Hongbin sat next to s as they were sleeping away. He held their hands firmly and stared at the red string that connected them together.

If only I can be there as well…

Hongbin watched in envy as he saw the members discovering their powers one after another on the other side of the mirror.

He couldn’t help but feel useless just sitting there and watching them.

Soo-ah who sat next to the boy noticed the rather obvious gloomy expression on Hongbin and patted him on the back.

‘Lee Hongbin. Don’t feel down. The fact that you are here right now along with the rest of the members is proof of your existence. You are their support and the members would not have gone into Dreamscape so successfully if you weren’t here with them. You are the pillar to this team and you mean a lot to them.’

‘I just wish… I can do more than sit here and watch,’ Hongbin clenched his fist in frustration.

‘Do not let yourself fall into doubt and insecurities. Don’t let your heart waver and sink into the darkness. You are much more than you can imagine. I can assure you of that.’

Hongbin is human but he is neither the light nor darkness. He wasn’t a God but nor was he a demon from Hell. Rather, he was more of a blank slate that allowed the members to balance their colors together. He helped support his team. Without Hongbin connecting s together, they would either fall too deep into the darkness or fade away into the light. That would cause chaos and an imbalance between the worlds.

‘If any of the members were to fall into the darkness, your voice and your existence can help them back up. I know you can do it Lee Hongbin. And that’s because you love each and every single one of your members, am I wrong?’ Soo-ah asked.

Hongbin shook his head.

‘I love them.’

Though he was skeptical of his role, he knew how much s needed him as well. Even if it’s just his voice, he wish he can guide s through their journey while they’re inside the dream.

~

As their surroundings have changed thanks to Taekwoon, the members could finally see a path being paved ahead for them.

Along the way, the boys kept on testing their newly found powers as previous Gods inside of the dream of endless possibilities. They didn’t have time to sit around to train so they did so as they followed the path.

‘Hey! Watch where you are zapping hyung!’ Wonshik shouted at Jaehwan as he jolted away from nearly getting hit by a lightning bolt.

‘Sowie ~ ‘ Jaehwan apologized in a playful and in his usual cute ways.

The two of them were rather entertained by their new abilities and what their minds can create in this world.

Taekwoon watched Wonshik and Jaehwan bicker in front of him as he also tried to improve his powers. But he was struggling a bit.

‘Hyung.’ Hyuk walked next to Taekwoon. ‘Are you still afraid of your powers?’

Taekwoon nodded honestly.

‘I… don’t have the confidence to controlling this light. It’s as if I’m not suitable for it. I’m afraid that I’ll lose control of even this last bit of hope and hurting you guys. The same way I… ended up hurting Hakyeon.’

‘Taekwoon-hyung… you know, we’re all afraid. Just like you are.’ The younger said.

‘Huh?’

‘Jaehwan-hyung may seem very energetic and as if nothing can hurt him, but he’s just as afraid. He’s one of the oldest and sometimes, even he feels pressured that he isn’t able to do much to help out the situation. Wonshik-hyung too, he’s calm about everything but he has a lot on his mind as well. You’re not the only one fighting here. We’re all by your side and all of us wants to bring Hakyeon-hyung back. Even Hongbin is waiting for us to return on the other side. You have us all.’

‘Hyuk-ah…’ Taekwoon was touched by the younger’s words.

‘I’m just as afraid. I’m afraid that everything that has happened up until could end up being just a typical dream. Ever since those nightmares I had, I kept struggling to figure what was reality and what was a dream. Sometimes, I get confused between the two. But as scary as those nightmare were, what was scarier is the fact that even what we perceive as reality, might not be so real in the end. If I were to wake up from this Dreamscape, would you all still be by my side? Those years that we’ve trained and debuted together as VIXX, are they really real? I begin to doubt and I get scared. I wouldn’t know what to do if I were to wake up and you guys were no longer there with me.’ Hyuk’s eyes got a bit teary. ‘Even this whole reincarnation thing feels so strange and the more we learn about our past lives, the more surreal it feels. It’s as if we’re in some sort of simulation where someone is watching over us… what if we’re just a dream ourselves? Created by someone… then, who’s dreaming about us? Who created us?’

‘In that case, it must be Hakyeon-hyung.’ Jaehwan and Wonshik turned back to them as they overheard Hyuk and Taekwoon’s conversation.

‘It could be. So I guess we’re going to rescue our maker.’ Wonshik joked.

‘It doesn’t matter if we’re real or not. What matters is we get through to the end of this and bring back the real Hakyeon-hyung to our side. He’s probably really lonely without us right now.’ Jaehwan said.

Taekwoon nodded in agreement and wiped away Hyuk’s tears.

‘Don’t worry, Hyogi-ah. We’re real and we’ll always be by your side along with Hakyeon.’ Taekwoon gave him a hug.

~

As they continued to venture through the forest, a sudden fog started to approach them. The atmosphere suddenly grew dark and their views were becoming blocked from the thickness of the fog.

‘Guys, stick together,’ Wonshik told the others instinctively.

The four of them backed up a bit and stayed close to one another as they continued to walk through the fog, hoping to find their way out.

‘Where is this coming from?’ Jaehwan asked.

‘I don’t know but we best be cautious. Something doesn’t feel right.’ Wonshik warned.

Then, the members saw the forest fading away around them. Eventually, the fog became darkness. A strange and eerie wind howled through them as the boys froze in their spots. There was no longer a path for them to follow. They took a deep swallow and felt uneasy with the sudden change of environment. Then, there was a voice.

It was the voice of a child’s who could be heard mumbling away from somewhere.

The members looked at one another and approached the voice with caution. As they got closer, they saw a boy sitting on a stool with a book in his hands.

‘Who…?’ Hyuk whispered to s as they watched from a safe distance.

The others shook their heads, they didn’t know either.

Then, they slowly saw the child’s features and felt as if they’ve seen the boy somewhere before. The little boy sat on his stool with his knees collapsed side by side and a hardcover book sitting on his lap. He had short dark brown hair and petite features. His tanned skin reminded them of someone… familiar.

‘Isn’t that…’

‘Hakyeon-hyung?’ Jaehwan said.

They got closer to confirm whether the child was Hakyeon’s younger self. The members could hear the child reading the book aloud.

‘I’m not ugly, you are… I’m not ugly, they are…’ The younger one read from the book.

Just before the members could get closer to the boy, a bright white door appeared in front of the child. The boy got up from his spot with excitement and walked closer to the door.

Knock.

There was no answer.

He knocked again.

And finally, someone responded on the other side of the door with a knock.

The boy’s face gleamed with happiness.

‘Taekwoonie?’ The young boy called out to the other side.

Me? Taekwoon thought as he and the younger members watched the scene play in front of them.

‘Is this Hakyeon-hyung and Taekwoon-hyung’s first meeting?’ Hyuk asked.

‘Huh? I don’t…’

‘Not you hyung. The very first Taekwoon-hyung. Remember what Soo-ah said? That the two of you guys have met through a door that connected the mortal realm and the other side.’ Hyuk reminded them.

‘The door of meetings and reunions…’ Wonshik said as he took out the drawing from his notebook.

‘You know if it?’ Jaehwan asked.

‘Yeah.’ Wonshik showed s the drawing. ‘It’s a story that was told by my ancestors from one generation to the next.’

‘Amazing…’

‘Hey guys look! The boy is gone!’ Hyuk pointed.

As they had talked amongst themselves, the young Hakyeon was gone and only the door remained in the darkness.

Taekwoon knew that the door meant something and decided to approach it. The other members followed him closely behind.

‘If what Soo-ah said is correct, than the other side of this door leads to the Underworld…’ Taekwoon said.

‘What should we do?’ Jaehwan was nervous.

The members looked at one another but no one knew the answer of what steps to take next.

‘Soo-ah? Do you know what we should do next?’ Jaehwan shouted.

But there was no answer. They seemed to have lost connections with the real world suddenly.

‘What’s going on?’ Wonshik began to worry.

‘I don’t know but do you think we should try to go through to the other side?’ Jaehwan suggested.

‘Do you think it’s safe though?’ Hyuk felt a bit tense.

‘Doesn’t hurt to try right? I mean, look around us. There’s nothing but this door in front of us. It’s as if it’s telling us to go through. There’s nothing else we can do aside from this.’

‘I agree. Let’s give it a try okay?’ Taekwoon said.

Since the oldest also agreed to the suggestion, the others followed as well. As they approached the door, it responded with a brightening glow. Without even having to do anything, the door opened automatically for them. Inviting the four members to pass through.