“Tell me a bedtime story,” Tao pleaded, smiling brightly up at Kyungsoo who was currently tucking him in. Sehun, sitting on the adjacent bed, scoffed out loud, but Kyungsoo could see he was watching them out of the corner of his eye.

“Alright,” Kyungsoo said with a gentle smile in return, settling himself to the ever eager Tao. The young boy let out a squeal of excitement, practically bouncing on the bed as he waited for Kyungsoo to begin. He considered his options. “What story should I tell?” He asked.

Kyungsoo lost his train of thought as his eyes drifted to the open window, Tao’s excited babbling fading into the background. He could see that it was a clear, beautiful night. The sky was empty of clouds letting the moon shine in all its glory, surrounded by a mass of twinkling stars. Nothing of the night made any indication that a lunar eclipse had occurred the night before, but Kyungsoo remembered the sight with clear clarity as he did every year. A phenomenon in which the sun and the moon were able to occupy the same sky. Kyungsoo couldn’t help the wistful memories that washed over him, ones of sadness and pain, but most of all; love.

“Let me tell you the story,

Of how the Sun

Loved the Moon so much,

He died every night

To let him breathe.”

Tao had gone silent. He sat entranced, looking up at Kyungsoo with wide admiring eyes. Even Sehun on the opposite bed had turned his body towards them, a look of mild interest on his usually passive face. They seemed to have realized there was something in Kyungsoo’s voice that wasn’t usually present when he told stories. Something important and special that demanded to be listened to.

“The days as they used to be were not as we know them now,” Kyungsoo began, Sehun leaning forward to catch his soft words. “Back then, two races existed. Polar opposites in a constant battle for power.”

The first, were those born from flames.

The Solaris were strong and powerful with a will unrivaled by others. They faced every obstacle in their path and never ran from a fight. They were firm in their beliefs and gave respect to only those they had believed to deserve it.

The second, were those created from light.

The Lunar were brave souls with sharp minds and an unyielding spirit. What they may have lacked in power they made up for with their minds. They protected those they loved with a courage none others seemed to possess but showed mercy when they found fit.

They too treasured power, but in the end only one could rule the sky. The two sides were at war, but there is only so much time and both races desired as much of it for themselves as they could get.

They fought desperately, resorting to tricks and lies when neither side seemed to gain the upper hand in their battle for power. Almost too late they had realized that instead of winning, both races were on the brink of extinction.

In an attempt to regain peace and order the two races created a series of tasks done every fifty years to determine which of the two would gain control.

For thousands of years the Solaris had control of the sky. While the fire race thrived in the bright sunlight and the warmth of its rays, those of the light suffered years of starvation and pain. None of the challengers the Lunar produced could defeat the previous victor that the Solaris had procured. The sun was tall and imposing, strong and fearless. He was the land’s champion, the Solaris’ savior for he had destroyed every enemy that had been tasked against him. For ages he was unbeatable.

That is, until they produced a challenger quite unlike the others.

The moon.

“Byun Baekhyun.”

Chanyeol quickly pressed his hand to his chest, the blood red light that was dancing along his fingertips back into his body with a shudder. The door swung open only a second later, light flying into the shadow filled room. He blinked as sharp rays strung his eyes, hand covering up to shield his eyes.

“Why do you always sit in the shadows?” Jongdae asked. When Chanyeol snapped him a cold, blank stare, the man scoffed before closing the door behind them, draping them back in darkness. “Anyway, your competitor. His name is Byun Baekhyun.”

Jongdae paused, as if waiting for a reaction, but Chanyeol merely continued to stare at him, as if waiting for him instead. Jongdae cleared his throat before continuing, looking rather disappointed by his lack of interest. “We weren’t able to find much about him,” he reported.

“You’re the kingdoms best,” Chanyeol drawled, gaze as vacant as ever, “And you’re saying you couldn’t find anything?”

“We found out the usual,” Jongdae corrected, straightening. “He was marked a light wielder at the age of nine but received no formal training and lived as the son of a farmer.”

Chanyeol seemed to accept that, lightly shrugging his shoulders before becoming unresponsive again.

“It’s strange,” Jongdae said, breaking the silence. “The last few competitors from the Lunar have been decent but to put up a kid with no experience is a death sentence.”

Chanyeol shrugged again. He had no interest in the Lunar, he never knew what they were thinking and he truthfully didn’t care. Jongdae seemed put off by Chanyeol’s lack of response but when he realized he wasn’t going to get anything else from the man he bowed and began backing out of the room.

“Have a good evening, champion.”

Jongdae closed the door behind him, sending the room back into solitary silence. When the drapes were up and the room was swathed in light it looked magnificent; vast white walls with beautiful hand crafted paintings, stunning plush furniture and wide open windows to the sun. But with the windows shut and the blinds closed Chanyeol could almost pretend the sun didn’t shine on him anymore.

Chanyeol reached to his heart, opened his palm and let the flames burn once more.

The stadium was in a frenzy, the air practically buzzing with excitement. Every seat was taken, the stands full to the brim. Chanyeol let his eyes wander the stands, blinking against the harsh sunlight even though he was in the shadows, glare as empty as usual. He was as surprised as he had been the last tasks, he would have thought the tasks would have become less popular as the outcome continued to remain the same, but the Lunar were dedicated and he shed them some respect for it.

“Byun Baekhyun, Challenger of the Lunar, child of the moon, being of light.”

The crowd erupted into cheers. It was deafening, echoing across the huge coliseum and filling the air with crashes like thunder. Chanyeol watched as the south wing gates opened up and a young man stepped out. He still looked like a child in Chanyeol’s eyes, around the same age he had been when Chanyeol had become a challenger, barely more than twenty years old. He was small and thin but with a body toned from hard work on the fields and pale skin that was common among the Lunar. Atop his head was a mess of dark brown hair that contrasted deeply with the flowing blue and purple robes he wore. Chanyeol was surprised by his garb, in the past few years the Lunar had been dressed in much grander appearances but Baekhyun’s in contrast was quite simple, merely a few layers tied back to allow him movement and comfort.

The boy walked with his head held high as he walked contently across the ground to the raised platform in the middle of the stadium. Some of the Solaris in the crowd were hissing and yelling out profanities but Baekhyun didn’t even bat an eye, merely gliding up to the platform and standing on the engraved crescent pattern on the stage.

“And Park Chanyeol, Challenger of the Solaris, child of the sun, being of flames.”

The gate in front of Chanyeol raised. He stepped out onto the ground, momentarily blinded as his eyes adjusted to the blinding sun. They had sunlight every hour of the day but he wondered if he would get used to it. The sound in the stadium was deafening but Chanyeol had become used to the noise and barely acknowledged it, instead moving swiftly to the stage, elaborate robes flying behind him. He climbed the stairs, ignoring the three court members before moving to his place on the sun shaped mark.

His gaze found Baekhyun and his lips turned downward when he realized how much taller he was than the other. He really was a child.

Baekhyun looked over, as if he knew he was looking and caught his eye before Chanyeol could turn away.

He smiled.

“I present to you, your challengers!”

It was the evening but a soft light filtered through the high ceiling windows, hitting the crystals hanging from the ceiling and throwing sparks of light across the room. A long table was settled in the middle of the great hall of the Solaris palace, draped in heavy linens of gold and red, their best golden plates and cups balanced on the top of the table. A controlled laughter filled the air, light conversation flitting around the room, small jokes and empty compliments hanging on people’s lips.

Chanyeol leaned back in his chair at the head of the table, not even bothering to look interested as he gazed at the guests. The dark blues and silvers mingled with the reds and gold’s but Chanyeol knew the comradery was fake, knew that both sides hated each other as much as they always did and always would. He had once attempted to play along in their silly game, but too many years had passed and he found it tiresome to try anymore. The elderly man to his left sat in silence while the young man to his right had gone quiet after a single glance.

He couldn’t stop staring though, his eyes continuously drawn to the other end of the table.

Baekhyun was certainly different.

The young man sat at the other head, surrounded by red and gold and speaking animatedly to the people flocking around him. Usually the competitors were scared, nervous at least, but Baekhyun seemed at ease; smiling and laughing and making conversations that the others even seemed to enjoy. Chanyeol allowed his blank façade to break for a moment, a frown forming on his face because the sight unnerved him and he wasn’t sure what to think, when suddenly Baekhyun looked up and their eyes met.

Baekhyun’s eyes turned into crescents and he smiled.

This time Chanyeol couldn’t keep the scowl off his face. He turned his head, almost as if the smile physically burned him, before pushing his chair away from the table and getting to his feet. The room went quiet, may of the occupants standing hesitantly. It was the ceremonial opening dinner that marked the beginning of the tasks with members of all high positions in both races attending, but Chanyeol didn’t care. He had to get away.

A few people had begun questioning him but Chanyeol merely threw down his napkin and stormed out of the room, not even sparing a glance behind him as the heavy doors closed behind him.

That night as he lay in bed turning a small flame over in his hands no matter what he did he couldn’t get the stupid boys smile out of his head.

“What happened last night?”

It was Kris, dressed as finely as he usually was in robes of red and orange, expensive sword hanging from his belt. With his neatly styled blonde hair he fit in perfectly with the finely crafted furniture and jewels that furnished the room.

“Nothing,” Chanyeol grumbled, turning away. The war general had always looked the champion more than he ever had, with his messy fire red hair and common choice of plain dark shirt and trousers. Not that he ever tried.

There was a tense silence in which Chanyeol pretended Kris didn’t exist before he finally yielded and glanced at the other, frowning when he saw Kris’s disbelieving stare. “Really, it was nothing. I just wasn’t hungry.”

Kris’s frown only seemed to deepen but Chanyeol stood up, walking to the door and holding it open for him, sending a clear signal. Kris eyed him for a moment before he gracefully walked toward the door. “Don’t forget about dinner tonight,” Kris reminded him, pausing with one foot out the threshold.

Chanyeol resisted rolling his eyes. He had done this for over a thousand years, of course he remembered. He gently closed the door as a response before turning on his heel and heading back to his bed.

Anyway, how could he forget? He had been dreading it for the whole day.

Chanyeol reached under the elaborate headpiece gracing his head, trying to reach the itch from the fabric without upending the whole thing. He was dressed in at least five layers, the most beautiful and expensive silks of deep red and gold the Solaris could afford, the brightest of jewels stitched elegantly into the fabric. When Chanyeol had looked in the mirror he had grudgingly admitted to himself that the Solaris had outdone themselves. It was one of the most astonishing outfits he had ever worn.

Comfort was a whole other story. He just wanted to get rid of the headpiece, he was sure it was cutting off his circulation.

Chanyeol walked down the steps of the Solaris palace, making sure not to get his feet caught in the long flowing robes that swirled around his feet likes flames. Their Lunar guests and the Solaris alike oohed and awed as he descended, coming forward when he reached the foot of the stairs to acknowledge his attire and congratulate him and wish for his health. He could see the truth in their eyes though. The Solaris only wished for him to remain in power while the Lunar were waiting for him to fall.

His robes seemed more constricting than ever.

After a few more agonizing minutes of accepting wishes of luck and health he finally managed to disentangle himself from the admirers, moving to the other end of the hall. Jongdae materialized at his side, dressed in darker clothing with bright red jewels accenting his clothes, the sharp contrast making Chanyeol stand out even more. They stopped at the end of the hall, Jongdae opening the door to a smaller dining room for Chanyeol as he stepped inside.

The room was just as royal and beautiful as the rest of the palace, with wide open windows across one wall and bright colored furniture contrasting against the white walls. A lone table stood in the middle of the room, the table set for four.

Baekhyun was already seated, leaning back comfortably in his chair with his hands on his lap. Chanyeol paused in the doorway, almost unable to believe his eyes.

The Dining of the Challengers was a tradition that had gone on for years, meant for the two challengers to meet and converse alone though they each brought a companion. It was held before the first task and mostly used as a way for the two races to show off their challengers, dressing them in the most elaborate and beautiful silks and jewels they had. The dinners were always boring, the Lunar challenger either ending up trying too hard to be impervious to the beautiful Solaris castle or breaking down in the face of death.

It seemed Baekhyun went against all traditions.

He sat calmly, merely smiling in acknowledgement and bowing politely as Chanyeol made his way carefully to sit across from Baekhyun, Jongdae moving to the seat beside him. Instead of the numerous silks and jewels Chanyeol was clad in Baekhyun was dressed simply, just like when Chanyeol had first seen him. He wore a thin purple and blue fabric over simple white pants, his arms bare except for two thick silver bracelets on his wrist and a single ring on his right hand. Even though he was dressed simply the contrast against his pale skin made him shine.

Baekhyun dipped his head when they sat and Chanyeol realized there were jewels scattered in his hair like stars. “Champion,” he said, then bowed to Jongdae. “Companion.”

Jongdae returned the welcome but Chanyeol could see the surprise in his eyes. Usually the companion was not acknowledged, they were merely there to make sure the challengers did not fight. There was a pause in which no one said anything and though Chanyeol felt almost suffocated by the awkwardness. Baekhyun merely stared at them, unaffected.

“Where is your companion?” Jongdae asked, motioning to the empty spot to his left.

“I will be dining alone tonight,” Baekhyun replied. The door to their left opened and waiters began piling in, bringing along plates of delicious food with a delectable aroma wafting across the room. Chanyeol and Jongdae exchanged glances, a challenger had never gone without a companion before and Chanyeol couldn’t figure out why one would want to.

“Looks delicious!” Baekhyun said, an unveiled amount of excitement in his voice. He picked up his utensils and began picking pieces of food from each dish, not bothering to hold back as he ate. Beside him Jongdae began to eat, though much more reserved than Baekhyun, while Chanyeol merely sat back in his chair and watched.

Close up, Chanyeol realized that Baekhyun was much more different than he had previously thought. Instead of as enemies, he acted like they were old friends, gracious with his compliments and warm smiles, never once calling out Chanyeol for his unresponsive answers. It confused him, never had he seen someone act so calm in the face of death.

At some point even Jongdae had been drawn into Baekhyun’s conversations, almost infectiously like it was hard to stay away and Chanyeol couldn’t help but feel like he was being ignored. At any other time he would’ve enjoyed it, earning the chance to eat in peace, but for some reason this time it made him angry.

“Jongdae,” Chanyeol said, breaking into their conversation and making the two look up at him. “Please leave.”

There was a moment’s pause in which Jongdae openly gaped at him before he seemed to gather himself and stood. He bowed to Baekhyun who responded with a gentle smile and said it was a pleasure before he left, though Chanyeol could tell he didn’t want to leave at all. He truthfully didn’t know why he had said it either, didn’t know why he was getting so irritated by such a person, but it was done and soon he was left alone in a room with Byun Baekhyun.

It was quiet as Baekhyun continued to eat and Chanyeol closed his eyes, leaning back into his chair and reaching for his headpiece once again.

“You know, that thing looks mighty heavy.” Chanyeol’s eyes snapped open to see Baekhyun smiling friendly at him, pointing with the end of his chopsticks at Chanyeol’s elaborate headpiece. “You can take it off if you would like, I won’t tell.”

For a moment Chanyeol considered snapping at him and telling him it wasn’t his business before he threw all hell to the wind and grabbed the damn thing and yanked it off his head, sending loose jewels scattering to the ground. He threw the annoying wrap at a couch, letting out a relieved sigh as his head felt lighter and the blood rushed to his head. He thought he heard Baekhyun chuckle and he only retaliated by leaning back, throwing an arm over his face so as to cover the fact that his face was flushed.

Baekhyun let him sit like that for a while, merely eating his food in silence, always picking pieces from different plates. Chanyeol would be lying if he said he didn’t see the ways his eyes lit up whenever he tried something new, but he would never admit he had been watching from under his arm.

“Do you really like it that much?” Chanyeol asked exasperated as he finally flung his arm down.

Baekhyun glanced up from where he sitting. He had been eating from the same plate for the last few minutes, eyes bright and lips turned up as he dug into the meal. He seemed to realize what Chanyeol was implying and removed the chopsticks from his lips, a grin lighting up his face. “Oh yes, this dish is very delicious. You should try it.”

Chanyeol frowned and covered his face again so Baekhyun couldn’t see him roll his eyes. “What’s your favorite food?” Chanyeol pulled his sleeve away, brows furrowing as his gaze rested on Baekhyun.

“What?”

“What’s your favorite dish?” Baekhyun motioned to the numerous dishes that overloaded the table, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Chanyeol opened his mouth but the words died on his lips. To tell the truth, he didn’t know. No one had ever asked him and he had never considered it. Instead of replying he finally grabbed his utensils and started grabbing bites of the food, filling his mouth so he wouldn’t have to reply.

Baekhyun didn’t seem bothered by the response and instead continuing to eat, asking Chanyeol occasionally to pass foods he couldn’t reach.

For a moment Chanyeol had considered saying no but then realized he was being childish and passed the plates over. They sat in what was almost a comfortable silence, Baekhyun only occasionally making small comments on the food while Chanyeol grunted or said nothing in response.

Finally, Chanyeol slammed his knife down onto the table, the silver embedding itself in the table. “Why do you keep doing that?” He demanded.

Baekhyun looked up at him, blinking in confusion as Chanyeol leveled a glare at him. “Doing what?” He asked innocently, lips turning up into a smile.

“That!” Chanyeol snapped, pointing his finger accusingly at Baekhyun. “You keep smiling and being nice to me and I hate it!”

“Oh.” Baekhyun’s face fell and Chanyeol ignored the discomfort that suddenly stabbed him in the chest. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know it bothered you.”

“Well, it does,” Chanyeol snapped fiercely, fists clenched by his sides.

“Would you like me to stop?”

“No. I mean yes!” Chanyeol exploded, ferociously shoving himself away from the table and standing up. His chair went tumbling to the ground. He didn’t know why he was getting so angry but he could feel flames flickering at his fingers and he clenched his fists to make them stop. He couldn’t remember the last time he had ever showed so much emotion, let so much show. “Just stop, okay?” He could hear desperation leak into his voice and he bit his tongue until he tasted copper.

“Okay,” came Baekhyun’s quiet reply.

They remained like that, Chanyeol trying to reign in his powers as he stood staring out the window at the ever shining sun and trying to desperately ignore Baekhyun’s gaze on his back. Finally he spun around, leaving the room with flames flickering in his wake. It was only once he had exited the room and Baekhyun’s gaze was confined behind the door that he felt he could breathe.

“Welcome all to the first task!”

Chanyeol could hear the announcer’s voice from above muffled through the ground. He stood on a platform underneath the coliseum where the first task was being held. The past few days had passed in a long, brooding silence, both sides assisting their challengers in preparation for the first task. Chanyeol hadn’t seen Baekhyun since the dinner but he guessed it was because he had stayed locked in his room most of the time, claiming he wasn’t feeling well and taking meals in his bed. He had cracked so easily, he didn’t want to fall apart.

After the first night Kris had come knocking, trying to converse with him, and after the second night had escalated to threatening to break down the door. Chanyeol had finally come out, more to ease Kris’s fears than anything, before retreating back into solitude after he assured the other he was fine and would be prepared for the tasks. As the days swept by he reluctantly left his room when Jongdae fetched him for practice, but other than that he remained in isolation. Jongdae allowed him, though only because his physical training had come to a standstill. There was nothing he could learn from his trainers anymore, most of them he could even fight better than. On those days he merely went through the routine and at the end of his sessions he was barely breaking a sweat. Chanyeol saw it as useless but it was routine. It helped him keep sane.

However as time went on and the tasks grew closer his anticipation grew and this time, even the fire did nothing to calm his nerves.

Kris had mentioned it once, having stopped by one of the mornings to check Chanyeol’s training sessions only to see the training room nearly go up in flames. Chanyeol had merely glared at him before sweeping out of the practice rooms to let the trainers fix his mess.

Finally at the task, Chanyeol’s nerves still wouldn’t settle. He didn’t know why he was so nervous, it wasn’t like he wasn’t expecting the tasks and it certainly wasn’t his first time participating, but his nerves were everywhere, frazzled at the ends and fraying all too quickly. Grabbing onto the last edges of his sanity and forcing himself to calm down, his skin slowly cooling, he fixed the elaborate jeweled headpiece and waited for the floor to rise.

“Ladies and gentlemen, your challengers!”

There was a jolt and then the ground began to rise and a trapdoor opened above him, light shining down upon him. The stadium was as bright as ever as Chanyeol appeared to the crowds, a deafening roar exploding around him. Chanyeol squinted to adjust to the light, glancing to his right to see Baekhyun rise with him. He half expected Baekhyun to look over at him and give him another one of his stupid smiles but Baekhyun simply stared ahead, face surprisingly blank.

“As many of you know, the first task is a challenge to test their strength. Both competitors will compete in a match to see which is superior, the Solaris or the Lunar, in a battle of strength.”

Chanyeol was not worried. The first task was always his strongest point. His powers were no match for anyone he had ever met and he was physically in good shape as well. After being embarrassingly beaten in the second round of the tasks against the ice wielder Minseok, Chanyeol had dedicated himself to building up his strength and had only been defeated a few times after that. Most of the time he won easily and earned the best farming lands for his race.

For some reason though Chanyeol felt like Baekhyun was holding out. It explained why the other threw him so off balance. There was something about him that made even Chanyeol worried so he vowed he would not lose this battle and that he would find out Baekhyun’s secret.

“This challenge will be a sword fight. The first competitor to unarm their opponent is the winner.”

Chanyeol mentally congratulated himself. He had never lost a sword fight.

Assistants came out wielding stacks of swords for the two challengers to choose from when Baekhyun’s voice rang out through the stadium.

“I forfeit.”

There was a moment of complete silence in which Chanyeol could’ve heard a pin drop before the whole coliseum burst into an uproar. People were screaming, cursing, yelling out insults that came from both the Lunar and the Solaris. The Lunar couldn’t believe their own challenger would give up without a fight, the Solaris didn’t respect cowards.

Chanyeol was in too much of a shock to even realize what was going on. Baekhyun had already turned away, walking toward the exit. The stands were in chaos, fights breaking out sending the guards in a frenzy to try to keep order.

He saw Baekhyun speak quietly to the guard near the entrance and for some reason he was filled with an unexplainable anger. He grabbed the nearest sword out of the rack of weapons and stormed towards Baekhyun. “Come back and fight me you coward!” He bellowed. He thought he saw Baekhyun falter but he was filled with too much rage to notice.

Suddenly guards were on him but he lashed out at them, trying to shove their hands off of him. It was illegal to fight another challenger while not part of the tasks but he was so blinded by fury he didn’t care. When someone tried to remove the sword from his grip he shoved the man harshly away before lifting it over his head and throwing it with all his strength.

Baekhyun didn’t even flinch as the sword imbedded itself in the wall beside him. Instead he continued walking until the gates closed behind him and he disappeared.

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(A/N: Hello everyone!

I've been working on this fic for a very VERY long time and I have FINALLY finished it! I'm super excited and I really hope you guys like it! <3)