Whew, 7 chapters in! I suppose that's not many in the grand scheme of things, but this is the longest work of fiction I've ever created so far. (For a solo project anyway.) I've always wanted to attempt NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) that takes place in November. You have to write a 50,000 word story and submit it to their site once you finish. You're given the entire month to work on it, but 50,000 words seemed so intimidating. That's roughly equivalent to a 200 page book! :O Although if I keep at the pace I'm currently going with word count, I'll hit the 50,000 mark somewhere around chapter 11. I don't have a set number of chapters planned for this story. I have a general sense of what I want to happen, and I already know how it'll end, but I just need to connect all of the pieces into a (hopefully) enjoyable mess to read. xD Anyway, sorry for the long ramble! I hope you enjoy, and as always, thanks for sticking with me. ♥ 

A single dirt path threaded its way through a barren forest. Gnarled, twisted branches clawed outward in all directions, desperate to ensnare anything that drew too close. Byulyi had been following the path for what felt like her entire life. When had she begun to follow it? Where did it lead? Would it ever end? The thoughts taunted her a she continued forward, one foot in front of the other. 

The path grew smaller the further she went, the same skeletal wood her only company in the desolate sea of trees. Panic began to prickle inside her chest as she continued on, the claustrophobic fear of being unable to escape gnawing away at her mind. The forest was never-ending, the path endless. Her breath began to quicken as she ran forward, the need to be free of this place burning inside her legs. The trees became a blur the faster she ran, pushing herself as fast as she could possibly go. The thief's efforts were in vain as the path only continued to stretch on, the end nowhere in sight. 

Pain began to throb in her side from the excessive running as she came to a stop, her hands resting on her legs as she bent over to catch her breath. Beads of sweat lazily slid down her face before plunging to the ground below, the hungry earth devouring each drop. The sound of her ragged breathing was the only thing to fill the silence, the air heavy with it. She remained there for a long moment, almost afraid to look ahead and still see the same endless expanse before her. 

The burn in her lungs slowly subsided as she finally looked up from her hunched over position. There, several feet away, was the edge of what appeared to be a well of some sort. She could see the rough stone creating a circle that encompassed a pit leading into the earth. She knew it hadn't been there a moment ago, and the dread she felt was almost palpable.

Every fiber of her being told her not to approach, but something else in equal proportion, if not more so, called to her. A small voice whispered in her mind that this was her chance to escape. She couldn't deny the sudden change in the monotony of the forest fiercely gripped her curiosity, leaving her a prisoner to it as she slowly walked forward, each step connecting with the ground with a certain finality. 

As she drew closer, she could see the ring of stone had strange runes adorning the face of each one. She didn't know the meaning, but the chiseled symbols gave off an ominous aura. Whatever it said, she could only think of it as some sort of warning. Byulyi stopped as her feet hit the edge of the ring, her eyes peering cautiously over the edge.

The darkness that greeted her was so deep, so profound, that it seemed to the very light that dared to draw too close to it. Her breath caught in as she continued to stare into it, almost afraid to breathe as if to not alert whatever resided in its depths. She had no idea how long she remained like that, staring into the darkness, the darkness staring back, when she heard the sound of soft footsteps behind her. 

The surprise of someone else being here doused the girl in anxious relief, causing the thief to spin around quickly. She wasn't given a moment to even process who it was as pain erupted in her stomach. The disbelief of what was happening crashed into her violently as she looked from the figure standing in front of her, to the blade that had been plunged deeply into her stomach. Her shirt was rapidly becoming saturated with the sanguine fluid as she feebly grasped at the hilt that protruded from her. 

Staggering backward, Byulyi was dangerously close to the edge of the pit as she looked at her attacker. Her chest was constricting painfully as if it were attempting to rival the blade buried inside of her.  

"...Yongsun...?"

The priestess stood before her, hands shaking, a horrified look on her face. 

"I'm so sorry, Byulyi..." she choked out, her hand making an awkward attempt to reach out to her. 

The thief shook her head in denial, denial at what had just happened, denial at Yongsun being capable of doing such a thing to her. She couldn't process what was happening. The world seemed to move in slow motion as she tried to take another step back from the priestess, her foot connecting with nothing as she plummeted into the darkness. 

—————

Byulyi shot up in bed, a pained gasp ripping from her chest. Breathing heavily, she tried to calm her distraught mind. Her shirt clung to her sweaty body, strands of hair sticking to her damp forehead. The sudden motion had dislodged Yongsun from her sleeping position beside the thief, and the blonde could be heard slowly waking up in response. 

She was oblivious to the priestess as her hands moved down to her stomach, feeling and prodding at it several times to make sure it was in fact still whole. Her hands remained pressed there as she tried to calm her breathing. The dream had felt too real, and she couldn't recall a time ever feeling actual pain inside one. She wasn't an expert on the subject, but she thought that wasn't possible. 

I'm so sorry, Byulyi...

She looked over at Yongsun then for the first time. The blonde was rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she shot Byulyi a groggy look. 

"What's wrong?" she asked sleepily, her tone tinged with the annoyance she felt at the rude awakening.

The thief said nothing as she pulled away from the priestess and made her way to the bathroom. Her fingers tightened around the edge of the sink as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Wild, frightened eyes stared back. Byulyi had experienced many things in her life, but the pain of the blade slicing into her and the darkness engulfing her continued to plague her mind as if stuck on an endless loop. 

Knocking could be heard as Yongsun allowed herself into the small room without waiting for permission.  

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" she grumbled, her expression and tone softening as she took in Byulyi's appearance, "Hey... Are you ok?" She reached out for Byulyi, a concerned frown forming on her face as the girl flinched and jerked back. 

"Byulyi, what is it?" she tried asking again, stepping back to give her space. 

The thief needed to get away from the priestess. The dream was still too fresh in her mind, the pain still too raw as she looked over at her. She felt a twinge of guilt as her eyes darted to Yongsun's hands briefly to verify the blonde wasn't actually holding a blade of some sort. 

"I... I need to go," Byulyi mumbled out, giving Yongsun as wide of a berth as she was able before practically running out of the room. With the door now closed behind her, she let go of a deep breath she hadn't realized had been pent up. She didn't know where to go, but anywhere was better than being in the priestess's presence at the moment. 

-----

Yongsun couldn't help the hurt expression that formed as she watched her bedroom door close. What in the world had gotten into Byulyi? Did she have a bad dream? Yongsun contemplated this, thinking back to if Byulyi ever had a similar episode during their travels. She couldn't recall such a moment, and stood there perplexed at her distraught behavior. If it had been a nightmare, the priestess was given the impression that the thief was still under the influence of it. The fear in her eyes, the way she flinched away from Yongsun's touch... Her brows furrowed deeply at the endless questions forming. 

It was apparent Byulyi wanted to be left alone, but Yongsun disliked leaving things like that. She approached her door and paused momentarily, wondering if it was wise to try and follow her, before throwing caution to the wind and stepping out. The hallway was empty but for a few servants that were beginning to start the day. Dawn was just making its presence known as soft, subdued light spilled through the large arching windows that lined the hall. She stopped the nearest servant, giving a quick description of the thief and asking if she had seen her. She shook her head, as did the next two Yongsun attempted to ask. The younger girl seemed to have disappeared, causing a layer of unease to settle across the priestess. 

She made her way down to the lower floor, and was about to cross to the connecting half of the temple, when a servant approached her. 

"Sister Yongsun?" the older woman asked, her eyes taking note of the agitated state the priestess seamed to be in.

"Yes? Did you find her?" Yongsun asked hopefully, thinking the reason for the woman's visit was about Byulyi.

Confused, the woman shook her head a she looked at the blond questioningly, "I'm sorry, found who? I was sent to summon you before the Matron. She requests your presence in the next thirty minutes."

Yongsun could feel a headache forming as she groaned inwardly. Dealing with that old crone was the last thing she wanted at the moment. She still didn't know how to explain Byulyi's sudden appearance, since the priestess hadn't been allowed to leave the temple, and no witnesses saw the younger girl enter. Although if Byulyi's disappearing act kept up, she could avoid that conversation for the moment.

The careless thought had barely formed in her mind when regret instantly flooded her. What was she thinking? She needed Byulyi to return, and preferable soon, as her worry for the other girl continued to grow.  She nodded then to the servant before once more offering the description of the thief, and to please alert her the moment she was found.  As the servant left, Yongsun made her way back to her room to prepare for her meeting. 

—————

The Matron had made the priestess wait in the antechamber for almost an hour before calling the blonde in before her. She tried her best to keep her face neutral as she entered the audience hall, her barely contained irritation threatening to flare up. Yongsun made sure to keep her eyes respectfully directed at the floor as she moved towards her position across from the dais. There seated in her high back chair was the Matron, her milky eyes taking in the priestess's ridged posture with slight amusement. She could sense the fire burning beneath the calm facade, the crone finding the young blonde to be more like her sun brand that she perhaps thought. 

Silence stretched on between them as Yongsun waited for the elderly woman to address her, the desire to look up and see what was taking so long almost unbearable. When the old crone finally spoke, the priestess suddenly wished she were currently anywhere else but standing before the woman and the cloister. 

"It's come to my attention that your companion, Moon Byulyi, has somehow magically arrived inside our walls. Do you know how this came to be?" questioned the dry voice, her tone laden with curious accusation.

Yongsun fidgeted, suddenly feeling like a small child caught in the act of doing something they had been forbade to do. Steeling herself, she dared to look up into the Matron's eyes as she answered, "I do know, Matron. I was the one that rescued her last night," she admitted, knowing that lying to the woman wasn't an option, nor something her upbringing condoned. 

Murmuring filled the room as the members of the cloister whispered among themselves. She could make out snippets of their hushed conversation, the majority of it surprised at the blonde's outright disobedience. This apparent disapproval only stoked the flame inside her as she resisted the urge to glare, her fists clenching. Were these people mad? Would they have rather she left Byulyi to die at the hands of that monstrous woman? 

"I see, so you directly disobeyed our rules about leaving. Please explain why you felt it necessary to do so, and preferably before you set me on fire," chided the crone, feeling the intensity of Yongsun's stare on her. 

Her cheeks warmed furiously at the jab, and she found herself momentarily at a loss for words. The crone coughed impatiently as they awaited Yongsun's answer. Gathering herself once more, the priestess began to explain what had transpired last night. She made sure to detail how the the storage shed lead deep unground to the cavern system below, implying that perhaps the temple itself had been infiltrated by the cult members, before going into detail about the Mistress, and how the pair had managed to escape. Surprised gasps from the cloister had accompanied her story, until a heavy silence filled the audience hall. 

The Matron was now the one to be taken aback as she mulled over Yongsun's words. A deep frown slowly crossed her wrinkled face, the aged skin almost completely covering her eyes from how deeply her brows were furrowed. The silence deepened as the cloister looked at each other, to Yongsun, to the Matron, and back again. The possibility of the cult members using the storage shed as a point of entry into the temple was troubling. The oversight on such a thing was astronomical, and knowing the young priestess and thief had killed someone like the Mistress was hard to take in. Finally the Matron motioned towards the antechamber Yongsun had entered from earlier.

"Send her in," the crone commanded, as the nearby guard bowed and opened the thick doors. 

Moon Byulyi, previously missing thief, hesitatingly made her way inside. All eyes fell onto her as she came to a stop just outside of Yongsun's reach. The priestess's eyes devoured the image of the other girl standing nearby. Relief freely coursed through her, and she noticed Byulyi had taken care of herself at some point after leaving her bedroom. She appeared to have recently bathed, with a bandage covering the cut on her cheekbone and her dark hair pulled back into a low ponytail.

New clothes adorned her body, an outfit that looked somewhat similar to what the guards wore. A sleeveless green fabric crisscrossed over her chest, cinching at the leather belt around her waist, and then continuing halfway down her thighs. Deep brown woolen pants covered her legs that were tucked haphazardly into sturdy boots. With her arms bare, Yongsun was able to see the bruises that mottled the lean, muscular arms. She shot the younger girl a concerned look, but was ignored as Byulyi avoided looking at the priestess. 

"Moon Byulyi, did you in fact kill the woman that was being referred to as the Mistress?" asked the Matron, her eyes observing the young thief. 

Byulyi nodded, explaining how she had turned into black sand afterward. 

The Matron ran a tired hand across her forehead as she sighed.

"I was afraid of that. It seems the evil forces are working beyond what we had initially anticipated," she stated, her gaze moving back to address Yongsun, giving the thief a moment to breathe. 

"Sister, while I don't condone the breaking of our rules, I do understand why you took that course of action. It does appear to seem that Moon Byulyi would have died had you not intervened," the elderly woman reluctantly said.

Yongsun spared another glance at Byulyi, noticing how despite the Matron's words, the thief still refused to look at her. Her eyes were focused on a particular spot on the floor in front of her. She appeared to be lost in thought about something unpleasant, if the slight grimace on her face were any indication. Had she not been before the cloister, Yongsun would have surely pouted then, her emotions in disarray as she looked back to the Matron. 

"The two of you will be pardoned for your transgressions this time. Do not take this lightly, as any further breaking of our laws could bring about something rather unfortunate," stated the crone, her eyes moving from Yongsun to Byulyi for a long moment, sizing up the thief before addressing them both again. 

"We will continue this conversation later in my private chambers after breakfast. I'll need the two of you fed and full of strength for what I have in mind," she explained, drawing questioning looks from the two young women. 

"Dismissed," the crone simply said, her hands waving away at the pair as the guard escorted them back to the antechamber. 

Now that they were alone, Yongsun used the opportunity to speak to Byulyi before she had the chance to flee again. Byulyi, however, had other ideas as she walked past the priestess and made her way for the door. She hadn't been allowed to reach the exit before Yongsun's hand shot out, closing around the girl's wrist. The thief's initial reaction had been to pull it away defensively, but Yongsun held on, refusing to let go of her as she moved closer. She could feel how tense Byulyi was in her grip as she watched her. 

"Byulyi, what's going on? You've been acting strange and avoiding me ever since you woke up this morning," Yongsun questioned, her face scrunching at the way Byulyi turned away from her. 

"I don't want to talk about it," she mumbled out, still futilely tugging at her arm. 

"Well that's too bad, because I want to talk about it," the priestess declared, her annoyance from earlier coming to the surface once more. 

Byulyi looked at her then, a scowl forming on her face, "Oh, so we only do what you want? I'm sorry I don't want to talk about you stabbing me in the gut," she shot back, the shock of her words causing Yongsun's grip to go slack. The thief roughly pulled away then before exiting the antechamber and slamming the door shut behind her. At a loss, the blonde could only look at the door in confusion. 

I stabbed her?

What in the world...?

-----

Byulyi knew she was being unfair to Yongsun as she stormed down the hallway. She was punishing her for something that had happened in a dream. Something that wasn't real. She had to repeat the last part to herself a few more times as the pain of the incident crawled back into her mind. Her pride wouldn't allow her to return to the priestess and apologize after her loud exit. No, she would speak with her later, once she had a better hold on what it was she was feeling, once-

"Moon Byulyi, if you take another step I'm going to have you arrested!" came the loud voice echoing down the hallway. 

The thief came to an abrupt halt, turning her head just enough to see the blonde priestess. The fierce determination on the older girl's face was enough to give Byulyi pause, allowing Yongsun to catch up to her. The last time she had seen her this angry was back when she tried to steal that damn golden chalice. She said nothing as she glanced away, aware of the eyes that burned into her. 

"Byulyi," Yongsun said in a stern voice, her hands resting on her hips. 

She had suddenly taken a great interest in the painting of a beautiful landscape that hung on the wall. She wondered how long it had taken the artist to complete, and wow, the use of color with the sky was amazing, and-

"Moon Byulyi, if you don't look at me I'm going to-" Yongsun started to threatened, unable to finish as Byulyi cut in.

"You'll what, Yongsun? Please, tell me what you plan to do to me," the thief snapped back, moving into the priestess's personal space and meeting her eyes with a fury of her own. 

"I..." Byulyi was much too close to her now, causing the blonde to become flustered. 

"Yes?" the thief was relentless as she pressed in even closer, the pair almost sharing the same breath. 

Yongsun pushed the other girl away from her, a blush replacing the scowl she had worn moments before. 

"Don't look at me like that," she reprimanded, taking in the startled expression on the thief's face.

Recovering, Byulyi rounded on the priestess,"Like what? I thought you wanted me to look at you," she jabbed, ignoring Yongsun's attempt to distance them as she moved in on the girl again. 

"Byulyi..." came the low warning as she gripped the thief's arms, her hands tightening around the warm flesh. 

Paying no attention to the blonde's threat, Byulyi took a step towards her, and then another, disregarding the way the priestess tried to hold her back. She only stopped when Yongsun's back smacked into the wall behind her. The anger that had twisted around the pair threatened to burn its way into something else, something just as potent. The blonde's hold on her had turned into a death grip as Byulyi looked into the priestess's eyes. Yongsun's pupils had become dilated, her breath shallow, as Byulyi leaned in even further. Yongsun's lavender scent invaded her senses, cloying around her, tempting her, teasing her to just finish closing the remaining space between them. She could feel the blonde's resistance slipping as the heat between them threatened to burn the two.  

"Miss Moon! It's so good to see that you're safe!" the Captain shouted, causing Yongsun to suddenly shove Byulyi away with such force that she staggered back and crashed into the opposite wall, the paintings rattling that hung nearby. 

Groaning in pain, Byulyi slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor. Yongsun made a swift exit then, walking as fast as possible as to not draw looks, but enough to quickly get her out of there. She barely spared the Captain a nod as she fled the scene. Bewildered, the older man offered his hand to Byulyi as he helped her stand up. She winced as she rubbed at the old wound on her back. Yongsun sure was... something. 

"I'm not too sure what just happened, but I'm pleased to see that you returned to us safely. We were all worried," he said, glancing down the hall at Yongsun's retreating back before offering a fond pat to the girl's shoulder. 

A small smile peaked out as she started to walk with him down the hall. 

"I'm glad to be back. It wasn't fun being stuck inside a cave..." she trailed off, momentarily back in chains before snapping back to the present. 

"Inside a cave? That forest doesn't cease to be full of ill omens," he commented, his hand reaching up to rub at his beard. 

Byulyi nodded, her thoughts swirling back to Yongsun from moments ago as they walked. The lavender scent lingered in her mind so strongly as if she could still smell it now. What had she been thinking? Had she seriously almost kissed the priestess? Hadn't the blonde taken some sort of vow against that sort of activity? Had Byulyi almost been struck by the Gods? The heat of their confrontation had started to go in a much different direction than anticipated.

Really, what had she been thinking? She knew Yongsun was attractive, and had helped save her life twice now, but... a priestess? Clearly the stress of the past couple days had gotten to her. It was comical to think of them as anything more than unfortunate companions on a world saving mission. The blonde was a noble from a prominent line, and Byulyi was just a tossed aside runt from the streets. She laughed then, deciding she really must have injured her head more than she thought from the night before. 

The Captain stopped talking then, noticing that the thief hadn't been following along with his running commentary on the temple. 

"What's funny?" he asked, confusion tugging at his face.

"I think I've lost my mind."