Soft sounds could be heard, but with closed eyes she could only see darkness. There was movement in the room and footsteps could be heard. They were distant at first, but came closer as time ticked away. Her eyes twitched softly and she understood that it was time to wake up. To glimpse at her surroundings, but she was reluctant to open her eyes. The feeling of her slumber was so nostalgic, so familiar, but it frightened her. Was everything a dream? Those people, that world, her name, her home. Was everything simply a fraction of her imagination, instead of reality? If that were the case, she didn’t want to open her eyes. Paro didn’t want to be faced with the painful reality, if everything had been put in her mind by the scientists. But what if it was true? What if it was not a dream? She wanted to wake and find a smiling Hyunseung, Yoseob, Doojoon, Junhyung, Gikwang or Dongwoon facing her, greeting her in the morning and tell her to wash up for breakfast. The only way to find out, was to escape from this darkness and return to the light.

Lifting her eyelids however, didn’t give her access back into the light. The darkness remained and a feeling she recognised as fear spread throughout her whole body, sending bolts that made her teeth clatter and her knees feel weak. When she tried to move her hands, she wasn’t able to move them. Something restrained it, a rough and tight constriction made it impossible for her. When she tried to move her legs, she noticed a same result. She couldn’t move. And for the first time Paro noticed that, she wasn’t in her usual confinement. There was no water around her, since her body felt heavy, probably even heavier than normally. She tried to lift her head from the surface she was lying on and with much struggle and difficulty she managed to rise a little for a mere second. She winced in pain upon the landing she had almost no control over. On top of the soreness of her whole body, Paro’s stomach made a grumbling sound, reminding her of the fact that she had no idea how long she had been there.

Paro heard the steps getting louder, which meant that whoever or whatever was around approached her. She shivered when and heard her own heart pounding in her ears, even her breathing seemed so loud that she momentarily halted it, just to be able to hear the movement of this unfamiliar person. Seconds passed, feeling like hours, passing agonisingly slowly as her heart rate seemed to increase rapidly. The movement drew nearer, eventually right above her head. In her confinement, the girl curled her fingers into a tight fist, allowing her nails to dig in her soft skin. She felt slightly numbed and realised how constricted even her finger movements were. Slowly the fabric that sealed her sight was lifted from her face. She could feel the chilly air bounce off her eyelids and the remaining skin that had been covered seconds earlier. Her eyes remained closed for a moment, afraid of her anticipated illusions.

“I think she’s sleeping,” Paro heard an unfamiliar female voice say.

“Well, wake her up then. We’re supposed to start already.” Another female voice said.

“Let her sleep. If she gets scared and her powers go berserk, we’re done for.” a male voice, this time, spoke.

“But.”

“Let her rest for now, okay?” the male voice spoke again.

“Take responsibility then, when he is here.” the latter female voice spoke.

“Let’s go, we were summoned a while ago.” the first female voice spoke.

After the conversation several steps could be heard distancing themselves from where she was. A soft click followed, indicating a door falling into its lock. Paro gathered her little amount of present courage and pried her eyes open slowly. The strong white light was stinging her dry eyes, and the cold air didn’t help either. The vague images of her surroundings started to become clearer and even less familiar, her fear growing with it. Although the room was white, with the beds that resembled the medical quarters back at home, it wasn’t home. The air was different, the details were different, there wasn’t a window and she was harshly restricted of any motion. The treatment had a vast difference and even she, a girl with almost no experience in life and understanding of life, knew which one was right and which one was wrong. Paro squirmed once again in her constriction, until a soft voice resounded in her ears.

“You’re awake.” the male voice from earlier spoke.

Paro attempted to whip her head towards the source of the voice, but the slightest movements seemed impossible due to her restraints and the heavy feeling that had clouded her head. She winced uncomfortably in pain the moment she felt a sour shock run through her neck down her spine. Steps could be heard, moving from over her head to her right. Paro tried to resist against her strains again, to no avail. She felt her skin starting to grow sensitive and sore, as it rubbed harshly against the metal that held her in place. Her movements stopped as she almost voiced out her torment, but held back knowing that one of her captors was in the same room as she was. The whole situation seemed so foreign to her, that Paro did not know how to react. Only one thing was sure. She didn’t feel safe, nor at home here. She had to leave, as soon as possible. But how?

“Let me get you out of these things, Paro.” she heard the male speak again as he slowly walked into her field of vision.

Concentrating her eyes on him, Paro found herself to be unable to see him sharply. She winked strongly to soothe the dryness of her eyes. Slowly the images started to become more and more solid and she could lock eyes with the man. Her dark eyes captured his brown ones. Contrary to her expectations his eyes were soft, gentle almost. It took Paro slightly by surprise. She stared silently for a while, as he stared back his lips eventually curling into a small smile that gave him a kind glow. The kind of glow that slightly reminded her of when she first met Hyunseung. She couldn’t utter a word, her mind was a hazy mess and she had no idea how to face this situation, even less than earlier even. More confusion crept up when she saw the man approach her with some kind of white ribbon. In the middle there was some kind of device attached, which Paro didn’t recognise. That man was going to put something strange on her. The closer it came to her, the more she tried to resist, resulting in the worse damage to her skin. Eventually it was a lost battle and the collar was around her neck.

“Don’t worry, it’s just a tracking device, for your own safety.” the man assured her. “And a communication device.”

When the girl eyed him in confusion, the man let out a soft chuckle.

“I’m sorry. I should introduce myself.” he excused himself. “I’m Seonil, Choi Seonil. And you’re Paro, right?”

Softly the girl moved her head in a nod. She couldn’t help but respond to this man’s gentle demeanor. When he proceeded to release her from the tight grips of the metal around her joints, Paro was at first taken aback by the  gesture. She didn’t know what this guy wanted with her, but she had a vague idea of why she was here. Despite Doojoon and the others not telling her about her dangerous abilities and what she could do with them, Paro was already aware of what she had caused and that she was a danger. She had heard them talk on top of her own suspicions. That one traumatising experience was enough for her brain to accumulate the information and come to a conclusion. She was made with a purpose and although she was unaware of that purpose, she knew it couldn’t be good with the abilities she had. Paro figured that because she was a discarded experiment, her creator was unaware of the extend of her abilities, just like her as the bearer.

The clicking sound of metal indicated her freedom. One by one her limbs were released and she could move again. Processing her freedom took Paro a good minute. She bravely moved her arms and legs one by one, ending with the movements of her neck. Once she was sure her waist as well was released, Paro pried herself up in a sitting position. She examined the red and purple bruises on her wrists and ankles. Even her elbows and knees were damaged because of her futile attempts to break free. Her neck felt sore and her head felt like it would explode as the pain pulsed through it, worsening her vision. Paro’s eyes averted from her own wrists to the hand of the man in front of her, eventually traveling up his arm towards his face. There was a worried glint in his eyes, directed to her. The girl also noticed something else, farther beyond the surface of his reflection. Remorse and regret. She didn’t know why, but she grabbed Seonil’s hand when his eyes met hers and he spoke.

“Let’s get you something to eat.”

* * * * *

A curse escaped Hyunseung’s lips, startling the other three in their party. They had left Gikwang’s village and had started moving according to Doojoon’s plans. The decision was made not to regroup just yet. Two duo’s joined up, his party now consisted of Junhyung, Baeri and Gikwang, while others remained in their original groups. Yoseob, Doojoon and Hyejoon remained a group and their effective damage dealers, Chaima and Dongwoon remained partners. While Doojoon and his group moved towards the capitol, seeking new crowded areas where the enemy would most likely begin the execution of their plan, Dongwoon and Chaima were out to destroy as many Vexes as they came across, while patrolling less crowded areas like the villages around the outskirts of the capitol and the Temple. Hyunseung’s party was to do the same, but on the other side that lead to Eisei and the city where the illusionists lived. The Fairy mountain was further to the south from that leading to the forest of the Tanuki, the shapeshifters.

“What’s wrong?” Junhyung asked his worked up friend as he matched his steps to walk beside him.

“It’s taking to long, by now Paro could have already…” Hyunseung stopped, not daring to speak the rest of the sentence.

“We have no idea where they are, Hyunseung-ah. Our best chances lie with finding hints, anything that could lead us to her.” Junhyung explained calmly.

A sigh escaped his lips when he heard a hum in agreement from the man, knowing that his words wouldn’t really reach him. He glanced in front of him, to the duo walking closely side by side. Ever since Gikwang had left the dome, he had been extremely wary of where Baeri was and what she was doing. Despite being mentally exhausted, he kept a close watch on her, almost afraid that she’d dissolve into thin air. Junhyung worried for his friend’s guarded behaviour, knowing it made him distressed and tired. Although it was quite to be expected with the traumatic experience from hours before. Even Baeri felt conflicted with the fact that Gikwang didn’t have much time to mourn over his loss. With current events going on and the most aggravated member, Hyunseung, being in their party, Gikwang was highly sensitive about the others’ wishes before his more than usual.

“Guys, it’s no use. I can’t track her.” Yoseob’s disappointed voice rang in their ears.

“Take a break Yoseob-hyung, you’ve been at it ever since you left the Tribe.” Dongwoon’s voice followed.

“It’s strange… her ability restraints are still active, but I can pinpoint the location. She’s either far away or unreachable because of another reason.” he spoke again, frustration vivid in his voice.

“Yang Yoseob, stop it and sleep or something. I get tired from hearing how exhausted you are!” Chaima’s loud voice boomed through their minds.

“I get it!” Yoseob responded, “... just don’t yell.”

“Sorry,” the Pyrokinetic goofily responded. “Oops, gotta go. A group of Vexes is near.”

“Be careful guys,” Doojoon spoke, receiving an ‘okay’ in return.

“I wonder what Paro is doing right now.” Baeri spoke, unaware she was sharing it through the link.

The group fell silent for quite a while.

* * * * *

The girl stared intently at the cup in her hands, containing the white substance she hated so much. Right then it had been the only thing reminding her of home, of her days with them. She swayed the cup in gentle circles, watching the liquid wave dangerously close to the rim of her pink cup. She never spilt a drop as she was lost in thought during this action. After a few minutes of doing this, the girl grew tired and finally brought the cup to her lips. Taking a careful sip, she let the liquid flow into , leaving the trace of the milk’s taste on her tongue. She swallowed it and wrinkled her nose at the sour aftertaste. Paro had completely forgotten about the person sitting across her, Seonil. Throughout the first hours, he had accompanied her in the building. Showing her things she was allowed to see and even feeding her. The meal didn’t return her energy however. Instead she only felt more empty and more homesick after tasting the nostalgic milk.

“Seo-nii, Jae wants to see her.” a familiar female voice echoed through the kitchen.

Paro’s face lifted from her cup, seeking the source of the voice. Her eyes fell on two girls approaching their table. One awfully familiar and one she had never seen before. In excitement and surprise, Paro’s eyes widened. Her expression brightened up as she placed the cup on the table, before it would fall out of her hands. She jumped up her seat, ignoring the agonising aching of her body and dashed towards the girl. Paro’s hands swung around the other’s shoulders in an embrace and tightened. Her body shivered as she fought back the tears, that wouldn’t allow her to speak anymore if they fell. She was more than happy to see a familiar face. A cold shock was sent throughout her whole build once a realisation was struck upon her. She loosened her grip and created a little distance between them, so she could take a good look at the girl’s face.

“You…” Paro squeaked almost inaudibly. “You’re not Chaima.” She felt the shock and cruel desperation in her own expression.