~Chapter 4~

Reunion

Taemin’s POV~

Damn rocks, damn chains, why is everything an obstacle for me? I am use to my chains yes, but they get stuck on stuff and it’s just so hard not to fall or even get stuck myself. I have walked for a whole two days and my water supply is gone. The sun has just risen but I cannot go any further. I collapse on the floor and breathe with quick but short breathes. I look at the stairs carves up the mountain leading to the temple high up. I just need to get past that long and annoying obstacle, and then I’ll be done with the mission. I mean, they only sent me here to give the letter informing the people of the clan recruiting. I still don’t get why they had to send a “good fighter” to send a letter…

After my heart calms down and my breathing is steadier, I get up with achy legs and trudge forward, up the stairs. Oh, it may sound simple, but picture this: your legs and arms are chained up, you have walked for two whole days, only rested onceand after you think you’ve gone through enough, you have a mile long staircase that nearly is straight up the mountain that leads to the temple that looks no more than a toy from how far you are away from it. Yes, I really don’t want to go up, but I must.

Onew’s POV~

Us four wait patiently for the messenger that is reported to be on his way up the mountain. If the messenger is giving us a letter from the Heroes’ Rebellion clan, then joining it without suspicion is simple. The only thing is that we cannot make it too easy for the clan. They want us and although we want to join, we do not want to look desperate or too easy, or else they’ll look down on us when we join the clan. Luckily, Key has a plan.

When I look at Minho with his face covered and Key without his angelic aura, it makes me sad. We have gone through so much as angels just to attempt to save Joon and save the world, but in the end, we all died. Now that we are human again without our magic powers and sent back in time, I am just so desperate to fix everything. I need Joon to live to prevent everything from happening in our angel lives. It is fate that we will die saving the world, but at least if I prevent Joon from dying in vain, we can all be together. But Taemin…I remember in the flashback the charms showed us, we all said that Taemin caused it all. I just hope that we don’t find him in this time. If he’s here…what if he ruins everything? I can’t have history repeat itself!

Taemin’s POV~

I touch the two charms on the necklace and then my rosary bracelet, hoping that they’ll give me luck. I finally reached the top of the mountain and in front of the temple doors, exhausted. Without me attempting to knock on the doors, two monks and two girls walk out and greet me. I give them the letter and the tube and wait patiently. Luckily, the girl was nice enough to give me a wet cloth and tea to quench my thirst. I thought I was about to die from dehydration.

“The message has been sent to the lead fighters and they replied with a mission,” the girl says. What!? There’s more than just walking up here? That was already killing me! “They told me they had a condition. You, as the messenger of the Heroes’ Rebellion clan, must bring them back something they want in order for them to feel the clan’s sincerity.” Walking up here wasn’t good enough for you!? Why don’t you try walking up the damn mile long stairs with heavy and bulky chains!!!

“What do they wish for me to get them?” I ask in a calm voice.

“A person,” she replies. “The fighters request you to save an infant who was taken by thieves,” You have got to be kidding me! “Would you like an ?”

“None needed,” I sigh. “Just tell me where to go.”

“Thieves,” I scoff. “Why don’t you go fight your own damn thieves? If you are worthy enough to be recruited by the clan, why in the world do you need me to go get the baby for you?” I throw a bunch of rocks into the pond in front of me. I am so frustrated right now. I’m glad at least Gun Tae doesn’t have to go through all of this. If I knew that I put him into this situation, I would not be able to live with myself.

Around this time of the year, the thieves are known to party and celebrate their successful year, their guards must be low. I hide behind the large rock near the entrance of place. I’m just wondering, is everyone in love with mountains or something? Why do they all choose to have hideouts here? Now mind you, this place is huge! I just glimpsed in and saw cuts and curves, there must be a lot of rooms in there. I notice a drunken thief wander out of the entrance and knock him out with the hilt of my sword. I wear his smelly clothes and take his bottle of liquor and pour some on myself and act drunk as I enter. None of them seem to notice that I am not part of the thieves because they’re all feasting. I sneak into the kitchen and pour sleeping powder into their jugs of liquor. I hide behind the cabinet as some large men carry them away, probably to the feast.

I hear a whine coming from somewhere. I walk out of the kitchen and walk down the hallway and hear it again, louder this time. I wet my finger and poke a hole into the window—they are covered with paper. I look in and see a crying baby, maybe around three or five months squirming in the bed. I check if the coast is clear and enter the room. I shut the door tightly and push a chest in front of the door. I hurriedly walk over to the baby and look at it. The girl told me that the child has a birthmark on its left arm and leg. I check both parts in indeed, the child has them! I dress the baby up again and wrap the baby around my chest well enough for its head and neck not to move if I move quickly. This is just in case I fight the thieves. I cannot risk breaking the baby’s neck…

With slow steps, I walk back into the feast and notice them getting drowsy and some even knocked out. Without being too obvious, I move toward the exit. Just three more feet and I’ll- The baby cries loudly. Some men turn and see me with the baby on my chest. I was so close! I quickly draw my sword as over a dozen men get up with their weapons. Darn baby, why’d you have to cry? Without hesitation, the men charge me as the sleepy ones try and get up. Things are about to get really messy.

Blood, there was a lot of blood. At first, I tried to not kill them. I mainly knocked them out with my sword or pushed them hard enough for them to be away from me, but at this point, I can’t. Luckily I have internal power, or else I would have lost since they are way stronger than I am. Most of the men have knocked out due to the medicine in the liquor, but some of them must have not drunk too much. There are five of them left. Without a choice, I slash the man in front of me and he falls down, breathless. Without time to process exactly what I’ve done, other men attack me. Once again I slice the men and attack them mercilessly. I groan as a man from behind me cuts a deep gash on my leg. I drop down to the floor and block a blade, pushing up as I get up. There are two of them left. I attack the man behind me but he dodges my sword and grabs my arm chain. The other man stabs his sword on the table, nailing my chain to it. I can no longer move my arms that much. I use my upper body strength to support myself as I swing my legs up high. My chains whip the man to my left and I kick the other man.

I get up on the table and pull my arm up, freeing myself. As the man I kicked gets up, I jump down and stab him. Without time to get up, I feel a sharp pain on my back. I immediately fall over. I can feel warm blood oozing out of the wound. With a shaky breath, I pull the sword out of the dead man and turn over, looking at the attacker. It was a young man holding an axe. He looks at me with wide eyes. I follow his gaze and see him looking at the baby and then to my face. “T-Taemin hyung,” Kai says with a shaky breath. Darkness.

Kai’s POV~

It can’t be! I look at my axe, now wet with hyung’s blood. This can’t be Taemin hyung. Yes, I can see the future and know that I will meet this person, but not like this. We are supposed to be great friends. I am supposed to be by his side and save the world! Why did I hurt him? I saw an intruder in the clan and I attacked without even thinking! “T-Taemin hyung, please, please don’t die!” I touch his pale face. He’s losing so much blood. “Eunji! Eunji noona! Where are you!?” I scream as tears run down my face. “Noona!” I yell while holding hyung in my arms. The baby is now crying, joining me. “Please noona, where are you!?”

“What do you want?” Noona yawns as she walks out of her room. “Omo, what happened here?” She gasps.

“Noona, this is Taemin hyung, the one who I told you I saw in my dreams! You have to save him noona, please!”

“What happened to him?” She asks as she bends down, checking the huge gash on his back.

“I-I hurt him,” I sniff.

“What the hell, Kai!” She whacks my head. “Hurry, carry him to my room. Be careful of the baby.” I lift him up bridal style and place him on her bed. I untie the baby from hyung and lay it down next to him. She takes out her medicine and flips him over, revealing the wound that I created. It looks so deep and so painful. I can’t forgive myself for doing such a thing. “Please, Taemin hyung don’t die. Noona, you can save him can’t you!?”

“Shush, I need to concentrate.” She wipes the blood off from around the gash and studies it. “I don’t think I can heal him completely.”

“You have to!”

“Calm down! You created this mess and now you have to fix it. I’m going to transfer some of my energy to him to keep him alive and bandage the wound. The baby is Choi Minho’s baby cousin; I bet he sent him here. You have to carry Taemin and the baby to the temple. Every three hours, you have to give Taemin power from your werewolf bead. This will keep him alive long enough for his body to heal. His internal strength is very powerful, he won’t die.” She takes her magic medicines and puts it into his mouth. “The medicine will help him since he lost a lot of blood and lost strength. Remember, you have to supply power to him until his gash is at least half closed.” I hug her and tie the baby to my chest and Eunji noona helps me put Taemin hyung on my back.

Key’s POV~

“The messenger has returned, but he’s injured. Please, come quickly.” One of Minho’s servants led us into the meeting room. Amazing, we all thought that the messenger would be dead. I guess the clan sent a good fighter to prove that they actually cared…I gasp as I enter the room. There is a young man, soaked with blood and sweat with another male on his back, pale and out cold, and the baby tied to his chest. He places the injured male onto the seat and gives us the baby.

“Th-that’s-” Onew hyung stutters.

“Taemin!” Jonghyun hyung runs toward the unconscious male and hugs him while studying his body. He gasps as he looks at the male’s back. Immediately, he stomps over and punches Minho right in the face. “You idiot! Why did you send him to do something so dangerous! That’s Taemin! That’s Lee Taemin! That’s my dongsaeng!” He yells while punching Minho multiple times and crying. Onew rushes over and looks at Taemin’s back.

“W-what happened?!” Onew hyung asks the other stranger in the room.

“He invaded the clan and fought off many people. He finally lost it when he was cut on the back with an axe.” The male replies with a guilty tone.

“Oh, Taemin,” Onew hyung cries as he holds onto Taemin’s hand.

“Is he in a condition to travel?” I ask the male.

“If he’s in a carriage and I am there treating his wound, yes,” he answers.

“Good,” I pull the sobbing Jonghyun hyung off of Minho and look at them all. “Since your dongsaeng has gone through so much just to recruit us, let’s quickly go to Heroes’ Rebellion so the clan wouldn’t question him. If we get down the mountain quick enough and all ride on horses and him in a carriage, we should be there in a day without stopping.”

“Sounds like a good idea,” Onew hyung wipes his tears and nods. “Let’s grab our bags and leave this damn temple.” 

Bonus update hehe~ I hope you liked it! Comments are loved!