Random Rambles: Whew this one took a little longer than expected ^^' mind you, it's a slightly longer chapter than usual. Thanks for the patience, guys, you rock! Hope y'all enjoy the chappie <3

***

Crap. I’m in trouble. 

How did I think that it was going to be easy to steal a dagger from a highly secured building? I barely even made it home the other night if it weren’t for Sehun and Kai. The storm had suddenly died down which was great! But just as the power came back on, the island was struck by freak tornadoes that fortunately only wiped out abandoned parts of the island – as far as we know. The tornadoes died down as quickly as they had come, but the freaky weather definitely put the entire island in a state of emergency. 

Sehun kept the winds calmly at bay as Kai teleported me back home. The next day we found out that school was cancelled for an ‘indefinite time’ due to safety reasons.  Everyone was advised to stay home and not go out unless necessary. 

Convenient, wasn’t it? At least it was one less thing to worry about considering all the other stuff I had on my plate. If I didn’t know any better, it was like all of this had been carefully planned out by an amateur fantasy author to get inconveniences to the story out of the way- 

I shuddered and shook my head, stopping my thought process right there before I’d fall into a philosophical debate with myself, pondering about in an existential quandary. 

Oh man. When all of this is over and done with I’m so going to nap and rest for a month- in the least. 

I wasn’t the only one in the Miyano household that was tired. Thinking about what we were about to do got me thinking about poor Dad. Recently, he was working overtime at E.T. Corp and I hardly saw him. He was concerned about all the research projects considering the weather had been so wild and unpredictable. He would talk about those projects casually, but when I oh-so-subtly tried to mention the dagger, he only flared his eyebrows as though surprised and dismissed it, changing the topic. I think that dagger might be some kind of special project that he’s not allowed to talk about, but just thinking about my Dad being involved in it made my stomach hurt all over again. I was about to steal something from a company of which he was the CEO of. The boss’ daughter stealing from her father’s company…it sounded like a terrible headliner- if we got caught, which I hope that we wouldn’t, of course.  

And now I found myself lurking behind a set of thick bushes at the most technologically advanced building E.T. Corp had to offer, with the waning moon watching over the whole ordeal from a starless sky. It was a slight comfort that I wasn’t alone, but I had seriously started to regret suggesting we go and steal the dagger as if it was a walk in the park. 

Are you really about to commit a crime, Jae? Has all of this madness come to that? What even do you know about being a thief?  

I sighed as I heard the little voice of reason in my mind screaming bloody murder. Surprisingly, I did have confidence that we could pull this off since there were thirteen of us, but it wasn’t going to be easy. It wasn’t like we went into this unprepared - of course we wouldn’t! We thought up a plan to stick to, guidelines, if you will. We decided that, since the building was huge, we would split off into subgroups to search for the dagger. The whole operation was supposed to be low-key and swift. As Tao pointed out, we had to go stealth-mode, ‘ninja Kung Fu style’. 

Suho didn’t like the idea of us splitting up in the facility, so to compromise he persisted we’d stay in wolf-form while inside, just in case Chen wasn’t able to cut off the cameras and security systems and people would recognize us. 

The idea was to wait until the building was empty for us to make our move. We must’ve been on stakeout for about an hour. I even saw Dad leave the building. Worst few minutes of my life! 

There was bound to be some security guards walking around, but they shouldn’t pose too much of a threat to us. Right now, our priority was to get inside the basement where the security room was located without anyone seeing us. That’s where Kai came in, but it was Suho’s call to start the whole ordeal. 

“Get down,” Kris instructed when a pair of bright headlights came to view. Another car drove away from the building and I ducked behind the bushes, peeking through its leaves to keep an eye on the car until it had disappeared. 

We let out sighs of relief when the car was gone and I realized that each time someone passed by, I was holding in my breath. This really does nothing for my nerves. I couldn’t wait to get this whole ordeal over and done with. The next time I see that ghost wolf I’m going to tell it to go look for hearts on its own, ‘cause mine can’t take this pressure. 

“So, are we really going to do this, then?” Chanyeol asked quietly, his deep voice sounding like a low hum. He looked antsy, but who could blame him? He adjusted the scarf that hid the lower half of his face and I heard him sigh deeply before chuckling nervously. “I don’t think I’ve ever stolen anything before in my life.” 

“Yeah, ‘cause the rest of us are professional thieves,” D.O. remarked sarcastically beside him. His eyes were glowing red, continuously switching from side to side as he examined the building and the area surrounding it. 

“Are you alright, Suho?” Kris suddenly asked, as the rest of us turned our attention to the leader. I bit my lip worriedly at seeing how pallid Suho looked. He was fidgeting with his sleeves, pacing around and wiping the sweat from his brow from time to time. I thought that I was a nervous wreck, but poor Suho looked like he was about to collapse from stress. 

“Alright? Alright?!” he repeated, scoffing and chuckling in disbelief. “You mean for someone who is about to commit a major crime that is not only dangerous but carries a truckload of consequences for us and our families, should we get caught if they don’t shoot us dead first - yeah, I’m peachy!” he exclaimed. 

“I can always still go by myself, hyung,” Kai suddenly spoke, his eyes gleaming red as well. “In and out, no sweat,” he stated calmly. 

“Yeah, and how will you know where to look for the dagger?” Chen asked, clacking his tongue. “All of us go or none of us go, Kai.”

“What he said,” Suho sighed deeply before looking at Luhan. “Is the coast clear?” he swallowed. 

“I’m not picking up any pronounced voices,” Luhan replied, still focusing on the building. “I think the last person left. There are a few security guards though, but they’re bound to stay the night. It’s now or never,” he stated. 

“Oh, good, I was getting bored,” Sehun said with Tao nodding in wholehearted agreement beside him. Why did I get the feeling that those two were totally into this? 

“Get used to it, you’re staying in the security room to keep an eye on things for us, remember?” Suho mentioned and Sehun sulked. I nudged him supportively since he didn’t like the task that was appointed to him. Since Sehun was the youngest he was our responsibility. So, Suho put him in charge of staying in the security room to monitor everything from there. Should something come up, then he’ll be the first one to see it so he can warn the rest of us. It was probably the safest position to be in, but no less important. Still, Sehun being Sehun, he wanted to go with the rest of us, resenting it that we got to have all the fun- his words, not ours. 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, rub it in, hyung,” he pouted. “Can we go now?” he asked. 

Suho’s eyes darted over to Luhan, who was still focused on the building in front of us. I studied Luhan’s features, how serious he looked, as if he was still listening to something. 

“Luhan?” Suho called, but he didn’t respond immediately. 

“Lu-ge, is there something wrong?” Lay asked, but again Luhan didn’t reply. He was staring off into the distance, his eyes glazed over as if he wasn’t really there. I jolted when I felt my heart pounce in my chest out of the blue and I gasped softly. The sound of a steady heartbeat filled my ears like the rhythm of a song. I heard this before, the first time Dad had brought the dagger to the house. I was overwhelmed by a strange sensation then, a painful one. I swallowed. Wasn’t it afterwards that my wolf abilities were- awakened? 

I grasped my chest while steadying my breathing. 

A multitude of voices suddenly called out to the steady beat of a heart. I could almost feel my own heart beat to it in time. What was going on now?  

Don’t be scared. I’m right here. 

Run with power- Don’t stop! 

Grab me and slowly open your eyes - Wake up…

Don’t be too shocked! You’re ready…

I shook my head. Oh, … Was that the dagger? Was that thing calling out for me? But- how? I shook my head again around the same time Luhan was. Had he heard it as well? 

“Luhan?” I called out and he blinked, the glaze over his eyes disappearing. He was panting. 

“We have to move now,” he said, nodding at me. I nodded back, regaining myself. 

Suho watched the interaction, though he seemed to sense something. “Alright. Remember the plan, everyone.” He was the first one that changed into a wolf and the rest of us followed soon after. 

Kai, your turn. 

The dark wolf smirked as we were enveloped by black smoke. The next time I blinked, we were suddenly inside of a dark corridor. I held in my breath and stuck close to the pack. D.O. noticed my anxiety and flanked me, gently nudging me for reassurance. My ears twitched and my head pounded. I looked up since I thought I could sense some kind of energy coming from the floors above us. This had to be it. Sehun was right. That dagger was the heart the ghost wolf wanted me to find…

Hey, can anyone else sense that? Baekhyun suddenly asked, twirling around in one place before sniffing the air and perking his ears up. Hyung, isn’t that the energy source we’ve been hunting for so long? It feels so familiar.

We’ll look into it later, Baekhyun, said Suho while looking at a nearby door. There’s someone in here. 

Probably a security guard. What now? Xiumin asked. 

Ooh, Wushu time! Tao exclaimed excitedly, whimpering when Xiumin knocked him down with his paw. 

No hurting anyone, Suho warned. Kai, you think you can do something about it? There’s a janitor’s closet over there, he suggested and Kai immediately caught on to what Suho was saying. 

Be right back, he smirked a wolfish grin. 

He disappeared from sight and we waited anxiously as someone exclaimed in surprise from inside of the room. I gasped upon hearing Kai growling inside, but a few seconds later, the door clicked open and muffled sounds were heard from the janitor’s closet a few feet away. 

Kai appeared in the doorway, still smirking, and in human form. 

What do you think you’re doing?! Get back to wolf form! Suho panicked. 

“Relax, hyung. Room’s secure, there’s no one here to see it, come on,” Kai urged and walked inside.

I made sure to stay in wolf form until I was properly in the security room. I looked around in awe at the modern facilities, carefully looking over the computers that stood there. Dad hadn’t been exaggerating when he said that the building was equipped with the latest tech. I’m not even sure I understand how all of these equipment work.  

 “Whoa, cool, look at all these TV screens,” Sehun cooed. “These touch panels are amazing! I didn’t think they’d develop any of this yet…why don’t they put this on the market?” he continued as though he was on a school tour instead of just trespassing and breaking the law. 

“Hey, this is hologram technology, isn’t it?” D.O. questioned, pressing a button that caused a sphere of lasers to pop out. “I think this is how you control the cameras in each floor and room,” he mused, examining it like a curious child. 

“That’s kind of like Iron Man,” Luhan grinned, carefully prodding at the lasers, expanding and minimizing the sphere again.

“Oh my God, are you serious?! Will you please focus? We’re here to commit a crime, we’re not on a science field trip!” Suho freaked out, closing the door firmly behind him as he hit some heads to get them to concentrate. 

“Alright, let’s see,” Suho murmured looking over the screens and shaking his head. “This place is huge. How are we going to find the dagger here?” 

“Let’s see. If I were a special dagger, where would people hide me?” Chanyeol suddenly mused. “What?” he asked when we looked at him. 

“We should just split up and go look for the thing, hyung,” Kai suggested. “It will take longer if we stay in a group. Besides, Sehunnie is keeping a watch on everything. He’ll notify us if he sees something.” 

Sehun nodded to strengthen Kai’s words, but Suho gnawed his bottom lip. He was hesitating. 

“This place is too big,” he repeated. “Even if we’d split up, we’ll need all night to find it and we don’t have that kind of time.” 

I could pinpoint the exact moment that Suho’s panic kicked in. He wiped the sweat from his brow and shook his head. “This is impossible,” he breathed. “Forget it. Abort mission- we need more time to think this through,” he rambled a bit frantically. “Kai, get us out of here.”

Just as Kris stepped up to calm Suho down, a pair of heavy footsteps and loud whistling from outside the room made him jump. I freaked out and in instinct changed back into a wolf. 

“Oh, good thinking, noona,” Chen said, changing back himself. As the others transformed, a frantic Suho nudged Kai. 

Get us out of here, already! he pressed.

Kai hesitated a moment, and call me crazy - Lord knows everyone has the right to do so by now - I took advantage of that. 

Kai, take us to the floor above, I told him instead. I was afraid that Suho’s neck might snap when he turned his head to glare at me. 

What?! No! Get us outside, quickly! Suho growled and now, Kai only seemed confused. 

We’re already inside, might as well go through with this, I argued, swallowing when the person outside ceased walking and was standing still in front of the door. My heart jumped to my throat when the door handle started to jiggle. 

Kai, take us upstairs.

No, outside, now!

Guys, is this really the time to argue-

Stay out of this, Kris, we don’t have time!

That was my point! Kris snapped at Suho, but I pushed past the bigger wolf to stand before Suho. 

Now, to the upper floor, the dagger is there!

We’re not ready for this, we’re going to get caught!

We won’t if we’re careful! We don’t have time, Suho!

Exactly! That’s why we need to get outside- NOW!

The handle clicked down and the door opened painfully slow. Upon realizing this, Suho and I turned to a disgruntled black wolf. 

Kai! We both exclaimed and in response, the young wolf growled viciously at us before we were surrounded by black smoke. I nearly shrieked when the door opened and a security guard walked in. The environment changed before my eyes and he was gone. 

I breathed out in relief and smirked when I realized where Kai teleported us to. 

Good choice, Kai, I told him, seeing that we were still inside in the building. Suho, on the other hand looked fit to bust. 

Why the hell did you bring us here? I told you to take us outside! he scolded Kai.

Noona made a point, hyung! We’re here. Might as well get the dagger while we’re at it. You’re not going to be better prepared if you come here a second time to steal it, he retaliated with a growl, which Suho shot back at him as well. 

Aigoo… In the future, will the two of you refrain from disagreeing like that and just make up your mind already? My heart can’t take this pressure! Baekhyun commented dramatically with a huff. He jumped and whimpered out loud when Chen zapped a nearby camera. 

Yah! A little warning, huh?! Baekhyun told the grinning wolf. 

Oh man, that was way too close… Luhan mentioned quietly. What now? he asked, as we stuck close to the shadows and the walls. What a sight it must be, though. A pack of wolves sneaking about in a building in the middle of the night… As long as Chen zapped the cameras and we kept a lookout for people wandering about, things would work out- I hope…

Without any eyes from the security room we’re going in this thing blindly. We have to be extra careful, D.O. mentioned.

Well, why don’t you ask the new leader what the next step is? You know, considering that she insisted we do this thing while we almost got caught without even trying to look for the dagger first! Suho hissed. 

Really?! You’re going to be cross about that like a little child? I retaliated. 

Who are you calling a little child? he snapped. 

Alright, fine, puppy dog then! I bit back, approaching him steadily as he was coming towards me as well. We might’ve actually started fighting on the spot if a large wolf hadn’t stepped in between us to keep us apart. 

Okay, that’s it. I’ve had enough of you two! Jae, do not call Suho a puppy dog, that’s demeaning, Kris scolded. 

He started it! I argued. 

Yeah, well, I’m ending it! he answered strictly, pushing Suho back for good measure. You two need to learn how to play nice and learn to work on your timing! We’re committing a crime here- focus!

In that instant I felt like I was about two inches tall. Kris spoke to us as though we were children and it was humiliating. Meanwhile, the others had been following the interaction with strange fascination. 

Is it just me or is this really weird to look at? Luhan wondered, tilting his head. The others bobbed their heads in assent. 

I wonder who the Daddy is? Chanyeol suddenly mused. 

Kris, obviously, Baekhyun commented resolutely. 

Then, that makes Suho the Mommy with daughter issues? Chen questioned. 

Oh, Jae-yah is the baby girl? Lay asked, trying his best to process and follow what was going on. 

Yeah, the rebellious daughter in her teenage phase of pushing Mommy away to gain her independence, Baekhyun explained matter-of-factly, with Xiumin nodding in awe beside him. 

Either that, or she’s the home-wrecker, Baekhyun added in a whisper. 

Yah! I called out, startling them. I can hear you! 

Baekhyun made an attempt to smirk apologetically at me while giving a soft whimper and went to hide behind the bigger Chanyeol, who was already wearing a big grin on his face.

Whatever! Can we move on? What’s the plan? Kai pointed out impatiently. 

We find the dagger, I answered, thinking that it should’ve been obvious now.

Yeah, and how are we going to do that? Nothing is going as planned to begin with, commented a disgruntled Suho. 

Okay, so we panicked a little, that was bound to happen. We can do this, I knew I didn’t sound very convincing, but I had to believe that we were capable in doing this, otherwise, what was the point?

We just have to be more careful and more wary to avoid getting caught. I suggest we stick together to search for the dagger, I tried. 

Jae is right. All we have now is our instincts. Without Sehun in that security room, we’re blind, so we need to rely on each other, Kris said, looking at Suho. I was glad that he was reasonable and stood on my side, but I could tell that he wouldn’t do anything without Suho’s okay first- which I could respect. Despite the fact that I disagreed with him, Suho was still our leader. 

Alright, Suho sighed deeply and regained himself. Since we’re here, he grumbled, we stay in formation. No one wanders off on his own. I’ll take the lead with Jae and Luhan. Chen and Baekhyun- you flank us. Disable any light, camera, or security system we might come across, but do it temporarily. We don’t want the security guard who’s keeping watch on the monitors to become suspicious, he instructed like a proper leader, though the tone of reluctance was obvious in his voice. He’d still rather leave. 

Chanyeol, Kai and Lay, walk behind us. Xiumin, D.O., and Sehun will keep guard behind them and Kris and Tao make up the rear. Let’s try and find that dagger under an hour, okay? Any questions? he grumbled.

Um, you wanted us to stick together and not split up, right? Lay asked and I could tell that Suho was resisting the urge to sigh and roll his eyes in exasperation. 

Yes, Lay, that’s what I said. We’re doing this as one group. I’m not risking anything anymore, he answered. 

Ah. Okay. Well, then, uh… Lay fumbled with his words and I frowned a little as I started to wonder why he would do so. 

Then what, Lay? Suho asked. There really wasn’t time for this. 

Then, where did Sehunnie and Tao-Tao go? he asked worriedly. I startled myself, the sense of horrible dread overtaking me as it dawned to me that those two maknaes were nowhere to be found. They wouldn’t really have snuck off to go look for the dagger all by themselves, would they? Were they really that careless? I knew they were excited about this mission, but this took the cake. 

Oh no- they didn’t! Sehun! Tao! Where are you, you brats?! Suho called out in newfound panic, gazing towards one end of the hallway and turning around to look at the other end. 

Tao? Sehun? Where are you? I called out. 

Everyone stick together! Let’s go this way, Suho instructed using his nose to sniff the young wolves out. We moved swiftly through the dark corridor, and I made sure to adjust my steps properly as to not slip on the smooth, shiny floor. I tried catching glimpses inside the offices and laboratories whenever I could, keeping close to the pack. D.O. and Lay made sure I wouldn’t linger, flanking me and nudging me to keep up to Suho’s frantic search for the two maknaes. 

Where the hell are they? Suho grumbled. Chen! Cameras! Those two idiots probably walked right passed those, exposing themselves-, he muttered on and on. 

Chen zapped the cameras easily, shutting them down without a glitch. Calm down, hyung. They probably ran super fast, he tried defending them. 

I lifted my snout into the air, trying to distinguish all the new scents to sort out the freesia and the lotus. It was difficult to focus. There was a sliver of pulsating energy intertwined in all of the scents which made my heart pound, almost causing me to feverishly follow that trail instead of looking for Sehun and Tao. Maybe they felt that pull as well? Maybe they realized that it was the dagger and they followed it? In that case, shouldn’t we try and follow that? 

I was about to suggest the pack to do so when a suspicious sound alerted us. I hunched down, my ears standing straight as I scanned the environment to see where the sound came from. It was a door opening, I could hear it slide smoothly. All of us stood frozen at the sound, looking at the end of the hallway where it came from. Where could we hide?

Kai? Suho asked, preparing the young wolf to move all of us, just in case. 

We can’t keep relying on Kai to help us, hyung, said D.O.. We’ll need his strength for when we found the dagger and have to get out of the building. 

Hyung, I’m fine, Kai replied stubbornly, though gently, appreciating the fact that D.O. was looking out for him. 

What about Sehun and Tao? Chen asked, keeping low to the ground since we were out in the open here. 

You think they got caught? No one dared answer Xiumin. The thought alone was tightening my chest. After all, who could forget the ‘animal-friendly’ security systems E.T. Corp had placed around the island? 

We looked up when footsteps clicked softly on the floor and that’s when the panic came back. 

Crap! We need to hide! Chanyeol pointed out, one of his legs shivering. 

 Okay, everyone do like I do, Kris said suddenly and my eyes widened when he hovered above the ground turning upside so he could daintily land his paws on the ceiling above. 

Hyung, are you an idiot?! How are we supposed to do that, we can’t fly, remember?! Chanyeol hissed. Kris rolled his eyes and they started gleaming. My head was flooding in with protests and yelps, Luhan’s being the loudest, when we were suddenly lifted into the air. The sensation tickled my stomach and I helplessly started flinging my paws. I yelped when I saw the distance between me and the cold hard floor. Should Kris, for whatever reason, lose his concentration, then there would be a Jae-shaped splatter decorating the shiny floors. God, things were going splendidly so far, weren’t they? 

Kris, Kris, Kris, don’t let go! Don’t let- AH! Luhan called frantically as he had somehow managed to get to Kris, clinging to him with his paws and tail. 

Luhan, I will if you don’t calm down, I got this, Kris huffed, though Luhan continued his squirming. 

Lu-hyung is afraid of heights, Chen whispered beside me, casually lying on his back as though he were floating in water. 

You don’t say, I retorted, gulping when I looked down. Though I get what he feels. 

Everyone be quiet, Suho growled and I held in my breath when shadows moved in the light. If whoever came through that door  decided to look up, ‘screwed’ wouldn’t be enough of a term to describe our situation. The tension rose when the figure became solid and-

Eh? What the heck are all of you doing on the ceiling? Sehun asked, tilting his head curiously. Tao trailed behind him, doing the same thing. 

This isn’t the time to play around, guys! Honestly, how are you older and more mature? Come on! There’s something we want to show you! Tao urged, already heading back into the corridor they emerged from. 

What?! Suho squealed over Luhan’s frantic muttering and shrieking as Kris lowered all of us down. Have you two any idea- how could you just- Argh! 

Relax, we’ll tear them a new one later, hyung, Kai said, following Tao. 

A new one? Why? Tao protested, as they left. 

Oh my God, you two…I whined, though I was just relieved to see that they were okay. 

Noona, I think I was right about the dagger, Sehun said as he walked beside me. You should see what Tao and I found. He motioned with his snout towards the opened door, but I halted my step when I read the warning sign. 

Prohibited area? I questioned. 

Yeah. Tao and I figured that if the dagger was really important it would be hidden somewhere where people don’t have easy access to. So, tada! he elaborated casually. 

But this area is prohibited! We shouldn’t be here, Baekhyun argued, receiving a skeptical look from Sehun. 

Yeah, because us being in a closed-off building in the middle of the night is totally legal, hyung, he answered snappily before entering. Come on, you have to see this. 

I wasn’t sure what I was looking at. This part of the building looked nothing like the clean, shiny research facility we’ve been sneaking through. This right here, was a dome, some kind of dark, forbidden dungeon that served as the laboratory of a mad cyberpunk scientist. There were no cameras or security systems here either. Almost as though people might not know that this room existed. What would something like this be doing in E.T. Corp, though? 

We already checked the perimeter, but it’s abandoned. Apparently the warning on the door is enough to keep the obedient workers here at bay, Tao stated, walking towards a strange hole in the wall. 

Sure, don’t tell them that you picked the lock and I hacked the password getting inside, Sehun added, his ears drooping when he caught the look of fire from Suho. To avoid getting into trouble, he leapt down the steel stairs to join Tao. Anyway, this isn’t the interesting part. It’s this way, he gestured at the hole. 

You’re kidding. We don’t have time for exploring, we have to find the dagger before anyone realizes that we’re in here, D.O. shook his head in disapproval. 

We know, but this is important. Just come already, Tao pressed and disappeared into the hole. I sighed and jumped down, walking through the hole despite feeling weary of the situation and I found myself gasping when we were suddenly outside- or well, we were still inside, but it was made to look like the outside- wait, what? 

The forest? Luhan looked around. 

It’s not real, Lay said, sniffing at some leaves. Not really. 

What do you mean, not really? Kris watched as the smaller wolf inspected the greenery. 

I can’t explain, gege. They’re not really alive…They’re missing something, Lay mused. 

This place looks weirdly familiar, I said quietly. Where are we? 

Don’t know, but watch your step when you get here. There’s a huge drop past the computer, Tao pointed out. Sure enough, he stood beside a strange mechanical contraption that was spherical of shape and was rotating like gears in a clock. 

That’s a computer? In what era? Baekhyun sniffed at it and sneezed. 

Careful. Step behind it, hyung, Sehun warned. We don’t know how deep the hole goes. It looks manmade, though, like the rest of the fake forest. 

I carefully stared down into the abyss and quickly stepped back when I couldn’t see the end. What the hell kind of company was E.T. Corp to drill a hole that deep? 

It looks endless, a bottomless pit, Chanyeol mused. 

You said you wanted to show us something? Suho then interrupted, obviously having had enough of this little detour. 

Right! Tao piped up and I nearly had a heart attack when he changed back to human form. “Calm down, it’s like we said. This place doesn’t have cameras or security systems. It’s like no one wants to know that this part exists,” he quickly explained before getting scolded. 

“None that you know of,” Suho grumbled in his human form as well.

“You can stay wolf if you want, hyung,” Sehun shrugged, not at all impressed by his comment. 

“All of us go or none of us go, remember?” the leader muttered, watching Tao’s fingers fiddle with the strange computer. I huffed myself and stretched, feeling a bit better to be standing on two legs.  I jumped when Tao had activated the high tech computer and beams of lasers and lights surrounded the area. Where the huge bottomless pit was, stood a gigantic tree trunk. I looked up, but the hologram wasn’t big enough to show the tree’s leaves and branches. 

“What in the world?” Kris whispered in awe. 

“Human society continues to develop,” a British, female voice sounded as the hologram that was projected by the computer showed images of a modern city. 

“The world thrives and is now powered by human technology. Driving this ongoing process is Extraordinary Technologies Corporation, E.T. Corp,” the image shifted into the large logo of the company. “Founded by the Yok family, E.T. Corp has grown to take a leading role in developing ecological, clean energy sources that drives our beloved technology, and shall last- forever. E.T. Corp wishes to safeguard the legacy of our world through their latest project,” the computerized voice explained as we watched breathlessly how the intricate hologram model showcased the gigantic tree from before. It pulsated, and in response, the environment pulsated as well, lighting up as if they were being charged by the tree that grew from the bottomless pit. 

“Project Yggdrasil shall ensure that our legacy is passed down to future generations. The Yggdrasil tree, otherwise known as the Tree of Life, lies at the heart of world, drawing in its energy from unique ley lines to provide energy for all.” 

I gasped audibly when a dagger came into sight, falling into the crevice and growing out into the tree. Heart of the world? 

“Under its founder, E.T. Corp aspires to realize Yggdrasil to offer the world eternal, natural energy so that human society may thrive further in harmony with all creatures of earth.”

Music swelled as the voice was done narrating, the hologram showing a picture perfect world with smiling children and happy adults, before deactivating. 

“…Ad nauseum,” D.O. commented darkly as the last image disappeared. “So that’s what E.T. Corp is working on? Making a Tree of Life?” 

“That’s ambitious, even for this company,” Xiumin added thoughtfully. “But, how does any of this tie in to…” he muttered to himself, looking at the computer. 

“What’s on your mind, Baozi-ge?” Luhan urged. 

“Oh, n-nothing…I’m just trying to make sense of everything. If E.T. Corp is busy making an endless energy source to ‘thrive in harmony with all creatures of earth’, then why the security systems on the island, harming and tagging wolves? And that woman- she works here, right? What does she want with us?” he summed up. “And this Tree of Life… I don’t know, it doesn’t feel right. Remember what Jae showed us through Luhan? There was a Tree of Life there too,” he reminded us as I nodded. 

“That’s true, but then…” this was frustrating. I had goosebumps, I had an uneasy feeling, but I had no answer. No click that fitted all the puzzle pieces together. 

“How does one even go about making a Tree of Life? Am I the only who thinks this is insane?” Baekhyun prompted, genuinely confused. 

“Did no one see it? The dagger!” Sehun nearly yelled. “Heart of the world? Ghost wolf telling Jae-noona to find the heart- hello?! Isn’t it obvious? Whatever E.T. Corp is planning with the dagger is bad news, so the ghost wolf wanted noona to find it instead,” he stated matter-of-factly and I could see that he swallowed the ‘duh’ at the end of the sentence away. 

“But why? He’s anti endless, and clean energy?” Chen remarked in disbelief. 

“Think about it, hyung! If E.T. Corp’s motives were really that pure, then why would they have someone like that Kumiho woman work for them?” 

“Hey, my dad works here, too, you know,” I reminded him, feeling the need to defend him. 

“As do parents of other friends,” Tao soothed, agreeing with me. “But this is a strange coincidence, don’t you think, noona?” 

“So, we find the dagger and reveal the answers,” I mused.

“Maybe you’ll also wake up, like the ghost wolf wants you to, noona,” Tao added ever so quietly. I didn’t tell them that I doubted I would, though something did stir when I saw the image of the dagger, turning into a tree… Though that could’ve easily been my nerves. 

“Hey! Who’s in here?!”

A loud voice broke into the air, scaring us. 

“Oops, I think that’s our cue to split. Hold on,” Kai took charge before any of us could open our mouths and we were gone in a blink of an eye. 

I steadied myself as I felt my heart racing and it seemed that Kai wasn’t doing all too well either. Teleporting us around was starting to take its toll on him. 

“You have to save your energy, Kai,” Lay said gently as the hand on the younger man’s shoulder was already emitting a soft glow.

“Where did you take us?” Suho inspected the new surrounding as I stopped to catch my breath. My head was pounding again. Did that mean the dagger was close?

“Fancy office,” Chen mused. “Hey, Jae-noona, look at this! Look familiar?” he grinned, picking up a photo from the desk and showing it to me. 

“Oh my gosh, we’re in my dad’s office,” I automatically looked around to check for him, calming down slightly when I reminded myself that we saw him drive away. 

“You think the dagger is here somewhere?” Luhan wondered, sensing around. 

“Might as well look for it, but be careful in touching things. Don’t leave your fingerprints-, oh and don’t disturb too much, we don’t want Mr. Miyano to get suspicious and blame one of his workers. And let’s do this quickly, huh? A security guard might catch on,” Suho was gnawing on his bottom lip again as we scattered around the office. Chen was learning quickly and had disabled the cameras outside of the office just in case. But that only bought us some time. Actually, I’m surprised we haven’t been caught yet. I didn’t have time to think about what everything meant right now, but I knew that I’d feel better once we had the dagger in our possession. 

After looking through every shelf, cabinet and drawer in the room, we quickly concluded that the dagger wasn’t here. Baekhyun had put up orbs of light around the office so we could see better, but he was dejected when he took a seat in the big leather chair behind the desk. 

“This is hopeless. We’re never going to find the dagger,” he sighed. 

“We can’t give up now, hyung, we’re so close. You can feel that energy, can’t you?” Sehun tried, carefully putting back the stacks of books the way he found them. 

“Yeah, but I can’t pinpoint it. It’s like, everywhere,” Baekhyun waved, rocking on the chair. 

There was a painting in the room and I walked towards it. Dad kept a safe behind a painting of Hawaii, maybe… I carefully lifted the work of art and set it down, but there was only wall there. Nothing hidden. Crap. 

“I don’t think it’s here, Jae,” Kris said carefully as he helped me hang the painting back.

“It has to be. I think my father is involved in that Yggdrasil project. He wouldn’t talk about the dagger when I mentioned it, and I guess that’s why,” I told him. Kris had a look of concern on his handsome face, rubbing his short dark hair that was so much different than his usual honey blonde as he regarded me. 

“Do you think your dad- um, that is, I don’t mean any offense of course, but…Do you think he knows? You know, about all the stuff that’s going on?” he asked cautiously, already shrinking back as if expected me to grab the painting again to chuck it at him. 

“I think he only knows part of it. My dad is a good guy, and I know that sounds biased coming from me, but I know him. All the good and the bad. He wouldn’t work on this project or even allow for it to exist if he didn’t think he was working on something good. On the other hand, that might mean that he’s being lied to by that woman, which means that he’s unwittingly being dragged into this misery, and I don’t know which is worst,” I shrugged, trying to smile but failing. Kris pursed his lips together.

“You need a hug, or something?” he offered hesitatingly, opening his arms subtly, smiling as if he realized how ridiculous he looked. 

“Don’t be a dork,” I chuckled, punching him playfully against the shoulder. “But thank you.” 

“For the record, if you take after your father, I don’t think you have to worry for him.” 

“Wow, look at you. You actually said something really cool, Kris.”

He beamed a gummy smile my way before he regained himself and coolly shrugged his shoulders, oozing suave. 

“Of course, why do you sound so surprised?” he winked. 

“There’s nothing here,” Suho huffed in frustration, drawing our attention. “I can sense something, but it’s like an itch I can’t scratch.” 

“We have to keep looking,” Tao pressed, even looking in the trashcan. 

“Forget it, Taozi, it’s not here.” Baekhyun leaned back in the chair too far and nearly fell but quickly regained his balance, accidentally hitting a hidden panel. 

I jumped when a door appeared where once a wall stood and it had perplexed Baekhyun to such an extent that he fell either way. 

“Whoa! This is like the movies! Daebak!” Sehun excitedly walked towards the door to examine it. It slid open when he approached it and he let out a chuckle. I’d usually appreciate enthusiasm but in this particular situation I’d say that it was misplaced. 

“Hyung, let’s go!” the maknae called out peeking his head through the door before disappearing through it completely. 

“Damn it, Sehun, wait!” Suho ran after him and we pursued them. The secret door of mystery lead us towards another laboratory, but I was feeling overwhelmed, like something was pulling me. It was difficult to describe, but we were close. Had to be. 

“Guys? I don’t feel so good,” Luhan bent over to catch his breath and Lay quickly went to check on him. “You feel it too, don’t you?” he asked the healer. 

Lay didn’t answer, but only smiled as he usually did, taking care of his older brother. 

“Um, question; how exactly do we know that this dagger isn’t bad news?” Chen pointed out, his lips. “I mean, I can feel it too and I’m nauseous.” 

I didn’t know who answered him, because I was too enthralled by the pounding in my head and my chest. I was floating forward, at least it felt that way, as if someone reached out towards me, pulling me, guiding me. 

The safe came into sight without me realizing I had walked towards it. Déjà vu. This overwhelming sensation- I felt it before. Prior to me discovering that I was a wolf. 

“Noona?” someone called so far away.

“Jae? What is it?” 

I want to go back to the beginning and show you my heart, celestial voices sang out to me. 

Run a little bit more, you’re almost there.

Don’t be scared…

I’m right-

“Here,” I breathed, my hand on the cold steel door of the vault. “It’s here. It’s- pulsating.” 

Dreadful silence filled the room as Kai stepped forward, his teleportation skills proving useful once more. He seemed surprised himself when he sensed the energy and his lips before placing his hand on the door, waiting for me to step away. I only backed off a little since the pull was too strong. 

There was no lack of concentration on Kai’s face when only his hand was riddled in dark smoke, smoothly going through the steel. He exclaimed in surprise when he felt something and ever so gently pulled back. 

Holding the velvet cloth, Kai, captivated as much as the rest of us, removed the fabric to expose this godforsaken dagger. The first time I saw it, I didn’t have time to properly look at it- heck, technically speaking we didn’t have time to do so now, but the silver was so shiny and sleek. There was a strange symbol on it, a triangle of some sorts, and it surprised me at how small and slender it really was. It somehow seemed bigger in my imagination. 

“Wow, there really is a heart on that thing,” Chanyeol reached out towards the heart-shaped seed on the tip of the hilt, but retracted his hand when it pulsated green. 

“All this trouble for a fancy toothpick?” Baekhyun shook his head and let out a shriek when an alarm sounded. 

“Chen?!” Suho yelled over the noise. 

“I deactivated everything!” he said in confusion, eyes lingering on the vault. “Oh man, it must have a system of its own…I’m sorry,” he apologized.

Meanwhile, Baekhyun rolled his eyes. “You’re kidding me! All this time and only now they set off an alarm?! Quick, put it back!” he yelled in a panic. 

“What?! No, take it with you!” Sehun pushed the dagger against Kai’s chest. 

“We should get out of here before-,” D.O. didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence as the sound of approaching footsteps caught our attention. 

“Everyone, transform, now!” Suho yelled. “Kai, we’re counting on you!” 

The yelling of a couple of men sounded from my father’s office and for a split second, I didn’t think we were going to get away with this. 

Noona, you take this, Kai waited for me to take the velvet cloth from him. I was reluctant to touch the dagger despite my attraction towards it, but I quickly held it between my jaws as swirls of black covered us one more time. 

Kai didn’t take a risk. He teleported us far away from E.T. Corp, onto the stone plateau that overlooked the forest. The usual spot. A safe place. Our haven. 

We were all out of breath, lying on the ground like that. I had clamped my hand around the object, though it hadn’t sunk in yet that we actually did it. We successfully stole the dagger from E.T. Corp. 

“Aigoo, I need a new liver. Mine dropped way too many times back there,” Chen huffed loudly. 

“What are you talking about, hyung, that was exciting!” Tao replied with sincere enthusiasm, making me wonder whether he hit his head or something. 

“Yeah!” Sehun added with the same kind of energy, while I breathed out in relief, happy that we pulled this off, damned the consequences at this moment. 

“Can we please never do that again?” Suho spoke in between taking deep breaths. “Jae, don’t ever suggest something that insane again, promise?” he added sternly before getting another meltdown. “Oh God, we’re going to jail,” he muttered to himself. 

I pulled the dagger towards me and removed the cloth so I could look at it. Odd. The triangle symbol is gone…

The green seed was glowing with light, mimicking a heartbeat. It got close, from time to time, but we did it. Luck was completely on our side for tonight. 

Well. We’ve found you. Whatever comes next, I hope it’s worth it…