“I’m gonna make this real easy for you” Kyungsoo said calmly, watching their prisoner with intense eyes, “You tell me what I want to know, then you’re free to go. So, is it true that you’re linked to her? Your leader?” he asked.

The Rogue scoffed, “Eat ” he snarled, glaring at the four boys that surrounded him.

“I don’t want to hurt you” Kyungsoo said softly.

“Fine by me” The Rogue sneered before spitting in Kyungsoo’s face.

Kyungsoo was calm in the way he wiped the spit from his cheek before landing a hard punch to the Rogues face, “I said I didn’t want to. Didn’t say I wouldn’t”

“Soo, what happened to no hitting?” Junmyeon asked with a sigh.

“That was before I got spat on. And I said no hitting for the sake of it, that was completely justified” Kyungsoo retorted.

“I don’t care what you do or say” The Rogue hissed as blood dripped from his lip, “I’ll never tell you anything”

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, “When I want your input, I’ll ask for it” he said before turning back to Junmyeon, “Me and Jongin are going on patrol now. You and Xing see if you can get anything out of him”

Junmyeon nodded, “Alright. Be careful out there, okay?” he added, patting Kyungsoo on the shoulder.

“I always am” Kyungsoo smiled slightly, ruffling Junmyeon’s hair affectionately.

Junmyeon rolled his eyes, but let them go without any more nagging, though he smiled in amusement at the way Yixing gave the two younger boys a pat on the bum before they left.

“So,” Yixing said, turning back to look at the Rogue again, “Are you going to tell us what we want to know, or are we going to have to get a little creative?”

The Rogue narrowed his eyes, “You can’t do , you’re little friend already said you can’t hurt me, so good luck making me tell you sh-aaaaaaah! ! Stop, stop it!!” he screamed out in pain.

Yixing smirked, “Well ‘our little friend’ isn’t here anymore, is he?” he leered scarily. “And besides, I’m not really going against what he wants. He said ‘no force’ and I’m not using force, I’m just… draining your life away until you feel like talking”

“Stop it, you prick! I’m not telling, aaah!!! I’m not telling you anything! you!” The Rogue hissed, “I don’t care, aaaaaah! What… ah, you do!”

Yixing hummed, feigning inspection of his nails, “Have it your way” he shrugged, not even wincing at the way the Rogue’s screams rang through the apartment, “Because I’ve got all the time in the world. War’s still gonna play out whether you’re here or not… So the sooner you stop being stubborn, the easier it’ll be for you”

“You’ll all die for this!” The Rogue seethed through gritted teeth, “She’ll kill you!”

Yixing hummed, his eyes watching as Junmyeon leant back against the wall to allow him to do his thing, “Not if we kill her first. Only question is; if she dies, do you die with her”

“ you”

Yixing sighed softly, placing a gentle hand over the Rogues lungs. “I’ll wait”

“What are you doing?!” The Rogue asked in obvious panic as his lungs began to feel heavier, as though filling with mucus.

Yixing shrugged slightly, “Oh, you know. Just killing you, very, very slowly. I can stop that at any time… All you have to do is say the word”

“I… I can’t breathe…” The Rogue coughed, hacking and guttering up a mix of phlegm and blood. His eyes were bloodshot and raw as he looked up at Yixing in genuine fear, “Please…”

Yixing shook his head, he free hand brushing back the Rogues sweaty bangs, “You know how to stop it” he said easily, “Just tell me what I want to know”

“Okay! Okay, it’s true!” His coughed, dragging in a deep breath as Yixing backed away and brought him back to full health.

“See, now was that so hard?” Yixing smiled, “How about I make you a nice cup of tea and we’ll chat about this properly”

The Rogue panted heavily, looking up at Yixing in disbelief,  “You’re insane… You’re actually insane…”

“No, I’m just really impatient” Yixing said, moving over to take Junmyeon by the hand and lead him into the kitchen to make a drink, out of earshot of the Rogue.

It was as soon as the door shut behind them that he fell into Junmyeon’s arms with a frown.

“Hey, what… Yixing, what’s wrong?” Junmyeon asked in shock, wrapping his arms securely around his boyfriend.

Yixing shook his head, “I just… That was horrible. I could feel what I was doing to him… I didn’t… I don’t ever want to have to do that again. God, I felt like such a horrible person. I know we need answers, but Kyungsoo was right, this is never the way to get them”

“I’m sorry I suggested this…” Junmyeon said sadly, “I never wanted to make you feel like this…”

“No, it’s okay” Yixing looked up, resting his forehead against Junmyeon’s, “At least we know the truth now, and with any luck, he’ll tell us everything once we’re back out there”

Junmyeon wrapped his arms more tightly around Yixing’s waist and pulled him closer, “No it’s not okay, I don’t ever want you to feel like that. Not ever. Never be afraid to tell me ‘no’ okay? I’m here to keep you safe, not to make you feel uncomfortable. But I suppose we’ll be able to get more info out of him at least” he agreed, shifting slightly to press a kiss to Yixing’s forehead.

Yixing smiled slightly “I love you, you know?”

“I know” Junmyeon smiled back, “I love you too. Now, let’s go do some old fashioned interrogating”

The two of them moved back out to the other room where the Rogue was still tied to the chair.

“Oh great, back to me over some more?” The Rogue hissed.

Yixing rolled his eyes, his façade already back in place as he and Junmyeon moved to stand in front of the Rogue, “Cute” Junmyeon scoffed, “Now, tell us everything you know and you’re free to go”

“Fine” The Rogue narrowed his eyes, “You asked if we were connected, we are. But not all of us. The Queen… She chose a few hundred of us, maybe five… five-fifty. Something like that. We’re bound by her blood, and if she gets killed… So do we. The others, they don’t know everything about it, but they know that if the Queen falls – which she won’t – then so does our empire.”

Junmyeon hummed, “Okay. Now tell me why she’s doing this. Why now?”

“Because, our numbers have more than tripled in the last few decades” The Rogue told them, “Now was our time. We have enough of us to overpower you, but…”

“But?”

“But” The Rogue sighed reluctantly, “We didn’t take into account your powers, your skills. You’re better than we anticipated and The Queen doesn’t like that. She’s going to find a way to win this thing, she’s sure of it.”

Junmyeon laughed mockingly, “You’re a fool if you think you can win this” he said, “We’re going to take you all down”

“You’re nothing” The Rogue sneered, “A stupid water power that can do nothing. I can do things you can’t even imagine!”

“Then why aren’t you?” Yixing prompted moving forward and leaning over the Rogue, “Why are you still here if you’re oh so powerful?”

The Rogues eye’s narrowed, “Because I… I…” he flinched as Yixing raised a hand, “I lost my powers last week. I… I think it’s because of the blood bond. The Queen she… She…”

“She’s draining you and taking your powers” Yixing finished in astonishment, “And you’re still so willing to follow her?”

The Rogue swallowed, “S-She’ll give them back once we win. She’ll restore me and then we’ll carry on as we once had. The Queen loves us, she takes care of her own”

“You really believe that?” Yixing asked sadly, “You can honestly sit there and tell me that you believe she’ll give them back? After everything she’s done to those innocent people?”

“Innocent? Those things were scum!” The Rogue said, “The Queen knows what she’s doing and I am a true believer”

Yixing sighed, “Alright, well… A deal is a deal”

“You’re really letting me go?” The Rogue asked in surprise, “I thought you’d kill me”

Yixing shook his head, “A Promise is a promise. And besides, healing isn’t my only power” he smirked, pressing a hand to the Rogues head for a moment before pulling it back.

The Rogue looked at them both blanking, a looking of utter confusion on his face, “W-Where am I? Who are you? What… What’s going on?!” he asked in panic.

Yixing undid the ropes holding him to the chair and helped him out of it, “Your name is Jihoon” he said, “You’re a famer from the town over. You stumbled over here and got lost, you fell and hit your head. We’ve been keeping you here until you woke up, you’re going to go home now and not return, understood?” he stated calmly.

The Rogue nodded, “Of course, thank you for your hospitality” he said, and then he was leaving as Junmyeon watched on in confusion.

“What was that?” he asked as Yixing turned back to look at him.

“My healing… I can dabble with the brain, and stuff… I’ve been working closely with Onew, studying how far I can push my power. I’m able to manipulate brain cells and nerves, so he figured, why not memory? I’m not brilliant at it yet, but I can take away memories and I can restore them so far. I didn’t want to tell you until I had total control, but I suppose the cat’s out of the bag now” Yixing said sheepishly, biting down on his lip as he waited for Junmyeon’s reaction.

Junmyeon shook his head bewilderedly, “You’re amazing, you really are” he said, “Just when I think you can’t get any more perfect, you go and prove me wrong, over and over again”

“You just think too much of me” Yixing laughed, wrapping himself around Junmyeon and holding him close as he planted kisses all over his boyfriend’s face.

Junmyeon chuckled softly, “Not at all” he denied, “You don’t give yourself enough credit, you wonderfully amazing person, you”

Yixing laughed again, catching Junmyeon’s lips with his own and coaxing him into a soft, warm kiss.

“We leave for an hour and the hostage is gone, and you two are snogging?” Jongin’s voice pulls them apart, “Classy”

Yixing scoffs, “We got enough out of him, he was free to go” he rolled his eyes.

“And?” Jongin pressed, Kyungsoo standing behind him and holding onto his hips as he did.

Yixing smiled, “We were right” he said, “They’re linked to her. We kill her, and they’ll go down like flies”

“Excellent” Kyungsoo said seriously, “Let’s get planning then, shall we”

“Let’s” Junmyeon nodded.

--

Baekhyun trudged through the mud tiredly, his sleep had been avoiding him lately, the constant threat of death weighing on him and he’d not heard from anyone – Kyungsoo, most importantly – in weeks. It was starting to take its toll on him.

“I can’t even see you and I know you’ve got a face like a slapped arse” said Hani, who was walking beside him with a stick to use as a make-shift cane. “What’s wrong?”

Baekhyun sighed and liked his arm with Hani’s “I’m scared” he admitted, “I don’t know if any of my friends are okay, I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. I’m just… scared…”

“Well you’re no use to anyone when you’re half dead” Hani pointed out, “You keep focusing on the negative and it’s dragging you down. Focus on winning”

“Easier said than done”

Hani scoffed “Don’t make me beat you with this damn stick!” she half-threatened, “You know as well as me that we can win this. Stop thinking they’re all dead. If they’re as talented as you’ve told me they are, then we have nothing to worry about. Okay?”

“You’re annoying” Baekhyun tutted, though he knew she was right.

Hani had been with them now for almost three weeks, and whilst Baekhyun, Minseok and Jongdae adored her, Chanyeol was still unconvinced and cautious.

She’d worked her way into Baekhyun’s heart and become like a little sister to him. She was feisty and had a lot of spunk. She wasn’t one to be walked all over, even when she’d been pushed over the edge and fallen to rock bottom. And Baekhyun admired that.

Similarly, Hani had developed a soft spot for Baekhyun. He was kind and brotherly and had become something that Hani had always secretly wanted; Family.

Baekhyun supposed that was the thing about war, it brought unlikely people together and created an unbreakable bond.

“And you’re not?” Hani snorted, “Okay then”

“Sod off” Baekhyun said, but he was smiling nonetheless.

“Alright,” Chanyeol’s voice whispered, “We’re gonna head up the stream. There’s a gang of Rogues up there, only six, so we’ll ambush them and take them out. Keep one alive for questioning, okay?” he’d been off looking for any Rogues in the area, but hadn’t expected to find any.

“Is that such a good idea?” Minseok asked, looking a little apprehensive, “Attacking them seems a little…”

“Rogue like” Jongdae finished for him.

Chanyeol’s eyes softened as he looked at the pair, “Guys, we can’t just keep sitting around waiting for them to make the first move. We need answers… and if we don’t act, you can bet they will” he said pleadingly. The last thing he wanted was for his friends to get hurt because of another attack on their own turf.

“But…” Minseok started.

But Hani cut him off, “No, Chanyeol’s right. We’ve been playing defence for too long now. It’s time to play offence. It’s our move and if we want to win, we need to check the king by killing the Queen”

“Hani, sports or Chess, pick one. Don't use both for your analogy” Jongdae said with a small roll of his eyes and a fond smile.

Hani scoffed, “Just pick on the blind girl, why don’t you… Rude”

“You’re rude!” Jongdae laughed.

“Guys” Chanyeol rolled his eyes, “Come on, we need a plan of attack”

It was silent for a long time until Hand let out a soft sigh.

“Me” she said, “I’m the plan”

Chanyeol frowned, “I don’t follow…” he admitted, his brows furrowing in confusion.

“Bait, genius” Hani tutted, “I’ll go in first as bait, they’ll attack me and then you come out and surprise attack them.”

“Hani, no” Baekhyun said seriously, “Not even happening. Not on my watch”

Hani sighed, she reached forward and held a hand out at Baekhyun, gesturing for him to stop, “I’m not asking for permission, Baek” she said firmly, “It’s your only shot and you know it.”

“Then we’ll find another way” He snapped, “I’m not sending you off to your bloody death!”

“This hero complex of yours, whilst admirable, needs to be put to rest” Han said softly, “What other way is there that you won’t end up going in and getting yourselves killed?”

Baekhyun ground his teeth, “I said no!”

“It isn’t your choice!” Hani countered.

“Hani, for ’s sake, this isn’t a game! You could die! And I’m not letting that happen. Not now, not ever. So you are not being bait. Forget it!” Baekhyun seethed.

Hani let out a soft breath of air before reaching up and cupping Baekhyun’s cheeks in her palms, “I know you’re just trying to look out for me, but I don’t need you to. Be logical, we barely know each other, so you shouldn’t even care what happens to me” she said, and as much as it pained her to say it, it was the truth.

Baekhyun shook his head, “So I’m just supposed to let you go on a suicide mission?” he asked hauntingly.

Hani laughed sadly, “I’ve been on one since day one, babe. I just don’t think you wanted to see it that way”

“No,” Baekhyun denied, “No. You told me that you didn’t want to die” he pushed Hani’s hands away in frustration and took a step backwards.

Hani shrugged, “Yeah, well. I’m all for the greater good” she said, “Baekhyun… Baek, this is my chance to finally do something good. This… This is the best chance we have at finally getting one up on them, and if you manage to catch one alive, think of how much you could find out, think of how much you could help to win this war… Surely that means more than my sorry excuse for a life?”

“I don’t care about that” Baekhyun pleaded, “Just… Hani, come on”

“You do care. That’s the whole reason we’re even having this conversation” Hani smiled, “It’s okay, Baekhyun.” She stepped forward and pressed one of her cold hands to Baekhyun’s warm neck soothingly, “It’s okay”

“Baek, she’s right, she’s our only shot” Chanyeol added, “We’re not forcing her into this, she wants to do it”

“…Yeol, you can’t honestly be on her side with this…” Baekhyun got out in frustration, pushing away Hani’s hand to turn and face his boyfriend in disbelief.

Chanyeol’s eyes were sad, but honest as he looked back at Baekhyun, “I’m sorry, but she’s right. And this isn’t because I’m cautious of her or want her to get hurt, it’s because if she goes in as bait, I promise to protect her and make sure she gets out of this alive”

Baekhyun paused, he hadn’t expected that, that was for sure, “You…”

“you don’t have to make promises like that,” Hani said seriously, “I’m not doing this to prove myself or to win you over”

“I know,” Chanyeol said, “That’s exactly why you’re winning me over. It isn’t that I didn’t like you before, kid. I’m just weary of outsiders, is all. But you’re obviously a nice girl that was born to the wrong surroundings. I’ve got your back from now on, alright?” he pressed seriously.

Hani smiled slightly, “Thanks, Chanyeol” she whispered shyly, almost embarrassedly.

“Don’t mention it, brat” Chanyeol laughed, “Now, let’s strategize, eh?”

The five of them huddled close then, although Baekhyun was still somewhat reluctant about the plan. He really didn’t want Hani getting hurt.

Nevertheless, he complied with the others and together they came up with what they hoped was a fool proof plan.

If Baekhyun could say one thing about Hani, it would be that she was incredibly brave. Well, that or incredibly stupid.

But alas, that was how they found themselves, only half-an-hour later that the four boys were crouched in the brush as Hani blindly made her way out to where the gang of Rogues waited.

“Oi, is that Hani?” one of them sneered.

Another made a noise of confirmation, “It is. What’s that dirty little traitor think she’s doing?”

“Beats me, but how about we teach the little a lesson in what it means to go against your own?”

Hani sighed, “I don’t want any trouble” she said, holding her arms out and turning, allowing them to see her bandaged face.

It seemed that Hani’s sentence acted as a catalyst and the next thing she knew, she was being attacked from all sides as she relied on her four remaining senses to help her through.

It was as they had her on the floor, kicking and scratching at her that the four boys in hiding made their attack.

They definitely took the Rogues by surprise. Chanyeol took two out in one go as he charred them to death with wildly hot flames.

Minseok was quick to freeze one, then two more from the inside before he grabbed Baekhyun by the arm, swinging him around and allowing Baekhyun to aim a hard kick to each of the frozen Rogues, effectively shattering them both to pieces.

Jongdae took down the fifth with some well-aimed static, his hands cracking with blue sparks of electricity.

The last of the six Rogues was huddled by Hani, looking up at the seemingly merciless boys that stared down at her after just having killed her friends, her family in a family-less foundation.

“Please… Please, let me go” the girl begged. She was clearly older than Hani, but around the same age as the boys, though they felt no sympathy for her. After all, she was the first to attack Hani.

Baekhyun scoffed, “Not likely” he sneered, “We have plans for you, girl. What’s your name?” he asked, and the striking contrast in how he asked the girl to how he’d asked Hani was incredible. There was nothing there but loathing.

“Lia” the girl said fearfully, tears welling up in her eyes now that she was alone with nothing to stop the Specials from killing her right on the spot.

Chanyeol stepped forward and peered down at the girl whilst he helped Hani to her feet and pressed her into Baekhyun’s arms so that she could stand.

His nose wrinkled in distaste at the pitiful Rogue, “Well, Lia. We’ve got a few questions for you.” He said before glancing at Jongdae, “Tie her up. We’ll eat before we talk to her. There’s a few bits left in my bag”

“Please…” the girl cried as Jongdae restrained her with skilled hands to a tree.

“Speak when you’re spoken to, Scum” Hani hissed, spitting at the girl’s feet before wiping at her bloody lip.

It was going to be a long night.

--

“What’s that?”

Sehun looked up with furrowed brows as The Rogue pointed down at his wrist where a silver bangle rested. “It’s nothing you need to concern yourself with” he deadpanned.

He and The Rogue were trapped in a large crater in the earth, which had been created when one of the Rogues had attempted to blow up a large chunk of the Special army – it hadn’t worked, thanks to Luhan noticing and hurling it back to once it came, but the backlash of the explosion had resulted in a lot of Dead Rogues and Sehun being thrown with one of the live ones into a deep hole in the Earth.

Far above them, Luhan had been knocked unconscious and Kris and Tao were fighting elsewhere, so there was nobody with the power to get them out right away. Sehun had spoken with a couple of Speicals from inside the hole, as their peered over to ensure that he was okay and found out that Luhan was okay, that they couldn’t make out any injuries and they were pretty sure he’d wake up soon to get him out, so they should just hold tight.

“Isn’t it one of those enchanted things? Like your other half gives you?” The Rogue pressed on, peering at Sehun from where he was sat in the damp mud, seemingly unbothered by the cold seeping into his clothes.

Sehun glared slightly, he too was sitting in the sodden soil, leaning against one of the ‘walls’ of the hole, “Do you ever shut up?” he shot back in annoyance.

“Clearly not” The Rogue laughed without batting an eyelid, “My mum always said it’d get me into a lot of trouble one day. Crazy to think that she was kind of right, what with the war and all” he shook his head in amusement.

Sehun frowned, trying to take in the boy’s looks in the dim light, “How old are you?” he asked evenly, the boy looked young, too young to be in the middle of a battle for the side of evil.

“Fifteen” the boy said, “I just turned fifteen yesterday. Not the best of birthdays, I’ll be the first to admit”

Sehun sighed, “What are you even doing here, kid? You’re gonna get yourself killed”

“It’s kind of the reason I’m alive” the boy said calmly, “You know how it is, they breed you up, you fight, and if you die then it’s just collateral damage in winning…”

“No, I don’t know” Sehun told him, “Because I’m not a pig being raised for slaughter, I’m a person with rights and a reason to live… You’re a kid, don’t you just… Don’t you want to make it out of this? Don’t you want to think for yourself?” he asked curiously. He’d never really understood Rogue mentality, and he didn’t want to either, but this was a child in front of him, a child that had been brainwashed into thinking that what was happening was simply a part of life, when it was so very far from it.

It pained Sehun to think that many of the Rogues out there were just like this kid, unknowing in the face of the truth, forced into believing that which would only bring them to their end.

“I’ve never really thought about it” The boy admitted, “I… I don’t really know anything else. I mean, I was always told I was created for one sole purpose, and outside of that… I’m not much of anything”

Sehun frowned, “What’s your name?” he asked softly.

“Jones” The boy said, “But my real name is Hoonmin”

“I’m Sehun” Sehun said, “What’s your power, Hoonmin?”

Hoonmin hesitated for a moment, “I… I don’t know if I’m allowed to tell you” he said apologetically.

“I’m a Wind Power” Sehun pressed in an attempt to get the boy to confide in him.

Hoonmin paused for a moment, “Me too” he said quietly, “I… Hyung, can I be honest with you?”

“Of course”

“I don’t want to die” Hoonmin said softly, “I’m really scared, hyung, and I don’t know what to do. All my life I’ve been told that I have to fight, I have to sacrifice myself for the good of the clan, but… But what if that isn’t my only choice? I don’t know anything about life outside of my clan, and from the looks of it, Specials aren’t as bad as I’ve been lead to believe. Everyone I’ve come across has seemed so… I don’t know, but like they’re fighting for something more. Like they have a purpose. And my purpose…” he paused to choke my tears, “Mine is to die…”

Sehun scooted closer to the boy, “It doesn’t have to be” he said softly, “You don’t have to follow them anymore, Hoon. You could always come with me? You could create a purpose for yourself. You’re in charge of your life, pal. Nobody else”

“It can’t be that simple”

“But it is. Simple, not easy though, keep that in mind” Sehun said honestly, “But if you want to make something of yourself, I can help you”

Hoon smiled slightly, “Do you promise?”

“I pinkie promise” Sehun said teasingly, holding out his pinkie and linking it with Hoon’s.

It was a short while later that Luhan came to and pulled them both to the surface. Hoon stood by as Sehun explained the situation, watching as Luhan’s frown slowly turned into a look of understanding and he nodded a few times before shooting Hoon a small smile.

“Well, let’s get you on the side of the Angels then, shall we?” Luhan grinned, offering out a hand for Hoon to take.

A large smile spread over Hoon’s face as he stretched out his arm, taking a step forward to take Luhan’s offered hand.

None of them saw it coming, and it happened so fast that none of them could have even thought to stop it.

A large piece of ice carved to look like a large dagger shot forward and pierced straight through Hoon’s stomach.

Hoon’s smile fell from his face as he coughed and out of his mouth came a fair amount of blood. His eyes met Sehun’s for a moment, both of them looking horrified as they looked down at the death sentence embedded in the teen’s body.

It was like time had slowed as Hoon buckled to his knees and gargled breathlessly as air tried to keep in his blood corrupted lungs. He struggled to breathe and Sehun was running over to him, catching him just before he fell backwards and keeping the boy in his arms.

But it was too late. There was nothing that could be done.

Sehun let out a cry of horror as he held Hoon’s lifeless body in his arms, the child staring up at the sky with unseeing eyes as he did.

“No, please no” Sehun begged, he’d made a promise to this boy. To this child. He’d made a promise that he would live to see beyond the fate that had been pushed upon him by the people he had been forced to call his own.

He’d made a promise, and for the first time in his life, he’d been unable to keep it.

“We don’t take lightly to traitors” a woman’s voice said calmly.

Sehun looked up to see a thin woman with long black hair and sharp nail’s which were coated in black polish. A woman that he recognised all too well.

“You” he growled, “You killed him! HE WAS A CHILD!”

“HE WAS WEAK!” the woman screamed back. It seemed that she would meet all of her son’s friends in the war at this rate.

And she’d have no problem killing every last one of them.

“You’re sick. You’re a ing psychopath!” Sehun shouted hoarsely as Luhan hurried to his side, standing just in front of him and the dead child protectively.

The woman scoffed, “It’s that attitude that’s going to make you lose this war” she said, “You’re all too caught up in the emotion of it all. What my son sees in friends like you…”

“Your son?” Luhan frowned, “What are you talking about?”

A sinister smile crept over the woman’s lips, “You didn’t know?” she purred, “My, oh my… My Jongin has been a secretive little boy, hasn’t he…”

“Shut up!” Sehun seethed. He knew who she was, even though Jongin didn’t know that he knew. He wasn’t blind enough to not see it. That day in the woods, he’d figured it out. He wasn’t as dense as people presumed.

But it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter that she’d brought Jongin into the world, because it didn’t make her his mother. She was still nothing more than a dirty leech.

“What… What are you talking about?” Luhan asked, looking between Sehun and the woman, “How do you know Jongin?!”

The woman’s smile only grew darker, it was like the Cheshire Cat was stood before them, “Jongin is my son. I would have thought little Specials like yourselves didn’t keep secrets from one another… How very interesting…”

“You’re lying!” Luhan accused, “You’re a liar! He’s not your son. He’s not a dirty piece of Rogue!”

The woman hummed, turning slightly to look at Sehun, “It appears he told you though. What, is he giving you some happy memories like he is with the one whose parents I slaughtered?”

“You killed Kyungsoo’s parents?” Sehun gasped, “It was you… All this time, EVERYTHING THAT’S BEEN GOING WRONG AND IT WAS ALL YOU?!” he raged, gently laying Hoon to one side and getting to his feet to storm over to the woman and get in her face, “HOW DARE YOU!”

The Woman rolled her eyes as though fed up of the dramatics, “Boy, don’t you talk to me as though I’m on your level. I do what I do for the good of this world. What’s your excuse?” She snarled, shoving Sehun back harshly before stalking forward and leaning close to him, so close that their noses almost touched, “You got an innocent boy killed by trying to play hero. If you ask me, I’m not the bad one here”

“You’re trying to act like you’re the good in this war?” Sehun hissed, “You’re nothing. YOU ARE NOTHING!”

The woman laughed scathingly as he reached up to run her fingers over Sehun’s cheek softly, “We’ll see who is nothing at the end of this. We’ll see who is nothing when I’m standing over the corpses of you and your little friends. All it took was a whispered order for me to kill little Hoonmin over there. It wouldn’t take me much more to kill you, Boy”

Sehun pushed her away from him, resisting the urge to wipe his face to rid himself of the feeling of her touch. “You’ll die before you lay a hand on my family!”

“Family?” She laughed, “Don’t kid yourself, boy”

Luhan was by Sehun’s side in a moment, “And what do you know of family?” he shot at her, his words venomous. “Even your own ‘son’ wants you dead”

There was a high-pitched scream from the woman as Luhan touched a nerve, “YOU’LL PAY FOR THAT!” she screeched, and then she was gone.