Chapter 3

Timeline: 4th of September 2012

After Lay's shower, both of them headed downstairs together. Almost everyone was at the dining table already. Although he had promised to wake Baekhyun and Chanyeol but it seems like they had went down ahead of him.

"Morning, everyone," Lay greeted cheerfully. Tao shyly waved to everyone. D.O steered him towards a seat beside Lay before the whole lot of them began eating.

"So, kid. Could you perhaps explain to us what is going on." Chen was trying to be casual about it but Lay could tell that about half of them were tense and wary about the situation at hand.

"My name is Tao. I'm from the future. What's today's date?" Tao had asked before elaborating about himself.

Sehun provided him with a response, "4th of September 2012" Tao nodded. He had arrived exactly 20 years back.

"I am 15 years old, born 5 years from now. Not the exact date but just an approximation. I came to change the past in order to obtain a better future." Tao swallowed, placing his fork down. Lay squeezed his arm, telling him that he was there to support him. His son smiled appreciatively while squeezing back his Papa's hand. The exchange did not go unnoticed by Kris. He had almost, well almost, kicked Tao in the shin under the table. Very childish. He managed to stop himself from doing so by shifting in his seat. Xiumin glanced at him knowingly.

"Lay's my Papa and he just died yesterday. No, correction. He dies later on the 3rd of September 2032." Luhan gasped.

"Your mother?" Suho asked, raising an eyebrow. Tao gulped and Lay could have sworn his heart had just skipped a beat.

"I... don't have a mother." That had everyone wondering, especially Kris. Some were trying to get over the fact that Lay was this kid's Papa while the others were pondering what he meant by he had no mother. Thankfully, no one questioned whether Kris was the other parent or Lay would die of embarrassment. It seemed that they were too preoccupied with other thoughts to realise the obvious similarity.

"What... happens to the rest of us?" Kai asked out of curiosity.

Tao sighed. The memories were not too pleasant but he remembered each and every detail his Papa had told him. He remembered the exact dates of their deaths but he was not going to divulge those information (though he had let it slip about his Papa's). He pondered on what to tell and what not to tell while watching each of them carefully. Not that he knew every uncle he around the dining table. Some died before he was born and some died during his diaper days. While he recognised his Daddy, Godfather Luhan, Uncle Chanyeol and GrandUmma D.O, the other faces in the room were strangers to him with the exception of his Papa, of course.

He recalled his Papa telling him about every tragic death. His Papa had kept a record of each sibling's death and Tao, by accident, had discovered the journal at the age of eight. The first page was dedicated to his Papa's beloved. Which meant it was his Daddy, right? He had stared at the words blankly, trying to comprehend what was written there.

His Papa had found him there, sitting on the ground, holding something as if it was foreign to him. Papa Lay had snatched it away immediately after recognising the front cover.

After that incident, his Papa had been so distracted that he barely interacted with him. Tao had almost wanted to cry but he held back his tears. Until a few days later, his Papa decided to tell him everything.

Timeline: 7th July 2025

"This isn't something a father should tell his son at such a young age but Tao, you're an intelligent kid so you deserve nothing more except the truth." Lay smoothed the first page of the journal which was oddly a little crinkled. It looked like someone had just cried a river over it too. There were some wet blotchy spots here and there.

"This... is your dad." He opened an album and laid it beside the death journal. Tao stared at the pictures and them with such care and gentleness.

"My... Daddy?" Tao sounded so fragile when he said those words. For a moment, Lay had forgotten how young his Tao was.

"Yes, your Daddy. Remember I told you that you have two fathers instead of one?" Tao had nodded slowly.

"Well, he's your other parent."

"Where is he, Papa? Why didn't he come back to us? Does he hate us?" Tao wondered out loud.

Tears started to form in Lay's eyes. No, he must not break down in front of his child. It would be pretty embarrassing. Please, not right now.

"He's dead, Tao." The words were harsh when they came out but Tao finally understood what it meant by 'dead'.

"He's gone to heaven, hasn't he?" Lay had burst into tears then. Tao crept into his arms and they held each other for hours.

After some time when both of them had calmed, Tao had asked, "Papa, tell me about Dad. Tell me about everyone written in that journal. Please? I want to know."

Lay caressed his son's back as he hugged him closer. He began to gather his thoughts on how to tell his son.

He took a deep breath and began speaking, "Your Daddy Kris died on the 2nd of January 2017. He died protecting us from the Red Forces, Tao. He had to get me out from the dang place. Nowhere was safe. At that time, I was carrying you, had been carrying you for five months. The Red Forces had been after us for years. They discovered our hiding place and fortunately, my brothers had escaped. But your Daddy and I weren't lucky enough. We were running and hiding at the same. Finally, we found a hole which was wide enough for me to squeeze through. Your Daddy urged me to get out first, telling me he'll follow soon after. But all was not to be. I heard a gunshot after I've escaped. I knew then that I'm on my own now. I would have killed myself to follow after him to the after-life but I knew your Daddy would be furious at me. After all, I have you to think about. I made it out safely and met the others. I broke down and they comforted me as best as they could."

Tao listened like a good listener that he was, which had Lay wondering whether he understood what was conveyed to him but he continued, wanting to free everything from his chest once in a while.

"On the 17th of March, same year, your uncle, Xiumin followed your Daddy. He was poisoned to death. The poison was too far gone. It had spread throughout his body, even to his extremities. I tried to heal him but he told me to let him go.

"Then, you were born on the 2nd of May. I had wished time and again that your Daddy had been there to hold you. You were so small. I was so scared that they might take you away from me.

"News got out that we had sought asylum nearby and Baekhyun and Suho died on the 30th of May. They were assassinated in their sleep. The assassin escaped before we could capture him. We only got to mourn for a few hours. We had to move on. That place wasn't secure anymore.

"Chen died on the 24th of December 2018. He died while deflecting attacks from the Red Forces. He was buying gifts for the whole lot of us on that day. He wasn't able to fight against the members of Red Forces. He was greatly outnumbered.

"Sehun and Luhan were involved in a car accident. The whole thing was planned so well. The truck driver was smirking at them before he crashed into them. He got away with only a few light bruises. Luhan survived the crash. He was injured but alive. Unfortunately, Sehun died that day, 7th of February 2019.

"Kai took the risk to teleport into the Red Forces' territory. We had no idea that they were ready for him. The moment he landed, the alarm was set off. It alerted everyone in the territory and they did not hesitate to kill him on the 15th of November 2019.

"D.O was more connected to Mother Earth than your Papa after the intense training he gave himself. He could hear the animals sobbing for their loss and the distraught cries of the trees in the forest. He tried to sooth them and sang to them. Regrettably, he was shot by an arrow. Your Uncle Chanyeol found his carcass on the next day, 28th of August 2021 during our search. He was bled to death.

"Chanyeol died in his very own flame in the year 2022, 12th of December. He combusted the whole territory of the Red Forces. He knew that if he released too much of his Power, he would be consumed by his own flame. Some of the Red Forces escaped though through a back route. Ever since then, they had been lying low.

"Luhan wasn't strong enough as the years go by. He was devastated. Though he tried to smile as much as he could in front of you, the loneliness without Sehun was too unbearable for him. We were there for him but it wasn't enough. That's how he died last year on New Year. Heartbreak. It was a little selfish of him but it was understandable for him to do so. I had wanted to follow your Daddy too but I knew he would be so upset if I were to take my own life and left you alone to fend for yourself. Also, your existence was what kept me going. You were a bundle of joy to me. I didn't want you to be an orphan like the rest of us. I want you to grow up, knowing what love meant. So, you would grow up a happy kid.

"Stay with me for the rest of the journey, Tao. We will fight the Red Forces if need be."

"I won't leave Papa. I will never do so even if you kick me out of this house. I will stick to you like a leech!" Lay laughed for the first time in the past few months. His son was so adorable and he just knew what to say to make someone happy. He hugged Tao tightly, giving his temple a kiss.

"Papa, you're crushing me. Can't breathe." Lay just ruffled his son's hair with a smile. They would have to go into war again once Tao was old enough. They would fight for peace and for love.

"Papa? I thought everyone had supernatural abilities? So, how did the Red Forces manage to murder my uncles?"

Lay sighed. The topic had yet to come to an end. There were still lots of things Tao needed to know.

"We trained but they were too strong. We couldn't make it to the Tree of Life in time to nurture our powers. Also, there's the fact that there was no one who was compatible with the Time Control Pendant during that time. We went to the Twelve Stones before that. Now, there is a reason, that place was called the Twelve Stones. There really were twelve pillars made of stone, arranged in a circle. In the middle of it, were runes that we didn't quite understand but D.O did. He told us what each of the symbols meant. There were twelve of them; Water, Light, Flame, Flight, Teleportation, et cetera. They surround the Tree of Life which was where all twelve of them originated from. Each of us had a matching ability with the symbols mentioned. We were excited that we might be able defeat the Red Forces once and for all.

"But D.O had frowned as he was reading the runes. Looking up, he told us that there was one single person missing. We stopped our celebrations and looked at him in askance.

"'There isn't anyone among us with the Time Control ability,' I recalled him saying. I brought out the Time Control pendant out of my pocket and everyone had stared at it thoughtfully, as if contemplating something

"'We could try. I'll represent both Healing and the Time Control,' I suggested to them but D.O denied it as soon as those words left my lips, saying that it doesn't work that way. We needed another person for everything to fall in place. Disappointed with the outcome, we went back to our house by teleportation. Xiumin began researching whether there were any news about anyone who might be compatible with the pendant. Suho and D.O helped him with his job while the rest of us continued to train ourselves, waiting hopefully for someone with the ability to turn up.

"Then, you were conceived. Luhan could read someone's aura. He told us excitedly one day that you're the most compatible with the Time Control ability. The Goddess must have listened to our nightly prayers. But the timing was off. You were a mere baby. By the time you grow up, all might be too late. I don't regret you being born, Tao but as you can see, the timing was strange. We had hoped desperately that we would be given more time for you to grow up and train before going to war.

"But not everything favoured us. The Red Forces grew stronger by threefold from before. In a few months, their members had multiplied so quickly, worrying your Daddy to the point of him missing his dinner. Their attacks became more vicious and they came out victorious most of times they were against our country soldiers. Some of the members of the Red Forces were born with supernatural abilities while most of them used weapons far more advance than us and the soldiers. One day, they found out about us and began attacking us in our house. The rest of it, you know."

Tao could clearly see that his Papa was tired from all the talking and crying at the same time so he got down from his Papa's lap and tugged him towards the bedroom. "Let's go to sleep, Papa. Maybe we can trade. I'll be your Papa this time. How about it, Papa?" Oh, Tao. The things you said. Lay smiled indulgently. "Why not?"

Timeline: 4th of September 2012

Tao was jolted awake from his memories. He looked up and saw his Papa, who was twenty years younger, leaning over him at the dining table in concern.

"What's wrong, Tao? You blanked out the moment Kai asked about what happened to the rest of us," Suho asked.

Tao took a deep breath. 'This is going to be one long explanation to everyone.'

To be continued...

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Have I ever mentioned that reviews made me grin like a loon (or like Chanyeol in my story)? Thank you once again to my sweet, lovely and valuable readers, reviewers and subscribers. You entice me to post the next chapter straight away. Though for you guys, it's probably a good thing. XD