"And just what's going on in here?" the Wielder with the dragon tattoo drawled while he eyed the state of the kitchen and the people inside.

A chill ran down Jisoo's spine when the cold gaze landed on him and he had to fight the urge to cower and hide behind his Forcebearers. Mingyu's and Hansol's fear only amplified the feeling. Hastily he blocked his bonds when Seokmin took a worried step in his direction and the other Wielder turned towards the movement.

Something about the person at the door terrified Jisoo, but it was different from Seunghyun, whose ability and actions invoked fear. Maybe it was the knowledge that this Wielder was responsible for everything bad that had happened so far, maybe it was because he had a distinct aura of ruthlessness surrounding him, or maybe it was simply because he seemed bored even when he was met with the sight of blood and unconscious bodies.

The face of the Wielder twitched when Seunghyun took too long to answer the question and dread crawled up Jisoo's spine. He glanced at the Forcebearer, whose body had stiffened, teeth clenched and a vein pulsing on his temple. It took a long moment before Seunghyun relaxed and finally replied. "Don't mind me. I'm just taking out the trash." While Seunghyun's expression was once again calm, it couldn't quite hide the underlying restlessness in his eyes.

"Funny." An unamused smile played on the tattooed Wielder's lips. "It's even funnier that there are a few faces here I didn't expect to see." Wonho paled when Jiyong's eyes flitted in his direction, but after a sharp look, he moved on to Wonwoo. His voice became sickly sweet in fake surprise. "Wonwoo. I was wondering why you were so enthusiastic about getting rid of your friend. Seems I got my answer now."

"Jiyong." The Guardian nodded in acknowledgement but remained quiet afterwards, his face as impassive as ever. Jisoo wholeheartedly admired his bravery. An uncomfortable silence filled the room while Wonwoo and the Wielder stared each other down.

Warm relief flooded Jisoo's chest unexpectedly and mixed with his own fear. Chan had opened his bond and the Wielder sent him a shaky smile despite the dire situation. The eyes of the group at the door were still directed at him and it made him even more self-conscious than usual. While Chan, Minghao and Seungcheol seemed mostly relieved, Jihoon looked angry while muttering to himself (the Wielder felt a certain sense of nostalgia at the sight) and Jeonghan's face remained suspiciously blank.

At the sight of Minghao's and Chan's bruises, the Wielder couldn't help but blame himself. It also hurt him to know that the three brothers had gotten involved in this mess even though he had worked so hard to prevent it. The scarring images from Seunghyun's illusion flashed through his head and he tried to push them as far into the back of his mind as possible. Still, it took him a moment until his breathing had returned to its regular pattern.

A sudden movement by Wonwoo made Jisoo recoil against Mingyu's chest. The group looked on in silent horror as the Guardian fell to his knees, grimacing and hands clenched into tight fists at his sides. No sound was leaving his lips but it was obvious that he was in excruciating pain.

"Do you really think you can rebel against your Wielder?" Jiyong snarled and Jisoo felt the hairs at the back of his neck rising at the venomous tone. "You're bound to me; I own you. I can end your pitiful life right here, right now."

Helplessly, Jisoo looked on while Wonwoo was writhing on the floor. Just when he couldn't bear it anymore and had opened his mouth in hopes of distracting the other Wielder, Mingyu gently pulled him back and stepped forward. "You forcebond people and torture them into submission but then you expect them to stay loyal. What a ing joke."

Wonwoo stopped twitching when Jiyong focused on the tall Warrior instead. "And what are you going to do about it?" he asked smoothly. Visibly taken aback by the question, Mingyu remained silent and Jiyong smiled. "That's what I thought. Now back to you." His cold gaze returned to Wonwoo who immediately stiffened.

"Uhm. E-excuse me." Jisoo had absolutely no idea what he was going to say, but the urge to stop the other Wielder from torturing the Guardian any further was stronger than his reason and the warning glares of his friends. He forced himself to remain calm when Jiyong turned to him, the thoughts in his head racing for anything he could do to defuse the situation. "I th-think that-"

"You're a bag of and a horrible Wielder," Hansol interrupted and Jisoo felt the blood drain from his face at once while Jiyong's expression visibly darkened.

"Yeah, must to be so insecure," Jun added casually, a smirk on his lips.

"Th-That's n-not-," Jisoo tried to salvage but got interrupted once again.

"How many asses did you have to kiss to get that far?" Mingyu asked and the Jisoo quickly hit his shoulder and pulled him back.

"What the heck are you d-doing?!" he hissed, while Jiyong stepped further into the kitchen, the other group and their stoic guards remaining in the doorway.

"I'd rather he focuses on us than on you."

Jisoo puffed out his cheeks. Deciding that this wasn't the right time t