~Chapter 27~

Face

Key’s POV~

            We all take a deep sigh as we sit down. Kai walks around passing to each one of us a cup of tea. Most of us has transferred energy to Minho. Although it was dangerous to transfer different energies into one body, we had to do it to keep him alive. We are all exhausted, especially The White Masked Hero. He is especially tired since his body is still recovering from the time he healed me and he is basically depleted of energy since he battled. I look over and see the sleepyhead Jonghyun wake up. He stretches and groans as he gets up from the bed. The medication room has multiple beds for us to care for the injured. “Are we having a party? Why is everyone here?” he asks.

            “We’re in the medication room, silly,” I say. “How are you feeling?”

            “Like I slept for a very long time,” he admits.

            “You slept for three hours.” Kai says, smiling.

            “That’s all? Wow, I’m actually glad. I always see in dramas when the hero gets injured and wakes up, days have passed and he missed out on all of the fun events.”

            “Dramas?” Joon hyung asks.

            “It’s like a play,” Onew hyung explains. “I told you to stop using modern terms.”

            “Hey, it can’t be helped.” Jonghyun hyung raises both his hands in defense.

            “I’m glad you are all healing. I guess it was a bad idea to leave you alone with Heechul. I heard he was a bit…crazy.” Jong Kook hyungnim says.

            “He is!” Naeun says. “I can’t believe he abandoned all of us after exposing us to a difficult monster.”

            “I agree, but it’s out of his character. He isn’t the type of guy to leave his dongsaengs in danger. Besides, he is supposed to be training us, such a scary monster shouldn’t have been released at this stage.” Kai points out.

            “I’m sure we will find out his intentions when he returns,” Jong Kook hyungnim reassures. “Now it’s getting pretty late. Let’s all go to our rooms and rest.”

            “I’ll stay here and rest for a bit longer.” The White Masked Hero says.

            “Nado, I want to sleep some more and right now, my room sounds really far.” Jonghyun lies down.

Jonghyun’s POV~

            I close my eyes, but I can’t fall asleep despite my tattered body. I sigh and sit up, just to see Minho slowly waking up. I walk over to him and his eyes open slowly. “Are you okay?” I ask him.

            “Could be worse,” he says smiling, and sits up with my help. “Is anyone else hurt?”

            “This is about everyone.” I say, pointing at the resting hero and his wolf.

            “Is he okay? During the training, he was very weak.”

            “He’s fine. He simply needs to rest. You on the other hand…” I point at his bandages. “Your injuries are very deep and normally we could heal you, but we didn’t have enough power this time. Last time, the main source was The White Masked Hero and he couldn’t give off any more energy. Also, at that time your life was in danger so we couldn’t risk mixing energies. I mean, we did it anyway, but you were more stable.”

            “I feel very bad. Ever since he joined the clan, he has been helping everyone out and I feel like he doesn’t get enough acknowledgement for it.”

            “It may be true, but that’s a life of a hero. You can’t really get praised for everything you do. Only the people in the situations can recognize his heart, but it’s difficult to go around boasting people about his kindness.”

            “Hyung…” Minho looks at me.

            “Yes?”

            “Do you think he resembles Taemin?”

            “Why would you ask that?”

            “He’s very kind, talented, and is always willing to take action. He is Taemin’s age as well and he possesses the same qualities. The only difference is how much he loves making the mood brighter.”

            “The Taemin you know is much different from the one I knew. Taemin was a ball of energy. He loved making cheesy jokes and played around a lot. He blamed me for it actually,” I smile. “He was very outgoing and after going back in time he got a lot more mature. He doesn’t really expose his childish side, whereas The White Masked Hero has a high spirit. He seems to always be on his toes, anticipating what is going to happen next. If anything, he is very similar to the old Lee Taemin.”

            “Maybe his timing was perfect. He came after we lost Taemin, almost acting like our healing pill.” Minho says sincerely. “I hope he will stick around longer than Taemin had. I really don’t want to lose another good companion.”

            “Since when did you get so chatty? I swore you were almost mute after Taemin left us.”

            “I don’t know…things change. Taemin is still in my heart, but if I don’t move on, I think he’ll hate me for it. The White Masked Hero made me realize–”

            Gong. Gong. Gong. The emergency gathering signal has been struck. We all get up, as well as The White Masked Hero, and rush to the main meeting area. “We are under attack. Everyone get into formation and do not leave your post until further instructions. The injured people should be accompanied by someone who is stronger and capable of protecting them. We want as minimal damage to the clan as possible! Disperse!” Jong Kook hyungnim shouts and we all run off into our designated areas with our weapons.

            A loud scream echoes from the northeast wing and Kai stands on top of one of the roofs to see what was wrong. He yells and falls over. I catch him before he reaches the ground. “Are you okay?!”

            “There is someone very skilled in the enemy side. I saw that men from the northeast wing are severely injured. Before I got to see who the invaders were, I was shot.” He says. We pull out the arrow in his shoulder and wrap him up as quickly as possible.

“Who do you think the enemy is? Their invasion tactic is different than Madame Red.” I ask.

            “There was an attack at the east wing and now it moved to the west wing, meaning that there are more than one group or they are simply fast.” Minho says.

            “Most creatures have distinct noises they make and we can’t hear any, meaning that the attackers are likely only human,” The White Masked Hero points out. Onew hyung jumps on top of the roof despite the threat. “Do you see the invaders?”

            “The clan members in this area are wiped out.”

            “That can’t be possible,” Key says in shock. “Just who are we facing?”

            Suddenly, the regrouping horn was blown and we all gather in the meeting area. “Did you catch the invaders?” I ask.

            “Before we could even trace them down, they disappeared. It was as if they appeared out of thin air and left without a trace.” One of the heroes report.

            “If you haven't already realized it, we have many enemies besides Madame Red, The Lunar Shadow clan, and the Peacekeepers. We have many unnamed enemies that are out to defeat us. They all want to fight for power and gain dominance, but most importantly, they want to rule this country. As the heroes of this land, we must take a stand and help maintain balance among the martial realm and the imperial palace. As citizens of this country, we must risk our lives to protect the people and our king. Many other righteous clans have stepped back due to the threat, but if we back off too, our country will sooner or later fall into ruins.  

            “If today's invasion has wavered any of your hearts, you are allowed to leave with a bit of our goods to take care of your family. By the morning, those that are left are only the ones that are willing to fight and protect the people. I want all of us to work as a team and protect each other along with the weaker civilians around us,” Jong Kook hyungnim says. “Those who can, please help the doctors tend the injured and those who are in good shape should keep watch while others rest in sections. We cannot risk another pathetic lost like this one. Tomorrow, we will make plans to fight back. Tomorrow, we will show the dark clans where we stand and make them understand that we are here to stop them, no matter what.”

Minho's POV~

            “Hey,” I say as I enter the medication room. The White Masked Hero is helping out the doctors by bandaging the injured and serving some medicine. “Shouldn't you be resting? You were very weak earlier.”

            “I'm fine, hyung.” He says as he helps the last person lay down. “You should rest too. Your injury was pretty severe. Sorry I couldn't help you.”

            “I know if you were in good conditions you would make sure I was healed. You need to save your energy. What if an emergency like today happened again and you were too weak to protect yourself? Look, I don't want to lecture you, but I think you should take care of yourself better.”

            “You too Mr. Hypocrite. I understand that you are the hyung, but you sure need me to lecture you once in a while.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “You can't even stand straight...”

            “Oh hush, let's just agree that both of us don't know our limits.”

            “Agreed,” he chuckles. “I'm glad you can know to admit when you're wrong.”

            “What's that supposed to mean kiddo?”

            “Nothing!~” he eye smiles and cleans up the medication area.

            “You know, it wouldn't hurt to show your face once in a while.” I say and he stops what he's doing and looks down. “Did I say something wrong? I mean, I always see you joking around and I'm sure your smile would be a great thing for people to see. Plus, we fight a lot and you have to keep some of your focus on your mask because you don't want to get it snatched off.”

            “I can't show my face, hyung.” he says in a serious tone.

            “And why not?”

            “Because I have an illness and my face is very hideous. I wouldn't want to scare people.”

            “Try me.” I say and look at him. His eyes are etched with uncertainty and yet he reaches for his mask’s head strap.

            “You better not change the way you see me after you see my face, hyung,” he says. “Promise me.”

            “I promise.” I nod. I know the feeling of not wanting your face seen. It’s a very lonely experience and I don't want The White Masked Hero to experience it any longer. We're friends and even months ago when I met him, he never let his face be seen. I want him to feel comfortable in his own skin.

            I clench my jaw as I see the mask fall off, revealing a gruesome face. His skin is rough and rigid with cracks along his cheeks and the sides of his face. There are traces of dried blood and pus, making him look like a person who is healing from a terrible accident. His flesh seems to be a sickly pink and his mask is surprisingly covered with medicated herbs on the inside. “I'm sure it's not advised to keep your face covered up, especially with opened skin like that. How is it ever going to heal if you suffocate the wounds?”

            “It’s gross. You're just not commenting on how it looks because you know it will make me feel bad.”

            “It’s terrible alright,” I say. “But even so, you need to accept it. If you can’t even embrace your flaws then no one will. You are a very sweet and cheerful friend and yet I feel like you're only covering up your true insecurities. You’re a hero and no matter what your appearance is, you are who you are and it’s not going to change how people perceive you. If they can’t get pass your outer appearance, then they aren’t even worth your time.”

            “Thanks hyung, but I’m use to covering up my face. Besides, I want people to see my real face one day– the healed one that is.”

            “If there is anything I can do, anything at all, I’ll try my best to help you.”

            “All I need now is for you to rest and heal up. For a person who rarely talks, you sure are talkative.” He smiles.

            “Only with those I care about,” I say with a smile and stand up. “Want to go get some fresh air? You have been in this room for an awfully long time.”

            “I’ll take that offer.” He eye smiles and follows me out.

Onew's POV

            “What is it Jong Kook hyungnim?” I ask as I enter his room.

            “Onew, I called you in here because I want to ask you a very important question and I hope you can answer me with your complete honesty."

            “I promise.”

            “If I asked you to kill Minho, would you do it?”

            “Why would you ask me that?” I ask while keeping a calm expression. Why would Jong Kook hyungnim ask me such a thing?

            “Just answer the question Onew.” I look at him sternly and simply turn around.

            “Ask someone else.” I say and start walking away. I feel a change of air and turn around and fall back and flip, dodging Jong Kook hyungnim’s quick attack.

            “Since you already know my intentions, I must kill you. If you are not on my side, you must die.” He grabs me by the neck and squeezes his hand around it tightly. I put both my hands on his and try to pry it off but his grip is much too strong. I try to gasp as he lifts me up and presses me against the wall by the neck. My mind is telling me to kill him and escape, but I simply can't. “So? Will you join me?”

            Joon, I'm sorry, I shake my head and close my eyes. I can't hurt Minho, not when Taemin is gone and can't protect him. Please forgive me. Suddenly, Jong Kook hyungnim's grip loosens and he let's go of me. My legs fail me as I wheeze, coughing and choking from the lack of air.

            “Are you going to kill him or not?” He asks.

            “Just kill me if you want. I won't betray my friend.” I say and pull out a dagger. “But I won't leave this world without a fight.”

            “You were a great hero. I'll gladly send you off!” He charges me.

Jonghyun's POV~

            “Key!” I shout.

            “You scared me!” He whacks me on the shoulder. “What do you want?”

            “What are you doing on the roof?”

            “I'm spying; can't you see?” He rolls his eyes and points at Minho who is sitting with someone down in the garden.

            “Oh mm–” Key slaps his hand over my mouth and hushes me.

            “I know, now be quiet. The fact that his mask is off and he is bonding with Minho is amazing.” I look at the White Masked Hero's bare face and smile. I'm glad Minho made him comfortable enough to show his face. Minho is playing Symptoms on the flute for the hero as he bobs his head to the music happily. “They sure are having a great time together despite their injuries.”

            “Yes, and here we are stalking the fun people while we bicker. You know, we can have a fun time too~”

            “How about I make you some tea and we can talk?”

            “Or better yet, I'll sing to you.” I smile, hold onto his hand, and jump off the roof together.

 Gun Tae’s POV~

            I charge through the window and jump on top of Jong Kook hyungnim. I have been patrolling after the mysterious attack and overheard the plan. Minho hyung can’t be killed and neither can Onew hyung. I bite down into his shoulder and start tearing at his flesh. “Stop it!” Mir hyung shouts and Jong Kook hyungnim tears me off the throws me aside. Is Mir hyung part of the plan too? I have to protect my friends from these evil people.

            “White Masked Hero,” Thunder hyung yells loudly. “Come and control your wolf!” He waves his hands wildly and in no time, Taemin hyung and Minho hyung enter.

            Hyung, they wanted to kill Minho hyung and Onew hyung refused to and they tried to kill him! I tell him. He turns his spear and points the sharp edge at Jong Kook hyungnim’s face.

            “Is it true? You're trying to kill Minho hyung and Onew hyung? I may respect you and your skills, but no one hurts my friends. If you want to get to them, you have to get pass me first.”