All 12 of them followed the dog down a hallway that zigzagged left and right. Along the walls were paintings of landscapes, most possibly of the planet they were in. Kris and Chanyeol identified the mountaintop they were stranded in in one of the paintings. They also found a painting of the 12 stone pillars where Chen and D.O. were held captive by the red-cloud mechanoid spheres. Luhan and Sehun recognized the painting of a lone tree in a field of grass to be the one they spent the night at. Sehun looked closely at the base of the tree and could tell that there was a table painted on there as well. Luhan and him share a private giggle. Lay, Xiumin, Suho and Baekhyun all gaped at a larger-than-life painting of a unicorn on one wall, half expecting it to move.

“Move! I know you can!” Baekhyun said to the wall.

“Bacon?” Chanyeol pulls his friend away from the painting.

“But it can! I swear!” Baekhyun protested.

The walls kept going on and on, showing landscape after landscape. The white dog takes one more turn and they emerge into a huge room with 12 sides and in the middle is the tree that they first saw in the painting on the entrance wall.

The tree was surrounded by a moat of crystal clear water and there were 12 small bridges that led to the tree.

The dog had made its way towards the tree and sat by the roots.

Each of the 12 walls of the dome-shaped room was covered in a painting of a symbol. Every single one of the boys were looking around, their darting from detail to detail.

You’ve made it here, despite the mishaps and troubles.

Luhan hears that familiar voice speak directly to his head once more. He looks around for the source but finds no one else in the room except for the other boys and the dog. Luhan sends out his own psychic reply, something he didn’t know he could do the first time the voice had contacted him.

Where are you? Who are you?

Luhan waits for the reply. The other boys had started exploring the room, mostly going to the wall representing their symbol.

I will answer your questions, but I’d like to do it once I can speak to all of you at once. You can help me with that, Luhan.

Her voice or tone of speaking was kind. Luhan didn’t feel any danger at all having to converse with her. Plus, she had helped him save his friend.

How do I do that? Luhan asks.

You are the power of the mind. I know you’re a creative boy, as are your friends and companions. Give it a try.

Luhan wasn’t sure that helped, but he tried letting go of his apprehensions like he did during the battle with the red clouds and thought of how he would connect with everyone’s mind.

Perfect.

This time, everyone froze as they heard the voice inside their head.

“Who’s there?” Chanyeol says, looking around.

“You heard it, too?” Baekhyun asks.

“Same here…” Chen says.

“Looks like we all heard it.” Kris walks towards Luhan. “Was that you, Lu?”

Luhan was obviously offended by this question, to which he showed by scrunching up his face.

“I don’t have a girl’s voice!” Luhan says, giving Kris a mock punch.

“I agree.” Sehun adds silently.

Legends. Welcome to Planet Exo.

Once more the voice speaks to everyone’s mind, freezing everyone on the spot.

“She’s the one who helped me contact Kai… and find out where Chen and D.O. were.” Luhan fills them in with everything he knows, making everyone relax a little.

I know I have a lot of explaining to do but time is of the essence. The planet is in imminent danger and only you can stop the threat.

“Wait a minute. Who are we talking to, anyways?” Lay asks, looking around, trying to get an answer from the other boys.

My apologies. My name is Majesty. In Planet EXO, I am the Tree of Life.

Everyone looks at the tree in the middle of the room. The white dog wags its tail, panting happily.

And this is King.

Woof!

“King, huh?” Baekhyun whispers to himself.

“Tree of life? Like…” Tao says, trailing off.

No. Not like that. I am the source of life of this planet. Notice that though a day has passed and you have all exerted yourself to some degree, your body does not seek food.

“I’ve wondered why I haven’t felt hungry for such a long time…” Xiumin says, rubbing his belly.

“I haven’t had my urge to snack either…” Lay adds.

“Maybe you guys should stay here longer, it’ll help your diet!” Chen says, smiling. Xiumin punches him on the arm.

The pure energies of the planet sustain you, explaining this.

“I have some questions.” Kris says, stepping forward.

Yes, Kris.

“Why us? What’s with these powers all of a sudden? How do we go back?”

…

“Majesty, we need answers.” Kris presses on. All the others had concentrated their attention towards the tree, Baekhyun on King.

It will be a lengthy explanation if I relay it to you. Please step towards your symbol on the walls and place your hand upon it. King will be the one to help you with your questions.

Woof!

The boys look at each other then walk off to their respective symbols on the walls. Each of them places their hand on the painted symbols and wait.

Woof!

The moment everyone heard King’s mental bark, information came flooding in.

Majesty, The Tree of Life. The Arch-Guardian, King. The eclipse. The 12 symbols. EXO Planet. The imminent danger that threatens the existence of the planet. Everything was answered. Everything was now clear.

Author's Note:

Hi guys! I've arrived safely in New York and I wrote this itty-bitty chapter on the plane ride. Sorry it's really short. But I think it reveals a lot of secrets!~ I will be continuing (and explaining) some things in the next chapter, maybe another sub-chapter of Chapter 9~

Anyone in New York? LOLz. Show me the KPOP stores! XD