Exoplanet

Chapter 12: The Recovering Sparrow

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Tao winced with every breath he took as the bruises scattered across his torso throbbed painfully. Limping as quickly as he could, the warrior passed Chanyeol, who was lying on the ground like a dead fish, and made his way to where Junmyeon laid prostrate with an anxious Yixing hovering over him.

“I’m okay. Just bruises and a fracture here and there,” Junmyeon wheezed as Tao approached. “Go check on Luhan. He still hasn’t moved.”

Yixing still looked uncertain, so Tao gave him a little nudge in Luhan’s direction. “I’ll keep an eye on him.”

That was enough for Yixing to pull away and resettle next to Luhan’s still form a few feet away. Groaning at the pain, Tao sat down beside Junmyeon, who was struggling to breathe as evenly as he could. “This really .”

The latter inhaled sharply through his nose. “You can say that again.” Junmyeon glanced to the side, and his eyes widened. “Oh, no.”

Tao followed his gaze and saw Leeteuk standing in the entranceway of the ruined gallows with a group of soldiers behind him. Their faces harbored expressions of pure shock, which eventually transformed into horror when their eyes fell on the king.

“What in the name of the planet?” One of the knights gasped, surveying the damage done to the palace walls.

Tao watched as Baekhyun rushed over to the group, hoping that the crown prince would be able to explain what happened to the soldiers. Yixing was still kneeling beside Luhan, both hands on either side of the telekinetic’s head. A faint glow was enveloping Luhan’s head, signaling that Yixing was healing him. Chanyeol was standing now, making his way to sit on Junmyeon’s other side.

“If you’re hurt, you should ask Yixing to heal you after he’s done with Luhan,” Junmyeon rasped.

“I didn’t get hurt, miraculously,” Chanyeol said wryly, “I think that you need to be treated after Luhan though. How can you even breathe?”

Suddenly, Yixing released Luhan and stood up, walking back to Junmyeon. “Luhan should be fine. He got knocked out by the impact of hitting the wall, and he had a fractured skull. I fixed it up for him, but I’m not sure if he has a concussion. We’ll see how he is when he wakes up.” He nudged Chanyeol to the side and settled down next to Junmyeon’s chest. “Now, where does it hurt the most for you?”

As Yixing checked over Junmyeon, Tao forced himself back to his feet and made his way to the king’s body. He crouched next to the aging man, whose back was covered in bloody gashes from where the black monster had ripped its way out. More of the red liquid pooled at his mouth, and then, Tao noticed an eye twitch.

“Guys,” Tao said aloud, straightening up and looking around at the others, “Guys, he’s still alive.”

The first one to rush over was Baekhyun, shortly followed by Leeteuk and the knights with Chanyeol bringing up the rear. Tao stood out of the way as they crowded around the king.

“Your Majesty?” Leeteuk breathed.

The king’s mouth opened slightly, and his eyes opened, eliciting gasps from the soldiers. “We need a doctor!” Leeteuk cried, “Somebody go get–”

 The captain was interrupted by a cough from the king, who feebly moved his hand in a grasping motion, trying to grab something he couldn’t reach. “No…need…my sons…”

Leeteuk hesitated before turning around and beckoning to Yixing. “Yixing! Your father wishes to speak with you.”

The healer hesitated for a bit before getting to his feet at Junmyeon’s encouragement. The water warrior followed, still clutching at his chest but Tao could tell that he was having a significantly easier time breathing after Yixing mended his fractured ribs. The soldiers parted to allow Yixing to kneel beside Baekhyun in front of the king, and Junmyeon stumbled over to the unconscious Luhan, keeping an eye on him in case the latter woke up.

Yixing and Baekhyun exchanged looks before Baekhyun spoke up. “Father?”

The series of coughs that answered them prompted Yixing to reach out, ready to heal the wounds on the king’s back, but a wizening hand grabbed his, cradling it in a desperate hold.

“Xing-xing,” the king breathed when he stopped coughing, “Xing-xing…I am so sorry…”

Yixing looked to be at a loss for words, but the king continued to speak, blood bubbling from his mouth with every word.

“I…could not protect you two,” the dying king gasped, “I have failed…as your father…and as king. I should not have let it in.”

“Don’t say that,” Yixing suddenly whispered, eyes wet with unshed tears. Baekhyun stared at the ground silently as Yixing leaned forward, trying to place his hands on their father’s back. “Let me heal you. I can do it.”

“No point.” The king feebly pushed away Yixing’s hand.

Tao heard a murmuring and looked up to see people gathered at the ruined entrance. Servants and civilians looked at the scene with confusion and worry. One of the servants – the girl who showed Tao and Luhan the shortcut – broke away from the crowd and hurried to Junmyeon’s side. Luhan appeared to be awake, judging by how Junmyeon and the servant seemed to be speaking to him.

“ the citizens back to their homes,” Leeteuk ordered the soldiers, who saluted before hurrying away. As they ushered the crowd away, Leeteuk turned to Tao and Chanyeol. “The servants can show you to the doctor’s chamber. Please follow them into the castle. Make sure your friend gets checked over.”

Chanyeol looked as though he was going to argue, but Tao tugged him away. As they left, Tao glanced back at Baekhyun and Yixing. The crown prince was clutching at the king’s hand while Yixing was openly crying now. Tao felt bad about leaving them, but he understood that Leeteuk had wanted the king to speak privately with his sons.

Junmyeon and Luhan were already being led away when Leeteuk beckoned to another servant. Tao and Chanyeol followed this servant into the castle and through a long hallway. The pain from bruises continued to stab at Tao with every step, and only grew as the adrenaline from the fight faded. A scholarly man greeted them at one of the doors and gestured for Tao to follow him. The warrior was apprehensive when the doctor asked him to remove his shirt, but the sight of Chanyeol standing outside offered some comfort. Tao’s bruises were examined, and the doctor dabbed some soothing cream on the worst ones.

Once the doctor dismissed him, Tao put his shirt back on and stepped outside. Chanyeol was waiting for him, and the two of them headed to Luhan’s room. Junmyeon was already there, watching over the sleeping Luhan. He looked up as Tao and Chanyeol entered and put a finger to his lips.

“Is it bad?” Chanyeol whispered.

“There’s no concussion, but the doctor said he still needs rest,” Junmyeon answered quietly. The three of them settled at the small round table in a pensive silence. Junmyeon stared at the smooth, brown surface of the table while Chanyeol rested his head in his hands. Tao looked around and realized that his sword was still with Baekhyun.

“You knew that monster, didn’t you?” Chanyeol asked when the silence dragged on, “It said it hadn’t seen you since you betrayed the Moltuvian king.”

Tao looked up, interested in Junmyeon’s response. The water user sighed, “Yes, I know him. He’s called the Reaper King. Specializes in possession of living beings by latching onto their souls. He was the first subject that the Moltuvian king managed to recruit.”

“But he’s dead now, right? Baekhyun killed him,” Tao pointed out.

“No, he’s not,” Junmyeon admitted, “Baekhyun only managed to send the Reaper King back to the spirit realm. He’s still alive, and if the Moltuvian king decides to summon him again, then we’ll have to fight him once more.”

Tao’s hand immediately flew to his torso, wincing as he imagined himself getting bruises across his chest and sides again.

“We’ll have to be more careful,” Junmyeon continued, “I’m worried that the Moltuvian king will send someone else to get Tao now that the Reaper King failed.”

“Like Yifan and Minseok?” Chanyeol asked.

Junmyeon smiled sadly. “Exactly. When Luhan and I left Moltuva, Yifan and Minseok were the king’s strongest soldiers. They probably still are.”

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. A servant entered, bowing to the occupants with a sword clutched in his hands. “Captain Leeteuk wishes to inform you that today’s incident will be taken care of by the Sinsinian army.” He turned to Tao and offered the sword. “Crown Prince Baekhyun asked me to return this to you.”

“How is the king?” Junmyeon asked as Tao accepted the weapon.

The servant hesitated and lowered his head again. “The king has passed away.”

With that, the servant left, shutting the door with a small click. Junmyeon sat back down tiredly, rubbing at his temples.

“The king refused treatment for the cuts on his back.”

“That’s not why he died.” Junmyeon’s voice was muffled from where he buried his face in his hands. “The Reaper King kills his host no matter what because it’s the victim’s soul that he latches onto. When he leaves the body, he drags the soul with him.”

“I hope Baekhyun and Yixing will be alright,” Chanyeol murmured.

“Baekhyun is king now, isn’t he?” Tao asked.

Junmyeon nodded, and the three of them fell into silence again. They all understood that Baekhyun would not be able to follow them on their journey anymore since he now had a kingdom to take care of. If Baekhyun had to stay, then perhaps Yixing would stay as well.

“We should stay for the king’s funeral,” Luhan suddenly said, startling the other three.

“Since when have you been awake?” Junmyeon said, getting up from his seat and hurrying to the bedside, “How’s your head feeling?”

“Better,” Luhan croaked, sitting up slowly, “Woke up while you were talking about how the Reaper King kills all of his victims.” He absentmindedly touched the bandage that was wrapped around his head. “What happened after I got knocked out?”

“Baekhyun killed the Reaper King somehow,” Chanyeol perked up at the sound of somewhat-good news.

Luhan looked shocked. “Really?”

“He did,” Junmyeon said proudly, “Stabbed the monster twice and sent it back to the spirit realm.”

“Wow,” Luhan said in a dazed voice, “Shown up by someone who’s barely used their power before. I can’t believe it.” He settled himself on the edge of the bed as Junmyeon sat back down at the table. “And Baekhyun is king now. Wow,” he repeated.

“The king of Moltuva is also after Tao, probably for his powers,” Junmyeon added, “We need to find the others quickly so we stand a better chance against the Moltuvian forces.”

Luhan bobbed his head in a series of nods. His eyes were closed, and it was clear that the head injury was still affecting him. The telekinetic’s eyes only flew open when there was another knock on the door.

“Come in!” Junmyeon called.

The door creaked open, and Baekhyun poked his head in. The new king’s eyes were red-rimmed, his face sported light burns, and when he spoke, his voice was hoarse. “Hello. I came to check up on you four. Have your injuries been seen to?”

“We’re fine,” they all reassured Baekhyun. The king’s eyes fell on Luhan, who still looked beat-up.

“Headache?”

“A little,” Luhan admitted.

“Yixing is making a medicine for you. He guessed that you would wake up with a headache,” Baekhyun smiled. Luhan heaved relieved thanks before he laid back down, arm over his eyes to block out the light.

“If it isn’t too much to ask,” Junmyeon began hesitantly, “when will the funeral be?”

“Tomorrow afternoon,” Baekhyun replied, “Are you planning to attend?”

The water user nodded. “We will all be there.”

At that, the new monarch nodded and excused himself, saying he needed to speak with Leeteuk before closing the door. The four of them didn’t say anything for a long while. Chanyeol lightly tapped his fingers on the wooden tabletop while Junmyeon fiddled with the end of his shirt. Tao didn’t know when he fell asleep, but he was woken by Yixing, who had arrived with Luhan’s medicine. The healer looked exhausted as he handed the cup over to Luhan, who drank it gratefully.

They exchanged words, trying to offer comfort and reassurance behind awkward sentences. Yixing’s neck still held the faint marks of a rope. The area was raw, most likely from when the rope chafed against skin and how Yixing kept rubbing at it.

“Don’t aggravate it,” Junmyeon said softly when Yixing made to touch the mark again. The water user reached out as though he wanted to physically stop the other, but then lowered his arm, afraid that he would appear too bold.

Yixing smiled in slight embarrassment and excused himself, backing out of the room after saying goodbye to the four of them. After the door was closed and the sound of Yixing’s footsteps faded, Luhan crossed his arms and looked at Junmyeon, a smirk playing on his lips. When Junmyeon tried to question him, Luhan merely shook his head and turned away, signaling that he wanted to sleep.

Tao and Chanyeol gave each other confused looks, having no idea what was going through the telekinetic’s mind.

A/N: And with that, the group's stay in Sinseye is coming to an end. The monster's name has been revealed, but what if the Moltuvian king decides to summon him again? Will Baekhyun be able to banish the Reaper King again if that happens? Will Yixing stay behind in Sinseye with Baekhyun, or will he choose to travel with the group?
Also....LUHAN KNOWS

Since they're finished in Sinseye, Exo can now head north to Prigonia or south to Trost. Hopefully, they'll find more members whichever way they go. Good luck to them!

'Til next chapter!