SEVENTEEN

Years ago

            Baekhyun knocked on Chanyeol’s room. Then he waits patiently in front of the great door to open. It might take sometimes and that is what Baekhyun really needs.

            Time.

            Baekhyun gulped his nervousness down once the door is opened. Welcoming by the great-rich smile on his love, Baekhyun could feel better. Without any warn, the smaller took the man into his embrace. He put his ears on the heart that beats like music.

“What’s wrong?” Chanyeol asked in worried, put his hand on Baekhyun’s back and soothe the other

            The King realized the other is tensed. He didn’t know why. He just knows.

“I miss you”

            At the answer, Chanyeol couldn’t help not to smile. With a nod, he signaled the guard to leave his room. He soft escorted Baekhyun to his bedroom, kicked out the device Jongdae put on his room thus the other couldn’t bother their sweet moment.

“I miss you more” Chanyeol said, pushed Baekhyun slowly on the bed “But I think it is not the only reason why you visit me in the midnight, Baek” Chanyeol said, kiss Baekhyun on the forehead before said “So spill, is there anything wrong when I went away?”

At first, Baekhyun looks doubt. The King could clearly see how his small-jelly bean snuggled up, unconsciously is busying himself with his fingers. Chanyeol sighs.

“You didn’t need to tell me if you are not ready” Chanyeol ensured, look directly on Baekhyun’s eyes which face already burn in red

            The King just isn’t aware of he is capable of.

Baekhyun shut his eyes tightly. He decided that he didn’t have the gut to tell Chanyeol yet. With a brave move, he kisses Chanyeol on the lips, enjoyed each moment with the King before he didn’t know when it will happen again.

At morning, Baekhyun asked Jongdae to change place with him. He has made his decision. He would visit Eastern Water Kingdom to meet him.

***

Present time

            Jongin gasped when he saw Luhan on the ground, with bloody Yixing on the other’s body. Minseok hurriedly ran to Yixing, checking on the other conditions, while Kyungsoo checked on Luhan, making sure the other didn’t bring another mess. Both of them are still conscious although dying.

“W-what’s happened?” Minseok eyes grow wider, help Yixing to get up and froze each cut on the other body

“L-Luhan-“ Yixing tried to say, but he just coughs up more bloods “I couldn’t heal myself, but Luhan needs to be heal. Br- Bring him to me”

“You put a potion on him” Jongin gasped

Kyungsoo asked “Is he dead?”

“I am not weak, you moron” Luhan gritted his teeth, his eyes are still as dark as the night sky

            If only he could move his muscle, he surely killed all of them. However, he couldn’t even move his eyes. He is as lifeless as a porcelain doll. Luhan gritted his teeth, shouting in madness but couldn’t do anything to them.

“Alright, we better not heal that being” Jongin suggested

 “The potion will kill him. Luhan needs to be healed” is what Yixing tried to say but failed miserably

            Just that, Suho and Chanyeol came into the scene. Suho couldn’t believe at what he saw as he ran to Yixing and checked up on the others. While Chanyeol is witnessing everything, stood up at the corner and scanned the room.

“Why did Luhan is still under control?” Chanyeol asked, put his hand on his suddenly dizzy head

“Dark room” Suho took a guess “The dark room made the minds more chaotic. Move him to more lights in it-“

Kyungsoo stomped on the ground, growling “-or make an open ceiling” he said

            Through the hole on the ceiling Kyungsoo just made with a little earthquake, a shining moon could be seen. The lights shone directly to Luhan, who is shouting loudly like a mad man.  Kyungsoo took a step back, watching how Luhan is trying to fight his own mind with his weakened muscles. The other stops screaming minutes later, opening his softened eyes and groaned in pain.

“W-why I couldn’t move my body?” Luhan asked, looking at them one by one “What is happened? Where is Sehun? Why are you all- so- so bloody?”

            Jongin nearly laughed, scooped Luhan on his hands and brought him to Yixing, who magically heals the other. As Kyungsoo is still stomping the ground to make more holes on the ceiling, allowing more lights to come in. Luhan cringed when he finally saw the scene in the room. Bloods are splattered everywhere, scratches, muds, more blood, knives, chains whip-

“Did I-?” Luhan asked

And Kyungsoo nodded “You are controlled by Ilsik” he glanced at Suho “and him” then outside the scene “-and Sehun. Wait, where is Tao? Are they okay?”

            Took it as the sign, Jongin lifted his injured hand and open a portal. Not long after, Kris is coming with Tao and Sehun on their backs. Now it seems conscious. The man noticed Luhan on the ground and cried.

“H-hyung” Sehun cried who is getting hug by Luhan immediately

“Ssh shh, don’t cry. It’s okay now, Sehun. Everything is okay now” Luhan soothed the other

Kris rolled his eyes “Talking about discrimination” earning an elbow from Tao

Chanyeol sighed “So, where is Baekhyun and Jongdae? Did they fight Ilsik alone?” he fights against his dizzy mind, thinking that he is almost engaged with Kyungsoo at the same time “We need to find them, soon. Ilsik would kill Baekhyun for sure”

“But, didn’t you say that Dalli is Baekhyun’s twin sister? Why did he need to kill him?” Kyungsoo asked

“I will tell you on the way, just-“ Chanyeol closed his eyes and concentrated “-just look for them first”

            They nodded, walking through the dark path. Minseok once asked Chanyeol to make a fire, to light the torch and lead the way but Chanyeol refused, saying the fire not only illuminate the path but also leave the shadow behind. Kyungsoo agreed, didn’t say much as he demanded a full story about Dalli and Baekhyun thus Chanyeol explained.

            The twins are the son and the daughter from the previous Queen of Southern Fire Kingdom, Queen Sohee. It is said that when they are born from one of the rulers, the downfall would happen. To avoid it, the rulers are united and decided to separate the twin into two different paths. Not even telling the people about the twin and adopted Chanyeol as the next ruler of Southern Fire Kingdom, who, by the Eldest said, has more capable body to receive the power as the ruler.

            As years pass, they started to feel insecure at the fifth Kingdom which remained hidden in the deep dark forest. It is the Moon Kingdom which started the battle against Eastern Water Kingdom. With the help of Northern Earth Kingdom, they succeed to repel the Moon Kingdom, but also with the very-high price.

The Northern Earth Kingdom mourned the dead of their rulers and assigned King Sangwoo back as the ruler, waiting for their son, Do Kyungsoo to take the throne. But King Sangwoo wants revenge. He went berserk and later on kill all the Moon Kingdom with his loyal warriors.

He thought there will be no trace from the Moon Kingdom, but he is wrong. The Moon is watching them. Ilsik, is the only savior in the Kingdom, a child that lose everything without even knowing anything. He is saved by the one and only, his true love, his Moon.

Dalli and Ilsik grew together within time, living peacefully in the Moon Kingdom, before their old men planned a battle. As a child who lost everything, together, they found perfection. They completed each other. Not even think about revenge because deep down in his pure heart, Ilsik knew this wouldn’t happen if his old men didn’t want to take Eastern Water Kingdom.

            When Dalli is kidnapped by King Sangwoo, Ilsik grew the darkness within his heart. King Sangwoo believes that he already did wrong too much, wanting a remedy, he thought about sending Dalli back to her Kingdom. Not knowing that Dalli is Ilsik’s reason to survive.

            Dalli is safe within Western Air Kingdom. Or that was King Sangwoo thought. In fact, he is just kidnapped the girl from her finally happy life. Ilsik seeks for revenge, killing the rulers of Western Air Kingdom and demand his lady back.

            But King Sangwoo, not knowing that he is the one who kidnapped the girl, sent the girl to Eastern Water Kingdom. That is when Dalli meets Suho and a hope to meet her long-lost brother. But alas, Dalli is dead afterwards.

“Wh-“ Minseok is surprised stops his track and looks at Chanyeol

“This is so sad” Tao commented while Kris is visibly sniffing at behind

Kyungsoo fisted his hand in anger “My grandfather has done too much”

Suho shook his head “It is not his fault. He thought he did right-“

“But, he didn’t!” Kyungsoo’s loud voice surprise all of them “H-he basically ruined everything” and then he snorted, hiding his tears on his anger face

Jongin bit his lips, decided to put Kyungsoo on his embrace and said “It is in the past anyway. It was happened and nobody could prevent it”

“How did Dalli died? I mean- She lives happily in your Kingdom before she died, right? And- how that happened?” Luhan asked, looked at Suho for the answer

Suho frowned “The last time I saw Dalli when my father called me to bid a goodbye to her”

“What do you mean?” Chanyeol asked “Didn’t Dalli die on your Kingdom?”

Suho scoffed “Dalli is not dead in our Kingdom, Chanyeol-ah. We didn’t kill her. We put her in the basement because she revolted too much but after I told my father, he started to soften a bit and thought that perhaps brought Dalli back to Ilsik is the best way. We decided to send her back. That is when I started to write a letter to Baekhyun, pretend to be her” Suho explained

“That means Dalli’s deaths are not on us” Sehun concluded

“Then, whose?” Luhan continued

            The question was floating in the air. Kris shouted when he saw a body lies on the ground. They hurriedly ran to the body, except Yixing who is too weak to even move and Suho who helps him walk.

The body is belonged to Jongdae. Minseok turned the body around, hands started to get trembling as he checked on the other’s pulse. It is still there, but-

“I-It is too weak” Minseok didn’t even hold his tears as Yixing and Suho approached them

“Bring him to me” Yixing said

            Suho helps Yixing to sit down, with his hand on Jongdae’s heart, it started to glow. Minseok couldn’t do anything except crying, hoping that Jongdae would open his eyes soon. As all of them gathered around Jongdae, Chanyeol is the only one who stood a bit further from them.

He noticed the Thunder Sword is laid further away from Jongdae, thus he took it. Walking on the puddles of water, Chanyeol squatted down, looking at his own reflection on the water and winced. His reflection grinned at him, showing his hateful stares towards the other and told him to kill them. The next thing Chanyeol did is kicked the water and walk back to the other.

“Is he okay?” Chanyeol asked, demand a confirmation for his Guardian’s condition

Yixing nodded. Although he is injured badly, his power would stay same. The only trouble he needs to go through is just he couldn’t walk well, and perhaps some respiration problems, but his power would work well anyway.

While holding the Thunder Sword, Chanyeol felt something come towards them. He unconsciously held the sword tighter, scanning each area along with Kyungsoo who feels the same. None of them talking about it, they stay alert just like that.

As Jongdae slowly gained his awareness, Minseok bended down, trying to catch any syllables Jongdae said. The name Baekhyun came out from his lips, at the same time, the Thunder Sword fell on Chanyeol’s hand. Minseok stood up in alert, telling everyone to turn their face to Chanyeol who slowly laughs.

The darkness slowly comes to his body, surrounded him like a shield. Once, Chanyeol opens his eyes, it represents the darkness. Minseok knows it just means trouble.

            The darkness started to fill the room, the cold breeze crept behind them, slowly approaching them. In the nick time, the strongest have lost their mind. Even Kyungsoo has no longer