Author's Notes: I think we are all caught up. This as the final chapter I uploaded before I accidentally deleted the story (only a 4th of the subscribers had read it so please check to see if that includes you). I still can't believe I did something so dumb >.<. Thank you for resubscribing or for those who are new, subscribing!
Tae Hyun frowned, he had never before been into the mountain outside of the Academy, had never had any desire or curiosity to. Occasionally young alphas would sneak out into the forest, sometimes in small groups, sometimes to meet their omegas during periods of enforced abstinence but Tae Hyun had never once seen the appeal. After all, there was nothing in the mountains except trees and animals.
For the next hour or so Chief Tak continued to quietly lead them further into the woods, Tae Hyun’s frown deepening with every mile.
At last, just as the sun was reaching the horizon, they came across a pond partially covered by the opening of a cave. Its surface was littered with water lilies. It was quiet and the water was unusually still.
“There is an old tradition, one that has never been written down, simply passed by word of mouth,” said Chief Tak as she began to remove her slippers and outer robe.
Tae Hyun turned away to provide her some privacy then tugged at the omega’s arm when he did not immediately do the same.
“I am long past worrying about my modesty,” said Chief Tak with a chuckle. “You may turn around though I cannot be responsible for any scarring you might suffer.”
Tae Hyun briefly met the omega’s gaze, who grinned back at him in return.
“Uh fair warning,” Yoo Jin said brightly, “since I’m not wearing one of those robes, I’ll be going in with just my boxers.” And Tae Hyun watched again in embarrassment as the omega stripped off his clothes until he was left in nothing but a pair of bright pink, heart motif boxers and a pair of white socks.
Yoo Jin’s face turned bright red. “Urg, I forgot I was wearing these,” he said as he met Tae Hyun’s eyes and Tae Hyun suddenly felt an unfamiliar twitch at the edges of his mouth. “You know, you’re the one who just brought me here, without any change of clothes” the omega quickly explained, though Tae Hyun had not said a word, “these were the only clean pair I had in my home that day. I had no choice but to keep wearing these but they’re clean! I washed them just last night.”
“Did I say anything?” he responded coldly as he turned away, trying to still the strange laughter that had suddenly formed within him. For some reason, the sight of that omega, thirty in age, loud and foolish, in nothing but bright pink boxers littered with hearts and a pair of white socks, with cheeks nearly as pink made him want to laugh.
He cleared his throat and casually shook his head. No, no, it was simply that this omega was so unusually dumb, there was nothing about him that was even remotely funny. He was simply perplexed; that was the only explanation as to why he wanted to do something as useless as laughter. Comforted by his thoughts, he removed his own outer robe, revealing the white garment beneath.
Chief Tak led them into the lake. As soon as he touched the water, Tae Hyun felt goosebumps rise on skin. Beside him, he heard the omega gasp in surprise.
“Damn, it’s cold,” said Yoo Jin, his teeth chattering as they waded into the water. For a moment, the omega’s bare arm touched his and Tae Hyun felt a strange jolt run through his body. He peered at him in surprise but the omega seemed not to notice, instead wrapping his arms about himself as he shivered visibly in the cold.
Chief Tak's voice suddenly came from in front of them. “Tradition spoke of Saerims learning to control their mana using these caves.” She stopped and turned to face them, the water stood less than an inch from her neck. “It is an old method and a practice that has died out. The results were not consistent and at times, it had led to sickness or even death of the practitioner. But when successful, mana control can be learned quickly.” She paused and then met Tae Hyun’s eyes. “You should be familiar with a similar method,” she said softly.
Tae Hyun's eyes focused on hers and he felt the blood drain slightly from his face. “W-Wait,” he said.
Chief Tak looked at him patiently as though she had expected his response. “It is unpleasant,” she said after a long moment when Tae Hyun did not speak. She turned to Yoo Jin. “The effects may be painful and I cannot promise results. You still have the option of withdrawing your entrance into the examination dungeon. Neither of us will blame you nor think less of you.”
Tae Hyun turned to the omega, whose eyes had squinted as though in thought. From his experience, he knew that omegas were cowards; his own mother had exhibited this characteristic well. Perhaps it would have been better if he bowed out now, after all, while chances of him dying during the examination were slim, rogue mana bursts could result in some dangerous situations. But that would mean that Tae Hyun would have to give up on both the pheromone stabilization and the seat on the council.
“No,” said Yoo Jin from beside him, “I’ll do it. After all, this guy had already made the deal.”
Tae Hyun turned quickly to look at him, the water bobbed slightly about his chest, hovering at the level of his now hardened nipples. He felt heat rise into his cheeks and turned away quickly.
“It might be best if you don’t,” he said into the direction of the cave’s opening.
“But you think I have potential, don’t you?” said Yoo Jin with a grin and Tae Hyun felt him slide just a bit nearer. His wet skin glistened slightly in the rising light and Tae Hyun’s mind briefly returned to the other night when they were alone in his room and the omega had poured his pheromones onto him. It had been awkward and strange and a little bit unpleasant but for some reason, Tae Hyun had found himself thinking back on it every so often. “I mean you must think that otherwise, why would you risk your seat?” He turned back to the Chief and grinned. “I have the backing of the Mirae Group’s youngest alpha so I’ll be confident too in myself. Plus,” he said grinning even more widely, “I’ve got you two to pull me out if something goes wrong, right?”
He slapped Tae Hyun on the back. He stumbled a bit and turned to the omega in annoyance. He grumbled under his breath. What reason did he have to put his faith in him?
“I mean I know I’m just a tool for your needs,” he continued, slapping him once more on the back but this time noticeably harder. “And that gives me confidence that you wouldn’t let anything happen to me.”
Foolish to trust a stranger. But he supposed that it wasn’t necessarily untrue. He needed this omega, he needed his pheromones.
“So what do I need to do?” Yoo Jin asked.
Chief Tak assessed them for a moment longer before opening her mouth to continue her explanation. “There is a point in this cave where the path is very narrow, there is no light and the water nearly touches the ceiling.” She paused. “You will be squeezed into that space. In that space above the water, there is only enough room for only your mouth and nose. You will not hear anything, see anything, and the only thing you will be able to feel is the still liquid around you and the air that will barely flow through your lungs. There you will stay, for how long I cannot say. Your goal is to simply let go of your will until you reach a state where neither life or death matters. I’ll be frank,” she said, slowly, “It’ll happen after the panic settles.”
Yoo Jin met her gaze then turned around to look at Tae Hyun. “You did something like that before?” he asked. “How old were you?”
Tae Hyun blinked. There was a note of concern behind the omega’s words and it unsettled him. “I manifested when I was fourteen and I became a summoner shortly after.” He paused. “This method is the only way to manifest as a summoner, it is proof of his indisputable faith.”
Yoo Jin’s brows scrunched up. “But you were only fourteen.”
“Age has little to do with it,” Tae Hyun replied indifferently. “The strength of my will is superior.”
Yoo Jin opened his mouth to respond when Chief Tak suddenly spoke up, causing both pairs of eyes to turn to her. “It is a method that is no longer approved by the Academy. However, both Tae Hyun as well as myself are proof that it can work.”
“You did this too, Chief?”
She nodded. “Like I said, it is an old practice.”
Yoo Jin suddenly nodded enthusiastically. “Okay,” he said, brightly. “If a fourteen year old kid can do it and the Chief did it as well, then I’m down for trying.”
Tae Hyun looked at the omega as though he had grown a second head. Did this omega not know how to think things through? His sense of caution was almost nonexistent, he kept jumping into things with little or perhaps, no thought at all.
“Do you have something to add, Tae Hyun?” came Chief Tak’s voice, forcing his attention back to them. For a moment, he looked at the blank expression of the omega before his face broke into a sudden and confident grin.
He was suddenly gripped by the desire to shake him. To force him to realize that the training he was about to undertake was so tremendously taxing on the mind that even Tae Hyun was still reeling from its effects, ten years later.
“Come,” said Chief Tak who had turned and started to now swim farther into the cave.
Tae Hyun merely watched them for a moment, frozen in place as though his feet had dug themselves into the soft earth beneath him. He suddenly felt cold.
“Hey,” came a voice from beside him and he turned to see the omega peering up at him. “You okay?” he asked him, again with that uncharacteristic look of concern.
Strangely, it unsettled him. He wasn’t sure why but he felt hesitant.
“Come on,” said Yoo Jin and Tae Hyun watched through a strange haze as the omega took his hand and began to wade through the water. He watched their clasped hands, allowing him to pull him along when suddenly his senses returned to him and he pulled his hand back.
The omega turned his head to look at him with a questioning gaze.
“Don’t touch me,” Tae Hyun hissed softly.
The omega’s brow rose but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he looked at him for a moment longer before shrugging. He turned and resumed following the quickly retreating form of the Chief.
Tae Hyun watched the two reach a point where the water was now too high for them to walk. He hadn’t expected this, he didn’t like it. But he gritted his teeth and began to follow.
Chief Tak stopped them in front of a small crevice at a wall deep into the cave. It was so dark around them that it felt as though the day had turned to night. Tae Hun looked down into the break on the cave wall, water gently swayed about the opening. She then instructed the omega that he would swim through the crevice until he reached a point in the break where he can just barely move himself into a vertical position. He would then need to angle his neck up so that he could breathe but he would be stuck in that position, hardly able to move due to the narrow size of the space, surrounded entirely by the cold, still water.
Tae Hyun swallowed as he watched the omega, who, with very little hesitancy, began to wedge himself into the crevice and felt a familiar and hated anxiety grip him. Suddenly, he saw his own hand shoot out and grip the omega’s shoulder.
Yoo Jin paused and turned to look at him. “What is it?”
Tae Hyun quickly retracted his hand as though burned. What had he been about to do? “Ah, nothing,” he said and took a few steps back.
The omega looked at him for a long moment before he grinned as if he was barely fazed and handed him his glasses. “Don’t worry,” he said with a wink, “I’ll be back in a giffy.”
But instead of feeling assured, Tae Hyun wanted to take the omega and simply run.
Something didn’t feel quite right and he wasn’t sure what.
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