“Why?”

The simple word fell out from his lips. The moment Kyungsoo locked eyes with the person in front of him, he had remained calm. His right hand did not loosen on the gun. His left hand reached out for his knife.

“You’re surprisingly calm.” The general commented before the person could speak. Kyungsoo breathed out.

“I already had my suspicions.” Kyungsoo whipped out his knife, slashing it through the air. He turned his gaze back to the woman standing in front of him, aiming her gun at his chest.

Lieutenant Alex.

“Your hand was bandaged on the day of the funeral,” Kyungsoo quietly explained while Alex looked at him with her dead eyes. “According to the details of Victoria’s murder case, she had stabbed someone with her knife. And if I know her well enough, she would’ve stabbed her attacker in a place where it’s obvious.”

“Well done.” Alex’s tone was flat. Kyungsoo’s eyes raged with fury and he stepped forward.

“Why?! What did she ever do to you?!” Kyungsoo’s voice bounced off the walls of the basement, eerily echoing. Alex looked down on the floor, eyes dark.

“He said he’d revive my brother,” her lip trembled. Kyungsoo’s eyes grew wide.

“What?”

“He said he’d revive my brother!” Her head shot up, and Kyungsoo realized that she was crying, her eyes unusually bright. “If I use alchemy, I-I can–“

“That’s impossible. The dead stay dead.”

“No, it’s possible.” Kyungsoo looked towards the general, who was still sitting there in his seat, smiling.

“Until now, MR238 was locked. No-one could go in. I told Alex that the room had confidential information on alchemy that could possibly revive the dead. Then you came along and opened the door easily.” He looked up at Kyungsoo, his eyes questioning.

“That can’t be....” Kyungsoo stammered, his hand on the gun loosening. Alex saw this as an opportunity and leapt forward, taking out her gun and firing it across the room. The bullet hit Kyungsoo’s right arm, and he cried out in pain, dropping his own gun in the process. Within seconds, Alex was on top of him, locking his arms in a tight grip.

“I’m sorry, Colonel,” Alex whispered, her voice wrecked with grief and guilt. “But you understand, don’t you? You understand why I’m doing this?”

No, Kyungsoo wanted to shout, but his face was crushed against the cold floor. You’re wrong! Alex looked up at the general and nodded once.

“Plan A.” The general nodded back. “We’re going to extract his memories and find out where the boy has gone.”

What? No–

Kyungsoo screamed as the sharpness of a needle was plunged into the skin of his neck, and then all was still.

~+~

“Happy Birthday!” The candles were blown, and Kyungsoo was smiling happily and clapping his hands in delight. Today he was finally ten years old.

Beside him, his childhood friend Jongin punched him playfully. “Joint birthdays are fun, aren’t they?” Kyungsoo stuck out his tongue humorously in return.

“Yes, yes, my lovely boys,” Kyungsoo’s father said. “Here are your presents.” He handed both of them a small box each.

Jongin opened his present first. “What’s this?” He held up a blue pendant, which shone brightly under the lights. Kyungsoo’s eyes sparkled in wonder.

“Take good care of them, okay?” Kyungsoo’s mother said, smiling gently. “I had them specially made for you two. See, your names are on them.”

“Ah.” Kyungsoo saw the silver engraving on the pendant, ‘Do Kyungsoo’. “Thanks mom!”

Jongin was staring silently at his present. “Mrs. Do, I don’t think I can accept something so valuable–“

“Nonsense. You’re a part of our family.”

Kyungsoo smiled and tugged at Jongin’s sleeve. “That’s right.” He watched as the other boy looked away, embarrassed by the attention.

“Let’s cut the cake now!” Kyungsoo looked up to see his father hovering over him, grinning. “One, two, three–“

Kyungsoo felt it before it happened. He stood up urgently, knocking over the chair, and his parents looked at him in surprise. Jongin’s eyes widened in alarm.

“Dear? What’s wrong–“

The room exploded into tiny pieces. Kyungsoo was flung to the other side, where he hit his head on the wall. Fire started to blaze around him as he stood up, staggering painfully on one leg, winded and confused.

“Mama....? Papa....?” He yelled out, desperately waiting for an answer. “Jongin?!”

There was silence, except for the sound of flickering flames.

Kyungsoo swallowed and felt tears well up in his eyes. Above him, there was a cracking sound and the roof started to fall.

“Kyungsoo!”

Something rammed into his body hard, and before he knew it, he was outside the burning house. Jongin was there next to him, holding his hand.

“Are you okay?” Jongin asked him worriedly, clutching his shoulders. Kyungsoo felt tears running down his cheeks.

“Mama....Papa....they’re all dea–“

“Stop, Kyungsoo.” Jongin stared at him, his eyes serious. “I’m still here. I won’t let you die.”

“J-Jongin....” Kyungsoo choked, rubbing his eyes. “What do we do now?”

Jongin’s eyes were dark with fury. “They’re here for us.”

“W-What?”

Jongin stood up. “Kyungsoo, stay here. I’ll go out and fight them.”

“What? Then I’m going too–“

“No you’re not!” Jongin growled. “I’m not losing any more of my family.”

“But–“

“Kyungsoo.” Jongin gazed at him in pain. “They want us. They want our power. I won’t let them do that.” He shook his head. “One of us has to make it through somehow.”

Kyungsoo closed then opened his mouth. “Then why does it have to be you?! Jongin, we can run away together–“

Jongin stood up. “Kyungsoo, please. Live on.” His arms were shaking. “Please.”

Kyungsoo hand reached outwards, but they closed in on nothing as Jongin teleported away.

Kyungsoo scrunched up his fists.

“You ing idiot.”

Jongin was thrown onto the floor, exhausted and ready to give up. He coughed loudly, breathing in sand. He could taste blood on his lips. The drone loomed threateningly over him.

“Kim Jongin. You will come back with us.”

He cried out in pain as the drone stepped on his leg and broke it, the scrunching noise clearly ringing inside his ears. He panted loudly, his arms trying to prop himself up.

“Kim Jongin. You will come back with us.” The drone repeated the same statement.

Jongin laughed.

“Like hell I’ll come back with you heads.” With his one hand, he reached out for his back pocket.

“Last drone, huh?” Jongin looked at the grenade in his hand. “With this, Kyungsoo will be sa–“

“JONGIN!”

His eyes widened in surprise and he craned his neck towards the voice. The ground started breaking up, and Jongin watched in shock as the drone was crushed into a mass of earth and chunks.

Footsteps hurriedly sounded his way. Jongin felt Kyungsoo kneel down next to him, and he coughed again, spitting out blood.

“Stay down!” Kyungsoo muttered, pushing at his chest. “You’ll heal in no time.”

“W-Why did you come back?”

The earth shook with a tremendous force. Inside the writhing mass of earth, the drone had started to break through. Jongin looked at it in horror.

“It’s not dead.....”

Kyungsoo stood up and smiled at Jongin. “This time, I’ll protect you.”

“Kyungsoo? What are you–?!”

“What is your name?”

“Kyung....soo....”

“Ah, just like the name on this pendant, right?” The woman with blonde hair smiled gently at him.

“Why did it have to be you, WHY?!” Kyungsoo screamed. Kai’s jaw tightened in response.

“I love you,” Kai murmured. Kyungsoo felt like his heart was breaking.

~+~

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

“Sir, his pulse is rapidly rising–“

“Inject him some anesthetic,” The general commanded. “And tie him up. I don’t want a monster raging here.”

“Roger.”

“AHHHHHHHHHH–”

Kyungsoo’s scrunched eyes flew open at last. He was panting heavily, his head feeling like it was about to burst. His hands wouldn’t stop shaking, and the handcuffs on him kept rattling against the frame of the bed. Spasms in his legs made him cry out in pain.

What was that? What was–?

“Looks like Kim Jongin did escape from his room,” The general muttered. “It’s a high possibility that he’s still hiding in the Republic, disguised. Send out orders–“

“That won’t be needed.” A soft voice spoke from the shadows. Kyungsoo stiffened in response, his head slowly turning, while Alex reached for her gun, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

“Why did you come back?” Kyungsoo whispered.

The general looked surprised for a moment. Then the corners of his mouth twitched up into a smile, greeting the person in front of him.

“Welcome.”

Author's Note

This story probably ends next chapter, and then there will be a epilogue :D Thank you to all my lovely subscribers and people who read this story!

P.S I have like 200+ subscribers for this story yet I only get like 10 comments everytime I update..... OTL TALK TO ME YOU GUYS!! I DON'T BITE!