Chanyeol was well aware he was adopted. He didn’t resent anybody for it, nor did he regret being raised by the people he knew as his parents. The Parks were a big, musical family, and Chanyeol had fit right in. But he had always known that he wasn’t linked by blood to these people, and their recent admission of it to him had made him restless.

Chanyeol put down his well-loved acoustic guitar and set off to find his foster mother in another room. He found her seated behind their piano, carefully cleaning the keys.

“Mum, can you tell me about my real family?” he asked abruptly, and she nodded.

“Of course I can, honey. Why don’t you come sit down?” she gestured to the couch and Chanyeol flopped down on it.

“Now, do you want me to sugar-coat it for you or tell you straight?”

Chanyeol shrugged, and opened his palms. Little jets of fire leaped from them into the air.

“It’s not exactly like I’m expecting anything particularly heart-warming here, Mum,” he managed with a chuckle.

“Well, I can only tell you what I know, but I’ll try my best to sate your curiosity of course. Your father was ill in hospital, and volunteered to be subjected to an experiment. There had been an unprecedented meteor shower some few months earlier and twelve or so of these rocks fell to Earth. When they had been recovered and seized by the government it was discovered that each contained a different substance unknown to science. The substances all had negative effects on humans but the scientists wanted to figure out exactly what was going on, so they gathered twelve volunteers and conducted a study, your father being one of them. The initial twelve subjects sadly became fatally ill and passed away, but each of their first-born children was also taken in for testing – you were one of these kids, who all ended up being males. Without exposure to the stones you started to show signs that you’d been affected, so it was ascertained that it was some sort of hereditary effect. As you grew up they learned that you had these… powers, of sorts.”

Chanyeol was transfixed, but still managed to send a small puff of fire into the air with a wry smile.

“As the research was nearing its critical point, two members of the country’s secret service, disguised as two of the women who had been rearing you all from birth, abdicated with all twelve of you children and what was left of the stones, making sure to destroy all the research on their way out.  Excluding the fact that you were affected by the stones and had gained strange powers, the information had more or less become public knowledge.”

“I never heard that story before,” Chanyeol interjected thoughtfully.

“The next part is just what I’ve seen and was told. One day I answered the door to one of these women. Even from looking I could tell she was very ill. You were in a trailer besides her, having been pulled down the path to the front door as she wasn’t strong enough to carry you. She told me her story and explained that her and her partner had changed their minds before they had made it back to their superiors with the children, and were instead finding loving homes for each one. She also told me her and her partner had decided that the power to give newborn children strange abilities was not a power the world needed, and that after they had found homes for all twelve children they would commit suicide together, taking the stones with them. When I questioned her about her illness, she laughed and told me that she had already swallowed six of the stones as a safety measure, and told me that her partner had the other six. She knew she was going to die, but she was comfortable with it because she knew she’d found perfect homes for all twelve of you. I took you in eagerly - even though I was pregnant with your youngest sister at the time I had no issues raising six children rather than five. The woman told me that she’d not given you a name as you were one of the first children she’d found a home for, so I named you Chanyeol, after my husband’s favourite make of guitar. We both thought it was a nice-sounding name. After I’d decided on a name, I invited the woman in to the house and offered to let her spend the night, but she declined. Instead we cooked her a warm meal and sent her off with food for the remaining children as well. She thanked me profusely and wished me the best of luck in raising you, and left. I didn’t see her or hear from her again after that, nor did I hear anything to indicate that something had gone wrong with her plan. I believe she died as she wished to with her partner, after she found you all a home.”

Chanyeol was silent for a long time.

“Chanyeol, are you okay?” His mother asked anxiously.

“I’m fine,” he replied confidently, “thanks for telling me. You said there were twelve of us? Do you know anything about them?”

She shook her head. “I’m sorry Chanyeol; I’ve told you absolutely everything I know. The only other person who knows this is your father, though. I didn’t tell your siblings.”

Chanyeol mulled it over, and got up suddenly. “I hope I can find the other guys one day,” he said enthusiastically. His tone grew sadder as he added, “Apart from you guys they’re the closest thing to family I have left. Thanks for everything, Mum.”

“I’m glad you’re all right, honey. Let me know if you need anything, okay?”

Chanyeol nodded and left the room, determination stirring inside him. He was Park Chanyeol, fire coursed through his veins. He was born from an experiment, there were eleven others just like him, and he was going to find them all no matter what.

A/N: Hello everyone! Yep, this fic is finally underway :) I know nothing much actually happened in this chapter, it was more or less an explanation of the prologue from the POV of one of the actual main characters. Not to worry, the next chapter is already underway! I hope you enjoyed this update despite it not being very exciting, and I hope you continue to anticipate further updates :D Thanks for reading!

- nekopan xx