C h a p t e r   2 5

L u h a n

“So? Care to tell me why you’re being sulky?” Yifan was by my side as we watch at Ae Soo training with Tao from afar.

“She can duplicate powers.”

“Which can put her in an advantage when she gets tested by her father right?”

“Can also be the other way around. Our King have the ability to nullify magic.”

“Well,” he sits on the edge and continue to watch with me. “She has it too. Although she doesn’t know that. Her body is just doing what it takes it protect itself. It made her absorb his Dad’s ability to nullify magic. You can’t read her mind right? No matter how much you try.” Now that he mentioned it, it’s true. Ugh, this even made me feel worse.

“I didn’t expect her to be this powerful. But then again, having the two most powerful clans as her parents? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised huh?”

“I thought you wouldn’t want her to win.”

“Yeah, but...” I pursed my lips looking at Ae Soo. I do hate it if she wins but that will depress her again. I already separated her from Sehun and if she won’t be able to do this, saving her clan, then that will definitely depress her. I sigh hanging my head low. “This . I care for her too much.”

Yifan chuckles and ruffled my hair. “Well, can you blame yourself? You like her.”

I sigh and turn back to Ae Soo who’s working so hard right now. “Yeah, I may be a little too much.”

A  e    S  o  o

“Whoa! This is so amazing I can’t even tell that’s she’s a woman! Even the chest is perfect!” Tao said in awe. I don’t know what to make of that though. 

“I uh... I didn’t do anything with my chest. I just changed my face and placed a wig so..”

“Oh..” Tao pursed his lips and cleared his throat. Luhan hits the back of his head. “Ouch!”

“We need not to pay attention to details.” He said.

“Seriously.” Yifan sighs. He walks to me and suddenly grabs me. 

“Wah! Y..Yifan?!”

“Still, she’s too small to be a guy. Can’t you make some modifications?”

“Um..” they're giving me too much pressure!! 

“She isn’t in some kind of RPG where you can design the type of body you’ll have in a game you know? So cut it out!” Luhan groans and sighs. 

“Maybe this will work.” Yixing placed a necklace on me and it has a little bottle on it. “That can make your appearance more manly. But it can only hold up for a day so the rest is up to you. And I think you’re ability to Camouflage will be a great help for prolonging it too.” 

“Mm. Thanks!” I smile. All my efforts are paying off so far and the only thing I needed to do is to win Dad over. I was actually surprised to have such an amazing power to duplicate magic but it turns out that I can only duplicate it if I have seen it. I can’t just make something without even seeing it once right? I just have to believe in myself and think of the people that needs my help back at home. When I was about to head over where my Dad is, I saw Luhan. “Oh, hey.” He looks at me deep and then places both of his hand on my sides, trapping me on the wall. “W..What are you doing?”

“Tell me, what can I do to make you not do this?”

“Luhan.”

“It’s too dangerous. When you step in there, there’s no way out unless we finish what we’re supposed to do.”

I smile. “You’re going to be with me right? And there’s also Tao and the others.” He sighs and rested his head on my shoulder.

“That’s not it. I can’t stand of the thought of you getting hurt.” I flush at his comment and brush the thought away. I grab him by his shoulders and lightly push him away then I pat his head as I give him a reassuring smile. 

“It’s going to be okay.” I walk pass through him then to Dad’s room. 

When I knock on his door, it suddenly opened then I saw Dad at the other side. “Shall we start?” He’s intimidating me. I give him a nod and he stands on where he’s sitting. “Then, here’s what you will do. You are to hide from me for an hour. If I catch you within that time, then that’s it.”

“You just want me to hide?”

“Yes.” 

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Am I not clear?”

“No. That’s not it. But..”

“Oh and, take this.” He threw something towards me so I reach out to catch it. “Place that bell on your foot. I have mine to. That’s our handicap. The moment this and yours come off, then it’ll be over. Even if an hour still haven’t passed by. Remember, we can’t use any tools to cut the bell off. Only our powers.”

“Oh, okay.” I crouch down and tied the bell on my foot. When I was about to stand up again, Dad talks.

“Time starts now. Run Ae Soo.”

I gasp and started running. “No fair!” I try to run outside as fast as I can and hid behind the bush. I then start to hide my scent by Camouflaging and stayed low. I can hear Dad’s bell as he starts walking. I’m hidden right now so I don’t think he can see me. Well, that’s what I thought. I gasp when he started running towards me. I jumped to dodge his attempt to cut through the bells on my feet. “H..How did you-“

“I don’t know if you are informed but, I can nullify your magic Ae Soo. That means I can see right through your Camouflage.” My heart started to beat in a crazy manner. I didn’t know this. Is this why Luhan tried to stop me? “Tell me Ae Soo, do you remember the time before we fell off that cliff?”

I freeze as I look at him. “I..I don’t.”

“You don’t? Or do you just refuse to remember?” My hands started to shake. I stare at Dad’s ankle where the bell is tied. How will I be able to cut that without using anything to cut it with? Should I use my Telekenesis to cut it with a knife? Would that count as a tool? “Ae Soo, you’re not concentrating.”

“Wah!” I gasp when he suddenly approached me. But I think I wear luck in my sleeve because I managed to dodge it but I didn’t manage to dodge the pond that’s behind me. 

“When you’re in front of an enemy, you do not take your eyes off them. Or even let them get away like you did with that young man.”

My eyes widen. He didn’t mentioned a name but I know that it’s Ae Ryu. He’s telling me why I let Ae Ryu get away the moment I saw him with my Uncle. And why I didn’t tell anyone about it. Why didn’t I tell anyone about it?

“Ae Soo, fifteen minutes have passed. You still have forty-five minutes left to run or cut my bell off. So? What will it be?” 

“What-“ fire suddenly surround me and I see Dad’s eyes turn red. He can control fire? Wait. No. I watch as a dragon in a form of a fire appeared behind him. He can control that Dragon. I scoot behind me as the fire started to eat my space left. If I don’t get out of here soon, the string on the bell will burn. Think Ae Soo. Think! Water! Joonmyeon can control water and I’ve seen him use that before. Maybe that’ll work! I put my hands in my back and one in front of me then try to kill the fire with water but it didn’t work.

“Water won’t work Ae Soo! That’s a Dragon fire! It won’t go off easily.” Luhan shouted from afar. I bit my lower lip and shut my eyes as I think again. I open my eyes remembering one thing that can save me this moment. I have seen it up close and I can do it. But if I want to do it, I have to think of that person. “AE SOO! GET OUT OF THERE!”

I think of how Ae Ryu flew when he took me with him and jumped as high as I can. Before I knew it, I’m flying. Dad looks surprised as he looked up at me. “You- You can fly?”

“Ae Soo! Now do it!” I nod and duplicate Dad’s dragon and formed a bow and arrow from the dragon’s fire and shot it at Dad’s bell and it came off. 

“I did it?”

“You did! Nice work Princess!!” Tao cheered. I slowly lower myself and look at Dad who’s still surprised. 

“Ae Soo, just now, did you just made a Dragon?” He asks.

“Mm! That’s my power. I can duplicate other demon’s magic so as long as I’ve seen it! It’s great rig-“

“Who else knew this?” 

“Huh?” Dad doesn’t look happy right now and there’s too much seriousness in his face.

“I ASKED! I WANT ANSWERS NOW!” I flinch at Dad’s sudden raise of voice that I haven’t heard in a long time. 

“It was only us Your Highness. Nobody else.” Luhan stepped in front of me putting me behind him. “Is something the matter?”

“Nobody shall know of this. Do you understand Ae Soo? Everyone? This is an order!”

“Um.. Okay Dad.” “Understood.” We said in unison. Dad sighs with a serious look on his face and pulled me close to him, wrapping his arms around me.

“Dad?”

“I shouldn’t have said that I’ll let you go when you defeat me. I never go down at my word. If I knew of your powers much earlier, I wouldn’t even consider it. But now,” he releases me and cups my cheeks. “I think you’re the only one who can save and get back your mother’s clan Ae Soo.”

₰  ₰  ₰  ₰  ₰  ₰ 

“Whoa... all of these guys are members of the Ox clan?!” I gasp in awe as I stare in disbelief. These men are unbelievable. I guess they’re more than a hundred?

“Well, you can’t blame them. There’s  money involved and the amount is not a joke. I guess you can also call this as a job application process.” Yifan said. Apparently, the Ox clan are recruiting soldiers though I don’t know what it is they’re needing it for. These men are just too many. Unless they’re planning a war? “You’re still seriously up to this?” 

Yifan looks at me from head to toe and I nod. “Sure am! If they’re going to test us in combat skill, I can pass it!”

He chuckles and pats my head. “Yeah, I can’t argue with that little lady.” 

I smile. Yifan reminds me of Chanyeol. They both are like older brothers to me and they always look after me. Tao’s more like Baekhyun and Yixing’s more like Kyungsoo though, he talks much than him. And, Luhan’s- “They’re on the move. We’re going in. Remember your posts everyone.” Luhan says then his eyes fell on mine. “Ae Soo, you’re going with me.”

I flinch in surprise and stood from my seat. “O..okay.” I catch up to Luhan and followed him from behind but it seems like he’s not talking much to me ever since we left the main house? “Um.. Luhan-“

“I’m Jaehyun here. Did you already forget?”

“Oh uh, right.”

“We can’t afford to fail. Do you understand? Now keep your mind clear and snap out of your thoughts Hyungjoon.” 

Oh right. I’m not Ae Soo. I’m Hyungjoon and I’m supposed to be a guy. But, is he acting cold towards me? “S..Sorry.” Luhan didn’t say anything more as we walk to our post. There are several men lining up in front of us. Then we are each given a wooden sword then are instructed to head to the field up ahead. “Are they holding a test?”

“Yeah. They seem to be filtering all of us.” Luhan’s face started to tense up. I wonder what’s up with him?

“Okay listen up!” A guy stood in front of us and called our attention. “I’m the heir of the Ox clan, Kim Ji Won, and I am here to supervise you all. As you all know, everyone here will undergo a screening process before you’re all hired. As you can see, there are men with bandanas on their heads. Your job is to take it. Use of weapons are allowed however, the only weapons that you can use are the wooden swords given to you. Men who can have it on their hands within an hour passes the test. Am I understood men?!”

“Yes!!” We all replied. So I just have to get one and I’m in. Alright, I have to do this!

L u h a n

Damn it. I knew this would happen. This is too much for Ae Soo to handle! And here I told myself not to care because she chose this in the first place. “Damn it!” I dodged a man in front of me and hit him with my sword. “Where the hell is she?!” I try to find Ae Soo but I can’t see her anywhere! I run pass through men and saw Yifan up close. 

“Yo. You haven’t gotten one yet? That’s unusual of you.”

“Did you see her?!”

“I thought you’re not going to mind her.”

“Shut up! Where is she?” He sighs and pointed at the hill up ahead. I gasp when I see Ae Soo together with Yixing and Tao with a bandana on her hand. She noticed me looking at her so she smiles and waved at me. “God damn it.”

“See? Our little princess was even ahead of you. What’s with you puppet head?” I run ahead of him in frustration and took one the bandana of the man in front of me and glared at him. He grins and point his fist at me. “That’s more like it.”

I bump my fist on him and we catch up with Ae Soo and the others. “You made it! I’m glad we all did!” She said in glee. “Oh and look! I even have the red one Hyung! It matches yours-“ I pull her towards me and hugged her.

“Damn it. You know how to make my heart stop.”

“Um.. that’s..”

“I’m glad you’re okay.” Yifan clears his throat. When I released Ae Soo, there a few men looking at us.

“Um, brotherly love! Haha! They’re so attached! Just brotherly love and nothing to see! Yes! Go on back to your businesses everyone! Go catch those bandanas!” Tao said and looked back at me. “Hyung! What the hell are you doing?! You do realize that what you did just look so gay right now huh?!”

I cleared my throat and stepped away from Ae Soo. “What’s after this?”

“Who knows?” Yixing shrugs. We waited for a while until the test is over. It looks like we’re the first one’s to grab hold of a bandana. After the men who are wearing them ran out, Ji Won, the heir of the Ox clan, appeared again. 

“Congratulations to the men who grab hold of the bandanas. You are now hired by our clan. However,” he looked serious more than ever and this guy gives me creeps whenever I look at him. “As you can see, those bandanas have different colors. That determines what your work will be. All those who grab hold of the white bandanas, you are going to be part of the troops. All those with blue bandanas will be the archers. Ones with the yellow and green ones will grab hold of a sword and go on the front lines to lead the troops.”

“Hm? But ours are red.” Ae Soo looked at me.

“Those who grab hold of the red bandanas,” I see Ji Won looking at me with a stern expression. “The men who have those bandanas are our best soldiers in the clan. You being able to grab hold of it means that you have skills. Both of you.”

“Oh, it’s those two.” 

“Yeah, the brothers!” I hear men talking about Ae Soo and I.

“Step up front!” Ae Soo looks at me and I nod. Damn it, I don’t like the sound of this. “You both will act as bodyguards of me and another man.”

A  e    S  o  o

I was told to go to the tent up here but I don’t see one. Luhan was assigned as a guard of the heir of the Ox clan and I am asked to guard another man. I wonder who it will be? Is it the current head of their clan? “Young man!”

“Y..Yes! Coming!” I didn’t notice that I stopped walking because of my thoughts. I quickly catch up with the soldier guiding me. He stopped in front of a large tent and turned back to me.

“You will be guarding this heir and this will remain confidential. No one shall know that he is here. Do you understand?”

“Y..Yes.”

“Okay. Now go in.”

I nod and walked inside the tent but the moment I am inside, my heart stopped beating seeing who it is I have to guard and protect. He turns and the familiar mask made my eyes widen even more. I look down afraid of him noticing me. I’ll be guarding Ae Ryu.