Super

62. the bae manor

The floor did collapse, but not literally.

Taemin looked around in amazement as the walls caved in on themselves, the floor plan collapsing into squares that folded up like the display of a virtual reality headset being shut down. The room, ice white and burning hot, seemed to disappear into a gaping abyss of nothing all around him.

It wasn't just the room—Irene, the Angel, every other living soul in the room seemed to be swallowed up by a breaking illusion, but it didn't stop there. Once the floor had completely 'collapsed', it was replaced—building itself up from scratch, except this time, what Taemin saw wasn't a renovated old asylum.

It was the interior of a mansion.

"What the—" Kai exploded into a string of curses, staggering forward to look around himself in complete awe. "What the hell is this?"

Taemin let go of a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. When he glanced down at his wrists, they were shackle-free. Taken aback, he whirled, and found that there was no one standing behind him. Or even next to him. In fact, the Four didn't seem to be present at all.

The walls were high and made of polished wood, with a ceiling that stretched so high it gave him vertigo. The windows were massive, bolted and locked with curtains drawn over them. The room was bare, nothing ornamenting it except for the thick carpet and a huge piano to one side of the room.

"It's an illusion," Taeyong muttered. He had appeared along with the rest of them so the group of seven was complete, all of them standing in the middle of the carpeted floor that looked strangely familiar to Taemin. "She showed me scenes before, I—she showed me this place. That's her power." Then a frown appeared on Taeyong's face, as if he'd just realized something didn't add up. "But why are you all here?"

"For moral support?" Ten suggested.

Taeyong scowled. Before he could say anything or smack Ten upside the head, Lucas interrupted. "It's not an illusion," he said. He was kneeling on the floor, running his hand over the surface of the rich carpet with a frown on his face. "This is...this is all real."

"Impossible," Mark said immediately.

Baekhyun glanced at Taemin, looking unsure. It was a jarring turn of events, and he couldn't blame anyone for being disorientated. Just seconds ago, the had been in danger of being dropped through three storeys to their deaths, but now, here they were, perfectly safe yet perfectly ignorant of where they were supposed to be. Even the perfectly safe bit was subject to change.

"I smell smoke," Mark murmured. He was sniffing the air, looking worried, but more grounded and able than before. Less scared kid, more responsible hero. "This is so confusing."

"Teleportation?" Baekhyun asked.

"Possible," Taeyong said thoughtfully. "But if that's it, where are Irene and the rest?"

"It's not teleportation," Taemin said suddenly. He swept his gaze around the room, looking for the door with growing dread. Smoke...carpeted floors...piano. "It's not a real place, either. It can't be."

"Oh?" Taeyong asked. He sounded sarcastic, but there was a brittle edge to his voice, like he was desperately hoping Taemin wasn't about to deliver some epically bad news. "Why exactly do you say that?"

"Because I know this place," Taemin answered. He spotted the doors to one side of the room, and started towards them with his heart feeling heavy and cold in his chest. "And it burned down ten years ago."

The tiny part of him that had been hoping he was wrong died when he pushed open the massive double doors that led them outside. Just as he had suspected, Taemin found himself in a balcony which ringed the interior all around like a walkway at a mall.