Throx.

As always, he can see his reflection on the dome’s clear crystal glass. He can see the black void outside, silent and… black. Sometimes he wishes for the void to swallow him, to break the dome and swallow everything up. But the dome would always be there. The dome stands still as a definite protection from the deadly void. And he’s not sure whether that’s a good or a bad thing.

Throx used to be so pretty and full of life. Creatures live alongside each other peacefully and happily. Plants exist, and wild animals exist. But ever since a void of darkness appeared, milleniums ago, it continued swallowing up everything that contains life. It grew and grew, slowly, painfully, deadly. Humankind decided to build up domes all over Throx, connected with each other with tubes. Here, where he stands, is the capital of the world. The biggest dome in Throx. But somehow, when they finished building up the domes, they have lost what’s essential for humankind also, plants.

Plants produce oxygen and are a very important source of food, but they’re also so full of life that the void swallows them all up first. With no plants, wild animals ceased to exist, and now what’s left of Throx are just humankind and several stray gods or cats, or the creatures of the sea. Because fortunately, they still managed to contain the sea underneath the dome. Now all they could eat to live are either the fishes, or some chicken meats that they would meet randomly on the streets. The higher ups and people that are rich enough in this world, the governments officials, would eat those pills that are distributed for them everyday that holds all the necessary elements that a human body needs.

There’s no such things as happiness nor entertainment. Everyday is just a struggle to live, and it’s just a matter of living a happy life and die, or live a bleak life and live. And human are selfish creatures, which led them to all just chose the bleak life.

Chanyeol is no different. He has been living as a lone-wolf for almost all of his life, although he does join this one camp, but that too, he joined just so he can have a place to sleep. He doesn’t really get acquinted with the people there, nor does he really engage in conversations, moreover having friends. He spends most of his time wandering the streets, watching other people live their life from the shadow, and also going to the edge of the dome.

Other people would prefer not to get near to the edge of the dome. They have this mindset that if they got too close the void may swallow them up and they would vanish, to forever live as a part of the void, to forever live as a void themselves. But Chanyeol thinks differently. He found it daring how he could lie side by side with the dark pit of nothing, and how he can see a reflection of himself from the combination of the dome’s crystal clear glass and the void. And besides, the edge is usually empty of people, so he can spend his solitary time in peace there.

Today he chose to spend his day by the side of the dome.

Chanyeol closed his eyes, and fell into a slumber.

“Where... are you? Mine… part… me…”

“Show yourself….. friend……”

“Complete……”

Then he woke up with a start.

For the past few days, that voice has been haunting him. It started of hazy and weak, but grows day by day. He still can’t make out what it is saying, for some parts are still weak and broken, but it’s definitely stronger than yesterday or two days earlier, or the day before that, and the day before that.

With sweat glistening on his forehead, Chanyeol got up, and decided that maybe today is not one of his napping days. Maybe, today he should just wonder the streets and watch the people in the city. If he’s lucky enough, he might get a sighting of some amusing fight between random people on the streets. In a world like this, with the harsh government and all, it’s obviously not rare to find fights on the streets. Very not rare, in fact. And Chanyeoloften find it amusing to watch them.

Call him weird but then again, in a world like this, there’s really nothing much to do, and it ‘s also not rare of the people for having weird, incomprehensible hobbies. The fiery red haired boy just happens to be one of them with the hobbies.

So off he goes, to the heart of the city, where the tall buildings are, far away from the dark, reflective glass of the dome.

Leaning on the wall in the dark alley, Chanyeol had his black hoodies up, as always, covering his fiery hair, although some of them still managed to poke itself out from the corners of the hoodie. Indeed he had just stumbled upon a fight, and although hiding in the dark alley with his hoodie up, Chanyeol’seyes are as good as it is in good lighting. And through his sharp sightings, Chanyeol had found that one of the person spatting at each other’s face is a regular that he doesn’t rarely see in the club.

As the other man turns the verbal fight into a fist fight, Chanyeol concluded that he won’t be seeing the regular in the club tonight. That is, if the guy has enough pride to not show his bruised cheek to everyone.

Chanyeol wandered the streets long enough until he can see the artificial sky turns red, an indication that the sun is setting, when he started to stride with a direction now. To his workplace, the hidden club in the slums.

If any citizen found out about who goes to the club, they would surely get a heart attack. No doubt chaos would ensue in their supposedly ‘perfect’ government and society. Many rich and influential people comes to the club on a daily basis, getting themselves wasted, or indulging themselves in drugs and ions. Chanyeol have worked there as a bartender for as long as he can remember, as the owner of the club is a good acquaintance of his.

They paid him well, and Chanyeol is not really the type to easily get swayed by disgusting things such as drugs and ions, so he doesn’t really mind to work there. As long as he can have enough money to survive.

As soon as Chanyeol open the wooden backdoor, he was met by the scent of smoke and alcohol. The backdoor leads to the staff room, and some of the es are sitting there, gossiping and smoking. Even at work, Chanyeol seldom indulge in socializing unless necessary, which results in him having no friends at all. Well at that Chanyeol doesn’t really mind too, since the people here are mostly corrupted anyway. After changing into his bartender attire, Chanyeol escaped from the staff room into the club, and went behind the bar, and started wiping some glass for that extra shine.

That night, the bar was not as packed as it usually is. Although, it still is quite busy in Chanyeol’sopinion. Be wondered if something had happened that many of the government official regulars are not here today, or maybe today is just a day when they’re just not in the mood to get wasted. But then the two men sitting in the bar in front of him started chatting, and Chanyeol found his answer.

“Have you heard about the Crows?”

The other man frowns, before he shook his head. “No, I believe I haven’t. What is that?”

“It’s not a ‘that’, in fact it’s some group of people… I think they are a gang of some kind. They cause troubles and interfere in quite a lot of the government’s affair.”

“This is the first time I’ve heard of them,” the other man stated again.

“Yeah, they started appearing only recently. I guess that’s why not many of them are coming today,” the blonde man stated as he took a sip of the cocktail that Chanyeol served him.

“Hi, Chanyeol.”

The boy stopped at the mention of his name, lifting his face to get a better look at the person who greeted him. It was late night, surely several hours after midnight, even though he’s not even sure himself what time it is right now. Chanyeol had just finished his shift that night, and as usual, the bar is most awake at the time other people are asleep. So like always, he expected the camp to be silent and devoid of any signs of life. He had expected everyone, except the one that is in charge of keeping watch the night, to be asleep.

But as he observed the camp that night, he can see that something is different today. A guy that, oddly, he knows, is still up and awake, sitting in front of a bonfire. In fact the guy had just greeted him, and he found it very odd how the guy is looking at him, with a smile on his face and the fire on the background illuminating his face in the dark, starless night.

It’s Kyungsoo, one of the campers that he knows of. Chanyeol rarely engage in any social interactions, and although he has been living with the camp for nearly all of his life, it’s completely normal of him to not know anyone in the camp. Save for the camp leader and one or two people that is in charge of food. And Kyungsoo here is one of the guy that is in charge of food, in fact his cooking is always Chanyeol’sfavorite, but of course Chanyeol won’t say it aloud.

They had exchanged some words in the past, only some very little talks that Chanyeol very rarely made. And it was the guy that approached Chanyeol first to talk with him. Usually Chanyeol doesn’t like to get himself involved with anyone, which is why he rarely indulge in any interactions, except necessary, but Kyungsoo, he’s somehow different.

Chanyeol finds it weird how he doesn’t mind having small talks with the other guy, and he also finds it calming how Kyungsoo talks to him, the way Chanyeolcan almost feel a motherly aura out of him. Although, seeing him up and awake at this hour kind of surprised him.

“Hi.”

“Have you just finished your job?” the owl-eyed guy asked again.

“Yeah.”

Kyungsoo smiled wider this time, his lips turning into a heart shape. He hummed, nodding his head.

“Go and have a rest, you’ll need it. Have a nice dream.”

Chanyeol only nodded, before he went to his individual tent, getting into his comforters and then fall into a slumber almost immediately.

.....

Okay first of all,

EXO IS BACK YOU GUYS!!!

I just-OMG I just can't TAT They're all so hot with those bruises and the rebellious acting I'm basically preparing my own grave right now

Anywaaaay I hope you enjoy the second chappie!

Do comment and subscribe! (and upvote! haha)