Chapter 11

Baekhyuns arm felt a little numb thanks to the work of Yixing. The black-haired was glad for this, because the pain this wound had given him was way too heavy to endure it. Thanks to the painkillers, his head felt normal as well. He didn’t know how strong the medicine must have been, but Baekhyun swore to himself that he would ask the doctor for those medicine in case his head was going to hurt again.

Coming back to the fact why his head was hurting today, Baekhyun now became slightly angry. He knew Chanyeol was hiding something from him and now he was sure that all of his friends did it as well. Baekhyun was also sure that it was something regarding himself. All those mysterious events happened after he’d met Chanyeol and he was the one who constantly claimed to be Baekhyuns guardian and to be connected to fire.

Chanyeol was also the one who’d always been there, when he thought that he was in danger and when he couldn’t be with him, he ensured that someone else would be with him, like Sehun was. Basically, Baekhyun had been watched by them 24/7 and that must have a reason.

The fact that he met this monster proved it. It was the only moment Baekhyun had been alone since he got to knew them and then the monster appeared. Baekhyun was sure he hadn’t hallucinated this thing, it was real and the pain it has done to him felt even realer and he was sure Chanyeol knew about all this. It made Baekhyun so angry that his best friend who claimed to be his guardian was lying about such an important thing.

Maybe Chanyeol was his guardian, maybe he was something like his guardian angel and he somehow messed up with showing himself to Baekhyun. Who knows? How could he even know? Nobody would tell him anyway.  But then there was this legend.

Baekhyun searched for his phone in his pants which he still wore. He then opened the picture he took from the legend. But as often as he read the legend he couldn’t find any obvious connection to Chanyeol. All he knew was that he dreamed about this tree and that he’d seen the tree destroyed, at least it was divided and when he could believe in the legend the tree was in half but not dead. More like sleeping or something like that. But why was it that he could see both halves? The legend said that those legends hide each side.

Who even were those legends? The first thing came into Baekhyuns mind was that Chanyeol and his friends could be those legends but then when he read the myth again, it said that there were twelve. They were eight. Baekhyun sighed. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe I’m becoming obsessed by the thought of Chanyeol being supernatural.

But then suddenly he remembered something Kyungsoo had told him some days ago. “We need at least eight to pay the costs. Nine would be better and it would be really easy as twelve.”, Baekhyun mumbled. “Ksoo said that he wished to be twelve. That ‘it’ would be very easy!” An overwhelming feeling run through Baekhyuns body. Kyungsoo had gave him this hint a long time ago, maybe because he couldn’t speak clearer to him, but he said he wanted to be twelve.

He now was sure that those legends were somehow related to his friends. Baekhyun stood up and left Chanyeols room although he felt a little dizzy. When he went down the stairs he heard his friends discuss about something. Here and then some of them raised his voice for a few seconds just to lower it right away. They must have been trying to not wake Baekhyun up. What they didn’t know was that Baekhyun was already standing next to the doorframe and eavesdropping on them although this wasn’t like Baekhyun. He didn’t know how to get any relevant information from them without doing this. He tried to be as silence as he could to hear as much as possible.

“How often do we hash and rehash this?” Baekhyun could hear Suho asking.

“As much as you want. I won’t change my mind on this.”, Sehun said. “We’ve agreed to let him live a normal life. We wanted to give him this chance.”

Yixing sighed. “I know. But we haven’t known that this can’t work out without him.”

“We’re doing quite well without him.”, Sehun said with a hard voice.

“But it’s written there Sehun! We can only win as twelve! Do you see more than eight and a half?”, Jongdae said and Baekhyun could hear the anger out of it. They didn’t seem to be concur.

“So, you want Baek to sacrifice himself again? Only because a stupid myth here tells that we need him?”

“Have you ever thought that Baekhyun might feel lonely?” Minseok tried to calm Sehun down. “Sure, he hasn’t any memory of us, but he definitively feels something while being together with us.”

“Minseok is right. When the demon appeared Baekhyun created the connection to Chanyeol not without any reason.”, Kyungsoo mumbled and sighed. “Look, Sehun. I do understand you, but you must see the other side of this as well. Maybe we can overcome everything with him. Also, he’s in danger like this.”

“We won’t. I don’t know if you can count but even with him we’re ten, not twelve.”

“They will come, I’m sure. Luhan appeared out of nowhere as well. We just have to believe.”, Junmyeon said with a caring voice.

“I hate Chanyeol for finding this myth.”, Sehun growled.

“I hate myself as well for this.”, Chanyeol said who’d kept silence until now. “And I hate myself for reaching out to him. But I couldn’t endure it any longer. I’m sorry.”

“Save your sorrys for Baekhyun and hope that he will accept them.”

Baekhyun nearly forgot to breath while listening to them. They indeed tried to hide something for him, but only because they couldn’t agree on telling him the truth or not? It was still too hazy for Baekhyun to make any connections but he felt to be more steps near the truth.

When something pulled at his too long shirt he looked down to see a little kid. It must have been a toddler and he was looking at Baekhyun with his big eyes. “Still…aua?”, the boy asked Baekhyun. The black-haired man lied his index finger on his lips. “Shhht…”, he whispered as silent as he could. Baekhyun smiled when the cute boy aped him and he nodded but as playful as the kid was, he gestured his index finger at his lips again and again and kept making weird “shhhhh”-sounds and giggled while doing them.

“No…no…”, Baekhyun whispered and tried to calm down the boy without success.

“Luhan?” Baekhyun heard Sehuns voice out of the living room and tried to shoo the little boy back into the room. Luhan??? Baekhyun was sure Luhan was nearly a newborn when he’d seen him. This wasn’t possible.

“Baekyhun.”

The spoken off looked up to Sehun who was looking at him with a raised brow. “Eavesdropping, hm?” He lifted the boy up and nodded with his head to the living room. “You can come in, there’s no need for you to stand here.”

“Is…is this Luhan?”

Sehun looked at the toddler and nodded. “Yupp.” After giving Baekhyun this short answer he went into the living room again with Luhan who was still mimicking Baekhyun. Slowly the older followed him and was greeted with horrified faces.

“I’m sorry.”, Baekhyun said in a hurry. “I’m not like this normally. But I knew that something was off and that you all were lying to me. I didn’t know what to do and when I heard you discuss something I…I’m sorry.”

Chanyeol sighed and pet his own knee. “Come here and sit down. You must have many questions.” There was no anger in his voice, Baekhyun thought it sounded more like Chanyeol felt sorry for him. When he reached Chanyeol the taller embraced him and let him slip onto his lap.

Everyone was