“Memory was a curse, yes, he thought, but it was also the greatest gift. Because if you lost memory you lost everything.” 

- Anne Rice, Blood And Gold

"Is it just me, or does every staff member in this building think that Sehun is a prince or something?" Kai whispered to the group as you watched yet another servant run up to the aforementioned boy to ask if he needed anything. Sehun quickly shook his head and muttered something along the lines of, "No, I really don't need anything. Thank you." You shrugged your shoulders and leaned your head against Kai's shoulder as you sank against the wall to sit on the floor beside him. "I wouldn't say like a prince, but I do acknowledge that he is being addressed more formally than we are. The servants are doting on him a lot." 

Kai smirked and poked your head with his index finger. "Tired still?" he chuckled. You shook your head in response, causing his eyebrows to raise. "Hm, then you just want to sit next to me?" he joked with a grin. "Fine, you got me. I couldn't sleep last night and this is the consequence: drowsiness." He shrugged his shoulder, causing your head to bounce upward. You groaned and sent him a glare as you tried to push his shoulder back down to rest on it. "You know you could grab a pillow and sleep on the couch, right?" he asked. "But I wouldn't be able to hear the plan," you mumbled, situating your head once more before nodding in and out of consciousness. "True enough," Kai admitted, smiling at your sleeping face before tuning into the group's conversation.

"It really irks me to think that all the servants we've seen here are slaves, not hired hands," Tao confided as Sehun made his way over to the dinning table the rest of the men were seated around. "He's right. I can't believe all these people were captured and sold like animals. I'm not getting good vibes from this place at all," Luhan mused, resting his head on his arm against the table. The man played with the tuffs of his light brown hair for a good minute before he realized the rest of the guys staring at him, awestruck expressions on their faces. Even you had awoken from your nap to gawk at the Musan's uncharacteristic comment. He quirked his head in curiosity and frowned. "What? I can't agree with Tao? It's happened at least twice before, I swear." Suho blinked before continuing the conversation. "Uh... Anyway, who do you guys think the Fathers are going to appoint as the head of surveillance for our mission?" he hummed, "Do you think it would be one of them? Or maybe a subordinate?"

"It could be a subordinate, or perhaps someone who is young, in training and needs some experience." Kris answered with the nod of his head, his fingers flowing through his hair as he pondered the possibilities. "Oh gosh, I hope it isn't that one female-warrior-guard-lady who kept antagonizing us back at the wall," Luhan groaned, rolling his eyes in the back of his head as he replayed the scene in his mind, "She was the worst!" A loud growling sound suddenly interrupted the conversation, all eyes turning to Suho, who grinned shyly. "I didn't eat a lot last night," he explained sheepishly, "So I don't really mind who is, quote-unquote, watching us, as long as we get some breakfast first." Kai groaned in agreement, "Yes, please. I'm starving too."

"Well I'm going to have to find a way to separate from the rest of you," Sehun interjected, pacing back and forth with his hands in his hair, "I need to go find Yeja! Who knows what's happening to her right now!" Kris grabbed his shoulder firmly, turning Sehun so that the younger was facing him. "Hey, we need to find our friends too, so you won't have to go alone. While we search for the Inheritor, we will also secretly search for Yeja, Lay, and Baekhyun." Sehun breathed sharply, calming down as he listened to Kris' plan. "Once we find their exact location, we'll free them and take them with us. Hopefully by then we will also know the identity of the Inheritor of Rayhem," the older continued. Sehun bit his lips nervously before nodding in silence. If this was the best way to free Yeja and the others, he would do it without hesitation. "We should look at the trading centers," he said, "I heard from some people in the desert that those are the places where all the new arrivals are put on display." Kris hummed in agreement, "All right, we'll go there first."

"Excuse me," a deep voice called from the other side of the wooden door, "May I enter?" Everyone's heads turned to attention as Luhan welcomed the person into the room. "Sure come on in!" The entrance creaked as a rather tall stranger walked in, a familiar red hood covering his head. You peered closely, trying to get a better look at his face, but the covering prevented you from doing so. "You are one of the Father's of Sight, correct?" Kai questioned. The man reached his large hands up towards his hood and slipped it off, revealing a surprisingly bright eyed boy underneath. "Yes, I am! Well, one in training," the stranger grinned, his smile almost as blinding as Baekhyun's, "My name is Chanyeol. By blood I am the future chief of the Rayhem." You raised a brow at his explanation. "Future chief? But you look so young," you marveled. 

Hearing a female voice, Chanyeol quickly turned his head and locked eyes with you. "It's that girl from yesterday!" he thought. His smile grew wider, if that was even possible, and he quickly bounded over to where you were sitting beside Kai. His speed caused you to jerk away from him in surprise. He was way too close for your comfort. "Do I?" Chanyeol bubbled excitedly, "Wow, thank you for the compliment!" You blinked and mumbled, "I mean, it wasn't really a compliment-" "Don't worry, I'm still in training so it'll be a while before I ascend as the head of leadership," the deep voiced man interrupted as he gave your head a quick pat, similar to how Kai had done earlier. You flinched as he made contact with your hair, causing a growl to escape Kai's throat.

Chanyeol then stood to his feet and made his way back to the center of the room. "Why does everyone touch me like that when they meet me," you grumbled angrily to yourself, "I'm not a child! Nor am I a helpless little girl!" Kai glanced at you and gave you a calming side hug. "Well, we know that because we've traveled with you and fought beside you. But to other people, you look like a regular girl to them," he answered. Your jaw fell agape slightly. "Did you seriously just called me average looking? Thanks a lot, I appreciate that," you jeered sarcastically as you let out a huff. Kai's eyes widened, realizing he had created unnecessary tension due to not thinking through his statement. "Wait! No, that's not what I-" "Save it, Kai," you said with a roll of your eyes as you removed his arm and walked to the table where the others were. The tan boy groaned, facepalming himself as he watched you leave. "Stupid," he muttered, mentally cursing at himself for saying such a dumb comment.

"Anyway, I'm here to show you around the city and help you find this so called, 'Inheritor.' Are there any requirements I should know about to help you along the way?" Chanyeol asked eagerly, his eyes shining with anticipation. The excitement in his expression was almost frightening. "Why is he so enthralled with showing us around? Isn't it just his job?" you wondered as you watched him and the others converse. "Well, as we told you before in the Shrine, the Inheritor shares the same bloodline as the Guardian of Rayhem. Their body contains the same core energy that the Guardian did," Tao explained as he leaned his weight against the table. "Well, Zemel was the Guardian from our tribe. She was our tribes greatest warrior," Chanyeol reported, "She was also a member of the Clan of Holy Sun, the clan my family is from. So I'll take you to the House of the Holy Sun first, and we can look to see if there is a female among the clan that is the Inheritor."

"Good idea, except the gender of the person does not matter. Thus far, it seems as if the gender of the Inheritor does not have to correlate with that of the Guardian. Kora is the Inheritor of Alargon, Guardian of Iren. And Suho is the Inheritor of Reesa, Guardian of Harum. It all depends on the individual," Kris explained. Chanyeol's head perked up in surprise, turning his attention to Suho and yourself. "Really? That's quite interesting," he noted before heading straight for the door, "Well come along now, we don't have time to dawdle! Let's go find your Inheritor!"

"Wait!" Suho called as the seven of you followed after him, "Could we get breakfast while were out? Some of us are re