"Are you going to explain what just happened back there?!" Lay shouted after his student who seemed quite desperate to leave the building, his eyes still trained onto his wrist where the word lay as if taunting him.

"I don't know what happened back there," Baekhyun rushed to explain, turning his back to face the teacher even though his legs still dragged him towards his locker. Lay watched helplessly as Baekhyun continued to look at his wrist and talk to him while walking backwards, he had to give it to him though the kid has talent. "All I know is that this word wasn't there before, we both watched as it magically appeared on my arm!" 

Lay knew that by attempting to question his student about the ordeal that had just appeared beneath his very nose, he could risk damaging the poor boy further. He already had an idea of what was happening to Baekhyun, but of course it didn't make sense. Vampires were the only species on earth that could find their soulmates through communication, humans (often in many cases) would have gone through their entire life without being able to find their soulmates. But here stood Byun Baekhyun who was nothing more than a human showcasing vampire-type abilities. Lay smiled sadly as he watched his friend attend to his locker, pulling out the books and placing them into his bag his mind almost certainly on auto-pilot. Lay hoped that what he was thinking wasn't what was truly happening, if Baekhyun's soulmate was a vampire then there was no way that the two of them would live together for eternity. 

"Baekhyun!" Lay called rushing up to the boy who seemed surprised to see him panting against the locker beside his. "What do you know about soulmates?" 

"Soulmates?" Baekhyun questioned, his brow raised in curiosity. "It's an overrated thing that fangirls on asianfanfics write that involves their K-pop ships, it's not real." 

"You've never heard of Wattpad?" Lay gasped, watching as his student gave him a death glare. "Anyway, humour me!" 

"Soulmates are a concept that explains that two people were created by God, Gods or the universe to be together,  there are many different ways of finding your soulmates. I read somewhere that some people wake to only be welcomed by black and grey and once they find their soulmate their world changes, sharing kisses is supposed to be magical and I think I read somewhere else that the is supposed to be unreal-" 

"Okay I get it you read a lot!" Lay shrieked covering his ears, unable to hear the end of his student's sentence. "Have you considered that whatever just appeared on your hand is related to that?" 

Baekhyun remained silent for a moment, just staring at his wrist like the answers to all the world's problems was within his touch. "Nope!" he decided with a firm nod of his head. "I'm blaming it on magic!" 

"But-" Lay near shouted, having to run through the hallways to catch up to the surprisingly fast short legged male. "so you believe in magic but not soulmates?" 

"Not really but at least my understanding is better than yours, soulmates aren't a real thing otherwise we wouldn't have such thing as divorce." Baekhyun explained, watching as everyone starting rushing towards their classroom after the announcement bell had rung. "We're in first period together anyway, let's go!" 

"What would you say if I told you that maybe the only way of truly loving someone was if you let them go because something would have hurt them if you didn't?" Lay asked, his words making Baekhyun stop dead in his tracks. 

"You clearly seem to know what your talking about.." the student admitted, his voice small as he glanced up at his teacher through his thick eyelashes. "I've never thought of it that way, but I'll humour you some more," Lay's lips broke out into a small smile. "if soulmates are real and you had to forcefully leave yours in order to protect them then I believe that the two of you will meet again. After all isn't it destiny that claims soulmates are meant to be together forever?" 

"You're a clever kid, did you know that?" 

"Can I get that in writing for when we have another Chinese exam?" 

"Not a chance!" Baekhyun watched as his friend waltzed into the classroom, a broad smile on his face as he greeted the students who were already inside the room. When Lay was gone Baekhyun was left standing in the hallway feeling everyone gaze on him, he felt tiny and like he didn't belong. 

Baekhyun felt his head pound, his heart racing against his ribcage as his feet began taking him away from his class. He couldn't stay in school another minute, not when his eyes locked with Wonho and his gang resting themselves up against the wall next to the water fountain. Baekhyun just closed his eyes, attempting to walk down the other hallway. 

He never reached the door. 

"Chanyeol?!" Suho's broken voice screamed through the entire house, the prince rushing towards the sound. 

Chanyeol found himself in the living room, staring into the broken eyes of his Appa whose eyes were red and glossy. He spread his arms out wide and allowed Suho to fall against his chest, completely heartbroken and tired. The howling that came out of his Appa's lips broke Chanyeol's heart, his own eyes welling up with unshed tears as his grip around his father's waist grew tighter. 

"Are you okay?" he whispered into the black hair that was tickling his chin. 

"Just exhausted," Suho admitted, resting his head against his son's broad chest. "we managed to land a pretty large deal so I was in meetings all day, it took my mind off everything but only for a bit. It was so tiring trying to hold back from crying, anyway enough about that. How are you?" 

Chanyeol's lips slowly curled up in a sad smile, somewhat proud to see his Appa attempt to change topic when it suited him the best. Suho watched as his son's eyes sparkled in mischief, his brows furrowing together in the centre of his forehead as he watched confused as Chanyeol rolled up the left sleeve of his jumper. 

The sight before him was beautiful, spread across his son's arm in blue ink was an interesting drawing of a flower branch. It covered the entirety of Chanyeol's forearm, it's beauty beyond the expectations Suho had for Chanyeol's drawing skills. 

"I didn't do it" The Prince was quick to explain, looking his Appa in the eye before gazing down at the image again. "Jongin, Katherine and I think it's my mate." 

Suho's eyes widened, his head snapping up from gazing down at the drawing. His lips moved to speak but no sound registered, he looked like a gaping fish out of water. "You're meaning to tell me that you and your mate can communicate through the rarest type of art?" 

"I was surprised too but Jongin was there when it started to appear, there is no other possible answer, is there?" 

"No" Suho shrieked, clearly overjoyed that his son had a lead on his soulmate. "No not at all, finally after 118 years of life you'll finally be able to find your special someone! I cannot be any happier for you than I am already!" 

"I've written back to him" Chanyeol explained, gesturing with his free hand towards the black ink by the base of the roots. Suho's eyes traced the word, a small smile on his lips as he spelled out the word, beautiful. "do you think he'll write back?" 

"I'm sure he's very surprised right now" Suho explained, the smile never fading from his lips. "but I'm sure curiosity will get the better of him." 

"So you know it's a he then?" 

"I'd be more surprised if it was a girl darling!" Suho chuckled, watching as his son simply rolled his eyes. 

"You and Katherine are on another wavelength, are you sure that the both of you aren't connected in some way?" 

"Katherine and I have watched over both you and Jongin for more than a hundred years Park Chanyeol, we know you two better than we know ourselves!"

"If you know so much about us then help me find my mate!" Chanyeol pouted, looking to his Appa who simply shook his head teasing him. 

"I don't think I'll have to, look he's doing something else!" Suho gasped, lifting his son's arm from his side and holding it out for the both of them to see. "Oh my, Chanyeol-" 

"There's something wrong.." Chanyeol whispered looking down at the rile words being written into his skin. 

, attention-, , gay , barbie doll, fat . 

The black ink was written all over the beautiful flower, destroying it's innocence and made it appear filthy. Chanyeol watched heartbroken as questions swarmed his mind, knowing that he wouldn't receive any answers since he was still cooped up in his castle where his father wanted him to be. 

Baekhyun lay on the cold ground of his school's hallway, staring up at the ceiling with tears trickling down his cheeks and collecting on the ground beneath him. His ribs and stomach were more than likely bruised and he could feel the pain generating from his ankle making him wonder if he had sprained it. But the sight of the written words sprinkled around his drawing, that was Baekhyun's breaking point. The pain went numb all over his body and his let out a pained screech grabbing the attention of one of the classroom near to him. A student stuck heir head out of the door and glanced both ways down the hallway before his eyes landed on the student laying on the floor clearly in pain, he screamed and urged the teacher to come and take a look. Baekhyun didn't care anymore, he wasn't embarrassed to be see like this anymore. They had finally gotten what they wanted and Baekhyun was willing to do anything to make it stay that way. Teachers filed around him as he slowly rose form the ground, biting back a pained yelp that was wanting to escape his mouth the second he had placed pressure on his ankle.  

"Wait right there Baekhyun, we'll just wait for Mr Jung to carry you to the nurses wing." Mrs Choi told the tear stained student, but Baekhyun ignored her choosing to bend over and pick up his backpack and slung it over his shoulder before limping over to the front door and exiting the building, the shouts of his name going on deaf ears as he hailed down a cab. If soulmates were a thing Baekhyun wished that they would take him away from such a place and into a world where he could be happy, but soulmates were purely fictional. 

Right? 

He was surprised to see the bus he used to get before Lay showed up waiting for him casually at the bus stop just down the street from school, Baekhyun waved his hand to catch the driver's attention and the old man nodded and waited for the injured student to come onboard. 

"Long day?" he asked as Baekhyun busied himself with looking through his bag for his bus-pass. "That ankle looks like it might need medical attention but this bus doesn't go anywhere near any hospitals or clinics." 

"I just want to get home," Baekhyun smiled sadly, pressing his pass against the machine and breathing a sigh of relief when the accepted noise rung throughout the empty bus. "I have some medical supplies at home that I can use to wrap up my injury I'm sure that I'll be fine after some rest." 

"And those bruises around your neck, how are you going to attend to them?" the driver questioned with a raised brow, he had already started up the engine and was beginning to drive out of the bus stop not before warning Baekhyun to hold onto something. "By the look of shock on your face I'm amusing that you didn't know?" 

"Just some people in school.." the student admitted, surprisingly feeling as though he could tell the old man anything. "their leader strangled me against some lockers yesterday and today they were able to have a lot more fun than just that." 

"Some school you attend," the driver scoffed, rolling his eyes as he mumbled under his breath about the 'teenagers of today'. Baekhyun's lips unintentionally formed a small smile as half of the things he heard were what he agreed with. "can't your parents make a complaint?" 

"I don't have any" Baekhyun shrugged his shoulders, the driver sparing him a glass through the rearview mirror "I grew up in an orphanage my entire life, I've only been out on my own for a couple months, I'm eighteen now you see so I'm technically classed as an adult. The sisters I lived with paid for my educated at school but before that I actually studied in the orphanage with many of the other children, I made some friends but many of them got adopted so I wasn't able to keep in contact with them." 

"So you're living alone right now?" The driver gasped, glancing through the mirror whenever he could. "Don't you get lonely?" 

"I've been alone most of my life, I've actually got really into art and I paint a lot of myth and legend paintings so it keeps me busy." 

"Ah a distraction is it?" The driver nodded his head as he turned down the street leading to Baekhyun's apartment complex. "Aren't you worried about your studies?" 

"I've already finished my exams this year-" 

"Applied for any colleges?" 

"No, I need the money I have to last. I've been working various jobs to stay afloat but college would just be too complicated." 

Baekhyun didn't even realise that they had arrived outside his apartment complex until the driver had pressed the button that opened the doors. The boy blinked in surprise for a moment before limping towards the door. 

"Hey kid!" the driver called making the student freeze in his steps. "You'll be fine, I have a feeling your life is going to change really soon!" 

Baekhyun wanted to ask him what he meant but the doors were closed before he had the chance, he stared through the glass at the smiling driver who casually waved at him before pulling off. Baekhyun blew out a breath that he didn't even realise he was holding onto, he the heel of his good foot and faced his building complex. He was just so thankful that the elevator had gotten fixed the previous week otherwise he would have had to climb ten stories to get to his house. 

The building manager was actually sitting behind the desk at the entrance, his eyes widening once he saw Baekhyun entering with a bag over his shoulder and bluish black bruises covering his neck. "Oh gosh Mr Byun, is everything alright?" 

"Just the average student attending high school Mr Lee, nothing to worry about. I'll get myself fixed up right away!" Baekhyun attempted a smile, but the worrying eyes of his building manager had him shallowing the lump in his throat. "I actually got these yesterday, but it appears that I only realised that I had them today. You're actually the second person to have told me about them." 

"Be sure to get some well needed rest Mr Byun." Mr Lee smiled holding the door open for Baekhyun as he limped towards the elevators, using the building manager to lean on when he couldn't stand the pressure on his ankle any further. Baekhyun thanked Mr Lee and used the railing within the elevator to take the pressure off his ankle. "Do you need my help to get you to your home?" 

"No thank you Mr Lee, I'll be fine from here thank you so much" Baekhyun smiled, waving his hand at the building manager as the doors to the elevator closed. 

The moment the doors opened on his floor, Baekhyun really felt his throat open up as his eyes burned with unshed tears. He limped over to his apartment door and managed to get through the doorway without getting himself injured again, he stumbled past the living room and hopped into the kitchen unable to see where he was going due to the unshed tears threatening to spill. 

He pulled open his cupboard and gathered the material he needed in order to treat his injuries, after swallowing the recommended dose of painkillers with a cup of water from his kitchen sink Baekhyun sat himself down on his couch and began dressing his ankle. The pain was unlike anything else he had felt before, his ribs aching as he crossed his legs. 

Breathing multiple sighs of relief Baekhyun uncrossed his legs and propped his ankle up on a pillow on the couch, a small smile creeping across his lips when he realised that the painkillers were fast acting. He the television for a distraction and found himself lost in the world of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Self-promo for my 'Love Shot' book.. fight me), by the time Harry Potter got around to writing in some dead guy's old journal Baekhyun began to wonder if the word that appeared on his wrist was somehow related to what was happening in the movie. 

When Harry wrote into the journal the words he had written vanished and new words appeared, until the young wizard was casually having a conversation with whoever was writing back to him. Baekhyun glanced at his arm in question, none of his drawing had disappeared but that didn't mean that it hadn't appeared anywhere else. Beautiful meant that someone had received it and they hoped he would understand their admiration towards the drawing. The possibilities were endless but Baekhyun refused to sit and allow his mind to wander, instead he selected a pen from the holder on his coffee table and wrote a small remainder to himself on the back of his palm. 

Warn Lay 

Ever so slightly Baekhyun raised himself off the couch and allowed both of his feet to touch the ground, he hissed for a moment before gradually the pain subsided. Thinking it best to shower while he still could, Baekhyun gently walked into his bedroom and began getting ready collecting the materials he needed to ensure a safe shower. A plastic bag and some tape would work as a barrier for the wrapping around his ankle, two towels accompanied him into the bathroom- one for drying his body and hair while the other would make sure his ankle wrap remained dry. A change of clothes was also added to the mix since Baekhyun figured he might not be able to get back into his bedroom if his ankle began hurting after he got out of the shower. 

The warm water was exactly what he needed after the day he had, it soaked into his skin and made him feel like he could wash all his emotions away with the water and soap. He stood under the warm spray with his eyes closed, allowing the music playing from his phone to pull him away from reality and into a world where life didn't matter. Baekhyun didn't see Wonho and his group of cronies, he didn't see himself covered in black and blue bruises, he didn't see himself growing up in an orphanage, Baekhyun saw what he wanted to see. A smiling family who welcomed him with open arms and a promise of keeping him safe and happy. It was a dream that was highly unachievable. He was out of his thoughts when the song on his playlist ended and another began, as he reached for his shampoo Baekhyun stared at his destroyed art piece. The black ink from the Sharpie Wonho used was slowly beginning to fade until the power of the water hose but it wasn't enough for it to be gone completely, with a deep breath Baekhyun grabbed his body sponge lathered it with soap and began scrubbing harshly at his skin. The pain was numb but at least the writing was gone from his skin, as was his drawing. 

The only thing that remained on his arm was the word written in cursive on his wrist. Beautiful. 

Chanyeol had said goodbye to his Appa with the excuse of leaving for the library in order to research more into his mate communication ability, he walked happily down the hallway only for his feet to stop at the sight of his approaching father. 

"Will you do me the decency of actually looking me in the eye when I speak to you?" Kris snarled, his eyes changing into the bright florescent orange that made showed everyone around him his power. When his son refused to give into the request the king pushed him against the wall and slammed his hands on either side of his head. "I gave you an order, I expect you to fulfil it!" 

"Go on," Chanyeol challenged, his eyes darkening as he stood taller his arms resting by his side in a bored position. "take my head off, rip my heart out heck- impale me with a wooden stick I could care less. You'd be doing me a favour by killing me anyway!" 

Kris hesitated, his eyes transforming into their deep brown orbs. Chanyeol didn't waste a moment, finally being able to use every self-defence move he learned in class. With speed backing him Chanyeol hit his hand against the king's neck momentarily cutting off his oxygen supply, the king in a frenzy shifted his hands away from Chanyeol's head to clutch at in neck in surprise but his son didn't stop there. The Prince then formed a fist and collided it against his father's stomach making the poor vampire double over in pain, only to be met with a knee to the chest (which would have caused quite the damage if he was human). 

"You had your chance to kill me," Chanyeol whispered into his ear, the king still panting to catch his breath that had been knocked out of him by his own son. "you missed it. Don't ever raise your hand to me again or you'll have to live the rest of your pathetic life without one!" 

"I'm expecting you to find your mate within the coming days," his father muttered, his voice strained after Chanyeol's little attack. "if you are unsuccessful which I believe you will be I will be more than happy to arrange your marriage to a daughter of one of my board members." 

"What happened to your famous old traditional rules Kris?" Chanyeol scoffed looking down at his pathetic excuse of a father with a frown. "Where's the man that told me to wait until the time came to find my mate?" 

"He grew up, like you'll have to someday."

"Well" Chanyeol chuckled bending his knees so that he was eye level with the king who was still double over in pain, he had leaned his body against the wall to stay upright. "you can shove that proposal up your Dad because there is no way on earth that I would willing put myself into a loveless marriage. Haven't you already witnessed what happens to vampires who marry others who aren't their mates? You've driven yourself crazy and Suho is easily killable, you've both been made worse versions of yourself ever since you two got together." 

"Have you ever considered the fact that you need to be mated before you become king?" Kris deadpanned, looking up at his son through his eyelashes. Chanyeol let out a pointless laugh. 

"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe I don't want to be king?" The prince shot back watching as his father's lips curled downwards. "How could I inherit a kingdom whose previous king has broken it? You have never been a role model to me, so why should I hope for a job that you have made look like a terrible thing ever since I was born." 

Kris was silent, completely tongue tied by his son's honesty. Chanyeol looked at him with pity before deciding that it was best that he be left alone to wonder the fresh thoughts the prince had placed into his mind. He knew his father's words held meaning, Chanyeol would have to find his mate quickly. Not because he was afraid of the kings proposal of marriage but it was because the time had finally come. 

"That drawing on your arm was adorable" the king's voice bellowed through the hallway, Chanyeol casting his gaze down to his arm. He was silently surprised when he noticed the plant had vanished completely with absolutely nothing there to remember it apart from his own writing, in disappointment Chanyeol dropped his arm back to the side, his gaze noticing something new on the back of his palm. 

Warn Lay. 

What on earth did that mean? And who was Lay?

"Do you really think that you can find him before I can find your a bride?" 

"You can keep barking up that tree all you want Kris, I'm not agreeing to anything you say anymore. You can find me a bride all you wish but I will never ask for her hand in marriage, I'll happily turn her and the throne down if that's all it takes for me to find my mate."