*desperatis pressura: desperate pressure

Lay stood there, frozen in the thick layers of ice. His eyes were slightly dilated and a slight tremor of shock was etched on it. The man in front of him stood there, his eyes dark with no light, no life.

"Xiumin-ge," Lay breathed. "W-why?"

The man scowled. "Rubbish. Your Frost Master is gone. Only I am here, the Evil. Have you not found that out, Zhang Yixing?"

And with a a crush of his knuckles, the ice surrounding Lay squeezed him, making him gasp in pain. The cold seeped through the barriers of his skin- he'll die from hypotermia.

"Xiumin-ge, I know you're still there, please-!" Lay shrieked, only to be muffled by the frost that enveloped his mouth. His breath hitched, only to make the Evil in front of him chuckle darkly. In the clear crystal, crimson red began to bleed out- Lay's blood, forming beautiful but slightly horrifying patterns that made the ice in front of his mouth shatter because of the intensity of his scream.

"XIUMIN-GE! PLEASE-! I KNOW-!" Lay shouted furiously, pain dripping on his words. The man in front of him twitched his eyebrows, but there was no more response to it.

The man in front of him frowned. "I told you not to call me by his filthy name."

Lay broke down, tears streaming on his face, only to be frozen because of the cold that surrounded him.

"Please, just let Xiumin-ge go, you can have me-" he choked, his body shivering, "I'll do anything, please, just let Xiumin-ge go."

Lay saw something glitter in that man's eye, something that only Xiumin had. He looked at him, his eye full of hope, only to see him scoff lightly and point his finger at Lay daringly. "Tsk. You moron. He's not even here."

The ice creaked again, and Yixing's hisses was clearly evident by the pain he was showing. Blood was scattered inside the frost, forming intricate patterns and such, which made the man in front of him smile.

"True beauty," he sighed contentedly, which made Lay growl. The man looked at him, sneering.

"What made you growl, boy?"

"You," he said dangerously, his brown orbs sharply staring the other. "You pathetic, wimp creature, having no body to carry yourself. Pathetic. You knocked one of the Guardians, your enemy, just to enter his body. Pathetic. If I were living in your body, I would be disgusted with my self. Loathe myself, in fact. You are nothing but a creature of the Evil."

A smirk tugged on that man's face. "But dearie," he cooed, "I am the Evil, and I will not stop to hesitate to get what I want."

Seeing Xiumin controlled like that, acting all cocky and sadistic, even though he knew it really was not Xiumin, made Lay's anger boil up. His own friend. Forced to act like this. Humiliation was sure to flood him once Xiumin awakened. And he can't let that happen, no. He can't make his ge to hold all the guilt.

"You," he breathed raggedly, "You."

Junmyeon looked helplessly at Baekhyun, who was drenched with water and was choking. His stomach churned at the thought of hurting his friend, his fellow Guardian, but there was nothing to stop him now. He was weak, he was helpless, and he can't do anything to save Baekhyun.

Because he was the one who did it.

Baekhyun screamed as the hot water drenched him- and it made Junmyeon gasp in fright, but his body- his body didn't even respond to his own actions. He was just standing there, no, bound there, in his own mind, as a prisoner- locked in the deep depths of his own body.

There's nothing you can do to stop us, Water Master. How weak of you.

Baekhyun's shrieks were oddly dulled in his hearing, he felt as if he was not part of all of this- just silently watching, just looking helplessly at him, because he can't even help. He can't even help- because his own body was controlled, his own body was separated from his control.

Junmyeon watched as his own hand twirl in a deadly twirl- the twirl he last used long ago, and he knew what would happen. He let out a pained gasp as his own friend's pleads of help were muffled in the water prison he created- the deadly prison that would make anyone suffocate to their own deaths as there was not much air to breathe in.

He closed his eyes, to beg and plead and reassure himself that this was just a mere nightmare, a mere hallucination he was caught in- but the drips of water splashed coldly on his face made it seem impossible to even think that this is a dream.

Baekhyun's slender fingers clawed it's way out from the whirlpool, but only to be in again by the strong current. Junmyeon could see Baekhyun's shadow thrashing his arms and legs wildly, a weak attempt to save himself, he knew- he knew there was no way out than for himself to actually stop it.

But I can't, he reminded himself bitterly.

A dark laugh came out from his own mouth, but he knew it was not him- it was them, the Evil. He was just hopelessly crumpled up in his own mind- because he had been taken over, because his body was no longer his.

"You weak, weak Guardian," his voice came out, in a strange, distorted way. "Can't even claw your ways out from your friend's trap? How pathetic," and then the maniacal chuckle came out, tears stinging in his eyes.

The water prison considerably softened it's current, and then, the water completely disappeared, leaving a choking, crouching Baekhyun drenched and whimpering pathetically. He could hear the muffled sobs Baekhyun let out, and Junmyeon's heart broke in a silent crack he could only hear, because he was Suho, wasn't he? Their Guardian- their leader, and now he was hurting his own friend, his fellow Guardian- no, EXO- and this was just so absolutely wrong- this was just so sick, so disgusting.

"S-Suho-hyung," Baekhyun's voice hoarsly called out, his eyes b with tears. "Just please stop this- please- you know you're stronger than them, just please, you need to believe in yourself-"

A cry erupted in the air as the boiling hot water splashed it's way on Baekhyun's skin, Junmyeon's frantic pleads only heard by him, and then there was his body- trembling.

"Sehun."

Sehun groaned, attempting to shrug Tao off. He just wants to bask in into the moment- it had been so long since he last seen any of the Guardians, really- and he just wants to enjoy Tao's body leaning on his, without him speaking.

Tao's eyebrow twitched, and, considering his options, he ultimately decided that force would be needed to make Sehun focus on him.

Thud.

"Holy mother-" Sehun gasped, clutching his arm in pain. "TAO! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!" he boomed, trying to kick him in the gut, but Tao easily swerved off the way and got hold of Sehun's foot, who staggered as his balance wrecked and fell down on the ground with a hiss of pain.

"The easiest way to get your attention is if something angers you," Tao meekly stated, making Sehun growl.

"But there was no need to punch my arm, Tao- you could just call me as an idiot, weak person and I'll just be more mad than you punching me- really, you could just tap me on my shoulder, I'll be annoyed-"

Sehun stopped when he saw the slight twitch in the goofy smile Tao was giving him.

Pain.

"What happened?" Sehun demanded, making Tao flinch uncomfortably.

"It's okay, really- I just accidentally poured something hot on my hand."

That made Sehun's eyes widen and shout at him, there's no need to punch me with your hand, look at you! You're clearly in pain!

But then, Tao's face darkened up, demanding Sehun to be serious about this. "I can't sense Lay's presence anywhere in my world."

Sehun snickers, but then his face fell when Baekhyun was nowhere- he repeats to himself, nowhere-  on his radar. He gave Tao a concerned look, and then, dread filled him- as anxiety bubbles, he gulps- and then Tao clenched his fists, his gaze darkened.

"Sehun. They're-"

Sehun's eyes widened, and he frantically got up on his feet, wobbling in shock, as he practically yells on Tao's ear. Shouting that it's not true, they're not gone, probably just a glitch in the system, it's probably just because they're here, not in their own respective world, he screams, almost pleadingly, Tao only staring at him.

When he finally broke down- and the first choked sob was let out, Sehun was still pleading.

Tao was practically shouting at the air now, joining Sehun, screams of it's not true, it's because we're here but his own choked sobs made him realize, that this was all real- that this was happening, they're gone, attacked by the Evil-

Tao's breath hitched when realization finally sunked on him.

"Sehun- Sehun- they're not gone. There's still hope- the Evil attacked them- but we need to get somewhere fast- where they are- let's get going-"

And with cries of relief and a flurry of legs- they were gone from the graveyard, not seeing each other as they went out, but still, the butterfly trailing  after them as the sound of the other's footsteps echoed away.

Even though they were in different worlds now, and in a different mission- they could clearly vision each other's face, filled with grim determination.

Baekhyun gasped for breath as he shuddered under the cold water's touch- the water inside his nose was not helping at all. His body twitched at the sight of Suho gazing darkly on him- it was too painful to think about. Junmyeon- Suho, he reminded himself- to hurt him- to hurt even one of the Guardians-

But his eyes- Suho's eyes- was filled with pain.

Even though Junmyeon- Suho- seems to enjoy it, smirking at him when he uses his deadly twirl on him, but those eyes were full of despair, sadness, and longing. It's like he doesn't want it to be happening- this whole, bizarre event- it's like- he's controlled-

Hot water whipped him, making Baekhyun scream in agony, as he cleched his fists together, he can't afford to think that he had done it on his own will-

Suho-hyung's controlled by the Evil-

And he can't help but think that was the only possible explanation the world has. Gripping on the wall, he slowly pushed himself up, wincing as soreness took over his body. Suho- no, the Evil- darkly laughed as Baekhyun tried to helplessly stand up. Gritting his teeth in pain, he slowly wobbled his way to that man, angry red whips etched on his skin because of the water whip Suho used before.

"S-Suho-hyung," Baekhyun croaked, looking directly on his eyes. He felt something stir in his gaze- and then, slowly, his mouth opened up a little-

Please free me from this prison, Baekhyun.

Baekhyun shot his head up at Suho, thinking- he just used his mind channel on me. He saw the small, pathetic smile Suho was giving him, but then, it turned into a growl, his eyes becoming clouded with darkness.

"You'll never free him from me," the man in front of him said, his lips curled into a wicked smile, as Baekhyun suddenly felt something stir on his body- his hands are twitching, twitching to just release it.

"Suho-hyung- you asked for it, you get it." Baekhyun hoarsely said as he put his hand in front of him, still twitching. The man frowned, and then suddenly, he yelped-

The bright light was too blinding to register.

"Zhang Yixing, admit it. You're weak," The man smiled devilishly, flicking his wrists. Frost formed at the direction he was pointing, and it was where Lay was trapped, shivering uncontrollably. 

"I'm- not- weak-" Lay hissed despite of the pain he was feeling. He had drained his tears, and there was no point to cry now, anyway- it would just fuel up the wicked man in front of him.

The man tilted his head, a sneer forming on his lips. Lay can't shake that image on his mind- Xiumin, sneering-

"YOU DON'T SNEER WITH XIUMIN'S FACE!" He snapped, the ice cracking because of his twitch. The man took a step back warily, eyeing him. "Don't you even think about doing anything with Xiumin's body," he breathed hotly, gazing at the man with dark eyes.

And then the man smirked. "Boo hoo, I already did, Healing Master," he said with a dark chuckle, twirling his fingers suggestively. Yixing gritted his teeth, no- please, Xiumin-ge- come back-

A sudden force of power suddenly surged through him, making him gasp in surprise, the man in front of him mistaking it as a gasp of pain. He smirked, twirling his hand-

Crack.

The man in front of Lay gasped- "NO! WHAT IS HAPPENING?!" he shrieked, Lay only staring at him in a transfixed way, the ice surrounding him shattering in a steady pace. The man hastily wobbled his way, taking long strides behind- until, thud.

The frost was now just wisps of harmless crystal dust pooling on Lay's feet. The man looked at him, alerted. Lay took long strides to him- his face scrunched with grim determination- and he's running, running for him.

"NO! STAY AWAY!" The man shrieked, pointing at Lay, to his utter bewilderment, none of Xiumin's powers came out. Panicking, he twirled his fingers again, but received no results. He tried to run away, only to realize- the frost has now binded him to the wall.

Lay got nearer cautiosly, his face set in grim determination. "Begone," he said crispily. "Be gone."

A sudden blinding light came into view, and a loud scream filled the night's air.

The man froze upon hearing the scream, pain clearly evident from how it sounded. He felt his teeth grinding agaisnt one another, his legs shaking- he was afraid.

He was afraid for the man that screamed.

His voice, he recognized that voice.

Minseok.