The tension of the team was a drastic opposite of the carefree and unbothered behaviour of the palace's inhabitants. Seonghwa affirmed to them that the laughter and joyful conversation they heard from downstairs was anything but real. The working people in this place had learned to shut off their eyes and ears at the right moment, and their silence was the only protection they could uphold.

Jongho believed that they had everything accounted for. They crept over the carpet soundlessly and glimpsed around every corner before they proceeded. When a door next to them opened at once to spill guards over them like the plague, Jongho stood petrified with surprise for a moment. Nobody dared to move, and the guards looked at them just as puzzled as they were.

Until suddenly, they all moved in unison.

The first man went down when Jongho's heavy body hit him, and another one got apprehended by Seonghwa and Mingi. However, the third slipped through San's fingers and wrestled with Yeosang instead. Another one grabbed Seonghwa from behind as if his life depended on it, while the last one stood, bewildered, and looked between Wooyoung and the way they had come from.

"What's going on here?! Who are these men? Did you get taken as a hostage? Also, that guy looks eerily familiar..."

Jongho's fist connected with the face of his offender as they crashed against a wall. In a mess of limbs and shouts, they floundered around. The other groups were off none the better, and Jongho's muscles strained from the effort.

"Grab him, Wooyoung! They are getting too loud!"

Mingi hissed at the guard as he and San tried to free Seonghwa from the guards' clutches. Both of them kept sending hectic glances at Yeosang, who struggled as he got pushed against a wall.

This was finally the message that the guard needed. Jongho was struck in the stomach when his escaping distracted him momentarily. He groaned around the pain before he hit back with his metallic fist.

"Go after him! Anybody who can, quick-" He didn't get to pull his gun and do it himself because the man holding him grabbed his wrist before that. Huffing, they fought for the upper hand.

From one moment to the next, the once pristine corridor got defiled by their ruthless fists and dirty tricks. Unsurprisingly, Jongho and Mingi finished with their opponents first. As Jongho lunged to help Yeosang in his desperate cries, Mingi sped off to try and catch up with the other guard. However, just when he wanted to round the corner and Jongho freed Yeosang's hair from the guard's grip, a horrified squeak sounded from Mingi.

"What is it, shoot him before he-" Wooyoung froze in his speech when he saw what the rest of them were seeing.

Three automatons, coming from the right where the man had run left. Their dead eyes focused directly on Mingi and lit his face with pale blue light as they stared down at him like the horrendous abominations that they were.

Time froze for a moment. As if its clockwork had slowed its steady movements or a hand had gotten stuck between two cyphers. Jongho barely registered how he let go of the guard, and his legs sprung into action to reach Mingi.

But he was slow, far too slow. While time had halted for them, it also continued with a speed that was beyond Jongho's understanding right at this moment.

The automaton closest to Mingi rose its arm, and the blue veins in it lit up when its pneumatic weapon charged. From this close, nothing of Mingi would be left in a few seconds.

And Jongho couldn't get there. He just couldn't. And the screams of his friends behind him also didn't save Mingi.

Fate made its path when the arm rose and reached the height of Mingi's head.

Jongho's feet came to an abrupt halt that nearly had him topple over when the weapon discharged. But it didn't fire at Mingi. It fired at something down the corridor to the left. The sickening dull sound of a body dropping echoed in the hallway. It resounded with the bang of the weapon and tingled in Jongho's ears for a moment.

Startled and doubtful, they stared at the automatons. Had they recognised them? Did the Zey folks disagree with seeing their people suffer?

"Jongho! Get Yeosang, quick!" Seonghwa's strained voice was either part strained and relieved. Instantly, the mechanic forewent all of his worries as he charged back to his lover. The guard had attempted to drag him into one of the nearby chambers, but Jongho made quick work of him. Finally, their enemies were subdued and laid on the ground without resistance. The Bishops' sudden action had shocked them, too, and Jongho counted it as a win.

Yeosang trembled like a leaf in the wind when Jongho pulled him into his arms. Soothing, his fingers brushed through the man's hair and over his back.

"Shh, it's fine. No worries. You're fine." He pressed a little kiss, everything he dared, into Yeosang's hair and held him through his tremors.

When he inclined his head to keep an eye on the Bishops while he held the librarian, another evil surprise awaited him. And this time, it struck him right in the chest.

All three of the Bishops had taken off their helmets. The centred one who had shot sighed as he pulled the thing off and took in the situation. When he turned his head in their direction, Jongho stumbled back from Yeosang as if electrified.

He didn't even notice how Yeosang worriedly looked at him, how the sudden loss of warmth impacted his chest. Insecure, his feet carried him backwards until he tripped over a body on the floor. Roughly, he bit his cheek as he lost all sense of direction for a moment.

Jongho had fallen on his behind. The shock rendered his legs useless and numbed his fingers that lost all sense of the soft carpet beneath them. His face felt white as a sheet, and he didn't doubt that he would see a ghost if he looked in the mirror right now. Without wavering, his eyes fixed on the person in the suit of the Bishop that had turned to order his other two companions around.

Yeosang fell to his knees next to Jongho to fret over him.

"Are you alright? Jongho, say something! Are you hurt anywhere?" Nervously, his palms trailed over the mechanic's form in an attempt to discern the possible wounds or blood from his dark clothes.

Seonghwa helped a groaning Wooyoung to his feet before they gathered the attention of the Bishop on themselves. With hushed voices, Seonghwa explained the situation. The Bishops listened to them with no signs of hostile engagement.

Yet, all Jongho could do was stare emptily. His heart threatened to jump from his chest from how hard it was pounding.

"H-He-" His soundless whisper caused a worried frown to etch in Yeosang's pretty features. Concerned, he beckoned Mingi over without ever letting go of Jongho as if he would collapse without his aiding hand. Maybe he would. He didn't trust himself anymore.

"What's wrong?" Mingi also patted his back. As he followed Jongho's gaze, his lips turned downward.

"Did he hurt you? Is he a threat?" Immediately, he stood and cracked his knuckles, ready to take on the tall man. However, as he seemed to scrutinise the Bishop to find a weak spot, his hands faltered. In the same manner as Jongho, he eyed the dark hair, wildly gesticulating hands in the heavy suit, and his young face.

"Wait a second. This can't be..."

Yeosang crouched between them, clueless and entirely overwhelmed by the situation. Finally, San caught up with them, too, to check on Jongho's fallen figure.

Before anybody had a second to react, Mingi's heavy steps thundered over to the man. Like an angel of death, he pushed Wooyoung and Seonghwa aside to square up in front of the Bishop. The bright light above them ignited his hair in fiery flames. His imposing entry only got him confused glances.

"You! What is your name?!"

Jongho didn't dare to breathe. Increasingly more worried, Yeosang patted his armoured knee as he watched the spectacle. While Seonghwa seemed ready to protest, Wooyoung carefully motioned him to back down for now. Both tensely held their tongues.

"I think my name is none of your business, hot-head. If your troupe is assembled, then-"

His voice. A familiar voice. Sharper, harsher, but still the same.

Mingi grabbed the man at his collar to shake him as hard as possible in the heavy suit. Warningly, the man reached for his wrists.

"Your name, tell me your damn name!"

"Don't blow a gasket, what has you so agitated?! I'm Yunho!"

At that, Mingi lurched back as if he had burned his skin. He tumbled back to look at Jongho, but their eyes didn't meet. Even Yeosang had stiffened from understanding dawning upon him. Like a wooden doll stuck at every movement of its mechanisms, Mingi turned with trembles and hitches overtaking his whole body.

This time, the Bishop followed his line of sight.

All of them looked at Jongho.

Jongho's stomach lurched, and he couldn't even warn San before he keeled over to get rid of his lunch. Coughing and choking, he tried to breathe around the gasps of shock that seized him. He presumed this to be a panic attack, something he had never experienced before but that Yeosang had mentioned to him. When his heart wouldn't stop cramping painfully, he rose his hand to his chest to clutch at it.

Worried, Yeosang's hands fluttered all over him, and for a moment, he couldn't hear over the rushing of his ears, didn't understand a single word they were saying.

His senses returned when metal shrieked, and a big hand settled on his shoulder. Jongho froze abruptly. Like a scared bunny afraid to make a move, all of his muscles locked him in place.

"Jongho?"

The murmur of his name didn't come from Yeosang and also not from San. None of his friends had this voice, so no other option remained.

Helpless and scared, Jongho rose his eyes to the Bishop.

The relieved smile on the man's face hit him in the face once more. It was so familiar, so painfully the same. Jongho's fragile mind clung to it, wanting to believe.

"Are you alright? I'm glad now that I hurried here. Looks as if I saved even more than I thought I would."

Jongho couldn't speak. His tongue was no more but a heavy, fleshy muscle in his mouth. As if he had never spoken any language before, he just stared.

Yeosang was the one to aid him in his useless attempts. His deep voice was quiet and soft, just as vulnerable as Jongho felt.

"You... You're Yunho? You're the one from the pictures." Whispering, Yeosang pulled Jongho against his side as if he had to protect him from the Bishop. The man finally took the large hand away.

"And you're alive," he added, disbelief and awe bleeding into his voice. Mute, Jongho stared until his vision doubled. No thought crossed his mind. Not a single one.

"I am. And I have lots of explaining to do. But I need time. Can you take care of him?" A gentle smile grazed Yunho's lips as he looked upon Jongho. As if set back in time, Jongho felt like a little kid again. Suddenly, he was no more than a boy who struggled to get up on chairs and needed to be lifted on them. The boy, who had hidden from thunder under his blankets with Yunho while the older boy soothed his cries. He still remembered the distinct warmth, less so of Yunho's body himself, but of his affectionate smile and his calming words. Yunho had always been soft-spoken, not a man for war. His jokes and tender reminders that he was there for Jongho carried more love than Jongho had ever experienced.

"Of course. It's nice to meet you. I'm Yeosang."

"Thank you, Yeosang."

With a smile, Yunho stood and turned to nod at Wooyoung, presumably recognising him. San greeted him, too, but they didn't exchange names. San's eyes were wary of him.

Then, only Mingi was left for Yunho to look at. Jongho watched their exchange full of wonder. The laughter of the two of them as kids still echoed in his ears like a long lost memory.

"And you are?" Yunho rose his brow Mingi, not losing his smile despite the earlier attack.

"In love, nice to meet you." Struck, Mingi stared at him as if Yunho's smile was the sun he prayed to. He even gave him his hand, albeit shaking the Bishop's armour was awkward.

Yunho snickered under his breath. Then, he glanced back down at Jongho. Gentle eyes. Eyes that had seen a lot, but that had overcome all of that and matured. Still, he didn't miss his typical kindness.

"I'll explain it all, Jongho, I promise. I won't go anywhere." His promise was real. Finally, Jongho managed a weak nod, if only to show he understood.

Yunho swallowed harshly at the simple gesture, and Jongho believed to see tears fill his eyes. They glinted under the lights like precious diamonds.

He had always hated to see Yunho cry. When Yunho cried, then the world was cruel. And Jongho didn't like it for being cruel to a ray of sunshine such as him.

Yet, he blinked the tears away. As he always did. Then, he stalked off to talk to Seonghwa.