Krystal took a deep breath. She quietly coughed as dust got on her lungs. She was frowning as she couldn’t see clearly in the dark. She thought about using spell that would make her able see in dark, but she changed her mind. She don’t want to collapse because of exhaustion, she knew she would die in a minute if she got exposed. The invisibility spell was already exhausting enough. She was afraid she won’t last for long time. She managed to stay invisible for two hours already and even though she tried to save her energy up as much as possible and even though she used Jessica’s powers, she knew she’s running out of time and she still had nothing. She was slowly getting tired. She gritted her teeth. She knew she can’t stay for more than another half an hour. She gulped. She tried not to move as he moved closer to her. She knew she can’t even breathe, because he could hear her. She could see how his dark silhouette walked towards some old wardrobe and opened it. Krystal just kept watching quietly. She watched him make a firewall in his palm. That fire pretty much lighted the whole room up. A face of a girl appeared in those flames.

“Anything new happened?” he asked.

The girl just shook her head. “Nothing.”

“Are you sure? You seem to be acting weird lately,” he frowned.

“Yes, everything is fine. Everything goes according to your plan.”

“Okay… so now go and continue with what you were doing.”

 The face disappeared. Krystal was looking with her eyes wide opened. So that girl Taeyeon keeps seeing works for this jerk? Ain’t good at all… She watched how he took a small vial, filled with some blue liquid. Krystal quietly gasped. She knew what’s inside very well. That’s the thing she needed to know. She was getting dizzy and she knew she has to run away. She tried to sneak out as quietly as possible. She didn’t know if he heard her, but she hoped he didn’t. As soon as she came out of the building she got visible. It was already night and nobody was around. She went behind a corner, where she collapsed out of exhaustion.

When she woke up, she felt pain in her wrists. Her hands were above her head and she was sitting on a dirty floor in a dark room. She tugged her wrists only to realize she’s tied. It took her few seconds to realize where she is. Some light was entering this building trough small windows, so it was probably early morning already. She was back in that old building that was falling apart. Suddenly a person stood in front of her.

“Oh, I see you woke up, you little brat… You’re Jessica sister, right?” that person said. Krystal knew who it was. Kim Bum. She didn’t say a word; she just gave him a despiteful look.

He sighed. “Okay, I will do the talking part, if you wish so… You know, I was suspicious somebody would try to stalk me from the beginning so I’ve decided to check surroundings and I found you, lying there in from of this house, unconscious. I don’t know how much you know… I don’t care actually, you will die anyways. But I assume you fainted right after you managed to find me, because it must have been exhausting for a regular demon like you. Yes, I know you are ex-master’s daughter, but tell me… is there anything that makes you special?”

Krystal smirked. She started to feel her energy’s coming back and she liked the fact Kim Bum has no idea about her powers. The probability of her dying here got even smaller.

“What’s with that expression?” he asked. “Never mind… I don’t have enough time right now. I need to do something and then kill mistress of the hell. I’m late already actually. I could just take your powers first, but that would kill you too fast, I wanna make you suffer, so I’m gonna come back to you later. For now…” He snapped his fingers and Krystal hissed in pain as the ropes around her wrist started to burn. “Bye bye,” he winked and smiled.

Krystal gritted her teeth. The pain slowly faded away, but it still hurt a lot. She waited for five or ten minutes to make sure Kim Bum is gone, before she mumbled some spells and the rope turned into an ash. Her powers got back really quickly this time. She smirked. ”Thank you, Jessie.”

FLASHBACK

“Krystalie!” Sulli entered hotel room Krystal had booked without even knocking. She had a present in her hand.

“Oh, Sulli,” Krystal said, surprised. She didn’t expect her today. She expected her the next day actually. Krystal looked at the clock. 11:50PM. Ten minutes left till she turns twenty.

“Wae? You’re not happy to see me?” Sulli pouted.

“I am…” Krystal smiled nervously. She let Sulli kiss her cheek.

“I want to celebrate your birthday with you!”

Krystal sighed a little. “Thank you,” she said, hesitating. Now she regretted she told Sulli her real birthday.

“What is it?”

“Sulli, I… can’t you come tomorrow in the morning? Aren’t you tired?”

Sulli frowned, not satisfied with what Krystal was saying. “No way!” she said, firm.

Krystal sighed. “Please?” she said.

“Why?”

“Some… some weird thing may happen during midnight.” Krystal once asked Jessica about how the midnight of her 20^th birthday went. Jessica told her it was quite wild, all those changes and stuffs. Krystal was afraid it would be the same, even though she knew it’s individual. She wasn’t really sure what to expect. And she didn’t want Sulli to see.

“What things?”

“I’m not sure… probably not very nice things.”

“Huh?”

“It may hurt you. It may hurt me. I have no idea.”

Sulli frowned and grabbed Krystal’s hand. “I will stay here with you, no matter what.”

Krystal smiled, happily. But then she shook her head. “Please, leave.”

“Never. I’m never gonna leave you.”

“Sulli…”

“Never, Jung, you hear? Never.”

“Never?” Krystal asked, softly.

Sulli just nodded. “Never.”

Krystal smiled again. “Ah…” she hissed in pain suddenly and touched her head.

“What is it?” Sulli asked, worried.

“I… I don’t know…. Ahhh… it hurts… I… think it’s here…” Krystal looked at the clock. 11:56PM. “Ahhh… It’s like… somebody stabbed me into my brain… few times…” she mumbled.

“Krystal!” Sulli touched Krystal’s shoulder, totally confused and scared.

“Please… don’t stay here with me… it may… it may affect you too…”

“How? No, I’m staying here.”

“Sulli…….” Krystal looked into Sulli’s eyes, grateful, before she again, buried her head in her palm. “Why does it… hurt so much?”

Krystal was about to lose her consciousness, but then somebody called her name. “Krystal.” That voice wasn’t Sulli’s. “Krystal, can you hear me?”

“T-T-Taeyeon?” Krystal stuttered.

“Good,” the voice said.

“What are you doing in my head? It… it hurts… Gah!”

Krystal had her eyes closed, but she felt Sulli hugging her. She was happy the latter stayed with her. She knew Sulli’s confused, but she was very grateful for having her.

“Does it hurt, Krystal?”

“Like hell, Taeyeon!” Krystal shrieked aloud. She was in too much pain to answer in thoughts too. “How long…?”

“The worst part should come at midnight.”

“W…what time is it?”

“11.58PM,” Sulli answered, still totally shocked.

“GAH!” Krystal yelled. She was shaking as her whole body started to burn. “Taeyeon… help me…” she mumbled. “It… hurts too much.”

“Crap, I knew it! I shouldn’t let you be alone,” Taeyeon cursed. Than the connection faded away.

“Taeyeon!!” Krystal yelled, desperate.

She opened her eyes and spotted Taeyeon, standing beside the window, staring at her, worried.

“T…Taeyeon…”

Taeyeon came to the bed Krystal was half sitting, half lying on. “W-who are you?” Sulli stuttered.

“Don’t worry,” Taeyeon said to her, but it didn’t come out as reassuring as she hoped. “Krystal…” Taeyeon grabbed the younger’s girl left hand and closed her eyes to feel the energy coming through it. “Gee, this is strong,” Taeyeon pulled away and rubbed her wrist. She looked at the clock. One minute left.

“Aaaaaahhhh,” Krystal shrieked. “Do something!” she yelled at Taeyeon.

“I- I can’t! Just bear with it. It should be gone in a few minutes.”

“What… what is going on?” Sulli asked.

“Something inevitable. Don’t worry, she will be okay…”

“But she’s not, right now!”

“I went through this too… Even though mine wasn’t that painful…” she added quietly. She grabbed Krystal’s hand again. “I’ll try to relieve the pain a little bit… but I’m afraid it won’t work… Your transformation is a bit different.”

Taeyeon started to mumble some spells. Click. 00:00. A bright light filled the room for a few seconds. Sulli shrieked in shock. Krystal shrieked in pain. Taeyeon gasped as she felt part of Krystal’s pain too. She couldn’t even imagine how much it must hurt Krystal. “Ahhhh… Ahhhhh… Ahhhhhh…” Krystal started to cry.  

“It will be over soon…” Taeyeon said, trying to comfort her.

“I’m gonna die, Taeyeon,” Krystal whispered before she yelped again.

“The worst thing is over,” Taeyeon whispered back as the light disappeared.

“Ahhh…” Krystal groaned. She was breathing heavily, her whole body was trembling and her face was very pale. “I… I think I’m gonna faint…”

“Does it still hurt?” Taeyeon asked.

“It… it got better,” Krystal answered, panting.

“Okay. Now try to stay conscious, huh?”

Krystal nodded but closed her eyes.

“Don’t close your eyes!” Taeyeon slapped her to keep her awake.

“Owww.” Krystal opened her eyes. She was sweating madly. She gulped. “I… I think it’s going away.”

“Told you so,” Taeyeon said, relieved.

“B-but… why did it hurt so much? I only got the other half of my powers. Why did it hurt like I got at least five times more?”

“Because you actually did.”

Krystal frowned. “What?”

“I wasn’t sure what will happen, because this was first time I’ve seen somebody in this situation, but I’m sure it’s Jessica’s fault.”

“H…How?”

“What do you think that happened with her powers after she drank that think?”

“I don’t… know… I didn’t… think about it… Wasn’t it… still… in her?”

Taeyeon slowly nodded. “Normally it would. But there’s a problem. And that problem’s you. Because you were both created the same way of the same fire by the same person, her powers entered you as a substitute.”

“W…what? I don’t get it.”

“You two are basically the same person.”

“We are… not.”

“Well, obviously, but chemical composition is the same.”

“Chemical… the heck?” Krystal asked, totally confused. But at least she wasn’t in pain anymore. “I’m not a hydrochloric acid.”

“You are clones.”

Krystal was still giving her the ‘WTF look’.

“Look… It’s hard to understand why, but right now, you don’t have only your powers, but also Jessica’s,” Taeyeon sighed.

“And… that means…?” Krystal sat up. She still had a headache, but it was bearable now.

“Well, considering Jessica was supposed to be mistress and she was very powerful and you two are basically clones… Thinking that yours and hers powers combined in your body… you’re probably the most powerful being on this planet, but we will have to wait to see how much powerful you really are.”

“Huh?”

“Yup,” Taeyeon nodded.

“What… are you talking about…? What… just happened?” Sulli asked, totally confused. Both Taeyeon and Krystal kinda forgot about her.

“Oh… I think you have some explaining to do, Krystal,” Taeyeon said. “Or you want me to erase her memory? Wait… you should be able to do it on your own now. So I’m gonna leave you alone, okay?” Taeyeon said.

“O…okay…” Krystal didn’t have time to say anything else, Taeyeon already disappeared.

“Hell yeah, you have some explaining to do,” Sulli said.

Krystal nodded. “I know…”

“Are you at least feeling better already? Should I bring you some water?”

Krystal smiled and shook her head. Sulli is really amazing. “No need for that… I guess it’s time to tell you the truth…”

END OF THE FLASHBACK