Minho threw his ball into the air at the back of the bus. Taemin and Onew shared a seat, heads rested next to each other as they slept. Jonghyun was sleeping on Key’s shoulder whilst he was flipping through the photo album with Yuki. They exchanged stories, making up for the moments that Time had denied them.

- 810 -

Key placed a supportive hand on the back of the soul and helped him stand up. He no longer needed the wheelchair he had despised during the last years of his life. “You’ve had a brave life,” Key said the ritual words and entered the memory.

- 836 -

The little boy tried to shoo the black cats away. They were waiting on the side of the road and he followed their gaze towards the intersection in front of them. He yelped in pain and looked away from the road when one of the cats scratched his hands. He was about to kick the cat when the sounds of squealing, hot rubber and crushing metal resounded in the air. The boy looked up in horror at the four car pileup in the middle of the intersection and ran to call for help.

- 874 -

A bullet embedded itself into the face of a Kuro-yurei. A sword sliced open the chest of another. A flying dagger was caught in a wraith’s eye. A bo staff crushed a skull. And a bright light flashed and the lonely cry of a bird hung in the air.

- 896 -

Taemin nudged Yuki awake and pointed out of the bus window and into the blue sky. They watched a swarm of pixies fly by. The pixies were small, tiny things and collectively looked like glittering dust in the air.

- 904 -

Onew caressed her cheek, as if asking her for forgiveness. “Thank you for your story. It was a beautiful telling. Your last words will be given to the one they were intended for.” He then turned his back to the soul and placed the Whisper into Yuki’s hand.

- 927 -

Jonghyun chewed at his thumbnail. He thought over Death’s words about Fate’s determination for Yuki to fail. Onew had confided with him of Time’s task to pull Key’s timeline back to his mortality. Jonghyun had a heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach; why was Fate making it easy for them to fold the Whispers?

- 936 -

Time rocked back and forth, her eyes rolling into the back of her head. Her arms blindly grabbed at the air, miming a tug of war with invisible rope.

- 967 -

Death stood in front of the mirror and fixed his bow tie. He picked up his top hat and walking stick and checked his appearance once more. He whistled a tune and strode out into the mortal world.

- 997 -

Fate slammed her fist onto the table, rattling the cups in their saucers. She fumed with anger, her eyes focused on the many lines of events connected to the group of six that were now heading towards the circus. She gave out a snarl of frustrated rage and threw the teapot at the wall; the broken porcelain pieces scattered across the white floor.

- 998 -

Taemin watched Time run backwards on his pocket watch. Onew came up from behind and watched it too. The others were making their way up to the dingy-looking circus tent; the ring-master had died. Yuki would fold this whisper and then they would collect Key's memory as the thousandth crane. It was almost over.