Shinki Village

"Wait! Take my body instead!"

He stops and looks at the person who just shouted. It is a woman, maybe in her late twenties, with hair tied back in tatters, face filled with tears. She is wearing a road jacket and a small bag, looking like just came back from a journey. Judging from the pile of necklaces, rings, and accessories she wears, he guesses this must be a witch. A glass jar with a toad dangling from her belt further confirms his speculation.

"Why should I?" he asks.

"Because... I'm a witch. I'll be more valuable to you than a healer, right?"

"True." He ponders.

"No Nayeon! What are you thinking?" Jihyo pulls Nayeon back, not understanding what her friend is doing.

"We have to save Jeongyeon. If he drinks that, Jeongyeon is gonna die."

"But you are... you're gonna die too." Jihyo said, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"It's fine. I owe her my life." Nayeon held Jihyo's hand tightly, whispering. She is crying too.

"Why would you do that?" He asks, "You know you'll die."

"I can't live without her, either." Nayeon cries out, "Let me be in her place instead."

"Ahh. Young love. So intense yet so blind. I can never understand that."

Suddenly he wobbles on his feet, the bowl in his hand almost falls to the ground. He sets his bowl down on a nearby table, one hand clutching his chest.

"No! Nayeon! Don't!"

The shout definitely isn't from the Shogun but from the true Jeongyeon.

"Stop fighting!" He grunts.

But the body doesn’t obey him completely, as the left hand reaches for the dagger and aims at the chest, the right hand trying to stop the knife from doing so. This would be a funny scene if things weren’t so serious. All eyes are fixed on the struggling healer, not daring to intervene. They don't even know which one is which. After struggling for a while, the right hand manages to knock the knife out of the left hand. The knife flies out and falls to the ground.

"Nayeon, don't. I'd rather die."

A weak voice comes out and now they understand. The left arm holding the knife is Jeongyeon's, who is trying to kill herself with the Shogun. Hearing this, Nayeon cries even harder than before. She falls on her knees, sobbing.

"Don't, Jeong. I can't let you die."

"So what witch? What's your decision?"

He seems to have regained control of the body, though the left leg is still shaking as if it could collapse at any time.

"Take me instead."

"Alright."

"But you must swear on your family name not to harm her."

"What a child. Fine. I swear on my family name I will not harm her.”

"You can take my body." She raises her hands out.

"Not so fast, young lady. To make sure you don't play a trick on me, drink this first." He holds out the bowl.

"Don't. It's poison. You'll die."

Jihyo yells out, surging forward to stop Nayeon but is quickly stopped by Irene. The priest mumbles something to the caregiver, making her stop. He pays no attention to this, too focused on Nayeon and the magic she possesses. He grins cockily.

"That's the spirit, right? A life for a life. Are you drinking or not?"

"I will do it!"

"Wait, Nayeon." A shout rings out. This time, it's from the priestess.

"What? You want to be in her place too? Too bad I don't want a priestess. I won't touch the gods’ pet."

Irene glares at him before saying.

"I want to hug Nayeon for the last time. We're good friends."

Nayeon and Jihyo, even in tears, look surprised with Irene's words. They talk sometimes but never consider the priestess a close friend. Maybe the moment of parting makes our true feelings come to light. No one protests when Irene pulls Nayeon into a tight hug. She lets go after a while but still holds the witch's hands tight. Jihyo follows suit, not being able to keep from crying out loud when seeing this. Her best friends are in danger and she can do nothing to help.

Done with the hugging, Nayeon takes a shaky breath before taking a step forward and holding out her hands. Her long and pale fingers are shaking a little, but she holds them out determinedly, gold and silver rings shine under the sun.

"Drink this to the very last drop. I’m afraid the taste isn’t very pleasant. It's poison after all."

He puts the bowl into her hands and shoots her a crooked smirk.

Nayeon squints at the person standing before her. This is Jeongyeon's face, the one that she has seen (and admired - but she never admits it) on a daily basis but why does it seem so unfamiliar? Jeongyeon doesn't act like this. It’s not Jeongyeon's mischievous smile when she has tricks up her sleeve, or the stupid grin when she tells her lame jokes; she never possesses this malicious look as she does right now. No. This is not the Jeongyeon she knows. She’ll do anything to bring her Jeongyeon back.

"The quicker you drink this, the sooner all this will be over. Well, for you."

He smirks. Looking at the strange expression on Jeongyeon’s face, Nayeon thinks she’d rather die than see her memories of Jeongyeon become this way. With one swift act, she takes the bowl and drinks it in one gulp. She'll fight death if that can save her Jeongyeon. The Shogun looks closely and seems pleased to see the potion has been consumed. He shouts to others.

"Everyone, step back. I think the priestess knows but I’ll still warn you, if you interfere in this process, both of them will die."

Watching as everyone steps back to a safe distance, he walks to Nayeon's place. He scans the witch's face, which is contorted with both the taste of the potion and pain. It's working.

Everyone watches from afar as he takes Nayeon's hands in his and they both close their eyes. It might be a trick of light but even under the bright sun, the space around them darkens, black smoke enveloping them both. No one dares to look away. Jihyo's hand grips Tzuyu so tightly that it makes her bleed, but Tzuyu doesn’t make a sound. She is also paying too much attention to the scene unfolding before her eyes.

Then Jeongyeon’s body collapses at the witch's feet. Jihyo runs to help her as soon as Nayeon opens her eyes, which are cold and full of malice. The Shogun's soul has finished changing bodies. They watch as Nayeon stretches her arms and legs and bursts out laughing.

"Stupid witch. Now she has died, and I will have her power. Things are so much better the more power you have."

He waves his hand, and the table in front of them collapses into a pile of wood. Seemingly satisfied, he waves his hand again, towards Mrs. Hirai, summoning a rope flying at her, but Irene is quick t