Two are better than one, 

because they have a good return for their work: 

If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help them up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?

 Ecclesiastes 4:9-11 (NIV)

November 19, 1985 AD

Baekhyun arrived directly at his garden in Heaven after leaving Chanyeol. His heart beat fast at what his actions would ensure, but he couldn’t say he regretted the time he spent with Chanyeol. Even if he crossed the line into sinful territory, he would never change what happened or his love for Chanyeol. Not when he had so little time left compared to the eternity they spent separated, surrounded by painful secrets that shredded their souls.

That didn’t mean that Baekhyun didn’t feel anxious at the thought of what was to come. The Elders would inflict punishment as soon as Baekhyun stepped inside the castle. It was inevitable. Whether they knew who he was with or not, they would retaliate one way or another.

But Baekhyun wouldn’t run away from it. He knew he crossed the line, he knew he broke their rules. There would be consequences and there was no way to avoid them.

Baekhyun took his time walking down one of the stone paths of his garden, his eyes studying the beauty of the white roses he’d worked so hard to keep alive and well for thousands of years. It hurt him to think about what would possibly happen to it once he was gone. He didn’t have much time left alive and he doubted the next Chosen of Good would keep it. Or maybe he would. Baekhyun had no way of knowing for sure.

Either way, he could leave in peace knowing that he’d managed to create a beautiful tribute to the son he never got the chance to love properly. Even if it seemed insignificant compared to the love that he should’ve given Hyunjin, Baekhyun knew that he did what he could with what limited options he had.

He smiled at the thought. If he had the chance, he would’ve given Hyunjin a proper home. He could imagine the possibilities in his mind of how life would’ve been if given the chance to love his son properly. If he and Chanyeol got the opportunity to raise their child together. To protect him, love him, and guide him properly. Reality would’ve been so much better, so much sweeter.

But fate hadn’t been kind and all those dreams Baekhyun had were destroyed ruthlessly. They never had a chance.

Baekhyun shook his head at the thought. He knew it was useless to think about it all. There was nothing he would ever be able to do to change how everything went. Dwelling on the what-ifs only hurt him further, even if those what-ifs were what kept him going most days.

Instead of thinking anymore, he focused on the sweet smell of roses that wafted through the wind. The scent had always comforted him every time he hit rock bottom. His garden had been his safe place in Heaven and the thought of parting from it soon hurt.

He chuckled at his silliness. There was no point in feeling like that. Not anymore, no. Not when his time was close to ending and when whatever safety he felt in his lifetime hadn’t ever been real. Not when The Elders had controlled every aspect of his existence in one way or another.

Inside the castle, Baekhyun pushed all those thoughts to the back of his mind. One of The Elders was waiting for him, staring at him with a knowing light in their eyes. Without saying a single word, The Elder turned around and walked away. Baekhyun knew he was supposed to follow. He knew what was going to happen next, he didn’t need to be told.

As expected, The Elder led him to the punishment room where the rest of The Elders were. Without saying a word, Baekhyun took his clothes off and stepped onto the scaffold. He got down on his knees and closed his eyes, ready for what was to come.

“We thought you were smarter than this, Baekhyun,” said one of them, The Leader, Baekhyun could tell from his voice. “Going against us and ing The Chosen of Evil...bad idea.”

Baekhyun didn’t reply. He didn’t have to, either way. The Elders would do whatever they wanted regardless of Baekhyun’s actions or words. Baekhyun knew what he did and he was aware of the consequences while he did.

Baekhyun didn’t regret a thing, either. He’d enjoyed sharing his body with Chanyeol one final time. He loved the way Chanyeol took him over and over, how he claimed Baekhyun and marked him inside and outside. Baekhyun’s heart shook at the memory of Chanyeol’s murmured love confessions and the way he’d molded his insides so deliciously. How Chanyeol filled him to the brim until Baekhyun couldn’t keep the warm seed inside any longer.

He wouldn’t change what he did. He didn’t feel ashamed either. He was created from The Source. He had needs and desires. He was like anyone else in the Universe and if that put him on The Elders’ bad side, then so be it. He’d held himself back for far too long anyway.

The first hit on his sensitive skin came as soon as Baekhyun reminded himself to focus. Over and over, his body was flogged with the thick punishment devices created exclusively to hurt him, to leave marks that would remind Baekhyun of his position and of the rules that had been pushed into his mind since the moment he became God.

He took his punishment with grace, even when The Elders kept repeating how much of a he was for sleeping with the Devil. Even when they offended him and reminded him of how worthless he was. Baekhyun remained on his knees as they changed the punishment devices for harsher ones that did more damage. Baekhyun could feel the painful caress of the materials all the way to his bones as they cut through his flesh relentlessly. But he didn’t give up, he kept his stance as he received the worst punishment of his existence. He didn’t back down and he didn’t show his weakness despite the amount of irreparable damage being done to his body.

Baekhyun bit his bottom lip to keep himself from making any noises, though the tears flowed freely down his cheeks. The punishment would come to an end eventually. The Elders would grow tired at some point and would stop their aggression. They had to…

Right?

The more they kept going, the more Baekhyun felt like they wouldn’t stop. He grew fearful as the punishment became more intense with every second that passed by. His body shook in fear as the objects used became worse, objects The Elders had never used on him before...Devices so terrifying that Baekhyun wondered just how badly his body would be damaged when it was all over.

“This is what happens when don’t obey us, God,” said one of The Elders with a mocking voice before another hit fell on Baekhyun’s body.

Baekhyun bit his bottom lip further, blood flowing down his chin from the cheer force he was using to control himself. He felt his body burning with an unfamiliar pain that was more excruciating than anything he’d felt before. His very core burned like never before and he was sure most of the bones in his torso were broken.

He didn’t know how long it lasted, but it felt like an eternity as The Elders mocked him and hit him until every inch of his body, except his face, was unrecognizable. And even then, Baekhyun kept himself with his chin held high, even if the shaking of his jaw and the tears that drenched his cheeks gave away how badly he was doing.

One of The Elders, the Leader once again, stepped onto the scaffold and sank their fingers into Baekhyun’s hair. The Elder pulled Baekhyun’s hair so he could look up at them. The Elder looked deranged and held a mocking smile that froze Baekhyun’s blood.

“We warned you, didn’t we? We’ve warned you over and over. We thought you would listen for once. You’d been behaving so well. But here we are again, having to get our point across. When will you learn?” Asked The Elder. With their free hand, they cupped Baekhyun’s chin and pulled his head further back. “Seems like we have to go to extremes to see if you finally listen.”

The Elder let go of Baekhyun. Baekhyun lost his balance and fell forward. The hit hurt his injured body, but he was in so much pain already that it didn’t make much of a difference. Baekhyun heard The Elders leave the room one by one, murmuring and chuckling under their breaths.

Baekhyun closed his eyes in exhaustion. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t move from his position on the scaffold, so he stayed there, drowning in a pool of his own blood. He kept his eyes slightly opened as The Elder’s words kept running through his mind. Whatever they were planning couldn’t be good, but what would they do anyway?

Baekhyun felt his heart skip a beat at the thought. He knew The Elders were capable of many things. They’d made it clear that they were willing to be ruthless with their punishments. And yes, Baekhyun received the harshest beating of his existence, but...would they do more? Could they?

The images that ran through his mind filled his body with fear. The Elders had caused him so much hurt already...would they go further? What if they hurt Chanyeol? What if this time they went after him? What if the punishment Baekhyun received, no matter how ruthless, was inflicted on Chanyeol too?

The thought terrified Baekhyun. He tried to get to his feet, but not even his arms could lift his body. He was too weak after the beating he received. His breathing became painfully erratic as the anxiety flowed through his veins without control.

Sadly, his body had been drained of any remnant of energy and he couldn’t keep himself conscious any further as the fear of the possibilities that ran through his mind attacked him without mercy. Before he even realized it, he went unconscious, unaware of the horror that was to come.

++++

As soon as he returned to Hell, Chanyeol headed over to the palace. While he wanted to give himself time to process what Baekhyun revealed, Chanyeol felt like he didn’t have time for that. Knowing The Elders, Baekhyun would get severely punished as soon as he arrived in Heaven. And if The Elders had been watching them, then Chanyeol knew that he had to act fast.

Baekhyun revealed the truth of Hyunjin to Chanyeol after eight thousand years. And he did it out of desperation, after being pushed too far and doing something he couldn’t forgive himself for.

The Elders would retaliate.

Chanyeol would’ve loved to go get Baekhyun himself immediately, but that wasn’t possible. He couldn’t simply storm into Heaven and take Baekhyun. For starters, the rebellion wasn’t under his command, and as sad as it may sound, they wouldn’t prioritize getting Baekhyun from Heaven before having a carefully planned strategy. The well-being of the Universe was first, and while Chanyeol wanted to be selfish and put Baekhyun first, he couldn’t. Baekhyun wouldn’t allow it.

With the pain and sorrow in his heart, Chanyeol had to do the best next thing he could do: look after Hyunjin. If The Elders had been watching them, there was a chance they knew that Chanyeol was aware of everything.

The thought scared Chanyeol.

It didn’t surprise Chanyeol to find Chaeyoung in the throne room, overlooking the cleaning of the room after the from the day before. Chanyeol couldn’t be bothered with them, not when he’d been too focused on Baekhyun.

“I need your help,” he said as soon as he reached Chaeyoung.

Chaeyoung frowned. “What’s going on?”

“Come with me,” he said.

Chanyeol noticed Chaeyoung looked like she wanted to inquire further, but something in his face must’ve stopped her. Instead, she nodded and followed after him.

Chanyeol remained silent as they walked down the hallways of the castle and didn’t open his mouth until they reached his bed-chamber. “You were right.”

“What?” She asked confused.

Chanyeol turned to look at her. “About the pregnancy. You were right.”

Chaeyoung frowned for a moment before realization hit her. “W-what?”

Chanyeol nodded. “God’s son was…” Chanyeol gulped. “Our son and he’s back. We need to go get him right now.”

Chanyeol didn’t give his sister time to react. Instead, he opened a portal and stepped right into the alleyway with the entrance to the dilapidated building they found Hyunjin in before. He didn’t wait to see if she was following, Chanyeol knew she was. He kept going in silence, his pace fast as he stepped around the rubble in his way. He ignored how his heart tightened at the conditions his son had to live in. There was no time to dwell on that.

Chanyeol reached the end of the alleyway and opened the hidden alleyway. He continued down the hallway, searching through the darkness for the room where Hyunjin had been that morning. Chanyeol felt his heart beating erratically. What would he tell his son when they met? How would Chanyeol explain that they were taking him to Hell?

He shook the thoughts away. There was no time to dwell on that. Not when they had to hurry and get Hyunjin to safety. Maybe Chanyeol was exaggerating. Maybe The Elders didn’t know, but he couldn’t try his chance. Not when The Elders had proven time and time again just what atrocities they were capable of.

Sadly, the boy wasn’t in the same room as before, but something inside Chanyeol told him his son wasn’t far. He could feel his son close by. Hyunjin hadn’t left the building. He was somewhere close by…

Chanyeol felt desperation as he continued running around the place, his steps echoing loudly against the empty walls. He heard Chaeyoung following behind, but he didn’t pay her much attention. He couldn’t, not when his body craved finally being able to meet his son. The seed of his love for Baekhyun. The gift that fate had given him...a blessing that had been ripped from their hands cruelly.

For a moment, Chanyeol allowed himself to hope...what if they had a chance this time? What if he could finally have the life he’d always hoped for with Chanyeol and their son? What if destiny finally treated them kindly and allowed them to experience the peace that had been denied to them for so long?

Foolishly, he imagined a possible future. Maybe after the rebellion, they could live in peace...they could find happiness.

That was all Chanyeol wanted. Even if it sounded selfish, he didn’t care because he was tired of having to hold himself back. Of having to watch the love of his life suffer in silence for centuries until a mere shelf of his old self was left behind. All Chanyeol wanted was to wake up every morning next to Baekhyun. To kiss him, to make love to him, and to live a simple life somewhere far away where no one could bother them.

But his dreams were broken, ripped from his hands as soon as he entered a room on one of the top floors. Hyunjin was standing there, his face barely lit up by the streetlamps outside. He was scared and confused as he stared up at the being standing in front of him.

“Hyunjin?” Chanyeol asked out loud, foolishly.

Hyunjin and the being turned their attention to Chanyeol. The boy stared at Chanyeol pleadingly, begging to be saved while the being, one of The Elders smirked when they noticed the horror in Chanyeol’s face.

Without saying a single word, The Elder grabbed Hyunjin and vanished into thin air, leaving only the boy’s meager possessions behind. Shocked, Chanyeol stayed in his spot as he stared forward, unsure of how to proceed.

“Ch-Chanyeol, was that-”

Chanyeol nodded. “My son,” he croaked.

“The Elder took him,” gasped Chaeyoung.

Chanyeol gulped and fisted his hands, trying to ground himself. “,” he muttered. “We were too late.”

“What do you think they’re planning?” Asked Chaeyoung.

Chanyeol could feel himself close to the edge. His emotions were b to their maximum level. He felt his insides burn intensely and his thoughts turn foggy. If he didn’t control himself, he would unleash Hell on Earth, and if that happened...The Balance of The Source would be at risk.

“Chanyeol?”

The worry in his sister’s voice was what forced him to get back to his senses. It was tough, but it wasn't the first time he’d been close to reaching his limit. As The Chosen of Evil, his emotions were more erratic and his energy was harder to control. The Evil was always in disarray. It was messy and powerful. Explosive. Deadly.

Chanyeol spent most of his time fighting the nature of his soul so as not to lose control. He couldn’t afford to do that. Not when the well-being lay on his shoulders.

Chanyeol took several deep breaths and closed his eyes. He tightened his jaw and took a moment to try to calm himself. He fought with everything in himself to keep the energy under control and he didn’t dare to move until he felt like he wouldn’t cause the apocalypse.

“We need to speak to Yixing,” he said. Chanyeol turned to look at Chaeyoung. “We have to act now.”

Chaeyoung nodded. Together, they opened a portal and stepped into Hell, unsure of how everything would unfold.

++++

Baekhyun came back to consciousness with a jolt after a bucket of freezing cold water was thrown on him. He gasped at the sudden temperature change and opened his eyes. He tried to make sense of his surroundings and soon recognized the punishment room. He winced when he tried to move and opted to stay immobile. The pain running all throughout his body was excruciating and remaining still seemed like the best idea for the moment.

“We always knew you would pose a problem, Baekhyun,” said the Leader of The Elders.

Baekhyun looked to the side and noticed all The Elders standing in line with the Leader in front, a smirk on their lips. There was something else...a look in their eyes that made Baekhyun feel nervous. He could tell something was terribly wrong.

“We thought we could control you if we made you The Chosen of Good and despite some altercations in the past, you’d behaved so well,” said the Leader before the smile fell from their lips. “You’d been doing so well until now.”

He sighed with fake sadness. “We didn’t want to get to this extreme, but you forced our hand.”

Baekhyun didn’t understand what they were talking about. If it was about the punishment, they’d been doing it since he became The Chosen of Good. Sure, the punishment on this occasion had been the most severe so far, but it still fell under the same spectrum. What else could they do to retaliate against his rebellious nature?

The thought terrified him. Even if he didn’t want to believe that The Elders would do worse than they already did, Baekhyun knew they were capable of anything.

“Don’t say we didn’t warn you, Baekhyun,” said the Leader before they motioned towards the door. One of The Elders stepped towards the door and opened it. In walked two Celestial Beings of Good dragging an unconscious body. Baekhyun’s heart halted as soon as he recognized who it was.

‘No, please no no,’ he thought as the Celestial Beings let go of Hyunjin like he was nothing before leaving the room. ‘Why him? No, it can’t be. No.’

“We were going to let him live in peace, but…” The Leader shrugged his shoulders. “You disobeyed. You didn’t only keep following the boy around, which we could’ve forgiven, but you also went and told Chanyeol about him. Not only that, but you also lay with The Chosen of Evil when we’ve explicitly stated that you are not to have ual . It goes against what The Creator dictated in The Scriptures.”

The Leader pouted with fake sadness. “I hope this makes you understand.”

Baekhyun felt time slow down as The Elders stepped forward. They surrounded Hyunjin, but left space so Baekhyun could get a perfect view of what was to come. His eyes met Hyunjin’s eyes and his heart fell at what he saw. The fear was tangible, the sadness and the uncertainty of what was to come were so present that Baekhyun wished he could save his boy somehow.

Baekhyun felt tears slip down his cheeks as he mouthed his apologies to the boy. Baekhyun told Hyunjin how sorry he was and he repeated that he loved him over and over. The boy was most likely confused, completely lost about what was happening. They never had a chance to speak properly. But Baekhyun didn’t care, not when his child needed him...and he could do nothing about it.

He felt helpless as he saw the way The Elders pulled Hyunjin’s limbs and begun the torture. Baekhyun cried and screamed along with his son. He felt the pain Hyunjin felt as his body was brutally mutilated. Baekhyun felt himself lose his mind as he watched the way his son was torn apart slowly and without mercy. Baekhyun watched the life leave his baby’s eyes as his soul slipped away.

Baekhyun kept his eyes connected to his son’s throughout the entire moment, mouthing words of love and reassurance despite knowing that his actions were useless. There was no way Baekhyun could make Hyunjin feel better when he was being ripped apart. When his arms were ripped from their joints and his legs were sawed off his body. When the blood flowed and the pain was so excruciating Hyunjin stopped feeling anything.

When The Elders pulled Hyujin’s hair back and cut a line straight across his neck.

Baekhyun cried as he saw the way Hyunjin’s body lost all blood. And he couldn’t do a single damn thing about it. He couldn’t do anything but lay on the scaffold, weakly and pathetically, and watch his son be murdered…

And all because of him, all because of Baekhyun’s mistakes. His son had been brutally murdered twice and for what? To teach Baekhyun a lesson? Because Baekhyun couldn’t follow some simple ing orders?

His son suffered two lifetimes and met a torturous, painful death both times because Baekhyun was a selfish prick that didn’t stop for a moment to put his own son, his flesh and blood, above anyone else. Because he always prioritized everyone and everything before Hyunjin.

How dare he? As a parent, his job was to protect his child. To keep him safe and comfortable. To give him love and compassion. To remain by his side and provide for him. To make sure his necessities were covered. To guide him and teach him.

But what had Baekhyun done instead? He broke Hyunjin’s heart. Baekhyun didn’t protect him. Baekhyuun didn’t give him the love he deserved. Baekhyun couldn’t even ensure he lived a better life off the streets. All Baekhyun did was give his son sorrows. Baekhyun was at fault for every obstacle Hyunjin faced in both of his lifetimes.

It was all because of Baekhyun.

The pain that invaded Baekhyun’s body was indescribable. Much like the previous day when he murdered those humans, Baekhyun lost control of himself. A guttural, heart-wrenching scream escaped his lips and reverberated against the walls of the room. Baekhyun felt his vocal cords strain as the sound escaped his throat in a way it never had before.

The floor under him started to shake with force until the ground started to open up. He lost control of himself and screamed with everything in him. His skin started to burn and his bones cracked as he felt his body morph into an unknown shape and get back to its normal state. He got on his knees and his back bent backward at an unnatural angle as his limbs flailed and the scream escaping his lips distorted until it was completely unrecognizable.

Baekhyun’s insides pleaded for blood. They begged for murder and revenge for every wrong that had been done to him and his loved ones. His thoughts were filled with the need for violence and death. And for once, he gave into it. He relented all control to that hidden side of himself that he’d fought to suppress for eight thousand years and unleashed the monster that resided inside him.

With murderous intent, he stopped screaming and got up to his feet. Determined to get what he wanted, Baekhyun turned his attention to The Elders, who were staring at Baekhyun with fear.

‘Good,’ he thought. It was time for those ers to respect him and the power that slept within him.

Baekhyun stepped down from the scaffold and felt his foot hit something. Frowning, he noticed he accidentally kicked Hyunjin’s detached forearm. The moment gave him some clarity and Baekhyun wondered, deep in his heart, just what exactly was happening to him before all the rage came back tenfold.

That was his son’s arm. The Elders dismembered his child, they shredded him into pieces that they scattered around the room.

They deserved no mercy from Baekhyun.

Baekhyun knelt down next to the forearm and caressed it with his fingertips. Tears fell down his cheeks, but that was the only physical remnant of the pain he held in his heart. He kept his expression cold and stoic. The pain in his heart was unbearable, but unlike his reactions in the past, Baekhyun didn’t hold himself back.

Ready to unleash the darkness that had pooled in his heart, he got back on his feet and directed his attention upfront. The Elders were staring in wonder and fear, unsure of what Baekhyun would do.

“Fools,” he growled, his voice unrecognizable. It sounded demonic, gravelly, and echoey. “You shouldn’t have messed with my son.”

Faster than even Baekhyun himself could realize, he rushed forward at lightning speed and wrapped his fingers around the neck of the nearest Elder. “You motherers shall pay for your sins,” he said before he squeezed hard. The Elder flailed their arms and their feet in desperation. Their face started to turn purple and gurgling sounds escaped the lips. The panic in their eyes brought great joy to Baekhyun’s heart, who was thoroughly enjoying how it felt to finally get his revenge.

Even when The Elder had gone unconscious, Baekhyun didn’t stop squeezing. He continued to close his fist until the tissues gave in and The Elder’s neck snapped in half. The Elder’s head fell to the floor with a loud thump and fountains of blood left the open wound. Baekhyun smirked at the feel of the warm substance touching his fingers and slipping down his arms. He never thought he would enjoy the sight and the smell of blood so much.

Baekhyun threw the body away with force, ignoring the way it formed a dent on the far wall from how hard Baekhyun had thrown it. Instead, Baekhyun turned his attention to the rest of The Elders, who were watching everything unfold with terrifying horror.

Not yet satisfied with what he did, Baekhyun leaned his head to the side. “Who wants to die next?”

The Elders screamed in terror and ran out of the room. But Baekhyun wasn’t faced. If anything, chasing them like prey running from a predator made the thought of killing them more fun.

Baekhyun stepped forward and left the room. He walked down the empty hallway with slow steps until he noticed something from his peripheral vision when he passed by a mirror. He turned his head and studied his appearance. Deep in his heart, the part of him that was still The Chosen of Good was horrified, but the new side of him, the monster that had been unleashed, was fascinated.

His body had grown taller and his skin had raging orange-like and fire-blue lines and ancient runes all over it. His hair remained the same, but much messier and the white looked more stunning due to the light running through his skin. And his eyes...his right eye had turned orange like molten lava was running across his iris, and his left eye had turned light blue like cool fire, alive and peaceful under the surface.

No wonder The Elders were terrified. Well, apart from the fact that he had just decapitated one of them with his bare hand. Baekhyun looked terrifying in an ethereal way. He liked it. He felt like it perfectly portrayed the reality of his nature well.

The sound of footsteps took him out of his reverie. He moved his attention to the side and noticed one of The Elders running down the hallway. Baekhyun could smell their fear and his insides grew hungry once again.

Smirking, he stepped forward and salivated at the thought of what was to come.

++++

Chanyeol paced back and forth in the throne room as a myriad of emotions attacked him. He should’ve taken Hyunjin the moment Baekhyun revealed the truth. Chanyeol should’ve gotten his son out of that situation, but he didn’t think The Elders would act so fast. He based his emotions on mere speculation, but he never thought it would happen like that.

Now he could only imagine what would happen next. If The Elders took Hyunjin, they clearly had a plan and Chanyeol knew it couldn’t be anything good. They’d spent thousands of years torturing Baekhyun and had even used Hyunjin as leverage once before. Nothing was stopping them from doing the same again and that was what terrified Chanyeol the most.

Chanyeol wished he had the power to storm right into Heaven to save his family, but he sadly couldn’t. If anything, doing so would only make the entire situation worse. He didn’t have the influence The Elders did. Even as The Chosen of Evil, most demons would most likely follow The Elders’ orders.

No, if he wanted to help his beloved and his son, he needed a solid plan and proper support. And the thought stressed him because it meant revealing the existence of Hyunjin and the nature of Chanyeol’s relationship with Baekhyun. Even before they became The Chosen, they’d kept the nature of their bond a secret. Not because Celestial Beings couldn’t have relationships per se, but it was viewed as inappropriate for two beings to share a romantic or ual bond before they found out what realm they would be assigned to. While Grim Reapers and Demons could e, Angels were supposed to be more reserved.

All in all, Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s relationship had been a secret that many suspected about but never confirmed.

Not that it would matter if people were to find out about it. Not when there was so much at stake, namely Baekhyun’s and Hyunjin’s lives.

“I think you should talk to Yixing,” said Chaeyoung from her place on the throne. Supposedly, only The Chosen of Evil was supposed to use it, but Chaeyoung was Chanyeol’s sister so it didn’t really matter. Not to Chanyeol at least. “It’s the only option we have left. There’s no way you can get Baekhyun and your son to safety without the help of the rebellion.”

Chanyeol sighed. “I know,” he said. “I know that’s my only option…”

“Do you want me to seek him out? Call him in for a meeting?” She asked.

Chanyeol shook his head. “I’ll go look for him myself,” he said. “You don’t have to worry about it.”

Chaeyoung rolled her eyes. “I worry because not only are you my brother but also because I care about Baekhyun and your child.” She stood up and faced her brother. “Don’t push me away. I’m your sister and I’ll do anything for you.”

Chanyeol cupped her cheeks and leaned his forehead against hers. “Thank you. I don’t think I would’ve been able to survive all these years without you.”

Chaeyoung chuckled. “That’s what I’m here for,” she replied. She pulled away and motioned towards the door with her head. “Now come, we have a Universe to save.”

Chanyeol smiled slightly at her words. She was right. At the end of everything, the well-being of everything in existence depended on the balance, and anything that affected it could put The Source in danger.

Chanyeol and Chaeyoung walked down the hallways of the castle in silence. They kept their expressions stoic so as not to give anything anyway. No one could be trusted since anyone could be loyal to The Elders. The last thing Chanyeol wanted was to give even the smallest hint of the situation. If The Elders were to even suspect something about the rebellion, all their efforts would be lost.

They couldn’t have that. No matter how badly Chanyeol was suffering inside, thoughts of all the possible nefarious scenarios his loved ones were being put through, he couldn’t let anyone know. He had to keep his emotions in check.

Outside, Chanyeol ran his eyes around his realm as they made their way down the busy streets of Hell. Demons ran from one side to another, busy performing their usual tasks. Chanyeol was a strict boss. He liked things to be done a certain way and he liked them to be done diligently. The Source was always a priority.

The screams of the souls being ‘punished’ could be heard in the background along with the flow of lava from the four volcanoes. The sky was dark as always, covered by a thick cloud of ash and sulfur that kept the realm in a state of constant despair. Chanyeol had long gotten used to that environment, to the cruelty of the reality that surrounded him.

But something was off. He could feel deep in his heart. Something wasn’t right...something was coming. There was something about the thickness in the air that seemed different than usual.

Chanyeol kept walking forward, even if the feeling became stronger. He felt something in the core of his existence, a tightening that only kept getting worse. His limbs started to shake the more he kept going and his breath quickened. A pressure gathered over his shoulders that kept pushing him down, but he couldn’t tell where it came from.

And then it happened.

A piercing scream echoed from far above, bringing with it a powerful earthquake that shook the entire realm. The sound was full of sorrow, pain, of anger. It was heart-wrenching, soul-wrecking, and Chanyeol instantly knew who it was from.

He turned to Chaeyoung and grabbed her hand, ready to drag her to a safer spot when the sound of cracking started. The ground opened up below their feet and the buildings around them started to collapse. The volcanoes started to erupt with violence, spewing flaming lava up into the skies along with blazing hot rocks and vapors that soon covered the entire realm of Hell.

Chanyeol watched in horror as everything around him fell to the ground while Baekhyun’s scream of agony kept resonating across the sky. Tears fell down his cheeks as the turmoil of emotions provoked by the situation overwhelmed him.

The pressure on his shoulders and the tightening in his got only got worse and before he could stop himself, he started to throw up. A piercing headache attacked him and his limbs grew weak. He lost control of himself as he felt his insides revolting like they never had before.

He was terrified of what this meant. He tried to control himself, but he couldn’t. Chaeyoung’s screams in the background weren’t enough to ground him and that was when Chanyeol realized. The worst possible scenario was occurring.

The Source was out of balance, much like in The Before, and the forces of The Good and The Evil were waging a war for control.

 Whatever caused Baekhyun to scream the way he had made the balance break and put the universe in danger.

And Chanyeol had no idea of how he was supposed to fix or what would be of Baekhyun once it was all over.

For the first time in thousands of years, Chanyeol felt what fear was truly like.