Peace can not be kept by force, it can be only achieved by understanding --Albert Enstein

Sese looks upon the lifeless body in front of him. Soo Eun has been sleeping for one month now and nothing can ever bring her back to consciousness. Lay has checked her up regularly and assured everyone that she is still living and breathing, but because of the new process on how to turn her into an immortal, he isn't really sure how long it takes for her to keep sleeping like this.

Others could save her father and brother in time. Gigi led them and almost ambushed the whole hunters around with her power (and new found one but she hasn't really had tamed it well). They are now living at the HQ, where everyone now is gathering. They have left their post's houses because of one thing: Princess White is now living and breathing and talking well. And she has told them that she has declared a war between her and Princess Black. Everyone needs to prepare themselves for the worst scenario. But they can't have a proper war now with every royal immortal now have found their mates but one of the mates is still in comatose condition.

Sese gets up from his chair and then walks toward where Soo Eun lies. He sits bext to her on the bed and caresses her hands, kind of like praying that she will wake up shortly.

"I am sorry that I make you go through times like this, Soo Eun-ah. I am so sorry..."  His tears are falling down onto her hand but that doesn't wake her up at all. He kisses her palm and keeps staring to her; he keeps praying that she will woke up shortly.

"Sese,"  Kyung comes into the room looking worried over him, "we need you at the living room. Now." 

Sese gets up from her bed and walks following Kyung. The house is big, yes, but it is their place for hundred or thousand years ever since their ancestors. Sese knows every single room inside this place and he is really familiar about everything in the house. However, he and others had no idea that Lay (and his ancestors) had been keeping Princess White under their nose. The big tree at their yard is her lying place for years. Now that’s how everyone can see Lay is the best secret keeper ever.

“How is she?”  asks Suho once Sese and Kyung have come into the living room. Kyung shrugs his shoulders and whispers, “nothing,”  so Suho doesn’t have to wait for Sese’s reaction. He nods and his attention goes back to the crowd. "You all know why we all have gathered here. The battle will be held in three weeks. We are all behind the schedule. From Princess Black's side, it is the lost of hunters has hold them back, while we...."  he darts his eyes to Sese and his gloomy face, "we are still waiting for Soo Eun."

"Can I come to her?"  Dong Ah, or now you should call Darya, asks. "I am the latest one before her. I could probably connect to her, because, who knows?"

"Every way is appreciated,"  Lay answers instead, "as we don't know how long this would be, plus Gae has informed us that Princess Black's army has gathered almost completely, we should try every way."

"Will we insert Lord of Strength and his family into our squad?"

"I have decided not to,"  Suho answers, "they are still connected to them. Maybe they will use their power to manipulate him and his wife. Plus, I don't want to see or even organize a father and a son's fighting. I can't even bear to imagine it."  Gigi nods as she understands more. She and Pal will be facing their families; Gigi will be facing her cousin, while Pal will be facing her whole telekinesis family.

"Maybe three of you,"  Kris speaks and his eyes are onto Byul, Gigi, and Darya, in order, "can go to Soo Eun's chamber. You all, in short time, chronologically, become mates. There is a rather-long break between when Em became immortal and Byul became immortal, while only weeks after Byul, Gigi has gotten Chan's power, and when Gigi was still in process, Darya came, and when Darya just got married to Chen, Soo Eun came. The chronology is so tight, so probably it could help Soo Eun's recovery."

"What do you mean?"  asks Baek.

"I have read in my ancestor's journal,"  he explains, "that some of the mates in his time were made like what I just described; not even a breath or one day was lost without a new mate appeared or was made. They then had stronger connection within them. As Lay said that we could use every way, and it seems like Darya wanted to use her connection to Soo Eun, why don't we just push all of them? I believe they will have stronger connection within them, just like our ancestors had; just like Lay and Lu who bore at the almost same time."

A long pause is happened as everyone is thinking over Kris' suggestion.

"Well, it doesn't hurt if we try,"  Kai speaks, "they will not get hurt just by talking to Soo Eun, right?"

"I agree with that,"  Chan follows suit. Chen also nods. "How are about you, Sese?"

"I will do everything to make her back to life, so please, do what you think it is necessary to do."

"Knock-knock!"  Darya exclaims as they approach Soo Eun's body. However, the girl isn't moving. "Well, it is not hurt to try. She could probably wake up when I called her."  She then grimaces.

"Let's just sit, shall we?"  Gigi suggests. They are all sitting on the bed, circling Soo Eun. Gigi, however, sits at the chair where Sese was sitting earlier. "How are you, girl? It must be hard to fight with all the venoms."  The other girls are rolling their eyes to Gigi as they know exactly how it feels; Gigi feels offended after that, "what? I am not fighting with it because I have been born with it. Don't roll your eyes, please."

"Well,"  Byul interferes, "I used to think I had the hardest struggle to accept my position, but I guess it now goes to Soo Eun."  She then sighs.

"Yeah."  Gigi then looks like she has her eureka moment, "why don't we tell her about all the mates' tale?"

"What?"

"Yeah. Sharing. I mean, we aren't so sure what we should do so sharing things like these stories will not bring bad things, I think. Besides, Soo Eun needs to know other girls' stories."

"Alright,"  Byul speaks, "I know all of them. Let's begin with Tael. Tael came from rather poor and low-social family back then when Silia Kingdom happened; when her time was. She was at the woods when she gathered planks for her family for warming themselves. It was winter and she was almost dead because of hyperthermia but Xiumin saved her. Xiumin said that she was already pale and in the brink of death when he found her. He then brought her to Lay, who was at that time, was in Mainland China. The sacrifice that Xiumin made to save her moved her heart and the tree itself. Those oracles said that Xiumin's mate shouldn't have appeared at that time but the tree decided that Tael would be the best mate for Xiumin. And so, she agreed to become an immortal, and practically, she was the first mate made in this generation. Xiumin's father was still alive at that time, they said.

"Next mate made is Uru. She came from Baekje Kingdom era. They said that Suho, Xiumin, and Baek were in town. This was actually a bit like kidnapping as Suho was agitated that he couldn't find his mate soon when Xiumin, the one-who-supposed-not-to-find-first, had found his. Even though the others had asked him to stop, he did kidnap girls from the village where Uru lived, and among those girls, Uru was one of them. The tree punished Suho's action by making