guards. It seems that one of the guards recognized who they were.

 

                “Now, hand me the written permission!” The other one, and by the look of it was the younger one, didn’t know who he was speaking to. His tone was high and demanding.

 

                “Hey, watch your tone!” The older guard hissed at his junior and immediately gave Dahyun and Chaeyoung a bow.  He looked to the other guard and hissed in a small voice. “Bow your head!”

 

Not really understood the reason, the younger guard followed his senior exampled and bowed to the two girls in front of him.

 

                “Lady Dahyun and Miss Chaeyoung, what brings you two here?” The older guard said politely.

 

                “Who?” The younger guard whispered to his senior, completely clueless about Dahyun and Chaeyoung’s identity.

 

                “Really, you…it’s Lady Dahyun, the daughter of Marquis Kim of Mirea and Miss Chaeyoung, the daughter of Viscount Son of Lomatia!!” The other guard replied with another whisper. Although practically, their conversation was loud enough for Dahyun and Chaeyoung to heard.

 

When the realization hit the younger guard, he frantically bowed his head.

 

                “P-please forgive my rudeness earlier, My Lady!” The younger guard stuttered and apologized as loud as he could.

 

Dahyun and Chaeyoung exchanged glances. Chaeyoung didn’t know why but this whole situation was pretty funny for her. She threw a teasing glance to Dahyun while trying her best not to laugh and the older girl replied with warning eyes, as if she was saying ‘Son Chaeyoung, don’t you dare to laugh right now’. Chaeyoung held her laughter. She knew that Dahyun didn’t like the excessive attention.

 

                “It’s fine, really. Please, raise your head.” Dahyun shifted her eyes back to the two guards in front of them.

 

The two guards did as Dahyun said. Chaeyoung and Dahyun moved closer to the two guards and dismounted from their horse. Dahyun then searched the inside of her knapsack and pulled a piece of paper afterwards.

 

                “Here is the written permission. My father told me that I need to give this to the guard at the gate.” Dahyun handed the paper she was holding to the older guard who seemed to know the procedure better.

 

                “Ah, yes, I’ll deliver this to the head guard.” The older guard took the written permission. “In the meantime, why don’t Lady Dahyun and Miss Chaeyoung have a rest at the tower first? Or maybe, since it’s getting dark, how about spending the night here? I know guard tower is not the fanciest place to rest but we can at least provide something decent.” The older guard laughed and Chaeyoung and Dahyun could feel the warmness from his words.

 

                “That’s right! Lady Dahyun and Miss Chaeyoung must be tired after all the riding to here. By all means, please get some rest!” The younger guard said, and still shouting. Probably he still felt bad because of what happened earlier.

 

Dahyun turned her head to look at Chaeyoung who was standing behind her. As if she was asking if they should accept the offer or not. Before answering, Chaeyoung looked up and examined the sky. Layers of blankets of grey clouds already covered the sun and only little of its glory managed to traverse the mountain and woods in the form of beautiful orange-colored light. The night was coming. Even though Chaeyoung wanted to reach Osteneia as fast as they could, the thought of spending the night in a proper bed was too tempting to resist. Chaeyoung turned her head back to look at Dahyun and nodded in agreement.

 

                “Alright then, we’ll take up on that offer, thank you.” Dahyun smiled at the two guards in front of her.

 

                “Oh, n-no, not at all My Lady!” Seeing Dahyun smiled, the younger guard suddenly stuttering.

 

This time, Chaeyoung couldn’t hold her laughter and so she laughed heartily, followed by the older guard who seemed to understand the reason behind Chaeyoung’s laugh. The younger guard’s face suddenly turned into a blaze. Dahyun, who knew that she was actually being teased by the younger girl sighed and shook her head in defeat.

 

The tower guard was actually a more decent place from what Chaeyoung and Dahyun thought. Well, it wasn’t really the tower but the small barrack for the guards besides it. It even has its own little dining hall in which the head guard had turned it into a place for the little welcoming party they held.

 

For a barrack full of male guards, the presence of Chaeyoung and Dahyun lifted the mood in a way the two girls never imagined. Just them being there and not doing anything special, the guards were already full of joy. Having to meet the daughter of The Marquis of Mirea and the daughter of The Viscount of Lomatia in person was an honour they never thought they would have a chance to grab. Both Chaeyoung and Dahyun felt happy about it too because they could bring joy to the people who tirelessly defended the border.

 

Considering that Chaeyoung and Dahyun stayed in a barrack and not an actual inn, they felt content with having a room and a bed, even if they had to share it together. The head guard, however, felt really sorry that they had to share a room since there wasn’t any more vacant room left. He kept apologizing although the two girls said that they were okay with it.

 

Sleeping in an actual bed sure was different from sleeping outside. The next morning, Chaeyoung felt fresher and all the fatigue and sore from the long journey seemed to have flown away from her body. Breakfast was provided by the head guard once again, and this time more luxurious than what they had for dinner. Must be because they had more time to prepare, compared to the short time they had yesterday.

 

                “My Lady, I believe that you will need this again when you crossed the gate from Osteneia.” The head of the guard handed Dahyun the written permission back.

 

                “Thank you, for the great hospitality and everything.” Dahyun smiled, took it and put it back into her knapsack.

 

                “No need to thank us, it’s our pleasure, really.” The head guard laughed while his beard. “So, you’re heading to Gazen’s mountain?”

 

                “Not really the mountain but yes, that’s where we head to.” Chaeyoung confirmed.

 

                “I see. The best route is to head for Milida first. It’s a small town, east from here. Approximately one day trip with a horse.” The head guard closed his eyes, trying to recall his memories.

 

                “Alright, we’ll do that then.” Chaeyoung nodded while taking a mental note to herself.

 

                “You have to be careful though. I believe that the infamous thief group called Vulpe has their hideout somewhere near the town. They have this one skilled member whose action was very clean and never once caught. You certainly don’t want to have anything to do with them.” The head guard warned Chaeyoung and Dahyun with a serious face. “Please take care of your belongings and be safe.”

 

                “We will. Thank you for the notice.” Dahyun nodded and smiled.

 

                “It was nothing, really.” The head guard laughed again. “Please come to visit us again when you have the time, Lady Dahyun.”

 

At his request, Dahyun mouthed ‘I will’ as her answer. She definitely would love to visit the guard tower at Hebare Gate again sometimes, when she wasn’t taking a request from her father.

 

                “And Miss Chaeyoung,” The head guard turned his head towards Chaeyoung this time.

 

                “Yes?” Chaeyoung answered his call.

 

                “We will wait for your next visit with Viscount Son.” The head guard his beard while smiling.

 

                “Of course.” Chaeyoung gave the beardy man a warm smile in return.

 

The head guard signalled to his two men to pull the two levers on each side of the gate. When the gate had been opened, it revealed a short tunnel with another gate on the other side. As soon as the gate had been lifted fully, the other side of the gate began to open up slowly. It seemed that the head guard from Sudic’s side already sent a notice to the head guard of Osteneia’s side. Hebare Gate could only be crossed if both Sudic side and Osteneia side opened their gates after all. Usually, they sent a homing pigeon twice a day to get an update about how many written permission they had, and decided at what time they will open the gate. So, if one didn’t possess a written permission, they wouldn’t be able to cross the border between kingdoms

 

The head of the guard turned to look at Chaeyoung and Dahyun once again, with a small still plastered on his face.

 

                “Well then, have a safe journey.”

 

As soon as Chaeyoung set foot in Osteneia, she knew that she had crossed the border between Lume and Soare. She felt that somehow the air was a little different from her hometown. Grew up in Lomatia where the surrounding was nothing but green scenery, passing a barren land was somewhat weird for Chaeyoung. She had travelled a lot but apparently, there were still so many things she has yet to discover.

 

The barren land, fortunately, didn’t last that long. When they arrived at Milida, the small town that the head guard mentioned, the familiar color of green filled Chaeyoung’s eyes again. They even passed a small pond and a river. In fact, they could already see Gazen Mountain in the southeast of Milida. By far, Gazen Mountain was the biggest mountain that Chaeyoung ever see. The tip of the mountain wasn’t visible because the layer of clouds had covered half of its body. If Chenar Wall’s height could amazes her, she was sure she would lost all the words if she saw the mount closer.

 

Because the night was coming, Chaeyoung and Dahyun decided that they would spend the night at Milida. Luckily, they found an inn and booked two rooms, one for them each. At night, the first floor of the inn turned into a tavern. Chaeyoung thought it would be a good idea to ask the innkeeper about the village they were heading since they only knew so little about it. After she finished settling down all her belongings to her room, Chaeyoung went to Dahyun’s room to ask if she would like to come down together with her. Unfortunately, it seemed that Dahyun was already asleep since Chaeyoung didn’t get any response even after she knocked several times. Therefore, she went down to the bar herself.

 

Although it was only one floor different, the atmosphere on the first floor was excessively different from the quiet second floor. The sharp smell of the beers pierced Chaeyoung’s noise as soon as she finished walking down the stairs. Bustling noises from the conversations, cheers, and even from a little quarrel greeted Chaeyoung’s ears. She scanned the whole area and decided to sit near the innkeeper at the bar so that she could ask them a question without being disturbed.

 

                “And how can I help this young miss over here?” The innkeeper turned to Chaeyoung when he finished serving a glass of ale to his customer.

 

                “Just a glass of water, please. I’m travelling.” Chaeyoung awkwardly answered while scratching the back of her nape.

 

                “Alright then, will be ready in no time.” The innkeeper laughed at Chaeyoung’s awkwardness.

 

Truth to be told, Chaeyoung was never really good with alcohol. She could tolerate a little of it sure, but she preferred to not having it in the first place. Although there were situations where she couldn’t help but had one, if she had a choice, she would pick to avoid it.

 

                “So, a traveller? Where are you going to?” The innkeeper handed Chaeyoung the glass of water she asked for earlier.

 

                “My friend and I are heading to a small village located at the foot of mount Gazen. Have you heard anything about it?” Chaeyoung took the glass and mouthed a small thank you.

 

                “You mean the village without a man?”

 

                “The village without a man?” Chaeyoung raised her eyebrows with interest.

 

                “You’re not from around here, aren’t you? Are you perhaps from the main island?” The innkeeper laughed when Chaeyoung parroting his statement.

 

                “I’m actually from Sudic.” Feeling a little bit embarrassed, Chaeyoung tucked her head slightly.

 

                “Oh, Lumian!” The innkeeper seemed surprised when Chaeyoung exposed her identity. His face suddenly turned serious for a second. “It’s best if you keep that to yourself though, people around here doesn’t really like the sound of it.” Suddenly, he broke into another laughter and his expression softened again.

 

The innkeeper was a bit strange, Chaeyoung admitted it. However, she had a feeling that the innkeeper wasn’t a bad person so she felt a little relieved when she conversed with him.

 

                “Alright, I’ll keep that in mind.” Chaeyoung added the innkeeper’s advice to her mind’s note. “So, what’s this village without a man about?”

 

                “You know about the war between Lume and Soare thirty years ago, right? That time, both sides were lacking manpower and to make up for that, Soare took every single man from that village to help them with the war. It is said that none of them managed to return after the war ended, only women inhabitant left.” The innkeeper told his tale in a hushed voice since the topic was actually sensitive around there.

 

                “I see…”

 

Chaeyoung took all the information she had just got and processed it in her head. To be hones,t all that information just confused her more. Why did Marquis Kim want them to found someone from that village? And what did it have to do with Chaeyoung and Dahyun’s gifts? No matter how hard Chaeyoung tried, she couldn’t see the connection at all.

 

                “You sure you don’t need a drink? Your face looks like you really need one. It’s on the house.” The innkeeper’s laughter brought Chaeyoung back to reality.

 

Without realizing, Chaeyoung was frowning her eyebrows and her face was scrunched up.

 

                “Oh, no, no, I’m fine really.” Chaeyoung waved both her hands awkwardly trying to turn down the innkeeper’s offer without sounding rude. “I think I’ll just need a little walk.” Chaeyoung sighed. She needed to clear her mind from unnecessary thoughts.

 

                “If that’s the case, I recommend you to walk to the pond behind the town. It’s not that far although you would have to walk through the bushes and stand of trees. Today is a full moon. I’m sure the reflection of it will calm you.” The innkeeper smiled.

 

The pond behind the town was actually a beautiful place, especially at night since the reflection of the sky on the clear water surface was mesmerizing. A little walk and won’t hurt. It would surely calmed the racing thoughts on her mind.

 

                “Alright, I’ll do that then. Thank you for the recommendation by the way.” Chaeyoung stood up from her seat. “How much is the water?”

 

                “Don’t worry about it, it’s on me.” The innkeeper waved his hand, trying to dismiss Chaeyoung’s attempt at paying him for the water. “And don’t forget to hide the fact that you’re a Lumian.” The innkeeper said the last one in a quieter voice. “Another thing, there was a famous thief hideout near the city. Thief group called Vulpe. It’s best if you don’t take anything with you if you don’t want to get robbed.”

 

Chaeyoung nodded and expressed her gratitude. She then went back to her room to bring her staff and walked out of the taverns. She started to walk towards the direction that the innkeeper had told her, hoping to find a quiet place to practice. In contrast with the tavern earlier, the town at night was much quieter and emptier. It felt like people had already tucked in their bed, preparing for another busy day tomorrow. Actually, Chaeyoung would love to go to sleep right now, but she couldn’t if her thoughts still running wildly. It was her bad habit and the only way to calm her thoughts down was practicing.

 

After about twenty minutes walking, Chaeyoung arrived at the pond the innkeeper mentioned. She walked past the bushes and trees and immediately freeze in her feet when the pond came into her vision. The innkeeper wasn’t lying. The pond was indeed mesmerizing. The cool breeze hit Chaeyoung’s face, helping her to slow down her train of wild thoughts and instead, processed what she saw into her brain. The reflection of the full moon and the stars on the surface of the water was beautiful. Chaeyoung would classify the scenery she was seeing right now as magical. The same with the forest near Lomatia where she often went for a hunt.

 

Surreal was probably the right word to pick when Chaeyoung saw a figure surfaced from the pond. In that instant, Chaeyoung’s pupils were dilated, trying to take a better look at the figure with very little light provided. Chaeyoung was sure, the figure she was seeing was a human. More precisely, a young woman. Chaeyoung couldn’t help but noticed her wet, shoulder-length black hair that shone brightly under the moonlight, or her snow-like skin that glowed gorgeously in the darkness of the night, or…

 

Wait a minute, is she ?!

 

If Chaeyoung’s pupils could jump out from their place, they probably had by now. The world was filled with wonders and bizarre things, sure, Chaeyoung knew that well. However, to found a young woman swimming at a pond, moreover in a chilly autumn night was probably beyond her wildest imagination. Bizarre things always attracted attention and maybe that’s why Chaeyoung couldn’t tear her eyes from the young woman she was seeing right now. It felt like she was enchanted by her because slowly, she started to approach the woman as if she was being charmed.

 

When the woman finally noticed her presence, Chaeyoung knew that her face was as shocked as the woman was. The woman’s dark brown eyes enlarged in shock when she saw Chaeyoung and she immediately hid her body back inside the water.

   

“W-wait, I can assure you that I am not a suspicious person!” Chaeyoung blurted out without thinking. Who was she lying to, she knew that she did look like a suspicious person with her staff in hand.

 

There was no responses nor a movement from the woman. The water’s surface was back to its original form, calm without any trace that someone was there inside the water. Minutes passed and there was still no sign of the woman and Chaeyoung began to feel restless.

 

                “H-hey!!” Chaeyoung called out to the woman inside the water but there was no response.

 

Could it be that she’s drowning?!

 

Without any further thought, Chaeyoung put down her quarterstaff and immediately jumped into the water and searched for the woman. Even with her clothes intact, Chaeyoung could feel the cold water seeping through her skin to her bone. She couldn’t imagine how could that woman swam without any clothes on. Chaeyoung took her head out from the water. She still couldn’t find the women. Not to mention that her visibility was limited because it was nighttime, and the moonlight didn’t give her enough light to venture deeper into the water. Yet, she kept searching and searching, until she finally heard a soft voice from above.

 

                “What are you doing?”

 

Chaeyoung looked up to where the source of the sound was and she was surprised once again. The woman she was searching for was standing there, on the side of the pond, looking down at her, and this time, with clothes on.

   

                “Wha- h-how?!“

 

With her jaw hanged wide open, Chaeyoung was left speechless inside the water. The pond wasn’t that big and deep. There was no way that the women could get out from it without being noticed by Chaeyoung. She was in there the whole time after all.

 

                “How could you be there already?!” Chaeyoung’s thoughts were just getting a little rest when the gears suddenly speeded up once again by the woman’s unexpected appearance.

 

                “You know that peeping is not an admirable act, do you?” The woman in front of her lifted her eyebrows and she was clearly accusing Chaeyoung of the act.

 

Hearing the sudden accusation directed at her and realizing the meaning behind that, despite the coldness of the water, Chaeyoung could felt that her face was bright red, as if blazing in a fire.

 

                “Wa-wait, n-no! It wasn’t something like that! Please, believe me!” Chaeyoung stuttered. It must be because of the cold water. Or maybe she felt really flustered right now. All of this was accelerating too fast.

 

The hard and cold expression the young woman had been giving Chaeyoung this whole time, slowly changed when she saw how desperate Chaeyoung was, in trying to clear the situation. When Chaeyoung still explained to the woman that it was all a bad coincidence, the young woman finally couldn’t hold the muscle of her cheeks any longer and giggled. Confused, Chaeyoung just tilted her head to the side.

 

                “For now, you should get out from the water first or you’ll catch a cold.” The young woman extended her hand to help Chaeyoung got out from the water.

 

                “Yes, of course.” Dumfounded, Chaeyoung nodded and took the hand and let herself get pulled from the water.

 

Both of them were now sitting next to each other while maintaining a reasonable distance. Chaeyoung hugged herself tightly, trying to warm and defended herself from the chilly winds. Although it wasn’t helping that much since she was still shivering.

 

                “So, what are you doing here, exactly?” The young woman started a conversation with her eyes glued to the reflection of the moon on the water’s surface.

 

Before answering, Chaeyoung looked to her side and made sure that the young woman was actually talking to her.

 

                “I’m just out for a little walk and to practice.” Chaeyoung answered honestly.

 

                “Is that really all?” The young woman raised her eyebrows accusingly, without moving her eyes from the pond’s surface.

 

                “Yes, it is! I swear it was just a bad coincidence!”

 

Chaeyoung’s hands were flailing sloppily in the air and the young woman giggled again. Knowing that the woman had just , Chaeyoung let out a defeated sigh. She hugged her knees once again, trying to seek for her own body warm.

 

                “Anyway, what are you doing out here in the middle of the night?” Chaeyoung still looking to her side, observing the young woman beside her. She was exceptionally beautiful, even from the sideline.

 

For the first time, the young woman turned her eyes from the pond and looked at Chaeyoung. When their eyes meet, Chaeyoung was captivated by the woman’s dark brown eyes, which shone lighter under the moonlight.

 

                “Would you like to take a guess?”

 

Chaeyoung didn’t know since when that her jumbled thoughts had cleared up. The only one that occupied her head right now was this mysterious, woman in front of her. In a sense, she knew that it’s not a good thing. However, she just couldn’t take her eyes and mind of this beautiful stranger.

 

                “I-I…uh…” Chaeyoung stuttered again. She hates it when she couldn’t express what was on her mind. That was not like her usual self.

 

The young woman in front of Chaeyoung gave her a smile but Chaeyoung noticed that something was a little off. Deep in the corner of the woman’s eyes, Chaeyoung could sense some sorrow. As if the woman was forcing herself to smile.

 

                “I came here to practice, just like you.”

 

                “Practice? What are you─”

 

Chaeyoung’s words hang in the middle when the woman suddenly put both her hands on Chaeyoung’s head, making the latter flustered.

 

                “Wha-“

 

                “You are just dreaming right now. All the things you see and experiencing right now is only happening in your dream. They are not real.” The woman stared intently at Chaeyoung’s eyes.

 

Chaeyoung couldn’t move. She felt that she was being taken away to someplace far. All she could do was looking back at the woman’s pretty eyes.

 

                “After this, you’ll go back to where you come from, change your wet clothes, and sleep. You’ll forget that you ever meet me. Understand?” The woman was still staring at Chaeyoung’s eyes.

 

                “Okay.”

 

The last thing that Chaeyoung could remember was the sound of fingers flicking near her ears and then her world was filled with darkness.

 

“You know, you’ve been spacing out a lot. Did something happened when I was sleeping last night?” Dahyun glanced at her younger friend while adjusting the knapsack on her back.

 

The morning had come and it was time for them to continue their journey. They were standing outside the inn, ready to get their horses at the stables. However, Dahyun noticed that there was something off with her friend. Since breakfast, Chaeyoung kept quiet and spaced out more often than usual and Dahyun knew that something happened. Probably last night when she went to bed early.

 

                “I just had this weird dream.” Chaeyoung sighed tiredly.

 

Waking up in confusion, Chaeyoung couldn’t really remember what happened last night. How she got into the bed, it was all a blurry memory for her. She did remember that she went down to the tavern and had a small talk with the innkeepers. She also remembered that the innkeeper recommended her a place to calm her mind. It was a pond near the town. Chaeyoung felt that she came to the pond to practice but starting from there, her memories blurred.

 

                “Hey, do you think that someone would go swimming in the middle of the night, ?”

 

At Chaeyoung’s absurd statement Dahyun immediately furrowed her eyebrows.

 

                “Son Chaeyoung, how much did you drink last night?!”

 

                “I wasn’t drinking!” Chaeyoung denied, half-shouted.

 

                “Okay, okay I believe you, don’t shout. Swimming in the middle of the night? Moreover, in autumn? I don’t think any sane person would do that.” Dahyun sighed in defeat. She knew that Chaeyoung had some thought inside her head, but not expected this weird question to come.

 

                “It must be a dream then…” Chaeyoung muttered to herself quietly.

 

Shaking her head slightly to clear the unnecessary thoughts, Chaeyoung took a deep breath and let them out slowly. She slapped both her cheeks lightly, muttered something and nodded.

 

                “Alright, shall we go then?”

 

Dahyun didn’t know what happened to Chaeyoung last night, but she’s glad that Chaeyoung was back to normal. She would ask for a more detailed story when they managed to get some leisure time later. For now, Dahyun knew that they should focus on her father’s request first.

 

                “Okay, let’s─”

 

                “Everyone, go inside! Vulpe’s at it again!!”

 

A man was running frantically on the street, shouting at everyone outside. As soon as the people heard that man’s word, they immediately moved inside their house, or any building, leaving the street empty. Chaeyoung and Dahyun didn’t know what had just happened and stood still in their spot.

 

                “What is happening?” Dahyun looked around the empty street.

 

Chaeyoung shrugged her shoulder as her answer.

 

“He said Vulpe so maybe─”

 

Suddenly, a gust of strong wind hit them. The wind was so strong, making Dahyun fell backwards. As fast as it came, as fast as it went, leaving Chaeyoung and Dahyun freeze in place.

 

                “What was that just now...?” Dahyun’s hair was a mess. It was still hard for her to get up.

 

                “I don’t know. It felt like a wind hit me but something was odd like it wasn’t a normal wind…” Chaeyoung ruffled her short hair, trying to get them back in place.

 

Dahyun wanted to get back on her feet when she realized that her body felt lighter than before. She tried to reach for her knapsack when she realized that it was no longer there.

 

                “Hey?!” Dahyun shouted in confusion.

 

                “What? Are you hurt somewhere?” Startled, Chaeyoung looked at her older friend while searching for a wound at Dahyun’s body.

 

                “N-no…but my knapsack is gone!”

 

                “What? How come?!” Chaeyoung then checked her own satchels slung onto her shoulder but there was nothing. “Wait, my satchels is also gone!”

 

                “It’s Vulpe.” The innkeepers suddenly emerged from inside the inn. “You remembered I told you about them last night, right?” The innkeeper turned his sight to Chaeyoung’s direction.

 

                “Yes, I remembered.” Chaeyoung nodded.

 

                “Well, you just witnessed them in action.” The innkeeper gave Chaeyoung his signature laugh.

 

                “What? But there was no one there?” Dahyun frowned in confusion.

 

                “No, there was someone.” Chaeyoung gritted her teeth. “I felt a presence from that weird wind earlier. A human’s presence.”

 

Both of them fell in silence. Too many bizarre things happened at once, Chaeyoung head started to feel a little hurt. First the information about Minatozaki Sana and the village without a man, second was her weird dream and now this?

 

                “I think it’s best for you to just let it go. Whenever one tried to get back their belonging, they never came back from Vulpe’s hideout.” The innkeeper said.

 

                “We can’t! Father’s letter for Minatozaki Sana and the written permission to cross border is inside my knapsack. We can’t possibly lose it!” Dahyun said to Chaeyoung as if convincing her younger friend that letting Vulpe took their belongings wasn’t an option.

 

                “You’re right, we can’t lose it.” Chaeyoung clenched her fist. She then turned to the innkeeper. “You said that someone tried to take back their belonging and never managed to come back from their hideout, right?”

 

The innkeeper nodded.

 

                “Does that mean you know their hideout location?”

 

                “Everyone in the city knows. Although even if we know it, we can’t do anything about it.” The innkeeper's eyes widened when he realized what Chaeyoung was going to do. “Don’t tell me, you’re not going to…?”

 

                “Yes, we’ll go to them and take back our belongings.” Chaeyoung said full with determination.

 

                “You can’t, its suicide!” The innkeeper tried to stop them.

 

                “Thank you for the warning but we’re going to be alright.” Chaeyoung looked at the innkeeper and tried to reassure him with a smile.

 

                “Yes, we’re going to be alright. So please, could you tell us about the location of their hideout?” Dahyun looked at the innkeeper, almost pleading.

 

                “Alright, I get it. Don’t say that I didn’t warn you.” The innkeeper let out a defeated sigh.

 

After having the knowledge of Vulpe’s hideout location, Dahyun and Chaeyoung made a little preparation before they go. The innkeeper was kind enough to give them some ointment for injuries and other general supplies. It was a good thing that Chaeyoung always had her quarterstaff in her hand. As for Dahyun’s bow, they leave it at the stables together with their horse. When all preparation was completed, they thanked the innkeeper once again and started to move.

 

                “Wait!”

 

Before Chaeyoung and Dahyun managed to move with their horses, a voice of a woman called out to them. The owner of that voice was a young woman. She walked towards them hurriedly. Chaeyoung looked at the figure who was walking to them. The woman’s shoulder-length black hair, her snow-like skin, and moreover, her dark-brown eyes felt really familiar. As if, the woman’s appearance triggered something that had been buried away in her memories.

 

                “You guys are going to Vulpe’s hideout, right? Please take me with you.” Her voice was soft but sounded stern.

 

Chaeyoung, who couldn’t take her eyes from the woman, finally opened .

 

                “Excuse me but, have we met somewhere before?”

 

The woman paused for a while before answering Chaeyoung’s question.

 

                “No. I believe that you’re mistaken me with someone else.”

 

                “Ah, is that so? I’m sorry then.” Feeling a little disappointed, Chaeyoung dropped her shoulder. She was sure she had seen that woman somewhere but she couldn’t remember it. Maybe her memories just played a trick on her. “Anyway, you want to come with us to Vulpe’s hideout? Why is that?” Chaeyoung brought the topic back.

 

                “Yes, please take me with you. They stole something precious from me and I really need to take them back.” The young woman explained her situation.

 

Chaeyoung exchanged glances with Dahyun. She wasn’t really sure about taking someone into danger. Indeed, Chaeyoung was confident that she could protect both Dahyun and herself. However, she wasn’t sure she could protect another one beside them. Not to mention she didn’t know how many people there were in Vulpe’s hideout. It was too risky.

 

                “I can assure you both that I’m more than capable in protecting myself. Or even the three of us if needed to.”

 

As if the woman could read what’s on Chaeyoung’s mind, she blurted out a bold confession. Chaeyoung glanced at Dahyun once again and the older girl nodded in agreement. It was always good to have more people on the team.

 

                “Alright then, we’ll take you with us. My name is Kim Dahyun and this is Son Chaeyoung.” Dahyun introduced herself and Chaeyoung. Chaeyoung gave the woman a smile when her name was mentioned. “What’s your name?” Dahyun asked the woman.

 

                “Mina. You can call me Mina.” The young woman introduced herself back with a small smile plastered on her lips.

 

Chaeyoung looked at the young woman and dismounted from her horse. She walked closer to the woman and then extended her hand with a broader smile.

 

                “Welcome to the team, Mina.”

 

---

 

A/N : Heya, it's me! Thank you for the visit and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Minari officially made her debut in this chapter, horaaay /o/ Anyway, there will be a lot of (not really) action in the next chapter and we'll meet another member of Twice! See you again next chapter~