His vision blurred as he stirred in his sleep to find a distorted face in front of him similar to Junmyeon.

"Wake up!" His shoulder swayed at the frantic push and pull of Junmyeon’s hand. "Kyungsoo, wake up now!" With such urgency in his tone, Kyungsoo came to his senses and awakened with wide eyes.

"What? What's going on?" He scrambled to his feet, wiping off a trail of drool on his chin.

Before him, an unknown man dressed in striking white garments was pushed, stumbling on his feet and almost falling to his knees.

"Move it!" A still wet Jongdae demanded, his voice stern and expression grave, unlike the carefree guy Kyungsoo came to know days prior. "Down on your knees now!" He placed a heavy hand on the man’s shoulder then shoved him to the ground and continued to pin him to the forest floor.

Jongin stood at ready, his shoulders square and his eyes attentive. Kyungsoo didn't have a clue what was going on until he looked a bit closer.

The man was unearthly pale, skin so translucent he could almost see the intricate system of veins and the muscle tissue underneath the thin layer. Reminiscent of an albino, the man was bright, his hair the color of a platinum bleached blond. What was most compelling were his pallid blue eyes, almost white if seen from a further distance. The man had light brown dotted freckles which patterned his his face near the cheek and nose area. He was a sight to behold; a sight of horror because no one had ever seen a man like this before.

"Who are you?" Jongin questioned.

"M-my..."

"Speak!" Jongdae pushed him further into the ground and the man hissed under his tightening grip.

"M-my n-name is Baekhyun."

"Where are you from?" Junmyeon asked, standing the furthest from Baekhyun, but no less prepared to intercept anything that might happen.

"M-my home is Phos." Baekhyun hung his head low and stared at the ground. He didn't dare raise his gaze and the other four shared glances with one another.

"Phos?" Kyungsoo asked, "Is that another planet?"

"Yes." The man whispered.

“Where did you find him?” Jongin directed his question toward Jongdae.

“Hidden behind the waterfall. I went wandering around after my swim and saw a white oval shaped pod near the back of the cave.” Jongdae curled his fingertips, digging his nails into the man’s shoulder. “Why are you here?”

Baekhyun sniffed, near tears. “I-I’m so sorry…” The man trailed off and the four men looked upon him with confusion. “My people...we...we are responsible for this war…”

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened, his expression identical to Jongin’s. Junmyeon dashed toward him with a raised fist ready to deliver a blow to the man’s face. Jongin moved quick, grasping the fuming Junmyeon before he had a chance to strike. For Junmyeon to react in such a manner was quite surprising.

“Wait!” Jongin yelled, “Let’s hear what he has to say.”

“He’s said enough!” Junmyeon snatched his arm away. “He’s the reason my father is dead. He just said it!”

“Calm down Junmyeon, we should get to the bottom of this. Plenty more people could die if we don’t put an end to this! This is the only lead we have.” Kyungsoo said before turning toward Baekhyun, “You need to tell us what is going on. Now!” He yelled, and Baekhyun visibly flinched.

“My people, we are from the planet Phos. We are in search for a weapon of destruction called Scire.”

“‘That is but a rumor—”

“But it’s true!” Baekhyun twisted his shoulder to look up at Jongdae. “My people have searched far and wide, through the galaxies and we found traces of it here.”

“This is insane. Scire is the greatest weapon of destruction. Sure we are one of the few technologically advanced planets within this universe, but we do not possess Scire.” Junmyeon crossed his arms. “Tell us why you’re really here.”

“I have told you no lies.” Baekhyun’s eyes glistened. “Scire is here. We don’t know what it looks like, or what the weapon actually is.”

“No one does!” Jongdae yelled, “Which is why it’s just a rumor.”

“A rumor that is true.” Baekhyun hissed.

“Okay enough.” Kyungsoo interjected. “So the reason you are here is to find this weapon called Scire?” Baekhyun nodded. “But you have no idea what you’re looking for in particular. So how do you expect to find it?”

“My initial mission was to deploy and monitor the Scylions, mechanical animals with highly intricate and accurate sensory and detection systems. They were harmless at first, keeping to themselves and roaming the area to find any traces of the weapon and where it may be held. After finding nothing for months, I received new orders. My objective changed. My people suspected that the weapon was hidden and the only way to acquire it was through brute force.”

“So the animals began to attack Simradia...” Jongdae said.

“My orders were to proceed the search with hostile tactics; rain destruction upon coordinates 159° 96′ 89.4 Orion’s belt, star system—Gladia, Planet 29-08—Simradia.”

Junmyeon’s fist grazed across Baekhyun jaw, turning the man’s head from the momentum of his swing. Next, came another blow with more pressure and power, forcing Baekhyun to spit blood on the ground.

He rampaged. Hit after hit, swing after swing. There was no stopping the fury which consumed him, fire in his eyes and passion in his fist. Baekhyun didn’t whimper, he didn’t bustle, he didn’t retaliate. He allowed Junmyeon to hit and beat him until Kyungsoo stepped forward to stop him by placing a soft and understanding hand on his shoulder. In Junmyeon’s eyes was deep sorrow, tears strolling down his scrunched up face. Kyungsoo slowly pulled him away from the bleeding Baekhyun. Nothing more needed to be said.

“Let me help you.” Baekhyun rasped, his face bloody and lips trembling. “I know what we did was wrong, so allow me to help you.”

“We can’t trust you.” Jongin said.

“You don’t need to trust me.” He panted, “You need me to help you stop this war. I’ve wanted it to be over since the very beginning.” Baekhyun looked up, his swollen lids swallowing his eyes but the sincerity of his gaze piercing through and peeking from under tousled hair and a blood oozing gash on his forehead. “Let me...” He swallowed, “I want to do what’s right.” The blood from his wounds began to mingle with the tears that were now spilling down the man’s cheeks.

Jongin crouched down on the tip of his toes and leveled himself with Baekhyun. “If I suspect any form of insincerity, I will kill you. If I suspect any negligence, I will kill you. If I even think you are distracting us or misleading us in any kind of way, I will make you endure a pain like you’ve never experienced. Do I make myself clear?”

Baekhyun gave a soundless nod.

“Let him go,” Jongin said and Jongdae pushed him, Baekhyun's body falling limp to the ground. “You may not leave our sights, ever, or I will restrain you. This is the best I can offer. Remember you are only an asset to us because you have information that we need and nothing else. Otherwise you’d be dead already.” Jongin turned around and took a spot under a tree. “I’ll have first watch. You all get some rest we have a long day tomorrow.”

The air dwelled with a shallow glow of a glistening flame. Surrounding the fire, Kyungsoo and Baekhyun sat, holding an informative conversation.

“An intergalactic engineer, I have the knowledge to work on anything that deals with machines or even non physical substances. I wasn’t only here to monitor the Scylions, but if they ever needed repairs, I would repair them myself.”

Kyungsoo nodded as he took in the information. Currently, he was on watch duty, the others fast asleep while he remained awake to watch over Baekhyun. The only form of light from a small built fire, casting shadows over their faces.

Simradia being foreign to him and as an alien himself, he found that Baekhyun was similar to him in many ways. And he wanted to have a proper conversation to understand what went on and how things escalated to this point.

“So, you repair them? Do you also build them?”

“I used to, back on Phos, I know everything about them.”

“That could be useful, but we already take them down quickly.”

“I’ve observed the loss rate of our machines had exponentially climbed over the past two months, I assume that was your doing?”

“Me and Jongin.” Kyungsoo tilted his head in Jongin’s direction. “We are a pretty formidable team.”

“He seems to not trust anyone.” Baekhyun said.

“He’s wired that way. But he is right, we can’t trust you and we shouldn’t. You’re the enemy here. Do you know the chaos and what the Simradians are going through to fend for their lives?” Kyungsoo looked at him. “Many lives lost at the expense of a rumor, when your people aren’t even sure what they’re looking for. What if this Scire isn’t even here and this was for nothing at all. Could you imagine the devastation?”

“Of course I can’t. My people are selfish they want the weapon for their own personal gain but they aren’t nearly as bad as those monsters from Avitius.”

“Avitius?” Kyungsoo asked, curious.

“Yes, a planet of the Inropa galaxy, star system Enrie. Those people are merciless weapon farmers. They seek nothing but utter chaos, taking over planets, killing everyone until there’s absolutely nothing left. Just the mention of their names makes anyone shake. No one wants to be their target, afraid their civilizations would perish. Avitian soldiers are the worst. Vile and nasty, they are the ones sent to the planets to scout and steal the weapons, then their fleet comes in and destroys the planet afterward leaving no vendettas or potential threats behind. They aren’t like us on Phos.”

The sheer thought of these Avitians made Kyungsoo’s blood boil and heart pump wildly. “They’re worse than monsters.”

“The worst of it is that no one knows what they look like. If your planet is unfortunate enough to become a target, there are no survivors. But for now, my planet is the threat, and I really want to help in anyway that I can.”

“We’ll see what the others say.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Jongin, you and I both know he has information we need to finally end this war.” Kyungsoo whispered as he and Jongin stood meters from the group discussing the next course of action. Junmyeon and Jongdae scouted for food earlier and were preparing to serve them their findings.

“What if he tricks us? We’d have no way of knowing.”

“But we could at least try...for everyone on this planet, including yourself. We should give him a chance. If he’s as resourceful as he says, then we could use him.”

Jongin’s stern jaw didn’t move as he brooded over Kyungsoo’s words for a moment. He looked at Baekhyun, who sat beside the trunk of a tree hunched over and looking fairly pitiful. “We will ask him what ways could we stop this war, and if I don’t like any of the answers, then we aren’t doing it.”

“That’s fine. Let’s just see what he has in mind for now.”

Jongin nodded. “Alright.”

Kyungsoo grabbed the brothers’ attention with a wave of his hand. When they gathered around, Kyungsoo informed them of their plan and no objections were given.

He approached Baekhyun slowly before crouching down to his level to gently shake his shoulder. Baekhyun raised his head, bruises coursing over to deep shades of gray and purple. It was almost a shame given the paleness of his skin which amplified the chromatic hues and made him look even worse.

“We need to know in what way you could help. Do you have a plan?” Kyungsoo asked. Behind him, the other three stood looking down at them.

“I have a plan...but we will need transportation.”

“Just tell us what your plan is.”

“On Phos, the direct line to the Scylions lies in a facility which governs the mechas and their controls. You get to that building and destroy it, you will have won this war. The difficulty lies in getting to Phos rather than infiltrating the facility. It isn’t heavily guarded and most of the workers are assigned to other planets monitoring the Scylions at the moment. Destroying it should be easy with your capabilities.”

“Travel to Phos and destroy the facility? Is it the only way?” Kyungsoo asked.

“No, not the only way. You could find Scire, it could destroy everything.”

“It doesn’t exist Baekhyun.”

“Those are the only two options I can think of. If we travel to Phos and destroy the control center the link will be severed and the Scylions will die, everywhere.”

“Give us a moment.” Kyungsoo gathered the other three to come to a decision. “Well, what are your thoughts?”

“I don’t like it.” Jongin said. Go figure.

“I don’t think he’s lying.” Jongdae expanded, “I mean it seems plausible. A high tech control center which controls all the, what does he call them? Scylions? We’ve called them Taragons, its so odd knowing their original names.”

“I agree it’s plausible.” Jongin said, “But it could be a trap.”

“He could be leading us to Phos to have us killed is what you’re thinking.” Kyungsoo stated and Jongin nodded. “That could be the case, is the risk to end this war worth it? That is the true question here. Should we risk it?”

The quiet and tentative Junmyeon finally spoke. “We should do it.” He said and all eyes lied upon him. “We have no other options and it seems like our best bet. So let’s do it. I don’t trust this guy at all but I’m tired of fighting this war, and it needs to end. If this is the way to do it, then so be it.”

“I agree.” Kyungsoo added.

“If Junmyeon says we should do it, then I think we should as well.” Jongdae pursed his lips.

Now the last confirmation needed was from the leader of this team, who stood arms crossed with an unreadable expression. “We will travel to Phos, destroy their facility and stop this war. I’ve been wanting to blow up something and it’s about damn time.”

“It’s settled then.” Kyungsoo looked over at the engineer. “Hey,” Baekhyun lifted his head. “You're an intergalactic engineer which means you can repair anything, right?” Baekhyun nodded. “Then, I’ve got a crashed shuttle we could use.” Kyungsoo grinned.

They reached Jongin’s refuge in another day. He was able to repair his weapon as they examined the crashed shuttle which belonged to Kyungsoo.

“This is your shuttle?” Baekhyun asked as he stepped inside the spaceship.

“Yes.” Kyungsoo followed behind, watching as Baekhyun headed toward the malfunctioned control panel.

“This language…” Baekhyun tapered off as he fingers brushed over the symbols. He whipped his head around to stare at Kyungsoo. “What is this language? Tell me!”

“I-i don’t know.” Kyungsoo cautiously eyed him. “Why?”

“I’ve seen it before but I can’t quite put a name to it. But it’s definitely familiar...Are you sure you don’t know?”

“I’ve lost my memories and haven’t regained them yet.”

“I see.” Baekhyun ran his hand across the keys and buttons, examining the symbols further. “Well, this is something I can definitely fix, though I may need a few parts and fuel. The outside definitely needs patching, and inside, some circuitry as well. But all in all, it can be repaired. I’ve dealt with worse.”

“Great, but I wouldn’t know where to get those resources…I’ll ask Junmyeon.” Kyungsoo left the shuttle and jogged toward the brothers, who sat on a patch of grass eating what was left of their fish. Their tour of the shuttle was next, and Jongdae expressed how enthused he was to look inside, reminding Kyungsoo of it every hour on the hour for the entire walk from Jongin’s refuge.

“Can he fix it?” Junmyeon asked as he stepped before them.

Kyungsoo nodded. “Yes, he says he can but he will need some resources and fuel. Do you know anywhere we could get those?”

“Hmm.” Junmyeon pursed his lips and concentrated his gaze on the mountains behind Kyungsoo.

After a moment, Jongdae’s eyebrows raised as an idea struck him. “How about Minseok? The diplomat. He has money and he’s the rebellious type, he’d help I’m sure of it.”

“Oh yes, Minseok. He’d be perfect.” Junmyeon agreed.

“Do you know him personally or…”

“One time he invited us to an underground meeting regarding the war. He wanted to use drastic means to kill the robots. However, not ideal and it was looked upon with disagreement. Not many people understand Minseok’s way of thinking. He has a bigger picture going on inside his mind. But I’m sure he’ll want to help, this is right up his alley. A small unit traveling to another planet? Yeah, this is totally him.” Jongdae waved a hand.

“If you think so, then we should ask him.”

“What about the boss man?” Jondage asked.

“With this extreme of a plan, I’m sure Jongin would agree. There isn’t anyone else.” Kyungsoo said.

“Okay, but if he gets angry, then I blame you.” Jongdae chuckled, “I mean, have you seen his face? He has a permanent scowl.” He laughed with a shake of his head.

“He is pretty...reserved?” Junmyeon added. “How did you get him to let you in?”

“We just have an understanding, I like to think…” Kyungsoo shrugged. “He wasn’t very fond of me at first either to be quite honest. I almost got my head blown off.”

“I could only imagine.” Jongdae roared with laughter, throwing his head back.

“So this Minseok guy, he lives in Ceres? Will you two go there and request his help? I’ll stay here with Baekhyun and Jongin, and we’ll work on the shuttle.”

“Sure, it’s no problem. We could also inform Satsum of our plan.” Junmyeon said.

“Actually, that might not be a bad idea, we may need support from the ground.” Kyungsoo nodded.

“We’ll head out in the morning.” Jongdae smiled. “But for now, I want my tour of the shuttle.” He stood to his feet and rubbed the dirt from his bottom.

“Okay, great.” Kyungsoo smiled.

The familiar terrain was like a safe haven to Kyungsoo. He loitered around the area of the tent, daydreaming as the boastful suns began to descend beyond the horizon and twilight crept over the ground.

Baekhyun walked from out of the dense forest into the clearing and Kyungsoo caught a glimpse of him before turning his head. “Were you able to repair anything?”

“Yes, but not much.” He sighed, “The control panel should be functioning but some of the modules I didn’t understand because of language barriers. You’ll have to translate it for me, and then I’ll be able to fix it properly. The engines appear fine, however some of the circuitry needs rewiring and the door needs to be reattached. So we wait on the spare parts to patch up the holes, communication devices, synchronization watches, and fuel.”

“Sounds good.”

“Oh, and there was this...” Baekhyun pulled a walnut-sized spherical object from his pocket. “I found this. I’m not quite sure what it is, but it seems like something you should have.” He placed it into Kyungsoo’s palm.

“It looks like...I actually don’t know…” He said while observing the globular item.

“You and me both. I’ve never seen anything like it. But maybe you’ll figure out how to use it.” Baekhyun gave him a light pat on the shoulder and Kyungsoo numbly nodded.

The engineer dipped inside of the tent, and Kyungsoo remained outside, looking at the strange substance. The texture was rough, however in the center, he felt the surface bend under the pressure of his thumb. The compact and chromed structure was familiar in his hand—He knew this item, but what did he use it for?

While looking at the sphere, he aimlessly trailed away from the tent, every footstep carrying him further into the forest. He continued to tinker with it, pressing the middle inward until the round object began to glow. An effervescent lime green light rose in brightness forcing Kyungsoo to squint his eyes.

The object flew from his palm and floated in the air hovering above his head. Instantly, it projected a series of distorted lines which blinked and scrambled to scan his figure from head to toe and back up again. He didn’t feel anything as the thin laser beams coursed over his body leaving no place untouched.

Immediately following the scan, a diagrammatic representation of a celestial map of the universe projected and zoomed in to one particular section where a flashing dotted cursor blinked over familiar coordinates.

Kyungsoo walked closer to the holographic diagram attempting to decipher the coordinates.

Then suddenly, the diagram disappeared and bold jaded symbols projected in the language similar to the one he encountered inside the space shuttle. The line of text appeared and disappeared so quickly that Kyungsoo was only able to decipher three words:

Location. Found. Scire.

The spherical object jetted into the atmosphere and out to space leaving at faster than light speed. Warp-like lines lied in its wake and Kyungsoo stood with his head tilted to the sky, bewildered and deathly afraid. No coherent thoughts formed as he tried to make sense of what he’d just done. Who did he contact? Why was Scire mentioned? And what did it mean by found?

Abruptly, a high-pitched white noise droned in his ear, causing his head to pound uncontrollably. His body staggered over, shaky hands reached out to catch the nearest bark. The light dimmed in his eyes as the throbbing continued to grow in strength. The overwhelming pain amplified until his body could no longer sustain consciousness, and the realm of blackness welcomed him once again.

“You will arrive in 1,095 days. Planet 29-08 is five megaparsecs away.” A woman’s computer animated voice said.

“Thank you, Mina. Put me in hypersleep until we reach the planet’s atmosphere.”

“Yes, Kyungsoo. Would you like me to record your sleeping habits as well for further diagnostics of your brain patterns?”

“No Mina. I think the memories I have now are fine.”

“Yes, Kyungsoo.” He pushed the button for autopilot before leaving his seat at the front of the shuttle. The metal floor split like double doors, sliding to the side to welcome the sleep pod. After the pod rose from the ground, the glass casing opened and Kyungsoo lied down inside and situated himself in a comfortable position. The door automatically closed over his figure and the pod sunk down into the ship taking the sole occupant along with it.

“Kyungsoo speak to me! Wake up Kyungsoo!” The familiar tone of Jongin’s voice filed into his dream as desperate hands rubbed at his face and pulled at his limbs.

“He’s completely out of it.” Baekhyun’s voice was just as concerned and winded.

“Kyungsoo? Come on...Kyungsoo!” He felt his body lift from the ground and cradle against Jongin’s chest in a sideways hold. Wearied and groggy eyes refused to open as his head throbbed and spun at indescribable levels. The plush and soft mattress came under his frame as his body was placed on the bed. “Get a wet rag.”

“Okay.” Baekhyun scrambled around for a towel and Jongin’s container of water. He doused the rag with water and rung it out outside the tent before placing it atop of Kyungsoo’s forehead. “Will he be okay?”

“I don’t know.” In Jongin’s tone, concern and anxiety dwelled within. “...I don’t know.”

Kyungsoo stood at the threshold of consciousness, his mind slipping between forgotten memories and the present.

The alarm system blared, flashing red lights showered every corner of the shuttle. The pod activated, rising from the ground and waking Kyungsoo from his hypersleep.

The overwhelming patches of color made it difficult for him to come to his senses. They ree by one until he could fully grasp the situation. He quickly sat up, his eyes searching around the ship and his breathing sporadic.

“Mina, diagnostic!”

“We have entered the atmosphere for Planet 29-08. However, at the angle of descension, the shields were burned from the radiation of the stars and we veered off course. I attempted to recalibrate the shields, however, I did not manage in time.”

“Do we have shields up now and operational?” Kyungsoo jumped from inside the pod and slid into his chair at the control panel, fumbling with various buttons.

“There are none.”

“Can we repostition our point of entrance?” He asked, frantic hands continuing to search for a solution.

“We are already descending.”

“Options!” He yelled.

“I am afraid there aren’t any options that will avoid a direct impact with the planet’s surface.”

He closed his eyes to calm himself. “Time until impact?”

“3 minutes.”

With haste, Kyungsoo searched the shuttle for anything that could save him. The only place likely to keep him alive was the sleeping pod. He re-entered the pod and manually closed the door before the lights inside the shuttle flickered off and darkness reigned over him.

He started with a gasp. Jongin pinned him to the mattress, both palms resting on either side of Kyungsoo’s arms.

“Breathe...” Jongin said. “Just breathe.” Kyungsoo choked on air, coughing and wheezing as his breaths returned and his vision refocused. “You’re okay now.” Jongin soothed him by rubbing his palms up and down Kyungsoo’s arm in gentle . “It was just a nightmare.”

“No,” Kyungsoo rasped. “It was a memory.”

“You finally remembered something?” Kyungsoo made an attempt to sit and Jongin pushed him back into the mattress. “Rest.”

“I don’t want to rest, I need to get to the ship and figure out what’s going on.”

“I understand you want answers, but you out twice now and you don’t look well. You thrashed in your sleep and wouldn’t keep still, mumbling something about ‘memories’.”

“I remember…” Kyungsoo stared at the ceiling. “I remember...that the memories I had now are fine. And it’s odd that I would say that.”

“What does that mean?”

“I-i don’t know. But I want to find out.”

“You will, just give it a bit more time.”

“Okay...and um, Jongin?”

“Hmm?”

“You can let me go…”

Jongin snatched his arms away. “Oh, right, sorry.” He brushed the back of his neck.

“I think I want to eat something…”

“I’ll get you something. I’ll be right back.” Jongin stood to leave the tent, however he couldn’t make it outside before a hair-raising, high-pitched scream shook the air from behind him. He whipped around so quick on his feet that he almost fell.

Kyungsoo now lied on the floor, convulsing, his body shaking uncontrollably with drool trailing down the sides of his chin.

Jongin flew to his side, fear strangling his voice and his heart thumping hysterically. He didn’t know where to touch, or what to do other than to allow Kyungsoo’s body to continue the seizure.

“Kyungsoo!”

The name echoed in his mind as he plummeted into the realm of forgotten memories once again.

“I don’t want remember!”

“You need to stop this! You can’t keep doing this to yourself otherwise you’ll forget one day and nothing else will come back to you.”

“Maybe that isn’t such a bad idea.” He threatened.

“Listen to me Kyungsoo. Continuing to erase your memories has side effects. You can’t keep doing this. Your father would never allow it.”

“That man is no father of mine.” He hissed. “I want them wiped and I want to start anew. Sehun, please…”

“If you don’t want them, then I can have your memories stored away for you. You won’t have access to those memories unless you would like to keep them with you. However, I wouldn’t advise it.”

“No, I trust that you can keep them safe, I’ll come back for them when I return.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I need them gone...or I couldn’t live with myself.”

Light particles danced around his eyes as he blinked them open. The tint held a faint orange hue from the stars casting translucent beams onto the small structure.

No one lingered inside and Kyungsoo was completely alone on the mattress. Or at least, he thought.

When he sat up, he noticed Jongin’s body hunched over the side of the bed, his head resting over crossed arms. Kyungsoo gently placed a palm on Jongin’s hair and he glided his hand down the rich gray strands flowing delicately, brushing them with the utmost care.

Eventually, Jongin stirred awake from the soft hand that eased him out of his dreams. He smiled upon seeing Kyungsoo, not even noticing it himself.

Kyungsoo chuckled. “You’re smiling.”

Instantly, Jongin’s face fell. “...Are you alright?”

“No. I’m not...For some reason, I had my memories wiped before coming here.”

“That’s strange.”

“Yes, and it seemed like I did it quite often.”

“I don’t know why but I’m sure you had your reasons.”

“I hope you’re right. But I have a bad feeling about this...Those reasons, I wonder what they could be...”

“You’ll have time to figure it out. Let’s get you some food. You’ve been out for 3 days.”

“3 days?!” Kyungsoo’s eyes bulged.

“Yeah. While you were out, the brothers returned and Minseok tagged along. Baekhyun has started repairs on the ship and he seems to be on the right track. His knowledge as an engineer is definitely impressive.”

“Wow, so much has happened while I was out.”

“Yes, so let’s bring you up to speed but first, food. Can you stand?” Jongin helped him down from the bed and Kyungsoo staggered on his feet, reaching out to maintain his balance. The nomad held him in his arms, preventing him from falling. It was almost a hug of sorts, the way their bodies leaned into each other, the closest contact they’ve ever had. “Let me help you.”

“T-thanks.” Kyungsoo’s eyes looked up into delicate marigold irises that sparkled. “Have I ever told you how beautiful your eyes are?”

“Are you still dreaming?” Jongin dismissed him.

Kyungsoo blinked and gave a quick half shake of his head. “U-um, maybe I am.” He chuckled nervously. “I’m starving.” Jongin sat him at the small table and they both ate lunch together while talking about Kyungsoo’s memories, or lack thereof.