Monsta X - All In (English ver.)

IX.

Wonho was dragging himself behind the other guys, trying not to bury his nose right in the mud. His legs slid on the greasy mass left behind by the torrential rain, which disappeared as quickly as it appeared. It didn't rain anymore when they sneaked out of the basement of the orphanage. The clouds slowly receded, and the cold moon once again seized the reigns over the sky. Minhyuk, walking in front of him, slipped and almost fell. Wonho grabbed him by the shoulder. "Take a break, I'll carry him."

But Minhyuk did not give in. He stretched out on his shaky knees and firmly pressed Hyungwon's icy body, which he had dragged from the orphanage. Kihyun suggested that everyone take a break, each carrying Hyungwon a few meters. After all, everyone was tired and wanted to relax. Five of them were even soaked to the brim. One of them was the stubborn Minhyuk, over whom Wonho could only shake his head. Since they left the orphanage, Minhyuk has not said a word. In fact, none of them talked much, but at least they reacted to what was happening around them.

Shownu frowned at the trees around them. He found it suspicious that the forest, which had previously been full of soldiers, was now silent and quiet. Either the soldiers were not here at all, or they just hid well. Shownu hoped that this would be the first option. Jooheon next to him sighed heavily, which caught Shownu's attention. He looked at him and noticed that Jooheon was shaking, showing strange signs with his hands, and whispering words to himself that he did not understand. "Are you okay?" he whispered, which surprised Jooheon.

He turned to him with tired eyes, which Shownu was frightened of. In the dark, Jooheon's eyes shone with a faint blue color. Shownu wanted to stroke Jooheon's back, but he chuckled. He didn't know if it was safe to touch him. Jooheon seemed to understand Shownu's concerns. He smiled weakly and shook his head. Shownu gave him one more worried look and looked around the dark trees again.

Changkyun was also on the alert. All the more so when they managed to safely get into the cave. He expected to see the soldiers of both armies at every turn. But this did not happen. The soldiers were not seen or even heard. Changkyun's second concern was that they would let them walk all the way to the cave and catch them there. They would catch them right in the act, with lots of blue flowers. Two flies with one blow. But when they entered the cave and no one arrested or ambushed them, Changkyun was confused. He did not understand what was actually happening.

"Changkyun, keep a patrol with Kihyun." Changkyun turned to Jooheon's voice and noticed that Kihyun, as always, was mentally supporting Jooheon. Jooheon trembled, rubbing his icy hands.

"It's going to be okay, Jooheon." repeated Kihyun to him. He did not touch him, which Changkyun understood, but he was close enough to Jooheon to feel the warmth of another human body. Changkyun approached them. Jooheon raised his head and looked at Changkyun with tired eyes. His irises pulsated in blue. Changkyun tried to remain calm. He really didn't expect such a thing.

"Jooheon," he sighed and shook his head, as a sign that it was supposed to be okay, "you can do it. You're a magician, Jooheon. You're a fucking mage and guardian of Blue Fire!" Jooheon laughed quietly, which was Changkyun's goal. "Then show them the guard. Bring Hyungwon back so we can come to us to pick up Aunt Lin and disappear from this village." Jooheon nodded his head. He snorted, wiped his nose with his hand and nodded again. "I think I'm ready. I'm a fucking mage." Kihyun and Changkyun laughed along with him. Changkyun then took Kihyun by the hand and together they went out in front of the cave, as they had done a few hours ago.

Shownu and Wonho, in turn, once laid out a fire in a cave. As the flames illuminated the cave with an orange light, Jooheon nodded to them both. "Okay, that's enough. Go guard the cave from the other side. Minhyuk, now just the two of us. Will you help me?" Minhyuk just nodded and sadly left Hyungwon's body. So Shownu and Wonho left the cave. As they walked past Kihyun and Changkyun, they nodded to them as a sign that everything was fine. Changkyun and Kihyun nodded back and stretched their eyes in the darkness around them.

"Minhyuk come here." whispered Jooheon strangled. In his hands, he clutched a book that Changkyun found. His hands were shaking more than before, and his breathing was hard. Minhyuk noticed this and ran to him. Jooheon took a shaky breath. "What... what does it say in the footnote?"

Minhyuk looked at the page in the book with concern. He was afraid that there would be something wrong, for example, something about the fact that if you want to bring back the soul, you have to exchange it for yours. But there was no such thing. "The ritual can only be performed after capturing the soul of the deceased." Minhyuk smirked. "Jooheon, it's nothing bad, why are you shaking so much? What's wrong with you?"

"Everything is blue." whispered Jooheon.

"What?" Minhyuk took the book from his hands and looked at the yellowed pages. There is no trace of blue. "There is nothing blue here. Jooheon for fuck's sake-" looked up from the book and looked at the shaky Jooheon. "For fuck's sake..."

"Everything is blue." repeated Jooheon.

Minhyuk ruffled his hair. He had no idea what was going on. He had never seen his father like this. "Jooheon... I don't know how to tell you.... your eyes shine blue."

Jooheon snorted. "It kind of dawned on me when I saw everything in blue. I see nothing but the light. Minhyuk, you need to help me with that ritual."

"No!" Minhyuk shook his head. "I'm going after Shownu and the rest of the guys, we'll sort it out somehow and...."

"It won't solve anything!" shouted Jooheon. "Just... you just read me the steps from that book, Minhyuk, and I'll perform the ritual. When we have Hyungwon back, then we'll deal with my glowing eyes."

Minhyuk did not agree with Jooheon's proposal, but what could he do. Jooheon was as stubborn as he was. "Okay then." he nodded at last. He read a book and began to run around the cave, looking for things necessary for the ritual. When he couldn't find something, he asked Jooheon, who had just been standing in the middle of the cave all the time, apparently trying to wipe the blueness out of his eyes. "A-I guess I have it all. I think we can Jooheon. How are you doing?"

"Still blue." muttered Jooheon, sighing. "But let's figure it out. Before the soldiers flock here or who..."

According to the instructions in the book, Minhyuk brought Jooheon to Hyungwon's body. He sat him next to him on the mattress and ran to his desk. From there, he went back to Jooheon and placed a bowl with blue flower petals and chopsticks in his hands. "Well... So, according to the book, you are to put the petals of the flower gradually in the mouth of the deceased, reciting the incantation in the process."

Jooheon nodded. "You're going to have to read it to me."

"I can't read it. Jooheon I don't know what language it's written in!" said Minhyuk.

"Do you think I do? I do not know what kind of language it is. Both the medicine for Kihyun and the essence for Hyungwon's soul... I read it as it was written."

Minhyuk opened his mouth in astonishment. "What if something goes wrong?"

Jooheon shrugged his shoulder. "With those two rituals before, it worked."

Minhyuk sighed and rubbed his face. "Okay. Okay, okay, okay. Okay."

"How many more times are you going to repeat it?" muttered Jooheon irritably.

"Jooheon... I'm scared. Are you sure you can do it? What if... What if you don't survive?" Jooheon shuddered. He, too, was afraid of it and knew that the rest of the guys too. But Minhyuk was the first to say it out loud. But he had no choice. He made up his mind a long time ago. If he can bring Hyungwon back to life, he must do so. And if it doesn't work out... Well, at least he won't have to deal with those glowing eyes.

"I'm going to do it, Minhyuk. I'm going all in."

Minhyuk looked at Jooheon sadly, even though he didn't see him at all. Minhyuk was happy to have people like guys around him. He thanked Changkyun for getting involved with Jooheon. If he hadn't introduced them... Maybe they wouldn't have to sit here now and raise dead people! Minhyuk shuddered at his own dark thought. He took a shaky breath and began to read from the book to Jooheon.