Jisoo grips the feathers of the griffin until her knuckles turn white. The animal makes no protest but she’s certain she’s hurting it. She makes no move to ease up however, because if she loosens her hold even just a little bit, she might slip off of the creature with the speed they were flying in. And if she slips off, the barely conscious half-demon she strapped tight to her back would fall with her.

She hears a wheeze, followed by ragged coughing, and then a soft weak voice.

“Jisoo…. Slow down.”

Jisoo doesn’t respond. Or rather, she couldn’t. is dry as sandpaper and her heartbeat is thundering in her ears.

“Jisoo…” the half-demon struggles to speak again, sounding weaker and softer this time. “I’m… okay.” There is a wheeze followed by a chuckle. “It’s just… a scratch.”

Jisoo feels her blood boil.

“Shut up!” Jisoo screams. “Just shut the up!!” She grips the griffin’s feathers tigher and she feels it flap its wings to add speed in response

She hears a wheeze, a soft cough, then a sincere “sorry.”

Tears burn Jisoo’s eyes and she swallows back a sob. The frustration and anger crackled in her veins and bore a hole in her chest. But, these feelings were directed at herself and not her dying best friend who was staining the griffin's beautiful white feathers a sick bloody crimson.

She turns her head to look at her best friend  and immediately regrets it. The huge ugly gash at Lisa’s side gaped at her, taunting her as it slowly but surely drained her best friend’s life force. Was it just so her best friend could die even after Jisoo did everything she could to save her? Was it to show her how powerless she is despite being one of the best witches she knows?

Lisa coughs again and fresh blood spurts out of her wound from the movement.

A wave of nausea hits Jisoo and she fights it, turning to face forward. The contents of her stomach want out, but she needs to be stronger than that. She can’t afford to be a scared, vomiting mess. Not right now, not when her best friend’s life depends on her.

The little bungalow with a hut and greenhouse behind it, finally it comes into view. Jisoo feels some of the weight on her chest lighten.

Almost there. Almost.

The visions she’s been seeing for the past weeks come into view in her mind’s eye - blonde hair and kind eyes, a beautiful voice, laughter and so many magical plants and herbs Jisoo thought were extinct; a pink rosefinch perched on the woman’s shoulder. Jisoo shudders. Oh, and the power. The magical ability flowed off of the woman in waves that Jisoo would have been terrified if the woman didn’t look so soft and kind.

The house grows bigger as they get closer.

She reaches behind her to hold her best friend’s hand and the rocks in her chest turn into boulders. She feels like an ogre just kicked her.

Lisa’s hands were always warm from conjuring those flame daggers she loves fighting with so much. Jisoo would often tell her to be more creative and do other things because she was surely more skilled with controlling and conjuring flames. Lisa argued that she thought she looked really cool with them and that it’s become her brand.

Now, Lisa’s hand felt like ice.

Jisoo, hands trembling, gives it a weak squeeze. She tries to breathe in quick short bursts as fear eats at her focus and willpower.

“Lisa, we’re almost there, okay?” She assures Lisa, but mostly it was to assure herself.

She hears a soft grunt and feels Lisa squeeze back, or at least try to. A sob escapes Jisoo’s throat before she could stop it. Next thing she knew, her tears were falling freely.

If it wasn’t for Lisa’s half-demon blood, she would have died only a few moments after suffering such a fatal injury. She’s dying and I can’t do anything.

Jisoo’s sanity threatens to unravel. She has never felt this terrified in all her life. She is a seer and she practices divination. Nothing much surprised her and barely anything happened without her knowing about it and being prepared beforehand.

But she was completely blindsided by her half-demon best friend being attacked by a group of seven shadow elementals while she was out to buy late night snacks at a convenience store. Lisa is the strongest fighter Jisoo knows, but seven against one? That’s hardly a fight at all.

It was ambush - it was murder.

She wouldn’t even have known if Lisa hadn’t called her and told her what happened. Lisa somehow managed to escape and used a simple glimmer spell to cloak herself from the shadow creatures until Jisoo found her. The seer remembers everything she sees. But the sight of her best friend slumped beside a dumpster, a bloody mess with her insides threatening to spill out from her side and onto the pavement, was something that would haunt Jisoo forever.

Jisoo isn’t one for anger and vengeance, but for what happened to her best friend?

Someone has to pay. And someone will. She’ll make sure of it.

The griffin swoops down as the greenhouse towers before them. The half-eagle, half-lion’s back legs stretch out to meet ground and a billow of dust is left behind them as the animal screeches to a stop in front of the hut and the greenhouse.

They’re here. Finally.

Now there’s one more thing left to do and there’s no time to waste. Jisoo had them land at the back, where she felt the magical barrier is weakest.

Jisoo stretches her hands out in front of her, forming a triangle with her forefingers and thumbs. She mutters the spell that pierces the field under her breath, louder and louder every time she repeats it. Beads of sweat form on her forehead as she feels the magic flow through every cell of her body and focus into the center of the triangle.

The barrier was strong, stronger than the usual protective spell put by magical families around their homes. Jisoo’s arms tremble and she feels the strain on her shoulders. She’s sweating now, and breathing heavily as she chants and casts the piercing spell.

Finally, she feels the barrier rip, like cloth finally giving after incessant pulling. Her arms fall to the side and her head falls back a little in exhaustion. Jisoo sees a glimmer where she created the opening, an indication that she was successful.

Jisoo, exhales and closes her eyes for a moment then smiles. She allows herself to feel victorious and proud even as she feels her powers go from eighty percent to almost zero, after performing that spell. She was successful in opening the barrier. Now, all that’s left is to get to the blonde healer in her vision.

She kicks the griffin’s side and it runs into the opening.

But before they could reach the hut, Jisoo hears a loud roar from behind them. She steers the griffin around but not before it’s hind leg is struck by a huge clawed paw. The griffin lets out an ugly screech and falls down to its knees.

Jisoo faces their attacker with frantic, scared eyes, still sitting atop the now-lame griffin. It was a huge black cat - a panther - but with longer claws and fangs and sharper eyes. This was definitely no animal, but a shapeshifter, and a very talented one if they could alter the appearance of the animal to their advantage.

The panther growls and bares its teeth, lowers its head and its shoulders and leg muscles tense. Jisoo’s eyes widen in realization.

It’s going to pounce.

The seer puts one arm in front of her and stretches her other arm to her side, protectively in front of her wounded best friend. She conjures a shield only big enough to cover the front of both of them. The panther attacks but is repelled by the shield. It lands on its feet, a few yards away, shaking its head. Jisoo and Lisa are knocked off of the griffin and Jisoo feels sharp pain on the side as her head hits a small rock on the ground. She sees spots in her vision and she starts feeling foggy. She figures out she’s bleeding. Lisa just grunts and then coughs, too weak to move, too weak to do anything.

Jisoo feels whiskers, hot breath, and saliva drip on her face. Her mind is too hazy to come up with anything. No more spells, no counter attacks. She just thinks, well, at least I die with my dumb best friend...

She hears Lisa chuckle beside her and say in a weak voice, “now two of us die, dumdum.”

Jisoo snickers under her breath. Of course they’re thinking of the same thing; they aren’t best friends for nothing .

The panther growls.

“A witch… and a half-demon.” It sneers the last part in disgust. It’s voice was rough and distorted in its panther form but it was definitely female.

Lisa coughs. “Yep.” A deep breath. “Present, ma’am.” She jokes.

The panther snarls into Lisa’s ear.

“You think you’re funny, huh?” It roars. Lisa feels her eardrum rupture and winces in pain.

The panther lifts a paw and presses it against Lisa’s face, pushing the half-demon hard against the dirt. Lisa grits her teeth in pain.

“We-we just need help.” Jisoo begs. “My friend is dying. My visions told me there was only one witch who could help.”

The panther turns its head, to Jisoo.

“A seer.” It snarls. “You broke the barrier.”

“Yes. I had no choice. I had to save my friend.”

“I know you.” The panther growls, inching its face close to Jisoo so that its looking down into her eyes. “You’ve been watching the shop for a few days. So many magical creatures come here wanting to steal the rare potions and plants. And now you come with a dying half-demon, of all creatures. How do I know this isn’t a trick?”

Jisoo realizes her mistake. After seeing the visions of the blonde witch, she started investigating and tracking her. She found out the blonde owns this shop because it was infamous in this area to both magical and non-magical creatures; the blonde witch sold elixirs and potions to all, even the clueless humans with stomach aches who think they’re just getting some homemade remedy. A black cat would watch her and hiss at her whenever she would drive by. She didn’t realize the black cat was a powerful shapeshifter who is protective of the shop and the healer.

But she didn’t know Lisa would get attacked by shadow creatures, either. And this was an emergency and magical barriers don’t exactly come with doorbells. She did what she had to do.

But it seems like it all ends here and now with the shop’s clawed black guardian.

“Please.” Jisoo sobs now, eyes tightly closed, not bothering to hide her feelings anymore. “My friend will die if she doesn’t get help. I’ve tried every spell I know and nothing’s worked. But my visions tell me that the blonde witch with the rosefinch can save her.”

The panther moves its face a few inches away. Jisoo opens her eyes and for a moment she thinks she sees the panther’s eyes become human.

“Jen?” A soft sleepy voice followed by a yawn comes from somewhere inside the house. All three of them, the panther, the seer, and the half-demon pick it up with their heightened hearing.

Jisoo’s eyes widen. She knew that voice.

The panther’s eyes widen, too. There are only two thoughts that run through the shapeshifter’s mind.

She’s awake. Must protect her.

The panther’s eyes harden. Jisoo tries to turn to the direction of the woman who spoke but the panther snarled and put its other paw against her face, pressing the side where the skin was cut open from the fall into the ground. Jisoo screams in pain.

“Don’t you dare move!” The animal roars so close to Jisoo’s face that her ears ring.

They all hear a series of loud thuds followed by a door opening.

“What’s going on?!” A blonde runs out of the greenhouse,

It’s her , Jisoo thinks. There’s no way she can be wrong. It’s the voice she’s heard over and over, the voice of the powerful blonde healer with the rosefinch on her shoulder.

“He-help…” Lisa manages to weakly cough out. “Healer.”

The panther turns and bares its teeth at her. The griffin caws, as if to make its presence known, asking help for its wounds, also.

“Jen, get off them!” The blonde runs but the panther roars to stop her.

“No, Rosie, stay there!” There is ice in the animal’s eyes and it makes the healer stop. “They broke through your barrier with powerful magic. They don’t need help. They’re intruders. This is a ploy.”

“No, it’s not.” Jisoo manages to croak. Dark spots swim in her vision from the pain of her head wound being pressed into the ground, still. “I had to break your barrier. Please. My friend is dying.” She clenches her eyes shut as she pleads, hoping that the healer is as kind as her visions showed her.

For the first time, she curses her abilities for not being enough and not warning her of the shapeshifter.

“Your friend is a demon.” The panther snarls. “Why should we help demons?”

“Jen, please, she’s dying.” The blonde witch pleads.

Jisoo realizes the blonde healer is standing only a few feet away now.

“Why should we trust them?” The shapeshifter looks up at her friend, challenging and defiant.

“I don’t know about trust, but we should help them.” There’s firmness in the blonde’s voice. “I can smell poison in this one’s blood.” She nods towards Lisa. “She’ll die if I don’t tend to her now. She’ll be too weak after I heal her to do anything, anyway.” The healer kneels right above Jisoo’s head and touches the panther’s face. The gesture was soft. “Please, Jennie. It’s okay. I can take care of myself.”

The panther looks into the healer’s eyes and her own soften. Rosie is right .

She lifts up both paws from Jisoo and Lisa’s faces. Lisa coughs and Jisoo exhales relief. The healer gives the panther a loving scratch under the chin.

“You’re also here to keep me safe, anyway. Thank you.”

The panther grunts. Her friend isn’t wrong about that, either. She’ll always be there to keep Rosie safe. Always. She owed the healer her life, after all.

The healer smiles.

“Now help me get them to the hut.”

“Okay.”