❝aftermath;
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                                  Why do people only look at the aftermath? Why can’t they consider the reasons behind?

KAI's perspective 

I looked at him, terrified. Flames were raging around us and he has not showed a single hint of remorse in his actions. Chanyeol is about to burn us down to ashes and Luhan’s barrier is not holding on any longer.

“Chanyeol! Chanyeol!” I called out his name in desperation. “Luhan’s barrier can’t take it anymore if this continues for more than five seconds.”

He stared at me intensely as if comprehending what I just said. The fire around us is roaring against our ears. He is so close but it felt like I will be never to reach him. I was scared for my life but I was scared for him more. Yes, FOR him, not OF him. If he won’t snap out of it, he will be a murderer of three persons in just one instance.

“CHANYEOL!!!” I bellowed his name, probably consuming all the oxygen left inside Luhan’s barrier.

In alarm, he opened his right palm and compressed the flames into a ball of pure white energy. Tao and Luhan fell down beside me, fainting from the heat and suffocation. Through my blurry vision, I watched as he absorbed that ball of energy. He fell down as he scrambled away from us, muttering sorry repetitively with an aghast look on his face.

As I slowly lost consciousness, I saw him running away from us—away from the crime he could have committed.

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I was feeling sore all over and my throat felt dry. I sat up groggily, rubbing my temples in the process. Luhan and Tao were still on the ground, unconscious. Now, then… where did Chanyeol run off to? I tried to make most of my foggy memory but I can’t remember what direction he was headed to. I groaned in frustration. I staggered as I stood, looking around for any signs of him. And an idea hit my mind… Water, he must be close to any source of water.

I closed my eyes and concentrated. I focused and tried to locate the biggest source of water except the sea. My head throbbed and I doubled over. I cursed under my breath. I must have not recovered my strength yet. I shrugged off the pain and closed my eyes again. I need to find him soon.

I found a lake, bigger than any of the rest. Judging the energy I have left, this will be my last teleportation for the day. I hesitated, for I was not sure if he was really there or not, but it was my best shot. I decided to take a risk and with a deep breath, matched with resolve, the milieu changed.

My arrival was not good. I fell face first to a marsh which smelled like decaying fishes and mud. I grunted in disgust. I took me a moment to realize that a soft sob was hanging in the air. I was thankful that I didn’t make a noise loud enough to be heard.

I slowly sneaked around the bushes until I found a clear view of Chanyeol. His back was racking with sobs as he tried to control them. I was about to come into the open and tell me that it’s okay. That he didn’t kill us. That it wasn’t his fault. However, I stopped dead in my track when he uttered Suho’s name.

A thousand of emotions swirled within me, painfully tugging in my heart. It has been so long since I heard that name. “Suho-hyung, I am so sorry.” Chanyeol’s voice was coarse and rugged. “I was not able to hold it in. I almost killed them, hyung. Kai, Tao, and Luhan… I almost killed them.”

At that moment, I realized that he wasn’t there by the water source to hold the fire in. He was there because water emits an aura similar to that of Suho, calm and soothing. He was there because he wanted to t