*Around age 22 years

"Do you understand the conditions?"

The communication link crackles.

“Actually, could we go over it one more time? The reception from here is – oh I mean, it’s bad. It’s really bad.”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, almost groaning in the expanse of the Council room. If he could, he’d slap Baekhyun across the Galaxy for being an idiot. Kyungsoo and Jongdae physically stand in the room at attention, while a little blue blip of Baekhyun piloting out of hyperspace rests on the ground in the Council Room. The Council sitting today is only comprised of two leaders, Master Pho and Master Junmyeon, both some of the most patient souls in the galaxy.

“Yes, we can explain it again. This is a very important mission, so we want to be perfectly clear,” Master Pho looks a little weary from the day. “You three Knights will travel to a suspected hideout for the Eko Regime on the planet Onderon. Avoid contact with them, and avoid conflict at all costs. All we need is information about rumored hideouts.”

Junmyeon hums, “You need to be very tactful in your plan, that is why we have assigned you three to specialties. Do, you will be the pilot. Kim and Byun will be the grounds team.”

The hologram crackles again and Baekhyun’s shocked face blurs out for a second.

“I apologize for interrupting, but I just want to point something out,” Baekhyun says, in all Baekhyun fashion – haughty and terribly charming. “I have the best piloting skills out of us three. I can show you my scores. I’m not bragging or anything, you know, I just want to voice it in case you forgot.”

Kyungsoo really wants to strangle him, but surprisingly, Jongdae kicks the hologram slightly on the floor, and it shakes the other.

Master Pho frowns deeply, “We understand your concerns, young Knight, but we’ll assure you that this is the best team for an observation scenario. If it were a battle, perhaps it would be different.”

Junmyeon adds, “Plus, Baekhyun, we should remind you that you are the lowest ranking Knight between the three. I trust that you should reconsider your words more wisely and put more faith into your teammates skills.”

Baekhyun pauses, then affirms, “Understood.”

Master Pho concedes the Knights affirmation, and turns back to the cooperative Knights in the room. “You shall begin once Knight Byun returns from his mission. Do, you will lead. Everything is ready if you would like to be familiar with your ship.”

Both Kyungsoo and Jongdae nod, and the Grand Master dismisses them. Jongdae picks up the hologram of Baekhyun and then leave the confines of the Council Room. Outside, in the hallway, Kyungsoo practically rips the device out of Jongdae’s hands and sternly looks at the smug holographic Baekhyun.

“I can’t believe you would talk back to the Council like that. Are you an idiot?” Kyungsoo seethes.

Baekhyun smirks, “Someone sounds bitter.”

Kyungsoo almost smashes the device in his hands, but Jongdae quickly turns off the hologram and all connections are lost. Kyungsoo grumbles, pent up anger seeping from his body. Jongdae places his hand on top of Kyungsoo’s own with the device held inside. The angrier one simmers his emotions and calms instantly, remembering his spot.

“I hate it when you two fight,” Jongdae says softly, eyes pained slightly.

Kyungsoo bows his head, but doesn’t say a word, guilt already in his conscience for disobeying the rules of emotions. Out of touch emotions are something that Kyungsoo handles well usually, but Baekhyun has been infuriating him these past months. Baekhyun has become more competitive and haughty for his title, even when his position is below Kyungsoo’s. Kyungsoo tries to act like it doesn’t bother him, but that irritating little smirk and boastful laughter somehow digs underneath his skin.

Kyungsoo blinks, and orders quietly, “I’m going to go look at the ship. Why don’t you scout for any maps of the area?”

Jongdae gives a gentle smile.“Sounds like a great plan.”

-

“This is bull,” Baekhyun screams into his headset as Kyungsoo’s ship flies past mountain tops with dense jungle beneath them. There’s no clear landing section, and Kyungsoo has been zipping close to the edges. “Kyungsoo – you came up with this plan just for me, huh?”

Kyungsoo grips the handles of the controls just a little tighter when he soars past a water fall. There’s no sight of an animal life as they fly by, just desolate jungle with no ruins in sight.

“It was mine,” Jongdae breathes, and then knocks the bottom of Baekhyun’s chin. Jongdae grins and teases, “I thought you liked flying close to mountain ranges.”

“Yeah, when it’s my ship that I control,” Baekhyun huffs out, rubbing the bottom of his chin after the assault. He clutches at the handles and watches the outside for any landing spots.

Kyungsoo’s voice comes over their comm, “There’s a clear strip just ahead of us. It’s just at the edge of a cliff. I’ll attempt a land.”

“Sounds good,” Jongdae responds back, waiting for the strip to come into sights. In another minute, the engines begin to whirr and the craft comes to a hover just above the edge. Jongdae grins, “This is great. Drop us off here. This will be our rendezvous point too.”

The two Knights climb out of the side of the craft and land onto the dirt ground. Jongdae gives Kyungsoo a little wave before the pilot flies out into the sky to evade any air patrol. Meanwhile, Baekhyun dusts off his dark robes and peers into the dense jungle. It’s a lush area, filled with dark wood trees and green canopies.

“After you.” Baekhyun ushers Jongdae into the forest and follows closely behind. The jungle is thick, but there is still enough room to squeeze by the trees. The dirt beneath is not unsteady and not too rocky either. The canopy of the trees leaves makes it a little difficult to see, but the light of Onderon’s sun shines through the cracks and leaves openings in the trail to see. The air is thicker once they get higher, and Baekhyun feels drowsiness kick in.

After some time of traveling, Baekhyun starts to get antsy. He’s seen the same blades of grass, same tall dark wood trees, and even the same pebble kicked uphill and down for the past half hour. Baekhyun is not weary, just bored of travel.

“Do you see anything?” Baekhyun calls from below a steep hill as Jongdae runs up to investigate. Baekhyun slowly trudges up the hill, hands now covered in dirt as he climbs. “This is awful. It’s hot and the air is thick.”

As he reaches the top, Jongdae holds out binoculars and points deep into the sea of trees. Jongdae says, “There. See it? It’s stone.”

“Good job, genius. We’re in a jungle, of course there’s going to be rocks,” Baekhyun scoffs teasingly, looking directly at the stone. As he lifts the lenses off, Jongdae is already on the path toward it. “Hey! Let’s stick together.”

Baekhyun catches up, his feet running the distance, leaping over the growing roots. Once closer, the stone turns into a wall, and into a corner, and then a whole facility turns up. It’s a small building, the foundations made with stones walls. There’s a round clearing around it, and the building recedes a little farther back into the forest.

“I don’t think that’s it,” Baekhyun jokes, but his head gets instantly shoved down when Jongdae tenses. Baekhyun barely hears him say get down before he sees it. There are two identical droids patrolling the outer rim of the clearing. Baekhyun notices the blasters they carry before saying another word. This was a real threat now.

He feels the thrill of it shiver down his spine.

“Let’s stay along this tree line,” Jongdae whispers, tugging Baekhyun out of his thoughts. They tiptoed along the line and keep an eye full of the passing droids as they circle the facility. Baekhyun watches them carefully. The mechanical bots round the corner, out of sight, and then they are gone. Baekhyun quickly rushes to see the other edge of the facility and notices a circular gaping hole in the ground, maybe 5 meters across.

Jongdae catches up and nods for it to be clear. They slowly approach the hole, cautious of other dangers around. Baekhyun peers down the hole, and a wave of thrill runs through him again. It’s dark and eerily quiet. It looks manmade by the way that the walls have been tunneled into. It’s not a place anyone would enjoy, and it gives off the ominous vibes.

“Rock, paper, scissors for who goes down,” Baekhyun grins, pulling his hand into a fist position. Jongdae laughs and takes the challenge.

He loses sorely.

“Man, I hate you,” Jongdae calls back, rope secured around his waist, as Baekhyun gently lowers him in.  Jongdae can barely see anything past the strip of light coming from above. The tunnel is pure darkness and there’s a whistling wind beneath him that’s eerie. If Jongdae concentrates hard enough, he can almost catch a whisper beneath the surface.

“Everything alright down there in Spooksville?”

Jongdae jolts form his position, holding tighter to the rope. He can see Baekhyun’s stupid grin smudged against his face. Jongdae seethes, “Keep it down. Secret mission, remember?”

Baekhyun grunts, but whispers, “Fine. I was just making sure you’re making time. It looks like a storm might roll in. Clouds are getting dark.”

Jongdae nods, “I’ll keep it in mind. Just don’t let me go.”

“Roger,” Baekhyun chirps, and releases the rope slightly so that Jongdae’s body can lower smoothly. Jongdae releases his grip on the rope, and feels for the edges of the wall behind him. From what he can feel, the hole is completely cylindrical and manmade.  It only furthers Jongdae’s assumption that there is something down this hole.

“Ah, it’s starting to rain,” Baekhyun says quietly beneath patters hitting the ground. Jongdae can feel Baekhyun tightening his grip when the rope slows it’s give. He’s standing his ground against the rain.

It’s pitch black, and Jongdae can’t even sense where the bottom of it is. He knows that the droids must have gotten down here and survived. As Jongdae descends deeper into the hole, he reaches out to find any paths along the deep tunnel. Perhaps they traveled by platform, or even dirt paths.

Suddenly, a light flashes from below Jongdae flashes up at the wall across from Jongdae. Instantly, Jongdae freezes, and he tugs at the rope once to cease movement. Jongdae climbs to hug the edge of the wall and prays that the light doesn’t spot him. Jongdae watches, studies the lights movement from below. It inches slowly, but the light only catches the empty dirt walls and the rains droplets at the center of the hole. Jongdae’s heart races as the light inches across the wall. However, it flickers and stops just short of him before going out.

Jongdae can finally breathe, letting out a gasped breath before tugging at the rope to let him travel farther down. At least Jongdae now has a little reference for a landing spot and that there really is an end to this dark, deep tunnel. Just below, barely meters now, Jongdae scrapes his toes across a ledge in the dark, dirt sliding beneath. Jongdae secures his landing on the edge of the dark surface and notices little lamps lit into a passage by the opened wall of the tunnel. It leads down into another tunnel with noticeable belt tracks printed into the dirt.

The Knight looks back up into darkened sky, the rope connecting him drawing close to an end by the way Baekhyun is struggling. Rain is picking up steadily and pattering against the surface. Jongdae knows there’s only one way out. He unties the rope from himself and ventures into the lit tunnel, leaving Baekhyun behind.

Jongdae creeps along the hallway, the unknown pricking at his neck like an insect. He tries to calm his heart from leaping with slow, steady breaths. He clears his mind of fear, for what is waiting on the other side is surely to be a surprise no matter what. Like a wind, he’s swift in the tunnel, zipping past light after light. There’s not much noise in the tunnel, which makes the mysterious whistle even more intriguing. Jongdae is curious to find the source.

As soon as something new appears, Jongdae crouches down and hides underneath the protection of a shadow. His sight is dimmed, but he can hear mechanical crunches and clacking from the end of the hallway. Jongdae peeks out and it’s a lot clearer. There’s more lighting at the end of the tunnel that reveals something oddly peculiar. Jongdae can clearly see a station with a hologram of a planet. There’s droids manning the controls, as well as a few stationed as guards. For what Jongdae can tell, there isn’t plans for a massive weapon (Death Star 4.0, or anything of the sort). Just a planet.

“Hey. You don’t look like a droid.”

Jongdae curses at himself as the mechanical drone of the droid continues to threaten him. Jongdae can hear the scrape of metal against metal behind him, as the droid holds up its blaster.

“Put your hands where I can see them,” The droid commands. Jongdae slowly raises his hands above his head and out of reach.

“On your feet.” And Jongdae obeys, slowly rising. His eyes are trained at the control center. Little color coded blips appear on the planet’s surface now. And soon, there are a lot more cameras trained on him. Jongdae feels his heart race now, danger quite imminent.

“Search him for weapons.”

Jongdae gets roughly handled by the drone that’s got a clear height advantage on him. Jongdae can feel the inhuman touch on the droid roughly shoving him at every surface. Jongdae tenses as the droid grabs around his waist and it clutches his lightsaber in its mechanical hands. The droid pauses in the moment and overturns the weapon in its hands, contemplating at the foreign weapon.

Jongdae breathes, condemning himself, “Please forgive me.”

With the flick of his fingers, the lightsaber wills to his hand. In a lightning flash second, Jongdae swoops his arm around, spins, and cuts the droid clean from the legs up. The blue light sizzles against metal, frying enemy insides. As the metal parts fall, Jongdae knows that he’s sealed his fate, staring into the beady red eyes of the droids.

Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert!

Baekhyun hears underneath the pouring rain pounding at his skin. He blinks, wiping his face from the water soaking his body, only to see the gaping hole coming to a close. There is a seal for the hatch that is closing, locking the other Jedi in a tomb. Baekhyun, frustrated by just holding the unhelpful rope, throws it to the ground and races toward the near closed hatch.

Baekhyun trudges through mud covered ground, but he’s too late to the hatch. Not even an arms worth could slip through, and just like that, the black hole is sealed.

“Jongdae!”

Baekhyun can’t even hear the sirens blasting below with this sudden down pour. The rain clouds his senses, and the anxiety wells him up. The rain is so heavy that even blinking through it doesn’t clear anyone’s vision. The dirt ground beneath is mixing and slowly oozes down the cliff side. Baekhyun, sopping wet and caked in mud, trudges through and scurries off to the adjacent building. Perhaps there, he could find a way to Jongdae.

Baekhyun scrambles for his lightsaber hilt and shoves the blade through metal walls. Its’ sizzles are extra hot, with rain splicing the sabers light. Baekhyun grits his teeth, jaw tight with frustration as anxiety tears into him hot like his saber into the metal. His frustration pushes him, and soon he’s melted a hole right into the facility. There, he enters the enemy’s grounds for a rescue mission.

-

Jongdae swore that no one started shooting for minutes. It was agonizingly slow for their alarm system to turn around. Lamps of yellow turn red, strobing against the walls, Jongdae’s skin, and the metal guards trying everything to defend their territory. The familiar siren wails against the corridor walls. The blue saber shines magnificently against the red, its bursting color contrasting the dark.

Jongdae knows he only has a few milliseconds before they jump, but he has this one moment to breathe. He knows he screwed this mission up.

“Intruder!”

Blasters bolts are wildly shot off, and a half dozen zip past Jongdae. The Knight deflects as much as he can before the second round of shaky shots comes through. Every cross and swipe Jongdae does with his weapon feels like second nature, like an extension of his limbs, and soon the shots automatically deflect back. Sparks fly as droids are hit with their own fire, and the saber pulsates as it tears through metal skeletons. All metal soldiers in front are left to waste.

But reinforcements come in and it strikes in Jongdae’s heart. There’s a specialized droid amongst their crowd, one that would be harder to take care of. As it approaches, dodging its brethren cross fire, it reveals its weapon. It stands a meter above Jongdae, and does not wait for Jongdae to be ready. It strikes, its staff gnarled with electrodes. It swings and stabs, and maneuvers out of the way of Jongdae’s retaliation. Meanwhile, the other droids continue their fire, regardless of who stands in the way.

It’s a little overwhelming, but Jongdae is still in control. He steps back, and again, dodging each stab, even with the electrodes sizzling with the sirens blaring. Even through Jongdae’s acrobatic flips and tricks, the droid still comes at full force. The droid is a tough match, specialized in fighting skills and weaponry combat. It’s making the Jedi sweat. Jongdae waits for the little opening, the little mistake, and slices right through the droids arm as it extends and does not defend. It sizzles into the waves of sound, dropping its weapon and forcing itself back. Jongdae takes the offensive and uses his small stature to his advantage. He strikes from below at the droids defenseless side and effectively dismantles the tall droid.

Now, for the crowd. Jongdae is surrounded, droids at each side of the corridor, each holding blasters with aim at him. Jongdae is on autopilot, slashing and stabbing and defending himself. It’s not long before an opening comes to him. He smashes droids against the red strobed walls using his force before breaking through and running down the untrekked hallway.

He runs, even when his breath is tight and he’s barely able to catch it. The red strobed walls pulsate against his speedy exit, but do not do much to illuminate the scene. It’s not long until he’s run into a dead-end section, three walls enclosing him. There’s a ladder and hatch above him, or he could wait and fight to the death with maybe hundreds of droids. With no thought to spare, Jongdae launches himself onto the ladder and climbs fast. He can hear the mechanical droids stomping through the underground tunnels, and it only motivates him further.

Sure enough, the droid army catches up to him while he’s more than half way up. He turns to defend himself.

“Blast him!”

There’s red blast shots and electrical sparks between the clashing blue lightsaber. Jongdae grits his teeth, and slowly rises up the ladder carefully. The position is difficult, but he needs just a couple more inches until he can dodge. Closer and closer, Jongdae finally concentrates on some loose ground from the ceiling. It rumbles underneath the Force, underneath his hands, and finally crashes down onto the unsuspecting droids. The noise of the battle dissipates, and Jongdae breathes well. He finishes climbing up to the hatch and escaping the red tunnels.

He opens to find a marvelous castle. It’s in ruins and covered in jungle vines, but it looks so ethereal. The place is dark from the overhanging clouds and unlit structures, and the shadows create a mystical appearance. Jongdae can hear pounding rain outside the fortress, but it’s like a rolling tide amongst the stillness of the empty castle.

Jongdae walks carefully, ears trained for any nearby clunking of droids. His heels crunch the leaves underneath gingerly as he treads carefully across the stone floor. Further down leads to a narrow corridor, and Jongdae tenses before he enters. Jongdae is not short in bravery, but he sometimes needs an extra boost of courage before diving into the unknown. He slips in, careful not to disturb anything, and inches across. On the other side is another spacious room, but it’s noisier. The rain is dripping into foyer through the cracked ceiling. It sounds like a stampeded outside with the water rushing through the jungle.

He’s alone here. Jongdae shakes at the draft coming in through the narrow hallways. He doesn’t even know where Baekhyun went, and their link is hard to hear over the rain. He hopes that the other would find him in time. Other than this landmark, it’s pure jungle out here.

As soon as Jongdae decides to take a step, he hears an echoed clicking through the hallways. It’s growing fast in tempo and it’s resounding. It creeps louder and louder, and soon Jongdae senses its presence. Jongdae readies himself in defense for whatever is on the other side. He doesn’t expect a flash of purple against his blue lightsaber and a pair of eyes staring wide at him.

“Baekhyun?”

“Jongdae?” A grin, “Oh, thank God.”

Baekhyun sheaths his weapon away and bends forward, slightly out of breath. Jongdae still shines his blue saber for illumination. He can see the other drenched mostly from the rain. He doesn’t seem to have any damage to him. He must have gotten past the droids.

“Why were you running?” Jongdae laughs when the other is still out of breath. Maybe he’ll need to push Baekhyun more on training. A nice run in the morning sounds like a plan.

Baekhyun stretches upward and lets out a groan, “You’re going to laugh.”

Jongdae mulls it over, and once it hits, Jongdae grins cheekily, “It was a spider wasn’t it?”

Baekhyun scoffs, “No, no – it was a scorpion this time –“

Jongdae’s dying of laughter this time, cackles interrupting any argument Baekhyun wanted to refute. Baekhyun ends up yelling curses at Jongdae, trying to top the horrendous cackle the Jongdae bursts out. It all ends in a screaming match when Baekhyun tries to topple Jongdae over.

“Scorpions have poison, and I could die, you idiot!”

Jongdae wipes tears away from his eyes as the bubbles of laughter die from his lips. Baekhyun is scrambling off of Jongdae suddenly, his face red. Jongdae catches his breath and the gentlest smile sprouts to try to comfort the other. Baekhyun is still red, even with the smile casted to him.

“I’m glad we found each other,” Jongdae says nicely. He pats Baekhyun’s arm gently. “I was worried we’d be stuck in a maze.”

Baekhyun’s flush finally mellows and he clears his throat. “Well, I can tell you that the way I came isn’t a good path.”

Jongdae looks around the darkened foyer and locates another narrow passageway. He nudges toward it, inspecting it, and ultimately, they follow the path. Jongdae holds Baekhyun’s arm tight in his hand, just in case they get stuck – at least they will be together. It’s darker in the tight space, but Jongdae can hear the thunderous rain even clearer this way. Hopefully, on the other side, there will be an escape way.

Once Jongdae enters the next foyer, he still doesn’t let go of Baekhyun. There’s a busted stone wall that leads directly into the jungle area. Or once jungle area. The rain is coming down in sheets, and the ground outside the wall is muddy and slippery. Trees that once stood upright have been uprooted and sail down the mudslide and off the edge of the cliff. It’s so washed out, the mud mimic rapids. The rain is static to his ears. He can’t even think straight. He unconsciously grips Baekhyun’s arm tighter.

“This isn’t good.” Jongdae barely catches what Baekhyun says over the tidal wave of rain. Jongdae finally loosens his grip on Baekhyun’s arm and notices the red mark tight on the other.

“We should try to contact Kyungsoo,” Jongdae says pointedly, gears finally turning. He sets up his communication link away from the broken wall so the rain doesn’t drown them out. The blue hologram doesn’t flicker on, but that’s to be expected. Instead, the radio frequency crackles to life and Jongdae sends out his distress signal.

“Copy. Rendezvous point is barely holding up over here. I can try to circle around for other locations,” Kyungsoo’s voice fizzles in static for a moment. “Where is your location? Your trackers aren’t moving.”

Jongdae pats his body only to find his tracker smashed into pieces and crumbling in his hands. Jongdae groans in disappointment, it must have been from the fight. Jongdae turns to Baekhyun, “You have your tracker still?”

Baekhyun nods, and moves closer to Jongdae, showing him the red tracer. Jongdae calls back, “Baekhyun’s tracker is still live. We’re in a palace. Do you see it?”

“Yes.” They can hear a cut off sigh through the speaker. “You’re way far into the cliffs. There isn’t a good location near you. How did you even get that far?”

Baekhyun snorts, “We had droids on our .”

There’s some radio silence, but it’s probably just Kyungsoo screaming and flailing about for a failed mission. He sounds absolutely flabbergasted, “YOU WEREN’T SUPPOSED TO ENGAGE.”

Baekhyun rolls his eyes and bites back, “It was my fault. Life or death situation, okay?”

Jongdae grits back, “Stop it, it was mine.”

Kyungsoo groans, “I don’t care who it was. Just get out of there before droids start shooting me down.”

“Copy.” Jongdae ends with a sigh. The mission was a definite failure. From what Jongdae gathered, he couldn’t prove anything with it. There was a base, but the information on their screens didn’t make sense. They were coordinates on an unidentifiable planet. That’s all objective points, but no evidence to their schemes.

But Jongdae doesn’t let the defeat get to him. Instead, he walks in tow with Baekhyun. He gives the other a small smile, “Let’s go.”

The palace is a lot bigger than it looked from the outside. The stone walls recede back into the mountains, some walls knocked down from natural disasters. The ancient abandoned walls are intriguing to look at. Everything looks like it was in distress. At the time of its livelihood, the palace must have been evacuated with a commotion, or infiltrated with a fight. Tapestry lie torn on the walls, pots are smashed into pieces, but no bodies are found. Jongdae is interested in the story behind these stone walls.

The two Knights walk into another foyer, but it looks more decorated. It’s not pristine, but it is surrounded by little guard posts. In the middle, on a pedestal, lies a throne.

Jongdae can see a sparkle in Baekhyun’s eyes as he approaches, “Look at this.”

Baekhyun skips up the steps to the throne, its unique sculpture. He picks up an old looking crown, inspects it, and then slaps it on his head. It isn’t the shiniest or the best in show, but it does have a regal uniqueness to it. It’s dusty and looks like it had been carved rather than crafted, but it fits on Baekhyun’s head perfectly. Jongdae won’t deprive him of a little play when he looks so thrilled.

Baekhyun sits in the throne, posture unpolished like him. He crosses his legs and adorns the smuggest expression as he sets his eyes on Jongdae. He grins, “You, peasant! On your knees.”

At first, Jongdae doesn’t move. He stares incredulously at Baekhyun’s play. Soon, Baekhyun’s smiles turn a little softer, begging for Jongdae to give in, and he does with a sigh ceding. Jongdae drops onto his knees, one at a time. His off white tunic lays neatly on top of the dust collecting ground, and he knows his knees will be ash color when he eventually stands. Jongdae looks up expectantly, and Baekhyun’s face twitches back into play.

“For the crimes you have committed against the royal cou—“

“But I have done nothing wrong!” Jongdae pleads, playing along with his own agenda. Baekhyun is ticked off by the outburst, training a strain on his voice.

“Do not interrupt your King!” Baekhyun seethes. He launches out of the throne, crown still adorned on his head. He snakes his way down the crushed stone steps. “You’ve committed some of the most heinous crimes in all the Galaxy. By my order, you will be sentenced to death.”

Baekhyun clicks his heels against the stone as he walks. His eyes are trained on Jongdae in a ferocious way, like predator stalking prey. Jongdae shrivels away cowardly in act, but his heart rate increases slightly from a festering sense within him. Baekhyun reaches Jongdae’s form, and with dead eyes, he traces Jongdae. Jongdae faces the ground, eyes trained in some fearful look toward the ground.

Baekhyun suddenly grabs his chin and forces their eyes to meet. Flesh to flesh, Jongdae feels a little vulnerable. Jongdae sees a sinister flash in his eyes, and he smirks. His breath is hot and tone edging on seduction, “Unless you change my mind, that is.”

And Jongdae breaks into a laughter, breaking the character. It’s boisterous and resounding, bouncing off the stone walls in hope to destroy the dark he feels. It pulls Baekhyun out of the mode, and the strong flush flashes against his cheeks. He retches his hand away and pats his cheeks to will away the blush. Jongdae gets up and brushes off his knees. He’s still chuckling, “That was fun.”

“Yeah,” Baekhyun clears his throat, and he looks a little distraught. Jongdae frowns.

“Are you alright?”

Baekhyun tenses and knits his eyebrows in confusion. There’s still a steady blush going down his neck now. He’s nervous, Jongdae can feel it. Baekhyun breathes, “Fine, now. I felt weird, like I was not really in control.”

Jongdae knows there is a strange pull, it’s the Balance. There’s a weird energy here, and the emptiness does not help. Baekhyun pulls off the crown and muses casually, “I think it’s the crown.”

Jongdae bites, “The crown?”

Baekhyun tosses and turns the crown in his hands, inspecting it. He hands it off to Jongdae. “Yeah, you know. Supernatural, ghosts and spirits. This place is probably haunted.”

Jongdae inspects the crown a little more closely. Its weight is surprisingly dense, but not that thick. Its shape is different too, and the material feels worn. Jongdae pauses, and releases an overdrawn gasp, “This is a skull.”

“No way,” Baekhyun scoffs at first, but then takes a serious look at Jongdae. Jongdae still stares at the crown. Baekhyun stutters, “Are… are you serious?”

Jongdae nods, speechless at this point by the shock. He then says, very slowly, “Maybe… the person with this skull… maybe they possessed you.”

Baekhyun is trying to keep composed, as the words settle in. Jongdae hates seeing the other so worked up. He tosses the crown to the floor and smiles haughtily, “Now that’s how you act.”

“Wha-?”

Jongdae flicks Baekhyun’s forehead. “That crown is clay, not a skull. And, the only ghosts that are real are the ghosts of the past. I think that was from a book.”

Jongdae lets Baekhyun recover from the play and then drags him along. He still feels a dark swirl within Baekhyun, something conniving, but he chooses to ignore it. Baekhyun is a bright soul, he will manage. And Baekhyun should know that his possessed feeling is just the Balance toying with him. The Darkness will always entice, no matter the individual.

Jongdae smiles, “Okay, play time is over. Let’s go home.”

-

The two travel through the palace to find their escape. They do, eventually, but the weather takes on a sinister turn. The mudslides are horrendous, wiping out trees to create mud rivers. There’s a roar of water washing over the mountains above and sweeping everything out below.

They peek around the corner to see a droid station outside. Jongdae looks for Kyungsoo’s ship in the sky while Baekhyun watches the droids. From his eyes, the droids look like they are packing a lot of outside equipment to bring inside. There is about 5 of them outside, and at least 4 speeders parked.

“I’ve got eyes on the ship. He’s pretty far,” Jongdae says, releasing the binoculars from his face. He turns to Baekhyun. “Got an escape plan?”

Baekhyun grins and nods over to the base camp. “They’ve got speeders. They’ll take us there in no time.”

Jongdae raises a brow. “You think you can get one without them noticing?”

“Make it two,” Baekhyun challenges haughtily, before he sneaks off to their camp. Baekhyun is very agile on his feet, silently sneaking past unsuspecting droids. Baekhyun is so close, he can hear the inner workings of the droids. The Knights eyes follow the path of droids, studying them carefully before making an assault to the speeders.

The sneaking is instinctual to Baekhyun. His footing is automatic and light, and his breath is but a whisper. Before droids can even detect his presence, he’s already moved onto the next unit. The Jedi is focused and his heart is calm. When he looks back, Jongdae is following his footsteps, albeit with less finesse. His feet get into the mud more than once.

Once Baekhyun’s hands touch the grey smooth metal of one of the speeders, he feels the excitement coursing through his veins. In the side of his speeder is a blaster pistol he sets sights on. Jongdae is quick by his side and eyes the droids at the station. He waits for Baekhyun’s cue to go. Once the droids turn, backs facing them, Baekhyun grins.

The two slide into their separate speeders, and they begin to gently whistle against the pounding rain. Baekhyun lifts the pouch and holds the pistol in his hand. The weight feels natural in his hand, even though he doesn’t use it on a regular basis. The power is overwhelming, and the feel of it is intoxicating. Before he knows it, he’s lifting the pistol up and aims for one of the droids.

Pew!

Off with his head.

“Go!” Baekhyun calls, laughing along the way as the clueless droids look back at the speeders flying off in the distance. Jongdae is ahead, but Baekhyun easily catches up, weaving his way through upright trees.

Jongdae glares at him, face slick with rain, “Was that necessary? We could have gotten away with them not noticing!”

His voice sounds strained against the pounding rain, like a plea, but Baekhyun shrugs with a grin. He laughs easily, “Where’s the fun in that?”

Jongdae stares, jaw tucked tight. Baekhyun blinks through his rain soaked eyelashes, weaving between the trees ahead and ducking underneath low hanging branches. The speeder hovers above the wet mud slopped ground, zooming through the jungle. From what he can see, there hasn’t been any recent mudslide activity, and that’s good for their escape.

Jongdae is in his left blind spot, but Baekhyun hears his yell over the rain, “They’re coming!”

Baekhyun takes a quick look behind to see a fleet of droids on identical speeders, each aiming with their blaster pistols. Baekhyun grits, they are at a great disadvantage. He takes the pistol into his hands again and shoots behind. He misses, and a flurry of red beams fly past him in retaliation.

“Your blaster is on the right! Use it!” Baekhyun shouts across the way to Jongdae, who is ducking strategically to not get shot. Baekhyun evades most of the shots just by cutting close quarters with the trees. The bark explodes behind them, and it sounds like War out here.

Jongdae doesn’t even reach for the pistol. Baekhyun sees him pull ahead, but then lets his vehicle hover. Baekhyun pulls aside him, anxiety flaring up when Jongdae stays unarmed.

“I’m doing this the right way,” Jongdae says, eyes determined. He spins his speeder around and launches head first into the wall of droids. Baekhyun watches, stunned in place, as Jongdae retreats back toward the enemy. The rain is so steady, Baekhyun has to keep blinking in order to see Jongdae’s form.

He watches Jongdae effectively slice down a droid with his blue lightsaber, and then takes his mark behind enemy lines. He’s sizzling through two more droids as they close the distance. Jongdae then throws one droid off his speeder with a Force hand. They are gaining close to Baekhyun’s position, and Jongdae screams, “Go Baekhyun!”

Baekhyun doesn’t wait for any other command, instead revving the speeder and flying back into the chase. With Jongdae behind enemy lines, Baekhyun just has to effectively escape their blaster range. He’s weaving and dodging the same before, and he can hear sizzling and the mechanical crunches of droids and speeders destroyed behind him. It’s absolutely thrilling.

More into the jungle, Baekhyun notices a steady mudslide running parallel to him. Trees readily knock down in his peripheral vision, and roaring waves of mud climb nearer. There’s still red blaster beams flying past Baekhyun’s head, and yet the danger doesn’t sink in just yet. Baekhyun speeds forward, dodging the red beams as well as the knocked down trees from the creeping mudslide.

Ahead, through the dense rain, Baekhyun can see an end to the tree line, and perhaps where the cliff may end. He presses forward in hopes to get there earlier and fight back the incoming enemies. It’s all fine until a rogue blaster fire hits his tail end, and he’s wildly spinning out of control. He screams, trees whipping by him so fast that he knows he’s lost all control. He can only pray to not hit one of the trees and claim an untimely death.

His speeder slides onto its side, and Baekhyun cries in pain when his leg gets trapped in between the ground and the heavy metal. Miraculously, it doesn’t smash into any rock or tree. However, Baekhyun quickly departs from the bike when he’s swiftly washed away by the powerful mudslide. It whisks him away like rapids. Baekhyun is gasping for air as his body is caked in thick mud when he tries to resurface. The current is so strong and he feels like he’s being swallowed.

Baekhyun can barely make out the end of the tree line. He’s trying to get to the edge of the tapering slide to roll out onto the nearby rocky shore of the cliff. Otherwise, he will ride the mudslide down the cliff and fall at least 60 meters to his death. Baekhyun shows strength through the peril, letting the current take him closer and closer to edge until he finally plops out the side of the slide and onto an earthy area. He lays there for a moment, trying to catch his breath. His head feels swamped and swimming, and he lolls it on the side. But he’s alive somehow.

He can hear the unnerving blasts of the pistols approaching, but Baekhyun feels the tired weight in his shoulders. The rain pelting on his body washes away most of the mud, but it keeps him down like gravity. He slips his eyes closed and feels a warmth within him. He’s alive.

Suddenly, the mechanical speeder comes launching out of the mudslide and knocks Baekhyun’s body out of its position. He’s awake fully and watches as the speeder skid the dirt and fall off the cliff. Baekhyun breathes, he’s glad the speeder didn’t take him with it.

The timing is almost comical, Baekhyun thinks, when the earth beneath him begins to crack. It’s slowly sliding off with the added pressure of the mudslide. Baekhyun tries to stand, but his floor is cracking and uneven as it shakes loose. He needs to get off, but his legs are frozen. He wants to bolt, but his body is unnerved. He’s paralyzed by fear.

The dirt beneath him finally caves in and breaks away permanently. Baekhyun scrambles as gravity betrays him. He slips away from the main cliff. It all feels like it’s slow motion. His arms reach, reach higher and farther than they’ve ever done before. He wants to live, he’s found the will and this is his last moment to save himself. And, by the grace of God, he’s found his savior. Baekhyun’s hands find roots attached to the main cliff dangling for him. Baekhyun holds them for dear life as his body slams into the solid cliff. Below, Baekhyun watches as the floor he stood on just moments ago falls down the steep mountain side and crumbles at the bottom. That could have been his own body mangled down there.

Baekhyun takes this moment to breathe, but safely this time. The roots are strong and dependable. They hold his weight well. He knows that he’ll find some strength to climb, but for now, he just wants to breathe.

The rain is no longer covering him, as the cliffside shelters him. Baekhyun doesn’t hear anymore blaster shots, nor does he hear the whistle of the speeders racing through the forest. He prays that Jongdae is okay.

And, as if on cue, an angel appears above him with an outstretched arm. He’s caked in rain, sweat, and mud. His brown locks are stuck to his face and there’s surprise in his eyes. He’s absolutely stunning.

“Take my hand!” He shrills above the pounding rain cascading down his body. Baekhyun reaches, and is lifted from his position. Up on the higher ground, he doesn’t notice anything except for what’s in front of him. He ignores the bodies of droids scattered, and the many speeders charcoal black and destroyed. In this moment stands the most beautiful creature he’s seen in his entire existence. Baekhyun feels so much all at once. He feels the ache in his heart, and his muscles are twitching at the closeness. His body feels hot, like a spread of fire ants attacked him all at once. He’s consumed all over.

He lifts his calloused hands to cup his saviors beautiful face. He wipes back some mud to reveal a glowing grin curling into his cheeks. His eyes shining and his lips are inviting. It would be rude to decline.

Baekhyun presses his lips onto Jongdae’s. It’s short and tender, nothing too drastic. It’s appreciative and soft, even though Baekhyun feels so much in this moment. He feels that this is the best way to express it, even though he can’t figure out all the emotions he’s feeling.

When he pulls back, slipping his hands away, he’s calmer. His eyes peel open and watch Jongdae’s reaction. The others eyes are trained on him in some surprise. His lips are still puckered in a pout, and his cheeks are blushed. It’s everything Baekhyun ever needed.

Baekhyun has a gracious smile on his face, and is upbeat, “Thanks for saving me.”

Jongdae’s mouth twitches before he can make any noise, like he’s looking for the right words. He’s hesitant, “Why … that?”

Baekhyun scoffs, and says as a matter of factly, “Because I almost died. People do it all the time.”

Baekhyun then turns off into the distance, eyes to the sky, and spots Kyungsoo’s ship hovering down just little ways away. He feels a blush tickle at his face, but it’s something he’s not ashamed of. He turns back to the frozen Jongdae and waves him over. He shouts, “Come on! Let’s not keep Kyungsoo waiting!”

Jongdae nods finally and follows Baekhyun’s steps over to Kyungsoo’s ship. They both are covered in mud and slick rain, and Kyungsoo will have to get over it. Baekhyun offers Jongdae to go in first, but the other doesn’t give direct eye contact. In fact, he shivers away at Baekhyun’s touch. Baekhyun retracts his hands and sulks silently.

Once they reach the ship, Kyungsoo lets out a sigh of relief.

“Thank God. I heard gunfire. I’m glad you two are unscathed,” Kyungsoo says as the other two Knights pile into the back of the ship. They both are pretty silent, and Kyungsoo definitely notices. Baekhyun looks between the floor and to Jongdae, whose eyes are planted to his feet. Baekhyun feels his stomach drop.

Baekhyun can feel Kyungsoo’s judging eyes on him. The pilot speaks pointedly, “Aren’t you?”

Baekhyun, this time, doesn’t answer. He’s habitually silent and feels a terrible regret inside him. Jongdae, however, speaks up finally albeit a little hollowly, “Perfectly fine.”

Baekhyun cannot bare to look back at Jongdae. Instead, he tilts his eyes up to Kyungsoo and nods to him. Kyungsoo stares for another moment, eyes darting between the two, and then cedes. He shrugs and turns to the controls.

“Let’s go home.”

A/N: (sorry for the POV changes~!)

Action packed and ready to go, yet another chapter here! I hope you liked it, and the surprise smooch :3

What could the Eko Regime be planning? And how will the ending affect JD, Baek, and those around them? Stay tuned for next week! Things are just getting started.