"Junmyeon, could I talk to you for a second?"

Junmyeon turned away from his water barrier, letting the water flow back into the river. He had concentrated so hard that he hadn't even noticed how Chanyeol had approached him. To practise his power with the help of the small river in the forest meant that he was usually alone for a while, which helped him to sort out his thoughts.

"What's up?"

He tried to ignore how politely Chanyeol had spoken. It was obvious they all had to get used to him being their leader, himself included, but he hated this new respect some of them suddenly had for him. It was as if he had taken down the Red Force over night and someone had declared him king or something. Even the way Chanyeol was standing and the way he looked at him had changed. But at least that meant that Junmyeon wasn't the only one who was uncomfortable.

The tall guy was fidgeting and staring at the ground, taking his time to phrase his concern. "Do you remember how Yifan was so eager to go to the city?"

He remembered. Baekhyun had made himself quite clear that time and he had probably managed to wipe out the last bit of ambition to challenge the Red Force. Or at least Junmyeon had thought so. "He's not arguing with Baekhyun, is he?"

Somehow, the only positive thing he could see in being the leader was that most of them listened to him when he tried to stop arguments. Most of the time, they weren't serious, but especially Yifan and Baekhyun tended to lose their patience rather quickly. He nearly would've been blinded the last time he had interfered.

Chanyeol shook his head, but from the way he looked, his issue wasn't less uncomfortable.

"He's been talking to Jongin about how we could teleport inside the city without being caught for a long time now." He intertwined his fingers and fixed his gaze on them, not wanting to look at Junmyeon. "I know he hates the Red Force and I guess we need to be prepared for everything, but... he makes it seem as if the decision against going didn't exist. You know I'm the last person who likes it to stay here, but we decided against attacking them for a reason."

This made Junmyeon frown. "If that's true, I know what you're worrying about. He might be a bit hard-headed, but he wouldn't do something like this on his own."

Or would he? No. Attacking a Patrol in a moment of self- overestimation was one thing. Marching directly into the lion's den was something entirely different. Yifan wasn't stupid, he knew this was exactly what the Red Force wanted. Why search for people with powers if you could make them walk right through your doors?

"I know." Despite his words, Chanyeol was still frowning. "It's just-"

They both turned around when there was a sound in the woods. One like the breaking of branches on the ground.

"Has Luhan said anything about a thirteenth member?" whispered Chanyeol, standing next to Junmyeon.

He shook his head, while trying to spot something in between the trees. "Maybe it's just an animal."

Whatever it was, it was coming closer. Junmyeon was thinking about how to notify the others now that Luhan was training and most likely couldn't hear them, when-

A person stumbled out of the undergrowth, nearly falling to the ground where the path crossed the woods. When he noticed Chanyeol and Junmyeon standing there and watching him, he tried to steady himself. Which wasn't easy. He had scratches of thorns, and deeper ones all over his body. The bigger ones seemed to have been treated professionally, but seemingly in a rushed manner.

"Yixing," was the first word he said, raising his hands to show he was unarmed. "I need to see Yixing."

Chanyeol and Junmyeon exchanged a glance. This guy wasn't from the Red Force. But how did he get here?

"How do you know him?" Junmyeon asked suspiciously. Simultaneously, he was trying everything in his power to get Luhan to hear him, but he didn't get an answer.

'Luhan. Luhan. LUHAN!'

"I'm his father," the man answered calmly.

'What is it now, you annoying-' Luhan seemed to sense that something was wrong. 'I'm on my way.'

'Bring Yixing with you,' Junmyeon thought back. He returned his attention towards the stranger.

"His father is a physician." Chanyeol frowned. "Why would you leave your patients to travel such a long way... and why are you injured?"

"Father?" Upon turning around, Junmyeon noticed to his relief that Yixing and Luhan had arrived. The others had followed them and were trailing behind, shooting them curious gazes.

Yixing walked towards the man, the disbelief obvious in his face. "What are you doing here?" His gaze fell on the many injuries on the man's body. "What happened?"

The man smiled and made a step towards his son, but stumbled. Yixing caught him before he could fall to the ground and laid him down carefully to heal him.

While he was doing so, everyone formed a circle around the two.

"What happened?" Yixing asked for a second time when he had healed his father's injuries completely. The man stared at the places where the wounds had been a few moments ago, eyes filled with pure amazement. After a few seconds of silence, he seemed to remember the question.

"Ah. Yes." His expression fell. "The Red Force got word of your power.” He looked at the other guys for a while. “They have spies everywhere. Word about most of you must have travelled to them a long time ago. They are searching for you. Or, let's say, they know where you are and are waiting for you to attack them."

Chanyeol gave Yifan a pointed look, while the rest of them exchanged nervous looks. Of course they had gotten word from them, if not through the Patrols some of them had encountered, then maybe through some villager who had told them about how they had defended the village. They had already suspected that the true aim of that attack had been their exposure.

"Then we won't." Hearing Jongdae's convinced voice, everyone looked at him. "Let's just wait for them to come here. We can set traps, plan our attacks, and so on. Going there would be suicidal. And let's be honest, powers or not, we don't stand a chance against all of them at once."

Junmyeon got a bad feeling when the gaze of Yixing's father darkened even more. "The only reason why they kept me alive was to relay a message to one of you."

It was obvious how Luhan was tensing. Would he finally get to know what they had done to his father?

"There's someone from the city with you, am I right?" The man seemed a bit lost as he looked at all of them.

Baekhyun clenched his teeth and tried to prepare for what Yixing's father had to tell him. Following everyone's gazes, the latter's eyes were now clouded with sympathy and sorrow. "They want me to tell you they arrested your brother."

Junmyeon didn't know what the boy had expected, but this obviously wasn't it. The usually so determined, tough Baekhyun suddenly looked as if someone had punched him in the stomach.

"They did... what?" He sank to the ground, not losing eye contact with the older man. "They wouldn't... what about my parents?"

Something about his voice told Junmyeon he wasn't asking out of worry for them. He seemed to fear something else. But what could be worse than them being taken as well?

Breaking the eye contact and staring at the ground, Yixing's father answered both of their questions: "Your father was promoted for suggesting this move."

Upon hearing this, Baekhyun only nodded.

"How could parents do that to their own child?" Pure disbelief in his question, Minseok asked what was in all of their minds.

"Brainwashing," Baekhyun answered emotionlessly, his eyes staring into empty space. "My parents are the ideal example for the perfect citizens. I expected them to go report my disappearance. But I-" He lost his voice. No one dared to say anything. "I just couldn't imagine they would be able to do this. My brother was the perfect actor. Even I didn't know he shared my thoughts until shortly before I left. They... they didn't turn him in for treason."

He laughed bitterly. "That was revenge. Cold calculation."

He looked at Yifan who, like all the others, couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I told you. You have no idea." His words made Yifan look at the ground with guilt filling his eyes.

"Let's go back to talk about this." While suggesting this, Junmyeon eyed Baekhyun carefully. "Mr. Zhang needs to rest."

Everyone obeyed hesitantly. Yixing helped his father to get up. Although his wounds were healed, he was exhausted and needed his son to help him walk. Chanyeol left Junmyeon's side and helped Baekhyun up, who didn't resist when he was offered help.

Yixing helped his father to lay down in one of the guest rooms and came back again to join them in front of the house. Jongdae was trying to convince Baekhyun to get some rest as well, but the shocked citizen insisted on staying with them.

This was their first time to discuss something this urgent and dangerous, and no one seemed to know how to start.

"Well?" Tao looked at all of them demandingly. "When will we go?"

"It hasn't been decided yet whether we'll go, Tao," Jongin reminded him carefully. Junmyeon could see that he was trying his best not to look at Baekhyun.

"But we can't just stay here and do nothing!" The time-influencer furrowed his eyebrows and raised his voice when he noticed everyone was thinking like Jongin. "What would we need to decide? His brother is the only sane family Baekhyun has left!"

"That's what they're expecting us to do, Tao," Baekhyun reminded him with a sarcastic, but sad smile. "They'd capture us if we just got close to the city."

It was heart-breaking to see how Baekhyun had already realised that getting his brother back alive was nearly impossible. If they stayed, the Red Force would kill him. If they went to rescue him, they would get caught. Junmyeon had already had a few nightmares about people in red and white clothes analysing, torturing and experimenting on him and he knew that what was waiting for them in the city was far more painful than everything he could have imagined. He would do everything to avoid this fate for him and the others. But on the other hand...

"If none of you want to help him, Baekhyun and I will go alone," Yifan suddenly claimed. Kyungsoo looked at him in disbelief.

"Haven’t you learned anything about going somewhere on your own?"

"It's either all or none of us," Luhan added. "And don't you think this would be the kind of decision for the leader to make?"

Junmyeon looked at him in disbelief. Had he been holding himself back throughout the discussion because he already knew he would do this?

"That's not my decision," he defended himself. "If anyone should decide that, it's Baekhyun."

"But Luhan is right," Sehun admitted with a serious expression. "It's things like this we have a leader for."

"But I can't just decide for either your lives or that of Baekhyun's brother!" Junmyeon nearly shouted. Besides, judging from Baekhyun's face, he wouldn't care about the danger of the Red Force he had warned them about, no matter what their decision would be. If they stayed, it wasn't unlikely that Baekhyun would be gone soon. And they had to stay together. They couldn't leave him to do that on his own.

Luhan nodded curtly in acknowledgement of his thoughts. "But keep in mind that, if we all go, the tree will be unguarded." And we won't be able to come back again so soon. Junmyeon didn't know why he hadn't added this. Everyone was already aware of that.

"It won't be," said Yixing suddenly. He was hesitating, as if he himself didn't believe what he was saying. "It won't be unguarded."

"And you think your father could defend himself and the tree against the Red Force?" Junmyeon tried to pinpoint the unusual tone in Luhan's voice, until he realized that the boy had just tried to not hurt Yixing's feelings. Luhan's own father hadn't succeeded in protecting the tree, he suddenly remembered. Of course he didn't want Yixing to lose his parent in the exact same situation.

The healer lowered his head at Luhan's words. "No."

"We might be able to convince the villagers to take him in." Minseok pointed at the room where Yixing's father was to stress his words. "If it's true what you told us, he's an amazing physician. The village wouldn't say no to someone like him."

"But they would if they knew the truth about him."

With these words, Yixing's father emerged from the house. He had obviously overheard a large part of their conversation.

"What kind of truth are you talking about?" Chanyeol asked, sounding as confused as Junmyeon felt.

The man only looked at Luhan. "You can trust me to take care of the tree. It wouldn't be my first time. But you must have guessed so already."

The boy gasped and it was only now that Junmyeon noticed how the grass Luhan had pulled out during their discussion was growing back rapidly. Luhan's hands trembled and he crossed his arms quickly to hide them.

"You didn't even tell Yixing about this." It was not a question. Luhan seemed to know where this was leading and didn't appear to be very eager to hear it from the man in front of him, while everyone else just stared at them, not understanding what had just happened.

The man smiled softly. "The only one who knew about it was also the only one like me until the same happened to you guys," he said. "But your father didn't tell you either, did he?"