The thunderous sound of Chanyeol's laughter was what brought Sehun back to the present, snapping him from his thoughts that were led astray. He frowned from the shock, snickering when their senior, Donghae shot a deathly glare at that giant of a best friend who couldn't keep his mouth shut. Chanyeol covered his mouth with a hand, grinning almost apologetically but Sehun could still hear his mischievous snickers behind his palm. He must have been in some weird state of recalling inside jokes with Jongdae; Sehun couldn’t truly understand the kind of bond that Chanyeol and Jongdae share. He shook his head and once again paid attention to the things Donghae was explaining, feeling a kind of bubbly happiness in his chest, excited when Donghae described the details of what they would soon witness. He had waited all his life for this moment.

It's the merge night, or formally known as The Amalgamation, and it's Sehun's turn to witness the whole process of it, along with the other descendants of the first nightwalkers that have just come of age. He's been told many times that witnessing the merge is a privilege only descendants of the blood line would have, the others being unable to step beyond the border of which the hill begins. Sehun had also spent many nights before this one dreaming of standing right where he stood, imagining the possible beauty of the merge. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but another reason to why he was so excited was because he had missed the daylight.

He still remembered the first merge he had went through, waking up to sunlight instead of the same starless night sky for three days in a row. The merge happens every full moon of each month, going on for three whole days and night in which the nightwalkers co-exist with the daywalkers and experience each other's world. For three days, there is night and day. For three days, there is sunrise and there is sunset. At times, most of the times, Sehun wished he could live among the daywalkers just so he could see the sun, if only he would survive in their world for more than a week. Sometimes too, Sehun wondered why the worlds were created this way.

"Focus now," Donghae's stern voice once again snapped Sehun out of his thoughts. He cleared his throat and nudged at Chanyeol to focus, only getting nudged back because this time, surprisingly, Chanyeol was focusing and Donghae had meant for that to be directed at Sehun. He bowed apologetically before wetting his suddenly dry lips, hands balled into fists because his heart is racing against his chest. For a silent two or three minutes, nothing happened, and Sehun was about to part his lips and ask Donghae when he heard Jongdae.

"Whoa." Pure awe laced Jongdae's voice as he pointed up at the sky, eyes filled with a kind of joy that Sehun couldn’t understand until he followed Jongdae's gaze. Up above in what was before a plain sky with only the full moon, there was a shooting star. The first appeared out of nowhere, flying across the sky in a smooth flow, and the second came from the opposite, causing some feminine squeals coming from the girls. It wasn't scary, however; it was beautiful.

The explosion sounded much like the twinkling of bells, only louder as the two stars collided, bursting into tinier stars that painted the dark purple of the sky. His attention went back to Donghae when the older told them to observe the moon as well and Sehun thinks he's in a fantasy dream of which he didn't want to wake up from. He could feel his lips stretching into a wide grin as he saw the moon wavered in and out of focus, the skies turning a silver white when the sun made an appearance, only to disappear a second later. Chanyeol's sounds of excitement and awe made Sehun laugh and there was a strange kind of emotion that crashed at him, the good kind, and he wouldn't mind it not going away.

The twinkling sounds of the tiny stars continued as the moon came back to full view, the sun hiding away until it’s time to rise later in the morning. Morning, Sehun realized, isn't something he gets to say all the time. His cheeks were beginning to ache from his smiling, the unbelievable happiness filling up his chest and if he could watch it all over again, he definitely would. Too soon after, the girls were being asked to behave appropriately, Donghae knowing fully well how loud Chaerin and Tiffany could get when excited. Sehun stopped smiling as well, composing his features into one of stoic; they always say never get too friendly with the daywalkers. And he guessed there was a reason why Donghae had urged the girls to behave - the people from the other world must have arrived.

Sehun guessed right when his eyes caught a line of people appearing on the other side of the hill. They had all been advised to greet the daywalkers formally, so as to not create any ill atmosphere between the two worlds, and also reminded that not all the daywalkers would respond. He remembered Chanyeol asking why they had to be the ones respecting them, and Donghae's answer was a simple 'if we don't, won't that be the reason they would give for war?' Chanyeol didn't ask any more questions and neither did the rest. Sehun didn't mind, though; all he cared for was the chance to live in the day world, even if it's only for three days.

Together in a row, the nightwalkers bowed in a formal greeting to the daywalkers when their faces became clearer. Sehun could feel a sting when he noticed two of the boys from the day world shooting them a smug look, moving away to follow their leader down the hill, to experience night for the next three days. The day girls were even worst, making disapproved faces at them as if being face to face alone was a sin. Sehun bit at his tongue to keep himself from saying anything Donghae wouldn't want him to say, eyes moving away from the daywalkers and landing on one who had lingered behind. The boy hesitated for a second, face hidden in the shadow before he stepped a little forward and light revealed his features.

Sehun could feel his heart stop beating, caged within his ribs with no function for that brief moment. It's a different kind of awe when he had first seen the collision of stars, the scorching blaze of the sun, the wavering of the moon. It's another kind of awe when he finally registered the beauty that the boy carried on his face alone; skin white as snow and hair black as night. If he had not seen the boy appearing along with the daywalkers, anyone could easily mistake him for a nightwalker. He was awfully pale for someone who comes from the day world. But then again, isn't Sehun something special too?

The boy quickly made a small bow, returning the ones the nightwalkers had done and Sehun could barely hear Donghae's silent comment of 'this one's our only hope' though Sehun had no idea what he had meant; it wasn't like he could think about anything else anyway. He was too entranced by the boy, head a little dizzy.

He blinked slowly, as if unable to do such a simple task after having blessed with such a sight. The day boy's lips formed a curve and Sehun took a second too long registering the fact that it was a smile, a pretty shape formed by the pink of his bow-like lips. He took another second to realize that the rest of his friends had walked off and he was the only one who lingered behind with the boy. He blinked again, a little faster this time before his own lips stretch into a similar smile, a little hesitant, a little shy. Heat spread at his cheeks like wildfire, burning probably hotter than the sun and Sehun almost choked out something his folks wouldn't want him to when he remembered Donghae's constant reminder to possibly not create any conversation with the daywalkers; he's not about to upset Donghae.

It's strange, however, that tugging sensation at the pit of his stomach, reaching out like a cord meeting its other half and it's so terrifying the way his heart swell just as he felt that knot of some invisible force that bind them together. He couldn't look away from the piercing gaze that the boy kept on him, tied to a stranger he's never met before, afraid for whatever possibility this could be. It was the daywalker who looked away first, called by one of the others who had earlier walked off the hill. Sehun caught a name that he responded to, the boy giving Sehun one last glance before disappearing down the hill. He was left speechless, blinking quickly as if it had been a dream.

He was awfully quiet all the way home, acknowledging Chanyeol's questions and Jongdae's comments with either a shake of his head or a small smile. It was like he had been robbed off what to say and his head was spinning too much to think of anything, so when his parents and friends asked to join for dinner, his only response was no. He headed silently towards his room, could hear his mother's concerned voice asking his father if he was okay, and he wants to tell her not to worry because he's fine but his father, always the optimist, assured that it was just the after effects of witnessing the merge.

"After all, we all know how Sehun has always been different," Sehun paused at his father's voice, stopping just short in front of his room and hoping his father would say more. "Our son has always been special, hasn't he? The one who stands out. I've expected that witnessing the merge would affect him, in a good way."

The one who stands out, Sehun knows, was equivalent to the one with the weird craving for sunlight, the one with the affinity for wind, the only one of the nightwalkers with eyes as bright as those of the day people. Sehun only wished his father was right; that it had been an after effect. But why, instead of remembering flashes of colliding stars and the moon and the sun, Sehun only saw the day boy he had locked eyes with when he laid on his bed staring up at the ceiling?

The Amalgamation this month was a little different; perhaps because it was his time to witness or the fact that he had never really looked forward to the merge and it had come too quickly. Night isn't something Baekhyun would want to adapt to, his love for the sun outweighing anything else in his world. It was only merciful that night only came three times a month. He had never really understood the need for the moon for a daywalker like him. Of course, it has its significance to the night people, and unlike many of his kind, Baekhyun isn't one to judge or look down on them just because they worship a different god. The moon is beautiful, calmer than the sun, but Baekhyun was born in the world of light. He knows his place.

He was a little dazed when the sunlight disappeared and the skies turned a dark shade of purple, the moon above them full and brighter than Baekhyun had remembered it to be. The witness was not much of a special sight but he heard that it's a completely different story from the eyes of a nightwalker. He wouldn't know, though; he had never spoken to one before. However, no matter how reserved he could be and no matter how much he never anticipated night time, Baekhyun couldn't help a smile from forming; it appears on his face as naturally as the sun rises in the day. So when the group of nightwalker witnesses bowed to him and his friends, he couldn't ignore and walk away much like Jongin and Tao had. He bowed too.

He decided that perhaps it wasn't his night of witness that made this merge a little different, nor was it the fact that he never fancied it. It could be though, and highly possible but hopefully untrue, that it was because of the pair of caramel-colored eyes that were trained on him the moment they had appeared out of the shadow. A night boy with dark auburn hair and broad shoulders, tall and slightly lanky, pink lips parted as if he had something to say. It wasn't just his unbelievably good-looking face that lured Baekhyun in, nor was it his perfect build, but his light eyes that no other nightwalker had ever been gifted with. Baekhyun couldn't remember listening to his father mentioning nightwalkers with light colored eyes; most, if not all, were black or a very dark brown. He guessed a second later, that the nightwalker must be a special one, like his parents claimed him to be.

The smile that came soon was not of his own will, stretching at his lips even as the other nightwalkers walked off the hill and the night boy lingered behind. Baekhyun considered for a second if he should say hi, but remembered very soon that conversing with a nightwalker is greatly frowned upon. And as a Byun, son of the Day's leader, Baekhyun couldn't risk dirtying the image he had kept clean. It was just really, really unfortunate; he really wants to look into those eyes.

There was a tugging at his stomach just as he decided he should leave, unable to move yet when the alien sensation stopped him. It seemed as though the boy felt it too, body jerking forward just as Baekhyun did as if there was a physical cord tying them together. Baekhyun's brows knitted slowly in a frown, about to take another step forward when he heard Jongin's voice calling out his name. His immediate response was to turn his head, his eyes catching sight of a scowling Tao and Jongin gesturing for him to hurry. He gave the nightwalker one last glance before deciding that it was nothing and that he should go, walking off in the direction his friends were heading.

For a second or two, Baekhyun wondered if he'd get the chance to see the boy again. Their town isn't too big, but big enough when merges happen; houses and buildings cloned because everything was built the same, it was only a matter of night and day. If they weren't cloned, there would definitely be riots at the start of time. So during the days of merge, their usually small town doubled the size and doubled its population. There was a reason why he hadn't seen the boy before.

Baekhyun had gotten used to seeing twins of each house and building built along the streets of which he took to walk home, the only difference between the two being how day people had decorated one and how the nightwalkers decorated their version. Children play at the sidewalk as Baekhyun made his way home, Jongin and Tao tagging along because his parents had asked for them to stay for dinner. They were nightwalker children, no doubt, since children from the day world are not allowed to play out when the sun is down. He had to smile at the games they were playing, seemingly so comfortable with the dark of this night and he wished he could get used to it, but he hadn't been able to for the past twenty-one years.

The children continued to play, giggling and laughing away and Baekhyun couldn't help the grin that stretched at his lips. He laughed a little when Tao tugged at his arm excitedly, attempting to pull him towards whatever commotion there was up front that Baekhyun knew to be a gathering the daywalkers like to hold every first night of merge. It isn't always something bad, but most of the time, they complain about having three more days to spend with nightwalkers. Seeing that Baekhyun didn't budge, Tao gave up and headed towards the group. Baekhyun had never been one to join, finding it a waste of his precious time, even if he never fancied the night.

He kept his gaze on the children instead, smiling as one of the little boys came up to tug at Jongin's sleeve. Jongin was busy fixing his white-wash blond hair with one hand, and when the boy called for his attention, he had pulled back his arm with a little growl. The night boy growled right back, although possibly playfully, before he giggled and ran back to his group of friends. Baekhyun couldn't help but snicker, earning himself a scowl from Jongin. He shrugged his shoulders; there really is nothing Jongin could do to him even if they weren't best friends since he learned how to walk. It's a privilege for being the leader's son. No one dares to lay a finger on him.

Jongin rolled his eyes before he wrapped an arm around Baekhyun's shoulders, pulling him along towards the Byun's house. He played a little bit more with his hair, that same half smirk adorning his lips before he gave Baekhyun's cheek a friendly peck. "You look a little happier tonight than usual. Did your father finally give his place up to you?"

It was Baekhyun's turn to roll his eyes, sighing as they both followed Tao beyond the gates of the Byuns' Residence. "I am honestly not interested to lead the day people yet. I'm still too young for that, Jongin. I wanna have fun as a normal kid first."

"Pfft," His best friend snickered, entering the house and flashing one of the maids a smile. "You can be leader and have fun at the same time. In fact, it'll be a lot more fun if you're a young leader. Imagine the things people would do for you while you sit on the throne."

Baekhyun had considered this many times before but he's set on his decision and he isn't ready to take up his father's responsibilities. He knew he would have to in the future, but since his father is still capable, Baekhyun wouldn't rush to claim the power. "I don't like having people do things for me. We're young souls, my dear friend. We do whatever we're capable of. It's really not hard to understand."

"Sometimes I wonder why you were born a Byun and not me." Jongin scoffed, pulling his arm back from its place around Baekhyun. "Ask Tao and he would choose power over freedom. Because, honestly Baek, power equals freedom. The world falls under your command." Jongin's voice had lowered into a whisper, a maniacal grin stretching at his lips before it quickly transformed into the innocent beam his family loved him for.

Baekhyun didn't know he was holding his breath until Jongin turned around and bowed respectfully at Mr and Mrs. Byun. Sometimes he wondered what had brought Jongin to him when they were young, what gave him a reason to stay long enough till it was too late to leave. Most of the time, Baekhyun doesn't want to know the answer. Jongin stayed because he cares. He cares. Jongin cares. Or so he thought.

He would like to think so, though, because he actually does care for Jongin, even though he is a complete with the nightwalkers and a heartthrob sweetheart with family and friends. Some other times, Baekhyun wondered how he keeps up with the act or if he ever stopped acting. And most of those times, Baekhyun wished he could be a nicer person. He wished Jongin could be the boy he met eighteen years ago, sweet, kind soul who is full of love. Tao isn't much different, but he had always been an .

He sighed, blowing air up so his fringe flapped a little before he plastered a wide grin to present to his parents, joining them on the dining table. His father was in a heated discussion with the family's personal assistant Dong Youngbae, also known as Baekhyun's closest thing to a brother because he spent most of his childhood with Youngbae tailing him all the time (an order by his father, of course.) His mother patted the seat next to her in a gesture for him to sit down, and he did just that before Jongin and Tao followed suit.

"As I was telling Youngbae-ssi," His father spoke after a sip of wine, gaze directed at Baekhyun. "The nightwalkers are a bunch of filth with no brains. It's basic courtesy to greet the day people and yet some of those bastards walk right past us as if we weren't there."

Baekhyun raised his brows as he took a bite of the food Mrs. Lee had prepared for dinner. Mrs. Lee is their cook slash his babysitter, someone he actually trusts more than he believe any of what his mother says. Baekhyun pulled on a smile at his father's words, taking a sip of the rich wine before speaking. "Maybe if you had greeted them as well, they would remember to greet you."

His mother gasped, shaking her head as if he had just spoken of a sin. "Never be the first to acknowledge them, Baekhyun. That would be the end of the world. No daywalker has ever broken this... This law."

"Your mother's right," Jongin chirped in, swallowing the meat in his mouth and shrugging a shoulder when Baekhyun shot him a questioning look. "If we break the law, the nightwalkers will take the advantage to step all over us. We can't let that happen."

A humourless laugh escaped Baekhyun's lips as he imitated his mother and shook his head, a frown knitted on his brows. "Since when is greeting the nightwalkers against the law? And when was it ever established that we are of a higher authority? Are we not equals, father? Are they not people like us, too?" He thinks all of this is ridiculous; the fact that his family and friends treated the night people as if they were nothing but slaves when they're anything but.

His father released a sigh, clicking his tongue the way he usually does whenever he had to disagree with Baekhyun. "In a way, yes. They are people like us. But they lack intelligence, son. They lack in many parts that we are complete. Night is dark and nothing good can ever come out of it."

Baekhyun feels sick in his stomach, afraid he might throw up whatever food he had swallowed with every word his father was saying. He knew it would be pointless to argue with any of these people that surrounds him; they would only accuse him of something he didn't do, doesn't matter if he's a friend or their only child. He knows how it works with his family, with the people in his world. The topic had robbed him off his appetite and he politely pushed his plate to show that he was done, flashing a small smile at his parents before he got off his seat and bowing as a thanks for the meal.

"I will be just outside for fresh air, mother. Enjoy your dinner." He announced, not even bothering to spare his family another glance as he made his way out by the front door.

The wind is a chilly breeze against his skin and he rubbed his palms at his arms for warmth. Baekhyun couldn't remember being this cold but he was too lazy to head upstairs for a sweater and decided that it wouldn't cause too much harm. He lets his gaze scan across the dark sky above him, little stars painting the whole canvas of dark purple with bright, twinkling sparks. He feels a smile forming on his lips at the sight of the stars, longing for the warmth only the sun could give but appreciating the presence of starlight in an otherwise black night. However much he never fancied the night, Baekhyun could never deny the beauty it holds.

One of his hands came up to grasp the locket of his necklace, a symbol of the light that Mrs. Lee had given to him when he was a child. He had memorised every pointed tip that surrounds the tiny circle at the centre, representing the rays of light. He had long known of his ability to conjure light, although he has yet to find out what he could do with it if ever there will be a battle, except that if he conjured enough light, it would grant a wish. When Mrs. Lee had found out as well, she was the first to praise him before giving him the necklace. 'You are our light,' she had said and he hadn't understood, not even when he turned twenty-one. His mother had exclaimed that he is a gifted one, proudly showing him off to the day people and claiming him as special; the day boy with black hair and skin that wouldn't tan, considering how much time he spent in the sun.

It wasn't something he was proud of, however; not the power to conjure light and not the fact that he is so different. He loves the sun, he really does, and he would never wish to be born without its presence. But he wishes for him to be normal, graced with the beautiful golden tan the day children were born with and not the pale, white skin that he has. He wished he was born with light blond hair that Jongin and Tao were born with, like the rest of the day world instead of being different. Being different had brought on so much attention that he didn't want, and sometimes Baekhyun spends long hours of the day imagining what it would feel like to be normal.

He sighed, tracing the lines of his emblem as he continued to gaze out into the night. The house next door is a clone of his, only decorated differently for it belonged to a night girl he knew to be named Kim Hyuna. She was born a year after he came to the world and they had been on greeting terms ever since, for every merge of the month. Mrs. Kim is a nice lady who smiles at him as if he was a night resident, which only constantly reminded him that the night people are not his parents; proud, smug parents who never treated the nightwalkers as equals. Sometimes, Baekhyun is ashamed.

His thoughts strayed to the different parts of today, from the preparation of