He was scared.

It was sometime in July. He could remember that. He was on the subway home from summer school. He also remembered that. And then... A gunshot. 

He remembered that too. 

But he didn't remember how he got here. Where was he? What time was it? He could only see a single tree planted in the middle of a dirt wasteland. There was no one. There was nothing. He was alone. 

He was scared. 

Even when Suho found him one day— cold, rigid, and tear-stained— he still felt alone and frightened. 

Kyungsoo didn't really pay attention to any of the 'Guardian' stuff Suho droned on about. He just wanted to go back to his little apartment, back to his little desk in his little classroom. He wanted to go back; he wanted to go back to his life. 

Finally Suho got fed up and threw the book at his face. 

The book of God's rules. 

Kyungsoo spent most of his somber time alone reading that book. Very little of his time was with Chanyeol, who very much proved to be pleasanter than Suho although slightly maniacal. And then Baekhyun was resurrected, successfully occupying all of Chanyeol's interests. It was around that time that Kyungsoo started hanging around the tree of life more often. It was also around there that the tree started speaking to him. At first, he thought was finally losing it. A tree was speaking to him. It was as if the tree had its own soul. 

But after a long while, he started to be grateful for the tree. It taught him how to harness his powers. It kept him from being lonely. It taught him how to appreciate all kinds of living things. And finally, it brought him into his life. 

“Hmm? What are you talking about, I watered you yesterday. You’re so greedy.”

“Well, there you go. Anything else I can do for you?”

 “Kai? But I don’t see him anywhe-”

 “O-Ow…”

“That wasn’t very nice, tree! Ugh.”

“…Hey there, Kyungsoo-hyung.”
 

The boy that single-handedly destroyed his definition of alone. The boy he came to care for, to yearn for, to love. Kyungsoo felt himself smile at the boy who just dropped out of nowhere, into his life. 

“Kai, just what are you doing?”

 Tree of Life

"Whoa, the tree of life has yellow leaves." Luhan chimed.

Kai sighed. "Do you have to comment on every single little thing?" He looked around his own asylum. Everything seemed normal, nothing was out of place.

 The only flaw was that it was too quiet.

"KYUNGSOO-AH! IT'S ME! ARE YOU HERE?" Kai called into the fields of dirt.

"Is Kyungsoo-ssi your lover?" Luhan joked.

"Yes." Kai answered seriously, making Luhan shut up.

"K-Kai?" A small voice came from behind the tree. Kai turned and smiled when he saw those worried eyes.

"Hyung!" Kai spread his arms out, expecting the latter to leap into his bosom.

Kyungsoo hesitated. "I th-thought you were dead."

"Well, technically I'm already dead," Kai shamelessly responded, still holding his arms out. "I'm sorry I broke our promise. But I escaped death just for you, hyung."

Kyungsoo still stood there, unsure if he should trust Kai or not. He broke their promise; almost breaking it again previously. If he gave his heart to Kai, would he run away again? Would he be left alone again? 

Kyungsoo decided to take that chance.

Tears started running down his cheeks as he roughly collided with Kai. The two fell onto the dirt; Kai letting out a loud grunt, but he never let Kyungsoo go.

"I-I swear to ing God if you die on me again, I-I...!" 

"You'll what? Kiss me to death?" Kai chuckled, receiving a glare from his hyung lying on his chest.

"YES!" Kyungsoo pulled Kai's head towards his and messily kissed him. Kai didn't mind at all; he sat up so Kyungsoo could abuse his lips better. He'd do anything to assure Kyungsoo he was never going to leave again.

"I feel awkward." Luhan mumbled, blushing at the romantic display in front of him. As he looked away, he noticed several buildings in the distance.

He turned back to the overly reconciled couple. He coughed, embarrassed. "Um, Kai? Don't forget, we have a mission."

Kai looked up. "Right... Kyung, where's Lay?" He asked the man in his arms.

Kyungsoo rested his head on Kai's shoulder and tightly wrapped his arms around him. "...He's with Suho."

Kai chuckled. "Kyung, you're gonna have to get off me... I need to get up."

He didn't move.

"Well... I guess I'll have to take you with me." Kai lifted Kyungsoo up and had his legs wrapped around his back. The two of them trudged to Suho's, Luhan following closely behind.

The latter sighed. "I wish I could love someone like that..." 

Mirrored Hallway

"Well this is a sight," Suho asserted, looking at the sobbing guardian Kai was carrying in his arms. "You're alive, Kai."

Kai sat Kyungsoo on the table, next to Suho. He immediately turned to the person behind him, sitting on Baekhyun's table.

"LAY-NIM!" Kai kneeled on the floor. “I SINCERELY APOLOGIZE FOR LEAVING YOU IN THIS ASYLUM!"

Lay scoffed. "Yeah, just keep bowing."

While Kai repeatedly hit his forehead to the floor, Luhan filled them in with the details.

"I think it'd be safer if everyone spread out..." Suho wised after the explanation. "I'd rather not have us all killed at once."

Kai looked up at him from the floor. He looked giddy. "Oh... Is the almighty Suho actually worried about peopl—"

"Keep bowing," The eldest commanded, putting his foot on Kai. "After that, take Lay-ssi back to his own asylum. We have two too many guardians here already." 

"That reminds me..." Kai removed Suho's foot from his nape. "What exactly sets off Lucifer's curse?" He was answered by several shrugs. "…I think I have a theory." 

"Well, out with it!” exclaimed Lay.

"I think... One curse goes off when a guardian leaves their own asylum," Kai explained quietly. "For example, when I left, B-Baek-hyung..."

"I think I see where you're going with this," Luhan interrupted. "We went and saw Chen earlier. His curse went off, and Lay is not in his own asylum."

"But Luhan..." Kai stared at him weirdly. "You're not in your own asylum either."

A short silence followed as they were realizing the realization.

"There has to be more curses," Kai announced, standing up. "You guys go and check with the others to make sure they're safe. I'll take Lay back."

"But K-Kai," Kyungsoo spoke up. "What if you set off another curse again?" 

"It's only a theory," Kai replied calmly. "But we have to take extra measures. So I'll be taking Lay back and check with the guardians there too." He glanced at Luhan. "You coming with?"

The other shook his head. "I'll stay here, to balance it out."

Kai nodded. "Good call. See you guys later!" He missed Kyungsoo’s small whimper as he left with Lay.

Tao’s Sanctuary

Tao stared at the great clock in front of him, breathing deeply. The petals had frozen in their places, and the clock’s hands stopped moving. Tension and silence filled the air. It was almost the perfect time for Tao to start his ritual.

He breathed in again, only to be startled by a loud whine.

“Taaaaaaaoooo!” Kris walked in nosily, completely unaware of the tension. “Have you seen Lay and Lulu? They’ve gone and left without me! I was so lonely for the past two hours! They just—” He finally noticed the glare that Tao was giving him. “…Did I interrupt something?”

Tao looked back at the clock. “…Not really,” the boy sighed. “You are just a little noisy, gege.”

“…Oh.” He watched Kris’s wings droop down to his feet.

“Cute.” Tao thought, trying not to laugh. All laughter was thrown out the window when Kris sadly turned to walk back out. “Wait, ge—” Tao grabbed his hand just before he passed the doorway.

Kris turned to face him seriously. “Yeah?”

The younger blushed. Happy Kris was the usual, but Serious Kris was… Something. “G-Ge, don’t go…”

Kris was bewildered. “H-Huh?”

“I need you…”

Kris’s mind imploded from too much Tao.

“Ge, I-I… Kai, he,” Kris twitched from the mention of that pest. “He asked me to reverse time in order to save our world… But I-I never reversed that much. It might hurt. I am a little scared.” Tao gripped Kris’s hand a little harder, only for Kris to grip it the hardest.

“I’ll stay.” He assured, planting a light kiss on Tao’s forehead. The younger sighed of relief, and pulled Kris to the middle of the room, right in front of the clock.

With Kris’s hand in his, Tao knew it was the perfect time to start his ritual.

KAI AND LUHAN ARISE FROM THE DEAD

I found a GIF that 100% explains this fic. -slaps knee-

Ready for some angst next chapter? 

EDIT: So I added Kyungsoo's half-backstory and how he met Kai. Er, he met him when Kai fell out of the tree, like in the first chapter. ^^"