[J05] (HUSH,) DON'T SPEAK (1/2)
Prompt Code: J05
Title: (Hush,) Don’t Speak
Rating: PG-13/NC-17
Side Pairings (if any): slight baekyeol
Warnings: some violence and some cursing
Word Count: 17,542
Summary: Kyungsoo has lived alone for ten years. Ten years on the run and avoiding people. And it was all because he awakened his power. Nowhere is safe for people like him.
But what he finds in Valence, changes his life in so many ways.
AN: This is my first multi-fic. As I usually write contemporary stories, this was a challenge but I had a lot of fun writing it. I hope I did this prompt justice. Please excuse any spelling/grammar mistakes. Also, big thanks to the mods for being so great! :)
PROLOGUE
‘Find the boy whose voice…’
“Kyungsoo, what are you doing?” he heard his mother ask him. When he turned around he saw his mother covering her mouth. When he faced his initial direction, he saw how the bullies hadn’t moved an inch. “Kyungsoo, release them.”
Kyungsoo stared at the boys and then slightly twisted his head, not realizing what he had done. When the boys came to, they looked around dazed until each of their eyes focused on Kyungsoo. And slowly, they began to back away until they ran in fear.
--
“Soo, you must never do that again, you understand me?” His mother told him when she rushed him back to their little wooden home.
“Mama, I don’t understand what happened.” Instead of replying, his mother just wrapped his small frame in her arms.
--
“Darling, what are we going to do?” Kyungsoo heard his mother ask. Kyungsoo was laying in his bed. He hasn’t been able to stop thinking about what had happened earlier. His mother never talked to him about. He kept trying to wrap his brain around what happened. He remembered how the bullies kept teasing him and how they started to hurt him. But then, all of a sudden, he had got angry and told them to stop. And they did.
“We have to tell the guards.”
“What?”
“You know the law.” His father said. “Anyone who wields magic must be sent to the king.”
‘Can persuade armies to their knees in the midst of battle…’
The next day, when he saw his parents, even his nine-year-old brain could comprehend the distress in their faces. He bit his lip before he spoke.
“Am I in trouble?”
“No-“
“Yes-“ Both of his parents responded at the same time. Kyungsoo looked at his mother, fear overtaking his body. His mother came around the kitchen table to crouch beside him.
“Oh, my sweet, you are not in trouble,” she said. His father clicked his tongue. “Don’t. We are not sending him away.”
His father stood from his seat. “We must. It is against the law to keep this...this… abomination in our home.”
“A-abomination?” His mother stuttered. “You are calling our child an abomination?”
“Yes-“,
“If that’s how you feel-“
“It is-“
“Then I and this abomination shall leave.” His mother stood from her crouch and faced his father head on.
’And when you have him…’
“Soo, Soo, quickly.” His mother said as she shook him awake. “We have to leave now.”
“Mama?” Kyungsoo sat up from his bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He saw his mother frantically grabbing heaps of his clothes and shoved it into his bag.
”Quickly,” she said as she left his room.
Kyungsoo was awake now. He quickly got up from the bed and put on the sweater his mother tossed at him before she left his room. It was late March, but it was still quite chilly out, so wherever they were headed, they were going to be outside for a while. He left his room and saw his mother picking up her bag. Kyungsoo’s bag was by her feet.
“Where is Papa?” Kyungsoo asked when he didn't hear nor see his father. “Is he coming too?”
“No. Put your bag on, we must go now,” she said and he complied.
The two of them left in haste. His mother not once turning back to face their little wooden home. But Kyungsoo did, he looked and saw the little garden his mother had been planting for the start of spring. The buds had only just started to form.
It wasn’t until they reached the forest that she slowed her pace ever so slightly.
“Why isn’t Papa coming?” He asked as they breached the forest.
“Your father…” she took a breath and turned to facing him. “Your father has decided to turn against our family.”
Kyungsoo thought back to this morning. When he stopped his father from striking his mother. He hadn’t meant too, he just…he just didn’t want to see his mother get hurt. So, when he had told his father to stop. He stopped. His hand was inches away from his mother’s face. Once she was out of reach and the fear had left her eyes, she had asked Kyungsoo to let his father go. He did. He wasn’t sure how, but he did. He remembers the look on his father’s face when he stormed out. Kyungsoo had known then, that something bad was going to happen.
’Kill him…’
Kyungsoo and his mother continued their journey through the dead of the night. Kyungsoo wanted to stop and sleep, but his mother insisted that they keep going. Finally, however, they reached a river, that divided his village and the next. This was where his mother decided to stop.
Neither of them spoke. Instead they just sat next to each other for warmth. Kyungsoo tried to stay awake, but hearing the soft ripples of the river flowing brought him into a lull.
When he awoke he heard thundering. His mother awoke at the same time. It was still dark out, but he could tell that dawn was near. He and his mother stood up. His mother was looking around frantically.
“What is that?” He whispered. His mother closed her eyes then to listen and when they shot open, he saw her panic.
“Horses.” She said. “Oh Fae. RUN.”
The two of them gathered their things and shuffled along the river. The current was strong, but not strong enough to pull them down stream. Once they passed the river, Kyungsoo realized that the water that soaked their clothes slowed them down. But still, his mother dragged him behind her. Kyungsoo tried his best to move his legs faster. But his short legs eventually tripped and he fell to the ground.
“Kyungsoo, please, hurry. Get up.” His mother said pulling him up. The horses were getting closer. He could hear the crossing the river. His mother must’ve understood that they wouldn’t be able to escape. So, instead, she shoved Kyungsoo under a mass of bushes. She looked him in the eye. And Kyungsoo swore he saw a flash of yellow in her eyes before she spoke. ”You must stay here. Stay quiet. And do not leave until the area is quiet and clear.”
Kyungsoo wanted to protest. He wanted to move from the bushes and stay by his mother. But no matter how much he tried. No matter how much he wished. He couldn’t. He was stuck.
His mother stood and walked several meters away from him. She dropped her bag and waited. The horses finally caught up and Kyungsoo noticed that one of the riders, was his father.
“Where is he?” His father said. There was a man, who jumped off his horse. Looking at him, Kyungsoo could feel the blood drain from his face. This man was one he heard of before. This man was a bringer of death. The man forcefully grab his mother.
“Where is the young?” the man said, in a raspy, deep voice. “Tell me, or I shall rip your skin from your bones.”
His mother spat in the man’s face. “You shall never have him.”
Kyungsoo, faintly noticed her eyes flash yellow again. ”Let go of me.”
The man did. His father and the other riders noticed what she did and immediately reacted.
“She’s one of them.”
“Quickly, capture her.”
Multiple voices sounded. His mother faced his father and glared.
“You’re one of them.” His father said in disbelief and betrayal.
“Yes. And you shall never have me nor my son.” She faced the man that was beside her. ”You will take your sword and stab me through the heart.”
The man drew his sword.
“Wait-what are you doing?” He father shouted. His mother didn’t acknowledge him. Instead, she quickly and discreetly shifted her eyes to Kyungsoo’s hiding spot. He saw affection and pleading in her gaze. Kyungsoo recognized that as apologetic. Kyungsoo struggled as hard as he could now. He struggled and struggled. But still, even as the man plunged the sword through his mother’s heart. He could do nothing.
’For his power is an abomination.’
-Ten years later-
Kyungsoo walked through the streets of Valence, a small town in Exodus. He had already made prior arrangements for his home. A nice small cabin just a few minutes outside of town. Nice and secluded, just how he liked it. Today was his first day here and he was hoping that he would be able to stay here longer than a month.
Lately it’s been hard on him. The king has been pushing to find all those who were able to wield magic. Magic wielders like him. Every day he wonders if he’ll be able to see the next. He wonders if every person he runs into is a hunter. He wonders if they would kill him or if they would capture him and bring him to the king. All these wonders bring him stress. All that stress keeps making him slip up. He kept reminding himself that one wrong move and he’ll either be dead or sent to the king. He knew he needed to be careful with his power. But, sometimes, it was just easier to use it.
He passed by a stall selling fruit and he noticed a petite man, maybe around Kyungsoo’s height and light brown hair, standing there. He noticed how the man grabbed some fruit with his gloved left hand, and he could’ve swore that he saw yellow in the man's’ eyes. This caused Kyungsoo to stop in the middle of the street. The person behind him ran right into him and started to mutter profanities.
“What the fuck you doing stopping in the middle of the street, boy?” Said an elder gentlemen with a cart trailing behind him. Kyungsoo quickly apologized and shuffled out of the way. He checked the fruit stall again and noticed how the petite man was looking at him. Kyungsoo diverted his gaze and noticed someone else. They were standing diagonally across the busy road staring very intensely at him. His dark brown hair was pushed away from his face. Kyungsoo was worried. He hadn’t used his power, he only just got here. There was no way for someone to know he had a power. No way.
When Kyungsoo shifted his gaze back to the man at the fruit stall, Kyungsoo saw how the man followed where Kyungsoo was looking. The man's eyes, who were back to brown, narrowed slightly and that was the sign for Kyungsoo to leave. He pushed his way through the crowd and increased his pace, hoping to lose both men in the crowd. Kyungsoo wasn’t sure if they knew each other, what he did know was that he didn’t want to be around to find out.
He was almost out. He could see the end. Just several more meters and then Kyungsoo could go hide himself in his cabin. But then, Kyungsoo felt a hand grab his shoulder. He turned around slowly, hoping, that it wasn’t either of the two men from before. It wasn’t.
“You new here, kid?” he was disgusting, Kyungsoo thought. The man looked to be about thirty or so. He was missing a tooth, and desperately needed a bath.
Kyungsoo didn’t bother with a response.
“You need a job?” the disgusting man said, nodding his behind him where a brothel stood. “A pretty boy like you, would pick up a lot of customers at my establishment.”
“No, thank you.” Kyungsoo said politely. He shrugged off the man’s hand from his shoulder and started to turn back. But, Kyungsoo felt something grabbed his butt.
Now. Kyungsoo, likes to think of himself as a very tolerable person. He can usually handle people and their unpredictable ways but one thing that he couldn’t stand was when someone invaded his privacy.
When Kyungsoo turned back to face the man, he was livid. Kyungsoo’s eyes flashed yellow before he could think otherwise.
“You are going to leave me alone. Take a bath and then decide to find a better job for yourself, that doesn’t involve exploiting people.”
With that, the man left. And when Kyungsoo looked up, he saw one of the men from before. It was the one who was intensely staring at him. The one that gave Kyungsoo the creeps. He had watched the scene unfold. The stranger sneered at him and if looks could kill, Kyungsoo was sure that he would’ve died right there.
Shit. Kyungsoo thought to himself. He messed up and he knew it. He shouldn’t have let his anger get to him.
Kyungsoo was about to turn and push his way through the crowd, but he noticed how the strangers glare turn into something softer. Something that made Kyungsoo more afraid than he already was. The man looked at him like he saw something fragile. Something that needed help and protection.
Kyungsoo quickly turned around. He quickened his pace once he was free of the crowd and didn’t slow down until he reached the safety of his home. He couldn’t erase the expression the stranger gave him from his mind.
Little did he know, the man who stood by the fruit man, saw the entire incident as well.
--
Kyungsoo was hesitant the next morning. Should he leave for the market again? Should he leave the town? He had just moved here, he knew he wouldn’t be able to afford another move. He was barely able to afford this one. He put his hand on the door handle. Whatever was going to happen, would happen. Maybe if he was lucky would be able to find that man with the creepy stare and make him forget. That is of course if Kyungsoo was able to find him and if the man didn’t tell anyone about it.
Kyungsoo left, making sure to lock his door. He had already eaten and decided that today he would try to find something to make his new home a little more homely, no matter how long he would stay there for.
He wasn’t in the market for more than five minutes when he saw the man who was by the fruit stand the day before. He was standing at the mouth of an alleyway, once he made eye contact with Kyungsoo he slowly backed in. Clearly he wanted Kyungsoo to follow after him. Kyungsoo cursed, knowing that he didn’t have a choice. It wasn't often that Kyungsoo found another magic-user. He usually tried to avoid them because he found the the larger the group the easier it would be for the guard to find them.
He could’ve, should've, walked away, but he knew that if he tried this man would have no problems with finding out where Kyungsoo lived. So, Kyungsoo made his way through the crowd to the alley. He took tentative steps until he was mid-way.
“What do you want?” Kyungsoo asked the petite man. He was accompanied by a tall lanky man, who was leaning against the alley wall, his ash -grey hair was pushed away from his face.
“I know what you are,” he said. “I also know that you know what I am. So, I’d suggest you come with us.”
Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes and shifted his gaze, briefly, at the lanky man before he looked back at the petite man. “Just because you claim we’re the same, doesn’t mean I should trust you.”
“Of course not,” he said shrugging his shoulders. “I don’t expect you too. But, I do still hope you’ll come with us.”
The pair started to walk past him and Kyungsoo regrettably decided to follow the pair back to the crowd. He wished he could've avoided another magic-user but fate has never been kind to him. About seven years ago, he had met a female, Soo Jung. They had stumbled upon one another when Kyungsoo was traveling to another city. She was startled and then next thing Kyungsoo knew, after seeing a flash of yellow eyes, was that he was frozen in place. He remembered how she kept apologizing to him after she set him free. And after he told her he also had a power, they stuck together. That was until she got captured by the king’s guard. They got separated in a crowd and out of panic she had frozen a handful of people around her. Kyungsoo still wakes up from nightmares of watching her get taken away, hearing her screams.
Even with haunting memory of what happened to Soo Jung, Kyungsoo knew that he would one day have to face another magic-user. He also, in turn, decided that they were the closest he was ever going to get about learning more about these powers. He hoped, well, he wasn’t sure what he hoped. Maybe, he was just hoping for them to help him with his powers. Or maybe, he just wanted to finally have people he didn’t have to hide from.
“My name is Baekhyun, by the way,” the petite man said, as the trio maneuvered their way through the crowd. Kyungsoo noticed the glove on Baekhyun’s left hand as he pushed a man out of the way. “And this is Chanyeol. You’ll find out more back at our home.”
--
Kyungsoo stopped at the mouth of the cave. Baekhyun and Chanyeol didn’t notice right away, since they continued several feet inside.
“It’s okay.” Baekhyun said taking a few steps back to Kyungsoo. “Everyone is near the back of the cave. It’s the only place that’ll protect us.”
Kyungsoo took a quick breath then followed after. He may not be good at using his power, but he knew that he would be able to stand against at least one of them. “Why do you guys live in a cave?”
“We’ve been forced to move around a lot.” Chanyeol said, finally speaking. “We do have a permanent home, but it’s not safe there right now.”
The walked through the cave started to get dark. Kyungsoo was starting to wonder how they were going to be able to continue walking. Suddenly, Kyungsoo saw a small light come from Baekhyun left palm-no, not from his palm, it was his palm that was glowing.
“What?” he muttered to himself. Baekhyun must’ve heard him.
“This is one of my powers.” Baekhyun said clenching and unclenching his left hand. “After I turned ten, my powers awakened and this came with it. Let’s just say that, if I’m not wearing my glove, don’t touch my hand.”
Nothing more was said. What else could Kyungsoo have said? He knew there wasn’t enough time to ask more about what his powers were, so Kyungsoo pushed it to the back of his mind until later.
Finally, after about five more minutes of walking the trio made it to the site. There were four people sitting around a light. It couldn’t have been a fire, since there was no ventilation. Was this also one of Baekhyun’s powers?
“You’re back.” One of the four said, standing up from his position.
“Kyungsoo, this is Junmyeon, our leader.” Baekhyun said, during their treck to the cave, Kyungsoo had given his name. Junmyeon approached Kyungsoo and they shook hands.
“Baekhyun tells me that you have a power?”
Kyungsoo didn’t say anything thing at first. Though, Kyungsoo’s first impression of Junmyeon was a good one, he was still hesitant. He had been running for so long that he’s almost forgotten what it’s like to have some kindness direct his way. But still, he needed to be weary. Just because Baekhyun has a power doesn’t me that these are good people.
“Maybe.” Kyungsoo said. From the corner of his eye, he saw Baekhyun smirk.
“Very well, maybe I should explain what we are.” Junmyeon sat back down in his spot, Chanyeol and Baekhyun also moved to sit. Kyungsoo still stood not feeling safe enough to sit. He wanted to make sure that he had an exit. “We are…what you could call a rebel group. Though we are very small, we go around trying to save as many people with powers as we can, of course, it can get quite difficult when people aren’t very open with their powers.
“It was initially formed by myself, when my brother here,” Junmyeon gently placed his hand on the shoulder of the boy who sat next to him. “Sehun, was going to be taken to the king because of his power; but, we made it out just in time. Then later we found Baekhyun and Chanyeol. And as I'm sure you’re able to tell, Baekhyun is able to control light.”
Kyungsoo looked over at Baekhyun again, who had touched his gloved hand. “What about the rest of you?”
“Minseok here is able to freeze your blood and turn things to frost.” Junmyeon pointed to the man who had cat like eyes and then he pointed towards a man who had a shit-eating grin. “Jongdae control’s magnetic waves in the air and the ground to find people and is able to control lightning. Myself and Chanyeol don’t have any magic-wielding ability.”
“Where do these powers come from?” Kyungsoo asked.
“Long ago, there was a lot of people who had the ability to wield magic. They were the first people who owned this land,” Junmyeon said.
“Who were they?”
“They’re the Fae-kind,” Junmyeon continued. “There aren’t many around anymore because they were killed off once our people came to the continent during the First War. But those that do linger here are quite powerful.”
“How many are left?”
“I can’t say. There are rumors that say that the rest of them live in the sky or that they still live on the land but they used their magic to hide themselves.”
Kyungsoo stared around the campfire, if it could be called that. Everyone was just as engaged with the story as he was.
“How do you know all of this?”
“I met one,” Junmyeon said. “When I was trying to find a safe place for our group. He showed me this place and told me this story.”
“You’ve never told me this,” Sehun said.
Junmyeon shrugged. “I never thought it was important until now.”
“Why now?” Baekhyun asked. “What’s so special about him to hear this?”
Baekhyun didn’t say it in a condescending way, Kyungsoo could tell. It was more of a curious tone than anything else. Kyungsoo was curious too. Why tell him all of this if they had only just met?
“Well, the Fae also told me that one day soon, I would meet a boy who could use his power to control people.”
“Control them how?” Chanyeol asked. Junmyeon looked Kyungsoo in the eye now. Kyungsoo could feel his palms start to sweat, like he was getting caught for a lie.
“Control them using his voice.”
“And what did this Fae say about this boy?” Kyungsoo asked carefully. Everyone shifted their gaze towards Kyungsoo.
“He would help free the magic users from the clutches of the king,” Junmyeon said as he maintained eye contact with Kyungsoo. “That he would help bring safety to those who wield magic and bring balance back to the land.”
“Balance back to the land?” Kyungsoo asked. What kind of balance was needed for the land?
“Between humans and Fae,” Junmyeon said. “Ever since the First War, man-kind has been slaughtering the Fae. They are almost extinct. But the Fae told me that the boy who can control people with his voice, would be able to stop the mistreatment to those who have magic in their blood. In turn, this boy who help bring the Fae back from extinction.”
“We could really use that kind of help,” Jongdae said leaning back, his eyes still on Kyungsoo.
Kyungsoo looked down at his hands. That’s a lot to ask for. How could he be expected to stop a king? Let alone bring balance to an entire land. And help bring back a species back from extinction. Kyungsoo was ready to lie about his ability, but Baekhyun caught his eye.
“So, Kyungsoo, what kind of power you got?” Baekhyun said with a knowing smile.
Kyungsoo has been going back to the cave every day for the past week since the first time he went. Though, he still doesn’t trust them completely, he’s grown a little closer with the six of them and found that he got along with them quite well. Baekhyun, Sehun, Minseok and Jongdae have all been helping him develop his skills after he reluctantly told them his ability.
He also found out that Sehun’s power was controlling air. He was able to cause winds and as well pull the air from people’s lungs. It was a terrifyingly, wonderful gift.
Kyungsoo did notice, however, that the days he went into the market, the man who had been staring at him, the day he saw Baekhyun, was always there, watching him from afar. Kyungsoo never mentioned this to anyone. He knew that people were out to kill him but, if they hadn’t made a move then he figured he would still be safe. Besides, he’s not only been practicing his powers but as well how to fight.
Chanyeol had pointed out early into training that no matter how much he practices his powers, he still wouldn’t be able to throw a punch. So now Kyungsoo is double practicing. It was exhausting for him but at the same time he’s never been happier. Never felt more at home, which was a strange thought. Kyungsoo never would’ve thought that by practicing his magic and essentially accepting his power, would have brought him joy.
Kyungsoo was halfway to the cave he felt a breeze hit his back. It was Sehun. There was always a breeze that followed Sehun whenever he left or entered an area. It was very subtle. A person would only be able to tell if they spent a lot of time with him. Kyungsoo wasn’t even sure if Sehun realized this.
“Oh, came from the market?” Kyungsoo asked him.
Sehun nodded, shifting the bag on his back. “Yeah, needed to sell something things.”
They fell into step with one another, and continued their journey silently. Kyungsoo appreciated that Sehun wasn’t much of a talker. Though he doesn’t mind talking, Kyungsoo enjoyed his silent walks through the forest to the cave. It always gave him a peace of mind.
Suddenly, Kyungsoo noticed a lump of something on the ground several meters in front of them.
“Do you see that?” Kyungsoo asked Sehun pointing toward the lump. He stopped walking and placed his hand on Sehun’s forearm. “What is that?”
The pair slowly walked closer when Sehun had suggested to do so. Sehun scrunched his face. “Is…that a person?”
Once they were close enough Kyungsoo could tell what-no, who --it was. Kyungsoo saw that it was the man from the market, the one that’s been watching him. He was laying on the ground badly beaten. But Kyungsoo also noticed a lot of blood.
“It’s him.” Kyungsoo muttered to himself. He was standing several feet behind Sehun. If the younger heard what he said, he didn’t make it known.
“Oh shit.” He heard Sehun mutter as he knelt beside the man inspecting his injuries. “He’s been stabbed.”
Kyungsoo knelt next to Sehun and saw the wound. It looked bad.
“We have to do something,” Kyungsoo said. He looked to Sehun and noticed the debate that crossed his face. Kyungsoo was going to make a comment but Sehun spoke before he could.
“Come on, we’ll bring him back to the cave,” Sehun said, struggling to lift the man in his arms. Kyungsoo still looked at Sehun, unsure of what Sehun was debating about, but he knew it wasn’t good. Maybe, hopefully, he was just hesitating because they needed to be careful about who they brought to the cave. But...the way Sehun looked at the stranger brought some unease to Kyungsoo. “Kyungsoo, come on. He isn’t exactly light.”
The others must’ve known that something was wrong because by the time they reached the cave, everyone was outside. Concern crossed over their faces when they saw a body in Sehun’s arms.
“Sehun. What happened?” Junmyeon asked rushing to his brothers’ side. Chanyeol also went to him to take the body from his arms. When Baekhyun saw the boy, Kyungsoo noticed how his eyes narrowed. Baekhyun looked up and made eye contact with Kyungsoo, and quickly masked his expression. “Come, bring him inside. We need to get his wounds cleaned.”
Kyungsoo was going to have to ask them why Baekhyun and Sehun both had the same reaction when they saw the injured man. There was something going on that Kyungsoo needed to find out.
--
It was silently decided that Kyungsoo’s training would hold off until the stranger was dealt with. Kyungsoo was waiting with the others in the main area while, Junmyeon, Minseok and Jongdae were healing the strangers wounds.
Kyungsoo took this time to ask the questions that have been bothering him. “Baekhyun, do you know that man?”
Kyungsoo saw how Chanyeol’s eyes quickly shifted to Baekhyun then to the ground.
“No, I don’t,” Baekhyun shrugged. “Why?”
Kyungsoo shook his head. “It’s just you and Sehun were both acting like you knew him or something. It’s weird.”
Sehun shifted in his seat, but Baekhyun still looked at Kyungsoo with a calm expression.
“Kyungsoo…” Baekhyun said, his expression soften. But before he could continue, Chanyeol placed his hand on Baekhyun’s knee. Baekhyun looked down at the hand before he spoke again. “No, Kyungsoo, we don’t know him.”
--
“Why were you following me?” Kyungsoo asked the man. After Junmyeon and the others finished cleaning the man up, Kyungsoo volunteered to look after the man. He only had to wait a short amount of time until the man awoke. Kyungsoo had given him some water to help lubricate his throat, before he had asked him the question that had been on his mind for a while.
They looked in each other’s eyes and Kyungsoo started to feel a sense of familiarity. It was almost as if they had known each other from another life. A life far away from the one they were living now.
The man opened his mouth and then shut it again. “It was because I saw you use your power. And I wanted to make sure you would be safe.”
“Safe?” Kyungsoo said. He could tell that he was lying to him. Kyungsoo could see the shift in the man's’ gaze when he tried to make eye contact with him. “Nowhere is safe for people like me.”
“That’s why I was trying my best to look after you,” the man said. “ I wasn’t sure if the boy with the glove could be trusted.”
Kyungsoo moved and helped the man sit up and gave him some more water. “What’s your name?”
“Kai. You can call me Kai. Yours?” He took another sip of water.
“Kyungsoo.”
“Kyungsoo,” Kai whispered to himself. Kai flinched when he shifted his position.
“How do you feel?”
“Probably worse than I look.”
Kyungsoo smiled. Other than the black eye and the few scraps that littered his face, Kai didn’t look half bad.
“Thank you for helping me.”
“We weren’t just going to leave you out there,” Kyungsoo said. He heard some shuffling from behind him. When he turned he saw Junmyeon approaching with Chanyeol not too far behind. They wore somber expressions. Kyungsoo started to raise but Junmyeon shook his head.
“His name is Kai.” Kyungsoo said, figuring that they would want to know what little Kyungsoo found out.
Junmyeon nodded. “I’m Junmyeon and this is Chanyeol.” Chanyeol crossed his arms. “What are you doing so far out into the forest?”
“I saw someone following Kyungsoo and I didn’t want him to be found. So, I approached the man, it appears he wanted to ambush Kyungsoo.”
“Why were they following Kyungsoo?”
“I’m not sure. I thought I was the only one who knew about his power. You guys must also have powers too?” Kai asked looking between the three of them. But they all kept their faces neutral.
“No. We don’t have powers.” Junmyeon said, his eyes narrowing. “What happened to the man and his crew?”
“There was only two of them. And I’m not sure what happened, they knocked me out and then I woke up here.”
“And where do you stand?” Junmyeon asked, crossing his arms the same as Chanyeol. “Friend or foe?”
“Friend.” Kai said, a little too quickly, causing Chanyeol to snort. “Friend. I’ve been trying to keep an eye on Kyungsoo whenever he was in the market. It’s not often that someone would openly use their power.”
“Hmph. We’ll just have to see how friendly you are.” Junmyeon turned and walked away; however, Chanyeol stayed behind.
“Can you walk?” Chanyeol asked. Kai nodded his head. “Good, follow me.” Chanyeol looked around the small room where Kai was and grimaced. “I don’t like this part of the cave.”
“What? Is it haunted?” Kyungsoo joked.
Chanyeol made eye contact with Kai. “More like there’s an unwanted soul.”
--
The three of them made their way to the larger part of the cave. Kai, though he struggled, managed to maintain their pace. When they entered the larger area, Kyungsoo helped Kai walk to the fire and sat him next to his seat. Kai looked around the area. Kyungsoo couldn’t tell if he was looking for an escape or how many of them there were.
Everyone was there. Sitting and watching Kai. None of them looked at him with a friendly expression. Except for Sehun. Kyungsoo watched how Sehun looked at Kai with an expression of wonder. Kyungsoo wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was because of the fact that Kai was someone knew and someone different. A person whom they couldn’t trust.
“So, Kai, where are you from?” Junmyeon asked.
“The capital,” Kai said. The others narrowed their eyes, especially Chanyeol. Kyungsoo could already tell that this was going to be difficult for everyone to get sued to his presence. Which confused him. Because Kyungsoo is still new to the group as well, yet they seemed to accept him more than Kai. Of course, Kyungsoo didn’t have any reason to trust Kai, considering he had been watching him in the market. But, for whatever reason, Kyungsoo felt an urge to want to help and take care of Kai. Which was strange for Kyungsoo, he’s never felt that way about anyone before.
“What are you doing all the way out here?”
“I needed to leave. It’s too suffocating there,” Kai said. “There’s...too much hate and distrust.”
Kyungsoo knew all too well what Kai meant. He pushed back the memories that threatened to come.
--
For the remainder of the day, it was filled with tensed silence. Few words were spoken amongst the group, but when Kyungsoo offered to take Kai outside, almost everyone rejected the idea.
“Um...what?”
“I don’t trust leaving you two alone,” Junmyeon said. Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, he was about to argue, but Sehun spoke up first.
“Junmyeon, he’s injured and can barely walk,” Sehun said. “I doubt he would be able to do much. Besides I’ll go out with them. I could use the air.”
The last comment caused several of them to snort, Kyungsoo included. Nonetheless, Sehun stood from his spot while Kyungsoo and Kai followed along. Kyungsoo stayed beside Kai, even though he refused help this time around.
Once they were outside, Sehun sighed. Kyungsoo shielded his eyes from the sun.
“Sorry about my brother. He’s gets paranoid about people,” Sehun said.
“That's okay,” Kai said. “I understand. I don't blame you guys for not trusting me.”
“So, what was it really like in the capital? I've heard different things. Some people said it's great some have said it was bad…” Sehun trailed off.
“I feel like it's getting worse,” Kai said after a moment's pause. “There's too much tension there, especially in the slums. Everyone's worried that someone they know is a magic user or that someone will call them in. It didn't used to be this bad.”
“Back when I was a kid, it was barely talked about. It was more hush-hush,” Kyungsoo said, the other two looked at him. “It was safer.”
“You used to live in the capital?”
Kyungsoo nodded his head. “Yes, a long time ago.”
They resumed Kyungsoo’s training a couple days later, though they never revealed that anyone else but Kyungsoo had the ability to wield magic. Of course, Kyungsoo was sure that Kai had his suspicions.
“Let’s try and see if you can control the three of us,” Baekhyun said. Kyungsoo took a deep breath. He looked the three of them in their eyes and he could feel his eyes shift colour. After these training sessions Kyungsoo felt himself become closer and closer to the magic within him. He was beginning to tell when he was using it and how to properly control it. It was nice and also frightening to know that he had this much power within him.
He managed to easily grab hold of Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Sehun’s mind. On the sidelines, he could feel Kai’s stare. Ever since Kai joined them, Kyungsoo could always feel Kai’s stare, though it felt like a different stare than how it felt at the market. This time it felt more like a watchful, curious stare than one that could make Kyungsoo’s blood freeze. On occasion when Kyungsoo felt brave enough to make eye contact with Kai, the other always quickly looked away from Kyungsoo’s eyes.
“Good,” Baekhyun said, pulling him from his thoughts. “Now, we are going to try to push against your hold. Do your best to fight against us and use your power.”
Kyungsoo nodded and braced himself. Within seconds he could feel pressure build in his mind. The three of them each were struggling against Kyungsoo’s hold. Each of them showing very tense faces. The pressure started to increase in his head and Kyungsoo staggered.
“Use your power,” Kai reminded him. “Make them stop.”
Kyungsoo pushed back against their struggle. ”Stop fighting.”
Kyungsoo sighed with relief when he felt the pressure subside in his head. When he looked at the three in front of them, he saw how their expressions were now neutral.
”Release.”
With that, the three of the slumped. Baekhyun, had fallen to his knees, but Sehun and Chanyeol both managed to stay standing.
“Good,” Baekhyun said, as he struggled to stand. Chanyeol was quickly at his side, helping him. Baekhyun held on to Chanyeol’s arm as he continued. “That was really good, Soo. You’ve improved.”
“Maybe he should try going against another power or someone fighting him.” Sehun suggested.
“Sehun…” Chanyeol said carefully.
“What? He’s going to find out eventually that I can wield magic, might as well tell him now,” Sehun said. “Besides I know how to win a fight. I’ll be fine if he were to try anything.”
Kyungsoo looked over at Kai, who was looking at the ground and scratching the back of his head.
Sehun looked towards Kyungsoo, ignoring Chanyeol.
“You ready?”
Kyungsoo nodded. “How are we-“
Kyungsoo all of a sudden was blown away, literally. His body left the ground and he landed several feet from where he was.
“Sehun, what the hell?” Chanyeol yelled.
“Come on,” Sehun taunted. “Get up and fight me.”
Kyungsoo gritted his teeth. That was unfair and Kyungsoo hates when things get unfair. Kyungsoo could feel some pressure building in his mind, though he hadn’t grab on to Sehun yet. He shook his head to get rid of the pressure.
He tried to make eye contact with Sehun, but Sehun kept avoiding his eyes.
Ah, Kyungsoo thought. He was going to have to grab on without eye contact. But how was that going to happen if Sehun kept blowing him away.
Kyungsoo flew a few more feet again, this time landing a little harder than before. Kyungsoo saw how Kai took several steps in his direction worry taking over his face.
“Dammit, Sehun. You guys aren’t supposed to hurt each other,” Baekhyun said. “Junmyeon will kill you if he finds out.”
“How else is he going to get better?”
“He’s still learning.”
Sehun blew some wind in Baekhyun’s direction, but Baekhyun held firm and glared at the boy. Kyungsoo watched as Baekhyun went to reach for his glove. He knew that they didn’t want Kai knowing who else had powers, so Kyungsoo acted fast and locked on to Baekhyun’s mind. Stop. Kyungsoo thought, struggling to stand. You guys don’t want Kai to know, remember?
Baekhyun turned his head and looked at Kyungsoo in surprise. Kyungsoo was surprised as well, that he was able to send his thoughts to Baekhyun. There must be more to his power than any of them knew.
Kyungsoo turned his attention back to Sehun, who was watching them with a curious gaze.
Kyungsoo saw a twitch in Sehun’s eye and then Kyungsoo felt the wind hit him, sending his back to the ground. Kyungsoo got up quicker this time, the pressure came back to him. He ignored it.
Sehun continued to avoid Kyungsoo's gaze, but Kyungsoo could feel himself get closer and closer to Sehun’s mind.
Just a little more.
Kyungsoo saw a twitch in Sehun’s eye again. Just as Kyungsoo was hit with the wind and was sent flying through the air again, he managed to grab onto Sehun’s mind.
Kyungsoo stayed on the ground a little longer this time. The pressure was starting to blur his vision. But still he got to his feet and faced Sehun.
But when he looked at the others faced, he could see pain.
“Sehun-“ Kyungsoo started, but the next thing he knew was that he was falling into a pair of arms and then darkness took him.
--
Kyungsoo opened his eyes and saw the sky. The pressure in his head had slowly faded and when he moved to get up, he groaned.
Kai appeared in his line of sight. “Don’t get up too fast.”
“What happened?”
Kai shrugged. “After that final blow from Sehun, I think you caught him. But then a few seconds after the both of you fainted. It’s only been a couple of minutes. Sehun’s just next to you.”
Kyungsoo turned his head to the right and saw Sehun. His face scrunched up before his eyes opened. He groaned when he turned his head in Kyungsoo’s direction.
“Damn, Kyungsoo, what hell did you do?”
“Nothing.”
Sehun groaned again.
“I think we all learned a lesson not to piss you off, Kyungsoo,” Kai said. Sehun snorted and then groaned again.
“Sehun,” Kyungsoo heard Junmyeon’s voice. It sounded frantic. Kyungsoo slowly but surely managed to get into a seated position. Sehun also did so with the help of Junmyeon. Kyungsoo looked around and saw Chanyeol holding Baekhyun in his arms. Baekhyun looked to be alright, but Kyungsoo wasn’t sure because Baekhyun had a blank expression on his face. “What the hell were you guys doing?”
“They were practicing with their powers,” Kai said for them. “And then all of a sudden they fainted, along with Baekhyun.”
“You used your powers against each other?” Junmyeon said in disbelief. He smack Sehun upside the head. Sehun groaned louder. “I told you multiple times not to do that Sehun.”
“You know what happened with them?” Kai asked.
Junmyeon nodded his head. “Yes, magic users are meant to use their powers together not against one another. If they do, as I’m sure they’ve learned, it results in a build of pressure in their minds. It’s nature's way of telling them that it’s wrong to fight.”
“Then why did Baekhyun faint?” Chanyeol asked. “He wasn’t fighting.”
Junmyeon shook his head.
Kyungsoo gasped. “C-could it be because I didn’t release him?”
“What do you mean?” Junmyeon asked.
“Well, when Sehun and I were fighting, Baekhyun was going to…well, I got into Baekhyun's mind somehow and told him to stop and then I must’ve forgotten to release him from my hold.”
“Is that why he’s still like this?” Chanyeol asked looking at Baekhyun with much concern. Kyungsoo closed his eyes and tried to reach out to Baekhyun’s mind. He found that, yes, he hadn’t released Baekhyun and that he unconsciously still had a hold on his mind. Kyungsoo immediately broke the hold.
When he opened his eyes, Baekhyun had taken a deep breath and looked around his surroundings.
“Kyungsoo…” Baekhyun whispered looking directly at Kyungsoo.
“Are you okay?” Chanyeol asked, directing Baekhyun’s face to look at him.
“Yes, I’m fine. Just…mentally exhausted.” Chanyeol drew Baekhyun in closer and whispered something to him causing Baekhyun to lightly touch Chanyeol’s arm. Junmyeon sighed.
“I think it’s time to call it a day on the training, you all need to rest up.”
--
Kyungsoo and Kai were sitting together in the room where Kai stayed. Kai brought him there in order to let him sleep. Though Kyungsoo was feeling exhausted, he didn’t want to sleep just yet. He was so tired. Of everything.
“I’m so tired of running,” Kyungsoo said breaking the silence that had fallen over them. “I just…I just want to stop running.”
“Then stop.”
Kyungsoo sighed. “It’s not that easy. Everyday could be my last. I’ll either die at the hands of a hunter or be taken to the king and who knows what he’s going to do. Nowhere is safe…” He wasn’t sure what came over him. Maybe it was the exhaustion or maybe it was because these were thoughts that he held deep within himself for a long time.
Kai stayed quiet for some time before he finally responded. “I’ll keep you safe.”
“That’s a very big promise to keep,” Kyungsoo said turning his head towards Kai. Both of their faces were lit by one of Baekhyun's orbs. Kyungsoo admired the contours of Kai’s face.
“I don’t casually make promises.”
Kyungsoo opened his mouth to respond but he didn’t know what to say. So, he closed his mouth and watched as Kai stared at his lips. Kyungsoo unconsciously licked his lips. It was almost like an invitation. Kyungsoo saw how Kai leaned a little closer to him still staring intently at his lips. Kyungsoo himself wasn’t sure if he should move closer.
He wondered what Kai’s lips tasted like.
But a laugh that reverberated through the cave walls separated them fast.
Kai cleared his throat and rose from his position. “You should get some rest.”
Part 2