It's funny what one will do for a little food and coin. What morals go out the window when the possibility to improve your life is within your grasp. Such thoughts tumbled through the mind of the young woman currently crouched in the shadows of a nearby alley. Today was the start of the Branding Festival, which came around every 100 years. Citizens from all around the Kingdom converged on the Captial during the three-day festival.  

Two unfortunate souls, or so thought the young woman, would be selected by the Gods to save humankind. The whole thing sounded frivolous to her, and came across as just another way for the rich families to remain in power. As far as she could remember only members from noble houses were ever selected for the honor of saving the world. Who knew if they even really did save the world. Perhaps the whole thing was just a sham? Shaking her head, the young woman focused her thoughts on the bustling street in front of her.  

The locals were busy with the nearby street vendors, and paid her no mind as she easily slipped out from the shadows and into the early morning light. Moon Byulyi, thief by circumstance, was in her element as she blended into the crowd. More than one poor sod lost thier pouch of coins to her deft hands as she slowly made her way to her target location.  

There at the end of the street rested a massive cathedral, the white marble of the structure shining in the gentle sunlight. Byulyi wasn't the religious sort, but she found herself offering a small prayer to the powers that be for what she planned to do. Morning prayer before the beginning of the festival was historically a big event. Everyone wanted to make sure the Gods heard their prayers in hopes that they would be selected for the Brand.  

Byulyi couldn't resist the urge to roll her eyes as she watched the nobility practically fall over themselves trying to enter the grand cathedral. With a sigh, she made her way towards the side of the massive building bathed in shadow from the nearby trees. A certain someone was waiting for her there, and offered her a quick grin as she approached her.  

"I've been waiting here forever. Please tell me you brought some food?" the younger girl questioned, her dark eyes darting to Byulyi's empty hands in disappointment.  

Byulyi gave an apologetic grin in return as she shook her head.  

"Hyejin, we barely have enough food to go around as it is," the older girl started, but quickly continued before the frown forming on the other girl's face could settle.  

"...But! I might have discovered some coins on the way here. Perhaps you could buy yourself and the others some treats later?" Byulyi offered, a warm smile scrunching up her face at the look Hyejin was giving her.  

"I knew I shouldn't have doubted you." 

"That's right." 

Hyejin slapped the older girl's arm playfully in response before directing her attention to the cathedral once more. "The prayer service should be starting any minute now. We should sneak in while we can and wait for them to fill up the offering bowl," she murmured quietly to her fellow thief. 

Nodding, Byulyi motioned for Hyejin to follow her as they ascended the marble stairs to the large entrance. Citizens from all walks of life were allowed to enter the cathedral to pray, so it wasn't unusal for two young thieves in their simple, worn clothing to be rubbing shoulders with those of noble birth. That of course didn't prevent the looks of distaste directed their way by those deemed worthier than the two street rats.  

"I can't believe they still allow those types into the cathedral during a time like this," sneered one particularly pompous woman that hadn't managed to secure a spot on one of the pews.  

The hateful words were nothing new to the two thieves. They had grown up on the streets of the Capital, living off what scraps they could find or steal. The bracket of society they fell into was considered as nothing more than trash by the general populous. A simple annoyance. Something to be thrown away and not thought of again. Byulyi had learned to ignore such comments in her 18 years of life, and did as such while Hyejin followed behind.  

Pushing their way through the crowd, the pair came to a long corridor that broke off into several rooms and another intersection further in. Torches sputtered along the stone walls, giving the cold hallway a semblance of warm from the flickering light.  

"Hmm... Hyejin, stay here near the entrance and keep an eye out for the offering bowl. I'm going to check further inside and see if I can't find a couple things to help myself to," Byulyi whispered, a grin already spreading across her face at the thought of coming across a golden chalice. The Priestesses that lived within the cathedral were all of noble birth, and lived a life of luxury from the donations constantly flowing in to the church.  

Donations that could help those in need... the older girl thought sourly as she started down the corridor.  

The first couple doors she came across were all locked, and the wild thought of treasures behind each one threatened to take over her commonsense. She couldn't afford to try and pick the locks out in the open like she wanted, and decided to test her luck further in. The intersection led the young thief down another similar corridor, but this time the first door she tried was unlocked.  

Taking a deep breath, Byulyi slowly opened the door enough to peer into the room. Thankfully it appeared to be empty of any of the priestesses. Feeling a little confident, and slightly giddy at the potential thought of finding something worthwhile in there, Byulyi slipped inside before closing the door quietly behind her.  

Experienced brown eyes quickly surveyed the room for valuables. Set against the wall to the left was a small altar and rug for praying. A nearby table had a large tome resting upon it along with a small prayer statue. The statue could possibly be worth something, and Byulyi thought nothing of it as she pocketed the religious artifact. The rest of the room was empty save for a doorway on the right side that led to a connecting room. Taking her chances, the thief crept her way to the other room and peered inside.  

A larger altar dedicated to all the gods took up an entire wall in the connecting room, and there, kneeling in prayer, was a young woman. Cursing mentally, Byulyi pulled back quickly, her eyes never leaving the other girl. Thankfully her back was to the thief, and hadn't seemed to have heard the other woman enter the room.  She wore the white robes of a priestess, and her long ash blonde hair was tied in a loose braid that rested over her shoulder.  

Byulyi couldn't see her face, but her profile suggested she wasn't much older than the young thief. Dragging her eyes away briefly, the dark-haired girl looked past the priestess to the large altar she was kneeling in front of. Taunting her beside some simple prayer beads sat a golden chalice. Byulyi felt water at how much something like that could fetch her. There was one problem, however. 

The priestess was still oblivious to the thief as she continued to pray, her eyes closed and hands clasped together against her chest. Byulyi was thankful for the Gods for once, as they kept the other girl preoccupied as she slowly moved forward. The room wasn't very big, and a few quick steps would have her within reach of the chalice. Byulyi didn't want to test her already strained luck, though, and continued to inch her way across the room.  

As she drew closer to the priestess, her curiosity got the better of her and she dared a quick look at her face. The other girl's face was slightly bowed forward, but the thief was able to make out enough of her features to see that she was in fact close in age, and quite beautiful at that. She caught herself staring for a moment before shaking her head at being stupid in a time like this. What was a pretty girl when there was gold to steal? 

Turning her back to the priestess once more, Byulyi finished crossing the distance and grabbed the chalice with a triumphant smile on her face. She had done it! This was the first time she had stolen something from the Church, but damn if it didn't feel good. She was certain she could buy so many things with this and the small statue she had pocketed earlier. All the food her and Hyejin wanted, new clothes, maybe even a better place to live besides the enclosure in a dirty back alley that they called home. Elated, Byulyi couldn't help the giant smile that formed across her face as she gripped the chalice tightly. Things were turning around for her for once. Things could only get bet- 

"...What are you doing?" questioned a suspicious voice from behind.  

Freezing, anxiety quickly sunk its icy claws into Byulyi's chest before rapidly spreading to her limbs. She had gotten caught. 

.  

Inhaling deeply, the thief tried to turn around causally, as if she belonged to be where she was, and holding a very expensive cup in her hand at that.  

The priestess was standing now, her warm brown eyes taking on a hard edge as she eyed the other girl suspiciously.  

"I uh, I work here, and I was told to polish all of the chalices," Byulyi mumbled out, knowing her words sounded ridiculous even to her. 

The priestess's eyes narrowed further, as her gaze roamed to the chalice in Byulyi's hand for a moment before resting on her face once more. She seemed to be memorizing the details of the other girl's face, causing the thief to feel uncomfortable underneath the intense gaze.  

"I have a hard time believing that. I've lived here for the past nine years, and don't recall ever seeing you. You're also not wearing the uniform of the cleaning staff here," she replied back sharply, her arms folding across her chest as she stood there defiantly, blocking Byulyi's exit.  

Cursing, Byulyi realized this was very quickly going in the opposite direction of what she wanted. She needed to get around this priestess, and preferably without alerting the entire cathedral and guards.  

"Listen, you're right, I don't work here. I actually just came here to steal this," Byulyi shot back, feeling a sense of satisfaction at the appalled look that crawled up the other girl's face. 

"So, you admit to stealing from the Church? How low can you get? I'm going to report you to the guards!" the priestess replied back in anger, her eyes flashing at how insolent the other girl was being. Really? Stealing from a cathedral? 

Byulyi couldn't allow her to do that, of course, and as soon as the other girl began to shout, the thief rushed forward, knocking the other girl back against the nearby wall. A pained gasp escaped the blonde from the impact as Byulyi quickly covered with one hand. The thief was close enough to smell the soft lavender scent that coiled around the priestess. She would have found it comforting if not for the situation she currently found herself in with her. Defiant eyes stared back at her from behind her hand, and the thief had to sigh at the sight of the stubborn priestess.  

"You're in no position to try anything right now, ok? Just let me leave peacefully and we'll pretend this never happened. Come on, a pretty girl like you doesn't need to have a scowl like that on her face," Byulyi teased, amused at the daggers the priestess was throwing at her.  

The smug look on thief's face quickly dissolved as the priestess suddenly bit hard on Byulyi's hand, causing the taller girl to yelp in pain and pull back, dropping the chalice in the process.  

"Serves you right, you thief!" the blonde girl yelled out, her small hands quickly scrambling for the chalice on the ground and holding it like a club between them. 

A string of filthy words left Byulyi's mouth as she shook her hand in pain. 

"What the hell was that for? I wasn't going to hurt you," the dark-haired girl growled back, her face scrunched up at the teeth marks clearly etched in her skin.  

The priestess looked at her incredulously as she took a step forward. 

"I don't care if you planned to hurt me or not. You're a thief, and I caught you stealing from us. What more do I have to say? You're clearly an idiot," she huffed out, her hand raising with the chalice as if to strike Byulyi over the head with it.  

"Whoa, hold on! I just wanted to be able to buy food. You're a priestess, aren't you supposed to be helping people?" Byulyi quickly said back, her hands held up defensively between them.  

Her words caused the priestess to pause momentarily, a look of doubt flittering across her features before she hardens up again.  

"There's better ways to get food than stealing from the Church," she replied back, her resolve giving her courage in face of the wild girl before her.  

Groaning, Byulyi realized she wasn't going to win this argument anytime soon. She needed to get out of there. Now.  

"Ok, listen, Sister...?" Byulyi started, waiting for the other girl to say her name, but when all she got was a haughty look in return, she sighed and continued on unphased. 

"Ok, Sister Pretty Face. Keep the chalice, I promise to stop stealing after this. Every day and night I'll pray and ask for the Gods forgiveness. Just uh, please step slightly to the right and let me leave," Byulyi attempted, feeling suddenly suffocated by the small room. She didn't want to hurt the other girl, but if she wouldn't move, then...  

Before the blonde could reply, the door in the connected room suddenly opened and inside stepped a shorter girl wearing the gray robes of a priestess in training.  

"Sister Yongsun, are you in here? Father Jaesoo is looking for-" her words trailed off as she stepped closer towards the other doorway and saw the scene in front of her. Yongsun wielding the golden chalice like a weapon, and a shabby looking girl on the receiving end looking like a trapped animal.  

"Um... am I interrupting something?" the small girl questioned, large brown eyes widening in disbelief at what she was witnessing.  

"Wheein! Hurry, call the guards! This girl is trying to steal from-" Yongsun rushed out, making the mistake of looking back at the other girl. 

Byulyi saw her opportunity and roughly shoved the priestess out of the way as she ran into the next room.  

The apprentice priestess, Wheein, screamed as the thief tried to make her way past the younger girl. The door was so close, all she had to do was move past the panicked Acolyte and she'd be free.  

Free. 

Free. 

Byulyi's luck had apparently completely ran its course as two burly men in the shiny armor of the Church's guard appeared in the doorway. They had heard the commotion further down the corridor, and Wheein's scream had alerted them to something being very wrong in the small prayer room.  

Coming to a stop, the thief stared at the two men with frantic eyes. This wasn't supposed to happen. Thievery was already a punishable offense, but stealing from the Church was even more severe. She'd be lucky if they didn't cut her hands off as an example. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm her nerves as she took a step back. 

Think, Byulyi! You've gotten out of worse situations than this.  

The thief unfortunately wasn't given much time to formulate a plan before a searing pain erupted across her skull and she collapsed to the floor with an unceremonious thud.  

Chest heaving, Yongsun stood above the dark-haired girl crumpled on the floor before her, chalice gripped tightly in hand.  

Wheein eyed the older girl nervously, completely beside herself that she just witnessed the priestess hit the taller girl across the head.  

All of the energy inside Yongsun seemed to deflate a moment later, and she held onto the nearby table to keep herself upright.  

"Please  her out of here," Yongsun directed to the thief, her chalice wielding hand waving dismissively at the other girl.  

Wheein held her breath as she watched one guard lock the girl's hands in shackles before carrying her out of the room.  

"What's going to happen to her?" Wheein asked quietly, her soft eyes following the guards out of the room and around the corner.  

Setting the chalice down, Yongsun walked up to Wheein and rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. 

"She'll be placed in the dungeon and then sentenced for stealing," the blonde explained, trying to sound detached from the situation, but finding herself mulling over the words the thief had said earlier.  

I just wanted to be able to buy food. You're a priestess, aren't you supposed to be helping people? 

Sighing, Yongsun began to massage her temples as Wheein watched on silently. The first day of the festival had hardly begun and already so much had happened already. The priestess couldn't wait for the day to end.  

Further down the hallway Hyejin watched in shock as Byulyi was escorted out of the cathedral. What in the world had that idiot girl gotten herself into? She didn't have to follow them to know where they were taking her. She knew it wouldn't be the thief's first time in the dungeon, but she knew being caught trying to steal from the Church was only going to bring on greater punishment. Byulyi could possibly be killed for such an offense. Anxiety settled around Hyejin like a cold shroud as she desperately tried to think of what to do. Nothing short of a miracle would save the older girl from her fate. 

----- 

Byulyi groaned as she slowly opened her blurry eyes, the pain that suddenly assulted her senses threatening to make her sick. She attempted to reach up and touch the wound on her head, but realized her hands were shackled to the wall behind her. 

Oh right. 

That priestess... 

Glowering, the thief tugged fruitlessly at the grimy chains.  

"Afraid you're not going to get out that way, mate," slurred out a dry voice on the other side of the cell from her.  

Squinting in the dim light, Byulyi's gaze fell upon the dark form chained to the wall across from her. The elderly man gave her a crude grin before wheezing in amusement at the grimace she shot at him.  

"Now, now, lass, that's no way to act towards your elders," he replied back in amusement before spitting a glob of phlegm into the dirty hay beside him.  

This day couldn't get any worse.  

Ignoring him, Byulyi glanced around at her current predicament. She had been in the dungeon before for minor thief, but the section she currently found herself in didn't seem familiar. Her dark eyes roamed around the unknown territory, taking in the series of cells across the open hallway from hers. Every single one seemed to be inhabited by some sort of deranged individual. Where exactly had they placed her? 

Another dry laugh could be heard from across the way, and Byulyi begrudgingly directed her attention back to the old man.  

"What's so funny, grandpa?" 

The laugh had turned into a full-on cackle before the skeletal man calmed down enough to speak. 

"This is death's row, lass. I can see you trying to recognize this place, and if you did, you'd be a ghost, wouldn't you?" the elderly man laughed again at his own joke, the unpleasant noise adding to the cacophony of other rough voices filling the void.  

Byulyi sagged back against the wall at the news. Were they seriously going to kill her? She should had expected this, and paid more attention to her surroundings back at the cathedral. She became reckless and was now paying the ultimate price for it. A deep sigh escaped her then as she rested her head back against the grimy wall, and looked up at the weak light shining from the window far above her.  

Gods, if you're there, I guess this is my second time praying in my life. I know it's selfish of me to ask this, but... I don't want to die. I can't leave Hyejin to fend for herself, or the other stray kids that look to me for guidance. If you're out there, please, don't let it end like this... 

 Byulyi felt exhaustion take over as she closed her eyes. 

----- 

Yongsun was unable to focus on her duties for the rest of the day. That annoying thief had managed to wedge herself into her mind, and wouldn't let go much like the chalice she had tried to steal earlier. She had said she was only stealing to be able to buy food, and the thought troubled the young woman. She didn't know if she was telling the truth, but she saw how scrawny the other girl looked. How haggard and dirty she was, and the hardships that had reflected in her eyes that Yongsun had never experienced.  

The priestess came from a wealthy family, a lineage that dated back for centuries, and knew nothing about the hardships outside of that life. The youngest daughter in each noble family was always sent to the cathedral to study and become a priestess, and despite all of that, she never wanted for anything. She was well taken care of unlike the poor in the kingdom that they were meant to help take care of.  

Lost in thought, the blonde girl was broken from her revere by the polite cough behind her.  

"Ah, excuse me, Sister Yongsun? It's time for the Branding Ceremony to begin soon, and Father Jaesoo is requesting your presence along with the rest of us," Wheein politely stated, her hands clasped behind her back and a pleasant smile tugging at the corners of .  

Yongsun offered her a gentle smile in return. She was thankful that Wheein was the one sent to retrieve her. The younger girl was like a little sister to the priestess, and she had taken her under her wing since she joined the cathedral four years ago.  

"Lead the way, Acolyte Wheein," Yongsun replied, giving the shorter girl a little nudge as she turned to lead the way to the gathering hall.  

Upon arriving, Yongsun could hardly make out Father Jaesoo among the massive crowd of people pressing in around the small man at the podium. A large brazier filled a portion of the room in the center, where special pieces of scripture were being burned to feed the flames. Once the Father began his sermon, more scripture would be fed to the flames as the ceremony began. Afterward, the two selected by the Gods would discover a brand forming on their bodies. The location was always different, and the symbol for the brand changed with the person. 

One thing was certain, though, and that was how each branded induvial would instantly know who the other was once the brand was finished forming. They would know where their partner was located, and this allowed for them to reunite even if they hadn't arrived at the Capital for the ceremony. The pair would come forward to the Church, and thus would their journey across the realm begin.  

Since the ceremony was once every 100 years, Yongsun had never witnessed such a thing in her 19 years before. She had read plenty of stories about it growing up, and had always secretly wished that she might be chosen for it. She felt stifled by her sheltered life, and how grand would it be to travel the world and be called a hero? She could only imagine how proud her family would be, and not to mention whoever her partner would be in this. A blush crept its way across her cheeks as she imagined being swept off her feet by some enigmatic stranger, ready to take on the world with her, and how they would be connected forever by their brand.  

Wheein glanced over at the priestess then, and noticed the daydream like state she seemed to be in as she watched the brazier finish devouring the last bit of scripture. Grinning, the younger girl gave her a teasing jab, knocking the blonde girl out of her thoughts once more. 

Embarrassment colored Yongsun's face as she looked away from Wheein's amused look, and focused her attention on Father Jaesoo. He had finished his sermon, and any moment the next branded pair would be decided upon. Yongsun barely had time to contemplate this further before she felt a searing pain on the back of her left hand. Crying out, she clutched the hand to her chest as the burning ache of it caused her to fall to her knees.  

Concerned hands were suddenly clutching her arms as Wheein knelt down next to her, worry etched clearly across her face.  

"Sister Yongsun? What's wrong?!" Wheein cried out, clearly afraid for whatever was happening to the older girl.  

The crowd around the pair parted as Father Jaesoo quickly approached them.  

"I can't believe it..." he whispered more to himself than the crowd, as he bent down to get a better look at the blonde girl cradling her hand.  

Gently reaching forward, the older man took Yongsun's hand into his and flipped it over to get a good look at the back of her hand. There, seared into her flesh, was a golden sun. The lines of the brand shimmered in gold as he tilted her hand closer to get a better look.  

"Sister Yongsun, are you alright?" he questioned, his other hand reaching forward to get the younger woman to look at him. 

The priestess appeared to be in a daze at first as she stared blankly up at the Father. A few moments of silence passed as a hush fell around the crowd as they watched the spectacle before them. Returning to herself, Yongsun shook her head slightly as if to clear some sort of fog, and then blinked at the Father several times before grimacing in disbelief.  

"Are you ok?" he questioned once again, concern causing his brows to furrow.  

Yongsun allowed him to help her up as she glanced warily at the still painful mark upon her left hand. She continued to stare at it as she spoke for the first time. 

"...I know who my partner is," she whispered, her expression turning unreadable as she saw in her mind's eye a girl close in age to herself, shackled to the wall of a dungeon cell. A girl with kind, but hardened eyes, and an infuriating smirk that Yongsun had experienced firsthand this morning. A girl that Yongsun had never wanted to see again, and yet was now branded to for all eternity.  

"Who?" both Wheein and the Father asked at the same time. 

"Moon Byulyi."