~Chapter 14~

Bloom

Taemin’s POV~

            I feel so dizzy. The blood pounds on my head, making it feel so heavy and strained. My heart hurts when it beats. I place my shaking hands on my chest and try to not think of the pain. The air going in and out of my lungs also is hurting me. “Can you please just stop hurting” I say in a hoarse voice. It even hurt to talk. I force myself to sit up, get off my bed, and pour myself a cup of water to drink. I sip it slowly. The cold water cools down my hot, dry mouth. I swallow slowly in case the water will hurt me as well. It did. Knock. Knock. “Come in,” I say as loud as I can. A fellow servant swings open the door and greets me, explaining that the coming of age party is happening tonight. I almost forgot about it. The coming of age party is different than the future’s coming of age celebration. The clan has its own ceremony where the servants who are turning eighteen celebrate before their main battle where those who win become heroes and those who lose go through a tough training for the next three years to redeem themselves.

            To some, this is a stressful time while to others it is a time of rejoice since they are about to be treated like the heroes they look up to. The reason why the clans call us servants in the first place is to make us feel even more degraded than we should and want to escape the poor status and be a hero. I mean what would you rather be: a servant or a hero? I almost forgot that I am turning eighteen too…in a week to be exact. “Thank you, I’ll be there tonight,” I reply.

            “You look sick, are you okay?” The servant asks.

            “I’m just a bit tired, thanks for coming here and reminding me.”

            “No problem, Jong Kook hyungnim sent me to go around reminding everyone. I still have to tell some other people too. See you later!”

            “See you,” I smile weakly and drop it as soon as the door closed behind him. Immediately I groan. I don’t want to celebrate anything. I want to feel better. “Is that so hard to ask!?” I scream aloud.

            “Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today.” I hear Minho hyung’s voice outside my door. I smile despite the pain and open the door only to be greeted by…a high nose, a charming smile that shows off his dazzling teeth, and well…his face, Minho hyung’s face. My heart leaps despite the pain and I can feel a warmness erupt inside me. Minho hyung is showing his face. It makes me feel like I got something I lost for a long time. In this lifetime, this is the first time I ever looked at his face, but it is so familiar, so amazing that I just can’t help but think about the times I use to stare at it in my past life. It was definitely something I enjoy getting back.

Key’s POV~

            “I’m surprised you walked on this foot for so long. It’s sprained and you put a lot of weight on it. I’m surprised you can still walk on it,” Heechul hyung exclaims. I look at Jonghyun hyung’s swollen ankle with guilt. I made him carry Gun Tae and do a lot of errands for me…Why didn’t he say anything if he was hurt? When did he get hurt? Was it when I fell? We were climbing down another wrong mountain and at the last step, I lost balance and fell. I grabbed onto Jonghyun hyung and tried to save myself but he fell over as well. We ended up rolling down the slope until we hit a tree. We both laid on the ground all dirty and shocked. I think I saw a trace of pain on his face back then, but I thought it wasn’t a big deal…Now I feel so bad…

            “Thanks for wrapping it up for me,” Jonghyun hyung smiles and rubs the back of his head.

            “You should really be resting and then walking on it slowly but since you’re in a rush to return, I guess I can give you a crutch or something.”

            “No, he should rest,” I say.

            “It’s fine. A crutch would be enough!” Jonghyun hyung says.

            “Gun Tae, let’s go get it,” Heechul hyung says.

            “We’ll be back soon!” Gun Tae says and follows Heechul hyung outside. Immediately I growl and fold my arms.

            “What?”

            “Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt!?”

            “It’s not like I’m cripple,” Jonghyun hyung jokes.

            “Yah! Do you want to wait until you’re crippled to tell me you’re injured!? You act like I have no heart!”

            “You have a heart? Since when!?” Jonghyun hyung acts shocked.

            “You pabo! I am being serious right now.” I say firmly.

            “I know, but I didn’t know when to tell you. You were just really put up with the traveling and I didn’t want you to feel burdened.”  

            “Well I don’t mind feeling burdened! You could have gotten even more hurt if you kept hiking like that you dummy. When will you stop making me worry about you?”

            “Okay, okay. I’m sorry for not telling you I’m hurt.”           

            “You better be sorry. Next time you get hurt and not tell me, I’ll make sure to beat you up for it and then treat you!”

            “Feisty,” Jonghyun hyung acts scared. “But I like that about you,” he them smiles charmingly. I shake my head and scowl.

            “Wipe that look off your face,” I chuckle.

            “Yes sir!”

            “But seriously, make sure you tell me next time. I don’t want anyone hurting for me…especially you.” Jonghyun hyung stares at me with a warm look, almost like he was happy to hear it from me. “Don’t be a dummy and take all the pain in yourself.”

            “Alright,” he nods. “I won’t worry you anymore. I’ll be honest to you from now on.”

            “Good.”

Jonghyun’s POV~

            Key, Heechul hyung, and I walk into a room in the cave that has a pool in it, full of water that looks a bit cloudy, like it’s fog. Heechul hyung presses a blade on his finder and cuts a slit. Blood seeps out of his gash and drips into the muggy liquid. The blood swirls in the small pool and forms shapes slowly. The blood spreads in the liquid and in a few seconds, the liquid turns crimson red, making it look like a pool of blood. “Here,” Heechul hyung says and passes the blade to me. I hold the cold metal carefully and look at him. “Well?”

            “Huh?” I look at him strangely.

            “Cut yourself.”

            “Why?”
            “Do you want to find out or not?”

            “Okay, fine!” I look at the sharp, blade and put it on my finger. Don’t I at least get to disinfect it first? So in case you are wondering, Heechul hyung and I are more or less performing a magical ritual that will help us see into the future. After finding out that Onew hyung, Taemin, and I came from the future, Heechul hyung decided to use his powers to find out what is happening in our time.

            Key stands nervously near me, nibbling on his bottom lip. I’m not sure if he is nervous about seeing the future or the fact that he still can’t accept the fact that I actually came from there. I look away from his face and draw back the blade, making blood ooze out of my cut. Drip. My blood mixes with the crimson liquid and changes the pol into a dark purple. The liquid swirls in a circular motion, forming a whirlpool. “Look there,” Heechul hyung points at the center of the whirlpool. A small beam of light encumbers the darkness of the pool slowly and an image appears.

            My breath hitches as the image becomes clear. I see myself on a while bed wearing a white outfit. The hospital maybe? I have a nasal cannula in my nose and there is a needle in my arm, transferring a strange-looking liquid into my body. It doesn’t seem like an IV-drip. Its color is a cloudy, muggy looking water, almost like how the pool was until Heechul hyung dropped his blood into the pool. My face is deadly pale and my body is still. Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep. “What sound is that?” Key asks in shock, unfamiliar with the beeping.

            “That’s my heartbeat.”

            “Why is it so fast?”

            “No idea…” I reply. “But at this rate, won’t I have a heart attack or something?”

Key’s POV~

            Seeing him lying there so motionless, so fragile, I feel a pang in my heart. His eyebrows are scrunched, forming a few wrinkles between his eyebrows. The paleness of his face makes me feel…hurt? He looks so helpless and I want to help him, but I know that I can’t. What I am seeing now is the future…a place where I can’t go to help him…where Jonghyun hyung really belongs- a place where I can’t go to and I place I don’t belong at.

            I look at the Jonghyun hyung right next to me. Him and I are not meant to be friends, are we? He doesn’t belong to my time period and one day, he will return there, leaving me…Would it be too selfish to say that I don’t want him to return? I mean look at his pale face. Even if he returns, won’t he be too weak to function? I don’t want him injured somewhere I can’t help him. Even now, when his ankle was hurt, he never told me. Even when he is so close, I can’t help him, not to mention at another time period! “Wait, Jonghyun let me see your finger.” Heechul hyung holds Jonghyun hyung’s finger in his hand and looks at the future. “It’s the same cut.”

            “What? It can’t be,” Jonghyun hyung exclaims. “Why would I have the same cut in the same place?”

            “He’s right,” I say. The small cut is clearly visible in the future. It is on the same spot as his currently cut finger. The redness and the angle looks surprisingly the same as well. Heechul hyung takes the blade and quickly cuts Jonghyun hyung’s arm. “Hey!” I hold onto his bleeding arm and try to tend the wound.

            “Look!” Heechul hyung yells. I gasp as blood starts wetting his white sleeve. A person in a weird-looking outfit runs in the scene and yells for help. A crowd of people wearing similar white clothing run in and examine his cut.

“It’s happening again. We thought it would never happen after such a long period of nothing happening,” one says.

“I remember that a few years ago gashes started appearing on his body and he bled all over. It has been so long and nothing was appearing…it finally is happening again,” another exclaims.

“What do they mean? Were you injured before?” I ask.

“Before Minho saved me, the monks tortured me in the jail cell,’ he replies.

“Why didn’t you ever tell me?!”

“I didn’t think it was important enough to tell you.” He shrugs. I scoff and fold my arms. Why does he never think about telling me anything!?

“If what they are saying is true, then that means that your body and mind went back in time, but your real body is still in your time period. Whatever happens to your body now, will happen to your future as well…”

“That means if I die here…”  

            “You will die forever,” Heechul hyung completes the sentence after a long pause.

            “Does this mean this is the same for Taemin and Onew hyung as well?” Jonghyun hyung asks.

            “Damn, this can’t be happening. If this happens to Taemin as well…then he doesn’t have much time to live.

            “We have to go now,” Jonghyun hyung says with a tense expression. His hands shake as he tries to grab onto his sword that is leaning against the wall. He misses it and falls onto the ground with a thud. I rush to him and try to see if he is hurt. Jonghyun hyung’s eyes are watery and red. I can tell he is trying his best to keep himself together, but he just can’t help getting emotional. His dongsaeng is about to die…in the past and in the future at the same time. He shuts his eyes tight and breathes in and out heavily. “Please help me up,” he says with a weak voice. I hold onto his arm and pull him up, grabbing his sword as well. “Thanks.”

            “Look, I know you are worried about Taemin right now, but if you are going to be this shaken up, we can’t head down the mountain, not to mention your ankle’s poor condition,” I say sternly. If he ends up falling on the way back and hurting himself, then things will be worse than they already are…

            I see the depression in his watery eyes. He wants to save Taemin and he doesn’t know what to do…he must feel so useless right now…I hate it when he is like this. Jonghyun hyung is normally so kind-hearted, so funny, so talkative, so…not like this. He normally is the one who makes people happier when they are in hard times. He always makes me happy when I am around him. When I look at his cheeky smile and his nostrils fairing when he eats, I can’t help it but smile. He’s very gentle and very emotional and I don’t want him to be that way. I am not good with comforting people or making friends. I am a killer…I don’t know how to comfort him. If only he wasn’t so kind-hearted, if only he wasn’t so emotional, he would be fine…but then I wouldn’t be able to be his friend or like being around him so much…because Jonghyun hyung isn’t Jonghyun hyung without this side to him. He always makes me happy…I guess putting in a little more work for him would be worth it…besides, Taemin is my friend.

            “There isn’t much time to lose. Before we know it, Taemin could already…” I pause, trying to not say the d-word. “How about this, I’ll carry you down the mountain and save us some time.” His face shows both confusion and relief. “I like that little fellow too okay? Although he may be rude, I can see that he is going through a lot. Since he’s also your close dongsaeng, I can’t really hate him.”

            “I always thought you never cared about him.”

            “Please, if I didn’t care, would I have stayed up making sure he was okay when he was hurt? I am not that heartless okay?” I gather our belonging and wake Gun Tae up. “There’s no time to lose, we need to go.”

Jonghyun’s POV~

            “Are you tired yet? I know we are in a rush, but you don’t need to overexert yourself,” I say. Key has been carrying me for a long distance now, while Gun Tae is carrying our things. He made it down the mountain without stopping for a breath and I have to admit it, I admire him.

            “Luckily the moon is out, or else it would so hard to see,” Gun Tae says between breaths. “This lantern doesn’t give off enough light.”

            “It’s a full moon.” I point out. Suddenly, Key’s steps slow down and he eventually stops. He looks up and stares at the bright moon shining above us. “Let’s take a break,” I clear my throat and jump off his back. Gun Tae helps me sit down on a rock in front of a body of water- a pond maybe?  

            “Did I say something wrong?” Gun Tae asks me after looking at Key’s blank face. “I’m sorry I talked too much. I just thought we needed some entertainment or distractions so we don’t think about the long walk…”

            “It’s not your fault Gun Tae-ah. I’m sure something is just bothering him, that’s all. If anything, it’s because he’s tired.”

            “I’ll go refill our waterskin,” Gun Tae says and walks toward the pond. Key is sitting with his knees against his chest. His arms wrap around his knees firmly, showing off his muscle. He is staring at the water with the moon’s reflection glowing off of it. He gets up and walks closer to the water. He dips his hands in the water, cups them, and splashes water on his face. He slams his fist in the water violently and breathes harshly. What is he thinking about?

            Key stares at his reflection in the water and slashes it with his hand. He starts rubbing his hands together, washing his hands. After a long moment, he is still rubbing his hands together. Slowly, he quickens his pace and rubs his hands more furiously. Quicker and quicker, he rubs his hands in the water. Eventually, he starts scraping his hands with his nails. “Key, stop that!” I yell at him. He doesn’t. I limp toward him and look at his hands, now red. “What’s wrong with you!?” I yell and grab him by his wrists. I look at his watery eyes as the tears flow down his face. “What happened?” I ask him. “Why are you crying?” I let go one of his wrists and place my hand on his wet face. I use my thumb and try to wipe the tears on his left cheek, but the tears continue to flow down his face. “Please stop crying.” I hug him and rub his back while whispering comforting words in his ear.

            “I’m fine,” Key says, despite the tears still dripping onto my back. “I was just having one of my flashbacks, that’s all.”

            “What flashbacks?” I ask, still hugging him.

            “You know that I am the king’s spy, don’t you?”

            “I know.”

            “Well, all spies have their times when they kill innocents…”

            “What do you mean?” I say and stop hugging him. I look at his saddened face and dry the remaining tears on his face.

            “On a night of a full moon, I went out for a mission. It was my first time doing anything like it.” He closes his eyes and swallows hard, trying to not cry again.

            “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

            “But I want to,” Key says. “I killed for the first time on the night of a full moon. It was a family of four- two parents and two children. At that time, I didn’t know how people were willing to hide secrets. I thought scaring someone would force them to answer anything I wanted, but I was wrong.”

            “You were just following orders. You are a spy, an assassin even, you can’t go against your orders and you have to do anything to complete the task,” I say, trying to comfort him.

            “You never killed anyone Jonghyun hyung, you wouldn’t know. You won’t ever understand how it feels like have two kids slice open their necks to save their parents from being disloyal. Every time I see a full moon, I remember the feeling of the children’s blood on my hand when I held them in my hands, shocked… I’m sure if I didn’t have guards with me that night, the parents would have killed me.”

            “They killed themselves, not you.”

            “But I held the blade. If I didn’t think of that tactic, then they wouldn’t have died. In the end, their parents committed suicide right after I stepped out of the house. I killed innocent people and it hurts knowing what you are doing is causing other people harm. I never chose to kill hyung. I never wanted to kill anyone. It’s so easy to put a blade on someone’s neck.”

            “Is that why you fight with a fan now?” I ask, remembering the metal fan he took out when Heechul hyung scared us. Key nods sadly.

            “I don’t use a sword anymore, since it’s so easy to pull it out of the scabbard. I want to kill only in the last resort.”

            “I know you regret killing an innocent and I’m sure the first kill is always the most scarring, but like you said before, it’s the king who sent you. You didn’t have a choice. Everything you did was in honor of the king himself.”

            “I know. I know! But what hurts me more is how I can’t say no to him. I want him to know that killing off people he thinks that are suspicious is inhumane. I want His Majesty to use my skills to protect others, not kill them! I am a murderer. I am a monster. I never wanted to become a heartless assassin.”

            “And you won’t be one. Key, you always say that you are heartless and we always make jokes about it, but it isn’t true. Not one bit. If you didn’t have a heart, you wouldn’t be this emotional every time you see a full moon. You wouldn’t rub your hands so many times and tried to wash off the invisible blood on them if you weren’t regretting what you have done. You have a heart, Key. I know I can’t tell you to drop all of your morals and act like the killing wasn’t wrong…but things happen and you need to move on. What happened wasn’t your choice and them dying wasn’t exactly your fault. It was the king’s.”

            “You can’t say that hyung. I am the king’s subject. You can’t say that around me. What I’ve been saying shouldn’t have been said. I’m making a big mistake right now.” Key gets up and rushes forward. I get up and step forward, immediately regretting it afterwards. I fall over and hug my ankle. I hate being injured! “Are you okay?!” he yells and runs toward me. He quickly examines my injury and looks for any other injuries on my body. I hold onto his scratched up hands and look at his widened eyes.

            “See? You do have a heart.” He tries to pull his hand away but I hold onto it tighter. “You are very kind Key, and not only to me. You care for the people around you and actually complete your commands with a heart. You aren’t just a murderer Key. You have a heart and you have a mind that can differ what’s right and wrong. No matter how many innocent people you slaughtered or unintentionally killed, I will never view you as a monster or a murderer, but a kind person that is forced to kill. No matter what you say to me, I will never change my opinion of you. To me, you are the most pure person there is. To me, you are the most kind-hearted person. To me, you are not a monster, but the most beautiful angel there is. To me, you are everything and no matter what you do, I will always be here for you. No matter what you did or will do in the future, I will always take your side.” I stare into his eyes and after a pause, I pull him in for a hug.

Comments are loved~ I hope you liked the update~!!!!