It always starts the same. In the beginning, he will be walking the halls and the grounds of the university like it was the most natural thing in the world. Then he feels someone walking along with him, but it does not feel wrong. Yes, he was walking side by side with someone very important to him. It was all sunshine and happiness and he is laughing, that feeling of inexplicable joy in the pit of his stomach. He walks and he sees this castle. He knows that this is the covenant’s quarters and he steps in. He sees people he recognizes and not then he is led to somewhere below.

He remembers thinking that this is a prison. And someone captures him, a quick pull from his side and he wakes up. He opens his eyes and he is staring at his ceiling and grasping his sheets. 

It was always the same and he wonders if it will ever go away.

“ You’re awake,” it was a statement and he shifts in his bed to see Taemin staring at him. The boy was not in his best days these past few days. He knew it has something to do with Minho and this quest that they have to do. His eyes lost its spark. He sleeps more and he gets tired easily.

“ Yeah- You alright? I told you, you should go to the hospital. You look Pale.” He offers but Taemin just shrugs as if it did not matter. Ofcourse. Nothing matters now.

“ I feel tired, but its just the finals. I guess,” he tells him and Key accepts that as an answer.

“ right! I will kill myself if this week doesn’t end! Good thing, Jino and i will have a celebration after all of these.” He exclaims as he gets out of his bed and looks at himself in the mirror, pretending to look at himself. The truth is, he is observing Taemin and he looks like he will pass out. Key fishes out a bottle of vitamins from his cabinet and tosses it to him.

“ vitamin overdose may be the cure,” He states and taemin pops two pills.

“ You think? Im not even getting those black outs and visions. But, my body- it’s like-” He pauses for a moment and thinks about it. He wants to say something and admit out loud what he suspected from the very beginning but he could not be defeated. He will fight. And Minho? He shakes the thoughts away and tried his best to stand up and act perky.

“ that’s good then right? You think Taeyeon is like- leaving your body?” key says hopefully but Taemin just smiles.

“ i think its the complete opposite.”

Taemin enters the bathroom and sighs. Ofcourse, its the other way around. He is the one leaving. His body is being consumed by Taeyeon. Sooner or later, like the Oracle in the cave of the covenant- he will be a statue, a non-living thing. A vessel with no heart and mind of its own.

He is dying.

He bites back his tears and he could still hear the words that TOP told him. It was something that they have been researching eversince he turned up in the picture. Minho refused to believe it and after all, They have Yoogeun right? He can cure him. But it was all part of a prophecy they are all talking about. And in reality, he was not really DYING. He was being reborn into someone, no- something else.

He thinks about his family.

His friends.
His life and all those dreams he made for his future.

And most of all, Minho. Ironic. It was ironic that it was Minho who made him realize who he was and in the end, it was him and the covenant that will lead him to his death.

The water hits his face and he closes his eyes. He will not be defeated. He will live.

=================

TOP paces the corridors as he listens for any noise that may indicate his arrival. He had been waiting for quite some time, really. His finals back in the university is not important and all too easy for him. He would rather stay here and wait for his turn to talk to the new “face” of the covenant. But he knew that no one will be as good and compassionate as Eric. Eric, who refused to be no other than a human being. What he liked about the man is that he knew what power he possesed but he will give it all up just to prove his humanity.

To others, it was viewed as weakness and perhaps the reason for his demise but for him, it was a dispaly of courage that no one in that entire palace could have.

They were all shadows of their abilities. If it weren’t for it, they will be normal human beings who wouldn’t know what to do with their lives.

“ You may come in.” He hears the voice from the secretary and he offers a small smile. The room is entirely different. Eric preferred the aura of a home, with tacky curtains and sofas. Bookshelves and yellow lights, with a fireplace on the center. But it was all ripped out. This new room is all white, he was even afraid to step in. He looked around and there he was, The new Face of the covenant, Leeteuk. He’d heard about him and if there is one information he learned, it was this: He must not be trusted.

Clearing his throat, the man turns around and smiles at him in recognition. His dimples deepen and his brown hair reflected the light.

“ ah- TOP!” He calls out fondly and the latter comes close, not sitting down.

“ I have been told that my room is intimidating,” the man comments and TOP loosens a bit.

“ it is- all this white. I am not used to something this pure.”

“ Really? I guess that is correct for all of us here, we hide in the dark. In this palace, behind our covenant.” He replies and stands up, handing a file over to TOP.

“ what is this?” he asks, as he flipped through the file. It was titled: “cure” and it talked about something, some sort of disease that can eradicate humans. More like, a plague. There were isolated cases before and the known survivors were members of the covenant. He recognized a name, Dong Youngbae. One of the elements, Earth. But he is dead. Isn’t he?

“ interesting, isn’t it? ” Leeteuk says and waits for TOP to respond.

“ It is, but i don’t think it should be called a “cure” this thing is a massacre. ”

“ remember the quest i told you to prepare for? ” TOP remembers and he braces himself.

“ ofcourse, i was told to prepare my team. ”

Leeteuk smiles, “ and are they ready? Especially that Onew kid, he is very powerful.”
“ We are ready. And as for onew, he needs time- too many things happened to him in the past and -” TOP was cut off with Leeteuk smiling again, but he had the feeling was the smile was not for amusement. It was sinister, the smile was more of- shut-up-right –now-or-i-will-shut-it-for-you-myself type.

“ I see, but he knows his responsibilities for the covenant, surely.”

“we all do. And we are all ready for this quest, Me- Jino, jonghyun, GD, Minho and onew” he replied confidently. This is his team, eversince he started to be a leader. He knew them all very well. Their powers and personal life. It was like a family and he could not ask for a better team.

“ How about, Taemin and Key?” Leeteuk pouted and flicked a switch to turn on the fireplace. It was not even that cold.

“ They cannot be in this quest, they are outsiders. ”

“ oh. but Taemin can see the future right? He’s Taeyeon’s vessel. I have met the girl and i know that a talent like hers is valuable.” He answered back.

“ but they are not trained well enough, Taemin is not feeling well. I have seen him, he is weak- he goes to yoogeun to be cured once a week but it does not help.” TOP retaliates. They cannot drag those two in this again. Though they are part of the covenant, he knows that they were only in this by chance and accident. They know no other way. TOP was not a believer of destiny, he believed in choices and a man should be able to make up his own mind.

“ Tell this to Taemin, tell him that sooner or later, Taeyeon will leave take over his body and that will not be wise. Its a complicated process-really, He can die,” he said nonchalantly .

“ NO ONE WILL DIE. ” TOP replied firmly,

“ we are at war boy, there will be sacrifices,” leeteuk offered.

“ Not if i can help it. We will find a way for Taeyeon’s soul to be separated. What they’ve done before had gone horribly wrong.”

“ I like your optimism, but i want those two on the team.”

“ Fine. ” TOP gritted his teeth and wanted nothing more that to get out of this room.

“ You may leave, i need you to go here at the first day of summer. You need further instructions,”

TOP nods his head and quickly makes his way out.. the air outside is cooler and he quickly picks up his phone. He types a message to all s for a meeting then closes his eyes. He had a feeling that the apocalypse was not yet over. Though Yoogeun is in their custody. And Minah is on a safe house abroad, it seems like the worst is yet to come. He cannot shake the feeling away. He remembers all those men before him, Eric and the Professor. They are long gone and all his decisions must be his own.

His days as a boy has officially ended.
==========

“ Hyung, how are you feeling ? ” He can’t believe that a six year old will be asking him this. It was supposed to be the other way round, is it? Yoogeun is the one hiding in this house with private tutors and a foster family. Shouldn’t he be the one asking? But as he looked at his face in the mirror, he was looking better.

“ Fantastic, because of you. ” he kissed him on the cheek and the young boy giggled in delight.

“ Mom said, if i can finish my homewrk, we will go to the zoo.”

“ then start now! I can help you,” Taemin offered as he read the books infront of him. Yoogeun is lucky, a couple from the covenant volunteered to adopt him and guard him as well. He’d been going here for healing, once a week and it helped alot. But ultimately, he knew that he cannot control what will happen. Sooner or later, he will be gone and taeyeon will resurface.

“ Minho is here!” he heard the boy scream and he looked up, only to see minho gazing at him with worry written all over his face. Yoogeun rushed to minho and he was carried away, Yoogeun is a fan of minho, without a doubt. Who wouldn’t? The man was a total sports junkie and all the little boy wanted was to shoot a slamdunk.

“ finish your homework first, then we will play basketball.” He promised and the younger man beamed, taking his things with him and moving to another table. Taemin pretended that he was fixing yoogeun’s things. Three days. 3 days and he hasn’t returned any calls or texts from Minho. He could not face him now. What would he say, really?

“are you going to ignore me all day?” Minho says coolly and Taemin refuses to speak up. Maybe if he keeps this up long enough, Minho will get tired and go to his quest.

“ Look, whatever it is. I am here to listen, i thought we talked about this- Im here for you.”

“ I don’t need you. ” Taemin cuts in and he stops fixing the books. He stands up and turns to leave, but Minho is following him closely.

“ That’s bull! ” he seethed. “ You need me, and I need you. I came here, I have you three days to ignore me, i thought maybe if i gave you the space, you can actually grow up and think straight.” He retorted but Taemin had enough of it all.

“ I AM TRYING! I am trying to be rational despite all of this. I am. I really am, but everytime i wake up i feel weaker. I am fading away.”

Minho holds his hand, permanently stopping him from walking away any further.

“ You cannot do this alone, you have me. You have us.”

“ NO. Look what happened to Key. ” He wailed. It always came down to that. What-happened-to-key. He was too afraid to be as desperate as his friend was. The truth was not known to him but there was something that happened, that led his friend to that decision. Although everything seemed fine now, the truth will always come back to hunt Key. It was only a matter of time. And what about him? What if he dies? There is no going back.

“It was his decision, you can decide as well-”

“ NO! I CAN’T. Taeyeon is taking over my body and there is nothing that i can do about it. I have no choice. No alternative, i am stuck with this horrid- horrid fate! ” He spat out and tugged his arm away. He flinched from the pain but he does not care. He needs to run away.

“ so, she’s doing it, ” he answers.

“ yes, she is! That sick Girl who decided to break her soul and leave it somwhere, so that one innocent kid can be her vessel.” Taemin said. He no longer cared that Minho loved Taeyeon or if she as a sweet little girl before. All that matters is that, he is dying and he had all the right to be angry at anyone who caused it. Not matter how pure there intentions were.

“ Taeyeon meant well, you know that, she does not want us to rely on an oracle who does not seem to care anymore. ”

“ I DON’T CARE! I am dying for sake! I can say anything i want- and for all i know, you want me dead don’t you? ”Taemin laughed bitterly, his gaze never leaving minho’s. “ I bet that’s what you all want, for me to die – so you can have your perfect taeyeon back! ”

He felt a sharp pain on his cheek in a moment and it dawned on him that Minho slapped him.

“ you could have punched me, you moron.” He cursed. All this hate, all this desperation in him were suddenly all out. The man infront of him is not the Minho he loved. No. The man infront of him will be a distant and painful memory when he dies.

“ punch you? And what? You are deathly pale if not for yoogeun, i can’t let you bleed or harm you. I just need to wake you up!” Minho explained, “ Where was the hopeful Taemin i found before? That kid who did not care that the whole dance team wanted him to fail? ”

“ This is different, ”

“ it’s not! It’s the same, i need you to hope. I need you to fight for it,”

His plea almost got through but Taemin was not having any of it. He knows what happened, the last time they tried

“ i need some time alone. ” he replied finally.

“ don’t give up. Please. ” Minho said once more but Taemin continued walking. He wanted to dissapear.

======

Onew stared at the file and continued reading. He did not like this at all, if this cure falls in the wrong hands then they cannot stop it anymore. Feeling someone’s gaze on him, he turns his head to see Jino looking at him, hovering on the ceiling.

“ glaring won’t kill me. ” he says in a flat tone and TOP sniggers.

“ he’ll get over it, don’t worry. ” Jonghyun says and calls Jino to come down.

“ i won’t get over it, as jonghyun says. We should all give back Key’s memories.” Jino suggests. It was always like this for him. He spends alot of time with key and he notices that there are times that the boy clearly wants to remember. And with his personality, he can handle it. That moment after the battle, it was a moment of vulnerability.

“ He chose that for himself.” Onew replied. He is tired of this. He is the only one who was there with Key. They were concerned, he knows that. He really does. But it gave them no excuse to harass him like this.

“ did he?” Jino came down and walked over to onew, but TOP was having none of it.

“ stop with this childish arguments,”

“ childish?” Jino exclaimed, “ someone had their memories of us, erased. We swore to protect him, didn’t we? Didn’t you Onew? And what did you do? You stripped him of who he was.”

The words hit him like ice and suddenly, he needed to get out. This place, he considered his home felt so foreign. The quest, Jino’s indifference and the truth about Key. His father- it was piled up in his head. Onew closed his eyes, he remembers this. Count to ten and breathe.

“ will you stop it jino?! For god sake! The man has aloy in his plate, and YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE HIS FRIEND! HIS BROTHER.” Thankfully, Jonghyun cut in.

“ I AM, I am his brother- we are a part of the covenant, i did not forget, but as his brother, i ahev the right to tell him if he screws up. And what he did, it was royally screwed.”

“ It was Key’s decision, ” jonghyun supplied. “ He wanted to go there, The oracle granted it. Jino, the oracle- one that has not worked for centuries, granted Key’s wish. Don’t you think that’s proof that this should happen?”

Jino was silenced and TOP found his opening to speak.

“ I will not let you fight like eight year olds. We will go on a quest this summer and i don’t want you at each other’s throats. Do you understand? ”

No one said anything, TOP repeated, “ do you understand?”

“ crystal.” Jonghyun replied.

“ yes,” onew breathed out.

“ yes. And sorry onew.” Jino said meekly.

Onew gave a sigh of relief. He cannot lose them. They are the only ones keeping him sane. The meeting is over so he decides to go to his room and get ready. He is supposed to have dinner with Luna. Luna. He does not know why he agreed when she said they should try again. Perhaps it was because he desperately needed something normal in his life.

Opening his door, he is surprised to find someone lying there, asleep.

Key.

He remembers that Jino told him he can sleep anywhere. They had a mini celebration awhile ago, consisting of making pizza and watching a movie. It’s fairly early, 7pm .

Key stirred and onew quickly looked away, looking at his closet instead and picking out what he should wear. He hears the other boy sit up.

“ oh, im sorry i crashed in here.. this bed is really- -- ”

“ I know. ” Onew answered back. He wanted as little communication as possible.

“ you going somewhere?” and suddenly, key is behind me. Close. Too close if you ask him. He takes out a navy blue polo from the rack and hands it to him. “ i don’t know how i remember, but i have a feeling that i liked it when you wear this.”

Onew froze. He remembers?
“ oh, sorry if i freaked you out. ” Key walked away and sat back down on the bed again, fixing his hair.

“ not, its okay. So, you do remember?” he asks.

“ Im not entirely sure if its memories or if i made them up.” His voice was broken and onew’s heart sank. It was one thing to not know who you are and struggle. But it was far worse to want to know a part of your life that important, events that changed him. But he cannot remember any of it.

“ personally, i think they are your memories. ” he offered, smiling at him. Key seemed to believe this and he turned and looked at him.

“ can you tell me your fondest memory of me?”

His question caught him off guard.

“ i asked taemin, jino, top and jonghyun, they gave me different answers. I remembered somen of what they said, like- i know it was possible and its quite nice to hear.”

Onew was silent , what would he say? When he thought of key, all he remembered was that night in the cave. It was not something that he can tell him now.

“ Im happy, i really am. But i have this feeling, that these things i forgot are important. The doctor said it was because of the accident, the covenant explained it as well. But- ” he bit his lip in deep concentration and started speaking again, “ whatever it was, it changed me. Didn’t it? It made me who i am, and i want to remember- so that i know why im fighting. Why im still living.”

“ sometimes, you don’t really need a reason,” onew commented and key eyed him.

“ what do you mean? We all have a purpose in life, ” key argued.

“ YES. I think we all do, but im not the type who will look for it. I think, that type of things- they come to you when you least expect it. ”

Key smiled, “ stop avoiding my question! Come on! When was the first time you met me? ”

“ at a library. ” onew said,

“ that’s boring! Were we studying? ” Key sulked.

“ it was far from boring. ” onew smiled as he remembered.

“ really? Im not a library person, maybe taemin dragged me there that day or something”

“perhaps,” he replied and proceeded to take his clothes and get out.

“onew! What happened?” he whined.

“i saved your life. ”
======================

Leeteuk liked the white paint of his office. He loved the feeling of power and most of all, he was absolutely inlove with what was happening to the world. He is not really a part of the covenant. No bloodlines. No aunts and uncles who were great heroes before him. He was a bastard, a son of no one in particular. A lost soul that was adopted. But he is far more superior after all. His blood was from the ancient beings that started the covenant.

He had the blood of an Angel.

Smiling, he takes a sip of wine and gazed at the skyline.

It was not pretty, no. The cure is out there and everyone wanted it. Not only the covenant or the resistance, everyone wanted it for themselves. Who wouldn’t? The thing with humans is that they pretend to like all this wonderful and beautiful things but deep inside, what their heart desired was something horrific. They want to own something terrifying just to prove that they are powerful. That they can withstand anything. Tragedy unites everyone and in time, if they weren’t quick. Every human will die together. United.

Tempting. The idea of a world full of super humans was so delicious as it rolled of his tongue. But he could not make a mistake that his forefathers did. Rebellion against the Lord, and in turn, they now lie in hell. He would not. No matter how tempting it is.

“ someone wants to see you,” a female voice spoke on the phone.

“who?”

“ kim keybum,”

Interesting. He thought. “let him in.”

He studied the boy closely and motioned for him to seat.

“ its late, please be quick. ”

“ i need access- clearance to my files. ”

Leeteuk maintained a straight face. This is just so amusing. Ofcourse, he knows what happened that night. But there is still one big question in his head.

“ do you know who your secret keeper is? ”

“my what?” he sounds stunned. He does not remember any secret keeper. Did he give that task to someone before the accident?

“ you must know that you have been a member of the covenant before the accident.”

“ Yes, i know. That moment when the team was introduced, i had a feeling i knew them before. From a long time ago. ”

Leeteuk switched off the fireplace and looked at him again, “ you see, no power can trump the human instinct. So- you don’t know who your secret keeper is.”

“ yes- and, i know this loooks stupid, i feel stupid,” he says, a matter of factly. “ but, what does a secret keeper do? Aside from the obvious. ”

“ well, he is the only one who has access to your history, he can keep it from you if he sees fit. He holds your memory, your life, prett much.”

“ who will i trust with my life?” he exclaims.

“ I happen to know yours, your secret kepper that is and its up to you to convince him. But i don’t think he will allow you. ” Leeteuk chuckled,

“ who? And is that possible? To never look at the file. ”

“ every member of the covenant do not look at their file. Its the fear of the past, or what the members of the covenant discovered. As they say boy, Ignorance is bliss. But you seem to want otherwise. ”

“ i do, but- why won’t you want to know? I mean- ”

“ personally, i can never look at my file.” Leeteuk sulked and opened a bottle of wine, key refused to take a glass.

“ why? You’re the leader- ”

“ my secret keeper is dead. Eric, you remember?”

“ NO. ”

Leeteuk looked at his clock, he really needed to get home.

“ so, you wanna know who your secret keeper is? Warning, you cannot kill him. That crime is punishable by death. ”

“ i won’t kill anybody. ” key defended himself and he braced himself.

“ Lee Jinki. ” Key paled but Leeteuk smiled even brighter, “that friend of yours, Onew.”

========================

Taemin wandered the streets at 8pm. It was wonderful, to be able to be alone and act like nothing is happening. He was just a normal student, happily going to summer and planning trips with his friends. But that won’t happen to him. He wonders if he’d done something revolting in his past life to deserve this. Turning around a corner, he spots someone who is obviously wating for him.

“ Hi, ” A woman. He remembers her from before, but the darkness made it hard for him.

“ what do you want? ”

“ ah, won’t you even say hi? ”the woman stepped into the light and he recognized her. Tiffany.

“ i don’t want to talk to you,” he dismissed her and quickly searched for his phone in his pocket. If this girl wants to fight, he has no chance at all.

“ oh, don’t be rude, i know that you’re dying after all. Im not that evil, ” she says sweetly and taemin turned to her.

“ what . do . you . want . ” he emphasized every word and tiffany was closer to him now,

“ i will save you. The resistance has the power to save you Taemin, we have the power that those little covenant friends of yours have.”
Strangely, her words gave him hope. That little jolt in his heart that told him to go on and do as told. He wanted nothing more than to live.

“ i don’t trust you,”

“ who said anything about trust ? ” she challenged, “this is a negotiation, we give you your life back and in exchange, you will come with us for the quest. Just the quest. Its up to you, you can tell them we took you or like that. I don’t care, really.”

Taemin could not hear what she said before that. She was telling him to betray his friends. To betray the covenant in exchange for his life. His rational mind was telling him that it was a fit bargain but his heart knew that this was something he should not do. If he would die, he will die with honor.

“ the covenant wants their seer back Taemin, you should know that. They don’t need a kid like you who has nightmares and black outs. They love you, i bet they do, but when it comes down to it, they don’t really need you,” the truth in her words are ringing in his ear and he did not want to hear anymore. It was too much, all his fears and doubts were real.

“ i never liked taeyeon, you know. We were friends, you can say that/ she was too perfect. The covenant treated her like a princess but not really. Look at what she did to her soul! Will a woman on her right mind do that? She’s worse than the ones from the resistance, if you ask me,”

Tiffany sneered. Her plan is flawless. She studied taemin as his eyes shift, his hands trembled and finally, he looked up at her.

“ how? How will you get her out? ”

“ We have a necromancer. ”

Taemin could not believe her words. After all that he’d seen, all the powers that he was exposed too. He never expected someone to have a power like that.

“ he can control a dead body and a dead soul. Technically, Taeyeon’s soul is dead. So he can take her out, but with a price- ”

It was now or never. Here it is, the answer to all his problems, handed out to him. In stories, there was always a moment like this, when a man has to turn his back and do what he sees is just. Taemin remembers his friends. Key, who he treated as a brother. Jonghyun who always got him inside parties. Jino who was always there to cheer him up. TOP and GD who gave him trainings and asked his questions. Eric and the Professor, who both died because of what they believed in. Onew, who was struggling with the truth about himself and the guilt of what happened to Key. And most of all, Minho. Can he really leave him? Can he turn against him?

“ sleep on it kid, and if you’ve decided, i will find you. ” Tiffany offered and quickly dissapeared.

Taemin willed himself to walk back in his room and as he did, one question kept on repeating in his head:

‘what is the price of life?’