[Novel] The Mirror [Chapter 6 (1/4)]

A night before the next of their adventure pack, all of the Guardians and Warriors are wandering around Bonhwa's house. Ever since he became a university student, Bonhwa has been living separately and is the owner of this luxurious house. Even though his house is only 1 floor, it has five big bedrooms (all have a big private bathroom), a big living room, big kitchen and dining room, and one private office. The house is also surrounded by a garden and a big parking area at one of its sides. 

"Is this a house or a palace?" asked Minjoon, then opened his mouth widely.

Minjoon has fully healed, he will join the adventure pack this time. Hyunki is running around and flopping on the comfortable wide couch before sighing in relief. 

"Can I just live here with you hyeong?" asked Hyunki while rubbing the couch.

"N-O. No, no," answered Bonhwa, his eyes looking around his guest.

All of the warriors and guardians are here today, being introduced to the place they're gonna live for the next few days. But only some will go for the adventure tomorrow. 

"Since I have several bedrooms, you guys can choose the three rooms to sleep in, Sikyung will have one room, and I'm okay to sleep with Myungwoo hyeong and Minseong," said Bonhwa.

Right after he finished his sentence, people were running to choose the room they wanted to sleep in, except for Hyunki.

"I will occupy this couch," he said comfortably.

"So, are we going to Fred country tomorrow?" asked Bonhwa to Myungwoo.

"Yes. Princess said she will bring our mirror to the border of our country and Fred Country on the north, so we can just start there."

"Will everything be okay, hyeong? How if the evil guardian attacks that country first, just like in Darcy Country?" asked Minseong.

"Princesses are also worried about that, but we just hope they haven't," sighed Myungwoo.

"Hyeong, I'm hungry... Do you have things to eat?" asked Minseong.

Not only is his house big, Bonhwa also has a lot of food stored here, just like a small mini market. Soon, people are full by eating ramyeon and the snacks. Everyone is also in a good mood today as they chit chat until the evening, before one by one they should leave this house due to their activity tomorrow.

"I should get back to my parent's house tonight and head to the office the next morning. So who wants to join me?" asked Bonhwa.

"Hyeong, can you take me to my dorm?" asked Minseong while raising up his arm.

"Can I join you too, Bonhwa?" asked Joochan, "I have things to settle on while I'm in Seoul."

"My manager will pick me up soon," said Daejoon, "I'll come back here tomorrow evening. I believe my schedule will be cleared up by then."

Kichul looks up after he checks his phone, "suddenly I have things to do, hyeong. I'll get back here as soon as possible."

"Don't worry, Kichul, just join us whenever you're done with your activity," said Myungwoo as he pats Kichul's shoulder, "we'll take the mirror along so you can join us anytime."

"Alright, see you guys tomorrow!" Daesun waving his hand to the people who leave the house.

Just like usual,at 5 in the morning, they get prepared to go to the mirror world. Sikyung is the first person who wake up then she wakes up Myungwoo, Minsook, Minjoon and Daesun - who all are so easily to be awaken, but Myungwoo and Daesun need to collaborate to wake Hyunki up as he is acting up like a kid. They eat breakfast together before get back to their sleeping position,

"I'll tell Kichul to join all of you right away when he is coming," said Daesun.

"Daesun, be careful. As we know the evil guardian usually will attack when the guard is only one," said Myungwoo while frowning.

"We don't know how they found out about our plan last time, but I think they won't this time. So don't worry."

"Alright, see you in the evening later, Daesun hyeong," said Hyunki before he flops again to the couch.

"Oh, Kichul hyeong is here!" said Minjoon as Kichul appeared from the mirror.

"What has happened?" asked Kichul as he looked at the big bubbles around him popped. 

"We just had some sparring with the centaurs," said Minsook, whose hair looked messed up, but looked totally fine.

"As you can see hyeong," explained Minjoon as he points using his spear, "Myungwoo hyeong finished first, he killed his opponent in less than 5 minutes; Minsook hyeong is the second who finish after Myungwoo hyeong; I finished the third - was injured though; Hyunki hyeong lost;and Sikyung still having sparring..."

Sungmi walked closer to Kichul and although she didn't have sparring before - she doesn't need it anyway - she looks even more unhealthy than before. 

"Nice to see you here again, Kichul," said Sungmi, doesn't let Kichul to express his concern, "Sikyung is fighting so well. Even though she is under the centaur's level."

Hyunki also looks forward to looking into the bubble where Sikyung is having a duel with a big male centaur with a long sword. Sikyung got wounded here and there - Kichul turned his head a bit to see Myungwoo's reaction, he was biting his lower lip - he must be worried a lot. But what makes Sikyung is one of the best warrior is because she never give up - this bravery also saved her in her solo battle - alongside the weaponless Joochan - last time. She jumps around, attacks when she gets the chance, dodge a lot, sometimes wounded again - but she refuses to give up until the 15 minutes sparring time they have has ended. Once the bubble popped, she fell to the ground and Myungwoo was the first person who reached her.

"Are you okay?" Myungwoo asked Sikyung while holding her by her shoulders.

"Don't worry oppa, look," Sikyung answered as she showed Myungwoo the wound in her arm is slowly healed by itself.

"You're so brave, Sikyung," said Sungmi, "I'm proud of you. Drink this to replenish your energy. How about your condition. Hyunki?"

"I'm feeling better now, princess," answered Hyunki while giggling, "Sikyung noona improved faster than me."

"Don't worry, you will improve too, Hyunki," said Sikyung while enjoying her chocolate.

"Now, shall we start to walk? In 10 meters, we will enter Fred Country. While we are walking, I will debrief you about this country," said Sungmi.

They say thank you and bid goodbye to the centaurs then walk alongside each other. Sikyung is still enjoying her chocolate as they walk together.

"Fred Country is famous as a 'fire country' since it has a lot of volcanoes and most of the creatures in this country have fire as their element," said Sungmi, "I do wish we have more water guardians so I plan to awaken the last two water guardians soon."

"What do their rulers look like?" asked Minsook, "and their relationship with our country?"

"That's a very critical question, Minsook, I like it that you asked about it," answered Sungmi while smiling, "sadly, our relationship isn't good and isn't bad at the same time due to the condition from the past. So I suggest we be careful at all times. Besides, we don't know how much the evil guardians have moved and influenced this country."

"Don't you have feelings about it?" asked Kichul, "or Minsook, do you see anything?"

"I didn't," answered Minsook while shaking his head.

"I can't predict anything too," answered Sungmi, "but no matter what, we should obtain their magic ball."

People are walking in silence as they keep walking forward. Myungwoo can feel the difference once they enter Fred Country: the temperature is rising. They start to sweat a lot.

"Bonhwa and Daejoon can tolerate this hot temperature," said Sungmi as she is sweating too, "and Daesun can keep his body cool."

"Can he also keep us cool like an aircon?" asked Myungwoo while wiping the sweat from his handsome face.

"He can, but it will use his energy and unfortunately, he isn't with us now."

"By the way, is it only me or we keep on hiking?" asked Kichul.

"You're right, Kichul. As I told you guys before that there are many volcanoes in this country, the border between this country and ours is a volcano mountain range. We should walk through this mountain range before going down to the cooler ground."

Minjoon is waving his sword in front of him and a cool wind breeze blows to the group and makes everyone sigh in relief.

"Worth it to do it rather than being a grilled human," said Minjoon while shut his eyes for a second.

They don't know for how long they already walk, but finally they can see the sun rising in the East side, it must be dawn now. Sikyung protects her eyes from the sun as she looks afar.

"I can see grassland down there. How high is the probability we can die if we jump from here?"

"100 percent," said Sungmi, "I can turn into a griffin and drag you down one by one but my size will attract other creatures that might attack us if I really do that. Let's go down a few meters more before we jump down."

"At a time like this, I wish I could be a bird," said Myungwoo, "or I have the ability to fly."

"You know what, Myungwoo, you will see someone among you guys soon that has the fly ability."

"I will be envious of him or her."

"Guys look, I found a cave where I can hear the sound of water from the entrance," said Minsook, he was running, "shall we rest for a while there?"

"Let's go there and rest for a while," agreed Sungmi.

Minjoon is the first person who cheers and runs alongside Minsook. They hiked to the North and found the cave Minsook and Minjoon had just entered. The cave is dark and there is a very strong damp smell. Hyunki raised up his sword with both hands and made it as the torch, then followed by the others with their own weapon (Sikyung is using one of her arrows). Minsook is right, they can hear the sound of water deep inside the cave and the cave itself isn't as hot as the temperature outside, maybe it's just a normal mountain, not a volcano, Myungwoo thought. The cave is big as they barely can see the ceiling and there are some holes in their right and left side.

"It looks like a big cave," said Sungmi, "be careful not to walk separately from each other."

"What do you think can live inside the cave, Princess?" asked Minjoon as he stopped and turned around.

"Maybe there are bats," said Hyunki while looking around, "but I haven't seen a single one of them here. That makes me feel curious... AAAAAARGH!"

Hyunki screamed loudly as he suddenly fell down and made a loud bumped sound. Sungmi quickly ran towards him.

"Are you okay, Hyunki?"

"What did you just stumbled on?" asked Kichul while raising up his trident which was shining the brightest.

Minjoon gasped loudly as he saw what Kichul's trident just lighted at: it's a big leg, its leg is as big as a tree trunk; its toes are as big as a big root. The owner of the leg is groaning and with a loud bumping sound and the ground is shaking for a while, they can see what creature it is.

"Cyclops," said Hyunki while looking up in awe, "it's a one-eyed giant and not a friendly one. That's why I keep wondering why we found no bat. They are living here inside the cave, the cyclops. Which crazy bat wanna live in one cave with them?"

Myungwoo didn't even bother to ask why Hyunki knows that much, he is the master of developing games anyway, his knowledge is beyond expectation. Hyunki even read a lot of books in the castle's library, the thing that makes Myungwoo feel amazed. He might have learned a lot from those ancient books. Everyone is still in surprise as they stare at the cyclops - who seem just awaken from their sleep - before they hear more bump sound and the ground shaking more - and what makes them scared is, they can hear more groaning sound. 

"Don't say that there are more of them here," said Sikyung while turning her body around to face a big hole on her right.

"You're right, Sikyung. They usually live with their family. And because the living space is limited, there could be at least two up to three families living together in one big cave," explained Sungmi.

"This thing makes family?" asked Myungwoo, "that sounds bad."

The seven of them makes a big circle with their back facing each other while they raising up their weapons towards their opponents which surround them: five cyclops - and just like Sungmi explained, it looks like they are living together since they can see two big male cyclops, two big female cyclops - they look the same ugly as the males one, and one in half of the size of the adult - maybe it's their son? Or whatsoever.

"Don't scatter, just attack the cyclops in front of you!" Sungmi screamed.

"But how do we not scatter?" asked Kichul at the right time when the big male cyclops threw a big rock to the group.

With loud scream - they scatter: Hyunki and Myungwoo are rolling to one side together; Minsook and Sikyung are jumping towards the same direction; Sungmi run towards one of the female cyclops to make her attention distracted; Minjoon is jumping up to slash the rock - the rock got cut in half; Kichul is the one who rolling the farther and the fastest, towards a hole in front of the cyclops' son.

"They have no elemental weakness so we can just attack them!" screamed Hyunki, "but their weakness is their eye! Make them blind!"

"Eye, copied!" Myungwoo screamed back at Hyunki.

Myungwoo jumped high while holding his ax, aiming the male cyclops' eye, and he hit the ax right in the eye. Blood spurting out from its eye, even its hit Hyunki. They think the cyclops would be defeated, but it groans angrily instead. He turned around angrily while stomping his feet here and there brutally. On the other side, Kichul is holding his trident in front of the cyclops' son's eye. His eyes focused on the cyclops' eye as his trident shone brightly. A while later, the cyclops stop moving as if it's in trans.

"Now you can be a bad son," said Kichul.

The son turns around and takes some big rock around the cave, then throws it towards his own group. Minjoon has already turned into a wolf. He dodges and attacks as fast as he can, but the male cyclops isn't an easy target for him. Despite the big body, the cyclops is quite fast too. Finally in one move, he grabs Minjoon's body.

"NO! ATTACK!"

Kichul is aware of the danger, so he orders his cyclops to throw rocks at the cyclops who grab Minjoon. The rock hits the back of the cyclops with a loud sound, but the cyclops get angry and throw Minjoon across the cave.

"MINJOON!"

Sikyung is the first one who reaches Minjoon, who has already turned back into his human form. She can see a lot of visible wounds around his body, and even the side of his head is bleeding. 

"Minjoon, are you okay?"

"It's okay, noona. Imagine if I wasn't in my wolf form just now, I could be wounded seriously. I can hold it," Minjoon said,  "let's try to attack them again!"

Sungmi is running from one of the holes while holding a black stone on her palm. 

"Everyone, take out the black stone inside their eye! Evil guardians must have injected this power stone into their body and made their energy doubled! It's the only way to defeat them!"

"Take the stone out of their what?" asked Hyunki, he can't suppress the disgust expression on his face.

But even before Hyunki could do anything with his sword, in a sudden, the remaining three cyclops turned their body - yes, including the one whose eye got cut by Myungwoo - to Hyunki. They groan and step closer to Hyunki - the female one targeting him with more rocks.

"WHAT THE HELL!"

"HYUNKI, RUN!"

Myungwoo swung his ax and cut off the healthy-male-cyclops' fingers while the son kept throwing rocks to the wounded-male-cyclops. The condition is so chaotic - people are screaming here and there - but it looks like the cyclops now only have one target: Hyunki.

"WHY ARE THEY AFTER ME?"

Minsook is standing in front of Hyunki before he casts a lightning bolt which strikes right to the female cyclops' eye. The cyclops falls to the ground and makes the ground shake hard. Minjoon, his head still bleeding, bravely jumps to the cyclops' face and stabs his sword to the bleeding eye - and a while later, after trying to fight the mad cyclops - he takes out a bloody black stone on the tip of his sword. The female cyclops groaned loudly before finally not moving anymore.

"Good job, Minjoon! Now the next one!" Sungmi screamed, "ready to fight, Myungwoo, Minjoon? Try to get all of them at the same time! COMBAT ATTACK!"

Sungmi is waving her morning star then a brown transparent line appears on the tip of it. The line goes to Myungwoo's ax and Minjoon's sword and ties it together. Myungwoo and Minjoon run closer and point their weapon towards the cyclops.

"LIGHT AND AIR COMBAT ATTACK! CHAIN LIGHTNING!"

Hyunki ran away from the chain lightning strike at the right time. The lightning strike from their weapons hit right to the three cyclops' eye - it strikes really strong until the cave is shaking as if it's going to break down. Sikyung is dodging and protecting her head from the falling rocks. The three cyclops groaned and fell to the ground, creating another earthquake.

"Uh-oh! Everyone, run outside! Don't mind about the black stone anymore! Run for your life!"

They can sense danger from Sungmi's voice so everyone is running outside in the midst of falling rocks inside the cave - Myungwoo grabs Minjoon and runs along with him. They all keep running following Sungmi. After a while, Sungmi stopped and turned around, the others were following her. They can see the entrance of the cave was blocked by the rocks - the cave collapsed.

"Wow. That was... wow," Minsook got speechless, "is the cave that easy to break or is it because of the combat attack?"

"I didn't expect the power could be that great," said Sungmi, "but I'm so proud of the two of you. We won the battle."

"I want to do that kind of cool combat attack too, Princess,"

"Sure, let's try more with your element too next time, Minsook. Now I think we should move forward, we had spent quite a lot of time fighting with those cyclops."

"I agree! Let's... go..."

But suddenly Hyunki falls to the ground, as if his legs are giving up.

"Hyunki!" Sikyung ran to Hyunki's side, "what happened?"

Now everyone is surrounding Hyunki.

"Take out that stone!" ordered Sungmi.

"Oh, I forgot that I took this," said Hyunki.

He takes out the black stone from his pocket then he just stares blankly at the stone. 

"Hyunki, throw it away!"

But Hyunki is still not moving. Sikyung has lost her patience and takes the stone and bravely throws it towards the canyon at their side. A second later, Hyunki blinks out of confusion.

"What happened to Hyunki, Princess?" said Sikyung, "he seems weird."

"I warn all of you now not to touch random things. It was an absorber stone made by an evil guardian. It's so dark until it can suck your energy until you have a painless death. Your energy will go directly to the evil guardian," explained Sungmi, "I think I know who she is. So she has been awakened too."

"So we just need to be aware not to touch an absorber stone?" asked Myungwoo, "what happened to the cyclops who got the stone inside their body?"

"If it's that easy, she won't create an absorber stone, Myungwoo. The stone can be hidden in an object you don't know. It's also the most effective way to control someone - or something rather than hypnotizing or mind-reading. If you control someone, your energy gets drained, but with an absorber stone, you get their energy instead."

"It sounds like a really dark black magic," said Minsook.

"It's made by guardian of darkness with very high levels. You can make it too someday, Minsook. But I trust you don't need to. So let's say we didn't kill the cyclops just now, they will have a painless death anyway. And by the way, who got direct touch with the cyclops?"

"I think it should be only me, princess," said Minjoon, "and Hyunki just now, a direct contact with the stone."

"I controlled the cyclops' son," said Kichul.

"Sit, three of you, and drink chocolate. Controlling them also drains your energy even though the portion is half that of direct touch. And I need to heal you a bit, Minjoon."

All of them are sitting down for a while. Kichul, Minjoon and Hyunki are drinking hot chocolate while Sungmi is healing Minjoon's wound.

"But why," asked Hyunki, after he got more energy, "it seems like the cyclops are after me in the cave."

"Good question, but I might have my prediction. You have the lowest level out of everyone now, so they choose the easier opponent. Sorry for that, Hyunki."

"I will fight a lot so I can gain a higher level," said Hyunki angrily.

"Don't worry, you eventually will gain it, Hyunki. I think everyone is looking better now, so let's continue our journey."