A familiar throbbing pounded above his eyes. Bright light bleeding in through the bedside window, blinding him. He rubbed at his forehead and sat upright, legs bent beneath the sheets. His lower lids squinched, lips pursing. Focused. Gathering the last few strands of a memory that was slipping through his fingers.  How much time had slipped away from him?

He started to recognize the bookshelves that lined the walls, the dark-wood floors; stained and cracking at the seams. Now that the sleep had cleared in his eyes, he could see the gray and barren wasteland beyond the bedside window. He reached for the windowpane, fingernails dirty and bloodied. Staring at them against the glass, the memories began to resurface.

It was a snap that turned his head past the archway. He was drawn to the obscured figure of a boy, blurred by the bright light coming in through the line of windows directly behind. The air disturbed by his sudden presence, the cluttered desk suddenly seemed empty as its pages fluttered around the room. The figure made his way to the bedside, hands in his pockets, head down-turned.

“How long?” his voice was monotone. It felt repetitive. He had asked before.

The figure was a boy his age, dark hair, olive skin, round, thick lips. Sitting on the edge of the bed, his back slumped over his knees with fingers ensnared together and eyes never once looking at him. The silence that followed after left him feeling anxious, curling his hands in the sheets.

“Two weeks… Luhan,” he murmured, eyes still intent on staring down the floor instead of facing him. Unmoving and unspeaking. Still like stone. Again. It did nothing to soothe the steadily rising anxiety in his chest. It did nothing to help pacify the feelings of fear and paranoia. It was not a matter of what had to be said, it was the absence of words that alarmed him.  

Head shooting back, with palms on his knees, he traced the room for the words. “There’s something else…”

“I figured.” The words came easily, slipping through the cracks of what had only previously seemed like private thoughts. “You’re better off telling me, Kai.”

Kai looked to Luhan, the bags under his eyes casting dark shadows onto the rest of his face. He looked like he hadn’t slept a single night in these two weeks. As the minutes ticked away, Luhan felt that familiar pull of anxiety. He could see Kai struggling to say it, could see his brows furrowing and the corners of his lips quivering.

“No, that’s bull, Kai,” A raw laugh forced itself from his throat, a shoulder bumping into Kai’s.  Instead of the laughter he only felt a misplaced anger. “That’s bull.” The shove was harder this time, angrier. He wasn’t sure why, but the nervous feeling he’d harbored since waking up only seemed to be getting worse. It could not be either one of his brothers. He couldn’t accept that, not in his absence.

Kai shook his head as he struggled to find gentler words for what he knew to be the harsh truth. The moment he dared to look up, Luhan’s jaw was set tight with emotion. He could see the imminent panic take him over as he squirmed under the sheets. “I’m sorry, Luhan. We’re doing everything we can—“

“Who?” his voice cracked. He swore under his breath, struggling to keep his voice steady. “Who is it, Kai?”

He clenched his jaw, inhaling. “It’s Sehun.”

The tree tips were glowing like embers, the sky a green ocean overhead that seemed to pour down into the earth, painting a landscape hazy and magical. Stars passed in droves, speeding in a current above. The singing flowers’ petals brushed together against the wind, playing a lullaby like the call of a halcyon.

“Kai, that’s cheating!” A playful voice called. It belonged to a boy with elfish ears and rose-red hair. Beside him was another young man his age, hair a dirty blonde with a sharp face. To his other side, a girl with kind eyes and strong cheek-bones hidden beneath long hair. A chirp of laughter and a snap of his fingers took Kai back to the group, arousing frustration from the red-head.

Kai fell into him, his voice a faint string of laughter. “But that’s how I get places, Chanyeol. Kris, tell him.”

Kris lounged weightlessly above their heads, head back and eyes to the sky.  “Some of us are born better than others, you’ll have to get used to it, kiddo,” he sniggered with delighted satisfaction

Chanyeol swung a fist Kris’ way, missing and throwing himself off balance. His eyes flared with disgust, veiling embarrassment. He continued swinging and missing, making a spectacle of himself.

Hunched over in laughter, the girl leaned a hand into Chanyeol’s shoulder. “Cool off, Channie! He was just joking.”

“Listen to Nana. Don’t hurt yourself, man. ” Kris snorted, lingering just out of his reach.

“Hurt myself?” his lip curled with disgust and then up into a smile. “Maybe I ought to offer you to the Tree, right? Instant Legend!”

“I’d like to see you try.”

While they made their way towards the glow trees, two young men strolled through the clearing behind them. One was tall with a stern face. At his side was Luhan, who was shorter with the face of youth. “How is it that Kris turned out so childish instead of you, Sehun?”

Sehun chuckled, “I dunno. How did you end up the shortest and the youngest looking when you’re oldest, huh?”

"Hey!" Luhan’s voice was authoritative, chasing Sehun off towards the others. He shook his head with a knowing smile, “They’ll never respect me, will they?”

"Probably not," a disembodied voice replied before an unseen force fell upon him, his legs buckling. He looked in either direction, waiting for the suspect to reveal themselves. A young woman, face pale and hair a dark brown, materialized with her arms around his shoulders and her face in a grin.

“Lully, what the hell?” Luhan laughed awkwardly.

“Amazing,” she pulled her arms back, folding them over her chest. “We’ve known each other all this time and you still get surprised by me. I would’ve thought you’d be immune to it by now.”

Luhan put his hands in his pockets, eyes rested and lips a dull smile. He saw his brothers and friends ahead. Laughing. Playing. No worries. Not a care. “I wish times like this could bejust a little longer.”

“Yeah?”

He nodded. “Yeah… All the stress from training, the competing we do with each other—it’s really tiring. Exhausting, actually.” Lully nodded, eyes on the singing flowers. “This feeling now, I like this. We’re all friends again, and my brothers don’t hate me anymore, so that’s pretty nice.” They both recalled a moment when Sehun had pitched a fit at Luhan, refusing to speak with him for nearly two days all because of a sparring match. It was so humorous now.

“They never hated you,” she replied, smiling, “You know they look up to you. Especially Sehun. He’d be lost without you, Lu Belle.”

“I told you to stop calling me that.”

“Never.”

Chanyeol and the others waited for them at the glow tree. Kris hung from a branch just large enough to support him, the others comfortably in the arms of its trunk. Glow trees were known for their friendly nature. They required lots of attention, nurturing and companionship. Nana and Chanyeol could be heard complimenting the tree, “Your lights are so beautiful today, Glow Tree. Your branches are like the stars—prettier, even.”

Lully nestled into the embrace of the glow tree, Luhan still at his feet. “So,” Chanyeol began as the chatter settled, “What happens when four of us don’t make it—become Legends, I mean?” He bit down into a glow fruit, the juice slathered on his lips. He had this terrible habit of chewing with his mouth open, much to Lully’s dismay, who was glaring holes into his head.

Kris scoffed. “Is anything supposed to change? I don’t think so.” He let his limbs fall off the sides of the branches, hanging like a rag-doll. “We’ll be fine. Same as always.”

“Yeah, probably,” Kai agreed, a crooked smile creeping onto his kind face.

Luhan’s gaze met with Sehun’s withered body, head falling between his shoulders. There had been a number of times when he would find his brother slumped over, his mind in a faraway place since they began their training. He would find him alone at the blackest hour of night beside a small fire, creating little whirlwinds from the rising ashes. Or out in the plains where the rushing winds would threaten to plow him down into the dirt.

“Hey.” Sehun jumped at the touch of Luhan’s hand on his shoulder. His brother sat beside him with his back to the others, enforcing some small area of privacy between them.

“What’s up?” Sehun asked, his tone casual.

Luhan raised a brow, his gaze a subtle disapproval. “Don’t try to pretend nothing’s bothering you. I practically raised you, I can tell when you’re in a state of misery.”

The younger brother laughed, “You always talk so weird. I can’t take you seriously.”

Luhan clicked his tongue, leaning his weight into hands. “Disrespectful. What’s up with that, huh? What are you gonna do when I’m a Legend, huh?”

Sehun’s smile quickly disappeared. “I dunno. I probably won’t see you ever again…”

“First of all, what makes you think we’d never see each other again if I became a Legend and you didn’t?” Luhan’s eyes focused on his unchanged face. “Huh? And why are you so sure you won’t be one? You’re skilled, Sehun, I’ve seen what you can do. You can’t stress yourself out about it, alright?” He saw his brother wilt before him, sighing deeply. “What are you so afraid of, huh? You really think I won’t make time for you?”

Sehun rolled his eyes, turning to face him.

“What time will you have for me when you’re protecting the Tree of Life? It’s not a part-time job, Luhan, it’s every day, every hour, for the rest of your life until the next twelve Legends rise.” His chest began to puff up with each breath, his voice starting to crack. “And what good is Wind Manipulation when you and Kris have Telekinesis and Flight? When Lully and Nana have Invisibility and Super Speed? When Kai and Li have Teleportation and Telepathy? When Tao and Lay have Time and Healing?”

“Sehun—”

“They’re incredible assets to the Tree and of the rest of the Forces I think Wind comes pretty low on the damn scale,” He bit down on his quivering lip, looking over the horizon for words. “I don’t want to be left behind.”

Everything he’d been feeling had finally boiled over, his confession leaving him vulnerable, walls in ruins. Luhan was at a loss for words, guilt rising as his silence vibrated in the air. What words could he have offered Sehun to comfort him when what he said was the truth? What hope was there for him to give?

Solemn, drowning in guilt, Luhan wrapped his arms around his brother. He didn’t say anything, just held him as he trembled. Words weren’t necessary. Sehun knew that he was right and Luhan couldn’t argue. Now he felt that the only thing he could do was mourn the loss of his brothers.

“I promise,” Luhan began softly, “I promise, I won’t forget about you, okay? I won’t leave you behind. I promise, Sehun.”

Only when Sehun had finally composed himself did they realize the others had left them in the arms of the glow tree. Its lights glowed dim and melancholy, as though it had been crying with them.

Blood splatter had dried over the purple and black discoloration on Sehun’s now gray skin. He laid limp in the dirt, a country-looking boy hunched over him, fingertips searching his limbs. Kris was swearing, pacing back and forth, kicking the ground. “What the , what the!?”

Statue-esque, a blonde stood away from the others. His eyes were focused and cat-like, like he were looking past everything in front of him. Seeing something else entirely. “Lay, stop,” he said, lips hardly moving.

“You’ll only exhaust his immune system,” another said, his teeth long and face round.

Lay pulled away from Sehun’s unmoving body, defeated. The blood on his face, in his hair and his clothes was beginning to smear in the sweat that was dripping from his body.

“Why isn’t it working?” Kris shouted, his voice desperate. No one gave him an answer. His breathing became harsh. “And you!” His eyes focused on the one who stood like marble, eyes like flames. He marched over to him, ripping him from his place by the collar of his shirt. “Why don’t you look concerned, Tao? Does he mean nothing to you? What the , man? He saved your goddamned life!”

“Kris,” Lay called weakly.

Tao didn’t return eye contact. Just stared to someplace far away. “Huh? Huh?” Kris’ voice became guttural, his teeth gritted, knuckles white,” You got nothin’ to say, you in’ bastard?”

“What should I say? I can’t change what’s been done,” Tao replied, voice controlled. “What do you think you’ll accomplish fighting me?”

Kris bit his lip, corners of his mouth trembling and eyes tearing. He resisted powerful sobs that threatened to erupt any moment. “. Why is this happening, huh? Things used to be so great so why is this happening?” He looked at each of them with desperation, waiting for answers he knew they didn’t have. They returned nothing but a bitter silence. He observed their wilted bodies. Their clothes were shredded, their skin bruised, their eyes dark and exhausted.  “Are we really gonna be able to do this?”

Only the howling wind replied.

Sobs were breaking free from him. “Sehun was never meant to be a Legend. This never should have happened to him.”

“He can still survive, Kris. Stop talking like he’s—”

“It’s been three days, Xiumin! How can he get better now, when even Lay can’t do anything for him? How dare you give me that false, bull hope.”

Snap. Their heads turned towards Kai’s entry, surprised to see Luhan as well. “Luhan,” a few of them muttered, relief in their eyes.

But he doesn’t acknowledge them. Sehun’s withering body, his glassy gaze, are all he can see. “Sehun!” Luhan rushed to his side, eyes panicked.

Kris pulled his hair by the roots.“He’s been infected for three days, Luhan,” His voice was shaking. “He’s just been getting worse and worse and it’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have let him fight. He wouldn’t listen, but I should have made him.” His entire body was shaking now. “He just collapsed right in front of me.”

“I’ve been trying to do what I can,” Lay added, voice low, “but I’m afraid I’m only making him worse. His immune system isn’t responding to me, not the way it should be. I think it’s confused and fighting everything.”

“It’s like a cancer…” Tao still had that faraway look in his eyes. Still unmoving.

Luhan looked Sehun over for himself. His eyes were pleading with him, his lips twitching faintly. “He’s still conscious.” He ran his fingers through his hair, eyes scanning the rest of his body. The discoloration made it hard to tell what were marks from battle and what was from the infection.

Xiumin observed the discoloration. “At least it shows itself.” He pulled back the tattered cloth from over his chest, revealing the area over his heart was still uninfected. “I’m assuming when it spreads this far he’ll be gone.”

“Goddammit, this is all my fault. Why the didn’t I stop him? ,” Kris bit down on his knuckles, sure his brother would be dead by the next dawn.

“I should have been here,” Luhan mumbled, guilt rising. “In any case, we need to get him out of here. Before the Reaping Wraiths come…” He stood, turning to his brother. “Where should we take him? Is there anywhere safe?”

Kai cleared his throat, “The best place for him is where I got you at. It’s a roof and a comfortable bed.”

“You’re sure it’s safe?”

“It sheltered you for two weeks, didn’t it? You couldn’t ask for anything better,” Lay answered, removing his cloak and covering Sehun’s shivering body with it.

Luhan nodded absentmindedly. He was left with a jarring feeling, still unable to catch up with the two weeks that he had lost. Though loss of time was something he was growing used to, it never ceased to frustrate him.

“I’m going ahead.” Snap. Kai didn’t give anyone time to interject. He was in a hurry to get there for whatever reason, but none of them questioned it anyways. Kai had become more and more restless once the Red Force infected the Tree of Life.

Extending his hand towards Sehun, Luhan called for his telekinesis to lift him. He focused his eyes on his body, fingers curling tightly. He focused harder and harder, yet his mind was too weak. Kris moved his hands aside. “You just woke up, let me carry him.” Luhan tried to argue, but Kris was already pulling Sehun into his arms. “I can do it. Besides, you hate moving bodies.”

They walked westward to the mansion, the wind beating on them from the north. The south. Then the east and the west. It was in absolute chaos. A wailing like that from a tantrum. A crying child, terrified and alone.

“I’m sorry,” Kris cried into Sehun’s hair, “I’m so sorry.”