Everything before me was entirely green. The trees extended as far as I could see, tall and generously covered with gently swaying leaves. They were clustered together so that weaving between them was difficult and from a bird’s-eye view, it was likely that there were very few spaces left bare. At my feet there were scuttling lizards and the occasional harmless snake hiding within its den, in addition to scurrying insects of varying shapes and sizes. Branches dangling overhead sometimes creaked, indicating the presence of another wild creature. I never gazed up though, because I didn’t particularly feel like knowing what dangers loomed above.

Only when we began to ascend did the trees lessen, simply to be replaced with jagged grey rocks protruding from tufts of weeds and wiry blades of grass. They formed a natural staircase, a treacherous one, but a staircase nonetheless. Somehow, elements had perfectly melded these steps for us to climb. I gawked at the sight in amazement, before stumbling up them with an encouraging shove from behind.

I led the pack, a crooked stick in my hand to steady myself as I powered up the mountain. My legs ached considerably and the air was horribly humid, but I was pumped up on adrenalin, on the desire to reach our final destination, so I pushed on. With each step and straining muscle, I smiled wider and progressed faster.

I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when I reached the top, but it sure wasn’t what my eyes fell upon. There were dense green mountains on every side, their slopes flattening in the middle to create a luscious valley. Water flowed soothingly from one side; a waterfall prettily decorated in sparkling moss and tiny, colourful flowers. Birds floated along, sometimes ducking beneath the surface to scoop up miniscule silver fish and wading between the trees, with their curling tails and swaying arms, were adorable monkeys. And there, directly in the centre of it all, was an eerily humungous hole of horrid darkness…our final stop.

Behind me I could hear excited whooping and celebratory cheers, the clapping of hands, the kind slapping of backs. I spun to face them all, the men I’d ventured here with, and grinned joyously. They were each in their own world, overwhelmed with exhilaration and anticipation.

Minseok was crouched by a short plant with gigantic leaves, freezing the little water droplets sliding along it. He seemed to be distracted by the beautiful patterns the frozen drops formed, his eyes gleaming in delight. Behind him, Luhan stood observing every move. I half expected the man to ruin Minseok’s fun, but he simply cooed with the construction of every new design. When Minseok asked him to join, Luhan dived straight down and began to levitate the droplets. This transformed into a battle of who could impress who better.

Jongin and Kyungsoo had strolled a bit further down and were sitting together, huddled quite closely as they pointed at different animals and shouted happily. At one stage, the slighter man appeared to be gesturing towards a gorgeously blooming blue flower across the opposite side of the valley. He frowned at the distance, but almost immediately squealed as Jongin teleported to collect it and bring it right back to him. Jongin’s cheeks blushed as Kyungsoo cuddled against his broad chest gratefully. Even through his nerves, he managed to Kyungsoo’s fluffy hair with gentle fingers.

I cocked my head to see Jongdae on his hands and knees, as though bewildered and shocked by the realisation of how high up we were. He was breathing quite rapidly, eyes bulging out of his skull in fright. Just as I thought to walk over to him, Yixing materialised, jogging out from behind a mass of tangled vines. He bent down and scooped the other man up, his dimple fully prominent and evidently comforting. Jongdae, though his legs were trembling and there was a slight look of uncertainty in his features, smiled timidly up at Yixing and let him lead him around by the hand.

To the left, Tao was perched on Sehun’s strong shoulders, trying his very best to see and appreciate every piece of beauty surrounding us. I was not surprised that this position resulted in them tumbling to the ground, both landing harshly on their backs and laughing hysterically. Sehun’s head was propped cosily on Tao’s stomach and he sighed with content, closing his eyes.

‘Tao, can you stop the time? I want this moment to last forever’, Sehun whispered, as a leg wrapped around his slender waist.

As I smirked at them, I felt muscular arms envelop me. I leant backwards into Kris’ touch, resting my cheek against the curve of his neck and placing my hand tenderly over his. This was exactly where I wanted to be; here in the embrace of someone who meant so much to me, amongst people who I could easily put all of my trust in.

Chanyeol coughed awkwardly next to us, causing us to break apart. ‘I couldn’t help but notice that everyone seems to have paired off…’

Just as I was about to respond, I heard a heavenly chuckle resonating from the valley. I turned, squinting in attempt to locate the source of such a pretty sound. After a few seconds of my eyes flicking back and forth, back and forth, my focus came to fall upon a figure sitting on the edge of the gaping hole. His legs dangled carelessly and he had his arms in the air, waving madly to capture our attention. He wasn’t strapped to that spot, nor was he dressed in protective gear or accompanied by the necessities for journey. It was just him, a silky-haired, crescent-eyed man with fluttering fingers and well-rounded thighs.

When we descended to greet him, I was even more stunned to see that his figure was slim and his features were so unbelievably innocent. He was clothed in shorts and a plain white t-shirt, with tightly laced hiking boots, a backwards cap and dorky Disney wristwatch. I gaped, refusing to grasp the fact that he could be our guide.

He grinned lopsidedly, tilting his head. ‘I’m Baekhyun, the light to illuminate your path!’

True to his word, the man began to glow, blindingly almost. Though it was daytime, his power seemed even stronger than the harshly glowing rays of the sun, making his skin glisten stunningly and eyes sparkle with mischief. Most of us had to cover our own eyes with clasped hands, but Chanyeol gawked and eventually, he noticed that our group had finally evened out. With a giggle he paced closer to Baekhyun, the fire not in the palm of his hands, but in his heart.  

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So all of the members are finally together and they're about to embark on their journey within the depths of Son Doong Cave!
I'm really excited to write the upcoming parts, because their powers are going to come into play more often and the fantasy element of this story is going to become more prominent.
I hope ya'll are ready >.<