The Black Swan

Chapter 13: Locked Out of...

Chaewon jumps out of the way, steering clear of the dark phantasmal hand that tried to claw at her - but fell short of her reach. Over the past few weeks, Yoonie had discovered this new ability, "Unseen Hold", which sought to clamp down on her opponents and restrict them. However, the shadows were not lengthened enough for Yoonie to catch Chaewon - and her tutor had already understood her powers' weaknesses by now.

"Nice try, Yoonie. You're gonna have to think of a better plan than lurking in the shadows." Her tutor remarked snidely.

...Now! Chaewon did not realise it, but while she had been occupied avoiding Yoonie's spell, that she had inadvertently closed the distance between the two of them. Yoonie seized this opportunity as she quickly conjured up a black gaping hole right next to Chaewon, forcing her to be sucked into the void she had created in their realm. Chaewon dug her heels deep into the ground, summoning a massive iceberg into the floor before her to hold on tight. Yoonie swore she spotted a look of despair in Chaewon's eyes as her unexpected move threw her off guard - forcing her to stop and evaluate her next move carefully. She stretches out her hand with much difficulty at Yoonie, aiming a bolt of electrical energy at Yoonie. Yoonie, having to duck out of the way, drops her spell immediately.

Free from Yoonie's advances, Chaewon hurls bolt after bolt of lightning at her. They were too fast for Yoonie to avoid. Though she need not fear - for her Dark void was able to suck up incoming attacks that would have otherwise been deadly.

With a sharp pain emerging from her neck, she grunts and falls to onto her kneels - biting her lips to fight the incessant prickling.

"You're pushing too hard," Chaewon dashed over to assess her condition, noting that she was literally panting in cold sweat. "Let's take a break. You're doing well, Yoonie." Chaewon complimented her, giving an encouraging eye-smile with her face just inches away from Yoonie. Yoonie notices it, but unable to look at her tutor directly in the eye due to their close proximity.

The only thing I want to be doing would be-

Her chain of thought was broken as the doors swang inwards. Chaewon rose to her feet, heading to meet the two individuals halfway in the room. They were dressed in similar violet uniforms and accompanying purple handkerchieves that veiled their face, except for their eyes. The elder, more senior member of the two was a familiar sight to Yoonie - she had recalled seeing the leader of the squad that rescued her team in the caves of the Nightmare Monarch. In their casual attire, the lady's ruby-red hair was glossy and glistened even in the little dregs of light available indoors. And at her side, was another girl she had seen before.

It's... It's that girl with the unique memory magic... What's her name, Minju?

"Yoonie, you have some visitors." Chaewon called out to her, making her scramble to her feet to greet the two ladies who sought her attention. Before leaving, Chaewon turns to the two guests, "You may make yourselves comfortable here - I'll be back in a bit."

"Hello Yoonie, I'm sure you have met Minju prior to today." The mysterious and cool-looking lady greeted. "I am <Flame> Lee Chaeyeon, the leader of the squad dispatched to save your team from the Nightmare Monarch. I've gotten Minju to bring me to you so that we can clarify some details of your, "Magical Transition". She explained.

"Oh, thank you very much for rescuing us back then. How can I be of assistance?"

"To set things in context - we have seen your memories of the incident through Minju's Magic, 'Visual Recall'. However, there are some limits to what she can project, such as your internal experiences or dreamlike states."

"Yes - we were just wondering if you've had any odd encounters with this Dark Magic you acquired?" Minju added.

"In fact, I do... But after being united with the Dark Magic, I can't exactly separate myself from this dark entity that entered my mind. It's like, I've become one with it," Yoonie tried to elaborate the highly dense topic of her alternate identity. "It was like a shadow that I had never realised until this conjoining of power."