XLII

As soon as Priya killed the engine of the car, she looked behind her. Raja, Rin and Eien stared back at her with blank looks. She reached out and collected the two umbrellas that were sitting in the passenger’s seat.

“You three should be careful,” she said, handing the umbrellas each to Rin and Raja. “The storm’s something.”

“Thanks Sis,” Raja said, opening the door on his side. Before he stepped out he pulled his umbrella open.

“Yep.” Priya flung an arm over the seat beside hers and watched as Rin gave Eien to Raja.

“Thanks again for your help,” Rin said before he stepped out, his umbrella opened.

Rin shut the door and they carefully moved through the busy carpark. They rushed to the entrance of the hospital which people were bursting in and out of. When they moved out of the rain, Raja dropped the little girl on the floor.

“Tell me again why we’re here?” Raja asked, shaking water from his umbrella.

“Eien has a fever and I need to buy her a few drugs,” Rin answered monotonously. He rolled the umbrella shut and held his sister’s outstretched hand. “Ready?” he said, looking down at his sister.

“Ready!” Eien chirped, bouncing on her toes.

Rin’s lips quirked just the slightest as a reaction. He looked at Raja. “Let’s go.” He pulled his sister along and they moved to the automatic doors.

Raja threw his head back and groaned “Fu—tting remind me again why I’m here.”

Rin shrugged. “I simply need a dog.”

“You are one big butt hole,” he said, looked down at Eien. He smirked lopsidedly. “Your brother’s a cute butt hole right?”

“Yes!” she replied lively. “A butt—” Eien shut up as her nose began to twitch like a bunny’s. She raised her free hand to her nose and sneezed into her elbow.

“Bless you,” Raja said as they walked in through the door.

“Thank you!”

The trio were greeted by an extremely busy hospital. Doctors were shouting orders left and right, their eyes wide. The place was in disarray and the nurses were running around, carrying out orders.

“Uh... Rin? I don’t think we’ll be attended to.” Raja gazed at Rin. “This place is in chaos right now.”

“I know.” He crouched and picked up his sister, carrying her in his arms. “We just need to get a few drugs from the pharmacy in here.”

Raja lifted a brow at him. “There’re pharmacies everywhere! Why—Rin!” Raja’s eyes grew wide as he watched his friend sift through the chaos. He shook his head and locked his jaw. “Idiot,” he hissed, rushing after them.

Rin moved to a lift and pressed a button. The lift took some time before its doors slid open after a ding. He walked in and so did Raja who secretly flipped him the bird. The doors closed and the lift started moving.

“But honestly speaking Rin,” Raja started, resting back on the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. “Why are we here? Why now? Why this particular moment?”

Rin rested his sister on his hip. “I just need to get—”

“I know, I know. You’ve said it for about how many times...” Raja gave up and threw his hands up. He moved his gaze to the lift’s buttons. Raising a brow, he asked, “Rin what floor is the pharmacy?”

“The fifth one.”

Raja moved his head to face Rin. “Isn’t that... the floor that Clover and Dae-yang are being kept?”

Rin didn’t answer him, concentrating his gaze on the lift’s doors. Once the lift stopped, they walked out. Rin and Raja raised their brows at the rowdiness before them. The chaos on the fifth floor was worse than the one on the ground floor.

“Rin are you sure that we should effing be here right now?” Raja asked in a tight voice, observing as people fought to push through the sea of bodies. When he didn’t get any reply, he looked at Rin. “Hey, are you lis—” Raja stopped talking as he saw the faraway look on Rin’s face. “Rin? Is everything okay?”

Rin shook his head and placed his fingers on his temple. “Someone is dying.”

“Someone like?”

“Someone... Someone...” Rin’s face twisted as if he was in turmoil. Eien looked at him with worry as he started heaving.

Raja held his shoulder and lightly shook him. His eyes were wide in concern. “Who’s dying?”

Rin didn’t need to answer anymore as a doctor rushed out of a room. Raja watched as the doctor tried to push people apart to get to the reception on that floor. When his efforts became fruitless, he merely shouted over his lungs.

“Call security! Tell them that the patient in room number 12 had just been murdered!” he said, his eyes wide and afraid. “Call them now!”

Raja looked at Rin with a troubled frown. “Rin is it why—?”

“Dae-yang,” Rin groaned, gripping his head. “Go to Dae-yang.”

Raja’s eyebrows pinched together as he pressed his fingers into Rin’s shoulder. “Are you sure? Will you be alright by yourself?”

“Uh-huh. Go! Before she’s killed,” Rin said in a breathy voice, slowly dropping to his knees. “Raja go!” Rin dropped his sister so she could stand beside him.

Raja was reluctant at first, peering at Rin who was twisting his head about, his hands on his temple. He squatted in front of Rin and held his shoulders.

“Hey. I can’t just leave you here.” Raja shifted to Eien and carried her. Then he held Rin’s hand and pulled him to his feet. “Come on. If we want to effing save her we need to save her together.”

Rin nodded in a broken manner and allowed Raja to drag him though the bodies.

As they fought their way down the hallway, Raja held his head high and at once spotted a hooded person who rushed into another hallway that led to the ITU, their head bent.

There, Raja thought, exerting more strength. Come on. Fucking come on. Let me go through.

The fight was tough but they finally got through it and entered the less crowded hallway of the ITU. At once, Raja sat Rin against a wall and dropped Eien beside him.

“Eien I want you to watch over your brother for me,” Raja said and Eien nodded and immediately sat beside her brother on the floor. “Rin when you get better come to her room.” Rin replied with a weak nod and Raja patted his shoulder before he stood and left.

As Raja rushed though the hallway, taking his yo-yo out of his pocket. He rolled out its strand and hooked its loop around his index finger. Raja searched every room, finding nothing except worried-looking patients and nurses attending to patients. But when he reached a certain room, the door was locked.

Raja knocked on the door. “Hello? Are you okay in there?”

There was no reply and he pressed his ear to the door. There was no sound and he stepped away from the door. Raja was a good metre away from it when he suddenly heard a loud clatter. He rushed back to the door.

“Hello? Is everything al—”

“Get away from me!” the person said and Raja’s eyes widened as he recognized the voice as Dae-yang’s.

He began to ram his side into the door. “Shit!” he hissed, shuffling away from the door.

He bounced on the balls of his feet before he ran into the door. It didn’t budge and he did it again. When he did it the third time, the lock weakened. He raised his leg and booted it. The scuffling behind began to dwindle and soon it was only silence that remained.

“Fuck!”

Once Raja tried again, the door bursted open. His eyes immediately caught sight of the masked attacker. In a heartbeat, he held the spindle of the yo-yo in his other hand and pressed the button on it. At once, the yo-yo’s wire lighted up like burning coal.

On the other end of the room was the attacker. They were holding a hand over Dae-hyun’s mouth, a bloodied knife against his throat. Under their foot was Dae-yang who was groaning, clutching her side that was bleeding, her white garment painted deep red by her blood.

Raja sneered at the person. “Let them go,” he growled, snapping his yo-yo tautly.

The person cocked their head, raised their foot and harshly booted Dae-yang’s side. Dae-yang screamed in pain, tears rolling down her face. This made Raja growl, dashing forward. The person stayed put, watching as Raja raised his weapon. When he was close enough, they threw Dae-hyun at him. Dae-hyun cried out loudly, flying into Raja. Raja carefully caught him, his eyes still on the person.

The attacker stepped over Dae-yang and leapt at Raja. Raja stepped aside, using his side and shoulder to block the person. The person raised their knife and dug it into Raja’s bicep. He hissed and spun around. This made way for the person and they rushed to the door.

Raja swiftly crouched and dropped Dae-hyun on the floor. He was quick with his actions, standing to run after the person, pressing his finger on the spindle’s button. The yo-yo’s string lighted up as he kicked the table the person was trying to jump over. The wood caught the person’s toe and they stumbled, still reaching out for the door.

Raja held his yo-yo in his hands, jumping over the table, growling angrily. He was close enough when he unhanded the spindle, twirled it around over his head and then reached out for the person with it. It caught the person’s wrist, snugly wrapping itself around it. And immediately, it began to burn through the material of their hoodie. The person was still trying to run but Raja kept a good grip on his yo-yo, keeping the person back. The person was still making for the door as they began to tug their hand, the strand burning through their cloth. When the person gripped the wire with their other hand, it burned through the outer layer of their skin and Raja smirked wildly as they hissed in pain.

“It’s thermo-cut wire and it’ll fucking cut off your wrist if you keep on fighting,” he said, tugging the person closer with the wire. “Now stop fucking fighting and stay put.”

The person stopped struggling and cocked their head, their masked face hiding whatever emotion that was displayed on their face. They dropped their gaze on the wire, raised their knife and began to cut through the wire.

Raja hmmed and leapt closer. He twisted around, dragging the person closer. They held out their knife and Raja dodged it, holding their hand in place under his armpit. He leaned back, his face enraged as he headbutted the person. The person shuddered in pain and Raja smirked. He held the person’s other hand, keeping a great grip on them.

He smirked again. “Judging by your fucking lack of swift coordination, I’m pretty sure that you’re knew to this. And that you fucking aren’t the same as the other.” He tugged the person closer as he began to smell burnt flesh. White smoke was already wafting from the person’s hand. They were trembling as he closely looked at them. “So... why are you fucking killing people?” he said, pressing his feet into the tiled floor as he carried the person off their feet and threw them over his shoulder.

The person’s drop was stiffened by the thermo-cut wire that was roasting their flesh. They began to writhe in pain, dropping their knife and going down on their knees.

Raja snickered dryly. He tugged the wire closer to himself and the person followed suit, trembling in fear. “If you fucking want to save a hand then start talking and show your face or I’m going to send you back to your leader in shre—”

The person forcefully pulled off the mask. Raja froze, his eyes wide as he clearly saw the person’s face, their hood falling back.

Raja swallowed. “Jianbing?”

Jianbing was crying severely, her face wet. “P-Please Raja s-spare me. I w-was sent. It’s not me.”

Behind the two of them, a sound that was of a gasp, a groan and a surprised whimper sounded.

“Jianbing?” Dae-yang said breathily, holding onto her side. Her tears became more and their journey down her face became quicker. Her eyes were wide and was filled with rage mixed with shock and pain. “You... killed my parents?”

She shook her head. “It... w-wasn’t me. Th-That person had been Duan. I-It was Duan.”

Raja regained his composure, a ghastly frown on his face. “Duan?” He gritted his teeth and angrily tugged the wire closer; Jianbing shouted in pain. “How are we not sure that you’re ly—”

“It’s true!” she cried, trying to pry off the wire only to get her fingers burnt. Her flesh was already visible and blood was soaking the wire. “M-Mr. Marshall s-sent us.” The wire began to bury itself in her flesh. Her eyes widened. “Oh m-my goodness he’s our l-leader!”

Raja’s shoulders fell. “What?” he asked in shock, his voice small.

Dae-yang gasped sharply and cried, “why would you do such a thing?”

“H-He abducted my f-family and threatened to k-kill them!”

Raja kept his eyes on Jianbing, watching as the wire melted her flesh. A sharp gasp sounded by the door and he looked behind. His eyebrows flew up as he saw Rin leaning against the doorframe. He was clutching his head, tears rolling down his face.

“What are you doing—?”

“Call Orpheus!” he said though his teeth. “Tell him... that Kimi’s going to die.”

*

Ravenna hummed a quiet tune as she used a wet rag to clean Aurum’s sleeping face. As she softly patted the rag on his forehead, she suddenly stopped humming and sighed. She took the rag away and put it in the bowl that was on the bedside table.

“Is he going to wake up this time around?” she asked softly, staring behind her at Caim who was stood by the foot of the bed, his hands behind his back.

Caim softly exhaled, his eyes glowing a little in the dim room. “I don’t know,” he said quietly.

“Right.” Ravenna heaved another sigh, turning back to the bowl. “You know... Aurum really needs to survive this... death sentence,” she said, squeezing water from the rag. Then she picked up Aurum’s hand, bringing the rag to his hand. She started cleaning in between his fingers. “I’ve known Aurum since I was a little girl.” She laughed a little. “I don’t know whether to call him my father or my son. Now”—she blinked away the tears that wear gathering in her eyes—“he looks more like a corpse than a living being,” she said, referring to his pale complexion that made him look like a sheet of white paper.

The next few minutes was filled with silence as Ravenna quietly cleaned him up, Caim overseeing everything with a blank face. When she was done, she gave Aurum one last look and walked out of the room, the bowl in her hand, a hand to her face, wiping off her tears.

Caim remained in the room, watching over his sleeping lord. Not even the sound of breathing could be heard from either of them as he kept his eyes on Aurum. With his sharp senses, he heard the silent footsteps of someone coming towards the room.

“Come in,” Caim said before the person behind the doors could even knock.

The person pushed the doors open and entered. The person bowed. “I have come to report to you as Lord Caedis’s second-in-command.” He hummed and the person continued. “The changeling has awoken.”

Caim slowly cocked an eyebrow. He hummed again and said, “you may leave.” He heard as the person exited the room. Once the doors were shut behind them, Caim cracked his neck. “I wish I could kill him for you but I can’t and you need him so that you could know who tried to kill your beloved.” His eyes twitched softly. “If only you were awake.”

Caim stayed a few more seconds before he turned to the doors. He was almost close to them when he heard Aurum take a sharp intake of breath. He heard shuffling sounds and turned to watch as Aurum sat up. Caim spun on his feet and bowed.

“Lord Caedis.”

Aurum grunted, lazily throwing the blanket off himself. He squinted, looking around. “Where’s... Kimi?” he asked silently, his voice dry.

“In school.”

Aurum grunted, rubbing his face with his palm. “What’s different? Five years?”

“No. Nothing changed expect for the fact that the changeling is awake.”

Aurum paused his hand and his eyes narrowed. “Good.”

Caim sped to Aurum as he tried to get out of the bed. He helped Aurum to his feet and Aurum pulled away.

“Go and call the cadaver that I ordered to watch over him.”

Caim dipped his head and sped out of the room. The double doors were still trying to move due to his speed when he and the cadaver sped into the room.

The cadaver’s eyes widened in disbelief. They swiftly bowed. “Lord Caedis welcome b—”

“Beat it and take me to the changeling,” he said through his teeth.

The cadaver flinched. “O-Okay.”

Aurum walked out of the room and the cadaver followed behind him, Caim following behind the both of them. As they walked through the hallway, cadavers from all corners bowed to greet Aurum but he gave no reply, his insides boiling with the need to see Duan. The cadaver led them to one of the mansion’s basements.

“I’ll take it from here,” he said, staring coldly at the hatch that was in the middle of the room. “Caim I want you to make sure that nobody enters here.”

“Yes Lord Caedis.”

Aurum crouched and opened the hatch. As soon as it cracked open by a hair’s breath, a pungent smell throttled out of the underground area and into Aurum’s nostrils. He threw it open and walked down the steps before him.

Aurum found his way through the dark, winding hallways, his eyes glowing in the dark. Once he reached a part and turned the corner, he was met with another stair and walked down it. Before he could even step off the last stair, he clearly spotted Duan sitting with his back humped against the wall in the far end of the cell that he was locked in. It was a mere few steps away from Aurum in the cracked pathway.

Aurum clicked his tongue in irritation. “This one," he whispered in Latin.

Aurum’s eyes narrowed as he sped to the cell’s metal bars, pushed it open with brutal force and went for Duan. Duan was only looking up to gasp when lightly Aurum held his face up by his chin, the sound of the door completely swinging open behind Aurum.

Duan gulped loudly, his scared, green eyes were glowing in the dark. “P-please... don’t kill me,” he croaked, rubbing his palms together.

Aurum cocked a brow. “Oh really?” He clenched his jaw and pressed his fingernails into Duan’s flesh, allowing his claw to grow within his flesh. Lots of blood spilled and rolled down his fingers and into his palm. “But you hadn’t thought twice before you had tried to kill Kimi.”

“It hadn’t been me! It was someone else!” he said in a frightened tone, wincing in pain, his eyes wide in fear.

“What difference does it make? You both serve the same purpose in order to achieve your group’s goal and that is to kill.” He deepened his fingers, leaning forward, the back of Duan’s head pressing into the wall. “So, if you want to live, I have but one question.” He leaned closer to his face and snarled, “who had sent you?”

Author’s Note: secrets are always existing in plain sight. 😀 Please vote, comment your thoughts and share.