The Black Swan

Chapter 23: Blood Moon

"How sure are you about the tattoos?"

"Those marks were pretty obvious, High Lady," Yoonie reported, her tone suggesting of the mere resemblance they had to her own. Eunbi probably caught her drift, nodding thoughtfully as she took in this piece of information.

Tattoos were anything but a commodity in the Jang Kingdom. The King was particularly disapproving of any defacement conducted to an individual's body - seeing it as a form of defiance to one's own parents. For anyone to bear a tattoo was to be subjected to inferior treatment from the authorities - seen as an errant; a flaw to the pristine image of the Kingdom. People generally kept a low profile about bearing tattoos on their bodies, but positions of high security required members to be scrutinised thoroughly for these bodily imprints.

Feeling subconscious about herself, Yoonie taps the side of her neck casually, hoping not to draw too much attention to her skin-coloured plaster. Fearing that her sealed mark looked identical to a tattoo, Sakura and Chaewon had suggested this method to conceal it. One large print over her skin might be the reason for attracting attention - and for any knight of the Queen's Shield, that might be the last thing she would want.

To her left were the other two members of the same mission: Jaeyu and Jongho. They reported their strange sightings to the leader as well, though generally citing a lack of suspicious activity during their shifts. Indeed, it seemed more probable for the culprit to strike at night, where the darkness of the night concealed much of their movements.

"Everything sums it up quite nicely," Eunbi commented, lightly rubbing the edge of her sharp jawline. "Now that things are in order, I want you three to arrest him on sight. Take him to the Full Moon's Headquarters - and leave the questioning to them." She reminded the trio to only confront him well away from the hospital, ensuring that the other patients and citizens would be out of harm's way. "Remember, he's likely a very strong magic user, so be careful. I will assign another team of mages to be on standby once you see him."

"Thank you, High Lady. We will contact them using the prompter device once we know he is in the building." Jongho confirmed, referring to the communication device she had issued the team - in order to call forth backup.

"Stay calm and fight bravely. Protect the Kingdom at all costs," Eunbi affirmed them with a little inspirational talk. She nodded at each one of them, holding her gaze with Yoonie for slightly longer than the other two. She was going to be the only magician present to face the thief, yet she was lacking in terms of actual experience. And I will be the only one suited to deal with him, for we would have powers of the same affinity - I cannot fail now.
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And so, the trio had to be present in the hospital for the most part after sundown. Upon identifying the tattooed nurse, they would have to follow his trail far from the hospital - and strike.

It had been a few days since this new arrangement came into effect, yet the members have failed to locate their target anytime in the night.

Tonight, the clouds shuffled impatiently in the skies above, rubbing against one another in the wrong ways as static energy flared amidst the darkness. The air grew moist with evaporated water, and soon, it poured. Large orbs of rainwater pelted at the ground with a sheer force unimaginable. The gentle breeze of nighttime soon became strong and relentless, with gales of wind causing all the trees to sway and creak at the stumps. That's when Yoonie knew - a storm is coming.

"Pft... I guess our guy isn't coming tonight - seeing that the weather has turned for the worst," leaning against the glass panes of the exterior wall, there was a somewhat annoyed look on Jongho's face as he rolled his eyes. It would mean another night wasted, waiting for the culprit to show up. Another night sitting around and waiting for the storm to subside.