It was the sound of water that seemed to awaken him. Xiumin heard without seeing the trickle of a stream, the faint splashes of a small waterfall. He could almost taste and smell the air, rich and mossy, fragrant but old. As if nobody had stepped here in a very long time. As if no visitors but him had disturbed it for many hundreds of years. 

He opened his eyes, wondering how hard it would be to move. He only remembered receiving a shock, followed by pain, although even now he couldn't remember why. Didn't know what had brought him to this state, but it was surprisingly easy to sit up. His body felt light as air, weightless, almost as if he wasn't even there. Only his head felt faint, his entire vision swimming before his eyes. If he'd had a body, he might have thrown up. Instead he only dry heaved but not even the sounds of him coughing disturbed the air. There were no sounds at all beyond the waterfall. Nobody was here, not even him. 

His mind swam, thoughts beginning to take form. He was dreaming, he must be dreaming. Unless this was some kind of complicated magic that he'd only heard rumors of. An out of body experience-yet even further than that. Was this the Fade? That dreamlike world visited only by the spirits who traveled from one world to the next? That shadowy realm of where innocents were caught, where mages drew their power, or from where the demons of this world enticed? Xiumin couldn't tell. Only his brother had ever claimed to see that world from somewhere deep in trance, but whether or not he'd actually visited that place, Xiumin didn't know and his brother had never divulged how. It was impossible anyways, to physically go there. Perhaps though, it was just a dream?

Xiumin tested his voice. Where... but even that was swallowed up by the air, still fragrant but faintly stale. His feet stepped silently over moss-covered stones, barely even touching the ground, as if he were floating. Arms reached out to push back the overhanging branches of foliage, a kind of jungle he'd never seen, but maybe he recognized the fronds, the flowers. The leaves gave way before his fingers even made contact, revealing the way.

It was a path he followed, winding through the greenery. Each step brought him closer to the source of the water, the only thing his ears could hear. Closer and then sometimes farther, to the left but then from the right. He followed the stones, widening now and every so often marked by rubble statues, ancient artistry gone to ruin.

From the distance he heard a voice, a whisper, calling a name he could not make out. Was it his name, or someone else's? He followed it, hovering over the path even as he walked, quicker now, more anxious now. The trees grew larger, the flowers a shade brighter, the green more vibrant. Yet at every other blink it seemed to fade, and then flicker, and then brighten again, as if the whole world was there, but not, edging on the boundaries of reality.

He heard the voice again, a name... and this time he knew it was definitely his name. And the person calling to him... neither man nor woman, he could not tell. He only hearkened after the voice, the sounds of the waterfall drawing near.

You are close, the voice seemed to say.

Xiumin paused, suddenly frightened, and when he stared before him, his arm holding back another large palm-like frond, he caught himself staring at the glistening shine of a jewel upon his hand. A ring upon his finger, ornate bands wrapped around a large, gleaming emerald. 

He let go of the branch which slapped him in the face, or seemed to fling right through him. Xiumin cried out, silently, eyes closed from the shock and his head swam once more, stomach reeling. When he opened his eyes he was in a different place, the sanctuary of a large open temple and in the center of it was no waterfall, no stream, but a well from which waters bubbled and flowed serenely. Larger and wider than the height of several human bodies, the well simmered low to the ground, at foot level if Xiumin were to approach it. Something shimmered above the waters, a gleam that might have been a figure, a spirit, but Xiumin could not tell who or even what. 

You are not alone, it whispered to him though.

Xiumin shivered, a prickle upon his neck as if he was being watched. And he was. Besides himself and the shimmer, and the ring on his finger which glowed and pulsed like a heartbeat, a shadow hovered to his left, far enough away to not pose a threat but startling all the same. He was small like a little boy, completely robed and his face was hidden behind a dusky shawl, only two hands visible from where they extended beyond the sleeves of an otherwise long, dark robe. Gray hands, and if Xiumin were truly here he might have begun to sweat. Instead he stared at the boy and asked the first question that came to mind.

Are you human?

The boy did not respond. Neither did the shimmering voice above the well, though Xiumin could feel it - her? - humming. 

He looked back at the shadowy boy, still awaiting an answer.

Maybe?

Xiumin tensed, staring as for the first time the boy began to move, just his arms as they lifted towards the shawl masking his face. Xiumin was suddenly afraid to see it, to see him, whatever he was, and yet he couldn't look away. The ring on his finger began to pulse, almost to the point of burning pain, and twice the vision swam before his eyes, fading and blackening, before he could focus once more on the boy. The shimmer above the water hummed even louder, the waters themselves swirled faster, collecting the fallen foliage and debris of emerald green leaves from where they'd laid dormant upon the edges. The whole thing shone like jewels but the noise grew ferocious. Xiumin sunk to his knees, hands around his ears as he tried to keep his eyes open to see...

Before it all out once, and for good.

Come to me...

Come to me my child...

I will embrace you...

Come to me my child...

This is the well of all souls...

Come to me my child and I will embrace you...

This is the well of all souls...

In my arms lies eternity...

Come to me my child...

For here lies the abyss...

From these emerald waters doth life begin anew...

Come to me my child...

For I will embrace you...

"Nightingale's eyes can free the ties from our eyes!"

"Baekhyun, do you think you can stop singing now, please?" Luhan asked politely.

"Why should I? I'm bored."

Luhan groaned. For a whole day they'd been traveling, and Baekhyun had been singing for well over half of it. The elf had a nice voice, but after six hours Luhan was starting to crave the peace and silence that usually came with being on the road.

"Just a suggestion..." he added lamely, pleading nicely in the hopes that would be enough to make him halt, just for a little while. 

The assassin was also no help. "Oh come on, Luhan, he's bored. We're all bored. Let the elf keep singing! It's entertaining us all." 

Since nobody else contributed to the discussion, Baekhyun just chuckled and kept going.

"Nightingale's eyes can free the ties from our eyes!"

"You sang that part already," Luhan muttered. He shifted uncomfortably on the saddle, trying not to be annoyed. After the morning's events, and the body he was supporting, he failed miserably.

"Oh, did I? Pardon me, then. What's the next line? Oh yes: We're hiding from the fighting, longing to see."

"Hardly hiding," Chanyeol quipped out of nowhere, almost sounding amused.

"We're waiting for someone to speak and set us all free... freeeee!"

Luhan clenched shut his eyes for a moment, hands gripping tighter upon the reins he held between his tired hands. Against his chest and between his thighs Xiumin's body melded to him, head resting back sideways against Luhan's shoulder and neck. The body that had seemed so light this morning had grown heavier with time, yet this was the only way to carry him, on horseback. Sehun had even given up his saddle when the mage didn't wake, because Jongin refused to waste any more time and nobody - Luhan in particular - wanted to leave Xiumin behind. 

He was breathing still, and that was the only consolation Luhan had, the life-bearing hope in which he clung while Xiumin hung in a trance-like state. Baekhyun said he was okay, somewhere in his mind, but bodily and functionally Xiumin was a deadweight and unconscious and unresponsive to everything. His heart beat, his breath tickled Luhan's neck, and every few hours Luhan pulled the horse to a standstill so he could shift the mage's body from one side to the other, but never would he let anyone else do the honor.

Jongin wanted to put as much distance between them and the raiders as they could, especially with Max—Changmin, as they knew now—escaped and on the loose. There was no telling if another party would come after them again, and nobody wanted to risk it. 

"Nightingale's eyes, what secret lies in their worth!" Baekhyun sang.

This time Luhan tuned him out almost completely. Beside him upon the ground Alistair trotted silently, his large hound's feet crunching upon the fallen leaves, slobbering generously. He hadn't gone one step beyond the mage's side since Xiumin had fallen unconscious. Their scout dog was now a one-man animal. When they'd stopped for a midday meal, he had crouched immediately at Luhan's side when he laid Xiumin on the ground, sniffing him again as if to verify his master was still okay. It was another small comfort, that Alistair also hadn't given up hope. When the templar turned his back for a second too long, the hound had one large stripe up Xiumin's cheek. Luhan had squeaked and shooed him away, before taking a corner of his bedroll and wiping the spit off the mage's delicate face. 

He wouldn't say aloud how much it hurt to see Xiumin like this, but everybody seemed to know. They gave him distance all day, and Baekhyun, in between singing and scouting and complaining about his shoulder, came to check up on him every few hours. As if the elf would know before Luhan if anything changed. Truthfully, if Xiumin hadn't been asleep, he would have loved this time together, holding him, cradling him against his body, sometimes holding him with one hand around his waist while he lead the horse with his other hand. He wondered what the mage would think when he woke up, if he would scold Luhan or taunt him. 

If he woke up.

The ring they'd found was now safely tucked away between multiple layers of cloth. They all knew what it looked like now, and nobody was allowed to touch it. Chanyeol was given the task of keeping it safe, folded in the bottom of the pack he carried personally upon his back, and though Suho had suggested getting rid of the object completely, he was only one voice against the rest of them.

'It's too dangerous to just toss it away,' Jongin had said. Even Luhan agreed with him, although he didn't know what value there was to actually keeping it, if it could do such harm by its merest touch. 

"Raven's tears they cry, but all the while, they softly lie and spy on you."

"Baekhyun can't you at least pick a different song—" Luhan opened his mouth to say something sweet and bitter, but surprisingly he was cut off.

"Don't stop him now. I want to want to know more about the raven," said Kris, oddly intense and sounding genuinely curious.

Luhan swallowed his retort, yet he caught the qunari's face dipping into a smile. Luhan shook his head, because there was really no accounting for taste. 

"Nightingale's eyes, what will they find left behind?" Baekhyun continued to sing. However, he frowned after that line and said, "You know? It doesn't talk too much about the raven. Sorry for that, Kris!" 

Baekhyun laughed, the qunari shrugged his tall shoulders, and even Jongin said in a soft, appraising voice, "That's okay, Baekhyun. You can keep singing. We don't mind." 

Luhan re-angled the mage's body against his chest, halfway jealous that Xiumin had gotten to sleep this whole day long.

Xiumin only came to around dusk. Shortly before they were to stop for the evening, Luhan felt him starting to squirm. His eyelids fluttered first, then he startled and jerked, and Luhan almost dropped him.

"He's awake!" 

Yelling, however, seemed to startle him even more. Xiumin cried out, gasping for breath, and his arms flew up, one heavy wrist slamming right into the bottom of Luhan's chin. Both of them choked as Luhan struggled to rein in the horse and hold onto the mage who was now flopping all over the place. 

"Xiumin! It's okay! Calm down!" he cried.

"What's going?" Baekhyun called out, running to their side. Alistair barked once, a triumphant sound. 

Chanyeol ran up to the side of the horse, arms reaching out as Luhan let Xiumin slide safely down the animal's side. The taller warrior caught him around the middle and sat him upon the ground just as Luhan swung one leg over and dropped down beside him. 

"Are you okay?" he asked breathlessly, once Xiumin stopped squirming. His body relaxed, and his eyes fell open, but he looked less freaked out now and once he caught sight of Luhan hovering above him, he seemed much easier. Luhan's heart caught in his throat when he didn't look away. Xiumin's eyes, searching, seeking, held his own as if no one else existed but the two of them.

And then Xiumin had to ruin it by asking, "Where's Sehun?" He stared at Luhan for a moment longer, and then he looked around. Chanyeol stepped back, Baekhyun and Jongin as well, and from behind Kris Sehun stepped forward. 

"I'm... here?" 

"Sehun? Are you alright?" His concern wasn't exactly frantic, but still strangely evident above all other considerations. Namely, the fact that he'd been knocked unconscious by a powerful spell.

Luhan didn't laugh, but Sehun almost did as he knelt down next to him. "Of course I am. Are you alright?" 

Xiumin visibly sighed when he observed Sehun smiling at him, although Luhan frowned harder.

"Do you know what happened to you?" Baekhyun asked. 

"What do you mean?"

"You touched that ring and then fell into a trance," Jongin answered for him. "Can you tell us what happened?" Everyone began leaning over him to hear, and Luhan tried in vain to push them all away.

"He needs space, give him a second."

Only Suho seemed to make himself useful, bringing over a flask of water for Xiumin to sip from. The mage's eyes darted around to everyone surrounding him, stopping a little longer again on Sehun, and then Luhan. He chugged more from the flask, almost choking on it, but as Luhan tugged it out of his arms, Xiumin was already talking.

"The r-ring. Where is it?"

"Safe. Covered up," Jongin answered.

"Chanyeol has it," said Baekhyun. "It was enchanted, Xiumin. Did you know that when you touched it?"

Xiumin shook his head. "No. I barely even remember what happened before I touched it. But I... I dreamed... something." He swallowed heavily, body suddenly collapsing and Luhan was the quickest to support his back. "What happened after... after I... and where are we? What about Max? W-what happened to... him?" 

"He escaped," Chanyeol answered. "We've been traveling all day to put some distance between us and them. Luhan's been holding you on horseback."

Luhan tried not to flush, even as Sehun said, "Yeah. I even gave up riding so we didn't have to leave you behind." He chuckled, and Xiumin seemed to melt again, but his eyes darted curiously at Luhan again. 

"So... I've been sleeping all day?"

"Like a beauty," quipped Baekhyun. "You were like the dead. Nothing would wake you, and believe me, we tried everything. Luhan even tried to kiss you awake!" He cackled.

"What! I did not!" Luhan hotly protested, cheeks blushing furiously red. Honestly he may have thought about it, but he would never... The rest of them also laughed, and that embarrassed him even more because of course Baekhyun would try to make a joke that only Luhan wouldn't find funny. However, Xiumin in particular seemed amused by it. His eyes softened as he chuckled, cheeks puffy and smile wide, and even though he looked generally alright for someone who had been unconscious for almost an entire day, he looked exhausted mentally. And maybe a little hungry.

"Do we have any food?" Luhan asked of Suho. 

The dwarf fetched them some dried beef, and then because Jongin and Baekhyun deemed this place unsafe for a camp, they helped Xiumin and Luhan back up onto the horse to ride a few leagues further since the mage was still incredibly weak. All further questions about what had happened were set aside until later and even though Jongdae kept being impertinent, marching next to them and asking silly questions (like who did he dream about), Xiumin did not answer any of them. He finally trotted off after Luhan tried unsuccessfully to kick him away. Then the templar tried not to react when Xiumin appeared to sigh again and sink back into his chest. 

"Have I been a pain this whole day?" asked the mage quietly, when nobody was close enough to overhear.

"Not so much," Luhan replied. "Although, you're asking that from the person who's gotten to ride a horse for the first time in weeks. I'd say it's a rather nice change from walking." 

Xiumin smiled. "Happy to oblige. I guess that means I should pass out more often?"

Luhan couldn't see more than the outline of Xiumin's nose, but he could hear the amusement in the mage's voice. He just didn't want to continue the joke. Xiumin speaking so casually about falling into a trance after writhing around in pain was a scene Luhan would like never to see repeated in this lifetime, or any others. And also, how could he tell the man about how Luhan's heart almost stopped as well, when he'd heard him scream? How it was beating anew right now? How Luhan had gotten attached to the mage far more than even he realized?

"I think... I think you'll be able to walk by tomorrow, right?" Luhan cleared his throat hastily. 

Xiumin fake-whined. "Awww, so no more riding for us?" 

"Well, only if you can persuade Sehun it's necessary."

"Oh right. This is his horse. I'm surprised he would even give it up." Xiumin hummed.

"Not too surprising, I suppose," said Luhan. "He seems to like you."

"Does he?" Xiumin fell silent for a few moments, rocking with the motion of the animal as his legs dangled off either side of the horse, occasionally bumping against's Luhan's. "So what about you then?"

"Huh?" Luhan panicked.

"Yeah. What did you do when I fainted? Did your heart grow weak? Were you afraid it was a fake? Is that why you scooped me up because you were afraid it was a stunt so that I could actually run away?" Xiumin was laughing the whole time, evidently tickled by Luhan's fuming silence.

"I... I..." he sputtered.

"Don't hurt yourself now," Xiumin continued to tease. "I wouldn't want to accidentally fall off because you suddenly couldn't sit upright!"

Luhan ate whatever words he did plan and staunchly cleared his throat. "You're supposed to be resting," he ordered the mage. 

"Ohhh? Am I? Sorry, sorry." 

Luhan sat up a little straighter than before and tugged on the reins so that Xiumin had to inadvertently sit up more as well. They rode on in silence for the rest of the evening, waiting for the word from Jongin, who was consulting with Kris, about where to settle down for the night. 

"Remind me though," Xiumin whispered to Luhan, long after they'd given up talking. 

"Hm?"

"Remind me to tell you something... It has to do with Sehun and... well, tomorrow perhaps." Xiumin shut up when he realized how quiet it had grown, how the others might hear. 

"Okay?" said Luhan, although he thought it sounded ominous. 

3,455 words

Hello everyone! Did you fret, thinking I had past the time when I normally post, and so there'd be no update again this weekend? Well, think again! I had most of this written, and then I went out of town before I could finish the very last bit. Anyways, here we are- working on PLOT. How exciting! Or well, I hope it's at least a little exciting. You can be the judge of that. And just in case it's not cool, and you don't care one bit about the well in Xiumin's dream, well... how about that Xiuhan?!

P.S. The creepy chant at the end of Xiumin's dream and the Nightingale song are not mine. Both come straight out of the Dragon Age universe. One comes from their religion and the other is... a tavern song. But hey! Baekhyun can sing! And most people (just not Luhan) seem to enjoy it ! 

♡ Rosie