(14)

                  “Yes, I’m still in Singapore, Elder Jaehyun.”

                  That name burnt his tongue in hatred. Sehun picked up after the third ring, wishing to end this as quickly as he could. He didn’t divulge further on the fact that Jongin took the bullets for Sena and was lying on the bed for three straight days after the surgery. Sehun continued to walk up the empty staircases until he reached the rooftop.

                  “I’ve seen the news. How are they all?” Jaehyun asked. He didn’t sound the least bit worried. In fact, there was excitement in his voice when he talked, and Sehun was disgusted that Jaehyun didn’t bother to hide it away.

                  “Nothing serious. They’ll heal sometime soon,” He lied so smoothly the Elder did not suspect a thing about it. Sehun impatiently tapped on the peeling white surface and sighed in silence. Elder Jaehyun had probably heard of the urgent situation in Singapore and contacted all the other Elders about it. If he kicked a fuss in the clan while Sena was gone, it would create troubles. He wondered whether Kyungsoo and Chanyeol would be able to handle this mess should it come to that.

                  “And when will you come back to Seoul?”

                  “I can’t guarantee that. Sena and Joonmyun might have to stay longer to attend Genbu’s funeral and discuss the agreement on the treaty,” Sehun certainly hoped to speak less about this. “No, Elder Jaehyun, there is no progress so far because Genbu is dealing with the press and government. The Civil Defense and Police Force still refuse to disclose any details to outsiders, and Kim Joonmyun’s kept a tight lips ever since. No doubt it’s Byakko’s doing this time.”

                  “Byakko?” Jaehyun chuckled. Sehun raised his eyebrow at the reaction and his grip on the phone tightened. He didn’t like how casual and light-hearted the Elder sounded and how lightly he made of this issue. At first he thought that the phone call was made due to anxiety and worry, but it appeared to be the opposite.

                  “Byun Baekhyun is at it again, isn’t he?” Jaehyun’s voice sounded near and far at times, as if he was walking. Without noises, Sehun suspected that the Elder was pacing back and forth in his study room. He stared down at the phone’s clock and realised that it was close to midnight in Seoul – an indication that Jaehyun could not sleep because something was bothering him.

                  “That boy embodies Byakko perfectly; ferocious, fierce, fearless, always ready to strike and attract trouble wherever and whenever. Ah, but he reminds me a little of Sena’s Grandfather when he was younger. They are feared and respected, ruling with iron hands. Did I ever mention that Yoon Sang Hyun got rid of his own parents to succeed the Suzakku throne?”

                  Sehun had never heard of it before because he simply assumed that Yoon Sang Hyun was born in the Seiryuu family. He never searched further into Sena’s grandfather family background, nor did he have an interest in it, “No, I have not. I didn’t know that Grandfather was affiliated to the Suzakku family.”

                  “Of course you wouldn’t, Sang Hyun has never talked about it anywhere and rid himself of the evidence the moment he married the young Seiryuu leader of that time, Eunhye. He never got the chance to succeed Suzakku’s throne due to his youngest brother’s position and their Elders’ intervention. That was probably why he married Eunhye; to gain power in our clan. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?”

                  That chuckle sent shivers down the spine. “Are you talking about Kim Joonmyun?”

                  Another series of laughter. Sehun didn’t like it one bit, especially when Jaehyun took a long pause just to add in more tension, “Well, you are one very smart boy, Sehun. If I were you, I would keep an eye on Sena after they are legally married to each other on the paper. Who knows, maybe he would poison her the way Sang Hyun did to his wife not long after their marriage?”

                  Sehun clenched his fist and his blood ran cold. There was so much to take in in that short phone conversation that lasted no more than ten minutes. The previous leader killed his wife with poisons. There could only be one reason: power and ambition. “What is the point of telling me, Elder Jaehyun? Surely you wouldn’t call me just to chat about the past and warn me about Kim Joonmyun?”

                  His tone was nonchalant, but Sehun was still worried about Sena. He was afraid that the façade he had kept wouldn’t be there for long – especially now that the Elders were scheming against Sena because they were assuming that she was weak and powerless. No, Sehun wouldn’t let that happen. The young girl they underestimated wasn’t as useless and dumb as they thought.

                  “That’s one thing, yes,” Jaehyun reminded with a sickeningly sweet voice, “After all, we wouldn’t want to lose our little Princess so quickly, would we?”

                  Even so, Sehun knew better. These Elders didn’t want Joonmyun to lead the clan after Sena was gone. If only they knew how to cover their tracks better, Sehun wouldn’t be in so much trouble. Being a third party to two opposing sides wasn’t easy at all. He had to know when and how to act accordingly.

                  “Of course, Elder Jaehyun,” Sehun smiled and agreed. “Now what is the other thing you would want to tell me about?”

                  “Oh, that,” Jaehyun stopped pacing and leaned in nearer to his phone. His voice was now a hushed whisper, for what he was saying would be a taboo to be spoken of, “About Byakko’s movement in India. I just heard from a reliable source that Byun Baekhyun had sent out an order to dispatch all twenty-four of his Shadow fighters to destroy your little group of… Elites.”    

                  er. Now that was important news to be passed on. And yet he had to wait for so long to speak up. Sehun stilled in his spot and listened on as Elder Jaehyun rambled about this source and how he had just heard about this not long ago. It was probably the reason why he could not sleep tonight.

                  “All twenty-four?” Sehun gripped onto the handgrip tightly.

                  “All of them.”

                  “But there are only six of the Elites,” He whispered in return, still shaken by the news. “Why would Byun Baekhyun be so hasty to send out all of his Shadow fighters? Unless he wants to… destroy us.”

                  “Yes, well, that’s probably his obsession right now since he’s ruined Genbu.”

                  “That is against the law!” Sehun firmly protested, and the next thing he knew, he was running down the staircase in a frightening speed. “He can’t destroy us as a clan. The balance would be disturbed!”

                  “Byun Baekhyun doesn’t care about that, and he has strong backing…”

                  Sehun hanged up and spot Sena standing in front of Jongin’s door with a flustered, almost dazed expression.

(15)

                   “Oh… Why are you in such a hurry, Sehun?” I asked with my eyebrows furrowed. The heat on my cheeks hadn’t subsided and I was sure he noticed because he kept on staring at them weirdly. He was huffing after running like a windstorm, one hand holding onto his phone loosely, and the other one dangling freely mid-air.

                  “Sena, you have to call the other Elites back. Byun Baekhyun… He is sending the Shadow fighters to destroy them,” Sehun talked quickly without a pause and it was the first time I had seen him lost his composure and calmness. I paled and gawked, even though I had no idea what these Shadow fighters were.

                  “Wait, hold on, calm down, what are ‘Shadow fighters’? Why are you so frightened?” I grabbed onto his muscled arms and looked up to meet his brown eyes.

                  “Imagine twenty-four Jongins in one group, how does that sound?” Sehun saw that I finally caught onto the situation when I swallowed down my saliva, “Why would Baekhyun send them after my guards and not me?” I shook my head, “Hold on, now's not the time to ask that stupid question. Are you sure this is reliable news?”

                  “Shadow fighters?” I heard the door creaked open as Jongin peeked through with his tiny head. He, too, looked concerned at the sudden change of situation. We were all confused, but now was not the time to argue.

                  “Yes, all twenty-four of them,” Sehun grimly nodded. “Right now, all of the Elites are located in different directions. Yixing and Tao in China, they will be the easiest to get to because India is close by. Kyungsoo and Chanyeol in Seoul, they should be fine as long as they stick close to the Elders. Byun Baekhyun wouldn’t try to stir trouble in the Elders’ house. Luhan and Taeyong are here. There’s a chance that we might encounter them.”

                  “We should expect the worst then,” I grimaced and stared at my two protectors, “Sehun, contact Yixing and Tao asap. Tell them to leave China with an immediate flight to Singapore or Seoul. Afterwards, tell Kyungsoo and Chanyeol to come here immediately, they won’t be safe in the Elder’s compound. Jongin, you should lie in bed and wait for everyone to gather.”

                  Sehun clutched onto his phone, and very steadily punched the numbers. I was trained to deal with such situation since young but even I trembled at the possibility that ran through my mind. I ran into the room I used with Joonmyun and found him there, lying with his eyes close, his expression ever so peaceful.

                  “Joonmyun! Kim Joonmyun! Wake up!” I shook him with all my strength, such that he was almost thrown out of the bed. He sat upright with an annoyed expression and glared at me, wondering why I had disturbed his sleep when he hadn’t gotten any for the past few days. “Listen to me! Byun Baekhyun is sending out his ‘Shadow fighters’ to kill my Elites. Do you know what they are?”

                  Now he grew alarmed, “Shadow fighters? Are you sure?”

                  “Yes!” I exclaimed in sheer panic, “All twenty-four of them!”

                  “That’s bad,” Joonmyun shook his head and supported it with both his hands. He appeared to be deep in thoughts as he mumbled nonsensical things. “All twenty-four… . Just what is going on in that psycho’s head!”

                  “, I don’t know what to do,” I groaned. “Stay here. I’m going to get Taeyong and Luhan immediately.”

                  “Sena!” He called out as I was about to head out of the door. I turned around and stared at him wide-eyed, waiting. “Listen to me, no matter where your Elites are, you have to tell them to run. Run as fast as they could. Catch the flight here if they can so we can offer you protection from Byakko. Most importantly,” There was darkness that loomed over his eyes, “Tell them to never face the Shadows in a swords fight, even with gun or bombs or whatever it is. Trust me, Sena, they’ll die.”