[Novel] The Mirror [Chapter 7 (3/4)]

Meanwhile, Minseong and Minsook are walking side by side with their weapons shining in front of them.

"It's so interesting," said Minseong while smiling, "hyeong, Daejoon hyeong is somewhere in the mirror world too."

"Oh really? I heard he is guarding the prison of the evil guardian," said Minsook, "do you know where the prison is?"

"I don't know either. Daejoon hyeong also refused to say the location. He said we still don't know exactly how this telepathy works, he is afraid if someone detects the conversation."

"Now you make it sound like both of you are on the phone," said Minsook while laughing.

"Wait, what the... why?"

Just like Daesun and Bonhwa, Minsook and Minseong also entered a big hallway with an alley behind them that got blocked with branches and roots.

"Does it mean we should pass the first mission?" asked Minseong.

"Oh you're right! Look!" 

Something appears from the walls around them, and that something has a pair of wings.

"Oh, is that what Bonhwa hyeong ever talked about?" asked Minsook, "are they fairies?"

Tiny humans wearing green cloth flying around the room and they start to throw sparkling dust.

"If that's true," said Minseong while rolling away, "don't get hit by the dust, hyeong!"

But it's too late for Minsook to avoid the dust and he inhales quite a lot of dust. He is coughing and starts feeling dizzy. Minseong jumps in front of Minsook.

"Hyeong, take cover until you feel better!"

Minseong jumps again and starts attacking the fairies with his axe. There are a lot of them and he needs to be super fast to avoid their dust. Minsook is leaning to the grass wall as he is still feeling dizzy. He is using his arm to cover his mouth and nose. 

"Hyeong, noona, look! It's way out!"

Minseong is running faster than me and pointing to a bright alley: it must be the way out. Eunkyung noona is running happily towards Minseong.

"Let's exit and hope that the other group has already escaped! We need to be quick!" Eunkyung noona loudly said, "Minsook, come on!"

But before we could exit the alley, something big was blocking our way: it's my first time to see that thing but I know exactly what it is: a dragon. It's a black giant lizard covered in scales; its claws look so sharp and strong; it has big bat-wings; it has two sharp horns on its head; when it exhales, sparks breathe out of its nose. Someone in black cloak is riding it, sitting on its long neck, holding a spear. 

"Watch out!"

But Minseong is too late as Eunkyung noona runs towards the dragon, when she realizes it and about to turn around, the dragon raises up its claw and grabs her by her body.

"Aaaaaaaah!"

"No, noona!"

Minseong is jumping while raising up his axe but the dragon grasps Eunkyung noona tighter, while I can't move... no, I shouldn't move... and watch her being crushed by the strength of the dragon's claw...

"NO!"

"Minsook hyeong?"

Minsook even didn't realize he was already lying on the cold ground, his body trembling uncontrollably while he was sweating hard. Minseong is shaking his body while trying to protect them with his axe.

"Hyeong, are you okay?"

"Oh, I... I think... argh!"

He feels something burning inside his pants' pocket.

"Hyeong?"

"I... I'm okay. I think the dust effect has gone now."

Minsook just stands up when a group of fairies throw dust at them, making Minseong and him roll away.

"Let's fight them, Minseong!" said Minsook as he got his staff ready, "afraid of darkness, you guys?"

Minsook is focusing his eyes as he catches the small sparkling white spot on the chest of the fairies.

"Darkness plague!"

Minsook casts a spell that hits several fairies. They get trapped in a big black bubble and start screaming in pain as the "plague" starts consuming them: they start losing their parts of the body, some fall to the ground as their wings break. They couldn't escape the big bubble and got annihilated one by one.

"Hyeong, that's so cool!"

"Then I'll cast some more!"

"Goodbye, fairies!"

I won't let them kill Eunkyung noona, said Minsook, they shouldn't touch them in front of me.

Myungwoo, with a big backpack on his back, is running fast along the dark alley. He doesn't know what awaited him in the end of the alley but he will try to see if the way out is in here. He entered a big hall when the alley behind him was covered with thick bushes. His ax is shining, as if it's ready for a battle. Then from the alley across the room, four giant mud creatures step in: it's a golem; before the alley also gets covered with bushes. 

"Golem for warming up? It's not bad at all. Come here."

Showing his quality as the Guardian's leader, he jumps and attacks the golem easily, his ax hits any part of the golem's body and makes a hard crack sound, even though it's not easy to break them completely because of his element which is not an air, his attack still makes an impact. I just need to endure it, said Myungwoo while attacking harder. But suddenly, the alley across the room has been opened and three chimeras jump in.

"Minsook's feeling is as good as his prophecy. Let's go, Myungwoo!"

He cheered himself before fighting with better power. He is also being more careful now since he should win over them alone. The golems get mad when one of their packs is annihilated, but they aren't as fast as the chimeras: they breathe fire and intend to burn Myungwoo so badly. Myungwoo is standing in the middle of the hall.

"Come here you guys!"

He lure the six of his enemies to surround him, and as the chimeras breathe fire, he jumps high - not as fast as he wanted - so he can feel his right leg is burned; but he manage to fall and rolling on the ground outside of his enemies and he turn around to see the result: two golems are bumping into each other and they fall with some of their body parts crack; one golem is resistance to the chimera's breath; the other two chimeras got burn by their pack's fire. The two chimeras are screaming in pain as the fire burns their body slowly. Myungwoo hissed quietly as he felt his leg stings - the fire made a big hole on his pants and he can see his skin is reddish because of the attack.

"It's okay, it's just a small injury. And the golems aren't very smart either, I can just lure them again."

Ignoring his painful leg, Myungwoo charged at his enemies again. He just needs to hold on until he can find a save point then Joochan can heal him. 

Just like the other groups, Sungmi, Kichul and Sikyung also enter a big hall. Once the alley behind them started to cover, Sungmi raised up her morning star.

"Gather closer," she ordered, "our first enemy is here."

Sungmi is slightly in front of Kichul and Sikyung while the other two also raised their weapons. From the alley across the room, they can hear the sound of steps running closer to them.

"There are a lot of them," said Kichul, "good for training. Who knows I will gain a level after this."

Then they can see a pack of Minotaurs running towards them with their spike raised up. They aren't as big as Prince Soulling but their eyes are red - a bad sign of a creature. 

"Sikyung, stay safe," reminded Sungmi.

"I will, Princess."

Like a trained warrior she is now, Sikyung raised up her bow and shot an arrow to the minotaur who was running in the front line. The minotaur ward the arrow with his spike: the arrow falls to nowhere.

"No way," said Sikyung.

"That's the block ability of a minotaur, so be careful. It can block any attack we cast on them."

"How to win over that ability?"

"There's no other way. Just fight."

Sungmi jump forward and sways her morning star, need four minotaurs to block her attack; Kichul stabs his trident towards a minotaur who try to attack him, and he succeed as the trident stabs its stomach; Sikyung stands on the nearest rock which makes her view wider before shoot her arrow again, this time, the arrow stabs on one minotaur's leg and make it fall to the ground. Sungmi turns herself into griffin and her transformation clearly makes the minotaurs in shock - she flies and grabs two minotaurs on their neck and throws them to the wall - the minotaurs scream in pain and unconscious. On the other side, Kichul just attacks and stabs his trident to five minotaurs in five fast attacks - three of them lost their spike (it broke in two) while the other two died by the stabs on their stomach. 

"I read their mind, I know their movement," said Kichul, feeling proud of himself.

Sikyung is proud that she can make one minotaur fall and she takes another arrow. At that time, a mage with his magic stick enters the hall and casts a spell towards Sikyung.

"Sikyung, run!" Sungmi screamed.

But Sikyung is too late to dodge the spell: a black wave of spell hits her and for a short time, Sikyung feels as if she is blind. She blinks her eyes several times until she can see again.

"Where am I?" asked Sikyung, confused.

"Sikyung?"

She recognized that voice, and she heard steps come closer to her.

"Myungwoo oppa?"

"Sikyung? Are you there?"

Finally she can see Myungwoo walking closer to her. He looks so fine - it doesn't mean he doesn't look fine on a daily basis, he always is - but something is looking better in him this time, even though Sikyung doesn't know what that is. Myungwoo looks neat in white suit - he looks charming - and as he walks closer to Sikyung, he is smiling.

"What is that on your hand, Sikyung?"

"Oh, oppa this is..." Sikyung raised her arm, "my bow."

"Why do you need to hold your weapon again?" asked Myungwoo again, "it's all over."

"All over?"

"We won the battle. The mirror world and our world are safe."

"Really? What did I miss?"

"You missed almost everything because you were unconscious," explained Myungwoo patiently, "it's all over. We can take a rest now."

"Really oppa? We don't need to fight anymore?"

"Really, trust me. Give me your weapon, let me keep it for you."

Sikyung put her bow on Myungwoo's hand. Myungwoo is smiling again as he makes her bow disappear.

"So what are we going to do next?"

"Of course, enjoying our peaceful time together."

Myungwoo offered his hand to Sikyung.

"Wanna go with me?"

This is the thing that Sikyung always puts hope on, she also always dreams of it, to spend quality time with Myungwoo. Ever since she becomes a warrior and knowing that Myungwoo is a guardian's leader, she never spends time properly with him. She always wants to know him more and wonders if Myungwoo also feels the same towards them. Now they can finally find the correct time to do this together. She put her hand on top of Myungwoo's while smiling back at him before nodding her head.

"Of course. Let's go, oppa!"

Sungmi transforms back to her human form before running towards Sikyung.

"Sikyung, wake up. Sikyung!"

Sungmi is shaking Sikyung's body. 

"Something is happening to her, Princess?"

Sungmi puts her palm on Sikyung's neck.

"Illusion," said Sungmi cautiously.

"You remember the rule really well, Princess," said the old man - the mage while laughing, "only she is the one who can break the spell."

"Even if I kill you?" asked Kichul who suddenly appeared beside the mage and stabbed his trident.

The mage is faster than Kichul's attack - it makes the attack only hit his free arm - it bleeds but the mage is dodging further. 

"Yes, even though you kill me. But I won't die that easily."

The mage casts a dark wave one more time, this time towards Kichul, but Kichul jumps away at the exact moment to avoid the spell.

"He is strong. So how about this one?"

The mage raises up his magic stick and a powerful wave hits the minotaurs, and suddenly their amount has doubled.

"Damn with the illusion. Kichul, don't waste your time fighting the fake one! Kill the real one and the fake one will disappear!"

"How to make a difference between them?" Kichul asked as he jumped away from a group of minotaurs who surrounded him.

"The illusion must be lacking something! Find it out!"

Sungmi looks down to Sikyung, "Sikyung, wherever you are now, please fight over it. And come back to us shortly."

Sungmi feels bad to leave Sikyung, who looks pale, to fight the minotaurs and mage.

Bonhwa killed the last ghost, finally they aren't multiplying anymore.

"Hyeong, look!"

Just like how they expected, the transparent number just appeared above Daesun's head and the number 6 changed into 7 before it disappeared.

"Hyeong, you really got yourselves level up!"

"Suddenly I'm so thankful for those ghosts," Daesun said while wiping the sweat on his head, "how long have we been in this maze?"

"Maybe around half an hour or so? I lost count of time..." Bonhwa said while looking around, "oh look!"

He pointed (again with his trident) to an opening across the hall. Nodding at each other, they run towards the door which leads them to another long narrow passage. They run for some time before stopping in front of four hallways in front of them.

"I hate maze more than anything in this world," said Bonhwa while cursing.

"What should we do?"

"Hyeong, you order then I'll listen."

Daesun also hates to decide what to do next, he feels like anything he will choose will determine their fate. He put down the backpack on Bonhwa's back to the ground before taking the contents.

"It's hard, but I think we need to separate. Bonhwa, you're stronger than me so take Daejoon's mirror with you. Give 2 potions to me, I might need that to stay alive."

"Hyeong... don't say that. Can we go together instead?" Bonhwa frowned at this decision.

"No, we can't. The more we explore this maze, the bigger chance we can find a way out or whatsoever," said Daesun, "go, and win over whatsoever waiting for you in front."

"But hyeong..."

"There is no time to waste. You choose which hallway you'll go to. I'll choose after you."

Bonhwa stood up, put the backpack on his back again before choosing the second hallway from the left. As he stands up in front of the hallway, Daesun walks to the hallway on the very left.

"Stay alive and unscratched," said Daesun, smiling at Bonhwa.

"You too, hyeong!"

And the two of them choose different paths, entering the dark hallway.