The news of the emperor's arrival circulated within seconds, as a lot of staff left their respective offices to come pay their respect. They surrounded Kai with words of flattery, fawning sycophantically over him that had Sehun resisting the urge to roll his eyes. However Kai's attention wasn't on any of them, he had been gazing at Sehun– that still couldn't seem to find his voice or the ability to move, he was rooted in place– with an expression he couldn't decipher. No matter how he tried to feel indifferent, Kai's intense scrutiny was making him uncomfortable. He was freaking out in the inside, despite knowing he was nothing more than a stranger to Kai in this life. Something he wished to remain so. He was surprised that seeing Kai didn't stir the love he had for the other. Like on many occasions when Kai crossed his mind, Sehun only felt that familiar numb sensation. He had a suspicious it had something to do with what the goddess did to him, just before sending him back. That was beside the point, whatever it was, he was grateful, it gave him control over his feelings.  Something else was stirring in him. Two things to be precise. The first: he was quite familiar with and had predicted it would react this way. However the other wasn't something he couldn't say what it could possibly be, other than a stranger sensation deep within him.  That aside. The most notable emotion he had felt was the fear he couldn't control. Well he couldn't not, when the person that literally ripped his heart out was right before him. He could feel the phantom sensation of it in his chest. The important point was certainly disturbing.  The fact that, things weren't working out as they did in the past. He shouldn't have met Kai until in three months from now, after he had saved Hyunjin on his way back to the capital. That was when real began. And according to Kai, Hyunjin would be on the way in a few days, meaning he would get attacked and Sehun would intervene. Were things changing because of his Rebirth? Sehun didn't like this. He was more than ready to relive his past and change things while he was at it. But if things were changing on their own,that meant he wouldn't be able to predict what would happen in the future. Now that he wasn't as distressed as he had been, he noticed something was different about Kai from his previous life. There was something missing or most likely gained. But couldn't pinpoint what. Or maybe he was overthinking thing, yet the thing inside him beg to differ. Whatever the , it wasn't his business, not anymore, not in this lifetime.  "...Hun" "Sehun?" "Huh?" Sehun blinked, snapping his attention to Siwon. "The emperor was talking to you." Siwon said, frowning. "The order taught you better manners." .  "My apologies." He quickly said, cupping his hand to bow at Kai. He hated how small his voice came out, the familiar jangle of nerves in his stomach. He loathed that Kai still had this effect on him, even in this lifetime. "Greetings your majesty." If his voice trembled, he was grateful no one pointed it out. "Is this real or dyed?" Kai asked and Sehun straighten to see Kai pointing at his red and blond hair. Of all the things he expected the emperor to say that wasn't it.  He had thought Kai would jab a finger at Sehun's direction with a scowl that could rival Siwon's with something along the lines of."And who is this foolish boy without manners?" That was unexpected. Once again he was slow to respond until Jimin elbowed him. "I– um yes it's natural." that wasn't what he was supposed to say. It would raise suspicious about something he didn't want anyone to find out. Only his family knew of the being that lived inside Sehun. A being so powerful that sometimes Sehun feared what he was capable of. Predictively Kai's his brows ceased "Unusual" he said "Do you have more than one element?" That was the question he got a lot. "No, I am an air mage." What the was wrong with him? Sehun should at least shy away from the truth even though he couldn't lie to Kai with the whole order watching. He should say something like he didn't know.  "You're a crossbreed?" Almost rolling his eyes at the emperor, Sehun shook his head. He didn't understand why Kai was interested in him. Speaking of his parentage, truth was Sehun didn't know what or who his birth father was. He could remember his mom and his sister, but nothing more than that. Pain slashed down his chest at the thought of his sister. That was why he always try to avoid thinking of her. "He's adopted by the Lans when he was a boy, I do not think he could remember his birth parents." Heechul was kind enough to explain, as though understanding Sehun's pain. "Come on in nephew. And tell me what brings you to my humble academy other than the crown prince's guard." Kai's eyes lingered on Sehun for a moment, before he said. "I hope you have someone in mind, nothing but the best for my boy." He finally looked away, walking into the office and Heechul and Siwon followed suit, while the guards took formation in front of the office. It was clear no one would be allowed in as long as the emperor was inside.  The moment the door was closed, Sehun let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, sagging heavily against Jimin. He had been nervous as , afraid Kai would recognize him by some miracle. He gazed at the elites, that were also looking at him, a question in their eyes that he was glad they didn't utter. "Come let's get you settled in." The leader– Junmyeon said. "We have training in the morning and evening." He began to walk and the others did the same. Nodding, Sehun glanced at the door to Heechul's office one last time before following them. He felt someone's eyes on him but didn't dare to turn and check whom it might be. That night Sehun had two dreams. One was of him dying at Kai's hand in the same manner he'd actually died. It was expected considering he'd met the person that ripped his heart out. However the second dream was truly confusing and strange. It was of a young dragon, shedding tears as it stared at him pleadingly, as though begging to be saved, but honestly Sehun had no idea what it wanted to be saved from. Thus when he woke, he put it to the back of his mind and continue with his new life as an elite.
***
Sehun crouched at the back of a small alleyway. Darkness closed in on him from all sides. His enhanced senses rose to the surface, and his grin turned wicked. He loved hunting, especially deserving prey. Lifting his head, Sehun breathed in the night air. Information blossomed in his mind. Someone had eaten noddles for dinner. Someone else used a very citrusy bodywash that almost made him sneeze. But there, in the distance, was the faint hint of fire, distinctive to a certain race. He kept to the shadows, his movements quiet and sure. His black T-shirt and cargo pants helped him blend in, but Sehun understood the power of his prey. It thought he was an easy target, and under normal circumstances, a lone paladin would be. But Sehun wasn't alone. He raised his hand and gestured behind him. Jimin moved ahead of him silently. Sehun waited for Jimin to get into position, then crept forward himself. Silent movements drew them closer to their prey. The slightest scrape of a shoe on the concrete ahead alerted him to his prey’s location. Sehun froze, his hackles raised, ready for a sneak attack. Instead, their prey darted away, seeming to sense the trap they’d laid. It moved more quickly than a human, and like the paladins kept to the shadows. Their target wouldn’t make this easy for them, but that was okay. They didn’t like easy. Sehun again raised his arm, giving another signal. The swish of metal let him know Zitao was in position. Sehun grinned, his teeth lengthening as the being inside him sensed victory. Their prey thought it had escaped their trap. It hadn’t. The beast they hunted terrified common folk and nobles alike. Deadly and stronger than any shifter had a right to be, it had become a true apex predator to their kind. That didn’t mean Sehun and his team couldn’t take the beast down. They’d spent days training for this. Now they had to prove themselves.“Go!” He caught a flash of movement before the beast struck. Sehun spun away. Air brushed his face, but the beast’s fist missed his nose with millimeters to spare. Sehun continued to circle, using his extensive martial arts training to his advantage, and swept their prey’s feet out from under it.
But this creature wasn’t lacking in training of its own. It went down but used the momentum to roll backward and flip to its feet. The beast immediately leaped forward, its powerful legs and supernatural strength allowing it to plow into Sehun. They went down in a tumble of arms and legs. This time, Sehun used the beast’s attack to his advantage and flipped it to the side. He added a punch to the ribs for good measure before diving away from the beast’s deadly claws. Jimin moved in and mimicked Sehun's earlier move. He swept the beast off its feet once more. It landed on its back with a thud. Zitao sword pointed at its throat less than a second later. “,” the beast growled before it slapped the ground, signaling its defeat. “Break,” Junmyeon's voice boomed. The overhead lights came on, the simulation disappeared and Sehun rose before holding out his hand. Their prey, also known as Bang Chan, a Fire-Hound who’d trained with them for the past few days, took his hand and let Sehun pull him to his feet. “How long did I last?” Chan asked. “Four minutes and twelve seconds,” Junmyeon replied, speaking through the magical earbuds they all wore. Another human invention that was mixed-up with magic. The leader had watched from the control room above, recording the mission on the many devices situated throughout the elites training warehouse. The elites looked at them later, and each and every session helped them improve their process.  They were supposed to go on a mission today. Sehun's first after Rebirth, as well as with the squad. The emperor's visit hadn't been just to aquire a guard for his son, it was clear there had been disturbances in some rural areas of Lexn. A disease called the Fade, that only affected the none magic users. Many people who caught it became only a little ill. They lost their appetites and felt light-headed for a few days, and then they were fine. But others just got worse. All the colors gradually disappeared from their bodies, and then their bodies became transparent. Eventually they ceased to exist. The accounts said it wasn’t painful. The afflicted simply grew less and less there and then they vanished.  After investigation by the sentries, It was believed someone or someones with magic were using nasty methods to steal ordinary people's life force, for their selfish and sinister gain and the emperor needed it taken care of as quietly as possible, so that there wouldn't be a mass panic amongst the ordinary people. The squad of elite were right for the job. “Did I beat Baekhyun?" Chan asked, the young Fire-Hound was part of Baekhyun's clan, and acted as his beta. It was no secret he wished to be as powerful as Baekhyun. Not there yet but Sehun believe he would be. Sehun snorted draping an arm around Chan, “No one will beat Baekhyun's time. He kicked our asses.” It was why Baekhyun wasn't the one training with them, it wouldn't be a fair fight. It would end as soon as it began and they all know who the victor would be. Only Junmyeon, Minseok and Luhan had a chance to last longer than the others, hence they divided the squad into two teams for the training. Chan laughed and clapped Sehun on the shoulder. “I only hope to ever be half as good as my pack’s future Alpha." “Then you’d better keep practicing,” Minseok, that was on the side, said as he slid his sword back into its sheath. Over the past few days the kitsune had warmed up to Sehun. Though Sehun hadn't been able to figure out their need to serve as his protectors, but he had never been happier. Being with the squad was fun to say the least. There was never a dull moment “He took us out in… what?” Minseok glanced up at the control room, seeking the answer. “A minute forty-five,” Junmyeon replied. Zitao snorted, sheathing his sword too.“Nobody s with Baekhyun. I think we should try to gain on him, though. Maybe see if we can get past the two-minute mark before he hands us our asses.” Even as strong as Junmyeon and Minseok were, they also hadn't been able to take out the death mage. It proved Baekhyun was the strongest in the squad. Chan groaned. “I clearly need more training, but damned if I’m going to tell him that. I can only handle so much kicking. It’s not good for my ego.” Baekhyun cleared his throat "I can clearly hear you Chan." He said and beta let out choked sound. "You guys sounds as though I am indestructible." "You're almost. Strong as ." Sehun grinned, with a thumbs up to his friend, that was up in the control room with Junmyeon. “We going again?” Jimin asked. He pulled his shoulder-length hair away from his face and wrapped a leather band around it. “I’m game,” Chan said. "I need to be ready for the mission too." He bounced excited. The thought tempted Sehun. They didn’t have access to the Fire-Hounds often, so having one to train with helped hone their skills. With their Goddess-given gifts, Fire-Hounds were formidable foes. His team needed to be sharp, and fire-hounds were the biggest challenge they had. Sehun hadn’t even known Chan would be with them for the mission, until today, but he’d proved invaluable at the last minute. Chan looked even younger than his eighteen years, which would come in handy when their missions took them to places inhabited by those younger than the other members of the squad. Chan also been a much-needed buffer between the other team members. He’d become their mascot, in a way, and his addition had helped them gel into a fine team. Chan absorbed every lesson they taught him, from Minseok's expert blade work to Zitao's observation skills. Baekhyun worked with him on tactics and hand-to-hand combat. Sehun had a feeling if not for the fact that Chan would be chosen to be Hyunjin's guard soon, the young Fire-Hound would official join the squad. It would be good for them. Two Fire-Hounds, a kitsune, a spirit user, a fae, skinwalker and two mages, that was what a powerful team should look like. "Guys I am hungry." Luhan strode into the training warehouse, grinning at them. "If you're done let's grab something to eat together." Zitao hurried toward the fae, taking one of his hands. "Let's get you fed then. We don't want a grumpy fae during the mission." Jimin rolled his eyes at the two. "We're all hungry as well. Thanks for the concern Tao." But of course Zitao ignored him, his full attention on his fae. "Minseok can I see you for a moment?" Jongdae, poked his head to say, his wings tucked away in a shy manner. "Of course." The kitsune said, with a rare smile, heading to the exit. "We should all go eat, I hope you've packed your essentials?" Junmyeon asked. Some nodded and some grunted, at same time a junior paladin rushed inside to inform Sehun he got a call from home. "You go first, I will meet you at the cafeteria." Sehun told them, before skidding to the exit. The person in change of the phone booth, jerked his head toward the telephone on the desk without words. "Hey!" Sehun picked up. "Hunnie!" The squeal Irene let out could have shattered glass. It certainly made a valiant attempt at piercing his eardrums. "Oh someone sounds happy to hear my voice." He grinned, even though Irene couldn't see him. "You wish." She giggled. "Lyla says hi," "How are they doing? Is Lui okay?"  "He's fine." Sehun heard Wei Ying's voice close by. "And we're fine too son, thanks for asking." Sehun laughed. "Goddess I miss you guys." "We miss you too." Irene told him. "All our neighbors knows you've join the squad of elite, papa wouldn't shut up about it." "Oh mothers, of course he wouldn't." Sehun wasn't even surprised his family knew, Heechul must have been excited to share the news with the Lans. And he could imagine Wei Ying going about flapping his wings, with a smug expression while he talked about his son being an elite. "Give me the phone I need to hear his voice." Wei Ying said, his voice now very close. "No" A wrestling started between Irene and their father, it was clear from the clicking and groans that had Sehun pushing the phone off his ear."Pa, this is my call, not yours. I want to share the news on my own." "Fine." Wei Ying grunted. "Know that we're proud of you Sehun. Way to go son." "Yes!" Lan Zhan's distance tone came through  "Thanks Pa, Dad ."Sehun smiled."What News." "She'