~Chapter 52~

Short Reunion

Onew’s POV~

            The path inside is very difficult to navigate. Every few feet, Naeun stops me to make sure I avoid a new trap. After a few dozen traps, we finally reach the room’s true entrance. Luckily Naeun brought me in, or else if I’d try to go alone, I might’ve gotten caught. I guess she was being kind when she agreed since she knew I would just get hurt trying. Luckily, I already noted every single trap and how to surpass them. Ever since the White Masked Hero told me about my external celestial beast core, I’ve been able to master it, making it truly part of me. My eyes can see clearer, further, and I basically memorize everything I see. If needed, I will come back here again alone. We reach double doors that look almost like they were carved from the wall, blending in so well that if you were to walk by it without looking closely, you wouldn’t notice them. With one powerful push, the two doors open, revealing a beastlike woman chained up against the wall.  

            Onew bows to the women chained up in the hidden room. Unlike the vibe her evil aura emits, she replies with a smile, showing him her sharp beastlike fangs. So, this is the empress? Onew thinks to himself. I remember that they said she was a fox fairy. She looks no better than a demon at this point. “Greetings, Your Majesty,” I bow. “My name is Lee Jinki, but I go by Onew. I time traveled and ended up in the palace.”

            “So, you’re Onew,” she nods. “You may rise. I have heard many stories about you— the brave hero that shoots the furthest, the fastest, most accurate, and precise arrows. I also heard that you have formed an unbreakable bond with Lee Joon. To that, I praise you. Lee Joon is a tough one.”

            “Joon? He’s not as scary as he seems,” I say.

            “But he is; that’s why you amaze me. You see, I was the one that brought Joon to the palace. The lovely, caring, and gentle warrior you know is far different than what he used to be. I must warn you, once you form such a bond, you cannot simply break it. There will be consequences if anything goes awry.”

            “Thank you for the warning,” I say. “I came here without a proper notice because I want to ask Your Majesty a few questions. Please forgive my intrusion.”

            “You must make it quick. The king has eyes everywhere. You will not be safe if they discover you here.”

            “Then I will get straight to it. Can he be defeated?”

No One’s POV~

            Onew walks back to Joon’s room with heavy steps. His head spins as he tries his best to make it through the door before he collapses. He stumbles through and sighs in relief as he sees Joon studying at the table. Joon hears him and turns to his direction but notices that something was off. He got up and quickly dashes over by Onew’s side, just in time to catch him as his legs gave out. “Onew!” Joon gasps as he carries him and places him on his bed. Onew is sweating profusely and his skin is feverish. Joon’s usual mighty composure melts away as concern engulfs him. He draws his breath in sharply when he seems a gruesome monster bitemark on Onew’s right arm. Sending a message through his mind, he summons Mir and Thunder in the room, knowing very well that Onew isn’t simply sick, but poisoned by the bite. Some demonic beasts have multiple qualities and poison is a notorious one. His dongsaengs dash in and Thunder immediately starts his works when he saw Onew’s condition.

            No matter how dire the condition is, Joon always confidently moves forward during battles. Only when it has to do with Onew is when he loses all of his strength. Mir notes all the times he saw the two interact and knows very well how much they care for one another. Joon is always gentle to Onew and doesn’t dare treat him any less than his equal. Seeing how tense Joon is, Mir puts a hand on his shoulder and sits him down. “Thunder’s specialty is poison, he’ll know what to do,” he reassures. Joon watches Onew attentively and doesn’t even bother giving Mir a nod.

            Thunder pulls back his hand and falls back. Mir quickly steadies him and sits him down. After gulping down a few cups of water and steadying his breathing, Thunder finally looks at his two friends. “Is he okay?” Joon asks.

            “What happened?” Thunder asks.

            “I don’t know,” Joon admits. “He went to see Jonghyun and Key and he was like this when he came back.”

            “We haven’t had a monster outbreak in ages and it’s not like we had any monster attacks in the palace lately. How did Onew hyung get bitten?” Mir asks.

            “How’s his condition?” Joon asks, still worried since Thunder never gave him a true answer.

            “He’s poisoned all right and a strong one at that,” Thunder says. “I was only able to suppress it, but without a cure, I don’t know what I can do.”

            “Don’t you usually force the poison out of their body or absorb it in your own body to cure them? Why can’t you do it now?” Mir asks.

            “The poison is too strong and already seeped into his bloodstream. If it wasn’t for my skills, he would’ve been dead already,” Thunder explains. “I may be a poison user, but curing poison is a totally different thing. I’m no doctor.”

            “What can I do? Can you guess what type of poison?” Joon asks in haste.

            “Just like any animal poison, you need the venom from the animal to make the cure. Without the monster, I can’t do anything.” With Thunder’s reply, Joon smashes his table into pieces out of frustration.

“Hyung, I think we should wait for Onew hyung to wake up and ask him,” Mir suggests.

            “There’s no guarantee he’d wake up soon,” Thunder says. “I have an idea, but it’s going to take a lot of effort.”

            “It doesn’t matter how difficult. Tell me and I’ll get you what you need,” Joon states.

            “Well, it’s pretty simple, really,” Thunder says. “The White Masked Hero’s blood can cure any poison. If you find him and get Onew hyung treated, he will be okay.”

            “But we don’t know where the White Masked Hero is,” Mir explains. “You know very well that he’s been missing for over half a year now. Finding him will be as difficult as finding the monster that bit Onew hyung.”

            “I’ll go find the White Masked Hero,” Joon says. “Mir, I’m going to need you to try to get a lead on the monster. Thunder, I leave Onew in your care.”

            “What about the soldiers? You still need to train them,” Thunder says. “If the king finds out he’ll—”

            “I don’t care what the king will do,” Joon growls. “Onew is more important.”

            “Hyung, I know,” Thunder says, “But I can’t let you get into any danger as well. You know the king has been watching you and Onew hyung getting poisoned like this…I have a bad feeling.” Mir looks over at Thunder. As a poison user, many are scared of Thunder and he himself acts like he doesn’t care about people to reflect that cold treatment. Mir appreciates moments like these when Thunder shows them that he truly cares. Thunder has a lovely heart under all of his distant and cold image. “The king still needs me on his side since there isn’t a poison expert here for him to use. If it wasn’t for me, he wouldn’t have taken down the dark clans so easily. I should go instead.”

            “He’s right, Joon hyung,” Mir adds. “If you leave now, it will attract a lot of attention from the king. We should stay here to not draw any more attention. I will go and search the palace for the monster, you can stay here and supply Onew hyung with energy to keep him alive longer, and Thunder will try his best to get the White Masked Hero.” Although he does not like the idea of simply waiting around for his dongsaengs to do all the work, Joon nods, knowing very well that after the battle with the Peacekeepers, the king has been keeping an eye on him. “Wait, I remember now,” he says and pulls out the pouch with a whistle and note with tunes to follow. “The White Masked Hero’s wolf gave some of use these whistles when he came back to the palace. Maybe I should give it a try before you head out.”  

Taemin’s POV~

            Minho hyung has been taking care of the monsters by himself for the past week because I am still healing. Cutely enough, a lot of the baby monsters sneak into my room and check up on me. I guess they really miss having me around to play with them. Of course, every time Minho hyung discovers them, he would have to shoo them away, but he eventually gives up after they whimper and cry. Minho hyung tries to act tough, but he really has a soft spot for babies. There was a time that I was really upset, because I know that Minho would want to have a child of his own and be a proper father. It bothered me a lot and I guess it was obvious. Minho hyung quickly reassured me and said that we already have kids. The monster babies are an extension of our family and even if we can’t birth our own child, we will help the monsters raise their kids. I still feel really bad, but Minho hyung would hate it if I blame myself so I always brush off the negative thoughts. Seeing him shoo away the babies just to let them stay with me is beyond adorable. This is why I sometimes act cute even if it makes me cringe. Minho hyung is a er for cute things.

            My ears ring as I sense my whistle being blown at a specific tune: ‘help.’ It’s Joon hyung’s whistle. I rub the heads of the baby dragons and tell them to behave before I set off. Minho hyung is away for a few days on a special trip he won’t tell me about, so it’s not like he will be back any time soon to notice me missing…He’s keeping a secret from me anyway, so I guess this would be fair~ He won’t even notice that I’m gone.

No One’s POV~

            Taemin enters the special floor of the monster arena with his face covered by their special mask to conceal identities of their customers. He looks around but does not notice Joon. He hesitates as he prepared himself for a fight just in case. He turns around and nearly smashes his fist into the person behind him after he felt a tap. The person dodges just in time and raises his hands up. “Not the face,” Taemin hears a familiar voice. “I need to greet people with it.”

            “Thunder hyung?” Taemin gasps, “Why are you here? How did you know how to find me?”

            “Easy~ Joon hyung used the whistle your wolf had and summoned you.” 

            “Where is he then?”

            “Joon hyung is in the palace. The king has been keeping an eye on him and he can’t easily leave the palace, so I had to go get you.”

            “What’s the problem?”

            “The situation is urgent, you see. Let’s get out of here. I’ll explain to you as we go.”

            “Wait, I can’t go like this. I need to get back in my White Masked Hero disguise. My wolf was the one that delivered the whistles after all.” Thunder is the only one besides Kai and Minho that knows about Taemin’s true identity. Although he is loyal to Joon, he still is able to keep a secret if it is not harmful. Luckily for Taemin, he respects him enough to keep his secret.

            “Okay, fine, but make it quick!”

            Taemin rushes into Joon’s room, now dressed as the White Masked Hero. He got the disguise thanks to the pair of extra clothes Gun Tae uses when he occasionally dressed up as him. Thunder and Mir stand outside guarding the room and Joon moves away from the bedside to give Taemin room. Taemin unravels the bandages he wrapped around his injured hand that he cut to cure Minho a week ago. He tightly closes his hand and shoves his nails into his palm, forcing the skin to break. He winces a bit but doesn’t make any sound. Using his internal energy, he places his bleeding hand over Onew’s bite injury and forces the blood and energy to flow through, curing the poison.

            Taemin exhales and sits down as the act of using his blood and energy to cure Onew has weakened him quite a bit. Joon rushes over and holds onto Onew’s hand, awaiting a response. Taemin is slightly bitter since he hasn’t seen Joon for a year and he is clearly worn out from curing Onew hyung, yet Joon doesn’t even check on him. Nonetheless, he is happy that Joon is prioritizing his Onew hyung and he is more helpful than he thought he would be. After hiding in the dragon den with Minho after the battle, he thought he would never be of use to his friends, so being summoned here was an honor for him. Joon finally turns around and faces him after making sure Onew’s vitals are turning back to normal.

            “Thank you so much,” Joon bows.

            “The pleasure is mine,” Taemin replies as the White Masked Hero. “He will wake up as soon as his body regains some strength.”

            “I’m sorry we had to ask you to come here so suddenly. How have you been? We had no lead on your location and lost all contact with you. How did you come here?”

            “Thunder hyung met me at the secret location and I came thanks to the tune,” Taemin explains. “Did my wolf pass a whistle to you? I figured that we should have a way of communicating with each other. Since there is a limit to conversing with our minds and signals, I made these whistles and provided some code, so we can connect with each other. If you follow the tunes and code written on the note, we can get an idea of what is happening before we even meet up.”

            “This is exactly like the whistle that owners of celestial beings have,” Joon realizes. “How did you…?”

            “My master taught me how to do this after my internal energy was strong enough. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of spiritual power to make this many so even if I wanted to make more, I can’t. Although Minho hyung and I are in hiding, it doesn’t mean we have to cut off all ties, so I thought this would be a good idea. The king can’t break off our friendship.”

            “You’re right,” Joon finally smiles. “I’m glad you made it safe out of the cliff. I honestly was too worried to think straight and had Thunder find you since the king is wary of me. How is Minho?”

            “Minho hyung and I are great. We live with a dragon family, peaceful monsters, and some people around the area. It is quite nice handling monsters and keeping the people at peace.”

            “So that’s what you’ve been up to,” Joon nods. “I will give you a warning now. The king has something planned and I don’t know what it is. I just hope you stay safe and unnoticed by the palace. Oh, do you happen to know where the Peacekeepers are located?”

            “No, why?”

            “The king is having me prepare an army to hunt them down. I have mixed feelings about them, but a royal decree must be followed. Jong Kook and a few members of the royal family will have to lead the army in five days’ time and I am in charge of training them.”

            “I see. I’m not sure how Minho hyung feels about them because of the emperor, but I don’t like them and the emperor as well. They both used him, and I don’t think I can forgive them…”

            “Our thoughts exactly. Can you spare some time and stay here until Onew wakes up? I think he would appreciate you being here.” Taemin hesitates, but then shakes his head.

            “Sorry, I snook out and I’m afraid Minho hyung will find out if I don’t get back soon.”

            “You had to sneak back? Why couldn’t you tell him?”

            “Uhh…something happened to me recently and Minho hyung will worry if I don’t get back in time.”

            “Understandable. If I could safely leave here with Onew and our friends, I would never come back. What happened to you?”

            “The Dagger of Resentment appeared in the forest and it injured me. Also, the crown prince and Jimin even stayed at our place for a few days.”

            “What? The king let Taehyung travel?”

            “Why is that surprising? They said the king sent them to check out the area. Oh, they actually were attacked by Peacekeepers and had to heal at our place.”

            “This can’t be a coincidence, can it? Taehyung and Jimin bump into the Peacekeepers, stayed at your place, and the Dagger of Resentment appeared. Did the two tell you anything? Ask you any questions?”

            “Nothing in particular. We just caught up with each other and before we gave them an official tour, I was hurt so Minho hyung sent them off alone.”

            “Okay…just remember what I said. Be careful.”

            “Will do, hyung,” Taemin gets up and heads out the door. “I’m looking forward to the day we can all reunite away from the palace and the king’s grasp,” Taemin smiles warmly behind the mask.

            “Me too.”

            Taemin, now in his regular clothes, is taking another route back to his home so Minho won’t notice that he sneaked out. Since he took longer than he should’ve, he’s worried that he might bump into Minho if they happen to return at the same time. By the time he reaches the back entrance, he asks a monster to give him a lift and it agrees happily. Taemin holds onto the horse-monster’s mane and gallops through the paths with ease. The horse-monster suddenly jerks into a quick stop, nearly flinging Taemin off his back. “It’s okay,” Taemin rubs his mane. “What is it?” He follows the monster’s gaze and summons his spear immediately. The silver double-edged spear appears in his right hand and he swings it, expelling a strong surge of energy forward. The trees around him shake as the force pushes them back. He stands atop and horse-monster’s back, pushes down, and propels himself in the air. He flies up and swings his leg, forcing the energy to change his direction. Like a screw, he turns his body horizontally midair and spins with his spear pointing forward.

            Taemin flies toward the Peacekeepers and they dodge just before his spear plunges right through one of their members. Taemin lands gracefully on his feel and whips his spear around and smacks the shaft right into one of them. The Peacekeeper is pushed back and all of s rush in to catch him before he hits the ground. Taemin then stops attacking and points his spear at them fully of fury. “What are you doing here? Get out of our territory while I’m still being polite.”

            “There seems to be a misunderstanding—”

            “There isn’t,” Taemin cuts off one of the Peacekeepers. “Either you leave now, or I force you to leave.”

            “We didn’t want to stay here in the first place! It was Minho who was so adamant about it.” One yells.

            “Minho hyung?” Taemin’s grip tightens around his spear, still unwavering. “He hasn’t mentioned you at all. What makes you think I will believe you?”

            “We’re telling you the truth! Minho is bringing us some food right now. He’ll be back soon. He can explain it to you—”

            “What’s going on!?” Minho comes running in with a basket full of food and stands in front of Taemin’s spear, blocking the Peacekeepers from harm. “T-Taemin, why are you here?”

            “I think the more important question is why are they here.” Taemin moves his spear to point at the Peacekeepers, but Minho moves again to block him.

            “Taemin, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. They’re been here for a month now.”

            “A month!? Are you kidding me, hyung? You let them stay here? They literally just injured Taehyung and Jimin not too long ago. I knew it was odd how they ran into the Peacekeepers before we saw them. It’s because you let them stay in our territory.”

            “It was a mistake back then. They thought Jimin and Taehyung were there to capture them—”

            “Minho hyung, it’s one thing that you let them stay, but for you to hide it from me knowing that I will be against it…I can’t believe you.”

            “Taemin, I’m sorry. It’s just the emperor has treated them unfairly and they’re on the run. Their sect has been murdered and only a few remain. It’s not like they mistreated me when I was injured either.”

            “You do realize that once they find out the Peacekeepers are here, they’ll march an army right into our home? By helping them, you are bringing danger to you, me, the dragons, and all the monsters in our care!”

            “Taemin…I’m sorry. I just don’t want to watch anyone to suffer because of my father’s actions,” Minho says. Taemin nearly drops his spear at the sound of Minho calling the cruel emperor his father.

            “What that damn king is doing isn’t your fault. It’s not your job to clean up after his mess,” Taemin finally puts away his spear and turns around. “Fine, do whatever you want,” he says with a shaky voice, full of frustration. “Just know that the minute their existence brings danger to us and people living in our territory, I won’t think twice before I turn them in myself.”

~Comments are loved~