Voyage Of The Villainess

As if fate was mocking you, paths of people you thought would never cross again at all cost would still happen whether you wanted it or not.

"Is that?"

"Hyun Jae!"

"Did you say, Hyun Jae?!" Iris exclaimed in surprise.

Malaya didn't respond and instead, without wasting any moment of time, she grabbed a talisman and tore it to pieces.

Hyun Jae with her usual white flowy dress with light blue laces fluttered as she made a run for her dear life. Behind him, hungry packs of black wolves were chasing after her. 

"Ah!" She tripped when she didn't see the small bump on the way. 

"Raaa!" One big wolf jumped towards her.

"No!" Hyun Jae covered as she closed her eyes but moments later, nothing happened to her.

"Hyun Jae, are you alright?" 

Instead, she heard someone's voice and a whimper of a wolf.

She immediately glanced up and to her surprise, the wolf that was going to attack her was now fallen to the ground.

The other wolves, seeing that their leader was down, immediately ran away. 

Besides the wolf there was someone with a dark brown cloak fluttering, standing. The said person was holding a strange weapon, some sort of a wooden-shaped weapon.

The said person turned towards Hyun Jae, and their faces were covered with a white mask. Making it hard for Hyun Jae to know the identity of the said person.

"Thank you for saving me," Hyun Jae said as she tried to stand up but then she winced when she felt pain in her right ankle.

"Did you twist your foot?" Malaya went to her to check her foot.

"Malaya!" 

Hyun Jae gasped when she heard that name. Iris caught her breath as she finally reached them. She was followed by Elred and Rein.

"Now you suddenly play a hero that saves a damsel in distress," Iris said.

"Malaya?" Hyun Jae's soft voice resonated which earned the attention of everyone. Malaya couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

"Hyun Jae, it's been a while," Malaya said as she took off her mask and cloak. Her once brown hair started to change into her real dark ocean ones and her eyes too.

"Malaya!" Hyun Jae exclaimed in delight as she tried to stand up and give Malaya a hug. But Hyun Jae winced when her foot hurt.

"Don't move too much for now," Malaya said as she nodded with Rein. 

"Let me look after your foot, Ms. Hyun Jae." Rein said as he lowered to check her foot.

"Ah! There is no need for that." Hyun Jae immediately declined as her hands glowed with a gentle green hue. Then she placed it on the top of her swollen ankle. The green light flew to the swollen part of the wound and it started to heal.

'Ah right, she's a healer.' Malaya thought as she watched Hyun Jae do her magic.

After a few minutes, Hyun Jae stood up and jumped up and down.  "See! It's all healed up now," she exclaimed in delight.

"Now that you are alright, what are you doing here, Hyun Jae, and all by yourself?" 

'Wait I clearly saw there was someone else with her too. Did my eyes just play tricks on me due to the distance?'

"About that," Hyun Jae fiddled with her fingers as she glanced down. "I ran away from the palace."

"Ah I see so you just run away I thought...." Malaya realized what Hyun Jae just said right now. "You did what?!"

Hyun Jae flinched when Malaya screamed.

"The truth is I came here on my own accord because I got worried about Oliver and Aadel."

"Those two? What's the matter with them?"

"They also went here but it's been three weeks for them now, and they still haven't come back. The others told me to not worry but I just couldn't help it. But I couldn't find them and I have been wandering in this desolate place for almost a week now."

Malaya massaged her aching temples. 'She's been here for a week now. The empire must be in complete chaos due to her disappearance right now. Oh, God.'

"And how in the world did you even get here?"

"Actually I'm not alone, Theo helped me get here by every means but due to some reason, I got separated from him."

"Theo? Ah, the son of the commander of the Eagle Knights Order." 

"Yes." Hyun Jae nodded her head. "I hope he is alright..."

*Flick!*

Hyun Hae pouted when Malays flicked her forehead all of the sudden.

"Rather than worrying about him, you should have looked out for yourself more. If we are one step late, you could have been eaten by those wolves right now."

"I could have just healed myself if they attacked me."

Hyun Jae received another flick to her head and this time looked at Malaya with teary eyes.

"You can't heal a dead body, Hyun Jae," Malaya said, looking firmly at the teary black eyes of Hyun Jae. "You should take care of your life more since you only have one of it." Malaya reached her hand to Hyun Jae's head and patted it. "Will you do that, Hyun Jae?"

Since Malaya was two feet tall to Hyun Jae, they were like an elder sister reprimanding her little sister.

Hyun Jae nodded her head as she looked at Malaya with awe.

"Yes yes, big sister Malaya." Iris interrupted with a huge teasing grin plastered on her face.

"I'll also give you head pats," Malaya said as she grinned back to Iris. 

"I hate head pats," Iris growled. "And there is still this cat that completely nested on my head.

Kayden who became a complete little black little kitten raised his head then simply went back to sleep.

"So you're the famous saintess," Iris said with all smiles. "Nice to meet you, I'm Iris."

"Hyun Jae," Malaya leaned closer towards Hyun Jae's ears. "Though she is still a good person. Be careful the most when she smiles like that."

"Hey!" Iris retorted.

"Ehem." Rein gathered their attention. "Milady, I think for now we should find a safe place to camp here and rest."

"Yes," Malaya said solemnly.. "That should be the best we can do for the time being as we figure out what's going on."