A/N: Trigger Warning: Blood, violence, and death. This is a pretty depressing chapter...

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Yixing's head is pounding when he wakes up; similar to the first time he had woken up in this godforsaken place. He feels strong arms holding him tightly, and he immediately knows that they belong to Yifan. Sighing, he turns around to look at the other, but turns away almost immediately after seeing nothing but darkness in those once warm eyes. He's being held in such a way that makes him feel like a prisoner, and as he looks around, seeing the wide-open space, he decides that he probably is one. To his right, he can see Minseok, clearly still unconscious; Minseok is floating in the air in a tense position, and behind him is Lu Han, looking just as empty as Yifan.

To the right of Minseok and Lu Han, is Sehun, who is desperately trying to escape from Jongin's hold, but cannot. And finally, his eyes land on Baekhyun and Chanyeol, but what catches his eye first isn't Baekhyun's barely living state, but the blood that cakes his clothes. Yixing notices that the spiritual connection between them is hardly existent at the moment even though they're barely ten metres away from each other. Yixing winces as he feels a sharp pain in his chest, knowing that Baekhyun is growing weaker by the second, and there's nothing he can do about it.

"Baekhyun-ah!" He yells as loudly as possible, almost smiling when he sees the other react with the slightest twitch of his head. "Hold on, Baekhyun-ah! Please, I won't let you-!"

A large hand is clapped over his mouth, and Yixing doesn't even need to check to know it's Yifan's. Yixing can feel tears prickling at the corners of his eyes as he watches Baekhyun helplessly.

"Well, I think that's quite enough," Yixing recognises the voice as Kyungsoo's and sees him step into view out of his peripheral vision. "I let this get much too far…"

Yixing is confused until he sees Jongdae appear behind Kyungsoo, and he realises that they must have been working together this whole time. His eyes widen, and he tries to speak, to get answers, but all of his words are muffled by his lover's large hand.

"Kyungsoo… ya…" And Yixing's head snaps up as he recognises the voice as Baekhyun's. "Why…?"

"Why?!" Kyungsoo sounds furious as he stomps his way over to Baekhyun, earth rising with each angry step. "You, of all people, don't know why?"

Baekhyun says nothing more; clearly just staying conscious is a chore for him at this point. Kyungsoo frowns before his lips form this very unsettling smirk.

“No matter,” he says with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I’ll tell you though, but just you.”

Yixing is trying desperately to hold on to what's left of his and Baekhyun's spiritual connection, as Kyungsoo leans in and whispers into Baekhyun's ear. Baekhyun's expression changes from exhaustion to one of utter disbelief. Yixing wants to know what Kyungsoo said to Baekhyun, but at the same time, he can feel his stomach churning, and every other part of him is screaming that he does not.

"What do you think, Baekhyun-ah?" Kyungsoo is saying now, his back to Yixing. "Don't you think it's brilliant?"

Instead of waiting for a response from Baekhyun though, Kyungsoo turns away from him, gesturing dramatically towards everyone.

“I think this is a grand arrangement, this is the way it should always have been,” Kyungsoo says loudly, like he’s so proud of himself. “From the very beginning, this whole thing has been a test, or maybe you will see it as entertainment for myself, it has been quite so. And Jongdae, here, has been so very lovely as to set everything up. You’ve been a very useful pawn. I’m sorry, but I lied about the power.” The look on his face said that he was anything but sorry though.

Jongdae reacts immediately, running towards Kyungsoo, but is knocked away by a block of earth.

"You used me?!" Jongdae screams, still trying to get to Kyungsoo. "I did all the dirty work, made myself the bad guy, while you made yourself look as innocent as possible, and I don’t get anything in return?!"

A streak of lightning is sent directly at Kyungsoo, but it's easily knocked away by more earth.

"Exactly, and now I don't need you anymore."

Yixing barely has time to blink before Jongdae is impaled on a large piece of rock. Kyungsoo doesn’t even spare Jongdae a second glance. Baekhyun's expression is one of complete and utter horror, like he still can't believe what Kyungsoo has told him, or what he just did. The healer can barely watch as Baekhyun weakly struggles against Chanyeol's hold, but it's all in vain as the taller male’s hold doesn't loosen at all, if anything it tightens. Yixing can see light shining from his palm, and he can feel their connection become a little stronger, but then it's fading again, and Yixing has to bite his lip to keep from screaming when he looks at him. Kyungsoo is slowly pulling the piece of rock in Baekhyun's side out, and the blood is pouring, covering his entire suit. Baekhyun's mouth is open like he wants to scream, but no sound is coming out, there is just blood dribbling down his chin.

"Drop him," Kyungsoo commands, but Chanyeol doesn't do so, and Yixing can tell that Chanyeol is somehow fighting against whatever is supposed to be controlling him. "Fine, you can die together then."

Yixing is horrified as he watches Baekhyun get impaled through the chest, just like Jongdae, the rock though, went through Chanyeol to get to him. Chanyeol and Baekhyun collapse on to the ground when the rock is pulled back, Baekhyun slipping from Chanyeol’s previously tight grasp, both of them are clearly either dead or near death. Yixing screams then, feeling like his heart is being pulled out of his chest as his spiritual connection with Baekhyun disintegrates into thin air. The pain is too much, and just before he gives in to it, he sees Chanyeol pull Baekhyun into his arms again. Yixing falls into the darkness, a single tear rolling down his face.

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Thank you to everyone for the support, it means so much! <3

So until... Saturday. I'm going to try to post every other day. Happy New Year! ^_^