A/N: This is part of a DOUBLE UPDATE! Make sure you read the previous chapter before you read this one!

Exoplanet

Chapter 11: The Evil Within

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Tao cursed as he finally untangled himself from the sheets and grabbed his sword from where it was placed next to the headboard. Unsheathing it, Tao went up to the door and opened it, holding his weapon in front of him in case the person on the other side was hostile.

He was surprised to see Luhan stumble inside. The other was obviously not expecting the door to open then and tripped over his own feet, nearly impaling himself on Tao’s sword. Both warriors let out cries of shock, and Tao quickly sheathed his weapon.

“Sorry, Luhan. I thought you were an intruder!”

Despite having almost died, Luhan waved off Tao’s flustered and apology and pointed at the various daggers and knives that Tao had put on the table. “Get your things. Yixing and Baekhyun need our help.”

Tao was confused, but he obeyed anyway. He dressed rapidly and began tucking knives under his sleeves and into his boots. “What happened? Did they get caught?”

“A few minutes earlier, Baekhyun came banging on Junmyeon’s door, and the noise woke me up, too,” Luhan explained as the two of them dashed down the corridor, “He said that he and Yixing were together in Yixing’s garden when three of the king’s personal guards came and arrested Yixing.”

“They what?!”

“I can’t really believe it either,” Luhan said, stopping to apologize to a servant that he almost bumped into, “Then, Baekhyun said that the guards said that the king ordered for Yixing to be publicly hung in the gallows!”

“Where is Baekhyun now?” Tao asked, realizing that none of the others were with them, “And Junmyeon and Chanyeol?”

“Junmyeon woke up Chanyeol before I woke you and the two of them went with Baekhyun to see the king. We’re heading to the gallows in case the king decides to hang Yixing anyway. The other three will come find us.”

“You know where the gallows are?”

“Junmyeon found the gallows when he was taking a walk a few days ago, and he told me where to go. It’s actually pretty close to the stables.” Luhan ducked into a different hallway, dragging Tao with him. “This way.”

Suddenly, someone stepped into their path. The two of them skidded to a halt to see a nervous-looking servant standing in front of them. The young woman wrung her hands as she stated in a whispery voice, “There is a shortcut to the gallows. Follow me.”

Luhan and Tao exchanged hesitant looks before catching up with the servant. “How much time will we save?” Luhan questioned.

“Enough,” the servant said.

“So why are you helping us?”

“This is not the king my family pledged our loyalty to,” she replied firmly, “The old king would never strike Prince Baekhyun or throw Prince Yixing in prison. He has become unreasonable, and something needs to be done.”

The trio arrived in front of a large painting of a golden sparrow. Three more servants greeted them and grabbed the edges of the piece of art. Tao and Luhan watched in awe as they lifted the canvas off the wall, revealing a hidden passage behind it.

“This is a corridor designed to allow the royal family to escape in case of trouble. Just follow it all the way down, and it’ll take you out of the castle. Once you get outside, go left, and you should be able to see the gallows.”

One of the male servants boosted Luhan up and into the passageway. Tao followed quickly, letting the young man push at his feet while Luhan pulled at his arms. After both of them made it through, the servants picked up the painting, ready to put it back in place.

“Good luck,” the girl who led them here whispered before the painting covered the passage, plunging Tao and Luhan into darkness.

They had no choice but to blindly feel their way through the corridor. Tao was thankful that the floors and walls were carved smoothly so that there was nothing to trip over. Luhan was in front of him, and the sound of the telekinetic’s breathing guided Tao through the black passage.

After what felt like an eternity, Luhan spotted a faint glow several feet ahead and let out a triumphant exclamation. Hearing the other quicken his pace, Tao sped up as well, and the two of them stopped beneath the source of light.

It turned out that there was a pothole, and after checking that the street was devoid of people, Luhan and Tao climbed out of the corridor and out onto the street. Using his power, Luhan put the lid back into place quietly, and the two of them rushed off to find the gallows.

The citizens of Fluor were already at the gallows when Tao and Luhan arrived. A line of guards stood between the wooden platform and the spectators, who were talking curiously to each other. Tao shivered at the sight of the noose that had already been tied to the wooden beam, hanging over a trapdoor in the platform.

“Can you see the others?” Luhan panted, standing on his toes to try and see past the mass of heads. Tao, being the taller of the two, scanned the crowd but didn’t see any sign of Junmyeon, Chanyeol, or Baekhyun.

“What if Yixing’s going to be hung, and they’re not here?” Tao asked fearfully, “Will we have to save Yixing without them?”

“I suppose so,” Luhan said uncertainly, “I don’t think we’d be able to escape the guards though, especially since you can’t use your power yet, and my power isn’t the best at offense or defense.”

The two of them shifted nervously in their places, uncertain of what they should do without the others present. “In your vision, were Baekhyun, Chanyeol, and Junmyeon here when they brought Yixing out?” Luhan asked. When Tao nodded, he sighed in relief, “Then they should be here, and we’ll get out together. I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

Sure enough, Tao saw a flash of red and looked up to see Chanyeol running into the gallows as fast as he could. Baekhyun and Junmyeon were on his heels. Luhan saw them as well and rushed to meet them.

“We couldn’t do it,” Junmyeon puffed as he slowed to a stop, “We weren’t even allowed to see the king. Tried talking to him through the door, but his personal guards pushed us away.”

“Do we have a plan for escaping after we get Yixing then?” Luhan asked as the group of five pushed their way closer to the line of guards.

Before Junmyeon could answer, someone yelled, “His Majesty is here!”

Excited murmurs broke out among the people at the sight of the king, and many went to bow, but the king waved his hand dismissively. Anyone who had gone down on one knee quickly straightened up. Quiet with anticipation, the crowd awaited the king’s speech.

The aging man cleared his throat and spoke. “Citizens, I bring before you a man who–” he suddenly cut himself off, mouth still halfway open and throat bobbing as he swallowed. One of his personal soldiers leaned in to say something, and the king jumped at the gesture.

Whispers broke out from the crowd and were silenced when the king called out them again.

“Citizens, I bring before you a man who has committed a heinous crime against the crown and the country of Sinseye.” The king’s powerful voice resonated throughout the plaza, but Tao couldn’t help but wonder why there was a shakiness to it. “For his actions, he shall be publicly hung, and his body shall be thrown to the dogs.”

“You know, Junmyeon, a plan would be really nice right now,” Luhan whispered urgently.

Junmyeon was once again interrupted, this time by the clanging of the iron door behind the wooden platform as it opened. Two guards appeared, dragging a struggling Yixing between them, and Tao was immediately thrown into the grasp of his most recent vision.

“I have done nothing against the crown nor the country!” Yixing yelled as he resisted with all his might. Unfortunately, the strength of the guards was greater than his, and it wasn’t long before they succeeded in pulling him up the stairs and onto the wooden platform. “Let me go!”

This time, Tao was prepared, and he didn’t stumble when Baekhyun screamed and shoved past him. The crown prince was blocked by the line of guards, and though Baekhyun tried his hardest to push through, the guards held fast.

“I am the crown prince of Sinseye. You will let me pass!” Baekhyun spat but was ignored.

“Junmyeon! Plan!” Luhan yelled.

“Uh.” Junmyeon looked panicked. “Luhan, go distract the king!” With that, the water user slipped past Tao, running towards Yixing and shouting as loud as he could.

It was complete chaos at this point. Confused Sinsinian citizens cried out as they were shoved, and some glared at Junmyeon and Baekhyun for causing a disruption. Some watched Baekhyun and Junmyeon struggle against the soldiers who were holding them away from the platform with interest. Others were calling for Yixing to be hung quickly so that maybe the mess would die down and they could go home.

Tao had no idea what he was supposed to do, so he watched as Yixing momentarily broke free and threw himself in Junmyeon’s direction, only to be yanked back by the guards. They dragged the healer back to the noose and looped the rope around Yixing’s neck.

As Chanyeol joined Baekhyun and Junmyeon against the line of guards, Tao turned and noticed Luhan making his way towards the king, who was still sitting in his chair to the side. There was a sickening smile on the royal figure’s face as he raised one hand and motioned downwards.

The trapdoor beneath Yixing’s feet dropped, and the healer fell, only to be caught by the rope around his neck. His fingers scrabbled uselessly against his neck in an attempt to loosen the noose as he gagged for air. He was only lucky that his neck didn’t break with the drop.

Almost instinctively, Tao grabbed a dagger and threw it. There wasn’t enough time for anyone to react before the blade sliced through the rope and Yixing fell to the ground, choking, gasping, and still scratching at his neck.

At the same time that Tao threw his dagger, Chanyeol set himself on fire. The living inferno successfully distracted the guards and allowed Baekhyun and Junmyeon to slip through and rush to Yixing’s side. They knelt next to the healer, and Junmyeon loosened the noose and slipped it off Yixing’s neck while Baekhyun fretted over his brother.

Seeing that Yixing was taken care of, Tao decided to follow Luhan. The telekinetic was being attacked by the king’s personal servants while the king himself looked furious. Suddenly, the king hunched over, and something black burst forth from his back.

The thing resembled a human even though its lower half was still in the king’s body. Its arms were long, and its fingers were clawed. Several black appendages protruded from its twisted back and attached themselves to the surroundings, destroying part of the castle wall in the process. Tao watched in frozen horror as the thing let out a distorted and spine-chilling scream. The now-unconscious king hung limply from its waist like a doll.

The creature’s black, papery skin stretched taut over its face as it let out another cry. Then, with one smooth movement, it swung its hand and sent Luhan flying into the castle wall. The telekinetic hit the wall with a nasty crunch, dropped to the ground, and didn’t move.

“Luhan!”

“Tao, move!” Junmyeon bellowed. Tao didn’t have time to react before he felt bony fingers wrap around his waist and lift him off the ground. He wriggled around, trying to squirm free, but froze when he came face-to-face with the thing.

The creature stared at him for a moment with its milky eyes. Then, to Tao’s surprise, it spoke in a deep, hollow voice. “So you’re the time warrior…the king would be pleased to know that you’ve been caught.”

“What…the hell?” Tao gasped as the thing suddenly tightened its grasp.

“His Majesty believes that you could be a wonderful asset to his army,” it sneered, releasing a puff of putrid air in Tao’s face, “He gave me the task of bringing you to him. In fact, he also told me to dispose of the one with the unicorn mark because a healer always proves to be troublesome…”

The creature trailed off as he looked down at the group. “Ah, if it isn’t Kim Junmyeon. I haven’t seen you since you betrayed His Majesty.”

Junmyeon scowled as he summoned water. “You’re with Moltuva. You possessed the king, didn’t you? That’s why the servants reported a sudden change in the king’s behavior.”

“It was so easy,” the thing sighed, “He was in so much pain after the Queen died that taking over his body was effortless. After that, I just had to do something about his bastard child, and I did. I made him feel so worthless, so hated, and so unneeded, but at the same time, it wasn’t me. It was the king who said all those words to him. I doubt he could wake up ten years from now and not remember the words his father spat at him every day.”

“You bastard,” Junmyeon growled at the same time Tao unsheathed the sword strapped to his back and buried the blade in the creature’s hand.

The thing screamed but didn’t let go, squeezing Tao until he let go of the sword. “You vermin! How dare you strike me with your pitiful weapon!” It grasped the handle of the sword and wrenched it out, tossing it to the side. “I’d kill you here and now, but His Majesty wouldn’t be very pleased with me if I did.” The creature turned back to where Junmyeon and Chanyeol stood in front of Yixing protectively. “But he would be very pleased if I took care of the bastard child, so I guess you’ll just have to watch your friends die.”

It raised a clawed hand and brought it down. Junmyeon grabbed Yixing and they dove out of the way along with Chanyeol, who was still on fire. Almost immediately after, the thing’s other hand came swinging. Junmyeon shoved Yixing out of the way before he was thrown into the wooden platform. Seeing that the water warrior was down, the creature lifted its hand again, ready to deliver a fatal blow before it suddenly recoiled with a shriek.

Tao looked down to see Baekhyun, who had picked up Tao’s sword and had driven it deep into the thing’s belly. However, as Tao looked closer, he saw that the blade was glowing in a faint golden light.

The crown prince yanked the sword out of the creature’s stomach, panting from the effort. “The only bastard here is you!” Baekhyun snarled.

The wound that Baekhyun inflicted obviously pained it a lot more than Tao’s did. The creature couldn’t even muster a comprehensible answer as it clutched at the puncture, which was oozing a disgusting black sludge. Seeing that it was distracted, Chanyeol sent a fireball at it, sending the creature up in flames.

Tao felt himself hit the ground hard as the creature released him. Dizzily, he sat up to see Baekhyun disregard the fire and drive the sword into the thing’s stomach again, eliciting another pained howl from it. The flames at Baekhyun’s arms and face, but he did not falter, choosing to throw all his weight into the sword.

With a snarl, the monster grabbed Baekhyun with its flaming hand and pulled the prince away from its stomach. Fortunately, Baekhyun was still holding onto Tao’s sword, and before the thing could do anything more, Baekhyun swung the sword and sliced its hand clean off.

There was an inhuman screech as the monster flailed, scratching at its glowing wounds. Then, the light engulfed the creature, and the thing shattered into a cloud of pieces. Those pieces crumbled away and were scattered by the wind, and all that remained of it was the king’s bloody body.

A/N: I know I didn't update last weekend, so I decided to post two chapters this weekend. Hope you guys like it!

Anyway, Exo's stay in Sinseye is coming to an end. The reason behind the king's cruel actions towards Yixing has been revealed: he was possessed by the Moltuvian spy that was mentioned a couple times in previous chapters! But the fight dealt damage onto Exo's side as well, mostly towards Luhan and Junmyeon. Hopefully, they'll be okay. I wonder how the Moltuvian king will react when he hears about his spy's death. He won't be pleased, that's for sure.

Thanks for reading and being patient with me! I'll see you guys soon ^^

'Til next chapter!