Jisoo woke up with a start, heart racing and sweaty body tangled in the sheets. How his restless tossing and turning hadn't woken up Chan and Seokmin, who were sleeping soundly right next to him, was completely beyond him, but he frantically tried to control the sobs that still escaped his dry lips. The usual dreams of blood, guns and Hansol's face had been haunting him - for the second night in a row since Mingyu had revealed the Warrior's fate two days ago, robbing him of his much needed sleep and making him even more wary of the rescue attempt that was supposed to take place in approximately 24 hours.

After he had managed to calm down without waking anyone, he slowly got up from the makeshift bed - consisting of Minghao's thick carpet, a pile of blankets and fluffy pillows - and sneaked his way towards the kitchen to get some water, careful not to trip over any splayed limbs in the darkness. To his surprise a warm glow was emanating through the cracks of the door, causing him to stop short and look around in an attempt to count the blanket covered bodies on the floor.

After a moment of hesitation, he knocked. Not long after, the door opened and Mingyu stood in front of him, Seokmin's pyjamas just a few centimetres too short around his ankles.

They examined each other - Mingyu taking in the wet streaks on the Wielder's face while Jisoo noted the unnatural paleness of the Warrior's skin - before Mingyu motioned him to enter. After he had quietly closed the door, the Warrior leaned against it, dark eyes focused on Jisoo. "Rough night again? You were awake yesterday too."

The Wielder had walked straight to the water kettle and had started filling it, turning his back to the other to avoid the prying gaze. "Mh, I have trouble sleeping. Why are you awake? Do you want tea too?"

"Yeah, that horrible concoction kinda grew on me. Similar reason I guess: I think too much and can't sleep 'cause of it." He remained quiet for a moment, watching the Wielder prepare the mugs before he continued. "Some of the stuff I did for Jiyong haunts me."

Jisoo turned around abruptly, teabags still in his hands, catching the Warrior off-guard. "Nothing you did was your fault in any possible way," the Wielder exclaimed. His voice held unusual urgency and his gaze pinned the Warrior to the door, who fidgeted uneasily.

"It's not like I'm blaming myself or anything; it's just... I can't help it. He loved using my ability for his sick mind-games." It took visible effort for Mingyu to speak about what was bothering him and he moved from his place at the door to the table to sit down. "But anyway. Do you think your plan will work?" he asked, changing topics when the Wielder took a seat across from him and pushed the mug in his direction.

The smile Jisoo managed to muster was dimmed by worry. "I hope so."

"You know that there are way too many outside factors we don't have any control over and that we're relying heavily on luck for the most part... We might die tomorrow." Mingyu's piercing gaze softened at the desperation that flashed over Jisoo's face. Reaching over the table, he gingerly ran his fingers over the Wielder's hands, gently loosening their tight grip on the mug. "But there's a way to boost our chances by quite a bit."

"Is this really okay? I don't want you to force yourself."

"I'm betraying my biggest principle right now; stop doubting me, I'm doubting myself already. I just hope it'll be worth it and we get him back - preferably without dying. Gimme the knife before I change my mind."

With obvious hesitation, Jisoo handed over the small knife they had brought from the kitchen and watched warily as Mingyu held it over his already scarred wrist.
"But don't cut too dee-" He closed his eyes when the sharp blade cleanly sliced through pale skin, causing blood to drip onto the floor next to the mattress.

"Hurry or Minghao will kill me for making a mess again."

Pointedly looking away from Mingyu's arm, Jisoo took the knife and flinched in pain when he cut his finger. "How are you so unaffected? Doesn't it hurt?" he asked breathlessly while they pressed their wounds together, waiting for their blood to mix.

Just as the Warrior was about to answer, the contract began to wrap around them and Mingyu's whole body tensed. He withdrew as if he had gotten burned by the Wielder's skin.

In vain, Jisoo tried to alleviate the feeling of the forming bond by reaching out and gently rubbing his back. To him, the new contract felt the same as all his other contracts: warm and soothing while holding a hint of the personality of his Bonded - in Mingyu's case an unexpected amount of gentleness - but he worried about his new Warrior and how he was experiencing the bond after all he had gone through.

"Are you okay? Mingyu?" The Warrior was curled up against the wall and Jisoo's concerned frown deepened when no reaction came. "Okay, let's get rid of it; I don't think that was a good idea. Hold on."

The bond finished forming and a wild mixture of feelings hit the Wielder at once, taking his breath away. Frightening amounts of fear, despair and hate were raging through him. It amazed him that the Warrior had been able to restrain himself during the past few days - but below the overwhelming negativity, like small plants fighting their way towards the surface, were curiosity and hope.

Jisoo was still busy sorting through the feelings when Mingyu looked up, his expression filled with wonder. "I can feel you?"

At the disbelieving tone of his Bonded, the Wielder smiled brightly. He nodded. "Yes, I can feel all my Forcebearers. Does anything hurt? Is your wrist okay?"

With a shake of his head, the pale Warrior tried to compose himself. "I'm alright. I think. This is really different from the contracts I've had before, even the one with you."

Jisoo's smile dimmed at the mention of the forcebond. "I'm still sorry about that one... but thank you so much for doing this; I didn't expect you to form a new contract anytime soon."

"You and me both. But my ability will definitely come in handy, so I'll just bear with it for a while. And to be honest, it doesn't feel all that bad." With a tired groan, Mingyu stretched his long limbs and rested his back against the wall.

Leaning back as well, Jisoo tried to suppress a yawn and failed miserably. He rubbed his eyes before he looked back up towards the Warrior who was watching him with a lopsided smile. "Tired?"

"Yes, I didn't sleep well last night either."

"Do you often have nightmares?"

"Depends on the circumstances, I guess. Lately I've had them a lot."

Mingyu frowned and studied his tired face. "Is there something that helps you sleep?"

"Hm... relaxation, maybe? Minghao gives really nice head massages, it lulls me to sleep every time, and Seokmin's ability feels really soothing, he often uses it to calm me down. Also it helps when Chan is all cuddled up to me when he's sleeping."

The Warrior chose not to comment on the last sentence and instead shrugged with a grin. "I've never tried massaging but my ability is not only good for scaring people. Wanna give it a try?"

Curiosity and doubt trickled through the bond and Mingyu rubbed his chest at the foreign feeling, but ultimately curiosity won and his smile widened when Jisoo nodded hesitantly. "Do I need to do anything?"

"No, just lie down and try to relax. Does it bother you if I hold your hand? It's easier for me."

After the Wielder had stretched out on the mattress, he peered at his Bonded from beneath the blanket while reaching out for him. The bond seemed to vibrate happily when their hands came in contact. "But now you don't have anywhere to sleep?"

Playing with Jisoo's fingers in his lap, the Warrior grinned once again, his demeanor much more relaxed than throughout the days he had been staying in the flat. "Now I understand why your Forcebearers are so into you. You're awfully cute," he stated bluntly and Jisoo flushed beet-red, all tiredness gone at once. "And the bond doesn't help either; I would've never thought that a Wielder could be so good."

"Good?" Jisoo repeated, confused.

"Yeah. You worry about others, you treat them well, you risk your life for them. Hell, even your feelings are nice from what I can tell so far. I've never met someone like you before and I've only known you for, like, two days."

The Wielder turned an even darker shade of red at his words and Mingyu openly laughed at how flustered he was; a loud and content sound that made Jisoo feel fuzzy. "Never mind, let's start or you'll never be able to sleep." The Warrior squeezed his hand and closed his eyes, while Jisoo tried to calm down again.

It was as if the world had suddenly vanished around him. Gone was the small storage room with its shelves and dim lighting and gone was the Warrior next to him. Instead there was a bright void, white nothingness in which he was floating. It eerily reminded him of the time he had gotten lost while he had tried to cancel Minghao's contract with Daesung and his heart started beating faster in fear. "M-Mingyu? There's nothing here; I-I'm scared..." His words seemed to get swallowed by the endlessness around him, but as soon as he had finished, Mingyu's deep voice echoed through the brightness.

"What do you want to see?"

"C-can't you join me? It's so lonely." An amused chuckle seemed to fill the emptiness and after a few seconds, the Warrior was next to him, still holding his hand.

"Usually people enjoy this place; I didn't think it would make you uncomfortable. Sorry."

"I think I prefer colours over brightness." The moment he had formed the words, specks of colours began to emerge, an endless sea of glittering particles moving slowly in the still nothingness.

"You can create whatever you want, you know? You don't even have to say it out loud, we are basically in your mind right now." Mingyu waved his free hand and the colours close to him began to swirl faster, as if the air had moved them.

Jisoo looked on in fascination before he tried it himself, smiling when his fingers went right through without leaving as much as a trace. "I can think of anything I want?"

"Sure, there are no boundaries as far as I know."

Close by, the colourful specks began to move faster, accumulating and morphing into two people - a woman with Jisoo's kind eyes and a man who looked like an older version of the Wielder.

"Do you miss your parents?" Mingyu asked and Jisoo nodded while he walked over to them, carefully touching his mother's dark hair, who smiled gently at him in response.

"It's good to see them again. Especially my mom, we're pretty close." The figures burst into vibrant colours again, only to form anew. This time there were not only two but eight people. Jeonghan, Seungcheol, Jihoon, Hansol, Jun, Chan, Minghao and Seokmin, all smiling contently.

Mingyu moved behind Jisoo and placed his hands on the Wielder's shoulders. Together they watched the illusions interact with each other, bickering and laughing. "It's nice to see Vernon and Jun like that; I don't think I've ever seen them laugh. Who are the three guys over there? Your friends?"

"They were my Forcebearers as well but they decided to get out of their contracts." Jisoo watched Jihoon glare at Jeonghan while Seungcheol ruffled his hair, one arm loosely wrapped around Jun's waist. "I miss them, even though I usually see them in university." He sighed and turned towards the tall Warrior. "I was wondering if I should write letters to them and my parents in case something happens to me, but I don't want to put them in any unnecessary danger. And I don't want to make them sad." His parents had joined the Forcebearers, his mother hugging Chan while his father was talking to Seokmin and Jihoon. Jisoo watched them for a moment before he continued. "It's bad enough that you and the others are coming with me. I'm so scared that something might happen."

The despair that washed through the bond made Mingyu's stomach clench and he silently wrapped his arms around the Wielder, not knowing what to say to ease his fear, while the shimmering particles danced around them and laughter filled the still endlessness.

Chan's arm was too heavy on top of his chest and Jisoo whined in protest when he groggily tried to push it off. Instead of moving away, it held on even tighter and pulled him into a warm and sturdy body. Without opening his eyes, he hid his face in Chan's chest, sleepily wondering when it had gotten so broad but too tired to spend much thought on it.

The epiphany came in form of a husky groan that sounded way too deep to belong to the small Guardian. Jisoo's eyes flew open - only to be met with the checkered fabric of Seokmin's pyjama. Carefully he pulled back and froze when he came face to face with Mingyu, frowning in his sleep, a similar groan escaping him for the second time. (Jisoo tried fruitlessly to convince himself that he wasn't bothered by it - the heat in his stomach was only because he was hungry). Their bond strummed softly in his chest, a mixture of fear and sadness seeping through it, and the Wielder hesitated to follow his original plan of getting out of the tight grip and inconspicuously returning to the living room. When a new wave of anguish hit him, he decided against it and instead began to trace the lines of Mingyu's face with the tips of his fingers, massaging the worried frown away with light touches. The Warrior visibly relaxed at the skin contact, their bond warming up in Jisoo's chest, and the pain that had run through it got replaced by happiness.

Jisoo smiled and carefully moved into a more comfortable position, still watching the other for any signs of fear and sadness. When no signs came, he relaxed and allowed his thoughts to drift. He pondered who would wake them when it was time to get up for university and the thought of Chan, who would probably hold another long sermon about how much he hated it when the Wielder left the bed without a word, made him smile. With a content sigh, he snuggled closer to Mingyu, their noses almost touching, and closed his eyes.

Jisoo had not been impressed when C