[Sera]

“You know you can’t out-argue me.”

“No, I don’t know.”

“Sera…”

"Shut up! I said I'm going and there’s nothing you can do about it!"

“Oh Sera!”

Yixing’s voice rang out above the din my brother and I made. Blinking back tears that threatened to spill over should I let them, I turned to him.

His face held no form of playfulness, the tears that he had shed when he thought I was going to die stained his handsome face. It ought to be funny, that the tear streaks messed up the stern expression he was shooting at me. But it wasn’t; the boy was serious and he was proving it.

“You are not going.”

I threw my hands up, frustrated with this stalemate. Yixing had healed me; new skin stretching over the blistering one on my arm within minutes of his treatment. Other than that most severe wound I’ve sustained, the rest of the abrasions, scratches, and minor bleeding cuts were nothing as my boyfriend worked his magic for within a minute, they vanished. It was as though I’ve never had those adorning my body.

With my injuries gone, and my exhaustion at an all-time low due to the mounting pressure to figure out the man’s next step, there really was no reason for me to stay back with Jongdae and Jieun in the warehouse while the rest of the boys head out on their search.

“You are not going, and that’s final.”

“No!” I snarled, lips curling up to reveal my canines. “I am going, and that’s even more final than your final.”

Sehun’s eyes twitched, clearly displeased that he had ignited my share of our inherited superiority.

"Well, I'm older so–"

"Instead of wasting time arguing, I suggest you take her along to the mansion."

Jongdae interrupted my brother, his glare transfixed on the latter. His arms were still wrapped tightly around the unconscious Jieun, her body nestled against his as they sat on the floor.

"Excuse me–"

"You don't have the luxury of time!" Jongdae interrupted for the second time, this time his tone was much more urgent, much more fierce than the first. "Every second we spend here is another second he spends there! And if my deductions are correct, he might have already taken our home."

"What makes you think he's ther–"

"Because he is." Heavy panting suddenly filled the warehouse and everyone turned to the boy who suddenly appeared within our midst.

"Kai–"

"Save it," The boy had a deep scowl on his face that was beaded with perspiration, his brows furrowed and he clearly doesn't look pleased. Heck, there was a storm on his face. And I didn't feel too good about this.

"We got to go save our home."

The instant I landed right in front of our mansion, the stench of death overwhelmed my senses and if it weren’t for Yixing who caught me as I swayed dangerously from side to side, I would have collapsed onto the ground.

The ghastly mixture of the different bloods in the air dragged me back to that night, where I was running for my life, the similarly disgusting stench invading my nostrils, silently developing in me my phobia of the red liquid.

Except that it wasn't a flashback; it's actually happening again.  

Kai had decided that there wasn’t a point in teleporting to a spot nearby since our home had been sieged. Using his last ounce of energy, he mass teleported us to the door before falling into my brother’s arms with a weak chuckle.

"You'd catch me the other time, so now it's my turn." Sehun grinned down at his friend, whose smiling face had paled but I know it wouldn't be long til he returns to his full strength.  

We stood in front of the mansion, eyes searching the structure for damages, signs of battle and bloodshed. But there was none; our home was just like how we had left it. The only apparent evidence that warns us of the siege having happened was the stench.

The stench of the red liquid I hated with a vengeance.

The reflex to breathe washed over me and I inhaled, not knowing that it would affect me once again. Yixing caught me for the second time, this time his arms wrapping around me much more tightly, as if I would be blown away by the whispering wind that had begun to blow.

"Sera, you have to stop breathing," He chided softly, "The blood is getting to you."

I nodded, wishing that it was true but deep down, I knew it wasn't.

I've been... queer since I out at the warehouse. My external injuries were healed, and my burnt arm was almost as good as new, thanks to Yixing. But somehow, something is just... weird. There's something wrong, I just know.

There's no way I, Oh Sera, can ever feel weak and powerless literally. I'm a noble, I'm royalty. I can't. I literally can't.

But I knew that if I let slip this little fact to the boys, I wouldn't be able to tag along. Sehun and Yixing would definitely make me stay with Jongdae and Jieun, and as much as I wish to see my best friend awake (hopefully), I don't want to be helplessly waiting for reports about Oh Jaehyun.

"You are running late, children."

His voice travelled to our ears like the wind, soft, silent, and striking us when we least expect it.

"He expected us," Luhan muttered, his fists clenched, eyes flaring. "He knew we would come."

"It doesn't matter. We're here and now we're going to head in." I stood up, extending both hands to the boy who was still on the ground. He gripped my hands and got up, his arm circling my waist immediately. "Are you ready?"

I felt intense gazes on me and I knew my answer.

"Let's go."

[Sehun]

I gulped, mentally reminding myself to not breathe.

We moved together, grouping around Sera as Jongdae-hyung had told us to. "Take care of her. I have a feeling he's not done with our sister."

I shuffled silently behind her along the hallway, eyes keeping to the carpeted floor that was stained with something black. I dare not let my mind run wild, coming up with ridiculous assumptions as to what the dirt-looking substance might be.

The moment we stepped into the mansion, it was as though we've entered the wrong household.

The exterior of the mansion might look like our house, but the inside... It was nothing like what we've ever seen.

The walls were cracked, as though someone relentlessly throttled them with a sledgehammer, using every ounce of energy to break them down, to damage them in some way. The paintings that used to adorn the walls were torn, claw marks tearing through each one. Some lay strewn on dirty floor, footprints imprinted deeply on them.

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