Tao

Tao woke to the sound of Lay calling his name and shaking him awake, but he just wanted to sleep. He never did like to wake up early. Unless it was a military summons, he just wanted to curl back up in bed.

Which strangely felt realistic beneath him.

He opened his eyes to see his bedroom back in the barracks. The rough blankets of the double bunk-bed, the wardrobe on the far side of the small room, a desk littered with Lay's papers, and an entire wall of plants for Lay's research. Everything was exactly how Tao remembered it.

"C'mon," Lay said. "We should see the others."

Hopping down from the top bunk, Tao followed Lay out into the 'living room,' also a word their leader showed him through a book. Suho, Kris, and Xiumin were already gathered around the table in the center, and Kai was dragging Baekhyun by his ankles out of their room.

"Get up and walk, you lazy firefly."

"Can't you just teleport me to the couch?"

"Not happening."

Kai dropped Baekhyun's legs and jumped into his seat.

"Baekhyun, focus. We need to figure this out," Kris said.

"What's to figure out? We're dead, and now we have to pass some trials in some labyrinth to make it out without 'damnation,'" Kai said.

"And only one of us can actually be saved," Lay finished.

"But I don't remember dying," Tao said.

He glanced at the others, trying to catch their thoughts on the idea. It bothered him that he couldn't remember his last moments alive. Had he been shot by an enemy soldier? Or knifed in the back? Or had he finally driven himself into a corner and...

He felt a hand squeeze his shoulder. He turned to see Xiumin give him a small smile, and Tao knew what he meant. Whatever happened to him before, he had to put it aside and think of how to help their current situation.

"Then why are we back here in the barracks? Are we in the labyrinth?" Tao asked.

"I thought labyrinths were those super tall hedges that make all those twisting turns, and you had to find your way out of it without climbing on top," Baekhyun said, winding his fingers in the air as he described a maze.

"This must be a different kind of labyrinth and a different kind of trial." Xiumin knocked his fingers into the table. "Seeing as everything is like when we were in the military."

"Does that mean we have to follow orders like before?" Kai said.

"The real question is, does our commanding officer still hate our guts?" Baekhyun said.

Lay chuckled at the thought. "I doubt there will ever be a version of him that didn't hate us."

The others nodded in agreement, except Suho. Tao noticed he had been quiet during their entire discussion, staring into the tabletop. He was sure their leader was piecing together their conversation into a strategy of some sort. But then he stood, grabbing the flint strikers, tinder, and a bucket of water. They only ever used those for campfires or for melting down the furniture when Xiumin accidentally froze everything with a sneeze.

"Guys, follow me," Suho said, hoisting a few logs under his arm. "And that's an order."

Tao stood, as did the others, and followed him out of the warehouse they called their barracks. The breeze was warm, and insects chirped in the flush of forest surrounding their quarters. Night had already fallen, and the darkness reminded Tao of sinking through the floor at the Judgement Court. Behind him, Baekhyun illuminated the trail their leader was guiding them on. He soon saw the familiar area of land they used for campfires.

"We're having a campfire? Now? Of all times?" Kris said.

Suho crouched, nestled the logs around the tinder, and set it on fire. "Just sit, you lug."

"Why the sudden campfire?" Kai said, settling next to Tao.

Suho stared into the fire for a long minute, the light turning his brown eyes a bronze color. "I called this campfire, because I wanted to have one last time of peace together." He chuckled softly. "Even though we're already dead."

He stood and bowed.

"I'm sorry."

Tao couldn't believe his eyes or his ears. Never had their leader ever so formally apologized to them. Even Lay who had been staring absently at the stars dropped his jaw at the words. Tao had seen Suho apologize on their behalf to their commanding officer, and Tao hated the sight.

"Woah, wait. What? Why're you apologizing?" Baekhyun said.

"As a leader, I couldn't keep your lives safe. I was suppose to guide you, bring us victory, and I failed. And now we're trapped in this labyrinth and forced to take on its trials. I have to take responsibility for my actions, or at least offer my--"

"Suho ge," Tao interrupted.

He stopped and looked at him.

"If you ever apologize to us again, I will break my code of ethics, stop your time, and throw you across the living room."

Tao had two rules he followed regarding his powers: never manipulate another person's time, and if he did the amount of time he stole he would take from his own. He would break his own rule if it meant Suho didn't apologize to them. He couldn't stand it.

The campsite grew quiet. Tao was serious with what he said, but as he looked around at the others staring at him he felt his ears heat up.

"Oh my gosh, he's blushing," Kai said. "Our hand-to-hand combat master and time manipulator is blushing."

He smacked him in the arm and felt his cheeks flush too. "I-It's just the angle of the light."

Baekhyun leaned in from his log with a sneaky grin. "Are you sure? Because if you're not, I can just bend all the light onto your face."

Tao fell back across the log as Kai tackled him, Baekhyun flashing soft lights in his face. When he was finally allowed up, the others were still rolling on the floor and holding their stomachs from the laughter. Tao covered his face and groaned. This was going to come back and bite him in the rear.

"Tao," Suho said, hints of suppressed laughter in his voice.

He peeked behind his han