His head hurt. His heart hurt even more. Despite knowing that, there was no way of stopping the pain. Knowing it was there and getting rid of it were two different things.

There was something missing. Something he knew.

The problem was he couldn’t remember it.

As much as he begged, as much as he cried the faded memories wouldn’t come back to him. For now, they stayed dormant in a corner of his brain that he couldn’t reach. When the time comes, he would say. When? When is it the right time?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

September 2nd 2013

(00:45pm)

They boy had just managed to escape death. Inflicted with pain just above his body's tolerance, he had thought for just a minute to give up. Red, white and blue danced around him but only in his eyes could he see them. The others were too blind to see and that gave him power without much of a reason. Maybe because it was beautiful. Or maybe because it was a past memory.

Time had gone by like a dream and the youngest devil was finally put to rest in his cold cell after the torturous interrogation. The devil had somehow survived but just barely. Bleeding cuts were left untreated and had begun to dry under the cold. Dirt had fallen into the wound, making it more difficult for his body to naturally heal. Thoughts of having sand and dust between the layer of skin and muscle disgusted him. It wasn't part of him. He needed them gone.

All he could hear was the sound of his own deep breathing. Sungjong had waited out, his thin body unmoving from the foetal position it had been thrown in. Each breath he took gave a painful sting on his ribs. He was sure a couple or more had been broken again since the last time but wasn’t quite sure. Waiting out a bit did him no help as the pain had made him lose consciousness once or twice in a span of a mere few minutes. Too painful to bare and having no choice, the devil decided to heal his internal wounds as best he could in case anyone was to order another interrogation. He couldn't say it hasn't been done before. The memory still haunts him. Another round of it would surely bring death to him quicker than he wanted. Last time was proof of that.

It had been about 10 minutes before he had deemed it safe it use his powers. Guards were ordered to keep a constant watch over him but it was only human to stray away for a couple of minutes or even an hour. They didn't like guarding the pretty boy and he knew that. Sungjong had been fast to catch that out when he first arrived in his new ‘home’. Respectable, strong and the best of the best, they called themselves. Sungjong dogged to differ. An hour away was not enough for the devil to escape. Though it might had been true, Sungjong was only waiting for the right time for his plan to commence. It won’t be long now. He had this feeling their wish will soon come true.

“I guess I have no choice…” Barely able to speak with his dry throat, he whispered under his breath. Sungjong pushed himself up using his elbow before sliding up to use the palm of his hands. A wince left his lips as the fine sands grazed against his battered skin. It was well known that he was the easiest to bruise but Sungjong couldn't let that stop him. No matter what, he wasn’t going to let his weaknesses fail them again. The brunette closed his eyes with a gentle flutter.

“Protect us from harm’s way. Release.” His voice was soft as compared to Woohyun and Myungsoo when casting a spell. With only the dryness making it slightly rough on the edges, he chanted with gentleness.

A pale green light surrounded itself around the beauty as he opened his eyes slowly. The light grew stronger until it was able to manifest itself into a long ribbon that mimicked a dragon. It danced around Sungjong’s frame, hovering over his paled down skin, kissing it lightly. A smile came to his lips as the action gave him comfort. He felt the pain slowly disappear. His skin began to glow and his body becoming firmer. Before he could tire himself out, he exhaled the breath he held in his lungs as though whistling without making a single sound. As fast as the happiness came, it faded as the light began to die down with him being bought back to the darkness. He reached out, letting what was left of the light to wrap around his thin fingers. Suddenly, Sungjong’s vision blurred.

“Wha-?” A loud thud was heard before he was able to finish his sentence, his body had already fallen on its side. Though his mind was still conscious, his body was asleep as he faced the gates of his cell. Blinking didn't help as his body was fully paralysed. Through the confusion, a voice spoke out.

“Can y-u…hear m-?” It was muffled as distorted, undecided whether it was aimed at him. The maknae did his best to answer back but his body didn’t allow him. A single tear fell from his eyes, feeling the hated vulnerability he was so use to. Yes, I can hear you. Who are you? He repeated in his head, over and over again in hopes that the voice could somehow manage to hear his thoughts if he were to repeat them enough times.

“C-n –o- -e-r –e?” However, that remained useless as the voice faded with each word it spoke. Sungjong could feel the connection b