Lucifer, as the story goes, was an angel that believed he was so great that he tried to overtake God. Apparently God didn’t think it was funny and so Lucifer was booted to Hell. The question is, does he still live and hold grudges to this day?

Mirrored Hallway

Suho furrowed his eyebrows. Kai and Kyungsoo looked at Baekhyun skeptically. Sehun stared on.

"Lucifer?" Kyungsoo asked. "You mean that person from the bible?"

"He's not just from the bible..." Baekhyun gulped. "He's... He's real."

"That's ridiculous," Kai blurted. "How would you know?"

Suho suddenly let out an irritated sigh. A droplet of water landed on the floor. Then a second, and then a third. Soon enough the ceiling above Suho was raining down on him.

The others watched as his hair and clothes slowly became drenched. They watched as he turned and walked down the hallway, quietly leaving.

Lay interrupted the awkward silence. "Baek. Are you going to tell them or not?"

Baekhyun exhaled. He turned to Kai, Kyungsoo and Sehun. "This happened way before you guys were resurrected," He explained. "But I once... I was attacked by Lucifer."

Kai hung his mouth open and Kyungsoo closed it shut. "N-No way." Kai stuttered.

"It's true. The markings on Sehun now are a curse. Whether it is tomorrow, next week, next year... When that curse goes off, it could be lethal.”

"Then...Then how come you're not dead?" Kai asked cautiously.

Baekhyun sighed again. He started to his shirt with one hand, still holding the mirror with the other. He pulled his shirt far enough so that the others could see his chest; Baekhyun had the very same markings as Sehun.

“I’ve had these for as long as I could remember. I can’t get rid of it, and I’ll never know when it activates. My life, in a nutshell, is a ticking time bomb.”

Sympathy suddenly washed over Kai. His lip quivered with admiration. He was seeing Baekhyun in a new light, no pun intended.

“Hyung… Baek-hyung. YOU’RE SO STRONG!!” Kai cried. “INCREDIBLY STRONG!”

Baekhyun raised an eyebrow. “Uh, okay?” he buttoned his shirt and requested Lay to proceed with Sehun’s treatment.

Light came out from the mirror and onto Sehun. It wasn’t as bright as Baekhyun’s light, but it did miracles. Sehun’s bruises went from purple to flesh, disappearing instantly. His cuts clotted and vanished. Everything healed and went away except for the curse markings.

“That’s about all I can do for you,” Lay stated. “Unless you want me to fix your lisp too.”

Sehun shook his head. “No, ish okay. Shank you.” The maknae easily got off the table and onto his feet.  

Suho came back in still drenched, his rain cloud no longer in sight. “Are you guys done?” he asked bitterly.

“We’re done.”Answered Baekhyun.

“HELL NO WE’RE NOT DONE!” Lay yelled from the mirror. “WHAT IF LUCIFER COMES BACK FOR THE REST OF YO-”

Baekhyun hastily put the mirror face-down on the table next to him, hanging up on Lay. “Nothing.” He uttered.

Suho looked at him intently. “Lucifer is coming back?”

Baekhyun shrugged. “I don’t know. He got me a long time ago and only got his second victim today.”

“What if he gets the guardians in the other asylum too?”

Baekhyun realized this may be the first time Suho has ever worried about someone. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do about that. I belong here.”

Suho thought for a moment. He turned to Kai. “Have you ever tried to teleport to different worlds before?”

Kyungsoo immediately knew what the eldest was up to. “YOU ARE NOT MAKING KAI GO TO THE OTHER ASYLUM!!” he shouted.

Suho replied sternly: “How else will we warn our parallel guardians?”

“Can’t you make Lay do it?! He is from the other asylum!”

“Oh, he can’t.” Baekhyun interrupted. “He just can’t.”

“That leaves just one person,” Suho said. “Kai is the only one who can tell them. What do you think, Kai?”

The ground below Kyungsoo was beginning to crack. “WHY ARE YOU DANGERING HIS LIFE FOR THAT?! WHY ARE YO-"

“I’ll do it.” Kai responded, bringing Kyungsoo into shock. “I’m not sure how, but… I’ll do it. I’ll teleport to the other asylum and warn them about Lucifer.”

Suho crossed his arms. “That’s more like it. When are you leaving?”

“I’ll leave in an hour. I’ll come back to you before then.” Kai tugged at Sehun. “Let’s go, I’ll take you back.” Sehun nodded.

Sehun's Desert

Kai took Sehun back to his desert quietly. He stood there while Sehun set up his chair. Suddenly, Sehun whirled around to face Kai.

“H-Hyung…”

Kai raised an eyebrow. “Hm?”

“Y-You’re really going?”

“…Yeah.”

“Don’tsh… Don’tsh die, okay…?”

“I won’t.” Kai ruffled Sehun’s hair. “Don’t worry.”

Sehun bit his lip while he watched Kai go.

Tree of Life

Kai teleported to the tree just in time to witness Kyunsgoo’s rage. He had made another dirt wall and was punching the smithereens out of it. Kai calmly sat against the tree.

“What’re you so pissed about?” He asked.

“I’M ANGRY BECAUSE THAT DAMN SUHO IS SUCH A PRICK!”

“Why?”

“HE’S MAKING YOU GO TO THE OTHER ASYLUM! YOU COULD DIE THERE!”

“Kyungsoo.”

“WHAT?!” Kyungsoo turned around, startled by the figure standing directly behind him.

“Kyung, feel my hands.”

Kyungsoo questioningly held Kai’s hands as told. He realized they were shaking. They were also cold, very cold.

Kai smiled a bitter smile. “I’m not going because Suho told me to, but I feel like it’s my duty to. I’m the only one who can, so I’ll take that opportunity even if I’m gambling with my own life.” Kai leaned his forehead on his slightly shorter hyung’s. “I hope you understand.”

Kyungsoo didn’t seem to notice. “But what if you do die?! I won’t be able to take that! I-” Tears started rolling down his face. “I-I don’t want you to die! Don’t go, Kai…”

Kai gripped Kyungsoo’s hands. They were so incredibly warm; so were his lips.

His chaste kiss managed to calm Kyungsoo down. Kai pulled back quickly. “I’ll make a promise right here and now,” Kai stated. “I won’t die. I’ll promise that, no, I’ll guarantee it.” Kai kissed Kyungsoo again, this embrace slightly longer than the last.

Kai pulled back, mumbling. “That was our official pinky promise.”

Kyungsoo longingly stared into Kai’s chocolate-colored eyes. “Y-You’ll come back, right?”

Kai smiled; a real smile. “Wait for me, hyung.”

And with that, Kai was off to Suho, and soon the strange and unventured parallel world.

Okay, so... Kai's going the parallel asylum. It's incredibly dangerous because he's never been there. It's not like some tourist attraction; it's an entirely different world, with different people. What will happen? 

Incoming Baekyeol in the next chapter!