So I've been asked quite a few different questions about this story and thought I'd make one big post so I can share my answers with those who are interested.

Where did you get the idea for Halcyon from?

The idea in general is just a series of life events that I have experienced; things that I cherish. The idea of a bucket list was inspired by my cousin who passed away from Leukemia when she was ten. I wasn't alive during the time that she was, but I was always told about her. She wanted to experience life before she died, and she wanted to leave her mark on others, too. She ended up making a fundraiser in the hospital she was staying at to buy a beautiful painting because the walls were bland. She wanted to make people smile and laugh - to live, despite their situation. The last thing on her bucket list was to be the flower girl at my parents wedding; she died two days afterwards - happy. Her mother died four weeks later.

The scene in the beautiful meadow whilst Baekhyun was unconscious was inspired by my grandmother of who passed away in september last year. One of the last things she told me was that she had 'died' once before due to a heart malfunction and was revived at a later time on an operating table. During her time of unconsciousness, she awoke in a beautiful field, surrounded by bright colours of indescribable beauty. It was there that she saw her granddaughter (my cousin, as mentioned above) who had been waiting for her and wanted nothing more than to show my grandmother the beauty and happiness that could be found in that new world. My grandmother's family who had passed away long before; loved ones that had left her long ago. My grandmother described the utter heartbreak and panic she felt when her granddaughter was able to pass over a fallen tree and she was not.

In short, the entire plot of this story means a lot to me on an emotional level.

Is the colour blue symbolic of anything?

Originally, when I had the first draft written, it was blue because, well - I just like blue. And that was all there was to it. After going over it for the second time and adding in a majority of the text body, I came to realise the symbolism. Blue is the colour of sadness, yes. But blue is also the colour of water, and to me, water is life; rebirth; regeneration.

The blue flower alone in the dark lake represents the small glimmer of hope that Baekhyun has; he's trying desperately to hold onto whatever life he has despite his fate closing in around him - weighing him down.

The heart shapted stone is the last part of Baekhyun's previous life that he has left to hold onto and cherish. His life without Chanyeol will be long, but as long as he has that stone, there will always be something for him to hold onto. The heart shape,a s you guessed is to represent the love that Chanyeol had for Baekhyun, in which Baekhyun returned.

Why did Chanyeol die?

Honestly speaking, Chanyeol died because you were expecting Baekhyun to. Aside from blatantly trolling you, what I wanted to show was when somebody has an illness such as Leukemia, it is possible to recover and live. It is possible to fight against a disease such as that and survive. I wanted to show people who have a disease such as that, or know people with it, that there is hope.

Can you kill Baekhyun?

No, sorry.

Can you write a sequel where they will be together?

Again, no. I'm relatively happy with the way this ended. (And not in the "And then, he woke up," sense.) If you feel that there should be a happy ending in which Baekhyun and Chanyeol can be reunited, then you are more than welcome to write your own 'sequel/alternet ending/whatever.' I don't mind. But I don't really want to add on to this myself. 

I think these are the main ones for now. If I come across any more, I'll add to this~

Thank you so much for your overwhelming amount of support and love. I cannot thank you enough.