“Were you ever planning on telling me you hid weapons underneath your gown?!”

  Before she could give Kyungsoo a bewildered reply, in her peripheral vision she saw a bolt of green light fly towards him. Without hesitation, Keira tackled him to the ground and shielded them with a quick mumbled spell.

  She had forgotten that she hadn’t cast any spell for days, and the rustiness had gotten to her. Her force shield created by the spell wasn’t strong enough to block the full force of energy, and she rammed into Kyungsoo’s body.

  [One hour ago]

  Lights.

  Blinding lights everywhere.

  If she hadn’t known it was nighttime already, Keira would’ve been completely persuaded that it was still daytime due to all the lights from the majestic chandeliers hanging on the painted ceiling, and the twinkles of glass everywhere. The glass windows, glass decorations, and even wine glasses reflected the light into her eyes that made her squint.

  She was just not used to this… artificial, unnatural light. In addition, it was her first time seeing a chandelier in real life. And such huge ones!

  The grand hall seemed too big for even a whole country to fit it, let alone a palace, but Kyungsoo led her through the crowd, weaving left and right as if he knew where he was going. They passed by numerous men and women adorned in various suits and gowns, covered by jewelry and so much makeup that one woman’s face even reminded her of the description of a cake.

   Curious glances were shot their way, mostly female ones towards Kyungsoo, but Keira knew he wouldn’t even spare them one. Poor ladies, she thought. She didn’t want to admit it out loud, but Kyungsoo was undeniably good-looking. Handsome, if you may, only if you could tolerate his temper.

  “No way!”

  To hear such an informal language at such a royal event was something Keira never had expected. Looking away from a curious gaze of a man’s in the far distance – who was apparently ignoring the conversation he was in with three other young women – she looked to her left, over Kyungsoo’s shoulder, and her gaze fell upon a boy with white hair that reminded her a lot of Junmyeon’s.

  “You’re really here!” The boy was taller than Kyungsoo, lean, and his facial structures were sharp and somewhat intriguing. A half-smirk, half-smile played on his lips, and his brown eyes were flashing with genuine surprise – and joy.

  “Sehun.” To her complete surprise, joy was evident in Kyungsoo’s voice, too.

  “I still can’t believe it,” Sehun said, the wine in the glass in his right hand sloshing around. “I thought I’d never see you in public again, not even in my next life.”

  “Jongin kindly forced me to come.”

  “Then what about me? If I asked you, would you have come?”

  “No,” Kyungsoo replied even before Sehun finished his question.

  “Oh, well, I really love you too, brother,” he replied flatly.

  A laughter escaped Keira’s lips before she could control it, and only then did Sehun notice her – and her arm was still linked around Kyungsoo’s. If it were possible, Sehun’s eyes widened even more.

  “Bless the stars and mother of stars,” he gaped, “you even came with a girl companion? Stars,” he raked his free hand through his hair, “has the end of the world finally come? Is the sky going to fall now? I haven’t even fully lived my life yet!”

  The sound of a smack nearly made Keira jump. “Don’t be so rude, Sehun.”

  Rubbing the back of his head, Sehun frowned, but he didn’t say anything anymore. It didn’t matter to Keira anyways; her legs wobbled again when she saw who had approached them.

  “What Sehun is trying to say,” Jongin said with a warm smile, “is that he is delighted to see you here, Kyungsoo. So am I.” He turned his gaze to Keira. “And you, Keira. I am so pleased to see you again. You look beautiful.”

  Before she could stutter her tongue off, Kyungsoo cut in. “I’m only here for Chanyeol, Jongin; don’t assume more – “

  “CHANYEOL! KYUNGSOO IS HERE!”

  Sehun, Keira concluded, was definitely not of royalty.

  “AND WITH A GIR – “

  To her surprise (again, she was so sure she would continuously be surprised and shocked tonight), Kyungsoo detached her hand and grabbed Sehun’s neck into a headlock to shut him up.

  “Alright, alright,” Sehun sputtered, laughing and hitting at the arm around his neck, “I apologize – Kyungsoo – no you are not with a girl – can you please let go of me now – stars have mercy – my tiny soul – “

  Sehun didn’t have time to take a deep breath after Kyungsoo let go of him, because a cluster of people ran towards their small group.

  Or, well, only three people. But one was the Crown Prince. And another was the former prince. The last one was the Princess. So even though it was only three people, the gazes and attention from other royals and nobles dancing and chattering around was enough to be suffocating.

  “Kyungsoo!” Dragging out the last vowel, a boy with brown, chestnut hair, an adorable face, and in a gold-brownish doublet with swirls of blue the color of the morning sky on the sides, almost tackled Kyungsoo to the ground. Kyungsoo scowled; the others around laughed.

  And to Keira, it looked just like a group of close friends greeting each other, a group of friends who understood each other, loved each other, were devoted to each other.

  Like a family.

  Outside the circle, Keira watched as the boy with chestnut hair – Byun Baekhyun, the former prince – and the girl wearing a princess tiara, in a gorgeous violet gown with golden stripes decorating it like vines, and with shocking, shining violet eyes – Princess Sabrina, the one who had been the main cause of the successful rebellion last year – greet Kyungsoo with big smiles on their faces, along with Kai and Sehun.

  And then she noticed the last person who had joined the circle. Just by the elegant crown he was wearing on his head of untamed, curly golden hair was enough for her to know who he was, but she couldn’t stop staring at him. She couldn’t stop staring at how he was taller than everyone else, how his brown eyes like melting chocolate seemed to be brought out by his regal outfit a shade of royal, untouchable brown and gold with touches of fiery red, and how he held himself tall all the while smiling at his friends.

  She couldn’t stop staring at Park Chanyeol.

  Holy mother of nature, she thought. Why do they all have to look so good? So handsome? Would it hurt if just one of them looked average, like maybe the Royal advisor or something? Their looks can seriously, seriously cause crimes!

  After a moment (or just a few seconds), Park Chanyeol turned his head to her. When he locked gaze with her, she saw his smile fade away, the twinkle in his eyes disappear, and his shoulders tighten up by just a little.

  Then she noticed that everyone in the circle around Kyungsoo had turned toward her.

  From the look in their eyes, she saw expectation and curiosity, but she was confused. What were they expecting from her? She saw that Kyungsoo was looking at her, too, and his expression was unreadable.

  Kyungsoo’s lips parted. “Keira?”

  Snapping out of her trance, she felt heat rush up her face. “I’m sorry?”

  He held out a hand toward her, his eyes still never leaving hers as if he was trying to tell her something. “This is Keira,” he said to his friends. “My… guest.”

  Taking his hand, she braced herself and dipped into a curtsy, but her mind was blank. What was she supposed to say? She couldn’t just be like ‘Hi, I’m Keira. Nice meeting you!’ What was the formal word of ‘Hi’, anyway? What should she do next?

  “Nice to meet you, Keira,” Princess Sabrina greeted with a smile so warm it made her instantly think of Sooyoung.

  “A pleasure,” Baekhyun chimed in.

  “Y-your Highness – “ she motioned to dip again, but a pair of hands on her shoulders stopped her.

  “Oh, no, please just call me Andrea!” Princess Sabrina lifted her up. “And you don’t need to curtsy to us; a friend of Kyungsoo’s is a friend of ours.”

  Andrea? Not Princess Sabrina? Is that the name she had been living by when she hadn’t known she was the missing princess?

  Sehun turned toward Andrea. “Her not curtsying might not look good in front of those other stuck-up royals who are trying to gain your favor though,” he whisper-yelled with a hand on a cheek.

  Andrea punched his arm. “Don’t tell me you’re drunk already, Sehun.”

  “I’m not drunk.”

  “People who say that usually are,” Kai pointed out. He grabbed Sehun by the neck and started pulling him away. “Come on; let us go get some water for you.”

  “May I ask,” Baekhyun smiled after Kai and Sehun left. “Keira. What brings you to the Southern Commonwealth?”

  She started. “You know I’m not from here?”

  Kyungsoo tensed ever so slightly; Baekhyun laughed, oblivious. “A lucky guess.”

  “Uh – “

  “She’s from the North,” Kyungsoo answered for her.

  “The Norths?”

  Keira gave Kyungsoo a quick glance. Were they going to do it right now? Tell Baekhyun and Chanyeol – who kept turning around to greet people (women) who introduced themselves to him? She’d thought they would wait until at least the ball was over. She thought that maybe she could at least have one or two dances before they got into serious business. She was at her first ball; she might as well make the most of it. But then again, at that moment, somewhere a thousand miles away, an evil man of power was scheming to hurt innocent people.

  “Lady Keira, is it?” A deep voice she’d never heard before appeared beside her, and she felt someone towering over her. She looked up, only to find herself looking at Park Chanyeol. “From the North?”

  “U-uh, j-just Keira, your Highness…” It probably wasn't the right time and place to think of such a thought, but she still did. She still let herself think how his voice and face did not match at all. And how just by him adding 'Lady' in front of her name made her feel so... strange. Novel. Like she had just transformed into a completely different person.

  Chanyeol held a hand out, his palm upward. His eyes never left hers, but they didn’t give her the feeling Kyungsoo’s did. They looked cautious, alert. She knew what his extended hand meant; it was a polite gesture of a gentleman when meeting a lady. Another score for reading those forbidden books. Slowly, she held out her right hand and put it in his that was big and warm –

  But Chanyeol didn’t dip his head down and kiss it like he should’ve. Instead, as soon as her skin touched his, he flipped her hand around, showing the underside of her right wrist, and her marking.

  Her marking of a butterfly, with a crown, a trophy cup, a sun and a crescent moon on four of its wings.

  Instinctively Keira jerked her hand back, but it was too late; Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Andrea and Kyungsoo had seen the symbol on her wrist, the symbol of what she had always been trained to become. What she had become.

  “I know you,” Chanyeol said, his eyes wide and flashing.

  “W-what?” Her manners flew out of the window because she couldn’t think of anything else. How had Chanyeol known about her Elite marking? What did he mean by saying he knew her?

  “Eleven years ago – “

  “There you are.” So suddenly, an arm wrapped around Keira’s waist, an unfamiliar arm with an unfamiliar voice. “You promised me a dance, remember?”

  Before Keira could show how mind-blown she was at all the sudden things happening without a pause in between to let her even take a breath, she was whisked away by a total stranger to the other side of the dance floor.

  The man spun her around, and she widened her eyes when she saw that it was the man who had been looking at her from afar a while ago. But she didn’t know this clean-cut bearded man. “Who – “

  “What are you doing here?”

  The man’s previous pretentious, flirty tone had turned into a dead serious one. Keira furrowed her eyebrows even more, pushing him away with her hands on his chest, but his grip on her was strong. Very strong. “I don’t even know you – “

  “Look at me,” the man ordered.

  When he still refused to let her go, she stopped fighting, and reluctantly looked up. At first she didn’t know why she was looking at a face of an unfamiliar man who was going to be crying on the floor in a few seconds if he didn’t let her go, but then she really looked at him, and saw the faint glimmers on the corners of his eyes, his lips, his cheekbones.

  The signs of a glamour.

  Narrowing her eyes she concentrated hard, just like she always had when looking through glamours. She focused on the faint images of the man’s real eyes underneath, then his nose, then his facial features…

  She gasped. “Jungkook?”

  At the mention of his real name, he momentarily dropped his glamour. “You’re not supposed to be here, Keira,” he said, dropping his voice.

  “What are you doing here – “

  “No. Stay out of this.”

  She knew that tone. She knew every tone, every gesture, every facial expression of Jungkook’s like the back of her hand. “You’re on a mission,” she said, realization dawning on her.

  “And you need to get out of here – “

  “No! I’m not going to let you do anything to harm the people here!”

  Jungkook scowled. “Why? Because they’re your family now? Because they hadn’t let you bleed to death from your injuries in the forest?”

  Keira shook. “So that was you. The one Kyungsoo said trying to take me, the one in the burgundy mask. Why? Were you the one who attacked me in the first place? Were – “

  “You were going to compromise the Commander’s plans. You were running away, and you were going to betray us – “

  “And that’s up to me to decide whether I was really going to do something like that if I could still remember! I can’t remember anything – “

  “For the best of all of us.”                                                 

  “Who?” Grabbing the front of his shirt, Keira asked again. “Who did you bind the Spell on me with? My father? Did he order you to attack me in the forest for whatever reason I was trying to run away? Did he order you to take my memories away? Did he order you to come to this ball today, too, to bring me back?”

  “No,” Jungkook shook his head. “You weren’t part of this plan. You’re not anymore.” Studying her outfit, his jaw clenched. “You’re apparently not even one of us anymore.”

  That stung, but she wasn’t giving up. “I’m not going to let you harm any of the Stargazers here.”

  “Stay out of this, Keira; you know nothing – “

  “I know some things! Important things! And I’m about to know more, more about – “

  Somewhere in the hall, a loud bang erupted.

  Mild chaos rippled amongst the large crowd, with everyone slightly panicking over the disruption that sounded like something hard hitting a wall, and not knowing what it was. Keira felt the arm around her slip away. “No –!” she started following Jungkook’s sleek figure, his movement as fluid as water, weaving through the crowd. "Jung - "

  “Keira!” Out of nowhere Kyungsoo appeared and blocked her way, his eyes full of concern and worry. “Where did that man take you? I thought you didn’t know anybody here?”

  “I – he – “ If she weren’t so bent on going after Jungkook, she would’ve felt something else for Kyungsoo’s concern toward her. But Jungkook wasn’t in her sight anymore, and the people around were still not calming down. “Where is Park Chanyeol?”

  “I’m right here.” Chanyeol appeared beside Kyungsoo, his eyes clear with alertness. “Baek, can you find out what the cause of the disruption was? And find Jongin; we need him to calm the guests down.”

  Baekhyun was behind him, scanning the surroundings, and so was Andrea. “I don’t see anything – “ he started.

  “We need to get everyone out,” Keira cut him off, her breaths quick and uneven. She ignored the looks on their faces. “I’m telling you, we need to get everyone to safety, especially Park Chanyeol, because you’re most likely their target – “

  “Their?” Kyungsoo was high on alert; his hands were in fists and his posture rigid. “What do you know – “

  A scream pierced through the air.

  It was from the far back of the hall, where the refreshments were along with doorways that led to the inside of the palace, and as everybody turned toward that direction, Keria heard Andrea’s breath hitch in .

  “That’s Owl,” Andrea said, her face pale. “She only screams when – “ she turned around, her eyes frantic and voice shaking. “Sehun!” She yelled, toward the direction the scream had come from. “Sehun!”

  The moment she started running, Chanyeol, Baekhyun, Kyungsoo and Keira ran after her while the guests fled in the opposite direction, trying to get out and away from danger. In an instant the whole crowd was out of the grand hall, and somewhere far in the direction they were running to, Keira saw a body on the floor, and three people fighting beside it.

  Then a hole was blasted out of the wall beside, and three other men, two with masks, came tumbling out in the midst of fighting.

  Without stopping, Andrea ran toward the three people fighting beside the body, two of them wearing masks and one – who was a girl – fighting with what looked like two long daggers she recognized as sicas. The girl was obviously drained of energy and waning by the second, the two enemies gaining on her; until Andrea pulled out a bow and arrows from underneath the table smashed into the wall, and knocked one of the masked guys in the head to the ground with her bow.

  Approaching the body on the floor, Chanyeol went down on his knees. “Sehun,” he whispered, and Keira saw him: half of his face bloody, his left arm lying in an impossible angle, and his breathing shallow. Chanyeol lifted his head up, shock and anger blazing in his eyes. “Jongin! Jongin – “

  On the far left, two of the masked men were fighting against someone tall and dark, but suddenly the dark opponent disappeared into black mist, and then reappeared in front of Keira’s eyes, his eyes full of concern focused on Chanyeol who was cradling Sehun’s head.

  “Take him to Yixing,” Chanyeol told Jongin, and with a nod Jongin disappeared into a black mist again, this time taking Sehun with him.

  That was the first time Keira saw a Stargazer use his abilities first hand. It was something she had always wanted to see with her own eyes since she was a child, but not in a situation like this. Not because of her family. Not because they were fending off Spellbinders.

  “Keira; duck!”

  She did as told when a ball of fire – that had appeared in Chanyeol’s palm – shot pass her to one of the masked men behind. The man also ducked right on time – and she knew that practiced move. She knew that particular bending of knees and balance position.

  “Jungkook!” Despite her long gown, she ran and slammed right into him, taking him down with her. In mid-air, however, his two legs wrapped around her waist, switched their positions, and Keira hit back-first onto the ground, directly feeling the immense force she had intended to use on Jungkook.

  You’re only allowed to feel the pain after you’ve won the battle.

  Jungkook’s hands shot out to grab her, but in a swift movement she slid down to her legs and unsheathed the dagger she always had hidden in her right boot. With a slash she cut at his front thigh, and she heard him grunt, the injured leg falling to the floor with a hard thump.

  “Please, Jungkook,” she said at his back after she slid out from under him and stood back on her feet. Seeing him in the crawling position pained her, but she had to stop him. “Stop this. I don’t know why you had to attack Sehun, but you have to listen to me; the Commander is not who you think he is – “

  His unwounded leg swung out and swiped her feet out beneath her. Before she could get back up, Jungkook was above her, his face unmasked and so close, but eyes no longer the eyes she once knew. They were the eyes of a cold-blooded killer, a perfect weapon under the Commander’s control. He pinned her wrists to the floor, but before he could do anything his eyes lit up – like always when his instincts were telling him something – and he rolled off of her.

  Just in time to dodge a flying table thrown his way.

  The table crashed to the grounda feet next to where Keira was lying, shattering into pieces of wood and dust. Lifting her head up, Keira saw Kyungsoo standing at the place the refreshments table had once stood, panting, his arms out like he had just thrown something.

  Like he had just thrown a table that Keira knew too well was too heavy for even a mortal, muscular man to pick up.

  “Are you alright?” Kyungsoo asked, running to her.

  “I-I’m fine,” she replied, standing up but dazed. Kyungsoo… Kyungsoo’s ability is strength. Enormous strength. “Thank you for…” she gulped, looking at the shattered table on the ground beside. “That.”

  Instead of acknowledging her gratitude, he scowled. “Were you ever planning on telling me that you hid weapons underneath your gown?”

  Before she could give him a bewildered reply (and tell him that she actually still had another one in her other boot), in her peripheral vision she saw a bolt of green light fly towards Kyungsoo. Without hesitation, Keira tackled him to the ground and shielded them with a quick mumbled spell.

  She had forgotten that she hadn’t cast any spell for days, and the rustiness had gotten to her. That was one of the most basic principles back home: to connect with the world’s energy and use it, you had to be active in using it. And by active, it meant every day. But during these days of no training for the first time in her life, she had let other thoughts overshadow it and now she was paying the price. Her force shield created by the spell wasn’t strong enough to block the full force from the light, and she rammed into Kyungsoo’s body.

  Shouts were heard around them, most likely by the others who were fighting the other Spellbinders, but Keira knew who had thrown that force of energy, aiming to cause damage.

  She didn’t give Jungkook the satisfaction, though. No more than a second after the force disappeared – and ignoring the pain in her head – Keira turned around to face her ex-partner. Through the cloudy dust she sought out his figure, concentrated, and threw bolts of silver at him through her fingertips.

  The figure in the dust dodged them skillfully, but she had this part planned. She caught him in the direction he was dodging to –

  Jungkook had this all planned out, too.

  The figure in front of Keira disappeared with the dust. , she thought. An illusion.

  The moment she thought those words, an arm wrapped around her neck from the back, another pinned her arms to her body, and a leg locked hers so she couldn’t kick back.

  “Keira.” Jungkook’s voice was strange; hushed. She felt his head lean down and his lips stop right beside her right ear. She struggled, trying to get free and wanting to punch him for hurting Kyungsoo, for hurting Sehun, for mentally hurting her –

  “Lock, not take,” Jungkook whispered.

  Then a flash of emerald light exploded and he was gone.

[A/N] OOOOMMMMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG MAJOR mind-blow!!! HAHAHAHA HOW DID YOU GUYS LIKE THIS CHAPTER? > u < Missed you awesome bunch so much; hope you'll enjoy the new update <3

Sighhhh I hate preparing for speeches esp when you have no inspiration whatsoever and don't know what to talk about for 5 minutes sobs I'm so glad I'm done with it now ;;

P.S. So! I've been having this really exciting idea, and I hope you guys will like it too! I was thinking, well, in Stargazer (and Spellbinder's new chapters to come) I put in a lot of my friends - their names and characteristics and stuff, so I was thinking that well, because YOU, EVERY ONE OF YOU MY AMAZING SUBSCRIBERS ARE AWESOME so if you guys want to, I could put your names and even powers you want in my story! :"DDDDD It's just a thought, you don't have to hahaha but if any of you want to be in this story, feel free to write down your name and specific stuff (like what you want your hair color or eye color to be or even the weapon you use or if you want to be a Stargazer or Spellbinder) you want me to include in the comment box below, and in the future when there are opportunities for cameos or stuff like that I could put you in there! Idk, I just feel like I would be like engaging with you readers and you're all so amazing so I want to show my gratitude and stuff so yeah ;; I can't promise every one of you will be able to make an appearance in the story, but there is a high likelihood that any who comments will! So... yeah, just announcing this! Hahahaha love you all <3 (Hope you like your weapon choice, Owl <3 Thanx for telling me what you preferred <3<3<3)