You know, fate is… something that cannot be altered. But it is also a wonderful thing. Many people think that the outcome in life is determined by your own abilities and choices. This is not necessarily the wrong way to live and to a point, it is true. But mostly, it will only determine the trip; the way you arrive at this predetermined fate so given to you.
And if you live by this way, you will most certainly come to an unexpected end.
~

The cool breeze on Sungyeol’s bare torso did well to calm him down from his previous anger, but it had no affect on the gloom that remained. The huge ominous black cloud that was looming in from the distance also did its part well in retaining these negative feelings. Acid rain; the kind of acid rain that only the city of Tane had the pleasure of experiencing. Sungyeol sighed, eyeing the rusted metal jungle of a city from his apartment balcony. He lifted his hand from the handrail and grimaced at the chips of rust and paint on his palm. “Pathetic.” He muttered, wiping it on his pants. Just as he was putting his shirt back on, the sirens blared; they were warning the town of the incoming danger. “We’re in for another wonderful night, Tane.” He deadpanned sarcastically before turning back into his apartment.

Tane is one of the big four cities on the continent of Salus. Salus is, and remains to be, the only area that has a successful protective border from some of the deadliest environments and creatures Aarde has to offer. Now, how did the planet Aarde come to be?
When a group of ‘at-home’ scientists discovered a planet that could be as sustainable to human life as Earth is, they jumped on it as quickly as possible. In the late 2070’s, a rocket was launched with two families and plenty of equipment for this new planet which was soon named Aarde. Throughout the beginning of the planet there was much failure, though it was eventually balanced out with success. Apparently there was one particular feud in which this one guy got greedy and blah da blah da blah.. Sungyeol never paid too much attention in history class. But not long later and many other people were transporting to this new land. Everyone had gotten the ‘Aarde fever.’

Sungyeol closed the sliding glass doors, making sure to press the button that covers it with the storm shield. He then reached over to the row of buttons attached to his long sleeve and flicked one. All of the ceiling lights came up in the apartment as well as the large touch screen that took up the entire floor. He slid his right foot across a line on the screen, making the couch pop out from the back wall. He quickly plopped himself on it, looking at his reflection in the mirror wall opposite him. “Crap..” he muttered, with a slight grimace. “I need a haircut.”

“You’re just now figuring this out?” Sungyeol heard someone open the door and reply to his rhetorical comment. “Hey, Woo-hyung.” He said, knowing exactly who it was. After sliding his shoes off by the door, Woohyun sat next to him on the couch.

“How many times have I told you to stop calling me that?” He whined, looking at his best friend.  Sungyeol just leaned his head back onto the back of the couch and closed his eyes. “I already told you. It’s easier that saying Woohyun hyung every time.” He explained, using hand gestures as if it would help. “And maybe I just do it to annoy you.” He deadpanned, dropping his hands. Woohyun chuckled lightly, nodding once in triumph.

“I knew it.” Woohyun got up for a second to get a carton of orange juice from the fridge before sitting back down. “So what kind of exciting things have you been up to today?”

Sungyeol resisted the urge to scoff at the question. “Oh, you know... the normal. Hung around the house, cleaned a little, thought deeply over how extremely useless I am, and failed at yet another thing.” You’d think such an outright admittance like this would startle someone, but Woohyun was more than used to it by now. As of the last year or so, Sungyeol had been acting extremely depressed. He wouldn’t get out of the house; the closest being standing on the terrace. He mainly just stayed at the apartment and did nothing but wallow.

“I’m sure you didn’t fail..” Woohyun tried to comfort his friend by scooting closer and handing him the orange juice. “What was it this time?” Sungyeol took a quick swig before answering.

“My letter from Bagaron University came in.” Woohyun said nothing, but looked at his friend; expressionlessly waiting. Sungyeol sat up straight and adopted a deeper, ‘haughty taughty’ voice. “Thank you for your interest in Bagaron University. We’re sorry to inform you that you have not been accepted. Here, at Bagaron University, have a certain standard that must be met to keep up our reputation; and, sadly, you do not fit this standard. We hope you have luck in the future, and blah de blah.” He sighed and fell onto the side of the couch.

“I’m just- I’m a failure at everything. I’m no help to anyone. It’s like I have absolutely no purpose in life. At least you have water treatment.” Sungyeol gestured towards the other boy.

“That’s only because it’s something that’s severely needed right now. We have an extremely advanced water treatment system that needs more people to run it, and it seemed like a good idea for me at the time. It’s not like it’s my calling or something.” He knew Sungyeol was depressed, but it was getting even worse lately. Other than try to cheer him up, what else could he do? Find medical help? Psychiatrists are nearly extinct in this area. Anyone who actually did study for it, and has a trusted office, is far away from Tane. Not to mention they aren’t cheap in any sense of the word. Buying food for him was always Woohyun’s attempt, but that only went so far. Sungyeol sat up and turned toward his roommate.

“Even so, it’s something you’re doing well in.”

“Well, yeah… “

“I mean, you even got honors in your class for being one of the best!”

“Yeah.. But I technically do alright in most anything I pick up-“

“That’s not the point! I know you're talented but sometimes it’s hard to hear all of the time how great you are!”

Sungyeol had finally burst, and Woohyun was surprised at how much it startled him. Sure, the yell was from nowhere, but he was expecting an explosion any day now. He knew that Sungyeol hadn’t meant any of that. Or at least, if he did feel that way, he didn’t mean for it to come out so harshly. Woohyun knew that any of Sungyeol’s outbursts were just an outlet from his own inner turmoil. As they sat in silence, Woohyun almost wondered if that was it; but the answer came right after as Sungyeol broke down into tears. Knowing he just needed to cry it out, Woohyun put an arm around him and pulled his head down to fall on his shoulder.

“I’m s-sorry, hyung.” Sungyeol managed to sob into his shoulder. Woohyun just patted his back awkwardly, at his best attempt at close comfort.

“There’s no need to be sorry. In fact, I’m sorry I can’t do much to help you.” After a few minutes full of sobbing and pitiful face-wiping, the taller male was sitting up again.

“Do you…need to talk about it anymore?” Woohyun asked, twiddling his thumbs. Sungyeol sniffed once before looking up at him, his eyes now red from crying.

“No... I’d rather not.” He answered, wiping at his face again. “I’m really sorry for crying all over you.”

“Hey-” Woohyun shrugged his shoulders. “Sometimes you just need to cry it out, I guess. And what are best friends for?” They sat in silence for a short while before Woohyun spoke up, seeming excited.

“Oh! I got an idea! Let’s go out to eat.”  Sungyeol just raised an eyebrow at him and gestured to the now covered back doors. Woohyun glanced at it before looking back with a half-smile. “Ah, yes… the rain. It seems we’ll need to pull the suits back out.” Woohyun took note of the slight grimace on Sungyeol’s face. He chuckled and patted him on the shoulder before standing up from the couch, Sungyeol following suit.

~

Three months before-

A door opened, leaking light into a pitch black room. A young, handsome man -around 20 years old - walked in. He was adorned in white cargo pants and a dark blue, almost vest-like shirt that zips on the side. It had no sleeves but a large collar. Just below his armpits he wore a black electric armband on either arm. Everyone wore them; as they were customary while walking in the halls.

“Sir.” His soft voice called out in the dark. Lights came up, one by one, revealing a large bright white room with minimal furniture. Small beads of light traveled through the walls like the screen of a heart monitor. “They sent me here with news…sir.” The boy from the door said carefully. A man sat up from the white bed, revealing his muscled physique. He blinked, his squinty eyes adjusting to the light, before setting them on the boy.

“Ah…Hoya-shi. It was smart of them to send you to wake me up. I actually like you… not that I dislike my other servants, but you know I hate being woken up anyway.” The man rubbed his eyes and stretched. “I was sleeping so well.” he yawned. He stood up from his bed then scrolled through the pictures of clothing on his touch wall next to his bed. Eventually he decided on a simple green t-shirt with white designs.

“I’m sorry sir.” Hoya courteously replied, bowing.

The shirt popped out from a hole in the wall and he put it on, having trouble getting his head through the collar. It matched well with his soft cargo-like white trousers. His hair was all tousled now, giving him a bum kind of look. The man had never looked much like a leader to Hoya; but when his people were in trouble, he certainly acted like one. That was something he admired in the older man. “I’ve told you before to just call me Jongsuk. We’ve been friends for a while now, so stop with the ‘sir’ already. Lee- Jong- Suk.” He enunciated. “It’s my name. Go ahead, try it.” Hoya smiled, amused with the older man. “I know that..”

“Or you can just call me hyung.” He shrugged.

“Hyung then.” Hoya said, with a sense of slight urgency. “But, we really must hurry.”

“Oh?” Jongsuk asked, slipping on his own black electric arm bands. “And why the rush?”

“They believe they’ve finally detected the whereabouts of L’anello.”

Jongsuk’s eyes went wide and a smile broke out onto his handsome features.

“Well why didn’t you say that sooner?” and he ran out of the door, Hoya following suit.

~

Present day-

The two roommates walked through part of the rusted city along a dirt path. To their left were piles of garbage and left-to-rust technology. To their right was a wall of weathered buildings that held a few shops within it. Though, most of the shops had closed down recently due to not getting any sales. The boys adorned their tight black hazmat suits, complete with clear plastic masks. The rain had stopped long before, but the air was still toxic to breath and their clothes wouldn’t be able to handle getting splashed. “..That was delicious..” Sungyeol said quietly through his mask microphone, breaking the silence.

“It was. Are you feeling any better?” Woohyun replied in his, continuing to walk beside.

“…yeah, definitely.” he said, nodding, though the statement was somewhat of a fib. “Thanks, Woo-hyung.” Instead of complaining about the nickname this time, Woohyun just remained silent and let it be. They walked on silently for a few more minutes and were soon nearing their apartment complex.

“Ow!!”

The exclamation surprised Woohyun and he quickly turned to look at Sungyeol. The boy was holding his right hand on the back of his head, which was unprotected since he had his hood down and the mask only covered his face. “What? What happened?”

“Something just hit me in the back of the head; like it was thrown at me.” Sungyeol quickly turned 180 degrees to see a hooded figure running quickly down the opposite street. “It must have been that guy.”

“Do you.. want me to go after him?” Woohyun asked tentatively. Sungyeol just raised an eyebrow and chuckled lightly.

“Nah- no point. Besides, he’s too far gone anyway.” Sungyeol looked down at the ground and started walking in circles. “I wonder what it was though. Help me find it, hyung.” Woohyun quickly joined in the search a few feet away. They pondered the area in silence for a minute when, out of the corner of his eye, Sungyeol spotted a shine of gold He turned to it and it shone brightly to him as if it was emitting some sort of light. He quickly tan over to pick it up and brushed the dirt off.

It was a ring. The bright gold contrasted drastically on his black gloves making it almost hard to look at; even through his tinted mask visor.

“I found it!” He called out, signaling Woohyun to come over and see.

“Woah! That looks like legit stuff. There isn’t much gold left in Aarde… this must be worth a fortune!” Woohyun exclaimed, looking wide-eyed at the newfound object. Gold wasn’t found in the grounds at Aarde like it was on earth; though there are many other precious metal and gems here. Gold was originally sent here in large shipments for use. But after time wore away, so did the gold supply. Other than the rich people’s own collections, there wasn’t any more gold on Aarde.

“You should sell this! Do you know how much money we could get from it? We could live like kings!” Woohyun exclaimed.

Sungyeol had a very strange feeling about this object.

“I think- I think we should just hold onto it for now. We’ll figure out what to do with it later.” Woohyun raised an eyebrow but shrugged anyway.

“Are you sure?” Sungyeol just nodded, not looking up from the ring. “A- alright then. You’re the one that got attacked by it, I guess.” He shrugged his shoulders and chuckled lightly, watching Sungyeol slide the ring into his pocket.

“Come on, we’re almost home.”

~

Three days before-

“We’re finally entering the last stages of preparation. How are you feeling, Hoya?” Hoya looked up at his hyung he had gotten close to these last few months. Truthfully, there had been an underlying acquaintanceship between them even before the big announcement; however, now it was more of a deep friendship.

“I suppose… quite nervous.” He replied truthfully. “Still, I’m happy to be helping you.” Jongsuk’s perfect smile lit up his face at this confession.

“Great. I’m happy you’ll be helping me too, Hoya. I need someone out there I can sincerely trust to pull off this mission.” Hoya smiled back courteously, but the nerves still showed through his pained facial expression. Jongsuk had always been able to read straight through Hoya somehow, and so he quickly grabbed his shoulder, pulling him into a side-hug. “I promise you won’t let me down so don’t even think about it. If I thought there would even be a possibility you could let me down, why would I go through all of the trouble with the council?”

“Because you’re strange and would rather have a random team of misfits doing this mission than a trained troop of elite Pilan soldiers?” Hoya said, his voice being muffled by Jongsuk’s chest; who nodded his head in reply whilst his lips were hilariously pursed.

“Well, yes to both.” He answered. “But, sadly, that Bagaron soldier will be leading it instead of you; so it’s not made up of all misfits.” Hoya raised an eyebrow at the man, but Jongsuk just smiled in return as he look down at his favorite dongsaeng. He moved back from the younger boy, creating space between them, but keeping a firm hold on his shoulders. “Hoya… you are one of few people in the universe who know of the details of the prophecy. Also, I feel very protective of you, and I feel I can trust you with my life and even my Kingdom. I have no one else that I would give this mission to.” Hoya gulped, feeling the pressure even more so now. However, looking into his hyung’s eyes, he could see the absolute honesty to his words. Jongsuk ended his talk with a warm smile. Hoya easily returned it, a content feeling filling his body. Hoya was an orphan, and Jongsuk had practically taken him in and made him an adopted brother of sorts.

“So.. when do I leave?”

“You leave in two days to Bagaron, from there on to Windham, and then finally towards Tane.” Hoya stepped back once, giving his leader a nod full of determination.

“I promise to find your brother, Jongsuk hyung.” He smiled, almost sadly, at the boy, but was beaming with pride on the inside.

“Revertere salvum..”

~

Present day-

Woohyun stood from the couch and stretched his limbs with a cracking sound.

“Hyung?”  Sungyeol spoke up after seeing him stand. Woohyun turned around to face him.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks… for today, I mean.” He started awkwardly, his hand flying to the back of his head. “I think I just need more time to pull myself together. Then, I promise I won’t mope around like a hermit.”

“You better. I don’t want to be best friends with a hermit.” Woohyun smiled. “..and, you’re welcome. Night.” He saluted in valediction before walking down the hall to his room.

“G’night.”

Not too long later and Sungyeol was turning all of the devices off and getting ready for sleep. He slid into his napshell bed and slipped under the silk covers. For one night he was actually somewhat tired; not as much as he would like to be, but more so than he had been in a while. It had been way too long since he had a good night of sleep; his negative thoughts were always keeping him awake.

He picked up the ring he had previously laid on his bedside table and brought it closer to his face. He held it with only his finger tips, this way he could study it much easier.

It wasn’t big at all…but it wasn’t tiny either. It was the perfect size; the same size all the way around. Miniscule lines of gold wrapped around the ring, seeming to swirl around each other in beautiful patterns. However, they stopped at the center of the ring where, now that Sungyeol looked closer, laid a tiny blue jewel.

“You are startlingly beautiful for some object that was thrown at me.” He said to himself quietly.

“Well, thank you.”

Sungyeol dropped the ring in surprise, and it fell into his lap.

He looked side to side as if checking to see if someone else were there. ‘Did I hear that right?’ “Woohyun?” He whispered harshly, wondering if it was his roommate that said something. ‘No, it was definitely a female voice anyway. Aish- I must be hearing things.’

He picked the ring back up and shook it for a second. “Hello?” Nothing. He rubbed his hand through his hair in exasperation. ‘Perhap I should just go to sleep.’ He thought. ‘But first..’

Sungyeol held the ring sideways between his right thumb and pointer. He slipped his left ring finger easily through. A sudden surge of calm and happiness illuminated in his core. Confused, he looked towards the ring. The small blue jewel looked as if it had lit up the tiniest bit. His eyes widened in surprise. ‘I’m hallucinating now.’ He slapped his forehead with his palm a few times as if that would somehow make it stop. ‘I need to sleep before my mind starts to make up crazier things. It has before.’ He thought.

Sungyeol quickly laid his head down and shut his eyes. The ringed hand fell next to his face on the pillow. Sleep, both happily and surprisingly, came a lot quicker to him than it had in a very long time.

He heard two breathy words uttered before he fell unconscious. Whether he was dreaming or not, he wasn't sure; but it was the same female voice as before.

“I do.”