Mum… you wouldn’t believe what happened today…

Charcoal pen in his hand, Heechul sketched his mother’s portrait on a piece of parchment. That’s what he did whenever he’s missing someone. To him it’s the channel to feeling the presence of the other person. He recalled how his mother curled her hair with delicate proficiency, how she used the hairpins to fix her bun of hair, how her brows always frowned a little whenever she’s concentrated…

Another sketch portrayed her tending to the Queen. Heechul himself had never witnessed the scene. It’s based on his mother’s narration. How she used to serve the Queen. What her Majesty was like. In that picture the lady in waiting was combing her Majesty’s hair. The same way those brows frowned a little. The exact same delicacy. The exact same proficiency.

In the next sketch, the lady in waiting had her hair untied, her clothes disheveled. There’s no frown. Concentration was an alien word. Her eyes were hollow, dilated, blankly staring at the night sky. Beneath her eyes, tear stains echoed the moonlight.

Mum…

Those hollow eyes shifted to look at Heechul. It terrified him how deep the trance was behind those eyes. It pained him to the very core, his mother no longer recognized him. Sorrow had buried the lady’s sanity. She no longer spoke, no longer heard anyone, no longer responded. She only sobbed all day.

Mama!!

The sketch turned blurry…

No one had actually told Heechul. But as he grew up, he came to realize that was the day when X disintegrated from the face of the Earth. That was the day Heechul lost his cheerful, lively mother full of sympathy.

***

In the middle of the night, Siwon and Henry loaded the opponents’ corpses onto a cart and rolled it to a pit they dug outside the camp. Siwon steered the cart while Henry illuminated the way ahead holding a torch in his hand.

Wind roamed and howled around the nearby mountains. When the ghostly whispers came their way, Henry felt a prickling sensation at the back of his neck. “It’s a bit creepy.” Henry came closer to Siwon.

“Come on! Be a man!” Siwon sighed.

“But it’s really creepy!!” Henry protested.

“We were in a bloody battle where you could die any minute. You fought fearlessly and now you tell me you’re scared?”

“This is different. I swear I felt something.” Henry pouted. Though he’s not able to really counter Siwon, he maintained his opinion.

They reached the pit and Siwon tilted the cart to empty its content into the pit.

“SIWON!!!!” Henry shrieked and clung to Siwon.

Siwon turned to Henry and was about to say something. But the fear darting out of Henry’s eyes muted him. And before he could formulate a proper sentence, he sensed an icy cold hand grip his forearm. Looking down, he found himself clamped by the heaviest dose of horror ever. Siwon screamed just like Henry.

The corpses on the cart were moving. One was getting up and its clawed hand clung to Siwon’s forearm. That corpse had an arrow through its neck. Yet somehow it managed to open its eyes, peered at them eerily and smirked.

Soon all the corpses on the cart got on their feet and started walking across the pit. It was at that moment Siwon and Henry realized the pit was empty. And there was an army of corpses lined up on its opposite side. Under the moonlight, the corpses formed a massive, black, hair-raising flock covering the valley.

The moment the corpses joined their army, a light shone in its middle. A cleric in white was standing there, a sharp contrast to his surrounding. The cleric spoke. His voice magically rang through the mountains, loud and clear. The whole area, each and every single Y-ian soldier could hear him.

“Tonight you all witness a miracle. Go spread the word. Go tell your King. Surrender! Surrender when you still can! The Holy power of revival is here! The Holy power you cannot fight. Surrender! Stop being a fool! SURRENDER!”

……

A faint recognition sparked. Kibum stirred in his bed.

Kyuhyun…

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A/N: Oh Kyuhyun!!! I actually really like this chapter. I hope you enjoy reading as well!

A/N2: Would you be so kind to like my page Joni0717? More likes I collect the better chance I can get my novels published. Please please please~~