Planet Nero: Known for its lack of technology and doing things the ancient ways . It is the home of the mages, anyone from Nero is a magic user( elemental mages, sorcerers and necromancers). Another thing is, time works differently in this planet. Much much slower.

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Kai was in the dark. He had the sense of opening his eyes, but seeing nothing. Wood beneath his fingers and toes, cold iron around his neck. A chain clanked when he moved. It was attached to the wall...and to his collar. Like a dog. The links of the chain between his fingers felt huge and heavy. He could take three steps forward, three steps to either side. The chamber pot was on the left, his food and water dishes on the right. He knew these things.  The collar around his neck hurt. Kai had no words for that pain—a kind of visceral ache. He felt as though he’d swallowed something very cold. It should have dissolved in his stomach. Only it hadn’t. It sat there at his core, an icy chunk of granite, freezing his throat and insides. His magic felt trapped, with no way to bring it forth. He had vomited at first. He remembered that. But the vomiting had stopped long ago, and now he just endured. A light appeared at the far end of the room, along with the tread of heavy boots on wooden floor. The light blinded him. Kai crouched, trembling. He remembered being beaten when he resisted. He remembered the collar welded shut and how the tongs had burned him and how the person had not cared.  “He’s over there,” said a familiar voice . Men looked down at him in lamplight. Kai had to squint to see them. His eyes were not accustomed to light. “Careful,” the familiar voice murmured. “He bites.” “His name,” another man said, more familiar than the first one. “He needs to write it himself.” Kai felt disoriented as the man crouched in front of him. The man was so tall. Kai's hands, dirty in the torchlight, were clutching his belly. The man presented him with a strange pen. It looked as though it were made of bone. The man held out his large, flat palm, full of silvery dust and a parchment . “Write it here,” he said gently. No one had spoken to Kai that gently in as long as he could remember, but he knew deception when saw one. He stared at the man, whom he recognized as Heechul. At last, his hand came forward. He wrote on the paper, “Lee. Sehun.”  The fellow holding the torch gave a grunt. “It’s how he used to sign. He knows better.” His voice dropped to a snarl as he said, “Your whole name, dark elf—” “Be silent,” the newcomer said. He did not speak above a murmur, but the other man’s voice stopped as though cut with a knife. Dark eyes looked into Kai's, the palm still outstretched. “Your whole name, child,” the male said. Kai's dream began to break apart as his hand—no, the elf's hand—came forward and wrote again in silver dust across Parchment. "Aefraya S...” Kai woke up. ***
Kai tried, he really did. To stop his body from shaking, and emotions from getting the best of him as he stared at the holograms. Seeing the destruction Heechul's guards had wrought. According to Yixing and Zach, the soldiers had tried their best, and Kai was proud of them for standing up for Sehun even when he wasn't there. But then, the idiot elf had turned himself in, willingly allowing to be taken. Had Sehun no idea what awaited him? Kai had learned of his father's plans for Sehun a few weeks ago and those plans were anything but appealing. His uncle Minseok had told him Heechul had been searching the galaxy for the elf when the assassins he had sent to Coaster Z had failed. Which showed how desperate his father and sorcerer accomplice were.  But now they had him.  Heechul had known Sehun had been with Kai. He had lured Kai away from Storm, to take the elf. What a fool Kai had been. Foolishly believing Sehun was safe on his ship. He should have let the elf go when he learned of his father's plans, but his selfish desire to keep Sehun close had prevented it, which led to cause him harm.  His decision to keep Sehun didn't have anything to do with his dragon. Because for weeks, Kai didn't allow any to surface, save for his black dragon. Which only confirmed his growing feelings for the elf had nothing to do with the fact that Sehun was his treasure mate. Oh Gods! If he didn't do something he could as well kiss that word goodbye. The dream he had moments prior made perfect sense, his link with Sehun had allowed him to see through the elf's eyes or it was probably something yet to happen. Whichever, it led to the realization of Sehun not being in Lyfe. It was a tactical move form his father to keep him away from where Eunhyuk couldn't feel his son's presence. Instead had taken him to Nero. A planet millions light years away, that had a different timeline than any other planet he had known. What am I going to do? Kai grabbed at his hair, pulling hard. He hated the feeling of helplessly. If it were any other person holding Sehun captive, Kai wouldn't need to consider before storming off to rescue the elf. This was Heechul. His father. Kai needed to be tactical as well. He couldn't go barging into Nero, demanding to take Sehun. Heechul wouldn't let him, not when he finally had the elf where he wanted and know Kai's loyalty wasn't with him. He must come up with a plan to help the elf. "Kai listen, you have to help him." Monkey Zach said, pacing agitatedly in the hologram. "You can't let your father keep him, he's going to... Oh Gods he's going to kill him isn't he? And Lyla wouldn't forgive me if–" "Shut up I am trying to think." Kai snapped, the thought of something horrible happening to Sehun wasn't doing anything assuring to his mind. "Just let me think." "What about the wolf?" Zach pointed at the boy standing with his arms crossed over his chest. Kai didn't have the energy to deal with the wolf. He was the same boy he had met in Logan. Why the boy was the on his ship was something Kai didn't have the patience to solve."Send him away." "We tried but he's refusing to go. He insisted on seeing you, calming he has an important message from Namjoon." Yixing said, he sounded exasperated. "He'll have to come back some other time." Kai said, taking his eyes off the holograms "No I am coming to Lyfe." The wolf was suddenly in view, his eyes narrowed at Kai, as though Kai had done something unforgivable. "I have to see you."  "Just say whatever you have to say now and be done with it." Kai waved a dismissive hand, not in the mood to entertain the boy. Hyunjin shook his head vigorously. "I have to see you in person. Now." "We are light years apart. How can you see me in person?" Really the boy was getting on his nerves. "Fine you try if you can." Hyunjin grinned."Give me a moment, I will come to you." And he disappeared from Kai's sight leaving Kai gaping. What? "Maybe you should contact Sehun's ship? They would help." Yixing suggested, bringing back Kai's attention. Kai shook his head. He knew little about Nero, but one thing he was sure of, they were a dangerous species. He didn't know what might happen to Sehun's crew if he pulled them into this and failed to save the elf. Worse they got killed and Sehun lived. Sehun would never forgive him. "Oh Nini, you have to think fast before it's too–" Kai didn't allow himself to hear what Zach was going to add. He kicked at the device frustratedly, sending it flying across the room. He wanted to grab every person in existence, shake them violently, and demand they take him to Sehun. He wanted to summon an army and command them to search every home in Nero. He wanted to stand in the center of the galaxy and scream Sehun's name. He had to find a way to sneak into Nero and get Sehun out in a way his father wouldn't be able to stop him. A plan was already forming in Kai's mind. He wasn’t sure it would work, but... Heechul is not going to release Sehun. Kai felt more certain of that by the minute. He is going to produce endless excuses. I need a reason to talk to Sehun without exciting suspicion, and this might be the only way. And even if the worst comes...even if I have to talk him into letting them put some kind of leash on him, at least he’ll survive, and we can worry about the details later. Kai was startled when the door to his room flung open. He swirled around to see his brother stood by the door watching him with a smile. The sight of Junmyeon's pale blue hair only reminded him of Sehun's "Ah here you are. Come I need to–" "Not now hyung." Kai cut him off, looking away from his brother. He opted to pacing instead. Junmyeon sighed softly, closing the gap between them. He blocked Kai's path to rest a hand on Kai's shoulder. "You didn't even let me finish. Hear what I came to say." He didn't give Kai time to object as he went on. "There's a way to get you to Nero." Kai blinked slowly, watching his brother with a frown"What? How did–" "Uncle Minseok told me about father's plan, and what happened on your ship. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out you care about the elf" he smiled ." Now listen." Kai didn't Interrupt, he listened with rapt attention to Junmyeon's plan. It was only when the blue dragon shut his mouth that Kai spoke. "You really think it would work?" Junmyeon nodded. "I do." "How did you know about the rebel force– no when did you get acquainted with them?" Junmyeon was usually in the palace handling politics, he rarely went out. And when he did, he was always heavily guarded, with both his and Heechul's guards. There was no way or how he had been meeting with the rebels. "Actually it's uncle Minseok. He have this love-hate, like enemies to lovers relationship with the leader." Junmyeon shrugged. "Enemies to lovers? Uncle Minseok? The aloof red warrior?" It was hard to process. He knew his uncle wasn't really okay with what Heechul was doing, but he didn't think he would go against him either. No the most surprisingly part was the relationship between his uncle and the rebel leader. Junmyeon smirked. "You've been spending time on the ship, missing all the juicy news." "Are they ing?" Kai knew he looked and sounded like an idiot when Junmyeon only response was a lazy shrug, something his brother liked to do when he didn't want to agree nor deny. But it was hard to believe his uncle took interest in someone. He would have sworn uncle Minseok was a one hundred+ year old "How  in the hells did they even meet?" "Father sent him to investigate, and he tailed the leader that had disguised himself as a slave worker in a farming factory. They had a confrontation, a fight that lead to a ing in the dirt." "Oh my Gods!"  "That's how they had been, fight, , fight ." "How did you even know?" Kai wondered, giving his brother a look of utter disbelief. "Hey don't give that look like I am some sort of a creep. Uncle Minseok told me himself" "He tells you those kind of things?" Kai was jealous his uncle didn't share something like that with him. He thought they were close enough for that. "Kai focus, this is not time to get distracted." Junmyeon patted Kai's cheeks as though to wake him up. "Jongdae will help if not for uncle Minseok, he will do it for Sehun, a fellow elf and their prince." Kai wasn't even surprise his brother knew Sehun was the elfin prince.  "Jongdae is an elf with great magic, he can create a focus for Sehun, that would give– help boast his magic to free the collar." He made sure he had Kai's attention before adding. "But you need to play it cool, even if the plan failed, you have to make sure he gets the focus. Remember what I told you. Alright?" "Alright." Kai nodded. "I am ready let's go." "Good. Come on." ***
When Sehun woke the first time, he was, in a tight space. Somehow, his life in the day felt like all been a dream or a lie, and he was back in the cage. The hateful touch of iron lay cold against his throat. He was hurting all over, but the most was the back of his neck, like it had been burnt. His own magic seemed to pull away from it, retreating from every surface of his body. His fingertips felt numb—not in a way that any mundane person could have understood, but numb to elfin magic. The sense of helplessness was terrifyingly familiar. What has happened to me? “He’s waking up. Give him something to drink.”  Water splashed against Sehun's lips. He swallowed convulsively. “Should we tie him?” “I don’t think so. He’s not dangerous with the collar. At least let him wake up first.” Sehun knew he was in a bad place, but he couldn’t concentrate. He slipped beneath the surface. The second time he woke, Sehun's mind was clearer. Sehun struggled unsuccessfully to recall how he’d been captured and by whom. He registered the jolt and creak of a wagon. He remembered being on Storm, Kai. Zach, Yixing, fighting and then... A maddening blank. He forced himself to remain unmoving, not opening his eyes.  He must have twitched, panic overcoming reason, because a voice said, “So, you are awake. I thought so. Sit up and eat something. You’re no good to us dead.” Sehun opened his eyes. A person he did not recognize sat beside his cot in the filtered light of a moving wagon. Sehun thought this person was probably a mage. He tried to check for an aura with his elfin magic and...nothing. It was like intending to take a step, only to discover that one’s legs were missing. The other man gave him an unpleasant smile. “Trying to kill me, already?” “Who are you?” Sehun croaked, he was hurting all over. “Wouldn’t you like to know. Eat.” Sehun looked at the offered bread and cheese. His body needed nourishment, but the food could be laced with magic or poison. He took only the cup of water. He wouldn’t live long without that, and water was harder to charm or poison without leaving obvious clues. His jailer rolled his eyes. “Suit yourself.” Sehun realized suddenly why he felt so tired. The collar was no ordinary, it had binding spell and had been welded on him in way it would be difficult to take off. The back of his neck had been burnt in the process. I'm not healing at my normal speed. Panic washed over him anew with it came memories. Heechul had him. He recalled what happened on Storm, he had offered to come willingly to save Zach and Kai's soldiers, that were likely to die at the hands of their black brethren. He wanted a way into Lyfe. However, he wasn't in Lyfe like he thought he would be. There was one planet that did things differently, no technology whatsoever. The so called mages strongly believed in the natural order of things. Sehun knew it was bull. It was simply because they had magic to make up for the lack of technologies. Like their ability to create inter dimensional portals, allowing them to travel anywhere in the vast galaxy, without the need of a spacecraft. He was on Nero. The last time Sehun was here had been years ago, when he rescued Lyla and it was for a very brief moment. He never intended to be back until he was ready to put Nero to ruins. Was he even really in Nero? Probably. Maybe not. In either case, I am not where I am supposed to be, which is all that matters. Elfin magic curled inside him, compressed into something hard and frozen at his core. Sehun felt as though his heart had curled up with it—heavy and cold and beating weakly. I have done something stupid by agreeing to come. So I am alone in a place no will think to search. And they’re probably going to kill me. Maybe Kai would find a way to save me?  Why would he? He's a dragon. A Drake first before anything else. And don't forget you've killed a lot of his men which even if he didn't show it, he still holds a grudge. And his dad has you. Don't delude yourself Sehun. Kai was a dragon true, but he was unlike any dragon out there. He was good to Sehun even knowing Sehun had killed his men in the past. And probably wouldn't abandon Sehun to this fate right? Stop thinking about Kai. He told himself.  He should be think about how to save himself. But how was he supposed to do that with a collar around his neck? Mentally shaking his head, Sehun felt his darkness calling deep within him, thus he allowed himself to do what he had been too scared to as a child– in fear of letting the darkness take over his full control. He sank. Down, down, into the core of magic that he still held. He couldn’t push it outward, couldn’t effect the mortal plane. But he could turn inward. He was a dark soul, the only soul in existence that had the ability to enter and leave the death realm when he willed it unscratched. His dark side gave him access to the death realm, while his light side served as an anchor to to the mortal realm. Unlike a like a necromancer, he didn't need a summoning circle. He could find the Styx easily. A part of Sehun's ability was like that of a necromancer, only with that ability ten fold. He had connection with the dead. Follow the souls. There were always ghosts—insects beneath the wheels of the wagon, small animals in the nearby woods, livestock on a passing farm. Sehun couldn’t see their stories or even the details of what they’d been, but as his spirit sank through the mortal plane, he could follow them to the River. Woods came into focus abruptly—dark and twisted trees in the twilight of the Shadow Lands and the gates of Death. The River wound among thick roots, its banks narrow in some places, broad in others. Sehun felt a wave of  calmness. His dark and light souls merging, his spirits took on the form of that of his own body in Royal Lyfe clothes.  Awed by the sight he sat down on a root, as big as his waist and dangled his feet in the whispering, sand-dry water of the Styx. He watched the occasional souls wander out of the forest and dissolve into silver streaks in the water. A few tried to talk to him, but Sehun shook his head. He wasn't here to talk to any soul, nor feed on them. He just wanted to be alone. He knew it was impossible, but he still looked around, searching.  Somewhere Sehun had read that most elves lingered. They were so practiced at resisting the call of the River that they sometimes wandered into the woods, drifting further and further from their origins, joining the nameless creatures that haunted this place, searching for a way back into life.  His parents had longed crossed over. They wouldn't be here. Maybe he should stay here forever. Maybe until he felt the tether to his body break. Then he would fall into the current, another silver streak. Sehun wanted to see what lay beyond the gates. No living creature could pass that portal, not even a dark soul, and no soul ever returned. He couldn’t have said how long he sat in the quiet of the wood with his feet in