CHAPTER THIRTY
FAULTS!

❝ CAN YOU PERHAPS... I DON'T KNOW...
READ MINDS? ❞

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That day.

We all had that day marked in our minds forever. That single day that managed to outshine others for how peculiar it went—how things managed to change ever since that day. Events that day could've went wrong or could've went perfectly fine, however, memories collected became impossible to forget due to how significant they had become in our lives for causing such a huge shift.

In their case, that day was too memorable that they went out of limits just to forget about it. Nothing went perfectly fine thus that day was labeled a huge tragedy.

A tragedy that none of them wanted to happen yet how could they possibly forget that day when the bloody trail and the screams haunted them till this day.

The sound of the rain harshly pattering against their skin as they tried to run to the forest of trees for coverage, hoping that no one would capture them there. He had a gut feeling they were being followed, but why? How come they were being followed when they were sure enough they covered their tracks. No one said anything and no one knew anything but them.

Unless, some mouths talked more than they have should.

"What are we going to do? We can't stay in this forest for long— we're going to lose the others."

"We can't do anything about it, Jungwoo. We're being followed—"

"Obviously! As if we don't know about that already! That's why we should leave now or else they'll catch up on us." The younger boy argued back, a deep frown situated on the lower half of his face as he furrowed his brows together. The air was getting cold and the rain didn't seem like it was about to stop any sooner. The sun was slowly seeping away and by the time night has fallen, it would be harder for them to travel through the dark.

Which why he kept on suggesting to move forward.

"If we leave now we are not sure we'll arrive on time when the rain is pouring like this! We won't be able to stand the cold, look at them!"

"But Yuta—"

"Save it, Jungwoo! We have to take shelter first. We can't risk the girls getting sick— especially Sera. She has been feeling weak ever since we left the base and—"

"And that's why we need to go! What will we do if Kasdeya's soldiers managed to find us here!? This forest isn't that far from the barrier. I'm sure we'll be able to take shelter in the ruins instead—" The younger boy was cut off as he fell backwards with a loud crush against the leaves. He groaned in pain, a metallic taste to touch his tongue as his lips bled. He squinted his eyes, looking up at Yuta who continued to glower down at hin.

"Are you trying to disobey me? I'm in charge of this group."

"If you were really in change you'd take my opinion without problem, or is this because of Sera?"

Yuta scoffed, "What?"

Jungwoo rolled his eyes and balled his fists, annoyance igniting the fire he desperately tried to take out. They had no time for petty fights, not when they were in a situation where their life was on the line, yet their actions kept speaking louder than their own words.

"You really think you can keep Sera safe?"

Yuta cackled, "I don't think I can keep Sera safe. I know I can."

"Then think what's best! We don't have much time, Yuta! If you really want to keep her safe then we have to take shelter in the ruins!" Jungwoo yelled, the bad feeling rising up in the pits of his stomach more than it should. He could feel like something was coming and it wasn't something to welcome with open arms.

"Shut up!" Yuta hissed, crouching down and harshly placing his palm over the younger's mouth, forbidding him from talking.

Jungwoo's eyes widened in fright as he fought back, prying away from Yuta's forceful arms. He was feeling sick of how controlling he was. It had always been him, even Ten would agree.

When he managed to pry the older's hand off, he took a deep breath and pushed him away, his chest heaving up and down as worry start to pile up. His head was spinning, he was frantic on what to do first.

"I–I hear footsteps." He murmured and hastily grabbed Yuta's arm, tugging him to where the others were currently hiding.

"Impossible. I made sure—"

"There were footsteps!" Jungwoo cuts him off and eyed him with frightened eyes which caused him to shut up. Yuta may have not liked Jungwoo but he couldn't doubt Jungwoo's senses. He may not have been born gifted like a specific kid in the group but he had enhanced senses that ignited other's envy.

"What do you mean there are footsteps?" A girlish voice broke into their conversation and they both snapped their heads towards her. Despite those curious yet tired eyes, her damp pitch-black hair, pale complexion, and purplish hued lips, it still made her attractive to them yet worry filtered through their voices up seeing how sick she had become.

"There's nothing to worry about, Seraphina."

The said girl hissed and lightly smacked the top of Yuta's head. "Stop calling me that."

Jungwoo shook his head and couldn't help but smirk at the older boy. He turned to the girl and flashed her a small smile, about to speak when she gasped. "Is that blood? Where did you get that cut? We should tend to it—"

He shakes his head once more, refusing her offer. "It's just a small cut. It's nothing."

"But you have a bruise on your cheek, Jungwoo!"

"It's nothing. Right, Yuta?"

"I swear you two—"

"THEY MUST HAVE TAKEN SHELTER IN THE FOREST, SIR!"

The three froze up upon hearing an unfamiliar voice not quite far from where they hid. Jungwoo cursed under his breath and grabbed onto Sera's arm firmly. "I told you taking shelter in the forest was a bad idea!" He scoffed as they headed closer to where the rest of the group was.

"Boys? What's going on...?" An older, more mature voice spoke.

"We have to move now. UA soldiers are near... we need to go now." Yuta ordered and with that everyone began to grab their things and move in a hurry despite the weather and the unclear path.

Jungwoo sighed harshly, "If only we did this earlier—"

"Can you please stop?!" Yuta glowered, stopping in his tracks.

"No! Not when we could've—"

"THEY'RE HERE!!"

The next few scenes were such a blur with how everything happened so quickly. The screams, the sound of guns, bodies being thrown onto the ground, the cries, the amount of blood, and those last few moments.

"Are we gonna be okay?" a soft yet weak voice belonging to a girl asked.

"Do you trust me?"

"We're gonna be okay. And if not us, then just you."

"What's going to happen? You won't let go right?"

"I–I can't promise you. But I will do anything to save you, you know that."

And he did do everything he could. But alas, luck wasn't on their side that day as their whole world shifted and darkness pulled them in.

"What are you doing here?"

Sera had snapped out of her trance as the cold air blew past her, almost harshly at that. She had been staring out into the distance from the balcony after having a talk with Jungwoo, she still had a lot of queries she wished to be answered.

She glances over her shoulder, seeing someone she would least likely thought to be checking up on her, that is if he was checking up on her. Guessing by the surprised look on his face, he just happened to be passing by and had gotten curious.

"Renjun."

"Mhm... that's my name," Renjun murmured and took a few steps towards her, finding her a bit more peculiar. At first, he didn't want to be linked to anyone else but his dearest friends but after helping Sera realize something, suddenly he felt like there was more to her story.

"Did you happen to just pass by?" Sera asked, knowing that Renjun was a closed-off person that didn't really like meddling with other people. But who was she to judge that based on what the boy had acted around her?

What surprised her when the boy managed to chuckle, a small smile on his face as he shook his head, mustering the courage to stand beside the girl and lean against the metal railings of the balcony. "Not really. I knew you'd be here talking to Jungwoo."

"Huh?" Sera's face was perplexed. "Knew?"

Renjun rolled his eyes and gently tapped the temple of his head. "I'm smart, remember."

"Smart. Tsk, yeah, right. What is it with that anyway?"

"Precognition. I have foresight on things... If I want to look into the future, I can."

Sera gaped at the boy beside her. Knowing that Yangyang could read minds was one thing. She thought that all of them could do that, but now she's guessing that each of them must have a different role, or should she say ability.

"It's not the only thing I have..." Renjun uttered. "I have others, though I'd rather not share... for now." He mumbled and glanced at her, when their eyes meet he cleared his throat and reluctantly looked away.

"It seems like you have a lot in mind... yes?"

Sera hummed, "A bit. All of this is confusing and new."

"New? But... I heard that—" the boy paused from talking, looking back at her, and tried to look into her deeply. No, this wasn't done using any sort of ability he has but rather just looking into her eyes as if reading and checking for any sort of emotion in them.

Renjun may not be as observant as Yunseo but he had a fair share of observation skills he had picked up from the plantation they came from. He pursed his lips together and examined her face, was it just now did he notice how attractive she was in a way? He shakes his head, not wanting to entertain that thought. He didn't want to get attached. Never, his brain said.

"What did you hear about me?"

"Well, just the usual. That you were brainwashed back then, of course."

"Ahh... that. Anything else?"

Renjun shook his head, "No, nothing else. We have no room for gossip, Sera."

"But can I ask why you made me realize that?"

Renjun chuckled once more. Sera was indeed someone peculiar. He didn't know why he was doing what he was doing now and why he was on the balcony talking to her but it felt like peace.

"You've already asked me so there's no point in not answering the question. I actually... don't know either. I just felt like— like I had to."

"I may not know what it exactly feels like for you but I to me, not knowing something about myself is just frustrating. I don't like secrets being kept especially if they were about me and knowing that everyone has been doing that to you lately... maybe it ticked me off, you know?"

A long silence fell in between them. The boy didn't really expect a response from her and instead just enjoyed the serene atmosphere. On the other hand, Sera felt the opposite. She couldn't stand the silence and she couldn't suppress the urge to ask for more. Maybe because she felt like it still wasn't complete—it was far from complete and she hated the wait.

"Hey..."

"Hmm?" Renjun raised a brow, glancing at her.

"Can you perhaps... I don't know... Read minds?"

Renjun coughed, punching his chest as he got taken aback by the question. No one had really asked him about that, not that anyone ever asks him personal questions about himself. However, that was the first time someone had questioned his abilities.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, Yangyang can read minds, right? Perhaps maybe you can too."

It was a secret. It was supposed to be a secret. Him reading minds. Even his close friends knew he wasn't able to do that. Back at the plantation, it was recorded that the seven of them could only hold three abilities each. That was what the facilities know. That was what they know about each other, but on their own... they knew more than expected.

When the boy wasn't responding, Sera was afraid to have hit something that she wasn't supposed to. Sera grimaced, reaching up to scratch the side of her head as she thought of what to do.

"I'm sorry! I just— I didn't mean to— was I not supposed to ask about that? And I was just curious—OW! Hey!" Sera yelps as the boy flick her forehead, not too hard but enough to stop her from her rambling. She frowns and rubs the spot he had flicked, giving him a raised brow. "What was that for?"

"You're so loud." Renjun scoffed and crossed his arms. "Also, it's fine. It doesn't really matter."

"I can keep it a secret."

He rolled his eyes and looked away, "As if."

"Hey! I'm good at keeping secrets."

Renjun pursed his lips, looking back at her with a face full of judgement. He tilts his head a bit to the side as if to ponder making her huff and nudge him playfully, allowing a laugh to escape from his lips. Something about her and making me laugh, huh? You're so amusing, Lee Sera.

"Well?"

"Okay, if you say so. Although you do know I can find out if you managed to fail in keeping my secret, right?"

"Please, as if I'll fail. I promise I won't." She grinned but then gets confused when Renjun stuck out his pinky at her. He offers his hand to which she let him take hers as he intertwines their pinkies together. "What's this?"

"A pinky promise. You don't know that?" Renjun asked to which she declines by shaking her head. He hummed shortly, his pink clutching onto hers. "It's a way to seal a promise. And you've sealed yours so don't you go dare and break it." He warned her, a smug smile on his face.

"Alright, don't you worry about that." She chuckled and eyed their connected pinkies before Renjun decided to let go and look away once more. Despite already showing a different side of him, Sera could tell that Renjun still had a hard time expressing himself to her, not that he should but it was good to see someone so different from the boy who had been rude to her since the first day.

"I apologize for my rude behavior back then. It's just... we just never know who to actually trust, right? But after knowing who you actually are—not that I really know who you are—I think it's safe to let my guard down."

"It's fine, I understand, Renjun," Sera said and nodded her head.

"Also... yes. I can read minds or whatsoever relates to a living being's mind... What about it?"

Sera contemplated for a bit whether or not to ask him about it, but then again, why not? She didn't want to hold back now. She had no idea what was happening in the next few days but she surely didn't want to leave this place without knowing or gaining anything.

"Could you try and look into my mind?"

Renjun rubbed his nape as he thought about her request. It wasn't usually a problem as he could in fact look right into her mind with ease, but knowing she had been brainwashed was the thing blocking him from accepting her request. He has not yet been able to look into the mind of someone who had been brainwashed. For starters, he had no idea what he would possibly see nor what he would possibly feel.

"Look I know it's—"

"I'll try... but I'm not a hundred percent sure if I'd be able to get anything. What are you trying to look for anyway?"

Sera smiled sadly, "I want to know what caused it. I mean... something must've happened right? Why did I get brainwashed? Was I caught or something?"

Renjun took a deep breath, "I'll see what I can find." And he did. He tried to. But her mind was blank. It was dark and ruined. There were memories here and there, shattered pieces and the recent ones, but other than that, it felt like he was going in circles in her mind.

Everywhere he turned was nothing but pitch-black darkness. He couldn't see anything. He tried to go around but the aching pain he felt on the back of his head told him to stop. He felt like he was going to go sick and that's when he pulled away.

He panted, dropping onto the ground as he held onto his chest. "I'm sorry... I couldn't—" as he looks up his eyes grew wide as he hurried to catch her fall. "Sera?"

"Sera?"

"Sera? Wake up." He tried to shake her.

"Sera! Sera, I swear, wake up right now!" When there were no signs of waking up he knew something went wrong.

"Shit."

"Sera, I'm back— Renjun? Where's— What happened!?" Jungwoo questioned as he hurried towards them, feeling Sera's skin and winced when he felt like it burned. He furrowed his brows and looked at Renjun, "She's burning. Is she not burning you?"

Renjun winced, "She is but I can manage. I don't think it's anything too extreme."

"Take her to the medical bay. I'm gonna go look for her brother."

Renjun nodded and without another word left while carrying the girl in his arms. Jungwoo almost couldn't register what had just happened. He had no idea what was Renjun doing there before but he was thankful that someone was there unless Renjun had something to do with Sera collapsing again. He didn't want to assume but it could be true.

All Jungwoo could think of was that day. He had almost told the story to Sera yet a part of him struggled to do so. As he ran down the hallways of the base in search of her brother, a new arrival to the team would cause another shift to happen and change in their paths.

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