Do-hari paced around her room, thinking of her next steps for the upcoming days before the Christmas play for her children's school began. Her mind continued to wonder to her mother's prophetic dream, wondering what the fire could be that she mentioned.
Suddenly, she heard a knock at her door, her train of thought momentarily broken as she looked at her door. "You can come in!"
The door opened and I stepped inside, Do-hari letting out a gasp and hurried over toward me to grab my arms. She looked up into my eyes, seeing the seriousness in my gaze and led me inside her room. She sat me down upon her bed, sitting next to me and glanced over at me timidly.
"Where... did you go this time?" Do-hari asked curiously, leaning forward so she could look into my eyes.
I took a deep breath then exhaled softly, letting a smile form on my face. "Vindicating Sa Nu Rim. I went out to find the truth myself, and soon...your names will be cleared. Issac and Ephraim are still alive out there somewhere...I want to find them."
"What..? How will you find them? What for? What did you find out?" Do-hari asked, getting up on her feet to stand in front of me with pure curiosity etched on her face.
"Sa Nu Rim was a victim of Nam-Suk's corruption... Zephyr never truly wanted to kill Sa Nu Rim. Most importantly, the royals aren't the ones after Sa Nu Rim. It's the Overseer of St. Goken Academy. He also knows..." I began then paused, hesitating on if I should reveal that Su-Yun was now Sa Nu Rim.
"What? He knows what?" Do-hari asked, stepping closer to me, her mind filling with millions of questions.
I met Do-hari in her eyes then gave her a warm smile, gently tapping her upon her nose. "I'll save that for another time, for now...we should focus on getting everyone ready for the play next Friday."
"Mmm...I wish we could do that, but Ae-Ri has locked herself in her room for the past three hours and won't tell anyone what's wrong," Do-hari sighed softly, holding her arms and closing her eyes with slight frustration.
"She has? Maybe I can try talking to her? We have grown close over the days I've been here. Maybe she'll have her first conversation with me without you present," I suggested, standing up on my feet and stroked Do-hari's chin before walking past her.
Do-hari blushed lightly from my gentle affectionate act, her mind going haywire as she quickly turned around to see I had already left the room. She touched her chin gently, feeling my lingering touch and felt her heart racing. "Mwo..? He's...more attentive now..?"
Do-hari decided to secretly follow behind me, curious about my methods on how I would approach Ae-Ri and secretly wanting to stay close to me. She followed me down the halls, slipping behind a grandfather clock as I turned around to see who was following behind me.
"My sheep hear my voice; I know them and they follow me," I said softly to myself, approaching Ae-Ri and Minsu's room door.
"Ae-Ri, where are you..?" My gentle voice echoed softly throughout the entire house like a soft whisper.
Ae-Ri and Minsu heard my soft whisper calling out to her, the two of them waking up from their sleep and glancing around the room to see no one inside. Once again, I called out to her and she heard my voice, feeling a gentle tug at her spirit to go toward the door.
She slowly rose up on her feet, slowly going toward the door and cracking it open to see me standing at her door with my eyes covered. She looked up at me, watching me uncover my face with a silly expression upon it. She glanced away from me, her lips unable to contain her smile at my attempt to cheer her up.
"What do you want, Mr. Nox..?" Ae-Ri said softly, fidgeting with her slightly oversized shirt and glanced up at me.
I crouched down to match her height, meeting her gaze with a tilt of my head. "Do-hari told me you were feeling down, and I wanted to see why. The eyes never lie...try me."
Ae-Ri looked into my eyes, her eyes softly glowing as she began to read my thoughts subconsciously. At first, she could only hear the sounds of gentle winds and soft prayer, then...
"I can see it in your eyes, Ae-Ri...you found out.."
Ae-Ri froze, her eyes never leaving from mine as she heard my thoughts. "What..?"
"About your father, Nam-Suk... However, you shouldn't direct your anger toward your mother. She has always loved you since the beginning..."
"But she hid it all from us! Eomma...Appa said he'd love us always..." Ae-Ri began, her breathing growing heavier, her eyes beginning to water from disappointment and heart tugging pain.
I gently pulled Ae-Ri in for a soft hug, allowing her to cry upon my shoulder as I rubbed her hair. Ae-Ri threw her arms around me as she sobbed, all the years she spent loving Nam-Suk shattering in her mind. Do-hari watched from a distance, her heart breaking as she realized Ae-Ri had found out.
However, another thing began to tug at her mind. Ae-Ri and Minsu never lost her power even during the hardships then it clicked to her, their powers remained because of the love they had for Nam-Suk while everyone else's powers were limited because of him.
Once Ae-Ri was finished crying, she got off my shoulder and wiped her tears, still sniffling and hiccuping from deep emotion. I rubbed her hair, giving her a warm smile as I comforted her. I noticed Minsu standing in the back, gesturing for him to come over to me.
"Is Noona okay..?" Minsu asked quietly, holding a purring Sa Nu closely to his chest as he approached timidly.
I nodded at him and gently ruffled his hair, giving him a nod. "She's releasing her emotions that she's kept inside for so long. I want you two to understand something...it's okay to feel sad. It's okay to cry and let it all go. You may not understand now, but lay your worries, your grievances, your sorrows on me.."
"I'll carry the burden for you two...so you won't have to, my sheep," I said in a fatherly tone, my gaze shifting between the two of them.
Do-hari wiped her eyes and bit her lip, doing her hardest to keep her emotions inside, yet was still moved to tears as she watched her children smile genuinely for the first time in forever. She quickly hurried off, wiping her tears away then hurried off to her room.
I glanced behind me, smiling softly as I heard Do-hari's door close then turned my attention back to her children. "Do you two want to go for ice cream? There's one shop still open at this time..~"
Both children happily nodded, the two of them hurrying downstairs to put on their shoes and wait for me. I stood up, watching them race down the hall and chuckled softly. I began to make my way to Do-hari's room to check on her, knowing she had witnessed the entire moment.
I gently knocked on her door, listening closely and hearing Do-hari crying softly. I gently opened the door, poking my head inside to see Do-hari sitting on her bed with her hands covering her face. I walked inside the room and to her, sitting beside her and wrapping my arm around her shoulder.
"Nae sarang, what's wrong?" I asked in a concerned tone, looking down at her and rubbing her shoulder.
"N-nothing...it's just, seeing them smile like that brought be back to the day Ae-Ri and Minsu were first born. I...I actually went back and saw Ae-Ri's birth...she...she was colorful," Do-hari said, looking up at me with teary eyes.
I smiled at her and gently wiped her tears then brushed a few strands of hair from her face. "You went back to Ae-Ri... Your heart knows what it wants, and you want your dynamic back together with your children and family."
"Don't worry, I'll get you all back as one body. All I need for you to do is trust me," I assured, locking my gaze onto hers.
Do-hari nodded at me, her eyes never leaving mine. "I do... I trust you completely, seobangnim.."
"Aiishh! You should really learn to fully close your door when you're getting all romantic in here," Dong-hee's teasing voice said outside the room.
The two of us looked over at the door, noticing Dong-hee and Nam-Sun standing at the door, all dressed for an outing. Do-hari blushed madly, springing onto her feet and scoffed at her older sister, walking over to her with an embarrassed expression on her face.
"Maybe, you should learn to mind your business! Hmph! Where are you two going anyway?" Do-hari asked, looking at her siblings with curiosity.
Nam-Sun pointed at me in an answering manner. "Your soon to be husband invited Ae-Ri and Minsu for ice cream, so naturally we got ready as well."
"Right, there's no way I'm missing out on Bulan Creamery for their famous Rocky Road ice cream! So, if you wanna come, get your butt dressed and ready!" Dong-hee said with excitement, the only thing on her mind being ice cream and an outing.
Do-hari glanced back at me, raising an eyebrow, oblivious to the extra plans I made with her kids. "You're really taking them out for ice cream?"
"Why not? Plus I have a natural sweet tooth as well..~ I've been thinking about Banana Pudding ice cream since I came back, I won't lie to you. Family matters come first then personal enjoyment, and since we have the matters handled, it's time for ice cream," I said, clapping my hands together and nodding with approval.
Do-hari stared at me for a moment then snickered with amusement, holding her arms under her chest and rose an eyebrow. "If there's anything I do like about you, it's your strangeness. I can never seem to wrap my head around you.."
I chuckled softly at her and stood up, stroking her chin once again as I walked by her. "Being strange is my specialty. I'm glad you're finally noticing."
Do-hari's heart fluttered as I stroked her chin again, a blush forming on her face as she watched me walk out her room. Now excited for an outing with her family, she decided to get ready and dressed while her siblings followed be downstairs to wait for Do-hari.
--------------------------
The Bong Clan and I wandered around Bulan Plaza, excited to get our hands upon a sweet treat from Bulan Creamery. Ae-Ri held my hand while Minsu sat upon my shoulders, the two of them giggling as they greatly enjoyed my presence. Do-hari hummed and smiled happily, watching her children become truly joyful for the first time in two years.
As we approached the ice cream shop, Nam-Sun halted in his tracks after catching glimpse of someone. Dong-hee glanced back to see Nam-Sun standing still with surprise on his face, her gaze shifting to see Jae-in in the distance waiting in line for ice cream as well.
"Well, it seems like everyone has a sweet tooth today," I chuckled, standing in the long line to wait for our turn.
Nam-Sun huffed softly at my comment, placing his hands into his pockets to avoid touching anyone. "You surely know how to crack jokes at every moment huh?"
"C'mon, Nam-Sun! You've been avoiding her for two years now, go talk to her!" Dong-hee encouraged, gently pushing Nam-Sun forward to get in front of me.
Nam-Sun grunted softly as he tried to resist Dong-hee's strength, but groaned as he stepped forward reluctantly. "Oishh... Soljiki...neo jjajeungna..."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Dong-hee said, subtly pointing to Jae-in who was in front of Nam-Sun.
Nam-Sun rolled his eyes at Dong-hee then looked ahead, to see Jae-in wearing earbuds. He exhaled softly, gently tapping on Jae-in's shoulder with his hand slightly tucked into his sleeve. Jae-in glanced back, her eyes slightly widening as he noticed Nam-Sun.
"Nam-Sun..?!" Jae-in gasped softly, looking past him to see Dong-hee and Do-hari then her smile brightened. She glanced at Nam-Sun with a smirk and crossed her arms. "Can't talk to me without being peer pressured by your sisters?"
Nam-Sun placed his hand on the back of his head, letting out a soft sigh as he looked away from her, a soft blush forming on his cheeks. "You've got it all wrong...I can talk to you whenever I want..."
"Ahh, so you're avoidant," Jae-in asked in a teasing tone, her smirk widening into a happy grin.
"Tch...gwichanayo," Nam-Sun scoffed lightly, his blush growing more the more Jae-in pressed him.
I chuckled softly at their interaction, lowering my head and closing my eyes to stop myself from laughing. "She reads into you more than I do."
"No one asked for your input, Messiah," Nam-Sun said in a slightly annoyed tone, yet his bark was bigger than his bite.
Jae-in glanced over at me with curiosity, raising an eyebrow from Nam-Sun's nickname for me. "Messiah..? Is he your friend?"
"This is actually my soon-to-be brother in law. His name is Nox Winters," Nam-Sun introduced, glancing back at me with a neutral expression.
"He's my fiance," Do-hari hummed, linking her arm around mine carefully as Minsu still sat on my shoulders.
Jae-in giggled with amusement by how close Do-hari was to me, holding her arms and smiled happily at the two of us. "Y'know...I find this match a bit cute. It's nice to meet you, Nox."
"Likewise, Jae-in," I said with a courteous smile, nodding my head toward her.
The line continued to move forward, each person coming and going for their favorite ice cream. As we drew closer to the front, the options became less and less. Minsu and Ae-Ri began to grow discouraged as they had to keep changing what ice cream they wanted.
"Mr. Nox, there's no more mint chocolate..." Ae-Ri said in a soft tone, looking up at me with puppy eyes.
"And the chocolate chip ice cream is gone now..." Minsu whined softly, resting his chin against the top of my head sadly.
I looked up at Minsu then looked down at Ae-Ri, humming softly and closing my eyes with a smile. "Do you two truly want mint chocolate and chocolate chip?"
"Ne...but it's all gone," Ae-Ri said, pointing at the remaining options.
"Well, today will be your first test of faith. If you truly want it, my Father will hear your prayers no matter how big or small. Try it, we have a few more moments before we reach the front," I said, looking ahead to see roughly 15 people still ahead.
Ae-Ri looked at me with slight confusion, but decided to try my suggestion and clasped her hands together, bowing her head. "God, I don't know how to really pray right...but I really want mint chocolate ice cream, can I have it?"
"Me too! Can I get chocolate chip ice cream, God?" Minsu asked, his gaze looking up at the sky.
A few people glanced back at us as they heard Ae-Ri and Minsu praying for ice cream, a few chuckling at them and thinking the act was cute. The line began to shorten, the remaining people leaving and getting us to the front. Ae-Ri and Minsu glanced through the window, seeing neither option had arrived.
"Mr. Nox..." Ae-Ri called to me softly, looking up at me with disappointment.
I smiled at her and my right ear twitched, hearing the sound of a truck backing into the parking lot. I glanced over at the truck, seeing it was the Bulan Creamery Delivery. The worker opened the back, taking boxes out, two of them with the tags named "M. Chocolate" and "Choco. Chip".
I chuckled softly and pointed at the truck, everyone's eyes following my point to see the delivery trucker restocking on ice cream. "God's timing is always perfect, and His plans are always ordained. He hears all, and His will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven..~"
Ae-Ri and Minsu's expressions brightened up immediately, the high spirits returning amongst the two. I ordered ice cream for each of us, paying for each bowl and leaving a tip for the workers. The seven of us began to stroll through the plaza, enjoying our treat with side conversations happening amongst the group.
I looked at the group, a warm smile forming on my face as I saw the change in expression amongst the family since the first day I entered into the family. Everyone seemed happier since my arrival, however I could not take credit for making them happy as I only showed them the Father's love and patience.
I looked ahead to see a familiar face hanging outside a casino, his expression seemingly impatient as he waited for someone. I stopped walking with a smirk and looked over at Nam-Sun, gesturing for him to take Minsu for a moment. "Just for a moment.."
Nam-Sun rose an eyebrow, taking Minsu from my shoulders gently then watched me walk forward. "Where are you going?"
Do-hari watched me as well, taking a lick out of her strawberry ice cream and tilted her head. "Nox?"
"Well, well, well...my Mojisolan Rival. It has been a while since I've seen your face," I said with light amusement, slipping my hands into my hoodie pockets.
Claudio glanced over at me, his impatient attitude shifting into his usual smirk, his golden eyes gleaming with amusement. He glanced past me to see the Bong Clan and Jae-in in the distance. "From Messiah to family man, how's God's plan working for you?"
"Hm, my Father is well pleased with me. You seem to be the one in a...lost situation. Let me guess, Fortune?" I asked, standing beside him against the rail and looked up at the casino.
Claudio scoffed softly and crossed his arms, leaning against the railing as well. "Well guessed. She's on one of her gambling sprees. I'm losing Credi by the second..."
I snickered lightly, looking away and covering my mouth. "She's called Fortune and her ability is Divine Luck and Miracle Inducement, and she's losing money?"
"Laugh it up, Noxius. I'm glad you find amusement in my pain," Claudio said sarcastically, rolling his eyes at me. "What do you want specifically..?"
I hummed softly and shifted my gaze up at the sky. "I was out with my family then I saw you, and it's tradition for us to speak every time we see each other."
"What? You're looking for a fight? I don't need my Love Demons to take you down," Claudio said, looking over at me with a challenging gaze.
"If it was any other day, I'd accept, but I've had my share of battles today already. However, I do want to ask of you something," I said, looking over at him.
"Who is that guy..?" Dong-hee whispered to Do-hari, pointing at Claudio and looking at Do-hari.
"I don't know...I've never seen him before but he must be friends with Nox if he was willing to go over to him to speak with him," Do-hari whispered back, curious to know what I was talking about.
"So, are you down? Do we have a deal?" I asked, holding my hand out toward Claudio.
Claudio glanced down at my hand, exhaling softly as he knew taking my hand he would become in agreement with me. He turned his gaze back to the casino, sucking his teeth lightly. "I'll think about it...I still want that glory of stopping Merin for myself. There can't be two Heroes in this story. One of us...will have to become the enemy, and it won't be me."
"Hm, I suspected you'd say that," I chuckled softly, lowering my hand and getting off the rails. "The deal is still on the table. Remember, Yuvah doesn't leave people, you leave Him. However, in your case... He's saying there is a place for you in His Kingdom. There is Grace and Mercy for you, Rival."
Claudio watched as I walked off, scoffing lightly at me then noticed Fortune walking out of the casino with a wide grin on her face. "Hm? Why are you so happy? You were on a losing streak..."
"Look! Look!" Fortune beamed happily, flashing a check with a Sovereign Butterfly stamp upon it. "100,000 Zodia! We can convert this into Credi and be closer to being millionaires!"
Claudio snatched the check from her hands, noticing the butterfly stamp and looked over at me, watching as I walked past him with the Bong Clan. "Tch...an act of Grace. I can't get too mad at it...this did come from him..."
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"Ugh...all of this detective work, I'm starting to feel like my Imo, Lin Sun...How is it this hard to find information on MY Captain?" Su-Yun sighed, leaning forward against the table, running her hands through her hair.
"Maybe it's due to the fact that you all keep searching in Grushia and Seolhart, maybe if you expanded your horizons, you'd find information," Ahn said, taking a sip of his water and sighed softly.
"Were we really only searching in those two cities..?" Song Boon asked in a curious tone, her queer gaze shifting between Luciel and Su-Yun.
Luciel sat back in her seat, taking a sip of her juice as she watched citizens of Grushia City walk along the sidewalk. "I have a feeling that the information is here. Something is telling me keep searching in Grushia and Grushia High School..."
"We've been searching for days, our students are probably wondering when class will ever begin again," Luciel continued with a soft sigh, setting her cup down.
"I nearly forgot I was a Professor for a moment," Su-Yun sighed softly, resting her head against the table and closed her eyes.
Luciel continued to watch the streets of Grushia City, her gaze falling upon three familiar faces then she gasped, standing up quickly from her seat. "Ms. Anna?! Chester? Queen?!"
Anna turned her gaze to the sound of Luciel's voice, lowering her sunglasses, her lips forming into a warm smile. "Well, well...It has certainly been a while since we last met."
Chester looked at Luciel and waved at her casually with his usual cool smile. "Yo!"
Queen smiled brightly at Luciel and hurried over to her, hopping up the stairs to enter the courtyard outside Grushia Bean Express. She happily wrapped her arms around Luciel, humming happily. "Luciel!~ It's been nearly a month since we last saw you!"
Luciel held Queen's arms with a happy hum to see her friend once again. "I know! What brings you three to St. Goken?"
"We followed Moon-li and her group here, plus we've gotten a bit of Intel that other Wonderland Academy students have found their way here to Exzodia, specifically...Mad Hatter, Michin Haeteo," Chester said, walking toward the railing of the courtyard.
"Michin? One of the St. Goken Academy students?" Do Song Boon asked curiously, looking over at Chester then turned around in her seat. "Who are you and how do you know so much about St. Goken?"
Chester hummed with an intrigued smirk on his face, his catlike curiosity getting the better of him. "My name is Chester Katt, A Student Council member on an important mission. My girlfriend there hugging Luciel, her name is Queen."
Chester pointed at Anna with his thumb. "And this is our Councilor, Miss Anna, a Forensic Scientist and Doctor in chemistry. Smart woman to have on your team, I'd say."
"These three feel insanely powerful...Oishh, Luciel, you didn't say you had such connections," Ahn said, glancing over at Luciel with a raised brow.
"They weren't exactly at the forefront of my mind at the moment..~ Wait, if you're here to investigate, does that mean you're attending St. Goken Academy as well?" Luciel asked, looking between Chester and Queen.
"Only temporarily. Once we finish up here, we would be heading back to St. Meishi. I don't know why Moon-li and the others are here personally, but my guess is to look for Nox," Queen said, letting go of Luciel and glanced at her phone.
"I mean if you're looking for Nox, he's on the other side of Seolhart in Bulan. He's pretty much been there the entire time and only came to Grushia once. Since then, he's been on his mission to save a family," Luciel said, shrugging her shoulders with a light smile.
"Bulan, you say? Heh, it would be nice to try to find him. After all, I am still pretty curious about our mysterious Lord," Chester chuckled, getting off the railings and slipped his hands back into his pockets. "Until then, taking down Michin comes first."
"If you need any help with that, we're happy to help," Su-Yun said then grunted as Luciel poked her side. "Mwoyo?"
"We can't fight a student, that's against guidelines. Besides, Chester, Queen, and Miss Anna are powerful enough to handle their task. Trust me," Luciel said, nodding at Su-Yun with a smile.
Queen chuckled at the two and began making her way back to Chester and Anna. "We should be heading off now, but be sure to keep in touch! I wanna hear what all you've done!"
"I will," Luciel said with a wave, watching her friends walk off and hummed.
Suddenly, the sounds of blimps overhead whirred above, Luciel and the others glancing up to see a Strength and Wits blimp flying above them. Luciel and Su-Yun heard the sounds of combat heading down the road, So-Yi, Jiahn, and Hyeon Bae rushing down the streets racing against Moon-li, Eun-Song, and Mi-sung.
So-Yi pivoted around, phasing through Moon-li's leaping kick then twirled around into a roundhouse, but Moon-li pushed her leg away and pressed a fireball against her stomach. So-Yi grunted as she was blasted backwards, her momentum stopping as Jiahn caught her.
"A Battle Zone? Happening during the day?" Su-Yun asked, glancing back up at the sky.
"There's two blimps... meaning there are two Battle Zones happening," Luciel said, looking back up at the sky to see the Wits Blimp heading on a path toward Bulan. "Grushia and Bulan are the Battle Zones...meaning the two zones stretch across Seolhart."
Jiahn dodged Eun-Song's strikes with careful steps and struck her twice upon her chest, launching a swift overhead roundhouse to follow up. Eun-Song phased through her attack, grabbing her leg and tossing her along the ground. Jiahn recovered quickly with a blast of wind to boost her in the air, avoiding Eun-Song's sliding kick.
"Heh! Where's your fourth member at? You traitors went and switched to Bulan, I guess Grushia is too much for you?" Jiahn taunted excitedly, landing on the ground and rolling her shoulder.
Eun-Song chuckled softly at Jiahn, looking to her side to see Kim Eun following behind, silently watching the fight from the sidelines. "Our fourth member is arriving soon. And our switch was commanded by our Exzodian Lord~"
"No way, Mr. Nox would tell you to switch! Not after what Grushia is going through, we need your help with Royal, K, and Majesty!" Hyeon Bae huffed, puffing her cheeks with disapproval and crossed her arms.
Mi-sung giggled softly at Hyeon Bae, understanding her sentiment as her own. "Trust us, we all know you need help on Grushia's side, but Bulan is also in danger as well. It's all of St. Goken, but worry not, we will still be around to train you up!"
Sang So-Yi hummed softly at their answers, staying silent as she began to sense immense wind energy approaching them. She glanced around quickly, her Silver Swallowtail also picking up hints of Iridescent Energy nearing.
"Eonni! There's a really strong presence approaching us and fast!" Ji-MAN warned, her gaze frantically searching around the area.
Oriel formed four shields around Hyeon Bae while Gimatet-Hey stood guard around Hyeon Bae, both Guardian Angels protectively holding their positioning. Hyeon Bae grunted softly as she waited in anticipation, searching around the area as well.
Kim Eun crossed her arms with a light hum, the blue-green highlights in her hair glowing faintly as she picked up high wind energy as well. She turned to her left, noticing a familiar figure headed straight toward her at high speeds. She quickly got on guard, blocking the attack with a grunt, the collision releasing a pulse of powerful winds.
Sang So-Yi looked at the new combatant, her eyes slightly widening. "Is that... Woo-Chi..?"
Hyeon Bae quickly looked in the direction So-Yi glanced at once she heard Woo-Chi's name then gasped in shock, her hands covering her mouth. "Woo-Chi!!"
Kim Eun grunted as she guarded against Woo-Chi's improved strength, her gaze shifting into a slight glare as their history was never resolved. Kim Eun repelled Woo-Chi and fired a blast of wind toward her, but Woo-Chi stood strong and tanked the winds with Special Air, her battlesuit merely absorbing the winds.
Woo-Chi hopped up and down, green lightning crackling around her body as she energized herself as I did, proof of her direct training with me. "Once the girls told me they would be battling against Grushia High School...I knew this would be my best chance to see your faces again after two years."
Luciel hurried to the railing and stared at Woo-Chi in shock, her appearance more vibrant than the recent school photo she found of Woo-Chi. "It's actually her...it's Woo-Chi..!"
Kim Eun scoffed lightly at Woo-Chi, remembering all the times she had bullied her and closed her eyes. "It has been a while Woo-Chi, and I can see that you've changed. Well, I have too.."
Kim Eun placed her hand upon her chest, her Holy Ember igniting upon her chest. "While my walk with Yuvah isn't where it should be, I'm walking alongside Him now. I want to say I'm sorry for the years of torment, and I've left Ha-Rin."
Woo-Chi's expression hardened slightly at the name of Ha-Rin, her hands balling into fists with green lightning crackling around them. "I haven't forgotten about the shame and the humiliation you've brought me and my friends for our faith. The years of keeping us F Rank because we didn't want to follow a sinking ship."
"However, if Nox has taught me anything...it's that anyone can be redeemed. Even a Wild Salamander, a Monster! Forgiveness is the first step of peace, but that doesn't mean I haven't forgotten! I haven't fully forgiven Ha-Rin, and once I'm strong enough to face her... I'll crush her!" Woo-Chi declared, getting into her stance to battle.
"She really has changed...I don't see any fear in her eyes anymore," Jiahn said, turning her gaze toward Eun-Song. "Is she... attending Bulan High School?"
"She is... She's C+ Rank, strong enough to tackle a Battle Zone on her own," Eun-Song said with a proud smile on her face. "I'll cut you a deal, if Kim Eun can beat Woo-Chi, you can have our team points."
"Heh, Woo-Chi might have gotten stronger since last time we saw her...but we've been training under Headmistress Kaguya, Professor Sa Nu Rim, and Mrs. Winters. I'd like to see what they could do," Jiahn said, slipping her hands into her jacket pockets.
"Hey, Woo-Chi! This one is riding all on you, girlie!" Moon-li called out to Woo-Chi, rallying for her. "Show them what St. Meishi teachings are like!"
Woo-Chi cracked her knuckles, getting down into a running start then dashed forward at high speeds, Kim Eun grunting softly as she was caught off guard by Woo-Chi's speed. Barely blocking Woo-Chi's kick and sliding backwards, she ducked under her kick then launched an upper counter.
Woo-Chi palmed her fist, pushing it down and catching Kim Eun's jaw with a right, following it with a burst of wind from Special Air then leaped into the air, crashing her foot down against Kim Eun's stomach to send her back to the ground. Kim Eun grunted heavily as her back hit the ground, causing her to cough hard in pain.
So-Yi awakened her Beshin-Keh, studying Woo-Chi's aura and noticed hints of Iridescent Energy, proving the encounter with me was stronger than she imagined. "She's a C+ Rank, yet her aura does not reflect that..."
"That's the beauty of truly encountering and following Nox. He told me on one day before leaving to come here to St. Goken, his main ability is called Divine Uplifting. Anyone who has a form of relationship with Nox seems to be uplifted to new heights," Moon-li hummed, watching Woo-Chi's battle against Kim Eun with approval.
Kim Eun could barely keep up with Woo-Chi, barely evading every close call then generated an orb of wind in her hand to slam against Woo-Chi. Thrusting her hand forward, Woo-Chi countered with her own ball of wind in reverse motion, colliding it with Kim Eun's and cancelling out both orbs of energy.
"Wha—" Kim Eun began, grunting as she was caught with an uppercut to her chin.
Woo-Chi launched Kim Eun in the air with a series of five kicks, grabbing her jacket then pulled her toward her for an izuna whirlwind drop. Before hitting the ground, she flipped backwards and slammed Kim Eun on the ground with a powerbomb, a move she learned watching entertainment wrestling.
"Ohhh! God— Kim Eun, do something! You're getting washed!" Jiahn rallied, unable to handle watch the once elite, prideful bully of Class 12-A get humbled by Woo-Chi.
"Oh, I don't know who to cheer for! Kim Eun is a friend but I love Woo-Chi also! It's so hard! Go, Woo-Chi! Go, Kim Eun!" Hyeon Bae cheered, hopping up and down to rally Kim Eun.
Luciel, Su-Yun, Ahn, and Song Boon watched Woo-Chi's fight, all of them impressed by her skills in battle. Kim Eun tried with all her might to catch Woo-Chi with one good strike, yet Woo-Chi was using similar evasion tactics to me, Kim Eun unable to land a single strike.
Kim Eun grunted as she was knocked backwards, stumbling back into balance and huffed softly, nearly faltering onto one knee. She stopped herself, her eyes glowing as blue-green aura began to form around her body. "Heh...I haven't felt like this in a while. Seems...I will have to take you seriously!"
Kim Eun propelled herself toward Woo-Chi with a grin, Woo-Chi launching herself toward Kim Eun as well and clashed with her. The two entered a round of swift hand to hand, dancing around the street as they evaded and blocked each other's attacks. Woo-Chi formed a ball of wind and threw it past Kim Eun then summoned another orb.
Kim Eun ran straight toward Woo-Chi and leaped over her, causing Woo-Chi's first orb to strike herself inside, sending her flying past Kim Eun so she could follow with a palm strike against Woo-Chi's stomach. Woo-Chi grunted as her back hit the trunk of a company truck, causing her to fall onto one knee.
'What the...? She saw through my attack..? How did she know my strategy..?' Woo-Chi questioned mentally, looking up at Kim Eun then shifted her gaze toward Jiahn, Hyeon Bae, then finally So-Yi. 'Her...Sang So-Yi...'
So-Yi stared at Woo-Chi as well, memories of the two hanging out together flashing in her mind. She then began to remember what Covet said to her some time ago about Woo-Chi, exhaling softly through her nose.
"You and Sang So-Yi were always very similar to each other, the Wisewoman and the Helper. Your fighting styles are practically similar and your tactics. While you were catching me off guard, it took me a while to see you've mixed So-Yi's militant combat style with someone else's fighting style," Kim Eun explained, taking fingerless gloves out of her back pocket.
"You're stronger now, but I have you downloaded. This match...is mine," Kim Eun said, slipping her gloves on with a smirk.
Woo-Chi scoffed at Kim Eun and stood back onto her feet, her battlesuit gleaming under the sunlight beautifully, her wind wings shimmering into view as the sun's rays hit against them. "Yours..? You haven't even seen half of what I can do now. Let's see you try to hit me again..."
Kim Eun smirked at Woo-Chi's challenge and charged toward her with a powerful strike, but Woo-Chi phased through the attack, countering with an elbow to her side. Kim Eun grunted as she staggered to the side, caught off guard by Woo-Chi's phasing. She launched another strike, yet Woo-Chi phased and countered again.
Kim Eun continued to launch strikes at Woo-Chi, not understanding how Woo-Chi could phase through each of her attacks. Upon phasing through another attack, Woo-Chi warped into an elbow strike to Kim Eun's jaw, knocking her back then warped into a missile dropkick.
As Kim Eun rolled backwards and recovered onto her feet, Woo-Chi warped forward warped forward with a lariat strike then propelled herself toward Kim Eun with a flap of her winds. She twirled around in the air, slamming her leg down against Kim Eun's back for an axe kick.
"What?! She can Phase and Warp as well? Isn't that supposed to be a divine ability like when you're actually connected with God?" Jiahn asked, looking over at Eun-Song in shock.
Eun-Song chuckled softly at Jiahn's surprise, crossing her arms and looking over to her. "Spirit Warp is the most basic ability an Ascean can learn. Actually, it's one of the first abilities you learn because you're walking in truth."
"Basic? I can only phase and warp when I'm in my Holy Form. She can just do it whenever..." Jiahn said, tilting her head with confusion and intrigue.
"Well, it looks like that's it! Kim Eun is done," Moon-li said, resting her hands behind her head with a grin. "Looks like someone's gotta pay up~ Karaoke Night is on you Jiahn~"
"What? Hell no, I'm not paying for the EIGHT of us! That's already over 800 zodia, 1,154,056 won in my home nation! Aiiish, you're so lucky I'm a Shopkeeper," Jiahn groaned softly, tapping on her bracelet to transfer the winning team points to Eun-Song and her team.
Luciel watched the girls with a careful gaze, her gaze shifting back to the sky at the blimps above. 'Why do I have a strange feeling..? Why are there two battle zones..?'
Su-Yun walked up next to Luciel, looking up at the sky as well to see nullius clouds in the sky again. "Those clouds again...they block me from transforming into Sa Nu Rim. Maybe something is about to happen again..?"
"Maybe..." Luciel said softly, looking at the nullius clouds as well.
-----------------------------
I sat outside at park within Soksu, Bulan with Do-hari and her children, watching as Minsu, Ae-Ri, and Sa Nu played around with the domesticated elemental wolves, their squeals and laughs filling the air. Do-hari laughed along with then, capturing every moment on her phone.
I looked up at the sky, noticing the Wits Blimp flying into Soksu, my brow raising with curiosity over why a Battle Zone was happening during the day. I returned my gaze back to the children, noticing they were pointing at the blimp as well. Do-hari glanced in the air as well, humming with curiosity.
"A Battle Blimp? There's a Battle Zone happening? During the day? Let me let my family know..." Do-hari questioned then looked down at her phone to call her family and warn them about the battle zone.
"If the blimp is in Soksu then it has already passed by Dong-ga, so they would've saw it..." I said, looking back up to see the blimp had stopped right over Soksu.
Red energy walls enclosed the town, setting up the Battle Zone right in the middle of the bustling town. Ae-Ri and Minsu hurried back toward us, not understanding what was happening and why. Do-hari held them close to her, watching as I stood up and walked forward.
"A daytime Battle Zone only means this is a planned zone and not a regulated one. A Wits Battle Zone..." I said, turning around to see a cloaked figure standing behind me and locked onto them. "And it seems my opponent is here..."
The cloaked figure stood still before me, their faces covered by their hood. They began to walk toward me, studying my appearance with unknown intent. "So, you are the one that had an encounter with Overseer Sun, and embarrassed him..? The supposed...Son of Man..."
I watched as the tempter circled around me with a devouring gaze, her poisonous tone seeking to entice me. My gaze remained calm and focused, my hand raising to keep Do-hari and her children back. My eyes never left the cloaked woman, keeping close track of her movements.
"There are starving children in the world, starving families...if your God was so all powerful, why does He not just make food free for all?" The cloaked woman questioned, stopping behind me with a hum.
"You're asking a loaded question. What do you mean with your question?" I asked, looking at the woman behind me.
"If Yuvah was all-knowing and all powerful, why did He create evil in the world? Why doesn't he just... stop it? A flood could've been avoided, everything after Genesis would not have happened," The woman said, her voice dripping with toxicity.
"God didn't create evil...evil entered the world when the first sin was committed. Yuvah does not ordain evil, but allow it so that we may come to Him for peace and safety. If you want someone to blame for evil, why not blame the original sinner? Lucifer," I replied, watching as the woman walked in front of me.
"And those who go hungry? Why not turn stone into bread?" The woman questioned, her lips forming into a cursed smirk.
I answered, "As Yesha once said and I shall repeat it to you from memory, 'It is written that man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
"Oh? Well...if you are the supposed Son of Yuvah, why don't you throw yourself from the highest mountain? It is said that He will command His angels concerning you, life you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone," The woman inquired, stepping closer to me.
"It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord, your God, to the test," I answered, standing my ground with my eyes shimmering like fire.
"All of your struggles could've been avoided...had you bowed down to Terminus and worshipped him," The woman said, drawing even closer to touch my cheek.
"Away from me, Terminus! It is written: 'Worship your Lord, you God, and serve Him only! Your poor attempts of tempting me will not work, Sheba," I said, exposing her name as I awakened my Yaoke.
Sheba gasped softly and backed away quickly, running away in a panic and disappeared into a dark portal. Once she had went away, the Blimp above began to fly away, the red energy walls disappearing from Soksu.
I looked up at the sky, noticing an opening in the clouds for the Polaris Star. "Father...and my Lord, I have driven her away. You can release them now..."
The nullius clouds began to part and replace with normal white clouds, the suns rays warmly casting over the city of Soksu, the fake Battle Zone now gone. Do-hari and her children kept their eyes upon me, admiring the grand display of battle using the True Sword of Spirits.