It's nearly dawn.
The room is suffocatingly quiet. Everyone looks exhausted, but no one dares to break the oppressive silence.
It's been thirty minutes since Jeonghan called the emergency meeting. No explanation. Just one command.
Find Seungcheol and bring him here!
Then, at last.
"DK. Bring out the Blue Book," Jeonghan says coldly.
The air shifts. All of them freeze, seemingly having synchronized thoughts.
No way! Ain't no way we are getting that Blue Book.
Minghao's brow creases as he leans in. "You're not serious."
Jun taps the armrest. He lets out a soft chuckle. "That's unnecessary. You're overreacting... again."
"Am I?" Jeonghan retorts, glancing at Joshua's direction.
Joshua doesn't flinch. His eyes stay locked on Jeonghan. Lips pressed into a thin, unreadable line.
Seungcheol sighs. Arms folded, gaze bored. "I understand your point."
Jeonghan's brow raises. His lips lifts into a smirk. "Do you?"
"We're not children anymore, Jeonghan. Dragging out relics won't change anything," Seungcheol replies.
Jeonghan's smile is slow. Dangerous. "Lest we forget who we are."
Vernon exchanges a glance with Mingyu. Wonwoo narrows his eyes, calculating.
"You just want to control the narrative again," Seungkwan mutters, but his voice lacks conviction.
Jeonghan's laughter echoes. "Control?No, Seungkwan. This is about us."
Eyes fall on Seungcheol.
Then Joshua.
Then, strangely, on Mingyu.
"So what...," Wonwoo chuckles, sarcastic. "Just because that woman walks in and suddenly we're airing centuries of bloodlines and debts?!"
"This is pathetic." Woozi mutters.
Dino, silent until now, speaks from the shadows. "This is too menial to cause us to renew the pact. WTF!"
Jeonghan turns to Dino and gives him a meaningful look. "Right. But you should know very well how feeble relationships are, right?"
Dino curls his hands into fists and clenches his jaw. Of course, everyone know what Jeonghan is referring to.
"Small cracks may look insignificant now, but they can cause a major collapse over time."
Seungcheol gets up and faces everyone, "Jeonghan's right."
He sighs. "As the leader, I shouldn't have acted impulsively. I should've listened first."
DK, looking conflicted, vanishes into the side chamber.
Moments later, he returns holding the Blue Book.
Its thick blue velvet cover is marred with age, but the emblem gleams vividly. under the soft light of the chandeliers.
A reminder of their shared past.
At the center is a black phoenix with wings outstretched in silver, gold, and crimson, symbolizing the Founders' rebirth after the pact.
On either side are thirteen interlocking rings representing the thirteen houses. Finished with a crimson border, as if stitched in blood.
The silence is thick as DK flips the cover open.
Dust rises in a cloud, as if protesting the unexpected disturbance he's caused.
Everyone holds their breath at the sight of the stylized letters in gold on top of the first page.
The Founders' Pact
As the leader, it is Seungcheol's responsibility to begin. Then, one by one, each descendant will read the vow of their ancestor, a sacred promise passed down through the generations.
He clears his throat as the heavy silence in the room presses down on him.
"Each of us faced a world that cast us aside. We were nothing.
Forgotten.
Overlooked.
Rejected.
Enough is enough!
From the ashes of our struggles, we vow to forge our legacy.
Through this pact, we will build the world we are forbidden to create."
Seungcheol passes the delicate book to the brothers. Mingyu holds it still as they read their ancestor's vow.
From the depths of my failures, I, Matteo Rossi, vow to you, my brothers, that I will build cities of power, not just of stone, but of ambition, where we shall stand tall together, never forgotten. I swear my intellect, my hands, and my will to our cause.
Next to read is Jun.
I, Wen Zhao, come from blood that once ruled. I have seen the fall of my family, but it was in the depths of that loss that I found something far more valuable: you. My brothers. I vow to use my connections, my influence, to secure our future and our legacy.
Then, Seungcheol and Seungkwan read in unison.
I, Stephen Montclair, stand here and I swear my loyalty to the pact. When I was exiled, dismissed by the very nation I had served, it was you, my brothers, who gave me refuge. And for that, I will always stand by you.
Minghao rises and approaches the cousins to read the next lines.
The world overlooked my worth, but you never did. The art that flowed through my veins, the influence I wielded in silence, you saw it all. With you, my brothers, I, Hendrik De La Fontaine, vow to help curate our empire.
Hoshi, sitting near Minghao, reaches for the book.
In the shadows, I, Jin Hyeok Kwon, found my strength, and in you, I found my true purpose. I vow to you, brothers, that I will never let the world forget that it was we who shaped its fate. I will fight for our cause as fiercely as you have fought for my survival.
Still reluctant to speak, Dino relents when Seungcheol gives him a subtle nod.
They tried to bury me under rubble, but I rose. When the system abandoned me, you were the ones who picked me up. I, Oh Seong Lee, vow to you, my brothers, that I will never let any of us fall again. I will fight for you, as you have fought for me.
Vernon reads next.
I, Franklin Smith, vow to use my voice to shape the world in our image. The world will know our names. They will know our truth. For the pact we made, I stand with you, always.
Joshua reads. His practiced diplomatic voice slices through the quiet room.
They controlled and used me until I had nothing, but you showed me how to fight. I, Jason Peterson, vow to you, my brothers, that with you by my side, no move is too bold, no challenge too great. I will protect our empire and our place at the top.
Jeonghan's turn comes. He reads with conviction and cadence.
I, Hyu Seok Yoon, was a dreamer lost in the crowd. But you, my brothers, showed me how to build something greater. I vow to use my skills to make our names immortal in the foundations of the world.
Woozi reads with reverence, almost respecting every word.
You, my brothers, showed me that true power lies in controlling what the world does not know. I, Daeryun Fujiwara, vow to remain the quiet executioner behind our plans, the one who moves the pieces without ever being seen.
Finally, DK reads.
I, Alastair Ashford, was seen as nothing but a resource by the powerful. But when I met you, my brothers, you made me realize I was nothing but. I vow to use my power, my wealth, and my influence to build the empire that will ensure our descendants will always rise above.
Seungcheol takes the book again.
He reads the final words.
"We are the Founders. And now, the descendants of this pact, the thirteen houses, shall carry our blood. Our vision. Our fight. Remember. The fall of one is the fall of all."
Silence.
"Now what?" Hoshi whispers.
"I hope you have come to your senses," Jeonghan says. "I'm trying to remind you. This...," he gestures in a slow, deliberate circle.
"...is not a group. Not a family. We are a pact. Bound by rule, oath, and necessity. Your downfall can cause mine!"
The words hang in the air. Thick. Insidious.
No one speaks. No one dares.
Because it's the sad reality.
They are co-dependent.
"Wait a minute!" Mingyu exclaims.
His eyes widen, and for a moment, he seems lost in his thoughts, a sudden realization creeping up on him.
Everyone turns to him, anticipating what he's about to say.
"Seungcheol, did you say thirteen houses?" Mingyu begins, gesturing slowly as if he's piecing together a puzzle that no one else can see.
"Yes. And?" Seungkwan replies, rolling his eyes at what he assumes is another no-brainer comment.
But Mingyu doesn't seem bothered.
Instead, he presses on, his voice growing more insistent.
"Thirteen... thirteen houses means there were thirteen of them. Thirteen founders, right?"
Dino, still sitting near the edge of his seat, suddenly jerks forward.
He snaps his fingers.
His face lights up with a mix of confusion and dawning understanding.
"You and Wonwoo," he points at Mingyu, and then turns to Seungkwan and Seungcheol. "But... you,"
Mingyu nods eagerly. Finally, someone gets it.
Two names are missing.
"This doesn't make sense," Seungcheol mutters under his breath.
Jeonghan leans in closer, scanning the pages with a quiet urgency.
His gaze sharpens as he points at the thin, barely noticeable tear between the fourth and fifth pages.
"Is that... is that a tear?" His voice is low, almost too quiet, as if the discovery itself might break something fragile in the air.
Woozi, sensing the growing tension, instinctively pulls out his phone and turns on the flashlight.
The harsh beam settles on the torn edges, casting long shadows that reveal the hidden truth.
The tear is almost imperceptible.
It could have easily gone unnoticed.
If Woozi's flashlight hadn't caught it at just the right angle, they might have never seen it at all.
"What is this?" Seungcheol whispers as he traces the jagged edges of the tear.
"Who would have torn it?" Hoshi murmurs.
"Who are the missing Founders. How come we never heard of them?" Dino asks.
The questions hang heavily in the air, but no one has answers.
The subtle crackle of the pages as Seungcheol carefully turns them, hoping for an answer, fills the quiet room.
But there's no more ink, no more words. Just the tear.