Sowon awoke early next morning, Soeun curled up on her lap. Despite the child’s size and weight, Sowon had been able to sleep peacefully and her legs were not numb, or maybe she couldn’t feel anymore, she didn’t know.

“Mom? Good morning.”

“Good morning little one.”

Soeun’s eyes widened as Sowon looked at her curiously.

“For a moment, I thought your memories came back.”

“They didn’t.”

“I know.”

Soeun took Sowon’s hand, walking together out of the grass hut that Sowon had made for the night.

“Do you think they’ll still be back there?”

“Probably somewhere between here and there.”

Sowon looked back South across the ridges, something was off, there appeared to be less ridge than the ridges she had crossed, was it fog? Was it smoke?

Picking up Soeun, Sowon raced up the side of the mini mountains, quickly perching at the top with her superhuman speed, which she had gained from her transformation. Eyeing the area, Sowon could feel the earth under her feet, they had been impacted by what seemed to be an explosive, but not one by magic.

“Military anti magic weapons?”

Sowon blew away the smoke with a breath, setting Soeun down. Finding several bodies laying among the craters from explosions, Sowon leaned down and poked one. They came to, coughing and wheezing.

“What happened?”

Yerin coughed a few more times, not really registering who she was speaking to.

“You see, the government is in cohorts with these bastards and gave them grenades. You wouldn’t believe what Yewon did to save- wait, where’s Eunha?”

Yerin looked around at each of her friends, but not finding Eunha. Then she turned around and faced Sowon.

“You, came back for us I suppose?”

“You don’t seem surprised.”

Sowon stood up from her kneeling position, her full height reminding Yerin of her power once more.

“Soeun is a good kid, what can I say.”

Shrugging the compliment to her daughter off, Sowon walked away.

“Make sure your friends are okay, I need to speak with this Eunha.”

Soeun, who was gently trying to wake Umji, looked up at Sowon then back at the unconscious nature mage.

“Mom, I’ll catch up, promise.”

Sowon just looked back once before continuing, she registered that Soeun had an emotional attachment to these people, perhaps that further enforced the truth to her words. Heading back towards the base, Sowon growled a little, her symbol on her chest pulsing in an annoying matter. Almost as if there was a voice in her head, Sowon responded.

“I know, I know! I’m going!”

Yerin looked at Sowon curiously, since no one had said anything, but Sowon’s tone had seemed as if she had been in conversation. Watching as the blonde half creature bolt off, Yerin sighed and returned to trying to wake Yuju up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“LOOK OU-“

Everything exploded around the, SinB’s eyes had identified the round object that flew through the air, she immediately clapped her hands together to contain as much of the air blast that generated from the explosion but failed to defend the fire explosion and was knocked back. Yerin was blown away being the closest, the others were knocked back, Umji on her side from trying to knock Eunha further away from the supposed deadly explosion. With her back in tatters, Umji managed to enclose a block of dirt around the next grenade before it exploded, raining the sediments on them instead of pain.

She crawled over to see if Eunha was okay but found the crazy unnamed lady walking over with a sinister grin. Umji’s face turned red as she held in a scream as the lady stepped on her hand, grinding it painfully before passing out with a kick in the face.

“I won’t be killing you guys yet; I’ll leave that to your precious Sowon.”

SinB slumped back to the ground, her energy sapped. Yuju healed Umji before collapsing beside her, Yerin didn’t notice when she had passed out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“That crazy lady took her away didn’t she.”

SinB nodded, a scratch on her cheek reopened as she winced, spilling fresh blood from the cut.  She rubbed it off roughly before removing her jacket and lay it over Yewon’s exposed back.

“She’ll be fine, Yewon is strong.”

“I know, besides, Yuna saved her.”

“Yea.”

“You guys should go to a hospital.”

Yerin sighed and dragged a hand down her face. Stretching her limbs, she groaned as she saw that parts of her artificial skin on her legs had been torn away, revealing some slightly damaged circuits underneath.

“How am I going to get these fixed? Stupid old man.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sowon marched into the base as if she had never left, glaring at the surprised scientists who looked at her through a glass wall, Sowon stopped.

“You, trapped scientists. Did you make experiment number 127?”

“We are, by why do you ask?”

“Because I was curious.”

She wound up a fist before asking another question.

“You all are being held against your will and forced to create these experiments yes?”

“Yes.”

“Then I suppose that once you are free, you will go to the government and spill every detail you know?”

“Of course.”

The group of scientists huddled behind the one who spoke to her, probably the one who was their team leader.

“Stand back.”

Punching straight through the 4-inch glass, Sowon melted a hole big enough for them to escape before walking off.

“Wait! Kim Sojung ssi!”

She paused, did they work on her too?

“We’re sorry, for whatever you’ve become.”

“Become? I’m curious how I’ve changed.”

“And thank you, for freeing us.”

Sowon ignored them and continued deeper into the base. Eunha was in here somewhere, she could feel it somehow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eunha screamed as a blade stabbed through her right hand. Right through the symbol of the constricted sun.