He blinked, mouth gaping open. He rubbed his eyes and pinched his cheek. The butterfly hovered around him, flapping its wing steadily, like it was waiting for an answer.

"Hello?" the same voice asked curiously.

He just stared at the butterfly for a long while, until it began to flutter away.

"W-wait!" he stammered, running after the butterfly. It began to pick up it's pace steadily. Many people were looking at him, amused by how he looks so grown up when he's still running to catch a butterfly. He neared on the butterfly and with a swift move, gently cupped his hands around it. Sighing, he began to walk hurriedly to his house. Maybe it sounds crazy, but he really thought that the butterfly would give him an insight about what has happened all these years to him. 

About the day.

Which is today.

The butterfly didn't even try to escape. It just sat there, waiting for him to release itself. Zitao thought about how many animals were afraid of him. But this butterfly didn't. It felt like as if it was waiting for him. He began running, he didn't want to waste any more precious minutes. From this day on, he was determined to search the answer to his questions.

Zitao accepted his fate a long time ago. Those horrible nightmares that tortured him was what he deserved to have. What he doesn't understand is why he was given these nightmares. Maybe his past life was some sort of a murderer? A torturer?

Without averting his gaze from the butterfly, he walked to his room. His little brothers and sisters peeked at him, but they shrugged and continued playing their game.

He sealed his windows and doors. When his siblings' laughter died down, he released the butterfly.

"Hello, whoever you are," Zitao muttered loudly.

"Holy- the butterfly can talk!"

There was a crash, a sound of plates crashing, and a woman's voice shrieking. "Oh Sehoon! You are a despicable, fickle man-"

But it was muffled by the sound of running and a slam. Zitao laughed. Whoever that was must not be expecting another voice to answer it. He looked at the butterfly, amused.

"You made me surprised! Now mom's going to hate me, forever." The voice said miserably. Zitao just let out a small chuckle.

"You're name is Oh Sehoon? Well, my name is Huang Zitao. You can call me Tao." ZItao blurted out. He was only called Tao by his family and his close friends. He didn't even know why he allowed this stranger to call him that.

"Oh Sehoon. Call me Sehun. Everyone does. Well, except my mom, if she's mad." Sehun let out a small and weak chuckle. "I just broke her favorite plates. Where are you? I'm in Korea."

Tao froze. Korea? Isn't that too far? He was in China.

"I'm in China."

Awkward silence followed. Tao gazed at the butterfly.

"Why are we communicating through this butterfly, anyway? Butterflies can't talk. There's no butterflies that just transmits someone's voices to another."

Instead of answering Tao, Sehun asked him something else. "Did you ever experience- nightmares? Hallucinations? On- on the same date, every year?" He knows my secret?!

"Yes," Tao blabbed. And then he raised his eyebrows. "Don't tell me, you do, too?"

"Yes." The voice said gravely. "Yes I have. On June 12th. These- hallucinations. I was usually running from a dragon. I usually can blow it away, I don't know how, exactly, but then it rewinded again, and again, and again, until I can't hold it much longer, and then I was burned by the dragon's fire."

Tao is at loss for words. Hallucinations. June 12th.

"W-we're-" Sehun choked out, "the same."

"Excuse me?" Tao asked, bewildered. Even if he believed that this was all Karma for the sins he committed in his past life, he was not ready to accept this. "Are you saying that you got hallucinations every year on June 12th? That's impossible. Only one person in the world can have the same. Besides, why June 12th? It's just some random number-"

"It's not." Sehun hoarsely said. "I have a feeling it's not. But- why? Are we- not in the same world? I've read that- that butterflies are the bridge between two worlds."

"It's a lie. I'm sure there's a possible logical reason for this-"

"THERE'S NO LOGICAL REASON FOR THIS!" Sehun's voice roared. "ARE YOU GOING TO BE A COWARD AND STAND BACK?! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH MOTHER NATURE SACRIFICED WHEN WE ALL SPLIT THE TREE IN HALF?! HAVE YOU GONE BLIND?! WE NEED TO COLLECT ALL THE EXOs-"

A dull thud knocked air out of Tao's lungs. Sehun felt that, too, and he was cursing silently, his murmurs breathless and his voice cold, unreachable. Tao could feel the memories unlocking slowly... like a calm river... and then suddenly, it burst, leaving him to scream and flail helplessly. The emotion was too overwhelming, too fast- he couldn't make out what was memories and what is reality.

Baekhyun gritted his teeth. Last day was June 12th. This day is June 13th.

But it still felt the same. The pain still lingered, his body aching. It felt like something was haunting him. He felt shivers trailing down his spine, the uncomfortable feeling of being watched. He just couldn't stand it. He felt his fever running high, his breath raspy and his visions blurring.

I should really go out to a doctor, he thought darkly. Maybe I am going insane.

He let the pain envelope him again, the same hallucination to come back again.

"I thought you trusted us." He said with a frown on his face. The other man gulped, his ring glittering in the darkness. "I thought we were brothers. All of us twelve. Why? Are we that untrustable?"

"Baek-"

"Don't you 'Baek' me," he hissed. "We were supposed to protect eachother, dimwits!" he cried. "And now you're telling me this?! Why oh why, magical beautiful Teleportation Master, are you telling me this now? Why are you and him hiding this behind our backs?! You knew what will happen, and yet you never told us?!"

The man gulped. "You're right. We're stupid. Absolutely, completely illogically nonsensically stupid. I am sorry. We both are. We- we just don't want you all to be hurt," he stated, his eyes drowning in sadness. "We just think it's better if we both die rather than we twelve all die."

He was speechless, but he quickly regained himself.

"If you both die," he spoke to him with a quiet whisper, "we'll all probably just kill ourselves, too. So don't you dare step on our territory and be dead."

Yixing groaned in pain as a nurse dabbed an ointment at his burned skin. He didn't know what caused it, what happened when it burned.

And he was stabbed in the stomach for approximately 4 times. The doctors found him laying there, with a bloodied knife clutched in his hand. What happened last night? He was so taken aback by how this day was so surreal. He never went to the clinic before.

A sharp pain stabbed his stomach. He shrieked, and the nurse jumped, too frightened. She attempted to reach for him.

"DON'T-" he growled intimidatingly. The nurse whimpered and let out a small squeak, then hurriedly left the room.

His breathing was shallow, and he couldn't control what he was doing. His arms were flailing helplessly, his neck jerking up.

Some people entered the room, but Yixing could barely see them, because he was blinded by tears. The memories came overflowing to him, too much to handle all at once- he felt himself tensed, his eyes bulging out.

"Zhang Yixing, please refrain yourself-" one of them started.

"I'm not Zhang Yixing-" Yixing choked out. "I'm Lay. I'm the one and only, Lay."

"HUANG ZITAO!" a voice boomed around the corner. "Are you going to stay here or what?!"

"I'm coming!" Tao rasped back. The butterfly hovered calmly around him, flapping it's wings steadily. He hurried to wrap his wushu sword and getting his clothes in the bag. I have no time for this, he thought, annoyed. I'm supposed to look for the other awakened members of EXO.

"HUANG ZITAO!"

"I KNOW!" He screamed. He stomped furiously around his room, checking that everything's under control. I could use some time-off, he groaned, screwing his hair. He tossed a clump of paper to the trashbin.

"HUANG ZITAO!"

Tao had finally lost his control. "WILL YOU PLEASE SHUT THE  UP DAD?! I AM TRYING HERE, FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE! WAIT FOR A GODDAMN MINUTE, WILL YOU?!"

The background sound of the clock ticking suddenly slowed down, until it finally came into a sudden halt. Tao closed his eyes, listening for any signs of life. It was silent, creepily silent. He opened his eyes, eyes gleaming with amazement.

I just stopped time.

His eyes darted everywhere, looking for something to punch.

Silence.

He felt pain, but there was no sound and no physical reaction on his hand nor the cabinet. His eyes were at the butterfly. It was still hovering calmly, without any effect. It must be because she never belonged to this world, he thought fondly.

Remembering the trip, he checked again, and when there was nothing left to be worried to, he ran to the edge of the stairs. He closed his eyes, willing for the time to move again.

Tick, tock.

He creeped again, afraid that he might get verbally abused by his father. However, his father was fussing with his siblings. He immediately looked at the clock. It was five minutes earlier.

He clucked his tongue in amusement, while the butterfly soared to the fresh air.

Sehun gritted his teeth with sheer jealousy. He didn't even notice that Tao was able to use his powers. Yeah, he felt weird on the time when time was reversed. He already knew what was happening, even if he didn't know that.

"I hate you," he pouted infront of the butterfly, it's wing gleaming in the moonlight.

"Please tell me you're joking," Tao's voice came out from it, still in a daze. Sehun pouted even more.

"It's no fair. You're older than me, and then you got your powers earlier. It's no fun."

Sehun could imagine Tao resting in his holiday house's room, the cricket chirping, the comforting silence. "I really want you to regain it back, though, Sehun. Oh shi-"

The line diconnected, the butterfly abruptly swaying. Sehun put his arms around it protectively. His parents must've barged in into his room.

Sehun sighed and let the butterfly out in the darkness. He pouted even more. It's no fun.

He began shuffling his way onto the streets, only to bump onto a drunken man. Sehun looked at him sharply, his eyes eyeing for something suspicious. The man suddenly crouched down, grunting in pain. Sehun was now very concerned. He crouched down, looking at the face of the man. The man's eyes were watery, and his breath showed signs of alcohol. Sehun crinkled his nose.

"Who are you?" He said, lifting the man into a standing position.

The man whimpered a little. Sehun relaxed his posture. Whatever this man has been through, it has been tough. And the man thought alcohol was the best medicine, the best cure to forget it all. "It's okay, I won't hurt you."

The man looked at him, with his eyes and his plump lips. "K-Kim Jongin," he whispered silently.