Day 37 <3.46am>

 

The elemental user hollowed her cheeks and exhaled as a stream of black bubbles coursed through the air and wove themselves into the ranks of the werewolf barricade. The ebony bubbles were spiked with purple droplets of acidic gas, the ultimate combination of her basic elements, and were much more deadly than they let on. The girl’s lips curled up in victory as the ring of creatures surrounding her either buckled in agony or lay convulsing on the blood-stained forest floor. 

 

Too easy, she smirked, as she started sprinting to provide aid to her other comrades, black smoke curling off her fingertips. Her palm opened to show the expanding bubble as the wisps of poison got infused into the translucent sphere which she then flung at anyone who dared to approach her. 

 

After all, no one could withstand her ultimate power — except for …

 

“Poofy cheeks …”

 

She bit her lip and shook her head to get rid of the endearing nickname echoing in her mind, taking a deep breath as she pushed away the certain thoughts and yearnings for a long-lost friend. 

 

More than a friend, actually, he's much more than just a friend.

 

She let a soft smile plaster her face as she recalled the times they had practiced together — he was the only one who could withstand what he loved to call her “bubcid combo” and truthfully, the combination of both their ultimate weapons made them a much greater threat than she could ever fathom. Her with her elemental breath, infused with his blue fire was one of the rarest yet most disastrous and deadly combinations that had ever existed.

 

Alone, they were already dangerous. Combined, they were completely lethal.

 

She snapped her fingers and acid clouds gathered over the heads of the enemies she sent them to, dissolving some of them into a screaming mess as her brows crinkled at the sheer amount of concentration needed to keep the respective clouds over their victims while simultaneously plucking random flasks of prepared poison from her satchel and hurling them at approaching vampires.

 

Thank god for poison instocks, for god knows how much energy she would have wasted if she had needed to generate all these poison on the spot, even if she was adept in this area. For elementalists, the difficulty of summoning their respective powers as and when they needed it depended on the availability and abundance of such elements — earth, light, water, shadow and air users were the ones who could recover from power exhaustion the quickest, while highly effective powers like poison, lightning, ice, fire, crystal and darkness would be harder to channel and recover from. 

 

Elementalists were also one of the most common beings in her kingdom, though most of the time they were only capable of controlling a single element. Those who were at the top of the tier could control 1 basic and 1 rare one, and only the cream of the crop were capable of holding 2 rare powers all at once.

 

Ji In crushed the black rose bud in her hand and sprinkled it in the wind as she whipped around and two silver daggers materialized in her palms upon the flick of her wrists. One was expertly flung at the snarling werewolf while the other was stabbed into the nearest tree trunk which she used to give her the momentum to leap onto the strongest branch. 

 

Ji In surveyed the battle ground before her as she watched her black rose powder take effect on the enemies. It was almost like the plague, rippling through the formation of wolves and vampires and killing any non-human being it came into contact with, leaving no trace behind except for a wave of black smoke. The whole forest was in a state of chaos as the blood of wolves and humans alike spilled onto the ground. Carefully, Ji In drew her silver arrow as she closed one eye, took aim and fired at the mutt who was close to devouring her fellow comrade. A smile of relief painted her lips as her teammate shot her a pained grin of thanks. 

 

His expression quickly morphed into horror however, as his eyes widened and pointed behind her. Goo Ji In had always prided herself in her fast reaction time and stealthiness, though both of which failed her when she whipped around in shock and her eyes met with those of a human’s in a black mask who delivered a huge blow to her head. As Ji In plummeted out of the tree, blacking out from the sheer pain, all around her the forest erupted into cheers from the enemy as they had finally taken down the leader of the opposing army — the princess of Miraleldan, and together with her, the whole kingdom.

 

 

Day 37 <6.06am>

 

A silver claw was hooked under her chin as he tilted her head up, a smirk blooming across his cheeks, mirth sparkling in his eyes. She couldn't see his face completely due to the black mask covering the top half of his face. The forefinger and the thumb proceeded to pinch both sides of her face as he tilted it to the left and right, a cocky smile surfacing while he examined her contemptuously.

 

Obnoxious little silver dog. I shall let you immerse yourself in this moment of temporary success since you just attained it. But shame on you if you ever thought for one second that I'm just going to surrender like that. Just you wait. I'm going to bring you down.

 

On the outside however, Goo Ji In bowed her head down like the powerless vulnerable female she knew the enemy expected her to be as the 26-year-old Werewolf King in front of her grinned in victory. 

 

“Look at those ombré locks … powerful being aren't you? Only those who hold multiple powers have such colorful hair,” the King mused as he faked a wince and pretended to think hard, “Pardon my straightforwardness my dear, but how does it feel like to be reduced to trash by the very class of creatures you have deemed inferior for the past century?" He ended his question with a sneer as he deftly snatched the tiara perched on her bluish-grey hair and causally deposited it into the hands of the mysterious masked General standing beside him.

 

“As your reward for bringing down the army of Miraleldan, this ex-princess,” the King sneered while tugging on the long chain of Ji In’s shackles and depositing them into the General’s hands, “is now your future bride-to-be. Congratulations.” The man did not utter any response, except to incline his head and bow down as the King stalked off with his bodyguards in tow. 

 

“Looks like it's time for you to visit your new quarters,” the General uttered, his voice echoing with a sinister undertone as he reverted back into his wolf form. The poor girl on the other hand, was wrestled forcefully into the castle she once called her home, the powers that could have aided her now restricted by the magical cuffs that were going to stay there for a long, long while.

 

 

Day 43 <2.46pm>

 

“Screw weddings, screw dresses, screw the werewolves and their King, and the Werewolf General for looking so bloody good when I'm supposed to hate the hell out of him,” grumbled the miffed princess under her breathe as she sat in front of the vanity mirror and allowed herself to be pampered for the “wedding of the year”.

 

Ji In was dressed in a black gown with a tiered beaded skirt that flared out at the bottom with rose embroidery on the edge of the dress. The gown was splashed with silver swirls and stars, making it look like a painting of the galaxy, with a bodice featuring a high halter illusion neckline with jeweled beading and a corset back. Her bluish-grey hair was carefully braided into a flower bun, pinned together with small butterfly pins, with some parts of her bangs left dancing at the sides of her face. Her eyelids were dashed with a silver eye shadow mixed with a touch of sparkly maroon, lips dabbed with wine red lipstick as the girl stared at the mirror, fascinated by her own transformation.

 

She had to say, she felt ridiculously gorgeous. And powerful. Heck yeah.

 

As Ji In slipped on the heels and gingerly placed the veil over her head so as to not damage the hard work of her stylists, she carefully bunched up her wedding dress as she proceeded to the red carpet before the church doors. When the doors opened, the princess confidently struck down the aisle, each powerful stride of hers exuding her power and confidence as her chained hands held tightly to the bouquet of roses and baby's breathe, her wedding train floating behind her as if she were walking on air. 

 

Even if this wedding wasn't a willing one on her part, Ji In's still going to show all the ers here who's boss. If they ever had a thought that they could challenge her, well these airheads have another thing coming for them. Smirking, she pointedly stared straight ahead into the eyes of her husband-to-be who's standing at the altar, an equally arrogant smile plastered on his face as he didn't seem the least bit fazed by her. The General was clad in a dark red suit, which she had to admit looked dangerous on him especially with that mop of stylishly gelled-up black hair. 

 

Thank god those bangs were finally swept out of his stupid face, she internally snorted, he looked like such a baby in them. Vows and rings were exchanged, and when it was finally time, Jin In coolly reciprocated when the General pulled her into his embrace by the small of her back and leaned in for a deep kiss. The General was clearly caught off guard by her willingness — his eyes rounding dramatically especially when she swiped her tongue over his lower lip and gave it a teasing bite accompanied by a seductive smile.

 

That's what you get for messing with the wrong girl. Double the bloody trouble.

 

 

Day 46 <8.53pm>

 

*BEEP* 

 

5824 524 9426 96 

(code for : 快来找我 aka come find me quickly)

 

“You wanted to tell me something?”

 

“Yeah … there's been a shift in plans, we can only meet twice a week now, which means tomorrow and Friday.”

 

“Is there something wrong?”

 

“I don't think so, we just need to be careful now that the plan is in the early stages — we can't have it foiled even before we start. So just for precaution, every Wednesday the venue is going to be here, and the one for Friday will remain as it is, clear?”

 

Determined, she nodded.

 

“All clear.”

 

 

Day 47 <7.33am> 

 

Shrouded within the shadows of the dark room, a girl patiently waited as a boy around her age slipped inside half an hour later and softly closed the door. Sweating, he grimaced in disgust at his unkempt appearance before proceeding to open his arms wide and flash a beaming smile at the sitting girl. 

 

The rather tall female (who's still petite compared to him) picked herself up with a roll of her eyes before shaking her head and wrinkling her nose in mock distaste. 

 

“You are smelly ! And muddy all over! So no hugs for you and also — what the hell did you even do today?”

 

He pouted and proceeded to retort childishly, “I've been busy training! I swear, the new recruits all so bad! … No hugs … so you're gonna give me kisses instead right?”

 

His puppy eyes sparkled in excitement as she groaned in defeat and pulled his head down by tugging on his ear. The poor boy whined and yelped in pain until the girl planted a feathery kiss on his forehead, which funny enough, broke the magical atmosphere that the both of them were basking in. The two sobered up as she gazed earnestly back at him, confident in his abilities as a strategist and questioned him immediately regarding the plans for the rebellion.

 

“You ever heard of Sun Tzu?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“He wrote a book called ‘The Art of War’ which documented many military and warfare related tactics and advice. He once said, ‘Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing’. Sense and respond — I believe what he meant was that we should model our strategies according to the Werewolf King. His habits, his behaviors, his thinking, his weaknesses and strengths — we have to frame our attack according to what we know of him so that we can take him down successfully, hopefully using the easiest and most efficient method.”

 

“You've been by his side the longest, he trusts you a lot doesn't he? What do you know about him?”

 

“知己知彼百战百胜. Know the enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles with no danger of defeat. How about let's start with me? I mean there's virtually no weaknesses I think I have as of now,” he gave a smug smile, “but you're welcome to nitpick for some.”

 

“Your narcissism,” she deadpanned, “your quietness, your miserly habits, your childishness, yo—”

 

At this, the towering male stomped his feet and exclaimed, “How is my quiet, calming presence a weakness?! That doesn't even hold up!”

 

“Oh … and me. I'm one of your MANY weaknesses too, aren't I?” She teased as he grumbled and nodded. Both gasped as a thought dawned on them at the same time.

 

“GIRLS! His primary weakness is his Queen! If we can convince the Werewolf Queen to stand on our side, there's a possibility she might be able to persuade him to stand down!” His eyes glimmered with the hope of finally finding a solution as he hugged her with excitement bubbling in his heart.

 

“CHANYEOL!!!” She screeched in a muffled voice as his mud-stained clothes stuck to her skin.

 

“Oops-a-daisy. Hehe.”

 

The girl merely shook her head in disbelief at his carelessness before musing, “From what I've observed of the Werewolf King, he seems like an unconfident guy to me. I mean, just by his own army itself, he's already very capable of defeating Miraleldan given our lack of resources. Why would he try to rope in so many other clans especially if they seem so unwilling? Judging from what I've seen so far, they're only obeying him because of how scared they are of him, which means this is a more than fragile alliance — perhaps we could exploit this particular weakness and convince the other clans to rebel with us too?”

 

Chanyeol nodded fervently, “You're right! I'm in charge of training the newer recruits, and the funny thing is that most of them were apparently FORCED to join the army due to the threats of the Werewolf King — they don't even want to be here at all! In fact, most of them bear a pretty heavy grudge against him for doing so, so maybe I could begin from the very bottom of the social ladder and start by convincing the masses to join our side!”

 

Her eyes peered up at him worriedly as one hand reached up and endearingly cupped one side of his face, which the wolf in Chanyeol immediately responded to by emitting a satisfied bark. 

 

She pulled his face down closer to hers and leaned their foreheads together, “You have to be more careful, get it? I suspect the King will have a lot of ears and eyes around the palace; I don't want you to get in any form of trouble or harm, any form at all, do you understand me? As a princess you have to heed my orders, and I swear to god Park Chanyeol, if I have to get myself killed to save you, I will. So if you don't want to see me die, you can't get in trouble okay?” She desperately pleaded as warm tears welled up in her eyes. 

 

The risk of their plan dawned upon Chanyeol as he gave a grave nod and brought both hands up to cup her face as well, carefully wiping the tears away with the calloused pad of his thumb. Her eyes gently fluttered shut as he leaned in and sealed his promise to her in a soft kiss , their lips moving in a beautiful harmony as he tilted her head to allow himself more access to her plush cherry lips.

 

“Princess Ji In, you have to be careful too, you hear me? I'm confident that you're fully capable of convincing the Werewolf Queen, but you also need to be highly alert of your surroundings, and especially keep up the pretense with the Werewolf General in public okay? Try not to use your phone to contact me as much as possible, especially because the message might be stumbled upon by anyone in the castle. I can't lose you. I—I really can't. So if you meet any emergency and require my help, just press the sapphire on your wedding ring and it'll lead me to your location asap. I've slipped another identical ring into your jewelry box too just in case you lose this one. But just … I hope you don't ever have to use it.”

 

She nodded with one last fleeting kiss on his cheek before the two parted ways.

 

Maybe the war was finally coming to an end. 

 

 

Day 47 <5.55pm>

 

Ji In literally slammed open the door to the dining hall as she swept in with a stony expression on her face. She was in a simple sleeveless rose pink gown, hair tied back into a loose braid as she rigidly bowed to the Werewolf King sitting at the head of the table, as well as the Werewolf Queen and the General, who seemed to be engaged in an earnest discussion with the King. 

 

Ji In remembered scoffing when it was declared that she was to participate in every meal with the King and Queen just because her husband needed to be present and she “should” be by his side. She dare say that they only invited her and made it compulsory so as to spite and humiliate her — afterall, as the head of the kingdom, she should have been the one sitting at the head of the table, not that filthy scum of a mutt. 

 

With her face expressionless, Ji In started digging into her meal without a second thought (and definitely without waiting for the others to begin) as the rest of the court and the royal members looked on in amusement, others with apprehension and fear. 

 

Like I'm going to give you the pleasure of ordering me around.

 

She internally rolled her eyes and continued stuffing her face full with her