Prologue
A Second Chance

            The glare of the spotlights made good work of blinding the both of them and Wooyoung found himself staring at the dull gray of the prison floor just to try and stay focused. It was strange really; he had already given up on any idea of ever seeing the upper world again, he looked over to his right to the other man who had been drug up alongside him. 

            Did Chansung understand what was going on here?

            The tense set of his shoulders showed that the younger man was just as confused to the reason why they had been taken out of holding. Wooyoung blinked once, twice, against the haziness the slew of drugs they force fed them in the prisons before just closing his eyes and giving up. It was useless to try and fight against what the wardens did to keep them docile and powerless. Wooyoung sighed and faced forward again, whatever they had been pulled back up here for, he just intended to wait it out. Maybe he was lucky and they’d finally decided to kill them both off to make room for new prisoners—Wooyoung took the thought with a calm acceptance. He wasn’t going to last much longer anyway, not with his seal in place, he felt a bit bad about Chansung though; the kid still had a good amount of life left in him.  

            There was a sudden shift in the air around him that spoke of magic and Wooyoung’s consciousness fluttered between alert and cloudy before finally just giving out. A few moments later, give or take, he jerked awake and found himself immobile. 

            “These two—they’ll make up the rest of your team.” A voice suddenly announced and his eyes snapped in its direction to see the spotlights had died down and a group of strange people had entered the room. They were all in the uniforms of the Empire, so Wooyoung knew they were government officials. For a moment he jerked his gaze around disoriented, they were suddenly in a whole new room and Chansung was gurgling through painful breaths—he must have shot his mouth off again, poor kid, he wasn't as weak as Wooyoung so the use of magic wouldn't have knocked him out as easily. Wooyoung felt a detached sort of pity as he watched a line of crimson slide from the younger man’s nose and drip red dots against the tile. They were both strapped to chairs now. They must have been transported and it had happened within a blink of an eye, such was the power of the Empire's men.

            “Jang Wooyoung—former 3rd Letaire of Empire Core imprisoned for unregulated distribution of wartime rations to an enemy.” The man in front, leading the group, read off without emotion. Wooyoung clenched his fist, these were the words that had damned him, how could this man speak them so calmly? It did war with his emotions. “…and Hwang Chansung, former 2nd Letaire of Empire Core, imprisoned for the murder of Head Researcher Hwang Jihyun.” Chansung made a noise meant to sound like protest, but he was muted by a wave of the man's hand, wincing in pain as a coil of dark energy constricted his throat and sent him into another coughing fit.

            There was a tapping of feet as another figure stepped forward, a tall, giant of a young man that drew Wooyoung’s attention instantly. Ok Taecyeon, poster boy for the Empire, and his former captain, it was like seeing a ghost.

            “Yes sir.” He spoke and locked eyes with Wooyoung. “I’ll use them to their fullest.”

            Wooyoung didn’t know it at first, but they were the sweetest words he would ever hear, words of freedom, no matter how temporary it would prove to be.