Exoplanet

Chapter 4: Lighting the Fire

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“It’s nice to meet you.” Junmyeon smiled, holding his hand out for Chanyeol to shake.

The tall, red-haired man shyly took Junmyeon’s hand. Junmyeon looked startled, glancing down at their joined hands.

“Your hands are really warm,” the water user commented.

Chanyeol laughed a little. “It’s the fire,” he explained.

“It’s not burning hot, is it?” Luhan asked, peering over Junmyeon’s shoulder curiously, “I have to introduce myself next, and I don’t want to get my hand roasted.”

Chanyeol’s laugh was more relaxed now, and he held out a hand for Luhan. “Want to feel for yourself?”

Luhan smiled and clasped Chanyeol’s hand. “Name’s Luhan.”

“Chanyeol. Tao mentioned that you two have marks.” Chanyeol lowered his voice at the question as a pair of guests walked past the room, chattering loudly about fireworks.

Junmyeon ushered the group away from the doorway. The four of them settled down at a table near the fireplace. Tao noticed that Junmyeon had brought his bag, which most likely contained the Elven book.

“Would you mind showing us your mark, Chanyeol?” Junmyeon inquired kindly, placing his bag on the table.

“Show me yours first,” Chanyeol challenged.

Without hesitation, Junmyeon lifted his shirt, revealing the water drop on his stomach. Luhan took off his headband to show his symbol. Chanyeol paused, eyes shifting between the two, before taking off his shoe and raising his foot to display the bird on the bottom of it.

The three of them stared at each other for a moment before slowly covering their marks again. “Do you know what your mark stands for, Chanyeol?” Junmyeon asked softly.

“No,” Chanyeol admitted as the four of them sat down at the table, “My parents hated it, and I haven’t heard about anyone else having a mark until now.”

“What did your parents do when they saw it?”

“They never talked about it with me.” Chanyeol stared down at his hands as though he was ashamed to admit that his parents didn’t like him because of his powers. “They also banned me from using fire, but I would sneak off and practice with it in secret. Then, they just kicked me out about three or four years ago.”

“I’m sorry,” Junmyeon said regretfully. Luhan leaned across the table and gave Chanyeol a reassuring pat on the arm.

“It’s not your fault,” Chanyeol sighed, “And I’ve been over it for a while now. The innkeeper, Miss Choi, acts more like a mom than my real mother ever did.”

“How did you end up here though? Did you know Miss Choi before you came here?”

“No, actually. I was born and raised in southern Halwen, and I walked all the way here after they kicked me out. Miss Choi saw me wandering the streets and took me in. I work for her now.” Despite the hardships in his early years, Chanyeol looked rather pleased with himself now. Tao found himself admiring the man, who was slightly taller than him to Tao’s chagrin.

“I see.” Tao was surprised to hear a slight strain in Junmyeon’s voice. Luhan also looked a little worried, but Chanyeol seemed oblivious to the sudden change in mood.

“So do you know anything about what these abilities and marks are for?” he asked, leaning forward slightly in anticipation.

Junmyeon reached inside his bag and pulled out the Elven book. Tao watched as the other flipped it open to a familiar page, asking Chanyeol if he had heard of the prophecy. He tuned out Junmyeon’s explanation in favor of observing Chanyeol’s reactions. Tao felt faintly amused as he watched Chanyeol’s eyes widen in awe. Then, the red-haired man’s mouth dropped open, and he emitted a soft exclamation of astonishment.

After listening to Junmyeon talk, Chanyeol asked about their powers. As a demonstration, Junmyeon summoned the water from a nearby pot, letting the clear liquid hang in the air for a moment before gently letting the water settle back. Luhan then lifted the entire pot from the table, sending it floating across the room once and then placing it back in its original spot.

Then, Chanyeol turned to Tao, who quickly shook his head. “I don’t have control over my power,” he repeated.

“What is your power though?” Chanyeol inquired curiously.

“According to the book, Tao’s symbol represents time, so maybe time control?” Junmyeon guessed, “Maybe you can stop time or see the future.”

Tao remembered the elf he saw in images that morning. “I-I think I had a vision this morning when I touched that book.” He pointed to the Elven book lying innocently on the table. “I was in a wooden house, and there was an elf writing in that book. I think I went to the past.”

He paused to see the other three staring at him with jaws unhinged. “You didn’t mention this earlier,” Luhan accused, lips curling into a small pout.

“Sorry,” Tao apologized.

“So Tao can see something’s history when he touches the object?” Junmyeon muttered. He grabbed his bag and held it out to Tao. “Touch it and see if you get a vision.”

Uncertainly, Tao reached out and grasped the tough cloth, somewhat anticipating another flood of images to invade his mind, but nothing happened.

Baffled, Tao looked up to see the eager faces of his companions, who were waiting for him to tell them what he saw. The impatience in their eyes turned into confusion when Tao told them that nothing happened.

Junmyeon held his head in his hands, rubbing his forehead tiredly. Luhan tilted his head to the side, blinking a few times as he contemplated the lack of response from Junmyeon’s bag.

“Maybe it only happens sometimes,” Chanyeol ventured, “I mean, if he had visions of every object he touched, wouldn’t that be annoying?”

Luhan looked like he agreed with Chanyeol, nodding slowly to the red-haired man’s statement.

“I suppose that’s true,” Junmyeon admitted. He leaned back in his chair, letting out a sigh as he relaxed. “If you happen to have any other visions, let us know, okay?”

Tao nodded, and Junmyeon turned back to Chanyeol.

“What do you think, Chanyeol?” Junmyeon gestured at the Elven book, “I’ve told you everything I could think of. Do you have any questions?”

“Well, no.” Chanyeol ran both hands through his hair in an agitated way, “It’s just a lot to take in at once.”

“I understand.” Junmyeon nodded. “You need time to think it through, and we’ll be glad to give you time. The original plan was to leave tomorrow morning, but we can push it back by…two days maximum?” He looked at Luhan for confirmation, and the latter shrugged and nodded.

“How did they convince you?” Chanyeol turned to Tao, “You just met them two days ago, but you already decided to go with them?”

“Well, they showed me the book, and I had that vision when I touched it this morning. I guess that’s what convinced me.” Tao touched the back of his neck, where he knew his mark was sitting.

Chanyeol groaned and rubbed his face with his hands. “I want to go with you guys,” he began hesitantly, “I really do. I feel like I belong. But I can’t just up and leave Miss Choi. She’ll be the only one running this inn, and I owe her because she took me off the streets.”

“Miss Choi will be in danger if Moltuva takes over Halwen. The Moltuvian army left no one alive in Leilan. They might decide to kill everyone here, too,” Luhan pointed out, albeit a little tactlessly. Junmyeon shot him a warning glance, although Chanyeol didn’t seem to be affected by Luhan’s words.

“She’ll be fine if I’m around to protect her, won’t she?” Chanyeol reasoned, “I can use my fire to fight Moltuva while she gets to safety, right?”

Technically, Chanyeol was right. Tao was disappointed since Chanyeol seemed as though he wasn’t going to come with them. Junmyeon seemed to think the same because he took the book back and resignedly said, “If you choose not to come, we will not force you. If you’re going to help us, we want it to be of your own volition.”

Luhan stared incredulously at Junmyeon, as though he couldn’t believe what the other was saying. Even though Tao expected Junmyeon to assume that Chanyeol was not going to join them, he had expected the former Moltuvian soldier to try harder to persuade the red-haired man. His disillusionment was only amplified when Chanyeol didn’t say anything back, choosing to stare down at his hands while he played with the edge of his shirt.

“Is that all you have to say?”

The female voice made all four of them jump in their seats. Simultaneously, they spun around to stare at the innkeeper, who was standing in the doorway with a frown on her face.

Tao glanced at Chanyeol, who looked absolutely terrified. The fire man nervously looked from Miss Choi’s face to the floor to Junmyeon and back to the innkeeper. Junmyeon and Luhan, like Tao, were at a loss for words, uncertain as to how much Miss Choi had heard.

“I heard everything,” she said, taking in the looks of shock. Her gaze rested on Junmyeon, and she pursed her lips into a frown. “I am rather disappointed though.”

Without waiting for a response from the four, she jabbed her finger at Junmyeon. “You’re just going to let him go? Let him slip away when you’ve had him in your hands?”

Junmyeon sputtered incomprehensively, but Miss Choi ignored him and addressed the three members of the group. “If you’re going to save the world, I suggest you toughen up and stop being such pushovers!”

Tao was dumbstruck. Like the others, he had expected the innkeeper to react negatively, yet the things she was saying made him hope that she was supporting them.

Chanyeol must have felt the same way because after making a series of strange noises, he choked out a surprised, “What?”

Miss Choi sighed, and her demeanor softened. “I think you should go, Chanyeol,” she said gently.

The red-haired man looked at the innkeeper with an unreadable expression. “You…don't hate me?” he asked slowly.

“You have given me no reason to hate you.” Miss Choi smiled reassuringly. “To be honest, I had an inkling that there was something you weren’t telling me. Nobody can start a fire in almost an instant, and you never used any of the matches next to the stove.”

Tao released a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. Chanyeol was lucky – so lucky – that the lady wasn’t like his parents, who held Chanyeol’s power of fire against him. Judging by Chanyeol’s teary eyes, the man knew he was lucky. He hid his face in his hands, but Tao could still see the moisture that ran down his cheeks.

As though she knew that Chanyeol was crying, Miss Choi moved to the young man’s side and wrapped her arms around him. She held him in a comforting embrace, letting him silently sob into her shirt and gently patting him on the back as he did so.

Tao, Junmyeon, and Luhan looked away out of politeness, feeling as though they shouldn’t intrude on the moment even though all three of them hoped that Miss Choi would convince Chanyeol to leave with them.

It wasn’t long before Chanyeol could speak clearly. “How much did you hear?” he asked, mopping his eyes with his arm and sniffling a little.

“Since you told them about how you ended up here in this shabby inn,” Miss Choi joked, “I’m happy you think so highly of me though.”

Chanyeol looked embarrassed for a moment, but the innkeeper ignored it and kept talking. “As I was saying, I think you should go, Chanyeol.”

“Why?”

“Because the book,” she tilted her head towards the book that Junmyeon had set back on the table, “is clearly made by elves, and everyone knows the elves don’t play around. The prophecy must be true, so it’s a good idea for you to stick with the rest of the Exo members.” She turned to Junmyeon. “That’s what you call yourselves, right? Exo?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Junmyeon confirmed.

“But if I leave, who’s going to protect you if Moltuva tries to take over Halwen?” Chanyeol protested.

“You forget that Halwen as an army that’s perfectly capable of protecting its citizens,” Miss Choi pointed out, “I’d say we have a pretty good chance of beating Moltuva back if they come knocking.”

Chanyeol bit his bottom lip, still not entirely convinced.

“Besides, I can always pack up and leave for another country if Halwen falls to Moltuva,” Miss Choi continued, “I have two working legs, so I’m pretty sure I can make it to Dalgu or somewhere else easily.”

Chanyeol didn’t say anything.

“And if you somehow get killed trying to protect me,” she stated lowly, “then we’re down a warrior and Moltuva will have a greater chance of winning.” She leaned forward, meeting Chanyeol’s gaze with her own. “Go with them, Chanyeol. They need you more than I do.”

For a moment, Chanyeol looked as though he was about to cry again, but instead, he looked away from the innkeeper and stared down at his hands.

“Please come with us, Chanyeol,” Junmyeon tried to persuade the fire user once more, “We need you.”

Just say you’ll come with us already! Tao silently screamed at Chanyeol. He could tell the man was pretty much convinced now, but something was holding him back from saying yes. Junmyeon was about to give Chanyeol another push, but the latter suddenly shifted in his seat and massaged his forehead.

“I’ll go,” Chanyeol said with a sigh, “I’ll leave with you guys tomorrow morning, but I have no idea what I need to bring.”

Junmyeon beamed. “Great! Have you ever traveled long-distance before?”

“No, I haven’t,” Chanyeol admitted, “Is it difficult?”

“It is at first,” Junmyeon agreed, “But you gradually get used to it. I can help you with packing if you need help.”

“That would be nice.”

“Tao and I will be waiting for you in our room,” Luhan told the departing Junmyeon, who nodded his assent. Chanyeol anxiously asked Junmyeon about tomorrow morning as he led the shorter man down the hall to his room. Their voices eventually faded as they rounded a corner.

Miss Choi turned to Tao and Luhan. “Please take care of him. He has never left this city since he came here, so he knows nothing about what’s out there.”

“We will, ma’am,” Luhan promised, “Chanyeol is one of us, and we will look after each other.”

Reassured, the innkeeper smiled and bid the two of them good night. They went their separate ways: Miss Choi walking off in the same direction that Chanyeol and Junmyeon had gone, and Tao followed Luhan back upstairs.

It wasn’t until Tao retrieved the room key from his pocket that he remembered why he had left the room in the first place.

“I still need to take a bath!”

A/N: Chanyeol has agreed to join! Who do you guys think is next?

'Til next chapter!