“yes.” He said, trying to keep her upright. But whatever he wanted to do, he had to do it fast.

Gathering his focus back, he summoned all his power for one last trial. He knew he couldn’t hide both of them and even if he could, Hyukjea could probably see them judge by how he’d known not just his general direction but his heart direction.

He learned this trick the first time he met Kyungsoo. It was a long time ago. But it thought him unforgettable things, how to survive, how to fight and how to make fire. Though it hadn’t come in handy since Chanyeol had been always around to make fire with a lot less afford -and faster.

But it wasn’t going to help if he wouldn’t know where Hyukjea is. “don’t you want to came out now?”

To his disbelief, Hyukjea took a step out of his comfort zone, and for another time it sent a shiver down his spine. The sight of the hunter that tried to hunt him down for four years.

“I was positive that I will never see you again.” He said, not quite meaning it.

“I miss you too but sorry, I’m not here for you today.” He said, his emotionless expression on, “leave her here and I spare your life, for today.”

“do you want to give up the opportunity of killing me, just to get the girl? Who is she, seriously? Just a healer?”

He began to doubt it. She saw her healing Jongin but it was different from the other healing he ever saw. Nobody can heal the inner wound, which was Jongin’s case. Xiumin’s power was grown inside him, an invisible wound.

“you know that she’s a healer? Lord isn’t going to be happy.” He remains impassive, eyeing the girl.

That was the time, his last shot.

Suddenly Hyukjea surrounding started to burn into the blue and red flame. Hopefully, there was stable and stable meant a lot of straws and a lot of straws meant good food for a fire.

And He picked her up without a second thought. It wasn’t a time for being picky.

"Just keep yourself a little longer," Baekhyun said, helping her to sit on one of the three ready horses, waiting for their horseman to back. Baekhyun, he unfastens the mane of the third horse and tied her to himself as he seat on the saddle.

It was his best choice. She couldn’t possibly ride a horse in that position and he couldn’t keep her up all the time.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered, although he didn’t know what he was sorry for.

Everything was a shade of black for the few seconds she opened her eyes. But she heard Baekhyun cursing clearly.

“!”

Her vision began to clear and she saw a familiar designee of the safe house that she’d spent one night before her journey with Baekhyun began.

She tried to sit up but suddenly a strong arm beat her to that.

“don’t,” he whispered and she noticed a glass in his other hand.

Baekhyun followed her gaze and quickly offered it to her. If she didn’t know Baekhyun better she would think that he was kind of nervous.

She looked at him questionably and nodded to him for an explanation, “oh, yes, it is carmot. It makes you heal faster.”

“Did we run away from Hyukjea successfully?” she remembered as he mentioned the healing.

“no, we don’t he killed me and bring you back to your father.”

She didn’t say anything. She didn’t know whatever she had to laugh or thwack him in the head, cause she was serious and Baekhyun made her feel stupid.

“does it make you feel better?” he asked, really excepting his stupid joke to work

 “no.”, she said taking the medicine just to spit it out the second she drink a sip of it.

“hey slow, it’s a little bitter.”

“a little?” she asked in disbelief.

“maybe, can you...?” Baekhyun said unsurely. He wasn’t even sure about how should he say it.

“heal myself?”

And in response, he just nodded once, as if he was shy.

“Did I say anything when I was unconscious?” she asked fearfully.

“you just said you couldn’t heal yourself, at first I thought you mean at that position but healers, heal faster than normal people, and you don’t, your wound is still fresh,” Baekhyun stated cautiously.

“I can’t heal myself. That’s why I passed out after healing Kai. I use my health to bring health to other people, so I-“

“There is no need to explain your power to me.” He cut her off mid-sentence. Lair. In his life, he saw so many frightening power and he was lying if he’d said that her power wasn’t frightened him.

But he wanted to know about her, her power and more specifically her father weakness.

Maybe Hyukjea wasn’t that useless after all, at least it showed him how precious she is to her father that he send his best warrior to bring her back. It made him realize that all this time he was near his enemy’s biggest weakness.

“How did we run away?” she asked, Hyukjea was never an easy enemy, even if you not encounter him and ran away from him.

“I make a fire. You know it’s like using magnifier you can focus-“

“I know, Baekbom had done it when we were a child, he did it with your father glasses.” She chuckled.

“I learned it from him too.” He whispered, his voice barely above her chuckle but it made her shut up, “the first time Chanyeol bring me to saw the order, they said I had to fight to show my worth. I fight with Kyungsoo, he was way better than me with a sword, my father barely thought me how to fight with sword and Kyungsoo’s power was strength and earth. And when I started to use my power, I blind him, but he still could see with his feet. All the trick I’d learn was useless against him. Except one. I make a fire just like Baekbom always had wanted me to do it and I refused. Though I actually burn his feet and he hated me for a year, but we got along pretty well after that.” He finished his sentences with a bright smile, though Jieun could felt the bitterness of his words under her own teeth.

“Yeah, I see that you and Kyungsoo get along pretty well.” She said sarcastically.

“Hey, that’s another matter, I know Kyungsoo still love us and wouldn’t hurt us, at least not badly.” He smiled wider, “but anyway don’t change the subject, you have to drink this all, because we’re already behind schedule, and Hyukjea is after us and you are injured, and everything is basically against us. So we’re going to move soon.”

“can we…” she started cautiously, “can we go to Xikown?”

“no.”

Was it her fault that Baekhyun exactly did the opposite of what he said?

Not really, in a day she understand Baekhyun’s weak spot. It was plain to her that Baekhyun felt guilty about her situation and her wound, so she didn’t see why she shouldn’t use it against him after all she really did get injured because of him.

She thought about it, and she already find a good answer about why she’d put her life in line to save his. She would just get injured in the right shoulder if she did, but Baekhyun would die if she didn’t, not that she cared about him or anything, it was because she needed someone to protect her from her father and Hyukjea, and nothing more.

“are we near there?” she asked, poking her head out of the wagon.

Baekhyun somehow manage to buy an old small wagon that probably once was used to move straws because she couldn’t horseback riding. And they were exactly heading to Xikown.

“no, we’re not.” Baekhyun state bitterly. The chance of Hyukjea finding them was much higher now than they were heading to Xikown. But he’d wanted to go there too but he always afraid of consequences.

Xikown was Kim Inguk’s mother town. Where he had lived, where he born to become a monster.

They said his parents still live there. But it also hid a secrete that no one dared to talk about. His birthplace hiding his doom within himself, and that made Baekhyun frightened. The city was well protected by lee family, a close friend of Kim Inguk, and it afraid Baekhyun that they might walk right into the trap.

Although she was inside that carriage, she didn’t miss the whiz of arrow. And the first thought was Hyukjea, his favorite weapon for hunting.

“Stay where you are.” The young voice said firmly, probably getting of horse.

Though it relived her, she realized it didn’t make it any better even if he wasn’t Hyukjea.

“Who are you?” the voice said again.

“who are you, yourself?” Baekhyun asked, not missing a beat. “you don’t seem like a soldier to me, more like a prat.”

She tried to suppress a laugh, but failed miserably. “who’s there?” the clinging of the sword, and alarm bell in her head.

“me.” She poked her head out of the carriage again. “a really dangerous young lady.”

The young man also seemed fair and handsome, about Baekhyun’s height and edge. He bowed his head slightly.

“what’s the problem, brother?” she added in a fake sweet tone.

“this man-“

“my lady, where are you going?” the young man cut Baekhyun off rudely. And it was unusual of Baekhyun to answer rudeness with only a glare, but he did anyway for the sake of their safeness.

“We are heading to Xikown.” She said calmly, like she didn’t feel the tension in the air.

“I’m afraid you can’t.”

“why not?”

“because-“

“because of the cruel lee family.”

It was Baekhyun’s time to attack. The boy’s drees were so fancy for the area and the way he spoke was almost like he had a power behind them, they weren’t just a words slipping out of his tongue.

“Watch your mouth.” He said, dropping his proudness a little, as if he was ashamed of something. And it was the reaction Baekhyun wanted.

“But why can’t we?” she pouted childishly, getting Baekhyun signal after nodding for her to continue. “you promised to bring me there Baekhyun-ahhh.”

She wasn’t sure that Baekhyun got annoyed of her act or not, but she was sure the young man felt even more ashamed. “what do you expect me to do? Fight the guards and be killed because of the stupid promise that I made before our parents die out of hunger.”

She was impressed by such a good lire Baekhyun was. He spoke like he was about to cry.

“stop.” And for a second she thought, he somehow read between their lies and now they were in big trouble. “I brought you in, but you can’t stay for more than two days.”

“what’s your name?” she asked and both Baekhyun and Him raised an eyebrow in surprise, “I might ask who is doing us this great favor, to remember his name always.”

In Baekhyun eyes that was unnecessary, because he already knew that he was from the lee family and the rest wasn’t important.

“Taeyong.” He blushed.

“Thank you Taeyong, I remember you favor, please stay safe and healthy.” She heard Baekhyun scoff in response and the boy glared at him.

“my lady, it’s an honor for me to lead you in. But do you have a place to stay.” He asked a stupid smile painting on his lips.

“I thought that you’re stupid, but not this much, it is our first time visiting Xikown, how could we have a place to stay?”

And before Taeyong could respond more angrily and destroyed all their plan she added in a really sweet tone, “my brother meant we don’t, can’t we stay in a motel?”

Taeyong smiled once more, forgetting Baekhyun’s harsh response completely, “it’s a fiesta, my young lady, aren’t you coming for a fiesta?”

She shook her head in response.

“all the motels are full, but I just know a place, just follow me I would tell the guard to let you pass the gates, but about your carriage, I’m sorry, it can pass.” 

“it’s already a great honor for us Taeyong.” She smiled, “is it far?”

“not so far, it’s a 30-minute walk.” She got down the wagon and Baekhyun also unyoked the horse and saddled up the horse again.

“get my ha-“ Baekhyun was offering his hand when he realized that Jieun is already on the other horse.

“I’m injured on my right shoulder.” He heard her explain to Taeyong.

“don’t worry I’m a careful rider.”

“can we go?” Baekhyun said, he was annoyed and he didn’t have the intention to hide it.

“yes, but your sister is injured so we’re going to go slo-“

“I know it myself.” He yelled before galloping to the destination, that he knew where it was.