*WARNING: Sad chapter is sad ;'(

       Thankfully, everyone returned home safely after their adventure outside; although Kai and Sehun had a hard time dragging their elders home and putting them to bed early. Basically, the only ones not passed out were Kris, Chen, Sehun, Kai, and barely Lay. It started storming outside, so the five decided to watch another movie to drown out the thunder. Suddenly, the movie paused itself and a note appeared. Wake-up call was at 7 am and they would all attend a mandatory meeting in the training room at 8:30 am. It was unusual that they got a wake-up call but none of them thought too much of it. After the movie finished, they all returned to their rooms.

"Kris?" Tao whispered when he heard the door creek open.

"Sorry," he whispered back.

"C-can I sleep in your bed again?" Tao asked nervously.

"Again?...I mean, uh, you can if you're that scared." Kris yawned. Tao climbed down the short ladder and Kris scooted over to make room for him. Both faced back to back to avoid any awkward situations.

"Hey, Tao."

"Hm?"

"Why are you so afraid of lightning and thunder?"

"I...mainly the noise scares me. But I'm also afraid that it'll strike me if I'm not quick enough." Tao sighed.

"Not quick enough? If it strikes you can't you just turn back time and avoid getting struck?"

"I mean... I could I guess but I don't like messing with time too much. It can get to your head."

"Having the power to control time?" Kris turned over at the same time Tao did; both were now face-to-face.

"Well, that too I guess." Tao laughed, "I mean like changing the time line... It's hard to explain."

"Can you try to?" Kris's eyes met Tao's.

"I guess. Alright, so I found out I could use my powers in second grade during a test. The night before my friend and I slept over to 'study' and we ended up playing videogames all night. So, first period came around and both of us fell asleep while taking the test. I woke up when the teacher called five minutes and panicked. I hadn't completed a single question. Basically, it was the longest five minutes of my life. You know why? Those five minutes were actually thirty," Tao giggled.

"So?"

Tao sighed, "So let me try to explain it with something else. Uh... this one is embarrassing though."

"Just say it." Kris lightly tapped him.

"Fine... So I had liked this boy for a long time during primary school." He blushed, "So I confessed to him in 6th grade. Unfortunately, he rejected me and I got beat up and made fun of afterward. I hated that I confessed in front of the school though. So, I turned back time and confessed to him while just the two of us. He told me he needed time to think about it. I asked him how long, and he said a week. I forwarded to a week in the future. I gleefully attended school (which was hard to keep up because I technically hadn't gone in a week) and awaited lunch. As I headed to place where we were going to meet, I ran into a bunch of kids that kept picking on me; luckily, I got around them. But the sight behind them wasn't one I wanted to see. He was dating someone already... he started dating a girl the day after I confessed. Had I just endured that week one day, I would've known. So, I went back in time again. This time I didn't confess and avoided the boy at all costs. He asked me if I hated him and I couldn't even tell him why I did." Tao bit his lip.

      Kris wrapped Tao in his arms and held onto until he heard him stop sniffling. Kris was about to let him go, but Tao still clung to him.

"I don't want to die." 

"Where did that come from?" Kris laughed.

"You don't know yet...I forgot..." Tao swallowed hard.

"Know what?" his smile fading.

"I don't want you to die eithe.r"  Tao bit his lip again.

"What are you talking about?"

"... I mean, let's agree to not die, no matter what."

"Alright." Kris pulled the younger closer to his body. Is it weird for two boys to be cuddling like this? Whatever, Kris was too tired to care. He simply closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.

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"WAKE UP!" a voice shouted in Kris's ear.

"Hm?" he opened one eye to check who it was.

"It's time to get up sleepy heads." Chanyeol laughed behind a pissed Baekhyun.

"I've been trying to get you guys up gingerly but you wouldn't respond." Baekhyun crossed his arms.

"Sorry." Kris sighed and sat up. Tao was still sleeping. Tao looks handsome even in his sleep...

"ert." Luhan appeared in the doorway.

"What?" Baekhyun and Chanyeol asked at the same time.

"Nothing~" Luhan smiled and exited the room.

"You got a problem there Luhan?" Baekhyun growled and the pair followed him out.

"Tao, it's time to get up." Kris gingerly shook him.

"I don't wanna..."

"You have to. They want us at the training room at 8:30. We'd better start getting ready."

"When did they tell you that?!" Tao suddenly sat up.

"Uh, last night while you guys were sleeping an announcement came on the TV."

"And they didn't ask for anyone in particular? They want everyone?" Tao studied his face.

"Yeah... Why? What's up?" 

"...Don't worry about it..." Tao mumbled as he stormed off into the dining room, Kris followed him.

"Why the hell didn't anyone tell me?!" Tao slammed his hand on the table. Everyone paused and looked up from their breakfast.

"We all knew it was coming when Kris arrived." Suho looked down.

"What's coming?" Kris asked.

"But still, was there really an announcement last night? Why didn't anyone tell me?!" Tao yelled.

"Tao calm down!" Kai stood up.

"Tao don't run away again," Luhan said while reading a home decorating magazine. Everyone realized Tao's thoughts with this statement.

"Don't make this harder on yourself." Lay put his hand on the other's shoulder.

"What's going on?" Kris asked again.

"Guys. I don't want to... I want to..." Tao started shaking.

"We need to exthplain what'th going on to Krith." Sehun stood up. Everyone became silent. 

"I will then..." Luhan motioned for Kris to follow him. Luhan lead Kris into Sehun and his bedroom, which was mostly green and white themed.

"This is probably the worst news you'll ever hear in your life, but I think you'd rather hear it from me now, than in a few hours from TOP..."

"Just say it, please."

"So, there is a reason we're all gathered here. You know about the Titan War yes?" Luhan started.

"Yeah, but all I know is that the Titans were fighting for territory and killed a bunch of humans."

"Kinda. What ACTUALLY happened was that humans and Titans made an agreement to split the land fairly. That worked, until the humans started overpopulating and intruding on our ancestor's territory. They didn't say anything at first because it wasn't too bad at first, but then they started massively expanding in our territory. The Titans said something in a meeting that the Titans and humans have once a month to keep peace, but the humans didn't listen. So one day, the humans stoned one of us to death. Titans got angry and destroyed as many villages as they could. A century later, when all the titans had been reborn, they decided to capture the strongest 12 of us."

"So, that's why we're all gathered here?"

"Bingo~ Now what do you think the human rebellion is going to do with us?" Luhan asked.

"The human rebellion?" Kris questioned.

"The humans that captured us. Your dad is part of it which is why he was so easily able to give you away."

"What are they going to do with us?"

"They're going to kill us in the most brutal way possible," Luhan replied coldly. He'd prepared to be the one to tell Kris, but it still hurt him. Kris was shocked.

"...and that is?" He was afraid to ask.

"Make us kill each other." 

"WHAT?!"

"Calm down." he read from the script on his hand. Luhan didn't want to attach emotion to this meeting. Both became teary eyed, but Luhan continued:

"They've planned this all along! Kris, n-no matter what happens, I'll find a way. I'll find a way out for us." The tears streamed down. Luhan grabbed Kris's hands, "I promise, I won't let anyone die. There has to be something I can do this time..."

"B-but Luhan."

"I won't let us die!" Luhan shouted louder than he expected. "Tao plans to turn back time...again..."

"Again?" Kris wiped his eyes.

"Tao has been reliving this time here for countless years. He has relived this experience for way too long. To be honest, I've lost count of how many times he's started over. But I can see everything, even the reason he doesn't go back to before he got here." Luhan grabbed a few tissues for Kris and him.

"Why does he stay here? Why doesn't he just set himself free?!"

"To keep meeting you." Luhan smiled as more tears escaped.