The Eternal Alyssum

“The fire which enlightens is the same fire which consumes.”
- Henri Frederic Amial

At the very end of your life, there's a possibility that you’ll see some kind of light, coming from the headlights of the car that’s about to end your life in a sudden accident. Or maybe you’ll see a blaze of fire about to burn your entire existence, or maybe you’ll feel suffocated because your system suddenly cannot find oxygen anymore. The last thing you’ll feel or witness in this world before your life ends is the time you’ll finally meet one of them.

Chanyeol is one of them.

They’re not the Angels of Death. Their jobs are not to take the lives of newborns or seize lives without any pain. Anything that relates to normal death is not their task. They are Demons of Death. They’re taking somebody’s life painfully and tragically and they’ll leave so many questions for people who love that person. Why does it have to be like that? Why does it have to be that soon? Why does it have to be her/him? Why… Why… Why…  

And now, it’s Chanyeol’s turn to ask why.

***
 

Chanyeol runs in the city like crazy, almost half of the city he burned with his power as the Demon of Death. Although the rain pours heavily, the fire keeps blazing here and there, lighting the night like a nightmare haunts the sinner. Many people meet their deaths although it’s not their times for them yet. The screams of innocent people can be heard everywhere but they cannot overpass the scream on his mind that’s been asking why.

He knows that he’s going to die for the second time because of this act, but he doesn’t care. He needs to find the Demon of Death that took her life. The Demon that suffocated her in her sleep. He needs to find that Demon who can play so well with air.
 

But before Chanyeol can hide himself, he feels a buzz of electricity running through his veins, and he screams but not for long. He never knew that the pain could still taste the same after his first death. He falls to the muddy rain; his body felt weak and it still shook a little and he can feel the aftershock.
 

They’re here.
 

For so many times Chanyeol tries to make fire from his body, but he can’t feel anything. His energy is empty. The only thing that he feels still blazing with fire is the wings tattoo he has on his shoulder blade. He closes his eyes, bearing the pain as his mind rewinds the last time he spent the night with her.

***

A night before.

The moon shone so brightly, just like the mood of the Demon of Death who walked by himself to the big white house on the corner of the street. On his way, sometimes Chanyeol played with his right hand, making some kind of beautiful fire sparks. He loved fire and he loved to play with it. Well, the old habit wouldn’t fade away easily.

The Demon that covered his warm body just with a leather jacket knocked the door three times. It must have been funny to another Demon that Chanyeol still liked to take this kind of polite act. But once again, this was the thing that he loved even after his death. Most demons wouldn’t want to enter the house through the door since they didn’t need to do it anymore but Chanyeol still did. As he waited, he took a glance toward the garden of that house. It was filled with plants—dense clusters of tiny flowers in white—her favorite flower, the Alyssum.

A few moments later, an old woman opened the door for him—for nothing to be exact.

“Good evening, Ahjumma…” Chanyeol greeted the old lady but of course she couldn’t hear him or see him. “Sorry.” He knocked the wooden door once just to prank the old lady and couldn’t hold back his laugh when he saw the maid hugging her body tightly to calm her nerves. Still chuckling a little, Chanyeol ran to the room on the second floor.

The owner of that chamber always let the door open a little. He didn’t know why she did that, but he was really grateful for it since he didn’t want to disturb her from her sleep. Slowly, he entered the room but he couldn’t hold his wide smile from appearing when he saw the pale-skinned girl with a long dark brown hair that framed her angelic face, sleeping on her bed. He smiled happily whenever he saw her like this but he never stayed like that for long. His heart felt the opposite because whenever he entered the room, he always saw her sleeping uneasily.

“Hey there.” Chanyeol climbed up the bed to lay his body next to her. “I’m here,” he whispered as he moved the teddy bear plushie from her embrace and put it on the nightstand. “Now you have to sleep peacefully, okay? Don’t let the bad memory about me ruin your dream.” He pulled her body closer to him so the girl could lay her head on his chest.

Chanyeol planted a soft kiss on the top of her head. “Still crying, aren’t you?” He caressed her back and the creases on her forehead slowly disappeared as if she could feel the motion that came from a Demon like him. “It’s been 2 years since I left our world but you’re still like this.”

“Today, I took people’s lives with my fire. It hurts. This job still hurts me.” Chanyeol started his story. “Another Demon said to me that the reason I got this job was because I was capable enough to take somebody’s life. Isn’t it weird?” Chanyeol watched her as he continued his story. “I’m a killer. Would you still be in love with me if you know who I am right now? Sometimes I wonder, which one of me is better: the drug addict or the Demon of Death.”

“Some of my friends in this job also told me that whenever we feel hurt after taking someone’s life, well, that’s the actual punishment to pay the sins we did in our previous lives.” Chanyeol stopped his story when he felt her snuggling her face closer to his bare chest. “You felt warm, huh?” He laughed a little as he placed the strands that were blocking his gaze from her face. “It’s good to know that I can still give you a place to feel warm even after all this time.”

“I think I’m so selfish because I just told you everything about me without asking anything about you.” As his right hand caressed her back, his left hand was being intertwined with her right one. “You’re so pale and skinny now. Is life getting harder on you?”

“Gosh, I’m not in the right place to ask, am I?” He kissed her lips and then placed his right cheek on top of her head. “I really want to spend more time with you, Little Angel, but my punishment is calling. I really hate it when I have to leave you.” He brought her body closer, squeezing her a little before he took a deep breath to smell her scent. The scent that gave him strength. “I’ll see you tomorrow night, okay? Sleep tight, my Little Angel… don’t let me ruin your dream and make you shed another tear on this beautiful face.”

***

On the darkness Chanyeol hears someone running toward him.

“Hey!”

Chanyeol knows the owner of that husky voice. “My friend, Baekhyun,” he mumbles. Baekhyun takes hasty steps before he kneels down beside him. He’s drenched by the rain from head to toe and his breathing stutters when he speaks.

“Listen,” Baekhyun says, chest heaving up and down. “They’re on their way here. Chen found you just now and Kris is trying to stall some time for you. We can’t do much and I can’t save you but--”

“I know,” Chanyeol replies, smiling hollowly to the dead night’s sky. “It’s okay, just do it. I’m ready.”

“What, to die?!” Baekhyun screams, gripping the top of Chanyeol’s leather jacket which is already soaked by the rain just to force his friend back to his sitting position. “Hey, snap out of it, Yeol!”

“What do you want me to do?” Chanyeol asks, staring blankly at the other man’s eyes. “I don’t have the will to live anymore.”

Baekhyun grits his teeth and punches his friend hard across his face. “Damn it, Yeol!” He barks loudly, his voice sounding desperate. “AT LEAST, STAND UP AND TRY TO FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE, YOU IDIOT!”

Chanyeol frowns because Baekhyun doesn’t look like he’s angry at him at all. He looks... disappointed. Baekhyun’s hands are shaking and Chanyeol realizes that he’s afraid. Baekhyun is scared of losing his friend.

“It’s okay,” Chanyeol says, smiling a little at the other man. “You can go. You don’t have to witness all of this.”

“That’s not the ing point--”

“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol softens his voice and the other man looks up at him with his broken soul displaying on his eyes. “It’s okay. It’ll all be over before you know it.”

Baekhyun’s grip around his collar weakens and Chanyeol knows that he’s already stopped hoping for some kind of a miracle to happen.

“Listen to me,” Baekhyun says and his voice sounds quieter this time. “I... I got this letter near her body. Read it before they come. I’ll try my best to give you more time.” Baekhyun places an ivory envelope on his friend’s hand and he’s gone before Chanyeol can show how grateful he is for his effort. For being his friend even for this short time.

Chanyeol struggles to open his eyes to read the letter on his hand. He can tell that it’s from her by her unique handwritten style.

***

Hey Yeol, my giant teddy bear...

I know this letter could be a strong evidence for this world to prove that I’m crazy. I don’t care, my parents are going to put me in a nuthouse anyway so I don’t care. Will they think I’m crazier if I tell them that I’ve been feeling like I’ve been followed by something? Something that, I guess, will kill me whenever it gets the chance. Haha… I’m crazy, Yeol! I think you would think the same as me.

But whatever those people say—and whatever you will say too, I will start my letter for you.
 

You know, Yeol, somehow, there’s a part of me that still thinks I’m not alone in this world. I’m still thinking that you’re still here, staying beside me just like a guardian angel that God sent specially for me. But I know, ‘angel’ would never be the right word to describe a demon like you.

You came like a blazing fire in my boring life, giving me a great chance to feel the beauty of this scary world. I still remember the first time we talked back then in high school. You were the class clown who loved to do fire magic with your cigarette’s lighter and you accidentally burned my hair when you wanted to show off your skill. At that time, I thought, ‘what has this silly boy done to me?’. Well, no one ever knows their destiny, right? That silly boy had done something serious to me. He thought he only burned a strand of my hair but little did he know that he also burned my boring pathetic life and turned it into a better one.

Do you remember when you changed your clothes into our school basketball uniform in front of the class? The first time when I and also the entire students in our class, discovered that you got a pair of wings tattoo on your shoulder blade? At that time I pulled you out of our class and asked why you tainted your body and you just said “I thought you like something with an angel ornament.” And I just couldn’t stop laughing because of your stupidity and in the end we laughed together like crazy. Gosh, I miss your noisy laugh and the way you clap your hands like a seal so badly. And also your stupid grin!

I remember our happy times. I can’t and will not forget about that forever. The first time you said ‘love’. The first time we went to the amusement park and we played truth or dare that ended up with riding roller coaster 7 times and I vomiting after that. The first time you were late for our date but came with a huge bag of my favorite chips. The first time we spent the night together outdoor in the Barbie tent that you borrowed from your little cousin just because I told you I wanted to try an outdoor activity with you. That time you gave Mr. Chan-YOLO, the teddy bear you bought from your first paycheck for me and told me that the mini version of you would accompany my sleep whenever you were away. The first time we made love and after that you kissed my back and said that I was the person that you loved the most in this world. That time when you finally told me how abusive your parents were and cried in front of me. I wasn’t happy with that fact but I was happy because finally I knew something more about you. I knew something more about my soul. Seriously Yeol, I don’t know what I have to write about our happy times… there will be an endless list of that.

I think we love each other too much.
 

But loving you is never easy. When we were in college, you turned yourself into a drug addict. I always asked myself, ‘why did you do that to yourself?’ but mostly I always blamed myself by thinking, ‘why did I let you get trapped in that darkness like that?’.  I’m sorry that I couldn’t do anything to save you from it. I’m so sorry. All things went so gloomy when my parents knew about the new you. They were scared. If the media found out about the reputation of their daughter’s boyfriend, my father’s career in politics world would finally meet its end. I hated them but I stopped looking for you anyway, rejecting whenever you tried to ask me out although my heart was aching for you. But I’m so grateful for us. Although we stopped seeing each other for a while, none of us wanted to call off this relationship.
 

I’m grateful because although you couldn’t enter my house through the door you always still managed to enter my room through the window. I’m grateful that we spent many nights together, listening to each other’s stories and feeling the breaths of our souls falling between our lips. Once again, I think we love each other too much.

I know our love is too much when you let yourself be killed to protect me. I remember the last words you said to me, as you were dying on my lap, “Well, a drug addict has just saved an angel from a bunch of man that craved for that angel’s magnificence—my angel’s magnificence”. I’m scared. My body was saved but heaven took my soul. Heaven took you. Heaven took you, the dangerous man that my parents feared of.

Well, you are dangerous. But it’s just for yourself and for them who wanted to hurt me. You were the one who always came in the right time to hug me, comfort me, and wipe my tears away. People hated me because I had a relationship with you but once again, they just knew the things that you wanted to show them. They didn’t know the real you. They didn’t know your heart. They didn’t know the love that you had for those people around you. They didn’t know that the drug addict was my savior—not only from those rapists but also from myself.

Sorry for everything, Yeol…

And thank you for everything too…

It’s been so hard to live without you but I want to live for you. I really want to live for you but that something keeps coming. Haunting me. Following me wherever I go just like air.

Farewell and see you, my blazing clown.

Your Eternal Alyssum

P.S:

Until the last day of my life I knew you still came into my room but not through the window because my angelic demon would no longer have to do that stupid thing. And by the way, you’re not that clever even after being the real angelic demon. You frequently forgot to put back Mr. Chan-YOLO from the nightstand back in my embrace. Hmm… what people say is right. Old habit won’t fade away easily.

***

Chanyeol closes his eyes again then hugs the letter tightly to his chest. He smiles although his whole body is aching. “It always feels so hard to say farewell to you, Little Angel. Although right now is the second time for me to do it.”

“Well, well, well,” a voice comes through his hearing and Chanyeol’s ears perk up immediately. “I’m surprised, Fire. You look so ready to die.”
 

Chanyeol tries his best to open his eyes again just to see a Demon of Death standing in front of him cockily. Just like him, the young man wears casual clothes like normal people do. The guy with the brunette hair looks pale and thin, almost sickly with the way his skin sticks tightly to his bones, but the way his eyes glow in the night is dangerous enough to kill. He’s wearing a V-neck navy blue sweater, paired up with blue jeans that accentuate his long legs. His shoulders are a bit slumped and his voice sounds a little too light to Chanyeol’s ears. He thinks he hates the guy already. Something seems off about him.
 

“Just do it,” Chanyeol says, his voice is tinted with bitterness. “I broke the law, didn’t I?”
 

“Yes, you did~” another Demon of Death says. His tone sounds even more casual, more playful. “Oh so terribly did, which is why we’re about to have fun!”
 

Chanyeol remembers this guy's name well considering he's the one who got officially called as the leader of the group. The fire user doesn’t know why that boyish looking man became one of the leaders, but considering his merciless behavior, Chanyeol dares to guess that the man probably killed innocent ones to gain that position.
 

“Luhan,” Chanyeol breathes out and the other man smiles. His hazel brown hair frames his angelic face so perfectly, making him look young despite his real age. And although he looks mainly harmless, Chanyeol knows better not to test his rage.
 

“Hello there~” Lu Han says, his voice sounds melodious despite the heavy storm that pours constantly on them. Tears of the rain don’t fall on his clothes—a pair of dark jeans, and a grey button up shirt with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Chanyeol gulps a little, noticing how strong Luhan is from being to control the rain from falling on him just with his mind. He’s dangerous, Chanyeol knows, and his playful attitude only gives the taller man more eerie chills to his spine. “It’s been a long time since I last checked on you, Chanyeol. You’ve become quite… hmm, what’s the word…” he trails, his fingers playing in the air. “Ah, yes!” His eyes light up excitedly, gleaming almost like a cat's. “Lonely.”
 

The last thing Chanyeol can see before his peripheral vision starts to go dark is Luhan’s innocent smile. This is it. This is his power. Chanyeol knows that Luhan can move things without touching them, but the real ability that man can do is the power to turn everyone around him into his personal puppets. Pain starts to seep into his head, consuming every bit of his sanity, and Chanyeol tries to resist the darkness of Luhan’s mind control ability. But it's hard. It's painful. It's killing him slowly. But what can a wooden doll do when it has to stand against its puppeteer?

Nothing.
 

The tall man in the leather jacket groans, falling forward until he is forced to prop himself up with both palms on the ground. He gasps, searing pain like knives cutting skin starts to form in every part of his body. Chanyeol screams, loud and rumbling, almost making the ground grumble underneath his feet.
 

“I’m sad I have to kill you,” Luhan says, tilting his head lightly to the side and the pain in Chanyeol’s mind intensifies. “You’re so powerful. You could’ve become a great asset to me.”
 

Chanyeol roars again and Baekhyun takes a step back, biting his lower lip to keep himself out of fear. “C-Chanyeol...”
 

The veins along Chanyeol’s neck become more visible and Luhan starts to laugh a little. "Does it hurt?" he asks, grinning. "Then maybe I should add more~" With every laughter that tumbles out from his lips, the pain in Chanyeol’s mind grow even more vivid until he’s in the verge of screaming and begging him to stop.
 

Kris Wu looms silently in the dark, stiffly standing behind the other Demons of Death with his bangs drenched by the rain. His jaw clenches hard as he watches his friend being tortured by their leader and although he understands what Chanyeol did was wrong—taking people's lives before their time out of anger—, it doesn’t mean he can just stand by and watch him die little by little under Luhan’s dark power.

“No,” Baekhyun says, holding Kris’ wrist when he's about to take a step forward. “Don't help him. Luhan won’t hesitate to kill you too if you interfere.”

“So what, we just stand here and watch him being tortured like that?” Kris hisses and Baekhyun looks around to make sure the other members don’t hear them.
 

“Kris,” Baekhyun says again, his voice softer this time and Kris can witness the agony he feels for their other friend too. “He’s going to die. There’s nothing we can do. The Law is final.”
 

Kris freezes, staring at Baekhyun for a few seconds with hopeless eyes. It’s true. No matter what he does, Chanyeol’s going to die anyway. It just doesn’t feel right to—
 

“Luhan, enough,” a low voice comes steadily from behind them and when Kris turns around on his heels to see him, the man is already gone, leaving a trail of dark shadows. Then the voice comes from the other side of the place.
 

“H-he’s here,” Baekhyun shudders, stepping closer to Kris. “Kris, he’s here.”

Kris looks up to the man who’s now standing beside Luhan. There’s an aura around him—that similar trail of dark shadows he saw before. Another leader has come for the trial and this is the first time Kris has seen him in person. “Is that—”
 

“Kai, The Teleporter,” Baekhyun answers before he can finish. “The other Leader.” The shorter's man's breath is hitched in his throat, as if he was having a trouble breathing. “The fact that he’s here... It means what Chanyeol did was really terrible.”
 

Kris raises an eyebrow, noticing how the other man keeps on shivering. “Why are you so afraid of him, Baek?”
 

Baekhyun jolts and immediately gazes back at Kris, his slanty eyes are opened wide with shock. “I—I’m not afraid, it’s just…” he rubs his arm to keep himself away from trembling. “I don’t like him, Kris. I can never figure out what he’s thinking. With Luhan, you can tell there’s nothing good about to happen when he’s there. And you know that the moment he smiles, you’re just as good as dead.”
 

Kris swallows his breath. “Yeah,” he says quietly, remembering how Luhan is the only Demon of Death who lays horrifying evidences on their victims: Glasgow Smiles. “I know.”
 

Every Demon of Death tends to mark their victims—intentionally, or not—when they take their souls. Chanyeol leaves burn marks. Suho leaves his victims’ lungs filled with water. Xiumin leaves frostbites on their skins. Luhan’s power, on the other hand, doesn’t leave much room for him to improvise. He likes to play with his victims’ minds, messing around with them until the next thing his victims know before they regain back their consciousness is that they’re about this close to death. They end up throwing themselves from the highest building, cutting their wrists with their broken coffee glass that they often used in the mornings. Luhan is the cause of suicides and he’s not satisfied with it. He thinks it’s not fun enough. So now, the man starts to leave marks on his victims’ faces. He cuts the sides of their mouths, forming a forced smile until they reach their ears, looking similar to the Joker’s. And those suicides incidents eventually turn into cases of serial killers. The Black Dahlia was one of his doings. Until now, the polices couldn’t find who the real killer is but Luhan is just standing there, smiling and waiting for his turns to take their lives as well.

“Luhan is a freak,” Kris says, almost in a whisper. "He's vicious. Merciless."
 

“No, Luhan is just a Demon by nature. But Kai…” The way Baekhyun pronounces his name is like the way kids remember the ghost from their nightmares. “Everything is unpredictable when it comes to him. You don’t know whether he’s about to kill you in your sleep or to leave you to live for another day. And I hate that. It’s like you're losing your senses when he’s around you.”
 

“Ah, Kai,” Luhan says, momentarily shutting his power off to greet the other leader and Chanyeol gasps loudly. The pain subsides instantly from his head but his entire body is weak. His face appears to be wet not only from the rain but from his own cold sweat as well.
 

“Don’t play around,” Kai says, his face looks almost expressionless but his voice holds authority. Even the young Demon, Zitao, takes a step back when Kai’s eyes scan the place, trying to stay as far as possible from his radar. “Just tell him about what he did and the punishment he has to bear. Then kill him instantly.”
 

Chanyeol, still gasping quite violently, lifts his head up to meet Kai’s eyes with his. The brown-haired man is wearing black from head-to-toe—black button-up shirt, black jeans, and a pair of black boots that match the shadow he holds in his eyes. For a brief second, Kai’s eyes flit to meet his and Chanyeol doesn’t know what he sees in those dark orbs, but those eyes hold him like a prisoner.
 

And maybe he is. A prisoner about to be sentenced to death.
 

“Kill him instantly?” Luhan asks, almost laughing. “Oh come on, where’s the fun in that?”
 

“There’s no fun in what we do, Luhan,” Kai replies, and for a moment there, Luhan’s smile falters from his face.
 

Lu Han snorts. “Always the more uptight one,” he says and Kai only scowls back at him. “Fine. Suho, you know what to do.”
 

“Yes, Leader.”
 

Still wincing a little from the pain, Chanyeol tries to take a glimpse of the new face that comes out to his vision. A water user, Chanyeol realizes by the way he controls the water away from soaking his clothes, is walking toward him with his head hangs low. When Suho lifts up his face, Chanyeol sees a faint but long cut that spreads widely from one corner of his mouth to another. It’s not as much as horrifying as it is heartbreaking.
 

“Thank God Suho has more patience than I do,” another Demon who controls ice, Xiumin, whispers lowly as he stands closer to Kris.
 

“What do you mean?” Kris asks, frowning.
 

“Suho used to be our leader,” Xiumin explains. “Way back then, there were only a few of us and he became our leader since he was the wisest one between us. He knew how to use power like us without creating chaos or pain. But then Luhan came along and took away his position.”
 

“How? By force?”
 

Xiumin gave him a look. “Doesn’t that scar look a bit too familiar to you?”
 

The scar indeed looks too familiar and Kris finally remembers where he’s seen that before. It’s the kind of wound Luhan likes to leave on his victims. The Glasgow Smile.
 

“Chanyeol has violated the first rule in our Law,” Suho speaks up. “A Demon should not take one’s life before their time. Tonight, however, Chanyeol has burned an entire city down and murdered 127 people in the process."

"And why did he do that?"

"The reason is still unknown, Sir.”
 

“Unknown reason,” Luhan hums as he walks closer to Chanyeol and kicks him across his face. Blood splatters from Chanyeol’s mouth and the tall man spits it out with anger. “Tell me, Chanyeollie. Why did you do that? Why did you kill those people?”

Chanyeol grits his teeth. There’s no way he would mention his girl’s existence. So he stays quiet but he never takes his eyes away from the other man. Not being answered, Luhan’s sadistic smile starts to waver.
 

“Answer me,” the leader demands, his voice dropping dangerously low. And when he witness how Fire keeps on staring at him with confidence in his eyes, Luhan almost loses it. Twisting one hand in the air, Luhan starts to play with Chanyeol’s mind once again. Luhan fills Chanyeol’s head with images of his girlfriend being tortured by a demon who’s no other than himself. In his head, Chanyeol witnesses the sight of his lover being burnt to death by someone who appears just like him. Someone with the ability to control fire. Someone with short black hair and a tall figure with wings tattoo between his shoulder blades. The situation feels so real that Chanyeol ends up screaming for help--for that guy who looks like him to stop torturing her, to stop melting her skin with every touch of his fingers.
 

“STOP!” Baekhyun screams, not being able to witness his friend’s suffering any longer. “LUHAN, PLEASE! ENOUGH!”
 

Xiumin takes Baekhyun’s wrist, holding the man back. “Baekhyun, be quiet! You’ll end up dead if--”
 

“Chanyeol did it out of rage over his lover’s death!” Baekhyun continues shouting, hoping that if Luhan knows the reason, the man would stop torturing his best friend. “She died a few hours ago by another Demon. Chanyeol was only trying to avenge her death. Now you know why, so please, let him go!”

Luhan laughs, his voice sounding loud and clear with amusement. “Aaw, Baekhyun. Such a caring little friend. Of course, of course, there,” he says, bringing his hand down and Chanyeol looks like he’s being released by an invisible rope that's been choking his neck.
 

Baekhyun looks so relieved, he almost smiles. But not for long.
 

Luhan kicks Chanyeol across the face again. Once. Twice. Thrice. Blood splatters everywhere and Chanyeol looks like he’s really about to die if this keeps on going.
 

“What are you doing?!” Baekhyun shouts, and he would’ve probably run to stop Luhan himself if Xiumin didn’t hold him back by force. “Luhan! You said you’d stop torturing him for this!”

“Sure,” Luhan smiles and he flips Chanyeol onto his back. “But here’s where you’re wrong, Baekhyunnie. I’m not torturing him because he wouldn’t say his reason. I’m punishing him,” he stops to press his foot on top Chanyeol’s throat and throws a smirk toward Baekhyun’s direction, “because you can’t keep your mouth shut.”

Baekhyun stares in horror when Luhan presses his foot down.
 

There’s a sound of bones being broken and more blood comes out from Chanyeol’s mouth. The fire user gasps, throwing up more red liquid as his lungs start to fail him from lacking too much oxygen. It's a wonder, really, how Chanyeol still manages to stay alive.
 

A couple of powerful fire balls find their way to Luhan’s direction but before they can possibly scar the powerful Demon, Chen already stands to protect his leader and electrocutes the attacker. Baekhyun witnesses as Kris falls to the ground, his body jolts violently, caused by the sudden electricity that spreads to his veins.

“Chen,” Luhan calls from behind the said man and Chen immediately stops his attack.

“S-Sir,” Chen says, bowing his head politely.
 

Luhan smiles, but it somehow sends shivers to the other Demon’s spine. “What do you think you’re doing?”
 

“I...” Chen looks scared to his bones, a stark contrast to the brute expression he had on his face when Kris tried to attack their leader. “I was trying to save you, Sir.”
 

“Save me?” Luhan lowers his gaze almost dangerously. “Do you think I won’t be able to handle Kris by myself?”
 

“N-no, Sir, it’s not--”

“Are you questioning my ability, Chen?”
 

“No, Sir!” Chen’s face becomes so pale. “Of course not!”
 

Luhan stares at the other man with a bored look on his face before he calls, “Lay. If you may.”
 

“Yes, Leader.”
 

Kai locks gazes with the said Demon. Lay stares back with a knowing look and he nods, understanding his message.
 

Don’t hurt him.
 

Chen panics when Lay lays a hand on his shoulder. The two of them exchange looks and the man with the ability to control thunder, starts losing his strength. Black poison begins to spread through his bloodstream, creating black lines on the pale skin along his neck.
 

“W-wha--?” Chen gasps as he falls to the cold, wet ground.
 

“Little Chen,” Luhan says, smiling as he squats down in front of the man. “Does it hurt, the poison? Don’t worry it won’t kill you. I’m just letting you get a nice taste of death so you’ll learn not to do something without my permission again.”
 

When Luhan walks away from him, Chen slowly looks up to Lay and the Demon places a finger on his lips. Chen understands. The poison doesn’t necessarily hurt him; it just paralyzes him. He realizes that Lay doesn’t intend to hurt him; he just makes it look like he is. Chen just needs to play along with his act.
 

Thank you.
 

“Suho!” Luhan calls, stomping his way to Chanyeol who’s lying almost lifelessly on the ground. “What should we do with our lovely prisoner here?”
 

“He should be stripped out of his position and face his punishment.”
 

Luhan whistles wolfishly to the air. “Which is?”
 

“Death.”
 

“Fantastic!” The Demon snaps his fingers in the air and suddenly, the pain in Chanyeol’s head is back in greater tension. He roars into the sky, a blaze of flame bursting out from every corner of his body. Chanyeol feels as if his soul is literally being ripped out of his body.
 

“More!” Luhan laughs, moving his hand to the air and the pain intensifies. “More!”
 

“Luhan,” Kai appears beside the man, coming out from the shadows.
 

“Not now, Kai.”
 

“There’s no need to torture him.”
 

“Shut up and just let me have my fun.”
 

“The Law doesn’t say that we require such act.” And when Kai lowers his voice, Luhan feels a sense of power, prickling against his skin. “Let him go.”
 

Luhan exhales impatiently and finally stops his action. “Well then, I think it’s about time we make some new improvements.”
 

Something glints in Kai’s eyes and for a few seconds, the two leaders just stare at each other’s eyes—the other members stand around them with nervous hearts and shaky hands. Until finally, Kai’s scowl begins to disappear and the side of his lips curve up a little.
 

“Fine,” Kai says. “The Law says one of the leaders should execute the punishment. You want to make an improvement? Here’s my idea: we get one of our members to kill him.”
 

Chanyeol just stays quiet though his heart is banging loudly against his ribcages. He can’t stand up since Luhan is still holding him down with his power. From the side of his eyes, Chanyeol can see Kris is about to blow up. He looks better even after Chens attack and Chanyeol guesses that Lay probably has healed him along the way. His thick eyebrows are knitted in an angry frown, clearly despising Kai’s judgment. Baekhyun, though he’s a lot more frail and tiny, tries to hold back the taller man with all his strength and Chanyeol silently thanks him for that. If he was going to die, he wouldn’t want to bring his friends down with him.
 

Luhan seems to think the costs and benefits of Kai’s words before he finally smiles and says, “Okay, that sounds good enough to me. I’ve been wanting to train them how to kill another Demon.” Chanyeol can hear the unspoken words in his line: just like how I did.
 

Kai, for the first time that night, smiles back but unlike Luhan who shows his playful and innocent mask of himself, Kai’s smile is still downright threatening. There’s no humor behind it—not even a dark or a wicked one.
 

“Baekhyun,” Kai says, “Kill him.”
 

“What—” Kris immediately turns around to face his friend and the shorter man stares widely at the air, as if Kai just said that he was the one who was bound to be dead tonight. No, this is even worse than that. This is him, being told to kill his own best friend in front of ten powerful Demons of Death.
Baekhyun’s lips are parted but no words can come out. He stands still, frozen to his feet, his heart skipping a beat.

Not hearing any answer, Kai turns his head to where Baekhyun is standing and says in a sterner voice. “Don’t make me repeat myself."
 

The pressure of the leader's voice sets a hollow pang in his heart and the soft hairs along his arm rise in fear.  “K-Kris…” Baekhyun whispers, his lean fingers trembling hard. “What… should I do…?”

Kris wants to help him, but he’s just as clueless as he is right now. What the hell is even happening?
 

“What, are you scared?” Luhan suddenly shouts into the air, his face contorted in boredom. “Hurry up and finish him off!”
 

Baekhyun almost breaks down right there and Kris moves closer to him, his posture looks protective.
 

“Chanyeol was a friend of ours,” Kris says, answering the leader. “Baekhyun… He doesn’t have the heart to do it.”
 

Was, Chanyeol realizes how Kris was talking as if he was no longer there. His lips playing a bitter smile. Was a friend of ours, huh...

The fire shifter's eyes meet Baekhyun's and the shorter man takes a sharp breath, his bottom lip quivering. It's okay, Baek, Chanyeol speaks with his eyes. Just do it.   

Luhan actually laughs loudly at Kris' reasoning. “Well if that isn’t the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard, I don’t know what,” he says and on the next second, Baekhyun falls down to his knees, his hands on both side of his head.

And then he screams.
 

“STOP!” Baekhyun begs, veins popping out on his temple. “P-PLEASE, STOP!”
 

Kris shifts to his knees too, holding Baekhyun by the shoulders. “Baekhyun!” Kris calls in panic, but Baekhyun has already lost in his mind, having his mind controlled by Luhan from the distance that separates them. “Baekhyun, what’s—”
 

“I BEG YOU!” Baekhyun shouts desperately, hard sobs muffling his voice. “PLEASE, JUST LET HIM GO—”
 

Kris’ eyes run back and forth, his forehead creasing. “W-what do you mean?”
 

“What are you doing to him?!” Chanyeol groans out to the mind controller, his body still feels weak. “Hey, stop!”
 

“Oh relax,” Luhan says, blinking his eyes once and Baekhyun’s body drops to the ground, jolting violently. “I’m just making him remember some of his… happiest memories.”
 

Kris is terrified, his arms stand still in the air, not knowing what to do. Baekhyun begins to sink his nails into his upper arms, and the white knitted sweater he wears around his body becomes tainted with fresh color of his own blood.
 

Kris grits his teeth, hating himself for being so helpless. “Baekhyun!” He takes both of Baekhyun’s arms and pin them to the ground. “Baek, it’s not real! Everything he’s putting into your mind right now is not real—”
 

“NO—” Baekhyun’s eyes are dark, the whites around his irises are gone. “HYUNG, PLEASE DON’T DIE—I—”
 

“Baekhyun!” Kris shakes Baekhyun’s shoulder with all his strength. “Your brother is gone! It’s just a hallucination—”
 

But Baekhyun can’t hear him—can’t see him. He continuous screaming and crying hard when the images of his brother being stabbed to death for his action are being repeated in his mind.
 

“Luhan!” Chanyeol shouts, his hands clawing the ground. “Leave him alone! Your target is me!”
 

“Yes,” Luhan says, displaying his wicked smile. “But that guy annoys me.”
 

“Stop!” Kris screams out, tilting his head to face Luhan whose smile keeps getting wider. “Make it stop, he’s gonna die!”
 

But Luhan only laughs harder. The more he feeds from the pain that’s flowing from his victim, the more he feels alive. And stronger.
 

“Luhan,” Kai finally speaks and Luhan snaps out. Baekhyun falls to the ground, his cheek meeting the wet surface. His breathing is ragged and his pulse feels faint when Kris checks the vein along his throat.
 

“Hyung…” Baekhyun sobs, tears still flowing out from his lifeless eyes. His eyes are back to normal, his chocolate brown irises are noticeable once more and Kris breathes in relief.
 

“You keep on bothering me, Kai,” Luhan says, craning his neck. “I’m a man with patience but I can only go so far. You know what? From now on, we do it my way.”
 

Kai stares at him, almost glaring by the intensity of his gaze, but he says nothing.
 

“Sehun,” Luhan calls, his lips smirking dangerously. “You know what to do.”
 

“Yes, Sir~” the Demon of Death, the one who spoke first to Chanyeol that night, approaches him with a smile that’s similar to Luhan’s, only crazier. The way Sehun looks down on him makes Chanyeol feels like he’s a prey ready to be feasted on.
 

“Hello, big guy,” Sehun says, and Chanyeol notices the slight lisp he has. The lanky guy drops down to one knee in front of him and lays his hands on it as he stares at him. “Leader, you can let him go now. I’ll take care of him myself.”

Luhan throws off a proud smile before he grants Sehun’s wish. “Have fun, maknae~” he says before he turns around and walks away. The other members soon follow behind him without questioning. With a snap of Luhan’s fingers, Chanyeol’s body gets lifted only a few inches off the ground before he gets slammed back down to the cold, wet surface. A low grunt rumbles from the back of the tall man’s throat and rain starts to fall down to his face, making it hard for him to see but only for a few seconds.
 

Because then, an invisible wall of air appears above his face, holding the water away from Chanyeol’s eyes and skin.
 

“Don’t want to get our prisoner wet, do we?” Sehun slurs, chuckling softly but Chanyeol doesn’t pay attention to what he says.
 

Air, Chanyeol realizes. Sehun is the Air.
 

Her murderer.

“Yes,” Sehun singsongs, eyes glowing wickedly. “That’s right, Fire. It’s called Hypoxiation. Death that occurs when someone’s body is deprived of oxygen. Oh wait.” Sehun chuckles again, his voice sounds just as light as the element that he controls. “I mean, her body.”
 

“You—” Chanyeol grits his teeth, his hand lunging forward to grab Sehun by the ankle but the boy jumps back before he can do so. His body seems to move without effort, perhaps he’s shifting the air around him to make his body lighter.

“Ah ah ah,” Sehun shakes one finger in the air. “Careful there, Fire. We don’t want to make a bigger scene here.”

Kai stands with his back leaning against the wall, his arms folded on his chest. His eyes silently follow Sehun’s every movement.

Sehun notices the stare that's boring into his back and the boy tilts his head to the man. “Leader~ Aren’t you supposed to leave like the rest? You're making me nervous here.” he asks, pouting a little at the man but Kai doesn’t buy his attempt in trying to appear innocent.

But Kai knows that if he stays there longer, Sehun would notice something was different. He’s a leader. He can’t pay sympathy to his subordinates like that. Chanyeol broke the law, and he deserves to die. That's it. There’s no mercy for what he’s done.
 

“Just be quick,” Kai says, not looking at Sehun’s direction when the boy gives him an exaggerated salute, muttering, “Aye, aye, Sir!” The slightly tanned man walks toward the spot where Kris is still kneeling beside Baekhyun who has lost his conciousness. The tall man grows protective when Kai is nearing but the leader only sends him a careful look.
 

“I won’t hurt him,” Kai assures him.
 

Kris stays quiet, analyzing his motive before he finally nods and stands away.
 

“I’ll Move you two back to our place,” Kai says, bending down a little and grabs Baekhyun by his upper arm. With his other hand placed around Kris’ wrist, the tallest man begins to feel dark shadows looming around him. “Try not to let go of me.”

Kris nods again and before the scenery disappears before him, he sends his final look toward Chanyeol. The fire shifter has eyes glowing with revenge and Kris feels sorry because the last emotion his friend has to face before he dies is resentment.
 

“Goodbye, Chanyeol.”
 

“Ugh, finally,” Sehun exhales in relief after Kai teleports the three of them back to their place. “We’re alone. Don’t get me wrong, buddy. I love having an audience. Especially when I’m taking someone’s life. But that jerk just pisses me off, you know?”

“You killed her,” Chanyeol says, making the other man blink before he breaks into another smile.
 

“Who, your girl?” Sehun asks rhetorically. “Yes, Romeo. Indeed, I did. Slowly. Painfully.”
 

Chanyeol can feel his palm burning and before he knows it, he already shoots a huge fireball toward Sehun’s head. The boy manages to dodge it, but only by so much. The tip of his brown hair is burning for a split second and Sehun lets the rain pours down on him to kill the fire off. On the next second, he’s secluded himself from the droplets of water once again, surrounding himself with a giant invisible air bubble to keep the rest of his body dry.
 

“Wow, that was close!” Sehun chirps excitedly. “You were seriously about to kill me, weren’t you?”
 

Chanyeol doesn’t speak. He’s trying to think of the most painful way possible to end that boy’s life.
 

“Hey, wanna know something cool? I have a trivia for you,” Sehun says, walking in circle around Chanyeol with his hands folded on his back. But then Chanyeol notices that he’s not making any voice. The rain drenches the ground but Sehun doesn’t create any splashing sound. The boy actually walks on the air, just a few inches above the water line. “Oh, this?” Sehun asks, chuckling a bit when he notices Chanyeol staring at his feet. “Yeah, I don’t want to get wet. The weather is already so cold without me being wet, you know. It’s such a bother.”
 

Chanyeol tries to spark his hand with fire, but he’s still so weak after Luhan’s mind control. His head still throbs and his heart races with anger and not enough patience.
 

“So, where was I? Ah yes, the trivia!” Sehun claps his hand once excitedly. “The time I entered her room, she was sitting on the edge of her bed, staring at this ugly plushie with her glassy eyes, smiling like some crazy girl—well she was crazy since I heard the conversation between her parents. But what’s remarkable is that she smiled when I took her breath away. Literally, speaking, of course. Isn’t it wonderful? It’s like she was welcoming her death!”

Chanyeol can feel his anger as the boy talks about her. It’s him, the one who took her life. The temperature of his body increases and he’s so ready to burn him. Come on focus, at least this is the last thing you can do for her. As he concentrates fully on his power, he can feel his entire body radiating with heat. Chanyeol tries so hard to stand on his feet, ignoring the mental pain that shoots through his veins.

“Oh, you really know how to play, Fire. This is going to be so much fun!” The Air’s eyes are filled with excitement and anticipation. With his right hand playing with his power, he stares at Chanyeol’s eyes, challenging the Fire. “Come on, big guy," Sehun taunts, a small version of tornado swirling above his open palm. "Show me what you can do!”

As the provoking words keeps coming from the Air’s mouth, Chanyeol’s body trembles, and without any signs, it finally comes out. The most massive fire that he ever made in the history of his life as one of the Demons of Death. Fire explodes from both of his hands, shaping into a form of a giant phoenix and it surprises both him and the other Demon of Death. Chanyeol’s fire never took any kind of shape before, but now it’s burning bright—a Phoenix roaring into the sky and flying down to Sehun’s direction. Chanyeol’s tattoo on his back is blazing hot, drawing a huge shape of wings just like the Phoenix he created. And they burn anything that gets touched by them. Every droplets of rain that falls on his skin disappears into hot air, evaporating from the high temperature of his body.
 

Sehun chuckles, baring his teeth when the Phoenix begins to surround him with heat. He tries to put more force into the air and sends it to the Phoenix but the flame is too strong, it breaks the wall of air he created. Sparks of fire blast through the sky, falling into the ground like fireworks before the bird dives again, its claws threatening to rake their way down Sehun’s chest.
 

“Cool,” Sehun says between his childish laughter as he begins to run, shifting the air around him to make himself lighter. He manages to avoid the Phoenix’s wings from trying to slay his throat and burn him to dust.
 

Sehun knows the Phoenix can’t be killed so he runs his way toward the man who summoned it. Cutting the tree from its root is the most efficient way to kill the plant and here he is, cutting the life from him.
 

Chanyeol makes a choking sound, his hands immediately wrap themselves around his throat, trying to break the invisible ropes made of air from slitting his skin. Sehun carefully walks toward the man, the Phoenix approaching him vastly from behind but Sehun pays no mind. In a matter of seconds, it will be gone.
 

“In a matter of seconds,” Sehun says, smiling as he raises a hand in the air, motioning his palm around Chanyeol’s throat even when he’s still a few steps away from him. “You will be gone.”
 

Chanyeol is being hanged a few inches off the ground. His eyes rolled to the back of his head, already starting to lose his awareness when there’s not enough oxygen getting into his brain.

“How does it feel, Fire?” Sehun asks when Chanyeol weakens under his power. “How does it feel being choked to death like your girl?”
 

Chanyeol’s anger flares once more but it’s no use. The Phoenix starts to disappear into thin air and he’s alone. Once again, he’s being left by everyone. By everything that matters.
 

They say when you’re about to die, your entire life flashes before your eyes. But that’s not the case with Chanyeol. There’s only one thing he remembers—that one particular moment that he treasures the most: the moment where he felt loved by his ‘Little Angel’.

A few years back...

The sun was about to set when the girl sat on the couch in the corner of her room, reading a novel from Sarah Dessen. But her concentration couldn’t fully linger on the literature since she was waiting for a phone call or at least a message on her phone from Chanyeol. They used always talked to each other every evening or night whenever they weren’t together. Both of them were just too attached to each other.
 

When the sound of rain from the outside could be heard, she finally grabbed her phone and dialed Chanyeol’s number. Come on, Yeol, pick up the phone! She thought while she kept praying that the boy would be okay since Chanyeol never gone without notice like this. Chanyeol was the guy who always told her before he went somewhere, whenever he thought that he probably wouldn’t be able to answer his phone or text a message for her. So why was he being like this now?
 

Before she could answer that question, she heard somebody knocking on the glass-like door of her balcony. It was so sudden; it scared her. But then she knew the person who was standing on her balcony by his figure although her door was covered by a thin white sheer curtain.
 

“You came!” She exclaimed but the excitement in her voice suddenly vanished when she saw the tall person, who always smiled to everyone near him, looked so messed up. “Oh my God, Yeol, are you okay?” She lightly touched the corner of his lips that still emitted blood and another bruises that were visible from her vision—around his jaw, his upper arm, and near his eyes. “What happened to you?”
 

After she threw out the question, she realized that the most important thing at that moment was not his story regarding his condition. She gently pulled Chanyeol’s hands and seated him on the corner of her bed, not caring that her floral bed cover would be ruined by the dirt on the back of Chanyeol’s dark jeans. “Wait a minute, okay?” She ran to the bathroom to get the first aid kit and a wet clean towel to treat Chanyeol’s wounds.
 

“Can you tell me; are there any other wounds on your body that I should take care of?” She asked carefully and he just answered her question with a weak nod. “Sorry.” She asked for his permission to take off his navy blue shirt that was drenched from the rain. She couldn’t hide her shocked look from forming on her face when she found purple bruises on his chest, upper stomach and another place along his ribs but she tried her best to maintain herself calm. “This might hurt a little.”
 

She started to clean the wounds and bruises on his face carefully but before she could proceed any further, Chanyeol pulled her into his embrace and buried his face in her stomach.
 

“Yeol, are you okay?” She let the towel fell to her bed before she started Chanyeol’s hair.
 

“You’re wrong when you say I’m always happy,” Chanyeol spoke with a voice that almost couldn’t be heard. “You’re wrong when you say that I’m always so strong.” He paused for a few heart-thumping seconds before he confessed. “I’m scared.”
 

She could feel his body shivering underneath her fingers.

“Scared of what?” She just caressed his hair softly although her heartbeat was so loud. The sight of Chanyeol looking so broken like this scared her.
 

Is he going to be okay? Can I help him? Will I be able to make him smile again?

“He beat me and she just stared,” Chanyeol spoke again. “He beat me like I’m a piece of trash and she just stared. She just watched him beating the out of me and then she said that I was hopeless. That it was all my fault and I deserved to be treated like that. This happens almost all the time and I’m scared.”
 

Without any further explanation, she knew the two people Chanyeol was referring to: his own parents.
 

“I’m scared.” He brought her closer and hid his face on the soft fabric of her sweater. Chanyeol kept repeating those words for so many times. “I’m scared... I’m scared… I’m scared… I don’t know how to make it stop… I’m alone in this world...”
 

She released herself from his embrace before she kneeled in front of him. She took his face between her palms but Chanyeol kept on lowering his face, not allowing her to see the expression he had on his face.
 

“Hey, look at me,” she said and when he didn’t, her tone became more demanding. “Park Chanyeol, look at me!”
 

With a weak gesture, Chanyeol slowly lifted his face up and stared at her with tears in his eyes.
 

Oh God, he’s crying. It was the first time for her seeing him this fragile. “Chanyeol, keep your eyes on me.”

But his eyes couldn’t focus on her no matter how much she pleaded him to. She didn’t know what he was looking for but he just couldn’t keep his gaze on hers.

“I’m hopeless. I’m alone.” Tears kept streaming down his face--a face that used to be decorated by his wide, perfect smiles. “I’m scared.”
 

“Park Chanyeol, look at me. Look into my eyes!” She brought Chanyeol’s face closer to her but he still wouldn’t look at her.
 

In less than a minute, the clown mask that Park Chanyeol always used in his entire life was gone without any trace to follow. He broke apart in front of her and she finally knew that the Clown Class had always been scared for his entire life. And now was just the time that he just couldn’t hide it anymore.
 

“Park Chanyeol, please… please look into my eyes.” Finally she begged.
 

Hearing the sad, desperate tone in her voice, Chanyeol finally had courage to stare back at her.
 

She gave him a weak smile before she spoke. “Look into my eyes and hear me out, okay?” She tenderly Chanyeol’s cheeks with her thumbs to wipe his tears away. “Listen to me.” With her thumbs still caressing his face, she said carefully to him. “You’re not and will never be alone in this world. You’re not hopeless. And although you’re scared right now, I knew that you’re going to be okay and everything’s going to get better.” She kissed his temple softly before she continued her words. She kept her gaze on his all the time.

“There’s only one thing that you have to put into your mind,” she said, still smiling softly at him. “You have me. You have me and I will try my best to protect you. You have me and I always need you. You have me… You will always have me, Park Chanyeol.”
 

And finally she let her own tears fell from her eyes.
 

And for the first time in his life, Chanyeol finally felt loved. He finally knew, his Little Angel loved him as much as he loved her. His Little Angel felt his pain just as much as he did. And his Little Angel tried to be strong when he couldn’t even be brave to stare into her eyes before.
 

The rest of the evening she spent with hugging him to sleep. For her, that was the first time she ever embraced Chanyeol like this since he was usually the one who always insisted to hug her and treated her like a baby. She planted a kiss on the top of his head and smiled when she spotted that the boy didn’t even flinch with her movement. It felt so relieved to watch Chanyeol resting his head on her upper stomach, and sleeping with a peaceful face.
 

Dear God, please take care of him.
 

She his hair as she hoped that her simple gesture could help him get a better life in his dreamland.

“Sleep tight, my dear Chanyeol. Don’t let the cruel reality ruins your dream.”
 

For Chanyeol, her embrace probably felt like a mother’s hug. But since he’d never received that kind of affection before, he thought that her hug was the best kind he’d ever felt and the only hug that he wanted to feel for the rest of his life. He wanted to keep her forever, the only person in this world who treated him like a human.

As his consciousness begins to drift away, Chanyeol places a smile on his face.

Am I going to see you now, Little Angel?

***

 Kai stands on the edge of the tower. His hands are tucked neatly inside his pockets as he stares at the tall guy, who once told him that he was afraid of the power he had—of the fire he controlled that could burn someone’s life into ashe. The man used to sympathize with that, because Kai also thought that this, these powers they have were nothing but symbols of punishments from God. These powers were disasters. These powers were mistakes.
 

Now Kai stands there, silently watching as Chanyeol’s lifeless body falls down to the ground. His eyes are empty, dark as the shadows—something Kai should’ve been accustomed to by now. Oh Sehun lurks above him, smiling as he presses one foot on Chanyeol’s chest, making sure that the man’s dead.
 

“You’re no fun,” Sehun says, walking away from him with thin air swirling around his body, ruffling his brown hair. “And I thought that Phoenix was something.”
 

Kai stares at the boy who’s whistling his way out happily from there. He’s supposed he’s a bit jealous of Sehun because of how easily he could enjoy the chance of having his power inside the palm of his hand. Kai would’ve traded anything to become normal.
 

When Sehun’s out of sights, Kai teleports himself to where Chanyeol’s body lies on the cold ground. The rain has stopped pouring, but Kai’s bangs are still dripping with water.
 

“Rage wouldn’t get you anywhere, Park Chanyeol,” Kai says, bending down a little to close Chanyeol’s eyes with his fingers. “I thought I’ve told you that.”
 

His eyes spot the silver ring on Chanyeol’s finger and Kai notices that as he was crossing the valley of death, Chanyeol kept his gaze on that thing. That silver ring he once exchanged with the girl who claimed to be the owner of his heart.
 

“You did this much for a girl,” Kai sighs, looking at the ring. “But I suppose I envy that. You died as a human.” Because Demons aren’t supposed to feel anything. Not sympathy. Not anger. And especially, not love. But Chanyeol did and he died embracing those feelings. Just like how he died the first time.

Kai gently lays down an Alyssum flower for him, right above the tall man’s palm. The tip of the flower grazes the ring Chanyeol once wore as a promise.
 

“Rest well, my friend.”

***