I always associated love with two things. Pain. And illusion. Ironically, all stories started sweet and romantic, until they reached the ending, and everything crashed down. Of course, if it wasn’t painful, it wasn’t the ending yet. After all, there would never be a happy ending in life – only ups and downs, one followed by the other in an endless cycle of suffering. I always thought of death as the ultimate destination, and whatever lied after the last breath was something no one knew. Many people described their comatose experience as either heavenly or hell-ish, seeing God or the devils. But ultimately, it was only our own belief that subconsciously influenced the state of dreams when we were sleeping. There was no concrete proof that the other world existed, and none that it didn’t, either. Everything was mere speculation on our parts, because we, as human, feared the unknown, and this weakness made us so easily controlled and manipulated.

I had a hard time loving someone, whether platonically or romantically, friends, family, and lovers alike. Unlike most Transcendentals, my ability did not manifest clearly and only appeared when I was fourteen years old. The noises was like a distant chatter at first, and then they turned to clear images and voices. It was always a projection of what people thought of – their worries, deepest fear, hopes and expectations, I could see them clearly as the day. My mother was the first person whose mind I grabbed hold of. I told her I was seeing things, hearing words from a closely shut mouth or empty spaces. She thought I was crazy.

It must have been hard on her to go back and forth to accompany me for my consultation and therapy. At first, they said I was schizophrenic. Then when I wasn’t improving, they started giving me anti-depressant, hoping that it would suppress whatever urge they suspected me to have. Then we started moving across the country in South Korea for three years before I was kidnapped by the organisation. But even after all the efforts that my mother had spared for me, I still remembered the first sentence she uttered in disbelief after I told her what happened to me, ‘I gave birth to a monster’. So, see – love was a very fickle thing. Its depth should never be doubted, but there was never a guarantee how long it would last.

I sat by the back and watched the moon curiously as if it had been the first time I ever saw its beauty. The waves were pretty rough as we got further away from the land, but it wasn’t something that I had to be fretful for. Suho sat in front of me, about a meter away, his hands folded neatly as he fixed his gaze on me with a seemingly harmless smile. Of course, I would know better than to believe that there was no reason he was here. Out of kindness? I almost snorted at my own sarcasm. “So Suho, what brings you here? How do you know that we’re about to steal someone’s boat from the old harbour? Surely, you’re not a telepath or a mind-reader, are you?”

“I contacted Luhan,” He raised his phone with a grin. Ah, of course. I almost forgot how convenient technology was sometimes. I noticed the crinkles on his shirt and tried to read his mood. “I like your little runaway act. Thought you would include Tao in your escapade. He’s still crying over it. Obviously, he thinks very highly of you and your friendship with him. But that aside, we’re curious about how you’re faring with your life. Who knows if you’ll attract trouble again when you’re left… unsupervised.”

Luhan’s eyes seemed to shimmer a little. The oceanic blue matched the colour of the sea perfectly, like they were meant to blend as one and not separated into two halves. The white of his shirt had been tainted by sweat and soil, so Sehun – the clean-freak – stood a few steps away from him, merely watching the sky with his dull, bored eyes. The stars had disappeared and the darkness returned. He thought something was amiss, despite the fact that the moon shone twice as brightly. They exchanged glances, but their words were swallowed back by the conversation between Suho and I.

Unsupervised. I smiled and leaned back. The anger I felt from earlier had been soothed by the smell of salt and open ocean. The rocking of the boat was no longer violent as I had experienced far worse than this. Instead, it was calming, like a mother’s cradle in her strong arms, telling me that I was a good child. I wished I could be her good child forever, so I could still be ignorant and innocent, and lived life the way I used to be. There was a part of me, however, that convinced me that fight and violence had always been part of my lust for blood and conquest. “What do you think, then? Do I attract troubles? Have I?”

“Maybe, if you would care to explain more on your relationship with the leader of the Rebel. Otherwise, we’ll have to send someone to take care of Daniel. He’s part of them, isn’t he?” Suho’s voice was velvety soft, but the threat in his words stabbed me like a knife to my chest. I didn’t want to appear weak because they had the upper hand to negotiate. I folded my hands in front of my chest and unconsciously sat further back. “Now, don’t worry, Sera. Your secret is safe with the three of us, given that you cooperate well, of course. We need to know that we can trust you, and why. You told us you wanted revenge, but never the reason.”

“Is this important?”

“Of course it is,” Suho explained. There was evil in his light laughter – that much, I could tell. Or maybe I had been prejudiced by the anxiety that bubbled up inside of me. “The degree of hatred you have for him will determine how far you’ll go to exact this revenge. Taking down the Rebel has always been one of the Union’s mission. They killed millions of lives without guilt or regret. They’re a threat to humanity. If they come to power, the balance of this world will be thrown off. There will be World War and devastating loss.”

There were three pairs of eyes looking over. “Well, ‘hell hath no fury like a woman scorned’, right?” I rested my cheek with the support of my hand. Instead of looking at Suho, I glanced at Sehun, given that he sounded so nonchalant when we talked in the car. Those pair of dull eyes seemed so lifeless, but at the same time, I felt transparent and in front of him. As if he could see things even I didn’t know about. “I guess, rather than saying that we used to be lovers, he and I… We were together in every sense of way. More than just lovers, or partners, or families, we were each other’s lifeline. Or at least he was, to me.”

“So what happened?” Suho probed. He wasn’t willing to give up. I didn’t know what to say after. The fact that I used to date that man seemed to be something I could not conceal because everyone knew about it. But how much was too much? I was very reluctant to tell them what happened after the happy times had passed, because the events were so traumatising I had to tried to commit suicide and forced compulsion on my own self. Both times they didn’t work, but the scars remained. I didn’t want to remember. “We broke up like all the other couples in the end.”

Suho wanted to know more. Anyone who was given such ambiguous answer would. But he knew where to draw the line, and this was the limit of the conversation for now. Silence soon found its way in and settled down comfortably between all of us, like it should be. I felt a little tired from all the things that happened today and prepared to lull myself to sleep because the night was calling me to. Sehun walked up to the deck and put his hands up in the air with his eyebrows furrowed. The sea had stopped its violent crash and instead, calmed down to a passive stance. The stars had long disappeared, and even the bright moon was covered by dark clouds. The night wasn’t brightly lit anymore. “Suho? Why don’t you come here for a while?”

I stirred a little, my eyes half-opened as those three gathered on the deck with their backs facing me. At first I thought they were talking about things – maybe the information they had from tonight’s conversation or some other “boyish stuff” I wasn’t supposed to know. But when Luhan turned around, it was the first time I had ever seen such a cold, murderous face – and trust me, I had seen plenty. His was oddly saddening, because that porcelain face was now pulling up a strange, complicated expression, like he was contemplating, but not so much as his body was ready to act anytime now.

“How much time do we have before it hits?”

“About ten to fifteen minutes. Look at the signs, isn’t it strange?” There was a bright halo around the moon. And then there was thunder, and the wind started blowing rapidly. I sat up in alarm, and went up to the deck to join them. Sehun was as calm as ever, as was Suho. The two of them looked at each other and exchanged knowing smiles. A storm was coming. And not just a normal one, this storm was one with destructive ability. Seeing that the distance was closing in and we were running out of time, Suho asked, “So, how should we go this time? Would you prefer to handle everything on your own?”

“My muscles have been pretty sore,” Sehun simply remarked. He tilted his head and let out a soundless yawn, even as the sky was marred by the monstrous thunder. The rain started pouring heavily and drenched us wet in no time. The boat rocked back and forth with no direction as we sailed deeper into the abyss. I was so fixated at the chaos and its beauty that the potential danger became pale in comparison. It was fascinating to watch the nature’s rapid change in merely a moment. Suho pursed his lips together to hold back a frown, “There she goes again – smiling like her death is the only thing she’s been waiting for.”

Luhan thought the same. Just as he was about to open his mouth, the thunder strike directly on top of this boat and split it in halves. The impact had separated us into two, as I was the only one on the further left, while everyone else were on the right. My eyes widened as I was flung backwards by the force, with the boat hitting the water all of a sudden. I heard Suho’s loud shout of Luhan’s name before the salty taste came in contact with my senses. I… couldn’t really swim. I only knew how to float on the surface for a short period of time. Something moved beneath me just as the storm closed in in about five-hundred meters.

“Luhan!” Suho shouted. He was feeling a little agitated by the sudden turn of event. As the current was strongly them in, he was forced to concentrate on his power to delay the inevitable, given that Sehun had decided to take everything on by himself. Suho gritted his teeth and felt his hands warmed up at the force of his mind. The water was not as violent as it used to be. Then he swam to Sehun, preparing to back him up should the unexpected occurred. Luhan, on the other hand, had disappeared underneath the water and swam in my direction. I grew a little pale as I dipped my right hand in… and saw a smooth, shiny surface nearby… with its fin resurfacing.

“Luhan!” I finally let out a scream and tried to swim away from the gigantic white shark. Luhan had not expected the creature to be one of such size. Moreover, there was at least one more shark closing in, its size about as big as the one near my feet. Great white sharks were known to grow to a size of 6 feet. There were historical records in the 19^th century on great white sharks growing to 30 feet, but such discovery wasn’t proven scientifically. These ones we encountered tonight must have grown to 10 feet at least. And they were quite aggressive as well, due to the current water condition. I shouted helplessly as the sharks started circling around me, “Suho!”

“Luhan, keep her safe!” Sehun scowled and gave the older man a look before he turned around and concentrated on the oncoming battle. He trusted Luhan fully and knew what his friend was capable of. Luhan’s telekinetic ability had developed to such that it would fight evenly against capable elemental Transcendentals. Sehun thought that it was safer for Luhan to help me at the back and let them two did the battling. Otherwise, his mind would be preoccupied with anxiety of our safety.

“What on earth… is happening?” Suho mumbled to himself when he found out that more sea creatures were swimming our way. He thought that animals would try to avoid closing into the storm and swim towards the shore, but these sea creatures were charging in madly like they had lost their Goddamn mind. He was already preoccupied with the water’s current on one hand and protecting Sehun on the other. He would hate to deal with these humongous man-eaters as well. Luhan resurfaced a few meters away and threw Suho a glare. “This is why…” He in a deep breath and lifted his hands with an ugly scowl, “…I hate water.”

There was a sudden force that seemed to pull those creatures away. Luhan’s feet kept on paddling as he tried to wave his hands more and breathe steadily. “Sehun!” Suho shouted and threw him an exaggerated exasperated glance, “You’d better end this fast or we’ll end up like chopping meats with all the games you’re trying to play. If you can’t finish it by yourself, I’ll take over your place.”

I almost choked. That was asking for too much. Even the strongest Transcendentals would have troubles handling a disaster caused by another natural-born Transcendental with the ability to control weather. This was no longer a battle of nature, but one of power. “It’s…” I wanted to warn them, but couldn’t. I drifted away from where they were as Luhan swam towards me once again. For one of such stature, he was definitely stronger than he appeared to be. He easily scooped me into his embrace and kept us both afloat. “Luhan,” I breathed in and stared at him in surprise, “What did you do to these sea creatures?”

“They’re dead, and even if there are more coming, it would be the least of our worries,” He sneezed. I subconsciously circled my arms around his neck and hugged him closer for warmth. It had been so long since I last touched a man I wasn’t familiar with, with the exception of Daniel – whom I had considered as a non-gender due to our friendship. I did not hate touching Luhan as much as I thought I would, and it did not trigger any reaction at all. Maybe because we were both in danger and I could be drowning in God-knows-where without him keeping me afloat that I could hold so tightly onto him without feeling bad at all. Nevertheless, it was still weird. His mouth came close to my ears and he whispered hoarsely, “It’s here. Be prepared.”

Sehun had readied himself when the storm hits. He was busy building up a barrier to keep the damage away, but with the hurricane approaching, he had to fight the attack head-on. There were at least twelve tornadoes coming upfront, looking very much like those apocalyptic movie about the world’s end. He didn’t put in much effort to swim, he had the wind to help him. Unlike others, Sehun’s ability was part of his entire being, where he didn’t need to move a single finger to command the air – he only needed to focus on it. Luhan tried to pull me away from Suho and Sehun, knowing fully well how terrifying Sehun could be once he unleashed his power.

“Child’s play,” Luhan smiled. I watched with curiosity. Weather ability wasn’t something to be trifled with, especially if the terrain permitted. We were in the midst of an open water, without anything in sight to help. But even in this dire situation, the three of them were quite calm and confident, especially Sehun, whose eyes lit up in the flames of desire and destruction. I knew from the very first time that the only times he looked alive and happy was when he was using his power to fight. “Look at him,” Luhan chuckled lightly, his voice sounding sweet and sultry at the same time, “Isn’t he the most magnificent of God’s creation? Isn’t it unfair to be so deadly and so beautiful at the same time?”

It wasn’t until that very moment that I realised how the Union was so frightening to many. It wasn’t until then that I knew the degree to which I had involved myself in. Sehun spoke of something to no one as those hurricanes crashed loudly into an invisible barriers. Then like a black hole, it in everything else on the other side that he deemed threatening. All twelve gigantic hurricanes dispersed into nothing without a lift of his hands. Sehun was frowning a little as he tried to keep the barrier up. This kind of walls took a lot of his mental energy and exhausted his body as it required sacrifice in return for the usage of his ability.

The whirlpool that appeared in the water after the hurricane was similar to Sehun’s black hole. Water was not Sehun’s territory, so he grabbed Suho by the shirt, obviously displeased that he had to step down so soon. They were the first to be pulled into the circle pattern of the whirl. “Handle this well. I hate to drag this any longer than you do.” The two of them faced each other, as their faces showed contempt for the invisible enemy they were fighting and the fact that they were racing against time to go New Mexico for the new mission. If they weren’t there in the next two days, heaven forbade their return to the headquarter ever again.

It wasn’t Suho’s first time facing a weather-wielder. The Union had a few of them a few years ago, but none as capable and strong as this one. Weather-wielder tended to be very enduring in their strength, both mentally and physically, extracting their energy from nature and unleashing their power using nature. It would take half of his energy to deal with this whirlpool quickly. “It won’t take too long now. Guard your feet,” Suho gritted his teeth and clenched his hands into fists as he slammed his right hand into the water and let it penetrated deep into the bottom. The ocean split in two at the impact of his punch and the whirlpool disappeared as the ground of the sea appeared and we all fell down into sand.

“Holy crap,” I softly whispered as Sehun lifted us up and slowed down the fall to soften the blow. I had seen elemental wielders did unbelievable things with their hands, but never one like theirs. “I don’t think I’ll ever want anything to do with them anymore.”

Sehun happened to catch onto those words and grimaced as he suddenly fell a few hundred meters down. His wind shielded him at the very last moment before he hit rock bottom. Suho laughed out loud as he buried his body into the wet sand and shouted back with the little energy that he had left, “You’re the one with the mind-control. Aren’t we supposed to be the ones avoiding you, instead?” He coughed out the water and lied face-down. I grunted and tried to stand up. The water slowly closed in again, starting from the shore a few kilometres away. I looked around and squatted down in front of Suho with my eyebrows furrowed. “Hey, how long do we have before the ocean goes back to what it was?”

“A few minutes,” He replied hoarsely. “It’s entirely up to Sehun and Luhan now. They can choose how we will reach the shore.”