There was three men. It was impossible to perceive their faces, fire surrounding them. It’s a land Chaeyoung never saw before, not even in her dreams. Beasts groaned in the darkness, sometimes she could see their red eyes seeking for revenge, wanting pure annihilation. Regarding from the heavy breathes, their black shadows, the beasts seemed to be enormous. Stars were shining above her head, spectator of this terrible scenery. Chaeyoung could only endure the situation, smell of fire burning her lungs, making her cough. There was one silhouette detaching itself from the trio, coming closer, step by step while the beasts started yelling, shouting, howling through the night. Chaeyoung was the price, the object of this whole vicious animation. A sacrifice.

She couldn’t utter a word, the face of the man was so close and yet, she couldn’t see his exact features. The strong palm from the man suddenly choked her, she tried to scream but she was suffocating. The atmosphere became so hot she felt like smoldering little by little, her whole body sweating from the flames of Hell.

And that’s when she found back her voice, screaming into the night.

Jihyo happened to be the first reaching her room.

“Chaeyoung, is everything alright ?” The elder tried to calm Chaeyoung down, her hands on her shoulders to console the scared little bird. Her voice was calm despite the worry written all over face. Soon, Nayeon and Sana were at the door, peaking through the small space trying not to be too indiscreet. Chaeyoung’s scream had probably woken up the whole mansion.

“I had... a nightmare but…” Chaeyoung shook her hand, her body in sweat. It seemed so real that she still felt sore. She massaged it slowly, scared to find marks but there was nothing. She looked around, her breath hitching once again while Jihyo kept fondling the girl’s shoulders. Nayeon bit her lip, looking at the two figures talking inside the room before looking through the window, as if someone could be watching them.

“It’s okay, you are back with us now, nothing can happen to you…” Jihyo wanted to embrace her but she knew Chaeyoung needed to make her path first before feeling in security in this house, inside her foreign arms despite her gentleness.

“Do you want to talk about it ?” Jihyo asked once Chaeyoung calmed down and felt better. Sana came back with a glass of water before going back to the corridor. There, she had a little conversation with Nayeon. Both were quite awkward since their last talk. Nayeon has been harsh with her words because she definitely wasn’t okay with everything happening inside the mansion. But deep inside, her real nature was to save and always be there for the ones she cared about, she couldn’t leave this place just because she couldn’t always agree with its residents. Residents that once, were like family.

“Jihyo had a nightmare tonight too…” Sana started, “There was shadows trying to communicate but you know Jihyo, she can shut her mind easily and emerge from her dreams faster that all of us can do” Sana stated. Nayeon nodded, she knew Jihyo had a very strong power over anything mental. That’s probably the reason Jihyo adored Sana so much, she could see through the blonde’s real motives. They had a special relationship, Nayeon knew, of course because they used to be close friends. Times had changed and everyone was trying to save the remaining crumbs from their past as one family. Sana wanted to find back this bond that once was unbreakable, it was naïve, maybe that’s the only time she showed her ingénue aspect.

“Do you think it’s all related ?” Nayeon asked, quickly looking through the little space between the door and the wall. Jihyo was talking with Chaeyoung, vividly. The youngest kept moving her hands in the air, showing what seemed to be terrifying creatures. Nayeon sighed, still not looking into Sana’s eyes.

“Darkness can’t really penetrate our minds, Jihyo is the most sensitive because her mind travels through the worlds all the time, Chaeyoung… well she isn’t immune since she wasn’t there last time.” Sana shrugged. Nayeon simply pressed her forehead against the door before Jeongyeon appeared, nervous and sweaty. She took a second to recollect her breath and find back her composure, before looking at Sana and Nayeon with her eternal stern face each time something was up. The two girls unfolded their arms ready to receive the information.

“Girl’s we all should see what’s happening inside Dahyun’s room, because we are having a huge problem and , I don’t think we are ready for this.” Jeongyeon swallowed and walked back inside Dahyun’s room, disappearing through the hallways.

All the girl’s gathered inside Dahyun’s room, similar from Chaeyoung. The big difference was that drawings were all over the wooden floor, it was probably runic language and many forms of magical stuff Chaeyoung had never seen before that night. It looked complex, forms attached to other forms, circles inside other circles, linked together while Dahyun was sitting in the middle of those incredible writings coming from another time. She had a book inside her hand and her hair turned blue, her index in the air while the girls all looked nervous. They knew what was going on.

“We are protected from the strongest but the weakest showing no bad intentions but only a dark soul, can penetrate inside our walls to warn and spit their hearts.” Dahyun said loud enough with a chanting voice. It gave Chaeyoung chills, light coming out from the book to illuminate the wizard’s face. A strong wind forced its way inside the room and suddenly scratches were heard against the walls. Nayeon looked on her right side, words being written in red against the old walls of the mansion. She started to read at loud.

“Patience is a virtue, we know you are shattered and time won’t be by your side. We weakened you with a heart, we stole you a treasure, we will win. Each life will be taken away and once this task done, you’d be forgotten and shadows will appear to dress this useless condemned world.” Nayeon finished reading with a sigh, looking away from the wall to meet with Dahyun’s eyes. At the same time, Momo whispered something against Mina’s ear, the pianist nodding slightly while glancing at Nayeon. This was a private dialogue, Chaeyoung became a spectator surrounded by animated statues. Ethereal, muttering secret words, sharing discreet looks that only an observer could try to interpret, gawking at the weird environment being displayed. Chaeyoung swallowed, turning her shivering body when Jihyo’s voice rang inside her ears.

“It’s time to act, it’s time to protect this house and the world. Be ready to face an earthquake !” Jihyo talked with bravery and walked away first, as if she already had a plan that only herself could carry out. It felt frustrating for Chaeyoung to be the only lost soul, not knowing what to do without an order. But she was wrong.

In the first hours of the morning, Chaeyoung was forced to meet with Sana inside a confined room. It had the aspects of a police arrest. Despite being a smart human being, Chaeyoung couldn’t let her fantasy work alone and start wrong theories about what was going on. She let out a shaky breath, sitting straight against the chair Sana ordered her to sit.

The walls were white but dark from the lack of light. Sana was walking, arms crossed, still looking at the ceiling before stopping right in front of Chaeyoung. She tilted her head, her ponytail swinging a little bit before stopping all movement. She was dressed with a pink blouse, blue jeans and a red lipstick, a killer look.

“Anything that happens here will stay between us, do you understand ?” There was no emotion inside Sana’s voice, a scary switch for someone that uses to exhibit a lot of facial expression, it was too confusing.

“Are you… going to hurt me ?” Chaeyoung stuttered. But Sana was quick to laugh and reach for Chaeyoung clothed wrist. If this was a way to break the tension it had the perfect opposite effect. Sana looked like a hunter, needing to collect important information from a fragile prey.

“Never, that’s not the point. But I do need you to tell me what you see, okay ?” Sana nodded hoping it would make Chaeyoung give in more easily. The youngest felt the blonde’s thumb slowly her skin at the bridge of her wrist and palm. She took a deep breath and agreed.

“Whatever you want then.”

“Perfect !”

Nayeon and Tzuyu were coming from the woods. Momo could see through the window the two woman walking across the golden fields spreading out until the sun kissed them. She got out from her room, closing the door without a sound and got down the stairs without Jihyo hearing a sound inside her office. She crossed the hallways, Jeongyeon played a chess game with Dayhun while talking silently and she reached the hall to welcome Nayeon and Tzuyu, a neutral expression on her face.

“I hope you had a good meal.” Momo spoke first after noticing some blood on Nayeon’s hands.

“I don’t think you care that much about-” But Tzuyu nudged Nayeon’s shoulder for her to make an effort. She rolled her eyes and forced a smile. “Yes, thank you ?” She agitated her hands for Momo to go on with her sudden kindness.

“I’m just here to make you notice you brought a friend with you,” Momo clenched her jaw before a cold breeze made its way through the hall. Tzuyu and Nayeon slowly turned around to come nose to nose with a creature from the woods. It had a weird form, her arms being broken and dark branches, it would scratch and kill any animal if it started to move violently. Tzuyu took a step back while the strange figure smiled, its dark glimmering eyes boring holes into Momo’s eyes but the target was totally disinterested.

“Hurt won’t be done but a message must be understood.” The creature started, planting its claws against the door to penetrate a bit further inside the mansion, the air becoming freezing cold. The smell of dead wood and fresh grass wasn’t a very good mix, it was too intense and if Sana was there she would be dying from the sent and wouldn’t stop sneezing.

“God thank you Sana didn’t opened the door, it would have ruined your entrance…” Nayeon tried to joke but it went to trash since the creature only cared about Momo’s presence. Nayeon was scandalized.

“Just deliver your message already or I’ll kick your out from this place !” Momo was losing patience but it only made the creature laugh, it was a weird deep laugh coming from the farthest places that only Hell could cradle.  

“Don’t need to be rude, Hirai. You used to be less tense…” Momo bit back a harsh answer and punch but she calmed down, avoiding more damage. The dark forces indeed reached their mansion, speaking under Satan’s emblem as if they held the truth and Momo couldn’t just let her anger come out at any tiny provocation.

“I’m just here to tell you, that we are coming and you should… hurry up.” The claws scraped against the wooden door and he walked away, laughing and falling like a dead mass on the ground, disappearing like a shadow would. Nayeon lazily closed the door, shaking her head, annoyed.

“Scarecrows are old-school !” She groaned before looking at Momo and Tzuyu, not laughing at her ultimate joke. Nayeon scowled, waiting for an audience but gave up.

“You are not cool, so not cool !” Nayeon grumbled, earning a smirk from Tzuyu while Momo stayed there, with a straight face.

“Do you really think I will ever find you funny ? Do you even have hope ?” Momo was looking right into Nayeon’s eyes and Tzuyu felt the tension. She got in between them before the start of a fight and pushed them away from the hall, avoiding another frightening scene.

Mina was watching, all along.

A/N : Sorry I am a bit late but here we go ! I feel like my english is..... not very good lately. I am so sorry guys. ;-;