Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a bright day within the seas. The waves swaying smoothly throughout the vicinity, the sounds of birds crying out as the sun shines brightly above the clouds, glittering the waters with its light. A silent spectacle for such a peaceful hour.

“AAAAAHHHHH-“

Ruined by the sounds of a speeding yacht, combined with the screams of a certain girl.

“STOP STOP STOP! I’M GONNA DIE! I’M GONNA DIE! I’M GONNA DIE!  AAAAHHH-“

Lee Jihye’s screams echoed across the oceans as our boat bounces out through the waves. The boat eventually slowed down, allowing her to finally catch her breath. Soon enough, the culprit was dragged out of the deck by Yoo Sangah; it was none other than Lee Gilyoung.

“You idiot! Do you have any idea how dangerous that was!?”

Shin Yoosung immediately scolded the boy as her eyes locked unto him, though she didn’t get to say more as Lee Jihye blitzed past her and grabbed the culprit by the throat.

“YOU F@#$%$@ IDIOT, I AM GOING TO MURDER EVERY CELL OF YOUR BO-“

“Ok that’s enough, I think he’s got enough punishment already”

Sangah-ssi luckily stopped the girl before she could actually kill Gilyoung. I couldn’t do more than just laugh at this amusing spectacle. It really has been awhile since she’s been to sea huh?

“Even with that much speed, aren’t you overreacting too much?”

Han Sooyoung spoke as she walked behind them with a snicker.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN OVERREACTING, DIDN’T ALL OF YOU FEEL IT TOO!?”

“Well yeah but you were the only one screaming about dying”

Lee Jihye couldn’t reply to that so she just stomped out to a corner while grumbling profanities along the way.

“Don’t worry about it Jihye-ah, you’ll get used to it again eventually”

I went ahead and voiced out some encouragement before she left even if it wouldn’t do much. As the yacht swayed peacefully, I once again looked out to the peaceful sight and breathed the sea’d refreshing air. It really has been awhile.

“How are you doing?”

Han Sooyoung stood next to me, taking in the same air.

How am I doing? It’s an intriguing question. Its been 7 months since the day I woke up from my endless dream, recovering was tough but I managed, especially when it means being together with everyone again, as a family.

Allot of things happened since then, allot has changed. We bought one big house for everyone as we’ve promised, the kids proceeded with their education, Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung got married and that bastard finally got himself a job as a chef (although I myself am still unemployed due to only fully recovering recently, though I am considering editing).

So how am I doing?

“If we’re talking about my thoughts then I feel great, otherwise I am a little dizzy because of Gilyoungah’s little stunt from earlier”

“Haha, is that so? Well that’s good to know”

Han Sooyoung too has changed quite a bit. Her hair now reached her shoulders and has been acting more open than when I remembered, though I guess that goes for everyone else too.

I turned to look at the woman beside me, and I can’t help but thank her everyday for the story she has written for me. After all, I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her. Though she has eventually gotten tired of hearing those same words every single day so I just do so silently from then on.

“That bastard’s taking his time with the preparations, I’m starting to get hungry from all the bouncing from earlier”

“Well he is making a full course meal for everyone in the ship and our number isn’t exactly that low.

Speak of the devil”

It was then that the door from the deck opened with the one and only Protagonist carrying plates of delicacies with Lee Seolwha tailing behind him.

Would you look at this guy? Many months ago, you wouldn’t expect him to ever show any other look than his stone faced seriousness but here he is with a rather cool looking smile as he placed his masterpieces along the open table.

“The hell are you looking at?”

Ok now he’s back to that stone face.

I could hear Jung Heewon laughing loudly from behind while Lee Hyunsung was holding his, it seems they’ve heard about Jihye’s story. They we’re helping out with the food preparations as well and setting out the meals unto the table.

“Gilyoung-ah, why don’t you call Jayoung-ah and Pildu-ssi so that we can start quickly”

Yoo Sangah politely asked Gilyoung, replying with an “on it” and rushing to the back of the yacht. The deck once again opened with the voices of familiar stars sounding out.

“Do I smell Yoo Joonghyuk’s cooking!?”

“Uriel- wait!”

Uriel was quickly held back by Gabriel before she could rush for the first bite, but then someone else was leaving behind trails of darkness as they rushed to the table.

“Dibs on the chicke-GAAH!”

“How about you slow down too?”

Black Flame Dragon too was quickly grabbed by the Sooyoung before he could make a sudden mess. The Great Sage then emerged last with Yoo Mia riding his back.

“Hey! Leave some for us”

Finally, Jang Hayoung and Gong Pildu joined in with the feast. All of them then sat on their chosen seat. With everyone finally gathered, I went ahead and declared.

“Well now that everyone’s here, why don’t we skip the long and tedious speech and just dig right in”

“Don’t mind if I do”

“Hell yeah!”

It was a beautiful sight, this is. The sight of everyone I know and love gathering in one place, producing the noises of clattering plates and utensils mixed with the various sounds of shouts and laughter as they gobbled up Yoo Joonghyuk’s cooking. The waves sounded out from the background as I look at this sight with fleeting eyes.

No more pain, no more dreams, this is all but a happy ending.

And there is nothing that could stop this lasting moment.

Rumble

Droplets of rain clattered outside the deck, the sounds of wind howling through the air with it. We all quickly gathered inside once we felt the change, It was a shame really.

“Aw man, I was looking forward to this too. Why does it have to rain now?”

Han Sooyoung was especially frustrated, after all, this whole thing was her idea. One day, she noticed a date where everyone didn’t have a schedule so she invited us all for this little trip. It was about time to fulfill Yoosung’s wish too. She even rented this yacht for us; do authors really get this much fortune?

“Well it can’t be helped, we could always do it for another time”

“Easy for you to say. Do you  have any idea how expensive it was to rent this boat? And we can’t even use it for the whole day!”

Oh so they don’t actually get that much fortune. Why couldn’t she just ask us for help (Not me though, I use her money).        

It’s gonna take awhile before we could reach land so I went ahead and grabbed some books to read that came with the boat. The rest didn’t have much to do either. Most of them were either sleeping or conversing with each other while the kids are playing board games with the Abyssal Black Flame Dragon of all people.

“This is taking quite awhile though”

“Well we wouldn’t have been stuck in the sea this long if it weren’t for a certain someone tampering with the wheels”

Jihye gave a Gilyoung a sharp glare as she spoke, causing the latter to retort.

“If it’s gonna make me less guilty, that wasn’t originally my idea”

He then aimed the same glare at Han Sooyoung. Oh so she was the real mastermind. 

“Cough You know what, this is really taking awhile so I’m gonna go check on Yoo Joonghyuk”

With some very convincing coughs, Han Sooyoung left for the captain’s cabin. Although it was her guilty excuse to escape, I too should check on our travel status so I followed her.

We opened the door to the cabin and saw Yoo Joonghyuk navigating through the storm. He noticed our presence and started voicing his thoughts. 

“I don’t think we’ll be able to make it to Korea’s shore at this state, It’s best that we find a temporary island to camp on until the storm passes”

“Have you tried contacting them?”

A fluffy ball of fur suddenly jumped out from the wheel and proceeded to transform into a dark haired girl. 

“I’ve already informed them of our situation. Unfortunately, the storm is just far too strong for any rescue to arrive. But don’t worry! The boat wouldn’t be damaged too much with me around!”

That’s true. Biyoo did produce a protective barrier around the ship which was enough for us to not get flipped by the wind. Even with the Star Stream’s lack of probability these days, she’s still the Dokkaebi King.

“So our only issue now would be to find an island to park by. How long is that gonna take?”

Not too long apparently. As Han Sooyoung finished her sentence, a certain shape appeared from the distance. Perfect timing I would say, and looking at her, Sooyoung seems to be thinking the same thing. Although it is strange; I’m not all too familiar with Korea’s former and current geography but I don’t think there was an island like this around here.

With enough thought, we decided to just settle down in this land so I went back to inform the rest of the company and no one objected.

Boredom once again engulfed the area as I just continued to read whatever interesting book I could find in the bookshelves, while the others just continued with whatever they were doing. 

There wasn’t much to see in this island after all, and we can’t even leave check it out due to the storm. Look to the left and you see trees, look to the right and you see more trees, everywhere you look is just trees, trees, rocks, and more tre-

“Hey…do you see that?”

Shin Yoosung suddenly spoke as she looked over the view. I was about to ask her what it was since there was nothing to see, but then I looked a little closer at a certain corner of the forest and indeed there was something. There was what looks to be a stone paved stairway leading up to somewhere like a pathway.

“Hyung! Let’s check it out!”

“Wha- No we can’t go out there in the storm!”

Gilyoung’s suggestions was quickly rejected by Yoo Sangah, but then Lee Jihye butted in, fully agreeing with the declaration.

“We’ll come back immediately if there isn’t anything to see. Besides, there isn’t much that we could do in here anyways. Plus a little cold isn’t gonna hurt so come on!”

“Wha- Hey!”

Jihye and Gilyoung already rushed ahead with umbrellas in hand before any of us could even say a word. Yoo Sangah quickly caught up to them while Yoosung tailed behind after much contemplating.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to just leave them alone like that”

Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung seems to have overheard the commotion and approached us.

“I suppose you’re right, should we go catch up to them?”

“Sweet! It’s been awhile since we went on a little adventure”

Sooyoung went back and fetched us some more umbrellas. We asked the others if they also wanted to come along but they didn’t have much interest so we just went ahead and tried to catch up with the initial group.

Jung Heewon sprinted ahead in excitement while Lee Hyunsung tried to match her pace. Sooyoung also tried to catch up while I tailed behind her at a slower pace. Eventually, we reached the stone paved stairway and started climbing up. But then-

“Huh?”

I stopped abruptly

“Is something wrong?”

“N- No. It’s nothing”

Sooyoung noticed my oddity but I simply shrugged it off and continued the climb. However it was strange, at some point I suddenly felt a familiar feeling, something similar to a sting from a probability storm. But that can’t be, right?

It wasn’t long before we were reached the top and what greeted us was a massive garden, only there were no flowers planted in the soil, even if there were, they were long rotten or swept out by the storm.

A little further in stood a massive mansion designed in western style architecture. Moving forward, we saw the rest of the group standing in front of what seems to be the entrance with Lee Jihye…uhhh, what is she doing?

“Took you too long enough”

“What’s going on here?”

“Well Jihye-ah suggests that we try to trespass this seemingly abandoned house and insists that she will open the door. But as you can see….”

Just as Heewon said that, Jihye suddenly went rolling back with a “GAK-“ while still holding the door handle. I guess her stubbornness eventually opened the entrance.

I went ahead and pushed the doors open, revealing what looks to be a fancy looking entrance hall, although it was too dark for us to completely discern anything due to the limited light from outside.

I turned on my smartphone’s flash light as we entered to explore the place, Lee Jihye quickly recovered and caught up with us too. 

We split up for a bit and looked around the place but even with my smartphone’s light, there wasn’t  really much to see in this entrance hall. The carpet had a western style design while further ahead was a stairway to the second floor. What I found odd however, is how seemingly well preserved the interior is compared to outside, as if someone had just recently cleaned the place.

“This is really creepy. I’m starting to think this was a bad idea. Huh?”

As Lee Jihye explored in her own corner, she bumped into a large solid object. She looked at it and noticed some words engraved on its surface like a plaque.

Lee Jihye leaned in as she tried to decipher what was written with the limited light. It was then that a chill ran down her spine as she felt something brush past her and stood behind the plaque.

“Hey guys! I think I found I found the light switches!”

As Lee Hyunsung declared, the hallway was immediately covered in brightness. Lee Jihye then suddenly looked up, it was then that she saw someone looking down at her, forcing her to screech.

“Hiii-“

Her fall attracted everyone as we all gathered to her location. I looked to the direction of her gaze and saw ‘someone’ or rather ‘something’. It was a large painting of a beautiful woman. Her hair was blonde, tied with a rose ornament; her eyes blue like the open skies and peaceful sea, adorned in a western style dress covered in brown-red palettes, along with gold stripes shaped like an eagle.

Many words could describe the beauty of this painting, but out of it all, the first word that came to my mind was that of a Witch.

“What a beautiful painting, could she be the master of this house?”

Sooyoung couldn’t be wrong about that. It’s the most common thing to assume. Yoosung went and helped Jihye up as we stared at the strange painting for a bit before looking back down to the plaque that Jihye saw.

“Huh? This is Japanese..”

Sooyoung leaned in to look only to declare a disappointing answer. None of us could read this language. But perhaps?

“Let me try, I’ve been learning some Japanese from Asuka Ren lately, I’m not fully an expert on it yet but I do know a few words”

Nice one Sangah-ssi!

Sooyoung cleared the way for Yoo Sangah as she leaned in and focused. The rest of us waited in anticipation and it wasn’t long before she spoke, prompting us to listen.

“’Behold the sweetfish river running through my beloved hometown. You who seek the Golden Land, follow its path downstream in search of the key.’

It looks to be some kind of epitaph”

“Golden Land? Does that mean there’s a treasure?”

“Eonni keep readinig!”

The kids felt some excitement from the possibility of a treasure hunt. Yoo Sangah then continued to read after a dry laugh. The rest of us also got intrigued by this so we all nudged a little closer.

“’As you travel down it, you will see a village.

In that village, look for the shore the two will tell you of.

There sleeps the key to the Golden Land’”

Now I may be a reader but I’m no expert when it comes to riddles. I tried to look and see if Sooyoung had any idea but she just replied with a shrug and went back into deep thought. Everyone else seemed to be doing the same.

Yoo Sangah continued.

“’The one who obtains the key must then travel to the Golden Land in accordance with these rules….’”

At this point, her face suddenly hardened as she abruptly paused at that sentence.

Heewon noticed the sudden change and asked.

“Is something wrong?”

“No…It’s just that the words suddenly got rather eerie from this point on”

What?

She continued.

“’On the First Twilight, offer the six chosen by the key as sacrifices.’”

Han Sooyoung voiced her thoughts.

“Sacrifices? What kind of sacrifices?”

“’On the Second Twilight, those who remain shall tear apart the two who are close.’”

Jung Heewon was next to speak.

“That sounds…rather cruel”

“’On the Third Twilight, those who remain shall praise my noble name’”

My brows twitched on this part. Now they’re asking for a praise?

“’On the Fourth Twilight, gouge the head and kill.

On the Fifth Twilight, gouge the chest and kill.

On the Sixth Twilight, gouge the stomach and kill.

On the Seventh Twilight, gouge the knee and kill.

On the Eighth Twilight, gouge the leg and kill.’”

Everyone’s faces suddenly hardened at this part, completely understanding what Yoo Sangah meant before.

“’On the Ninth Twilight, the witch shall revive and none shall be left alive.

On the Tenth Twilight, the journey will end, and you shall reach the capital in which the gold dwells.’”

“So in the end, no one survives? How are we supposed to get the gold then?”

“Shh- there’s more”

As Yoosung silenced Gilyoung, Yoo Sangah continued.

“’The Witch will praise the wise and bestow four treasures.

One shall be all the Gold in the Golden Land.

One shall be the resurrection of the souls of all the dead.

One shall be the resurrection of the love that was lost.’”

“So everyone just gets resurrected either way? Win-win I guess?”

As Jihye spoke, Yoo Sangah finally read the last few lines.

“’One shall be the Witch, put into an eternal sleep

Rest in Peace, my beloved Witch, 

Beatrice’” ‘Beatrice’

Almost at the same time, Han Sooyoung looked back up to the painting and spoke.

“Could that be the name of this woman?”

It’s possible. Beatrice is an Italian name and her style seems to match.

Either way, the epitaph is seemingly unsolvable, disheartening everyone who was looking forward to the treasure hunt. So I went ahead and declared.

“Why don’t we go explore around a little more? This Mansion is already giving us shelter from the rain, I don’t see why we won’t take advantage of it. Plus, maybe we could find some clues along the way”

The mood was lightened a bit by then. With no objections. We all moved around the mansion and explored its corridors. I suggested that we should split up into groups but Sooyoung retorted saying that that’s how every cliché horror movie start and we wouldn’t want to become a victim of it.

The mansion was allot bigger than I anticipated, there were plenty of rooms around the place but all of them were locked. Eventually, we found what looked to be the servants’ quarters and with a bit of Jihye’s stubbornness, we were able to open the room and got hold of the servant Keys.

We went back and checked out the rooms that we missed and for the most part, it was all up to expectations. Just regular guest rooms with a few that differed. Qne that had a bunch of stuffed toys in the bed and another that was filled with a bunch of dolls; the latter especially creeped us out. Though what bothered me even more was the state each room was in. Much like the entrance hall, they’re oddly preserved despite how empty the place was.

Before long, we decided to check out the second floor. Upon reaching the top, what greeted us was two large doors in the middle of a hallway. Its design was allot different than the rest of the doors with its door knobs having a scorpion engraved as a design. None of the keys that we had could open the locks as well, it seemed like this room was a little special.

“HAAP! GWAK-“

“Guess it won’t budge”

Not even Lee Jihye’s persistence could open the door it seems. 

“Maybe we could find the key around here, should we check out this floor as well?”

*BAM*

All of us flinched on the sudden sound of what seemed to be doors slamming shut. Moreover, it seemed to be coming from the entrance hall.

I went ahead and took the lead, cautiously navigating through the stairway to peek at the unknown visitor. The rest tailed behind me and took a look as well, but all we found was nothing more but empty space.

“Maybe its just the wind?”

Lee Hyunsung voiced out, which was a reason that we just took for granted. I was about to suggest going back to the second floor when we heard voices from the corridors. Now I’m sure that there’s someone else here other than us.

“Should we maybe leave? The entrance is that way”

“Why don’t we check it out?”

Sooyoung’s suggestion overshadowed Jihye’s with everyone tailing behind. We slowly passed by the painting and through the corridor where the voices were. The sounds of conversation were getting louder as we closed in on the corner.

Han Sooyoung had her back on the wall as her brow twitched up at what she heard. At a minimum pace, she turned her head to peek into the next hall. And then-

“GYAAH-“

“AAAH-“

“GA- wait..what?”

Sooyoung’s scream caused a chain reaction, causing everyone to scream along with her, and by everyone, I mean EVERYONE.

Apparently, the so called visitors that arrived within the mansion were none other than the rest of the company with Yoo Joonghyuk in the lead. Behind him were Lee Seolwha, Gong Pildu, Jang Hayoung and the Constellations, while Yoo Mia was clinging to his right arm.

“What the heck are you lot doing here!?”

“Uhhh…we were trying to find the bathroom…?”

Sooyoung, and everyone else, just started at Black Dragon’s cliché attempt at an excuse. Yoo Joonghyuk couldn’t help but face palm. He later took the lead to explain everything after we all settled down.

Apparently, we’ve been gone for longer than we’ve noticed so they all started to get worried and just decided to all go and fetch us, leaving Biyoo to guard the yacht. Poor girl.

Well, without much to do, the company went and gathered around what looked to be the guest room while the others went out in groups to explore the mansion. Most of them were just chattering with each other, mainly about the mansion, the painting and the Epitaph though none seemed to have come close to the answer for the latter.

Han Sooyoung sighed.

“I don’t think this storm is going to go pass today. We may have to stay in this place for awhile”

She was looking out of the window, up to the dark clouds where the lights had starting to dim. I checked my smartphone for the time and saw that the hour really has been late.

“I don’t think we have much of a choice. It’s honestly great that this place is allot cleaner than expected. At least we don’t have to worry about collecting dust while getting some rest.

Still don’t you find it strange how well preserved this place is? We’ve already looked around with everyone for awhile and haven’t found anyone else living here”

“Maybe because that lady in the painting actually comes out at night and stalks the mansion halls. Ooooooh~”

Sooyoung playfully wiggled her fingers in front of me as if trying to scare a child with cheap ghost stories. Of course, I’m no child so I playfully shoved her hand back and voiced my own thoughts.

“I’m more inclined to the thought that we may just be trespassing someone’s villa and the cleaners just left for the day”

“Tch- you’re no fun. The setting is allot more interesting this way you know”

We both just giggled at our stupid thoughts and looked back to see Yoo Joonghyuk with his back on the wall, seemingly in deep thought.

“What’s up with you?”

Sooyoung asked, snapping Yoo Joonghyuk out of his mind and prompting him to reply.

“There’s actually another reason for me to be here”

“Huh?”

Yoo Joonghyuk then approached us while his eyes cautiously scanned the surroundings. More specifically, for the others.

“Why are you being so creepy, just spill it already”

Yoo Joonghyuk sighed from Sooyoung’s insistence and spoke while reaching for his pocket.

“After you were gone, I suddenly found this in the middle of the yacht”

Scretching out his hand, inside was what looks to be a letter sized white envelope. Its design was rather peculiar. Gold strips were engraved on the surface shaped like the wing of some bird with a wax seal of red adorned in a similar wing design.

I couldn’t help but ask.

“A letter? From who?”

“That, I don’t know”

“Have you read its contents?”

There was a long pause as Yoo Joonghyuk seemed to go back into deep thought. He looked straight at me with his signature face and spoke.

“It’ll be easier to understand if you read it yourself”

Normally, I would complain about his reply but his face was more serious than usual. so I just stayed silent and did as he asked. The seal seems to have been already detached, indicating that he has read the contents. Within the envelope was a single folded piece of paper. I opened it to reveal the contents and, with it being my specialty, I started reading.

“Good evening dear humans.

Several years ago, I have granted my fortune to a certain individual, but now our contract has come to an end and along with it, their endless dream. It is no fate that you have come to this island, for I am here to retrieve back my fortune along with interest.

If you do not wish for your happy ending to sink into the abyss, then challenge my mystery and praise my holy name, for only then will you preserve your slumber and keep living within your dreams. And if you fail before the clock’s sound, then do awaken from your sleep, for the sounds of the chimes can do nothing more but snap you back to reality. 

I wish you all a blessed witch hunt and hope that you’ll realize the weight of your debts.

Yours Truly,

The Golden Witch”

What the heck is this?

“Hey are you trying to pull a prank on us?”

Han Sooyoung looked at Yoo Joonghyuk with suspiscion. Though Yoo Joonghyuk pulling a prank? I know that he’s become more livelier in recent times, but I can’t imagine him going that far. It’s pretty amusing to think about. But…

“What makes you think I would do something like that?”

It doesn’t make any sense. For starters, Yoo Joonghyuk can’t write something like this. Plus how would he know about this Golden Witch before coming into the mansion? It was then that I started to think.

“Could it actually be that Golden Witch, Beatrice?”

But what exactly does she want from us? Who asked her for her fortune? What kind of fortune did they ask for?

Han Sooyoung looked at me with a bemused look.

“Are you seriously believing his antics? The scenarios are long over and witches shouldn’t exist anywhere in the star stream. Clearly he’s messing with us.

Hey, if it’s not you then who asked you to do this little act on us?”

“I told you everything I know. If you don’t believe me then that’s your loss”

Yoo Joonghyuk gave out a heavy sigh. His eyes moved to the window where the storm continued to rage under the night sky.

“I’m just a little worried is all. Our lives have been too quiet for a long time that I’m afraid something unexpected might suddenly happen. I suggest we leave this place first thing after the storm calms down tomorrow”

“What are you talking about? Now you’re just trying to scare us”

Sooyoung’s fist lightly tapped Yoo Joonghyuk’s shoulder as she laughed. She told us to not worry about anything at all and just take a break until the rain stops falling. With nothing else to say, she decided to go catch up with the rest of the company and left while waving her hand. Yoo Joonghyuk looked out the window once more before deciding to leave too. He asked me for the letter back but I insisted on keeping it so he just let it be. After all, something else is bothering me about this letter. I don’t exactly know what, but I feel like the words mean more than they looked.

An hour passed and I decided to walk around the mansion’s corridors again. There weren’t that many functionable lights so my only source of brightness would be the rays of the moon coming from the nearby windows. I liked the setting; it makes me feel calm and allowed me to think better. Though the only thing that’s filling my mind were the contents of that letter.

I looked at out the window again and thought.

“Looks like we’ll be staying here a little longer than planned. The rain doesn’t seem like stopping soon…”

It was then that a chill ran through my skin. I was not alone in this corridor. My body flinched at the sudden cold as I felt something, someone, lurking within the shadows behind me. My heart started beating faster than usual as I felt what seemed like their arm slowly approaching my shoulder.

A slight tap was all it took as I instinctively turned and backed off before I saw who they were. “Dokja-ssi? What’s wrong?”

Oh. 

“Sangah-ssi! Don’t scare me like that”

It seems she was taking her own stroll as well. Since we’re already here, we decided to take a walk together and talk about stuff along the way, mainly about the company and some stories that we’ve recently read. Though, even with this little company, I still couldn’t get my mind off that letter. “Hey. There’s something I wanna ask you about”

“Hmm?”

The two of us stopped in front of one of the corridor windows, enough for Yoo Sangah to read what was written in the strange letter while I told her about Yoo Joonghyuk’s story and my own thoughts surrounding it.

“So what do you think?”

Yoo Sangah handed over the letter to me while her mind went into deep thought.

“Just as Sooyoung-ssi said, I think this is nothing more but a silly little prank”

“But there’s no way that bastard would ever make something like this. And as I’ve said before, some things just don’t align”

“Well, maybe he did. My theory is that he just wanted to set a little reminder, or its just his attempt in trying to make a prank, or both. Hehe. Even Yoo Joonghyuk can change his ways, especially now that he doesn’t have much to worry about anymore”

Maybe she’s right. That guy just wanted to try something new for once; just thinking about it makes it very amusing. Out of all the things he could have done, why go for a mysterious letter appearing out of nowhere?

“Though, if we consider the fact that it really was given by the witch”

Yoo Sangah added.

“Perhaps it’s a message for only one person”

“Huh?”

“The letter is using a strange way of wording out their message, so maybe it’s only meant to be decipherable by someone who understood something about them”

Ah, that makes sense. Though, I’ve been trying to figure out that message since I started walking and still haven’t gotten a clue about it so I guess it’s not for me. Weird. Guess I’m not the ‘one reader’ this time around.

I looked up to the window and saw a bit of the moon covered in the dark clouds. My eyes stared at the falling rain drops for a bit before I covered my mouth as I yawned. Now that I think about it, it is getting late isn’t it?

Yoo Sangah seemed to have noticed me and suggested.

“You should go ahead and get some sleep. I’ll keep walking around for awhile. This place feels really peaceful that I just can’t help but enjoy it”

“I see. You take care”

She pointed me to where the kids were already sleeping and so I decided to go and give them some company. It wasn’t long before I entered the room and just as I expected, Shin Yoosung and Lee Gilyoung were already sleeping in the bed. Their positions didn’t leave me much space though, but there seem\ed to be another bed next to them so I just dropped down there.

As I lay in bed, I saw a wall clock hanging from a wall. Once again, I’m reminded about how preserved this place was since the time seemed to be accurate. My mind started to calm down as I saw the seconds hand slowly tick. And just as it struck twelve, the hour and minute hand aligned with it too, and along with that, I closed my eyes…

.

.

.

Yoo Sangah continued her walk and passed by a few of the others from the group. The Constellations were about to enter their respective rooms. Seolwha, Sooyoung, and Joonghyuk were hanging around the kitchen while the rest seemed to have already fallen asleep either in the guest’s lounge or within the other open rooms.

As she returned to the corridors, she found herself alone again, looking out at the pouring rain while seemingly thinking of thoughts unknown. Then she took a step forward and noticed something at the corner end of the halls.

“Huh?”

There was something glowing and moving; It was small, like a firefly just dancing within the darkness. Yoo Sangah was curious about the strange creature and decided to follow it. Though as she approached the glow, it too flew farther, prompting her to quicken her pace just to take a good glance at what it was.

It wasn’t long before she finally caught up to the little thing. Within the darkness of the halls, lit by nothing else but the rays of the midnight moon, Yoo Sangah’s eyes finally processed the flying creature’s features.

It was a golden butterfly….

Chapter Text

RUMBLE

My eyes snapped open at the sudden sound. The storm seemed to have woken me up.

I grumbled at the disturbance and forced myself out of the bed. I looked at the clock and the time seemed to be past four.

“Just how long is this storm going to last?”

I scanned the other bed and noticed that Shin Yoosung and Lee Gilyoung had already left; they didn’t even bother cleaning up their beds. Guess I should go out as well.

I walked out to the hallways; still yawning, and the first one to greet me was a certain petite figure.

“Hey there sleepyhead. Finally awake?”

Han Sooyoung waved her hand as she approached me.

“What? Did I miss anything?”

“Well you almost missed yourself a gourmet meal. I was planning on kicking you’re ass out of bed but it seems like you’ve already done it yourself”

Seems like Yoo Joonghyuk cooked again. Now that she mentioned it, I do smell a certain fishy aroma filling the halls. When the heck did they catch any fish?

We both walked into the mansion’s dining hall and I immediately saw everyone gathering for the meal; already having their fills.

“Oh boy. Don’t mind if I do”

I went ahead and chose my seat and started digging in. Hmmm yes…This is the life. I don’t think I could ever live without Yoo Joonghyuk’s cooking ever again. “Though when did you get your hands on some fish?”

I asked Yoo Joonghyuk who was sitting in front of me.

“You’ll have to thank Jang Hayoung and Gong Pildu for that. They were able to catch some fish before the storm arrived and conveniently decided to bring it here”

I looked towards them and saw Hayoung giving a smug look while Gong Pildu  just snorted.

“They were hard to catch you know”

I simply replied with a self-deprecating laugh at what Gong Pildu said before going back to having my fill. Though as I scanned the surroundings; I was suddenly reminded of something.

“Have any of you seen Yoosung-ah and Gilyoung-ah?”

My question prompted everyone to pause from their meal; to which Lee Jihye replied.

“I haven’t seen them since I woke up. They’re probably out trying to find the gold on their own and didn’t even bother to let us tag along. Selfish little brats”

“Yeah, well its their loss for missing out on oppa’s meal”

Jihye and Mia simply giggled at the thought as they returned to their plates.

“Speaking of which, I haven’t seen Yoo Sangah since I woke up too”

Jung Heewon made me realize Sangah’s disappearance. If it’s her, then she’s most likely tagging along with the kids to look out for them. Though It’s not only her but the constellations as well. Just when I thought of that, the door flung open with a yawning Gabriel walking in while stretching her arms.

“Huh? Uriel’s not here?”

“Nope, how about we leave them absolutely zero leftovers?”

“Forgive me, Uriel”

Gabriel seemed to have taken in Sooyoung’s suggestion and decided to join in with us on the feast.

An hour has already passed and everyone decided to hang out in the guest room. Since I was bored too, I

decided to fiddle with the TV in the room and to my surprise, it worked. Moreover, the channels are also working. Lee Jihye and Yoo Mia applaud my efforts and gathered in front of the screen. There seemed to be a certain anime playing on the channel.

“Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni…huh”

It seemed to be some slice of life story about a group of friends; doesn’t really interest me much but I decided to see how it went.

“Man, what the heck is taking them so long?”

Han Sooyoung grumbled while she fiddled with a written piece of paper. She, along with Jung Heewon and Lee Seolhwa were trying to figure out the epitaph to kill some time while waiting for the rest of the group to come back.

“Maybe they already beat you to it from getting their hands on the gold”

“Tch- as if!”

Just as Heewon giggled from Sooyoung’s reply, the door opened as the search party returned. Lee Hyunsung voiced out their finds.

“We’ve already looked around the mansion but still couldn’t find them anywhere”

“Don’t tell me they went out there in the rain”

Han Sooyoung replied. Yoo Joonghyuk then looked out the window as he spoke.

“Either way, they’ve been gone for too long. It’s best that we find them before any sort of accident happens so I suggest we check outside as well”

“Screw it. I’m coming with you”

“Same here”

Han Sooyoung and Jung Heewon stood up from their seats and joined in with the search party.

Man, It’s with moments like these that I wish I could still use [Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint]. We would have found them already by then.

“What about you guys?”

Han Sooyoung asked to which Lee Seolhwa replied.

“I’ll stay here. I wouldn’t want to get my clothes drenched too much”

Her gaze then moved to me.

“I’ll stay too. I’ll be keeping an eye on the kids”

“Eh. Suit yourselves”

And with that, they left. As they did, my gaze then moved to the window where a streak of lightning just passed. Naturally, I’m also worried about them; hoping that the group finds them before anything bad happens.

With nothing else to do, I just stood back with the kids and immersed myself with the TV….

The search party looked around the garden and still couldn’t find the missing people. They eventually decided to split into two groups. Jang Hayoung, Gong Pildu and Gabriel formed one group while the rest formed the other.

Upon further exploration, Yoo Joonghyuk’s group found themselves in another building completely separated from the mansion.

“This seems like a guest house”

Han Sooyoung expressed her thoughts as they moved to search the place. It’s a good thing that they went this direction as the locked rooms could only be opened by the servant keys that Sooyoung had kept. Still, there were no sign of them.

“Now this is just getting annoying. Where the hell did those lot get themselves into?”

The search continued to the far back of the mansion where yet another structure stood. It was a chapel.

The entrance door was sealed with a special lock that wasn’t in the servant keys so Yoo Joonghyuk moved to the side and broke a window open. The rest then followed suit. Han Sooyoung opened her smartphone’s flashlight to lighten up the dark but as they looked around, they were still nowhere to be found.

“Heh…strange”

“What is it?”

Lee Hyunsung asked Jung Heewon.

“Nothing. It’s just that, although this place is a little creepy, Uriel probably would have loved to take a look at it…”

Just as she finished her words, they all heard the shouts of their names, seemingly coming from the other group. They all then rushed out to meet with them.

“What is it? Have you found them?”

Yoo Joonghyuk asked. Prompting Gabriel to reply.

“No, but….”

“But what?”

Han Sooyoung urged her to answer but Gabriel couldn’t properly explain the situation, so she suggested for everyone to follow them.

Not long after, the group were approaching what looks to be small metallic structure.

“So there’s even a warehouse in this place. How convenie- wh- what the heck is that!?”

Gabriel pointed at the shutters and everyone suddenly understood why she couldn’t easily explain the situation. On its surface was a strange looking graffiti colored in deep red. It was shaped like a circle with strange markings engraved within its sides along with words of unknown language. The paint started dripping due to the rain; making the shape looked more ominous as if it were painted in blood.

“Doesn’t this look like some kind demonic pentagram?”

Everyone flinched from Lee Hyunsung’s words.

“Tch- if those guys are trying to pull a prank on us then this is just going way too far”

“Why don’t we clean this up before we get in trouble with place’s owner. This is a warehouse so there should be some cleaning supplies inside”

Jung Heewon prompted Han Sooyoung to open the shutters but she just threw the keys to Yoo Joonghyuk next to her. The latter gave her a strange look.

“What? I’m not going to touch that thing and somehow get myself cursed’

Yoo Joonghyuk rolled his eyes and approached the lock. As he twisted the key, he moved his arms up and raised the shutter along with the strange graffiti. At least they don’t have to see that horrifying thing for awhile…

Back at the mansion, I was lying down with the kids while we still watched the same show as before. Lee Seolhwa was also lying on the couch with a book that she found under the tables.

Footsteps suddenly rushed from the halls as the door flung open with Jang Hayoung entering while seemingly out of breath.

“Seolhwa-ssi! You need to come with me, NOW!”

“Wha- eh? What’s wrong?”

Lee Seolhwa approached Jang Hayoung as the latter whispered something to her  in a stammering manner. Seolhwa’s breath suddenly went sharp as they both rushed out into the halls.

“Did something happen?”

“Let’s check it out”

Of course, the three of us noticed it too and tailed behind them. We quickly passed by the corridors and out into the entrance hall. As I ran past the painting, I suddenly felt a rather ominous feeling. I’m not quite sure, but I swear I saw that woman’s eyes slightly shift to my direction…

We eventually reached the exit and dove into the rain with umbrellas in hand as we try to catch up with Lee Seolhwa and Jang Hayoung.

“Which way did they go?”

I looked around as we suddenly lost track of them. But then I heard a faint voice from somewhere and tried to figure out its direction. “This way!”

Lee Jihye and Yoo Mia followed me and we eventually saw the group from a far. But what’s going on?

As we approached them, I noticed how strange the situation looked. Gabriel was crying at the right as she struggled to escape from Hyunsung and Pildu’s grasps. While everyone else was frozen, I noticed Lee Seolhwa covering her mouth while everyone else had the same face, all filled with horror.

“DON’T LET MIA GET ANY CLOSER!!!”

“JIHYE-AH, STOP RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE!!!”

Yoo Joonghyuk and Jung Heewon seemed to have sensed us approaching and quickly turned to shout at us.

“Oppa, wha-“

Just before Yoo Mia could speak, Yoo Joonghyuk already rushed to her side and covered her view with his body. Jung Heewon did the same for Lee Jihye, but she was too late.

“GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!”

Lee Jihye’s blood curling scream echoed throughout the area as she saw a glimpse of what Jung Heewon tried to hide from her.

“KIM DOKJA!”

Han Sooyoung tried to stop me too but I was already too close. I finally found our missing party. The cute little angel, the cocky monkey, the annoying chuuni dragon, the grasshopper boy that I met in the subway, my incarnation whom I saved from her demise, and finally, my coworker who became my first friend.

They were all there, of course I recognize them, how could I not recognize them by their clothes. But that’s the thing, I could only recognize them by their clothes, because…why…why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, WHY!

I couldn’t recognize them; if not for their clothes, none of them were recognizable; I mean how could you when there’s nothing to be recognized at all! Their faces, each and every single one of them; covered in some grotesque, horrible make up. No, that’s not it. It’s more like they were ripped off from their heads, leaving nothing but the innards and half of their brains intact as blood still spilled from the gaps.

“Damn it…”

I couldn’t help but kneel.

“Who did it….”

“Kim Dokja…”

Han Sooyoung tried to console me but I didn’t stop.

“WHO THE HELL DID THIS SHIT!?”

Tears seeped from my eyes.

“I’LL KILL THEM! I’LL KILL THEM DAMMIT!!!”

“Kim Dokja-“

And my fist hitting the ground.

“WHY!!! WHY YOU DAMNED MOTHERF@#%^!!! WHY!!!”

The sounds of our screams echoed throughout the storm, letting our emotions out as we all grieved under the raging storm. A moment that lasted for very long time.

Rumble

“Uh-“

Biyoo woke up from the sudden thunder. She looked around and found the same empty yacht from before she took her rest. It was a rather lonely sight; still frustrated that they really just left her here to guard the ship all by herself.  

But now she was getting a little worried. They’ve been gone for nearly a day by now and although the storm has yet to subside; It’s no reason to just leave the yacht hanging around here.

“Ah…what do I do? I should check on them just for a bit”

After much contemplation, she went ahead and used the remaining probability that she could utilize and enhanced the boat’s barrier.

“Now It won’t be going anywhere”

She then flew through the rain while using some of her powers to keep herself from getting drenched.

Eventually, she reached the stone paved stairway and followed the path up. But then-

“Ow! Uh- What the?”

Something blocked her path; some kind of wall or barrier that’s nearly invisible from her vision. Its surface was engraved with what looks to be the number nine; all lined up across the entire surface as if endlessly engulfing it.

Biyoo tried to go higher but was met with the same result. She tried to go to the sides but the wall reached even there. No longer minding the rain; she flew even higher up enough for a bird’s eye view of the entire island and to her fear; the entire thing was covered in the same walls, like a box sealing whatever’s within.

Biyoo stared at the sight and thought.

“This…this is impossible. The scenarios have long ended and the Star Stream is long gone. No amount of today’s probability should be capable of making something like this…

No. This is different…this power isn’t something that exists in the Star Stream. Who the heck created this barrier?”

As Biyoo tried to gather her thoughts, she failed to notice the black wings spreading wide behind her back.

“Wha-hmp!”

A hand quickly grabbed hold of her mouth while another held her body. Biyoo struggled out of the mysterious figure’s grasps but to no avail. She tried to use her powers but to her surprise, she couldn’t use even the slightest bit of probability as if some external force is denying its usage. Even her flight suddenly wore off which would have caused her to plummet down if not for the figure holding her.

“Hmp! Hmmmp! Hmmp!”

“Forgive me little miss but I wouldn’t want you to ruin milady’s newly generated gameboard. Do not worry. I’ll make sure that she’ll at least treat her pieces gently this time”

“Hmmp!”

A surge of golden butterflies suddenly stormed around the two as their figures were engulfed, causing them to disappear into the sea of nothingness…

.

. .

30 minutes have passed since the incident. Now were all gathered again in this guest room. Everyone has sort of calmed down by this point but of course, that’s not entirely true. Rather than calm, we all just felt empty, myself included. No one spoke a word since we returned to the mansion. All trapped within their own respective thoughts. Though it wasn’t long before Yoo Joonghyuk finally broke the silence.

“We have to leave. Now”

“What!? And leave ‘them’ behind?”

Han Sooyoung retorted.

“We can always come back with the authorities to retrieve them. Our safety should be priority”

“What if we can’t even get them back in one piece or worse, can’t at all. They’ve already been mutilated enough and we don’t know what that else that psycho is planning in order to further mock their corpse once we’re gone”

We decided to leave them untouched in the store house; fearing that we may tamper with the crime scene and just waited for the storm to pass and finally call the authorities to fetch us.  

Yoo Joonghyuk replied.

“And that’s exactly why we need to leave. Whoever did that to them is still roaming around these halls and something tells me that they’re not stopping there. Moreover, it’s most likely that there’s more than one of them; all of which are fully armed. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to deal with six people who, even without their former powers; are still formidable fighters”

Everyone had been listening to him by that point and flinched upon the mention of the latter half. Yoo Joonghyuk’s gaze then pierced mine as if delivering a message to me without a word.  

A struck of realization then hit me as I slipped my hand into the pocket where the mysterious letter resided.

“Even so. It’s impossible for us to navigate the sea with this storm”

Jung Heewon voiced out. “It’s still better than staying here”

Wait…The boat. Of course!

“What about Biyoo? If it’s her then we should be able to get ‘everyone’ out of here easily”

“And maybe even catch the bastard who did all this bullshit”

Han Sooyoung grinned at my suggestion along with everyone’s gaze of anticipation. I called out for her.

“Biyoo!”

We waited for a few seconds. But there was nothing, so I called again.

“BIYOO!”

“BIYOO! Damn it. Where is that girl?”

Sooyoung called out with me by then, but still nothing. She’d usually always come to our aid whenever we call out for her no matter where she’d be or whatever she was doing. After all, she’s the Dokkaebi King. So why?

“Don’t tell me she…”

Yoo Joonghyuk read my thoughts and started moving.

“Hyunsung, Jihye, Pildu, come with me”

“Wha- Where are you going?”

Sooyoung stopped Yoo Joonghyuk; prompting him to reply.

“The fact that Biyoo isn’t answering our calls means something happened with her and the boat”

There was no reply from her. Yoo Joonghyuk then proceeded to move before I went in and suggested.

“I’m coming with you. Hyunsung-ssi, you stay here with them”

Of course I had to go. I’ve already lost too many companions today and I can’t lose Biyoo as well.

Besides; It’s better for Lee Hyunsung; A fully trained soldier, to be here over an unemployed introvert like me.

Han Sooyoung tried to stop us again but I reassured her worries.

“We’ll be fine. Now that we already know about the murderer; we’ll be ready for them. Moreover, I suggest you guys lock yourselves in this room while were gone. Whatever happens; do not open the door unless it’s us”

Nobody objected my notion so we started moving. The four of us went out into the rain with umbrellas in hand and sprinted forward to the shore lines.

“Damn it. Just how long do these stairs go”

Jihye grumbled as we descended the stone paved stairway. Now that we’re going back. I never realized just how long we actually had to climbed in order to reach the mansion.

A few minutes passed and the beach was finally visible in the distance; prompting us to increase our speed. But that’s the thing; there was only the beach. We all halted near the shoreline and stared in shock on the raging waves.  

The boat was gone. Our only escape from this place; gone.

“No…. Shit! BIYOO!!!”

“BIYOO!”

We all cried out, but again; nothing.

They already took six of our companions and now they’ve taken Biyoo too?

I furled my fists as I directed my gaze into the darkened clouds. Now we’re all stuck in this damned island with a mass murderer on the loose.

.

.

.

The rest of the company waited in the guest lounge in anticipation. Han Sooyoung was scribbling on a piece of paper before placing it on the table for everyone to see.  

“I believe it looked something like this”

On it was a doodle of the strange pentagram that was engraved on the storehouse’s shuttle. As everyone has calmed down from the incident, they all decided to try and figure out what the deal was with this mass murder; starting with the culprit’s supposed purpose.

“Are any of you familiar with witch craft?”

Everyone either shook their head or simply stayed silent. Of course no one would be familiar with this kind of knowledge. If only Yoo Sangah were still here. Maybe she could at least read the lines that were written along its edges.

“I’ve seen this drawing before”

Everyone then shifted their gaze to the archangel sitting on the couch. Gabriel, who has been silent this whole time, voiced her thoughts. No one could blame her. The fact that she could even recover this fast after witnessing her last sister’s death just goes to show her resilience.

“Demons use it all the time. They all come in different shapes and sizes with varying purposes each time that I don’t even wanna bother figuring out what they’re for. Either way, it all boils down to one thing; sacrifices”

Her fists furled after finishing her sentence. Everyone faces hardened along with it. They’ve all already guessed as much but couldn’t really objectively voice it out. After all; for their companion’s lives to be lost on such a ridiculous reason is simply unacceptable.  

Then suddenly, a gurgle sounded out near them. It was from Yoo Mia.

“Eh? Sorry. All this talk about witches kinda make me hungry”

It was a rather comedic timing but it was a reminder of an important aspect of their survival.

“Shit. The food. They were all left in the kitchen”

“I think I’ve seen canned foods within the shelves there too. Should we wait for the others to arrive and gather them?”

Han Sooyoung considered Heewon’s suggestion, but it was overshadowed by another thought.

“If we do that, then we might not even get ourselves a bite. We’re not the only ones who needs to eat after all”

Considering that the storm has yet to slow down; It’s logical to assume that it’ll last for days to come so they have no choice but to manage their resources. Not only that; the culprit should also be roaming around these corridors dealing with the same problem. If they’re smart; they could grab the food for themselves and leave their victims starving for days; granting them an easier kill. But of course-

“Then what if it’s a trap. They could be waiting for us in the kitchen or are probably even trying separate us to reduce our numbers”

No matter which choice they’re going for; they still leading to dead ends. And each second passing is just pushing them to one of these ends. They’re running out of time.

Han Sooyoung fell into deep thought before finally speaking.

“We’ll just have to match their numbers. Form a group of five or four. The rest will stay here and wait for Kim Dokja and the others”

After further thoughts. The group going out consists of Han Sooyoung, Jang Hayoung, Jung Heewon, and Lee Hyunsung. Before leaving; Han Sooyoung grabbed the batch of servant keys from her pocket and separated one of them and handed it over to Lee Seolhwa.

“This is the key to this room. Just like Kim Dokja said; do not open the door unless it’s us or them. And if they arrived before we did; try and at least look for our bodies. Ow-”

Jung Heewon elbowed Sooyoung before Seolhwa nodded in agreement. The group slowly stepped out the door and with the coast clear; they headed for the kitchen.

The four of them grabbed whatever they could find in order to arm themselves. Han Sooyoung and Jang Hayoung handled the rear with long candle stands in hand while Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung handled the front; the former a holding shorter stick that she broke off from a candle stand.

As they cautiously approached a turn; something was caught at the corner of Jung Heewon’s gaze. Something small; glittering through the air as golden dust drops down from its wings.

Heewon turned to take a look only to find nothing but the corridors.

“What’s wrong?” Hyunsung asked.

“Nothing…nothing”

They proceeded to move forward a few steps when a thought came into Heewon.

“This was supposed to be just a normal outing. How did it ever come to this?”

Hyunsung stayed silent as he simply listened.

“It’s almost like we’ve been thrown back into the scenarios. Like the universe doesn’t want us to have our happy ending… What more do we need to do just to deserve some rest?”

“I know it’s tough, but we’ll manage somehow; just like we always do. We’re already back together after the longest time and I wouldn’t let some stranger ruin that for us. You think so too right?

“Yeah… you’re right”

Heewon gave Hyunsung a look before shaking her head while chuckling.

“Hey Sooyoung! Do you have any say in this? Hehe…hah…Sooyoung?”

Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung looked back at their two companions only to find nothing but the empty halls. When the hell did they leave? No, rather; when did they get separated from them. Although they’ve only been here for about a day; the corridors looked unfamiliar enough for them to realize that they haven’t been walking into the kitchen’s direction without even noticing it beforehand.

The duo looked around the silent halls with their guards up as they try to process what exactly happened to them. But even before they do; the silence was suddenly replaced by the sound of what seemed to be metallic objects clanging as if rapidly bouncing across the walls.

Flying straight into their direction.

Chapter Text

Han Sooyoung opened the cabinets. Inside; she found multiple canned foods of varying kinds; enough to feed everyone in the company for awhile so she grabbed it all and stored them within the garbage bag that Jang Hayoung is holding for her; not before checking the expiration dates that is.

The two of them have been searching the kitchen for anything they could eat. They avoided grabbing the leftovers or any of the food that could easily be poisoned so they settled with only bringing back canned foods.

“Shouldn’t these already be enough?”

Jang Hayoung tilted her head on the sight of the half-filled garbage bag. This amount should be able to last them for days but Han Sooyoung just kept on checking the cabinets for more.

“We don’t know that. Some of us can be a real vacuum at times and again; we don’t know how long before this storm will last and it’s better for all of us to get enough energy in order to fight and escape this island.  

Besides, if there are any left then we’ll just bring them home. I don’t think anyone would complain about free food”

As Sooyoung once again dropped a few cans in the bag; Hayoung replied.

“Well, I suppose you’re right...”

There was a long pause as she watched Sooyoung opening a few more cabinets before asking.

“Say, aren’t we forgetting something?”

“Forgetting what?”

Sooyoung replied as she tried to reach for a can at the top of a cabinet. Her fingers could barely stretch for the reach despite already standing on her toes; only pushing it further back. Getting frustrated by her height; she called out.

“Hey Heewon! Do you mind switching with me on this?”

She looked back to the kitchen entrance only to realize she was speaking to air.

“Heewon? Hyunsung?”

She called out again but there were still no answers.

Sooyoung and Hayoung looked at each other before cautiously approaching the kitchen door. The two peeked out to the corridors only to find them silent and empty. It was then that they realized exactly what they had forgotten.

“Jung Heewon! Lee Hyunsung!”

“Guys this is no time to be messing around! Where are you!?”

Hayoung shouts followed by Sooyoung’s yet still no reply. The two were beginning to panic by this point and decided to carry the bag of foods with them and look around for the missing duo.

Everything that happened just now was strange. They could have sworn that they’ve been following them all the way to the kitchen and Sooyoung even asked them to guard the entrance. But now they’re not even sure when was the last time they’ve met them; as if a fragment of their memories had suddenly been rewritten at some point.

“Lee Hyunsung!”

“HEEWON!”

They called out once more to the point that Sooyoung’s voice started to crack; fearing for the worst as they sprinted around each corner of the corridors.  

Hayoung suddenly slowed down and started sniffing.

“Ughh. Do you smell that?”

Sooyoung noticed this and started doing the same and confirming it as she covered her breath. It was a foul stench; enough to make anyone gag just from the slightest sniff. Almost as if-

Han Sooyoung’s eyes suddenly widened as she gazed to a certain direction. Her breathing sharpened while her heart pumped louder before she took a step and sprinted to the direction of the stench. Jang Hayoung then tailed behind her.

The entrance to the mansion opened as we all quickly entered and started catching our breaths while Yoo Joonghyuk closed the doors. Completely ignoring the rain; we were out looking everywhere to at least find Biyoo or whatever was left of her but was met with absolutely nothing. So now were all drenched, exhausted and goddamn hopeless.

“Damn it! How are we supposed to explain this to everyone…”

Lee Jihye sat down and complained. Her words bring nothing but despair to us due to the news that we’re about to deliver. There’s not much that we could do now but to wait for the storm to past and pray for the authorities to come save us in time.

“Damn it. I hate to admit it but we don’t have much of a choice. The sooner we plan ahead, the better”

We all got up our feet and walked to our designated direction but not even a few steps ahead and something already caught our attention.

“What’s that smell?”

Gong Pildu voiced out as we all covered our noses. I started analyzing the stench. It was disgusting; I can’t exactly tell what it was but one thing I’m certain; something is burning.

I looked at Yoo Joonghyuk; his face confirming our thoughts as we rushed to the group with no questions asked.

Han Sooyoung kept running in search of the stench’s source. She took a turn at a corner and was met with two metallic doors. She approached the doors and immediately smelled the horrible stench from before which was even stronger now.

“What the hell…”

Sooyoung fiddled with the handle and found them locked. She took out the bundle of keys she had and quickly tried them one by one. Just as she unlocked the doors; Hayoung finally caught up with her from behind which prompted her to turn and speak.

“Take the bag and quickly call everyone!”

“Uhh…Sooyoung!”

Hayoung’s face suddenly went pale as her finger pointed to the doors. Sooyoung noticed this and reflexively looked back to a terrifying sight. The metal doors that she just unlocked was suddenly covered in strange lines, markings and words of unknown language; all drawn by the same red paint as the one from the storehouse shuttles.

The strangest part of this is that Sooyoung was sure this wasn’t here before. Not when she turned to see the doors for the first time, nor when she was trying to fit the keys; It just appeared out of nowhere just when she turned her head for one second.

Even with that Sooyoung still put up a brave front and shouted.

“Go! Now! I’ll be fine!”

As Hayoung left with the bags; Sooyoung went ahead and pushed the doors.

“Huh?”

But she couldn’t. She tried again; harder this time but it still wouldn’t budge. She began slamming the door with her hands but to no avail.

“Goddamn it! HEEWON! HYUNSUNG! ANSWER ME!”

Getting desperate as time was running out; Sooyoung back off a little and slammed her whole body to the doors; using every bit of strength her small figure to enduring; hitting them again, and again, and again, and again.

It was working; the doors were starting to move. With that small shimmer of hope; she kept going with each hit getting harder to do as her shoulders started aching until finally; the doors swung open. A massive metallic object then fell off to the flock of stairs descending down to unknown darkness where the stench felt even stronger.

Sooyoung stared at the abyss before holding her breath and quickly descended the stairway with no questions asked.

The four of us quickly reached the guest lounge and knocked at the door before proving our identities. Lee Seolhwa then opened the door and we entered the room.

“Wait. Sooyoung’s group is not with you yet?”

Lee Seolhwa voiced out as she was about to close the door.

“What!?”

I asked them of the situation’s details and they explained them to us.  

What the hell were they thinking!? Damn it! We should have realized the importance of food in our survival and went back earlier for this. Now our companions could have gotten themselves in some trouble for this.

Just as we were about to leave to search for them; Jang Hayoung was seen rushing into the room with a garbage bag in her hand. She told us everything that happened; making everyone rush to where Han Sooyoung was still at.

We eventually reached the entrance to the descending stairs and I immediately noticed the horrible stench coming from below. Knowing that Sooyoung was down there; we rushed down to catch up with her.

Soon enough; the room below appeared to us in full light. It was a boiler room of sorts; full of pipes on certain places with certain tools placed in the corners. And at the center of it all was Han Sooyoung. “SOOYOUNG!”

I quickly rushed to her. She was on her knees; frozen. Her eyes wide open; just staring at one direction. Her entire figure; giving off multiple senses of emotion. Fear, anger, hatred, hopelessness, complete despair…

I paused at a distance next to her and simply stared for a second; confused. Then I followed her gaze and I immediately understood it all.

There was a furnace there; it looked like it was still burning. In front of it was someone I knew well. A very strong person. One who was once my very own personal sword. And now she laid there. Blood dripping from her forehead. From some strange object; gauged right at the center above her still open eyes while her entire body was engulfed in a sea of flames.

Jang Hayoung immediately covered Yoo Mia from the sight while we all just stared frozen; just like the woman beside me. And we all stared for a long time, until someone finally screamed…

I carefully laid down Heewon’s body. After snapping out of our trance; we all searched for the nearest water source and put out the fire before placing her down. Still, that didn’t change her already horrible state. Most of her body is already covered with severe burns. I looked up to her head and saw the thing attached to it. It looked like some sort of icepick designed in western style with a name engraved on it: ‘Satan’.

I looked at Jung Heewon again before reaching my hand out to close her eyes. Just what kind of f*@#$% up irony is this psycho making with an elaborate act like this?

Just as I stood up from the spot; a commotion happened.

“WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!? AREN’T YOU SUPPOSED TO BE SMART!? WHAT MADE YOU THINK GOING OUT LIKE THAT WAS EVEN WORTH TAKING THE RISK!?”

I saw Lee Jihye pin Sooyoung to a wall as she holds her by the collar. The latter didn’t even put up a fight. Sooyoung stayed silent simply stared down; her eyes void of life.

“Hey…say something. SAY SOMETHING DAMN IT!”

Han Sooyoung flinched for a bit at her words. Everyone else just stared at the scene; not knowing what to do. Lee Seolhwa approached them.

“Jihye-ah calm down. She was just trying to-“

“SHUT UP! NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF SHE DIDN’T SUGGEST ANYTHING! IF NOT FOR HER STUPID WORDS”

Jihye’s words made Sooyoung shook. The former then slowly lifted her free arm as her fists furled.

“HELL NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU DIDN’T INVITE US ON THIS TRIP IN THE FIRST PLA-

“

“THAT’S ENOUGH!”

I quickly went in and caught Lee Jihye’s arm before she could swing it. That was the last straw and there’s no way I was simply gonna let it slide.

“Kim Dokja-“

“What you said was too much Jihye. You can’t blame all of this on her”

Jihye’s not the only one mad at her. I would be furious too. But I understand where she was going with her plan; she simply underestimated her opponent and paid the price. So; I can’t bring myself to get mad at her. Besides; she already punished herself enough…

Lee Jihye looked back to Sooyoung now sitting against the wall. Her eyes covered in shadow.

“Sooyoung no- I- I didn’t mean to…”

Jihye stammered with her words; not knowing what to say and ended up staying silent. It Gabriel who approached Sooyoung instead.

“Hey it’s alright. We know you were just looking out for us. You don’t to blame all this on yourself”

“Just…Leave me alone…”

Sooyoung curled in her place; prompting us all to silently back away; following her orders. She then curled in her place; her knees covering her face. As I slowly walked back to the rest of the group, I could hear her quietly sobbing in there. I looked at her for a bit before walking away. There was nothing I could say anyways…

I looked around the boiler room to try and investigate the setting while the others were consoling each other. There wasn’t anything strange about the place; it’s just as described. Though there was a detail I missed earlier which was a door that seems to lead to the backyard. I thought the culprit would use it to escape from the scene but the chain lock was still intact.

Going up the entrance stairway; I saw Yoo Joonghyuk doing his own investigation. He seemed to be looking at something on the doors. I went ahead and approached him as Gabriel tailed behind me.

“You found anything?”

Hearing my voice; Yoo Joonghyuk pointed at the door so I came to take a look. Engraved on its surface was yet another occultic looking graffiti like the one on the storehouse shuttles; only this one looked a bit different.

Completely lost with what it means; I asked the archangel if she knows anything. Gabriel carefully looked at the markings and voiced out.

“I believe I’ve read about this somewhere in Metatron’s archives. To save you all the long explanation; the general meaning of this mark is basically ‘to seal’”

“Seal?”

Han Sooyoung briefed us in on the situation earlier. There was something preventing the doors to open which made her use more force than she could handle.  

We went back down to check on what exactly sealed the doors and saw the big metallic object lying on the floor. It looks to be some sort of cupboard. I approached the object and tried to lift it but it was too heavy even for my already recovered body.

“Yeah, I can’t lift this thing. Sooyoung was lucky enough to have gravity help her in that situation” “Hold on…”

Yoo Joonghyuk also tried to lift the object but only by a few inches. Then suddenly; his face hardened.

“Pildu! Help me out here. You too”

Joonghyuk looked at me as he spoke that last part. The three of us then quickly helped him and out and lifted the thing until it stood; giving us access to its doors. Everyone was then alerted by our actions; prompting them to take a look.  

Yoo Joonghyuk placed his hand on the handle and slowly opened it. His eyes saw a glimpse on what was inside which leads him to fully opening the doors and stepping aside. What we saw next was a figure falling to the floor. He was tall and buffed which would explain the heaviness of the cupboard. It was lee Hyunsung, or rather his now lifeless corpse.

“What the hell?”

On his forehead was the same strange looking icepick that Jung Heewon had; gauged deep into it with blood still seeping out of its edge. The only difference was the name engraved on it: ‘Belphegor’.

Once again; we could only do nothing but stare in shock on this revelation before snapping out of it.

“Damn it. Looks like they’re not stopping until he gets every single one of us”

But I still couldn’t figure out what exactly was their purpose for all this. What did we do to them that would make them do a horror show like this just to get back at us. Is it even about revenge? If so; who among our enemies are still alive to have a grudge like this?

“Hold on…G-Guys…”

Jihye spoke in a stammering manner. We looked at her and she continued.

“Y-you said that the doors were blocked off by that thing, right? If that’s the case then how the hell did the culprit get out?”

What?

No. She’s right. In a world without the Star Stream; there shouldn’t be a way for any human to get out of this place. As I’ve said before; the backdoor is still locked and them putting extra effort on blocking the entrance with the cupboard is just going to seal them in place. We haven’t found any other exit around the place so how the hell did they get themselves out?

“Say…do you think were actually dealing with a witch here? As in that lady in the painting? I mean we did trespass her place and now we all have to pay the price”

Lee Jihye’s words made us all flinch. It was a possibility that we can’t really deny at this point.

Then Yoo Joonghyuk replied.

“I don’t think so. We don’t know the layout of this house so there could be a number of secret rooms that the culprit could easily utilize. They’re just trying to blame the witch to hide their identity. Nothing more”

He’s not wrong but it’s also a terrifying possibility on itself. Knowing that the enemy could ambush us from a path completely hidden from our sights is enough to not let any of us get some sleep.

I decided to pause our little detective game and suggested.

“How about we do as we’ve planned before. Stay in the guest lounge until the storm passes. Sooyoung and Hayoung have already gathered enough food to last us for days. We’ll all be safe that way”

Nobody objected as they all nodded in agreement. Once again; we have no choice but to leave ‘them’ behind. We’ve already tampered with the crime scene enough. Anymore and we might tamper with the future investigations.

I let out a sigh and moved to get the huddling Han Sooyoung but when I got to where she was; she was nowhere to be found.

“Sooyoung?”

I looked around the boiler room and didn’t see her anywhere. So, I asked.

“Has any of you seen Sooyoung?”

None of them could answer. They all looked around as well until Yoo Mia voiced out.

“Pildu-ahjussi is gone too!”

Damn it. Where the hell did those two gone off to. I then looked back to the spot where Sooyoung was and noticed something on the floor. I picked it up and my eyes were filled with shock.

“Guys…”

I went and showed everyone what I found. It was a letter sized envelope. One that only Yoo Joonghyuk and I would be familiar with as it was the same kind of envelope as the one I still have with me. But it was already opened with no letter inside. Han Sooyoung must have read its contents which prompted her to leave without us and Gong Pildu took notice and followed suite.

Whatever it was that made them leave; they’re both alone with a culprit still on the loose. We have to catch up to them fast.

.

. .

Han Sooyoung was walking down the corridors at a quick pace. On her right hand was a massive cleaver; presumably taken from the boiler room, while her left hand was gripping a piece of paper. Her face was casted under a shadow; her expression unknown.

After a few steps ahead; she turned to a corner and walked up to the mansion’s entrance where the epitaph stood in front of the witch’s painting.

Han Sooyoung stared at the painting before lifting her weapon and shouted.

“SHOW YOURSELF DAMN IT! SOME COWARDLY BITCH HIDING BEHIND SOME FU@#%$& ILLUSION! DO

THINK YOU CAN JUST COME TO MY LIFE AND START MOCKING MY FAMILY!? I AM GOING TO RIP YOU TO F@#%&% SHREDS IF YOU EVER TOUCH THEM AGAIN! DO YOU HEAR ME!?”

But her voice reached nothing but the wind. Sooyoung approached the plaque and stared at it. Her eyes suddenly widened as a chuckle escaped her lips.

“So that’s how it is…So this is what all this shit is about. HAH!?”

Sooyoung lifted the cleaver as she approached the painting and swung it hard; cutting the witch in half.

“SO ALL THIS TERRIBLE PRANK IS ALL FOR THIS NONSENSE. YOU F@#$^&!# INSOLENT PSYCHOPATH!”

“Han Sooyoung! Damn kid. Where do you think you’re going?”

Sooyoung instinctively turned and saw Gong Pildu walking out of the corridor to her direction.

“Gong Pildu? What are you-“

Just as she finished her sentence; faint golden light suddenly surrounded the two. These lights then turned into a swarm of golden butterflies; fluttering across the halls. And just before they could comprehend the situation; loud sounds of metallic clangs were heard as something was bouncing across the walls at incomprehensible speed. Flying towards Gong Pildu as it pierced him deep into his forehead with blood gushing out of its edge.

“GONG PILDU!”

Han Sooyoung shouted before flinching as she felt something behind her. Turning her head; what met her eyes were butterflies grouping together as they form a certain figure like a strange optical illusion. She wasn’t sure who the figure was but their shape was very similar to that of the lady from the painting.

Sooyoung stared in shock at the figure as it approached her; reaching out her golden hands out to lightly touch the other’s cheek. Cackling away as her shape splits into a swarm of golden butterflies; leaving a way for yet another object to bounce around the walls and fly towards Sooyoung’s direction. Piercing her right at her chest before she could even react.

“GAHK-“

Blood gushed out from her mouth while some seeped out of her wound. Sooyoung looked down at the object and saw the same strange looking icepick that pierced Jung Heewon. Her hand reached out unto it and tried to pull it out only to realized that it had already pierced her heart.

“Shit…”

She chuckled.

“Guess I’m already dead…But…”

Han Sooyoung reached for object with both her hands.

“I’m not dying…the way…YOU WANT ME TO!”

And forcefully pulled it out as red immediately sprayed out from the hole. Han Sooyoung stood for a while and stared into empty space. Eventually; her hand finally dropped the object that pierced her. And along with that; so did she; down into the sea of her own red blood…

Chapter Text

“Han Sooyoung! Gong Pildu!”

We all ran through the corridors looking for the missing two. Going around every corner until we reached the entrance hall where we finally found them.

Gong Pildu was lying down near the halls. Lee Seolhwa approached him; only to confirm his death as she noticed the same icepick looking object stuck on his head. Engraved with its own name: ‘Mammon’.

As for Han Sooyoung; she was…

“SOOYOUNG!”

On the center of the hall laid her body. Her chest was draped in red liquid as some seeped from her open mouth while she was lying on a pool of the same color.

I just stood near her; fearing for the worst while Yoo Joonghyuk approached her body. I know that no one would survive losing this much blood but even with just the slightest bit of hope; just a small miracle is all I ask. Please let us save her…

Yoo Joonghyuk knelt down and checked her pulse. As his fingers felt her wrist; Yoo Joonghyuk turned to look at me before looking down without a word.

My knees fell to the floor by then as tears uncontrollably seeped out of my eyes.

“NO! DAMN IT!”

My fist slamming on the floor.

“YOU GODDAMN MONSTER!”

As I wailed every curse I could shout until it was nothing more but gibberish. They took her too. My savior, my author, the reason why I’m here; breathing and alive. And now they just took that away from me. Before I could even repay her for everything…

“…Kim Dokja?”

Yoo Joonghyuk stared at me as slowly stood up. I’ve already made up my mind.

“I won’t forgive the. I’ll never let them get away from this. I swear on my goddamn life; I’ll hunt them down to the ends of the earth!”

I looked down once more on Sooyoung. Her eyes were still open but she can never see me again. To think that our happy ending could easily be ruined like this…

I looked to her side and noticed the same icepick like object that’s been used for the previous murders. Once again; the only difference being the name engraved on it: ‘Lucifer’. But what caught my eye was the crumpled piece of paper next to it which was most likely the letter than Sooyoung read before going here.

I went and picked it up and although it was smudged by the blood; It was still readable:

‘Praise my name’

That was enough to almost make me rip it to shreds. But then I noticed that it was folded. I turned the paper to check the extra content and my brows twitched as I saw it.

“What is it?”

Yoo Joonghyuk noticed my look and looked closer. I flipped the paper to his gaze and showed him the strange content. It was yet another occultic drawing. Although the design was much more simpler than the ones we’ve found before; making it look less of a demonic pentagram and more of a magic circle.

As always; I have no clue as to what it means. I looked back to Han Sooyoung and closed her eyes, then stared at her for a few seconds before heading back to the rest of the company. Lee Seolhwa was doing the same with Gong Pildu while the rest were under their own deep thoughts about the situation.

“Kim Dokja…”

Lee Jihye tried to approach me but I simply nodded to reassure her worries before looking to the archangel who could give me answers.

“There’s another weird drawing in this paper. Does it look familiar to you? I think it could be important”

I handed the paper over the approaching Gabriel. Her eyes analyzed the content before handing it back over to me in disappointment.

“I’m sorry. I can’t quite remember this one. I might have seen it before but it looked way too similar to other magic circles that I’m not really sure which of it is which”

“That’s alright. We’ll figure it out soon enough”

Lee Jihye then asked me what else was written on the letter so I went and showed every the only three words sentence that was seen on it. The mood immediately became complicated as everyone’s mind most likely focused on the letter’s contents.

“That damned bitch is really F@#%^& with us”

Lee Jihye swears as she furls her fists. Then Jang Hayoung stepped up and voiced her thoughts.

“What do we do now? Should we stick with the previous plan and wait in the guest lounge?”

That’s probably the best option that we have. Although it’ll be an issue once you consider the possibility of hidden doors. We’re gonna have to make a thorough search for those things before we could give even ourselves some rest.

I saw Yoo Joonghyuk crouch down at Han Sooyoung and grabbed something in her pocket; it was the servant keys. We’ll be needing it for locking the doors. With the keys in hand; we all about to leave for the guest lounge when Yoo Joonghyuk suddenly spoke.

“Say. If that letter is from the murderer, then where is the envelope? It could contain something Han Sooyoung may have missed”

Well, I do still have it which reminds me that I haven’t checked it properly since the boiler room. Following Yoo Joonghyuk’s notion; I reached out for the envelope for my pocket and checked inside it. And it’s a good thing I did. Its content fall into my palm; allowing everyone to see what it was. It was a key. One that has a special looking design that’s different from the servant keys. I started to wonder what this key was for and gouged my memory for any details to which I suddenly remembered. Out of all the rooms we’ve explored throughout this mansion; there was only one that we were never able to open.

.

.

.

The group finally stood in front of the special door in the second floor. I went ahead and tried the key and just as I’ve expected; it fits. Twisting the knob as I’ve unlocked the door; the room that was a mystery to us before was finally revealed.

It was massive; allot bigger compared to the rest around the house. Each of us stepped in until Yoo Mia closed the door as she tailed behind.

“Hii-“

The door suddenly produced a loud sound enough to startle us. It seemed to have locked itself automatically. Sealing us inside until we use the key to open it again.

We then looked back to the room and decided to look around for a bit and familiarize ourselves with this new territory with the main goal being to check for any hidden doors or contraptions that the culprit could utilize. As we did; I began to take in the details of the interior.

It looked to be a massive study room. A desk in the middle with a bed by the corner while the walls were surrounded by shelves upon shelves of books like a mini library; only its contents seemed to be filled with strange studies about witch craft and dark magic or anything similar to such topics. In fact; the whole room was filled with such aura. Skulls, candles, brewing stands and other items I don’t even recognize. It even has a separate bathroom making this whole room feel more like a second house.

“I wish I had a room like this. Though we can just replace all these books with the ones I like instead”

I couldn’t help but be amazed by the setting. It really looks like something every reader dreamed of having.

After checking every corner of the room; we all gathered at the center once more and confirmed that there were no hidden doors or anything of sorts around the place. All the windows have been locked too. The only key that opens the door is now in my hands. Which means at this very moment; this place is a true locked room.

But I can’t let my guard down. This key was given to me by none other than the culprit itself; meaning that they’re planning something with it or are simply mocking us for their own entertainment.

I looked to a certain side of the wall where a certain painting hanged. It was a smaller copy of the same painting of the witch in the entrance hallway; under it was a wall plaque of the same epitaph of the gold.

“Looks like the witch will still be watching us even in our sleeps”

“H-hey. Don’t go saying stuff like that…”

Lee Jihye commented on my joke while she looks around in worry. I too looked around and checked everyone’s status. There’s Lee Jihye, Lee Seolhwa, Jang Hayoung, Gabriel, Yoo Mia and Yoo- wait…Where the hell did that guy go?

BANG

“KYAAAH!”

Everyone was startled by the sudden sound; prompting some of us to instinctively cover our ear. It sounded like a gunshot which came from within the room. I looked around the room for the source and saw Yoo Joonghyuk pointing something diagonally to the ceiling away from us. It was a gun; more specifically; a Winchester rifle. It looks to be specially modified by whoever the owner was.

“M-master! Could you at least warn us before you could shoot that thing?”

“Where the heck did you get that?”

Ignoring Lee Jihye’s complaint; I went and asked for the obvious. Yoo Joonghyuk caressed the gun and replied.

“I found it lying somewhere around here; though it seems to be the only one left. We could use it when worse comes to serve as I don’t think this thing has that many bullets left”

Well at least we have some way of defending ourselves now. Though that’s only considering the fact that our enemy is human and not a witch. At best we’ll feel a little more safe while staying here.

Time went by with nothing happening. Some of us got bored of the wait and decided to open up some of the witch craft grimoires around the room. I did the same too; mainly for figuring out what that symbol on the paper meant.

As we did; we started discovering certain information related to the witch.

“Apparently; certain charms are used to ward off demons and evil such as the ones with scorpion designs. Even certain objects related to said evil can be used to counter their malice”

Lee Jihye voiced out her findings. I remembered that the door handles outside the room had a scorpion design engraved on it so does that mean that even the witch couldn’t touch this place?

“There’s allot of contents about resurrection in all these books. Whoever was trying to study these was probably aiming for such purpose. Though who would they want to resurrect?”

Gabriel’s words made me thought for a bit. I looked back to the painting and a theory came to my mind.

“What if it wasn’t even a witch at all”

My words made everyone look at me.

“What if it was just a deceased lover. From what I could tell from this place; it seems to be a stronghold for a mad man who spent his whole life researching absurd topics all for the sake of such impossibility”

I don’t know the whole detail but it’s the best story that I could come up with. Without the Star Stream around; there’s no such thing as resurrection in this world so they went back to the old beliefs through sheer desperation.

Everyone just stared at the painting for a while; lost in their own thoughts about the topic. Everyone was just silent. I saw Yoo Mia stand up from Hayoung’s side; probably going to the bathroom. Then Lee Jihye started to approach the painting and voiced her thoughts.

“If you put it that way. This witch doesn’t seem so scary anymore. It’s just nothing more but someone’s last remnants of the person they love. Hoping that they could see the real deal for at least one last time…”

Yeah…I wonder if I’d do that too. With no other option in this regular world; I wonder if I would also result to black magic just to try and get them back. Get all of them back. Just as they did me…

“Even if the reason was something as charming as that; the process is still evil. Even this book suggests that resurrection requires a considerable number of sacrifices”

Gabriel retorted. I suppose a wish like that does require an equal price.

Lee Jihye caressed the edge of the painting as her mind went into a serene thought. She then looked down at the plaque and decided to read the epitaph again. It was then that her face suddenly hardened as her eyes opened in shock.

“G-guys! Look over here!”

Startled by Lee Jihye’s sudden call; we all gathered in front of the painting and looked at where she was pointing. As my gaze locked unto the plaque where the epitaph was written; my eyes also widened in shock just as my mouth shaped into a wry grin.

“So, it was here…All this time…This whole shit had been written here all along!”

It was the epitaph. All the murders that have occurred up to now was all part of this epitaph. Yeah, that’s right. This isn’t some riddle about finding a pile of gold. It’s some sick black ritual for resurrecting a dead witch.

I started reading the contents again based on Yoo Sangah’s translation just to make sure.

“If I recall; It should go something like this:

“’On the first twilight, offer the six chosen by the key as sacrifices’

“Six people were found in the storehouse. On top of that; didn’t that pentagram mean ‘to sacrifice’ or something?”

Everyone flinched at my statement. There’s no denying that the occurrence aligned with what was written. I continued.

“’On The second twilight, those who remain shall tear apart the two who are close’”

Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung were found separated from each other.

“’On the third twilight, those who remain shall praise my noble name’”

Han Sooyoung found a letter after the incident of the second twilight which contained exactly that.

“’On the fourth twilight, gouge the head and kill.

On the fifth twilight, gouge the chest and kill’”

Gong Pildu was killed for the former while the latter was Han Sooyoung’s demise.

“’On the sixth twilight, gouge the stomach and kill

On the seventh twilight, gouge the knee and kill

On the eighth twilight, gouge the leg and kill’

“If the murders are being carried out according to the epitaph then that means at least three more people will be killed for its fulfillment!”

“Not only that. No one would be left alive by the ninth twilight so no matter what we do; everyone is still dying!”

Lee Jihye’s right. Does that mean that whoever’s committing these acts are also planning to die? Are we actually dealing with a F@#$^&* witch here?

Lee Seolhwa looked back for a second as her eyes wandered throughout the room.

“Has anyone seen Mia?”

The sudden mention of Yoo Mia made Yoo Joonghyuk flinch and instinctively looked around.

“Mia?”

“Didn’t she go to the bathroom?”

I assured him. Though he did just call out to her and yet no one answered. So we waited; yet still none.

“MIA!?”

Yoo Mia had just finished with her business. She tried the flush and it doesn’t seem to be working so she just closed the lid and let it be. Approaching the door; her hand was about to reach the knob when she noticed something by the corner of her eye. Something was glowing; flying; presumably towards her.

“A butterfly?”

And then came another, and another, and another, and eventually; a whole swarm; rushing towards her.

“Hii-“

Yoo Mia reached for the door and twisted it open but even before she could step out; even before she could scream; the swarm of golden glow had already reached her; engulfing her entire body and lifting her up until they all disappeared into nothingness.

“MIA!?”

We checked the bathroom and found it open. Yet she wasn’t there. We checked all around the room and yet she was nowhere to be found. But how can that be? Did we miss a hidden door somewhere? No. if that was the case and we could have easily noticed the occurrence or even heard of the disturbance. But there was none of that.

“Don’t tell me the goddamn witch actually took her”

“I-Isn’t this place supposed to protect us from her!?”

Lee Jihye retorted my statement but can we really trust anything at this point? That witch has probably already figured out a way to bypass the magical security that this room had a long time ago so there’s no reason for us to question that.

“Should we look for her outside?”

I looked at Lee Seolhwa and thought hard. Going outside this place means stepping back into the danger zone but if we just stay put then we could lose yet another person. Everyone was looking at me. I saw Yoo Joonghyuk’s worried look as he ready’s his weapon. As I let out a heavy sigh; I looked back to everyone and ordered.

“Everyone, arm yourselves. Grab any weapon that you could find. It’s best that we prepare ourselves for what’s coming”

With not much hesitation. I unlocked the doors with the key I had and we all stepped out into the corridors. Yoo Joonghyuk lead the way as the only person with an actual weapon. The rest of us only had the three candle stands that we found. One of which was snapped into two for Lee Jihye and me to share. The only exception being Jang Hayoung.

“MIA!”

“YOO MIA!”

We rushed around every corner of the hallway; checking every nearby room that we could find but our progress has no sign of improvement. The mansion is really massive and she could have been taken anywhere. It’d be too late for us if we kept up with this pace.

“I think we should split up”

I turned and gave Gabriel a dumb look.

“What!? That’s a terrible idea!”

“I know but she would be dead by the time we reached her. Two groups; we split into groups of three and search in opposite directions. It can at least hasten our search”

I didn’t have anything to retort with. She’s not wrong but it’s too risky of a decision. The Yoo Joonghyuk stepped forward.

“Ten minutes”

“Huh?”

“We both search for ten minutes only then regroup in front of the study room to discuss our findings. Believe me; I sure as hell am worried about my sister but I can’t risk losing another one of you lot. Understood?”

Leave it to Yoo Joonghyuk for controlling the situation like this. None of us objected as much as I hated the idea. So, we split. One group formed Me, Yoo Joonghyuk and Lee Jihye while the other had Lee Seolhwa, Jang Hayoung and Gabriel.

My group searched for the left side of the second floor while the other searched for the right. Then ten minutes have passed and still no progress. As we’ve promised; the three of us returned to the study room. I decided to enter the place but left the door open. Yoo Joonghyuk stood upfront; guarding the entrance as he points his gun outside.

“Come on…come on…come back already…”

Lee Jihye gripped her half of the candle stick while standing a distance behind Yoo Joonghyuk. As for me; I decided to not waste any time and try to search of any information in the study that could help us locate the witch.

I’ve already flipped multiple books and skimmed through each of them, yet Gabriel’s group has yet to return. Shit. Now I’m gonna have to fear for the worse again.

Then suddenly; as I turned the pages of a random book; my hand stopped at a peculiar yet familiar looking symbol.

“Wait…this is…I- I FOUND IT!”

Lee Jihye and Yoo Joonghyuk turned for me. As the former approached; I took out the piece of paper that Han Sooyoung had and compared the two drawings. It was a perfect match; pretty much confirming it. With no time to waste; I quickly read the description. What was written was some strange explanation of occultic mumbo jumbo that I didn’t even bother trying to understand. The important thing was what it generally meant:

“It means ‘discord’”

“What!?”

“Shit! This was all part of their ploy!”

‘Discord’. This symbol was used to separate Han Sooyoung and Gong Pildu from us and now they used it to separate us from the rest of the group. If were safe here then that means they’re the ones who are in trouble.

“M-master! What do we do!? They could be in danger!”

Yoo Joonghyuk’s face hardened and fell into thought. He then turned and was about to say something, bun then-

RING

We were all startled by the sudden sound. It was the ringing of a telephone. Though how could it still work. Moreover; who the hell’s calling us?

We slowly approached the telephone and I went ahead and lifted it up and put it in my ear.

“Hello?”

There was no answer. Only faint silence. I called out again.

“Hello? Is anyone there?”

No. That’s not it. I’m starting to hear something; although faint; I could hear someone sobbing? No. Singing? It was tune I’m not really familiar with but it sounded like a traditional nursery rhyme of sorts. I let the others hear the tune. Lee Jihye was just as lost as I am. It was Yoo Joonghyuk that reacted.

“That’s Mia!”

What?

Now that he mentioned it; It does sound like her. Did she call us over the phone? No; her voice is too faint for her to be holding it; which means someone else called us. But who? The culprit? Did they threaten her to sing?

Yoo Joonghyuk swiped the phone off of me and spoke.

“HELLO!? MIA! CAN YOU HEAR ME? You bastard! WHERE THE HELL DID YOU TAKE MY SISTER!?”

Once again there was no answer. With no other choice; we had to once again look all over the mansion for not only Yoo Mia but all of them.

The three of us started with the first floor. Going around every corner of the corridors; searching for any signs of the other group. Then; as we turned to a corner-

“Wait…do you hear that?”

I stopped and carefully listened; Yoo Joonghyuk and Lee Jihye did too. There was no doubt about it; although faint; that was Yoo Mia’s singing.

“I think it’s this way!”

We all followed the source of the sound. It was getting louder; indicating that we were following the right track. We turned one last corner and found ourselves in front of a familiar door. It was the guest lounge. And no doubt about it; we could hear Yoo Mia singing and sobbing behind the door.

Yoo Joonghyuk quietly stepped forward and twisted the knob. It was locked. He then took out the keys that he had and tried each one until one finally fits. Yoo Joonghyuk then turned to us as his hand held the door knob.

“We have to be careful. If you noticed any strange movement as I open this door; immediately react. The culprit is most likely wielding some dangerous weapon. Most likely a gun of their own so get ready”

You don’t have to tell me twice. I already thought that this whole thing was a trap but what choice do we have? Me and Lee Jihye gripped our weapons hard as we brace ourselves for the words. Then slowly; Yoo Joonghyuk pushed the door and peeked inside. Noticing that the coast was clear; he quickly shoved the door open and pointed his gun.

She was there; Yoo Mia; standing while facing the wall; still singing as if she’s being forced to. But she wasn’t alone; because behind her was-

“Goddamn it…”

A sea of blood. Three corpses laid down on each corner of the room. And I know them. That’s Lee Seolhwa, this one’s Jang Hayoung, and the last one should be Gabriel. All their faces…f!#$^%@ up beyond recognition. Just like they did with the first six murders.

Not only that. They all had that damned icepick stabbed unto them. There’s one on Lee Seolhwa’s stomach: ‘Beelzebub’. One on Jang Hayoung’s knee: ‘Leviathan’. And finally; on Gabriel’s leg: ‘Asmodeus’.

“They’ve done it…that’s the sixth up to the eighth twilight! They’ve completed the ritual!”

Yoo Mia was still singing, it seemed like she hasn’t noticed us yet. Lee Jihye then quickly approached her and grabbed her by the shoulder.

“Oi Mia!”

“Heh!?”

That action made her halt her singing and turned around. I noticed that her cheeks were wet in tears while her face wore the look of horror.

“Did you see them!? Did you see who did it!? Tell us. Tell us everything!”

Lee Jihye’s burst of questions only further confused the child so I had to step up.

“Jihye calm down. Let me do the talking”

I then kneeled in front of Mia and spoke to her eye to eye.

“Mia, listen to me. Tell me who did all this. You don’t have to voice it all out; just calm down and slowly collect your words”

She did exactly as I told her. Wiping her tears as she slowed her breathing. Staying silent for a while as she collects her thoughts before finally speaking.

“I- I don’t exactly know what happened. I was just in the bathroom at one moment then suddenly I was here. Then I saw Seolhwa-unnie and the rest barge into the room saying that they’ve been looking everywhere for me. It was then that she appeared”

She?

“I don’t know what she was but everyone was horrified. None of them could move. Then she approached me and ordered me to sing her a song while I face the fall. I was scared so I did. After that; I didn’t see what happened next but I heard them. I heard all these sounds behind me but I didn’t dare to look. I was too scared to look. I was- I- I’m sorry…I’m really sorry”

Yoo Mia started crying again. I couldn’t do more than assuring her that it’s alright. She didn’t do anything wrong. There was nothing she could do…

“Oppa…w- where’s oppa?”

“Yoo Joonghyuk? He should be-“

He wasn’t there. We all turned around but he was nowhere to be found.

“W- where the hell did that bastard go!?”

“Master!?”

What the hell made him leave now!? I looked around the room for any sign of his disappearance. Then I noticed something next to Lee Seolhwa’s body. It was an envelope. The same envelope as the two I still had. Moreover, it was opened. Yoo Joonghyuk must have read the contents and was provoked by it.

“Kim Dokja! It won’t budge!”

Lee Jihye was already at the door trying to open it. I went up and helped her out but it’s just as she said; the door was stuck. Something was jamming it from the outside; locking us in.

I banged on the door.

“Damn it! YOO JOONGHYUK! OPEN THIS UP!”

“MASTER!”

“HEY! DO YOU HEAR ME! OPEN THE DOOR DAMN IT!”

Yoo Joonghyuk ignored the screams and walked to the entrance hallway. He saw Han Sooyoung and Gong Pildu’s bodies once more before directing his gaze to the lady in the painting. His hand dropped a piece of paper on floor as he lifted his gun and shouted.

“I’ve come as you’ve told me! Now show yourself Beatrice!”

A surge of golden butterflies suddenly appeared in front of the painting; forming the shape of a woman. On her right hand was a smoking pipe which she lifted and pointed towards Yoo Joonghyuk as her mouth formed a massive grin; cackling away.

Yoo Joonghyuk spoke.

“So you’ve finally showed yourself…well then. IT’S ABOUT TIME THAT WE END THIS!”

CRACK

After exerting much force; we finally broke through the door and quickly kicked off the candle stand that was jamming it. As the three of us exited to the halls; we suddenly heard a loud sound akin to a gunshot echoing throughout the halls.

“Shit! Yoo Joonghyuk!”

I quickly rushed to the source while Lee Jihye and Yoo Mia tailed behind. We eventually reached the entrance hall once more. And there; lying on the ground was Yoo Joonghyuk.

“MASTER!”

“OPPA!”

Lee Jihye and Yoo Mia ran to him, and I just stared frozen. I noticed his gun on the floor; there was smoke coming out of it. And on his head was a fresh bullet hole with blood seeping out of it. What does this mean? Did this former regressor seriously committed f#@%@% suicide now!?

“Master…why? Why…? WHY WOULD YOU LEAVE US LIKE THIS!?”

The two girls wailed unto Yoo Joonghyuk’s body. I looked around and noticed a clock nearby. The time was exactly 11:59. Just a few more seconds before the day finally passes. And just like that; it struck twelve and rang out.

Then, at the corner of my eye; I caught a silhouette standing in front of the painting.

‘On the ninth twilight, the witch shall revive, and none shall be left alive’

I instinctively grabbed the gun and pointed it towards the unknown figure.

“WHO ARE YOU!?”

She didn’t answer. All she did was smile.

“ANSWER ME DAMN IT!”

‘On the tenth twilight, the journey will end and you shall reach the capital in which the gold dwells’

Lee Jihye and Yoo Mia also noticed the figure as they both put their guard up. Once again; I shouted.

“WAS IT YOU!? YOU DID ALL SHIT!?”

‘The witch shall praise the wise and bestow four treasures’

“WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS!? WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT FROM US!?”

‘One shall be the gold in the Golden Land’

Once again; she didn’t answer. But this time; she was cackling. Completely mocking us…

“Shut up…”

‘One shall be the resurrection of all the dead souls’

“I SAID SHUT UP!”

‘One shall be the resurrection of the love that was lost’

But she didn’t stop.

“I’ll kill you…I’LL F@#$%% KILL YOU!”

‘One shall be the witch, put into an eternal sleep’

Then slowly; my finger gripped the trigger.

“YOU GODDAMNED WITCH!!!”

‘Rest in peace

My beloved Witch

Beatrice’

RUMBLE

.

.

.

The storm eventually passed and people eventually took noticed of the sudden disappearance of Kim Dokja’s Company. A rescue team lead by Anna Croft was immediately dispatched to search for them. They eventually made it to the island where they were supposedly last seen and started their investigation. They have found their ship but nothing more…

There was no stairway, no gardens, and no mansions. And there certainly was no witch to be seen or heard of, nor were there any signs of life anywhere around the island; let alone that of the company. They all just vanished; leaving absolutely nothing behind.

Meeting nothing but dead ends; the authorities have officially declared each member of the missing company deceased and halted their search there. Many people were devastated of their sudden disappearance. Some of which even started their own investigations which caused multiple kinds of rumors to spread across Korea.

But even with all that; no one was able to give even the slightest glimmer to this mystery. Just lost within the sea of possibilities.

It was several years later when something finally came up. A fisherman found a bottle swimming in the sea. Stuffed in it was a tightly rolled manuscript whose contents describes a strange story about the mass murder of the missing company written by an unknown author. Despite the new fragments of information; it merely brought even more questions to the mystery of their disappearance as even more rumors have emerged from this discovery:

First Game “Return of The Golden Witch” Results:

Demon-Like Judge of Fire, Uriel: Died on the first twilight. Chosen by the key to the Golden Land and sacrificed.

Great Sage Heaven’s Equal, Sun Wukong: Died on the first twilight. Chosen by the key to the Golden Land and sacrificed.

Abyssal Black Flame Dragon: Died on the first twilight. Chosen by the key to the Golden Land and sacrificed.

Lee Gilyoung: Died on the first twilight. Chosen by the key to the Golden Land and sacrificed.

Shin Yoosung: Died on the first twilight. Chosen by the key to the Golden Land and sacrificed.

Yoo Sangah: Died on the first twilight. Chosen by the key to the Golden Land and sacrificed.

Jung Heewon: Died on the second twilight. Forehead pierced by the “Stake of Satan”

Lee Hyunsung: Died on the second twilight. Forehead pierced by the “Stake of Belphegor”

Gong Pildu: Died on the fourth twilight. Gouged in the forehead by the “Stake of Mammon”

Han Sooyoung: Died on the fifth twilight. Gouged in the chest by the “Stake of Lucifer”

Lee Seolhwa: Died on the sixth twilight. Gouged in the stomach by the “Stake of Beelzebub”

Jang Hayoung: Died on the seventh twilight. Gouged in the knee by the “Stake of Leviathan”

Lily Blooming in Aquarius, Gabriel: Died on the eighth twilight. Gouged in the leg by the “Stake of Asmodeus”

The Witch, Beatrice: Revived on the ninth twilight. Now she can finally open the doors to the Golden Land.

Yoo Joonghyuk: Died on the ninth twilight. The witch praised his bravery and granted him the honor of a duel.

Lee Jihye: Missing on the tenth twilight. She has acknowledged the witch and was invited to the Golden Land.

Yoo Mia: Missing on the tenth twilight. She has acknowledged the witch and was invited to the Golden Land.

Kim Dokja: Missing on the tenth twilight. He has acknowledged the witch and was invited to the Golden Land.

The Witch shall praise the wise and bestow four treasures in the Golden Land. There, they chose to revive the souls of the dead and the love they possessed.

For what they desire could not be gained from a mountain of gold, no matter how high.

For Lee Jihye, it was the happy ending that they have lost.

For Yoo Mia, it was her beloved brother that she had lost.

For Kim Dokja, it was his beloved family that he had lost.

Rest in peace my beloved Beatrice.

May your slumber never be disturbed again.

The winner is the Golden Witch, Beatrice.

Of the seventeen, none have completed the scenario in time.

All seventeen have died.

When the stars died, none were left alive.

Chapter Text

It’s heavy. Everything feels really heavy…

Where am I? Who…am I?

I had no idea. All I know is that I’m floating. Somewhere. It’s too dark for me to discern anything…

“■■■■”

Then I heard I call. Someone was saying something from a distance.

“So■■■n■!”

I felt my consciousness returning. Then, slowly, I opened my eyes.

“Sooyoung!”

What greeted me was a familiar face. One I could never forget.

“Finally, you’re awake. Don’t go sleeping on your own while were dealing with the epilogue”

Kim Dokja was flicking my head which was enough to get me up. I stretched my arms as if I just got out of bed and slowly scrutinized the surroundings. I seem to be in a western styled room. A few furniture here and there along with tall windows at my side; though I can’t seem to tell what’s outside.

“You should drink some tea. Might help you feel awake”

That’s Yoo Sangah’s voice. She was holding a teacup right next to me. It’s not just her. Lee Jihye was beside her, then there’s Yoo Mia, and next to her is Yoo Joonghyuk. All of which are sitting on their respective seats.

In front of us was a table with a number of food, drinks, and other items on it. There seemed to be a chessboard at the middle along with a teapot next to it; both were surrounded by dessert stands and plates filled with cake slices, cupcakes, macarons and all other kinds of desserts; plus, a set of teacups for each and every one of us. All of which gave off a rather cheery vibe like were on a little tea party or something.

But why are we all here? Aren’t we all supposed to be dead?

“I normally don’t like these kinds of stuff, but this is some really good tea. Here, try some”

Lee Jihye lifted the teapot and filled my cup. I looked at the liquid on my fill before lifting and smelling the aroma. I took a little sip and my eyes immediately widened. She wasn’t kidding. This is good!

“Did that finally snap you awake? I don’t think the story was boring enough to get you so sleepy”

Kim Dokja chuckled beside me.

Story? Oh, that’s right. The story had just ended; which means we’re currently in the epilogues now. A little get together with everyone in the end.

I looked at Kim Dokja and retorted.

“Oh, shut up”

Kim Dokja chuckled again as I sipped my tea. Then he shifted his gaze to everyone else and declared.

“Anyways. I would like to say congratulations to everyone! Although our ending wasn’t really the sweetest; we were at least able to reach the end of the story so cheers to that!”

“CHEERS!”

We all lifted our cups, and uhhh…sweets; almost at the same time as we followed along Kim Dokja.

“Hah…though it kinda sucks that I had to die at the very first twilight. I really wish they could have given me a bit more screentime”

Yoo Sangah let out a sigh as she poured herself another drink.

“Yeah! You got yourself really messed up in your death. Your appearance during the first twilight had really freaked me out”

Lee Jihye grabbed some macarons and started stuffing it in her mouth before she continued.

“It really made it look like her face was bitten off by some demon”

“And then there was the strange locked room scenario in the second twilight. That one really racked my mind”

Kim Dokja then joined in as he snapped his finger.

“There’s no way the culprit could have set up all that and just easily leave the crime scene. There’s gotta be some witch craft in the works then”

“Poor Heewon-ssi and Hyunsung-ssi. They had to be dragged all the way there just for that little irony”

Yoo Sangah took a sip of her tea as Lee Jihye replied.

“Don’t forget about Yoo Mia’s sudden disappearance from the study room. That whole occurrence really creeped me out. Especially from that sudden phone call with her singing!”

“I’m still really lost on what exactly happened there. It all happened so fast that I just instinctively went with the flow”

Yoo Mia then grabbed a few more macarons and stuffed it into her mouth while Kim Dokja took the teapot and poured it unto his cup.

“Then we have this idiot here”

He pointed at Yoo Joonghyuk.

“Plenty of years to learn from and yet you still decided to go off on your own again!”

“Hmm. Well, I wasn’t satisfied with the screentime I was given so I thought maybe a confrontation with the witch might give me an interesting scene”

“Since when did you ever care about your screentime?”

Yoo Joonghyuk took a sip from his cup before putting it down to speak.

“Unfortunately, even she was too strong for me. In a world without the Star Stream; I’m nothing more but a pro gamer after all. Though I have a feeling that I can’t beat her even with all my skills from before”

“Pro gamer my ass. You’re a perfect human specimen. Why the hell did you even choose professional gaming as your carrier path?”

Everyone just chuckled on Kim Dokja’s reply; lightening up the already bright mood.

Yoo Sangah then put her tea down as she spoke.

“Either way. I think we can all agree that we’ve all completely lost to the witch”

“Yeah. I don’t think there was any way for us to beat her in the first place. Her magic was too complex to understand; even for me”

Kim Dokja chuckled as he grabbed a cake slice.

“I really thought this was going to be a murder mystery genre. I didn’t expect it to end up as just another fantasy. Guess we all owe her an apology”

“Either way; we’re all still gonna be invited to the Golden Land”

Lee Jihye said.

“And everyone else is gonna be joining us soon!”

“To the Golden Land!”

Once again; the mood brightened from Lee Jihye and Yoo Mia’s declaration. Everyone was laughing; continuing with their fill. Drinking tea, pouring one for others, stuffing their mouths with sweets while making the sounds of clattering spoons and plates; giving off the same peaceful vibe we had on the yacht. A moment that could last a very long time…

“Why did you all just agree that it was the Witch’s doing?”

I asked. I just had to ask.

“It’s weird that you guys can just acknowledge the witch like that without giving it enough thought. I mean we could come up with plenty of human explanations for these murders. It doesn’t have to be the witch”

The mood immediately went silent and they all looked at me in a weird manner.

Kim Dokja spoke first.

“Uhh what do you mean, Sooyoung?”

“What’s there not to get? What I’m saying is that the person who killed us is most definitely human. For example: the grotesque scene from the first twilight. Anyone can make a scene like that as long as they have the right tools in hand. They could use a buzzsaw or some grinding just to mimic the look for being devoured by a demon.

“And Yoo Joonghyuk, you said it yourself: these people are just making these elaborate acts in order to blame the witch. They’re hiding themselves behind the illusion of something that doesn’t exist”

“I hate to break it to you unnie, but how would you explain the locked room of the second twilight?”

Lee Jihye replied as she gave a wry grin.

“We’ve already mentioned it during then. It can easily be set up if the culprit has access to hidden passages that we haven’t found. The same argument can be used for Yoo Mia’s disappearance from the study room”

“But didn’t she mention that she just suddenly appeared outside? And what about when she actually encountered the witch herself?”

Yoo Joonghyuk narrowed his eyes at me.

“Of course she’d say that. They probably drugged her and was confused the whole time due to some side effect thus making her story a little unreliable”

“Then how about the fact that you encountered the witch yourself?”

Yoo Sangah’s question caught me off guard.

“That…A projection! Yeah! They just used some kind of 3D visual effects to trick my eyes. Either that or it all happened so fast that I just mistook certain details”

That’s right. There’s no such thing as a witch in this world. All of these were simply done by human acts while making them look like the witch’s doing. It all becomes pretty obvious once you consider the fact that they’re purposely following the epitaph’s ritual.

But they all just looked at me. All their faces covered in worry while staring in silence; as if they were looking at a mad man. Then Kim Dokja spoke.

“Why are you so insistent in denying the witch? It should be easier to explain everything that happened if it was her doing”

“That’s because witches don’t exist in this time and age! The Star Stream is already dead along with every skill and magic it had! No one should be capable of doing these shit anymore! And even then; I don’t remember there being a witch in any of the world lines. Even if there is; it’s certainly not this one!”

There isn’t. There really isn’t. I should know this. I’m one of the few people who knows everything about this world.

“How can you be so sure about this claim?”

Yoo Joonghyuk said and for some reason, it just pissed me off. I abruptly stood up.

“BECAUSE I’M THE AUTHOR OF THIS UNIVERSE DAMN IT!”

Why am I doing this?

“I wrote every story, every lore, every f@#%$$ detail of each and every character in this world so I sure as hell know what’s in it and what’s not! Kim Dokja, you should know about this too, right?”

Arguing like a silly child who thinks they know everything even though it’s nothing more but unnecessary rambling with no real purpose.

“Sooyoung, just calm down”

“You should know the genre of this story and we all should know how it ended! There are no more scenarios. No more dreams. No more regressions or other dimensions. Just nothing more but the regular world us humans have been living in since before the scenarios began.

“So, for the last time. There is absolutely no such thing as WITCHES!”

I slammed my fist unto the table; causing most of the items to bounce up; creating brief clattering sounds before getting replaced by silence as everyone fell into their own thoughts from what I’ve spoken.

Yeah, that’s right. You all have to think about it again. There’s no way we were all just killed like that; it’s unacceptable. Witches certainly don’t exist in this story.

After a period of silence; Kim Dokja finally spoke.

“Sooyo-“

But he was interrupted. Something had happened. Everyone was looking right behind me; seemingly anticipating something…

I looked back and saw two doors appear out of nowhere. Then it opened as something emerged from them. A surge of bright gold started flowing out of the gaps as it pushed the doors wide open; they were butterflies; golden butterflies. What followed was a certain figure of a familiar looking woman.

Her blonde hair tied with a rose a rose ornament; her eyes blue as the swaying seas and the clear morning sky; adorned in a brown-red palette dress with lines of golden strips shaped like an eagle. Her right hand held a golden smoking pipe as her entire figure was covered in a swarm of golden butterflies before they flew away and disappeared into nothingness.

Many words could describe the person that is in front of me, but no description ever comes close to that of a ‘Witch’.

“Wh-…Who the hell are you?”

I asked. The woman smoked a puff from her pipe as she walked past me.

“Isn’t it quite rude of you to not recognize the hostess who invited you to this tea party”

A golden light then glowed in front of where she faced as a fancy looking chair suddenly appeared from it. As the woman approached the chair and sat down; Kim Dokja took the honors and gave me an introduction.

“Han Sooyoung, this is Lady Beatrice. [The Witch of Endless and Golden] and [The Master of Rokenjima’s Night]; that’s the name of the island we were in”

“Please forgive this fool for her rudeness. She doesn’t exactly know the situation she is in”

Yoo Joonghyuk said so as everyone else awkwardly nodded in agreement. The Witch simply smiled and took another puff out of her pipe.

“It’s alright. Us witches have to live for thousands of years in boredom so it’s always interesting for us whenever humans do their ridiculous antics. Hehehe. Besides, it has been a long time since I’ve spoken with a fellow author”

Beatrice? As in the lady from the painting? She exists? No that can’t be. She wasn’t written anywhere in the story and was only shown during that incident so it can’t be possible.

I snapped out of my trance and started collecting my words.

“Ah, Hehe. I see how it is. You’re the illusion of the witch that hides the real events of the story. A disguise to make me believe you actually exist within this setting”

“Hehehe. You remind me of a certain someone who spoke a similar proclamation. Though he has already long left that mindset and went out to fulfill a much more admirable belief. Hehehe”

She then took another puff before I voiced my reply.

“Yeah. Though sorry for putting down your efforts in showing up in front of me, but I’m not entirely convinced of your existence just yet. I might even have to kick your ass out of here if I have to”

“Hehehehe. Interesting, very interesting! I like you already. It makes me really curious as to how you would look like once you’ve surrendered to me while you lick my foot”

The Witch gave me a twisted grin; licking her lips as if imagining all the things that she could do to me. It admittedly scared me a bit but it wasn’t enough to make me back down. I once again collected my words before speaking my reply.

“Over my dead body! I’ll deny your existence as much as I can as you do not belong in this story!”

“Hahahaha! To say that to a witch who has control over life and death is such irony. Very well! You have amused me enough already so why don’t we begin with your explanation?”

The Witch raised her pipe as the whole room was suddenly engulfed by the smoke coming out of it. I closed my eyes and covered my mouth as my hands swatted the smoke away, but a few seconds later; the smoke cleared and we were now within the mansion’s boiler room where Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung’s bodies were found.

The witch chuckled as I looked around in confusion.

“Now then. Tell me how the culprit was able to set up this incident?”

She was talking about the locked room setup of Heewon and Hyunsung’s murder. The state of the room as we’ve found it wasn’t something the culprit could easily escape from thus making it look like an impossible feat only a witch could pull off.

I began to scrutinize the surroundings and spoke.

“As I’ve said before: this can easily be achieved through a secret passage”

“Secret passage? And where exactly would this secret passage be in?”

Wha-?

“W-well…I don’t exactly know but that doesn’t deny the fact that it could exist”

“Just like the witch before you?”

Shit. She’s a lot smarter than I thought. I had to rethink my theory. Come on Sooyoung! What other clichés do mystery novels use for this kind of stuff? Damn it, this genre isn’t my forte at all!

“Then it could be a perfectly aligned setup. The culprit may have used some contraption that would push the cupboard unto the doors as he closes them. Or they could fiddle with the chain from the backdoor and somehow reattach it back as they left through it”

“Hmmm. Is that all?”

Damn it! She’s mocking me. Everything I just said is just as absurd of a claim as a witch being the murderer. But I can’t quite figure out a good explanation for this.

“Would you like me to show you how I did it?”

The Witch spoke. Just before I could question about her claim; she raised her right hand as her pipe’s smoke started surrounding her.

“Come and rise my children, for I am the guide of Purgatory. Come and forgive the deadly sins with the stakes of seven”

As she spoke the magical words like a psalm; the smoke then cleared as seven stakes appeared right in front of her; all of which were the same weapon that pierced everyone from the second up to the eighth twilight.

“What?”

“Allow me to introduce you to the seven stakes of the purgatory. They are my beautiful furniture; capable of launching themselves in very high speeds; bouncing through walls in order to maneuver their directions and pierce their target before they could even blink”

There was nothing I could say. I just stared at them dumbfounded; completely lost at words.

“Come Satan, Belphegor, forgive thy sins. Release the souls of thy sinners”

As she finished her speech, the two corresponding stake immediately launched themselves through the air and bounced out of the boiler room’s entrance and out into the corridors. I didn’t have to wait another second as the next moment had Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung’s already lifeless bodies appearing next to me and the witch.

A single flick of her hand made Jung Heewon fly into the furnace; her body caught in flames, while another wave sent Lee Hyunsung into the cupboard before it was flung into the doors; completely reenacting the murder of the second twilight.

Witnessing that has really spooked me. I don’t even know what to say at this point.

“No…that’s impossible. No one should be capable of that anymore…”

“Kihihihi…KYAHAHAHA! This is nothing more but trivial work to me. Magic can do even more than just that. KYAHAHAH!”

Smoke covered the setting once more as we’ve returned to the tea room where everyone else was at.

“Sooyoung? Are you alri-Ah!?”

Yoo Sangah saw me and stood up but suddenly halted. Something was wrong. She seemed to be in pain; both of her hands instinctively holding her face as she groaned on her knees.

“Gah!?”

Yoo Joonghyuk was the same. He was holding his head as if having an intense migrain.

“SANGAH-SSI!”

“OPPA!?”

“Wh-what’s going on?”

Kim Dokja and Yoo Mia quickly rushed to them while Lee Jihye stood frozen; completely confused. Not before long; the Witch has given them their answer.

“My magic is indeed powerful however its effects are only fully utilized on humans who truly believe in it. Since one of you haven’t fully acknowledged my existence…Well’ let’s just say that they’re now beginning to remember what they were”

And I just stood in place. Witnessing all of this as my mind is incapable of processing whatever the hell is going on. Not even knowing what I am currently feeling. Just frozen and confused.

Yoo Sangah’s face was suddenly getting covered in red as if experiencing a terrible rash; Yoo Joonghyuk too had a red spot growing on his forehead. The two groaned louder as their pain were enhanced each second. The moment lasted for seconds until Yoo Sangah finally lets out a blood curling cream before-

SPLAT

Blood sprayed out from Yoo Sangah’s face and Yoo Joonghyuk’s forehead before their lifeless bodies fell to the ground as they returned to the state of their respective deaths.

“SANGAH-SSI!!!”

“OPPA!!!”

The Witch then walked past them as Kim Dokja and Yoo Mia shouted; standing behind Lee Jihye; right at the other side of the table. Lee Jihye then tried to distance herself from the witch when she too started to feel weird. Red marks were seen appearing in her exposed skin as she fell to the floor groaning in pain. Yoo Mia saw this and tried to help her when she too fell as the same thing was happening to her.

Kim Dokja and I just looked at this scene dumfounded and confused as the Witch smoked another puff before speaking.

“Don’t you remember? The three of you were devoured by demons during the tenth twilight. I used my resurrection magic in order to bring you back and invite you to the Golden Land, but alas…”

Lee Jihye then grinned and looked at me from the floor.

“Damn it….I should have known this would happen….unnie….don’t worry about us….just….don’t lose to her….and give her a….good beating for me….while you’re at it….”

I then looked back at her and thought for second before finally collecting my words for a repl-

SPLAT

Then, they exploded; both of them exploding into a splash of pure red as some even went as far reaching my clothes. Cutting my words into a halt. Then Kim Dokja stood up.

I didn’t know what kind of face he had as he looked at the Witch. Then he turned to look at me with his signature smile. I could see patches of the same red also forming around his exposed skin, but he didn’t groan in pain; he just smiled; slowly approaching my as he spoke.

“Kim Dokja…?

“Damn it…she really got us. Guess I wasn’t able to think hard enough to notice all the oddities”

His movements wobbled as he tried to walk, like a drunkard in a late night as they approached their house. After reaching a few steps in front of me, his legs suddenly gave out which caused him to fall out balance. I instinctively caught him in my arms with his head lying on my shoulder.

“Kim Dokja…?’

I couldn’t hold my tears at that point as my voiced started to crack. But then his hand started caressing my head; making me listen to his soft voice.

“It’s alright…I’ll be fine….You don’t have to blame yourself for any of this….I already lost so….I won’t be able to help you….But you’re different….heheh….You’ll get through this just fine….just like you always do….and I’ll be waiting for you….alright?....So please….don’t cry….everything….is gonna be okay….”

I tried to move him closer to me. Hug him tighter; never letting go-

SPLAT

But I couldn’t. His figure vanished from my arms as I instead caught the splash of red blood. I kneeled to the floor where the pool of his blood still remains; seeing my reflection before hearing the cackle of the Witch.

“HEHEHE. Such a beautiful performance. Haah…You know, none of this would have happened if you simply accepted my existence”

“You damned bitch…”

The Witch then grinned in silence. My fists curled as I slowly stood up from my spot.

“Do you think you can just walk into my life. My story. Take over my role and just F#@%$* LIVE WITH IT!?”

I slowly approached the table under the silent gaze of the figure before me.

“Then come. Enter my story. I’ll make sure to write you a terrible tale. Give you a horrible life. Grant you a fate THAT YOU COULD NEVER IMAGINE! I will destroy you! Kill you! Deny your very existence! Erase every speck of dust you have left from MY UNIVERSE! AND MAKE YOU REGRET EVER MAKING AN ENEMY OUT OF ME!!!!!

“KuhuhuhuhuHaHaHaHaHHAHAHA! KYAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!”

My hand stretched out into the center of the table; putting my fingers under the chessboard.

“I’LL NEVER BELIEVE IN WITCHEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!”

And flipped it over.

When The Stars Died Episode 1: Return of The Golden Witch

--The End--

CAST

               Demon King of Salvation                                                                                                         Kim Dokja

               Director of the False Last Act                                                                                                   Han Sooyoung

               Iron Blood Supreme King                                                                                                         Yoo Joonghyuk

               Moonlight Empress                                                                                                                  Yoo Sangah

               Judge of Destruction                                                                                                                Jung Heewon

               Emperor of Steelsword                                                                                                             Lee Hyunsung

               Monarch of the Great Sea                                                                                                         Lee Jihye

               Insect King                                                                                                                               Lee Gilyoung

               Beast Lord                                                                                                                                Shin Yoosung

               Demon-Like Judge of Fire                                                                                                         Uriel

               Lily Blooming in Aquarius                                                                                                         Gabriel

               Most Ancient Liberator                                                                                                             Sun Wukong

               Abyssal Black Flame Dragon                                                                                                     The weird chuuni kid

               King of Transcendents                                                                                                              Jang Hayoung

               Armed Fortress Master                                                                                                             Gong Pildu

               Heavenly Doctor                                                                                                                       Lee Seolhwa

               Yoo Mia                                                                                                                                    As Herself

Special Guests

               [The Witch of Endless and Golden]                                                                                           Beatrice

               [Servant and Protector of the Golden Witch]                                                                             Ronove

               [Dokkaebi King]                                                                                                                       Biyoo

Written and Directed by

■■■

Produced by

The Golden Witch, Beatrice

Special Thanks to:

[Sorcerer of Endless and Requiem]: Battler Ushiromiya

[Witch of Endless and Resurrection]: Ange Ushiromiya

[One who Guides the way to Beatrice]: Virgillia

Chapter Text

Somewhere, on a distant place laid a beautiful and massive garden filled with patches of flowers of many varying colors; Red, Blue, Gold, and many more; spreading across a distance unknown; each patch separated into large spaces by well-preserved stone paved paths with some even sheltered by long arches (each having vines dangled between them along with blooming flowers covering every space); allowing anyone to peacefully walk between and admire the beauty of this gorgeous sight, like a maze of dazzling colors and harmonious smell; enough to make anyone feel peace just moving along its presence.

At the very center of this maze of flowers stood a white gazebo. Within was a table with many sorts of utensils on it; plates filled with sweets, dessert stands of various kinds, teacups filled with drinks along with a teapot for the refill; all while surrounded by various seats as six figures were gathering around this elaborate tea party while a gramophone sat on the background as a song is played from a recorder titled: Golden Sneer.

At the center of the table sat a chessboard with a strange crystal hovering above it; its surface was incomprehensible and somewhat transparent, as if it was shattered piece of reality from a certain universe.

The crystal was glowing; projecting something out for the gathering people to see. It seemed to have reach its end as it finally halted with the words:

‘When The Stars Died, none was left alive’

Beatrice reached out her pipe and tapped the crystal; turning it off.

“So? What do you think? Pretty interesting right?”

The Golden Witch spoke smugly as she put a cup of tea to her lips.

“Hmmm well I am intrigued but…”

The first to speak was a man presumably in his 20s. Red hair combed in a strange way; eyes as blue as the open skies; adorned in a red polo and black tie under a creamy white suit and matching pants. A golden crest with the shape of an eagle’s wing is patched unto his right lapel while a cape of black with gold strips is hung on his seat’s back rest.

[The Sorcerer of Endless and Requiem]: Lord Battler Ushiromiya

“Isn’t this just a repeat of the first episode of Umineko? It looks like the author just rewrote the story while replacing the original characters with his own”

“Oh, give them a break. This kind of story isn’t exactly the writer’s field of expertise so of course they have to start off with taking a few inspirations. Besides, it’s a good way for them to improve in the field and may even write something original in the future”

“Well, I suppose you’re right”

Battler nodded in agreement to Beato’s statement. As he grabs a cookie from his plate, the woman next to him voiced her thoughts.

“Plus, it’s only been the first episode. We should wait for further developments before we start to making any final judgements”

A young-looking woman with eyes in the shade of blue; long red hair cascading to her shoulders; covered in a beautiful golden-white palette dress customized with golden feathery features mimicking that of an eagle along with a matching fancy hat and white gloves.

[The Witch of Endless and Resurrection]: Lady Ange Ushiromiya

“Though, Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint? I’ve read that story before and quite enjoyed it even. I wish the protagonist was more grateful of his life though. He really missed the point of the story”

“Didn’t you also ignore the point of my story until you were devoured by the demons of the one truth?” Battler replied.

“Well at least I eventually got the memo! Well, I suppose the ending of that story does leave it to the reader’s interpretation. Though I’ve yet to read the side stories”

Ange took a sip from her tea as her brother spoke again.

“Its world was pretty interesting. A story about stories and the effects of stories to its readers. The epilogue arcs really left me emotional for days. Though it kinda reminds me of another story I’m very familiar with”

“Wait. You’ve read it too?”

“Yeah. You think your dear brother only reads mystery novels? I can switch genres anytime too if I like” Battler then shifts his gaze to Beato and continued.

“Though as always. Your cruelty within the gameboards are really off the charts. I think you just left the pieces scarred for life with this one”

“Pukukuku. Even though I did remind her to be more gentle with them this time”

Beato was about to speak when another figure approached the table and refilled their empty cups. It was a man with long black hair and a mustache of the same color; wearing a black tuxedo coat with golden strips and the crest of a golden wing on his left sleeve; under a white shirt tied with a cravat and black pants below.

One of the 72 Great Demons. [Servant and Protector of the Golden Witch]: Ronove

“Milady really can’t help but show off her cruelty. It’s a part of her character that she just can’t seem to control”

“Hey! I-“

“You should really go easy on these poor children. Perhaps they’ve already gone through their fair share of cruel fates and tragedies, but your strange antics are probably gonna make them question the life they’ve been living”

Beato was about to retort when yet another figure sitting next to her interrupted. Her looks gave off a vibe of old beauty along with her long and dignified gray hair while her eyes are kept shut; covered in a

black dress and matching hat adorned in dark red roses along with a sash of orange color engraved with a golden winged shape.

[One who Guides the way to Beatrice]: Virgilia

“Teacher! At least listen to me for one sec!”

Beatrice retorted.

“Just to be clear, I am simply following the manuscript that was given to me word for word”

“Hohoho. Is that so?”

“It’s true! I’m not the writer of this story, I’m merely the producer who grants them the power they need to create such a universe”

Ange’s ear twitched at the statement and placed her tea down as she replied.

“Where did you find yourself such a person?”

“It’s a long story actualy, but in summary: I was just walking around the City of Books when I heard someone called out to me in desperation. When I followed the source; I found myself in front of a very miserable looking person. It seems like they have stumbled upon our story and had developed this peculiar desire of sorts. I was immediately intrigued by their wish, so I decided to grant them my acknowledgement and power; the rest is as you know”

“My princess has gotten herself her own disciple?”

Virgilia said along with a “Hohohohoho”

“Ah, poor fellow had to deal with a crazy woman for a teacher”

“Shut up you incompetent wizard!”

Beatrice replied to Battler with a flying macaron that she unfortunately missed as her target’s head ducked. Battler then quickly changed the topic.

“Though what’s all this got to do with us?”

“You went into all that trouble to invite us to this small tea party so there’s gotta be a reason for it, right?”

Beato smugly chuckled at the two siblings before she gave her reply.

“Indeed, there is. I, Beatrice, The Golden Witch, Producer of When The Stars Died, would like to personally invite you all to play a role in the upcoming episodes!”

The mood then brightened from the sudden declaration. Everyone’s faces were filled with expectations and wonder as they thought about their scripts for the story.

“Does that mean that we get to face each other again in the gameboard?”

Ange asked in anticipation.

“Hmmm Unfortunately I already have an opponent to go against but I can give you similar roles. I’ve missed doing our little exchange of red and blue in the past so this is a good time to get back into it”

“Very nice! I’m gonna enjoy being under the spotlight again. Even if my role isn’t going to be the protagonist this time”

Battler bit another cookie when Beato moved her gaze to the other two.

“I’ve also invited a few more people. The Seven Stakes have already made an appearance in this episode so you can expect the Sisters to show up in the next one. Especially since we’re planning on introducing more of the magic side soon; so, I’m going to need allot of brainstorming with how we’ll execute a fantastic performance”

“Looks like we’ll need to ready ourselves and keep our princess’ ideas in check”

“Pukukuku. Looks like I’m going to need a few extra pair of gloves”

“Oi-“

Ronove and Virgilia looked at each other as they snickered behind Beato. She continued.

“Not only that; I’ve also sent an invitation to both the demon realm and the great court of heaven. Gaap should have received the invitation by now, and if things go well, the Chiesters and Dlanor’s squad could join in too!

“I also sent one for Claire and Willard. But I don’t know if that guy can afford leaving his cat behind with Lion”

Ange then thought for a second before declaring a question.

“You didn’t send the voyagers an invite?”

“I did but apparently, they’re busy working on the Higurashi spin-offs and the Silent Hill F game. I tried to send one to Erika as well but she was also dragged into their antics. Oh, and before you ask; no they still don’t plan on releasing Ciconia episode 2 anytime soon”

“Shame”  

“Well now that we got those out of the way. Can we finally discuss about the elephant in the room?”

As Battler finished his sentence, he abruptly stood up and pointed at a certain seat beside him.

“WHY DO YOU HAVE A LOST CHILD TIED UP ON A CHAIR OVER HERE!?”

At the end of his finger sat a black-haired child constantly struggling out of the tight rope tying her to the chair while her mouth was covered shut by a duct tape.

“HMMP! HMMP! HMMP!”

“Oh right. I completely forgot about her. Teehee~”

Everyone just gave Beato a dumb stare. Though they can’t really blame it entirely on her because they all completely forgot about her being here too.

“Isn’t that Dokkaebi King Biyoo? Why is she here? And….why did you have to tie her up and duct tape her?”

Beato shrugged at Ange’s question.

“Her very existence contradicts allot of the rules within the gameboard so I had to asked Ronove to take her away. I was planning on getting rid of her but I’m not so merciless as to kill a child so I decided to keep her. But she didn’t want to be obedient and was honestly a hassle to deal with so we just tied her up to a chair”

“Didn’t you just mercilessly kill children within the gameboard? Not to mention the stuff you did with Maria”

Battler replied as Ange stood and approached Biyoo.

“Oh, come on! I’m a changed woman! Besides, can’t I bring home something cute for once? Look if you know a way to get her to behave then I can consider letting you take care of her”

Beato’s gaze then turned to Ange scrutinizing the child. She was staring at her for a while with a look that at some point may have started giving Biyoo the creeps.

“I think I know of a way to make her obedient”

“HMMP!?”

“Ange if you plan on giving her to the Sisters, they’ll rip her to shreds. Sakutarou has already gotten enough of that”

“More importantly. Shouldn’t we meet this author of yours? I mean if this is supposed to be their story then it’s best to ask the opinion of the maker itself”

“Hehehe. Don’t worry…”

Beato chuckled at Battler’s question. She took the chance to refill her teacup before giving a reply as her gaze fell unto the chessboard where a crystal shows a different tea party taking place.

“We will be meeting them soon enough…”