hydra | svt

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.

hansol
like a hazy film reel, memories of my alternate life flood my senses. visions of perilous adventures, bursts of magical energy and most importantly twelve other boys sweep in like a tsunami as my subconscious studies it curiously. i watch how i came to know my brothers and how i learned to control my powers; i laugh to myself when wonwoo calls my name and water splashes all over my lap. a memory of visiting the mage's abode piques my interest and i pay close attention to the lift that i step into, inserting a navy blue token. not long after, the memory reel ends and the lights come on in the theatre where i am the only person in the audience.

the first thing i do with my newfound knowledge is encompass wonwoo in a bone-crushing hug. at first he jolts, before relaxing into my arms and i will away the tears forming in my eyes; we stay like this for a few moments and he gives me a soothing pat on the back.

"welcome back," he whispers hoarsely. suddenly, i remember his fragile condition and release him, practically forcing the cool liquid down his throat. he gulps the rest of the glass down and i sit back on the end of his bed, twirling the keychain anxiously around my fingers.

"i suppose you want an update," wonwoo begins and i nod almost too quickly. he sighs deeply, trying to converge all the crazy happenings into a simple paragraph.

"you're the first person i've...recovered...if you like. i know the whereabouts of minghao and junhui but i've yet to work out a way to get close enough to them that they won't suspect me of anything dodgy. and you've met izzy, the mage's daughter-"

i interrupt. "that's the mage's daughter?! the one that we were all secretly so afraid of?"

"yes. and i'm not afraid of her. i think that was just you."

"hmm, sure." he dismisses my knowing look.

"anyway, she's been helping me get my bearings in this new life and it's been tough pretending to be me, but also not me. if that makes sense."

"yeah, it does."

habitually, he stretches the sleeves of his top over his hands and looks pensively out of the window. wonwoo's lips move slightly as he tries to organise his thoughts and i survey his room to pass the time: nothing looks out of the ordinary except for a foot-long scorch mark directly opposite the window and the sky beyond that he was enraptured by. as i open my mouth to question it, he comes back to himself and shakes his head, as if to say don't.

"there's someone out there trying to stop us from reuniting. they've already tried to kill me once and i'm positive they'll be trying again real soon. we have to be even more careful now that you have your memory back too." as he says this, his gaze flits down to the keychain still in my hand, the metal now warm from being surrounded by my skin. "did you know that turns into a sword?"

"a what?"

_

wonwoo
monday. the usual cerulean sky has been stolen and replaced with a dank grey, with tar clouds swirled into the mix: it looks positively depressing. after i pull a clean t-shirt over my head, i struggle with the latch of the window before eventually getting it to open; the fresh air is crisp and cold and it burns my nose as i breathe it in. coughing slightly, i shrug my hoodie on and sling my bag over my shoulder just as my mother calls me down for breakfast.

i bound down the stairs, easily missing two or three steps at a time, and into the kitchen where a steaming bowl of rice waits for me. a small portion of kimchi sits beside it and i get ready to tuck in greedily. i shovel the rice into my mouth, occasionally snatching a few slices of the spicy pickled cabbage to accompany it. however, as soon as it reaches my lips, i begin to cough and choke; a pungent smell like that of chlorine shreds my throat and nose apart as i gulp down a gallon of water to ease the suffocating pain. from beside the stove, my mother rushes to my aid.

"oh goodness! wonwoo, are you alright? here, keep drinking."

i nod and bat her flurrying hands away as i swallow the last of my coughs.

"mum, what's the date on the kimchi?" she looks taken aback and then confused.

"i bought it yesterday. why, what's wrong with it?"

"it tastes...off. and it smells like a graveyard," i add, wrinkling my nose. my mother picks up the dish and brings it to her nose, taking a small sniff. i wait anxiously for her to have a similarly violent reaction to the nuclear smell but she just gives me a funny look and puts it back next to my rice.

"it smells fine? are you sure you're okay woo?"

fine? suddenly on my guard, i nod stiffly and slide out of my chair.

"i've just lost my appetite and i'll be late for school anyway. see you later!" on my way out, i chuck an apple in my bag to eat at break time and step out into the apocalyptic street.

the roads are barren as i walk to school, earbuds feeding 90s korean ballads to my desperate eardrums. the incident with the kimchi has very much taken its hold on my attention and doesn't plan on letting it go anytime soon: it was strange that my mother could smell nothing when to me, i felt like i was already at heaven's front gate waiting to be buzzed in by the receptionist.

a notification interrupts my music and i grumble, pulling my phone out of my pocket: it was an email. navigating my way towards the mail app, i refresh my inbox and sure enough the email address i feared would show appears in striking bold letters.

[new message] yuoRmsiSonstRtasnOw@svtcloud.com

"brilliant," i mumble with a frown. i momentarily stop walking to skim through the very short message.

uncoded, this time.

wonwoo,
i have received word that you've recovered chwe hansol. congratulations, i knew you were the right person for the job. however i hate to dampen the mood by telling you this, but it's important that you are wary. it seems the threat has spread like a pestilence and has become a community with like minds.

evil minds.

watch your back.

huh.

'watch your back'

as soon as the thought crosses my mind, the hair on the back of my neck prickles and some neanderthal instinct in me urges me to start walking and to not stop for even a second until i reach the school gates. i keep up the brisk walking pace with my music turned low until i'm just around the corner from my grey plaster-and-concrete prison. something makes me stumble and another cough shakes my body; my eyes widen as i sniff the air again, disregarding how maniacal i must seem.

the same acrid scent from before seeps into my nose, working like a weedkiller to numb every nerve  in there. i hold a sleeve over my nose and mouth like a filter as the smell suddenly doubles in strength and my eyes begin to water; i rush into school without anymore hesitation, making it to my seat just as the bell goes.

________________
wonwoo found mr handsoap!!! and what do you think wonwoo is smelling?

make sure you wash your hands and practice social distancing!