Hello, hello. I just wanted to say that I'm still here. Some things happened health wise and I had to get off the computer for a while. Migraines are the worst. Hopefully I'll be able to reply to my threads soon ( hoping tonight maybe ). If not then defiantly tomorrow, sorry for everyone waiting!!!
His mother grips him by the arm and gives a harsh tug, waking him from his thoughts. She didn’t look best pleased about the situation, she seemed anxious. Some might of even called her scared. The hitch in her voice seemed to mirror this, but ten year old Chanyeol was none the wiser.
The day had come, the infamous choosing ceremony. Not much was mentioned to him about what it entailed, all he knew was that he would have to dance. Not much of a shock considering they had been learning how to do so from the moment they were able to walk. A typical childhood wasn’t something you experience naturally where Chanyeol grew up. The children were all raised for what seemed to be a special reason, a mission if you will. The children of course never questioned it, they just did as they were told.
“So, the time has come!” Their Elder starts, addressing everyone who was in attendance. “My fellow Roamers, the time has once again come to welcome the Almighty into our world!” Suddenly there is a roar of applause and every adult has their hands clapping together, although some less enthusiastic than others. The Almighty was who they worshipped, he knew this much. But why was there a need to welcome him back? Where had he been?
‘’For now, we must locate the vessel who will bring forth our savior. Children, please step forward.’’ The sounds of footsteps on dirt travel around the camp, as each child takes a few step forwards. “Fantastic, now dance.”
The words seem to settle in for a few seconds as no child begins to move, looking between one another with confusion on their faces. Chanyeol is no exception and looking back at his mother he gains a nod of confirmation. One by one the children begin to dance, Chanyeol following along with them. The action seems strange, even if they had been learning to do so from a very early age. It seems more direct, as if they’re fighting towards something.
It isn’t too long afterwards that the Elder tells them to stop, the expression on his face telling that he is somewhat impressed by what he saw. “Very good. I already have my idea of who is the chosen, but we will continue with the mandatory blood test.” And with that he is gone, the parents watching their kids began to run towards their children, telling them how well they did.
Chanyeol goes back to his own parents, earning what seemed to be a fake smile from both of them. “Good job, Champ,” he hears his dad say and all of his doubts are removed from his mind. He swear he caught it, the way his dad’s hand squeezed his mother’s as they looked towards each other, the look they shared was one unsettling. They clearly weren’t happy.
It isn’t until a week later that the children are called again, collected into a white tent for whatever this blood test is. The chatter amongst the children indicate that no one knows what’s going on, that no parent told them what was going to happen. The same was for him, his parents didn’t utter a word about it when they went home. Just went on as if nothing had changed, but Chanyeol saw the way they looked at each other.
As the chatter dies down, the Elder enters the tent, followed by someone in a black suit. He’s unfamiliar, was he from the city the Elder travelled to a few days ago? The man’s carrying a briefcase, quite a large one. ‘’Okay children. We’ll begin the blood test now. When you’re name is called I want you to follow us, as quickly as you can please. We don’t have all day.’’
It takes around forty minutes for his name to be called and he follows the Elder into the back of the tent. One child had just finished and he noticed the bandage around the other's finger, what was that about? Before he gets the chance to ponder anymore the guy in the black suit is walking towards him, some sort of device in his hand.
“Give me your hand,” the man says and without any sort of retaliation or question, Chanyeol does as he says. One of his fingers is pressed against the device, it’s cold in comparison to Chanyeol’s own body heat. The difference makes his body shiver slightly. He wants to ask a question but before he can he feels a sharp pain in one of his fingers, he grits his teeth but the pain is already there.
“He’s the one,” he hears the other man say to the Elder, shortly after they have bandaged his finger. They begin to speak in hushed sentences, looking back at the boy every so often. It puts Chanyeol on edge, to not hear what they are talking about and the pain that still resides in his finger is not helping one bit.
Just wanted to let everyone know that university is currently kicking my ass. Got a report to write and also do tonnes of statistic work. I'm hoping my replies will be able to be posted around Tuesday. Every now and again I'll hopefully be on to reply to messages and such but like I said replies won't be up until Tuesday. Sorry for everyone waiting!
Jin Goo shrugs, “It was easy, mentally. People make the decisions for you. All you need to do is carry out orders. You trust that the people making the decision know what they’re doing and are making the right
choices for your country.” For the most part, he was confident that he had been of great service to his country. He had protected his country and did his best not to take more lives than necessary, well, in compliance with his orders. For people like him, for people who really had nowhere else to go, the army was one of the brighter scenarios in comparison with things like breaking the law and jail.
He wonders if he’s okay, now. He’s definitely still trying to find a way to live peacefully with his beast, trying to figure things out about that, but in terms of real life… He’s getting on okay. Fully functional at the very least, which was a good sign. “I’m alright,” he says, “I’m not too traumatized,” he tries to make it into a joke, though the reality of that is a little too close for comfort.
“Were you thinking of a future in the army?” he asks with a small smile, “I’d advise against it unless you’re looking to making yourself collapse of exhaustion and hear people yelling at you every day.” It’s another joke that’s practically the truth, but this one doesn’t give him bad memories. He didn’t mind the physical exhaustion so much. It was mechanical for him. His supervisors gave him an order, and he complied. That was always the case. It was dull, but in a relieving sense. Being a regular soldier, he never would’ve had to worry that one wrong decision could cause someone to lose their life.
Chanyeol could understand what the other was saying, but it seemed hard for him to understand placing so much trust in someone that they were making the right decisions. Perhaps he was too naive, perhaps it was because he was younger than Jingoo. However if it was for the good of the country, he could begin to understand why you would place so much belief in someone. If anything it was similar to the way he thought about his Almighty, he had complete and unwavering trust and love for him.
‘’Well I thank you for protecting this country.’’ The words probably didn’t amount to anything, but he felt the need to say them anyway. It was the least he could do.
Join the army? It wasn’t something that he had thought about before but he would be lying if the thought of the concept didn’t intrigue him. It was uncertain what was to happen next year when he turned 25 so at least for now every option needed to be open. Protecting people was something he wanted to do, no matter who it was. Joining the army was something that could help that, but what about the people on the other side? Could Chanyeol hurt them if he was given orders to? He had never been in a physical fight yet in his life, although his skills might say otherwise.
‘’It’s not something that I had really thought about, but I don’t think so. At least not for some time I would say.. Helping people does sound good to me, but I don't know if I would be able to handle it.. The pressure and enviroment, you know?’’ The future was unclear for the most part, it was the way it was supposed to be, but Chanyeol had always wanted to ability to see just exactly what was in store for him. Slightly selfish of himself, he knew.
‘’What are you doing now then? Now that you’re back?’’ It was the only logical way forward, and Chanyeol was more curious now than ever. What exactly does ex-military personnel do after they come back? He knew the answer wasn’t going to be loiter around in the morning and help some naive little boy with getting his fan back, that would be some job though if that was the case.
as soon as chanyeol was on his bed, ren moved to sit on the bed again between the two. the black pomeranian’s interest was solely on chanyeol and looked at him in interest, as well as with expectations. the dog was expecting the other to pet him. it was only a natural expectation of a dog.
jimin smiled softly at ren, his fingers brushing against its’ plume tail. he looked up at the other agin in interest and waited for what he had to say. when the other said he was apprehensive, jimin was relieved. if the other thought what jimin could do was simple or safe, he wouldn’t lay a finger on chanyeol. jimin was very sensitive when it came his ability and the issues that could arise. jimin would only use it if he was sure he could help, or if the other was aware that he can’t work miracles (despite what some people might suggest).
“almighty?” jimin questioned on reflex, blushing soon after when he realized he said it out loud. “before you answer that, let me explain. what i do is go into your subconscious. there, i will meet your true self. there, i’ll see a world your mind has made. there, i see everything as your mind processes it. there, you are defenseless. you will only tell me the truth. but that is dangerous. your subconscious is a defense against the real world. the things you can keep hidden, unknown - sometimes, even to yourself. if i go there, i will know everything, but more so, i can break you.”
the male frowned then, looking down at ren who eyed them both in interest. he looked back at chanyeol, “i won’t lie to you. my ability has hurt people - no, i’ve hurt people. once, on purpose to protect myself. i’m telling you this because i don’t want to lie to you. i have helped people too. i assure you. one woman i met was in a coma. i went into your mind and i somehow healed the damage that was done. i don’t really understand, but i’ve helped a few others who were awake like us. simple things though. i want to say i can help you, but i can’t do that if you don’t trust me. so are you sure this is what you want? you will remember everything after, or so i’ve been told.”
‘’Hello?’’ he gulped, somewhat curious as to why the dog was looking at him. Talking to dogs was something he had seen many people do, even though they couldn’t respond back. Back home there was no dogs, not really any animals except the ones that were needed for food, so the whole experience was new to him. He rested his hand against the dog’s, “So soft...” He couldn’t help but notice the way the dog looked up at him as he was being stroked, the look of pure bliss. Chanyeol has been missing out it seemed.
It didn’t occur to Chanyeol that Jimin wouldn’t know exactly what the Almighty was to him, it didn’t seem particularly odd considering not many people knew unless they followed the same religion as he did. Though listening to Jimin talk about his ability, it made a lot more sense. The non-existent boxes in his own head were being checked as his own doubts about Jimin’s ability were answered, one by one. Break him? It sounded odd to him, as if he was going to be hurt, but not really in a physical sense. Mentally, Chanyeol needed breaking.
Jimin continued and the older male couldn’t do anything but listen. It was much more comforting to listen to the experience that Jimin had, but it wasn’t needed. He trusted him. The story about the women in the coma was surely an amazing story, and if the other helped her out of that, it was simply amazing. What was also interesting being in the foundation was listening to what exactly others could do, how they could help people and such.
‘’I trust you,” he says simply, taking a quick look at the pomeranian who seemed to be curious about what the two were talking about. ”If it’s true that you could potentially hurt you, I know it’s not your fault. It’s a risk that I’m willing to take.. Besides, my Almighty will protect me if anything id going to go wrong.’’ His mind traced back towards the other’s question. Now might be a good time to tell him exactly who his Almighty was. It didn’t really sound useful information from Jimin to know but the other was curious, and he was more than willing to oblige.
‘’It’s my religion,’’ he spoke quietly, tracing his fingers over the pomeranians chin, earning a pleased look for his efforts. ‘’The Almighty is the one I worship, the one who I do everything for. These feelings, I’m sure that my Almighty wouldn’t take kindly to them when we meet. That’s why I need them gone.’’ The more troubling thought was he wasn’t exactly sure what brought these feelings about. Was his resilience that weak that he was being taunted by beings of evil? Maybe with Jimin’s help that question could be answered.
Today had been a wondrous day for Eunjoo. She had just got her money from finishing all of her comissions and beat up some thugs who thought that it was a wondrous idea to try and steal from her. Oh how satisfying their screams were! Honestly, she just loathed thieves who tried to steal from her.
She decided that she deserved to do something she wanted to do, which was walking around the park. To be quite honest, Eunjoo had rarely seen nature at it’s finest, having been confined to the city and slums, unable to head out for it felt like it was wasting a good amount of money. She recalled how her parents promised that when they could, when everything got better, they’d visit outside of where they were used to, to the countryside with fresh air and picturesque greenery. It was just unfortunate that her father had to be so ill now.
Just as her thoughts were about to go down deeper in memory lane, she spotted a male who seemed to be quite depress. Not only that, but he was very much alone and vulnerable. He was so vulnerable she was surprised no scums decided to beat him yet and take his money. Odd. But then again, this wasn’t exactly the most ideal for a street fight.
Eunjoo didn’t really want to go down memory lane though, she also didn’t really like the fact that there was someone so depressed on such a happy day (for her at least), so she decided to head to the bench he sat down on adn plop herself down next to him.
“Hey there Mr. Mopey, what made you so down?” She asked him without an ounce of meekness to it, even assigning him with a nickname. She puts her elbows on her knees, hands used to support her head which was angled to face him. She’s determined to get the guy’s hopes up today because, well, why noot? Yes, this was yet another reckless action of her’s but since when did she mind of such details.
From the corner of his eye, Chanyeol was able to see someone approach him. The face seemed unfamiliar from first glances it was unsure why exactly someone was approaching him. As soon as the other sat down beside him, it was as if the atmosphere had changed slightly. The heavy feeling residing within Chanyeol was starting to dissipate, perhaps being with someone when he was feeling like this was the way to go? But he shouldn’t have to bring people into his own problems.
Mr Mopey? It was odd to hear such a nickname be given to him. Was this common in the city? No one in their right mind would dare to give anyone a nickname where he was from. The only exception would be if it was given directly from the Almighty himself. But that was hardly likely to happen, at least to anyone else other than Chanyeol.
The question sat with him for a few moments. There was plenty of reasons he was feeling a little down, it was only common after all. ‘’Just... A lot of things really. Have you ever wondered why exactly you live the life you live?’’ he questioned, looking directly at the stranger beside him. ‘’Like, is everything a guarantee?’’
He was unaware of why he was even speaking like this to a stranger. Perhaps it was easier since he didn’t know the person that well. He was sure people said speaking with a stranger about these types of things were easier, where he had heard that though he wasn’t sure.
Chanyeol could feel tears welling up within his eyes, as if he was about to cry. So stupid, crying over nothing at all. He couldn’t remember the last time he had cried, though he knew it wasn’t recently. ‘’I’m sorry... It’s just so stupid... Ridiculous in fact.” Perhaps the falling of some tears would cheer him up a little, regardless of how oxymoronic that could be perceived.
Chanyeol almost has to do a double take, it’s unfamiliar for Hari to say such a thing. He’s that shocked that he almost drops the plate in his hand mid-wash. It’s unclear whether or not she is actually serious but the last thing he would want to do was find out. Hari didn’t seem the type to get angry and seeing that was something he definitely didn’t want to see.
“I’m not beating up your manager!”
It was a ridiculous thing to ask but from all the looks that he had received from him for forgetting money, he couldn’t put it past Hari to say such a thing. The thought had crossed his own mind one time, it wasn’t the prettiest time for him.
The more time he spent here at the restaurant she worked at, the closer they had gotten. It was quite the unfamiliar concept for him, getting close to someone, but it was welcomed with open arms. It wasn’t too long after they had known each other that Chanyeol would come see her whenever she was on break, listening intently as she stumbled over her pronunciation of most words. He knew Hari would hit him for finding it cute, so he always kept that to himself. He just found himself more than thrilled by just being in her company.
Washing dishes always felt like the chore, but he hoped it was much more enjoyable for Hari when he was there as well. If that was the case she never told him so, but that was fine with Chanyeol.
It was getting towards the end of her shift and their stack of dishes and cutlery was getting shorter by the minute. It was times like these that Chanyeol relished spending time with her, for who knows what was to happen in the coming day. Who knows what could happen to Hari. Good old Chanyeol, ever the optimist.
He knows that behind the blank expression on her face, is the smile of an angel. If he only got to see her smile once in his lifetime, he would be eternally grateful. No matter how long it took, so it was best to try as soon as possible.
Although Chanyeol wouldn’t be the first to admit it, the training machines located around the foundation where a good way to hone his skills. The only troubling factor was the risk of seeing Sana anywhere as he knew that she would of give him an ear full after everything that he had said about machines. The thought was quickly forgotten as he dodged the upcoming attack from the bot.
He would never describe himself as super strong, it was perhaps the contrary. There were perhaps much stronger individuals that lived in the foundation. Where he really shined was his stamina, his agility. If anything it was the thing that he built up the most, the skill he wanted to be the strongest at. There was a long way to go, but he knew he was getting better and better the more he trained.
What never made sense to him was why exactly these machines were here. He understood that getting control over an ability was tough, there must of been parts of his own craft that he was unsure about. But why did it require a training dummy? Even a training room for someone to get to know their powers better? He knew there was no use in thinking of other reason as to why these might be here, but he couldn’t help himself.
Finally he fell to the ground, a well deserved rest awaiting him. Others were diligently working away, trying to better themselves. This was exactly what he meant when he told Sana what he thought about humans, the fact that they tried and tried to better themselves even when the possibility was slim. If anything it was a wonderful thing to see.
Giving a small sigh he rose to his feet, another hour of training would probably be enough, at least for today. The only shame was that he wasn’t able to practice his dancing on these things, considering they were machines. Dodging their attacks seemed like the best way to go, which is what he did. Every time the machine threw an attack he moved out of the way with expert ease, almost like clockwork. It seemed this was going to be an easy session.
Of all things she expected to hear, a compliment was not one of them. Her mental preparation braced herself for the brunt of it for asking a dumb question. In a situation where death hung in the air like a stench, there was no room for mistakes and dumb questions. She anticipated Chanyeol to apologize and refuse to be held responsible for her well being. Even though that wasn’t like him at all, she wouldn’t be surprised if their situation drove him to that state. She was only dead weight hanging on to him by the hand anyway.
Surprisingly enough, he chuckled and for the entire duration of that chuckle, she believed that they were going to be alright. As a man of his word, he got them to the kitchen in one piece. Her breath thinned out due to the long stretch of running, but she poured all of her attention onto him when he spoke. The meaning behind his instructions were received without failure. She knew she couldn’t let him down. For both of their sake, she had to deliver whatever Chanyeol asked for to ensure their safety.
She stepped around the kitchen counter in search for both salt and knives. The necessity behind former still confused her, but at least the latter’s purpose was clear. She looked in unconventional places like in the sink, then moved to more typical places like in the cabinets. Her hands reached up for the top cabinet doors. They were just out of her reach but she kept patting around, hoping to find anything of use. As she pulled her hands back out, something graced them so quickly that the pain didn’t register until blood flowed down.
A choked breath escaped her the moment she saw her trembling hands. A line traveled across the back of one hand straight to the other. The stinging crawled all over her hands, down each finger, and even pierced through her palm. How did this happen? How did she get cut without noticing like this?
“Looking for something?”
The voice had a different timbre than Chanyeol’s. The speaker’s breath was still hot down her neck. Her head spun to meet whoever it was but she couldn’t seek them out in the darkness.
Checking high and low, finding salt anywhere within the kitchen seemed to be quite the chore. If anything this would of been the first place he would of checked to find such ingredients, did they remove them on purpose? It was highly unlikely but so was being in a situation such as this one. It wasn’t exactly something you came across everyday.
The knife was more so for hari than himself. Using his fans Chanyeol could protect himself quite well. Combined with his own ability, it was a combination for success, Hari on the other hand not so much. In her own way her power was quite useful, but it was very situational. Chances are many people here weren’t going to be fast asleep at any time. If they were then chances are they weren’t asleep in the first place and an unfortunate demise had crept up on them.
The screech was anything but relaxing to the situation. Quite blindsiding if anything. Why? Why was she screaming? When they entered the kitchen it was practically empty, not a soul to be seen. Or were they wrong? Was someone in there to being with, lurking in the shadows and waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. The anxious feeling creeping up within Chanyeol was not a good sign of the things to come.
Within an instant he was by her side, noticing the blood flowing down her hands. This was not good, not what Chanyeol was hoping to happen. ‘’What happened? Who did this?’’ he gulped, the overwhelming sensation of dread washing over him. It wasn’t until he heard a soft voice in the dark that he turned around, position Hari behind himself in an attempt to protect her. Was it one of the residents that had come to wreak havok? It seemed to be the only realistic approach.
‘’It’s only a matter of time before the end comes for her. Not even those fans of yours can protect you.’’
His first instinct was to tell Hari to run, run as fast as she could. But she was bleeding and it needed to be bandaged as soon as possible, if not who knows what could happen to her. It wasn’t until he took another look towards her that he noticed blood dripping down the side of her neck. She had another cut. ‘’Hari... You’re bleeding,’’ he spoke, slowly reaching out his hand to the back of her neck, blood coating his fingers in a dark crimson red.
‘’Like I said, it’s only a matter of time.’’
She had to run, it was the only way forward. She needed help and Chanyeol wasn’t the person who could do anything about that, he had no experience. The least he could do was help her escape, protect her as she ran away to somewhere safe, to someone who could help her. It was the only way. ‘’Hari, run... I’ll protect you.’’
the smile slowly disappeared as jimin looked at chanyeol. jimin had gotten smarter when it came to nonverbal messages. the look on the other’s face, even if he smiled, still read as something was wrong. he still needed a lot more training when it came to things like that, but some people were easy to read. people like jaebum weren’t because of how attached jimin was to him. chanyeol and jimin weren’t close, friendly enough, but that made it easier for jimin to look at him with a clear view.
jimin raised a brow when the other said ‘alas’ and held back a question about the use of the word. he didn’t think that was really important, just jimin’s own musings. also why didn’t the other have a phone? again, he didn’t see it necessary to actually ask.
he allowed the other to continue and example himself before jimin understand. chanyeol came to him for help. a nervous chill went down jimin’s back. he had a lot of success with his ability when he was in the right of mind, however, he still worried. what if something went wrong? no…, it wouldn’t go wrong. he had to trust in himself. if not for his own sake, definitely for chanyeol’s. he didn’t want to break the other.
“i will do my best,” he replied with a nod of his head, stepping out of the way so chanyeol could enter. ren was sitting on the pillow of jimin’s bed. it caught sight of the newcomer and decided to move to his own bed on the floor to give the two room to sit down.
jimin closed his door behind chanyeol and moved to sit on the bed, crossing his legs under himself. he offered another smile to chanyeol and told the other to sit, “you want me to use my ability, right? do you know what i can do?”
Chanyeol couldn’t stop himself from beaming at the younger male. He was sure no matter what that this was meant to be. Whether it was fate or just a lucky occurrence, he knew he had to thank his Almighty for coming into contact with Jimin. Or should it be Jaebum he should thank? No matter who was the clear victor, he needed to thank them all somehow.
What exactly was the correct way to thank someone in the city? Chanyeol had yet come across any one way that he was satisfied with. In his tribe usually a ceremony was held in honor of someone who had done a good deed, but that hardly seemed like the realistic option here. All he knew was that he had to find the best way to make it up to Jimin, he deserved it after all.
Being shaken from his thoughts he entered Jimin’s room, giving a small nod of appreciation as he walked though. The first thing that came into vision was the dog that was just seating itself on his own bed. Chanyeol wasn’t aware that Jimin had a dog, or that you were even allowed one to begin with. He had always wanted some sort of bird himself, perhaps he would be allowed one here if he asked whoever was in charge. Making a mental note of that he followed Jimin and sat on the bed.
The question got Chanyeol thinking. He wasn’t fully aware of what Jimin was capable of, all he knew from his own little ‘investigation’ (which consisted of asking two people what he could do, one of them being Jaebum). ‘’I’m aware of what you can do, which is why I think you can help me. I don’t exactly know how you do it, which is what I’m a little apprehensive of, although I know I shouldn’t be.’’
‘’As I said before, I’ve been having some troubling thoughts... Ones I know my Almighty and also my parents wouldn’t like me having. You can stop them right?’’
Jin Goo nods, he understands the adjustment process, thoughit would be more surprising for his companion. At least transitioning to andfrom military lifestyle, he had an idea of what it would be like. For someonewho came from a place where not even cellphones were used? That was rough.
He looks over at the question directed at himself. It’s alittle odd, he finds, to talk about himself to a stranger he had met not even ahalf hour ago. But he complies, because it’s not like this guy knows him atall. He had heard it was therapeutic to talk to someone, and that was whattherapists were for. Perhaps this would help.
“I’m from the city,” he says slowly. Technically it wastrue, though he didn’t follow the normal process of growing up. He had onlyever attended elementary school, and even then, when his father was imprisonedbehind bars, he had dropped out, due to the lack of money. Instead, he optedfor helping his mother however he could. It strikes him now as rather amusing.While many were college or even high school drop outs, he was an elementary dropout. It was certainly not very common.
“But I’d been in the army for 10 years give or take, so I’mstill adjusting back to civilian life.” Oh how he wished that were completelytrue. He had left the army, but the instincts and personality were still there.Whether it was a form of PTSD or if he just didn’t want to change, normalcivilian life was something that was fairly far in the future for him. The factthat he still did some contract killing here and there definitely didn’t help.
It was quite reassuring to know more about Jingoo, even if it was only small pieces of information. Even for the small time they had spent together he could already get a grasp at what the other was like, especially when dealing with the thief from before. It was as if he knew exactly what to and guided Chanyeol along the way, although maybe that was only because he was from the city. Either way he was glad he had come across him, someone who seemed to be a one of the good guys.
The army? It wasn’t exactly what he was expecting the other to say but gazing upon the other man again, he seemed the type. It was more reassuring to know that he had someone to relate to, someone who was adjusting to life in the city. Though he knew that being in the army was a completely different animal in itself. The story was completely different.
Growing up, being in the army was something that seemed like a dream. As if it wasn’t a reality. When men from his tribe up and disappeared for a long period of time, he was uncertain where they went to. It wasn’t until he got older that he was told about the expectations that came with the army. It was odd to see people up and go and then come back as if nothing had ever happened. Chanyeol had changed but those people never seemed to, at least on the surface. He was unsure what they had to go through but he knew that it couldn’t of been anything great.
‘’What was it like? .... The army I mean?’’ Trying to piece together a thought of what it would be like fell dead upon arrival, like it was impossible to do. ‘’I mean like, are you okay after it?’’ Chanyeol spoke, a clear sense of worry lined in his voice. He had heard that many people who come back from the army are a changed person, this was the first time meeting Jingoo so that assessment couldn’t be made. He just hoped the other didn’t mind the question being asked.
she doesn’t fault him for forgetting the name that’s always on her tongue, familiar and comfortable as it is, but it makes her wonder, just a little, if it has something to do with the anxious feeling that shiru’s giving off. its expression remains as neutral as it ever is and ever could be, unblinking as it stares up at chanyeol, huddled safely within her grasp. for a moment she frowns, wondering why, but she turns back to the other as he speaks, head tilted as she listens.
a slight sense of something twinges in her expression at the thought of the droid being blamed. it’s not its fault, she wants to say, but he continues on when her lips part to object, and she holds her tongue for the next chance she’s given. the moment it is, her stance shines through with no shame or hesitation.
“they only do what’s asked of them,” she starts, unconsciously pulling shiru ever so closer to her. “i’m sure it didn’t malfunction ─it had to be his fault, for thinking he could handle something when he can’t.” certainty is in her words, wholehearted belief in each syllable. “he shouldn’t be trying if he can’t keep up. people aren’t at the level machines are, you know.”
the suggestion is met with a reaction that she can’t hide, doe-eyed and confused as she blinks up at him. “take a look at them?” she could, quite easily, and wouldn’t mind doing so at all, but she doesn’t understand why she would when there was nothing wrong with them. “they’re doing fine, aren’t they? it’s what they’re made for. if someone’s too weak to keep up with training, isn’t it that person’s fault for trying something they shouldn’t have? you wouldn’t jump into a fight with someone more experienced and skilled than you and expect to win, would you?”
that’s what the training bots were, after all; stronger, with more skill and lacking all the feeble hesitations that humans had. they don’t panic over missed steps, don’t let emotions take hold of their ability ─they’re perfect beings made by imperfect entities as an ideal image of what humanity should truly be.
the train of thought has her sigh again, in the same way she had when her only audience consisted of shiru. “they’re trying to help. it’s not their fault that humans are so weak.”
The situation was so unfamiliar. Knowing someone who had such faith in machines, such love for them. Chanyeol couldn’t hide the fact that he found it quite hideous, quite venomous. The young male hadn’t come across it before and it was something he didn’t know how to react towards, apart from retort his own opinions. In his own eyes humans were much better, more complex. It was understandable that someone could say that a machine is stronger than a human, because it was the truth. What wasn’t the truth was saying a mass of robotics had more worth than humans, it simply wasn’t that case.
Sana couldn’t possibly be saying it was the human’s fault? What perhaps was more scary than not, was how she spoke about them. As if they were ‘beings’ with thought processes, with feelings. It was hideous to think about but did other people think like this? It was a shame if that was the case.
‘’I disagree,’’ he spoke, his face warping into a sharp stern stare. People weren’t at the level of machines? Chanyeol had to agree with that, they were much more advanced. You would know this from just a simple look around, no matter where it may be. The foundation was a good example. The human side of it anyway, looking into the city was another clear one. Training bots aside,it wasn’t the machines that found out information, it was the humans. Although a machine can run calculations and make diagnostics, they cannot interrupt information. ‘’I think humans are on a level that far surpass machines. Nothing can compare.’’
‘’A machine cannot learn, a machine cannot think for themselves.’’ Sana was correct that no human should go into a situation that they have no clear sign of victory, but it was the human condition. ‘’But we can learn, can grow from things that don’t turn out right. A machine cannot do that. Fighting someone more skilled than ourselves can turn into our greatest advantage. I’m sure you would agree that we have more to learn and more to show than what we can at the moment?’’ The human potential is far greater than what people believed to be the case, his Almighty had him so.
Weak? Weak. It was unfounded to hear such talk. Again he disagreed. ‘’The only thing weak about humanity is the belief that we are not strong enough. Machines have no need to interfere in the life of humans and that is a fact.’’
Even the Almighty didn’t seem to have a plan for Chanyeol, he had found. Whatever purpose this house was supposed to serve for something other than a killing game, he was unsure. What he did know was that he shouldn’t be here. This was neither the time nor place for Chanyeol to sit around and die, he needed to get out and as fast as possible. If not for himself than for his family and also his people.
What made his situation even more grim, was the fact that people he knew had been rounded up for this game. It would be easy to sit around and wait for time to be up, but when people you care about have been sucked into something they shouldn’t of been, it was hard to do so. Where they okay? Where they hurt? When your mind was filled with an influx of different emotions and thoughts, it was quite difficult to grasp what was going on around you.
His scrap with Scar had left him somewhat dazed, disorientated. Though it pained Chanyeol to say it but he had incredible talent, even for a human. Perhaps that’s why he had so much trouble, because Chanyeol wasn’t exactly what you would describe as a mutant? He couldn’t shoot laser beams from his eyes or create things out of nothing, he could dance, something which was granted to him by the Almighty themself. The word mutant left quite an unsavory taste on his tongue after all, he didn’t quite like it.
Chanyeol wasn’t hurt, but he felt as if he should of been. Hari was able to get away and for that he was most grateful. The only issue was that he was unsure where exactly she had gone to. The mansion was quite large and without a detailed knowing of where exactly everything was, it was difficult to get a sense of direction around the place. Expect for the church, he knew where exactly that was and knew that might of been the last place hari would travel to.
The corridors laced with human bodies made the young male’s stomach turn with disgust. It was something no one should have to see, no one should have to go through in fact. He made yet another mental note to pray for the lost souls here tonight. It seemed as if his latest ritual would be his biggest yet.
Where exactly was he going? He was unsure but he knew that he just needed to get away.
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