Howls echoed through the corridor as another hooded sorcerer stood beside the sorcerer supreme. Blue light seeped out from the tiger, making it dimmer and dimmer as more were sapped out.

"Don't you think that's enough for now, Jonghyun? He might die if you keep going and you know he's the last we can find."

"I know what I'm doing," the male hissed and stopped taking Baekho's energy the moment the other started turning back to his human form, falling onto the ground and panting. "Why do you keep switching back to this hideous form?"

Baekho didn't know why either. His body just didn't want to stay in its tiger form anymore and there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't force himself to do it either. He laid there in the cold familiar cave, exhausted of energy.

"That human has made him weak. This is preposterous," Jonghyun hissed. "How are we going to get enough energy to stay strong?"

"There has to be other ways. Other wereanimals. We will find them, Jonghyun." But the other wasn't listening and he approached Baekho who could barely even move. He swung his hand up and Baekho's body followed it's motion with a gust of wind as he came eye to eye with the sorcerer. He bared his teeth at the other even though he could barely make a sound.

"Do you think if I put the human in harm's way, it would make it stronger?"

"That would be absurd to try. And the human is innocent." Baekho's eyes glowed at the very thought of Minhyun getting hurt. He tried to claw out at the other but couldn't reach him.

"I think it's worth a try."

Baekho hissed and struggled against the wind holding onto him but one blow backwards was enough to knock out all the air from his lungs again. He fell to the ground and coughed, vision blurring out as he tried to crawl towards the sorcerers who were leaving. He couldn't get far when the chains held him back again. He let out a sharp cry before it was followed by howls and wails. He slammed his angry fists on the ground and wished there was something he could do to protect Minhyun but he lacked the energy and the strength and everything. He was lacking.

The hooded sorcerer glanced back at the weretiger and had a pitiful expression.

Minhyun tried to scrape at the bars with the spoon he had taken from the meal they had given him earlier but he knew that it was going to be impossible to escape even if he got through one obstacle and that a spoon was a ridiculous choice for this task. He hid the spoon when he heard footsteps approaching the jail cell and he peeked out, wondering who it was and half hoping that he would be able to see Baekho but to his dismay, it was just another sorcerer. The rather short sorcerer removed his hood as he stood in front of Minhyun. Minhyun glared at the other, quite certain this person would just be as hard to talk to as the others.

"Your life is in danger," He said. Minhyun let out a dry laugh.

"Who would have known. Thanks for telling me," He replied in a sarcastic tone. "If you know that, then let me out." He hit the bar with his palm even though it made it sting.

"You know I can't."

"Then what do you want?" Minhyun scoffed. He was usually calm but he realised that these people just don't listen and that irritated him.

"I... I want your help."

Minhyun froze. He was confused. "What are you saying? You're a sorcerer. You don't need some plain human's help. You're already stronger than I am."

"Yes, I am but... But I can't go against Jonghyun."

"And what makes you think I can? I'm just a doctor. I'm nothing like you guys or Baekho."

"But you do not fear him like we do. I saw how you tried charging at him. I need that spirit of yours."

Minhyun shuffled back. "You want to take my spirit?"

"No, no. I just need you to cause some kind of distraction. Enough for me to disable Jonghyun's powers momentarily while you save the weretiger."

"And what do you get out of this? Baekho's powers all to yourself?! What makes you think I'll help you?" Minhyun hissed, pulling himself up from the ground. The sorcerer sighed and started taking off his cape. Minhyun gasped. "Why are you stripping?"

"I need to show you something. You're a doctor, right?" The male pulled off his shirt and Minhyun shut his eyes at first. "Please look at what happened to me. I'm not the only one who has suffered like this." He didn't want to feel pity towards people who had caused Baekho pain but he still opened his eyes. He felt his heart freeze at the sight of the other's chest. There were lacerations across his chest that didn't get proper medical attention thus leaving hideous scars and he knew there was no human capable of dealing such injuries without a large weapon but even then, there wouldn't be such a long cut. It was magic.

"Who did that to you? Jonghyun?"

The male shook his head. "Sorcerers even stronger than Jonghyun." He put his shirt back on. "We aren't the only clans sapping energy from the wereanimals. There are more and every time we aren't careful enough, a wereanimal dies. Because I had sustained such injuries, Jonghyun has become unstable. He wants more and more power to win against the other sorcerers. To protect us but... I fear he might kill the weretiger if I let this go on. I need your help because no one else will go against him. He is our leader. And I know he means well but this time, it might go too far because he intends on harming you to get the weretiger to release more energy."

Minhyun was baffled. Hurt him to get to Baekho? That was nuts. He stared downwards as he tried to collect his thoughts. "How can I trust you?"

"I don't expect you to but... Just know that I'm doing this because that weretiger is the last one alive and I don't want him to die like this and... You don't deserve to be hurt when you have no involvement in our fights."

Minhyun let out a small cry, hearing that Baekho was the last of his kind. He was hoping that that wasn't true and that he could have reunited the other with his family. He breathed in and nodded. "What do I have to do?"

~~~

"Baekho," a sad voice called out to him and Baekho opened his eyes just a crack. He felt warm hands touch his cheeks that were cold. "What have they done to you? You're so cold." He groaned, recognising the gentle voice. He shifted his hand and felt it being held. He smiled and tried to snuggle closer to Minhyun who pulled him up onto his lap.

"Min... You're safe," He said tiredly and Minhyun nodded, clutching onto him tightly.

"But you're not," Minhyun said in an upset tone and placed his head against Baekho's. "And they've put you in chains again."

Baekho didn't care about what happened to him as long as Minhyun was safe now.

"Don't go back to sleep yet, Baekho. There's something I have to tell you," Minhyun said and Baekho weakly opened his eyes again. He felt something against his lips and noticed it was a little cup with a blue liquid inside. "Drink this. It'll help you restore a bit of energy." Baekho listened and sipped it, guessing it was probably an elixer the sorcerers created with his energy but it did help him feel less tired. "I need you to keep this in your mouth. At any point later on, if we have no chances of escaping, I want you to ingest it but only if we have no choice. Can you do that for me, Baekho?"

Baekho nodded and allowed Minhyun to slide something bitter into his mouth. He slid it under his tongue and kept it there. Minhyun kissed his forehead and smiled.

"Thank you for trusting me, Baekho. I'll come back for you."

Baekho whined when he felt Minhyun put him down but he still couldn't gather enough energy to stop him from leaving. The last thing he saw before he passed out again was that of Minhyun's back walking away with the hooded sorcerer.

~~~

"Where are we going now?" Minhyun asked, feeling a little more cooperative now that Aron, the hooded sorcerer, had allowed him to see Baekho.

"To Jonghyun. He wanted an audience with you."

"Before we go there, could we stop by a kitchen or something?"

Aron paused in his steps and raised a brow at Minhyun curiously. "Why would you want to go to the kitchen? Are you hungry?"

"No, I'm preparing myself," Minhyun replied and Aron nodded.

"Okay, sure."

They detoured to a kitchen area and Minhyun rushed to find for the item he needed. He had also realised that the 'cave' Baekho thought he was trapped in happened to be an underground cavern built by the sorcerers as their home base. They had purposely kept Baekho in the dark so he wouldn't be able to plan an escape although the other still somehow managed once before and now security was tighter than ever. He took a knife and kept it where he would have easy access.

"You're planning to stab. The sorcerer supreme. With a knife?" Aron questioned and Minhyun shrugged.

"Worth a try especially if he's going to hurt me, right?" Minhyun said, meaning it as a joke but his tone was spiteful. Aron gave it a thought and shrugged.

"Maybe. Surely he wouldn't see that one coming. Let's go."

"Okay."

~~~

"Human."

Minhyun held back from referring to the other with a mean word as he was led into a chamber where the sorcerer supreme sat on a throne. He kept quiet as Aron had told him to beforehand.

"Why are you still carrying that box around with you?" the other asked with a tone of disgust. Minhyun raised his brows.

"Why do you bother? This is my life's work. I'm not about to leave it." Minhyun glanced around the chamber. He knew Aron told him to cause a distraction but honestly, he didn't know what to do. He barely knew the layout of the place and he was incapable of using any fancy magic.

"Nevermind that. I believe Aron has told you what I planned to do with you, right?"

"That you intend to hurt me, yes, he did."

"Great. So let's just cut this short and get on with it," Jonghyun said to Aron and Minhyun's alarm.

"Woah, Woah, Woah. Now, Jonghyun? The weretiger hasn't even had a full day's rest. You will most definitely kill him at this rate," Aron cut in and Jonghyun glared at him.

"They are approaching again, Aron. We cannot afford to waste even a second or a sliver of energy," Jonghyun hissed as he stood up. Minhyun took a step back, eyeing the door.

"But there has to be-"

"There is no other way!" Jonghyun roared and the door slammed shut, making them flinch. "If we don't get them this time, we are over!"

"Then maybe it's time you stop it," Minhyun spoke up. "You can't take an innocent life just just for your own gain. I will not let you."

"And what can you do, human?" Jonghyun waved his hand and the door opened again. "You can't even come an inch close to me."

Minhyun clenched his fists. "You're right. I can't. But that doesn't mean I don't have other means to deal with you." Minhyun pulled out a round ball from his pocket and squeezed it to the sorcerers' confusion. Neither knew what it was but was surprised when greenish brown smoke started emitting from it.

"A smoke bomb? That's the best you can do?" Jonghyun jeered at the human male. Minhyun just drop it on the floor as the smoke kept pouring out.

"Maybe," Minhyun replied and smiled, making the sorcerer feel uneasy. He waved his hand and blew the smoke aside. "Is a sorcerer afraid of a little smoke?"

"A human can't possibly win against me," Jonghyun hissed and raised his hand but he stiffened. Aron was confused when he saw Jonghyun clutched his throat. He was having a difficult time breathing. "What did you do?"