One Wish

Kyungsoo didn’t know what to think when he found a tall, lean yet muscular half- man lying crumpled and unconscious on the dark green forest floor. He crouched down next to the stranger, his large eyes staring warily at the unmoving form of the bronze-skinned, long-limbed man who seemed to have fainted. The only article of clothing that covered the comatose male was a tattered pair of khaki shorts, the ripped legs ending just above the male’s bony kneecaps. The man’s chiseled face was smudged with dirt and his messy light brown locks were tangled with strands of various foliage. Long, deep bloody scars covered his broad chest and Kyungsoo almost trailed his fingers along the injuries before quickly drawing his hand back, remembering that carelessly touching the wounds might hurt the stranger.

The traveler didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t leave the man just lying there, but he also knew that he wasn’t strong enough to carry the man all the way out of the forest to the nearest edge of civilization by himself. Kyungsoo had been hiking in this wilderness for several days now; his cell phone had lost reception within a mile of entering the forest so he wasn’t too hopeful of being able to reach anyone who could help him transport the injured man to a safe area. And considering that he still had a long way to go before reaching his destination, Kyungsoo was stuck in the middle of nowhere with this lifeless man sprawled on the mossy ground.

With a brief look up to the overhanging fronds that covered his view of the sky, Kyungsoo heaved a deep sigh before lifting his gigantic backpack off of his thin shoulders and placing it on the floor beside him. He ped the middle pocket and dipped his hand into the seemingly bottomless pouch, maneuvering around as he felt for his first aid kit. When his fingertips finally brushed against the familiar plastic box, Kyungsoo deftly pulled out the kit and carefully set it on the dusty floor. He undid the clasps and rummaged through the different compartments until he finally gathered together a pair of plastic gloves, several cotton swabs, a pair of metal tweezers, and a roll of bandages.

After slipping his hands into the gloves and pouring cold water from his canteen onto one of the cotton balls, Kyungsoo gradually inched towards the motionless man with the tweezers holding the wet cotton swab in hand. He carefully pressed the cotton against one of the scars on the tall male’s torso and began dabbing away the crusted blood, praying that he wasn’t hurting the man in the process. But the stranger was too far gone to feel anything and continued laying there; the slight rise and fall of his chest was the only indicator that he was even alive. So Kyungsoo kept cleaning his wounds, humming softly to himself as he rhythmically slid the cotton swabs up and down the man’s stiff upper body.

He had to admit that the guy was undeniably attractive. It was hard not to when those defined abdominal muscles, pectorals, and arm muscles were right in Kyungsoo’s face as he diligently wiped away the dried blood on the other male’s body. Tiny little sparks traveled up his arm as he swirled a cotton swab along the lines of the stranger’s muscular body, tracing every dip and ridge that existed on that expanse of sun-kissed skin. Kyungsoo’s dark brown fringe lightly touched the man’s firm stomach as the small male leaned forward to get a better angle while he worked on cleaning up this handsome fellow. The man was a work of art and when the traveler realized that he had been staring tooclosely at the wounded male’s washboard abs, Kyungsoo immediately slapped his free hand against his cheeks and tried to focus on the actual cuts instead of those defined muscles.

Once the cuts were all clean, Kyungsoo grabbed the roll of bandages and carefully lifted the male’s body, pressing it against his own for support while he used his teeth to take hold of the end of the roll. He felt his cheeks begin to burn now that he could feel the outline of the man’s upper body and Kyungsoo almost fumbled as he slowly began wrapping the wounds. Even though the forest had been pleasantly cool throughout his travels, the temperature was suddenly rising and the traveler felt the back of his neck begin to bead with sweat droplets. He gulped audibly as his eyes continued feasting on the male’s amazing physique and he had to internally berate himself when he found his eyes wandering too far.

Kyungsoo didn’t know how long he had been sitting there and tending to the injured stranger, but once he finished securing the last bandage, the traveler carefully laid the passed out male on a thick blanket he had fished from his backpack. After standing up and stretching his limbs, having crouched by the stranger for so long, Kyungsoo checked his watch for the time and saw that it was now late afternoon. But since he couldn’t progress any further with the unconscious stranger, he decided to set up camp in the small clearing.

His stomach rumbled with hunger, so Kyungsoo gathered as much wood as he could without straying too far from his new charge and made a small fire pit about three feet away. The moss was easy to remove from the forest floor and soon, the traveler had a warm log fire crackling in the middle of a circular patch of dirt. Since there was no stream nearby, Kyungsoo was forced to empty one of his emergency canteens into his little metal pot so he could cook a packet of instant noodles he had extracted from his backpack. There was no way he could just leave the man unattended in order to search for water. Nor did he particularly want to leave his new companion anyway.

Once he finished devouring the piping hot noodles, Kyungsoo dug out his tent case so that the two of them would have shelter for the night. It was much more difficult to construct his one-man tent to fit two people, especially since the comatose male was much taller than Kyungsoo was. But the traveler managed to enlarge the tent enough so that if he tucked himself against the stranger, the two of them would be able to fit snugly inside. Even though he felt his heart begin to race at a thousand miles per hour when he cautiously lowered himself next to the good-looking stranger, Kyungsoo bit his lower lip and forced himself to drift into sleep while ensuring that there was space between the two males. He didn’t think he’d be able to sleep at all if even one hair was touching the other man.

--

Kai’s head was pounding with pain as he finally regained consciousness. He blinked groggily, trying to make sense of his surroundings, but there were too many unfamiliar smells surrounding him. They were overpowering him and caused the buzzing sensation in his head to heighten. After a few moments, Kai became aware of the comforting warmth that covered his chest. He angled his head to the side to get a better view of the thing that was latched onto his side and let out an involuntary yelp when he found the most adorable man nestled against his bandaged chest.

And with that noise, the small male began to stir, burrowing his face against Kai’s chest even more since he didn’t feel like getting up just yet and it was just so comfortable. Kai began to panic since it had been ages since he had last seen a human, much less interacted with one, but as he tried to angle his body away from the other man, he felt his upper body burn like fire due to his injuries. He howled in anguish as the fiery sensation grew, causing the sleeping male to jump awake, his large owlish eyes blinking rapidly as he found his bearings.

When Kyungsoo registered that the stranger had successfully woken up, his heart-shaped mouth stretched into a wide grin as he softly said, “Hey, it’s okay. You’re safe with me. Let me rewrap your wounds.”

Kai eyed the younger male warily, using the blanket he had been sleeping on to cover his exposed chest but then he hunched over as another spike of pain shot through his body. 

“Try not to strain yourself,” Kyungsoo cautioned as he began unwrapping the soiled bandages from the tall man’s body. It took every ounce of Kai’s willpower to not push the other male away from him with the pain searing every inch of him. His breathing shortened and became more raggedy, which Kyungsoo noted with a worried expression. The traveler tried to work as fast as he possibly could without further injuring the stranger. “It’ll be all better soon, I promise,” the traveler murmured reassuringly while he deftly wound new bandages around the scarred tissue. “Just breathe slowly for me, okay?”

Kai grunted in response, attempting to even out his breathingalthough it was painful to do so. He tried to focus on anything but the pain and with his heightened senses, a light woodsy smell aded his sharp nose. The calming aroma began to wrap around him like the bandages were and Kai surrendered himself to these comforting pheromones that drew him in like bees to sweet honey. It was almost too soon when the scent lessened as Kyungsoo pulled away, smiling with satisfaction after rewrapping Kai’s wounds. “W-who are you?” the injured man asked, his low voice rough and scratchy from disuse. His eyes briefly flashed red.

“I’m Do Kyungsoo,” the smaller male introduced while maintaining that bright smile of his. “I was hiking through this forest when I found you unconsciously laying here. I hope it wasn’t too alarming to wake up next to me. I only have this one tent and it’s a bit too chilly around this time of year to sleep without shelter,” Kyungsoo explained while gesturing to the small black tent that surrounded them. “What’s your name?”

It had been so long since anyone had last asked him that. Since he didn’t remember his mother giving him a name, he had just picked a word he had heard many times as his name. “I’m…Kai.”

“Kai,” Kyungsoo repeated in his rich, musical voice that sent shivers down the taller male’s bony spine. Not even the sirens of olden times could say his name so beautifully. “Is it okay if I ask how you got those scars?” the traveler asked hesitantly.

But the injured male immediately shrunk back again, because he finally recognized that this man’s scent, enticing as it was, was also human. And from the stories his mother had recited to him before her untimely death, humans were absolute terrors. Not to mention, his mother had been slain by a human as well, so Kai suddenly pulled up his guard, not wanting to meet the same fate that she did.

Kyungsoo noticed how uncomfortable the stranger suddenly became and decided to drop the subject, instead pulling out a packet of beef jerky from one of the many pockets of his giant backpack and offering a piece to Kai. The other man silently accepted the morsel of food and began chewing it, trying to avoid looking at Kyungsoo because looking at the youthful man brought about inexplicable flutters in his stomach.

--

It took a lot of patience and prodding, but Kyungsoo managed to get Kai to agree to travel with him so that the shorter male could continue treating the stranger’s injuries. The bronze-skinned male had tried to insist on sleeping outside from then on since the thought of sleeping next to Kyungsoo for an indefinite amount of time made his palms feel cold and sweaty. But Kyungsoo refused and instead offered to create a makeshift barrier in between them while they slept, so that it wouldn’t be awkward for them to sleep next to each other and so Kai wouldn’t freeze in the chilly night weather.

But despite the traveler’s efforts, each morning they found their limbs tangled together while Kyungsoo’s nose was buried in Kai’s firm chest whenever they woke up. It was quite  reminiscent of that first night. Kyungsoo had woken up first after their second night together and he had immediately jumped away, tongue-tied as he stammered out an apology while Kai sleepily rubbed his eyes after being woken up by the sudden loss of warmth next to his body. A light pink color had painted Kyungsoo’s round cheeks and several stutters had escaped him as the traveler got up quickly, dashing out of the tent so that Kai couldn’t see how embarrassed he was over instinctively clutching onto the taller male while they rested.

As the days passed, the two of them got used to waking up in each other’s arms but never said anything about it. They just wordlessly agreed to not comment on their sleeping arrangements, which made facing each other during the day much easier. And truth be told, both males grew to enjoy the sense of intimacy that they shared with a slow transition to Kai patting the spot next to him before Kyungsoo sank down and wrapped his arms around the taller male before they slept each night. And although the nights grew more frosty and frigid, the traveler didn’t feel the cold as he slept in Kai’s naturally warm embrace. It was like being swathed in a bundle of toasty blankets by a crackling fireplace; Kai never seemed to be cold and he was like Kyungsoo’s personal heater.

Kai’s injuries were also slowly recovering and after breakfast every morning, the two of them would sit down so Kyungsoo could change the bloodstained bandages for fresh ones. The traveler felt like blushing whenever he was face-to-face with Kai’s well-defined chest, but he forced himself to pretend that those curved muscles didn’t exist and instead focused on doing the best that he could to bandage up the poor fellow. It was difficult, but he somehow managed to keep himself in check.

One night, the two of them were snuggling together in Kyungsoo’s tent when Kai dragged his finger through the smaller male’s soft dark brown locks and asked, “Why are you in this forest anyway, Kyungsoo?”

The smaller male removed his head from Kai’s broad chest and tilted his face up towards the other male’s. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, it’s just that this forest is pretty dangerous and I don’t see why someone like you would come here,” Kai explained, still mindlessly combing through Kyungsoo’s fluffy hair.

The traveler reached up to place his hand over Kai’s, stopping the taller male’s ministrations, before sitting up and reaching for his backpack. Kai propped up his upper body as he curiously watched Kyungsoo root through the giant mass that contained all of the small man’s belongings. Soon, the traveler let out a noise of happiness as he pulled out a worn out journal. Its previously pristine white pages were now yellowing with age and the weather-beaten ends were slightly curled up. Kyungsoo carefully thumbed through the pages before stopping and turning to show the book to Kai.

There was a picture of a blue gemstone that was masterfully drawn in colored pencil on the beige page. Surrounding the picture were notes written in Kyungsoo’s cramped, tiny handwriting that Kai couldn’t discern unless he brought the book closer to his face. “What’s this?”

“It’s a blue garnet,” Kyungsoo answered, a serene smile on his youthful face as he gazed at the picture. “The scientific term is pyrope-spessartine, but most people just call it the color-changing garnet since it can transition from blue to other colors like purple or red in different lighting conditions. It’s very rare and the one I’m looking for in particular is magical,” the traveler added, his voice sounding even smoother than usual as if he were narrating a story.

“Magical?”

Kyungsoo bobbed his head up and down excitedly. “It’s hidden in a grove in the middle of this forest and according to rumors, it will grant a wish to whoever finds it.”

“And you want it?”

“Yup.” Kyungsoo glanced tenderly at the picture once more before closing the dog-eared journal and placing it back in his backpack. Once he finished zipping up his backpack and tucking it back in its corner of the tent, he crawled back into Kai’s embrace and nuzzled the space between the taller man’s collarbones. “That’s what I do. I travel around the world and find rare trinkets to bring back to my home in South Korea.”

“Ah, so that’s why you’re all the way here in Greece, little one.”

“I’m not that little,” the traveler retorted with a huff.

Kai smiled at Kyungsoo’s reaction to his comment and hugged the smaller male even closer to him. “What are you going to wish for when you find the blue garnet?”

“I’m not going to wish for anything. That’s going to disrupt the balance of the universe.”

It was such an innocent answer that was so like Kyungsoo. Kai playfully pushed the end of the other male’s cute nose before saying, “You’re a good person, Kyungsoo. I wish I had met you a long time ago.”

“Me too,” Kyungsoo replied with a loud yawn, snuggling closer to Kai’s chest so he could hear that comforting heartbeat as he gradually drifted off to dreamland.

Kai grinned, his eyes turning sky blue for a fleeting moment,before he tucked his chin above Kyungsoo’s head and inhaledthe aromatic woodsy pheromones that the smaller man gave off. Its familiarity wreathed around him and he fell asleep with a content smile on his face, his nose buried in Kyungsoo’s hair.

--

Kyungsoo and Kai were fishing in small, sparkling lake they had stumbled across. It was the first relatively large body of water they had encountered during their travels, so they had spent the first few hours just splashing and playing around in the refreshing water. It wasn’t cold enough yet for the lake to freeze over. Although Kai had been a bit apprehensive at first, citing that he wasn’t particularly fond of water in general, Kyungsoo’s wheedling soon had the tall male swimming in the lake as he chased around the traveler underwater.

Once they had tired of swimming, Kyungsoo had hauled out two large fishing poles and a box filled with lures. He had then poked around the moist dirt ground at the bank of the lake for wriggling worms and collected them in a small plastic box. Once he had finished setting up, the traveler handed a pole to Kai and grinned widely. “Ready?”

Kai nodded and the two of them wound up their fishing lines before tossing them as far as they could into the middle of the lake. They lounged around on the grassy bank, conversing as they usually did to pass the time while they waited for the fish to bite. There were numerous false catches as Kai reeled in several wads of debris at the beginning. But soon, they were landing fish after fish, causing Kyungsoo to jump and shout with glee after each successful catch. 

The traveler also took this chance to admire the flexing muscles in Kai’s well-developed arms and legs, since the long-limbed male was currently wearing a black tank top and a pair of tan-colored shorts he had borrowed from Kyungsoo. Because they had been bundled up in layers for most of their trip together, the small male hadn’t had a chance until now to really feast his eyes on Kai’s athletic physique since he had found him passed out that first day. With the scars all healed now, his sun-kissed skin was perfectly smooth and shone brightly against the ambersunlight.

Kyungsoo had long stopped trying to deny to himself that he was attracted to Kai. However, he kept silent about his feelings because he didn’t want to scare away the other man. The traveler didn’t want to make things awkward by vocalizing his thoughts about the extremely attractive male who was currently cleaning the batch of fish they had caught earlier. Kyungsoo was quite content with how their relationship was panning out at the moment; they were close friends who happened to enjoy cuddling with each other at night. So he didn’t try to push for anything more lest he lose a great friend whom he had come to deeply enjoy the company of, especially since Kyungsoo usually traveled alone.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a midnight black creature stepping up to the lake’s edge on the other side. His curiosity piqued, Kyungsoo turned to face that side of the lake and squinted his eyes to get a better look. The sun was slowly starting to set, so vibrant reds, oranges, yellows, purples, and pinks were painting the sky and the lake water. The black creature was slightly blending in with the shadows that were forming, but Kyungsoo was able to discern a horse with strange humps on its back dipping its head towards the water for a drink.

But then, after one , the horse suspiciously sniffed the surface of the lake. Wispy black clouds began gathering around it and Kyungsoo’s jaw reflexively dropped when large jagged wings unfurled from the humps on its back. “Uh, Kai, what’s that?” the traveler asked, pointing to the dark winged horse that had begun clopping its way around the lake as it sniffed the water every few steps.

The taller male’s head had been pounding with an unsettling sensation earlier, but he had attributed that to paranoia. But once Kyungsoo spoke, Kai snapped his head up from the fish he was laying out to dry and immediately began sweeping their belongings into the smaller male’s enormous backpack. “We need to hide now!” he hissed as he speedily swung the backpack onto his shoulders and grabbed Kyungsoo’s hand.

“But—”

“Don’t speak. Just follow me!”

So Kyungsoo let himself be pulled back towards the forest and cast a few glances behind him to see the horse-like creature pick up its pace, transition from a measured walk into a brisk trot. His head spun with bewilderment as questions about the dark winged horse raced through his mind while his short legs tried to keep up with Kai’s long ones as they ran up the bank. What exactly was that horse? Why was Kai so afraid of it? What was even happening right now?

As soon as they reentered the forest, Kai’s eyes speedily darted around as he looked for a place for them to hide. But none of the trees were hollow enough to fit two grown men and he grew increasingly agitated when the presence of the dark creature grew stronger with every passing second. The evil energy was beginning to blanket over him and he could feel his throat constrict with fear. “Meliae, please dear sisters, I need you to hide the two of us now,” he uttered in a breathless voice, channeling all of his willpower into summoning the forest’s dryads.

The oppressive force grew closer and closer, making Kai panic even more as he ran for his life with a perplexed Kyungsoo in tow. Oh gods, why had he ignored the warning signs earlier? What a stupid, stupid, stupid decision and now, his carelessness might cost them their lives. He shouldn’t have been so complacent and lowered his guard after living so freely these past few weeks. He was such an idiot. If anything happened to Kyungsoo, he would never be able to forgive himself.

“Dear brother, pause in your escape.”

“We are here to aid you and your companion.”

“Trust us and stand still.”

Numerous lyrical female voices whirled around Kai, who instantly obeyed the welcomed instructions and pulled Kyungsoo to a halt. Before the smaller male could say anything, Kai pressed a finger to those remarkably full heart-shaped lips. He flipped Kyungsoo around so that the traveler’s back was pushed against the taller male’s firm chest and kept his finger against Kyungsoo’s lips while wrapping his arms around the smaller man.

Kyungsoo was even more confused when Kai suddenly stopped where they stood and he almost choked on his saliva when he felt those well-defined pectoral muscles against his back andwhen the equally muscular biceps locked him in place. But before he could dwell for long on the fact that Kai’s very nice chest and arms were all over his body, Kyungsoo witnessed a cloud of shimmering green mist float around them and then a large ash tree encased the two males out of nowhere.

They huddled inside the magical tree in absolute silence and listened with bated breaths to the clip-clopping of the dark winged horse get increasingly louder. Kyungsoo was shocked by everything that was suddenly happening and screwed his eyes shut while his heart pounded wildly against his chest. He could also feel Kai’s heart beating just as quickly.

The hoof noises soon stopped by the ash tree they were hiding within and the two men could hear a low whinnying from the other side. After a few seconds of listening to the horse-likecreature neigh wildly and stamp loudly around the base of the wide tree, the clopping gradually began to fade away until there was only the sound of birds chirping as they flew around and pecked at the mysterious ash tree.

“What…what was that?” Kyungsoo gasped out once they were released from the tree illusion, his heartbeat accelerating like there was no tomorrow. Partly due to the adrenaline filling his system after seeing the tragically beautiful dark winged horse earlier and partly due to being enveloped in Kai’s strong, toned arms just now. Although he had touched the other male’s muscles when he had first found him all those weeks ago, it was a completely different experience altogether being trapped between his muscular arms and feeling the outline of Kai’s chest behind the thin tank top.

Several seconds passed before Kai finally whispered in an anguished tone, “That was Bellerophon’s Pegasus. I would be able to recognize it anywhere.”

“You mean the one from Ancient Greek mythology?” Kyungsoo asked in confusion. “The same Bellerophon and Pegasus who were able to slay the deadly chimera?”

Kai’s face instantly darkened as he responded indignantly, “My mother wasn’t deadly.” And then, having realized his slip of tongue, he immediately released the startled Kyungsoo and jumped back, a panic-stricken expression decorating his features. “I-it’s not what you t-think,” he stammered hastily, wildly waving his hands in front of him as if he were warding away evil spirits.

“You’re…a chimera?” The traveler couldn’t believe his ears. This handsome man he was attracted to was a mythological creature from Ancient Grecian times? Not to mention, one that was notoriously dangerous and depicted as one of the most vicious creatures of its time? “But…how?”

Seeing Kyungsoo look so lost and confused caused a tidal wave of shame to wash over Kai. The tall male’s head hung low as he looked away out of shame now instead of fear. But he knew he owed the truth to the traveler for having saved his life. He couldn’t hide his origin story any longer. “I was born over three thousand years ago in Lycia,” Kai began, his voice slightly shaking with nervousness. “Chimeras are immortal, so we won’t die unless killed. I was living out most of my life at the base of Mount Olympus until Pegasus found me one day and forced me into fleeing. Something happened to him after Bellerophon’s fall and he gradually transformed into the evil creature we saw earlier.” 

“Why is he chasing you?” Kyungsoo was trying to wrap his head around this ludicrous tale. Even though he believed in the supernatural, seeing as he was currently searching for a magical gemstone, it was still so surreal to realize that he was speaking to a fantastic beast guised as a human. And a very good-looking human at that.

“For some reason, Pegasus thinks that killing me will bring back Bellerophon, even though that vile human should have been dead for ages now,” Kai answered bitterly, thinking of his poor deceased mother who had been unfairly killed all those millennia ago. “I managed to avoid him up until the day you found me. Pegasus managed to catch me off-guard and attacked, which is how I got those scars,” the taller male finally revealed. 

Kyungsoo felt his heart sink when he heard the other male’s sorrowfully deep tone. “Oh, Kai…”

“I just barely managed to escape, but I would’ve died if you hadn’t rescued me.” Kai looked to be fighting tears now, so the traveler wordlessly handed a tissue to the distressed man. After noisily blowing his nose and dabbing away the tears from his eyes, Kai let out a deep breath and said apologetically, “I didn’t mean to keep this a secret from you, Kyungsoo. I swear it. It’s just that I’ve always grown up believing that humans are bad news and once Pegasus started following me, I’ve been afraid of virtually everything.”

“You don’t have to apologize for trying to stay alive,” Kyungsoo answered soothingly, grasping Kai’s big strong hands in his own slender ones. The taller male’s hands were ice-cold, which was very uncharacteristic of the normally warm man, so Kyungsoo began rubbing their hands together to heat them up. 

“You don’t hate me, right?” Kai whispered, his eyes growing large and fearful as thoughts of Kyungsoo abandoning him ran through his mind. He didn’t think he could bear it if the one human he had grown to trust decided to up and leave him after this startling revelation. He’d much rather die.

The traveler moved one of his hands to Kai’s thin cheek and gently it, saying in a soft voice, “Of course not. We all have our reasons for hiding things. And I can understand why you kept this a secret.”

Kai sighed in relief, letting himself relax under Kyungsoo’s calming touch. He then drew the smaller male close to him in a tight hug and mouthed, “Thank you,” against the traveler’s smooth neck.

Kyungsoo’s face instantaneously flamed up at the close contact, much to Kai’s amusement.

--

Although he had traveled for several weeks with Kai since their near encounter with Dark Pegasus, Kyungsoo had still never seen the man transform to his chimera form. The traveler’s curiosity was now peaking at an all-time high. He had only ever read about the creatures in Ancient Grecian legends, but he didn’t think they were as bad as historical accounts made them out to be. Especially since Kai was so nice and caring to him, always offering to hunt for food while Kyungsoo scavenged for water and firewood. Kai had also taken over the cooking, having perfected the art over the millennia, which Kyungsoo quite enjoyed since he had grown tired of his own cooking after years of eating the same foods during his travels. And best of all, Kai always welcomed it when Kyungsoo curled up next to him as they slept, the traveler tightly clutching the thin fabric of Kai’sshirt, and he even pulled the small man closer to him so that he could feel Kyungsoo’s heartbeat against his own chest.

So one afternoon, Kyungsoo asked if it would be okay for Kai to shape-shift to his original form. 

“You really don’t want to see what a chimera looks like,” Kai stated gruffly, his voice hardening with each word. “We’re one of the ugliest magical creatures to have ever existed. One of the main reasons my mother went crazy and started attacking the old Grecian villages was because she couldn’t come to terms with her appearance.” His head hung low with his light brown locks covering the top half of his face as he spoke of memories from eons ago. “She was so jealous of the serene dryads, the graceful mermaids, and the noble hippogriffs. It just wasn’t fair to her that they could be so loved for their looks while she looked like a complete mess in comparison to them.”

“But you’re so handsome as a human.” Kyungsoo couldn’t believe that the most gorgeous man he had ever lain eyes on could ever be as unsightly as Kai was making himself out to be.

“That doesn’t mean I’m just as handsome as a chimera,” Kai countered. “You’re going to laugh at me or freak out once you see what I really look like.”

“You’re just overreacting. I’m sure it isn’t as bad as you’re making it sound.”

“It is.”

Kyungsoo pouted, his large eyes widening even more as he latched onto Kai’s arm. “Please, can I see it just once?” he begged, blinking up innocently at his traveling companion.

A bright red flush visibly painted Kai’s defined cheeks, even against his bronze skin tone. The taller male couldn’t take it anymore. He had tried to hold himself back for Kyungsoo’s sake and his own sanity, but with the traveler continually pestering to see his other form and his own body impulsively reacting to Kyungsoo’s requests, it becoming too difficult to retain his human form much longer. Not to mention, he had never stayed as a human this long before. So Kai suddenly stopped in his tracks.

“…Kai?”

And then a bright white light erupted from Kai’s body, encasing the male in an iridescent cocoon that almost blinded Kyungsoo who had to quickly step back and shield his eyes when the sudden transformation began. The cocoon began pulsing and widening as the seconds passed, bright light and sparks flying every which way from the brilliant mass. And a giant creature emerged from the cocoon as the light slowly dissipated to reveal the chimera’s true form.

“I’m hideous,” Kai whispered in his gravelly, animalistic voices that echoed against the dozens of trees surrounding the two males. He angled his large monstrous body so that his three heads were facing away from an astonished Kyungsoo, who continued gaping at the scene in front of him.

Kai had transitioned from the dashing young man he wassmitten with into a towering creature that comprised of a golden lion, a silvery goat, and a dark reddish-brown dragon. The lion’s head, which Kyungsoo assumed was the main one, had a beautiful brownish-orange mane framing the furry face that refused to turn in Kyungsoo’s direction. Likewise, the long, thin goat’s head that was to the left of the lion’s head and the scaly, angular dragon’s head that was to the right of the lion’s head were also bent away. The main body was of the lion, the taut muscles rippling underneath the shining golden coat and the giant paws with sharp claws glistening in the dim sunlight that filtered through the dense forest foliage. A pair of magnificent leathery dragon wings extended from the back of the lion’s body and a thick scaly tail was attached to the rear end of the creature, ending in a green snake’s head with its long forked tongue darting out from its jaws every few seconds.

“This…this is what a chimera looks like?” Kyungsoo breathed out in amazement as he reached an outstretched hand in Kai’s direction, wanting to confirm that this was reality and not some kind of strange fantasy. But the supernatural creatureimmediately shrank away from the shorter man’s touch to Kyungsoo’s disappointment. “Kai…” 

“Go ahead and laugh at me. I know how disgusting I look with my mismatched body parts,” the chimera growled bitterly with his lion head. His furry triangular ears flattened against his large lion head while his snake head tail hung limply between his hind legs.

Kyungsoo felt his heart wrench with pain when he saw the crystal teardrops gather at the corners of Kai’s three pairs of eyes: the warm umber brown eyes of his lion head, the soft sky blue eyes of his goat head, and the striking ruby red eyes of his dragon head. He wished the other male knew how beautiful he actually was. “I would never laugh at you, Kai. I honestly don’t think you’re ugly. You’ve always been very attractive to me and this new exterior doesn’t change what you’re like on the inside.”The traveler attempted once more to place his hand on Kai, who didn’t shy away this time. “You don’t have to be afraid of being judged,” Kyungsoo murmured to the chimera while resting his forehead against the soft furry forehead of the lion.

The two stood there in companionable silence with Kyungsoo rubbing small circles against the lion’s soft cheeks. After a few minutes, the goat head and the dragon head cautiously wrapped their heads around the traveler so that he was in between all three heads. A musical giggle escaped Kyungsoo’s plush heart-shaped lips and Kai felt his insecurities slowly drift away as his three pairs of ears hungrily drank in the sound of Kyungsoo’s laughter. His snake head tail began wagging and low hums rumbled from the chimera’s broad furry chest, tickling Kyungsoo who laughed even more.

“Can I ride you?” the traveler asked shyly as he threaded his fingers through the thick lion fur.

“Of course, little one,” Kai’s goat head answered kindly as hemoved to let Kyungsoo out of the circle. The traveler was too excited at the prospect of riding the chimera to even retort that he wasn’t little. The dragon head stretched forward and pushed the traveler towards the towering body which lowered so that the short male would have an easier time climbing up.

Once Kyungsoo and his belongings were securely nestled in the small dip of the chimera’s back, his hands large clumps of golden fur so that he wouldn’t fall, the traveler loudly cheered, “Let’s go!” and the chimera began padding forward in the direction of the grove that housed the magical blue garnet. It was strange seeing the world from this high up. Kyungsoo had never been so close to the top layer of foliage before and he found himself entranced by the calming rhythm of Kai’s gait as his large round eyes swept over every single detail of the forest he had missed while traveling on the ground.

The dragon head stretched his neck to look backwards at Kyungsoo, who beamed brightly and fawned over how beautiful this point of view was. A low grumble hummed from his scaly throat before Kai’s raspy, reptilian voice began speaking about the clear blue skies of olden times. “Nothing at all like the pollution that covers the world nowadays,” the chimera commented with a deep sigh as he pensively thought back to Ancient Greece.

“It must’ve been nice to live in that era,” Kyungsoo said wistfully while petting the back of the goat head, scratching hissilvery gray ears.

“It was a much simpler time,” Kai agreed.

They comfortably traveled like this from then on, covering much more distance than they had when Kai was a human. And the chimera’s fire-breathing abilities came in handy whenever they set up their campfires or had to incinerate small piles of dead trees in their path. It finally made sense to the traveler why Kai’s body was naturally so warm and toasty. At night, the chimera would transform back into his human form, much to Kyungsoo’s delight. Although it had been magical and mesmerizing to finally see an actual chimera, somehow, the creature didn’t truly feel like Kai. The traveler preferred it when his companion was human, hearing the familiar soothing heartbeat against his ear whenever he laid his head on Kai’s chest at night as they fell asleep. But Kyungsoo couldn’t deny how incredible it was to be traveling with a mythological creature and couldn’t keep the awe from his face whenever he watched Kai morph back into a chimera.

It was also easier for Kai to stay in his true form since staying as a human for more than two months since meeting Kyungsoo had taken a toll on his body. He would have healed faster if he had transformed back sooner and his senses would have been much sharper so they could have avoided encountering Dark Pegasus that one time, but the fear of the smaller male leaving him had been too strong at the time. Now, the act of returning to his human form was purely for the selfish reason of being able to hold Kyungsoo in his arms. He had grown addicted to the traveler’s presence and the thought of not having Kyungsoo in his future was extremely daunting. “Kyungsoo?”

“Hm?”

“Is it okay if I make one simple request?”

Kyungsoo hummed his approval into Kai’s chest, feeling too comfortable to move his face away and open his eyes or mouth.

“Do you think…that maybe…you could use the one wish from the blue garnet…on me?” Kai held his breath and Kyungsoo could feel the other male’s chest tighten as a result.

The smaller male shifted his body so that there was a small space between the two and he could look into Kai’s umberbrown eyes that were exactly like those of his lion head. “What do you mean?”

Kai nervously scratched the back of his head as he said shyly, “Well, I know you weren’t planning on wishing for anythingwhen we find the blue garnet, but if it’s okay with you, do you think you could wish for me to become…human?”

“You want to become human?” Kyungsoo asked in surprise.

The taller male nodded vigorously. “I’ve lived for over three thousand years already. I have no desire to live for another three thousand years or longer, especially if,” he gulped loudly, “that means I have to outlive you.”

Kyungsoo’s heart began to race again. He had never really made friends with anyone since he was so nomadic, always traveling from one place to the next. Yet this wonderfully attractive and kind-hearted man named Kai had wordlessly wormed his way into Kyungsoo’s heart. The traveler couldn’t imagine a future without Kai now; his mind blanked when he tried. And to hear that the other male felt the same way made Kyungsoo’s heart feel warm and cozy, just like how he felt whenever Kai held him close as their breathing patterns matched and their hearts beat in tandem.

Even though he didn’t mind that Kai was a chimera, Kyungsoo realized that it would be difficult for them to have a future together. They would always have to hide from Dark Pegasus, they wouldn’t be able to stay in civilized areas for long since Kai was still understandably uneasy around humans and would have to transform back into a chimera periodically, and Kyungsoo would gradually age while Kai would stay the same until the traveler’s eventual death. To think of Kai standing at Kyungsoo’s grave, still as young as flawless as he was now but alone and grieving instead, depressed the smaller male to no end.

He hadn’t even been planning to use the blue garnet anyway. Why not use it for Kai’s wish? There was no reason not to. And if the blue garnet lost its value after being wished upon, well, Kai was more important than some silly magical gemstone anyway. “Of course I’ll make this wish for you, Kai,” Kyungsoo replied, his heart-shaped mouth stretching widely into a brilliant smile. “Once we find the blue garnet, that’ll be the first thing I do.”

Kai wondered what great deed he had done in his three thousand plus years of living to find someone as precious as Kyungsoo.

--

A heavy scent filled the air, wafting into Kai’s sensitive nose and causing the male to wake up in panic. He sniffed again, really drawing in the pungent odor particles, and then immediately shook Kyungsoo awake. “We have to leave,” the taller man said while the traveler yawned loudly, his arms stretching behind him.

“W-why?” Kyungsoo yawned again, causing him to stutter as he spoke.

“No time to explain. Just help me pack up so we can get out of here.”

The traveler was wide awake now, looking at Kai with concern since the other male seemed extremely unsettled as he quickly rolled up their blankets and bedrolls before stuffing them into Kyungsoo’s backpack. He obediently began dismantling the tent while Kai cleaned up the rest of the campsite so that it would seem as if they had never been there. Once all of their belongings were packed up, the place looked serene and untouched by humans.

Kai promptly transformed back into his chimera form so that they could hightail it out of the area much more quickly. He padded through the forest at a brisk pace, unable to fly since the branches of nearby trees were too low-hanging and he didn’t want Kyungsoo getting hurt. If it had just been him, the chimera would’ve torn through the foliage as if it were paper, but that wasn’t the case so he focused on weaving deftly through the winding section of the forest they were currently in.

Kyungsoo didn’t try to make conversation with Kai as he usually did since the supernatural creature was much tenser and more serious than he usually was. Even though he was lost and confused as to why they were in such a hurry, Kyungsoo trusted the chimera to safely lead him. He absentmindedly the goat’s velvety ears and the dragon’s smooth neck while gazing around the vast forest that was buzzing with life with various animals scurrying around as they usually did in the mornings.

The traveler found that one of the reasons he loved this forest so much was because of how it seemed peaceful at all times. The melodious chirping of various birds and the soft whoosh of the gentle breeze made Kyungsoo feel like he was in a magical forest wonderland, especially after knowing that the dryads diligently kept watch over the plant life. This forest was definitely one of the nicest places he had ever traveled to since he had first begun treasure-hunting.

It also helped that this was the place he had found and gotten to know Kai.

And then a black crystal shard zinged past Kyungsoo’s ear, alerting the traveler that there was trouble afoot. Right after, a piercing whinny filled the air and Kyungsoo turned around in trepidation to see Dark Pegasus hot on their trail. “We’re being chased!”

“I know,” Kai’s lion head growled as the chimera began bounding forward at a much faster pace. “Hold on tight!”

He didn’t have to tell Kyungsoo twice. The traveler instantly flattened himself against the creature’s back and securely wrapped his fists around tufts of golden fur. He was too scared to look back at the winged horse, but the neighs of Dark Pegasus steadily grew louder. More crystal shards zipped over his head and a few of them punctured the chimera’s leathery wings, causing the dragon head to bellow with pain. “Kai!”

“I’m fine, little one,” the dragon head hissed while his wings folded downwards against the lion body’s sides. “But I don’t know if I’ll be able to fly us out of here, especially since Dark Pegasus is really fast in the air as well.”

“What should we do then?”

All three of Kai’s faces grimaced as the chimera’s low voices echoed, “I’ll have to fight it off if we’re to have any chance of escaping. But I can’t do that with you on my back.”

Kyungsoo nodded in understanding. “Got it.” The chimera skidded to a halt and angled his body away from Dark Pegasus so Kyungsoo could safely swing off of the supernatural creature. The traveler landed squarely on the mossy forest floor, his backpack hanging off of his shoulders.

“Now run!” Kai commanded with his lion head while a burst of flames shot from his dragon head.

“I’m not leaving you!” Kyungsoo shouted indignantly.

The chimera could only huff in exasperation at the traveler’s foolish stubbornness since the crazy winged horse was quickly advancing with its jagged black wings splayed outwards. The lion head roared and the goat head bleated in anger, pointing the snake head tail towards Dark Pegasus so it could projectile spit dark purple venom at the horse-like creature. But the attack did nothing as Dark Pegasus formed a black crystal barrier around itself with its rock-hard wings. Thick black smoke billowed from the dragon head’s large round nostrils and his ruby red eyes glowed brightly, images of bright red-orange flames flickering in the irises. 

While the barrier around Dark Pegasus disintegrated into fine black mineral dust, Kai drew up his broad chest as he prepared himself to unleash a mighty flamethrower that would hopefully damage the winged horse enough for the chimera to escape from this part of the forest with Kyungsoo. He could feel the fire swirl in the pit of his belly and tendrils of the growing fire escaped from between his toothy jaws. The dragon head opened his mouth wide to let the hot flames explode in the deranged winged horse’s direction. In retaliation, Dark Pegasus shot another storm of sharp stones from its wings at the chimera.

One particularly large crystal shard slashed against the chimera’s soft underbelly, causing Kai to falter. The flamethrower from his dragon mouth was thrown off course and hit Kyungsoo instead of Dark Pegasus to Kai’s horror.

Kyungsoo writhed on the floor, his left arm throbbing with intense pain from the magical flames. He had never felt such a powerful searing sensation before and it was like his arm was alight with the fire of a thousand suns. His blood burned while his skin felt raw and tender, peeling away in repulsive flakes. The traveler howled loudly while tears streamed from his shut eyes, feeling so overwhelmed by the excruciating pain.

Kai stood still, stunned that he had accidentally burned the innocent man he was in love with. He could only gape as Kyungsoo thrashed about, the high-pitched screams bleeding into the chimera’s six ears. He felt his blood turn to ice as the shock of the situation kept him frozen in place.

But then, a sharp whinny from Dark Pegasus jolted Kai from his trance and his goat head immediately clamped onto the back of Kyungsoo’s shirt. His dragon wings, even though they were full of holes, immediately took flight. With the squirming injured traveler hanging from the goat head, the chimera burst through the canopy of tree leaves and flew away as fast as he possibly could with his mutilated wings. He soon spotted a roaring waterfall and dipped back down through the thick foliage, making sure that Kyungsoo was tucked against the creature’s body so that he wouldn’t be impaled by the tree branches, before landing in a heap on the dusty forest floor.

Kai’s goat head gently released the traveler onto the ground before the chimera shape-shifted into his human form. “Kyungsoo!” he cried out, hands hovering over the burned male who was and groaning loudly as the intense blazing sensation continued destroying his arm. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Oh gods, what do we do?!”

“I—It’s not—not your f-fault,” Kyungsoo answered through gritted teeth, his smooth forehead beading with sticky sweat. “Hand—hand me t-the first—first aid kit,” he gasped out as his face turned chalky white and his breathing shortened.

“R-right,” Kai stammered, quickly pulling the hefty backpack off of Kyungsoo’s thin shoulders and ping it so he could dig around for the rectangular plastic box that had saved his life a couple of months ago. The flustered male found some burn ointment which he immediately began applying to the wounded arm and then loosely wrapped some fresh bandages over the burned arm. Any time Kyungsoo yowled in pain, Kai would flinch and splutter in panic, “O-oh no, I—I’m h-hurting you. I’m s-so sorry.”

It took much longer than it should have to bandage Kyungsoo’s burns, thanks to Kai’s jumpiness and trembling hands. The taller male laid out Kyungsoo’s bedroll and tucked the man between a handful of thick blankets while trying not to aggravate the traveler’s wounded arm. “Kai, I’ll be okay,” Kyungsoo said, shooting his companion a tired grin and holding up a thumbs-up so that Kai wouldn’t worry so much. “It’s just a small burn. It’ll heal up in a few weeks.”

“I could’ve killed you though!” Kai burst out, frenzied and loathing every bit of himself at the moment. “You could’ve diedbecause of me!”

“But I didn’t,” Kyungsoo answered cheerfully. His arm still stung from the sensation of the blazing flames, but he knew that guilt was eating away at Kai’s conscience right now. He hated seeing the other man look so downcast and frantic, so the traveler silently bore the pain as best as he could. “I’ll be right asrain after some sleep, so stop blaming yourself, okay?”

Kai’s lips tightened into a straight line as he watched Kyungsoo’s eyelids slowly droop and the injured male fell fast asleep. His hands wrung behind his back as he paced back and forth for several minutes. He then crouched down beside Kyungsoo and briefly pressed his lips against the sleeping traveler’s forehead before standing up again.

--

The familiar twittering of birds woke Kyungsoo up and he yawned lazily, about to stretch his arms as he usually did when a shooting pain traveled through his burned left arm. He grunted, having forgotten that he was injured, and gingerly used his right arm to push himself up into a sitting position. The exhaustion from the previous day’s encounter with Dark Pegasus had allowed his deep sleep to be undisturbed for the entire afternoon and night. But it was also a bit unsettling to wake up to the lack of Kai’s familiar, comforting warmth. He couldn’t remember the last time he had woken up without the attractive tall man’s strong arms around him. “Kai? Where are you?” Kyungsoo called out, his tone tinged with hesitation.

But there was only silence.

Kyungsoo’s chest constricted as his large owlish eyes searched for any trace of Kai around the empty campsite. Any indicator, any sign, just anything that would tell him the other man was here with him. But there was none.

Kai had abandoned him without even saying goodbye.

--

It had been difficult to travel with an injured arm. Kyungsoo was thankful that his dominant hand wasn’t wounded, so he was still able to cook and set up camp by himself, albeit not very quickly. But these last few weeks without Kai felt like winter had finally come. The air felt frostier, even though snow had yet to fall. Regardless, Kyungsoo’s nights were colder and lonelier than they had ever been his entire life. The traveler hadn’t realized just how much he had depended on Kai until nightfall came and he was unable to fall asleep because there was none of that familiar warmth next to him. There was no soothing heartbeat to lull him to sleep, reassuring him that he would be safe while he rested.

Kyungsoo missed Kai. He missed eating his delicious cooking. He missed hearing his boisterous laughter. He missed seeing his genuine smile. He missed inhaling his comforting scent. He missed feeling his arms wrapped around him as they cuddled in the tent at night. Kyungsoo missed everything about Kai.

His heart was in more pain than his arm was from longing for his former companion so much. He didn’t know why the otherman had deserted him. The traveler knew Kai had been upset over burning his arm, but Kyungsoo thought he had made it clear that he knew it had been a complete accident and that he didn’t blame the chimera at all for the incident. If anything, it was the dark winged horse’s fault that it had happened. Or that any of this had happened in general.

The days passed by listlessly and Kyungsoo found that he hated this solitary feeling that he had previously considered his norm before meeting Kai. The bird songs sounded less melodious and the wayside flowers looked less vibrant as he trudged through the forest on his way to the grove of the blue garnet. This trip had lost its excitement and now, the only reason Kyungsoo was even continuing forth with the expedition was because he didn’t want to leave the forest empty-handed. And he had also promised Kai that he would wish for the other male to become human, so even if Kai hated him—why else would he just suddenly disappear from Kyungsoo’s life—the traveler would uphold his word.

Perhaps meeting Kai had been a dream. Perhaps the male had been something his lonely mind had unconsciously conjuredafter keeping to himself for years. That would explain the absurdity of actually meeting a chimera, escaping from an evil Pegasus, and witnessing the magic of dryads. 

But that wouldn’t explain the painful burn he had suffered several weeks back. The skin of the traveler’s scorched left arm was now a pinkish-red color and parts of it were scabbed over, which Kyungsoo would mindlessly pick at after eating dinner. He knew it would lengthen the healing process, but it was difficult to stop since otherwise, his mind would jump to Kai and wonder why the other man had left him.

Every night, Kai was the only thing on Kyungsoo’s mind. And a cold wind blew through the one-person tent. 

--

Kyungsoo sighed as he checked his tattered journal. There was a detailed map drawn on one of the pages that he had been following since his journey in Greece began. It had been difficult finding his way after Kai had dropped him in the middle of the forest, but as a seasoned traveler, Kyungsoo was soon able to find the right path after several days of searching for significant landmarks. It helped that he had woken up by a waterfall that morning; it had been much easier to pinpoint exactly where he was since there weren’t many waterfalls marked on the map.

By his calculations, he should be close to the grove of the blue garnet by now. Any other time, he would have been jumping up and down in delight. But Kai wasn’t here to celebrate with him. Kai wasn’t here to step into this mystical grove together with him. Kai just wasn’t here at all. So Kyungsoo was void of enthusiasm and anticipation as he carefully walked through the forest, keeping his eyes peeled for the grove entrance.

He soon stumbled upon two trees with curved trunks that were marked on his map. The curves were in opposite directions, forming a gap between the two that was big enough for Kyungsoo to slip through. And once he did, a bright beam of sunlight shined on his face. The traveler temporarily forgot his heartache as his eyes scanned over the beautiful, tranquil grove. Hundreds of dark blue flowers intertwined with lavender flowers populated the light green grassy floor. The middle of the grove was cleared of trees, making the space seem wide and open. This was the sunniest part of the forest that Kyungsoo had encountered yet and he could feel his spirits being lifted as he soaked in warm sunrays. It kind of made him feel like Kai was with him again.

Near the far end of the grove, a stone pedestal that was cracked with strong thick vines running through and around it stood with a sparkling blue jewel nestled on top. The blue garnet was much more striking in person and the drawing did it no justice. Its edges were sharp and clean-cut, not a chip in sight or a speck out of place. The sunlight that poured from the top opening of the grove acted like a spotlight, centering on the gleaming gemstone. The dazzling light caused the blue garnet to illuminate in an almost ethereal manner and Kyungsoo felt like his breath was being taken away as he gazed at the treasure he had been hunting for a number of months now. It was such a mesmerizing gem and the traveler didn’t think he could ever tire of staring at the sparkles that danced on its smooth surface.

With his breath hitched, Kyungsoo crossed the grove so he could get even closer to the blue garnet. The magical energy was overflowing from this hypnotizing gemstone and the traveler could feel it with every fiber of his being, even at a distance. This would be the finest possession in his collection yet and Kyungsoo began mentally reorganizing his gallery room back home so he could properly showcase this wonderful jewel. He stopped in front of the tall stone pedestal with his slender fingers outstretched, about to take hold of the blue garnet.

But all of a sudden, a familiar clopping sound made its way to Kyungsoo’s ears. The traveler gulped audibly as he slowlyturned around while feverishly praying for his imagination to be acting up. But it was no good. There it stood in all of its malevolent glory: the mad Dark Pegasus that had caused the two males to separate several weeks ago.

“Oh no, no, no,” Kyungsoo whispered while frozen in place as the dark winged horse sniffed the air before rearing up on its strong hind legs, its long serrated tail swinging like a pendulum behind it. With no Kai and nothing to defend himself, thetraveler had no idea what to do about this insane evil creature. There was nothing he could do. “Oh god. Oh god.”

With a deafening neigh and its front hooves pawing violently in the air, Dark Pegasus spread out its jagged wings that spanned twelve feet and black crystal shards began shooting out of theappendages towards Kyungsoo. The traveler just barely escaped being stabbed by the sharp stones as he somersaulted out of the way, sacrificing his backpack in his place. Ugly sounds of tearing fabric and shattering glass filled the air as the backpack was obliterated by the crystal shards. He sighed deeply, holdinghis precious journal to his chest. It documented every place he had ever gone to and every treasure he had ever collected, so he would have been devastated if it hadn’t survived that terrifying attack.

Dark Pegasus snorted angrily as its front legs came crashing down after launching the deadly black crystals. It angled its body in Kyungsoo’s direction before rowdily pawing its front right hoof at the light grassy floor to gear up for another attack. The traveler felt like a character in a video game as he dived and rolled to avoid each spurt of razor-sharp shards that exploded from the deranged horse’s wings. He grunted as his injured arm was jolted about, but he didn’t have time to think about the healing burns as he jumped out of the way of another attack from Dark Pegasus. 

There were several close calls whenever he moved just a millisecond too late. The swishing sound of speeding crystal shards cutting through the air right by Kyungsoo’s skin shot up his adrenaline levels to new heights. He was like a tiny mouse trying to escape the menacing claws of a giant feral cat. Except this cat had massive wings that shot out jagged stones like they were bullets being fired from a machine gun. And this cat was actually an age-old creature from Ancient Greek mythology. Oh god, he was going to die.

At least he had been able to meet Kai and spend a magnificent number of months with the other male in this forest. Although they had parted on bad terms, Kyungsoo would carry the memories of their time together to the grave. He was so thankful that fate had crossed their paths and even though he wished he could have the chance to confess his feelings to that dashing man who had stolen his heart, Kyungsoo was glad that the last person he pictured in his mind was Kai.

With another shrill whinny, Dark Pegasus began charging towards Kyungsoo. Having finally accepted his eventual death, he didn’t try stepping out of the crazy winged horse’s line of motion. It was still harrowing to see the giant winged horse gallop wildly in his direction, but Kyungsoo also felt a wave of calm wash over him as he stood with his journal clutched to his chest and the image of Kai etched into his mind.

But the deathly crushing impact never came.

Growls and bleats filled the air while the neighs were cut short as a giant golden body burst through the trees and crashed into the body of Dark Pegasus. The winged horse grunted furiously, unsteadily staggering onto its feet after being knocked down,once it found itself face-to-face with the creature it had been hunting for centuries now. It whinnied at ear-splitting decibels before aiming its deadly wings in the chimera’s direction.

“Kai!” Kyungsoo shrieked as he helplessly watched the dark creature unleash a black storm of stone shards at his companion.

The chimera’s dragon wings immediately lifted the creature off the ground and into the air, successfully avoiding the spray of crystals. “Kyungsoo, get out of the way!” the goat head shoutedwhile the lion head let out another fierce roar. The traveler immediately jumped towards the edge of the grove opposite to Dark Pegasus. The aggressive winged horse pointed its head in Kyungsoo’s direction and was about to rush towards the small male when the chimera flew tauntingly close to its face. It neighed in anger whenever Kai’s sharp claws swiped dangerously at every inch of its body he could reach without impaling himself on its pointy wings.

Now that there was an open space for the chimera to fly around, Kai took advantage of the air and tried to taunt Dark Pegasus into following him out of the grove. But the winged horse only narrowed its blood red eyes at the other creature before directing another wind of crystal shards towards Kai. He dodged the spray much more easily than he had when they had fought in a closed space, but this small achievement didn’t bolster Kai’s spirits at all. It seemed that although the horse-like creature was mad, it still had enough wits about it to see through Kai’s scheme and stay firmly on the ground. It was also smart enough to realize that Kyungsoo was the chimera’s weak point and tried advancing towards the traveler before being stopped by Kai each time.

From where he was standing at the other side of the grove, Kyungsoo could tell that Kai was holding back for some reason. Even though the chimera was valiantly putting up a good fight, Dark Pegasus was gradually forcing the other supernatural creature to retreat back. And then it clicked. Kai was refusing to use his fire-breathing abilities to fight. He was solely using his claws and jaws to attack, but they couldn’t do much against the sharp wings of the winged horse. So the chimera was mostly on the defensive, which wasn’t really helping him.

“Kai, blast him with fire!” Kyungsoo yelled from his spot, hoping the chimera could hear him above the loud neighing.

Kai’s goat head swiveled towards the traveler as he shouted back, “No! What if I hurt you again?” His attention shifted back to Dark Pegasus, who was slashing its jagged wings at the chimera while using its pointy tail to send bursts of black crystals in the other creature’s direction.

“You’re going to die if you don’t! I’m safe over here, I promise! You’re not going to hurt me!”

“But—” One wingtip sliced through the left side of the chimera’s body, shedding dark red blood that rained onto the ground. The goat head screeched, having felt the most pain since the cut was on his side of the body.

“For god’s sake, just use your flamethrowers already!” Kyungsoo screamed in panic when he saw the droplets of blood rush down Kai’s body.

The dragon head wasted no time and began pelting fireballs at Dark Pegasus. The sudden change in tactics threw the winged creature off guard, causing it to whinny noisily as a few of the flames dangerously its body. It finally took off from the ground, knowing that it would be easier to avoid the flames by maneuvering in the air. Kai’s snake head tail shot more poison at it, trying to corner it so that the dragon head would have an easier time of aiming more embers at the mad horse-like creature.

Kyungsoo watched from his post, feeling his heart slash with pain whenever he saw Dark Pegasus attack Kai. He felt so useless, not being able to help the chimera fight off the enemy. Having never engaged in any confrontation before, the traveler had no combat skills or any weapons he could use to help Kai gain an edge in the battle.

And then he remembered what he had come here for. The blue garnet was still sitting on top of the stone pedestal, which surprisingly hadn’t been wrecked by any of the crystal shards that had flown into it. It glinted in the sunlight, blissfully unaware of the fight that was currently occurring around it. Kai was busily sending flamethrower after flamethrower to Dark Pegasus, keeping the insane creature occupied. Kyungsoo looked back at the magical jewel, his mind split on if he should use it or not. It only had enough power to grant one wish, which meant that if he used it now, Kai would never be able to become human.

The traveler’s thoughts were interrupted when he heard a pained snarl come from Kai as Dark Pegasus managed to get underneath the chimera and head- him into the air before sending another shower of black crystal shards after him. They sliced at every part of Kai, causing him to roar in anguish, and then the winged horse took flight as it rushed towards the chimera to knock him back to the ground.

That was it.

Kyungsoo dove for the blue garnet just as Kai crashed down from the sky onto the forest floor, the three heads crying out in pain from the impact of the fall as the chimera lay in a heap. The dark winged horse’s chest was heaving from exertion as it landed, but it still viciously pawed at the ground to get a running start towards Kyungsoo. The traveler quickly screwed his eyes shut and yelled, “I wish for Pegasus to return to its previous pure-hearted self!”

When that last word left Kyungsoo’s lips, the blue garnet in his hands began to glow brightly and vibrate uncontrollably. It levitated itself out of Kyungsoo’s grasp and the traveler gaped as he watched the magical gemstone pulse with a soft blue light. A giant beam of sunlight accentuated its shining appearance and dusty particles began flying from the blue garnet in the deranged winged horse’s direction. The brilliant blue particles formed a whirling tornado around Dark Pegasus, lifting the creature high into the air. 

It began to wildly thrash all four of its legs, its pair of wings, and its raggedy tail as it struggled to escape from the magical wind that was carrying the horse-like creature higher into the sky. The tornado’s speed promptly increased and soon, Dark Pegasus was swallowed up in its entirety by the bright blue light. The glowing ball continued to pulsate in the air and Kyungsoo was only able to keep looking up directly at it because it blocked the sun from his vision.

After several seconds, the ball of light slowly descended back down to the ground, its brilliance fading bit by bit. As the blue particles disappeared, a stark white creature was uncovered as it was lowered to the floor of the grove. Instead of jagged, stony appendages that cut through the air like swords, the creature possessed soft, feathery wings that gently flapped in the breeze. Similarly, the serrated tail was now a smooth, glossy tail that swished side to side every few moments. The midnight black coat had turned pure white and the bloodshot eyes were now a powder blue color.

This was the Pegasus that Kyungsoo had seen in history books. This was the fabled steed of Ancient Greek mythology that championed knowledge, glory, and inspiration.

The winged horse’s hooves clopped towards Kyungsoo, whose eyes grew even rounder. It neighed softly before bending one foreleg down, as if it were bowing to the traveler. “Please, stand up,” Kyungsoo said in embarrassment, bending down as well to pull the mythological creature back up. He then remembered the chimera, who was still laying in a crumpled mess to the side. “Kai!”

The chimera groaned in response, its snake head tail just barely managing to flick its forked tongue. Kyungsoo immediately made his way to the injured creature, his brow furrowed anxiously as he assessed Kai’s wounds. They were much worse than he had ever seen them and it looked as if the chimera was too exhausted to even shape-shift to a human. “A-are you o-okay?” the lion head weakly asked, blinking its umber browneyes at the traveler.

Kyungsoo nodded, his eyes welling up with tears. Any frustration that he had felt after Kai abandoned him vanished upon seeing the poor creature so beaten up. There was no way the traveler could stay mad at him; Kai had risked his life to save Kyungsoo’s. “You came back.”

“O-of course I d-did.” The dragon head coughed up clouds of black smoke, having exhausted its supply of fire during the fight. “I w-wasn’t going to l-let you d-die, l-little one.”

A small smile appeared on Kyungsoo’s face when he heard the pet name and he reached over to tenderly  the dragon’s snout. “Thank you for rescuing me, Kai.”

Then Pegasus softly whinnied to get their attention. It motioned with its head for Kyungsoo to step back, which the human obediently did, before closing its eyes and emitting a yellow light from its body. The bright light washed over Kai’s trampled body, instantly healing all of the cuts and bruises that had been inflicted on the chimera during the winged horse’s earlier rampage. Pegasus neighed again once it had finished restoring Kai to perfect health, bowing its head in apology to the chimera.

“It’s fine,” Kai answered with all three heads.

“Thank you,” Kyungsoo added with a grateful smile as he the white winged horse’s silky mane.

Pegasus then surveyed the grove, which was scorched and damaged beyond belief. Small fires were burning in patches allover the place and various piles of sharp crystal shards littered the floor. So the winged horse let that same light pour from its body and touch every corner of the grove, returning the area to its previous pristine state just as Kyungsoo had found it. The grove of the magical blue garnet looked as beautiful as ever once the light from the mythological creature’s body faded.Kyungsoo’s backpack had even been repaired and now looked as good as new.

With one last neigh, Pegasus stretched its feathery wings and jumped into the sky, neighing goodbye as it disappeared into the fluffy white clouds. Kyungsoo waved to its retreating figure, grinning happily with the knowledge that the mythological creature would no longer terrorize any other creatures for vengeance.

The moment Pegasus left the grove, Kai transformed back into his human form before rushing over to Kyungsoo and picking up the small male. He swung him around and hugged him tightly, murmuring words of thanks. And when he finally set down the traveler, Kai cupped his cheeks and mashed his mouth against those soft heart-shaped lips of Kyungsoo that he had been fantasizing about since he first realized he was attracted to the other man. The kiss carried a note of urgency as Kai molded their lips together, feeling and tasting every inch of Kyungsoo’s delectable mouth that he could.

The traveler let out a surprised squeak when their lips initially crashed together, but soon, he was swept away by the magic of the kiss. Kyungsoo’s small hands tightly gripped the sides of Kai’s  upper torso that was slick with sweat and he was too caught up with locking lips to even register that he was touching the taller male’s bare bronze skin. His mind was dizzy with euphoria and he just couldn’t get enough of Kai’s mouth, the fiery kiss searing their lips together.

“Gods, I love you so much, Kyungsoo,” Kai gasped fervently in between kisses. His hands had moved from Kyungsoo’s cheeks and one was now holding the back of the smaller male’s head while the other was the fabric of the traveler’s wooly sweater. It felt so right to have Kyungsoo’s lips molding against his, to feel the other male melt in his warm embrace, and all of the guilt and sorrow from deserting the traveler all those weeks ago slowly dissipated as love and passion for Kyungsoo overrode his senses instead.

Kyungsoo was too busy trying to keep his lips attached to Kai’sto respond to the claims of love and the traveler made a noise of impatience whenever he felt the taller man pull away. There was no way Kai was going to escape from him this time. And Kyungsoo wasn’t going to lose this chance to respond with all of the passion and love he felt for the other male that he had kept locked up for weeks. “I love you too, Kai,” Kyungsoo finally managed to verbalize as he took a short breather before launching his mouth back onto the other male’s puffy lips. Withrenewed vigor, the traveler took command of the kiss and the ends of Kai’s lips curved up as he allowed Kyungsoo to lead him.

--

Kyungsoo smiled when he found a soft white feather at the entrance of the grove. He bent down to pick it up, fingers lightly trailing against the soft edges. Sparks of electricity traveled up his arm and somehow, he knew that this feather was b with untapped energy that was meant for him. All he had to do was confidently harness the magic that was b within. Kai nodded with a reassuring smile when Kyungsoo looked to him and that was all the traveler needed. He carefully stuck the feather in the ground so that it was standing upright and walked around it.

“I wish for Kai to become human."