yay on time

also i might have less chapters than i originally thought

but theres still a bunch left

i havent really been writing, so the next story might take some time for me to finish up

but its gonna be another long one

“Tao. Excellent timing.” Hakyeon said as the man came down the stairs.

“Shouldn't you have gone home by now?” He replied.

“Funny thing about that.” Wonsik said by the door, “We can't get out.”

Tao tried the door and it zapped him. “Ow! Let's try the other doors.”

They tried the back door and it wouldn't budge. Anyone who touched it after that received a nasty shock.

They went into the garage and pushed the button for the garage door. Nothing happened. They tried lifting it manually. The shock was so large that Tao’s hands were burnt and Kris and Chanyeol were knocked unconscious.

“What the " Chanyeol looked like an awkward gangly Dragon when he sat up shrieking the words, accompanied by a plume of black smoke.

They heard the zap of electricity and Baekhyun’s yelp from the basement accompanied by Kai's groan of pain.

“For s sake, try the Windows.” Sehun growled. Same result. Ren threw a chair at a window and it bounced off.

“What about the broken one in the attic.”

“I'm not going up there again.” Kris and Tao said.

“Fine,” Minseok said calmly, “We should sit down and wait for whoever is holding us here.”

“Where's Luhan?” Jongdae asked.

“ed off again, no doubt.” Bitterness tinged Sehun's voice.

“Zitao, might I request that you bring Joonmyun down while we wait?” Minseok asked. Tao went upstairs and brought a blanket wrapped bundle down.

“He's really sluggish.” Tao said quietly.

There was a long silence. They weren't sure what they were waiting for.

“So, Jongdae, how do you guys know our Sehun here?” Ren asked with a pleasant smile.

“And Yixing for that matter?” Tao added.

“Well… we were on a dig and he discovered a lost bazaar.”

“There was an accident-” Kris added.

“It was a landmine.” Sehun interrupted.

“Yeah. We haven't really gone on a dig since. Not out in the desert anyway.” Kris looked haunted.

“It's when we met Yixing too.” Jongdae wanted to bring up the mood but he was sure there was no way to fix it.

“Look, I don't blame you guys. I was just really mad about everything… blowing a chunk out of my side, losing Sungjong, but I have Kai now and he's helped a lot.”

“Where'd you meet Kai?” Baekhyun asked cheerfully.

“He stopped me from jumping off a bridge.” Sehun said nonchalantly.

“Oh.” Baekhyun drawled. There went his cheerful mood. “That was nice of him.”

“It wouldn't have killed him, but I didn't know at the time.” Kai chuckled.

“Ah…” Baekhyun wasn't entirely sure what he meant by that, but wasn't going to ask for clarification for fear it would damage the nice rug they found in the attic.

All conversation stopped when they heard a slow shuffling through the leaves coming up the path to their door.

Chanyeol hopped into Baekhyun's lap. “It's whoever is holding us here. They're coming to kill us all.” Chanyeol whispered. Baekhyun pat him on the head to placate him.

“Good to know my big strong boyfriend will protect me.” He smirked.

The door flew open and an old woman shuffled in, leaning heavily on a walking stick.

Kris was closest to the door and tried to slip out, but the old woman flicked a sun browned finger and the door closed so quickly that Kris didn't have time to stop before he ran into it. He jiggled the handle and it zapped him again.

“Have a seat, dream walker.” She said, looking around the room. “Now where is my dear hero…” She hobbled from person to person until she reached Tao.

Joonmyun hadn't gotten out of his blanket cocoon yet and still wasn't entirely awake.

“Come out of your nest, little bird. I need you.” She reached into the blanket and tapped on his forehead.

He blinked a few times, stretching and rubbing his eyes until he looked up at her.

“Oh, it's you.” He said pleasantly. He stretched as if he had gotten up from the best sleep of his life.

“Did it work?” She smiled sweetly, “Was your last life pleasant?” She asked.

“Yes. Thank you. You won't believe how happy I am, but why are you here?”

She began wringing her hands. “I need your help. My grandsons… they started working for a company that retrieves old things-”

“Does everyone work there?” Chanyeol grumbled.

“They're very special. Someone knows this. I'm too old to save them. I asked the fates to gather those who can help,” She looked around the room, “They did not disappoint. You are all so very special.”

“Special?” Wonsik looked nervous.

“I know what you can do.”

“I can't do anything, I can see things, but that's it.” He replied.

“You're a conduit.” She turned to look at Hakyeon. Pointing at him with a knotted finger.  He squeaked in surprise, “I need you to stand in the middle of the room and hold your lover's hand.” They did as they were told. “Now, you.” She pointed to Sehun, “Hold his other hand.”

Sehun shrugged and reached for Hakyeon's other hand.

All three of them gasped and stared at the same spot above everyone's heads.

“What are they doing?” Kai whispered. “Is that normal?” Noting how his boyfriend's eyes had turned a kaleidoscope of colours again.

Ren and Minseok shrugged as they watched.

They stood like that for at least five minutes before Kai spoke up again, “Shouldn't they be breathing or something?”

“Maybe Hakyeon and Wonsik.” Ren said absently, still watching them.

A few more minutes passed and they all took a step forward, gasping as if they had run a marathon. Wonsik and Hakyeon looked at their hands and giggled. It was if they were playing with butterflies nobody else could see.

“Next the dream walkers.” She said. They all looked confused. “You and you.” She pointed at Kris and Baekhyun.

The three men held hands awkwardly but froze just like the others did before.

“What's the point of this?” Minseok asked.

“Sharing information. Awakening.” She said, laying her hand on Minseok's forehead. He felt a jolt and a rush of cold air into his lungs. Like breathing ice.

His eyes had gone pitch black and he whimpered quietly in the back of his throat until she removed her hand.

“Are you ok, love?” Ren asked. Minseok nodded slowly.

“I … think so.”

She walked over to Kai, “You are a curious one, my little ray of light. All light casts shadows.” She said before pressing her palm to his forehead.

“What are you doing?” Sehun shrieked when Kai squeaked. His eyes were clenched shut and he was making a high pitched noise before she backed away and let him breathe.

“Ok, little bird. You and the precious elf child need to hold his hands with the conduit.”

“Who?” Joonmyun asked. She pointed at Chanyeol.

“Brothers, but not.” She mumbled.

They looked confused, but held Hakyeon's hands anyway. Instead of freezing and staring at the ceiling, Hakyeon began to scream.

His left hand began to turn a sickly shade of blue black and his right began to blister.

“How do we stop it?” Wonsik shouted over the screaming.

A moment later Hakyeon went silent. He dropped Chanyeol's hand when he fell to the floor and his skin returned to normal.

Chanyeol, on the other hand, looked as if he was trying to gasp. His eyes were wide and he looked like a fish.

“Tao! Do something!” Joonmyun shouted, breathing out what looked like steam.

Tao slid across the carpet and slammed his hand into Chanyeol's chest. Water had gotten into his lungs and Tao drew it out like he had for Baekhyun. The tall man glared at the old woman while coughing on the floor.

“Where the did that come from?” Baekhyun shrieked, staring at the puddle on his carpet.

“Fire and ice make water?” The woman shrugged sheepishly. “The younger one would have been fine.” She said before turning to Kris and taking his hands. “Tell me, dream walker. What do you see?”

Kris closed his eyes and gasped.

Kyungsoo lay on a bed, heavily sedated, barely able to do anything but talk. His punishment for trying to run away from the near pitch black room.

They thought it was just the darkness that let him see. They recorded everything he said. Sometimes he couldn't control the words. They just came.

Another punishment.

                                                                                                                                     Maybe a way to keep him in line.

They kept Hongbin on a short leash. He knew the horrible things they did to his lover. Hongbin wouldn't say, but Kyungsoo knew.

Perhaps he wouldn't say because of pride. Perhaps he was ashamed. He would save Hongbin. Erase what was done to him. He knew who could fix it.

Help was coming. He could feel Hongbin's calls for help and they worked. Help was coming.

Hongbin was coming.

The door opened and Hongbin took delicate steps to the bed. Most people would think it was because it was dark. Kyungsoo knew better.

He gingerly sat and ran his fingers through Kyungsoo's hair. Nobody knew they could have entire conversations this way.

“Help is coming. Just wait a little longer.”

Kyungsoo thought to him. What came out his mouth was completely different.

“Fate brings them together. 
Death took them away. 
Blood for blood. 
Justice will rain.”

Death will save us.

The Phoenix rises.

He thought.

Hongbin spooned some soup into Kyungsoo's mouth. He pretended not to notice the tears silently rolling down his younger lover's cheeks.

“Have you eaten?” Kyungsoo asked out loud. He had a hard time stringing together sentences that didn't sound like cryptic babble.

“I'll eat later.”

“Please … for me.”

We need our strength to get out of here . He thought to Hongbin.

I can barely stomach any of it nowadays . Hongbin replied.

“Try …” Kyungsoo whispered.

Kris opened his eyes and looked around. “I saw them …” He whispered.

“Do you know where they are?” The old woman asked.

“Nothing made any sense.” Kris said.

“How about our little dream siren?” She asked, looking at Baekhyun.

“Huh?”

“Find them.” She implored.

Baekhyun closed his eyes and a moment later his eyes snapped open.

“They- they're being held where I was detained. We gotta get them out. We have to save them!”

“Detained?” Ren asked.

“My bosses at a company called The Lost Art held me for three weeks on suspicion that I had attempted to steal a really old violin.”

“I thought they sent you to the cops.” Chanyeol's eyebrows furrowed. Baekhyun shook his head. His memories weren't making any sense.

“I could-” Wonsik was interrupted by Ren.

“My cousin works there. Maybe he can look around for us.” He said.

“You think he'd do that?” Joonmyun asked.

“Yeah.”

“Did your hair just turn blue?” Chanyeol asked, picking up a lock and examining it. Ren nodded, his fingers brushed Chanyeol's as he tucked the hair behind his ear.

Ren gasped.

“What do you see?” Minseok asked as if this was a normal occurrence.

“Fire. So much fire. Fire and fear.” Ren's eyes were wide. “Your irrational fear hides your true nature. Repressing it. Your love will find your true self again.” Ren's hair had turned a fiery orange with yellow tips.

“So. Your cousin. How soon can you contact him?” Joonmyun asked awkwardly.

He pulled out his phone and hit a button.

“Han … I need a favour.” Ren said.