''What do you mean there's no way out of here?'', Zelo muttered, his arms still around Hayi. She had stopped sobbing; her small button nose in a slight shade of rose. Tear tracks had dried on her cheeks but unshed tears glistened in her eyes.

She resembled a small wounded animal and it was killing Zelo.

She had always been close to Sean but he never knew how much.

''We could go out the backdoor of the basement but we might run in to him.'', Daesung offered, his face perking up at the idea and then going sullen again. ''The forest is beyond the castle. Who knows what lurks there.'', Zelo mumbled, kissing Hayi's hair. She choked back a sob and hid her face from view.

''We have no choice, Zelo. We have to go or else...'', Daesung trailed off, a shiver running down his spine. Zelo tensed up and looked at the small fragile rose in his embrace.

The thought of Hayi gone from the world...

He knew he hadn't been good growing up. No wonder so many foster homes had refused to keep him for a longer period of time. He didn't have the time to see the beautiful things in the world; catch snowflakes on his tongue, have a homemade meal, share birthdays with the ones he loved. Being with Hayi, being by her side, he realized that all those things that he wanted didn't matter.

She was the only beautiful thing in his life.

He would commit suicide if she was taken away when he waited for her for so long.

''We have to take the risk. I have to protect her.'', he seethed. Daesung nodded in understanding and took a dagger out of his thin cloak. Hayi's eyes widened at the gleaming blade in Daesung's grip. Zelo quickly put a cloak over her figure and turned her around to face him.

''It's going to fine, Hayi, okay?'', he murmured softly, trying to stop Hayi's tears from falling down her cheeks. Zelo nodded at Daesung and Hayi turned her head around just in time to see him walk out the door and slip in to the hallway.

''W-What is he doing? He...He's going to get himself killed!'', she exclaimed, her hair flying everywhere at her little outburst of worry. ''Both of us swore to protect you with our lives, love. It's our job.'', he explained as he leant against the room for a signal.

After a while, Daesung knocked on the door three times, slipping another dagger from the gap between the door and floor. When they went outside, Daesung filled them in. ''I found a blocked back door in the kitchen. I've taken most of the rocks out but I came to get you so that you can help.''

Hayi stood frozen on the spot and it was after a lot of encouragement did she start moving. ''Hayi, I need you to co-operate here.'', was constantly said to her through hushed tones by the both of them. When her legs gave way, Zelo picked her up and put her on his back.

They reached the kitchen in record time, Daesung bolting the door immediately. They ran past the brass pots and pans until they reached the door Daesung had described so briefly. Made of weak wood which was already splintering from the weight of the rocks, it had been revealed halfway, little shards of sunlight entering through the gaps. Not wanting to spend anymore time picking at the crumbling crevices, it took Zelo three times to kick the wooden part down.

Huge chunks of rock fell to their feet, poison ivy thinly blocking the path. They cut that apart carefully but breathed a sigh of relief when it was done. The sudden burst of sunlight was disarming but they quickly recovered, sending Hayi crawling through the gap.

Zelo closely followed, and checked if she had touched the ivy at any chance. When he realized she hadn't, he started pulling at the rocks from the outside while Daesung did the same from within. He had just put his right leg through when the door started to creak.

All of them froze before Daesung started hissing at them.

''You have to get out of here now!''

''We're not leaving you here!''

''There's no time for making a sacrifice, Zelo! He's going to keep following you if I don't do something!''

''No. NO!''

''Make sure Hayi's safe. I'll try my best to follow you.''

''Daesung...'', Hayi muttered stepping forward. The door creaked again with a thunderous kick.

''And now you care for me. You could not have picked a better time.''

''Don't you dare die. Or I'll kill you personally.''

''Looking forward to it.''

Zelo pulled Hayi away then, and they ran toward the village, Hayi sneaking glances at Daesung to see if he was alright. He waved twice but stopped mid-wave and whirled his head around, the slight glimmer of a blade winking in the sunlight.

Hayi didn't see his blonde head after that.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

''Where's the girl?'', Seunghyun sneered, his tunic splattered with little droplets of blood, his blade glemaing unfamiliarly.

''How the hell am I supposed to know? I'm just a cook.'', Daesung fibbed, showing his dagger. ''You sure you're a cook? That looks like a dagger more than a carving knife.'', the latter snickered.

''I don't think you can even tll the difference from the two, to be honest.'', were Daesung's last words before he lunged at the black-haired man. The clang of blade against blade echoed through out the small room, the two of them trying desperately to finish the other off before they do themselves.

Seunghyun slashed at Daesung but the latter sidestepped before the tip of the steel even touched his clothes. Ducking under a swipe which was meant for his neck, Daesung pushed a table laden with the day's food toward him, mentally smirking when Seunghyun was pushed against the wall, juices from different goblets splaying on to his tunic.

Before he recovered, Daesung quickly made his way to where the cook kept their knives. Taking one, he threw it toward the trapped man, averting his eyes when the blade buried itself in the soft flesh of his eyeball. He threw some more; some missed, some ingraved themselves in various parts of his torso.

Taking his own dagger, he watched as the blade flew effortlessly through his fingers and lodged itself deep in Seunghyun's thigh, watching as several tendons were ripped off when the blade fell apart.

His anguished cries were enough to make Daesung hurl. He noticed that it wasn't scarlet blood which was spilled on to the floor; it was an unknown black substance, slithering around the latter's ankles like little pythons. They wound around every blade and he watched as the blades disintegrated completely, leaving only their hilts.

Daesung threw one last dagger at him, inwardly smirking how Seunghyun looked like a bullseye target. The last one pierced his neck and released a dark fountain of little snakes.

Seunghyun's good eye turned from blue to brown and he reached out his hand out in one little plea.

''Please...'', was his last word before his hand collapsed against his side, the little snakes devouring the flesh completely. The ones which were pooled at his feet had eated their way through the flesh, exposing glass-like bones which looked opaque and transparent at the same time.

By the time Daesung had crawled out of the opening, there was nothing left of Seunghyun but dust.

He leant against the cobbled texture of the wall and breathed out a sigh of relief.

Hayi was safe.

For now.

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hello hello~ C:

i'm sorry i haven't been updating but since i'm writing down the chapters in a notebook in advance, it's taking longer than i thought to come up with new ideas and stuff.

and don't mind the spelling mistakes and stuff (if there are any. i'm too tired to check. ;_;)

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