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Training was hard and exhausting.

They were to train every day until the very edge of their powers, where the instructors would regularly check on them, taking precautions to make sure that no one accidentally burst to flames upon draining themselves.

Sooyun learned many different ways to control the earth. She learnt to take control of pieces of the earth, to harden them, to soften them, to use them as detectors, and many more things. She learned tricks, too, like how to make traps, or even to hide herself underground.

Apprentices were only allowed to go home once every year for exactly 20 days, and this year Sooyun had made sure the Oh family told Sehun to take his leave at the same days as Sooyun, for it had been slightly more than 3 years since Sooyun last saw Sehun and, oh, how she missed her dear friend for they were trained under different roof.

The day finally came and there stood Sehun, with his back to her, standing on the exact same place where their powers had first been stirred to exixtance. He was wearing a black long sleeved shirt, definitely too hot for the summer weather, a pair of matching black trousers, and a pair of brown loafers. The young boy sure grew, for his figure was unlike how she remembered them. He is now much taller, thinner, and his shoulders wider. But it was no mistaking that the lad right there is Oh Sehun, for who else would be allowed to visit the river behind her own house. An idea came to her and she stopped her pace 10 yards away from him, making the least sound possible. She gathered her strength and focuses her mind to the ground below Sehun’s feet.

Sehun felt the wind around him change as someone was running towards him and he smiled, for he knew that he would finally be able to see his best friend again after all this troublesome training. But then he felt her stop a few yards behind him and he knew she was planning something. He focused his mind on the air around her.

“YAAAA!!! OH SEHUN!! PUT ME DOWN!!!” he heard a familiar voice scream from behind and immediately he laughed, for he was faster in tricking her than her to him. He turned his head, ready to start calling her names again for being slow in tricking, for not realizing how much stronger he is now.

His lips, however, was left open as soon as he turned around and saw who he knew as Kim Sooyun, for she is now a beautiful young lady. She is thinner, but the healthy kind of thin, her face didn’t change much, but somehow she looked beautiful, so beautiful in his eyes. She was wearing a white sleeveless summer dress that hung just above her knees, with a beige coloured strap around her waist, hugging her figure perfectly. She had her black wavy hair sway behind her thanks to his own wind, and flying a meter above the ground with her arms spread wide beside her, Sehun found the most angelic scene he had ever seen in his 17 years of life.

He hurriedly hid his surprise and tried to sound as haughty as he can. “You’re slow. I see the earth has put some weight on you, huh?” he managed.

“Shut up and put me down, windy boy.”

“Windy boy? I’ll take that as a compliment, thank you very much.”

“I’m asking you one last time, blower. Put me down!” she growled.

“Or what?!”

“Or this!!” a smirk crept up her lips as the fellow in front of her suddenly felt a strong pull under his feet, the ground under him opens up just enough for him to fall, before closing again when he is waist deep underground.

“Very funny, Sooyun. Very funny” Sehun growled back at the laughing female. “Now pull me back up or I will not let you down.”

“Nu-uh, let me down first before I release you.”

“You know, I could take control all the air around you and you won’t be able to breathe properly,” Sehun threatens her.

“And you know I could pull you deeper to the ground and suffocate you,” she formed a sly smile.

“Tch, whatever. Only because I’m a gentleman,” Sehun huffed and stopped all energy around her, making her fall to the ground first.

“Gentleman, my ,” she scoffed and shot him a death glare before pulling Sehun even deeper to the ground.

“YA SOOYUN! Let me go!” Sehun had to admit, he panicked as he is by now only left with his neck above the ground.

“Apologize for dropping me like that,” she squatted in front of the male’s head, teasingly patting him like a little kid.

“No way,” he shook her hand off.

“Okay, then,” she stood and start to walk away, leaving Sehun sinking deeper ever so slowly.

“I know you won’t kill me, Sooyun-ah,” Sehun tried his best to sounded confident, but Sooyun can hear his voice tremble a bit.

“Oh really?” she said without even turning her head. “Well, as a matter of fact, I won’t kill you, Sehun-ssi. But let me test my powers for a moment, will you?”

“Uh?”

And before Sehun even process what she meant, she raised her hands and a moment later, Sehun found himself waist deep in quicksand. Then, a few swears and protests later, he was 10 meters over the ground, with the support of a stone pole just as wide as his feet. Before he could gain balance, Sooyun pulled down the pole, leaving him in the air. Sehun was just in time to make the wind slow his fall so he didn’t hit the ground, but gracefully landed on his feet instead.

“Show off,” both of them muttered at the same time, before laughing their heart out and went to embrace each other in a hug.

*

Days upon days in their short getaway passed quickly. They would spend every day talking and teasing each other, sometimes they would have a duel with each other, just a friendly duel, helping each other’s power grew.

It was only 5 days before their holiday is over when she first heard about Sehun’s best friend.

“You know, I have a friend back in my place. He’s a great guy, and I think he likes me. Well, not in THAT kind of like, but you know, like he’s sort of my fan, I guess?” he said as they sat beside the riverbank, enjoying the light afternoon breeze.

“Oh really? A fan?” she asked sarcastically.

“Yeah, really. His name is Kim Jongin, he’s our age, too, and his power is teleportation,”

“Teleportation? Whoa, I wish I could teleport…” her eyes wondered to the distance.

“Oh trust me, you wouldn’t want to,” Sehun shivered as he remembered how ugly the feeling of teleportation was. “I’ve tried it once. He insisted upon teleporting me with him, and I ing felt like throwing up. I don’t even know if my insides are still at their right positions thanks to him. And it was only a meter from our original position!!” he put his hands over his abdomen upon the memory.

“Never again I said yes to him offering me teleportation. Though I think he can now brought someone as far as 10 meters without any body parts missing.”

“Ha! You’re mean!” she teased.

“Yeah, whatever. He would ask me to be his partner every time we got some sort of group assignments. Doesn’t it bother you if someone does that to you?”

“Well, it depends on who it is. If it’s you, then I would never say yes! Ever!”

“Oh, look who’s mean now.  Actually, Jongin isn’t actually a bad kid himself, for he is the hardest working trainee I have ever heard of. You’ve heard the story of a young trainee that didn’t listen to the supervisor’s warning and almost combust for training till 4am in 3 days straight? Yeah, that’s him,” Sehun continued, unconsciously smiling to himself, proud to have a friend like Jongin.

“Oohh, what is this, Oh Sehun? Do you like him too? Huh, I’ve never knew your preferences were like this, Sehun-ah!”

“Whaatt?! No way, i like girls, okay. Excluding you, that is! Ha!” he stuck his tongue out, teasing her, which results in a quicksand beneath him.

“OI! Stop it!” he complained and she hardened the earth again, laughing at Sehun who hates having his clothes dirtied by her tricks. “Dirt girl,” Sehun muttered again, this time gaining an angry glare from Sooyun.

“Anyways, he was hardworking, which results in him getting superb grades in almost everything, and he was kind enough to let me learn from him," Sehun continued. "We usually matched well and we joked about a lot of things together. That is, after I pulled him out of the library he’s been hiding in for the whole first year. He’s such a geek. And a shy one too. But don’t let him deceive you, for he would turn 180° when engaged in a battle. Tch, that little devil,” Sehun finished his story.

“Hm, he seemed to be an interesting one,” she smiled, happy to know that Sehun got someone from his place that can help him went through hard times. “I wanna meet him someday.”

“Maybe you will. Let’s just hope that we would be in the same training camp next year,”

“Yeah, finally! A real battle ground next year!” she was enthusiastic, for sitting in class and doing nothing but listening to lectures about how different powers affect each other has never been her forte.

Each apprentice were to learn in class with only few on-field classes each week before they were tested after their 3^rd year, deciding if they can continue to a full year of field training. If they pass, then they would be placed on training camps, where different apprentices from different places would meet and practice their powers on field. They would battle each other, or on special occasions, they can have a combat against their senior and instructors. Training camps provide the place and equipment to train their skills, not just their original powers, but also other skills needed in a true battle. Perhaps one can learn how to use a bow, or how to fight with a sword, or even learn how to survive in a deserted island with limited supplies.

*

Little did any of them know that they would eventually end up meeting on the same training camp. Upon hearing the news, Sehun felt like the luckiest trainee, for he had his childhood best friend and his teenage best friend together with him for a full year. That feeling, however, didn’t last too long.

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Letting out a relieved sigh, both of them stood up after finally being able to catch their breaths and looked around them. The whole room turned black from burns, windows shattered, and walls were on the verge of crumbling down. The wooden chairs and tables were still on fire. The space is in an even more mess than it already was before Luhan bursts.

“Sehun-ah, can you take care of things here? I need to go check on Jongin,” Sooyun asked her companion with the widest smile plastered on her face.

“Oh, okay. Sure,” Sehun forced a smile.

And that was her mistake: for letting her guard down, for not being careful.

She was walking to reach the door on the opposite side of the room by walking near the wall to keep her balance. She didn’t realize someone entered the room when they were laughing, she didn’t remember that Luhan’s war cry had attracted everyone to their room, and she didn’t realize that is was a signal, a signal of warning to their leader, a sign that their leader is going to act soon.

She had only taken two steps away from Sehun when she heard Sehun shout her name.

“SOOYUN!!  LOOK OUT!!”

She took a glimpse of the shooter. He was who she recognized as Tao, the leader’s little brother that controls the time. Then, she shut her eyes for she knew it was the end of her.

However, instead of the bullet, Sooyun felt a pair of hands pushed her from behind, making her fall to the ground.

For a second, Sooyun’s vision blurred before they finally focused on the image before her: Oh Sehun, her best friend, her companion, her teammate, leaning against the wall, his head and shoulders pressed against the half collapsing partition with blood flowing from his head.

The bullet never hit her, nor did it ever hit the wall.

“NO! NO!! SEHUN!! WHT DID YOU DO THAT?? DAMN IT!!” she rushed to hold him.

Strength and life were draining from Sehun’s body along with the blood flowing from over his temple. Sehun was looking straight at Soooyun’s eyes, his lips slightly parted, gasping for air. He then gathered his strength and forced a smile. His body slid down, slowly, as his feet lose their ability to support his weight.

Then, another gunshot.

She was prepared for her life, but when she heard a thud from where Tao stands, he knew someone from her team had come and shot him down. She turned to see a face she long for most, her love, her world, her soon to be husband.

Kai, or who they knew better as Kim Jongin.