“When she awoke, the world was on fire.”

- Scott Westerfeld, Uglies

Night had fallen, and along with it came the image of Yeja in the arms of another man. Sehan was beyond upset. He was murderously infuriated and on edge of insanity. When everyone else had retired to their rooms to sleep, Sehun stayed wide awake and sat in the middle of his bedroom, face illuminated by the few candles disbursed throughout the room as his bloodshot eyes cried. He couldn't sleep at a time like this. His hands would shake violently, covering his face as his voice quivered her name over and over again like a desperate prayer. He didn’t want to believe that she had forgotten who he was, that he was nothing to her, because she was the only thing that he had left. Without her, he had no purpose. There was no point for him to continue living if he could not protect and love her, and he had already failed at the first part. He promised Keshi that he would protect her with all his might and strength, yet he couldn’t. She was ripped out of his grasp. Now, even if he could save her, there was no way to be certain that she would be able to recognize him.

Everyone knew, though the younger tried his best to act with discretion the next morning. The frazzled state of the boy's hair paired with the dark circles and crazed expression he had when he entered the living room was more than enough to inform you and the others that Sehun was completely disequilibrated. You weren't going to say anything at first, since you were aware of how he valued privacy, but several minutes into the meeting you came to the conclusion that you couldn't stand to watch him suffer alone. You were seated beside Luhan and Tao originally, but in the middle of the discussion you transitioned over to a seat beside the younger boy. Sehun's tired eyes locked with yours, a small glimmer of surprise sparking within them when you smiled at him.

"You're not okay, are you?" you said. It was more of a statement rather than a question, but the younger answered with a brief nod. "I'm not," he stated plainly, his eyes drifting away as he rested his head against the table you were all sitting around. "Do you want to talk about it?" you asked, leaning your head down and resting it besides his against the table. The boy peeked up from his position and shook his head. "I understand," you hummed, a small frown on your face. You weren't sad, just upset that he wanted to deal with his problems alone. But some people just needed space to collect their thoughts, and you respected that. Sometimes, prying made things even worse.

"Well, I'm here if you need to just let everything out," you told him, your frown turning up into a smile before you gave his shoulder a comforting pat. "Thanks, I appreciate it," he whispered tiredly. "You know, you could just rest here today," you said encouragingly, "You look exhausted. Plus, we'll go out looking for the Inheritor today and start making plans for our friend's escape."  To that Sehun's head shot up, eyes widened as he protested, "But you'll need all the help you can get! And I can't just wait around here knowing that Yeja and your friends are being held captive! I need be a part of their liberation!" "And you will!" you reassured him, "Don't worry. But I don't think you're in the best state to be doing anything right now, let alone plan a liberation. You're tired, Sehun. You need sleep. I'm sure if Yeja was here she would be saying the exact same thing. So sleep today, and when we get back we'll fill you in." The drained boy held your gaze before he heaved a sigh of defeat. "Okay," he answered, a slightly upset expression on his face. You smiled at him, glad that he was giving his body time to refresh itself. He needed it.

"So we'll go to Auntie Mai's house first, and then we shall head over to the city center for the Coming of Age Ceremony," Kris said, earning a nod of agreement from the others. His eyes turned towards you and Sehun, "Ready?" You looked at the older and smiled in acknowledgment. "Yeah, let's go."

"Why hello there! I didn't expect to see you all this fine morning! I would have thought that you'd all still be sleeping, considering how wild the party was last night," Auntie Mai exclaimed as she saw the six of you enter her store, which was empty since all her normal customers were preparing for the Festival. You all bowed and greeted her cheerfully. "We left earlier than the rest of the attendees," Kris explained as he lead everyone to one of the empty tables near the older woman, "And we wanted to talk to you about something." Auntie Mai looked slightly taken aback, her hands paused from wiping the counter down to stare at all of you. "Well, this must be a paramount question if you all woke up this early to come visit," she exclaimed, her hands moving to rest on her hips, "I'm all ears. Ask away."

Kris glanced over at Suho, who nodded his head before taking lead of the conversation. "We heard from Sehun, that you were part of the tribe of Askar, which is the Guardian Kiff's tribe of origin." Auntie Mai's expression grew interested, eyebrows furrowing as the other continued. "The Council of Ordea has not been in contact with the people of the Ökenna for many years, and therefore, was not aware of the fact that the tribe of Askar was absorbed by the tribe of Rayhem. We are travelers looking for the Inheritors of the original twelve Guardians, as I am sure Chanyeol has mentioned to you before. With that in mind, we would like to ask if you had any information concerning your tribe and the slavery system here that could help us in our search for the Inheritor of Askar."

Auntie Mai stared at the boy for a few seconds before turning and glancing at the rest of you, her expression unreadable. A small hum came from her before she put her cleaning rag to the side and pulled a stool up to sit on. "You children are very direct with your questions, so I shall give you all a direct answer," she began, taking a deep breath before answering, "The tribe of Askar was prospering at the edge of the Ökenna for hundreds of years. Other tribes didn't bother us because we were so close to the boarder. But my people were overtaken and forced to work under the tribe of Rayhem, and here we have remained, waiting for the day of our liberation. That was a little less than thirty years ago. Quite recent, so I'm not surprised that Ordea's council hasn't heard about it. "

"I apologize on beh