The circus grounds were empty. The show had just closed and the performers retired to their caravans. The great Main Tent towered proudly over everything else; dirty flags fluttered on strings that radiated from the tent’s centre and to the ground. The entrance flap was untied and moved in the passing breeze.

The Messengers and Yuki entered the tent and froze. The newly-formed soul was in the centre of the tent. It was blubbering with fear, his eyes locked onto the eerie sight in the stands. Scattered amongst the seats, standing to attention with a predatory air, was a swarm of Kuro-yurei. Their cold air made frost at their ghostly feet.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Jonghyun cursed Fate and went to obey Onew’s instructions. Minho ran towards the soul, ready to collect its memory. Onew, Key and Yuki joined Jonghyun and Minho at the centre to protect Minho and the Whisper. Their weapons were effective long distance and they began eliminating the Kuro-yurei.

The Kuro-yurei surged towards them. Taemin stood at the entrance to the ground floor and began blocking their movements with his sword. He gave chase after some wraiths that had side-stepped him. He ran around the bend, behind the stands, and found himself in a bright white room with geometric designs. His sword dissipated into harmless energy as he stood in the goddess’ chambers.

“You!” Fate rose from her seat with anger sparking from her glare, “Why hadn’t you given up on this quest?!” She stepped around the table and ignored the broken porcelain shards on the floor. She leaned in close, sneering into his face. “You were meant to fail, weak boy.”

And Taemin felt his heart break at her words. He knew she was right. She was one of the gods; and he was a pathetic boy, despite his years in service. Apathy washed over him and settled into his bones. His shoulders slumped from the burden of the sins he accumulated when he neglected his duty as a Messenger. Taemin felt like a dirty stain. He was never meant to finish this task; Fate had decreed it to be so.

You are brave, our angel son.

Taemin stirred. Key’s words echoed in his mind and hope flickered within his soul. Onew’s warm smiles flashed behind his eyes. He heard again the laughter he often shared with Jonghyun at his bad jokes; his body remembered running after Minho’s ball from the many times they played whilst waiting for the bus. And he felt Yuki’s silent support as they proceeded in their journey for 1000 Whispers. Taemin shook away the memories of how close he was to breaking before Onew and Key had saved him in the market place. He met the goddess’ eyes with resolve.

“My soul is my own. I am not bound to you,” he told her without breaking his eye-contact.

Fate snarled and slapped her hand across his cheek. Taemin held back the stinging tears as a bright red mark formed under his eye. Blood trailed down his cheek; her nails had also made a thin cut across his face.

Fate stalked away, her back straight with repressed anger. With a flick of her hand she pushed Taemin out of her chambers and back into the circus tent. Taemin shook himself from the resulting daze and reformed his sword and immediately jumped back into the fight before a wraith could harm him.

“But I still control you,” she warned.

Minho emerged from the memory and gave the Whisper to Yuki. He pulled out his black and white ball and cracked it open. From the two half-spheres he formed his bo staff and ran towards the surging Kuro-yurei.

Yuki flattened the Whisper in his hands and folded it in half. He folded it again and turned the corners over. He swiftly made the crane and pulled out its wings. A bright flash of light blinded him and the bird’s cry was heard by all within the tent. Yuki grunted with the pain as the bird swooped down and branded his arm. 999.

The crane then dissipated into golden energies and the Kuro-yurei responded. The swarm broke into two. One swarmed towards the centre of the tent, where the crane’s energy was rapidly dispersing in the air. The other half surged towards Taemin. Taemin paled in fear and confusion; it made no sense that they would go after him.

‘You will fail. I still control your fate.’ It felt like his goddess was whispering in his ear. He ran to a more advantageous position and faced the oncoming wraiths. He heard Minho shout to him somewhere behind the swarm, and together they began eliminating the Kuro-yurei.

But soon Taemin’s energies flagged and his sword began to flicker back to its original state. He started to panic and used his umbrella to swat at the wraiths’ heads. Yet, they encroached closer until one stood in front of him with a wicked intelligence in his eyes. It reared back its claw and sliced Taemin’s leg open before pulling back again and stabbed into the Messenger’s belly.

Taemin collapsed to the ground as Minho’s staff crushed the wraith into oblivion. He gasped in pain and his vision began to fade to blackness. At the last, Taemin saw Fate stand behind the panicked Minho, who was desperately trying to keep the remaining wraiths off them. Fate stood calmly at the edge of the fight with immense satisfaction obvious in her wide smile.

At the centre of the tent, Onew turned towards Key who calmly nodded to his leader. They gripped each other’s forearms in a brotherly exchange of reassurances. This was it – the moment has been reached at last.

“You’ve had a brave life,” Onew began with the ritual words; and with his vast experience and powers as a Messenger, he broke through Key’s barriers and entered his most significant memory.

Time stopped rocking inside the puppet theatre and lay exhausted on the ground. She gave a thrilled giggle and clapped her hands. She was so proud of herself and felt that she deserved ice-cream and a ride on the rollercoaster as a reward.

"Done."

Jonghyun turned to face Key and saw Onew disappear into his memory. Moments before, he had felt a change in the energies within Key. He was in tune with Key’s energy flows because of the amount of time they had spent in each other’s company. He narrowed his eyes to better concentrate on the person he loved and paled at what he saw. Key was no longer supernatural.