I had finals so I was extremely busy. Here is a long update to make up for it! Hope you enjoy~

~Chapter 55~

Blood Has Been Poured

No One’s POV~

            Taehyung watches his bodyguard as he slowly wipes his blade clean with a thin handkerchief, now dirty with dirt and blood. Jimin had just returned to the crown prince’s hall and has not spoken a word. His face is almost dark, and his lips press together firmly. He is not planning to talk to anyone. Lately, Jimin has been sent away to do missions alone and Taehyung waited eagerly for his return every time. What is he doing? Is he safe? When will he return late? Would he tell me if I asked? Is there anything that I can do to help him?

            Taehyung thinks back to the conversation he had with Taemin. It sounded so simple when Taemin described it and he would practice what to say and how to do things while he waited for Jimin to return. But once he sees Jimin, he can’t help but to feel at loss again and all the rehearsing went out the window. He summoned every bit of his courage and finally made his way behind Jimin. Jimin is so focused…would he pay me any mind? Taehyung hesitates for a while and just stands there, breathing. Gun Tae in his wolf form is watching his every move and is internally laughing, noticing how shy he was. Taehyung steps back and returns to his desk. He slowly reaches for his tea cup, holds it out, and drops it.

            The cup shatters on the ground, yet Jimin does not react. Not even a flinch? He dropped the tea cup hoping that the ‘accident’ would draw some attention, but it was of no use. Taehyung looks down at the mess he made and sighs to himself. He rolls up his sleeves and squats down. He mutters nonsense to himself, bitter that he made the mess for nothing. He reaches out and grabs the cup fragment with haste, wanting to rid himself of the embarrassment. He throws a quick glance at Gun Tae the wolf and pouts, realizing that even he is confused. Taehyung hisses and recoils his hand as a shard slashes his index finger. He clutches onto his finger, surprised at how deep the cut was. Before he noticed, Jimin comes running over and starts tending his injury.

            With careful yet quick movements, Jimin cradles Taehyung’s hand as he applies pressure to the cut, helping the blood stop. The young crown prince watches his friend, happy that Jimin at least responded to his injury. He still cares…Before he realizes his own actions, his free hand had made its way to Jimin’s shoulder. Jimin looks at him with questioning eyes, almost like he was preparing himself for what happens next. With a quick motion, Taehyung pulls Jimin into his embrace.

            Taehyung is unconsciously holding his breath. The hug is as awkward as it gets. Jimin has frozen on the spot, kneeling in front of Taehyung. Their bodies are close, but the gap is so large that Taehyung is leaning in too far forward to just get them to hug. His hand is still in Jimin’s, but his other arm is wrapped around the shoulder stiffly, just patting away. Taehyung doesn’t know what to say and to this point the hug is much too long. He doesn’t know if he should pull back or to keep hugging. Gun Tae can’t help but look away, but also want to watch to see how long the two would hug for. Should I join them? They’re not really good at this, are they, Gun Tae asks himself and covers his eyes with his paws.

            Jimin on the other hand is also holding his breath without noticing it. His face does not express anything as years of being a bodyguard has at least trained him to do so, but Jimin’s heart is drumming loudly. Taehyung is at a far enough distance, so his cover isn’t blown, but Jimin can’t help but to notice it. He finally breathes when Taehyung pulls back abruptly and gets up. He turns around, walks away, and sits down at his desk, leaving Jimin still kneeling on the ground. After he collects himself, Taehyung clears his throat and Jimin takes this as his cue to get up.

            The atmosphere is now full of awkwardness as the two do not know what to do after the hug. Taehyung wanted to originally give Jimin support like Taemin does with Minho, but it did not go at all according to plan. Nonetheless, he has gotten Jimin’s attention like he wanted and that at least to him counts as success. I should’ve practiced with Baekhyun hyung beforehand…never again, Taehyung says to himself and reaches out for some tea, but he pulls his hand back, remembering the cup that he dropped moments ago. Welp…that went well…

            At Taemin and Minho’s home, the two men are still tied up. “I’m Kim Wonshik,” the male on the left says.

            “Kim Moonkyu,” the male on the right says. “We are Kibum hyung’s second cousins.”

            “You think mentioning Key hyung’s name would mean I will be nice to you?” Taemin scoffs.

            “Minho hyung, we’ve met before as children. Put in a good word for us!” Moonkyu begs.

            “Look here kid, I’m not even able to put in a good word for myself,” Minho says in defeat as he sits obediently next to Taemin.

            “Explain yourself,” Taemin directs. “What did that emperor order you to do?” The two hostages exchange eye contact with each other and both look down, not willing to answer. “Let me guess…He ordered you to get the Peacekeepers no matter what. He even warned you about us two and ordered the soldiers to raid the forest,” he says confidently. “That’s why you didn’t listen to Jong Kook hyungnim.”

            Although Taemin’s guess makes sense, Minho can’t help but wonder why the king sent these two along with Jong Kook. These two have always practiced martial arts but have not once been out in any battlefield. Looking at their perfect blades, Minho can tell that the two have little to no experience dueling. It’s almost like he wanted them to get captured…“Why ask us if you already know?” Wonshik sighs. “Can you let us go now?”

            “I’ll let you go alright,” Taemin says and cuts their with a quick wave of his spear. “Go right to work!” Taemin sends the two to clean up the mess they created. Not only do they have to gather all of the broken furniture and supplies, they have to help the civilians rebuild their houses, and are even forced to cook food for everyone. Unfortunately for them, they have no choice but to oblige.

            At the palace, Jonghyun and Key are preparing their army. The king sent them a royal decree days ago to take on bandits that have been stealing from merchants and taking supplies that get shipped to the royal palace. That area has been occupied by monsters for a very long time and hence, was an abandoned location despite goods having to pass by it to be transported at the fastest rate. Now that bandits have occupied the space, they have no choice but to eradicate them and the monsters. What Jonghyun and Key are most worried is about Onew’s encounter with the queen. Now that they finally got a lead on the king, they are sent away. Taking down the bandits may occupy a lot of time. At this rate, the king may succeed in whatever he is planning by the time they get back. Minho and the White Masked Hero are gone, Joon, Onew, and Kai are in the palace, and Jonghyun and Key needs to leave. They will not have the chance to be united for a very long time.

            The usually talkative Jonghyun is practicing with his weapons while Key is immersed in the battle tactics. Key’s main concern is the size of the army the king provided. The number of bandits is unknown and sending such a small army and supplies may be an issue. Jong Kook gave them fireworks to send a signal if they were to need reinforcement from Heroes’ Rebellion. Once the nearest person sees the fireworks, a chain will go on all the way the clan and they will join them. The thing is, they have to officially request reinforcement from the king, so asking for Heroes’ Rebellion to join them may be a concern. Nonetheless, they took the fireworks just in case.

            Joon came to talk to them yesterday after he found out about their mission and gave them tips. He reassured that he and Onew will try their best to find the king’s bead’s host and end everything. Since Taehyung is kind and is the crown prince, they will help support him to the throne. Knowing that it is their first time on their own mission, Taehyung came by with Jimin and gave them lots of gifts, wishing them good luck. Like any other time they go on a mission, the possibly of never returning is a possibility, so all of their close clan members even bit them farewell.

            Seeing Jonghyun practicing so attentively, Key slips away for a while. With sweat drenching his clothes and his throat parched, Jonghyun sits down and starts drinking some water. He swings a cloth over his shoulder to dab some of the sweat. He notices a table with an array of luxurious dishes and looks up to thank Key. He realizes that he is missing and calls out, “Key? Where’d you go~” almost like looking for a kid that’s playing hide-and-seek. Hearing Jonghyun calling for him in such a manner, Key can’t help but want to join in on the fun. Although he was originally planning to walk right to Jonghyun, he decides to hide.

            As Jonghyun gets closer, Key would slip away to find another spot. This continues as the quicken the pace to the point Jonghyun is running around, chuckling. Key gives up on hiding and now they are going on a full chase. As Jonghyun chases Key, he can’t help but hide the excitement in his face. Key was smiling. He was smiling so brightly, to the point where his adorable dimples were so prominent. Seeing such a cute version of Key, he can’t help but want to run slower to make this moment last longer. Finally, Jonghyun catches up and grabs Key by the waist and swings him around. Their unified laughter echoes through the quiet night air.

            Eventually, Jonghyun stops spinning. Key’s legs are wrapped around his waist and he is holding him up with his muscular arms. Their faces flush from all the running and laughter and their noses are touching. They look into each other’s eyes lovingly and remain like so for a bit before Jonghyun slowly leans in. As his lips tenderly presses again Key’s plump lips, his heart races like mad. For a moment, the two were lost in their own world.

            Key’s breath hitches as he drops his legs and leans back. As his feet touch the ground, he turns around immediately. “Uh, eat the food before it gets cold. I made the dishes myself. Eat well,” Key mutters and walks away, leaving Jonghyun behind with an aching heart. He really doesn’t like me; Great job, Jonghyun, you just had to kiss him, he scolds himself and looks down in shame. Jonghyun lost his appetite and sits down, staring at the beautifully plated dishes in solemn.

            As Key runs away, he can’t help but think back to Jonghyun’s sweet lips again his as their chests pressed on each other so closely that he even felt the drumming of their hearts. His face continues to blush as he slams his door shut behind him. Gosh, did I just run away? Key slowly sits down onto the ground and closes his eyes in embarrassment. No matter how hard he tries, his heart continues to beat rapidly, and his mind continues replaying what just happened. At this moment, even he can’t lie to himself…he really liked the kiss. “I must be crazy,” Key exhales. “Oh my gosh what is wrong with you? Kim Kibum!” He shouts at his reflection in the mirror. “I’m going crazy.”

            He gets up and decides to return to Jonghyun, realizing that running away after a kiss might not give him the best feeling. He throws the door open and runs out, right into Kai. With a grunt, the two collect themselves after the abrupt collision. “Sorry!” Key shouts, ready to run off but stops as he notices Kai’s expression. Kai is grimacing as he remains on the ground. Key bends downs and notices how Kai is struggling to get up. “Here, take my hand,” he says and reaches out. Kai extends his hand, but accidently slashes Key’s palm as his claws have appeared.  

            “Sorry,” Kai growls. Yes, he growled. Key puts his bleeding hand in a fist to momentarily stop the cut from bleeding too much, but Kai’s fangs have appeared. The blood has increased his killing intent. “Hyung,” Kai says with much effort. “Go!” Kai lets out a long howl as he starts transforming into a wolf. He falls over on all fours and gives Key a hungry look. Key reaches to his belt and grabs his fan, ready to fight his friend.

            With a huge leap, Kai pounces at Key. His claws even longer and sharper than before. Although he is not a wolf, his humanistic characteristics is gone and all that is left is his hunger. The two wrestle on the ground as Key tries to hold Kai back with his fan. If he is not careful, Kai will find a chance to bite onto his face. “Kai, pull it together!” Key grunts as he struggles to push Kai off. He lets out a hiss as one of Kai’s fingers made their way to the side of his face. Blood immediately pours out from the long cut on the left side of his cheek.

            Key immediately feels relief as he feels Kai putting less pressure on him. At first, he was confused, but he soon realizes that it was not Kai that was putting less pressure on him, but Kai was being pull off his body. Jonghyun throws Kai to the side and punches him with full force. Kai topples to the side as the punch was quite strong and Jonghyun uses this chance to toss his necklace right around Kai’s neck. The charm starts glowing as its power starts seeping into Kai’s body.

            Jonghyun runs over to Key and looks at him. His eyes immediately dart to the cut on Key’s face. Although he does not speak, the pained look on his face said enough: I should’ve been here for you. He helps Key up and checks for any serious injuries. Beside a few scrapes and the slash on his face, Key is in good shape. Although his face is stinging, Key is too distracted by Jonghyun to even care. Ever since he realized that Jonghyun came to his rescue, his eyes were not able to leave him.

            Key watches Jonghyun as he approaches Kai, now back in human form thanks to Jonghyun’s celestial bead charm. Kai gingerly touches the necklace and tries to take it off, but Jonghyun pats his hand, signaling for him to keep it on. “Keep it, at least until we find you a celestial being to share their bead with you,” Jonghyun says. Although he cares for Kai, his voice was coated with anger. He can’t help but to feel upset about Key’s face. He knows that Kai had no control over himself, but Jonghyun gave him a dirty look.

            After apologizing to Key, Kai tries to return the charm once more, knowing very well that Jonghyun would need it to be at his best condition when facing the bandits. Nonetheless, Jonghyun was worried that without his charm extending his life, Kai would soon fully turn to a monster and it would be too late if they wait around for a celestial being to share with Kai. The White Masked Hero, Minho, Onew, and Key also have their own charms so Jonghyun is not too worried if he doesn’t have his. The charms are a strong source of spiritual energy that is able to not only increase their spiritual energy but physical power, but Jonghyun is not all that useless without his charm. He regularly works out, trains, and knows how to battle using just that. Jonghyun bids them both a good night and leaves Key and Kai behind.

            Moonkyu and Wonshik lay on the floor with a plop, both exhausted from all of the hard work. They turn to look at each other and break into a cheerful laugh. They both are son of officials and have been treated like royalty all their lives. Even so, now in the White Masked Hero’s hands, they are nothing but laborers. Surprisingly, it was fun despite all of the hard work. The monsters were hurt and upset that their nests and habitat were damaged, but they did not treat the two with hostility. The civilians were scared earlier when the army was there, but now with all threats gone, they were energetic and friendly as always.

            Suddenly, the five baby dragons ran in with clumsy steps into the guest room where the two are staying. Wonshik and Moonkyu immediately get up and play with the babies outside despite their lack of energy. Although dragons are not the cutest, they are babies after all. They are clingy, playful, and attention seeking. The five are keeping the two guests entertained. Cutely enough, the five of them grab onto Wonshik’s clothing with their feet and using all their might, they flap their little wings. Surprisingly, they were able to get him up. At first, the two thought the dragons were just playing around, but now that Wonshik is nearly fifteen feet in air, they yell and cheer. “Oh my gosh I am flying!” he screams. “Moonkyu-ah, do you see this!?”

            “Ah, I want to fly too!” Moonkyu shouts, clapping at the baby dragons. Unfortunately, flying a grown man in the air takes a lot of effort since the dragons are babies after all. As one of them accidently let go because of the stress of carrying him, the other dragons’ grips are loosened as well. Before they can try to adjust their hold on him, Wonshik falls straight down. As any regular person would do if they were dropped fifteen feet in the air, Wonshik screams as he falls, reaching out his hands, hoping that the can grab him. The dragons dive down and try to save him, but he is falling down much too fast. As the distance between him and the ground decreases, Wonshik closes his eyes tightly, ready for the painful impact. Surprisingly, it was not painful.

            Wait, what? Wonshik opens his eyes in surprise and finds himself in the arms of the White Masked Hero. When Wonshik was falling, Moonkyu ran forward hoping he would be able to catch his friend, but Taemin beat him to it. He lets out a chuckle but stops himself, trying to not embarrass his friend even further. Since Taemin has a small frame and Wonshik has spent so much time building up his masculinity throughout the years, Moonkyu can’t help but find this scene hilarious. Wonshik is known to be a womanizer and takes pride in being the man to sweep all the girls off their feet, and now that he is the one being carried, the irony is hard to ignore.

            Wonshik’s eyes are wide and innocently looking at his savior. His eyes glisten in admiration and his arms are wrapped around the White Masked Hero’s neck. Taemin gives him a look and drops his hands, letting him go. Wonshik’s grip around Taemin’s neck was actually tighter than he expected and Taemin was pulled right down to the ground with him. The room grows still as Taemin falls on top of Wonshik and Wonshik’s lips press firmly on Taemin’s mask, right where his mouth would be without the cover. Luckily, Taemin’s mask has not openings except for the eyes, so their lips are not actually touching, but the act of kissing has made a blush creep on Wonshik’s face. He never expected to ever ‘kiss’ a man in his life. Of course, none of this is a bit romantic in an outsider’s eyes since Taemin’s hard mask gave Wonshik’s lips a hard bang, busting them open.

            “What is happening?!” Minho says through gritted teeth. Earlier, Taemin said that he wanted to check on the two guests and Minho decided to join him after he grabs some food for the two from the kitchen. Now that he arrives, he sees Taemin on top of Key’s cousin and their faces are pressed together. Taemin scrambles to get up and wipes his mask with the back of his sleeve. Minho knows very well about Wonshik’s status as a womanizer for a while and now that he saw him with Taemin, he can’t help but think that Wonshik tried to take advantage of Taemin. “Explain,” he demands with flaming eyes. Moonkyu finds Minho’s look so scary that he pulls his friend up and forces him to kneel on his knees and pulls his arms up, almost like a child getting punished.

            “We were playing with the baby dragons and they flew him up. They dropped him, and the White Masked Hero caught him, but they fell over,” Moonkyu explains, afraid that if his friend talked now, Minho would beat him up. Minho looks at Taemin who nods back, confirming the story is true. Minho ruffles Taemin’s hair, indicating that he was not mad at him. He then takes his sleeve and wipes Taemin’s mask where his mouth is, making sure all the remnants of Wonshik was wiped away. He turns his attention to the baby dragons who are mimicking Wonshik’s pose, hands held high. They are on their knees with their claws up in the air while sniffling.

            Minho is rarely angry around them, so seeing how fuming he was, the dragons were scared he would hate them. Seeing that they were terrified, Minho’s face softens. He bends down to face the baby dragons at eye level. “I know you wanted to play with him, but he’s human. If he falls from such a height, you can break him,” Minho explains to them calmly, hoping they would not be more intimidated. “Don’t do that again without supervision, understand?” The little dragons nod their heads quickly. Seeing their little heads go up and down so quickly, almost like bobbleheads on a bumpy road, Taemin can’t help but to giggle.

            “Okay, okay,” he says. “Minho hyung is not mad at you all if you learned your lesson. Run along now.” They all get up and run right to Minho and give him a each. Minho smiles and pats their heads before they run out. Minho then stands up and takes Taemin by the hand, turns around, and walks off. Wonshik drops his arms now that Minho has his back toward him. He gingerly touches his bleeding lips that were cut from smashing against the mask and his teeth. Minho suddenly turns around and he throws his arms up in the air once more. Minho grills them one more time and grabs the tray of food he has brought them and leaves.

            “Are we going to starve now?” Wonshik whispers to his friend.

            “That’s what you get for kissing the White Masked Hero…” Moonkyu sighs and they both walk back to the guest room in disappointment. “I can’t believe you’re into men. Oh my gosh, is that why you let yourself get caught so easily? Are you into him?!”

            “Dude, are you kidding me? I love women, everybody knows that.”

            “If rivers and mountains can change shape, so can a human. You got tired of all the women in your life?”

            “Bro, stop it, I would never go for a man.” Wonshik suddenly thinks back at the White Masked Hero’s familiar scent. It’s almost like he smelled him before.  

            “Pfft, if you dare come out and say you have a crush on me one day, you best believe I’m going to disown you as my good cousin.”

            “Please, even if I were to find in interest in men, you can’t even pay me to get interested in you. I have high standards.”

            Later that night, Onew appears in front of Key’s room and explained that Jonghyun sent him to take care of him. He must be embarrassed since I ran away from him earlier…Key thinks to himself. Despite being curious to why he had to come take care of Key instead of Jonghyun, Onew does not ask. When they are not together, Key is either busy or they fought one way or another. Onew simply guides Key into using his charm to heal his face. Monsters have always been notorious about healing quickly, so the charm might be helpful. After a while, the power from the charm indeed closed up Key’s cut and his face is not scarred one bit. With relief, Key thanks Onew and explains everything as he feels the need to tell someone. He has never been kissed before, not to mention a man…not to mention enjoying it! He is very much in denial of his feelings like always and trusts Onew enough to tell him. Hearing about the incident, Onew can’t help but to think back at his kisses with Joon and feel a slight blush of embarrassment. Thank goodness no one caught us kissing. I wonder how they would react? Onew then spends the rest of the night walking Key through the many possible solutions. Needless to say, Key appreciated every bit of the long conversation.

            In the hidden room imprisoning the empress, the emperor made his way into it with a glowing bead in his hand. With a quick wave, he sends her enough energy to maintain her humanity. Despite being chained up against her will and treated inhumanely, the queen smiles gently at the king. “You came to see if I was still alive?” she asks bitterly.

            “You know that I you can’t die without my permission, of course it’s not to check on your status,” the king gives her a beautiful smile, full of false love. The king has spent his entire life mastering expressions that he does not mean. A loving face is one of the many face expressions he can show no matter what he truly felt. That was how he tricked the queen into falling for him after all. “My queen, I came to ask you how I can find a perfect host for me, of course. You know I’ve been waiting patiently for you, but you see, I am running out of time.” The king rolls up his sleeve to reveal a rotting arm. His body cannot contain his tainted bead for long. Seeing this, the queen lets out a laugh, mocking him.

            His right eyebrow raises as he smirks at the sound of her laughter, almost like he was telling her ‘you won’t get to laugh for long.’ With a snap of his fingers, the guards drag in princess Naeun who is tied up. The queen’s laughter cuts short as she growls. “Let her go.”

            “I don’t see why you keep acting better than me when I have so much against you. If she dies, I can literally bring forth another hostage to scare you. I thought you love me. Can’t you tell me without me having to threaten you? This takes away from our lovely relationship.”

            “ you,” she splits at his feet.

            “Well?” The king smiles arrogantly, knowing very well that she cannot bear to let her daughter die. The queen looks down in defeat as she mutters the answer.

            “First, you need a cure.”

Taemin’s POV~

            My ear twitches as I sense that Jimin has blown the whistle I gave him. That means he wants to meet me. I can sense the whistle is being blown multiple times. I nearly facepalm as I figured that Jimin doesn’t know if the whistle is working so he is blowing it excessively. I quickly send my energy over to him and make the bell chain to ring, so he can know that I heard him. Finally, the whistle stops being blown. Hmm, I wonder why he didn’t blow a specific tune…I get in my White Masked Hero disguise just in case. I have a feeling that Jimin is acting pretty strange. It’s not like it’s the first time he is summoning me either, why is he so unfamiliar with the whistle?

            I look around for Minho hyung, but I can’t seem to find him since he has been running around helping everyone thanks to the battle’s aftermath. I guess I’ll just tell him later…I scribble down a little note and tell him that something came up and I will be back. I’m afraid that if the two guests see the note, they’ll know that Jimin and I are still in contact and start spreading rumors when they get back to the capitol. If they find out about my friendship with Jimin, it can bring him a lot of trouble. I put down the note and head out.

            I arrive at the inn where we met last time. Jimin never liked it when I sneaked into the palace, so I assumed that he came here. I greet the owner who shows me to the correct room. I push the door open and see Jimin sitting at the table with his back facing the doorway. “Hey, you called for me? Long time no see I guess?” I say and close the doors behind me. I can sense that there are others around, but I can’t tell if they’re in the rooms next to us or within this one. Calm down, Taemin-ah, it’s just Jimin, I remind myself. I plan on taking off my mask and lie to him again and say that I like dressing up as the White Masked Hero, but he hasn’t turned around to greet me just yet. That’s odd, Jimin is always extremely polite to me…maybe he’s upset that he was sent back last time and wasn’t given a proper tour? Is he like that? “Hey, I know Minho hyung sent you away last time, but you’re just going to ignore me?” Again, no reply.

            I look at his body and notice that his bad is slightly slouched and his head leaning to one side. Jimin usually has great posture as he is the crown prince’s guard after all. He never slouches and always looks at you when you speak, even if he’s wronged. Something’s not right. I quickly run over to the table and face him, only to see a terribly beaten up face. Jimin’s face is bruised up in multiple locations and his nose has a gash on it, still b with blood. It’s a trap. I quickly make a run for it and try to dive out of the inn through the window. My body jerks back as I feel something tighten around my ankles. I smash onto the ground and see two more chains fasten my wrists, pulling me back. I try to send my internal energy and blast the chains off, but it was as if all my energy was nonexistent. I struggle, and I tug onto the chains, but they wouldn’t come off. I let out a cry of frustration and curse.

            “What do you want with me?” I finally ask after realizing that I cannot possibly get myself out of this one.

            “We knew you were powerful, so we made these chains especially for you,” the emperor says and steps out from within the shadows. “Back then when Taemin was in the clan, we had him bounded by chains, but even then, he was able to fight. After this long, we finally perfected it.” I remember that back in the clan I was chained up, but I thought it was because I was a servant and untrustworthy. It’s actually because this damned king wanted to create a chain that can tie down those with great internal energy? I let out a laugh, amused by my circumstance. The king has been planning all this for a while now. “We know Minho isn’t dead. Now if you listen to us and let us know his location, we will let you go.” Like I will believe that. You will kill me after you get a hold of Minho hyung. Not telling you or telling you will only result to the same outcome: my death.

            I spit at his feet and curse at him, letting out the built-up rage. One of his eunuchs grab my hair and yanks my head up and slams it onto the ground. The then pull me up and hold me to face the king. I feel my lip cut open and the blood drips down my chin. I glare at the king and do not falter even when the eunuch throws his fist to my stomach. “If you don’t want to speak when we ask nicely, then we will just have to force it out of you. But first, I need a little something from you…”

Jimin’s POV~

            I remain next to the White Masked Hero who is covered in injuries. The king used me to lure Taemin hyung here, but somehow the White Masked Hero is here. I guess I should feel relieved that it’s the White Masked Hero here instead of Taemin hyung, but even that is unfair to say since the White Masked Hero and I also have a bond beyond simple colleges. If it wasn’t for the emperor using Taehyung to threaten me, I don’t think I would have ever given up my whistle. It must be because they were not blowing the whistle correctly, so the White Masked Hero came instead of Taemin in case it was a trap…which is was.

            If I don’t do as the king demands, he may strip away my position and I can no longer serve the crown prince. I’m afraid that if I am killed, Taehyung won’t be able to survive without me. I’m not sure what exactly the king wants to use the White Masked Hero for, but when time comes, I’ll save him if his life is truly threatened. They used many methods to try to get him to talk. His body is tattered, nearly completely covered in blood. As the wounds would close up, new wounds would be inflicted on top of them. Even so, he tries to hold back his screams as much as possible during the process, not giving them the pleasure of hearing his despair. Likely due to the pain and loss of blood, the White Masked Hero is currently hanging there, unconscious. There is a huge tub under the White Masked Hero that is collecting his blood. To this point, the tub is already holding a lot of blood.

            The news of the White Masked Hero being held captive has spread through the land like wildfire, but no one in the palace is allowed to speak of it to avoid any of his friends finding out. Everyone in the palace is bombarded with so much work that they can’t even leave the palace to even catch a glimpse of any rumors. To avoid any possible news being leaked, the king has him chained outside the capital, not in the palace’s torturing chambers. Since no unwanted news can enter the palace, the White Masked Hero won’t be able to get any help from the palace. I don’t know how much longer he can last, and all of this is my fault after all.

            A guard splashes water on the White Masked Hero’s face, waking him up. His mask remained on his face for identity purposes, so only his eyes were splashed. “Good afternoon, sir,” he greets him. The man replies with a grunt and forces him to drink water. Since we are out in the sun all day, if the White Masked Hero dies from dehydration, it would be their loss since they need him to lure Minho hyung out. I too, get to drink some water. “If your friend doesn’t come by tomorrow at noon, you’re going to be beheaded,” he says.

            “Then I hope the weather will be nice tomorrow. I don’t want to die when it’s a bad day,” the White Masked Hero says lightheartedly. The man shakes his head in disbelief and leaves.

            “Hyung, I—”

            “Don’t apologize,” he cuts me off. “We’re all pawns here.”

            “Do you think Minho hyung will come?” I ask. He shakes his head.

            “I told him I was going to come back later,” he explains. “Since it’s been a few days, I don’t think he would leave our den to look for me. We have guests after all.”

            “Oh, I heard about the two hostages. Why didn’t you tell him that I was calling for you?”

            “Because I don’t want him to worry about anything related to the palace anymore. I know he wants to be around you all, but for peace and safety, he has to cut off all ties. The least I can do is help him out. Also, I didn’t want the two to accidently find out.”

            “You really do love him, don’t you?” Although I ask it as a question, my tone indicates that I already know what that answer is.

            “Thanks for trying not to rat me out,” he says.

            “That’s the least I could do.”

            “Yeah, that’s what friends are for,” the White Masked Hero chuckles. I unknowingly smile back as his words brighten up my entire mood.

            “If we die, I hope in our next life, we can still be friends.”

            “I hope so too,” he says and tries to adjust himself as the chains are irritating his injuries. “But I hope you don’t die just yet,” he looks at me, his eyes full of sincerity. “Taehyung really needs his friends by his side. Especially with such a king oppressing him.”

            “Where is Taemin hyung? Doesn’t he at least know you’re here? Can’t he come?”

            “If I’m dead, probably not,” the White Masked Hero chuckles. “Say, since I’m going to die anyway, let’s talk.”

            “About?”

            “Anything,” he says. “Maybe about some of your feelings, secrets, scandals?” He shrugs, but quickly regrets it as any movement would hurt. “Anything would be fine. You should talk though, I’m running out of energy,” he admits.

            “Okay…well, Taehyung I met thanks to Minho hyung actually…”

            After a long night, he’s gotten to learn a lot more about me. I really appreciate his company as he is both a great listener and a nice commenter. Even though he is in pain, he stayed focus on what I had to say and didn’t make it seem to be about him. He’s a genuine person. A crowd gathers as the time of execution is near. Despite being injured and literally awaiting his death, the White Masked Hero has a very posh demeanor, almost like nothing could bring him down. “God,” he whispers, nearly inaudible. If I wasn’t so close to him, I wouldn’t have heard him. “Please give him enough strength to live happily without me.” My heart sinks after hearing his prayer. He must be talking about Minho hyung or maybe Taemin hyung. Although he isn’t showing his distress, his tone has given it all away. They move me away as the only one getting beheaded this time is the White Masked Hero. His voice reflects remorse, but his eyes show something that seems completely contradictory to it. His eyes are shining, almost like he is trying to pass on strength to me. “Farewell,” he says, smile back at him, bowing down. He chose to say ‘farewell’ to comfort me. It isn’t goodbye. We will meet again in the next life. Don’t worry, I’ll save you, I think in my head as I knock out a guard, cut loose my , and arm myself, ready to attack.

            The crown turns silent as the headsman aims the large blade against the White Masked Hero’s head. He closes his eyes after taking a glimpse at the bright sky, almost like he was reminding himself that this is not the end. The signal blares and the headsman raises the blade up, ready to chop down. Before I get to strike, a sudden scream catches me off guard. The guards and headsman are all groaning on the ground, fumbling to get up. A ginormous dragon swoops in and dismounts its back. It was none other than Minho hyung. He takes the White Masked Hero in his arms, cradling him. The soldiers that were hiding appear and start shooting arrows at the White Masked Hero. Minho dodges them with ease and leaps away. The dragon lets out a booming growl, sending out so much energy that all the guards fell back. the White Masked Hero is clutching onto his lapel and I see his mouth moving. With his hand that doesn’t face the crowd, he throws a pouch at me and I catch it. Minho hyung then delicately wraps his arms around the White Masked Hero to keep him steady, and they fly away.

            I look down at my hand and see a score written on a small piece of paper along with a new whistle. The note also states a new meeting location— the monster fighting arena. I quickly memorize the music and eat the paper, making sure no one witnessed it. I tuck the whistle away and act as innocent as ever. They have a new plan to defeat the king and they need my help. Today onward, we are facing the king head on. It’s finally time.

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