Jiae glanced at the clock that was hanging on the wall. There was an hour left till midnight and Jiwoo and her needed to leave now. Glancing at her brother, she saw that he had changed into clothing that were similar to hers. She had told him about the plan, and he immediately agreed. Jiwoo would go anywhere with Jiae.

Opening the door to their room as quietly as possible, Jiae peeked to see if there was anyone in the hallway. Once she ensured the place was clear, the siblings quickly left the room and headed downstairs. Jiwoo was not trained in assassination but he knew the basics because everyone in the intelligence department was trained to do so. His small build helped him in moving swiftly and silently as well.

Jiae was in front, acting as a shield for her brother as she scanned every area they entered. Heading towards the cafeteria, she noticed that there was not a single soul in sight. It was common around here because it was late, and the other assassins were not the type to hang around and have fun.

The emergency exit was beside the cafeteria and the siblings stuck close to the wall as they headed there. Once they leave this place, they would head to the harbour straight and meet up with the rest. Jiae would finally have to stop killing, and Jiwoo could be just like any kid out there.

The lights to the cafeteria suddenly lit up and the siblings immediately stopped in their tracks. Jiae already had her katanas in her hands and stood in a defensive stand, shielding Jiwoo. Assassins poured into the room. There were at least 30 of them, and each of them were the elites in the association.

“Where do you think you are going?” A voice Jiae grew to hate so much said and she saw him at the other end of the cafeteria, far away from her. He was a coward and a useless man who did not even dare to face Jiae on his own.

Jiae did not speak. She knew whatever she said could not get her out of the current situation. She could fight the assassins blocking her way, but Jiwoo could not. And she would never do anything to risk his life. She would just have to find another time to escape.

Giving up, Jiae placed her katanas back into the holder and she held onto Jiwoo’s hand. The younger sibling gave her a squeeze of assurance even though he was afraid of what were to happen next.

“Get them.” Ryung said and they separated the siblings. Jiwoo wanted to scream for his sister while Jiae wanted to push the assassins away, but they knew better than to defy Ryung’s order. They had cuffed Jiae’s hands together and brought her to the familiar punishment room. But this time, they brought Jiwoo with her.

“Let him go. He had nothing to do with this.” She hissed at Ryung but Ryung ignored her. Settling Jiwoo down on a chair, he faced the guards behind Jiae. They nodded and kicked the back of her knees, making her fall to the ground and her knees made contact with the cold, hard ground. The sudden impact made her knees hurt, but she did not make a sound.

Jiae glared at the floor in front of her. She could do this. She was willing to accept whatever they threw at her, as long as Jiwoo was unharmed. Ryung’s shoes appeared in her vision as he stood in front of her. “Where were you planning to go?”

“Jiwoo was crying. I was taking him out for a breather.” Jiae lied.

Ryung grabbed the roots of Jiae hair and pulled her head backwards so he could look at her. Jiae let out a cry at the unexpected pain. “Don’t you know that it is against the rules to leave the building without permission?”

“That’s why I was sneaking out, wasn’t I?” She glared at him.

Ryung let go of her hair and slapped her instead. “Don’t try to get smart with me.”

“Stop hurting my noona!” Jiwoo shouted. He knew better than to interrupt Ryung, but he could not watch the guy torturing his sister anymore.

“Just shut up and watch.” One of the guards slapped Jiwoo this time. Jiae was already on her feet and wanted to kick the bastard that hurt her brother when the guards behind her pull her back to the ground.

She tried to fight back but they were too strong. Strength was never her forte. “I said he has nothing to do with this!”

This time, Ryung took a dagger out. Resting it on her left collarbone, he continued his interrogation. “Who were you planning to meet?”

Jiae then realised Ryung did not know she was planning to escape. He thought that she had turned to a spy and was leaking information out to an unknown source.

“Does it look like it would be a wise choice to bring my brother if I was going to meet someone outside?”

Ryung pressed his lips into a thin line. Jiae was right. Because Jiwoo was weak, he was more of a liability than a help. “Then tell me the truth. What was your main purpose?”

“I told you! Jiwoo was crying. This place is too suffocating for him. I just thought that the fresh air would help him feel better.”

“You have to lie harder than that for me to believe you.” He pressed the blade closer to her neck.

Jiae glared at him and knew that he was being serious. Ryung was a guy that never thought about his actions. He just did what he wanted. But Jiae was not going to tell him what he wanted to hear. She did not want him to feel satisfied and think he could control her. There was no way she was going to sell Kyungsoo out too. Kyungsoo had nothing to do with this.

Lifting the dagger up, he sliced her arm. Jiae bit back a yelp when she felt her skin split open. Unsatisfied that he was not able to get a sound out of her, he placed the sharp tip of the dagger right above her left hip. Jiae could feel the dagger pricking her skin open. The edges of the blade tore her skin as it slowly made its way deeper in her flesh. Sweat formed on her forehead as she tried to numb the pain.

“Kill me and the Red King will get furious at you.” She suddenly said. Fear flickered in his eyes and she noticed it.

“H-He wouldn’t care for someone as lowly as you.” He his lips nervously.

“Oh yeah? Then why did he personally come for me this morning?” She questioned. It was wrong of her to use Yongguk as a shield, considering how she did not want him help. But that was the only choice she had now. “If you think he wouldn’t care then go ahead. Kill me.”

Ryung suddenly straightened up and a smirk was on his face.

This is not good. Jiae darted her eyes around nervously. Ryung was going to do something dangerous. Maybe he was really going to kill her.

Then, Ryung took two steps backwards before turning around and facing his new target. “No!” She shouted, but Ryung was already behind Jiwoo and the dagger in his hands was pressed firmly against Jiwoo’s neck. Jiae could see a small trickle of blood that was caused by the sharp blade.

“Are you going to speak or not?” This time, it was his turn to threaten her.

“I’ll speak! Just let him go!” Ryung could see the fear in her eyes and he walked towards her smugly.

Jiae opened and muttered something softly. “Speak up! I can’t hear you.” Ryung sneered and kicked Jiae’s side. Jiae clenched her teeth together as she took in the pain. She repeated her words a little louder but Ryung still had no idea what she was saying. Bending down so he could hear better, he grabbed onto the roots of her hair again and pulled her towards him.

And that was enough space for Jiae to start her counter attack.

Ignoring the pain from where he was pulling her locks, she stood up so quickly that the guards behind her could not even stop her movements. Jiae kicked Ryung right in the chest and the dagger he was holding onto fell to the ground. Wasting no time, she stepped onto the end of the dagger as hard as she could, and the sharp blade flew up in the air due to the impact.

Catching the handle of the weapon with her teeth, she changed her target to the two guards. All it took was a leap from her, and she managed to slice the neck of one of them. It was easy, considering how short she was compared to them. The jump allowed her to reach the height of where their necks were.

Before the second guard could react, Jiae had already settled him. Releasing the dagger from , it fell and landed perfectly in her cuffed hands. Turning around to face Ryung and the last guard, she saw that Ryung had already gotten up while the guard was charging towards her.

They never learn. Jiae thought as she watched the last guard fell. Gripping onto the only weapon she had, she faced the one who had caused all of this. But what she saw was not what she expected at all. She had expected Ryung to be on his knees, begging for forgiveness or at least threaten Jiae by using Jiwoo as a shield.

Instead, she saw another dagger embed deep into her brother’s left chest. Blood trickled down Jiwoo’s lips as he watched the tears welled up in his sister’s eyes, laced with disbelief. A small smile formed on his lips. He had loved his sister more than anything in the world. She was like his mother, father and sibling all at the same time. The love Jiae gave him was enough because he never felt that he lacked love.

“I love you.” Jiwoo mouthed, before the life left his eyes. Jiae dropped to her knees when she realised what had happened. Her mind went blank when she saw her brother’s lifeless eyes. This was not what she wanted. She did not want riches or power. All she ever wanted in her life was to live freely with the only family she had left. Yet the Gods had to take the one last thing that was holding her sanity.

Was this my retribution? For killing all those people? Endless tears flowed down her cheeks.

Ryung started to laugh hysterically when he saw how vulnerable the top assassin was. He took out the dagger that was in Jiwoo before stabbing the poor boy again. “Not so tough now, huh?” He stabbed Jiwoo once more while laughing.

“Enough.” Jiae whispered, but the man continued to laugh. Jiae started to feel anger she has never felt before. “I said enough!” She shouted and suddenly, as if Ryung had been hit by a magical force, he flung backwards and slammed against the wall. 

The trio was near the building when Kyungsoo felt a sharp sting to his heart. Gasping, he stopped running and clutched the area where it hurt. “What’s wrong?!” Sujeong and Sehun was immediately by his side.

Kyungsoo’s heart hurt so much. He does not know why. It had never happened before. “Jiae..” He whispered and looked up at the direction of the association building. He could not explain it. But he felt that it had to do with Jiae.

A bright glow appeared in the middle of his chest and he took out the glowing key. The trio gasped as they saw the key floating in the air while it glowed brightly. They had never saw the key like this before. Kyungsoo then remembered what his mother told him, but he still could not believe it.

“Someone’s borrowing my power.” He told them.

“How?” Sujeong gasped. It was only possible to borrow a King’s power if that person was his retainer. Even so, there was only a few rare cases of retainers being able to do so. The problem was, the current retainers Kyungsoo have are only Sujeong and Sehun. Who else would have the power to do so?

Kyungsoo remembered about Jiae and continued his way to the building. Now was not the time to think about this.

Ryung groaned when he realised what happened. It was like someone rammed him into the wall. Getting up, he saw Jiae glaring at him. Jiae could feel the anger boiling deep within her. Her skin grew hot and her mind went fuzzy. The only thought that was in her mind was to kill the one who did this to her brother.

She imagined Ryung being pinned to the wall and oddly, the guy was suddenly being lifted up.

Ryung started panicking when he felt an imaginary force lift him up before pressing him against the wall. The force on him was so strong it started to suffocate him.

Jiae then looked at the dagger on the ground and remembered how he killed her brother. The dagger then floated up to where Ryung’s neck was and his eyes grew wide when the weapon came into his view. She remembered, how he cruelly stabbed Jiwoo, and the dagger did the same. The sharp blade that was floating in the air was now deep in Ryung’s throat.

Ryung started choking on his blood when the dagger was removed before launching back at him, again and again, like how he treated Jiwoo. It was only when Jiae saw the still body of Ryung had she stopped her thoughts. And just like that, his body fell to the ground, along with the dagger that was attached to his body.

Looking at Jiwoo, she slowly made her way to him. He was smiling, and his eyes were closed. Jiae could not remember the last time he had looked that peaceful. As she knelt down in front of him, she pressed her forehead against his knees, her tears falling like a broken tap.

She cried for the unfairness she had received in this world. She cried for her innocent brother who had always placed himself before her. She cried for the fact that she will never be able to see him again, to see his bright smile that always brought happiness to her face. Jiwoo had never once complained about the life he had.

And now, he was gone from this world. Gone from her.

Jiae’s sobs became wails as she cried out for her poor brother. The agony she felt was something she never thought she will ever feel. She had lived her life for her brother. She took up all the torturous training for him, to learn how to protect him. But she failed him. She failed him, and she failed herself.

As Jiae’s wails grew louder, the cuffs on her hands started sizzling. The metal was slowly boiling up till it was hot to the point that it melted. The dead bodies on the floor burst up in flames and so did the room. As Jiae continued to cry, the fire continued to spread, burning everything it touched except for her and Jiwoo.

The trio was right in front of the building when they saw smoke rising from the top. The people inside poured out and shouts could be heard. The building suddenly burst into flames. The heat from the fire made everyone stand back. Everyone except for Kyungsoo.

The White King ran into the building, ignoring the fact that a huge fire had engulfed it. “Kyungsoo!” His retainers immediately ran after him.

The flames were huge as it spread wildly. But Kyungsoo could not feel the heat from the flames. If anything, the flames felt cool to the touch. Sujeong and Sehun felt the same when they entered the building, as if the fire was just an illusion.

Kyungsoo’s key started glowing again and as if it had a mind on its own, it headed to a certain direction. Kyungsoo could feel the key moving, the chain tugging onto the back of his neck. Following the object, it led them deeper into the building.

Kyungsoo could then hear someone crying and immediately recognised the owner of the voice. Running to the source, he burst into the room. The bright flames of the fire were glaring, but it was not hot. At the corner of the room was a young boy on a chair and a girl sobbing on his lap.

“Jiae,” Kyungsoo let out a sigh of relief as he ran to her side. Holding her shoulders as an attempt to soothe her, she snapped up at the sudden contact. Her hair was messy, and her face was full of tears, but she was still his beautiful, little canary.

Jiae choked back a sob as she flung her arms around Kyungsoo’s neck. He had come for her. It was all too late now, but he had kept his promise till to end, even if it meant risking his safety. Kyungsoo wrapped his arms around her petite frame and the back of her head. He looked at the boy who was on the chair. Blood had pooled at the place of his injury and Kyungsoo knew who he was. There was only one person who would make Jiae this upset.

“Please,” Jiae cried and he could hear how weak her voice sounded. It was wavering as she tried to stop crying. “Please take us away.” She whispered at the end of the sentence before Kyungsoo felt her body grew slack. The flames suddenly disappeared, as if it never happened. But the burnt markings on the walls proved it once existed.

“Jiae!” Kyungsoo pulled away to find her unconscious. Sehun scooped Jiwoo’s body in his arms while Kyungsoo did the same to Jiae. 

They quickly exited the back of the building and when they were far enough, Kyungsoo gently placed Jiae on the grass. He needed to check if she was alright.

“She’s bleeding.” Sujeong noted and went to check for her injuries. There were a few blood stains on her shirt, but a small pool of blood was formed at her hip. Lifting her shirt slightly, she saw how horrible the wound was. It was not deep to the point that it will endanger Jiae’s life, but blood was pouring out from it.

“Kyungsoo.” Sujeong noticed a mark below her wound and he bent down beside Sujeong. He saw what she noticed.

“No wonder she was forced to kill. She had no choice.” Kyungsoo gently the slave mark on her left hip.

“It’s not that. Look closely.” Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes in confusion as he tried to look at what she was pointing at.

Then he saw it.

Beneath the slave mark was a butterfly tattoo.

“They each come with a special birthmark of an animal.” Gahyun’s words rang in his mind.

And then it hit him.

Yoo Jiae was indeed one of the pieces he had been finding.

Author's Note

DUNDUNDUN

There's a couple of important information in this chapter which will leave many of you confused but everything will be slowly explained so