Donghae felt the warmth of the bright sun on his face. His eyebrows twitched when he felt a shadow looming over him. He opened his eyes in dread but was met with a sight of Kyuhyun drinking coffee by the window, staring back at him.

Kyuhyun immediately set his cup aside on seeing Donghae awake. "Hyung, how are you feeling?" Kyuhyun sat in a chair beside Donghae's bed and held his hand.

Donghae sighed not knowing how to answer it. He felt like he had gone through the grinder, literally and the blows he received at the hands of Yunho still left his brain feeling rattled. "I'm alive", Donghae smiled. 

Kyuhyun broke down in tears at the remark. Donghae was startled to see his friend crying. He reluctantly tried to joke, "Is this such bad news that it made you cry?"

Kyuhyun glared through his teary eyes, "Hyung, you have no idea how tough it was to leave without you." He sniffed and wiped his tears with his cuff. "This past week felt like forever. I'm really glad you are back." He hugged Donghae, careful not to hurt his aching body, holding back the tears at the memory of living without Donghae in his life.

___

After Donghae was dragged inside the tree, Siwon and Kyuhyun had a somewhat hostile attitude towards Leeteuk. Siwon realised that them blaming Leeteuk for the current situation was wrong and so he decide to finally talk with Leeteuk and pulled him aside, "I apologize for our rude behaviour."

Leeteuk immediately raised his hand, "Don't. Just don't apologize." He grabbed both his palms, nails nervously pinching his inner palm. "I think it'd be better for me to get out of your sight for a while. Until I can find something decisive to help." He walked across the room, picked his bag and promptly left.

Kyuhyun watched him walk out without saying anything to him. "Is he now running away from his responsibility." Kyuhyun scowled from behind as the door closed, taking a sip from his beer can.

"You know it's as much his responsibility as ours. Actually much less than ours because Donghae is our friend." Siwon sat across Kyuhyun, taking away the alcohol from his hands.

Kyuhyun had the documents that Leeteuk had brought over weeks ago, With foreign language sprawled across and in faded ink. He looked at the ancient signs and symbols, thinking of the marks they found in the forest.

Siwon ditched going to work in order to give company to Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun was heart broken and he didn't know what to do anymore. He drank alcohol, emptying one bottle after another. Siwon tried to stop him but to no avail.

When Donghae called Kyuhyun using Eunhyuk's phone, the latter was passed out. Early at the crack of dawn, his mobile started ringing again. Kyuhyun looked at the unknown number in daze, noticing several previous missed calls. When he received the call, the stranger on the other side informed him about Donghae's accident.

Kyuhyun sat upright and noticed Siwon was no longer with him. He didn't wait any longer and immediately bolted out of his apartment to his hyung, thanking the heavens on the way.

___

Kyuhyun told how Donghae's disappearance put him in a sour mood. They weren't any closer to finding Donghae nor had any clues on defeating Yunho.

The mention of Yunho's name sent a jolt through Donghae's brain. His body stiffened and breathing turned shallow. "How did you find me?" Donghae was puzzled, his body vividly remembered the beating he received from Yunho and then vaguely recalled a person helping him out.

"A stranger called and informed me about you," Kyuhyun said. "He also apologized for hitting you with his car." 

Donghae was even more confused, "I was hit by a car?" Kyuhyun was aghast, "You didn't know you were in an accident!" Donghae was irked, "He didn't say that he hit me." He paused for a while before continuing, "that's why his windshield was cracked and he kept on apologizing. Well atleast he didn't leave me to die."

Kyuhyun clenched his jaw, "No more mentions of the d word please".

The mark on Donghae's chest throbbed with a dull pain reminding him of the amulet. He patted his clothes and then glanced down at his hospital dress, "where are my clothes?" He asked with a frown, knowing he put the amulet in his trousers pocket. Kyuhyun went and pulled out his clothes which had been washed and set aside. Donghae fumbled through the pockets of his pants but couldn't find the amulet.

"What is it?" Kyuhyun asked, "what are you searching?"

"It's gone. The amulet, it's not here." Donghae was in a state of alarm. 

"Who else would have known about the amulet? Even I didn't knew about it until you started looking for it?" Kyuhyun wondered aloud.

"That guy who brought me here, Eunhyuk, where is he?" Donghae had his suspicions of this seemily helpful person.

'No one helps for free in this world', he wondered.

Kyuhyun shrugged saying he didn't know and would ask at the reception downstairs. Donghae however was feeling restless for some reason.

When Kyuhyun left he asked Donghae to not panic, "Hyung wait for a while. I'll be back in a minute. Maybe the cleaners took it out and didn't return."

Donghae couldn't wait anymore and went out to look for that guy himself. He walked down the bright corridors, frowning at the brightness. Through blurry vision he saw a man standing in front of the vending machine at the end of the corridor who turned towards him.

"I see you can walk now", he smiled.

"Give it back to me", Donghae spoke angrily with his hand extended. He saw the amulet in Eunhyuk's palm among the snacks he had taken. Eunhyuk took the amulet and smirked, "I knew a relic like this could fetch money. But didn't realize it would make almost dead people walk too." He pocketed the amulet and opened up a pack of crisps.

Kyuhyun came to Donghae as soon as he saw him standing in the corridor and noticed the guy who had called him.