It wasn’t natural; a group of young adults didn’t need to be suffering this way, always on their tiptoes, chewing on their lips and trying to subdue their trembling fingers. They hoped that three years ago, they had saved the nation once and for all. They hoped that three years ago, they had crawled back to their ordinary lives for good. But it was back, slowly creeping up their shoulders in a different form, far from the river and the bridge. Now, it seemed like the terror was lurking among themselves.

That same day, just in the afternoon, the members – at least those who arrived – assembled together just outside their campus, fearful of what would happen if they chose to divert paths again.

“Any update?”

Taehyun nodded, taking a seat on one of the benches just outside the dormitory buildings. He breathed out heavily, clasping his hands together. “Okay, one by one. Firstly, Jungeun-noona’s funeral is to be a private one with only close family and friends, so we really cannot ask around any questions. Apparently, she died of a heart attack. At least that’s what they reported. Her strange sayings and the state of her skin and her eyes have been declared as a form of unidentified mutation that they would be researching, except the purple colour faded as soon as she died.”

Soyeon leaned forward, now even more curious than before. “Wait, what?”

“Yeah, I’m not sure why or how, but that’s what the doctors reported. That’s what the varsity staff are allowed to tell us. Remember that she is an alumni, and there’s a limit to what the university can access in terms of her personal details.”

“And what about Minho-hyung? Any signs at all?”

Taehyun lifted his head to look at Jisung, the latter wearing an expression of concern and sorrow like never before. He pitied the other, but he pitied the team even more. He didn’t ever think that they would have to be tangled in this mess again. Clearing his throat, he straightened his posture and explained as calmly as he could, not wating to frighten the others, especially Jisung.

“They last saw him enter his dorm room last night, and there’s no footage of him stepping out. They scanned the entire campus, and they found nothing. They contacted his parents, and they’re just as worried because they haven’t seen him either.”

Beomgyu squinted his eyes with suspicion, averting his gaze to the floor as he thought for a moment. “Are they not going to check elsewhere?”

“There’s no footage of him leaving the campus, so there’s no point. I’m sure his parents must’ve contacted the police for a detailed search, but we’re not allowed more details without his parents’ permission.” Taehyun saw the way the other’s eyes softened at his response, and he felt rather guilty for having let the team down.

“Minho had a power too. Do you think his disappearance is connected to all of this?”

Jisung whipped his head towards where Yeosang stood. He glared at the older with furious eyes, closing his fingers into fists. “No. No, this has nothing to do with that. Minho-hyung will be back. He’s coming back soon. He’s alive.”

However, Seungmin wasn’t one to be in denial so easily. He contemplated the possibility of Minho’s strange case being linked to Jungeun’s death, with the only common factor being the fact that they both used to have powers. He hummed to himself, recalling the past few days.

“Actually… Minho-hyung has been acting different for nearly a month now. Jisung, Minho-hyung and I all share a dorm, so we often spend time together, but Minho-hyung didn’t really speak as much, and he’d always drink a lot of water, forcing it. He would space out sometimes, and he just seemed really dull.”

“But he said he was just stressed about his dance evaluation, right?”

Seungmin looked at Jisung with an apologetic look. “He only said that to make sure we don’t worry too much.”

“But I asked him, talked to him, he never said anything.”

“Well, he must’ve been hiding something.” That seemed to have shut Jisung up for a while. “This must be connected. I mean, he can’t just disappear like that. He didn’t leave behind any trace either. It doesn’t make sense.”

Meanwhile, Kai decided to block out the conversation. He tried not to focus on the details, still holding on to Jungeun’s miserable death. He wished that they all stayed close, for he believed that it could be avoided, prevented, delayed for even just a second. With his mind occupied with brutal thoughts of regret and woe, he slowly took off his lenses. Checking himself