The Black Swan

Chapter 34: ...It Continues...

"...alright, let the next shift takeover now," Chaewon instructed the magicians, as they switched hands one by one.

They were doing it - they were holding a force field for Yoonie. Hitomi laid on the ground in a corner - nothing but sheets between her body and the cold concrete floors. She was drained. She had to summon an ancient seal to lock the space within the force field, almost as if they were in another dimension. That had exhausted a great deal of her life force, as she was the only person capable of such feat. Chaewon stopped by once in a while to check in on her, but the Sealing Specialist claimed that she was fine. The colour seemed to fade from her cheeks - and that was enough to worry Chaewon. After sending for a healer, she had to focus on watching over the magicians hold up the shield. She was the gatekeeper - in and out - and the key arbiter, to ensure everyone performed well.

It, however, was nothing comparable to the magnitude of the force field surrounding the arena; just the size of a small bedroom with Yoonie in the centre of it. Yuri and Wonyoung accompanied her as her scribes, keeping track of the various readings and notes made by the other magicians as well.

Wonyoung held great knowledge of the other magical types Yoonie were not familiar with. Oftentimes, she could easily translate the tactics of other magicians from words into actions. Yuri, on the other hand, had elementary exposure to Dark Magic. Seeing that her knowledge surpassed even that of Chaewon, the famous Battle Mage Tutor, they agreed that Yuri should help instead.

After taking some risks, they realised something. Eunbi managed to contact Sakura via a magical prompter, courtesy of the Full Moon. With her eyes on the leader, they ran an experiment. She reported that Soyeon had no reaction when Yoonie first used her Dark Magic. So Yoonie's hypothesis was true - her Dark Magic could not be detected from within the force field.

"Also, you should be here in the bunker, Sakura." Eunbi expressed her discontent with Sakura's lack of compliance. It had also come to her knowledge that Sakura was wounded as a result of the battle.

"High Lady! We need to show our support in this. The Queen's Shield should be leading the fight against the enemy!" She paused momentarily, supporting an ally with magical suppression.

"This is not the time for arguing, Sakura. We have already agreed that the Full Moon will take leadership!" She scolded Sakura for her defiance, slamming her fist on the table. "Besides, Daniel and more will be sent to reinforce the troops soon. Report back to HQ then."

"... yes, High Lady. I'll return on the next rotation." She reluctantly agrees, before terminating the call with Eunbi.

"Where the hell is Yoonie?" Minju returned from her other duties, hurriedly.

"In the force field. I'll get one of the mages to let you in," Chaewon signalled to one of them to release the shield for a second, allowing Minju to enter via a doorway. The Battle Mage Tutor knew that she would play a crucial role in helping Yoonie here.

"I'm... almost done," Yoonie admitted, though taking the opportunity to clarify certain concepts with Minju. Out of everyone in the room, it was evident that Minju had the greatest practical knowledge of using Black Magic. They reasoned that it was probably the outcome of her unique Psychic Magic.

"...release tension over the pericardium. Undead magic takes a toll on the heart, so you must learn to dissipate unnecessary ailments."

"I didn't know Psychic Magic was considered an Undead type," Yuri admitted overhearing their conversation.

"If not for the circumstances, there are many things I wish you had not known about us." Minju hinted her uneasiness with Yuri and Wonyoung listening to their exchange. "After all this pulls over, King Jang would not approve of the things we know."