Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kindle the Light. The forest was dark, quiet. The trees were twisted, turning in unnatural angles as if to get away from something unseen. Chan narrowed his eyes at the deer in front of him. It was small, a young fawn. So pure and untouched by the evil that seeped into every living being in this forest. There weren’t a lot of animals in the woods anymore, not with the corruption seeping into every living thing and twisting everything into monsters. He took a careful step, twigs and moss pressing up against his bare feet. He wrapped his hand around one of the thin, dead birch trees, claws digging into the rotting bark. 

Shelter the Light. The pale, sickly white moonlight, shone down through the leafless trees and illuminated their surroundings. The fawn was crying out for its mother, the sounds echoing over the dark forest. He was so close now; he held his breath. He couldn’t give himself away now, he was so close. He hadn’t eaten in so long; he was starving. 

Preserve Your Own Light. He bolted, catching the fawn before it could even react. He grabbed it by the neck, pulling it down to the ground. It struggled but Chan dug his claws into its skin and as he secured his grip, blood began to color the light brown fur red. 

Be the Light. With a swift motion, he tightened his grip and twisted. The snap echoed through the now quiet forest as the body went limp in his hands.

The stench of rot and decay was heavy in the air, the remains of the fawn laying on the murky, dark soil. Chan’s stomach lurched at the sight of the remains of the fawn in front of him. He wasn’t a killer. He wasn’t a monster. He was once a simple half-dryad, brought up in the temple of Beory in the Blessed Fields of the North West. He had been a creature of light, of nature, of harmony and peace.

But that was now in the past.

Turning to his left, Chan stared down at his reflection in the muddy waters of the forest. It was getting darker and darker by each day, the corruption of the woods was getting stronger and stronger. Chan couldn’t make out much of his own face anymore. The once silver dryad marks in his face had turned black. His hair had darkened as well, losing its ability to change with the seasons as it turned inky black. The antlers, gifted to him by his deity, had turned dark, twisted and jagged. 

He wasn’t sure what he was anymore. A beast? A monster? He sighed and ran a hand through his messy, dirty curls and his stomach dropped as his fingers gently brushed over a small flower bud. It wouldn’t survive long. He tilted his head up, staring up at the dark gray sky. The forest was surrounded by this fog that the sun could never penetrate. It made it hard to discern what time of the day it was, but somehow the moon seemed to be able to break through the clouds sometimes. Chan had no idea why.

A twig suddenly snapped and Chan jumped in surprise, eyes wide and his whole body tensing up. The deer had been the first living thing except Chan and the rest of the monsters in the forest to enter for a long time. Living things didn’t come here. Unless they were banished or lost. Like that fawn had been. He gazed back at the remains of the young fawn, something inside him twisting and turning. It had been so lost. So lonely. So weak and defenseless.

He licked his dry lips, his tongue running over his sharp teeth. He took a few, shaking breaths before he slowly began to move towards the sound. It was someone walking, someone… light. Their footsteps were careful, mindful of their surroundings and Chan was sure that if they wanted, they could walk the forest silently. This was someone who… didn’t mind being found? He frowned as he crept forward, his body hunched and tense. 

It took him some time, but he eventually saw the source of the footsteps. It was a beacon. Shining so brightly among the dark and cursed trees. Chan lowered his stance and narrowed his eyes, taking in the figure in front of him. 

It was a boy, his hair golden with a few highlights of orange running through, a pair of antlers and a colorful crown of flowers. Chan hadn’t managed to get a good look of the boy’s face and he moved even closer. A twig snapped under his foot and the boy turned around, eyes wide. 

The antlers were a sign of the boy being in some way, blessed by a nature deity, so Chan wasn’t surprised to see a small, silver necklace around his neck. But as the boy looked directly towards where Chan was hidden, Chan could see the white markings on his face.

Dryad marks, said to be drawn onto young children’s faces by their creator herself.

“Hello?” the boy called out and Chan let out a low snarl, more directed at himself as he pulled back. He wasn’t hungry, he wasn’t looking for the thrill of the hunt, he wasn’t interested in this dryad anymore. He slipped back into the shadows, leaving that shiny beacon alone in the dark and evil forest.

There was a reason Chan’s home was called the Hissing Woodlands. Evil seeped through rifts in the material plane and something was growing in here, hissing and screaming. Chan had been here for a long time, he had since long lost count of the years, and as the forest slowly twisted and turned into something dark, so had everything that lived in it.

Including Chan.

He was in these woods for a reason, banished for his wrongdoings years earlier. The woods were terrifying when you didn’t know them. The woods were never silent, the sound of lost souls screaming for peace, the snapping sound of hangman trees looking for victims, the soft footfall of the few predators still wandering the forest. 

Chan was a creature of nature and even with banishment and loss of most of his abilities, he was still able to establish a bond with the forest. Maybe that was because the forest was about as evil as he was. He had a connection with it and everything that lived in it. He could sense the intentions of the trees, he could feel the creatures walking around the area. 

Two days after he had seen the boy, Chan could still feel his soft footsteps as he wandered the forest. He seemed to have a purpose, walking in a quick pace from side to side of the forest. He seemed to look for something. It was intriguing for Chan. He hadn’t seen any humanoid in a long time now. He had this gnawing curiosity. 

What did the world look like now? 

Were there still guards outside the forest, making sure Chan didn’t leave?

On the third day since the stranger’s arrival, Chan could feel a shift in the woods. The forest and its creatures had previously not bothered with the boy, but Chan could feel it become increasingly hostile and on the fourth day, it was going to snuff out the light.

Chan crept towards the figure. The boy wasn’t hard to find. He didn’t mind being found, by the way he was walking, and he was emitting this faint aura of light, clearly blessed by some deity. The boy was inspecting one of the dead trees, one of the larger ones with deep scratches running across the bark. He was brushing his fingers over the bark, his touch so gentle and Chan, through the connection to the nature around him, could almost feel it. He frowned; what was the boy looking for? What could he possibly find in these twisted lands?

A loud growl tore Chan out of his thoughts. It took him a second to see it in the darkness, but a large wolf stepped out from the shadows, its teeth bared and its eyes fixed on the boy. The wolf’s fur was black, slick and almost oily, its eyes were completely white and as it took slow steps towards the boy, its bones cracked and Chan could see that it was so twisted it struggled to even walk. It was thin, starved, and drool was dripping from its mouth. Chan’s eyes darted between the beast and the boy. The boy seemed paralyzed, frozen in place and unable to move. The wolf was going to attack him.

Chan looked down at his hands, the corrupted marks of Beory giving off a faint, crimson light. He had some magic for today, enough to interfere at least. He muttered the incantation, and when the dark energy began to crackle around his hands he looked up at the beast again. In a flash, a puff of smoke, Chan reappeared in front of the beast, surprising it with a punch on the jaw. The dark purple energy sparked, loud like a thunderclap and the beast staggered back in surprise, letting out a yelp. It shook its head, eyes focusing on Chan and it snarled. 

Chan took a step forward, electricity crackling around his hands and forearms and snarled back, low and guttural. He stared at the wolf, meeting its eyes and Chan could see the muscles twitching. He felt his own muscles twitch, waiting for him to pounce. At last, the wolf gave an angry bark and retreated into the woods. 

As it moved back, the forest held its breath. The electric currents around Chan’s hands died down and he could feel how exhausted his body became. Since he’d lost his abilities, he didn’t have much magic left and he couldn’t do a lot with it anymore. As he stared at his hands, he realized what he’d just done. He widened his eyes. Why had he done this? 

“You-” the boy suddenly spoke and Chan snapped his head around, his eyes wide. “Oh,” the other half-dryad breathed as Chan met his eyes. Up close, Chan could see the twinkle of light in his eyes; the light that this forest wanted to suffocate, kill, devour. Chan’s breath hitched and he turned around and bolted, back into the dark embrace of the forest.

The boy didn’t seem to have any plans to leave, not even after the attack. Chan didn’t understand what he was doing here or why he was staying. After returning to the safety of the dark woods; after waiting for the boy to start moving again, Chan picked up the trail again and continued to follow him. There was this spark of curiosity driving him, as well as the whispers in the back of his head. He wanted to know why his instinct had been to step in between the wolf and the boy. The whispers hadn’t told him to kill the boy.

He wanted answers.

As the moon barely shone through the blanket of fog, the boy made his camp for the night. It was a decently sized clearing and Chan could see the boy pull out some powder from his bag and sprinkled it around the small camp. Chan moved closer to the fire, dead leaves crunching softly under his bare feet. The boy, seated by the fire, looked up and around the forest. Chan’s whole body was rigid, muscles tense like a predator about to pounce. 

When he was close enough, he opened his mouth and tried to speak but no words came out. The sound was choked and the boy startled in surprise, eyes scanning the surrounding forest to try and find the source. Chan hadn’t spoken in a long time, he wasn’t used to it. He tried again.

“Why are you here?” he asked, his voice raspy and vibrating in his ribcage. The boy widened his eyes, quickly finding Chan among the dark surroundings. Their surroundings were dark, making it impossible for Chan to make out the color of his eyes but he could see the gleaming specks of silver in his eyes. He frowned, a weird sensation resting just under his skin. 

“I…” he began, trailing off as Chan approached. He looked confused, scared, as he stared at Chan with wide eyes. “What are you?” he asked and Chan let out an annoyed sigh, narrowing his eyes. He continued to move forward until his body stopped on its own. He glanced down at the silver powder on the ground. His whole body was tense, fingers flexing without his control.

“You need to leave,” he said, taking a step back so he was about 4 meters from the boy. The tension in his muscles washed off, but he still didn’t feel like he was in control of his body. The whispers were so loud. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“But I need-” the boy stopped, letting out a surprised yelp as Chan’s body, without his control, lurched forward but the silver kept him back. A hiss slipped past his lips, moving backwards again. “What are you..?”

Chan shook his head, trying to regain the control of his own body. He flexed his fingers, making sure he was in charge.

“Please… you shouldn’t be here. Please leave,” Chan pleaded, looking down at the dark forest floor. Fear was drumming in his chest and his breathing was uneven, lips trembling. He took a deep breath and raised his head to meet the eyes of the other half-dryad. As he stood there, face to face with a being of nature and peace he realized something; he didn’t want this boy to be twisted like he had. The boy’s presence was bright and the forest around him was trying to suffocate the light. “Don’t- don’t linger here,” he whispered. “Don’t let it twist you.”

“I-I have to. I was sent here,” the boy said slowly and Chan narrowed his eyes, closing his hands to tight fists. His claws were digging into his palms and he clenched his jaw. 

“Who sent you here?” he asked and he could feel the same crawling sensation under his skin, a quiet whisper sounding in his ear. Kill the boy.

“Ehlonna,” the other finally said after staring at Chan for a second. Chan’s gut twisted uncomfortably.  “I had a vision. Something is in these woods and I need to find it.”

“All you can find here are rifts to the Shadowfell and corruption,” Chan replied and the boy nodded. 

“That’s what I’ve gathered,” he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I’m- The world is poisoned… The darkness is taking over and I have to try and help.”

“T-the world?” Chan asked. He had been in these woods for so long and when he had arrived to the forest, it was only the Hissing Woodlands and the Underwood in the north that were corrupted and evil. “It’s spreading?” he asked and the boy nodded, eyebrows furrowed. 

“It has been spreading for almost a hundred years now,” he said slowly and Chan stared down at the forest floor, trying to process what Felix had said. “Y-you didn’t know?”

“No…” Chan whispered. How long had it been since his banishment? “W-what year is it?” he asked, his voice trembling slightly.

“It’s 4237, in the Third Age of course.” 

Chan’s stomach dropped. 4237. That meant he had been in this forsaken forest for almost two-hundred years. He had spent more of his life in these woods, suffering, screaming and alone, than he had been living with his kin.

“I-I-” he stuttered, not finding the right words. His head was busy thinking about the outside world. He had so many questions; he wanted answers. His heart was almost deafening in his ears and the boy attempted to say something; but before he could, Chan turned around and retreated back into the shadows, letting the familiar darkness swallow him.

The servant of Ehlonna didn’t leave the forest despite the warning Chan had given him. Chan briefly remembered what he’d been taught about Ehlonna and as he waited around in the woods, continuing to stalk the boy, he recalled what he knew. She was one of three of the bigger nature goddesses. Beory, Chan’s deity and the one he’d devoted his life to, was neutral, fixed on the rhythm of nature. Melora, the Wildmother, was somewhat similar to Beory but strived for good and not just letting nature have its course. Ehlonna, lady of the forest, perceived nature as a gift and not something to be stolen; she was set on protecting the forest and bring good with her. 

Chan kept his eyes fixed on the boy as he watched him make a camp for the night

“Why are you still here?” he asked, approaching cautiously. He wasn’t scared that the boy would do anything to him, but he was scared that he would do something he’d regret if he came too close and lost control. “You- you need to leave.”

“I am. Leaving I mean,” the half-dryad said and Chan nodded, taking a careful step closer. As he entered the light of the half-dryad, the crawling sensation under his skin ceased, and the whispers quieted down. He was suddenly in control of himself, and he dared to move closer. “But I’m taking you with me.”

“What?”

“If you want to,” he added quickly and Chan raised an eyebrow. The other sighed, running a hand through his hair again. “Let’s start over. I’m Felix.”

Felix… Chan thought about it. It didn’t sound like a name from when he was growing up. Two-hundred years had really passed quickly. “I’m Chan…” he said slowly and Felix broke into a wide smile, seemingly brightening up his surroundings.

“Do you,” he paused, swallowing nervously. “Do you want to share a meal with me?” Felix asked carefully. Chan continued to approach, his body tense as he tried to remain in control of it. “No offence, but you look like you need some food.”

“Not a lot of animals in the woods,” Chan mumbled, sitting down closer to the small campfire but far enough from Felix. “Nothing’s really alive here.”

“Oh,” Felix said softly and Chan hummed. “Sorry, I didn’t know. Although I should have realized that, I’m sorry.”

“No it’s okay,” Chan said, waving his hand dismissively; he looked into the warm flames of the campfire. It was nice, being able to talk to someone in a way that was not grunts and snarls. When Chan had first arrived, the forest was still somewhat alive and he’d been kept company by the few animals and still living plants. But as time passed, the plants began to wither and the animals died. He just had the whispers, even if they made him do things he couldn’t control all the time.

“Why are you here?” Felix asked after a moment of silence and Chan looked away from the fire. “I just... you have to be here for a reason. No one goes here without a reason.”

“I was…” Chan trailed off, debating with himself if he should tell the truth or lie. “I was sent here because of what my temple believed in.” He settled for a semi lie instead. “I didn’t agree and I was sent here.” Felix hummed. “Why are you talking with me so easily?” he asked, tilting his head and Felix blinked. “I don’t- I’m not the most pleasant to look at.”

“You…” Felix trailed off, looking like he was thinking of what words to use. “You saved me from that wolf and you- you didn’t attack me when we talked last night.”

“I tried though,” Chan pointed out.

“Did you want to attack me?” Felix asked, honest curiosity in his voice and his eyes wide. As he was closer now and in the warm light from the small campfire, Chan was able to make out the color of his eyes. They were dark brown and as Felix looked at him, he could see that the tiny specks of silver resembled constellations of stars. Chan sighed, looking up at the sky. He hadn’t seen stars in a long time. When he got here, stars had still been visible in the sky but as the veil of shadows wrapped around the forest, it shut the stars out. 

“I didn’t,” Chan finally said, glancing over at Felix. Felix was smiling again and Chan’s chest tightened in a weird way. Felix seemed too bright and too positive, almost naive in a youthful way. Felix reached into his bag, taking out a small piece of bread. He gently divided it, holding out a piece for Chan. 

“This is the last piece I have,” he said as Chan carefully took it from him, his claws barely grazing over Felix’s fingers. There was a flash of something in Felix’s eyes and he slowly pulled his hand back. “I was planning on leaving in the morning.”

“I see,” Chan said slowly, taking a bite of the bread. The taste sparked something inside of him, a sense of familiarity. It brought back memories; memories of his childhood, of his time growing up in the temple of Beory, of his friends and what he had considered family. He sighed, trying to compose himself. 

“Do you… want to get out of here?” Felix asked. “If you want, I will bring you with me.”

“There are no guards here?” Chan asked. Felix furrowed his brows before slowly shaking his head. “There used to be,” he added, a mere whisper in the dark night.

“What were they guarding?”

Chan’s stomach dropped. He shouldn’t have said that; shouldn’t have let Felix know. He studied Felix’s face for a moment, looking for something in his eyes. Felix merely appeared curious as he looked at Chan, the silver twinkle in his eyes still gleaming.

“They had to make sure no one entered,” Chan said, biting his lower lip and averted his eyes. The guards had been there to make sure no one entered these slowly twisting lands, but they were there to see that Chan did not escape the woods. They were put there to make sure Chan either died or became a being of evil. 

“Oh.”

“Yeah…” he trailed off, staring back into the flames again. There was something soothing with fire. It was beautiful to watch, enchanting as the flames danced. “When do you leave?” Chan asked, eyes still trained on the fire. 

“I was thinking of leaving tomorrow morning,” Felix said and Chan hummed, finally tearing his eyes away from the flames. “Do you want to come with me?”

Chan took a moment to think about it. “Yes,” he finally said, feeling as if a weight was lifted off his shoulders. His stomach swooped; he was getting out of this cursed forest. “I’d like that.”

“How are you planning to travel?” Chan asked as he joined up with Felix the following morning. “What route?” he clarified, turning his head to the sky. The sky was pale gray, bleak and the fog was heavy in the air. He hadn’t seen Felix in brighter light, and as he stood beside Felix, he took a moment to study his face. His lips were thick, heart shaped, his jawline sharp and his feline eyes soft. But what struck Chan the most was the splatter of freckles all over his face. They appeared like constellations of stars, the tiniest specks of silver in his eyes. 

“I’m heading towards the lake Isia,” Felix said and Chan nodded. “I have a friend who lives in Mullin, close to the lake and I need to talk to him about what I found here. He’s… He has studied magic and is knowledgeable in many things. I think he would be my best bet for now.”

Chan tried to remember the worldmap he once studied. He could remember bits and pieces, but not the whole map. The closest town to the forest was Willowsdale, already sparsely populated when Chan was brought here; he could only imagine how it looked now. 

“We need to travel along the northwest road, up to Drurcester and then through the West Grove,” Felix said and Chan nodded, brows still furrowed as he tried to remember how the map looked. It should take us maybe two weeks on foot, depending on how long we stay in Drurcester.”

“I see,” Chan said, looking around the woods for the last time. He was so ready to leave this part of his life behind. He wanted to move on. “Should we go?”

“Yes,” Felix said, flashing that wide smile again and Chan felt as if the sun was looking down upon him. As Felix began to lead him through the woods, Chan could feel the whispers starting to become louder. He shook his head, trying to get rid of them. He knew they wanted to keep him here, to feed whatever was eating away the soul in everything living. He kept on walking, his body becoming stiff and tense as he moved closer and closer to the edge of the forest.

As they finally reached the edge, Chan stopped right before he exited the forest. The whispers were loud, but he tried to ignore them as they tried to overwhelm him. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to shut them out. 

“You okay?” Felix asked, turning around to look at Chan as he hesitated. Chan looked up at Felix, chewing on his bottom lip; he let out a small hiss as his sharp teeth broke the skin and the iron taste of blood hit his tongue. 

“Give me… a second,” Chan said, trying to silence the whispers. Was he ready to move out of the forest? He hadn’t been in the world for almost two-hundred years. Two-hundred years was an awfully long time, even for a creature with a lifespan like his. He took a deep breath and stepped out. 

His surroundings were that different; the fog was still heavy in the air and the sky was a pale gray color. But the whispers, and the ever present feeling of something trying to suffocate him dissipated almost immediately, and Chan took a deep breath; it felt like he could breathe normally again. 

“We can continue,” he said, taking another deep breath. Felix smiled as he turned again, walking along the road. Chan looked back as he followed, at the now partially crumpled stone pillars that led into the entrance of the forest; the entrance he’d been brought to so long ago. 

As they walked along the road, Chan noted just how dead things around him were. The grass, which Chan had remembered to be lush and green when he got here, was dry and had an ashy tone to it. The area, which had once been a blooming farming community, was silent and Chan couldn’t see anyone as they walked along the road. The occasional sharp stone and harsh gravel was unfamiliar to his feet, having been used to the soft forest floor for awhile now. 

“Wait,” Felix said after they had walked for maybe an hour, stopping. Chan tilted his head. “You don’t have any shoes!”

“No?” Chan said and Felix slapped his forehead. “What about it?”

“We need to get you a pair of shoes and some new clothes,” he said and Chan looked down on himself. He was dressed in dirty rags, the fabric barely holding together. Maybe Felix was right. He suddenly felt very conscious about it and he shrunk a little in front of Felix. Felix shook his head, offering him a wide smile. “We’ll fix that in Drurcester, I promise.”

“Okay,” Chan said slowly, lowering his head. “If that’s not too much.”

“No it’s fine,” Felix said, waving his free hand in the air. “I’m happy to help, don’t worry.”

“If you say so,” Chan mumbled as they began to walk along the road again. They walked in silence, the only sound was the sound of their steps against the road and the gently twinkle of the ornaments hanging from Felix’s antlers, swaying in the breeze. 

As the day passed, the darkness arrived and they set up a small camp. Felix busied himself with making dinner while Chan was sitting in the cold, dry grass. It wasn’t as ashen and dead here, but it still wasn’t lush or thriving. He leaned back on his hands, tilting his head up to the sky. As he did, his heart stuttered and his breath hitched. 

He could see the stars in the sky.

He widened his eyes as he tried to spot any familiar constellations in the sky; eyes darting back and forth. He could see the Correlian, which meant it had to be autumn; the 13 stars were never visible except in autumn. As he continued to look, he could only see parts of Amaunator’s belt, further confirming that autumn was indeed here.

He could see so many stars, so many constellations. He felt a sense of warmth and security bloom in his chest. 

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Felix asked and Chan hummed, not wanting to look away from the sky. “In the north, we’ll be able to see a lot more stars and maybe even a northern light.” Having grown up on the Blessed Fields of the north, Chan could remember the northern lights he had seen during his childhood. The green, dancing lights over the sky was something out of this world, a work of art by the gods. 

“Can I ask you something?” Chan said, finally tearing his eyes away from the night sky to look at Felix. The warm light of the fire lit up his face and reflected on the small ornaments in his antlers. Chan studied the constellations in Felix’s eyes for a second before Felix spoke up.

“You may,” Felix said, a soft smile on his lips.

“How old are you?” 

“Oh,” Felix said, chuckling. He stirred around in the pot before looking back at Chan. “I’m ninety-six.”

That wasn’t very old, especially not for a half-dryad. Something in Chan twisted uncomfortably. They lived until about 600 years. He sighed. He had lived almost half of his life already, most of it in a forest in direct link to a realm of darkness. 

“How about you?” Felix asked and Chan blinked. “No offence but you seem… older. Way older than me.”

Chan raised an eyebrow and tilted his head. “Really?” he asked and Felix nodded. “Uhm… what year did you say it was?”

“4237 Third Age,” Felix said and even though Chan knew he’d been in that forest for a long time, the mere mention of the year just made his stomach churn uncomfortably.

“I’m…” he thought for a second, calculating the years in his head. “I’m two-hundred and forty-eight.”

Felix blinked. “So wait,” he began, seemingly calculating the years in his head. “You’re born during the fourth millennia?” 

“3989, yes.”

“Woah,” Felix breathed. “How long… For how long were you in the woods?”

“One-hundred and ninety-eight years,” Chan replied, the words sour in his mouth. Felix only let out a small ‘oh’ and a heavy silence settled over the camp. 

Chan didn’t speak again, not during dinner, not until Felix whispered a quiet goodnight and fell asleep. 

Their camp was quiet and in silence, the whispers began to creep up on him. His eyes traveled over to where Felix was sleeping. Felix was lying on his side, back illuminated by the weak remains of the fire and his soft breathing could be heard. It would be so easy to kill him. He was so close and so helpless. He had nothing that protected him now. Chan could reach out, rip his chest open and ea- 

Chan shook his head, the thoughts crawling back to whatever dark place they had come from. He didn’t want to kill Felix. He wanted to follow Felix away from this place, to the Blessed Fields. He ran a hand through his black hair, sighing as he looked up at the sky again.

“Mother of the Earth,” he whispered, staring up at the sky. “Are you there?” He received no reply and sighed again. “Why did you forsake me? Leave me to rot? What was the greater picture you talked about?”

He was greeted with nothing but silence, ringing in his ears. He took a deep breath and shook his head, ignoring the disappointment gnawing in his chest as he laid down, letting sleep claim him. 

The following morning, none of them spoke a word. They continued their journey towards Drurcester in silence. Chan felt a bit bad, but he wasn’t sure what he would talk to Felix about. 

“I’m sorry,” Felix finally said over lunch and Chan looked up, brows furrowed. “For asking about the woods, I mean. I should have been more sensitive and thoughtful. I’m sorry.”

“No it’s fine,” Chan said slowly. “I just… I didn’t know that so many years had passed and you- I’m old. I’ve spent most of my life in that forest and I- yes, I did feel a bit upset. Not directly at you, Felix; I was never upset with you. Rather I was… upset by the circumstances.”

“I can understand why. I’m sorry,” Felix said and Chan shrugged as he got up, ready to continue.

“We can’t really change the past now, can we?” he said, glancing at Felix.

Felix nodded, lips pressed firmly together. His eyes were wide, beautiful as always, and ever so sympathetic. 

“You do not have to look so upset. All these things happened long before you were born,” Chan murmured.

The look in Felix’s eyes didn’t cease.  

“I’ll just find a way to continue living,” he continued in an attempt to convince himself of that. The truth was that he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do now. 

Felix nodded again, not saying a word and they continued to travel in silence. 

After an hour or so, Felix began to talk, telling Chan about his childhood growing up by the Fire Ridge in the south. In return, Chan opened up a little, telling Felix about his years on the Blessed Fields with his father, before he was taken up by the temple of Beory.

The colors on the trees and the grass slowly came back, the further they made their way from the Hissing Woodlands. The trees were various shades of green, yellow and orange; it was autumn indeed. The sight of the colors sparked something in Chan and he felt a wide smile stretch his lips as he walked along the road. As the sun set, painting the sky in a pretty orange and pink color, Drurcester was finally presenting itself in front of them.

“Look!” Felix said as soon as the city entered their vision. He was almost bouncing as he quickened his step. “Finally!”

The harsh road was starting to wear on Chan’s bare feet and he was thankful to finally arrive in a city. He couldn’t wait to do something about this whole situation.

“Halt,” a guard said as they approached the wall of the city. Felix stopped, holding up his free hand. Chan stood right behind Felix, cowering a little. It had been almost two-hundred years since he’d been in a city and he had no idea how things worked now. “Who are you and why are you here?”

“I’m Felix, cleric of Ehlonna. This is Chan, my companion,” Felix began, taking his hand down to wrap it around his staff. “We’ve been doing research for my goddess and are on our way home. We only seek something to eat and a place to stay for the night. Nothing more.”

The guard seemed to observe them for a second. Chan looked down at the ground, fiddling with his fingers. “What happened to your friend? He looks worse for wear.”

“We had an incident with some wolves,” Felix lied smoothly, and Chan held his breath, eyes nervously darting between Felix and the guard. While Chan did look like he had been in a scuffle, he wasn’t sure how much it appeared to be the doings of wolves.

“Is this something we need to worry about?” the guard asked, frown on his face. He glanced back to the road they had come from. “Should we warn our travelers or send for the hunters?”

“I think this is a one time incident,” Felix said. “But maybe keep an eye out, just to be certain,” he added, hooking his arm with Chan’s. “Now, could we please enter? We’ve traveled far, and are both in dire need of a place to rest and recover.”

“Of course,” the guard said, turning back to shout orders to the guards on the ground. 

The large gates to the town opened. As they did, something within Chan twisted, and it took every ounce of his self-control to not turn on his heel and run. 

You don’t belong here, the voices in his head hissed, causing doubt to curl in his stomach. You’ll kill them. You’re nothing but a monstrous wolf, and now the lambs are inviting you in. You’ll hurt someone.

Felix seemed to notice Chan’s conflict, and he placed a hand on Chan’s arm. His touch was warm, and his smile even warmer. Chan took a deep breath, and allowed himself to be pulled into the town.

Because they had arrived a bit late, all the shops were closed, so they would have to wait until morning to get Chan a pair of shoes and a new set of clothes. The inn they had found was called the Dancing Goat and Chan breathed a sigh of relief as he entered, his soles now sore from walking on the rough road all day. 

“Do you want to eat first or do you…” Felix trailed off, eyeing Chan from head to toe. “Or do you want to wash up first.”

Washing up. Right. That was a concept and something Chan had more or less given up a while back. He had been trying to keep somewhat clean in the woods, but the murky water didn’t do much.

“I’d… I’d like to clean up first,” he whispered, feeling a bit scared in this new place. There wasn’t an awful lot of patrons in the bar area of the inn, but there were some and Chan felt out of place. He could feel people looking at him and he didn’t like it. He stepped a bit closer to Felix, seeking comfort in his presence. 

Felix nodded, immediately heading up to the bar to talk to the innkeeper, Chan trailed behind. Felix quickly paid for their rooms, food and bath. Chan felt bad because Felix paid, but what was he supposed to do?

“Do you need any help with washing up?” Felix asked as he returned and Chan swallowed hard before nodding slowly. 

“Yes please,” he mumbled, his head lowered. “Do you… do you think you could cut my hair?” he asked, voice still low as he glanced up.

“Of course,” Felix said, smiling widely and Chan nodded, the smallest of smiles tugging at the corner of his lips. “I’ll just get a pair of scissors and we can get you cleaned up,” he continued, quickly scurrying back to the bar.

Chan was standing in front of the mirror in the dimly lit room, staring at his reflection. He exhaled, lips slightly parted and trembling as he placed a hand on the skin above his heart. His skin was stained black, starting from his heart and in covering a majority of his chest. A streak of black ran all the way from his sternum down to his bellybutton, the veins around it turning black and reaching out across his skin. The black reached from the skin over his heart, through his veins and down his arms. 

He swallowed hard, his heart aching at the sight of himself. He ran a hand down his arm, down the black, uneven lines on his biceps until they faded to a crimson red at his elbow. 

These were the clear marks of a sinner.

“Why..?” he whispered, asking his reflection. He couldn’t see much of his face in the faint light but he could make out the dark dryad mark under his lip. He placed his trembling hand on the cool surface of the mirror, blinking as tears welled up in his eyes. “Why did you do it?” He inhaled, leaning his forehead against the mirror as a sob bubbled in his chest. He didn’t want things to be like this. But he knew, deep inside, that he deserved this. 

A knock on the door caused him to jump in surprise and he quickly dried the tears off his face and he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. 

“Chan?” came Felix’s soft voice from behind the door. “Can I come in?”

“Yes,” Chan replied, his voice wavering a little. The door creaked open and it was as if the whole room lit up as Felix stepped inside. Chan kept his eyes locked at Felix, studying his face. He could see Felix’s eyes widening for just a second, eyes studying the marks on Chan’s upper body before looking up at Chan.

“You want to…” Felix trailed off, gesturing towards the large tub of water that had been prepared for Chan. Chan nodded, biting the inside of his cheek as he undressed completely. He kept his eyes on the floor, not wanting to see the disgust in Felix’s eyes. 

He got into the water, muscles immediately relaxing as they came in contact with the warm water. As Felix pulled a chair over to sit down beside the tub, there was a low creaking sound and Chan glanced over his shoulder.

“Is this… is this from the… corruption?” Felix asked carefully, his hands brushing over Chan’s shoulder blade. Chan swallowed, tears stinging in his eyes again. Did he have more marks on his back?

“I-I would assume so,” he said slowly and Felix hummed as he began to thread his fingers through Chan’s messy hair.

“You were in that corrupted place for a long time,” Felix said, pulling out a pair of scissors to start cutting Chan’s hair. Chan hummed, biting his lip hard. At this point, he wasn’t sure why he had those marks; if it was the corruption or not.

Felix continued to work through Chan’s thick, curly hair in silence and Chan could feel himself getting more and more relaxed in the warm water. But he found it hard as exhaustion had caught up with him and Felix kept threading his fingers through Chan’s hair, his nails scratching against his scalp.

“Can I ask you something?” Felix asked as he smoothed out the curls to get a good look at his work. Chan hummed, his eyelids really heavy and brain starting to feel fuzzy. “Did you ever kill someone?” he asked carefully and Chan was suddenly a bit more awake. “A person, I mean.”

Don’t tell him, he’ll hate you.

He deserves to know the truth. After all, he brought you out of the forest. He saved you.

“I-” Chan stared down into the water, and his gut twisted at the memory. He was going to feel sick. “Yes, I did,” he finally said and he could feel Felix’s fingers freeze for a second before continuing to work through his hair. “It was a traveler, a long time ago. Not a lot comes to that forest… I was starving and the,” he took a deep breath, “the whispers were so loud.”

“Wait,” Felix said and Chan glanced to his side to look at him. “So I wasn’t just imagining things when I heard them.”

“No,” Chan whispered. “There are the voices of... whatever is on the other side of the rift, vampire, lich, a shadow maybe. I don’t know.”

“I see,” Felix said and continued to work through Chan’s thick hair. 

“I feel bad,” Chan said after a few minutes, breaking the silence and Felix let out a little hum, urging him to continue. “I’m making you pay for all my expenses. I’m sorry.”

“It’s just money,” Felix said. “I’m going to help you get back from whatever that forest has done to you, I don’t care about material things really. Besides, I have quite a sum with me and I don’t need it all for myself.”

“Still,” Chan mumbled and Felix gave his head a little pat.

“It’s fine,” he said and Chan let out a hum. “Let’s solve this whole thing first, then maybe after we’re done, we can talk about paying back, okay?”

“Deal,” Chan said and Felix laughed, the sound so clear and bright it sparked something inside Chan.

Chan was kneeling on the wooden floor in his room, his hands behind his back and his forehead pressed against the floor. He was sitting close to the window, the said window open and bright moonlight shining down on him, bathing him in its silver light.

“Mother,” he whispered, the black marks of his goddess on his hands almost burning as they shimmered red for a mere second. “I ask of you, oh mother, to answer my prayers.”

Nothing.

You don’t deserve the word of the Mother.

Disappointment burned in his chest and his eyes stung with tears as he sat up. He swallowed as he looked towards the little pack he’d brought with him from the woods. It wasn’t a lot of things. A cloak from his youth, some small knick knacks and the holy symbol he had received from the Mother of the Earth. The memory was so clear to him. As he was stuck in the dark woods, slowly rotting and twisting, that memory kept replaying in his mind. It stuck to him.

Spring was slowly giving way to the warm summer, the snow had since long melted and flowers blossomed. His hair had been a soft green color, underlying hints of gold starting to shine through, to greet the warm months ahead. His priests had told him that the goddess had requested his presence and so he had headed into the main hall and kneeled in front of the altar.

“Mother,” he whispered in Sylvan, his head tilted up to the sky, his eyes closed and his hands resting peacefully in his lap. “I have come to see you, to swear my oath to you.”

A warm feeling filled Chan and he could feel someone touching his chin softly. He didn’t open his eyes. He was content just knowing his Mother was there. He did not have to see her to keep his faith in her. His faith was blind. 

“My child, Chan of the Blessed Fields,” a voice, Beory, whispered as she stroked his cheek. “What do you swear to do for me?”

“I swear to uphold nature, to help it grow, to aid nature and not hinder it. I will listen to your every word. I will do good.”

“Very well my child,” she whispered, her voice so warm and Chan’s heart fluttered as a warmth filled her. “I accept your oath, Chan of the Blessed Fields. You are now bound to it and to me. Shall you break it, you will come before me and receive your judgement,” she continued and Chan nodded. Her hand was still resting on his cheek and it lingered there for a moment before it slowly faded away.

He opened his eyes again, staring at the altar in front of him. He was alone. He tilted his head down and his eyes immediately caught the gleaming silver necklace in front of the altar. As he reached for the necklace, his holy symbol, he could see the patterns of gold now etched into the skin of his hands. He pulled up his sleeves to see how far they stretched, and they reached to about his elbow. He took a deep breath, turning his attention back to the necklace. He reached out and took it.

A warm sensation filled him and a determination. He would do good in this world, he thought to himself as he wrapped his fingers around the necklace.

Chan stared at the necklace in front of him. It was worn, over 200 years old but he tried his best to shelter it from getting destroyed or ruined. He took a deep breath, his fingers trembling as he reached out to grasp it. His heart was pounding in his ears and his breathing shaky as he wrapped his fingers around it.

It held so much meaning, for such a small thing. It carried such a heavy burden, despite its size.

He gritted his teeth as the silver burned his skin, but he held onto it. He wished to feel that warm sensation again, to feel his goddess accept him into her arms again. He tightened his grip around it.

“Mother of the Earth,” he whispered, tears welling up in his eyes as the searing pain in his hand got worse. “I- My heart is filled with chaos and confusion. I-I feel as if I’m drowning and-” he grasped, gritting his teeth as tears rolled down his cheeks. “Give me comfort, give me peace, give me rest,” he whispered, the pain slowly becoming overwhelming. 

He was only met with deafening silence.

“Please,” he choked out, finally letting the silver necklace drop to the floor as the pain became too much. He inhaled, breathing shaky. “Oh Mother,” he whispered, his voice cracking. “Why have you forsaken me?” He turned to look out through the window, up at the moon, hoping for an answer. He held onto his burned hand, looking down at his burned palm. Most of the skin had started to peel off already, burned badly from the silver. He dried his tears with his other hand. He wanted to deny it, but he couldn’t.

This was the fate of a sinner.

Felix was already awake as Chan came down the stairs in the morning. He immediately lit up, a wide smile on his lips as he waved to Chan.

“Good morning!” he said and Chan hummed as he sat down. “Want me to get some breakfast for you?” he asked and Chan blinked. Then he looked around and realized that there was a pot by the fire and he could recall the barkeeper saying something about included breakfast.

“Oh no,” he said, standing up before Felix could even attempt it. “I’ll get it myself don’t worry,” he continued, quickly getting his food. The breakfast was only some sort of porridge or stew, Chan wasn’t sure but he wasn’t going to complain. It was food and he didn’t have to brutally murder something to eat.

“Did you sleep well?” Felix asked as he returned to the table. Chan only hummed, deciding not to talk about it. He had slept like shit, nightmares plaguing him the whole night.

“How about you?” he asked instead.

“It was go- what did you do to your hand?” Felix asked and Chan’s head snapped down to stare at his burned hand. He quickly hid it under the table.

“Nothing.”

“Lies,” Felix said with a frown. He held out his hands, palms up. Chan glanced down at them, his eyes lingering for a moment on the golden marks of Ehlonna. “Let me see,” he said, his voice soft. Chan eventually gave in, placing his hand in Felix’s. He could see how Felix looked at his hand, studying the burns on his palms. His eyes just barely gazed over the blackened marks before he focused all his attention on the burns. “What happened?”

“I touched some silver,” Chan whispered and he could see something flash in Felix’s eyes. Realization maybe. He didn’t have more time to think before a warm feeling bloomed from his hand and spread up his arm. He looked down to see the soft glow of Felix’s marks and how his skin slowly mended together.

“There we go,” Felix said, letting go of Chan’s hand. Chan pulled it back slowly, inspecting the healed skin before holding his hand close to his chest.

“Thank you.”

“No problem.” Felix grinned and Chan’s stomach turned a little. If he’d realized what Chan actually was, he made no attempt to let Chan know. Chan couldn’t hold back the small smile as he went back to his food. They continued to eat in silence and during the whole time, the warm and comfortable sensation in Chan’s hand remained.

Chan looked in the mirror, finally getting a good look of his face for the first time in almost 200 years as the dim light had obscured a lot of his features. He had gotten noticeably older since the last time he’d seen himself this clearly, which wasn’t really a surprise because he had been so young when he was sent off. He wasn’t even considered an adult when he left. But he still recognized his reflection. His angular jaw, straight nose and thick lips. His droopy eyes had once been a beautiful gold but had now turned pitch black.

His antlers were dark and twisted in unnatural angles and the left one had even broken off a bit at the end. His dryad marks, the two horizontal lines over his cheekbones and the three vertical lines, two on his cheeks and one under his lip, were all dark. His hair looked better now, when he had washed up and gotten a haircut. 

The sight of himself still made him sick.

“Are the clothes of your liking?” the shopkeeper asked. 

Chan snapped out of his thoughts and looked down at the outfit instead. It was a simple white shirt with leather bracers covering his hands and a dark brown pair of pants. It wasn’t anything grand, but the clothes weren’t full of holes so he wasn’t going to complain. He looked down at the shoes, wiggling his toes in them.

“They are,” he replied and Felix gave him a nod and a thumbs up. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure,” the shopkeeper said as she handed him his new cloak. It was dark blue with a golden trim with long sleeves for him to hide his hands further. He was thankful for the bracers but he wanted more protection. He was originally going to go with a black cloak but Felix had taken a liking to this more fancy one and Chan couldn’t deny him it, not when his eyes sparkled as if they held stars in them.

“May I ask,” the shopkeeper began as she handed Felix the change for the clothes back. “What are two dryads doing in town? It’s very unusual to see one, let alone two, in the settlements.”

“Oh,” Chan said softly and Felix giggled, shaking his head.

“We’re just half-dryads,” he said as the shopkeeper sputtered an apology. “It’s okay, it’s easy to mistake us.”

It really was. The only real difference between half-dryads and actual dryads when they left their tree was the fact that dryads, being true creatures of nature, were bound to a tree and would live their whole life with that tree. They could not leave their tree for too long; and unlike half-dryads who lived to a certain age, dryads aged with their trees and would live until their tree died.

“Should we get going?” Felix asked, gently taking Chan’s hand. Chan flinched in surprise, not being prepared for it but Felix didn’t seem to mind, he continued to smile brightly.

“Yeah,” Chan mumbled, giving the shopkeeper a nod as Felix pulled him out of the store. Chan took a deep breath as he walked out the door. This was the real beginning to their journey.

The West Grove was much more alive than the Hissing Woodlands, but there was still this weird feeling. It was familiar, sort of suffocating and pressing at the back of Chan’s head. Something was really wrong with the world. 

“How long will it take us to cross?” Chan asked, looking around the forest. It was awfully quiet, especially for a forest. “Has the forest… expanded anything? It must have since I-” He cleared his throat. “You understand what I mean.”

“I understand what you mean,” Felix murmured, glancing around the forest. “But to answer your question, no. At least it hasn’t expanded anything during my years in this world.”

Chan hummed, still scanning his surroundings. There was that pushing presence of the Shadowfell here but there was something else. It didn’t really feel like the Shadowfell, but it felt like… like something similar; like there was a link to another plane here. The veil here was thin, allowing the influence of another place to seep through.

“Do you… feel that?” Chan asked slowly and Felix took a moment to look around, then he hummed. They both stopped, almost holding their breath as they listened for any signs of other beings in the woods. 

A loud crack was suddenly heard, followed by a curse and in front of them, a deer crossed the road. It wasn’t a normal deer, this one had two sets of antlers and its coat shimmered in the sunlight. 

“Is there a portal to the Feywild here?” Chan asked, eyes following the deer. 

“I don’t know?” Felix said, clearly confused. “As far as I’m aware, there shouldn’t be but-” His eyes flickered around. “Feywild is a peculiar plane. It doesn’t surprise me the slightest to see Feywild portals open here and there.”

The deer just strutted past them, not paying them any attention and after it came a humanoid figure. 

“Hey!” he called after the deer, the hood of his white cloak falling down. He had ashen blond hair, a pair of pointed ears sticking out of the mess of hair. They weren’t pointy enough to be fully elven, but at least half-elven. “Wait!” the boy called after the deer, heading into the forest.

“Should we help him?” Felix asked and Chan blinked. He wasn’t really sure what was going on but he’d gladly help if it meant the deer would go back to its own plane of existence. They quickly got off the road, following the half-elf into the woods. Chan wasn’t sure where the boy had gone exactly but he guessed what direction he’d gone in. 

When they finally caught a glance of the boy again, Chan could see him pull out a powder from his pocket, a staff in his other hand. He tapped the staff to the ground and threw the powder in the air, ripping open a portal in thin air in front of the deer.

“Off you go,” the boy said and the deer looked at him for a second but then it turned around, walking through the portal. 

“Oh,” Felix said and the boy spun around, eyes wide. “Sorry!” Felix apologized quickly. “We didn’t mean to scare you. Sorry. We were going to help you get that deer back to the Feywild.”

“Oh y-you know about all that?” the boy asked and Felix nodded.

“Somewhat,” he replied. The boy took a second to look Felix over and then his eyes fell on Chan. In an instant, his shocked expression went serious and he held out his staff towards Chan. 

“You,” he said, voice cold as his free hand reached towards his pocket. “What world do you come from?”

“Uhm…” Chan said slowly, eyes flickering to look at Felix as Felix stood in front of him. 

“He’s a half-dryad from the Blessed Fields,” he snapped, crossing his arms over his chest. The half-elf furrowed his brows, blinking and then he tilted his head. “Do you have an issue with him?”

“No I…” the half-elf trailed off, eyeing Chan closely. “He- he smells of the Shadowfell,” he said and Chan nodded, lowering his head a little.

“I… uh,” he began, but he wasn’t sure what to say. “I’ve been close to some rifts to the Shadowfell for… a very long time.”

“I can tell,” the boy said, voice sharp and Chan sighed. “Sorry…” he mumbled. “I’m Jisung.”

“I’m Chan,” Chan said slowly, looking up. Jisung had lowered his staff, his shoulders dropping. “I’m sorry.”

“No!” Jisung quickly said, holding up a hand. “I shouldn’t… have assumed, I’m sorry.”

Chan nodded just as Felix opened his mouth. “I’m Felix,” he introduced himself and Jisung nodded. “Should we go back to the road and talk a little maybe? Or have lunch?” He looked over at Chan. “We’re going to have our short break soon anyway I think.”

“Yeah sure,” Chan said, turning around to head back to the road. He could feel Jisung’s eyes on him and it made him really uncomfortable. 

There was something in the air as they sat down to eat. Jisung kept looking between the two of them and Felix sent Chan a curious glance every now and then. Chan kept looking at Felix, hoping for Felix to be able to help the awkward air between them. 

“Are you sure you’re not from the Shadowfell?” Jisung finally asked, breaking the silence between the three of them. “I mean, I work on taking care of threats from the Shadowfell and make sure Feywild is its own chaos on their side and doesn’t slip through the rifts. I’m not trying to be rude. I’m just… careful.”

“I’m not from the Shadowfell,” Chan said and Jisung kept quiet, still looking at him with sharp eyes. “I’ve… lived in the Hissing Woodlands for a long time though,” he continued, lowering his voice. 

“Hissing Woodlands?” Jisung asked, tilting his head as he frowned. “That forest in the east that’s just wasting away?”

“Yeah that one,” Felix butted in. “The presence of the Shadowfell is strong, to say the least.”

“You’re just under the effects of the exposure?” Jisung asked and Chan nodded. “Oh shit I’m sorry I kept asking,” he continued but Chan shook his head. He understood why Jisung was so suspicious; especially if Jisung tended to the two planes and took care of whatever came through rifts. “So why are you two here? No one really… travels through here anymore. The darkness has started to settle here too, it drives people away.”

“I know some about the Shadowfell, as I studied it to try and find a… cure or something for what it’s doing to the world but…” Felix trailed off, licking his lips as he looked between Jisung and Chan. “But I don’t know a lot about the Feywild, would you mind explaining it?”

“Sure,” Jisung said, throwing a glance at Chan. “I don’t know if you know more about the Shadowfell but if you do, feel free to add that,” he said and Chan nodded. Jisung moved a little to sit so he could see both Felix and Chan in front of him. “I think the easiest way to explain it is to say that Feywild and Shadowfell are opposite realms. They are our neighbors, residing just beyond the veil of our world. Feywild is the plane of emotional chaos, ever changing. They say that to enter the Feywild, you need to be a stable point in all the chaos or you will be lost. Shadowfell, on the other hand, is a plane of… I guess it could be explained as the deadening of emotion. The whole realm was stuck in a loop, forever the same as it slowly draining out thoughts and emotions. Some would call it an echo of the material plane.”

“Oh,” Felix said, lips shaped like an ‘o’. “That’s… quite a lot.”

“Did I miss anything?” Jisung asked, looking at Chan. 

“Not really but I guess it’s worth mentioning beings that reside in each plane. The Feywild has various vibrant fey creatures, like unicorns for example and Archfeys…” he trailed off and looked between Jisung and Felix. “Feys that have almost god-like powers. While the Shadowfell has undead creatures, like vampires for example.”

“Ah yes, that deer you saw was a fey creature as well,” Jisung said, nodding his head a little. Another silence filled the air as Chan tried his best to think of something to say. “Where are you two heading?” Jisung asked, once again breaking the silence.

“We’re traveling toward Mullin,” Felix said and Jisung hummed, leaning back a little. Chan took the moment to look at Jisung a bit closer. He was clearly of elven descent, his eyes and ears giving it away. His hair was medium length and looked like it would have been falling in his eyes had it not been for the headpiece of small, twisted vines. It had a few flowers sticking out of it and the look of it just added to the whole elven feel he gave off. Under the pristine, white cloak, he wore simple, brown pants with high boots and a dark green shirt, he had leather bracers that reached out to cover parts of his hands. As Chan’s gaze wandered to his hands, he could see the dark green swirling patterns of the druid tribes.

“Might I ask, what did you do in the Hissing Woodlands?” Jisung asked after a moment, looking between Chan and Felix. 

“I-” Felix coughed awkwardly. “I was looking into the rifts of the Shadowfell. My goddess sent me a vision and I had to follow the trail.”

“And you?” Jisung raised an eyebrow, the suspicious look in his eyes returning. 

“I was… banished,” Chan finally said after a second of thinking. Might as well be somewhat honest. “I served Beory, Mother of the Earth,” he began, deciding to not question Jisung’s confused look. “I did something that she did not agree on and my priests banished me.”

“I see,” Jisung mused. As they continued to eat in silence, Chan could see Jisung pull something out of his pocket, it looked like a wire of some sort, and held it up to his mouth; he whispered something into the palm of his hands and then closed his eyes.

“What’s that?” Felix asked as Jisung opened his eyes again. 

“Oh,” Jisung said, smiling as he opened his palm to show them the small copper wire in his hand. “I- Well I’m sort of looking into a similar thing together with two of my friends and I just sent one of them a Sending. He might show up in Mullin and he might… have some extra information. I was going to ask if I could travel with you to Mullin?”

“Sure?” Felix said slowly, turning to look at Chan; Chan shrugged.

“I don’t see why not,” he said, offering Jisung a small smile. “Our goals seem to align.”

“Yeah that’s true,” Felix mused, looking back to Jisung. “You had two companions you said?” he asked and Jisung nodded. “So just because I’m curious... where are they?”

“Oh,” Jisung said, fiddling with his fingers. “Minho is up north, in Underwood,” he began and Chan swallowed. “He’s researching the rifts there. Jeongin is… somewhere, I don’t really know.”

“You don’t know?” Felix asked, tilting his head. “Can’t you just send him a Sending or something?”

“I could if he was on this plane of existence,” Jisung said and Felix let out a small ‘oh’. “I think he’s in the Feywild right now, but he could be in the ethereal plane too. He was going to look into both planes.”

“That’s… that sounds really whack, not gonna lie,” Felix said. “I mean, I’ve read about the planes and all that stuff, but you’re awfully casual talking about jumping between realms.”

“Well,” Jisung rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I guess I got used to it. Minho is a horizon walker, so he’s jumping between worlds to the left and right. I’m just here to spread the joy of the fey, but the Shadowfell’s huge presence is a bit of a problem right now.”

“I see,” Felix said as he began to pack his things again, standing up. He dusted off his pale green robes, holding out a hand to help Chan standing up. “Should we continue our travels?”

Chan nodded mutely, standing up with the help of Felix. 

“Let’s go,” Jisung said, grinning at the two of them. “I’ll show you the scenic route.”

Jisung did show them the scenic route through the landscape and Chan was mesmerized by all the colors and all the life the land had to offer. It was breathtaking.

“Where are you from, Jisung?” Felix asked, eyes twinkling with curiosity as they walked. “And how old are you?”

“I was raised in the North Grove,” Jisung replied. “I’m twenty,” he continued and Chan’s chest felt a bit warm as he looked at the half-elf. Twenty years were nothing, no wonder Jisung’s eyes mostly held such a childlike optimism and wonder in them. 

“Why were you in the West Grove though?” Felix asked, tilting his head and Chan could see that sparkle and light in Jisung’s eyes flicker for just a second.

“The evil from Underwood…” he began slowly and Chan bit his lip. The forest in the furthest north, the forest that had been infested by evil for hundreds of years, even when Chan was young. “It spread, stretched to the North Grove and-” he cut himself off and Chan could see how cautious he was as he replied. “My tribe had to move to the West Grove as the… as the evil began to swallow the life in our forest.”

“What tribe are you from?” Chan asked quietly and Jisung blinked, swallowing hard before mustering a smile.

“I’m from the Valima tribe, protectors of dreams,” he said softly, the slight tremble to his voice so slight that Chan almost missed it. “Some… Some died with the Underwood’s evil stretching out so we’re… there’s not a lot of us,” he explained and Chan nodded. He glanced up to meet Felix gaze and Felix bit his lip. Neither of them pushed the matter further.

They continued their travels along the scenic route and Chan kept being amazed by the sheer beauty of the world, over and over again. The further they traveled, the more vibrant the colors seemed to become. Chan couldn’t help but ponder that maybe that was because they were getting further and further from the rift in the north and the evil luring in the Hissing Woodlands of the east.

Both Felix and Jisung seemed to get along very well, quickly growing accustomed to one another. Much to Chan’s amusement, as they interacted, Felix didn’t seem much older than Jisung, even though he was almost five times Jisung’s age. They seemed to share faith as well, Chan noted as the two of them engaged in some talk about Ehlonna. 

Traveling with a druid who knew the lands were a lot faster than Felix, who had admitted that he wasn’t that well traveled, and Chan, who didn’t know these parts at all. Chan hadn’t traveled that much during his time in the temple, considering he was only in his 40s at that time, barely an adult in terms of half-dryad years.

Another thing with traveling, beside the gorgeous views and constant walking, was that Chan got time to think. He had many silent moments, sometimes when he walked behind Jisung and Felix or sometimes he took a watch alone. They were becoming quieter and less frequent, but he still heard the whispers sometimes. They wanted him back, they wanted him to do something for them. He shook his head.

He wasn’t going to fall for them. He wasn’t going to listen to them. He was going to do good no matter what they said.

The town of Mullin was located by the large lake Isia, surrounded by large fields and just a few small groves or clusters of trees here and there. The town itself was not especially large, but the area that Mullin controlled was fairly large as they also looked over the safety of surrounding farms. It reminded Chan of the village he had been living in before he had been sent to the temple.

“I have some errands to run,” Jisung said as they stopped in the outskirts of the town. “I have to talk to that ranger friend of mine… He should be here now.”

“You’ll come and find us later?” Felix asked and Jisung nodded, giving Felix a thumbs up. “Do you know where the house is?”

“No, but I will contact you when I need to find it. I have a spell for that, so don’t worry too much,” Jisung said, and Felix hummed. “But I really need to go and find Minho. He has some information regarding this.”

“You don’t want us to come along to meet him?” Felix asked but Jisung quickly shook his head.

“No, no,” he said, holding up both hands. “I think… I think I need to talk with him about this whole situation before I introduce you,” he said slowly, eyes flickering over to Chan for a second. “He’s a good person, I promise. But he should be informed before he meets you. He’s way more suspicious than me,” he explained and Chan nodded, glancing to his side to see Felix nod as well. “I promise I’ll be quick!” he said hurriedly, turning around to leave.

Felix and Chan watched as the white cloak quickly disappeared in the crowd. Felix gave Chan a look and Chan glanced back at him. They looked at each other in silence for a moment before Felix grabbed Chan’s hand.

“Come on,” he said, smiling widely and it sparked something in Chan’s chest as Felix smiled at him, a warmth bloomed. “Seungmin’s house isn’t that far away,” he continued, pulling Chan along.

As they walked through the town of Mullin, Chan didn’t miss the glances the villagers gave him. They didn’t glare, but he could feel eyes on him the whole time as they walked towards Seungmin’s house and he was thankful that the bracers covered most of the marks on his hands.

“Felix,” the human who opened the door said, an amused smile on his lips. He was about the same height as Felix and Chan, dressed in casual robes obviously made for the comfort of his home. “What brings you- oh,” he stopped as his eyes fell on Chan. His eyes were sharp and almost hidden under his brown bangs. “Hello, I’m Seungmin,” he said, voice tighter and he straightened his back a little.

“Chan,” Chan said quietly, cowering a little as Seungmin took a minute to study him. He felt small under his gaze. 

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Seungmin asked, looking back at Felix. “It has been a while hasn’t it?”

“It’s been three years? That’s not a lot of time is it?” Felix said, confused and Seungmin raised an eyebrow. Three years for humans was a lot of time. “Oh, right. Uh, anyway. I found some things in the Hissing Woodlands that you might find interesting,” he said, clearing his throat and Seungmin hummed, rubbing his chin. “I need some help with making sense of it.”

“I see,” Seungmin said slowly, as if he was busy thinking about something else. Then he blinked, seemingly snapping back to reality and he looked at the two of them. “Come in, come in.”

“You’ve gotten company?” Felix asked as they entered, looking around the room. “Friends? Other?” Chan had no idea how he was able to discern that multiple people were living in this house. 

“I would say others,” Seungmin finally said after thinking for a moment. “They needed… shelter and I was more than happy to provide them with such, as I needed some sort of company.” Felix hummed. “After that, it just sort of developed.”

“I see,” Felix hummed and Chan could see the faint dusting on pink on Seungmin’s cheeks. Ah, young love. It warmed something in him. They walked through a big room, presumably kitchen and social area in one, and then through a door into a smaller room with walls lined with bookshelves. 

As they walked through the first room and into what seemed to be the study, Felix kept talking about what had happened while Chan was busy taking in the look of the house. He looked back at Seungmin and his gut churned as he caught the young wizard staring at him with an unreadable gaze. 

Seungmin pulled out something that almost looked like a small metal wire from his pocket and whispered something into his palm. A heartbeat later, footsteps approaching the study could be heard. Chan glanced over at Felix who shrugged.

The boy who entered the room was short, his face long with black hair almost covering his eyes. His eyes were sleepy looking, the left one dark brown and the right one a piercing yellow.

But what struck Chan was the scales crawling up his neck and face. Up his right side, black scales covered half of his mouth and reached up to his eye. Around the eye was a ring of human skin and on the right side of his head, where an ear should be, was a black scaled protrusion, almost like a horn. 

“Oh,” he said as soon as he saw Chan. He took a moment to look him over, brows furrowed. “Hello, I’m Changbin.”

“I’m Chan,” Chan said, holding out a hand to shake Changbin’s. Changbin hesitated, eyes flickering over to look at Seungmin for a second before studying Chan’s face. At last he took Chan’s hand and Chan wasn’t all that surprised to feel the scales and claws grazing his skin as Changbin wrapped his hand around Chan’s.

“Hi I’m Felix,” Felix said from beside Chan and Changbin gave him a little nod. 

“I need to talk to Felix,” Seungmin said, giving Chan a weary look. “Alone,” he clarified, turning to look at Changbin, his eyes softening just the slightest. “Can you perhaps make Chan some tea, or whatever he’d like.”

“I can do that,” Changbin said, motioning for Chan to follow him. “Let’s go to the kitchen.”

Chan nodded, sending Felix a last glance as he left the room. Felix gave him a small smile and motioned for him to follow Changbin. He quickly trailed after, eyes fixed on the ground. 

The kitchen was adjacent to Seungmin’s study and it was a huge room with a fireplace, a dining table and some armchairs. Chan stood awkwardly in a corner as Changbin began to prepare the tea.

“You want tea?” he asked and Chan nodded. He didn’t know what he should say. He felt so out of his element. As Changbin turned again, Chan noticed the thin tail swaying lazily. He tilted his head. He knew of sorcerers; magic users who drew their magic from themselves. The magic was either innate or it came to them due to their draconic ancestry. 

Now there were a lot of different types of dragons, with various colors and textures on their scales and different abilities, but after the Hundred Wars of the Great Wyrms they were sorted into two categories. Metallic and chromatic. Metallic were the good dragons who served the dragon god of all that was good, Bahamut. Chromatic dragons were the ones who answered to the goddess of greed, the evil queen Tiamat. 

“What are you?” Changbin suddenly asked, snapping Chan out of his own thoughts. Chan looked up, blinking. Changbin was leaning against the fireplace, seemingly waiting for the water to boil. “You look like a half-dryad, sort of, but… don’t take this the wrong way, you’re not really giving off the aura of a nature spirit.”

“Don’t worry,” Chan said quietly, looking down at his hands and he took a second to observe them. The black markings stained his skin, in stark contrast to his pale skin and it made him sick. The claws were long and crooked, but Felix had helped him file them down a little but so they weren’t as jagged as they’d been before. He looked back up at Changbin. “I don’t really… know.”

“What?”

“I… I was a half-dryad, born and raised on the Blessed Fields,” he began and Changbin nodded, eyebrows furrowed. “I was sent off…” he continued, deciding to keep some of his story a secret. “To the Hissing Woodlands and… that’s not a very good place. I don’t know what it turned me into.”

“Oh,” Changbin said softly, just as the kettle went off. He quickly busied himself with the tea just as another figure walked into the room. This boy was tall, black floppy hair and a small, heart-shaped face and thick lips. He too had scales covering half of his face, the left side, but unlike Changbin’s black scales that stopped right under his eye, this boy’s jade green scales seemed to crawl from the back, covering the eye and not half of the lips. His eyes were a bright silver, piercing as they scanned the room. Chan had never in his life actually met a chromatic dragon sorcerer and to meet two in one day was a bit peculiar, he thought as his eyes lingered on the green dragon sorcerer. 

“Oh hello,” he said as his eyes fell on Chan, taking a second to take in Chan’s appearance. “I’m Hyunjin.”

“I’m Chan,” Chan said, shaking Hyunjin’s human hand, eyes darting down to quickly glance at his left hand, the hand covered in scales with claws. 

“Here’s your tea,” Changbin said, handing Chan a cup. Chan mumbled a thank you, taking the cup from Changbin. Changbin handed Hyunjin a cup as well, eyes still lingering on Chan. It looked like he wanted to ask something, his two-colored eyes darting around. But instead he turned to Hyunjin and began to talk about something in draconic. Chan had studied draconic during his time in the temple, but he wasn’t able to discern what they were saying. 

After a while, Chan began to move around to inspect the room he was in. There had been a lot of shelves with books in Seungmin’s study, but there was even more shelves in this room. How many books did a wizard need? He scanned the shelves, running his fingers over the back of the books. Every now and then he pulled one out, checking the title and content. Hyunjin and Changbin didn’t seem to mind him looking around, so he continued. As he stood by the shelf closest to the door leading into Seungmin’s study, he could hear the voices of Seungmin and Felix.

At first they were hushed, quick whispers between the two but it was obvious that the discussion was getting more and more heated; the volume picked up and Chan was able to hear what they were saying.

“Don’t- Felix, please,” Seungmin said, clearly getting irritated. “Where did you find him?”

“The Hissing Woodlands?” Felix sounded confused, seemingly getting irritated because Seungmin was getting worked up. “Why?”

“Did he say why he was there?”

“He said he did something his deity did not agree on and he was banished because of it.”

“Who’s his deity?”

“Beory,” Felix said, pausing for a second. “But I-I don’t know who that is.”

Seungmin took a deep breath and Chan held his breath. “He serves a forgotten goddess,” he said and Chan’s stomach churned. Forgotten? “The marks on his hands are red. You said there were some sort of electric sparks around his hands when he punched the wolf, correct?” There was a pause and Chan could only assume that Felix nodded. “Felix, don’t you get it?”

“...what?” Felix sounded unsure, his voice small and Chan’s gut tightened.

“He-” he sighed. “Whatever you brought with you…” Seungmin said slowly. “That thing is the Oathbreaker.”

Chapter Text

Chan’s blood ran cold. Oathbreaker? The Oathbreaker? He had heard of oathbreakers, yes, and he was aware that he was one of them, the deity marks on his hands were obvious, as deity marks should be gold or maybe silver while Chan’s had turned black, occasionally flaring up crimson. But The Oathbreaker sounded oddly specific.

“Are you sure?” Felix whispered from inside the room.

“What else could it be?” Seungmin said, tone cold and Chan’s stomach churned. “You found it in one of the most cursed places in this land.”

“It? You can’t just call him ‘it’,” Felix hissed. “Oathbreaker or not he’s still-”

“Who is The Oathbreaker?” Chan asked as he pushed the door open. He had heard enough and he needed answers. Both Felix and Seungmin snapped their heads around to look at him. Felix’s eyes were wide and there was something… fear maybe, in them. Seungmin had that suspicious, calculating look in his eyes as he looked Chan over. “I-” Chan sighed, feeling frustration build up. “I genuinely don’t know who The Oathbreaker is. I know of oathbreakers and-” he swallowed hard, shoulders dropping. “I know I am one. But I need you to tell me about The Oathbreaker.”

A heavy silence filled the room as the three of them simply looked between each other. At last Seungmin sighed, turning around a little to face Chan. He studied Chan’s face for a moment before speaking.

“In the temples, they tell a story to remind people to keep their oaths and remember what tenets they have sworn to,” he began slowly, glancing over to Felix. “They tell this to children, to teens, to adults, to everyone in every temple across these lands.” 

Felix nodded, expression somber. 

“The story is about a Knight. They were a young and devoted Knight to this goddess. As they lived, following their goddess every word, their life was good and their goddess looked down upon them with a smile. But then, tempted by the promise of power, this Knight went against the very core of their goddess rules. To punish them, they were sent to the Hissing Woodlands to live out their days and eventually die. According to the story, the woods didn’t kill The Oathbreaker, but turned them into a monster. It’s a story told to warn people of breaking their vows.”

Chan felt sick. Was this his legacy? Was this what he had left behind in the world? Was he just a ghost story? A horror story told to make sure people didn’t break their oaths?

“Is the story true, Chan?” Felix asked, and Chan looked up from the floor, his eyes burning with tears. He took a moment to try and calm his breathing and study Felix’s face. Felix didn’t look scared, he looked more concerned if anything. “I don’t want to believe a story told as a ghost story for children. I want to believe you.”

“It’s-” He swallowed, trying to control his emotions. 

You’re nothing.

A monster.

You might as well return to the woods. No one wants you here.

Rip out their throats. Be the monster they think you are. You can never prove them otherwise.

His fingers twitched as the whispers began to grow in volume. He could feel the invisible forces grabbing at him, trying to gain control over his body. He wasn’t going to let them take over. 

“I was a knight of Beory and if what you say is true, she is a forgotten deity already, but I-I wasn’t…” he bit his lip, sharp teeth poking the soft skin. “I wasn’t tempted by power, I really wasn’t,” he whispered, his voice cracking as tears welled up in his eyes. “Please believe me.”

He didn’t want to cry in front of Seungmin and Felix. He took a deep breath and lowered his head, sniffling as tears escaped his eyes. He could hear the creaking of footsteps on the floorboard and a pair of soft hands were placed on his cheeks, cradling his face. 

Chan looked up, meeting Felix’s eyes. Felix was looking at him with such soft eyes that Chan couldn’t help the sob slipping past his lips.

“I’m not evil,” he whispered, voice trembling and he inhaled, trying his best to not break down. “I’m not evil,” he repeated.

“I know you’re not,” Felix replied, voice barely a whisper and Chan blinked through the tears. “But you did break your oath?” he asked, gently drying the tears rolling down Chan’s cheeks. 

“I did,” he said, swallowing. “It was… it was a town in the mountains,” he began. “There was an earthquake and the whole village was about to collapse. I requested to go help but…” he took a deep breath. “My priests told me that this was nature and… I was not allowed to intervene. Those people were supposed to die in the earthquake.”

“What?” Felix asked, his voice still soft. 

“Beory believes in the flow of nature, choosing to be neutral in most situations,” Chan explained slowly and Felix nodded. “Her core belief is to let nature have its way… I-” he inhaled sharply. “I didn’t listen to my priests. I didn’t focus on the bigger picture… I just… I did what I could to stop the earthquake and evacuated the town…”

“And you were punished?” Seungmin asked. Chan nodded. “For helping people?” He nodded again. 

“I swore an oath to listen to her every word and not meddle with nature. I swore to listen to my higher priests and follow their commands. I would not go against them,” Chan whispered. “But I still broke my oath. My temple wanted to be kind to me, but I still had to answer to the Mother, and she delivered her judgement. I got what I deserved.”

“You didn’t deserve two-hundred years in a forest that tried to twist your mind,” Felix said after a heartbeat of silence, stroking Chan’s cheekbone with his thumb. Chan just nodded, his lips pressed together.

“I’ll go and prepare a guest room for you,” Seungmin said and both half-dryads looked over at him. He still seemed guarded, on edge and his gaze sharp as he eyed them both, but it was way softer than before. His whole posture looked less tense and more relaxed. “I only have one spare room though, I hope that’s okay.”

“Of course,” Felix said and Chan nodded mutely. “It’s okay, right?” he asked, turning to look at Chan. His hands were still resting on Chan’s cheeks, thumbs running over his cheekbones.

“Yeah,” Chan mumbled, swallowing the lump in his throat. Seungmin gave them a last glance before leaving the room. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, his eyes downcast. 

“For what?” Felix asked, his tone so gentle it almost hurt.

“I should have been honest with you,” Chan whispered, still not meeting Felix gaze. Felix didn’t reply. “I’ll leave in the morning. You don’t have to bother with an oathbreaker.”

“Chan…” Felix said, trailing off. “Look at me.” His tone was pleading and Chan swallowed hard before looking up to meet Felix’s eyes. “I said I would,” he took a deep breath, “I want to help you. I want to…” He looked frustrated; like he was looking for the right words to use. “I’m a cleric, correct?”

“Correct,” Chan said, unsure of where Felix was going with this. 

“I can sense the shadows digging their claws in your heart,” he said, moving one hand off Chan’s cheek to place it on Chan’s chest, just over where his heart was. “I sense the good in you and I’m… I want to help you. My purpose in this world is to fight the darkness and… and I want nothing more than to get rid of the evil in this world.”

“Thank you,” Chan breathed. He didn’t know what more to say. “Thank you.”

Felix shook his head, the ornaments in his antlers making a soft chiming sound as he offered Chan a smile. “You’re welcome.”

As Chan slowly stirred awake, he became aware that he was alone in the bed. He sat up, looking around the room. His vision was still a bit hazy as he took in his surroundings. The room was empty, Felix’s robes and shoes gone but his bag and staff were stiff in the room. The door leading into the room was half open and Chan could hear talking coming from outside. 

He slowly got out of bed, stretching his limbs. It still felt weird to sleep in actual beds. He got dressed, leaving his cloak off and headed out to the kitchen. 

Hyunjin and Changbin were both scurrying around the room, carrying pots and plates back and forth.

“Do you-” Chan cut himself off, clearing his throat. “Do you need help?” he asked, voice not as raspy. Both of the sorcerers jumped in surprise, turning to look at him. Their gazes were first surprised, then they took a second to look at him, studying his face. Then Changbin shook his head.

“You can just sit down at the table,” he said, offering Chan a smile. Chan hummed, scurrying over to sit down by the table. He kept his head low, not looking up at either of them as they continued to move around the room.

A cup of tea was suddenly placed in front of him and he startled a little in surprise. He looked up, eyes wide and saw Hyunjin who smiled apologetic to him. 

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said softly, his silver eyes sparkling in the morning light. “Sorry.”

“No it’s fine!” Chan rushed and Hyunjin smiled widely. As he did, Chan could see the sharp fangs. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome,” Hyunjin said, sitting down just as Changbin got to the table, two teacups in his hands. He placed the cups on the table and sat down beside Hyunjin. Hyunjin wrapped his hands around the cup, the green scaled hand catching Chan’s attention as light reflected off the scales.

“Sorry Seungmin was so… defensive yesterday,” Changbin said after a heartbeat of silence. 

“No it’s okay,” Chan said, taking the cup in his hands. “It’s understandable.”

“He shouldn’t have assumed you were something evil,” Changbin said, running a hand through his hair. “We don’t- I mean, we’re no strangers to prejudice,” he continued and Chan nodded. He could only imagine what Changbin and Hyunjin would have to endure, as chromatic sorcerers were frequently excluded, harassed and looked down upon back during Chan’s time and he could only assume that things weren’t that much different. 

“He’s not a bad person,” Hyunjin said and Chan shifted his eyes over to Hyunjin. Hyunjin sighed, looking down into his cup before looking up at Chan, meeting his gaze. “He took us in, helping us hide when there was a witch hunt for us, but he’s… he’s a bit suspicious with things from the outside. Especially now as the Shadowfell is growing closer and its influence getting more… prominent.”

Chan sat silent for a moment, processing what Hyunjin said. “I never thought he was a bad person,” Chan said softly. “I know what I am and I can’t expect being met with anything but suspicion. I shouldn’t be treated with anything but suspicion.”

“It’s not fair to you,” Changbin said, brushing his hair away from his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Chan repeated, shaking his head and waving his hand in a dismissive manner. “You wouldn’t happen to know where Felix is?” he asked, changing the subject. Hyunjin let out a hum into his cup of tea before placing it down on the table again. 

“Seungmin was going to run some errands and Felix had woken up, so he tagged along,” he said and Chan let out a soft ‘oh’. “They should be back at any moment now.”

As if on cue, the door to the house creaked open and both Seungmin and Felix entered the main room seconds later. The smell of freshly baked bread filled the air and Chan’s stomach rumbled, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten since yesterday.

“Good morning,” Felix chimed, brightening up the room with a wide smile.

“Morning,” Chan said, almost choking on his words as he stared at Felix. There was an almost bounce to Felix’s step as he moved across the room to sit down beside Chan, still grinning widely.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked, eyes gleaming as he looked at Chan.

“Yeah,” Chan mumbled, averting his eyes as he took a sip of his tea, trying to distract himself. “How about you?” he asked, stumbling over his words.

“It was good,” Felix said, thanking Changbin as a cup was placed in front of him. “I’ve really missed a good bed.”

“Oh,” Chan said softly and Felix chuckled, taking a sip from the cup. “Understandable,” he added quietly. The rest of the breakfast continued in silence, Chan keeping his gaze on either the table or looking at Felix, not daring to look up at Seungmin.

As the sun was setting, and the moon was rising in the sky, Chan had retreated back to the guest room. Felix had followed not long after, his eyelids heavy and gaze droopy. They hadn’t done much over the course of the day. Felix had taken Chan to the market, bringing him into the living world again.

Though Chan had, during his youth, preferred quiet and secluded spaces, he found himself rejoicing every time they went into villages and their market places.

“Did you have fun today?” Felix asked as he slipped the night shirt over his head, with great difficulties as it was a garment he’d borrowed from Seungmin and it was not fitted for the antlers. As Chan gazed upon Felix, he noted that Felix had removed all the ornaments from his antlers, leaving them bare.

“I did,” he finally said, shifting his eyes from Felix’s antlers to meet Felix’s eye. Felix grinned, his eyes twinkling as they crinkled up. “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me,” he said softly, sitting down in the big bed. The bed shifted a little, mattress dipping under Felix’s weight. “What was your favorite today? Anything you liked more than the others?”

Chan thought for a second. They’d gone through a bunch of food stands, trying small portions of almost everything. Everything had been so flavorful and rich to Chan. It was almost overwhelming. There were so many impressions and the memory of the flavors almost brought tears to Chan’s eyes. It felt like he was back to what he once had been; he felt normal.

“Everything?” he said and Felix frowned, raising an unimpressed eyebrow.

“Try again,” he said and Chan furrowed his brows, trying to think of something. As he did, Felix laid down, wrapping himself up in one of the blankets. 

“I liked the dried meat,” he finally said and Felix beamed, a sleepy grin on his lips. “What about you?”

“I really,” he cut himself off with a yawn, “I really liked the roasted vegetables, the local ones. The dried meats were good too. Mullin residents are just extraordinary when it comes to their food.”

“The vegetables were good too,” Chan mused, eyes fixed at the pale gray bed sheets before looking back at Felix. Felix’s eyes were dropping and he yawned again. “You’re really tired,” he pointed out and Felix replied with a sleepy hum. “You should sleep.”

“You should too,” Felix murmured, eyes falling shut. Chan could feel a fond smile spread across his lips. “Goodnight Chan.”

“Goodnight Felix,” Chan whispered, eyes locked on Felix as sleep claimed him. He sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Felix as his breathing evened out. 

Chan took a deep breath, tearing his eyes off Felix for a moment. He carefully laid down in bed, pulling the blanket over himself. He stared up into the roof, his thoughts wandering off for a moment. Beside him, he could hear Felix’s gentle breathing and he couldn’t help but glance over at him. Moonlight streamed through the window, bathing Felix in a pale silver light. He looked breathtaking and so beautiful. Something in Chan’s chest stirred.

The whispers in the back of his head were getting louder, their message clear.

He didn’t deserve Felix. 

“Hey,” Jisung said as he walked through the door, his white cloak in his arm. He bowed his head to Seungmin, greeting him with a warm smile. Behind him was a human, but he could easily have passed as an half-elf, had Jisung not been standing beside him. He had delicate features, a small and soft face with sharp cheekbones, light brown hair almost falling in his eyes. His lips were curled upwards in the corner of his mouth, even though he was pressing them together in a thin line. He had a cold, calculating look in his sharp eyes as he took in the room. Chan could see his gaze wander over the sorcerers, looking them over as if to evaluate them. “This is Minho,” Jisung continued, motioning to the human.

“Hello,” he said slowly, still looking over them. As his gaze landed on Chan, Chan could feel a shiver run down his spine. He had heard about the Horizon Walkers, the hunters who protected the realm of the living from whatever threatened them. They were rather secretive and Chan hadn’t heard more than they were often loners, socializing among each other as they switched between the planes. “Who might you be?” Minho asked, looking Chan over.

“I’m Chan,” he said softly and Minho hummed, gaze still lingering. A few, slow seconds passed as Minho just stared him down, as if trying to calculate and find his every flaw, weaknesses and strengths. He looked relaxed but the slight twitch in his fingers told Chan that he was on alert, ready to pull his weapon at any moment. 

“What are you?” he asked, the words rolling off his tongue like they were poisonous. He glanced over at Felix for a second before looking back at Chan. 

Chan opened his mouth to reply just as Minho’s eyes fell on his hands; he immediately pressed his lips together as he waited for Minho to react. 

“An oathbreaker,” Minho deadpanned, voice flat and he straightened his back slightly, raising his chin as he looked Chan over once more. “Haven’t seen one of you in quite some time. Not too many faithfuls are keen on breaking their sacred oaths.”

He’s daring. Kill him.

His blood must be delicious.

Chan looked down at his own hands, shaking his head ever so slightly to stop the whispers. Even if it was mostly hidden by the leather bracers, the marks of the oathbreaker still stretched out beyond the leather. He took a deep breath, closing his hands in fists before looking up.

“Yes. I’m an oathbreaker,” he said, voice quiet. “I’m… I’m looking for answers,” he said and Minho nodded, still eyeing him closer. 

“I see,” Minho said, turning to Felix. “Where did you find this one then?” he asked.

“I, uh, what?” Felix said and Minho raised an eyebrow. Felix glanced over at Chan, he looked mostly confused and maybe a bit scared. 

“I assume he came with you,” Minho said, voice a tad bit impatient as he looked between the two of them. “Where did you find him?”

“Well, one,” Felix began, raising an eyebrow as he straightened his back. “You could have been civil and asked him yourself. He may be my companion but he speaks with his own voice,” he said, tone flat and Minho stared blankly at him, not a single emotion upon his face. There was tension hanging in the air as Felix met his gaze and did not look away. The tension was so heavy and the silence rang in Chan’s ears.

“I suppose you’re right,” Minho finally said, his face still void of any emotions. “I quite like you. Your name?”

“Felix,” Felix said shortly, quickly shifting his eyes over to Jisung. Jisung was standing on the side, introducing himself to Seungmin, Changbin and Hyunjin. Minho hummed and looked back to Chan.

“Where do you come from?” he asked, eyes scanning Chan’s face. “I assume you’re not from the Shadowfell, but I can’t really tell,” he continued, looking over Chan carefully. “You’re so drenched in the presence of that foul plane I can’t tell if you’re influenced or from there.”

“I was living in the Hissing Woodlands,” he mumbled, and Minho clicked his tongue.

“That makes sense,” he said, leaning against the wall. “The border between the Shadowfell and here is a bit thin over there. How long did you live there?”

“Almost two-hundred years,” Chan replied, clenching his jaw. 

Minho just hummed, nodding his head slowly.

“Where are you traveling?” he asked instead of pressing the matter. Chan blinked, eyes flickering over to Felix. Felix was frowning as he kept his eyes fixed at Minho, but when he shifted his gaze to meet Chan’s, the frown immediately melted away and he smiled, his eyes soft.

“I-I was thinking of looking for my temple,” Chan said quietly, averting his eyes a little to look down at the wooden floor. “I might get my answers there,” he continued slowly.

“I’m following Chan,” Felix said and Chan looked up, brows slightly furrowed. “I am going to help him find the answers he needs.”

Chan’s heart gave a little squeeze, warmth blooming in his chest as he looked down at the floor again, chewing on his bottom lip as he held back a smile.

“Where is this temple?” Minho asked and Chan looked up again. Minho looked unfazed, eyes blank and an eyebrow raised. “I did not hear any mention of the deity it belonged to.”

“Beory,” Chan said and Minho furrowed his brows. “According to Seungmin she’s…” he trailed off, swallowing the lump in his throat. “According to Seungmin she’s a forgotten deity,” he said and Minho nodded slowly. 

“Makes sense. I haven’t heard of her,” he said, rubbing his chin. Chan knew by now that he was worshipping a dead deity and from what he’d learned in the temple, the chances of her coming back now when she was gone and forgotten were slim. “But, I think… if you don’t mind, I’d like to follow you to the temple. We’re dealing with something old that wants to come back to the world and a forgotten deities temple might be a good place to start.”

“If,” Seungmin butted in and both Minho and Chan turned to look at him. “If you give me a day, I can look into whatever I can find on this and…” he looked at Changbin and Hyunjin. “I’ll join you. From what I know, something is coming and I-” He sighed. “I want to help.”

“If Seungmin is coming, we’re coming,” Hyunjin declared and Changbin nodded in agreement. 

Minho looked over his shoulder, at Jisung who was busy inspecting one of the bookshelves. “Would you join us if I asked?”

“What?” Jisung said, jumping a little in surprise before turning his head to look at them with wide eyes.

“If I asked you to come along, would you join us on the journey to this temple?” Minho asked and Jisung shrugged. “It might… You might get something out of this.”

“It does have something to do with portals between the planes so I guess,” Jisung said, looking Minho up and down. “But that’s not the only reason for me to travel with you. We’re a team. I can’t just leave you.”

“I guess,” Minho said, turning back to the rest of them. His gaze wandered, looking over each and everyone in the room. “I don’t know what we’ll find along the journey, but I think we should rely on numbers. The more of us, the safer the travel is going to be,” he continued and Chan hummed, slowly tuning out the rest as he thought about what this journey may hold for him.

Was he going to find Beory? Maybe he could find some of his priests. Surely some of them had to be alive. There had been a few other half-dryads in his temple, a few elves… someone had to remain. He couldn’t be alone.

“Can we go through this whole situation once again?” Hyunjin asked, snapping Chan out of his own thoughts, and he received an agreeing hum from Changbin. “As I said, I’ll follow where Seungmin goes and I’m all for helping but I think I don’t have enough knowledge of the whole situation with the planes.”

Minho raised an eyebrow, looking over the table and his gaze lingered on Jisung for two seconds before he straightened his back.

“Do you have paper and some ink?” he asked, eyes moving over look at Seungmin. Seungmin nodded, not saying a word as he stood up to get Minho the paper and the ink, along with a pencil. “Thank you,” he said, voice unexpectedly soft.

Chan leaned a bit closer as Minho began to draw on the parchment. He was somewhat familiar with the planes of existence, but he’d take any chance he had to learn from a Horizon Walker.

“Think of it as a wheel. We have our material plane, our world,” he began, pointing at the oval in the middle of the paper. “Closest to our world is the Feywild and the Shadowfell.” He pointed at the two half-ovals, both connected to the center plane. “The Feywild is on top of our world, belonging to the positive planes, while the Shadowfell is below our world, among the negative planes.”

“Okay,” Changbin said, tilting his head to the left and then the right, looking at the drawing on the paper.

“Around our three planes,” Minho continued, adding a circle around the existing circle, “is the Ethereal plane. The plane of the ghosts, to make the explanation as short as possible.” His eyes traveled over to look at Seungmin. “Do you know how to cast Blink?” he asked and Seungmin just nodded, crossing his arms and he leaned against the wall. “You go to the Ethereal plane when you cast spells like, for example, blink. You become a ghost version of yourself for just a moment.”

Chan frowned down at the paper as Minho added yet another ring to the drawing, this one split in four parts. 

“These are the Elemental Planes,” he said, motioning to the four planes with the pencil. “You have air,” he pointed at the upper left plane before moving to the right upper plane, “and water.” He then moved his pencil down to the lower right plane. “This is earth, and the last one here is fire.” He dipped the pencil in the ink again and drew an uneven, jagged circle around everything. “This is the elemental chaos that separates the inner planes from the outer planes. The divine gate exists within the elemental chaos.”

“Oh,” Hyunjin said, leaning closer to the drawing, his eyebrows furrowed. “What are the outer planes then?”

“Do you want me to go around the whole wheel?” Minho asked, raising both eyebrows as he leaned back to look at Hyunjin. 

“Yeah I mean,” Hyunjin began, coughing awkwardly as he looked around the room and then back at Minho. “I’m just curious and you’re… you’re a Horizon Walker,” he continued, offering Minho a sheepish grin.

Minho took a moment to look at Hyunjin before, to Chan’s surprise, crack a tiny smile. “Sure,” he said and added sixteen smaller circles around the existing wheel.

“This one,” he began, pointing at the one furthest to the left. “Is Mechanus, it’s a neutral plane, neither positive or negative, neither good or evil. It’s lawful, so it’s a perfect clockwork. If we continue with the positive planes here, you have Arcadia, a place of purity. It’s pretty nice there, as long as you stay on the good side with the four demigods that rule the place. Then there’s Mount Celestia, it’s just a single mountain that symbolizes justice and grace. It’s home to deities like Bahamut for example. Bytopia is the second positive plane, and it’s divided into two types of paradises. You have the tamed fields of crops and you have the unkept wilderness.”

“And after that?” Hyunjin asked, eyes sparkling with a childlike curiosity. 

“You got Elysium, what many calls ‘the perfect place’, where Pelor, the Sun Father lives, followed by the Beastlands,” Minho said, taking a moment to just stop and a small smile stretched on his lips. “It’s a wilderness where nature rules. If I’m not mistaken, Ehlonna and Melora both reside there.”

“Is there another plane like Mechanus?” Felix asked, leaning over the map a little. “Like, completely neutral?”

“Yes,” Minho said, pointing at the circle to the far right. “This is Limbo. But unlike Mechanus where everything is in order, Limbo is a complete chaos. It’s always changing and it’s violent and I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“Have you been there?” Chan asked after a second and Minho looked over at him, his whole demeanor immediately becoming guarded and eyes cold. Chan ignored it. 

“I haven’t,” Minho said, whatever excitement had been in his voice gone. “But I’ve seen people returning from Limbo. They’re almost always ruined, unable to function properly ever again. It’s not a plane for the weak mind.”

Chan nodded and as Minho went back to explaining the planes, he quietly pulled away, leaving the room to return to whatever safety Seungmin’s guest room could provide.

“You okay?” Felix asked as he closed the door to their shared room behind him. Chan looked up from the book he had borrowed from Seungmin, The full history of the Forgotten , and tilted his head. Felix sighed, running a hand through his hair as he stood in front of Chan, shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry people treat you like, I don’t know, a thing.” He sounded irritated, worked up as his voice was slightly strained. 

“It’s… okay,” Chan mumbled, closing the book. He stared at the cover, running a clawed finger over the smooth leather. “I guess I deserved th-”

“Don’t you dare say it,” Felix cut him off, unexpected intensity in his voice and Chan blinked, looking up at Felix. Felix was frowning, annoyance and maybe even a hint of anger on his face. It was odd to not see him smile or his eyes twinkle. “Maybe you deserved some punishment, but a banishment to a cursed forest for almost 200 years is not something you deserved. And now when you’re outside that godforsaken forest, the last thing you need is people treating you badly because of what the forest did to you.”

Chan looked at Felix, his lips shivering slightly. It warmed him, to hear that someone was actually standing up for him. A month ago, he couldn’t even imagine being outside the forest. But Felix acting like this raised a question.

“Why are you doing this for me?” he whispered, voice weak and slightly wavering. While he was grateful, he was also scared. Sure Felix was standing up for him now, but… but what if he realized just what kind of monster Chan had turned into?

“I told you,” Felix said, his fingers twitching ever so slightly before he reached out to brush his fingertips over Chan’s jaw. “I see the good in you, and I will make sure the shadows in your heart doesn’t corrupt you.”

“You…” Chan trailed off, sighing as he looked down, avoiding Felix’s eyes. “I don’t know if there’s any savings. Two-hundred years is an awful long time, and the influence of the Shadowfell was very strong.”

Felix sighed, pulling his hand back to sit down on the bed beside Chan. A silence filled the room and Chan stared into the far wall. 

“Tell me about your family,” he whispered, wanting to take his mind off things. He had heard a little about Felix’s childhood, but not really his family. “Who- who was your mother?”

As Chan looked over to Felix, he could see the other frown slightly, teeth worrying his bottom lip.

“My mother was the spirit of one of the few Suntrees,” he finally said and Chan blinked. He’d heard rumors about large divine trees growing, sent to the material plane by the Sun Father Pelor himself, but he hadn’t heard about dryads inhabiting these trees. “It was located down by the Fire Ridge and the temple of Pelor at the base of the mountain. My father was a cleric… He was the one who raised me, you…” he trailed off and smiled sheepishly at Chan. “You know how dryads are.”

Oh, Chan knew. His mother had left him at his father’s doorstep when he was born, only visiting every now and then. She had belonged to the Lonely Willows Woods, south of the mountain range and it made the journey hard for her to take. 

“What became of your mother?” Chan asked carefully. “Is she still around?”

“No,” Felix whispered, expression going dark. “The darkness that is poisoning this world claimed her, killing her tree. Or what I think was her tree.”

“Oh,” Chan breathed, lowering his head. “I’m so sorry for you loss.”

“It was about fifty years ago,” Felix whispered and Chan swallowed, reaching out to gently grab Felix’s hand. “My father was old when he got me,” he continued and Chan’s heart dropped. “He passed away when I was twenty-five.”

Twenty-five for half-dryads was nothing as they reached adulthood at around fifty. Felix had still been a child as his father died, leaving him alone in the world.

“I was… I don’t know, I prayed to Pelor because that’s what I was taught,” he continued, his voice wavering ever so slightly. “But after my father’s passing… I took to the world.”

“You were traveling alone?” Chan asked and Felix nodded, glancing over at Chan before turning to stare into the wall in front of them. 

“During my childhood, my father showed me my mother’s tree, told me about her. But not once did I see her. No matter how many times I visited, no matter how much I begged her to step out of her tree to just… talk to me. So when I was 30, I decided to leave the Fire Ridge for good and find my own place,” he said and Chan hummed, still holding onto Felix’s hand. “That’s when Ehlonna spoke to me.”

“She did?” Chan asked. Thanks to the Divine Gate, reaching through to the material plane, their plane, with words was a rare thing that mostly happened when the veil between worlds weakened. Chan had been one of the few in his temple who Beory had talked to. 

“Yes,” Felix said, a tight lipped smile on his lips. “But I guess it wasn’t really like… words,” he continued and Chan hummed. “It was more like actions, small things, a warm breeze, a squirrel showing me the way through the woods, you know. At last I found her temple on the outskirts of the South Grove and I… I just somehow knew that I belonged there.”

Chan hummed, his thoughts wandering. 

“How did you end up in the… care of Beory?” Felix asked slowly, snapping Chan out of his thoughts.

“I… Well, I too lived with my father for some time in a small farming community on the Blessed Fields. But my father was a soldier and my mother came from the Lonely Willow Woods. She visited me a few times, but the journey was almost too long for her and she just… stopped. When I was ten, my father was drafted again and I was left in the care of my aunt and uncle.” Felix hummed, squeezing Chan’s hand gently. “A few years later, because of a terrible famine, they sent me off to Beory’s temple, as they could no longer provide for me.”

“Oh,” Felix said softly and Chan swallowed, taking a deep breath.

“I wasn’t unhappy in the temple though. My priests were good to me and slowly I just… took the faith of the Mother. It was just something that happened, and I didn’t think too much of it,” he whispered and Felix nodded, thumb stroking Chan’s hand. “I was twenty-six when I made my… oath. I had become quite a good fighter, training with the other knights for years and studied her grace and other deities for years and I… I felt like I belonged there. She took me into her arms as I made my oath.”

Felix nodded again and Chan bit his lip, his throat closing up; he lowered his head and swallowed hard. Oh how he wished for his Mother to take him back. 

“Should we get some rest?” Felix asked, changing the subject and Chan looked up, taking a few seconds to just calm down and push the tears back. “This will be the last night in a bed for a while,” he continued, taking a deep breath before offering Chan a gentle smile. 

“Yeah,” Chan mumbled, nodding his head slowly. “Let’s just get some rest.”

The sun was just barely breaking the horizon, the skies pink and bright as they exited Seungmin’s house. Chan glanced over to Felix as the younger rubbed his eyes, trying to get rid of the sleep in them. There was an ever so slight chill in the air and Chan was thankful for the new shirt Felix had gotten for him the day before, this one dark, thicker and with a high collar fitted snugly around his neck. Felix on the other hand was always warm in the brown leather armor he wore under his pale green robes.

“How long is it going to take us to get to the temple?” Hyunjin asked, eyes shifting between Chan and Minho. Minho straightened his back, stretching his arms over his head before looking at Hyunjin. 

“As I do not know the exact position of the temple, but just the general direction. So I don’t really know how long it will take,” he said, eyes wandering over to Chan. “But based on what Chan told me, I think between five or six days by foot.”

“I guess we should get going then,” Seungmin said, adjusting his robes a little. Seungmin was wearing a white garment, much more strict than what he’d been wearing the days before in the comfort of their home. It almost looked like a dress, reaching just beneath his knees, the knee high boots showing underneath, and slightly longer in the back. He had a belt wrapped around his waist, a few vials containing various liquids fasted to the belt and over his shoulders were a piece of dark blue fabric wrapping around his neck and reaching down his arms. He had a dark brown cloak in his arms and a small bag slung over his shoulder. 

Changbin and Hyunjin were both dressed in darker colors than Seungmin. Hyunjin was wearing something similar to Seungmin, but the robes parting after the belt around his waist with a pair of baggy pants underneath. His sleeves were also baggy, tightening around his wrists. Around his shoulders were a cloak with a fur trim to the hood. Changbin was wearing a similar set of clothing, but with a higher collar. 

Hyunjin and Changbin looked at each other and Chan could see something flash in their eyes before Hyunjin pulled the hood over his head, hiding behind the fur trim and Changbin pulled up the high collar of his robes, obscuring his black scales completely.

As they left the village of Mullin, Chan took the opportunity to look around the town. It reminded him of the small town closest to the temple. He frowned as he tried to remember the name but he couldn’t remember it at all. All he could remember was the warmth and sense of community and belonging it had given off every time he’d visited it during his youth.

But he did notice how Hyunjin and Changbin moved among the few people that did wander the streets and he noted the odd looks the two of them, and to some extent he himself, got. He could see Hyunjin hooking his arm with Changbin’s, pulling his cloak closer and lowering his head. Changbin had his eyes fixed on Seungmin’s heels, trailing after him as he avoided eye contact with everyone around them. 

It seemed like the chromatic sorcerers were still frowned upon, just like they had been back when Chan was still living in the temple. He took a deep breath as they passed through the gates of the wooden wall protecting Mullin from predators.

He startled a little in surprise as Felix suddenly reached out to gently take his hand, a reassuring, soft smile on his face. 

“Are you scared?” he asked, his voice gentle as a warm breeze. Chan exhaled, letting his eyes wander over the road ahead and their companions walking in front of them.

“No,” he finally said, shifting his gaze back at Felix. “Nervous, but… but not scared. I’m ready for answers.”

Their first day of travel was uneventful. The sun had been high in the sky, a few stray clouds drifting over the sky in the gentle wind. 

Chan had walked in the back, following where Minho led them along the road. The landscape in the northwest was mostly just open fields, as the area around Mullin was mostly farmlands and ahead of them, the Blessed Fields awaited. When they had left the village, there was an immediate shift in both Changbin and Hyunjin’s posture. Changbin had straightened his back, pushing his collar down as soon as the village was behind them. About an hour later, when they were certainly out of view and not risked to run into as many traveling farmers from the area around Mullin, Hyunjin pulled down his hood. 

As the day progressed, the clouds slowly began to roll in and when Minho announced that they would put up camp for the night, the sky was dark blue, mostly covered with clouds but a small, pink glow illuminating the line of the horizon. 

Chan had kept mostly to himself, remaining quiet during dinner as Felix had chatted away with Jisung about his hometown in the Fire Range and then proceeded to talk to Chan about his favorite flowers. Chan had only listened, his heart feeling warm as he saw the excitement in Felix’s eyes. 

They had decided on taking shifts on the watch and Chan had volunteered to take the first shift, Felix had been quick to join him. In the warm light of the fire, staring out over the open fields ahead.

He jumped in surprise when Felix suddenly poked his side and he looked over at the other, eyes wide. Felix didn’t say anything, he just had a sheepish grin on his face as he pointed up to the sky. Chan furrowed his brows but he looked up… and he almost lost his breath.

The stars were out, gleaming like tiny diamonds on the dark canvas of the sky, the North Star the brightest of them all, a beacon for the lost travelers. Across the open sky, a northern light danced. It was jade green, bright as it swayed back and forth. It twisted, turned and every now and then, the green faded into a soft purple.

They sat there in silence, and Chan could hear the slight, soft hiss of the northern light as it moved.

“It’s beautiful,” he breathed, his jaw slack as he stared up into the infinite space above them. His heart suddenly felt so light, like he was just a simple person under the sky. He didn’t feel like he was carrying any burden, he was no monster, he was no oathbreaker. He was just Chan.

“It is,” Felix agreed, voice soft and when Chan finally tore his eyes off the sky, he looked down at Felix who was watching him with an amused expression on his face. “Is this the first northern light you’ve seen?”

“In a long time, yes,” Chan said, eyes finding their way back to the sky again. He needed to take it all in, commit this picture in front of him to his memory. He wanted to remember this forever.

Felix placed his hand on top of Chan’s, thumb mindlessly stroking the back of Chan’s hand. They remained like that, Chan just staring up at the beautiful display of colors, his chest tightening and throat closing. Felix didn’t say anything, he just let Chan take it all in, regain control over his emotions. 

“Why are you always cold?” Felix asked, breaking the silence after a few quiet minutes and Chan slowly looked down from the sky. 

“It’s because of the corruption of the Hissing Woodlands,” Chan whispered, taking a deep breath. “The Shadowfell just sucks the life out of things, animals die, nature wilt and rot, that’s… that’s how things are I would presume.”

“Oh,” Felix said, lips shaped like an ‘o’ as the sound slipped past them. He took a moment to just look into Chan’s eyes before tilting his head down, inspecting Chan’s hand. He took Chan’s hand in both his hands and as he did, Chan noted just how small his hands were in comparison with Chan’s. His skin was warm and his touch so gentle. Chan had removed the leather bracers, his hands completely exposed and under the soft gaze of Felix, Chan felt very conscious about the oathbreaker marks covering his hands and upper arm. 

Felix didn’t say anything, he just gently traced the marks on Chan's hands and upper arms, fingers just barely touching Chan’s skin and they left a sense of warmth in their wake. He traced the blackened veins under Chan's skin, eyes fixed at the marks and his lips slightly parted. Chan's heart felt warm as he looked at Felix and he opened his mouth to say something when there was a shift in the air.

He looked up in the sky, the northern lights still dancing on the dark veil but for a second, there was a wave of pinkish energy that traveled across the sky as the scent of crisp pine, the mellow sweet scent of burnt walnut with the ever so slight hint of decay filled the air. Felix let go of Chan’s hands, looking around the camp with narrowed eyes.

“The Feywild?” Chan asked and Felix hummed. Chan looked around, trying to listen for any kind of sound and he slowly got up on his feet.

“Should we wake the others?” he asked, eyes still shifting around. Chan hummed; Felix reached out to grab his staff and without even looking, he poked Jisung who was sleeping soundly beside them. Jisung startled awake, sitting up immediately.

“What?” he asked groggily, blinking the sleep out of his eyes as he looked around. But as soon as it seemed to dawn on him what was going on, his eyes were suddenly wide and awake. “The Feywild?”

“Yeah,” Felix said, standing up as well and tightened his grip around his staff, the small ornaments on the top of it chiming softly. The only sound they could hear was the gentle crackle of the campfire. Chan almost didn’t dare to breathe. Anything from another plane could mean danger, it was best to be ready for anything.

“Hey!” a new voice called out from behind them and Chan whipped his head around as Felix and Jisung spun around. “Jisung?” The voice was soft and almost childish. From the darkness emerged a young humanoid, most facial features hidden by the darkness of the night but his eyes were the first thing Chan noted. They were a pale gold, glowing brightly in the darkness like two stars and just below both eyes, on the top of his cheekbones were two dots, them too glowing with whatever innate magic he held.

“Jeongin?” Jisung said and Chan blinked. 

Oh. Jisung and Minho had talked about a Jeongin, their third companion when they happened to travel the planes. 

As Jeongin entered the camp, the small light from the fire made it easier to distinguish his features. He had wide, sharp eyes with pale golden irises and a curious look in them as he scanned the camp, his eyes meeting Chan’s. He had a strong jaw and cheekbone but a rather puffy face and Chan could only assume that he was on the younger side, his face still holding onto some baby fat. But upon further inspection, Chan realized just what Jeongin was.

He was an aasimar. A half-angel, as shown by the small marks on his cheeks and his piercing, glowing golden eyes. 

“Hey,” Jeongin said, taking a glance around the camp. “How long was I gone?” he asked, turning to look over the camp again. 

“About two weeks,” Jisung replied, shrugging and Jeongin frowned. “How much time passed for you?”

“About two days,” Jeongin said, running a hand through his hair and sighed, irritated. “I hate when the time gets all weird and I wish I’d been faster, but I needed to solve some things with… you know,” he continued, coughing awkwardly as his eyes flickered over to Felix and Chan. “Hello, I’m Jeongin, nice to meet you.”

“Hello Jeongin,” Felix said, the grasp of his staff relaxing as he shook Jeongin’s hand. “Jisung has told us some about you.”

“Only good I hope,” Jeongin said, displaying a toothy grin as he looked over to Jisung. Jisung only held up his hands, shrugging. “It’s nice to meet you Felix,” he continued, letting go of Felix hand to turn to Chan. Chan didn’t miss the half second pause he did before holding out his hand to shake Chan’s. “Jeongin,” he said, a bit short and his golden eyes studying Chan carefully.

“Chan,” Chan said curtly, giving Jeongin a tight lipped smile before letting go of his hand, eyes shifting to Felix.

“Are these the ones Minho talked about?” Jeongin asked, eyes lingering on Chan before before going over to Jisung. Jisung just nodded and Jeongin turned back to Chan, grinning widely.

“Minho sent me some messages about a few new people joining us,” he explained and Chan nodded slowly. “Anyway, it’s nice to meet you, I should let you go back to sleep.”

“We were on the watch,” Felix said.

“Oh.”

“It should be time for a shift change,” Jisung said, grinning at them. “Jeongin and I can take it, you should go to sleep.”

Felix nodded, glancing at Chan before moving over to where their bedrolls were. As Chan laid down, he could feel Felix’s eyes on him and he turned a little to the side, meeting Felix’s eyes.

“Goodnight Chan,” Felix whispered, grin stretching his lips before he rolled over. Chan blinked, lost for a second before breaking out in a smile.

“Goodnight Felix,” he murmured, closing his eyes to let sleep claim him.

Jeongin seemed to blend in perfectly with the rest of their companions. He was bright, talkative and friendly, interacting with everyone when given the chance. He even talked to Chan, chattering about the Feywild and how things were over there. After Chan had told him about his prolonged stay in the Hissing Woodlands, Jeongin had become very interested in his experience with the small rifts and had been almost glued to his side until Jisung removed him, saying something about needing to talk about something.

They continued to walk down the road, towards what Chan hoped would be the temple. He hoped it had survived the almost two-hundred years he’d been gone. But if Beory was forgotten, he shouldn’t hold onto too much hope. He glanced up at the sky, frowning as he noted the clouds rolling in. It was a thin blanket of clouds but they seemed to be trying to cover the whole sky and he didn’t really like that. He had been enjoying his days in the sun and these clouds were obscuring the sun from them.

“Hey,” Seungmin suddenly said, snapping Chan out of his thoughts. He turned to the side to look at the wizard who offered him a smile. “I’m… I’m sorry,” he said after a few seconds of silence.

“What?” Chan asked, surprised. “What do you have to be sorry about?”

“For being so sceptic and,” he sighed, running a hand through his red hair. “I assume you overheard me talking to Felix.”

“Just the last piece of conversation,” Chan admitted and Seungmin sighed.

“I’m sorry for what I said, I should not have treated you as any less of a person because of stories,” he said, straightening his back a little. During the few days Chan had known Seungmin, he had gotten the impression that the human was a guarded character, with carefully crafted walls around him and a tendency to come off as cold. But here, as they walked the road towards the unknown, Chan saw those walls come down ever so slightly as he apologized. 

“It’s okay,” Chan whispered after a moment but Seungmin shook his head.

“I shouldn’t ha-”

“You did not know what I was,” Chan said calmly. “I don’t even know what that forest has turned me into and Felix just brought me into your house, it’s okay for you to be suspicious.”

“I am still very sorry,” Seungmin said, lowering his head but Chan just placed a hand on his shoulder. 

“Apology accepted,” Chan said softly, smiling at Seungmin. “Let’s just move on from this and…” he trailed off, chewing on his bottom lip. “Let’s be friends?” he asked, voice suddenly small and uncertain. Would Seungmin even want to consider him a friend? 

“I’d… I’d like that,” Seungmin said, beaming at Chan.

“Chan?” Felix asked as they were laying off to the side in the camp, about to sleep. Chan was already halfway into sleep and he cracked an eye open, glancing to the side to look at Felix. The moon was out tonight, breaking through the clouds in the sky and bathing their camp in a bright, silver light; in the strong light of the moon, Chan was able to make out Felix’s face in the darkness. 

Felix was laying on his stomach, his chin resting on his hands as he looked at Chan with curiosity sparkling in his eyes. In the embrace of night, the usual sparkles in Felix’s eyes seemed to be glowing all by themselves; like small stars. 

“Can I ask you something?” he asked when he realized that Chan had heard him. Chan just hummed, his brain a bit muddled with the sleep that was creeping up on him. “Have your eyes always been black?” He narrowed his eyes, as if to see better. “Or are they dark gray?”

“What?” Chan asked, blinking awake and turned a little to get a better look at Felix. Felix looked around the camp before moving a bit closer. 

“Were your eyes always this dark?” he asked, tilting his head ever so slightly. 

Chan bit his lip and sighed, shaking his head slowly. “No,” he whispered, averting his eyes to stare up into the sky. The stars were out tonight, gleaming like precious jewels on the dark background. Chan let his gaze wander across the various constellations until it stopped on the North Star, the bright guide for the traveler. “They were golden brown, a long time ago.”

Felix hummed and Chan could hear the rustle of fabric and when he glanced to the side, Felix had moved even closer. He didn’t say anything, he just watched Chan with this curious look in his eyes.

“I guess they turned dark at the same time my hair did,” Chan sighed, turning away from Felix again. A comfortable silence settled in the air, the only sounds were the low rustling and murmurs of their companions talking, along with Felix’s soft and steady breathing.

Chan jumped in surprise as Felix placed his hand on his head. He blinked, staring wide eyed at Felix who just offered him a sheepish grin. 

“Sorry,” he said, still smiling so widely and Chan just stared, not saying a word. He took in the sight of Felix, his dark brown eyes sparkling and his lips slightly parted. As Felix gently ran his hand through Chan’s dark curls, fingers brushing over the wilted flowers in his hair. “Does all of the flowers wilt?” he asked, voice barely a whisper and Chan just hummed.

“Yeah…” he said slowly, shame washing over him. Half-dryads pride was their flowers, the different and colorful arrangements in their hair. Chan’s flowers had been dead, wilting before they could even blossom. “They never really survive,” he continued and Felix hummed, eyes studying Chan’s face for a second before shifting to his hair and the flowers. “There’s some buds there, sometimes. They wilt pretty quickly.”

Felix was silent for a second, nails gently scraping across Chan’s scalp. “There’s one about to bloom here, love,” he whispered.

“What?” Chan whispered, eyes widening in disbelief as his hand shot up to look for the flower. Felix gently took his hand, guiding it to where the flower bud was growing. Chan’s heart leaped as his fingers brushed over the flower and he looked at Felix, eyes still wide and he could feel his eyes water. “I-it’s about to bloom,” he whispered in disbelief. Felix just smiled, stroking some of Chan’s hair away from his forehead. “What does this mean?” he asked, voice trembling slightly. 

“You’re no longer wilting away,” Felix whispered, stroking the back of his hand over Chan’s cheek. “There is a soul in there for me to save.”

The clouds covering the skies today were thicker than yesterday and Chan just frowned up at the sky as they traveled. The clouds were dark and heavy, it almost looked like it was about to rain.

“Hey,” Jeongin said, suddenly walking beside Chan, that warm, childish smile on his lips. “Can I walk with you?”

Chan blinked before just shrugging, flashing Jeongin a polite smile. “Of course. I don’t see why not.”

They continued to walk in silence, Chan focusing on the road ahead but he could see Jeongin fidget in the corner of his eye. 

“You’re an oathbreaker, right?” Jeongin finally said, looking at Chan with curious eyes. Chan bit his lip, holding his breath for just a second and Jeongin’s eyes widened. “I-I mean, I didn’t want to offend you but I was just curious, and o-oh shit I’m sorry,” he rambled. “I offended you, didn’t I?”

Chan only held up a hand, shaking his head slowly.

“No it’s, it’s fine,” he said and Jeongin just blinked at him, eyes shifting around. “But yes, I’m an… oathbreaker.” He frowned, biting his bottom lip even harder. Somehow saying it out loud made it feel so much worse. 

“Minho didn’t tell me much,” Jeongin began, looking Chan over. “He just said you were an oathbreaker from the Hissing Woodlands and we’re heading towards your temple…” he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “I was just wondering… What are the Hissing Woodlands like? I mean, I’ve heard about them my whole life but I just- I’m curious.”

“It’s- uhm, well,” Chan frowned, “I don’t really know what to say? The presence of the Shadowfell is really strong, suffocating and in the long run, it just… kills you, or part of you.”

“Oh,” Jeongin said softly. “That sounds awful… I’ve never really seen the Shadowfell. Minho is the one who travels the planes the most, I mostly go to either the Feywild or the outer planes.”

“Are you a Horizon Walker too?” Chan asked, raising an eyebrow. Jeongin just laughed, shaking his head.

“Nope,” he said, a cheerful tone making its way back to his voice. “I guess I share a similar goal as Minho and the Horizon Walkers, but I’m not… one of them.”

“What are you then?”

“I’m a warlock,” Jeongin said simply, looking over the road ahead before back at Chan. 

Warlocks. Deal makers. During Chan’s youth, warlocks were considered evil and dangerous. Most warlocks Chan had read, and heard about had struck deals with fiends, devils from the Nine Hells or demons from the Abyss.

“I serve a creature named Auris, who resides in the Feywild, and you know,” Jeongin continued, shrugging. “In return they grant me my powers.” He gave Chan a knowing glance. “I did not make a deal with any fiends or otherworldly creatures. Auris is a kind spirit.”

“What do they ask of you then?” Chan asked, brows furrowed. “I’m unfamiliar with… fey warlocks.”

“I am to make sure the veil between the Feywild and our world doesn’t rip,” Jeongin said, glanced over at Minho who was walking in the front of the group, sharp eyes darting around their surroundings. “So me, Minho and Jisung have similar goals. That’s why we… teamed up I guess.”

“I see,” Chan mused as silence filled the air.

“What about you?”

“What?”

“What about you and Felix?” Jeongin asked, an eyebrow raised as he looked Chan up and down. “How did the two of you come to travel together? Judging by how you’re mostly by his side, I’m assuming you’re with him.”

“Ah,” Chan said, feeling his cheeks heat up slightly in embarrassment. “He found me in the Hissing Woodlands. He’s the reason I got out of there and I… I don’t know why but he’s helping me… find whatever I’m looking for.”

“Oh,” Jeongin said, eyes softening. “He seems like a kind person.”

“He is,” Chan whispered, smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “The kindest I’ve ever met.”

The campfire was crackling softly, casting a warm and orange light over their small camp. Everyone was fast asleep, the soft snores of Jisung and Jeongin traveling through the air. Chan was staring out over the dark and silent fields, doing his best to stay awake and keep an eye out for any danger.

On the opposite side of the fire was Minho, staring out over the open landscape with his usual sharp gaze.

“What do you expect to find?” Minho suddenly asked and Chan snapped his head around to look at Minho with wide eyes. He blinked, trying to process what Minho just asked him and tried to figure out what to reply. 

“What?”

“What do you expect to find?” Minho repeated, leaning back on his hands as he looked at Chan with the usual cold gaze.

“I don’t…” Chan trailed off, swallowing hard. What was he looking for? “Maybe… maybe just answers,” he whispered and Minho hummed. “Answers f-for what happened, why Beory is,” he took a deep breath. “Why she is forgotten, if there’s anyone left…” he trailed off again, chewing on his bottom lip. “If what I did was really wrong, I just-” he ran a hand through his hair, feeling his throat close up. “I want to know why I was punished,” he whispered, not bothering to speak of the last reason for him to visit the temple. He wanted to be taken back into the arms of his goddess. 

Silence fell over the camp and Chan could feel Minho’s eyes on him every now and then. After a few minutes of silence, he looked back at Minho.

“Can I ask you something? About the planes.”

Minho raised his eyebrows before nodding slowly. “Shoot,” he said, leaning forward and placed his hands in his lap. 

“Some deities live in outer planes,” Chan began and Minho nodded again, a curious look in his eyes. “But do all deities reside in an outer plane?”

Minho sighed, shifting his gaze away from Chan and back to look over the empty fields. “Not necessarily,” he said after a second of thinking. “Some of them reside in their own demi-planes, but outside the Divine Gate of course.”

“Oh,” Chan said softly and Minho hummed. The Divine Gate. Before it was created, in the first age, chaos and gods had ruled all the worlds and in an attempt to bring peace to the world, the Prime Deities had created the Divine Gate to shield the living from the influences of evil gods. The existence of the Divine Gate made it difficult for the divine, good and bad, to affect the world.

“What are you afraid of?” Chan asked after a heartbeat of silence, changing the subject and Minho just stared at him, blank expression on his face. “I mean,” Chan continued, pausing for a moment. “You travel through the planes, literally going to one of the layers of hell. So I guess I’m just… curious I guess. Something has to scare you.”

Minho sat there in silence, staring at Chan. His pupils flickered slightly as he observed Chan’s face closely. Chan felt small in front of Minho as he stared right into Chan’s soul.

“I’m…” Minho began, trailing off. He ran a hand through his hair, pushing his light brown hair away from his forehead and he sighed, shoulders slumping. He looked down for a second. “I’m scared of dying,” he finally said, looking up to meet Chan’s eyes.

This Minho he was looking at was… a different Minho than the one before. Gone was the cold look in his eyes with that carefully constructed wall and replacing them was this soft, and earnest look. In the warm light of the fire, Chan could see the emotional turmoil within Minho.

“Oh,” he said softly and Minho let out a humorless laugh, straightening his back a little. 

He didn’t have the same posture he had had previously. He tilted his head up, looking towards the sky. Chan followed suit, looking up in the hopes of seeing stars but much to his disappointment, the stars were nowhere to be seen. 

“I’m just…” Minho trailed off again, letting out an irritated sigh. “I travel the planes, I don’t… I haven’t settled down anywhere, I haven’t gotten a place to stay, I haven’t made friends. I don’t want to tie myself down to someone and then hurt them by disappearing into the Abyss or the hellhole Limbo,” he continued, a humorless laugh slipping past his lips. “It’s ironic, I guess. But I still fear people will forget me when I die. I don’t want to get too close with anyone, but I don’t want to be forgotten.”

Chan hummed again, he wasn’t sure of what to say. He didn’t know if he could console Minho in any way. 

“Are we friends?” he asked instead and he could hear Minho inhale sharply. He lowered his gaze, turning to his side to look at Minho. Minho was staring at him with wide eyes, his lips slightly parted. 

“A-are we what?” he asked and Chan bit back a small smile.

“Are we friends?” he repeated and he could see Minho exhale, breathing shaky. “I mean, you’re sort of friends with Jisung and Jeongin, right?” he asked and Minho froze for a moment, eyes distant.

“I guess I am,” he said, voice a bit unsteady. 

“Can we be friends?” Chan asked, offering Minho a smile. “I know I’m an oathbreaker, maybe not the best choice of friend, but I’d like to be your friend.”

“I-I…” This was the first time Chan had seen Minho at loss for words and it just made him seem so… so human. “That would be really nice,” he finally said, inhaling sharply before a wide grin spread across his lips. Chan smiled again, turning his head to look over the dark fields again. Neither of them spoke again during their shift. They sat in silence, quietly enjoying each other's company before it was time to wake Felix and Jeongin for their shift. 

The silence was deafening as they walked into the village. Chan looked around, his chest tightening and his breath hitched. He still couldn’t remember the name of this village, its name seemingly lost in time, but he could remember every time he’d been visiting here. He remembers when he was here with his father during a Midwinter festival. He had been a small child, his hair white in the winter and his eyes filled with wonder.

He remembered the lanterns all around the village, warming it up in the cold winter with a gentle red glow.

He remembered the laughter, the smiles and the warmth of the people here.

He remembered the happiness he felt as he walked the streets with his father.

Everything that village had been, was no more. His father, sent to war where he probably died as Chan wilted away in that forest. There was no lanterns warming it up in the cold autumn air. There was no laughter and there was no smiles. The village was empty with not a single sign of life, silence weighing heavy in the air. 

“I wonder what happened here,” Jeongin voiced out loud and Chan swallowed, looking around the quiet streets. He could feel a hint of undead desecration pushing at the back of his mind and he didn’t like this at all.

“Do you think there was something driving them away?” Seungmin wondered just as Changbin turned to the left, heading into one of the houses. “It doesn’t feel… right. For it to be abandoned like this.”

“Chan…” Felix said and Chan turned to look at him. “Is… Is this where you grew up?” he asked quietly, taking a step closer to Chan with a worried look in his eyes. 

“No…” Chan whispered, shaking his head as he stared down into the ground. “But I… I used to go here. With my father and sometimes when I was still in the temple,” he continued, stumbling a bit over his words and Felix hummed. He gently stroked Chan’s arm and Chan looked up to meet his gaze. His eyes were soft and he didn’t say anything, he continued to soothingly stroke Chan’s arm.

“Hey,” Changbin suddenly broke the silence, peeking his head out from one of the houses. “Seungmin seems to have been right. Something must have drove the villagers away.”

“Really?” Jisung asked, frowning as he turned around to approach the house Changbin had entered. Chan took a moment to just breathe, calm his emotions before following Jisung. He could hear Felix trailing behind him, keeping close.

“There are signs of a struggle,” Changbin explained as they stepped inside the house. It was a small house, something that could have belonged to a family.

The house was turned upside down, a thick layer of dust and dirt covering every inch of the inside. Changbin was standing in the far corner, a small, glowing rock in his hand as he looked up on the wall. There was a sword nailed to the rotting walls, pinning a few pieces of fabric to it and below was a pile of bones. 

“Any idea what this could have been?” Changbin asked, eyeing the handle of the sword closely. Chan just shook his head, eyes shifting around the room. The scent of death and decay was getting stronger; it was unsettling.

“Let me see,” Seungmin said softly, walking up to Changbin to look at the sword as he passed, Chan didn’t miss as Changbin reached out to take Seungmin’s hand for just a second, their fingers brushing together. Changbin held up the glowing rock to the sword, giving Seungmin some light in the dark room.

A few seconds passed as the rest of them were silent. Seungmin frowned at the sword, biting his lip before pulling up a book from his bag; it was a simple leather bound book, edges worn and inscriptions on the cover. Seungmin's eyes darted between the book and the sword as he thumbed through the pages. 

“I think… I think whatever is written here is in Undercommon,” he said, frown deepening. He handed the first book to Changbin and he opened his bag again, pulling out another book. This one was thicker with loose papers stuck between some pages, bound in leather with the small symbol of a dragon in profile etched into the front. 

Seungmin muttered an incantation, voice too low for Chan to make out the words and the language. Seungmin’s eyes lit up for a second and he looked back to the sword again. Chan held his breath as Seungmin studied the text on the sword.

“It’s a prayer,” Seungmin finally said, eyes lingering at the sword for a moment before shifting to look at the other. “It’s a prayer to the Lich King.”

“The what now?” Jisung asked.

“The Lich King,” Seungmin said and Jisung shifted his eyes to the sword, narrowing his eyes. “Do you know what a lich is?” he asked and Jisung shook his head, his ashen hair bouncing on his head. “A lich was a wizard at some point. But due to greed for knowledge or power, or both, the wizard combines their soul with the pure magic they have studied and can to some degree master. A lich is an undead thing made out of raw magic, madness and greed.”

“Oh,” Jisung said and Chan bit his lip. He’d heard the whispers talk about liches, among other undead beings, from the Shadowfell.

“To sustain and survive as a lich, you need the souls of the living,” Seungmin continued and Chan frowned. “So I think it’s safe to assume that this was a mission for whatever serves this Lich King to go out and gather souls to feed them.”

“So we’re dealing with something undead?” Minho asked from his place at the door frame, leaning against it with a serious look in his eyes. Seungmin looked back at the sword and thought for a moment before sighing.

“That seems to be the case,” Seungmin said, tearing his eyes off the sword to look at Minho as Minho cursed. “I wouldn’t be surprised if this Lich King as they’re called has a whole army of undead, however many they might be.”

Chan’s gut twisted and he could feel a shiver down his spine. He didn’t like this at all and he could feel fear digging its claws into him. 

He jumped in surprise as Felix suddenly wrapped his fingers around Chan’s. The warmth of his fingers offered Chan comfort and there was something in his gaze that helped Chan fight back the fear. Something in Felix’s eyes told Chan that there was hope in this world and for whatever was to come, Chan wasn’t alone.

The silhouette of the Temple of Beory broke the horizon, the towers still tall and proud with the mountain range of the Third Hill Mountain in the horizon behind it. Chan couldn’t deny that his heart started to beat a little faster as soon as he laid eyes on it. His step quickened and he could hear Felix’s footsteps pick up in speed as well.

As they got closer, Chan’s heart dropped a little. He knew that Beory was now forgotten, resting in the Far Realm far beyond the outer planes with the other forgotten deities and her following in this world was more or less completely gone. He couldn’t expect anyone to uphold and take care of the temple when they were all gone. 

Back during Chan’s time, the pristine white stone walls had back then been covered in vines in graceful patterns. It had been grand, the main building square but reaching high with the two towers on each side. The door had been a heavy oak, adorned with silver marks. The marks had been prayers to Beory, written in every language in existence.  

Nature had been a big part of the temple, but without the presence of humanoids, the nature had reclaimed its domain. Parts of the roof to the main building had fallen in, the vines were no longer wellkept and graceful as they climbed up the stone walls and through the smashed windows. 

Felix didn’t say anything, he just glanced over at Chan, giving him a nod. He didn’t need to speak, Chan knew what he meant.

He took a deep breath and looked over to the rest of his companions. They too just nodded and he looked back at the temple, approaching it. The nature around the road was wild, the grass tall and trees growing in the middle of the road. 

The heavy door was already open, torn off its hinges long ago and laying by the large entryway. The silver had been ripped off, taken by scavengers. He paused in front of the door, letting his eyes wander over the symbols around the doorway and then looking at the remains of the door. His heart felt heavy as he stepped inside.

His steps echoed through the halls as he walked towards the great hall. He could hear most of the footsteps slowing down behind him, but one set of footsteps continued to walk behind him, keeping up with his brisk pace. 

The great hall was an empty shell of what it once had been. The air was cold and empty, the high roof covered in cobwebs. The stained glass windows smashed, colorful shards scattered all over the white marble floor. Whatever light that managed to get through the thick cover of clouds streamed down through the broken windows. The whole room was silent and the air was heavy.

The altar at the end of the great hall was smashed and the statue of Beory laid on the floor in pieces. Chan took a deep breath, approaching the statue. He could no longer hear the footsteps behind him and he could only assume that whoever was walking behind him had stopped, giving him space to meet his goddess alone. As he reached it, he fell on his knees. His heart was hammering in his chest, his eyes stinging. 

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. This wasn’t how his life was supposed to turn out. 

“Great mother of mine,” he whispered, his hands trembling in his lap as he looked up to the open hole in the roof. On a normal day, when the sun smiled down upon them with its golden rays, it would reflect through the stained glass, casting a colorful light on the one who sat in front of the mother. “I do still believe in you,” he continued, taking another deep breath before he reached into his pocket after the silver necklace of Beory.

He didn’t know what he expected, but he bit his lip as the silver once again burned his skin. Disappointment washed over him; he was still not worthy for the mother to take him in again. 

“I beg you, mother,” he said, clutching the silver necklace in his hands as it continued to burn. “Take me in and I shall promise to restore your glory,” he continued, his voice cracking as he choked on a sob. He lowered his head, tightening his grasp of the necklace. It hurt so bad. “Please,” he choked out, leaning down even further to press his forehead against the stone floor; the necklace still in his hands, burning his skin away. “I’ll do anything to-”

“Chan,” Felix said, placed a hand on Chan’s shoulder, tugging on it to get Chan to sit upright. Chan inhaled sharply, letting the silver necklace fall to the stone floor with an echoing clatter. He was about to pull away from Felix just as Felix sat down beside him, grabbing him by his wrists. “Chan,” he repeated, his voice so soft. Chan looked away in shame, fixing his eyes on the floor as Felix inspected his burned hands. “What were you thinking?” he asked. Chan remained silent, his breathing uneven and shaky and heart pounding. “Please look at me.”

Chan looked up slowly, blinking through the tears. Felix looked worried, his eyebrows furrowed and his gaze soft. They sat in silence for a moment, Felix’s fingers slowly tracing the burns on Chan’s hand and that familiar sensation blossomed, warming Chan’s body as the wounds healed.

“I just-” he cut himself off, trying to not choke on another sob. “I want her to take me back.”

“Chan…” Felix said, letting go of Chan’s wrists to cradle his face in his soft hands. “She’s dead, gone and forgotten. She’s in the Far Realm along with the other dead deities. She can’t take you back, love.”

“I-” Chan looked down, avoiding eye contact with Felix. He felt pathetic. He knew she was gone, but he didn’t want to accept it. He just wished that she would take him back. He wished for things to be better. 

“It’s okay,” Felix whispered, stroking his thumb soothingly over Chan’s cheekbone. “But please, please stop hurting yourself over this. You’re allowed to move on,” he continued and Chan blinked as tears welled up in his eyes, causing them to fall down his cheeks. 

“What am I supposed to do?” he asked, his voice cracking. Felix looked into his eyes, his own eyes soft and the stars gleaming softly. 

“You’re supposed to continue living,” he whispered, leaning his forehead against Chan’s as Chan tried to get control over his breathing. His heart was pounding in his chest, breaking in a million pieces.

“How?” Chan asked, his voice wobbly and his breathing shaky as another sob raked through his body. “W-What purpose do I have? I have nothing left.”

“You have us,” Felix whispered, forehead still pressed against Chan’s, their noses brushing together. “You can start with helping us stop whatever is going on… you know as well as I do that something is wrong.”

“Yes,” Chan whispered, more tears rolling down his cheeks and Felix gently brushed them away with the pad of his thumb. His hands were so warm against Chan’s cold skin, his presence so bright beside Chan’s suffocating darkness. He truly was a star, shining as bright as the constellations in his eyes and guiding the way for the lost.

They remained in the large hall for a while. Felix let Chan hold onto him as he tried to sort his thoughts. He knew he had to move on and when he felt like he was ready, he stood up. Felix didn’t say anything, he just helped him back up on his feet and as they exited the main hall of the temple, he held Chan’s cold hand, sharing some of his warmth with Chan.

Before leaving the room, Chan threw a glance over his shoulder at the crumbled altar. His stomach churned and guilt washed over him. This had been his home, his life and what he’d held onto when he was stuck in that forest for all those years. He had always held onto the belief that one day, his Mother would take him up in her arms again. 

“Did you find anything?” Jisung asked as they came back to the entrance. Chan pressed his lips together and Felix just shook his head.

“Nothing, it’s all empty.”

“Oh,” Jisung said, looking a bit crestfallen. Perhaps he had expected something more. Then he looked up, a small smile on his lips. “We found something though,” he continued, motioning for Chan and Felix to follow him. 

Jisung led them through the hall, further into the temple. All the valuables that had once been in the temple, adorned the walls and roof, were gone. The temple was stripped bare and an echoing shell of what it had been.

“Here,” Jisung whispered as he came to a halt, gesturing to the left. There was a smaller door leading into a room. Both Jisung and Felix were quiet and looked at Chan, waiting for him to move. Chan bit his lip as Felix gave his hand a gentle squeeze. He looked over to his side to meet Felix’s eyes before letting go of Felix’s hand and he stepped inside the room.

It was a rather large room with a high ceiling. Most of their companions were already inside the room, inspecting the walls. The roof had caved in for most parts, but the parts that remained provided shelter for the walls and the paintings that adorned them. Most of the paintings were worn by weather but partially intact.

As soon as Chan laid his eyes on the painting on the far wall, his knees felt weak. He recognized it, his gut twisting as he approached slowly. He carefully undid one of his leather bracers, removing it completely and he let it fall from his trembling hands. He walked past the others, ignoring their questions. 

The knight on the painting was dressed in a golden colored plate armor, his hair golden and his antlers a light brown color along with a colorful crown of flowers. It was a half-dryad during summer, Chan could tell. The knight was standing on one knee, his head bowed down as the rotund and bright figure of Beory held out her hand towards him, sharing some of her divine powers with him. The knight was surrounded by this bright light, as if he had a halo around his head and he was smiling, his eyes closed. 

Chan took a step closer to the painting, running his fingers along the rough canvas. He felt sick, like he was about to throw up and his blood rushed in his ears.

“Who is that?” he could hear Jeongin ask behind him. He took a deep breath, eyes still trained on the painting. His throat felt thick and his chest tightened.

“It’s me,” he whispered, but judging by how silent all his companions became, he could assume they had all heard him. “This was painted right after the Mother took me into her arms and granted me some of her power.”

“Oh,” Jeongin said softly and Chan just stared at the painting, lump in his throat. So many ‘what if’s went through his mind and he didn’t tear his eyes off the painting until Felix took his hand again. Warmth bloomed from where his skin touched Chan’s.

“It’s a beautiful painting,” he whispered, eyes fixed on the painting and Chan turned to look at him. Something twisted in Chan’s gut as he stared at Felix, taking a moment to just admire the half-dryad’s features before looking back at the painting. 

“It is.”

“We found this,” Jeongin interrupted. In his hands he held a sword in its sheath, various symbols in Sylvan etched into the leather. “It says Chan on the sheath so I just…”

Chan didn’t mean to tune Jeongin out, but he was so focused on the sword in his hand he couldn’t register what Jeongin said. He could see, among the letters, his own name, and he reached out for the blade. Jeongin carefully handed it over to him and Chan swallowed hard as he took it into his hands, his breath shaky as he exhaled. The handle was a dark gray and sturdy, the pommel of the blade a lighter gray with pale silver etchings into it. The guard of the sword, separating the blade from the handle, was not very wide but sturdy and in the same gray as the pommel, the paler etchings on it gleaming softly in the weak light. 

He took a deep breath before pulling the blade out of the sheath. His heart squeezed at the familiar sight. He had had this crafted only for him just after he was accepted as one of Beory’s knights. He looked the blade over, the sheath dropping to the ground in his weak grasp and he reached up to run his fingers over the double edged blade. At the base of the sword was a word in Sylvan, his own language and the word he had chosen for himself, so many years ago. His heart hammered in his chest and his fingers trembled as he traced the letters.

“Blessed,” Felix read over his shoulder and Chan bit his lip. 

“That’s what I used to be,” he whispered and Felix hummed, his delicate fingers reaching out to trace the letters as well. 

“There’s still hope,” he whispered and Chan looked up, away from the sword. Felix’s face was serious but he offered Chan a comforting smile. “It is never too late,” he continued, reaching out to take Chan’s hand. Chan looked between the blade and Felix, swallowing hard but he nodded slowly. When Felix broke out in a wide, warm smile, Chan’s chest began to feel lighter. He felt like maybe he was ready to let go of all this now. If he had Felix beside him, he could manage without Beory. He was determined to find a new way in life and make the best out of the time he had left.

“So,” Seungmin said, a bunch of papers in his arms as he walked down from the upstairs area of the temple. “I want to start by saying that the upstairs are about to crumble and I would suggest leaving it.”

“How did you manage though?” Jisung asked, an eyebrow raised and Seungmin just stared blankly at him.

“I can levitate,” he deadpanned and Jeongin playfully slapped Jisung’s shoulder.

“What did you find?” Hyunjin asked, taking a step closer to Seungmin. As the cloud covers had gotten thicker, the closer Changbin and Hyunjin had kept to Seungmin. Chan wondered briefly if they also felt like something was very off in the world.

“I found some letters, most of them replies to someone but also a few that never got sent,” he said and Chan nodded slowly, furrowing his brows. “The first letters are dated in 4040,” he continued and Chan widened his eyes. That was a year after his banishment. “They seem to talk about the unfair treatment of the Knight and it seems like whoever was sending these letters in the end abandoned the faith of Beory.”

“So…” Felix said slowly, glancing over at Chan. “Someone left because they did not agree on how the temple treated you?” he asked and Chan took a deep breath. “Did you- were you close with anyone in the temple?”

“A lot of them,” he said quietly, his throat closing up. “The temple was my family. I loved all of them.”

“Do they say anything else?” Minho asked and Chan glanced over his shoulder to see the Horizon Walker leaning against the wall, a serious expression on his face. 

“They speak about the undead cemetery Gwanwen and its keeper,” Seungmin continued, thumbing through the papers in his hands. “There’s more about an approaching shadow, a tear in the veil, a young cleric reporting hearing whispers, the high priest having a vision of their doom and then… nothing. The letters end at 4056.”

“Oh…” Chan said softly, not really knowing what to do with this information.

“Gwanwen?” Jeongin asked, furrowing his brows. “I don’t… I thought I was pretty well read on the maps but I don’t recall that name.”

“I think the cemetery is known as Sinner’s rest now,” Seungmin said and Jeongin let out a soft ‘oh’.

“So what do we do now?” Changbin asked, his eyes wandering over everyone in the room. “Do we… Do we stop? We can’t stop here… can we?”

“We can’t stop,” Minho said curtly. “At least I can’t. I have to protect this world from whatever is threatening it and I… I guess I’ll have to continue to Gwanwen.”

“I’m coming along,” Jisung said and Jeongin hummed in agreement. Chan looked at Felix, who looked to be deep in thought but as soon as Chan turned to him he seemed to snap out of it.

“Do you want to come along?” he asked softly and Chan swallowed, nodding slowly.

“You don’t have to continue on this journey if you don’t want to,” he said quietly, his hands trembling ever so slightly as he reached out to gently take Felix’s hand in his. “You don’t have to continue just because of me,” he continued, giving Felix’s hand a reassuring squeeze. He didn’t want Felix to leave, but Felix shouldn’t feel obligated to follow along just because Chan traveled there.

“I need to fix whatever is killing our world,” Felix said, locking eyes with Chan and have his hand a gentle squeeze. “So you’ll be stuck with me until all this is over.”

Chan tried biting back a smile, but failed doing so and he could feel the corners of his mouth twitching upwards. He gave Felix a nod and another squeeze on his hand before turning back to their companion as they began to plan the route for them up to Gwanwen. 

Their camp was dark when Chan opened his eyes, their campfire slowly dying out and crackling quietly. He stared up at the sky and took in his surroundings, sleep still making him a bit dazed. There wasn’t any stars out, only the dark cloud cover and weak, pale light of the moon trying to break through whatever was encasing the world in the darkness. 

The trees were thick at the base of the mountain range, providing them good coverage from the weather. As Chan looked around, he realized that there was no one on the lookout. He wasn’t sure whose turn it had been but they had agreed that at least one should always be awake to make sure nothing snuck up on them. He could feel worry rise in his gut but that was quickly pushed aside as the whispers began to echo in his head.

He looked around the camp again before carefully getting up. He stepped outside the thin, translucent ring of the camp, the ring that Seungmin had set up to alarm them in case anything tried to sneak up on them and whoever was on watch missed them.

Bare feet carefully shuffled over the cold ground and he felt… he felt a sense of familiarity, of home. It reminded him of how things had been in the Hissing Woodlands, back home.

The whispers were so loud he could barely hear anything but their incoherent murmurs. They told him to go into the woods, to look for something, to hunt. He felt a bit hazy as he stalked through the woods, his claws dragging across the bark of the trees. He could feel the whispers desire to swallow this forest, to suck the life out of it and leave it to rot. 

A bush suddenly rustled and Chan snapped his head around, a snarl rumbling in his chest. What he didn’t expect was a deep, guttural growl as a reply. At this point, the whispers were deafening, telling him to challenge whatever was out there.

He crept forward, wrapping his fingers around a thin tree. His whole body was rigid, tense as his muscles trembled, ready to pounce at whatever was coming.

A twig snapped, followed by the same guttural growl and Chan, without any control of his own body, lunged forward. 

There, right in front of him with a tense body and teeth bared, was Changbin. The familiar face broke whatever trance Chan was in and he could see Changbin freeze for a second before shaking his head, blinking as he looked at Chan.

“Shit,” he whispered, voice cracking as he leaned against one of the trees. 

“I’m sorry,” Chan whispered, lowering his head. He looked down at his hands, at the black that stained skin and he felt nothing but shame and hatred for himself. He thought that being far from the Hissing Woodlands would have broken the whispers power over him. He had been wrong.

“Do you hear them too?” Changbin asked after a heartbeat of silence and Chan looked up. Changbin was holding onto the tree for support, his shoulders slumped and Chan could see, thanks to the slight glow of Changbin’s one yellow eye, the sadness swimming in his eyes. “Do they tell you to do things too?”

“Yes,” Chan breathed. “Have they… have they been talking to you for a long time?”

Changbin shrugged, taking a deep breath. “All my life I guess. They’ve gotten stronger the last… five years maybe? They haven’t been… they haven’t been able to take over like this in a long time,” he whispered and Chan nodded, taking a slow step towards Chan. “When- How long have they been talking to you?” he asked, his voice still shaky. 

Chan sighed, emotions overwhelming and he sunk down to the cold forest floor. He covered his face with his hands, focusing on his breathing. 

“Since I got to the Hissing Woodlands,” he whispered, moving his hands from his face as Changbin sat down beside Chan. “They were… they were my only company after most of the animals died out, but I could hear them in the background, always there, even when the animals were alive…”

“That’s… a long time…” Changbin whispered, shoulders dropping and Chan just hummed, staring into the dark forest in front of them. 

“Why… why do you hear the whispers?” Chan asked, voice barely audible as the question slipped past his lips. “I-I’m sorry I just… I guess I was close to the rifts but-”

“The black dragon,” Changbin said, eyes looking at Chan and the yellow one seemed to glow in the darkness. “It’s the shadow dragon so I guess that’s why.”

A silence fell over them and Chan just sighed, pulling his knees up against his chest as he stared out over the dark forest. In the corner of his eye, Chan could see Changbin fiddle with something around his neck, muttering something before a small light lit up their surroundings. Upon a closer look, the necklace around Changbin’s neck looked like a small shield, the shield itself a blue hue as the dragon head in profile. It took Chan a moment until he recognized the symbol. It was the same symbol that was etched into the leather of Seungmin’s spellbook.

“Do you,” Chan began and Changbin looked up, eyes wide. “Do you and Seungmin worship the same god?” he asked and Changbin blinked before glancing down at the necklace in his hands. 

“Hyunjin too,” he said softly, letting go of the necklace. It continued to emit a soft, blue white light to light up the small area around them. “We all pray to Bahamut, to some degree at least. He’s better than Tiamat,” Changbin said, grimacing at the mention of the five headed dragon goddess. “I may be of… evil dragon descent but I-I try my best to do good.”

“How long have you known them? Seungmin and Hyunjin I mean,” Chan said and Changbin sighed, leaning back a little to rest his weight on his hands behind him. 

“I’ve known Hyunjin all my life,” he began, shifting his gaze away from Chan. “We were… we were both taken in after our parents abandoned us.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah we’re both- I mean both of us have human parents,” Changbin said, looking down on his scaled hand. “The draconic ancestry wasn’t anything they were aware of so… I guess my parents were equally as surprised as they were disgusted when they got me. I don’t know much about them, they left me as soon as they could to me, or to whom I would call my mother. Hyunjin was taken in just two years after me, so we grew up together.”

“I see,” Chan said, chewing on his bottom lip for a second. “Hyunjin must mean a lot to you.”

“When Hyunjin was 18, we left home to just find our own place in this world. Hyunjin and I are… we’re bonded I guess? I don’t really know how to explain it but we’re… soulbound I guess is the easiest way to describe it.” Chan nodded slowly. “We got to Mullin, three years ago and… and the witch hunt for us began. There was an incident with some farmers animals being slaughtered, rumors of two chromatic dragons, and it just sparked this hunt for us.”

“But Seungmin took you in?” Chan asked and Changbin hummed, nodding his head slowly.

“He let us stay at his place, made sure no one knew where we were, and helped the village to find the pack of wolves that were responsible for the dead animals. I don’t think I’m lying when I say he saved our lives.”

“That’s… I’m glad you found Seungmin through all this but that must have been awful,” Chan said and Changbin nodded, letting out a small growl under his breath. 

“I guess it’s both the worst and the best time of my life,” he said after a moment, heaving a sigh. “I can’t imagine a life without Seungmin or Hyunjin.”

Chan hummed, nodding his head slowly. 

“They’re the reason I’m still in this world and I… I think I won’t last without them,” he said and Chan tore his eyes off the dark woods to look at Changbin. Changbin just shrugged. “Romantically or not, they’re my life,” he continued, a small smile stretching on his lips before he let out a small, embarrassed laugh. “I’m sorry you had to listen to all that.”

“No it’s okay,” Chan said, smiling at Changbin. “I’ll gladly listen.”

They remained in the woods, talking quietly about this and that until the sky started brightening. The clouds had continued to thicken and the sky was now just gray with the sun barely peeking through, but Chan hadn’t thought much of it. It was autumn after all, the weather could be a bit odd at times during this season. 

The two of them got up from the cold ground and headed back to the camp, arriving just before the rest of their companions woke up. Felix had sat up slowly, his eyes droopy and sleepy as he looked around for Chan. As soon as his eyes landed on Chan, he broke out in a sleepy grin. Chan couldn’t help but smile back, so wide his eyes crinkled and a warmth bloomed in his chest as he rolled up his bedroll, preparing for today’s journey.

Chan had grown so accustomed to Felix sleeping beside him, pressed close as the temperature continued to drop during the nights. He didn’t really think much of it as Felix was almost laying on top of him, eyes studying Chan’s face and his lips slightly pursed. 

His eyes shifted from the sky above them, the clouds thick. Felix was just illuminated by the faint light of the campfire, it’s warm light lit up half of Felix’s face. 

Felix reached out slowly, not saying a single word as he ran his index finger over Chan’s thick brow. Chan didn’t say anything, figuring that Felix would explain it later. Instead he let his eyes fall shut, allowing Felix to gently stroke his eyebrows before he started to slowly trace the marks on Chan’s face. His fingertips ghosted over Chan’s skin, leaving a tingling sensation in their wake. As his finger was tracing the bridge of Chan’s nose, Chan opened his eyes.

He took a moment to just look into Felix’s dark brown eyes, a twinkle of stars in them and Chan wasn’t sure if that was just a reflection from the fire or if Felix’s eyes held actual stars.

Felix's fingers brushed over the vertical line just under Chan’s lips and for a second, his eyes broke eye contact with Chan, flickering down to look at his lips. Chan let out a nervous, shaky breath as Felix gently stroked his thumb over Chan’s bottom lip. He reached up, placing his hand on Felix’s cheek. It sent a gentle buzz through his body and he brushed his cold thumb over Felix’s warm skin. A small, content sigh slipped past his lips as his eyes fluttered shut, his head leaning slightly against Chan’s touch.

As he opened his eyes again and met Chan’s dark eyes, the stars in his eyes twinkling and Chan’s heart squeezed. Felix moved his hand, from Chan’s lips to brush some of his hair away from his forehead before resting it on Chan’s chest. He leaned down, stopping just as their noses brushed together.

“Is this okay?” he whispered, staring deep into Chan’s eyes.

“More than okay,” Chan replied, voice barely audible as the words passed his lips. The stars in Felix’s eyes brightened for a second before he pressed his warm lips against Chan’s. Something sparked inside Chan’s chest, a warm tingling sensation running through his body, starting from his chest and reaching all the way to his fingertips.

When they parted, Felix was smiling widely, his eyes crinkling up and Chan’s stomach twisted, not uncomfortably but in a pleasant way. “I think I am falling in love with you, Chan of the Blessed Fields,” he whispered, leaning closer to nuzzle his nose against Chan’s cheek. Chan’s hand was still resting on Felix’s cheek, thumb caressing his soft skin. 

“And I…” he began, voice low and rumbling in his chest as he turned his face just a little to be face to face with Felix again. “I think I am falling in love with you, my Northern Star.”

Felix laughed, cradling Chan’s face in his gentle hands as he did. “You’re awfully sentimental, love,” he whispered, kissing Chan once again. 

The wind was howling as they reached one of the many peaks of the Third Hill Mountain range. It wasn’t the highest peaks, but high enough for the temperature to drop slightly. Chan wouldn’t be surprised if there was frost on the ground in the mornings up here. Coldness was seeping through the seams of his clothes and Chan shuddered. The veil of night had fallen upon them a few hours ago, the moon barely glaring down through the thick clouds that had been covering the skies the last few days. 

“There,” Jeongin breathed, pointing down the road ahead of them. In the distance, growing closer, was Gwanwen, the Sinner’s Rest. 

The graveyard was empty, still, with thick fog moving slowly along the ground. The tombstones were barely visible in the faint light from the sickly white moon and a rotten smell hung in the air. But there was… something there. Chan could feel it. It was like a buzz in the back of his head, trying to alert him that something was very wrong.

“We should be careful,” he mumbled, looking around the graveyard. According to Minho, there would be a gravekeeper living here, but there wasn’t any building around that indicated that someone was actually living here. 

“I don’t like this,” Jeongin said, frowning as he too looked around. “There’s a strong connection to the Shadowfell as well,” he mused and Chan hummed. The whispers were louder here, more distinct and it was bugging him. 

“Oathbreaker,” a voice whispered in his ear, hollow and thin. It sent a chill down his spine. This was the first whispering voice that had been strong enough to be heard by itself. Usually, when he could make out what the whispers said, there was a chorus of them. He looked around the graveyard again. The voice sounded so… real… it had to be someone here and not just the whispers of the Shadowfell. “Join me,” the voice continued, still low and hollow. 

“What?” he said out loud and Felix turned to look at him, eyebrows furrowed and a confused look on his face. 

“What?”

“Did you hear the voice?” Chan asked, still looking around. He glanced at his companions, but all of them looked as confused as Felix. Dread was creeping up on him, settling in his gut. This place was foul, desecrated by the Shadowfell and the undead. 

“They can’t hear me, Oathbreaker,” the voice said, raspy and low. “They’re not worthy of my time.”

“What do you mean?” Chan asked, still looking around him, trying to pinpoint the location of the voice.

“I chose you,” the voice said and Chan could hear the grin in its voice; it made him sick. “Long ago and you have listened so well,” it continued, sending a shiver down Chan’s spine. “Now join me and I’ll grant you immense power.”

“No,” Chan said firmly, he wasn’t going to let himself fall for this. As he continued to look around the graveyard and the dark mountains surrounding them, the stench of rotting flesh slowly growing stronger.

The voice snickered. “I guess I’ll just make you,” it said and Chan could see all his companions react to the sound of the voice. They must have heard it this time. A loud crack tore through the air and Chan’s whole body went rigid. Changbin inhaled sharply, his eyes moving around the graveyard and his posture slightly lowered, on edge.

“I’m not on board with this,” Jisung said, the grip of his staff tightening and he took a step closer to Minho. Minho had his bow at the ready, his fingers brushing over the ends of the arrows in his quiver. 

“I really don’t like this,” Jeongin said. Another crack erupted from the ground and Chan could see a hand break through the ground. It was a large humanoid hand, grasping at the soil as it slowly rose from the ground. Chan took a step back, bumping into Felix. Felix’s eyes were wide, pupils darting around as he tried to process the situation and without looking at Chan, he grabbed a hold on Chan’s hand. 

“What is going on?” he asked, voice trembling in fear. Chan looked at him, his heart picking up speed in his chest. 

“I don’t know,” Chan said, swallowing the lump in his throat. His fingers twitched and his free hand reached for the sword. 

In front of them, a large, bulking orc rose from the earth. Its eyes were completely white, half of its face rotten and in the faint light, Chan could see some of the skeleton poking through. It was gross and the stench of rot and desecration was slowly growing more and more intense. 

A clatter of bones was heard and Chan spun around, still holding onto Felix’s hand. Approaching on wobbly steps, were a group of skeletons. Some were holding old and rusted swords while some of them were just reaching out towards them.

More cracks were heard as more undeads crawled out of their graves. Chan gave Felix’s hand a squeeze before letting go, drawing his sword. 

“Do we fight or do we run?” Seungmin asked, magic sparking at the tips of his fingers. His whole body was tense, ready for something to happen. 

“We have to fight to get out,” Jisung pointed out and Chan spun around. They were surrounded by undead, groaning and rotting humanoids approaching them slowly. In the corner of his eyes, Hyunjin made some hand movements and Chan could hear him call out an incantation.

“Mother of the five, in your lair in hell,” he muttered in draconic, closing his hand in front of his mouth. “Grant me some power of the poisoned one,” he continued, opening his closed fist to blow a cloud of dark green gas towards the group of skeletons approaching them.

A roar rumbled through the air and Chan snapped his head around, bringing his sword up just in time to block a blow from another big, undead orc. The blade of the sword lodged itself in the rotting flesh of the monster and it let out another roar, pulling its hand back. As it did, it almost pulled Chan’s sword along with it but Chan held onto it. He pulled it backwards, taking a step back before swinging it in a wide arc, aiming for the creature's leg.

The orc let out a pained sound as Chan’s sword cut through its flesh, swinging its arm towards Chan. Though he’d seen it coming, he didn’t have the time to avoid it and the creature’s claws racked across Chan’s face, leaving three bloody lines in their wake. 

A crack of thunder was heard, a bolt of lightning hitting the dead orc in the back and it fell to the ground, limp and hopefully it would stay dead for now. Chan turned to look beside him, at Jisung who had both his staff and hand outstretched towards the sky and he then shifted his eyes up a little to see the storm cloud just above them. He looked at Chan, eyes wide and scared, but he didn’t say anything. 

The rustle of heavy chains was approaching and behind Jisung, a human man appeared, dragging chains along with him as he stumbled towards them. It was a zombie, half of its face rotten as it let out a loud groan, swinging a flail towards Jisung. Chan wanted to bolt over and help Jisung, but as yet another zombie, this one with just its hands reaching out for Chan. Before Chan lost Jisung in the corner of his eye, he could see the druid shift form, taking the shape of a brown bear.

There were so many undead, so many sounds and as the zombie crumbled in front of Chan, after Chan managed to land a particularly well-aimed blow through its chest, he tried to locate all his companions. His whole body was trembling, vibrating as what little magic he had in him built up. 

As he was distracted, for merely a second, a large, hulking humanoid loomed over, swinging its arm towards him. It whacked Chan at the side of his head and Chan instinctually released the magic, a wave of dark, crackling magic surging out from him and the humanoid creature stumbled backwards. It took Chan a second to realize he was on the ground and he quickly got back up on his feet, wiping the blood running from his nose as he did. 

“Felix?” he called out, tightening his grip around the handle of his sword as the humanoid thing seemed to have collected itself, fixing its blank, white eyes on Chan. The creature let out a roar, charging towards Chan with its hands held high and Chan took a deep breath before pulling the blade back, thrusting it forward to meet the creatures unprotected stomach.

It let out a screech, the sound tearing at Chan’s eardrums and he winced as the thing fell to the ground, limp and unmoving. 

Chan spun around, eyes darting over the dark graveyard. He tried to spot Felix, to see if he was okay. His blood was rushing in his ears, deafening, and he felt horror creep up on him as he couldn’t see Felix at all.

“FELIX!” he yelled, eyes desperately darting around his dark surroundings.

Someone suddenly bumped into him forcefully, sending him stumbling forward but as he turned he saw Changbin backing away from a small group of zombies. 

“Sorry,” he said, voice rushed before he did the same hand movements as Hyunjin had done earlier. “Mother of the five, in your lair in hell,” he muttered. “Grant me the strength of the shadow,” he continued, words slightly different from what Hyunjin had uttered and he pressed his closed fist against his lips, taking a deep breath before breathing out a concentrated spray of acid towards the group. 

Chan turned to see more undead creatures crawl out of the ground. There were too many of them. He could see both Hyunjin and Seungmin pull back, most likely looking for Changbin. 

“We need to get out of here,” Seungmin said as soon as he reached them, grabbing Changbin’s hand and in a flash of light, the three of them were gone. 

“Minho!” Chan called out as soon as the other appeared in his line of sight. Minho let go of the arrow he had drawn before whipping his head around, looking right at Chan. “Do we run?” he yelled and Minho just nodded.

“Can you bring someone with you?” he yelled back and Chan just nodded, scanning the space for anyone to teleport with him out of there. He still couldn’t see Felix, but he managed to see Jeongin and Jisung, still in bear form, in the distance. 

He ran towards them, just as a large hulking orc slammed its fist down on Jisung, causing Jisung’s bear form to drop and Jisung was back as a half-elf, rolling out of the way as the orc slammed its hands down into the ground again. 

With a wide arc of the sword, Chan blocked another strike from the orc, giving Jisung time to move completely out of the way. 

“Are we running?” he asked, voice stressed and eyes wide. 

“Yes!”

“I can’t change form,” Jisung replied and Chan grunted as the orc pushed down on his sword. “I’m tapped out!”

“Give me two seconds,” Chan hissed, pulling the sword back and backing to avoid another hit from the orc. He couldn’t spend any of his magic on this, he needed to save up to get him and Jisung the hell out of there. 

The orc landed a good blow in Chan’s side, cracking or even breaking something and Chan stumbled backwards, gritting his teeth as the pain flared. He could see something move behind him, and Jisung cursed loudly. 

Finally spotting a weak point in the orc’s defence, Chan ran his blade through the hulking figure’s chest, pulling it out and quickly moving to the side to avoid the heavy body of it.

Just as he turned around, a horde of skeletons, all wielding rusty short swords swarmed Jisung, and before he had the chance to react, one of them drove its sword through Jisung’s abdomen.

Jisung cried out in pain, his scream echoing over the chaos of the graveyard and something in Chan’s brain clicked. His body acted on its own and he muttered the incantation for his spell as he ran up to Jisung. As soon as he reached Jisung, he grabbed him by the arm and the two of them disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.

“Chan,” Jisung gasped, his hands trembling violently as he tried to get a grip of Chan’s cloak. Chan looked him over, panic rising and he had no idea what he could do to help. The short sword was still stuck in his abdomen, but without healing magic, pulling it out would only make it worse. “Chan please,” he choked, tears streaming down his face. “I’m s-scared.”

“Breathe Jisung,” Chan said, his heart hammering in his chest and his trembling. “You’re going to be fine, I promise.”

“I don’t want to die,” Jisung whimpered, his breathing labored. “Please don’t let me die,” he begged. Chan looked around, trying to find the others among the cold, rocky mountains. He shouldn’t have gone alone with Jisung. “I don’t want to die, please.”

“You’re going to be okay Jisung,” he whispered, running his hand through Jisung’s hair soothingly. 

It was matted with blood and Chan’s stomach churned. His chest felt tight and tears welled up in his eyes. He couldn’t do anything to help Jisung. He had no magic to help. 

“Help!” he called out over the empty landscape. “Please!” he tried again, choking.

“Chan,” Jisung whispered, a wheezing sound coming from him as he breathed. “I’m so scared,” he continued, hands weakly holding onto Chan’s cloak. 

Chan didn’t know what to do or what to say, he just kept looking around the bare landscape. Jisung’s breathing was slowing down, becoming shallow. His eyes fluttered shut, and Chan’s heart twisted in his chest.

“Jisung?” he asked and Jisung hummed, looking up at Chan with heavy lids. “Don’t fall asleep,” Chan said softly, patting Jisung’s cheek to keep him awake. 

“I’m really tired,” Jisung mumbled, blinking his eyes rapidly in an attempt to stay awake. “It hurts so much,” he whispered, sounding so broken. 

“Don’t fall asleep, Jisung,” Chan whispered, stroking Jisung’s cheek. “Talk to me Jisung.”

“I don’t know what to talk about,” Jisung whispered, words becoming slurred and his grip of Chan’s cloak was getting weaker. Chan’s heart was racing in his chest as fear twisted his gut. “What do you want to talk about?”

“Anything,” Chan said, eyes darting around the mountain range in hope of seeing someone coming to their aid. “What do you want to do in life?”

“What?” Jisung asked, confused as he looked up at Chan. “What do you mean?”

“If you weren’t forced to keep track on portals between planes, what would you do?” Chan asked and he saw how Jisung furrowed his brows. “If you could do anything, what would you do with your life?”

“I want to…” Jisung inhaled sharply, crying out in pain. “I want to live in a small house in the woods, and tend to my o-own garden. I want to see my people return to our home,” he began and Chan hummed, soothingly stroking Jisung’s hair. “I just want- I just want to live. I want to live, Chan. I want to grow old.”

“You’ll live,” Chan promised, brushing his fingers over Jisung’s bloody cheek. “You’re going to live. You’re going to live in that house in the forest with the most beautiful garden, and you’re going to grow so old. I’m not letting you die here.”

If you weren’t an oathbreaker, you could heal him.

Jisung’s eyes were once again heavy, and the panic was rising within Chan. Please, he prayed silently. Anyone. Help us.

“Hello?” Felix suddenly called out and Chan could see the faint glowing aura of him as he approached. “Chan? Jisung?” he called out, voice growing panicked.

“Felix!” Chan yelled, emotions welling over, and he choked on a sob. “You need to come here. Jisung, he-”

“Is that Felix?” Jisung asked, his eyes slowly falling shut. Chan removed a hand from Jisung’s back to place it on his cheek, patting it lightly. “I’m really tired, Chan,” Jisung whispered.

“I know you are but I need you t-to stay awake for me a while longer,” Chan said. “Please, just a little longer. Let Felix get here, okay?”

“Chan? Jisung?” Felix called out again and finally, finally, Chan could see the light emerging from the cliffs. “Fuck,” he said as soon as he saw them and he ran up to the two of them, falling on his knees beside Jisung. “Jisung, can you hear me?” he asked, panic clear in his voice. His eyes were starting to become glossy and Chan could see his hands tremble as he felt for a pulse. 

“Yes,” Jisung mumbled, eyes blinking up at the two. “I’m scared, Felix,” he whispered, his lips trembling. Felix inhaled sharply before looking over at Chan.

“On the count to three, I want you to pull the sword out,” he instructed and Chan nodded, letting go of Jisung. Jisung was sobbing, his body growing weaker by every passing moment.

“Oh Lady of the Forest,” he said in Sylvan, grasping the symbol of Ehlonna. “One,” he continued, switching back to common and Chan wrapped his trembling hands around the handle of the sword.

“What grace is given me.” Sylvan again. “Two,” he said, letting go of the necklace to place his hands on each side of where the blade was. Jisung let out a choked sob.

“Let it pass to him,” he whispered. “Three.” His voice was louder when he finished counting down and Chan yanked the sword out. Jisung screamed in pain, his back arching off the ground. Felix tried his best to hold him down, a bright golden light erupting from the marks on his hands. Chan tossed the sword to the side, placing his hands on Jisung’s shoulders to hold him down as he twisted in pain, sobbing with tears rolling down his cheeks. Felix was looking at the wound, concentrating on the spell as it slowly closed up and healed together. 

A heavy silence rested in the air as the light slowly faded, the only thing that could be heard was the harsh breathing of the three of them. Jisung sat up slowly, wincing as he did. He looked between Chan and Felix, blinking through the tears before throwing his arms around Felix’s neck. 

“Thank you,” he cried, his hands grabbing Felix’s pale green robes. “Thank you,” he whispered, voice muffled by the fabric. 

Felix rubbed his back soothingly with one hand, his other reaching out towards Chan. Chan hesitated for a second, before gently taking Felix’s hand in his. The three of them remained there for a while, in the brisk air at the top of the mountain. They just took the moment to enjoy each other’s silent company and without a word, celebrate the fact that they were still alive.

Chapter Text

“How did you find us?” Chan asked, wincing as he shifted a little and the pain in his ribs made itself known. He bit his lip, trying to hold the pain at bay as he stroked Felix’s hair gently. Felix’s hair was sweaty, sticking to his forehead and he was bloody, his robes covered in dirty and blood.

“I just located this one,” Felix said, reaching out a delicate hand to place it on the handle of Chan’s sword. “I got separated from the rest and I don’t have a lot of magic left, at least not without a proper rest. I barely had enough to cast Locate Object, and still have some healing left,” he whispered and Chan hummed, still stroking Felix’s hair. “I don’t have anything to heal you right now. I spent it all,” he continued, looking up, and moved his hand from the sword to Chan’s face. 

“It’s okay,” Chan whispered but Felix frowned as he inspected Chan’s face. 

“Let me at least clean the cuts,” he said, shifting a little so he could reach his bag. Chan didn’t protest, knowing it was best if he remained still in this situation. From his bag, Felix pulled out a rag and his waterskin. “I might be able to do something so they’ll be healed over tomorrow,” he continued and Chan nodded.

It stung as Felix pressed the wet rag against the still open cuts on his face. Chan tried to hold back a hiss of pain but even if Felix tried his best to be as delicate and careful, it still hurt. 

“I’m sorry, love,” Felix whispered, eyes flickering to meet Chan’s for a second before he focused on the cuts again. Chan shook his head, accidentally pulling on the skin as Felix had the rag pressed down on his cheek and he hissed again. “Stay still,” he said, putting down the rag and reached down into his bag again. He pulled out a small little jar and when he opened the lid, Chan could see some kind of salve in it. “This is going to hurt a little,” he murmured, gently grabbing Chan’s chin to hold it still as he carefully rubbed the salve over the open cuts.

“Oh, that really hurts,” Chan said, trying his best to not pull away from Felix’s hand as the salve burned. Felix hummed, continued to work his hands over Chan’s skin. He bit his lip, trying to endure the burning of the salve. At last, Felix let go of his chin, reaching for the rag to wipe the salve off his hand. 

“There we go,” he said and Chan nodded, taking a deep breath as the salve worked to close the cuts on his face.

“Hey,” Jisung mumbled, breaking the silence, voice laced with sleep and he shifted a little. “I just got a Sending from Minho. They found the gravekeeper and his house.”

“Oh,” Chan said, blinking. “That’s good. Did he say where they were?”

“They’re on the other side of the mountain range,” Jisung said, pointing out the direction for Chan. 

“How are we getting down?” Felix asked, brows knitted together in worry. “I don’t have anything left to heal Chan right now and I don’t think he can travel down the mountain with his ribs.”

“How did you…” Chan trailed off as Felix gave him a pointed look, an eyebrow raised.

“If you give me-” Jisung cleared his throat, shifting a little to make himself comfortable against the rocks behind them. “Give me a bit of time and I’ll be able to take us down. I just need to regain some strength.”

As Jisung dozed off, taking a short nap, Chan stood up. His whole body was aching but he’d gotten enough rest to at least stand up. He walked to the edge of the peak to look across the landscape. The air here was brisk and clear in his lungs as he inhaled. But the sky was still covered with these thick clouds, the moonlight just barely managing to get through. He could hear careful steps behind him and he turned to face Felix. 

His breath hitched, realization that Felix was safe finally settling in and the weight from his chest lifted. He reached out a hand, placing it carefully on Felix’s bruised cheek.

“Are you okay?” he asked and Felix hummed, eyes falling shut as he leaned into Chan’s touch. Chan brushed his thumb over Felix’s cheekbone and Felix let out a small sigh. “I couldn’t see you… back at the graveyard,” he murmured and Felix’s eyes fluttered open, dark brown and filled with stars. 

“I was on the other side of the cemetery,” Felix said quietly. “I couldn’t see you either, but I saw Jisung for a moment. Then we got out of there and that’s when I lost the others.”

“How did you get away?” Chan asked and Felix smiled softly, placing his hands on Chan’s cheeks, cradling his face so gently. He brought Chan’s face closer to his, leaning in as well so their noses were almost touching. 

“I had a scroll as a backup,” he whispered and Chan hummed, his gaze fixed on Felix’s beautiful eyes. There was something in them, fear maybe, and he let out a shuddering breath before he pressed his lips against Chan’s. His hands immediately let go of Chan’s face to grab a hold of Chan’s dark blue cloak, pulling Chan even closer. 

The pain in his ribs flared but Chan didn’t care. He kissed Felix, lips moving desperately against each other. He moved a hand to Felix’s waist, pulling him closer so that their chests were pressed together. 

“I’m okay, love, I’m okay,” Felix assured, words mixing with Chan’s desperate whispers of ‘you’re okay, you’re okay’. As they parted, Felix immediately moved his hands to dry Chan’s tears. “Don’t cry for me, love,” he whispered and Chan couldn’t hold back the sob slipping past his lips.

“I was-” he inhaled sharply, “I couldn’t find you,” he whispered as Felix pressed his forehead against Chan’s. His eyes were glossy as he stared into Chan’s. “I thought that…” That it’d lose you.

“We’re safe,” he assured, his voice wavering and lips trembling. Chan nodded, letting himself cry out the fear gripping his heart. “We’re safe,” he whispered, holding onto Chan for dear life. 

They stood there, on the edge of the cliff, in silence for a few minutes as they held each other close.

“Should we wake Jisung up?” Felix asked, mumbling into Chan’s shoulder. Chan nodded, letting go of Felix. Felix pressed a kiss on Chan’s jaw before scurrying over to wake Jisung up. He crouched down, gently shaking Jisung awake. “Are you feeling better?” he asked and Jisung nodded, eyes bleary as he slowly woke up.

“Can you get us down?” Chan asked and Jisung nodded, getting up on his feet. He rubbed his eyes and blinked, looking between the two of them.

“I think I can,” he said slowly, pressing his hand over where his wound had been. He inhaled sharply and looked up. “Yeah I can do it. Let me ask Minho where they are more exactly.” Chan nodded and Jisung fished up that little copper wire, whispering something into his hand. 

A silence hung in the air for a second, Jisung closed his eyes as he waited for a reply. After a few moments he opened his eyes again and smiled.

“I know where we’re going,” he said, stretching his arms out and taking a deep breath. “I haven’t taken this specific animal shape in a while, but I’ll give it a go,” he continued, looking between Felix and Chan. He turned to look out over the landscape ahead, inhaling sharply before his body morphed into its new shape. Much like when he’d shifted to a bear, it only took a moment and in the place Jisung had been standing, now stood a giant eagle.

“Druids never stop impressing me,” Felix said, eyes flickering between the giant eagle and Chan just as the giant eagle lowered itself, waiting for them to get on their back. 

Felix quickly climbed up on the eagle’s back but Chan was a bit more hesitant. Felix held out a hand, an encouraging smile on his face as he helped Chan up on Jisung’s back. Jisung turned his head to look at the two of them and Felix gave him a nod, signaling that he could take off.

The giant eagle nodded before stretching its wings, the huge wings almost knocking into the side of the mountain. It let out a whistle before beating the large wings, taking to the dark sky.

The house of the gravekeeper was situated by the foot of the mountain range, on the south side. It was on the opposite side from where they had approached the mountain, so no wonder they hadn’t found any cabin on their way up.

It was small, wooden and the light was lit inside, smoke coming out of the chimney. As soon as they had landed and Jisung had shifted back to his ordinary form, he informed them that Minho and the rest had already approached the cabin and talked to the gravekeeper. 

“Shall we head inside then?” Felix asked, looking between Jisung and Chan. Jisung nodded, seemingly pretty eager to get inside in the warmth and Chan nodded slowly, eyes trained on the cabin. He wasn’t sure what to expect of the gravekeeper. He trailed after Jisung and Felix as they walked up the small road leading up to the house, staying in the back with his eyes still fixed on the house. The pain in his chest had gone to being just a dull ache, not very noticable anymore. 

Felix was the one who reached the door first and he looked back at Chan and Jisung, eyes shifting between the two of them and the door. Jisung nodded, chewing on his bottom lip as Felix gently knocked on the door. There was a heartbeat of silence before the heavy wooden door creaked open. 

“Jisung!” Minho said, looking past Felix and at Jisung. Chan had never seen Minho letting all his guards down like this. All his emotions were displayed in his eyes as he looked at Jisung.

Jisung suddenly looked so broken, his eyes watering and the sight of Minho seemed to cause something inside Jisung to snap. He rushed past Felix, wrapping his arms around Minho’s neck and sobbed into his shoulder.

“I-I was so scared,” he cried, voice muffled by Minho’s clothes. Minho didn’t say anything, his jaw clenched and arms wrapped tightly around Jisung, but Chan could see, in the faint light coming from the inside of the house, the tears gathering in his glossy eyes. “I w-was about to die.”

“You didn’t die,” Minho whispered in Jisung’s ear, inhaling sharply as he rubbed Jisung’s back soothingly. “You didn’t die,” he repeated, pressing his nose into Jisung’s hair and closed his eyes. “You’re here.”

Jisung held onto the back of Minho’s shirt, grasp weak as he hiccuped into Minho’s shoulder. Something about this felt so intimate and personal that Chan averted his eyes, giving them a moment for themselves. He looked at Felix, who also had turned his gaze away from Jisung and Minho. Chan quietly, not saying a single word, moved to Felix’s side and reached out to take Felix’s hand in his. Felix stared at him, his gaze so gentle and so full of adoration it caused warmth to bloom in Chan’s chest and he gave Felix’s fingers a small squeeze.

“Should we go inside?” Felix asked quietly and they both looked back at Minho and Jisung. Jisung had let go of Minho, drying his face quietly as he avoided eye contact. Minho wasn’t crying, but he wasn’t far from actually crying, his jaw clenched and eyes glossy. 

“Yeah, we should go inside,” he said, voice wavering just the slightest. He turned around, taking Jisung’s hand to lead him inside. Felix gave Chan a glance before following, tugging Chan along.

The inside of the small house was humble, simple and nothing really worth noting. This house, much like Seungmin, Hyunjin and Changbin’s, had a large center room with a fireplace in the far corner, a large table in the center of it and something that looked like a kitchen on the wall facing the front of the house. There were a few doors leading from the center room to what Chan could only assume was bedrooms or maybe a study. 

“You’re okay!” Hyunjin said as soon as they stepped inside. 

All their companions were sitting around the table, a cup placed in front of each of them. Chan took a second to look them all over. Changbin’s human arm, the left one, was wrapped up and in a sling, while Jeongin had the remains of a magically healed cut on his face. The marks would probably be gone by tomorrow or the day after that, but it looked rather nasty. The others looked fairly unscratched, probably due to healing magic. 

“Where did you go?” Jeongin asked, his pale golden eyes gleaming.

“To one of the peaks,” Chan said, running his free hand through his hair. “I didn’t… I didn’t really think it through, I just needed to get us out.”

“It was probably for the best,” Jeongin commented, taking a sip from his cup. “Before Minho and I got out of there, the place was swarming with undead, even the hillside below.”

“It has been overrun by them for a while now,” a new voice said and there was something in it that rang so familiar to Chan. “I am trying my best to keep them at bay but the last couple of months has been hard.”

Something twisted in Chan’s gut and he spun around to look at the owner of the voice, letting go of Felix’s hand. As soon as their eyes met, relief washed over him. He would recognize that face anywhere, the round face, and sharp jawline, strong nose with small, pouty lips paired with a pair of pale green eyes. The look in the eyes was familiar too, but gone was the childish curiosity and optimism and it was replaced with a wiser, knowing look. 

“Chan?” 

“Younghyun,” Chan whispered, not even believing himself as the name rolled off his tongue. 

Never had he expected to see Younghyun again. Younghyun was holding onto some blankets and Chan could see his hands trembling as he swallowed hard. 

“Y-you’re still here…” he whispered, his voice shaking as he spoke. He didn’t think he would say those words. He looked Younghyun over again, and his heart sank as he realized that Younghyun was missing something. Something that had been so dear to him. “Your antlers..?” he asked, eyes wide as he looked at Younghyun.

Younghyun bit his lip and he took a deep breath as he averted his eyes. “Maybe we should… sit down and talk…”

“Yeah,” Chan said slowly, chewing on his bottom lip. He exhaled, his breathing shaky and he turned around. The room was quiet, the others looking between the two of them. Chan swallowed hard. He had so many questions and so many emotions swirling in his chest.

“Do you-” Jeongin began but Younghyun held up a hand.

“Let’s just get everyone tea and we’ll talk,” he said, his voice unsteady and he looked obviously shaken. “I just… give me a moment,” he continued and Chan nodded. Felix gave Chan a questioning look but Chan simply mouthed ‘later’ to him. He gave Chan a small smile and nodded, brushing his fingers over the back of Chan’s hand.

After everyone had gotten their tea and the ones who needed it were wrapped up in blankets, they all sat down. There was a heavy silence in the air and the only sound came from the gentle crackle of the fire. Chan kept his eyes trained at Younghyun. 

He still looked the same, as age didn’t affect the elves like it affected other humanoids. He looked a bit paler, like he’d gotten less sun the last couple of years, but his skin still held that subtle hint of green of the wood elves. Once upon a time, golden, dangling chains with gems had adorned Younghyun’s pointed ears; but all that was left now was healed over scars from where the earrings had forcefully been pulled out. The look in his eyes was difficult for Chan to read, he couldn’t tell what went through Younghyun’s head as he studied Chan. 

“Do you two…” Hyunjin began slowly, his silver eyes shifting between Chan and Younghyun, “know each other?”

“We did,” Chan said and Younghyun nodded slowly, pressing his lips together. “I mean we do. We-” He cut himself off and glanced between Younghyun and Hyunjin. “We were-”

“I would say we were best friends,” Younghyun said.

Chan could feel his stomach turn at the flood of memories Younghyun’s words caused. They had truly been best friends. When he was lost with nowhere to really go, alone and taken in by the temple of Mother Earth, Younghyun had been there to offer him comfort. Everyone in the temple had been his family, but he had been the closest with Younghyun. 

“Chan was there for me, I was there for Chan. We didn’t have much family left in the world, so we became each other’s family,” Younghyun whispered, hands balling into fists and he gritted his teeth. “Then they banished you.”

Chan swallowed hard, lowering his head as he nodded. 

“What did they really… banish you for?” Jeongin asked slowly and Chan looked up, inhaling sharply. He might as well be forthright and honest about it. With his eyes fixed on Jeongin, not daring to meet Younghyun’s eyes, Chan opened his mouth to speak but Younghyun cut him off.

“He didn’t do anything wrong,” Younghyun said, voice firm and Chan snapped his head to look at him, eyes widening. “He was wrongfully judged and banished.”

“What?”

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Younghyun repeated calmly, leaning back in his chair as he kept his eyes on Chan. “You saved people, Chan. You should not have been punished for it.”

“That’s why you left too, right?” Seungmin asked, his chin resting in his hand as he looked between the two of them. Younghyun turned his head to meet Seungmin’s eyes, raising an eyebrow. “We found letters you wrote… in the temple.”

“Oh,” he said softly, running a hand through his light brown hair. “Yes, that’s why I left the temple.” He reached for his cup of tea. “Is the temple still standing?”

Chan nodded, eyes still locked on Younghyun. There were so many questions he wanted an answer to and he didn't know where to start. A hand suddenly grabbed onto his and he glanced to his side to see Felix offer him a small smile. He swallowed, looking back at Younghyun.

“What happened to the rest of the temple? Where is everyone?” he asked, his voice trembling. He was scared to know the answer, but he needed to know. 

“After I left… Years after I left, the undead suddenly started to become a problem. I had been the keeper of Gwanwen for quite some time, dealing with an undead here and undead there, but suddenly an army rose and… it marched towards the temple. I went after them, trying to help as much as I could but when I got to the temple, most of the army had already passed. They slaughtered everyone.”

Chan’s blood ran cold, his heart dropping. He clenched his jaw and nodded slowly. Younghyun was quiet for a moment, his eyes distant as he recollected the memories.

“I followed the army… but when I got to the village. I was too late there too. The army was gone, what undead had been killed again remaining but the ones still walking were gone,” Younghyun continued, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I may have been.... an outcast and a traitor. Whatever they wanted to call me. But they were my family and I couldn’t just sit back and watch them get killed.”

“I believe you,” Chan whispered. He knew everyone in the temple must have been dead, as Seungmin had told him there weren't any Beory worshipers left in this world. But he had held onto some sort of hope. 

“H-how did you get out?” Younghyun asked and Chan blinked. “I… Just after I,” he paused, swallowing hard. “Just after I betrayed the temple and revoked my belief, I went to the Hissing Woodlands. I was going to get you out of there… but they were still guarding the forest heavily. I’m so sorry Chan,” he whispered, his voice cracking towards the end.

Chan just shook his head. “It’s okay,” he said and Younghyun nodded slowly, chewing on his bottom lip. He took a shuddering breath, quickly glancing over at Felix before he began to speak. “Felix found me, in the forest. The guards were gone but… had he not found me and brought me out, I don’t think I would have left there alone.”

Younghyun nodded, lips pressed together in a thin line. “The whispers?” he asked, breaking the silence and Chan widened his eyes. In the corner of his eye, he could see Changbin freeze.

“Y-you hear them too?” Changbin asked and Younghyun shifted his eyes to look at the draconic sorcerer. 

“I do,” he said, nodding his head slowly and Chan swallowed. “I mean, I’m pretty sure everyone can hear them to some degree, but they got louder when I left the temple and moved here. Sometimes they try to talk me into doing things but… so far I’ve been able to shrug it off.”

“Oh,” Changbin said softly and Younghyun looked Changbin over once before nodding. Chan was chewing on his bottom lip, eyes fixed on Younghyun.

“Did you lose your antlers?” he finally asked and Younghyun slowly looked back at Chan.

 Silence hung heavy in the air as that unreadable look in his eyes slowly washed away, replaced with utter sorrow. Chan remembered when he had been gifted his antlers, right before he took the oath. As he took the promise to serve nature, the first step in the process, he had been gifted the antlers. Younghyun, being a hundred and nineteen years older than him and in the service as a nature cleric of Beory for a long time, had already had his antlers but to both of them, the antlers were a sense of their identity and pride. 

“Antlers are only for those who serve deities in favor of nature,” Younghyun said, voice wavering and he ran a hand through his hair, fingers lingering for just a second where his antlers should have been. “I abandoned my belief in Beory,” he continued, clearing his throat, “and I took to Melora. But I did not become a cleric of the Wildmother in favor of nature… I have a different purpose now and that’s why I do not have my antlers anymore.”

“What is your purpose?” Jeongin cut in, eyes gleaming with that childlike curiosity and Younghyun smiled sadly.

“I’m a gravekeeper. I tend to the dead, make sure they stay dead,” he said and Jeongin let out a soft ‘oh’. “I haven’t been very successful with it though.”

“Oh,” Felix said softly from beside Chan and Chan glanced over at him. “I don’t think you could have prevented this, considering that it sounds like we’re dealing with someone.”

“Possibly a follower to the Lich King,” Seungmin added, teeth worrying his bottom lip. “Considering the sword with the engraving that we found.”

“It wouldn’t be entirely impossible,” Younghyun hummed, rubbing his chin. “Maybe it is best if you get some sleep and we’ll talk more in the morning,” he continued standing up. “You all must be tired, considering it is approaching morning.”

“Very tired,” Jisung agreed and Younghyun smiled softly. “But I took a nap so out of all of us, I think I’m the least tired.” Chan looked over the group and indeed, out of all of them, Jisung did look the least tired but he still looked exhausted, dried blood on his face and in his hair. Minho was seated 

“Would you like to sleep and clean up in the morning?” Younghyun asked and a collective hum ran through the group. “I do not have enough beds for everyone but if you just want to sleep here, it’s fine.”

“We could just take our bedrolls,” Minho said and Chan nodded, along with the rest of the group. 

They all began to shuffle around, moving furniture a little to make sure everyone got a sleeping space on the floor. Felix helped Younghyun with the cups and the dishes and Chan could see the two of them talk, voices too hushed for him to hear but they both did send him a glance and he raised an eyebrow. As Chan was rolling out his and Felix’s bedrolls, the pain in his ribs flared again and he hissed, clenching his jaw.

“Chan,” Younghyun said as Chan had sat down on the floor, getting ready to go to sleep. Exhaustion was finally catching up to him and he looked at Younghyun, eyelids heavy. “Felix told me you injured your ribs and he didn’t have enough healing left to help you.”

Chan turned to look at Felix who was standing beside Younghyun, slowly getting out of his leather armor. Felix just gave him a pointed look and Chan looked back at Younghyun.

“Yeah,” he said slowly, biting his lip. “I don’t think anything is broken but… it hurts a bit.”

“Let me see,” Younghyun said, his tone becoming serious as he placed a hand on Chan’s shoulder. “Lay down please,” he instructed and Chan did as told, holding back a hiss as he did. Younghyun carefully lifted Chan’s shirt, fingers gently pressing the skin over Chan’s ribs. It hurt and pain shot through his body; he closed his eyes, gritting his teeth. 

“That’s pretty damn bruised,” Felix said, voice tight and Chan could almost see the frown on his face. “You should have said it was this bad.”

“It’s not that bad,” Chan whispered, barely getting any words past his lips as pain continued to course through his body. At last Younghyun pulled his hand back and Chan inhaled sharply, opening his eyes again.

“A few cracked ribs and I think one of them is actually broken,” Younghyun said, disapproving scowl on his face. “You should be careful with broken ribs.”

“Jisung was dying,” Chan said and Younghyun raised an eyebrow, glancing over to where Felix was standing. “We needed to save him first.”

A warm smile suddenly bloomed on Younghyun’s face and he shook his head, reaching to grab the necklace around his neck, the necklace of the Wildmother Melora. 

“You haven’t changed a bit, Chan of the Blessed Fields,” he said before whispering an incantation in Elvish. The barely noticeable, faint golden mark on his hand began to glow and he placed a hand against the skin over Chan’s rib. Something inside Chan cracked, the rib fixing itself and Chan let out a pained yelp.

“It’s good to see you again,” he said truthfully, looking up at Younghyun as the warmth from the healing magic slowly left him cold as usual.

“It’s good to see you too,” Younghyun whispered, stroking the back of his hand over Chan’s cheek. “I am so sorry you were banished. I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything.”

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“Nor did I do enough to stop it,” Younghyun said but Chan shook his head.

“What could you have done?” he asked and Younghyun sighed, shoulders dropping. Chan gently took Younghyun’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “I would not have wanted you to put yourself in danger for me. Me taking the punishment for my own actions was nothing but right.”

“It shouldn’t have been that harsh,” Younghyun said through gritted teeth. 

“Maybe not,” Chan said softly, a sad smile on his lips as he looked up on Younghyun. “But that’s in the past. We can’t dwell on it anymore.”

Younghyun sighed, eyes locked on the floor before he looked back at Chan, smiling sadly. “I guess you’re right,” he murmured, giving Chan’s hand a last squeeze before letting go and standing up. “You should get some sleep,” he continued and Chan nodded. Younghyun gave him a last look and a stiff smile before turning around, retreating into his own bedroom. 

Chan remained on his back, staring up into the ceiling as he tried to process what had just happened. This day felt like it had been too much. He really needed some sleep.

“You sound like you two were very close,” Felix whispered, and Chan turned his head a little to meet Felix’s eyes. Felix was laying on his stomach, arms propped up under him as he looked at Chan. The light in the cabin was faint, most candles had been put out and the fire in the fireplace was nothing more than a muted, orange glow. 

“Me and Younghyun?” Chan asked quietly and Felix hummed, inching closer. “We were,” he continued after a moment of silence. “I was close to everyone in the temple, but I was the closest with Younghyun. As he said, we were family. I should have guessed he was the one who abandoned the temple when I was banished…”

Felix didn’t reply, he simply smiled and reached out to brush his fingers over the cuts on Chan’s face. 

“Do you want to continue this?” Chan whispered, breaking the silence. “It’s getting more dangerous and…” he trailed off, eyes shifting over to where Minho and Jisung were laying. He could hear Jisung snore softly, his arms wrapped around Minho and Minho was holding onto Jisung as if his life depended on it. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Felix was quiet for a moment, expression serious and he moved even closer to Chan. He leaned down, pressing his lips against Chan’s. Chan immediately brought his hand up to the back of Felix’s head, tugging him a little bit closer. The kiss was slow, neither of them rushing anything. All Chan wanted to do was to cherish this moment, etch it into his memory and remember it forever.

As they parted, Chan’s eyes fluttered open to meet Felix’s warm eyes. Chan took his time, just looking into Felix’s eyes while his thumb brushed over Felix’s cheeks. Even if his body was cold, Felix made him feel warm on the inside, alive somehow.

“I’ll follow you till the end,” Felix whispered, a small smile tugging on his lips. "I make that vow to you, Chan of the Blessed Fields. I'll do anything in my power to follow you till the end."

Chan's heart stuttered, his stomach twisting and his chest tightening. "And I... I make this vow to you, Felix of the Fire Ridge. I will protect your life with mine."

The silence in the grand hall of the temple was so heavy it felt like Chan was suffocating under it. He was on his knees, shackles around his wrists and he let his head hang with shame. Guards in heavy armor stood beside him, one on each side as if he was a criminal. He took a sharp, shuddering breath and raised his head. He looked around the room, at everyone who he considered his family. 

He was met with nothing but cold stares.

“Chan, my child,” the High Priest said, her back still turned to Chan as she faced the altar of their Mother. The sun, high in the sky, shone through the stained glass windows, illuminating the room in a beautiful, multicolored pattern. 

“Yes, High Priest,” Chan said, trying to keep his voice as stable as possible. 

“You took an oath,” she began, turning around to look at Chan. Chan looked at her, the beautiful red tiefling with the curled ram horns, dressed in graceful white robes with golden embroideries. Her completely white eyes were always hard to read, but today, Chan could read her like an open book. The disgust on her face was so evident. “You took an oath and swore to always follow our Mother and her word. Did you not?”

“I did,” Chan said, his throat tightening and words choked up.

“Today,” the High Priest began, her voice suddenly louder as if to make sure everyone in the temple heard her, even those who did not attend this trial. “Today you broke your oath, Chan of the Blessed Fields.”

“I-I did,” he admitted, his words barely a whisper. He could hear sneers from the people around them, mumbled and speculations of his crimes. “I-I want to repent for my sins, High Priest. All I wanted to do was to save people, to do good,” he rambled, tears rolling down his cheeks and he sobbed, lowering his head.

“So you say,” the High Priest said calmly, glancing back at the altar. “I want nothing more than to take you back, child of mine, but I do not have the final say in this.”

“W-what?” Chan whispered, but it seemed that his words went by unnoticed. 

“Bring him here,” she instructed, her tone flat and the guards beside Chan grabbed one arm each, yanking him up from the floor to drag him over to the altar. He took a shaky breath before looking up at the High Priest above him.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, choking on a sob and he could see sorrow flash in her eyes.

“I am too, Chan,” she said, placing a hand on his jaw. “Your fate is no longer in my hands,” she whispered, reaching down to wipe the tears from Chan’s cheeks. “You must pray to her and she will decide your fate.”

Chan nodded, sniffling as the High Priest took a step to the side. He bowed his head, pressing his forehead against the cold stone floor.

“O-oh mother,” he whispered in Sylvan, voice unsteady and thick with tears. He closed his eyes as he continued. “I wish to repent for my sins and I wish for you to take me back into your arms. I promise to serve you loyally until the day I die.”

There was no reply and he inhaled sharply. Maybe the Mother simply ignored him for now but would take him back later. He sat up, back still hunched and head low as he turned to look at the High Priest. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, a sudden burning sensation sparked in his hands and he hissed. He stared down at his hands as the beautiful, golden marks of his mother turned into black stains, evidence of his crimes.

His blood ran cold and tears rolled down his cheeks. He looked back at the High Priest and she exhaled, her breathing shaky.

“Oathbreaker,” she spoke, voice so cold and the word so hurtful it felt like they cut through Chan’s skin, his heart shattering.

The crowd around them began to talk, voices so loud and so many that Chan couldn’t focus. Some of them, people he’d considered family, yelled and he sobbed, hiding his face in his hands.

“Silence!” the High Priest’s voice boomed out and the room fell silent. The only sound was the echoing sound of Chan’s cries. “Chan the Oathbreaker. The mother has decided to not forgive you, and so be it. You are to be banished and kept in the Hissing Woodlands until the end of your time in this realm.”

“You can’t do that!” a voice suddenly interrupted and Chan looked up to see Younghyun. “That’s unfair! He didn’t hurt anyone!”

“Younghyun,” the High Priest said calmly, holding up a hand. “Now is not the time.”

“He helped people when you refused!” the elf sneered. Behind Younghyun, Chan could see Yugyeom agree, nodding his head and fixing his gaze at the High Priest. 

“Guards, please bring him outside,” the High Priest said and the two guards that had been standing by the door moved over to grab Younghyun’s arms. Younghyun didn’t protest, he followed them, his lips pressed together in a thin line as he stared at the High Priest. Then his eyes met Chan’s and the look in his eyes shifted. From the cold, angry stare to such a soft and sorrow filled gaze. Chan swallowed hard as he stared at Younghyun.

Before Younghyun was pulled out from the room, he just mouthed two words.

“I’m sorry.”

Chan woke with a start, sitting up with a gasp. The room was still dark, the world outside seemed to have brightened just the slightest as morning was approaching. The fire in the fireplace had died out and the candles were all put out. 

His heart was hammering in his chest, fear digging its claws into him. That was a memory he rather didn’t think back to. He had tried to keep it quiet, tried to forget it. He stared at his hands, at the stains of the oathbreaker and he could feel the tears well up in his eyes. He lowered his head, focusing only on his breathing. After a few moments, his heart was finally slowing down and he could push back the tears.

Looking to his left, Chan could see Felix sleeping, seemingly not bothered at all by Chan. Chan reached out a hand, inhaling as he saw his fingers shaking, and gently stroked Felix’s hair. Felix looked so peaceful, his eyes closed, face relaxed and lips slightly parted as he breathed evenly. Chan took a deep breath, brushing his fingers over Felix’s soft skin.

In front of them stood the dark unknown, threatening and dangerous. He knew he needed to fight whatever was awaiting them, for this was the path fate seemed to have taken him on. 

He pulled his hand back, laying down again. His heart felt heavy and worry coiled in his gut. Oh how he wished things were different. He glanced at Felix, warmth spreading in his chest as he did and he sighed as he closed his eyes.

Even if fate had set him on this dangerous journey, he silently thanked the goddess of fate for letting Felix be on his side. 

Chan was woken up by Felix’s lips pressed against his cheek. He cracked his eyes open, a dull ache running through his body as he turned a little to look at Felix. Felix was grinning, radiating warmth and hope.

“Good morning,” he said, leaning down to kiss Chan again, this time on his lips. “Are you feeling better?” he asked, his nose pressed against Chan’s and his breathing just ghosting over Chan’s lips. 

“A bit,” Chan said, his heart squeezing as Felix broke into a wide smile, eyes crinkling and he pressed a gentle kiss on Chan’s nose before sitting up. Chan sat up slowly, mindful of his ribs but as he realized that they didn’t hurt, not even the slightest, he immediately straightened his back. “Did you sleep well?” he asked, brushing some of Felix’s hair behind his ear. As he did, he noted that the orange color had gotten a bit darker, slowly turning red at the tips. 

“I did,” Felix said, leaning in to kiss Chan again. His lips were so warm, so gentle as they kissed and Chan could feel his cold body warming up. Felix leaned back, wide smile still present on his lips as he placed a hand on Chan’s head, fingers tangling in his dark locks. He gently ran it through his hair, nails scratching over his scalp and Chan watched as the smile on Felix’s face suddenly faltered.

“What?” he asked, brows knitted together in a frown as Felix shifted a little, leaning closer as if to inspect Chan’s hair. His breath hitched and he pulled back, holding something in his hand.

“I’m…” He swallowed and looked up at Chan, his warm eyes wide and sad. As he opened his hand, Chan’s heart sank. In the palm of his hand laid a wilted flower. “I’m so sorry…” Felix whispered as Chan reached out to take the flower from Felix. It had bloomed, the black petals open and even if it wasn’t big, Chan thought that it must have been quite pretty when it was still alive. 

“It’s okay,” he whispered, stroking his fingers over the dried petals. He tried to shake the sadness off, pushing the lump in his throat back. This happened to all his flowers. Why should this have been any different? “Are the other up already?” he asked, voice unsteady as he changed the subject and he looked around. The only remaining one was Jisung, still curled up and snoring softly. The rest of them were gone.

“Younghyun went to gather some things and I think Seungmin went to help him,” Felix said, trying to not look at the small, wilted flower in Chan’s hand. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath. Chan inhaled, giving the flower a last look before he closed his fist, crushing it in his hand and let the dust fall to the floor.  “Though, I don’t know where Jeongin and Minho are.”

“They’re probably discussing where to go,” Jisung suddenly cut in and both Felix and Chan looked over at him. He was still dirty, his hair bloody and he still looked exhausted. He rubbed his eyes as he sat up. “Jeongin might talk to Auris-” Felix frowned and Jisung smiled. “His patron,” he explained and Felix let out a quiet ‘oh’ before Jisung continued, “for some guidance, and Minho is probably just… checking the state of the planes and scanning for portals.”

“He can do that?” Felix asked, tilting his head.

“It’s a Horizon Walker thing,” Jisung said, shrugging. “I try to keep out of that kind of business for the most part, because it upsets him. He doesn’t like to talk about it really.”

Chan nodded, his lips pressed together and Felix simply hummed, seemingly deciding not to push the subject anymore. As they slowly got up from the floor, rolling up their bedrolls, Seungmin entered, Hyunjin and Changbin in tow. 

“Good morning,” he said, smiling at the three of them. “Are you feeling any better?”

“I am,” Jisung replied, picking up his bloody white cloak from the floor. “Ah shit,” he cursed as he frowned at it, but then he shifted his eyes to Seungmin. “You wouldn’t happen to have anything for this?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Seungmin looked the piece of clothing over before holding out his hands. He muttered something and snapped his fingers. With a flash of white light, the dirt and the blood removed itself and the cloak was back to its pristine condition. 

“Oh.”

“How do you think I keep this clean?” he asked and Jisung chuckled, mumbling a quiet thank you. “There’s water, a bit cold but still water, outside so I suggest you three go and clean up.”

“Yeah,” Felix said, looking over at Chan before reaching out to take Chan’s hand. “Let’s go and clean up, shall we?” he asked softly. Chan nodded, swallowing hard and offered Felix a small, sad smile as Felix tugged him along.

“So where do we go now?” Jisung asked, rubbing the back of his head as he looked over the table. Breakfast had been cleaned away and now the only remaining things on the table was a few tea cups. “Obviously there’s… something… someone, who’s behind this. All of us heard the voice right?”

“Yeah,” Hyunjin mumbled, nervously fiddling with his fingers.

“If you could give me a few minutes,” Seungmin began, eyes looking over everyone around the table, “I think I could… you know, ask for guidance or something.”

“Wizard right?” Younghyun asked and Seungmin nodded. Hyunjin and Changbin glanced over at Seungmin, disapproval apparent on their face. “Yeah maybe we should do that. There are rumors about where the darkness is coming from, but it varies.”

“The Underwoods?” Jisung asked. Minho hummed before reaching for his bag, pulling out a rolled up piece of paper. As he rolled it out on the table, Chan could see that it was a map of the continent. 

“The Underwoods is one source,” Younghyun said, pointing to the Underwoods in the far north east. “But there’s also talk of the Hissing Woodlands,” he moved south and Chan shook his head.

“There’s rifts there but nothing… nothing that would be the source.”

“We also have the Silver Hills,” Younghyun said, moving to point at the small mountain in the northwest, straight north from where they were currently located. “There’s some ruins in those mountains and whispers of the unholy inhabiting the remains goes through the lands.”

“There’s also the Black Slough and the Fire Ridge,” Felix pointed out, reaching out to place a finger on the map. “There is some connection to the Shadowfell from there too, even if it’s not as strong as Underwoods or the Hissing Woodlands.”

“That is true,” Minho said, rubbing his chin. “I went out this morning to check for rifts and all that… I could sense some from the south as well.”

“Should Seungmin maybe ask…” Younghyun trailed off, looking up at Seungmin. Seungmin just raised an eyebrow. “Maybe you could ask whoever you… need to ask,” he said slowly and Seungmin nodded.

“I can’t guarantee you an answer,” he said, glancing between Hyunjin and Changbin. Both of them clenched their jaws, eyes flickering back and forth in worry. “But I can try,” he continued and stood up, holding up a hand as both Changbin and Hyunjin made an attempt to stand up. “I think this… this is something I need to be alone to do.”

Chan didn’t miss the hiss that slipped past Hyunjin’s lips and the low growl rumbling in Changbin’s chest. 

“You can take my bedroom,” Younghyun said, standing up to show Seungmin the way. The two of them left the table, leaving the others alone with an awkward silence hanging in the air. 

“Are you two okay?” Jeongin asked, breaking the silence and Changbin, who had been looking after Seungmin, snapped his head around to look at Jeongin. Hyunjin sighed, running a hand through his black hair.

“He has… he has asked for guidance before,” he finally said and Changbin nodded, chewing on his bottom lip as he stared blankly in front of him. “It didn’t really end well.”

“What do you mean?” Jeongin continued, brows furrowed as he tilted his head a little. 

“There’s no… there’s no telling who he asks. He reaches into another plane and gets to ask questions. But there’s no way he can tell who is on the other side, if it’s a good or an evil being. The last time he did this…” Hyunjin trailed off, glancing over at Changbin who seemed to be deep in thought. Hyunjin sighed, reaching out to gently take Changbin’s scale covered hand in his. Changbin’s eyes focused, flickering over to look at Hyunjin. Hyunjin offered Changbin a gentle smile before he turned his attention back to the rest of the group. “The last time he did this, he accidentally got in contact with a demon from the Abyss.”

“He was in a coma for two days,” Changbin said, a low and guttural growl just underlining his words. 

“Oh,” Felix said softly, wrapping his arms around Chan’s arm and leaned to rest his weight on Chan’s shoulder. “That sounds… terrifying,” he whispered, his grip of Chan’s arm tightening. 

“It is,” Changbin said as both he and Hyunjin looked back towards the door leading into Younghyun’s bedroom. Younghyun carefully closed the door behind him as he exited and went back to his place at the table. 

“He promised to call for us if he needed any help,” Younghyun said as he sat down and Changbin nodded, jaw clenched. “He told me to tell you to not worry.”

“Well,” Hyunjin began, a humorless laugh slipping past his lips and he sighed heavily. “I can’t help but worry,” he mumbled, running a hand through his hair again. 

“If it’s any comfort to you,” Younghyun began, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the heavy oak table, “I did put a ward on him. It’s supposed to protect him from evil.” As he said that, Chan could see relief just wash over Hyunjin and Changbin, their tense postures immediately melting away and it looked like they could finally breathe freely again.

“Thank you,” Changbin whispered, the look in his eyes so earnest. Younghyun smiled, shaking his head.

“No need to thank me.”

Seungmin exited the bedroom about an hour later, his steps unsteady and he held onto the wall for support. Hyunjin and Changbin immediately shot up from their seats, scurrying over to Seungmin’s side to make sure he was okay. Chan could hear the quiet whispers of ‘I’m okay, I’m okay’ as they looked him over, pressing small kisses in his hair, on the shell of his ears and on his neck. 

Chan looked down on Felix, who was still holding onto his arm and drowsing off. He could help but smile, reaching with his other hand to gently brush his fingers over his soft hair. 

“Did you get any answers?” Minho asked after a moment and Chan looked up again. Both Hyunjin and Changbin straightened their backs, eyes flickering around the room before looking back at Seungmin. 

“I did,” he said, approaching the table. He sat down and pulled the map closer, studying it closely. “I don’t really know what I got in contact with,” he began, eyes looking up for just a second before he looked back at the map. “But it suggested north and I got a visual of some kind of ruins… So I guess that’s telling us that we should go to the Silver Hills,” he said, pointing to the mountains in the north.

“What kind of ruins are on the Silver Hills?” Felix asked, still leaning into Chan but he shifted a little. 

“It used to be the castle of the dragons, before the War of the Great Wyrms, but after that...” Younghyun shook his head. “I don’t know what became of it. I know noble families lived there, but-” He turned to Chan. “Do you remember anything? I sadly can’t remember a lot, it was a couple of hundred years ago since I as much as talked to someone from the Silver Hills.”

“I don’t remember a lot either,” Chan said, sighing. “I did not spend a lot of time studying or socializing with the people that visited the temple. I don’t know a lot of the Silver Hills I’m afraid.”

“I guess we… I guess we just have to find out,” Felix mumbled. “I hate surprises.”

Chan hummed, placing a hand on Felix’s head to gently brush his fingers through his hair. They would indeed have to find out by themselves.

They had left late, deciding it was for the best to set out for the journey as soon as possible due to the long travel. They had to pass over the mountain range again, and Younghyun suspected that the presence of the undead would only increase the longer they waited and had suggested they’d leave his house as soon as they could. The clouds were getting darker, blocking out the sun more and more as the days had passed and Chan frowned up at the gray sky. 

He looked down ahead, at his companions. 

Minho was once again in the front, leading the way through the rocky mountains with Younghyun on one side, keeping an eye out for undeads and Jeongin on the other. Behind him was Seungmin and Felix, also on edge and looking out for possible dangers. Seungmin was flanked by both Hyunjin and Changbin. Chan was walking in the back together with Jisung, both of them keeping an eye out backwards to make sure nothing was stalking them. 

“May I ask you something?” he asked as they walked along the rocky, uneven road. They had been walking for a few hours now, the road finally starting to tilt downwards. Jisung turned to look at him for a brief second, before focusing back on the road as they started to hike down, using his staff to keep his balance. 

“Sure,” he said, focusing his eyes on the rocky road ahead.

“I do apologize for being so forthright,” Chan began, taking a deep breath and he could see Jisung glance at him in the corner of his eye. “But what… what are you and Minho?”

“Oh,” Jisung said softly, chuckling. “I… We haven’t actually talked about it. He’s scared of being tied down. He’s scared of hurting me by being tied to me, and I-” Chan glanced over to look at him, a soft and fond smile on his lips. “I’m not going to force him to define our relationship. But I guess… I guess he’s just very dear to me. He taught me a lot about the planes, about our world, and he’s been taking care of me when he wasn’t jumping between planes.”

“I see,” Chan said and Jisung only hummed. They looked out over the dark landscapes, the clouds and fog had seemingly started to darken, even though night wasn’t due in at least a few hours. 

“Something is really wrong,” Jisung said and Chan hummed absentmindedly. “Nature isn’t supposed to act like this.”

“It’s not,” Chan agreed, staring out over the road ahead of them. “It somehow reminds me of…” He licked his lips, swallowing hard. “It reminds me of how things were in the Hissing Woodlands. Before it got swallowed up by evil completely.”

Chan couldn’t sleep; or more like he didn’t want to sleep. The whispers were so loud in the back of his head that he didn’t dare to sleep. If he fell asleep, he would be vulnerable and they could take over his mind, affect him. 

He had offered to take the first watch alone and he sat with his back leaning against a rock, eyes watching over the open fields ahead.

He had remained there, not moving once. He kept his eyes trained on the open space, his mind running with questions, theories, what if’s. Who was that voice? Why was he the only one that could hear it and what did it mean by ‘choosing’ him?

“Hey,” Felix suddenly said and Chan jumped in surprise, eyes widening. “Sorry,” Felix said, a sheepish smile on his face as he sat down beside Chan, looking out over the fields. “Did you stay up the whole night?” 

“Yeah,” Chan said after a moment of silence, inhaling sharply. “I just… the whispers… they’re so strong and I don’t want to go to sleep,” he said slowly and Felix hummed, nodding his head slowly. He stared out over the view in front of them, leaning his cheek against Chan’s shoulder.

“You’re stronger than them,” he whispered and Chan inhaled sharply, turning his head a little so he could press a kiss on the top of Felix’s head before nuzzling his nose into the soft hair. Felix smelled like autumn, that smell after the rain had just passed through a forest, along with the sweet scent of cedarwood. 

“What if I’m not?” Chan asked, his voice a bit unstable. “You… do you remember the first time I approached your camp?”

“Yes,” Felix breathed after a heartbeat of silence. “I remember that.”

“Do you…” He swallowed hard. “Do you remember the silver powder? The circle around your camp?”

“I do,” Felix said, furrowing his brows. “Where are you going with this?” He straightened his back, sitting up and Chan bit his lip as he looked at Felix. He had wished he’d never had to say these words to Felix. 

“Had the silver not protected you from my foul soul,” he began, looking down at the ground in shame, his head hanging low. He took a moment to focus on his shaky breathing before looking up at Felix, feeling his chest tightening as tears welled up in his eyes. “I would have killed you, Felix.”

Felix didn’t react, he didn’t even flinch, he kept his eyes trained at Chan with a blank expression. Chan lowered his head again in shame. He was weak , he couldn’t get the whispers out of his head, he couldn’t stop them from controlling his actions.

“But you didn’t,” Felix finally said and Chan snapped his head up, vision blurry because of the tears. His heart squeezed, painfully, as he saw the pure look of adoration in Felix’s eyes. “You didn’t kill me. Sure the silver was there to protect me, but you have to understand this, love,” he continued, reaching out to place his hand at the side of Chan’s head, brushing his fingers through Chan’s curls gently. “You’ve been stuck with those voices for so long. I was there for a few days, and I could feel them burying their claws in me. I know I wasn’t far from being taken by them. I can’t imagine how it is for you.”

“But-”

“What did the voice tell you?” Felix asked, eyes still as soft as ever. “When you said no, what did the voice tell you?”

“It… it asked me to join… something, and they would grant me powers,” Chan mumbled, lowering his head. Felix's hand still lingered on the side of Chan’s hair, his thumb brushing over Chan’s cheekbone.

“See,” he murmured, his eyes so warm it hurt. Chan couldn’t look at him. “You are strong enough to stand up to those voices. You didn’t agree to anything, they did not make you do anything.”

“But what… what if they do get to me?” Chan whispered. Felix didn’t say anything, he remained silent and after a moment, he pulled his hand back. Chan’s heart ached and he swallowed hard. Maybe it was for the best, for Felix to realize what kind of monster he was. Maybe Felix would be safer if he kept away from Chan.

The gentle twinkle of the ornaments in Felix’s antlers brought Chan out of his thoughts and he looked up. Felix was gently removing one of the chains from his antlers, a small golden chain with a bright ruby in the end of it. He smiled softly.

“May I?” he asked, gesturing towards Chan’s antlers. Chan’s breath hitched and he swallowed, the lump in his throat making it hard for him to speak so instead he just nodded. Felix smiled, reaching up to fasten the small chain in Chan’s antler. He pulled back, eyes fixed on the ornament for a second before shifting his gaze to meet Chan’s. “This will protect you, I will be with you every step of this journey and I won’t let the whispers get to you.”

Chan felt choked up and he tried to blink the tears out of his eyes as Felix reached out to take his cold hands in his warm ones. “Thank you,” he whispered, voice cracking just the slightest. Felix didn’t say anything, he soothingly rubbed small circles on Chan’s hand with his thumb. “Thank you.”

They reached the first house at nightfall, the sky was dark and there was something eerie in the air. It wasn’t a village really, more of a few farms in close proximity to each other. It reminded Chan of his home, when he was still living with his father, but this was not the community he’d grown up in as his childhood home was located south on the Blessed Fields, not north. 

The house was quiet, dark, and Chan could only assume that it was abandoned. The whole area was so eerily silent and there was the faint smell of desecration hanging in the air.

“Should we look closer to this?” Jeongin asked, muttering something before picking up a small rock, casting the light spell on it. Their surroundings lit up slightly, helping Chan and the others blessed with darkvision to see a tad bit more, and helping the humans to see at all.

“I would say that’s a good idea,” Seungmin said slowly, eyeing the farmhouse in front of them. “But I’d say we keep an eye out. I’d rather not repeat the whole undead situation at the graveyard.”

“No, let’s avoid that,” Jisung said absentmindedly as he glanced around their surroundings. He took a deep breath before turning towards the house. “Should we all go inside and a few of us stay outside, keeping an eye out?” he asked and Seungmin hummed.

“Seungmin should go inside,” Felix said, not looking at the group but keeping his eyes moving over the landscapes, keeping an eye out for possible dangers. “In case there’s another thing like the sword,” he continued and Seungmin hummed.

“I guess we should go inside then,” Minho said. “Jeongin, can you lead the way please?” he asked and Jeongin hummed, quickly moving to be in the front as they walked down the road towards the house. As they reached the door, Chan stopped, taking a step to the side. 

“I’ll stay outside,” he said, looking over the landscape outside the house. “I’ll keep an eye out.”

“I’ll stay with you,” Felix said, quickly moving to stand on Chan’s side. Minho gave the two of them a long glance before nodding.

“Be careful and call us if you see anything,” he said and Felix nodded, tightening the grip on his staff.

“Same goes to you,” Chan said and Minho hummed before turning around, heading inside with the rest of them. Their surroundings went silent, except for the distant sound of their companions inside the house.

“This makes me feel uneasy,” Felix said after a moment and Chan turned to look at him. He was overlooking the landscape in front of them and there was… there was something in his eyes. Chan was old, much older than Felix and while Felix might be young for a half-dryad, he had lived for almost a hundred years. He had lived a whole life of a human. In this moment, Chan could see the age in Felix’s eyes, the childish gleam no longer there. “Something is very wrong.”

“Indeed,” Chan said slowly and Felix turned his head to look at Chan. It almost hurt to look into his eyes, dull brown eyes looking at him in this very moment. “Do you think we’ll find our answers in the Silver Hills?”

Felix sighed, biting his lip and averting his eyes for just a second as he thought about it.

“I don’t know,” he said truthfully and Chan could feel the weight of Felix’s heart as he spoke. “But I hope we do. I wish nothing but to bring life back to this world.”

“I hope we do,” Chan whispered, shoulders dropping. Felix moved a little closer and without a word, Chan opened his arms, letting Felix hug him. Felix sighed as he wrapped his arms around Chan, burying his nose in Chan’s chest.

“Do you think we can save this world?” Felix mumbled into Chan’s chest. Chan brushed his hands through Felix’s hair, trying to soothe him. He brushed his fingers over the colorful petals of the flowers in Felix’s hair.

“I think we can,” he replied, holding onto Felix as he felt his body start shaking, quiet sobs muffled against the fabric of his shirt. He didn’t say anything. He allowed Felix to cry his heart, his fears and his doubts out. 

The others exited the farmhouse about ten minutes later. Felix was standing beside Chan, their arms linked together as Chan genly dried his cheeks with his hand. As Jeongin walked out, the glowing rock in his hand, they both looked  away from each other and at the rest of them.

“I have a suggestion,” Younghyun said as he stepped outside the door. His eyes held a slight glow to them in the dark of night as he scanned the area. “We sleep here tonight,” he began, shifting his gaze from the landscape to look over their group. “We have checked the house, no undead in here. In front of us lies only open landscapes, if we stay the night here, the houses will offer us some sort of cover at least.”

“As much as this place makes me uncomfortable,” Jeongin began, looking between all of them. “I agree with Younghyun. I think we’re the safest here tonight.”

A hum of agreement rang through the group and they began to set up camp, rolling out their bedrolls and gathering enough wood for a small campfire. 

“What did you find?” Chan asked as he and Seungmin went to look for some blankets in the nearby farmhouse. Seungmin was holding onto Chan’s arm as he was unfortunate enough to not be blessed with darkvision and held a rock carrying the light spell in his other hand. “Inside I mean.”

“We found some dead bodies…” Seungmin said slowly, eyes glancing at Chan before returning to look at the road ahead of them. “They’re… They’re fresher than the ones we found…” he trailed off, swallowing and exhaled, breathing shaky. “The ones we found in the village.”

“Did you find any- any prayers to the-”

“The Lich King,” Seungmin filled in and Chan hummed, knitting his brows together and his stomach churned. He really didn’t like where their journey were going but… but he supposed that this was the fate designed for him, he just had to solve it. “Yes, we found a prayer to him written on the wall… in the victim's blood.”

“Oh,” Chan said, dread and fear creeping up on him. “I see.”

Seungmin hummed and the two of them kept silent the whole time as they walked down the road, into the darkness towards another farmhouse. Chan prayed that this house would simply be abandoned and not filled with dead bodies and prayers to unholy rulers.

The morning was cold, the rain heavy in the air and the fog was pushing forward, threatening to suffocate the world under it. Chan awoke early, joining Felix in his watch shift during the last hours. They hadn’t seen the sun in quite some time now, neither had they seen any stars. The fog was blocking them from the rest of the world.

“Are you,” Felix cleared his throat, his voice raspy in the early hours of morning. “Are you scared?” he asked and Chan looked away from the dark clouds in the sky, eyes resting on Felix. He took a moment to look Felix over, holding him in his eyes as he reached out to wrap his fingers around Felix’s. His hand was so cold against Felix’s ever so warm skin. 

“I am,” he whispered, not wanting to lie to Felix for the sake of comfort. Something was waiting for them in those ruins but no one could be entirely sure on what it actually was. “I fear the unknown, yes. But I,” he stopped, taking a deep breath. “I have you,” he said earnestly, looking at Felix before glancing over to their sleeping companions. “I have faith in us.”

“I do too,” Felix breathed, squeezing Chan’s fingers. “But I am scared. What if something happens?” he asked, voice so small and wavering. The fear flashed in his eyes and Chan clenched his jaw. He didn’t want to think of all the ‘what if’s. He looked into Felix’s eyes, his free hand reaching up to cup his face. Felix sighed, eyes fluttering shut as he leaned into Chan’s touch, turning his head slightly to press a soft kiss against Chan’s palm. 

“What if something happens to you?” Felix asked after a moment of silence, opening his eyes. Chan smiled, a small but happy sigh slipping past his lips and brushed his thumb over Felix’s brow.

“I trust you with my everything,” he whispered, leaning closer to press his forehead against Felix’s. Felix’s breathing was uneven and Chan could see tears welling up in his beautiful eyes. “I trust that you will always find me.”

Chapter Text

The fog, the thick clouds, continued to push and darken around them. It caused the world to be in permanent shadow and Chan’s gut twisted every time he looked to the sky. He and Jisung had kept an eye on the sky, both continuing to note how it seemed like the world was closed off from the rest of the realms. As if it was being eaten by something. Something was really wrong with the world and as they got closer to the Silver Hills, the more it dawned on Chan.

The world was dying.

The campfire sparked gently as he and Felix took the last watch. Chan was keeping an eye out, looking over the dark fields as Felix was lying with his head in Chan’s lap. Chan was absentmindedly running his fingers through Felix’s soft hair. As the journey progressed, Felix’s hair has transitioned from a golden blond with orange highlights to a full blown orange color to match the season. Chan’s hair remained black.

Felix’s breathing was calm and Chan felt like they were in a bubble. Somehow everything felt so calm as the world around them crumbled. Maybe this was the calm before the terrifying and horrible storm. 

He ran his fingers over the flowers on Felix’s head and his heart stopped for a second. His breathing hitched and Chan tore his gaze away from the fields and the road ahead to look down at the flowers in Felix’s hair.

“Felix,” he breathed, fingers tracing the petals as his stomach twisted. His heart sank. “Y-your flowers…” he whispered and Felix blinked, eyes still sleepy as he sat up. “They… they’re wilting.”

The color drained from Felix’s face, his eyes widening and he reached up to touch the dry petals. Chan could see the pure look of disbelief and hurt in Felix’s eyes and his own heart squeezed painfully. 

Their flowers were the pride and joy of half-dryads. It showcased what they were and their connection to nature. It was something they were born with, a gift from their mother and creator. When Chan’s flowers had wilted he felt like he lost a part of himself, a part of who he was. 

“What is going on?” Felix asked, voice trembling and tears welling up in his eyes.

“I-I don’t know,” Chan replied, his mind swirling. “I don’t know,” he repeated as Felix held onto him tightly. He couldn’t do much as Felix cried in his arms. He just held him, rocking him back and forth. Felix’s sobs quieted down, the silence of the dark night took over as the two of them held each other close. 

“Chan? Felix?” Younghyun’s voice broke the silence and Chan looked up. Younghyun slowly got up from his place, moving over to them. “What’s going on?” he asked softly and Felix sniffled, pulling away from Chan’s chest. He exhaled shakingly as Younghyun sat down beside them.

“My flowers are wilting,” he said, choking on another sob and Chan reached out to stroke his fingers over Felix’s cheek, trying to offer him some comfort. “I-I don’t know what’s happening,” he whispered and Chan looked at Younghyun. 

“Can you- Can you do anything?” he asked, his heart heavy. Younghyun frowned, reaching out a hand towards Felix. Felix didn’t protest, he kept his glossy eyes on Younghyun as he waited for a reply. It hurt, to see Felix like this and not be able to do anything. 

Younghyun brushed his fingers over the petals, a worried look swimming in his green eyes as he looked Felix over. He bit his lip, sighing as he pulled his hand back. Chan looked at him, waiting for him to say something. He shook his head.

“I don’t know,” he whispered, swallowing hard. Felix exhaled, shaky and his grip of Chan’s shirt tightened. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Felix.”

“It’s okay,” Chan said softly, reaching out to stroke Felix’s hair soothingly. Felix just held onto him, his breathing fast and shallow. “We’ll figure it out. You’ll be okay. I promise you.”

Felix had calmed down after a while, but he still remained in Chan’s arms, holding onto him like his life depended on it. As morning rolled in, the two of them slowly parted and began to pack to prepare for the day’s journey ahead. They were getting closer to the Silver Hills. According to Minho, it should only take them about two or three more days to get there.

Chan wasn’t sure what he was going to expect. All he knew was that they needed to get to the Silver Hills and he just prayed that they would find what they were looking for there. They needed to put an end to this.

As the travels progressed over the day, Chan had somehow ended up with Hyunjin in the back. Seungmin and Changbin had walked there with them for an hour or so too. The three of them had been holding hands, Seungmin walking in the middle as he held onto the scaled hands. But when Minho called for him, wanting to talk about the planes or something he had let go and moved to the front. Jeongin had then butted in, wanting to talk to Changbin about something and Changbin had moved further towards the front of the group too, leaving Chan and Hyunjin in the back.

“Can I ask you something?” Hyunjin asked, moving to walk a bit closer to Chan. Chan looked away from the fields beside them, away from the dry and dead crops, and over at Hyunjin. 

“Sure, go ahead,” Chan said and Hyunjin nodded, nervously chewing on his lips. 

“Are you affected by the whispers too?” he asked after a heartbeat of silence and Chan furrowed his brows. “I mean… do they… do they make you do things?”

“They-” Chan inhaled, running a hand through his hair. “They did before.”

“Not anymore?” Hyunjin asked and Chan shook his head.

“I mean, not as much?” he said, shrugging and Hyunjin nodded. “It was… It was bad. When I was still in the forest… I was… I don’t know.” He swallowed hard, memories from his years in the Hissing Woodlands rushing back. Memories he’d rather forget. “I guess I wasn’t… I wasn’t even a humanoid I was-” The lump in his throat made it hard to talk. “I was just a creature, listening to almost every command from whatever dictated me through the whispers.”

“But you… you made it out,” Hyunjin said slowly and Chan nodded, inhaling sharply.

“Are you- you too?” he asked but Hyunjin shook his head.

“I hear them sometimes, but no,” he mumbled, voice low and rumbling as if he didn’t really want anyone but Chan to hear him. “They don’t dictate me like they- like they dictate Changbin,” he finished, eyes shifting to look at Changbin as he was walking in front of them. Chan followed his line of sight, staring at Changbin’s back for a second before looking back at Hyunjin.

“He told me a little about it,” he said and Hyunjin hummed, eyes lingering on Changbin for a second before shifting back to meet Chan’s eyes. His silver eyes were so sharp and as Chan met his eyes, he realized that the pupil wasn’t completely round but it was just a little more narrow than a normal humanoid pupil.

“The black dragon is…” Hyunjin rubbed his temples and he sighed, shoulders dropping. “The black dragon, which Changbin descends from, is the one closest to the Shadowfell. Which is probably why he’s so affected by it. The Shadowfell-” Hyunjin cut himself off, biting his lip. “The Shadowfell is just… in his blood.”

There was a silence as Chan wasn’t sure on what to say exactly.

“Does your ancestry affect you in any way?” he asked and Hyunjin frowned, raising an eyebrow. “Except the obvious, I mean. Do you-” He swallowed. He wasn’t sure on how Hyunjin would react to this question.

“Do we take after the dragons we’re descendants off?” Hyunjin said and Chan only nodded.

“I’m sorry.”

“No it’s fine,” Hyunjin said, turning his head to look over the path ahead of them. “Many people wonder if we do. But we don’t, for the most part. The only thing we take after them is the color of the scales and the type of breath.”

“The acid and the poison?” Chan asked and Hyunjin nodded.

“I guess we do take after some of their personality traits when we’re in a life threatening situation.”

“You do?”

Hyunjin hummed. “There’s a possibility for us to go… feral. When our life is threatened, we go feral. I’ve gone feral a few times and I’ve seen Changbin go feral twice. He’s much better at staying calm and in control.”

“Can I ask,” Chan cut himself off, licking his lips nervously. He stared at the path ahead of them and sighed. “What are the dragons you descend from like?”

“The green dragons are the liars, the deceivers, the silver tongues. Not even the other chromatic dragons like them, that’s how foul they are.” He chuckled humorlessly. “I would say they despised them. But that’s because they’re lying monsters. If you give them a finger, they’ll eat the hand. I guess they could live peacefully with humanoids, just because they’re so prone on simple deals instead of actual killing and mass destruction. But I wouldn’t trust a green dragon, never.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah…” Hyunjin trailed off, heaving a deep sigh. He glanced over to Chan. “Before the War of the Great Wyrms, it’s said that the green dragons betrayed the rest of the dragons, but especially the black dragons. Being of green scales isn’t really a merit these days, it only gets people to distrust you. No one really likes to listen to me, believing my words are all filthy lies.” He paused. “I don’t- I don’t talk about this a lot. My heritage. Changbin and I- we try to ignore this, and just not talk about what blood we come from.”

“Is it making you uncomfortable?” Chan asked, brows furrowing in worry but Hyunjin shook his head. “Can I ask about the black dragons then?”

Hyunjin stopped, gaze shifting from the path to the back of Changbin’s back. Chan stopped too and they waited for a second, waiting for the group to travel a bit further ahead of them. Hyunjin then started walking again.

“Sorry,” he said, his voice low and still keeping an eye on Changbin. “I want to tell you but I don’t want Changbin to hear it. He doesn’t like this at all.”

“You don’t have to,” Chan said but Hyunjin shook his head.

“I suppose knowledge about the dragons isn’t a bad thing,” he said and Chan nodded. Hyunjin’s eyes flickered to look at Chan for a second before looking ahead again. “The black dragons are… While they might not be the angriest with the fiercest temper, like red dragons, or smooth talkers like the green, they’re-” He took a deep breath. “They’re by far the cruelest and most vile dragon of them all.”

Chan furrowed his brows but didn’t say anything.

“Black dragons usually only seek violence. While reds want treasure, greens might want territory, the black dragon is looking for violence and destruction. They don’t just hunt for food, they hunt with the intent on inflicting pain on others. If you are to meet a chromatic dragon, pray that it’s not a black one.”

“Oh,” Chan said softly and Hyunjin nodded, swallowing hard before a sigh slipped past his lips. 

“And that is the kind of dragon Changbin shares traits with, when he’s feral,” he said quietly and Chan could hear the sadness in his voice. “He’s terrified of going feral… and he’s terrified of the whispers coaxing him into a feral state.”

There was a pause as they walked along the road. Chan’s heart felt heavy, sad. Hyunjin and Changbin must have gone through a lot.

“That’s why we… we followed along. If we can get the whispers to stop, they’ll stop torturing Changbin. I don’t want him to live his life in fear any longer.”

Chan nodded, pressing his lips together.

“I’m sorry I just told you all this. I didn’t mean to burden you with this,” Hyunjin said after a second of silence, laughing humorlessly and awkwardly. 

“No, it’s fine. I was the one who asked,” Chan said, shaking his head. “I’m… I’m glad you told me. Thank you Hyunjin.”

“No problem,” Hyunjin said and as Chan glanced over to him, he could see the small smile on his lips. “Now, could you tell me about the world, when you were still… you know, not banished?”

“Oh,” Chan said and much to his own surprise, laughed. He didn’t know why but the way Hyunjin had worded it made him laugh and he nodded, quickly starting to talk about the farming community he’d been living in as a child. As his eyes met Hyunjin’s briefly, he could see that Hyunjin really wanted some distraction from all the negative things. Chan dug through his hazy memories of his past and tried to pull every positive memory, telling Hyunjin all about it.

The world around them continued to push closer and Chan’s gut twisted. There was no way for them to tell what time of day it was. Jisung had a pretty good idea of the time and had called out when they were approaching lunchtime, but the dark skies made it impossible to be a hundred percent. 

Felix had fallen back in line and Hyunjin had moved to Changbin’s side. Felix hadn’t said anything, he had simply reached out to take Chan’s hand. His hand was warm, but it didn’t feel as warm as it usually did. Chan gave his hand a gentle squeeze and Felix looked over at him.

“How are you?” Chan asked, studying Felix’s face closely. Sadness was still swimming in his eyes and when Chan glanced up at the flowers in his hair, his chest tightened at the sight of the wilting flowers. A brief thought passed through his mind as he looked at the wilting lilies and peonies. 

You must be the reason he’s withering.

Guilt was rising within Chan, making it difficult to breathe.

What if he loses all his flowers because of you? You should avoid him. He doesn’t deserve withering just because he’s kind to you.

If you love him, you should leave him alone.

“Chan?” Felix asked, snapping Chan out of his daze, and silencing the voices. “Are you with me?” He tilted his head a little. “Is it the voices?”

Chan nodded mutely.

“How do I help you? How do I silence them?”

“Just… just keep talking,” Chan whispered, ignoring the nauseous feeling in his chest. “How are you?”

Felix studied him for a moment, sharp eyes not missing the tiniest detail. Chan was sure Felix could see right through him. But he didn’t comment on it. “I’m… I’m okay,” Felix said, nodding his head a little and he swallowed hard. “How are you? Are you okay? Except the voices.”

“I’m okay but… I’m worried,” Chan said and Felix nodded a little. “I fear what’s to come but I just… I just want to get the answers to all my questions.”

“Yeah,” Felix said, squeezing Chan’s hand. He reached up to brush his fingers over the dry petals in his hair with his free hand and Chan watched Felix’s expression closely. He looked so hurt and confused that it hurt Chan. 

“We will fix it,” Chan said softly and Felix turned to look at him. Chan gently tugged at his hand and stopped walking. They stopped, glancing at the group that continued ahead of them. Without a word, Chan let go of Felix’s hand to cradle his face in his hands. Felix’s lips were trembling and Chan could see the tears rising in his eyes. He brushed his thumbs over Felix’s cheekbones before bringing him in closer for a kiss.

“I’m scared,” Felix whispered, voice thick with tears as he pulled away from Chan. His hands came up to the front of Chan’s shirt, desperately grasping onto the fabric. “Am I dying? What’s happening?”

“You’re not dying,” Chan assured him, even though he didn’t have all the answers. “You’re going to be okay,” he whispered, drying tears off Felix’s cheeks as they began to fall from his eyes. “You’re going to be okay, love.”

“I’m-” Felix sniffled, moving to hide his face in Chan’s shoulder and Chan wrapped his arms around Felix. 

“You’re okay,” Chan hushed as he let Felix cry into his shoulder. “I’m also scared but… but we’ll be okay.”

“We’ll be okay,” Felix whispered, sniffling a little. He loosened his grip of Chan and straightened his back. Chan reached up to his face to dry the tears. “We’ll be okay.”

Before Chan cold reply, the sound of wings sounded and they both turned their attention upwards. Across the dark sky, an owl soared. It was heading away from the Silver Hills and it was all alone. Chan frowned as he looked at Felix.

“The animals are fleeing from the Silver Hills,” Felix said, his voice quiet and he looked ahead at the group ahead of them. “Time to… gather the courage and continue.”

Chan took a deep breath and nodded. He reached out to grab Felix’s hand again and he gave it a reassuring squeeze. Felix turned to look at him as they began to walk again. 

“We’ll fix this,” Chan said, trying to push down the doubt that was rising in his chest. Felix didn’t reply, he only nodded as a small smile tugged on his lips. Chan smiled and turned to look ahead. The others had gotten pretty far and the two of them picked up the speed to be able to catch up. They kept their fingers laced together, not letting go as they continued towards the unknown.

“Seungmin,” Chan said softly as they sat down for lunch. He glanced over to the rest as they prepared food before sitting down beside Seungmin. “Can I ask you something?”

“You already did,” Seungmin said, not looking up from his book. Chan snorted and Seungmin looked up, lopsided, sheepish smile on his lips. “Sorry, I thought I’d lighten up the mood a little.”

“Don’t worry,” Chan said softly, unable to hold back the smile. “I think I needed that. But honestly, I need some help.”

“Yes, ask away,” Seungmin said, closing his book. “I’ll try to answer.”

Chan nodded, chewing on his bottom lip a little. He glanced over to the others again, quickly finding Felix in the group. He was talking to Younghyun, holding something that looked like herbs in his hands.

“Felix’s flowers are wilting,” he finally said, turning back to Seungmin and Seungmin furrowed his brows, eyes shifting over to look at Felix before looking at Chan again. “Do you-” Chan sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Do you know anything about that?”

Seungmin hummed, reaching out for his bag. He put the other book away and pulled out the leatherbound book with the dragon. As he did, Chan noticed something he hadn’t seen before. Attached to the book was a small chain with a small amulet on the end of it. Seungmin bit his lip as he began to look through the book.

“When did your flowers start wilting?” he asked without looking up. Chan felt a pang in his heart and a lump in his throat formed but he swallowed, trying to force it down. 

“When… When the corruption of the forest began to settle in,” he said slowly and Seungmin nodded, turning the page in his book.

“That forest was dying right?” he continued and Chan hummed. Seungmin let out a small hum before looking up. “I can’t be completely certain, but I… I suspect that because everything around us is suffocating, wilting, fading, dying… Felix’s flowers are too.”

That made a lot of sense. But Chan couldn’t help but wonder, was the shadows affecting Felix in such a way they had affected him?

“What is that amulet?” he asked instead, changing the subject. He would have to talk to Felix about this later.

Seungmin blinked before looking down at the book again. He closed it, taking the small charm in his hand. He stared at it for a second, something unreadable flashing in his eyes before he showed the amulet to Chan.

It was a raven in profile.

“It’s the symbol of the Raven Queen,” he said quietly, chewing on his bottom lip. “You… you know of her, right?”

Chan nodded, eyes fixed at the amulet. The Raven Queen, the goddess with the forgotten name, the goddess of fate and death. He had heard whispers about how her followers were cold hearted and cruel, but also how she wished for life to pass in a natural cycle, wanting to prevent immortality but nothing more.

“Do you… serve her?” he asked slowly. Seungmin looked between Chan and the amulet before shaking his head. 

“I don’t- I follow Bahamut, for the most part. But I guess- I guess you could say I… I pay my respects to fate as well,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “It’s very complicated. My relationship with the gods,” he trailed off and chuckled, meeting Chan’s eyes. “I assume it’s like that for you as well.”

“Yeah,” Chan said, a small smile making its way up on his lips. “It’s indeed complicated.”

“You and Felix seem close,” Younghyun said as he joined Chan’s side later that day. Chan glanced over to Younghyun before smiling, his heart feeling warm at the mention of Felix.

“I would say we are rather close, yes,” he said and Younghyun hummed.

“I’m happy for you,” he said and Chan blinked. “I’m happy he found you, and I’m happy he… brought you back.”

“Oh,” Chan said softly, biting his lower lip.

“The world has… changed a lot since you were banished,” Younghyun said, changbing subject and Chan hummed. “And it has… It has changed very quickly the last couple of months. I should have seen this coming.”

“I don’t think… I don’t think anyone could have seen this coming,” Chan said slowly and Younghyun hummed. “I’ve been outside the forest for a while now. When I left, the skies were clear,” he continued and looked up towards the sky, towards the pushing and pressing darkness that were coming down on them. “This may be an evil that has been brewing for a long time, but it hasn’t jumped into action until now.”

“The fact that it’s been so quick is what worries me,” Younghyun said, taking a deep breath before exhaling. “I’m worried for us.”

“I understand,” Chan said, sighing as he looked over to Younghyun. Younghyun was looking worried, fear and something… something in his eyes as he looked over their companions ahead. Chan followed his line of sight, noting how Younghyun had his eyes fixed on Jeongin’s back. “I still have some faith in us,” he said, reaching out his hand to brush it over the back of Younghyun’s hand. 

Younghyun chuckled, a small smile stretching on his lips. “I do too, Chan,” he said, gently taking Chan’s hand. “I do too.”

Dawn was approaching as Felix and Chan once again shared the last watch. From where they were, they could see the Silver Hills. They were so close now.

Chan wasn’t sure what to feel. 

Felix was sitting beside him, holding onto one of Chan’s hands as he traced the black patterns on his hands. What had previously been a great shame for him, had now become nothing but a part of the past he had overcome. Felix gave Chan’s hand a small squeeze before looking up to meet Chan’s eyes. His eyes always seemed to reflect light, even if the darkness was swallowing them. Chan reached out with his free hand to brush his thumb over Felix’s cheekbone. 

“Do your eyes hold actual stars?” he asked, his voice barely a whisper and a smile broke out on Felix’s face, eyes crinkling as he did.

“My father said I was born on a cloudless night, under a star filled sky. My mother apparently believed that Selune blessed me,” he said and Chan hummed. “I do not really understand how having tiny specks of silver in your eyes is being blessed but-” He shrugged and laughed. Chan couldn’t hold back the fond smile on his lips.

“You’re such a blessed boy,” he whispered, leaning closer to brush his nose against Felix’s. These short moments sparked hope in Chan. Maybe they were all going to survive this. Felix laughed, letting go of Chan’s hand to instead cradle his face in his hands, pressing their lips together. Felix’s lips were so warm against Chan’s and Chan moved his hand from Felix’s cheek to rest on the back of his head.

“I’m ninety-six,” Felix pointed out, his lips still close to Chan and Chan laughed, pressing a quick kiss on Felix’s lips. “I don’t think I’m young enough to be called a boy anymore.”

“And I’m two-hundred and forty-eight,” Chan said, pressing a short kiss on Felix’s lips. “I think I’m qualified to call you boy.”

Felix laughed. “That sounds more like you calling yourself old,” he teased lightly, kissing Chan again.

A crack from the darkness suddenly brought the two apart, and they stared into the darkness around them. Felix took a deep breath, shifting a bit before he reached out for his staff. With trembling fingers he touched the top of it, causing it to light up.

They both just watched as Jeongin approached the camp. He froze in his tracks as he realized Chan and Felix were looking at him.

“Jeongin?” Chan said as he let go of Felix. Jeongin stared at the two, golden eyes flickering around nervously. Chan hadn’t even noticed that Jeongin was gone. He looked back at where Jeongin had been sleeping and it looked like he was still laying in his bedroll. “Where have you been? Have you been gone the whole night?” he asked.

A few moments passed before Jeongin nodded, taking a deep breath as he walked over to his bedroll.

“There was something I-” he cut himself off, taking a deep breath. His eyes wandered over Chan and Felix before moving to their sleeping companions. Chan didn’t miss how his eyes lingered on Younghyun for a short moment. “There was something I had to do,” he said, straightening his back a little. “I had to do this,” he mumbled, seemingly more to himself than to Chan and Felix.

Chan nodded, deciding to not push the matter further. Felix gave him a worried look but he shook his head. They had more pressing matters to deal with right now. With the Silver Hills ahead of them. 

“Should we wake the others?” he asked and Jeongin nodded. Felix took a second to look at him before nodding, standing up to wake the others. Chan sighed, standing up as well. As they woke their companions and all of them began to prepare for what was ahead of them, his heart felt so heavy.

He feared what was to come.

The ruins of a once grand castle stood among the dark cliffs of the Silver Hills. The dark clouds were now so thick, pressing down upon them that they could no longer really distinguish day from night. Much like the temple of Beory, the castle had begun to crumble as nature reclaimed its territory. But unlike the temple, which was located on the open fields among trees, this castle was located among cold and dark cliffs and instead of vines trying to pull the building into the ground, it looked like it was the weather that had torn the castle down.

The whole east wing of the castle was crumbled, walls fallen in and roof gone. The door was since long gone, a gaping hole welcoming them as they approached. As they got closer, Chan could see the remains of the woods that had once made up a probably very grand and heavy oak door, but it had long since rotted and fallen off its hinges. 

“I think we found the source,” Younghyun said quietly as they got even closer and Felix hummed in agreement. Chan glanced and the two clerics, both of them looking uneasy and he understood why. His gut was twisting, his mind telling him to get out of there as quickly as he can, but he pushed the thoughts back and focused ahead instead.

Whatever they looked for was inside here.

He could feel the emptiness and the evil radiating from this place, a similar sensation to the rifts from the Shadowfell. The whispers were strong here, but there were so many of them that he couldn’t make out what they said. 

“I’m not a person with a divine connection,” Changbin said slowly as they got even closer, the ruins now looming over them. “But even I can sense that something is really wrong with this place.”

“Something is really off,” Felix breathed as he stared up at the open doorway in front of them. Above the door was something carved into the stone, in a language that Chan did not recognize. He glanced back at Seungmin, just as Seungmin mumbled an incantation and that blue glow flickered in his eyes. He studied the letters closely, brows slightly furrowed and he bit his lip.

“To enter, you shall swear to the Bellwood family,” he read, tilting his head as he reread the sentence, eyes scanning the carvings closely. “Bellwood family?” he asked, turning to look at Chan and Younghyun. “You two may have lived when this family lived. I don’t… recognize them.”

Chan remembered the Bellwood family vaguely, a noble family in the north of the temple that sometimes came to pay their respects to Mother Earth but he didn’t know anything of what had become of them.

“There was a whisper passing over the Blessed Fields, just a few weeks after Chan was banished,” Younghyun began, eyes shifting between Seungmin, Chan and the carvings above the door. “The oldest son in the family apparently snapped, brutally murdering the whole family and then killed himself. I did not know they resided here but we did see them every now and then in the temple. Never saw the oldest son though. According to the word among us common folks, he despised the divine.”

“Why would they have this above the door though?” Jeongin asked, tilting his head and narrowed his eyes to look at the text. His pale golden eyes flashed blue for a second and he frowned. “And in Undercommon too.”

“That is very odd,” Younghyun said, rubbing his cheek as he looked back at the carvings. “From what I was aware, they did not have any connection to anything that spoke Undercommon. But on the other hand, I do not know of this family very well.”

“Should we enter?” Jeongin asked, frowning.

“I don’t think we have much of a choice,” Minho said, looking at the others. Chan took a deep breath before he nodded. If they entered, they would be at the point of no return. 

Before Chan could say anything, Felix suddenly grabbed his hand. Chan startled in surprise, turning to look at Felix with wide eyes. Felix gave him a tight lipped smile and a comforting squeeze on his hand. He didn’t say anything and neither did Chan.

They walked closer to the castle, and possibly the end, hand in hand.

The inside of the castle was dark, parts of the wall crumbling. They walked through the open doorway, carefully stepping over the metal pieces that had once adored the large and now rotten door. The halls smelled foul, like death and decay and there was a crawling sensation under Chan’s skin. He held onto Felix’s hand tighter as they entered the large entrance hall.

In front of them was a large marble staircase, leading up to the upper floor. On each side of the stairs, was a hallway and it looked like one of them was tilted downwards. The wall on the left side had crumbled but there was a hallway, wider than the other two, leading to the right.

Around them, Chan could see smashed pieces of furniture, large picture frames but the paintings torn and destroyed. Skeletones and pieces of bones laid scattered over the cracked marble floor. 

“So,” Seungmin began, breaking the silence “I have- I have a spell that allows me to contact other planes. There’s no guarantee of where I’ll end up, but if the spell is successful, we can ask five questions and whatever we’re speaking with must be honest with us.”

“Oh,” Minho said softly, raising an eyebrow. “That’s… pretty useful.”

“Also very dangerous,” Changbin growled, and Seungmin sighed, running a hand through his hair before looking at Changbin, his brown eyes soft and gentle. 

“I know you don’t like this, love,” he said, reaching out to brush his fingers over Changbin’s scaled cheek. “But I’m afraid… I’m afraid I have to do it.”

“You don’t have to do anything,” Hyunjin hissed, his usually round pupils slimming down to narrower, serpent-like slits. “We can… We can-”

“I’ll do it,” Seungmin said firmly and Chan frowned as he looked Seungmin closer. “I have to do it,” he snapped to Changbin and Hyunjin who both pushed themselves closer to him. 

Both backed off, but they were tense. Hyunjin’s eyes were narrowed, and there was a low growl rumbling in Changbin’s chest.

It seemed like it could be a good idea, but also like a bad idea. Based on what Hyunjin and Changbin had said about the other time he’d done this, this could be a really bad idea.

Seungmin closed his eyes, lowering his head as he began to mumble. It was too low for Chan to pick up and Chan nervously glanced over to look at Felix. Felix was chewing on his bottom lip, eyes flickering between Chan, Seungmin and the rest of them. 

There was a moment of silence, all of them just looking around nervously. 

Seungmin looked up, brows furrowed. “Nothing happened,” he said, his voice a mere whisper. Chan looked at Seungmin, studied his face. Just as Seungmin opened his lips to say something, a glow began to emit from his eyes. Around his iris, a purple ring had appeared and Chan frowned.

“Seungmin… your eyes,” Felix said and Seungmin turned to look at Felix. “What’s going on?” 

“I-I don’t know?” Seungmin said, eyes slowly filling up with fear as he pulled his book out, the dragon etched into the leather and the little necklace with the raven attached to it. He went through the pages of the book and Chan could see both Hyunjin and Changbin move closer to stand beside him on each side. “It just failed?” he said, more confused than scared as he looked up, closing his book. 

“Are you okay?” Hyunjin asked, wrapping a hand around Seungmin’s arm. Seungmin furrowed his brows but he nodded.

“What do we do now?” Younghyun asked, taking a few steps away from the group as he glanced over the dark hall. His eyes held that faint glow, like the others with darkvision as he shifted his eyes back to the group.

“Do we split up?” Jisung asked, taking a few steps forward to stand beside Younghyun. He stared at the stairs. “We check the upstairs and the two hallways.”

“It’s probably a good idea,” Minho said absentmindedly as he frowned. “Does anyone have any light?” he asked, holding up a dagger. “Jeongin, do you mind?”

“Oh,” Jeongin said, reaching out to touch the dagger. It lit up, shedding a pale blue light over the room. 

“Thank you,” Minho said as he started to walk towards the stairs. “Younghyun and Jisung, do you mind checking the upper floor with me?” he continued. Jisung didn’t say anything, he dutifully followed Minho and Younghyun hummed before following the two. He threw a glance back at Chan, eyes lingering for a second and Chan gave him a small nod. 

“We’ll take the right hallway then,” Seungmin said and Chan shifted his gaze to him. Seungmin had a small, glowing rock in his hand, giving off a faint pale blue light. Chan nodded, watching as Seungmin, Hyunjin and Changbin headed off to the right.

“Let’s go,” Felix said, heading towards the left corridor. Chan gave Jeongin a glance before following Felix.

The corridor was narrow, parts of the stone wall crumbling but as they walked along it, Chan noted that this path wasn’t dusty. At least not as dusty as it should have been, if it had been abandoned for over two-hundred years. 

A king once ruled, jewels adorning his crown.

All three of them froze, stopping in their tracks. A silence settled in, none of them dared to breathe as they listened around. There was nothing but deafening silence around them. Felix fumbled a little with his staff before placing a Light spell on the ornaments at the end of it. 

“What was that?” Jeongin asked, eyes shifting around nervously. “I really dislike this whole undead situation.”

“I have no idea…” Felix said slowly and Chan swallowed as the thought hit him.

“Do you… do you think that this is the home of the Lich King?” he asked and both Felix and Jeongin turned to him. “Like, do you think this is where he lived when he was… living?”

“That’s possible,” Felix breathed, his eyes holding a pale golden glow as he looked around the hallway. The stars were emitting a faint light as well, glowing a pale silver in contrast to the gold. “Let’s continue,” he said, breaking Chan’s train of thought and turned around to head further down the hallway.

It actually went down. The floor was tilted and brought them further and further underground as they walked. There was a pressing feeling all around them, as if something was closing in and it made Chan uncomfortable.

Felix kept walking in the front, the pale light of his staff illuminating their surroundings and helped them see further in the darkness ahead.

The silence was almost unbearable and as they walked further, Chan almost felt like he was unable to breathe. The stench of desecration, decay, rot and death was getting stronger. In front of him, Felix was starting to look really worried, fear swimming in his eyes.

“Hey,” Jeongin said, breaking the silence. Both Felix and Chan stopped abruptly, turning around to look at him. Jeongin had stopped and was standing in the middle of the hallway, looking down at his feet. “I-I need to tell you something.”

“Jeongin?” Felix asked, taking a step closer. Jeongin inhaled sharply before he looked up. He looked sad, distraught and scared.

“I-I… I’ve done something,” he whispered. Jeongin looked so painfully young in this very moment, so scared and small. Chan swallowed, furrowing his brows.

“I’ve done- I’ve done something stupid,” he continued, tugging nervously as his sleeve. “I just- I didn’t want to…”

“What did you do?” Chan asked, feeling worry rise in his chest. Jeongin took a deep breath but he remained silent, lowering his head again. “What did you do, Jeongin?” he repeated and Jeongin looked up.

“I went to talk to Auris. Yesterday,” he said and Chan could feel dread creeping up on him. “I-I don’t want to die. I don’t want anyone to die. I want… I want to save the world.”

“Jeongin?” 

“I made a deal,” Jeongin said, the glow of his four dots and the innate glow in his eyes flaring slightly. “I made another deal with Auris and… it was a stupid trade. But I-I had to.”

Chan’s stomach twisted. Jeongin’s patron resided in the Feywild. While those patrons were not as vile and hellbent on destruction as the ones from the Shadowfell, the Abyss, the Nine Hells or the realms beyond, they could be deceiving and sometimes cruel. Warlocks who made further deals paid heavier prices. 

“What did you trade?” Felix asked but Jeongin shook his head.

“I-I can’t tell you. Not yet,” he mumbled, sighing. “I promised Auris to not tell anyone until it was time but… but I just-” He inhaled sharply. “I wanted you to know. I trust you with this.”

“Thank you,” Chan said, walking up to Jeongin. He reached out a hand to ruffle Jeongin’s hair. Jeongin looked at him with wide eyes and in the dim light from Felix’s staff, Chan could see the tears welling up. “Thank you for telling us.”

There was a second of stillness before Jeongin threw his arms around Chan, pressing his face into Chan’s chest as he cried. Chan immediately wrapped his arms around Jeongin, holding onto him tightly. 

“Thank you,” Jeongin cried, tightening his grip around Chan. “I-I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die.”

“You’re not going to die,” Felix promised, walking over to them to brush his hand over Jeongin’s hair. “I will make sure you’re safe, okay?”

“O-okay,” Jeongin said, slowly loosening his grip of Chan. At last he let go, sniffling as he dried the tears away from his cheeks. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled but Chan shook his head. He was just about to open his mouth to say something when another whisper broke through the air.

In mighty halls and over golden fields.

“We should continue,” Felix said, suddenly on high alert again. Chan and Jeonging nodded and the three of them continued down, further underground.

The whispers were getting loud, but none of them spoke in such a way that Chan could understand. These whispers were different from the one that spoke clear words. These were mumbles, a million voices at the same time. The one that spoke words was… distinct. It was thin and hollow, easy to recognize. 

The hallway finally widened in front of them and they entered a large room. Even with the aid of Felix’s light and darkvision, it was hard to discern things in this room. It was vast, stretching far into the darkness.

The skies darken, the world slowly dying.

As the thin and hollow voice spoke, all torches on the walls in this room lit up. Chan’s gut twisted and he felt like throwing up as the stench got even more intense. The room was large, the walls crumbling and skeletons were scattered all over the room. There were stone coffins, lined up in neat rows in front of them.

They were standing in the Bellwood family tomb.

“I-” Jeongin said, but cut himself off. Felix inhaled sharply and looked back at Chan. 

“What do we do?” he asked and Chan swallowed, trying to push down the bile rising in his gut. “Do we check the coffins or do we just… leave?”

“Let’s-” Chan sighed, pausing and he bit his bottom lip. “Let’s check the coffins.”

Felix and Jeongin nodded and they all approached the coffins together. Nothing happened, there were no sounds in the room as they moved. Jeongin started in surprise as he accidentally stepped on a bone, snapping it in half with a loud crack. He took a step back, eyes wide as he stared at the floor.

Without saying it, they had seemingly agreed to move together and not leave each other’s side as they inspected the coffins. Each coffin was made of stone, sharp edges and heavy lids. Each lid had a name and years engraved on them. They began from the furthest row. The dates on the coffins were from long ago and Chan couldn’t recognize the names. 

“Lien,” Chan read off a coffin as they got to the more recent years. He vaguely recalled hearing that name, but the date suggested that this person had died before Chan was born. Maybe it was someone who the family had talked about. 

“Malna,” Felix said as they got to the next one and that sparked something in Chan’s blurry memories of his past life. The date suggested she died around the time Chan had been a teenager by human standards. It made sense if he’d heard the name before, if she was a lady over the fields Chan’s father had farmed. 

“Mua,” Jeongin mumbled, frowning down at the coffin as the reached to brush his fingers over the engraved letters. “The coffins aren’t dusty,” he noted, frown deepening. 

“I knew them,” Chan whispered and Jeongin looked up. “Or I mean, of them. They visited the temple a few times. They were very kind people.”

“Oh,” Jeongin said and Chan bit his lip. Judging by the dates, Mua and the other four last deceased in the Bellwood family had died too early and all at the same date. “Do you think the oldest son killed them all?”

“It seems like something killed them all at least,” Chan said.

A shadow of what once was is waiting.

The voice pierced the air, causing Chan’s skin to prickle. The voice was so haunting and the words were causing fear to settle heavy in his gut. He glanced over to look at Felix and Jeongin. The looks in their eyes told him that they were hearing it too. Both looked scared and confused. Chan inhaled sharply, exhaling slowly before he walked over to the last coffin.

As he reached it, his stomach dropped. The lid of the coffin was cracked, pushed to the side and he took a shaky breath before looking closer.

There was nothing inside the coffin.

“Anqag,” Felix read, his voice trembling and barely a whisper. There was a shift in the air and Chan could feel the whispers getting even louder, the suffocating feeling pushing even closer. “I think we should-”

Waiting for the right time. Waiting for the creature.

“We need to get out of here,” Chan said, grabbing both Jeongin and Felix to pull them out of the tomb. As soon as they left the room, the light of torches went out behind them. Fear and panic was swirling inside Chan as they rushed through the narrow and dark corridor. 

The creature so twisted by darkness.

Chan inhaled sharply as they reached the end of the corridor, returning to the entrance hall. He could see the rest of their companions, the light from Minho and Seungmin’s light illuminating the dark hall. 

“Fe- What’s going on?” Jisung said as they joined the others. Chan immediately let go of Felix and Jeongin’s hands, turning around to face the corridor they had come from. His body was tense, his mind clouded and he could feel himself almost slipping back into the state he’d been in while he was living in the Hissing Woodlands. He could hear the others talk, but he couldn’t register what they were saying. He kept his eyes fixed on the corridor, waiting for something to appear.

“Chan!” Felix said, gently grabbing Chan’s shoulder. Chan jumped in surprise, a growl almost slipping past his lips before he caught himself. What was he doing? He stared at Felix with wide eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah,” Chan said, taking a deep breath. He flexed his fingers, trying to make sure he was in control of his own body. “I’m fine.” He ran a hand through his hair, eyes flickering over to the corridor before looking back at Felix. Felix looked worried, brows furrowed as he reached out to stroke Chan’s cheek. “I’m fine,” he assured, placing his hand on top of the hand on his cheek. “Are you okay?” he whispered and Felix nodded.

“A bit shaken maybe,” he said, his eyes shifting over to the rest of the group. Chan could faintly hear Jeongin tell the rest about what they had found under the castle. Felix let go of Chan’s cheek and they turned to the rest.

“Did you find anything?” Chan asked but they all shook their heads.

“Empty rooms, bones and dust,” Younghyun said, sighing.

“There were no dust in the tomb… like, not as much as it should have been for this place to have been abandoned for 200 years or so,” Jeongin said and Chan nodded. There was something uncomfortable twisting in his gut and he didn’t feel good about this whole situation. 

In the darkness, among the ghasts.

This whisper, unlike the others, were coming from the right. All of them held their breath as they slowly turned towards the wider hallway leading to the right, the one they still had not walked down. 

“Are we…” Jisung began but he trailed off. There was no question of where they were going anymore. The reason for the evil, the darkness, the curses and the whispers, waited for them. Chan threw a glance at Felix, his heart squeezing painfully as he reached out to take Felix’s gentle and delicate hand. This might be it. 

Felix didn’t say anything, he held Chan in his eyes and gave his hand a gentle squeeze, his actions so much louder than any words could ever. Chan brushed his thumb over Felix’s skin, taking a deep breath before letting go.

“Let’s go,” Minho said, taking the lead. Chan usually stuck to the back, but knowing that this was it, this was the end, he immediately joined Minho in the front of the group. 

This hallway was wide, large picture frames adorning the walls on one side, the paintings ripped out and torn, and large windows on the other. Much like the narrow pathway Chan, Felix and Jeongin had walked, this one wasn’t as dusty as it would have been expected.

Someone was living in this castle and took the path between whatever was ahead and the tombs. 

There were cracks in the walls and in the marble floor. Bones laid scattered all around, as well as bodies and Chan’s stomach turned when he realized that some of the bodies were still fresh, newly deceased. 

In the end of the hall, there was a mighty door. It was made of wood, the material rotten and barely holding together. It was crooked on the hinges, but still holding on. The stench from it was sickening.

“Is this the throne room?” Hyunjin asked as they approached the door.

“I think so,” Changbin said slowly and Chan could hear Seungmin hum in agreement behind him. Minho had his eyes fixed on the door ahead, his pace quickening a little. As they reached the door, just as Minho was about to push it open, the voice spoke again and it sent a chill down Chan’s spine.

In Anqag’s halls, the evil lasts.

Minho clenched his jaw, pushing the door open. Chan’s heart was racing in his chest, pierced by fear and doubt. This was truly it. Chan took a deep breath as he followed Minho, entering the room.

As Hyunjin had expected, they were now in the throne room. The mighty and vast room was stretching out far, the ceiling high and supporting pillars along the sides of it. On the furthest wall, stained glass windows were standing tall. Some of them were shattered and cracked, the colorful glass laying on the elevated part of the floor. An iron throne stood on the elevated part of the room, stairs leading up to it. There seemed to be a mist drifting around in the room, floating right above the floor. It only added to the eerie feeling in this room. 

They approached the throne carefully, their steps mindful and quiet on the cracked marble floor. Chan looked up to the ceiling. This room must have been stunning when the castle and its inhabitants were alive. The ceiling was white and decorated with beautiful, swirling patterns in gold and the marble floor had swirls of silver. It was truly stunning but Chan felt nothing but unease.

“Oathbreaker,” a familiar, thin voice said and Chan watched in fear as the dark mist that had lazily been drifting around gathered in front of the throne, slowly forming a humanoid. “How nice of you and your companions to join me.”

His gut dropped as he stared at the figure. Whatever this was… it wasn’t good. As the smoke took shape, he could make out the torn, dark gray cloak and the ghastly face of the thing. It looked like a human, but the skeleton of it was almost visible under the sunken in skin. The lips were thin, almost non-existent and pulled up in a nasty grin. The eyes, like two glowing rubies, stared at Chan, piercing his soul and it sent a shiver down his spine. 

“You really kept me waiting,” it said, snapping its skeleton like, thin fingers and every torch in the throne room lit up. In the brighter light, Chan could really see all the dead bodies laying around the room. He hadn’t noticed them earlier and he felt his stomach turn. “Chan the Oathbreaker.”

“Who are you?” Minho demanded, his voice hard and steady.

“Horizon Walker huh?” it said, voice hissing and grin only stretching his lips further. “I’ve seen you before,” it continued and Minho’s eyes widened. “In the Shadowfell, trying to fend off all those undead monsters in the Shadow Swamp. Do you remember that?” 

“I do,” Minho replied, jaw clenched. Chan could see his fingers trembling and unease settled in his gut as he looked between Minho and the being. 

“Oh how scared you were, young Horizon Walker. So alone and desperate.”

“Shut up,” Minho hissed through gritted teeth, his fingers twitching. 

“You still dream about that, don’t you?” it asked, a sickening laugh bubbling in the skeletal chest. Minho pressed his lips together, taking a deep breath. “You would have been a great addition to my army of the undead, too bad you survived.”

“Who are you?” Felix asked, taking a step forward and the figure chuckled. A stillness and silence hung in the air for a second. 

“I am hurt,” the figure said. “That you do not know my name, and yet you’ve walked my halls.”

“Anqag…” Seungmin whispered from the back and the gleaming red eyes flared with glee. 

“I like you, Seungmin,” he said, chuckling again. Chan felt uneasy, his stomach twisting and dread crawled under his skin. He wanted to get out of here now. “Anqag is my name, my proud name given to me by my father. Do you perhaps know what I am, little wizard?”

Seungmin’s breath hitched and Chan shifted to look over at him. Seungmin’s eyes were wide, fear swimming in them and his lips were trembling as he met Chan’s gaze.

“H-he’s the Lich King.”

“Indeed I am,” Anqag said, beginning to move. Chan held his breath as he stepped down the partly destroyed stairs that led up to the throne. His steps echoed over the throne room and Chan swallowed hard, taking a step forward so he was in front of the group. “I like you a lot, Seungmin the Forgiven, ever since I heard the whispers about you. You really have quite a reputation in the Shadowfell, little one. She must like you a lot, to both forgive you and protect you from me. I think you’ll be a great addition to my army.”

Seungmin didn’t say anything and instead took a step back.

“And you, my oathbreaker,” Anqag continued, grin stretching on his lips as he got even closer. “Oh how I regret how things turned out. You could have been all mine.”

“What are you talking about?” Chan asked, brows furrowing and his heart racing in his chest. 

“When I was still…” Anqag trailed off, slowing down his pace as he reached Chan. Up close, Chan could smell the rotting flesh and feel the pure evil rolling off his being in waves. “Human,” he continued, word dripping with distaste, “I was visited by a seer who looked into my future. In my future, they saw a knight of Beory, bringing my bloodline to an end.”

Chan widened his eyes, his whole body frozen in shock as the lich reached out a skeletal hand to stroke his hair.

“I was going to burn all your temples, kill all of you. But I needed power, so I studied long and hard until I was finally able to become… this. I became immortal, a god among men. I was ready to destroy all of you and that petty goddess of yours,” he said, the underlying sinister tone in his tone so chilling. “But then I saw you.”

“Me?” Chan asked, swallowing hard. 

“Yes… you were so young, so naive, so loyal.” A grin stretched on his thin lips and the glow in his red eyes flared. “You only wanted to do good in this world, and good you did. But your priests… they were weak, so easy to influence.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’d be surprised, my dear Chan,” Anqag said and Chan’s stomach twisted uncomfortably. He wanted to run, to get away, every part of him screamed at him to get out of there but he remained frozen in place. “You’d be surprised what a few whispers can do. Mortals are… easily influenced my dear Chan, surely you must know that by now.”

“Wait,” Chan whispered, his voice wavering and his blood running cold. “Y-you were the one who… who got me banished?”

“You didn’t think they would banish you to the most cursed place simply for saving people, did you?” Anqag asked, a laughter erupting and sending chills down Chan’s spine. “No, you ended up in that place because I wanted you there.”

“What?” Felix said from behind Chan. Chan could barely breathe. He felt like he was suffocating. He’d been thinking he was wrong, for years, but he hadn’t been wrong. They had all been tricked.

“I figured that having a knight of their own on my side would benefit me,” he continued, running a finger along Chan’s jaw, the sharp nail scraping against his skin. “I was going to let you sit in that forest for a few years, let you rot and slowly get to you.”

Sorrow and anger was building up inside him and Chan held back a sob. Anqag’s grin only stretched wider.

“I was getting in control over you, wasn’t I my dear oathbreaker?” he asked. Chan’s heart was pounding in his chest, his blood running cold as he realized just how right Anqag was. “A few more weeks and I would have been in total control over you… but then he showed up,” he continued, eyes shifting over to Felix who was standing beside Chan, a few steps back. Chan let out a shuddering breath as he turned his head to look at Felix. “You’ve been a major problem for me and my plans, son of Many Suns,” he hissed.

Chan had never heard that name before. Felix had never mentioned it, but as the Lich King spoke that name, Felix showed no reaction. His face remained serious, his eyes cold and brows furrowed.

“I will not even bother to apologize for that,” he said, tone flat and Chan’s gaze flickered between Felix and Anqag. Anqag wasn’t looking the least bothered, he was still grinning wickedly. “I will kindly ask you to get out of this world and take your wicked darkness with you.”

“Polite,” Anqag said, chuckling. “I like it. But sadly,” he took a step back from Chan. “I can’t do that. I have an army of undead in the Shadowfell, waiting for the barrier between our realms to break and then they will feast.”

“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that,” Felix said, eyes fixed at the lich as he wrapped his free hand around his necklace of Ehlonna. A sudden burst of energy shoot out from him and every corrupted part of Chan’s body twisted. He could see Anqag stagger, gritting his teeth before turning around to walk away from them. 

“You should not have done that,” he hissed as he reached the bottom of the stairs, turning around again to face them. “I was going to offer all of you a place with me. But now… I’ve reconsidered.”

Jeongin snorted from behind Chan, sneering something in celestial at the lich.

“Oathbreaker Chan,” his voice was loud and Chan looked up, jaw clenched. The grin was slowly making its way back on Anqag’s face. “Will you join me in this quest as my right hand?”

“No,” he said between gritted teeth. “Never.”

Anqag snickered, shaking his head slowly. “I guess I don’t have a choice,” he muttered, holding out both of his hands towards them. A rumble was heard and Chan could feel the slight tremor in the ground. “I’ll just break you and get you on my side that way.”

The rumble got louder and cracks in the marble floor opened, a faint red glow emitting from beneath them.

“Back away,” Chan shouted, moving away from the cracks as they approached him and his companions. They all quickly moved away, the cracking of the floor stopping as the floor crumbled, falling into the now giant hole. The stench that came from the pit was foul, smelling like rotten flesh, decay and death. Every part of Chan’s being wanted to recoil, get away from the foul smell. The pit was dark, a faint glow coming from ever lit lanterns on the side of it. But then a pair of yellow eyes opened, staring up at them. 

A loud rumble was heard and a loud hissing sound, as if something was melting. They all held their breath, trying to figure out what in the world it was when a large, scaled and clawed hand reached up to grab the edge of the pit.

Chan’s heart was pounding in his ears and he could feel fear wrap around him as the large beast from the pit rose. 

A large, black scaled dragon with two piercing yellow eyes rose slowly, looking down on their group. At this moment, everything Hyunjin had told him about black dragons came back to him and Chan’s blood ran cold.

This was a dragon you never wanted to meet.

It scanned their group, and what looked like a twisted grin made its way to their face, a rumble resembling a chuckle sounding in their ribcage. As he took a quick second to look at the dragon, Chan noted that the dragon wasn’t entirely alive. Parts of its ribs could be seen, pieces of its rotting flesh hanging off and the skin peeling back. 

Chan’s eyes flickered over to Anqag, who was still holding out his hands, grinning at Chan. The dragon must be under Anqag’s control. 

A sharp inhale from the large beast brought Chan’s focus back and he cursed, taking a step back. 

Changbin cursed too but he and Hyunjin both moved to be in front of the group. They were holding hands and Chan could see the tension running through the both of them. The dragon seemed to stop on its tracks, leaning closer to inspect both draconic sorcerers.

“A runt,” it noted, the voice distorted, twisted and low. “You don’t look like much for the world,” it continued and Chan could see Changbin close his free hand in a tight fist. The dragon shifted its yellow, piercing eyes over to Hyunjin before looking back. “A child of Shadows?” it asked, leaning closer to smell Changbin. It turned to Hyunjin. “And a child of the silver tongues.”

“Shut up,” Changbin hissed, light flashing for a second in his yellow eye. 

The dragon laughed, leaning back again to tower over them. “You’re so weak little wyrmling. You have to lower yourself to their level? You’re a weakling, runt, to even consider teaming up with one of these lying, two-faced worms.”

“It doesn’t make me weaker,” Changbin growled back, taking a deep breath and his grip of Hyunjin’s hand tightened. He glanced over at Hyunjin and Hyunjin nodded. They both began to sign something with their hands. 

“Father of good, on the mountain of dreams,” they muttered in unison and Chan’s eyes flickered between them and the dragon looming over. The previously smug face morphed into a somewhat frown.

“And Bahamut worshipper too,” it spoke, words dripping with distaste and it inhaled again. Chan could hear the sound of liquid rushing to its chest and panic rose inside him when he realized what was about to happen. 

“Watch over us and protect us from evil,” Hyunjin and Changbin continued, both slamming their free hand down into the ground, the other one holding onto each other. Just as they did, the black dragon released a spray of liquid towards them. A translucent, pink tinted dome rose around them, deflecting the spray of acid. The acid fizzed as it ran off the dome and the dragon released a loud, angry growl. It slammed down a clawed hand on the dome, but it still stood strong.

“We can’t hold this forever,” Hyunjin shouted, looking over his shoulder. “We need a plan! What do we do?” he asked, his voice wavering and stressed. Panic was clear in his silver eyes and Chan swallowed hard, his mind spinning as he tried to figure out how to handle this. 

“Chan, Felix, Younghyun,” Minho said, his voice steady and Chan turned to look at him with wide eyes. He looked oddly collected and calm, eyes darting around as he analyzed their situation. “You three have a hand in the divine, you need to focus on Anqag. The rest of us need to scatter and try to get this one down. We can’t be in one place or we’ll all get hit by that acid. We need to get its attention so it leaves Anqag’s side.”

“Okay,” Younghyun said, swallowing hard and he closed his eyes, mumbling a short prayer to Melora before opening his eyes again.

“I can get its attention,” Jeongin said, eyes flickering between Minho and the dragon. Minho nodded, glancing up at the dragon. 

“What do we do when it takes flight?” Jisung asked as the dragon brought its clawed hand down on the dome again, causing it to rattle and Chan could have sworn he heard a crack.

“When it does, I want you to take a beast shape, anything flying, and try to keep it occupied,” Minho said, eyes looking between all of them. “We’re all able to fight on range, but you need to keep it occupied.”

“Got it,” Jisung said with a curt nod. 

“We’re going to let this go,” Hyunjin said, whole body trembling violently as the dragon hit the dome again. “When we do, just scatter, okay?”

There was a moment of silence and Chan looked over at Felix. Felix looked back at him, eyes wide and filled with fear, but also a hint of determination behind them as he held onto his staff tightly, his knuckles white. 

“I love you,” Chan said, his heart hammering in his chest and blood rushing in his ears. There was no guarantee they would make it out of here alive. “Thank you for finding me.”

Felix opened his mouth to say something, but the loud crack from the dome as the dragon hit it a fourth time interrupted him.

“Move!” Changbin yelled as the translucent shield around them dissipated. Chan, Felix and Younghyun all took off to the left while the other went right. The last thing Chan could see before they went behind one of the pillars was Jeongin sending a ball of energy towards the dragon. It hit, the impact cracking some of the dragon’s scales and the dragon roared. Chan ducked under the sweeping tail as it moved and he could hear a pillar on the other side of the room crack and crumble. 

“What do we do?” Younghyun asked, back pressed against a pillar. “You need to be close range, right?” he asked and Chan nodded, his trembling hand reaching for his sword. “Felix and I can distract him on a longer range.”

“Yeah,” Felix said, voice stressed and his eyes shifting between Younghyun and Chan. “Be careful,” he said to Chan before stepping out from behind the pillar. “Anqag!” he shouted, holding out his hand to the sky, hand open. The Lich King snapped his head around in an unnatural angle as Felix closed his fist, pulling his hand down and a loud crack tore through the air as a bolt of divine light hit Anqag. However it didn’t seem to bother the lich at all and his laughter echoed in the hall along with the loud roar of the dragon. 

Chan could see Younghyun move out from the pillar too, standing beside Felix on the left side of the pillar, just as Chan broke into a sprint, rounding the pillar on the right side. The black dragon roared again, slamming its tail down into the marble floor behind Chan. The floor, or the whole castle, shook as the tail impacted and Chan struggled to keep on his feet. 

There was another hissing sound as the dragon spat acid, presumably toward Chan’s companions but Chan tried to stay focused on the task at hand. He needed to kill the Lich King. 

Anqag was still standing on the top of the stairs, in front of the cold and dark iron throne, his attention turned to Younghyun and Felix as Chan ran up to him. He gripped the handle of his sword tighter as he got closer, thrusting it forward as he came within range of the Lich King.

There was half a second of silence as Anqag looked down on the sword stuck in his chest before the sick grin stretched his thin lips.

“Did you really think,” he began, his voice a thin whisper that send shivers down Chan’s spine. Chan took a step back, letting go of the sword and it remained in the chest of the lich. “Did you think that a mortal blade,” he grasped the handle of the sword with his bony fingers before yanking it out of his chest, tossing it in front of Chan’s feet, “could kill me? A blade untouched by the divine can’t kill me, my dear Oathbreaker.”

Dread washed over Chan and he didn’t even have the time to think of what to do before Anqag held out his hand toward him, pointing his finger at him. Acting on instinct only, Chan quickly mumbled the incantation for a misty step spell, disappearing in a puff of black smoke before the sickly green ray of pure arcane energy impacted on the floor where he’d been standing. 

He appeared again on the other side of the throne room, on the opposite side of Younghyun and Felix. He could hear cracks coming from the floor and he watched in horror as Anqag muttered something, bringing both hands up and as he did, humanoid skeletons and zombies began to crawl out of the floor, the marble cracking as they broke it. From the piles of dead bodies, some of them rose as well, stumbling towards them.

The utter chaos of the situation and the feeling of hopelessness had Chan taking a step back, his eyes snapping over to look at the dragon as it roared in pain. He watched in horror as it stretched its wings, the leathery and broken wings touching each side of the room before it began to take to the air. With another roar, it broke through the ceiling of the throne room and Chan could see both Felix and Younghyun scramble to the side to avoid the large pieces of stone that began to fall. 

There was a whistle, the familiar whistle of an eagle as a giant eagle took to the sky, chasing the dragon. Horror filled Chan as he watched Jisung go after the dragon on his own. 

“What are you going to do now, pesky mortals?” Anqag’s voice rang all around them and when Chan turned his eyes back to where he’d been standing before, he was gone. “Dear Oathbreaker… you’re going to join me at some point and so will your friends. I’ll kill all of them and force them into my undead army.”

Chan gritted his teeth, the grip of his sword tightening. Anqag was gone, invisible maybe, and he would not show himself until he pleased. Chan was about to head towards Changbin and Hyunjin, who he could see in the far corner of the room as they both tried to reach the now airborne dragon. More of the ceiling crumbled, old and now damaged and he quickly moved to the side to avoid the falling stones. He brought his sword up to block a blow from a skeleton, swiftly spinning around to whack it over the ribcage and thus shatter the fragile construct. 

He backed away, moving along the side of the room towards Hyunjin and Changbin, eyes flickering between the zombies and the dragon in the sky. The zombies and skeletons had seemingly caught sight of Younghyun and Felix and Chan could see the two clerics back away from the approaching hoard, before giving each other a look. Both of them placed a hand on their chest, closing their eyes for a second before a wave of silver light shot out from them in a wave, turning most of the undead creatures into dust.

Chan was at the edge of the wave of divine light that the two had emitted but he felt a similar sensation to the one he’d felt when Felix made Anqag back away from them earlier, whatever corruption that lingered in his body turning away from the divine and pure light. 

“We need to get that dragon out of the sky,” Hyunjin said as Chan reached them and Chan looked up. The dragon still wasn’t high up in the sky, as Jisung had taken to distracting it into chasing him instead of continuing to fly higher on the sky.

“I don’t have a lot for that,” Chan said, eyes flickering around. “The lich is somewhere here.”

He didn’t know what to do. He had nothing to help Jisung in the air. His eyes shifted over to Minho who had managed to climb up one of the broken pillars, getting closer to the dragon. He was firing arrows, the arrows seemingly glowing a faint blue. 

There was nothing Chan could do. He stared up in the sky, at the eagle trying to distract the large and rotten dragon from flying even higher in the sky. He felt useless as he was unable to help.

Chan’s blood ran cold when he saw the black dragon swing its hand toward Jisung’s eagle shape, hitting him. He could see Jisung’s body morph back to his humanoid shape and he began to fall toward the ground. His mind went blank and he didn’t know what to do. He could only stare, his heart hammering in his chest.

But then he caught Minho in the corner of his eye. Minho tossed the bow to the side, grabbing his cape before pulling it around off him and disappeared in a puff of silver smoke. Instead he appeared for half a second beside Jisung to grab him before disappearing again. Chan blinked as the two of them landed on the floor beside him, Jisung stumbling and falling to the ground, fear written all over his face. 

“We really need to get that thing down on the ground,” Minho said, eyes not leaving the dragon as the dragon twisted and turned in the sky, roaring before heading down towards them again. 

It landed on the side of the hole it had made in the ceiling, pieces of the remaining roof falling down and cracking. It was growling, the sound rumbling in its rotten ribcage. Chan widened his eyes, taking a step back.

“I have something but I need it to be still for a second,” Seungmin said, eyes darting around as he pulled out a magnifying glass from his bag.

“Wildmother, I beg of you,” a voice said from behind Chan and Chan turned to see Younghyun approach, his hand held out towards the dragon, his other hand wrapped around his holy symbol of Melora. He closed his eyes. “Please help me in this dire time of need,” he whispered, opening his eyes again and Chan could see a bright emerald light flash in them before they returned to their duller, darker green shade. 

Chan turned his attention back to the dragon. It was looking them over, its yellow eyes wild and feral, so different from how collected it had been only moments ago. 

There was another rumble from the pit, the open space in the floor and Chan startled in surprise as thick vines rose from the depths. They were shaped like a hand as they reached for the dragon. Too focused on their group, the dragon didn’t have time to escape the hand of the Wildmother. 

Younghyun’s eyes flickered over to meet Seungmin’s for a second. Seungmin nodded and Younghyun looked back at the dragon, his hand still reached out and he closed it. The large hand closed, grasping around the dragon’s neck and Younghyun yanked it down, slamming the dragon into the roof of the castle. 

As Seungmin began to mutter an incantation, a loud roar coming from their side and Chan turned just in time to see the large ogre, at least two times his height, rotten and decaying, rushing towards them. He brought his sword up as Seungmin created a large beam of pure sunlight out of thin air.

The ogre swung its hand down. Chan staggered under the weight of the blow, taking a step back as the ogre swiped its other hand towards him. The dragon’s roars in pain and agony were so loud Chan couldn’t hear anything but that.

In a second of losing his focus, the roars of the dying beast too distracting, the ogre landed a hit in Chan’s side, hitting his arm and Chan could feel the bone snap. 

He gasped, stumbling backwards. He didn’t have the time to move out of the way as the ogre wrapped a hand around him, grip tight and Chan could feel the air being squeezed out his lungs. He let out a strangled sound as the ogre tightened its grip further.

“Hey!” Felix suddenly called out, voice booming louder than usual and the ogre turned to look at him. Felix was standing in the middle of the throne room, on the part of the marble floor that was still intact. He held his staff in a tight grip as he stared at the ogre. Without a word he slammed the staff down, a bright light erupted from where it impacted the floor. 

The light traveled like a crack in the floor towards them and as it reached, it enveloped the ogre in its bright light. The undead creature let out a gut wrenching screech, letting go of Chan. 

As he hit the cold floor, Chan’s vision went white for a second before his eyes focused again. He could see the ogre writhing in pain, pure light of the divine burning its flesh away. He vaguely registered quick footsteps approaching him.

“Are you okay?” Felix asked, voice strained as he helped Chan up. A warmth spread in Chan’s body, the previously broken bones cracking as they snapped back in place. Chan looked at Felix, taking a second in this extremely stressful situation to look at him. A purple bruise was blooming on his cheek and Chan reached out to cup his cheek.

“I’m fine,” he whispered. “You?” 

Felix nodded as silence settled in the throne room. Chan looked around, towards the pit as he realized that the roars of the dragons had died out.

“Where’s the lich?” Minho asked, walking up to Chan and Felix. He didn’t look at either of them, his eyes shifting around the space. 

“You’re doing well for being mere mortals,” Anqag said, appearing by the iron throne again. He had his arms crossed as he looked over their group. “You look a bit worse for wear might I say.”

Chan gritted his teeth, the grip of his sword tightening. He glanced around his companions. Most of them were dirty, bruised and a few of them were a bit bloodied. Of all of them, Changbin seemed to be worst off. The black scales on his neck had burned off, showcasing the dark and smooth skin underneath and parts of his human skin seemed to be severely burned by acid. The dragon must have managed to hit him with the acid breath. 

“I think it’s time to end this, don’t you think?” Anqag asked, grinning again as he held out his hands. He chanted an incantation in a language Chan didn’t know, words sounding so foul as they fell from his thin lips. 

“Move!” Jeongin yelled, pushing himself in front of Chan. He held out both hands, calling out the spell in celestial. In contrast to the foul language Anqag spoke, Jeongin’s voice rang like a choir of angels. 

Chan could see the fire building up around Anqag and his heart stopped for a second. He didn’t realize he’d frozen in place until Younghyun grabbed his wrist, pulling him to the side. 

Anqag released the fireball, aiming right towards Jeongin but when he let go, Jeongin fired back with two bright beams of force, the sound from them almost deafening and there was a loud crack as one of the beams hit one of the pillars in the room. 

The fire swallowed them and Chan shielded his face. The fire hit, licking the marble floor and walls, with less power than it would have had it not been for Jeongin.

“Oh, a warlock. How interesting,” Anqag laughed as the fire dissipated. Jeongin held up his hands again, breathing heavy. “What did you trade for your powers, little deal maker?” he continued, the loud and echoing laughter ringing as Jeongin sent another two beams towards him, hitting another pillar.

Chan looked around, trying to spot Felix. Someone must have pulled Felix the opposite direction. His blood was rushing in his ears, almost drowning out all the other sounds. But he could hear the lich so clearly, as if he was inside Chan’s head.

“What do you say, Oathbreaker? I’ve grown tired of this game, let’s end it here,” Anqag said, voice raspy and thin and it sent shivers down Chan’s spine. Among the smoke from Jeongin’s blasts and Anqag’s fire, Chan could see the undead king raise his hands. Their eyes locked for a second and the gut twisting grin stretched on his lips.

“Duck!” was everything Chan could yell out before the roof over the throne room began to crack and crumble. He looked around, panic settling in his chest. He couldn’t see Felix. His body acted on its own, immediately moving towards the hole in the roof, where the dragon had torn through the ceiling. He could hear the loud cracks of the marble floor as large pieces of stone impacted, crackling the floor. 

He managed to reach the open part of the room, but as he slowed down, a piece of the ceiling in the edge of the hole fell and he did not have the time to move out of the way.

Everything around him went black.

Chan gasped as his vision came back to him. He was laying on the ground, large pieces of stone all around him but thankfully he wasn’t trapped under any of them.

“Oathbreaker,” the voice rang over the battlefield and Chan looked up, his whole body aching. He was face down in the dirt, his clothes were soaked with blood and at least two of his ribs broken. He pushed his hands against the ground, heaving himself up on his knees and as he looked around, he could see his companions on the ground.

Minho was on his knees in the rubble, standing over Jisung’s still body, his bow in a tight grip as he aimed an arrow at Anqag. As he let the arrow go, the Lich King simple raised his hand, a small shimmering shield appearing in front of him, deflecting the arrow easily.

“I’ve tried everything,” Anqag said, his voice thin as he spoke and Chan gritted his teeth. “I promised you power and I’ve tried to kill your companions… and you still won’t join me willingly?”

“I told you,” Chan hissed, wiping blood from his mouth. He wasn’t sure where it came from, but at this moment it didn’t matter. “I’m not interested in helping you with whatever destruction you’re about to bring to this world.”

“Too bad,” the lich said, a grin stretching on his face and Chan felt his gut twist uncomfortably. “I guess I’ll just…” he sighed dramatically, holding out a hand as he muttered an incantation. Chan’s eyes widened as he saw Felix’s limp body getting dragged by a large, spectral hand across the ground.

He was lifted up, feet dangling over the ground and his head tilted back a little. Anqag reached out a skeletal hand and gripped Felix’s chin, turning his head slightly so Felix could look him in the eye. Chan tried to stand up, his body protesting and he gasped as pain flared in his chest and ribs.

“Felix!” he called out, voice cracking and he slumped to the ground. “Felix,” he gasped, voice barely a whisper and he dug his fingers into the ground, frustrated that he couldn’t even get up. Fear was wrapping around him and his whole body trembled. 

As he had his eyes fixed on Felix, he could see how shallow Felix’s breathing was and he could see Felix struggling against Angaq’s hand to turn his head to look at him. His eyes met Felix’s for only the briefest of moments and Chan could see the fear in his normally peaceful eyes. 

“Chan,” Felix mouthed, his voice too quiet for Chan to hear. 

“If I can’t get you to join me as a living creature,” Anqag said, humor lacing his voice and Chan’s blood ran cold. He gripped Felix’s chin tighter, forcing him to look at him. He inspected Felix’s bloody face for a second before his eyes, the two gleaming red eyes, flickered over to look at Chan with a sick, twisted smile on his thin lips. “Then maybe you will join me when you no longer have a reason to live,” he said, pulling his hand back a little before stabbing his arm through Felix’s chest. 

Chan screamed, tears welling up in his eyes as he forced himself up from the ground, ignoring the pain coursing through his body.

Felix’s eyes widened, his lips slightly parted. He coughed, blood running down his chin as the light in his eyes dimmed. 

The Lich King laughed, tossing Felix to the side as he turned to look at Chan. Chan was breathing heavily, rage and sorrow building up inside him. Anqag held out a hand, the hand covered in Felix’s blood and he grinned.

“Join me.”

“No,” he choked out, stumbling and falling to the ground. He cried, his heart aching as he was laying on the ground. “I will never join you,” he got out between sobs, looking up at Anqag. “I’ll kill you.”

“What are you going to do, Oathbreaker?” the Lich asked, amusement in his voice and a grin on his thin lips. “Look around you,” he continued, opening his arms. Chan looked around. Minho was still on his knees, an arrow aimed at Anqag but his hands trembling violently. Chan met his eyes and he could see, beneath all the blood in his face, Minho was crying. He shifted his eyes at Jisung who was laying under Minho, his white cloak dirty and bloody. Chan couldn’t see if he was breathing or not.

Younghyun was on the other side, frantically trying to get Seungmin out of the rubbles. Chan could see the upper half of Seungmin, his legs caught under the heavy stone and his white clothes soaked with his own blood. His eyes were shut and his breathing shallow. 

He couldn’t see Hyunjin, Changbin or Jeongin. His heart was hammering in his chest, panic, rage and utter sorrow filling him. It was hopeless.

“Chan of the Hissing Woodlands,” a new voice suddenly said and Chan widened his eyes. It was a soft female voice, a sudden warmth blooming in his chest and he felt all the surrounding sounds drowning out. “Do not give up.”

Chan let out a shuddering breath, his eyes finally falling on his sword in front of him. “What should I do?” he whispered, voice cracking and he sobbed again. 

“Get up,” the voice commanded, yet so gentle and so warm. “Get up and finish this,” it continued, and Chan inhaled sharply. He forced himself to get up with whatever newfound strength he had and he could hear the loud cackle of Anqag slowly tune in again. He took an unsteady step, followed by another, focusing on his shaky breathing.

“What are you doing, Oathbreaker?” Anqag taunted as Chan reached down to take his sword. When his fingers wrapped around the handle, he felt a warm pulse surge through him and as he looked up, he saw the Lich King, his red eyes wide. But the surprised expression quickly faded, replaced with a sick, twisted grin and the wicked laugh was slowly returning. “You know a mortal blade can’t wound me.”

“You can kill him,” the voice whispered in his ear and Chan swallowed hard. He took a deep breath, tightening his grip on his sword and he ran. He couldn’t feel the pain anymore, he was too focused on the task at hand. He was tuning out the rest of the world, the laughter of the Lich faded into the background.

Anqag wasn’t even bothering to look at Chan as the knight charged at him, confident in his own immortality. 

“You have my blessing,” the female voice whispered and he could feel the warmth, blooming in his chest, reaching all the way to the tips of his fingers. The divinity imbued in the sword was burning his cursed skin. With a scream, releasing all the built up emotions, Chan thrust the sword forward, into the chest of the Undead King. 

A quiet second passed, the sword embedded in the chest of Anqag and Anqag simply grinned, sick and twisted. Chan’s breathing was harsh, both hands wrapped around the handle of his sword and tears rolling down his cheeks. But then the face of the Lich King shifted as a bright, white light erupted from the swords.

“What-” Anqag began, looking down at the glowing sword in his chest. “You-” he said, voice choked and then he screamed when Chan twisted the sword, the light getting even brighter. He clenched his jaw, eyes glaring down at Anqag, his vision blurry from the tears.

“You’re poisoning this world,” he whispered. “My world, and I want you gone,” he continued, twisting it again and the Lich let out a shrill shriek. The light continued to brighten, warmth surging from it and it only continued. Chan closed his eyes, the light blinding and the screams of pain from the Lich deafening. He held on with whatever strength he had, lowering his head to protect himself from the heat. 

With a final, howling shriek from Anqag the light all but exploded, warmth surging outwards and swallowing Chan and all his surroundings in its divine light.

The light faded and the dust slowly settled, ash falling to the ground like snow and the silence was ringing in his ears. Chan breathed heavily, the sword falling out of his hand with a loud clang on the ground. It was over. He took a deep breath, his whole body trembling violently. Then something clicked in the back of his head.

Felix.

He spun around, his eyes trying to find Felix. The mountain landscape was silent and still as he stood in the remains of the castle.

It felt like he saw everything in slow motion. He could see Minho crouching down beside Jisung, helping him sit up. His once white cloak was soaked with crimson. Chan was moving, looking for Felix. Minho was bleeding from his nose and there was a stain of blood around his lips too.

Hyunjin and Changbin, both bruised and bloody were digging through the remains of a fallen tower. Hyunjin’s human arm was hanging limp and useless, as they pulled Seungmin out of the rubble. Blood covered half of his face and his white robes were stained with dirt and blood.

Younghyun was helping Jeongin up, a warm golden light emitting from his deity marks as he healed Jeongin’s wounds. 

He still couldn’t see Felix. As his eyes darted around, he briefly caught Younghyun’s eye and he could see the horror slowly making its way up on Younghyun’s face. Younghyun said something, but with his heart pounding in his ears and panic wrapping around him, Chan couldn’t make out what he was saying. He stared at Younghyun for a moment, eyes wide and vision blurring as tears began to roll down his cheeks.

He inhaled sharply and turned away from Younghyun to continue to look for Felix. So many questions and scenarios were running through his head. He tried to push back all the negative thoughts, holding onto the silver of hope.

As his eyes finally caught a glimpse of the familiar pale green, he bolted. Felix was laying among stone rubble, with his face down into the cold ground. Chan’s blood was rushing in his ears and he begged to every deity in the realm. 

Please let Felix be safe. Please, please, please. 

He fell on his knees beside Felix, gathering him in his arms as he turned him around. Felix’s eyes were closed, the pale green robes now a deep crimson as blood soaked the fabric. Chan took a shaky breath, placing his hand on Felix’s neck, looking for a pulse.

“Felix?” he asked, fingers trembling as he pulled his hand back. There was no pulse. The thought that came next made his blood run cold.

Felix was dead.

Chan’s blood was rushing in his ears and he adjusted his position a little, his head spinning. What could he do? He looked down at Felix, cupping his cheek with one hand, drying some of the blood off his face with his thumb. 

“Felix?” he tried again, caressing Felix’s cheekbone. “Please don’t leave me, my love,” he whispered, leaning down to press his lips against Felix’s cold cheek. A sob tore through his body and he closed his eyes tightly, allowing himself to cry as he pressed his forehead against Felix’s. “Stay with me,” he mumbled, breathing shaky and voice wavering. “Stay with me my Northern Star.”

A moment of silence passed. Chan held onto Felix’s cold and bloody body as he cried. The world was a cruel and dark place, making sure to kill any light. He felt like he was drowning, suffocating and he gasped for air. He should never have left the forest, he thought. If he had just stayed in that forsaken forest and rotted, Felix would still have been alive. Felix died because of him.

“You can’t leave me,” he whispered, voice cracking. “Please don’t leave me. I beg you.”

Warmth suddenly bloomed from Chan’s hands, starting from his fingertips with a similar sensation to the one he’d felt as Felix’s had healed his wounds. He opened his eyes, sniffling as he looked down on his hands. He looked closer, watching as the currently crimson marks of Beory shimmered, turning into silver marks of Ehlonna. His breath hitched. The Lady of the Forest had taken him up, granting him some of her divine power. He could save Felix.

He took a moment to stare wide eyed at Felix’s face and then quickly scanning his surroundings. Their companions had gathered up, all of them looking at Chan and Felix. He took a deep breath, looking back at Felix’s still face. Under all the blood and dirt, he looked peaceful.

“Oh mother, Lady of the Forests,” Chan began in Sylvan, the language unnatural and strange on his tongue. He held Felix closer and lowered his head, eyes closed. “Don’t take my love away from me, for that would be too cruel of fate. I beg you, let him be restored.” 

Nothing happened; Felix’s body remained unmoving in his arms. Chan could feel the tears burn in his eyes and a hand was placed on his shoulder. He looked up at Younghyun.

“I couldn’t save him,” he whispered, his voice cracking. He looked back at Felix, stroking his cheekbone. “I failed to save him.”

“Try again,” Younghyun whispered, giving Chan’s shoulder a small squeeze. He sat down beside Chan, taking his necklace of Melora in his hands. “There’s still a chance.”

Chan swallowed, carefully laying Felix down on his back, placing his hands so they rested on his chest. He let his fingers ghost over Felix’s cheek, a sob slipping past his lips. He took a deep breath, reaching out to take Felix’s silver necklace; the necklace of Ehlonna. The silver didn’t burn his hands, instead it filled him with a soothing warmth. He closed his eyes, tears rolling down his cheeks as he did.

Beside him, Younghyun lowered his head, holding onto his holy symbol tightly as he prayed alongside Chan.

“Ehlonna of the Forests,” he said, switching back to Sylvan. “I kneel before thee and I beg of you, breathe life back into him.” He choked on a sob. “Please. G-give us time. Give us the time to bid our last farewells.”

A warm sensation suddenly enveloped him and as Chan opened his eyes again, he wasn’t on the cold and dead ruins at the side of the mountain anymore. He was in a lush, green clearing. The trees were tall, their trunks large and old while their leaves were an array of yellow, orange and red. He looked around, eyes wide in shock. Dread dug its claws into him as he realized that he was alone. Everyone was gone; including Felix. 

“Chan of the Blessed Fields,” a warm, soothing voice said and Chan turned his head to see who it was. He couldn’t see anyone but he recognized the voice. It was the gentle female voice that had spoken to him earlier, blessing his sword with the divine power to kill the Lich King.

A woman suddenly appeared in front of him was clearly of fey ancestry, her features delicate and her eyes warm. A faint, pulsing light surrounded her; much like the light surrounding Felix. Her long, orange hair matched with the few orange leaves around the clearing, darker red highlights running through her hair. Autumn was indeed here. She was wearing a simple, pale green dress; so long it touched the ground she walked on. The dress was the same color as Felix’s cloak. As she approached, Chan noted that she didn’t wear any shoes. 

“My child,” she spoke, her voice so gentle as she reached out a hand to touch Chan’s face. “You’ve done so well.” Chan’s eyes widened as he realized who he stood in front of.

“M-my lady,” he breathed. A wide, warm smile spread across her lips.

“My Chan, my blessed child,” she spoke, adoration lacing her tone and Chan felt so small in her presence. She took a moment to study his face, stroking her fingers over his dryad markings. “You come to me with grief in your heart.”

“Y-yes,” Chan whispered, his chest bubbling with sadness. “I-I-”

“You don’t need to speak, child,” Ehlonna said gently, stroking Chan’s hair. Then she took a step back and looked over her shoulder. Chan followed her gaze, to the spectral vision of Felix. “For I know what’s in your heart.”

“Please,” Chan begged, his knees weak and Ehlonna sighed, approaching the vision of Felix. “Please give him back to me.”

She stroked the spectral vision, even if her fingers just passed right through it. She stroked Felix’s cheeks, his hair and his closed eyes. “The son of Many Suns… He was meant to do great things,” she murmured, just barely audible. She turned back to Chan, looking at him with so much sadness in her eyes. “I am afraid I am not in control over his fate anymore.”

A sob tore through Chan’s body and his knees buckled. He fell to the ground, his face buried in his hands as hopelessness wrapped around his heart. He failed to save Felix. The only light in his life. What was he supposed to do without Felix? Without his Northern Star?

“Do not weep child,” Ehlonna said softly and Chan looked up at her through the tears. “He’s not lost yet.”

“W-what can I do?” Chan asked, his voice trembling. “I’ll do anything,” he whispered and Ehlonna smiled, approaching him again. She reached out a hand, and as he took it and she helped him back on his feet, a warmth filled him.

“Never fear the dark, Chan of the Blessed Fields,” she said, placing her free hand over Chan’s eyes.

A chill ran down Chan’s spine and as he blinked his eyes open, he realized that he was alone in an empty stone hall. The space was vast, illuminated by a single torch in the far end of the room. Chan looked around, his heart beating in his chest as he tried to process where he’d ended up. He took a deep breath before he started to approach the torch in the far end.

As he got closer, he realized that the torch on the wall wasn’t at the end of the room. The room continued, stretching out so far that Chan couldn’t see the wall on the other side. But in front of him, just by the torch, was a pool of liquid. He crouched down, reaching out a trembling hand to dip his fingers in the liquid. It was cold and dark, and as he brought it closer to the light, he could see the hints of red. Blood.

When the realization hit him, he immediately looked around the room again. Upon a closer inspection, on the left wall, there was a mark, a symbol. It was a simple drawn raven in profile, in what Chan could only assume was the liquid from the pool. It was smudged at the edges as it looked to the west.

He looked back at the still liquid and to the symbol of the raven before standing up, taking a deep breath. He swallowed hard before stepping into the pool. The liquid was cold, immediately sending a shiver through his body. 

With his heart still pounding in his ears, he walked into the pool, deeper and deeper. As the red liquid reached his chin, he took a deep breath of air before completely submerging himself in it. 

His surroundings were dark and cold and he could feel the liquid press against him as his lungs burned. He supposed he should be scared, but he wasn’t. He was only thinking of Felix.

He inhaled sharply, as if he broke the surface of the pool again. But he wasn’t in the pool anymore. He was standing in a dark space, complete darkness pushing closer around him. He couldn’t make out any shapes in the empty space.

“Hello?” he called out, voice trembling and lips shivering. 

“Chan the Oathbreaker,” a voice rang out, and he looked around. It was female, but in contrast to Ehlonna’s soft and warm voice, this one was cold and harsh. Chan looked around as he tried to find the source of the voice. “You come to me with a request,” it continued and Chan swallowed hard, his legs trembling violently. The voice didn’t come from one specific place, but instead echoed all around him. “And a costly one, that is.”

“Yes,” he whispered, lowering his head. Something suddenly reached out and something sharp pressed against his chin, forcing him to lift his head again. As he looked up, he realized that the thing that was forcing him to look up was a finger the size of his arm and the sharp object was the nail. 

He didn’t protest as the finger tilted his head up, but as he came face to face with the deity, his breath hitched. He stood there, face to face with the white, unmoving porcelain mask. The lips were painted red and the eyes were completely black. This was the Raven Queen, the goddess of death and fate. His legs felt weak and his knees almost buckled. But the finger under his chin remained and he tried to stay as still as possible, swallowing hard.

“What do you require, Oathbreaker?” the Raven Queen asked, her voice still omnipresent in this space. At a closer look, Chan could see the tiara, a thin gold band around her head with three points. At the base of the center point was the skull of a raven, resting against the middle of the mask’s forehead. He could see that from the center point, at the tip of the tiara, there was a million red threads connected. Chan let his gaze wander for a second, looking around the space again as he realized how the threads gave off a faint glow, bringing some light into this dark room. 

His eyes flickered back, his heart in his throat as he looked upon the cold, motionless mask.

“I-I,” he began as the hand slowly pulled back. As it did, he could see all the slim fingers, covered in what looked like leather gloves and sharp, claw like nails on each finger. “I need Felix back.”

“I can sense your desperation, Oathbreaker,” she spoke, her voice still cold and harsh. Chan’s heart squeezed as the tears welled up in his eyes and began to cloud his vision. “What would you do to get him back?”

“I’ll do anything,” he whispered. “I’ll give you anything just please,” he choked on a sob bubbling in his chest. “Give him back to me.”

There was a pause as the Mother of Ravens pulled back into the shadows, leaving Chan in complete darkness.

“Anything you say?” she said, her voice suddenly a lot softer and more directed to a place right in front of Chan. “That’s a dangerous thing you’re offering.” He could feel a shiver run down his spine. Here he was, in front of the goddess of death and fate, offering her anything. “I can sense your grief and your pain, Oathbreaker.”

Chan opened his mouth, but as the Mother of Ravens stepped out from the shadows, no words could escape him. She was dressed in black, mostly blending in with the surroundings. But Chan could still see her long, dark gown, reaching down to the floor. A tight leather corset was wrapped around her waist and on her shoulders were long raven feathers, and more feathers were wrapped around her neck, enhancing her upright and regal posture. 

“You’ve changed fates,” she said and Chan’s heart stuttered. The mask was gone and he could see her face. Her skin was pale, almost white and her lips just as pale. Her eyes were a striking red, almost glowing in the darkness as she stared at Chan. The skin around her eyes were dark, fading over to a lighter gray and under her eyes, a soft shade of red. Chan’s heart was pounding in his chest; he couldn’t look away from her. When she stopped, she reached out a hand to gently take two of the red strings on her left. “You and that cleric, the son of Many Suns…” she trailed off, running her fingers over the threads before her eyes flickered back to Chan. “Your threads are intertwined.”

Chan’s breathing hitched. “W-what… does that change anything?”

“You’re meant to continue living. You both are,” the Raven Queen spoke, letting go of the threads to reach out to touch Chan’s face. Her nails were still as sharp as they had been earlier, like claws gently grazing over his skin.  “I will give him back to you for it is not the time yet,” she whispered and a sob slipped past Chan’s lips. The Raven Queen gently dried the tears with her thumb, her sharp nails gently grazing Chan’s skin. “But, I need something in return.”

“Anything,” Chan breathed as she ran her thumb over his cheek. “I beg of you... restore him to me.”

“I want just one thing, devoted Oathbreaker,” she said slowly, letting go of Chan’s face to take his hands. Her hands were cold, her fingers slender as she traced the golden marks of Ehlonna. “You serve my friend Ehlonna now, but when the time comes for you, you are to divide your time between the two of us. I want you to come to my domain and carry out tasks for me when I need you.”

Chan nodded, his heart hammering in his chest. The Mother of Ravens smiled, a soft and warm smile, as she reached to stroke Chan’s hair.

“Good,” she whispered and Chan swallowed hard, looking down. “Can I ask a favor of you, my blessed one?”

Chan snapped his head up, meeting her gentle, black eyes. There was something in her eyes that was very comforting. Something that offered Chan some comfort and calm in this very distressing situation.

“Of course, m-my lady,” he said and she chuckled, stroking the back of her fingers over Chan’s cheek. She was so cold in comparison to Chan. 

“Will you tell Seungmin I said hello and I ask of him to be a bit more careful in the future with contacting other planes,” she said. Chan nodded, unable to say anything more. “Well then. I will see you when fate allows you, my dear Chan,” she said, her voice soft and warm. Chan was about to reply to her, but his surroundings suddenly went dark.

With a sharp inhale, he opened his eyes. He looked around. He was back at the mountains, among the ruins of a castle with Felix’s lifeless body in front of him. The rest stood around them, tears running down their cheeks. None of them said anything. Chan looked back on Felix, his heart speeding up again. He could bring Felix back. He was going to bring him home. 

A loud caw echoed over the ruins and a raven soared across the sky before landing on a crumbled wall, staring at them. Chan inhaled as he realized what this meant. She was watching them. He lowered his head, clasping the silver necklace of Ehlonna in his hands even tighter.

“Lady of the Forests, Mother of Ravens,” he whispered, closing his eyes. “I give my all to you in exchange for this soul. Bring him back to me and give him the time to live as he was supposed to.”

There was a moment of silence, Chan’s heart pounding in his ears as he continued to whisper prayers. Then there was a warmth and a light behind his closed eyelids, as if the sun was looking at him. He opened his eyes and looked up, only for his heart to stop for a second. There, across from him, sat Ehlonna. She was smiling, her light much stronger than before and she reached out to touch Felix’s cheek.

“I know what deal you made,” she said softly and Chan swallowed. “I wanted to let you know that I am not angry with you for making that deal.” Chan nodded, eyes flickering down at Felix. “I will see you when it is time, Chan the Pathfinder. For now…” she trailed off, looking down at Felix. “Take care of my boy for me.”

“I will,” Chan breathed, his voice so soft. Ehlonna gave him a last smile before her light shone brighter and she faded away, leaving Chan alone. He remained on his knees, looking down at Felix. He swallowed hard, gathering Felix’s in his arms once again. He leaned his forehead against the side of Felix’s head, stroking his cold cheek. “Come back to me,” he whispered in Felix’s ear, his voice choked up. “Don’t leave me alone.”

As if he came up to the surface of the water, Felix inhaled sharply as the gods breathed life into him again. He shot up, eyes wide and breathing labored. Tears burned in Chan’s eyes and it didn’t take long for them to start roll down his cheeks.

“W-what happened?” Felix asked, voice raspy and low. He looked at Chan, a hand wrapping around Chan’s wrist weakly while he placed the other on Chan’s face. “Is it over?”

“Yes,” Chan said, choking on another sob as he cradled Felix’s face in his hands. “It’s over.”

Felix looked Chan right in the eyes, studied his face. “Your markings are silver,” he whispered, running a finger over the dryad marks on Chan’s face. “So is your hair.” He let out a breathless laugh. “You are so beautiful.”

“Never leave me again,” Chan begged, resting his forehead against Felix’s. “I can’t… I can’t live without you.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t find you,” Felix whispered, his breathing shaky. He was so weak in Chan’s arms and Chan held him as tightly as he could. “Thank you for bringing me back.”

“I’ll do anything for you,” Chan replied and Felix smiled weakly, wiping Chan’s tears away with the pad of his thumb.

“Would you stop crying if I asked you?” he asked, voice barely audible and Chan let out a small laugh through the tears. “It hurts me to see you cry.”

“Don’t worry, love,” he said, stroking Felix’s face. Felix was still cold as death was slowly removing its claws from him. He moved a little closer, gently pressing his lips against Felix’s. “These are happy tears.”

“I want to settle down somewhere,” Felix mumbled, eyes slowly traveling to the horizon in front of them. The sun was breaking through the thick clouds for the first time in days as morning approached and behind the quickly dissipating clouds, it cast a soft pink and orange glow across the sky in the east. Felix looked back up at Chan, his grip of Chan’s wrist tightening a little. “I want to settle down somewhere with you, get a place to call home, maybe we can grow some crops.” He took a shaky breath, eyes glossy with tears. “I want to grow old with you.”

Chan’s chest tightened and he looked down, more tears rolling down his cheeks. “I-I’d like that,” he whispered. Felix slowly brought Chan’s chin up, making him meet his eyes. Felix’s eyes were tired, sleepy, but they were still that beautiful brown color with the constellations of stars in them. In this moment, Chan understood why he was called the son of Many Suns.

“Where do you want to live?” Felix asked, the sleepy and weak smile still on his face as the stars in his eyes seemingly sparkled, the light returning.

“I don’t mind,” Chan mumbled, letting go of Felix’s face to gently take his hand instead. He gave it a gentle squeeze, eyes flickering down to their hands for a second before looking up again. “I’ll go wherever you go, to the end of the world, till the end of time. You’re my home.”

Chapter Text

It took them time to get back from what had happened, to recover. But neither of them had any rush. They had so much time with each other; so many years to come. They settled down in Willowsdale, just outside the Hissing Woodlands. Frost had settled on the ground, the snow not far away as they walked into the town. It was still much a ghost town, people still not daring to move back except a selected few. The house they got, their new home, was an old house on the verge of falling apart but Felix had convinced Chan that they would be able to restore it. This was where they would grow old together, he’d said, holding onto Chan’s hand in a tight grip.

They laid in their makeshift bed that night, the mattress on the floor and a small fire sparking in the cold fireplace, cuddling together under thick blankets for warmth. Felix was dozing off, his head on Chan’s chest and his eyes falling shut as Chan threaded his fingers through his hair gently.

“You got some white hairs,” he noted and Felix hummed, cracking an eye open. “I guess winter is really around the corner.”

“I guess so,” Felix said, his voice laced with sleep and Chan smiled, his heart feeling warm in his chest. He ran his fingers through Felix’s hair again, fingers brushing over the flowers. He paused for a moment, staring at the flowers in Felix’s hair as he thought. “What are you thinking about?” Felix asked, snapping Chan out of his thoughts. 

“Nothing really,” Chan said but then he sighed as Felix sent him a pointed look. “The flowers,” he admitted and Felix hummed, nodding his head a little. “I just-” He bit his lip. “I’m glad yours grew back but I… I feel a bit jealous.” He swallowed hard. The flowers were the pride of the half-dryads. Felix’s had grown back after Anqag had died but it seemed like Chan’s would never grow back. The small bud Chan had had never bloomed, leaving him without flowers.

“You’re beautiful, brave and strong,” Felix whispered, reaching out to take Chan’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. His hands were a bit cold against Chan’s. “Flowers or not, you’re still my Chan and I will love you no matter what.”

“I love you,” Chan said, his throat thick with emotion as he craned his neck to press a kiss on Felix’s head. “I love you so much, little star of mine.”

“I love you,” Felix replied, letting go of Chan’s hand to place his on Chan’s chest instead. “So much,” he said and Chan hummed, moving his hand back to Felix’s hair. “Let’s talk to someone about a bed tomorrow,” Felix continued, eyes falling shut as Chan began to thread his fingers through his hair again. “I want a big one.”

“I’m sure we can arrange that,” Chan mumbled and Felix hummed. “Go to sleep, love,” he whispered, turning his head a little to press a kiss in Felix’s hair.

“Goodnight,” Felix slurred as sleep claimed him. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Chan whispered as Felix’s breathing evened out. He laid there on his back, staring up into the ceiling of the rather empty room. They would later turn this into a kitchen and living area while moving their bed to a separate room, but for now, this would have to do. Chan didn’t complain. Wherever Felix went, he would go and he would be home. 

He sighed, glancing at Felix. His heart was fluttering and he smiled, closing his eyes. He could get used to a life like this, a peaceful life.

There was a knock on the door just as Chan had finished with the dishes. He furrowed his brows. They had not been expecting anyone and Felix, who usually was the one who got visitors, was out in the forest as he usually was during the days. 

As he opened the door, he was greeted with Seungmin standing outside, a nervous look in his eyes as he tugged on his sleeve. He was alone, wearing those casual robes he had been wearing the first time Chan had met him, plus a thicker coat to protect him from the biting cold of winter.

“Seungmin?” Chan said, blinking before taking a step to the side. “Come in, come in,” he said and Seungmin smiled, nodding his head slightly and stepped inside. Chan closed the door behind him, still keeping an eye at Seungmin, eyebrow raised. They had been in contact after everything, but for Seungmin to show up alone was very unusual. “Do you want anything? Tea maybe?” 

“Tea would be nice,” Seungmin said, eyes looking around the living area before glancing back at Chan. They had gotten some more furniture into the house, so they could finally start having people over. “Thank you.”

“Sit down and I’ll get the water boiling,” Chan said, gesturing towards the table as he went to prepare the tea. Seungmin nodded again, moving to sit down. Something was off. Chan’s gut twisted and he bit his lip. Seungmin was usually a bit quiet, but he was never this quiet and nervous. “Where’s Changbin and Hyunjin?”

“They had some errands to run,” Seungmin replied, looking up from his hands and Chan nodded. “I-” He took a deep breath, sighing as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “I need to talk to you about something.”

“Oh?” Chan asked as he poured the tea in two cups. 

“Yes,” Seungmin said, sighing again when Chan placed the cup in front of him. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Chan said, sitting down in front of Seungmin. “What did you want to talk about?”

“Do you remember… when I tried to contact another plane? In Anqag’s castle,” Seungmin said and Chan nodded, humming as he took a careful sip of his tea. “I couldn’t reach another plane and as I cast the spell… Anqag tried to interfere.”

“He what?” Chan asked, brows furrowing. His heart felt heavy, like it did every time they talked about this. This was an event Chan would rather not remember. 

“He tried to… I guess get into my head, take over, take control, whatever,” Seungmin said slowly. “But he failed, because…”

“Because?”

“The Raven Queen cut his connection with me,” Seungmin said and Chan widened his eyes, memories of what the Raven Queen had said suddenly rushing back to him. “I… I just- I think I have some explanation to do,” he said, his voice shaky and lips trembling. He looked so nervous as he clutched the tea cup in his hands. He stared down into the cup, taking a deep breath.

“I-”

“I died,” Seungmin said flatly, looking up from his tea. Chan choked on his words, lips parted and jaw slack as he stared at Seungmin. “I’m sure Changbin and Hyunjin told you about… about that time I tried to contact another plane,” he continued and Chan nodded, still at a loss of words. “When I did… I met her.”

“The Raven Queen,” Chan breathed and Seungmin nodded.

“I don’t…” he swallowed hard. “I don’t think Changbin and Hyunjin realized I died.”

“Have you told them?” Chan asked but Seungmin shook his head. “Why?”

“I-I don’t want to worry them,” he whispered, lowering his head. “But I guess I should talk to them about what Anqag said.”

“Seungmin the Forgiven,” Chan said and Seungmin nodded, his head still held low. “Why forgiven?”

“She… When I met the Mother of Ravens, she said that my death was unfortunate and an accident. My thread was not meant to be cut and she-” He cut himself off, inhaling sharply before quietly adding, “she sent me back.”

“Just like that?” Chan asked, eyes wide. Seungmin shook his head, looking up again.

“Not… not just like that,” he said, his eyes glossy as he met Chan’s gaze. “I swore an oath to her, to serve her to a certain extent and to help her. She’s the goddess of death and fate and her sworn enemies are the undead, like liches and vampires.”

“So you…” Chan trailed off, waiting for Seungmin to fill him in.

“I am to help her rid the world of the undead,” Seungmin said. “And when my time comes, I have to go. If I die before that… that’s it. No second chances.”

“I met her,” Chan said and Seungmin froze, eyes wide. 

“Y-you what?” he stuttered, blinking rapidly and Chan sighed, shoulders dropping.

“I met her, when Felix died,” he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. “I may have… made a deal with her.”

“What… what kind of deal?”

“When I’ve passed, I am to divide my time between her domain and my time in the Beastlands, if that’s where I’ll end up,” Chan said, his heart feeling heavy. He didn’t want to think about the future, he wanted to live in the present and not to worry about this. “But before I left, she asked me to tell you something.”

Seungmin blinked, tilting his head.

“She told you to be a bit more careful with contacting other planes,” Chan said and Seungmin chuckled, a smile on his lips as he looked down.

“I don’t think I’ll be contacting any other planes in a good while,” he said and Chan hummed. Then the smile wiped off Seungmin’s face and he looked up again, expression serious. “Have you told Felix about this deal?”

Chan shook his head, taking a sip from his tea. “I’ll tell him when time is right,” he said and Seungmin nodded slowly. It felt nice to have someone who seemed to be in a sort of similar situation as him. It provided Chan some sense of comfort. 

Chan stood alone in the darkness, his skin prickling in the cold air and water up to his knees. He looked around, his warm breath coming out as fog as it hit the icy air. He was so confused. Where was he? Where were the others? 

“Hello?” he called out, his voice echoing in the vast space. He looked around, his heart beating loudly in his chest. The whispers in the back of his head were getting louder, telling him to to hunt, to kill, to consume.

Fear was settling in Chan’s gut as the whispers almost became overwhelming and he looked down on his hands. He hadn’t noticed it before, but his hands were stained with blood. Fresh, wet blood covered his hands all the way up to his elbows.

Light suddenly flared and he could see further. He wasn’t standing in water, he was standing in a large pool of blood. Around him, bodies were floating and Chan took a step back. The whispers were deafening. 

“You did this,” one voice said, unmistakingly the voice of Anqag and tears welled up in Chan’s eyes. No. It wasn’t him. He wasn’t a monster. He wasn’t evil. He- “You killed your friends.”

Just as Anqag said that, Chan realized how familiar the clothes on the bodies were. He looked back at them, his chest tightening and throat closing up.

“This isn’t- I’m-” he stuttered, moving backwards as the bodies began to move. He cried out, fear, panic and sorrow mixing inside him and-

“Chan!” Felix’s voice broke through Chan’s clouded mind and Chan sat up. His heart was pounding, his ears were ringing and panic coursed through him as he looked around with wild eyes. His eyes quickly found Felix and relief washed over him. 

It was just a dream. Just a dream.

Felix placed a hand on the side of Chan’s face, drying the tears off his cheek. He didn’t even realize he had been crying.

“You’re okay,” he breathed, his voice rough with sleep and thick with tears. As tears blurred his vision, he fumbled in the dim light to grab a hold of Felix’s sleeping shirt. “You’re okay,” he repeated and Felix hushed him, pulling him in for a hug. 

“I’m here,” Felix mumbled in Chan’s ear, letting Chan cry into his shoulder as he rocked him back and forth. The nightmares weren’t something new. He had been having nightmares every now and then since everything happened. It had been five years already but the nightmares didn’t stop.

“I’m so sorry,” Chan cried, hands grasping desperately at Felix’s shirt. “I-I’m so, so sorry.”

“What are you sorry for, love?” Felix asked, humming a lullaby. His chest rumbled in a soothing way and Chan tried to calm down, his breathing harsh. 

“I’m so sorry I brought you all this pain,” Chan whispered, stumbling over the words. “I’m s-”

“Nothing was ever your fault,” Felix said, cutting him off. His voice was gentle, soothing as he rubbed Chan’s back. “You were the victim too,” he murmured, holding Chan as Chan cried. “You have nothing to be sorry about. Nothing.”

Jeongin visited them in the early spring, the first spring living in Willowsdale. Chan was busy trying to fix their door, it had remained crooked on the hinges the whole winter, as Jeongin sat down on their front porch.

“Oh,” Chan said, glancing away from the door for a second. “Jeongin,” he greeted and Jeongin smiled. In the bright light of the sun, his marks did not give off an obvious glow but they did shift in the warm spring sun. 

“How are you?” Jeongin asked, placing his bag beside him. The bag he had brought with him was large and it looked heavy. Chan raised an eyebrow, giving the door a last look before taking a step back. It looked okay. He turned back to Jeongin, sitting down beside him on their porch. “It’s been a while.”

“It really has,” Chan said, closing his eyes and tilting his head up towards the sun, soaking in the warmth. “We’ve been good. Felix is at the market right now, I suspect that he got caught up by the children wanting him to tell them stories.”

“He does that?” Jeongin asked, chuckling and Chan hummed, a wide smile on his lips.

“He does,” he said slowly, opening his eyes to glance at Jeongin. “They really enjoy listening to his stories and I think he enjoys telling them,” he continued and Jeongin hummed. “How are you?” 

Jeongin sighed, his eyes shifting to look out towards the forest ahead. Chan followed suit, glancing towards the still dark woods of the Hissing Woodlands. The whispers were gone and so was the spreading evil, but the land was still dark and murky. 

“I finally went back to my… to my childhood home, to my family,” he said slowly and Chan snapped his head back to look at Jeongin. Jeongin still had his eyes fixed on the woods. He hadn’t spoken a lot about his family. In fact, Chan didn’t know a lot about Jeongin except from what he had told him about working with Minho and Jisung and the little he knew about Auris. “They sent me my way when I… When I told them the truth.”

“Oh.”

“When I left, I just- I just left, with a note saying I would be back,” he explained and Chan hummed. “But now, I felt like I should be honest with them and tell them the truth. So I did. I told them that I made a deal, I’m a warlock and there’s… there’s no way for me to get out of this deal.”

“What did they say?” Chan asked carefully. Jeongin bit his lip, keeping silent for a second before speaking again. 

“They wouldn’t accept a dealmaker as their son,” he said simply and Chan sighed. He wasn’t surprised, but he felt incredibly sad for Jeongin.

“I’m sorry,” he said. Jeongin finally looked back at him, a soft smile on his lips and he shook his head.

“Don’t be,” he said softly, running a hand through his hair. “I-I’ll solve it somehow.”

“Do you need anything?” Chan asked after a moment of silence, tilting his head a little and Jeongin smiled. 

“I was heading back towards the Sinner’s Rest to stay with Younghyun,” he said and Chan nodded. “But I was hoping I could stay here tonight before I continue tomorrow.”

“Of course,” Chan said, placing his hand on top of Jeongin’s. “You’re always welcome here,” he continued and Jeongin smiled, but Chan could still see the hint of sadness in his eyes. “Please consider this your home too.”

“I-” Jeongin cut himself off, his voice thick with emotions and Chan smiled softly. “Thank you… Thank you so much.”

“The marks are fading,” Felix murmured, his fingers brushing over Chan’s sternum and Chan craned his neck to look at Felix. Felix was resting his head on Chan’s bare chest, his fingers tracing the marks that had once stained Chan’s skin. As Chan’s dryad marks had turned silver, the marks of the corruption had turned a dark gray instead of black but as Chan looked at them now, he realized that they were getting paler. They had now taken on the same silver as his dryad marks.

“Do you think they’re going to disappear?” he asked, pressing a kiss on the top of Felix’s head. Felix was quiet for a second, pressing his palm against the skin above Chan’s heart, the area where the largest, black mark had been. 

“I don’t know,” he said, lifting his head from Chan’s chest to look down at Chan. He shifted a little, the mattress creaking a little under his weight, and he moved his hand to trace the silver lines on Chan’s face. Chan kept his eyes locked with Felix’s, watching the constellations of stars gleam softly in his eyes. 

He raised a hand to place it on Felix’s cheek, brushing his thumb over his cheekbone and Felix closed his eyes for a second, leaning into Chan’s touch. As his eyes fluttered open again, Chan could feel his chest tighten and he exhaled shakingly. Felix remained silent, threading his fingers through Chan’s silver curls. 

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, leaning down to kiss Chan.

“Where would I be…” Chan began as Felix pulled back, swallowing hard as emotions bubbled up in his chest, “had you not found me.”

“I don’t know,” Felix whispered, pressing a soft kiss on Chan’s nose. “But what would I do without you?” he continued, moving to kiss Chan on the lips. “I was sent into that forest for a reason. Be it to find you or find the answer to the corruption of the world. But not a single day goes past without me thanking all the deities in all realms for letting me find you.”

“I love you,” Chan whispered, voice a bit choked up. “I love you with all of my heart, with my soul and everything I have,” he continued, gently bringing Felix in for another kiss. “And I will continue to love you, no matter what.”

“I love you too,” Felix murmured, his lips brushing against Chan’s. “I’ll love you for as long as I am breathing, for as long as my soul exists. I will find you over and over again,” he continued and Chan’s heart squeezed almost painfully. He didn’t say anything else, he didn’t need to. Felix pressed another kiss on Chan’s lips and Chan’s heart fluttered. He was content like this.

Five years after they had moved to Willowsdale, Chan and Felix received a message from Minho and Jisung. They had settled down in the North Grove and wanted Chan and Felix to come and visit.

The cabin was in the middle of the woods, almost impossible to find and Chan felt really thankful for Jisung. The half-elf had made sure to greet them before they reached the forest and had the opportunity to get lost. 

The North Grove was a peaceful forest, traces of the evil trying to swallow the life of the forest still lingering but it was way less corrupted and twisted as the Hissing Woodlands. They didn’t get the chance to stay in the cabin for a longer time, before Felix and Jisung took off into the forest, saying something about picking some berries and finding some roots before they darted off, leaving Minho and Chan on the front porch of the cabin.

“So you finally settled down,” Chan said, staring out over the forest and Minho laughed. As Chan looked back at him, his heart just swelled with fondness. Minho looked so relaxed, so casual as he leaned against the railing on the porch, a cup of tea in his hands. 

“I guess I did,” Minho said, eyes flickering out towards the forest before meeting Chan’s gaze again. “It… I decided to stop with the plane shifting,” he continued and Chan hummed, tilting his head a little. Minho laughed again, ruffling his light brown hair. “I’m already graying. My body is too weak for it already. I don’t-” he cut himself off, expression turning serious. 

“I get it,” Chan said and Minho nodded, pressing his lips together. “Why did you pick the North Grove, of all places?” he asked, changing subjects.

“It was mostly Jisung who wanted to live here,” Minho said and Chan hummed. “He wanted to come back to where-” he stopped and bit his lip. “It seems like every subject is a bit touchy,” he said, laughing humorlessly. “How much did he tell you about the Valima tribe?”

Chan shook his head. “Not a lot,” he said, taking a sip of his tea before it got too cold. “He told me a bit about them being protectors of dreams, making sure our reality wasn’t interrupted by other planes and that they moved from the North to the West when the infestation spread from Underwoods to here.”

There was something in Minho’s eyes, an unreadable look and something twisted inside Chan.

“Jisung is the last Valima druid,” Minho said slowly, taking a deep breath as he looked down into his cup. “The last were killed when a rift opened from the Shadowfell. That was when I…” He sighed again, running a hand through his hair. “I was recruited by the Horizonwalkers when I was seventeen. I was an orphan but I… I don’t know, the elders must have seen something in me. I was then taught the ways of the Horizonwalkers, I trained with them for years until I was sent out on my first mission when I was twenty. I got stuck in the Shadowfell when I was twenty-one. We were a group of people but on the way back… something went wrong and I was stuck by myself. I-if you remember what Anqag said, about seeing me fighting the- yeah you know…” he trailed off and Chan nodded, his heart heavy. “I was in the Shadowfell for maybe a month or so, I don’t really know, I lost count of the days to be honest.”

“How did you get out?”

“A rift suddenly opened and as the undead poured out of the rift to feast on the living, I got out as well,” he said and Chan hummed, chewing on his bottom lip. “The Valima tribe had already suffered some loss from the spreading of the evil from Underwood. With the infestation came the beasts, you know?”

Chan nodded. He had lived with those beasts, twisted from the evil and he knew them all too well.

“And when the undead creatures attacked… they were unprepared, surprised and still tending to their wounded,” Minho continued, his voice barely a whisper. “In all the chaos, I… I didn’t think. Jisung was standing in the middle of everything and I just,” he shrugged, “grabbed him and teleported us out of there,” he said, a hint of guilt in his voice.

The silence hung heavy in the air and Chan took a deep breath.

“Should you- Should you not have done that?” he asked carefully, almost afraid of the answer Minho would give him. “Should you not have saved him?”

“Sometimes…” Minho swallowed and as he stared into the cup, Chan could see the tears well up in his brown eyes. “Sometimes I think he wishes that I didn’t save him.” He blinked, a stray tear rolling down his cheeks as he looked up to meet Chan’s gaze. He quickly dried the tear away and took a deep breath, keeping silent for a moment. “He misses them. He misses the community and his family. He… he was only seventeen back then. He was so young and I still remember him, among all the undead and all the death. He was so scared and I-” A sob bubbled in his chest and Minho looked down. “I feel so bad,” he sniffled. “That I couldn’t do more for his tribe.”

“You were twenty-one, Minho,” Chan said, reaching out to place his hand on Minho’s knee. Minho didn’t reply, he sniffled again. Chan sighed, his heart aching. They say time heals all wounds, but Chan briefly wondered if that was true. Some wounds and guilt seemed to linger, even as time passed. “What could you have done against a horde of undead?”

“I-I-”

“You survived the Shadowfell on your own,” Chan continued, rubbing soothing circles with his thumb on Minho’s knee. “You- Minho,” he said and Minho finally looked up, meeting Chan’s gaze. He looked so small and Chan’s heart broke. Minho was just thirty-one, and even if he was a human, he still seemed so young to Chan. It felt unfair, for someone so young to endure such hardships. “You’ve done well.”

Seeing Minho so vulnerable was unusual, a rare sight even after five years. 

“You’re just one person. No one is expecting you to save the world,” he whispered, placing his now lukewarm cup of tea to the side. “But look at us, we actually did it.”

Minho laughed, a sob bubbling in his chest as he dried his tears.

“I-I guess we did,” he whispered and Chan hummed. “I just wish I could have done more for Jisung.”

Chan didn’t say anything, he simply continued to rub small circles on Minho’s knee, trying to offer him silent comfort.

Jisung and Felix returned to the cabin about an hour later, a basket each full with roots, different berries and some wild vegetables they had found. By then, Minho had calmed down and as they arrived, he and Jisung quickly went inside the cabin thus leaving Felix and Chan outside as the sun slowly set. 

The North Grove was a fairly dense forest with patches where the trees were more sparse and as Minho and Jisung’s cabin was located in a clearing, the sun could be seen as it slowly sunk towards the horizon, warming the lands with its golden rays. 

“How was the forest?” Chan asked as Felix leaned his head on his shoulder. “Minho told me most of the rot, decay and death had pulled back quite a lot and they only needed to deal with the Underwoods now.”

“I’d say he’s right,” Felix hummed, turning his head a little to press a kiss on Chan’s shoulder. “There were animals, flowers, the trees were mostly alive,” he continued and Chan hummed. “It’s not as bad as the Hissing Woodlands… and I don’t even want to imagine how the Underwoods look.”

Chan reached out to grab his hand, lacing their fingers together. Felix let out a sigh, squeezing Chan’s warm hand. Even though Chan’s hand was warm, it always seemed like Felix himself was warmer, radiating his own warmth. 

“Jisung told me… about his tribe,” Felix said, breaking the comfortable silence. Chan pressed his lips together, brushing his thumb over Felix’s hand. 

“Minho told me about it.”

“Jisung said he… he wanted to come back here to bring the traditions of his tribe back,” Felix continued and Chan nodded, still caressing Felix’s hand with his thumb. “I feel sad for him. H-he lost everything.”

Chan didn’t know what to say, he squeezed Felix’s hand, trying to offer him some comfort.

“I’m sure he’ll be able to bring it back,” he whispered and Felix hummed. “He has time and we’ll help him if we can, right?”

“Yeah,” Felix said, giving Chan’s hand a weak squeeze. “We will.”

Ever since they moved to Willowsdale, Chan and Felix had taken upon them to restore the Hissing Woodlands, to get rid of all the corruption that was soaking through the barks of the trees, that was brewing in the dark murky waters and oozing from the soil. It hadn’t been easy, but the warmth from their necklaces of Ehlonna told them that this was what she wanted them to do. For the past fifteen years, she had done nothing but to encourage them to take care of nature and cleanse it from evil trying to destroy it.

“It’s looking a lot better,” Felix noted as they walked through the now very sparse woods. Most of their time had been spent either working on their house or trying to remove the trees that could not be saved. A lot of the trees ended up being removed and replaced, which was why the forest was mostly just young and frail trees, sparsely placed as they wanted for more to grow. But to the west, there were still parts of the old forest that remained, trees tall with thick trunks. 

“It does,” Chan agreed. There was something special about watching this forest grow. It felt special to him, to see it restored to something it once was. Because, even if it had been the worst and longest period of his life, this was a place Chan had called home and to see it slowly getting better warmed something inside him.

“Has she spoken to you?” Felix asked as he stopped in the middle of a very familiar clearing. It was a lot bigger now, less trees surrounding them and the sun shining down on them. Chan let his eyes wander around the clearing before he looked back at Felix. This spring, Felix’s hair had taken a pale gold mixed with orange. It was not the same dark orange with a hint of red that it had been the autumn when Chan met Felix, it was paler, clearer hints of golden blond peeking through. 

“She has not,” Chan said, taking a step closer to Felix. He reached out, brushing his fingers over Felix’s arm. The ornaments in their antlers swayed, giving off a gentle twinkle in the spring breeze. “Has she spoken to you?” he asked and Felix shook his head.

“No,” he said and Chan hummed. “But I think the warmth is enough confirmation that we’re doing the job she wants us to do,” he continued and Chan nodded again.

“Do you recognize the clearing?” he asked after a second of silence and Felix nodded, slowly shifting his eyes from Chan to let them wander the clearing before turning them back to look at Chan. 

“You look so different,” he whispered, reaching out a hand to brush some of Chan’s silver hair away from his forehead. “When you first approached me… I’m not going to lie, I was terrified.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything else, to be honest with you,” Chan said, a small smile stretched his lips. “I don’t think I had much control over myself at that time either. As I said, all those years ago, had it not been for the silver around you, I would have killed you.”

“It was as if a wild animal approached me,” Felix murmured and Chan sighed, closing his eyes as Felix traced his fingers over Chan’s brows, then moving to run them along the bridge of his nose. “I am… I am so glad you approached me though. I’m so thankful for Ehlonna for sending me here. I am so thankful to the Raven Queen, for allowing us to meet.”

Chan’s heart stuttered and he bit his lip. As he looked into Felix’s eyes, something in the back of his mind told him that this was the time.

“I met her,” he said quietly and Felix furrowed his brows. Felix was aware of Chan meeting Ehlonna, but Chan had yet to tell him about the deal he had struck with the Raven Queen. He didn’t know how he would bring it up. 

“What do you mean?” he asked softly and Chan gently brushed the back of his fingers over Felix’s cheekbones. “Did you… Did you also meet her when you met Ehlonna?” he whispered, his voice trembling ever so slightly. Chan nodded slowly.

“To get you back,” he breathed, looking down for a second before meeting Felix’s gaze again. Felix looked confused, a slight hint of fear in his dark brown eyes as Chan cupped his face. “I made a deal with her.”

He was met with silence for a second as Felix stared at him.

“I-I am to serve her, when she needs me… when I have passed to the other side of existence,” he explained, voice low. He lowered his head. “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you earlier, love,” he mumbled, feeling his chest tightening as tears welled up in his chest. 

There was a pause, the only sounds were the sounds of the forest around them and Chan kept his eyes at the ground, not daring to look up at Felix.

“I love you,” Felix finally said and Chan snapped his head up to stare at him. That was not the response he had been expecting. He met Felix dark brown eyes, the look in them so soft and gentle and he took a shuddering breath. “I-” Felix cut himself off, his lips trembling and he swallowed hard. “I can’t thank you enough for bringing me back. I’m sorry.”

Chan frowned, reaching out to cup Felix’s cheek. Felix closed his eyes for a moment, leaning into Chan’s touch. 

“What do you have to be sorry about, love?” he whispered but Felix shook his head, eyes closed as tears began to roll down his cheeks. “Do not waste any tears on me,” he continued and Felix shook his head, his hand coming up to wrap his fingers around Chan’s wrist. 

“I just-” Felix began slowly, his voice wavering slightly and Chan took a deep breath, trying to force the emotions in his chest down. “You’ve suffered a lot as it is,” he continued, opening his eyes. Chan didn’t say anything, he dried the tears off Felix’s cheek with his thumb, Felix’s grip around his wrist tightening. “And you willingly made this deal for me. You should not have to give things up for me.”

There was a pause as they looked at each other. The only sounds were the ones of the forest. The chirping of birds finally daring to return to the forest and the creaking of the few remaining hangman trees as they looked for a new prey.

“I did it willingly,” Chan finally spoke and Felix inhaled sharply, blinking rapidly to get rid of the tears clouding his vision. “I do not regret it, love,” he whispered, leaning closer to press his lips against Felix’s. Felix inhaled, his grip of Chan’s wrist loosening before disappearing altogether, instead coming to rest on Chan’s cheek. He sniffled, trying to hold back all the emotions but to no avail. Chan could almost taste the underlying desperation on Felix’s lips and he could feel the same desperation rising inside him.

“I love you,” Felix whispered, lips still lingering on Chan’s. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” Chan murmured, trying to pull Felix closer to deepen the kiss. “I love you too.”

Like every summer, there was a celebration. They celebrated the sun, the crops soon to be harvested and life itself. After Felix and Chan had settled completely, it had become a sort of tradition to celebrate the summer festival in the comfort of their home. 

“How’s the forest coming along?” Younghyun asked as he and Chan were seated on the side. Chan looked away from Felix, who was laughing at something Jisung said. His hair was golden like the wheat and in the warm light from the night sun, the sun would never set, he looked ethereal; Chan’s heart squeezed.

“It’s getting better,” he said as he let his eyes linger on Felix and Younghyun hummed, sipping on the wine. Chan turned to look at Younghyun. Not much had changed in the years that had passed. “How… how are you?”

“I-” Younghyun sighed, running a hand through his hair as his eyes fixed on Jeongin. “Jeongin told me about a deal he made with Auris…”

“Oh.”

“You knew about that, didn’t you?” Younghyun asked, turning to meet Chan’s eyes and Chan could feel shame creep up on him. He nodded slowly before lowering his head in shame. He should have told Younghyun that much, but he had promised Jeongin.

“He told me and Felix when we were down in the tomb,” he said and Younghyun sighed. Chan should have told him, but Jeongin had asked him specifically to not tell Younghyun. Jeongin had said that that was something he had to do himself, however Chan didn’t think it would take him almost 20 years to do so. “Did he tell you what he traded?”

Younghyun shook his head. “He didn’t. Said something about Auris instructing him not to tell anyone what the deal was about.” He took a deep breath. “ 

Chan swallowed hard, his gut twisting uncomfortably as he looked at Jeongin. Jeongin was so young, so carefree and he didn’t deserve the weight of whatever deal he had made. Life was unfair sometimes.

“He did move in to me though,” Younghyun said and Chan turned to look at him. “He’s helping me with the graveyard. There’s still some undead remains but with his help, the cleansing of the place doesn’t take an awful lot of time.”

“Oh,” Chan said softly and Younghyun smiled. “Is he still traveling between the planes?” he asked but Younghyun shook his head.

“He stopped with that, around the same time Minho gave up on traveling,” he said and Chan nodded, rubbing his chin. “The strain on his body though… On both him and Minho, from all that plane shifting...” he trailed oss and Chan hummed, his heart heavy. He looked over their friends again. 

The mood was cheery and bright. Chan and Younghyun watched as the others laughed, joked around and talked among each other. The sun was moving lower in the sky but it would never set on this day. Chan and Younghyun remained silent as they watched them and Chan could feel a small smile stretch on his lips.

“They’re getting older,” Younghyun continued and Chan turned back to him. Younghyun had his eyes fixed on their group of friends, a fond smile on his lips. “The humans, I mean.”

Chan followed Younghyun’s line of sight, his eyes landing on Minho and Seungmin. He hadn’t really reflected on it, but what Younghyun said was true. They were indeed getting older. Age to Chan, Felix, Younghyun and Jisung to some extent wasn’t the same. They lived for hundreds of years. But humans… humans did not live for that long. Chan studied Minho and Seungmin as they sat by a table a few meters away from them, discussing something. They were 45 and 41 respectively, and age had seemingly started to catch up with them.

Seungmin still looked young, his hair still dark in comparison to Minho. Minho’s hair had started to get streaks of white, but Chan hadn’t really thought about just how white it had gotten as Minho’s hair had begun graying early. They had spoken about it, about ten years ago, and Minho had suspected it to be because of the constant plane shifting he’d done previously and it was simply because his body was exhausted. 

“They do,” Chan agreed and Younghyun sighed. “But that is the cycle of life. Death comes to us all at some point.”

“That is very true,” Younghyun said, eyes flickering back to look at Chan. He raised his wine glass, offering Chan a small smile. “Cheers to life, and to death.”

“Cheers,” Chan said, smiling back at Younghyun. Both of them drank the wine, turning back to watch their friends as they joked around, with fond smiles on their lips.

Cheers to life.

“How old are you actually?” Seungmin asked and Chan looked up from the book he was reading, The full history of the Forgotten. “We’ve never talked about it,” he continued and Chan hummed. He and Seungmin had gotten close; closer over the later years due to assuming a similar fate awaited the two of them.

“I’m two-hundred and sixty-eight this year,” he said, closing the book. He still hadn’t finished it, twenty years after he first opened it as he kept getting interrupted. “I’m starting to get old,” he joked and Seungmin laughed, shaking his head.

“You’re barely three-hundred,” he said, leaning back in his chair. Chan took the moment to study Seungmin. He looked happy, content with life. “You should have about three-hundred more years. You half-dryads live till about six-hundred, right?” 

“Yeah,” Chan said, placing the book to the side. “How did you know? Have you studied half-dryads?” 

Seungmin smiled, shaking his head before standing up. Chan raised an eyebrow but stood up as well.

“I want to show you something,” Seungmin said before turning around, heading towards the door. Confused, Chan frowned but he followed Seungmin outside, into the city. The city of Mullin was bustling, so alive after light had returned and the evil was pushed back. From what Seungmin told him, Changbin and Hyunjin were now able to move around town without anything to cover their scales, without fear. 

They walked through the city, Seungmin keeping quiet as they walked, greeting the people they met along the road. The city itself was located by the fairly large lake Isia, surrounded by wide, golden fields and farmland. But there were a few clusters of trees around the area of Mullin.

Sunlight streamed down through the treetops of the sparse grove of trees and the summer air was warm. The breeze was gentle as it rustled the leaves and Chan’s hair as well as caused the ornaments in his antlers to chime.

“Why are we… here?” Chan asked, looking around as they came to a halt. Seungmin still didn’t say anything, he just stood there for a second, looking at two older birch trees in front of them.

“I was raised by half-dryads,” Seungmin finally said, reaching out a hand to brush it over the bark of the birch. “I don’t- I don’t remember my father that well, as he…” He took a deep breath. “As he passed when I was four. But my mother talked a lot about him and used to bring me here. These are their trees.”

Chan widened his eyes and looked back at the trees. The trunks were thick and sturdy, for being birch trees, and they looked worn with age. He swallowed hard, trying to push down the uneasy feeling that rose in his chest.

“They both lived past six-hundred years, as they were old when they found me abandoned in an alley,” Seungmin continued and Chan tore his gaze off the trees to look at Seungmin. “My mother taught me a lot about magic and the world before she passed away.”

“Did she ever,” Chan trailed off, biting his lip as he could see Seungmin turn towards him in the corner of his eye, “mention anything about the rooting process?”

Seungmin shook his head and Chan nodded, turning his gaze to the ground before looking back up at the birch trees. They swayed gently in the wind and the loud rustle of aspen leaves from the nearby trees could be heard.

“Are you scared?” Seungmin asked, breaking the silence. 

Chan swallowed, not tearing his gaze away from the two trees. The uneasy feeling in his chest was getting stronger and his stomach twisted. He sighed, looking at Seungmin with a blank expression before replying.

“I don’t know.”

“I’m not going to ask you about the second deal,” Chan said as he helped Jeongin pull the potatoes out of the ground. The younger looked up eyes wide as he blinked at Chan. “But I am curious,” he continued and Jeongin raised an eyebrow. “How did you end up making the first deal?”

“Oh,” Jeongin said softly, smiling as he looked down at the ground again. He was quiet for a moment, biting his lip as he pulled a potato plant out of the dirt, shaking it gently to get rid of the excess soil before he began to pluck the potatoes off the plant, tossing them into the basket beside him. “I was born and raised in a noble family in the far east. We lived by the east grove. Throughout my childhood I have received some good education of the planes and I am very familiar with how it works. But I was… I’ve always had a certain connection to nature. I may be of celestial descent but Auris… Auris somehow took a liking to me. When I was about fifteen, I was walking through the woods and I got maybe a bit too deep. I got lost but then Auris showed up.”

Chan nodded, biting his lip as he looked down at the potato plant before him.

“They did not require anything of me to lead me out of the woods,” Jeongin continued. “Auris is, what I assume, one of the nicer patrons. As we found our way out of the woods, they talked to me about their mission and their needs. All they wanted was to protect the Feywild, to protect the planes and make sure they did not merge. And I… I was young and I only wanted to do good things in this world.”

“So you made a deal?”

“Yeah, I told Auris that I was willing to help,” Jeongin said and shrugged. Chan frowned, his gut sinking and he looked down at the potato plants again. “Don’t get me wrong here, Chan. Auris is not a bad patron, nor have the deals been unfair.”

“I didn’t-”

“I know we seem a bit shady, us dealmakers,” Jeongin cut him off and Chan looked up again. Jeongin was standing upright, taking a break from the potatoes and he wiped some sweat from his forehead. “But every deal has been fair. I’ve paid the price for whatever power Auris has granted me.”

“I’m sorry, I do not mean to doubt you or Auris,” Chan said and Jeongin hummed. “But I feel like there is more to this.”

“There is,” Jeongin mumbled, sighing as his shoulders dropped. “But whatever price I pay is up to me. In the end, Auris did help us when we needed it and… and I’m willing to pay for it.”

Jeongin didn’t say anything after that, he just busied himself with the plants and Chan didn’t push the matter further. But he had a gnawing feeling in his stomach that something was really wrong. 

Chan laughed as Felix led him through the forest. The forest around them was the part of the woods that were recovering well. There was still the slight hum of evil of the Shadowfell in the air, but it was more muted here than other places. As they walked through bushes and around trees, Chan couldn’t help but let his mind travel a bit. He thought of all his years with Felix and his heart clenched,

“You certainly seem to have a plan,” he said and Felix glanced over his shoulder. His blond hair was illuminated by the golden rays of sunset and stars glittered in his dark brown eyes as he smiled.

“I know a place,” Felix said, squeezing Chan’s hand before he turned to look ahead. Chan looked around them as he let Felix tug him along the path. Most parts of the Hissing Woodlands were now sparse as a lot of the old trees had rotted in the hands of the Shadowfell but there were still some parts that were older with large trees, lush green surrounding it in the height of summer. Sunlight filtered through the treetops, creating a beautiful display of light on the forest floor.

At last they slowed down, stopping among tall, old trees and further ahead, Felix could hear the gentle sound of a creek. 

“I feel a bit guilty for not telling the others,” Chan said as he let go of Felix’s hand. Felix hummed in agreement as he crouched down to draw letters in the soft, warm soil. Chan turned around to do the same. “But everything has a purpose,” he continued.

“It does,” he said after a moment of silence. The forest was alive, birds chirping brightly, the leaves rustling in the summer breeze, the water once again running through and occasionally, the steps of larger animals could be heard. “I do prefer privacy for this though,” he said as they completed the small circle around them. 

“Me too,” Chan said, straightening his back. There was a faint glimmer of gold over the letters drawn into the soil as they stood up to face each other. “Although it’s kind of an important ceremony and I wanted to tell them, I do prefer the privacy,” he said, tucking some of Felix’s blond hair behind his ear; it was beginning to take on an orange hue with the change of seasons approaching. Felix reached up to brush Chan’s hair away from his forehead.

“Are you ready?” Felix asked, eyes locked with Chan. Chan took a deep breath, his heart beating fast in anticipation. 

“I am,” he whispered, leaning in to press a kiss on Felix’s lips before moving back. He took Felix’s hands in his, not breaking eye contact with Felix. A warm breeze caused the ornaments in their antlers to chime gently in the peaceful forest. Neither of them spoke up immediately. They remained in the small clearing, holding hands and eyes locked.

“Chan of the Blessed Fields,” Felix began, breaking the silence around them. Chan’s chest tightened and he held his breath. Felix’s already warm skin grew even warmer as the golden marks on his hands shimmered. “For so many years you’ve been my companion and walked by my side. For so long, you have been my life and I can’t imagine living without you.” He took a deep breath. His dark eyes were glossy, the stars in them twinkling as he blinked to get rid of the tears. “Chan of the Blessed Fields, I pledge myself to you and promise to love you for as long as my soul exists.”

Chan wanted to reach out and dry the stray tear off Felix’s cheek, but he simply tightened his grip of Felix’s hands instead. The runes in the circle around them were glowing a faint gold with the slightest hint of purple coming from some of them. Chan swallowed hard before opening his mouth.

“Felix of the Fire Ridge,” he whispered before pausing to clear his throat. “You found me during my darkest time and has since then been a beacon of both light and hope for me. You did not only find me, but you brought me back and gave me a will to live and a purpose. You are the most important person in my life and I do not wish to part from you.” He looked at Felix, his vision getting blurry as tears began to well up. He felt so overwhelmed by happiness and love. He squeezed Felix’s hands in his. “I pledge myself to you, and I promise…” he trailed off as the golden light of the runes around them got brighter. “I promise to love you for as long as my soul exists.”

They both held their breaths, looking at each other. Nature around them was silent for a moment. Then as the sounds returned, a brighter light from the runes on the forest floor erupted. Chan’s heart felt like it was about to explode as warmth from both his and Felix’s deity marks on their hands began to emit and the warmth traveled up his arms. His whole being felt so warm and he looked at Felix, studying his face.

“Felix,” Chan whispered, letting go of Felix’s hands to instead cradle his face. He gently dried the tear that had rolled down Felix’s cheek and Felix inhaled sharply, his eyes glossy as more tears threatened to fall. “Felix, my Felix,” he continued, leaning his forehead against Felix’s. Felix fumbled with his fingers as he reached to grab a hold of Chan’s cloak.

“I love you,” Felix whispered, his voice thick with tears. “I love you so much.”

“And I love you,” Chan replied, brushing his thumb over Felix’s cheekbone. “I am sworn to you, Felix of the Fire Ridge. I shall love you for the eternity of my soul.”

Felix exhaled, his breath shuddering before he replied. “I am bound to you, Chan of the Blessed Fields. My soul shall always find yours,” he whispered, “for not only this lifetime, but all the lifetimes that are to come.”

No matter how much they tried to avoid it, they knew this day would come. The day when one of their friends passed away. Felix had received a Sending message from Hyunjin earlier this week. Seungmin wasn’t feeling very well and Hyunjin had asked Felix to come.

However, as they got there, Felix had quickly realized that he could not save Seungmin. Seungmin was dying, no second chance. His time had come. It broke Chan’s heart to see Changbin and Hyunjin like this, glued to Seungmin’s side. They could not do anything but wait for him to fall asleep, never to wake up again. 

Chan and Felix stayed with them, living in the guestroom as they tried to help the three of them. It was the least they could do. The others had come by as well, to say their last goodbyes to Seungmin. A week passed since Felix and Chan had gotten there and the amount of ravens outside the bedroom window continued to grow, day by day. 

“Chan,” Changbin said as he stepped out of their bedroom. Chan looked over to Changbin, away from the lukewarm cup of tea he was nursing. Changbin had aged so much the last five years. Due to the draconic ancestry, both he and Hyunjin lived longer than humans and age did not affect them in the same way. However, the last couple of years seemed to have been rough on all of them. Changbin’s black hair was streaked with white, wrinkles settling in around his eyes and his forehead. He looked tired. Oh so tired.

“Yes?” Chan said, placing the cup on the table. Hyunjin, who was sitting in front of Chan, immediately stood up. He too looked exhausted, tired, worn out and so sad. 

“Seungmin wants to see you,” Changbin said and Chan nodded, standing up. He looked both Changbin and Hyunjin over, giving them a small, apologetic smile before he walked towards the bedroom. 

He pushed the door open, entering the room. It was dark, illuminated by a few candles but even in the dim light, thanks to his darkvision, Chan could see Seungmin. His heart squeezed painfully. 

Seungmin, even if he wasn’t especially old, looked so frail as he laid in bed, waiting for the Raven Queen to come to him.

“Chan,” Seungmin greeted as Chan closed the door. “I think… I think it’s time,” he said quietly as Chan sat down beside the bed, taking Seungmin’s hand. Seungmin’s grip was weak but he squeezed Chan’s hand. 

Just as Chan was about to say something, the temperature in the room dropped and a chill ran up his spine. Seungmin looked to the other side of the bed, his eyes calm and Chan followed his line of sight. The familiar fright mixed with awe hit him as he met the dark eyes of the Raven Queen. She wasn’t wearing her mask, her face soft as she looked the two of them over. She reached out a hand towards Seungmin, brushing her fingers over his cheek.

“My forgiven child,” she said softly before shifting her eyes to Chan. “My blessed boy,” she continued, reaching out her other hand towards Chan. Chan immediately took her hand in his and as he did, he realized that what looked like black gloves was actually her skin and what he remembered as nails seemed to be more like talons. Chan leaned down, pressing his lips against her cold skin. “You’ve both done so well.”

Chan pulled back, letting go of the Raven Queen’s hand and he looked between her and Seungmin. His heart felt heavy. 

“I guess it’s my time to go,” Seungmin said and the Raven Queen nodded, giving him a small, sad smile.

“I’m afraid the thread has to be cut at some point, Seungmin the Forgiven,” she said softly as she brushed the back of her fingers over his cheek. “But I’ll grant you one wish, as you have served me well.”

There was a sparkle of something in Seungmin’s eyes and he relaxed into the soft pillows, a sigh slipping past his lips.

“Can I see them?” he asked, looking straight into the eye of the goddess of fate and death. She closed her eyes, bowing her head slightly as a smile tugged on her pale lips. “I want to see them, one last time.”

“Chan,” she said gently, her voice barely a whisper and Chan looked at her. His throat was thick with tears threatening to bubble over and he didn’t dare to speak. She gazed at him with such compassion his heart broke. “Please go and get Changbin and Hyunjin,” she spoke and Chan nodded, swallowing the tears.

“I’ll see you later, Seungmin,” he whispered, blinking back the tears as he gave Seungmin’s weak hand a squeeze. “When fate allows us,” he said, eyes flickering over to the Raven Queen and Seungmin chuckled.

“When fate allows us, Chan the Pathfinder,” he whispered, breathing shallow. 

Chan took a deep breath before he let go of Seungmin’s hand. He felt tears bubble in his chest and he swallowed hard, giving Seungmin a last glance before leaving the room. He tried to push the emotions back, trying to put on a brave face for Changbin and Hyunjin’s sake.

“He wants to see you two,” he whispered, lips trembling and as he saw sorrow wash over the two of them, he just couldn’t hold the tears. He bowed his head, hiding his face in his hands as tears fell from his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

Neither Changbin nor Hyunjin said anything as they left the room. The door to the bedroom closed and Chan could hear the floorboards creak as Felix walked up to him. He took a deep breath, looking up from his hands to meet Felix’s gaze.

“He’s dead, isn’t he?” Felix asked softly, his eyes glossy. Chan only nodded, not trusting his voice and Felix pulled him in for a hug. Both of them held onto each other, seeking comfort as they cried.

Seungmin’s funeral was a small event, only with his closest friends there. It hurt. It hurt to say goodbye, even though Chan knew they would see each other again, one day. He held Felix’s hand through the whole ceremony, rubbing small circles on Felix’s skin as both of them cried. 

After the priest had left, leaving only eight of them around a table, there was a heavy silence in the air.

For more than thirty years, it had been the nine of them. Every celebration, they had spent it together. The world had been at peace for more than thirty years, allowing them to share their happiness and celebrate life together. 

Now there were only eight of them left, Seungmin’s place at the table being empty. At first, all of them looked around, nervous and unsure of what to say. What did you say when something like this happened?

Hyunjin finally broke the silence, telling them about the first time they met Seungmin and that broke the tension. They began to share stories, memories of Seungmin. They shared all the joy and all the sorrow they had gone through over the thirty years they had known each other and it made Chan’s heavy heart feel lighter. They vowed to not remember Seungmin with tears, instead they would remember him with happiness.

As the day began to approach night, the sun setting in the horizon and darkness pulling over them like a comforting blanket, Changbin and Hyunjin stood up. It had been a week since Seungmin had passed away, but in that period, the change in the two of them had been noticeable.

They looked tired, worn out, old as white streaked their hair and wrinkles settling on their faces even more. Their eyes were not carrying the same gleam anymore and as Chan looked at them in this moment, he realized something.

As Seungmin had died, so had a part of Changbin and Hyunjin.

“We’re leaving,” Changbin said, looking over the rest of them. The sorrow in his eyes was so clear and it hurt. Chan squeezed Felix’s hand and Felix’s returned the gesture, giving his hand a small, comforting squeeze. 

“We do not intend to come back,” Hyunjin continued, sighing as his shoulders dropped. “We’re…” he trailed off, glancing over at Changbin. “We’re going to travel, until the end.”

Chan, Felix, the other four people around the table couldn’t do more than nod. This was foreseen, as much as Chan wanted to deny it. Changbin and Hyunjin wouldn’t be the same without Seungmin. He had been their everything, much like they had been his everything.

“Take care of yourselves,” Younghyun said as he hugged the two of them, his hands gentle as he brushed his fingers over their cheeks. By now, both Changbin and Hyunjin had broken into tears as they said their goodbyes. “Don’t do anything stupid, okay?” Younghyun continued, his voice stable and his presence so calming. As Chan watched them, he remembered that Younghyun was almost four-hundred years old by now. He had seen friends dying before and he was no stranger to the aftermath of these events. 

Chan took a deep breath before he turned back to Hyunjin and Changbin. He watched them as they bid their farewells, promising that they would see each other again, one day. Fate would bring them together one day. Chan held onto Felix’s hand as they stood there, outside the now cold house that used to be Seungmin, Changbin and Hyunjin’s home, watching as Changbin and Hyunjin disappeared in the shadows of night.

That was the last time Chan saw them.

Chan was approaching his third-hundred birthday, the autumn colors bright as he traveled through the lands. He had not taken this road since their travels, but now felt like the right time to do it. He was getting old and he wanted to close this chapter of his life for good. 

The temple of Beory finally rose in the far horizon as he approached. The tower had finally crumbled, giving way as nature continued to reclaim its domain. The once white walls were now gray, mostly covered in vines and dirt. The door that had previously been laying on the side to the doorway was gone, completely rotted away Chan noted as he stepped inside the large entrance hall. The roof had fully caved in, parts of it laying on the floor in the entrance. There wasn't a lot of the temple left, but Chan did not feel the same sorrow he had felt as he walked through these halls all those years ago.

It was an odd feeling to be back in these halls. This was where he had been spending most of his time before he was banished, this was where he spent most of his childhood, this was where he grew up. This place had been his home and his happiness, once upon a time. This place had been the home to so many fond memories. But now, as he walked over the dusty floor, shards of glass from the broken stained glass windows cracking under his shoes, he felt nothing.

The great hall was no different from when they had been here, all those years ago. It was dusty, dark, empty and cold. The far wall, where the smashed altar laid, had crumbled and so had parts of the roof. Chan looked it over, sighing as he laid his eyes on the altar. 

He continued, moving from the great hall to the room where the painting had been. Sunlight streamed through the hole in the roof, casting its warm light on the painting. It was worn, faded from the years of sun shining down on it. He stared at it, eyes blank as he reached out to touch the rough canvas, his finger brushing over the knight’s leg. 

Beory’s face was faded, colors streaked down as it seemed the painting had gotten wet at some point. He had never seen her face, as she only reached out to him through the veil when she took him in. He pulled his hand back, looking at the rest of what remained of the room. There were more paintings of other knights, of friends he vaguely remembered from his youth. Some were as well preserved as Chan’s, but some of them were so destroyed that Chan only had his memory of them. Neither of the paintings showed Beory’s face as the paint was either smudged or the part of the painting smashed. 

Chan sighed, turning back to his own and he reached out again to touch it. As he did, he reached into his pocket to fish out the small, silver necklace of Beory. The silver did not burn his hands anymore. After being taken in by Ehlonna, silver did no longer affect him.

The necklace, however, weighed heavy in his hand and it felt so cold as he stared at it for a moment. His hand came up to his sternum, resting just over the necklace of Ehlonna. 

“I know you’re gone, forgotten and you-” He sighed, shifting his gaze up to look at the faded painting of Beory. “You probably can’t hear me. But I-I beg of you. Let me speak to you,” he whispered, closing his hand around the necklace of Beory and lowered his head, closing his eyes. The broken temple was eerily silent around him. The only thing that could be heard was Chan’s calm breathing.

A chill ran through him and as he slowly opened his eyes, he could see that he was in a completely different place. He looked around. He seemed to be in the Great Hall of Beory, in the doorway leading into the room, but not the one he had passed by earlier nor was it the Great Hall it had been during his youth, The Great Hall had been colorful as light shone through the stained glass windows. 

This hall resembled the Great Hall, but everything was gray. It was as if life had been sucked out of the once great hall. As he looked around, he spotted a figure by the side of the altar. He couldn’t see their face as they had their back turned to him. 

He approached the figure, his footsteps echoing in the hall as he walked. He kept his back straight, his breathing calm and his eyes fixed on the figure. They slowly turned around as he came closer. It was an older woman, her skin, hair and clothes all gray. The whole place he’d ended up in was gray.

“Chan,” she spoke, her voice frail and Chan recognized her voice. It hurt as she spoke, his heart squeezing painfully. “My chi-”

“Don’t,” he said coldly and she sighed, looking down for a second. “I am not a child of yours, I haven’t been in many, many years,” he continued, narrowing his eyes. 

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, meeting his eyes. When Chan was young, during his years in the temple, he never thought that one day, he’d be standing face to face with his goddess. She looked so sick, dying and fading in front of him and that was when it clicked. He was in the Far Realm, the place where the forgotten went, where everything slowly faded away into nothing, given enough time. It seemed like the Far Realm was slowly claiming the temple and Beory herself.

“You brought me here,” he stated and she nodded slowly, holding onto the altar for support. “That’s a lot of energy spent on bringing someone this far from the material plane.”

“I know, m-” she cut herself off, rubbing her temple with the hand that wasn’t holding onto the altar. “I needed to speak to you. I-I needed to apologize.”

Chan pressed his lips together and he held his gaze fixed at the weak deity in front of him.

“I am dying. My temple is forgotten, and all my followers are dead,” she began and Chan hummed. “I know neither you or Younghyun would ever consider trying to bring the faith in me back to the world of mortals.”

“You’re correct,” Chan said and Beory sighed. 

“But I- Before I truly die, before I can’t hear the words from the different planes anymore, I just want you to know,” she took a deep breath, “that I am so sorry for what happened. I was a goddess and I should have acted differently. I do not blame you for hating me nor do I blame you for not wanting to spread my word.”

Chan clenched his jaw, unsure of what to actually feel about this whole ordeal. Here he was, in front of a goddess he used to serve and who later cursed him for around two-hundred years. This was the goddess he had vowed his life to, who he had called mother and who he had served. This was the goddess that should have known better but simply chose to abandon him. Beory’s washed out green eyes flickered down to the necklace around Chan’s neck and she smiled. 

“I’m glad the world has other deities, the ones who are not as easily deceived as I was,” she continued. “I am so sorry, Chan the Pathfinder.”

“I-”

“You don’t have to speak,” she said, raising a hand. She looked thinner, paler, grayer. It was as if Chan’s presence here was draining her of her last remaining strength as the moments passed. “I’ll send you back now. I only needed you to know that I am very sorry.” She held up her hand and started to move it slowly, beginning to sign a spell.

“Wait,” Chan said and she halted her movement. He took a deep breath and took a step closer to her. “I forgive you.”

There was a pause as she stared at him with wide eyes, disbelief filling them. She studied his face, trying to be sure she had heard him right.

“Y-you-”

“I forgive you,” he said softly and he could see her hand tremble. He reached out to take it. Her hand was so cold against his warm ones. “I won’t ever pray to you or spread your word in my world, but I accept your apology.”

“Oh,” she said softly. She looked so frail, so mortal in this moment, and Chan offered her a sad smile. “Thank you.” She smiled sadly. “You’re truly a golden hearted person, Chan the Pathfinder. I see why Ehlonna treasures you and tasked you to take care of her boy.”

“You… you know about that?” he asked, eyes wide.

“Word travels through the planes, especially if it concerns people like the son of Many Suns,” she said softly, her free hand coming up to brush her cold fingers over Chan’s temple. “And you of course, Pathfinder.”

Chan only nodded, unsure of what to say.

“Would you-” She took a deep breath, shoulders dropping. “I need to send you back. But would you tell Younghyun that I am so sorry for all the pain I caused?”

Chan furrowed his brows. The whole situation was so odd to him, but he nodded anyway and she smiled.

“Thank you so much, for all you’ve done, Chan of the Blessed Fields,” she whispered before a bright light suddenly filled Chan’s vision, blinding him for a second.

He was back in the temple of Beory, the dusty, crumbling temple. He looked around. He was in the Great Hall, the smashed altar in front of him and above him, through the hole in the roof, he could see the bright stars of night. He shivered in the chilly air, eyes falling back down to look at the altar.

Stepping closer, he reached out a hand to brush it over what remained of the altar. He didn’t feel anything as he did and he sighed. He reached into his pocket again, taking out the symbol of Beory. With a sigh, he placed it on top of the rubble of the altar.

“I forgive you,” he whispered, eyes lingering on the symbol for a second before he turned around. The temple was still eerily silent as he walked through the halls for the last time. He walked out the door and began to make his way back home. After walking for a while, he turned around.

The temple of Beory was crumbling and Chan felt a hint of sadness wrap around him as he realized that the pristine white towers would never stand tall ever again. He sighed, giving the temple a last look before he turned away from it, never to look back again.

Autumn was a conflicting time for Chan. He loved the colors of autumn, the brisk air and the color that Felix’s hair took. But autumn also reminded him of that time, their travels and Felix’s death. That seemed to be a wound that didn’t want to close, even after fifty years.

“Look at them,” Minho said, tightening his grip of Chan’s arm, as he looked over Jisung and Felix ahead of them. “God, they sure are lucky,” he continued and Chan laughed as he looked at Jisung and Felix, the two of them almost bouncing as they walked ahead of Chan and Minho. “I wish I had that kind of energy.”

“Just looking at them makes me feel tired,” Chan said and Minho laughed. “I think we’re simply too old.”

“Yes,” Minho said softly and Chan glanced over to him. By now, Minho’s hair was fully white, wrinkles settling on his face as age caught up with him. He looked so happy, every little wrinkle showing everyone around him that he had lived a long life. 

Chan had always thought there was something beautiful with how the humans aged, how age and their stories showed up on their face in a manner different from others. Half-dryads, along with most other races, froze in a certain age, appearance wide, and remained the same until the end of their days.

“How’s the Hissing Woodlands?” Minho asked, breaking the silence. Chan sighed, his smile dropping just slightly. “It still lingers?”

“It does,” he said softly and Minho hummed. “But it has improved a lot.”

“I’m glad,” Minho sighed, looking back over the forest. Their surroundings were peaceful, quiet except for the excited voices coming from Jisung and Felix and the birds chirping happily around them. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure?” Chan said, tilting his head as he looked at Minho. Minho still held his eyes fixed at the forest around them, chewing nervously on his bottom lip. “What’s on your mind?”

“This might be a bit sensitive but I-” he sighed, running a hand through his white hair before meeting Chan’s gaze. “I’m sorry if this brings up bad memories but I’ve been curious about half-dryads.” Chan raised an eyebrow, waiting for Minho to continue. “Half-dryads become trees when you die, right?”

“Yes,” Chan said, swallowing the little fear that rose in his throat. 

“But is that… is that only when you die of old age?” Minho continued and Chan raised an eyebrow. “I mean…” he trailed off, sighing. “I’m sorry I’m asking this, forget it.”

“No, don’t worry,” Chan said, patting Minho’s arm. Even though this wasn’t something Chan enjoyed talking about, he still wanted to give Minho answers. While he still could. “I just- you know.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Minho whispered but Chan shrugged, looking out over the forest.. “I was just curious about the ones who are killed. The ones who don't die naturally, what happens to them? Do they also become trees?”

“I don’t-” Chan cut himself off to take a moment to think. “I don’t think they become trees, at least not from what I’ve heard. I don’t really… know what happens but I’ve heard stories.”

“What do they say?” Minho asked and Chan turned to meet Minho’s gaze. Even as the years passed, what remained the same was the look in Minho’s eyes. He may have lost the tension in his muscles, always alert and ready to pull his bow at any second, but he never lost the sharp, calculating look in his eyes.

“Depending on the situation, there may sprout flowers from the half-dryad,” Chan said slowly and Minho nodded. “But,” he swallowed, “as I said, I’m not really sure but I’ve heard flowers being mentioned. I guess killing a half-dryad just… messes up the system you know? Like we slowly become more and more connected to nature until one day we just… root.”

Minho didn’t reply, he tightened his grip around Chan’s arm and they continued to walk through the forest. There was something in his eyes, a look that Chan couldn’t read and was slightly unsettling. 

Two years later, Minho was laying in his bed, too weak to get up by himself. Jisung had called Felix and Chan, telling them to hurry. Jeongin and Younghyun had also gotten there as quickly as they could.

They spent days in Minho and Jisung’s bedroom, talking about their adventure and their lives. They talked about their happy memories, they talked about their sad memories. They spoke tales about ancient legends and they brought up Seungmin, Changbin and Hyunjin.

Part of Chan would never stop wondering where Changbin and Hyunjin ended up. Had they found comfort in each other and a will to live, or had their grief consumed them?

“Chan,” Minho said quietly as it was only the two of them in the room for the moment. Minho was holding onto Chan’s hand, his grip weak and Chan’s heart felt so heavy. This Minho was so different from the Minho he had met all those years ago in Seungmin’s house. But it wasn’t a bad thing, he supposed, because even as he laid in the bed, death waiting at the door, Minho looked happy. The Minho Chan had met a long time ago had not been happy. 

“Yes?” Chan replied, voice barely a whisper and Minho smiled. 

“When I- When I found Jisung,” he began, voice strained and his eyelids heavy. Chan hummed, rubbing circles with his thumb on Minho’s hand. “I vowed to protect him. I traveled the planes to make sure this world was safe for him.”

“You’ve done a good job,” Chan said, glancing towards the door. The others should return at any moment now. “He’s quite prone to trouble, I can’t imagine what you must have had to go through.”

Minho laughed weakly and Chan smiled.

“It’s been a lot of work,” Minho agreed, smiling widely before his expression suddenly turned serious. “I won’t be around to… to watch out for him anymore,” he whispered and Chan swallowed. He knew this, he had come to accept that all his friends would pass before him but it still hurt to hear it. “Can I ask a favor of you?”

“Anything,” Chan said, watching as tears welled up in Minho’s eyes. 

“Can you please watch over him for me?”

Chan closed his eyes, nodding as he tried to push back the tears. The last thing Minho needed right now was him crying. “I will,” he promised.

The silence was heavy in the room, Chan’s chest tight as he felt the tears threatening to fall. He kept his head low and he could hear the others approaching the room. Minho gave his hand another weak squeeze and Chan looked up.

“I’m not scared,” he said softly, eyes glossy and a gentle smile on his lips. “I’m not scared.”

Minho passed away hours later, holding Chan and Jisung’s hands as he did. He had simply fallen asleep, passing away peacefully and as they slowly filtered out the room, the croak of a raven echoed through the forest and as they were sitting on the front porch, Felix holding onto Jisung as he cried, Chan looked up to see an unkindness of ravens flying across the sky. 

“The raven comes for all of us,” Younghyun said from beside Chan. Chan hummed, keeping his eyes at the darkening sky above them and there was a pause. “Is she kind?” Younghyun asked as Chan shifted his gaze to look at Younghyun. As the dark was approaching, the gentle green glow in Younghyun’s eyes were beginning to come out. Jeongin was sitting on the other side of Younghyun, holding onto Younghyun’s hand as he sobbed quietly.

“She is,” Chan said and Jeongin straightened his back a little to look at Chan, still sniffling. “She’ll bring him to the Beastlands safely,” he said, reaching out to take Younghyun’s hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. Younghyun nodded and Chan turned to look at Felix. Felix was rocking Jisung back and forth as Jisung had his face buried in Felix’s chest, and he met Chan’s gaze.

Felix’s eyes were glossy, tears rolling down his cheeks but Chan could tell he was trying his best not to break down completely, for Jisung’s sake. He reached out a hand to take Felix’s. He laced their fingers together, giving Felix’s soft hand a squeeze.

They didn’t say anything as they sat on the front porch, watching the blue sky darkening as time passed.

Thus, six became five.

Chan had, through the years, visited Felix’s temple a few times. It was always a pleasant visit, but what saddened Chan was that it seemed to be a new High Priest each time they visited. Maybe the long lifespan was more of a curse than a blessing.

“Ah, Felix, son of Many Suns,” the tiefling woman, presumably the new High Priest, said as she greeted the two of them at the large wooden door to the temple. She had a round face, sharp cheekbones and dark, full lips. Her skin held a dark purple color, her eyes were full of emotions even though they were completely white and a pair of black horns curving back from her forehead along her head. Her white hair was long, almost blending in with the white robe she was wearing, had it not been for the golden embroideries. “Chan the Pathfinder,” she continued, smiling widely, her fangs exposed.

“Araza, I would assume?” Felix asked, taking her hand to give it a light squeeze.

“That would be me, yes,” the woman, Araza, said, looking the two of them over. “We are very excited to have you with us for this midsummer festival,” she continued and Felix hummed, a hand coming up to brush through his pink, spring hair. 

“We are very honored to be here,” Chan filled in and Felix nodded in agreement, smiling softly at the High Priest.

“Let’s not dwell here for any longer,” Araza said, turning around to walk into the temple again. “The midsummer service will begin shortly. I assume you know your way to your quarter,” she said, glancing over her shoulder.

“It should not be a problem,” Felix replied, taking Chan’s hand as they entered the temple. Warmth and security filled Chan as he stepped inside and he tightened his grip of Felix’s hand. “We’ll be down shortly.”

“I’ll see you two later then,” Araza said, disappearing down a hallway with quick step. Chan and Felix remained in the entrance hall to the temple for a second, holding hands and looking around the large space.

“I swear it gets more and more ostentatious as the years pass,” Felix said as he stared up into the white ceiling, eyes flickering around as he traced the gold and silver swirls. Chan hummed, giving Felix’s hand a gentle squeeze.

“We should go and get ready,” he said and Felix tore his eyes off the ceiling, grinning sheepishly. “Don’t want to be late to the midsummer service.”

“You’re right,” Felix said, tugging Chan along as he headed down the corridor to the left, towards their usual living quarters. “Let’s hurry.”

The temple was filled with their hushed laughter as the two of them all but ran down the corridors, trying their best to stay quiet and go by unnoticed. They didn’t succeed, but they did not care in their very moment, nor did anyone else in the temple.

Spring was a time for renewal and happiness after all.

Jeongin’s hundred birthday was coming up and it seemed like Felix was more excited for it than him. He, Chan and Jisung had traveled to Younghyun and Jeongin’s house together a week before his actual birthday. Something felt off though, as Jeongin got quieter and quieter with each passing day.

Maybe it was just nerves of turning triple digits. Chan wasn’t sure, but there was something off with this whole thing.

The day before Jeongin’s birthday, Felix and Jisung had pulled them all out to the closest forest for a and what not. Chan had agreed, wanting nothing but to please Felix so he could continue to see that bright smile on his lips. He also knew that being in a forest made Jisung happy, and Jisung needed distractions and happiness to fill his mind, to prevent it from wandering back to Minho. As Chan had realized, some wounds never seemed to close and Minho’s death had made a big impact on Jisung. 

He was walking behind the rest of them, watching with a fond smile as they all picked flowers. He could hear Jisung and Felix discussing what flowers would look best inside the house, the discussion slowly turning into a playful argument and he chuckled.

“He doesn’t look happy,” Younghyun said as he walked beside Chan and Chan glanced over at him. Younghyun was starting to look old. Not physical, being blessed with the grace of an elf, but he looked worn, stretched thin and tired. Chan hummed, turning back to look at Jeongin’s back as he walked beside Jisung and Felix. “He’s been off ever since he turned ninety-nine.”

“Oh?”

“And the last couple of weeks he’s been… acting weirder,” Younghyun continued, still not taking his eyes off Jeongin. “I feel like he knows something. Something is bothering him and he doesn’t want to tell me. He’s keeping something from me.”

“He probably does,” Chan mused and Younghyun let out an agreeing hum. “Jeongin tends to keep his problems to himself, does he not?”

“I suppose you are correct,” Younghyun said, finally looking away from Jeongin to meet Chan’s glance. “I feel bad for not being able to help him more. But I can’t help him if he doesn’t talk to me.”

“He still hasn’t told you about the deal?” Chan asked and Younghyun shook his head, taking a deep breath. 

“No,” he mumbled, looking down at the ground. “He refuses. He keeps telling me it’s better if I don’t know what the deal was and that I will know one day.”

Chan opened his mouth to say something but he was interrupted by Felix shouting his name. Both he and Younghyun looked back, only to see Jisung and Felix standing over Jeongin as he laid in the snow. Younghyun didn’t say anything, he rushed up to the three, falling on his knees beside Jeongin.

“I don’t know what happened?” Felix whispered, immediately joining Chan’s side when Chan reached them. He looked scared, confused, as he hugged Chan’s waist. Chan wrapped an arm around Felix, opening his other for Jisung who looked as scared. “He just fainted,” he continued and Jisung nodded, eyes fixed at Jeongin’s unconscious body. Younghyun was crouched down beside Jeongin, worry written all over his face as he checked Jeongin’s temperature and pulse.

“He’s still breathing and he’s not warm,” he said quietly and Chan nodded, swallowing hard. Worry was gnawing on his gut. Something felt off. As Younghyun picked Jeongin up, both Jisung and Felix tightened their grip of Chan, hugging him tighter and Chan took a deep breath, hugging them closer as well, trying to provide them with whatever comfort he could. 

Later that evening, Jeongin finally woke up. Younghyun had gotten him back into their bed and they took shifts to sit beside him, making sure he didn’t stop breathing and that his temperature stayed the same. The ones who didn’t check on him went through all the books that Younghyun owned, going from book cover to book cover, trying to find anything that could answer their questions. 

Jisung had been sitting beside Jeongin when he woke up, quickly calling for the others as soon as Jeongin opened his eyes. Younghyun had gotten there first, immediately joining Jeongin’s side.

Jeongin looked so pale among the soft linen sheets, so frail as his eyes looked over everyone in the room.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered but he was hushed by Younghyun. Younghyun was sitting on one side of the bed, while the others were sitting on the other. “I should-” he inhaled sharply, a wheezing sound coming from his lungs as he did. Younghyun looked scared, confused and lost as his eyes flickered around the room, trying to look for an answer. “I should have told you about this,” Jeongin finally got out, his voice small and breathing still heavy.

“About what?” Younghyun asked softly, trying to keep his voice as stable as possible but there was a slight tremble to it as emotions threatened to overwhelm him. Jeongin remained silent for a moment, averting his eyes to avoid Younghyun’s gaze. “About what, Jeongin?” he asked again, voice trembling and his green eyes turning glossy.

“The deal,” Jeongin finally said. Chan’s heart dropped, his throat closing and beside him, Felix’s breath hitched. Jisung was holding a tight grip around Chan’s arm, his breathing uneven and body trembling. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Younghyun whispered, brushing his thumb over Jeongin’s hand. “Don’t be.”

“Auris… They told me not to tell you… not until the time was right,” he breathed and Younghyun nodded, blinking back the tears. “They didn’t want any of you to live with this knowledge, they didn’t want you to suffer for what I did.”

“What do you mean?” Jisung asked, his voice small and filled with fear as he clung to Chan. 

“I made a deal with Auris, a second deal,” Jeongin murmured, his eyelids growing heavy. “I got more power, so I could help defeat Anqag… and in return, I gave Auris a little less than half of my lifespan.”

There was a pause. No one dared to breathe and Chan could feel tears building up. Half of a lifespan… that was a very long time.

“I know what you’re all thinking,” a new voice, gentle and soft like a breeze, said and all of them snapped their heads towards the voice. 

At the foot of the bed, stood a humanoid figure. They were tall, their features clearly fey like with sharp eyes, high cheekbones and long, pointed ears. On their head they wore a crown of branches, holding back their long, black hair that reached to their waist. Their clothes were simple, white robes tied with a pale, green sash around their narrow waist. The humanoid looked them over, their golden eyes so gentle and soft.

“Auris,” Jeongin said, lifting his head weakly before dropping back onto the pillows. 

“Jeongin my dear,” the fey, Auris, spoke and a small smile stretched on their red lips. As he looked closer, Chan could see the faint outline of a feathered cape behind Auris and his heart dropped. They must be here to bring Jeongin with them. 

“He’s so young,” Younghyun said, voice shaking and lips trembling as he looked upon Auris. The fey looked him over before stepping up to Younghyun, reaching out a hand to run their slender fingers along Younghyun’s jaw.

“Fey child,” Auris said softly, tilting their head. “You’ve taken great care of my Jeongin,” they continued and a choked sob slipped past Younghyun’s trembling lips as Auris took Younghyun’s face in their hands. “Now let me take care of him,” they continued, tilting Younghyun’s head up a little to lean down and press a gentle kiss on his forehead. “Until it’s time for you to join him in the Beastlands.”

“It’s okay, Younghyun,” Jeongin said and Chan shifted his eyes to look at Jeongin. Jeongin was smiling, still looking weak as he held onto Younghyun’s hand. “Thank you all so much,” he whispered, eyes traveling over everyone in the room. “You made my life so much brighter… I don’t regret a second of it.”

“I’ll see you later Jeongin,” Jisung whispered, sounding so defeated. His voice was wavering and his whole body trembled as he held onto Chan.

“When fate allows us,” Felix added, hiding his face in Chan’s shoulder as tears began to roll down his cheeks.

Chan took a deep breath, braving himself to meet Jeongin’s eyes. He bit his lip as he met Jeongin’s golden, still glowing eyes. The light in them was getting dimmer by the second but Jeongin looked calm. 

“You’ve done so well, Jeongin,” Chan said, voice barely audible and Jeongin smiled, closing his eyes as he gave Chan a nod. Then he turned to look at Younghyun. 

Younghyun had been through a lot, as he was approaching four-hundred and seventy years and he had seen a lot of death in his life, but this seemed to shake him to the very core. He looked distraught as Jeongin looked at him, tears rolling down his cheeks. 

And Chan understood. Even if their relationship lacked definition, Jeongin was beyond precious to Younghyun.

“Thank you so much,” Jeongin said, voice choked and Younghyun inhaled sharply, blinking rapidly as if to get rid of the tears. “Thank you for all these years.”

“No,” Younghyun breathed, shaking his head as he placed a trembling hand on Jeongin’s cheek. “I’m the one who should say thank you. Thank you Jeongin.”

Chan’s chest tightened, tears clouding his vision and he felt like he was invading Jeongin and Younghyun’s private moment. He tried to sooth Jisung and Felix as they held onto him, trying his best to not break down in tears. 

“Jeongin,” Auris spoke, breaking the moment of silence that Jeongin and Younghyun shared. “It is time for us.”

Jeongin nodded, shifting his golden eyes over to look at everyone else. The light in his aasimar marks and his eyes had gone out and dull eyes scanned the room before settling on Younghyun. He reached out towards Younghyun, hand weak and trembling but the warm smile ever so present on his lips. 

Younghyun took Jeongin’s hand, pressing his fingers against his lips and Chan was sure he could hear a quiet ‘I love you’. Beside Younghyun, Auris closed their eyes, bowing their head slightly before fading away, taking the shadow of the feathered cloak with them.

With that, Jeongin closed his eyes, a smile on his lips and surrounded by those who loved him. 

To a creature with a long lifespan, the years  passed in the blink of an eye. Though some memories faded, some remained like an open wound. The deaths of their friends remained an open wound, one that would never close for any of them.

On most days, the memories were not bad. Chan usually only looked over the forests, the fields, the nature surrounding him as he remembered them with fondness. But on special occasions, the memories hurt. It hurt that their friends could not share these happy occasions with them. 

When Felix’s two-hundred birthday came around, it dawned on Chan that he was getting really old. He had known Felix for a hundred and four years now and he could not imagine a life without him. As he watched the town, the slow and ever growing town of Willowsdale, come together to celebrate Felix, he realized how quickly time seemed to pass for them. Children they had met were now teenagers, teenagers were adults with their own families.

Jisung and Younghyun had joined them for the occasion, staying over in Chan and Felix’s house. Even if they brightened the house, Chan couldn’t help but feel sad. Their house used to be a lot brighter and louder during these occasions, filled with people, but there were only four of them now. It was noticeable how much the deaths of their friends had affected them. All of them. But Jisung and Younghyun were the ones who were the most affected. Minho and Jeongin had, romantically or not, been their life partners and through the years, Chan and Felix could only watch as the two of them struggled to continue living as best as they could without Minho and Jeongin.

“Hello, love,” Felix said, snapping Chan out of his own thoughts and Chan blinked, lost for a second before breaking out in a soft smile, opening his arms for Felix. Felix immediately wrapped his arms around Chan, pressing a kiss on Chan’s cheek. 

“Hello, beautiful,” Chan said as Felix pulled back and Felix laughed, taking Chan’s face in his hands to kiss him on the lips. Chan smiled against his lips, his whole being feeling so warm as Felix’s soft lips moved against his. “Have I told you I love you today?”

“Only about a million times,” Felix said, humor in his voice. His arms came to rest around Chan’s neck as he stared into Chan’s eyes. “I love you too,” he whispered, nuzzling his nose against Chan’s and his eyes crinkled up into crescent moons as he smiled. “You’re so beautiful.”

Chan hummed, pressing a kiss on Felix’s freckled cheek before brushing some of his orange hair away from his forehead. 

“Happy birthday,” he said and Felix grinned widely. He then moved a hand from Felix waist to reach into his pocket and Felix’s grin immediately dropped, eyes going wide and curious as he looked at Chan. “Hold out your hand,” he said and Felix loosened his grip around Chan’s neck to hold out his hand, palm facing the sky. Chan took Felix’s hand in his before placing the small chain in his palm.

Felix tilted his head, his other hand coming up to gently take the ornament. It was a thin golden chain with a small ruby at the end, similar to the one Felix had given to Chan all those years ago, the one that still dangled among other ornaments in Chan’s antlers.

“I figured it would only be fair to return a similar gift,” he said as a smile stretched on Felix’s lips. “You might want to put that one on your staff though,” he continued, playfully flicking one of the ornaments in Felix’s antlers. Over the years, Felix had collected an awful lot of ornaments and Chan sometimes worried that his antlers would break from the amount of chains and gems decorating them. 

“Thank you,” Felix beamed, wrapping his fingers around the chain. He held his hand close to his chest, smiling so widely. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Chan said, brushing some of Felix’s hair behind his ear. He smiled, the ‘thank you for everything you’ve done’ remaining unsaid. 

Through the years, Chan and Felix continued to work with the Hissing Woodlands to cleanse it of the evil living inside. It wasn’t always an easy task, as the evil in the forest fought back against them, trying to push forward as they pushed it back.

Jisung had moved in with them when he was 170, saying something about not wanting to live like an old hermit anymore. Chan felt bad for him, as he noticed the empty look in his eyes every now and then. Jisung, as he grew older, grew more and more hollow, even as Chan and Felix tried their best to keep him busy. 

Younghyun still remained in his own home in the mountain, still tending to the graveyard. However, he did come to visit a lot and Chan assumed that he was lonely in the far west.

The four of them had continued to age together, seeing the seasons come and go together. The memories of their journey was fading, but they tried their best to not let each other forget. They still met and talked about what happened, the good and the bad, to make sure no one forgot about it. 

After over a hundred and eighty years of knowing each other, over a hundred years since Jeongin had passed, they were standing around Jisung’s bed as he stood before death's door. Jisung was smiling, calm as Felix held onto his hand and cried.

“Do not cry for me,” he said softly. He was still looking as youthful as ever, the age reflecting in only his eyes as he looked them over. “I’m not scared,” he continued and Chan’s heart squeezed painfully. Minho had said the same thing as he passed, oh so many years ago. 

“You passed two-hundred,” Younghyun said as he brushed some of Jisung’s blond hair away from his forehead. “That’s admirable,” he continued and Jisung laughed. Half-elves reached about two-hundred but rarely passed it. For Jisung to live till two-hundred and two was pretty admirable. Jisung looked over the room, before locking eyes with Chan who was sitting at the foot of the bed. 

“I’m ready to meet her,” he said and Chan nodded, closing his eyes for a second as his chest tightened. “Is she nice?”

“She is,” Chan promised, reaching out to pet Jisung’s hand. “She’ll bring you to him.”

Jisung only smiled, his eyelids growing heavier by the second. He looked content, and at peace. The silence was heavy in the air and Felix sniffled, drying his tears as he looked at his best friend. 

“I’ll see you later,” Felix whispered, pressing Jisung’s fingers to his lips. “We’ll meet in the Beastlands,” he said and Jisung let out a hum, his eyelids fluttering open.

“I’ll wait for you,” he said weakly, eyes falling shut. “I’ll wait for all of you,” he said, eyes still closed before he took one last breath.

There was the croak of a raven echoing outside and Chan stood up, walking around the bed to get to Felix. Felix was still holding onto Jisung’s unmoving hand, trying his best to hold back the tears. Chan brushed his hand through Felix’s white hair, stroking his fingers over Felix’s tear stained cheek. He looked over at Younghyun, giving the other a small, sad smile.

In the cold of winter, Jisung left the world of the living to finally join Minho on the other side.

The gentle breeze ruffled Chan’s silver hair, for it had remained silver even as the seasons passed. He stood among the golden crops of the summer, just waiting to be harvested. The sun shone down at him and he soaked it up, his eyes closed as he let the sun bathe him in its warm light. 

Oh how he loved the sun.

Winters had been tough on him through the years, with the biting cold and the short hours of sunlight. He had Felix, his own sun and stars, but he still preferred the spring and summer, when the sun breathed life into the world. 

If Felix was the sun, he thought with a small smile on his lips as he opened his eyes, looking out over the golden fields ahead of him as the crops swayed in the warm breeze. If Felix was the sun, Chan was the moon, brought to life and only illuminated by the sun itself.

“Chan!” Felix suddenly called and Chan spun around to see the familiar pale green in contrast to all the gold surrounding him. He was still far away, approaching Chan with quick steps and Chan couldn’t help but begin to move towards Felix as well. 

There, among the golden crops in the warm sun, they ran into each other’s arms, Chan picking Felix up to spin him around. Felix laughed, the sound chiming and so bright it warmed Chan’s soul. When he placed Felix back down on the ground, Felix grabbed a gentle hold of his face with both his hands, tugging him in for a kiss and who was he to say no. 

“Hello love,” Felix whispered, his lips just ghosting over Chan’s and Chan looked into his eyes. They were older, age starting to settle in Chan’s bones, but Felix’s eyes never lost their youthful glow. 

“Hello,” Chan whispered, his hands resting on Felix’s waist and he pressed his lips against Felix’s again. Even after a hundred years, Chan still felt as strongly for Felix as he had been back then. “How are you today?” he asked, grip of Felix’s waist tightening and Felix chuckled, pressing a kiss on Chan’s warm cheek.

“I’m very good, now that I’m with you, love,” he said, his nose brushing against Chan’s cheek. “We should start preparing for the summer festival, don’t you think?”

Chan laughed at the sheer excitement in Felix’s voice, turning his head a little so he could kiss Felix’s nose. 

“We should,” he said, letting go of Felix’s waist with one hand to brush some of Felix’s golden hair behind his ear. Felix's eyes were sparkling, twinkling with excitement. “You’re so beautiful.”

“We should invite Ji-” Felix began but then stopped, the light in his eyes dimming as he seemed to realize what he was about to say. He sighed, averting his eyes. “Sorry,” he mumbled, a tremble making its way to his voice but Chan shook his head, brushing his fingers over Felix’s cheekbone. “I keep forgetting he’s not with us anymore. I keep forgetting that they’re all gone.”

“It’s life,” Chan whispered and Felix hummed, looking up to face Chan. “We can’t do anything but celebrate life. We still have so many fond memories to remember our friends with, don’t we?” 

“We do,” Felix said slowly, hand coming up to trace the dryad marks in Chan’s face. “I know we should celebrate them but sometimes… Sometimes it just hurts. To know that we have so much time left, and they’re not by our sides.”

“I know it does,” Chan said, placing his hand on Felix’s chest, resting it above his heart. Felix’s heartbeat was strong, steady and calm under his palm. “It probably won’t stop hurting, but our happy memories of them makes it a little bit easier to breathe.”

“You’re right,” Felix murmured, placing a soft kiss on Chan’s lips before leaning back, taking a moment to look Chan over. Chan stared at Felix intently, watching as the light slowly made its way back to his eyes. It was not as bright as it was earlier, but there was some twinkling of the stars in his eyes. “We should invite Younghyun.”

“We absolutely should,” Chan whispered, kissing Felix again. It started like a quick kiss but Felix’s hands grabbed a hold of his face, tugging him in for a deeper kiss. Chan’s heart fluttered like a butterfly in his chest and warmth bloomed as he felt Felix smile against his lips and he couldn’t contain the laughter bubbling in his chest.

He sure was content with this peaceful life he was living.

Chan brushed his fingers over the golden sun on the back of Felix’s hand, over the marks of Ehlonna. His marks looked different from Chan’s, not only colorwise but pattern wise as well. Felix had a sun resting at the back of each hand while Chan had something that resembled a crescent moon, accompanied by a circle where the open space of the moon was. Chan traced the circle of the sun before following the gentle, wavy rays of the sun.

“What are you doing?” Felix asked and Chan looked up at Felix. They were sitting in their bed, the window to their bedroom open as the birds sang in the bright summer night. The sun had set but light was still filtering in through the window. His hair was still golden, the arrange of flowers on his head colorful and bright and as Chan studied his face he noted how the white markings in Felix’s face had begun to take on a more golden glimmer.

“I love you,” he whispered, reaching out to place his hand on Felix’s bare chest, on the mark of Ehlonna that rested above his heart. The golden flower reflected the light that illuminated the room, its vines reaching out and curling around themselves. As the years had passed, the vines had begun to stretch further and further. Years ago, there had been a few buds on the vines and now they had begun to bloom to match the flower over Felix’s heart.

“I love you too,” Felix whispered, placing his hand on Chan’s chest. The marks never faded completely, but instead of remaining a pale gray, they had taken on a silver to match the marks on his face and hands. Much like Felix, the prayers of Ehlonna stretched up his upper arms but the letters were slightly smudged, in contrast to Felix’s neat letters. The marks over his chest and abdomen remained smudged and twisted, despite the color change. 

“The Son of Many Suns,” Chan whispered, brushing his thumb over the flower on Felix’s skin before taking Felix’s hand in his. He brought Felix’s hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss on the golden runes on Felix’s fingers. He made sure to kiss all of them; the rune for good luck on his index finger; the rune for courage on his middle finger; the rune for love on his ring finger; the rune for protection on his pinky. “I beg of you…” he trailed off, eyes flickering up to meet Felix’s dark brown eyes, “please never leave me alone, for I cannot live in the darkness alone.”

“Oh Pathfinder,” Felix breathed, pulling his hand back. He moved a little, sitting on his knees as he took Chan’s face in his hands. He brushed his thumbs over the silver marks on Chan’s face and leaned closer, resting his forehead against Chan’s. “I am bound to you and I will always follow you, wherever you go.”

“Good,” Chan murmured, tilting his head a little to press a kiss on Felix’s lips. “I can’t live without you.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Felix assured, his lips brushing over Chan’s. Chan’s heart felt so warm and tight with emotions. So many years had passed since they met, since their travels, since they fell in love and the love was only growing as the days passed by. It didn’t seem like the love he held for Felix would stop any time soon.

The sun was setting, the air of the early autumn was warm. In the comfort of their home, Chan was laying on their bed as he waited for Felix to join him. He felt a bit drowsy and a certain tiredness was beginning to settle in his bones.

He was getting old.

He laughed a little to himself as he stared out the window, watching the last rays of the sun disappear behind the horizon. He shifted to look up into the ceiling, taking a deep breath. He took this moment of silence and peace to reflect. He had truly lived a life, a long and mostly happy life.

The floorboards in the bedroom creaked and Chan turned his head a little as Felix padded over to the bed. The mattress shifted as Felix laid down, immediately making himself comfortable against Chan’s side. It felt so natural to spend moments like this. They fit together like puzzle pieces. 

“Do you believe in soulmates?” Felix suddenly asked, breaking the silence and Chan frowned, turning his head a little to glance at Felix. Felix looked up at him through his eyelashes, eyes wide as he waited for the answer.

“I suppose I do,” Chan said slowly and Felix hummed, waiting for Chan to continue. “I think Seungmin, Changbin and Hyunjin were a pretty good example of soulmates,” he whispered and Felix nodded. It still hurt, well over a hundred years after their deaths, it still hurt Chan to think about them. It saddened him, because most of their friends died way too early, unable to enjoy their lives to the fullest. 

“Do you think we’re born for someone to find us?” Felix asked, turning a little to better meet Chan’s gaze, mindful of his antlers, and his hand came up to brush over Chan’s ribs. 

“I think…” Chan trailed off, moving his hand to rest it on Felix’s cheek, thumb brushing over his cheekbone. Felix closed his eyes for a moment, leaning into Chan’s touch before he opened them again. His eyes were glowing in the dim light from the candles around them, the bright silver stars emitting their usual soft light in his dark brown eyes. “I don’t think we’re assigned a soulmate at birth, nor are we born for someone. But I do believe that, if you are lucky, you can find someone who becomes your soulmate.”

“That makes sense,” Felix murmured, wrapping his fingers around Chan’s wrist. He turned his head a little, pressing his lips against the rough skin of Chan’s palm. “I think I found my soulmate in you.” 

Chan’s gut twisted and his breath hitched. He felt torn as his heart was speeding up in his chest and he swallowed hard, trying to push down the emotions as tears welled up in his eyes. He blinked, looking away in shame as Felix's expression grew worried, brows furrowed.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, voice small and Chan’s heart squeezed painfully. “Did I say something?”

“Felix… love...” Chan said slowly, taking a deep breath. “I’m- I’m a lot older than you and I love you with all my heart and all that I am. But Felix…” He swallowed hard. These were words he never wanted to say, but he had to. “There will be a time where you have to let me go.”

There was a second of silence before Felix sat up. He looked down at Chan, disbelief clear in his eyes and Chan sighed, meeting Felix’s gaze. 

“I’m-”

“You know I am going to die before you,” Chan said and he watched as Felix’s eyes softened, turning glossy as the tears welled up. “I do not want to leave you but I-”

“Shut up,” Felix whispered and Chan pressed his lips together, sighing. “I don’t- I don’t want to think of that.”

“I just want you to… I don’t want you to stop living when I pass,” Chan mumbled, sitting up as well. He reached out a hand to brush it over Felix’s cheek. Felix didn’t say anything, he stared at Chan with glossy eyes, his lips slightly parted and trembling. “My love and my heart,” he whispered, watching Felix’s Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. “You have done so much for me, so I am in no position to ask favors from you. But please promise me… promise me you’d keep on living.”

Chan sighed, dropping his hand and averted his eyes. This was a heavy topic, but it had to be brought up. Felix would probably live at least two-hundred years after Chan’s death and Chan could not stand the thought of Felix giving up life. Felix sighed, taking a shuddering breath. The bed shifted a little but he kept his gaze down, blinking as tears welled up.

A soft hand suddenly cupped his face, gently tilting it up and Chan’s eyes met Felix’s. Felix was sitting on his knees; his dark eyes, still holding stars in them, were glossy but the look in them was so gentle and so soft. Chan’s heart squeezed, painfully so. 

“I think I found my soulmate in you,” he whispered, words slipping past his lips without even thinking about it and Felix’s breath hitched. There was a pause, a second where they stared at each other, tears threatening to fall at any given moment. Felix’s other hand came to rest on Chan’s face, his thumbs brushing over Chan’s cheekbones. Felix sat up on his knees, moving closer to Chan as he held eye contact. Chan’s heart was beating loudly in his chest as Felix leaned in, his breath ghosting over Chan’s lips. The tears in his eyes were now rolling down his cheeks and Chan’s breath hitched. As he blinked, the tears began to fall down his cheeks. He brought up a hand to the back of Felix’s head, bringing him in for a kiss.

Sorrow rooted itself so deeply within Chan’s whole being with that kiss, as Felix sobbed against his lips. It caused realization to wash over Chan. One day, he would leave Felix alone in this world and would be forced to wait for him in the next world.

“I’ll continue living,” Felix whispered, voice broken and frail, against Chan’s lips before pulling him in for another desperate kiss. “If you-” he began but was cut off by Chan kissing him. The kiss was so desperate, both of them trying to savor the moment and prolonging it. The sorrow and the love was raw as they both poured everything they had into the kiss, tears staining their cheeks. “If you promise me something in return,” he breathed as Chan pulled back to catch his breath.

“Anything,” Chan murmured, out of breath as he rested his forehead against Felix’s. “I’ll do anything for you, oh Son of Many Suns.”

“Promise me you’ll wait,” Felix said, almost choking on the words as more tears welled up in his eyes. “My soul will find yours. Wait for me.”

Chan nodded, his throat closing up with tears and he kissed Felix again, sobbing against his lips. This wasn’t something he wanted to think about but this was something that had to be discussed, for the sake of both of them.

“I’ll wait for you, love,” he whispered, holding Felix close. “I’ll always wait for you.”

The temperature was mild, but even so the cold seemed to seep through Chan’s clothes; he didn’t mind as he and Felix walked through the Hissing Woodlands. The snow creaked under their feet, white powder covering the landscape around them. The forest was silent, peaceful as they walked.

“Do you think we’ve got rid of everything?” Felix asked and Chan turned his head to look at him, the ornaments in his antlers chiming as he moved. Felix let his eyes linger on the forest for a second before looking back at Chan. His hair had turned white, matching the snow surrounding them and it really brought out his dark eyes. His freckles got paler during the winter, much to Chan’s dismay. 

“I would say so,” Chan said, glancing around the forest. As he stared out over the sparse forest, he reached up with a hand to touch the necklace of Ehlonna. A warmth surged out from him and he closed his eyes for a second, trying to sense the presence of anything fiendish or undead. “I can’t sense anything,” he said as he opened his eyes, letting go of the necklace. Felix hummed, reaching out to grab Chan’s hand. His fingers were cold against Chan’s and Chan could not hold back the smile stretching his lips.

“We’ve done a good job,” Felix said as Chan reached out to place his free hand on his cheek, grin stretching on his lips and his dark eyes crinkled into crescent moons. Chan brushed his thumb over Felix’s cheekbone, his heart fluttering in his chest.

“Indeed we have,” he said softly, smiling as Felix squeezed his hand. “I love you,” he murmured, leaning closer to press a kiss on Felix’s cold lips. 

“I love you too,” Felix whispered when Chan pulled back, eyes staring into Chan’s. Chan wanted to imprint this moment in his mind forever, keep it till the day he truly vanished. “Your lips are cold,” Felix continued and Chan blinked before laughed, kissing Felix again.

“So are yours, love,” he said and Felix grinned sheepishly. “We should head back home.”

“Yes,” Felix agreed, kissing Chan once more before turning to head back to their house, still holding on to Chan’s hand in a tight grip. “Let’s go home,” he said, smile so warm it caused Chan’s whole being to warm up.

“Home…” Chan said absentmindedly, eyes scanning the forest before he let himself be pulled along by Felix, towards the village again. “Let’s go home,” he echoed, giving Felix’s cold hand a gentle squeeze. 

The two of them entered the village, eyes locked at each other with warm smiles on their faces. 

Chan opened his eyes as the sunlight streamed through the window. He could hear the birds of morning singing outside his window. He turned in bed, eyes resting on Felix’s beside him. Felix was sleeping peacefully beside him, his hair a soft pink now with the arrival of spring. Chan reached out a hand to gently stroke his soft hair and then down his cheeks. With spring came the sun, and with the sun, came more freckles. Oh how thankful Chan was for this extra time he had been given with Felix. “I love you,” he whispered, brushing his fingers over Felix’s hair.

“Chan?” Felix mumbled as he stirred awake and Chan smiled, still stroking Felix’s hair. “Is it morning already?”

“Just barely, love,” Chan whispered, his heart swelling in his chest. He was so utterly in love, even after two-hundred years. “Go back to sleep and rest your eyes for a while longer.”

“Do you want to go to the market today?” Felix asked groggily and Chan’s chest tightened, but he hummed, ghosting his fingers over Felix’s cheek. “We can bake something later today,” he continued, eyes half-closed and dropping as he spoke. “Maybe an apple pie.”

“We can talk about this later,” Chan whispered, trying to control his voice and not letting it waver. “Go back to sleep.”

“I love you,” Felix whispered, slowly slipping back into dreamland. Chan sighed, remaining in bed with Felix until he was sure that he was indeed asleep. He wanted to stay in bed longer, he wanted to stay with Felix in the home they’d built for themselves forever. But he could feel the dull, pulsing ache in his bones.

“You may be the son of Many Suns,” Chan whispered, his fingertips ghosting over Felix’s cheeks, the bridge of his nose and his lips. “But you’re my only sun.”

He knew what was to come and what he had to do. He quietly got out of the bed, careful not to disturb Felix and wake him up again. As he was getting dressed, Felix turned around in bed, letting out a small groan but he remained asleep. “I’ll see you when fate allows us,” he said before leaving their home behind, entering the forest. 

Kindle the Light. The forest was awake, birds singing and leaves rustling in the gentle, warm spring breeze. As he walked through the woods, to the clearing he’d picked out oh so many years ago, Chan noticed a raven following him. 

Shelter the Light. The sun looked down on him, bathing him in warm golden light.

Preserve Your Own Light. He sighed, a happy sigh as he walked through the still forest, the raven still following him. As he reached his destination, the raven sat perched on a branch in the edge of the clearing, looking down at him with dark eyes. This was the clearing where he had first met Felix.

Be the Light. He had picked out this spot years ago, where the sun shone brightly down at him. Here was where he wanted to rest. He closed his eyes, a smile on his face and the last thing he felt as he faded from consciousness, was that warm feeling of the sun looking down on him.

Chapter Text

“And that…” Felix said, looking at the children all around him, “was the story of our Chan,” he continued and all children were looking at him with curious, sparkling eyes. He smiled, his heart full of fondness. “Of the creature, once so twisted by the forces of evil, and how he found his way home.”

“Where is he now?” one of the drow children, Rilva, asked, tilting her head. Felix smiled and wrapped his hand around his staff, using it to get up on his feet. Rilva immediately, grabbed a hold of Felix’s pale green robe. As she grinned, her already round face got even rounder and Felix, with adoration in his eyes, brushed some of her white hair behind her pointed ears. She was squinting just the slightest in the bright light, her silver eyes along with her white hair such a stark contrast to her dark blue skin. 

“I’ll show you,” he said and all the other children jumped up on their feet, mumbling among themselves. “He’s not far from here,” he continued, holding out his hand to take Rilva’s small hand in his. 

The forest was peaceful as he led the children through it. The birds were singing, filling the once dark and decaying forest with life. As the years had passed, the Hissing Woodlands slowly became known as the Singing Woodlands, now a place of happiness and life. He smiled as Rilva tightened her grip of his hand. 

“Are we there yet?” she asked, her little voice almost drowned out by the other children’s chatter behind them. Felix looked down at her, smiling softly.

“Almost there,” he said as they entered a familiar looking clearing. His heart squeezed and he smiled as he let his eyes look over the clearing. It was so different from how it had looked when he was here the first time, alone and surrounded by a ring of silver. From the shadow, a creature had emerged. The clearing had been so dark, the forest around it so thick. It was still quite sparse, letting a lot of light through.

Felix took a deep breath as his eyes fell on the large oak in the edge of the clearing. The sun looked down upon it, causing its yellow leaves to glow gold in the slowly setting sun. 

“How much do you know about dryads?” Felix asked, stopping by the oak. He let his gaze linger on the oak, his fingers itching to reach out and touch it. But he quickly shook it away, focusing on Rilva holding onto his hand. “Do you know what happens when a half-dryad passes away?”

“Oh!” one of the elven children, Theoden, said, raising his hand in the air. His tuft of blond curls moved in the autumn breeze and he grinned triumphantly, displaying the few missing teeth as he did. “They return to nature and become trees.”

“Exactly,” Felix said softly, looking back to the oak. He let go of Rilva’s hand to brush his fingers over the bark and a warm, familiar feeling blossomed in his chest. He smiled at the oak before looking back over the children. “Chan passed away many years ago, leaving only this tree.”

“How many years ago?” Theoden asked, his brown eyes wide as he sat down. 

“A long, long time ago,” he said and the children let out a collective ‘oh’. He smiled, petting Rilva’s hair softly. “Over two-hundred years ago.”

As the sun slowly moved down the sky, towards the horizon, he sat down on a rock beside the oak and continued to tell stories. He shared the stories of their travels again, leaving out some parts as before. He told them about Minho, the Horizon Walker and Jisung, the lone survivor of the Valima druids who brought the tribe back to life in the north. As he mentioned Valima, a young firbolg told him they had a cousin who was a part of the now flourishing community of the Valima tribe. He smiled, reaching out to pinch the child’s cheek. 

He continued to tell them about Seungmin, the Forgiven wizard and his two soulbound draconic sorcerers, Changbin and Hyunjin. He told them about Jeongin, the Dealmaker who lived with Younghyun, the Gravekeeper and how they rid a whole graveyard of undead.

When the sun began to touch the horizon, the shadow of night slowly edging at the forest, the children began to leave, heading home to their parents. They all made sure to give Felix a hug before they left. He made sure to give each and every one of them a pat on the head, telling them to be good to their parents and make sure to always carry stories with them and share them with the world.

At last, he was alone with only the sounds of the forest. He closed his eyes and sighed happily, his face turned to the setting sun as he soaked up the last rays. The sun was warm against his skin and the breeze was causing his hair and ornaments in his antlers to sway gently, causing them to chim. He opened his eyes, looking out over the clearing and back at the oak. 

It was time.

He wrapped his fingers around his staff as he stood up, the small bells and gems chiming softly as it moved again. He looked at the small ruby that hung from a thin golden chain. He took a deep breath as the memory from his two-hundred birthday returned to him. It was frightening how some memories left him as he aged and without any company to remind him of the important things, he found himself forgetting things.

Oh how time had passed.

Felix could feel it in his bones, in his chest and in his soul. Half-dryads, blessed by their fey ancestry, weren’t affected by age the same way as humans. It wasn’t that visible. Felix still looked like a man in his younger thirties, but his eyes told a different story.

He was approaching his five-hundred and sixty-eight birthday, but he knew he wouldn’t last that long. The last hundred years had been rough. Felix sighed, running a hand through his hair. It was once again back to orange thanks to the autumn, the same color it had been when he met Chan. His chest tightened as he stared out over the trees in front of him. The autumn colors seeped through the whole forest, painting such a gorgeous picture for him.

“How have you been?” Felix asked, turning his eyes back at the oak as he stroked his fingers over the bark. The leaves on the trees rustled slightly in the chilly autumn air and he smiled. “I think I’m ready.”

A raven let out a croak and Felix turned to look at the black bird; perched on one of the oak’s branches. He chuckled, a smile tugging on his lips. After Chan passed away, the amount of ravens around him had increased. He figured that this was Chan’s way of keeping an eye on him. It had been nice to have an almost constant reminder of Chan. 

“I’ve been so lonely,” Felix spoke. “Younghyun passed away a few years after you had passed away, but I’m sure you already know that. The others…” he trailed off. The humans, their half-elf and Jeongin, their aasimar, didn’t have any chance against the lifespan of an elf or a half-dryad. Felix still remembered each and every passing of his friends. 

The humans, Changbin, Hyunjin, Jeongin… they had been so frail and their deaths had occurred so early in his life, but they still affected him. All the deaths of his friends had affected him, shaping him as a person and how he viewed life, but Felix had always had Chan. Chan was there to comfort him, to cry with him. They had shared joy and they had shared grief. 

Then Chan passed away.

Chan was way too young to pass away, it was unfair, if you asked Felix. He was only four-hundred and thirty-six, too young for a half-dryad to pass away. But Felix had… he had tried to live on. Chan wouldn’t have wanted him to stop living. Back then, he still had Younghyun.

“Younghyun lived for a long time, being blessed with the aging of the elves,” he whispered out into the air as he brushed his fingers over the bark. “He lived with me in Willowsdale. He came to stay with me after you disappeared. We were each other's company.” He swallowed. “We were the only ones left. But…” he trailed off, biting his lip as the memory returned to him. “But he was already so much older than me.”

The forest was silent and Felix looked up at the raven again as it looked at him. A small smile tugged on his lips.

“He apologized when he was laying in bed, waiting for the Raven to come and take him to the other side,” he said, a smile stretching his lips and he moved to sit down by the trunk of the tree. “He even called me bitsy as he apologized. But of course there was nothing I could do. Life comes and life goes, it’s a cycle that I have accepted.”

The raven croaked again, tilting its head. 

“I cried when I sat with him. I cried a lot. I didn’t want to be alone, not when I knew that I would have to be alone for so many years.” He leaned his head back against the trunk of the large oak tree. “But I still assured him it was okay. I told him he would be in the Beastlands with Jeongin… and you… Do you know what he said?” He paused, biting his lower lip. “He told me he would scold you for me, since you just left me…”

A stronger breeze caused the autumn leaves in the forest to rustle and Felix watched the trees on the other side of the clearing for a moment before continuing.

“Has he scolded you yet?” he asked no one in particular. “Then she arrived. The room got colder and I couldn’t help but stare. I know you told me about her, about the mix of fear and awe when you see the Mother of Ravens but I never really understood it… until I saw her.She was beautiful and dressed in all black. Her cloak was decorated with feathers and she had a collar of black feathers around her neck. Her face was soft, round and her skin pale, as were her lips. Her eyes were a bright red, seemingly glowing and the skin around her eyes were a purplish red color slowly blending into her pale skin.”

He straightened his back and looked over his shoulder to look at the oak tree.

“She greeted us and told us she had been sent to take Younghyun to the Beastlands. Apparently the Wildmother wouldn’t allow anyone but the Mother of Ravens to take Younghyun’s soul between the worlds.” He couldn’t hold back a laugh as he leaned against the tree again. “But she told me that you’re waiting for me.”

Felix took a deep breath, his chest tight and throat closing up as his vision became blurry with tears. He sniffled as he brought a hand up to dry the tears before they could fall.

“She told me she would make sure I didn’t change my fate and join you early,” he whispered, unable to speak louder. He took a deep breath and stared off into the distance. “Then she and Younghyun left.” His shoulders slumped and his heart felt heavy at the memory. “I was alone. For good this time. I had no friends left.”

The flap of wings brought him out of his daze and he looked down to see the raven land beside him. He chuckled as he reached out to pat its head.

“It was hard,” he said as he mindlessly petted the bird. It didn’t protest; it let Felix pet its head and scratch it under on the side of their face. “I was so alone for so long… and then-” he cut himself off. “And then I began to forget. So much time had passed and I had no one to help me remember,” he whispered, looking down at the bird. 

He sat there for a while, recalling whatever memories he could as he ran his fingers over the bird’s feathers. He could feel his joints getting stiffer and his body heavier and he sighed. As he stood up, the bird flapped its wings and returned to its previous spot on the branch. It looked down at Felix with curious eyes. 

Felix took a deep breath, trying to force the emotions building up in chest down. He ran his fingers over the bark of the oak with one hand as he reached for his staff with the other.

“I said I would follow you, wherever you went…” he whispered, swallowing hard. “But you… you went somewhere I couldn’t follow you.” His throat was closing and he held back a sob. He leaned his forehead against the bark of the oak. “You didn’t even say goodbye properly,” he mumbled, blinking back the tears as he placed the staff beside the oak, leaning it against the tree before taking a step back.

It was time.

Felix took a deep breath, feeling his whole body slowly stiffening. He had talked to other, older clerics about this process. The rooting process. They said it was slow; not painful but slow enough to give you time to think. As his body continued to stiffen, his skin hardening; his mind drifted. Had Chan been scared? He had been alone and didn’t know exactly what awaited him. Felix knew Chan would be waiting for him on the other side of the veil.

He felt drowsy, slowly fading away from consciousness. The raven let out a caw and his eyes fluttered open. It was looking down at him, head tilted as it croaked again. He smiled, closing his eyes as the sun warmed his face. He was ready.

In the warm, golden light of the setting sun, among the oranges, yellows and reds of autumn, Felix, the son of Many Suns took his last breath as the bark of the cedar tree encased him, it’s roots intertwining with the roots of the large oak.

When he woke up, he was laying on his back, staring up into the clear blue sky. He sat up slowly, taking in his surroundings. Gone was the cold air and all the reds, yellows and oranges. The trees around him were enormous and dark green. The grass, instead of being dry and yellow, it was slightly damp and lush green. The sun was rising, painting the east horizon orange and pink as it rose to warm the forest.

“Felix,” a soft voice said and Felix spun around, coming face to face with a woman. Her hair, a deep red with streaks of orange and dark blond running through it, reached her waist and she was wearing a dress in a pale, soft green. It was the same color as the robes Felix had worn for more than five-hundred years.

“My lady,” he breathed as Ehlonna took a few steps towards him, her fingers ghosting over his jaw. 

“My Felix,” she said, her voice gentle like a windlass moving in a soft breeze and she stroked her thumbs over his cheekbones. “My boy,” she continued and Felix could do nothing but stare at her. Here he was, in front of the goddess he had devoted his whole life too. His legs felt weak and as his knees buckled, without thinking, he grabbed a hold of her wrist. Her soft smile only brightened as he did. “You’ve lived so well.”

“I-I,” he stuttered, unsure of what to say as she brushed some of his hair from his forehead. His brain was racing as he tried to find the right words to use in this very moment. He had so much to ask her, one question weighing heavier than the rest but he couldn't find the words.

“You did so much more than I ever expected you to do, I’m so proud of you,” she whispered and Felix could feel his chest tighten. She studied his face for a moment, a smile blooming on her lips and she brushed the back of her hand over his cheek. “Speak, my child. I know what you long for.”

“Is he here?” he finally asked, his voice barely a whisper. 

“They’re all here, child,” Ehlonna replied, a soft chuckle escaping her lips as Felix’s breathing hitched.

“E-everyone?” he asked, eyes wide in disbelief. 

“Yes, all your close and loved ones,” the Lady of Nature in front of him confirmed and Felix inhaled sharply, his throat closing and chest tightening. “All of them won’t be here forever,” she continued, her eyes so warm and filled with love as she held Felix’s face in her hands. “But Bahamut did let them stay here for a while before they would have to go back to Mount Celestia. But I will host you and your other friends until your souls are ready for a new cycle.”

Felix’s heart was pounding in his chest and his legs felt so weak. “C-Can I see them?” he asked, stumbling over his words.

“Of course,” she said softly, letting go of Felix’s face to gently take his hand instead. Her skin was so much warmer than his, but in a comforting way. As she guided him through the landscapes, Felix took the chance to look around. The forest was so old, the bases of the trees so thick. He could hear birds singing, chirping happily and he could see forest animals move around. This was truly the Beastlands, the domain of the nature deities. 

Ehlonna suddenly stopped in front of Felix, at the edge of a large clearing. She turned around, cradling his face gently in her warm hands and pressed a kiss on his forehead. 

“I’ll give you all the time you need,” she murmured, taking a step back and left Felix in the clearing. His heart was hammering in his ribcage and he could feel the tears well up in his eyes. As his eyes fell on the group of seven in front of him, he choked on a sob.

“Felix?” Jeongin asked, spinning around. He looked the same as he had when he had died, in his mid twenties with soft brown hair, that wide and cheerful smile, the childlike glee in his eyes. Tears were running down Felix’s cheeks as he ran towards Jeongin, throwing his arms around Jeongin’s neck. It took Jeongin a second before he wrapped his arms around Felix. As Felix sobbed into Jeongin’s shoulder, he felt more hugs from the others. He only cried harder.

He wasn’t sure how long he held onto Jeongin, grasping at Jeongin’s robes but at last he let go of the fabric, allowing Jeongin to pull back a little. His vision, due to all the tears, was blurry as he let his gaze wander over each and everyone of his companions, his friends. His heart squeezed and another sob slipped past his lips. He was reunited with all those people he’d traveled alongside with, so many many years ago.

Jisung reached out to hug him again, and Felix's sobs grew louder. He tried to tell Jisung all about the Valima tribe, how it had grown after he passed away, but he ended up choking on the words as he cried. Jisung simply smiled, petting his hair as he hugged him.

“You lived a long life,” Minho said, reaching out to pet Felix on the cheek. “You really kept us waiting there,” he continued and Felix let out a laugh mixed with a sob. 

He held onto his friends, hugging them close and he felt like he was about to explode with happiness. He was finally reunited with them and they would remain together for a long time now. There were so many things he wanted to tell them, but he knew they had watched over him as he walked through life. 

Younghyun ruffled his hair, once again apologizing for not being able to stay with Felix longer. But Felix just hugged him, telling him that it was okay. He was thankful for the years Younghyun spent with him.

“Is he here?” he asked, voice small and almost afraid of the answer. Younghyun hummed, brushing his finger through Felix’s hair.

“He just got here I think,” he said, loosening his grip of Felix. He held out his hand toward the forest and through the thick trees, Felix could see a clearing further into the woods. “Go and take a look, bitsy,” he continued, ruffling Felix’s hair again. 

Felix let his eyes wander over all his friends and worry gnawed at his gut. So much time had passed since they had last seen each other, but Felix’s heart had never changed.

“We’ll be here when you two get back,” Seungmin promised and both Changbin and Hyunjin, who were standing behind him, nodded. All his friends smiled at him and Felix took a deep breath, giving them a nod before heading the direction Younghyun sent him.

The forest was lush, the trees old and their trunks thick and sturdy. The birds were chirping loudly, the bushes rustled as animals walked through the forest. It was so full of life and Felix’s heart felt so full as it hammered against his ribcage. 

He felt nervous and excited; he wasn’t sure what to expect. As he reached the clearing, he lowered his gaze. He kept it fixed on the lush, dark green grass before taking a deep breath, braving himself and he looked up.

At first his eyes flickered around the clearing, scanning the surroundings. But then his eyes fell on him. Time stood still and for a moment, there were only the two of them. There they stood, in a clearing; much like the first time they had met so long ago. But so much had changed. Though Felix's physical heart wasn’t beating for the man in front of him anymore, this man was the only reason for Felix to keep on existing. This was the man Felix had vowed his life and soul to.

Though almost five-hundred years had passed, Felix still remembered the night that Chan had approached his small campfire. It had been so dark and Chan was almost swallowed by the darkness surrounding him. Back then, his hair had been inky black, his eyes dark with a wild look in them and his marks had been the color of the oathbreakers. 

The man who stood in front of him, dressed in a dark cloak with black feathers around the collar, was smiling, a peaceful look in his familiar, silver eyes and he held Felix in his gaze. His silver hair reflected some of the sunlight, a stark contrast to the still black antlers. The antlers were decorated with small chains and ornaments, much like how Felix preferred to keep his. As he looked closer, he could see his favorite chain with a small little ruby dangling from one of the antlers. The one that would protect Chan from the whispers, from evil. 

Felix exhaled, his whole body shaking as he took a careful step towards Chan. His vision blurred as Chan approached him, his hands trembling violently as he reached out to grab Chan’s arm. As soon as they got close enough, Chan cradled Felix’s cheeks in his hands, bringing him in for a kiss. It felt like his heart exploded, releasing all those years of joy, of grief, of frustration, every emotion from all the years that Chan had missed. 

Chan’s grip of his cheeks tightened, pulling Felix closer as he deepened the kiss. Tears ran down Felix's cheeks as he moved his lips against Chan’s warm ones.

“Chan,” Felix mumbled against his lips, hands grasping desperately at Chan’s cloak. “I-I, please, I-” he stuttered, emotions welling over as he fumbled to get a good grip. He wanted to hold Chan. To hold him and never let go. 

“Felix,” Chan breathed and pulled back a little so he could get a good look of Felix’s face. As he pulled back, Felix could see the tears in his eyes, rolling down his cheeks and Felix’s breath hitched. 

He had been reunited with Chan. 

“I love you,” he whispered, voice cracking as he did and lowered his head as a sob tore through his body. He pressed his forehead against Chan’s chest as he cried, letting all those bottled up emotions go. Chan didn’t say anything, he just held Felix close. 

“I love you too,” Chan whispered as Felix’s sobs quieted down, running his hand through Felix’s hair. “Please, let me-” he cut himself off, and Felix tightened his grip of Chan’s cloak. “Please let me look at you,” he whispered, his voice so small, wavering and broken. 

Felix exhaled shakingly as he straightened his back, looking directly at Chan. Chan stared at him, eyes glossing and wide. He brushed his fingers over Felix’s jaw, letting them trace the marks on his face before he came to rest one hand on Felix’s jaw, his thumb ghosting over Felix’s bottom lip.

“You’re so beautiful, my love,” he whispered and Felix swallowed hard, trying his best to not let his emotions overwhelm him. “You lived such a good and long life. I’m sorry I-”

“I found you,” Felix cut him off, his voice choked up and words broken. His hands came up to hold Chan's face and he looked at him, tears clouding his vision. He was finally standing in front of Chan. Oh how he had longed for him. Chan exhaled, lips trembling and his adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. “I found you at last.”

“I’m so sorry,” Chan murmured, leaning his forehead against Felix’s.

“You just left,” Felix sobbed, more tears rolling down his cheeks. “You left me that morning.”

“I know I did,” Chan said, brushing his nose against Felix’s. “I didn’t want you to… I didn’t- I was dying Felix. You couldn’t have stopped it and I-” He cut himself off and inhaled sharply. “It was better if you didn’t know anything.”

“I was so alone,” Felix cried and Chan let go of Felix’s face to instead wrap his arms around him. He held him close. Felix’s cries only got louder as he fumbled with his hands to get a grip on the back of Chan’s cloak. “You left me.”

“I know I did,” Chan replied weakly and another sob slipped past Felix’s lips. “I’m so sorry, my northern star.” 

“I love you,” Felix sobbed, moving his head to press it into Chan’s shoulder. “Never let me go, never leave me again.”

“I promise,” Chan said, brushing his hand up Felix’s spine. “I promise,” he repeated, pressing a kiss on the side of Felix’s head. “I’m so sorry.” 

Felix tightened his grip of Chan, pressing his face into his shoulder. Chan only held him, gently swaying them back and forth as he hummed, his chest vibrating soothingly as he did. There were so many things Felix wanted to tell him, so many experiences he wanted to share. He wanted to say ‘I love you’ so many times, to make up for the hundreds of years he had been unable to face Chan and say those words.

But that could wait. For now, he was content in Chan’s arms. He would have the time to share everything later. They would have so much time together. What mattered right now was the fact that Felix had, after all these years, finally found his way home again.

In the east, by a village called Willowsdale, there was a wonderful and peaceful forest called the Singing Woodlands. In the center of the Singing Woodlands, there was a clearing. In that clearing, the two trees would remain and the breeze would carry the whispers about two half-dryads and the love they shared. The children of Willowsdale would carry the stories, sharing them and making sure no one forgot. 

The stories of the creature so twisted and the soul so kind.