Sojung knew something was wrong the moment one of her wards were triggered. It had nothing to do with the wards around the forest. This was Yerin.

She reached around her neck where a pendant hung, feeling its warmth. With a tug, she pulled it free and held it up to her eyes. The pendant was glowing a deep red, calling out to her.

It was a gift that she had given Yerin, as a way for Sojung to find her if she ever needed to. Sojung could communicate telepathically with Yuna and Yewon because they were linked as one coven and she could do the same with Eunbi as well for she was her familiar. Yerin, however, was not mentally linked with any of them, which was why Sojung felt the need to give Yerin a pendant spelled with a location ward. The vampire never used it though, not until now.

“Eunbi. Come to my study, now.” Sojung called for Eunbi mentally as she reached into one of her drawers and pulled out a scroll. She unrolled the scroll onto her table, revealing a map of their surroundings. Laying the pendant right at where their mansion was located, she guided her magic into it and watched as the map began to show her where Yerin was. She followed the red trail as it s around paths, till it came to a stop at an empty field near the village Yerin was at.

“What’s wrong?” Eunbi asked the moment she stepped through the doors, the familiar sensing the urgency in her voice. Her eyes fell onto the pendant that was laid on the map and to the marked location, quickly getting the gist of why she was called. Sojung felt Eunbi’s anxiety spike as she hurried to her table, questioning her. “Did something happen to Yerin?”

“She wouldn’t invoke the location ward on her pendant for nothing,” Sojung took one last look at the map to memorise where Yerin was before standing up from her seat. “I need you to get a bag of human blood, just in case she needs it. Meet me at the stables afterwards. Don’t go off by yourself, you hear me?” She didn’t want Eunbi to go without her into a situation she knew nothing about.

Eunbi nodded in understanding, rushing off in her cat form. Sojung left her study to head to their weaponry room where they kept most of their offensive magical traps, artifacts, and most importantly, weapons. Sojung and Yerin were the only two people fond of using weapons. For Sojung, it was an alternative to her magic while for Yerin, it was a less exhaustive way to fight.

Her most frequently used weapon was her bow. Sojung preferred long-range fighting while Eunbi covered for her in close range. Though, that didn’t mean she was poor at close combat. Her magic was incredibly versatile for combat, ranging from protection spells to destructive chaos like wringing humans around like ragdolls.

She wasn’t a violent person by nature. Sojung only used the true extent of her magic on enemies who went after the small circle of people she cared about.

Sojung holstered her bow and quiver of arrows to her back and informed Yuna and Yewon of the situation and that she and Eunbi were going to find Yerin. Their reply was one of worry, but Sojung reassured them that they would bring Yerin back, hopefully unharmed.

When she reached the stables, Eunbi was already there waiting for her with two horses brought out and their saddles prepared. The familiar looked jittery and impatient, bouncing on her toes. Upon spotting Sojung, Eunbi passed the reins of Luna to her, her horse eager to get away from her.

“Finally! Your horse tried to kick me three times!” Eunbi growled in annoyance as she lifted herself onto the other horse who was the only mare in their stables that tolerated her presence enough to let Eunbi on her. Sojung always found it amusing how animals could naturally tell Eunbi was a familiar and avoided her like she was a plague because of it.

She followed suit and got on Luna, and both of them guided their horses to break off into a fast gallop out of the forest. They travelled in silence, Eunbi too caught up in worry for the vampire and Sojung keeping her guard up. The sky had already darkened, which was good for Yerin. Eunbi took the lead in the darkness thanks to her natural night vision.

They soon neared the location Sojung’s tracking ward pointed to, thanks to their horses’ abnormally faster speed and stamina. Like all creatures which dwelled and thrived in the forest, their prowess were all magically boosted by Yuna. It was this advantage that brought them to Yerin in no time.

Eunbi noticed her first. Her familiar took a sharp intake of breath upon seeing Yerin’s unmoving body lying on the grounds of the deserted field. She pulled her horse to a halt and leapt off quickly, rushing to her side.

“Yerin!” Eunbi's voice wavered as she knelt by her, hands hovering uncertainly over her body. “Sojung, get the blood!”

It was too dark to see as clearly as Eunbi did, but the metallic stench of blood in the air told her everything she needed to know. Sojung reached into the pouch attached to Eunbi’s horse and retrieved the flask of human blood she instructed Eunbi to take. With a flick of her fingers, a flame ignited and hovered by her side to brighten the surroundings.

Now that she had a source of light, Sojung could spot a body laying on the ground across Yerin with his neck snapped to one side. While she wanted to know who attacked Yerin, Sojung went over to Yerin first with the blood flask, more concerned with why the vampire wasn’t recovering.

Eunbi snatched the flask from her the instant she reached, uncapping it and coaxing the barely conscious girl to drink it. Meanwhile, Sojung lowered her light to see Yerin’s wound, grimacing at the blood that soaked her clothes. Her hand was pressed against her wound to staunch the bleeding, but it continued to flow like an endless river. That was too abnormal for a vampire considering how they could recover from a stab wound in seconds. Even blood dehydration wouldn’t limit her ability to regenerate to this severe extent.

“It’s not working,” Eunbi turned to her for help when Yerin’s wound still didn’t close despite providing her human blood. “Why isn’t it working?”

“Knife,” Yerin hissed as she pushed herself up to a sitting position, tilting her head at the body Sojung saw. Understanding what the vampire meant, Sojung instructed Eunbi to wrap Yerin’s wound with a makeshift bandage and went over to investigate the corpse.

The knife in question was embedded in the man’s heart, but what drew Sojung’s attention was the necklace around his neck. Eunha’s witch mark, the red crescent, was the same as the necklace. Her eyes narrowed as she took the necklace from his neck, keeping it in her pouch.

Sojung wasn’t planning to pry into the familiar’s life or interrogate her initially, but that changed when Yerin’s assailant seemed to bear some kind of connection to her. She had questions that needed answers and Eunha would be the one to give them to her. This wasn’t a mere coincidence anymore.

She then grasped the hilt of the knife Yerin pointed out, removing it from its embedded spot. The blade was slick with blood and it shone briefly, intricate markings lining its steel. The throbbing magical energy she could sense from the weapon revealed to her that the knife had been enchanted with runes, a spell embedded in an object. The likely cause of Yerin’s stunted regeneration.

How did a human come to possess such a weapon? Sojung pursed her lips in thought as she wrapped the blade in a cloth to inspect later. Humans either hated or feared witches, a sentiment that they had made very clear by organising man hunts whenever they discovered a witch. Witches in the community didn’t want anything to do with them either much less craft weapons with runes for them.

“Eunbi, help Yerin onto your horse,” Sojung ordered once she was done with the body. She guided the flame that she conjured previously to the man, watching as it began to swallow him and blaze furiously in the darkness of the night.

Burning him was the quickest way to hide their tracks and the death that occurred here. It wouldn't be wise to leave evidence of an unnatural death and have a hunting party sent out for them.

With that settled, they had to get Yerin back to Yewon. Healing spells were a skill Sojung never managed to grasp even with her natural affinity for magic. The most she could heal was a small gash, not a gaping stab wound like Yerin's. Yewon was the vampire's best bet at combating the rune's effect and closing her wound.

"She'll be okay, right?" Eunbi asked from on top of her horse, arms wrapped securely around Yerin who was leaning against her front. "I-I can't lose her again, Sojung..." her eyes were pleading with her, begging for reassurance.

Sojung's eyes softened. The last time Yerin was this injured, it was before she became a vampire. When she was just a human who befriended Eunbi and dragged her onto tours around her village. The current situation was probably reminding Eunbi too much of the past.

"You won't," Sojung didn't give empty promises or words. "Remember, Eunbi. She's a vampire, not a frail human anymore."

"Right," Eunbi nodded jerkily, still unsure, but Sojung's words managed to calm her down somewhat. "Let’s...let’s just get back to Yewon.”

For the second time that day, Sojung and Eunbi rushed through the doors of the healing chamber with a wounded Yerin in Eunbi’s arms. This time, however, there was a higher sense of urgency and panic for it was one of their own that needed healing.

Both Yewon and Yuna were already prepared for their arrival, Yewon inspecting Yerin’s wound the moment Eunbi laid her down on the bed beside Eunha’s. The wolf familiar was awake, a little tired-looking but looking much more energised than earlier in the day. There was a tinge of curiosity and confusion in her eyes as she watched all of them and took in the new arrival.

“We gave her human blood, but she’s still not healing,” Eunbi reported to Yewon as she unwrapped the messy makeshift bandages from the wound.

“I...I think I’m hallucinating, too,” Yerin murmured with barely open eyes as she gazed at Eunha’s direction. “There’s a girl there?”

“You’re not hallucinating.” Yuna deadpanned.

“Ah.”

Ignoring their conversation, Sojung drew her Yewon’s attention by calling her name. She then unwrapped the enchanted knife she picked from the body and handed it to her. “Her wound isn’t healing because of this.”

There was a sharp intake of breath from Eunha the moment the blade was revealed, furthering Sojung’s suspicions. “You recognise this. Why?”

Eunha flinched as Sojung approached her, her whole demeanor threatening. As a final push, Sojung brought out the red crescent necklace and tossed it to her. The girl took ahold of it and flipped the necklace over to reveal the “R.W” initials, a detail that Sojung had missed out.

“What’s your relation to them?”

“Questions later, Yerin is more important,” Eunbi interrupted before Eunha could even answer, suddenly by Eunha’s bedside. “The runes. How do you reverse it?”

“You...You can’t,” Eunha answered after a brief moment of silence, pushing herself up from the bed to stand. She threw the necklace back onto the bed and took in a deep breath as if she was steadying her resolve. “Not by normal means, that is.”

“What do you mean?” Yuna asked warily as the blonde-haired familiar went over to Yerin, the forest witch instinctively shifting to put herself in between her and the vampire.

“Normal runes that enchant a weapon with magic are just spells that get triggered, but this rune is different,” Eunha explained more to Yewon who was intensely listening. “When used on someone, it transfers a curse onto them which acts as a parasite. In Yerin’s case, it’s a curse that doesn’t allow her to heal. Even your healing magic won’t do much against it.”

“That’s dark magic,” Sojung murmured. Curses were notorious for being hard to reverse or break, but most witches strayed away from using such means for a good reason, much less enchant it on a weapon. It shouldn’t even be doable.

“Are you saying Yerin’s going to bleed to death?” Eunbi tensed.

“No. I said it can’t be broken by normal means like finding a way to nullify a spell.”

"But you can break the curse?" Yewon questioned, tugging Yuna back slightly to let Eunha closer.

Eunha was hesitant to answer. "Yes, but in return, I ask that you do not ask me how."

"Deal." Eunbi agreed in a flash. Sojung wasn't too happy about the growing secrets Eunha was harbouring, but the girl was likely the only person who could help Yerin if what she said was true.

"Fine," She gave her approval. Yewon and Yuna followed her lead, though the latter albeit reluctantly.

With their agreement, Eunha turned to Yerin.

"Give me your hand."

The vampire watched her warily as she lifted her hand, allowing Eunha to hold it.

For a few moments, nothing happened even as the familiar closed her eyes in concentration. Sojung was about to step in when she spotted black wisps emanating from Yerin's hand and seeping into Eunha's. It was like the curse was shifting from Yerin into Eunha.

Finally, Eunha released Yerin's hand and searched around the room with her eyes, reaching to one of the potted plants by the bedside. Upon her touch, the plant instantly wilted to death with its leaves turning an unusual black.

"My plant..." Yuna muttered when no one spoke. They were all too intrigued by what just happened.

"Um, sorry about that," Eunha apologised, releasing the plant from her grip. Their attention turned when Yerin talked.

"It is closing,” she observed how the wound closed rapidly, till her skin was smooth without even leaving a single blemish. You wouldn’t know a wound was there if it wasn’t for the blood coating her waist.

Sojung had so many questions about what just happened, considering how Eunha seemed to have transferred the curse from Yerin to the plant somehow. Familiars were made of magic, yes, but they couldn’t manipulate magic like witches could to cast spells. It was why familiars sought to bond with a witch as the bond enabled them to gain the ability to manipulate magic like a loan. This ability was still heavily limited, and not to the extent of transferring curses.

Still, she kept her part of the deal and refrained from asking. Eunha did save Yerin after all, even if she seemed to be related to the person who attacked her.

“Thank you for helping me, but who even are you?”

Right. Yerin wasn’t here when they picked Eunha up from outside their wards. She must be very confused at her presence considering how they weren’t the type to invite strangers into the forest.

“I’m Eunha,” The wolf familiar answered, backing off from Yerin now that her job was done. “I was injured outside of the forest but your companions kindly brought me in and healed me.”

“Your mark,” Yerin frowned and stood up, leaning closer towards Eunha who took a step back at the vampire’s sudden closeness. “That reminds me. Sojung, here.”

The vampire handed to her a parchment, which was slightly stained with blood but still relatively untouched. Sojung scanned through it quickly, piecing together all the information she gathered about Eunha thus far. It didn’t take long for her to make sense of Eunha’s relation to Yerin’s attacker.

The cultists searching for her earlier. Eunha’s witch mark on the necklace belonging to the attacker. And now the letter speaking of the Red Witch, which matched the initials on the back of the necklace.

“The witch you’re running from...It’s this Red Witch, isn’t she?” She finally spoke. “This reeks of a cult.” A cult consisting of humans worshiping a witch. How strange.

Knowing that she couldn’t hide it any longer, Eunha nodded her head to confirm her words. “They...they don’t take too kindly to what they deem as unnatural beings like vampires. I’m sorry you got involved.”

“Who are they? Why are they worshiping your witch?” Yuna questioned, her hackles raised. Sojung knew Yuna bore much distrust towards relationships with humans, knowing from personal experience how sour it could become. “Who is she?”

Bombarded with questions, Eunha looked flustered. “I can’t tell you who she is. It’s not a matter you should pursue, either. When I leave this place, those people will follow me out of here and it’ll be out of your hands.”

“I don’t think so,” Sojung lifted the parchment she received from Yerin. “They seem to be planning something on the merchant village.”

Eunha read through the words scrawled on it. Whatever she garnered from it, it didn’t seem good.

“What do they want with that village?”

Eunha looked up and met her eyes, her face grim.

“A conversion. That whole village will either join them, or they’ll burn it into ashes.”

A/N: Two weeks to update! I didn’t mean to take that long but I’m still deep in my assignments now (I’ll be free in a week!) This chapter was a bit hard for me to write for some reason but I at least wanted to update something >< Hope you guys enjoyed it!