When Zhang Yixing opened his eyes for the first time, he wasn’t sure where, or even who, he was.

 

The first thing he noticed was, of course, the ground he’s lying on. It wasn’t hard and solid like toil, instead it’s soft and porous – sand, something inside his mind told him. And from the corner of his eyes, he could see how the sand gathered to form his own fingers, but he still couldn’t really comprehend such things. Then he looked around at the high walls surrounding him, which formed a seemingly never ending tunnel.

 

“Oh, you’ve woken up.”

 

Yixing turned around and immediately jumped back when he saw a man standing before him. He himself didn’t know why, as there’s nothing intimidating with this man’s appearance. He was neither tall or bulky, he was probably even shorter than Yixing. He wore a pair of black suit with intricate designs on the shoulder. He had black hair in simple cut, and his skin was so fair it almost glowed in the dark room. But his eyes was the one that immediately caught Yixing’s attention. They were round and wide, so wide that for a second Yixing was afraid they’re gonna pop out from their sockets.

 

The man simply smiled at Yixing’s silence, and extended his right hand. “My name is Do Kyungsoo,” he introduced himself calmly.

 

Yixing stared at the man’s hand, not knowing what to do.

 

“You’re supposed to take it,” Kyungsoo said.

 

Yixing did as he was told, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that there’s something very wrong here. Why couldn’t he recall anything from his memory, yet this man and the never ending tunnel felt so familiar? And most importantly, who was he?

 

Kyungsoo smiled again and patted Yixing’s shoulder, calming him a bit. “Relax,” he said. “I’m going to explain everything – of course, if you wish to listen.”

 

Yixing bit his lower lip. He could always run away, of course – Kyungsoo was a small and fragile man, and though he didn’t know his own strength yet, Yixing was sure he could defeat Kyungsoo if they were going to have a race. But he didn’t know where this tunnel would lead him to, for all he knew, he could be inside a jail or something and there’s no way out. Besides, if he listened to Kyungsoo, he could probably learn one or two things about himself. So, he nodded and waited for Kyungsoo to tell his story.

 

-

 

It turned out that Kyungsoo was an Elemental, someone who had the ability to control over nature’s element. In Kyungsoo’s case, it was Earth.

 

“I’d like to give a showcase of my full power, but then I’d destroy this whole place,” he said casually. “So, be happy with this.”

 

Yixing stared in amazement as Kyungsoo raised his hand and a few balls were formed out of sand, floating on the air. Then with a slight flick, the sandballs sped and hit the wall, cracking it.

 

“That’s awesome,” Yixing whispered for the first time.

 

“It was nothing,” Kyungsoo shrugged nonchalantly, but Yixing could see him blushing.

 

Aside from being an Elemental, Kyungsoo was also a scientist, and he liked to experiment with anything catching his attention. What he loved the most to experiment with was, of course, his own power.

 

“That’s why I created you, you know,” Kyungsoo said. “Everyone knows Earth gives life. Plants will die if there’s no Earth for them to grab on. Humans and animals walk and live on Earth. So I asked myself, why couldn’t I create a life out of Earth? So I tried and tried. It took quite a long time before I finally succeeded with my experiment. And it’s you, Zhang Yixing.”

 

That’s the first time Kyungsoo told him his name, and Yixing found himself liking it. Kyungsoo’s voice was so warm and sweet, like honey, and there’s something in the way he called Yixing that pulled him even closer.

 

When Kyungsoo finished his story, they both fell silent for a while.

 

“You’re gonna stay with me forever, right, Yixing?” Kyungsoo finaly asked after a few seconds, eyes staring at Yixing’s pleadingly.

 

Yixing nodded eagerly, and he truly believed that.

 

-

 

Yixing wasn’t sure that he liked this life at first.

 

As he was technically made out of sand, and Kyungsoo was an earth controller, he always had Yixing dematerialized into his sand form and stored it inside a box before he slept. By the time he woke up, he would pour the sand out to reform Yixing’s body, and they would spend all day together.

 

Yixing had no complaint of being human – well, at least some kind of – though he never did much aside from watching over Kyungsoo and helping him with his experiments sometimes. But he hated it every time Kyungsoo dematerialized and stored him. As sand, he couldn’t see anything, couldn’t hear anything, couldn’t feel anything. And it made him afraid. What if someday Kyungsoo decided that he’s bored with Yixing? He could just snap his fingers and Yixing would never come out of his box anymore.

 

Kyungsoo only laughed and ruffled Yixing’s hair when the latter voiced out his thoughts. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I would never get bored with you, Yixing. Together forever, remember?”

 

And despite of Yixing’s constant begging, Kyungsoo never let Yixing stay in his human form as Kyungsoo slept.

 

“Why did you create me in first place?” Yixing asked one day.

 

That question sent Kyungsoo into a silence for a few seconds, and Yixing waited for his answer in the same quiet fashion. Finally Kyungsoo said, “Because I’m lonely.”

 

Yixing frowned. “Lonely?”

 

“Yeah....you see, I have no one else here, and humans are naturally social creatures so I need someone to accompany me,” Kyungsoo explained.

 

That only deepened the frown lines on Yixing’s forehead. Sure, Kyungsoo was alone here in his room, but couldn’t he go out and meet the others? Yixing knew the place they currently lived in was actually a labyrinth, built for the Elementals so that they could train themselves in peace. And though he never met the other Elementals, he knew they stayed there in their respective rooms, and he suspected some of them visited Kyungsoo while he wasn’t there. So why didn’t Kyungsoo play around with them or something?

 

Yixing was about to ask but then he noticed Kyungsoo’s eyes, dark and menacing, and Yixing unconsciously shuddered. One thing he learned from his creator was he usually a modest and quiet man, but once he gave you that look, you’d know you had to shut up.

 

-

 

It took quite a time for Kyungsoo to finally relent and let Yixing go outside to visit the other Elementals.

 

It’s not like Yixing hated Kyungsoo or the times spent with the earth controller. But he was curious on how the other Elementals lived in their own sanctuaries, and he wanted to meet them. Besides, they shouldn’t be that surprised since they knew about Yixing already.

 

But you couldn’t go to other sanctuaries just by yourself. All Elementals had their own zones, separated by transparent walls, and only few of them had the ability to move from one place to another. They, Kyungsoo had explained, were called the Gatekeepers, and they would help Yixing to visit the other parts of the labyrinth.

 

“I’m Kim Minseok, gatekeeper and ice elemental,” the short man with slightly chubby cheeks smiled and reached out his hands to Yixing when he arrived at Kyungsoo’s place.

 

Yixing shook Minseok’s hand. Unsurprisingly, it was ice-cold. “Zhang Yixing.”

 

Minseok led Yixing to the border of Kyungsoo’s zone. Nothing could be seen there but merely empty air, but Minseok lifted a hand and touched it. The air started to ripple, revealing a transparent wall, covered in faint labyrinth-shaped marks.

 

“So, you’re the Sandman, huh?” Minseok asked in an amused tone.

 

Yixing stared blankly at the older man. “Sandman?”

 

“Yeah, you see, because you’re made out of sand,” Minseok explained. “That’s how we call you. You’re kinda popular among the Elementals, actually.”

 

Yixing bit his lower lip, unsure how to respond.

 

Minseok smiled at Yixing’s confusion. “Don’t mind me,” he said, patting Yixing’s shoulder. “I was just joking. And anyway, this is your ticket to ‘freedom’.”

 

Yixing watched as the gatekeeper whispered something he couldn’t hear and moved his hand as if swatting a fly. The transparent wall cleared and Yixing found himself staring at a dark tunnel he had never walked on before.

 

“Enjoy,” Minseok said, gesturing for Yixing to pass.

 

Yixing swallowed. This was it. What he had been waiting for. He just had to step outside the zone, yet he still hesitated to do so. “Are....are you sure I can do this? I mean, I’ve never met other Elementals and....”

 

“Don’t worry,” Minseok assured him. “Some of them are difficult, but they’re nice enough. I’m sure you won’t get any problems with them.”

 

“What do you mean by difficult....?”

 

-

 

The other Elementals turned out to be nice, much to Yixing’s relief. They were a bit curious of course, asking things like how does it feel to be sand and why is your skin so smooth isn’t it supposed to be grainy and porous but after they got through the phase, they proved themselves to be good friends in their own ways.

 

There were Chanyeol, the Fire Elemental, and his best friend Baekhyun who could control Light. Their zones were right next to each other and they spent most of their time on the border, talking to each other nonstop even when they were separated by transparent wall.

 

Sehun, the youngest of all the Elementals, didn’t talk that much, and he had a little problem even if he did. He had lisp, which was barely noticeable when he truly paid attention to what he said, but every time he felt excited or scared, it went out of control. Despite his young age, he was taller than Yixing and his Wind power was enough to scatter Yixing into pieces.

 

Zitao, the second youngest, had power over Time, and was even quieter than Sehun. According to Sehun, it wasn’t his nature, but mostly because he couldn’t truly understand what everyone else said. He spent most of his time meditating and practising martial arts.

 

The Elemental of Thunder, Jongdae, was as talkative as Baekhyun and Chanyeol, if not more, and was good friends with them as well. But his zone was far away from theirs and he often complained about that, since the gatekeepers couldn’t always help him to reach them.

 

Luhan and Joonmyun were the last two people Yixing met. They were Minseok’s fellow gatekeepers and two of the oldest members in the community. Luhan had Telekinetic power and was Minseok’s BFFL, he was nice to Yixing and didn’t throw any weird questions like the others. But Joonmyun, who was an Elemental of Water, kept his distance from Yixing and always had a nervous look on his face every time he saw Yixing. Yixing wondered why.

 

Nevertheless, they all accepted Yixing well and after a while, Yixing started hanging out with them. Sometimes Yixing visited their zones, and the other times they came to visit him. Their friendship blossomed quickly and Yixing was happy with that, thinking that all his insecurities had ended already.

 

And for the first time, he failed to notice Kyungsoo’s dark look towards him.

 

-

 

“You’re leaving again?”

 

“Yes, Chanyeol invited me to his sanctuary today for a ‘monthly meeting’, and he said the others would come over too,” Yixing said, unable to hide the excitement in his tone.

 

“Oh, that should be fun.”

 

The tremor in Kyungsoo’s voice successfully caught Yixing’s attention. Furrowing his brows, Yixing approached the earth controller and touched his shoulder softly. “What happened, Kyungsoo?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

“Then why do you look so....” Yixing paused for a while, searching for the right word, “glum?”

 

Kyungsoo shot Yixing a fake smile. “Really, Yixing, it was nothing. Just because you want to go to a stupid party more than to stay here with me, it’s not a reason for me to be so glum.”

 

Yixing didn’t understand either fake smile or sarcasm. But he could see there’s something different with Kyungsoo’s behaviour, and it confused him even more.

 

“You don’t want me to leave you?” Yixing asked. “But Chanyeol invited you too.”

 

“Yeah, well, you know what, I’m not going.”

 

“Why?!”

 

“I’m in no mood to, besides there’s something I have to work on,” Kyungsoo said and pulled a book from his bookshelf. “Go away, no need to worry about me.”

 

Yixing bit his lower lip. “Are you sure?”

 

Kyungsoo already buried his nose inside the book and didn’t answer.

 

Shaking his head, Yixing turned around and made his way to the border, where Luhan had been waiting. The gatekeeper lifted the wall to let Yixing pass, then the two of them walked together to Chanyeol’s sanctuary.

 

“Yixing, my friend!” Chanyeol’s voice boomed as he patted Yixing hard on the back, which was his idea of a warm welcome. “I’m so glad you can come!”

 

Yixing cringed. It’s a good thing he was made out of sand, he figured, or else Chanyeol’s thump would hurt more. “Glad to be here too, Chanyeol.”

 

“Where’s Kyungsoo?” Jongdae who was standing beside Chanyeol asked.

 

“He’s not going,” Yixing answered as he received a drink from Zitao.

 

“What?! Why?! But this is our monthly meeting!” Chanyeol exclaimed.

 

Yixing shrugged and took a sip from his drink. “He said he doesn’t want to, and there’s something he’s working on.”

 

Baekhyun rolled his eyes. “Something? What is that, another experiment? I swear, he’s gonna end up blasting our sanctuaries into pieces one day if he doesn’t stop.”

 

Yixing frowned. “Come to think of it....I have no idea. I don’t think he had any new experiments these past few days, and he didn’t train either.”

 

“Well, maybe he doesn’t want you to know about it,” Minseok assured. “Don’t worry about him, I’m sure he can take care of himself.”

 

“The problem is, we couldn’t just turn a blind eye if it comes to Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun muttered. “He’s never been the same since Jongin left.”

 

It seemed like the temperature went down a few dozen degrees. Everyone stared at Baekhyun with an expression Yixing could only define as horror, while Baekhyun had the dignity to look sheepish.

 

“You’re lucky Kyungsoo isn’t here,” Luhan hissed after a few seconds of silence.

 

“I’m sorry,” Baekhyun muttered. “It just slipped out of my tongue. It won’t happen anymore. I’m really sorry.”

 

Yixing wanted to know who Jongin was, but judging from the atmosphere, he knew he shouldn’t voice it out loud. So he waited until things calmed down a bit before quietly slipped himself to approach Minseok who was busy brewing coffee. “Hi, hyung.”

 

“Hi, Yixing. Do you want cappucino or vanilla latte?” Minseok asked, slight proud tone in his voice.

 

Yixing laughed and shook his head. “No, thanks, hyung. I want to ask something.”

 

“What is it?”

 

Yixing glanced around from the corner of his eyes and scooted himself closer to Minseok so that no one could hear what he was saying. “I’m just curious....who is Jongin?”

 

Minseok’s face fell. For a few seconds, he only stared at his coffee machine, as if that thing held an answer for Yixing’s question. Yixing waited patiently. He knew Minseok well enough to know that the ice elemental was a nice man who never wanted to disappoint anyone.

 

“Jongin is....was one of us,” Minseok finally whispered, a sad look on his face. “He was a Teleporter. He wasn’t a Gatekeeper but he enjoyed moving from one place to another with his power.... One day he decided to see the life outside the labyrinth. He asked Kyungsoo to go with him. All of us had warned them not to go, as the outside world is dangerous for us, but he wouldn’t listen. They went for a few days. None of us knew exactly what happened but....Kyungsoo returned alone. He refused to tell us, only saying that Jongin had left. We assume that Jongin was dead, but considering Jongin’s power, he could probably still be alive somewhere out there. Since then, Kyungsoo changed. Sure, he still hangs out with us and usually goes to our monthly meetings, but he becomes much quieter than before, and we understand that Jongin’s disappearance has affected him greatly.”

 

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Yixing whispered. “I don’t know how it feels to lose a precious friend, but I imagine it must have been terrible.”

 

Minseok flashed him a weak smile. “I hope you’ll never experience one, Yixing. Now, go and enjoy the party.”

 

Yixing nodded and turned around.

 

-

 

“What do you think about our ‘monthly meeting’?” Luhan asked.

 

Yixing laughed. “Chanyeol can be a truly noisy host, but it’s a nice party, I guess.”

 

“Yeah,” Luhan mused, running a hand through his hair. “He, Baekhyun, and Jongdae take turns on hosting every month, as a break from our duties. It’s a pity Kyungsoo and Joonmyun weren’t coming this time.”

 

Yixing frowned. Along with Kyungsoo, Joonmyun had been absent from the party as well. At first Yixing thought maybe the water controller didn’t like parties that much, but from Luhan’s words, it seemed like he always came before. So why didn’t he? Did he have a business with Kyungsoo, or simply want to stay away from Yixing?

 

“Does he really hate me?” Yixing blurted out without thinking.

 

Luhan seemed a bit taken aback. “Who? Joonmyun?”

 

Yixing looked downside, ashamed. “I didn’t mean to say that out loud.”

 

“No, no, it’s okay,” Luhan assured. “But if you ask me, I’ll say I don’t think Joonmyun will ever be able to hate someone. He’s a very nice guy. Kinda boring at times, since he strongly detests anything rule-breaking....but you will never see him talk bad about anyone. I’m sure he doesn’t hate you, Yixing. Maybe you just misunderstand him.”

 

Yixing nodded, but he still couldn’t shake the thought about Joonmyun.

 

They finally arrived at a branched path, and Luhan turned around to look at Yixing. “My sanctuary is walking right from here,” he said. “You don’t need me to accompany you to Kyungsoo’s, right? I’ll just lift the wall from here, so that it will close when you pass the border.”

 

Yixing nodded. “Thank you very much, hyung.”

 

Luhan chanted his spell and moved his hand in swatting motion. Yixing waved at him before walking past the path on the left, which led to Kyungsoo’s sanctuary. Already imagining a good rest, maybe with one of Kyungsoo’s books, Yixing’s track was stopped when he heard voices.

 

“Look, Kyungsoo, this can’t go on much longer,” said a voice, soft but with unmistakable leadership tone embedded in it, which Yixing recognized instantly as Joonmyun’s.

 

“Shut up,” Kyungsoo’s voice snapped. “You have no right to tell me what to do with my creation.”

 

“I am a Gatekeeper, and therefore, on a higher rank than you....”

 

“I don’t care about your stupid rank. It won’t bring you anywhere.”

 

“It will, if this reaches Kris.”

 

A few seconds pause. “You wouldn’t dare.”

 

“Who says I wouldn’t?”

 

Silence.

 

Yixing could hear the triumphant smirk in Joonmyun’s voice as the latter spoke again. “You know well that this is against the rules, Kyungsoo. We are Elementals and we are supposed to use our powers, okay. But an Elemental should never, ever try to create a living being out of their power. It’s on Book of Rules, Page 51.”

 

The ground suddenly shook and Yixing stumbled and fell. It seemed like Kyungsoo just stomped his foot out of frustration. But when he spoke again, his voice was soft, almost pleading. “I need him, hyung. He’s the only one keeping me sane right now. You can’t take him away from me.”

 

“Even so, it’s a violation of law,” Joonmyun said. “I may not have said anything but what if Kris finds out? Trust me, it isn’t pretty when he’s angry. And why do you need him anyway? He doesn’t even look like Jongin....”

 

Jongin, Yixing thought. That name again. I know he was an Elemental too but what is his relationship with Kyungsoo actually? It seems like he’s a really important person to Kyungsoo....

 

“ENOUGH!” Kyungsoo shrieked, and the ground started to shake again uncontrollably. “Don’t say that name again in front of me!”

 

But Joonmyun was firm. “What’s the matter with you, Kyungsoo?! Ever since Jongin disappeared, you’ve never been the same Kyungsoo we used to know! You always keep a distance from us, you became addicted of strange experiments.... We’ve been trying to tolerate you, we understand that whatever you’ve gone through must be pretty traumatic, but I won’t stay silent if....”

 

“I. SAID. SHUT. UP!” Kyungsoo yelled, and the next second, the sound of something rammed against the wall blasted in Yixing’s ears.

 

Without further thinking, Yixing rushed inside Kyungsoo’s sanctuary, but he certainly wasn’t prepared for what awaited him there.

 

Joonmyun was lying on the floor, unconscious. His black suit was torn and full of dirt, and his limbs were twisting in an unnatural way. But the one scared Yixing the most was an open wound on his stomach, which was now swimming in blood.

 

“J-Joonmyun?!” Yixing gasped.

 

Kyungsoo turned around to stare at him, an unreadable look on his face. “Welcome back, Yixing.”

 

Yixing stared at Kyungsoo in disbelief, then to Joonmyun, then back at Kyungsoo. “Y-you did this?!”

 

Kyungsoo’s face remained indifferent. “I did.”

 

“B-but why....”

 

“He wants me to get rid off you, saying it’s against the rules and blah blah blah,” Kyungsoo washed his hands in the sink. “So I get rid off him for good.”

 

Yixing shook his head slowly. “N-no, you can’t possibly do so....”

 

“You see it yourself, what proof do you need, Yixing?”

 

“But Joonmyun is a fellow Elemental and your friend, Kyungsoo! He doesn’t deserve to be killed! You have no reason to be angry just because he mentioned Jongin....”

 

Kyungsoo’s expression darkened as he stared at Yixing. “What do you know about him?”

 

Yixing gulped. “Uhm, that he’s a fellow Elemental and he disappeared when he was travelling outside with you? And I guess you and him must be really close friends because they say you’ve never been the same afterwards....”

 

“He’s my lover.”

 

Yixing blinked. He totally didn’t expect this. “H-he.... He’s what?!”

 

“He’s my lover,” Kyungsoo repeated. His expression was still dark, but his eyes were looking at something that wasn’t there. “He’s my lover and I killed him.”

 

Now, Yixing would’ve paled if only he could. “W-what did you just say.....?”

 

For a few seconds Kyungsoo was quiet. But then he stared again at Yixing and words exploded out of his mouth.

 

“Jongin and I were outside at that time,” he choked. “Outside the labyrinth, you know. We’re actually not supposed to do so, that’s why there are Gatekeepers to make sure we won’t escape. But he wanted to and asked me to accompany him, which I complied. So we spent three nice days outside, under the sun and everything....and when I asked him when we would go back to the labyrinth, he said he’d never return.”

 

Kyungsoo’s voice was softer as he continued. “I tried to reason with him, telling him that Elementals couldn’t live with normal humans, but he wouldn’t listen. He said he couldn’t bear to be jailed inside the labyrinth anymore if he could just live freely. We got entangled in a fight and I....I became so angry that I stomped my foot and the ground cracked....and....and he fell....”

 

Yixing shut his eyes tight.

 

“I tried to save him but it’s too late. Jongin was dead and it was all my fault. I returned home with guilt hanging around my neck. They asked me what happened but I just couldn’t bear to tell them. I tried to move on, to keep on living but I didn’t find any reason to. So I thought that if I have someone else, maybe I could be happy again....”

 

“Me?” Yixing pointed to himself.

 

Kyungsoo smiled slightly. “Yes, you. My creation, my own sweat and blood. I created you as Jongin’s replacement. And now you’re the only one keeping me from going insane, so I don’t want to lose you.”

 

Yixing didn’t know what to think. Although he was kinda glad to hear that Kyungsoo didn’t want to lose him, it hurt too to know that he’s only functioned as Jongin’s replacement. And now there’s a strange feeling too to know that the person he lived with was actually a murderer.

 

Kyungsoo stepped closer to Yixing, eyes blazing. “And now,” he said, “I have a new rule for you. From now on, you’re forbidden to leave this sanctuary.”

 

Yixing’s eyes went wide. “What?!”

 

“You hear me. You’re forbidden to leave.”

 

“But why....?”

 

“Because you spend most of your time with the others!”

 

“So what? They’re my friends, and I love hanging out with them....”

 

A menacing look claimed Kyungsoo’s expression as he kept on approaching Yixing. “You’re not one of us, Yixing. We’re Elementals, while you’re just my creation. So, you’re supposed to bind only with your creator, which is me.”

 

Yixing took a step back. “Kyungsoo, are you okay?”

 

But he himself knew the answer of the question. He wasn’t the best at defining human emotions, but when he looked at Kyungsoo, he understood that the earth controller really couldn’t be helped. Yixing didn’t know how Kyungsoo was before he was created, but he remembered the times when they were together, chatting happily about Kyungsoo’s new experiment. And now the man standing before him....was not Kyungsoo he used to know. Now he was only an insane man who had killed his own lover and friend, and currently was claiming his ownership over Yixing.

 

“You’re mine, Yixing,” Kyungsoo whispered.

 

Yixing tried to step back again but then realized he had met the wall.

 

“Mine,” Kyungsoo repeated again before lifted his hand.

 

And everything went black.

 

-

 

“Hi, Luhan-hyung,” Chanyeol called when the telekinetic user visited his sanctuary. “Have you heard from Yixing lately?”

 

Luhan frowned. “Funny, that’s what I want to ask you. I’ve never seen him since our ‘monthly meeting’, when I took him back to Kyungsoo’s sanctuary.”

 

“Even if he wants to come here, he can’t do that without you or Minseok-hyung or Joonmyun-hyung,” Chanyeol reminded.

 

“Speaking about Joonmyun-hyung, I’ve never seen him since a day before the party as well,” Baekhyun, who happened to be there too, piped in.

 

“That’s strange,” Luhan muttered, scratching his head. “I visited Joonmyun’s place earlier and he isn’t there. I haven’t gone to Kyungsoo’s, though. Should we go there?”

 

Before Chanyeol or Baekhyun could answer, Minseok suddenly rushed inside. “Guys....I have some news,” he panted. “It’s about Kyungsoo. Apparently Kris got him.”

 

“Kris?!” Luhan, Chanyeol, and Baekhyun shouted in unison.

 

“But why?” Luhan asked, shocked. “What did he do wrong?”

 

Minseok took a deep breath. “He murdered Jongin and Joonmyun.”

 

“Minseok-hyung, tell me you’re kidding,” Baekhyun said, eyes wide.

 

“I hope I can, Baekhyun, but that’s what I heard,” Minseok said sullenly. “They were taking him away when I passed his sanctuary earlier. I don’t know what Kris will do to him but murder isn’t something to be taken lightly.”

 

“Then what happened to Yixing?” Chanyeol asked in a small voice.

 

Minseok shook his head. “I don’t know. Yixing himself was a violation of law already. If Kris finds out about him too, he will have Kyungsoo beheaded right away.”

 

“I think we should visit Kyungsoo’s sanctuary,” Baekhyun suggested.

 

“Yeah,” Minseok agreed. “Let’s call the others too.”

 

So, a few minutes later, the seven of them walked to Kyungsoo’s sanctuary.

 

The place was a mess. Books and papers were scattered everywhere on the floor, even a chair was thrown to the wall. Such a stark contrast with the usual neat room. But aside from that, no one was there. No Kyungsoo, no Yixing.

 

“So, the news is true,” Jongdae whispered.

 

Minseok gave him a look. “You think I lied?”

 

“No! Well, Minseok-hyung, if I were asked to choose any of us that’s most likely to murder someone, I won’t even think of Kyungsoo in first place.”

 

Minseok sighed, knowing Jongdae was right. “Well, the problem right now is, where is Yixing?”

 

They all spread around Kyungsoo’s zone to find Yixing, though the zone itself wasn’t that big and there’s no hidden place whatsoever so it would be hard to hide someone there. However, a few minutes later Sehun’s yell brought them back to the main room.

 

“What is it, Sehun?” Zitao asked, a bit annoyed.

 

The youngest pointed at a black box on the top of Kyungsoo’s bookshelf. Chanyeol, being the tallest, picked it up easily and opened it. The lid dropped on the floor, revealing what seemed like nomal sand, but it glittered a little under the dark circumstances.

 

“I think it’s Yixing,” Minseok whispered. “In his sand form, I mean.”

 

Jongdae shook his head in disbelief and amazement. “I can’t believe he did this. It’s so simple but genius.”

 

The others murmured their agreement.

 

Yes, Kyungsoo did dematerialize and store Yixing before he was caught. When he killed Joonmyun, Kyungsoo knew it wouldn’t take long before Kris got the wind about that. So he turned Yixing back to his sand form, in the hope that Kris wouldn’t find him. The supreme overlord could do anything about him, Kyungsoo thought, but not to Yixing.

 

“What would we do with him?” Luhan asked, touching the box softly as if it’s a glass vase.

 

“We keep it until Kyungsoo’s back,” Minseok said, putting back the lid. “I’m sure he’ll want us to.”

 

The others nodded, and one by one, they made their way out of Kyungsoo’s place.

 

Somewhere out there, Kyungsoo was waiting for his punishment.

 

And inside the box, Yixing was stored, in the form of mere sand. No feelings and no broken heart.

 

 

 

/end

 

 

 

 

because sandman!yixing is so begging to be written out *cries*

and why did I make kyungsoo so bad in this fic *sigh* I’m sorry for all the kyungsoo fans out there, really, I actually like him.

my original plan is to have jongin and kyungsoo attacked by some kind of elemental-hunter or something but I think it’ll hurt more if kyungsoo is the one that killed jongin.

and joonmyun T_T I didn’t mean to kill him at first but it just had to happen.

xiurista also made a cameo here. lol i can't bear to leave it, he's my second favorite exo member after yixing anyway.

once again, comments and feedbacks are greatly appreciated. constructive criticisms are okay too. thanks!