Sometimes I wonder if he is just a stranger that I never truly knew...

Baekhyun settled onto the courtyard floor, head leaning back to gaze at the darkening sky above.

Moments later, Jongin followed suit - somewhat curious to catch the vastness of the night through his brother’s eyes.

As children, they would often do this after their chores were done. They had watched many sunsets together and napped under moonlit skies. 

It was the only time he had seen emotions so raw on Baekhyun’s face.

Jongin turned his head to the side.

Under the glow of the moon, his brother’s usually bright facade was cracked and vulnerable. Jongin could see the glaze in his eyes - reflections of a distance he could never reach and a longing he failed to comprehend. These were the moments Jongin found himself afraid because he could feel the disconnect between them.

And he hated that. Despite the fact that they were both adopted separately, he had made a special place in his heart for Baekhyun, a careful and shielded place.

A place far from the fears clouding his thoughts at that moment. And that was the reason, on certain evenings such as this, Jongin stayed by his brother’s side.

Out of fear of losing him to something he could not make sense of.

“Full moon,” Jongin observed or rather said anything to break his brother’s trance.

In an instant, Baekhyun blinked - his eyes creasing and lips turning up as he nodded to the other. In an instant, his brother was back to his usual self and Jongin sighed silently in relief.

“That looks painful,” Baekhyun grimaced at his brother’s wounds.

Jongin smirked, “Battle wounds,” as he flexed his arm proudly.

His brother chuckled - the chime of happiness Jongin was waiting for.

“I never pictured it,” Baekhyun considered, “But Kyungsoo as a fighter somehow fits.”

Jongin agreed, his nose scrunching as he stretched out his heavy legs slowly.

“I never imagined you as one either.”

Jongin nodded again.

“What about you? You almost beat Sehun,” he noted after a while.

Baekhyun scoffed, “That was a fluke. He was injured. I had an automatic handicap.”

Jongin shook his head. “No,” he paused for a brief moment meeting his brother’s watchful eyes, “you would’ve beat him anyways especially if you had used your —”

He stopped himself seeing the sudden shift on Baekhyun’s face. It was for a millisecond and most people would never catch it, but Jongin could. He always could.

He pressed his lips tight.

Baekhyun smiled as he ruffled his hand through Jongin’s hair.

“Ahhh! I’m beat!” he exclaimed, standing up as he drew out a big yawn. He glanced down at his brother.

“You should get some rest too.”

Jongin nodded as his brother patted his head one last time before leaving him alone in the courtyard.

Jongin was disappointed in himself - ashamed of his carelessness. His brother’s reaction had said it all.

Taboo.

Bringing up Baekhyun’s power was taboo.

He sighed out loud, his shoulders drooping. In truth, he didn’t know much about it; he had only witnessed a taste of it once in his childhood. He frowned because even that memory was obscure in his mind.

You see the differences between him and his brother were not only in their physical appearances or characteristics; it was also the question of when their powers were born.

In the kingdom of Gaamor, children typically attained their core at the bright age of eight. A core is the collection of energy within. As the child grows, the core materializes into physical manifestations - each unique from person to person. That being said, not all carry this gift, some children are born normal and without one.

Jongin’s core manifested at the age of ten when he was able to begin using his powers. Kyungsoo at the age of nine. Chanyeol at the age of ten. Sehun at the age of nine.

And Baekhyun?

No one truly knew.

What Jongin could distinctly remember was a memory of his brother sealing his core.

Sealing without a reason of why; it was just something he had mentioned to Roe and Vana the moment they had agreed to welcome him into the family. 

Baekhyun had sworn them to secrecy first, that was his only condition. 

Jongin was only eight then and Baekhyun was ten. A ten-year-old was far more mature than he ever was at that age. 

Hours of questions from their parents never broke his older brother’s silence on the subject. 

Nor did Miri’s attempt to release it.

And why was everyone so concerned? For two reasons.

One is because the core holds within it a part of a person’s soul. Seal it and Baekhyun would lose a part of himself - a part of his being.

Two because the Red King valued power, and he valued it, even more, when he could attain it under his control. So, he issued a decree. An unbreakable law.

Sealing a core was taboo - punishable by law. An act that could result in only one thing.

Death.

Jongin didn’t need to imagine what it felt like; he had a taste of it when parts of his powers were temporarily sealed by Miri. It felt empty, unsettling - like standing at the edge of the cliff and not knowing when he would fall into an abyss below. He hated every moment of it, but to live with it for the rest of his life?

He shivered.

See, these were the things he never understood about his brother. Those were the things that were buried in the back of his mind.

But he would never question Baekhyun’s decisions. No, their trust in each other was deeply rooted and strong.

As far as the world was allowed to know, Baekhyun was born normal.

But sometimes, he wondered if he truly ever knew his brother at all. 

MID