𝙁𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚, 𝘛𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘣𝘺 𝘛𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳

𝙡𝙞𝙞𝙞.

She stood there, unblinking. She still wasn't strong enough. She let another friend... Another family got hurt. How pathetic. And she was told that she was supposed to be the most powerful Witch.

A spark of anger ignited when she heard the manic cackling of the person she was beginning to despise. Slowly, she looked up at the floating figure with eyes turning bright shades of red.

"How brave yet foolish of him... But then again, what would you expect for the Sorcerer of the group?" Beomseok sneered, letting out a delighted cackling. His joy aggravated her so much that she almost wanted to choke him to death.

"I would expect this much from him because he is brave and not selfish, unlike you cowardly bastard who hides behind his army of puppets." Dawn sneered back as she went up to the air, facing him head-on.

"Coward!? You dare call me coward!?" He hissed, eyes igniting in irritation. "Don't call me a coward! What kind of coward can easily get ahold of the mind of the King and make him do my biddings!?"

She watched as the aura surrounding his body grew stronger. Her eyes widened as she realized he was about to unleash another deadly blast, and it's for Beomgyu. Again.

At that moment, Dawn knew she couldn't make everyone happy. She couldn't protect everyone... She has to choose.

The regretful thought crossed her mind when she glanced at Beomgyu, who was desperately trying to heal Taehyun.

I'm sorry, Beomgyu... I can't give you what you want.

As if the Healer heard her thoughts, she saw him lift his head up and look into her eyes. The look in his eyes... There was sorrow and anguish... But there was also a resolution. It seemed like he, too, had given up the notion that his brother could still be good... That he could still be given a second chance to live the life that he deserved.

She could see the tear forming in his eye as he smiled weakly. "Just please, try to keep an open mind until the end. But if it all ends with what I'm hoping it wouldn't be... It's not your fault." And a tear rolled down his cheek.

Don't worry, Beomgyu... I will. It was the least I could do for you...

Then she turned her attention back to the evil twin, just in time to interfere with the blast again. But this time, she was unaffected instead of thrown down to the ground.

"What the...?!"

She winced inwardly at the unfamiliar feeling of the blast being absorbed in her body. But it wasn't painful. She wasn't just used to it...

She didn't have to look at Beomseok to see his surprised expression and the others who had seen her trick. She watched as the black energy ball in her palm slowly turned into a familiar red.

"What did you just do?" The Black Mage demanded stiffly, feeling a little uneasy.