"My dear boys! Oh, how I've missed you!"

The guards step aside revealing a man who didn't need any introductions. His voice alone was enough to trigger the boys' worst nightmares.

"You wanted our powers?" Sungjin speaks on behalf of the group. "We have our own offer."

The man's eyes widen with eagerness as the following events unfold before his very eyes: Jae forming an orb out of nowhere, Younghyun placing his hand over the orb making it glow as he transfers his powers into it.

"These are my healing powers. I'll give it to you. I can give you all our powers. Just stop... Please just stop coming after us."

"Let's see if you're telling the truth." The man takes out a gun and shoots the guard nearest him on the leg. A cry of pain echoes through the abandoned warehouse.

Dowoon claps his hands over his ears, shutting his eyes tight. Wonpil crouches down in fear, remembering this was the very man who had shot him.

"Hand over your power! If I'm able to heal him then I will consider your proposal."

The orb floats towards the man and he receives it with utmost care, admiring it for a while before placing his hand over the orb copying Younghyun. The smile on his face slowly fades as he realizes that nothing's happening.

"Oops! I forgot to tell you, it doesn't come with an instruction manual," Younghyun says out loud, voice dripping with sarcasm. 

This is their cue to start the second phase of their plan. 

Jae puts up a barrier to protect the group. Sungjin gives Younghyun his hand, sharing his powers. They had agreed to do this together. The faster they finish erasing their enemies' memories, the better. But before they're able to do anything else Dowoon crumples to the ground.

"AAAAH! MAKE IT STOP!" Dowoon screams, covering his ears. The boy can barely hear his voice over the noise that's filling his head.

Everyone runs to Dowoon's side except Jae who stands his ground to keep the barrier in place.

"You think you're the only ones with something up your sleeves?" The man laughs. "Break that force field down!" He orders his men.

"Hyung please... Please make it stop..." The boy pleads as he writhes in pain. His voice was becoming faint and his actions, sluggish.

"Wonpil, get Dowoon out of here! Please!" Sungjin begs Wonpil as he helps his brother cover his ears, desperate to help ease the boy's pain.

"Hyung... I-I can't open a portal!"

"What?!"

"My powers..." Wonpil looks at his hands as if it were the source of his powers. He makes another attempt but only a thin crack appears in the air, disappearing immediately.

"D-Dowoon... Dowoon!"

Dowoon's hand goes limp in Sungjin's.  

"Sungjin! Younghyun! Do it now! We don't have much time! It's going to fall apart!"

Younghyun helps Sungjin up but the older boy refuses to let go of his brother.

"Hyung!" Younghyun tries talking some sense into Sungjin. "The only way we can save Dowoon now is if we erase their memories. Hyung, let's go!"

"Y-Yes... Yes, I'm sorry. W-Wonpil please take care of him." 

As Sungjin gets on his feet, a bullet finally pierces the barrier.

To Jae, time suddenly feels like it's slowing down--the barrier disintegrating into a million pieces, the bullet coming straight for him, Sungjin running towards him, the bullet hitting Sungjin.

"SUNGJIN!" Jae catches the leader as he falls.

The man holds up his hand and the guards immediately stop their assault. He grins sadistically as he watches the boys worry over their fallen friend.

"Move! Let me do it!" Younghyun presses his hands firmly over Sungjin's bleeding shoulder making the boy wince in pain. He hasn't forgotten that he had lost powers, but he needed to do something. It had always been his responsibility to heal his friends.

"Jae... Dowoon..." Sungjin's words are barely coherent as he struggles to breathe.

"Sungjin keep your eyes open! You have to stay with us!" Jae cries when Sungjin becomes less responsive as Younghyun puts more pressure over his wound.

"J-Jae, this isn't enough... I-I don't know what to do anymore." Younghyun panics, his friend's blood, warm against his palms.

"Did you need this?" The man holds out the orb with Younghyun's power. "If only you listened from the very start. All I needed was you Younghyun! You, with your friend's powers. Was it really that hard? Look at what your selfishness has done to them," the man's voice booms through the room. "Have I changed your mind yet? Or do you still need some convincing?"

"NO!" Younghyun cries out. "P-Please stop. I-I'll do it."

"You're not taking him! Over my dead body!" Jae shouts over their voices.

"How many dead bodies should I be stepping on Younghyun?" The man raises his gun.

Younghyun slowly faces Jae, eyes filled with guilt.

"Younghyun, I refuse!"

"H-Hyung please..." Younghyun pleads pointlessly. He knows there's no other way but to take his friend's powers by force. "I don't want to hurt you..."

"Then don't do it Younghyun! Please!"

"There's no other way! We both know that... Everyone knows that!"

"There's still-"

"Me."

"I won't forgive you for this Younghyun!" Jae threatens. Empty as it were, he hopes one last time that his best friend would change his mind.

"I'm sorry Jae..."

Younghyun grabs Jae's hand before the older boy can block him. "Please forgive me," he whispers as he carefully lays his best friend on the ground as he passes out from the pain.

"Hyung... you don't have to do this," Wonpil begs, as he watches Younghyun take Sungjin's powers.

"I have to." Wonpil, give me your powers.

"I-I don't want to!" Wonpil begins to cry. He can feel Younghyun inside his head. He tries his hardest to fight the push but he eventually holds out his hand and lets his powers be taken.

"Now go to sleep..."

"W-What do you mean? I-I... No! P-Please hyung... Let me help you!"

"Wonpil, it's going to be alright. This is all going to be over soon. I'll be there when you wake up..." 

He cries silently as he feels Wonpil's hand slip from his grasp as the younger boy falls asleep.

Then he sees it, blood on Wonpil's hand, he panics only to realize that it's the blood from his--Sungjin's blood. He rubs it vigorously off his jeans but it still leaves a stain on his palms.

If only he had taken the man's offer in the first place, he wouldn't have had blood on his hands, none of his friends would have been fighting for their lives. It wouldn't have come to this.

"I'm sorry Dowoon..." he murmurs as he moves on to the youngest, unconscious but breathing. At least he's still alive. "I will make him pay..."

"See it wasn't that hard," the man says, sending chills down Younghyun's spine as he stands up, finished with his task.

"You will pay," Younghyun mutters under his breath, as he wipes his tears.

"You want pay?" The man laughs, mocking him.

Younghyun looks back at his friends. They didn't deserve any of this. He doesn't deserve any of this.

"YOU WILL PAY! You're not taking anything from me nor my friends!"

Younghyun extends both hands forwards and a barrier appears shielding him and his friends. He makes eye contact with the man as he erases each guard's memories. One by one they fall to the ground unconscious.

"Powerful, very powerful," he muses to himself. "In a short span of time, you were able to develop these powers. Impressive." 

"You messed with the wrong person! I am my father's son!" Younghyun enters the man's mind and begins erasing his memories, pushing himself to keep going even though he knows he's already reached his limit. 

The boy sways in his spot as he feels a sudden surge of headache. His nose starts to bleed.

"Just a little more-"

Younghyun stops. The man was watching videos of his family. The father he never had growing up was playing with a year-old Younghyun and his mom; they were happy and complete.

"D-Dad..."

Younghyun's completely distracted that he hadn't noticed the barrier disappearing. He had even stopped erasing the man's memories just to see more of his father.

As the man is freed from Younghyun's mind control he looks around the room, disoriented. It was impossible for him to be there, he was literally just in his living room reviewing data of one of the most powerful mutants in the country. Then he sees Younghyun--the resemblance.

"A monster just like his father."

The man feels for his pockets, knows he always has one on him, finds a syringe and reaches for Younghyun, just as the boy snaps back to reality.

"Let me go!" Younghyun tries to hold him off, but not for long in his weak state. The serum injected into his system.

"Oh the things I will do to you and your friends."

"N-No! Not my friends!"

Younghyun pushes the man off him. He knows it's not going to amount to anything but he wasn't going down without a fight. With all the strength left in him he latches onto the man's mind again and resumes erasing his memories. His father's face, vanishing with them.

"J-Just... a... l-little... b-bit... m-more," Younghyun slurs as his body finally gives in to the sedative.

He waits for his body to hit the cold hard ground but it doesn't happen. Instead, he falls on something firm and warm. He tries opening his eyes but his eyelids are too heavy. He can't tell if he's still in the man's head or if he's just hallucinating, but he can hear footsteps around him, someone was calling his name. 

"P-Please save m-my friends..." Younghyun tries to tell to anyone who could possibly hear him as he finally succumbs to the darkness.