(for at1stsight) Retrograde Motion [2/7]

[forkadionly]

“This is stupid. This is a stupid waste of time. And if I die in here, because of your stupid plan, I’m going to haunt you every day until you die.” Sehun warns, looking like he’s going to pass out as he stands unsurely on the edge of the pit Kyungsoo had created when he still had his Earth-wielding powers. Kai, who’s crouched on the ground with his palm flattened, shushes him with the other and an annoyed “shut up.”

Kai’s feeling for how deep the pit is, since Kyungsoo can’t remember. He’s asked the other for help with how he does it, and all he’s been instructed with is to feel the ground with his palm and that he’ll know.

But so far? All he knows is that he feels idiotic crouching on the ground like this with his jeans getting dirtied as he feels the earth up. When he doesn’t get any response from the earth whatsoever he immediately feels like a child at play, rubbing his palm around on the dirt with no real reason as the two other guardians look on.

“Uh, Kyungsoo…” he mutters after almost all of his nails are caked with dirt from all the kneading he was doing; he’s pretty sure he has a few burn scratches in there, too.

“Hm?” Kyungsoo responds, but he doesn’t inch closer.

Kai pushes himself up from the ground to talk to him, and notices that he and Sehun are a good five meters behind him. He rolls his eyes at Sehun.

Sehun raises an eyebrow at him, but doesn’t comment. He flits his eyes over to Kyungsoo.

“So. This isn’t working; I can’t feel anything. It’s all just…dirt and dust.” He shrugs, reaching up behind him with his right arm to scratch at his nape.

Kyungsoo clicks his tongue, stepping closer to him as his eyes stay trained on the ground. Kai looks down as well, staring at the earth and wondering if he’ll ever be able to control Kyungsoo’s powers the way he does it. He keeps looking down, apparently lost in thought, because Kyungsoo’s next words shock him out of it.

“I want you to hit me.”

He glances up in shock, not expecting those words to come out of the other at all. Even Sehun stepped back a little.

“What?” he repeats, because really, what?

Kyungsoo shrugs his bold question off, as if Guardians actually went around hitting people for the heck of it. He still hasn’t recovered from it though, mouth still parted in disbelief.

“I mean, my powers are linked. Earth and Strength. We need to test both-and if you aren’t connected with Earth right now, there might be a good chance your Strength is.” Kyungsoo explains, expression still serious.

Sehun pipes up from behind him. “Are you seriously asking him for this?”

Kyungsoo turns to him, jaw set. “I didn’t fucking stutter now, did I?” Sehun backs a step with his hands raised in surrender. Kyungsoo glances back at him after, all confidence as he holds his palm out and curls his fingers, beckoning him. “Hit me. I can take it.” There’s a certain glint in his eyes, and Kai visibly swallows.

His knees wobble a little but he lands a weak punch on his shoulder, which makes Sehun wince and Kyungsoo stare at him in disappointment. “Seriously?”

He freaks out, immediately defensive as he waves his hands around to explain himself. “I don’t really think there’s a reason for me to hurt you so I can’t, okay?”

And then Kyungsoo is smirking and suddenly he’s a blur, darting out and kicking him behind the shin and making him fall to his knees. He’s so fast that there’s a tornado of dust circling them-or maybe that’s just him using Sehun’s powers-either way he’s coughing and winded, while Kyungsoo’s somewhere behind him mocking him with a little chuckle.

His primal instincts act up in an instant and he’s already on him, hands moving on their own to grab his collar. He’s so worked up that he doesn’t even notice the tornado disappear-or that he’s lifting Kyungsoo so far up the ground with just a steely hand on his collar.

The rush of using his Strength pours out of him and he immediately puts him down, embarrassed that he could work him up that easily. He’s also a little scared that he might have upset Kyungsoo, but the other just lifts a thumb up in his direction as he fixes his collar.

“Good, it means you do have my powers. Now, I want you to feel the ground and tell me what you think. Do it now, Kai.”

He follows without question, excitement thrumming through his veins as he presses both of his palms back on the ground. He’s hit with a lot of things at once; first, that there’s a very alive thumping of a heart coming from the ground, and that he can suddenly see a complete X-Ray of everything down there in his mind. He pulls away, overwhelmed with the sensory stimulation. His own heart is beating loudly in his chest.

“Woah.” He says, because he can’t really think of anything else. He looks at Kyungsoo, who has on a smug grin. “Amazing right?”

He nods. Kyungsoo grins some more, cheeks bunching up now. He’s about to return the smile, their eyes still on each other when Sehun suddenly bounces in front of him, cutting his view of Kyungsoo off.

“So? Can you tell how deep the pit is?”

He looks away from Sehun’s thighs in front of him and cranes his head up to look at him, squinting. “Yeah, I can. Definitely deep enough to stack two of you on top of each other.” He stands up, dusting his hands off before putting them on his hips. He turns away from them and leans towards the pit.

“It looks dark, but it really isn’t that deep.” He glances at Sehun as he says this, who he sees is chewing on his lower lip.

“Are you absolutely sure you’re describing the right pit?”

Kai resists the urge to roll his eyes. “Yes.”

Kyungsoo stands beside Sehun, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “It’ll be fine, Sehun. If anything, I could easily get you out of there. Okay?”

From what Kai can see, Sehun still looks unconvinced; the knot in between his eyebrows still present as he looks down at Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo notices his lingering doubts, evidenced by the miniscule quirk of his brow. He remedies this by blowing a light breeze in front of his face, making his hair and clothes flutter. Sehun laughs at this, the tension seeping out of his shoulders. As he watches them interact, Kai suddenly gets the strongest urge to roll his eyes. And maybe wretch. He settles on making a face instead.

Sehun chooses this moment to look at him, grin growing wider as he catches the expression he makes. “Okay. Okay, I’m ready.”

Kyungsoo pats his back in encouragement before walking around the pit and waiting on the other side. Then he nods in his direction. “Did you make the ground soft like I told you to, Kai?”

He makes a nonchalant twist of his lips, raising his hand and flipping it back and forth slightly. “Eh,” he says.

He walks behind Sehun, whose face contorts into confusion. “Make the ground soft? Why?”

Kai smirks, raising both his hands in front of him. “For this,” he says as his palms make contact with Sehun’s back roughly, pushing him forward.

“Wha-“ Sehun yelps before he trips and falls face first into the pit.

There’s a muffled ‘fuck’ from the inside of the pit, both him and Kyungsoo squinting down to see where Sehun had gone.

“What the fuck?!” comes the indignant yelp a few seconds later, to which he suppresses a laugh at when Kyungsoo throws him a look.

“Can you teleport out of there, Sehun?” The older Guardian asks, voice calm. He remains beside him, arms crossed over his chest.

“Teleport-I can barely even see anything! Kyungsoo, get me out of here right now!” Sehun shout-whines, nasally voice accompanied by the knowing stomps of his feet. Kyungsoo sighs from next to him, and notices with a surprise that he can feel the other’s exhale directly against his shoulder. He hadn’t even noticed they’ve been standing this close. He takes an unnecessary step back.

“It’s not about seeing anything, Sehun. It’s about getting out no matter what the situation.” His voice is still as calm as it was before, the difference being a tiny tick at the end that says he may or may not be running out of patience.

Kai steps in at once, kneeling down as close as he could without falling in the pit. “Sehun. Sehun, calm down and listen to me. Focus on getting out. There’s an exit-a big one. You can get out.”

It’s quiet for a few seconds, Kai’s hands leaving anxious imprints on the ground next to his knees while he waits for any kind of response from the younger Guardian. “Sehun?”

There’ some shuffling, and then deep breaths. “Alright, I’m trying.”

Kai bites down on his lower lip, throwing a side glance in Kyungsoo’s way to check if he’s heard what Sehun had said. The latter acknowledges it with a nod. Kai chews on his lower lip some more before looking down at the pit again.

Minutes pass without anyone saying or doing anything, until there’s an audible crack and then footsteps. Kai holds his breath in anticipation, stomach feeling queasy as he waits for Sehun’s ascend.

And then he does; Sehun’s dirty blonde hair coming into view before he’s throwing himself across Kai, tackling him to the ground. Kai tips over backwards roughly, his back smacking against the dirty soil.

“You son of a bitch!” Sehun screeches, clawing at him in irritation, but not really doing any damage. He laughs, and then gets a good look at him when the other stops trying to peel the skin of his arms off. There are scratches on Sehun’s face-there’s even a bruise on his right cheek and a cut on his right eyebrow. Kai swallows the guilt down at the state of his Guardian friend. Maybe he should’ve softened the ground like Kyungsoo told him to…

Someone exhales from behind them and then the sound of footsteps getting fainter and fainter follow after it. “Meet the both of you here the same time tomorrow,” is all Kyungsoo says as his goodbye. Both Kai and Sehun exchange accusing looks.

“He’s pissed, and it’s all your fault.” Sehun whines, still on top of Kai, looking down on him with his arms crossed over his chest. Kai pushes at him as he sits down, rolling him to his side and off his lap.

“My fault? You’re the one who started acting childish. You attacked me!”

“You didn’t soften the ground like he asked you, to, asshole. Of course I had to attack you.”

“So I have another idea,” Kai begins as soon as the three of them are assembled, coffee cups in their hands and their coats tight around their half-freezing bodies. “I propose one of us attacks him, like you asked me to do to you,” he motions toward Kyungsoo. “That might make him react quickly and cause him to Teleport.”

Kyungsoo takes a sip of his coffee, unreadable dark eyes not leaving his eager ones. “What if he can’t? We’ll end up hurting him.”

He shrugs at this, burying his neck deeper in his coats lapels. “The attack doesn’t have to be fatal or anything. Just enough to let his basic instincts take over.” He looks at Sehun, who still looks sleepy inside his beige parka.

Sehun blinks at him, coffee cup slowly cooling in his immobile hands. “I don’t mind. If it’ll speed things up, I’m willing to at least try.”

Kyungsoo shakes his head, already making way to his dried tree bark. “I’m sitting this one out.”

“Suit yourself,” Kai answers before gulping the last of his coffee and crumpling the styrofoam cup with the same hand. He throws it on top of his backpack, and then he’s doing stretches. Sehun is already doing the same from across him.

“How well do you remember your Guardian Training?” He inquires as he lifts both hands up in the air and then moves his head around to ease out the cricks in his neck.

“Good enough,” is Sehun’s arrogant answer, which causes him to snort. “We’ll see about that.”

Sehun wasn’t bluffing. He was good; he had managed to block all his moves in hand-to-hand combat. But the purpose of this training is to bring the Teleportation out of him, and it clearly isn’t going to happen with just fistfights-so Kai decides to cheat a little. He uses his Earth and deliberately trips him with a huge mound out of nowhere.

It works and Sehun flies out to his left, defenses lowered from the shock of the attack. Kai gets an opening and uses this to punch his abdomen hard, a little too hard maybe, because he coughs blood. Kai feels the warm substance spray against his cheek and neck, and he winces.

“Kai!” Kyungsoo scolds, already next to Sehun as he leads the latter away from him. There’s fresh blood on the edges of his lips, and his eyes are unfocused and fluttering close, on the verge of passing out. Kyungsoo curses under his breath and hurriedly lays his limp body on the ground next to the stump, making sure to have his head elevated.

Right after he attends to Sehun he immediately springs up, eyes furious as he stalks towards where Kai had remained stock still. “What the fuck is wrong with you?!” He yells, spit flying all over. The vein in his temple is throbbing visibly, making Kai long to touch it. He almost does, distracted, but Kyungsoo is faster and has already grabbed a hold of his arm; glaring into his face.

Naturally, he moves to defend himself; body on autopilot as he yanks his arm away while the ground simultaneously opens a crack from where Kyungsoo is standing, making him lose footing. Kai winces at his own impulsiveness, apologies ready to spill from his mouth. “Kyungsoo-“ he begins, but is unable to continue as he gets pushed away so hard he flies backwards like a ragdoll.

The impact causes him to tumble all the way to the building a hundred meters away, almost crashing against it. He coughs once his body roughly hits the ground, eyes barely even open when Kyungsoo lunges for him again, grabbing him by the collar and lifting him up. “Use my powers against me again and I’ll break you.” The grave warning flashed in his eyes, reflected unmistakably by his tone; but it was tinged with something else. Regret, maybe? Remorse? In his shaken state he can barely tell the difference.

Instead he looks away, pliant, as he waits for Kyungsoo to put him down. He does, eventually, and they’re both breathing so hard their harsh intakes of air are audible. Kai leans back against the building’s wall for support, fists clenched at his sides.

Kyungsoo’s eyes are on Sehun again whose limp body is all the way across from them, his back facing them. Kai clenches and unclenches his fist, both a little sorry and not that he accidentally knocked Sehun out. He can’t really explain how or why, but his gut is telling him he deserved that punch. Before he can even ponder further on the validity of his actions, Kyungsoo is already turning around, questions spilling out of his lips.

“Why,” Kyungsoo starts. “Why would you punch him that hard, when you know your Earth powers are connected to your Strength? You could have pulverized his diaphragm for all I know.” His face is solemn, devoid of any emotion, and he hates it. He absolutely hates seeing Kyungsoo close off in his presence for a reason he’s still unaware of that he actually considers fighting him again-just to see an emotion flit across his face. Anything at all. Even hatred.

But he’s a coward who would rather suffer or escape when faced with adversities instead of confronting it; so in this situation, he does just that. He grits his teeth and locks his jaw in preparation. He’d suffer through what he’s about to say.

“I’m not really sure. For a split-second I remembered how strong my punch would be, but then I let it happen. He might or might have not deserved that. I’ll apologize when he wakes up.”

It’s Kyungsoo’s turn to lock his jaw. He’s so mad, Kai can hear his teeth grinding together in an obvious effort to control himself. “I can’t believe you would do that again.” He shakes his head, and then turns to walk away from him. “You need to control your impulsiveness, Kai. You’re going to hurt someone much worse one day and by then it’ll be too late for your remorse.”

He watches silently as Kyungsoo walks back and returns to their practice area to pick Sehun up and carry him in his arms. He says nothing when he sees the other purposefully forming a protective tornado around them before whirling away,leaving him behind.

Left to his own devices he chooses to leave much, much later, worn sneakers dragging across the dust-filled terrain.

“I knew you were pretending a while ago,” he says to Sehun that night as he sits outside of his apartment door, staring at the full moon. “Why did you pretend, Sehun?”

The door doesn’t open but Kai can hear the light thud the other makes as he slides down on the other side, his back resting against the cool metal.

“You noticed, huh.” Sehun’s reply comes out muffled because of the door between them, the neighborhood thankfully quiet enough that he has no trouble hearing him.

Kai stretches his legs out from under him. “Of course. I know you’re capable of Teleporting, Sehun. I see traces of using it in your body; in your skin, in your hair, in your eyes. It’s everywhere. You’ve been practicing on your own. And you know you’re good. But why would you pretend to not know how to when we’re actually training? Don’t you want to know how to control it better?”

There’s another soft thud, and Kai presumes its Sehun’s head hitting the back of the door. “I’m scared.” He mutters, tone so low that Kai almost misses it.

He turns sideways, eyes a little wide as he leans his cheek on the door. “That’s…that’s understandable.”

An awkward pause follows because he doesn’t know what else to say-Sehun suggested the entire journey in the first place, and so it never crossed his mind that the other would feel anything but determination towards his Guardian mission.

Kai must have kept the silence going on for far too long because Sehun speaks up again. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m still willing to go through with this journey. I want to help, and this is the perfect opportunity for me to do so. But I just can’t help feeling a little anxious-that something might go wrong somewhere somehow.” He pauses and then there’s movement from the other side. Kai cranes his head and presses it against the door some more when the silence stretches on.

“Sehun?” he calls, but there’s no response. Then the door handle twists, his head tilting up as it catches his attention. He moves his body away in anticipation of the door opening, not wanting to fall over.

“What are you looking at?” says the voice from behind him, and he jumps a little in his place on the floor.

It’s Sehun, and he’s looking at him smugly. He rolls his eyes and stands up, dusting off the invisible specks of dust on his dark pants. “Show off. What happened to not using your powers because you’re scared?” He taunts. Just a little. To his delight, Sehun’s expression darkens.

He points a finger at him, jaw tight. “You heard nothing from me tonight. Absolutely nothing.”

Kai guffaws heartily before throwing an arm around his shoulder, steering him away from his apartment hallway and towards the elevators.

“Sure, I didn’t.”

The training venue for today changed, Kai finding himself along with Kyungsoo and Sehun in the middle of a nearby forest, with trees and greenery extending on forever on each side. The wildlife is alive and thriving too, a couple of birds having flown to and fro to where they’re standing, possibly curious of what they’re up to. They stopped walking just a few seconds ago in front of the tallest tree he could find, Sehun bumping against him when he pauses without warning.

“This is it,” he exclaims. “It’s perfect.”

Sehun, who’s scratching irritably at the side of his face from a mosquito bite, doesn’t even bother looking up. He’s standing next to the tree yet his eyes are on Kai’s. “What are we doing here?”

He clasps his hands together, giddy at the proposal he’s about to throw at him. “I want you to jump from this tree and Teleport to the next.” He points to the crooked, much shorter tree next to it with his index finger.

“What?!” Sehun exclaims, his face matching the incredulous tone of his voice. “You can’t be serious?”

Kyungsoo, who’s leaning against the tree in front of them, the one Sehun’s supposed to climb on, interferes, straightening up. “Yeah, I think this is a little too extreme, Kai.”

He waves their worries off dismissively. “Once he successfully finishes this trial test he’s going to be ready enough to pass through the other border, Kyungsoo. We’ll be one step closer to solving this mess.”

“No.”

“No?” he asks, eyebrow raised. He looks at Kyungsoo, whose arms are crossed over his chest, face tense; and at Sehun, who looks uncomfortable as he stands there next to him. “Oh, I’m sorry. Are you making decisions for Sehun now?”

Kyungsoo locks his jaw even more after that, eyes growing hard as he fixates them on him. He doesn’t back away, glaring back just as fiercely.

“It’s a no from me too, actually.” Sehun interjects softly, shrugging when Kai turns to look at him. “I’m not in a hurry to die.”

He scoffs at the matching frowns on their faces, his ego a little hurt at being outvoted. “Whatever-you’re cowards. Both of you. We’ll never win this if the necessary risks aren’t taken. We’re going to be stuck in an infinite cycle for the rest of our lives because you’re all too scared to try.”

“Don’t be stupid, Kai. It’s not worth risking if the cons outweigh the pros. We’re talking about life here.”

“And I’m talking about lives.” He shakes his head in disappointment, feet pedaling backward one after the other in a deliberate attempt at getting away from them. “And he can do it.” He looks at Sehun pointedly. “But he won’t, just because he’s fucking scared.” Another shake of his head.

“I’ll finish this off myself, don’t come looking for me.”

This time he turns around and sprints away, his form a smudge against nature as he speeds past them and into the thicker parts of the forest.

He dodges trees of every size and kind, also careful not to trample on any animal he comes across. It’s a tiring run; his lungs are burning when he finally stops sprinting, his knees wobbly and weak as he collapses to the ground. The side of his face hits a pile of leaves as he falls; the impact softened but the dizziness it causes him does not lessen one bit. His mouth is open as he releases ragged exhales and impatient inhales, the smaller leaves tumbling away from him with every breath he takes. There are black spots in the corners of his vision; his eyelids failing him as they slowly slide shut. He fights to stay conscious as much as he can, regardless of it being a rapidly losing one as his vision continues to swim.

His breath evens in short spurts after a while, the world spinning one last dizzying time before he completely blacks out.

There are lush greens stretching on for what seems like miles on either side of the road, stopping, from where his eyes can see, when its topmost leaves begin to brush the heavens. The skies are clear once he looks up; the sun alone in its throne as it shines down on all its loyal subjects. The sun’s rays that fall down upon the trees cast a pretty silhouette of its leaves on the grown: arched and curved, some pointed and sharp.

The shadows dance around his skin as he begins walking through the forest, his body a willing stage with every step he takes. Twigs and pebbles crunch and snap under his feet, the sound adding to the addictive symphony that he learns is the calm before the storm.

His eye catches movement in the corner of his periphery, whipping his head to the right when leaves ruffle and footsteps advance towards him. He doesn’t take a step back though; he just waits, patient and curious.

Not a second too long someone emerges-midnight hair that flutters when the wind tries to touch, onyx eyes that beget promises of his future-he takes a deep breath.

The other smiles at him, mouth curling around the edges, head tilted shyly to the side. And for a moment he forgets; forgets where he is, forgets that his feet are planted on the ground, forgets that the sun exists, and forgets that it is the end of the world.

He smiles back and takes a step forward, arm already stretched out for the other to take.

And then, just like that, he’s gone.

The harsh reality slaps him in the face, hard and unforgiving. He involuntarily takes a step back, heart racing a mile a minute. And then he notices that there are no shadows on the ground and that the atmosphere has turned the color of brine.

The sun has disappeared. And then-

He remembers.

“Interesting…”

His eyelids twitch before they open; the world coming back to him in a myriad of colors. He is still in the forest, he is still lying on the forest floor, and there is an unwanted pounding in his head. He groans.

There’s a light chuckle from behind him, causing his whole body to tense. He feels the ground shifting underneath him as an immediate response, the soil hissing.

“Relax,” says the voice, familiar, now that he’s more awake. “It’s just me. And I don’t think they’ll really attack me, you know. I was their first master.”

Kai strains to turn his head and body around to where Kyungsoo is standing. “What are you talking about?”

His body is stiff, he can barely move and the space around him is a little tight, but he manages and now he’s facing the other way. Kyungsoo is sitting against one of the trees large trunks, eyes pointedly darting at him and at the vines slowly creeping towards him. Kai sits up in shock, or at least, he tries to.

He finally looks down at himself and notices that he’s cocooned in dirt and mud from the chest down, preventing him from sitting upright. “Uh…” he says intelligently. “Did you do this?” He glances at Kyungsoo.

The other chuckles, thoroughly amused. “No, you did that to yourself. Well, unconsciously, at least.”

He doesn’t believe him. He shakes his head adamantly, glancing down again. “No, I’m pretty sure you did this.”

A breeze smacks him in the face then, and he turns his head sharply over to where Kyungsoo still has his fingers raised. The other grins at him. “No Earth powers, remember?”

“Asshole.”

He looks around helplessly after, hands flailing under the seemingly impenetrable wall of dirt wrapped around him. “How do I get out of here?”

“You focus.”

Kai flops back down in irritation, eyes closing as he tries to keep his temper from spiking up. “What monumental advice.”

“Hey, I’m serious. You got yourself into that, you can get yourself out. You just need to focus. The Earth is actually resilient; you just have to make it believe you’re deserving of its resilience.”

He finally opens his eyes again, looking up at the branches and leaves curling on each other in a mixture of brown and greens from high up above him. The midday sun streams through them in thin strips of bright light, and he squints.

“I don’t really know how to do that. I’ll probably be here for a while.”

The other off-handedly snorts before he hears footsteps nearing him. He turns to the side and is face to face with the tip of Kyungsoo’s black boots. His gaze travels up his black pants-covered legs, unconsciously stopping at the part where his thighs meet his crotch. He looks away, his mouth suddenly dry.

There’s a subtle crack of his knees as Kyungsoo bends them to get closer to his level, weight resting on the balls of his feet. “Have you even tried getting yourself out of there yet? You can’t whine without trying-or you’ll be stuck in an infinite cycle-but involving nature, in this case.”

He whips his head back in his direction in annoyance, unappreciative of the other’s outright mockery of his earlier words. “Funny,” he grits out. “Now will you please keep quiet so I can focus? I don’t really enjoy being cocooned like this.”

Kyungsoo doesn’t say anything else after that, granting him the silence that he asked for. He takes in deep breaths before fully focusing on the feel of the earth from where his palms could reach under him, soil soft and warm to the touch.

The earth responds, but only a little, minute currents pulsing through that tell him it isn’t going to budge.

He lies there for a while in defeat, his ego chipping piece by excruciating piece as he contemplates the next words he’s going to utter, the next move he’s about to make.

Eventually, he settles for a meek, “Help.”

To his utmost surprise Kyungsoo doesn’t mock him, no; rather, he feels the other’s palms immediately settle on top of his mud-covered chest. They’re tantalizingly pale against the rich brown hue of the soft earth; the contrast in color so striking that he can’t bring himself to look away.

His heart is racing in his chest when Kyungsoo speaks; voice warm when he addresses him, eyes serious as he pointedly presses his palm down on his chest a little harder. His heart does an eager somersault in response. “I’ll try drying this up, and you can try punching it afterwards, alright?”

He blinks the surprise and the frenzy in his chest away, focusing on responding to the other coherently. “Wouldn’t that just harden this even more?”

“Yes it would, but only if you don’t go past that level of initial dryness. I, on the other hand, discovered that you can dry parts of soil to the point that it becomes brittle enough to break-at least from the inside. But we’ll never really know until we try. So, ready?”

He nods, confusing thoughts from before all but forgotten as he readies himself to follow the other’s instructions. With hands poised under the mud, he waits for his cue to punch the ground from the inside; wanting to see what Kyungsoo is really talking about.

Lost in his excitement to learn something new his defenses are forgotten; brain to mouth filter ceasing to exist momentarily as well. “Why are you so good at this?”Kai blurts out of nowhere, his cheeks pinking around the apples at the outburst.

Kyungsoo smiles at him, small and modest. “I’m not.” He moves his hands away and lifts an arm sleeve up to reveal scars, bruises and cuts marring him from the wrist up. “I just practice a lot more than you guys do.”

Kai is stunned into silence as he continues staring at all the injuries the other had sustained from practicing all the time, now decorating his arms rightfully like battle scars. There’s an odd aesthetic quality about them though; how the bruises and wounds twine together and run up his arms in ways that tell stories without the wearer ever having to utter a word. He’s mesmerized; unable to help himself from thinking that he could easily get lost in these. But then Kyungsoo yanks his sleeves back down just like that, and the spell is broken. He promptly snaps out of his daze, a little ashamed.

“Um, I didn’t know. Sorry.” He doesn’t really know what he’s apologizing for, but he wants to. What he had just seen felt like he was intruding in something he shouldn’t have.

But Kyungsoo just shrugs, like it didn’t matter. “It’s alright. You didn’t know. It’s not like you and Sehun don’t get your fair share of injuries. It’s a norm for us.”

He puts his palms back on top of his chest to cut the conversation short, already set on getting him out as soon as possible. Distracted by the hands on his chest and the sudden jolt he felt from underneath him, he forgets all about their previous conversation. Focusing on the task at hand Kai begins to feel the earth resisting a little as parts of it begin to dry and harden in place.

With a deep inhale, Kyungsoo flexes his fingers from above him. “Get ready-this needs to happen in rapid successions.”

Kai grimaces in discomfort as he feels pinpricks of heat radiating from the area where the other’s hands are pressed firmly on his chest. “How is this even possible-are you actually a fire wielder?”

Kyungsoo’s response is a knowing smirk; like the question is amusing to him somehow, though Kai can’t see it. He watches him in confused curiosity.

“Maybe,” Kyungsoo replies somewhat mysteriously, the ghost of a smile threatening to form on his lips.

He narrows his eyes at the other, ready to fire questions at him when he’s suddenly silenced with an urgent “now!” from him. He doesn’t think and his knuckles just fly straight up at the hardened portion of soil from underneath; watching in awe as little fragments splinter off in different directions. He’s breathing hard and he barely just notices that his fist had already punctured through the seemingly impassable cocoon of mud.

“Damn,” he breathes, eyes wide in disbelief.

Kyungsoo springs up to his feet. “I told you.” He brushes his palms together to get rid of left over soil and begins walking away from him without a single glance. “Now hurry and get up. Sehun might have left without us already. And Suho will probably have me by the throat if he learns we slacked off today. ”

Kai sits up and slides his body all the way upwards to get out, since his lower half is still caged in hardened mud. He gets up on one knee first, and then the other, trying to steady himself and avoid experiencing unwanted vertigo. He pats himself down for anything that might’ve stuck onto him when he gets up-pebbles, dirt, dust and leaves. He struggles to catch up to Kyungsoo after, walking next to him in identical strides.

“As if anything will actually kill you,” he comments with a snort, knowing for sure that Suho won’t even bat an eyelash whenever Kyungsoo is concerned.

The other glances at him with another funny look, a corner of his mouth lifted in a half smile, while his brows are scrunched up a little in the middle. “You would be surprised,” Kyungsoo says, eyes lowering over his body briefly before glancing away; and then he’s doing a double take when his eyes pass over his legs. He watches in stunned silence as the other casually reaches over to dust something away from his bum.

His eyes are bulging out of his sockets when Kyungsoo finally pulls his hand back, leaving behind an odd thrumming on the spot in his ass where his hand had brushed. Kyungsoo then looks at him with equally wide, questioning eyes; projecting faux innocence. “What?” he asks, thumbs hooking in the front of his jean pockets. “You had dried mud stains.”

He opens and closes his mouth like a fish out of water, unable to come up with anything coherent. “You-“ he tries, but clamps his mouth shut again as words fail him.

Kyungsoo shrugs and starts walking ahead of him, posture hunched with his arms pressed to his sides; one of his hands are half tucked inside of his pocket while the other dangles loosely, swaying a little with every step. He glances at him once when he’s at the mouth of the forest, eyebrow raised.

“I asked Sehun to wait by the car, so we’ll probably be leaving in that. Unless you’re planning to stay a little longer…?”

Kai quickens his steps, lower lip pushed out in a childish pout. “I call shotgun.”

Droplets of sweat slowly crawl down Kai’s nape, making him reach up as he mistakes it for an itch. He wipes his damp fingernails on his pants after he scratches the pseudo-itch off; the same leg immediately bouncing up and down.

Kyungsoo looks over at his anxious form, a slightly irritated expression on his face. “Will you please sit still?”

“I can’t,” Kai whines, fiddling with his fingers. “I’m worried. Sehun hasn’t come back yet. What if he doesn’t come back, ever? Oh God and it’s all because of me-it’s my fault that he’s missing and that he’s probably dead somewhere right now. Shit-“

His rambling is cut off by Kyungsoo’s warm hand suddenly wrapping around his knee; the other’s veiny fingers splayed over his kneecap distracting him. “-Relax, Kai. It’s been ten minutes. Have a little faith. I’m sure Sehun is fine.”

Kai stops bouncing in his seat;his anxious train of thought halted as he believes the other’s empty words of comfort.

They sit together like that as a hush falls around them; the breeze ruffling through the open area of the abandoned Town Square mimicking their silence.

Kai has just let Sehun practice his teleporting seriously, asking him to go to the Council first, and then up to as far as the next City-which is an ocean away. This is where he had asked Sehun to go to-or at least he hopes he had gone to-which he still hadn’t returned from in the last thirty minutes. The thought makes his leg resume its anxious bouncing.

Kyungsoo has long pulled his hand away, arms now crossed loosely over his chest. He doesn’t look at him when he asks, eyes trained on the wrecked building in front of them. “How long does it usually take for you to teleport from places? Specifically the one you asked Sehun to go to?”

His leg stops bouncing the minute Kyungsoo addresses him. He digs his own fingernails on the top of his clothed thighs, the fabric too thick for his skin to actually feel anything. “Five minutes to go from here to there, unless he had gone exploring and foregone returning for a while.”

Kyungsoo exhales heavily as a response, the action causing a few rocks and pebbles in front of them to tumble away. No one acknowledges this, and they resume their tense silence.

The quiet goes on forever, until Kai opens his mouth to break it with a random suggestion. “Kyungsoo-can’t I feel the earth for him or something? You know, something along the lines of detecting his footsteps? You can do that right?”

Kyungsoo’s eyebrows meet in the middle before glancing at him, his hands slowly dropping from where they were crossed in front of his chest. “I guess. Would you like to try?”

He immediately jumps to his feet, bouncing on his heels as he clasps his hands together. “But of course.”

The other stands up as well; eyes trained on him as the edges of his mouth twitch the slightest.

He flashes him an excited grin before glancing over at the wide expanse of land in front of them. “So. Do I just randomly place my palm on any area and feel for him?”

To his surprise, Kyungsoo doesn’t suggest anything and unhelpfully shrugs. “You can try.”

Kai scoffs, lightly shaking his head as he walks over to where there are patches of grass growing. “Maybe I should start with this, because the land seems a little more alive here. Don’t you think?” He glances at him as he crouches down, patting the dry patch of grass. Kyungsoo’s only response is a flick of his thumb sticking out in his direction.

He chooses to ignore the other at this point since he’s mostly uncooperative; struggling to use the still-foreign power of the earth all on his own. He mutters to himself, absorbed in his musings as he plants both hands on the ground in front of him. The grass tickles his palms as they fold in on themselves under his weight, eyebrows pulling together in concentration. He thinks of Sehun and the city he had asked him to go to, and focuses for any reaction from the earth.

There was nothing at first, except for the usual low thrum of the ground he felt whenever he came in direct contact with it. He barely notices the sharp cracking sound coming from behind him, and mistakes it for the earth responding to his request. “Shit-Kyungsoo. I think the earth budged-how will I know if It’s found Sehun?”

“I’m right here.”

Kai’s entire body jostles back in shock, almost falling over backwards as he had suddenly taken his palms off the ground. He places them back again though, heart beating wildly in his chest at this unexpected progress. “I think I just heard Sehun talk. Loud and clear, in fact, like he’s really here with us. Wow. I didn’t think this would really work.”

There’s a brief pain in the back of his head as he’s smacked, making him duck and turn around. His eyes open wide in surprise as he’s faced with Sehun’s unamused expression. “I am here, you idiot. I’ve been here for almost five minutes.”

He immediately looks over to Kyungsoo, who’s too busy laughing all over himself and clutching his stomach to realize that he’s glaring holes into his soul. “You could’ve warned me, asshole.”

Kyungsoo tries to talk through a fit of uncontrollable chuckles. “I-I couldn’t; you were so focused.”

“I was right here-in front of you! The least you could’ve done was yell ‘Sehun!’ or something similar. Ugh.” He stands up, embarrassed.

Kyungsoo hasn’t stopped laughing, and his patience hasn’t stopped dropping either. He’s seconds away from socking him when Sehun suddenly steps in between them, hands raised.

“Stop it, you two. You’re missing the point here.”

Kai lifts an uninterested brow, still in a sour mood. “Which is?”

Sehun withdraws his hands and presses them together against his chest, head tilting towards the heavens. He closes his eyes and then-he disappears.

Kai looks around in shock, not yet quite comprehending where Sehun had gone to.

But Kyungsoo, who’s still in front of him, gasps out loud; fist in front of his open mouth.

He says it first.

“He can teleport!”

“O-oh. Oh crap, you’re right. He can teleport!”

Kai surprises himself and Kyungsoo when he runs over to him and envelopes him in the tightest hug anyone could imagine, lifting him off his feet gently. They share a tender look of surprise and pride when they pull away, arms still looped loosely around each other.

“Took you long enough,” says someone from behind them, tone bored.

But Kai lets go of Kyungsoo and spins around, hugging Sehun as well. “I’m proud of you, Sehun.”

Sehun gingerly places a palm on his lower back, patting him in comfort. “I told you we’ve got this.”

Kyungsoo lets them have a moment before he interferes, looking past the horizon when he speaks.

“This training has been a complete success. We have to let the Council know how far we’ve progressed. I’ll see the both of you bright and early in front of the Council Gates.”

Suho is alone inside when they push the doors open, hunched over a stack of papers on top of the council table. It’s only him and Kyungsoo meeting him for now, agreeing to Sehun’s plans for a dramatic entrance much later by letting him teleport into the room at the perfect time. He’s even asked for a cue.

Following after his ridiculous request, they enter first; walking through the Council’s marble polished halls. Excitement bubbles beneath their clammy skins with every step, the feeling of pride inflating their chests with every sharp intake of breath. They’re proud of this accomplishment-proud that they were able to contribute to the possible solution of their current problem. It was immensely fulfilling as a Guardian.

So their heads are held up high and their backs are straight as they finally face the oldest Guardian.

Suho looks up when the ancient doors creak open and they walk in; him being sensitive enough to the added presence of two other people in his otherwise solitary chamber.

“Kai,” the older Guardian greets when he sees him, eyebrows furrowing. “What are you…” his eyes flit over to the chair on the other end of the table, now occupied by Kyungsoo, “…and Kyungsoo doing here?”

He slams his palm on the table, an eager smile taking over his face. “We bring you great news.”

“Great news?”

As soon as the question leaves his lips a sharp cracking sound resonates from behind them, signaling Sehun’s dramatic entrance. Suho jumps from the sound, eyes wide as he looks back and stares straight at Sehun’s smug face. The realization of what he’s actually staring at dawns on him, making him gasp.

“You-you actually managed to train him?” is what he asks, voice high, gaze settling on him after ogling Sehun for quite some time.The youngest Guardian had already taken his seat over to Kyungsoo’s right, eyes rolling moodily at their Council Leader’s tone.

Kai nods, crossing his arms over his chest as he leans back in his seat. “It was no easy task, but we managed.”

“We were all a hairs breath from strangling each other, mind you. But we had a common goal that could only be achieved by the three of us working together, so we set our differences aside. We thought of everyone depending on us and that propelled us to do better and try our hardest. I’m honored to have been part of this team.” Kyungsoo finishes, sincerity palpable in his voice as he flashes both Kai and Sehun matching prideful grins.

Suho takes this in, sitting back in his own chair as he gazes at the floor, nodding to himself. “That is exemplary Guardian conduct, Kyungsoo, Kai. You will both be handsomely rewarded and recognized for all your efforts after this conflict is resolved. But for now, please accept my humblest gratitude.”

Sehun clears his throat playfully, cutting in. “What about me? I’m the one who actually learned to control his powers.”

Suho smiles in amusement as he lays a hand down; covering the fraction of the table in front of Sehun in frost with the word hero written over it. “A hero’s welcome awaits us.”

Kai stares at the frost on the table in awe, a wide grin taking over his features as he looks up to find Kyungsoo’s eyes trained on him. They share a look of pride at what Suho had said about Sehun, their movements in sync as they both turn to look at him whose eyes are already curved into down-turned crescents in happiness.

For awhile all four of them enjoy the blissful ambiance, hung up on thoughts of victory within reach. They’re a step closer to resolving the conundrum they’ve found themselves in, a step closer to achieving peace. He feels the earth rumble in agreement from under his thin-soled feet.

But like all things wonderful the joy is short-lived; the harsh reality crashing down on them like an unforeseen avalanche, bringing with it their momentary spark of hope.

Suho’s demeanor changes the most, suddenly looking tired and wary as he lifts a hand up to soothe his throbbing temple. The frown lines on his forehead tell of the unseen burden he carries around his fragile shoulders. Kai sways in his seat at this observation, fists clenching on top of his thighs.

He’s hit with a sudden wave of remorse, wanting to take everything back as if this is all his fault; as if he is the real reason behind Suho’s suffering. No matter how ridiculous and random the thought is he seriously considers it; unable to shake the feeling off.

Before he can do anything however Suho straightens up and looks powerful and intimidating again, a red glint flashing in the blacks of his eyes as he addresses them. The brief pang of remorse that penetrated his thoughts vanish and so does the weight on his chest. He exhales; fingers relaxing as they stay on his lap, oblivious to the worried looks Kyungsoo is throwing him from the far end of the table.

“But for now,” Suho begins, voice firm in contrast to his previous moment of vulnerability, “Sehun has to cross over to the Other Side. And as your leader and the oldest Guardian in existence…it’s only natural that I’m to go with him.”

Kai stills on his seat. Kyungsoo sits up in concern.

“Hold on Suho-teleportation is a path for and of one-how are you going to bring yourself over there?”

“I know a way. I’ve read it somewhere in one of these godforsaken scrolls. But don’t worry about Sehun and I for now, we’ll figure this out. I promise and swear on my life as a Guardian and your friend that I won’t let anything happen to him-or myself.” Suho’s eyes are glassy with intense emotions, letting Kyungsoo and him know that their efforts aren’t going to waste.

His promise is a metaphor for victory, Kai realizes. His words then reverberate in his chest in time with the beating of his heart, and Kai believes him.

From the end of the table Kyungsoo nods in understanding, crossing his arms over his chest as he slowly leans back in his seat. His eyes are still locked with Suho’s, and Kai tries his hardest to decipher their unspoken conversation. The older Guardian cuts it short however by flicking his eyes in his direction, determination burning behind them.

“What I’m asking the both of you now, is to remain here, with the rest of our people. They need protection, especially now that there are news of the Red Force’s possible awakening. With two Guardians gone the City’s Mana is bound to go down; and a lower Mana means an easier target for the Red Eye. The Red Eye strikes where the weakest reside-remember that.” He takes a deep breath, hand going up again to massage his temple. “Since I can’t get a hold of either Chanyeol or Baekhyun, you two are my only hope. The fate of this City lies in your capable hands.” His eyes are pleading as he leans over the table, earnestly voicing out the implications of what he’s asking them to do.

“The two of you are temporarily Head of the Council while I’m away. Since Chanyeol doesn’t seem too mentally fit to inherit my vacant position, naturally, it’s passed on to the both of you.”

They can’t even react properly to their supposed rise in rank-there are no thank you’s, no promises of doing their best. It is implied that they are to defend MAMA with their lives. The eerie silence that follows is heavier than any reaction they could come up with-complete and utter understanding of what’s being asked of them.

The salvation of MAMA and all its Inhabitants under any cost-including your own life.

Satisfied, Suho beckons Sehun to stand up, the latter immediately doing as he’s told. The older Guardian smiles at them warily, the tension of what is to come settling over their heads like a thick cloud. The atmosphere is heavy and so is his chest, their hearts; weighed down by the responsibility of a thousand lives (and the very plausible possibility of losing their own lives in the process).

The unspoken goodbyes float through their strained silences, making Kai squirm in his seat.

This wasn’t supposed to feel like sending his friend and ally away to war. They were supposed to win; that was the whole point of the training.

He trembles in his seat with mixed emotions, Sehun’s eyes finding him as they exchange wordless encouragements. He knows Sehun is tougher than he looks, but he also knows in the face of danger and pure evil, being tough means absolutely nothing.

With nothing more to say Sehun moves towards the doors to leave, Suho following behind him right after he has gathered his belongings when suddenly Kyungsoo yells a desperate, “wait!”
Both Suho and Sehun turn around, Kai’s eyes glued to him as well, the distress in his tone effectively catching his attention.

Kyungsoo’s eyes are wide with unconcealed desperation, his hands balling into fists on top of the table. “We’ll turn back time. Kai and I. We’ll do it ourselves.”

“What?”

Suho is looking at him like he’s speaking in another language, Sehun is staring at him in disbelief, and he’s positive the look he’s giving Kyungsoo is along the lines of “have you lost it?”

Kyungsoo loosens up enough to roll his eyes, hands gradually relaxing that they now look like little caves on top of the table. “I’m serious! I think we can do it. Kai and I aren’t dubbed the strongest in our Guardian group for nothing.”

Kai interjects before anyone can say anything else. “Regardless of how strong we are, the real concern here is the process. How will we even carry that out? We aren’t Time Wielders.”

“We’ll try something-anything at all. You have Earth, I have Wind; we both hold control over a Natural Element. And Natural Elements have the most potential in wielding into various forms. It could work! Using our powers will raise Mana too; help ward off the Red Eye.” He pauses, closing his hands into agitated fists again. “Besides, we have enough time to do it. More than enough, if we’re being honest. I don’t want to sit around and wait for news Kai; I want to help because I know that I-we, can. Please.”

Kyungsoo almost never pleads-known for his silent demeanor and intimidating aura. In fact, he is the picture-perfect representation of calm and collected. But today, he is not. His desperation is tangible-he can see it in the way his hands are clenched shut, in the worried wrinkle of his brow, in the determined set of his jaw. He obviously wants to do something for all of them, and he’d be damned if he refused.

So he looks away without uttering a word, staring at Suho in silent and resigned agreement. The older Guardian looks deep in thought, obviously considering Kyungsoo’s suggestion.

“I don’t know how you can make this work, Kyungsoo. The chances of this succeeding are low to none. I’m pretty sure this has never even been attempted before, but- if it makes you feel any better, then I’m allowing you to do whatever it takes to save our people. I trust you. You and Kai both.”

Kai exhales through his nose at the finality of the decision, nodding at the older Guardian when he meets his eyes. “We’ll try our best.”

“Thank you, Suho.” Kyungsoo breathes, relieved. He slouches back in his seat, the fight draining off his face.

Suho’s eyes appear suspiciously glassy as he flashes Kyungsoo another watery smile, grip tightening over the papers still clutched in his hands. “Just be careful.”

Kyungsoo nods, taking another deep breath. The wary expression on his face molds into something else, gaze piercing; the sudden burst of wind blowing from behind him mirrors his determination. Papers fly all around them and their clothes rumple from the breeze but no one notices the mess. Instead of being a nuisance, the wind inside the enclosed space fills them with the necessary push to do whatever it takes to win.

“We will.”

part iii