In story books that I have read during adolescent, I know how this is going to be. The girl will try something new out of curiosity and suddenly finds herself a master of whatever martial arts and weaponry she chances upon. It’s like everything she touches turns to gold. The girl, in all fairytales, plays either the heartless badass whom everyone worships, or the damsel-in-distress with watery eyes and a sizeable harem of handsome men who would die for her happiness. I happened to be one of the girls who grew up being told that one day, it would be my turn. They said that I, too, would have my own story line, where the spotlight would be kind enough to shine on me, unless I missed the timing.

When I met the Leader of the Rebel in the Camp of the Gifted, I was seventeen and a half (if you’d like to count that extra six months that I had). Nobody knew who that boy with icy blond hair and enchanting purple eyes was. He always sat on the middle row when it was dinner time, after training, surrounded by a bunch of people. Everyone adored, admired and worshipped him like he was the Leader of the Camp (and that was before I found out that he really was, and that his purpose of going to the Death Camp was to supervise – not train like most of us did, so technically he was the Leader in charge of the whole camp), and although the days in the Camp were bleak, his presence sometimes brought me comfort that maybe, things were not always so bad. Because Kim Taehyung reminded me of everything humane.

Only a few people knew his real name. Everyone else called him ‘V’. I thought it suited him. He was the embodiment of hope, dreams, the scent of sunshine if it ever did exist. But seventeen years-old Sera was foolish. I was naïve and I believed in a fairy tale ending. I realised a tad bit too late into the relationship that falling for someone isn’t hard at all – it’s the romancing that sends everyone into despair. And it was only later on that I knew ‘V’ had been an acronym for vicious, volatile, violent – you know the words.

“If you space out in a real fight, your enemy will seize the chance and take your life quickly,” Luhan snapped me back to reality. I blinked at him and touched the spot that he just strike. A blue bruise is beginning to form on my lower neck. We are training inside the greenhouse, because this is the one sanctuary untouched by other human but Lay, and sometimes D.O. He thought that distraction by other fighters would slow down my learning pace and brought me here instead. Now that I am looking at his hardened eyes, I’m not quite so sure. I looked at the tree behind him and muttered lowly, “Sorry for that.”

“Hm,” He narrowed his eyes, looking a bit impatient now. Quite frankly, the most distracting thing there could ever be was his blue eyes. So deep and melancholic, and such a terrible reminder of the purple abyss that Taehyung possessed. I darted my eyes away to avoid staring. It doesn’t help that his biceps are showing, too, amidst the sweat that trickles down his neckline from the jaws, screaming sins and lusts and greed. “This doesn’t work if you’re not concentrating on the training, Sera.”

“Sorry,” I assured myself, needing this apology more than anyone else, “Won’t happen again.”

“You’ve apologised thrice, and there will be no fourth time, Sera,” The name rolled off his tongue like he was truly familiar with it. His gaze darkened a few shades, although there was still a trace of the light smile on his lips, the ghost of what it was just hours ago. I know better than to test his patience, so I nodded. “Do you know what makes a good warrior?” I shook my head as he explained, “It is not talent, nor sensitivity. It is a combination of hard work and determination. You can’t have half of your heart and feet inside, while testing the water outside.”

“I understand,” I answered like it was an automatic reply from the phone’s Siri. I wondered if I sounded properly robotic at all. Luhan scanned my face over, and eased the frown on his face, “Do you know how our human ancestors survive in the wilderness when they first evolved from the apes?” Again, I shook my head. I didn’t quite understand why he went through such length to explain, but I didn’t dislike it. And besides, he looks every bit of a prim, proper teacher with a sweet, gentle voice.

“There are several things they possess. One is courage, no matter how blind it is. A brave soldier takes three steps further than the cautious one. If lucky, they survive. If not, they die. The overly cautious one, however, never strives. If anything, sometimes they take two steps back for shelter. They are scared, and their fear eats up half of their lives. Two, they are confident. They have to be. In the prehistoric era, the genders' limitation still existed, so men were viewed as the guardian of the house, the protector. If they weren’t brave, they were staking their own lives and everyone else’s. If they weren’t confident, they would not have moved up so far into lives of hunters and gatherers.”

“Right now, Sera, you’re being an overly cautious fighter,” Luhan said. “You try to go on defense, but your stance is weak, and since you’re scared of getting hurt, you wouldn’t risk going on the offense.” His posture relaxed, and I find myself stepping away in reaction. It’s almost a reflex that I want to step away from anything I find remotely unusual, or when my instincts raised an alarm inside my head. His smirk, however, caught me completely off-guard. Luhan smiles, never ever smirks. “Try to punch me with all your might. I’ll give my words not to dodge or even hit back.”

“You sure?” I asked. His face serene and his voice slow and sure, “I am. Now hit me.”

Be confident, his gaze assured me. I am not getting any peace of mind and become even more restless and wary. When my punch hit, he only slackened his jaw and hissed, but there was no hint of a mark that one had lain a hand on his fair face before. He examined my face, chuckled sweetly and said, “That the best you got? Hit me again. Stronger this time.” Luhan was trying not to laugh. The hit was only delivered with enough strength to swat off a fly – at least in his opinion.

“That’s how I punch,” I muttered and tried to hit harder. Hard, but not enough. His jaw contracted and he looked helpless. Luhan wasn’t sure if now was a good time to laugh. I sighed coyly, half-expecting his reaction. “Well, I did give you heads-up on how the Rebel was not keen in training me. They tried, but as you could see, I’m not very good at it. I have little strength, and I suffered from malnutrition before, so my bones are easily cracked. They gave up after a while. I am hoping you won’t.” I gave him eyes filled with expectation, allowing him to relish in laughter. I love that sound.

“Well, I’m not a quitter,” He replied. Frankly he was feeling a little disoriented too. Was he supposed to feel confused by a female’s smile? Not happy, nor angered, but lost. Like he had been disarmed by one such simple gesture. He finally saw light into Sehun’s fondness. “The Rebel did you no justice by discouraging you against training. But we can always start now.” You and I. “For one, I believe that there’s something for everybody. Some trains for strength, others for speed. You might find that either one of these could be very frightening.”

“So you want me to train to be fast?” I straightened my back and looked straight at him – at his eyes, tracing down the curve of his nose, the ample cheeks and smooth jawline. He nodded and put his hands on his back, staring back with the same curiosity now. We were looking at each other, wondering what the other was thinking. I shrugged off the burden from my shoulder and relaxed my tense posture. I can do fast. “What are you, then? Do you go for speed or strength?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” He laughed, “My stature, combined with my ability. I would go for agility.”

Luhan was a very powerful telekinetic. But his ability controlled only solid things. Our natures are similar in the sense, except that he required his hands to move and I required sight. I looked down at my hands and felt lost all of a sudden. I miss my ability. It was a part of me I couldn’t shake off, and it was one part that I appreciated about myself. I miss feeling needed and powerful. But at the same time, the absence of it has allowed me a complete separation from Taehyung. I should be grateful there is at least one benefit having to live without it. “What about others? Are there any of them who possess both speed and strength?”

Luhan’s eyes dimmed. Kris, Chanyeol, Chen, D.O, and Tao always went for brute strength. Suho, Sehun, Lay, Xiumin, and Kai were in for speed. “Yes, there is.” He seemed to have gone quieter. His thoughts a little chaotic. There were warriors who were extremely good in fighting, but it was truly rare for one to possess both qualities equally. Even Tao and Kai, two of their best fighters, tended to lean onto one side more than the other. So this man was considered a liability. “Baekhyun. He’s one hell of a fighter when he wants to be.” But only when he was in the right mood.

I furrowed my eyebrows together in disbelief. In the last mission, Baekhyun was the one who moved the least. He stayed back in the truck to protect the two Presidents, and was almost always too slow to do something or too lazy to even move. His complete detachment and disinterest could be very off-putting to other fighters, and very few had seen the kind of ability he possessed. Baekhyun was the kind of wallflower that blended too well into the background that he seemed almost forgettable. Until he opened his mouth, t’was. “Baekhyun?” I asked for confirmation.

“Believe it or not, yes, that Baekhyun. The very same one that we both know of,” Luhan replied, as he seemed to understand my thoughts. His eyes turned a little softer. “But let’s focus more on your training.” He was amused about something. Kris and Baekhyun had been very curious, and Luhan was sure that if he were to train in the second-floor arena, Kris would have no problem providing his ‘deep, meaningful’ insight, laced with acid and sarcasm and a lot of mean remarks. “We gotta train your speed first, does not matter if you possess strength or not. Once we got there, I will give you something you would surely find very useful.”

“Is there really such a method for me?” I showed him my frail arms where more muscles used to be.

“I told you before, didn’t I? Each individual is unique, and just because the Rebel gave up on you, doesn’t mean you should give up on yourself, too. You don’t see me packing and leaving, do you?” He almost meant it as a joke, but right then and there, I saw another side of him not many people got to see. The kinder side, the more compassionate one. He was kind without being overly open about it. Caring without sugar-coating anything. My heart slowly warmed up and I nodded with even more determination. He was right. Luhan won’t give up on me, so it is all the more reason I should continue fighting. For him. For Suho. For Daniel. For myself.

* * *

Late April

The Rebel’s Headquarter

Off-coast a small island,

Pacific Ocean

Daniel and Namjoon looked at each other with sweats running down their palms. Suga had been dismissed from his position after the two recounted the events that happened with the Union. For the Leader, dispelling someone from the organisation and wiping their records and memories clean had been as easy as flicking his fingers and counting numbers to three. Kim Taehyung asked them to sit down in a friendly chat in his private lounge, but despite his friendly disposition and approachable nature, the two comrades dared not slack down at the slightest. In fact, they were tense as ever.

“So Sera refused to come back with you?” V asked. Although he was very rarely sick (he could barely remember the last time he needed meds), V felt a little unwell right now. His complexion was a little paler than usual, and Daniel dared assumed it was all because of Sera. He only ever allowed himself to be weak for the girl. He had been trying – for months now – to establish contact with her, but she had been getting so good at blocking her emotion that they only managed to talk twice – and both time she was extremely angry at him, probably still very bitter after what happened last time. He could understand her decision and be very patient.

“Yes, Leader. She’s hellbent on staying,” Namjoon replied. His Southern-African accent slipped out unwarranted when he was feeling anxious. Of the two, RM was the closer one to the Leader, having been by his side in the Camp longer than Daniel was. Although he felt sympathy for the girl, RM’s loyalty undoubtedly lied with the Rebel. “We tried to persuade her. Sera wouldn’t budge.”

“I expected it to happen,” He sighed, sounding a little melancholic. His eyes, however, looked very much apathetic. No one knew what he was thinking, not even a small bit of it, for he kept himself very closely reserved when it came to his deepest, most private secret. V chuckled at the irony. He used to think that he would never lose himself in the face of power. He promised to remain truthful and open about everything, but realised that there were some parts of his life that he should keep hidden or it would ruin the entire organisation his predecessor built before him. “Still the same stubborn one. Nothing much has changed. Did you see the laboratories for yourself?”

“Only a glimpse. I have seen the layout from Sera’s memories, but there wasn’t much time during the escape,” Daniel spoke in turn. Lately, V had been pouring more of his secrets to him, and Daniel finally understood some of his actions in the past, although he still resented most of it. The Leader had not told anyone else about this, because he thought that it wasn’t the right moment to indulge and share. He wanted her to be the first to know, save that privilege for her, but in order to gain her trust again, he must let her closest one knew why he deserved that second chance. “Leader, I’m not… quite sure what has happened to Sera after we left.”

V did not reply to that. He knew that he used to push her to socialise around – him being a social butterfly himself. She didn’t quite like it. The only friends she could stand being around after a while – and ones who could stand her hot-and-cold attitude were too few that they could be counted by fingers. And one of them – the closest one to her – was Daniel. Kang Daniel. The half-Korean, half-Peruvian trainee that came in the same batch as her. Their bonds were as close as blood siblings. Sometimes V wondered if anything happened between them – he personally never believed in a platonic friendship (didn’t his own romance with Sera start from one, too?). He never doubted Sera’s heart, it was Daniel’s he was not sure of.

“Punished, I think,” V answered. He was a little worried. It had truly been a while since they established communications, and quite recently, there had been nil. No movement. Completely silent. He wondered if something happened to her, if someone had tampered with her mind. His fingers twitched anxiously. But he saw Daniel’s furrowed eyebrows, and knew that if he looked nervous, then it would not bring either of them any assurance. Someone had to keep up the hope and be positive. But then again, he already planted so many spies inside the Union. Finding out about her status was easy as long as he willed it. “She will be fine. Now tell me more about what you saw in their lab.”

Daniel heaved a sigh. He wasn’t about to fool himself into believing, but a word from the Leader was better than anyone else’s. It was much easier to work when his royalty wasn’t torn to two oppositions. “We went through the quarantined area because we had to avoid the CCTV camera, and that was the only place without the surveillance or tight supervisions. Hard to get in, but we managed. There was some kind of Shield put to discourage people from going in, but I broke it down, and I saw two tubes – filled with two Transcendentals. They were put in a comatose, half-drained of blood, their bodies lacking of nutrition. They were close to death had the oxygen tank been pulled off for one second. That’s all we got before we left.”

“Any documents you stole from them?” V asked.

Daniel shook his head. “No, Leader, I apologise for our failure. We did not have enough time to do so. But I saw something on their papers. ‘Classified Information: Blood Subject X. Body Compatibility: 5%. Complications Detected’.” He could not remember any more. He was ushered by RM, who was holding Suga with one hand, and Irene on the other. They couldn’t take anything with them when the red alarm was sounding alert, and blood spilled and coloured the ground red. “The test subjects didn’t look very much like Transcendentals to me.”

V balled his hands to fists. The Union had made progress and it was producing results much faster than what was expected. Whether or not those people looked like Transcendentals was not a problem – they weren’t supposed to in the first place. He had sourced the world all these years, trying to prevent the worst from happening, and still could not yield any result at all. “ Five-percent? That’s plenty when we compared it to ten years ago,” V said, and although his words were calm, his eyes were stormy. “This is not good. I need to recruit a few more people for the core members, and replace Suga’s position with someone else. RM, could you call in Hoseok and Hanbin? Daniel, tell Taeyong, Jaehyun, Junhui and Sicheng to come here in an hour.”

“Ah… Taeyong, Leader?” RM furrowed his eyebrows in disagreement. He pictured a germ-phobic boy with icy grey eyes and white skin that resembled marble-colour. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely,” V replied and pretended to be baffled by the question. He smiled widely, still with eyes rounded towards RM’s direction. His tone was soft, but his words were everything but that. "He might be young and a little solitary at times, but he's a very powerful Transcendental. And besides, if we weren't in such dire situation, I wouldn't have called him in, would I?" 

Daniel felt the pain in his jaw just by imagining it, and shook his head with an ironic smile. Their Leader could be so cruel when he wanted to be. Lee Taeyong was no ordinary man, and by inviting him again meant that V had his own plans and calculations and things had became so much worse. He only hoped that Sera was okay.