“Well done!”, Suzy praised the young kids and put her sword back into its scabbard.

It had been eight days since they got their Bujeoks, and they were trained every single day at the training grounds of the palace. These kids needed to learn how to fight and defend themselves with the help of their amulets. Still, none of them had figured out how. They were clueless and did not believe in anything about what they were told in the palace. None of them was able to unlock the so-called skills in these amulets.

“Tzuyu, next time you have to hold your sword firmer.”, Suzy informed the young girl and smiled at her.

The girl nodded shyly and then put away her wooden sword. Hoseok and Seokjin helped clean up the place, while Jungkook sat in a corner and watched the others. Tzuyu walked up to him and took place next to him.

“Are you worried about your Bujeok?”, she asked him and looked at the pitch-black bracelet on his wrist.

Jungkook wrapped his hand around it and nodded.

“You do not have to worry at all!”, Taehyung joined them and grinned all over his face, “If there is someone who has to worry, that would be me! I cannot even put this bracelet down for a minute. It is like glued to my skin.”

Tzuyu looked up and blushed. Jungkook raised his brows and tilted his head. The boy was very introverted and scared by the things happening around him. He was not fond of having a pitch-black bracelet called ‘shadow’ wrapped around his wrist.

“Tsk.”, Taeil finally approached them together with Hoseok and Seokjin, “There is nothing we should worry about at all.”

He bumped his fist onto Taehyung’s arm and then looked at Jungkook’s bracelet. Out of all the amulets his seemed the most dangerous.

“Yeah, we have been training for eight days… Anyone of you feel different?”, Hoseok asked them.

Everyone shook their heads.

“Except for my eyes, I feel like nothing has changed.”, Taehyung added and pointed towards his eyes.

They looked at his eyes, except Tzuyu, she dared not to and they nodded synchronous. Taehyung was the only one whose appearance had changed a little due to the Bujeok. His eyes used to be emerald like his mother’s but after he got his Bujeok wrapped around his wrist they had changed colors. They were ice blue with a red circle around each pupil.

Suzy approached the young kids and clapped with her hands, making them realize to line up. And so they did.

“Listen up everyone.”, Suzy said calmly, “Now that we are done training for today, you are having the rest of the day off. The guardian, Lee Seung-gi will be teaching you the next time.”

The kids smiled and were happy to hear this. Having the rest of the day off was like a dream come true. They had been training eight days straight and really needed a break. They bowed all at once and all except Taehyung and Taeil left the training grounds. Tzuyu briefly looked at Taehyung but then quickly left the place together with the others. The two boys waited for Suzy to get her stuff so they could leave together, since they lived together.

“Officer Suzy…”, Taehyung broke the silence and lifted his wrist, “Is it even alright for me to have this? I mean… You told us about that monster’s soul being captured in this for centuries…”

Taeil got up on his feet and looked at his best friend. Suzy sighed and smiled sadly.

“I do not think that it is right for you to have it…”, she admitted and put her hand on Taehyung’s shoulder, “But it chose you, and even if there is a soul kept in it, we need you to unlock the abilities hidden in this bracelet. You will be very powerful and useful for the ki-”

“Is it worth risking it?”, Taeil cut her words, “Nine elders from different tribes had to put their strengths together to capture this Xiah-person’s soul.”

Suzy crossed her arms and turned at Taeil.

“Yes, nine elders ultimately locked him in. There is no way this soul could ever escape, so do not worry. There is no body of him left, since they burnt it to ashes.”, she added and sighed again, “Now do not worry. The king would not have you get the Bujeok if it were too dangerous. You can trust his intuition.”

Taehyung glanced one more time at his wrist and then smiled. Well, he had no other choice now anyway. Taeil carefully watched his reaction and frowned. He did not like his friend being loaded with such big responsibility and burden.

“You boys may leave first. I will catch you on the road or at home.”, Suzy said and locked away the wooden swords, “I have to meet king Shim Changmin first.”

Taehyung and Taeil nodded and bowed before leaving the training grounds.

On their way to the great gate of the palace, Taehyung’s ankle started itching. He stopped and scratched it wildly.

“Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!”, he whined, “Ugh! Wait a second!”

Taeil stopped and turned around to watch his best friend act weird.

“Are you alright?”, he asked him and crouched in front of him, staring right into Taehyung’s face.

Taehyung backed away and held up his hands.

“I think I have got an insect bite my ankle, it itches badly!”, he admitted and sulked.

Taeil laughed at him and got back up. Taehyung joined his laughter. They left the palace grounds together. And as soon as they stepped outside, they noticed a boy around their age sitting on the steps, holding a bottle of some weird liquid and dunking a knife into it. He had jet-black hair and pitch-black eyes. He turned around and looked straight at the two boys. Taehyung immediately glimpsed into the open backpack of the stranger and noticed knives in it. He bumped his elbow into Taeil’s side and gave him a sign to look at the knives. They both realized the symbol on these weapons. The Black Army. How could this be? How could someone belonging to the enemy get so close to the palace? Why did the guardians not identify him on the streets?

The strange boy quickly realized, got up and closed his backpack. The glass of liquid fell on the steps and broke into pieces. Whatever it was as soon as it reached the grass at the end of the steps it burned it down like acid. Taehyung instantly grabbed the boy from behind and locked his wrists in his back. By the touch, Taehyung felt like his hands were electrocuted. His palms burned but he kept tightening his grip. The body temperature of this stranger was not normal. He glowed like hellfire. What was that? Unintentionally Taehyung managed to cool down his own palms. His bracelet glowed hardly noticeable.

“Ouch…”, he hissed, as his ankle started to ache even more.

This was not just a normal insect bite, was it? Taehyung squinted his eyes in pain.

Taeil noticed and acted quickly. He covered the mouth and nose of the stranger. The pitch-black eyes of the stranger reflected fear as he stared into the purple pupilless eye of Taeil. Strangely he did not resist or try to fight them off. Was he paralyzed? Taeil took a deep breath, shut his eyes, and concentrated all his energy into his palm, before letting go. There it was! A sharp sting. Taeil could feel it, flames in his veins briefly reaching his palm for a moment. The stranger fell unconscious in the very second.

“What- What just happened?”, Taehyung asked him, let go of the boy to scratch his aching ankle and then picked the stranger up.

Taeil stared into his own palms. He was confused and shocked at the same time. Did that just happen?

“Woah, Taeil! Help me. He is heavy!”, Taehyung panted, “We should take him home first. Lee Seung-gi and Suzy should handle this…”

His best friend grabbed the stranger and carried him piggyback. Taehyung grabbed the backpack of the boy and caught up with this friend.

The two boys sat at the other end of Taehyung's bed and looked at the stranger they had recently knocked out in front of the palace gate. Taeil held one of the boy's knives and analyzed the symbol of the Black Army engraved on it. No doubt the boy was part of the enemy. Taehyung kept scratching his itching ankle. It became less painful, so probably it was an insect bite, or some annoying rash. He thought nothing more of it. Taehyung held a glass of water that seemed to freeze in his hands and waited for the unconscious boy to come back to his senses.

“How did you do that?”, Taehyung asked at some point into the silence.

“V... I- I just concentrated on my palm...”, his friend answered him, “It was a reflex...”

“So, you mean that you have unlocked your ability even though you never believed in it?”, Taehyung asked confused, “You pushed flames into his body... Did you not see the flames sparkling from your palm?”

Taehyung raised the glass of water to observe it from the bottom. He could see particles of ice forming inside.

“Look, the water freezes...”, Taehyung held the glass to his friend and turned the glass over, shook it, and watched how not a single drop of water ran out.

“Yeah, seems like it is not a joke after all...”, Taeil said still warily, “Maybe the boy just passed out, because of his own poisonous weapons.”

Taeil twirled the knife with his fingers and grabbed its handle. He carefully studied the poisoned blade. One touch of this blade would kill him instantly.

“I cannot believe it either. But in all honesty, skills, and abilities like this would be pretty awesome.”, Taehyung admitted a little excited, “As soon as I touched him my palms started burning, and my Bujeok shimmered slightly… Now my palms feel cold and the water in the glass is freezing…”

Taeil tilted his head and crossed his arms. So, did they both unlock their Bujeoks by encountering the enemy?

“What would we have done if he had not passed out?”, he asked hesitantly.

Taehyung laughed mockingly and said confidently: “We would have beaten him of course!”

He turned to the stranger who slept peacefully in bed. He seemed way too innocent and somehow vulnerable to be a member of the infamous Black Army. It did not match the image Taehyung had painted in his head about the enemy at all. He imagined tall and big built fighters with scars on their faces and eyes like the devils. But this boy? He seemed just like a normal teenager.

“Should we inform the king about it?”, he finally suggested and paid attention to his friend.

He scratched his ankle again. Taeil shook his head.

“He is one of them! They are to blame for the death of my family!”, he replied with a serious expression and pointed at the sleeping stranger with his very own knife, “I need some answers.”

Taehyung looked briefly at the unconscious boy and added: “You cannot be serious. He is like around our age. He probably does not even know your parents… or who killed them…”

His friend raised an eyebrow, but Taehyung continued: “Maybe he found these knives, or he recently joined the Black Army. I mean, I have never seen the enemy step up to the palace like this. I do not think an experienced fighter would be this stupid”

Taeil shook his head again and tapped his friend on the forehead.

“He is definitely one of them! He wanted to run away! He stays here until I have some answers. He might not be the murderer of my parents, but he is one of these bastards!”, he stated angrily, “Do not worry, I am not going to kill hi