"Eunbi, is that really you?"

How can she ever forget that face and that voice? Chaeyeon is mesmerized to see Eunbi in one piece again. How long since she last seen the leader? A month? A year? She isn't sure but this isn't time for her to gawk at the leader. She won't be tricked again. Not anymore.

"Who the are you? Another mimicry? Do you really need to be my leader? Rot in deepest hell!!!"

Chaeyeon yelled as she slashed her sword towards the stupefied Eunbi. Minjoo didn't manage to react on time and ended up screaming up her beloved leader's name.

"No, Eunbi!"

She didn't anticipate this kind of development at all. Her heart felt like being stabbed by countless thorns as she witnessed Chaeyeon's most treasured sword, Bloody Rouge, piercing Eunbi's body.

"Min...Joo? Why are you here?"

It seems that Chaeyeon is too preoccupied with Eunbi's sudden appearance which made her unaware of Minjoo's presence. Looking at the girls wails with her familiar, Quinn the unicorn made Chaeyeon hit by the reality at last.

"Chaeyeon… It's really is Eunbi. Why would you kill her? WHY?"

The girl screams her heart out as she lunged over towards the petrified Chaeyeon. Hatred running in her veins as she feels something precious already being snatched from her. Those difficult times did change Minjoo. She is no longer the delicate girl that hesitates so much, she is now much persistent and aggressive.

" YOU, LEE CHAEYEON! YOU LEAVE ME BEHIND AND WHEN WE MEET, YOU KILL MY ONLY HOPE!"

Minjoo isn't herself anymore. Her vision is blurred by furious, tainted her mind and pushed Minjoo to follow the burning loath in her heart. She drawed her daggers and ready to stab Chaeyeon who didn't even budge from Minjoo's threat. The girl seems lost somehow but that didn't stop Minjoo to beat her up. She wants to hurt Chaeyeon but before those piece of metal managed to slit Chaeyeon's throat, a gentle hand stopped her.

"Minjoo, stop. This is not you."

The girl is being pulled away from Chaeyeon and she felt a warm embrace from her back. A muffled, trembling voice registered in her ears, "It's okay, Minjoo. I'm still alive. That's only a copy of me. I used my skills, that's all. Now, please, come back. Bring the calm Minjoo back to me."

It's Eunbi. Her leader is still alive. Their piece of hope, the one that makes Izone one is still here with her. Waves of relief surged inside Minjoo's heart. She just realized what she's just about to commit if Eunbi didn't stop her. How could her? Why would she act like that? Minjoo wails in Eunbi's bosom, she is scared, madly terrified.

In the meantime, Eunbi is too stunned to even react. She sees with her own pair of eyes how the girls already changed a lot. Minjoo didn't lie to her about how much time already passed. It seems only Eunbi is trapped in the loop of time, thinking that her babies will still be babies. She never expected that they didn't hesitates much to kill anyone, including their once beloved sisters.

"Eunbi… You're really Eunbi? This is not a dream? Hey, talk to me."

Her heart sank when she sees Chaeyeon bawled her eyes while begging on the ground. The strong girl that always assist her whenever they are fighting a mob of monsters of facing a boss level monster is actually a crying mess on the floor. What's going on? How come the girls changed so much? 

She didn't have the answer to her endless questions. She can't appear weak, not now when her sisters are basically so fragile, so brittle that even a tiny touch might break them. Eunbi bending over with the sobbing Minjoo in her arms while stretching her arms towards Chaeyeon.

"I'm back, Chaeyeon. I'm home."

The girl burst out into tears as soon as she heard Eunbi's voice again. For how long she's yearning to listen to this specific, favorite sound of her again? All those blood, sweat and tears she shed, fighting countless enemies just to get a hold of a chance to meet Eunbi again. But what did she do when she gets to meet Eunbi? She almost killed Eunbi!

She is about to touch Eunbi but suddenly, she heard some twigs were getting break. Chaeyeon feels alerted and swiftly whistles Maki to scoop both Eunbi and Minjoo before dashing away, leaving behind Chaeyeon who is in her attacking stance.

"Wait, Maki! Why would you leave Chaeyeon?"

Panicked is such a mild word to describe Eunbi's feeling right now. She feels like riding a sky scream roller coaster, thrills surely fills her up but it is followed by those anxiety too. Maki just shakes it's head while whispering, "Please lower down your voice. I can't fight well if we ever meet another enemy. This forest is a dangerous place. Trust me, I'll bring you over to our place. It's safe there."

It will be a blatant lie if Eunbi says that she isn't amazed by Maki's calmness. The wolf which is also Chaeyeon's familiar really resembles Chaeyeon, the way it calmly followed instructions and took some precautionary measures. Eunbi can sense a pang of guilt painted on Maki's face but she chooses not to address it for now.

"We have arrived. I'm sorry but I have to leave you both here. Remember, never answer if anyone knocking the door or even calling your name. It's not us, not the girls, just some monsters trying to make you their meals."

Maki spitted out it's words while pushing both Eunbi and Minjoo together with their familiar into the tree house. Eunbi knows that the wolf is worried sick about Chaeyeon whose it's left behind just to bring both Eunbi and Minjoo to a safe place. Now she is certain that her babies didn't change at all, they're just being pressurized by their surroundings.

"Crystal, now go! Bring Chaeyeon back safe and sound, my proud warrior!"

The wolf grinned while showing off its sharp teeth as it dashed away towards Chaeyeon. The leader turned back her head and patted Minjoo who somehow is dozing off after snapping out with her other characters a few moments ago. Eunbi used a blanket which is neatly folded to wrap Minjoo and let the girl rest.

Her eyes wander around the tree house. She is curious to explore Chaeyeon's house but didn't want to venture too much as she might violate Chaeyeon's private space. Hence, Eunbi settled down in the living room while staring into empty spaces.

Scratches and wails can be heard just outside of the windows. It will be a white lie if Eunbi said she isn't affected by those noise at all. She feels like rampaging outside just to get rid of the course of those noise as it is disturbing Minjoo's sleep at this moment. The only reason Eunbi didn't step out is because Maki already warned her not to do so and she is not that hot-blooded to slay some monsters. 

Eunbi is aware that she mustn't involved in something that might end her life. She saw how devastated these two girls when Chaeyeon slain a copy of her. She knows the writhing agony burned I'm Minjoo's eyes. She is aware of Chaeyeon's resentment which is carved inside the girl's eyes when she is about to slice Eunbi off.

"Girls, what happened to you all when I was gone?"

She whispered into the thin air, hoping to know about her babies situation in detail. She believes that all of them must have faced an enormous difficulties that pushed them to act like a heartless creature.

"Please, let me reunite with them one last time, before my time here is up."

She smiles as she closes her eyes, fingers intertwined with the snoring Minjoo.

***

Traces of her breath lingered in the air as the mist suddenly shrouded in the area. She is glad that Maki is quick to bring both Eunbi and Minjoo away from the scene or else, she will have a hard time to defend them while trying to eradicate this certain enemy.

What is this peculiar feeling nested in her chest, she wonders. She feels more alive, her heart is finally beating normally again, as if a part of her missing gear is back, making her once stopped operation running smooth again.

"I can't lose today, mate. Not when I have finally found what I seek all this time."

Chaeyeon grinned as she is dancing through the wind, letting her beloved sword slashes the air before landing a hit on her worst enemy in the forest. An ear piercing gawked echoes throughout the forest when Chaeyeon manages to slice her enemy's flesh. She