It was weird, Jonghyun thought. Very weird. He had distinctly heard two shots, but he felt no pain and hadn’t even noticed the passing from living to dead. Admittedly, he had squeezed his eyes shut as soon as he saw The Owner press down on the trigger, but did that really matter? He still should have noticed.

He squinted his eyes open tentatively as he heard two thumps and a soft whimpering somewhere close.

A gasp escaped him as he took in the room. There was blood running down the wall in front of him and splattered on his shirt. He was pretty sure it wasn’t his own, because the stains weren’t growing larger.

The whimper sounded again and Jonghyun looked down at the floor by his feet. Jessica was lying on her side, curled in on herself and shivering uncontrollably. He quickly glanced around for The Owner and saw him crumpled on the floor on the other side of the room. His eyes were empty and even more lifeless than they had been before, and the hilt of Jessica’s dagger stuck out of his forehead, going all the way to the back and pinning his head to the wall

Jonghyun's stomach rolled and he shuddered, looking back at Jessica. He kneeled down beside her, carefully and gently turning her towards him. She groaned in pain, hands pressed to her chest just beneath . She looked up at him with wide, frightened eyes.

“Hey,” Jonghyun said soothingly, forcing himself not to gag at the metallic smell of blood slowly filling the room.

“Jo-Jonghyun,” she whispered, breaths labored. She looked terrified. “I’m... sorry.”

“Shh,” he murmured and swallowed harshly, worriedly glancing down at her hands that no longer could conceal the pooling blood. “It’s okay, I forgive you.”

She shook her head weakly, a tremble going through her entire body.

“Don’t… I deserve…”

It was clear it took a lot of effort for her to speak properly and he could see her no longer clouded eyes swimming in and out of focus as she tried to cling onto life but still so willingly wanted to give up. She closed her eyes for a moment, gathering herself with a ragged breath, before she looked up at him again.

“I… killed him,” she panted.

Swallowing, Jonghyun nodded.

“And you took the bullets for me,” he whispered to which she made the tiniest nod.

“I couldn’t... let you... die,” she got out between breaths and smiled weakly, another tremble shaking her. 

“But…” Jonghyun bit his lip, guilt washing over him. “I don’t want you to die either.”

Her eyes widened in shock and she stared at him incredulously.

“What?” she croaked.

“Even though I’m furious with you, I don’t want you dead,” he said.

Jessica smiled again and her eyes glimmered with tears that soon spilled over, running down her temples and into her hair. It was true. He didn’t want someone to die just because they had made him angry or caused him trouble. Besides, she had saved his life twice now.

“Can… I...” Her voice was almost inaudible and Jonghyun had to lean in slightly to hear her. “The… circus… love...”

“I don’t understand,” Jonghyun said quietly.

She sighed, eyes closing.

“Don’t... leave...”

It was so faint that, hadn’t it been completely silent in the room otherwise, Jonghyun wouldn’t have heard her. He could see the strength and willpower to stay alive quickly seeping out of her.

“I won’t,” he reassured her, grabbing one of her hands.

“Hug?” she whispered.

He hesitated for a second, but gathered her in his arms and her hair, rocking them from side to side like he was lulling her to sleep instead of death.

It didn’t take long for her to go completely still in his arms, her body growing heavier and her chest no longer moving with breaths. He gently laid her limp body back on the floor, for the first time feeling tears sting in his eyes as the shock passed. He took deep, slow breaths to calm the oncoming panic.

He was the reason she had died. She had taken the bullets instead of him and now she was dead. Why she went to such lengths to protect him he would never know, and he would live with the guilt for a long time.

The breathing didn’t help. He was hyperventilating now, tears rolling down his cheeks and panic running rampant inside him. He needed to get out and find Kibum, wake him up. But he couldn’t move. His limbs refused to listen.

Through the panic, he didn’t notice the strange mist that filled the room until it grew so thick it stung his eyes. He blinked, glancing around as he dried the tears away, his already fast heartbeat picking up. What was happening?

“There has to be an owner… there always has to be an owner…” an ominous, disembodied voice echoed, whispered, murmured, hissed, and yelled all at the same time through the fog and a terrified noise ripped from Jonghyun. “The circus needs an owner…”

He scrambled back as the voice grew louder, closer, and the mist thickened. His back hit the wall and he looked around wildly, trying to find the person causing this. Something hit him square in the chest, then, so hard it knocked the breath out of him and he doubled over with a breathless groan. What felt like molten metal spread through his veins and left him gasping for air through pained whimpers. He clawed at his skin, trying to get the feeling to disappear, but it only intensified until it was so hot he thought he would combust. Something nice and cool pressed against his cheek and he realised he had slumped to the floor, his legs giving out as the burn continued to spread throughout his entire body. It traveled from his veins to his nerves and muscles to finally sink into the core of his body, fading away until he was left gulping down air in his deprived lungs. The mist thinned out around him, leaving the room visible once more.

As soon as he could see again, he discovered the door just behind him. Though his body screamed in protest, he rose on shaking legs and bolted out of the room. He ran down an unfamiliar corridor and what seemed like an endless set of stairs until he finally, finally arrived in a hallway at the end of which he glimpsed the entrance hall. He had to find Kibum and get out fast.

He burst into the entrance hall and skidded to a stop, his breath caught in his throat.

The entire circus was there, standing huddled together. They all turned their heads towards him, staring as if he had suddenly grown an extra head.

“Uh…” Jonghyun said unintelligently, voice cracking.

Then his knees gave out.

To his surprise, all of them rushed forward to catch him. Taemin and Minho reached him first and grabbed his arms. He didn’t even have the mind to be mad at them for attempting to kill him as they pulled him over to sit him down on the stairs. A hushed murmur rippled through the rest of the circus.

“Th-The Owner,” Jonghyun stammered. “He and Jessica... they’re dead.”

“We know,” someone he couldn’t see said.

The murmuring continued and Jonghyun felt dizzy. Frowning deeply, he closed his eyes and wished they would just stop making all that noise. His panicked mind couldn’t take it. Even though his eyes were closed, everything spun and he careened into the wall. Someone grabbed his arm again and there was a voice Jonghyun didn’t recognise. The only thing he knew for certain was that he needed to find Kibum.

“I need to find Kibum,” he said loudly over the clamour and to his relief all of them quieted down. He took a steadying breath and squinted his eyes open. “Please. He’ll die.”

They peered at him in silence, appraising him, until a voice spoke again. This time Jonghyun could see to whom it belonged, as the fire-boy he had met with Jinki what seemed like eons ago took a step forward.

“You have to take the oath first,” he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“What?” Jonghyun said, bewildered. “What oath?”

“Well…” The boy glanced around, worrying his bottom lip. The others fidgeted anxiously. “You’re the new owner.”