Pulling his hood up, Tao followed a pair of green Uniforms accompanying the one in white. The white uniform ordered most of the green Uniforms to spread out, while his group headed further towards the edge of the forest. Kris had mentioned that the three that lived in the West had a house hidden by the trees outlining the Western Forest. He had a feeling those uniforms were heading in the right direction, and he couldn’t have that.

 

Nimbly, the time traveler moved to the trees ahead of the Uniforms, hoping to catch sight of the target before they did. Kris had mentioned the cabin in passing, but neither of them had thought to go into the specifics. This gave the time traveler pause - did Kris really want him to be there, or did he make the wrong assumption? Shaking off his doubts, Tao jumped across a path to another clump of trees.

 

“Hey!” A voice rang out. Tao cursed under his breath. He’d been seen.

 

“There’s someone in the trees up ahead,” the voice said.

 

Gritting his teeth and pulling his cloak closer to himself, Tao took a deep breath. Only a couple of days had passed since his return to the right time, so he needed to move quickly once he activated the other half of his ability. Closing his eyes, Tao began counting under his breath.

 

“One, two… Three.”

 

Silence filled the forest, even the slight breeze rustling the leaves above him having been stilled. Tao opened his eyes and, pausing only to look past the trunk of the tree he was hiding behind, immediately rushed forward. With his drained energy, he could only hold time back for so long.

 

Fifteen seconds later, he once again felt the soft breeze brushing against his exposed cheeks. He paused to take a breath. That was a lot shorter than he could normally keep time at bay, but it was enough. He was still able to pull far ahead of the Uniforms, after all.

 

Looking around, Tao found that he was a bit deeper into the forest line than he had intended, but his instincts told him to keep going. It wasn’t long until he spotted the lone building sitting amidst several trees. He had climbed a bit uphill, which granted him a better view of the path he had climbed. Fortunately, no one had ventured upon it. Yet.

 

Tao quickened his pace. Though he couldn’t see any Uniforms around, that didn’t mean they wouldn’t be around soon. He stepped up to the single story building’s porch and looked around. It seemed like a simple home, a bit like his own back in the South. There were voices coming from inside, along with the sounds of a lot of shuffling. Another glance back down the path, though, filled him with urgency. He slammed his fist onto the front door.

 

“Hey! Anyone home?” He called, though he knew there were at least two people inside.

 

Silence answered him, and for some reason, he felt the wind calm, too. He knocked again. “Open the door!”

 

The house remained still. “I’m here to help, why on earth are they hiding from me?” He grumbled. He continued mumbling about how he was being mistaken for a bad person when the real bad men were coming up the hill.

 

“Ah! The back door!” He realized. Of course, the most logical course of action for whoever was inside would be to make an escape through the back door. Jumping over the porch’s railing, he rushed to the back door, the wind whipping his cloak and almost making him fall over.

 

He made it to the back door just as the wind calmed down once more, and he heard the lock softly being pulled open. He crossed his arms and looked right into the doe eyes of the boy on the other side.

 

“You shouldn’t be running away from me,” he huffed, before he was suddenly thrown backwards towards the trees. “What the -?”

 

“Sehun, go!” The doe-eyed boy shouted, pushing the other boy out from behind him to the side of the house, away from Tao.

 

“Wait!” Tao shouted, still pinned to the trunk of a tree. “I’m not a Uniform!”

 

“Go, Sehun!” The boy shouted again, his hand held out in front of him, towards Tao.

 

“Hey, I’m like you!” Tao tried again to move forward, but the other boy’s ability seemed to have him pinned to the tree like an invisible force.

 

“Sehun!” The boy practically screamed. His companion was frozen where he stood, still not moving from when he was pushed by his doe-eyed companion.

 

“Listen to me!” Tao called out once more. “I’m not your enemy. I’m here to help you! The Uniforms were heading up the path when I arrived, and you really don’t have much time before you’re discovered.”

 

“I don’t believe you,” the boy replied, his voice lowering to a growl. “How do you know who we are? What do you mean you’re like us?”

 

Tao huffed. “However it is you’re holding me against this tree, I can do something special, too. I can stop and travel through time.”

 

The boy’s doe eyes narrowed to slits and his eyebrows came together, scrutinizing Tao. “I don’t believe you.”

 

I really don’t have enough strength left for this, Tao thought, but sighed and cleared his mind anyway. He needed to get some sense into the boy’s head soon, and he couldn’t do it pinned to a tree. Especially since the Uniforms had probably spotted the house already.

 

“Lu -” the other boy began to say, but Tao had frozen them already. He felt the pressure holding him back loosen, and he quickly moved to the doe-eyed boy’s side, before releasing his hold over time.

 

“-han,” the other boy stopped abruptly, noticing that Tao had suddenly appeared beside Luhan. “Eh?”

 

Realizing his prisoner was gone, Luhan whipped around. “How did you do that? Are you a teleporter?”

 

Tao shook his head. “No. I told you, I can stop time. Do you believe me now?”

 

“No,” came the immediate response. Tao was about to retort, but several voices shouting had him moving instead.

 

The Uniforms had arrived, and one of them had somehow reached the taller boy and grabbed him already. The other Uniform rushed towards them but was flung to the side - much like Tao was moments ago. The soldier was persistent, though, and was instantly on his feet once more.

 

Tao allowed the telekinetic to handle the Uniform. He rushed towards the other, who was by now struggling to maintain a hold on the boy called Sehun. Upon reaching them, he pulled on a gloved hand, freeing Sehun from the Uniform. Side-stepping quickly, he was able to pull them completely apart before delivering a kick to the man’s head. The man staggered, but didn’t fall. Instead, he drew a weapon from his belt, and Tao knew he had to move faster. That gun had to be out of the man’s hands before his finger reached the trigger.

 

He stepped closer, grabbing the wrist of the hand that held the weapon, pulling it inwards, towards his side. He brought up a knee and smashed it into the Uniform’s stomach before slamming an elbow down into his neck, knocking the man out effectively.

 

The time traveler straightened, dusting off his hands. Knocking out a soldier left a bad taste in his mouth, but he had no choice, given the circumstances. He had to save the two no matter what. Kris said all fifteen were important.

 

He found himself in a staring match with the doe-eyed boy, whose eyes were once again wide open as the boy looked at him. Two other Uniforms lay on the ground a few meters away, unconscious.

 

“You… Who are you?” The other huffed, out of breath from his fight with the Uniform.

 

Tao straightened, puffing out his chest. “My name is Tao.”

 

“And why are you here?”

 

“I arrived from the future the other day,” Tao began, but immediately realized how weird that must have sounded. “Like I said, I have the ability to control time, as well as to travel through it. I was in the future around two years from now.”

 

“What does that have anything to do with us?” The tall boy asked, moving closer to his companion.

 

Tao paused. He didn’t really have time to explain everything at the moment. “We don’t have a lot of time. There are a lot more Uniforms in the village, and it seems like the Trio are coming, too. Where are your things? I’ll help you bring them.”

 

“No.” The shorter boy said firmly. “How did you know about this place? About us?”

 

Tao sighed. “Kris hyung told me.”

 

“Who’s Kris?”

 

“He’s the person I met in the future. We’ll be meeting him soon, I think. But first, we need to get out of here.”

 

The doe-eyed boy continued to stare at him, suspicious. Tao could tell it would take a lot more to earn their trust, and after seeing all those soldiers searching for them, he could understand why. The two were in a position to doubt everyone they didn’t know.

 

“Luhan,” the taller boy muttered, placing a hand on the other’s shoulder. “We need to go.”

 

The doe-eyed boy, Luhan, nodded. “Grab our stuff. Hand this guy a couple of bags. We’ve got no choice, it seems.”

 

Tao didn’t realize he was holding his breath until he exhaled it all deeply before breaking into a smile. “You can trust me, I swear!” He laughed, running forward and pulling two large bags from the tall boy. They were around the same height.

 

“I hope so,” Luhan muttered, pulling another bag onto his back and leading the way into the forest.

 

 

 

 

---

 

 

 

 

“Noona!” The little boy cried, running towards the surprised girl and latching on to her legs, his pursuer laughing boisterously as he chased after the young boy.

 

“Baekhyun!” The girl scolded, picking the child up into a hug.

 

“That’s Baekhyun oppa to you, miss,” the other laughed, patting the younger boy on the back, causing him to bury his face further into Yejin’s chest.

 

The girl glared at Baekhyun, turning around and cooing at the little boy to soothe him.

 

“Why don’t you go be useful and help your brother out,” she hissed at the smirking boy, then turned to the one in her arms, her expression softening. “Hey, buddy, you wanna help noona make dinner?”

 

The boy’s sobbing stopped, and he sniffled, looking up at Yejin, who was smiling softly at him. Baekhyun watched as the boy wiped his tears with his arm and nodded.

 

“Hey, I wanna help make dinner, too!” Baekhyun declared, a teasing look in his eyes as he watched the boy look to him.

 

“No!” The boy shouted, throwing his arms around Yejin’s neck, making her stumble, caught off-guard. Baekhyun reached out to steady her, and she smiled gratefully at him.

 

“Sungjae,” Yejin cooed once more. “Noona needs a lot of help. Let’s head to the kitchen.”

 

“I don’t like this hyung,” Sungjae confessed truthfully, twisting his neck to glare at Baekhyun, who only chuckled at the five-year-old. He was the latest addition to their family, and unlike most of the other children in their care, Sungjae did not easily warm up to Baekhyun.

 

“But noona likes me,” Baekhyun teased, leaving a peck on Yejin’s cheek.

 

“No!” The boy screamed, swatting Baekhyun away as the older boy laughed.

 

“Oppa,” Yejin chided.

 

Baekhyun laughed. “Okay, okay! I’m stopping now,” he answered, leading the way to their make-shift kitchen, where a silent war seemed to be occurring between its occupants.

 

Chen stood with his back to the counter, leaning on it as he gulped back some water. Across from him at the table stood Yemin, arms crossed across her chest and glare fixed on the boy.

 

“Chen hyung!” Sungjae shouted, pushing himself out of Yejin’s arms and running to the surprised boy, who quickly set down his glass to greet the younger.

 

“Hey, Sungjae, how’s it going?” Chen asked, and Baekhyun could tell his twin was struggling to manage his expression.

 

“Hyung, I don’t like him,” the boy pouted, pointing at Baekhyun, who returned the pout.

 

Chen needed no further help in changing his expression to a smirk. “What did he do to you?”

 

“He’s stealing noona from me!”

 

“Well, technically, kiddo, you’re stealing her from me,” Baekhyun mumbled, earning a slap on the shoulder from Yejin and a glare from his twin.

 

“Hey, how’s this?” Chen fake-whispered, nudging Sungjae to look at him. “I’m gonna steal you from noona right now. I need some help looking at things outside, you up for it?”

 

Sungjae smiled hopefully, his eyes widening in excitement. “Yeah!”

 

“Hey, hey, you’re not leaving me, are you, Sungjae?” Yejin frowned, stepping on Baekhyun’s foot to keep him quiet.

 

The boy actually looked torn. “No, noona!”

 

Yejin laughed and ruffled the boy’s hair. “It’s okay, I was just kidding. Go and help your hyung. I’ll make sure you guys can eat well in a bit, alright?”

 

“Okay, I’ll do my best, noona!” The boy shouted, taking Chen’s hand and tugging on it, excited to be going to the surface after days underground.

 

Yejin smiled encouragingly at the boy. “I know you will!” She declared, sending Chen a grateful look. He smirked back. Chen didn’t show it, but he was glad Sungjae had taken a liking to him. He wasn’t as close to the other kids as Baekhyun and Yejin, so it was a pleasant change to have someone so innocently enthusiastic hanging around him every now and then.

 

“Hey, where’d Min noona go?” Baekhyun suddenly asked, looking around the room. He was sure the older girl was there glaring at his twin when he and Yejin first walked into the room, but she was nowhere to be seen now.

 

Chen shrugged. “She’s probably gone back to the control room.”

 

“Are you guys still fighting?” Yejin probed, only to be dismissed by a wave of Chen’s hand.

 

“We’re not fighting.”

 

“Seems like you are,” Baekhyun retorted.

 

Chen ignored his twin. “Let’s go, buddy,” he said, taking Sungjae’s hand. The boy was looking up at the grown ups with a confused expression on his face. “Up to the warehouse!”

 

Baekhyun watched as the two left hand in hand, then turned to the younger girl, bracing himself for the short argument that would ensue once his twin and the boy were out of earshot. Both being very expressive, they often argued, although each violent exchange of words often ended sooner than it started.

 

The boy watched as Yejin crossed her arms across her chest. "The kid is still adjusting to losing his family, Baek."

 

"Baek oppa," he replied with a tsk, pulling out some of the canned goods that were their rations for the night. "Besides, I know. But it doesn't mean we should baby him all the time. Getting teased every now and then isn't gonna hurt the kid."

 

"He's five!" Yejin replied, exasperated. "He doesn't know the difference between teasing and truth yet! He could develop emotional trauma, Baek."

 

"Baek oppa," the boy chided, chuckling softly. The room was filled with silence as he opened the cans, pouring their contents into a pan. He mildly wondered why the girl no longer answered, glancing over his shoulder to look at her. The sight almost made him drop the cans he was holding.

 

Yejin was kneeling on the floor, fists clenched and white, her face pale. Her eyes stared straight forward at the floor in front of her, unblinking. Baekhyun knew this meant she was having a premonition - a terrible one, at that.

 

"Jin!" He cried, rushing to her side. "Are you okay?" The girl had been having visions since they were much younger, and so she no longer broke down as a result of them. Most of the time, she'd only look like she was zoning out, becoming unresponsive and her eyes unfocused. The last time she had a vision like this - Baekhyun shook the thoughts out of his head, choosing instead to take hold of the girl's arms and leading her towards their makeshift dining table.

 

It took a couple more minutes before life filled her eyes once more, and Baekhyun let out the breath he was holding. He opened a nearby bottle of water and handed it to her before collapsing onto the seat next to her. She accepted the water gratefully, drinking half its contents before exhaling deeply, closing her eyes. The boy wasn't sure whether it would be wise to ask her what the vision was about.

 

"Bad?" He chose to ask instead. The girl nodded, before slowly raising her head to meet his eyes. He understood the unspoken words in her eyes, and he silenced all questions in his mind, opting to offer his presence instead. He watched as Yejin's shoulders shook, and the girl pushed out of her chair to wrap her arms around his neck, burying her face in the crook above his shoulder. His arms automatically wrapped around her, and she tightened the hug and pressed her head closer into his neck. She sobbed softly, and Baek tried to pull her away so he could get a look at her face, but she resisted. Resigning, he ran his fingers through her hair, cooing into her ear.

 

Eventually, the girl's hold on him slackened, and her sobbing subsided. Softly, he heard her whisper, "I love you, Baek oppa. So, so much."

 

"I love you too, Yejin," he answered. And as if he, too, had the power of foresight, he knew.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner was over by the time Chen was able to return to the surface to double check the security measures he'd set up with Sungjae. He was alone this time, making use of the excuse to avoid the incredibly heavy atmosphere at dinner. He and Yemin still hadn't gotten over their argument from the night he and his twin had returned, and for some reason he couldn't quite put a finger on, Yejin and Baekhyun both seemed depressed. They stuck together as they often did, perhaps even more than usual, so Chen knew that the little squabble over Sungjae had been resolved, but he had no clue why a cloud seemed to be following the couple around since.

 

With only his memory to guide him, Chen made his way to the warehouse's control room. He had used his ability to reprogram the long abandoned computers there in order to generate a security system that would allow their escape if their hideout was ever discovered. He had confidence in their hideout, though, with it being in the remotest part of the North, even the guards didn't bother to follow their patrol routes to the area. Despite the confidence, on the other hand, he knew it was still best to be safe than sorry. He'd maintained the system for years, making sure that everything was in place every night.

 

The control room was dimly lit, the window on one side of the room adding to the light of a single lamp, providing him with enough light for him to maneuver the controls, making sure nothing was amiss. He crouched below the counter, checking on the singular truck battery that powered his security system. Running his hand over the cold metal, he closed his eyes and allowed the energy run through his body and out of his fingers, charging the device.

 

Satisfied with his work, Chen sat back on his heels, letting out a deep breath. He decided to spend a few more minutes in the room before heading back underground. He wasn't quite ready to face Yemin again - not after their argument. It annoyed him that she babied him so much, but what riled him up the most was the doubt she had for Kris and Chanyeol. Chen and Baekhyun's history with the other twins went way back to when they were children. Back when their guardians both lived. The two had helped him and his twin through the hardest time of their lives - Chen believed they would not be alive if it weren’t for their hyungs.

 

Groaning, Chen ran his hands through his hair, messing it up in frustration. Why couldn’t Yemin just trust his hyungs? Why couldn't she just trust him?

 

"It's so dark here," a voice murmured, making Chen jump slightly. He looked around, only then realizing that the light he'd left on had lost power. "Oppa? Are you okay? It’s really dark in here."

 

"I'm over here, Yejin," Chen replied, resting a hand onto a nearby lamp, activating it. "I didn’t realize the light went out. What are you doing here?"

 

"I need to talk to you, oppa," the girl replied, stepping into the newly lit circle of light. Her voice was serious, a heavy contrast to her usual demeanor. "I had a vision," she whispered, voice barely audible.

 

The boy gestured to the floor beside him, silently allowing her to sit down. He was rarely the one the girl turned to about her visions, the younger girl often opting to speak with her sister about these things. Even Baekhyun wasn't privy to her visions most of the time. He wondered what may have brought the girl to him this time.

 

Making himself comfortable, Chen continued to wait for the girl to word her concerns. The way she bit on her lower lip as she contemplated what to say reminded him of her older sister. It was a trait the siblings shared.

 

"The Uniforms are gonna find us," she began, not looking at him. "I don't know how - or even when - but they're coming. Oppa, it's not gonna be good."

 

“Yejin. We’re gonna be alright. Kris hyung managed to slip a couple of devices into my bag. The defenses are invincible now, they won’t get through,” Chen replied, ruffling the girl’s hair, but she shook her head, leaving his hand to fall back to his side.

 

“Oppa, remember what I told you the other night when you came back?” She asked, finally meeting the other boy’s eyes.

 

Chen paused, his brows meeting in the middle as he tried to recall the moment. He remembered the argument that he had with Yemin, and Yejin coming to find him after, making him promise something, but he must have been too tired to recall the specifics.

 

“You said you’d protect unnie. You said you’ll protect everyone,” Yejin reminded him, her voice pleading.

 

Chen nodded, his head tilting to the side as he considered the girl’s words. “That goes without saying, you know. We protect each other. That’s how we are.”

 

“Oppa, when the Uniforms attack, you’ll be made to make a choice - I won’t tell you what it is,” she hurried, halting the other’s question. “You need to make sure that you don’t hesitate, no matter what the cost. Oppa,” she paused, inhaling deeply to allow herself time to gather her thoughts, her emotions. “Oppa. Don’t hesitate, because the price we’ll pay otherwise will not be worth the cost.”

 

“Yejin - price? Cost? You’re not making any sense.”

 

“Just do it, oppa!” Yejin almost cried, obviously frustrated. The emotion was almost immediately replaced by determination, though. “Do. Not. Hesitate,” she repeated, standing up.

 

“I really have no idea what you are saying, Yejin. Is this why you don’t talk to me about your visions?”

 

Yejin sighed, turning to leave. “Just trust me on this one, oppa. Please.”

 

“Alright,” Chen grumbled, still trying to decipher her words in his head. It wasn’t until moments later when he realized the lamp had once again turned off, leaving him alone in the dark. Shaking slightly, he got to his feet, taking deep breaths. “Yejin?”

 

“I’m here, oppa,” a voice answered in the dark, allowing Chen a breath. He felt her presence returning to his side, her warm hand soft on his arm. “For now, I’m here.”

 

 

 

 

---

 

 

 

 

“So what you’ve been trying to say is, you traveled to the future and met this guy named Kris. Then he told you to make sure everyone gathers somewhere? You said you stayed there for a week, and that’s all you know?” Luhan said, his skepticism towards the time traveler’s claims no less than obvious. “Do you even know who ‘everyone’ is supposed to be? And where you’re supposed to gather them?”

 

Sehun, on the other hand, was more receptive to the stranger. “You said your name was Tao, right?"

 

Tao nodded, glancing at the boy walking slightly ahead of him.

 

"When you time travelled, did you meet us?"

 

The time traveller shook his head. "No. I actually only saw Kris. We were at a cabin in the woods, and though it was of decent size, it couldn't have fit a lot of people, so I guess the others were staying elsewhere," he explained.

 

The other hummed before following up on his question. "So how do you know we're the ones you're looking for?"

 

Tao shrugged, a gesture not at all reassuring to Luhan. “Luck, I guess?” The boy answered, making Luhan frown. Catching this, the boy continued, trying to make his explanation more rational.

 

“The Uniforms were already in the area by the time I arrived. Kris hyung mentioned something about your house being on the outskirts of the Western district, so I kinda had the upper hand with having an idea of where to search for you,” he paused, glancing at Luhan once more. “There were a couple of Uniforms heading into the forest, so I ran ahead of them. They were talking about searching for the source of some unusual wind here.”

 

“Unusual wind?” Sehun repeated, and Luhan caught the look of panic in his eyes.

 

Tao nodded. “The people at Central know everything that happens in the Sanctuary since they control everything. My grandmother used to say that our resources here aren’t exactly as natural what they used to be, so there are people controlling the weather in different areas. When something happens that’s out of their control, they know.”

 

“And how do you know this?” Luhan countered, still not trusting the boy with the dark eyes.

 

Tao frowned, confused. “Doesn’t everyone know this?”

 

“No,” Sehun answered.

 

Luhan stopped in his tracks, dropping his bags to cross his arms across his chest. The pack Tao carried flew from his arms, and again an invisible force threw him back. “I can break your neck right now,” Luhan growled, and the time traveler felt his throat tighten, the former’s power grasping it like a log.

 

Tao lifted his hands to his neck as he fell to his knees, a futile attempt to pry the pressure off. He looked to Luhan, coughing. “I’m from the South. My grandmother taught me these things before she died,” he managed. “I don’t want to hurt you!”

 

“Luhan,” Sehun whispered, softly planting a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “I don’t think he means us any harm.”

 

The telekinetic paused, but didn’t let go of his hold on the stranger. “You can’t know that for sure, Sehun.”

 

The younger shook his head, determined to defend the man locked within his brother’s grasp. He moved to step between the two, forcing Luhan to look at him. “Luhan. He’s like us. One thing I know for sure is we thought we were the only ones like this. We were hidden because of our powers. But we are not alone!”

 

“Sehun, the Trio have powers, too. Don’t tell me you want to go trusting them, too?”

 

Sehun shook his head. “He just helped us escape the Uniforms! He deserves the benefit of the doubt, I think.”

 

Luhan sighed, allowing his arm to drop to his side, his hold around Tao’s neck loosening. “When did you become so rational, huh?”

 

Sehun smiled, his eyes forming crescents. Luhan’s actions were rash, but the boy knew that his brother only wanted to protect them both. They’d had to fend for themselves for most of their lives, after all.

 

Tao coughed, catching the pair’s attention again as he rose to his feet. He rubbed his neck, head cocked to the side as he winced in pain.

 

“I still don’t trust you,” Luhan declared. The other stopped, throwing his hands up in surrender.

 

“I get it. I’m a stranger. I don’t trust you, either, if that makes you feel better,” he snapped. “And to think I was all excited to meet you people,” he added under his breath, turning to leave.

 

Sehun noticed the time traveler’s change in direction and called out to stop him. “We’re headed this way,” he pointed.

 

Tao shook his head. “I’ll leave you two to it. I need to have a talk with Kris hyung.”

 

“What?” Sehun was genuinely confused. One minute the dark boy was getting them to trust him, and the next he was running away.

 

“I’ll see you two later,” Tao waved and turned, not looking back.

 

“Wait -” Sehun called but was stopped by his brother.

 

Luhan shook his head. “Leave him be. If he is who he says he is, our paths will cross again.”

 

“But he doesn’t know where to find us!” Sehun protested.

 

“On the contrary, he knows exactly where to find us,” Luhan answered, throwing one last look at Tao’s retreating figure before picking up the forgotten bags at his feet. “Come on, Sehun. Let’s head to our little cabin in the woods.”

 

 

 

 

---

 

 

 

 

The West was designed completely differently from the Central Sector. Where skyscrapers would have been, trees as tall as four storey buildings - some reaching even higher - lined the makeshift path. Not to mention, the air was as fresh as it could be with the abundance in nature. It was a nice change. The Trio rarely got to visit this part of the Dome.

 

Suho, Xiumin and their two subordinates arrived at the town proper only minutes ago, the leader of the Trio having ensured they would take the right procedures in presenting a warrant to the Captain in the West. In return, he offered a troop of green Uniforms to serve as their guide through the forest. Suho ordered one to remain with them and paired the rest off with one of their own. They split up upon reaching a fork a few kilometers ago.

 

Just then, Xiumin felt a change in the wind that sent shivers up and down his spine.  “What was that?” he asked, pausing in his steps. He looked at Suho. “Did you feel that?”

 

Suho nodded and looked behind them. He had felt it, too. They were close, he just knew it. His earpiece buzzed as he received an incoming call.

 

“Sir, I, they’re - monsters…” The soldier’s voice, though slurred and weak, held the crisp and clear sound of horror.

 

“Coordinates, Soldier,” Suho commanded, then entered the reported numbers into the map as he signaled Xiumin to follow.

 

Upon arriving at their destination, it was Suho who stepped into the house first, sighing at its emptiness. Xiumin followed right behind him, noting the abandoned living room immediately. Outside, Uniforms dressed in green and white were searching the grounds for any signs of the house’s occupants. One in green lay slumped on the ground, their own subordinate attempting to rouse the poor fellow.

 

Looking at the situation at hand, Suho deduced the probability of them catching up with the suspects around 40%. They could be pursued, but it would take much effort, and he silently cursed himself for not bringing a rover to cut the chase in half.

 

Suho walked towards a door, presuming it led to the kitchen, barking orders to his allies. "Xiumin, go check the bedrooms, search for possible clues as to where they could've gone. You, tell the men outside to look for tracks. The best we can do now is find what direction they went to."

 

The door squeaked as he pushed it open. It was the kitchen, and on the center was a dining table with two chairs on each side. The leader looked up and noted the opened cupboards, an obvious sign that the house’s inhabitants left in a hurry, packing supplies for their escape without much thought. Upon surveying the floor, he thought he noted something glinting at him. It looked a bit transparent, but then again, not quite. He walked towards it, his white and gold uniform sliding against the cupboard and dinner chairs on either side, and knelt on one knee to take a closer look. It was a lock of blonde hair.

 

“Blonde?” Suho asked no one in particular as he wracked his brain for information on their targets. “The report D.O submitted stated that the light and lightning manipulators had burgundy and dark brown hair.”

 

Suho stood up, shifting to take a seat at the dinner table as he thought to himself. The reports were accurate in saying there were disturbances in the area, but when he thought back to his brother’s report, D.O had specified the targets’ abilities were related to light and lightning. The reports of the disturbances in this area mentioned wind currents.

 

“Wind,” Suho mumbled. If the change in the air they felt earlier was one of their abilities, then it could only mean either of two things. One, the light and lightning manipulators had control over the wind, too, or this person they were pursuing was an entirely different entity with a completely different set of skills. Suho couldn’t help but laugh to himself, and again the words came to mind: “I knew we weren’t alone.”

 

He didn't want to jump to conclusions, but it seemed everything pointed to the possibility of having more than two power-bearing people aside from himself and his brothers. The thought only made him giddy. He stood up, convinced that his theory would very much be plausible, and made his way towards the door at the other end of the room, knowing it would lead him to the backyard and the unconscious soldier.

 

Poof. Out of the corner of his eye, Suho thought he saw a wisp of black smoke filling the corner of the room. Heartbeat picking up at the speed of light, he whirled around, only to come face to face with a boy surrounded by black smoke.

 

The boy’s skin was tan, and he towered over Suho. His body was lean, but it was obvious to the leader of the Trio that the other was no fighter. At most, he looked like a hunter. The water manipulator immediately got a hold of himself, silently forming a chain of water with the hand behind his back. In one swift move, he had the intruder wrapped within his water chain, holding the boy's arms tightly to his side.

 

The sun-kissed boy furrowed his brows as he looked at his captor, then towards the empty cupboards behind him. Suho could see the panic and confusion in the boy's eyes. The boy looked at the water enveloping his torso once more, and did what he does best: run away.

 

"You-" Suho began, only to have the boy disappear with a puff of black smoke in the blink of an eye. A million questions rushed through his mind, but his shock over what had just happened rooted him to where he stood.

 

Knock. Knock.

 

The sound heralded the frost manipulator's entry to the room, glancing around at the empty cupboards. "One of the medics called to say D.O is now conscious but still bed ridden. What are your orders?" He asked, suddenly doing a double take as he saw Suho grasping the back of a chair tightly, his lips as white as if he had seen a ghost. "Suho, what's wrong?"

 

"Xiumin," Suho paused; his voice was barely above a whisper. Xiumin watched as the other's lips pulled back into a grin, revealing perfectly aligned white teeth. The smile didn't reach his eyes, though, making the man look like an eccentric scientist. “I was right. Not just two… but four! Light, lightning, wind, teleportation!"

 

Xiumin frowned, not qute getting what his companion was saying. Before he could swallow the meaning, though, a white Uniform aporoached them, his expression urgent.

 

"Sir, there's been a sighting in the Northwestern section, a few hours away from here." The experienced soldier reported. Two pairs of eyes looked at him. “Apparently, they fit the description given to us.”

 

"Whose division responded?" Xiumin asked.

 

"Uh,” the uniform took a second to read the report in his hands, “Sol Haenim's, Sir."

 

"What?!" Suho exclaimed, his eccentric grin immediately transforming into a scowl. "She has no jurisdiction outside the metropolis!"

 

"They say the order came directly from the Council, Sir," the Uniform added, a slight nervousness in his voice.

 

The pair exchanged looks. With the news of D.O regaining consciousness, reuniting with their brother was something they were both itching to do. But with the sighting of the troublemakers and the directive from the Council, they couldn't stay put. As much as they want to be reunited with their brother and see him awake, they couldn't very well ignore that Sol was on the loose - on their manhunt.

 

Suho nodded at the Uniform, sending him off before turning back to Xiumin. "We need to stop her."

 

Xiumin hummed in agreement. Sol was not only extremely powerful, she was also extremely unforgiving.

 

"She'll annihilate anyone who gets in her way. The Council may deem the slums dispensable, but those people are civilians. We swore to protect them."

 

"I guess we're heading Northwest then?"

 

Suho shook his head. "I'll go. You go back to Central."

 

"I'll go with you!" The frost manipulator offered.

 

"No, go to D.O and make sure he's alright. I'll try to talk some sense into Sol." Suho said, pulling out his receiver to contact the closest outpost. He needed rovers and he needed them fast.

 

Xiumin remained rooted to the spot, unmoving in his decision to join his brother in confronting Sol. Suho sighed, not really wanting to resort to the only method to make his brother do something he didn't want to. "This is a direct order, Xiumin. Go back to headquarters! I'll be there with you guys soon."

 

Xiumin shook his head, his eyebrows meeting in the middle. He had no choice but to follow his leader's orders. Who cared about the months of seniority he had in age? Suho was the leader of the Trio. Xiumin had no choice but to follow direct orders. The frost manipulator shook his head, turning to leave.

 

“Sol’s not gonna be easily swayed,” he said, speaking over his shoulder, his hands tucked into his pants pockets.

 

“We’re outside Central. This is Trio territory and she knows that,” Suho answered, clenching his teeth. He could give the order, but he knew very well that a Sol Haenim with orders from the Council backing down at his command was a long shot.

 

The other sighed and bid his brother farewell, silently sending a prayer to the heavens that he would return safely. It was enough having their youngest tortured. If Sol deemed Suho’s challenge as crossing the line… Xiumin didn’t even want to think about it.

 

Watching Xiumin leave, Suho let out his breath. Sol was a threat, even to them, the Trio. He knew that. And he needed to keep his brother safe. But he couldn’t let Sol hurt any civilians. And he sure as hell couldn’t let her capture the boys the Trio they were searching for. Those boys whose genetic make up seemed quite like their own...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~end of Chapter eight~

 

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