𝚁𝚘𝚕𝚕 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙳𝚒𝚌𝚎: 𝚀𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝙵𝚘𝚛 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚌𝚔

🅐🅦🅐🅚🅔

15. AWAKE

『 Jungwon's POV 』

The rest of the group was fast asleep, leaving me focused on maintaining the cool air around us. Sunghoon and Yuna were the first to fall asleep, exhaustion finally catching up to them. Edlynne sat beside me, her face tight with worry, lost in deep thought. Near the entrance, Bae concentrated on keeping the mist that cloaked us from the realm's inhabitants intact. Meanwhile, Huening Kai had gone outside, scouting the area.

I shifted uncomfortably in the silence. "Aren't you going to sleep?" I asked Edlynne, attempting to break the tension.

She let out a quiet sigh. "We haven't slept in a thousand years, Jungwon. Not once. No matter how exhausted we get, we just… can't."

"Oh." I swallowed, unsure of how to respond. That must have been unbearable.

"You should check on Bae," she added after a moment. "She's worried. And scared—especially about sleeping."

"Her nightmares?" I guessed. Edlynne nodded.

I didn’t know Bae as well as I knew Sullyoon, but I did know she hated being seen as weak. She was always the mood-maker, the one who kept everyone’s spirits up. It was rare to see her let her guard down.

I walked over to her. "Hey."

"Hey," she replied, not looking up.

"What’s on your mind?" I asked.

"Nothing," she sighed. "Everything."

I hesitated before attempting to lighten the mood. "Well, let's not overthink things. You're Bae Jinsol—the one who keeps everyone smiling, the ultimate mood booster."

She let out a small, bitter laugh. "Yeah, I don't think I'm doing a great job of that right now. Sunoo is terrified, even if he's trying to hide it. Kyujin and Jiwoo are just as scared. Sunghoon and Jinni are worried. Sullyoon’s doing her best to stay composed, but I can tell she's close to breaking. And Yuna—she's just picking fights with Huening Kai at every opportunity. I feel like I’m failing."

Her voice wavered, and I realized she was holding back tears.

"You’re not failing," I said firmly. "You're keeping us safe right now. And, Bae, none of us are superheroes. We’re all scared. We’re all worried. And, honestly, we’re all sick of this."

She exhaled shakily. "You're right, Jungwon," she said, wiping her tears. "Thanks."

"Anytime," I smiled, relieved when she returned it.

"Guys," Edlynne called, "you should get some rest. We need to wake Sunghoon and Yuna now."

Bae’s expression turned pale. "I'll stay up. Let Yuna sleep."

"Bae—" I started, but before I could finish, Huening Kai returned.

"Bae, you need to sleep. If you don’t wake Yuna, she’ll be pissed, and guess who she’ll take it out on? Me," he deadpanned.

Bae hesitated, but Edlynne stepped in. "If you're scared of the dreams, you can talk to us about them."

Bae shook her head. "It’s not just the nightmares. Both times I had them, I was sensed. What if they can track us down because of my dreams? I don’t want to put us in danger."