Chapter Fourteen – The Heartfire Child

They’ve gathered around the conference room, with all pairs of eyes looking at him. All the immortal wolves were there, in their human form together with their mates. Chen was beside Luhan, eyeing the bunny on top of Ka’yen’s head with interest. Ravi and Leo sitting beside the mage and Chanyeol was on Ka’yen’s left.

It was Ka’yen who called for this meeting, and Luhan was ecstatic when he heard that this was about him being the Heartfire child. Ka’yen started talking about the winter, and how it affected the people, not only in Ybarra, but in the whole region of Alfaran. He talked about Luhan’s confession, about him being the Heartfire child. The king weren’t given a second to ask why Ka’yen lied about it. He told everyone that he got the information from the king, when he told Luhan that he knew it from someone when he was gone for three days.

The question died down when Ka’yen told them that he had someone to look after the other parts of the region for the last few days. He introduced Xiumin as his pet he met when he was ‘away’ from Ybarra, and the one who did the errand for him.

Lies, Chanyeol could sense them as Ka’yen continued on talking. But he couldn’t pinpoint which were the lies which and were not. Somehow, he knew that what he was saying were part lies. But he couldn’t just cut him off now that Ka’yen would want to cooperate with them. Ever since that incident in the hallway, the fire wolf spent his nights sleepless and stressed. Questions of why’s and how’s flooded him but none of it were answered.

As he listened to Ka’yen’s report about what happened to the other kingdom, one tiny detail had brought him back from his train of thoughts.

“While Eldama was frozen solid, Xiumin found the Snow Queen attacking Nazael. From my calculations once she is finished the life out of them—“

“Wait.”

Chanyeol’s voice cut through, taking the attention to him. His eyes stern on the only man standing in front of them, “You said… the Snow Queen?” he asked. Ka’yen’s brow furrowed and answered “Yes, I said the Snow Queen.”

Sitting straight, Chanyeol faced the man with unreadable expression on his face. “You said that Eldama was found frozen solid, and then you claim that Xiumin,” he pointed at the bunny, “saw the Snow Queen doing the same to Nazael.”

“Yes. What is your problem, fire wolf? I have to tell you all this so that we—“

“How do you know about the Snow Queen Ka’yen?” Chanyeol stood from his seat. “The Snow Queen was long gone and imprinted in folktales. She lived a hundred years ago, how would you know that this winter was all her doing?”

Ka’yen visibly swallowed, looking at the curious gaze of the wolves at him, Luhan’s questioning ones and Kyungsoo’s piercing ones. “This is not the time to question on how I knew of the Snow Queen. What’s important right now is that we defeat her and restore the balance once and for all. Wolves are dying in the south, what was left in the Eastern Kingdom from Snow Queen’s wrath before were in danger too! How could you insert such nonsense questions here, Chanyeol?”

The fire wolf was fast enough to take his arm when Ka’yen was about to turn his back on him.

“What—Chanyeol—“

“And how the did you know that the Eastern Kingdom was the Snow Queen’s victim before?” Chanyeol asked through his teeth. His eyes were wide and b with tears, his heart was drumming so fast against his chest and even when Suho was up to remove his grip from Ka’yen’s arm, and when Kyungsoo was asking what the hell were they talking about—all he could hear right now is Ka’yen’s shallow breaths, the beat of his heart, which shows how nervous he is right now.

“Listen here!” Luhan bellowed, gaining all of their attention. The king was furious, his eyes glowing sapphire, “Let’s not forget that it’s not the only the two of you in this room. What is this about the Snow Queen Chanyeol and why are you so adamant of asking Ka’yen how he knew that?!”

The fire wolf’s eyes were back on Ka’yen’s. The said male took back his hands and looked away, holding it in its other hand. The redhead didn’t want them to know about this right now, they have more important things to do. But as he expected, Chanyeol wasn’t really as dumb as others thought. That single slip from his tongue was enough for him to be pounded with questions right on the spot.

When Chanyeol calmed down, thanks to Suho, the water wolf let go of him. Chanyeol turned to his brothers and their mates while Ka’yen stood there, listening.

“The Snow Queen… no one knows about the true identity of the snow queen. What we all know from her is that she was the infamous sprite favoured by the frost spirit, who died but reborn because the frost spirit gave her life again. In return, she got his powers and the spirit was damned and exiled from his world.” The fire wolf snarled. “That is the sickening bittersweet love story humans made to twist the reality. But the truth was nothing more than a story of greed and revenge.”

Chanyeol met Ka’yen’s eyes. “My mate and I loved to travel, Kai and Kyungsoo could be the witness. When my mate was a teenager, we went to the Eastern Kingdom and we are the sole witness of how the sprite became the Snow Queen. On how she lived again and how she used this to massacre the Eastern Kingdom for revenge.

And before her scheme spreads, I defeated her with my mate. We took her to the Twin Mountains of Zambria, locked her up there so she won’t have to hurt anyone anymore. No one knew that story, nor did that thing happen because we decided to keep it to ourselves. So I was wondering… why Ka’yen thought that it was the Snow Queen who did all of this, and the sole fact that he knew whom she is… when he was practically just a 25 years old man.”

Ka’yen didn’t dare to tear his gaze from the wolf. Even when Chanyeol’s glassy orbs began showing that single ray of hope that had died together with him that unfaithful day—that day when he was Baekhyun, the fire wolf’s mate. When there was nothing but their uneven breath filled the silence of the room, Ka’yen bit his lower lip when a teardrop traced his cheeks.

“There are dying people out there Chanyeol! Drop this insanity! We have to save them!” he argued.

“Like what?! Like how you save your brother in return of your life, is that it?!” The wolf cried out.

“CHANYEOL!” Luhan gasped together with Yixing and Kyungsoo… they have talked about this right? What was he doing? The white king stood up from his seat, eyes darting from Chanyeol to Ka’yen.

“Yes.” Soft as the whisper of the wind, the Heartfire child muttered, taking all of their breath away. Ka’yen nodded at the wolf, brows pulled together while the salty liquid began streaming from his garnet orbs.  “Yes, I will save them! Even if in the process, I might as well be killed once again,” The faces of those inside the room couldn’t be described with words. Speechless and stunned, they listened to the man before them revealed everything.

“If I have to take a sword from the back to protect not only my brother, but you, and even everyone in this room, then so be it!”

“Ka’yen!” Chanyeol screamed. The said male directed his gaze back at the wolf. Ka’yen brushed off the stubborn tears on his face.

“That’s what you’re all afraid of isn’t it? For me to say yes, and for me reach out and call for death once again.” Ka’yen shook his head, “But sorry, I do plan on saving them, but I will not repeat the same mistake I did before.” He looked at Luhan, “Because of that my brother grew blaming himself,”

The king gnawed his lips until it bled, unable to stop crying from the Heartfire Child’s confession. “Because of that, my best friend was locked up for years,” he continued as Kyungsoo smiled at him. “And my mate…” He turned back to Chanyeol, “my mate almost burn and kill hundreds of people. All because of pain that I have caused…”

Ka’yen eyed them one by one as he spoke, “I didn’t plan on telling you that I know the truth about my identity this early, but it seems like this part of my plan didn’t work. But what I want you all to know, especially Luhan and you, Chanyeol, that I don’t plan on dying again. That this time I will fight with you to save each other, to save the people of Alfaran. And now that I am back, I will end Dalia for good.” He took a deep breath before saying, “Please help me prepare, because tonight we will go to Nazael, I need all of you to defeat the mages and the undead, while Chanyeol and I will focus on the Snow Queen. That would be all.”

Ka’yen ran from the room, taking long and large steps in order to escape the suffocating place. He heard Ravi and Leo calling out to him, probably they are going to ask what was that all about, but he couldn’t face them. Not now—not now that his heartstrings are still tangled.

Alone in his room the Heartfire child watched his reflection. Today he stripped himself of his false identity. From today on, everyone knew that he was, and still is, Baekhyun. He is the child of the prophecy, the one who came back from the dead, the one who woke up the fire wolf, the one who creates the phoenix fire that creates Regal weapons, the one who made the immortal king’s bow, and the one who forge the twin swords with his own hands.

He closed his eyes right then and there, feeling the heat of the flames that started circling on his feet. It his legs, going up and up, spiralling all over him. While he was preoccupied with his own power, he failed to notice that the fire wolf had sneaked inside and witnessed how Ka’yen—no… how Baekhyun’s fire brightened up the room, and how it enveloped him from head to toe.

Chanyeol walked inside, slowly behind the smaller, and after a minute, the fire dies down into nothing but crimson mist.

And there he was looking at Baekhyun’s reflection. Staring right back at him, was a pair of garnet eyes, sharp and bright, his innocent yet petrifying gaze nailed solely on him. Chanyeol found him bare as he was born, on his chest was the same mark that he had before—a phoenix surrounded by fire. It was the reminder of the bond that they have when Chanyeol claimed him.

What’s more magical is that Baekhyun’s hair was back on how it was before. They were soft, wavy light blonde with streaks of magenta. His ears were pointy, just like Luhan’s, skin as pale as any Halkovians were.

The fire wolf inhaled that scent he had missed. This was his mate. Alive and breathing.

Right before his eyes.

“Baek…” he whimpered, hands falling on Baekhyun’s shoulders as the other placed one on top of his much larger ones. He embraced his lover, tighter than how he did before and kissed his temple. Baekhyun sighed and smiled, then whispered words of comfort when the fire wolf broke down and crumbled on his shoulder.

a.n.

double update!

the end is near~