Chapter 47:  11:03– A Countdown to Third Death [12:57pm]

Seungho POV

Tall columns spiraled high. From a distance they looked flawlessly smooth, an architect’s perfectionist touch of gold. But as I ran my finger around the circumference, it rose and fell in regular indents. Not as perfect as I thought it had been. There were long, slim lines that stretched high, upwards to a ceiling of wafting stream. The mist curled around the pillars and descended downwards so that at waist level, I was submerged in a thin sea of particles.

I was standing in a bath house.

It was a room built to be spacious: ceilings that stretched to the stars, floors that sprawled for meters and walls that felt miles away. And all I could hear was the soothing sound of water lapping against the edge of tiles. Subconsciously I inhaled deeply, scenting the smell of perfume and clean soap. All the stress of the past twelve or so hours seemed to seep out of me and I felt like I could stay here forever.

Then, Thunder’s voice sliced through the air, incongruously sharp to the peaceful atmosphere of the bathhouse. It was like an ill-timed splash of cold water.

“What is this?” He snapped.

[A BREAK] the Ringmaster answered coolly. [A CHANCE FOR YOU ALL TO RELAX]

I frowned, trying to concentrate on the conversation and not the spellbinding sound of rippling water. “Why?” I asked. My voice sounded disconcertingly slurred. I put one hand to my head, trying to force myself to focus. Perhaps a break was needed…

The Ringmaster shrugged. He stood an inch off the ground, surveying us and the immaculate bathhouse. [WE HAVE PASSED THE HALF-WAY POINT OF THE COLISEUM. IT IS TRADITIONAL FOR PLAYERS TO BE ABLE TO REST AND RECUPERATE BETWEEN FIGHTS IN ORDER TO ENSURE YOU ARE IN TOP CONDITION. IT WOULD BE A…SHAME FOR YOU ALL TO FAIL DUE TO MERE TIREDNESS]

 “I thought you wanted us to all die,” I said dryly, unable to help myself.

The Ringmaster grinned. [PERHAPS, BUT I’D RATHER YOU ALL DIED ENTERTAININGLY. AND DYING OF FATIGUE DOES NOT SOUND LIKE MY SORT OF ENTERTAINMENT]

Bastard.

“What is this floor?” Mir asked, looking slightly dazed. His eyes were wide as he took in our surroundings. I didn’t blame him: the vastness of it all made us feel tiny.

[HAVE EVER HEARD OF THE ROMAN BATHS?]

Can’t say that I have.

The Ringmaster seemed to see it in my eyes, because he smirked at me. [A HISTORICAL REFERENCE FROM A TIME LONG AGO] He said casually, one hand gesturing around us.  [PEOPLE SEEMED TO HAVE FORGOTTEN THE HERITAGE UPON WHICH OUR WORLD WAS BUILT UPON IN FAVOR FOR TECHNOLOGY AND THE FUTURE]

He sounded rather desolate at the thought of that. But that made me think. The Roman baths? I have never heard of such a historical reference. Then again, it was not like I had much of a memory to rely upon.

[ENOUGH REMINISCING OF YOUR IGNORANCE] the Ringmaster said suddenly. [I HAVE GRANTED YOU A BREAK, BUT YOU SHOULD TREAT IT WISELY FOR YOU HAVE ONLY HAVE ELEVEN HOURS REMAINING, AND TIME…TIME SLIPS AWAY FASTER THAN YOU MAY REALIZE…]

What?

“What do you mean by that-“ I shouted, but the Ringmaster simply shook his head and in a static shock of waves, vanished.

I stared blankly at the empty spot. As always we were at the Ringmaster’s mercy.

There was no point, I supposed, in ignoring the favor he had granted us.

“Let’s rest,” I sighed and turned back to look at my two companions. Thunder looked angry, but then again he had always been set off by matters of being told orders with no rhyme or reasons. The mere fact that he was a marionette in the Ringmaster’s palms probably irked him to no ends. It frustrated me enough. Mir looked the complete opposite. His expression could be best described as shell shocked.

“You think we should do as he said?” Thunder raised an eyebrow. “Just like that?”

“What else do you propose?” I shot back and Thunder flinched.

I shouldn’t have. I sighed. “I’m sorry Thunder, I didn’t mean to get angry at you.”

Thunder’s shoulders dropped, but I could still see hurt flashing in his eyes. “It’s okay hyung,” he said softly. “We’re all on the edge right now. But you’re right, let’s take a break. We are in the baths, and you stink pretty bad.”

“What?!” I spun, but then saw the mischievous upturn of Thunder’s lips. “You-“

Thunder chortled and hid behind Mir who was slowly warming up, a ghost of a smile appearing on his face. “I’m not hiding you hyung,” he said and slipped out of Thunder’s grasp.

“Nooo,” Thunder whined as I wrestled him into a head lock.

“Smell bad huh?” I ruffled his head. “C’mon, take a whiff.”

“Hyuuuuuung!” Thunder wriggled and finally I let go. “Ew,” he drew several quick, deep breaths. “Now I need a bath as well!”

Mir covered one hand over his mouth as he tried not to laugh too loudly.

“Let’s all clean up,” I said, clapping my hands. “I don’t know about you guys but I feel grimy.”

“Mmm,” Thunder hummed and stripped off his shirt.

My eyes widened. “T-thunder!” I couldn’t help but yelp. And oh…oh…he had…abs…and what was I even thinking of?! “What are you doing?”

He raised his eyes to meet mine. His expression was quizzical. “Getting a bath hyung. Isn’t that what you said we should do?”

I averted my eyes from his bare chest. “B-but, here? In front of everyone else? In front of m-me?”

Thunder raised one eyebrow. “Um…yeah?” His fingers were on the elastic waistband of his grey trousers and as much as I tried to ignore them, I could see the sleek lines of his hipbone dip deep into the fabric. It made me swallow hard. “Is something wrong?”

“Yeah,” Mir piped up. I turned, horrified to find my other dongsaeng also shirtless. He was skinnier than Thunder, but still with definitions of muscle here and there and I struggled to keep my face from turning red. “What’s wrong? Are you not used to public baths or something?”

“I-um, I – ah, I’ll go change elsewhere,” I managed and scurried off.

Why were they so shameless?! Was it normal to strip in front of others? I could hear my ears flame as my two dongsaengs burst into a chorus of laughter.

Well so what if they were okay with getting in front of each other!

I wasn’t!

I huffed and stormed away.

Thunder POV

I was still wiping away tears whilst Mir shed the rest of his clothes and wrapped a towel around his waist. Though this place was meant to be a ‘roman bath’, it was fashioned a lot like the ones I was used to. Shelves and racks for clothes, towels to wear and showers to use before getting into the main baths.

I followed Mir and shucked the remainder of my clothes.

Seungho was too shy to look at us ? I couldn’t help but laugh again at that thought.

“Hurry up Thunder!” Mir called from where he was settling into the water. I heard a sound of satisfaction ooze out of him as the warm water soothed his bruises and cuts and scratches.

I had got a glimpse of his body as he was changing. He was thin as a rake, but lithe. He looked like a starved street rat who had only managed to survive because of his own abilities.

He looked like me.

“Hyung!”

“Coming,” I said and padded over to shower area where I doused myself in a cold spurt of water. I could feel the grime come off me in thick layers. And if I thought that was good enough, then sinking into the water was an even more blessed feeling.

“Ahhh,” I breathed.

“They must’ve put something in the water, because my cuts and bruises don’t hurt at all,” Mir hummed happily. “This feels great!”

I smiled, happy that Mir was happy. I closed my eyes and settled further into the water, letting all my worries fly away.

“Wonder where Seungho-hyung went?” I asked lazily.

I could hear Mir humming and stirring the water, the ripples colliding against my right arm.

“Mir?” I opened one eye.

He was staring at me with a strange sort of intensity.

“Mir?” I opened my other eye. “What’s wrong?”

He opened his mouth hesitantly but did not speak.

“Mir?” He was worrying me now. I straightened myself and scooted over to his side. “What’s wrong?”

“Hacking…” he finally said when I wrapped one arm around his waist.

“What about Hacking?” I frowned.

“Doesn’t it worry you?” he turned his gaze upwards at me. “The fact we can use it, and Seungho-hyung can’t. That Byunghee-hyung and…and Changsun…couldn’t.”

Oh.

So that was what was bothering him.

“Mir…” I said gently. “Say what you want to say.”

He sighed and bit his lip. Then as he spoke, it all came out like a river. Unstoppable. Shockingly cold. Perhaps something I shouldn’t have dipped my feet into.

“Do you think I could’ve saved Changsun if I have discovered these powers earlier? Then Byunghee-hyung wouldn’t have had to die, and Changsun would be here with us, with me and I would be holding him and hugging him and, and, and…”

I crushed Mir into a hug.

He buried his head into my chest and continuing mumbling. “Why didn’t I find these powers earlier? Why didn’t I stop whoever tried to kill Changsun? Why did he have to die of all people?”

“Mir…” I whispered. “Don’t say that. Would you rather someone else have died?”

Mir froze. “No…” he said. “I didn’t mean that.”

“I know you didn’t, and I know you’re sad but Mir…you can’t change anything. Joon is dead and-“

“And he shouldn’t have died!” Mir said bitterly. “There was no need for it!”

“Mir…” I said warningly. “I know Joon shouldn’t have died, but we couldn’t have helped it!”

“We could have! We should have seen it coming and stopped whoever killed him!”

“And who do you think could have killed Joon?” I found myself arguing back. “We know it couldn’t have been G.O, and if the Ringmaster is speaking the truth, then it’s not him either. So what? Are you saying it’s Seungho-hyung? Are you saying it’s me?”

Mir closed his mouth.

“I didn’t hyung…”

“Really?” my mouth was a firmly set line. “Tell me straight to my face that you don’t think I’m the wolf.”

He wouldn’t meet my eyes.

“You really think so?” I couldn’t hide the hurt in my words. I let go of Mir and skirted away.

“I don’t know,” Mir said wretchedly. “I don’t know what to think. All I know is that Changsun is dead, and if it’s not Byunghee or the Ringmaster, then it’s you or Seungho. And I don’t want it to be either of you two, but who else could it be!”

“I don’t know either!” I shot back. “But if you think I’m the wolf then…then how are we supposed to work together…”

I stood up suddenly, making water slop over the edge of the baths.

“I-“ Mir said. “I’d rather believe that no one is the wolf, that this is all just a ploy of the Ringmaster. But…but then how else would Changsun have died. And Thunder…tell me something…how did you learn hacking so quickly?”

I looked at him, blinking.

“Even for me, it took a while. How could you have known how it works? I know that because of what you did, you saved us…but…”

“You think I knew how to use hacking long before you did?”

“I’m not thinking anything…I’m just saying…”

“Saying you think I’m the wolf. More than Seungho-hyung, right?”

“Thunder!”

I stepped out of the water feeling like all my muscles were tight and bunched in the wrong way. Mir had all the rights to be suspicious of me. I could have equally said the same about the two, other than for the fact that if Mir was the wolf, then he would have killed the man he loved. Then again, who falls in love in under 24 hours?

No. I slapped myself lightly on the cheeks. Stop thinking about it. Don’t suspect the others, don’t think of who else could be the wolf because…

“Where are you going Thunder?” Mir sounded frightened.

“I…” I couldn’t bear to look at him, to see what sort of facial expression he was making right now. I concentrated instead on the doorway in which Seungho had left through. It was hard to make out through the dense mist that had seemed to grow thicker, but I was certain I was heading in the right direction. “I’m going to find Seungho-hyung,” I finished roughly and strode away.

The air felt cold in contrast to the warmth of the bath, or maybe it was from something else… Maybe the mist clinging to my skin? I shivered and hurried my pace, still feeling Mir’s burning gaze on my back.

I was grateful for the thick steam which covered me up and away from Mir because I didn’t want to think of him and Joon. Because maybe…just maybe…what if the wolf was-

Mir POV

I was alone.

Thunder probably hated me now, but I couldn’t help it. Those words had been burning on the edge of my tongue for so long, and finally I had gotten them off my back. But I should have known they would offend him.

I sunk deeper into the water, making it bubble as I exhaled heavily.

What if Thunder was the wolf? What would I do then? Get revenge for Changsun’s death? And what if it was Seungho? What would I do if it was the hyung I had grown to trust the most? And what if it was the Ringmaster? How was I to exact revenge on a hologram?

I curled my hands forwards and around my knees, drawing myself into a tiny ball. I knew soon enough I would have to rise to the surface and draw breath, but for now, underwater felt appropriate. It was like time had slowed and the world was not what it was, the light tinted green-ish.

Maybe Thunder was right. Nothing would come of finding out who the wolf was.

The burn in my lungs told me my oxygen was expended, so a little reluctantly, I rose. I drew a huge gulp of air and felt it rush down my system. Water shucked itself off my body and I wiped my face with one hand before opening my eyes.

And seeing him.

I spluttered.

“Hyung?” I choked, unwilling to believe he was who I saw. I rubbed my eyes again, ridding the remaining water that clung to my eyelashes.

But he was standing there. A soft, foolish grin plastered on his face, eyes looking at me and only me from under a curtain of brown hair and oh…

I stood up and reached out for him without thinking.

Because…just oh…

He smiled wide as I called his name and wrapped my arms around his waist.

“Oh Changsun…”