As Jongin treads through the Lonely Grove, he tells himself that the place really is abnormally quiet.

It had been Kyungsoo’s turn to scout a couple days ago, and when the other had returned, he had immediately reported that the grove was different. The Lonely Grove had always been rather muted for a forest, with only the occasional chirping of birds and the faintest trickle of running water, but even then, there was always the subtle presence of life as creatures dart from tree to tree, ducking under the foliage to peer out nervously at any people making their way through the forest. However, Kyungsoo had told Minseok that everything had gone silent.

Minseok, being the eldest of the three, had calmly ordered Jongin to make several transportation and defense talismans in preparation for a recon mission into the Lonely Grove. Alarmed, Jongin had asked whether he should expect friend or foe.

“I don’t know,” Minseok had cryptically replied before sending Jongin on his way.

Even as Jongin steps over a protruding tree root, Minseok’s response echoes in his head and unsettles him. He wishes that transportation talismans weren’t his forte so that either Minseok or Kyungsoo would have come along with him as back-up. He wishes the other four were still around instead of scattered across the world, searching for a fellow god called Junmyeon, who has apparently been missing for the last ten years. He wishes that he could still remember things beyond the past ten years so he could still use his power instead of relying on a stack of talismans that he could lose at any moment.

Jongin flinches when the sensory talisman in his hand suddenly starts to glow and emit heat. The light and the warmth are feeble, telling Jongin that the aura of another presence is nearby. Close enough to be within twenty-five meters but not so close that Jongin will be able to see who it is.

Using the talisman to guide him, Jongin sneaks through the Lonely Grove, careful not to let his feet drag on the ground. He steps lightly, exhaling through his mouth as he follows the path that the talisman illuminates for him.

Just as he steps up to a towering oak, the talisman flashes brightly. Heat sears his hand, making him gasp and let go as the flimsy paper bursts into flames. Orange tendrils coil and in midair before it shrinks and snuffs itself out, not even leaving a speck of ash behind, and all Jongin can do is stare in shock. He had never seen a talisman react that way to an aura before, and it only makes him more anxious.

However, as Jongin circles the area and scans his surroundings, he doesn’t see anyone around. The only movement comes from the waving of the branches as a light breeze slips through the treetops. Jongin entertains the idea that maybe it’s Baekhyun exerting power over light to hide from sight, but the talisman wouldn’t have lit itself on fire if it was Baekhyun. The presence the talisman had sensed isn’t anyone that Jongin has met before.

He had just finished his third round around the oak tree when Jongin finally realized where the aura is coming from. He casts one final glance at his surroundings before dropping to his knees, brushing fallen leaves and branches aside as he searches for any sign of a disturbance in the earth.

It doesn’t take him long before he finds something strange, not in the ground but at the bottom of the tree. There, painted lightly over the bark, is an unfamiliar sigil. The sigil as a whole had never appeared in any of the old books that Minseok had given him to study, but he recognizes small subsections of it. Three crosses at the top and a weeping eye…this is an illusory sigil!

Jongin pats at the tree, but the rough bark feels very real beneath his fingers. He tries swiping a thumb across the sigil. The material doesn’t smear, but to Jongin’s surprise, the sigil begins to glow. He quickly retreats a few paces, putting a good distance between himself and the tree, and reaches for a transportation talisman, ready to escape if the situation turns dangerous.

Then, to his astonishment, the tree uproots itself from the earth, twisting and curling in on itself as it shrivels and withers into nothing. Jongin waits a few moments before edging forward until he is close enough to see what the tree had been hiding.

A path gapes at him from the spot, leading so deep underground that Jongin cannot see any farther than a few paces down the stone steps. He leans over the opening, hesitating about whether he should go in or not. He cannot detect any rancid smells coming from the hole, so he hopes that, at the very least, there is nothing dead down there.

Making up his mind, Jongin reaches into his pouch and pulls out a fire-class attack talisman. He holds it between his forefinger and middle finger, letting the paper light up before heading down into the darkness. Even with the fire flickering in his hands, Jongin proceeds with caution. The sensory talisman had most likely sensed the being who made this tunnel, and Jongin still doesn’t know if they are hostile or friendly. He keeps one hand curled around a transport talisman, ready to activate it at the first sign of danger.

The attack talisman illuminates something in Jongin’s peripheral vision, and he jumps, whirling around to face the object. Another sigil stares back at him from the tunnel’s stone wall, and Jongin breathes a sigh of relief as he steps closer to examine it.

Unlike with the illusory sigil, Jongin can’t deduce the purpose of this one at all. The subsections he recognizes are the sunflower, a mark of longevity incorporated into sigils to extend their functionality for up to fifteen years, and the feather, a basic element used to symbolize wind. The third subsection, however, is completely new to him, and after a few moments of contemplation, Jongin can only shrug and move on. He sees more of the unknown sigil as he continues further through the tunnel and rubs his finger over one of them, wrinkling his nose when it leaves a dark smudge on his skin.

Finally, the tunnel opens up into a spacious cavern, and the first thing Jongin sees is the splash of pink in the center of the cavern. Then, he sees the giant sigil sprawling across the cavern floor.

This one is nothing like the sigils that adorn the tunnel walls. A great, majestic bird sits in the center with wings spread wide. Wreaths of flames surround it in a circle, and lines of chains lay over them as though to prevent the bird and the flames from leaping from the ground. Jongin doesn’t know what the bird or the flames mean, but the significance of the chains is something that Minseok had hammered into his head since day one of studying sigils.

This sigil is meant to seal, and judging by the size of it, it is sealing something powerful.

Then, Jongin sees the man.

The man kneels on the stone floor with his head bowed and doesn’t move as Jongin silently approaches. The splash of pink that Jongin had seen earlier turns out to be the man’s hair, a shocking color against the stark black clothes that cover the prisoner’s body. A chain as black as ink is wrapped around the man’s torso and arms, and the two ends stretch out to the walls of the cavern, where the metal isn’t nailed into the stone and instead morphs into the gray rock. However, the thing that catches Jongin’s attention is the black sword impaling the floor through the man’s chest.

For some reason, the sight sends a wave of sadness through Jongin, which he attributes to his soft-hearted nature. Baekhyun had always for being able to sympathize with almost anything.

Having seen enough, Jongin pulls out a communication talisman and activates it, trying to establish a connection with the talisman that he had left with Minseok. The other man answers the signal almost immediately, and the talisman glows as it hovers in the air next to Jongin.

“Is everything okay, Jongin-ah?” Minseok’s slightly distorted voice comes through the talisman.

“I’m fine, hyung,” Jongin answers as he walks around the cavern. “I found something though. There’s someone sealed in an underground cave here.”

There is a pause before Minseok responds. “What do they look like? Do you recognize the seal?”

Jongin glances at the unmoving figure. “It’s a man with pink hair. Dressed in black. The sigil for the seal has some sort of bird surrounded by flames with chains crossing over them, and the seal itself consists of a black chain and sword.”

He turns away to look at the walls again and misses the twitch of the man’s finger.

“The walls also have sigils on them, and it looks like it’s the same sigil painted over and over. I recognize the sunflower and the feather subsections, but there’s a third subsection that I don’t remember studying.”

“Okay,” Minseok says. “The man. Is he awake?”

“No,” Jongin replies as he looks at the man. “He hasn’t moved at all since I came in.”

“Okay,” Minseok repeats. “Wait there. Try not to touch anything. Back-up is on the way.”

The connection breaks and the talisman crumbles away, leaving Jongin in the silence of the cavern. Jongin stares at the emptiness of the air in confusion. “He didn’t even ask for my location,” he mumbles before he returns to examining the surroundings.

It’s strange. The more he looks at the rocks, the sigils, and the man, the more familiar the place feels. Jongin begins to suspect that maybe he has been here before, at least ten years ago.

An orange light suddenly comes from behind him, chasing away the lingering darkness as though someone had summoned a miniature sun in the cave. One hand pulling out a transport talisman, Jongin whirls around to see the man staring right back at him. His body and the sword are alight with flames, and the chain around his body rattles and shakes as the man’s aura, once so feeble that it could only be detected with a sensory talisman, suddenly grows exponentially.

Jongin activates the transport talisman at the same time the chains shatter, and the premature unraveling of the seal sends an explosion of power through the cavern. The roof crumbles and chunks of rock and earth rain down while a wall of flames rushes towards Jongin. He feels the searing heat on his face and hands before the talisman warps him out of the collapsing cave and back to the surface, where he stumbles back against a tree as he watches the ground fall away.

He doesn’t have any time to rest, however, because something leaps from the hole and lunges at him. He sees the fire burning in the man’s eyes as he ducks out of the way and reaches for another transport talisman, but he isn’t fast enough. A strong hand seizes his wrist before he can grab a talisman, and a heavy weight knocks him flat on his back, pinning him to the ground. As Jongin lies there, gasping for breath, he feels the man’s other hand wrap around his neck.

Jongin freezes, immediately ceasing any struggling that he might have considered. He stares up at the man with wide eyes, praying that whoever Minseok sent as reinforcement would arrive soon and hoping that the man wouldn’t kill him before then.

The man, however, doesn’t try to strangle Jongin or break Jongin’s neck. Instead, he stares down at Jongin, expression morphing from anger to hurt, and finally, to something that looks like resignation. The flames dancing across his body flickers and snuffs out, and when the man exhales, a stream of smoke trails out from the corner of his mouth and vanishes.

Then, Jongin’s anxiety spikes as the man lets go of his neck and reaches out as though to caress his cheek. A shaky sigh escapes from the man as his fingers hover over Jongin’s skin, not yet touching but still too close for comfort.

“Ten years ago,” the man whispers, “I promised myself that I would kill you for sealing me away.”

The man’s voice is deep but weak, a product of years of disuse. Even though they lack venom, the man’s words do not fail to send panic and confusion flowing through Jongin’s veins, but before he can utter more than a feeble whimper, a new, familiar voice comes from the trees and replaces his panic with relief.

“Get off him, Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol jerks his hand away from Jongin’s face as though Minseok had doused him in ice water to rouse him from a deep daydream. The raw vulnerability on his face disappears and a mask of indifference takes its place as he gets off Jongin and turns to look at Minseok.

“Minseok-hyung.”

Minseok observes Chanyeol with narrowed eyes. “So? How are you feeling?”

“Like a plank of wood,” Chanyeol answers. “My muscles are stiff from being sealed for ten years.”

Minseok nods slowly. “And the curse? You still wanna burn everything you see?”

Chanyeol lowers his gaze, looking chastened. “No, hyung.”

With that, the wariness lining Minseok’s face disappears and he strides forward to grab Chanyeol in a tight hug. The latter doesn’t hesitate to return the gesture, dwarfing Minseok with his taller form. Jongin can only stare at the sudden turn of events as he sits up as quietly as he can, afraid of bringing Chanyeol’s attention back to him.

Then, Minseok steps out of the hug and pats Chanyeol on the arm. “I’m gonna have to let you head back home first. I have some things to talk about with Jonginnie.”

Jongin tenses when Chanyeol glances at him, but the other doesn’t say anything to him. Instead, he nods and asks Minseok, “Which way is home?”

“Straight northwest.” Minseok points back the way he came.

A few tendrils of fire extend from Chanyeol’s body, and then, the man is moving away, body morphing into flames and back again as he travels silently across the forest floor. Soon, the orange light from his fire vanishes completely in the trees.

The moment he can’t see Chanyeol anymore, Jongin jumps to his feet. “Hyung!” he exclaims in a whisper, “His name is on my list!”

Before losing his memories, Jongin had scribbled down eight names on a list of people he could trust. Chanyeol’s name is on the list, but in small letters underneath, the past Jongin had written ‘conditionally.’

Minseok smiles wryly at him. “I know.”

Jongin’s stomach churns and he swallows. “He said he wanted to kill me.”

Minseok sighs and pats Jongin’s head. “Ten years ago, he might have wanted to, but if he still wanted to kill you now, then he would have done it even with me here.”

Jongin stares at Minseok in betrayal. “Are you saying you would have let him kill me?”

“No.” Minseok shoves at Jongin’s shoulder. “I’m saying that I’m at a tactical disadvantage against him, and he would have killed us both!”

Jongin doesn’t understand. “But you and the others told me that he is one of us.”

“And he is,” Minseok soothes. “But things happened ten years ago, and somebody cursed Chanyeol and made him go berserk. Therefore, we had to seal him away, and the cursed Chanyeol hated us for it. But now, the curse has worn off and he’s back in his right mind again.” He pulls on Jongin’s hand as he talks and begins guiding them home. “Chanyeol doesn’t always think before he speaks, but I can promise that he won’t try to kill you, even if he says he wanted to ten years ago.”

Minseok isn’t one to make promises lightly, so Jongin trusts him on that and relaxes a tiny bit. “It seems like he had something against me in particular though,” he points out. “You said that we sealed him away, but he didn’t say anything about wanting to kill you for it.”

One corner of Minseok’s mouth twitches. “Well, you two used to be especially close, so I would expect him to feel more betrayed by you than by me.”

“Close?” Jongin repeats. “How close?”

Minseok’s mouth twitches again, and Jongin realizes that Minseok is trying to hold back a smile. “Very close.”

Jongin tries to wheedle more information out of Minseok, but unfortunately, the latter refuses to speak any more on the topic. In the end, all Jongin can do is sulk and pout as they step out of the woods and catch sight of Minseok’s house.

“I wonder if Kyungsoo is getting along with Chanyeol,” Minseok mutters as they walk up to the door.

Jongin hopes Kyungsoo is okay. He can’t hear anything from outside, and there aren’t any scorch marks or other signs of fighting around, so he hopes that everything is going well.

Minseok slides open the door and they head inside. The inside of the house is as silent as the outside, and then Jongin hears it. The faintest clack of a teacup on wood. When he and Minseok round the corner, they find Kyungsoo and Chanyeol sitting at the table with cups of hot tea and staring each other down.

“Ah, so you’ve met each other,” Minseok says as he plops himself down at the table as well. Jongin shuffles in behind him, eyeing Chanyeol as he sits across from Minseok and picks up the teapot, pouring some of the hot drink for Minseok and himself.

“We have,” Kyungsoo confirms. “I have his name on my list of people to trust.”

Like Jongin, Kyungsoo doesn’t have memories of anything that happened more than ten years ago.

Jongin can feel Chanyeol’s gaze on him, so he takes a sip of his tea to distract himself.

“In that case,” Minseok says, “I think we can go ahead and fill Chanyeol in on everything that has happened while he was sleeping underground.”

“Have you found Junmyeon-hyung yet?” Chanyeol asks.

While Chanyeol is occupied with questioning Minseok, Jongin takes the chance to sneak a glance at him over the rim of his cup, examining Chanyeol’s features as though he would regain his memories if he stared long enough. He notices that Chanyeol’s ears stick out a lot.

“Unfortunately, no,” Minseok replies. “The other four are currently out and gathering information on possible locations of Junmyeon’s whereabouts. They are due back any day now though, so hopefully, they’ll bring good news.”

“Okay,” Chanyeol says, and then suddenly, he’s looking at Jongin again.

Caught red-handed, Jongin flinches, spilling a few drops of tea onto the table. His neck burns from embarrassment as he stands from the table and hurries to the kitchen with the excuse of starting the fire so Kyungsoo could cook lunch.

As Jongin picks up a piece of wood, he hears a chair scrape in the main room. His stomach jumps at the thought of Chanyeol coming into the kitchen to talk to him, so he quickly busies himself with stacking wood in the stove. The footsteps stop just behind him.

“Jongin,” Kyungsoo says. “Are you okay?”

Jongin stops, dropping the wood back on the pile and turns to Kyungsoo for comfort. Kyungsoo lets him cling, patting his back a couple times as he continues, “You were acting really weird around Chanyeol. Not uncomfortable, exactly, but definitely not how you usually act.”

“I…” Jongin trails off, trying to convey his feelings into words. “I just don’t really know how to act around him. I was there when he first woke up, and it was weird because he knew me but I didn’t know him. Then, he told me that he had promised himself ten years ago that he would kill me for sealing him away, but Minseok-hyung said he was cursed ten years ago and that he wouldn’t actually want to kill me now. Then, Minseok-hyung also said that Chanyeol and I used to be very close, but he won’t tell me anything else.”

The best thing about venting to Kyungsoo is that Kyungsoo never interrupts or reacts until afterward. Jongin had felt Kyungsoo’s hand pause when he mentioned Chanyeol wanting to kill him, but other than that, Kyungsoo had been impassive. Now that Jongin is done talking, Kyungsoo speaks up.

“You said Chanyeol wanted to kill you?”

Jongin hurries to clarify. “He wanted to when I sealed him away ten years ago, but he doesn’t anymore. He only immobilized me after he woke up and didn’t actually do anything to hurt me.”

Kyungsoo hums at that. “I would trust Minseok-hyung’s judgment. He remembers everything that happened more than ten years ago, and I’m sure he knows Chanyeol better than either of us do. He wouldn’t allow Chanyeol to stay if he thought it would be dangerous for you.”

Kyungsoo is right, which is why Jongin doesn’t argue. He straightens up and goes to light the stove. “I don’t know how to approach Chanyeol though. He’s so…intense.”

“Is he?” Kyungsoo sounds amused. “I didn’t think he was, but just act like you always act. I’m sure you two will warm up to each other soon.”

Jongin tries, but he is naturally timid around people he doesn’t know. One moment, he can convince himself that he’ll be able to look Chanyeol in the eye and say something with the confidence that he carries when talking to Minseok or Kyungsoo, but then Chanyeol will meet his gaze and Jongin will scurry off to his room like a spooked cat. Sometimes, it’s the opposite, and Jongin will try to say hello but ends up being a tad too enthusiastic about it, and a startled Chanyeol will stare at him with wide eyes as he awkwardly replies.

Therefore, when the others finally return a few days later, Jongin can’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. The sound of heavy footsteps and loud voices wake Jongin from his morning nap, and for a moment, he’s scared, thinking that someone has intruded in their home, but then he hears Baekhyun yelling and Jongdae laughing and realizes that everyone is home.

He stumbles into the main room, rubbing sleep from his eyes, and Baekhyun is immediately crowding up to him, smile bright and eyes laughing as he ruffles Jongin’s hair and coos over him.

“Okay, everyone, settle down!” Minseok calls over the noise as he and Jongdae exchange one-armed hugs. “Sehun-ah, pour some tea for everyone.”

Sehun whines about how weary he is from traveling, so in the end, Jongin is the one to make sure everyone gets a drink. As he passes out steaming cups of tea, the room gradually falls silent as everyone sips at their drink.

“Let’s not drag this out,” Minseok says once everyone has lowered their cups. “Is there any sign of where Junmyeon might be?”

“We don’t know for certain where he is, but we know that he’s definitely not in the hands of the White Lotus,” Yixing says. “Baekhyun disguised himself as a White Lotus sympathizer and asked around, and he heard that while the Lotus did go after Junmyeon, they failed to capture him.”

Minseok hums. “So Junmyeon is most likely hiding somewhere right now,” he deduces.

“We thought so, too,” Yixing agrees as he pulls out a sheet of paper from the folds of his robes. “So the four of us split up to search for places where Junmyeon might be hiding. Places with water that have changed in the past ten years.”

“How many places are there?” Minseok asks, moving over so he can look at the paper.

“There are five places total,” Yixing elaborates. “The Gotoge Spring has dried up recently even though there has been no change in rainfall in the area. The Sylven River started flowing uphill about two years ago. Water levels in the Winstrom Pool rose several feet about five or six years ago, and both the Catyx and Rugor Rivers have changed course completely.”

“I see,” Minseok murmurs. “We can split into pairs, and one pair can investigate two places.”

“Hyung, I have a theory,” Baekhyun suddenly says. “The Gotoge Spring probably dried up because of the anomaly with the Sylven River. While the river isn’t the only source of water for the spring, it’s the major one, so when the Sylven River started flowing uphill, the spring lost a huge portion of its water but not all, which would be why it took a while to dry up.”

Minseok nods in acknowledgment. “You have a point. In that case, one pair can investigate both the Gotoge Spring and the Sylven River. Baekhyun, you’re going. Pick someone to go with you.”

“I’ll go with him,” Kyungsoo volunteers. Baekhyun smiles widely, obviously pleased with the arrangement.

“The Catyx River is farthest from here, so Jongin…ah, wait. Jongin, have you remembered how to teleport?” Minseok asks.

Jongin scratches the back of his head. “I…no.”

“Okay, in that case, Jongdae and I will go to the Catyx River,” Minseok amends. “Yixing and Sehun will go to the Rugor River, and that leaves Jongin and Chanyeol with the Winstrom Pool. Is everyone satisfied with their assignment?”

As the others voice their agreements, Jongin sneaks a glance at Chanyeol only to find that the other is already looking at him. They flinch when they catch each other and quickly look away. Jongin’s neck is burning again.

They spend the rest of the day lounging about and packing, and Jongin spends a couple hours holed up in his room as he carefully crafts transportation talismans for the others. Even though the talismans can only transport someone to a spot with a fifty-meter radius, they are still better than nothing. He makes five for each person and passes them out as everyone is preparing to go to sleep. He stops by Chanyeol’s room last and takes a deep breath before knocking on the wooden frame.

He hears shuffling, and then the door slides open. Chanyeol stands there with an expression of surprise that quickly morphs into curiosity. “Jongin? Do you need something?”

“I…” Jongin stutters, playing with the talismans in his hand to ease his anxiety. “I made some transportation talismans for you. In case of emergencies.” He s out the stack of paper and hopes that Chanyeol doesn’t catch his hand trembling.

Slowly, Chanyeol reaches out and takes the talismans, rubbing his thumb over one of them. “Thank you,” he rumbles. Then, he’s looking at Jongin again with an intensity that matches that of the fire he wields, and this time, Jongin can’t look away.

Finally, Chanyeol breaks eye contact with what looks like tremendous effort and clears his throat. “Don’t forget to pack extra cloaks,” he says. “It gets very windy out at Winstrom, and you hate the cold.”

Jongin doesn’t recall telling Chanyeol about his aversion to cold weather, but he figures that Chanyeol probably found out a long, long time ago, and Jongin doesn’t want to admit that Chanyeol remembering such a trivial fact makes him feel warm inside. Instead, he promises that he will make sure to bring an extra cloak, bids Chanyeol good night, and hurries back to his room.

As he lies in bed and tries to sleep, he sees a sheet of paper slip in through his window. He snatches it up and unfolds it to see a winking face drawn with Sehun’s messy scrawl underneath.

Not a bad start at flirting, but you can do better. Let me know if you need any tips!

Jongin doesn’t hesitate to crumple the paper into a ball and toss it into the wastebasket. “Shut up, Sehun,” he grumbles. Outside, the wind whistles in laughter.

The eight of them set off the next morning after breakfast, and Jongin pointedly avoids looking at Sehun as they wish each other luck in their search for Junmyeon.

“Make sure to eat the food I packed before—Baekhyun, I swear—before it spoils,” Kyungsoo reminds them, looking like he regrets partnering up with Baekhyun as the latter incessantly pokes and prods at him with an impish grin.

They say their final goodbyes, and then all is silent as Jongin and Chanyeol begin their trek north towards the Winstrom Pool.

Perhaps their brief talk last night had broken some invisible barrier between them, but Jongin doesn’t feel that awkward around Chanyeol anymore. In fact, he feels brave enough to try and strike up a conversation with Chanyeol as they hike along a dusty road.

“Minseok-hyung told me that people hate us now,” he starts, gaze flicking between the road and Chanyeol’s face.

Chanyeol, however, only looks at Jongin. “Yes,” he says, “because of the White Lotus.”

Jongin chews on his bottom lip. “Should we avoid going into towns then? What if somebody recognizes us?”

Chanyeol hums, eyebrows furrowing in thought. “I don’t know if that will be necessary. I never really came to the north anyway, so I doubt anyone would recognize me.”

“What about me?” Jongin asks, attention now fully focused on Chanyeol. “Did I come to the north often?”

One corner of Chanyeol’s mouth curls up into a half-smile. “No,” he replies. “You liked to follow me around in the south.” This time, he looks at Jongin with hope and expectation in his eyes.

“Oh.” Considering that Jongin hates the cold, he doesn’t really find it surprising. “So neither of us really came up north. In that case, I guess it wouldn’t be too dangerous for us to go into towns.”

“There is one city though,” Chanyeol says. “They will recognize us if we go in there, but we can’t take a detour because it will take too long. We’ll have to cover our faces before we go in.”

“How come they would recognize us?” Jongin asks. “Didn’t you say that we never really went up north?”

Chanyeol winced. “Yeah, but that place sells the best chicken. No matter where we were, you would always teleport us there to eat chicken at least once a day. We became famous in that town because you would always take us there for chicken.”

A burst of disbelieving laughter escapes Jongin, not because he thinks Chanyeol is lying but because he can actually see himself doing something like that.

“I can’t believe you let me drag you along with me for chicken,” Jongin snorts.

“Of course I would,” Chanyeol says as though the mere idea of letting Jongin eat chicken alone had never struck him before. “Why would I not?”

Jongin doesn’t know how to respond to that. He has not yet figured out what his relationship with Chanyeol was like before he lost his memories and is still too shy to ask Chanyeol directly, but he is willing to hazard a guess that they were at least close friends based on how the cursed Chanyeol had hated him to the point of wanting to kill him when Jongin sealed him away and how Chanyeol would happily let Jongin drag him to eat chicken anytime the latter wanted.

He decides to try and pry a little more information out of Chanyeol. “If I wanted to go eat chicken now, would you come with me?”

Chanyeol looks at him in confusion and then glances at the sky. “It’s not even noon yet. Are you hungry already?” he asks. “Also, shouldn’t we eat the food that Kyungsoo packed for us first?”

Jongin holds back a sigh. “I was just joking around. Never mind.”

He has plenty of time to try and figure out what his past relationship with Chanyeol was like. If he is a little bold about it, maybe he can even gather enough hints before they even reach the Winstrom Pool. It will be his traveling goal alongside remembering how to teleport.

“Have I ever talked to you about how I teleport?” he asks Chanyeol.

“You have,” Chanyeol responds. “I asked you once out of curiosity, and you said it was like making a vacuum and stepping inside to have the vacuum spit you out somewhere else.”

That doesn’t sound very pleasant.

“Did I happen to mention how I made a vacuum?”

“Um,” Chanyeol’s brow furrows as he tries to remember. “Something about picturing your destination in your head, and then you couldn’t figure out how to explain it from there. Whenever you took me teleporting, I always feel like something is pulling me in your direction while wringing me out like a wet towel. I, uh, never got used to that part.” He winces. “You threw up the first time you teleported, too.”

Lovely. Jongin can only hope that he won’t vomit this time when he relearns teleportation.

“Are you trying to remember how to teleport?” Chanyeol asks.

“Yeah. I think it would make it easier to look for Junmyeon-hyung if I can teleport.”

Chanyeol smiles. “Good luck. If you learned how to teleport once, then you can learn it again.”

As they make their way to the city, Jongin focuses on what Chanyeol told him. He pictures the area he wants to teleport to, somewhere not too far away to be safe, and tries to conjure up the sensation of creating a vacuum. Chanyeol is silent next to him, only pulling Jongin out of his state of concentration to hand him some of the dried strips of meat that Kyungsoo had packed.

By the time they reach Whitehallow City, Jongin is still unable to make a vacuum, but he stops practicing to tie a piece of cloth over the lower half of his face and pull his hood over his head. Beside him, Chanyeol does the same. Before they walk through the city gates, Chanyeol leans down and whispers, “If anyone asks, you and I are siblings and inherited weak lungs from our mother. The cloth is to protect us from dust and stuff that can send us into a coughing fit.”

Jongin nods, and the two of them head for the gate. Jongin isn’t surprised when the guards stop them and question them.

“Where are you two headed?”

The cloth muffles Chanyeol’s voice, but even then, it is deep enough to still be audible. “Just passing through. We’re on our way to the Winstrom Pool.”

The guard who had asked the question grunted, “Winstrom, huh. I heard that the water in the pool’s gone strange. Would you happen to be planning to investigate that?”

“In fact, we are. Have there been other people who plan to investigate that, too?”

“A couple of those White Lotus fellows passed through here early this morning. Said that the thing with Winstrom might be due to that water god who disappeared ten years ago. They’re hoping to catch him and make a public display of him, if you know what I mean.”

Jongin’s stomach drops.

The second guard snorts, “I don’t know why they bother with that. They’re spending so much effort on something that doesn’t even matter. All we need to do is stop worshipping those so-called gods. What does the Lotus gain by hunting them down and torturing them?”

“They probably want to prove that those gods are nothing but immortal humans with powers,” the first guard argues. “I heard that there are still some people who worship the gods, so the Lotus wants to get their hands on a god and show them that there’s really nothing worth worshipping.” He suddenly seems to remember that Chanyeol and Jongin are still there and quickly adds, “You two can go in. Just don’t cause any trouble or you might find yourself sitting behind bars.”

Chanyeol thanks him, and he and Jongin pass through the gate and mingle into the crowd of people wandering the streets.

“Hyung,” Jongin whispers. “We need to move faster. We can’t let the Lotus get to Junmyeon-hyung first!”

Chanyeol nods and grabs Jongin’s hand. Since both are taller than average, it is easy for them to part the crowd as they hurry through the streets. Chanyeol leads the way with confident strides until they round a corner and his long steps slow to a stop.

Jongin follows Chanyeol’s gaze and sees that the other is staring at the tavern at the end of the street. “Hyung, what’s wrong?” he asks.

Chanyeol doesn’t answer as he walks closer to the tavern and stops a group of young women. “Excuse me, ma’am. Has that tavern always been there?” he inquires.

One of the girls answers while the rest chitter behind her over Chanyeol’s voice. “No, sir. There used to be a shrine there, but the city’s citizens burned it down and built the tavern in its place.”

“Ah.” Chanyeol’s response is short. “I see. Thank you, miss.” He turns back to Jongin. “Let’s go.”

This time, Chanyeol’s eyebrows are furrowed in anger, not in concentration, as he continues to lead Jongin through the streets and out of the city. When they’re no longer in Whitehallow City, Chanyeol veers off the path, dragging Jongin into the thick forestry on the side of the road. Jongin doesn’t dare say anything the entire way, even when he begins to feel Chanyeol’s hand becoming hot.

Finally, when they’re out of sight from any travelers who might be using the path, Chanyeol lets go of Jongin and starts to rant.

“I can’t believe they—how could they—those backstabbers!” Chanyeol roars.

Jongin flinches at the sudden shout but edges a little closer. “Chanyeol-hyung, what’s—why are you so upset?”

He can’t see Chanyeol’s face, but he definitely doesn’t miss the way Chanyeol’s shoulders shudder and shake and how Chanyeol’s voice is thick when he replies, “They burned down your shrine.”

Slowly, Jongin reaches out and touches Chanyeol’s shoulder, coaxing him to turn around. Chanyeol does so with his head bowed, but Jongin can still see the wet trails running down his cheeks.

“I helped them build that shrine for you,” Chanyeol cries as he wipes his face. “We were so proud of it, and I can’t believe they just—”

The tears overwhelm him at that point, and the remaining words get lodged in his throat. Jongin watches him for a moment before opening his arms uncertainly. Chanyeol doesn’t hesitate to accept the hug, and Jongin awkwardly pats him on the back, letting the other cry into his shoulder. He isn’t upset about the shrine since he didn’t even know that he had a shrine until Chanyeol talked about it just now, but he realizes that his shrine had held sentimental reasons for Chanyeol, who still remembers everything. Therefore, the loss of the shrine hurts for Chanyeol far more than it does for Jongin.

“Hyung, it’s okay,” Jongin soothes. “I can’t remember the shrine anyway, and we can always build another one that’s bigger and better. Just the two of us, okay?”

Chanyeol doesn’t say anything, but his sniffles quieten somewhat so Jongin takes it as a win. He continues to hug Chanyeol until the latter pulls away and mumbles about needing to hurry north to find Junmyeon.

They return to the path and continue following it towards the Winstrom Pool. Chanyeol is quieter now, and Jongin knows that he’s still grieving over the loss of Jongin’s shrine. He considers trying to cheer Chanyeol up, but at the same time, he doesn’t want to force cheeriness onto Chanyeol when the other is trying to deal with loss, so he walks silently next to Chanyeol and resumes his teleportation practice.

He practices for about an hour before Chanyeol suddenly stops in the middle of the road and stares at Jongin in shock.

“Did you feel that?” he asks.

“Huh?” Jongin says dumbly.

“There was a pull on my arm…did I imagine it? No, I didn’t. I didn’t imagine it. Were you trying to teleport just now?” The words fly out of Chanyeol’s mouth in a barrage, and Jongin blinks a few times before they finally register.

“Yeah, I was. You felt something?” Excitement starts to churn inside Jongin at the prospect of a successful teleportation.

“I did! It was the beginnings of a vacuum. There’s no way I wouldn’t recognize it!” Chanyeol seems to have forgotten about the shrine in favor of celebrating Jongin’s progress. “At this rate, you’ll probably be able to teleport by the time we reach Winstrom!”

Heartened, Jongin continues to practice as they walk to Winstrom. Chanyeol continues to encourage him the entire way and makes sure that Jongin rests every few hours to eat and drink something. They’re two-thirds of the way to Winstrom City when Jongin almost succeeds, managing to put one foot in the vacuum before it dissipates. Chanyeol, however, is still ecstatic with the achievement, so much so that he runs at Jongin with arms wide open, picks the other up, and spins around on the spot, yelling Jongin’s name the entire time.

Equally thrilled, Jongin clings to Chanyeol and laughs as his feet dangle in the air. The exhilaration leaves him on a high even after Chanyeol sets him back down, and it’s only until they reach the gates of Winstrom City that the embarrassment finally begins to catch up, turning the back of Jongin’s neck a bright red.

He tries to distract himself by pulling out the extra cloak he packed and draping it around his shoulders. The wind had picked up a while back, and the single cloak is nowhere near enough to protect Jongin from the cold gale. Unfortunately, the second cloak doesn’t do much to help either even as Jongin pulls the cloaks tighter around him as he shivers.

“I told you to pack extra cloaks,” Chanyeol’s disapproving voice comes from behind him. Something heavy drops onto Jongin’s shoulders, and he turns to see Chanyeol wrapping two cloaks on him.

“I didn’t know it was going to be this cold,” Jongin whines. The cloaks that Chanyeol gave him are heavier than the ones he brought, and Jongin feels like he’s trying to carry a buck across his shoulders. “Are you not cold?”

The wind whips Chanyeol’s hair back and forth as he steps in front of Jongin to help him tie the cloaks properly. “Fire won’t let me get cold,” he calls over the howling of the wind.

Jongin knows. He had felt Chanyeol’s warmth back when they hugged outside Whitehallow City and again when Chanyeol had hugged him in celebration. Both times, Jongin had found an unknown familiarity in Chanyeol’s arms, and even now, he craves that comfort, and he’s sure it’s not just because his fingers, face, and feet are still freezing.

“Come on,” Chanyeol urges as he wraps an arm around Jongin’s shoulders. “The sooner we get to Winstrom City, the sooner we can get something hot to eat. We already finished all of Kyungsoo’s rations.”

Jongin tries not to press too much into Chanyeol’s side, but he doesn’t succeed because he can feel Chanyeol’s arm tighten around his waist.

High walls surround Winstrom City, so the cold abates a little as they step through the gates. The weather is calm enough for Jongin to lower the hoods of Chanyeol’s cloaks as they wander around and search for food. They find a place that sells freshly-brewed soup, and Jongin almost trips on the hem of his cloaks in his rush to get inside.

Jongin exhales audibly when his lamb and ginseng soup finally arrives. He doesn’t drink it right away, intent on taking full advantage of the hot bowl to warm up his fingertips first. Once he deems his hands warm enough, he picks up his spoon and starts eating. The lamb is delicious and flavorful on Jongin’s tongue, and after days of eating dried food, the soup is one of the best things he’s ever eaten. Across the table, Chanyeol gulps down soup by the mouthful.

However, the full feeling in Jongin’s stomach vanishes when he looks up from his bowl to see a pair of men at a nearby table squinting at them and talking to each other in low voices. As he watches them a while longer, he realizes that they’re observing Chanyeol in particular.

“Hyung,” Jongin mutters.

Chanyeol pauses in his chewing. “Hm?”

“We need to go. I think someone recognizes you.” Jongin keeps his head bowed, pretending to stir at his soup as he tells Chanyeol about the men.

To his credit, Chanyeol doesn’t turn around and immediately give them away. However, his gaze darkens. “Do they look like they’re about to come over here?”

Jongin glances at the men from underneath his eyelashes. “No,” he says. “They’re just talking to each other and staring.”

“Okay. Finish your food, and then let’s go.”

Jongin chugs the rest of his soup, trying to hurry up without seeming panicked. The moment he sets his bowl down, Chanyeol is pulling him out of his seat and leading him out the door, tossing a few coins to the shopkeeper as they leave.

As they step onto the street, Jongin sees the men follow them out and tells Chanyeol.

“Damn,” Chanyeol swears under his breath as they weave from street to street. “The White Lotus must have distributed drawings of us or something. I can’t believe I didn’t consider that.”

Jongin cautions a glance behind them, and sure enough, the men are still hot on their trail and it doesn’t look like they plan to give up anytime soon.

Then, an idea strikes Jongin. Winstrom is a place that looks down on any kind of weakness. If they can take advantage of that fact, then perhaps they can deter the men from following them any further. Moving closer to Chanyeol, Jongin leans in to whisper his plan to Chanyeol. The latter smirks and nods, and then they go back to acting natural.

A few paces farther down the road, Chanyeol stops. Jongin stops with him and plasters on a confused expression. “Hyung?”

Chanyeol doesn’t answer him as he doubles over and clutches at his head. His fingers grip at his hair, and his breathing comes out in labored puffs of white. He even goes so far as to growl a little under his breath.

Behind them, the men have stopped in their tracks, but the act isn’t over yet.

“Make it stop,” Chanyeol groans, shaking his head vigorously. “Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop!”

Even to Jongin, Chanyeol’s acting seems real. The citizens, who know nothing, have already begun to flee, not wanting any form of association with the perceived madman. In his peripheral vision, Jongin can see the two men backing away.

“Hyung, what’s wrong?” Jongin plays along. “Make what stop?”

At that, Chanyeol thrashes, writhing this way and that on the street before tearing down the road with a wail. Jongin pursues him, acting like a concerned younger brother as he calls out for Chanyeol to stop. They run through the streets, dodging other people, and as the city gates come into view, Jongin glances behind him. The men are nowhere in sight.

Jongin and Chanyeol don’t drop the act until after they’ve passed through the gate, and after that, the manic yelling and worried shouting turns into choked laughter and gasps as they struggle to catch their breaths. Chanyeol dives behind some shrubs before collapsing to the ground, rolling onto his back as his mouth gapes in silent guffaws. Jongin drops next to him, flapping his hands as high-pitched snickers escape him.

They linger in their humor for what feels like ages, and it isn’t until they finally begin to calm down that Jongin comments, “Hyung, I didn’t know that you could act so well. Did you practice a lot?”

Chanyeol’s laughter wanes until all that remains is a small smile. “Not exactly,” he says. “I just thought of the time I was cursed and remembered all that pent-up emotion I had and used the opportunity to channel it all out.”

Their previous mirth is completely gone now, leaving them on the ground as they wait for the euphoria to pass. Chanyeol’s explanation takes Jongin back to the day they met, and Jongin remembers how the anger in Chanyeol’s gaze had faded to resignation. The things Minseok told him return to the forefront of his mind as well, nagging Jongin to confront something that he had been procrastinating on in the past few days.

Jongin thinks he has a good idea of what his previous relationship with Chanyeol was. The Chanyeol who had cried over Jongin’s lost shrine, the Chanyeol who had encouraged Jongin’s efforts to teleport, and the Chanyeol who made sure to pack cloaks for Jongin all showed just how important Jongin is to Chanyeol. At first, Jongin had been uncertain, not knowing if he used to regard Chanyeol with the same level of attention and care. However, as he watches Chanyeol breathe and thinks about how he seems to subconsciously welcome any attention and contact from Chanyeol, he thinks that it’s not impossible that he treasures Chanyeol just as much.

Unfortunately, Jongin is not bold enough to confirm his suspicion with Chanyeol directly, so he takes a roundabout way instead.

“I’ve been thinking,” he begins, “about what our relationship used to be like, and I think I have an idea.”

He glances at Chanyeol, and his nerves heighten when he sees the intensity of the other’s gaze.

Chanyeol’s throat bobs as he swallows. “And what do you think that is?” he inquires.

The tension between the two of them is so thick that Jongin almost regrets bringing the topic up, but he knows that there’s no going back and that it would be better to sort it out sooner rather than later. Therefore, he presses on.

“Close friends.”

Chanyeol’s reaction, the way his expression shuts down and bitter disappointment overtakes his features, confirms Jongin’s suspicion. He shifts closer before Chanyeol can say anything and hesitantly reaches out to cup Chanyeol’s cheek. His hand is shaking, and when he speaks, Jongin’s voice is shaking, too.

“At least, that’s what I thought at first, but now, I’m suspecting that we were more than that.”

He’s hovering over Chanyeol now, but the latter makes no effort to move away. Instead, he watches as Jongin leans closer with wide eyes as though he can’t believe what he’s seeing.

When they’re a mere few inches apart, Jongin pauses. His nerves are screaming at him as he whispers, “If my assumption is wrong, then tell me now so I can stop.”

Chanyeol’s gaze flicks to Jongin’s mouth, and his nostrils flare as he in a deep breath and his lips. His face is impassive as he responds, “I think you should kiss me and find out.”

Jongin swallows down his nerves and closes the distance.

Chanyeol’s lips are soft and slightly chapped against his. They meld together almost seamlessly, and Jongin surprises himself when he automatically knows how to move his lips against Chanyeol’s, especially since he expected himself to completely follow Chanyeol’s lead. On the contrary, there doesn’t seem to be a lead between them since both of them seem to know how the other will move and has no trouble matching his pace.

The gentle yet uncertain kiss lasts a moment longer, and then Chanyeol raises a hand to caress Jongin’s cheek, running his thumb along Jongin’s jawline and throat. Desperation bleeds into the kiss, prominent but not overbearing, like Chanyeol is trying to fill a hole that has been gaping in his chest for ten years. Jongin only fumbles slightly before he catches up, meeting Chanyeol’s desperation with his own as he becomes aware of his own void.

When they finally part, they do so with a faint pop. Both are panting as they struggle to catch their breaths in the afterglow of each other.

There is longing and tentative hope in Chanyeol’s expression as he his thumb over Jongin’s bottom lip. “I’ve been trying to control myself since the day the seal broke,” he rasps. “I didn’t know if you would still want me, considering how we parted.”

Jongin swallows and clears his throat. “I do,” he responds. “I do not remember how we parted, but I am still willing to continue where we left off. Before you were cursed.”

Chanyeol’s breath shudders. “You want to continue, even though you do not remember anything earlier than ten years ago?”

“I am willing to try,” Jongin insists, “even if I have to learn about you a second time.” He pauses and then sits up in a hurry. “But after we get Junmyeon-hyung back.”

Chanyeol gets up, too. He no longer tries to hide the affection in his eyes as he gazes at Jongin. “After Junmyeon-hyung,” he agrees.

The path slowly wanes away as they travel farther. The earth beneath them starts to slope upwards as they climb up the rocky side of the small mountain. The wind gets harsher as they rise in altitude, but the exercise helps keep some of the cold at bay.

When they finally reach the edge of the Winstrom Pool, Chanyeol ducks behind the rocks immediately, pulling Jongin with him. When they don’t hear any shouting, they cautiously peek around the edges of the boulder at the White Lotus members on the other side of the pool.

Jongin tries to listen in on what the Lotus members are saying, but they are too far away and most of their words are muffled. Instead, he turns his attention to the water. He can sliver of it from where he is, and it looks normal to him, still and clear like the surface of a mirror.

Chanyeol’s breath is suddenly hot on his ear. “Did you bring a sensory talisman?”

Jongin nods and pulls one out from his pouch. Chanyeol nods once, and Jongin activates it.

The talisman begins to emit a faint blue glow, and despite having no contact with water, the paper becomes soaked through within seconds and droops over in Jongin’s hand. Since he doesn’t know what Junmyeon’s aura is like, Jongin looks to Chanyeol for confirmation and knows that they’ve found Junmyeon judging by the relieved expression on Chanyeol’s face.

“Okay,” Chanyeol murmurs. “Junmyeon-hyung must be in the water then. Unfortunately, we can’t afford to try and wait for the Lotus to leave because I’m sure they’ll have their own method of detecting a god. We’ll need to get into the water and get out before they notice us.”

“We’ll have to use transportation talismans,” Jongin says. “I still haven’t successfully teleported yet.”

“That should still work,” Chanyeol reassures. “Just make sure you have one ready to go as soon as we grab Junmyeon-hyung.”

Jongin nods and reaches back to fish a transportation talisman out of his pouch but freezes when someone behind them yells, “Hey!”

Eyes wide in horror, Jongin and Chanyeol spin around to see another group of White Lotus members gawking at them. One of them points at Chanyeol and shouts, “You! We thought you died ten years ago!”

There is a commotion at the other side of the pool now as the other White Lotus group is drawn to the chaos. Chanyeol swears and dives to the side. “Jongin, get in the water!”

Jongin sees energy coiling in one of the Lotus’ hands and scrambles aside with a yelp. He hears the boulder crack behind him and a stinging pain shoots through his waist, telling him that he wasn’t fast enough to avoid the attack. Ignoring the wetness trailing down his side, he ducks under the assaults coming from the Lotus members on the other side of the pool and jumps into the water without a second thought.

The shocking cold of the water makes him gasp as he is submerged, and he chokes on the water entering his lungs. He instinctively thrashes about, struggling to claw his way to the surface, but something grabs his leg and drags him deeper. He sinks slowly, and then he’s falling. Water runs out of his mouth and nostrils as he coughs and gasps, in as much air as his lungs can carry only for the breath to be knocked out of him when his back hits something hard.

Jongin lies there for a while longer, rolling onto his side as he expels the water from his lungs. When he feels like he can finally breathe properly, he pushes himself to his hands and knees, blinks water out of his eyes, and looks around.

It looks like a dank cave, but Jongin knows that it actually isn’t. Familiar sigils cover the walls, and Jongin notes the recognizable sunflower and feather subsections, yet he still doesn’t know the purpose of the sigil since the third subsection is still unknown to him. His gaze follows the trail of sigils upward, and that’s when he notices the roof.

The roof is water. As he watches the faint ripples disturb the surface of the clear, blue liquid, Jongin realizes that he’s staring at the bottom of the Winstrom Pool. The water in the pool had risen to make room for an underwater cavern at the bottom!

Chanyeol groans and Jongin turns to see him sit up, rubbing the back of his head. Pain shoots through Jongin’s waist at the movement, and he winces, placing a hand over his injury.

“Are you okay?” Chanyeol asks. “Did one of them get you?”

“It’s just a scratch, I think,” Jongin says hesitantly, even though it hurts worse than a scratch would. “I lost my pouch though. All of my talismans were in there.”

“Don’t worry about that. I still have the ones you gave me,” Chanyeol says as he circles around Jongin. “Let me see your wound.”

Jongin uncovers the cut, letting Chanyeol examine it. He feels Chanyeol place a warm hand over the injury and realizes just how cold he is. The water of the Winstrom Pool is icy and still clings to Jongin’s clothes and skin, and a violent shiver shakes Jongin. The tremors do not escape Chanyeol’s notice.

“Your injury is more than just a scratch, but it’s not life-threatening.” Chanyeol pulls away and climbs to his feet. “Let’s get Junmyeon-hyung and get out of here.”

Before he even finishes speaking, Jongin hears a loud clatter and sees the arrow roll across the floor. Another arrow follows, then another, piercing the water to embed itself in the ground and walls alike. They fly randomly, although one comes dangerously close to hitting Jongin’s thigh. Ignoring the pain that flares in his waist, Jongin forces himself to his feet and hurries to the body lying supine in the center of the cavern with Chanyeol.

“Junmyeon-hyung!” Chanyeol roars, shaking the unconscious man. “Wake up, hyung! We need you!”

Despite the rough movement and yelling, Junmyeon doesn’t respond, lying there with a face so serene that Jongin fears that he is dead. An arrow flies past Jongin’s ear, and he flinches, gazing up at the water as his heart pounds. Is it just him, or is the ceiling lower than before?

He watches the water, and to his horror, he realizes that the Winstrom Pool is slowly sinking. In a matter of minutes, he, Chanyeol, and Junmyeon will be submerged in the water again.

“Hyung!” Jongin shouts, pointing up. “The water!”

Chanyeol glances up and swears, pulling his transportation talismans from the depths of his cloak. Four of the talismans are torn, so he throws those away and keeps the last one. “Forget it, we’ll get Junmyeon-hyung out of here and then wake him up!”

One moment, Chanyeol is activating the talisman, and the next, there is an arrow sticking out from his hand. Blood blossoms from the wound as Chanyeol drops the talisman with a yell. Jongin snatches up the talisman, but the object is already useless. A splotch of blood stares up at him from the paper, ruining the ink pattern that Jongin had drawn.

“Jongin, you need to teleport!” Chanyeol shouts as he breaks off the head of the arrow and pulls it out of his hand.

Jongin knows it’s up to him now, but he still hasn’t managed to teleport successfully yet, and the sudden pressure that the situation puts on him makes him falter. However, as an arrow pierces his shoulder and sends a stabbing pain through his body, he knows that he needs to at least try.

He grabs Chanyeol’s and Junmyeon’s hands and focuses as hard as he can. He pictures their home in the forest in the south and can feel the vacuum begin to open. It tugs at his center, trying to drag him into the void and spit him out where he wants. It opens wider and wider, extending its pull to his entire body.

Then, it begins to shrink, and panic sets in as Jongin realizes that he’s going to fail again, only this time, Junmyeon and Chanyeol are depending on him.

Sensing Jongin’s fear, Chanyeol squeezes his hand. “Stay calm, Jongin!” he says. “It will get spooked and close if you let emotion overwhelm you! Stay calm and coax it back open!”

Jongin shudders, willing his heart to calm down. Ever so slowly, the vacuum begins to expand until it engulfs Jongin’s body once more. Since Jongin can’t keep himself completely calm, the edges of the vacuum continue to waver like ocean waves lapping at the edge of a beach. However, the vacuum feels stable enough, so Jongin takes a deep breath and steps through.

It’s just as Chanyeol had said. The sensation of teleporting isn’t pleasant at all. The vacuum twists and pulls at his body, stretching it until Jongin feels like his bones are going to break. His innards churn unpleasantly at the distortion, and it’s so violent that Jongin almost forgets to think of his destination.

Then, as suddenly as it begins, it’s over. The cold bitterness of Winstrom is replaced with the warmth of the south. Birds chirp from the trees surrounding them, and Jongin feels soft grass instead of hard stone beneath his feet. Chanyeol is on his left, a warm constant by his side. Junmyeon, still unconscious, slumps to the ground on his right.

Then, Jongin’s stomach lurches, and he falls to his knees and vomits.

Several hours later, Minseok is bandaging his injured shoulder and chuckling as Jongin sullenly recounts the tale to him. “Well, it’s a small price to pay for fast travel,” he jokes as he ties the ends of the cloth. “I’m glad that you and Chanyeol made it back with Junmyeon in one piece. You did well.”

Jongin smiles a little at the praise, but it quickly turns into a scowl when Minseok slaps his wound and stands up. “Alright, Jongin-ah, you’re all set. I’ll check on Chanyeol’s hand, and then you two are free to talk about whatever you guys need to talk about.”

The back of Jongin’s neck burns. “You didn’t tell me that…that…!”

Minseok raises an eyebrow. “Yes?” he prompts, voice heavy with amusement.

Jongin sputters a little more before he eventually says, “Never mind!” and hurries out of the room. He doesn’t need to look behind him to know that Minseok is laughing at him.

He catches sight of Jongdae, Baekhyun, and Sehun hovering outside Yixing’s room, peering inside through a crack in the door. Baekhyun notices him and beckons him over, putting a finger to his lips. Curious, Jongin silently walks over and peers inside.

Junmyeon is lying on Yixing’s bed, still looking like a fresh corpse. Meanwhile, Yixing is sitting at his head with his hands resting on Junmyeon’s temple. A faint green glow illuminates them, which Jongin recognizes to be Yixing’s healing power at work.

“Is Junmyeon-hyung still not waking up?” Jongin murmurs so he doesn’t disturb Yixing. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Yixing-hyung suspects that Junmyeon-hyung put himself in a deep sleep in order to protect our whereabouts from the White Lotus,” Jongdae whispers. “This way, the White Lotus would have to work really hard if they wanted to penetrate Junmyeon-hyung’s mind to extract information about us.”

“It’s just a matter of Yixing-hyung convincing Junmyeon-hyung that it’s safe to wake up,” Baekhyun adds. “He asked for silence to concentrate, so we’re just waiting out here until he says that we can go in.”

Jongin nods and hovers there for a little while longer until he hears footsteps coming down the hall towards them and looks up to see Kyungsoo.

“Jongin,” the other man greets. “I’m heating up some water for you to bathe in right now. I’ll bring it to your room once it’s ready.”

“Okay,” Jongin responds. “I think I’ll probably fall asleep before then though.”

“That’s fine,” Kyungsoo says. “I’ll wash you then.”

At that, Baekhyun whips his head around and stares at Kyungsoo with a betrayed look. “How come you volunteer yourself to help Jongin take a bath?” he complains. “You never volunteer to take a bath with me whenever I say I’m going to bathe.”

Kyungsoo freezes and stares back with wide eyes. “You never asked,” he responds. “I didn’t know you wanted me to take a bath with you.”

Baekhyun continues to stare, refusing to let Kyungsoo off the hook. “So if I asked you to take a bath with me, would you say yes?”

Jongdae groans and moves away, grumbling under his breath. Likewise, Sehun turns up his nose at Baekhyun and shuffles backward. “That’s some weird flirting you’re doing there, hyung,” he says as his body starts to fade into the air. “I’ll be back when you’re done.”

Jongin coughs and starts to leave as well. “I’ll be in my room,” he tells Kyungsoo, who still looks like a cornered rabbit underneath Baekhyun’s scrutiny. He doesn’t wait around for Kyungsoo’s answer and scurries to his room as fast as he can, throwing himself down on his bed and wincing as the movement jars his shoulder.

He doesn’t remember falling asleep, but he awakens to the sound of Chanyeol’s deep voice rumbling in his ear.

“Jongin-ah, it’s time to get up,” Chanyeol whispers. “Kyungsoo made breakfast, and you still need to take a proper bath.”

Jongin tries to burrow deeper in his covers. “Kyungsoo-hyung said he’d wash me if I fell asleep,” he mumbles.

“And he did, but he couldn’t wash your hair,” Chanyeol counters. “Your hair is still dirty and it’s getting grime on your pillow. Minseok-hyung also wants to change the dressing for your wound.”

Finally, Jongin cracks open one eye and peers blearily up at Chanyeol, who beams down at him with bedraggled hair, looking like he had just rolled out of bed himself.

“Okay,” Jongin yawns. “I’m getting up.”

His shoulder aches as he pushes himself into a sitting position, but Chanyeol looks pleased as he ruffles Jongin’s hair. “Everyone else is already getting ready to eat,” he says. “I’ll save some chicken for you.”

Upon hearing the word ‘chicken,’ Jongin finds himself wide awake. He leaps out of bed, fixes his clothes so that they cover his chest and legs, and hurries out of his room after Chanyeol.

The delicious smell of roasted meat gets stronger as Jongin enters the main room. The other six are already sitting at the table, and as Jongin and Chanyeol walk in, Sehun immediately reaches for the rice. “Finally!”

Since the youngest is already starting to eat, everyone else begins reaching for various foods, heaping thanks and praises on Kyungsoo. Jongin sits down and goes for the chicken, scooping a generous amount onto his plate before passing it to someone else. Once the clinking of plates and cups die down, Baekhyun pauses in his loud chewing to ask, “Yixing-hyung, is Junmyeon-hyung going to wake up soon?”

Everyone looks at Yixing, who smiles and says, “Junmyeon has been very receptive to my coaxing, so I think he’ll be waking up as early as this evening.”

Someone – probably Jongdae – lets out a loud whoop, and Minseok says, “Our Yixing really is the best. And congratulations to Jonginnie for remembering how to teleport.”

“Oh, good!” Sehun says around a mouthful of tofu. “No more transportation talismans! I hated carrying those things.”

Everyone chuckles at that while Jongin retorts, “I’m not teleporting unless I absolutely have to! The feeling . I threw up when I teleported yesterday!”

Baekhyun’s high-pitched laughter cuts through the noise and he quickly covers his mouth as though embarrassed, but it doesn’t stop everyone else from poking fun at him a little.

The chaos at the table eventually dies down as people finish eating and head off to do their own thing. Jongin heats up some water for a proper bath, and he’s in the middle of scrubbing at his hair when Chanyeol peeks in.

“Oh, here you are,” he smiles. “I’ve been looking for you.”

“For me?” Jongin asks. “How come?”

Chanyeol’s expression is serious as he sits down next to the tub. “To continue from where our conversation left off outside of Winstrom City. I can wait until you’re done with your bath though.”

“No, I’m free to talk now,” Jongin says.

“Okay. Do you want me to wash your back?”

“That would be nice,” Jongin agrees as he hands Chanyeol the sponge and leans forward a little. “So where should we start?”

Chanyeol swipes the sponge across Jongin’s back, careful to avoid the scabbed wound. “About our relationship…I don’t expect you to jump back in right away if you want to jump back in at all. I know that activating the Crown Phoenix Seal requires that you sacrifice all memories except for that of your first name, so I am practically a stranger to you now.”

“Crown Phoenix Seal?” Jongin repeats. “Is that the seal that I saw when I first found you in the underground cave?”

“Yes,” Chanyeol confirms. “It’s one of the most powerful seals we have, and you and Kyungsoo activated it to seal me away when I went mad.”

Jongin contemplates his choices. “Was, uh, was Kyungsoo-hyung with anyone before he lost his memories?”

“He and Baekhyun were together,” Chanyeol replies with some amusement. “That’s why Baekhyun was a little jealous last night when Kyungsoo offered to wash you.”

Jongin laughs as he remembers Baekhyun’s look of utter betrayal. “You found out about that?”

“Sehun told me,” Chanyeol says. He’s now carding his fingers through Jongin’s hair. “From what I heard, I think Baekhyun is planning on courting Kyungsoo all over again. I bet it’s gonna end with Kyungsoo getting frustrated enough to say yes.”

“Is that how they ended up together before?” Jongin snickers.

“Last time, it was Kyungsoo courting Baekhyun and getting frustrated when Baekhyun wasn’t getting the hint.” Chanyeol is playing with Jongin’s hair now, molding the wet strands into different shapes. “Is that something you would be interested in? Me courting you again?”

Jongin considers it. He knows that despite his lack of memories, a part of him still retains the feelings of comfort and familiarity of being with Chanyeol, so he doesn’t think that the other is lying. On top of that, he had seen how Chanyeol had cried for him upon finding out that the citizens of Whitehallow had burned down Jongin’s shrine and how Chanyeol knew to pack extra cloaks for him. It’s nice in a way, warming Jongin without smothering him.

“I wouldn’t be opposed to that,” Jongin says slowly. “But would you be okay?”

Chanyeol pauses. “What do you mean?”

“I can’t remember anything about what our relationship was like before,” Jongin points out. “What if you make a reference to something from the past, but I can’t understand because I can’t remember it?”

“Then I will be happy to explain it to you,” Chanyeol says. “After all, it’s not like you threw away your memories for some arbitrary reason, so I have nothing to be upset with you about.”

That reassures Jongin somewhat, so he turns around to face Chanyeol, leaning on the edge of the tub as he says, “As long as it’s okay with you, then I’m willing to try.”

“Same,” Chanyeol grins. “Shall we try then?”

Jongin nods, and it’s as though an unseen weight slides off his shoulders, letting him breathe a little easier. Chanyeol, on the other hand, slumps against the side of the tub with an audible sigh.

“Can I just say how happy I am that you’re willing to try this again?” Chanyeol says as he smiles toothily at Jongin. “I was a little worried that you’d say no.”

“Oh, really?” Jongin replies. “What would you have done if I said no?”

“I don’t know. Probably cry a little, but I’d accept it.”

Suddenly, the heavy thuds of footsteps begin to reverberate throughout the house. Jongin and Chanyeol sit up in alarm, and for a brief moment, Jongin is scared that the White Lotus had somehow found the place, but then he hears Baekhyun and Jongdae yelling at the top of their lungs.

“Junmyeon-hyung woke up!” Baekhyun screeches. “Minseok-hyung, stop cleaning the kitchen! Junmyeon-hyung woke up! Oh, hey, Kyungsoo—ow! Ow! Okay, I’ll stop yelling! Just let go of my ear!”

“Get your lazy bum up, Oh Sehun!” Jongdae crows. “Weren’t you talking about how you’d be the first one to greet Junmyeon-hyung so that you can prove that you love him the most?”

“Let’s go visit Junmyeon-hyung,” Chanyeol suggests, pushing himself to his feet as the noise gradually dies down. “Before Jongdae or Baekhyun comes here and yells at us.”

It doesn’t take long for Jongin to dry off, put on his robes, and follow Chanyeol to Yixing’s room, where everyone else is already gathered around the bed. Junmyeon is sitting up and smiling as he looks around the room at everyone else, and Chanyeol doesn’t hesitate to join the group around Junmyeon’s bedside. Jongin, however, hangs back to stand next to Kyungsoo.

“I don’t remember him, so I feel awkward at the thought of going up there,” Kyungsoo explains half-heartedly as he tugs at the ends of his sleeves.

“Me, too,” Jongin admits. “A little.”

However, Junmyeon looks kind as the other five bury him in hugs and kisses. He smiles and laughs at their antics even though Sehun is lying across his legs and someone else’s elbow is digging into his ribs. Minseok had once told Jongin that Junmyeon is their beloved leader, and as he watches the scene before him, Jongin finds that he’s inclined to believe it.

Now, Minseok catches his eye and beckons to him and Kyungsoo. “You two, come here.”

Hesitantly, Jongin and Kyungsoo peel themselves off the wall and shuffle closer. Everyone else quiets down and reluctantly moves away from Junmyeon, who looks up at Jongin and Kyungsoo with an expectant gaze.

“Junmyeon-ah, sometime after you disappeared, Jongin and Kyungsoo had to activate the Crown Phoenix Seal,” Minseok explains. “Therefore, they don’t remember you. Kyungsoo-yah. Jongin-ah. This is your Junmyeon-hyung.”

“Hello,” Kyungsoo says quietly. Jongin echoes the greeting, fidgeting a little where he stands.

“Jonginnie. Kyungsoo-yah,” Junmyeon returns warmly. Their aloof demeanor doesn’t perturb him at all, and he talks to them as though they hadn’t lost their memories at all. “I trust that everyone else looked after you while you oriented yourselves.”

“They did,” Kyungsoo replies. “We were mostly with Minseok-hyung because everyone else went out to look for you.”

Junmyeon looks pleased at the idea that everyone had cared enough to search for him, and then his expression morphs into one of concern. “Minseok said you had to use the Crown Phoenix Seal. What happened while I was gone?”

Yixing and Minseok begin to explain, and occasionally, one of the others will chime in with a few extra details. Chanyeol briefly looks uncomfortable when the topic of him going berserk comes up, but Junmyeon runs a soothing thumb over the back of his hand, silently saying that everything’s okay.

“We didn’t want to retaliate against the White Lotus before,” Baekhyun says once the explanation is finished. “but now that you’re back, we can start planning our counterattack.”

“No,” Junmyeon replies at once, sounding so sure of himself that the others balk. “We will not be fighting them. They have become too influential and destroying them now will only make people hate us more.”

There is silence as the other eight exchange glances, and then Kyungsoo suggests, “We do not have to fight back with violence. We can just prove their claims wrong.”

“No, the White Lotus’ influence has become too strong,” Baekhyun murmurs as he taps one finger on the bed frame. “They have already established a reputation as highly respected members of society mostly through brainwashing and manipulation. At this point, it will be difficult to even convince people to give us a chance.”

“Another thing to consider is that even if we do not attack the White Lotus, the White Lotus will still target us,” Jongdae adds. “They cursed Chanyeol to make him seem unhinged and used his rampage to further their agenda. If we don’t strike back, we’re just leaving openings for them to hurt us more than they already have.”

“Then what do we do?” Sehun asks. “Fighting them won’t work, but not fighting them also won’t work. Are we just supposed to hide from them then?”

They consider the option, and then Junmyeon says, “That may be the best course of action. Hide somewhere and sleep until the White Lotus dies out. Then, once this animosity has disappeared, we will return and continue watching over the people.”

“That’ll take years,” Minseok says. “And by years, I mean centuries. Maybe even millenniums.”

“I know,” Junmyeon replies. “But at this rate, it may be the only way to preserve ourselves and our purpose.”

Jongin plays with the frayed end of a thread, considering their options. Around him, the others do the same, fidgeting with bowed heads as they mull over the decision that will likely determine their future.

Finally, Yixing says, “Sleeping is sleeping. I’ve been a bit tired lately, and I think a good rest could help chase it away.”

A few of them chuckle at that, and Minseok says, “If that is what you think is best, Junmyeon, then I will follow you.”

Upon seeing that the two eldest agree with the leader, the rest of the group is quick to voice their opinions. All of them decide that the hiding until the commotion dies down is the safest route, and thus, they begin making plans for that immediately.

“We’ll need someone to wake us up when the time comes,” Minseok murmurs.

“I can,” Baekhyun volunteers. “I can cast an illusion over myself so that people don’t recognize me, so it would be safe for me to travel around to gather news.”

“Are you sure you want to do that?” Yixing asks. “You’ll be by yourself for who knows how long.”

“I can do it,” Baekhyun insists. “It’s not like I’ll have absolutely nobody to talk to.”

Jongin – and everyone else – can see the slight tremor in Baekhyun’s hand as he waves it nonchalantly. He knows that Baekhyun is aware that the loneliness will be nothing to brush aside when he is the only one wandering the land, listening to the White Lotus preach about how the gods are not worth worshipping and seeing people turn their backs on them and destroy the shrines that once meant the world to them. However, Baekhyun is stubborn, and he volunteers himself so that none of the younger gods will be stuck with the task.

With that settled, they begin to move out. They decide to sleep in locations that can hide their presence, someplace cold for Minseok, a wet place for Junmyeon, and so on. Since Jongin is the one who can teleport, he is the one who sends them off and tries his best to hold back tears the entire time.

He takes Minseok and Sehun to a secluded spot just outside of Winstrom. The buffeting gale and biting cold immediately penetrate him to the bone, and he shivers, hunching in on himself as he looks at Minseok and Sehun with sad eyes.

Minseok reaches up and pats his head. “Stay safe, Jongin-ah,” he says, voice nearly lost in the howling of the wind. “When we see each other again, I want to see if your teleportation has improved at all.”

Jongin nods. “Y-Yes, hyung.”

Sehun shifts his weight from one foot to the other. “I’ll see you later,” he says sullenly.

They turn and begin to head up the mountains. Jongin waits until they vanish among the rocks before he returns home.

Junmyeon is waiting for him when he reappears in front of the house. “Let’s go?” he smiles as he stands.

Jongin nods and takes Junmyeon’s elbow. Then, he steps through the vacuum, and the forest vanishes once more.

The sound of waves crashing against rocks greets him as he exits the vacuum, and the salty smell of the sea assaults his nose. He opens his eyes, watching the water rise and fall against the beach.

He wrenches his gaze away when he feels Junmyeon’s hand on his shoulder. “Jonginnie,” the other says. “I’m sorry that we have to part again so soon after meeting each other. I would have liked to stay with everyone and rebuild the bonds I had with you and Kyungsoo.”

Jongin’s eyes are burning, and a part of him silently wails for Junmyeon to stop talking.

“When everyone is together again, I will play my part as the hyung properly,” Junmyeon promises, “Until then, stay safe, okay?”

Jongin nods, sniffling a little as a couple of tears escape his eyes. Junmyeon pulls him into a hug, and even though the man is technically a stranger, Jongin feels secure enough to hug Junmyeon back. They sway for a few seconds, and then Junmyeon lets go with a final pat on Jongin’s back.

“When I come back, I will buy you chicken and tell you some stories. How does that sound?”

Jongin nods again, still crying as he watches Junmyeon walk into the water. He waits until the ocean completely swallows Junmyeon up before he wipes his face and teleports home.

Yixing glances up at him and shakes his head gently when Jongin sticks out his hand. “I won’t be leaving this forest,” he says. “I think the overgrowth can hide any effects of my powers pretty well.”

Baekhyun doesn’t need Jongin to teleport him anywhere, and apparently, neither does Jongdae. “I have a place in mind, but it’s nowhere you’ve been to,” Jongdae explains. “I can run there myself though. I’m the fastest here, after all.”

Jongin looks at Chanyeol next, who tilts his head towards Kyungsoo, silently telling Jongin to see to Kyungsoo first.

Jongin takes Kyungsoo to the nearby mountain range where they used to spar with Minseok. Before Kyungsoo leaves, he turns to Jongin and asks, “Do you think Baekhyun will be okay?”

“He’ll be fine.” Jongin glances at Kyungsoo, but Kyungsoo doesn’t meet his gaze. “Baekhyun-hyung is strong. He won’t let the White Lotus catch him.”

Kyungsoo nods thoughtfully as though trying to reassure himself. He looks at Jongin, and one corner of his mouth quirks up. “See you later, Jonginnie.”

Now, it’s just Jongin and Chanyeol.

“Will you hide with me?” Chanyeol asks as he gets up from his seat. “I know a place that no human will dare go near. It will be safe for us.”

“Where is that?” Jongin inquires as he takes Chanyeol’s hand.

“Mount Zagra. It is an active volcano.”

“Won’t the magma in the volcano cook me alive the moment I step foot in there?”

“It will not dare,” Chanyeol vows. “I will order it to leave you be.”

Jongin smiles. “In that case, I do not see why not. I’ve never been there before though.”

“It’s not a problem,” Chanyeol reassures. “Just take us to Whitehallow City, and we can walk from there.”

Jongin can see the tip of Mount Zagra the moment he and Chanyeol reappear at the outskirts of Whitehallow City. Jongin senses the churning magma beneath his feet as he and Chanyeol climb the side of the volcano, and the air around them gets hotter by the second.

The sight of magma, bright orange and angry, greets them the moment they arrive at the top. It bubbles and gurgles in the pit, and for a moment, Jongin fears that the volcano is going to erupt right then and there when a bubble pops and splashes magma right at them. Then, Chanyeol unleashes a command, and the magma settles down. It still rumbles occasionally, but no more magma comes dangerously close to Jongin’s face.

“It has calmed down,” Chanyeol says. He looks at Jongin. “Ready?”

Jongin swallows, looking down into the burning pit. His instincts scream at him to get away, to flee from the fiery depths before him, and he finds that he cannot move his feet. Chanyeol senses his hesitation and takes both of his hands.

“It will be easier if you go to sleep first,” Chanyeol offers. “You can trust me. I will not let you get hurt.”

Jongin looks up, taking in the earnest expression on Chanyeol’s face. He in a deep breath and nods.

Going to sleep isn’t difficult at all. He slips into a trance-like state similar to the one Junmyeon was in back in Winstrom, resting his body and mind while remaining aware of Chanyeol’s presence. He knows that it’s Chanyeol who is holding him close at the moment and knows that he can trust Chanyeol to take care of him.

Then, Jongin’s world tilts, and they fall into the fire.