「 maybe in another life 」
Legends: The Chosen Twelve
/SCREAMS (update) – i'm just here to let everybody know about this, and CHANHUN, and UGH I'M NOT READY FOR THIS. sorry for the false update ;u;
“You ready, love?” Chanyeol called out, cracking his knuckles and loosening the muscles in his neck and shoulders. He smiled, watching as Sehun jumped up and down in place, shaking his hands to loosen them. Their eyes slowly shifted colors before dying down to specks again.
Xiumin, Chen, Suho, and Kris watched from the sidelines, the area still partly destroyed from D.O’s and Xiumin’s previous fight. Chanyeol explained that Baekhyun had been too busy to get it properly repaired… with Tao. They looked back and forth between the users, Suho gnawing at his lip in worry, simply because he’s never seen his youngest friend actually do an intense battle before. “He can actually do a lot more than he lets everyone believe,” Kris softly commented, eyeing Sehun before looking to Chanyeol, “I’m interested to see the outcome of this.”
“You know fire needs oxygen to survive, right?” Sehun called back, brows furrowing in slight worry.
Chanyeol’s eyes lit up, “Are you saying I need you to survive?”
Suho choked on thin air as Chen instantly turned to pat his back while Xiumin and Kris’ mouths just fell open in shock. Sehun’s eyes widened, not expecting that at all. “I-I mean,” he spluttered, face becoming redder by the second, “I just… I might kill you?”
“With your love?” Chanyeol questioned, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
Sehun blushed tenfold, Kris shouting out, “Just get on with the fight already before I battle you myself, flame!”
“Ah,” the fire user sighed out, turning to give the flight user a tired stare, “You ruined my fun.”
“Just get on with it!”
Chanyeol looked back to Sehun who was trying to school his expression back to a neutral one. He smiled at him, holding his palms out and creating flames in them, “Well, I’m coming for you.”
Sehun meekly nodded, standing relatively still as he eyed his calling’s moves, knowing not to focus exactly on the source of power in the hands. His eyes slightly narrowed, watching as Chanyeol beamed him another smile before throwing the fireball from his right hand at him and then running around. His eyes widened, watching as the ball grew in size towards him before whipping his hands out and crouching, waving his arms in circular patterns to subdue the flames.
Xiumin watched in approval as the size of the fireball instantly decreased, watching as Sehun ran away from his original spot once he saw Chanyeol making his way for him, continuing to throw fireballs at him. He looked to Chanyeol, seeing him create his wings of pure fire, the shirt he was wearing burning completely off in singes and ashes, leaving only the fire-resistant vest underneath. He raised a brow curiously. It must be specifically made for him.
Sehun looked behind him, sending gusts of wind to throw the fireballs off to the side, noticing Suho extinguishing the ones coming too close to them. He gulped, his body not accustomed to so much exercise, before turning, holding his hands out in front of them like he was holding a ball between his palms. He blew a soft stream of air, creating a small tornado that increased in size and power the closer he closed his hands together. His eyes flashed, flecks staying stagnant as he directed the tornado towards Chanyeol who instantly stopped running, letting out a steady stream of fire into the tornado to mix in with the oxygen instead of having it disperse.
The wind user’s eyes widened, quickly directing it towards Chanyeol. He used one hand to keep it steady, lightly clenching his fist as he used his other hand to direct a gust of wind behind Chanyeol to throw him into the burning tornado.
Chanyeol cursed, quickly turning and running another direction, looking towards Sehun when his eyes flashed and he directed a short burst of fire to hit the area next to Sehun’s feet. Sehun yelped, flinching at the close proximity and causing him to completely lose control of the tornado. Suho immediately stepped in, gathering as much moisture in the air that he could collect before dousing the flames to the best of his ability. Xiumin froze parts of the ground around them, allowing the water user to use the melting ice as well.
The fire user hummed, letting the mist fill the room slowly, noticing the way Sehun panted the slightest bit. He smirked, wings glowing brightly before he flew close to the ground towards his calling. Kris’ eyes widened at the act, turning to the youngest, “Sehun! Go up!”
Sehun quickly looked to his friend before obeying, immediately commanding the winds to bring him up and backwards. He looked back in front of him, biting his lip as Chanyeol quickly flew up to him. He flicked his fingers, creating cuts everywhere on his calling’s body before falling forward, taking one arm and throwing a punch to him, using his power of air to add more strength to his hit. Chanyeol grunted, not expecting an actual punch to the face, as he stopped midair to get his bearings straight.
Sehun took this as his chance. He instantly moved closer, flying down and gripping Chanyeol around the back of the neck before reaching forward and planting a soft kiss right under his left ear.
“What in the world?” Chen mumbled, watching with wide eyes as the mist was slowly dispersing to show Sehun kissing Chanyeol on the neck.
Kris’ eyes widened as well, Suho screeching out, “Sehun!”
Chanyeol instantly froze, feeling the soft lips on his neck. His wings slowly shrunk, he and Sehun being slowly guided back down to the floor with his winds. He cautiously turned his head, feeling the younger leave him, only to notice the other smiling happily at him.
Sehun had a childish look on his face, “You told me to guarantee a win against you is to kiss you. I figured a kiss on your neck would suffice.”
Chanyeol’s eyes widened, just staring at his calling, before a small smile took over his face, “That’s right.”
The younger laughed, letting his winds loose around them to cool the air down, as he walked towards the elder, “I don’t know why you thought we would actually battle each other, but you thought ahead well.”
The small smile turned into a slightly sad one, causing Sehun to raise his brows in question and worry, “I did, didn’t I?” He opened up his arms, making sure his flames were gone before the younger instantly walked into them for a hug. “I’m glad I did,” he whispered into his hair, making Sehun raise his brows in thought.
“I feel like Chanyeol didn’t use his powers to the max,” Xiumin called out bluntly, walking over to them with the rest in tow. He gave them a smile, “Although I understand why.”
“We need to work on your stamina, Sehun,” Kris mentioned, earning a hiss from Chanyeol. He glared at the other, “What?”
“I gave you that burn on your back,” Chanyeol muttered, pulling Sehun closer into his side, “Do you want another one?”
“I’m not healing it,” Suho instantly said, causing Chen to laugh.
“Sehun did well on his own though.” The lightning user gave the youngest a cute smile, “You’ve improved since I last remembered though. You knew about fire and oxygen.”
Sehun smiled proudly at them, somehow pointing to Chanyeol around his tight arms, “He told me about it.”
“Really?” Xiumin questioned, looking to the fire user, “When?”
“While you were still in the cellars,” the other instantly answered, not really wanting to tell them that he spent time alone with the youngest in a locked room. He gave them each an innocent smile.
Sehun looked up at him questioningly before noticing a crystal ball floating towards them out of the corners of his eyes. He shifted his gaze to the orb, staring into it, “Chanyeol?” He pointed up to the object when the elder looked at him.
“Oh,” the fire user breathed out, extending out an arm as the ball floated closer to him until firmly placing itself in his hand. He looked into it, letting Sehun stand up on his toes to push their heads together and see into the ball, “Luhan?”
“What is the wind user doing there?”
Sehun frowned, glaring into the orb, “I was simply curious.”
Chanyeol laughed, allowing the other warriors to crowd around him. They were still amazed a crystal ball could speak, after all. “What do you need, Lu?”
“Remember about the dinner. That will be our meeting as well,” the other responded back, the view of the orb showing Luhan shifting around before leaving the viewing. Chanyeol raised a brow when he heard a splash of water before the telekinesis user suddenly appeared again, looking unpleased with his hair half wet. “I will explain later. Bring the Night prisoners to D.O. He is with our other friend, and Baekhyun has approved the meeting with the condition I continue to watch everything that goes on in that room.”
Chanyeol nodded, noticing Sehun turning to look at him instead. He ignored it as he continued to talk with Luhan however, “Are you sure? Even with your crystal, I thought Baekhyun would disapprove.”
Luhan rolled his eyes at him, “Don’t take my title too lightly.” The other furrowed his brows in confusion at hearing Lay shouting for Luhan before his eyes suddenly widened, feeling Sehun kiss him on the cheek. “We will meet you at dinner,” Luhan quickly said after disappearing for a second. He nodded to him. “Don’t be late for our queen.”
Chanyeol dumbly stared at the orb as it shrunk in size before disappearing from his hand. He looked to Sehun whose eyes were crescents, “What?”
“You guys make me sick to my stomach,” Chen playfully said, nudging Sehun in the side before running for the safety of Xiumin and Kris. He gave the youngest his Cheshire-like grin behind them, “But it’s cute-nauseating.”
Sehun glared at him before turning back to Chanyeol and shrugging, “I just felt like giving you another kiss.”
“Okay,” Kris called out, followed by Suho, “Let’s please go before this gets any worse in front of us.”
Chanyeol chuckled, nodding to them before leading the way. He pulled Sehun close to whisper in his ear, causing him to blush, “You can give me any kisses any time.”
xxx
“Lay,” Luhan called out, frown already gracing his lips because the younger kept splashing water on him, “If you keep this up, I will need a bath myself.” His upper body was already soaked with hair matted down to his face.
Lay smirked, “Maybe I want you to take a bath.”
“I don’t smell.”
The healer rolled his eyes. “With me.”
“Oh,” Luhan mumbled, finally catching on, “Oh.” His eyes lit up, quickly divesting himself of his clothes, “Where is Tao when you need him?”
Lay laughed as he slightly moved to one side of the tub, “Shouldn’t we use the shower instead?”
“You can barely stand, Lay,” Luhan reasoned, turning to be on top of him instead. He raised a brow when he saw a faint glow at the bottom of the tub.
Lay gave him a playful smile, showcasing his dimple, as he wrapped his arms around Luhan’s neck. “I’m a healer,” is all he said before he pulled the other back down for a kiss.
xxx
“Goodness,” D.O. grunted out, helping Baekhyun settle against the wall of the hallway they were supposed to meet Lay and Luhan in, “How many times did you and Tao go at it?”
The light user grumbled, scowl on his face, “Why?”
D.O. stared at his friend, moving to stand in front of him as the elder leaned on his shoulder against the wall, “Four, huh?”
Baekhyun glared at him, “How do you possibly know that?”
“The way you grumbled out ‘why,’” the earth user deadpanned, looking up and down the hallways, wondering where their friends were, “And you’re limping too badly to not be at least three times.”
Baekhyun pouted, trying to shift his position, only to hiss when he did so. He groaned, slumping back against the wall as comfortably as he could, “Where are they?”
The other sighed, crossing his arms in front of his chest, “I don’t know. They were already on their way.”
“I bet their hormones got the best of them too,” Baekhyun mumbled, eyes darting to one end of the hallway, only to see a butler walk by. He sighed, thinking about Tao and his room, “At least I got somebody to quickly clean up the blood on Tao’s floor.”
“What?” D.O. asked, snapping his head to him confused, “What blood?”
Baekhyun lightly frowned, lowering his voice, “I’ll tell you later.” He watched as D.O. furrowed his brows before continuing, “Thankfully, Suho was still asleep when the specialist came to clean it. We had to tell him that he was a visiting friend who became too tired hanging out with us,” he paused shortly, “That part of the floor looks a bit off from the rest of the room though. It wasn’t completely restored.”
The earth user hummed shortly, trying to decipher the other’s thoughts. “Well, that’s good,” he eventually mumbled, not really noticing the difference earlier. They fell into a comfortable silence, waiting patiently and greeting the maids and butlers passing by.
“How did you know Kai’s real name?” Baekhyun softly questioned, not looking away from one end of the hallway. Everybody in their small group of friends knew each other’s real names but chose not to use it. It was a given anyways. Usually, only callings call each other by their full or real name, sometimes by parents as well. Some parents chose not to give their children nicknames though – Baekhyun and Chanyeol two of the ones who kept their real name.
D.O. looked up at him from where he was staring at the floor. He was leaning against the opposite wall, lost in his own thoughts. His brows furrowed, “I don’t know.” The other waited patiently, wondering how it was possible. The earth user let out an incredulous laugh. “The name was calling out to me in my mind the longer I stared at him. It popped up in my head and wouldn’t leave.”
Baekhyun frowned slightly, trying to think up of why that happened, although it seemed simple. He just wanted to know for sure. He looked back to D.O, “Do you think Tao would know why it happened?”
The other sighed, running his fingers through his hair, “He might know just as much as we do.” He simply shrugged, going back to leaning against the wall, “Callings are strange things. Maybe he’ll know my name without me telling him.”
Baekhyun smiled softly, “Tao shivers and instantly gets a fond look in his eyes when I call him by his real name.”
D.O. smiled back, “It snapped Kai out of his trance.” He then hummed, thinking more about it. “I’ve never heard Lay and Luhan call each other by their names though, maybe only a few times.”
“Yeah,” the other nodded in response, “I’ve been thinking about that too.” He winced when he accidentally shifted, aggravating his back again.
“Guys!” Lay called out, walking down the hall with Luhan gently touching his back. He smiled brightly at them, “I hope we didn’t make you two wait too long.”
The other two users raised a brow, noticing the glow on the lower part of Lay’s back. They continued to stare, not even greeting him or mentioning their wet hair until Baekhyun exclaimed, “Ah!” while pointing at the healer.
D.O’s eyes widened in realization before laughing, pointing his thumb in the direction of the light user, “Do you mind healing his back too?”
Lay and Luhan looked at him curiously before shifting their gaze to Baekhyun. “What happened to you?” the guard questioned, raising a brow. He noticed the limp and wince in the younger’s stance when he tried to stand up straight again. “Oh,” he mumbled, quickly looking to Lay, “Yeah. Heal him too when you’re done.”
The other looked to him curiously before nodding. He shrugged, simply walking forward and placing a gentle hand on the lower part of Baekhyun’s back, “Here?”
The younger nodded frantically, instantly sighing at feeling the soothing sensation fill in his lower back. “You are simply amazing, Lay,” he breathed out, head falling forward in bliss.
D.O. just looked at them amused before looking to Luhan, “You too?”
“I couldn’t help it after accidentally interrupting Baekhyun’s alone time with Tao,” Luhan muttered, waiting for Lay to finish healing Baekhyun so they could get going. He paused for a minute before turning back to the earth user, “Everything seems to be going well.”
The other rose a brow in question, “What do you mean?”
Luhan shrugged, “Those Night warriors. The water and teleportation users have shown to be peaceful thus far,” he paused, sighing, “And Chanyeol’s calling can probably do less damage if he’s with you. Though, they seem to be composed enough to not cause any trouble around here.”
“Sehun’s like Chanyeol in a way. I should be able to control him to an extent for however long your meeting lasts,” D.O. softly said, nodding, “I will also make sure they do not leave the room or anything. Plus, Tao seems to have immense confidence and trust in them.”
Luhan raised a brow curiously, looking to Baekhyun who gave him a small, reassuring smile. “I trust them enough as well” is all the light user said before the telekinesis user frowned, summoning up another crystal ball.
“I will start keeping an eye on them then.”
Baekhyun just nodded as Lay moved away from him, allowing him to start stretching his back. He was happy he could finally move normally again.
xxx
Chanyeol sighed tiredly, not bothering to quickly get a new shirt after their battle. He was holding on tightly to Sehun’s hand as he took frequent looks behind him to the rest of the prisoners who were staring at everything around them in awe except for Suho. The water user simply rolled his eyes at the expressions his friends were wearing. He looked back to Sehun when he felt the other gently squeeze his hand. He raised a brow in question.
“They won’t run or attack anybody,” he softly said, turning to see a butler walking towards them. He bowed politely to him, causing the butler to look at him mildly surprised before bowing in return.
Chanyeol smiled at the polite attitude his boyfriend expressed before giving a curt nod to the butler who continued to stare at them in question. “Please do not mention this to any one else,” he politely requested, referring to the newcomers, watching as the butler nodded silently, “It is Lay’s wish.”
The butler’s eyes widened in realization, instantly stopping to do a proper bow, “I will not, sir Chanyeol.”
The other smiled genuinely at him, watching as he quickly scurried off past their small group. He turned back to Sehun after a few minutes, “You do not need to bow to them.”
Sehun raised both brows, confused, “Why not?”
Chanyeol tugged on the other’s hand, letting them bump shoulders playfully. A large smile took over his face as they continued walking, “Because you are dating me. It gives you an instant boost to royalty.”
“You cannot be royalty,” the younger deadpanned, “You are not related to Lay.”
The elder chuckled, smile faltering for a second before it came on full blast once again, “I’m not.” He winked down at the younger, “But I along with the other four soldiers are highly revered in this land. You do not need to bow to them. The servants of this castle do not believe you to be a stranger if you have already made your way into my heart.” He eyed the colorful hair, “Plus, you still look like a Day soldier because of your hair.”
A small smile made its way onto Sehun’s face. He quickly averted his eyes as he continued to walk with the other. He really liked the sound of that. He looked around, wondering where they were going.
Behind them, Xiumin sighed as he and the other three followed after the fire user and their friend, “That was close.”
“I thought the butler would scream for help or something,” Chen mumbled, sticking close to Kris for safety.
The flight user sighed, looking to his other side at Suho, “You seem unnaturally calm.”
Suho shrugged, “I look like I belong with them.”
Chen pouted, leaning around Kris to stare pitifully at him, “Not fair.”
“It’s because of your cheekbones,” Xiumin softly commented, causing the other to look back at him, “They are very prominent.”
The pout on the lightning user’s face deepened, “Is that bad?”
Xiumin softly smiled, reaching out to poke Chen’s cheek and force one side up to form a half-smile, “Not necessarily. I like how they look. They are very charming on you.”
Kris and Suho tried to hide their snickers, watching with interest as Chen blushed and Xiumin looked ahead of them to see where they were going. They both looked ahead of them, allowing the younger to gather his now jumbled thoughts.
Chen’s eyes widened, reaching up to gently touch his cheek, remembering what Kai told him previously. He kept staring at Xiumin, causing him to tilt his head in his direction after a few minutes, wondering what the younger was doing. The elder laughed softly, “What’s wrong, Chen?” He reached over and lightly flicked his finger up on his chin, in a way to try and get the other to close his mouth, “You’ll catch insects in your mouth.”
“It’s really obvious.”
The blush darkened on Chen’s face before he quickly closed his mouth and looked away, dropping his hand. Xiumin raised a brow at him in concern, “Are you okay, Chen?”
The other nodded rapidly, moving his gaze from the floor to Sehun in front of him, only to see they’ve already climbed up a set of stairs and were standing in front of a different door. His brows shot up in confusion, “Where are we?”
Suho smiled, walking ahead of them to catch up to Sehun and Chanyeol, “We’re staying with a kind friend for now, I assume.”
Chanyeol nodded, looking from Sehun to him, “We have to wait a bit though. Tao just called out saying he needed another few minutes.”
Sehun frowned, pretty sure he just heard his best friend’s voice when he caused a light gust of wind to sweep past them under the door.
xxx
Tao had a solemn look on his face once Kai finished retelling everything he saw in his one random vision of the past. He lightly frowned, watching as Kai fidgeted with the blanket on top of him, waiting for a response. After a few more silent minutes, he softly broke the silence, “Has D.O. ever told you about Lay’s and Luhan’s personalities?”
Kai shifted his gaze to the time user lying only a foot away from him before he barely nodded, softly saying, “They are like double-edged swords.”
The time user nodded in confirmation, not elaborating any more, “I need you to keep this only between you, me, and our callings.”
“Why?” Kai softly questioned, curiosity and exhaustion clearly showing in his eyes, “I’m not supposed to have visions.”
“I know,” Tao sighed, reaching out to pull the younger into a hug, “But you are a space user. You bend space like how I bend time. It is possible you accidentally passed through his mind while using your ability earlier.”
“I can’t handle it,” the younger whimpered, moving in closer to the sturdy body in front of him, “I can’t witness something like that again. Not now.”
Tao frowned, moving his arm under Kai’s head as a pillow so he could rub soothing strides up and down the other’s back with his other hand, “I can only hope that you will not have to suffer through an act like that in the future.” He softly sighed, feeling the other start to relax in his grasp, “I will let you know immediately if I have a similar vision of it in the future.” He paused a few minutes, letting the other fall asleep against him, “I did not know that was the truth.” He tilted his head a bit to look down at Kai, “I have only heard rumors.”
He bit his lip, hearing a soft knock on the door followed by Chanyeol’s voice. “That would explain the memory loss,” he softly commented before gently removing himself from Kai. A fond smile made its way onto his face when the younger simply clung onto him more.
“Don’t go,” he mumbled, tears clinging to the ends of his eyelashes, “Please.”
Tao softly chuckled, disentangling himself from the younger, “Your friends are here as well.” He watched as Kai slowly opened his eyes, “Whom would you like to stay with you in this bed?”
Kai simply stared at him, reaching out to tug his hand, “Can’t Chanyeol open the door?”
The elder chuckled again, squeezing the other’s hand reassuringly, “Shall I allow Sehun in this bed with you?” He watched as Kai nodded timidly before he left to open the door.
Once Sehun, Chen, and Suho noticed Kai covered up in the blankets, their eyes widened, immediately flanking the bed. “What happened, Kai?” Suho questioned, quickly reaching out to rub the other’s back soothingly, “Kai?”
Tao softly smiled, looking to Xiumin and Kris, before shifting his gaze to Chanyeol, “Is it all right if Sehun lays with Kai in bed for now?”
Chanyeol furrowed his brows, everybody looking to the time user curiously, “Why?”
“He needs comfort,” Sehun softly said, gently climbing into the empty space on the bed next to Kai anyways, “Something happened.”
Chen frowned, looking to Chanyeol, “Sehun’s loyal, you know.”
“You all are,” Tao commented back before looking to his friend, “D.O. should be here shortly. Go to your dinner and meeting before you are late.”
Chanyeol looked at him before quickly making his way to Sehun and giving him a kiss on his temple, “I’ll find a maid to bring dinner trays up here for all of you and D.O.”
Sehun gave him a small smile, nodding. He instantly opened his arms up, the small smile growing the slightest bit when Kai immediately scurried into his embrace, “Thank you.”
The fire user gave a curt nod back, straightening up and looking at the rest of them, “Luhan will be watching all of you, just in case something happens.”
Kris frowned but nodded, “We will not do anything.”
“Go,” Tao softly commanded again, opening the door for his friend, “We will see all of you later.”
Chanyeol nodded, taking one last glance around the room, before leaving. Sehun watched him leave before looking to Kai in his grasp. “What happened?” Chen softly questioned, reaching out to run his fingers through Kai’s hair, “I haven’t seen him like this in a long time.”
Kai simply shook his head, burying his face more in Sehun’s bony chest. “Just stay with me,” he mumbled, tears falling and staining Sehun’s shirt. He knew something was off with the Day soldiers. He just didn’t think it would affect him this much.
xxx
“Where is Chanyeol?” the queen immediately questioned, walking into the dining hall to see her son, the Head Guard, and the financial advisor already sitting in their customary seats. She moved over to sit at the head, noticing the empty spot next to Luhan.
“Queen, he is on his way,” Luhan responded back politely with a nod of the head, Baekhyun immediately following suit with his own nod in greeting. “I have come into contact with him and he states he needed to change his shirt to be more presentable.”
The queen laughed softly, not noticing the little fidgeting Baekhyun was doing because they all really had no idea where Chanyeol was, “Of course, he would be like that.” She sat down in her seat, gesturing to the maid and butler at the end of the room to start their meal. Once they left, she looked to Baekhyun, “How are you, Baekhyun? I heard you’ve been repairing and renovating parts of our castle.”
Baekhyun immediately straightened up, still not feeling comfortable with the queen after all this time. He smiled brightly and nodded, “I am doing well, queen. I have been having the training room repaired since Chanyeol has been using it to practice lately.”
“Oh, Chanyeol,” the queen sighed affectionately, “I understand completely, Baekhyun.” She turned to Luhan, “Have the prisoners been behaving accordingly?”
Luhan simply nodded, turning to her and smiling, “They have.” He didn’t mention that he was currently connected to Tao’s room, the small crystal embedded in his bracelet. So far, all he could see was Sehun comforting Kai in bed and the rest of the warriors plus Tao conversing. He wondered where D.O. was and if he was going to bring them food.
Suddenly, a loud bang resonated throughout the room, causing the maids placing the plates of food down to jump in shock. “I apologize for being late!” Chanyeol blurted out, panting as he tried to fix his appearance and disheveled hair.
“Oh, do not worry,” the queen laughed, waving a dismissive hand in the air, “Luhan has informed me you were changing to make yourself more presentable for dinner.”
Chanyeol raised a brow, closing the door behind him gently before making his way for the empty chair next to Luhan. The latter turned to him and gave him a smile. “It is true, queen,” he eventually said, chuckling as he sat down right when his food was placed in front of him, “I was told this dinner would be important.”
Lay lightly stabbed his food with his utensil, Baekhyun reaching under the table to try and inconspicuously squeeze his hand for comfort. The queen smiled at Chanyeol, “It is.” She turned to eye Lay who refused to lift up his gaze before looking to Luhan, “I have already discussed it with my son and Luhan.” Lay lightly hissed at that, earning him a glare from his mother, “We have decided to inform you and Baekhyun and come to a decision together for our land.”
“I still wholeheartedly disapprove, mother,” Lay stated with finality, looking up to eye the queen, “It is not an honest method, and we do not need to expand our kingdom any more than we need.”
“But we have to ensure our land survives.”
“Even if it means destroying other innocent people’s homes?”
The queen leveled her stare with her son, “Whatever it takes, Lay.”
Lay glared at her, “We are supposed to be a land of light, of goodness.”
“We are also the land with the most prosperity and wealth,” the queen looked away to look at Chanyeol and Luhan, “We need to keep our status like this. We cannot lower ourselves.”
Baekhyun looked uncertainly between all of them, not entirely sure why he was at this dinner when Chanyeol was the strategist, Luhan was the Head Guard, and Lay was the prince. He shifted his eyes back to Lay next him as he slowly took another bite of his food. “We will not falter, mother. You know that. We have become increasingly stable over the years.”
“Because we have our healer, our phoenix, our head guard, and our light,” she looked to Baekhyun whose eyes widened, “What do you think, Baekhyun?”
Chanyeol looked back down to his food as Luhan and Lay turned to eye their friend. Baekhyun thickly swallowed what was in his mouth as he looked to the queen. “We are a land of light, queen,” he softly started, cutting his gaze to Lay every few seconds, “I believe we are already a powerful land without the need to conquer others.” He looked back to the queen, “How would you conquer other lands though, queen?”
The queen gave a scarily serene smile, “By using the teleportation user we have in our possession.” She looked to Luhan then, “Is he fairing well?”
Baekhyun’s eyes widened as he immediately looked to Lay when Luhan turned to face the queen. “He is fairing well from the time I last saw him,” Luhan calmly stated, shifting his right arm a bit so Chanyeol could glance into the crystal ball.
Chanyeol stiffened at the queen’s words before looking into Luhan’s bracelet. He shifted his eyes, squinting a bit before looking back to his food. The others still looked to be okay, and D.O. was already in the room with them. He looked up to Baekhyun who still looked shocked.
“We really should expand our kingdom more,” the queen reiterated, trying to get Lay to agree with her. Luhan would simply deny any actions without approval from Lay, unless she got him alone.
“Why do you not simply expand into the land of darkness?” Chanyeol softly questioned, shifting his gaze to the queen, “They have the second largest land.”
The queen’s eyes flashed dangerously for a second before the same serene smile made its way onto her face, “There was a reason why they became outcasts from our land in the first place. We should keep it that way.”
Lay furrowed his eyebrows; he, Baekhyun, and Chanyeol noticing Luhan shift his gaze down, amethyst eyes suddenly appearing before disappearing once again. He continued to stare at Luhan across the table from him, confused. “But with the teleportation user, we can simply control him and enter his homeland,” Chanyeol continued, his three friends snapping their heads towards him. He gave a lopsided smile, “It seems like a logical plan, correct? If you want to expand?”
The queen’s eyes lit up, shifting her gaze to Luhan, “Would you be able to control him, Luhan?”
Lay and Baekhyun glared at Chanyeol who seemed eerily calm. Luhan’s eyes widened as he turned his gaze to the queen, “I have not been able to do that in quite a while, queen.”
Lay snapped his head towards Luhan, the main course already finished. “Have you learned a new skill, Luhan?”
The queen tsked mockingly, shaking her head slightly as she looked to Lay, “He learned this skill quite a while back, Lay. He simply cannot and apparently refuses to use it.”
“He learned it while you were unconscious those few days, Lay,” Chanyeol softly murmured, looking up to the butler who delivered their desserts. He gave him a smile in appreciation.
Lay looked at him confused before looking to Luhan who wouldn’t look him in the eye. He instantly hissed when he felt the queen touch his hand, “We will not use the teleportation user, and we will not force him to invade his own homeland.”
“I concur with Lay,” Baekhyun loudly stated before taking a bite of his dessert. He eyed the queen, “It is inhumane.”
The queen sighed. She expected Baekhyun to be like this even though he was loud and disruptive half the time. She hoped he would side with her anyways. She looked to Chanyeol who didn’t give much of an indication to whether he still approved it or not before looking to Luhan who was still staring at her doubtfully. “Luhan?” she called out, taking quick glances to see the others quickly finishing up their dessert, “What have you decided?” She decided to eat her own dessert while the other barely touched his.
Lay stared down Luhan, wondering what he was thinking about. Baekhyun looked worriedly between them before looking to Chanyeol across from him. He was definitely too far away for him to kick under the table, but he hoped the other got his silent message of cursing him out in his head.
Luhan timidly looked to Lay, obviously conflicted with what to do. The queen was like his mother after his own parents passed long ago, but he was pretty sure his boyfriend would kill him if he agreed to the plan. He mentally shivered. Lay wouldn’t hesitate ending him too. He shifted his gaze away to Chanyeol who gave him a small smile. He couldn’t tell if it was reassuring or sinister. He had a hard time telling the difference nowadays.
“Luhan?” the queen spoke up again, “You have barely touched your dessert.” She looked to Baekhyun, “You may leave when you wish, Baekhyun. Thank you for your input.” Baekhyun quickly turned to her as he bit his lip before nodding. He looked back down to his plate to see a bite or two left. “Same with you, Chanyeol and Lay.”
“I have already told you I am not leaving Luhan alone with you,” Lay stated, glaring at the queen.
The queen sighed tiredly, rolling her eyes, “Chanyeol may stay as well if he wishes.”
“I refuse,” Lay insisted, shifting his glare to Chanyeol, “I would rather stay.”
The fire user gave him a bright smile, “Why do you not trust me, Lay? I am capable of making my own decisions and helping out Luhan as well.” He quietly grunted when he felt something hit his knee. He looked down to see new dirt staining his pantleg on the knee before looking up to glare at Baekhyun who shot a light ball at him under the table.
“Chanyeol may stay,” the queen said again, looking at her son, “Since you are finished, maybe you can check up on the teleportation user? I would not want you to waste any time doing something else that is not as important as that.”
Lay scowled, looking away from her to Luhan, “You are still not bothered by public displays of affection, correct mother?”
“I could care less,” the queen deadpanned, knowing her son was about to do something somewhat out of character again, “Go do whatever you plan to do to Luhan.”
Luhan’s eyes widened, completely caught off-guard as he watched Lay beckon Baekhyun to stand up and follow him to leave the room. “Stay with Luhan at all times,” he heard Lay order Chanyeol as he continued to watch him with his eyes. He turned his head slowly, watching as Lay simply and nonchalantly walked around the table to him, Baekhyun staying behind to let Lay do whatever he wanted. He opened his mouth in shock when Lay suddenly bent down and captured his mouth with his, tongue instantly coming out to play and creating a quick make-out session.
Chanyeol chuckled as the queen and Baekhyun rolled their eyes, the former leaning back in his chair, amused.
Lay hummed softly, placing a hand on the back of Luhan’s neck to pull him in closer and angle his head to deepen the kiss. He smiled slightly, Luhan quickly trying to dominate the kiss, before he pulled away to whisper in the elder’s ear, “If something is off, tell me immediately,” before placing a soft kiss under his ear.
Luhan panted, opening up hazy eyes to see Lay already leaving the room with Baekhyun in tow. “He has not changed, I see,” the queen offhandedly commented, leaning back in her chair as well. She waited until Luhan looked like he was back in a semi-right mind before questioning again, “What have you decided, Luhan?”
The guard dazedly looked to her before Chanyeol cleared his throat, causing him to slowly turn and look at his best friend, “What?”
“Before Lay put you in a daze,” Chanyeol helpfully started off, features exuding that of a playful animal, “We were conversing about whether we should use the teleportation user to invade his own land by allowing you to control his mind, or not.”
“Oh,” Luhan mumbled out, nodding once to confirm he heard all of that. He looked down, brows lightly furrowing as he thought about it some more.
“Luhan,” the queen gently coaxed, taking a quick glance at Chanyeol out of the corners of her eyes before shifting her gaze back to the other, “You can gain more power this way. You may practice for future battles.” She looked to Chanyeol, “You are able to come up with more strategies and become even more well-known throughout the country.”
Chanyeol raised a brow, curious about her words before looking to Luhan next to him who finally decided to eat his dessert.
“I heard from a maid that you have also found your calling, Chanyeol,” the queen suddenly brought up, causing the fire user to snap his head towards her, “I hear he’s very handsome, and you happened to see him while you were flying around the other week.” She smiled at him, “That must be a very nice feeling. You have actually found the person you are truly spending the rest of your life with.” Her smile softened, finally a genuine look in her eyes, “I would like to meet him soon.”
Chanyeol stiffened the lightest bit, not knowing how to interpret that look before giving a swift nod of the head, “Soon then, queen.” He looked to Luhan then, “The possibility of conquering the Land of Night using the teleportation user is high, Luhan.”
“Do you want to do this?” Luhan instantly questioned afterwards, making sure he wasn’t the only one going to be put in this situation, “You will be the one having to make the plans and everything.”
“Of course,” Chanyeol answered, noticing the smile on the queen’s face grow larger with each word he said, “Who else could make such elaborate plans? – Only if you are comfortable with the use of your power. I remember you were asleep for days after the first time you tried it out.”
Luhan bit his lip, looking back to the queen, “You said we were part of the legendary tale.” Chanyeol became confused as his brows furrowed in sequence, looking to the queen as well.
The queen nodded, smile gracing her lips, “I believe you two are, at least, along with my son and the light user,” she focused her stare on Luhan, “With this quest, you will possibly gain more power than you would have ever thought imaginable.”
Luhan stared at her a bit more, only coming to a decision when he heard Chanyeol stand up and then felt a heavy hand place itself on his shoulder. He let out a soft breath, feeling his best friend’s reassuring squeeze, “We will do it.”
The queen’s smile widened, eyes lighting up, “Perfect.”
xxx
Baekhyun and Lay walked up to Tao’s room in numb silence. Only when they made it outside Tao’s room, Lay simply placed his hand on the doorknob, seemingly waiting for something to happen, a question to be asked. Baekhyun was willing to supply it.
“Do you really think they’re going to do it?” he softly asked, barely above a whisper. He looked up to see Lay’s side profile, “Would your kiss really stop Luhan from doing it?”
Lay let out a quiet, bitter chuckle, “No.” The bitter smile slowly left his face as a frown took over. “Chanyeol seemed too confident in what he was doing, so I trust him, for now.”
Baekhyun frowned, eyeing him for a minute longer before looking to Tao’s closed door, “Why do you think your kiss won’t stop Luhan from agreeing?”
“It’s me,” the other softly responded, “He may love me unconditionally, but not even I can stop him when it comes to power and carrying out his title.” He paused, a second more, “I do not think I am his calling.”
“Why do you think that?” the light user breathed out, wondering where this open Lay was coming from. He hadn’t seen this Lay since years ago.
“I feel something is off,” Lay trailed off quietly. Baekhyun’s breath hitched when the other turned to face him, nose already turning red and tears b the edges of his eyes. “I truly love him, Baekhyun, but what happened? Why did he lock away half of my memories? Why isn’t he my calling?” he paused a second, lips starting to quiver, “How come you and Chanyeol found yours so easily?” The tears started to fall, as his hand dropped away from the doorknob, “This isn’t fair. Why am I the only healer left that we know? Even the queen won’t end me because she knows she needs me for Luhan.”
“Lay,” Baekhyun trailed off, his own tears springing up at seeing his prince so distraught. He didn’t know what to say. He continued to stare at him, slowly bringing up his arms in the form of an open hug. He wasn’t surprised when Lay instantly moved into them and clung onto him. “I’m so sorry, Lay.”
“I don’t even know what skills I can learn since dad is gone, Baekhyun,” Lay whispered, continuing on as sobs started to wrack through his body. “I’m flying blindly.” Baekhyun tried to shush him, rubbing soothing circles on his back. “I don’t even know if I have what it takes to heal everybody I know mentally, physically, and emotionally. How can I lead our people if I don’t even know how?” A broken sob escaped his mouth, almost falling to the floor if Baekhyun didn’t try to keep him up. “Why isn’t he my calling?”
Suddenly, the door opened, the person closest to the door curious as to why he heard something right outside of it. Baekhyun quickly looked to the door behind Lay, eyes saddening when he saw D.O’s wide eyes looking at them surprised.
“Lay?” D.O. softly asked, Tao quickly coming up behind him.
Baekhyun grunted, finally falling to his knees with Lay crying into his shoulder. “Why are half of my memories gone?”
The other two looked at them worriedly, Baekhyun giving them a watery smile. “Lay,” D.O. tried again as Tao quickly walked to them and picked up Lay bridal style. “Lay, what happened?”
D.O. looked away from Lay’s crying form to Baekhyun who finally let his tears fall. His eyes saddened, helping his friend back up, “What happened at dinner?”
Baekhyun gently shook his head, grabbing his hand and quickly following the other two into the room to close the door, “I’ll tell you later.”
Suho’s eyes widened at seeing Lay crying into Tao’s shoulder. He immediately got off of the bed Sehun and Kai were sleeping in to go over to them, “Lay?” Kris, Xiumin, and Chen watched with wide eyes, wondering what exactly happened at this so-called ‘dinner’ for Lay to break down so suddenly. Suho’s never seen any one as broken as this – this surpassed Kai’s breakdown in his book.
“I apologize, dear prince,” Tao softly said, endearingly, moving over next to the large window to set him down gently, “Our guests are using up my bed.”
Lay made some incoherent noise, shuffling in closer to Tao. The latter watched with sad eyes, not knowing what to do before looking back to Baekhyun who was biting his lip and D.O. who was looking extremely conflicted between anger and sadness. D.O. really wanted to hit whoever made their prince like this.
“Lay,” Suho tried again, slowly walking up to them.
Tao shifted his gaze to him, finally getting an idea. “Suho,” he gently said, beckoning the other to come closer with quick jerks of his head, “Please sit here against the window. Make yourself comfortable.”
Suho looked at him inquisitively before doing as told. “What are you-?” Kris started to question but cut himself short as he watched, amazed, as Tao gently removed Lay from himself only to have the healer immediately turn into the closest body next to him. His eyes widened, “Oh.”
The water user looked surprised as Lay clung onto him instead. He slowly wrapped his arms around the younger, feeling the other’s arms tighten even more around his waist. His eyes softened, reaching a hand up to run his fingers gently through Lay’s hair, “Lay. What happened?”
Baekhyun let out a few more tears, quickly making his way for Tao before falling into his arms, feeling at ease again when the younger wrapped his arms around him. He looked around at everybody else. “We need to protect Kai and possibly trust Chanyeol.”
“What?” D.O. breathed out, quickly shifting his gaze to his calling, asleep on the bed, “Why?”
“Tao,” Baekhyun softly called out, the younger wiping the tears off of his cheek. He looked up at him, “Can you freeze time everywhere else except within this room?”
Tao’s eyes widened before he quickly nodded, “I will tell you when I am taking it off.” He looked to Lay still sobbing, Suho whispering soft words into his hair. “We need to separate those two as well.”
Suho stiffened, Lay clutching onto him tighter, as he looked up to Tao, “Why?”
“He is still technically dating Luhan,” D.O. softly reasoned before looking back to Tao, “Please continue, Tao.”
Tao nodded, closing his eyes and focusing his power on separating his room from the rest of the world, “Let us hope Luhan has not seen any of this yet.” His eyes snapped open, slate grey irises present, before a light grey and yellow glow started to flow out of his body, an uneven outline stretching out until only his room was encased in the glow, not including the crystal ball in the corner of the room.
Chen quickly ran to the window, mouth falling open as he watched birds and the citizens slowly freeze in what they were doing. “Whoa.”
Kris and Xiumin trailed after him slowly, looking around and watching as time looked like it did indeed freeze. The latter turned back to Tao, seeing him remain completely still. He raised a brow as Baekhyun slowly reached for the time user’s hand and laced their fingers together.
“He needs to remain relatively still to maintain a skill as high-leveled as this,” he explained before he looked to D.O, “The queen wants to use Kai to infiltrate and take over other villages.” Kris growled at that, about to talk to him, when Baekhyun simply held up a hand, needing to continue. “Chanyeol suggested that Luhan invade Kai’s mind to control him and infiltrate the warriors’ homeland so our land could conquer the second largest land of the country instead.”
Everybody’s mouths fell open, almost all of them looking back to Lay who was quieting down. “What?” D.O. breathed out, shifting his gaze to Sehun and Kai, “I won’t allow that.”
“Lay completely refused as have I,” Baekhyun stated, looking back to his friend with sad eyes, “He tried convincing Luhan not to do anything brash, but he believes Luhan will agree with the queen anyways.”
“Lay,” Kris hissed, Suho instantly glaring up at him and tugging Lay closer to him. The former made a noise of disapproval instead before looking over to the two youngest sleeping men, “Why do you say that?”
Baekhyun looked over to Lay, a look of uncertainty in his eyes, “Lay believes-”
“No matter how much he loves me,” Lay hoarsely spoke up, barely removing his face from Suho’s shirt, “He loves power more.”
Suho frowned at the reason, “His love for you should overcome his love for power.”
“He loves power because with power, he can protect Lay,” D.O. softly said, understanding everything, “He associates power with Lay – the more power he has, the easier he will be able to protect the one he loves.”
Suho scowled, “That is still not a good reason.” He looked up to Baekhyun and then D.O, “He knows how relatively kind we are,” he gave a pointed look to Kris who scoffed before looking back to the other two, “Why would he want to destroy the place we call home?”
“That’s why we need to trust Chanyeol,” Baekhyun softly said, looking down at his hand when he felt Tao squeeze it before looking back to the younger, “Lay says Chanyeol was too confident. Something was off, so he feels like we should trust him.” He gave a gentle squeeze back, feeling the sweat permeate his calling’s clothes, “We need to separate you two, Suho. Tao is about to return time.”
“No,” Suho immediately said, tightening his hold on Lay, “I am not letting him cry himself to sleep like this.” His brows furrowed when he felt Lay try to move away anyways. He fell limp, letting the healer do whatever he wanted, “Lay?”
“I’m going to the bathroom,” Lay mumbled out, slowly standing up and walking away from them with his head down, “If Luhan calls for me, tell him I’m just in there. He should be okay with it. He knows I like taking multiple baths if I can.”
Baekhyun nodded, biting his lip as he looked to Suho who looked extremely conflicted. Before Lay could open the door that was still frozen in time, Tao in a deep breath, retracting his power. He blinked profusely, trying to come back completely. “Suho,” Tao breathed out, simply falling backwards to lie on the ground, exhausted, “Make sure he is okay.”
D.O. nodded, looking to the rest of the warriors, “Stay in here, and try to keep an eye on that crystal ball.” He looked to Suho, “Make sure nothing changes in there, and you don’t see a new crystal ball form.”
Suho looked at all of them shocked before looking to Kris and Xiumin and finally landing his gaze on Chen. The latter widened his eyes before a soft chuckle escaped his mouth. He gave him a small half-smile with a jerk of the head, “Make sure The Handsome Healer is okay.” His smile brightened when he heard a choked laugh come from the bathroom.
The water user gave him a grateful smile, immediately scrambling to get up before making his way to Chen. He paused in his steps when he stood next to the lightning user. Chen crossed his arms in front of his chest, raising a brow as he looked at his friend out of the corners of his eyes. His eyes widened when Suho suddenly swept in and planted a soft, chaste kiss on his cheek. “Maybe in another life, Chen.”
Chen stood there, shocked, arms loosening before he slightly turned to see the bathroom doors close behind Suho. Xiumin looked at him affectionately before walking over to gently hold his hand. Sighing, Kris walked over next to the door and slumped down against the wall, watching as D.O. moved to sit next to Kai’s sleeping form, a small smile on his face. Chen didn’t need to look back to know Xiumin was the one holding his hand and that the time and light users were simply smiling despite how tired the other was. A soft smile graced his lips, “Maybe in another life, Suho.”
a/n: /sobs. i almost cried writing lay's part. it's just- /cries.
anyways. i have a lot going on. i'm going to be working 6 days straight at a hospital, and then it's thanksgiving (weekend), so maybe. update in two weeks? i need to re-read the next chapter i already have written and make sure it's going where i want it to go in the future. hopefully this chapter answers some questions and maybe brings up new ones? i love to know your thoughts :)
-catalyst (this chapter is 9k+, damn)
(Legends): otl. 400 subs?! this is truly amazing ;u; i want to give you guys something in return.. but what?? [02/02/2015]
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