A light formed in the inner sight of his eyes. Where was he? He didn’t remember. What happened? - Pain. He couldn’t feel his body but the numbness didn’t bring any panic.  He wanted to open his eyes to see where he was but discovered that he didn’t have any strength to do so.

He had been far too gone in his thoughts to have noticed where his feet were taking him. His tear filled eyes provided no help either to see his surroundings. Trees were towering over his lowered head, gaze undeniably looking at the dark ground but sight turned inwards to a mix of memories burned in his mind.

Three heads kept on simultaneously turning from right to left, following the moves of the person pacing the floor in front of them. Once in a while that person would stop up for approximately three seconds before greasing his eyebrows together and proceed with his floor-pacing.

“Where could he possibly have disappeared to?” Chanyeol asked out loud the question that had been on repeat inside Luhan’s head since precisely twenty five hours, thirty six minutes and forty tree point five seconds after Xiumin left. It was like a timer had started inside his mind, telling him painfully how long it was taking him to find the missing person.

“I don’t know.” Luhan didn’t stop pacing, “but he could be anywhere.” He glanced out the window with such longing in his gaze, only hoping that something anything, could give him a clue to Xiumin’s whereabouts.

“I have a question about that” Baekhyun’s voice chirped in and disturbed Luhan who by now had made a permanent route around his living room table. Luhan raised his eyebrow and gave this ‘whatever it is you have to ask about, it better be good’- look and waited for Baekhyun to acknowledge the impatient tapping of his foot. Baekhyun had noticed but chose to ignore it as he thought his question over.

“Well, Xiumin left and he doesn’t know the city, right?” Baekhyun leaned forward on his elbows which was resting on his thighs, seamlessly still deep in thought.

“No, thank you for that bit of new information” Luhan got a slight glare for his gruff answer but he brushed it off and made his way in the opposite direction, now going from left to right on his pacing trip.

“So,” Baekhyun stressed out the word, not being finished with his question “wouldn’t it seem obvious to go to a place he does know?”

“But we have already searched all the places Luhan had taken him, there is no more places he-“Chanyeol trailed off after he had glanced at Luhan. Seeing the expression of dawning realization glide over his friend’s face clearly told him that there was a place they had not yet been to.

Luhan face-palmed himself so hard that the other three people in the living room got concerned that he may have given himself a concussion.

“His home” Luhan could not describe how dumb he felt at that moment. He wanted to just go and bang his head repeatedly against his floor to ceiling window, only hoping that the bullet proof glass would by a miracle shatter and drag him down towards the city illumination below.

“The what?” Sehun asked confused, not having heard what Luhan said over the loud sound of an echoing slap. But he, however, did feel the new hope and energy radiating from the before distressed Chinese. Luhan turned around and grinned at the group of friends before him. He did get a little scared of himself when he felt the urge to go and kiss Baekhyun from happiness. If it hadn’t been for his best friend, he would still be pacing in his own miserable thoughts.

“Xiumin comes from a temple. The only thing we have to do now is find-“Luhan cut of his excitement and all traces of the hope that had blossomed had been pulled out of him abruptly. Baekhyun looked concerned at his best friend when he read Luhan’s expression.

“Haven’t Xiumin said anything about where that temple might be?” Baekhyun felt like he was walking on thin ice asking that obvious question but something had to be done. Luhan didn’t answer, couldn’t find the way past the lump forming in his throat. How was he supposed to find a temple he didn’t even know the name of? Not to mention the location. The only knowledge he had was that the temple was well hidden for a reason. That Xiumin wasn’t supposed to be found.

An untold legend.

“We will find it” Luhan looked up at the determination filled eyes belonging to Baekhyun. His friend stood up from the couch and walked over to place a hand on his shoulder, he felt a squeeze in reassurance but the hope didn’t come back.

“You don’t understand Baekhyun, no one knows about that temple. It’s-“Luhan started, but speaking was suddenly very difficult “It’s a lost case, a legend, no more than a ghost story.”

Baekhyun’s expression faltered at seeing his friend like that. He racked his brain through whatever that could help him regain his friend’s spirit. Finally coming up with only one solution he hardened his eyes and grabbed Luhan’s other shoulder with his other arm, trapping his friend’s lowered head between them.

He repeated his previous spoken words with more pressure, squeezing Luhan’s shoulder for added effect “We will find it. Along with Xiumin” Luhan felt like protesting but just hearing the lost person’s name out loud reminded him of all the times that name had rolled of his own tongue. Memories of them together swirled in his head and it felt like it had been years since they last saw each other. Though in reality it had only been a few days.

How could he even think about giving up?

He felt ashamed all of a sudden, felt the urge to slap himself again, just harder than before. He needed to get his act together, and fast.

He had a missing person to find.

A slap echoed off from the walls in the spacious apartment for the second time under the span of thirty minutes. Luhan’s eyes had widened to their limits as he raised his sight to the calm looking person he had called his best friend.

“What the hell was that for?!” he had one of his hands at the rapidly reddening cheek carefully adding pressure to determine the damage. He glared furiously at Baekhyun who looked as bored as ever.

“Just making sure that Luhan is still in there somewhere” Baekhyun said in a teasing tone and added “I guess the answer is yes.”

Luhan was silently fuming Note to self, degrade Baekhyun to the acquaintances zone. He was just about to fling out a rather stupid comeback when Chanyeol interrupted him.

“Are you by any change talking about Kakusareta himitsu no temple?” Chanyeol’s excited expression never faltered even when all the others turned their heads to stare in disbelief at what they thought was, well, Chanyeol.

“Say what?” Baekhyun had known Chanyeol for a third part of his life, ever since the other found him huddled under a cherry blossom tree in his escape from bullies. High school life had not been easy for Baekhyun and he could not lie about how much he at that time had blamed his parents for moving to China. Being a new foreign student sometimes come hand in hand with unwanted attention. Chanyeol transferred to the same school half a year after hell had started for Baekhyun and they automatically stuck together from then on. And throughout all those years, Baekhyun had not known Chanyeol to be the sharpest knife in the drawer.

“Kakusareta himitsu no temple, did Xiumin really come from there?” Chanyeol kept on blabbering, not considering that he was the only one knowing what he was talking about “that’s amazing, I mean wow, man. I never thought I would actually get to meet someone that comes from-“Baekhyun slapped Chanyeol in the back of his head to stop him from speaking and almost grumbled out “And you are not going to meet that person if you don’t tell us what you know, now spit it out and no unnecessary wow’s or squealing, thank you.”

Chanyeol didn’t look faced from Baekhyun’s snapping and instead just looked at Luhan with shiny eyes “It’s a five hundred years old temple that was ordered to be built by a noble whose name was, if I remember correctly, Hiroshi Amano.”

“Kakusare-what for a fish?” Sehun asked confused, and was just as lost on the subject as Luhan and Baekhyun “that is defiantly not Chinese.”

Chanyeol let out an amused snort “no it’s not, it’s Japanese,” he for once was the one holding the magic globe of knowledge and he felt kind of proud that his past interest and love for urban legends and religion was actually useful.

“Well what does it stand for?” Baekhyun snapped in again, seamlessly losing all his patience opposite from Luhan who didn’t know what to do of himself anymore. Instead he just stood there, listening to Chanyeol.

“It means ‘The Hidden Secrets Temple’ and was said to-“Chanyeol started but got interrupted by Baekhyun who snorted once before laughing out loud.

“That is such a lame name, it sounded way better in Japanese when you didn’t understand the meaning.”

“Baekhyun-“ Luhan glared at his friend “be silent and focus.”

Chanyeol being used to Baekhyun’s behavior didn’t let the comments stick around and just brushed them lightly over his shoulder. He instead felt the excitement he had carried around with him whenever he had his nose buried in a new book filled with urban delicacies.

Chanyeol had never understood why he was so interested in the past but somehow all the mystery and old tales just pulled him in. He remembers back in high school when he accidentally stumbled upon an older book store. Being the curious boy that he was he thought that a small peek inside to see what they had in store wouldn’t hurt. The bell above his head had clanged as the door hit against it, the typical sign for a new costumer. The store looked bigger inside than it did from the street, and it was absolutely packed with books holding all kinds of knowledge. Chanyeol had wondered into the maze made of shelves containing so many different books.

He had only just stepped past the second shelf when someone spoke from behind him, asking if they could help.

“Can I help you young man” the voice sounded from an elder man and Chanyeol spun around startled. Despite his slight shock he managed to remember his well taught manners and gave a bow to the shop keeper.

“I was just looking sir” Chanyeol gave a polite smile to the man.

“Maybe I can help guide you in the direction in which you wish to look” the man swiped his left arms out to the side as a gesture to the shelves down the pathway leading to the left corner of the store. Chanyeol shrugged lightly and gave another smile to the shop keeper, who started to head in the direction he showed previously.

Chanyeol had just thought ‘why not’ and followed the man, maybe he had some advises for some good selling books he could read. However, as they neared the section Chanyeol’s jaw had dropped. Shelf after shelf was pilled neatly with colorful books- all in fantasy and true urban legends.

Just what Chanyeol realized was what he had been looking for.

“How did you-“the man interrupted Chanyeol by laughing a rich laughter that strangely sounded comforting- kind of like when you hear Santa laugh.

“I may be old but these eyes can still see” the shop keeper pointed at his eyes, and the corners of his lips pulled slight upwards into a smile “I could see your curious form from a mile away if I had to.”

“So?” The elder man suddenly seemed serious “is this what you seek?”

Chanyeol felt goosebumps decorate his skin. The shop keeper had this mysterious aura surrounding him and Chanyeol didn’t know if he wanted to run away or stay to get more involved with the shop keeper who looked at him with the most knowing eyes a man could possess.

He ended up choosing the latter.

“I may know somebody who can help us find Xiumin” Chanyeol locked eyes with Luhan, and he didn’t know how to describe Luhan’s expression. The silence kept on for a few seconds, no one knowing what to do next.

“Are you sure?” Luhan didn’t dare get his hopes up anymore, too afraid to end up being hurt again. Chanyeol nodded however, and Luhan couldn’t help the surge of re-found energy pumping through his veins.

That night they finally had a plan.

The flooring creaked under his weight as he tried to stand up from his lying position. The tatami felt rough under his cold fingers when he pushed himself up weakly by his hands. The throbbing in his head intensified when he managed to sit up and, opening is eyes only lead to stars invading his vision.

For how long had he been lying there?

Time seemed to just brush by him without touching, he had no sense of how long it had been since he left and trying to think about it only hurt more.

In the end he only gave away to sleep once more, ignoring the need of survival.

Time doesn’t really take away your pain, it only makes you numb.

(A/N)

I'm so sorry that it took so long for me to update and when I finally do update it's only a filler chapter. But it was a needed filler chapter!! I'm begging for your forgivness and I hope that you will keep on reading my weird unprofessional story because I really enjoy writing this story to you guys. 

The next chapter will be longer and we will have a huge progress in finding Xiumin... or do they already find him in the next chapter? 

Stay tuned for my next update (which hopefully won't be long from now) 

Love you all!!!

Oh yeah and Btw your comments moves my fingers so please keep suporting me if you like my work and moderate criticism is also welcome to make my writing better. 

I don't deserve all of your love for my story but I'm selfish so see ya in the next chapter!