SECOND UPDATE FOR TODAY. AGAIN, thank you for all the support you gave given this fic. I hope you enjoy the next updates! <3

= = =

WARNING: SHOCKER AT THE END. Be ready for it.

46. Incipiens de Concordia

Incipiens de Concordia: "Beginning of Harmony"



"We now know how to emerge as the strongest..."


The incipiens de concordia opens up a new life.


"... all because we built new and better bridges."



= = = Soundtrack: B2ST - Freeze = = =

Back inside the VIP room where Myungsoo was trapped under the weight of L.Joe's gun pointing at him, the SkullBeaters' leader clenched his fists, knowing that he's unable to move properly because of his wound. But at the same time, his thoughts started running wild as he tried to find ways to outwit this young man who's almost as skilled as he was. A smirk lined L.Joe's lips as he placed his finger on the trigger.

"L.Joe Hyung, don't!" Kai exclaimed just as L.Joe was about to shoot Myungsoo, cutting off the supposed movement of the older male. At this, the subgroup leader warily backed off until he stood beside him.

"What do you mean, Kai-yah?" L.Joe's eyes furrowed in confusion, to which he was replied with a smirk.

"I want to be the one who'll finish this guy." Came Kai's words, and despite the serious situation, L.Joe couldn't help but chuckle.

"I guess nothing changed in you after all these months, you rascal. He's all yours."

Following L.Joe's declaration, a gun found its way to Kai's hands, and his comrade strode out of the room. Shirin followed him, now deciding to settle with fighting the lesser-ranks with the aid of the SkullBeaters that L.Joe and the other subgroup leaders managed to pull to their side.

In another area of the battle, Hyuna had begun shooting at her enemies, not knowing that a dark figure who had a knife in his hand was creeping behind her back. But just when the blade was going to come in contact with her flesh, the man fell to the ground, a bullet in his head. Hyuna turned around only to meet gaze with Sunny, who de-focused her gun. With wide eyes, the SkullBeater approached the ReapedSoul.

"I...uhm... Thanks." Hyuna began, clearly shocked at the deed done to her by Sunny. She was about to turn and walk away when some words from Sunny halted all of her movements.

"You weren't the only one."

Surprised and confused, Hyuna turned around to be met with Sunny's sad expression. Her eyes were only focused on the ground and her body was stiff.

"I found out not too long ago that Jang Hyunseung was cheating on me with another woman. I felt betrayed and I tried to have the other woman to repay, but I learned from her that he made her believe that he didn't have a girlfriend while he was courting her. I didn't steal him from you, Hyuna-sshi. Back when Hyunseung-ah was courting me, he told me the same thing. We both got fooled by a beautiful liar."

When Sunny's first tears stained her face, Hyuna's arms wrapped themselves around her.

= = =

"Shoot."

Youngmin hissed as his cellphone fell from his pocket while he was running to help his other SkullBeater brothers kill their enemies. Just as he was about to get it back, a hand had already reached out to take it, and the owner of the hand just made Youngmin gasp and pose his gun.

"You.... Choi Jonghyun!"

The mentioned young man, however, only had a shocked expression as he saw the cellphone wallpaper.

"Junhae-yah..." was the name that Changjo murmured with tears b in his eyes, to Youngmin's surprise.

"My cousin...." was the next that came out of Changjo's lips, and in that moment, Youngmin understood.

This young man crying wasn't lying when he mentioned his cousin in the past war... and to think that he even believed before that this Choi Jonghyun and his brother were his rivals for Choi Junhae's heart that he had the younger one beat up. He had been wrong all along.

"You weren't lying, then? Back when you asked me about me 'ing your cousin senseless'?"

Changjo's head snapped to look at Youngmin before he found it in himself to nod.

The next moment, the knife that Youngmin was holding dropped to the ground, and his expression was unreadable.

"I never laid a finger on her. I just... courted her normally and she said yes."

= = =

"I need help, L.Joe-sshi!" Shirin's shout made L.Joe turn around before holding her by the hand and helping her as she managed a jump kick to a tall opponent. At the SkullBeater's incapacitated state, the male drove a knife deep into the tall man's chest... securing his death.

"Wow, I didn't know that you and I could be this synchronized, L.Joe-sshi." Shirin said with a chuckle, and noticing another figure approaching behind her back, L.Joe rushed to grab his gun and shoot the attacker.

"Yeah. Me too. Maybe I should try having group training with you some time." He began, and as Shirin smiled at him, he knew what the answer would be.

"Maybe, after this huge fiasco."

All around her, she could see the wonderful partnership of both EXO-K and F[x] as they paired up to eliminate the SkullBeaters that tried to hurt them. Despite this whole war going on, she found it in herself to smile as the realization hit her.

The joint trainings had truly paid off.

In the distance, Chanyeol was helping Luna as she attached herself to one of the tall men, doing the exact move she did in the one of the trainings they had. Sulli had dodged an attack from her enemy sucessfully, while D.O. drove a knife skillfully into another enemy SkullBeaters' heart which he was able to do because of the help of one of Hyuna's allies. She huffed a contented sigh, only to be cut short as she saw two other people join in the fight.

"Chanho Oppa! Seunghyun Oppa!"

After shooting a man, Chanho rushed towards Shirin before crushing her to his chest and placing a kiss on the top of her head. Seunghyun replaced his younger brother not long after, holding her in his arms just as tightly. The numbers of their enemies began to dwindle already, and they were allowed breathing room. The older Song just ruffled Shirin's hair, and she smiled.

L.Joe approached the siblings with a small smile on his face, and as the two leaders turned to him with a smile lining their lips as well, one thing became guaranteed.

The fighting between what were supposed to be enemies has finally reached its end.

"Thank you for being with our sister in our absence, SkullBeater." Seunghyun said while releasing Shirin from his embrace. The girl then scrambled off upon seeing a familiar face in the fighting mob just near her.

"SkullBeater, yes. But perhaps not for long. I and other subgroup leaders plan to follow Kai's lead in breaking off from the brotherhood." L.Joe replied as he watched Shirin leave, chuckling a bit even. At this, the brothers exchanged knowing looks. In just a second that passed them, Chanho looked at L.Joe curiously.

"What do you say about handling a subgroup under the ReapedSouls after this?"

= = =

"Taemin-ah!"

I couldn't stop myself when I saw Taemin-ah's figure running away from one of the SkullBeaters we are up against. Calling after him, I kept my eyes peeled for anything that might endanger my colleague. When he stopped running, I realized that we already were back at the battlefield outside Club Mirage. Taemin-ah's opponent stopped chasing him too and engaged him in combat.

"Haiyah!" I shouted as, from the enemy's back, I kicked him and sent him to the ground. The familiar face looked on at me in shock as I tackled the man on my own, succumbing to the nagging feeling in my heart.

He had decided, and the least I could do is to thank him. This is how I could show it.

When the man had fallen, I turned to look at Taemin-ah with a heaving chest and a panting figure. The shocked look on his face didn't falter, but later on, I found out that arms had wound up around my figure and that Taemin-ah's face was buried in my neck.

"Shirin-ah..." was all I heard from him before I pulled back and smiled.

"Come on. How about making peace with your half-brother and helping him against Myungsoo-sshi?"

= = =

Just when the door of the VIP room opened, my eyes caught sight of Kai-yah's body hitting the wall beside it. I couldn't help but scream in surprise, my eyebrows furrowing in worry when I saw him wince. Looking on to my left, Myungsoo-sshi stood, still clutching his shoulder but with a smirk on his lips.

"You still have a lot to learn, Kai-yah. You have a LONG way to go before you can defeat me."

The next events felt too familiar, because they happened in such a swift pace but I still remembered it clearly. It felt like all my confrontations rolled into one as Myungsoo-sshi took his gun, poised it at me and shot.

But I felt no pain.

The only things I could comprehend were the following.

One, it wasn't me who was shot.

Two, Kai-yah had stood up in alarm, his eyes wide and his mouth agape.

And three...

... Taemin-ah was clutching on his bleeding stomach.