32 Chapter 32 - Damsel In Distress
"Oh thank God I wasn't the only one around!" The beautiful maiden says as she starts running towards the still shocked Mi Young and Se Heon.
The girl started narrating her experience about how the savage beasts suddenly attacked her village and she ran away towards the trees so she could escape from them. Everyone in her family was killed as well so she had nowhere to go. She wandered all over the huge forest until she heard voices that belonged to humans so she followed the sound which led her to Mi Young and Se Heon.
After she was done with her explanation, she eyes the two students who were gawking at her like they had just seen a ghost. They were still processing what was happening around them and the lady's words started confusing them even more.
It was Se Heon who asked first, "What the hell is happening?"
"I don't know. All of a sudden there were beasts attacking my village and every single one of my family was killed." The girl says while looking at them sadly.
"I'm sorry." Mi Young whispers. She might have not known the girl for a long time but she can somehow feel her loneliness and mourning. This sudden action also made her think about her father. If it's happening everywhere in the kingdom, it won't take long before the beasts attack her hometown. "Where is your village anyway?"
"I'm from Crane Village." The lady answered honestly.
"Crane? Where's that?" Mi Young asks. She's not from the center of the Kingdom so she doesn't know a single thing about the villages and places around it.
The girl was about to answer her but Se Heon interjected, looking shocked. "Crane? Do you mean the Crane Village that was destroyed during the year of the first Great Sage?"
The girl looked confused with Se Heon's question but she answered him nonetheless, "What do you mean the first Great Sage? There is only one Great Sage, there's no first or second."
Even though she doesn't know where Crane Village is and she might not hear what Se Heon is thinking, Mi Young knows what the girl's answer implies.
She looked at Se Heon who was looking at the girl like she had grown three heads.
Looking at the girl closely, Mi Young realized that her clothes were old-fashioned. She was wearing a long skirt that almost reached her ankles. Her hair was tied in a bun and there were ornaments placed on top of her head, a famous hairstyle back in the time of the first Great Sage.
Mi Young had spent a lot of time looking at the pictures of the people back then before the attack of the Celestial Beast, Tartarus, that she knows how people dressed back then.
"This can't be…" She hears Se Heon whisper beside her.
The girl must have thought Se Heon was talking about the savage beasts attacks and so she pats his back while saying in a comforting tone, "It's okay, we're here for you."
Mi Young on the other hand started pacing back and forth as she tried to find any reason why she and Se Heon would go back in time. And to top all of that, it was the time where Tartarus ravaged their whole kingdom.
"If we're back in time and Tartarus is back, does that mean that the first Great Sage and the Big Four are also here?" Mi Young suddenly asks. She looked at the girl to find any answers but the girl looked confused as well.
"I know that the Great Sage is here but who is Tartarus and which Big four are you talking about?" The girl asked. Her eyes were confused and she's looking at Mi Young like she's crazy.
Se Heon sighs as he explains to Mi Young something, "Tartarus will appear on the third day of the appearance of the savage beasts. The Big Four will be formed during that day as well. As for the Great Sage, around this time, he was still nowhere to be found."
"You're right. I forgot about that. So the whole kingdom is abandoned right now, right?" Mi Young asks. Se Heon nodded at her question.
The girl looks back and forth at Mi Young and Se Heon. She was getting confused with the words of the two people in front of her.
She looks at them and realizes something is off.
"Come to think of it, why are your clothes like that?" The maiden asks while pointing at Mi Young and Se Heon's clothes.
Mi Young looked at herself and Se Heon and realized that they were both looking so ragged and weird.
She only had her inner clothes on and she was barefoot, while Se Heon only had a sleeveless shirt and his socks.
Mi Young looks at the girl before she asks, "Do you know a house or a place where we can get clean clothes?"
"Are you kidding me? Don't you know who I am?" The girl asks while pointing at herself.
Mi Young and Se Heon looked at each other before they looked back at the girl who was staring at them. Both students shook their heads.
The girl looked seriously offended before she scoffs at Mi Young and Se Heon, "My name is Hanabi Kim and I am the best tailor in town."
"Hanabi? Your name sounds foreign." Mi Young says.
"Uhn. My mom isn't from here. She's from another kingdom." Hanabi explains while smiling at the two.
"Other kingdom? You mean the neighboring village of Crane, right?" Se Heon clears.
Hanabi cocks her head to the side while rubbing the back of her nape, "Is it? I'm sorry I'm still not good with your language so I tend to mix and misspoke the words."
"It's okay." Mi Young says. "Since you're a tailor, do you have a shop? Is it still okay?"
"I don't need a shop to tailor clothes." Hanabi says.
Mi Young was about to say something again when Hanabi reached for a small red shoulder bag she was carrying that Mi Young just noticed now.
She opens the bag and inserts her hand inside.
The two students looked at what she's doing and realized that half of Hanabi's hands were already inside the bag.
"How did she do that…" Mi Young hears Se Heon whisper beside her. She couldn't give any answer to the boy since she was also amazed with how deep the bag is, even though it's so small in size.
Seconds later, Hanabi seems like she's pulling something heavy inside as her face morphs into a struggling one.
She calls for help, "Please help, it's quite heavy."
Without knowing what's going on, the two students went towards her and inserted their hands into the small bag as well.
They can feel something soft inside and help Hanabi pull it out from the bag.
When they managed to get what the girl was trying to pull, Mi Young and Se Heon looked at Hanabi in pure awe.
"It's clothes!"
"How can a set of clothes fit inside that small bag?"
"I specialized in Materialization magic. Although unlike other people who can materialize things with just a snap of their hands, I need this bag in order to get . mine." Hanabi explains. There was a proud look on her face as well. "I use my mind in order to think about the clothing I want as well as its design. And when I'm finish thinking about it, I can fish it out from my bag!"
"That's so cool." Se Heon whispers, still looking at Hanabi in amazement.
"You know Materialization?" Mi Young questions.
"I do. As well as my sisters!"
"Who taught you?"
"Our mom." Hanabi replied. She looks at Mi Young curiously, "Why are you asking?"
"I'm studying Materialization as well but I'm not that good yet."
"Oh I see. Don't worry, I had a hard time mastering it as well. But because of my diligence and hardwork, I am now one of the best Materialization Mages in town!"
"Thanks, I guess." Mi Young says while offering the other girl a small smile.
Se Heon broke their little bonding by asking Hanabi if he can wear the clothes already, to which the girl replied with a proud yes.
When Mi Young and Se Heon were done changing into clean clothes, the three of them immediately huddled closer to talk.
Mi Young and Se Heon decided to tell Hanabi the truth behind their real identity.
The girl didn't believe them at first but after proving things to her like giving her knowledge and insights of the incoming future, she finally managed to believe them.
After their long explanation, the three of them started talking about where the first Great Sage could be located at this very moment since they think that the only person who can answer the two student's questions is the Great Sage himself.
"Maybe he's in his Jade Chamber?"
"What's a Jade Chamber?" Hanabi asks.
Mi Young looks taken aback as she looks at Se Heon, "The first citizens don't know about the Jade Chamber?"
"No. The Jade Chamber was introduced by the fourth Great Sage to the people of the kingdom." Se Heon quickly replies.
"Hey, what about this Jade Chamber? I'm starting to feel intrigued with it."
"It's said to be the home of the Great Sages. It floats high up in the sky and is invisible to the eyes of the citizen. The Great Sage is the only one who can control it as well. It is also said that it houses all the history in our kingdom as well as balance the magic of all the Mages." Mi Young tells Hanabi who has her mouth wide open. She was looking at Mi Young in total amazement.
"That sounds so cool. I want to go there."
Mi Young rolled her eyes at the girl, "Were you listening? I said it is invisible to us."
Hanabi shrugs. "Well, I still want to go there."
The black haired girl just shakes her head knowing that she won't be able to get Hanabi to listen to her no matter what she says.
She then turns to Se Heon and asks him what's their next plan.
Se Heon was about to answer her when the boy's growling stomach stopped him.
The boy looked embarrassed and his face was so red as he looked anywhere but Mi Young.
Mi Young looks amused while looking at the shy Se Heon as she pats his back while saying, "Yeah, let's talk about our plan later and hunt some food first."
