Chapter 45

You are My Destiny

Lay didn’t know what to expect. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t See anything, just a loud whiteout that nevertheless added urgency, his gut instinct screaming at him to hurry.

Not one to ignore his instincts, he let them guide him. His feet were on automatic, propelling him forward the moment the car slowed enough for him to get off. Something was wrong, seriously so and he just wished he wasn’t too late.

Well, that and whatever was blocking his vision could just come out in the open so he knew why it was happening.

The scent of blood was the first thing that registered to his consciousness and mixed with it, buried under a musty deathly odor, was another, far more pleasing one. He didn’t stop to process it though. If someone was bleeding that much, he had his work cut out for him.

He was right.

‘Oh dear,’ he muttered, falling to his knees, hands extended to heal.

The girl moved, exposing the chest she’d been covering, so he could see the wound clearly. It was obviously infected, the black claw still buried inside giving clue to its origin, and the flesh around it was decaying rapidly, blackening it.

He heard Xiumin talking to the girl but ignored it in favor of inspecting the damage. He touched the area around the wound gently, wincing when it sank at the lightest pressure, completely eaten through. The claw still embedded in was speeding it up.

‘He’ll bleed out.’

Ah, so that’s why she hadn’t taken it out. On the plus side, the bleeding had stopped.  He brought his head close, to listen to his heartbeat, listen to his breath. It was faint, very faint. The claw had gone through his heart and was still embedded in it. Surprisingly though, instead of cutting deeper every time the heart clenched, the claw was modulating its shape so it wouldn’t inflict further damage. That could very well be the only reason he was still alive.

‘Rose…’ he spoke up, mentally planning how to proceed. Stop the bleeding, assess internal damage and heal that before extracting the infection. The girl didn’t respond. He heard Xiumin sigh, talk to her in that low, calming voice he’d been using since they came in. Lay sighed. They didn’t have enough time, so he needed to calm her down.

He took hold of the hand resting near the wound, channeling his healing ability, turning his head to catch her eyes. ‘Rose…’

His words trailed off as the scent, the one he’d detected coming in, finally registered. Still mixed with a mustier, other scent but very much present.

His vision sharpened, the colors suddenly vivid and he realized, vaguely, that his beast was coming to the forefront, his eyes turning red but that didn’t detract him from staring.

Was this why he couldn’t See? He’d never had visions about things that concerned himself. Could it be…?

‘Lay?’ Xiumin’s voice brought him out of the sudden daze he’d fallen in.

‘Uh…’ He glanced at the hand he was still holding. It was covered in tattoos, red of henna and black of the Abyss. The black marks were swirling, almost as if alive, with a mind of their own, hovering a little above the skin rather than embedded in.

He became aware of the other soul, the one responsible for these marks, the one holding the claw inside, changing it so as not to hurt her brother any further.

‘Oh.’ He’d seen this kind of soul before. A few things clicked into place in his head but now was not the time. Right now, he needed to push everything else away and focus on saving the dying man between them.

He let go of the hand he’d been holding, tracing over the solidified black mass instead, stopping when he reached the claw. He touched it gently, not wanting to hurt. ‘You can take this away, now.’ He spoke to the other soul, the child he could sense inside her. ‘I’ll save him.’

The claw disintegrated into smoke between his fingers and blood pumped out sluggishly. Immediately, he buried his hand into the wound. It was hard to push his hand deep enough to reach the heart but the moment he felt his fingers brush against it, he started healing. The lungs were slightly ruptured, a floating rib puncturing it, there were a few hairline fractures, perhaps from hitting the wall?

These were easy enough to heal but that was the only easy part. The infection had spread right into his heart and with the blood being pumped out, it was probably already passed all over the body. Wishing he had Tao to stop the blood from flowing, he considered his options.

There wasn’t enough time for him attempt healing the darkness – he knew from experience that it took him a lot of time and with the infection already spread so far, they were running short. If he wanted to prevent brain damage – and he didn’t think Lily would appreciate her brother being a vegetable – he had to buy time.

How?

‘Rose…’ Xiumin was gently talking to the girl again, loosening her arms around Leo. ‘You can let go now, come on…’ Softly talking, he urged her to let go of her brother and gently pulled her back, hugging and comforting her when she started crying.

An idea struck. ‘Xiumin,’ he spoke urgently. ‘I need you to freeze his blood.’

Xiumin cast him a surprised glance. ‘But…’

‘Please, it’s the only way.’ Xiumin looked reluctant but snapped his fingers and there was a tell-tale stiffness in Leo’s body, condensation rising along. ‘Are you sure?’

‘No…’ Lay shook his head. Frozen too long and they won’t need the infection to kill him. He was racing against time here. ‘But I have to try.’ 

………………………………………

Xiumin wasn’t entirely unused to Lay’s sometimes inexplicable demands – the pack trusted their healer and seer completely – but even so, freezing all of Leo’s blood seemed extreme.

He wasn’t like Tao, who stopped the time of the person’s body or sped it up, occasionally, to speed up the healing.

No, he would literally freeze the blood. That was something he’d used, long ago, to kill quickly without creating a mess.

He snapped his fingers dubiously. ‘Are you sure?’

‘No…’ His eyes widened in alarm at the healer’s reply. ‘But I have to try.’

He pursed his lips, not wanting to comment on the narrow window of time this gave them. Ten minutes to be on the safe side; fifteen tops.

Lay seemed to read his mind.

‘He’s not exactly breathing,’ he muttered, lifting his hands and tracing them over Leo’s now prone body, the appendages glowing golden. His eyes had turned red, indicating he was using a lot of his power. He continued. ‘Not deeply, anyway, and the blood flow was sluggish, so hopefully the infection hasn’t spread to his brain.’

‘But I need to know the extent of the damage…’ he breathed out, sounding strained. ‘which is a lot, I’m afraid.’ His brows furrowed, eyes focused on the body in front of him. ‘Can you…’

‘Will he be okay? The small voice interrupted their talk. Lay met his eyes, tilting his head, indicating that he should take Rose away.

Xiumin frowned. The girl was in no condition to be left alone; nor could he trust her to stay put. What if… whatever – whoever, his mind supplied, making him grit his teeth –  it was, decided to take off?

Lay addressed the girl. ‘I’m going to do my best to save him but it might take some time and I need Xiumin’s help. Do you think you’ll be okay by yourself?’

She was still trembling – Xiumin could feel the shivers travelling over to his body – but she nodded her head. Lay smiled, giving off the calming aura only he could pull off, even while sitting in a pool of blood. ‘Just hold on a little longer, okay?’

Rose let out a measured breath, seeming to come back to herself and pulled back. Xiumin was reluctant to let go, mostly because those long buried protective instincts regarding his sister had surged the moment he’d laid eyes on her. Even if Lily hadn’t told him she was possessed by his sister, he would’ve recognized her.

It was eerie, really, that he could see Star so clearly in Rose’s features. But all it had taken was a look at the face, the scared, lost expression so distinctly Star’s, he was surprised he hadn’t noticed before.

He patted her shoulder. ‘I’m right here, okay? Don’t worry about anything.’

She nodded but he could tell that this was Rose, not Star. She’d faded, gone back into hiding. He turned back to Lay, hurrying over to kneel beside him. ‘What do you want me to do?’

Lay cast a glance over his shoulder, making sure Rose was out of earshot, before looking at him, expression somber. ‘The infection’s spread all over his body. If he’d bled out, the infection wouldn’t have spread but since the claw remained buried in, it made sure the infected blood was carried all around.’

‘But you can save him, right?’ They had to. How could he ever face Lily if he let her brother die?

‘Yes…’ Lay’s eyes focused on the air above their shoulders, looking at a distance. ‘I think I know how. Can you make the ice melt, control how quick the blood flows?’

Xiumin paused. ‘I’m not Tao,’ he hedged, ‘but I suppose if I unfreeze the ice little by little, it would get the blood flowing at any speed I want.’

‘Do it.’ Lay ordered. ‘I’m going to confine the infection, stop it from damaging the body further. Once we remove that, I’ll heal him.’

Xiumin stared at him. ‘Remove?’

Lay nodded, hands glowing brightly. ‘I’m afraid so. But we won’t do that here. Focus, now.’

Xiumin pushed the worrying images of cut off body parts away, focusing on unfreezing the ice inside Leo’s veins, turning the blood into a slush of sorts.

He just hoped Lay knew what he was doing because he certainly didn’t.

………………………………………….

Her body was still trembling but the lump that had been choking her was gone now, so at least she could breath.

A lot of it had to do with Xiumin’s presence. Maybe she’d inherited Star’s projection of Choomin on Xiumin because in this moment, she felt exactly like a little child, comforted only by the presence of the trusted adult, knowing instinctively that things would be fine now.

A lot more had to do with the other guy, the one who was now kneeling over Leo’s prone body, a strange light glowing between them. She didn’t know who he was but he had this calming aura about him, a sense of competency, as if he knew exactly what he was doing.

Like a surgeon taking his place, he’d taken over Leo, handling him expertly. She didn’t know who he was but she knew he was her best bet for saving her brother.

Swallowing, she backed until her legs hit one of the sofas and she collapsed into it, all life going out of her. Her body felt heavy, fatigue setting in. Taking a deep breath, one that thankfully reached her lungs, she glanced around blearily.

The room was a mess, one she had no idea she’d created. But the sofas and chairs were pushed back, pierced through.

The sight made her think about the claw that had pierced through Leo’s heart and a jolt of nausea went through her. She shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself, swallowing around the bile rising in . Now was not the time; she had to hold on, at least until she knew Leo was okay.

Star’s voice was but a faint echo inside her, a whisper of Lelo, lost as soon as it emerged. Despite the tiredness that was threatening to take over, Rose sat up and glanced in his direction.

She clamped a hand over to stop a distressed cry from leaving but tears made their way out.

The wall she’d had him pinned against was painted red, in his blood, oh dear lord…

Her eyes landed on the pool of blood Xiumin and the other guy were sitting in. So much blood, so much…

She looked down and choked.

Her own hands were drenched in red too, crusty and beginning to brown now that she was no longer holding his body.  Another violent shiver wracked her frame and this time, she didn’t, couldn’t stop the cry that escaped her lips.

‘Leo…’ Her voice was barely above a whisper, beginning to close again, that lump forming to choke her once more. She heaved one breath, two but the air seemed to be getting blocked again and she started hyperventilating. ‘Leo… Leo…’

Tears filled her eyes and everything dissolved into water around her.

………………………………………….

Xiumin wanted to focus on the task at hand, keeping Leo’s blood flowing at the slow, slushy pace but the terrible sounds escaping Rose were far too distracting. He kept glancing over, protective brotherly instincts rising inside him, warring with the notion that she’d been the one to cause this.

Lay seemed to sense his worry. ‘Just a minute more, okay?’ he said, calm despite the sweat that had gathered over his brows, the obvious strain on his power visible in the blood red of his pupils. ‘I’ve got almost all of it.’

Xiumin focused on the rapidly receding blackness on Leo’s chest, the skin rejuvenating right in front of his eyes, coming back to life. He marveled, remembering how long it had taken Lay to remove the darkness from Mei when she’d gotten infected. It took him significantly less time than before, both because Lay had his powers back and maybe he had a better idea about handling the Abyss darkness.

‘Alright!’ Lay exclaimed, pulling his hands back. ‘That should hold him until we get to the HQs.’

Xiumin was about to snap his fingers but Lay stopped him. ‘If you unfreeze him immediately, the blood rush may be too much for him and he might go into cardiac arrest. We should let him thaw on his own. Just…’ He glanced around before grabbing a quilt from the nearby couch and throwing it over Leo. ‘There.’  

Leo looked less like a zombie now and there was a significant ease in his breathing. Nodding, satisfied, Xiumin backed off. Without his powers maintaining the ice, it would thaw quickly and let the body come up to the room temperature.

His job done, he rushed towards Rose who had was hunched over, trembling and hyperventilating. He kneeled before her, touching her shoulder. ‘Rose?’

‘Leo…’ Her voice was wracked with so much pain, so much guilt, he felt his heart go out to her. ‘He’s okay now,’ he said but she didn’t seem to hear him, tears streaming down her face as her eyes flitted around wildly.

‘Hey, hey…’ Gently grabbing her face he waited until she locked eyes with him. ‘Deep breaths, now. With me, come on.’  He waited until she complied, taking a shuddering breath and exhaling immediately. After getting her to calm down, sure that her panic attack was no longer imminent, he spoke again. ‘Leo’s out of immediate danger now, okay?’

She stilled, eyes suddenly hopeful. Xiumin smiled reassuringly, searching for Star in her face but only Rose stared back at him. He didn’t know whether he was relieved or disappointed.

‘He’s safe for now but we need to get him to the HQs to give him some proper treatment. It’d be a good idea to get you checked as well. Can you move?’

She nodded slowly, her eyes fixed on his face. He looked away. ‘Come on.’

Just as he was about to stand, her hand landed on his. ‘I’m sorry, Choomin.’

 The words, said in that achingly familiar tone, hit him like a punch to the gut. He looked down immediately but only saw the vestiges of his sister on Rose’s face, golden-red specks in her eyes fast fading into warm brown, just like the tears in her eyes. Rose blinked as two drops rolled down her cheeks, coming back to herself.

‘Sorry, I just…’ she mumbled, rapidly wiping her eyes.

Xiumin stared at her for a long moment. ‘It’s going to be okay.’

He hoped his sister heard those words as well. It was going to be okay; he would make it so.

…………………………………….

A/N

Quick update, didn't proofread it  so excuse any typos. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.. Also, the whole freezing thing is majorly inspired by Dr. Owen's induced-hypothermia stunt in grey's anatomy (you may have guessed it already but I'm a er for that show :P ) and also, based on my own questionable research. Don't quote me for scientific accuracy :) 

Yixing released a new MV, check it out: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RO9fi2ey28

its in the same style as What U Need and we can never have enough of Yixing dancing in a tux :D give it some love :)

I'm super excited about his comeback and apparently he'll have a showcase. I just hope my heart survives this XD 

Okay then, I'll leave you guys. Later, then :D

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Alisha0074 #1
Chapter 84: Yikes!!
Alisha0074 #2
Chapter 83: What future????? I'm going to reread....
thanks for the update!!!
Alisha0074 #3
Chapter 81: Thanks for the update!!! Its was nice to read this again.
As for the kris may I suggest something??
Alisha0074 #4
Chapter 79: Finally finally xiu can get his girl but now what do we do with kris?????
these elders ....
Crazydork22 #5
Chapter 79: Woohoooo! You go Xiumin! Get your girl!
topgirls
#6
Chapter 77: This update made my morning!! Keep up the great work!!
shenaya #7
Chapter 76: I hope you did not give up on this masterpiece.
Crazydork22 #8
Chapter 75: Oh my GOSH. I was so excited to see a new update on this. I went to read the chapter and I was confused because it didn’t seem to flow with the end of the previous one from my memory so I went back and....somehow I missed an update?!?!!!!! How did I miss two chapters??? And SO MANY XIUMIN LILY MOMENTS???? Ahhhhhhh!!! Okay so loved the Xiu/Lily, her payback was XD also big lol to some of them wondering why it was snowing. This newest chapter, yes! Xiumin! Put a ring on her!



As to real EXOland, oh my gosh I was so so so happy when Jongdae came to Baekhyun’s show! All the pics were LQ, but it was so lovely to see him. AND Minseok and Kyungsoo had their musical live streamed yesterday! I’m so proud of them! Minseok’s character is so adorable and meme worthy!
Alisha0074 #9
Chapter 73: Poor poor minnie!!!!
thanks for the update!!!!
Alisha0074 #10
Chapter 71: Thank you for you're updated!!! Glad to see my 2 lovely ppl falling back in line