chapter seventeen / shipchil
Lost
(017)

The plan was to stay at Yani's place for a few days, get some rest, and recover from our previous journey before setting off to battle with the next boss.

That was the plan, but if I've learned anything in my nineteen years of experience, things rarely ever go as planned. When I was six years old, me and my mom had planned a day trip to the aquarium, but that day wasn't filled with beautiful, exotic sea creatures, different colors of coral, and a blue reflective hue coming from fish tanks. No, it was filled with the red stain of blood, a totaled car, the stale atmosphere of a hospital room, and the panic I felt in my chest when I discovered I couldn't get my legs to move. Just a few weeks ago, my plan was to log out of the video game to spend time with my mother, but obviously, that plan never came to fruition because I'm still here. I didn't plan to become best friends with the seven strange boys that I met in Cafe 13, but now, I can't imagine my life without them.

Another plan of mine was to sleep in today. Yesterday had been busy with excitement and sending messages to our loved ones, but now that I finally had a chance to rest, I was going to take it. Well, that's what I had planned on doing, but again, plans rarely ever succeed.

"Kai," I hear a worried voice echo through the house. I try to ignore it and go back to sleep, but not long after, I hear the voice again. "Kai! Where are you?" I hear quickened footsteps approaching the bedroom door. Then there's one loud knock. Before I can even answer for the person to come in, the door is burst wide open.

I see a disheveled Yani, fear and worry etched into every inch of her face, making her look like almost a completely different person since I'm so used to the carefree, brave attitude from the girl before me. The look in her eyes is enough to make my skin crawl with fear.

"Have you seen Kai?" She almost yells.

"The only thing I've seen for the past few hours is the inside of my eyelids," Yoongi groans annoyedly, his voice muffled by his pillow. Yani doesn't even acknowledge Yoongi's smart comment.

"I can't find him anywhere, and all of my Eleuro coins, weapons, and potions are missing." I can tell that the girl before me is only moments away from breaking down, and it's unsettling to say the least. I jump out of bed and rush to her side. I'm not really sure how to comfort her, as we aren't very close, but I still feel the need to try. I awkwardly rub her back, and at the sudden contact, her whole frame weighs down and leans into me. She doesn't cry, but I can feel her trembling. I purse my lips into a thin line, knowing that we have to help the girl who has shown us hospitality.

"Don't panic," I say in the warmest tone I can muster, "we'll get Kai back." I turn back to look at Jungkook, about to request his assistance, but before I can say anything, he's already sitting up in his bed, the blue glow of his holopad shining on his skin as he taps furiously on the screen, his brows knitted in concentration

"Already on it," he replies to my unspoken request. While Jungkook searches for the missing boy, I notice how anxious Yani is by the way she bites harshly on her bottom lip, the way she grips the hem of her shirt, causing her knuckles to turn white.

"I found him," Jungkook exclaims. Yani perks up next to me. "He's in a place called Genkaku."

"Genkaku? Where's that, and why's he there?" Yani questions.

"The next boss is there." We all turn to look at Hoseok, surprised that he was the one to answer. "I've already read about the next boss. It's in Genkaku, and I bet you anything your brother went there to take on the boss. I can tell you now, if we don't get him back soon, things aren't going to end well for Kai."

"Can't you just teleport Kai back?" I ask Jungkook.

He shakes his head. "I've already tried that. The kid must've put a block on letting anyone teleport him. I could hack past it, of course, but it might take a while; this thing is pretty legit. By the time I get past the block, it might be too late."

The room grows heavy with unease. We all come to the conclusion that Kai's best option for survival would be for us to go after him before anything bad happens.

"Hoseok, can you tell me anything else about the next boss?" Yani inquires with fiery determination.

Hoseok fills us in on everything he knows about the boss. Apparently, the boss is someone that uses hallucinations on players. With just the touch of a finger, it can get players to see whatever it chooses. It doesn't even have to fight you, because the hallucinations can cause players to turn on each other, to fight themselves. I'd definitely want to have an ally by my side going into that place. If I were to fall under the spell of the boss, who knows what might happen. It's a place you go into with someone you can trust by your side. The problem is Kai went by himself. He doesn't have anyone to watch his back, to pull him out if things get bleak. That's why we have to go after him before it's too late.

Yani doesn't request our help, but she doesn't have to. She's shown us kindness and welcomed us into her home. I consider her more than just an ally, she's a friend, and friends help each other out.

I don't waste any time gathering all of my things and preparing my weapons for a fight. Once we're all ready, we leave Yani's house and head to the nearest air train station. It's difficult to keep up with Yani's fast pace, but I don't ask her to slow down for us, knowing the anxiety she must fill in the pit of her stomach won't allow her to adjust her speed.

I sit next to her on the train, taking note of her tense muscles, her clenched jaw, her shaking knee, and her distant gaze. I want to comfort her, feeling utterly helpless in this situation, but I don't know her very well. I don't know what I can give her that would be of any help. I rack my brain, searching for some words that might lighten the gloomy aura that surrounds her very being, but I know that there's nothing I can say to bring back her cheer; the only thing that can do that is having her brother back by her side.

When we arrive in Genkaku, the bell rings over the intercom and the doors slide open. In the blink of an eye, Yani is up from her seat, and out the door. The boys and I all rush to catch up to her.

"Yani," Yoongi calls, slightly out of breath as he tries to match her lightning fast pace, "I know you're desperate to help your brother, but please don't go off by yourself. I think you know as well as any of us that this isn't just a game anymore. Don't forget that our lives are on the line."

"I haven't forgotten. That's why I need to find Kai."

"Yeah, but I'm just making sure you don't forget about yourself. We're here to help you, so don't try to be the hero and go off on your own."

Yani clenches her jaw and narrows her eyes, clearly frustrated. I can tell that she feels we'll only hold her back in her mission, but still, she doesn't argue with Yoongi. I'm glad. I don't want to lose anyone today, nor any day. Our chances will be better if we stay together and watch each other's backs. No boss is going to cause the demise of any of my friends if I can do anything about it.

This is probably the closest we've been able to get a train to take us to the actual boss. If we could take the train all the way there, it would only be one more stop to get to our destination. All we'd have to do is go from the above ground train station, to the one down below. While we take the air train, the boss is in a subway station underground. Of course, now that there's a being that causes disturbing dreams and hallucinations, there's no one that will take you down there, so the station is abandoned.

It doesn't take a very long walk to come upon a staircase that leads below ground. It hasn't been very long since this place had been evacuated and abandoned, but thick, tangled vines of ivy crawled along the railing of the stairs.

As we traveled down to the subway station, I noticed that the air grew thick and slightly musky. The glow of sickeningly bright luminescent lighting hums as it flickers on and off. Though it's warm down here, I feel a shiver go down my spine whenever the light wavers. I silently remind myself that we're no longer at the museum in Kage, and the darkness isn't what I have to fear. No, there's a completely different enemy that I must face this time. The terrible anxiety I feel building in my chest, due to the perpetual feeling of being unprepared for the dangers I'm meeting head on, makes it slightly difficult to breathe. I grab Namjoon's hand, and immediately, I feel a slight sense of peace come over me when he squeezes my hand in reassurance and offers me a gentle smile.

"I've got information from other gamers that says the boss is in the North 506 train, so if we start heading North, we should find Kai," Jungkook states. Yani only responds with a simple nod, and starts heading in the direction Jungkook spoke of. We follow behind her, the air growing silent. I wonder if they're thinking the same thing I am. Jungkook is right, we should find Kai if we go in this direction, but I'm not sure if we'll find him dead or alive. Of course, no one will say it out loud, even if they are thinking it, because for Yani, the only possible outcome is to find Kai alive and well. Death isn't even an option that pops up into her mind, I'm sure. I hope, for her sake and Kai's, that we won't have to face that option.

We walk along the tracks. Even though trains don't run through here anymore, part of me feels like it's not safe to be here, as if any moment, I'll see the bright lights of the train shining through the tunnel, coming straight for us. Instead of the hissing of the train running across the metal on the tracks, the ringing from the doors, I hear just the sounds of our feet hitting the ground, and the occasional drop of water from the ceiling.

"I can still see Kai's gamer tag, so he's still okay. We should be able to get to him in time," Jungkook tries to assure Yani. His comment doesn't seem to put her at ease.

"How much further?" Yani asks to no one in particular, her eyes glued straight in front of her.

"We've got about another mile," Jungkook answers. Yani let's out a huff of exasperation in response. I know she must feel like this tunnel stretches on indefinitely.

Though my heart is pounding from the exertion on my body, and my thighs are burning, Yani continuously speeds up, relentlessly pressing forward, nothing mattering except finding her brother and getting him to safety. I want to help him too, but my muscles won't complain when this is all over.

It takes a while, but eventually, I can start to make out a silver train sitting on top of the rusted tracks. The lights inside of it are on, but it's still too far for me to see if anyone is inside. We'll have to investigate to see if someone is in there. I gulp, hoping that if we do find anyone, it'll be Kai, not the boss.

My wish did come true, and at first, in a better way than I wanted. We did find Kai, but not in the train. He came to us from around a corner. His sudden appearance nearly causing my heart to explode. I had to bite on my tongue to avoid screaming.

"It's Kai!" I exclaimed. As soon as the words left my mouth, Yani froze beside me, turning to see the boy I was gawking at. Her features brightened in relief and joy. Even though she was angry with him for going to such a dangerous place by himself, all of those negative emotions seemed to fade away when she caught sight of her beloved brother. She began to run to him, but before she could embrace the younger boy, Yoongi grabbed onto her wrist and pulled her back. She looked at him with annoyance, but before she could question his actions, Yoongi spoke.

"Something's not right," he explained to Yani.

He was right. At a second glance, putting aside our feelings of elation, I could see what he meant. Kai stood completely still, his muscles locked and tense, resembling a statue. His skin took a sickly pale color, and his eyes were void of any emotion, the only thing they showed was a strange reddish tint. He cocked his head to the side as he studied us.

Yani's smile fell. "Kai, are you feeling alright?" She pulled her wrist from Yoongi's grasp and walked to the boy despite our protest.

Kai didn't say anything, he only continued to stare at his older sister. She had a welcoming smile on her face as she knelt down to meet his eye level. Yani cupped his cheeks into her hands as she spoke to him softly, her voice as sweet as honey.

"Hey kiddo! We came to get you. Why don't we go home where it's safer?" I stood at the tips of my toes, ready to spring to action. Something didn't feel right about Kai. I know Yani would never believe it unless he did anything to give her solid proof. So far he hadn't done anything to warrant any action on our part, but you can never be too careful when it comes to this game.

A spark of recognition flickered in the boy's eyes. "Beatrice," he whispered. I concluded that must be her real name, but Yani didn't rebuke him for using it this time. Instead, a warm smile rose on her face as she nodded her head in delight.

"Yes, Gavin," she beamed, "it's me!"

The boy returned her smile, and for a second, I thought my suspicions were groundless. That is until my eyes landed on the glint across the blade in Kai's hand. Especially after I saw him drive that blade into Yani's stomach, blood almost immediately trickling out from her wound, onto the weapon in her brother's hand.

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A/N -

Hahaha whoops... did I leave you on a cliffhanger? My bad.

It feels like it's been quite a while since I've updated this story. I've been really busy with work, school, and I'm a judge in the airplane awards, so I've been trying to get my scorecards ready. Check it out if you'd like! It's in my "Awards" reading list.

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Peace out my daffodils ✌