The room is deadly silent.

The initial shock still hasn’t worn down, and the smile on Yixing’s face is growing steadily more unsettling.

Baekhyun speaks first with a choked, “What?”

Yixing’s smile seems permanent. It’s gentle, kind and yet it makes your stomach twist into knots. “I Turned you.” He repeats.

“I don’t understand.” Jongdae speaks then, frowning. “A vampire can only be Turned by being bitten by another Pureblood. We weren’t bitten.”

“No.” Yixing says slowly, eyes turning to train on Jongdae. “But despite that, here you are, a Pureblood yourself, isn’t that right?”

You watch him gulp, obviously unsure what’s happening.

Yixing takes a step forward, towards you. You see the way Jongdae seems to flinch at the action, moving closer to shield you from any potential danger.

Yixing’s voice is soft when he speaks, “I won’t hurt her. I saved her.”

Your eyes widen, another set of images flash before your eyes, making the room spin and you almost lose your balance.

Jongdae catches you, eyes filled with worry. “Are you okay?”

“I-I’m fine.” You say shakily, using his form to help steady yourself. You take another look at Yixing, suddenly remembering what had happened after you supposedly died. “You saved me.”

“To an extent, yes.” Yixing nods. “And to an extent, I saved all of you.”

“I’m so fed up with this.” Sehun stands from his seat, throwing a glare towards Yixing as he crosses his arms. “Tell us what happened. Now.”

Yixing merely chuckles, not at all fazed. “Alright, alright.” He clears his throat, his wings drooping a bit in relaxation, the feathers at the bottom brushing the ground. “Let’s start 500 years ago, when you all were in the biggest war of Exodauntia history.”

It’s not like the angels didn’t know about the war. They did. The angels always knew when the humans were fighting—they just chose not to do anything about it. They weren’t supposed meddle with the humans, weren’t allowed to take sides, weren’t allowed to save lives.

Wars were especially hard on Lay. While the others could just avert their eyes, Lay is the angel of healing. He essentially controls life and death, so when a large number of deaths come rolling in—it’s hard for him to simply avert his eyes.

When the war of Exodauntia started, Lay did his job properly. He made sure the dead could find their way to the afterlife, made sure nothing was out of balance.

That’s when he felt a tug.

A strong calling for him that made his wings tingle, urging him to answer.

It turned out to be the prayers of the King and Queen of Exodauntia, a prayer so strong that it actually managed to reach him. Lay felt bad for not answering, especially since he could feel how sincere they were.

He did what he wasn’t supposed to do.

He answered their prayer.

He went to them, and they didn’t even seem shocked to see him. Perhaps they thought it was a dream. Lay asked what they wanted, though he already knew from their prayers.

“Please save our people.”

“I can’t do that.” He said gently, trying to let them understand. “I can’t meddle with life and death.”

“Please.” They begged, eyes glazing over with tears. “We can’t leave this land in the hands of him.”

Him.

Lay knew; of course he knew. He could see everything. He knew Minseok was the one who started the war, who secretly went to neighboring countries to propose his idea of taking over the beautiful and prospering Exodauntia.

He was surprised the King and Queen knew as well. Lay tried to reason with them, telling him that he’s not allowed to. But the King and Queen persisted, their sadness and desperation so prominent he could sense it off them.

“Take our lives.” They said, “in exchange for theirs.”

“You can’t compare a life.” He said. “Every life has a different value, no life is considered greater or lesser than another. I can’t use your life to exchange for others.”

He hoped they would understand. Life and death is a natural cycle, and he can’t meddle with that.

He left them in despair, watching their kingdom and their treasured people die.

There was nothing he could do.

It’s two months later when he watched Minseok step into the throne room, a smile on his face. “Mom, dad.”

The King and Queen seemed to accept their fate, though they did not back down easily. They fought him, but in the end, they could not kill their own son. They were filled with hesitancy, with love but Minseok was not. He did not hesitate like his parents did, and killed them on the spot, right on their thrones.

What a bitter, sad person, Lay thought.

Lay could still hear the voices of the King and Queen, the emotions they felt. It hit him like a freight train, making him double over, the intensity of their emotions so great as they died.

“Please save our people.”

Two lives for a kingdom.

Was it worth it?

It didn’t matter, because Lay had already moved, done something he was forbidden to do.<