The four finally arrived at the village in two days. They were all on guard, but Sunmi had never shown up during the time they arrived. Just like Jieun had said, the forest village was very beautiful: everything was made out of well-polished wood and wrapped around with moss or some other green plant. Rays of sunlight slipped through the leaves of the towering thick trees. The trunks of the trees were engraved and made into homes for the villagers to live in. A wooden sign carved "WELCOME TO THE VILLAGE OF SILVA: HOME OF THE ANCIENT FOREST" stood at the entrance of the village. 

Jungkook and Jieun barely exchanged a word after their fight. Jungkook didn't see a reason to apologize, and Jieun didn't see a reason to have one. They both had their differences, and they weren't going to do anything about it. Seokmin had tried to ease the tension, but Yuna had told him to stop when she realized that neither were willing to put their egos to the side.

"So what's the plan here?" Seokmin asked.

"I'm going to rest," Jieun said. "I'll get ourselves a room for the night. Does that sound good?"

"Rest? Here? We would put the civilians in danger," Yuna pointed out. "You remember that we're being chased, right?"

"The person pursuing us isn't going to attack here. She didn't try to attack me when I met her at the village. She's more sensible than you think," Jieun told them.

"Wait. You met her earlier?" Jungkook blurted, finally deciding to speak to her. "You met her and you didn't tell us?"

"Well, she gave me back the items that I lost when I gambled with a merchant around there," Jieun said.

"Wait, you gambled?" Seokmin repeated.

Jungkook attempted to unsheathe his weapon, but Yuna grabbed his arm and stopped him. Her strong gaze reminded him that he was in a village. People were starting to stare at them. He calmed himself down and squeezed his fist.

"Are you purposely working with the enemy?" Jungkook asked her.

Jieun snorted. "What gave you that idea? Were you not there when the enemy tried to attack me back at the Academy when we had that ceremony?"

"What if it was all staged?"

"You're overthinking."

"Am I?"

"Jungkook, calm down," Seokmin told him.

There were an uncomfortable silence. Jieun let out a loud sigh.

"I'm going to get us a room. Why don't you three take a walk? Don't stray too far from here. I'll be back within an hour," Jieun said. She turned around and walked into the inn, leaving the three alone once again.

Jungkook grunted and walked in the opposite direction. Seokmin and Yuna exchanged looks before catching up to him.

"Jungkook, what's up with you?" Seokmin asked. "You're not usually like this."

"It's fine," Yuna said. "She's being unreasonable, anyway. I'm quite annoyed with her, too."

"But you know Jungkook is not like this," Seokmin said. "This isn't like you, Jungkook. What's wrong?"

Jungkook let out a sigh. "Nothing. It's just—"

Kaboom!

A loud explosion appeared out of the inn. The three whirled their heads, braced a little from the harsh wind that followed the explosion. The locals screamed and started to run away from the inn.

Jieun's in there, Jungkook thought. He started running, but stopped when the smoke cleared. He saw Jieun standing straight and tall with a large frown on her face. Hanna was already summoned, growling as her nine tails stood tall.

From the other end of the smoke, Sunmi walked out of the hotel. The three widened their eyes. How did she get there so fast?

"Like I said," Sunmi said. "I just want the Mythos."

Jieun chuckled. "Wow. You got here so fast! How long did you wait?"

"Just a few minutes before you did. I took a short cut," Sunmi said calmly. She extended her hand. "Now. Will you give me the Mythos?"

"Didn't I already say no?" Jieun asked her.

Sunmi didn't smile. Instead, she took out her dagger and threw it towards Seokmin. Seokmin flinched and shut his eyes until Jungkook grabbed Seokmin and pulled him away. The dagger grazed Jungkook's hand, causing him to wince in pain as the dagger fell to the ground.

"Jungkook! Are you okay?" Yuna cried out, grabbing his hand. 

Seokmin took a few second to recover before he scrambled back on his feet and checked Jungkook's hand. It was starting to turn unusually pale. A white foam began to bubble out of his hand as lumps started to appear around the slight wound.

"He's poisoned!" Seokmin yelled at Jieun. 

Jieun cruelly looked at Sunmi. "Hey. I thought you didn't like playing dirty."

"Mythos. Now," Sunmi said.

"You're just like Taeyeon, only she was interested in negotiating until her teammates came," Jieun remarked.

"I'm not heartless like how is she. I'm just trying to retrieve the Mythos. After that, I'll be on my way. If you don't give me the Mythos, I'll have to use force to take it from you."

Jieun let out an uneasy scoff. From the corner of her eyes, she saw a bush of rhododendrons growing behind Sunmi. Sunmi followed her gaze and noticed the plant growing at an abnormal rate.

Could it be…? Sunmi turned back to face Jieun, but she was gone. She whirled her head, trying to figure out where she had went. She walked a few inches away from her spot, then walked over to retrieve her dagger.

Her dagger was gone. Sunmi pursed her lips, assuming that they had taken her dagger in order to extract the poison to find an antidote. She sighed and took out her communicator. The oval disc lit up.

"Send a message to The Arc: My mission is going as planned. The Mythos of Kreo picked up my dagger, which has a tracking device installed. I will be following the signal. Please send back-up shortly to the Village of Silva."

* * *

"Urgh…"

"We'll stop here," Jieun said, taking notice of how pale Jungkook was getting.

The four didn't run too far from their location. They were just outside the borders of the village, but far enough from where they were previously. Jieun knew that she would have to encounter Sunmi again, but she wasn't sure how soon. It could be that Sunmi was coming after them or she had already predicted her destination and was waiting there.

She's too unpredictable. I don't have enough information on her, Jieun thought to herself. She was so immersed in her thoughts, she didn't see Yuna storming up to her. Yuna threw her hand across Jieun's cheek. The loud slap echoed in the forest and catch everyone else off-guard. Seokmin gulped and nervously sweated as Jungkook stared at the two girls, stunned. 

"So what are you going to do about this?" Yuna asked. 

Jieun's eyes didn't move.

"Jungkook is poisoned. Seokmin brought the dagger to figure out the antidote, but he doesn't have the proper tool. Considering Jungkook's rapid decline in health, it doesn't seem like Seokmin will find the antidote quickly enough. Do you get what I'm trying to tell you?" Yuna inquired. Her face was flushed red in anger as she rolled her fingers into a tight fist.

"He's going to die," Jieun said in a monotonous voice. "That's what you're trying to tell me, right?"

"So what are you going to do?" Yuna whispered. She stepped closer to Jieun, who didn't even budge. "I don't know about you, but I don't plan on losing someone important to me."

"Poor you," Jieun said icily. "One thing you'll learn quickly in this business is that you can't save everyone."

Yuna grabbed her collar. "What did you just say?"

"Yuna, c-calm down," Seokmin stuttered.

"What? You're going to side with her?" Yuna asked him.

"That's not what I'm saying—"

"Seokmin, your best friend got injured to save your life! Are you really going to tell me to calm down?" Yuna asked.

Seokmin grimaced. He could see her whole body trembling, shaking at the fear of losing Jungkook. Jungkook glanced up at the three weakly. His breathing was slowing and his whole body felt like it was shutting down. He wanted to sleep, but he knew that it would be better to keep his eyes opened.

"Seokmin…" Jungkook croaked. Yuna gasped and sat near him, letting go of Jieun's shirt. Jieun fixed herself up and stared at Jungkook. "Seokmin, start finding the antidote. My body's stronger than a normal person so I'll be fine. Yuna, don't worry about me. I'll… I'll be fine…"

Jungkook stared to throw up blood. Yuna cried out his name and grabbed a towel from her bag. She cleared his mouth while Seokmin took the poisonous dagger and tried to extract the liquid into a bottle. Yuna pressed her lips and grabbed Jungkook's hand, holding him for support.

Jieun just stared at her students. She was watching one of her students die in front of her eyes. Her chest felt hollow and she numbed herself from feeling any remorse or grief. 

"If it's an antidote he needs, can't he get it from the Keeper of the Corolla?" Junki said, appearing right next to Jieun.

Jieun eyed at him. "I didn't summon you."

"I didn't ask to be summoned," he said. Junki closed his eyes. "It's just a thought."

He disappeared. Jieun let out a small sigh. She covered her face with one hand, then took a deep breath. She exhaled loudly and turned her body around, facing the tree. She gently rested her head against the trunk and closed both of her yes.

"Please tell me if we can visit you."

She opened one eye. A batch of peonies began to sprawl out of the ground right next to her feet. Jieun let out a nostalgic smile before turning back to the group. A batch of rhododendrons also bloomed besides the peonies, causing Jieun's smile to drop.

"Okay, we need to go," Jieun said. "Sunmi is approaching us."

Jungkook panted. "How did you know?"

"The Keeper of the Corolla told me," Jieun said, grabbing Jungkook up by his arm.

The three students widened their eyes. Their ears perked up and they stared at her. A moment of silence filled the air until Jungkook decided to break the silence:

"The Keeper of the Corolla?" Jungkook repeated.

"Yeah. She sees all through the plants. If she senses danger approaching any of the Keepers, she'll let them know by sending them a flower. It's up to us to decode the flower's symbol," Jieun explained. "She usually sends the same flower to me when danger appears: rhododendrons."

"Woah, woah, woah. Wait a minute," Yuna said. "This entire time—when we've been trying to track down a Mythos—you already knew the location of one of the Mythos and didn't tell us?"

Jieun paused, then looked at them. "Do you want to visit her? I think she'll be fine with you three seeing her. I just asked and she's opened to welcoming us. We can even stay with her for a night."

Seokmin's eyes glowed. "Can we?"

"You didn't answer my question!" Yuna protested.

"Yeah," Jieun said to Seokmin, ignoring Yuna. "As long as the Keeper of the Corolla allows it, you'll be able to see her." Jieun turned towards a tree. "We're ready!"

They stared at her with a furrowed eyebrow. Suddenly, the ground started to shake below. The trees started to climb out of the soil and began to walk on its roots. The whole forest felt like it was circling around them, readjusting the landscape. The four stood awfully close to each other as they stared at the marvelous scene of nature being animated.

After all the plants stopped moving, they positioned themselves in their new spots. Between two large trees, there was a tunnel-like path. Jieun's face brightened up.

"Now, let's go," she said. "Oh, but someone needs to help carry this big boy through the tunnel. He's too heavy for me."

Yuna and Seokmin looked at each other before Seokmin took Jungkook's arm and swung it over his shoulder. Jieun smiled and tuned a whistle as she walked into the grassy tunnel. Yuna stared at the tunnel skeptically, but when she heard Jungkook moan in pain, she decided to follow Jieun. Seokmin trailed right behind the two girls, dragging Jungkook along.

The leaves and bushes unraveled with each step. Jieun happily hummed another tune and skipped towards the open path. The other three continued to walk with careful steps, unsure of the tunnel they were walking through was safe. Considering how freely Jieun walked through the tunnel, it seemed like she had walked this path quite often.

Suddenly, Jieun stopped, causing the three to almost bump into her. Yuna tried to take her weapon out, but Jieun raised her hand, preventing her from acting defensive. They all glanced over Jieun's shoulder and stared at the new scenery in awe.

It was a circular outdoor spot surrounded by tall luxurious trees rich in green. The grass was fresh and dewey with all sorts of colorful flowers decorated throughout the floor. The spot relied on the sunlight as a light source, but there was plenty of light streaming down from the leaves of the trees. A small blue river ran down the stream, sparkling every time the light tried to touch it.

Jieun smiled softly at the figure sitting properly in an antique white chair. The woman was wearing a white Lolita dress, elegantly sipping a cup of tea from a rose gold tea cup. She had a bonnet tied around her head with a teal ribbon. Her rich wavy brown hair comfortably swung around when a sharp breeze rushed pass her. The group could almost hear the wind giggling as it brushed pass them and closed the path they came from.

Jieun smiled warmly.

"Park Jiyeon!" Jieun cried out. She let out a happy giggle and ran over to the woman. The woman glanced over, showing her dark eyeliner makeup. She didn't hug back nor smile, but she accepted Jieun's hug. "It's been so long!"

"Good to see you, too, Keeper of the Kreo," Jiyeon said in a dollish voice. She looked at the three. "Jeon Jungkook. Choi Yuna. Lee Seokmin. Welcome."

"Oh, don't be so formal. Did you forget my name? It's Jieun!" Jieun told her. She turned around at her students. "Guys, this is Jiyeon. She's the Keeper of the Corolla—the first Keeper I knew when I obtained the Mythos of the Kreo."

Jiyeon lowered her head, but she didn't get up from her seat. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Jungkook wanted to say more, but he only ended up vomitting again. Seokmin started to put Jungkook down while Yuna tried to clear his mouth again. 

"I saw that his hand was grazed with poison," Jiyeon said. "May I see the dagger?"

Seokmin looked at Jiyeon with uncertainty and glanced at Jieun. She nodded. Seokmin took out the dagger from his bag and carefully handed it to Jiyeon. Rather than taking the weapon with her own hand, she had a vine grab the weapon and placed it on the table in front of her. Jiyeon cooly sipped her tea and looked at the dagger.

"If this poison came from you, step up," Jiyeon ordered.

There was a second of hesitation. Then, a strange flower with black and purple striped flowers with red beads bloomed next to Jiyeon.

Seokmin stared at the plant in awe. "I have never see that kind of flower before!"

"It's a rare species—not something recorded in books," Jiyeon said. "And which one of you is the antidote?" 

Another flower appeared. It was a small bush of thin circular leaves. She took one more sip of her tea and got up. She kneeled own on the ground, then grabbed a handful of the plant. The vines cleared her table and brought over more medical herbs as well as a gray stone bowl and grinder. She dropped the plant she grabbed into the bowl and started to grind it. The vines around her acted as her extra arms: they would toss in ingredients, wipe off any dirt that got on the table, and bring more ingredients to put in the herb.

Eventually, she got the medicine to become a sort of thick paste. She used her index finger to sample it, causing Seokmin and Yuna to grimace in disgust. Jiyeon took note of their expression.

"Don't worry," she said calmly. "My hands are clean—much clearner than yours."

She walked over to Jungkook and grabbed his hand. She didn't seem too bothered with how bumpy and puffy his hand and arms became. She applied the paste to his wound. Jungkook winced, then let out a slow and loud grunt as he felt his hand burn. His fingers stiffened and clawed the air. Sweat began to drip from his forehead. His slow breathing quickened and he was able to calm down.

"Better?" Jiyeon asked.

"Y-Yes," Jungkook managed to say. He looked at his wound, then widened his eyes. The infection had spread across his entire arm, but now it was quickly retreating back to his wrist. The bumps were still there, but it was started to swell down.

"You're very fortunate. If you were any weaker, you would've been dead," Jiyeon remarked.

"What do you say?" Jieun asked him.

"…Thank you," Jungkook murmured.

"Don't thank me. Thank your teacher," Jiyeon said. She looked at Yuna. "Don't you have to say something to your teacher as well?"

Yuna's cheeks turned red in embarrassment. She glanced at Jieun, who just smiled at her.

"I'm sorry," Yuna murmured.

"It's fine. People panic when they know that they are about to lose someone they care about." Jiyeon looked at Jieun. "Isn't that correct?"

"You seem to be implying something," Jieun said. She giggled. "What? Are you going to expose me in front of my own students?"

"I plan on doing no such thing," Jiyeon said. She turned to the three. "You three must be tired. Please rest."

Seokmin looked around. The place was small and there was nowhere private for the three to sleep. He looked back at Jiyeon.

"Where—"

Before he had the chance to finish his sentence, a large plant appeared below them and swallowed them. The petals of the flower closed and drilled back down into the ground, transporting the three to a different area.

Jieun laughed. "Oh my god! I bet they're freaking out."

Jiyeon broke into a small smile as she opened a path for Jieun to follow. "Unfortunately, I can't provide the same experience for you since you hold the Mythos of the Kreo. Go ahead and follow this path. There are four beds ready for you and your students."

"Thank you, Jiyeon. You're the best!"

Jieun threw Jiyeon another hug. Jiyeon gave her a sentimental smile and watched Jieun retreat to rest. Jiyeon looked back at her table and stared at the dagger as she took a long sip of her tea.