Final – The Rise of the Dawn

“You never play fair, Dalia!” Baekhyun bellowed, “Release them at once!”

Terror had never been this powerful over him. Ravi and Leo were bound helplessly and although, before they parted, Ravi had said hurtful things towards him, he would never—ever turn his back on them. These two had been his only friend in his ignorant life, and even when he asked them to come with him, they didn’t hesitate to say yes.

When the Snow Queen released her unforgiving and menacing chuckle, Baekhyun watched in horror she lifted her staff in between the two. Their life was slowly out from their mouth, draining them into nothing but statue of ice.

Baekhyun’s cry echoed in the mountain, heard by his lover, his friends and brother. It seems like time slowed down. He lifted his heavy feet, ran towards the queen. His sword was about to pierce her back when Dalia turned around to dodge it, Baekhyun hated how she smirked at him.

His eyes darted to the lifeless duo on the ground. The mages stomped on them, breaking them into pieces, into blocks of nothing. Tears seemed to be endless, Baekhyun now felt it. The pain of being left behind, to watch someone you hold dear dying, and you can’t even do anything about it.

Was he really powerful enough? Was he really ready to fight Dalia? Will he able to stop her?

Doubts were all over the place. If he couldn’t protect his friends, how much more the others? The whole Alfaran? Baekhyun hated himself for not stopping Ravi and Leo from leaving. If he told them the truth earlier… they wouldn’t be confused and they wouldn’t felt betrayed and left out. Regret pulled out his heart wrenching cry. Dalia was telling him how pitiful he looked like right now. How pathetic his cries sounded.

Even when the ground rumbled beneath his feet, Baekhyun held the grip tighter, pushing Dalia on her edge. Her feet were dragged on the snow when Baekhyun stepped forward, unleashing his strength that came from his overflowing feelings.

“You don’t know what you’ve done…” Baekhyun growled. The fire started swirling around them, much to the queen’s shock. She started the life out of the Heartfire child, but when that did nothing, she gasped at the realization.

“You…” she snarled, “You drank the fire wolf’s blood?!”

Instead of answering, Baekhyun stepped forward, pushing Dalia to step backwards. Her staff was still against his twin sword, the power clashing between two weapons. “You can’t kill me Dalia. Nothing…can kill me now.”

Baekhyun disappeared before the queen’s eyes in an instant, a silhouette of encircled her once, before Baekhyun was back in place. He charged at her, and she was just in time to dodge it with her staff. But now, she couldn’t even step backwards, because Baekhyun made a barrier around her.

On the snow, a circle was drawn, and even when she tried to step on it, she couldn’t. Baekhyun was out of the circle while their weapons clashed.

Then, the sound of the mountain roaring and growling followed, and before they knew it, the mountain erupted with lava and magma. Everything that it passed, died, every undead melted together with the frost mages. But Baekhyun didn’t let Dalia’s attention be taken away from him. He surrounded her with fire through that circle. Panic was evident in her orbs, and it made him feel a little better.

The staff in her hands slowly turned into a shade of crimson, and now their inner strength was battling. They pushed and pull. Sometimes when Dalia pushes, Baekhyun’s sword turned into icy blue. “You’ll not win over me, Baekhyun. I am the Snow Queen and I will own Alfaran!”

“Alfaran is the home for all kinds of creatures, not just you, you ungrateful sprite.” He hissed. Dalia chuckled and pushed even more, despite the fire that surrounded her. “I’ll destroy you, Fire Child.”

Baekhyun’s sword had turned all blue, the frost crawled on his hands and arms. He gritted his teeth as he thought about Ravi and Leo’s death, the Halkovians, the citizens who were hoping for a new beginning, and the wolves who lost their pups… they were all counting on him. He couldn’t let Dalia win.

Suddenly, Baekhyun felt a surge of new power from his back, the energy that replenished him. He didn’t have to turn around to know who it was. He knew it was his mate, his lover.

Baekhyun poured all his strength and before he knew it, crimson enveloped all of Dalia, from his head to toe. Her face frozen in a terrified scream before she bursted into nothing. What was left of her was a ball of icy blue orb, floating in the air. Baekhyun fell on his knees, exhausted. He watched that orb float, meeting the bunny that is Xiumin mid-air. Once inside, Baekhyun watched the spirit returned to his human form.

“Baekhyun…I…” Xiumin made a frost out of his finger, “I have my power… it’s back…” he laughed, amazed, “It’s back!”

Chanyeol helped his lover to stand up, hugging him so tight in relief that everything ended without Baekhyun leaving. But Baekhyun left his arms after to go back to his friends. Leo and Ravi’s frozen figure and parts were there on the ground. He gathered them all and hugged what was left of them.

They started melting and Baekhyun could only cry. His tears traced his cheeks, dropping on the snow. What they didn’t see is how it sizzled against the white. It wasn’t until another two drops of his tears that followed the first that the flame started from there, spreading like a wild fire. Xiumin floated in the air to avoid it, but from above he watched as how it melted all the ice and snow, from Carnoia, to Nazael, to Eldama, and to Ybarra. Not only in the north but in the whole region of Alfaran.

Those who were frozen by the Snow Queen came back to life, gasping for air. Xiumin watched as the dead trees slowly came to life, growing the ever bright green. Fields started sprouting grasses and flowers of different kinds. The fire was coming back from the borders, back to Baekhyun who was now cradling an unconscious Ravi and Leo, the two coming back to life.

Xiumin watched the fire encircled the Heartfire child, forming a tornado of flames that reached up the sky. The once grayish black had turned into cobalt blue. The clouds disappeared, and in the horizon the frost spirit watched the orange spread, a ball of fire rising from the east.

Dawn was never this beautiful before.

Alfaran was not in the Snow Queen’s hands anymore. The rise of the dawn was a promise that tomorrow, they will still witness the sun once again and no one will die from the cruel hands of the climate. And it told each and every one of them, that the Heartfire Child has saved them all.

It was warm when Baekhyun opened his eyes. The first thing he saw were two heads on both sides—white and black. He moved his hands and patted both, combing the soft hairs and smiled. They are safe… they’re alive.

It was Leo who woke up first, he jolted up when he saw Baekhyun was awake. He quickly held his hand and sat on the edge of the bed. “Y-Yen… you’re awake…”

“Mh…” he grunted, “I am…but…” Baekhyun sat up, “W-What happened?” His movements brought Ravi into consciousness. The white head male’s pulled him into an embrace the moment their eyes met. “Oh thank the gods you are awake!” Ravi said, voice cracking.

“I’m…fine…What happened? Where’s everyone?”

“They are outside, the king has prepared a feast for Ybarra. We volunteered to guard you. Apparently you drained yourself, Yen… and fainted right after the war has ended.” Ravi explained. Baekhyun nodded once, and then there was an awkward silence between them. Ravi swallowed his pride, “Yen…I… I am sorry.” He started, “I am sorry for what I have said to you…”

“It’s okay Ravi, part of it was my fault.”

“No,” the younger shook his head. “Maybe, it was just out of jealousy, because your attention used to be on us alone, but… but after we came here, you started to drift away from us. Xiumin, remember, that bunny, he told us everything when you were unconscious. He told us what happened when you were gone for three days…about Baekhyun and about… the real identity of Ka’yen.”

The younger seemed to be regretting what he said that time, but to Baekhyun, what was more important was they accepted him now and they are alive.

“Don’t be saddened about the fact, Ravi, Leo. I am your friend who grew up with you. And Ka’yen was only a name. You can call me Yen if you want to but that person who messed up Eldama and stole all those food with you?” Ravi and Leo chuckled, “That was me. It was me, that badass thief, wanted by the royal guards in Eldama. If you wanted me to prove you, we can steal some food in the kitchen before the feast?” he wiggled his brows and the two laughed at his scheme.

“I’ll get the chicken,” whispered Ravi. They looked like three eggs hiding behind the pillar of the kitchen door. Baekhyun was on top, followed by the white head, and then there’s Leo, eyeing the mashed potato.

Baekhyun grinned as the last servant went out to deliver some food in the throne room, “Ready? At the count of three,”

“One…two…three--!”

They sneaked in the kitchen while Ravi took out the plastic bag where he planned to put the foods in. Leo sneaked out of the window first with a bowl of mashed potatoes when the door opened suddenly, with a fuming Kyungsoo, who apparently heard their footsteps.

He caught Ravi in the middle of biting the chicken and Baekhyun who is chewing a drumstick already. His face was as red as a boiling kettle when he screamed Baekhyun’s name. Apparently, he was the cook of all the food.

“Kyungsoo! Ouch! Hey! My ear, Kyungsoo!”

“You never learn, you ungrateful brat, I worked myself to cook all those and you think I’ll let you sneak in and eat them all out?!”

“I just woke up! Don’t I get some food as a token! Ow, ow, ow!”

Ravi bit his lower lips as he followed Leo out of the window. Kyungsoo forgot him and all he saw was Baekhyun. I’m sorry Yen, gotta escape, he silently apologized before they dashed out of the place. Cue Baekhyun’s whines in the background.

~0~

They bid goodbye to their friends, for the wolves, to their brothers who went back on their home right after the war. Kai and Kyungsoo went back to the south with Yixing and Suho. They wanted to make sure that the other wolves there were fine. Xiumin, meanwhile, became Chen’s buddy (but Luhan felt there’s something more lingering between those gazes) and they were rarely seen without each other.

Peace and order came back to Alfaran after a couple of months of rehabilitation. Agricultural means grew over time; the crops they have gathered were bountiful, thanks to Kai’s blessings. Trade has become another way to increase the friendship between kingdoms, they helped each other from the slums and all excess wealth that the greedy people took selfishly were taken and used to build homes for those who have none.

Ravi and Leo were given money by Luhan, in order for them to start all over. The duo built a home for orphans, in which they took care of them as if they were their own brothers and sisters. Instead of stealing, Ravi and Leo learned to hunt for food as a mean of their living. They trade fresh deer meat with other vegetables and fruit. The happiness that they brought to the children filled the emptiness in their hearts, and they felt that they have created a new family.

One morning, by the drawbridge of Ybarra, Baekhyun and Luhan removed their crimson and sapphire capes respectively, before they hopped on to their mates. Sehun and Chanyeol were both in their wolf form. The brothers decided that it was time to bring back the glory of the Halkovians. The brothers went to the west, with smile on their faces.

“Do you think they will recognize us?” Luhan giggled while the wolves sprinted in the field.

“They might recognize me, I don’t know about you. You were just a baby when I left, and then I came back, you became a girl!”

“What did you say?!” fumed the younger, and Baekhyun screamed at Chanyeol to ran fast. Luhan followed his brother, laughing and crying out that he was not a girl. If the wolves were in their human form, they’d say they are content and happy in their lives. With these two, loud and childish brothers, immortality would not be boring at all.

-the end!!!

wahh, my fingers hurts but its worth it. Thank you for reading The Acher and The Heartfire!!! Thank you to all the subscribers and the upvoters. It turns out that this is the final chapter. hahaha. i'm sorry~

I will make a twoshot for KaiSoo when i am not busy anymore.

Please look forward to KaiSoo's past and how they met each other, and how their love story goes on.

"The Wanderer" will be released one of these days so yeah~ hahahaha.