Baekhyun watched as the dark-haired stranger ate quietly next to his sleeping companion. He was oblivious to the reason as to why Chanyeol had brought the two to their home in the first place, but he couldn't even protest; Grandfather had allowed them in with a smile on his face, not asking a single question. 

   Baekhyun knew that whenever his Grandfather were to do something out of his ordinary self, it always had a meaning behind it. Because the old man had been so inactive the past few months, Baekhyun had almost forgotten how powerful Grandfather's foresight was. He was now certain that his strange behaviour was due to the fact that his grandfather had obtained a vision of some sort.

   However, Grandfather would never reveal such a meaning to Chanyeol and Baekhyun if it would interfere with whatever he'd seen. Since he had not unveiled the mystery of his vision to the two of them as of then, Baekhyun thought it best not to ask at all. 

   They all sat in different areas of the small house; Baekhyun sat awkwardly on his cot at one of the corners of the room, where the stranger and his comrade resided in the another corner. Chanyeol sat at the table in the center, enthusiastically eating the cold dinner he'd missed from coming home late. Lastly, Grandfather sat by his usual spot in front of the fireplace, his only change being the position of his chair; he'd moved it facing the two young males, staring at them as he sat.

   A few long moments passed before Grandfather spoke.

   "It would be wise for me to take a look at your friend," he said amusedly to the young man. "Your stubbornness could be the main reason he is struggling right now."

   The boy's face twitched, and instead of answering, he merely spooned another bit of the stew they'd offered him into his mouth. He looked very suspicious indeed, with his all-black clothing and the imperceptive expression he continued to wear ever since Baekhyun first set eyes on him.  The fact that neither him nor Chanyeol had seen them before was already mistrustful in itself, but the fact that they were out at night, carrying multiple bags, one of them being unconscious was simply preposterous. 

   They must not be from Araesia, Baekhyun concluded. But if that's true, then how had they gone past the gates?

   "Just let Grandfather look at your friend," Chanyeol said indifferently through the food in his mouth. "He's a foreteller. He'll be able to tell whether your friend will survive or not." 

   For the first time, the stranger lifted his gaze and sent a piercing glare to Chanyeol. 

   "Who are you to say whether he will live or die?" he snarled. Then he looked to Grandfather. "I am not letting you touch a hair on his head."

   Grandfather stared at him, no expression on his old face. Then, his eyes began to glow. 

   Baekhyun's eyes widened and he stood up and ran to his grandfather's side. 

   "What? What?" Chanyeol asked hurriedly, dropping his spoon and whirling around. 

   "Grandfather's having a vision!" 

   "In front of us?!"

   Baekhyun rushed to grab the old man's hand. It was slightly quivering in his grasp. Baekhyun bit his lip and watched as Grandfather's eyes began to shine brighter and brighter with its golden hue.

   Finally, the colour slowly disappeared from his irises. The old man didn't seem fazed at all by what he'd seen; he merely continued to stare at the two young strangers in the exact same manner as before. 

   "Grandfather?" Chanyeol said curiously. "What did you see?"

   He didn't answer. Then,

   "Your brother will die, Kai," Grandfather said in his deep rumbling voice. 

   "Die?!" Chanyeol burst out. "How - "

   All of a sudden, the stranger materialized right in front of where their grandfather sat, grabbing at the old man's collar. His gaze showed open panick, anger, and guilt. 

   "What do you mean?" he questioned anxiously. 

   "Did you just teleport?!" Chanyeol exclaimed. "You - you have a power?"

   Baekhyun 's hands lit up and he grabbed at the stranger's sleeve. The room was immediately cloaked with his powerful white light.

   "What do you think you're doing right now? Let go of Grandfather!" 

   The young male didn't move; he proceeded with his unwavering stare. "Are you going to answer me or not, you decrepit codger!" 

   Grandfather did not seem fazed in the least by the display before him. 

   Then, finally,

   "If you wish for Sehun to survive, you must follow what I say, no matter how queer my wishes."

   An apprehensive silence followed, the only sound being the hard, distressed breathing that originated from the stranger, who Baekhyun now knew went by the name of Kai.

   "Fine," he said finally, forming an audible gulp. Baekhyun noticed sweat drip from his brow. "I'll do as you wish." He cast a grieved look back at his brother. "Just please...save him." 

   Lay smiled down at the baby hedgehog he held as it wriggled in his hands.

   "Don't worry," he cooed softly, "You'll be fine. You're going to be just fine. Trust me."

   The tiny creature had been caught in a hunter's trap earlier that day, injuring both of its hind legs, nearly shearing them off as it struggled. Lay had tracked it down in the dark woods until he'd found it, determined to save it from its wounds. 

  Lay was a healer, like many people in Araesia, but most would say he was different from the others. His abilty was far stronger than many, besting even the eldest and wisest sorcerors that inhabited Araesia. Part of the reason why he possessed such power was because he was born of the two finest healers in all of the land, but Lay never enjoyed dwelling on the thought of his parents for too long.

   "Shh," he said as it squirmed, squeaking out in pain. He felt multiple pangs and aches attack his mind, forcing him to shut his eyes. Like every good healer, he was able to feel the pain of others, though he would much rather not. 

   He set the small animal down on the wooden table and set his candle beside its pained form so that he might be able to assess it more closely. It's legs were badly wounded, almost to the point of complete amputation. 

   Lay felt sorrow burn in him, sorrow for the poor animal. He knew immediately how the hedgehog had gotten into this situation in the first place; it had wandered far from its mother to find food, when it saw something glinting in the distance. Fearing no harm to its body, it had rushed towards it, only to be pierced with unexpected, unbearable pain. 

   "It will be all over soon," Lay promised quietly, and set his long, slender fingers opon the creature's legs. 

   The animal shrieked in protest, writhing all the more. 

   And Lay felt his eyes burn with its usual pressure, the pure golden hue taking its place in his irises. 

   Before his eyes, he watched as the baby hedgehog stopped its twisting, the blood that pooled around it seeping swiftly back into its body. The skin and fur on its legs instantly began to knit back together, setting the crumbled bones back in place and restoring its skin's tissue.

   Lay felt the gold drain from his eyes. Fondly, he looked down at the hedgehog. 

   After a moment, its leg twitched almost imperceptibly, and then its tiny eyes opened sleepily. It let out a small, relieved chirp. 

   Lay felt a grin slowly cross his face. "I told you to trust me!" he said, laughing.

   The animal hopped up on its legs and rapidly began to run around the table in elated circles.

   "Alright, alright, calm down," Lay said, still chuckling softly. It almost knocked over the candle, causing Lay to rush over and steady it. "You might get hurt again!" 

   Suddenly, a loud knock sounded at his door, making Lay jump. 

   He turned to the door, eyes widening in suspicion and fear. There were only two people who knew where his cabin in the woods stood: his two brothers, Kris and Tao, whom he both hadn't seen in quite some time. Fearfully, he grabbed the poker from his fireplace, gripping it tightly in his fingers.

   Slowly, he approached the door, his steps coming in slow, hesitant thuds as his boots hit the floor. The doorknob was cold as he set his hand to its handle. He could feel his grip tighten on the poker, turning his knuckles white. 

   Then, before he could even register what was happening, Lay felt the poker being ripped from his hand, his body spinning in a complete circle. And then he was lying facedown on the cold stone floor, the tip of the poker digging into the back of his neck. 

   "Stay down," a dark, dangerous voice spoke.

   "Who are you?!" he yelled, terrified. He felt cold sweat break out all around his body. "I've done nothing wrong!"

   "Not yet you hadn't," an deep, old voice said amusedly. "But you would have impaled my grandson with that poker of yours. Even though you would have healed him right after, we don't need the wasted time. Someone needs the assistance of your ability greatly, Lay."

   Lay locked his jaw and closed his eyes, gulping down the saliva that had accumulated in his mouth. Who are these people?! How do they know my name? "Why should I, when I don't have a single idea who any of you are?"

   The old voice let out a deep, rumbling chuckle. "I shouldn't be surprised that you don't remember me, Lay. It's been quite some time. Let go of him, Kai. He will not harm any of us."

   He felt the cold tip of the poker slowly slide away from his neck, the figure who stood atop of him backing away cautiously. 

   Lay whirled around, assessing just who had entered his home. 

   He made out a tan adolescent dressed all in black, a piercing gaze set on his face. Lay immediately figured him to be the one who had attacked him, and his thought was confirmed when he spotted the poker fisted in his hand. He also noticed two others: a tall, lanky male who had an unwavering grin on his face and a noticably shorter brown haired boy who gave him an openly inquisitive look. An immobile pale, blond male hung inbetween the two of them, an arm hooked over each of their shoulders. 

   And lastly, there was an old man, multiple wrinkles clearly evident around his face and hands. He held a long, wooden cane in his hands. Lay could immediately feel the ailments the elder possessed: a back pain at the center of his spine, and aching areas around his rusty knees. He could also feel the length of his mortality, and how short it was compared to the youth that surrounded him. 

   "Hello, Lay," he said, offering him a bold smile. "You don't remember me, but I was a good friend of your parents.'"

   Lay's eyes widened as he placed the old man's voice and face. 

   "Lee Dong Ryul," he said on a breath. 

   The man smiled wider. 

   "It's been a while, little one," he said softly.

   "He's going to be fine," Lay assured Kai. He had his eyes closed as he felt at the blond's neck, where his pulse beat steadily. "You have been teleporting far too much with him. He is a strong one, I give him that. Any less bodily training and he would have been dead far earlier than presently."

   Kai had his jaw clenched as he listened to the healer's words. He could feel his hands and un at his sides as the guilt ate at him. Sehun looked so...still. So unbelievably still. He never imagined in his worst dreams for his brother to be as still as he had seen him to be in the past few hours.

   It had taken the young healer quite some time to inspect and designate just what Sehun needed healing in the first place. The knowledge that Kai had been teleporting with him helped him rather well, and he'd gathered a number of bottles and herbs situated around the small cabin, scattering them around the unconscious boy. Then he'd asked the rest of them to wait in the bedroom, which had taken some time for Kai to be convinced. It felt like torture being confined in a small room with three dimwitted strangers, where he could see sparks and flashes of colour burst through the cracks in the doorway as Lay worked on Sehun. 

   "Thank you," Kai said softly. 

   "What?" the healer asked, eyebrows raising in surprise. 

   "Must I repeat myself?" Kai snapped, eyes flashing. 

   Lay turned away nervously, busying himself with screwing back the lids on his bottles. 

   Kai sighed, and took his brother's hand, watching him fondly as he slept. 

   "I said thank you," Kai repeated tiredly. The healer looked back at the dark male, a smile twitching at the corner of his mouth. "Thank you. Thank you for saving my brother."

   Behind the two young males, Grandfather smiled. 

   Luhan awoke with a start, banging his head on a hard surface. 

   "Ow!" Two voices exclaimed; Luhan's and a higher, feminine voice. 

   "Eunhee?!" he exclaimed, eyes widening as they adjusted to the darkness of the room. He made out the Princess's small, pale face. "What are you doing, wandering the palace at this time of night?" 

   "Must you always get so startled when I wake you?" she whispered harshly, rubbing at her forehead. "Goodness, it's not like I could harm you."

   "I'm sorry, Princess," Luhan said sincerely. "You just tend to wake me at the most unexpected times." He rolled his eyes, praying she did not notice in the dark. 

   If she did, she didn't show it. "You must do something for me tomorrow," she told him urgently, her lips. "You must. For the sake of Araesia." 

   He sat up fully now, patting the space beside him. Eunhee sat next to him obligingly. He could feel the stress and urgency exuding from her small form, but he didn't dare try to read her mind. Whatever she wanted him to know, she would tell him. 

   "What is it, Eunhee?" he asked, touching her gently on her shoulder. 

   "You have to go into town tomorrow," she said. "Go into town, and look for an old barn housing an old man and his two grandsons. It seemed as if they lived near the outskirts of the borders, so you should ask around first."

   "What do I say to them when I find them?" he questioned. 

   "Jongin is there," she whispered, almost incoherently. 

   "What?" Luhan asked. 

   She shook her head. "The two boys I've been seeing in my visions," she clarified. "The old man is housing them. You must get them to come to the palace. You must find a way to get them here, without making them run away. Don't state your postition here in the palace. Don't make your presence intimidating. Make them think that an occupation in the palace is open for them, but don't be too obvious that you want them there."

   Luhan shook his head, letting out a long breath. "Eunhee...what exactly did you see in your vision?" 

   She swallowed hard and shut her eyes. 

   "Just please do this, Luhan. Please."

A/N: Thank you for reading the sixth chapter of The Assassin's Love! I'm SOOO SORRRYY I missed my update days (>_<) I spent my weekend at my aunt's house in Florida, and she doesn't own a computer...UGH. 
           Please excuse any immediate errors! I haven't proofread yet~ Comment, comment, comment! Any sort of feedback is loved! Subscribe if you'd like <3 I will try make another update tomorrow for missing the past two days, but I have to warn you that it might not be as soon as you guys might like (>w<) Thank you for keeping up with the story <3