“He just… he just burned! He killed himself. ing Tree of Life, he killed himself,” Baekhyun was trapped in a circle of muttering and sobbing, fingers shaking, replaying the scene over and over again in his head. Suho and Luhan were carrying him away from the now simmering fire, the most emotionally stable of everyone in the group. Crying and cussing sounded through the entire woods and there was a horrible smell of death in the air that was all too familiar to the Legends.

Amber stood close to Minho, who had fallen deadly silent just on the outskirts of the clearing, trying to keep him from blowing up into a fit of distressed rage. It was all he could do when something so horrible had just happened, and Amber knew him too well.

The Legends separated from the remaining survivors of Suju apart from Kris, Baekhyun and Jessica’s screams echoing through the trees, Minho’s knuckles now bloody and dirtied from tree bark. Xiumin disappeared to the beach front.

Suho and Luhan dragged Baekhyun back to the camp, sobs coming up through his mouth like vomit and vision blurred through thick tears. His legs shook, giving way each time he tried to follow Suho and Luhan’s stride. “Chanyeol, Tree of Life, Chanyeol!”

“Shh, Baek, shh. It’s alright. Breathe,” Luhan encouraged, detaching himself from reality.

Kai looked up from the simmering bonfire, Baekhyun’s cries piercing when his gaze met with the large, burning pile of ash ahead of them. He stood, making his way towards them, right hand covering the stump on his left. He wanted to ask what happened, but he was even more afraid to hear the answer.

A great wall had formed between the two groups, Suho and Amber the only ones to make conversation. If Jessica didn’t hang around by herself, she clung to Kris who couldn’t even look at her. “Always the same,” Kai had mumbled to himself, peering at him from his peripheral vision one day.

“Are you sure about this?” Amber asked Suho, gloom fallen over her face as she followed him helplessly.

“We can’t stay here anymore. It’s too painful… for everyone,” he explained, eyes turned to the ground, the overcast sky mirroring the loss in his heart. The blurry visions in his head.

Her brows furrowed, pursing her lips for a moment. “Where’ll you go?”

Suho looked over the horizon southward. “We’ll try the other side of the pangaea. Make a stop in Revelle on our way to Ruk. If we find nothing there our next stop should be the island of Caschaea. And if there’s nothing there…” he sighed, trailing off.

The sound of the wind blowing was a reminder of the emptiness in the land.

Amber put a hand on Suho’s shoulder. “Well… you and your lot are always welcome back here… really.”

Suho put his hand atop hers, eyes still on the ground. “Thanks, Amber. We appreciate that.”

“What the , Kris?” Jessica’s voice was scratchy and demanding, eyes wide and desperate, boring holes into his back.

He didn’t turn to look at her at first, thinking. “What, Jessica?”

Her fists were clenched, lips shaking. “You’re really just gonna leave me here? After everything, you’re just gonna leave?”

“I can’t stay here, Jessica, you know I can’t.”

Jessica shut her eyes tight, biting down on her bottom lip. “No, I don’t know. Ineed you, Kris, I need you here.”

His mouth fell agape, confusion and panic sweeping over him. “No. No, Jessica. That’s not what this was, you know that. You know that.”

“Please don’t leave me.” Her voice was so weak and quiet, pleading, face hidden beneath her long hair.

His eyes fell down to the ground.

And he left without saying another word.

And she fell to her knees and cried into the dirt beneath her nails.