𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏 𝒖𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒍 (𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒖𝒍𝒇𝒔 𝒊𝒕) ~ ᴍɪɴsᴜɴɢ

Chapter Two

They soon realise life would be easier with four legs as transport, not two. Minho spends all the money he had on buying two horses to pull a cart they stole. Needless to say, he's grateful that the coachman hadn't insisted on taking his payment.

They arrive back at the town square sooner than it had taken them to get to Hyunin's cottage in the woods. Minho mentally curses Changbin for not offering them a better mode of transport as they pull the cart up to The Pig and Rabbit, hoping the king's guards aren't there anymore.

He almost laughs at the thought, how funny it would be if the very thing they'd been fleeing was there to catch them.

"What do you think it does?" Seungmin snaps him from his own tormenting thoughts, Minho glances at him.

He's staring at the sword, holding it up against the sunlight and watching how it reflects off the shiny metal.

"Don't play with it, it's not a toy!" Chan warns and tears it right from his hands, leaving Seungmin pouting.

Minho glances away. Sure, he'd killed before and he'd kill again to keep Jisung alive. He'd do far worse to keep Jisung alive, actually. But, not knowing what power was stored in that sword left him with an uneasy feeling.

"What are you doing here? Get inside before some see's you!" Changbin yells, and Minho's about to point out the fact that his booming voice is bringing far more attention to them when he's pulled out of the driving seat and dragged inside the inn.

"Jesus Christ, didnt know you'd miss us that much, Binnie?" Seungmin smirks, receiving a playful hit to his arm for the teasing.

Minho wonders if he should go and get Jisung by himself, because what could these clowns do to help.

"I thought I sent you to Hyunjin." Changbin begins scolding them.

"Crazy man about yay high?" Minho asks, holding up a hand. He realises it's the first time he's spoken for a long time, so consumed with all his thoughts about Jisung.

"He gave us this." Jeongin adds, holding the sword.

"Oh my god, don't-" Changbin warns but it's no use, Jeongin's always been notoriously clumsy and the sword's already clattering to the floor.

Minho winces, half expecting the world to explode but nothing happens, they all just stand there in silence listening to the metal tinging of the sword dying out into nothing.

"Do you know what this is?" Changbin's shouting again, he picks up the sword and Minho thinks he needs to stop waving it around so wildly if it's that dangerous.

"Dude, put the sword down, please." Chan voices his fears and for a moment Changbin stands there, staring at the sword and then Chan, before he slowly puts it down on the table in the centre of the room he's forced them into.

"Why have you even got this?" He asks, instead.

Seungmin shrugs. Your friend's insane, he just gave it to us."

Minho rolls his eyes. "What he means is, we found out someone very important is still alive and Hyunjin gave us this. I guess he thought we needed it."

Changbin stares at them in visible shock. "Who is this friend and where exactly is he?"

Minho's losing his patience now, why was he stood here telling his life story to some man he barely knew whilst Jisung's rotting away in a palace. But Jisung wasn't rotting, for all Minho knew maybe he was happy.

"It doesn't matter." Minho picks up the sword, reflexes faster than Changbin's and stares him down.

"Oh, it does," Changbin shakes his head and smiles at the four of them as if they are nothing more than naive children playing a game too complicated for them to ever understand.