The carriage was deathly quiet.

Jongdae sat opposite of Chanyeol, looking interestedly out the window while Kris sat stoically beside him. The two hadn’t been very happy when they’d heard his plans, Kris had been downright livid, but in the end they had no choice but to comply because Baekhyun had already announced his visit and to not accept the invitation to the Lunar palace would have been detrimental. Jongdae had gotten over it rather quickly but Kris was determinedly angry.

Chanyeol on the other hand was excited. In all his years as a Challenger he had never been out of the Solaris lands and this visit to the Lunar palace would be his first. He had heard it was magnificent, its glory still standing after all these years. Even the numerous guards Kris had demanded they bring couldn’t put a damper on his mood.

Suddenly their carriage stopped and Kris and Jongdae jumped to their feet, grabbing their weapons when the door opened.

Baekhyun stood in the doorway flanked by two Solaris soldiers who looked embarrassedly flustered.

“I’m sorry, he just insisted…”

“Good evening,” he said, smiling brilliantly. “I hope you don’t mind.” With that he stepped into the carriage, plopping himself right in between the two and sitting across from Chanyeol. Their knees were touching. Up close he thought Baekhyun looked quite pleased with himself. To the side Jongdae smiled hesitantly as Baekhyun launched into a conversation with him while Kris seemed completely flabbergasted by the whole ordeal. When the carriage began to move again he swung around to chastise the guards but they were already back in position. He scowled and settled back in the seat while Chanyeol resisted the urge to laugh at his childlike attitude. Kris was very a man of tradition and Baekhyun was far from that.

“We’re getting close,” Baekhyun commented after a while. Earlier Chanyeol had been jealous when Baekhyun’s attention had been absorbed in his conversation with Jongdae, but after a while he had relaxed into his seat, staring out the window and letting Baekhyun’s soothing voice wash over him. He had missed his company.

“What’s that?” Jongdae questioned, directing their attention toward the passing fields where a series of tarps were positioned in the middle of the growing crops.

“Some of our crops can only grow in darkness so we’ve developed tarps that are mechanically operated that regulate the location of the sun to keep them constantly in the dark,” Baekhyun explained. He went on to explain more of the technology the Lunar had developed to counter the effects of the constant sunshine. Even Kris seemed interested.

“Impressive,” Kris finally murmured.

“Well, we had to adapt to survive.” Baekhyun’s voice held no blame but Kris shifted uncomfortably anyway. “Looks like we’re here,” Baekhyun said after an awkward silence.

Chanyeol turned back to the window just in time to see the Lunar palace emerge from the sloped hill. It laid in the center of a cavern, a large mountain on one side providing protection from the harsh rays of the sun. Even from their distance Chanyeol could tell it was beautiful. Whereas the Solaris castle was tall and grand with sharp edges and imposing structures, the Lunar palace was closer to the ground; composed of large connecting buildings with round sloping ceilings. When the carriage pulled up to the front of the courtyard Baekhyun bounded out without pausing to wait for the guards. Chanyeol hurried to follow him, ignoring Kris’s indignant yells behind him and the scramble of his guards to follow. He thought he heard Jongdae laughing.

A large sparkling clear pond stretched through the middle of the courtyard, the sun sparkling beautifully over it. The palace doors towered over them, a gleaming white that as Chanyeol neared realized had silver patterns engraved into it. “The story of how the Lunar first came to become,” Baekhyun whispered as the doors opened for them.

Chanyeol stepped inside with Baekhyun at his side, jaw dropping in amazement. He was used to the Solaris castle’s grandness but the Lunar palace was a whole new experience. The doors opened into a wide dome shaped building with a vast reaching ceiling. A river ran through the middle, branching down connecting corridors and filling the air with the sound of soft running water. He soon realized the tall structures scattered inside were white leaved trees growing through the floor and the sounds in the air were birdsong.

The light dimmed as the doors closed behind them until the only source of light came from the small holes that had been cut into the roof. A strange sense of nostalgia fell on Chanyeol as he realized that the room had been designed to imitate night; the holes in the ceiling forming what used to be star constellations. It was something he hadn’t seen in thousands of years, something he hadn’t ever expected to see again.

“This is beautiful,” Jongdae gasped beside him.

“I had no idea,” Kris whispered.

“Night,” Chanyeol breathed. The memories of summer nights under the stars washed over him. It had been so long…

Too caught up in his own thoughts he barely noticed Baekhyun bounce up to him. “Magnificent, isn’t it?” He said, leaning up to whisper in his ear. Chanyeol turned to look down at him. The boy wasn’t looking at him, rather at the ceiling and he could see the stars reflected in his eyes. A few lights from the ceiling glinted off the jewels in his hair and Baekhyun seemed to shine like a star himself. “It’s been a long time,” Baekhyun admitted. Then, almost unwillingly, he tore his eyes from the sight and turned back to them. “Come along, you must meet the Lunar and then I can show you to your rooms.”

They followed the river through the winding tunnels of the palace, crossing bridges whenever the river branched off into separate hallways. There were few windows along the walls, most of the light coming from strategically placed holes in the walls that Baekhyun explained were closed and opened depending on the time of day and position of the sun. Chanyeol didn’t take long to adjust to the dim lights, as he often covered his room with shades at night, but Jongdae seemed a bit disconcerted and Kris kept tripping over things.

As they continued on their way the trees began to thin out and the passageways turned into hallways. The floor turned to marble and magnificent paintings of past kings and challengers filled the elegantly crafted walls. They barely passed any people except for a few servants who bowed politely, it was unnervingly empty.

They finally entered a large open room filled with beautiful artwork and statues, the river forming a large koi pond. Baekhyun led them to an intricately drawn door at the other side of the room and two guards announced them before opening the doors.

“Your majesty,” Baekhyun said before dropping to his knees.

Chanyeol bowed but none of his people went to their knees.

“Welcome to the Lunar kingdom.”

The prince looked no more than a child. His face was young and extremely pale, with delicate, almost feminine features. He was cloaked in elaborate white robes, the fabric dotted with blue and purple jewels. Even though he looked young his gaze was strong and intelligent and Chanyeol guessed he was not as fragile as he looked.

“Prince Luhan of the Lunar,” Chanyeol greeted as he straightened.

“Thank you for your interest in the Lunar palace, Challenger. We have not hosted a Solaris in a multitude of years.” His voice held a hint of contempt which Chanyeol acknowledged. It was true, he had never been to the palace, but also, he had never been invited.

“It was my pleasure to come.”

“You must be tired from your long trip. My people can show you to your room, we may speak more at dinner tomorrow.” His gaze never faltered from Chanyeol’s.

“Actually your majesty, I can show them.”

Luhan turned to Baekhyun and Chanyeol realized it was the first time he had looked at him since they had arrived. “Ah, yes, alright,” he allowed. He turned back to Chanyeol. “You have free reign of the palace, I hope your stay is most enjoyable.” And with that and a regal nod of his head he dismissed them.

Baekhyun bowed to him again before they filled out of the room. “This way,” he instructed, gaze gentle as the doors closed behind them. He led them down the long winding corridors, apologizing for the distance but explaining it was because the Solaris guest rooms were held at the opposite side of the castle. It was clear where the palace changed; suddenly there were tall windows letting in the blinding sun and Chanyeol had to cover his eyes as they painfully adjusted to the stinging light. As they walked through the plainly decorated hallways Chanyeol spotted some areas the servants hadn’t cleared yet, undersides of shelves that were thick with dust and dirty windows. It clearly hadn’t been used in many years.

“These are the living quarters,” Baekhyun explained. He pushed open a door leading into a long hallway, windows disrupting the numerous doors lining the hallway. “The guards will stay here and Challenger, your room is at the end.” Chanyeol quirked an eyebrow at the title but didn’t say anything.

As they came to the last doorway, Kris murmured something to the guards and two of them entered the room. “It’s quite secure,” Baekhyun commented with an easy smile.

“I’m sure it is,” Kris responded gruffly.

The guards came out a few moments later and Kris nodded to Chanyeol who stepped into the room.

The room was quite beautiful, though very different from his room back at the Solaris palace. It was large and open, with tall windows that reached to the ceiling and drapes of dark blue and royal purples. He was surprised to see the drapes along the walls were held back by ropes that could be easily undone to cover the windows.

“I asked them to be put up,” Baekhyun whispered, coming up to his side with a soft smile.

Kris cleared his throat behind them and Chanyeol spun around. “Goodnight,” he said rather roughly to the entourage at the door. Kris narrowed his eyes in irritation but turned away anyway, the guards following him out. Jongdae was last, staring at Chanyeol with an eyebrow raised, before he followed suit. The door closed with a click behind them.

When he turned back to Baekhyun the boy had a cheeky, amused smile on his face which Chanyeol ignored. “Nice place,” he finally muttered.

Baekhyun looked pleased. “Glad it’s up to the great Challengers standards.”

Chanyeol let out a long groan and Baekhyun chuckled. “Anyway, goodnight. I’ll see you tomorrow for dinner. Don’t practice too hard.” But before he could leave, Chanyeol reached out and caught his hand.

“Can I see your room?” He blurted out.

Baekhyun looked surprised. He glanced down at their hands after a moment and Chanyeol quickly released him.

“Sure,” he said easily after a seconds pause. He opened the door and Chanyeol hurried to follow. As they walked down the hall a door opened to their side and Chanyeol flinched as Jongdae emerged, expecting the scolding for him for wandering. However the man merely nodded in Baekhyun’s direction before walking passed him.

Perplexed by Jongdae’s lack of reaction he barely realized how far they had gone until they were in the main courtyard, the ceiling lit up like a night sky. Baekhyun’s room was not surprisingly far. When Chanyeol asked why Baekhyun’s room wasn’t near the other Lunar quarters, Baekhyun just shrugged. “I prefer it here.” His voice held no room for questions.

He expected there to be numerous guards outside Baekhyun’s room, but the remote hallway it was located in was empty of inhabitants. Two maids passed by who bowed politely to Baekhyun, but not as respectfully as Chanyeol would have expected.

“Here it is.” Baekhyun threw the door open. His room was startlingly small, barely half the size of Chanyeol’s. It was shaped in a circle with a domed ceiling and almost completely empty except for the drapes covering the walls, a small bookcase and a round bed in the middle. It took him a moment to comprehend that the ceiling had the same star constellations as the main room but somehow Baekhyun had set it up to change like day and night.

“How did you do this?” Chanyeol asked in amazement as the room seemed to get darker as the day passed by.

“It was a gift,” Baekhyun replied.

“From who?”

Baekhyun merely smiled in response.

“Baek! You’re finally back-”

Chanyeol spun around. He hadn’t heard anyone come in. The boy that had entered was tall, nearly his height, but looked to be a few years younger than Baekhyun. He had wild dark black hair but with skin that was tanner than most of the Lunar’s and was dressed in a large white shift that seemed to dwarf his size and tight black pants. His heavily lidded eyes were wide in surprise and his mouth half open as if he was trying to say something but nothing would come out. A few wisps of black smoke trained off his skin but Chanyeol couldn’t smell or even feel any smoke in the air.

Before he could comprehend what was happening Baekhyun had strode past him, grabbing onto the boys arm and leading him quickly but gently toward the door. “We’ll talk later,” he murmured quietly. The boy turned to Baekhyun wordlessly, looking stunned, but Baekhyun merely gave him a comforting smile before closing the door gently behind him.

“Who was that?” Chanyeol couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. The way Baekhyun had acted had seemed so intimate. But at the same time, he knew he had no right to feel such a way.

Baekhyun however didn’t seem to notice his tone. “Just a friend,” he explained calmly before fully turning to Chanyeol. “It’s getting late, you should leave.”

His tone wasn’t mean but Chanyeol couldn’t help but feel hurt. He opened his mouth to argue but Baekhyun had already opened the door. Chanyeol reluctantly walked out and was surprised to see the boy had already disappeared.

Baekhyun closed the door behind them and then as if understanding Chanyeol’s reluctance, apologetically touched his arm before striding forward.

As they were walking through the main courtyard, Chanyeol staying stubbornly silent and Baekhyun letting him be, suddenly Baekhyun froze, coming to a sudden stop and causing Chanyeol to nearly bump into him. He opened his mouth to question him but his voice died in his throat at the sight of Baekhyun’s alert gaze. His senses heighted as he looked around for anything strange but he couldn’t see anything in the empty room.

Suddenly there was a snap of a bowstring above them and Baekhyun yanked Chanyeol behind him. Without pause Baekhyun threw his hand up and the lights around them winked out, shrouding them in darkness.

“What the hell was that?” Chanyeol hissed, eyes wide as he tried to see where the attack had come from. He could hear disappearing footsteps, sounding near the ceiling, but he couldn’t see a thing. He reached out blindly and Baekhyun grasped his arm, attempting to tug him toward a direction only he seemed to know. “Baekhyun stop!” He yanked his arm out of Baekhyun’s terrifying grip and stepped away. “Baekhyun, what just happened? How did you do that?” He waved his hand toward the ceiling though he knew the other couldn’t see him.

But then suddenly, he could see Baekhyun. A light had begun to emit from his body, as if coming from his own being. “How?” He asked, voice low. He took a step toward him and Chanyeol took an involuntary step backward. The boy let out a hollow laugh and a chill ran up Chanyeol’s spine. “This is how.”

Baekhyun raised his hand and it glowed like a star, so bright that Chanyeol had to squint, before suddenly a huge dragon erupted from his palm; first the head with teeth bared, then the long spiked body and razor sharp claws. It flew to the ceiling, long tail whipping behind it, before it dropped to the ground and began circling around Chanyeol. Chanyeol swung around, trying to keep the head in view, before the dragon flew straight at him, jaws open and eyes burning like fire.

Chanyeol lifted his hand but he was too late. The dragon’s jaws closed around him.

And passed completely through him.

Chanyeol stared in amazement as the dragon flew straight through him, staring until the end of the tip of the tail had flown through his stomach. He looked up in confusion at Baekhyun as the dragon returned to circling around them. “H-how?” Chanyeol stuttered, stepping forward and grabbing Baekhyun’s wrist.

“How?” Baekhyun whispered and Chanyeol realized his façade had fallen, his voice sad and broken. “Can’t you see, Chanyeol? I had a secret weapon, but it’s nothing against you. I can create illusions.” His gaze dropped and he snapped his fingers and the dragon seemed to in on itself, disappearing until only a small ball of light floated between them. “I can create the most magnificent, beautiful things. But that’s all they are. Illusions.”

Chanyeol opened his mouth to say something, anything, but when Baekhyun looked up his gaze was hard. “It’s not safe here.” He lifted his hand and a single light escaped from the ceiling, its light pointing a thin ray toward the hallway which led to the Solaris’s lodging. “Go Chanyeol.” And with that the ball of light winked out of existence and Baekhyun disappeared.

“We’ll talk tomorrow.” His hand slipped from his grasp and then Baekhyun was gone.

Chanyeol drifted awake to the sound of birdsong through an open window and rays of light tickling his face. He let himself lay in bed, letting yesterday’s events wash over him, eyes shut against the protruding light.

He had somehow stumbled back into his room after Baekhyun had left. He luckily hadn’t crossed paths with any of the Solaris, though he wasn’t sure what he would have done. It had taken all his willpower to follow Baekhyun’s orders and stay in his room rather than go look for the other, though he was sure if he had he wouldn’t have been able to find him. Instead he had tried to fall asleep but had only managed to after hours of tossing and turning for sleep to finally overcome him. Even after all the sleepless hours of his mind whirling with thoughts he still had no idea of what to do.

Eventually after a few minutes of drowning in his endless thoughts Jongdae came to wake him up. While the man pulled up the curtains in the room Chanyeol couldn’t help but feel a hint of guilt toward his friend. Jongdae would’ve wanted to know about Baekhyun’s powers but he couldn’t bring himself to say anything. Instead he sat quietly and let Jongdae dress him until Kris came and collected him for practice. The Lunar had allowed them patch of woods nearby that they could use for practice. Chanyeol was not thrilled to be forced to train but he hoped it would get his mind off things.

After half an hour of the Solaris guards scouting the surrounding area for any Lunar spies, Kris finally allowed Chanyeol to start. Only about half an hour through did he realize he was going to have a bad day.

His techniques were a mess, his stances were all wrong and he had to constantly stop to keep his powers in check so he didn’t set the whole forest on fire. Jongdae seemed worried about him but Kris didn’t let up until half the day had gone by.

“What is wrong with you?” Kris finally exploded after Chanyeol had set fire to a nearby tree for the third time. Chanyeol just hung his head in response, there was nothing he could say.

Jongdae grabbed Kris’s arm before the man could burst into a full on tyrant. “Dinner is in an hour, we should head back to the practice room.”

Kris snapped one more steaming glare at Chanyeol before relenting. Jongdae pat him encouragingly on the back before holding back to walk by Chanyeol’s side. “Are you alright?” He asked once they were on the carriage.

Chanyeol just nodded and stared out the window.

As soon as they returned to the palace it was a flurry of activity as the Solaris dressed him in the most intricate and expensive garbs they could find. Once he was finally deemed acceptable Kris led the procession through the tunnels to the dinner, looking more like royalty than Chanyeol ever would. As they entered, Chanyeol was floored by how beautiful the room was. It was completely enclosed by a domed ceiling with hundreds of lanterns hanging from the ceiling casting a pale yellow glow onto its occupants and reflecting off the pale thin blue and purple drapes hung on the walls. With the sound of the stream just outside the room it made him feel like he was underwater.

In the center of the room was the long dinner table, draped in silks and expensive cutlery with the heads of the table two places instead of one. About half of the seats were full and everyone stood and bowed as the Solaris entered. Chanyeol took the seat beside Kris at one end, while Prince Luhan sat on the other side. He was surprised to realize that Baekhyun was sitting to Luhan’s side rather than beside him. Instead an older man was seated at the head of the table whom Chanyeol quickly realized was Luhan’s head war general.

Once they were all seated Luhan lifted his crystal glass. “To the Solaris for finally visiting our lands,” Luhan cheered, raising his glass. Chanyeol responded by copying his actions, choosing to ignore the quip in his voice. Kris scowled beside him.

The dinner went like most others did; Kris did most of the talking while Chanyeol sat quietly on the side and nodded his head every once and awhile. The war general seemed to have enough conversation for all of them whereas Baekhyun was surprisingly quiet, having not said a single word throughout dinner.

While observing the guests, and trying not to stare at Baekhyun too much, Chanyeol was surprised when he saw the boy that had barged into Baekhyun’s room seated near the head of the table. His slick black hair was styled perfectly and he was dressed in elaborate white clothes that made Baekhyun’s plain robes pale in comparison. He never spoke, only listening quietly to a few guests near him every once and awhile.

“Who’s that?” Chanyeol whispered to Jongdae as Kris and the war general engaged in a slightly heated conversation about the ocean lands.

Jongdae glanced curiously at him, it had been one of the first things he said all night. “His name is Kai, he’s the son of war general Kim.”

Chanyeol didn’t offer him an explanation but as he observed Kai he couldn’t help but think the two looked nothing alike.

“Are you enjoying your stay at our palace, Challenger?”

Chanyeol nodded back in response. Luhan kept attempting to make conversation with him in between scathing arguments from the war generals. “Yes your Majesty, of course. Your palace is beautiful.”

“We’re glad you have finally had time to visit,” Luhan commented, taking a sip of his wine.

Kris shifted beside him and Chanyeol could tell he was getting annoyed by Luhan’s constant jibes against him. Chanyeol merely let it wash over him, he’d been expecting it.

“It is very difficult to take time out of training for the tasks,” Chanyeol slid his gaze towards Baekhyun whose gaze was leveled at his plate, “You can understand that.” He had never visited the Lunar but at the same time the Lunar only ever visited during the time of the tasks. Though Chanyeol guessed if they had it would’ve caused an uproar.

“We try not to visit places we’re not welcome,” the war general snapped haughtily beside Luhan, the prince shooting him a warning glare.

“Not welcome?” Kris bristled. “You would be welcome if there wasn’t a threat of our throats being slit.”

At his remark half of the Lunar stood up indignantly. “How dare you accuse us of treason against the treaty?”

The Solaris rose as well. “We would not have to if it wasn’t true!”

Before the Lunar could retort, Luhan rose swiftly to his feet. “Enough,” the prince said, his voice calm but gaze cold as he looked over the Lunar. “This dinner is adjourned. I apologize for the outburst of my people.” He motioned for the doors to be opened and the Lunar swiftly exited the room. Baekhyun continued sitting until the boy, Kai, tugged on his elbow and quietly ushered him from the room.

When the door finally shut Kris whirled around, anger etched into his features. “Traitors,” he spat as the rest of the Solaris murmured their agreement. “The nerve!”

Chanyeol sighed and stood up, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands. “Enough Kris,” he said, sounding more exhausted than annoyed. “I’m leaving.” He shoved his chair in and exited the room, ignoring Kris’s calls for him to come back.

He was already at the main courtyard when he was suddenly reminded of Baekhyun and he switched routes, heading toward the boys room in search of answers.

“Challenger.”

Chanyeol spun around. He had originally thought it was a guard Kris had sent to follow him but was surprised to see the prince. Luhan stood alone, his long white robes flowing around him, the jewels shining from the light falling from the crafted sky. Though he stood regal and tall, Chanyeol couldn’t help but think he looked very young. He wondered if others thought the same of him.

“I apologize for how my people acted.” Chanyeol was pleasantly surprised, he hadn’t expected an apology and much less one from Luhan himself. “My people… Things have been hard recently for the Lunar after all these years. Our crops are dying and sickness has ravaged our land, but if there’s one thing we still have, it’s the pride for our people and our country.” Luhan lapsed into silence and Chanyeol was honestly surprised, he had heard nothing of how the Lunar were weakening. He knew because of the constant sun the Lunar were at a disadvantage but he had never thought of how much they were suffering. He had been painfully blind.

Prince Luhan however did not seem angry, rather his gaze was gentle. “Is it true that you were attacked?” He questioned.

Chanyeol hesitated before slowly nodding. “But I didn’t see my attacker,” he said quickly after and he saw Luhan’s mouth quirk into a smile.

“You are… Much different than I had thought, Challenger,” Luhan said.

“Chanyeol,” Chanyeol said without thinking and the prince raised his eyebrows at him. “I mean, ah, you may call me Chanyeol, your Majesty.”

“Alright then,” Luhan nodded a dismissal and Chanyeol turned away, back down the corridor leading to Baekhyun’s room. “Chanyeol.”

As usual Baekhyun’s hallway was empty, but when he knocked on the door there was no response. Chanyeol waited for a few minutes but either Baekhyun wasn’t there or determinedly ignoring him. Half tempted to burn down the door, Chanyeol finally turned back to go to his room because although he wanted answers, he didn’t want to force them out of Baekhyun.

Throwing his door open to his room after a glum walk back he realized a second too late that someone else was in the room.

“Okay, let’s talk.”

Baekhyun sat on the edge of Chanyeol’s bed, still dressed in his dinner garb with legs crossed over one another and a pillow snuggled in his arms. He quirked an eyebrow at the fire that had formed at Chanyeol’s fingertips out of instinct and the man blushed lightly, extinguishing the flames and wishing it was as easy to make the blush on his face disappear.

“Sorry,” he grumbled. Baekhyun smiled lightly and motioned for him to come sit next to him. Chanyeol hesitantly walked over and sat at the edge, smiling slightly when Baekhyun didn’t move away when their legs touched.

Beside him Baekhyun leaned back and glanced at the ceiling. “So, what do you want to know?”

Chanyeol opened his mouth before slowly closing it. The obvious question would have been to ask about what had happened last night, but Baekhyun allowing him to ask him any question was too good of a chance to give up. He had so many, there wasn’t only one thing he wanted to know. “Everything,” Chanyeol finally said as Baekhyun turned to look at him curiously. “I want to know everything.”

Baekhyun’s lips turned up in amusement before he turned to the ceiling again. “Alright,” he said, voice growing soft. “Everything.” He took a deep breath, as if to steel himself, before he began.

“I come from a southern village, a quiet one on the edge of the Lunar territory. My family are farmers, we grow crops that are delivered to the council and distributed because of the growing scarcity of food. My powers developed when I was four but the Lunar didn’t come until I was nine which was when I was marked as a light wielder. However I didn’t show enough potential to be considered a potential challenger and was left alone until a year ago. The Lunar came to my house and said I was to participate in the tasks.

“I’m the youngest in my family. I live with my grandfather, my father and my brother. We lost my mother to sickness four years ago and it’s never been the same. When the Lunar came my grandfather got on his knees and begged for me to stay. My father insisted that I had no battle experience and that he needed my help for the farm to survive. Instead of letting me stay they sent two kids to help with farm work and took me anyway.”

Baekhyun smiled bitterly, as if the memory still burned in his mind, and Chanyeol realized there was more to Baekhyun’s story than he could have imaged. Chanyeol had been marked since the beginning, he had shown potential ever since he was a baby, but Baekhyun had had a home and a family, he had had his whole life taken away from him.

“They took me to the palace and tested my powers, but I’ve never had any formal training and can only cast simple illusions I’ve taught myself. They tried to train and develop them, but learned soon learned that that’s all they were, illusions. They suggested dark handed tactics but I refused to stoop so low. I thought they would force me, make me train to the bone and become a killer, but instead left me alone, saying I would fight in the tasks whether I liked it or not.

“I didn’t care though. I would rather die than kill.

“One day however I overheard two guards talking about the training of another. It was then that I realized the truth. They didn’t bother to train me because I wasn’t important enough to put the effort into.” He let out a bitter laugh that sent chills down Chanyeol’s spine.

“Don’t you see?” He asked softly, his hands resting on his hands in his lap. “I’m here to buy time for the Lunar while they train their real competitor. Even to my own people I do not matter.”

“You matter to me!” Chanyeol said fiercely, grabbing Baekhyun’s hand and making the boy jump in surprise. Baekhyun made to pull back but Chanyeol’s grip was tight, trying to show how hard he would hold on. Baekhyun studied him deeply as if to see if he was lying.

“I’m…” Chanyeol struggled to find words. “I’m sorry,” he finally settled on, though he knew such plain words would never be enough. “What they did to you… It’s unacceptable. They can’t just use people for their own bidding. You’re a human being, not a tool to be used. And I,” Chanyeol moved closer, grabbing Baekhyun’s other hand in his and forcing the boy to stare him in the eyes, “Think you are one of the most amazing human beings I have ever met.

“You’ve never resorted to tricks or lies, never went against your own beliefs and you absolutely never gave up. So many people before you have tried to murder me in my sleep, poison my food or drink, shoot me in the back… But you, you would rather die living by your own beliefs than live a life you didn’t believe in. And that I will respect forever.”

Then, as if out of impulse, Chanyeol lifted Baekhyun’s hand to his lips and laid a gentle kiss on his knuckle.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and the spell between them was broken. Chanyeol leapt to his feet, letting Baekhyun’s hands fall from his grip.

“Challenger? Are you in?” Jongdae’s voice called out.

“Jongdae, wait a second-”

The door swung open and Jongdae strolled in, a stack of papers in his hands. Chanyeol swung around, trying to come up with an excuse for why the Lunar challenger was in his room, but Baekhyun stood stock still against the wall, a finger to his lips.

“Chanyeol, tomorrow we have… What are you looking at?”

Chanyeol spun around, mouth agape and a look of shock on his face before he slowly shook his head. “… Nothing. Continue.”

Jongdae stared at him weirdly before turning back to his papers. “Anyway. Practice begins at 8 tomorrow morning sharp. You’re going to have to attend lunch with the Lunar but Kris canceled the dinner party held tomorrow. You’ll have some time at night to catch up on some sleep.”

Chanyeol nodded warily. “Alright,” he said.

Jongdae paused, as if waiting for more of a reaction, before seeming to accept Chanyeol’s lack of response and bowed respectfully. He spared him another strange look before turning around and closing the door behind him.

As soon as Jongdae had left Chanyeol spun around. “How did you-”

“Illusion,” Baekhyun said quickly, already moving towards the door. Chanyeol saw a disruption in the air before he quickly moved to catch his hand. “I have to go,” he said quietly, staring down at their hands.

“Wait,” Chanyeol insisted but Baekhyun gently removed himself from his grip.

Baekhyun paused at the door, slowly turning around, chewing on his bottom lip as he tried to find words. “Chanyeol… Thank you,” he said quietly before he opened the door and disappeared.

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(A/N: I decided to split up the last chapter so it's not so long... The final chapter will be uploaded tomorrow! :)

Thank you guys so much for your interest so far! I love to hear your comments!

Also, I made some edits! :) [x] and [x]. If you have any more questions about this universe or anything else I'm working on, feel free to ask me in the comments section or on my tumblr! ^^)