~Chapter 3~

Mission

Taemin’s POV~

            It was definitely him—Heechul hyung. I met him in my past life? So this means that everyone that was with us in our past life has to do with our human lives before that? This has to be it. Then where’s everyone? Where’s Key hyung, Minho hyung, Kai, Thunder, Mir? But then again, what if this is all a dream? What if this is all my imagination and I am actually dead or even simply unconscious in the hospital dreaming of this? Can someone tell me?

            “I think if you follow me, everything will be answered,” Heechul hyung laughs. Can he read my mind!? Does this mean that magic or powers exist in this time period? If so…maybe that’s why we were chosen to become angels…? Sorry I’m just asking useless questions, I’m just very confused. “Don’t worry,” he says, almost like he knew what I was thinking. “We’ll be there in no time.” He takes me and Gun Tae by the arm and suddenly he leaps up, bringing us with him. I’m flying! Gosh, if this is a dream, I am sure I hit my head too hard…“Please follow me,” he turns a rock on the mountainside and a chunk of the wall slides to the right, revealing an opening,

            With no other choice, we three enter the room. I gasp in shock. Everything around us, the walls, the furniture, the decorations were all glowing, as if they all were glimmering. In the center of the room sits an old man, maybe around 70-years-old. “I’m much older than I look, my boy.” Holy, how can everyone around here hear my thoughts?! “Everything happens for a reason, Lee Taemin.”

            “How do you know my name?!” I ask in shock, nearly yelling.

          “Heechul, please this young man to the guest room,” Heechul hyung leads Gun Tae out of the room who unwillingly follows after glancing at me. “I have been waiting for you for over twenty years.”

            “Do I know you?”

            “No, Lee Taemin, but I do know you. My master’s skill was to predict the future. Before he died, my master predicted that the one that may destroy us or save us will come. He told me that someone in chains will arrive to our territory and I must aid him,” Should I trust this man? I mean, a Heechul hyung lookalike suddenly leads me into this place and he just offers help. This makes no sense whatsoever. What if he knows about my mission of saving Joon hyung and sabotages it because this man is actually from the demon side? “Fate is a powerful thing. You can never escape it as much as you try. You can be weary all you want, but in the end, I will still help you in honor of my deceased master. I have to help you survive this time and save humanity from being overwhelmed by darkness.”

            “What do you get out of this?” I ask him.

            “I get to live on without regretting not doing as much as I can to help humanity.”

            “Well, Sir, if you aren’t planning to let me leave this mountain without you giving me help, then please do. I have to search for the people from my past and fix it before it’s too late. I need a way or some guidance.”

            “I cannot guide you on the right path, but I can prepare you for your future challenges,” he smiles. “Please sit down in front of me,” Since the ahjussi is sitting on a very long bed, I simply climb on and sit. “Now, place your palms on top of mine.” We both are sitting with crisscrossed legs and he has his hands in front of him, palms facing up. I place my palms on his and stare. “Close your eyes and never distract me or yourself. Just simply concentrate on your breathing.” For some reason, I find all this sounding very familiar and know exactly what to do…Right, Minho hyung and I were in this situation once. I was helping him with his inner powers in our past life. Wait, is this ahjussi going to give me his powers?!

            Suddenly, my hands start shaking on its own as a surge of energy enters my body. Painlessly, I can feel a pressure inside of me, dying to explode. My heart beats wildly as his energy enters my body, making me have improved internal powers. He breathes out and pushes my hand off of his with an invisible force. “I have transferred some of my internal strength in your body and also opened up your chakras,” What? This isn’t Avatar! Chakras? Who are you kidding me? Wait…is that what the energy paths are called? Hey, don’t question my intelligence; using the right terms is hard! “Now Lee Taemin, your body is much stronger and your fighting will increase over tenfold. Your body will adapt to new martial arts and take in more pain than it used to. Also,” he takes out a clear vial out of his baggy sleeve and passes it to me. “This is a purity potion. Use it when you need to. Now, my job here is done. When you ever need help, you must come here. I will help you get through the conflict.”

            “Thank you sir, I appreciate it.”

            “And I’ll appreciate the human kind lasting until the Earth is no more. Lee Taemin, I have faith in you.”

            Finally, Gun Tae and I returned to the clan after retrieving the Moon Grass from the cliff after I used my new powerful internal strength to jump up onto the cliff with ease. I feel so different than how I use to and if I’m not mistaking, I even grew a few inches! Gun Tae—the nice kid he is—didn’t ask me once about what the man had talked to me about and actually looks very normal, as if he wasn’t even thinking about it. The people of the clan who are usually tough and serious, cheer and greet us when we come back, glad that they didn’t lose two members. The trip was over and now, everything will return than how it used to be. As I enter my room, I dodge the blade. Today, I am going to find out who you really are.

Key’s POV~

            Minho and his new servant are sitting in front of Onew hyung and I. I have no idea why a servant is sitting on our table and how Minho trusts him enough to let him hear our plan, but I don’t ask him. Minho is very cunning and good with judging people, I bet he’s doing what he thinks is best. I look at the stranger with judging eyes. He’s constantly looking at me! Either he’s a creep, or he’s a really good servant, studying us to make sure Minho is safe. Onew hyung and I take off our face coverings and smile. We like invading the temple rather than just walking in. It’s more fun that way.

            Immediately, Minho’s servant jumps up and stare at Onew hyung and me. With teary eyes, he starts walking over to us. I look at Onew hyung and he too, was tearing up. What’s with these two? “O-Onew hyung?” the servant says with a cracked voice.

            “Jonghyun, you-” Onew and Jonghyun the servant embrace each other for a good few minutes and let go. “Where were you?” Onew wipes his tears away.

            “I can ask you the same thing! What kind of leader are you—letting your dongsaeng nearly die in a temple knowing nothing about the situation?!”

            “What happened to you? I nearly died as well! I thought that I was the only one who had to-” Onew looks at me and clear his throat. “Leave our hometown.”

            “If only you were with me! I probably could have found a way out. If it wasn’t for the guy over there, I would have died.” He points to Minho.

            “Joon was the one that saved me.” Onew hyung says. Suddenly, the servant’s eyes widen and he gasps.

            “The Joon? The one from the past!? No way no way! So you’re telling me that it’s all real!? When I was saved I could barely believe my speculations, but now…” He looks at me and steps back. “It can’t be right?”

            “Jonghyun hyung, this is Kibum hyung, aka Key.” Minho says.

            “Nice to meet you, Jonghyun-ssi,” I say.

            “The pleasure is mines,” he says without blinking. Why does he look so shocked?

            “Look, we don’t have much time. His Majesty has sent Onew hyung with me to join a clan. Minho, I think bringing you would be the best. Want to come?”

            “M-Minho?! Choi Minho? That’s you? That’s your name!?” Jonghyun-ssi yells. Shoot, I forgot Minho doesn’t want anyone to know his name…

            “Yes, now drop it,” Minho sighs.

            “I can’t drop it! You’re Choi Minho, the Choi Minho! Onew hyung, you know what this means right!? Minho told me that Taemin was in the Heroes’ Rebellion! We’re all here! Me, you, Taeminnie, Minho, Key, and most importantly Joon hyung!” he yells. “Oh my gosh I’m about to have a headache! I knew we didn’t all leave for no reason! We have to find Taemin, hyung, then we can all unite and-”

            “What are you talking about Jonghyun hyung!?” Minho yells.

            “Sorry, I’m just going crazy…” He sits down.

            “By the way, I didn’t properly introduce myself. Choi Minho, I am Lee Jinki. Everyone calls me Onew.”

            “Nice to meet you, Onew-ssi,” Minho bows slightly.

         “By the way Key, you have to call Jonghyun your hyung. He’s older than you all. Now that we hopefully have all calmed down,” he looks at Jonghyun hyung. “We have more important matters to talk about. His Majesty wants Key and I to join the Heroes’ Rebellion clan and see if there are any clues that prove that the martial realm are against the king. If we find anything, we must get rid of them. Are you willing to come with us Minho? And if Taemin is really there, then Jonghyun must come too.”

         “Yes, I want to come. It was getting boring here anyway.” Minho chuckles.

         “Okay, pack your bags; we’ll depart in three days. I need to figure out a way to join first,” I say.

         “Excuse me, Master, there are news coming from the martial realm,” Minho’s other servant says from behind the door.

Taemin’s POV~

            “M-Madame,” I gulp. I look at the fallen spatula on the ground and quickly pick it up and give it to her. “My apologies,” I bow.

            “You idiot,” She whacks my head with it. “The lead hero is summoning you,”

            “Lee Taemin, I noticed your constant improvement during practice,” the lead hero pats my back. “The master told me to choose a person from our clan to recruit some people from the temple up North. Since you have been working so hard and improved so much, I chose you out of all the low ranked people. Maybe when you get back, the master will notice you.”

            “Thank you for your kind intentions hyung, but I don’t think I can do it,” I say. I know it’s dangerous; I don’t want to die. No matter how nice you are trying to be, I’d rather have you choose someone else.

            “It’s either you or Gun Tae,” he says. Gun Tae? He’s too young and if this mission is dangerous, I don’t want to be the one that causes his death! “If you don’t want to then-”

            “I’ll do it!”

            After saying my goodbyes to Gun Tae, I grab the master’s letter and place it in a bamboo tube for safe keeping. I touch my rosary bracelet and pray, hoping that I will live through this trip and possibly find something that’ll help me make some progress in saving our future. With my sword in hand and my water in the other, I step out of the clan. In the distance, I see a temple high up in the mountainside.

Short chapter, I know. Sorry for making you wait so long and not updating well! I will have my midterms this week so I am stressing. SHINee is about to reunite! Excited? I am!

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