haven - zb1

34

Sleep came easily for Zhang Hao and Woohyun, who were battered and beaten by all their efforts. Not for Hanbin, however. Even as Hanbin lay there, body wrecked and sore and desperate to get some rest, all he could think of was the smoky room, the desperation and the thought that the people he cared for, not just Woohyun but Quanrui and Jiwoong too now, were going to be hurt.

Then, he couldn't take his raging mind any longer, so he got up with a huff. When he burst out of the room and gazed up at the cloudy, starless dark sky, the thoughts were silenced for a second. He started to sprint, away from his room, and tried to get the distinct smell of wet burnt wood out of his nostrils. When his heart was nearly beating out of his ribcage and his legs could no longer stand it, he collapsed. As his breathing steadied, he raised his head and looked around. He had made it to the Lunar Pavillion, of all places. The weeping willow shuddered in the cool light breeze, and now, there was someone else sitting by it, half submerged in the lake water.

Curious and confused, Hanbin limped over. "Jiwoong?"

The oldest turned, surprised at the sight of Hanbin before him. "What are you doing here?" He asked hoarsely, "You should be resting."

"I could say the same to you," Hanbin said with a groan as he lowered himself into the lake. Jiwoong cast him a look, "Why are you getting in?"

"Why are you even here?"

With no reply, Jiwoong stayed silent, turning to study the rippling water glowing silver with moonlight.

"I didn't want to say it just now," He suddenly started, "But our challenge seems to be coming soon."

Hanbin was stunned, but Jiwoong continued, "And I knew Quanrui would probably freak out if I said it, but what happened to me-" He shuddered, exhaling shakily, "-happened to someone else last time. The fire...was the same as the last time." He brought his gaze to meet Hanbin's. "This fire isn't something me or Quanrui can control well. But he was right, you know. It was an external force. I don't know what it is or how it works but...It's a sign. It'll begin soon. It might have already begun."

Hanbin processed this slowly, emotions rushing through him, some fear, some excitement, some relief, some dread.

"I'm not sure if we should tell this to the others," Jiwoong coughed, "I think right now, it's your call. What do you think?"

After a moment of silence, Hanbin said, "We should. Even if it'll scare them, they should know."

"Alright," Jiwoong nodded slightly, "Let's tell them tomorrow then."

-

The group took the news surprisingly well. "That makes a lot of sense," Quanrui remarked, leaning back with his arms crossed. He sported a new scar on his forehead, which couldn't be removed after healing. "The fire did feel weird, different. Almost disobedient."

"So...this is good, right?" Gunwook asked, "Our challenge is coming soon. We've waited for ages."

"Are we even ready for it?" Gyuvin asked, resembling Quanrui as he too tightly hugged his arms.

"Well, I am," Taerae cheerfully announced, "As Gunwook said, we've waited for so long. I love you guys to death but I can't wait to go home."

"Let's just do it," Zhang Hao said firmly, his sharp eyes boring into Hanbin's, "We're all ready. I'm certain of it."

-

But even as they started to anticipate and train for their challenge, days passed, and there was no new development. A few disgruntled spirits began repairs on the House of fire's room, but other than that, there were no sightings of anything out of the ordinary.

By the fifth day, they were starting to get uneasy. On a lazy, sleepy evening, as the last remnants of dinner were being finished off, the boys were lounging at the Solar Hall, chatting and delaying their sleep.

"I wonder what our challenge would be," Yujin sighed as he lay sprawled on the hard floor. He was right near the entrance, perring through his heavy eyelids to observe the glittering stars hanging in the evening sky.

"I wonder when our challenge will be," Gunwook sighed, "We've been here for more than two weeks already, right? When's it gonna happen? The fire was like, five days ago."

"Please don't jinx us," Gyuvin said, "If I wake up in your body tomorrow or something, I'll scream."

"That won't happen," Zhang Hao interjected, "When have you ever heard of that happening?"

"That's precisely it," Gyuvin shot back, "We've never heard of it, and challenges don't repeat ever."

"Gyuvin, like you said, let's not jinx it. Maybe we'll just have to fight off a beast," Woohyun said hopefully.

"That's way too easy!"

"Oh I'm sorry, I wasn't looking to get ripped apart from an impossibly difficult challenge!"

"You're just weak-"

"You're gonna die tonight-"

A grape was flung across the room, followed by an apple. The apple thudded into Taerae's forehead, who yelped and summoned a vine to launch another fruit in a random direction. The boys laughed and joked, breaking up the playful fights, it was as if time was frozen at this beautiful, precious moment.