"Be a gentleman for a final time, Jaehyun, and just leave," She states harshly. "That is the last thing I will ask of you."

Shuhua doesn't hold back as she unleashed her sobs into the long sleeve of her sweater. Her ex frowns as he is visibly torn. Yet, he still makes the decision to stand from his chair and walk straight out of the cafe, after his friend. He just left her there. If he supposedly cared about her so much, he would've ignored what she said and stayed by her side.

The pain of watching him walk away was nothing compared to pain caused by the fact that he barely put up a fight. From the way which he had composed himself, she can't help but feel as though light was only just being shone on a battle which was lost years ago. Her own emotions had blinded her until this moment.

She is so caught up in her own state of tears, that she doesn't even realise as someone fills the empty space in front of her.

"He left his coffee half full, what a waste," Yeeun clicks her tongue as she pushes aside the cup. "He also left behind his greatest asset."

Shuhua lowers her sleeve as she flickers her gaze across the table to meet with her friends. They'd known each other long before she had started dating Jaehyun. Yeeun had been by her side throughout the entire rollercoaster. At first, her friend had been one of the most supportive of the new relationship. She had considered the two destined to be together, however she saw the cracks forming long before Shuhua did. The latter can't blame her for keeping it a secret as she had in fact, several months prior, attempted to bring attention to these flaws. Shuhua just didn't want to admit what she was saying was true.

"I shouldn't be this upset, I knew it was coming," She remarks with a slight chuckle. It's almost one of complete pity for no one but herself. Yeeun sighs as she extends her arm across the table, gently taking her friend's hand within her own as a comforting gesture.

"Anyone would be upset. He used you."

"I used him," Shuhua suddenly snaps as she pulls her hand back, using her sleeve to wipe away at her tears. "You and I both know why we got together. I was stupid and fooled myself into thinking it could mean more then intended. I deserve all the pain I feel."

Yeeun bites her lip as she tries to think of something to say. No words seem to be appropriate as it remains clear that the other has made up her mind about what is to happen next.

"I should go talk to him," She goes to stand but comes to a halt as her friend reaches out, grabbing her arm once more.

"And tell him what exactly? You saw how terribly he reacted to his best friend's story of his dream friend. Do you really think he'd believe it from you?" Yeeun's tone is laced with disbelief as she does her best to try and get Shuhua to think through her decision.

"Of course I'm not going to tell him. I just can't..." Her phrase trails off as she seems to be caught as to which word to utilise next. "I can't let it end like this."

There is no time for the blonde haired other to say anything else as Shuhua stands, leaving the cafe with a swift pace. Jaehyun's place isn't far from here. The traffic at this time of day is insane which makes it quite a difficult task to cross the road and get anywhere quickly. Arriving at the first intersection, the dark haired girl glares at the traffic light which flashes a green for the cars that are in her way. It only takes a second for the light to skip amber, turning red instantly. The sound of tires screeching as cars come to a sudden halt, all echo into the atmosphere as drivers are surprised by the sudden light change. Shuhua ignores them all as she storms across the road.

Arriving at the door to his apartment, she doesn't hesitate before knocking on the wooden surface. Silence seems to be the only response as she hovers in the corridor. She knocks again before allowing for her gaze to wander the surroundings of his apartment. There are a few other doors near his own, she knows the residents of a few of them. Some she knows quite well, yet the guy who resides at the end of the hall has always made her feel uncomfortable. Whether it be the stench of cigarettes and alcohol which is constantly in his breath or the way he eyed her up and down each time they interact.

The mere thought of having to see him causes for her heart rate to increase as her knocks become slightly more panic driven. The click of a door unlocking can be heard but it isn't from the door which she wants. Out of the corner of her eye, Shuhua notices as the dreaded man steps outside of his place. She doesn't share a full glance in his direction as she pulls her phone out, placing it to her ear as she pretends to answer a phone call. Taking this opportunity, she rushes to the elevator and manages to close the doors before the other can follow.

Going down to Sicheng's floor, she steps of diligently, making her way to what has become the second most familiar door to her within this building. It surprises her to see the door wide open, allowing for anyone who walks by to look inside. She lowers her phone, placing it in her pocket as she takes small steps into the apartment.

"Hello?" She calls out into the eerie silence which fills the space.

Her feet take her straight to the bathroom. She doesn't even process the direction which she is headed to until she is inside the tiled space. The door slams shut, enclosing her within this space as soon as she clears the archway. This causes for her to let out a little yelp of shock, dropping her bag to the ground.

"The mortal life has made you quite...Human," a familiar voice speaks in disgust from behind her. She turns around quickly, not at all surprised as she sees the red haired male standing before her. He has hands intertwined behind his back as he takes a step, lessening the space between the pair.

"Taeyong," Shuhua breathes out his name.

The named male smirks at her, moving his hands to be before him as he picks a bar of soap up from the counter near the sink. He raises it to his nose, sniffing the faint lavender scent before simply lowering his hand once more.

"I didn't give you the okay to leave dear old Jaehyun. I wasn't ready," He begins his monologue.

"He broke up with me, I had nothing to do with it," Shuhua retorts, her voice growing softer at each word. It is still a sensitive topic to voice out loud.

"You loved him," a chuckle emits from the red haired male's lips. "The one and only Yeh Shuhua fell for a mortal. Pathetic." Upon the mentioning of the last word, the other crushes the soap bar within his hand. He seems to be in no rush to get the white chunks off his hand as he slowly turns on the tap, beginning the process of washing the substance into the basin.

"I didn't mean to. He was much different to any other mortal whom I've ever met," Shuhua tries to defend herself. She avoids eye contact the entire time, knowing how horribly the male before her is taking in this information.

"He tore your heart into many little pieces, yet he was different. Does that seem to be something which any good human would do? I must be getting my facts horribly wrong if that's the case." Taeyong's tone grows more and more agitated as he continues to speak.

"Your task was to seduce him in order for us to gain access to Yuta's dear old Sicheng. Once the time was right, you were to leave him and return home where we could await for their invasion. Yet your stupid feelings have once again gotten in the way. Now he's left you broken and you expect me to feel sorry for you?"

Shuhua swallows as a wave of nerves, including fear suddenly envelope her. She has no words as she just keeps her gaze low, allowing for the older to continue his harsh statements.

"You need to snap out of this, Shu."

"I know," She admits, weakly.

"I'll be lenient this time," He begins. "You'll come home with me in this moment. Jaehyun and Sicheng have infiltrated Petulantia and taken off with my strongest guards. Your task to redeem yourself is to hunt them down and bring the mortals back to me. I want Jaehyun dead but Sicheng needs to be breathing."

"W-What?" Her voice trembles as her shocked gaze raised to meet with the red haired male's, who merely smiled back at her.

"Show them all that the dark doyenne has returned. Do you understand?"

Shuhua does her best to mask her fear with a soft smile as she calmly responds, "Of course."

•••

They kept running, even when the mortals felt as though their legs were close to giving up on them. The uneven surfaces of what was dirt paths and even gravel paths, littered with tree roots and fallen branches, weren't exactly made for comfortable running. Yet, the two guards seemed to not even be tiring in the slightest as they continued at the same pace to which they'd started with. Sicheng supposes they must have had to go through years of immense training to be able to build up stamina such as this. He doesn't want to even imagine what kind of gruelling training regimes they would have been though. Though he supposes magic could also have a vital role to play in their seemingly perfect figures. They'd displayed no signs of containing this, yet Haechan hid his own magic for almost an entire day before he used it against the mortals. They couldn't afford to lose vigilance on their situation. Not again.

Sicheng couldn't help but start to wonder whether they were being taken to Yuta. The quick pace they upheld assured him that the new King has probably sent his remaining army after them. Or some of his forces at least. Seonghwa and Hongjoong had just betrayed him and done so quite quickly. It made the mortal ponder over and over again what kind of relationship they had with Yuta. At the mere mention of that word, even if the initial response from Seonghwa was delayed, it caused them to turn against the man in true power.

Maybe Yuta had saved them in the past, or maybe they were merely loyal to the original King. There was also the possibility that both mortals had been tricked and were currently being taken to their slaughter, yet Sicheng refused to give fuel to this thought.

The running only came to a stop once the four of them reached what seemed to be a cave. It's heightened entrance only showed a gaping hole of darkness which did not seem inviting, not even in the slightest. A small pond seemed to have made home in the safe before the entrance. Jaehyun keeled over as he breathed heavily. He was certainly not built for that much running. Sicheng wanted to do the same but the feeling of uncertainty which was thick in his mind kept him upright as he studied the movements of the guards.

Neither of the pair seemed to have their breathing quickened. even in the slightest, as they moved towards the entrance. No words were shared as they silently walked through the pond and into the entrance of the cave. They both hovered at the immediate front as they turned to look at the mortals. Jaehyun was hesitant to follow but after a nudge from his friend, he managed to pull himself onto his feet, following at his side. The pair reach the cave, no more time is wasted as the guards being the trek into the darkness. The mortals were unable to see anything, relying on their hearing as they shuffled close behind the guards. They almost knocked themselves over when the other two came to a sudden stop, causing for the mortals to crash into them. Their stances held like concrete pillars.

"Tsujiguri."

Seonghwa murmurs the damned word once more. Upon his speaking of this, the sound of approaching footsteps echoes quite loudly as whoever is coming, is coming fast. They all hold their breathes and remain in absolute silence as a light suddenly flickers on overhead. Yet, when Sicheng and Jaehyun gaze upward, they are unable to catch a glimpse of any light source. Wherever the lights coming from doesn't seem to matter to the guards as they have their feet planted firmly where they are.

Slowly, two figures seem to emerge about 100 metres before the group. They both wear similar attires of the guards, however instead their clothes bearing the dark ebony colour, they hold the deep red of blood. As they step closer, Sicheng is able to take in the black hair on one and the silver coloured hair on the other. They both contain caution within their eyes which is quick to flutter to recognition as they begin to run over. Seonghwa and Hongjoong merely smile as they embrace these two men. Soft chuckles are the only sounds emitted as the pairs seem to be seeing each other after passing years of not.

"You got out," the blonde haired male exclaims, nothing but joy and relief in his tone. "You have no idea how long we have been waiting for this day."

"Mortals," The dark haired suddenly scowls as he draws a dagger which was hidden within his sleeve. The blonde moves to do the same yet they are stopped as Seonghwa steps before them, his hands raised, palms outward to them.

"They're with us. Yuta called for them," His explanation seems to be enough as both of the newcomers pocket their weapons before extending their arms to shake hands. Sicheng and Jaehyun do their best to hide their tremble as they take on the kind gesture.

"Where are the others?" Hongjoong suddenly speaks up.

Jaehyun's head suddenly snaps on Sicheng's direction. There are more of them?! How many of these people could their possibly be? The mortal already felt a strong sense of fear when they were with the two guards dressed in black alone. As the number of them starts to add up, he can't help but start to wonder as to whether they will truly make it through this in one piece. It would be a lie if he said these beliefs weren't being influenced by all the betrayals he had witnessed, whether through the television of through the pages of a novel. These things occurred when the protagonists were least expecting it. Jaehyun already knew his thoughts weren't completely irrational, especially following the situation which had occurred with Haechan.

"They're resting," The blonde haired male remarks softly. "You should know that Mingi still holds a heavy grudge, Hwa. He hasn't forgiven you and probably won't be welcoming you with open arms."

The taller merely chuckles as he hears this. The fact that this person is angry with him doesn't seem to bother him in the slightest. He raises a hand to scratch the back of his neck before stepping forward to pat the other on the shoulder.
"Take us to them, San. Stop dawdling, yeah?"

"Wooyoung, the mortals?" The now named, San, gestures to the two. His dark haired companion keeps his expression neutral as he simply nods. Placing his hands into the pockets of his trousers, he begins the walk further into the cave.

The rest follow only a step or two behind. Sicheng knows that their human pace will easily be the reason as to why him and his friend will get lost, even if they fall out of line for the briefest moment. The pace of these guards was not one which an ordinary man could keep up with for long. Jaehyun was doing surprisingly well as he only did a small shuffle every few moments in order to maintain the pace. Sicheng recalled these lessons from Yuta as he didn't find it too difficult to maintain the crazy pace.

Sicheng can't help but open his mouth in awe as their surroundings morph into what seems to be an underground camping unit. The space is lit well with chained lights lining the crevices of the ceiling. A pile of semi burnt wood and ash lays upon what seems to be the entrance to this place, surrounded by stones and some logs which seem to be there for seats. Behind this sits two rows of single beds which seem to follow the cave down for a long distance. Four men seem to be lounging around these  beds, all excluding one raise in order to inspect the sudden guests.

One by one, three men who wear the same clothes as San and Wooyoung, embrace the two red dresses guards. Each of these men turn to look at the mortals as though they were a necessity to harm, being stopped, much to Jaehyun and Sicheng's gratitude, by Seonghwa who continued to explain how Yuta had summoned for these guys. The mere mentioning of Yuta seemed to work like a charm time and time again as it worked quickly to snap the men out of their blood lust filled thoughts.

"Long time no see," The last male who remains seated on one of the beds calls out.

Seonghwa's brows perk up as he gazes towards the male who sits half in the shadows. Hongjoong smiles tightly as he allows for the light haired guard to make the first move, approaching the other alone.

"Indeed, I see you took great comfort in taking my bed," He smiles bitterly, coming to a halt just before the metal frame.

The male on the bed sighs before moving to be standing in his feet. This moves him to be fully visible in the light, his deep red coloured hair almost blends with the uniform he wears. Yet he has chosen to not wear a jacket or coat as a fainter shaded, three-quarter sleeved shirt wraps around his torso. There also seems to be red, diamond shaped marking over his eye, almost identical to the one belonging to Seonghwa. Folding his arms across his chest, he dares make eye contact with the male opposite him.

"I wasn't expecting you to come back," He spits out as though the words he spoke were some kind of poison. "At least, not in one piece."

"Well, look at me defying the odds again dearest Mingi," Seonghwa's smile fades as he notices the eye marking. "Did you have fun playing dress-ups? Hate to break it to you but play time is over, Mingi."

"Someone has to take your place, Aurora doesn't run without a leader," The red haired male responds, his voice quite firm. He doesn't have a chance to speak another word as the pale haired guard draws a dagger from beneath his sleeve. He moves quick to slice a thin cut on the top and bottom of the marking. Mingi curses vulgarly as he clutches at the wounded area. Lowering his hands once more, it is revealed that the marking has disappeared, leaving behind two small cuts.

"Funny cause I seem to remember leaving Yunho as the one in charge while we were gone. And I didn't give anyone permission to be marked," Seonghwa shakes his head in disapproval before throwing his dagger onto the bed which he would be soon to take over again. "Thanks for keeping my bed warm, brother, now I'm going to have to order you, as your commander, to migrate back to your own."

"Taeyong should have killed you," Mingi mutters beneath his breath but the older hears every word. Yet he chooses to ignore it for now as he turns his attention back to the others who just laid witness to the entire scenario.

A couple of the guards seem to be laughing lightly which is a stark contrast to the expression held on Jaehyun's face which reads pure fear. Nothing of what he just witnessed was assuring him that him and Sicheng were safe here. If anything, they seemed to be anything but safe. Sicheng has picked up on the fear from his friend as he comfortingly grabbed his hand. They shared a gaze which held many emotions from both sides, yet Sicheng did his best to be reassuring. He trusts these people, no matter how terrifying they may seem.

It is only due to the immense training which Yuta had put them through upon joining his cadre of the strongest. There was eight of them and they were infamous throughout Petulantia. There sole purpose used to be to protect Yuta and his crown at all costs. No matter how small the assassination or large the war, they were to always fight for their true King. Aurora is what Yuta had named this group of powerful men. How the recognition had only struck Sicheng now, he wasn't too sure, but it was better late than never.

"Yeosang, start the fire, we have some explaining to do," Seonghwa exclaims softly. "We will seek out Yuta tomorrow, for now we will rest and I'll answer your questions." He explains to the mortals before gesturing to the logs surrounding the fireplace. The flames have just started to crackle and burn as they take a seat, Seonghwa sitting on the log to their left. Hongjoong on his other side, the rest of the cadre following suit as they fill up the remaining logs. Surprisingly, even Mingi makes his way over. Though he sits across from Seonghwa, the furthest position from the other male.

Sicheng leans into Jaehyun's side gently as he tries to be a constant reminder that the pair of them are in this together. His friend is completely out of his element. He wasn't lucky enough to receive Yuta's lessons, meaning these people would be completely terrorising him. Sicheng wasn't exactly fearless in this moment, in this situation, he was just feeling slightly better about it.

"What happened? Why is Yuta no longer in power?" Sicheng begins to rapidly fire the questions.

"We fought, we fought as best as we could," Seonghwa frowns as he seems to be recalling the memory. "Taeyong had the element of surprise on his side which eventually led to our defeat. He managed to get control of a bandersnatch which quickly tore through the majority of our army. The magic, combat and beasts which he used—we were no match. The cadre had no choice but to do what was the best option for keeping Yuta alive. We had to run. We hid him in a seperate lodging before we found our own lodging here. There is much more to the story between Taeyong and Yuta but that isn't my place."

There is a moment of complete silence as Sicheng allows for the explanation to swim though his thoughts. He doesn't know what to think as he hears this. Nor does he even want to begin to imagine the impact of this war. It must have been huge. The bandersnatch was something which Yuta had always spoken of as though it were a myth. It was extremely rare to be able to find one, let alone to train one to be at your beck and call.

"Taeyong wanted to take over us and make us his cadre," San breaks the silence. His gaze flickers up to meet Sicheng's, then Jaehyun's before returning to the ground. "H-He destroyed our home towns and killed everyone who was unfortunate to be residing there, no matter whether they were part of our family or not. He believed this would be enough to convince us to stay with him. We weren't stupid and we were loyal. We stuck with Yuta."

"But Hongjoong and Seonghwa ended up working for the dreaded blood king. Four months they resides under his control," Yeosang speaks. "It wasn't because Taeyong had won them over, it was because Yuta had forced them. He knew you two would be coming and he wanted them to intercept you."

Seonghwa and Hongjoong both nod, accepting this explanation, neither having anything to really add.

"He let us go quite easily," Sicheng states in realisation. "Four months? How did Yuta know we were coming that long ago? I only started to talk to him again a few days ago."

"Time is different here," Seonghwa speaks up once more. "Four months for us has been a few days for you."

"Taeyong will send his shifter after us," Hongjoong intervenes. "She is his best chance at retrieving what is his. He won't be too fussed by Hwa and myself but he will indeed want you, mortals." Jaehyun gulps, visibly afraid which is picked up by everyone around them. Sicheng goes to nudge him, in order to align their gazes, yet he is interrupted as the commander opens his mouth to speak again.

"You guys will be perfectly safe with us, you needn't stress or worry. That's a waste of energy."

This does little to calm Jaehyun who seems to be thinking of somewhere else as his gaze remains fixed on a certain point on the ground. Sicheng decides not to push on him as whatever he is doing, it's keeping him somewhat distracted from how serious their situation is slowly becoming. Every time a member of the cadre opens their mouth, another pang of terror seems to be struck within Jaehyun. Especially when they begin to brag and chuckle about their body counts from a war fought a few hundred years ago. Specifically a victim who was claimed by Yunho, an arrow straight to the eye, followed by his head being chopped off by the end of Yunho's blade. He was most impressed as he recalled this kill. So were the others as they applauded his efforts.

The sudden conversation meant that night approached them quickly. The time for rest arrived which led to Sicheng and Jaehyun being given two spare beds which were just down from Seonghwa and Mingi's. The dark haired male was hesitant to leave the peach haired male alone on the bed across from him, but the older assured him that he would be okay. Sicheng fell into the embrace of sleep quite quickly, whilst Jaehyun lied awake for hours. He could hear the soft snores which came from several of the men who were sharing this space. but that wasn't what was keeping him awake. His heart had barely slowed down the entire time since he had stepped through the mirror. The entirety of his existed had regretted the said decision and wished he was back at home in the normality of earth.

Shuhua.

The name suddenly makes itself known within his thoughts. He had left back home, alone and in tears. He couldn't help but wonder if she was okay. Hopefully Yeeun had reached her table, had realised what had happened. He felt terrible but at the same time relieved. The guilt had been clawing at him each day he held onto any tiny hope which suggested he still loved her. He was always too much of a coward to admit it.

His thoughts are brought to a screeching halt as he hears a loud crash echoing through the walls of the cave. The rest of the cadre seem to have heard this as they all immediately move into seated positions. Jaehyun slips out of his bed as he shakes Sicheng awake. His friend looks confused as he also moves to be in a seated position. The members of Aurora have risen to be stabbed, weapons clearly visible in their hands, a mix of swords and daggers. San even holds a bow and arrow. Hongjoong and Seonghwa have nothing changed but into their rightful blood red uniforms as they all stalk towards the space where the noise emitted from.

Wooyoung treads in front of them, his long sword tended before him as he steps into the space where the lights don't reach. Sicheng and Jaehyun both jump, getting startled as he is suddenly flung back past the cadre, coming to a crashing halt on the ground. Seonghwa moves to the front as he raises his two swords. A soft growl sounds as a figure steps into the light. Upon first glance it is clear that the furry creature which towers over them all isn't here for pats. The large, four legged animal continues to growl, showing its razor sharp canines to them all, drool dripping from its jaws.

"Bandersnatch, the shifter," Seonghwa mutters in disgust.

He makes the first move, slashing with his rights then left blade. The creature dodges both easily as it moves to grab one of the blades within its mouth. Just before it is able to gain a grasp on this, Mingi lunges forwards, placing his own sword in the way. The impact causes for the creature's head to snap backward. Any hatred between the pair seems to be dissolved in battle as they work as one. San shoots an arrow which plants itself firmly within the thick fur coat whilst Yunho throws a dagger which lands square in the beasts eye. Hongjoong doesn't hesitate as he steps forward, holding his sword high. Jongho has rushed back to assist Wooyoung onto his feet again before the pair charge forwards. Yeosang maintains the line beside Seonghwa as they all slash away with their blades.

Jaehyun and Sicheng remain back at a safe distance as they just watch, unable to really contribute anything to this fight. The beast seems to be quite effortlessly defending itself, the blades only cutting away at the thick, layered fur. With a guttural roar which fills the entire space, making the mortals cringe at the loud noise, the bandersnatch swipes out with both paws, knowing the entire cadre onto their asses as they're sent sliding across the floor.

Having temporarily disarmed them, the creature treads towards the mortals. It kicks its lips as it approaches them. It uses its paw once more to seperate the pair, ignoring Sicheng, its taste seems to be for Jaehyun and Jaehyun alone, much to his displeasure. The mortal yells out as he is backed against the wall of the cave.

The cadre have risen to their feet once more. San plants another arrow deep within the neck of the beast just as it moves to engulf Jaehyun within its jaws. The creature lets out a whine before taking a step backward. It lunges once more at the cadre, only to be brought to a crashing halt as Seonghwa and Mingi both skewer their swords through the opened jaw of the bandersnatch. The beast falls limp onto the ground for a few moments before shrinking down into the figure of a young woman, adorning dark hair. Jaehyun is frozen with fear which is quick to turn into shock as he recognises the girl who has now moved into a standing position. She cradles her arm which has a long and deep gash that bleeds heavily.

"Shu?" He exclaims.

She gazes upon him, eyes filled with hurt before she turns to snarl at the cadre. Seonghwa stands, holding his sword ever so close to her throat. Just as he goes to slice her head away, she disappears into a pile of dust.

It was an illusion.

She wasn't really there. That was why the beast was so weak. Her powers weren't in full usage but it was just enough to sniff out the enemy. She now had the entire cadre as well as the mortal's scent which meant she could easily shift into any creature who could track them within the blink of an eye. They needed to move. The cadre have caught onto this thought as they immediately pocket their weapons, not bothering to wipe away the blood before rushing to their bedsides, putting together small bags of absolute necessities before moving to run out of the cave yet again. Jaehyun doesn't seem as though he wants to move as he remains frozen in the same place. Surely that was a trick, Shu can't be here, she can't have magic. She just tried to kill him.

"It wasn't her," Sicheng tries to assure him with a lie. "Taeyong is playing tricks."

"No that was Shuhua," Mingi destroys his crafted lie immediately. "She is the strongest shifter to have ever existed. We are lucky she only faced us through an illusion, otherwise your buddy would probably be in that beast's stomach round about now."

"Enough, we need to go now," Seonghwa interrupts them.

Sicheng tugs in Jaehyun's arm, half dragging him as the pair follow the eight men before them. The dark haired mortal recognised most of his surroundings as they make their way to the next destination. Surely that was only the first of many attacks from Taeyong. The next ones which would probably ensue were sure to contain an army or maybe a cadre of his own. If it was the shifter in her true form, they could quite possibly be screwed, which is why they needed to get to Yuta. He would know exactly what to do.

Many glares are shed back towards Sicheng and Jaehyun as they crunch twigs and leaves beneath their feet. Apparently the noise is too much when compared to the complete silence which is made from the cadre's feet as they walk. They sm don't seem to be breaking anything as they tread lightly than even air itself. Both Sicheng and Jaehyun hadn't believed that it was possible to tread so lightly, even in the movies they made sound. It was suggested in books that the best warriors could do this, yet they'd never seen it proven until now. It would be a great asset to keep their locations and paths hidden as they ran or moved anywhere. Yet that's where the stark colour of the uniform confused Sicheng greatly. It seemed like a colour which would do anything but blend in unless everywhere they travelled were red, which it simply wasn't.

Seonghwa suddenly gestures for them all to be silent as they reach the outskirts of what seems to be a large tree with long leaves that encase a space within. The mortals find this gesture quite ironic considering no one has made a sound — excluding the crunch of leaves — since they've left the cave. They all step through the leaves and into what Sicheng and Jaehyun. expect to be a confined space. However, they are extremely surprised as they view a giant tree which has a castle structure soundly built into it. The front door to this place creaks as it swings open. No one seems to be standing near the archway, the door seeming to have opened through the usage of magic and magic alone. The cadre walk inside first, removing any coats to be hung on hooks beside the door. Jaehyun and Sicheng silently enter the hallway, getting startled by the door which slams closes behind them.

"Geez, you're quite jumpy aren't you," an all too familiar voice sniggers. The guards in front all step aside as a tall figure approaches. The top hat is an immediate give away as the male raises his head. The tear shaped jewel glows a strong dark green as he throws the hat to the floor. "We finally meet outside your dreams, Sicheng."

"Yuta," is all the dark haired mortal can bring himself to say.

A/N

that was a hella long update oml i hope you liked it

thanks for reading!!