"Jonghyun… What do you think?" One of the young men asked.

Although Jonghyun looked about the same age as I, he exudes a great aura of leadership. Like a great oak tree his body was seemingly strong and he stood proud and tall commanding respect.

The men on the other side heaved their bodies together in an attempt to break down the door causing it to rattle like thunder.

"We fight… with our life." Jonghyun's voice fearlessly welcomed death at any moment. Without hesitation, his two companions nodded readily accepting their fate to lay down their life for the man in the other room.

My hands trembled like the earth was quaking as my inability to keep composure was getting the best of me. I gripped the blade tightly in my hand as I slowly pulled it out of its sheath. This sword was Father's most prized procession and he took care of it well. Despite never having seen battle in quite some time, its red blade still glimmering radiantly against the candle light.

No one knows how the blade became red, and those who attempted to replicate it have failed. I've asked Father were the sword manifested from, but his past is still a mystery to me. I've heard legends of an ancient blade passed down through the Kang dynasty that tasted the blood of men so often that it eventually turned red, but that's all it was; a legend.

Father often spoke of how precious life was, and he always emphasized that taking it away should be a last resort. However, I've never spoke of Mother or Minki; not a word to anyone. All the times Father and I spent training together, he never knew the hatred I harbored in my heart for General Junsu.

With every swing I took, I did so imagining his pleading face in front of my blade. The man with blood colder than the coldest winter; the same man who slayed my beloved family without a drop of remorse. One day this blade will drink from his veins, and with that thought my body became calm and limber like bamboo in the wind. I cannot be afraid, and I will not die tonight.

"Your sword is impressive, but so is mine." Jonghyun's grin was border line wicked. "I hope its owner is worthy of its beauty."

Jonghyun prepped his hand on the hilt of his sword ready to draw with every second seeming like minutes as we waited for the door to give.

"Open! This! Door!" The man's shout was mighty.

With one last heave, the bar holding the door broke in half. In front of us stood five men dressed in black from head to toe. With their faces completely covered, all we could see were their eyes. The atmosphere was more than hostile as both parties faced each other fearlessly with drawn weapons, except for the man standing in front.

"Where is he?" The man asked while scanning the room.

"Who the hell are you and what do you want?" Jonghyun questioned calmly.

"Those are some fighting words. Too bad for you, they will be your last!"

Jonghyun actually grinned at this, and I was amazed how much control he had even over his enemies.

"Are you going to answer the question, or are you too much of a coward?"

"Who do you think you are?" the man spoke with anger rising in his voice.

"Are you going to draw your weapon? I don't have time for games." Jonghyun egged him on with fierce eyes.

Taking a breath to calm down, the man let out a laugh.

"You obviously don't know who you are dealing with." The man boasted proudly.

"If I did, I wouldn't have asked, would I?" Jonghyun had a cold playfulness about him. He didn't seem to take anything seriously or maybe it was just a ploy and inside he suppressed his fear.

"I am the son of Hwang Jang Lee…" he said without hesitation.

I looked over at Jonghyun realizing that the grip on his sword just a little tighter. Father had trained me well; teaching me that attention to detail can change the tide of any battle. By this one notion I knew Jonghyun knew who the man was and that maybe he was someone to be feared after all.

"Ah, the Order of the Lotus… a most notorious guild of assassins. You must be Hwang Minhyun. I am unimpressed." Jonghyun was indeed insulting and showed no respect for his enemy.

"Enough! You will die by my sword, Jonghyun!" Minhyun shouted as he ran swiftly towards his target. Jonghyun drew his sword, and in the end it was Minhyun who was unimpressed as a grin crept up on his face. With his right hand, Minhyun had pulled out a dagger that was hidden somewhere on him prompting Jonghyun to unsheathe his blade.

His sword was indeed beautiful. It must have been forged from the darkest metals with craftsmanship that paralleled my father's sword; the blade was black as coal with an orange glow towards the hilt.

As their blade clashed, Jonghyun's face flinched. I looked down shaken that Minhyun had pulled a second dagger with his left hand lodging it deep into Jonghyun's side. It was the exact location of the wound the man in the under room suffered from.

"You… You did this to Baekho." Jonghyun mustered to say through the injury.

Baekho…? I glanced with the corner of my eyes to the man lying on the pharmacy bed; that must be his name.

"I thought he would die, but I guess that son of a bitch is a lucky one. Now I need him alive!" Minhyun pushed the dagger deeper into Jonghyun.

Jonghyun's face refused to show weakness whilst he took the pain without complaining. Refusing to lose, he pushed hard against the blade of Minhyun's dagger, throwing him off balance, taking the opportunity by smashing the hilt of his sword into Minhyun's face. Jonghyun used every ounce of strength he had and it showed on Minhyun's face as it began to bruise and bleed.

All of our swords began clashing, but four versus their five was hardly a fair fight. Jonghyun moved the cloth belt around his waist up to where the wound was and pulled it as tight as possible to stop the bleeding.

Looking forward, I saw one rushing towards me with their blade flying at my face. With closed eyes I threw my sword up and when I opened them again, our swords were locked in a fight for power. I pushed with the strength of a tiger, and the blades slide against each other emitting a metallic sound. This was it and I prayed that my training would not fail me.

"You are too beautiful of a girl to die." My opponent must think me an unworthy.

"Is that so?" I responded emotionlessly.

If he thought I was a girl, then let him. Underestimation will only be his downfall. I took slow and carefully thought out steps towards him. I needed to finish him quickly or Jonghyun will die from blood loss.

"Why don't you be a good girl and put down that sword. I'll give you something else to play with." He laughed disgustingly, and I cringed at the thought.

In the corner of my eyes I saw Jonghyun and Minhyun engaged in combat, but it looked more like a beautiful sword dance; their training obviously far exceeded my own. His makeshift tourniquet was rendering ineffective for blood was flowing freely from Jonghyun's wound in the form of a gentle stream. The harder he fought, the quicker his blood emptied from his wound.

Time was running out. I charged in full force clashing my sword against my enemy's blade with all my might. I took a step back dodging the blade that flew in front of my eyes, cutting pieces of my bangs. I could barely breathe as the blade came too close for comfort.

"Not bad for a woman." the man laughed arrogantly.

One mistake and I would become a permanent resident of the underworld. He swung at me again, and I repelled that attack with my blade. Seeing Jonghyun in the corner of my eyes, I noticed that his strength was diminishing quickly leaving him at Minhyun's mercy.

"No!" I shouted.

Minhyun struck with both daggers swiftly like a serpent, his blades awkwardly hitting Jonghyun's sword and throwing him off balance. I quickly jumped in front of Jonghyun lifting my sword into the air preventing what would have been Jonghyun's demise. I grabbed the hilt of Minhyun's other dagger to prevent myself from suffering the same injury Jonghyun and Baekho had. Kicking Minhyun in the stomach as hard as I could, he fell like a boulder onto the ground wheezing for air.

Suddenly a sharp pain ripped through my arm. I realized that someone had thrown a dagger at me. The pain tore through me relentlessly, sending me into frenzy like a beast of some sort.

I screamed out in anger throwing the dagger I had disarmed from Minhyun in my enemy's direction; too bad for him that my aim was matched by none. The blade easily sliced into the flesh of his right eye and straight into the back of his skull, and I watched with mixed emotions as he fell on the ground squirming as blood ruptured from his wound.

He was dead, and by my hands. Feelings of anguish and elation overwhelmed my body at the sight of my first kill. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to feel, but running my hands through my blood stained blonde hair, I realized that the flame of vengeance burning inside me began to grow uncontrollably. I could do it. I could seek retribution for Mother and Minki.

Jonghyun had witnessed everything. Collecting all the strength he had left, he boldly stood up once more to fight Minhyun who now was armed with only one dagger. The other two men were suffering from deep cuts as they struggled to fight off the other assassins. I ran over to the man I just murdered and relieved the danger from his head, his blood still warm as it splattered over my face and neck.

I ran as close as I could before launching the dagger through the air towards one of our enemies, but I wasn't fast enough. Although the dagger blade had penetrated his arm, so did his sword, nearly severing the arm of its target. My ally let out a traumatic scream as he fell to the floor grabbing his arm and rocking from side to side to comfort his pain. The assassin's sword quickly found its way into the body of the helpless man on the floor before I could reach him. Just like that, he was dead.

Jonghyun was now fighting with one hand as his other hand clasped his wound. Minhyun purposely pushed him towards the back room where Baekho was sleeping.

"He's back there isn't he!?" Minhyun asked slightly out of breath.

"You will have to kill me first!" Jonghyun fought despite the odds against him. With Jonghyun still fighting Minhyun, my remaining ally and I were still outnumbered. We needed an advantage if we were going to win.

I grabbed one of the drawers on the wall fill with Manchineel tree powder, and when the opportunity arose I threw it into my enemy's eyes. He dropped his sword and held his hands up to rub his face. He fell to the floor as his entire face began to blister and sore. He rubbed and clawed till his face bled, passing out from the pain.

"Jonghyun!" I shouted, watching as he retreated into the room where Baekho was, behind him a trail of blood.

Looking over, I realized that my remaining ally had also fallen to the sword of his opponent, but not before taking his life as well.

"I won't lose to a girl!" the only remaining man shouted as he flung his sword over his head towards me, catching me off-guard. I was too slow, reflecting it with my sword but not far enough. It pierced deep into my left shoulder. "You are going to die a slow and painful death for killing my brothers! Your last memory will be of me defiling your pretty little body!" he shouted in anger.

"You're going to be disappointed!" I shouted as I swung my sword despite the pain into the side of his neck. His artery ruptured like a volcano spraying both of us with blood. In an effort to stay alive, he covered his wound with his hand.

"I am NOT a girl!" I yelled.

With one final swing his miserable life ended with his head falling to the floor, and I yelled out in agony as the blade in my shoulder fell with his headless body.

"Jonghyun…" I said to myself.

Running into the room where Baekho was, I saw Jonghyun on the floor sitting up against the bed with his sword next to him; Jonghyun had reached his limits. Minhyun lifted his sword into the air, ready to rest it's blade atop Jonghyun's head, but I couldn't allow that.

I ran to Jonghyun, and picking up his sword with my other hand, crossing the two blades together to repel Minhyun's attack. Our blades met in a stand still, and I shoved him backwards.

"Dual wielding? You are a feisty girl…" Minhyun joked, but I knew he took me seriously. "This is uncanny…" he said.

I didn't know what he meant, but we weren't exactly on asking terms.

"Leave and I won't have to kill you." I threatened. I really didn't want to kill him; I could still hear Father's words ringing in my head reminding me that death was the ultimate irreversible punishment saved only for those truly deserving.

"Don't be high and mighty because you've killed a few measly pawns." Minhyun's voice was belittling. "I'll show you, now, why you should fear me!" Minhyun tossed the sword he had picked up onto the ground, and threw his remaining dagger towards the candle. Suddenly the room was filled with darkness as the candle tipped over extinguishing the flame. All that anyone could see was what the moonlight would permit.

Suddenly, I realized that this could be it for me. With Jonghyun passed out or dead, I ran to Baekho's side determined to protect him despite not even knowing him.

"You fight like a coward!" I yelled into darkness, but got no reply.

It was a small room, and it baffled me how he hid himself so well. His answer soon came to me in the form of excruciating pain as a tiny dagger flew the wound on my shoulder. The pain was unbearable causing me to fall to one knee.

Several more daggers flew towards me, a couple breaking the surface of my skin, and others planting themselves deep into random limbs.

Unable to get back up, I placed my hand on Baekho's hand feeling sorry that I couldn't protect him or anyone. Minhyun appeared in front of me as a black figure very much like a demon for my eyesight began to blur.

"How can you protect this man with your life? You don't even know who he is." Minhyun whispered menacingly into my ear.

I didn't have any energy to respond, but inside I was asking myself the same question; there was just something about Baekho… Impatient for my answer, Minhyun lifted my father's sword into the air so that he could end my life.

"Fool! DIE!" Minhyun's voice rang through my ears, and I closed eyes awaiting my end for a second time…