If someone had to ask Wooyoung when or how he fell for San, the other wouldn't have replied. Not because he didn't want to tell anyone, he was the type to be open about his feelings after all. But rather, he just didn't want San to find out. He loved him a little too much to risk everything that they had now. But the moment Wooyoung realized the type of love he had for San, he wondered how long before he went crazy and just poured out his love for him. 

 

The same would apply to San. He too, loved Wooyoung too much to want things to be awkward between them and he wouldn't be able to handle a rejection if it came. He just wanted the best for his friend, even if it wasn't him. Even if he desperately wanted it to be himself. 

 

But things often don't go in the way you want them to. 

 

Not for Wooyoung, not for San and not even for Yeosang. 

 

Yeosang who had lived for numerous years, who had experienced plenty of things and even have the memories of his previous lives. All he wanted was his best friend back. His friend who would shine like a sun with just a smile. His friend who would joke around with him. His friend. His only friend. 

 

"Oh, you're here again, Yeosang." 

 

"You look worse than yesterday, Wooyoung," he said as he knelt on the bamboo floor beside the mattress. All the windows were shut in the old looking room and only a single candle was lit up. 

 

"When am I not?" the other replied with a cough. Yeosang looked at his friend worriedly. He had known the other since young and as they grew older, he realized that his friend was becoming paler than him and had eyes as red as a rose. It also hurt him to be under the sun and so they had kept the room dark. Countless doctors had come to see his friend but no one could tell what the problem was. The other also seemed to get weaker everyday without fail even though he ate food and drank water regularly. His friend still kept a sunny disposition although his appearance looked frail. "What did you bring me today?" 

 

"Another book," Yeosang answered as he set the book beside Wooyoung's bed which was just a mattress. "It tells the story of a young Prince who seeks freedom." 

 

"Thank you." 

 

"You're welcome." 

 

A pale hand took the book and Yeosang wondered if his friend could even read it in such a dim environment. Dim was an overstatement, in fact. The room was dark with only a small candle. He could barely even see Wooyoung until his eyes adjusted to the dark. 

 

"How have you been these days?" Wooyoung asked as he flipped through the book. 

 

"Good. Soon I'll be able to take the scholar exam. If I pass, I'll be able to pursue more and see more of the world too." 

 

"Sounds wonderful." 

 

"Maybe I'll be able to meet someone who can help you too," Yeosang said in a hopeful tone. 

 

"Maybe. It would be wonderful too. I want to see the sun again. I want to run across the fields with you too." 

 

"Wooyoung..."

 

"What is it?" 

 

"There's been more development going around. Soon, the fields that we run in would be gone and unlike anything that you remember," Yeosang said softly. "The world outside would probably be different than you remember it." 

 

"Probably. Our friendship would change too." 

 

"Huh?" 

 

"Once you become a scholar, it's unlikely that you'll come back often. You'll be busy with your studies while I... I'll still be here. Or maybe not anymore." 

 

"I'll still visit you! You are like the sun to me. Every time I see you, you brighten up my day. Without it, the world would be bleak so don't think I won't come back to see you," Yeosang said loudly and Wooyoung smiled. 

 

"Perhaps so. Good luck with your exam." 

 

And that was the beginning of their ending. 

 

Yes. Just as how the Wooyoung now was bound in chains, the Wooyoung before was bound in ropes. Both on their knees, eyes closed. Yeosang shuddered at the mere sight of it. It was like a reflection of the past. 

 

"He's the devil's son! Burn him!" 

 

"What's going on?" Yeosang asked with a confused expression as he had just come back from his exam with his scores in his hand, ready to share it with Wooyoung. 

 

"The Jung's son is creepy. He hides in his room all day and today someone saw him walking out. They said he looked horrendous so the chief put out the order to capture him," a nearby villager replied Yeosang whose eyes widened in shock. He started to weave through the crowd to get to his friend. 

 

"Excuse me! Please! There must be a misunderstanding," Yeosang yelled out through the crowd. Rocks and insults were hurled in his friend's direction and Yeosang felt his heart sink when he saw the treatment his friend was receiving. Wooyoung didn't deserve this. "Please stop!"

 

"Are you the devil's advocate too? We should burn you too!" 

 

"What?! Don't be ridiculous! Wooyoung is weak and requires medical attention. Don't you think you guys are going overboar-" 

 

"Yeosang! Get back here." 

 

"Father. Father, please tell them to cease this insolent act this instance." 

 

"No, you idiot. You stop this," his father hissed and yanked him back into the crowd. Yeosang gasped and tried to pull himself free. 

 

"Let me go, father. Wooyoung is innocent. He hasn't harmed anyone." 

 

"That's beyond the point. There's no saving him," his father said and Yeosang managed to break free. He ran towards Wooyoung and tried to help his friend up but was met with a blow to the head instead. He fell down, wincing as he felt something wet on his forehead besides the mud from the floor. He touched his forehead and saw blood. 

 

"Ah..." 

 

Yeosang looked up to find Wooyoung looking at him with his deep red eyes. His dazed eyes sharpened as if he was eyeing a prey and something inside him had snapped. Was it anger? Disappointment? Sadness? For the first time since knowing his friend, he didn't understand that expression of his. Yeosang saw, out of the corner of his eye, a hand reaching out to grab him but as if time had sped up, blood splattered on his face. There was a short silence as if the air was still before screams broke out in the air around them. Yeosang blinked and found himself trembling at the sight of blood all over him. What happened? What was going on? 

 

"Wooyoung?" he barely said as he looked up to find his friend hovering over him with an arm sticking out from his mouth. He let it go and it dropped in front of Yeosang who jumped and shuffled backwards. Wooyoung was standing upright and breathing deeply before he his lips. 

 

"Hah... this is it. I need more of this," Wooyoung whispered before a grin appeared on his bright red lips. The rope that held him suddenly looked like twigs as Wooyoung snapped free of them easily. He looked down at Yeosang and held his hand out. "Come, my friend. Let us tear away at this world that treats us like this." 

 

Yeosang was stunned at how his friend looked so different. Maybe it was just because he hadn't properly seen how he looked in a long time or maybe it was the blood staining his whole front but Yeosang took his hand.

 

"We will no longer be held back by our limits. We will go beyond." 

 

Beyond anything we could ever imagine. 

 

"Those were your own words. I wonder if you have forgotten them by now," Yeosang said absentmindedly to the unconscious male. He reached a hand out and touched his cheek. "Soon, my sunshine. You will be freed from these shackles holding you back. You will be one with the past and we will go forward into our future together this time." 

 

A creak of the door alerted Yeosang of another's presence and he slowly moved his hand away from the male. He turned around and Mingi stood there. 

 

"You've done well this time," Yeosang said and smiled. "Perhaps it is time to reward you. For your services, I shall return your voice." 

 

Mingi raised his brows and quickly bowed. 

 

"But remember. If you dare to cross me again, I will personally behead you." 

 

Mingi was silent for a while before he nodded and Yeosang approached Mingi. He held the other's cheeks and whispered a soft incantation. Once it was done, he moved away and Mingi let out a soft grunt. He held his throat and tried to make noises with it. It was tough at first but Mingi knew he had his voice back and that was the most important part of it. 

 

"You may leave for today. Tomorrow, we will begin the competition."

 

Mingi nodded and bowed again before he left the room. He didn't miss a single beat as he ran through the hallways and corridors, knowing exactly where to go now that he had his freedom again. He should keep a low profile since he had just got his voice back but Mingi couldn't wait. He burst into the home he had been rushing to, only to be met with disappointment as the owner was not in. He searched the entire house and pouted. Maybe he was busy right now. He decided to try again another day. On his way back, he dropped by the room that held San. Inside the room was a holding cell and while the other wasn't all chained up like Wooyoung, there was still no way he would be able to break free from the steel bars. In the holding cell was a thin bed and a potty, nothing else. San was still asleep and Mingi hoped he hadn't injured him too badly even though they already had someone heal him. He walked closer to the cell to take a better look at the male since he was curious. He hadn't seen a human in a while since they didn't have to always hunt for human blood when they had a steady flow of resources in their place and he was also forced to be by Yeosang's side almost constantly except for when he rested. 

 

Mingi, unlike typical vampires, had heavy footsteps. He didn't walk silently and frankly didn't bother to so when he stepped up to the cell, he didn't think that his steps would alert San or maybe the other had been fake sleeping the entire time. But the moment he got too close, San shot up from bed and grabbed him by the collar. Mingi was startled as he almost smacked face first against the grills if he hadn't had super speed compared to a human's. He placed a hand on the grill to stop himself from falling and raised a brow at the human. 

 

"What... Do you even think you would achieve by doing this?" Mingi asked slowly since he was trying to get used to speaking again. San gritted his teeth and tried to pull Mingi closer but the other easily overpowered him with just a single step backwards. San yelped and let go of Mingi. 

 

"I-I... Well... guess I didn't think it through," San responded awkwardly. "W-what do you guys even want with me? I thought you were only after Wooyoung." 

 

"Huh? Since when?" Mingi asked as he straightened his collar. "Yeosang has his eyes set on both of you the moment he saw the prophecy." 

 

"Yeosang... that's that guy! The one who wanted Wooyoung." 

 

"Yes. He barely even saw you as a problem to capture but it's easier to catch Wooyoung when we have you," Mingi said as he took a few steps away from the bar. 

 

"What does he even want with Wooyoung?" 

 

"You really don't know anything, hmm?" 

 

"How could I? When everyone keeps hiding things from me... Sorry I'm just a human who doesn't understand what the hell is going on," San scoffed and sat down on the bed. 

 

"Good thing for you. I'm on your side."

 

"What?"

 

"Welcome and welcome back, vampires. Today marks a very special beginning as we begin with the first competition to crown the next vampire lord." 

 

Vampires of all ages and abilities gathered around the area, looking towards the Overseer who stood before the vampire lord's throne. The library area had been shut off to prevent any damage and there was now a platform in the center of the place. 

 

"Any vampires who wish to compete may come down to the center. Your blood will be taken as confirmation of your participation." 

 

Several vampires started to hop down or step out from the shadows to the center. Seonghwa breathed deeply and let it go slowly before he made his way to the center as well. 

 

"Good luck, hyung," Yunho said softly and Jongho nodded as a form of encouragement. Seonghwa smiled thinly as he joined the group of vampires gathering around. He caught sight of the Overseer's gaze upon him but chose not to return it. 

 

"Mingi, go and collect the blood." 

 

"Yes, sir," Mingi said and hopped down to join them while Yeosang headed into the darkness. He started to collect the blood of the participants with several other guards' help as well. 

 

"You two aren't joining?" a familiar voice asked Yunho and Jongho who were just spectating. 

 

"BM," Jongho said before shaking his head. "We aren't pure vampires anyway. This competition means nothing to us but a bloody massacre."

 

"Besides, it's not all that fair to pick a vampire lord based on their strength and abilities alone," Yunho added. 

 

"You may be right but it's how things have always been around here," BM replied. "Where did the Overseer go anyway?" 

 

"Inside," Jongho replied since he had orders to keep an eye on the other while Yunho had his eyes on Mingi. 

 

"This should be fun to watch," BM said and Jongho wondered if the other just wanted to find someone strong to fight. 

 

"What happens to those who fail?" Jongho asked curiously.

 

"Depending on which round they fail at, some of them survive and some... die." 

 

"I see... so Seonghwa hyung could die here..." 

 

"You're worried about your creator?" 

 

"Why wouldn't I be?" 

 

"He's strong, for starters. Though I am curious as to what his drawback is with a power as strong as his." 

 

Jongho wouldn't be able to answer even if he wanted to since he never questioned Seonghwa before and the other didn't talk much about it either. He was just glad his own powers weren't that difficult to use. 

 

"Seonghwa hyung." 

 

Seonghwa glanced up to find Mingi before him and the other glanced around before holding onto Seonghwa's outstretched hand to take his blood. "You know my name?" 

 

"Who doesn't... ah, well. Yunho talked about you quite a lot too," Mingi whispered as if he didn't want people to hear him speaking. 

 

"Cool," Seonghwa mumbled, unsure of how to keep the conversation going for now but he didn't have to. Mingi stepped closer to him and he stiffened slightly. 

 

"The Overseer has Wooyoung and San. I won't be able to let you in to save them but I might be able to give you some time to talk to San if you'd like," Mingi spoke in a hushed tone. Seonghwa's eyes widened but he kept his cool. 

 

"Why would you? Is this one of the Overseer's plans too?" Seonghwa questioned and Mingi shook his head. 

 

"San asked to see you actually. I met him yesterday. We had... a pretty long conversation. So if you want, at daybreak tomorrow, I'll open a path for you to talk to San." 

 

Seonghwa was very tempted to say yes immediately but he also had to think about the potential dangers of getting caught and who knows if Mingi was being honest. As far as he knew, the other could be lying. 

 

"Give me a reason why I should trust your words," Seonghwa said and Mingi pulled out a phone from his pocket. It belonged to San and Seonghwa knew that instantly because he had bought it for him. 

 

"San said you wouldn't simply trust anyone so he asked me to pass this to you. The battery is dead but San also mentioned he didn't have anything else that he could hand over to prove my words so that's the best he has now. Everything else is up to you." 

 

Seonghwa took his son's phone and pursed his lips. "But you work for the Overseer."

 

"Only because I'm forced to," Mingi replied and lowered his collar to show Seonghwa his neck. There was a little blue bug that resembled a beetle clawing into his skin. It looked painful but for a vampire, it was more of a tiny bite. 

 

"What is that?" 

 

"It's a control bug," Mingi replied and covered his neck quickly before anyone else saw it. "The Overseer can control me with it. It's not always active because it uses up his strength too but when it is, he can do anything he wants to me." 

 

"Can't take it off?" Seonghwa questioned and wondered if that was how the whole breakup thing came into place. 

 

"If I could, I already would have," Mingi sighed. "I can resist it a little but it hurts to do so. The only way I know to remove it is by having the Overseer command it." 

 

"Why are you helping us?" Seonghwa asked. "Are you sure you aren't being controlled to do all these now?" 

 

"Look. I know it's hard to believe but you gotta trust me. I'm only doing this because... I..." Mingi looked up in Yunho's direction and his expression was one of desperation. Seonghwa looked towards the same direction and sighed. 

 

"For Yunho?" 

 

"I'll do anything to be together with him again. Anything. That's one thing I can't deny." 

 

"If I find out that you're lying, I'll kill you right away," Seonghwa growled and Mingi nodded. He hurried on to the next person after taking the blood sample. 

 

"I wonder what they were talking about," Yunho wondered aloud and Jongho shrugged. 

 

~

 

Wooyoung groaned when he felt his consciousness gradually come back. His whole body ached and he felt so drained. He tried to move his arms but felt something holding them back and keeping him at an awkward position that was making his blood run all funny. He winced when he felt needles under his feet and wondered how a vampire could get cramps. He wanted to stretch them but he couldn't really move with the weight of chains keeping him down. He grunted and struggled a little, trying to lower his arms and gasped for air a little when he realised he was starting to panic out of fear. He was scared out of his wits, of course, considering how jumpy of a person he usually was but he couldn't help to think about San as well. What happened after they were attacked? Is San still alive? Was he okay? Or did they kill him? 

 

"You're awake," a voice said from the dark and Wooyoung flinched despite being able to see in the dark too, almost letting out a shrill scream but kept it in somehow. The Overseer stepped closer and Wooyoung gulped. 

 

"W-who are you? What.... What do you want from me?" Wooyoung asked and tried to sound brave but his voice was shaking. "Let me go!" 

 

"Not when I finally have you with me again. It's been too long, my sunshine." 

 

"I don't know w-who you are but don't mess with me! I-I know strong people!" 

 

"If you're talking about Seonghwa, you needn't worry about him. Soon, he will be dead," Yeosang said and Wooyoung's pupils trembled. 

 

"W-what do you mean?" 

 

"You will kill him, of course. I've seen it with my own eyes." 

 

"No! No, no! I won't! How could I?! That's San's appa! There's no way I'll kill him. Over my dead body!" Wooyoung yelled. 

 

"All you need is a little encouragement, that's all." 

 

"I-If you think, you'll threaten me with San to kill his own appa, you're w-wrong. I won't... I can't." 

 

"I didn't say anything about that human boy." Yeosang opened his palm and a tiny blue bug hopped in his hand. 

 

"What is that?" 

 

"I'm glad you asked. It's a magical tool that allows me to control you while active. From now until you become the vampire lord, your every move will be dictated by me. It is for your own good, Wooyoung." 

 

"How is that for my own good?! You're just going to control me out of my own will?" Wooyoung gasped and tried to shuffle away as Yeosang came closer but he could only get so far with everyone holding him in place. "Stop! Tell me what you did to San!" 

 

"Nothing. The human boy will be safe until his time is up." 

 

"T-then if you can control me, what do you even need him for?" 

 

"For the final step, of course. Where you kill your last link to the human world," Yeosang said and Wooyoung was confused since he was pretty sure his parents were still alive and he had other friends too. So why San? "Don't think too much about him. He will be the first sacrifice to the beginning of our new era." 

 

The blue bug hopped off Yeosang's hand onto Wooyoung who squeaked. 

 

"No, get it off me!" Wooyoung wailed and the chains rattled from his movements. The bug climbed onto his Adam's apple and Wooyoung winced when he felt its tiny legs sink into his skin like fangs. "Ow, ow, ow! It hurts!" 

 

"Not for much longer," Yeosang said and stepped back. Wooyoung grunted and wanted to swat the bug away but he couldn't. He felt a sharp jolt down his spine and saw the red in Yeosang's eyes before his consciousness was sapped from him, replaced by a haze in his mind. "That's right. Let me control you. Wake up, my sunshine. It's time to meet everyone." 

 

~

 

"Ugh... So I just stand here and wait?" the impatient vampire groaned and rubbed the back of his neck as he stood before the bed where the vampire lord rested. He managed to get inside with the insignia Seonghwa handed to him but now he wasn't sure what to do. "Hello, vampire Lord?" 

 

He looked at his necklace and gritted his teeth a little. He didn't want to part with it but just for a small price, he would be able to help Seonghwa. Though the price weighed heavily on his mind instead. He removed the necklace and placed it in the vampire lord's hands. 

 

"There. You have it now. I hope you're happy taking away what's mine." 

 

"Very." 

 

Hongjoong gasped and stood back when the whole room turned dark and the vampire lord rose from the bed with the necklace shimmering in his hand. Hongjoong never knew it could do that. 

 

"Where am I?" 

 

"My mind palace or as you called it, the Archives of Knowledge," Soo-hyuk replied to Hongjoong's surprise. 

 

"This... This is it? There's nothing here." 

 

Soo-hyuk waved his hand and rows of books started appearing around him. He yelped and hopped away from them. 

 

"What... this..." 

 

"I heard from Seonghwa that you told him about the Archives of Knowledge. Tell me, how did you know about it? Not anyone would simply know about it." 

 

"I don't know what you're talking about." 

 

"I only helped Seonghwa because his quest to turn the child back into a human is almost impossible. But you knowing about this place is a different story. I lied about wanting the necklace. All I wanted was to meet you, Hongjoong." 

 

"That's a pretty roundabout way to meet me." 

 

"I tried to read about you but there's not much to read. What secrets are you hiding?" 

 

"Nothing more than what you already should know," Hongjoong said with a quirk of his brow. 

 

"You didn't even seem that surprised to see my face. You recognise it and yet you didn't react. Why is that?" 

 

"Maybe because I already saw it when you were laying on the bed?" Hongjoong chuckled nervously and took a step back. "Could you let me go now? I already handed you the necklac-geh-" 

 

Before Hongjoong could run anywhere, Soo-hyuk had his fingers wrapped around his neck tightly. "Tell me, Hongjoong. Who are you really?" 

 

"Ugh..." Hongjoong grabbed the vampire lord's arm and tried to pull it away but his feet started leaving the ground instead and he growled. He lifted his hand towards Soo-hyuk but it was promptly grabbed and twisted. He yelled and gritted his teeth. 

 

"Answer me for Seonghwa's sake." 

 

"Hah...! Fine. Fine! I give." 

 

"Good." Soo-hyuk dropped him and he coughed a little before glaring at the male. 

 

"I was created.... For Seonghwa." 

 

"Created..." 

 

"I'm not... a real being. That's probably why my history is... missing." 

 

"Interesting. Who created you and why?" 

 

"Seonghwa's father, the vampire lord who shared your face. He needed and wanted to push Seonghwa to the brink of madness but Seonghwa had no such drive. So he made me motivate him... by becoming his friend. He would use me to push Seonghwa to be stronger... and it worked.... Until Seonghwa couldn't take it anymore and he snapped."

 

Soo-hyuk looked at the necklace in his hold and squatted down. He slid the necklace back onto Hongjoong's neck and smiled. 

 

"So you made this necklace a symbol of your existence. I see why it starts there." 

 

"I'm not surprised by your face because I know, for sure, he had already died. Seonghwa killed him in front of me. So I wasn't afraid of you... and I've been in the Archives of Knowledge before... it was where I emerged from. Seonghwa is all I have and known since I came to life..." 

 

"This is amazing. I see now."

 

Hongjoong shut his eyes tightly and pursed his lips. He had kept it a secret from everyone and yet here he was spilling it to this man who was not even Seonghwa. He was feeling depressed but it seemed like the other was having an epiphany of his own. 

 

"Brilliant. Thank you, Hongjoong. Truly." 

 

"What?" 

 

"You have just given me my way out. And now I give you the last bit of information that Seonghwa needs to turn Wooyoung back." 

 

~

 

"For the first competition, it'll be a speed match. The number of participants who can move on to the next round is 40. There will only be 40 of you who can pass through the exit, the rest will perish unless you give up before the 40 people are inside," the Overseer spoke once he came back. 

 

"So their selection process for the vampire lord is kinda like that popular game humans play?" Yunho asked BM who they ended up sitting with to spectate the match since he seemed to know a great deal about it. 

 

"You mean fall guys?" BM replied. 

 

"You know it?" 

 

"Sure, why not? I guess you can put it that way. The last man standing after the competitions is the next vampire lord." 

 

"That's kinda dumb," Yunho mumbled but decided not to think too hard on it. He guessed the vampire lord had to be feared and nothing could make vampires fear them other than sheer strength and an overpowered skill. 

 

Seonghwa stood amongst the other vampires and knew it would turn into a bloodbath soon enough. There were no rules against killing each other after all. All cards were on the table for this. 

 

The area started to shift as a vertical maze started to appear with the exit being at the top. It wasn't just a matter of speed here but also luck that they had to deal with. Of course bursting through the walls was allowed too but that didn't mean there weren't other obstacles included in the maze. Seonghwa felt relaxed albeit his rather low chances of winning the competition. He might not be physically the strongest or fastest or even wittiest but he had something the others didn't and that was patience. 

 

"Let the first competition begin." 

 

A whistle echoed in the area and the vampires started to make their way up the maze-like structure to the exit. Some had wings to soar through while others jumped up. Some used their abilities to climb or fly and others scaled the wall. There were even those who attacked others to stop them from going higher but Seonghwa waited. 

 

"What is he doing?" BM asked. "Your boss isn't moving one bit." 

 

"He probably has a plan in mind," Jongho replied. "He won't just give up like this." 

 

"Wait a minute," Yunho interrupted them and stood up from his seat. He pointed at the vampire who was in the lead, jumping up and flying with wings in a speed that he almost hadn't noticed the vampire at all. "Is that... Wooyoung?" 

 

"What? No way. Wooyoung can't fly," Jongho chuckled. "He could barely even keep up with us the other day and we weren't even going full speed yet." 

 

"But... Jongho," Yunho whispered as he squinted. "It is him. He's just dressed in a Victorian outfit." 

 

Jongho raised his brows and directed his gaze upwards to look at the vampire. It took him a while to properly see the vampire and his eyes widened. 

 

"Who is that? A newbie?" BM asked. 

 

"No... Well, yes but... That's impossible," Jongho muttered. "Why does he have wings... and how is he going that fast?" 

 

"Something is wrong. That's not... the Wooyoung we know," Yunho said and sat down. He recalled the words of the Overseer's and wondered if the other had begun the revival process. He didn't know how it worked but Yunho couldn't think of any other possibilities that Wooyoung could improve in such a short matter of time without any practice. "Maybe it's just an illusion... maybe." 

 

"Calm down, Yunho. Your eyes don't deceive you. That is Wooyoung." 

 

"He's... He's forcing Wooyoung to join the competition?" 

 

"It's the only way to get the vampires' approval of the vampire lord title. Wooyoung has to participate and win." 

 

Yunho knew that but he found it unacceptable. Wooyoung had nothing to do with them or supposedly. Even if he shared a soul with the first vampire, he shouldn't have had to do such a thing. He was just a young adult who hadn't even seen the world yet. 

 

"We should stop him," Yunho said. 

 

"How? The Overseer hasn't taken his eyes off Wooyoung for a single millisecond. If you go in there to try to save Wooyoung, he will have you decapitated." 

 

"I don't know... does Seonghwa hyung even know Wooyoung is there?" 

 

"Probably not. There's so many people. He could easily miss him in the crowd." 

 

Jongho was right about Seonghwa not noticing Wooyoung but while they were thinking of how to save Wooyoung, Seonghwa started to move. He lifted his hand and started snapping his fingers, exchanging places with a vampire higher than the next. He scaled the maze with ease, hopping up onto a stable platform once in a while to catch his own bearings. He noticed the slight trembles in his hands and curled it into a fist to quell it before he continued rising higher and higher. It didn't take too long before he almost caught up with the vampire in the lead. 

 

"Seonghwa hyung caught up," Yunho said. 

 

"Holy , your boss just shot up." 

 

Seonghwa lifted his hand, about to swap places with the vampire but paused. He blinked and squinted at the flying male who didn't stop. He quickly jumped up to catch up with the male. 

 

"Wooyoung?" Seonghwa called out with uncertainty. The exit shone above them and the vampire shot through it. Seonghwa quickly followed but after he entered the light, he appeared on the top platform alone. He looked around for the flying vampire and noticed someone with wings that started to shrink walking into the dark. "Wait!" 

 

He gave chase but was promptly stopped by Mingi who landed in front of him. 

 

"You mustn't," Mingi whispered and Seonghwa stepped back. 

 

"Move aside. Please." 

 

"The Overseer commands that everyone waits here." 

 

"But that was..." 

 

"He's a special case." Mingi's eyes started to look hazy and Seonghwa took a few more steps backwards, just enough to look up at the Overseer who was staring right back at him. He knew better than to make a mess right now and waited on the platform as other vampires started to appear. 

 

Wooyoung walked back into the room he had been chained in and right back to where he had been. The chains started to move as if they had a life of their own and coiled around him, clicking around his wrists and ankles. He sat down and closed his eyes. A few seconds passed before he opened his eyes and gasped, feeling his control and emotions gush back into him. He felt disgusted by what just happened and wanted to throw up but there wasn't anything left for him to throw up. He realized that by using abilities, the blood that he drinks would be used up like a powerbank. 

 

"You did so well, my sunshine," Yeosang said and Wooyoung growled. 

 

"You er," Wooyoung let the word slip with menace. 

 

"Now, now. You must not use such a vulgar word with your pretty face." 

 

"Y-you. You forced me to drink human blood and controlled me! What the is wrong with you?" Wooyoung cried out, wanting to lash out at the vampire but the chains coiled around his waist tighter. He whined and hissed at Yeosang. "Let me go. I don't want this." 

 

"I only did what was necessary for you to win." 

 

"Win? Win! I don't want to have anything to do with this," Wooyoung wailed. "I don't want to do what you want! I don't want to be what you want me to be." 

 

"Don't be like that, sunshine. You'll feel much better once you remember everything." 

 

"I'm not your ing sunshine! I'm Jung Wooyoung, son of my parents. I'm not whoever you think I am!" 

 

Yeosang fell silent and let out a slow controlled breath. He spun around and left the room, leaving Wooyoung to cry and curse by himself.