It was fair to say that the squad felt like they were walking on a thin strand of hair, where one wrong move would lead them to tragic death. Moreover, if it weren’t for the few torches that they carried, they would quite literally be lost in the dark.

With Taehyun and Yeosang leading the team, the others followed promptly. They all waddled across the area, passing by the lonely cafes and restaurants that were once teeming with life, now being the only rooms and buildings that weren’t destroyed by the machine.

They eventually found themselves heading straight towards the monsters, trying not to hiss at the feeling of their feet getting stuck within the uneven cavities of the road.

“Hey, umm… What exactly are we doing?”, Yuqi asked away as she held onto the straps of her bag, not bothered by the weight in total, but a part of her mind wondered what even was in the bag that she borrowed from Soobin.

The aforementioned shrugged his shoulders and pointed a finger to the front. “That look on Taehyunnie’s face is a sign of utter concentration. He will not respond to any of us.”

“Tyun, we’re getting pretty close to the slimes. Shouldn’t we stop and figure things out?”

The red-head halted in his tracks at that nickname coming from a certain voice, turning around with wide eyes and parted lips. He returned back to his typical firm attitude as he heard Kai coo from his side, forcing his lips into a tight smile. “Yes, Beomgyu-hyung?”

The others couldn’t help but come to a stop, directing all their attention to the two members at the centre, – Beomgyu and Taehyun – both of them staring at each other with a silly look, their torches flashing on their faces.

“Did you just call me ‘Tyun’, Beomgyu-hyung? You never call me that. You shouldn’t call me that. Why are you calling me that? Last time you used that name, you nearly dropped an egg on me.”

There was not even a second of silence to exist, as the others gradually understood the situation. For a moment, they seemed to forget the fact that there were monsters creeping towards them.

“I’m sorry, what? An egg? Uh, what is wrong with the two of-” Yuqi flinched as she saw Kai and Soobin shake their heads. She began to wonder what really were the dynamics within the friendships in the squad.

“Drop the ‘hyung’ and tell me that you have a plan in mind, and I’ll refrain from calling you that nickname you once so dearly loved. Is that a deal?” Beomgyu put out his hand like a manager at a formal meeting, a meaningless grin on his face.

He knew that his actions were slightly inappropriate, considering they were on the verge of death, but he was starting to suffocate within the tense atmosphere. Deeming his attempt to lighten the air a success, he waited for a response from the younger.

“Fair enough. Umm, follow my lead. We have around three minutes before the monsters reach us.” Taehyun turned away from the older, refusing to shake his lover’s hand, tightening his grip on the torch he carried.

Taking one quick glance at the river that was partially blocked out of sight with the towering slimes, he stealthily hustled to one side, keeping his torch directed on the ground. His feet picked up the pace, only to slow down in a minute or so. He put a finger to his lips, gesturing the others to stay quiet.

He whispered, “The slimes won’t attack us if they don’t see us or hear us, though I’m not sure whether they can hear us in the first place. Let’s test it out though.”

He looked at Soobin, who stood behind everyone else.

The aforementioned bent over and picked up a stone that was smoothed over by the repetitive floods, now a pebble. He carefully threw the solid on the other side of the road, just a few metres away from the creatures, before shifting his gaze to the slimes.

The monsters didn’t change their motion, continuing to glide forward with their limbs floating mid-air, low groans escaping their gooey bodies despite not portraying any visible mouth or opening.

“Wait,” Yeosang’s whisper was barely audible, but he continued anyway, “let me try and see whether they specifically react to the power.”

He tilted his head, cracking a joint in his neck as he looked at the tattoo below his wrist, before slowly letting his eyes fall shut. He brought his attention to the dark room that appeared in front of him like a dollhouse being pushed forward by a parent. Furrowing his brows, he muttered under his breath, “Focus. Focus. Focus.”

The golden bell sitting on the wooden table seemed quite ordinary to Yeosang, but he found himself reaching forward. There was a floating rod, made entirely of clear glass; he grabbed the rod within the void of his mental image, before reluctantly striking it against the heavy bell.

He fluttered his eyes open, wondering if the others heard the loud echo too, but the lack of response from the squad told him that they did not. He shook away the thought, unsure of how to use his power like he wanted to. “How do I do this?”

“Just imagine it. It’s your power, you get to make the final call, or so it seems…”

“No, Kai, you all have physical objects or images to visualise but… Well, mine is sound. What do I imagine? I just see a bell and a glass rod in a dark room, and a very typical wooden table too.”

At that, Kai raised an eyebrow, breaking out into a sweet smile. “Perhaps you should point towards where you want the sound to come from, all the while hitting the bell with the rod, but not too harshly. I suppose it’s a glass rod for a reason, so don’t break it.”

Yeosang nodded and did as he was advised, closing his eyes as he pointed a finger towards the other side of the road, further away from both the slimes and the team itself.

In the matter of three seconds or so, a booming groan prompted out of the atmosphere, before the sound morphed into a sharp whistle, causing the squad to cover their ears. The sound then began distorting into an ultrasonic echo, muting out into silence.

However, all of Yeosang’s efforts were not in vain, as the team heard a surprisingly audible crack in one of the claws of one of the slimes. He knew that he successfully wielded his power, – thanks to Kai’s helpful tip – though it would require more practice.

“Well, I guess it doesn’t respond to sound, or to minimal damage either.” Taehyun’s voice was now loud and clear within the group. “We can’t wait any longer. Whoever can fight, whoever can wield their new powers, it’s time to use them for good.”

He noticed the hesitation and fear lurking within the eyes of the rest of the members, and he wasn’t surprised at all. He knew, they all knew, that this was a matter of life and death. He knew that their actions would determine the safety of those waiting patiently at the edge of the park. He knew that their actions would determine the fate of the team too.

“Jungeun-noona, let’s start off. The others can join in a bit.”, Kai declared as he tried to relax his shoulders, feeling the blood rush through his veins at an incredible speed. He closed his hands into fists at his sides, his knuckles turning white and his fingernails digging into his skin.

“Put away the torches, they might see us. At least we know where the slimes are standing.”

Upon receiving a pat on the back from Taehyun, he nodded and took a few ste