They both broke into a chuckle.
Chaewon was relieved. At least Sakura had seemed to have calmed down enough.

"I still have more experience." Sakura stated proudly.

Chaewon sat back, raising her hands in defeat.
"I'll let you off this time then."

...

Time: 18:15, October 23

Red blood.
Her hands were laden with it.

The sight of it sent a rush through her veins unlike any other. A rush which lifted her senses, and giving her an uncontrollable desire.
A desire to kill.
She cherished every moment of it. The thrilling warmth of it as it stained her arms, and the tangy smell that flared in the air. She loved every single bit of it.

It was an inhumane bloodlust which could not be stopped.
No matter how much she felt, the feeling was tantalising; it was a temptation which eternally yearned to be quenched.

The spirit pelted through the trees at an ungodly pace, blasting through the branches that encased her. With every step, it felt like the temptation was strengthening, a pulling force so strong that it was impossible to escape.

Blood.
The spirit wanted blood.
Whatever being unlucky enough to cross her would end up dead within the blink of an eye. Spirit and human alike.

There'd be no more mistakes.
She'd spare not a single one of them.

But, most importantly, she'd make them pay. The spirit would show them a true force to be reconned with.
Before, the hunters had made everything so difficult. Their egos had pushed them into thinking that they could overpower any force thrown at them.

It would not be the case anymore.
Eunchae would make sure of it.
If the spirit could overpower one hunter, it could overpower them all.

Obtaining Eunchae's body had just been the starting point.
She'd stalled too much in the past. It was an embarrassment to her.
Being knocked out of a window by Niki, or not being able to finish off Kazuha.

It was a shot to her pride.
But now, she was here to fill in the gaps that they had caused.
To finish them all.

And so, she was getting closer.
Closer to the base.
Where Sakura and Chaewon awaited their fate.

The spirit reached an opening in the trees. It revealed a path.
It wound up the hillside, up high into the mountains.

The creature snarled to itself.
"Remember this place, Eunchae?"

The path was uncanny. It led straight to the headquarters.
Where Chaewon and Sakura were.

The spirit knew it.
And so, it waited for the right time. It was the hunter, and they were the prey.

And a hunter had to know when to strike.
It just had to wait until the right moment.

...

Time: 19:20, October 23

To her, the girl looked as if all the meaning to her existence had been wiped. She looked as if she'd been completely drained from the inside out. A walking corpse, even. Her eyes had been downturned.
In the past, she had been so optimistic, so gentle and caring for others. A reliable person, a strong person. Someone who strived to give the best to others.

But now, she looked completely spent. Drained of absolutely everything.
Like her will to live had been diminished.

Kazuha pitied her.
Yunjin was one the best of the many people she could've ever asked for to be with.
She had always been smiling, always trying to make others feel secure and safe.

Now she looked like the one who needed the optimism. It was like the events coming to this point had taken its toll on her. All of her physical and emotional strength had been expended.
Her lips had gone dull, and her eyes were drowsy. Dead-looking, even.

As the group walked along the alleyway in the darkness, nobody had said a word. The only noise coming was the scrape of their footsteps and the pat of their leather sheaths as it bounced against their uniform.
Even the night was silent.

Everything felt so... lifeless.

So, Kazuha walked up to Yunjin.
She whispered to her in a small voice, enough for only the both of them to hear.

"Yunjin." She muttered.

Kazuha waited for a response.

Nothing.
Just aimless trudging. Yunjin's head wasn't even looking up.

Kazuha let out a silent huff. Her shoulders slumped.
There was only so much time left that they might be able to have together. This might even be the last chance she'd be ever able to have a proper conversation with Yunjin again.
Or any of them.

"Yunjin. Please. You don't have to respond to me... just listen if you want..." Kazuha mumbled.

She pursed her lips.
It could be the last time ever that she'd be able to chat with her comrade.

"Going into this... Before we fight her, Eunchae, I mean... I just, you know, have my mind on things. A lot of things."

Kazuha let out a breath.
"If... If I-... If I don't get out of this alive, I just want you to know that you... I think you- I don't think you should dwell on it too much. I want you to be happy, Yunjin, like how you used to be..."

She stifled a sob.
"You're strong. I just know you are... If it happens so that we don't see each other again, or even if we do, by miracle, I just hope that you'll return to the other side of you. The Yunjin who... who was... just... you. I want you to be like that, even if not everyone will be there to see it..."

Kazuha went back, and walked on in silence, not saying another word.
It was done.
She had said what she had to say.

She turned to Yunjin.
The girl still looked as dull as before.
But she had heard it. Kazuha could see it.

Her eyes were glazed with tears.

As long as she had heard it, Kazuha felt at rest.
Even if she weren't to survive this, at least she could know that there was someone who had heard her voice before she did.

...

Time: 19:45, October 23

The darkness of night was nigh.
The alleyway of which they walked in had turned nearly pitch black.

To the untrained eye, it would've been impossible to see. Impossible to watch for incoming threat.
Niki looked at the others in front of him. Their heads were down, and they trudged along silently.
As silent as the night.
And as dead as it.

He could see Sunghoon subtly supporting Sunoo's arm as he walked, casting worried glances every now and then. Kazuha and Yunjin looked a little bit separated off to the side, in their own pocket.
They didn't look to be speaking to each other.
Or at least Yunjin didn't.

At this point in time, this was when the weight of everything had really dawned on him.
This was the inescapable abyss.
The thing they were really asking for wasn't a fight.
It was more of a death wish than anything.

But it had just been that sliver of hope that had compelled them to carry on. And the weight of their loses as well.
Maybe this was even their calling, even.

For them to live, was to die.
There was no life without death, nor was there peace without conflict.
There was no big reward, without a big risk.

It was their only chance. They needed to take the risk. It was everything they could do.

But yet, it wasn't too late to back down now.
However, there were dire consequences which would inevitably come their way.

If they let Eunchae get to Sakura and Chaewon, the power of Eunchae would be completely unparalleled. And, without the fighting force of the two, they'd be picked off, one by one. It was just a matter of time.
And, at that, further chaos would ensue.

They'd be fighting a battle which was already lost.

But, that was not what they were going to do.
They were going to help Sakura and Chaewon.
Yet, it was still uncertain.
Whether Eunchae's wrath would be able to be stopped by them. Or, whether they'd fall victim to her power.
In the worst case scenario, both ended in death.

But, if it wasn't too late, they could attempt to stop Eunchae.
It was all just a matter of whether they could, or would die doing it.

...

Nobody was going to die.
He wasn't going to let anyone die.

Sunghoon had assured himself that.
Whatever it was going to take him, even his own life, he'd do whatever he could to make sure that everyone would come out alive.

No matter of how bad of a condition they were in before they were going into the fight, he'd do whatever it took to make sure that they would live.

Or...

Maybe it was all just false hope he was giving himself.

He wanted to make himself believe. But even he himself was doubting.
Who was he kidding?

It was a death wish even just coming along to fight.
He still remembered Eunchae's power when she had first turned. It still sent a chill down his spine.
If she had been like that in the past, how much power was she able to wield at this point?

An ungodly amount.
That was how much.

Sunghoon took in a deep breath. The nerves had got to him.
And Sunoo could feel his unsettled demeanour.

"Worried?" He asked.

Sunghoon nodded. He wiped away a cold sweat that had formed in his brow.
"Petrified..." he mumbled.

"Nobody's going to die. You've said it time and time again. So I said it again, as well." Sunoo told him, attempting to calm his nerves.

"Nobody's going to die..." Sunghoon repeated in a breath.

Sunoo nodded his head.
"Yes, nobody will."

"Nobody?"
Sunghoon turned to Sunoo, who smiled back at him.

"Nobody. Not a single one of us."

...