Areum slowly opened her eyes, the sunlight warm on her face, the wind soft as it brushed over her skin like a whisper, and for a mont, she didn't understand where she was, only that the ground beneath her was soft, like fresh grass, not cold stone or rough dirt, and when she pushed herself up to sit, she realized she was lying under a tree with shadows dancing gently over her.
"You finally woke up, sister," a young voice said beside her, and Areum turned her head quickly, her eyes widening the mont she saw Sam sitting there with a small smile, his face bruised but his eyes still full of light, and her heart twisted.
"Sam… Sam!" she cried, throwing her arms around him as tears filled her eyes, and she hugged him tight like she was afraid he would disappear if she let go, her voice shaking. "I thought—! Are you okay? They hurt you… your lip, your face—!"
But Sam only smiled again, even though it hurt a little, and he reached up and patted her back gently.
"I'm fine now, really," he said softly. "You don't have to cry, sister. It's over. Mr. Jihoon saved us. You're safe now."
Areum pulled back slowly, looking at his face again, and her fingers lightly touched the bruise on his lip, guilt flashing in her eyes.
Then she stood up suddenly, her eyes darting around, her heart racing again. "What about the others? What about Grandpa?!"
She turned around, ready to run, but stopped when she saw sothing that made her freeze in place, her mouth open in shock.
The village—what was left of it—was no longer burning, no longer covered in smoke or ruined by battle. Instead, people were everywhere, working, smiling, moving wood and stone as if rebuilding the village from scratch.
And then her eyes landed on sothing strange—no, sothing extraordinary.
"What… is that?!" she said, pointing to a tall figure in the middle of the crowd. The being stood with a bit red skin, long horns that curled back over her head, and a two black wings and her voice could be heard giving commands to several earth mages, their hands glowing brown as chunks of stone and dirt floated in the air to form walls and hos.
"That's Miss Malara," Sam said, grabbing Areum's hand and pulling her forward carefully. "She's with Mr. Jihoon's people. But she said she's just his servant."
Areum's eyes widened again, staring at the being who clearly wasn't human.
"But… that looks like a demon," she whispered.
Sam nodded. "Yeah, but she's helping us. After Mr. Jihoon saved us, he offered to help rebuild the village and Miss Malara showed up, Now she's leading the village earth mages and helping everyone."
Areum followed Sam's lead, walking slowly into the village that no longer looked like it had been attacked just hours ago. The houses were already standing tall again, and the ground was even, not broken or burned. Earth magic flowed gently under their feet, as if the land itself had been cald.
Since the awakening, their village had chosen to isolate itself, to never use their powers unless truly necessary, afraid of being found, afraid of losing control again. But now… now their powers were being used in the open, and it was changing everything.
Areum watched the demon—Malara—move like a commander, her orders precise, her aura strong, and a new thought ford in her mind.
'He has a demon servant? Just who is this man? How co no one knew?' she thought, confused and curious at the sa ti.
Then a voice called out to her—warm, familiar, and full of emotion. "Areum… you're awake."
She turned fast, and her heart jumped with relief. "Grandpa!"
She ran into his arms, hugging him tightly as he held her close, his hands strong but trembling just a little.
"I'm sorry, Grandpa… I couldn't do anything…" she whispered, her voice breaking.
But he just chuckled softly and kissed the top of her head. "You did enough."
"Are you okay?" she asked, pulling back to look at him.
"I'm fine now," he said, smiling with tired but bright eyes. "Thanks to Professor Jihoon. And… thanks to you."
After hugging her grandpa and seeing the villagers safe, Areum stood still for a mont, her eyes watching the people rebuild the village with help from a stranger she didn't know.
She took a deep breath, calming her racing mind, then finally asked in a soft but serious voice, "Where is he?"
Sam, who was standing beside her and watching her carefully, turned his head and lifted his hand to point toward the far end of the village, where the tall trees began again. "Over there," he said, "by the old well. He's been watching everyone since earlier."
Areum nodded once at Sam and at her grandpa, who gave her a gentle nod in return, understanding what she wanted to do.
Without another word, Areum walked toward the place Sam pointed at, her steps quiet, her heart beating a little faster with each one. As she moved closer, she could see him.
He was standing under a tree, just outside the rebuilt houses, his back straight, arms crossed, and his eyes carefully watching how they worked together.
"Professor Jihoon," Areum called out as she approached, her voice clear.
Seojun's eyes moved slightly toward her, but he didn't turn his head.
After a few seconds, he spoke in a low voice, "What's your decision?"
Areum stood still beside him. She looked down at her feet, then up at the sky, then finally at the village behind her. The place she had always sworn to protect. The people she had always wanted to grow stronger for.
She took another deep breath.
"I… I will co with you," she said, her voice strong even if her hands were still shaking a little. "But…"
Seojun's eyes turned to her now, quietly waiting.
"I want to make sure this village will be safe after I leave," she continued. "I can't go if I'm not sure they won't be hurt again. I have to know they'll be protected even without here."
The wind blew gently between them, carrying the sounds of laughter and hamring and soft magic through the air.
Seojun didn't speak right away. He looked back toward the village, as if checking sothing, then finally said, "They will be safe."
Areum stared at him. "How can you be so sure?"
Then, from Seojun's hand, sothing dark and soft like black smoke slowly began to rise until it slowly shifted shape. The black smoke twisted gently, and then it turned white—pure white, like fresh snow. In the middle of Seojun's palm, a small snake ford. Its eyes glowed faintly, and its tongue flicked out as it looked around.
"This is Silla's clone," Seojun said in his calm voice. "One of my beasts. He'll stay in this village."
The little white snake slowly curled around Seojun's fingers, then slithered onto the ground, its movents smooth and silent.
"He will watch this place closely," Seojun continued, his eyes never leaving the snake. "And if sothing like this ever happens again, he'll contact right away. Instantly."
Areum stared at the small creature, not sure if she was surprised or amazed. Before she could speak, Seojun added sothing else.
"I've already set a barrier around the whole village," he said. "It's hidden. Not even mid-rank scouts can notice it unless I allow it. No one can enter without being seen."
Areum slowly lowered her head and let out a soft sigh of relief.
"That's… good," she said quietly. "Thank you."
Seojun stood straight again, his eyes still calm and unreadable. He lifted his hand, and the small snake moved again, crawling toward the nearby tree. It climbed up and disappeared into the leaves, hiding itself.
"Let's leave now," Seojun said, already turning slightly, ready to walk.
Areum looked at him, her heart pulling her back.
"Give more ti," she said gently.
Seojun turned his eyes back to her. For a few seconds, he didn't speak. He just stared at her face, reading sothing in her expression—maybe sadness, maybe hesitation, maybe love for the village she didn't want to leave so quickly.
He let out a soft sigh.
"…Alright," he said. "But we have to leave before the end of the day."
Areum nodded slowly. "I understand."
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