out of the crystal blue (oneshot)
Title: out of the crystal blue
Genre: Fantasy, SavingtheWorld!AU
Rating: PG-13
Warning(s): Character death
Pairing: Kaisoo
Length: 5316 words
Summary: Jongin is destined to save the world, and all Kyungsoo can do is stay by his side until the very end.
out of the crystal blue
In Kyungsoo’s world, spirits rule the heavens, watching over earthbound beings with their supernatural powers and benevolent guidance. Each city of his world has its own spirit that watches over the inhabitants-that is, each city except for Kyungsoo’s. There is no need for a spirit in Kyungsoo’s city, because Kyungsoo is the spirit, or, at least, a substitute for the spirit. Kyungsoo is special, blessed with the strange power of manipulating the earth to react to his will, but he’s still quite human, not quite spirit.
The people are afraid of him, and Kyungsoo knows it, because it’s pretty obvious by the hushed whispers others talk in whenever they’re around him and the nervous glances they give him when they think he’s not watching. Spirit holder, they call him, because he’s not a spirit yet has the powers of one. The legends decree that humans with the powers of spirits always arise in the world when a threat arises to humanity, but Kyungsoo thinks it’s all nonsense, because there aren’t any dangers to be found and if he really is meant to help save the world from a threat, then people shouldn’t be so frightened by the sight of him.
Sometimes, he wonders who he is. It’s a conflict that continues inside him all the time, whether he’s spirit or human, because he’s a bit of both and a bit of none. He wonders if he’s just a joke, some product of a spirit prank to mock the world, because he’s nowhere close to capable of preventing any apocalypses when he isn’t even sure of himself.
Kyungsoo is lost, unable to find his purpose.
°
On his eighteenth birthday, storm clouds gather in the horizon and in the passing weeks, Kyungsoo becomes restless, unable to sleep at night as he senses a tension in the atmosphere no one else seems to notice. His powers go out of control-the earth responds explosively whenever he tries to control it, and Kyungsoo begins to feel fear-white, hot panic that engulfs him as he realizes that he might not be able to control his manipulations anymore.
It’s a frightening thought. Kyungsoo learns that there is a lot to himself that he had never known about. He never had visions before, but now he has them frequently, almost every night, in which he catches glimpses of other boys, people he has never seen before. Scenes of destruction and battles cross his mind, and he can’t get rid of them, no matter how much he tries. And above it all, a clear voice continues to urge him on, telling him that he’s destined to help save the world, that he needs to find the others.
Others? Kyungsoo thinks of the boys he sees in his visions and wonders if they are like him, human but not quite human, endowed with the abilities of spirits.
He’s out drawing water from a well one evening when the surface of the water ripples and when he stares down at his reflection, it’s not his face that stares back at him, but the curiously familiar features of a brown-haired boy with light surrounding him like an aura.
“I found him!” the boy says excitedly, and another boy who looks strangely familiar with light-colored hair and almost cute features comes into view. “Luhan, you were right!”
“I told you,” the light-haired boy says smugly, then turns to Kyungsoo. “Are you one of us?”
“O-One of you?” Kyungsoo stammers, but suddenly, he understands. He has seen the two boys before, in his visions; he has seen them fighting at his side with their own powers. “I…yes,” he says finally. “I am.”
“Then do you understand what we’re here for?” the brown-haired boy asks, staring at Kyungsoo solemnly. “Do you accept this?”
Kyungsoo almost asks what the other boy means by his statement, but inside, he already knows. It’s what his visions have been telling him for the past few weeks, and suddenly, he realizes that there’s no going back, that he can’t avoid his fate anymore. So he swallows and closes his eyes, taking in his last moment as a confused, lost teenager with special powers who doesn’t understand himself, and lets go of his past.
He is not Kyungsoo the spirit holder anymore. He is Kyungsoo, the boy destined to help save the world.
°
The boy with brown hair’s name is Baekhyun, and the boy with the lighter hair is called Luhan. Baekhyun apparently can control light to create images for communication and Luhan can control objects with his mind and sense the thoughts of other people, which was how they found Kyungsoo. Once the greetings are over with, the three of them begin to discuss how Kyungsoo is going to find them-them, as in there are even more people like Kyungsoo, even more humans with the powers of spirits.
They finally decide that someone named Jongin, who can teleport to places, will come to where Kyungsoo is and take Kyungsoo with him. Kyungsoo gives them a description of his city, and sits down by the well to wait.
Moments later, the very particles of the air itself seem to rearrange themselves around Kyungsoo, and suddenly, a boy steps casually into view, as if there is nothing particularly awe-inspiring about appearing seemingly out of thin air.
There is a certain smugness to this boy-he has this confidence and charisma around him that Kyungsoo can’t help but envy. He’s cocky too-there’s a swagger to his walk and his dark, chocolaty brown eyes gaze out at Kyungsoo with a hint of insolence. “Are you Kyungsoo?”
Kyungsoo nods. “You must be Jongin.”
Jongin raises his eyebrows in affirmative, then takes Kyungsoo’s hand. “Then we should get going. We don’t have much time.”
It’s as if a bolt of lightning strikes Kyungsoo when Jongin wraps his fingers around his, and he isn’t sure why. He opens his mouth to ask Jongin where they are going, but before he can utter a single word, his vision turns black for a moment, then returns in a sudden, jarring sensation. The unexpected brightness catches him by surprise, and Kyungsoo cries out, stumbling back, but someone catches him and he looks up, blinking as his eyes adjust, to see Jongin looking down at him with amusement. “It takes some time to get used to. Don’t worry.”
“Where are we?” is the first thing Kyungsoo asks when he realizes that he isn’t in his city anymore. In front of him, a huge building spreads across the horizon, its walls glinting in the golden sunlight.
“This is our base,” Jongin explains as they begin walking towards the building. “This is where all people like us gather to train. You might have noticed that you’re powers have been going out of control these days. Training will help you control them.”
“Train for what?” Kyungsoo asks, but he thinks he knows the answer already. The visions had all depicted scenes of battle and destruction, and he understands that it reflects the near future.
“The apocalypse,” Jongin answers quietly, all smugness gone from his expression, and there’s a strangely subdued tone to his voice as he stares ahead, unblinkingly, as if it’s a subject he doesn’t really want to talk about.
Kyungsoo wonders why.
°
Kyungsoo adjusts quickly to life in training-it’s the only time he has ever felt like he belongs. There are twelve of them in all-twelve boys with the powers of spirits who have been called to help save the world. Kyungsoo. Junmyun. Yifan. Zitao. Baekhyun. Chanyeol. Luhan. Sehun. Yixing. Jongdae. Minseok. And finally, Jongin.
Jongin. The first thing Kyungsoo learns when he begins his training is that eleven of them are meant to help save the world, to participate in the final battle so that the savior will be able to defeat the dark forces and save everyone.
The remaining one is meant to be the savior. Jongin is that one.
Kyungsoo also learns a few other things-Jongin is younger than him, they’re going to win no matter what because Jongin is fated to win, and that Jongin knows some sort of secret knowledge that will bring about the end of the apocalypse.
Part of him wonders why they even bother to fight if Jongin is going to win in the end, but when he tells this thought to Baekhyun, Baekhyun shakes his head and says, “Just because we’re going to win in the end doesn’t mean we can’t slack off. The only reason we’re going to win is because we have to fight and make an effort.”
Jongin himself never likes speaking about his role as the final savior, and Kyungsoo sometimes wonders if it has to do with the secret knowledge he has that will save everyone. It’s not something for him to guess, however, because Kyungsoo doesn’t really interact with Jongin that much. He feels like he isn’t good enough to be with Jongin.
Jongin is destined to save the world-the spirits have written in his path that he will be the one who will end it all. It’s not a matter of choice. It’s his destiny, and Jongin has to fulfill it, because it’s what he was born to do. He has no control over it.
Still, Kyungsoo feels insignificant next to the younger boy; he feels as if he doesn’t deserve to be side by side with someone who has such an important and significant fate. He avoids Jongin when the others talk to the boy, merely nodding every once in a while and never directly speaking to the boy.
Jongin finally confronts him two weeks after they begin training-“Why don’t you ever talk to me, Kyungsoo?”
“I-” Kyungsoo begins, but he’s not sure how to respond to Jongin’s question. Because he feels insignificant? Because he feels like he doesn’t deserve to talk to Jongin?
Jongin stares at him for a moment with those dark, chocolate eyes, his face serious and devoid of any smugness for once. “I teleported all the way to your city, even though I could have just said for you to get here by yourself without any help. I went all the way there because I wanted to meet you.”
“Me?”
Jongin grins slightly, the corners of his mouth lifting up as he watches Kyungsoo with an air of amusement. “You’re more well-known than you think, Kyungsoo. We’ve all heard of you. The boy with powers who lives in the only city in this world that doesn’t have a spirit to guide it. I was curious. I wanted to see what kind of person you were like.”
Kyungsoo stares at him, and he doesn’t have to look at any reflective surface to know that his eyes are probably as wide as they can get. “Really? I…I wasn’t aware of that.”
“Now you are,” Jongin says, and his smile is genuine for once as he reaches forward and pats Kyungsoo on the shoulder in a friendly gesture. “And you know what? I’ve decided that you are one interesting person.” He runs a finger down the side of Kyungsoo’s face and Kyungsoo freezes, his skin tingling where Jongin’s finger comes into contact with his cheek.
“In…Interesting?” he stutters, nervously watching Jongin’s hands from the corners of his eyes.
“Yes.” The finger taps Kyungsoo on the jaw and Jongin smirks, his air of smugness appearing once again. “I’m interested in you. So talk to me more often, okay?”
“What do you mean, you’re interested in me?” Kyungsoo asks quietly, but Jongin merely shrugs, trails his finger teasingly across Kyungsoo’s jaw line, and walks away, leaving Kyungsoo to deal with the strange feeling in his stomach, as if there are butterflies fluttering about inside.
°
The apocalypse begins much too soon, and Kyungsoo feels nowhere close to being prepared for the sudden destruction of the world. It’s too sudden, and Kyungsoo finds himself wishing that he’s still back in his city, because even if he was alone, he was safe at that time.
They don’t even know what they’re fighting against, and that’s what scares Kyungsoo the most. Every day, they hear reports of cities being destroyed, people dying, and some strange dark force that threatens to bring an end to the entire world.
Kyungsoo’s city is one of the first to be annihilated, and it’s there, among the ruins of the once great city, that the twelve of them decide to fight their first battle against the dark. Yixing stays behind to help heal the injured, and despite his protests, Jongin is given the job of teleporting the injured to Yixing.
“I want to fight,” he argues as they sit around and discuss the battle plans. “Why can’t I fight?”
“Because you’re the most important,” Junmyun retorts. “What do you think we’re going to do if you kill yourself before the final battle? What do you think is going to happen if you don’t make it to save everyone? We have to keep you safe.”
“It doesn’t-” Jongin begins angrily, but something makes him stop, and he trails off, staring moodily into the distance. “Fine. I’ll wait until the final battle.”
Junmyun looks surprised-he’s obviously expecting Jongin to oppose even more-but he nods, and turns to the others. “Everyone understand their roles? All right. Good luck. Let’s pray”-here he looks around solemnly at each person-“that we’ll all be safe tomorrow and that we will be victorious.”
As they leave to their various stations to prepare for the battle, Kyungsoo glances back at Jongin, who’s still sitting there staring blankly at seemingly nothing. There’s more to Jongin than just an overconfident teenager with an attitude, he begins to realize. A lot more.
The battle begins well. Kyungsoo has an advantage over the enemy-small, impish black creatures that are amazingly quick for their size and deadly in numbers. Their size prevents them from scaling over larger obstacles on the ground easily, and Kyungsoo creates as many cracks and mounds in the earth as he can, slowing the creatures down and picking them off with well-aimed stones he commands with his mind. He’s also stationed next to a lake, where Junmyun is fighting, and sometimes, he manages to drive the creatures into the water for Junmyun to finish off.
Baekhyun sends messages through light from time to time, giving Kyungsoo supportive messages and updating him on everything that’s going on. Chanyeol gets injured first, but Baekhyun assures that Jongin has taken him to Yixing for healing. The next to go is Luhan. The updates become more and more depressing, and Kyungsoo begins to wonder if they have a huge chance of losing the battle, because things most definitely do not look in their favor.
He gets distracted by a horde of the creatures and doesn’t notice the large, doglike monster that sneaks up behind him until it’s too late. Kyungsoo gets knocked off of his feet and thrown into the water of the lake, dragged down by the weight of the monster.
He panics. One of the things Kyungsoo has never learned is swimming, and now he’s regretting it deeply because he can’t move with the monster pinning him down and he’s going to drown and die, and he never wanted to go this way-
The pressure of the monster vanishes and arms wrap around Kyungsoo’s waist. Junmyun’s face appears in his vision, and suddenly, Kyungsoo finds himself on dry land, coughing and spluttering as he gasps for air. Junmyun mutters something about calling Baekhyun and getting Jongin, then runs off to continue fighting, while Kyungsoo shudders, still trying to catch his breath.
“Are you okay?” Suddenly, Jongin is shaking him, and Kyungsoo wonders vaguely why he’s there. “Kyungsoo! Answer me!”
“J-Jongin?” He shivers violently, teeth chattering as the water drips down his face. It’s too cold.
“Come on.” Jongin is so close to him that Kyungsoo can see the individual eyelashes on his eyes. “Lean on me. Let’s get you to Yixing.” The teleporting this time is less dizzying and surprising, but Kyungsoo falls to his knees when it ends, still shivering from the cold and half delirious. Jongin helps him walk and they slowly make their way to Yixing, who passes his hands over Kyungsoo’s forehead and mutters something in a strange language. Kyungsoo immediately feels a lot better and his head clears, but Jongin refuses when he asks the younger boy to take him back to the battlefield.
“Junmyun is doing well enough by himself for the time being,” he says, pushing Kyungsoo into a chair. “Rest. You’ve been working hard and you almost drowned. And don’t you dare do that again, okay? Don’t you dare die before me.”
“Dying? Who says you’re going to die?” Kyungsoo flushes as Jongin leans forward. They’re too close, almost touching but not quite, and Kyungsoo has that strange feeling of butterflies in his stomach again.
“I mean you’re not allowed to die,” Jongin says distractedly, almost as if he’s avoiding Kyungsoo’s question. “Here.” He fumbles for something in his pockets and takes out an object. “Take this.”
He drops a crystal blue pendant into Kyungsoo’s hand and closes Kyungsoo’s fingers around it. “Keep this with you at all times.”
“What is it?” Kyungsoo asks curiously, opening up his hand and staring at the pendant. “What’s it for?”
Jongin reaches for a chain around his neck-Kyungsoo realizes that he’s never seen it before-and takes out a pendant of his own, crystal blue and identical to the one in Kyungsoo’s hand. “If you’re ever in danger, or if you ever need me with you, the pendants will tell. I’ll come to you. Promise you’ll keep this with you?”
“Why?” is the first thing Kyungsoo thinks of to say. “Do the others have this?”
“No,” Jongin answers quietly, “but out of all of us, I’d hate to lose you the most, Kyungsoo.”
°
They win the first battle, and no one is seriously injured, much to the relief of everyone. Kyungsoo helps mend buildings and builds blockades with his powers, but the entire time, he’s focused on Jongin’s words. I’d hate to lose you the most, Kyungsoo.
He finds a string and uses it to wear the pendant under his shirt, right next to where his heart is, partly because years of being alone and left to his imagination has given Kyungsoo a somewhat dramatic view on life, partly because the pendant feels like it belongs there, because Jongin gave it to him out of care, no matter how ridiculous it sounds even to Kyungsoo.
“We all did well today,” Junmyun praises when the twelve of them gather for a short meeting after the initial chaos of post-battle has been taken care of. “I’m glad that everyone’s safe. We can only pray that this will remain the case for all our battles. Remember-”
“We are one!” twelve voices chorus, and Junmyun grins slightly, nodding his dismissal of the meeting.
Kyungsoo lingers behind, and when he notices Jongin slipping off somewhere, he follows him, making sure that the younger boy doesn’t notice. They reach a secluded corner of the training building before Jongin stops, and without turning around, says, “It’s rude to follow people without them knowing, Kyungsoo.”
Kyungsoo doesn’t say anything in response; he stands there and waits, because he has long since figured out that when talking to Jongin, it’s better to let Jongin direct the conversation. When Kyungsoo speaks, he rarely manages to make his point clearly, but Jongin has a way with words.
“It’s hard, you know,” Jongin finally says, still with his back to Kyungsoo. “It’s hard to be expected to be the savior of everything. There’s always that pressure, always that drive to do what the entire world expects you to do. Sometimes, I wake up in the mornings and I wish that I wasn’t destined to save the world because I don’t think I’m capable of it. Why did the spirits choose me? But I can’t show people that I doubt myself. I guess that’s why I always act so confident and smug around others. If I look the part, then I can fool myself into believing the part for a while. But it’s only a while. And I wanted to fight in the battle, but I can’t, because I have to be here for the final battle…”
Jongin turns, and Kyungsoo realizes with a jolt that tears are sliding down the younger boy’s cheeks as he continues to speak, stepping forward, towards Kyungsoo. “What’s it like to be you, Kyungsoo? What does it feel like to be someone who helps, but isn’t in charge of taking care of everything?” He stops in front of Kyungsoo, barely touching Kyungsoo’s hands with his own, staring into Kyungsoo’s eyes. “What’s it like to be someone who the entire world doesn’t depend on so much?” he breathes, slowly reaching forward and grasping Kyungsoo’s hands into his own. “I wish I knew.”
It’s almost on instinct that Kyungsoo leans forward and touches his lips gently to a tear trickling down Jongin’s cheek. The contact with Jongin’s skin burns and he draws back, surprised at his own actions, but he has no reason to be worried, because Jongin presses their lips together almost immediately and clutches at Kyungsoo’s hands, as if he depends on Kyungsoo as a pillar to keep him stable despite the chaos he’s stuck in.
Maybe it’s because Kyungsoo has always been attracted to the bright, burning flame Jongin is. Maybe it’s because Jongin’s sorrow hurts Kyungsoo inside to a point of almost numbness. He kisses Jongin again and again, only wanting to take away the sadness, to take away the unbearable burden and curse the younger boy has placed upon his shoulders.
Under his shirt, the crystal blue pendant pulses gently along with his quickened heartbeats.
°
The pendant saves Kyungsoo multiple times in multiple battles. Whenever he’s in immediate danger, the crystal flashes brightly and Jongin appears to help, despite Junmyun’s constant warnings for Jongin to not take part in the battles. Kyungsoo feels slightly guilty about the pendant-it’s not fair that he always has Jongin to depend on for help, when the others have to rely on themselves during the fights, but he can’t get enough of the adrenaline rush he has whenever Jongin appears out of thin air and asks him, with serious eyes and unmistakable concern in his voice-so different from the confident, cocky attitude he displays in front of the others-if he’s all right.
They steal kisses in between battles, in the lull of the lack of fighting, although there’s always that tension in the air, because no one knows what is going to happen next, and when the air will be full of the clashes of conflict and destruction once again. Their kisses are desperate, hasty, because they know that any kiss could be their last-Jongin has his destiny to fulfill, but Kyungsoo has no fate for himself that decrees he must stay alive during the apocalypse.
It’s during those times, when Kyungsoo’s pressed against the wall, his heart pounding wildly while Jongin kisses him forcefully that he feels a fleeting moment of secret gladness, because it’s due to the apocalypse and the war that he has Jongin by his side.
The day comes when Baekhyun comes running in the middle of a meeting between Junmyun, Jongin, Kyungsoo, and Yifan, shouting of a final battle. Between gasps, he tells Junmyun about eavesdropping on the forces with his light powers and hearing of plans for a battle the next day. “And from what I’ve gathered, it’ll be a turning point of the war if the other side wins. We have to put a stop to this and win to end everything. We cannot let the other side win, because they’ll win the war if they do.”
Junmyun stares off into the distance for a few moments, his expression blank, then turns to Jongin. “Are you up for fighting tomorrow?”
Jongin’s face pales and Kyungsoo feels the younger boy’s hand squeeze his own, painfully. He nods and closes his eyes. “I’m ready.”
Later that night, Jongin appears in Kyungsoo’s room, distraught and looking wildly around, his expression panicked and distressed. Before Kyungsoo can say anything, Jongin nearly throws himself at Kyungsoo and hugs him tightly, burying his face into Kyungsoo’s shoulder, shaking. Sobbing.
“I’m so scared,” he whispers, his voice trembling as he breathes rapidly, taking shallow, hurried breaths. “I’m so scared.”
“Don’t be,” Kyungsoo replies softly, rubbing circles on Jongin’s back, pressing him closer to give him as much comfort as he’s capable of giving. “You can do this. You’re destined to do this. You’ll win. And when you do, then this war will end, and we can live in peace afterwards. Together. Do you want to live together?”
Somehow, Jongin merely cries harder, clinging onto Kyungsoo until Kyungsoo can barely breathe due to the tightness of his hug. “Don’t talk to me about after the battle. Please. Don’t. I can’t do this.”
“Of course you can,” Kyungsoo tells him sincerely, and Jongin draws back, the hint of a sardonic smile on his face.
“You think so?”
Kyungsoo nods, confused by the sudden mocking tone Jongin takes on. Jongin laughs, half choking on his tears, and shakes his head. “But you don’t know,” Kyungsoo hears him mutter softly. “You don’t understand.”
“What is it?” Kyungsoo asks finally, but Jongin drags him over to the bed, where he forces Kyungsoo to sit down beside him and stares into Kyungsoo’s eyes once more.
“I love you,” he says quietly, and Kyungsoo’s heart begins to beat rapidly, as it always does whenever Jongin’s sitting this close to him, their lips barely touching. “Promise me that you’ll always remember I love you.”
“I-” Kyungsoo begins, but Jongin cuts him off with a kiss before he can tell him that yes, he loves Jongin too. As they continue to kiss, Kyungsoo can’t help but think that Jongin seems more desperate than usual, as if the kiss is the last one they’ll ever have for some time.
°
It takes Jongin three attempts to understand the directions Junmyun gives to him the next morning, and Kyungsoo knows it’s because the younger boy can’t focus on anything, not when he has such a big role to fulfill in the near future. When Kyungsoo passes by Jongin, he brushes his fingers lightly against Jongin’s wrist and Jongin looks up with dread in his eyes. Kyungsoo holds his gaze for a few moments before taking his crystal blue pendant out, giving Jongin a glimpse of the ornament. The hint of a smile reaches Jongin’s expression and he takes out his own pendant, clutching it in his hand.
Then, the final battle begins, and Kyungsoo is swept away into the chaos of fighting and death. After some time a large, looming figure appears in the horizon and Baekhyun appears hurriedly in a burst of light to tell Kyungsoo that the figure is the creator of the dark force.
The creator that Jongin will have to defeat, Kyungsoo understands, and he thanks Baekhyun for the knowledge. The moment the image of the brown-haired boy vanishes, he takes out the pendant and stares at it, wondering if it will tell him where Jongin is.
The crystal blue surface flashes once, and Kyungsoo obtains a fleeting image of Jongin running among tall trees, towards a figure in the distance. He hangs the pendant back around his neck and wills the earth to flatten into a smooth path for him to run on.
Something explodes next to him as he runs, and for a moment all Kyungsoo can see is falling debris and smoke. When his line of sight clears, he notices Jongin running ahead of him, directly towards the creator of the dark force.
As Kyungsoo watches, Jongin stops in front of the creator and for a long moment, the entire world seems to pause in a silence. Finally, the creator laughs harshly, its voice hoarse and mocking. “Is this all the spirits can come up with? A small human being?”
“You shouldn’t laugh,” Jongin says defiantly, stepping closer. “Knowledge has more power than size, and I know how to stop you.”
“And how is that going to happen?” the creator asks haughtily, but Kyungsoo senses fear in its tone, and Jongin seems to catch on it.
“A willing sacrifice,” he shouts, visibly trembling as he stares out at the creator. “A willing sacrifice-the death of the savior.”
To Kyungsoo’s horror, Jongin doubles over, and his shout of “Jongin, no!” mingles with the creator’s devastated scream of pain. With a high-pitched shriek, the creator vanishes, and Jongin falls over. Kyungsoo runs over to him as quickly as he can, but it’s obvious by Jongin’s blank, unblinking eyes and his lack of breathing that he’s dead.
Jongin knew from the very beginning, Kyungsoo realizes numbly. He knew that to win, he had to die. That’s why he didn’t like talking about his role as the savior. That’s why he was so scared the night before.
He stumbles over to where Jongin lies and falls to his knees, bending over and covering Jongin’s face with kisses. Jongin doesn’t respond, his blank and lifeless eyes staring ahead, never to see again. Tears trickle down Kyungsoo’s face, but he’s unaware of them, until one of them splashes down on the crystal blue pendant somehow still clutched in Jongin’s hand.
The ghost of a whisper rises, weaving through the air until it disappears, and Kyungsoo collapses, burying his face in Jongin’s motionless body when he hears the soft voice in his ear.
Promise me that you’ll always remember I love you.
°
Kyungsoo’s city gets rebuilt and Kyungsoo moves back there with the few survivors left from the war. Life feels almost normal once again-the residents of his city are in awe of the role he played in the apocalypse, but still, they are afraid of him. It doesn’t matter to Kyungsoo. He remains in contact with the other ten, and they sometimes meet together and talk of the war and the battles they fought.
No one ever mentions Jongin. Kyungsoo sits on his bed every night and stares at his crystal blue pendant, hoping that it’ll give him a glimpse of Jongin, but Jongin’s dead, and as much as he tries to deny the fact to himself, he can’t escape it, not when the pendant never responds.
A spirit gets assigned to the city, and Kyungsoo feels a flash of anger when he finds out about that. All other cities have spirits to guide them, and not having a spirit was one of the reasons why Kyungsoo’s city was one of the first to fall in the war, but Kyungsoo has always been viewed by the residents as the substitute for the spirit of his city, and he kind of doesn’t want to let his role go.
The day the spirit is due to arrive at the city for a visit, Kyungsoo sits on his bed as usual and stares at his pendant distractedly, running his hands over the surface repeatedly, thinking about the spirit. His name is Kai, the city residents had told him. Kai, the spirit of Kyungsoo’s city.
The pendant flashes and Kyungsoo looks down at it in shock. Kai, he thinks again, and the pendant flashes again.
A few hours later, Kyungsoo walks out of his house just in time to see the spirit arrive-Kai’s face is covered with a hood and he hovers slightly in the air, but what catches Kyungsoo’s attention is the pendant hanging from the spirit’s neck, flashing as the spirit walks forward.
Crystal blue.
Kyungsoo looks up and stares at the pendant as Kai lowers the hood of his robe, and suddenly, the spirit is standing right in front of him, and there it is, that cocky attitude, smug smirk, and “Bet you didn’t know that people like us become spirits after we die, Kyungsoo.”
It’s amazing how quickly Kyungsoo finds meaning in his life again. “Jongin.”
°
an1. and the two of them lived happily ever after and for centuries afterwards everyone would tell the story of the spirit Kai and how when Kyungsoo died, he became the spirit D.O. and they stayed together for eternity. yay.
an2. lol i feel like it would have been more effective if i just left jongin dead (._.) but i decided that i have way too many stories with sad endings at the moment, and that i don’t want to break up my exo otp :3
an3. what the heck did i write. seriously. this is so weird. why do i write such weird stories ;A; i need to edit this but i’m too lazy ._.
an4. also i just realized that “brown hair” and “Baekhyun” start with B and “light hair” and “Luhan” start with L xD
an5. LOL my writing is so bad OTL someone please teach me “diction” and the meaning of “you cannot write ‘he says/asks’ every time there’s dialogue because it’s repetitive” and “your flow sucks” (because mine does)
Genre: Fantasy, SavingtheWorld!AU
Rating: PG-13
Warning(s): Character death
Pairing: Kaisoo
Length: 5316 words
Summary: Jongin is destined to save the world, and all Kyungsoo can do is stay by his side until the very end.
out of the crystal blue
In Kyungsoo’s world, spirits rule the heavens, watching over earthbound beings with their supernatural powers and benevolent guidance. Each city of his world has its own spirit that watches over the inhabitants-that is, each city except for Kyungsoo’s. There is no need for a spirit in Kyungsoo’s city, because Kyungsoo is the spirit, or, at least, a substitute for the spirit. Kyungsoo is special, blessed with the strange power of manipulating the earth to react to his will, but he’s still quite human, not quite spirit.
The people are afraid of him, and Kyungsoo knows it, because it’s pretty obvious by the hushed whispers others talk in whenever they’re around him and the nervous glances they give him when they think he’s not watching. Spirit holder, they call him, because he’s not a spirit yet has the powers of one. The legends decree that humans with the powers of spirits always arise in the world when a threat arises to humanity, but Kyungsoo thinks it’s all nonsense, because there aren’t any dangers to be found and if he really is meant to help save the world from a threat, then people shouldn’t be so frightened by the sight of him.
Sometimes, he wonders who he is. It’s a conflict that continues inside him all the time, whether he’s spirit or human, because he’s a bit of both and a bit of none. He wonders if he’s just a joke, some product of a spirit prank to mock the world, because he’s nowhere close to capable of preventing any apocalypses when he isn’t even sure of himself.
Kyungsoo is lost, unable to find his purpose.
°
On his eighteenth birthday, storm clouds gather in the horizon and in the passing weeks, Kyungsoo becomes restless, unable to sleep at night as he senses a tension in the atmosphere no one else seems to notice. His powers go out of control-the earth responds explosively whenever he tries to control it, and Kyungsoo begins to feel fear-white, hot panic that engulfs him as he realizes that he might not be able to control his manipulations anymore.
It’s a frightening thought. Kyungsoo learns that there is a lot to himself that he had never known about. He never had visions before, but now he has them frequently, almost every night, in which he catches glimpses of other boys, people he has never seen before. Scenes of destruction and battles cross his mind, and he can’t get rid of them, no matter how much he tries. And above it all, a clear voice continues to urge him on, telling him that he’s destined to help save the world, that he needs to find the others.
Others? Kyungsoo thinks of the boys he sees in his visions and wonders if they are like him, human but not quite human, endowed with the abilities of spirits.
He’s out drawing water from a well one evening when the surface of the water ripples and when he stares down at his reflection, it’s not his face that stares back at him, but the curiously familiar features of a brown-haired boy with light surrounding him like an aura.
“I found him!” the boy says excitedly, and another boy who looks strangely familiar with light-colored hair and almost cute features comes into view. “Luhan, you were right!”
“I told you,” the light-haired boy says smugly, then turns to Kyungsoo. “Are you one of us?”
“O-One of you?” Kyungsoo stammers, but suddenly, he understands. He has seen the two boys before, in his visions; he has seen them fighting at his side with their own powers. “I…yes,” he says finally. “I am.”
“Then do you understand what we’re here for?” the brown-haired boy asks, staring at Kyungsoo solemnly. “Do you accept this?”
Kyungsoo almost asks what the other boy means by his statement, but inside, he already knows. It’s what his visions have been telling him for the past few weeks, and suddenly, he realizes that there’s no going back, that he can’t avoid his fate anymore. So he swallows and closes his eyes, taking in his last moment as a confused, lost teenager with special powers who doesn’t understand himself, and lets go of his past.
He is not Kyungsoo the spirit holder anymore. He is Kyungsoo, the boy destined to help save the world.
°
The boy with brown hair’s name is Baekhyun, and the boy with the lighter hair is called Luhan. Baekhyun apparently can control light to create images for communication and Luhan can control objects with his mind and sense the thoughts of other people, which was how they found Kyungsoo. Once the greetings are over with, the three of them begin to discuss how Kyungsoo is going to find them-them, as in there are even more people like Kyungsoo, even more humans with the powers of spirits.
They finally decide that someone named Jongin, who can teleport to places, will come to where Kyungsoo is and take Kyungsoo with him. Kyungsoo gives them a description of his city, and sits down by the well to wait.
Moments later, the very particles of the air itself seem to rearrange themselves around Kyungsoo, and suddenly, a boy steps casually into view, as if there is nothing particularly awe-inspiring about appearing seemingly out of thin air.
There is a certain smugness to this boy-he has this confidence and charisma around him that Kyungsoo can’t help but envy. He’s cocky too-there’s a swagger to his walk and his dark, chocolaty brown eyes gaze out at Kyungsoo with a hint of insolence. “Are you Kyungsoo?”
Kyungsoo nods. “You must be Jongin.”
Jongin raises his eyebrows in affirmative, then takes Kyungsoo’s hand. “Then we should get going. We don’t have much time.”
It’s as if a bolt of lightning strikes Kyungsoo when Jongin wraps his fingers around his, and he isn’t sure why. He opens his mouth to ask Jongin where they are going, but before he can utter a single word, his vision turns black for a moment, then returns in a sudden, jarring sensation. The unexpected brightness catches him by surprise, and Kyungsoo cries out, stumbling back, but someone catches him and he looks up, blinking as his eyes adjust, to see Jongin looking down at him with amusement. “It takes some time to get used to. Don’t worry.”
“Where are we?” is the first thing Kyungsoo asks when he realizes that he isn’t in his city anymore. In front of him, a huge building spreads across the horizon, its walls glinting in the golden sunlight.
“This is our base,” Jongin explains as they begin walking towards the building. “This is where all people like us gather to train. You might have noticed that you’re powers have been going out of control these days. Training will help you control them.”
“Train for what?” Kyungsoo asks, but he thinks he knows the answer already. The visions had all depicted scenes of battle and destruction, and he understands that it reflects the near future.
“The apocalypse,” Jongin answers quietly, all smugness gone from his expression, and there’s a strangely subdued tone to his voice as he stares ahead, unblinkingly, as if it’s a subject he doesn’t really want to talk about.
Kyungsoo wonders why.
°
Kyungsoo adjusts quickly to life in training-it’s the only time he has ever felt like he belongs. There are twelve of them in all-twelve boys with the powers of spirits who have been called to help save the world. Kyungsoo. Junmyun. Yifan. Zitao. Baekhyun. Chanyeol. Luhan. Sehun. Yixing. Jongdae. Minseok. And finally, Jongin.
Jongin. The first thing Kyungsoo learns when he begins his training is that eleven of them are meant to help save the world, to participate in the final battle so that the savior will be able to defeat the dark forces and save everyone.
The remaining one is meant to be the savior. Jongin is that one.
Kyungsoo also learns a few other things-Jongin is younger than him, they’re going to win no matter what because Jongin is fated to win, and that Jongin knows some sort of secret knowledge that will bring about the end of the apocalypse.
Part of him wonders why they even bother to fight if Jongin is going to win in the end, but when he tells this thought to Baekhyun, Baekhyun shakes his head and says, “Just because we’re going to win in the end doesn’t mean we can’t slack off. The only reason we’re going to win is because we have to fight and make an effort.”
Jongin himself never likes speaking about his role as the final savior, and Kyungsoo sometimes wonders if it has to do with the secret knowledge he has that will save everyone. It’s not something for him to guess, however, because Kyungsoo doesn’t really interact with Jongin that much. He feels like he isn’t good enough to be with Jongin.
Jongin is destined to save the world-the spirits have written in his path that he will be the one who will end it all. It’s not a matter of choice. It’s his destiny, and Jongin has to fulfill it, because it’s what he was born to do. He has no control over it.
Still, Kyungsoo feels insignificant next to the younger boy; he feels as if he doesn’t deserve to be side by side with someone who has such an important and significant fate. He avoids Jongin when the others talk to the boy, merely nodding every once in a while and never directly speaking to the boy.
Jongin finally confronts him two weeks after they begin training-“Why don’t you ever talk to me, Kyungsoo?”
“I-” Kyungsoo begins, but he’s not sure how to respond to Jongin’s question. Because he feels insignificant? Because he feels like he doesn’t deserve to talk to Jongin?
Jongin stares at him for a moment with those dark, chocolate eyes, his face serious and devoid of any smugness for once. “I teleported all the way to your city, even though I could have just said for you to get here by yourself without any help. I went all the way there because I wanted to meet you.”
“Me?”
Jongin grins slightly, the corners of his mouth lifting up as he watches Kyungsoo with an air of amusement. “You’re more well-known than you think, Kyungsoo. We’ve all heard of you. The boy with powers who lives in the only city in this world that doesn’t have a spirit to guide it. I was curious. I wanted to see what kind of person you were like.”
Kyungsoo stares at him, and he doesn’t have to look at any reflective surface to know that his eyes are probably as wide as they can get. “Really? I…I wasn’t aware of that.”
“Now you are,” Jongin says, and his smile is genuine for once as he reaches forward and pats Kyungsoo on the shoulder in a friendly gesture. “And you know what? I’ve decided that you are one interesting person.” He runs a finger down the side of Kyungsoo’s face and Kyungsoo freezes, his skin tingling where Jongin’s finger comes into contact with his cheek.
“In…Interesting?” he stutters, nervously watching Jongin’s hands from the corners of his eyes.
“Yes.” The finger taps Kyungsoo on the jaw and Jongin smirks, his air of smugness appearing once again. “I’m interested in you. So talk to me more often, okay?”
“What do you mean, you’re interested in me?” Kyungsoo asks quietly, but Jongin merely shrugs, trails his finger teasingly across Kyungsoo’s jaw line, and walks away, leaving Kyungsoo to deal with the strange feeling in his stomach, as if there are butterflies fluttering about inside.
°
The apocalypse begins much too soon, and Kyungsoo feels nowhere close to being prepared for the sudden destruction of the world. It’s too sudden, and Kyungsoo finds himself wishing that he’s still back in his city, because even if he was alone, he was safe at that time.
They don’t even know what they’re fighting against, and that’s what scares Kyungsoo the most. Every day, they hear reports of cities being destroyed, people dying, and some strange dark force that threatens to bring an end to the entire world.
Kyungsoo’s city is one of the first to be annihilated, and it’s there, among the ruins of the once great city, that the twelve of them decide to fight their first battle against the dark. Yixing stays behind to help heal the injured, and despite his protests, Jongin is given the job of teleporting the injured to Yixing.
“I want to fight,” he argues as they sit around and discuss the battle plans. “Why can’t I fight?”
“Because you’re the most important,” Junmyun retorts. “What do you think we’re going to do if you kill yourself before the final battle? What do you think is going to happen if you don’t make it to save everyone? We have to keep you safe.”
“It doesn’t-” Jongin begins angrily, but something makes him stop, and he trails off, staring moodily into the distance. “Fine. I’ll wait until the final battle.”
Junmyun looks surprised-he’s obviously expecting Jongin to oppose even more-but he nods, and turns to the others. “Everyone understand their roles? All right. Good luck. Let’s pray”-here he looks around solemnly at each person-“that we’ll all be safe tomorrow and that we will be victorious.”
As they leave to their various stations to prepare for the battle, Kyungsoo glances back at Jongin, who’s still sitting there staring blankly at seemingly nothing. There’s more to Jongin than just an overconfident teenager with an attitude, he begins to realize. A lot more.
The battle begins well. Kyungsoo has an advantage over the enemy-small, impish black creatures that are amazingly quick for their size and deadly in numbers. Their size prevents them from scaling over larger obstacles on the ground easily, and Kyungsoo creates as many cracks and mounds in the earth as he can, slowing the creatures down and picking them off with well-aimed stones he commands with his mind. He’s also stationed next to a lake, where Junmyun is fighting, and sometimes, he manages to drive the creatures into the water for Junmyun to finish off.
Baekhyun sends messages through light from time to time, giving Kyungsoo supportive messages and updating him on everything that’s going on. Chanyeol gets injured first, but Baekhyun assures that Jongin has taken him to Yixing for healing. The next to go is Luhan. The updates become more and more depressing, and Kyungsoo begins to wonder if they have a huge chance of losing the battle, because things most definitely do not look in their favor.
He gets distracted by a horde of the creatures and doesn’t notice the large, doglike monster that sneaks up behind him until it’s too late. Kyungsoo gets knocked off of his feet and thrown into the water of the lake, dragged down by the weight of the monster.
He panics. One of the things Kyungsoo has never learned is swimming, and now he’s regretting it deeply because he can’t move with the monster pinning him down and he’s going to drown and die, and he never wanted to go this way-
The pressure of the monster vanishes and arms wrap around Kyungsoo’s waist. Junmyun’s face appears in his vision, and suddenly, Kyungsoo finds himself on dry land, coughing and spluttering as he gasps for air. Junmyun mutters something about calling Baekhyun and getting Jongin, then runs off to continue fighting, while Kyungsoo shudders, still trying to catch his breath.
“Are you okay?” Suddenly, Jongin is shaking him, and Kyungsoo wonders vaguely why he’s there. “Kyungsoo! Answer me!”
“J-Jongin?” He shivers violently, teeth chattering as the water drips down his face. It’s too cold.
“Come on.” Jongin is so close to him that Kyungsoo can see the individual eyelashes on his eyes. “Lean on me. Let’s get you to Yixing.” The teleporting this time is less dizzying and surprising, but Kyungsoo falls to his knees when it ends, still shivering from the cold and half delirious. Jongin helps him walk and they slowly make their way to Yixing, who passes his hands over Kyungsoo’s forehead and mutters something in a strange language. Kyungsoo immediately feels a lot better and his head clears, but Jongin refuses when he asks the younger boy to take him back to the battlefield.
“Junmyun is doing well enough by himself for the time being,” he says, pushing Kyungsoo into a chair. “Rest. You’ve been working hard and you almost drowned. And don’t you dare do that again, okay? Don’t you dare die before me.”
“Dying? Who says you’re going to die?” Kyungsoo flushes as Jongin leans forward. They’re too close, almost touching but not quite, and Kyungsoo has that strange feeling of butterflies in his stomach again.
“I mean you’re not allowed to die,” Jongin says distractedly, almost as if he’s avoiding Kyungsoo’s question. “Here.” He fumbles for something in his pockets and takes out an object. “Take this.”
He drops a crystal blue pendant into Kyungsoo’s hand and closes Kyungsoo’s fingers around it. “Keep this with you at all times.”
“What is it?” Kyungsoo asks curiously, opening up his hand and staring at the pendant. “What’s it for?”
Jongin reaches for a chain around his neck-Kyungsoo realizes that he’s never seen it before-and takes out a pendant of his own, crystal blue and identical to the one in Kyungsoo’s hand. “If you’re ever in danger, or if you ever need me with you, the pendants will tell. I’ll come to you. Promise you’ll keep this with you?”
“Why?” is the first thing Kyungsoo thinks of to say. “Do the others have this?”
“No,” Jongin answers quietly, “but out of all of us, I’d hate to lose you the most, Kyungsoo.”
°
They win the first battle, and no one is seriously injured, much to the relief of everyone. Kyungsoo helps mend buildings and builds blockades with his powers, but the entire time, he’s focused on Jongin’s words. I’d hate to lose you the most, Kyungsoo.
He finds a string and uses it to wear the pendant under his shirt, right next to where his heart is, partly because years of being alone and left to his imagination has given Kyungsoo a somewhat dramatic view on life, partly because the pendant feels like it belongs there, because Jongin gave it to him out of care, no matter how ridiculous it sounds even to Kyungsoo.
“We all did well today,” Junmyun praises when the twelve of them gather for a short meeting after the initial chaos of post-battle has been taken care of. “I’m glad that everyone’s safe. We can only pray that this will remain the case for all our battles. Remember-”
“We are one!” twelve voices chorus, and Junmyun grins slightly, nodding his dismissal of the meeting.
Kyungsoo lingers behind, and when he notices Jongin slipping off somewhere, he follows him, making sure that the younger boy doesn’t notice. They reach a secluded corner of the training building before Jongin stops, and without turning around, says, “It’s rude to follow people without them knowing, Kyungsoo.”
Kyungsoo doesn’t say anything in response; he stands there and waits, because he has long since figured out that when talking to Jongin, it’s better to let Jongin direct the conversation. When Kyungsoo speaks, he rarely manages to make his point clearly, but Jongin has a way with words.
“It’s hard, you know,” Jongin finally says, still with his back to Kyungsoo. “It’s hard to be expected to be the savior of everything. There’s always that pressure, always that drive to do what the entire world expects you to do. Sometimes, I wake up in the mornings and I wish that I wasn’t destined to save the world because I don’t think I’m capable of it. Why did the spirits choose me? But I can’t show people that I doubt myself. I guess that’s why I always act so confident and smug around others. If I look the part, then I can fool myself into believing the part for a while. But it’s only a while. And I wanted to fight in the battle, but I can’t, because I have to be here for the final battle…”
Jongin turns, and Kyungsoo realizes with a jolt that tears are sliding down the younger boy’s cheeks as he continues to speak, stepping forward, towards Kyungsoo. “What’s it like to be you, Kyungsoo? What does it feel like to be someone who helps, but isn’t in charge of taking care of everything?” He stops in front of Kyungsoo, barely touching Kyungsoo’s hands with his own, staring into Kyungsoo’s eyes. “What’s it like to be someone who the entire world doesn’t depend on so much?” he breathes, slowly reaching forward and grasping Kyungsoo’s hands into his own. “I wish I knew.”
It’s almost on instinct that Kyungsoo leans forward and touches his lips gently to a tear trickling down Jongin’s cheek. The contact with Jongin’s skin burns and he draws back, surprised at his own actions, but he has no reason to be worried, because Jongin presses their lips together almost immediately and clutches at Kyungsoo’s hands, as if he depends on Kyungsoo as a pillar to keep him stable despite the chaos he’s stuck in.
Maybe it’s because Kyungsoo has always been attracted to the bright, burning flame Jongin is. Maybe it’s because Jongin’s sorrow hurts Kyungsoo inside to a point of almost numbness. He kisses Jongin again and again, only wanting to take away the sadness, to take away the unbearable burden and curse the younger boy has placed upon his shoulders.
Under his shirt, the crystal blue pendant pulses gently along with his quickened heartbeats.
°
The pendant saves Kyungsoo multiple times in multiple battles. Whenever he’s in immediate danger, the crystal flashes brightly and Jongin appears to help, despite Junmyun’s constant warnings for Jongin to not take part in the battles. Kyungsoo feels slightly guilty about the pendant-it’s not fair that he always has Jongin to depend on for help, when the others have to rely on themselves during the fights, but he can’t get enough of the adrenaline rush he has whenever Jongin appears out of thin air and asks him, with serious eyes and unmistakable concern in his voice-so different from the confident, cocky attitude he displays in front of the others-if he’s all right.
They steal kisses in between battles, in the lull of the lack of fighting, although there’s always that tension in the air, because no one knows what is going to happen next, and when the air will be full of the clashes of conflict and destruction once again. Their kisses are desperate, hasty, because they know that any kiss could be their last-Jongin has his destiny to fulfill, but Kyungsoo has no fate for himself that decrees he must stay alive during the apocalypse.
It’s during those times, when Kyungsoo’s pressed against the wall, his heart pounding wildly while Jongin kisses him forcefully that he feels a fleeting moment of secret gladness, because it’s due to the apocalypse and the war that he has Jongin by his side.
The day comes when Baekhyun comes running in the middle of a meeting between Junmyun, Jongin, Kyungsoo, and Yifan, shouting of a final battle. Between gasps, he tells Junmyun about eavesdropping on the forces with his light powers and hearing of plans for a battle the next day. “And from what I’ve gathered, it’ll be a turning point of the war if the other side wins. We have to put a stop to this and win to end everything. We cannot let the other side win, because they’ll win the war if they do.”
Junmyun stares off into the distance for a few moments, his expression blank, then turns to Jongin. “Are you up for fighting tomorrow?”
Jongin’s face pales and Kyungsoo feels the younger boy’s hand squeeze his own, painfully. He nods and closes his eyes. “I’m ready.”
Later that night, Jongin appears in Kyungsoo’s room, distraught and looking wildly around, his expression panicked and distressed. Before Kyungsoo can say anything, Jongin nearly throws himself at Kyungsoo and hugs him tightly, burying his face into Kyungsoo’s shoulder, shaking. Sobbing.
“I’m so scared,” he whispers, his voice trembling as he breathes rapidly, taking shallow, hurried breaths. “I’m so scared.”
“Don’t be,” Kyungsoo replies softly, rubbing circles on Jongin’s back, pressing him closer to give him as much comfort as he’s capable of giving. “You can do this. You’re destined to do this. You’ll win. And when you do, then this war will end, and we can live in peace afterwards. Together. Do you want to live together?”
Somehow, Jongin merely cries harder, clinging onto Kyungsoo until Kyungsoo can barely breathe due to the tightness of his hug. “Don’t talk to me about after the battle. Please. Don’t. I can’t do this.”
“Of course you can,” Kyungsoo tells him sincerely, and Jongin draws back, the hint of a sardonic smile on his face.
“You think so?”
Kyungsoo nods, confused by the sudden mocking tone Jongin takes on. Jongin laughs, half choking on his tears, and shakes his head. “But you don’t know,” Kyungsoo hears him mutter softly. “You don’t understand.”
“What is it?” Kyungsoo asks finally, but Jongin drags him over to the bed, where he forces Kyungsoo to sit down beside him and stares into Kyungsoo’s eyes once more.
“I love you,” he says quietly, and Kyungsoo’s heart begins to beat rapidly, as it always does whenever Jongin’s sitting this close to him, their lips barely touching. “Promise me that you’ll always remember I love you.”
“I-” Kyungsoo begins, but Jongin cuts him off with a kiss before he can tell him that yes, he loves Jongin too. As they continue to kiss, Kyungsoo can’t help but think that Jongin seems more desperate than usual, as if the kiss is the last one they’ll ever have for some time.
°
It takes Jongin three attempts to understand the directions Junmyun gives to him the next morning, and Kyungsoo knows it’s because the younger boy can’t focus on anything, not when he has such a big role to fulfill in the near future. When Kyungsoo passes by Jongin, he brushes his fingers lightly against Jongin’s wrist and Jongin looks up with dread in his eyes. Kyungsoo holds his gaze for a few moments before taking his crystal blue pendant out, giving Jongin a glimpse of the ornament. The hint of a smile reaches Jongin’s expression and he takes out his own pendant, clutching it in his hand.
Then, the final battle begins, and Kyungsoo is swept away into the chaos of fighting and death. After some time a large, looming figure appears in the horizon and Baekhyun appears hurriedly in a burst of light to tell Kyungsoo that the figure is the creator of the dark force.
The creator that Jongin will have to defeat, Kyungsoo understands, and he thanks Baekhyun for the knowledge. The moment the image of the brown-haired boy vanishes, he takes out the pendant and stares at it, wondering if it will tell him where Jongin is.
The crystal blue surface flashes once, and Kyungsoo obtains a fleeting image of Jongin running among tall trees, towards a figure in the distance. He hangs the pendant back around his neck and wills the earth to flatten into a smooth path for him to run on.
Something explodes next to him as he runs, and for a moment all Kyungsoo can see is falling debris and smoke. When his line of sight clears, he notices Jongin running ahead of him, directly towards the creator of the dark force.
As Kyungsoo watches, Jongin stops in front of the creator and for a long moment, the entire world seems to pause in a silence. Finally, the creator laughs harshly, its voice hoarse and mocking. “Is this all the spirits can come up with? A small human being?”
“You shouldn’t laugh,” Jongin says defiantly, stepping closer. “Knowledge has more power than size, and I know how to stop you.”
“And how is that going to happen?” the creator asks haughtily, but Kyungsoo senses fear in its tone, and Jongin seems to catch on it.
“A willing sacrifice,” he shouts, visibly trembling as he stares out at the creator. “A willing sacrifice-the death of the savior.”
To Kyungsoo’s horror, Jongin doubles over, and his shout of “Jongin, no!” mingles with the creator’s devastated scream of pain. With a high-pitched shriek, the creator vanishes, and Jongin falls over. Kyungsoo runs over to him as quickly as he can, but it’s obvious by Jongin’s blank, unblinking eyes and his lack of breathing that he’s dead.
Jongin knew from the very beginning, Kyungsoo realizes numbly. He knew that to win, he had to die. That’s why he didn’t like talking about his role as the savior. That’s why he was so scared the night before.
He stumbles over to where Jongin lies and falls to his knees, bending over and covering Jongin’s face with kisses. Jongin doesn’t respond, his blank and lifeless eyes staring ahead, never to see again. Tears trickle down Kyungsoo’s face, but he’s unaware of them, until one of them splashes down on the crystal blue pendant somehow still clutched in Jongin’s hand.
The ghost of a whisper rises, weaving through the air until it disappears, and Kyungsoo collapses, burying his face in Jongin’s motionless body when he hears the soft voice in his ear.
Promise me that you’ll always remember I love you.
°
Kyungsoo’s city gets rebuilt and Kyungsoo moves back there with the few survivors left from the war. Life feels almost normal once again-the residents of his city are in awe of the role he played in the apocalypse, but still, they are afraid of him. It doesn’t matter to Kyungsoo. He remains in contact with the other ten, and they sometimes meet together and talk of the war and the battles they fought.
No one ever mentions Jongin. Kyungsoo sits on his bed every night and stares at his crystal blue pendant, hoping that it’ll give him a glimpse of Jongin, but Jongin’s dead, and as much as he tries to deny the fact to himself, he can’t escape it, not when the pendant never responds.
A spirit gets assigned to the city, and Kyungsoo feels a flash of anger when he finds out about that. All other cities have spirits to guide them, and not having a spirit was one of the reasons why Kyungsoo’s city was one of the first to fall in the war, but Kyungsoo has always been viewed by the residents as the substitute for the spirit of his city, and he kind of doesn’t want to let his role go.
The day the spirit is due to arrive at the city for a visit, Kyungsoo sits on his bed as usual and stares at his pendant distractedly, running his hands over the surface repeatedly, thinking about the spirit. His name is Kai, the city residents had told him. Kai, the spirit of Kyungsoo’s city.
The pendant flashes and Kyungsoo looks down at it in shock. Kai, he thinks again, and the pendant flashes again.
A few hours later, Kyungsoo walks out of his house just in time to see the spirit arrive-Kai’s face is covered with a hood and he hovers slightly in the air, but what catches Kyungsoo’s attention is the pendant hanging from the spirit’s neck, flashing as the spirit walks forward.
Crystal blue.
Kyungsoo looks up and stares at the pendant as Kai lowers the hood of his robe, and suddenly, the spirit is standing right in front of him, and there it is, that cocky attitude, smug smirk, and “Bet you didn’t know that people like us become spirits after we die, Kyungsoo.”
It’s amazing how quickly Kyungsoo finds meaning in his life again. “Jongin.”
°
an1. and the two of them lived happily ever after and for centuries afterwards everyone would tell the story of the spirit Kai and how when Kyungsoo died, he became the spirit D.O. and they stayed together for eternity. yay.
an2. lol i feel like it would have been more effective if i just left jongin dead (._.) but i decided that i have way too many stories with sad endings at the moment, and that i don’t want to break up my exo otp :3
an3. what the heck did i write. seriously. this is so weird. why do i write such weird stories ;A; i need to edit this but i’m too lazy ._.
an4. also i just realized that “brown hair” and “Baekhyun” start with B and “light hair” and “Luhan” start with L xD
an5. LOL my writing is so bad OTL someone please teach me “diction” and the meaning of “you cannot write ‘he says/asks’ every time there’s dialogue because it’s repetitive” and “your flow sucks” (because mine does)