Sharp eyes scanned the desolate streets of Ruk, Tao’s ears perked up, listening. There seemed to be something more than just the whipping of the wind against hollow buildings and overgrown, dried fields. The sound of Chen’s soft footfalls shortly behind him had misled Tao several times as they journeyed further to the center of town. There were more than his cat-like eyes staring into the open, gray air.

The doors to city hall clung to the walls, one ready to fall to the floor like a welcome mat. Almost without moving, Tao maneuvered Chen and himself against the near wall, slowly peering beyond the entrance and into the hall. There was only shattered glass and a few overturned tables, though one blocked his view. Eyes locked, Tao slowly made his way inside the building, Chen watching from the safe place just outside of the doors. Tao moved without making a sound, even the glass beneath his shoes refusing to utter a single cry under his weight.

The wind blew, and Tao’s eyes flinched as he saw movement in his peripheral vision. He turned, Chen running next door into the library. And then there was a crash.

Tao blasted the doors open, not sure what he expected to find. There, just inside, standing over a fallen bookshelf, was a tall, slender boy. Dark hair, angular face. Elegant. But it wasn’t this boy that left him without words. It was the blonde one standing just behind him, who seemed to blur in clear vision. Chen thought his eyes were a lot like Tao’s, the way he stared endlessly. The way it pierced through you.

“Leave.” Unable to look away from the boy who stood in a blur, Tao barely realized it was the darker haired one who spoke. He turned his gaze, staring him down. Hesitant.

The four of them stood like stone, eyes glancing back and forth at the other. The darker haired boy took a deep breath, raising his voice only so slightly. “I told you to leave, we don’t have anything for you to steal.”

“We don’t want anything from you,” Tao replied, barely blinking.

The boy raised a brow, turning to the blonde who still remained in some sort of double-vision that phased in and out. They said nothing. Not aloud, anyways.

“He’s a Force, isn’t he?” Tao finally said, Chen’s eyes suddenly wide, glancing back and forth betwen Tao and the boy. The blonde stepped back, never removing his eyes from Tao or Chen. His hands were balled into fists, and the double-vision only grew more and more intense around him.

The darker haired boy held an arm out in front of the blonde, voice relaxed. “Does that matter?”

“Not particularly, no. Just nice information to have.”

The boy waited before responding. “Names.”

“Tao.”

“Chen. We’re the Legends...”

The blonde’s body seemed to relax, the double vision calming, though the fire in his eyes never simmered. Only now did Chen realize how badly the blurry vision had been straining his eyes, and they watered up and winced in phantom pain.

“Is it just the two of you?”

“There are eight others,” Chen replied.

“Names,” Tao suddenly demanded.

The darker haired boy gave a slight smile, brows raised with a slight nod. Almost like he were laughing to himself. “Minhyun,” he answered softly, “This is my brother, Ren.”

Come to the train station!

It was a quiet call, but the four of them heard it nonetheless. Chen glanced at Tao, then back to Minhyun and Ren. Tao returned looks with Chen before turning towards the doors. “Feel free to follow.” He and Chen made their way outside, Minhyun twitching his head to the side, encouraging Ren to follow along.

The four of them made their way up the street and back towards the train station where the others were gathering. They piled through the double doors, running to the end of the lobby, Baekhyun and Sehun slowing to gaze at the mangled body and decapitated head that lay across the shattered glass. The doorway into the third office was crowded, so most of them waited just outside and peered over shoulders.

“Who’s this?” Suho muttered, eyes on Taeyong at the floor, one hand still cuffed to the desk. His teeth were bared, lips purplish-red from the merry-berries he’d eaten only moments ago.

“Jaejoong’s son. Taeyong,” D.O. explained, still looking at the boy. Thinking.

There was instantly commotion. “What do you mean Jaejoong’s son? He had a son?” Baekhyun exclaimed. Minhyun and Ren remained at the back of the group, listening intently on what was going on inside the crowd.

“So this is what we were coming here for, huh?” Lay mumbled.

“What’s this kid gonna be so useful for?” Sehun asked, almost disinterested.

Taeyong glared at each of them, tongue picking between his teeth, greasy hair hanging in his face. “Uncuff my other hand,” he demanded of D.O., never looking away from the others that stared down at him. D.O. didn’t respond.

Kai made his way over to the boy, hand rested on his own shoulder in place of crossing his arms. “Jaejoong wasn’t lying when he said he’d be just as useful. Kid is a Necromancer. You saw his work in the lobby, I’m sure.”

“Necromancer?” Baekhyun’s voice was barely a breath.

“I don’t need my other hand uncuffed to fight you ers,” Taeyong growled, body tensing up even further than it had been before.

“Your father led us here, what the is your problem?” Sehun replied.

Taeyong put his middle finger up at them with crazy eyes and a crooked grin. “ all of you.” His voice was pleasant, ironically. “As if I don’t know how you lot at the Capitol feel about Necromancers and Mediums. You think I ing cuffed myself to this desk?”

Suho stepped forward, eyes prying and arms crossed. “Who did?”

~  ~

His wrists were crushed beneath firm, solid hands, heart pounding fiercely against his chest as he fought to breathe. An invisible force clenched around his neck. He couldn’t scream for help even if he wanted to. Tears welled in his eyes, body growing weaker and weaker as the two of them dragged him away from the light and to someplace very, very dark. Dark and stifling.

When he awoke, he realized they’d forced him in a box, only the smallest holes carved to allow for oxygen. Trying to cry out, Taeyong realized the bruising in his throat left him without a voice and in intense pain and his hands had been handcuffed. Instead of fighting, he listened.

“You don’t think we killed him already, did we?” he heard one voice say. He tried to look out one of the holes, though quickly realized they’d thrown a tarp over the crate.

“Nah, he’s still alive. I just heard his cuffs clink only a few seconds ago.” A short silence. “Grand Master Soo Man has other plans for him. He can’t die in a box, though I’d prefer to do away with him like this.”

“Right, he wants him at the bottom of Dragonfire Ocean.”

“Damn it, Kangin, your memory is impeccable!”

“Shut up,” Kangin sneered. “You just enjoy being a ruthless , don’t you, Heechul? No wonder you’re the go-to guy for this .”

Taeyong heard the sounds of Heechul shifting his weight in the seat. He was suddenly aware of the sound of the train speeding against the tracks. They must have been headed to Ruk Station, it was the closest stop from the Capitol to Dragonfire Ocean.

“I’m the best at it, what can I say? Besides, nothing good comes from Forces that deal in the dead. Best to dispose of them when their young, right? Like they used to do way back when in ancient times or whatever. Throw them off cliffs if they were sickly,” Heechul explained, letting his heel kick the box Taeyong sat in. Helpless.

Kangin changed the subject. “What do you think of the Forces like Taemin, then?”

“Probably a bunch of horse. Kid’s been on some end-of-the-world tangent for like two weeks. Nothing’s happened so far, we’re gonna be fine. Grand Master is just so far up his because he has a hard-on for Clairvoyance. He just doesn’t understand the prowess of Telekinetic abilities yet.”

“You’re biased,” Kangin scoffed.

“Shut up and go to sleep, I’ll wake your grimy up once we get to the station.”

~  ~

He was lifted out of the crate by his hair, tossed to the floor, his face meeting with the edge of the desk and scraping the bridge of his nose. Kangin recuffed him to the desk this time, Heechul still blasting punches into him with his Force.

“The next train doesn’t come for another few hours, so we get to sit and have fun for a while. How does that sound?” Heechul grinned, kicking Taeyong’s feet.

Taeyong tried so hard to cry out, but the bruising on his throat refused to allow for it. His lips quivered, eyes tearing again. “Please, stop,” he mouthed, voice a ragged breath.

“You sound a little thirsty, but I really don’t wanna ruin your dinner. You’ll get all the water you can handle and then some, so just sit tight,” Heechul kicked him again, then sent another punch of Telekinetic Force into his gut.

Kangin made his way out the office door, leaving Taeyong and Heechul alone, much to the boy’s dismay. They were both sick s, but Kangin wasn’t nearly as cruel as Heechul. He couldn’t imagine anyone worse.

The room fell silent for a moment, Taeyong focused on Heechul with watery eyes and a sore body. He sat there in fear, helpless. In too much pain to call upon his own Force to save him.

Heechul circled around Taeyong at the floor. “I honestly hate Forces like you, kid. You’re too unpredictable and honestly the dead have no business in the living realm. I mean, you’re an abomination! Literally an insult to the life the Tree has given us!” He stopped, and then changed direction as he continued to circle the boy. “And you see, there it is. When we die, we go back to the Tree, but you would no sooner bring them back. Do you think you’re God, kid? Do you think you know better than the Tree?”

Taeyong could only sob, voice still gone to him. The longer Heechul spoke, the more he anticipated more abuse. More pain that he wasn’t sure his frail body could handle.

“I enjoy getting rid of trash like you. Did you know, I was one of the Forces that killed your father and your two uncles? This is beautiful, really. Like divine intervention!” With that, he landed another swing at Taeyong, his head swinging to the side and lip now split open and bleeding. Then another swing in the other direction and blood pooling from his nose. A kick to the gut.

Finally, Heechul knelt over, grabbing Taeyong by the roots of his hair, pulling hard and holding his head as though in a vice to look at him, their faces inches apart. Taeyong only looked at him with one eye, the other now swollen and bruised. “You know something,” he began, eyes wild and looking over Taeyong in amazement, “Grand Master only wants you at the bottom of the ocean, but that doesn’t mean I can’t kill you before we go! Though now, I’m not sure which I prefer.”

Heechul’s grip grew even tighter in Taeyong’s hair, the blood from his nose dripping down into his lips and smearing over his teeth. He wasn’t ready to die.

The door swung open, sirens sounding from the center of town shortly after. “Heechul, you gotta come out here!” Kangin yelled. “It’s like the Gates of Hell have opened up out here!” Kangin left the room, shutting the door behind.

“What the ?” Heechul thought, dropping Taeyong’s head from his grip as he stood, eyes still on the door. The sirens grew louder and louder, and suddenly screaming could be heard in the near distance. “I’ll be back to deal with you.” Heechul stepped outside next, shutting the door again. The door had barely closed when a large shadow had overtaken him, knocking him to the floor and dousing out his screams in a matter of moments. Whatever it was, it had killed Heechul, and Taeyong prayed it didn’t get past that office door.