Dark fumes hang heavily in the air and bodies, seared and dismembered beyond recognition, scatter across the land. Twelve men stand in the midst of the chaos, mentally and physically exhausted.

Kyungsoo feels his head swirl and the bile threatens to climb up his throat.

The war against the Dark ones had existed for as long as Kyungsoo remembered and they were getting stronger by the moment. He remembers the soldiers from the palace marching down the street and gathering by the town square with a silk roll in hand when he was five. He remembers his mother holding him close to her as everyone flocked around. He remembers the deadly silence when the head guard read the royal decree.

It was then his world changed.

His mother dragged him home with trembling hands and fear in her eyes.

“Mama?”

“Baby soo,” Her voice quivering. “Remember when mama said that you couldn’t tell anyone about our special secret?”

Kyungsoo nodded, tears in his doe eyes. Seeing his mother so afraid stirred something in his five-year-old self. What was happening?

“Let’s play a more difficult game, okay? Our baby soo can do that, right?”

Another nod.

“You cannot use your powers anymore, okay? If you do that, no more cookies for you.” Kyungsoo whimpered and shook his head, running into his mother’s arms.

“No!!” He wailed. “Soo won’t use his powers anymore!! Soo wants cookies.”

His mother lets out a shaky sigh, tears falling.

For five years, he didn’t use his powers. For five years, they thought they were safe. But how wrong they were.

He watched how his mother broke down when the guards came to get him. He listened to her endless apologises as she held him in her arms for the last time.

“I’m sorry, ‘Soo.” She sobbed. “Please protect yourself, baby. Come back alive.”

It wasn't supposed to turn out like this. He was supposed to stay hidden, they weren't supposed to find him, to take him away, to take everything away from him.

He looks into his mother's eyes, desperation and sorrow filled the two orbs. Kyungsoo doesn't reply, he doesn't need to, for even the ten-year-old knew that it would be the last time. He simply just leaned into her touch.

It was then the serenity ended and the trouble began.

He met eleven others who were just like him, taken away from their families and peaceful lives. They were told that they were the last chance the nation had to save themselves, they said that they were the Twelve.

Training began and ended each day with tears and injuries etching themselves on their skin. The twelve boys had nothing but each other.

Kyungsoo remembers nights where the sun-kissed boy crawled into his embrace, sobbing into his shoulder. He remembers nights where the boy held him tight, whispering words into his ears, adrenaline high in his veins. He remembers nights when they were in their own world, where chaos and reality couldn't reach them. He remembers how the boy, now a fine man, was and still is his everything.

“Jongin,” Kyungsoo breathes. The said man turns sharply to look at him fondly when Kyungsoo doubles over, heaving out whatever he has left in his stomach. He tears up and almost falls before Jongin teleport over to catch him just in time.

“Soo.” He mumbles. “Yixing ge!”

“What’s wrong?” Yixing walks over with a frown. He stabs his knives back into the pouches at the side of his waist and wipes his palms roughly on his pants. Blood stains the fabric.

Kyungsoo closes his eyes, letting Yixing runs a palm from his face down and when he reopens them, he finds Yixing’s palm hovering over his abdomen, eyes wide with surprise.

“What’s wrong?” Jongin presses, fear and worry dominates his voice.

“Kyungsoo’s-”

“Guys?” Junmyeon interrupts. “We have company.”

Kyungsoo looks over Jongin’s shoulder and his hold on Jongin’s arm tightens.

Thousands silhouettes litter the horizons.

He hears Jongdae cursing and Zitao’s breath hitching.

“There’s too many of them.” Minseok snarls.

“Jongin.” Yifan calls and Jongin replies with a curt nod. Everyone huddles around them and darkness blinds Kyungsoo for a moment before light flood back.

“Are you sure?” Yixing nods. Kyungsoo lets out a shaky sigh, staring at his hands and Jongin gapes at the healer in disbelief.

Silence engulfs the room. Their situation was too solemn for any of them to burst out in joy.

“Way to go, Jongin.” Chanyeol whoops with a small smile.

“Congratulations, Kyungsoo and Jongin.” Junmyeon says.

“Hopefully it won’t inherit Kyungsoo’s satanic side.” The somber mood finally lifts temporarily and everyone laughs. Everyone but Kyungsoo.

He looks up from his hands, tears on the verge of falling. His eyes meets Luhan’s ones and he knows the petite male was reading his mind. Luhan walks over and sits down next to Kyungsoo, wrapping his arm round his shoulder.

“The baby will be fine.” Luhan murmurs.

“In this type of environment,” Kyungsoo croaks. “Nothing will be ‘fine’.”

Beside him, Jongin takes Kyungsoo’s hand, rubbing it with his thumb, an unsaid agreement voiced.

“The Earthbender and the Shadow Walker, you should be training, what is wrong?” The Head Elder sits at the front of the room with the other Elders, annoyance visible on his face.

“I’m pregnant.” Kyungsoo announces, barely audible. Tension thickens instantly.

“W-what? I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“Kyungsoo’s pregnant and it’s my child that he bears.” Jongin repeats at a louder voice. A loud bang echo in the room, the Head Elder slams his fist on to the table.

“Did you know what this means?” He hiss.

“I know. I just need to be given a few months off. The child will be born-”

“The nation is at war!” One of the Elder holler. “The nation needs you!!”

“But please, I’m just asking for a few months off and I will fight for the nation.”

“It would be too late then! The Dark Ones are getting stronger and stronger by the moment. We need to fight!!” The youngest Elder cries.

“Get rid of it.” The Head Elder growls. Silence falls upon them. “Get rid of it and return back to training.”

Kyungsoo’s beyond angry.

They can take them away from their families. They can treat them like objects that are built to fight. They can take away everything he had. But they couldn't just do it again. Since the very day he was taken away from his mother, he had been a little lamb, following every single instruction given to him. 

Everything that he had built since then, it was being threatened. 

He grits his teeth and grabs Jongin’s arm, leading him out of the room. He doesn’t stop walking. If he stops, if they stop, it might be the end, it might be the end of everything.

“Kyungsoo.” Jongin calls. “Kyungsoo!! Stop!”

He tugs on Kyungsoo’s hand and for the first time, Jongin saw how vulnerable the older is. The Shadow Walker sees a boy. He sees a boy so broken that was always hidden within the Earthbender. He doesn't speak but pulls the smaller into a hug, where thousands of words remain unspoken yet voiced and Kyungsoo clings on to Jongin, crying and afraid of the future that comes.

He breaks down. He breaks down for the first time in years, exhausted.

Jongin holds him tight, tears in his eyes too.

“J-Jongin.” He sobs. “I want to keep the baby.”

“Okay, Kyungsoo, okay.”

“How are you feeling?” Jongin asks, a grin automatically filling his face as he place a hand over Kyungsoo’s stomach.

“Fine, Jongin, like when you ask me ten minutes ago.” He rolls his eyes but nonetheless smiles. 

It’s getting harder to hide his abdomen now that he’s at least eight months along but Zitao had gotten him a long heavy robe that was able to cover the bump. Even though it was hot under the thick fabric and that people were getting suspicious, yet seeing how a life was growing inside of him, how it was his and Jongin’s child, it was worth it.  Never once had he gotten a doctor to look at it but Yixing was the closest choice they had for a doctor and from what the healer reported, the baby was fine. It was just regretful that they couldn’t learn about the baby’s gender. 

Even though it was unexpected, the others were beyond excited for the new arrival, going out of their usual ways to make sure no harm reaches Kyungsoo. He finds Yixing and Chanyeol standing closer during battleground, ready to pounce when a Dark One get too close, and Zitao, Yifan and Luhan takes it upon themselves to find the 'best gift' for the unborn child, unconsciously turning it to a competition. Junmyeon had been in charge of his bubble baths; Jongdae and Sehun fights for every free moment they had to tell jokes to the baby, pressing their faces close to Kyungsoo's swollen abdomen; and he subtly find Minseok close to him when he complains of the heat. It may not be much but Kyungsoo appreciates every one of them because among the violence and destruction, he discovers home for the first time in ten years.

The door to the training room slams open and Kyungsoo jumps at the sudden intrusion. Jongin tenses and springs on to his feet, standing in front of the pregnant man protectively. A servant from the Elders’, Kyungsoo recognises, falls on to his knees, panting hard.

“How dare you interrupt our training.” Jongin growls and Kyungsoo shift uncomfortably on the floor, gripping his robe tighter around his body.

“Jongin.” Junmyeon warns. Jongin’s offensive posture doesn’t relax but he moves back to sitting next to Kyungsoo, after giving Sehun a glance and he slips his hand into Kyungsoo's smaller one. Kyungsoo watch Sehun nod, subtly moving closer towards them with Zitao.

“What is it?” Yifan asks.

“I-it’s a big mess, my lords!!” The servant stammer. “The Dark Ones are spotted heading towards the nation!!”

“What?” Baekhyun gasps.

“My lords, please, the Elders have requested for you to immediately be in the front line.”

“We understand, please leave now.” The servant mumbles a farewell and scurry out of the room.

Eyes fall on to Kyungsoo and he bites his lip.

“I can do this.” He ensures, grabbing at Sehun’s arm to pull himself up.

“But-”

“I can do this. Help gear me up, please.” He gives Jongin a nod and a pleading look.

He wants to do this for the innocent lives involved. He wants peace and quiet. He wants all of this to end, for once and for all. 

Battle cries and the suffocating scent of blood fills the air and Kyungsoo feels nauseous. He takes a deep breath through his mouth instead, and watch the phoenix swoop down with a loud squeal, setting a few of their opponents on fire as Chanyeol climbs to board the mythical creature. He watch Zitao smirk at the dark masses, twirling his wooden staff around before striking it at the crucial spots. He watch as thousand more come rushing towards them. A growl escapes his lips when he turns sharply to his left, eyeing the black blobs darting towards him with swords held high and he lifts his leg up. He waits for them to get closer before stomping his foot down into the ground hard. The land cracks open and they fall into the creek below, becoming one with the Earth's core. Kyungsoo smiles in satisfaction yet it didn’t last long when a kick from behind sends him to the floor. His hands flies protectively to his stomach but a sharp pain shoots up his back.

“Kyungsoo!!” He hears but his eyes are closed tight, the pain spreading over to his lower half of his body.

“Are you okay?” It’s Jongin. Kyungsoo grabs at his hand and let out a painful gasp.

“T-the baby.” He wheezes out.

“Jongin?” Kyungsoo opens his eyes to see Baekhyun hovering him. He groans.

“Jongin!” His eyes follows Baekhyun’s pointed finger and he grits his teeth in surprise. A puddle of liquid stain the ground a dark brown, tracing back to his leg.

“Yixing ge.” Jongin shouted. “Yixing ge!!”

The pain gets harder to endure and Kyungsoo could only squeeze his eyes tight.

“Oh. Oh!!” He picks up Yixing’s gasp.

“Oh .”

“Kyungsoo,” Yixing says. “Could you use your powers still?”

He barely manages a nod.

“Good. Could you manipulate a higher ground with a cave, maybe?” The ground rumbles around them and slowly, the terrain around them elevates, the bright rays of the sun slowly disappearing.

“Good job, Soo.” Yixing mutters as he spreads open Kyungsoo’s legs.

“Jongin.” Kyungsoo hiss and the grip on his hand tightens. It is then when he realises Jongin had been holding his hand all the while.

“Yeah?”

“Go help the rest.”

“W-what?”

“Go help the others. Yixing can handle this.” He whimpers. Jongin eyes him with uncertainty.

“Go.” Yixing ensures.

Jongin leans down and presses a kiss by Kyungsoo’s forehead.

“I love you. Please be safe.”

He nods and watches as black smoke replaces Jongin’s spot. His hand falls loose on to the floor and grips at the soil instead, the mud sending a wave of comfort down his spine.

“Are you ready, Kyungsoo?” He feels his trousers being pulled down and air rushes to his nether regions.

A scream resonate across the battleground.

A man runs down the corridor, clutching at his robes as he drag a boy along. Angry shouts behind them only encourage the man to run faster. He turns back and pause, flicking his wrist at the soldiers behind. A solid wall made out of dry soil stands in between them and the man smiles before gripping the smaller hand tighter. It won’t be able to last long though, the man thinks and drags his son into the empty room. He shuts the door behind him and presses his body to the door, holding the boy close to him as he clasps a hand over the child’s mouth. Black fumes surround them and it forms a silhouette of man before the sound of a heavy weight dropping on to the floor clearly echo in the room. The man with the child glares at the other and the Shadow Walkers returns an apologetic look. They wait quietly, ears flattened on the door to listen for any signs and when both men decided that it is safe enough, they fall on to their knees, eyeing the child with so much fondness.

“Tae-oh, baby,” The Earthbender calls, reaching out to hold the said boy’s shoulders. He pulls at the hood of his robe, smiling at the child. “Let’s play a game, okay?”  

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