Gang Youkay stares at his late mother's portrait at the gallery room of the palace and recalls as a child the incident that made him look for a master. Javern Farky, the leader of the palace he was raised in, had asked him to unlock the sword of the then feeble king, his biological father.
"That sword belongs to your father, take it out." Javer Parky instructed him.
"Due to the spell that has been cast on me, I am unable to take out a sword that has a spell on it." Young Youkay said.
"You cannot even take out your own fathers sword, how then do you want to learn spells?"
" Why can you not open my gate of energy so I can practice casting spells?" Young Youkay was at the peak of his teary eyes.
"I cannot do that." Javern Farky reemphasized.
"Then find me another master" his watery eyes were already dripping with grief of disappointment.
" No master can do that," Javern Farky Jin told young Youkay. " No one in Sanhoe will be able to go against your father and open your gate of energy." Javern Farky Jin continued.
" Then are you saying I will never have the ability to practice spells?" Youkay Gang was already at the edge of losing his mind.
" That was the fate given to you from your father." Javern Farky concluded.
"No!...Youkay threw the sword in his hand on the floor furiously. " Why? Why would he decide my own gate? No one even considers him my father anyway!" Youkay was soaked in his own tears.
"I will find someone, a master who will open my spell of energy and teach me how to practice spells. I will find someone myself, then I will take out that sword and break it into two" Her was affirmative of opening his powers, he couldn't control the tears rolling down his eye as he walked out of the palace. Miyoung stood by the door and watched him cry over his mother's portrait, she recalls hearing the women in the palace gossip about the circumstances of his birth. " I heard the young master Gang got expelled again, '' a young maid said in the presence of Miyoung while making the bed sheets. "Why does the son of the great Lord Gang always get into so much trouble?" Another woman helping out gets to ask. " He is not his son, La-Hoa, the most beautiful woman in Sanhoe, slept with another man and had Gang Youkay." "I doubt that rumor is true" the other maid disagreed. "Then why would he block his son from casting spells and live his life like a vagabond?" Miyoung pretended not to have heard them and continued with her work. "I wonder if he is really weak because his father cast a spell on him? Went ok her day like she heard nothing.
Miyoung went into Youkay's room in search of the spirit plague and got caught by Youkay hiding in his bed. She gives an excuse of keeping the room warm until he returns, she attempts to leave and Youkay stops her. He pushed her to the bed and asked her to keep it warm by lighting and fanning the fire brazier close to him all night. When it seemed as though he was fast asleep, she saw the spirit plague on the table. Miyoung tiptoes and gets it. She manages to get out of the room without a sound. Gang Youkay wasn't asleep as she thought, his eyes blinked open when she left the room.
Miyoung found her way to Songrim that depth of the night, she got to the magical gate of Songrim kpakpanga where everyone was dead asleep.
However, while Miyoung made her way into the training center, assassins showed up at the training center that night and first set the place ablaze. The security raised an alarm of the center burning and got the attention of Seo Jiwon and farky Sang-ku, two of the Four seasons. These two run out to the courtyard and engage the assassins, a sword fight. The prince's sword released lighting magics that slays the assassins like a blow of breeze. Miyoung had the chance to get into the center as the two princes continued to kill and slay the assassins with dear magical swords.
Meanwhile, while the sword fights continued between the assassins and the princes, Minjae's Superior were watching from afar in the same building. They too had their plans, "go on" he instructed the younger superior to call back the assassins. A light lit up from the sky as that of a midnight twilight and the assassins immediately redrew from the fight.
The training center has been set ablaze by the assassins. "Step aside". The leader of Songrim Farky Javern ordered the trainees who were trying to put off the light. He enchanted the odds of water and raised streams of floating water from the water bowls and directed them to the burning doors and roofs. The fire went off almost immediately. " Who is in Kpakpanga?'' He was worried that the mission of the assassins could have been to take the remains of Minjae from the center. "Young masters Sang-ku and Javern '' one of the trainees replied. Almost immediately the two masters ran into the scene after being informed that the training center was on fire. Farky Javern instructed that the assassins be found after realizing that Minjae's body was missing from the cave.
"Who were those guys? Did Sangro send them here?". Miyoung had found her way into the training center while the fight went on and hid comfortably under the table. Farky Javern was the next target and mission Sangro had given her before her soul was transferred to Miyoung. "Right! He must have sent them here to retrieve my body" Miyoung attempted to run out of the table and made a sound and her body hit the table.
"Who's there?" Jiwon said after hearing the crack and sounds. Miyoung ran the fastest she could out of the table and tried pacing her way around the center in a way to run out of it. Jiwon chased her using her movements.
In the middle of all this, Youkay, who had seen when she had left his province, catches up with her. Youkay drew her to a hiding place. When Jiwon could no longer hear her footsteps, he retook his steps. "What are you doing here?" Miyoung said, looking Youkay in the eyes. The moonlight was at its fullest that night and reflected on both of them. " Because of your eyes." " My eyes?" Miyoung was confused. Youkay remembers seeing her for the first time and he notices her eyes in the moonlight. As he sees them glisten "I knew it the moment I saw you, that you're my master."
"My lady…" were all the women crying at the palace over the death of La-Hoa. She died at childbirth after giving birth to Youkay. " I shall make La-Hoa mine, if she bears a child, know that it is mine." The late feeble king had told Lord Gang on the verge of their transformation twenty years ago. Lord Gang was angered by this declaration, he took the child and headed to the foot of the royal palace where all the mages were gathered. "My Lord, where are you going with the child?" The maid tried to stop him but couldn't.
" I heard about La-Hoa, we were just about to head over. Why are you here, when you should be mourning her?" Old Seo who had just stepped out of the palace with Farky Javern about heading to Lord Gang's house met him by the root with the young child in his hand where other mages were gathered. "I came here because this was the only way to change his fate" Gang stretched out his sword and made a circle of filled water and laid the child in the center alongside him placing his palm on his chest and invoking the watery spirit on him. The guards who tried to break the circle all fell to the ground. "What are you doing?" Javern broke the circle water fall and broke in taking the child who was on the floor by his arm
"What have you done?" Javern was furious at Lord Gang.
"I have blocked his gate of energy, he will not be able to learn any spells while he is alive. I forbid anyone from opening his gate of energy" Lord Gang was loud in his pronouncements.
"How could you do this to your son?" Javern felt terrible for the young child.
"Is he my son?" Gang was sure he had made himself clear before leaving Youkay with Javern and Old Seo.
Just like he rightly said twenty years later Youkay has found Miyoung.
" I have met a total of twelve masters and have been kicked out everytime. And finally, I have met a master who will change my fate."
" Did you find something special about me, young master?". Miyoung was skeptical about what he was saying and asked jokingly while reaching out to the knife in her cloth.
"I told you that you have beautiful eyes, ooh! Sorry only your eyes are beautiful" Youkay teased her
" The Soul shifters blue mark had blossom inside them"
"So the mark was inside my eyes" Miyoung murmured in her inner mind. She was shocked to have heard the blue mark blooming in her eyes instead. She rushed for her knife and pointed it to his throat. " You're going to fight me?" Youkay says, retrieving his steps backward.
"Killing you will be a breeze."
"But this is Kpakpanga, you will get caught. I am planning to save you, you will not get caught if you stay by my side.You will keep addressing me as 'Young Master' if you want to keep lying low" Youkay assured her of her safety.
As they talk, Youkay instinctively saves Miyoung from Jiwon's sword.
" Youkay?" Jiwon was startled to see him hiding there with Miyoung.
"Yes it's me."
"What are you doing here and who is she?" Jiwon was curious as to what he was doing in the hideout with a lady.
" I had come to meet the leaders when I heard the fuss and decided to take refuge, and besides she's my maid who had run away." The clowny Sang-ku walked into where they were and jokingly applauded Miyoung for going around with a blade to keep her young master safe stating that he couldn't fight. Jiwon apologized to Miyoung for startling her and asked if she got hurt.
Youkay and Miyoung kept up the pretense of her being his maid, although she's not exactly thrilled with that accolade.
" Has the dust settled?" Youkay asked Sang-Ku.
"No! It is still chaotic, soul shifter Minjae's body has gone missing. Sang-ku .
" I knew it, it was Sangro that sent those men. Now, I just need to get out of here safely" Miyoung was certain now as she spoke in her mind. Amongst the four seasons, Youkay was the only one who knew who Miyoung was now. Miyoung in her mind has taken the decision to kill him hence he exposes her identity to the leaders.
While the three seasons and Miyoung converse in the hideout, the Leader of Kpakpanga Javern Farky and senior mages run to the thick Forest to uncover where the assassins ran to.
" They must have broken the pine forest barrier and gone out," one of the senior mages said.
Javern released a magic like a forecast on the wall on the mountain to monitor where the assassins took. " So they broke the barrier." Javern said.
"We will go after them" The senior mage attempts to make a move but Javern insists it was too late into the night to do that.
" Only those of Songrim can break the barrier, there's a spy among us. We must ask the Singh family for help"
In the secret room where Minjae's body was kept Sang-ku, Youkay, Jiwon and Miyoung deliberate her body missing.
"Youkay, did you notice anything suspicious when you were hiding in Kpakpanga? Sang-ku asked Youkay
"Suspicious? No! I was only looking out for Miyoung"
Sang-ku continued "do you think Minjae shifted her soul into another woman's body and came to retrieve her body?" Sang-ku asked the other two seasons
"Can women only shift souls to the same gender?" Youkay asked, looking sternly at Miyoung who was just standing there without saying a word.
" Not really, but for everything to go smoothly, I heard that they have to pick someone similar. Gender, age and build. They all need to be similar" Jiwon answered.
Youkay turned to look at Miyoung again " I am only asking because I have never seen her before, was Minjae thin with short limbs? Did she have a round face like Miyoung right here?" Youkay was already half inches away from Miyoung's eyes locked down on her. Miyoung was already wondering what was wrong with him.
The clowny Sang-ku was at it again with his jokes, he went close to Miyoung and lifted her cheeks up" what type of assassin looks this good? Just look at her?"
Miyoung tries to wear a fake smile amidst this and so suggested the said assassin Minjae was nothing less than a monster in looks.
"No, she was human," Jiwon said in defense."Let us not belittle the dead even though she was an assassin," he continued. Miyoung looked at him amazed that he could defend Minjae even in her death.
The guards came into the champers where they were to inform them of the presence of master Huleo Wentro and his demands to see them. Youkay insisted that master Huleo never liked him and didn't want to go. Jiwon and Sang-ku left Youkay and Miyoung in the champers where Minjae's body was kept and went off to see the master. " The body was frozen here" Youkay hits the frozen cave where Minjae's body was kept. "Seeing how there is no rotten smell your body must still be fine Minjae '' Youkay said her real name now, he was certain she was Minjae and not Miyoung.
"You're right, I am the Shadow assassin, Minjae" Miyoung wasn't afraid to admit it anymore. " I thought long and hard as to why you helped me, did the Sangro send you too?
"No, no one sent me here" Youkay knew what he wanted from her.
"Then why did you choose to help me? Miyoung was still doubtful about Youkay's help towards her. " I already told you, but I guess you didn't get the message".
"Don't tell me you fell for me" Miyoung recalls Youkay admiring her eyes when they first met. " That's the only thing that makes sense to me" she said screaming this time. Miyoung was already irritated. " I do admit repeatedly calling you pretty, but it was because I desired something."
"Which was?" She said,
" I have been searching for someone who can break this spell to call my master and then, I found you. Minjae, I want you to be my master" Youkay was more determined than ever to learn from her.
Miyoung becomes speechless for a while and chuckles at Youkay's demand of being her pupil.
" Son of Gang of Kpakpanga is asking me, an assassin to be his master? That's an original nonsense" Miyoung mocks Youkay in her speech.
"You will open the gate of energy of your pupil and help him to practice spells. As your pupil I will keep you safe and hidden, we could also form a beautiful relationship where we benefit from each other" Youkay didn't take her mockery seriously.
"Not interested" Minjae debunked the idea almost immediately.
"If you don't want to be my master, you could be my wife instead. Would you like that?"
"Shut it" furious Miyoung almost lost her cool. "I heard you visited several masters and got kicked out everytime, was it because you were this stubborn?"
" I could not threaten my former masters since they had no weakness. But you have quite a big one, you cannot get out of here alive without my help. You will die the moment they find out who you are". Youkay threatened her with what he knew about her.
"Is that so? In that case, I will kill you first".
Youkay moved closer to her and spoke clearly to her face. "How merciless of someone I helped, I brought you to our house through the Jade plague and into Songrim with the Spirit Plague. Now look where we are." Youkay didn't give her the chance to speak again as he walked towards the wall of the chamber and press closed the secret door of the cave where they were.
"This is the Songrim secret room. If that door closes we can only get out if someone opens from the outside. We're locked in here together"
Miyoung attempts to run out of the room and suddenly pauses her steps on hearing Youkay's screams "do not move, step on the wrong spot and the ground will cave in. Kill me and you will be killed by the Songrim mages who will enter, but if you agree to be my master, we will get out of here unscathed."