Excalibur

62. A Rock and a Hard Place

Teaser: Jaemin and Yuqi both have terrifying encounters with the powerful captains.

*Sometime in January*

"He's training you pretty intensely, isn't he?" Jaemin looked towards the main stairs where Bella was sitting in her wheelchair and gasped.

"Do you need someone to help you? I-I-" he hurried over, but she just waved him off and chuckled softly.

"I was going to the elevator. I just saw how badly you're beaten up and wanted to ask about it."

Jaemin sighed and sat on one of the bottom steps when she gestured for him to do so. He hadn't talked to her much since she got injured because of his anger towards the person who did this to her, so he was nervous to talk to her now. They used to talk randomly about their experiences in the military since they were both two of the strongest soldiers. Those conversations were always fun to him and were one of the reasons why he was so upset that she got hurt.

They made him realize that she was a kind person with a strong moral compass. She was someone who didn't deserve that.

"Yeah, training has been rougher."

She nodded in understanding, but her smile never faded. "It's a good thing. Training directly under him and having his focus on you is a good thing."

Jaemin looked at her and wanted to tell her about his current goal. He knew who did it. Vincent Callahan. Regardless of how strong his morality was, Jaemin wanted to get revenge for Bella. He decided against telling her that though. She would probably be disappointed if she knew how vindictive he was.

*Present day*

Words couldn't describe the way Jaemin's eyes were blown wide. Just a few minutes ago, there was an emergency alarm that someone was in the castle who shouldn't have been. Hikari stayed behind with Excalibur and the royal family while Jaemin went to check it out.

How did this happen so quickly?

"Jaemin!" Jinni screamed, holding Hongjoong who had just gotten shot on the floor. "Please, help him!"

"Jaemin," a voice said, standing by the main door with a gun still pointed at Jinni and Hongjoong. "It's good to see you again.

He saw red.

In an instant, a loud yell of Vincent's name from his mouth and he charged at the man, stopping when the gun pointed at him.

"Based on where I shot him and the efforts of the girl, I give him maybe... forty minutes. That gives us time."

Through gritted teeth, Jaemin took deep breaths to try to calm himself down while staring at Vincent. "Time for what?"

His eyes trailed down to Jaemin's hip, seeming to darken when he realized Excalibur was nowhere to be seen. "Time for you to give me your sword." He held his hand out even with the absence of the weapon and Jaemin just stared at it.

"Why would I do that?"

"Because... if you don't..." he pointed the gun back at Hongjoong. "Both of them will die."

Jaemin looked at them and saw that Hongjoong's eyes were shut while Jinni was hysterically bandaging the bullet wound in his shoulder. There was a harsh feeling of uncertainty with what to say to him.

As cruel as he seemed, there was a chance that Vincent was telling the truth. There wasn't a hint of dishonesty in his eyes when he gave the proposition.

Did he let his friends die, or give up an object that had the ability to protect a lot more people? Keeping Excalibur would mean that two innocent people died in order for it to happen, regardless of if he had a personal connection to them or not.