If Kris had had anyone to spare, he would have sent them to Suho to help. Three days after Kris had ordered a mandatory evacuation for all residents and employees of the palace, he and Luhan had fled, along with a select few to the agreed upon meeting spot with K. K’s higher ranked officials, Suho’s cabinet members, and a few of K’s guardians had begun showing up looking weary and beaten not long after. But Suho himself had been held up, trying to buy some time for his people while the shadows overran K’s capital.

There was no one to spare to help. M’s army was disastrously shrunken after their own bid to hold M’s major cities and the palace, and they were nearly defeated. Even joining with whatever was left over from K’s military wasn’t going to rival what M had been.

So it was no small relief when Suho finally made his way to them, both Kai and Lay waiting impatiently next to Kris for him to explain that yes, he was okay, and no, there was nothing left to K’s capital. Or the surrounding lands. Or her people.

Kris held out his hand and shook with Suho genuinely, telling him, “I’m glad you’re okay.”

It had taken Kris by surprise, how worried he felt not just for Suho, but for every person that had previously been from K. He supposed this was the tipping point where they stopped distinguishing themselves by their boarders, and came together as something more. They weren’t just K and M now, they were simply Exo.

“Things got a little hairy towards the end, but I’m here now.”

He looked tired, in need of rest and food, and they at least had time enough for that. “Lay,” Kris requested, giving him a nod, “go ahead and take Commander Suho to relax for a while, and makes sure he eats something.”

“I don’t need to rest,” Suho protested, even as Lay looped an arm around him.

“You look like you haven’t had anything decent to eat in days,” Kris shot back, but tried to sound good natured. “Let Lay fuss over you. He’s really good at it. Take some time. We’re safe for now, at least. There hasn’t been any movement in this area thus far, and I think we’ve managed to get here undetected. I have no doubt we’ll draw the enemy eventually, but until then, we can afford to take care of ourselves.”

Kris could see Suho leaning a bit more on Lay than he probably wanted to, Kai hovering nearby. Then the commander asked, “What’s the itinerary look like? Is everyone accounted for? What are our plans about--”

“Commander,” Kris broke in, forcing him to stop. “Everyone expected from your side, and almost everyone from mine is accounted for. Later tonight the twelve of us will talk about what we’re going to do, or if we can do anything. Tomorrow morning will be for us strategizing the best way to use what’s left of our armies.”

“Eleven,” Kai broke in.

Kris frowned. “Eleven?”

Solemnly, Kai reminded, “There are only eleven of us now.”

Kris had forgotten, if only momentarily. Chanyeol was gone, turned to ash by an ill fated mission and brush with the enemy. That took them down in the power department, and it left them unsure with how to proceed as guardians. Were all twelve of them needed to fight and win? Would twelve even have mattered? There probably wasn’t a way to tell until the very end, which was something they were inching towards.

“Go get some rest,” Kris insisted. “I’m going to talk to Tao. He’s coordinating with Baekhyun to successfully bring our two forces together. We have to find a way to fight as one, and get rid of any prejudices anyone might be holding onto. I think those two are going to make it happen.”

Suho let out a chuckle. “I hear Baekhyun is pushing everyone to the limit.”

“He’s crazy focused,” Kai said. “But it’s nice to see, considering the alternative.”

“It is,” Suho agreed.

As Suho and Lay headed off, Kai going in his own direction, Kris went directly to the section of their encampment dedicated to their military forces. Tao was easy to spot, overlooking the field in front of him, watching Baekhyun work with their mixed soldiers.

“How are things going?” Kris asked, arms crossed in front of him. “They look pretty good.” At least for what the had. “What are the estimates?”

Tao gave a huff and said, “We’re down to a dozen officers from each side, and that’s a problem. If we divide them up against the forces we have, that stretches us thin. But at least they’re more scared of Baekhyun than they are of working together. I think they’re going to unite over their mutual dislike of how mean he is to them, rather than anything else.”

Kris felt the barest of grins stretch out on his face. It was true, a lot of the soldiers were quite young and seemed to be intimated by Baekhyun. Kris couldn’t say for sure about K’s addition to their joint army, but almost all of the men and women making up M’s forces had never seen real battle. These were the soldiers who had worked guarding the palace, and in the civil department. Most all of the true career soldiers had gone into battle right away, during the first few days of conflict, and almost all of them were gone now.

“How many with abilities?”

The look on Tao’s face wasn’t good. And it was verified when he said, “Not counting us? Seven.”

“Seven?” Kris asked, the number even lower than expected. The illness had taken out a majority of the people gifted by Mama almost right away, and they’d also been first priority targets to the shadows in the first battles, but seven was such a low number. Seven wasn’t enough.

“I know,” Tao said tersely. “I know.”

Kris sighed, “Keep at it. Run them hard today, but let them rest tonight. We might be on the move as soon as tomorrow.”

Before Kris could go, Tao called out, “The solar alignment is in two days.”

“That’s been at the front of my mind for a while now.”

“Do you think that’s when the situation will explode around us?” Tao wondered. “When we’ll see the actual enemy, and not just these foot soldiers of theirs?”

Kris could only shrug in return. His guess was no better than anyone else’s, except for maybe Luhan’s. But Luhan was barely talking to anyone these days. It was a fight to get him out of bed, to eat, and to do anything else. Maybe losing his connection to Mama had damaged him badly, Kris didn’t know, but Luhan wasn’t the same. Not even Kai, who seemed to work miracles with Luhan in general, could get much out of him. Luhan, much to Kris’ dismay, was seemingly wilting before his eyes, too much like the life tree.

Speaking of, that was the next thing on Kris’ agenda.

“Your majesty,” Xiumin greeted when Kris passed into the tent that he and Luhan were sharing. The shorter man rose from the chair he’d been sitting in, put aside a map of the region he’d been studying, and bowed.

Kris spotted Luhan on the sleeping cot just a second later. He was curled onto one side, arms tucked in tightly, and eyes closed. He seemed to be sleeping deeply, with a steady rise and fall to his chest. Luhan was often in bed now, but he was rarely sleeping.

“Is he asleep?” Kris asked quietly. In the three days that they’d been at their new camp Luhan had barely left the spacious tent, but neither had Xiumin left Luhan’s side. Xiumin had always been overprotective with Luhan, but he’d been even more so now, even running Sehun away from Luhan. Sehun, Kris had to give credit, had been doing his best to pull Luhan out of his slump, visiting frequently. Luhan seemed to endure the visits well, though maybe he was simply putting on a show for the younger man. Regardless, the effect was not long lasting.

Xiumin made to answer when Luhan called out, “No. I’m just resting.” He pushed a hand up to his forehead, eyes still closed. “I have a headache.”

Xiumin gave a silent nod.

Kris went to sit carefully on the edge of the bed, replacing Luhan’s hand with his own. “A headache? Do you want me to get Lay?”

Luhan’s fingers curled around Kris’ hand and he held the cool fingers to his heated skin. “Lay has better things to do right now. Isn’t the Commander arriving soon? Anyway, it wouldn’t help for long.”

Kris’ fingers brushed up into Luhan’s bangs soothingly. “Commander Suho just arrived. He’s the last of K that we expect to see. The rest, I suppose like M, is lost now. But what do you mean Lay wouldn’t help for long?”

Luhan sighed. “It would come back. The headache. The pain.”

Taking a step forward, Xiumin volunteered, “He’s been getting pretty bad headaches since Mama and her life tree died. Some he can handle and ignore, but others are debilitating. He’s having one of the latter ones now.”

Kris felt a pang of guilt. “You have these frequently? Why didn’t you tell me when they first started?”

Finally Luhan opened his eyes, meeting Kris’ worried gaze. He offered a half smile and said, “Because I knew we’d lose M soon. I knew you’d have much more to deal with than my condition. I also knew the last thing you needed was to be distracted by me.”

“Me caring about your health and welfare is not a distraction,” Kris argued, sinking further onto the cot and stretching out along Luhan. Behind them Xiumin excused himself quietly and Kris let himself get lost in the feeling of Luhan’s warmth.

“I’m okay.”

Kris asked, “Is this because of what happened to Mama, cousin? Are you hurting because she’s … gone?”

Slowly, Luhan nodded. “She was there in my mind always, Kris, from the very beginning of my life. Most of those gifted by Mama don’t manifest until puberty, but I had her with me since birth. I couldn’t always understand her, and we weren’t always communicating, but she was always there. When she died, part of my mind was ripped away. Part of me is dying too. It’s painful, and Lay can only dull the pain. It’s not something he can take away indefinitely. So why should I inconvenience him when he’s trying to enjoy the last brief moments of peace he has with the one he loves?”

Did that meant this was something Luhan was going to have to deal with for the rest of their lives? It was a terrible thought. Provided they won again the shadows, Luhan would have to assist in helping to rebuild M. How would he be able to fully participate laid up? What about when they wanted children? Or wanted to travel?

“Stop looking so sour,” Luhan requested, face pressing into Kris’ shoulder. You’re not handsome when you make that face.”

Kris nudged him playfully. “I’m always handsome.”

Outside the tent they could hear the hustle and bustle of the encampment, people rushing to their assigned tasks, throwing around disheartening information about the fall of K and the destruction of M. But if he tried hard enough, Kris could just block it out, and pretend like there was nothing but himself and Luhan, and the bond they’d shared almost since birth.

Finally he had to ask, “Do you think you’ll be able to get up later tonight? All the guardians are getting together for a meeting. You don’t need to go to the strategy planning meeting that Suho and I are holding tomorrow, but you are a guardian, and you should be there for the one tonight.”

Luhan laced his fingers through Kris’. “I’ll be there, cousin.”

True to his word, though a little shaky on his feet, when the eleven of them convened later that night, Luhan was alert and present. He took a seat between Xiumin and Kris, folded his hands on the table, and waited.

“The matter at hand,” Suho said, taking the lead and looking much healthier than his earlier arrival, “is that there are only eleven of us now. We have ten orbs. We know how to use them, and what they do. So what is our plan of action?”

“You think we need a plan?” Baekhyun asked, side eying the lot of them. “We need to make a single, preemptive strike and wipe out every single one of those bastards possible. We coordinate ourselves, hit the hotspots, and use all the power we have to end the problem once and for all.”

“That’s easier said than done,” Kai argued back. “There are more hotspots than there are of us, and new ones pop up all the time.”

“What’s the alternative then?” Xiumin asked. “We use our orbs one by one, in battle after battle, until we’re out of power and out of fodder?”

Sehun cut in, “No matter what we do, we’re screwed.”

Underneath the collapsible table they’d set up, Kris felt Luhan’s hand find his own and squeeze tightly.

“I think we should wait to do anything right now,” Suho spoke up, gesturing towards Chen who was holding the book that Baekyhun had hidden away years ago. It had been safely in D.O.’s possession while Baekhyun had taken a leave of absence after Chanyeol’s death. “The solar alignment is in only a couple days now, and if that book is right, we have bigger things to worry about than these fissures popping up everywhere.”

Chen delicately opened the book and flipped to the very end where they could all see the rough sketch of the truly monstrous creature depicted. “Much bigger,” Chen commented.

Suho continued, “If that thing shows up during the alignment, like the books indicates, I say we use what we have to take it down. If it doesn’t appear, we can reconvene afterwards to decide what our backup plan is.”

Gruffly, Kris added, “I don’t want to have to fight that thing without a power boost. Do any of you?”

There were slow but deliberate shakes of heads around the room. At least it was a small comfort that they could agree on that much.

“What about Chanyeol’s orb?” Kai broached carefully. “Is it completely useless now? If we can use it, we have to.”

“It might be dead in the water,” Lay said, and if anyone other than Baekhyun and Luhan knew about the subject at hand, it was probably Lay. Kris knew for a fact that Luhan had been patiently telling Lay everything he knew, and Lay had been studying the book during his stay in K. “Each orb is keyed to us specifically, much like the book only causes a reaction on our skin when we touch it.”

“Luhan?” Kris asked, trying to draw him into the conversation. Luhan was a steady, unnatural pale all the time now, but he looked like he was ready to lay down again. “Anything you can add?” It also seemed as if Luhan was struggling to focus on the meeting itself. How could Kris let him go out into battle if he was like this?

Almost lamely, Luhan said softly, “I know I’ve had answers for you in the past, but I don’t know now. I’m sorry. I don’t think we’ll be able to use it, but I can’t say for sure. I can’t exactly ask Mama.” He slumped back in his chair, his hand almost slack in Kris’.

Across the room, carefully guarded by Sehun, were the two boxes containing the orbs in question. Luhan’s eyes were locked on them but Kris couldn’t begin to guess what he was thinking about.

“Kris,” Suho said, all titles aside. “We need to tell the generals, and the few members of your council left. We need to let everyone else in on this. If we have to use our orbs and go into battle, they’ll have to get the hell out of the way. The last thing we need is friendly fire.”

“Oh, yeah,” Kai said, sarcasm dripping from his words, “They’re going to take this great.”

“Being a little positive wouldn’t kill you,” D.O. said.

“No,” Kai agreed. “There are plenty of other things for that.”

There were still more things to talk about as the meeting stretched out through the night. They worked through the best way to combine their powers, who needed extra time to access their full potential, and who was best kept behind the scenes. They tried to form battle plans, offensive and defensive, and all the while Kris watched Luhan slide more and more from him in terms of awareness. Kris felt like Luhan wasn’t the only one.

When they finally adjourned for the night, all of them dragging their feet, Kris looped an arm around Luhan’s waist and led him back to their tent.

“Tao,” Kris said quietly when they reached the front of the tent, “Don’t stay up tonight. Tomorrow is going to be just as hard as today. Maybe worse. Go get some sleep.”

Tao’s face set in determination. “My job is--”

“Go sleep,” Kris offered again, this time a little harder. “I’m perfectly safe. And I need you tomorrow at your best. You’ll need a couple of hours of sleep if you’re going to be of any help.”

“I …”

“Tao,” Luhan said, surprising Kris. “Come sleep with us.”

Tao’s eyes widened almost comically. “Your majesty?”

Luhan reached out for Tao, sliding a cold hand around the back of his neck. “My husband might be in love with you, but you’re precious to me too. Come to bed.”

It sounded odd, and the matter of getting it all sorted out was even odder, but eventually the three of them ended up cramped on the sleeping cot, legs twisted together. Kris found himself squished between the two people he loved the most, and he couldn’t bring himself to complain once.

He did offer, however, once Tao had turned down the portable lantern hanging across the tent and climbed under the covers, “This isn’t quite how I ever imagined my marriage bed looking. Though I bet this is supposed to be a king’s secret fantasy.”

“Quiet,” Luhan said, but there was a tease to his voice. “And don’t get use to this.”

Tao was tense on Kris’ other side, but only until Luhan dropped off with a soft wheeze.

“I can get out now,” Tao offered in the darkness of the tent.

“No.” Kris caught his hand under the blanket and pulled it until he had it up to his chest. “Don’t go anywhere.”

“This doesn’t exactly feel proper.”

“We’re past proper at this point.”

Kris felt it the moment that Tao sagged, relaxing into Kris’ side, a reluctant hand resting on his stomach.

“Tao,” Kris said quietly, aware of how lightly Luhan slept now. He couldn’t help looking up at the ceiling of the tent, even if his vision was blurred by the darkness. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? For what?” Tao sounded confused, but Kris could only feel regret. “I’m sorry I had to marry Luhan. I love him, and I accepted our marriage, but it wasn’t my choice.”

Again, Tao was tense. “I always understood. From the beginning.”

“But you shouldn’t have had to.” In a perfect world Kris imagined he and Tao could have had a public relationship. It wouldn’t have mattered the difference in their stations, and Kris wouldn’t have been promised away to someone that he had only brotherly affection for. In a perfect world, they could have gotten married and had a family. “Because I love you, and people who love each other should get to be together. I would have sold my soul to get to be with you.”

Tao’s head rested on Kris’ shoulder and the injustice of it all was all he could think of. It made him angry.

Finally, Tao said, “Just being near you is enough. If I can keep you safe, and be with you in any way, it’s enough.”

“Tao,” Kris said, voice hoarse. “Damn.”

He couldn’t help himself, not with Luhan so understanding and Tao so close. Kris couldn’t help leaning down in the dark, though it wasn’t easy, and kissing Tao. He caught his mouth partially open, completely surprised, but more than accepting.

They shared nothing but simple, sweet kisses. But in that moment it felt like just enough.

“I love you,” Tao mumbled tiredly.

Kris finally closed his eyes against the darkness of the tent and let himself start to fall asleep. With Luhan curled into his side, and Tao braced to the other, it was the best Kris had slept in months, if not years.

So naturally, after the best night of his life, Kris was woken to the worst morning that he could recall.

The ground was shaking so violently and Luhan was shouting so loudly that Kris was momentarily disoriented. He felt Tao topple off the sleeping cot with a rough yell, and then the flap to the tent was throw aside to make way for a sprinting Xiumin.

“What’s going on?” Kris demanded ,sliding off the cot and pulling Tao strongly up to his feet. The rumbles coming from the ground had died to something manageable, but it still felt horrible under Kris’ feet. Unnatural.

“I’d say the enemy knows where we are,” Xiumin said, eyes darting around. “A new fissure just opened up right outside camp. Baekhyun’s already rousing the troops. We’ll be ready in fifteen. Suho is waiting for you with General Nam and General Choi.”

“Tao,” Kris said, heading directly for his battle armor in the corner of the tent. “Go with Xiumin. I’ll meet you for an assessment in a couple of minutes.”

There was clear hesitation on Xiumin’s face, and he traced it to Luhan was sitting up on the sleeping cot, flushed and shaking slightly. “Maybe,” Xiumin offered, “I should stay here. Just in case.”

“Kai and Lay will be staying with Luhan,” Kris said, ignoring the need for privacy and changing into a heavier, more durable shirt. “Clear?”

When Tao and Xiumin were gone, Kris turned back to Luhan telling him, “Lay will be here any second. We talked about this, remember? And Kai will get you out of here if need be. I’m not growing any fonder of him, Luhan, but I trust him with you.”

“I don’t need protecting,” Luhan told him pointedly. “I’m a little under the weather right now, but I’m capable of taking care of myself. I should be going out on the battlefield myself.”

Kris quickly did up the buttons on his jacket, trying to get rid of the last bit of sleep running through him. “You’re weakened right now, and don’t try and tell me you aren’t. Ever since something happened to Mama, you haven’t been the same. I have no doubt you could kick some if necessary, but you’re kind of our secret weapon as far as abilities are. You don’t set foot in battle unless the rest of us need you. Desperately. Understand?”

“I will fight,” Luhan said, climbing off the bed to stand. “When the time is right, I will.”

“This isn’t it.” Kris rushed over to kiss the side of Luhan’s head. “Take care of things here while I’m gone. You know you’re in charge.”

Kris knew he’d won the situation with Luhan the second he felt his cousin hug him tightly, making him swear to come back to him in one piece.

“No worries,” Kris said, trying not to let his worry show. It had been quite a while since he’d seen any sort of conflict. When the shadows had been creeping through M, and then eventually when they overtook the palace, Kris had allowed himself to be kept far away, ensuring his safety. There was no hiding now, however.

“Tell me everything we know,” Kris said when he made it to Suho’s side atop an overlooking hill.

When Xiumin had said that a fissure had formed just outside of their encampment he hadn’t been exaggerating. From the higher vantage point Kris could see their united force stretched out across the land in front of them, and further behind the soldiers, was blackened land. The crack was visible, and it wouldn’t be long before shadows were pouring from it.

“It was really only a matter of time,” Suho said, confirming what Kris had already suspected. “We know they’re especially drawn to us. The most we can do now is minimize the damage they’re going to try and inflict, and keep them away from the camp.

Legs pumping hard, Chen rushed to their side, sweat pooling across his brow. “The first and second infantry is ready to go at any moment you cal for them. I’m going with them when they deploy. I’m going to light those bastards up.”

“Be careful,” Kris found himself snapping. With Baekhyun’s ability seemingly gone, and Chanyeol dead, Chen was next affective, his lightening just bright enough to both distract and destroy the shadows. It also made him a major target.

Chen flashed a thumbs up, then bowed respectfully. “Sehun is going to watch my back. If I miss any of those things, he’s going to blow them to kingdom come.”

A bit anxiously, Suho said, “Sehun doesn’t have any military training. He hasn’t even mastered his ability.”

Wiry, Kris said, “We’ll call this on the job training.” One hell of a first day, apparently.

“Okay,” Suho said simply. “Then let’s get going.”

It was apparent to Kris from the first moments of the battle that something was drastically different. In the past, reports and first hand accounts had indicated that the shadow forms could be defeated in a series of ways, ranging from specialized attacks, to simple, old fashion methods. The biggest issue always seemed to be avoiding contact and infection. It was different now.

“Something is wrong!” Suho called out. He and Kris were shoulder to shoulder, surveying the battle in front of them, neither engaged just yet. “There are more of them than usual, and they’re tougher.”

Kris’ eyes easily picked out D.O., bringing the ground up around himself in an impressive show of strength to protect a nearby Xiumin who was flinging the full might of his ice ability at the three shadows that had managed to surround him.

Chen’s lightening flashed a warning in the sky, Sehun’s wind whipping around them, and then in the chaos that they combination created, Tao zipped about, slashing through the enemy with his sword, his actions more effective than his ability.

The ground gave a sudden lurch that knocked Kris off his feet and into Suho who barely caught him. At first Kris had believed it to be due to D.O., but then Baekhyun, who was near Kris’ side, yelled, “There’s a second fissure forming!”

Their men were falling fast. The first infantry had nearly been demolished, the third was deploying, and with the second weakening, Kris didn’t know if they’d have to send the fourth in. They couldn’t afford to lose all of their men so quickly, especially in one felled swoop. If the fourth was lost with the first three, there’d only be the fifth, currently assigned to stay in the encampment. Less than Four hundred.

“Okay,” Kris decided righting himself. “We have to get control of this right away.”

In thought, Baekhyun pressed his lips. “I think I have an idea. I might be able to get Chanyeol’s orb to work for us. If you let me go now.”

As Suho charged down to the battle, Kris turned back to Baekhyun, demanded sharply, “You think you can get back to the encampment quickly?”

“As fast as my legs can take me!” Baekhyun called back, having to struggle to speak over the sound of the hurricane building around them.

Signaling to Tao that he was ready to move, Kris told Baekhyun, “Go get Chanyeol’s orb. Maybe today is the day we get lucky.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Baekhyun cut back. But a second later he was sprinting back towards the encampment, one of Kris’ better generals surging forward to fill his void.

When Kris had been young he’d very much held the position that his ability was great for show, and there was absolutely nothing better than soaring free through the sky. But the ability of flight itself was not especially desirable. He was going to be king. He’d known as much since he was old enough to understand what the word meant. Tao had the ability to manipulate time. Chen had his lightening. Xiumin could shoot deadly ice at people. And even Luhan, when he chose to use his ability, was powerful beyond belief. But flight? What good was flight?

He’d developed his ability early into puberty, then suppressed it down with a fit of displeasure.

Of course shortly after that had come his dragon, roaring to life and taking out the roof of the entire eastern wing of the palace. After that he’d been just a little more appreciative of his flight, especially with the new way people looked at him.

The thing was, his dragon was fickle at best. Kris had mastered control of summoning the beast long ago, but that control once it was present, was tenuous at best, and as such Kris tried to let him out as little as possible.

But this, Kris concluded, was the perfect opportunity to let the dragon out.

“Chen!” Kris shouted, trusting Tao to watch out for him as he pushed his way through the fighting. It was slow going, but eventually he was near enough to be heard. “Light it up!” He could see that Chen was tiring, his attacks getting less powerful with time, but he needed the last effort from Chen.

The second the lightening flashed, crashing to the ground around them, Kris shot into the air. His dragon flew with him, bright and blazing in the sky like a golden comet.

Then he did the thing that he’d been taught never to do. He let go of the control he had worked so hard to reach in the first place. It was a risk, one that Kris wouldn’t have taken out of anything but desperation, but he could tell they were all stretched to their limit. There was no time for control. Not since he couldn’t find Suho in the crowd, and Sehun’s wind was gone completely, leaving the air feeling stale.

As the dragon streaked through the air, diving down to rip through shadows in a blaze of gold, Kris searched desperately for his friends. They’d started in a strict, compact formation, but time and destruction had given way to a scattered scene, and it didn’t look like they were winning.

From the corner of his eye Kris saw Tao stumble suddenly to the side. His sword clattered to the ground and a shadow was on him.

He heard himself screaming, the dragon rumbling, and then the sky was raining fire.

“Tao!” Kris toppled from the air, unable to right himself. He felt the ground come up hard, knocking more than just air from him. He wheezed in a heap, pain burning through his chest and neck, unable to move. But he was on his back, and he could see the sky above him, red like the brightest, most brilliant sunset, rippling with power.

“Kris!”

Tao skidded into view, bracing himself over the king.

Kris could see his dragon flinging itself through the air still, but this time it was accompanied by a magnificent phoenix. And they were beautiful together, swooping along, twining perfectly.

“It’s beautiful,” Kris said, barely able to speak.

“Hold still!” Tao folded over Kris protectively as fire erupted around them. Most of the shadows around them were destroyed instantly, but Kris felt the flare of the fire burn against his skin. If they didn’t move soon they’d be killed too.

“Commander Suho,” Kris mumbled into Tao’s ear. “He can use his ability to buy us time.”

Tao moved from his protective hunch to look around desperately for the commander. Most of what was left of their united forces were crouched on the ground, trying to avoid both the dragon and the phoenix, and then the fire. “I can’t see him! But he’s probably too exhausted to help much anyway.”

The fire was growing more strong, the sky brightening and Kris had no doubt that they’d all burn. But at least they’d all burn together, the shadows included.

“I can hold it for a little!” Tao said, the strain already in his voice.

Kris blinked at the fire around them. It had stopped. Most of it was still in midair, and the creases on Tao’s face, along with the shaking of his body, said it was his doing.

“How long is a little?” Kris asked, noticing that Tao’s time field had extended to almost all of them, catching just the fire and allowing a good deal of people the time to seek cover. The ones that were able to. The amount of control involved in catching just the fire was impressive, but there was no way it was going to last for long. They probably had minutes, if that.

“Concentrate,” Kris said quietly, reaching up to hold a hand to Tao’s neck. “You can do this. I know you can.”

With only a slight tremble, Tao concentrated.

“Your majesty!” Xiumin crashed to their side, the side of his face swollen with what would be an impressive bruise. “How badly are you hurt?”

“Get out of here,” Kris demanded, wheezing. He’d hurt his ribs, he was certain of it. The fall probably should have killed him. It still might.

Voice cracking, Tao demanded, “Is that Luhan?”

The fire around them held for only a second more, and then it was falling again.

It was a strain for Kris to tilt his head far enough back to see Luhan, but when he did, he could make out the slim figure up on the edge of the overlook. Baekhyun stood next to him, anchoring him in place as Luhan extended both hands.

There was a pulse of power, some of it painfully pushing Kris further to the ground, but suddenly the heat was gone.

“He’s pushing it away,” Xiumin remarked, watching the fire above them quiver for a moment and then dart away to the distance. “How can he be doing that?”

All of the fire was going, flung up from where it had come so close to burning them. Moments later the air was clearing from the heavy smell of smoke and soot, the fire still burning, but a much safer distance away, as if it was merely laying in wait.

“This is nothing,” Kris said, feeling pride in Luhan. “Wait until he really gets going.”

As a presence of power that was all Luhan seeped in around them, the ground ripped up around the fissures, drawing out the rest of the shadows. Then a sudden of power pulled the shadows up into the waiting fire, destroying them and leaving a perfect opportunity to end the battle.

Kris demanded, “Tell D.O. to get those fissures closed up.”

The ground shook, taking a new shape and Kris thought seeing the shadows burn up was quite like fireworks during the summer.

When the red of the sky was gone completely, the fire dissipating with it, and the phoenix had molted into a pile of ashes, Kris breathed his first sigh of relief. With all his strength he pulled his dragon back down, feeling the rush of power as it sank into him.

It was still after that. Everything was still.

Luhan’s hands fell slowly and he was breathing heavily, but he was still on his feet.

“Medic!” Xiumin shouted, turning frantically. “Someone go get Lay! The king is down!”

Kris protested, “I’m fine.”

Tao’s lips were cracked and pale as he asked, “What was that? Luhan I get. I’ve seen him in action before. But that fire? And the phoenix? I thought only Chanyeol had that kind of ability.”

“That’s what I call luck,” Kris said, exhaling as deeply as he could. It was about time they got some if it.

Kris reached the encampment, supported by Tao and Xiumin uncomfortably, shortly after that. He found himself immediately fussed over by Lay, who concluded after only a second or two of skin to skin contact, “You’ve gone and broken some ribs. Hold still, please.”

“I thought I told you to come back safely,” Luhan stated, sitting on the edge of his cot, carefully out of Lay’s way.

“I told you not to get involved in the fight, so I think we’re square.”

Baekhyun announced, “From where I was standing, if Luhan hadn’t helped when he did, you’d all be dead.”

Slowly, one by one, and with Kris starting to feel the effects of Lay’s healing, the eleven guardians made their way into the tent. It was a tight fit, even with how spacious the tent was, but they all managed it.

“Can someone explain what happened out there?” D.O. asked, dirt creasing his face in several area.

Baekhyun said, “I know we didn’t think that anyone could use Chanyeol’s orb but himself, then I started thinking about that statement. The orbs are keyed to our respective powers, and there’s something you all don’t know. Well, D.O. knows, and it’s what let me use it. In a way, I tricked Chanyeol’s orb into working for me.”

D.O. looked at Baekhyun almost reverently. “You’ve still got some of Chanyeol’s power in you, don’t you?”

Baekhyun gave a shaky nod. “I have a second ability. When I touch people I can harness their energy, or if they’re gifted, it means pulling at the power behind that gift. Chanyeol lent me a lot of his power just before he … before he died. I might be burnt out as far as my ability goes, but part of Chanyeol’s power is still in me somewhere. And his orb recognized that. It thought I was him, that’s why I was able to use it, even if I couldn’t control it. That’s what I needed Luhan for--the control.”

In Baekhyun’s hand were a few, red tinted shards of glass, the only remnants of what had been the orb. “I broke it. I smashed it down into the ground as hard as I could, hoping for the best. The most I can discern is that whatever power was locked up in that orb, waiting for Chanyeol, ended up exploding around us.”

“Simply put,” Luhan cut in, “we got very, very lucky.”

Kris had never believed something more.

The rest of the morning was a whirlwind of activity, stretching into the afternoon as Kris and Suho did their best to calm down the fractured forces they had left. His ribs still tinged with pain, but he could breathe easy, and he knew his presence helped calm the soldiers at least a little.

By the time the sun was dipping low on the horizon, and dinner was being served, Kris wearily made his way to his tent for the night. They’d lost over half of their combined forces in the attack, and the ones that were left were shell shocked to a degree. Another fight would wipe them out completely and neither he nor Suho could come up with any kind of plan that would win them the new war.

Luhan was seated at the small table in the tent when Kris pushed through the entrance. The older man seemed to be picking at his plate of food, rather than eating it, and scowling at something Kris couldn’t determine.

“Hey,” Kris offered a little tentatively, moving to sit across from him. “I just want to say thank you for today. I know I told you to stay back, by my own misguided overprotective urges, but you really saved us today. You and Baekhyun are the reason we won.”

“Won?” Luhan scoffed. “We didn’t win today, Kris. We will never win.”

Kris let his elbow rest on the table and leaned his chin on his palm. “I still believe. I still think we have a shot at it. As long as there’s someone left to fight, we have a chance.”

“I used to think that,” Luhan said honestly. “But now?”

Luhan looked so beaten down, like the fight that had burned so passionately before was completely gone now. It was disheartening.

“Tomorrow is the alignment,” Kris said evenly. “Tomorrow, I think everything ends. One way or another.”

Luhan nodded silently.

Kris added, “So tonight, if you want to adopt a fatalist attitude, could be our last night.”

Blandly, Luhan asked, “You finally want that with Tao?”

It took a second for the words to sink in, and along with the distasteful look on Luhan’s face, Kris burst out laughing. It felt great to laugh and laugh until his stomach hurt and his chest burned, laughing until Luhan was laughing too, his eyes crinkling happily.

“No,” Kris managed, trying to take deep breaths. Because Luhan was a wonderful lover, considerate, patient and gentle, but the one and only time they’d slept together, to consummate their marriage, it had felt nothing like Kris had imagined was supposed be like. with Luhan was methodical, almost clinical. Kris wanted to be more than that. “What I mean is, we deserve to spend the last bit of peace that we have with the people we are in love with. We deserve at least that much.”

His eyebrows drawn together, Luhan told him, “I’m not sure what you’re saying.”

“I’m saying you should spend tonight with Kai.”

“Kris.”

“I love you,” Kris said, “and you love me, but we’re better off as brothers. I want to spend tonight with the person I should have gotten to marry, and you should too. So give yourself tonight, and we’ll worry about everything else tomorrow.”

There was the oddest mixture of hesitation and desire on Luhan’s face for a significant period of time before his cousin said, “I promised you I would never be disloyal to you.”

“I’m asking you to.” Kris gave him a wry look. “And force once I want to be selfish, Luhan. If I’m going to die I want to die knowing what it’s like to have the one person I’m in love with. Don’t you feel that way?”

After that it wasn’t so hard to get Luhan to agree, and Kris ate dinner alone, never feeling more that he’d done the right thing.

Tao, however, seemed a little uncertain when he came to do his final rounds for the night and found Kris alone in the tent. He questioned, “Should I go find him? Camp should be safe, but this is Luhan we’re talking about. He naturally stumbles upon danger wherever he goes.”

“Luhan won’t be sleeping with me tonight,” Kris said simply. “I sent him to Kai. They should have tonight.”

“I understand,” Tao said slowly, dipping his head. “I’ll be outside if you need me.”

Kris got to his feet, already dressed in his night clothes. “I need you.” He paused, mouth dry. “I need you here and now, always with me. More than that, I want you. I want you so badly that I think I’ll go mad sometimes.”

Tao gave him a pointed stare. “I don’t think this is the kind of conversation we should be having.”

Kris shrugged. “We could die tomorrow. We probably will die tomorrow. So tonight all I want is you, the person that I love. I don’t care how cheesy that sounds, or if these are the kinds of words a girl would say. I only care that I love you, I am in love with you, and if you feel the same way, then you should stay with me tonight.”

“You know I love you,” Tao said quietly. “I’ve loved you for a long time.”

“I’ve loved you from the moment I saw you,” Kris shot back, reaching a hand out to run along the front of Tao’s officer’s jacket. “I saw you standing in the courtyard, that stupid red sash of the junior uniform across your chest, and I knew you were going to be mine.”

Tao huffed out with a laugh, “You always were presumptuous.”

Without warning Kris darted forward, pressing his lips against Tao’s, holding him tightly.

“I want to have you,” Tao confessed, voice a whisper. “Just once before I die. I want to feel you and touch you and have you.”

“Come to bed then,” Kris said with a nod. “If we can’t have anything else, at least we can have each other tonight.”

Tao reached for the buckle on his belt, a blush across his cheeks. “Okay, Kris. Okay.”