Chapter 361 - Sweet Or Bitter-II

Haneul didn't want to believe what she heard. Immediately she reached to take a hold of JaeGil's hand, knowing what she was trying to do, JaeGil warned, "Don't see it. It won't be a good memory for you."

"If you say he has died, I need to see it for myself," Haneul said as she channeled her power to read JaeGil's memories before he came back to the village.

The first scene she saw was dark before she realized it wasn't dark because of the night sky but rather a person's body stood before him. JaeGil used his sword to cut the man in halves. When he passed by, his eyes fell to stare at the bodies of his own people who he had killed. 

Tears were brimming in JaeGil's eyes but he didn't hesitated. Killing them was wrong, they were the people who he had been with since his childhood. But they had turned their eyes from the right path and it was his responsibility to see through their end.

"Why do you have to do this?" Seola asked when his sword clash into the invisible barrier she casted. "We are your family! Just because that wench had seduced you and you fall for her. Is that all it takes to kill your own family?!"

JaeGil didn't answer. He continue to push through his sword, causing a crack on the surface of the barrier. Seola turned alarmed. 

"You are going to regret this! JaeGil! If you kill your own family you will die a horrible death!"

But JaeGil didn't listen to her curse which later turn into plead asking for forgiveness. He continue what he had to do and killed the traitors. 

Looking at Seola's body which now lifeless, JaeGil felt his heart squeeze, "I know. I will meet you all in Hell."

He had came into the place where the wedding banquet was held at, standing at the bottom of the staircase, yet to make himself into the banquet hall. 

He regretted not coming early, he regretted letting the incident happened. He wondered why he didn't know. Why didn't he sees that this was going to happen? That they were planning for revenge? That Madam Yoo's hatred had never disappeared. In fact, all this time she had been holding a deep grudge against humans and vampires.

But it was too late. He used his sword to cut the people he knew. He saw Seunggo's father and mother. His teeth clenched. He wanted to demand answer and reason for their doing to tell what they did were correct but they were too deeply absorbed with their hatred that they couldn't hear his words.

When he came near he staircase, he found a woman and man hugging each other as arrows and swords pierced their body. Having seen them before, JaeGil knew it was Raeul and Bom, Min Hyuk's greatest allies.

Finally JaeGil came to the room with his hand filled with blood and his heart sliced in many pieces.

He saw in the room, Madam Yoo's appearance had turned different. Her skin had regain its age, looking younger than before. 

"Do you regret it now?" Madam Yoo laughed while looking at Min Hyuk. Her hand had pierced his heart and slowly she dug out his beating heart and Min Hyuk's body fall before JaeGil could do anything.

When JaeGil came inside, he saw the amount of bodies, the walls that were painted claret and the heavy nauseating scent of blood.

He quickly made his way toward Min Hyuk there was no one around him, making it easy for him to access inside the room. He took the vampire who clutched to his clothes.

"Tell Haneul... I'm sorry. It doesn't seem like my promise could be fulfilled," Min Hyuk heave for breaths. JaeGil hastily used his light magic to heal but the pureblood placed his hand, "It's too late. Tell Haneul okay? Okay?" 

Tears dropped from JaeGil. While Min Hyuk was his rival in love. He respected the man for his respectable way of living an along the way, they had become a friend. 

"I will," JaeGil answered.

"I love her, tell her that," whispered the pureblood again. When JaeGil nodded his head, trying to suppress his sadness for the loss, he felt the hold on Min Hyuk's hand slowly loosening until no more energy could be felt as the man's head slide to the left side. 

"Here you are JaeGil," Madam Yoo whose face had turned hanger and more beautiful called him dearly that churned his stomach.

"You won't be able to kill him in a fair fight. What did you do?" JaeGil directly asked his question. He didn't move, facing Madam Yoo by his back.

"You should be able to know it now. The power that course in me. I am sure you also know that now I am not a light witch any longer."

"You used the black magic to turn yourself into a dark witch..." JaeGil turned his eyes where the once black color had turned bright in the bluish color, "You have tossed aside your humanity but it does befit you now." JaeGil used his ability to blast the floor before them, causing the fine dust to create a brief smoke.

Madam Yoo frowned. She raised her hand and swipe it across like a whip to clear the smoke only to find JaeGil had disappeared.

Coming to the present, Haneul staggered over what she sees, "Her body?" 

"He is outside," JaeGil answered. "We don't have time. Yeseul you have to leave with Anhye and you too Hane—"

Haneul's eyes had turned silver her once calm eyes now was fill with rage, "I will kill her!"

"Haneul, it's too dangerous," JaeGil tried to reason, "You are strong and I know it better than anyone about this, but Madam Yoo, she had used the souls as sacrifice to strengthen her power. One thousand of people had been turned into her sacrificial lamb for her power from both humans, vampires and light witches. Her power in unmatched."

"Not for me," Haneul answered, her tears threatening to fall and she blinked it away to erase the blur that covered her vision. "If there is anyone who could fight her that would only be me. I will stop her madness."

Haneul continue to walk, loosening her hand when JaeGil took her wrist. "It will cost your life!"

"I am prepared," Haneul offered JaeGil a smile. "I will go and see him."

It chilled JaeGil when he realized what Haneul meant by 'go and see him' was her to her death.

Haneul had only take some steps, looking at the village she once love but now abhorred. She steps outside of the village to meet Madam Yoo. As she had seen during reading JaeGil's mind, Madam Yoo had regained her youth.

"Did you use the souls of those who died in the palace for how you look now?" Haneul questioned, her hand that had turned into a fist clenched tighter in anger. 

"Amazing, isn't it? Don't you know wish the power of the dark witch, Haneul? We all know that you are powerful but not without your power," Madam Yoo chuckled.

"You can stop talking. It's now time for you to die," said Haneul in her low whisper. Madam Yoo chuckled as if she was going against a child, the look on her face was calm and composed.

On the other hand, Haneul was burning with anger. Each attack she sent with her hand, caused the trees to vanish, creating a new path. 

"How could you?" Haneul questioned with rage, in between her attack. "We were on your side."

"But I have never thought of you as one. To me you were only a stepping stone to help me reach my goal," answered Madam Yoo. They were fighting with their bare hands. Having learned military fighting during war, Haneul was not lacking on her skill but neither was Madam Yoo.

Haneul was taken aback by how completely guiltless Madam Yoo was. She expected the woman to have some remorse for the lives she had taken but there was none.

"We were stepping stones? Than what about the light witches who you took care in the village were they also a stepping stone?!" Haneul questioned, her attacks turning much sharper and concise.

Madam Yoo had kept a smile the entire time but there the words Haneul had said and when she noticed she was pushed back, anger filled her eyes, "I had told them the side effect of agreeing to my plan. They knew they could die and they trusted their life to me!"

Madam Yoo took eight steps away from Haneul and she raised her hands to summon fire creating a large blast of fire that burned everything around them.

The force of the fire burnt everything that it touched but Haneul was barely concerned.

Haneul looked at the fire with a bleak look and a grin came on her face that irked Madam Yoo.

"Of course," Haneul agreed and she lifted her hand, "It's because they had deluded themselves. They thought that their life was yours because you helped them once but now I am certain they who had died are looking at you with anger and contempt. Look at your hands, Yoo In-Joo. Don't you see blood there?" 

Madam Yoo took a look on her hand, noticing how blood had appeared on her hands, drenching it a fearsome manner.

"Don't you hear them screaming for you help, In-Joo?" Haneul voice came again as this time screams and plead of help rang in the entire forest.

Madam Yoo's weakness was her humanity. She might have shed it in return of power, but Haneul knew how the guilt inside the woman was eating her alive.

"NO!" Madam Yoo yelled, she used magic to erase the blood from her hand by summoning water but instead of summoning one, blood drenched all over her face, covering her sight. 

"H..elp!"

"InJoo!" 

"It's hot here, help me mother!" 

Screams of people Madam Yoo knew rang once again, their voices eerily filled her ears, surrounding her. 

"Do you enjoy it?" Haneul's voice came behind Madam Yoo and the woman's eyes snapped. 

"This is illusion!" Madam Yoo yelled while holding her hands against her ears to cover herself from the haunting screams around her ears.

"Yes but knowing it illusion wouldn't be enough to break the magic," Haneul whispered. Their surrounding that was clear now was clouded by a thick white fog. 

Madam Yoo swung her hand that was holding a knife to slice Haneul's neck but instead, she only cut a thick bundle of fogs.

"ONE." Haneul's voice appeared when before Madam Yoo realized it, she had appeared before the woman and using her hand, she stabbed through her fingers inside Madam Yoo's stomach.

"That was for Raeul," Haneul begin to count.

Madam Yoo screamed in pain. She used her power again but before she could, Haneul raised her hand, slapping the woman with a deadly force, thrashing her toward the trees.

Haneul watched Madam Yoo cough blood but this was only the beginning. Before the woman could move, she used her leg to kick the woman's neck without holding herself. While Madam Yoo's head begin to bleed, the ground underneath them crack.

"There are still a lot of people who you have to beg for forgiveness. You are not going to die quickly, Yoo In-Joo!" 

Haneul continue to count eerily while the sound of hitting and breaking echoed in the entire forest ground. Blood drenched her hands and legs as Madam Yoo lied helpless on the ground.

The woman tried to attack, using her hand to claw Haneul's arm that only manage to cut her clothes.

Haneul coldly stare at her dress, "This is my favorite wedding dress," and without adding another word, Haneul turned her hands into a fist punching the woman who was already on the ground.

Madam Yoo cannot do anything under Haneul's mercy. While Haneul could feel her rage growing each second as she continue to punch the woman left and right until the breaths that Madam Yoo take was barely breathable.

"It is time for you to die," Haneul announced. She wished to do more but there were many people who were waiting for Madam Yoo.

Haneul had only raised her hand when she heard the sound of a baby crying. Madam Yoo also noticed it. They both turned and a cackle was heard.

There, Haneul saw a split image of herself standing with Yeseul's baby. 

"Do you think it is over?" Madam Yoo chuckled, while looking at Haneul. Haneul's face paled and in anger she tightened the grip of her hand on Madam Yoo's hands, breaking the woman's neck.

Stepping away from Madam Yoo, Haneul dragged her body to stand before her own reflection.

"You are still alive," Haneul said while staring at the person who used her appearance and her face slowly melting to show the appearance of the late Queen. 

"Your dear friend, Madam Yoo brought me back to life. I had expected it at some point that I would die, surely you never think that I have also find a way to work my soul in a new body don't you?"

"You break the living's balance," Haneul said.

"Ah, dear you are so silly. What is there to be kept about the balance between death and life? They had died and that is it. We can bring back the dead and the living why shouldn't we choose our chances?" The late Queen sighed before pulling out her other hand which was holding a pair of human eyeballs where blood was still around the eyeball.

"This is the eye of your lovely maid. Don't they look beautiful now that it is out of the socket."

"No..." Haneul had been too immersed in her anger she didn't know that the Queen had entered the barrier which she couldn't have entered with as she was a dark witch but the woman...

It only come to Haneul's realization that there was still living white witches who had helped the late Queen to enter the barrier.

But it was too late.

Her friends had died.

She was alone.

Slowly like a person who had just realized they were wounded, Haneul could feel anger seeped into her heart. The deep, raw, and searing rage coursed into her vein. Her black eyes dipped into a bright silver color. The anger she felt continue to stem all over her body.

Haneul had tried not to be consumed by hatred because she knew her power would control her if she do.

But she had went through so much that it was impossible for her not to get angered.. Her eyes closed and the silver drop of tears fell on the ground.