Half an hour later, the yellow dot that had guided them so far out into nowhere stopped moving. Kyungsoo stared at it, his hands curled around the metallic casing of the machine. The blinking yellow light glared out at him from the screen, staying stubbornly still in small patch of green surrounded by dingy, craggy gray. 

“They’ve stopped,” he said softly. Jongdae looked at him briefly from the corner of his eye, his hands gripping the steering wheel a little more tightly. The car bumped along the narrow, dirt road, enclosed by dark, towering forest on both sides. “How far away?” he asked, voice cracking a little as they hit a particularly rough patch of mud and rock.

“Close enough to walk,” Kyungsoo said uneasily, glancing out the window. Outside, the rain poured over the rocky forest in sheets of metallic grey. Jongdae snorted in disbelief. “You want to walk out in that?” he said, jerking one hand off the steering wheel to point at the raging, wet fury.

Kyungsoo hesitated. “I don’t think we really have a choice,” he said carefully, looking again at the screen, “They’re in the middle of nowhere. This road is almost done and as good as you are, you can’t drive through trees.” 

Thunder rumbled overhead, drowning out the edges of Kyungsoo’s voice. Ahead of them, Kyungsoo could see the edge of the forest closing in, the road gently disappearing into pale weeds and tall grass. Jongdae slowly rolled to a stop, avoiding the muddiest part of the road as best as he could. He cocked his head to look at Kyungsoo, the corners of his mouth pulled downwards.

“I don’t like this,” he muttered. “Ok yes, it was my idea!” he added hastily before Kyungsoo could open his mouth, “but...now that we’re actually here...I don’t like it. Something is wrong. You feel it too don’t you?”

Kyungsoo stayed silent for a moment. He did feel it, as much as he hated to admit it. Like a subtle, unpleasant tugging at the back of his mind, trying to warn him of something he should have already learned. Something in the back of his head trying to squirm it’s way up past all the debris of daily thought.

But the hot, slow, burn of years of pent up curiosity and frustration was greater. And Kyungsoo found that he was far more angry than he was afraid. 

“Stay in the car then,” he said, unbuckling his seat belt and pushing the glowing machine off of his lap, “I’m going alone.”

He had only gone a few steps when he heard the sound of grumbling behind him. Jongdae huddled in his bright yellow raincoat, flashlight in hand, a sour expression on his normally playful face. Kyungsoo grinned.

"If I get pneumonia," Jongdae interrupted before Kyungsoo could open his mouth, "You're giving me your lungs. And visiting me in the hospital."

~~~

They trudged onward through the dark and the cold, clinging to each other and trying not to trip in the thin, weak beam of Chen’s flashlight. 

“...Are you sure we’re going the right way?” Jongdae asked, choking as a gust of freezing water slammed into his mouth. Kyungsoo grabbed Chen’s arm and held on tightly, huddling against the terrible, biting rain. “Yes,” he shouted, with far more certainty than he felt.

The truth was that Kyungsoo had no idea if they were still going in the right direction. The dark, wet woodland was devoid of any light except the weak glow of the flashlight in Chen’s hand, and Kyungsoo didn’t know if the vague map in his head was even relevant anymore. 

And deep beneath everything, his sense of panic was climbing. Colder than the rain, and more suffocating than the howling gusts of bullet rain. This had all been a terrible idea, and under his bravado, he was so, so afraid.

Take me away from here. Somewhere safe, away from this dark forest and the rain.

He didn't know if it was prayer. He hadn't prayed for so long.

In the darkness, something suddenly brushed against his leg, something smooth and oily, definitely alive. 

Kyungsoo jumped, backpedaling into the boy behind him. Jongdae tripped, Kyungsoo’s weight destroying his balance and both boys tumbling to the ground, their only source of light rolling away past their field of vision. Kyungsoo froze, left in complete darkness for the first time in his life. Every sound in the darkened woodland was magnified a thousand times, and every fear stretched beyond the limit of reason. Anything could hurt them right now, he realized with a sudden, terrible clarity. They were completely defenseless in a place without a road home. 

What had he done?

Chen groaned beneath him, and Kyungsoo scrambled blindly, trying not to step on the other boy. “Are you alright?” he asked frantically, feeling for Jongdae in the dark. 

“Of course not, you tripped me and then sat on me,” Jongdae grumbled weakly, “and you owe me a new flashlight. And a new set of clothes. And all the kimchi spaghetti I want-.”

“Did you feel it?” Kyungsoo interrupted, “back there? Before I tripped you?”

“What are talking about?” Jongdae asked, gingerly sitting up, “Did you step on something poisonous? Did something bite you?”

“No! No, it wasn’t...that,” Kyungsoo said, slowly, “but something touched me. I felt it. I know I felt it.”

In the dark, he couldn’t see the expression on Chen’s face, but he felt the other boy shift closer to him. He heard Jongdae groping around in the dark, his hand eventually closing around Kyungsoo’s wet ankle. Chen’s other hand reached forward, grasping perilously close to Kyungsoo’s face. “What are you doing?” Kyungsoo croaked, ducking out of the way of Chen’s flailing limbs. 

“You’ve been in the rain for too long. I think you’re getting a fever,” Jongdae muttered, his hand still reaching for Kyungsoo’s forehead.

“You’re going to take my eye out,” Kyungsoo said, scrambling backwards, “And I’m not hallucinating! I know I felt something!”

As he reached backwards to steady himself, Kyungsoo’s hand closed around something soft buried under a layer of wet leaves and crackling branches. He tugged on it in surprise, the material giving way easily to his touch. “What is it?” Jongdae asked quietly.  Kyungsoo fumbled for his phone, trying to shelter their last source of light from the droplets that still fell through the branches overhead. The steady, pale glow of the phone shone against the fabric in his hand. It was a shirt, he realized with a start. A very familiar collared shirt he had seen just that morning. He reached under the wet collar and found what he knew had to be there, the little black button he had stuck into the fabric that morning when Yixing had held him close.

“This is Yixing’s shirt.”

What the hell is going on? 

Lightning cracked overhead, a sudden, stunning white light that lit up the world around them. For a moment, Kyungsoo saw Chen’s pale face, rain soaked and baffled.

And far behind him, Kyungsoo saw something else. Something leaning against the solid tree trunks, black and liquid, it’s surface slick with oily stains. 

And then the moment was over, and the world returned to the dark. Fear stabbed through him, paralyzing and cold. On the other side of the clearing, he thought he heard a muffled cracking sound. 

The thing was moving.

“Jongdae,” he choked,“Jongdae, we’ve got to move. The thing, it’s coming-”

“Calm down!” Jongdae exclaimed, trying to grab Kyungsoo’s flailing limbs, “We’re going back to the car. Don’t freak out on me now!”

“I’m not freaking out!” Kyungsoo cried hysterically, trying to wrench his arm out of Jongdae’s hold, “And I’m not hallucinating! I saw it! I saw something back there!  Get up!”

Suddenly, a strange quiet blanketed the clearing around them. One moment, there was the sound of rain and thunder and wind in the leaves, and the next, it was all gone. Kyungsoo stopped moving, terror pulsing cold and numb in his stomach. Jongdae was still clutching Kyungsoo’s wrist tight in one hand, his breath low and ragged in the sudden quiet. 

And then, the hand around his wrist was gone. Kyungsoo panicked, turning his head from side and side and reaching blindly into the dark, looking for the other boy. “Jongdae!” he cried out, his voice muted in the strange, unnatural quiet, “Jongdae! What the hell are you doing?!”

Deep silence pressed against him, his limbs grasping at nothing. The fear within him was expanding into his lungs, suffocating him from the inside out. 

Suddenly, something crashed into his chest, leveling him against the ground. He cried out as he was crushed against the earth, unable to breathe beneath the monstrous weight above. He struggled, trying to grab at the slippery, wet ooze. 

Whatever it was that was trying to suffocate him. 

A tendril of something prickly and hot slid across his throat, and Kyungsoo stopped struggling, a sudden numbness engulfing his body, spreading outwards from where the thing touched him. It caressed his throat, the tendril sliding gently upwards to rub against his cheek, his skin tingling with heat and needles where it touched him. The strange, unnatural burn spread over and into him, his thoughts blanketed with the warm numbness, his terror fading under the soothing weight. A soft, low voice flooded his thoughts, dispersing the remains of his fear like wisps of smoke.

Relax, it will all be over soon. 

Dimly, Kyungsoo registered the ground fading away underneath him. Smooth coils lifted his pliant body, pushing him against warm, giving walls. He sank into it, his eyes and thoughts clouded over, unable to do anything but surrender to the beautiful, hypnotizing heat. 

Trust me…

For a brief moment, Kyungsoo’s world was perfect. Nothing but foggy warmth within him, his terrors and his mind gone beneath a blanket of numbing peace. 

And then, white hot pain seared through his chest, piercing through the haze with an awful clarity. He screamed, his spine snapping taunt, thrashing and convulsing around the black edge that had pierced him. In the distance, he thought he heard a great crashing and wood being torn apart, the sound oddly clear in the muted dimness. A coil wrapped around his mouth, snuffing out his voice in it’s tight wrappings, bitter against his tongue. Slowly, the familiar, drugged numbness seeped back through his body, deadening the terrible pain bit by burning bit. Kyungsoo groaned, his body collapsing into the embrace of that dark, senseless world as he lost the will to move. 

That’s right. Give in to me. Sleep...

In the mute, desolate darkness, a wild howl rang out, raw and broken. The sound echoed in Kyungsoo’s mind, tearing apart the numbing fog within him and roaring through his mind like daybreak. His eyes snapped open and this time, he could see through the darkness. 

Far away, a blood red sun raced towards him, burning through the forest like an inferno. The sound of wood being split apart thundered through the clearing, thick trunks and fragile brush cracking and shattering in the fury of the red blur. Closer and closer it hurtled, until Kyungsoo saw that it was not heat and flame, but a monstrous, blood red animal. A huge, crimson wolf raced through the stormy night, its enormous paws crushing fallen trunks and thick branches beneath them like twigs. Dark, frantic eyes gazed into his own,something intimately familiar in their depths. All around his body, the black ooze bubbled in agitation, quaking and popping against his skin like boiled water beginning to overflow. The earth beneath them shook with the force of the wolf’s weight, each heavy, forceful stride vibrating through Kyungsoo’s body. He groaned as pain reignited within his chest, each breath burning its passage into his lungs. The beat of the wolf’s paws upon the earth strengthened in response, as if the wolf could feel his pain. Faster and faster it raced, the bubbling walls around Kyungsoo convulsing erratically with each powerful jolt of the wolf’s stride, as if it could sense the danger. 

And then, the wolf was upon them, its claws tearing into the oozing prison. The dense darkness tore apart in a spray of black liquid and massive jaws reached in to cradle Kyungsoo’s body more gently than he ever realized was possible, ripping him away from the coils that had bound him. He cried out, pain lancing through him at the sudden movement, and the wolf stilled, a high pitched whine echoing in its throat. It backed away from the remains of the black ooze, Kyungsoo’s body clamped gently between its teeth, and then bent its head down in infinitesimal increments, lowering him onto a patch of damp forest floor with as little movement as possible. Its ears pricked upward at the crack of a tree branch in the distance, and Kyungsoo drew a sudden breath of panic before a stab of agony ripped through his lungs. He drew one hand over his chest, wincing as he brushed against the broken skin where the the blackness had pierced him. His fingers came away wet with something thick and grimy. Dimly, he brought them closer to his face. Sticky blood stained his fingers, streaks of black, viscous liquid running through the dark red. As he watched, a few drops of the waning rainstorm dashed the stains from his fingers, washing them away. A shadow fell over him and Kyungsoo jerked backwards, clutching at his wound and hoping that this creature that had saved him had not done it just to eat him later.

The wolf towered over his body, eclipsing Kyungsoo’s pale, quivering form within its shadow. It would have easily dwarfed Jongdae’s car. Its crimson fur was matted with black ooze, bubbles of thick liquid still dripping from its jaws. Dark eyes watched him, and Kyungsoo flinched when one massive paw dropped beside his leg, bringing the beast a little bit closer. The wolf whined, as if it had sensed Kyungsoo’s fear, and then stepped back, shuffling restlessly on the forest floor, its head bowed down in something akin to shame. Behind him, Kyungsoo heard the faint sound of running footsteps. 

“Jongdae!” he called out hoarsely “Jongdae is that you?!”

But it wasn’t Jongdae at all. Instead of the familiar, lanky figure of his friend, Kyungsoo beheld a short, slender boy flitting through the shadows a few yards away, running towards them. Kyungsoo swallowed and stared in disbelief.  

The boy was glowing, his body illuminating the night around him like a soft, pale moon. 

Kyungsoo clenched his eyes shut, willing himself to wake up. The sound of footsteps on the forest floor grew louder and louder, until Kyungsoo felt a hand upon his shoulder, squeezing lightly.

“Are you alright?” a low voice asked. Kyungsoo forced himself to open his eyes and squinted at the sudden brightness, holding one hand up to shield his eyes.

“Woops,” the boy chuckled, leaning away. A moment later, the light had faded to a manageable glimmer and Kyungsoo lowered his hand, staring wide-eyed at the luminescent stranger.

The boy was covered from head to foot in mud splatters, as if he had been rolling on the ground for hours before he had run into the clearing. His dark clothes stuck to his body like a second skin, drenched through with rain and mud. A pale, pearly glow still emanated from his skin, shining through the mud streaked all over it. 

“I’m hallucinating,” Kyungsoo whispered, even as pain jolted through him again at the words, reminding him that he wasn’t. One corner of the stranger’s lips quirked upward in a crooked smile. “You’re not,” he said gently, “as much as I wish you were.” The boy glanced downwards and his brows furrowed together, worry washing over his features. Carefully, he placed one palm over the torn skin on Kyungsoo’s chest and pressed lightly. Kyungsoo inhaled sharply, a curious, tingling sensation slowly replacing the burn of pain. “That should keep you ticking for a while,” the boy muttered, his eyes narrowed in concentration. When he pulled his palm away, Kyungsoo saw that it was wet with blood. Gingerly, he sat up a little straighter, palms flat against the ground. 

 A low, rumbling growl suddenly broke through the air and Kyungsoo jerked back, wary of the monstrous wolf that was pawing at the ground, its eyes still boring into his. The stranger frowned, regarding the beast with something akin to disappointment in his eyes. His grip on Kyungsoo’s shoulder tightened imperceptibly. 

“It’s too late,” he said quietly. “Change back. You should have done it already.”

The red wolf growled again, a little softer and a little more unsteady, and slowly began to back away, breaking eye contact with Kyungsoo at last. The stranger rose to his feet, one hand still on Kyungsoo’s shoulder, his posture tense and stiff. 

“Luhan,” he said, his voice clear in the silence of the forest, “It’s too late.” 

Kyungsoo froze, a dull throb of pain beating against his chest. He stared at the crimson wolf, and realized for the first time that it was the exact shade of red that Luhan had always kept his hair. The wolf looked at him mournfully, and for the first time, Kyungsoo saw that its eyes were Luhan’s eyes, bright and warm and a little sad.

“Luhan…?” he whispered, disbelief lodged inside his throat.

The wolf bowed its head, its muzzle dipping low to the ground and closed its eyes. Scarlet fur began to shudder, red rippling across the wolf’s flank in pulsing, undulating waves. Crimson fur expanded and contracted, the wolf curling in upon itself, collapsing onto the forest floor. A sudden warmth flooded the clearing, rushing through Kyungsoo’s hair and carrying with it the scent of burnt cinnamon. Slowly, the red fur spread open, parting down the center and drawing back. In the pale moonlight slanting through the forest branches, Kyungsoo saw a boy crouched where the wolf had stood moments before. He lifted his head, red hair still splotched with black liquid, and met Kyungsoo’s gaze, resignation etched into the corners of his eyes. 

“Kyungsoo…” Luhan whispered, reaching forward, “Kyungsoo, we need to talk-”

Kyungsoo flinched away from Luhan’s hand and the red-haired boy faltered midstep. 

“We don’t have time to talk, we need to get him out,” the stranger interrupted, his voice urgent. “You’ve noticed that hole in his chest? It’s kind of urgent.” 

A wave of nausea rocked through Kyungsoo and he retched, coppery blood and something intensely bitter splattering into his mouth.

“Kyungsoo!”

Luhan’s arm wrapped around his shoulders, one hand brushing the dirty bangs away from Kyungsoo’s forehead like he had done a million times before, when Kyungsoo was little and sick and so, incredibly vulnerable.

“We’ve got to get to the border,”  the stranger said, a hard look in his eye. “I can run faster. You keep him on my back.” 

Luhan nodded, his face grim. He swept one arm beneath Kyungsoo’s body and lifted him up, gentle and slow. Kyungsoo groaned, a hot, steady burn working its way through his chest, dizziness clouding his senses again. “What are you?” he whispered, peering up at Luhan through glazed eyes, “is this what you’ve been keeping from me? Are you going to eat me?”

“Don’t talk,” Luhan said softly, gathering his body closer. Beside them, Kyungsoo felt a breath of warmth blow across the clearing, the sound of tearing cloth and rustling fur filling his ears. Kyungsoo shivered and knew that stranger had changed. 

He was one of them. Whatever Luhan was. 

He pushed weakly against Luhan’s arm. “Am I going to die?” he asked, the taste of blood and bitterness still heavy in his mouth. “And did you eat Jongdae? Did he eat Jongdae?”

“You are not going to die,” Luhan said firmly, his eyes flashing with something steely and bright. “I won’t let you die. We’ll come back for Jongdae. Now stop talking.”

Kyungsoo whimpered but shut his mouth, squeezing his eyes closed as he felt his body being moved. He felt Luhan setting him down upon something warm and soft, silky hair tickling his face. He opened his eyes and came face to face with a field of silver, glowing fur, rising up and down with each breath the wolf beneath him took. A steady stream of blood and blackness trickled from Kyungsoo’s wound through the pale, ghostly fur and Kyungsoo thought for a crazy moment that he should warn the glowing boy-wolf that the blood might not wash off.

And then, Luhan swung himself up, his arms braced around Kyungsoo’s body, and the silver wolf leaped forward and began to run. Kyungsoo lurched and clung to Luhan’s arms, the speed of the wolf inhuman, each powerful step jolting his wound painfully. Luhan lifted one arm to run his fingers through Kyungsoo’s hair, soothingly through the wet strands. “Hang in there puppy,” he whispered into Kyungsoo’s ear. 

The journey seemed to stretch on forever, the woods passing by in a haze of moonlight and shadow around them. The storm clouds had long dissipated and Kyungsoo could see patches of night sky through the waving leaves. A white moon shone overhead, full and bright through the dark branches. Across the sky, something red gleamed, too big to be a star but too still to be a satellite. With every step the wolf took, the light grew a little bit brighter, a red shimmer slowly blossoming beyond the forest crown. 

“Baekhyun, run faster,” Luhan hissed, crouching low over the wolf’s ears, “we’re almost out of time. The blood moon is too high. I can see it from here already.”

The wolf beneath them growled but acquiesced, driving itself forward, pounding at the earth faster and faster. Dimly, Kyungsoo watched as the red glow in the sky slowly diffused outward, brighter and brighter with each jolt of the wolf’s paws upon the earth. Luhan cursed beneath his breath, his arms tightening around Kyungsoo’s body. 

And then, the wolf skidded to a halt, dirt and broken branches flying. Luhan lunged forward, pinning Kyungsoo to the wolf’s back and keeping his body from sliding off. Beneath them, the wolf was quivering, its muscles tense and hackles raised.

 “Baek, what’s going on?” Luhan asked softly, his brows furrowed in confusion.

The silver wolf suddenly let out a furious howl, pawing restlessly at the broken soil. Kyungsoo pushed weakly against Luhan’s body, struggling to breathe. The red-haired boy rose up, his gaze concentrated on something in front of them. A sudden quiet had blanketed the woods, the sounds of the forest gone. Kyungsoo opened his eyes blearily and looked at the world around him. 

In the night sky above them, he saw a crimson moon rising, impossibly huge in the night sky. On the other side of the sky, a white moon shone, its light weak and pale next to the scarlet sphere looming above. The sky was split between them, one half dark, velvety night, the other suffused with twilight, dusky rose and pastel orange blending together in a symphony of sunset colors. The line that divided two sides cut cleanly through the sky, letting nothing pass through it, as if it was a barrier between two worlds. 

“It’s a border isn’t it?” Kyungsoo whispered deliriously. Luhan looked down at him sharply in surprise, but his expression softened when Kyungsoo met his eyes. “Yes,” Luhan said gently, “It’s a border. A border between worlds.”

Baekhyun let out a sharp bark, his posture still tense and hostile. Luhan snapped his head forward, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.  His nostrils flared and a hot, roiling anger suddenly clouded his gaze. 

“Come out,” he hissed, “I know you’re there. We can smell you.” 

Kyungsoo turned his head weakly to the side, away from the strange sky above. They were at the edge of a huge, circular clearing in the woods. Beside them, the trees curved in an arc, their crowns leaning away from the center of the clearing as if perpetually blown back by some unseen wind. In the middle of the open space, there lay a pool of water, still as a mirror and dusky and glowing with the reflection of the twilight half of the sky. In the water, the crimson moon was somehow brighter, more intense, more real, than the red sphere looming above them. Baekhyun suddenly growled, deep and low, before a figure emerged from across the mirrored sky, slowly walking forward.

He was tall, shoulders broad and straight, his gait even and heavy against the earth. Strong brows curved across his forehead, his eyes dark and lidded. The rest of his face was obscured by shadow, unreadable. Beneath him, Kyungsoo felt Baekhyun bristle, every muscle in his body on the edge of attack. The strange man regarded them, his posture straight and unmoving. Black gloves encased his fingers, and his dark coat was wrapped with something scaley that gleamed in the low light. Luhan suddenly dismounted, sliding off to stand between the stranger and Kyungsoo, one hand tight in the fur of Baekhyun’s neck.

“What are you doing here?” Luhan asked quietly, his eyes flashing. 

“You left a mess behind. I’m cleaning it up,” the man said softly. His voice was deep and rich, a low, baritone timbre rumbling in Kyungsoo’s ears. He shivered, goosebumps prickling up his skin, and he knew that this man, whoever he was, was like them.

Luhan hissed through his teeth like a cat and tensed even further. If he hadn’t been bleeding out on the back of a glow-in-the-dark wolf, Kyungsoo would have laughed.

“I don’t leave any messes,” Luhan said darkly.

“Luhan,” the man murmured,  “I’m not blind.”

“I know what happened back there. I cleaned it up. And I can smell his blood.”

Baekhyun suddenly let out a wild, furious bark, moving low to the ground as if prepared to spring away at the man’s slightest movement. Luhan stepped in front of the silver wolf, cold fury coiled tight in every line of his body.

"I’ll kill you.”

He had never heard Luhan’s voice so cold and so devoid of any warmth, as if there were knives gleaming in the spaces between his words. Kyungsoo believed him, and he was afraid more than he was comforted. 

The man said nothing, but he did not move from where he stood. Baekhyun stepped forward, a low growl still rumbling in his throat, and made to move past Luhan, heading toward the still water. 

“You can’t pass,” the man said harshly, his gaze shifting to Baekhyun with alarming speed, “You know you can’t go through to the other side with him in this condition.”

In the red light of the blood moon, Luhan’s eyes shone with a glow that was almost inhuman. “We have to pass,” he said slowly, “and we don’t have time to talk to you. Move, or I’ll make you.” 

Kyungsoo felt a subtle shift in Baekhyun’s posture, the muscles in the wolf’s back tensing as if prepared to lunge. If the man noticed, he said nothing.

“You have another option,” he murmured softly. Slowly, the man’s eyes slid up to meet Kyungsoo’s, and the boy in a breath, something painful jerking deep within him. The man’s gaze was hard and unwavering, and Kyungsoo found himself unable to look away. There was something familiar in the stranger’s profile, like he was looking at a forgotten face inked somewhere deep beneath his memory. 

But he wasn’t sure that it was a good memory. The stranger did not look away from him, and inside his body, Kyungsoo felt a coil of fear slowly tighten. Something deep within his mind stirred, rising up to warn him that this man was not safe, that his man could hurt him, but he could not remember why. Luhan suddenly moved, stepping between them and breaking Kyungsoo’s vision. The red haired boy’s fists were clenched shut and Kyungsoo could see the muscles in his back trembling.

“Luhan,” the man whispered, “Stop running. You knew this would have to happen.”

“This is the best way. In the end, it will be the only way. There will come a day when you have to give him up. Do it now while you still have a choice.”

Luhan snarled, the sound rough and raw and inhuman. In the center of the clearing, the still pool began to ripple, the image of the red moon breaking and stuttering in the agitated water. Luhan turned around suddenly, and leaped onto Baekhyun’s back, one arm braced over Kyungsoo’s body. He looked down for a moment, and Kyungsoo saw that behind the anger burning bright and vivid in his eyes, Luhan was afraid. Slowly, the red-haired boy leaned down, resting his forehead on Kyungsoo’s shoulder. “I won’t give you up,” he whispered, squeezing him lightly in his arms.

And then, Luhan nudged the wolf with his knees and Baekhyun sprang forward, dashing toward the center of the clearing. The stranger stood still, his posture unwavering even as the wolf barrelled straight towards him. The silver wolf snarled and surged forwards, leaping over the stranger in high, graceful arc and plunging headfirst into the rippling, cold pool, the reflection of the blood moon breaking apart into a thousand glistening shards of shining, red water. 

The first breath was like ice tearing down his lungs. Kyungsoo opened his mouth, panic rushing through his head, and tried to scream. Water flooded into his mouth and down his windpipe, sharp and suffocating  and so, so, cold. And then Luhan was wrapping an arm around his chest and gently, but firmly, pressing down. “Breathe,” he said, his voice muffled but still decipherable and Kyungsoo had no choice but to obey.

And he found that he could.

It was a strange sensation, breathing water. Liquid rushed into his lungs, heavy and dense and leaving him lightheaded, but giving him the life that he needed. He breathed out, water pouring from his mouth and found that he was no longer suffocating, the water sliding easily from his lungs. Luhan squeezed his chest softly, one hand slipping into his hair, keeping his head up. “Open your eyes,” he said softly. And Kyungsoo obeyed.

He was in an ocean of dusk and light. All around him, the water stretched onwards to infinity, light slanting and reflecting and wavering in planes of strange beauty. The water was cold, but Kyungsoo found himself growing a little bit warmer with every wave that washed over him in this twilight ocean, heat diffusing into his body. His wound burned as if it was doused in salt, but Kyungsoo ignored it, focusing on the pure, dense taste of water surging in and out of his lungs. Luhan kept his arm wrapped securely around his waist, his chin tucked into Kyungsoo’s shoulder, holding him steady in the sea of light and waves. Water rushed past them, gently carding through hair and limbs as something pulled through the depths, gravity strong and unyielding even in an ocean. Beneath him, Kyungsoo felt Baekhyun paddling along, the wolf’s paws pushing against the current and propelling them faster into the deep. In the far, far distance, beyond the light waves, Kyungsoo thought he could see the dim red glow of the moon he had seen in the broken sky. The further they traveled, the brighter the light became, until Kyungsoo could see that it was the same moon, but somehow more visceral, the red a thousand times brighter, more intense, more real.

And then, the water shifted, and the whole ocean shuddered. Kyungsoo lurched, a wave of power slamming into his body and Luhan's arm an anchor around his waist. In the distance, he saw something inky and black, a spot growing in the wavering nets of light. 

Suddenly, the waves jerked, pulling them violently from the moving ocean current. Kyungsoo cried out, his voice muffled by water, Luhan’s arm an anchor around his waist. A black chasm had ripped itself into the ocean, wide and yawning, it’s depths dark and inky except for something moving within them. The water surged away from it as the chasm opened wider, as if it were alive and searching for something. A thick, black tendril reached out from the dark hole, oozing and inky and terribly familiar. Kyungsoo paled, fear clenching tight in his stomach. Behind him, Kyungsoo heard Luhan curse. Baekhyun beat at the water with his paws, frantically pushing them faster through the waves, away from the split chasm that was rapidly swallowing the ocean.

In the distance, Kyungsoo thought he felt a pulse in the ocean, vibrating through his body. Again, the pulse came, stronger this time, something coming through the waves, powerful enough to shake the ocean with every movement of its body. Behind him, he heard Luhan let out an tense breath of heavy water.

“He’s coming.” Luhan murmured. 

And then, Kyungsoo saw it. In the wavering light, a creature moving through the ocean, something lethal in every movement of its body. Its black wings stretched impossibly wide across the soft light and even over the vast distance between them, Kyungsoo could feel every movement, every pulse of the black scales.The black dragon chased the cracking void, its mouth open wide. Before it, the dark cracks faded in and out of view, their path halted. Luhan cursed, arms tight around Kyungsoo’s body. One palm reached out, horizontal against the water, and then, a sudden bubble of stillness encased their bodies. Beneath, Baekhyun let out a low, vibrating growl. “Hey!” Luhan snapped, “I’m not running on full power here. Shut up.”

Kyungsoo clutched at Luhan’s arm, dizzy. In the distance, the creature was getting closer, until Kyungsoo could see the scales on its body, sharp and curved, sliding in rivulets over hard muscle. The dragon was looking at him and Kyungsoo saw that its eyes a deep, blood red. Baekhyun abruptly turned away, paddling as quickly as he could. Behind him, Kyungsoo heard Luhan mutter something. The white sphere suddenly contracted around their bodies, power coiled tight within the clouded walls, before it released,hurtling them forward with a sudden jolt. Kyungsoo gritted his teeth. In his chest, something pulled on his insides, tight and painful. 

"Don't fret puppy," Luhan whispered, "We're almost home free." 

Before him, the dusky light was getting stronger. Baekhyun panted,ears flat against his head. Kyungsoo clung onto the slippery silver fur, squinting as red and deep orange and violet engulfed him whole. 

When he opened his eyes, he saw another world.