The two maknaes found themselves alone facing each other in the lonely dining hall with the sound of heavy rain breaking the solemn silence that filled the room. The two sixteen year olds ate their breakfast quietly as they sat in silence. 

Juhyun sighed. The silence was getting quite unbearable. “Krystal…What are you planning for today?”

“I don’t have anything planned out as of yet, unnie…I was expecting some lessons from my unnies but they seem to be locked up in their room and I don’t want to disturb them since they barely had time for each other…” Krystal replied. 

“Do you want to practice your combat skills with me? We will be having our sparring sessions in the practice room…” the older of the two maknaes offered. 

A soft smile appeared on the youngest Jung’s face. She was quite disappointed with her twin unnies’ missing out but she would love to learn from the Jung twins’ first student. 

“I would love to learn from you, unnie…”

Juhyun chuckled. “I’m just an apprentice like you so let us learn from each other.” 

The two maknaes enjoyed the rest of their breakfast together as they anticipated the training that they will both involve themselves in. 
 

***

Karnak, Egypt

Hyoyeon and Sooyoung couldn’t believe what happened to them yesterday. Was the person that they had been tasked to meet really for real? At first they thought it was the usual meeting with some vampire who was doing the Kim and the Choi’s bidding, but the meeting they had yesterday was just unexpected that they just couldn’t get over it. 

It was a stormy morning for the two girls who happened to live in a tent in the middle of the desert for a few days now along with a few tourists and their tour guide. The two vampires had taken refuge and built camp under the shadow of the pyramids but they had now moved away from their tour’s camp. The girls have moved their tent to the sacred temples of Karnak where they found their age-old relative in the previous afternoon. 

“Hyoyeon-ah! Is it done yet?” Sooyoung asked, the grumbling of her stomach seemed to disturb the silence every now and then. 

The two girls were in the tent hiding from the sandstorm that was to come. The strong desert winds where rushing through their tent as if they were attempting to sweep it off the desert floor. Hyoyeon was cooking what was left of their food supply for the both of them and their supposed guest who was still out and about in the sands. 

“It’s almost done, Sooyoung…Just a little patience.” Hyoyeon said as she continued stirring the last of the cereal they brought with them all the way from Romania. 

Another grumble came from the Shikshin’s stomach and a shadow came towering over their tent. The two girls turned their attention towards the person who entered their refuge. He was wearing a white cloak to keep his clothes and skin safe from the dust and sand. 

Removing his cloak, the old man that Sooyoung and Hyoyeon had met on one cloudy afternoon greeted the two occupants. “How are my two great grandchildren doing?” he said with a smile on his face. 

The two girls bowed to him as he settled down beside the tall Choi whose stomach was still grumbling from hunger. Their guest chuckled at the seventeen year old girl’s appetite. 

“You sure take after your ancestors, Shikshin…” the old man chuckled at the young girl sitting next to him. 

“Grandfather Jung…May I ask you something?” Sooyoung managed to say when something entered her mind. 

“What is it, little one?” 

“Uh…Are you really the great White Tiger who was the grandfather of the royal family?”

“Well, I used to be known as Jung the Elder since I was the first Jung vampire while your grandfather was known as Jung the Younger.” 

“So, you’re the origin of the eight great royal vampire families?” 

The old man chuckled. “Your parents were my beloved great grandsons and granddaughters…”

Hyoyeon poured out their meager food for the three of them. “Grandpa, our food is ready…” 

“Oh…This is delicious, Hyo…You sure are a good cook. I can say that the Kims are the best cooks among the families…” Jung the Elder mused as he took a spoonful of the cereal to his mouth. 

The young Shikshin beside him just devoured her share of the meal which amused him and his Kim descendant. The storm outside raged on as grains of sand swept through the dunes that threatened to bury the ruins. 

“Let’s move inside the main temple once the storm subsides. I have something to show you.” Their great grandfather said. 

The two young ladies nodded as they continued eating. 
 

***

Jung Mansion, England

The sound of sticks clashing against each other resonated throughout the practice hall as two sixteen year old girls tested their skills on each other in their complete combat clothes. They both circled each other with caution as one tried to point out an unprotected area from the other. 

Juhyun eyed her younger cousin. Her heightened senses tuned into every muscle contracting from the youngest Jung. Through her opponent’s movements, Juhyun could predict the other girl’s move. 

Krystal knew her unnie’s unique skill. She cautiously weighed her chances of winning against a genius like Juhyun. With her wooden sword hung low, the youngest Jung charged before clashing hits with her cousin. The two girls tried to best each other as they attempted to land blows on one another. Despite her disadvantage in the skirmish, Krystal still managed to counter her unnie’s swift strikes. 

To a mortal bystander, their whole ordeal would have seemed a blur with occasional pauses between the two parties to catch their breaths. The two maknaes continued their training until the sound of a carriage heading towards the mansion from a few miles away