“Appear weak when  you are strong, and strong when you are weak.”

- Sun Tzu, The Art of War

PART ONE

The silence weighed heavy in the air.

Beneath the crackling of the dying embers lay a history mirrored in his brothers’ eyes that Jongin knew nothing of.

There was a change then that began as a rush of wind sparked the embers awake.

Orixe and Yixing sat rigid as stone statues that adorned the courtyards of Alor. Luhan and Xiumin took turns tending to the fire, disappearing into the forest every once in a while to gather more wood.

Chanyeol, Kyungsoo, and Sehun watched the two brothers with avid concern - all unable to comprehend the vulnerability crumbling within Baekhyun.

It was late into the night and weariness clung desperately to their bodies, but no one was ready to close the night.

“We began our missions shortly after,” Chen elaborated, “and began to realize our own insignificance…”

“Chen - ” Orixe emitted a low growl. It served to be a warning but there was a strain to Chen’s voice that they all noticed.

“Loyalty,” Chen recalled painfully, “That is what you called it, didn’t you?” The Zero’s foggy eyes swirled into a dark earl grey with freckles of orange reflected from the fire.

That question was directed at Baekhyun, of course. Jongin could feel his brother’s weight shift further against him. He squeezed his hand lightly to comfort him. Throughout the story, his brother’s head remained downcast - his attention disconnected and dormant as if waiting.

“Admit it!” Chen spat out, his brows distraught with anger, “We were mere pawns in the games between a ruthless King....and his son.”

The last three words hit its recipient like daggers. It seemed to be enough to gather Baekhyun’s attention. But, if it was remorse or guilt that Chen was looking for, he did not find it.

A sternness collected on Baekhyun’s lips as he stared back directly at the other.

“We fought for you out of loyalty. We killed hundreds out of loyalty. We gave our lives to you! Out of LOYALTY!,” Chen stood up, a fury awakening within him, “And you...you abandoned us.”

The last three words were a whimper.

They were the words that resonated within the hearts of all the Zeros. No one interrupted Chen then, even with the clear disrespect he displayed, because the words were true, laying hidden beneath their tongues.

“Baek…” Jongin squeezed his brother’s hand again. It was an assurance on his part and also a plea that he answer.

“I know,” Baekhyun finally asserted, “There is a lot I have to answer for.”

“Is that it?” Orixe bluntly questioned this time.

Their eyes met, a flash of memory drifting between them with an unsteady tension.

“That’s all I have to say for now.”

They all wanted to hear more, to dissect the hesitation in Baekhyun’s words, but Orixe was fully aware of how late into the night their conversation had crossed into.

“It’s close to sunrise. We should all get what rest we can. There will be more than ample time to continue this once we reach Krell,” he announced.

A few nodded in affirmation while others got up without a word to find a comfortable spot to shut their eye. Chen exchanged a confusing look with Baekhyun before he disappeared into the forest followed closely by Xiumin.

In the end, Jongin sat silently with his brother waiting for him to say something.

“You can ask, you know,” Baekhyun finally voiced with a softness that was reserved only for his brother. “I won’t hide anything, not from you.”

Jongin nodded, a smile pulling at the corner of his lips. He pondered for a moment of what to ask. There were a million questions forming in his mind.

“How long were you with them?” he started.

“Until I was 11. I hid for a year from place to place until I met you. I’m not proud of what I did, Jongin, but back then, it was my only option.”

“What do you mean?”

“My father became fearful of my powers and with the Zeros under my command, he believed I would eventually overthrow him. I learned that he was secretly trying to learn a way to transfer cores.”

Jongin gasped. “Is that even possible?”

“It can be… he’s capable of anything. I don’t doubt that he’ll find a way. It’s one of the reasons he requires the registration of awakened cores in the Kingdom.”

Jongin bit the bottom of his lip anxiously. “If he’s able to do that - transfer cores then he’d be…”

“-unstoppable,” Baekhyun nodded, “and most of all he craves my power and if he ever learns of yours … we’re different you and I.”

Jongin raised a quizzical brow.

“You felt it before, didn’t you?  I could sense your powers from Gamoor, thousands of miles before I even reached Manoa. We're bound in a way that I can't understand.”

“Yea …,” Jongin acknowledged, “I mean I did, and I sensed it when you had that fight with Chen. Is it supposed to be like that?”

Baekhyun shook his head. “No, I don’t know why but for some reason my seal is unbinding.”

“So … what do we do?”

“I don’t know,” Baekhyun whispered, “I placed six seals on my core, but I can already feel that the first is unraveled. You haven’t told anyone about this, have you?”

“No,” Jongin assured, “Of course not.”

“Good. Keep it a secret, at least until I understand what's happening to me.”

Jongin dropped his head onto his brother’s shoulder - a sigh of uncertainty as his eyes began to droop.

“You’ll tell me more, won’t you?” he whispered, "About your past?"

“I will,” Baekhyun answered, a warm smile pulling at the corner of his lips, “Get some sleep for now. I’ll wake you up when it's time to go.”

“…okay…”

“… Baek?..”

“Hm?”

“This doesn’t change anything you know.”

“… ”

“You’re still my brother. You always .. will…be,” Jongin mumbled until he finally succumbed to sleep.

A light chuckle escaped Baekhyun’s lips as he covered the other with one of the Zero’s coat jackets.

Gaamor. 12 years ago.