Hoya, Sungyeol, and L stood dumbfounded as they watched their friend block their attack against Jae Rin. They watched in horror as his shirt burst into flames, how he was momentarily on fire. Limp and seemingly dead, they saw him collapse on top of Jae Rin, motionless.

                “Sungjong! Help!” Jae Rin cried from under Woohyun’s unmoving body. She tried to push him off, but was too weak to lift him. “Sungjong! Please!” She choked out, tears beginning to blur her vision. The rancid smell of burnt skin suffocated her, churning her stomach. She craned her neck to check out the damage on his back and forced down the bile that threatened to escape her lips.

                His back was burned black, his skin bubbled and peeling from what she could see through the hole in his shirt.

                “Sungjong!” she called out again. She needed to save Woohyun. He had risked his life to save her, so now she owed him. But, she could only repay him if he were alive and breathing. In his current state, that prospect seemed highly unlikely. “Sungjong-ah!”

--

                Sunggyu stood paralyzed. Dongwoo, too, stood motionless beside him. Their arms hung stiff in the air in their failed attempt to stop Woohyun. Nobody could’ve have seen that coming, even Sunggyu. With his mind being too preoccupied with Hoya and Jae Rin, he momentarily forgot to look after the other guys. As the leader, it was my responsibility. Now look where my carelessness has gotten us…

                Nobody dared attack. All they could do was watch as the last seconds of Woohyun’s life ticked away before their very eyes. There was nothing fire, ice, or light could do to help him in the situation. Active powers weren’t meant for healing.

                “Sungjong-ah! Please help him!” Jae Rin weakly called out. Her energy was rapidly depleting, and with his added weight on top, she was slowly starting to suffocate. She knew it wasn’t helping her, but she continued struggling under him, trying to shift some weight off of her. But he wouldn’t budge. He was beginning to smother her, restricting her air flow, cutting off her circulation. Black dots spotted her vision as she tried one last time to push him off. He didn’t move and the darkness enveloped her.

--

                “SUNGJONG! SNAP OUT OF IT AND GET YOUR OVER HERE!” Sunggyu screamed, running towards the fallen pair. The indefinite intermission from the attacks gave him the opportunity to enter the battlefield safely. He slid in next to the duo and carefully lifted Woohyun off of Jae Rin. Carrying him away, he lay Woohyun down onto his stomach and reached for his wrist to feel for a pulse. Although it was feather-light, he felt it. At least, it was still there. Muffled steps approached him and he was soon joined by a pale Sungjong. “Glad you could finally make it, buddy. Woohyun has a pulse, but it’s weak. Heal his wounds. Hopefully he’ll wake up.”

                He waited until Sungjong started working before giving his full attention to Jae Rin. She lay completely still. Her chest unmoving with no sign of life in her. With shaking hands, he reached for her wrist to check for a pulse. His breath stopped. No, this can’t be. He panicked and pressed his fingers against her neck, frantically searching for a pulse. And like before, there was none. No…No! He leaned down, his ear against her nose, cheek lightly against her lips. He felt nothing.

                “Sungjong! She has no pulse!” Sunggyu yelled. He shook her lightly, trying to wake her up.

                Nothing happened.

                He shook her harder, becoming more frantic.

                Nothing happened.

                “Open your eyes, damn it! Sungjong! Get over here!”

                “I’m a little busy, hyung. I can’t stop now or else I might lose him, too!”

                “But we’ve already lost her! Can’t you heal her first?”

                “I can’t heal the dead, hyung. Try to resuscitate her. Do CPR. Anything!” Sungjong shot a wary glance over his shoulder, brows furrowing with worry.

                Sunggyu didn’t need to be told twice. Tilting her head back, he opened and blew in the first breath. Placing his hands on her diaphragm, he rhythmically pumped, counting in his head to the beat of his own heart. Stopping, he placed his mouth on hers and blew in another breath.

                Pump. Breathe. Pump. Breathe. Pump. Breathe.

                He continued the process, putting in all of his effort to bring her back to life.

                “I’m almost done, hyung. I’ll be there in a second,” Sungjong called over his shoulder. He passed his palms over Woohyun’s back one last time, the blackened skin finally restored to its original, healthy tan. Carefully turning him over, Sungjong checked Woohyun’s pulse. It grew stronger under his touch. He felt the blood begin to pump at a steady rate and soon enough, Woohyun’s eyes shot open.

                As if he wasn’t just on his deathbed, Woohyun sat up quickly, taking in a large gasp of air. Sungjong fell back once again, startled by the sudden movement.

                “I’m up! What the hell happened?” Woohyun groaned, clutching onto his throbbing head. The sudden intake of air made him slightly nauseous. He shook it, hoping to clear it up. It only made it worse.

                “No time to explain now, hyung. Jae Rin noona needs us.”

                Sungjong crawled over to Sunggyu, watching the older still trying to bring Jae Rin back to life. Even though Sunggyu was trying hard, Sungjong felt like it was hopeless. They were fighting to bring back something they just couldn’t revive. She was dead.

                “Hyung, stop. She’s gone,” Sungjong whispered, his voice trembling. Tears shamelessly streamed down his cheeks. Even though he tried to convince himself that his words weren’t true, he couldn’t. They were the truth. She was gone.

                “Hyung…” Woohyun collapsed onto his knees beside Sunggyu, grabbing onto him. Sunggyu was lost in his own world, trying to force some life into her. There was no way she could be dead.

                “Hyung, snap out of it,” Sungjong whimpered. More tears flowed as he witnessed Sunggyu struggling in Woohyun’s grasp. He thrashed about, trying to get to Jae Rin.

                “No! She’s not dead! She can’t be! This wasn’t supposed to happen!” he screamed. “Let go of me! I can save her. Just let me try one more time!” He clawed at Woohyun’s arms, trying to break free from his iron grip. Pushing and pulling, he kept moving around, but eventually, he grew weaker. And then he stopped all together.

               Tears stained his cheeks, dripping off his chin, beading on the sandy surface beneath them. Woohyun looked up at the overcast sky, unsuccessfully trying to hold in his own tears now freely flowing down his face. His arms still clasped around Sunggyu, he choked back a sob as Sungjong’s cries grew louder.

                The battle was won.

--

                “Is he all right?” Sungyeol asked, his voice faltering.

                “I don’t know. Should we go check?” L stepped forward, only to take a step back. He wanted to help Woohyun, but he was too scared to make a move. He couldn’t make a move.

                The line had been drawn in the battle. Teams were divided, straws were drawn. Sides were chosen and couldn’t be compromised. L chose to fight with Hoya. If he crossed the battlefield, his loyalty would be questioned, even though his intentions were for a good cause. And as much as he wanted to run over, he just couldn’t because he would unintentionally break the unspoken pledge he made with Hoya. He would be betraying his friend’s trust.

                Everything moved painfully slow for the three as they stood and watched the events unfold. Hoya felt a sliver of triumph when Jae Rin stopped struggling under Woohyun. But that feeling quickly disappeared at the sound of Sunggyu’s voice calling for Sungjong. He watched as the two ran over to the fallen pair. He watched as Sunggyu moved Woohyun off of Jae Rin, and how Sungjong carefully began the healing process. He watched as Sunggyu began to panic about Jae Rin’s lack of pulse.

                He was elated. Had he just won the fight? No, I can’t jump to conclusions just yet. I need to make sure she’s dead myself.

                The sound of Woohyun’s voice startled Hoya out of his trance. He let out a breath of relief, unaware that he had been holding it in the first place. His friend survived. Now he won’t have to live with the guilt of killing his friend. He clapped Sungyeol and L on their shoulders, grinning at them in silent victory. The duo smiled back. They had won the battle.

--

                Sunggyu, Woohyun, and Sungjong all sat silently around Jae Rin’s corpse. They couldn’t move. They couldn’t comprehend. They could only sob quietly at the loss of their comrade.

                The world stopped shaking.

                Stopped quaking.

                The cause, the reason: gone.

                Silence was not alone.

Sungjong was the first to move. He pulled himself up with much difficulty, finding stability on Woohyun’s shoulder. Giving it a light squeeze, he silently urged the older to stand up.

               Heaving himself and an emotionless Sunggyu up, Woohyun balanced himself with the help of Sungjong. He looked down at Jae Rin as one last tear rolled down his cheek. Wiping it away, he turned around, leading Sunggyu away from their depression.

                “I hope you found your peace, Noona,” Sungjong croaked, leaning down to place a chaste kiss on her cheek before stumbling after his brothers. He left before he could notice.

--

                “Now that that’s done, let me go take back what is rightfully mine.” Hoya sauntered over to Jae Rin’s dead body, a grin slowly growing with each step. Once he reclaims his power, he would be indestructible. Nothing could defeat him. He would be invincible.

                Exhilaration. The emotion vibrated through his body like charged ions. This was it. He was finally going to be complete. After all these years, he was finally going to function to his true potential. He stopped next to her body, towering over her in triumph. She couldn’t stop him now, couldn’t taunt him with her existence. Gone. Victory.

                Kneeling down, he brushed the hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. Ghosting along her jaw, he traced down to her chin, brushing his thumb lightly over her lips. A foreign emotion intruded his thoughts, tugging lightly at his cold heart. Eyes glazed, he continued tracing over her features in wonder.

                What if…….NO. Snap out of it!

                He retracted his hand, eyes hardening in anger. Even after death, she was capable of controlling him. And he hated her more for that. Good thing you’re dead. Suppressing his emotions, he reached for her stomach, laying an open palm over her abdomen. Time for me to—

                How he ended up in the water? He had no idea.

--

                I’m dead. I just know it. Why else would I be here? Jae Rin sighed, flicking the bunny shaped clouds floating around her. They were cute, yes, but they were boring. If she had to spend the rest of her afterlife on a fluffy white mass with nothing but pseudo-bunnies, she would die. Wait…I’m already dead.

                Pushing herself up, she drifted around, floating to nowhere in particular. The cloud was infinite, never-ending. Flat. Boring.

                Sighing, she rotated onto her back and stared up at the gray expanse above. She let herself hover and let her mind wander to the good memories still fresh in her thoughts. What else was she supposed to do? There wasn’t anybody there to accompany her. There wasn’t anything there to keep her occupied. There were only her thoughts and white and gray. Bleak, monochromatic white and gray.

                She rolled onto her side and let out another sigh. If this is supposed to be my afterlife, then I would rather be cursed to fight Hoya for all eternity. At least then, I would have something to do.

                Rolling to her other side, she closed her eyes and tried to sleep. She felt something poke her cheek and for a split second, she saw Sungjong’s face. The image disappeared before she could comprehend what had happened, so she dismissed the thought.

                She continued to float around when she felt something brush against her ear. Eyes still closed, she reached up and swatted at whatever was bugging her. It stopped touching her ear, to her relief, but then instead moved down across her jaw. Then her lips. Then her eyes.

                What in the actual fu—

                She breathed in.

                She detected salt in the air.

                She felt a palm on her stomach.

                She felt a pull in her chest.

                She fired an orb.

--

                “What the hell was that?!” Sungyeol screamed, pointing towards Hoya’s soaring body. He flinched as his friend landed in the water with a painfully loud splash. “Maybe we should go…”

                His voice diminished abruptly and his eyes grew wide. He thought he was dreaming. He must’ve been dreaming. There was no way she was alive. Yet, there she was, sitting up and brushing off the sand on her clothes.

                “Uh, are you seeing what I’m seeing. Please tell me you’re not seeing what I’m seeing,” L asked, his eyes as wide as Sungyeol’s.

                “As much as I want to deny it, L, I think I see what you’re seeing.”

                “I was hoping you weren’t. Oh boy, this isn’t good. Not good at all.”

--

                Woohyun hadn’t planned on turning around when he heard Sungyeol scream. He didn’t want to witness Hoya extracting Jae Rin’s powers. Nor did he want to see her dead corpse again. Leaving was his closure to the memories that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

                Yet, he turned around anyway. And he was glad he had.

                “She’s alive!” Woohyun shouted, accidentally dropping Sunggyu out of shock.

                Sungjong whirled around in disbelief, tears springing forth when he saw Jae Rin’s moving form. Without a second thought, Sungjong raced towards her, blind to an attack launched from a contrasting duo.

                “Sungjong! Duck!” Sunggyu screamed, snapping out of his zombie-like trance. He instinctively shut his eyes, waiting for the imminent scream once the ice and fire attack hit. But it didn’t sound. Instead, he felt an explosion.

                A massive black dome surrounded Jae Rin and Sungjong. She stood at the center, glaring at L and Sungyeol. Her eyes were dark with rage at her two attackers. They attacked her, they were her enemies. Friends no more…

                “Sungjong, get behind me. Now.” He shuffled past her, reaching out to touch her. He needed to make sure she was real, that he wasn’t dreaming. His fingers met with her toned arm and his heart swelled with joy. She was alive. She really was alive.

                “How are you alive? You were dead. I even checked myself.”

                “I’m not a hundred percent sure myself, dongsaeng, but, I’m here now, aren’t I?” she chuckled, patting his head before nudging him behind her. His smile widened at her address to him. Dongsaeng. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t like when the people I care for are attacked, even by other friends. You messed with Sungjong, now I mess with you,” she sneered at L and Sungyeol and began her offense.

                L and Sungyeol jumped out of the way, a large dark energy beam flying past. The static arcing off the attack zapped them, singeing their skin with electric shocks. The shocks stung, leaving red trails along their exposed skin, marking them like Jae Rin had hoped they would. She smirked at her opponents and aimed energy ball attacks at them.

                In attempts to confuse her, L and Sungyeol split up, running in opposite directions. Yet, she still managed to aim at them, getting her shots within or on target. Without even taking a break, she threw attack after attack. Luckily for her, Sungjong transferred some energy whenever she felt tired. For that, she was thankful. At least he had chosen her side despite the odds against her survival.

                Focused on the two mutants before her, she was not aware of the attack coming in on her right. Only until the last second was she able to throw up a shield over Sungjong before taking the hit. The light spear pierced clean through her thigh. Blood squirted out from the wound, soaking into the sand beneath her leg.

                On the shoreline, she saw Hoya flying in with the help of a large blue eagle. He touched down upon the muddied sand, drenched in salt water and seething with anger. Eyes as dark as her own, he stalked towards the battlefield, hurtling his attacks upon her. Dongwoo, shifted back to his human form, trailed behind him.

                She extended her shield as best as she could to accommodate both Sungjong and herself. Catching on quickly, Sungjong and skittered towards her. He saw the gaping hole in her thigh and cringed at the sight. It was vomit inducing, but he held his ground. Passing a hand over her thigh, he tried to heal her as fast as he could, but the multiple explosions blasting against the dome echoed so loudly inside. He kept losing focus. Eyes flickering from her leg to their attacking team, he shook with fear as the black shield faded to a dull gray.

                She’s weakening, he thought, and I’m not working fast enough to help her. The hole finally closed up, but her muscles were still severed. Clamping his hand onto her thigh, he squeezed slightly. He hoped direct contact would help her.

                Things grew quieter around him. He figured it was just his ears ringing from the blasts. Oh, how wrong was he.

--

                Sunggyu and Woohyun saw it all. They saw Jae Rin sit up. They saw the dome. They saw Dongwoo choose his side to fight for. Now, they had to choose theirs. At this point in time, neutral ground was out of question. The fight had sides and they had to join one of them, even if they didn’t want to.

                “Hyung, what do we do?” Woohyun muttered. He was fidgeting in place, antsy to join to the fight yet reluctant at the same time. Nobody wanted to fight against their friends, but the circumstances had pitted Infinite and Jae Rin against each other. He looked to his friend and waited for a decision for the both of them.

                “I don’t know, Woohyun. I don’t want to fight.”

                “It’s kind of too late for that thought now.”

                “I know.”

                They continued to watch in silence as hope still lingered in their thoughts. Maybe the kids would stop and think instead of attacking each other.

                However hopeful they were, no such thought was possible for right at that moment, Jae Rin was skewered.

                “We’re helping her. Now.”

--

                “Jae Rin! Let us in!” Woohyun called out, never taking his eyes off the opposing group. Of all the members of the team, only Hoya was attacking the dome. The others, sans Dongwoo, were aiming their attacks elsewhere. Slipping in through the opening Jae Rin created, Sunggyu and Woohyun joined her side.

                “The only way we can defeat Hoya is if we work together. And I have a plan for that. Sungjong, are you almost done?” Sunggyu glanced down at her leg. He sighed in relief when Sungjong lifted his hand to reveal her unscathed thigh. “Good. Now here’s the plan. Sungjong, you stand in the middle. Keep in physical contact with Jae Rin at all times. Also, I need you to have a clear view of the fight. You will be my eyes. Woohyun, I need you to keep the other three occupied. Confuse them, mask them, do whatever you can to keep them away. And make sure to stay connected with Sungjong too. Jae Rin, you’re going to let down your shield when I say so,” he paused to hold up a hand. There was no time for interruptions. “I’m going to help you as much as I can with Hoya’s attacks. I’m going to look into Sungjong’s future, that’s why he needs to see the fight at all times. Any questions?” None of them spoke. “Good. Let’s hope this works.”

                They gathered their senses and stood up. Getting into formation, Sunggyu waited for Woohyun to occupy L’s, Sungyeol’s, and Dongwoo’s minds before taking a deep breath and timing his cue. Once the other three came under Woohyun’s control, the countdown to the end began.

--

                Hoya blinked in surprise. Jae Rin had let down her shield and her group stood defenseless. Odd as it may have seemed, Hoya didn’t give it a second thought. He took it as an advantage and attacked her, waiting for her to throw up another shield for him to break down. However, she took him by surprise.

                He hadn’t noticed Sunggyu’s lips moving. He hadn’t noticed her smirking. He hadn’t noticed that she had been looking right where he was going to attack, as if she already knew.

                That was because she had known.

                “Left hand, right hand, left hand, left hand, right hand. Attack him. Block left hand.” Sunggyu kept cueing her blocks, reading through Sungjong’s future to help her out. Everything was going as planned, better than he had hoped it would. The formation wasn’t threatened, their energies were balanced. Who would’ve though such passive powers could be so active in a fight.

                It was smooth sailing for the most part. That was, until Woohyun slowly began to lose control of Sungyeol. Being the strongest of the three, Sungyeol realized something was awry when his shots stopped blowing up against Jae Rin’s shield. It must be Woohyun hyung. He probably veiled us, manipulating our thoughts. Ceasing fire, he stood still and searched his thoughts for a weird feeling. He located it immediately and began to fight back against Woohyun’s mental grasp. He pushed against the hold, concentrating on ousting his intruder. Sweat dripped down his forehead and he struggled against the force. His ears popped and a cooling sensation washed over him. I broke free. He opened his eyes to find himself facing the sea, his back turned to the fight. Fire balls were littered on the beach, smoking slightly, smothered by the sand.

                “That’s not playing fair, Woohyun hyung.” He launched his attack on the group, joining Hoya.

                “He broke the connection. I can’t regain control.”

                “Don’t worry, at least the other two are still under,” Sunggyu grimaced. He knew it was bound to happen, but hadn’t expected it to happen so early on in the fight. “Just concentrate on them for now. Let us try to get rid of Sungyeol first.” He couldn’t believe he was saying these things, yet there was no other way to deal with the situation. In the end, he knew couldn’t play protector for all of them.

                Sungjong knew the battle was going to end soon. He didn’t need the power of premonition to tell him so. He just knew because he felt himself fading. His powers weren’t working like they used to. Maybe it was because three people were feeding off of him at the same time, or that he had used his powers more than he ever had in his lifetime. Regardless, his life source was draining fast. And once it dried out, the others would be vulnerable to injuries without his protection. Hopefully Sunggyu hyung catches on soon. He blinked the fatigue out of his eyes and fought to keep them opened.

                “Sungjong-ah, stay with us. Don’t sleep now…” Sunggyu mumbled loud enough for only the younger to hear. He had seen it. He saw the future and it wasn’t pretty. He only had a split second to make a decision and he had to do it quick. A life depended on it.

                “Hyung, I don’t know how much longer I can hold on…” Sungjong whimpered. He felt a weight suppressing his eyelids, inviting him into a nice state of slumber. It was alluring, tempting. He so badly wanted to give in, but he knew he couldn’t for the sake of the team.

                “Jae Rin, start building up energy, as much as you can. When I say so, I need you to count to ten, then project it towards Hoya. We’re going to have to cut our connection, so be careful. Start counting on three. One, two, THREE!” Sunggyu dragged Sungjong with him, Woohyun closely following behind. They ran away from her as fast as they could, trying to get as much distance in between them as they could possibly get. Sunggyu was counting down in his head along with Jae Rin. They only managed to get about twenty steps away when he screamed, “Hit the deck!”

                A wave of hot air rushed past them, splitting the ends of their hairs dry. A piercing scream rang through the air and Sunggyu felt his heart drop.

                The voice was female.

                It was Jae Rin.

--

                Hoya slowly sat up, wincing. Breathing heavily, he reached to the right side of his torso, flinching as his hand brushed over the driftwood protruding out of his skin. Inhaling sharply, he swiftly pulled it out, biting back a scream of pain. The worst was over, at least.

                Scanning the area, he saw L, Sungyeol, and Dongwoo thrown flat on their backs, all unconscious. They were no use to him now when he needed them the most. He needed to act quickly before Jae Rin woke up. He had heard her scream and was hoping she was knocked out as well.

                Agonizingly, he stood up to see the aftermath of what felt like an atom bomb. Everything within a hundred foot radius was knocked down. Buildings, trees, lamp posts. Everything. Windows were shattered and sedans overturned. Everything was wrecked.

                And so was Jae Rin. She was laying face down on the sand, a large maroon patch growing beneath her body.

                So, my shot actually made it.

                Hoya limped over to Jae Rin and kneeled down next to her, flipping her over. He smirked in triumph at his effective shot. Although it had missed his intended mark, he was pretty proud of himself. The blow had taken off her entire left arm. She still looked flawless, but this time he was prepared. He wasn’t going to let her charm win him over like before. This time, he was going to finish the job with one final hit.

                “Any last words, my dear Jae Rinnie?” Hoya taunted, conjuring a light spear in his right hand.

                Jae Rin stirred awake at his voice and attempted to lift her arm for a shot. Despite the mind numbing pain on the left side of her body, she still felt the need to fight back. If not, then what was her purpose these past five years?

                Shakily, she tried to form an energy ball. Before she could, her hand froze in a block of ice. She felt herself float on water, lifting her upright before freezing her from the waist down. Her only arm caught frozen to her side, she gave up struggling and opened her eyes weakly. Hoya’s sinister glare met her gaze.

                “Thanks for the help, L. Now, I ask you again, any last words, Jae Rin?” he asked yet again, placing the tip of his spear directly above her heart, ready for his final move.

                She nodded slightly and coughed up some blood before quietly telling him, “Thanks for the chase, Howon.”

                The last thing she heard was Sungjong’s voice calling for her before she was engulfed in silence.

So.....she died.....hehehe. There's still one more chapter left. It's sort of important if you want to make sense of some things, but it's not essential to the plot/characters. I tried to edit, but then got lazy about a third of the way through. Sorry guys, it's almost 4600 words long. I can only edit so much. It's bearable at least, yes?

Hopefully I didn't disappoint you guys too much hahaha. I'm assuming most of you knew she was going to die anyway OTL failed ending

CHRONIC RANT....sort of...ish...

So, I dropped two of my four english courses cause, well, I BIT OFF WAY MORE THAN I COULD CHEW. Seriously. I never thought I would feel depressed in my lifetime. Ever. But sadly, I had a taste of it. Another grandparent died during a week of nonstop assignments. Maybe I should stop writing about death in fanfics. Seems like it directly affects my reality.

RANT END

I'm a lot better now. Less stressed than the last time I updated. Also, I'm not so sad about the loss. I think I was more prepared for this death than I was the last because, well, she was pushing on 100. It was natural. My dad flew over right away, so I'm glad she was buried with all of her children present.

Anywho, I guess I have more time (-ish) to write the last chapter and possibly start a new fic. My story archive is growing everyday, so the next fic is a pick and choose one. I'm not sure who it'll feature. I guess whoever appeals to me most once this one is done.

Forever grateful for those who have subscribed and stuck around. Even more grateful for those who read my rants and reply. I always knew there were nice people on the interwebs, just never really knew how supportive they actually are.

Thanks for your time! This blurb is extremely long. My apologies.

See you in the next Chapter!

-greenninjapanda GNP-

P.S. Happy 1000th day, Infinite~! Us Inspirits will be here for another 1000 more~~