"Kyungsoo! Oh my gem, I am so sorry." Chanyeol jumped up and spoke at the second he spotted Kyungsoo reach the arched gate to the village. 

"You told me the food in your ship ran out--- But I completely forgot about it when it was time for dinner... Are you hungry? I'm sorry."

Seeing such a tall and impressive looking man stand with his shoulders hunched down, his head lowered and his face this sad-looking is quite odd. Chanyeol, appearance wise, would seem like the type of person who'd never dare to show weakness.

But there he is, like a puppy who had done something wrong, fidgeting with his fingers and sincerely apologizing to Kyungsoo for not providing him with food that he doesn't even owe him.

Kyungsoo looked up at his saddened expressiong for a while, then very gently and cautiously placed his palm on the man's arm to pat it a couple of times.

"You don't have to apologize. Thank you for thinking about me." He tried to reassure Chanyeol that really, it's not that bad.

And it seemed to work.

Chanyeol's whole posture changed with the touch to his arm. His shoulders rolled back to their usual spot, his back straightened and his expression brightened. Warm red eyes looking right back at him.

His arms then got raised up in the air towards Kyungsoo's direction for a moment. Intinctively Kyungsoo's body stiffened. But as quickly as they got up, they dropped back down. Chanyeol's face took the form of a slightly embarrassed smile when he averted his eyes and began scratching his cheek instead.

Kyungsoo wasn't sure what he was doing. It seems that the gesture Chanyeol was trying to form simply wasn't working out for him for some reason. Or maybe he stopped it before completing it.

He tried to do it before as well, after the Fire Dragon passing event.

"Anyway, I have a better idea! Today, we will make sure you eat enough." Chanyeol smiled, opening his palm up in order to convince Kyungsoo of his statement. It was amusing, but unnecessary, since Kyungsoo already knows he could trust Chanyeol by now.

"I was thinking I could show you how to work the fields today, that way you'd be able to... uh, 'Earn' your meal? Is that how you said it before?"

Chanyeol spoke again, starting to lead the two of them through the village. Why is it strange for Chanyeol that people need to work in order to be deserving of survivng?

In the empire, if you aren't useful in one way or another to the society, you don't earn as much of anything as those who are worth more earn.

Food, supplies, free time, those are things people have to work hard for. It's not just given. But maybe here on the fire island things work differently. If to judge by the fact that even the elders of the council are being treated with kindness despite not working to 'earn' their meals.

Maybe if you are deserving of food, shelter, and survival by default, it helps people feel the duty of wanting to work in order to give back to those who provide it for them. Instead of having to prove themselves worthy enough.

It's so clever. The people of the fire island really have it all figured out. They work hard not for themselves, but for everybody's sake, because they want to. Because they choose to. Because they can.

Nobody is forced to spend their life doing a certain job or another. When they don't need to worry about whether or not they could survive, they can only grow more and open their hearts even further.

Kyungsoo couldn't even imagine what the empire would look like if people who didn't work still received food and shelter. There will be chaos. Everyone are too cold, too selfish to open their hearts and want to give something out of themselves to others.

He certainly does not miss that in the empire.

Their path passed right by the classroom structure that they had visited and made the Fire Dragon Passing baubles in. Kyungsoo would have just walked past it, but he heard strange noises coming from the inside and his curiousity took the better of him.

He stopped walking, Chanyeol pausing right beside him as well, and turned to the open window, leaning in closer and pressing his hands on the sand rock to peek inside.

Just as he did, a flash of bright fiery light came near his face, and he winced in surprise when it disappeared. He expected to see many children sitting down on their little mats, but instead he saw a row of children standing in the class in front of a wooden stick figure of sorts.

"What are they doing...?"

He whispered quietly to Chanyeol, who had already huddled right beside him to look through the second window into the class.

"It seems like they're practicing fire control." Chanyeol was definitely smiling. Kyungsoo didn't even need to turn and look, because he heard it in his voice.

Fire control... Huh.

Kyungsoo continued watching the class continue. The three Teachers were still in the room, sitting calmly by the board and watching, while an adult Wonder Soul was guiding the children through various movements they had to follow in a rhythm. Only after every single one of the children succeeded, the older Wonder Soul gave them the signal to raise their hands up.

Once they did, Kyungsoo saw a bunch of different sizes and heights of fire balls appearing in front of the children. Some were stable and small, some were larger and kept shaking and dancing like an actual natural flame.

"It's important for us, Wonder Souls, to make sure we are able to control our fire entirely. We learn how to balance the differences between our emotions and intentions, so that nobody will cause anyone else any harm."

Chanyeol spoke again, quietly and calmly. He had already leaned away from the window with his back against the wall, and was looking down at Kyungsoo with a smile.

That makes a lot of sense. It prepares everyone for the peaceful nature of behaviour on this island, and provides a good safety measure against extreme situations. 

Whoa... The island might be a few hundred years behind on technology, but they are probably millions of years ahead of the empire when it comes to being... Well, human.

"Did you learn all of this as well? Where you come from?" Chanyeol asked calmly when Kyungsoo finally stepped away from the wall.

"No. They taught us how to destroy things and fire weapons."

Kyungsoo replied in a cold manner. Not because he was upset at Chanyeol, but because a nasty bitterness filled his mouth when he remembered how aggressive, unpleasant and scary the power lessons were in the empire.

He was upset that he had memories of his own age group destroying dummies with their powers and learning how to spread hatred and fear, instead of the gentle and careful peace that the Wonder Souls are being taught.

"Oh... Sounds scary." Chanyeol said quietly, probably imagining terrible things that aren't even half as bad as what reality truly was like.

"It was."

Kyungsoo agreed, then exhaled his lungs empty to remove the dark atmosphere from his shoulders. There's no need to make things so serious.

The two of them continued heading towards the fields, but Kyungsoo's mind was still floating in the awe of this type of education. It's so important to teach people how to use their powers for peaceful actions, how to be kind with them, how to keep every person feeling equal and safe... He wished the empire would learn these things.

But at the same time, he's glad he didn't have to go through classes similar to those, otherwise he would have been exposed as a Lightless long ago.

Up on the hill and then back down to the fields themselves, Kyungsoo's feet felt comfortable walking on the soft and hard sand bits that separate each field from the other. There were quite a lot of local islanders in the fields as well.

Some children who are not present in the lesson were busy picking berries from the lower bushes, teens and adults tended to the larger fruit trees by the sides, and elders were seated on small wooden stools while carefully cutting vegetables off from their stems.

With the cool breeze and the sunlight, Kyungsoo felt a new sense of peace. The atmosphere was just so relaxed and calming. Everyone who worked seemed to be doing so with pleasure and fun, rather than finding it to be an upsetting chore. Some were even singing or humming, chatting with those who were close enough to hear them in their area of work.

At first, the two of them headed towards one of the trees located at the sides of the fields. Sepcifically, to one tree on which a teen Wonder Soul was sitting and humming to themselves.

"Hey!" Chanyeol called out, surprising and poor kid into a startle.

"Oh my gem, Chanyeol don't scare me like that!" The teen called out with a pout, then turned to look at Kyungsoo with curiousity. Her expression turned questioning.

With eyes bright red just like Chanyeol, golden dark and beautiful skin, and two long blonde braids rolling down over her shoulders, she looked adorable and lively.

"Could you hand us a couple of these?"

Chanyeol grinned and raised his arms. As tall as he is, his hands managed to reach high enough to be placed like a shelf right in the teen's reaching distance. She curled her lips into another pout for a moment, but then changed her pose with a chuckle.

"Okay, but only if you introduce me to your friend. He looks so lost!"

The girl grinned, holding two large vibrant orange colored fruits in both her hands. Kyungsoo already understood the situation, and nodded his head in her much higher direction politely.

"Nice to meet you, I am Do Kyungsoo." He stated like he always does. His instincts nearly brought his hand up for a salute, but he stopped right before his muscles reacted to that need.

The girl on the tree stared at him for a little while longer, and Chanyeol grunted a few times to signal his discomfort with this strange arm raising position just to fit to her standards.

"Hi Kyungsoo, I am Yerim! I hope you like Oranges because they are amazing today." She grinned, her satisfaction filled, and finally placed the two fruits in her hands onto Chanyeol's palms before waving them both goodbye and turning towards the higher branches once more.

"Ah, finally!"

Chanyeol called out in relief, bringing his arms back down and holding the two fruits in front of Kyungsoo.

"Here, to make up for making you miss dinner yesterday. These are Oranges. I can show you how to eat them." He smiled, and the two found themselves a nice spot to sit at. Right on the sand beside one of the hills that overlook the fields.

Everything being grown here has such strong colors and scents. In the empire most of their crops come colorless or very pale due to the lack of exposure to any sunlight that the plants on the empire don't receive underground. Maybe they would have looked this good if they were grown on the surface.

Before Kyungsoo could pay attention, Chanyeol had already finished peeling one of the two oranges they've been given by happy Yerim. He broke the soft fruit surface into small segments, and allowed Kyungsoo to pick his own from the collection spreaded on his palms.

"These are very good for your health. They help your skin, your digestion, and would help you stay safe from any illness. Plus, they smell and taste real good!" Chanyeol explained with a bright smile.

Kyungsoo inhaled slowly with the orange segment between his fingers. This will be the first piece of food he eats that hasn't come from the empire. He trusts Chanyeol, and he knows his own crew members were just fine after eating before... He'll just have to fight off that worry. Besides, it smells incredible. Sweet and fresh.

Finally, he took a bite. His teeth pressing through the soft fruit, tearing the cover. He felt a spray of sweet flavor get on his tongue from the bite, then kept chewing as the taste took over his whole mouth. Eyes wide, he stared down at the leftover of the segment in his fingers, then at Chanyeol. The texture was unfamiliar, but wow, SO good.

"This is amazing! An Orange? It's so sweet, and it just makes juice appear in my mouth." Kyungsoo spoke quickly. Quicker than he usually does, probably out of the excitement he didn't realize was buzzing through him after the bite.

When taking the rest into his mouth, he watched how Chanyeol's face brightened up into a wide and beautiful smile, then cracked into soft laughter.

"I'm glad you like it. I love them too." He stated before taking a piece into his mouth and chewing happily. Tiny smile wrinkles decorated the corners of his eyes as he chewed with a closed mouthed grin.

Chanyeol's smile looked as sweet as the orange tasted in Kyungsoo's mouth.

After several quick minutes, the oranges were both gone - fully enjoyed by Kyungsoo, and the peels were brought by Chanyeol back to the tree, dug into the ground and covered up again.

Chanyeol then led Kyungsoo carefully to one field which only had a single elder lady working in. It was a long yet thin section of the field which had hip height wooden sticks connected with a thick rope to create a little fence, on top of which grew one of the more beautiful fruits Kyungsoo's ever seen.

Or at least, he assumed it was a fruit.

The stems sprawled upwards, like they've crawled over the fence to find their comfortable position to grow in. From each smaller stem grew beautiful green leaves that drooped down towards the ground lazily.

And on the ends of the stems grew either star shaped yellow flowers, or red little circle shaped fruits in a cluster.

Chanyeol's hand came from under one of the fruit bunches and he carefully raised it up on his palm for better view. They were so vibrantly pigmented, so red and shiny, almost cute looking. But they weren't quite like the shapes of the pale strawberries Kyungsoo knew.

"These are Cherry Tomatoes." Chanyeol stated, kneeling down to look at the fruits a little better himself.

"It's because we have normal Tomatoes over there," He pointed in another field's direction. "And Cherries there." Another direction. "These are tomatoes of another kind, but they are so small and sweet that it became their name." Chanyeol nodded back at the little red blobs in his hand.

"Ah, wait a moment!" He suddenly said, standing back up and letting go of the bunch in his palm. He turned and hurried away from Kyungsoo.

Standing alone in the field and looking around, Kyungsoo felt... At ease. The sun on his head wasn't painfully hot like it was in the first days he spent on the island. The sand and dirt to his feet were soft and fun to step on. The new scents of different crops were fresh and pleasant... He was completely immersed.

This is a whole other world to the dark and scary underground cruel lives of the empire's residents. He could get used to it.

Chanyeol made his way back a minute later, carrying two deep bowl shaped baskets with a thick cover of a cloth from the inside.

"Here. Once we pick the cherry tomatoes, we can put them carefully in those, so they wouldn't get damaged." He handed Kyungsoo a basket, and kneeled down again. "Let me show you how."

Kyungsoo followed the posture and kneeled down to watch from up close.

Chanyeol's hands quickly got to work. One hand held the larger main stem from which the fruit grew, and his other hand carefully grabbed onto the red blob, twisted to the side, and freed the little tomato from the stem with a small green crown left from the stem. He smiled and placed the tomato in Kyungsoo's hand.

"You could tell they are ripe and good when they're red, and their skin is till tough enough." Chanyeol explained, his attention and hands back to the stem once more to pick another. "If the tomato is too soft, you could bury it right by the root. If it doesn't come off easy, it's not yet ripe."

Kyungsoo listened attentively to the instructions and explanations, then carefully placed the single tomato in his hand on the soft cloth in his basket. He watched in silence as Chanyeol picked a few more right beside him. 

Although he wanted to do the same, his muscles showed some hesitation. And it seemed that Chanyeol noticed.

"Don't be afraid, it's easy." 

Kyungsoo began raising his hands towards one especially red looking tomato in front of him, but froze before making contact with it. Why...? There is no way he could mess this up so badly, right?

Suddenly, two large hands slithered over the back of his palms. He felt an arm wrapping around his shoulder, and a warm presence from behind. Kyungsoo's heart rate spiked in an instant. He was wrapped in Chanyeol's arms from behind and couldn't even blink... But he didn't feel caged at all.

He felt... Good.

In slow movements, Chanyeol's hands carefully guided Kyungsoo's fingers onto the tomato. Chanyeol gently posed Kyungsoo's hands in the same position he showed him before, then pressed onto the tomato with Kyungsoo's fingers and twisted the stem off.

Kyungsoo stared in a state of minor shock at Chanyeol guiding him. But all he could learn from this was just how big, rough, yet warm Chanyeol's hands were. Fingertips that have experienced a lot of labor, palms that are hard and hot from a life full of nature.

He almost felt his body was about to give in and lose balance. Chanyeol's shoulders and torso are so wide behind him that he didn't want to move at all. He was wrapped and cupped and cooped.

Time was going in slowmotion despite how loud his own heartbeat drummed in his ears, and then, with terrible sorrow, he had to watch and feel Chanyeol's hands slowly lowering, his arms catching distance, and his body shifting back to sit beside him again.

Kyungsoo nearly gasped for air when time began ticking at normal speed again now that he's free. A small round cherry tomato was held in his hand, and beside him Chanyeol was smiling. Ah... His dimple again.

"Easy, right?"

Chanyeol turned the attention away from himself back to the tomato in Kyungsoo's hand. Kyungsoo nodded wordlessly and pretended that his heart wasn't about to leap out of his chest while placing it in the basket.

What on the cracked earth is wrong with him? Why did his heart, mind, and body react like that? Chanyeol was simply showing him how to pick a tomato, why'd he have to get so embarrassingly excited for no reason?

Although... Can he really be mad at that? Chanyeol is just... So big. His smile too, is big... His heart is big... Kyungsoo never exactly felt particularly small. If anything, in the empire he is considered perfectly average.

But Chanyeol being this close to him made the land under him quake. Chanyeol's attractiveness is also... big---...Ugh. 

Kyungsoo felt like a self conscious idiot for the rest of the day that they had spent picking their baskets full with cherry tomatoes.

Even when they were already done, and Chanyeol happily led them back towards the village, Kyungsoo couldn't shake off the strange tingly sensation he gets in his stomach whenever Chanyeol smiles. Or laughs. Or speaks. Or is just... There.

However, his attention finally shifted from the fast pace of his own heartbeat to the new structure Chanyeol had led him to.

From the outside, it looked like just another sandstone built structure. But in this one, the windows were smaller, and only carved out near the roof, making it impossible to look through them.

For some reason, Chanyeol and Kyungsoo both stood in a line of a few more locals who were carrying baskets filled with crops just like them. 

Kyungsoo spotted a basket of deep green wobbly round sticks. Which Chanyeol explained were Cucumbers. He saw a basket with white, large, and heavy looking thick flower, Cabbages. And many more interesting colors, shapes and textures of more crops from the fields, being brought inside one by one.

Finally it was their turn in the line, both of them stepped inside the thin and small wooden door. Chanyeol had to bow down in order to not bump his head on the frame. Inside was a room with shiny looking shifed sandstone, and many stone made and wooden made appliances that look like a kitchen of sorts.

In the corner of the room were many piled baskets containing all of today's picked crops, while beside each of the different looking cooking stations, stood a different person to tend to them. Many of which involved fire.

"This is our dining room's kitchen," Chanyeol began explaining, standing with Kyungsoo beside an empty cooking station which looked like a table made out of smooth rock. "Every day different people are tasked to cook for everyone with what we bring from the fields." He smiled, gesturing towards a large stone couldron sitting heavy and full of what looks like stew above a fire.

"Hey, don't just stand there, help us out!" One of the ladies wearing a grey cloth apron called out to the two of them with a convincing smile.

She placed two wooden cutting boards on the table beside them, and handed them two large knives and a large glass bowl.

"Come on, chop the carrots for us!" She pulled one of the baskets from the pile towards them and clapped her hands twice before returning to her own station near the fire.

Kyungsoo looked at Chanyeol puzzled, but the other just laughed lightly before lifting the basket onto the side of the table and grabbing one of the... 'Carrots' on his cutting board. After a brief explanation, the two of them were chopping up carrots and filling up the glass bowl to the brim with the orange chunks.

They were given a few more new colorful things to chop too. Like 'Leaks' and 'Potatoes'. All of which were so colorful and beautiful both before and after chopping them apart. 

The scent filling the kitchen made Kyungsoo's stomach rumble louder and louder as the time passed. Until eventually the lady freed them from the task and instructed them to get a seat in the dining room itself. She bid them goodbye after thanking them for the help, and the two found themselves outside under the darkening skies.

"I love working in the kitchen. It's a lot of fun. And you did really well too! Was it your first time cutting vegetables?" Chanyeol asked, looking genuinely impressed as the two walked around the building and towards a larger wooden door located on the other side of the same structure.

"Not... Exactly. I mean, the 'vegetables' that we have in the empire are very different from here. It isn't so enjoyable to be in a kitchen over there. But I had fun here." Kyungsoo replied with a quick explanation to prove his experience with kitchens.

When they entered, Kyungsoo's thoughts about the boring and intimidating empire military kitchen cut short.

The dining room was amazing. An incredibly large room with tall walls and a dark wooden ceiling spread ahead. Long rows of dark wooden tables stood in lines through the space of the room, and from the ceiling, beautiful fiery chandeliers similar to the ones in the council's room were hanging.

It was so bright, and noisy, and heartwarming to see.

So many people were already seated in random arrangements of their own choice, children and elders alike, simply chatting and having a good time on their chosen benches.

Kyungsoo even spotted a few of his crew members in the seated crowd. Jongin sat at a table surrounded by children. Yixing and Baekhyun sat with many adult Wonder Souls. Junmyeon and Sehun took a seat near a group of Teachers, and Minseok and Jongdae had a little bit of everything at their table.

Chanyeol and Kyungsoo, since they came to the room quite late, had to sit at the very few available spots at the front of the room, near what Kyungsoo just saw looked like a small platform with a wooden board behind it. Similar to the classroom's.

The chatter in the room is loud, and so humane. It made Kyungsoo feel like he's sitting with a giant family to the table. However, it all quieted down to a few last whispers when the main Teacher of the council climbed on the single stair and stepped his way to the center of the little stage.

He stood there with everyone's attention to him, and smiled. Then he began talking to everyone. Thanking the field workers, the kitchen workers, the Teachers, and the hard working Wonder Souls for the time and effort they had put into making another day pass successfully.

He paused for a moment, then continued by blessing everyone in the room into getting healthy, strong, and happy with the food that they have worked for.

The man returned to his seat at one of the tables, and moments later the kitchen workers enter the room with large stone and wooden made carts that hold large containers of the different types of food that they've cooked. Each table received one bowl of each food, each bowl provides enough servings for the entire table to dine themselves full.

Chatter in the room returned even louder than before with the excitement and eager hungry stomachs of the crowd, but not a single person touched a single utensil. Not until those who worked in the kitchen returned to the room without aprons, and sat down as well.

Only when everyone were seated, the meal began.

Kyungsoo was definitely not disappointed. In fact, everything he tasted was so new, so delicious, so filling, that by the time the meal was done, he felt like he could barely move. Chanyeol chuckled in amusement and offered the term 'Food Coma' to describe Kyungsoo's full belly.

The experience was amazing. Sitting and eating in a group has always been something Kyungsoo enjoyed doing with his crew... But when the whole community sits together, it put his heart at ease. It made him feel like he belongs to something bigger than himself, and it felt good.

Children were the first to be ushered out of the dining room in order to send them to sleep. Kyungsoo enjoyed watching Jongin carry a sleepy child in his arms while also leading another wobbling one by the hand outside of the structure.

He saw Baekhyun and Yixing help the teens clean up the tables that were cleared from plates and utensils. And was amused by the way Sehun was pouting when Junmyeon was using just tiny splashes of his Water Carrier powers to clean up an empty bowl. Jongdae and Minseok were nowhere in sight, meaning they must have left earlier.

Eventually, Kyungsoo overcame his food coma, and together with Chanyeol, the two went back outside happy and full.

"Thank you for today, Chanyeol. I had fun, and the food was delicious."

Kyungsoo spoke first, looking up at his tall friend stretching his long arms upwards with a grunt of satisfaction. When brought back down, Chanyeol smiled at him with so much warmth, Kyungsoo almost felt overwhelmed.

"I want us spend many more days together like this. You're learning so fast that I'm afraid if I show you everything, you won't need me around anymore." Chanyeol responded, chuckling and running a hand through his soft brown hair.

"I hope we could become friends before that happens, so I'll still have an excuse to see you sometimes."

He added and grinned down at Kyungsoo. Who felt the strings of his heart being tugged and pulled in all directions, raising his pulse once more. He averted his eyes to the side in a failing attempt to calm his chest down.

"... We already are friends, though." Kyungsoo said quietly, and gestured vaguely with his hand. A weird motion between the two of them.

When his eyes finally turned back to face Chanyeol, he was almost blinded by just how bright and happy he looked. The skies are so dark above him, but Chanyeol was almost like a walking sun, constantly providing heat all over Kyungsoo.

It looked like there was something he was very eager to ask. He inhaled and opened his mouth to speak with excitement, but, similar to the way he stops some gestures towards Kyungsoo from happening, he stopped himself from speaking, and shut his mouth with a smile instead.

"I will teach you many more things, Kyungsoo."

"I would love that. Thank you Chanyeol. Good night."

The two of them parted ways with Chanyeol waving his whole arm widely, and Kyungsoo barely waving his hand in return.

He made it back to the ship for the night, and slid into his bed. Except this time, alone.

All of his crew members have already gotten themselves familiar enough with the islanders that they've received bed in their communal sleeping house? Kyungsoo's falling behind.

While lying in bed, awfully silent in this large metalic aircraft, Kyungsoo hoped that a message from the Talkie will never come. He wants to pick more cherry tomatoes, and cherries, and tomatoes. He wants to eat more dinners with everyone. He wants to see more of Chanyeol's smiles and laughters.

He wants to become a part of that. He wants that life to be his. But is he allowed to have that?

-----

The days keep passing. Kyungsoo is now at the door of his second month spent on the island. Which, by now, has become a pleasant and calming exeperience for him - spending all daylight hours with Chanyeol in the fields, learning how to pick all sorts of beautiful colorful crops.

Just one thing is still preventing him from being able to peacefully sleep at night.

The fear that his brother will suddenly contact him via the Talkie installed in the ship, and this magical paradise dream of the fire island will be shattered into a million pieces of sadness, guilt, and regret. Which he already suffers from after his terrible grand arrival to the island.

Maybe he needs to build up some courage like the rest of his crew members and ask Chanyeol for a bed to sleep in which is not the tiny little bunk bed in the chambers of the ship.

It's just so lonely to say goodbye to everyone after each dinner and go back to the awful metalic machine of death on his own.

Everytime he steps inside his body fills with anxiety. A part of him wants to call Jongdae back on the ship and instruct him to destroy the communication channels of the Talkie, so that the illusion of the crew being able to stay on the island and have an actual good enjoyable time will keep being a reality for longer.

But he knows that just like Junmyeon had lost contact with the Commander in Chief, if it happens to Kyungsoo as well, the empire will come to strike this place down in an even harder and more terrible manner than Kyungsoo and his fleet tried.

One thing is certain.

Kyungsoo can no longer throw a doubt about the fact that his sharp, hard edged, cold military disciplined heart, had softened. It had been warmed up by the genuinely kind hospitality of the island people. From the feeling of hot sand and earth under his bare feet instead of the heavy boots.

It lightened up from the sun, from the music, from the dances and the songs. From the clear night's sky that is not clouded by smoke, dust, and rain like the Water Carriers generated weather protection system the empire had employed.

Something in him had turned. The island should not be destroyed. The entire world should be destroyed instead, and only this island should remain.

He had regained faith in humanity thanks to this place. The more time he spends on the island, the more attached he gets to the people, to the flavors and sensations. The more he feels like he finally belongs to something that he could be proud of for real.

The larger his love grows for this place, the more terrified he is of the day his brother will send armies to finish the job he had long decline. Kyungsoo knows that his brother will try to make sure it doesn't happen, but such decisions are often not fully up to him.

"Kyungsoo~ Look at these!"

Chanyeol called out in his direction when Kyungsoo began crossing through the village's center. When Kyungsoo turned to find the source of the voice, he saw Chanyeol running in his direction with a bunch of strange looking brown strings.

"What are these?" He asked when the other finally came to a halt in front of him.

"I'll teach you! Let's find a good spot to sit." Chanyeol smiled as the two have shifted direction and found themselves a spot on the flat wide sandrock platform that's attached to one of the structures nearby.

Once they sat down, Chanyeol spread whatever's in his hand on the surface between himself and Kyungsoo.

Now outside of Chanyeol's hand, Kyungsoo found that he wasn't holding a string, but rather a pile of very long brown leaves that got folded in his palm. They were all somewhat in the same length, equally brown, dry, and flexible.

"I got these so we could get you a basket in case you wanted to have some food with you on... Well, I mean, since you're still sleeping on the ship then at least you'd have something to eat...?"

Chanyeol began explaining, but fell into a struggle midway for some reason. Like he himself had an issue with the fact that Kyungsoo was spending each night alone in the ship. Kyungsoo examined his face, noticing the eyes averting away from eye contact.

"If I could keep an orange in the basket for the mornings, I'd be happy." Kyungsoo replied with a nod, mostly to sign to Chanyeol that he appreciates the thought and approves of the activity, and it seemed to have helped, because Chanyeol smiled once more.

Then, without much of a wait, he began showing Kyungsoo the technique of weaving a brand new properly shaped basket. Kyungsoo watched with fascination and subtle admiration how Chanyeol's long fingers skillfully tied a few ends and began to slide long strands with one another, starting to form a pattern.

"I guess it looks harder than picking cherry tomatoes, but it's just a repetetive action. It's easy once you get the hang of it." 

After doing only a little bit of the base, Chanyeol handed Kyungsoo the small woven part so that he could continue by himself. But as expected, despite how well and careful Kyungsoo watched, he wasn't yet quite sure which strand should go where.

His hands held it motionless as he tried to repeat the steps he has seen Chanyeol doing in his mind in order to replicate them.

But before he could begin moving his fingers, he felt pleasant warmth wrap over the back of his hands. A familiar sensation against his skin, and a tingle he already knows spread through his body.

Chanyeol's hands were once again on top of his. This time, sitting in front of him and not behind, Kyungsoo's eyes were shaking lightly in their sockets and he culd feel his pulse increase in pace. He wasn't sure whether or not he should raise his head to look at Chanyeol's face, but he sure was tempted.

Gently and carefully, Chanyeol's fingers pushed Kyungsoo's in the right direction to create the proper loop to drag the next piece of leaf through.

And although Kyungsoo's sense of logic had vanished with how unnaturally nervous he felt at that point, he somehow managed to sneak a peek at Chanyeol's expression anyway.

He looked calm, concentrated, and like he was enjoying himself through the little bit of guidance he was showing Kyungsoo.

How could such a simple touch set Kyungsoo's whole insides on fire? Is it something only the Wonder Souls can do? Or is it something reserved solely for Chanyeol and his unbearable beautiful existence from inside and out?

Kyungsoo felt like he's losing his mind with all of these thoughts shooting through his head so quickly. He was so distracted that he forgot to pay attention to the purpose of this whole ordeal. The basket.

Though by the time Chanyeol had pulled his hands back, Kyungsoo knew he won't be willing to ask for further explanation. Not if it includes even a single point of physical contact between the two of them again. He won't be able to handle it.

Instead he hesitatly attempted to make a loop of the leaves by himself. Immediately shooting his eyes up to his Wonder Soul friend in order to assess whether or not his first move was a success.

Chanyeol simply smiled at him, his large eyes watching intently as Kyungsoo's fingers fiddled with the length of the leaf for a moment.

"You're doing good! I'll help you round it up when the base is wide enough." He praised Kyungsoo, probably noticing how uncertain he is that he felt the need to encourage him in one way or another.

"So it'd fit an orange?"

Kyungsoo asked, scolding himself internally in order to calm down while repeating the same weaving motion with the leaves. A little bit of a pattern started showing by his fifth and sixth move. He heard Chanyeol chuckle, and saw at the back of his field of view how Chanyeol shifted his position to sit more comfortably in front of him.

"Even two oranges." He said with a grin Kyungsoo couldn't bring himself to look at, and as the process of weaving the little basket continued, he kept giving Kyungsoo more tips and further instructions on how to finish the piece.

Eventually the basket was done. A light, hand woven brown little basket, large enough to contain two oranges and maybe a few more little things. Kyungsoo felt a small yet enjoyable sense of pride when he held it in his hands.

It was more satisfying finishing this basket than it was to make his tiny cloth bauble for the Fire Dragon Passing event. Probably because it was quite more challenging. Also because Chanyeol was sitting and smiling with so much pride right in front of him the entire time.

"Now you have your own basket! Next time we get to the fields you could get something to put in it if you'd like!"

Kyungsoo felt a little bit like a child again, but he didn't hate that at all. Something warm and cosy was swirling inside him from being praised, encouraged, and just... Accepted. He was never allowed to be his true self in the empire. 

And now, even though Chanyeol probably doesn't even know that Kyungsoo is a Lightless, at least Kyungsoo doesn't need to put up a strict facade to trick anyone into thinking he has the confidence of a Carrier.

"Thank you." Kyungsoo nodded, looking back down at his little basket in relief.

"Kyungsoo." Chanyeol spoke, already on another line of thought. His heard turned sideways to the empty patio at the center of the village, completely lit in bright yello by the sun.

"Remember how we went to see the Bad Ward underground before?"

Kyungsoo hummed to signal a positive answer.

"There is... One more place underground that I think you should see." Chanyeol said, but not with a serious tone. Rather with a very relaxed tone. As if only thinking about it makes him feel the need to respect it.

Kyungsoo tied the edge of his little basket to the edge of the piece of cloth wrapped around his hips as a belt, and the two began making their way towards the same direction as the dining room and kitchen they see every evening.

However, Chanyeol led him right past it, to a path made of smooth sand rocks and stones that stick out of the sand a little bit to provide a harder surface to walk on. The path led upwards to the the base of the highest hill on the island.

The sound of the waterfall splashing against the water undeneath echoed even there despite being on the other edge of the mountain entirely.

Then, as they've approached the side of the hill, Kyungsoo noticed a wooden door that blended in perfectly with the dirt of the hill's surface rising. Chanyeol opened the door with a light creak. The wood making that door looked... Ancient. Older than any of the other wood made objects he's seen on the island.

Immediately upon entering and shutting the door behind them, the temperature had dropped immensely. It felt humid, and chill, and dark. Very much like the under ground cities Kyungsoo knows so well from the empire. He could even hear some drops of water echo from a space buried somewhere under the waterfall.

"It's deeper than the Bad Ward, and darker, so I don't come here often myself." Chanyeol admitted, summoning the three little flames like he did before. One above each of their heads, and one ahead of them.

Now with his vision returned, Kyungsoo could see that this room too, was hand carved into this ground. But despite hearing the water flow, it was completely dry.

At the right of the room were more ancient looking wooden stairs leading downwards into a continuation of this hand carved spot. The two of them started descending slowly. Chanyeol seemed to not be enjoying the experience of going down these stairs in complete darkness other than the little flames, but Kyungsoo's eyes have already readjusted. He lived his whole life under the ground.

It took them several long lasting minutes to reach the bottom, and Chanyeol sighed in relief when they stood in front of another ancient wooden double door. Except this passage was a whole lot fancier than the one on the surface.

The wood was thick and dark, and onto it were carved beautiful delicately detailed images. Looking at the door as a whole, it looked like the center connecting the two doors was a trunk of a tree that had each individual branch and leaf growing out of it across the rest of the wooden canvas.

Underneath the roots of the tree, at the very bottom of the two doors, were nine different circles, each with a dfferent symbol carved onto them. One of those circles was a little bigger, and was placed at the exact center under the trunk.

After allowing Kyungsoo to examine the art for a moment, Chanyeol opened the two doors.

Kyungsoo could barely believe his eyes.

He thought the amount of books and scrolls the Council of Radiance had at the top of their tower was massive. But this room was something else.

"This is our library." Chanyeol stated with a small smile.

Unlike the tight, cold and dark cavern stairs leading to this place, the library was huge. Spreading a few stories high of endless bookshelves filled to the brim. Tall stone carved pillars were located once every few shelves, with a small flame covered with a bubble of glass around it.

"Our council keeps only recreated copies of these up on their tower. I didn't want to say anything when you met them for the first time, when Yixing was so excited..."

He chuckled a little awkwardly.

Kyungsoo spotted a cloaked figure walking through an isle with a stack of books in their hands. Must be the person in charge of the place.

"But I've been told he had already been here many times." Chanyeol added knowingly and closed the doors behind them. Starting to stroll through the maze-like corridors of the library separated by thick book filled walls.

Some of the books seem to be gathering years of old dust, and some look to have been in recent use. But all of them seem to be kept in top condition. When passing by one of the isles, Kyungsoo spotted another door embedded into the wall, surrounded by books.

"Oh. That room is where the true ancient scrolls and tomes are kept."

The two continued passing by hundreds of book covers. From bright red leathers to green, brown, yellow, and even black.

"We have books about our festivals and culture, we have some fiction stories about imaginary worlds, we have stories from our history, stories of heroic acts... We have love stories... Uhm." Chanyeol quickly cleared his throat.

"The newest books are the ones about our fields and crops, about the nature here... Along with all of the scientific research our Teachers are doing."

They were nearing yet another tree decorated wooden door, but a little ahead of it by the wall, stood a large table with a single chair, and a single thick book on top. Chanyeol smiled at it as he walked by.

"When a teen Wonder Soul turns into an adult, they are brought down here to read this book. It explains everything about why us, the Wonder Souls, have shorter lives, and how great it is that we will be able to to return that life to our gem when it ends."

Chanyeol spoke with such calmness that anyone would be fooled into thinking it was the most positive thing in the world. But a bitter taste took over Kyungsoo's mouth instead. A bitterness that stings.

He felt his muscles twitch a little at the words, a string in his chest has been pulled. Painfully so. There is nothing good about any of the 'return that life to our gem' bull. How could he talk about it so easily?

Instead, Kyungsoo inhaled deeply, and exhaled slowly. Trying to do his best to clear these thoughts out of his mind at least for the moment. Chanyeol wanted to show him something. He can't lose his cool. If he ever gets the courage to face the fact that the Carriers, and well, Wonder Souls, die earlier, he'll at least have someone to ask.

"Are you ready? We're almost there."

The two exit the huge library and found themselves in yet another hand carved little cave, with even more wooden stairs leading down. And yet again, no light in sight.

Chanyeol's three little flames popped out again, and they've continued descending into the center of the island.

But unlike before, the temperature didn't get any lower. In fact, the temperature kept increasingly rising the further they went down the uneven stairs. At some point, the wooden stairs were no more, and instead stood partially straight stone planks in their place.

Kyungsoo could feel a little bit of sweat gathering on his forehead and on his back.

Does this island have a lava pit like the empire's metal producing island?

They've been going down for a while, and Kyungsoo started noticing the lighting began changing. He no longer depended on the little flame to look ahead. Instead, a red light kept pumping up the passage. With every pump the light got brighter, and between the pumps it dimmed back down again.

Finally, they made it to the bottom of the stairs. And in front of them opened a large circular chamber with a tall hand carved ceiling.

At the very center of the room, out from the ground itself, a huge glowing chunk of the red gem shaped like a large crystal spiked out. The surface of the gem was reflective like a red mirror, and similar to a beating heart, emitted a beautiful red light in a rhythm.

By the wall, to the left of the entrance, two islanders were sitting down huddled with one another.

Kyungsoo was a little surprised to see other people there, but Chanyeol's reaction to noticing them was so positive that it got Kyungsoo confused.

"Oh my gem! I didn't know you were expecting!" Chanyeol called out, quickly approaching the pair who shot him back just as much of a happy smile.

He began conversing with them, and Kyungsoo couldn't do much but stare at the gem in awe and feel the nearly unbearable heat that this element is producing in this room. Although normally such a room would have given him an ominous feeling, he doesn't feel like he is in danger at all.

Sure, the temeprature is making his sweat gather in uncomfortable places, but he feels oddly alright with that. Some sort of unexplained acceptance.

"Kyungsoo, come, sit down." Chanyeol gestured in his direction, patting the little spot beside him on the stone floor of the chamber. With a little distance between them and the two other islanders.

"This might be a little long, so I hope you're comfortable."

Kyungsoo made eye contact with Chanyeol, the heartbeat pattern of light, the gem, and Chanyeol's red eyes all seemed to be glowing in unison. He nodded in approval, and settled on the ground for a long stay.

Chanyeol smiled gently, ran a hand through his hair to pull it back from his face, then turned to look back at the gem before speaking.

At first he repeated things Kyungsoo already knew about the island, compared to the empire. He explained how on the island those born without powers are 'Teachers'. How they are considered to be the leaders, the wise, those who guide the society and preserve positive traditions. They hold knowledge beyond their time. Which is why everyone treats them with so much respect.

But something new was the fact that it's fairly rare for a person to be born without powers. Which brings another element of treasure to the Teachers.

Because the Teachers are born without the thirty years time limit on their lives, they dedicate everything they can into research in order to find a solution that will allow those who are born with powers to live longer lives.

One of the implications that come from having a society that replenishes itself so often with new generations of 'Wonder Souls', or how the empire calls them, Carriers, is that the death count on the island is very high, and for the brief years of a Wonder Soul being alive, not a lot would have been changed without the Teachers' leadership.

Kyungsoo can't help but remember the burning bitterness of fear bubbling at the back of his throat when he had to watch the soldiers under his command rip an infant baby with no powers out of their mother's arms back on the Dearther's dock.

The people on the surface of the earth are all innocent humans who could have provided so much for the empire's society, but were shunned away out of fear and false necessity.

Chanyeol's demeanor had changed into a brighter one when he turned to smile gently in the direction of the couple sitting against the nearby circular wall.

"And because our lives are short, we're always encouraged to experience more, feel more, love more... And... Create more life."

He said, and Kyungsoo too, turned to look at the way the male of the two was the large belly of the pregnant lady that leaned against him.

"We believe that bringing life into the world is the greatest gift that we are able to create with the gem. And when a pair are expecting, it's common that they would come down here and spend time with the gem. That way the child will be born with a connection to it as well."

Kyungsoo kept staring at the couple, they looked to be around the same age as Chanyeol. Maybe a little more or a little less.

"We just have to be careful. Wonder Souls are not allowed to touch the gem. The Teachers say that if we touch it, all of our life force and power will get back into it." Chanyeol said with a concerned expression while looking at Kyungsoo.

He really doesn't know that Kyungsoo has no powers... But it still feels nice for Kyungsoo. To be worried about. Cared for like that. Chanyeol's trying to keep him safe, and he appreciates it even if it doesn't apply directly to him.

"I won't touch it" 

Kyungsoo ressured Chanyeol who kept glaring down at him, patiently waiting for some sort of understanding reaction. He received a small smile as a reply. Approval, probably.

It's so twisted that a Wonder Soul has to teach a Lightless with no powers, who came to invade this island and destroy it, not to touch the gem for his safety. Kyungsoo will never be able to grasp just how accepting and kind Chanyeol is.

He could only assume just how much more humane all of the fire islanders are. From the very beginning, all he could see was kindness and warmth in their hearts.

The exact opposite of the empire's cold and hostile attitude even towards their very own people.

Chanyeol still was an exception though. He made Kyungsoo feel different than the rest.

"Chanyeol, how old are you?" He didn't quite know where he got the courage to ask such a question from, but speaking of all this life and death cycle near the gem made him feel uneasy about the whole situation.

"Twenty four. I still have six more years around. and you?"

Chanyeol replied with a smile, and although he looked satisfied and almost proud, Kyungsoo didn't find it to be even a little bit comforting.

"I'm twenty three." He said quietly, and as expected, received quite an enthusiastic reaction from Chanyeol. About how they have so much time to still spend together.

But it's not true. They don't have a lot of time to spend together at all.

Life is so precious. Six years isn't enough... Ten, twenty, thirty years aren't enough. It's just so little time.

Kyungsoo felt his blood curdling and his bones stiffen from the sudden overwhelming frustration that took over him out of the blue... Or well, red. He doesn't know why it makes him so upset. Why he gets so anxious whenever he remembers the lives of everyone he knows will end before his... It terrifies him.

And even if there is nothing to do to change that fact... Nobody's taught how to deal with it in the empire. It's just a natural part of life for Carriers and Wonder Souls. Kyungsoo hates it.

"Can we go back?"

Kyungsoo asked with a sigh and began fidgeting in his sitting spot. Shifting, moving and changing his pose in discomfort. Chanyeol seemed a little surprised, but quickly agreed. The two greeted the couple goodbye and began their way up.

Kyungsoo felt increasingly stressed the longer their journal took. His heart sped up, his breathing was heavier than normal, he felt his hands shake whenever he tried to hold onto the wall to support his climb up.

After the reddened stairs they crossed the libaray, then up some more darker, scarier stairs, and finally, back to the cool temperature of the room carved into the mountain base in which Kyungsoo could hear the water dripping again.

Stepping out back into the sun nearly blinded him, but he felt like if he spent another second inside he would lose his mind.

He stood there, feet in the sand, sun on his face, and cool breeze ng his body and brushing his hair.

There's... So little time left.

Chanyeol clearly noticed the near-panic state Kyungsoo had experienced, and instead of bombering him with worried energetic questions, quietly guided him towards the well. He silently filled a bucket and brought it to the surface, resting it on the ledge of the well and holding it balanced for Kyungsoo to use.

Immediately Kyungsoo splashed the cool water against his own face, then rubbed all over it gently. Exhaling in a rhythm and cooling down after the climb.

When he opened his eyes he stared down at his own reflection in the bucket. The sun hidden right behind his head in the reflection made him look like a dark glowing blob.

"Thank you."

He mumbled quietly, noticing how his heartbeat is finally slowing down again, and hoping Chanyeol would understand it was meant for him.

"Let's go and rest by the fields. We still need to fill your basket up, remember?"

Chanyeol asked with a gentle smile, inserting his hand into the water. Then in cautious slow movements, ran his wet hand over the side of Kyungsoo's head. Allowing the drops to seep into the hair and slide down to the neck.

Despite how warm Chanyeol's hand was, the cool water streaming down like that felt very soothing, and Kyungsoo turned to face Chanyeol, who did the same thing except on Kyungsoo's other side of the head as well.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah." Kyungsoo heard that his own voice returned to normal as well.

"Good."

Chanyeol grabbed the bucket in both his arms and raised it up in the air, surprising Kyungsoo by allowing all of the bucket's content to pour down right over Chanyeol's entire body.

He huffed out a few times with squinted eyes, but when he finally made eye contact with Kyungsoo again, little droplets hanging from his eyelashes, he grinned wide and playful while dropping the empty bucket aside.

"What are you so shocked about, I was hot." He laughed out loud, ruffling his now damp hair into a mess with his hand.

Kyungsoo forgot all about being stressed, scared, or worried. All he had now was soaking Chanyeol's happy laughter and beautiful smile. He had to hold himself back from audibly replying 'you sure still are'. 

They made it to the fields, picked a few oranges to fill Kyungsoo's little basket, and made it straight for dinner from there.

As opposed to Kyungsoo's previous distressed state, he felt relieved and calm after the delicious collective dinner with the rest of the village and his friends.

When the dinner was done, Chanyeol and him stood like always outside to bid their goodnights for that day. And just like yesterday... The day before... And through the whole week, it looked like Chanyeol really, really wanted to say something to him.

He stood there and kept rubbing the back of his head as his eyes kept rounding the entire vicinity of their spot restlessly. Kyungsoo wasn't sure if it's the dim lighting coming from the little flames placed around the village, but he thought he noticed Chanyeol's ears going a little redder.

"Hey, Kyungsoo, uhm. I know that you sleep in the ship every night, and now you have the basket and all... But... I was wondering if---"

"Kyungsoo."

Sehun's voice came from the exit of the dining room. Both Chanyeol and him turned to look in his direction, and saw Junmyeon standing beside him with a palm on his forehead.

"Sehun--- Not while they're talking... Come on..." He mumbled lightly, but then sighed and stepped forward to stand beside them.

"I'm sorry for the interruption, Chanyeol." He pressed his hands together, smiling up at him apologetically.

"Oh, it's fine. I better be going anyway. I'll see you tomorrow, Kyungsoo. Good night!" Chanyeol waved goodbye to the trio and joined the flow of people who are also leaving the dining room towards the bedded housing.

Kyungsoo felt a little bad that Chanyeol missed another opportunity to tell him what he wanted so badly for so many days. But he knew Junmyeon wouldn't force himself into a situation just for fun.

Looking at Junmyeon now, he could see a very worried and stern expression on his face. After inhaling and gulping a few times, Sehun began his back. A heavier sigh than expected left Junmyeon's lips.

He then made straight eye contact with Kyungsoo, serious and intense.

"We need to talk."