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BLACKPINK MANOR, UNDISCLOSED AREA

Half past midnight

LALICE's blonde locks followed her movements as she ran across the Forbidden Forest leaving the raven-haired girl Jisoo behind—trapped inside the circle of fire she created.

"Lalice! Come back here!"

A sudden gush of strong wind passed several Birch trees as she ran past them at record speed. Only a faint shade of yellow caught Jisoo's line of sight as she ran straight towards a familiar opening at the end of the seemingly endless wall of trees.

Right before she took a turn on the sharp corner, she turns to look behind her to check if Jisoo had caught on to her. And yes, she was right behind her. The girl clenched her fists making the branches of the Dagwood tree collide with each other hoping to catch and stop her.

But with her heightened speed, she was able to dodge them easily and jump right past them. But the trees kept coming at her leaving her with no choice but to raise her hand and cast a simple spell to deflect them.

Flames started engulf the branches. As she took a sharp curve, she let heat trickle down her fingers started to shoot small embers towards the girl so eager to catch her.

Earth was no match with Fire. But being the powerful witch her opponent was, she was able to deflect the embers thrown at her. Stomping, she jumped high enough to get away.

"Lalice!" Jisoo roared—clearly not amused. Her eyes darted towards the chunk of land the girl's currently standing on. "Stop it! I swear if I catch you I'll—"

"I'm not just gonna stand here and do nothing!" she spat, her once brown orbs now the color of blood. "I need to save her. I will save her!"

"We have orders, Lalice! We can't leave this place. It's not safe—"

"I don't care!" the blonde had her fists clenched tightly. "I can take on those good for nothing mutts! I will rip them all apart if it's the last thing I do!"

She striking her palms together, the ground where Jisoo stood corroded. That bought her enough time to run for it.

She was stubborn. Even more when it involves something or someone she loved. And in this case where Roseanne is involved, she's an unstoppable force.

But Jisoo just wouldn't let her.

Again, she saw how the girl raised both her arms and the ground shook. A wall suddenly emerged from the ground, blocking her way towards the end of the forest. Thanks to her heightened senses, she was able to dodge the sudden obstacle and jumped pass through it.

"Lalice! Aish you kid! Come back here!"

Ignoring Jisoo, she amped up her speed. She wasn't that far away from the portal so she need only a few more steps—

Her body flew backwards as her body hit something very hard. Weirdly, there was nothing there. Her forehead creased as she saw something flicker in front of her.

"Jennie..." she muttered. Another girl—with brown locks floating as she did mid-air, appeared before her. She hit her so-called forcefield.

"Stop being stubborn, Lali," the girl said—her hands still raised creating a thin line of forcefield in front of herself, towards her. "Just let them handle this. Sajangnim knows what he's doing."

Lalice's fists curled into a ball, clenched tightly as she stood up. A sudden wave of heat ran from her heart towards her fists and it caught on flames. But it didn't burn her. Because this... this was magic. Her magic.

"And I know what I'm doing," she argued back. "You can't expect me to sit around in this place not doing anything for Roseanne. She's our sister! And they took her! I will save her even if it kills me!"

The brown-haired girl pressed her lips together. Lalice knew what that meant. It meant that Jennie was thinking—deciding. Amongst the four sisters, the girl with chocolate locks tend to be the most practical and logical.

This should be the part where she whip up a some fire balls to serve as a distraction but she didn't. For some reason, she knew that Jennie understood where she was coming from.

"Where will you stay?" the girl in front of her asked as she lowered herself from hovering over the forest ground. The forcefield came down as well. "We haven't been in the mortal realm for years, Lalice. Do you even know where to start looking?"

She fell silent. It is true that she had no idea what's in store for her beyond the Forbidden Forest but she refuses to just let this pass. Reckless as it may seem but her safety wasn't her first priority as of now. Neither was a place to stay. Saving Roseanne is the only thing that matters to her as of now and no one—not even the universe can stop her.

Heat travelled from her body sparking flames on her arms down to her hands. The ground where she stood firmly started to catch on fire as well. Jennie took a step back.

"I will save her," she stated rather firmly. "I love you, Jen, but I love her too. If it was you in her position—be it Jisoo, I'd still come after all of you and do everything in my power to get you back even if it's the last thing I do. I don't care if I know nothing about the mortal realm. At least getting out of this dungeon can give me a head start."

Jennie heaved a sigh. Raising her hand, she conjured a small scroll and it levitated towards Lalice. Confused, the blonde threw the brunette a questioning look.

"Jen?"

"That's a map to the Bangtan Coven's home in the mortal realm," the girl instructed as the rolled-up scroll landed on her hand. "Talk to Namjoon and show him this. He'll know what to do. And please, stay with him. Your stubborn ass wouldn't last a day in the mortal realm without getting yourself killed—or worse, caught."

"You're... helping me?"

"As much as I am against you leaving the forest, I know none of us can stop you," the girl stated and smiled. "It's best to let you go but please do be careful. We'll find a way to track her and help."

"What about Jisoo?"

"She might hex you to oblivion but you don't have to worry about that. I'll handle her."

The blonde girl beamed and ran to engulf the brunette in a tight hug—which caught the latter in surprise. Nonetheless, they savored the last moments they have in each other's arms before she leaves them temporarily.

"Be careful," Jennie said as soon as they broke contact. "And please, put the recklessness down to a minimum, okay?"

She broke into a wide smile and nodded before pivoting towards the portal a few meters away from them. The only way out of the Forbidden Forest.

"Lalice... We'll be expecting you back, won't we?"

With a single nod, the blonde girl slowly disappeared in the blinding light.

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