I followed after the guys out of the dining hall.

The doors retracted into the side automatically, and I was amazed by how long this train was.

Gym. . . pool. . . armory. . . I thought as we passed through each room.

Finally, we reached a large, metal door, with a criss-cross pattern of lines.

Xiumin and Suho banged on the door. "Chen!"

Luhan stepped forward. "I got this."

His eyes glowed with rainbow colors, and a faint click was heard within the door.

Kris ran up and ran right through the doorway, knocking the door to the ground.

We all followed and made a semi-circle around a bloody figure sprawled on the floor.

Lay rushed up to him, but he was thrown back by. . . ?

Darkness?

Part of Chen's shadow peeled off from the rest and rose up to a height taller than Kris. It opened its eyes, revealing night-black slits floating in harsh red.

Kai pulled me back. "Back away, ~~~. It's a Shadow Demon."

Its face contorted into something that resembled mockery and a smile. "Yes, ~~~. 'Back away from the Shadow Demon.' Of course, running away always helps. But that's what you'll always do, won't you?" it said, voice dripping with hatred.

I frowned. "I won't always run away."

It crooked its head. "Don't lie to a spirit. It's your destiny. Like a phoenix, EXO falls. Taken away by Death's calls. As the coloborum eats the Heart, the savior will soon depart."

Baekhyun stepped forward and lifted his hand. "What are you saying?"

The demon laughed. "You have more important things to worry about. I bit little Chen here, so he won't live very long. And also, your engine is malfunctioning," it said.

It was Suho's turn to frown. "Our engine's fin-"

A deafening explosion resounded from the front of the train, and in response, the room tilted to the side, and seemed to be going downwards.

Kris and Suho cursed simulataneously and grabbed Luhan, running to the engine room.

Baekhyun, Xiumin, Sehun, and Chanyeol moved closer to the spirit.

It raised a finger, and wiggled it back and forth teasingly. "Uh, uh, uh~!" it sang before disappearing.

***

"We got the engine fixed up the best we could, but it's not going to last. Luhan went into F.S. to keep it running," Suho panted, taking a seat at the dining table.

"F.S.?" I asked.

"Frozen State. If you go into the State, your power multiplies and you become stronger, using your powers more efficiently," Kris explained.

"Alright, then. But what was the Shadow Demon talking about?"

Kyungsoo sighed. "A prophecy. It said that you're destined to leave, once the coloborum eats the Heart."

"Can we believe it?" I countered. "It's a demon!"

"But demons are spirits," Tao said. "Spirits have incredible knowledge. It just depends on whether they're friendly or vicious."

"Fine, then. My future is that I'm going to disappear from wherever. But explain the prophecy more. 'Like a phoenix, EXO falls. Taken away by Death's calls.' " I said.

"I guess EXO will crumble, no matter what happens. I don't know what 'like a phoenix' means, since they have been extinct for a long time. We don't have much information on them, so there's nothing to say," Baekhyun said.

"And Death's calls," Suho continued. "Death is a being of darkness. It is rumored that when he speaks your name, you die. But Death isn't evil. He's actually on our side, I guess. He's pretty powerful."

"And 'As the coloborum eats the Heart, the savior will soon depart.' What's a coloborum, and what's so special about eating a heart?"

"A coloborum is an incredible creature of strength and malevolence. Merciless, ruthless, they can probably kill us all in less than a minute," Kyungsoo said. "And it's 'Heart,' not 'heart.' Capital 'H'. The Heart is the core of EXOplanet, and life lives on EXOplanet because of this Heart. If life dies, the Heart will make sure life comes back. But if the Heart dies, life on EXOplanet immediately dies."

Weak, right?

*sighs*

So much filler, not enough chapter. . .