‹𝟹﹒𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐥﹒⌒⌒

✦・fifty nine╭╯

"We will leave Eroth today." Indira said. An uncertain silence followed her words. The Royal Children were ready, with a plan and strategies. But the Phenomenal were wasting time arguing. They didn't have a plan and Indira just said they were coming. They would get here in ten days.

Yoongi sighed. They needed to come up with a foolproof plan which could be adaptable to any situation. If their siblings betrayed them, it shouldn't affect their strategies. A sound plan, which everyone agreed to.

Earlier in the kitchen, Namjoon and Zia wanted to take a conciliatory approach. He was relieved to hear this. He didn't trust his siblings, but he didn't want the Phenomenals to fight over something they weren't completely sure of. Just because he didn't trust them, doesn't mean they were going to betray him.

"How many Erothian soldiers are going to be there?" Zia asked.

"About five thousand." Ixone replied this time. Yoongi yearned to hear their voice. He was still embarrassed about the incident in the cell on Eroth. Though Ixone had moved past it.

He sucked his breath through his teeth. Five thousand was a huge number. Everyone looked worried. Every soldier was trained. They were powerful, but they were never trained to control their powers. Except for that time on Hoseok's lawn, no one took it seriously after a few minutes. It would be nine against five thousand, nineteen if their siblings were from their side. He wanted to believe that they were, but he couldn't. Throughout his life, he had learnt that things were never easy. He could feel something bad coming.

"That many?" Hoseok wondered out loud. His mouth agape, he looked at the walkie - talkie.

"Yeah, you will have to be really careful." Indira warned. It was just the two of them. The others had some duties to attend to. Yoongi was glad at least Ixone was there.

"Don't call us now. We'll meet you directly on Earth. We can't risk anyone finding out." Income said.

"Yeah." Namjoon replied.

The line beeped and went off. No one said anything. They were going over the information they just got. It was a real shocker. He just realised how under prepared they were. They were going to help the Royal Children kill their parents. That's it. That was their plan. The Royal Council was coming with five thousand soldiers to kill them. The soldiers would also be the best of the best. They stood no chance. Shivers ran down his spine. He had never been so scared of death before.

"Yoongi, don't be so defeatist." Trace said. "You are not going to die."

"Can you read the future?" he fired back.

"No, but I know."

He was annoyed at Trace and every other gem. They wouldn't help just pop out at random moments to give them information and then they would take their oath of silence. No straight answers, just commands. And if he didn't agree, they had the power to give him headaches. That was the most annoying part. The power Trace had over him.

"That's convenient." He scoffed.

-

Night grit her teeth as the awkward silence continued to stretch. Five thousand soldiers and the nine of them. The odds were not in their favour. But if they were destined to save Eroth, they might stand a chance. They had to win. She didn't know what their parents would do to her, but it wasn't going to be a quick and painless death. They had lost that opportunity. She had to win, even if it was just to avoid the torture they would be subjected to.

She caught Zia's eye. Zia gave her a curt nod. She didn't understand what Zia was trying to tell her, but she had a plan. A plan to win. Zia cleared her throat. Everyone's eyes snapped back to her.

"Ixone said there will be five thousand soldiers coming with them." She started meeting everyone's eyes as she spoke. Her voice was calm, but it carried authority. Everyone obediently followed her every word. "We won't win against them even if we are more powerful than them." Night took a deep breath, waiting for her to continue. "They are not stupid. They would see we aren't working together as a team and use it to their advantage."

Her words carried weight. Regret surfaced on everyone's face. She was right. They were already outnumbered. If they didn't work as a team, they would be overpowered too.

"We don't know if the Royal Children are on our side or not. We can just make assumptions." Namjoon added. Zia and he had talked about it before. "But we can make a plan which doesn't involve them. We have ten days. Let's not waste any more time. We all know the consequences if we fail." His voice was calm, but firm. Gently reminding them of the situation.

Everyone nodded. Silently forgetting the argument. They didn't have to forget it, but they needed to move past it. Time slipped like sand between their fingers. The more they would try to hold back, the faster the grains would fall on the ground.

"We can start by going to Bukhansan first." Yoongi said.

That was the first step.

"We can start by that." Zia said. "I think we should go to Bukhansan as soon as possible."

"Tomorrow morning?" Jungkook asked.

"I was thinking about leaving right now." she said.

"Right now?" Night asked.

"Yeah, we are running out of time. Let's make the best of it."

"What would we do on the mountain?" Jimin asked.

"Mark the terrain, form strategies. See if there is something we can use to our advantage." Namjoon answered.

"So we are actually leaving right now?" Night asked. Zia and Namjoon had found some new determination, and they were not thinking practically. "It's 11 pm. We will get lost there."

"She's right." Hoseok pointed out.

"But then we will waste time." Zia argued.

"We should get proper rest at least today. I don't think we would be able to sleep for the next few days if we.." Jin said. He didn't have to complete the sentence. They wouldn't get sleep for the next few days if they didn't die.

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