As the top school of the city, the curriculum of Nacheon Academy consisted of both academic subjects like math, history, and literature, but also magic and combat training meant to ready students for life in a country constantly being invaded by corrupted beings like ghouls, imps, and vampires.
The campus comprised of just a single school building but acres of training grounds: man-made forests, ponds deep enough to submerge an apartment block, fields of poisonous plants. On this day, the class of 2A stalked through a catacomb—not a real one populated by corpses, of course, just a place dug by the school. The principle had determined that since fights against the abominations often happened at night, the students should be trained in handling tasks in the dark.
Most of Class 2A ventured into the catacomb in staggered time slots seeking an objective placed in the center. They had to find the center, grab the item, and emerge safely to gain pull participation points for the day. The exception to these rules are four students, Hwang Minah, Tang Jaeyun, Mangjol Subin, and Yon Harin. The top students of the class stood in the center of the catacomb, guarding the objects.
“The first group should be entering any minute,” Subin said. She instructed Jaeyun, “Put your night goggles on.”
“I can see fine,” Jaeyun insisted.
“I feel silly in this getup.” Minah scratched her arm. Rather than their usual athletic uniforms, the four students dressed in cloaks enchanted to give them the same defenses and vulnerabilities as ghouls, the most basic of the corrupted ones. Ghouls are balding, gray-skinned creatures. Humanoid in shape, but completely animalistic in demeanor, with sharp black teeth and reddish eyes. They disliked fire and light, but didn’t mind being suffocated. Not that it mattered, Minah thought. She didn’t plan on getting caught by anyone’s magic.
Jaeyun said, “I hear footsteps. Get to your positions!”
Minah and Subin pressed against the front wall while Harin and Jaeyun ducked behind columns. Try as she might to hear any sounds, Minah couldn’t pick up on anything. Still, she trusted Jaeyun’s hearing. Sometimes she questioned if he or a hellhound had better senses.
The moment a boy stepped into the chamber, Minah kicked him in the head. He dropped like a bag of sand.
Daggers tore through the air and dug into Minah’s cloak. Instinctively she yelped, but it didn’t hurt! They sank into the cloth like pudding than bounced back out and landed on the floor. Right, Minah remembered. Ghouls are also immune to most piecing damage. She punched the girl who flung the daggers square in the face. The girl hit the floor and didn’t get back up.
Behind Minah three more students stampeded into the room from the opposite entrance. They had only set a toe into the chamber. Jaeyun held up his hands and casted a barrage of flames at them. Their uniforms caught on fire for only a second, then the fire vanished and the pins on their chests turned red. They “died.”
“Disqualified?” a boy complained. “Come on, Jaeyun. I gave you my soda at lunch and you promised you’d go easy on us.”
“I did go easy on you,” Jaeyun said. “You totally could’ve dodged that by ducking.”
“You came at us so quickly.”
“Ugh, just be better next time,” Subin said. “Hurry and get out. You’re holding up the second group.”
Minah tapped the girl’s cheek. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to punch you that hard. You alright?”
The girl groaned but sat up. Her friends helped her and their other fallen compatriot up and out of the chamber.
Subin said, “I can’t believe those guys attend the same school as us. They suck. ‘Go easy on us’. What babies.”
“At least they made it here,” Minah said. “If Teacher An didn’t lead us here, I’d get lost in the catacombs myself. I heard the teachers set up obstacles too, like those spiky traps that pop up if you step on the wrong tile.”
“Shush. I hear something,” Jaeyun said.
The four got into positions. Minutes passed, and Minah got tired of the silence. Are they coming or not? She peaked into the passage. There’s nobody…
Something creaked. Minah looked up to see the grate in the ceiling being removed. A hand stretched through the opening and shot out a fire bolt right at her! Harin cried, “Minah, watch out!”
Minah hopped aside just in time. The fire bolt splattered against the wall harmlessly.
“I’ll find them!” Jaeyun shouted before talking off.
The hand unleashed fire bolt after fire bolt. Ripping the lid off her canteen, Subin directed the water out of the metal container and into the opening. The water formed a lash that grabbed the boy’s arm and pulled him into the chamber.
He crashed onto the floor. “Ouch!” he cried.
He moved to get up but Subin flicked her wrist and the water formed a spear that impaled the boy—or should’ve. The moment the spear touched his uniform, the water parted and his pin turned red.
“You’re out,” Subin said.
Above them, Jaeyun’s fire lit up the tunnel, and Minah heard the groans of the disqualified students. “Well, you had a good idea,” Minah said encouragingly. “You almost got me.”
“But you didn’t,” Subin said.
Soon after Jaeyun returned the third group came, then the fourth and fifth groups. None of them succeeded in grabbing an objective.
Teacher An came to collect them. “You all did very well,” she said. “Yon Harin, will you fill out the reports describing how each group performed? It will help me assign your classmates’ grades.”
“Of course,” Harin said.
Subin asked, “What grades will we get?”
Teacher An chuckled. “Full points, of course. You children have a very bright future ahead of you. You could even join the Order of Light if you keep this up.”
Seeming pleased, Subin bowed slightly. “Thank you for thinking us deserving of such high praise.”
Once they exited the catacombs, Teacher An rushed ahead to check on the other students. Minah, Harin, and Subin said goodbye to Jaeyun then gathered in the girls’ locker room to change back into their regular school uniforms.
“As if we’d join the Order of Light,” Minah said as the untied the strings keeping the cloak fastened around her body. “As if we’d become some paladin’s lackeys. I don’t get why the adults pretend like it’s such an honor.”
“The salary is good,” Harin said. “But you’re right that unless you’re a light mage yourself and might qualify to become a paladin, the only thing you can hope for in the Order of Light is to become a common foot soldier.”
“The school receives donations from the Order,” Subin said. “The teachers are compelled to encourage students to join. But I think I’ll pass. I have plans to apply to universities after all. My parents and I have already made lists of all the places we’re considering.”
“Already?” Minah said. “We’re only second-year students.”
“It’s never too early to plan ahead,” Subin said.
When Minah, Subin, Harin, and Jaeyun returned to the classroom, they found Teacher An reviewing tips for the students who failed the challenge—so all of them. “Remember, attacking a ghoul isn’t like attacking a person. You must take advantages of their weaknesses to defeat them.
“Class will end in a couple minutes,” Teacher An said. “Remember, the culture fair is coming up soon. Student booths need to be registered by next week. You can sell homemade goods or something you cook—think of something unique. The class that earns the most money during the fair will get to go on a field trip to the beach during the summer, so I expect you all to put in your best effort.”
The bell rung. As the students packed up, Teacher An reminded them, “Having survived this long I doubt any of you need to hear this, but be careful out there. Don’t go out past nightfall, and even during the day, it’s good to be among allies.”
Minah, Jaeyun, Subin, and Harin headed out of the school building together. Minah said, “I completely forgot about the culture fair! I could cook something to sell, like stuffed pancakes.”
“I don’t feel like doing anything,” Subin said. “I’m already stressed enough about applying for an internship this summer.”
Jaeyun said, “The culture fair isn’t supposed to be stressful. It’s supposed to be fun. Besides, we’ll get a free beach trip!”
“I’d like to go,” Harin said. “It’d be my first time seeing the sea.” She hugged Subin’s arm. “Please, do it for me?”
Subin sighed. “Fine. I’ll participate for you, but if I’m going to spend my energy on this, then our booth is going to beat all the others.” She clapped her fist in her palm, her expression determined.
“People like my cooking,” Minah said.
“But food isn’t unique,” Subin argued. “A lot of people will be doing food. We need to do something that people will be raving about until finals.”
“I could sell clippings from my plants,” Harin said. “My roses are doing really well.”
“Hmm.”
Minah could tell Subin didn’t exactly like the idea by the, “Why can’t you be smarter?” look plastered on her face, but oddly enough Subin didn’t say anything out loud. Something unique, huh? Minah thought.
The Nacheon Academy sat on a hill and only connected to the rest of the city by Nacheon Academy Street, which fed directly into the east square of the city. As the four walked through it, Subin pointed to a tea shop. “Isn’t that the tea shop you do part-time at?” Subin asked Minah. “We should stop by and get some treats. We did work hard at training today.”
Minah grinned. “Sure. I can even get you a discount.” She began heading in the direction of the tea shop. Minah got a job specifically at it for its employee discounts. She loved eating and getting a job that makes that a little cheaper seemed like the perfect deal.
Jaeyun stuck his hands in his pockets. “I should head home.”
Minah, Subin, and Harin all stopped to look at him. Minah asked, “Why? It’s a nice day out, and it’s not going to be dark for hours.”
“I’m just tired,” Jaeyun said. “Like Subin said, training look a lot out of me. I did do most of it. I mean, you girls defeated a couple opponents too…”
Minah recalled Jaeyun’s explosive magic in the catacombs, but that didn’t explain why he had to take off so soon. “Come on, I’ll be working the entire weekend as usual, and Subin and Harin have their private tutoring. Today is our only day to hang out.”
Harin pouted cutely. “You aren’t going to abandon us? We’ll miss you if you go home.” Harin glanced at Subin as if prompting her to say something too.
Subin said, “Just join us for tea. You can get something to up your stamina.”
“Fine,” Jaeyun acquiesced.
Smiling, Minah led them all into the tea shop. She seated her friends at a booth in the back and grabbed a clipboard to take their orders. They ordered a pot of tea to share and a plate of dumplings and dipping sauce.
Minah took their money and left for the kitchen. Ten minutes later, she returned with their snacks.
“Are you sure we can’t do something food-related?” Minah asked Subin as they ate.
Subin said, “If you can think of something unique and eye-catching enough… Maybe if you can cook some fancy foreign desserts, like cheesecake. I ate some a couple years ago when my parents and I traveled to the capital.”
“Cheesecake?” Minah toyed with the idea, but she had more skills in cooking staples like noodles and stir-fry. Unless hanging out with her friends, she didn’t eat a lot of sweets, and she hasn’t even had cheesecake. But still, she really liked having an excuse to eat. “I could ask the chef here if she’ll teach me something, but it might not be that exotic.”
“Excuse me, you’re Tang Jaeyun, right?” a girl from the next book asked. She sat on her knees, peering at them from her seat. She had on their school’s uniform, though she seemed to be a first-year by the shape of the pin on her chest.
Jaeyun turned around and flashed a smile. “That’s me.”
“I heard you’re good at art. I’m interested in selling some paintings at the culture fair, and I’m looking for people to join me since one person manning a booth is kind of boring. Would you—would you like to join me?”
The girl’s face suddenly turned pink, and Minah tried to not laugh out loud.
“I’m already a part of a group for the culture fair,” Jaeyun said.
The girl replied, “But they’re doing cheesecake… I think. And those girls are already three people. You could pursue something you’re interested in. Though it’s mainly just a fair for us students, there’ll be outside people too, including—including adults looking for talent and such…”
“I like art,” Jaeyun said. “But I don’t really care what I’m doing at the culture fair as much as the people I’ll be spending the day with.”
“Oh.” The girl seemed to be sitting back in her booth, but then she said, “I could join you guys—”
Subin cut her off. “We’re full.”
Once the girl ducked her head behind the booth, Subin muttered, “That girl’s got a crush on you.”
“She just thought I could help get her booth noticed. A lot of students are like that. They think because I’m the top student in magic I’m just talented in general but in reality my art isn’t that good.” Still, Minah could see Jaeyun hiding his smile, although whether it’s due to a girl liking him or a girl thinking he could paint well, Minah couldn’t tell.
As the four got to exit the tea shop, Minah’s boss ran to them. The middle-aged woman had a kind smile. “Minah, there you are,” she said. “I have something for you.” She reached into her apron pocket and handed Minah four pieces of paper.
At first Minah looked at them in confusion—she hadn’t seen anything like these—then she caught the words “movie” on top and it hit her. “Movie tickets?” Minah said. “These are really expensive, and you’re just giving them to me?”
“Yes. My husband got them for us and our children, but something came up. You can have them.”
“Oh my goodness, thank you!” Minah bowed many times. “But why me?”
The woman shrugged. “You’re a hardworking girl. Besides, the others have all seen a movie at least once. You likely haven’t. The tickets are only good for tonight though, so you children should hurry.”
“Thank you,” Minah said again.
Minah’s friends repeated, “Thank you. Thank you.”
Hurrying out of the tea shop, Minah flagged a carriage.
“Wait,” Jaeyun said. “I really ought to be getting home.”
“You aren’t actually missing a chance to see a movie, are you?” Minah said. “I could save up for a year and still not have the chance to buy a movie ticket for myself. What’s so important that you need to get home so desperately?”
“I told you, I’m tired,” Jaeyun said.
“But it’s a movie,” Minah said. “The fourth ticket will go to waste if you refuse to accompany us. Come on. This isn’t like you.” It really isn’t. Jaeyun is usually so easy-going. “Is something the matter?”
“No, forget it,” Jaeyun said, then he put on a smile. “I’ll go. But you have to let me pick the movie.”
“Deal.”
The carriage that Minah called arrived. Minah grabbed Jaeyun’s arm and hauled him into the carriage. Subin and Harin stepped in after them and shut the door.
Compared to girls living in the capital, Subin couldn’t be called rich, but among her friends Subin had the largest house in the nicest most affluent part of the city. The carriage rode past her house and dropped the four off at the only theater in the city, and in fact, in the entire region of the country—there had been others, but they all boarded up one by one.
The theater sat tall, its steel architecture starkly different from the mainly wooden buildings that surrounded it. Proceeding inside, Subin gave the tickets to an attendee. “Good evening, students. Which film will you be seeing?”
Harin piped up. “A romance?”
“No, romances are cheesy,” Minah said.
“A mystery?” Subin suggested.
“Being forced to guess what’s happening makes me feel like I’m in class,” Minah complained.
“I’m picking, remember?” Jaeyun said. He studied the list. “That one starts the soonest.” He pointed to a movie called The Blood Moon.
“It sound too scary,” Harin whined.
“Can’t you pick something else?” Subin said.
“No, we made a deal,” Jaeyun said. “We’re seeing The Blood Moon.”
“What if there’s blood?” Harin said. “Blood makes me nauseas.”
“But the gore is what’s exciting about these kinds of movies,” Jaeyun said.
Subin and Harin both grimaced, but Jaeyun didn’t seem to notice. Minah could see the excitement in his eyes. Typical boy, she thought, drawn by action. She didn’t mind the pick of movie, and besides… “We did promise him.”
Harin continued pouting, but Subin patted her on her head. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”
They exchanged their tickets and found their theater. Soon after the lamps extinguished, and the only light that could be seen emanated from the projector as it casted an image on the screen. A view of a large city appeared. Not the capital, but one of the port cities in the south.
“It’s so clear!” Minah gasped, sitting at the edge of her seat. She felt completely transported across the country. The tickets are expensive, but they’re worth it. If I ever became rich, I’ll see a movie every weekend!
Immediately the opening scene had a vampire attacking a girl at a mall. His eyes turned a deep red, and black veins bulged underneath his skin. Minutes after he bit the girl’s neck, a paladin arrived and chopped his head off.
Harin screamed and buried her face in Subin’s shoulder.
#
When the projector shut off and the lamps turned back on, Minah wondered aloud, “So, what percentage of the movie did you actually see, Harin? Five percent? Seven percent? You hid behind Subin for all of it, didn’t you?”
“Why did I let you force me to sit through this?” Harin seemed practically on the verge of tears.
“Come on, Harin,” Minah laughed. “You’re almost an adult. It’s not like there are vampires just walking around the neighborhood.”
“Yes, there are!” Harin cried. “People get killed by them all the time.”
“Not in Nacheon,” Subin said in an attempt to comfort her friend. “It’s relatively safe here. We’ve been living here our entire lives, and you haven’t met a vampire, have you?”
By the time they left the theater, it was already dinner time. “The sky’s black,” Harin whimpered. “Those things, like the vampires in the movie, come out in the dark.”
“It’s plenty bright around the movie theater,” Subin said.
A long line of people stood under the carriage stop. The friends joined the line. Minah noticed the adults in front of them fidgeted uneasily as they huddled as close to each other as possible to stay where the light reached.
Harin pressed close to Subin. “The city should really invest in more street lamps. This is a rich district after all.”
“Money isn’t the only problem,” Subin said. “Things like projectors like in the movie theater and street lamps all operate on light magic, which is really rare these days.”
“It didn’t used to be like that?” Jaeyun asked.
Subin said, “No. Light used to be one of the more populous lineages, but after abominations like ghouls and the vampire in the movie popped up, the king sent all the light mages to the front lines. Since then, the population has really dwindled. It doesn’t help that it seems both parents need to be light mages to produce a baby with light magic.”
“Hmm, strange,” Jaeyun remarked. “My mother is magicless like Minah, but my father is a fire mage. All of my siblings and I are fire mages too.
Subin said, “I guess fire magic just likes being present. In any case, these days light mages are obliged to become paladins under the king. It’s because of this reason that ‘nonessential’ light magic-fueled objects like projectors and lamps are old. No one’s around to continue building or even maintaining them.”
“Don’t talk about no one maintaining these lamps,” Harin said. “You’ll curse us.”
“Harin, there’s no such thing as a curse—” Just as Minah opened her mouth, the street lamps shut off and everyone was plunged into the shadows.