Rebuilt in merely twenty years, the main city of EXO doesn’t have a great industrial atmosphere. One keeper supplies each necessity; one shop to supply clothes, one to supply food, one hospital, one city hall, but the place is rich with people. People that stop and ask them who they are, if they really are the Auspices, and all Luhan knows how to do in reply is bow politely.

“You know, you don’t have to bow.”

“It’s polite, Sehun.” Luhan fights back, a playful tone to his voice though Sehun knows he’s serious. “I don’t mind. They seem curious about us. We must look like aliens to them.”

“They look like humans.” Sehun comments, and the older smirks, laughing happily at his younger companion.

“You were expecting them to look any different? We’re all from here, Sehun, we look like them too.” Sehun huffs, defeated, only egging the boy on more. Luhan’s breathing calms, and he takes a moment to let his eyes roam over the landscape, the living conditions and the people. He feels terribly out of place, despite the fact they look no different to those around them. He just feels… silly.

“What’s on your mind?” Sehun has a knack for knowing when Luhan’s mind if preoccupied, and sometimes Luhan hates it, but it makes starting a conversation a lot easier.

“Don’t you think it’s really odd that we’re like, technically Gods almost, to all these people. They know our futures, Sehun. They know who we are, who we’ve always been, and we’ve never even known this place existed. They idolise us; they have legends about us. We lift the weight of their shoulders; we keep them grounded – don’t you think that’s weird?”

The taller boy sighs, his hand encased in Luhan’s shuffling to tug the boy closer to whisper in his ear. Whilst Sehun has to admit that Luhan has a point, he can’t help but feel proud, honoured, to be a figure like that to so many people.

“Yes, but doesn’t it fill you with pride?” He sees the opportunity, and he takes it, “And to think,” he grins cheekily, “even little baby Luhan cries when he’s away from me.” Sehun teases, flicking the boy’s nose and Luhan groans indignantly.

“That was one time, and you stormed out in anger! No wonder I was crying!” Luhan argues, before quickly dropping the subject, “I suppose it is something to be proud of, but… I just feel like… a piece on a chessboard. We’re not heroes, Sehun, we’re just kids; kids with big stories made up about them. Stories they’d have been entertained by, but do you think anyone’s ever thought about how we might feel about all this? Being shunned away to Earth and then forced back here when they’re in a bit of a pickle?”

“Maybe,” Sehun shrugs, bringing his lips down to press against Luhan’s temple, “but who’s to say we can’t be heroes yet?”

Luhan doesn’t want to be a hero. He wants everyone to be safe.

~*~

Baekhyun isn’t as keen either.

His favoured green, vivacious meadow is a lost hope here, as his shoes scuff against rocks and dried mud, and he wonders truly, really, what they’re even expected to do here. So they’re supposed to save the planet – how?

“Smile, Baekhyun!” Chanyeol, on the other hand, cannot wait. “This is our home planet! We’re aliens, how cool is that?”

“I already knew you were an alien. There was no way in Hell you were human.” He snaps hotly back, and in all happiness, Chanyeol laughs boisterously, throwing his head back in glee. “What?”

“You’re funny, Baek. When are you going to accept that we’re actually pretty good friends and have the potential to get on really well?”

Baekhyun blushes, immediately squawking, “n-never, because that’s a lot of crap! Why would I want to be friends with you? What could we possibly have that would make us good friends?”

Chanyeol seems to take this as an invitation, and on his temporary bed for their stay, Baekhyun whines, the soft pillow taking the force of his forehead banging against it.

“Well, opposites attract, right? And you’re definitely my opposite; what with your 170cm of height-”

“-173, !”

“-and angry tendencies and boisterous attitude. We’re like yin and yang; we’ve got to balance each other out. You’re mellower when you’re with me – when you’re not yelling at me, of course.”

“I’m always yelling at you…” Baekhyun mumbles shyly, turning his face away from Chanyeol to hide the tint to his cheeks, and Chanyeol wanders over, sitting on the edge of Baekhyun’s bed. The taller laughs softly, his deep voice husky and warm, as he gently reaches out and pushes Baekhyun’s hair from its position sprawled over the older’s face. “Hey, what do you think you’re doing…” He fights weakly, and Chanyeol doesn’t make a single move to stop, doesn’t hesitate as he continues to carress Baekhyun’s pink cheeks with his thumb.

“You’re so defensive, Baekhyun.” He comments, though there’s no malice behind it. If anything, Baekhyun thinks he can feel a little love and affection in the way Chanyeol sounds out the vowels of his name but he quickly disregards the notion. There’s no way Chanyeol loves him, right? He’s been nothing but a pain to the taller since they met. “Let me mellow you out. Let me be by your side for once without you pushing me away. These past couple weeks you’ve really let me in, led me on, and I don’t want to go backwards from where we are now.” Chanyeol pauses, both in speech and movement, and hangs his head.

“Park-”

“I really like you, Baek. I don’t know when I started to fall in love with you, but when Onew said… that some of us were destined for another, I just… This feeling came over me where I desperately wanted two of those to be us.” He sighs deeply as Baekhyun sits up, his chin dangerously close to Chanyeol’s shoulder and his nose just centimetres away from the taller’s. He can feel his warm breath tickling his skin, the sighs on his lips and shamelessly wonders what those exact lips would feel like against his own, “I don’t know how you feel about this, but if you’re up for it, I want to try, because somewhere between you hating my guts, I realised you’re pretty damn cool and I want you be able to call you mine and-”

“Parkyeol.”

A roll of the eyes, “Byunbaek.”

“Are you gonna kiss me or what?”

Chanyeol doesn’t hesitate.

~*~

Kyungsoo curls himself up, his knees pulled in close to his chest in the main lobby of the peacekeepers mansion. He thinks, with everyone in their rooms or at the food hall, that no one will see him here, no one will walk past, but of course he forgets to consider anyone literally popping in to see him. The younger’s sudden appearance causes him to jump, banging his elbow sharply into the white wall behind him. A dirty mark contrasts on the clean surface. Jongin stirs from where he stands a few feet away, clueless.

“Kyungsoo? What are you doing down there? I’ve been looking for you everywhere – have you been here the whole time?” Kyungsoo only nods, “hey, what’s up?”

Silence fills the room again, and Jongin breaks it a painful minute later with a sigh, sitting down against the adjoining wall so that when Kyungsoo stretches out his legs, they cross over the top of his. The contact isn’t uncomfortable, but neither is it common, and Jongin wonders if Kyungsoo truly understands Jongin’s desire to understand the older boy and protect him from harm. Though sometimes, Jongin doesn’t understand it himself. “I know we’re not exactly the closest in the group. I know I’m not Junmyeon,” he starts, gazing over at the older who refuses to make eye contact, “but I’m here to help still. I’m here for you; if you want to rant, if you need to lash out, if you need to cry. Kyungsoo, rely on me.” He blinks, and at no reply, continues. “I know you probably think I’m just some punk- kid-”

“You’re not a kid, Jongin. You’re an adult.” Kyungsoo argues firmly, finally turning to meet the other’s eyes and they round ever so slightly at the pleading look he’s met with. “I just… Why me? Why am I the one who gets creepy phone calls? Why am I the one who gets kidnapped? I can’t even remember my life. I can’t remember anything about myself and I never will ever again. I don’t have any memories.”

“Then let’s make new ones.”

“New what?”

“Memories,” he answers, like it’s the dumbest question in the world, “let’s make new memories; you, me, all the Auspices. Let’s make new, awesome memories of us kicking and being super cool.”

Kyungsoo’s silent for a second before he mumbles out a reply, tactfully ignoring Jongin’s comment to, hopefully, forget about the blush trying it’s hardest to take over his rounded cheeks.

“I wonder if anyone misses me. From my forgotten life, you know? I wonder if I had lots of friends, or a family, or a pet goldfish that hasn’t been fed in months now. Where did I live? Who did I live with? What did I enjoy? What was my favourite TV show?”

“You can rediscover things like that, Kyungsoo.” Jongin sighs, reaching over to pat the older’s head. He scowls, but takes it and his eyes widen as Jongin’s hand trails down from his hair to tilt up his chin and flash him a wide, warm smile. “You know, you look like an owl when you do that.”

“ you, Jongin.” Kyungsoo bites, though his voice is filled with fondness and amusement. “You were so sweet when we met, what happened?”

Jongin’s laughter is loud, louder than it probably should be, but he can’t help it and he ruffles the older boy’s hair one last time. Kyungsoo is warming to him, he can feel it, and it’s only a matter of time before he finally lets him in and Jongin can’t wait. Something about the owl-like boy has him intrigued and he can’t stop the way his heart swells when they meet eyes across the room or sit so close together than Jongin can feel the older’s body heat.

“Well, I can’t let Sehun have all the troublesome-youngest-member fun, now can I?”

~*~

Crowded around the round table in the largest room of EXO’s peacekeeper’s mansion – “It’s just like the White House, Baekhyun!” “Shut the up, Chanyeol, you’re so embarrassing, oh my God.” – the peacekeepers shuffle in their seats, the legendary twelve Auspices they’d only ever heard of in stories, legends, sitting in the flesh only feet away, waiting for their orders.

It’s almost painful sitting in such silence when Onew finally speaks up.

“As we all know, the Rising Gods Of The East, are coming – rapidly. Are there any updates on their progress? Any more threats?”

“Threats?” Luhan questions, but he’s shyly ignored by the youngest peacekeeper.

“W-We received a letter yesterday afternoon – hand delivered.”

“Does this have anything to do with the letters we received? With the map?” Luhan blurts, a small angry tone to his voice after being ignored for the first time, but his enquiries are calmly received by the familiar lead peacekeeper who shakes his head comfortably.

“No, I sent those.” He admits, “Your powers, Luhan, are very strong. I had to get the two of you out of the city – just in case, and it’s not like you’re going to listen to a letter kindly asking, right? I’m sorry I had to scare you in such a way.” He smiles, “As for the map, take a look for yourself.”

Luhan pulls the tattered paper from his pocket and taps the centre of it with the tip of his finger to ‘wake’ it. Gold lines spread like think paint over the page, linking together roads, pathways, buildings, underground lines. He in a deep breath and looks up to curiously meet the peacekeeper’s eyes. “That is the legendary map of EXO. Any of the Auspices can activate it, but it truly belongs only to Luhan, the only one who can fully waken the true power of EXO Planet.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you – were you not listening?” Onew rolls his eyes playfully and watches with amusement as the second oldest boy returns his awed attention to the delicate paper.

The youngest peacekeeper seems rather shocked at the way Onew speaks to The Auspices, and Onew promptly catches on, “Taeminnie. Don’t worry about these guys. They might be the Auspices, but they’re just lovely, normal people before anything else. You don’t have to be so apprehensive.”

“I-I’m just… I feel very honoured to meet you all.” He mumbles in a quiet voice. His cheeks immediately stain pink when Kai – his personal favourite of the Auspices, everyone had a favourite – laughs softly and nods.

“Yeah, man, don’t worry about it. We’re all fine with you talking to us as you would any of your friends. We’re here to help, right? Not be all high and mighty.” The other eleven hum in agreement. They’re out of time, but the bond between the twelve of them still makes Onew grin with pride.

“T-Thank you, K-Kai.”

“Call me Jongin.” Taemin squeaks with glee.

“Anyway, back to business.” Onew interrupts, waving his hand dismissively, batting away the topic of conversation in order to present a new one. “The Rising Gods are nearing rapidly, and we don’t have a plan of action. Our Auspcies have returned, and I’m confident that they do not know, however, it won’t take long for news to reach their ears.”

Sehun shivers, “It means that we don’t have much time. Our defences are reasonably good, for a planet so quickly revived, but there’s a reason the two are called the Rising Gods Of The East. I don’t think our walls and weapons are going to hold them back for long.”

“Wait, two?” Kyungsoo blinks, eyes wider than usual. The twelve share an incredulous look. Their planet, their so highly-held planet, is being threatened by an army of two? “Just two? That’s it?” Sure, they’re probably not called the Rising Gods Of The East for nothing, but two?

“Do not underestimate them.” His voice is firm and it sends a chill down Kyungsoo’s spine, “That will be your first mistake. They have taken us down once, they could easily do it again. It’s up to you, The Auspices, to stop them.”

“What do you expect us to do? Just waltz on up to them like ‘Hey, man? What you’re doing here? Not cool. Stop it.’ And they’ll just be like ‘, man, sorry.’ And leave us alone?”

“Of course not, Chen, but,” he pauses to sigh, lowering his head, “but you twelve are our only hope. Our guiding lights. We need you…” He stands slowly, wandering over to the window to peer on out over the city building around them, so full of life, and his eyes gently caress the wilting Tree Of Life in the centre of civilisation. He smiles sadly. “Once upon a time, when the skies and grounds were one in peace, the legends, through their twelve forces, nurtured the tree of life.” He stops for a long pause, quietly breathing, no one else daring to make a sound. “One day, The Rising Gods Of The East and their red force created evil upon the planet, which coveted the heart of the Tree Of Life, and over time, the heart has slowly begun to grow dry.” He stops once more and turns, eyes watery and filled with sadness and longing. “The twelve forces are no longer safe on our planet. The Tree Of Life they once nurtured dying… our only protectors were the Auspices, the tree’s last source of life – the only thing keeping its roots alive. If they were to fall into the wrong hands…” He can’t bear to say it. “The twelve were hidden away safely until the meeting of the two moons. Looking up at the same sky, we knew the twelve Auspices would one day meet and gather again, to save our planet; to purify the red forces and defeat The Rising Gods Of The East… and to once again, nurture the Tree Of Life. A new world shall open up – a new world for us to protect and enjoy. But only with the help of our Auspices can we achieve this.”

He sits back down, his words hanging heavily in the silence of the room. Even the peacekeepers daren’t talk, daren’t breathe out of place, and it’s unsettling, how quiet the room is exactly, as it’s inhabitants think. There’s not much time and there’s not much hope, but if everyone believes, they know they can do it. With their mix-matched, not-quite-mastered powers, and undeniably, their determination, The Auspices know that they have no other goal but to save EXO.

If there’s something they can all agree on, it’s that they would all rather die for the safety of their planet. They would risk their lives to keep their people, who have trusted and believed in them for so long, safe.  

Junmyeon quietly raises his hand to speak, “yes, Suho?”

“If you don’t mind me interrupting, I have an inkling of an idea. It’s just a suggestion, but it might be useful information to have in our efforts as we plan. You see, the twelve of us have-”