Hate is a strange emotion. It is a feeling that starts with various circumstances and like a fog hovers over people in a formless state. But the minute hatred find a person to blame, it changes into a monster that descends into a mad rampage.

Sehun had hated the idea of a missing half-brother who consumed so much of his father’s time that it broke his mother’s heart hard enough for her to die. That nameless brother had forced him to grow up almost fatherless. It had been so easy to picture himself throttling the life out of a faceless man for all these year. But like all cosmic jokes, now that he had a face, he just couldn’t decide what to feel. His crush on his half-brother which he had pushed to some corner of his heart out of respect for his friendship with Kai mocked him to his face. His anger against the brother who destroyed his life just by being absent threatened to blow up like a volcano. But there was a rationale part of his mind that calculated the best case scenario for himself in the game he was playing with fate. Sehun in the end, always chose Sehun and he knew exactly what he had to do.

“Hey, dark matter, let’s talk”

Jongin looked up at Tao completely annoyed. They have all been sitting outside the infirmary waiting for news on Suho while Chen and Lay were doing hell knows what to his Jun for hours.

“I am not in the mood lizard, leave me alone.”

Tao smirked and continued to advance towards him.

“Listen, I just had an idea. It just might save Suho hyung.”

Jongin perked up at that.

“Yeah? Let’s take a walk then. If you are messing with me, I will….”

“Yeah yeah, I am not messing with you. Just hear me out.”

The dragon and the demon prince for the first time in their lives, walked out silently together amiably.

“Well?” Jongin waited impatiently once they reached the fountain in the garden.

Tao extended his hand and said, “First, a truce. I understand that these are not the right circumstances for a dual. Suho hyung seems to be taken with you, no doubt because you have already spent a lot of time with him and that’s an unfair advantage. Let’s say we set our competition aside and focus on getting hyung better.”

Jongin looked at the dragon prince suspiciously.

“I am not saying I won’t fight you for Suho hyung. I am just saying that we should postpone that fight until Suho hyung is safe and well.”

Jongin breathed in deep and with hesitation shook the dragon’s hand in agreement.

“Agreed, now do you know a way to save hyung or not.”

“Impatient as ever I see. Anyway, I think I have an idea to save Suho hyung. I am not sure it will work though”

“Anything is better than nothing, so spill.”

“Long ago when I was a very very small boy, one of my uncles was hurt very badly in battle. You see, he had a human lover, a chieftain’s daughter or something. Her tribe found out and together with neighboring tribes fought my uncles who unfortunately was caught alone and unguarded. I remember he was almost at death doors. Then my father and his other brothers took him to a sacred lake in the highest mountain in our kingdom and bathed him there. I do not remember much of it as I only heard the story from my father once. But two things I remember.”

Jongin eye’s shone with hope. He held Tao’s shoulder and shook him.

“What, what do you remember?”

Tao thought carefully as if thinking and then said, “I think the lake is magical and appears only to dragons or maybe when a special ritual is done. All I know is that it cannot be found naturally. The second is that I remember my father saying the lake is dangerous. It does not do what you ask for. Instead it gives you what it thinks you deserve. For example, my uncle lived, but the lake made him into a human. In the beginning, he was very unhappy, but eventually, he got over it and went on to marry the chieftain’s daughter. I… I am not sure if the lake will help us.”

Jongin shook his head.

“This is the only lead we have had so far. I will try anything even if it’s only a small chance. Let’s find out Tao, let’s try.”

“Yeah, let’s try.” Tao clapped his hands in excitement.

Just as the two princes were about to return, a breathless messenger ran towards Jongin.

“Prince Kai, you must go to court immediately. There is an emergency. The army of Asegi lead by their king Yifan no less, is less than a couple of hours from our gates!”