“Ah, my back.” Ten groaned as he stretched said area. He scratched his head and looked around in a daze, the faint distant sound of cars honking barely waking him up. He did not want to get up, really didn’t want to. Nonetheless, with a groan, he got up from his bed —which is actually his house—, and bending the sweat away from his forehead. 

Ten was a mutant, a being with a certain characteristic that made them stand out, like a power. Ten’s was quite simple, he could bend, and turn himself into liquids, any kind. Ever since that stupid ban, his power was only useful for bending his sweat away. 

“Morning Ten!” His neighbor Jeno greeted. Like him, Jeno was a mutant, a really powerful one at that. Unlike Ten, Jeno was from Korea. He was a rare mutant, since neither his parents and sister were mutants. He had a low profile and hid his power, which was being practically indestructible. It wasn’t until the mutant ban that he was kicked out.

In mutant society, there were levels. Not based on money or status, but on strength. Ironically, the term neo was used for the strongest. Then came the pems, then the mets, then the lims, then the yus, then the mutants. Ten and Jeno were the only lims here, making them be in charge of the shelter. Yes they were pretty weak, but they managed.

Ten smiled, and hugged the other. “Morning Jeno~.” He ruffled the others hair. 

“Hyung, you didn’t eat yesterday, please eat today.” Ten smiled at the other’s worry.

“I should. I’ll go get some, wanna tag along?” Jeno shook his head. “I’m going to see Jaemin today, I’ll eat at his shelter.”

“Alright~, just be careful.”

“Always, Hyung.”

Because of the ban, mutants were forced to leave their homes, while some were killed, others escaped and made shelters in hidden places, difficult to find, yet, easy to see. 

Ten strolled in the streets of Seoul, looking for a cheap café he could get decent food. Actually humans can’t sense mutants, only a mutant can. But, rumor has it that humans were developing machines to detect mutants to... who knows what. It was scary. Ten didn’t put much thought to it, no point in worrying anyway, right?

He settled for this café named “Café Rojo”. As soon as he walked in, he saw all the humans huddled up, looking at what seemed to be the news. He didn’t pay attention to them, an ordered a chocolate doughnut and a coffee. Pfft, as if he even cared fo- Oh . “Lee Taeyong and Kim Doyoung have finally created the weapons that will finish with the mutant race. They have also announced ‘neo groups’, to search for mutants around South Korea, —and hopefully the world—, to bring them to justice.” That wasn’t the worst, wait, that wasn’t the worst? “82 mutants killed in Busan by the neo group 93.” “20 mutants killed in-“ “34 mutants killed in-“ “Amazing! 128 mutants killed in-“. 

Ten couldn’t breathe. They were killing them, killing them. Everything seemed to collapse, and anxiety overpowered him. ‘What if- what if- oh God, I’m next, aren’t I? Even though I ran f-for four countries- this is were I die , right? Oh- oh no. Please no no no no. I’m not strong enough, not for this’

‘Oh my God, I’m going to have to protect the shelter. What if I can’t? What if they take them? Jeno is still a ing kid, and he isn’t the only one. I can’t, I simply can’t.’

‘Breathe Ten, breathe.’ But he couldn’t, worry and self-doubt came crashing on to him like a wave. ‘I’m not good enough to help them. ing more than 100 are dead and he-‘

“Ten? Your order is ready.” He turned around and saw a woman holding out his order, smiling, clearly oblivious to Ten’s mini attack.

“Right...” he said as he forced himself to calm down, “thanks.”

Ten sat alone in his bed, slowly munching on his doughnut, mind still processing everything. ‘What am I supposed to do?’ He now thought calmly. Come on Ten, think, think. He could bend water thin enough, and shoot them at a high speed, maybe then he could do some damage. Maybe he could bend the water out of their bodies, leaving them dehydrated. Maybe- 

“Hyung!” Jeno screamed as he ran to Ten’s little shack. “Jaemin’s shelter is gone. I-I couldn’t find him. I couldn’t,” he let out a choked sigh, “then, on my way here, I saw the news about that Lee Taeyong, Kim Doyoung, and those neo groups.”

“I heard too...”

“Hyung... what if-“. Men shouted in the distance, and approaching footsteps could be heard.

“Jeno, are you hea-“

Ten out.