Thirteen – The Right Hand

For the first time in a long time, Chanyeol woke up in the presence of the moonlight. As he blinked his eyes open, the loving caress of its light tenderly brought him peace. He tried remembering what happened before he passed out, and once the last image flashed back, he immediately sat up and looked for the figure he just saw.

Instead, he found nothing but vast field of greens, white wild flowers and dandelions.

Looking around for any other life, Chanyeol stood up from the ground and frantically looked for Baekhyun. He knew it was him who freed him, it was him who broke the seal. But where could he be?

The prince took several steps, until he unconsciously wandered around the field. Calling his name, Chanyeol was left with nothing his own echoes. Just before he was about to give up, the prince caught an image standing by the edge of the field, at the end of the valley where he was in.

There was a man standing there, his pure white hair delicately danced along with the wind. He’s still wearing those white robes but what was different that time caused Chanyeol to hold his breath.

“Ahn!” he called, running to the man at the edge of the cliff.

He didn’t turn around, as if he didn’t hear him. But Chanyeol was determined to catch him, this time, look at him in the face now that he wasn’t wearing his veil.

Unleashing the power of his broad, majestic wings, he ran and dived in the air, his another set of limbs calling out fire as it glided against the wind. Chanyeol was close when he realized that Ahn’s body is slowly losing its balance.

Upon realizing what would happen next, Chanyeol sped up and reached out.

Yet before he could even reach Ahn, he fell off the cliff.

“No!”

As took a sharp turn downwards, much to his surprise, he found nothing at the bottom of it. Nothing, except his garments.

Landing next to it, Chanyeol tried to catch his breath. With hands trembling and anxious to see what just happened. When his skin touched the fabric, Chanyeol gasped as he felt the texture of ashes in it.

“N-no…No, Ahn!” Chanyeol cried. The wind blew and much to his horror, the ashes disappeared with the wind—

“AHN!”

“—eol! CHANYEOL!”

Awakened by a splash of water, the prince opened his eyes again. Now seeing a familiar pair of amethyst. Baekhyun’s face was creased in worry. Chanyeol felt his dead heart beat and before he knew it, he had already wrapped his hands around the Aeri.

“It’s okay, it’s just a dream…” Baekhyun whispered on his ears.

He doesn’t know why, but with his fear of being alone and the pain of losing someone he cared for so much, he found solace in the Aeri’s touch. Chanyeol closed his eyes, tightening his arms around Baekhyun because it made him feel grounded, secured and protected. The prince found it odd but even if he questioned it, it wouldn’t change the fact that the Aeri has a part in his stone heart already.

“…don’t leave me…” Chanyeol whispered like a mantra.

The Aeri, who was squeezed in the Daevrics’ embrace, was frozen for a moment before he finally wraps his limbs around him. Chanyeol closed his eyes, pulling himself together. He felt himself tremble and he didn’t like it one bit.

“I won’t leave you.” Baekhyun whispered. “I won’t,” he reassured him.

∞ ♡ ∞ ♡ ∞

There’s a tension between Sehun and Chanyeol that Baekhyun doesn’t want to even touch. As they walked down the path right after getting out of the woods, silence seemed to grow louder and louder the further they got. Unless Baekhyun starts a conversation, no one would try to acknowledge each other’s presence.

But because of this, the Aeri found a lot of things from Chanyeol, now that he’s out from his binds. He’s a head taller than him, walking with long strides but slow enough for him to catch up. He doesn’t know if it’s just him, but he thinks that the former doesn’t want distance between them. As much as possible, Chanyeol would match his pace, or, if he realized that Baekhyun is falling behind, he’d stop and wait for him.

There was this time that Baekhyun suddenly asked why Chanyeol preferred to travel on feet, and the reason he gave him was a little bit mystifying. Chanyeol said that no one would want to see a pair of fire wings.

The other day, when he convinced Chanyeol to help him rescue Jongin in the hands of his people, the Daevric made a request for them to meet this man. He didn’t tell much about this person, but Chanyeol said that they would need his help in order for them to save Baekhyun’s friend.

“Chanyeol?” Baekhyun’s voice sliced through the stillness, with only pattern of their footsteps on the damp grass serving as the only background music. Chanyeol turned to him, while the Sabre, in his feline form, had his ears twitching to their direction while he walks a few feet ahead of them. Baekhyun instantly felt his knees melting from the intensity of the Daevric’s gaze, “Where are going first? Where would we find this man you’re talking about?” he asked.

The Daevric looked ahead, eyes gazing at the line of the distant mountain. He’s now wearing a tattered hooded robe, one they found in the Hollowing Woods. It probably belonged to someone who died in perish in that place.

“I’ve been inside that forest for quite long,” Chanyeol’s deep, honey voice was still new to the Aeri’s ears, “But I believe that he hasn’t left that place ever since the last time I saw him.”

“Is he your friend?” Baekhyun asked, keeping up with Chanyeol’s pace. The latter noticed this so he walked slower.

“Not really,” Chanyeol’s lips quirked in a slight smirk. “I don’t like know it all’s.”

Baekhyun doesn’t notice the pout on his lips. Chanyeol’s answers are still vague as the fog in twilight. But Chanyeol did, and a small smile graced his lips. “We’re going to Garnlok Empire,” he stated, startling the two, “I have something to get from an old warlock”

∞ ♡ ∞ ♡ ∞

He is starving, but he couldn’t find himself to find the food in front of him appetizing enough for him to eat. As long as he’s confined in this room, held captive by this raven wing in front of him, Jongin might as well die from starvation.

This mere fact displeases the said Daevric. It’s been days and Jongin never touched anything. If it wasn’t for the water he’s been forced to drink, he might have died hours ago.

Sitting on the carpeted floor, neck still chained on the bedpost, Jongin fought gazes with the man in front of him. He wonders why this man wasn’t killing him yet. Wasn’t that his specialty? To rip someone else’s heart just for fun?