The Black Swan

Chapter 33: It Begins

They ran. Sakura scoured away at the strangers, pushing past them to make way. She clung hard, refusing to let go of Yoonie amidst the chaos of the attack. She could only watch in fear. A burning sensation in her heart, but terrified and frozen within her shell. What were they doing? What was she doing? What was going on? These questions continued to overwhelm her sanity, proving difficult for her to think. She simply let herself get dragged by Sakura.

They were here. Members of the Nightmare Monarch - their troops, comprising the fighter goblins on dragon, drake-like mounts and magically-inclined hobgoblins. Beast magic, Yoonie iterated in her head. Indeed, the underlings were all Beast-kind - possibly under the rulership and control of Soyeon.

From her exchange with the incapacitated Ji-hoon, she knew that Soojin was a Blood Magician - having the ability to manipulate bodies to do her bidding. Her senses were muddled, tempered by sheer terror over the disaster befallen upon the Capital. She could not even fathom the possibilities of Black Magic possessed by the other 4 queens - who knew what they could do.

{Yoonie...}

The voice within her called. Having heard them too often, she grew familiar with the tone of her alternate self. Instantly, she jolted from her daydream, taking in the circumstances surrounding her. Many inhuman creatures continued to clash with local knights and magicians, who struggled to create a barrier between the enemy and the civilians. Meanwhile, the non-fighters gathered a taskforce to bring the civilians to safety.

As they ran, Yoonie caught sight of a hobgoblin spraying a noxious green gas at the Capital's magicians. A few unfortunate members failed to notice, immediately faltering as they took in the poisonous fumes carried by the wind. With a raised hand, Yoonie reached forth with vehement magic to incapacitate the hobgoblin. They made a scowling sound while panicking to put out the demonic flames across their body. However, as they struggled, the flames spread to nearby enemies, causing them all to burn to smithereens. She initially intended to target one, but the potency of her magic inadvertently affected several of them. Yoonie paused, surprised that her power had grown tremendously.

Pain radiated from her neck. She cried out. It attracted Sakura's attention, who stopped for a brief moment to check on her.

"It hurts!" Yoonie forced the words, making Sakura all worried at the trauma she was experiencing. Her scleras were starting to run bloodshot red. Together with her already-crimson red pupils, her entire eye became a blood moon amidst an evening sunset.

From the far end, she watched as the large wave of inhuman monsters made way for Miyeon and Soyeon. They stopped at her will; waiting. It was as if they took instructions directly from the leader - not by words, but by a mystical force. The pain over her neck subsided as they arrived.

"Yoonie," Soyeon's voice roared above the crowds and battle instructions. "Come now, and we can stop all this fighting."

Sakura rambled some instructions to surrounding members of the Queen's Shield - their emblems all visible on their sleeves. Using her authority as second in command, she instated them to fend off against the enemy. Complying, the members garnered unity in strength to initiate further attacks against the Nightmare Monarch. Miyeon and Soyeon flinched at the attack, a disgruntled look on their faces.

"Lady Sakura," Chaeyeon and Minju dashed in, weapons at the ready. "We'll take over from here."

"Go with the plan, NOW." Sakura left Yoonie in the good hands of the two Full Moon members, before rushing in to support the faction mates she had previously ordered.

"Sensei!" Yoonie called. She turned back. No words were said, but it affirmed Yoonie to "don't worry." She began hurling crystalline magics at the enemy, serving to disorientate and distract them while Yoonie escaped.