@♆ Seo Inguk [thank you good sirrrrr]

@დ Lalisa Manobal @❦ Kim Hyo-jong ¥✔ @♆ Ten @☾ Sora Choi￥✔ Due to the nature of the third trial's and multiple champion's request a one week extension had been granted for the tourney.

@დ Lalisa Manobal @♆ Ten @☾ Sora Choi￥✔ Do all of you require more time? ()

@♆ Seo Inguk [.... i know we're only halfway thru the week but is it too late to ask for an extension since this past weak has been brutal..? lol]

STRENGTHS
+broad-minded
+resilient
+justice-seeking

WEAKNESSES
-self-seeking
-opportunistic
-headstrong

Strengths
Strong willed
Leadership
Swordman ship

Weakness
Combative
PTSD
reluctance to ask for help

Strengths
Loyal
Independent
Charismatically bold

Weakness
Guarded
Deceitful
Prideful

Strengths
Blessed Blue flame magic
Self-sufficiency
Logical intellect
Weakness
Self loathing
Blinded by ambition
Self doubt

@♆ Ten Four of Coins

* rolls dice * gets a 1

* rolls dice * gets a 6

* rolls dice * gets a 2

@❦ Kim Hyo-jong ¥✔ Eight of Swords

* rolls dice * gets a 2

@დ Lalisa Manobal Five of Wands

@☾ Sora Choi￥✔ The Knight's cup of coin

* rolls dice * gets a 5

* rolls dice * gets a 6

@დ Lalisa Manobal @❦ Kim Hyo-jong ¥✔ @♆ Ten @☾ Sora Choi￥✔ Congratulations to our final four Champions. Please be sure to read the information about carefully then proceed to roll for your prompt. Remember what awaits you on the other side of this is eternal glory, profit and the respect of your people. Good luck champions.

https://i.imgur.com/WK1eBwS.png

Dawn is eliminated to due to time constrain.

BANG!

Daesung awakened to the sound of several bullet rounds slicing into the flesh of the monsters. He hit the ground hard when the creature released him. "Go back to hell, you some!" Ross demanded cocking back the rifle once more to blast a hole in the heads of several demons. Reimold dashed in, scrambling to get Daesung back on his feet. Dizzy and delirious, he struggled to stabilize himself. He hobbled alongside Reimold, fleeing from the horde of monsters and heading toward the entrance of the tunnels. Ross swore under his breath, tempting his rifle. Reimold stumbles under the weight of Daesung, sending them both crashing to the ground. Ross sprinted to them when the horde of creatures made their move for the kill. Reimold, painful but stable, shoved Daesung towards his brother. "Go!" He ordered, waving them off. "Reimold, no!" Ross yelled, and a horrid Daesung attempted to reach for the lone brother, but they were met with a smile and a cheery wave.

"Save them~."

Dozens of demons poured down on Reimold, feasting on his flesh. Ross wells in horror, watching them rip into his brother. Daesung grips a hand on his chest, hauling it towards the cave. Rocks shuffle, tumbling down behind them, sealing off the entry and any possible debate of backing out of the caves. The only way they have is forward. Once they were sure they were alone, Ross created a safe distance away from the monsters and, coming down to his knees, wept into his hands. Daesung swallowed deeply, unsure what would even be the appropriate response at a time like this. What would he even say? 'I'm sorry your brother died trying to save me. My bad, I thought I could keep my word and protect everyone.' No, absolutely not. This is why he never wanted to agree to help them in the first place. Those people tend to end up dying when he is responsible for protecting what he values the most.

He said nothing but merely played a sympathetic, patient hand on his shoulders. Ross stalled his grieving, knowing this was never the best time or place. Thankful for the tunnel's dim, damn near nonexisting lighting Daesung couldn't witness wiping his damp eyes with the sleeves of his blouse. "We must keep moving," Daesung said, gently helping him back to his feet.

They walked in dark silence, relying on Daesung's superior sense of smell to locate the group. It didn't take only a 15-minute walk, two left and down a low tide of ankle-deep water when they finally met up with the group. Relief swept through him when he spotted a dimly lit torch through thick cobwebs. Some parted other webs with strong silked threads and fresh prey captured within them. Daesung smiled, pleased when he laid eyes on the child at the head of the line. They were unharmed, sporting a relieved smile and looking up at him. "See, I knew you were the bravest person I know." His hand d through the strands of the kid's hair before a cautious one placed his expression.

"What is it?" Ross asked but soon fell silent when Daesung hushed him. His ears twitched, tingling from unnerving sounds of s, no, beast moving amongst them. "Ross, run." He whispered calmly but failed to see the stupified look on Ross's face witnessing a large insect cocoon one of the villagers. It removed its sting pin from the man's abdomen, leaving the corpse hit the ground. The man's stomach is hollow, and his organs are completely drained. The villagers let out a loud frightful scream when the insect shouted venom at a woman melting her to the bone.

"Everyone, this way." Daesung directed, running down the tunnel with the child in hand. Petrified screams could be heard as Daesung dodged and weaved through the assault of acidic venom being flung by the creature. Daesung's urge to run faster was derailed by the child who couldn't keep up. Daesung scooped the child in his arms, transforming his legs into that of an ostrich. Faster and faster, he ran, only to be happy to see a literal light at the end of the tunnel. "This way! We're almost out!" He encouraged. Who he was shouting to at this time, he wasn't sure. He had no idea who, let alone how many people were still alive, to follow him—swiftly racing out of the tunnel to a small forgotten woodland outside what looked to be Castle Lamont.

He clutched the child in one arm while aiding the surviving villagers out of the tunnel along with Ross. Daesung's foot slammed into the rocky mountainside of the entry with every ounce of force he could muster, effectively sealing the insect in the tunnel behind them. A moment of silent realization set in that they had ultimately met their goal, surviving the first night of the hellish nightmare. The villagers cheered with glee, embracing one another in sweet relief when the castle men spotted them and immediately sent soldiers and medical aid. Various sentiments of praise and thanks were offered to Daesung. It hadn't occurred to Daesung he was hearing of all the people but the one he worried about most.

"Hey, we did it. We're safe," Daesung gently shook the child in his arms. "It's okay; we're going to be okay." He pressed a gentle hand on the child's back only to discover it would soon be covered with deep, staining blood. "Hey?" Daesung questioned, not ready to accept what he knew to be true. "Hey, kid?" He softly called out, but it came out more like a pretense question. Tears slowly began to fill the brims of his eyes, but his gentle, calm demeanor never diminished. "I'm sorry if it's loud." A hand was placed on the blood stain of the kid's shirt as he quietly walked wayed from the cheering coward. He aimlessly traveled into the woods after his departure from the town folk. "You must be exhausted after all you've been through today. Right?" A pained smile traced his lips, his only solution to keeping them from trembling.

The woodland began to merge into an open green meadow. The sunset highlighted the rolling green grassy hills. Various flowers swayed in the breeze, leaving the gift scent of jasmine and lavender behind. Once Daesung arrived at the top of the slope, he placed the child against the tree. His hand swapped over the child's eyelids to close them.

"It's okay; you don't have to be scared anymore. I'll help you finally rest." The edges of his lips twitched in agony as he dug up the dirt bed and laid the child to rest.

"Good night, my brave little Wayfinder."

[finale ...thanks for reading. Sorry for all the typos, a es eyeballs are tired AF]

Thin layers of dust fell from the ceiling after every thud that came from above. The door shuttered together, holding whatever was on the other side of that door at bay. A wave of panic swept through the surviving townspeople. "They're going to get in here?" One woman shouted, pointing in the direction of the metal doors underneath the weight of an unknown force. "There's no way out!" Another man in the forward cried out. The people began to scramble back as full panic was on the brim of erupting.

"Is there no other way out? "Daesung asked the pair of brothers. Desperation in the form of the young child tugging nervously on his pant and sobbing into his leg. Now infuriated, Daesung snatched Reimold by the collar, shaking him to get his attention. "Is there no other way out?" Reimold shook his head. "No. Just the tunnels?" "Then let's go." He urged, shoving the brothers towards the tunnel path. His steps followed closely behind the brothers while clasping the hand of the young child. "Here," Reimold pilled back a leather auburn curtain while Ross shoved a few boxes out of the way. Behind the clutter were wooden blankets concealing what appeared to be an underground tunnel. The long pathway was cloaked in darkness, and the walls were decorated with cobwebs and lingering unidentified damp odor.

Another heavy bang sounded on the cellar doors; this time placed, a sizeable bent in the doors. Terrifying screeches, gnarls, and screams rang through the undercroft, and the ugly heads of demons appeared. The brothers wrestled with removing the planks again, triggering alarm amongst the towns folk. Daesung's eyes bounced back and forth between the beast breaking in and back to the brothers. Turning on his heels shoves the brothers aside, kicking down the wood with ease. "Come on; you guys get everyone through the tunnel."

His eyes fell on the young child beside him kneeling in front of them. "Hey, I need you to do something for me. You're the only person that can do this task for me, okay?" The child took a long look at him, releasing a breath before nodding their head in agreeance. "Good, I knew I could count on you." the shifter turned to dig in his pocket and then placed a gadget into the child's hands. "This is a path Wayfinder; only the bravest people can use it. You are the bravest person I know here." The smile never left his face, and his expression remained vacant of any apparent displays of fear.
"You see the tips of the star. When it lights up at a point, that means you are close to what you need. You will find your path." The child's eyes traced over the device before reconnecting with his understanding. "I need you to guide all these scared people to safety. They'll be safe once you get to Castle Lamont. Please do this for me." Daesung patted his chest in sincerity, knowing that this kid would repay his kindness.
On the other hand, he had no clue what was waiting for them at the castle. Or even if Lamont is a real place. For all he knew, they could be the ones conducting the Demons. He was left with the only thing he could lean on in times like this karma paying him back.

"AHHHHH!!!!" A shrill scream of terror echoed through the cellar when the first wave of the monster filtered through, picking off the people closest to the entry. "GO! Go now. Follow the kid!" Daesung waved to Ross and Reimold as the ushered people through the narrow entrance of the tunnel. "Follow the kid? Are you crazy?" Ross ridiculed the order, questioning the absurdity of the suggestion to place all their lives in the hands of an orphan child. "No! JUST FOLLOW THE IN KID, ROSS! Daesung snapped back, mimicking the tone of Reimold to hammer his point home. "The Kid is your map. Just follow them!" Daesung roared, transforming into the form of a humanoid bear. A bone-crunching sound came as he split the skull of the first demon with a pair of hatches. "Go!"
[part 4]

( just so you know everything in between the / / are just song quotes I used for inspiration)

/We're sick and tired of wondering, praying to a god that you don't believe. We're searching for the truth in the lost and found, so the question I ask is; Oh, where the is your god now?/

“The rules are very simple, my lovely contestant.” The Magician was grinning far too wide again, his mouth nearly stretching from ear to ear as he stepped closer and held out both of his hands. In one the strange green cube appeared, in the other was a single white feather. “You only need to admit the truth. Which of these do you desire most? You didn’t ask for help, so you only get this one choice, this one chance. If you lie to me and choose wrong, you’ll be trapped here forever.”

She had to choose between the star, and what? Dongwook? Love? That was too easy, and her arm shot out to grab the star but froze just millimeters from making contact with the cold surface. She knew she was on a time limit, the vine was slowly crawling higher up her leg, and the fire was getting closer, but she needed to think about this. If she got it wrong she would never escape. She would die here, or worse, just be suspended in time for eternity. She didn’t doubt that the Magician could torment her for far longer than her natural life.

What was the choice in front of her? Pulling her hand back she looked between the two objects again. Clearly everything she’d been through up to this point meant something. She had been set up to fail with each door she walked through, and she’d played right into the Magician’s hands each time. Which meant there had been an alternate ending to each scenario. One where Seulgi hadn’t disfigured Dongwook and tried to kill him, and hadn’t destroyed her mother’s spirit. One where she wasn’t standing here alone.

It wasn’t about Dongwook, not really. It was about what he represented in her life, about who she’d been when she was with him. This was about her. This whole thing had always been about her. Forcing her to face the worst parts of herself and either conquer them or fall deeper to them. She’d always thought isolating herself was the only way to survive but her mother had tried to tell her differently. Instead of listening she’d doubled down on her own mistakes.

That was all she’d been doing since the trial began, mistake after mistake, refusing to actually open herself to what was truly being asked of her. She had a choice now; power or strength. The path she’d always walked, or the new one she’d always pretended didn’t exist. She wasn’t past the point of redemption yet. She could change, she could live instead of just existing but only if she was strong enough to do it.

With these dawning realizations she finally understood, and she reached out without hesitation to take the feather. The moment her fingers closed over it the Magician began to laugh hysterically.

“I really thought you were going to choose the correct answer, you were so close. You can’t lie to me Seulgi, you lo–” Cutting off his eyes widened in shock when he finally realized the fire had changed direction and was rapidly heading towards him. “What? You were lying!” He screeched, but he sounded desperate now as he seemed to be trying to leave but couldn’t. He seemed frozen in place and his panic was escalating. “You lied! YOU LIED! You would never choose him over power!”

“You’re right.” Seulgi agreed, stepping back as the heat of the fire was already becoming too intense. The vine that had been restraining her slid harmlessly to the ground and she stepped over it. “I wouldn’t choose him over power, but you never said it was between him and power. I chose me.”

“You– and I thought you’d be easy.” The Magician shook his head, and he started laughing again even as the fire reached him and the sound of his hysteria melted into agony, and then silence as the fire burned up every trace of him.

The only thing left as the fire died down was the star. The strange green cube was still emanating that eerie fluorescent light and Seulgi finally reached out to take it. She understood now what this trial had been trying to tell her. Power could isolate those who held too much of it, and Seulgi needed to change her heart before she lost it forever.

She wanted to escape the misery of her past. She wanted to become stronger, not just powerful. She wanted to live for more than just the conquest of magic. Now that she was finished with this trial, she would.

(part 6 - end)

/You need a new clean slate without the dents. A place to put your pain, your consequence. When you look into the mirror, are you even there?/

She didn’t have to wait long. Cackling filled the air moments before the Magician appeared again, looking heavily amused at the mess around him, regarding Seulgi like she was nothing more than a cute toy. “My my, you’re certainly stronger than I expected. You’re just destroying all the pretty set pieces I made for you. Reached through my realm and plucked your mother right out. I almost got a little worried. Too bad you just destroyed her soul… which is rather impressive.”

“Shut the up.” Seulgi snapped, a vine covered in wickedly sharp thorns shot out catching the Magician by surprise as it curled around his leg and trapped him in place. For a moment his eyes widened just slightly before he grinned again.

“Oh you’re serious now? Alright fine, I had a few more doors for you to play with but I can see you don’t want my help anymore. But you’ll get it anyway!” Grinning maniacally he clapped his hands together three tarot cards appeared between the two of them, each one nearly as large as Seulgi was. “In your life, dear Seulgi, there are three people who might possibly come to your aid in the final game. Each one of these cards represents someone you can reach out to for help. If they agree, you will be granted one extra chance in the finale. I’m sure they need no introduction from me.” The grin on his face was disturbing but Seulgi was more focused on the cards in front of her.

The Lovers.

The Empress

The Magician.

She felt her heart sink at the realization of what each card represented. Even more so when she made the connection that the first two cards had corresponded with the two doors she’d already walked through. She knew what that meant for the final card and she almost felt sick. She had burned every one of those bridges already. She was alone going into the final round and she knew she only had herself to blame.

Keeping her head high she leveled a glare at the Magician. She didn’t need anyone but herself. She was more than strong enough to survive this, whatever ed up game he wanted to play. “Just get on with it. I don’t want help.”
“Don’t want it? Or won’t get it?” Laughing because he knew as well as Seulgi did that he had guessed right, he waved his hand and the cards vanished. The moment they did Seulgi felt the shift within herself, it was sudden and disorienting and she nearly cried out in shock when razor sharp thorns dragged across the skin of her legs as the vine that had been holding the Magician found a new target. The fire blazing around them was now making it slow way towards her, and she could feel the heat of it already as her own magic was turned against her.

(part 5)

/I see through you, I know what you are. I've seen the Devil more than I've seen God. And when he has you by your neck, I hope you choke on every ing word you said./

Slowly Seulgi sat up, frowning as she pressed a hand over her heart. There was a heavy weight settled there as a disturbing picture was slowly painted in her mind. The people that she had lied to, manipulated, hurt, and even killed just to achieve her own ends. Her own single minded focus on becoming more powerful; to master death. Was her mother calling her weak?

Or worse, was she telling Seulgi she was just like her father?

No. No.

NO. Seulgi was nothing like him. Nothing!

But… she was lying to herself, she just didn’t want to admit it. Scrambling to her feet she stumbled away from her mother, her hands burying in her hair as she screamed at the horrifying realization that she always known, deep down.

She was her father. She was a monster.

“NO!” She screamed the word out loud as if that would fend off the lies crashing down around her. Distantly she heard her mother’s voice trying to reach her but she wouldn’t let her come close. She was supposed to help, she was supposed to be there for Seulgi, not call her a ing monster! Anger was easy, familiar and she let herself sink into it, screaming again as she lashed out at the who dared to compare her to the vile abhorrent creature that had made her childhood worse than Hell. Her magic responded in kind, the cabin trembling as the very earth beneath their feet roared with fury, cracking open and devouring the spirit that Seulgi had been so proud to bring back into the world. She could feel blistering heat pouring from the deep trench in the earth as her mother’s screams faded.

“I don’t need you! I don’t need him! I don’t need anyone! I’M NOT A MONSTER!” Seulgi screamed until she tasted blood and there was nothing left of the cabin but debris and fire flared to life to consume even that. She wanted nothing left of this place, she never wanted to see it again.

“Where are you, you son of a ?! I’m tired of your games! Face me yourself you ing coward!” She shouted, demanded. She would end this ing trial right now.

(part 4)

/I thought I wanted legacy, I thought I wanted fame. I didn't know I'd lose all my loved ones in exchange. Left 'em all behind, and, yeah, for that I am ashamed. But that's the price I'm paying till I'm buried in my grave./

Sighing, she opened the door to the house, stepping inside. She was expecting to hear her mother’s voice but instead she heard another voice. One even more familiar but much less welcome.
‘Really Mortal? You're going to play that game with me right now?’

‘Feelings scary girl, get used to it.’

‘I'm just bitter because no matter what I do. No matter how experienced I am and worldly...I keep losing to you. Kang Seulgi, is a person I can't seem to figure out.’

“Shut up!” Seulgi pressed her hands over her ears, trying to drown out the unwelcome voice of the angel she didn’t want to be thinking about.

It had just been part of the ed up game, right?

Right?

Except she knew better than that. He’d asked her what he meant to her, but when she’d asked the same to him he’d never answered her. Seulgi had blamed it on the start of the trial, but the fact that he never answered had weighed on her. Was she just a tool? She knew that something about her had caught his attention, and she was fairly sure it was more than just her charming personality.

Closing her eyes, her shoulders slumped in defeat and she walked further into the little cabin space. Sitting down in front of the chair her mother always used to sit in while she was mending another of Seulgi’s pants that she’d managed to rip by being too reckless, or telling her a story about the magic of the forest. She missed her mother.
Usually she was too focused on moving forward to look back and think about her, or at least that was the excuse she always gave herself. In truth, she never let herself think about her mother. Grief made her weak and she couldn't afford to be weak. Rubbing at her eyes she took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She didn’t know what she was supposed to be doing here. The Magician had taken her home deliberately to hear that conversation Dongwook was having, but why had she been brought here? Was this just another torment?

The last time she was here, her mother was already here waiting for her. This time the cabin was quiet and empty. It didn’t feel right without the warm presence of her mother pottering around, cooking, or grinding herbs. Gently scolding her for tracking dirt in the house, or coming in late. The memory of her mother from the last trial hadn’t been complete, Seulgi’s mind had already long forgotten the exact features of her mother’s face. They were lost to time just like this cabin she was sitting in.

Something shifted behind her, and a dull thud had her lifting her head to find the source. A book had fallen from one of the handmade shelves on the back wall. Dragging herself back to her feet she walked over to pick it up. It was old, not one that her mother had made but clearly one that she opened a lot. The title on the spine was too faded to read so Seulgi opened the book.

‘A Guide to the Realm of Spirits’

It was a spiritual guide to the afterlife, and the realm of the dead. Taking it over to the chair she sat down, flipping through the book until she reached a section labeled ‘Summoning Spirits’. This was a subsection of necromancy, not the one that Seulgi wanted to master but it was still death magic. She’d never successfully managed death magic before, but she’d also not been blessed by the Blood Moons before either. If this book had fallen then there was a reason for it, and maybe Seulgi could use a mother just for a little while. It was that selfish desire to just be held in the safety of her arms again that convinced her to read over the section until she was sure she knew what it wanted her to do.

Being a direct relation to the spirit she wanted she didn’t need any other components to the spell, just her own magic and the hope it was strong enough now to accomplish something she’d never done before. Sitting down on the floor she set the book in front of her, taking a deep breath and as she exhaled she envisioned herself reaching out, through the fabric of the physical world and into what lay beyond it.

An unnatural coldness started at the tips of her fingers and began to creep slowly up her arm until her entire body was cold like she had been cast out into the snow. It was almost painful but she pushed past it, focusing on what she was looking for; on who she was looking for. She could hear whispers skittering through her mind, memories being tugged, trying to catch her attention but she shook them off. She had come here for her mother, not the ghosts locked in her past.

A sudden and intense fury hit her like a tidal wave and it nearly broke her concentration. It tasted like acid in and the enraged howling of an animal threatened to deafen her but she refused to open her eyes and acknowledge it. She couldn’t. If she opened her eyes now she would never reach her mother. The anger slowly began to fade when she didn’t acknowledge it and finally, finally, she felt something warm, sweet as honey, and the scent of pine and soil. Relaxing she opened her eyes and breathed out a gasp of shock when she saw her mother standing in front of her in the cabin.

She had done it. She had found her spirit, but she had thought she would only be bringing a spirit back. Seulgi’s mother looked alive. She looked solid. There was a flush on her cheeks, a light in her eyes, and an impossibly warm smile on her lips.

“My little fox, all grown up.” The woman spoke with a fondness that Seulgi could never remember being directed at her before. It was so deep, unshakable, and before she knew it she was being swept up in a hug that was just as warm as she’d always imagined it would be.

“Mom..” she breathed the single word, her eyes welling up with tears as she clung to her mother tightly. She hated crying, and this was no exception but she just couldn’t stop it. Knowing that she had lost Dongwook… No, the realization that she had never had him to begin with had already been too much for her, but now her mother was right there and for a second Seulgi let her walls crumble to dust.

“Oh baby, you’ve been through so much.” Her mother whispered, hugging her tighter as Seulgi cried. “What can I do?”

“N-nothing, there’s nothing…” Seulgi shook her head, pulling away from her mother reluctantly to brush the tears away. She wanted so badly to just sink back into her mother’s arms and let herself cry until the tears ran out, but she knew she would never have that luxury again, especially not now in the middle of a demon’s trial.
“You’re allowed to cry my love, your heart is hurting. It’s okay to let yourself feel.” Her mother’s voice was soothing, and it was tempting but even the gentle touch on her arm wasn’t enough for Seulgi to give in again.
“No, I’m not. I don’t need to feel, not for him, not for anyone. It was stupid to give him this much power over me to begin with. I knew better.” She spat out the words like they were poison in , shaking her head and stepping further away from the comfort of her mother. Closing herself off again, and this time she wouldn’t make the mistake of trusting someone. She had known she was being stupid when she started to let him in, and she had been right. She was always right. People would only ever hurt her.

“Little fox,” her mother sighed, looking resigned and she walked over to sit down in her seat, waiting until Seulgi sat down on the ground in front of her before she spoke again. “I have watched you struggle for so long. I’ve seen your angel, I don’t know the truth of his heart but I know the truth of yours.” She began, slowly reaching out and when Seulgi didn’t pull away her fingers combed through her long, dark hair in a gentle rhythm, coaxing Seulgi to relax again by slow degrees. “Your father was not always such a cruel man. When I first met him he was just a poor boy with wild dreams, promising me a beautiful future of jewels and riches. I didn’t care about money, but I loved him and he loved me. He worked so hard trying to give me the future that he promised me, and as his wealth grew his heart shrank. He began to care more about his money than me, or the life we were supposed to have together. He did things that the boy he used to be would have been appalled by; hurting people, cheating them, even killing them. He was so focused on more, never happy with what he had, always demanding. When I left him he was furious, he blamed me and tried to tear me down, to hurt me, but there was nothing left of the man I loved, and his words couldn’t reach me anymore. Power is lonely Seulgi, especially when it’s gained at the expense of others. Shutting people out might make you more powerful, but it will never make you stronger. Your father was a weak man with all the power he ever wanted, and he died a weak man and his power meant nothing in the end.”

(part 3)

/You're used to speaking in tongues to feel like you're in control. Now you've got nowhere to run, now you've got nowhere to go./

Reaching out she felt her fingers close around her polearm and she spun it so the blade was pointed down at Dongwook. She moved to drive the blade into his chest, but it stopped only a breath away from breaking skin.
A familiar wide grin began to stretch across Dongwook’s face as he began to laugh and Seulgi yanked the polearm back, stumbling backwards a few steps as the angel slowly shifted in front of her eyes into an amused Magician. Lazing back on the ground he grinned up at her, wiggling his fingers in a playful wave.

“What the ? Why did you stop me?” She demanded, furious that the Magician had taken her revenge from her. She wanted to watch Dongwook suffer, she wanted to see if she could kill him while he was vulnerable from the Blood Moons. Maybe send him back to Heaven in pieces.

“I can’t just let you kill him yet, what’s the fun in that?” The Magician countered, smirking up at her and winking. Seulgi glared at him in disgust, tempted to try sinking the polearm into him instead.

“What is this, some kind of game?” Tossing the useless weapon aside she crossed her arms over her chest, she really hated feeling like she was being yanked around like a puppet on strings. She’d been feeling that way since the damned trials began, and she was more than ready for this whole thing to be over.

“Oh she’s a smart one!” The Magician just grinned impossibly wider and in a blink he was standing, leaning far too close and Seulgi lashed out to smack him but her hand was met with nothing as he vanished, only to reappear beside her instead. “Feisty too.”

“ you. Whatever game this is, I will kill you when I figure it out, and I will figure it out.” Seulgi promised, crossing her arms over her chest to glare at the smug bastard. She was still shaken up from the entire situation with Dongwook but she didn’t have the time to dwell on it. She had only just started the third trial, and she would be damned if she let it take her out of the game so early. She would show Heaven and Hell why they didn’t with Kang Seulgi. She was used to hatred, fury, and isolation and she let those familiar emotions soothe the ache in her heart. Grief was for the weak.

“Promises, promises. Door Number 2 is waiting for you Princess, what will you do next?” The Magician giggled as he disappeared in a cloud of glitter leaving a small trail that led up to a door sitting in the middle of the alley.
“I’m going to enjoy killing him,” she hissed, trying unsuccessfully to brush off the glitter. No matter how much magic she had, nothing could banish glitter apparently. Shaking her head in annoyance she walked up to the second door. She didn’t bother to hesitate, whatever was on the other side she would face it the same way she faced everything. Throwing it open she stepped through, and groaned out loud. “Can’t you ing demons come up with anything unique?” She shouted, rolling her eyes as she was standing in front of her childhood home. Again. She had burned the damn thing down once, was she going to have to burn it down again?

(part 2)

/The voices in my head keep telling me I'm cursed. I'm paranoid, I don't wanna make it any worse. We're all gonna die but first things first. I'ma take the world with me when they put me in the dirt./

It was darker than the nightmare that started the second trial, and for a brief moment Seulgi felt panic flare up inside her as she wondered if she hadn’t ever woken up in the first place. However the chime of a bell pulled her back into the moment and she turned towards the sound to see the same man in the white suit with the ugly red bow tie. He was grinning a little too wide and standing next to a simple door. They both seemed to be floating in the blackness that seemed to stretch on for eternity in every direction. It was disorienting if Seulgi tried to look at it for too long, so she focused back on the magician and the door.

“Step right up my lovely contestant!” He announced, gesturing grandly with his hand to the space in front of him and Seulgi reluctantly did as she was told. She didn’t really see any other options and she still had no idea what had happened to begin with or where she was. She could still sense her magic buzzing along her skin, and that was a soothing comfort in the back of her mind. Wherever she was, she at least wasn’t powerless.

“Right here behind Door Number 1 we have a special surprise! I think you’re going to love it!” He exclaimed, tossing confetti into the air from a previously empty fist and the sound of party poppers went off, the sudden noise startling the witch and she glared as the confetti burned before it could float down into the endless abyss. She always hated parties, maybe she was being a little spiteful too. This guy was far too cheerful and Seulgi didn’t trust it at all.

“Aww someone is grumpy…” The magician pouted for a moment before he giggled and waved towards the door. “No matter! Right this way! You don’t want to miss this!”

When he noticed that Seulgi didn’t move towards the door he sighed and shook his head. “I said, right this way.” Snapping his fingers Seulgi felt herself being forcefully dragged towards the door and her eyes widened slightly when it began to open and light poured out, momentarily blinding her as she was shoved through it.

Stumbling out she cursed, stopping short and touching a hand to . She hadn’t spoken a word in that strange darkness and it was only now that she felt a pressure had been lifted. Spinning around she fully intended to give that creep a piece of her mind, but the door was gone and so was the damn magician. However, she recognized the alley she was looking at.

“What the ?” Confused she turned back around and sure enough she was standing just a few feet outside her own apartment. She ty place she’d started renting when she first came to Heleo and just needed a roof over her head. There was a light already on, and she didn’t even realize the smile that was curling her lips as she reached out to open the door only for her hand to go right through it. Her hand looked solid. The door looked solid, but she passed right through it when she tried to grab the handle.

“Neat trick, huh?” A voice spoke next to her and she jumped in shock, lashing out with magic just for it to meet no resistant, there was nothing there.

“What the hell is this?” She demanded, turning her head every direction but there was no trace of the magician and even her magic couldn’t seem to pick up on anything.

“A trick, I just told you stupid girl. You should learn to listen. Oh, speaking of listening you should be. You won’t want to miss this.”

Before Seulgi could ask what the he was talking about she felt a shove from behind and she fell straight through the door and into the small living room of her apartment. It looked exactly like she remembered it. The weapons carelessly laying around, books everywhere, and an agitated angel pacing the room with a phone in his hand. He hadn’t even glanced her way when she stumbled into the room, and she was fairly sure at this point he couldn’t see her but the fact that he couldn’t sense her either concerned her. The Blood Moons had amplified Seulgi’s magic, but she supposed that same blessing had been a curse to Dongwook so maybe it wasn’t surprising that he couldn’t sense her. He had no power to sense her with.

“What is it you want me to do? Kill her?” Dongwook argued, he sounded frustrated and tired like he’d been having this conversation for a while and was sick of repeating himself. It was a tone Seulgi was very personally familiar with.

“If that’s the only way you can get her soul, then yes. You’ve had more than enough time, and we’re getting restless. Her soul cannot fall in the demons’ hands. The longer you put this off–”

“You think it’s just that easy? She will fight me.”

“Fight you? What have you been doing this entire time, you were meant to be gaining her trust. Becoming her slave was just a part of that, was it not? You are close to her, aren’t you?”

“Yes but–”

“Then I fail to see the problem. Get her soul Michael, or don’t bother coming back.”

The line went dead and Dongwook swore but Seulgi wasn’t really paying attention, she was running through the conversation again in her head trying to make sense of it.

‘Her soul cannot fall in the demons’ hands’

‘You were meant to be gaining her trust’

“What is this?” She whispered, but of course Dongwook couldn’t hear her. He was breaking something in the apartment, distantly Seulgi could hear the sound of shattering but it wasn’t enough to pull her attention back to him.

“Exactly what it sounds like. Your angel has secrets~” The irritating voice of the Magician piped up again, sounding far too gleeful and it was grating on Seulgi’s already frayed nerves.

“This isn’t real…” She whispered, hating herself for how desperate she sounded because she already knew, even before the Magician started laughing.

“You would like that, wouldn’t you? You want to blame this on me, but I’m just showing you the truth. If you don’t believe me, ask him yourself.”

The snap of fingers rang out for a split second and then there was silence before Dongwook’s voice finally caught her attention again.

“Seulgi? How did you get here?” He sounded shocked, but thanks to the conversation she’d just heard she could pick up on the hints of fear and guilt in his tone. It was all the confirmation she needed.

“Was all of it a lie?” She demanded, the heat of her own rage was sudden and all-consuming and she absolutely loathed herself for the tears she could feel stinging in her eyes. She’d let him make her so ing pathetic, and it was all for nothing. It never meant anything, none of it.

“Princess–”

“No! No, you don’t get to pull that with me! I heard you!” She screamed, storming closer to him and the previously empty fireplace roared to life in response to her anger. The Blood Moons made her almost dizzy with power and pyrokinetic abilities in particular were on a hair trigger. She didn’t care though, let the whole ing place burn.

Backing away as far as he could he held up his hands, genuine fear in his eyes in the face of the fury that was whipping around Seulgi, tossing books and daggers haphazardly across the room as magic spilled out of her uncontrolled.

He was powerless, and they both knew it.

“It’s not what you–”

She didn’t let him finish. Her hand shot out and closed around his throat, her nails digging in hard enough for blood to run down her arm. “I trusted you!” She screamed the words like that would somehow change the reality, like it would erase the words he’d spoken, like it would hold together the crumbling pieces of her fragile underdeveloped heart. But nothing could take back the words that had already been spoken or the damage that had been done.

The guilt and fear in Dongwook’s eyes was enough of a conviction. None of it had been real. He’d been lying to her from the very beginning. Seulgi was ing pissed at how much it hurt. She could hardly breathe and she let the hate take control as she shoved Dongwook back into the fireplace, holding him in place through sheer anger and the power she was all but drowning in. The fire up his back, consuming his wings as they climbed higher and he screamed in agony, he might have even been begging but Seulgi didn’t release him until his wings were nothing but disfigured flesh, burned beyond recognition and not a single feather left.

“You will never get my soul, and you and the rest of the angels can go yourselves.” She spat, taking a step back from him as he slid to the ground, groaning in pain.

(part 1)