The Unsurpassed Maiden

"The Dark War was one of the most unforgettable events in our history…well before our clans were wiped off from the books." Lady Ning Gwang starts as she crosses her legs and starts picking on her nails. "Long ago, when there were still nine clans, people believed in their power and ability to maintain peace. So in order to continue to praise them and be on their good side, people built temples for them and offered them mana or any kind of magical item that boosts the nine clans mana."

"But I thought magical items were rare. How come people give them off just like that?" Mi Young asks. She has both of her legs on her sides and her palms pressing against the mattress, so close to where Kwang Soo's legs are.

"Magical items weren't rare before. Actually, it was abundant in my time. However, even though they can be found anywhere, they still have their rankings so people just don't give normal ranked magical items. Of course, they would give the nine clans the best." Lady Ning Gwang added. "Anyway, the people tend to offer magical items and other mana giving items to the nine clans to get on their good side and help them protect their family and lands."

"Does this make the nine clans protect them?"

"Uhn. I don't know about the other clans but mine were true to their words. I remembered seeing a huge list of Cryo families in one of our rooms. My father used to say that those were the families we have sworn to help and protect." The white haired teacher says as she smiles at the memory. "I remembered arguing with my father how we don't need to protect them and we should only think about our own family's safety. But my father said that without those families, our own family is nothing as well. So, after that argument ended, I looked at these families more differently."

Mi Young went silent for a second, just waiting for her teacher to continue her story. Soon after, Lady Ning Gwang starts to brush her hair using a hairbrush that she materialized out of nowhere. "So, the nine clans were able to keep going stronger and stronger because of the help of the people who believed in them. However, envy is part of human nature. And it won't ever disappear as long as humans live. And when there is envy, there is greed. You see, even though the nine clans each have their own temples, the other clan, the Nyxo clan, wants to have more temples for themselves."

"Nyxo? Were they the people who controlled the darkness?"

The teacher nodded her head. She looks at Mi Young with a serious face before continuing, "Before, the Pyro clans weren't the most feared, but them. They are cunning and are very good at bending the darkness into their will. They hide behind the shadows and assassinate those who they want to eliminate in silence. That is also why their enemies are afraid to go out during night time because they know that the Nyxo clans are just probably hiding along with the shadows of darkness."

"Who stopped them then?"

"Of course their sister clan, the Lumino clan which was ruled by the twin sister of the leader of the Nyxo clan." The teacher says while starting to braid her hair.

"They are twin sisters?"

"Uhn. The First Do, which was led by Do Soo Won was the twin sister of the leader of the Nyxo clan which was Do Soo Ya. I don't really know how their family feud started but people thought it was because Soo Ya was jealous of Soo Won's ability. She wanted the light that her sister has."

"But she already has the darkness bending along with her will, right? Why does she also want the light?" Mi Young questions. For some reason, she can feel her heart pounding loudly against her chest.

"It's because darkness cannot prevail when there is light." Lady Ning Gwang answers with a small smile. "Everywhere Soo Won goes, there is always light, which practically erases the darkness that  Soo Ya brings along with her. This made her grow angry and jealous, which is why for many years she tried to challenge her sister into a battle, but every fight they had, she always lost."

"Was her sister that strong?"

"Oh they were both strong. But Soo Won uses her brains over her emotions, which is why she always wins against Soo Ya." Lady Ning Gwang says with a giggle.

"Which do you think is stronger? You or Soo Won?" Mi Young questions all of a sudden.

"Hm, that's a tricky question. But if you ask me, of course I would win." The white haired teacher says before letting out a laugh.

Mi Young scoffs at her teacher before crossing her arms. "You're just biased!"

"Am I?" The teacher asks with a smile. "Anyway, let's go back to the story. So, Soo Won got tired of the repeated battles with her sister. She told the other party that they need to grow up and forget about the stupid feud they have that's been happening for years. However, Soo Ya was a prideful person. Instead of listening to her sister, she asked one last battle against her. Soo Ya made her sister sign a pact. If Soo Won wins, Soo Ya will stop challenging her and will leave her alone forever. But if Soo Ya wins, Soo Won has to give up her ability to her."

"But that's unfair." Mi Young says.

"Truly unfair."

"Who won?"

"Of course it was Soo Won who ended up being the winner." Lady Ning Gwang says. The white haired woman smiled as she looked at her student's reaction, who let out a huge sigh when she heard who won the battle between the two sisters. "However, it was also the reason that made Soo Ya go berserk."

"What happened?" The black haired girl asks again, she can already feel the tension building up inside her body while hearing the story coming out from her teacher. Even though the events were all part of the past, Mi Young couldn't stop herself from getting excited or nervous every time something happened.

"Soo Ya got so mad that she went to make a deal with a witch. But it wasn't just a normal witch, it was the darkest witch of all time, Vexa—

"Vexanalla?" Mi Young whispers.

Lady Ning Gwang looked shocked for a few seconds but then she remembered that the black haired girl traveled back to the past so maybe that's where she heard the name of the Dark Witch. "Uhn. That's right. Soo Ya made a deal with Vexanalla. Now, back in our time, everyone knows that all witch can see what a person's weakness is. So Soo Ya asked the witch to make something that can kill Soo Won. Vexanalla agreed to make it, however it came with a price. Now this part of the story is something I'm not really sure about since no one really knows what Vexanalla and Soo Ya talked about. But when Soo Won drank the wine her sister gave, she fell unconscious."

"Unconscious?"

"Uhn. Which means Soo Won isn't dead but unconscious."

"So where is she now?"

Lady Ning Gwang smiles, "Inside the world her sister has created."

"What do you mean?" Mi Young asks in a voice full of questioning.

The white haired teacher sighs before she added, "Apparently, Soo Ya can't kill Soo Won because their lives are intertwined."

"Is there such a thing as that?"

"They're twins. They only have one soul. That's both of their weaknesses." The teacher says. "So, instead of killing her sister, Soo Ya made a different world where she's the only one who can enter and go. She also brought her sister along with her so no one can get her. After that, the two of them were never seen ever again. No one actually knows if they are alive or not. There were rumors before that someone spotted them together at a faraway village but no one knows if it was true or not."

"What's their connection with the Dark War?" Mi Young asks.

"Because of their disappearance, the people from the Lumino clans and the Nyxo clans started blaming each other. After that, it all seemed like a blur to me. There were lots of riots and fights between the two clans. They also started using other clans as well, which is why it ended into an all out about battle between the nine clans. All I can remember was thousands of bodies dying in front of me."

"How did the war end then?" A war as big as that couldn't stop on its own right?

Lady Ning Gwang, probably hearing her student's thoughts, finally managed to answer her. "I thought it was obvious enough?"

"What's obvious?"

Suddenly, the supposedly-sleeping Kwang Soo scratches his hair in frustration as he sits up to look at Mi Young. "It means that's the time when the First Great Sage appeared. Are you an idiot or do you just lack brain cells?"

"The First Great Sage…" The black haired student says in a whisper, totally ignoring Kwang Soo's insult. "So he was the one who stopped the war?"

"It didn't actually stop immediately but it subdued. The battles between the nine clans stopped but there were still a lot of riots going on inside the territories. Moreover, that's also the time that the rogue assassins emerged. They made sure to kill every living clan member who didn't support the king. And it ended with the five clans being wiped out."

Lady Ning Gwang claps her hands as Kwang Soo ends the story. "And that my child was the darkest of all the histories that have happened inside the Mage Kingdom.. Now, I'll go wash up first."