Chapter 3 - Nightmare

General POV

After C.A.P left, L.joe and Niel continued their search. Suddenly, Niel felt an impact as he stepped forward.

"Woah, what's this?" Niel was surprised to see a glowing sphere lying on the ground.

"What?" L.joe followed Niel's gaze and picked up the glowing matter. Niel leaned towards L.joe to observe the sphere more closely, before the older carelessly stuffed it into his pocket.

"Let's not waste our time here, we can figure it out later." L.joe suggested, in which the younger agreed. So, the two walked side by side in silence, searching for signs of their second prey.

Niel's mind wandered as he blindly followed his beloved hyung. What is actually going on? It's really weird to see someone's hair remaining matt black, and not recovering even if he's Healed... I wonder if that legend is true -

His thoughts were cut off as a Spilo suddenly ran across the path. The Spilo was like a two-metre long lizard on Earth, but with a beak like an eagle. Immediately, L.joe bolted towards the escaping creature. Niel also chased after it while preparing his bow and arrow. By instinct, the Spilo started to make its way up a tree in a squirrel-like manner. Before it could react, L.joe aimed his palm at it and attacked. Ice spikes pierced instantly through the ground and spread towards the Spilo, following it up onto the tree and engulfing the whole creature, fixing it on the tree trunk.

"Woah, this is so cool." Niel stared at the icy statue before his eyes in shock, before he dropped his bow.

"You feel kinda uncomfortable when hunting right?" L.joe sat on the forest floor, "So maybe we should just wait till it loses consciousness in the ice..."

"Of course, it would be less painful... Thanks hyung." Niel smiled as he picked up his bow and sat beside the older. He played with the ice crystals beside him while pouting.

L.joe observed Niel as the younger poked the ice surface with his index finger, slowly drawing circles and melting the ice. He then shifted his vision to Niel's plump lips that he had stuck out. Ah what am I looking at! Stop it Lee Byunghun. L.joe mentally scolded himself for his creepy act. How lovely would it be if it snows now... It's already spring though... With this idea, L.joe came up with a playful surprise plan. "I'm gonna see if there are anything around." He told the younger, "Just stay here and guard the Spilo okay? I'll be back in a moment." The younger responded with a simple nod, still playing with the ice.

With that, L.joe walked around the huge tree, pretending to scout the area. When he was behind the tree trunk and out of Niel's sight, he aimed both of his hands upwards and smiled. Suddenly a cloud of fluffy white matter appeared above where Niel was seated. One, two, three! L.joe counted in his heart and the matter bursted into millions of snowflakes, gracefully descending down the air.

Niel was distracted when he realised it's snowing. "Oh?" Niel catched the snowflakes with his palm and observed them as they slowly melted into tiny water droplets. L.joe peeked from behind the tree and giggled at the younger's reaction. Seeing Niel distracted, L.joe paced around the tree until he saw the  Spilo and shot it with his bow. The arrow pierced through the ice and eventually the creature's body, causing the ice to crack and fall off the tree. "L.joe hyung?" Niel was surprised by the sudden sound and whirled around to search for L.joe. "Ah, hyung!" Niel smiled widely when he saw L.joe standing there with a cheeky smile on his face. He looked up to admire the gently falling snow, and smiled genuinely at L.joe.

"Like it?" L.joe asked the younger as he walked towards him.

"Definitely!" Niel said enthusiastically, and stood up to face his hyung.

"Good, so I didn't disappoint you right?" L.joe laughed and teased.

"No, not at all." Niel chuckled before pulling L.joe into his tight embrace. They stayed like this for a while and Niel suddenly realised how awkward it was, before laughing it off. Slowly, he released L.joe and turned around to pull the arrow out from the Spilo's body. L.joe pulled out his dagger and started removing the ice stuck on the creature. After he finished, he tied its body with a rope he had brought with him and carried the Spilo before walking away.

"Let's go, it's almost time." L.joe motioned the younger to follow him. Only that moment did Niel realise how far they had travelled.

Niel ran towards his hyung and linked arms with him. "Sure, let's go!" He walked with L.joe to join C.A.P.

As the two walked through the forest, the younger secretly observed L.joe's expression. A small frown was constantly on L.joe's face, which worried Niel. Niel remembered when L.joe told him about his nightmare earlier that morning. He is definitely trying to hide something... "Hyung?" Niel asked. L.joe just hummed in response. "Mind telling me about your dream now?"

L.joe paused to look at the younger. "Well..." He then lowered his head, and started walking again.

It was darkness. Exhaustion.

A drop of warm liquid gently landed on my eyelid. Another drop. Another drop. The soothingly warm droplets seeped into my eyes and mixed with my tears.

"Wake up," A familiar voice urged, "Please, I beg you." The voice soon turned into a painful sob. I tried to move, but it was impossible. I couldn't even shift, as if an invisible force was pushing my body down. Exhaustion. My last bit of energy drained from my body - it was too hard to even open my eyes. Inhale, exhale.

Through my eyelids, I sensed light shining from above. The light penetrated through my eyelids to give me a vision of crimson red. "Don't die on me..." The voice murmured. Death? I felt my heart pounding hard in my chest - it was denying the fact that I was dying. "Don't die on me!" The voice screamed into my ears, before the light intensified and gave me strength. Warm droplets landed on my eyes and cheeks again.

My eyes slowly cracked open, which only enabled me a blurry vision as the fluid welled in my eyes. I blinked to squeeze the liquid out of my eyes. Niel. It was Niel's tears. He was cradling me in his arms while slouching against a tree. "Hyung..." My beloved dongsaeng wailed and tightened his grip around me. "Don't you dare to leave me alone!" He broke down completely and cried his heart out. My heart screamed in pain when I saw him choked up in tears. I could never forgive myself for making him cry over my 'death' - but I could do nothing. I had absolutely no energy to move. Tears welled in my eyes as I started to cry with him. I could feel him shuddering between sobs .

"Y-your hair," Niel stuttered between sobs, "It's b-black, hyung." He wiped his overflowing tears from his red eyes. He was trembling in fear."I can't heal you! I'm s-so sorry..." He apologized before choking and coughing uncontrollably while rubbing his eyes like a child. How I wished to wipe the tears from his dirt-caked cheeks, but it seemed that my wish could never be granted. All I could do was to look at him as I cried. My body was paralysed. I felt so weak, so useless. “Hyung, I will never forgive you if you leave me all alone in this chaotic world.”

Suddenly, a loud boom resonated the area, and I was once again dragged back into darkness. Niel's desperate scream was the last thing I heard.

“Do you think it will come true one day?” L.joe asked after he finally opened up to Niel,  who gave no response. Niel was too stunned by the nightmare - precisely, how L.joe literally trembled as he recalled his nightmare. The nightmare really seemed to scare the older a lot. “I hope it doesn’t.” L.joe said as he looked upwards, trying to stop his welling tears from rolling down his cheeks, “You said you would never forgive me.”

"I will," Niel responded without a doubt, "and the nightmare won't come true if you don't believe it." He took the older's hand and held it tight, trying to reassure him.

The two walked in silence with their arms linked together. Occasionally, Niel would glance at L.joe to check on him. He seems to have calmed down a bit now… Niel’s lips curled into a relieved smile as he travelled with the older in peace.

“What do you wanna do when we get home?” L.joe broke the silence.

“Huh?” Niel had been zoning out and missed the question.

“Wanna have some fun when we get home later?”

“Really?” Niel beamed.

“Why not?” A mischievous smile flashed across the older’s face. Niel gave L.joe a nod, before they finally made their way back to the tree.

"Hey." C.A.P appeared from behind the tree.

"Hyung we caught a Spilo!" Niel cheered, "What have you got?"

"Nothing special that side..." C.A.P shrugged, "So I just picked some fruits and digged some roots." He held up his net filled with the harvest, and raised an eyebrow at the two. They are at it again. He chuckled when he saw the two with their linked arms. They're so obvious.

"I got some earlier too!" Niel pointed at the 'leaf container' he had tied to his quiver, before he detached his bottle beside it and quenched his thirst. He then took the net from C.A.P as the older was already carrying the Savanna.

"Good, let's head back then." L.joe said.

"Sure." C.A.P responded and the three started moving.

Meanwhile, Chunji was enjoying his day off from hunting. He decided to relax a bit in his room, which was shared with his dear friend L.joe. Despite Chunji always trying to act cool, he was actually very emotional. He always expressed his feelings through music as it was his specialty - on top of composing, he could sing with his heavenly voice and play a panflute at the same time. Yes, he could sing and blow an instrument at the same moment.

Chunji was a part of the Maple race, the race of Autumn, along with C.A.P. The Maple race could create and manipulate light, dryness, and more importantly, the wind. That is the key to Chunji's special talent. Every Autumn, he would perform his compositions even if there were no audience. He would hold his panflute and create rhythmic air movements with his delicate fingers that blew into the instrument, as he sings expressively at the same time.

Chunji retrieved his panflute, lined notebook and pencil from his drawer before settling on L.Joe's bed. He flipped the pages to where he left off last time as he tapped the top of his pencil rhythmically on his chin. Without him knowing, he started humming a gentle melody, while scribbling down the lyrics for the lines.

You never hear my heart's painful screech

Cos you're like the stars behind the clouds

Too far to reach

I'd do anything to make you smile

I'd give everything I've got

But I guess I'm not as fearless as I thought… [A/N: I changed the lyrics to a song haahha]

Chunji leaned on the headboard of the bed and cleared his throat. Peacefully but with a bit of solemnity, the notes escaped his lips. His silvery voice danced through the air, before Chunji dropped his notebook and slouched. Feeling emotional yet lazy, he pulled the blanket over his body and hugged L.joe’s pillow. He sniffed the soft fabric and frowned, drifting into his thoughts.

Changjo still stayed in bed and did nothing. His mind dwelled on his multiplying worries. He hugged the blanket to his chest and sighed. He could feel his heart beating hard and rapidly. At least I am still alive.

Ricky entered the room to check on Changjo, who again pretended to be asleep. He sat at the table near the windows and played with ice marbles he had created earlier. Slowly, he grew bored as the ice marbles melted into water and was absorbed by the wooden table, forming a darker patch on the surface. He then turned his gaze to Changjo, and pouted.

Then, Ricky stood up from the chair and held up his hands. A block of ice appeared in midair and safely settled down on the table. He put his index finger on his lips and tilted his head to the side, slightly frowning as if in deep thought. His expression gradually turned into a smile as an idea flashed across his mind.

He used his warm palms to smoothen the ice surface until it's crystal clear. As he applied force onto the ice, the solid behaved like colourless play dough and was shaped freely at his will. He made an ice statue of a Koda that held both of its forelimbs up, with its head tilted sideways like him. Carefully, he added final touches to his masterpiece with his fingers, before he crossed his arms and smiled in contentment. With extra care, he placed the statue on the cupboard beside Niel's bed, where Changjo was.

Changjo heard some sound from behind so he rolled around out of curiosity. The first thing he saw was the ice sculpture of a Koda, a bear-like creature. Bears exist here? He extended his hand to touch the crystal gently, and was startled by the cold sensation. This is ice? But it looks as transparent as glass... He admired the details of the artwork - the fine fur and the pair of sparkling eyes. Just like a realistic teddy...

He then looked up to see Ricky waving cheerfully at him. Changjo didn't know how to react so he just smiled in response. What should I do? "You still can't speak?" Ricky asked. Changjo panicked a little inside as he didn't understand what Ricky meant. Ricky, who received no feedback, pointed at his own throat before making a cross with his hands. Changjo was relieved as the other communicated with body language, which he understood and nodded in response.

"Wanna play together?" Ricky offered his hand. Changjo again didn't understand but took it as a friendly invitation. So, he took Ricky's hand and sat up from the bed. Immediately, Ricky held out his hand and created a clump of snow in his palm, which shocked the younger. He threw the snowball into the midair and with a clap, the clump exploded into tiny snowy matter and descended gracefully. Changjo was so stunned that he couldn't react.

"Haebyeollie!" Changjo chanted, "Look at this!" Changjo motioned his beloved younger sister to come and pointed enthusiastically at the book he was reading.

"What do you want to show me again?" Haebyeol chuckled and hugged her brother from behind.

"Look at this!" Changjo tilted his head to look at his sister, "This is called 'snow'." He pointed at an image of a snow-covered pine tree forest.

"Wow..." Haebyeol was blown away by the beauty of snow, "I've never seen such thing before..."

"Me neither... How I wish I could see its real form, even only for once." Changjo sighed, and flipped the page. "They say that snow is formed by clusters of its tiny form called 'snowflakes', like these." He pointed at illustrations of different shapes of snowflakes.

"Which are even more pretty!" Haebyeol continued.

"I hope I can experience all these with you someday, Byeollie."

"We will." Haebyeol closed the book and looked at his brother with a hopeful smile. "Haven't the scientists figured out a way to cool our planet down?" She said in confidence.

"Well, as for that..." Changjo knew she was referring to the Globe, "I hope they will figure that out." He responded with a monotoned voice. ‘Figure out how wrong that is...’ He thought.

Changjo's heart ached as he recalled the times when his beloved sister was still around. My Star of the Sea, [A/N: Hae is 'sea' (or sun) in Korean while Byeol is 'star'] you are now living in the peace of heaven, right? Changjo caught some snowflakes with his palm and observed them. So these are real snowflakes... I can finally see these in real life Byeollie, but you are not with me anymore... He blew away the tiny matter. They seem so fragile but beautiful, like you.

Changjo snapped out of his reminiscence when he saw Ricky piling up the matter into a huge structure. He shivered due to the drop in temperature, but still joined the older. Soon, they created a snow cabin - as well as a mess. However, they both smiled in joy in the midst of the chaos around them. "This is our home!" Ricky cheered.

Meanwhile, the hunting team was heading home as they chattered about random matters. However, Niel only responded to his companions half-heartedly as he sensed something trailing behind them. He kept looking around but he failed to spot anything out of the ordinary. To avoid worrying his hyungs, he kept this to himself. Still, he stayed cautious although he didn’t think the creature would impose any danger upon them.

“We’re finally back!” L.joe cheered as the cabin came into their sight.

“I wonder what the others are doing - ” Niel said before being interrupted by a frightful scream from the cabin.

“What the heck?” L.joe sweared under his breath and the three of them sprinted towards the cabin without a second thought.

A/N: Hello again! (after so long OTL) Here’s the third chapter of the story :D I’m so sorry that I couldn’t fulfill my promise to update more frequently and I kind of went on hiatus because of my final exams and other school activities T-T I’m currently working on chapter four and hopefully I will be able to squeeze out more time for writing during the summer vacation :D The ideas are already in my head so all I have to do is to put them in words hahaahha

Anyways, please continue the support and subscribe to this story if you haven’t! Share with me your thoughts in the comments section please~