Silver light filtered through the small window set into the wall, peeking through your eyelids as you sank deeper into the comfort of your pillow. Unable to peel your eyes open, you rolled over and inhaled the fresh scent of clean linen, relaxing and bright. Almost narcotic, you didn’t have a care in the world, other than the warmth and comfort that cradled you as consciousness returned to your body. Your mother would be upstairs in a second to bring you some medicine because you’d been ill the day before-

And that was when it hit you.

Your mother wasn’t coming up those stairs. You hadn’t just been ill, you’d suffered shock and loss, and from what Yunho had told you, there wouldn’t even be time to mourn. Just because your life on Earth had ended didn’t mean that life on Exo had.

Groaning, you pulled yourself out of your linen nest and rubbed at your eyes until you came around. Everything hurt.

I feel like I’ve been chewed up and spat out… You thought to yourself as you stretched some of the ache away, muscles tensing as you pulled at them. All you could think about was how bad you felt, and how bad the day was inevitably going to be but then again… It couldn’t be worse than the day before.

So, with your new attempt at a silver-lining outlook, you got yourself washed and dressed into your familiar – and freshly cleaned – clothes, headed out of your room and down the stairs at the end of the corridor. The place was like a maze, but you could vaguely remember the way to the main rooms – the infirmary and the entrance hall for example. It was the kitchen you were looking for however, as your stomach growled in anticipation of some well needed breakfast, and for some reason you simply could not recollect its whereabouts.

“Need a hand?” A chiming voice called from behind you. It was a woman’s, young and fresh but underlined with gentle seriousness. Turning awkwardly, you were greeted by a girl with a bright face framed by soft brown hair that seemed to flow endlessly. In her arms were half a dozen leather-bound books that looked extremely heavy.

“Actually, I was looking for the kitchen.” You admitted, cringing as your stomach grumbled. The girl smiled and bit back a giggle, but it was endearing rather than insulting.

“I can take you, if you want.” She offered, but then gestured to the books in her arms with a slight jerk of her head. “I just have to take these to the library first, I hope you don’t mind.”

Refusing your offer to carry some of the books for her, she grinned and floated on by, leading the way to the library. It wasn’t very far before you were outside the door, pushing and holding it open for her to pass through. You’d barely even stepped over the threshold when a new voice met your ears.

“She’s not a slave you know Seohyun.”

The girl, who you now knew as Seohyun, shook her head and pursed her lips as she dropped the books on the nearest table, striding right past the dark eyed stranger.

“And I’m not yours either. You’re bringing Joonmyun’s books back next time.” She snapped back with narrowed eyes. When the man just laughed at her, you expected a squabble to break out, but to your relief, she returned the gesture before proceeding to return the assorted tomes to their rightful shelves.

Your eyes did a quick scan of the impressive room, across the endless bookshelves and the carpet, the crystal light fitting and the shimmering banisters before landing on the man stood leaning on a desk covered in papers.  There was something about him and his soft features, not to mention the way his thick curled hair fell around his face and into his eyes, that was almost hypnotising.

“I offered to help.” You smiled, feeling a little more confident today. The sooner you started acting like normal, the sooner you’d feel better about this mess. At least, that’s what you thought. “I’m Mihyun by the way.”

“Kyuhyun.” He returned, accepting your extended hand with a formal nod. He was a very stiff person, but you liked it and had the impression that, if you got to stay here long enough, you’d be great friends. He seemed to keep a pleasant balance of sarcasm and seriousness that made for instant likeability. And he’s so good looking… you thought to yourself, smiling slightly.

“So…” You hummed making small talk to pass the awkward minutes Seohyun spent returning the books to their places. “Is it just you two here?”

Kyuhyun cocked his head at your question, gaze pinched and thoughtful. You started to fret, hoping you hadn’t asked the wrong thing. As it turned out, you did ask the wrong thing, but you didn’t know that at the time.

“There’s three of us, but Changmin spends a lot of his time with Yunho. There used to be another too, but he had to leave some time ago.” There was a far off, melancholy look in his eye so you didn’t push for more. Maybe one day you’d ask again or it’d crop up in conversation but now wasn’t the time – especially seeing as Seohyun had already finished and appeared at the man’s shoulder with a curious look on her face.

“Ready for breakfast?” She asked, casting a careful look in Kyuhyun’s direction. He nodded and smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. You couldn’t help but wonder just who had lived here and where he was now….

*

“You’d be surprised!” Taeyeon laughed as you chewed on your toast. “Not many people live here you know. Well, less than you’d expect.”

You, Seohyun and Taeyeon had sat around a small round table with toast, eating as you chatted. It was a bizarre feeling to be so calm despite everything that had been happening, but it was nice just to talk and relax. It was more like you were on a school trip, not in a new and doomed world.

“Mmm!” Seohyun agreed through a mouthful of bread. “There’s probably…. About a dozen of us?”

Taeyeon nodded in agreement, which shocked you – there had been at least half a dozen rooms on the corridor where you slept and you knew for a fact that most of them were empty. That meant there was plenty of room for everyone and that a lot of space was going unused….

“But it’s so big!” You enthused, hardly able to believe it. The look the two women shared in response wasn’t a good one, so you tried to let it go. Even so, the subject had you gripped. “So who does live here?”

After a lengthy explanation (that lead to your breakfast going cold before you could finish it) you learned that, while Yunho was the leader, the mysterious Changmin made a lot of the decisions. The two were interesting because they had powers, not unlike the eleven men you had met, but weren’t connected to you in any way at all. It was a strange concept but you listened any way.

There was also Changmin’s best friend – Kyuhyun – who looked after the library with Seohyun; Jinki who ran the infirmary; a girl named Luna who came and went quite a lot; Ryeowook who was apparently instantly likeable; as well as three of the men you’d already met.  At one time there had been nearly double that amount, but as the Crawler threat became more and more serious, people had been called away to different causes. Some kept in correspondence, other’s had all but disappeared.

“So, which three of them live here?” You asked, fairly certain that you had all of their names memorised by now.

“That would be me.”  A mild voice began as its owner slid into the empty seat beside you, grabbing a piece of toast in the process. If you remembered correctly, it was Minseok. “Alongside Joonmyun and Yixing.”

You nodded, sitting quietly while the girls steered the conversation over whatever topic they thought would be most distracting, and listened intently. You asked questions and answered them whenever prompted, but you maintained a comfortable and polite silence for the most part. All the while, you could feel Minseok’s eyes on you, following every little nod you happened to give.

When the food ran out and Taeyeon’s presence was needed elsewhere, you were left at something of a loose end. A few minutes later and Seohyun was gone too, leaving you alone with Minseok. Awkwardly, you looked at your hands (which were clasped in your lap) and cursed yourself for having nothing to say.

“Want to take a walk?”

Minseok had leant forward and was peering up at you with wide, questioning eyes. You couldn’t think of a reason to decline – even the weather was nice – and besides, it would be good to get to know him better.

“Sure, why not?” You smiled, getting out of your seat and following him outside. The sky seemed like an endless blanket, designed solely for the Sun the sit upon as it watched the cool breeze flutter through the trees. As much as it scared you, you couldn’t deny that the place was gorgeous.

“You seem to be taking this all in your stride.” He hummed as you wandered around a small courtyard, making sure to keep in the shade. Your pace was slow, and while you were beside him, you seemed to shrink away.  “You don’t have to be brave, you know.”

You hummed in response, feet dragging slightly.

“I’m afraid.” The silence that had sat between you for the past dozen or so meters was broken by your quiet confession. “But I’m here now. I guess, I just figured that there’s no point getting upset since I can’t stop what’s already happening.”

He seemed to understand, blinking slowly as he processed what you had told him. You weren’t exactly sure why you were opening up to him, but it came naturally and getting the weight off your chest seemed to help.

“No, I don’t suppose there is.”

The two of you wandered a little further, venturing out into the refreshing glow of sunshine, before either of you spoke again.

“It’s a shame that I have to leave this place so soon.” The previous night, you had overheard Yunho speaking to Kris about the plans. You were only going to have more night at the manor before you were forced to leave in search of the Tree of Life. There wouldn’t be enough time to do even half of the exploring you wanted but maybe that was for the best. You wouldn’t get attached then.

The two of you came to a stop beside a fountain and sat on its stone ledge. It wasn’t particularly grand, but it was pretty in its own more subtle way, with four tiers, complete with their own plumes of water that curved into the sky before landing into the basins. As you sat, looking at your feet, you could hear the gentle splashes and trickles of the running water.

“Say,” You began, looking to Minseok expectantly. His eyes seemed less intimidating than they had been, softer somehow, now that you had spoken to him so personally. “You can all do things right? Like Jongin can teleport?”

“Indeed we can.” He grinned, teeth showing as his eyes glinted with excitement. He could already tell what you were about to ask.

“So what about you? What do you do?”

As if he had been waiting for you to ask, he gestured widely with his hand. “Turn around.”

And so you did, only to have your breath taken away by the sight before your eyes. The fountain that been so dynamic only seconds before had transformed into an ice sculpture, reflecting the sun like dazzling mass of carefully crafted diamond. Even the huge pools of water had frozen right to the bottom. It was magical, impossible even, and yet there it was – sat well within the realms of possibility.

“It’s lovely.” You breathed, reluctantly tearing your eyes away from it (though you did keep glancing at the crests of water, frozen mid-flow, and admired the fluidity of their shape). Minseok’s expression was hard to read – he looked both proud and amused by your reaction, but there was a definitely hint of sadness there too. You didn’t have time to dwell, however, as a familiar figure was heading your way, full of purpose. Yunho.

“Mihyun.” He greeted when he came into ear shot. Since he was smiling, you weren’t too worried about what he had to say; in fact you were almost excited. “I see you’ve been getting to know a few people around here.”

You returned the smile and nodded. Given the circumstances, it had already been a good day and it wasn’t even lunch time yet. The company here was just so comfortable and hospitable that you felt at home, relaxed even in the most tumultuous of times.

“I have.” You confirmed out of politeness, though it wasn’t really necessary. Minseok rose and you followed suit, vaguely aware that the fountain had returned to its original state and was running as normal once more. It was just as well that you did, considering the next words that left Yunho’s mouth.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like you to come with me.”