Pied Piper

Prologue

The hallowed halls of the house that were usually filled with music and joy echoed out with curses and sounds of destruction.

Luna's hands shook as she knelt on her bedroom floor, trying to unlock the antique box under her bed. Below her she could hear the sounds of violence; another thud sounding out as another body was brought down to the floor. A clang of a weapon rang out, no doubt scouring the boards of the ancient family home that had been in Luna's family since the beginning of time.

But now it was all coming to an end. The 21st century had come and brought with it the end of this family.

"Come on you stupid butterfingers..." she muttered to herself followed by yet another curse as her sweat slicked fingers fell off the lock again and again.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Luna stiffened as if someone had jammed a rod down her back at the sound of the thumping up the staircase. She was so used to her sisters and their guardians running up and down the stairs all the time. It used to be a sound of joy, but now it was a sound of warning. It was as if the house were trying to tell her to run; that her life was on the line. More curses left Luna's mouth as she started to work on the lock even harder than before.

"Stop! I won't let you go any further."

Jungkook. He must have run ahead of Volaria. However valiant the move was, Jungkook stood no match against her. She had already claimed the others. Luna had seen Namjoon go. Then Jin. Yoongi. Jimin. Hobi. Jungkook was the only one standing between Volaria and her. He was her last hope. Luna tried not to think about how Jungkook being stationed where he was more than likely meant her sister was dead. Jungkook wouldn't be with her if she was alive. That was how it worked.

Luna could hear the sound of a tussle outside the door; a vase breaking against the wall. Family pictures falling off the wall as thuds against the outside of the door were heard. The fight grew in volume before ultimately ending with a scream of agony from Jungkook followed by silence.

Now there was nothing between Volaria and her.

Luna nearly cried with relief when the lock clicked open and revealed the plush interior and what was hidden inside. She had barely managed to lay her fingers on the pan flute when the bedroom door behind her flew open and hit the wall with a splintering fury.

"There's the last one I need for my collection..." hissed Volaria.

Luna had never heard such a melodic yet menacing voice in all her life. Slowly Luna turned to face her standing in the doorway. The woman's inky black hair was dancing through the air as if it were alive. Volaria's emerald green eyes shone with touches of red as they settled on Luna as she stayed kneeling on the floor. About Volaria's neck was a white gem necklace that glowed a ghostly shade of white; small wisps of gray floating about the inside of the gem. The souls of the other six guardians; Jungkook the last to join them. Luna held the last one's safety in her hands. One blow on the pan flute and she could summon protection from her guardian; someone that she had never yet met. She had only been gifted it a week ago and hadn't been given a chance to use it. She found herself fighting the urge to use it now; to try in vain to save herself. Luna's eyes couldn't stray away from the gray wisps floating about the white gem. She couldn't let whoever her guardian was suffer a similar fate. If she did, Volaria would win. The world would end.

No. Luna knew she had to protect her guardian. Summoning him here would solve nothing. Keeping him out of Volaria's reach was the only solution right now. Volaria would be unstoppable after she had all seven guardian souls. Luna couldn't let that happen.

"You're not getting him," Luna said as she sprung to her feet.

Walking to her bedroom window, Luna quickly opened it. Looking out into the night, she couldn't see the ground beneath the fringe of trees bending back and forth in the breeze in the yard below.