Yuju rubbed her eyes, clearing as she moved to get up. The sun had just risen over the edge of the mountains in the distance and her tent was already empty.

“Eunha?”

She crawled out slowly, stretching her arms and legs as she made her way out of the tent into the open area of their small camp. Smelling grilling fish, Yuju managed a small wry smile.

“Eunha, you could have woken me up to help you get the fish.”

Eunha just looked up at Yuju with a glance, before looking back at the small fire.

“Morning.”

“Did you have a nightmare again?”

Not getting a respond, Yuju sighed and sat down besides the shorter, putting her arm around Eunha’s shoulders, leaning her head to Eunha’s softly.

“We’re going to get her back, promise.”

“I know.”

“We just need to get a few more clues where over that mountain is their base after all.”

The girls had been traveling for two months already, the first month had been bad, wandering aimlessly as they just tracked attacks on magic barriers as best as they could. The second month went better, Umji had managed to get some clues off a soldier who was drunk on the border. The enemy base camp was over the mountains where the sun always rose from, as they advanced towards it, they had encountered stronger and bigger creatures, though not always in an organized attack.

“Yeah. Have you gotten any messages from Yerin unnie?”

Yuju looked down, scooting away from Eunha. She folded her hands around her knees as she curled up on herself. Eunha let her gaze fall back to the fish over the fire, she turned it slowly as Yuju hummed to herself.

“Do you think she’s doing fine?”

“Wouldn’t you know better?”

Yuju’s sad smile made Eunha soft, they were both missing their partners, it was easy to fall into conversations that the two youngest couldn’t quite grasp the depth of, even if Umji tried really hard to.

“I guess I would, wouldn’t I? That bright smile of hers, her energy. I bet she’s probably sat in her house, being angry with her parents not letting her out for fresher air.”

“Right.”

The smell of the fish beginning to burn stopped Eunha from asking another question, she quickly pulled it off and extinguish the fire with a grip of her fist, removing the oxygen from around the fish for a split second before letting it go after the flames had disappeared.

Carefully biting into the side of the medium sized fish, Eunha hummed as the skin crunched lightly. Handing it to Yuju, she offered it to the water mage as breakfast.

“I have to cook another one for the two sleepy heads.”

“Should I go catch another one for dinner?”

Eunha shrugged, she didn’t know if they were going to make it to the next city by nightfall, having been camping from their latest adventure. The village folk were being harassed by minor creatures and the girls had chased them to the forest they were currently stuck in. Umji had managed to find a way out the night before, feeling the different breezes and scents in the nature around them with the help of SinB who brought the winds for her to feel.

“If you want to carry it.”

Yuju grinned and headed off.

“I’ll wake them up along the way.”

“Thanks.”

Eunha turned back to her small fire, flicking her fingers, small flames danced across her fingertips as she practiced the finite movement of them. Staring at her flames, Eunha stopped, the flames frozen in midair as if a picture. Turning quickly, Eunha knocked over her fish without caring in favor of a smoother transition from sitting to a crouched but better defensive position.

“Who are you?”

Eunha could smell the soft scent of lavender and a little bit of something else that caused her to be on higher alert.

“Where is Sowon unnie?”

This uninvited guest didn’t move, instead they stared. Eunha slowly stood up, dropping her coat, she brought her fists in front of her, one hand already glowing with invisible heat.

“I know you’ve been with her, tell me where is she?!”

When Eunha had uncovered this being, she stared in shock as it finally moved, looking up at Eunha with an odd expression.

“What the-?”

Still holding her fists tightly, Eunha was caught off guard by the little being in front of her. It looked exactly as a child would, only it had horns on its head and a set of fangs that peeked behind her lips.

“Are you…Eunbi?”

Eunha stumbled backwards. It could speak.

“The moon Eunbi?”

“H-how do you know me?”

A startled crash sounded as two sets of footsteps ran forwards, Eunha barely registered fast enough to stop SinB from blowing the little beast away.

“Stop! She knows me and smells like Sowon unnie!”

“So…won?”

The childlike eyes grew wide and an innocent smile spread.

“Aha! Sojung unnie!”

The three mages halted.

“How do you know Sojung unnie?”

Umji stepped forwards, crouching to the child’s level and holding out her hand as a gesture of peace. Oddly, the little monster knew to put her hand in Umji’s.

“She took care of me when Ryan got mad.”

“Ryan?”

Eunha knew that the one who took Sowon was called Brian, did the child say it wrong?

“Brian?”

“Yea! Ryan!”

SinB watched as Eunha seemed to stumble at the discovery. Sowon was okay, and saving little demons?

“Where!? Where is she!”

Eunha desperately held the girl’s shoulders.

“I’ll take you to her, but she said not until the sun disappears for a day.”

“An eclipse?! That’s not for another month!”

The girl grinned and stepped back.

“I’m supposed to stay with you and keep you away from the baddies until then.”

Umji shushed Eunha who was about to explode, silently she waved SinB to go cool Eunha off and get Yuju. When SinB had successfully carried Eunha flailing away, she turned back to the child.

“Do you have a name?”

“Name? Sowon unnie only called me Aga.”

“As in baby? Aga?”

“Mm. But I think my name is Soeun.”

Soeun muttered under her breath that it was made from a combination of some weird chemicals and her origin name but she wasn’t sure about what that origin was nor what it actually meant.

Umji had to smile at this, her sister who loved babies and children alike, was still the same. But were they talking about the same Sojung? She had originally wanted SinB to test her lie detector on her, but it seemed that despite the human form, this child was a creature born from dark magic, it was filled of happiness and love rather than rage and hatred intrigued her.

“How does Sojung unnie look like? Can you tell me?”

Soeun stopped her muttering and seemed to be contemplating something.

“She’s….skinny and really really really really tall.”

“Any other unique details you remember? Maybe if she had a beauty mark on her face?”

“Beauty mark? No, she has a scar on her left eye and blond hair?”

Umji wondered whether or not she should tell Eunha her suspicions. It might not be their Kim Sojung.

=================

well.......developing this has taken some time. I wonder what Soeun can do to protect them? Or what Sowon is doing? ufufu