Honor and Glory | ATEEZ

035 THANK U

I didn't miss the hint of sadness in Yeosang's green eyes as he threw one last glance over his shoulder, looking longingly back at the city of District 5 as it woke up to yet another day.

I glanced back at the nature elemental's house as well, watching as the morning sun's rays bathed the wooden boards on the outside in a warm golden light.

We were going to leave all of this behind.

Hopefully to return sometime in the future.

Wooyoung patted him on the shoulder.

The two elementals had quickly become good friends, their sarcasm, and bold comments matching perfectly with each other's personalities.

And odd pair, I thought, though it made perfect sense as well that the two of them would get along sooner or later.

Especially considering how fast Wooyoung had taken a liking to Yeosang yesterday.

The trip through the jungle was a lot easier this time.

Yeosang led the way through the forest, the rest of us following as best as we could.

He dodged in and out of trees, avoiding certain areas such as the path where we had triggered the mudslide, and pushing away leaves and overgrown bushes in order to reveal new trails through the jungle.

Along the way, he would occasionally name some of the plants we passed, pointing here and there, making things grow right in front of our eyes.

The rest of us watched in awe, Mingi and Yunho occasionally letting out small gasps and wows in amazement.

Jongho mocked him, but Yeosang simply laughed it off as he ruffled the younger's hair.

He yanked the earth elemental closer to him in order to whisper something in his ear.

Jongho's eyes widened, and it wouldn't surprise me if the brunette had threatened to kill the younger, but they both broke into smiles again.

The rest of the group quickly joined in on the bickering and fun as they walked in front of me.

I couldn't help but smile at the sight.

This was just like having a family.

A real family.

I felt a little bit guilty for thinking that way but despite having grown up with loving parents, I had always been alone.

Now, everything had changed.

These men had my back, and they would never, not for any price, leave me alone to fend for myself. I knew that.

"THANK YOU" I mumbled, mostly to myself, though the words were meant for the group as they trudged along in front of me, pushing, laughing, and talking as we moved through the jungle.

I had to jog to keep up with them, and I felt relieved once they finally came to a halt at the top of a hill that we had been climbing for a while now.

I followed their example and did the same, completely out of breath as I stared at the landscape in front of us.

Hills, valleys, fields, and meadows stretched out in front of us as far as the eye could see, covered in soft blankets of wheat and barley, colourful flowers, and tall grass that moved softly in the breeze.

Somewhere in the distance, District 1 was waiting for us.

I could almost feel it calling for me, my inner fire flickering to life as I tried to imagine the district where the ancestors of my family had once lived and walked among other elementals.