"That looks like it hurts pretty bad."

"Huh?" Looking down to his lightning stricken shoulder, Chanyeol nodded. "Ah, yeah."

"Chen's pretty powerful isn't he?" Daniel asked, looking away from the Legend's arm and out past the balcony from their motel room. 

"He is. But it actually hurts more because of the emotion he put behind it," Chanyeol replied.

"Emotion?" the boy repeated once before connecting his thought. "You mean it hurts more because he struck you while protecting Suho?"

"Exactly. This one had more sting to it than usual," Chanyeol said, touching his arm. 

Smiling at the information, Daniel crossed his arms in a satisfied manner. "So emotions do play into your abilities. I was wondering about that. So then when you fight..."

"Yes?"

"What's the best emotion to have?"

Titling his head thoughtfully, Chanyeol ambiguously answered, "It depends."

"On the power?"

"Exactly. We're all different so different things effect us."

"Then what about you? Would yours be anger?" Daniel questioned, trying to guess. "I imagine fire be to be more effective when anger was thrown into it."

"Well..."

"Chanyeol has to always have a clear mind when he fights," Kyungsoo answered, walking up the stairs towards the two.

"Most of us should have clear mind," Chanyeol replied back. 

"True, but fire is extremely dangerous." Looking over at the phoenix, the earthshaker continued, "Even if you've mastered it, if you don't keep control over your emotions it can be devastating."

"That too can be said for all of us."

"But for you in particular," Kyungsoo responded. 

A small frown on his face for only an instant, Chanyeol straightened his posture and smiled. "Right. Well, I'm going to go see if Lay or Mina can heal me now. My arms still tingles a bit."   

Watching the Legend scurry away, another connection was made in Daniel's mind. "So... is that why Chanyeol's always so positive about things? Because being angry is bad for his powers?"

"It's one of the reasons," Kyungsoo answered. "The other part is just personality. He's just naturally positive about things... but yes, out of all our powers, the one that is easiest to lose control over is fire. So anger maybe good for a few of us, but not for Chanyeol."

"Because he could lose control over his power."

"Yes, and fire won't just stop like how the earth will stop shaking if I stop shaking it. Fire will continue on to spread on it's own."

"Right." 

Seeing the slight look of concern on Daniel's face, Kyungsoo smiled. "Don't worry too much. I've only seen him get angry once, a long long time ago."

"Was it bad?" Daniel asked. 

"Horrific."

"So Chanyeol never gets mad now then does he?"

"He can get serious at times, but never angry. I haven't even seen him a bit upset in a long while," Kyungsoo thoughtfully said. "And I doubt he'll get angry any time soon. He's been even more energetic and happy these days."   

"Well, that's good. I don't think I want to see Chanyeol when he's angry. It sounds bad, but I think it'd also be a bit shocking."

"Yeah, it is." 

- - -

Looking back on that conversation from two days ago, Daniel watched as the campfire suddenly crackled angrily and grew in size and height. The human boy was walking into what seemed a private moment between two. With the two being Mina and Kris. His hand on her chin, no visible distance between their faces. It was pretty obvious to any third party as to what was happening between them. And based upon the unnatural and sudden fierce swell of the fire, he wasn't the only one witnessing it.

Feeling the heat of the fire intensify, Mina pulled her face away from Kris's instinctively and moved to protect herself. Also moving to do the same and guard the girl, Kris wrapped his arm around her but was stopped when another hand lightly touched his shoulder. Looking up, Kris saw a fiery pair of almond shaped eyes glaring at him intensely.

The girl's eyes snapping open after realizing just who had returned to camp. Mina saw the side of his profile tower above herself and Kris. And with the fire shadowing parts of his face, she could only make out a foreign and dark expression.

It was an unnatural thing.

To see such an expression on his face. Especially his face. She had seen him look excited, happy, thoughtful, curious and determined but never like this. It was unnerving. Seeing his hand on Kris's shoulder, Mina reached out herself and put her own hand on top of his and called out to him, "Chanyeol?"

As if pouring gallons of water over a wildfire, the expression on the Legend's face fizzled away and with it the campfire returned to normal. 

Blinking and dropping his hand to his side, Chanyeol hesitantly turned his head down to Mina and gave her a small and forced smile. "We... We're back." His eyes darting around not trying to look her in the eye, Chanyeol turned his head back up and walked away.

Shortly thereafter, the other Legends returned back to camp bringing with them new puzzling information. 

Putting the small occurrence between her, Kris and Chanyeol aside for the moment, Mina knew there were more serious matters to deal with and jumped up from her spot. 

"So did you see Kai?" she asked.

"No," Chen replied shaking his head.

"So I led you all into another trap then?"

"Well, yes..." Suho replied. "But he was definitely there. We all felt him."

"So... I...?" 

"You weren't being used this time Mina," Lay answered. 

"So I was right? It was Kai?"

His eyes fixated on the ground, Kyungsoo, who had been quiet, finally spoke up. "Yes, it was him, Jongin. He was there."

"But then why did he?" Shaking her head confused, Mina began mumbling. "I'm missing something here."

"He lead you into the trap," Tao revealed. "Kai. He's been compromised."

- - -

"Are you kidding me?" Lyn yelled, while cleaning up their tent.

"I wish I was," Mina replied sighing. Explaining the previous night's conversation to Lyn, Mina still had trouble facing the inescapable truth that one of the 12 powerful Legends was now being used against them.

"So, now the evil Red Force has control over the teleport? Who's now tracking us? And can send Chasers our way just... Whenever he wants?"

"I guess so..."

"Mina... how?  What are we...?" Lyn began saying, stumbling with her words. 

"Baekhyun."

"What?"

"Suho said we have to find Baekhyun. He controls the power of light. The Red Force thrives in the dark and his light would be able to draw out the darkness that has taken ahold of Kai."   

"So then..."

"So we just have to keep doing what we've been doing. Finding Legends and hoping Baekhyun is found sooner rather than later."

Shutting her eyes, Lyn frowned. "It really is just going to keep getting harder isn't it?"

"Yeah..." Thinking back to the previous night, Mina sighed, "And I think... I'm only making things even more difficult."

Eyes open and resting upon her best friend, Lyn's eyebrow arched in question, "What are you talking about?"

Clearing , Mina's tone of voice softened, "I kind of... kissed Yi Fan."

"Kiss? You mean energy transfer?"

Mina shook her head, "No. Like, 'kiss'... and Chanyeol saw, and I've never seen him like that."  

Waiting for a reply from Lyn, Mina looked up and saw that the tall girl with short black hair was staring at her with her hands cradling her face.

"Lyn?"

"I can't keep up with you and your Legend troubles."

"Lyn please?"

"Fine... So now you know you like Kris then?"

Mina replied by silently nodding her head.

"And you still like Chanyeol right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. I know exactly what you should do."

"You do?"

"Yep! Date them, kiss them, whatever. They are all leaving in the end right? So just do whatever."

"I can't do that!" Mina spat back. "It's not right!"

"Tell that to your emotions then."

"You're no help."

"Sorry, I'm preoccupied by the thought of a crazy powerful Legend being able to pop in on us whenever he wants to try and kill us."

"You're right," Mina replied. "I'm sorry, we have bigger things to worry about then my personal problems. Let's get going. We have a long trip ahead of us." 

- - - 

Taking the day to travel back to the same motel they had been at just a while ago. The group settled in for the night, luckily with no disturbances along the way. But there was something distinctly disturbing Mina.

Chanyeol. He had been smiling like he usually did whenever she'd look over at him, but there was something forced about it. Seeing him "fake it" in front of her, she could help but feel guilty. It was as if there was an imaginary balancing scale with Chanyeol on one end and Kris on the other. When one was genuinely happy with her, the other wasn't. And Kris was happy, genuinely happy. Lively chatting with others and smiling at her at random times, his newly found bright mood seemed to make everyone's mood a bit better. With the exception of Chanyeol, not that he openly showed that though. He had on a mask all day. She could tell. But spending her time thinking about it, Mina resolved that her personal problems weren't worth worrying over. They had bigger issues to deal with and time was a factor. 

And to keep preparing, Mina had begun learning from Lay in order to gain more control over her healing ability. Walking past the motel into a enclosed backyard area away from outsiders, the two began lessons with plant life and Mina found that the more she practiced under the guidance of Lay, the better she got.

Now trying to restore life to a small dandelion, the girl's mind began to contemplate the possibilities.  

"Do you think the others could show me how to control their powers as well?" Mina asked, Yixing. "Like Suho or Chanyeol's power?"

"You want to learn how to use their powers?"

"Do you think I could?"

Smiling slightly as he saw life return to the small weed, he nodded, "I think you could. But why?"

Dusting off her knees and smiling at her work, she turned to Lay. "I don't want you all to have to protect me anymore." 

"That won't stop us from protecting you."

"But if I learned to fight the way you all do, I could help more right?"

"What you're doing now is already more than helpful."

"But if you all could fight together, then I could at least take care of Daniel and Lyn."

"You learning how to fight wouldn't change how most of us feel about leaving you alone. Even now, with me right here, we are not alone. Other Legends are watching the perimeter, making sure you're well guarded."

"Which is why it makes sense that I learn to fight then right?"

Sighing, Lay placed his hand on Mina's shoulder. "It may make a few of us feel better, but I doubt we'd ever let you fight with us or leave you to fend for yourself."

Feeling the edges of falling, the girl remained resilient. "But I could I still learn though right?"

Smiling, Lay replied, "I personally don't think it would be a bad thing, but the others may be hesitant about it."

"Yeah..." Thinking immediately about Kris and what he said about always protecting her, she wondered if he'd be okay with her learning how to fight since it became his resolve to protect her no matter what.  

"I'm slightly surprised though," Yixing began, "I thought you took issue with energy transfers."  

"Huh?"

"Last time you got upset right?"

"Oh... Well, I think I'll be okay now. I'm not confused about it anymore."

"So you plan on transferring with all of us now?"

Nodding, Mina thought of it as a task. "If that's what it takes. I'll do it. I just want to be more helpful. Especially now that Kai is being used."

"It is troublesome. He's impossible to keep pinned down and being able to use more than just healing maybe more helpful." Seeming to make up his mind, Lay lifted his hand off of her shoulder and patted her back. "I'll support you then." 

"Really?"

"Yeah, now let's see how you do on a Legend."

"No one's hurt though," Mina replied confused.

"Well, not yet." 

"What!?"

"Don't worry, we're starting with small cuts." Grabbing a blade of grass and flattening it in his hand, Yixing then picked it up and made slashing motion over the palm of his other hand creating a thin paper-cut like wound. Presenting his palm to Mina, he then directed her. "Stop the bleeding and close it up."

Breathing in and out calmly, the girl looked at the wound then placed her hand on top of it. Keeping her eyes focused on the cut, she concentrated in the way that Lay had been teaching her. Eyes open, and breath steady. Visualize what needs to be done and do it.     

First stopping the small and slow bleeding first, Mina was then able to cleanly close up the hardly visible cut on the Legend's palm nicely.

"Well done," Lay praised, looking over his now healed palm.

"Thanks," Mina replied proudly.   

"Now, that was actually impressive."

Hearing another voice chime into their two-way conversation Mina's eyes grew wide. The voice was familiar. Very familiar. And looking over to her teacher, he also seemed to recognize the voice as well, as he had quickly moved from his spot and took off running towards it. 

Her energy now no longer focused on healing, she sensed what the healer had. The familiar voice. The same one that used to only reside in her head, was the one she and Lay had just heard. She physically heard him. 

Luhan. He was there.

- - -