Crimson blood, black poison, and crystal tears mix in shallow pools.
    Ik-soo lies lifelessly on the ground; the deep slashes on his back bleed endlessly. Yun keeps on screaming and crying, but his cries will never reach him. Huan simply stands there with her expression blank; her claws dripping with Ik-soo's holy blood and her own sinful poison.
    "Ik-soo! Wake up you stupid priest!" His shock prevents him from thinking straight. His grief overriding all reason.
    It takes only about two minutes for the rest of the gang to come to their aide, but to Yun it felt like eternity. "Yun! What happened here?! Huan?! What happened?!" Hak runs into the room first. He immediately begins to try and stop the bleeding with a damp cloth that he snatched off the countertop.
"Who.... Is Huan....?" The lifeless husk that was once Huan mutters.  Then with a sudden motion, "Huan" whips her torso into an upright position; as if she were a rag doll being manipulated by a child.  Her torso is curved over slightly and her head lifelessly hangs from her neck.  "Who.... Are you.....?"  Her expression is eery but her tone sounds almost terrified.
    Hak's expression turns grim. "What the hell?" He hands Ik-soo and the rag over to Yun before standing up to shield Yona. "Princess, stay back."
    "Hak, what's going on?! What happened to Huan?!" Yona is visibly terrified of the monster that was once her friend.
    "Don't.... Hurt me.....!" "Huan" screams as she lunges at Hak with her claws.
    "Hak!" Yona screams as Huan's deadly poison claws accelerate towards Hak's face.
"I know he's annoying but killing him will make Yona dear sad." Just a centimeter away from Hak's face Huan's claws were stopped. Jae-ha was effectively holding her arms back due to their difference in strength.
    "Let... Go of me.....!" She shouts as she kicks backwards. However, this attempt is blocked by Jae-ha's own dragon leg.
    "Calm down dear." Jae-ha spins her around; still holding her wrists firmly. "No one is going to hurt you."
    Her expression remains blank, yet the clear hints of humanity -- of fear -- still lurk behind the demon's control. "Let... Let go!-" Huan makes a move to slash at Jae-ha but is cut short when she falls to the ground; having fainted.
    "What just happened?!" Yona asks in confusion and terror.
    Jae-ha moves Huan back into onto the medical bed before turning back around to face the rest of the group. "Huan's being taken over. That demon is trying to take over her body." The ever so slight hint of anger taints his tone. "But that's the least of our worries right now. Yun...." He trails off but what he means is obvious.
    The once creme colored cloth that Yun was holding to Ik-soo's wound is now thoroughly soaked a crimson red. The red liquid seeped through the cloth, trickled down Yun's hand, and onto the floor; creating a large puddle of red. Salty tears dripped from the young boy's chin; mixing with the blood and turning it into a soup of despair. Hand clenched around the cloth and teeth firmly biting down on his lower lip, Yun shakes his head. "He's gone."
    Yona crouches down next to Yun; the hem of her dress quickly soaks up some of the crimson liquid. "I'm so sorry." She whispers as she envelopes Yun in a tight hug that he accepts without any protest. He immediately buries his face in the older girl's shoulder and begins to sob uncontrollably. His sobs are laced with fragmented speech; all sounding to be along the lines of how it wasn't right that Ik-soo died. Everyone else stood in silence with their heads bowed. For a long while, nothing but the Yun's cries fill the air.
    After a while, Yun pulls himself together and he wipes away the last of his tears. He sniffles. "Ik-soo gave this to me and said to put it around Huan's neck." He holds up the small vial of holy water. "He said that it will keep the demon inside Huan at bay for a while. But the only way to get rid of the demons inside both Huan and Lanying is to exorcise them."
    "Exorcise? But we need a priest to do that, and from what I remember, Ik-soo was the last priest left in Kouka that could hear the voices of the gods." Kija says.
    "Well, Zeno, used to be a priest, but Zeno has stopped being able to hear the voices of the gods after he got the Yellow Dragon's powers." Zeno pipes up.
    "Hey, correct me if I'm wrong," Hak begins, "but weren't the Dragon Warriors created to aide King Hiryuu?" Kija and Zeno nod. "King Hiryuu's goal was to protect and help Kouka Kingdom, right?" Zeno nods again. "Well if the Princess is the supposed reincarnation of King Hiryuu then if the prophecy of aiding King Hiryuu and protecting Kouka Kingdom is fulfilled, then won't the Dragon Warriors not be needed anymore?"
    "I guess? What's your point?" Kija asks; a bit confused.
    "Well the way I figure it is that if you guys can finish aiding Yona in her goal to help Kouka, then the powers of the Four Dragon Warriors will fade. If that's true then Zeno's ability to hear the gods might return."
    Zeno tilts his head a bit and taps his chin in an almost comical way. "Zeno thinks it's a bit of a long shot, but Zeno can't think of any better ideas."
    "So, I guess that's the next step then?" Jae-ha asks; his easy going demeanor having returned.
    "I guess so."

Water, Earth, Ashes, Breathe, and Blood.

・・・・・・・・・

Hello there readers! Whoo! Another chapter out! This marks the start of the next plot arc! I'm really excited to get into the next arc and really hope you are as well. This chapter sadly felt a little bit rushed to write, so please be sure to leave a comment about your thoughts. Remember that I am always open to constructive criticism so don't be afraid to say your thoughts. As always, please vote or comment if you liked this chapter and if you didn't be sure to comment why. I always enjoy reading your comments. If you have any questions don't be afraid to ask either.
Wishing you all happiness, laughter, and Pocky, this is Beijing_Aru and I will see you all in the next chapter! Bye! :)