Fallen Lightbringers' Return

"That's not good." Lee Dojin closed the message, though it didn't quite disappear out of his mind.

Ji-ah and Hassan agreed. They may not know what exactly Dojin had planned, but observing his face, it didn't seem to be going well. The two of them watched the child shadows in front of them. Half an hour didn't seem enough to beat them.

"What's wrong, why are you not activating the Day of Judgement?" The shadow stopped moving.

"It's sacrilegious that you can even use the ability." Lee Dojin crossed his arms. He saw his hands shaking. Though one could not see it on his face, he had long overexerted himself. Even if his spirit and mind were there, his body could not handle much more. Still, he had to fight. "Day of Judgement." Sweat dripped from his neck. He huffed. "First Trumpet, Scorched Earth."

"So tenacious. Incredible," the shadow could not help praise him. "I wonder if we met under different circumstances, would we have been friends?"

Lee Dojin laughed. "Why talk about things we cannot change? We can still be friends after."

The shadow replied with a similar chuckle. "We both know, this is no longer possible." 

Darkness and light intermingled, as the two, a human and a shadow, exchanged their fights.

At the same time, the other two shadows started talking, starting from the male one.

"My name is Jin. May I know yours?" The small shadow smiled, its face appeared friendly.

Hassan and Ji-ah both looked at each other. They were equally surprised by Jin's attempt at communication. Then again, the original shadow was capable of speech too. Still, it creeped them out, seeing things that looked like dolls moving their mouths. It was as it sprang right out a horror movie.

Still, Baek Ji-ah, was it not for her illness, was the adventurous type. "My name is Ji-ah," she said, "the guy next to me is Hassan." She replied for him, as she had learned by now, that Saudi Prince was a lot more conservative. Though she could not blame him for his fear, as her hands trembled ever so slightly too.

"There's no point talking with them." The girl said. She had a cold expression, that was also mildly bored. "They will perish soon enough."

"Don't be such a wet blanket," Jin pouted its lips. "This here is my sister. Her name's Young. As for who is older, I have no clue~"

Hassan could not hide his skepticism any longer. With furrowed brows, he asked them, "You guys have names."

Jin tilted its head. "Is it not normal for people to have names?" He pointed at the original shadow. "As the one that created us, he bears the burden of nomenclature. That goes for you humans too, right?"

The Saudi Prince was unsure how to reply. "That may be so. Still, that's normally a thing only humans do."

"Enough. I told you Jin, there's no point arguing with them." The girl tossed her head and stepped forward. "They could not even bother naming father, cursing him to be a creature without a title. How could they understand our burdens?" She then released a frightening amount of bloodlust, causing Hassan and Ji-ahs sweat to flow backward.

"Ah~ She's mad. She's mad." The boy hid behind his sister. Cocking his head out, he gave them a smile full of pity. "Anyways, good luck, have fun." He winked at them. "I assume you will need it."

Ji-ah stepped back. She felt her chest tighten. Still, this little pain was nothing to her. Letting no opportunity pass, she activated her skill Smite and sent a destructive pillar of light upon them.

Young moved her head up, then readied herself to position. It happened all in a split second, but as the light headed down, she moved the back of her hand, swiping the beam away. It crossed to the left, hitting only the sky.

"You're kidding me." Ji-ahs eyes widened in amazement. "She deflected it!"

"Haha, you should know, my sister's soul is based on a famous martial artist that existed in ancient Japan," the boy immediately began explaining. "She was the strongest fighter during the Hakuho period, but they banished her for being a woman. She migrated to Korea, and settled for a life in peace, though her accomplishments remain unknown. Isn't that sad?"

"Shut the hell up, Jin," Young grabbed the boy's ears and pulled, causing it to scream. "Anyways, lady, you seem surprised. But isn't it obvious that light and shadows do not mix? It's child play for me to avoid it. Unlike father, I can't simply take the attack head-on."

Ji-ah felt her eyes twitch. "Is that so."

The girl shadow moved its legs. There seemed to be some intricate footwork involved, but for Ji-ah it only looked as if she disappeared and reappeared right in front of her. "It is indeed." With an accurate palm strike, it hit Ji-ahs chin, causing her head to violently fling back. Right after, Young kicked out, her foot landing in Ji-ahs stomach.

"Ji-ah!" Hassan leaped in to help her, but was stopped by the other shadow, Jin. He tried shoving him out the way, but it did not budge. "Move!"

"Easy there. I am not the violent type." Jin said. "But luckily, as it seems, neither are you." It laughed. "Just grabbing your wrist, it appears you are pathetically weak. Never had to lift your hands in your life huh? Lucky~"

"You talk too much!" Hassan punched Jin's face, it flew to the left. The shadow wiped its mouth, though there was no blood there. It let the prince through, who immediately ran for Ji-ah. "Hey, can you hear me? Are you fine?"

Ji-ah moved her head up. Her hair was disheveled, flowing down her face. Blood dripped down her mouth and her chin was red, yet she smiled. "Your voice is grating my ears, Hassan."

"You're bleeding from your mouth, we need to see the hospital!"

Ji-ah wiped the blood off her chin. "This is nothing, I will just sleep it away."

"No, that looks internal, dude. What if you punctured an organ or something?" Hassan grabbed her head, full of urgency. "In fact, you should lay down and on your side and don't move."

".. .Are you really not letting me act cool?"

Young grimaced, looking at her shadowy brother. "Why did you let that guy go?"

"I told you, I'm not the violent type." Jin smiled while rubbing his cheek. He then looked at Ji-ah and Hassan. With a fiendish grin that oozed bloodlust, he clasped his hands. "I'm more like the manipulative one between us too."

Right after, below Ji-ah and Hassan, a pair of giant hands, much reminiscent to those they fought before clasped around them, surrounding them like a cage.

"I do know that even though you are faster, our bodies hold less strength," Jin said. "With this, you should be able to get them both, right?"

"What a disgusting personality." The girl shadow scoffed.

"Hardly been my choice."

Hassan hit the hands fingers, hurting only himself. "Damn, what the hell is this?" The hands, though they looked soft and easy to beat, hitting these things felt like pushing against a steel wall. Even if he broke his hands on them, the things would not budge. He looked at the two shadows in front of him. The sight made his knees weak.

"Smite!"

"It's not gonna work."  Young deflected the attack once more. Though, this time, it shook its hands, as if hurt. If there was one thing going for Ji-ah's ability, it was the damage it did. Sadly, with the long charging time, it was incredibly easy to predict where it was going to land.

Ji-ah bit her lips. Her head started to ring. Clearly, she had overdone it. "Smite, Smite, Smite!"

"You're like a one-trick pony." The girl shadow scoffed. She hit all the beams away as if she were a mirror reflecting them. "This is getting annoying." Young rushed into the cage, punching out at her.

"Watch out!" Hassan quickly pulled her away, taking the hit for himself. He immediately felt the food well up to his throat, spitting out a clear liquid. His eyes bulged, looking as if they could fall out. So this was what a punch felt like. A real punch, not one done by family. The man was out of breath, his chest aching immensely. If possible, he never wanted to experience that again.

"Hassan! Are you ok?" Ji-ah rushed for him. She tried hitting the shadow with a smite, but the hands blocked her beam.

Jin, outside, shook his fingers. "No disturbances."

"This time, I saved yo—" His words were cut short by a kick to his face. He felt his neck creak, threatening to break.

Ji-ah looked around. There was only one escape. The front, where Young entered from. Passing her.. . that seemed impossible. "Smite, Smite, Smite." Her attack kept raining down, though with little use. At the same time, Hassan was beaten bloody. She searched for Lee Dojin, but he was nowhere to be found.

Suddenly a message appeared—

"Well, let us end this. I'm not fond of punching down." Young threw the prince away. He was still holding on. The shadow went in for a chop down.

To Ji-ah, everything appeared in slow motion. Hassans face, Jin's smile, Young's hands, all flowed into her brain. She cupped her hands together, sending one more light beam, bigger than any before. Young looked up, scoffing. There was no need to worry.

—[Your skill Smite has successfully reached completed the small evolution.]

Ji-ah smiled. Midway, as the light came down, it turned to the right, creating a curve.

Youngs eyes opened wide. "What the fu—" The light moved, as Ji-ah guided it with her finger. Every time she swung her hand, the light danced around, as if it were a dragon in the sky. It followed the path it was guided to, until entering through the front gate.

[Level 10 Evolution: The light curves with your finger, allowing the user to control its flow.]

"You piece of shit," the shadow screamed, though her threats fell weak, as she was basked by the great light, hitting her from the front. She crossed her arms, trying to block it, but the pillar was too destructive.

As the light subsided, the shadow was no more.

Ji-ah huffed, tucking her hair behind her ear. "That's more like it," she said with a tired smile.