“So, Minhyun, tell us more about yourself,” muttered Kwangmin in cautious curiosity. The seven of us had entered the mage’s tower hours ago. After the initial awe of the interior design of the public space – well, once public space of the tower, we moved up into the residential areas and happily settled down around the first place as Jonghyun lit a never-weakening fire in the charmed fireplace.

Upon reaching the residential area of the tower, Jonghyun took away the necklace given to me by my mother, he had pulled me aside and took me to the door while Baekho, Miyoung, Kwangmin, and Youngmin merrily talked with Minhyun – while the five were distracted he took me into his father’s beautiful office in the top-most room of the tower.  Once in the room, he took the pendant from me, muttering something about him starting his search for the old map and about not bothering him unless it was important. He also muttered something about not permitting Minhyun to bother him – not permitting him to come into the room since he still did not trust Minhyun at all. So, with that, I had left the room and shut the door behind me – which automatically locked itself since I no longer held the pendant Jonghyun did.

After getting rid of the pendant and leaving Jonghyun behind – with a promise to rest a bit while we were in the tower, a place we knew we could not be reached by the dark mage or the shadows that resided outside – I moved into the residential area, collapsing onto of the bed rolls that Mi Young had set up for us all. I curled up on the plush surface and attempted to will myself to sleep, but failed miserably as I clued on the other’s conversations as they to curl up in their bed rolls – with the exception of Minhyun who did not have one.

“There really isn’t much to know about me other than I never really knew my mother and father,” muttered Minhyun sadly, I felt something tugging on my heartstrings, “They didn’t want me so they gave me away.”

For some reason, the memory of Eunji grasping onto my mother’s arm played in my mind, “H-He took him Seohyun…h-he took him…”

“I was raised in an orphanage,” stated Minhyun, the pull suddenly vanished, “I was thrown out for being too old just before the darkness began to spread.”

I peered at him doubtfully, however, the other four all bought into his story.

“I really don’t recall much of my time in the orphanage; don’t recall those whom I lived with,” muttered Minhyun, his story had changed slightly from before, “I don’t remember much actually, just that the shadows had taken over during the time I had been kicked out – or around that time.”

I shook my head, rolling onto my side so that my back was facing him – upon rolling onto my side, I could feel his gaze locked onto me. I shivered a bit, sensing the darkness that Jonghyun had been talking about before.

Hours passed and there as still no sign of Jonghyun, however all but Minhyun and I had fallen asleep in the residential area. I peered up at him in curiosity, “Tell me the truth.”

He peered at me in mock confusion, acting oblivious to what I was asking about, as though he had not been putting on an act since he first met the seven of us.

“I don’t know what you are-“

“You know perfectly well what I’m talking about,” I muttered back, rolling to face him, glaring at him through the darkness that surrounded us, “Your story has changed two too many times, so what is the truth?”

“I wasn’t lying when I said that my parents didn’t want me,” growled Minhyun, peering at me in silence, “The abandoned me in a land that wasn’t even my home and then they up and vanish…they’re probably dead by now.”

I peered at him, sensing as though he was still lying, “Who are you Minhyun? You aren’t a normal person, are you?”

Minhyun looked at me in silent confusion, trying to figure out what I was going on about, “You know, you look a lot like Jonghyun, did you know that?”

Minhyun tensed up.

“You know who I am and you know who Jonghyun is, and I know that you are working for the shadows,” stated Ren, “Jonghyun had been the first to notice it, but the more you lied before me, the more I realized that was what you were doing – lying.”

He froze in shock, “He was right, you are stronger than you let on – both power wise and intelligence wise.”

I smirked, “Well, you can’t necessarily fool a prince, now can you?”

He nodded in silence.

“So what is your next move?”

“I’m keeping you here and keeping your secret, if you promise not to harm anybody – Jonghyun especially,” I stated, “I sense as though you two are connected…You and JR. I don’t know how exactly, but you are both bound together somehow. It is a very strong bond that neither of you seem to be aware of…so what is your next move?”

I peered at him in curiosity as he looked at me in silence; his shoulder’s dropping slightly, “I don’t know…”

I could practically see the gears in his head churning, thinking of what he should do now that he had been caught.

“If you are thinking of doing anything to Jonghyun,” I stated, “please, think before you do it.”

Minhyun looked at me questionably, “Why?”

“I sense that in the long run you will regret it.”

“Stop trying to act all smart with me,” grumbled Minhyun, glaring my way, “I’ve been in this hell hole longer than you have, I know what is going on far better than you do.”

“What about if it was Jonghyun in my place,” I questioned, raising an eyebrow, “Would you let him talk like this to you?”

“If he was talking in your place, I’d probably strike him down mercilessly,” growled Minhyun, I could see the fear filled glint in his eye, I could see the fear shining brightly in them as he glared towards me, “I would strike you down as well, but I’m smarter than that – even if my master says otherwise.”

I peered at him, tilting my head slightly to think about just what had happened to this male and why he was so familiar. I gasped as it all finally clicked, as I was pulled back into the memories I had seen days earlier.

“H-He took him Seohyun…h-he took him…h-h-he t-took M-Minhyun.”

~

The vision sudden flickered and next thing I knew was that I was sitting in a carriage, seeing out of my mother’s eyes as she blinked the oncoming tears away, rubbing her stomach soothingly as I rolled around – kicked her, elbowed her, wanting more room in her womb. She peered at the woman that sat across from her, sleeping while cradling a bundled child in her arm – she had cried herself to sleep for the fourth night in a row, not caring for the child due to her tears, leaving the expecting mother to tend to the mage’s wife’s child.

“I know your mother is having difficulty protecting you Minhyun,” whispered the Queen, “but please protect Minki. Please, Minhyun, protect him until Jonghyun comes for you – his brother – and Minki, your all’s charges.”

~

“That’s where I’ve seen you before,” I muttered, causing him to look at me in confusion and slight fear, “You are connected to Jonghyun in a way I’m sure you won’t believe.”

“What?” questioned Minhyun in slight curiosity.

“You’re brothers – I’m sure of it now,” I stated cheerfully, “You parents did want you and your mother loved you, it’s just that you were forcefully taken from her as was her life.”

He peered at me in slight horror, obviously not believing a word I said.

“What?”

“I’m positive now, Jonghyun and you are brothers.”

“What would make you have that assumption?”

“You were in both my mother and father’s memories,” I stated excitedly, “I’m sure of it now, which is the reason why you and Jonghyun look so similar, well, why you both resemble each other.”

Minhyun looked at me in horror and I jumped in shock – as did Minhyun, as a voice sounded raspily behind us, “You’re wrong, Minki.” I turned around to see a ghastly pale Jonghyun coming around the corner, grasping his throat lightly, his eye narrowed towards Minhyun, “We aren’t related. I-I can’t be related to him…he’s a coward…”

I looked towards him in confusion, but it soon turned to horror as Jonghyun choked on air, his face turning red as his knees gave out of him.

He forced himself to choke out words even as his body began to fall limp, his mind shutting off in order to permit his body to kick in its natural cleansing sequence, “Stay away from him, Minki. Stay far away from the bastard…”

I watched in horror as he fell into a limp pile of limbs before me.

“Jonghyun!” 

Again, enjoy - enjoy the cliff hanger!