‘This is suicide.’

‘I’ll be fine,’ Baekhyun says as he stuffs a spare change of clothing in his bag, making sure that none of these bear the Royal mark of the kingdom. It would be a stupid mistake to let the public know where he comes from and he’s not about to take his chances with the Outsiders. His younger brother Kyungsoo only gazes at him with guarded, disapproving eyes. Although they were only separated by a year, these two are as close as twins could be and sometimes Baekhyun wonders whether Kyungsoo hasn’t actually been born first. He does have a tendency to show motherly concern whenever Baekhyun would go off on his missions, but it isn’t something that can be helped, especially when the latter is part of the Royal Saphire Kingdom’s special force. 

‘Are you sure you don’t want to ask for backup?’ Kyungsoo prompts in hopes that the older man will say yes. But Baekhyun shakes his head adamantly. Having someone to accompany him will only hinder his pace, and as much as he hates spending time alone, he enjoys executing his missions quickly and efficiently, and hopefully without any bloodshed. 

‘I can ask if I—‘ 

‘No,’ Baekhyun interrupts his brother this time, shutting him up with a firm gaze that says that the matter isn’t open for discussion anymore, ‘You’re not coming along. You’ll be useless on the battlefield anyway.’ 

‘Not totally useless.’ Kyungsoo puffs up his cheeks as he does so whenever he knows he’s in the wrong but doesn’t want to admit it, ‘I can help you read the maps.’

‘I can read the maps just fine, Kyungsoo.’ Baekhyun chides gently as he zips up his brown rucksack, turning towards the younger man with what he hopes is a comforting smile. But Kyungsoo isn’t reassured and Baekhyun understands his concern. His brother isn’t one to worry about anything and everything, but the last mission which Baekhyun had returned from had resulted in disastrous consequences in the form of injuries and a concussion that had him chained up in hospital for over a month. It isn’t surprising that Kyungsoo is so reticent about letting his older sibling go out into the wild on his own.

But it is what Baekhyun has been trained to do, brought up to do. He’s been preparing for this all his life. Ever since the tender age of eleven, he started out as a military soldier with a dream of serving the King and standing by his side. He has been brought up to believe that loyalty to his city is his role, mainly due to the fact that his late grandfather had served as one of the royal guards of the Saphire Kingdom. Inspired, Baekhyun had vowed to become just as successful, but that hadn’t come without sacrifices or setbacks. It had taken the young man a while to move up rank after rank, to finally being promoted after ten years of service. He is now part of the special forces that are in charge of dealing with more advanced thieves, acting like ghosts of the police who punish criminals for their offences against the royal family and extinguish potential threats that might cause harm and chaos in the Kingdom. 

Kyungsoo, on the other hand, had inherited their mother’s incredible intellectual ability to analyze and understand maps like nobody else could. He would spend his time drawing places and figuring out passageways in and out of the city while the other children would be busy playing, had always been immersed in that secret world of his where undiscovered doors and unexplored terrains lingered inside his mind. 

They both balanced each other out like fire and water. One cannot live without the other, which might explain Kyungsoo’s reluctance at letting Baekhyun go off on his own. He always reprimands his older brother about bad things happening when Kyungsoo isn’t around to save the former’s . 

‘I’m going to ask you one more time, you sure you’ll be fine?’ Kyungsoo’s eyes are filled with concern and worry of the unknown, causing Baekhyun to chuckle softly before wringing an arm around the younger man’s neck in a joking choke hold. 

‘You worry too much about your old man, kid.’ He tries to make a joke out of it, but the darker haired man pushes his arm away before throwing him a glare. 

‘I’m being serious.’ Kyungsoo says.

‘And I am too,’ Baekhyun reaches out, ruffling Kyungsoo’s hair, ‘I’ll be back before you know it. Meanwhile, go and entertain yourself with those maps of yours.’ 

‘How long are you going for?’ 

‘I packed for three weeks, but it’s going to be a month at most.’ Baekhyun wrinkles his nose in disaster when he thinks of the nights he’ll have to take shelter in deserted street alleys. That’s probably one thing he isn’t fond of, ‘I’ll try sending you letters if I can, but I can’t promise anything. You know how those spies are.’ 

Kyungsoo nods, ‘Just be careful.’ 

‘By the way, if I die, you’re welcome to take my cloak but please bury me in my royal guard uniform.’ Baekyun jokes, yelping when he receives a whack from Kyungsoo’s arm. He moves out of the way as his younger brother stands up from his bed. 

‘What time do you leave tomorrow?’ 

‘Early. Around three in the morning.’ 

Kyungsoo lets out a sigh, ‘Fine. I’ll wake up for you.’ 

‘Wow, such enthusiasm. I’m so grateful you’re losing sleep because of me.’ Baekyhun shoots back sarcastically, laughing again before dodging Kyungsoo’s punch. He reaches over to ruffle the latter’s hair then, ‘You don’t have to though.’

‘I always do anyway.’ Kyungsoo then makes his way out of Baekyun’s room, calling out a ‘good night.’ Over his shoulder as he turns and disappears down the hallway. Baekhyun just gazes after him, the smile slowly slipping from his lips as he thinks of the long trip that awaits him tomorrow. 

It’s going to be rough, and he isn’t sure he’s ready for it. 

It’s shy past three in the morning when a shadowy figure is seen moving silently across the halls of the Guard Hall. Baekhyun’s black boots clack against the black marble floors, the candles flickering as he passes by in his dark midnight blue cloak. Slung over his shoulder is his brown travel rucksack and he can feel the weight of the daggers hanging upon his belt, hidden by the layers of clothing he’s worn to protect himself against the cold. The sun is not up yet, nor is anyone else in the Hall. Training usually starts around five in the morning and is a continuous flow of exercises and sparring until six in the evening, not counting the lunch break. Soldiers usually tried to get as much rest as possible, for sleep is limited behind these walls.

Baekhyun lets out a slow breath when he finally reaches the dark iron doors decorated with vines and flowers curling over its structure, like an abandoned manor. Sliding past them, he takes one last glance at the familiar place he calls home; the towering structures of grey brick and dark blue tiled roofs, the training fields that span across its horizon as if they are never ending, the small bridges and the rocky staircases that he’d play imaginary games in with Kyungsoo in tow, remainders of his childhood that he keeps close to his heart. 

Baekhyun isn’t an emotional person. But it’s a habit of his to look back at his home before every mission, for every mission does not guarantee him coming back. Who knows, this might be the last time he’ll ever see Guardian Hall in this lifetime.

‘Be safe, no walking around without being on your guard. Don’t get distracted. I know how you are,’ Kyungsoo’s final words from this morning echo at the back of his head, and he can’t resist the small smile curling up the corner of his lips. 

Traveling from Guardian Hall to the outskirts of Saphirica, the Capital of the Saphire Kingdom, isn’t much of a problem. He doesn’t waste time to prepare a horse and he’s already on his way as the sun slowly drops a faint pale gold hue over the midnight black sky, as if water-colour is spreading across a vast papery sheet that extends for eternity. 

He entertains himself by thinking of the mission he’d been assigned to, knowing full well that Kyungsoo’s words hadn’t stated their concern for nothing. His goal is one that’s been assigned to every soldier up until now; to find the spy that has infiltrated through Saphirica and who was responsible for the countless murders of palace guards assigned to the village borders. The culprit had a particular trademark that seemed to be purposefully distinct, whether or not he wished to be found or not. The autopsy documents had suggested the use of a single dagger slashed across the artery passing through the neck. It also demonstrated evidence of the assassin’s knowledge of the body and its biological functions, for there is no way that a mere killer or thief would’ve known exactly where to target to kill, nor would he be experienced enough not to leave a mess with every kill. Baekhyun found it weird why the culprit had stayed in that specific area, for a killer with that amount of skill and knowledge would’ve easily moved around from village to village in order to reach the Royal Kingdom if that is his goal. The fact that the killer has been on the loose since two weeks ago and hadn’t shown any signs of movement ever since brought about a few suspicions to Baekhyun. 

His mission? To find the spy and to kill him. Hopefully. 

It takes him about a week itself to get to the outskirts of Saphirica. There were countless rumours talking about the city borders; about its vitality and freshness, the people there that buzzed so differently and were so happy even with so little, and the constant happiness culture that would’ve seemed outrageous to any stranger. The borderlanders were people that were mellow, easygoing, always here for a laugh, and while Baekhyun is only basing himself on the gossips amongst the royal guards, he understands what they had been talking about the moment he steps into the small village. 

Merchants are in full swing, calling out their price deals and offerings in exchange for golden coins. Fishermen are unloading their catch of the day along the docks, the salty air washing over his nostrils and making them wrinkle in slight distaste. People talked and laughed loudly, buzzing with a life he seldom saw back in Saphirica’s mainland. And their clothes itself said it all; deep purples and royal blues, dancing reds and yellow dresses amongst the crowd. Children run around, jostling Baekhyun in his stride. They apologize quickly but sweetly, sweet smiles flashing before they disappear into the crowd like fish in the sea. 

He feels like he’s in another world. He can’t picture himself growing up in such a place. Now that he thinks about it, his only childhood memories growing up were filled with swords clashing and the smell of sweat. 

‘A chocolate chip cookie, young man?’ a voice jolts him out of his reverie. Turning, he comes face to face with an old woman pushing a cart of baked goods. She’s holding out the said cookie in her hand, a pleasant smile on her face.

But he doesn’t take any chances. He shakes his head politely and fades into the crowd before tugging his hood to cover his face. It will do him no good to get noticed by the habitants of the village and Baekhyun isn’t about to put his life and safety on the line any further. For all he knows, that lady could’ve well been a suspect. 

He doesn’t waste time to find a nearby inn, making sure to keep his sentences simple and short. After he installs himself as best as he can in a cramped room without any windows and which smells like old, rotting wood, he spends the rest of the day scouting the area and making mental notes of the location in his head. 

It’s only when night falls and when he’s coming back from his short dinner at a ramen stand in the near vicinity that he feels it. 

Someone is following him. He can feel it. 

As if subconsciously, he tugs his cloak closer to his body, head bending down while his eyes scan the perimeter. The sky has darkened considerably and there is practically no life on the streets, the only sounds coming from the hushed murmurs of the houses’ habitants. He quickens his pace, cursing at himself for having spent too long dillydallying outside when he’s supposed to be undercover. But this has never been a problem in the previous missions. No one is actually aware of what’s going on unless the problem stares at them right in the face, so it’s no surprise that Baekhyun has dropped his guard, because it isn’t a normal occurrence for him to feel so threatened, and on the first day too. 

Then again, the assassin had killed more than just one guard. It’s an opponent that is not to be joked with. Maybe Baekhyun had taken it too lightly. 

It is dark and quiet. The wind whips through the alley, whipping and nipping at his skin underneath his clothes. Baekhyun hisses, starts walking faster. 

The sound of footsteps running cause him to halt in his tracks. His mind backpedals. 

His eyes slide to the right, where the nature of the sound seems to have come from, while one of his hands grab a hold of the dagger on his belt. 

He waits, heartbeat ticking through his ears.

Silence.

Darkness.

And then suddenly, someone’s running.

Baekhyun doesn’t have to be told twice. He bolts forward as if his legs are on fire, not caring about the direction he’s taking in hopes that his cardio training will come in handy this time around. Running through the alley and sharply turning to his left, he focuses on his breathing, adrenaline pumping through his veins as he stumbles over a random pebble on the road and bites his lip against the sudden twist of pain in his ankle shooting up his leg. He darts in and out of the tiny roads in hopes that he might lose whoever is following him, but the footsteps keep becoming louder and louder, closer and closer and closing in on him.

He decides there is no other option but to fight him. He whirls around, skidding to a stop and whipping his dagger out just in time to stop the hammer swinging at him. The figure is quick though, and agile, moving against the royal soldier in a dance of weapons as they skirt around and clash again and again like a well-rehearsed choreography. He can’t see the figure’s face for it is covered by a black hood and a black face mask to match, but from what he can guess, if this is the said assassin that had murdered the royal guards then Baekhyun doesn’t really stand a chance if they fight face to face. That hadn’t been part of his plan. He’s more about playing the cat and mouse chase with his opponents, using more strategy than brutal force. But Baekhyun knows he isn’t as skilled in fighting and his opponent clearly has more experience, with aim to kill. 

The assassin swings his hammer at Baekhyun’s head, who dodges and attempts to slash at his stomach. The assassin jumps back swiftly, leg whipping out and catching the soldier right in his mouth. It sends him flying and he hits the wall, feeling his ribs cracking as pain jolts right through his limbs. Baekhyun coughs out blood, wiping it shakily from his mouth before blocking another hammer swipe at his face. He’s barely able to keep up with the assassin’s pace, and he can feel his body weakening, trembling underneath the brutal force exerted onto his bones.

Baekhyun proceeds to slam his leg right into the assassin’s stomach, causing the latter to grunt and loosen his grip so that the soldier can twist around and grab onto the culprit’s arm, to swing him over his shoulder. But the assassin’s feet come in contact with the wall and using it to push himself off, he flips over Baekhyun’s body, grabs a hold of the latter’s neck before slamming his fist right into Baekhyun’s face. 

The soldier howls as pain explodes through his nostrils. He stumbles back, loses his footing when black stars flicker over his eyelids. No, Baekhyun thinks to himself as another punch hits him right underneath the jaw, causing him to cough up blood. No, I can’t. I can’t give up. 

Those are the last words he tells himself before blackness engulfs him in its arms and carries him into the dark. 

First chappie is up! Hope you're enjoying it so far ;) Also, am I the only one who REALLY wants to see Baekhyun dress up in a pirate costume???