~Chapter 38~

The Battle Continues

Jimin’s POV~

            The fake eunuch stops walking and we halt as well. He turns his head and pulls out his spear. I am still not used to that. My sword was taken away so easily yet he is able to make his weapon appear and disappear at will. “We need to change our course.” He leads us into the forest.

            “We can’t go in there,” I say. “Entry to this forest is banned because it holds many monster dens. If we go in there, we may not make it out alive. We need to join Minho hyung and the rest of the team. This will lead us on this dangerous path just to go in this huge detour which will lead us to Jong Kook hyungnim and the Heroes’ Rebellion clan members,” I say. “That was the plan.”

            “I saved you three earlier so just trust me. If I wanted to harm you, you would’ve been dead long ago. If we cut through the forest, we will get to Jong Kook hyungnim much faster, trust me.”

Minho’s POV~

             Last night Taehyung asked me for a favor. He asked me to protect the people of our country…I do not know what the underlying meaning to this favor is, but it’s obvious that he’s worried that I will bring harm to the citizens. No one knows that the Peacekeepers have leverage against me and I’m sure that he knows that I am the ex-crown prince since he did not ask for a favor from the other heroes. I am racking my brains to guess what his plan is, but I haven’t thought of one. What is going on in Taehyung’s mind?

            “The music has stopped for a while, hasn’t it?” I ask the White Masked Hero. He nods. “Can you sense anyone around us?” He shakes his head, no. “The banquet should be over by now, don’t you think?” He shrugs. “No, this can’t be right. Let’s join Jong Kook hyungnim and fight the dark clans. They must’ve kept Taehyung as hostage.” If the Peacekeepers left and joined the dark clans at the banquet, Taehyung will never make it out of there. Something must be going wrong.

            “No.” the White Masked Hero’s voice is a bit odd, but I let it slide. He did nap for hours. He’s still sleepy.

            “What do you mean? I want to help the crown prince. You want us both to fight off the entire clan and save Taehyung?”

            “If the dark clan has Taehyung, then you just need to kill hyung-nim off to complete your mission.”  

            “What are you implying?”

            “I know, hyung.”

Baekhyun’s POV~

            As we walk through the forest, I hold back the urge to ask questions to avoid giving away our path. Taemin slaughters the monsters that try to eat us and ignore the ones that are peaceful. Taehyung usually doesn’t trust people, but he is following Taemin without any objections. I trust Taemin because I know exactly who he is. Kai told me his entire life story because he wanted someone to have record of all this. He has hope that he can become human again if he ever turns back into a wolf, so he wanted me to write it all down so he can read it later on. I know that the Taemin was poisoned before and he is on our side (A/N: Kai clearly did not tell him that Taemin is the White Masked Hero. He left that part out). I just don’t know what Taehyung is thinking. He was very reckless during the banquet… 

            “We have about 3 kilometers left,” Taemin says after climbing a tree to check. “It’s dark enough for us to make our escape, but the full moon is making it easier to see us,” he crouches down and puts his ear on the ground. “I most definitely hear their army. They’re not that far from us. We need to keep it moving.”

            “What about the monsters?” Jimin asks.

            “They are more vicious at night, so be attentive.” Just as he finishes, he throws his spear like a javelin and kills a snake monster.

            “Thank you,” I say. “If I am dragging us down, feel free to leave me behind.”

            “You’re hilarious,” Taemin chuckles. “Kai’s my best friend. I’m not trying to upset him by leaving you in this forest.” I turn my face to hide my slight blush. The fact that Taemin hasn’t been around us long enough to know our interactions yet he claims that Kai cares about me is so sweet. When I’m around Taehyung, I am obviously not as important since I am not the crown prince and my status is lower. When I am around Jimin, I feel useless since I cannot fight. Taemin just met us, yet he labeled me as a person worth protecting. Thank you, Taemin-ah.

            “Thank you,” Jimin says. “I don’t know why, but I want to trust you.”

            “Gee, kiddo, I’ve been protecting you three this entire time, yet you are still not fully trusting me?” Taemin clicks his tongue.

            “Word of advice: trust no one,” Taehyung says.

            “Well here’s my advice to you: the best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them. All bonds are built on trust; without it you have nothing” (A/N: I got these quotes online lol).

Gun Tae’s POV~

            Taemin hyung and I thought Minho hyung wanted to pull through and betray us, but it became clear to me that Minho hyung is not that kind of person. The Peacekeepers wanted him to betray the king and kill Jong Kook hyungnim, yet he offered me a solution: lead Jong Kook and the team inside the forest while he distracts the Peacekeepers. I couldn’t let him go into the forest since he will see Taemin hyung and I couldn’t let him be with Jong Kook hyungnim in case he had a change of heart. I’m so worried though. What will happen to Minho hyung if he betrays them? “You can’t do this,” I say. “We are a team. We can’t let you do this alone.”

            “Honestly, I’ve decided what I will do. I won’t betray the emperor and I won’t let the Peacekeepers get what they want.”

            “How?”

            “I know they must need me for another reason. Why else would they use me? Yes, the citizens know of me and I am a great fighter, but wouldn’t they rather have someone else to be their puppet? I have plenty of cousins they could pick from and they’re using Taemin soul against me. I could literally run away if Taemin were to be revived, meaning they can lose their pawn. It won’t be easy to kill me off if they plan on killing me after I finish their task. Also, they want me to kill Jong Kook hyungnim, but their reasoning is much too weak. If Jong Kook hyungnim is dead, his legacy can continue and people can still protect the royal family. He must have something over them that we don’t know and I must have something they want, but cannot tell me.”

            “But what if you’re wrong and you aren’t useful?” I ask.

            “I’m going to die sooner or later in their hands. If I don’t die now, I will be killed later on. If my plan works, then we all survive.”

            “If I were to tell you Lee Taemin can come back without their help, would you believe me?” I say. I don’t want to reveal to him that Taemin hyung is alive, but I don’t want him to keep thinking that the Peacekeepers have his soul fragment, yet I can’t tell him otherwise because he might lose all his hope…

            “You have a way?! Please, don’t lie to me.”

            “No, I’m serious. When this is all over…when everything is at peace...I’ll help you.”

            “Why didn’t you do it before? Why are you telling me this now?” He doesn’t seem to believe me. I need a better lie. I need to make it sound real.

            “Heechul hyung,” I blurt out. “He went on a quest to find a way. We just need more time. The Peacekeepers are lying to you. They don’t have a real soul fragment.”

            “Heechul hyung?”

            “Yes, I am your friend; I would not lie to you. Heechul hyung has been doing all of the dirty work this entire time. He’ll come back sooner or later.” Now I know how Taemin hyung feels when he lies to his hyungs. He has to lie to them to protect them, yet it hurts so much. The guilt is already making it hard for me to look Minho hyung in the eyes. How was Taemin hyung able to lie to them for so long and even now, he’s doing things behind their backs? There’s not enough time so I couldn’t talk the plan through with Taemin hyung. It doesn’t matter…I need to lie to give Minho hyung enough hope to keep living. I have a feeling that he would rather die than to be selfish enough to hurt everyone to bring back Taemin hyung…

            “Okay, I believe you,” Minho hyung says. “Here’s the plan…”

Jimin’s POV~

            “Okay change of plan,” Taemin declares after pulling Baekhyun hyung out of a monster’s mouth. “I can’t possible protect you all and the army is closing in. Crash course on monster slaying…” he starts explaining to us vital points for monsters and pulls out these clear orbs and passes all of us a bag. “I got these from my master. It’s made of the liquid from a sacred pool and it can scare off monsters and can even heal exterior injuries. If you are in panic, throw it at them, but keep in mind you only have a limited amount. If you get injured, smash it onto the wound and the liquid will ooze out and help,” he takes some and heals Baekhyun hyung’s injury. “This is just in case we split up or get ambushed. I’m not trying to lose anyone.” He quickly grabs me and pulls me to the right as an arrow zips pass me. The army is in range.

            Taemin and I grab Taehyung and Baekhyun hyung and safely leave them on a tall tree where the army cannot easily reach them. We face each other back to back and he passes me a dagger. “Your sword is much too bulky to sneak around. They literally took your sword without even a second thought. If you ever go on another mission, use this dagger. It’s made out of a different material than my spear, but it can still cut through things easily. Now duck!” I oblige and he knocks out a soldier of the dark clan.

            “Not going to lock their acupoints?” I chuckle.

            “Nah, nobody has time to be nice,” Taemin shrugs. With this, we go on full fledge battle-mode.

Jonghyun’s POV~

            The Heroes’ Rebellion, Jong Kook hyungnim, Kai, and I dart into the forest behind the White Masked Hero. The forest is thick and mysterious, populated by countless monsters and danger. With each step we take, another monster attacks. We have no exact location, but the White Masked Hero seems so know exactly which direction to head toward. He never ceases to amaze me. I slash a monster with my axe and knock another one with its hilt. The other heroes are holding on strongly as we charge through. Part of me worries for the crown prince, but Minho is out there somewhere facing the Peacekeepers himself. None of this was part of the plan and it hurts me to put my friend in such danger. He is alone right now, while I am here running to save someone I barely know along with numerous heroes. This is too unfair to Minho… “Jonghyun, focus,” Jong Kook hyungnim says as he smashes a monster in front of me. I nod and continue the slaying. “If you’re worried, then just say so,” he says, knowingly.

            “Was it that obvious?” I ask.

            “Yes, now go save your friend. We can take it from here,” he smiles.

            “Thank you hyungnim,” I smile back and run the opposite direction. Minho-ah, I’m coming for you.

Minho’s POV~

            I stop at the end of the dark clan army and play a spell on my flute with full force. A good portion of the army writher in pain as the music pierces their insides. I need to be quick so they can’t identify the direction I’m coming from. I need to be smarter about my spell choice, since I don’t want their injuries to be too different from a regular internal energy injury. If the Peacekeepers find out, they’ll realize that I am not on their team. How many people can I kill before I run away? I look up and notice that a lot of time has already passed. They’re going to look for the crown prince if I don’t hurry up.

            I throw myself around to inflict multiple injuries on myself. I take a fallen sword and slash myself in a few areas. I need it to make it as believable as possible. I tumble around and crash onto the ground. Ahh this really , I complain to myself. I convert some of my internal energy into my hand and give myself a painful punch. I gasp for air as the force nearly knocks the breath out of me. Blood spurts out of my mouth as the energy caused my internal organs to be damaged. Please, please buy into my act. Using my last bit of energy, I tumble toward the Peacekeepers’ hideout near the forest. “H-help…please…help me…” I whimper as blood gushes out of my mouth. I think I’ve outdone myself this time. “Help me…” Finally, the Peacekeepers appear and rush toward me. Two of them grab onto me and lift me off of the ground. My knees buckle and they keep me standing.

            “What happened to you?! Did you already betray the emperor?” One of them asks.

            “T-they knew,” I lie. “Before I was able to attack, they got me. I was barely able to escape. P-please, help me…” I try to sound as desperate as possible. You wouldn’t catch me begging for my life so pathetically like this if this was a real situation.

            “He’s severely injured,” one of them say after checking my injuries. “he’s going to bleed out or die from his internal injury if we don’t heal him.”

            “Maybe we should take him to our hyung, he can heal him,” one of the men holding me up suggest. “We can’t just let him die like this.” I knew it. The leader of the Peacekeepers has plans for me, if not, they wouldn’t be this concerned. I hear a ruffle in the leaves and turn to the direction, just to see Jonghyun hyung frantically running toward me with his axes. He charges but immediately gets thrown to the side with a simple tune from their instruments.

            “Minho!” Jonghyun hyung shouts after regaining his stance. “Let my friend go! How dare you hurt him!” No, Jonghyun hyung, you’re going to blow my cover. Stop, please, go find safety. Leave me here with them, I want to tell him, but I know I can’t speak at this point. Hyung, look at me, I scream in my head. I just need him to see me so I can mouth to him, give him a signal, something!

            “Didn’t they attack you? Why is he here to save you,” one of the Peacekeepers ask me.

            “I-it wasn’t him,” I groan. “He wasn’t with them when they attacked me.”

            “Minho-ah, I’ll save you!” Jonghyun hyung charges them again, but this time he wasn’t pathetically tossed around. He tries to stop them from playing their instrumental weapons but attacking them with his axes. Before they get to play, he knocks them over. Jonghyun hyung can’t possibly beat him this easily though, I’m sure. The two Peacekeepers put me down against a tree as support and join the fight. Before long, I notice that his axe is suffering from serious damage. Every time it hits their weapon, a dent is formed. At this rate, he’s going to self-destruct.

            “Asking for a death wish, young hero?” a Peacekeeper asks as he plays a quick tune. Jonghyun hung clutches onto his ears and squirms around, screaming in pain. No, I need to save him. He’s going to die at this rate. I look down and kick a rock at him.

            He finally looks at me and mouth to him ‘hit me.’ His eyes widen for a second, but he finally comprehended what I meant. With a second of hesitation, he holds an axe up and aims it at me. ‘I trust you,’ I mouth and close my eyes. Within seconds, I cry as I feel his axe impaled into my side. He threw his axe at me and it is now stuck on the tree and slicing my flesh. I feel all of my energy leave my body as my body slowly grows limp. I’m going to lose consciousness soon.

            “Minho!” One of the Peacekeeper shout. All attention turns to me and all of them rush toward me. They pull out the axe and grab me. Before I knew it, they were running away with me, leaving a tattered Jonghyun hyung behind. Taemin-ah, hyung is going to join you soon. Wait for me…Darkness.

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