One VERY Exhausting Day!

"Did you both shower together?" Ryujin asked, leaning her head over our desk in the lecture room.

"Uhm..." I stuttered to come up with a reply.

"You smell like Jimin's soap, Seren," Yeji added, spinning her seat around to look up at us on the upper row.

"Because it is my soap," Jimin said confidently, making Ryujin and Yeji share a look of amusement.

"How about Chaeryoung?" Ryujin asked, snapping her head back at Jimin and I.

"Don't start, Shin Ryujin," Lee Chaeryoung chimed beside Yeji.

"What? I'm not starting anything, I'm asking questions," Ryujin protested.

"That's you starting something, you big black cat," I quipped back.

"Meh," Ryujin dismisses. "So are both of you like, openly dating now?"

Jimin and I shared a look, ever since last night, things have been a lot clearer. Although there were still some reservations in my part, in the end, Jimin dismantled every argument I had. Things are lighter now, at least, not the same as before but... close.

"It's a little bit more complicated than that," Jimin replied but with a smile on her face.

"So, private but not secret?" Ryujin probed.

"No, not really," I replied.

"Open relationship?" Ryujin followed, squinting one of her eyes.

Jimin and I considered the term. "Not exactly but... That's probably as close as you can get," Jimin answered.

"Ooh, so Chaeryoung and you can still play around," Ryujin commented.

"Shin Ryujin," Chaeryoung called wearily.

"Can I still play around with you, Seren?" Ryujin leaned in and whispered. Jimin gave an amused laugh as Yeji rolled her eyes.

"And there you go," Yeji comments in a tone as exhausted as Chaeryoung's. She took Ryujin by her jacket and pulled her down to her seat.

"But seriously," Ryujin grinned in her seat, pushing it forward so she can see Chaeryoung over Yeji. "Are you good with this, Chaery?"

Chaeryoung raised her head and nodded. "Seren and I had talked about this, so did Jimin and I. We're cool."

Chaeryoung lifted her gaze towards us and Jimin mouthed a small "thank you."

"Huh," Ryujin huffed. "Boring," she spun her chair and proceeded to terrorize Yeji about training me next Saturday.

I leaned closer to Jimin, "When did you talk to Chaeryoung?"

"A week ago, then on Saturday night — after your training with the werebeasts," she replied.

"So you knew she trained me?"

"No. I didn't ask that of her."

"What did you ask her then?"

Jimin turned to me with a playful smile, "That stays between us, girl stuff."

I rolled my eyes, knowing that I won't get anything out of her.

Then Ryujin got up, her shoulder tense and rigid. Yeji slowly stood up with her, "Hey. What's up? Sense something?"

Chaeryoung pushed her chair back, ready for any eventuality. My hand moved to hold Jimin as Ryujin’s head slowly turned towards the direction of the campus gates.

The class tenses as well, they know Ryujin is a werebeast and her strange behavior was slowly drawing attention. Students looked warily at each other while some were slowly packing their bags — and nobody spoke a word.

Then the alarms in my own mind blared. Wild Instinct — and unlike yesterday when it didn't send danger signs with Jiwon — this one was screaming "get the fuck out of this place."

I rose up abruptly, Ryujin and I made eye contact, and one word left our lips — "Run."

And the school's alarms blared to life – and the room shook like a shockwave hit it.

Screams from the other students filled the hall as they rushed to the doors. I took Jimin's hand and weaved our way towards the rear door of the lecture room. Ryujin surged ahead of us, clearing the way, Yeji positions herself behind us while Chaeryoung helps to calm down some panicking students.

We opened the door and rushed outside just in time for a large chunk of rock to be flung towards the hallway's windows.

"Get down!" Ryujin yelled, pulling Jimin and I down. Then the rock shattered with a deafening crunch in mid air before hitting the campus building. A faint cracking shimmer reflected the light where the rock was reduced to pieces.

"Aeri's barrier," Yeji remarked. "That sorceress is powerful alright." As Yeji said that, the shimmering cracks on the barrier faded, as if slowly repairing itself.

All around campus, rocks and huge logs were being hurled, like the college was under siege. In the hallways, students panicked and professors were struggling to keep them in order.

Yeji took our lead, herding us towards the stairs amidst the panic before she stopped, her eyes fixed on the field outside.

"Why did you stop, Yeji?" Chaeryoung asked as she brought our rear.

The huntress pointed towards the field, and I followed the direction she pointed. A platoon of about thirty Riders of the Hunt were marching from the campus's main gate — and meeting them were three figures, three women, three sorceresses — Uchinaga Aeri, Hong Eunchae, and Kim Chaewon.

"Are we just going to watch them?" Jimin asked.

"I've been dying to see them in action," Ryujin commented.

"We're not helping them?" I asked.

"Not unless they need it," Yeji replied.

"The other students are stopping to watch as well," Chaeryoung observed.

And she was right, the panic has settled into a state of tense curiosity. This is the time the sorceresses prove their worth, Princess Wonyoung brought them here to defend the campus from the Wild Hunt — and the college is ready to either praise them or judge them.