《我明白》-[w.jh]

[27: cave]

Minghao stopped at the foot of the mountain, knowing what was coming next. He knew he wasn't powerful enough, but he still wanted to try.

Even if he died trying.

He didn't tell Seoyul or Jun about his secret trip to the mountains to look for Seori. He never even told his parents. Minghao had recently received news that Seori was hiding in a cave in the mountains, so he had decided to go there.

Minghao took in a deep breath. He had already planned out everything ahead of his trip. There was a device strapped to his wrist, near his pulse. If he blacked out, and emergency notification would be sent in seconds to his research squad with his location. In the likely event that his pulse stopped and he left the world...they would be notified as well. His research team would know what they had to do if he died.

He took his first step into the cave.

His first reaction was awe. It was beautiful, the way the icicles hung from the top. The cave was quite brightly lit, due to the reflections from the ice.

Minghao traversed further in, admiring the cave's interior. If only he had brought his camera. He could take such a pretty shot of all of these, and maybe add it to his collection...

"Xu Minghao."

He blinked, snapping his mind back to reality. Standing in front of him about ten meters away was Seori. Her eyes had dark shadows around them, as if she had never slept for days. She looked older compared to the last time Minghao had seen her. Her usually bright blue eyes were now dark, eerie.

"I see you've found this cave. It's beautiful, isn't it? What a pretty wonder hidden among the ugly mountains."

Minghao kept quiet. He wanted to observe her; figure out her agenda.

"How's my dear sister? Surely she isn't dead yet, right? Or else you would have come for my throat by now." Seori still had the audacy to say that cheerfully. Minghao tried not to let his anger show.

"She's fine." Minghao didn't wish to say anything more.

Seori smiled, but it was a sinister one. "Really? Is she not on the brink of death? Maybe she was stronger than I thought."

"Cut that." Minghao snapped. "Why did you do it?"

Seori smiled wider. "Why else? She was in my way. She always has been. I needed to get rid of her, to make sure that no one got in the way of my progress."

She pointed to the blackened icicle behind her that Minghao hadn't noticed. "Without her, this would be so much easier. I could do whatever I wanted, and no one would compare me to her ever again."

"What are you going to do, then?" Minghao sneered. "Take over the world? That's some old evil plan that is way outdated, in case you never knew."

"Please. I don't need the world. I just need whatever I could never achieve with my annoying little sister around."

Minghao's eyes narrowed, glaring at her. "So what do you intend to do?"

Seori twirled, laughing. "If I told you everything now, it wouldn't be fun, would it? But since you're here, maybe I could give you a little taste of my grand design." She stepped towards him, but Minghao knew better.

Icicles fell from the ceiling of the cave, creating a barrier between the two of them. Minghao's fist was clenched. Opening his palm, on single icicle rose and shot towards Seori like a bullet. 

Seori smirked and made a swiping motion withe finger, slicing the icicle in two. "You seriously think ice is going to stop me? It might protect you now, but what if I do this?"

The icicles were lifted, the barrier protecting him gone. Seori flicked her hand and they all pointed at Minghao.

"You are nothing compared to me." She spat. "Let's see how you handle this."

Every icicle shot towards him, caging his body. Seori laughed evily as Minghao struggled.

"Your combat skills have improved. Still, you're no match for me."

Minghao stared down at his free hand that wasn't caged by the ice. He could still break free.

Placing the hand on the ice, he focused and pushed his energy into it.

The icicles burst into flames.

Seori shrieked at the sight of the fire turning into steam. "Xu Minghao! Get back here!"

When the steam cleared, he was gone. There was no trace of him, except the water that came as a result of the melted ice.

Seori gritted her teeth. She knew where he was headed, and it was time to stop him.