DAY 3 of the test…

In her sleep, Taeyeon dreamt of being back in the snowy wilderness. She was facing the werewolves who had them cornered at the river bank and she repeated the memory of jumping into the river with her twin and surviving the waves to come ashore in another part of the riverbank. She knew that two wolves will come for them and that she would be in her weakened state, disabling her from fighting. And soon enough just as it had happened in the real deal, Taeyeon saw her suffering twin. She couldn’t bear to watch Sooyeon struggle to protect her while she, the elder of the two, sat there leaning against the tree, helpless in the cold. 

She had wanted to stand up, pick up her sword, and fight the werewolves with her sister but she couldn’t summon the strength to rise. Her body was unwilling to move even if her mind was urging it to do so. Taeyeon felt like she was being trapped in her own body as she screamed inside to help her sister. Her body temperature rose as she felt anger building up from inside her. ‘Taeyeon! Taeyeon! I will hate you if you don’t stand up to protect your sister!’ a voice from inside Taeyeon screamed. 

‘Sister? She’s not my sister…although I do treat her like one since we grew up together, had the same birthday, and are very close with each other…’ Taeyeon replied to her inner voice. 

‘She’s your twin sister, Taeyeon…Haven’t you felt her presence whenever she’s around? Don’t you feel the same way she feels? Can you not see your strong urge to protect her at all costs? Have you not wondered why you both looked like replicas of each other? That is your unique bond as twins…’ Taeyeon’s inner voice said, much to her surprise. 

The voice from inside her seemed right for Taeyeon knew that she had shared a unique bond with Sooyeon right from the start. By now, Sooyeon was in pain from accelerating her healing rate. Taeyeon could feel the throbbing pain that made Sooyeon weaker by the second. It is one of Sooyeon’s advantage as well as disadvantage in a fight – her ability to hasten her cell regeneration is balanced by the increasing pain she feels as her wounds close faster than the usual vampire’s healing rate. 

The wolves were now toying with Sooyeon much to Taeyeon’s disgust. Her anger was now burning and her eyes glowed their ominous crimson tint as her strong will enabled her to stand up and conjure the element that every creature on earth would fear and revere. The blue flames began to creep over Taeyeon’s right arm and passed onto her hand. Sooyeon’s struggle was enough to distract the wolves as Taeyeon willed the blue flames to blaze towards the attacking wolves. Her fury was deeply expressed through the hottest flames that any flame wielder would conjure. 

Taeyeon’s inner being saw for the first time what she was capable of. When she discovered her power when she was only at the tender age of three, every elder of the royal family was surprised at her prowess in learning the skills needed to master such immense power. Fire was the most dangerous power that any vampire could harness. It was the most difficult to learn and to control that even the lightest red flame was dangerous for a beginner to meddle with – except for the Jung’s heiress. Taeyeon had the nerve to play with her own flames upon discovering her power much to the Jungs’ and the Kims’ distress and awe. 

The last time a vampire had wielded the power of fire, as Taeyeon was told, was during the time of their first ancestors who were the first vampires. Being too young to comprehend, the eldest Jung simply shrugged the thought and continued with her life as Sooyeon’s little guardian. Little did she know that she was the true heiress to the vampire kingdom. The eldest Jung met her sister’s crimson orbs as a look of concern softened her. 

In her dream, Taeyeon saw herself falter and fall but was caught by Sooyeon just in time. Then a voice called her sister’s name and much to her surprise, it was a white tiger with blue eyes that had called Sooyeon. “Who are you and how did you know my name?” Sooyeon demanded as her grip on the sword tightened and prepared for any surprise attacks. 

“I am White Tiger. My powers enable me to see beyond everything. You are indeed an interesting little Jung just as your parents have told me…Now gather your strength and carry Taeyeon…She needs to be cared for…” the tiger replied as he took a cautious step closer towards the adamant vampire. 

Taeyeon, who was a mere spectator in her dream, witnessed her sister’s dialogue with the mysterious creature. She saw Sooyeon preparing to fight despite her weakened state and again, Taeyeon’s heart began to break when she saw how helpless and useless she was in acting as Sooyeon’s guardian. 

‘Taeyeon…have you ever asked yourself why you and Sooyeon possessed the strongest and the deadliest powers a vampire could ever have?’ her inner voice asked yet again. Taeyeon was somehow annoyed at how her inner self bothered her. 

‘No, I haven’t…I just know that Sooyeon’s power is as dangerous to others as mine…She almost froze Miyoung to death when they had an argument…’ Taeyeon replied as she tried searching for her inner voice’s face. 

In the darkness from where she stood to view the things that were happening in her dream, Taeyeon averted her eyes from the reality that had taken place. She scanned the dark for any signs of the inner person that had talked to her. A figure stepped out from the shadows and Taeyeon’s eyes widened in disbelief when she saw her inner voice’s face. 

The face that she beheld looked like her own but there was a slight difference to the aura it gave away. The owner of Taeyeon’s inner voice smiled as if she had been expecting Taeyeon’s reaction. 

‘Ju-Jung…Sooyeon?’ Taeyeon stuttered, her eyes never leaving the figure that had entered the scene. 

‘It’s nice to finally meet you, Jung Taeyeon…’ the inner voice that had Sooyeon’s face smiled. 

The eldest Jung bolted up in her makeshift bed as she woke up from her dream. Beads of sweat were dripping down every inch of her skin as the piece of cloth that Sooyeon had place on her forehead slipped off. Sooyeon woke up from her slumber and sat up as she held her sister close to her, asking her if she was all right. 

“Taeyeon-ah…are you all right? You’re sweating all over…” Sooyeon asked as she wiped her sister’s face and body with a cloth. Taeyeon was panting heavily as she tried to compose herself. Sooyeon stared at her with concern after she finished wiping her twin. The eldest Jung was relieved that what she had witnessed was just a dream. She had dreamt of their previous ordeal as well as of the inner voice that told Taeyeon that she was a Jung. 

“I-I’m all right, Sooyeon…I just had a bad dream…” Taeyeon managed to reply as she forced herself a smile in hopes of assuring her sister. Sooyeon cupped her twin’s face as she stared directly into Taeyeon’s crimson orbs and said, “Taengoo…I’ll always be here beside you so you don’t have to be scared of anything…You’re safe here so rest for a while…Hush now and sleep…” 

The younger Jung pulled her sister into an embrace as she said those words. Taeyeon felt safe in her twin’s arms as she inhaled Sooyeon’s fragrant scent. ‘It doesn’t matter whether we’re sisters or not, Sooyeon…as long as we are together…’ Taeyeon thought as she remembered the face of her inner voice. Sooyeon pulled her sister down as they lay back in their makeshift bed consisting of blankets and folded clothes. Sooyeon smiled at her sister as Taeyeon met her eyes. The younger one of the twins planted a kiss on the elder one’s forehead just as Taeyeon closed her eyes to sleep. 

“Sweet dreams, Taeyeon…I’ll be right here beside you when you wake up…” Sooyeon whispered as she too went back to sleep while still holding her sister wrapped in her warm embrace. 

---

Yoona and Yuri were now making their way through the slippery snow that led down the mountainside. They were nearing a river that ran its course through the Carpathian mountain range. The two girls stopped for a moment to rest near the river and gather some water into their wineskins for their journey back to the castle. Yoona caught something move out of the corner of her eye and as she turned, a huge gray wolf leaped towards her before she could react. 

But before the wolf could lay its claws and fangs on her, a huge wave came upon it and dragged it away. The poor wolf struggled to keep itself afloat in the river that had swallowed it. Yoona and her older cousin watched as the wolf was being washed away by the current. The mentor and apprentice turned to face a pack of four wolves coming cautiously towards them. Yuri instinctively unsheathed her sword while Yoona unveiled her bow and arrow and aimed it at one of the approaching wolves. 

The beasts growled as they confronted the two vampires. “Unnie…shall I do the trick?” Yoona asked, her eyes not leaving her enemies. Yuri maintained her focus on the werewolves closing in on them. She thought about Yoona’s suggestion for a while before making a decision. “I think now’s the time you show them what you’re capable of, Yoona…” Yuri said as she gave enough space for her dongsaeng to do whatever she pleased. 

The nine year old heiress of the Im family mentally summoned the river’s cold waters to surge from behind her much to the wolves’ fear and awe. Yoona and Yuri’s enemies took a careful step back as Yoona shot her arrow towards one of the wolves. The surging waves circled the arrow as it hissed through the air and made its way towards its target and the wolf that received it stood no chance. The beasts retreated when they saw what happened to their fallen comrade. One of them gave the two vampires a snarl before turning away. 

“I don’t think this will be our last encounter with them…” Yuri remarked. Yoona gave her an innocent smile before she spoke, “Unnie…It seems that we’ll be facing stronger wolves ahead…they might have powers similar to ours…”

The older of the two just sighed. Being the elder one, it was her responsibility to keep her dongsaeng safe from harm but Yuri, of course, would not deprive her apprentice of the joy in using her powers. “I guess we need to watch out for them. For now, let’s cross this river…” Yuri said as she smiled at her apprentice. 

Yoona, with a flick of her hand, urged the river’s waters to move aside and allow them passage to cross the river without getting wet. Yuri was proud to see that the little cousin she once trained was now capable of doing feats that an advanced vampire could accomplish. 

When they had reached the other side of the river, Yoona made the waters calm down to their usual raging current. If they were lucky enough, Yuri and Yoona would reach the base of the mountain by dusk. The young Im gave her mentor a smile as she asked General Kwon’s daughter about her progress as an apprentice. 

Yuri gave her an assuring pat on the back. “Yoona…as your mentor, I take pride in you. As your cousin, I am more than happy to say that you have managed to master your own element and have demonstrated your prowess.” 

The elder of the two then pulled her younger cousin into a tight hug much to Yoona’s joy. When they pulled away, they both continued their journey down the mountainside. An arrow hissed towards them from behind but was caught by Yuri just in time. The ten year old Kwon turned to the arrow’s source with glowing crimson eyes as she singlehandedly broke the arrow in half. Yoona looked to the direction where Yuri had turned her attention and was alarmed at the number of archers that revealed themselves from behind the trees. 

More arrows rained down upon the two vampires as soon as Yuri and Yoona saw the archers. With a flick of her hand, Yuri summoned the winds which repelled the arrows coming towards them as Yoona readied her arrows, stringing in five on her bow and aiming for the five archers perched at the top of the trees. Her arrows were shot and they landed on their targets with amazing accuracy as those who were hit fell of the branches and landed on the ground, dead. 

There were only five archers left and they dropped down from their perch and morphed into huge black wolves. Yuri’s eyes widened as she pushed her younger cousin to turn away and run. “Yoona! Run! They are specialized werewolves!” Yuri said with urgency apparent in her voice. 

“Unnie! They’re going to gain on us!” Yoona said as she tried her best to outrun the oncoming fangs and claws. 

The wolves were now running beside them, trapping them from going off to any direction as Yuri decided to use her special ability in cases like this. With both hands free of any object, Yuri pushed her hands towards the wolves who ran with them as she willed gusts of wind to blast the wolves away. She then picked up her apprentice who was running before her flanked by two werewolves. Then, speeding up, her feet began to lift from the ground and Yuri and Yoona both began to fly leaving the wolves bewildered of their escape. One of the pursuing wolves morphed back to human form and aimed his arrow at the flying pair. 

Yoona, who saw the deadly arrow as it was released from its bow, instinctively shielded her mentor. The arrow had hit the side of her abdomen, barely missing her internal organs as it penetrated her skin. Yuri’s face was stricken with shock at Yoona’s action as blood stained them both. Anger quickly built itself from Yuri as she unleashed a huge gust of wind at the werewolves on the ground. When the snow had cleared, the man who had shot Yoona was buried in a ton of snow along with his comrades in their werewolf forms.

Yuri flew her cousin away from the scene of dead werewolf corpses before she landed on a secluded area in the woods. She made Yoona sit against a tree. Her cousin was losing blood which had stained on their black coats. “Yoona...Yoona!” Yuri said as she shook her cousin awake. Yuri knew her cousin’s weakness. Unlike many vampires who had the ability to recover faster despite the pain of accelerated healing, Yoona was still on the midst of learning the fast healing process. 

Yoona’s healing state was as slow as a human’s healing status and this served as her disadvantage although she was as strong and stubborn as a vampire would normally be. The arrow that had struck her was a specialized arrow utilized by the werewolf clans against their mortal enemies of which Yuri and Yoona were a part of. 
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