A sea of flames was spread across the sky, while charred figures dropped from the sky in a menacing rain reeking of death, only to dissolve in midair and spread an ugly black dust carried by the winds. There was only one hole in the golden and red sea in the sky. The raging flames whirled around two figures in particular. While one was resistant to the heat of her own fire, the other seemed to have developed troubles with breathing due to the high temperature and stained air. The taste of ash was lingering on his tongue. Nauseating and bitter. His back was turned to the creator of the flames, close to burning from the heat that emitted from her body as well. Dongwoon glanced over his shoulder and saw Chaima’s figure, crouching in mid air, almost forming a perfect ball.

Her suffering was very evident. In a spur of the moment, she had engulfed everything and everyone of the Vexes in flames, burning them to the core, when he was running out of breath. He had been grateful for this counter to the approaching threat, but it was a really difficult task for her. Especially when she had to control the flames that kept her in the air. The rise of her body temperature only proved how much of an intense task it had been for her. And even now after several minutes, she was keeping up the flames. More than half of the air Vexes had been drowning in the sea of flames, eliminated. He wished it had been easy, but their lives were literally hanging on the small thread that was Chaima’s stamina. Of course he gave a hand. He made sure to lighten the burden of her weight from her weight on her and blowing the few vexes that came too close either into the air or make them tumble like comets to the ground.

But they were running low on stamina and Dongwoon wasn’t sure how much more they could endure. There were simply too many of them and they were too persistent. A sudden bolt of heat emitted from Chaima, startling him as it slightly burnt the bare skin on his arms and neck. Dongwoon distanced himself a few from the pyrokinetic. His eyes fell on her before darting to the blaze. The gravity manipulator blinked several times, questioning his sight and sanity for a moment. To him it almost looked … no the flames were pounding. They moved like a living heart, swaying in rage and dancing in the skies, engulfing anything and anyone in its way. He glanced back momentarily at Chaima. She had uncurled herself and hovered straight, chest forward chin up. Although the circles under her eyes were vivid and the biting of her cheek and trembling of her hands expressed her struggle, the confident and strong flames never died out and even grew stronger. Suddenly Dongwoon remembered the girl’s sister when he was paired up with her on a few missions. It was his first time to pair up with the younger of the twins and the resemblances and differences had been very remarkable and entertaining to notice.

Dongwoon himself braced once more, concentrating on their opponents he continued to either plummet them to the earth or launch them into the skies. It continued for several more minutes, until Dongwoon started to notice the flames decreasing in size and the blazing skies to return to their original blue colour more and more. The white clouds peeked out from afar and the hue of red, orange and gold started to fade. The flames had decreased half in size within a mere minute and the remaining group of Vexes creeped closer. The sound of their clapping beaks in threat and the ominous shrieks reached their ears. Earlier they had been desperate shrieks in despair and pain as they burnt to crisp, but now they bore threat and rage. Chills crept up to Dongwoon, spreading tingles all across his back. The shrieks grew louder and more intense. Chaima’s flames were close to gone and she even started to drop to the earth little by little. Dongwoon rushed over to her immediately. The attempt to get a hold on her had failed, as his palms burnt at touching her body.

In shock he stared at her, wondering what to do. In a spurt of seconds the tall man tore off his belt and the pouch around his hips. He emptied the contents and wrapped his jacket and scarf around her upper body, shielding him from the heat she emitted at least a bit. He tied her to his waist with the belt and strap as he kept her up in the air. Dongwoon noticed how even Chaima’s clothes started to grow crisp and crumble at the heat. Her nylon top was almost completely charred, while her jeans started to sport holes. After safely strapping her against him, Dongwoon noticed the lack of rising and falling of her chest. For a moment he believed that the girl had stopped breathing, but when he paid better attention, he noticed he could faintly hear it.

A sigh escaped his lips as another memory flashed through his mind. Years ago when his abilities weren’t this prominent and he wasn’t even able to keep himself a foot in the air, he remembered Chaima’s sister freely flying around and even more, the serene smile on her face whenever she was in the air. He had envied her and also admired her abilities and the freedom she had with them. The wish to rise in the air followed soon after. Dongwoon practiced and practiced for years. The day he was able to ascend, was the day he heard Saenan and Hana were sent on a mission they probably wouldn’t be back from for another month. So he kept practicing, manoeuvring and perfectioning his newfound skill. However, right then, he hadn’t known that Saenan wouldn’t be able to see the result of endless practice. Weeks after her departure to the mission, she returned to Cube’s rooftop with a lifeless partner in her arms and lost the light in her eyes in the embrace of her sister.

Dongwoon cursed out loud when he found out that Chaima did not react to any of his calls and shouts. He also discovered that the Vexes were catching up to them at high speed and there was almost no possibility of an escape. Almost. The loud explosion rang in his ears as the force of the blow launched him forward. In the nick of time Dongwoon was able to dodge the top of a tree, that could have ended his - up until now - successful escape attempt. He continued flying, despite the explosion, despite the possibility of the cause of that explosion being another foe chasing them. The strongest tag team had one man down, or woman actually, and was out of stamina. There was no way they could face a stronger enemy. Flying past his face, however, were very familiar objects. The white blurs collided with tree trunks around him and only when they had stopped, Dongwoon could recognise the rectangular white papers with the drawn symbols. They were tags.

“Having a rough time, Dongwoon?”

The owner of the voice was sitting on a thick tree branch he was approaching. The familiar face relieved him and he showed an appreciative smile.

“Quite a bit yes.” He replied. “Thanks Jeffrey.”

"Go." He ordered the young man who carried the girl. "I'll take care of the rest."

He did as commanded, with a silent appreciative and exhausted smile.

* * * * *

“I see the caves!” a delighted voice rang through the skies.

Baeri’s head whipped to her side and watched two other men already staring at Gikwang. The Beast tamer’s eyes were focussed in a certain direction, eyes squinting in an attempt to get a better view. His small nods were a confirmation of his observation and even Baeri saw a glimpse of the rocks which were the entrance to the endless maze of the Cherub caves. Junhyung remembered entering them once from a different entrance as a little boy with a friend for a dare. He had been lost just an hour after his entrance. It had taken his mother and his friend’s mother, three days to find them. Even his father had to jump in at some point. Junhyung sighed at the nostalgic and slightly eerie memory. Returning his gaze to the front, Junhyung took note of a Y shape heading their way. He easily recognised the black wings as a succubus and the dangling tail below, seemed to be their leader.

“There’s Doojoon’s group.” Junhyung heard Baeri speak, before he could even utter a sound.

“Let’s head down, they’ll follow. We attract attention up here.” Hyunseung spoke.

Although he had been concealing Gikwang and Baeri with illusions so they couldn’t be seen, the other group joining with the visible duo of their group would be a firework show to warn the enemies of their arrival. And that was the last thing they needed. Baeri and Gikwang were the first to drop to the ground, in a plane between boulders and rocks at the edge of a mountain. Junhyung and Hyunseung followed soon after. When they landed, the healer unclasped herself from the eagle, following the others’ example. She glanced upstairs to see Hyejoon already descending their way. The girl scanned the air for the last group that should have arrived by now, but couldn’t spot anything. A hand on her shoulder startled and directed her attention to the owner of the hand. She met eyes with Hyejoon and shared a brief hug and a relieved smile. The boys had greeted each other too and Yoseob sought peace and quiet on Junhyung’s shoulder.

“The other two aren’t here yet?” she heard Doojoon ask and she shook her head in response.

“Strange. I thought they’d be the fastest.” Gikwang noted.

Junhyung threw a wary glance at Hyunseung whom seemed to grow more irritated as time passed. The sudden change in his expression had surprised Junhyung, who saw a twinkle return to his friend’s eyes. He followed the direction of his gaze to find a figure in the skies approaching the mountains. Junhyung squinted his eyes and confirmed the male as their maknae. There hung a silent air of confusion upon noticing the absence of his partner in the air. Junhyung watched Hyunseung clench his jaws from the corner of his eyes and let out a sigh. He was jumping to conclusions again. He was unstable and impatient, yes, but Junhyung wished for once that his friend would look further than the tip of his nose. Hyunseung was planning on stepping forward and Junhyung managed to capture his friend’s wrist, before he could do anything rashly. The firm grip had stopped him from moving, but Hyunseung glared at the male attempting to pull back his hand. A failed attempt. Junhyung was still gazing at Dongwoon in the sky and Hyunseung followed his gaze. He watched them approach and blinked at the shocked soft call of a name.

“Chaima!” Baeri spoke in her best effort at suppressing a shout.

“What happened?” Doojoon asked concerned as he watched the girls and Yoseob aid the unconscious girl.

“An army of Vexes ambushed us and there were so many, that Chaima tired herself out. Jeffrey came just in time.” Dongwoon explained shortly.

“She’s not physically wounded, so I can’t do much.” Baeri concluded with a disappointed sigh.

“What’s this?” Hyejoon wondered, tugging at the edge of a rectangle paper.

Dongwoon recognised the item immediately. “A paper tag. Jeffrey’s tag.”

Doojoon kneeled beside them to examine the symbols on the creamy coloured tag. “It’s a Ki tag. Well done Jeffrey.”

“That means…”

“That she’ll be okay in 20 minutes to half an hour. Which is good, because we’ll be needing her healthy and well.” Doojoon finished for Baeri.

“In other words, you don’t need a weight slowing you down.” The voice sounded groggy and hoarse but was loud and clear.

All heads whipped towards the girl on the ground, with her head on Hyejoon’s lap as she opened her eyes and rubbed her temples.

“That’s not what I …”

“I know.” Chaima interrupted the eldest with a small smile.

“Did you hear that?” Baeri asked, cautiously glancing around them.

“Hear wh-” Dongwoon got silenced by Baeri’s hiss and he too started to look for whatever was supposed to be out there.

“Over there!” the healer suddenly exclaimed, pointing right behind Gikwang.

The boy’s reflexes were at lightning speed. He twisted, swung an item from his armor in one movement and by relying on his sharp senses he managed to capture whatever was there with the chain at his belt. Screams and shouts filled the air, one voice clear and the other muffled. Gikwang pulled the ends of the chain and from the greens pulled out two figures, their upper bodies successfully trapped in his chain. The group stared down at the small and chubby figures with a skin too grey and too thick to be human. Baeri had stood up and walked to the Beast Tamer. She stared down at the gnarling creatures. Their furious eyes were aimed at her, but she remained unfazed. Both were lying on their stomachs unable to move or get up. Baeri kneeled in front of them with a vicious look in her eyes.

“What were you doing there?” She asked.

“Why would Shah talk to an enemy who invades and destroys his home?” one of them growled, Baeri took note of the deep blue eyes and the scar that ran across its left cheek and chin.

“We just arrived. We haven’t invaded anything.”

“Yet,” the other spat. “Surely you’ll take down the mountains while you’re at it. Maleek’s seen those beasts. Those monsters you brought.”

A short silence fell and Baeri heard a soft voice from behind her. It was Doojoon. “They mean the Vexes. Release them Gikwang-ah.”

He joined the Healer in front of the cherub’s as she started to rise to her feet.

“Listen, we’re not with them. They’ve done their damage to us too. We’re here to stop those … things.” he explained as the cherubs climbed back to their feet. “Accept my apologies,Shah, Maleek. We’re cautious since we’re on enemy grounds.”

Gikwang released a chuckle when he saw Baeri being examined by the cherub’s. “What’s with this elf. Aren’t they supposed to be tall? She looks like a cherub.” And that drew a delighted laughter from Gikwang, while Baeri’s cheeks coloured.


“Shah accepts the apology for this time. Although it will not bring Shah’s brother back, or Maleek’s parents.” the scarred one spoke.

“Cherub’s like Maleek may look vicious and sound conceited, but it’s mostly a defense mechanism.” the other spoke. Baeri’s eyes caught a glimpse of silver front teeth and a plump chest, which most likely meant that this one was a female.

“Go back to escaping. I’m afraid your home isn’t safe anymore. But I’m sure the Midnight Pass was barricaded, since the invasion.” Junhyung spoke to the two creatures.

He received a puzzled and baffled expression in return. “I’ve been lost in the caves once. And had 3 days to explore the Fourth Quarter.” he explained with a small smirk. “I know my way around there.”

“Shah and Maleek thank you, pack. Avenge Shah and Maleek’s family and friends and the Cherub’s will be forever in your debt.” the two spoke simultaneously, which astonished the group a bit.

* * * * *

The caves were cold, the air reeked of death and blood. The souls however, were lacking. There was a looming breeze carrying the echoes of screams, growls and hisses. Amongst them was one thing they vividly recognised. A high soft voice. A human voice they had heard for the past months and were fond of. Only this time the voice sounded frightened, unwilling and rejecting. It was fighting. The last sound booming through the walls and reaching their ears was a powerful and heavy scream. The hairs in Hyunseung’s neck rose and his fists balled. Hyejoon covered her ears in an attempt to block the sorrowful sound. Everyone froze, waiting for the long echoes of the agonising sound to die out. Afraid what would happen and what they would find once it had faded.

When it did, they continued stepping forward. Slowly but steadily at first, until it turned into a sprint that forced their muscles to perform at their utmost capability.