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

Eunkyung is focusing her eyes before she throws her javelin - which missed just an inch from the black cat's body. The cat startled and changed into the human form again.

"Argh, just a little bit more!" screamed Eunkyung in frustration, making Daesun and Daejoon startled.

"So it's her," said Daejoon, "Kichul ever told me that Princess Sungmi said there is one female guardian among us, except Princess Sungmi. She is the one: the fierce woman water guardian."

Daesun hasn't has time to reply Daejoon's word as from the opposite way, Minseong is jumping fast, followed by someone in black cloak. Minseong is quickly standing with the other three as he turns around and faces his stalker. Apparently, two people in black cloaks were standing side by side too.

"How did you find us?" asked Daesun.

"I was communicating with Daejoon hyeong, let's find out about that later, hyeong."

"Oppa, why are you here?"

The man in black cloak said in his deep voice, "Why are YOU here? For me, I was outnumbered and only that two water guardians are under my level. And now... I'm not sure even two of us can win over the fire guardian and the air guardian. I didn't expect this."

"Do you think we better run back to the mirror world?"

"We can call the creatures and in case we are losing, it's easier for us to run if we are there. Let's lure them!"

"Isn't that the girl who was dueling and tried to kill you?" asked Daesun as he pointed to the girl in black cloak, "that black chain. She was also the one who injured Minjoon. The one who can hypnotize and cast a protecting shield."

"I think it's her. She keeps on following me..." replied Minseong.

"I have a feeling they want to know about our hideout. But now Sikyung is guarding alone, will she be safe? How if it's just a trap and they are going to attack Sikyung?"

"Daesun hyeong, give us orders. Now that Myungwoo hyeong and Bonhwa hyeong aren't here, you can decide what we should do," said Daejoon.

Daesun is looking around his friends: Eunkyung is untrained but she certainly knows what to do and she also a very useful healer; Daejoon is a strong guardian but he is out of his post now; but at least they have Minseong now - he is even stronger than Daejoon. But that two evil guardians, he turns his head to staring at the two people in black cloak, he is sure both of them are in the higher level than him. But will Sikyung be okay?

"Protecting Shield!" screamed the girl.

"They're escaping!" shouted Eunkyung.

They saw both of them, protected by shields, run into a big fake standing mirror and vanish completely.

"Daejoon, let's quick-catch them, this might be our only chance! Follow them!"

While praying that his decision is the best one, Daesun charged to the mirror followed by his friends, and they quickly vanished too.

"Look at that!"

Myungwoo widens his eyes in disbelief: the red dots inside the crystal ball quickly turn to white in just a few minutes.

"Eight!" Minsook quickly counted the white dots, "Joochan hyeong almost finished the mission!"

Sungmi was still feeling quite tense a minute ago, but to hear that Joochan is working well there, she finally took a seat on a big rock. Kichul is walking to her side and pats her shoulder lightly.

"Princess, I think you have chosen the best person as the warrior leader," he said with his calming voice, "Joochan hyeong is doing well there."

"I just wish to see him soon, the healthy him," said Sungmi, she still sounds worried.

"He will come back unscratched. I have a good feeling about it."

"So I've been curious about one thing," said Soulling, who was walking side by side with Joochan, "did Princess Sungmi ask you whether you wanna accept your role or she doesn't give you any choice?"

Joochan nodded his head, "she asked. She said she can erase my memory if I choose not to join the party. But I choose to accept her request."

"But why? Don't you want a normal life?"

"I have a normal life until I become a warrior and I do like it too! But Princess Sungmi said if in the mirror world the Darkness Lord is really awakened, then it means in my world, chaos will happen too. Well, there might be no weird creature attacking wildly in my world, but there will be a lot of hatred - so it means war, and also a lot of natural disasters will happen. If I really have a chance to prevent it, even though no one knows about it, I'm okay, as long as I'm useful."

"But you know that you might die while doing your mission as a warrior, right?"

"I know about that. I have seen how hard my friends are fighting against the evil guardian's plot. But I'm not afraid. I wanna be useful until my last breath. And I know I'll be safe. We have Princess Sungmi, my friends are strong and I have you now, Prince Soulling. I don't even scared of this forest anymore."

Soulling is laughing, the sound of his laugh is so weird, like the mixing of growl and chuckles.

"I'm not as strong as what you've imagined, but with my healthy body, now I can even kill a thousand... no, I mean hundreds of druids alone."

"Are they that evil? The Dark Druid?"

"Well, what can we say about monks who serve their lives to the Darkness Lord and his followers, the devil? They're out of their mind. They have a choice to not live this way, that's different from the nature of Minotaurs, we are born as cursed creatures anyway, but they choose to be one."

"They capture humans to sacrifice them?"

"They will drain your energy until the last drop and offer that to the Darkness Lord. Do you know why Minotaurs and Dark Druids have bad relationships?"

Joochan is shaking his head and ready to listen to history while walking forward following the firefly.

"Long time ago, they attacked a village to kidnap humans. They use magic to kill people, you know, but they use the magic that looks like a wound on the human body... a wound that looks like being hit by a spiked club."

"No way... they framed the Minotaurs?"

"Yep. And that's not only happening one time. Well, like I said that Minotaurs' nature is to eat human flesh, I can't say that we are good either, we are cursed, but we don't kill for nothing, we kill to live longer and we never framed anyone if we do bad things. Princess Sungmi is the one who unveiled their bad acts. That's why I really honor her. A lot of Dark Druids run into this forest after Princess Sungmi, Prince Bialaer, me and many want to catch them. So that's why I'm here. They hide quite well but I never fail to catch or kill them if I see any of them. And Prince Bialaer is living close by with some of his colony. We try to trap the Dark Druids here. Well, there are still many of them outside, but at least we captured the biggest colony here."

"That was a long story..." Joochan nodded his head, "and I'm just thinking... Prince Soulling, because you were so nice to me, after the mission ends and we get the elixir of life, you can have me as your dinner."

"Are you kidding me, Joochan?"

"No, I'm..."

"Heal the unicorn," cut Soulling.

Joochan focuses forward and sees another injured unicorn. He quickly runs to the poor creature. The unicorn is hurting badly, it seems like something with sharp claws almost breaks open the unicorn's lower body. The silver blood flowed out and he lifted up his head to see Joochan and Soulling.

"Poor creature... who did this to you? A wolf?" asked Joochan as he put his palms to the unicorn's body, "there were so many injured unicorns here."

The unicorn shut his eyes as he rested his head to the ground again.

"You know why they got hurt?" asked Soulling while smirking, "unicorn's blood is the main source to longevity. And in this forest, those creatures who are looking for it are the Dark Druids. I think forest food isn't satisfying for them."

"Is it because the unicorn can't fight so they're an easy target?"

Soulling is laughing again, "unicorns can fight. But it will be quite tricky if they are alone and far away from their colony. He must have been tricked and attacked by a lot of Dark Druids."

"Nice explanation, Soulling. And tonight you bring us a big source of energy. His energy brightens up the entire forest. The general will like it and finally will add us back to his pack."

From the darkness - Joochan widens his eyes, terrified - there is someone in black cloak walking closer to them. Joochan turns his head around and he can see there are nine of them, surrounding the unicorn, him and Soulling.

"That general never cares about you guys anymore, or actually he can easily save you guys from here."

"He will care about us again if we give this big energy to him," said the one with a deep voice, walking one step closer.

Soulling is stepping in front of Joochan.

"While I'm here, no one can touch him."

"Soulling now becomes a human's dog? Oh no wait. The humans said you're a bull. So you are their bull now?"

"Cut the nonsense."

Joochan is actually glad because he has a good reflex - he dodge away from a fireball which hits and burns the nearest bush. Soulling is raising his spiked club and swinging it with fast speed and accuracy: he can easily dodge and charge around the flashing attacking magic being cast by the Dark Druids. His angry groans sound so loud and brave.

"Dodge and run," whispers Joochan to the unicorn which is fully healed.

The unicorn rubs his shining horn to Joochan's arm as a thank you, before dodge and dash away through the bush. Joochan got shocked by something heavy bumping and fell beside him: Soulling is kneeling beside Joochan. He put his spiked club on the ground to support his body, and there are big bruises on his chest.

"So it is true? Soulling lost his power because he stopped eating human flesh since he entered this forest?"

"It's none of your business, I still can wipe all of you up."

Joochan can see a flash of one Dark Druid on the ground, not moving at all, it means Soulling already killed one, at least. He put his palm on Soulling's bruises.

"Damn it, he is a healer! Kill him!"

Joochan shut his eyes right before a fireball was cast at him. But nothing happened. He doesn't feel hurt.

"Game over. You will not touch Joochan. You will not outnumber Prince Soulling."

Joochan knows whose voice is that, and as he opens his eyes, he can see the back of his friends: Bonhwa, Minsook and Kichul. Apparently, Myungwoo is kneeling on Joochan's other side and wielding the fireball with his ax.

"Joochan, are you okay? Prince Soulling, we are here to serve you."

"Now I can witness the power of the new guardians? Joochan has been talking high about you guys," Soulling is laughing as his bruises are healed.

"Me, you and Bonhwa can take two so we will win the battle easily."

"I agree."

"Let's do this!" screamed Bonhwa as he was getting ready with his trident.