[Ren’s PoV]

I jolted awake at the sound of a glass shattering, my heart pounded in my chest as I forced myself up onto numb legs – a result of my sleeping in a very uncomfortable place. I glanced around in concern, but felt myself relaxing as I saw Mi Young looking at me apologetically. I glared at her silently; a little agitated over the fact she had woken me up. I had just gotten to sleep – my concern for Jonghyun had kept me up all night long.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” whispered Mi Young from where she was crouched, cleaning up the shattered glass and the water that covered the floor – seemingly the contents of the bowl.

“It’s alright,” I responded politely, being sure to hide the bitterness I felt.

“How is he doing?” questioned Mi Young, clearly wanting to change the subject.

“He’s doing well,” I responded, “He has improved at all…however; his health also is not declining at all.”

“That’s good,” whispered Mi Young.

I nodded, “Hey, Mi Young.”

“Neh?”

“I’m going to talk to Minhyun today,” I stated, “Alone.”

“That’s dangerous,” stated Mi Young, “For all we know he is a well-trained mage who processes all four of the elements! I can’t let you go in there – let alone go in there alone!”

“I’ll be safe, I promise you that,” I responded, smiling towards her. She peered at me reluctantly, but eventually she gave in with a big sigh.

“Tell me when you are ready to go in,” stated Mi Young, storming off with a frown on her face, her eyebrows furrowed in aggravation – not liking the fact that she was unable to deny me of what I wanted.

I sighed, turning to face Jonghyun – he had become paler through the night and his pale skin was even paler, showing to me that he really must not have seen the light in years prior to coming to get the twins and me. Carefully, I reached forward, gently placing my hand on his forehead – shivering upon feeling the heated skin against my hand.

“You really aren’t getting any better,” I whispered, “Huh? I’m going to go talk to your brother…you better not go on me, you hear? Just because he is here does not mean that you’re allowed to go – even if you say good-bye in some way. Jonghyun, I forbid you from leaving me.” I felt tears pricking my eyes as I looked down at his very much lifeless form, “You aren’t allowed to leave me alone, do you hear me Jonghyun? You still have to help me, help Miro…the world.”

With those words, I stood up – moved away from his body with a heavy heart and towards the stairs. Quickly wiping my eyes as I turned the corner, I called out, “Mi Young, I’m ready to go in…have the twins stay with Jonghyun while I’m in there alright? Also, can you and Baekho stand guard by the doors?”

“Neh,” responded Mi Young, watching as I moved down the stairs to the next level – the level where we had Minhyun locked up – the level that was below the one the rest of us was living on.

Upon reaching the door, Mi Young turned countless different locks – some seemingly charmed – as she glanced at me nervously, clearly nervous about leaving me in the room with Minhyun, alone – with no protection.

“I’ll be fine,” I whispered, smiling reassuringly at her.

“I-I know, but still, I can’t help but feel as though something is going to happen,” whispered Mi Young, I wrapped my arms around her shoulders in a comforting manner and smiled.

“I promise, I will call if anything happens, alright?”

Mi Young nodded and with that final reassurance, pulled the door open for me – holding it open for me so that I could enter the room in which Minhyun resided.

“Why are you here?” questioned Minhyun as soon as I stepped into the room, “Shouldn’t you be at your lover’s side, tending on him during his final hours?”

“There has been no decline in his health since you’ve given him the poison,” I responded and as the door shut tightly behind me, I situated myself on one of the wooden chairs beside a desk. I looked over the contents of the desk, smiling faintly at the familiar hand writing that was scribbled onto a yellowing paper that was probably from the following year, “So, why’d you do it?”

“Because I was told to,” stated Minhyun, watching me closely, “The only family I had told me to poison him and so I did.”

“Family?” I responded in curiosity, looking up from the papers on the desk.

He nodded, “My uncle for whatever reason, he wanted me to kill Jonghyun.  He was the one that raised me after my parents abandoned me in this vast void…after they heartlessly threw me away.”

I peered at him in shock as Jonghyun’s words flashed through my mind, Why did you do that hyung? I was automatically blurted out, “I don’t think he’s your only family member left…also, I don’t think that he’s your only family member left…I don’t think that your parents abandoned you either, I feel as though you were kidnapped.”

“How would you know?” questioned Minhyun defensively, feeling as though I was attacking him, lying to him.

“I lived through my mother’s memories…”

He laughed, “You expect me to believe that?”

“Yes,” I responded, “Although it sounds week, it is the truth.”

“Right…”

“Don’t you feel as though you are losing something?” I questioned in wonder, feeling the rather faint bond left between Jonghyun and I – the only thing letting me know that he was still very much alive at this point in time. “I feel as though I am…surely there is some sort of bond you felt appears upon meeting JR and vanished when you poisoned him.”

Minhyun tensed up a bit, biting his lip and I knew I was finally getting to him.

“Listen, I know that you know deep down in your heart that you are related to him,” I stated, “I know that you can sense it, I know you felt the connection with him. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be acting like you are.”

He flushed slightly and whispered, “I-I don’t know.”

“What don’t you know, you can trust me.” I stated, “I’m not like the others. I never was like them. Trust me, please…”

“My heart is saying that you’re right, but my brain is saying otherwise,” stated Minhyun.

“Just give me one chance, close your eyes and think long and hard on the subject…”

Minhyun trembled but nodded, looking at me warily before he closed his eyes, hopefully thinking about what I had said. I sat in silence, watching as his breathing slowed a bit, hinting to me that my plan had worked – that somehow, he was seeing the memories I was talking about.

[Minhyun’s PoV]

“You both are powerful vessels, huh?” whispered a man, his voice all too familiar as he spoke, peering down into the crib and staring at both me and another baby who seemed oddly familiar as we laid side by side in the comfortable little cradle, “Which of you two do I want to go on a little journey with me? Which of you want to go and never come back?”

He peered at the two of us with narrowed eyes, I felt the body beside mine trembling before I realized that the infant beside me was crying while I peered at the man coldly – defiantly, especially as the cloaked man picked the other baby up and held him to his chest.

He nearly dropped the other as he hissed in pain, biting his lip - acting as though he had shocked him. His eyes narrowed before settling onto me, a smirk playing on his lips as he whispered, “It is definitely you then…I’ll see you both later…”

The man suddenly vanished from my vision as I continued to stare into space as my brother laid beside me continued to wail, which lead to our worried mother running into the room, fear and concern showing on the features of her face as she quickly picked him up and rocked him in hopes of getting him to sleep so that it would calm my infant self-down as well.

~~~

My father stood over us, retrieving both me and the other infant from the crib and carrying us to where our mother stood beside large luggage bags, she silently reached for me as tears streamed from her eyes, forming rivulets down her cheeks as she peered at the other infant sadly, whispering, “I’m sorry babies…I’m sorry Jongie.”

She the other infant’s bare head, “I can’t take you both…I’m sorry Jongie…”

My father held the other baby close to his warm chest and I gurgled slightly in unison with my twin brother who seemed to be struggling to breathe a bit due to some gunk that was in his throat and seemingly in his lungs. However, even with the slight difficulty breathing, he fell asleep– he slept through my agonized cries as I was carried towards a vast carriage where the queen was waiting with her husband and son.

~~~

We had arrived at our new home without my father or my brother, I was sleeping soundly in her arms until I heard her scream – which had startled me awake and led to my loud cries of frustration from being woken up, especially when I was so tired from the travel – from arriving at the new unfamiliar place that had me tense.

“I’m sorry, sister-in-law,” stated a man, his voice all familiar as he peered at me with a knowing smirk as I stared at him groggily through tired eyes, “but I have to do this.”

My wails grew louder as he tore me from her grasp as she cried out for aid, but received none – no guard was coming to aid her, not one was near. The guards were all probably paid off by the man that stood before me.

“While Jonghyun is your little hidden flame, locked away in that tower, Minhyun is my hope – he is my extinguisher, the person I will used to wipe out your little ‘hidden flame’. However, how can you hide something from me when I already know that he’s alive and well…” growled the man cockily as he peered down at his sister in law, who laid bloodied on the floor – sobbing for him to give me back, “He will bring the demise of his brother and will help me assure that the darkness prevails this time…that the darkness consumes all things as we know it.”

“No, please…please don’t take my baby,” whispered my weakened mother, pleading for my life, pleading that the man let me stay with her.

“Sorry, no can do, I’m running on a tight schedule here…I need to return to Miro prior to the barriers going up,” stated the man, “After all, I am expected to be Jonghyun’s teacher…”

The man kicked my mother, guaranteeing that she would not be able to chase after us, she wailed loudly as the man holding me hopped out the window and into the bustling streets. As we were leaving, I heard her shout out, “Give me back my baby! Please, he’s all I have left on this foreign land…please! Let me keep him!”

~~~

My eyes shot open and my heart continued to beat loudly in my chest as I held a hand over were my aching heart sat, threating to beat out of my chest as I panted loudly. I swiped at the cold sweat on my brow, trying hard to silence my conscious that was screaming at me – for yelling at me for not realizing it all too late.

I covered my eyes as unbearable guilt ate me up inside, “Oh my god…what have I done?” 

So...yep...Uh, I've realized that the following chapters are a bit rushed - this one as well, and I'm sorry for it..I'm going to try to fix the others but I'm not sure what else I can really do to them so...yeah.

Anyhoo, thank you to all my subbies, although there aren't many of you, I love you all and I'd like to thank you all for reading this, as poor as it probably is. ^^ 

I hope you enjoyed and I hope to have the next chapters up soon.