"The girl you love?" Ryujin stammered, eyes doubling in size as she watched him help Erin up. "No, no. You're joking... You guys can't possibly-"

"I'd love to stay and chat," Erin grabbed Ryujin's sword. "But there's a war unfolding downstairs and I have to go sort things out. We'll talk later... If there is a later."

With a sword in her hand and dagger in her pocket again, she made her way down the stairs. She watched the clashing of swords and smiled slightly to herself. It was actually happening. This was going to a war that will never be forgotten.

Her eyes scanned the crowds, longing to find another Guardian but instead her gaze landed on Youngjae. He noticed her too, offering her a small smile before heading towards her.

"Where have you been?" he asked. "Utter chaos has been taking over the whole of Seoul! It's so beautiful."

"I was almost killed," Erin chuckled. "By the way, have you seen Seungmin by any chance? He has my weapons."

"Last I checked he was by the prisons. Yoongi asked him to release the prisoners since they could also fight for us. The Daegu, Pohang, Gyeongju and Mokpo Armies have arrived and are leading the townspeople to a safer area. Oh, and Hyunjin told me to tell you he is by the King's throne room. Said I should tell you to go there."

"Ah, thanks," she smiled, glancing at the chaos unfolding below her before deciding it was the only way she was going to get to the prisons. Holding her sword high, she swung it at the Royal Army soldiers, as well as curtly stabbing some and tripping others up so the armies fighting for the Guardians could easily finish then off. 

Erin had to admit sword fighting was not necessarily her thing. She wasn't the swiftest with her sword nor was she the smartest but she had a basic idea and that proved to be good enough for her. All she needed was to find Seungmin and get her bow and arrows back.

Crowds filled the whole bottom floor, making the task of simply passing through become a more life-threatening action than Erin had ever imagined. Swords swung and stabbed and bodies crashed together. Corpses scattered the floors and she ended up finding herself in the middle of the fight, stabbing and pushing off Royal Army soldiers that stood in her way.

Her throat remained sore and her head ached. She bet it was bleeding and did not for a moment doubt purple strangulation marks circled her neck. She still felt slightly lightheaded and would have to stop periodically between attacking the rival soldiers and progressing to the prisons to catch her breath, ensuring she was inhaling enough oxygen.

Finally, she got past the crowds and to a quieter area of the Palace, spotting Seungmin quickly and sprinting to him.

"Seungmin," she called to catch his attention. "I need my bow and bag of arrows."

A frown adorned his face as he stared at her.

"What happened to you? Were you mobbed?" he asked, concerned eyes staring at her neck.

"I'd rather not talk about it," she admitted, taking her weapons from him.

"You're bleeding," he stated, touching the back of her head where it ached the most. She winced, pulling his hand away from him and shooting him a snarl.

"I'm fine," she assured. "We need to get to Hyunjin. He's by the King's office."

"Yeah. I got the message. But first I have to find Daniel. I still have his weapons. I'll meet you guys there, alright? Just find the King and Nath out of here."

She nodded quickly, walking down the halls that led east while Seungmin went down the south ones. Erin's fingers danced along her bow as she held it close to her. Her heart was pounding, the whole world seeming to be moving too fast for her brain to comprehend. With heavy, deep breaths, she snuck down the Palace's halls while searching for the office.

She tried to keep heading east, her brain trying to recall the Palace layout Minho had drawn them before they got to the Palace but a shriek forced her to stop in her tracks. Her heart sank, the sound nauseating. She knew the high pitched scream all too well, making her swallow down the lump in her throat and change route.

The sound never came again, replaced by sobs and pleads that Erin couldn't bare listening to. It coursed its way past her ear drums, sending chills down her spine and finally planting itself on her heart, weighing it down.

She shook her head, not wanting to imagine what could be going on. To her horror upon turning a corner, she came face to face with a sight she could only describe as one straight out of her deepest, darkest nightmares.

Nathan lay flat against the ground, the only signs of life being the shallow, excruciatingly slow rise and fall of his chest. How much longer would he live? He needed medical treatment desperately... And soon or he wouldn't make the night.

Hovering above him with her hands stretched out in a weak attempt to keep him out of harm's way was Avery. Another agonising sob erupted from her as she watched Jeongin's sword collide with the King's once more.

Sweat cascaded down the new Guardian's face and a worn out expression told Erin the King wasn't the first person he fought to keep Nath and Avery safe. But the King was not just some other soldier. All his life he had endured intense training that ensured he was the best fighter of the Royal Army.

But Erin knew more than Jeongin. The King was not weak, not in the slightest bit. The smirk adorning his face was not one to tease the younger male, it made her remember just how capable the King is of killing them all in the blink of an eye. Sure the methods of practicing of the Royal Army wasn't on par with the Guardians but Erin always saw the King as more than what he wishes to show.

She had seen him master techniques the Guardians struggled with. She had seen him perform fighting methods she had never seen before. She had seen him kill Jackson with a swing of his sword.

"Let them go," Erin had an arrow aimed at the King quicker than she could process the situation. What was her next move? She couldn't kill him. But if she backed down now, he could easily kill not only Jeongin but Avery and Nathaniel too. Not to mention the fact he would never take any of her threats seriously.

The King's eyes landed on her, a scoff falling off his lips.

"If it isn't our hero," he derided. "Glad you decided to join the party."

A glare in his direction and Jeongin immediately got the message, he had to move out of the way. He attempted to step to the side but the King's hand immediately wrapped around his wrist pulling him in front of him and holding his sword to the new Guardian's neck. Jeongin yelped, dropping his sword in shock.

The King cocked an eyebrow, "shoot the arrow, Erin. Go ahead. Kill me. Kill us."

Jeongin struggled under the King's grasp and Erin couldn't help but momentarily squeeze her eyes shut. She regretted it. She regretted promoting Jeongin and assigning him this task. She felt guilty, felt responsible for this. The boy's eyes were wide and brimming with tears. His expression hid no emotion. He was petrified, trembling in the King's grasp.

His eyes pleaded her for help, begging her to save him. And Erin had never felt so worthless in her life. What could she do? She couldn't kill the King, Minho would hate her. But she also couldn't let Jeongin die. Torn between two scenarios, she groaned, glancing at Nath whose eyes were trained on her. He weakly shook her head, imploring her not to. He attempted to stand up but had no energy to. His eye size doubled at the realisation he couldn't do anything to help, he couldn't do anything to stop her.

Then she did it. And suddenly understood why everyone had done it to her. She smiled to tell him she was fine with it. That she had already endured enough and was ready to bring herself to the peace she craved, one she knew life could never present her with. She smiled at him, a weak and pained smile yet all the while genuine as she dropped her bow and arrows.

She pulled out her sword, throwing it at the King's feet and let her dagger follow.

"It's not them you need to kill for all of this to end," she told him, taking a step closer. "It's me."

The King raised an eyebrow, releasing an amused chuckle.

"I know."

He let go of Jeongin, shoving him to the ground. Avery caught him before he fell, holding his trembling body against her to provide him with as much comfort as she could.

Erin gulped as the King's dark eyes focused on her. They resembled two black holes: cold, lonely, dark, endless torture. She released a shaky breath, watching as he approached her slowly, a cunning smirk adorning his face.

And right as she thought all hope for life was gone, she saw two emerald orbs reflected in his eyes. She remembered her father. He risked his life to save her. She remembered his final smile and the tear that rolled down his face. She remembered his pained expression.

The image morphed into Nathaniel's face as he sent her off at the start of the Busan battle. She recalled his words, feeling a small part of her died inside:

"I know I don't say it often but I love you. And so did Ma, Pa and Grandpa. That's why we chose to do all we could to save you. If I don't make it out of here alive, just know this was all for you," he had said. "Don't let my death be in vain."

And immediately something switched on inside her. Her thoughts and senses all seemed to be enhanced as she searched around the area for anything... Anyway to save her from the situation she put herself in. The she saw it. The small steel blade with a mahogany handle lying on the floor, practically beckoning her.

He was getting closer with each passing second. Erin waited until he was less than a metre away. She watched his movements intently, focusing on the space he left between himself and the wall to his right.

In a split second, she found herself, sprinting past him, dodging his sword by mere centimetres and sliding along the floor until her hand grabbed her dagger. Behind the King, she watched Hyunjin, Seungmin and Minho make an appearance, eyes widening upon seeing the situation.

Erin grinned slightly to herself, swinging the dagger upwards at the King's shocked face before he could even process anything. The dagger formed a deep slit across his cheek. Not deep enough to cause any serious damage but deep enough to leave a nasty scar.

Hyunjin instantly ran towards them, pulling the sword out of the King's hand and holding his hands firmly behind his back. Seungmin joined, pulling a bit of fabric off his hanbok to tightly tie it around the King's hands.

"How dare you injure a King?" he yelled, glaring at her. "I will have my men kill you for this."

Erin laughed, "are you sure about that? Because according to your rules, a King or Queen can never have a visible scar. And that cut is definitely going to leave a scar. You had a memorable reign, so sad to see it come to an end." She glanced at Minho. "I wonder what the new King plans to do with you."

Minho released a shocked laugh, gazing at Erin then her father then Erin again.

"I bet the prison is looking rather empty. Why not let him fill it up? After all, murder is one of the biggest crimes you can commit around here and you were the cause of many deaths."