Sunghoon tries to take another nap after the session to get a break from his racing thoughts. It's a futile attempt.

Despite earlier feeling dozy enough to fall after taking a step on his own, it was like the weariness was leached out of him. That, combined with the high from training and the proximity to his mentor has his heart doing flips. He can't get a minute of silence in his mind.

He finds it odd how the exhaustion and nausea he felt after waking up disappeared shortly after Heeseung had him in his arms.

The fog that has clouded his mind since he arrived, and the dull ache of his muscles since starting training has all but disappeared. He has to shake the thought from his head. Maybe it's better not to think too deeply about it.

Sunoo arrives at his door to fetch him an hour later, excitedly proclaiming that it is time to get ready and head downstairs.

The boy even brings a new outfit for him to change into, knowing he wouldn't want to wear the standard training uniform out in a city full of elitists and fashionistas.

Sunghoon thinks he looks good, and so does Sunoo. The shorter gives him a thumbs-up and compliments him earnestly the entire way down to the main floor.

"Looking good, Park." Jongseong teases, ruffling his hair that Sunoo meticulously groomed through only minutes prior. He swats the hand away in annoyance.

Heeseung seems to be out of it, he zones in and out on Sunghoon a few times but says nothing. He has a limp arm around Jongseong's shoulder, and Sunoo peeks over at him.

"You good to go, soldier? You aren't looking so hot." Sunoo quirks an eyebrow at the older, who only huffs in response.

"I should be fine. Let's just get going before the foot traffic gets too bad."

Heeseung is, in fact, not fine. His words slur just enough to hint that something is wrong, and he can't focus on one person or thing for more than a few seconds before his eyes start drifting. He trips on at least five separate occasions by the time they reach the front doors, and even Jongseong looks annoyed.

The front door has been locked since the tributes arrived at the center, but they're made of glass so everyone can see outside when they pass.

One step out and Sunghoon is amazed by the scenery sprawled around him. The night view of the city doesn't do it justice, and sans the ridiculously dressed citizens, it is one of the most beautiful places he's ever seen. He is easily entranced by the liveliness and sheer amount of vibrant colours.

The buildings stretch higher than he can even comprehend, and the thought of being on the roof peering over hits him in a wave of nausea. Trains and busses woosh above their heads, but are otherwise silent as they pass. Colorful billboard ads that advertise useless, cosmetic trinkets adorn the low-rise buildings at every opportunity.

The streets and footpaths are bustling with life, and Sunghoon quickly feels overwhelmed in the swarm. It only gets worse when people start recognizing them.

Sunghoon closes his eyes and breathes the instructions Heeseung told him the night before, repeating the mantra in his head. Sunoo nudges him forward and they start walking to the Divine Museum.

They take many twists and turns around the city streets, occasionally having to duck under an exaggerated boa or loose accessory. Jongseong seems to be chatting Heeseung's ear off at the front of the group, who still doesn't seem to be responding. Sunoo is pointing out some acute details of the city's architecture that goes in one ear and out the other.

The noise is deafening. Not even the school lunch pit, or the foresting mills are as loud as this. Citizens are speaking to each other in hushed conversation that multiplies with each pair of acquaintances that go by. The occasional public transit announcement also plays over the PA system.

In no time, and in seconds, Sunghoon finds himself drowning in the unfamiliar cacophony of sounds and people. He loses the group and feels the wind get figuratively knocked out of him when he tries to look around.

Jongseong and Heeseung disappear, as does Sunoo. The mass of bodies; many adorned in neon colors that sting his eyes, push and kick him when he stops in the middle of the path. He blindly stumbles with the crowd after that, throat tight and hands shaking as he is pushed against his will by the migration of the crowd.

When he is finally able to find an end to the crowd, he is pushed into a vacant corner of the city where a young boy stands. Alone. He looks terrified, even more so than himself.

Still gasping for breath, he curses his brotherly instincts before making his way over, "Are you alright?"

The boy stares up at him with wide, watery eyes, "I lost mommy. I don't know where she went."

He makes grabby hands as if he wants Sunghoon to pick him up. The tribute glances at the masses of people walking by, none of whom even seem to notice him, or the lost boy. He eventually obliges, lifting the boy up and asking if he can identify his mother in the crowd.

Sunghoon feels the anxiety gnaw in his stomach at the thought of his mentors realizing he's gone and looking all over for him. At least they didn't bring any peacekeepers with them.

"Do you see her anywhere?" Sunghoon asks the boy, pacing around the area as if it would give the boy a better vantage point.

"No..." the boy is looking around frantically, still on the verge of tears. Sunghoon hikes him up on his hip and pats his head with his free hand.

"It's alright. I'm sure she's looking for you too." Sunghoon reassures him, waiting around to see if anyone will approach them.

"What's your name?" Sunghoon asks hurriedly when he sees the first stray tear fall down his cheek.

"M–Midam." He sniffles, head still frantically scanning every unfamiliar face that passes by.

"I'm Sunghoon. It's nice to meet you Midam." He introduces himself, desperate to stop him before he starts really crying.

"If I may ask, what happened that made you lose your mother?"

The boy holds a hand to the bruises on his neck, "Hand loose. I got kicked here."

Sunghoon sighs, holding the little boy as firmly as possible as he continues his look out. It's not until he hears distant calling of his name that he shoots up.

" Sunghoon !" A chorus of male voices calls. " Midam !" A more feminine voice echoes.

He doesn't even have time to call back when he sees Heeseung emerge from the crowd. The worry is evident on his face as he runs over, almost tackling the two of them in a hug.

Sunfhoon can feel the mentor's heart racing a mile a minute, as if he'd just run a marathon. He savors the feeling of hands gripping the back of his shirt and buries his head in the crook of Heeseung's neck.

They stay like that for what feels like an eternity, but in reality it is only a few seconds, and then Heeseung pulls away.

"What did I tell you about staying with the group?" He tries scolding him, but he sounds more upset than angry. It's more emotion than he's ever seen on the mentors face at once, and it stirs a sense of déjà vu inside him.

"I'm sorry, the crowd swept me up." Sunghoon apologizes, lovestruck. The boy in his arms starts to squirm when Sunoo Jongseong, and an unfamiliar woman exit the crowd soon after.

"Midam!" the woman wails, running towards them. Sunghoon places the boy back on the ground and watches him toddle up to her in a joyous reunion. They almost look as glad as he was to see Heeseung. Almost.

The woman thanks him, holding her crying child and turning to share some final words with the other two mentors, who seemed to be the ones reassuring her before arriving.

Sunghoon immediately stills when he starts to smell the metallic scent of blood. Concerned, he looks at his arms and clothes and notices no stains on himself, and then he turns to Heeseung.

The boy winces, clearly in pain before sinking to his knees beside him. The fatigue that vanished only seconds earlier reappeara and seemingly hits him like a truck. Luckily, Sunghoon has the reflexes to catch him before he completely topples over, "Are you alright?"

Heeseung fails to respond, and Sunghoon instead watches as blood starts to drip out of his mouth and spill onto the pristine white concrete below.

"Heeseung." Sunghoon says, more urgently as he falls down beside him. No response follows, and when his eyes close Sunghoon panics, "Heeseung? Heeseung ?"

He stares in shock as the boy starts falling to the ground again, Sunghoon only able to catch him and place him gently to the concrete floor as blood starts spilling at an alarming rate out of his mouth. He notices new bruises on his neck, and the paleness of his skin immediately.

In the blink of an eye Sunghoon appears in a grassy noel. Blinking down, he sees Heeseung bleeding out into the fauna. Arrow wedged in his throat, and blood spilling from both the wound and his mouth.

Sunghoon cries. He doesn't notice it start, but he can feel the stream of tears flow down his face. He attempts to reach out for the older but to no avail. He tries to say something— anything — but nothing comes out.

In the next moment he is in a burning village. The smoke suffocates his lungs and chokes him. His eyes are already watering as he stares down at Heeseung, who is lying deadly still in the ashen grass. A broken arrow is driven through his chest.

Sunghoon feels like he's lived a thousand lives. The weight of the sins he's long forgotten and the sins he's yet to incur hit him in a wave. Flashes of light blind his vision and the cacophony of sounds echoing in his ears debilitates him.

When Sunghoon resurfaces in the Capitol, shaking and screaming, Sunoo and Jongseong are already running toward him. Both of their eyes widening in shock at the two bodies in front of them.

"Sunghoon, Sunghoon it's alright. You're alright. You're here with us in the Capitol." Sunoo soothes him, dropping to his knees beside him and blocking his vision of Heeseung.

Sunghoon flinches as hands reach his shoulders, and he instinctively wants to kick away to get to the boy bleeding out on the ground. Sunoo seems to know what he is going to do ahead of time.

"You don't want to watch." Sunoo says earnestly, holding him in place.

There's a hard thud and a crack of something connecting with skin, and then a horrendous squelching noise of liquid hitting the ground.

Breaking free of Sunoo's grasp, he sees an unamused Jongseong standing over Heeseung's body. Inhuman amounts of blood is pooling around him, and Sunghoon immediately gravitates to his side once again.

While he would normally be throwing up and passing out from the metallic reek, he instead feels like he needs to do something. Feels like he should be able to do something in this situation. Worry gnaws at his gut and his heart skips a few more beats than it should.

Sunghoon kneels down in the blood, picking up Heeseung's head and resting it in his lap. He doesn't know if the boy is breathing anymore because his own shallow breaths dominate every one of his senses.

After what feels like an eternity, a hoarse gasp and coughing sounds in front of him. Heeseung's arm twitches and his head stirs in Sunghoon's lap. He weakly lifts his arm against the sun beating down on them and sighs, coughing up another clot of blood.

"Fuck off man, you need to stop doing that." Is all Jongseong spits, watching unsympathetically as the older slowly rises to his feet.

Heeseung grumbles under his breath in a mocking tone, cracking one of the bones in his arm, "I'm fine now."

" You're fine now? " Sunghoon barks in disbelief, standing up and fighting the urge to cry, or vomit, or both.

The pain and fear that struck his heart is something that deep down, he knows all too well. He has to swallow the hesitation and nausea that comes with it. The familiarity of the loss of boy he met only this week.

"What the fuck was that?" Sunghoon asks, pointing at the large pool of blood that should surely be affecting him by now.

"It happens sometimes. I'll tell you about it later." Heeseung replies dismissively, but wide eyes show that he forgot the other was there. He wipes the remnants of blood around his mouth on his sleeve.

"There is no later, Heeseung. I'm going into an arena to fight for my life and I have a one in twenty-four chance of making it out alive. A twenty fourth ." Sunghoon cries, and he's unsure of why he's so upset about not knowing this so-called secret of someone he barely knows.

He doesn't have the right to know.

Or does he?

He's unsure why he had those visions. Why the image of Heeseung dead is burned to the back of his eyelids. He's unsure of why he's crying so hard right now.

Sunoo and Jongseong look at each other in shock, eyes shooting between each other and Sunghoon sinking back to the floor.

Heeseung doesn't say anything as he crouches beside Sunghoon and pulls him into a hug. The latter just keeps crying and holds onto his bloodied shirt with a newfound vigor.

"Was it... always like this?" Jongseong asks quietly, watching a stoic Heeseung comforting the younger boy.

"Yes." Sunoo responds, equally as mythical.

Heeseung holds Sunghoon like he's an injured animal. He gently pats his back as the younger cries into his shoulder. After all this time he still doesn't know how to deal with it. He resists the urge to run a hand through his hair, lest he'll drag blood into it.

"Look, lovebirds. We can figure this out later. We're already on a delay of schedule." Sunoo finally says, looking down at their hands and sighing.

Heeseung gets Sunghoon up carefully, the younger now also stained with blood and clutching onto the former's shirt with a death grip. Partially out of fizzling anger, and partially out of fear that he'll slip through his fingers.

"What... what about the b-blood." Sunghoon huffs, and the look in his eyes is something Sunoo remembers. Something from hundreds of years ago, a look he's nearly forgotten.

"Take our jackets. We won't be able to go back if we want to keep on time." Jongseong says, handing them over before Sunoo snaps out of his daze and leads the group back towards the main road.

Heeseung and Sunghoon go in front so the two can't lose them again. Sunoo and Jongseong watch them from behind.

Sunghoon slips into a rhythm he doesn't recognize but falls into anyways. Heeseung keeps a firm grasp around his waist and leads him through the crowd while Sunghoon picks at the dried blood in his hair and tries to erase the rest of the blood on his neck. Citizens stare as they go by but neither of them seem to notice, too entranced in each other to care.

"Would it kill someone if I had what they have." Jongseong deadpans, looking at Sunoo who only snickers in return, "Knowing you, probably."

When they finally reach the museum Sunghoon is stunned. Unlike the futuristic look adapted by the rest of the city, this building is adorned with slabs of marble, antique pillars, and ancient concrete stairs. He wipes the final remnants of tears from his face and takes in the view.

"I rented it out for us today so we should be the only ones in." Sunoo grins, taking two steps up at a time, "Not like anyone else really visits, but for immersion's sake."

When Sunghoon steps through the doors he marvels at the sculptures arranged meticulously on the other end of the room. Thirteen marble statues stand in a line, and small displays frame the rest of the otherwise empty walls.

"Where should we start?" Sunoo chirps, breaking Sunghoon's trance and turning to look at his delighted smile.

Every display is something entirely new to Sunghoon, whose home of District Seven is far from equipped to teach them about history. All he is aware of is that the Great Divines created the earth millions upon millions of years ago, with their abilities passing down to their descendants.

Noticing the blank stare in response, Heeseung guides him to the statues. Sunoo steps beside him and stares at the display with a look of proudness and awe that can only come from someone holding a divine themself.

"A gnosis is the ability inherited from the descendants of the Thirteen Divines and other minor deities." The boy says theatrically, gesturing around the open foyer.

Each of the statues are marvellous. Equally as tall and illustrious, built out of high quality marble, and the carvings on each are so distinct and give each life. The faces are non-distinct but familiar, and Sunghoon feels a chill down his spine.

"The districts were originally divided by the worshippers of each Great Divine. You know District One, entertainment. I am the owner of the gnosis of fate, the First Divine. It is said the First Divine was responsible for matters of love and manipulation. They go hand in hand." Sunoo smiles proudly, gaze longing over the carved marble.

His finger points toward the second divine, "District Two, descended from the Second Divine. Weaponry and war, a tool of mass destruction. Something that battled the peace the other Divines created."

Sunghoon stops and turns to Heeseung beside him, "So the Divines all have abilities special to their ancestor?"

"Yes, we do." Sunoo smiles, "All of them are relatively similar to what the original Divine had."

"District Two. Heightened war prowess and fighting skills. Usually means they are a jack-of-all-trades with weapons and can rarely be defeated in combat." Sunoo continues, and Sunghoon casts another side glance at Heeseung who fails to react to the statement or his stare.

"District Three, water manipulation. They created the seas and rivers that run through our world today. Apparently they could kick up some nasty riptides in the past." He chuckles, pointing to the next statue.

"District Four, electricity manipulation and creation." Jongseong butts in excitedly, "They invented electricity to help us mortals out in their everyday lives."

"Speak for yourself." Sunoo retorts and Heeseung snorts at the comment.

"District Five, medicine, fate. Jake is the direct descendant of the Fifth Divine." Sunoo explains, looking up at the statue.

"District Six, forging and fire." Jongseong continues quickly, facing the others, "Good at weaponry, able to control fire."

As they walk towards the statue of the Seventh Divine, Sunghoon stops. Although the face is blank he feels the ache of recognition, and finds himself subconsciously reaching out to the plaque of information in front of it before Heeseung pulls him back.

"Don't touch, Doll."

Sunghoon doesn't have a remark for the pet name, and he continues to read the plaque from where he stands.

"Interested in the Seventh Divine, aren't you?" Sunoo says in amusement, stopping beside him.

He stares up at the statue, towering dozens of feet over himself. The details are immaculate, and Sunghoon admires every chisel and carve in the stone.

"District Seven, as you know, is the lumber district. The Seventh Divine manipulates the earth. It's said that he made this world himself." Sunoo smiles dreamily, his eyes visibly sparkling.

They all stand in a mutual silence staring up at the statue before moving on to the next, "District Eight, livestock. The Eighth Divine communicates with, and controls animals. It helped with production down there."

Jongseong giggles a bit at the insinuation.

"District Nine, light manipulation. It's said the Ninth Divine controls day and night." He continues to chuckle under his breath, "Kind of boring though."

Sunoo smacks his arm, "You cannot talk."

They start bickering and Heeseung, arm snaking around his waist, pulls him to the next statue, "District Ten, air manipulation. I would say they also control the weather."

"District Eleven, teleportation. There hasn't been a descendent of the Eleventh Divine in centuries. Not any live ones, at least." Sunoo says seriously, coming up behind them. Sunghoon locks eyes with him.

"District Twelve, telekinesis. There also hasn't been a descendent of the Twelfth Divine in centuries. We think the Capitol has something to do with it." Jongseong says nonchalantly, and Sunoo once again smacks him on the arm.

Sunghoon hasn't said anything outside of small comments since their presentation started, and Heeseung has been relatively quiet as well. While Sunoo and Jongseong once again go on a spiel of how annoying the other is, Sunghoon is dragged towards the largest statue at the end of the line.

The marble towers over the other statues even though they are already impossibly tall, and it looks like it is kept the cleanest of them all too.

"The Thirteenth Divine, have you heard of him, Sunghoon?" Heeseung whispers quietly, and he feels a wave of heat go through him.

Heeseung's lips are right by ear, and the look of amusement on his face is prominent. Sunghoon does his best to swallow and avoid looking at him.

"Only a little, just that they created... us."

"Yeah, they created us."

They stand in a comfortable silence beside each other while Sunoo scolds Jongseong in the background.

"Have you heard the tale?" Heeseung asks, head dropping onto his shoulder.

He pretends desperately not to notice, "The tale of what?"

"That the Seventh Divine loved the Thirteenth Divine so much they made the Earth for their creations. Either that, or the Seventh and Thirteenth Divine were really one in the same. Both were popular theories as to how we got here."

Sunghoon turns to him, faces only centimeters apart. He swallows hard, "Oh?"

"Are you spoiling the tour for him, Heeseung?" Sunoo pouts, finally rejoining them.

"The Thirteenth Divine mastered anatomy manipulation. Heightened senses, he was the Divine who created humans and gave the Great Divines their bodies." He continues, "There are no known descendants of the Thirteenth Divine. District Thirteen was never created because they despised the government they knew was going to form between the rest of the Divines. They did not want to curse their descendents with such worries."

"But doesn't the Capitol claim they are the division of the Thirteenth Divine?" Sunghoon asks, swatting Heeseung's arm away from his waist when Jongseong gives them a funny look.

"They say that because they want to look like they have authority. No one in the government has a Divine, and they keep those they have like animals." Jongseong says nonchalantly, glaring at the inscriptions in the plaques.

"The Capitol is not what it seems, Sunghoon. I'm sure you've realized that by now." Sunoo says candidly, now gesturing for him to follow to one of the other displays.

This section is dedicated to tributes of the Hunger Games who wielded a divine. Big photographs of Sunoo and Jaeyun hang beside each other on the wall. Heeseung walks over to one of the smaller plates on the wall.

Jongseong complains in the background how the writers trash him for killing the divine in his game.

" Kim Sunoo, District One, divinity of puppeteering and overseeing fates ." Sunghoon reads, curious as to how his divinity works.

Sunoo isn't one to flaunt or use his ability in everyday life, and he has yet to really show or describe it to. Call him curious, "Sunoo, what is your ability?"

"Puppeteering, Sunghoon." Sunoo responds, "If I want someone to do something, they'll do it."

He reaches out to touch his own portrait, "I am also a seer of fate. I see the red strings that attach people to each other. You would be surprised at how much I see."

"That's cool. Have you found your soulmate yet?" Sunghoon asks absentmindedly, scanning the rest of his plaque.

"I think so. The strings tangle a lot so it can be hard to tell who is who, though." Sunoo smiles sadly, hand tracing the frame of his painting.

Sunghoon turns to avoid his dejected face, instead choosing to read the display next to him. Sim Jaeyun, District Five, Divine of fates and probability .

"Do you know any other divines?" Sunghoon asks, looking back at the three mentors who are all equally as engrossed in different displays.

"None by name, only Jaeyun. I don't think the Capitol enjoys having more than a few divines in one place at a time. They never know what we're planning." Sunoo says sarcastically, looking over his shoulder.

"The Capitol has some minor divines in their war units." Jongseong adds, continuing to read around the room.

None of the displays in this section mentions anyone he recognizes, and Sunghoon continues to gravitate toward where Heeseung is standing, reading a smaller collection of text under an old picture of a teenage boy. Kirishima K—

"Sunghoon, there's one more thing I want to tell you about!" Sunoo chimes from across the museum, and the mentioned turns to look for him.

Following quietly, his shoes click ceremoniously across the marble floor, and the two enter a dark room that contrasts the aesthetic of the rest of the building.

"What's this?" Sunghoon asks, looking around the nearly empty, black room.

"Disease," Sunoo explains, "The Thirteen Divines never really made a name for it, but we just referred to it as the corruption."

"What... Where is it from? Why is it relevant to the Divines?"

"It's a disease that only divines can contract. While w- While the Great Divines were the first beings to exist, there was also something else. A sin. The Thirteen Divines were able to banish it before they created this Earth, but they couldn't remove it entirely." Sunoo strokes the black fabric coating the room and Sunghoon almost takes a step back when he notices that it looks like it's moving.

"It attached itself to the Second Divine. He went mad and tried to kill us afterwards, but we were able to get him first. According to some of the records we have, it can lay dormant in someone until they become completely consumed by it. Characterized by aggression, impatience, unpredictability..."

Sunghoon stares at him blankly. Sunoo's lips keep moving, but he can't hear a thing. He thinks his eyes are playing tricks on him when he sees the black jump from the wallpaper and crawl around Sunoo's body.

He tries to say something, but black seeps into his vision and he collapses onto the floor.