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Published:
2021-09-12
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2022-10-11
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29/29
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Teleported To Another World With My Members

Summary:

NCT's company decided to reward all of their hard work by allowing all 23 members spend two nights of vacation together. They chose a nice secluded beach where they would all camp out after their managers dropped them off with all the equipment they needed and nothing but wonderful memories to make as a group. That is, until they are teleported to another world. Now the members have to find a way to survive in this strange fantasy world where there's magic and crocodiles that shoot death rays (like... for reals)

Notes:

Edits: Combined and rearranged half the chapters April 17 2022

Chapter 1: Chaos Brigade

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Chaos Brigade: Johnny, Doyoung, Yuta, Mark & Ten

It was a normal day by NCT's standards, all 23 members were going about their schedules, practice, interviews, recordings, meetings. They were always busy, that's just how it goes when you're an idol. You barely get time to yourself and when you do it's interrupted by fans so, when they were given the opportunity to go on holiday as a group, they took it without hesitation, even if it was something ridiculous like camping.

They took a boat to the island. They could still see the mainland from here but it was a popular destination for camping and they began setting up as soon as they arrived.

"Hyung, what do I do with this?" Shotaro called out to Johnny, holding up a tent pole.

"I don't know, I've never done this before." He sighed. For some reason they all looked to him to set up their supplies.

"Hyung, what does this do?" Winwin walked over with an odd contraption with a hose attached to it.

"How should I know?" Johnny and Yuta pulled the tent up, feeling very pleased as it was the first one to be set up. Mark and Jungwoo managed to get two more tents set up but wayv and the dreamies were still having issues.

"Jaehyun, Johnny, Yuta, you guys work on the air mattresses." Taeyong directed everyone to where they needed to be.

It wasn't until sunset that the group finally had all the shelter and bedding set up and dinner was being made.

A few of the members looked more than out of their element and Johnny couldn't help but bite back a laugh as he flipped the meat on the camp grill.

"Dinner is ready!" Taeyong called out. Like moths to a flame they rushed over to Johnny for him to serve them their meat.

"You guys have it from here? Do you remember how to get to the host site if there’s an emergency?" Their manager asked

"Yeah, I can literally see it from here. Stop worrying, Hyung, we got it." Taeyong assured him "We'll see you in two days."

Their manager nodded with hesitation and jumped back onto the boat, leaving them with just their wits, a crap ton of glamping supplies and a rather irritated looking campsite host watching them from down the beach.

"There's no service? Oh my goooood" Jisung whined, trying to load a game on his phone. Johnny let out a laugh and ruffled his hair, finally taking his share of meat before sitting down around the fire pits. They had to set up three of them just so everyone could sit around the same space together and still feel the warmth of the fires.

"Why didn't we cook it on the fire?" Jaemin asked, poking the metal fire ring with a stick.

"We can't have wood burning fires here, it's Propane and makes the food taste weird." Mark stated, picking up a stick and joining Jaemin in the poking game.

"I doubt any of us could start a fire anyway." Doyoung laughed. It was a good feeling, being able to sit around a fire eating good food and laughing with all of his members.

Ten walked up to him and took Johnny's plate from him.

"Wait, I wasn't finished!" He whined, reaching for it.

"I'm cold. You can eat and keep me warm at the same time." Ten demanded, sitting on his lap. He wasn't cold, he was freezing . Ten held the plate of food for Johnny to finish eating.

"I missed you Hyung." Ten sighed, trying to snuggle closer to Johnny. "Can I sleep in your tent tonight?" Ten asked, looking at Jaehyun as if to ask his permission and not Johnny's. 

Jaehyun had the tendency to get a little jealous when it came to Johnny and Ten's relationship but he would never admit it. Just like they'd never admit how much they cared about each other. Well, that is, they didn't need to.

Johnny and Jaehyun weren't in a relationship, they weren't partners but at the same time that was the only way to describe their relationship. Not quite platonic, but not boyfriends. They were just comfortable with each other. They knew each other inside and out. It wasn’t that Jaehyun was his favorite. He loved all the members, but his relationship with Jaehyun was just different than the others. 

"Please?" Ten pleaded. Jaehyun gave Ten a smile and went back to his food. That was all the permission he needed.

It would seem Jaehyun wasn't in a jealous mood tonight. Johnny would have to thank him later. It had been so long since he and Ten spent time together.

"We'll swap out some sleeping arrangements if anyone else wants to switch it up." Taeyong stated. 

“I want to be with Lucas!” Jungwoo beamed.

“Can I be in the WayV tent?” Renjun asked, earning a sour look from the rest of the Dream members.

“If your leaving I want Jaehyun-Hyung to be with us.” Jaemin stated.

“I want to be with Mark!” Haechan called out

“Think again Haechan, he’s with me tonight.” Yuta cackled, having already made the arrangement with Mark earlier. Ten laughed and jumped off Johnny's lap, grabbing his sweater’s arm and tugging on it, indicating he was done for the night and, apparently, so was Johnny.

He didn’t mind, he’d done most of the work setting up, the others could handle clean up, not to mention Johnny had absolutely no idea what he was doing and had grown tired of everyone asking for his help all night.

Ten had insisted on sharing a sleeping bag with Johnny that night and, in the small hours of the morning, Johnny woke up to Ten murmuring something in his sleep, grinding his hard dick against Johnny's hip.

He was tempted to wake Ten up and tease him about it but then he noticed something was off, he was laying on grass and a cool breeze washed over him. He sat bolt upright, confused, looking around them.

Nothing was there. No fire pit, tents, sleeping bags. Nothing. They weren't on a cute hidden little beach but in the middle of a lush field. The only light coming from the moon.

Johnny looked up, his blood running cold when he saw the night sky. Two moons sat where there should only be one. The big one was larger than the one Johnny was used to and beside it sat a smaller one, both looked almost blue.

He was fairly certain that they weren’t on earth anymore.

"Ten." Johnny gawked at the moons, blindly reaching for Ten. When he found Ten's shoulder he shook him violently.

Ten let out a scream and sat bolt upright, startling Yuta and Doyoung awake. Mark continued snoring, rolling over onto his back.

"What's wrong?" Ten asked, looking around them. "Heh? Where are the others? Where's our shit?"

"Others?" Johnny tore his eyes away from the moons, suddenly realizing that it was only the five of them. Only the ones in their Tent. Johnny, Ten, Yuta, Doyoung, and Mark, who was, only now, slowly waking up.

"Fuck." Yuta groaned, running a hand through his hair. Doyoung said nothing while he looked around with wide eyes, processing their situation.

"Seriously where's the WayV tent?" Ten stood up, taking a few steps in the direction of where the WayV tent should be.

"Is someone playing a prank—" Doyoung started but was cut off by a loud scream and flame erupting from the ground in front of Yuta.

They all scrambled to their feet, Johnny dragging Mark away, jostling him awake.

"What the fuck!?" Johnny screeched 

"I just touched the ground! I didn't do anything! I swear! See?" Yuta reached down, pressing his hand to the earth beneath their feet and another eruption of fire nearly incinerated him.

"Oh my god." Johnny let go of Mark as it dawned on him. "Guys I think we've been teleported into an anime or video game or something." He stated

"No fucking shit! I shot fucking fire out of my hand!" Yuta screamed, holding his hand out towards them.

"Don't point that thing at us!" Ten hissed.

"Oh my god. This isn't happening." Johnny ran his hands through his hair, grabbing fistfuls of it.

"Hyung calm down." Doyoung grabbed his arm. 

"We need to start looking for someone to help us." Ten stated

"Dude you know that, like, live we did with the Dragon Ball scream?" Mark stated, eyes wide and excited. Yuta's mouth hung open in sudden shock and realization, a huge grin appearing on his face.

"Kuririn No Kotoka!" He shouted, posing in an awkward stance, head tilted towards the sky. When nothing happened Mark burst into laughter.

"Johnny." Ten smacked him and pointed into the field where Horses galloped in their direction, men in bizarre clothing and torches rode towards them.

"Dude, you guys are in your underwear." Mark stated. Mark made fun of Johnny and Yuta choosing to sleep in their underwear but it had been the middle of summer, the beach was warm. Johnny had almost slept naked until Ten stated he was uncomfortable with it. Like the respectable person he was, he put on a pair of briefs to sleep in.

"Drop your weapons!" Someone shouted. They looked around at each other and lifted their hands up in surrender.

Weapons? What weapons?

"They're casting a spell!" Someone shouted, pulling a sword from a sheath.

"Wait, we're harmless!” Johnny gasped “We were camping and we just woke up like this… all our stuff is gone. He started shooting fire from his hands… we don't want any trouble so if you just put the knife away we can go our separate ways—"

"Dude, It's not a knife, Johnny. It's a sword ." Mark sighed 

"Do you think I care? Whatever it is, it's sharp and pointed at us." Johnny barked

"You speak our tongue." One of them stated, bringing his horse forward. "Your Planes Walkers. Which mage summoned you?"

"Heh? Mage?" Mark asked "Dude, he's kinda like, really weird." 

"Okay, okay, okay." Ten stepped forward, his hand outstretched. "I'm Ten. This is Mark, Johnny, Doyoung, and Yuta. We're part of NCT, the kpop group."

The man on the horse looked down at Ten's hand skeptically.

"We just woke up here, our boat is coming in like a day or two, could you help us get back to the beach? Our manager will compensate you for your trouble.”

“There’s no beach near here.” Someone on horseback stated

"Then, where's your car parked? Can I at least use your heater? It's so cold out." Ten rubbed his hands together and breathed into them to warm them up.

"I don't know what you're talking about but if you truly mean us no harm we can escort you to the town not far from here. From there it's five days of travel to the nearest port but the rates went up by six silver. "

"Silver?" Mark patted his pocket and pulled out his wallet. "Do you think they take card?" He asked

Johnny made a mental note to ask Mark why he had his wallet in his pocket.

"Do you, by chance, have any extra clothes that might fit these two?" Ten gestured to Johnny and Yuta.

“We’ll take you to Chief, our leader. He’s a Planes Walker like yourself. He’ll be able to give you some answers.” He gestured to some men who brought their horses forward. “Come, let us be swift. These lands are ripe with conflict.”

“Uhh… What?” Johnny blinked at him then looked at the horses.

“He means get on the horses.” Another man sighed, reaching his hand out for Doyoung to grasp.

“Horse… oh, no way this is happening. You know how expensive these pajamas are!?” Doyoung gasped. Mark groaned and pushed Doyoung aside, grasping the man’s hand and hooking his foot in the stirrup before clumsily climbing onto the horse. 

“Do you have a better idea?” Yuta huffed, following suit and getting onto the next horse. Ten and Johnny each claimed spots with their own horses and riders, looking expectantly at Doyoung. 

“Why can’t I walk?” Doyoung whined but grabbed the final outstretched hand regardless. The horses were spurred into a trot, jostling everyone and forcing them to throw their arms around the riders and hold on tightly as they broke into a full gallop.

The ride was horrible. It was short, maybe only ten minutes, over a couple rolling hills to a camp with a lot of different sized tents set up, but it was painful in a lot of different places. Johnny thought they might all be forced to waddle for a week from the way they all dismounted.

“We’ll bring some clothes for you, wait inside this tent for Chief.” one of them stated before dismounting and leading the riders away deeper into the camp.

“Dude, are we actually in a different world? Is that why there's no reception?" Mark asked, pulling his phone from his pocket.

"How much shit do you sleep with?" Johnny asked

"Normal amounts. My wallet, keys, phone—"

"Why did you bring your keys camping?" Ten laughed as they were ushered into the tent and were each handed clothes to wear. They all groaned as they put them on, cringing at the rough fabric and lack of interesting accessories.

Shortly after they were dressed, a man walked into the tent. He was taller than Johnny with the build of a grizzly bear and silver hair that was slicked back. 

"Fuck you're huge" Johnny gawked, suprised by his build. He hadn’t meant to curse, the man just shocked him and the others.

"I used to be a lumberjack in Canada." He laughed, surprised by Johnny’s reaction.

"Dude I'm Canadian too." Mark stated

“I heard there were other summons but I didn’t think there were so many of you and hardly a scratch on you. I’m Chief. The leader of this brigade.” 

"So where are we, exactly?” Johnny asked.

“Did the mage not explain anything to you?” Chief asked. He let out a sigh when he saw their confused expressions “You're not in your world any longer. Usually when a mage summons someone from Earth or other worlds, they’re around to explain what’s going on. I’m assuming you didn’t have the luxury of meeting whoever summoned you here.” 

"Wait what? What about the others?" Yuta asked "was it just us? That came here?"

"Others?"

"Yeah we're idols. Like uhh… music… celebrities. There's twenty three of us total—" Johnny started. The man let out a long sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'm afraid, if the others are alive they aren't anywhere near here. Summoning people isn't uncommon here, there's many people from our world but the fact that there were twenty three of you is troubling."

"Why?" Ten asked

"There was a calamity that plagued this world a long time ago. Twenty three heros were summoned who put an end to the calamity but the ritual's secrets were lost after the first ruler died. Since then people have tried to summon others to save them. I was one of those attempted summons only Eighty years ago."

"What did you mean by if they're alive?" Johnny asked, dread was thick in the air around them.

"There's only two summons of that magnitude that have ever produced any results. The original and the summon I was a part of. Of the twenty three, only myself and two others weren't blown to smithereens when the ritual was completed. I'm sorry, but your friends are likely dead."

"Dead?" Doyoung choked out. Yuta's and Mark's faces had gone pale, Ten’s mouth hung open in shock and Johnny felt his stomach do horrible flips.

No way.

It couldn't be.

After they'd spent so many years working together, living, eating, sleeping together they were dead?

"NCTizens are going to be so pissed when we get home." Mark muttered

"Home?" The man drew their attention back up to him "I'm sorry to tell you this but there's no way for you to get home. There's only one person powerful enough to cast god-tier magic and they went missing long before my time here. I've burned entire countries to the ground looking for a way back and in my eighty years here, I've uncovered no clues to tell me where the Archbishop is."

Shit. We are so screwed.

Johnny stared up at the tent, listening to the soft patter of raindrops. They took the news hard, everyone but Johnny who was still in shock. Maybe it was because he was the oldest among them that all four of the others had turned to Johnny for guidance at that moment. Tears in their eyes, clinging to each other for comfort.

Is Jaehyun really dead?

He dug the heel of his palm into his eye, dry from being awake so long, before dragging his fingers through his hair.

He had so much more to tell Jaehyun, about his feelings. He was an idiot to think that their relationship was fine as it was. He should have said more, done more, to have a deeper more meaningful relationship with him. He should have loved him without reservation.

He blinked tears from the corners of his eyes, not even bothering to wipe them away as they slipped down his temples.

"Hyung…" Doyoung flipped over to face Johnny. He quickly wiped at the tears, covering his face his his shirt sleeve.

"I thought you were asleep." Johnny murmured, his voice wavering.

"You aren't the only one." Doyoung lifted Johnny's blanket and rolled into his space, wrapping his arms around him. "I refuse to believe they're dead. Taeyong is still alive, I can feel it."

"What do you mean you can feel it?" Johnny sniffled. Doyoung held up his hand, looking at the ring on his finger. He didn't know how to describe it. It was like a thread was tied to the ring pulling him in Taeyong’s direction.

"If Taeyong’s alive there's a chance that Jaehyun is too. Don't give up. We'll find them."

Ten waited until he was certain Doyoung and Johnny were asleep before he crawled out of the blankets and exited the tent.

He was anxious, he felt something powerful inside him trying to claw its way out but something in his gut told him to be alone when he released it.

So he trudged through the long grass away from the camp, finding some cover in a cluster of trees. 

He swallowed the nervous lump in his throat and held his hands out, palms facing up and closed his eyes, trying to form that energy into a physical shape, reaching deep inside him, pulling the lid off the well and plucking a thread of that energy.

His hand suddenly grasped something, solid, made of radiant white flame. He took a deep breath opening his eyes to see a sword in front of him, terrifyingly beautiful.

He only got to admire it for a minute before the flame flared, the energy inside him becoming too much for him to contain and a searing pain shot through his arm.

He'd never felt pain like this. He's had his fair share of injuries on stage and off but nothing like this. He could only describe it as every nerve in his body being both on fire and freezing at the same time, like scalding hot knives raked over his innards.

He released the sword, hissing in pain and falling to his knees.

Flame erupted from his body and he screamed, crying out in pain. He clutched his shirt over his heart, groaning, trying to put that lid back over that well of energy but it was heavy, too heavy for someone like him.

He thought about Johnny back in the camp, his tears over Jaehyun. He wanted to reunite them, he just wanted Johnny to be happy. He couldn't let something like this stop him. He lived and breathed for Johnny's smile, chose to support him because Jaehyun is who made Johnny the happiest. How dare this place try to take away the smile Ten treasured so much.

"I won't let it happen." He growled, lifting his head and glaring into the darkness. He took a deep breath, gathering together all those threads of loose magic, reeling them in, forcing them back into the well and, with great effort, sealed them back down with the lid.

It took everything in him to keep himself from collapsing. The camp behind him had flown into an uproar over the ruckus he'd caused.

The light of his flames were probably visible for thousands of miles.

"He's here!" Someone near him shouted. A man burst through the trees, spear at the ready, standing in front of Ten to face down an opponent that wasn't there, protecting Ten from nothing "Where's the mage?" He demanded. More footsteps neared and the man called back to them.

"Don't come closer! We don't know where the light mage is!" The man called out to his comrades and backed up to Ten, hoisting him effortlessly back to his feet.

“What's going on?” Ten squeaked

“See the men behind us?” He demanded, Ten looked behind them and gave a small nod “Good. If there’s a light mage here you’ll be dead in a matter of seconds. Get to them, they’ll take you back to camp-” A streak of blue lightning struck the ground beside them, dirt erupting from the ground.

“Shit! Go!” The man yelled at Ten. He gasped and bolted towards the men behind them. One of them hoisted Ten up onto a horse and slapped it’s rear, sending him galloping towards the camp.

“What’s going on!?” Someone shouted, running to meet Ten’s horse. He was holding onto its neck, doing everything in his power not to fly off of the saddle.

“I don’t know! He said there was a light mage… I don’t know what that means-”

“Get back to your tent and don’t leave until someone tells you it’s safe.” The man interrupted, helping him off the horse and climbed up into the saddle “Lightbringers! To arms!” He shouted, spurring the camp into a chaotic mess, leaving Ten very confused.

 

Normally people would expect Light Magic to be good, something to help people but for some reason people here feared it, and what’s worse, the magic that Ten tried to cast was exactly what the horsemen described light magic to look like.

It was assumed the lightning he saw was from an order of mages that tried to preserve taboo magic and that the light magic that erupted from Ten’s body drew their attention.

Ten was their enemy. Even though they don’t know it, even though Ten didn’t really consider himself to be evil. If they found out about his magic what would they do to him?

It had been almost a week since that happened and Ten didn’t even try to use his magic. He didn’t want to hurt anyone with it, didn’t want to draw attention to himself. There was also the problem of his wrist, where the skin seemed to harden, looking like some kind of frosted, pale purple glass. Like raw amethyst. The first symptom of something called Mana Sickness

He didn’t know what it meant, why it hurt so much when he tried to tap into the well of energy inside him. It scared him, feeling something so powerful and not being able to control it, just sticking a lid on and hoping it didn't boil over. 

After that incident they were urged to learn more about protecting themselves while their unit travelled. It would be slow travelling, so they could be cautious, so they didn’t run into any more mages. 

Yuta caught onto magic quickly, he asked one of the mages here to help him understand and in just one day he was able to control the flames and even imbue small objects with them. They'd only been with these people for a week and Yuta was already the strongest in their group.

Doyoung decided to spend the time learning how to read and write the language. It was strange that they could all understand and speak it but couldn’t read or write. Chief said it was part of the summoning spell that brought them here.

Mark was trying to learn how to shoot a bow. They weren't like the ones back home, it was hard to pull the string back, even harder to aim without your muscles aching.

Johnny was learning how to use a sword. He was devoting himself wholeheartedly to it and already improving. They'd all found their roles to play except for Ten.

Ten could barely lift a sword, he couldn’t pull back a bowstring, the language just didn’t make sense to him. It was all in runes that had no discernible alphabet or structure to it. Ten had this magic, this taboo magic, but he couldn’t use it for anything even though he understood how to collect that energy and form it into something. It hurt, felt like he was on the brink of death when he tried to use it and if anyone saw him use it, this magic could very well be his death.

Back home, he kept a healthy body. He took care of himself, to make sure it was in the best possible condition for his dancing.

Dancing.

That’s what he was good at. What he was passionate about but what good would that do to find a way home?  He was useless to them and unless he found a safe and private way to release the energy inside him, this mana that they called it, he could die. 

It needed to be released somehow. Yuta’s instructor was teaching him about it and Ten shamelessly listened in on his lessons. If he didn't find a way to release his magic before the Mana Sickness spread he would be beyond any cure.

“Ten?” Yuta approached him, drawing him from his thoughts. He smiled and looked back at him. He wore strange clothes, loose fitting pants and a fancy looking shirt, embroidered with the colors indicating he was a first level mage.

“Are you okay?” He asked “You’re really quiet, it’s not like you to be like this.”

“I guess it just hasn’t really sunk in yet.” Ten muttered, even though he was the most emotional about this whole situation. Stuck assuming his friends were all dead and that they had no way of getting home. Why weren't the others more upset about this?

“Yuta, everyone here has magic, right? Do a lot of people die of Mana Sickness? " He asked

"No. I was told it's kind of like a big pot. Most people don't have enough mana to fill that pot, let alone conjure anything. But I was told mages with elemental compatibility can siphon the Mana out to prevent Mana Sickness, or slow it. Delay the petrification a bit." Yuta stated

"So a light mage that had it would be out of luck since there's no more light mages around?" Ten asked

"Hm" Yuta hummed "It would be difficult to find one I think but I don't think it's impossible."

Did that mean he was going to die? Petrification sounded like a horrible way to go. Wasn't there anything he could do to stop it?

Notes:

Comment with which party do you guys you enjoy the most/which you want to see next or more of 😊

Chapter 2: WooV Party

Chapter Text

WooV Party: Lucas, Jungwoo, Kun, Winwin

 

"Catch them!" People shouted. Jungwoo shoved Kun down an alley.

"Meet us at the clock!" Jungwoo hissed before Lucas and Winwin broke away from them and continued running.

Two men split from the main group, following Jungwoo and Kun as they ran down the intricate web of aide streets and alleys.

"What's happening?" Kun called back to Jungwoo, "where are we?"

"Fuck if I know! Just keep running!" Jungwoo called back. They were all giggling, telling scary stories in their tent when suddenly everything but what they had on their person had just vanished and they appeared in the middle of some kind of ceremony in a city they didn't know. If that wasn't confusing enough the people participating in this ceremony went berserk and tried arresting them, somehow Lucas overpowered them and they all booked it.

Kun grabbed Jungwoo's wrist and yanked him around a corner and dove into an open window, Jungwoo following close behind.

Then pressed themselves flat to the ground, covering their mouths as the footsteps of their pursuers rushed by. They waited for the footsteps to be out of ear shot before they relaxed.

"What the fuck is going on?" Jungwoo sighed, looking around the dingy hovel they were in. It looked like something you'd see in a poverty stricken fantasy world.

Actually most of the stuff here looked that way. They were being chased by men in full armor holding spears and shields and the people they'd passed on the street were all dressed in bland rags.

Kun looked at the phone and solar power bank in his hands. He was lucky to have been plugging his phone in at the time they were transported here.

"We're going to stick out like a sore thumb in our pajamas." Jungwoo stepped further into the house. Dust covered every single surface and he couldn't help but cringe when he pulled open a closet and the dust wafted towards him.

"There's no way I'm wearing that ." Kun hissed, pointing at the moldy clothes hanging inside. 

"Do you want to keep getting chased by people with spears? Hyung, I don't think we have much of a choice. You have teddy bears on your pajamas."

"Yeah because they're cute." Kun retaliated. Jungwoo rolled his eyes and pulled some clothes from the closet, handing the least moldy one to Kun, who gagged as he shook it clean of dust.

"Is this a cape?" Jungwoo asked, holding his garment out in front of him. He pulled it over his shoulders and pulled the hood over his head. "Oh its like a poncho."

"I think the right word for it is cloak." Kun muttered, pulling his on. 

"Whatever let's just go meet up with Lucas and Winwin."

 

 

"Halt!" Someone intercepted Lucas, cutting off his escape. They'd been chased into a corner. Bottlenecked in an alley.

"You tainted the wine of the Goddess. You'll pay dearly for this act of barbarity."

"No. We didn't mean to. It was just a mistake." Lucas blurted

"Xuxi, what now?" Winwin whimpered. Lucas looked behind him, eyes settling on a small space between buildings.

"Behind us. I won't fit but you will." Lucas whispered

"No." Winwin grabbed Lucas' sweater. "What if they hurt you?"

"Surrender!" A man shouted.

"I'll be fine, you meet up with Kun and Jungwoo at that clock tower we saw." 

"Surrender!" The man screamed again, lunging towards Winwin with his spear. Lucas shielded him and the blade grazed his side. Making him groan in pain.

He shoved Winwin towards the crack between the buildings and dove for the man, his fist colliding with and denting the metal of his armor.

A spear pierced Lucas' stomach making him cry out in pain. 

This is real. This isn't a dream its fucking real.

Lucas growled at the man on the other end of the spear and grabbed the wooden shaft of the spear. He needed to protect the others, needed to buy some time for Winwin to escape.

He felt something deep inside his gut, a tightness he thought was anxiety or fear but then his arms tingled and instinct told him to just release his inhibitions.

Shadowy vines and covered in thorns, shot out of the dry, dusty, earth. Wrapping around all of their pursuers. 

He didn't know how he did it, didn't really want to know, it scared him shitless, but he had to use whatever this power was to give Winwin the time he needed to run.

"Go, I can't… control it very well…" Lucas grunted, closing his hands into fists they would break free any minute and when they did they'd be on him in an instant. If not killing him, taking him to jail or whatever they used to punish people in this crazy place.

"Go! Find the others and get the fuck out of here!" Lucas shouted, spurring Winwin into action. He squeezed into the tight space as the vines shattered, like black glass breaking into hundreds of pieces. Winwin only saw them surrounding Lucas before he burst through onto the other side of the buildings. 

"Get to the other side and find him!" Someone shouted. Winwin ran towards the clock tower, hoping, praying that Jungwoo and Kun had some type of plan to save Lucas.

 

Kun slipped through the window, pulling his cloak hood closer to his face, getting down on all fours and crawling to where Jungwoo and Winwin sat waiting for him.

"Did you get them?" Winwin asked. Kun handed the bracelets to them and flashed the one he had already put on.

"I had them show me how to use it. You need to learn this skill first, though, so you can read it." Kun tapped on the bracelet and a card was summoned, floating in front of Winwin. He pointed to the text and Winwin pressed his finger to it. Jungwoo took his bracelet and did the same.

"How is this real?" Jungwoo muttered "There's stats for everything… wait why is my only good stat 'charm'? What does that even mean?"

"There seems to be two different ways to get skills here. Either you learn them and practice them or you buy them." Kun shook a pouch of coins. "There's some free ones like language proficiency but the others are pretty much useless. I don't know how it works but I think the magic just… takes the money."

"Where does the money go?" Winwin asked

"Don't know. Nobody I asked seemed to know. These bracelets are only given to elite adventurers. We were lucky I'm good at sleight of hand otherwise we'd be learning these skills the hard way." Kun opened another pouch and pulled some clothes from it, Jungwoo and Winwin gawking at the sight. Kun did the same thing when he learned about these pouches. They were seemingly bottomless and very expensive. The stall owner didn't even notice when Kun swiped it.

"Make sure you learn the mana absorption skill. If you don't you'll be petrified." Kun stated. "It's called Mana Sickness. Once it starts there's no way to heal it so be careful, please." Winwin gave a small nod while Jungwoo gave a short grunt as acknowledgment. 

"Charm skill." Jungwoo hummed "Guys maybe we could just rescue Lucas by asking for the keys." 

"What do you mean?"

"I can charm people. It says right here. The effect only lasts thirty minutes but if I can charm my way in I can just ask for them to release him. Or get the keys from them or something."

"It might be worth a try," Winwin crawled to the other window and peaked out "There's only one guard, I don't think security is very tight."

"Go give it a shot, see if you can charm him." Kun suggested. Jungwoo slipped out the back window, double backing to the road. It was only a few minutes until Jungwoo came into view, approaching the guard.

"Hi" Jungwoo grinned and waved, flashing his best smile. 

"Can I help you?" The guard asked 

"Woe is me! I seem to be lost, I'm so grateful to run into a big, tough, warrior like you." Jungwoo sighed. Kun dropped his face into a hand.

"He didn't read the book on how to cast the magic,  did he?" Kun asked.

"I don't think so, but this might help." Winwin reached out his hand, twisting it into a fist and pulled it back to him. A strong gust of air knocked Jungwoo over, making him let out a yelp when his hip impacted the hard stone beneath.

"Oh my gods, are you okay?" The guard rushed forward, kneeling in front of Jungwoo. Kun wasted no time, slipped from the window and took a wide berth around them to the door. He pulled out a lockpicking set he'd stolen. He'd watched people do this on YouTube but he never actually tried it. He shoved the pick inside, slowly twisting and tapping it until he felt the first tumbler give way with a click. It was easy after that, now knowing what to look for he heard the click of four more tumblers and the door creaked open.

"Did you hear that?" The guard that was helping Jungwoo stand up put a hand to his sword, looking around.

"The only thing I hear right now is my heart." Jungwoo purred, taking the guard's hand and placing it on his chest. "Do you feel it?" Jungwoo stepped closer. Kun screwed up his nose before gagging.

"What—" He started. Jungwoo grabbed the man and slammed their lips together. Kun slipped inside and gently closed the door, he'd scold Jungwoo later for not reading the book Kun stole for him. It was a simple jail, lined with cells that had a lot of broken, rusty, bars and no other guards. It seemed luck was with them today. He wouldn't have known what to do if he encountered another guard.  He approached the bars, looking into each cell until he came to one with Lucas. He gasped at the sight. Lucas was black and blue from head to toe, his face bloody, his clothes torn up and soaked with blood, eyes and lips swollen.

"Lucas!" Kun hissed, Lucas lifted his head to see Kun and smiled.

"Kun-ge…" he hissed in pain as Kun put his lockpicking tools to work "I knew you guys would come." Lucas let out a sigh of relief. The lo k clicked open and he hurried inside.

"Oh my god what did they do to you?" Kun lifted the blood soaked hair from Lucas' face, examining his head wound. "Winwin will heal you. Come on let's get the fuck out of this place."

"Get these off me" Lucas growled, lifting his hands up to the manacles around his wrist. Kun nodded, using his tools to pick the two locks. He failed twice, almost broke his tools but the third try worked and they fell free of his wrists. Kun helped Lucas to his feet and they hobbled to the door. Kun swung it open and it came into contact with a body.

"What the—" the guard started, turning around. Lucas' hand shot out, grabbing the guard by the neck before he could react.

"You fucked with the wrong man" He growled. Something dark flared in Lucas' eyes before a black and purple flame engulfed the mage. He screamed, trying to pry himself free of Lucas but it was too late. Lucas snarled, like a feral beast, and the shadowy flame incinerated the man, leaving him nothing more than just a pile of ash on the ground. Kun stared in horror, wanting to recoil from Lucas when he stumbled and reached for Kun to support himself. He swallowed back his unease and supported Lucas, leading him to where the others were waiting. He glanced back at the pile of ash on the ground. Did the man have a family? He was just doing his job, guarding suspicious people, did he deserve to die for that? 

"Do you know… do you…" Lucas let out a hiss, holding a hand over his chest. "Ten and… the others." 

"We don't know." Kun murmured

"We have to find him." Lucas' breathing was labored, far more than it should have been, even with his injuries.

"Lucas" Jungwoo gasped, as they got to the building. He hurried over, reaching for his face. Kun let go of Lucas, turning his face to see what Jungwoo was looking at.

Climbing over his jaw, across his cheek, almost up to his left eye, it looked like his skin had turned to an ominous dark crystal, flecks of deep purple shimmering in it.

"Shit. We were too late." Kun growled

There were a lot of confusing things in this new world. The strange magic Lucas suddenly had, the lack of technology, even the food was weird. Even though he couldn't begin to comprehend why or how they got here he knew one thing for certain. That Ten was in trouble. He could feel it. 

How? He had absolutely no idea and he didn't really care. He just knew that he needed to get to Ten and he'd stop at nothing to accomplish that. He didn't know if Ten could feel him the way he felt Ten but he hoped to god he could.

"He killed him," Kun whispered. They thought Lucas couldn't hear.

"I mean he's beat up pretty bad." Jungwoo muttered "Lucas is dying because of those men. If he was with us, if he knew about Mana Sickness—"

"It's not that simple. He killed someone. He didn't hesitate at all" Kun stated "You didn't see it, the look in his eyes."

Lucas understood why they were upset. It was true, he didn't hesitate when he killed him. All he saw was the face of a man that hurt him, and let his rage take over. 

He felt guilty, of course he did. He wasn't a monster. He felt regret and remorse just like everyone else. This world has its own laws and the soldiers that took him were just doing their job.

Lucas looked down at his hands, rubbing his fingertips with his thumbs, feeling the tingling of the Mana inside him. He conjured a small flame in his palm, except it wasn't a flame. It wasn't orange and it certainly wasn't hot. It merely resembled a flame. A small cluster of dark energy mimicking the dance of a flame.

It was so easy . He barely had to concentrate to summon any magic he could simply will it into existence and snuff it out just as easily. He'd be lying if he said it didn't feel good to have this power. He was able to save Winwin because of it but at the same time it was terrifying.

He sighed, picking up the mask Jungwoo gave him earlier. It only covered half the face, the side that was petrified. It was weird, it still felt like his natural face when he spoke or blinked but when he touched it the surface was rough, hard.

It was happening to Ten too. Did Ten know what was happening to him? Did he know he was dying?

Lucas' throat bobbed at the thought and he blinked back the sudden threat of tears. Ten was special to Lucas. He didn't realize, until he was locked up and being beaten to near death. He wanted Ten in that moment. To see his smile, hear his laugh. He knew Ten wouldn't reciprocate these feelings, Ten was blinded by his crush on Johnny, which was honestly better for Lucas. He didn't even know what these feelings meant. He just had a special connection to him. The same way Johnny did with Jaehyun and Doyoung with Taeyong.

More than family, more than friends, but not quite partners.

Comfortable. Home.

That's what Ten was. His home.  He needed to find his way back home and soon.

Chapter 3: RenV

Chapter Text

RenV: Yangyang, Xiaojun, Hendery, Renjun

 

A foot came into contact with Yangyang's chin and he let out a groan, kicking Renjun away from him.

"Momma! They're waking up!" The sound of a little girl startled Yanyang awake. "Momma! Momma!" 

"Keep your voice down Heggy"

Yanyang sat up looking around at the house they were inside.

"Heh? Where am I?" He murmured. A little girl climbed over Xiaojun, Hendery and Renjun to get to Yanyang.

"Your in my house! You showed up like poof!" She gestured wildly with her arms, hitting Yanyang on his chin.

"Heggy! Don't be rude!" An older woman scolded

"But they're magic!" She whined "They're going to get rid of the bad guys!"

"Why are we here? Who are you? Did you kidnap us?" Yangyang asked through a yawn.

"I was hoping you could tell me." The woman stated. Yangyang gave her a confused look. "I don't suppose the mage that summoned you is nearby?" She asked 

"What?" Xiaojun groaned

"Oh dear. I wish they'd stop summoning planes walkers near our property. Come along, dears, I'll make you a nice big breakfast and explain how this world works." She sighed, ushering each of them to their feet. Renjun and Hendery were still practically asleep by the time they were all sitting at a table with food in front of them.

"It happens so often. The kids from the town keep coming here to cast odd magic. I've taken in quite a few summons but this is the first time I've seen such a large group."

"What do you mean?" Hendery murmured, head resting on the table

"You were summoned to this world by a mage or a few. You just showed up on my floor in the middle of the night." She sighed

"Are you joking?" Xiaojun asked

"Why would I ever joke about something like this? If you don't believe me go see for yourself. I'm told your world… earth is it? That you only have one moon."

Xiaojun looked at the window she gestured at and Yangyang hurried over. The sun seemed to just be rising and low on the horizon there were indeed two moons.

"Shit, you weren't joking" Yangyang gasped

"Guys, we're actually—" Yangyang turned around to look at the table, Xiaojun's face was pale and Hendery and Renjun had both fallen asleep at the table.

"How do we get back home?" Xiaojun asked

"I have no idea. I'm not a mage but if you need a place to stay while you figure it out there's lots of chores around here for you to earn your keep." She smiled warmly. Yangyang swallowed a nervous lump forming in his throat. Something didn't feel right about this woman but it seemed like they didn't have much of a choice.

Two days had passed since Xiaojun went to help the woman with her shopping at the marketplace and the rest of them were getting restless.

"What do we do with the kid? We can't just leave her here alone." Hendery sighed, picking at the sleeve of the tunic he wore. The clothing here was so dirty and practically rags.

"Heggy, when's your mom coming home?" Renjun asked, getting down to the girls level. 

"Mama's always been home." She smiled, pointing to the back door of the home. "She's in the wood shed." Yangyang exchanged worried glances with Hendery.

"Really?" Renjun asked "Can you bring us to her?"

"Renjun, something feels off." Yangyang whined. "Let's just go look for Xiaojun."

"How? We don't even know where they went." Renjun groaned, letting the girl dog him by his wrist. Hendery and Yanyang followed close behind. It was already dark outside, Hendery grabbed one of the axes nearby, keeping it raised as they found their way through the yard to the woodshed.

"Mama!" The girl called from outside the door.

"Seriously, somethings not—" Hendery started. He was cut off when the shed door burst open, a body running at them, snarled like a rabid dog. Hendery screamed, swinging the are at the body, striking it down. The girl screamed running over to the body.

"Mama!" 

"I told you!" Yanyang shouted, the three of them fanning out. The body writhed on the ground, flipping over nto its back, revealing the face of their host but the skin wrinkled and grey, random clumps of fur sticking to it.

"Oh my god! Oh my god!" Yangyang screamed "Kill it!"

"How!" Renjun shouted back the beast slowly stood, turning its attention to Yanyang.

"Fuck! Shit!" Yangyang looked around for something to defend himself with, all three of them screaming profanities at each other. Hendery panicked and ran at it, bringing the axe down onto its head. 

"Kill it! Kill it! Kill it!" Renjun shouted, picking up a stick and chucking it at the monster. Hendery yanked the axe out of its skull, raising it over his head to strike again. Yangyang ran for an old rusted sword half buried by moss and dirt. Renjun pointed at the girl, a slew of curses in every language he seemed to know. The girl's flesh looked like it was melting off of her, the same grey, leathery hide in its place and she ran at Renjun. He balled up his fist and slammed it into her face, knocking the girl to the ground.

"Oh my god you killed her!" Yangyang gasped 

"Her!? You mean it !" Renjun hissed. Yangyang's eyes went wide as it twitched on the ground. He felt a rush of power flow to his hand that held the banged up sword and he rushed over, slashing at the girl, an arc of light trailing after the blade as it nearly sliced her in half, blood exploding from her body like a Quentin Terintino movie.

"Dejun!" Yangyang dropped the sword, hurrying over to the shed. He immediately gagged when he took in the sight before him. Xiaojun's body lay sprawled out on the floor, limbs severed from his body and his head perched on a thick wood log.

The bile rose in his throat and he turned around, vomiting in the doorway of the shed. Yangyang held up a hand, indicating for them to stay where they were. 

"He's… he's dead."

Renjun, Yangyang and Hendery all looked back at the thick plume of smoke that rose into the sky, where they set fire to the house they stayed at. They couldn't bring his body with them, Xiaojun was dead and they had nothing to carry him with and none of them knew how to bury a corpse properly, they didn’t want to bury him. None of them wanted to have their bodies rotting in this place. If they couldn’t bring their bodies home then there would be no sign of their bodies left in this world.

“How do we get home?” Yangyang muttered, adjusting the pack on his back.

“I don’t know but we need figure out how to survive.” Renjun stated, looking at the sword in his hands.

“How do we figure out how to use skills?” Hendery piped up, looking at the book the monster girl had given them the day they showed up. He couldn’t read any of it but they had an idea of what their classes were simply based on instinct. Renjun’s class relied on strength, as far as he could tell. Yangyang was the only one that used any kind of skill but he didn’t know how to use it again but he assumed his class specialized in swords. Hendery knew that it felt natural for him to hold a two handed weapon, something with a heavy weight to it.

"The fact that there's books means that people do exist here, it can't just be monsters like them, right?" Hendery asked

"If we run into any more monsters I'm not going to think twice about killing them." Renjun growled. Hendery saw the anger and fear in Renjun's expression. Yangyang simply nodded in agreement, his hands trembling as he wiped tears from his eyes.

A glimmer in the sky caught Hendery's eye and he squinted, focusing it.

"Is that a…. A boat? In the sky?" He asked 

“Like a sky ship? That’s gotta have people on it right? It looks like its landing over there.” Renjun pointed to where it was disappearing behind some hills. “Let’s go, if there’s a city or something we can figure out where the heck we are.”

It was a better place to start than just randomly wandering around. In fact they’d been going in the opposite direction. Hendery started back up the dirt road, the other two following him. They didn’t speak to each other until the sun started to set and they could barely see the path in front of them and even when they did they didn’t say more than necessary. Eating the little food they managed to take from the house. They took turns keeping watch, barely managing to get a few hours of sleep. It was the worst experience they’d ever had, the ground was horrible to sleep on, they didn’t know how to make a fire so they had to huddle together under the blankets they stole to keep warm. 

Hendery hadn’t realized before how they’d all taken their luxuries for granted back home. Heat at the touch of a button, soft mattresses and bedding, and food that wasn’t stale. If they ever made it back home he promised himself that he’d spend an entire day lazing around in bed with all of his favorite foods.

“I think I see something!” Yangyang gasped, after they’d been travelling for hours. He pointed ahead, tall stone walls coming into view. It looked too close to be where the sky ship landed but they could see people coming in and out of the city ahead. 

“Oh my god, I’m so hungry. Lets go!” Hendery groaned, breaking into a run towards the city. The walls were small and it looked more like a town than a city but as long as they could get proper food in them Hendery didn’t care.

“Paperwork.” A man held his hand out to them as they approached the gate. Hendery stopped, looking at his hand confused. 

“Paperwork?” Yangyang asked

“Your travel cards to enter. I can tell by the way you look that your summons. You need cards from your guild to enter.”

“Guild? We don’t have a guild. We don’t even know where we are.” Hendery sighed “Is there just like, a restaurant or something we can eat at? We just need to figure out how to get home and then we’ll be out of your hair.”

“Do you even have any coin?” The guard asked, Renjun dug a pouch from his pack and looked inside, it was all the coin they could find at the house. They had absolutely no idea how much they had though. The guard took the pouch and looked inside, letting out a long sigh before handing it back. “That isn’t even enough for a loaf of bread.”

“Fuck.” Yangyang hissed

“Okay look, I’m not supposed to do this but…” The guard pulled his coin purse from where it hung at his hip and handed it to them “It’s enough to get you some food for-”

“Beastmen!” Someone screamed, drawing their attention to the road. Hendery’s throat went dry when he saw the same monster that they killed at the house running down the road at full speed. Renjun dodged a fleeing woman and picked up a rock from the ground.

“Wait, what are you-” Hendery started. Renjun chucked the rock at the monster, hitting it on it’s long snout, making it yelp like a dog in pain. 

“What the fuck!?” Yangyang hissed, fumbling with the rusted sword at his hip. Hendery’s breath caught in his throat as the monster started towards them, a horrifying howl coming from it.

“Stay back!” The guard unsheathed his sword, rushing in front of them.

“Stay back?” Renjun snorted, his hands balled up into fists. “Those things killed our Hyung.” He barked, picking up another rock. Hendery backed away, his hands shaking, unable to pull the axe from the pack on his back. The guard slashed at it but it was too quick. Dodging his attack and rushing towards Renjun. Hendery didn’t know how he did it, how Renjun didn’t even flinch when it lunged for him. He rammed his fist into it’s face, sending his staggering towards Yangyang who dropped his sword. Hendery opened his mouth to call out to Yangyang, tell him to get out of the way, but no sound came out. He freezed up, watching as it slashed at Yangyang with it’s claws, one set dragging down his face and the other over his chest, dangerously close to his collarbone and neck.

Renjun let out something between a growl and a scream and he pounced, leaping onto the monster like a wild animal, wrapping the strap on his bag around it’s neck, twisting it until the monster could do nothing but flail around, trying desperately to get some kind of breath in. It reached for Renjun, claws scratching up his hands and arms, digging into the legs he’d wrapped around it’s waist. Hendery backed into the wall, tears welling up in his eyes. He was such a coward, why couldn’t he move? Why couldn’t he help them?

The guard slashed the monster’s ankles, forcing it to the ground. Renjun fell with it, releasing the pack and rolling away, like he was already a master at combat. He jumped to his feet and brought the oversized boot he wore down onto his throat, stomping on it repeatedly.

“You fuckers killed him!” He growled, over and over again every time his boot came down onto the monster’s throat. The guard pierced the monster’s chest with his sword, rendering it lifeless on the ground but Renjun didn’t stop. It was only then that Hendery noticed the tears streaming down his cheeks and the guard had to drag him away just to stop him.

“Get a healer!” The guard shouted, Hendery’s attention moved to Yangyang where he lay on the ground, curled up into a fetal position. Hendery doubled over, covering his ears and squeezing his eyes shut. What did he do to deserve living in this nightmare?

He wasn’t cut out for something like this. He just wanted to go home already.

Chapter 4: Team Dream

Chapter Text

Team Dream: Jaehyun, Jeno, Chenle, Jaemin, Jisung

Jaehyun had a more maternal side to him than the others so if anyone was best suited for corralling the Dream unit while they dispersed excitedly into the snow, it was him.

He reacted before they got more than a few steps away from him.

"Don't even think of it, you guys." Jaehyun grabbed Jaemin and Chenle by the collars of their pajama shirts. The wind was horrible, it didn't take long before they were all shivering. What was first excitement in their eyes turned to fright and they huddled closer to Jaehyun.

"Hyung!" Jisung pointed into the darkness ahead of them, he squinted, seeing a number of faint lights. Maybe somewhere they could take shelter.

A growl sounded behind them and they whipped around, horror striking every one of them when they saw the massive wolf, pale fur and crystals jutting out of the fur. If they didn't have a faint glow to them,  Jaehyun would have thought it was ice. Jaehyun shielded the boys, backing them up. Whatever this thing was, he knew he couldn't turn his back on it. Those lights were too far away, they couldn't run and make it on time and even if they did who knows if whoever was at that light would try to hurt them. The beast lunged at Jaehyun and he forced the boys back, grunting in pain when its weight collided with him, sending him backwards into the snow.

"Hyung!" Jaemin gasped.

"Don't worry about me." Jaehyun growled, pulling himself to his feet. "Keep going backwards." The beast lunged again, this time its jaws snapping open with a terrifying snarl, and clamped around Jaehyun's forearm, making him cry out in pain. Jaehyun balled up a fist and rammed it into the beasts face, making it whimper before growling even louder and trying to shake Jaehyun's arm around. He gritted his teeth together, hitting it in the face again but its grip just grew tighter.

"Hyung!" Jeno snapped a snow covered branch off the tree.

"What are you doing? I told you to stay back!" Jaehyun barked but he ran up, shoving the stick in the beasts mouth, sliding between the gap in its teeth. He growled, swatting at him with its paw, tearing his pant legs. Jaehyun realized though what Jeno was trying to accomplish. Jaehyun grabbed the stick, pulling down with all of his strength until finally its tight grip loosened and Jaeyuh pulled his arm out, hissing as the sharp teeth dragged down his arm, slicing it open. As soon as he was free the jaws clamped down on the stick, breaking it in two. He grabbed rushed for another stick, a bigger one, something with more weight to it and he swung it as the beast approaching Jeno.

Stay with the others!" Jaehyun demanded, glancing back at Jeno. He shouldn't have looked away. The creature snarled, charging at him, pinning him to the ground, claws digging into his chest. He held the stick in front of his face, it was the only thing keeping this thing from tearing out his throat. Jeno picked up a rock, large enough he had trouble lifting it and rammed it into the head of the animal, making him yip and skid through the snow.

"I told you to stay back!" Jaehyun shouted, staring Jeno. Jaehyun grabbed the rock and hurried over to the animal, slamming it down onto its head. It yelped again, and again, with every hard blow Jaehyun gave it, until it lay a gruesome, still, mess in the snow. Jaehyun dropped the rock and turned to the boys, counting each of them as present and mostly unharmed. He stumbled forward, dizziness overtaking him, knocking him to his knees.

"Hyung! We have to stop the bleeding!" Chenle gasped, running over with Jeno. Jeno tore his shirt off and began wrapping it around Jaehyun's bloody arm, tying it as tightly as he could. Jaehyun's blurry vision cleared and he focused on the bare feet in front of him.

"Jeno, where are your shoes?" He asked

"I was the first one to get into bed, you guys didn't take them off yet." He muttered, his pale body trembling from the cold.

"Your bleeding on your chest and your back too." Jisung whined. Jaehyun kicked off his shoes, kneeling, forcing them onto Jeno's feet before he pulled off his coat and shirt. They weren't drenched in blood aside from the arm but they would keep him warm.

"He hoisted Jeno up into his arms, jisung and Jaemin swaddling him in the extra layers as best they could.

"But your feet." Jeno stated

"Huddle together guys, the winds picking up. I don't want to lose any of you. We're going to that light." They all stuck close to him, trudging through the snow. Jaehyuns feet stung from the bitter cold, he'd be lucky if he didn't get frost bite from this but Jeno is more delicate than Jaehyun, he could take it so he would. His arm throbbed, he was sure the blood he was losing was going to be too much. There was no hospital nearby for a blood transfusion, not that Jaehyun could tell. It was so dark out here and the few lights they saw weren't medical facilities.

As they got closer, though, Jaehyun felt relieved to see some kind of small cabin.

"Guys, there's someone in there!" Chenle pointed.

He put Jeno down, shoving him forward and the boys all ran for the building, Jaehyun close behind.

Jaemin burst through the door.

"Help!" He gasped as Jaehyun leaned against the doorframe. He groaned, seeing men and a woman all stand from where they ate a meal.

"He's hurt! We're lost and Jaehyun hyung is hurt, we don't know what to do." Jeno pleaded. Jaehyun couldn't stay up any longer. He collapsed onto the floor, people rushed over to him.

"Jeno. He's hurt, help the kids first. Please…" Jaehyun hissed in pain. Fuck, why did his body hurt all over? Like every nerve in him was being scraped over with rough glass.

"Shit, his arm. The poison is already spreading. Get him on the table  Harmony get those kids out of here, they shouldn't see—" 

Jaehyun felt a hand grasp his good hand as he was lifted onto a table.

"I'm staying." Jeno said, the others behind him saying something he couldn't quite make out. 

"Suit yourself." The man tore Jaehyun's shirt off. "Tch everyone knows not to mess with the wolves in these parts. We have to amputate your arm to stop the venom."

Jaehyun groaned as a makeshift tourniquet was fastened around his arm. He then felt searing pain, cutting through his flesh and bone and he cried out, his reflexes trying to yank his arm away, writhing on the tabletop. Hands pinned him down and he could hear people trying to reassure him, comfort him, but couldn't understand what they were saying. The last thing he remembered was seeing Jisung throwing up in the corner, blood, and looking down at his arm to see the newly severed limb before he passed out.

 

 

When Jaehyun woke the immediate thing he noticed was the lack of feeling in his arm. He looked down at it, seeing, not his own flesh and blood, but hard metal in its place.

"You're awake." A man sighed from beside the bed he lay in."You lost so much blood we were worried you wouldn't make it."

"Jeno... Where's the others? Jaehyun demanded

"They're fine—" He started but Jaehyun sprang from the bed, stumbling towards the door, worry and panic striking his heart like a drummer's solo, mid concert.

He gripped the doorframe, barely keeping himself upright and a hand grabbed his shoulder.

He could barely hear over the throbbing in his ears and the room swayed. He clenched his jaw, jerking out of the man's reach and whirling around.

"Where are they!?" He shouted, grabbing the man by his shirt collar, blinking through the haze in his vision.

"Hyung?" Jisung's voice came from somewhere below. He released the man and forced his legs to move, lurching down the hall towards a set of stairs. 

"Guy's he's awake!" Chenle shouted. Jaehyun slipped down the stairs, barely catching himself on the wooden railing before he reached the bottom and saw them. On the opposite side of some kind of study.

"Are you hurt? Jeno—" Jaehyun started, stepping towards them. Dizziness threw off his balance and he fell to one knee clinging to the railing for support.

"Hyung!" Jisung, Jaemin and Chenle ran over to him and he wrapped his arms around them, his eyes glazing over with tears. 

He saw Jeno over Jaemin's shoulder, hurrying over with a single crutch. With the others still clinging to him, Jaehyun reached an arm out for Jeno. He dropped the crutch and fell into the pile of them, sobbing. There were no words to describe the relief he felt seeing them all alive.

"We were so worried, Hyung." Jaemin huffed. Jaehyun tightened his arms around them. Burying his face in Chenle's hair, soaking it with his own tears.

When he woke up and they weren't there he thought the worst had happened. He thought they were hurt in some way, he was afraid they had been separated.

"I'm okay." He murmured "I'm okay, I'm alive. We're alive."

"You won't be if you run around like a damned lunatic." A voice croaked behind him. He dreaded the thought of letting go of them, not wanting to let them out of his sight for even a moment, but his body was starting to feel heavy. 

"Jeno, your leg." Jaehyun pulled away, reaching for Jeno's pant leg. He stopped when he saw the fake limb for the second time, the realization only hitting him, then, that he'd lost his arm.

"It's fine. They helped us." Jeno looked past Jaehyun.

"You're lucky you stumbled into the home of the best artificer and doctor on this side of Venancia. If it was anybody else you'd be dead." The man told him. Jaehyun looked up the stairs at the man. He was ancient . His hair stark white, body thin and wrinkled, aging spots covering his arms, but when he grabbed Jaehyun earlier his grip was firm and maybe even a little strong.

"Venancia?" Jaehyun asked. The man let out a long sigh and pushed past them.

"I'll have my wife get you some food first. You must be famished."

"Come on, Hyung, the food is really good." Chenle grabbed Jaehyun's wrist and pulled him through the study to a table. There he was able to sit and relax knowing they were all safe and within arms reach.

He took the news well, considering he was missing an arm. Though, the fact that they were attacked by a magic dire wolf seemed to make it more believable that they were teleported into a fantasy world.

He couldn’t feel anything in his fake arm but he could move it fine, in fact it made him stronger. If he learned anything from that fight, you had to be strong to survive here, and he would make sure they would all survive.

"We have to find everyone else. Hyung, look I was reading this and there's a story about heroes being summoned." Jisung slid a book over to Jaehyun. He scrunched his nose at it, trying to discern something from the scribbled runic markings in it.

"You can read this?" He asked. Jisung looked at him confused then back down to the book.

"It's probably because your class and level are so high, Dear." The old man's wife patted his head, as though she was praising him. "I'll go fetch the old appraisal tome. You just wait here." She began hobbling over to and up the stairs while Jisung continued.

"There's stories about heroes being summoned to this world."

"They aren't stories, boy. That's Venancia's history. We pride ourselves on our diversity, there's many people from your world that live happy, fulfilling, lives here. You should enjoy our prosperity instead of galvanting around looking for your friends." The old man stated

"Our family." Jaemin muttered

"Speak up, boy! Speak up or don't talk at all!" 

"They aren't just our friends!" Jaemin growled, shooting from his seat "They're our family! How would you feel if your wife went missing and you didn't know if she was safe or not!?"

The man let out an amused cackle, slapping his knee. He cupped a hand around his mouth and shouted out towards the stairs.

"You hear that!? He thinks your weak too!"

"Oh, shut your mouth! Your the weak one! Who was the one that built that arm for our guests!? Huh!? HUH!?" She squawked. He didn't respond, just let out an irritated grumble.

"So heroes were summoned?" Chenle urged Jisung to continue.

"Twenty Three of them to be exact. A few hundred years ago." Jisung turned the page. "There's a ritual involving a Lightbringer and Oathbreaker, whatever those are, some magic circles and lots of Mana. Those heroes brought an end to some kind of war—"

"Not just any war. The Calamity. You see Lightbringers and Oathbreakers are different breeds of mages. Natural sworn enemies but by combining their magic they were more powerful than any other force in this world." Their host explained.

"So someone summoned us? All of us?" Jeno asked "Even Renjun's tent?" 

"If its been done before who's to say they couldn't do it again?" Chenle grinned but Jaehyun clenched his jaw. 

"If it was a common thing, it wouldn't be thought of as such a proud moment in their history." He stated. "Has anyone ever succeeded since this Calamity?"

The man's expression was answer enough for Jaehyun, but he still responded.

"The age of light and darkness ended with Arcanist Bazzif over a hundred years ago. You won't find magic on that scale anywhere in Valancia." Everyone visibly deflated "But there are instances where multiple guilds have participated in mass summons, so I wouldn't give up too quickly. A number like that can't be a coincidence in a place like this."

Everyone looked at each other confused, waiting for him to elaborate as his wife finally hobbled down the stairs.

"We have twenty three days in each moon cycle. We have twenty three gods we worship, we've had twenty three kings and twenty three Master Arcanists and its been, to my knowledge, twenty three years since the last attempt to bring our heroes back to our world. I'm not the superstitious type but I would go out on a limb to say twenty three would be this world's lucky number." His wife explained and dropped a heavy book on the table "Now, let's find out what your classes are, shall we?"

Chapter 5: TY Squad

Chapter Text

 

TY Squad: Taeyong, Taeil, Haechan, Shotaro, Sungchan

Taeyong sat perched on a seat by a beautiful,  ornate window, watching the people in the gardens below. It wouldn't be long until help arrived.

"Excuse me!" A tiny voice came from the window sill and he looked down at a spider, climbing up and over his bare toes. It stopped and turned, looking at him. "Can you help?" Taeyong smiled and reached his hand out towards the spider, watching as it crawled onto his fingers. He lifted the spider to her web in the corner of the window.

"You should move, Amelia. If a maid sees you there you'll be swept away." Taeyong stated

"We'll if I'm swept away at least I got to meet my prince charming!" The spider responded. If spiders could smile, he imagined Amelia would have a very charming smile. For a spider she had a wonderful, positive, attitude.

"It's so creepy when you talk to them." Haechan muttered.

"I think being a Beastmaster is more useful than throwing some rocks around" Taeyong laughed. It was a power he wasn't expecting, to be able to speak to animals. He felt some kind of tug deep in his core so he reached out. He let his instincts take over and he called something here. He could hear her in his mind. Curious, questioning him and his intentions.  He gave her three targets. The red cloaks below the window, worn by his friends. Taeil, Shotaro and Sungchan. They were chasing some dogs around the flower bushes far below in the gardens. She would grab them first and then Taeyong and Haechan.

"Why aren't you with them?" Haechan asked. Taeyong lifted his hands, revealing the manacles around them. Haechan sighed, walking over to look out the window. He leaned against the window frame and nudged Taeyong.

"Cheer up. We know how to get home, now. A little bit of house arrest was worth it." He muttered.

"Are you trying to comfort me?" Taeyong teased

"Tch no." Haechan huffed but stayed where he stood. Taeyong’s eyes drifted up to the sky where a small dark spot grew larger with every second.

"I need you to do me a favor." Taeyong started, standing up, holding his hands out towards Haechan. Haechan looked over his shoulder to the door, hesitant to use his magic. Taeyong was the only person who allowed his magic to be known to their captors. Shotaro's was too unstable and people were afraid of Elementalists like Haechan.

"If they find out—"

"It won't matter if they Find out." Taeyong interrupted him. "Trust me and do it."

Haechan gave him a nod and took a deep breath, focusing on the chains. Haechan's magic wasn't as strong as Shotaro's but he could manage simple things. The metal snapped, not releasing the manacles but breaking the chains so he could at least move his arms freely. Taeyong walked to the desk and picked up the chair, lifting it over his head before throwing it at the window. Haechan covered his ears, turning away to protect his face. Not that it mattered, the glass would shatter outwards and reform shortly, it was magic after all, but they still had some time to jump. Taeyong grabbed Haechan and shoved him towards the window, keeping a tight grip on his shirt as they toppled out.

They barely fell two stories before they landed on something big, soft, and warm.

"What the fuck!?" Haechan screeched "You tried to kill me!"

Screams were coming from below them. Sunchan, Taeil and Shotaro in the claws of the Dragon they had landed on. Taeyong let out a smirk as he grabbed fistfuls of the soft, grey, fur and dropped his face into the neck of the flying beast.

"I heard your call, Tamer" the Dragon hummed.

"Thank you for answering. Just, please be gentle with my friends." Taeyong chuckled "Take us as far north as you can."

Chapter 6: Chaos Brigade

Chapter Text

Hit harder. Strike faster. You can do better than this Johnny. Get your fucking ass in gear!

"Johnny!" Doyoung shouted, running over to him. He struck the training dummy three more times with his sword before he lowered it, turning to Doyoung.

"Look!" He opened his palm, shoving his hand towards Johnny's face. Johnny went cross-eyed looking at his palm, eyebrows furrowed. Then he focused on his finger, faint, glowing runes running down the underside of it.

"It's the name of a city! I think Taeyong’s there!" He grinned.

"Wait what? Really?" Mark chirped from where he sat. "Who was in their Tent?" 

"Taeil, Shotaro, Taeyong, Sungchan and Haechan I think." Johnny stated, counting the members on his fingers. "Do you think Jaehyun's tent is with them?" 

"I don't know but… but its a good place to start." Doyoung pulled his hand away, looking at his ring. It made Johnny look down to his own ring. Maybe there was magic to tell Johnny where Jaehyun was. Jaehyun was wearing his, Johnny joked about him wanting to bring the new gift camping with them and he proudly announced he'd wear it the entire trip. 

"Can you use magic to find Jaehyun with our matching ones?" He asked

"I'm sorry, Johnny. I think this is part of my own abilities. For yours, you'd have to get the ring enchanted to do it." Doyoung frowned.

He thought as much. It made sense someone like Doyoung would have magic to find Taeyong. He suspected Doyoung and Taeyong were like him and Jaehyun.

"Where's the city?" Johnny asked, squaring his shoulders. He shouldn't get his hopes up. Just because Taeyong was still alive didn't mean Jaehyun was. Doyoung deflated, a troubled expression on his face.

"It's far." He murmured "In the opposite direction we've been travelling. I asked the quartermaster how long it would take and he said at least a month on horseback."

"And we don't even have our own horses." Johnny sighed "or any money to buy some." 

"But I heard them talking. Some of the horsemen said there's a tournament. The prize is supposedly some kind of legendary arrow made from the bone of a dragon. If we can win the tournament we could sell it for some horses. Something like that's got to be worth a lot, right?" 

"What kind of tournament?" Mark asked

"I wouldn't count on something like that, Yuta interrupted, walking up to them. "My trainer said that People come from all over to participate in them and we're just beginners. Sure, we learn fast but that doesn't make up for our lack of experience."

He had a good point. Despite Johnny trying to learn how to fight, he doubted he could beat someone that's devoted their entire life to it. Johnny's eyes wandered over Yuta's shoulder where Ten stood, eyes cast to the ground. 

"What if we stole it?" Doyoung suggested. Everyone's attention snapped to him, shock on their expressions. He never expected Doyoung, of all people, to suggest thievery.

"How the fuck are we supposed to do that?" Mark asked.

"Simple." Yuta picked up a stone from the ground and held it in his hand. In a split second the stone disappeared. "Invisibility."

"Yuta, I think they'll see through low level magic." Doyoung snorted

"Except it isn't low level magic. It's really hard to master. Chief told me that Ten and I were the most powerful of the group." Yuta explained, a proud smile on his face. Except everyone was looking beyond him at Ten, whose eyes snapped up in surprise.

In the time they'd been travelling Ten hadn't picked up any skills. Johnny saw him try, he swung a sword until his hands were raw from blisters and he tried to shoot a bow until his arm muscles were so weak he couldn't lift a spoon. He was too physically weak and he had no elemental attunement with any of the mages here, so nobody could teach him how to use magic.

Johnny could see anxiety in Ten's expression. Anxiety, fear, helplessness. He wanted to protect them from those feelings, all of them.

"How…? Doyoung asked "He's the weakest —" Doyoung clapped his mouth shut when Ten reacted to those words, dropping his head, biting his lip to cover up a frown. 

"Dude, not cool." Mark hissed, smacking Doyoung's arm.

"It's fine. I know I can't be of help to anyone." Ten stated, his voice cracking. He cleared his throat and pushed through the group, walking briskly toward their Tent. 

Johnny stared in the direction Ten had walked. Something wasn't right. If Ten was powerful then how come he couldn't fight? Why did he have that look on his face all the time? Like he was a burden to everyone.

"So we steal it then?" Yuta asked, Johnny turned back to the group. He would find Ten later and talk to him. Yuta and Mark nodded in agreement but looked to Johnny for the final decision.

He wasn't cut out for leadership, he didn't like that they relied on him to make these important decisions. He wanted Taeyong back so he could fall back into place with the others.

"If that's going to earn us faster travel, I think it's our only option. Our number one priority will be finding Taeyong’s group." Johnny stated, a sense of dread looming over this plan.

 

"Yo, guys, I think this arrow is like, my destiny." Mark stated while everyone around them clapped and cheered, the arrow on display in the middle of the arena. Ten bit his lip, trying to focus on the pain in his arm, trying to push the magic back down. Trying to keep the seal on it.

"We need to find another way to get money." Mark concluded 

"What?" Doyoung hissed "The plan—"

"You know how you can feel Taeyong? I can feel that arrow, and like, seriously my gut tells me that arrow is going to save our butts if I have it."

"We can't just act based on your gut feeling. We need money for horses." Johnny sighed "and better gear, all we have is the training stuff we got from Chief." Ten felt a wave of dizziness hit him and he gasped, dropping to the ground to try and find some kind of stability. His body was hot and everything ached, that searing pain coming back, forcing him to grow his teeth to keep from crying out. Not here. He couldn't lose control of it in a place like this. Not with the others so close. He could feel his magic bubbling over, threatening to explode.

"What's wrong?" Doyoung knelt by him, putting a hand on his back. Ten winced, a flare of magic lashing out, whipping at Doyoung. Surprised, Doyoung hissed and drew his hand back, cradling it protectively.

"Don't!" Ten snapped, falling backwards, scrambling away from Doyoung. The others turned to look, their expressions confused until Doyoung looked at his hand. Horror struck him when he saw the blistering wound, still sizzling and smoking. Doyoung's entire hand and wrist, nearly all the way up to his elbow, was burned.

"Jesus, what happened to your hand?" Johnny knelt by Doyoung, turning it to look at the wound.

"I can heal it." Doyoung stated, covering it up again. "Are you okay?" He directed his attention back to Ten. His injured hand reaching out. Ten shook his head, slapping it away and scrambling to his feet before he rushed into the crowd.

"Wait! Ten, we need to stay together!" Johnny shouted after him. He shoved people aside, fleeing from the crowd and his friends. He broke into a full sprint when he hit the street, running until his lungs burned and sweat soaked his hair. Until he couldn't do anything but collapse and gasp for air. He didn’t know where he was but the street was empty. It was suffocating, this magic made it feel like he was in a sauna after he'd just run a marathon. He lifted one of his hands, whimpering when some of that radiant flame was conjured in his palm. He had to find a way to drain all of his Mana reserves.

"Are you okay?" A woman asked, kneeling to his level. He hadn’t even heard her turn the corner.

"Magic!" The voice of a little boy tore his eyes away from the flame.

"Stay… stay away. It hurts." He doubled over, squeezing his eyes shut. "Get away from me!"

"Oh dear, we can't have you laying in the middle of the road. Let's get you to the doctor and see if he can help you. Where does it hurt?" She put an arm over him and his magic flared up, immediately licking up her arm and engulfing her body. The seal to his magic had already been busted open by Doyoung's touch, the woman took the full force of his magic.

She screamed, a terrible, blood curdling scream. Then the child clinging to her skirt screamed and within seconds the flame engulfed both of them. They became a horrifying, writhing mess on the cobalt cobblestone. Staining the street black with soot. Ten felt tears spill from his eyes as the screams withered away to nothing, the flame dying as the two bodies became nothing more than charred corpses. The smell was horrible, a sulfur-like smell mixed with that of blood and burnt meat. It made Ten gag and he crawled over to the wall, vomiting up his breakfast. He panted, forehead pressed against the cool brick, sweat dripping from his nose. The magic was gone. He couldn’t feel that pressure anymore, that wretched, bloated feeling from before. He looked back at the bodies on the ground, eyes drifting to a pouch not far, coins spilling out. He bit his lip, crawling for it and hesitantly scooping the coins back in before shoving it into his pocket.

He stood, making his way back, his mind numb, stumbling and staggering like he was drunk.

Chapter 7: WooV Party

Chapter Text

"Ten-ge!" Lucas saw him through the darkness, a beacon of light, impossibly far but somehow still within reach. Ten rolled up his sleeve and unwrapped a bandage around his arm, looking down at it with a despondent frown. His petrification was worse than Lucas' engulfing nearly his entire arm.

"Ten, something wrong?" Johnny's voice drew Lucas' attention to a tent in the distance. Ten pulled his sleeve down, hiding the bandages behind his back as he turned around.

"Nothing."

"You should get some rest. We leave for Rantick tomorrow, we have to be ready to run as soon as the others get back with the arrow."

"I'll come to bed soon." Ten smiled

"Ten." Johnny sighed.

"Wait, Rantick? What is that? A city?" Lucas asked, stepping closer "Ten-ge, Where are you?" Neither of them reacted to his voice

"Is this about the money? How did you even get it? You know you can talk to us."

"I'm fine, Hyung I'll come to bed in a minute." Ten said. Johnny frowned but nodded, disappearing into the tent. Ten let out a sigh and started wrapping up his arm again. Lucas ran over, reaching for his arm.

"Fuck." He heard Ten curse as he tightened the bandage and pulled his sleeve back down, turning towards the tent again.

"Ten-ge! Look at me!" Lucas demanded, grabbing Ten's shoulder. Ten stopped, looking over his shoulder, eyes seeing through Lucas.

"Ten!" Lucas tightened his grip. Then Tens eyes focused on him for a brief moment and Lucas knew he had a chance for Ten to hear him. "Where are you?!"

"Lucas?" Ten's brow furrowed and he drew in a sharp breath. Lucas could feel whatever was connecting them begin to fade. "Lucas? Is that you? Taeyong’s alive. We're in Castor Creek, we're going to find him." Ten looked frantic but some hope sparked in his eyes. "He's in Rantick, the capital. We're going there to find him!"

"We'll meet you there. Look for us! Look for the butterflies!" He gasped before the connection was lost. His eyes snapped open and he sat upright, startling Jungwoo who was keeping watch. He tried to come up with the simplest way to find them. He saw Jungwoo conjuring little balls of light, forming them into butterflies and sending them dancing over their heads as the others slept. It was a Longshot but now they knew the others were alive. At least some of them. Ten was dying, Lucas wasn't an expert but if he had to guess the Mana Sickness was starting to reach its second phase, spreading faster, unless Ten didn't know what it was, didn't know he needed to get rid of the magic to slow it down. Or maybe he did. Maybe he knew but it was already too late. Maybe he knew and was hiding it from everyone. Maybe he'd already given up. Lucas shot up from his bedroll and shook Kun and Winwin awake.

"Guys! They're in Rantick! Taeyong is there and Ten's going there. We have to go."

"Now? Can't it wait until the morning?" Winwin muttered, rubbing his eyes.

"No. We have to go. " He persisted "I saw them. Ten-ge has Mana Sickness, and its bad ."

Chapter 8: Team Dream

Chapter Text

Jaehyun grumbled, using the screwdriver to tighten the bolt at the wrist. His hand slipped and the screwdriver flew to the floor. It startled Jisung where the bubble he conjured popped and water fell to the floor.

"Fuck." He hissed.

"Hyung just let her do it for you." Chenle sighed, readjusting the wraps around his hand. The old man grunted at him, holding his hands up, gesturing for Chenle to continue punching.

"No. I have to be able to do this. The first rule of survival is self preservation. If I can't fix my arm and you're in trouble." Jaehyun looked up at Jeno sitting in the corner of the room, drawing a circle on the floor with chalk, summoning a small bird of some sort. It screeched at him and flapped its wings. Jeno groaned and wiped at the circle, the bird vanishing in a puff of smoke.

"What good is it being a summoner if I can't control the things I summon." Jeno sighed. Jaehyun heard a floor board creaked behind him and he turned in his chair, grabbing Jaemins wrist and twisting it, yanking the knife from his hand.

"What good is it being an Assassin if I can't sneak up on anyone." Jaemin groaned

"You just need practice. Need to level up your skills." Chenle stated, still punching the old man's hands, letting out an impressive "Hya!" When he kicked up his leg. Jisungs bubble popped again and he scrunched up his nose and hands, shooting Chenle an irritated glare.

"Jeno, you need to think outside the box. Summon things that can understand you." Jaehyun stated

"Like, other people?" He asked. Jaehyun nodded. "Or if there's people that can speak to animals, if we can find one in the city maybe they can teach you the skill."

"Heal that foot first." The old woman walked by, walking it with her stick.

"Ah! That hurt!" Jeno whined, Jisung gasped, a third bubble bursting from his broken conversation. Jisung had the most potential, he had skills for healing and buffing them. As a Water Elementalist he was the most versatile but Jaehyun worried about him the most. As a mage he had to concentrate on his spells and he was scared of everything . If he didn't have time to cast the spells he was as good as dead.

Chenle being a Brawler, a close combat fighter, was also in danger. He had skills to strengthen his punches but the class didn't suit him. None of their classes really suited any of them. Jaehyun looked at the large bastion leaning against the wall. The shield was going to be his best option. With the automaton arm he could actually lift objects that were far heavier than what he used to be able to lift.

"Are you sure its okay?" Jaehyun asked "To take all of this with us."

"You don't have any money with you so you won't be able to buy from the vendors in Castor Creek. Our adventuring days are behind us anyway. I've been nagging him to empty out the shed for ages. So I can have a workshop of my own."

"When we came in, there were other people here." Jaemin stated, sitting cross legged on the floor.

"Customers we invited over for tea while we finished their repairs." She explained

"So this is a common thing?" Jaehyun asked, finally succeeding in taking the metal plate off the top.

"Quite. But you won't find better quality than my Artificing." She explained. "Jisung, dear." She put a hand on his arm, he flinched, the bubble bursting a fourth time.

"Sorry!" He bowed

"Use this." She pinned something to his robe and a small mote of light appeared in front of him. "Focus on it. It'll help." He did, staring down the mote as another bubble formed and he inhaled deeply, moving his hands and the bubble separated into 4 parts before he tipped his hands forward, each bubble streaking towards each of them, hitting Jaehyun and Chenle in the chest, Jaemin in the head and the other hitting Jeno's foot.

"Ah its wet!" Jaemin whined

"My foot." Jeno stood up, rolling his ankle around and lifting the leg. He tugged the bandages off and grinned when he saw the wound was almost healed. Jaehyun lifted his shirt, inspecting his own injuries. Almost fully healed and hardly any pain.

"Does this mean we can leave soon?" Jeno asked 

"You can leave tomorrow if you like. The wind  is slowing. It takes a few hours to hike down the mountain but I'll still pack some bed rolls and a tent.” The old man stated

"If you talk to a man named Otto, the horsemaster, he'll loan you some horses if you tell him I sent you. If you go to Kira's Oddities she can make you some scrolls to summon something from someone. Once you have this item Jisuung's magic will lead you to them so you should be able to find your friends pretty easily."

Jaehyun perked up at this and looked down at the hand his ring should be on. The automaton arm.

"Did you find a ring on me?" He asked.

"No  your arm was mangled, I think you lost most of your hand." The man stated. "We had to burn the clothes you were wearing to prevent the venom from infecting anyone else.”

"I am impressed you took down Frost Fang with just a rock and a stick. It'll make your journey safe, without him in the mountains it’s pretty safe this time of year. The tournaments end tomorrow so you'll probably be able to get lodging for the night at a cheap inn, too." She handed a coin purse to jisung.

“Thank you.” Jaehyun gave the woman a grateful smile “I wish we had some way to pay you back for all this.”

“Well, there is one thing I was hoping you could do.” She nodded behind Jaehyun to the old table they’d eaten their meals at. Jaehyun looked over, laughing when he saw the feast laid out on it. “Help us get rid of some of our extra food. Someone went and bought too much for this winter.” She croaked, shooting a look at the old man.

“Woah!” The boys left their training and rushed to the table “Hyung, look at all this food!” They beamed while taking seats at the table. Jaehyun clicked his tongue and gestured at the wash basin at the far end of the corner.

“Just cause we’re not at home doesn’t mean you get to forget your manners.” He growled, “Wash up first.”

“Sorry, Hyung.” They all murmured, falling in line. He let out a heavy sigh but smiled to himself. It was going to be a long road with them, and probably difficult to keep them in line but he was happy to be with them. If he hadn’t let Jaemin drag him to their tent they would have probably all died by now.

 

 

Jaehyun rushed forward, ramming the shield into the side of the wolf, knocking it prone for Jaemin to toss one of his throwing knives at it. The knife hit the wolf in the head, handle first. Jeno covered his mouth to stifle a laugh.

“Hyung, it's getting up again.” Jisung backed away from it. A growl came from behind Jisung, startling him, making him whirl around, breaking line of sight on the wolf Jaehyun had just knocked down. It shook free of the frost coating it’s fur, a spell Jisung had cast to slow it down. Chenle rushed forward, his boot coming in contact with the snout, before the wolf could recover. He landed a series of blows to the side of it until the wolf let out a yelp and skidded across the dirt. He picked up Jaemin’s dagger and tossed it back to him. Jaemin barely managed to catch it without hurting himself.

Jaehyun traced a symbol into the back of the shield, shimmering, arcane, blades lining the edges of it and he reached for Jisung, shoving him towards Jeno who was focused on the battle where he’d drawn his summoning circle in the dirt. Jaehyun’s shield came down on the wolf, severing the head from the body in a single blow. A third wolf burst through the bushes, lunging at Jaehyun, catching him off guard, latching onto his arm, it’s teeth denting the metal. A cloud of white smoke exploded around him and Jaemin leaped from the mist, bringing both daggers down into the neck of the wolf. Jaehyun traced another symbol into the shield and grasped the handle of a weapon, seemingly pulling it from the shield itself.

The mace had a faint warm glow to it and deadly sharp spikes all over the surface. 

“Hyung! Behind you!” Chenle called out, busy trying to pin his wolf to the ground. Jaehyun tried to break free of the jaws but the wolf kept a tight grip on his arm, flailing about to shake Jaemin off.

Jaehyun let out a growl, angrily bringing the mace down onto it’s head, denting his arm in the process, but it was still functional. He turned around to face the other wolf but was surprised to see a torrent of water knock it off the battlefield. He turned back to the wolf he and Jaemin fought, raising his mace to bring it down onto the wolf only to stop mid swing as Jaemin thrust the dagger into its neck. He gripped the handle so tight his knuckles were turning white. The wolf thrashed about on the ground, howling and whimpering for a few seconds until it went limp.

“Jeno!” Jaehyun called out, gesturing for him to end the spell. Jeno removed his hands from the summoning circle, all but Jaemin’s wolf disappeared in a cloud of dust.

Jaemin released his dagger, his eyes glazing over. Jaehyun dropped his shield and mace, kneeling beside him, putting a hand on his back and the other on his wrist. Jaemin released the dagger, looking at Jaehyun with a pained expression.

“I killed it.” He choked out. .

“I told you to let me take the kills.” Jaehyun stated, pulling the dagger from the wolf. He knew that they wouldn’t be able to survive in this world without being able to take a life. He’d already killed Frost Fang so he thought he might be able to shield them from having to kill anything.

Now he realized that it would be near impossible to do. Fighting was messy, nothing ever went as planned and it was hard to utilize all of your skills. Jaehyun had about a dozen he could have used to make that fight go better than it did but it was hard to remember all of them in the seconds it takes for a wolf to tear out your throat. Jeno knelt beside Jaemin, grabbing his blood covered hand, drawing his attention from the wolf.

“Jisung, you have some magic that will make skinning this thing easy?” Jaehyun asked, handing Jeno the dagger and grabbing the wolf by its front paws. Jisung nodded, cringing at the trail of blood. “Jeno, summon something a little less rabid next time okay?” Jaehyun laughed. It was their first real fight as a party. Jeno needed to raise his summoning skill so they decided he would summon once a day for them to train. It was an added bonus that whatever they killed here, stayed here, so they’d hopefully be able to sell the fur and meat.

Jaehyun watched as Jeno and Jaemin found their way over to the creek, Jeno helping to wash the blood from Jaemin's hands. They weren’t able to make it to the base of the mountain by nightfall so they chose this spot to camp out and they would make their way into the city tomorrow. He wished he knew how to comfort Jaemin. Jaehyun had defeated Frost Fang purely on adrenaline, he didn't have time to think of the fact that he killed an animal. It was just survival to him, but to them, to the kids, it was bound to be jarring. Taking any life, regardless of species, was something that could break them down.

They weren't trained to inflict pain or suffering and Jaehyun knew, when they got home, none of them would be the same because of it.

Chapter 9: Chaos Brigade

Chapter Text

Johnny slid the ring off his finger, looking at the scrolls in front of him. He glanced up at the woman who gave him a nod. Johnny closed his eyes, clenching the ring in his fist and focusing on Jaehyun’s matching one, doing his best to picture it in his mind, every detail down to the scratch on the inside of the band, to they're initials engraved in it.

Johnny opened his eyes, his blood running cold when he saw the ring sitting atop the scroll. It wasn’t a ring but rather, pieces of a ring, iced over and utterly destroyed, part of it frozen to half of a finger. His mouth went dry and it took every ounce of energy he had to prevent his hands from shaking.

“I’ll try again.” Johnny stated, dropping more coins on the counter. The woman rolled open another scroll and repeated the process, casting it as Johnny began to picture something in his mind. The matching pajama set the dreamies had bought for the camping trip.

Different animals printed across the fabric, cute and warm.

He opened his eyes and nearly cried out when he saw the blood drenched, torn up fabric. He covered his mouth with his hands and swallowed back a sob. His hands trembled as he stared at the her pile of fresh scrolls. He took a deep breath, trying to collect himself before he opened his coin purse. He hesitated when he saw the money inside. They had barely enough for their new gear and horses, Johnny had already spent a full day's worth of rations. The air had grown thick, humid almost at the thought of what might be summoned next, would it be another limb? Maybe some kind of wretched monster who had eaten them.

He just wanted something. Needed a reason to believe that Jaehyun might be alive but if he spent any more money he’d have to go without any rations while the other’s ate, and he couldn’t protect them if he was starving to death.

“Is there a way to tell where these came from?” He asked, looking at the frozen ring and finger, feeling sick to his stomach..

“Do you really want to know?” The girl asked. When Johnny didn’t respond she let out a sigh “I’m not a doctor but it’s probably poison from the wolves in the mountains. The way the skin looks like it's rotting, I've read about it. It’s not far but nobody would be able to make it down the mountains before the poison killed them. As soon as it hits your bloodstream you're dead.”

“Poison? Is it… Is the poison…” His voice cracked the word difficult to say. “Pain… Painful?” The girl reached across the counter to Johnny’s hand, giving it a tight squeeze.

“I found more comforting knowing that it didn’t last longer than a couple hours.” She stated, her voice gentle. He looked up at her, his bottom lip quivering. So she'd seen someone die this way before. A couple hours. Jaehyun had suffered hours in the cold, poison eating away at him.

He couldn't spend any more money. As much as he wanted to dig for answers, maybe find a body or location of one, they didn't have the time or money. Their survival depended on the decisions Johnny would make in these situations. There would be time to mourn, he'd save the money for a more expensive spell, one to retrieve whatever was left of Jaehyun's body. When he was ready to say goodbye, when they were reunited with whoever was still alive.

“Hyung.” Ten poked his head inside the shop “Hyung, it’s almost time.” She slid two coins back over to him, along with the scroll that held Jaehyun’s ring and his finger.

He muttered a thank you, picking up the coins. He stopped for a few seconds, frowning at the shattered ring before turning and leaving. He didn’t want a reminder of his loss. He didn’t need to think about Jaehyun dying, the pain he must have felt. No, he couldn't let this cloud his judgment, the others depended on him.

Johnny stopped outside the door, biting at the inside of his cheek, doing his best to keep his composure. Ten gave him a hopeful look but he just shook his head. Ten's eyes glazed over and he sniffled, turning his attention to the marketplace they were standing in..

“I spoke to that vendor, arranged for some horses. We couldn’t afford one for each of us. Got three of them, a map and navigation stone, we just need to pay him. The vendor across the street had some enchanted gear for beginners, I picked out a few things for everyone that seemed decent quality. They already loaded it onto the horses. ” Ten told him. He nodded, pushing back the heartbreak and followed Ten to the vendors, paying each of them before they spent the remaining coin on drinking water and rations before proceeding through the streets to the meetup point.

“Hyung!” Johnny heard Ten call out. He turned his head, looking at Ten.

“What?” He asked, Ten furrowed his brow, tilting his head in confusion. 

“I didn’t say anythin- Ah!” Ten gasped as a crate at a nearby vendor fell open in the road. causing the horse to rear up, letting out a whinny and a loud huff. “Shhh” Ten cooed, stroking the horse’s neck, trying to calm it. Ten had a way with house pets but horses were a different story. There didn't seem to be anything about this world that agreed with Ten, so Johnny reached over and grabbed the reign, humming at the horse to calm it down.

A chime came from the tall clock closer to the center of the city and Johnny cursed, urging the horses forward through the city.

They hadn’t even been at the meeting spot longer than ten minutes before he saw Doyoung, Yuta and Mark running towards them down the street. He’d been so distracted by his thoughts about Jaehyun, and how he would give the others the news, that he didn’t see them until they were only a few crossroads away.

“Ten, get up on a horse.” Johnny ordered when he saw the soldiers running after them, shouting, and the arrow they were after in Mark’s hand.

“Huh? You know I can’t ride-”

“Get on the fucking horse!” Johnny demanded, hoisting himself up into his saddle. Ten looked over his shoulder, seeing the fleeing members. Johnny reached over and helped Ten clamor up onto the horse, Doyoung reaching Ten’s horse and climbing up onto it. He waited only until Yuta and Mark mounted before he spurred his horse into a full gallop. 

The three of them reached the horses and hurriedly mounted them, Johnny leading them into a gallop.

“Why did you choose my horse!” Ten squealed, trying to grab the saddle for stability. If he fell off, Doyoung was the last person he wanted to be with. Any of the others could catch him or maneuver the horse quickly enough that they could double back for them but Doyoung…

Ten felt Doyoung’s muscles flex as he expertly steered the horse through the people in the street. Holy shit, Doyoung was actually really good at this. Ten thought Mark was the best with a horse, or Johnny with his strong legs but Doyoung made it look like he'd been born to ride a horse.

Magic, swordplay, strategy, and now horseback riding. Was there anything in this world Doyoung couldn't do?

"Mark!" Johnny shouted over his shoulder. Mark was already grabbing an arrow from the quiver Ten got for him and knocking it into his bow. He aimed ahead of them, nearly elbowing Yuta in the face. Ten almost screamed at him to shoot at the people chasing them, but he loosed the arrow and it flew into an arc towards a building, embedding itself into the roof. Mark cursed and grabbed another arrow, taking a moment to aim more carefully this time. It struck one of the knots holding a festive banner in place.

They were all over the city, celebrating the tournament.

It fluttered its way towards the ground, just barely missing their heads but, intercepting the horses the guards now had, the confusion causing the guards and horses to lose their balance.

Ten winced when the horse took a small jump over a dip in the road, trying to keep himself on the horse, he slipped from the saddle, grasping at whatever he could to keep himself from falling.

Doyoung, with reflexes faster than Mark's, grabbed Ten's arm. Ten whimpered in pain, his arm feeling like it was about to be pulled from its socket. Then Doyoung's eyes fixated on the crystal spreading over Ten's wrist, his shirt sleeve having been accidentally pushed up his arm. He yanked Ten back up into the saddle, wrapping an arm around him to keep him steady.

"Split up!" Johnny shouted as they reached the farmland within the city walls. Yuta and Doyoung broke away from Johnny. Doyoung steered the horse to the city gate, barreling through it towards the designated meeting place. There were no more guards chasing them, the only two that were still following chased Yuta and Mark but they would be okay on their own. They have magic and skill.

The horse finally slowed into a trot then a walk, giving Ten's nethers a much needed break.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Doyoung asked, bringing the horse to a half and dismounting, reaching for Ten to help him off the horse. Ten swung a leg over and tried sliding off. He slipped, falling right into Doyoung's arms, surprised by the amount of muscle he gained since they've been here.

"Tell anyone?" He asked, feigning ignorance. Doyoung grabbed his arm and pulled up Ten's sleeve, revealing the petrification. Ten felt his face heat up, he felt exposed, like a girl standing naked in front of her crush. He pulled his arm back, pulling the sleeve down. "Please, Hyung, don't say anything. Don't tell Johnny."

Chapter 10: Team Dream

Notes:

I'm feeling so much better! I'm so sorry for the delay but I'm getting back to updating as best i can :)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

"Hyung!" Jisung called out "I think it's here." He stated, looking down at the parchment. He bumped into a stall, startling himself and knocking over one of their crates.

A nearby horse reared up and he grabbed onto Chenle in fright. Jaehyun groaned, grabbing the directions and comparing the name of the shop with the one on the parchment.

"You guys wait out here."

"Wait hyung we're coming with you." They all ran after him. A woman greeted him, and Jaehyun's attention immediately fell onto the parchment on her counter, seeing the shattered ring and finger. His throat went dry and he grabbed the woman's wrist as she tried to clean up the scrolls. What was his ring doing here? Attached to his finger too, frozen but thawing out.

"How…" Jaehyun drew in a sharp breath, the realization striking him and he turned, bolting out of the shop. "Johnny!" He shouted, looking around frantically.

"What are you doing?" Chenle asked "Are the others here?"

"Johnny!" He screamed into the crowd, using as much volume as he could muster. Some people stopped to stare but none of them were him. He charged back into the shop. "The man that summoned this, how long ago was he here? What did he look like? Where did he go!?" He demanded, slamming his automaton hand on the counter. She flinched, giving him a nervous look.

"I don't know. Someone came for him. He was uhh… tall and muscular. A planes walker, brown eyes. The man he was with was really thin, dark hair, jewelry on his ears. I don't know where they went"

"That sounds like Ten-hyung." Jaemin stated. "They were here?"

"We came from Shera's place. He said if we mentioned him you'd give us a scroll like this one. We need to find these men." Jaehyun urged

"Shera? The doctor? Then your… you're the one this finger belongs to?" She asked "Oh no, I think your friends think you're dead. You see, nobody usually survives a venom like this." She gestured to the finger.

Dead? No. 

"We need to find them." Jaehyun pressed.

"Unfortunately I used all my low level scrolls for today. I already took a loss of profit helping that gentleman, I can't really spare anymore scrolls unless you can pay." She sighed and Jaehyun's heart sank. He understood why she couldn't do it, she needed to make ends meet just as much as they did but it pissed him off. 

"Is there any kind of magic scrolls or anything that can help us track someone without one of their belongings?” he asked

"I don’t have a Locate spell but if you have a mage in your party I can teach them the Message spell, it would be less expensive than these scrolls.” She stated “It lets you connect with someone telepathically, if you have an intimate enough relationship with them.”

"I'm a mage. How intimate does my relationship with them have to be?” Jisung asked

"It’s hard to say. I’ve heard of people being able to contact their friends but not their family. I think a lot of it has to do with your proficiency with the spell.” She explained, pulling a book from under her counter, Jisung stepped up to it, leaning over the book. "If you agree to escort me to deliver some supplies to another city, I’ll teach you the spell. It’s two days from here. Some townsfolk were attacked, they don’t have enough supply to prevent infection so it needs to get there as soon as possible.” She stated

"And you'll teach me the spell after we escort you?" Jisung asked. She nodded and smiled at him. Jaehyun noticed the way Jisung’s cheeks flushed pink and he smiled to himself. She was cute, strawberry blonde hair, big doe eyes and dainty lips, Jisung always liked the cute ones. The girl's ears were a fierce shade of pink.

"Alright. We'll go get some horses—" Jaehyun started 

"I just need to lock up the shop. I'll meet you at the east gate. Could I get some help with the supplies?" She smiled. Jisung was quick to offer himself to carry her things. Jaehyun hoped the connection with this girl would help Jisung come out of his shell a bit more. The others followed Jaehyun to the man Shera recommended and they were able to procure 3 horses. With a brief lesson on controlling them they met up with Jisung and the girl. 

"It's a little late but I'm Kira." The girl smiled, holding her hand out for Jaehyun to shake. He smiled back, taking it. Ears suddenly popped up on the top of her head, startling Jaehyun. That was the last thing he expected to happen.

"Ah, sorry." She giggled "I have a hard time controlling them sometimes. My mum was a shifter." Jisung looked at her ears like he wanted to touch them, his fingers twitching and Jaehyun had to stifle a laugh. 

 "Mm, she was part cat. Shifters are people with the ability to transform into were-creatures. Some of them have been domesticated like my mum's family." She pet the horse's neck waiting for Jisung to get on. When he didn't she gestured to the saddle. "Are you going to get on?"

"What?" Jisung looked at the horse and then laughed "How? I've never ridden a horse."

"I'll help, look you put your foot in here and grab this part and pull yourself up." She instructed

"Maybe Jisung should ride with one of us, Hyung." Chenle suggested, getting on Jeno's horse. 

"Nah I think Kira's got it." Jaehyun chuckled, reaching around Jaemin for the reigns and steering the horse around. Kira got into the saddle behind Jisung, giving him tips on riding the horse and they started to make their way out of the city.

"I wish we could have done some sight seeing." Jeno sighed, looking back at the city.

"There's sick people that need medicine. It can't be helped." Jaehyun sighed.

"Can we come back? I heard some people talking about the arena, it would be so cool, Hyung. The market also looked like so much fun. I want to come back and do some shopping." Jeno pleaded. Jaehyun chuckled and nodded.

"Sure." He also would have liked to look around the city. It would have been nice to earn some coin for the road, not that they were going to come across a drive thru anytime soon but he didn't like having empty pockets. The road was long and riding a horse for long periods of time really did its toll on them. When they finally stopped for the night they whined and groaned about the aches and pains they felt. Jisung did what he could to heal them but healing magic had its limits. Jaehyun wanted to do some more training, wanted to fight something more challenging than wolves but the group was exhausted, he could see it in the way they moved.

"What should I summon today?" Jeno asked, drawing the summoning circle in the dirt.

"Maybe we should take a break from that tonight." Jaehyun smiled, they all gave each other uneasy looks, confusing Jaehyun. He thought it might have been a nice treat to let them take the night off.

"Hyung, we have to be able to protect you." Jaemin stated "So you don't lose your other arm."

"Protect me?" Jaehyun blinked at them, surprised by Jaemin's words.

"If we don't protect you who will?" Chenle grinned. 

"Right? At this rate he'll lose one of his legs too." Jeno burst into laughter. Jaehyun felt his chest tighten and he gave them a proud smile. He'd been so focused on keeping them safe, wanting to be strong enough so they could enjoy this new experience, but they'd all been doing the same as him.

"Alright. Why don't we-" Jaehyun stopped mid sentence as an arrow embedded itself in Jeno’s neck, knocking him to the ground. 

"Jeno!" Jaehyun shouted, rushing over. He scooped Jeno up into his arms, unsure of whether or not he should pull the arrow out “Jisung! Heal him!” Jaehyun shouted. Jisung hurried over while Chenle and Jaemin grabbed Kira, shoving her behind a cluster of bushes for some kind of cover. Jisung cast the spell but Jeno's body stayed limp in his arms.

"I can’t." Jisung stated, his voice cracking and a sob escaping. "Hyung. I can’t heal him. It’s not working!"

"The medicine." Kira gestured toward the horse "It’s valuable. We can't let someone steal it."

"We can’t just run!" Jaemin hissed. "Jeno-"

"Go." Jaehyun grabbed his shield. He wanted to scold the girl for thinking of money while Jeno was lying dead in front of her. But she wasn't wrong to want to protect her assets. He held his shield in front of Jisung to protect him from any other incoming arrows. "You four get to safety. Bring him with you. I'll buy you some time."

"But-" Chenle started and another arrow bounced off Jaehyun’s shield. Jaemin grabbed Kira and yanked her to a horse, Chenle getting Jisung’s help to load Jeno’s limp body onto his horse. An arrow whirred past Jisung’s face and as soon as he grabbed the reins Jaehyun slapped the horse on the rump, sending it into a full gallop.

"Get out here and fight me face to face, you coward!" he barked. He saw movement come from behind a tree and a man took a few steps closer to him. 

"Where’s the Oathbreaker and Lightbringer?" The man demanded, an intimidating aura emanating off him.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Jaehyun hissed. With just a flick of his finger the man had sent Jaehyun flying backwards into a tree, knocking the breath right out of him. He gasped for breath, falling to one knee, catching himself on his shield. He felt went trickle down his nostril and reached up to wipe it away, looking at the blood that covered the back of his hand. He groaned, trying to focus on the man but his vision was too hazy.

"Tch I only need the Dark and Light mages. If you don't tell me where they are I'll kill the rest of the summons." The man growled. Kill the rest? Did he mean the rest of NCT? "I brought you here I can just as easily make you disappear. Tell me where they are!" The sound of hooves on the packed dirt road neared and a wall of flame erupted in front of Jaehyun.

"Hyung!" Jisung called out. The horse stopped next to him. He didn’t have time to ask when Jisung had learned that spell, he mounted the horse and sent it into a full gallop after the others, grateful that he didn’t have to fight whoever that man was. He had so many questions but the desperation to survive kicked in and they pushed the horses over their limits, not stopping until they saw the city walls in sight and the moon was high in the sky.

He immediately dismounted before the gate and hurried to Jeno’s body, pulling him off the horse, wiping the blood from his neck and face. Tears welled up in Jaehyun’s eyes and he pressed his lips to Jeno’s hair. Dead. How? Why? Jaehyun pulled the dead boy closer, his body quaking with each desperate sob. He’d fought so desperately to make sure they were all safe and in the end all he could do was watch as Jeno’s life was snuffed out. He couldn't do anything to save him. Chenle, Jaemin, and Jisung cried, clinging to each other for some comfort. 

"I’m… I’m sorry." Jaehyun cried. He should have been more careful. He should have known Jeno was the most vulnerable of their group. Should have been able to protect him.

He was a failure.

 

"Hyung, we have to decide what we're going to do." Chenle muttered, wiping the tears from his cheeks. They were sitting by Jeno's body as it lay on the altar at the temple, the priest in this town was able to cast a spell to stop his body from decaying but there was no magic that could bring him back. What was the point of having magic if you couldn’t defy the laws of nature?

"I feel like I failed him." Jaehyun said through gritted teeth.

"It wasn't your fault." Jaemin sniffled, clinging to Jaehyun, burying his face in Jaehyun’s side. Chenle sat on the other side of him and Jisung had fallen asleep with his head in Jaehyun’s lap. Kira had gone to deliver the medicine. 

"Excuse me," a familiar voice came from the temple entrance. Jaehyun would have recognized it if he wasn’t so focused on biting back his tears. “Are you the one that delivered the medicine?” Chenle jerked away from Jaehyun and stood up.

“Renjun!” He bolted to Renjun, tackling him into a hug. Jeamin and Jaehyun looked up at Hendery, Yangyang and Renjun. He wanted to be happy to see them but the weight of Jeno’s death stuck to him like sweat on a humid summer day. The loss hung heavy in the air and these were just three more people he had to break the news to. He looked down at Jisung and stroked his hair, waking him up.

“Jisungie, Renjun is here.” He whispered. Jisung sat bolt upright, looking around until he saw Chenle and Renjun. He looked back at them as they approached, their eyes fell on Jeno’s body and the silence among them stabbed through Jaehyun’s heart like a dagger. “I couldn’t protect him.” Jaehyun murmured. 

“Xiaojun…” Renjun choked out, walking up to Jeno’s body, his hands trembling, knuckles turning white “Xiaojun was killed too.” Jaehyun frowned, wondering just how many of them were alive. The temple slowly darkened as the sun went down and men dressed in robes came in to light candles, keeping out of the way as they mourned their losses. 

Jaehyun had questions for them. How did they know where to find them? What happened to Yangyang’s face? It was bandaged from forehead to chin and what had happened to Hendery? His spirit was broken. He didn’t dare ask them now, though, not when they just found out about Jeno’s death. If they were together would that mean they were stronger? They didn’t have Jeno to summon things for them to fight, they’d have to rely on their own wits to become stronger. How could he become stronger? He couldn’t let any more of them die.

Jaehyun clenched his teeth, biting back the tears. He stood up, walking up to Jeno’s body and brushing the hair off his forehead. He placed a kiss on the cool skin. 

“I’m sorry.” He whispered before turning and walking to the door of the temple.

“Hyung?” Jaemin called after him. Jaehyun stopped, turning to the priest who stood at the door, patiently waiting for them to leave.

“We’ll have him cremated. We’ll bring some of his ashes with us home. Please, let them have as long as they need with him.” Jaehyun instructed.

“Of course.” The priest opened the door for Jaehyun. The cool night wind forced tears from his eyes and he drew in a shuddering breath, he went around the back of the temple, finding a secluded place in a cluster of trees and placed his shield on the ground, tracing a symbol on it with his finger. A shimmering barricade encapsulated him. He knew as soon as it was up nobody could hear him and he fell to his hands and knees, screaming at the top of his lungs.

“Why!?” His body trembled, his sobs making it hard to breathe. What was it all for if he was just going to die anyway? Did anything he accomplished make a difference? He dropped his head to the ground, slamming his fists into the dirt, crying out Jeno’s name, as though he could bring him back if he screamed loud enough, cried hard enough. He cried until he couldn’t breathe, until his fists were bruised and his stomached ached, until a gentle scattering of rain washed away the tears and his spell faded. Until Hendery found him sitting against a tree, wrapped in his cloak. Jaehyun saw the terrified look in Hendery’s eyes and he pulled himself to his feet. Wiping the rain and snot from his face and squaring his shoulders. He had to be strong now, for them.

“Hyung. How do we get home?” Hendery asked

“I don’t know, but I do know there’s still some others that are alive. We’re going to start with finding them.” And, if there's a light mage and a dark mage among the other members, maybe they could give the rest of NCT some answers.

Notes:

What did you think?

Chapter 11: WooV Party

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Lucas focused all the energy he could on the the rock face across the chasm. Slowly pulling the rock out towards them.

They'd been here for three whole days. Winwin’s magic couldn't shape stone and Lucas' took so long to do it they would probably be here another week.

They didn't have that much longer and Winwin was starting to get impatient. This was the only barrier for them to get to the others. This was the only road and the bridge had been taken out by something. It wasn't well travelled but when Winwin managed to get an Aerial view he saw no end to the chasm on either side.

He could get them across but only them. He hadn't learned the spell yet. He didn't know if it would be useful.

It was like a bubble shaped cloud he could control but it had a solid mass, he just couldn't be on it and move it at the same time. Lucas' dreams were getting progressively worse and they all worried for Ten. Lucas could slow his Mana Sickness. He knew how to with the information Kun gathered but by the sound of it, Ten didn't know how to.

How many of the others were sharing the same fate? Were they all safe? Winwin was never an overly affectionate person but now that he was here, separated from the rest of WayV, he wished he could have expressed more how much he cared for them. 

"Done for the day?" He asked as Lucas dropped to the ground.

"Yeah… but I can learn a new skill to make things go a bit faster." He sighed

"Don't learn it. Learn something that is more useful in combat." Kun offered him the canteen of water and Lucas accepted, drinking like he'd been I'm a desert for three days without water.

"I love you guys." Winwin muttered. Lucas stopped drinking, giving Winwinw a shocked look. "I just want you to know. I care about you even if I don't show it very often. If we get back home I want to—"

"There they are!" Someone screamed, drawing their attention. The highway patrol was rushing towards them.

"Shit why won't they won't leave us alone." Jungwoo sighed. Winwin turned and clapped his hands together, twisting them before grasping each wrist and muttering a small incantation, sending a powerful gust of wind towards the soldiers. It formed into a bubble and enveloped them, sending them up into the air.

"What the hell? If you had magic like that why didn't you say anything?" Lucas whined.

"Because it doesn't work on me." He huffed, looking up at the trapped soldiers trying to free themselves.

"So? We can just tie a rope around you."

Winwin felt his cheeks flush. Why hadn't he thought about that?

"How long do we have before they pop out?" Kun asked.

"Long enough to get across." Winwin repeated the gesture forming another bubble, this one stationary. They secured a rope around Winwin’s midsection before he instructed them to get inside.

When they did directed the bubble up, hoping it wouldn't be too much wait for it. When his feet lifted off the ground he smiled.

"I'm seeing it right across. When we get over it'll pop." He told them. He felt proud of himself when it jerked forward. He had to cling to the rope to keep upright while he swayed over the deep chasm. He could hear the massive river beneath them and even feel some of the cool air wafting up from it.

He felt something hit him on the back and he hissed, looking back to see a third soldier throwing rocks.

The bubble popped over the other side and Lucas dropped from the bubble, Winwin dropped the few inches and winced when the rope cut into him.

"Pull me up!" He called out to them, bracing his feet on the wall and finding some handhold to give the rope just a little slack. He felt a rock collide with his temple and he yelped, feet slipping, dropping almost a full arm's length when Lucas got pulled to the ground near the edge. The rope shifted and he looked at the knot, panicking when he saw it coming loose.

He clawed at the rock, finding a foothold again and trying to hoist himself closer. Lucas hissed, and crawled over to the edge, reaching down to grab Winwin’s hand. Kun and Jungwoo both held tightly onto the rope.

"I need a better grip." Lucas groaned, strainging his muscles trying to pull Winwin up. His vision blurred and he tried to pull himself up. The knot suddenly gave and the rope slipped around his waist. He felt on the verge of fainting and he looked up at the others. Looked at Kun's panicked expression.

"Tell them I loved them." He choked out, trying to push through the haze in his vision. "All of them." Were the last words he said before his fingers slipped through Lucas' grip and darkness took him.

Notes:

What did you think? Comments appreciated :)

Chapter 12: TY Squad

Chapter Text

“And do you know what I told him?” Amelia chirped. Taeyong raised his eyebrows, curious to hear the rest of the spider’s story “I told him to go eat a day old fly and see how he liked it!”

“I’ve never eaten flies, is it bad if they sit for a day?” Taeyong asked, genuinely curious about this spider's opinion on the taste of flies.

“Hyung?” Sungchan sat up, looking at him with tired eyes. Taeyong

“Did I wake you up?” Taeyong offered his finger for Amelia to climb on, lifting her to his shoulder where she liked to stay perched, nestled into the collar of his shirt.

“No, it’s just hard to sleep. The ground’s so hard and… I’m really scared.” He muttered, averting his eyes. Haechan was curled up against Taeil’s side, leg swung over him, snoring lightly. Shotaro slept soundly on Taeyogn’s right, the flickering light of the fire sending ominous looking shadows over his face. Taeyong’s lips drew into a half smile and he ran a hand through Shotaro’s hair.

“We’re all scared.” Taeyong stated, looking back up at him. 

"How do you stay so calm?" Sungchan sighed

"It's out of necessity. I have to keep you guys safe but I'm freaking out inside." He laughed, a howl came from somewhere deep in the forest, startling both of them.

“Do you want me to ask if you can sleep with Fenhorn?” He reached behind him, stroking the fur of the dragon that curled herself around their camp, keeping them concealed and warm. Sunghcan gave a small nod and Taeyong patted the dragon’s side, she lifted her head to look at them. Taeyong knew she'd heard the conversation. She let out a little puff of air from her nostrils, bringing her muzzle to rub against the side of Sungchan's head, earning a smile from him. He turned and wrapped his arms around her snout, murmuring a quiet thank you as she pulled him closer, letting him get comfortable before she dropped her head back down.

“Markeu” Haechan whined in his sleep. Taeyong snorted, trying to hold back a laugh and leaned his head back against Fenhorn’s side.

“Why did you bring all of them here?” He heard Fenhorn’s voice inside his head and he drew in a sharp breath, startled by it. He didn't need to speak aloud to converse with the Dragon. Being an old, magical, creature, she had the ability to speak directly into the minds of others, so long as they understood her language. 

“I didn’t mean to.” He responded, without speaking the words aloud. “I just heard a voice coming from… from the moon, he was crying and when I reached out to help him we were just here.”

“I will take you to the one that called you here, the Moonchild, but you must hide your abilities. The small one,” Fenhorn lifted her tail and wrapped it around Shotaro, letting the boy wrap an arm around it in his sleep, burying his face in her fur “He has dark, taboo, magic. Keep it secret or you’ll be hunted, and not just by humans.”

“By beasts too?” Taeyong asked aloud 

“There are far more foul things in this world than humans and beasts, the shadows themselves have a voice of their own, terrible whispers in the dark corners of this world.”

Taeyong looked around them at the trees, the swaying silhouette of the branches against the moon made a chill run down his spine. He pressed his back against Fenhorn, feeling his throat tighten. 

Ah shit.

He didn't need to be afraid of the trees, he wondered briefly if the others would be upset if he woke them. He heard an amused chuckle in his mind and he clicked his tongue at her, smacking her side like he was reprimanding an old friend for teasing him.

“The earth, water, air, even the moon itself watch us, judge us. If we are worthy of their gifts they bestow them upon us and set us on our path. It’s up to us to decide how to use these gifts, Tamer. You may choose to go home. Whether the Moonchild you seek is sacrificed or not, you have your own path to walk, you have your own kind to protect.” Fenhorn adjusted her muzzle, nudging Sungchan’s face with it again, a hint of affection in her tone. Sungchan sighed and curled up against her body.

“Do not let your heart be heavy with the burden of this world’s fate. It isn’t yours to shoulder. Nobody will blame you, Tamer, if you choose to protect your family.”

“They aren’t that tasty.” Amelia piped, up from his shoulder, drawing him from the conversation. He put a hand over his heart, in shock, twisting his head to try and look at her. He loved his ability, being able to talk to all manner of creatures, but it would take him a while to get used to the constant interruption from chatty ones like Amelia. “Flies. They really aren’t that tasty. Even worse if they’re a day old, they get stale. Blech.”

Taeyong let out a laugh, running a hand through his hair. The spider's cute small voice and constant chatter lifted a small weight from Taeyong’s heart.

“Amelia, you are, without a doubt, the most interesting spider I have ever met.” He chuckled

“I aim to please.” She chimed, crawling up his neck and onto his face. She perched on his nose and lifted one of her legs, pointing at Fenhorn. Taeyong tipped his head back, giving her a clear path to the Dragon’s back so she could make a web between the crown of horns for the night.

"Good night, my dear Prince." She chirped "May your dreams be filled with cupcakes instead of flies!"

Taeyong smiled to himself, making a mental not to look for a spider-sized cupcake the next time they found a city. He found his eyes slowly drifting closed and he jerked his head up, stretching before he crawled over to Taeil, putting a hand on his shoulder to wake him. He hoped Taeil got enough sleep to take the second watch of the night.

"Hm?" Taeil hummed, slowly sitting up, looking around with sleepy eyes.

"Your turn to take watch." Taeyong whispered. Taeil yawned and nodded, finding his rifle and ammo pack before scrambling up to Fenhorn’s back. Taeyong heard a gasp from Amelia when Taeil perched his rifle across the dragon's horns.

"The handsome one!" She squeaked "Do I really get to gaze upon this angelic face all night?" 

Taeyong chuckled, sinking into Taeil’s bedroll, letting Haechan snuggle up to him. 

 

Taeil took a deep breath, his rifle perched on Fenhorn’s head, peering into the darkness. He saw movement from the corner of his vision and turned, rifle focused on the shadows. He watched a shadow whip out towards Fenhorn who’s tail jerked away and a growl came from the Dragon’s throat, low but powerful. The first wave of them came fast, ungodly fast. Almost too fast for Taeil had Haechan not spent the previous day altering the earth in a way to impede these beings. Taeyong stayed by Shotaro and Sungchan swung his sword at the encroaching darkness.

“You're doing great.” Taeyong encouraged the boy. Taeil pulled the trigger, the bullet leaving a faint trail of light only visible to him. He hissed at the kickback, the bruises on his shoulder hadn’t healed yet from their last encounter. He pivoted on Fenhorn’s head, cocking the rifle, before he shot again. Haechan was behind him, offering Taeil whatever support he could with his magic, strengthening his hold on the rifle, creating platforms for Taeil to switch to for a better angle. He didn’t have much in the way of offensive capabilities but he was essential support for Taeil.

Fenhorn’s body jerked and she let out a howl, knocking Taeil and Haechan off of her head, now separated from the others. Taeil tossed the rifle aside, pulling out his pistols and firing away and the oncoming onslaught.

“A little help would be nice.” Taeil huffed. Movement on the ground caught his eye, a spider crawling towards them. He reloaded and unleashed a clip of bullets before scooping up the spider.

“Yes, what he said!” Haechan let out a yelp, clinging to Taeil as a shadow swiped at him. “Help!” He screeched in Taeil’s ear. A red miasma crept over the shadows and Taeil let out a sigh of relief as the shadows retreated, howling and cursing in a language they didn’t care to know.

“Fenhorn?” Taeyong asked, Taeil looked up at Fenhorn, picking up his rifle. He put a hand on the Dragon walking around to where he could see the others. Shotaro was healing a wound on Fenhorn’s tail.

“Is she okay?” He asked. Taeyong nodded, stroking her fur. Taeil felt something tickle his hand and he lifted it up to look at the spider crawling over it. Taeyong let out a chuckle and Taeil gave him a curious look.

“She wants to give you a kiss. For saving her.” Taeyong stated. Taeil smiled at the spider and lifted her to his cheek. He wished he could speak to the spider, he wondered what kind of stories she would have to tell and what her voice would sound like. She was, without a doubt, the cutest spider Taeil had ever seen and he was happy that shed taken a liking to him.

"She says thanks." Taeyong smiled "I know she can't talk to you but she can understand you. Maybe you should try talking to her sometime." 

"Really?" He asked, a hopeful smile on his face. 

"Do you want to sleep with me tonight?" Amelia ran around in circles on his hand and Taeil laughed.

"You don't mind?" Taeyong asked

"Of course not. We should finish the quest first though. Once we defeat the Lich we'll have access to the information needed about the moon person you're looking for."

Haechan knelt and touched the ground, muttering to himself. There was a glow that emitted from his hand and he closed his eyes. Taeil wished he had magic like Haechan. Sure being a gunslinger was great but he wanted to know what it was like to cast magic. Haechan turned his head, looking to the east.

"We need to alter our course. There's tunnels about two days through the forest. How important is this information?" Haechan asked 

"It's essential in our quest to get home. Now find us our mode of transport. Fenhorn won't be able to travel through the forest. It's too dense." Taeyong pulled a stone from his pocket and rubbed the symbol on it. From what Taeil knew of Taeyong's ability, he needed those stones to raise his charisma, so he could reason with otherwise hostile animals. Haechan focused on the earth again and closed his eyes.

"There's a pack of Dire Wolves not far from here." Haechan nodded in the direction and Taeyong looked up at Fenhorn.

“We can meet you here in five days.” Taeil suggested “Can Fenhorn scout ahead? Look for a way we can get into Rantik without being spotted?” 

The Dragon let out a trill in response and spread her wings before taking off. Taeil swallowed the nervous lump forming in his throat and wiped the sweat off his hands. He desperately needed to raise his level for them to have the dps to take on this Lich. The two days of travel through the forest would hopefully do enough.

“Let’s go see if these wolves will help us.” Taeyong started in the direction of the wolves, the rest of them following close behind.

Chapter 13: Chaos Brigade

Chapter Text

Doyoung flipped through the pages of a book, index finger tracing a line under each word as he translated it in his head.

"Where'd you get a book that big?" Mark asked. Doyoung gestured to his pouch on the table and kept reading, jotting down notes. Mark reached into the bag and gasped when he pulled a huge tome out.

"Chief gave me the books. I bought the endless bag with the leftover money Ten stole." Except he knew it wasn't stolen money. He sighed, looking at the dense text. Ten killed a woman and child. From what he could gather, anyway. It was hard to tell when Ten was in hysterics. Doyoung didn't blame him though.

Ten was on borrowed time and couldn't even control his magic. He needed to find a way to save him or at least slow it down but he'd only been through a quarter of the book on Mana Sickness and most of it was speculation, and he had to do it without telling the others. It was probably the best option, not telling them. Yuta would probably try to help, he was creative with his magic but it was too risky, he knew Yuta would probably do it regardless. Mark wouldn't know what to do, the distraction could cost them dearly and if Johnny found out he'd be angry they kept it secret. It would cause a rift in their party and they needed, now more than ever, teamwork.

"Guys! Look!" Yuta shouted, pointing at Ten riding the horse. Mark shouted encouragement in whoops at him.

Ten looked tired but a triumphant smile was plastered on his face. Doyoung realized that it was the first time he'd seen a genuine smile from Ten since they arrived. 

"Took him long enough." Johnny snorted. Doyoung turned his attention to where Johnny hacked at a tree with his sword. He'd been bitter and short tempered since they left the city three days ago.

"What?" Doyoung snapped. Johnny stopped mid swing, glancing at Doyoung in surprise, as though he didn't mean to say it aloud.

"Nothing." He muttered. Doyoung stood up, closing his book.

"He's doing his best." Doyoung hissed. Johnny rolled his eyes and spun the sword in his hand, cutting through the air before landing a blow to the tree. The bark splintered and flew off of it.

"His best isn't good enough. We need to do better before more members die like Jaehyun—"

"We're all aware of the fact that it's dangerous here, Johnny." Mark sighed "Don't act like you're the only one hurt by this. They were all just as important to us as they were to you—" Johnny let out a snort, sneering at him and Mark narrowed his eyes.

"We get it, Johnny. You were in love with Jaehyun but like, we lost people we love too!" Mark spat. Doyoung let out a distressed whimper, wondering what he could do to calm them down.

"You don't fucking get it, Mark!" Johnny shouted, throwing the sword at the ground. 

"What's going on?" Ten asked, approaching with Yuta.

"What's going on? I'm working my fucking ass off while you guys are prancing around on horses and reading fucking books!" Johnny growled.

"That was uncalled for, Johnny. We know your hurt but that doesn't give you the right to treat us like garbage." Mark retaliated. Johnny stomped towards him, reaching for Mark but Doyoung came between them. Doyoung's eyes widened when he saw the tears breach the corners of Johnny's eyes. 

"I never even told him! I have to live every fucking day with that regret so don't tell me that you get it. Don't tell me you lost people you love. You don't even fucking know what love is." Johnny barked. He picked up his sword and retreated away from camp. Mark groaned and left in the other direction, finding comfort in the tent. Ten started after Johnny but Doyoung stepped in his way. 

“I need to talk to you. Yuta, go make sure Johnny doesn’t get lost or something.” Doyoung muttered, grabbing one of his books and then Ten’s wrist, dragging him away from the camp. It wasn’t until they were out of earshot of the tent that Doyoung released Ten. 

"Don't take what he said to heart. We all know you're doing the best you can, Ten." He muttered and flipped open the book. He grabbed Ten’s hand and yanked him to the ground, using his finger to draw something in the dirt.

"I know. He's just lashing out because he's in pain." Doyoung glanced up at Ten, unable to read his expression. Ten was good at keeping his emotions buried under his wit and charm. Doyoung used to be good at reading all the members, when did he lose touch with them?

When they got home he promised himself he'd care about them just a little bit more.

“Draw it.” Doyoung ordered as he finished the sigil.

“Why?”

“Just do it.” He hissed. Ten sighed but began drawing the lines Doyoung had, sticking his tongue out and tilting his head to check the angles. When he was finished the sigil began to glow. Doyoung grabbed Ten’s hand, yanking off his glove and forced the palm to the sigil. He pushed up the sleeve where he saw the petrification. Ten’s eyes widened as the crystal seemed to fade, replaced with his own flesh.

“How…” Ten pulled his hand away when the sigil stopped glowing. It was only a small amount, barely noticeable but to Ten it made a big difference, giving him back full mobility in his wrist. 

“You can do it twice every three days. It’s not a permanent cure and it could-” Doyoung stopped when Ten started to draw the sigil once more. He grabbed his hand. “It could rebound. Don’t cast it again until we know there’s not going to be any side effects. It’s not used as a treatment because it’s too unpredictable.”

“But if it can-”

“Chief is looking for more information on other sigils similar to this one. I’ve altered it as best I can but give it a few days. After we meet chief. I know it’s painful but promise you won’t cast it until we know for certain it won't rebound and come back twice as bad.” 

“It’s nothing I can’t handle.” Ten muttered. Doyoung gave him a sad smile, squeezing his hand. He didn’t have the heart to tell Ten that he’d been healing him while he slept. Because Ten seemed to be in immense pain in his sleep and now that Doyoung slept next to him he could easily cast a spell without waking the others. 

“Doyoung, I can do magic that other people can’t, right?”

“Huh?” The question took him off guard.

“Is there any spell that I can cast to find Jaehyun?” He asked. Doyoung let out a heavy sigh and pulled his hand back, running it through his hair. Ten’s devotion to Johnny irritated the hell out of him. 

“There is one. It’ll probably put a heavy toll on your body, I don’t think it’s a good idea. I think it’ll be healthier for Johnny to face reality and move on.”

“Will it find Jaehyun even if he’s dead?” Ten’s voice cracked and Doyoung turned a few pages in his book until he got to the spell, reading over it.

“Yeah, but even if you do this he isn’t going to love you in that way.”

“That’s not why I want to find him. I just don’t want to die knowing I could have done something to ease his pain." Ten sighed. He didn't want to teach it to Ten, but he knew if he didn’t Ten would find a way to do it on his own and that was far more dangerous. 

“Okay but we have to take it slow. Otherwise it'll hurt you. A lot." Doyoung stated. It was risky and irritating but he couldn't deny that having closure would be good for them. He had to believe Ten’s resolve outweighed his lack of skill and hopefully they could come out of this in one piece.

 

 

"Jaehyun would be so turned on right now." Doyoung stated, keeping his eyes glued to the battlefield below. Ten nodded in agreement, watching in awe as Johnny charged at their foes. The sword clashed with the monster’s scythe-like arms, getting caught in its horrifying, barbed, maw. It yanked the sword from Johnny’s grip. Ten gasped, starting for him but Doyoung grabbed his arm. Flame erupted near Johnny and Mark rushed up beside them, shooting two arrows in rapid succession.

"What the hell are you still doing here? Get back to the horses!" Mark snapped, shoving both of them away. Doyoung turned, Ten's wrist in his grip. They’d been looking for a supposed healing hot spring on their map when they were taken off guard by whatever these creatures were. On the plus side any injuries they got during this battle could theoretically be healed in the spring and it was, hopefully, a good place to set up camp.

Ten's eyes widened when he saw a second monster, snapping at Doyoung. He yanked him back, not thinking about how that put him in direct danger. Doyoung was supposed to be the one keeping Ten safe, not the other way around. 

It’s teeth sank into Ten’s shoulder and a sharp thorn-like spike drove through his stomach. He failed to notice that this one didn’t have scythes but long spiked appendages. Mark stabbed at it’s head with an arrow and Doyoung tried to pry him free, both in a state of panic. Ten growled, shoving the head away it tore a chunk of flesh from Ten’s shoulder causing him to cry out in pain. It wasn’t as painful as his magic but it still hurt like hell. He grabbed it’s head and twisted with as much force as he could muster and he heard the disgusting snap of it’s thin neck.

"A healing spring. I just had to set that red flag for myself." He groaned

Blood suddenly drenched Ten as the head was lopped off by Johnny. He grabbed it and yanked it away before Ten could stop him and Doyoung gasped at the sight of Ten’s blood pouring from the hole in his midsection.

Fuck that's not good .

Ten doubled over, a hand held tightly over the wound but it wasn’t enough.

“Fuck” He grunted. Johnny ripped off his shirt, bunching it up and putting it under Ten’s hand before hoisting him up into his arms.

“Why didn’t we bring healing magic?” Yuta hissed, incinerating the corpse of the monster.

“Shit, keep pressure on it, Ten.” Johnny slid down the hill, breaking into a run towards where they thought the spring was.

“Fuck! Not so rough-” He winced when Johnny stumbled, jostling him. The pain shot through his stomach then a familiar heat sparked in his chest.

Not now. Shit. 

“Put me down.” He gasped. Johnny ignored him, skidding to a halt when he heard Mark call out to them, somewhere in the eastward direction. 

“I found it!” he shouted. Ten gasped, his hands trembling when the pain of his magic melted together with the stabbing pain of the gaping hole in his stomach. If his magic flared up right now he could hurt Johnny. 

Johnny turned and ran, so fast it almost seemed like an inhuman speed. Ten let out a yelp when he jumped over a fallen tree and panic consumed Johnny’s normally bright eyes. Ten could hear nothing but the thrumming of his pulse, could feel nothing but the piercing heat inside him. Something hot grazed Ten’s cheek and whipped at Johnny, and he suddenly hit the hard packed dirt. He heard a loud curse and Ten tried to stand, his limbs too weak to support himself.  Then he was being hoisted back up into Johnny’s arms.

“Get him in the water!” Mark hissed. Ten’s body felt heavy and his hand slipped from the wound, dropping Johnny’s shirt. He swore that he saw it, the end of his life, for a brief moment. It felt like all air left his lungs and that he would be burned away to nothing but ash. He saw two figures, blurry, but he recognized them and he knew, in that moment, that he had a choice. He could join them, as his vision focused and he saw the table they sat at, chatting happily with each other. 

“Dejun… Jeno…” He breathed out, longing to sit by their sides and enjoy the tranquility that surrounded them, longing to be as happy and carefree as they were in this moment. They looked at him, troubled expressions on their faces. He heard no words as their mouths moved but he still understood what they were telling him. 

Go back. Send them home. It’s not time yet.  

Ten gasped, flailing in Johnny’s arms as he was submerged in warm water. He latched onto Johnny for dear life, feeling like the wind had been knocked clean out of him, water shooting up his nose and down his throat as he coughed and snorted. He looked up at Johnny through the strands of wet hair, trembling in his arms. 

“Jesus Christ, Ten.” Johnny panted, dropping into the shallow water, bracing himself on a rock as Ten still clung desperately to him, arms around his neck. 

“Are you hurt?” Ten asked and Johnny let out a laugh, lifting his arm to show a nasty burn along his bicep.

“A Sparkfly got me.” He dipped his arm in the water, watching in awe as the wound began to heal. Ten let out a relieved sigh, glad that it wasn’t his magic that injured Johnny. 

“I’ve never seen you run so fast.” Doyoung panted, dropping to all fours to catch his breath. Johnny let out a laugh and Yuta snorted in amusement.

"Oh my god I thought he was gonna die." Mark laughed. "Dude when Johnny came through the trees I thought he was going to bust one down. He was so intense." Mark gestured to the trees. Ten sank further into the hot spring, feeling blissful as the heat and steam enveloped him. Doyoung was dragging the horses through the trees. 

"We'll get camp set up." Mark pulled the canvas tent out and gestured for Doyoung to cast the magic he needed to erect the tent and Yuta began setting up a barrier around the spring.

“You fucking scared me.” Johnny hissed, approaching Ten and grabbing his arm, to pull him closer. "C'mere"

“I fucking scared myself.” Ten laughed. Johnny pulled Ten to deeper water and wrapped his arms around him, squeezing so tight that he let out a little squeak.

"I'm sorry for what I said the other day." He murmured. Ten sighed, shaking his head in response, returning the hug.

"It's fine."

"No it's not, Ten. I was an ass. Why do you put up with me?" Johnny grumbled. Ten pulled away to look up at him.

"You know why." It barely came out as a whisper and he thought Johnny might not have heard it but then he leaned down, his lips aiming straight for Ten’s.

"Hey, lovebirds!" Mark called out. Ten gasped and pulled away from Johnny "Yuta's going to dry your clothes. Bring em here!" Ten started for where Yuta stood by the hot spring.

"Give me a minute to change." Ten slipped into the tent, smiling when he found it in the exact same condition as last night. Magic was amazing. For them to be able to carry all this stuff in a saddlebag was incredible. If only he could learn how to do something like this.

He looked around, double checking that nobody was inside the tent yet and pulled one of Doyoung's spell books from his bag. Before opening the book he unraveled the bandage around his arm. He flipped to the familiar sigil and began copying it in his own small sketchpad. He let out a sigh of relief as he watched the last sign of his Mana Sickness disappear. Johnny stalked in, sighing and wrestling his pants free, handing them to Yuta. He quickly found the warmth of the fur pelts. Ten tossed his own clothes to Yuta and Johnny patted the bedrolls inviting Ten to join him. He smiled as Ten slid under it.

"Hey Yuta can you—" Johnny started. Yuta stopped before exiting and ran his thumb over a circle stitched into the tent flap and within seconds Doyoung and Mark's splashing and bickering stopped. Ten felt his cheeks flush when he realized it was a way of sound proofing the tent.

"Can I kiss you?" Johnny asked, pulling Ten closer. Ten nearly flinched at the words they caught him so off guard. He blinked at Johnny in confusion. Maybe he was just hearing things. Maybe his near death experience was making him hallucinate. Then Johnny’s thumb traced Ten's bottom lip.

"I'm not Jaehyun." Ten whispered. He mentally kicked himself for what he said. 

This could be his last chance. He could die tomorrow and never know what Johnny tasted like. He could die with the regret of letting this moment pass by.

Johnny had always been careful around Ten and he always assumed it was to put Jaehyun's mind at ease but now… well now he didn't know. Maybe it had been more for Ten’s comfort than anything, so he wouldn't be led on, wouldn't be given false hope or maybe there was just a small piece of Johnny that wanted to love him back and it was all to keep himself from falling for Ten.

Johnny pulled away, guilt a dark shadow in his eyes but behind that there was something else. Affection or maybe even arousal. Johnny wanted some kind of comfort, Ten understood that much. He inhaled, his breath shaky. His life teetered on a precipice, leaning dangerously towards the cold empty chasm of death. He couldn't think of a better way to spend the little time he had left.

"It's okay, Johnny. You don't have to be ashamed or feel guilty." Ten murmured, running a hand through Johnny’s hair. Johnny wrapped his arms around Ten and pulled him impossibly close, burying his face in Ten's hair.

"I feel so alone without him. It scares me." Johnny murmured.

"You're not alone. I'm here for you. Whatever you need, Johnny. I'll give it to you." He cooed. Ten pressed his lips to Johnny's temple, then his cheek before he guided their lips together, giving Johnny a small, chaste kiss. 

"Whatever you need." He knew he shouldn’t but Johnny was hurting. Even if it was only once, even if he was just using Ten for his own comfort, as long as it helped to ease his pain, Ten would offer Johnny his entire being. His heart thumped in his chest so hard he thought it would leap right out of him. They kissed again, this one longer, deeper, and softer. It was different than he imagined. Johnny's body was so strong, he thought it would be more aggressive, but they were gentle, even as his tongue pressed into Ten's mouth. He welcomed it with his own. The languid glide of their tongues drawing a whimper from him. Ten's body grew hot and he saw fireworks explode behind his closed eyes. 

Fire struck his chest when. Johnny pushed Ten onto his back, looming over him he grabbed at Johnny, pulling him down for Ten to devour Johnny’s lips. That fire inside him bloomed, running through his veins until it, too, began to devour him. 

"Johnny..." Ten murmured into Johnny’s mouth. He whimpered when Johnny pushed two of his fingers into his mouth. Ten licked around them, watching Johnny lick his own lips. When they were coated in saliva Johnny pulled his hand back, reaching under the bedding.

"Can I?” Johnny asked, his hand slipping between his legs. Ten bit his lip and nodded, gasping when Johnny’s fingers dragged over his entrance. His eyes fluttered closed and he dropped his head back against the fur pelts. He felt Johnny’s mouth on his neck, tongue dragging up it, making a shiver run up his spine. One of his fingers slipped inside. Ten gasped, tensing up a little before relaxing beneath him. He's never had anything up his ass before So the feeling of Johnny's finger, working into him, was foreign but not uncomfortable. 

"Jesus, you're so tight." Johnny murmured into his neck, slowly working his second finger inside.

"Don't say things like that." He whined, making Johnny chuckle. With his free hand Johnny grabbed Ten’s wrist, and lowered it under the blankets, to hold Johnny’s hard cock. He gasped when he felt it, heavy and thick, in his hand. He stroked it, slowly, it was already leaking precum.

"Fuck that feels amazing, Ten." Johnny groaned.

“I know I’m not him, or the same size but…” Ten bit his lip “If you need to fantasize.. I mean if you want to…”

“Want to what?” Johnny asked, nudging Ten’s cheek with his nose so he could access the other side of his neck.

“Say his name.” Ten murmured. Johnny froze and for a moment Ten thought he might have ruined the mood but Johnny lifted his head, his hair tickling Ten’s forehead when he touched their noses together.

“I’m not with him right now. I’m with you.” He purred. Ten blinked back tears and let go of Johnny and wrapped his arms around his neck. He hooked one leg around Johnny’s hip and pulled him closer. Johnny seemed to take the hint, pulling out his fingers and rubbing the head of his cock against Ten’s hole, smearing the precum over it. God, he was so wet. He was glad they didn’t have to hunt down something to use as lube.

Johnny pushed into him, and Ten hissed in pain, digging his nails into Johnny’s shoulders.

Or not.

He was wishing now they had lube, but it was probably nearly impossible to find in this world.

“Slowly.” Ten winced “It’s my first time.” Johnny kissed him, waiting for the tension in Ten's body to relax before he continued. Tears welled up in Ten's eyes, both from pain and happiness. He knew it was dangerous to indulge in this fantasy but he ached for Johnny and a small selfish part of him was glad Johnny sought comfort with him. If he could have chosen one thing to do before he died, it would be to love Johnny. Openly, without any reservations. Show him just how much he meant to Ten, how his world hadn't started until the first day he met Johnny, and how it would end with him as well.

Their bodies found a natural rhythm, and he felt fragile underneath Johnny’s strong frame, like a thin sheet of ice under a heavy boot. Johnny’s precome spread over his shaft with each thrust, easing the pain and soon he could feel that pleasure building up once more.

"John—" Ten gasped, fingers raking down Johnny’s toned back. He hoped it felt as good for Johnny as it did for him. Johnny thrust into him faster, making Ten claw at his arms, moaning loudly. A bead of sweat dripped down Johnny’s forehead, down his nose.

Ten reached for his face, pushing his bangs off Johnny's forehead, wiping away the bead of sweat with his thumb before cupping Johnny's jaw. Johnny turned his face to place a kiss to Ten's palm, his amber eyes meeting Ten's. He gasped, his orgasm quickly approaching. Johnny gave a hard thrust and Ten cried out, his legs wrapped tight around Johnny's hips.

"Fuck , Johnny. I'm..." Ten whined, his cock pulsing, shooting his load over his own stomach in thick milky stripes. “Inside. Come inside, please. Please. ” He begged, desperate to feel as much of Johnny inside of him as possible. Johnny moaned, his breathing heavier, now. With few strong thrusts Johnny came, his face buried in Ten's hair, nibbling at his earlobe. Ten drew in a sharp breath, tightening his legs around Johnny, forcing him deeper. They stayed tangled together for a moment, long enough to catch their breath, Ten’s hand carding through Johnny’s hair, his other travelling over Johnny’s arm, eyes closed, mapping out the muscles so he could always remember the feeling.

Ten released him, letting Johnny pull out and roll onto the bedding beside him. He pulled Ten over to him, wrapping an arm around him and letting Ten lay against his chest. A comfortable silence lingered between them as Ten ran his fingers over a scar on Johnny's chest. He must have injured himself during the fight, Ten hadn't even noticed it until now. Johnny idly ran his fingers up and down Ten's back, his breathing growing steady and calm.

"I'm sorry." Johnny sighed.

"Why?" Ten hummed, adjusting himself so he could rest his chin on Johnny’s chest, looking up at him.

"I didn't know you were a virgin." 

"Don't apologize." Ten cooed, "I enjoyed it." Johnny smiled, causing Ten's chest to tighten.

"Ten, I couldn't have made it this far if it weren't for you." Johnny told him. Affection in his eyes. Ten readjusted, pulling one of the pelts over them as a chill began to set in. Eventually Johnny’s breathing slowed and a light snore came from him, his lips pressed against Ten’s head.

When he was sure Johnny was sleeping soundly he slipped out of his arms and quietly snuck out of the tent, so he could enjoy the hot spring and, for the first time since they arrived, have a proper bath.

Chapter 14: Team DreamV

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Team DremV: Jaehyun, Jisung, Jaemin, Chenle, Renjun, Yangyang, Hendery

"When did Jisung break out of his shell? Is he… flirting?" Renjun asked. Jaehyun nodded, crossing his arms as they watched Jisung say his goodbyes to Kira.

"Can we go?" Hendery asked as Jisung hurried over to them. "I want to find the others."

"Let me contact Taeyong first." Jisung smiled and scribbled something in a journal. He held it up in front of him and they all held their breath in anticipation, leaning over to see the paper. A symbol flared on the paper before it etched into it but nothing happened.

"What does that mean?" 

"I can reach him but something is blocking my communication with him." Jisung sighed. "I'll try Johnny-hyung."  Jaehyun's throat bobbed nervously as he kept his eyes on the paper. This time nothing happened.

"I don't think I know him well enough." Jisung frowned. Jaehyun sighed, turning to Hendery's horse. He was already mounted and waiting for one of them to get up behind him.

"Wait, let me try a few more times." Jisung flipped to a new page, scribbling on it. The result was the same as Taeyong's. "I have three more left." 

"Save one so we can try Taeyong again later. Try Kun and if we can't get through to him try Johnny again." Jaehyun told him. He nodded and attempted again.

"Kun-ge?" Jisung gasped. Jaehyun perked up when he heard Jisung speak. He actually got through to someone, this was going to make a world of a difference. Jaehyun noticed the way Hendery and Yangyang’s expressions changed at the mention of Kun’s name. "Who is with you?... Lucas and Jungwoo? What about Winwin he was in your tent… Lucas has Mana Sickness? I can help…"

"Sick?" Hendery and Yangyang asked in unison. 

"Kun-ge?" Jisung looked down at the book. "The spell time ran out." He sighed, deflating. "Winwin-hyung fell, they couldn't find his body, and Lucas-hyung has Mana Sickness."

"What’s Mana Sickness?" Yangyang asked

"It’s what happens when you have excess Mana. I think I can help if we can get to him. They're in a town called Weldstone. They think Lucas is a Dark Mage, there’s a rune that can be used to delay the sickness, I read it in the book the old lady gave me" Jisung stated. Jaehyun's chest tightened. Lucas is a Dark Mage? That meant Jeno’s killer was looking for Lucas. Jaehyun felt something then, magic. Strong magic. The same from the man earlier and he whirled around, scanning the town square frantically. He was here. The man that killed Jeno and he was watching them and they just gave away Lucas' location. 

Shit.

Then, just as quickly as it appeared, the magical presence vanished.

He felt a sudden, sharp, pain in his chest, and he gasped, gripping the front of his shirt and leaning on the horse for stability. It was like a needle had pierced his heart. Then it happened again, this time it forced him to his knees, grunting in pain.

“Hyung?” Jaemin put a hand on his shoulder.

“Jisung, call Kun again.” he growled through the pain. Jisung gave him a puzzled and concerned look. “Do it, call him!” Jaehyun demanded, a sudden sinking feeling in his stomach. Jisung flinched but began frantically scribbling in his book once more. Jaehyun’s throat bobbed when the scribbles sparked and burned off the page, dissipating into a black smoke. Jisung's face paled as he looked up at Jaehyun with wide, teary eyes.

"What does that mean?" Jaehyun asked, pulling himself to his feet, though he had a vague idea already.

"That the person I'm trying to contact doesn't exist. Hyung I think Kun-ge is dead." 

Yangyang's jaw tightened as he gritted his teeth together, fists balled up at his side. As much as he wanted, desperately, for Jisung to keep trying to contact Johnny he could see Hendery's and Yangyang's broken spirit. Xiaojun and Winwin were gone, Lucas was sick and now, presumably, they'd also lost Kun. WayV was getting picked off like flies.

"You still have a spell left, right?" Jaehyun asked. Jisung nodded. "Do you think you can contact Ten if I put a barrier up?"

Jisung bit his lip in concentration and gave a small nod.

"We'll find Ten." He stated, grabbing Hendery's hand. He looked down at it with tired eyes.

"Hyung, don't. They're all dead." Hendery muttered. His eyes glazed over.

"Jisung, from here on out don't cast this spell unless my  barrier is up." Jaehyun stated. Jisung nodded and waited patiently for Jaehyun's spell to finish.

"I want to know where they are. Where they're going, and if Ten is safe."

"What about John-hyung?" Jisung asked 

"Hendery and Yangyang need this. Focus on getting that information for me okay?" 

"Okay." Jisung cast the spells for his final time for the day and not long after he began talking. "Ten-hyung. It's Jisung. We don't have a lot of time with this spell. I need to know where you are. Where we can meet up with you. Yangyang and Hendery are with us." There was a short pause before Jisung nodded. "Rantick? I'll call you when we get close. Is Johnny-hyung alive? Jaehyun—"

Jaehyun sighed as Jisung stopped talking and bit his lower lip.

"Sorry, I tried." He murmured "Ten said they're going to Rantick. I think that's the capital."

"How far?" Jaehyun asked, leaving his barrier and reaching for the map Chenle held. He smoothed the paper out over one of the horse's sides, finding Rantick and their current location. He never had to use a map like this before but going off of their journey to this town it was going to be a long and tiring ride.

They had to stop in Weldstone first, see if they can find any signs of where Lucas went, if he was still alive. He rolled up the map and handed it back to Chenle before mounting the horse behind Hendery.

"Let's go. We might be able to make it to Weldstone tomorrow if we leave now."

"That's where Lucas is?" Chenle asked, helping Yangyang onto a horse and mounting behind him. Renjun and Jisung took the third horse.

"Let's hope he's still alive." Jaehyun sighed and steered the horse to the road, spurring it into a brisk pace.

Please be alive.

Notes:

What did you think? Conment and leave me some feedback :)

Chapter 15: Lucas

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Lucas stumbled through the fire, his ears ringing, blood and dirt staining his clothing. The world tilted and teetered, like he was on a boat on stormy waters. His feet were bare and bloody, but he couldn’t feel the sharp shale and red hot embers he walked across. He felt no pain, even as he gasped for breath through the thick, black, smoke. It all happened too fast to make sense of it. Him, Kun and Jungwoo were trying to come up with a plan to search for Winwin. Because they didn't want to go home with nothing but a story of how they were responsible for Winwin dying a ridiculous death. Then there was nothing but destruction and chaos. The small town they stopped at to restock had been set ablaze and flattened within a matter of seconds.

He could hear Kun's voice in the distance, screaming for help. He thought he was walking towards where he last saw Jungwoo but the only people he saw were nothing but charred corpses. He tripped and fell to his hands and knees, hissing in pain when his hands throbbed. He lifted them to see nothing but blackened flesh and blood. 

Raw and burned.

He pushed himself to his feet, leaning on a burning building to keep steady. If the flames hurt him he didn't notice. Screams and cries surrounded him, echoing through his mind, pleading, begging, for help. As if he could do anything to help them.

"Why?" He croaked, his throat raw from the smoke. A shadow pushed through the embers and stood before him as he fell to his knees, eyes falling on Kun. He struggled in the man's grip, clawing at the hand that wrapped around his neck.

"Do you hate me, yet, Oathbreaker?" He asked. Jungwoo was beneath a pile of rubble, his head crushed beneath a piece of stone. 

"Kun-ge…" Lucas choked out."Please don't…"

He heard the snap of bone and Kun's body suddenly went limp. He knew he was crying but his voice didn't come out. There was ringing in his ears and the haze of the thick smoke confused him. He crawled to Kun's body as the man dropped it.

"Why?" Lucas leaned over Kun, gripping fistfuls of his torn up, charred, clothing, his head on Kun's chest.

"Their purpose is to die for you and your Lightbringer. Preferably before you both die from the Mana Sickness." 

Mana Sickness? He wanted Ten? Lucas lifted his head, expression turning angry. 

"If you touch him—"

"Ah, so you know which of the summons wields light magic. What was his name again? Ten?" The man grinned. "Where is he?"

"I'm going to fucking kill you." Lucas snarled.

"I don't think you will. You see, if you don't want me to kill any more of the summons, your going to do something for me." Lucas opened his mouth to argue but he was cut off. "Kill the Moonchild and send me home, to Japan."

Chapter 16: TY Squad

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Every step closer to returning home made his heart ache. If they went home, that family would expect their son to carry on their legacy, to do the right thing. They tried to love each other but it was too much. Seeing him every day, touching him but never in the way he wanted, it was utter hell.

They couldn’t be as carefree as other members. Their families were more traditional, these things were unnatural. How would they have kids? How would they carry on their family’s legacy? It certainly wasn’t legal back home. He had every reason to ask him to stay but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He couldn’t take away the dream they worked so hard to protect, he couldn’t take away their music. So he spent the nights dreaming of living here with the person he loved the most. Maybe they’d have a house or maybe they’d travel as adventurers together. A place they didn’t need to worry about the scandal, a place they could just be themselves and speak the words they’d both been so afraid of for yours.

“I love you.” Taeil murmured, burying his face in the soft cloak. He said it every night when he thought Haechan had already gone to sleep. After they spent the whole day protecting each other from the dangerous environment or enemies. Haechan would say it back tonight. He could do it, he just needed to open his mouth and say the words. All he had to do was say it and then they’d talk about staying here and being together. Just the two of them because that’s all he needed to be happy.

But his voice caught in his throat and wouldn’t come out. So he said nothing, drifting off to sleep dreaming about a cute domestic life with Taeil in the countryside. It didn’t suit him but it was just a dream anyway. It wasn’t and would never be reality.

 

The entrance to the cave was massive with jagged edges that made it look like a dragon's maw. It was terrifying to say the least, but they needed to figure out how to find the Moon Child and save him. They also needed to know what or who to save him from. This artifact will get them the audience they need.

Taeyong watched Shotaro summon three glowing orbs of red light and send them towards the entrance. Sungchan watched their rear as they slid off their Dire Wolves.

"Will you wait for us?" Taeyong asked

If you give us the monster's body so we can feast.

It was the deal they struck. The wolves wanted the remains of the lich and to take over its lair and make it their Den. Many of the animals in this forest had grown sick of the lich poisoning their land.

"Haechan, be ready to reinforce Sunchan's armor." Taeyong commanded. "I don't know if there's anything I can help with in this fight."

"There aren't even any bats or anything." Haechan muttered as they approached the cave. They hadn't even taken two steps inside when a shadow rushed past them. Taeyong grabbed the hand of Shotaro who walked beside him. 

A scream nearly deafened him and he wished he could say it was from whatever just rushed by them but he felt Shotaro get ripped from his grasp and his heart sank.

"Haechan!" Taeyong shouted. In an instant a barrier surrounded Shotaro and he fell from the clutches of the monster from high above. Taeyong ran for him, diving and catching the boy before he hit the hard stone ground.

"Taeil! Ground it!" He called out but Taeil was already shooting. Looking up, his blood ran cold, it was horrifying. A decaying mass of limbs stitched all over its bodies, a murky miasma surrounding it and the way its body moved, disjointed and inhuman, made Taeyong want to run away crying. When he heard about the lich from Fenhorn he thought it might have just been a creepy shadowy hooded figure, not this rotting abomination.

Its focus turned to Taeil and it dove for him, Sungchan intervened with his sword and buckler, deflecting its blow and pinning it to a dead log. It shrieked at him and Sungchan faltered, taking a step back. It’s reached for him, grabbing him by the shoulder. A sharp, jagged shadow shot forward, driving Sungchan back into the smooth cliff face, the stone splintering up the wall in a web from Sungchan as he was pinned to it. Taeil was grabbed and thrown at Haechan, knocking them both to the ground. Sungchan screamed, slashing and hacking at the shadow that kept him pinned to the wall, as if he could sever it, but his blade just passed through. 

Fenhorn told them they could win this fight but it was clear they would all be slaughtered any minute. 

“Shotaro, heal Taeil. Get him back on his feet.” Taeyong ordered and ran over to Sungchan. He had to do something, couldn’t he do anything? What good does talking to animals do in a situation like this? The shadow pulled away from Sungchan and he gasped, falling onto Taeyong who just barely managed to break his fall. 

“Hyung. Go…”  Sungchan groaned, putting a hand over the hole that was punched through his armor. “Go hide.” He fell to the ground, unconscious and Taeyong saw red. Pain ripped through his chest and he instinctively reached for the stone in his pocket. When his fingers made contact with it his breath got knocked clean out of him and he dropped to his knees. His vision faded and for a moment he thought he was about to pass out but when he looked up everything looked faded, dull, almost. He laid eyes on that Lich and rage ensnared him,  driving him into a frenzied state. Letting his instincts take over he opened his mouth to scream at the monster. It wasn’t a human voice that came out but a horrifying snarl and he charged. His hands, replaced by giant furry, clawed, paws, lashed out, slicing and hacking at the Lich. It’s horrendous screeching made his ears hurt and he could feel them pull back against his head. He snapped at it, tearing the limbs off the Lich one by one, the taste of blood drawing something feral out of him. 

He ripped the head off with his own teeth and tore off an arm before biting into the torso. He growled, tearing off the cloak of the monster and shredded whatever remained with his sharp claws before he dove into a feast. The only noise now was from him, growling and grunting while he mauled the meat in front of him, chewing savagely, like he’d been starved for decades.

A growl from the trees startled him and he got down on all fours, hovering over the body and growling at the Dire Wolves that approached. This was his victory, not theirs. Movement drew his attention and he remembered Sungchan’s unconscious from laying on the ground, anxiety struck him and he snapped at the figure approaching him, bloody drool foaming up in his mouth as he lowered his body to protect Sungchan.

“Hyung…” Shotaro’s voice seemed distant and troubled. For a few seconds the two stared at each other. “Hyung, I can help him.” Shotaro reached his hand out, lowering himself to the ground, making himself appear small. Taeyong’s heavy breathing slowed and he cautiously craned his neck to sniff at Shotaro.

What on earth was he thinking? Shotaro wasn’t going to hurt him.

Give us that one, too. The blood mage.” The Dire Wolves approached, the sound of a gun cocking drew Taeyong’s attention to the Wolves. “You took our prize.”

“They’re mine!” Taeyong growled, and charged for them. Chasing them on his own, back into the woods where he would rip each one of them to shreds for threatening his family.

Chapter 17: Team DreamV

Chapter Text

Jaehyun groaned, leaning forward against Hendery’s back. What was this pain in his chest? It was like part of him was being ripped out of his body, trying to be severed. Like an invisible force was reaching inside him and trying to pull his very heart out of his chest. He felt himself sway on the horse and Hendery gasped, trying to grab him as he slipped from the saddle, landing on the hard packed dirt.

“How do I stop it!?” Hendery screeched, leaning forward and holding onto the horse’s neck. Jaehyun cursed, trying to stand up but a horse raced past him. Renjun reached for the reins, cooing at the horse to slow and turn around. Yangyang and Chenle dismounted, rushing to him.

“Hyung, we should stop. Please, you need to rest.” Chenle begged, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Sungchan…” He groaned, surprising himself.

“Is he in trouble?” Yangyang asked. Jaehyun nodded, looking to the west. How did he know that? Was it because his job as a Guardian was to protect everyone else? Was it a special ability his class gave him? 

“Guys…” Jisung drew their attention up, he pointed to a cloud of black billowing smoke in the distance and Jaehyun’s throat felt as dry as the desert. That was where they were headed. Weldstone. This was no time to be in pain. He pulled himself to his feet, staggering to the horse but Renjun slipped off his. 

“Ride with Jisung or Jaemin. If you fall off again Hendery won’t be able to stop the horse on his own.” He muttered, climbing up onto the horse with Hendery. Jaehyun wanted to point out that he probably couldn’t ride the horse properly either but Renjun was a quick study, he’d probably figure it out. So he mounted the horse behind Jisung and, with a few pointers from Jaemin to Renjun, the group was off in a gallop towards the smoke. It was well into the night by the time they arrived at the city’s walls and it was a horrendous sight. The entire city was on fire, they could feel the heat before they could even see the people gathered outside the walls, dragging charred corpses out of the wreckage. Kun was here ? Was he still alive?

“What happened here?” Jaehyung demanded, as they came to a restless stop near the group of people.

 “One of the Archmages.” Someone cried, a woman holding her children, streaks where tears had fallen the only clean patch on her soot covered face. “He’s mad. He destroyed it all.”

“Mama it hurts!” a child bawled. Jisung slid off the horse and hurried over, flipping through his spellbook, no doubt looking for a healing spell to help them. 

“Renjun, Chenle, Hendery help them get whoever is still alive out of the city. Yangyang, into the city to look for the others. Jaemin, you take the west side I’ll take the east. If we find them use one of the flares.” Jaehyun demanded, tossing a flare to Yangyang as he dismounted. Jaehyun bit back a wince at the pain in his chest and he spurred the horse. 

“Kun-ge!” He shouted, galloping along the east side of the city, searching the smoke and flames for any sign. “Lucas! Jungwoo!” an explosion somewhere in the city spooked his horse and he took a wide berth, avoiding falling pieces of burning wood. The smoke burned his lungs and it was so thick he nearly missed it when he met Jaemin on the other side of the city. Then a flash of light came from inside the smoke and they both stopped. Jaehyun felt that same magical presence coming closer. Towards Jaemin. He shouted, steering the horse for him and then a force hit him like a bag of bricks, knocking him clean from the saddle and spooking Jaemin’s horse. It reared back and threw him to the ground before both of them took off.

Jaehyun pulled the shield from his back when he heard his opponent’s sword sing as he unsheathed it. It collided with his shield with so much force it sent vibrations through his fake arm, hissing at the pain as it stung the nerves where his arm had been amputated.

“You keep getting in my way.” A voice growled at him. Jaehyun yanked the mace from the place at his hip and swung, colliding the man’s shoulder and making him grunt in pain. That wasn’t nearly as much damage as Jaehyun wanted to inflict on this man. His cold eyes snapped to Jaemin behind him. Jaehyun dropped his shield and his hand lashed out, grabbing the man's neck with speed that surprised even himself.

"I'm going to kill you."

"No you won't." He choked out. 

Jaehyun flinched at his words. He was testing Jaehyun's resolve. 

This was the man that killed Jeno. The man that ripped a young boy's life away before he got a chance to even see a fraction of this world. And Jeno had been the most excited about it, the one that looked at the market with eyes full of wonder and curiosity.

Those same eyes flashed in Jaehyun's mind but this time they were lifeless and Jaehyun faltered. Could he actually kill someone? Could he face that empty, haunting, stare again?

"What the fuck do you want with Lucas?" Jaehyun demanded, squeezing only a bit.

"My business with him is done. Now, I seek your Lightbringer, tell me, where would I find him? Where do I find the one you call Ten?" Jaehyun felt ice run through his veins and he released him, staggering away as though he'd been struck.

Ten was a Light Mage? 

"What do you want with him?" Jaehyun snapped. Jaemin growled behind him and lunged for the man. Jaehyun reached out, stopping him and stepping in front of him, keeping his arms out to prevent any attacks from hitting the boy.

"His purpose in this world is to die for me—"

"You sick son of—" Jaemin snarled. Jaehyun hissed at him, reaching behind him to trap the boy, just to make sure he didn't try to attack again. "He killed Jeno, Hyung, we have to—"

"Quiet." Jaehyun glanced over his shoulder at Jaemin, only briefly.

"We can't let him hurt Ten-hyung. We have to get to—"

"Quiet!" Jaehyun barked. He felt Jaemin grab his arm. He could feel him trembling. Though, he couldn't tell if it was from fear or rage. Perhaps it was both.

A scream tore through the roaring flames and inky black whips lashed out from them. Jaehyun gasped, turning around, wrapping his arms tightly around Jaemin. He choked on a strangled cry of pain as something hit his back with so much force it knocked the breath out of him, even Jaemin winced in his arms and the two fell to their knees.

"Hyung…" Jaemin's voice trembled.

"I'm fine…" he grunted.

Stand up. 

Protect him. 

Avenge Jeno. 

Fight!

Something tried to pull Jaemin from him and he tightened his grip, Jaemin wrapped his arms around Jaehyun.

"Hyung!" He whimpered. Jaehyun's eyes flew open as Jaemin was torn away from him.

Not again.

"Stop!" He grabbed Jaemin's wrist as the boy reached for him in desperation. 

No! No! No!

It wasn't right. Why Jeno? Why Jaemin? Why target helpless boys. Was he trying to torment Jaehyun?

Jaemin screamed as he was pulled from Jaehyun's grasp. He failed. Kicking and punching, grabbing one of his knives from his belt and stabbing at the arm around his waist. The man hissed and pulled his own knife, holding it against Jaemin's throat.

"Let him go!" Jaehyun pleaded. Tears threatened to spill from his eyes. "I'll tell you where he is! Just let him go… please…"

Jaemin hissed and rammed his elbow into the man's gut, the sharp blade slicing across his collar bone. A streak of smoke charged at him and exploded, setting Jaemin free.  Jaehyun caught only a glimpse of Yangyang in the smoke as he clashed swords with their enemy before being enveloped entirely in that smoke. Jaemin immediately ran back to Jaehyun, like a child running to its mother's arms after getting lost or injured. Jaehyun's body trembled, afraid he would have lost another one. His heart and spirit would have shattered.

He was so useless. Paralyzed by fear when he needed courage the most. It was flashes of Jeno’s death, playing on repeat in his mind, that kept him awake each night. Kept him from acting and instead froze him in place.

He could have killed the threat so easily, had  him right in his own hands, he could have just snapped his neck in a matter of seconds, but he didn't want to see that face again. Not on an enemy nor his family. He knew how stupidly naive it seemed. Naive and idealistic. 

He was a fool.

A useless, cowardly, fool.

Chapter 18: Chaos Brigade

Chapter Text

Johnny ran up to Ten and grabbed his shoulders.

"I found us a way home!" He beamed, catching Ten completely off guard.  He released him and started for where Yuta and Mark sat. He stopped and turned back to Ten, grabbing him and pulling him to his chest before kissing him, making Ten let out a small squeak. "Just wait a bit longer, Baby. I'll get you home safe."  Ten felt a flush spread over his cheeks and he followed Johnny to the others.

"The meet up with Chief went well I take it?" Doyoung asked, joining them and taking a tome from Johnny.

"So there's been a few people researching the magic to get back to our world and its speculated that if there's enough power one can punch through the different planes. This is why Lightbringers and Oathbreakers are so rare. Not because—"

"Lightbringers?" Ten asked through a nervous breath.

"Light mages. Remember Doyoung and Yuta talking about them? So people say that they're natural enemies and basically killed each other off. As it turns out that's not the case. Light and Dark magic are actually really compatible there's no reason for them to be enemies."

"So why do people hate them so much?" Ten asked. Johnny raised an eyebrow at him, opening his mouth to speak.

"Because they're too powerful." Yuta stated.

"Exactly!" Johnny pointed at Yuta and them grinned at the others. When they didn't respond he pulled paper from his pocket and turned it around. There was a rough sketch of some kind of rock. "Okay, so the reason people do mass summons is to increase their power, right? This is a focus, it helps channel magic into a more powerful version. Yuta, your element is fire Yeah? So you have more power than Doyoung."

"Yeah but I don't think I could send us home by casting a spell on a rock." He sighed. Johnny deflated, looking at the sketch with a frown.

"Then the answer is simple." Mark interjected. "We need to find a Light or Dark Mage."

Ten immediately looked at Doyoung, trying to gauge his expression, waiting for the moment he would throw Ten under the bus, but he didn't. He didn't even look at Ten.

"No." Everyone else turned their attention to Doyoung "We have no idea how long it will take to find one and their magic isn't stable. Its unpredictable and dangerous."

"But if someone used that, would it help control their magic?" Ten asked, trying to keep the hope in his voice contained but they all gave him a curious look. A look that made him want to disappear. He wasn't ready to answer any questions they might have for him.

"There's this Lich apparently he stole this focus, this artifact thing, if we can kill it and get it then I think its worth the risk."

"A Lich can only be killed with Light Magic." Doyoung stated. He looked at Ten now, the concern and hesitation in his eyes striking him like a slap to the face. It wasn't something they could fight and win. Not unless Ten was willing to risk his own life and the thought of fighting frightened him. The pain he felt when his magic went rampant, the pain of that monster injuring him. He didn't want to feel that again. How could he face that, how could he face any of them, tell them he was their only hope of going home and then tell them he can't do it because he was scared? 

"I think we should fight it." Mark announced. Ten took a step away from them.

"We'll all die if we do." He muttered. 

"We don't know that—"

"You don't know what its like, Mark!" Ten barked, his shout startling the others. Ten put a hand on his stomach, where the scar marred his otherwise flawless skin and he felt bile rise in his throat. "We can't win and even if we do Light Magic is… its…"

Oh he was going to throw up.

"Ten." Doyoung's voice was stern

"If it takes Light Magic…"

The nausea was overwhelming. He tried to shift his balance, to anchor himself as a wave of pain rippled through him.

"Ten!" Doyoung barked. He reached out, grabbing whatever he could as he swayed on his feet. Johnny was beside him in an instant which both made him simultaneously happy and anxious at the same time. He felt intense heat and shoved Johnny away, letting his knees buckle.

"What…" Johnny gasped. He didn't need to look up to see a rope of light impact with the dirt and he gasped for breath, bracing his hands on the ground.

Not here. Please. Not them.

"Ten!" Doyoungs voice pierced through the ringing in his ears. Hands braced on his shoulders as the heat burned away every breath he tried to take.

"Get my bag!" Doyoung screamed but it was muffled, the ringing now accompanied by yhr sound of his own heart, beating so rapidly he couldn't even count it. He felt something drip from his nose and red dropped to the ground. His nose was bleeding and he choked out a sob when he tasted the blood in the back of his throat.

The petrification shot up his arm and he gritted his teeth, growling at the pain, the muscles tearing and shifting into nothing more than crystallized flesh. Sudden weakness overcame him and his arms gave out. Doyoung cursed and rolled Ten onto his back and doing his best to lift him, shoving something in his mouth.

"Drink it." He urged, forcing Ten's mouth closed. He coughed, choking on the bitter liquid, grabbing Doyoung's cloak. He was going to die. He'll die without saying the things he wanted to say to Johnny. 

Fuck. Why didn't I say it last night?

"Swallow it. Ten, swallow." Doyoung urged, pinching his nose shut. He jerked away, hearing a yelp of pain, was that from him or did he hurt the others? He couldn't tell. The world tilted as he writhed on the ground, sputtering up whatever Doyoung kept trying to force him to drink.

Something covered his face, some kind of cloth and a sickly sweet smell filled his nose. Johnny's strong arms cradled him and he flailed, desperate to break free of him, desperate to keep his magic from harming the one person that meant the most to him. The pain slowly ebbed away and Ten lost all of his strength, arms falling limp at his side, vision hazy, breathing returning to normal.

"What the fuck just happened?!" Johnny barked. His body tangled, a wonderful euphoric bliss relaxed him. He became acutely aware of everything around him. The flex of Johnny's muscles, the cold wind drifting over their camp, the fright in Yuta and Mark's voices, the whispers of the shadows reaching out for him.

"Ten… I told you not to use that spell." Doyoung murmured, leaning over him, wiping the blood, sweat and tears from his face, pushing his hair out of his eyes. Ten drew in a deep, slow, breath.

"I… I didn't want to… to be" he trailed off and took a shutting breath "In pain." The last bit came out as barely a whisper.

"I told you it could rebound. I told you to wait until Johnny got the book I needed."

"Hyung…" Ten's bottom lip quivered and he tightened his grip on Doyoung's cloak. He was scared, no terrified

"I know, Ten." Doyoung stroked his hair, offering a small amount of comfort. "Yuta, put him to sleep."

"What?" Johnny held Ten tighter to him, reminding him that Johnny had seen his entire episode.  What had he looked like to him? Choking, petrified, flailing and writhing in pain and fear. Yuta's hand rested on his forehead and he welcomed the darkness that beckoned to him.

 

 

Johnny drew in a deep, shaky, breath as Ten lay nestled up to his side, sleeping soundly. It was the first time, since they arrived, that Ten hadn't had a restless sleep. Though, he knew it was because of the spell Yuta had cast, he wanted to believe that his presence beside Ten played some part in it. He gingerly lifted Ten's head off his arm and slipped from under him, giving his arm a much needed break. He turned onto his side, propping his head up on his hand so he could look at Ten while he slept. His hair had grown out, it was long enough to pull back and the highlights he had in it were nearly gone, replaced by strands of silver that Johnny hadn't noticed before. 

Had he really been going through that much his hair started turning Grey?

Ten murmured something in his sleep and shifted. He pushed a few silver strands of hair from where they tickled Ten's brow and watched him settle again. His eyes landed on his own arm, on the scar that lay there, then to the scar on Ten's stomach. He'd lied to Ten when he said a sparkfly injured him. In all honesty, until now, he hadn't known where the nasty burn on his arm came from. Now it was all too clear that it had been from Ten and his magic. The healing spring put their bodies back together but there still remained scars and he'd declined when Doyoung offered to mend it with magic, to make it less visible. It was a reminder of that night. A night that was burned into Johnny’s memory for the rest of his life. How Ten had looked at him, like he'd meant the whole world to him. It was how Jaehyun used to look at him, and he missed it. He missed it more than he wanted to admit.

He did admit it, last night after he thought Ten was about to die. He loved Ten. It wasn't the same love he held for Jaehyun, or any of the others, but after last night, he didn't want to pretend those feelings weren't there and he wanted to accept the love Ten had for him. He wanted to be confident that he could take any of Ten's wounds, both physical and emotional, and make them better. Ten made him feel like he belonged , like he had a purpose in this life. A purpose to make him happy, keep him safe and he needed that. Without it, he felt like nothing in this world. 

It took everything in him to take that step, to move on and let himself feel something for someone else and now he had to watch as that person slowly fell apart. Unable to do anything for him. Helpless.

"Johnny?" Ten murmured, his eyes slowly opening, fear in his voice.

"I'm here." He cooed, cupping Ten's jaw and turning his face so he could look at Johnny. Ten blinked at him slowly, a dazed expression, as if he were still in a dream. His fingers ghosted over Ten's cheek, lovingly, hoping the touch might comfort him, because it was all he could think of that might help. "I'm right here." 

"I had a nightmare." Ten sighed, rubbing an eye. "I died."

Johnny’s chest tightened, an uncomfortable ache in it that made him bite back a frown. While Ten rested, Doyoung explained the situation as best he could. It was still hard for him to wrap his head around, the Mana Sickness, the rebound of a certain spell Ten had used, despite Doyoung's warnings, and how Ten wore himself thin, burning whatever magic and energy he could safely use to search for Jaehyun. Night after night, despite the fact Johnny had given up.

"That won't happen." Johnny murmured."I promise. We'll protect… I'll protect you."

Ten turned onto his side, saying nothing. Just looking at him. There was an uneasiness in his eyes, and it made Johnny want to hold him. He ran his hand through Ten's hair, following the line of his neck to his shoulder, then down his arm where Ten's once soft skin was, now hardened by crystal. He wanted to touch every inch of him. He had wanted to memorize the shape of him last night, map it out with his fingers and lips and now, knowing there would be less and less of him each day, it filled him with regret.

"Does it hurt?" He asked, his eyes falling to Ten's fingers, linking them together with his.

"Yes." Ten breathed out and Johnny felt his heart sink. He was angry at him for keeping it a secret but he understood why. This changed everything. They had a time limit now but they also had a mage with the power to send them home. If Ten could find the courage to do it then they had a chance. What a horrible game this world was playing with him.

"There's some things you can't protect me from, Johnny. I'm dying." Ten murmured and it struck his heart to hear the pain and loneliness in Ten's voice.

"That won't stop me from trying." He pulled Ten closer, wrapping him in his arms. "In three days Mark and I are going to find that Lich. We'll bring that focus back and go home, where there's no such thing as magic or Mana Sickness."

It was a promise to Ten as much as it was himself. He'd stop at nothing to get them home. Not just Ten. Doyoung, Mark, Yuta and anybody else that might still be alive.

"I love you. You know that right?" Ten murmured, burying his face in Johnny’s tunic. Johnny kissed the top of Ten's head.

"I love you too, Ten."

Chapter 19: Team DreamV + Chaos Brigade

Chapter Text

 

 

Yangyang heard Lucas screaming from behind him as he rushed for the man threatening Jaemin. Smoke engulfed them, the sparks of their swords clashing lit it up, nearly blinding him. He saw Kun’s body, in the flames, Lucas watching it burn with tears and soot staining his cheeks and clothes. He lost his composure then, grabbed the nearest sword he could find and unsheathed the one he got in the last city. 

“Who did this?” He had asked, Lucas’ expression turned dark and he looked at a path through the flames. Yangyang wasted no time, rushing in that direction. The second he saw Jaemin with that knife to his throat he saw nothing but his target and charged. It was like someone else was taking over his body, slashing wildly, with an inhuman speed. Deep red splattered across his face as he sliced through the man’s arm, growling like a feral animal. 

He didn’t care that Lucas was shouting at him to keep him alive. Not to harm him. He didn’t care. Whatever use this man had to them couldn’t be worth the lives he’d taken. Yangyang stumbled back when his sword met something hard and a large frame blocked his next blow. 

“Stop!” Jaehyun choked out. He’d blocked Yangyang’s strike with his arm. “Killing isn’t going to fix this-” Yangyang pivoted around Jaehyun and with one clean slash of his sword, severed the head from the man’s body. 

“We’re done here. Let’s go find Ten-ge.” He growled, kicking over the lifeless torso. Yangyang didn’t even flinch when Lucas limped over, grabbing his cloak.

“He knew how to get home.” He choked out, desperation in his eyes. Yangyang’s lips formed a tight, thin line. Lucas actually believed that this guy knew a way for them to get home? 

“We’ll find another way.” He sheathed his sword and turned the other in his hand, pointing the tip at the ground and started for Jaehyun’s horse. His family was dying. One by one, their lives crushed like ants underfoot. Kun and Xiaojun were gone, Hendery was broken, Lucas was dying. He wouldn’t let anyone else that threatened his family to live.

 

“There’s a way for us to get home.” Lucas murmured as Jisung used the last of his spells healing him. Jisung glanced over his shoulder at Jaehyun. He looked so defeated when they came back, Jaemin did too but Yangyang… he’d ripped off the bandages covering his eye and it had turned a milky white from the long scratches that scarred his face. He was different now. Hardened, like a warrior.

“You should tell Jaehyun.” Jisung stated. Hendery looked up from where he sat beside them. Lucas shook his head, looking up at Jisung. He felt his throat going dry, the dark crystal, where skin should be, was difficult to look at. Jisung was very adept at healing and maybe if he’d gotten to Lucas sooner he might have been able to help, might have been able to slow down the spread of the Mana Sickness. It was too late for him now.

“One of us has to die.” Lucas stated, his voice empty and tired, like he wasn’t even processing what he was saying. “A Lightbringer or an Oathbreaker can cast the spell but only if they have enough power. If one of us… absorbs the other’s mana… all of it… we can go home.”

“We can go home?” Hendery echoed Lucas’ words and he nodded. Jisung made note of Hendery’s expression, the relief in his eyes. What was Hendery willing to do to go home? 

"Let's go, guys." Jaehyun walked up to them, he grabbed Hendery and pulled him up "On your feet. We're going to find Ten."

"Hyung, can I ride with you?" Jisung asked. Jaehyun opened his mouth to speak but Hendery grabbed Jisung's arm.

"I want to be with the Healer." He whimpered  "Please?"

"Sure whatever makes you the most comfortable." Jaehyun smiled, putting a hand on Hendery's shoulder. Hendery nodded gripping his arm tightly and urging Jisung to the horse. 

"Don't tell them." Hendery ordered, his voice low and threatening. 

"Okay let's ride! If we move fast we can make it to them by sundown!" Jaehyun called to everyone.

"What are you going to do?" He asked but his gut told him he already knew the answer. 

He thought he was the only one awake when it happened, shoving stuff in his pack and making his way to the horses. Doing the best he could to calm them as he approached. None of the horses liked him very much, they could probably tell how nervous he was around them.

"Where are you going?" Mark demanded. Ten whirled around, his bag slipped from the lousy knot he tied and fell open on the ground, the contents spilling out.

"You guys won't be able to kill it." Ten choked out, shrinking away from Mark. He dropped to into a crouch and started shoveling the stuff back in his bag.

"So you thought running away would stop us from fighting it?" 

"If I can get the focus I can send you home…" Ten's entire body trembled, wondering if he made the right choice. He wanted to send the people he lived back home, where they belong but he was weak. Not just in strength but in resolve as well. To kill something, anything, to take more lives… the thought made him want to vomit. Even if it's a monster, it still felt pain, and he didn’t want to inflict that on anything.

"Johnny’s doing his best for you , Ten." Mark sighed.

"When Jaehyun's back he won't need me."

"Ten, let us help you. We're a family, Johnny loves you. We love you. Trust us." Mark pleaded, standing and reaching his hand out to Ten. Ten bit his lip, looking at Mark’s hand as though it would sprout teeth and bite him. "Trust him ."

Ten grasped it and Mark pulled him to his feet.

"Here!" A voice shouted from the bushes. Mark knocked an arrow faster than Ten could turn towards the voice. He knew that voice.

"Lucas…" Ten breathed, taking a step in that direction. Mark inhaled sharply as a group emerged from the bushes and he lowered his bow. "Yangyang, Hendery…" Ten covered his mouth in an attempt to stifle the happy sob that came out. They ran to each other, Ten falling into the open arms of all three of them and they cried. He cried so hard he could barely breathe, that sound barely came out with each shaking sob. They were alive. He knew Xiaojun had died, knew it from that horrible dream he’d seen when he slipped into the afterlife but the others. They were alive and well. He never thought he’d get to see them again. Ten ran a hand through Hendery's hair, wiping a smudge of dirt from his forehead and grabbed Yangyang's face, inspecting the scars and his eye like a worried mother. He littered Yangyang’s cheek with kisses, happy to hear the annoyed grunts and protests from his snotty sobbing brats. He'd ask them about their scars later. Then he looked up to Lucas, his breath catching when he saw the petrification crawling over his face. 

Ten reached up, a pang of hurt in his chest as he touched the crystalized skin on Lucas’ cheek. Lucas took his hand and pulled the three of them into a hug, murmuring a soft “I know. I’m okay. We’re okay. We’re here and alive.” Chenle and Renjun ran over, joining them in their group hug. He didn't realize that the dreamies were with them. Mark was laughing and smiling with them, hugging each one. Then Jaehyun's voice broke through the laughter and sobs and Ten stiffened.

"Johnny!?" He called out. The tent flap swung open.

"Jaehyun…?" Johnny’s voice cracked and he was a blur as he rushed by everyone, tackling Jaehyun so hard the two of them fell back into a bush. "Oh my god. Jaehyun! I thought you were… I love you. I love you so much. I should have said it before." He grabbed Jaehyun's face and kissed him, like he’d never see Jaehyun again. Desperate to make up for their lost time. Ten could see the tears streaming down both their faces as they kissed and embraced and kissed some more and he shoved down those feelings for Johnny once again. It was only a week ago that they laid together and exchanged those words… the ones that cut right into Ten's heart, the words he'd been dreaming of hearing his entire life. Now they meant nothing. As quickly as a summer shower they'd washed away with the tears that soaked Johnny's cheeks. They were reunited now. Johnny wouldn’t need Ten and even though it felt like his heart was being ripped from his chest, he wanted Johnny to find his happiness with Jaehyun, his soulmate.

He watched them start gathering around the fire, to catch up. To update everyone on the things that had happened. Yuta and Doyoung watched each one of them, some kind of suspicion or wariness in their eyes. They weren't as excited to see everyone as Johnny and Mark were and Ten had a feeling it had to do with the missing members, the ones that should be with them.

"Xiaojun, Kun and Winwin are dead." Yangyang stated, a silence fell and everyone focused on only the fire in the center of the circle they sat in.

"Jeno and Jungwoo are as well, and I don’t know how but I think I can feel when other members are near death. I felt it with Kun and Jungwoo and now Sungchan… I think he’s in a lot of trouble right now." Jaehyun stated. When he had that dream where he saw Jeno and Xiaojun, he knew that they had died. He knew that more would die but for Kun and Winwin to die as well. It made his heart ache.

"How did they die?" Ten found himself asking. He didn't really want to know, he knew it would be painful.

"Xiaojun was murdered. His head cut off by someone…" Yangyang scrunched his nose up "Some thing " he corrected himself. Renjun nodded.

"We killed it. Burned the house too." He added

"Kun and Jungwoo were killed by a mage. He was trying to interrogate me for information on your location, Ten. He said-" Lucas was interrupted by Yangyang.

"I killed him too." He stated, eyes cold. Hard. Calculating.

"Winwin fell." Lucas wrung his hands together "He.. he wanted me to tell everyone. He loved you- us. All of us."

Ten swallowed the lump in his throat looking at Jaehyun, expecting an answer for Jeno. He just stared at the fire, eyes distant and glassy. Nobody had asked about it because it looked like Jaehyun didn't want to talk but it.

"I couldn't protect Jeno. Yangyang got rid of the mage that killed him." There was a bitterness to Jaehyun’s words and his glare flicked up to Yangyang. Ten understood why. Yangyang's eyes were empty. Emotionless. This world had changed them, all of them. Hendery hadn't spoken, not one single joke to lighten the atmosphere. Lucas' jaw was set, teeth grinding and eyes filled with so much conflict.

Jaemin was sitting alone, tuning everyone out, watching the fire with eyes glazed over. Chenle and Renjun were angry, the rage in their expressions and stiffness of their bodies made it obvious that they wished they could have been the ones to avenge Jeno. Jisung was quiet too but instead of the shy, skittish boy he was at home, he sat tall beside Doyoung and Yuta, eager to learn more, eager to protect. Ten hadn't seen even the slightest hint of dimple in Jaehyun’s cheeks.

Johnny opened his arms up and called Ten to him, without thinking he wandered over and climbed into Johnny’s lap, letting his warm arms envelop him because it was all he could do to keep himself from crying again, for the members they would never see again. 

The air was heavy but slowly, as the group said their goodbyes to each member and tears were shed, they began to tell fond stories, laughing at the chaos those members had sewn in their days back home until the members slowly came to retire in the large tent. Finding warmth between pelts and other members. Ten was stuck directly between Jaehyun and Johnny and he fell asleep to the deep lull of their whispers.

Peaceful, safe, loved.

Chapter 20: NCT13

Summary:

An early update with smut just cause 😏

Chapter Text

NCT13: Johnny, Jaehyun, Ten, Mark, Yuta, Doyoung, Jaemin, Jisung, Renjun, Chenle, Yangyang, Hendery, Lucas

Ten woke to the feeling of hot breath on his neck and Johnny’s lip pressed to the spot just behind his ear. He sighed and let out a content hum, pressing his back into him. Johnny grinned against Ten's skin, his hand moving from its spot on Ten's waist up his stomach and up even further to his chest, pushing his shirt up to his chin. Johnny's warm palm held him tightly against his body. He found himself being lulled back to by Johnny's slow grind against his ass.

"I always thought you were jealous." He murmured. Ten was about to respond, about to ask what he was talking about but Jaehyun snorted.

"Yeah because I was left out. I tried to tell you so many times, even on the boat to our campsite, you just laughed at me."

"So you weren't jealous of him, you were jealous of me?" Johnny's palm ran over Ten's chest and down his belly before traveling back up, smoothing over his skin like he needed to explore every inch of it.

"Hyung." Jaehyun shifted under their fur pelts. "I don't give a damn who you spend time with, you know how I feel about you. He doesn't, of course I'm going to be jealous when he looks at you the way he does."

"Hmm, you hear that, Baby?" Johnny whispered into Ten's ear "Jaehyun has a crush on you." Ten's eyes fluttered open, still heavy with sleep, and met Jaehyun's wide eyed gaze.

"What? You said the sleep spell—"

"I lied. Yuta didn't cast any spell on him." Johnny chuckled against Ten’s neck. He let out a small gasp as the sound sent a shiver through him. "What do you think, Baby? Can I share you with Jaehyun?"

"Share?" He put his hand over Johnny’s, lacing their fingers together "How?"

"Hm." Johnny kissed down Ten's shoulder then back up to his ear, his lips causing Ten's gut to tighten with want. "Do you want to be his boyfriend too?"

Jaehyun sat up, a horrified look on his face, his ears the darkest shade of Pink Ten had ever seen. 

He could have them both? Jaehyun was definitely his type. He didn't love him but he could and if they were like this, open and honest with each other, there would be no reason to distrust and neither of them could make Ten feel insignificant in such a relationship. Ten knew, acknowledged and accepted Jaehyun and Johnny’s relationship.

"Yes." Ten stated, almost breathless, like Johnny knocked the wind out of him with those words. Jaehyun's eyebrows shot up in surprise. They were already a family. They'd spent so long together since they were just young trainees, the only difference this would make would be their level of intimacy, and Ten could absolutely appreciate Jaehyun's body.

"You were worried over nothing." Johnny chuckled. Ten reached for Jaehyun, letting him settle back into bed before he broke away from Johnny. He scooted closer to Jaehyun and kissed him on his adorable dimpled cheek. Jaehyun lay frozen, because he didn't know what to say or do. 

"Yes. I'd like that." He murmured. Jaehyun drew in a slow, deep breath and lifted his hand, letting it hover above Ten's waist, his throat bobbing. 

"You want to fuck him already?" Johnny laughed, startling Jaehyun. He pulled his hand away.

“No! That's not... I just… I wanted to…” Jaehyun muttered, eyes darting between Johnny and Ten, panicked.

“Oh, I see.” One of Johnny’s hands pushed the pelts off them and travelled back up to his chest, this time taking one of Ten's nipples between his fingers. “You want to make love to him?” he purred, breath hot on Ten’s ear. He took Ten’s earlobe between his lips and tugged on it and Ten thought he might combust right there. He wanted this fire inside him quelled, and he just wanted to feel their mouths on his skin. Johnny seemed to understand Ten's sudden need and shifted closer, effectively sandwiching Ten between them, their bodies flush with each other. Johnny's erection pressing into the cleft of Ten's ass and Jaehyun’s erection rubbing against his own. He hated that they were still wearing so many clothes. God, why aren't they naked yet?

"Can I kiss you?" Jaehyun asked, his words soft, averting his eyes nervously.

"Yes." Ten breathed "God, yes." He pulled Jaehyun closer, greedily accepting his lips. They tasted sweet, like chapstick from home, though he knew it was probably just from the honey snacks Johnny liked to suck on before he kissed Ten, after that one time Ten giggled and told him he liked the taste. Ten sighed into Jaehyun's lips, coaxing his tongue into his mouth and sucking on it. Jaehyun groaned letting Ten hook a leg over his so he could feel closer, feeling a arousing heat between their bodies.

"Hey now, don't get too greedy." Johnny purred. Ten broke away from Jaehyun, panting, a thread of saliva briefly connecting their lips. Then Johnny sat up and pulled Ten into his lap, shoving Ten's shirt over his head. He waited for Johnny to take off his as well before he leaned back into his chest. Johnny wrapped his arms around Ten and went back to worshipping his body, hands wandering over him, igniting desire everywhere he touched.

Jaehyun let out a small whine and chased Ten, lips aiming for his. Johnny turned Ten's head though, devouring his lips. His hand dipped to the aching bulge in his pants, making Ten gasp and pull away.

"Does it feel good?" Johnny asked and Ten nodded, the pressure of Johnny's touch increasing. "Use your words, Baby."

"Yes. It feels so good." Ten sighed. "I want more."

"Good boy." He purred and a shiver traveled over his entire body. Jaehyun found his neck, leaving a trail of wet sloppy kisses down it before licking down to one of his nipples. Ten tangled his fingers in Jaehyun's hair and forced him lower and lower, until he was hooking his fingers under the waistband of Ten's pants and yanking them off. Jaehyun loosed a happy sigh, his breath tickling Ten’s cock as he settled between Ten's legs. 

"Can I?" He asked, looking up at Ten with wide, hopeful eyes. Ten nodded, tangling his fingers in Jaehyun's fluffy, grown out, locks as he dragged his tongue up Ten’s length. His eyes stayed locked on Ten's as he continued licking, gauging his reaction. It was strange how Jaehyun knew where to lick to get the most reaction from Ten before Ten even knew. Soon he was squirming in Johnny’s arms, head dropped back against his chest, panting and whining for more. Then Jaehyun wrapped his lips around him, swallowing him down until he felt the back of Jaehyun's throat. How the fuck was Jaehyun so good at this?

Johnny. That's how. 

The thought of Jaehyun doing this to Johnny made him moan. Did Johnny fall apart under Jaehyun’s tongue just like Ten was? God that was something he wanted to see.

As if he knew Ten was thinking about him, Johnny murmured softly into Ten's ear. "Be a good boy and cum for Jaehyun." Ten gasped, his body trembling. Praise did so much for him, being Jaehyun and Johnny’s good boy . Jaehyun's cheeks dimpled and Ten moaned, reaching behind him to grab at the hair at Johnny’s nape.

"Johnny," He whined tilting his head back, wanting to kiss him. Johnny pressed his lips to Ten's jaw.

"Come on, Baby." Johnny purred "Cum for us. I want to see you cum in his mouth." 

The fire flared inside him, blossoming into overwhelming pleasure as he came. 

"Good boy." Johnny cooed and Ten gasped, groaning as his next few pulses were longer and felt deeper inside his body. He released Jaehyun's hair and watched in awe as Jaehyun crawled over him, knocking Ten's hand off Johnny so he could grab Johnny by the back of his neck and pull him into an aggressive kiss. Ten's throat bobbed and he licked his lips, watching their tongues tangle together. He saw something glisten and drip down Jaehyun’s chin. He didn't know if it was saliva or his cum but he found himself leaning up, nudging Johnny away with his nose so he could lick it up and into Jaehyun's mouth. Salt and musk lingered on his tongue when Johnny pulled him away.

"Tch don't be a spoiled brat, its my turn now." Johnny scolded but there was amusement in his voice and Ten wiggled out from under them, wrestling his pants back on. Johnny reached for his hand when he started for the tent exit.

"Are you leaving?" He pouted. Ten knelt beside him and kissed Johnny’s cheek. 

"I'll let you two catch up properly." He smiled and walked outside. He froze when he saw the whole group in the hot spring, all sitting in an awkward silence with flushed faces.

"Fuck that was hot." He heard Johnny groan 

"Next time I'll let you watch him fuck me." Jaehyun purred. Ten felt his cheeks warm and he blindly reached inside the tent, running his fingers over the silence sigil.

"We didn't want to interrupt." Yuta murmured, sinking into the water up to his chin. Ten stripped and sank into the water, floating over to where Lucas, Hendery, and Yangyang sat.

"So you and Johnny are…" Lucas started. Ten nodded and he averted his eyes. He knew Lucas cared for him more than he let on so he planned to break the news about Johnny more gently than this.

"Your Mana Sickness is worse than Lucas'." Hendery stated. Ten went rigid, shrinking away, grabbing his arm as though he could cover it. Jaehyun and Johnny treated him like he was still himself and the pain killers Doyoung made helped him with his mobility so he'd almost forgotten about it entirely. Ten's eyes traveled over Lucas, the crystal was darker than his, and while Ten's covered nearly his entire arm and began creeping down his ribs and across his back, Lucas only had a patch over his face and neck. 

"I'm going to die." Ten stated. Yangyang's jaw flexed and Lucas flinched, as if the word had just struck him. Hendery, however, didn't react. "I don't know when it'll happen but…" Ten glanced back at the tent. He noticed the others in the water were silent, listening to him speak. Jaehyun and Johnny were together. Jaehyun had let Ten be a part of something Ten had longed for his entire life as Ten Lee of SM Entertainment. He had no regrets. "Whatever time I have left, I'll spend every minute helping to get everyone back home."

"I love you, Ten." Lucas stated "I always have and I'll be damned before I let you die in a place like this." 

Jaehyun and Johnny emerged from the tent, naked with big grins on their faces, laughing about something. Johnny grabbed the bar of soap and tossed it to Jaehyun as he waded into the water. Lucas sighed and hoisted himself out of the water, a few others following when Doyoung mentioned packing up.

Ten lagged behind the others, assisting with packing their horses and the magic to collapse the tent.

It wasn't long before they were ready to ride. Jaehyun offered Ten a boost onto a Horse and very promptly mounted behind him.

"Shouldn't he ride with one of us?" Hendery asked but Jaehyun turned the horse, ignoring Hendery's words.

"Did something happen to him?" Ten asked 

"I don't know the full details but something off. Jisung overheard Lucas say that Killing either you or him could send us home if you absorb the Mana"

"But that will just excellerate the Mana Sickness." 

"Exactly. We want to get you both home in one piece. Lucas didn't tell anyone yet so he doesn't know you and I know so let's keep it like that. There's another light mage called the Star Child. Supposedly killing him would allow for you to absorb his Mana with less risk and almost no risk at all if we have that artifact."

"I don't want more people to die, Jaehyun." Ten sighed.

"Me neither. Which means we need to hurry because Sungchan is on the brink of death. I can feel their pain. It happened with Kun and Jungwoo too."

"Pain? Then can you feel my arm sometimes?" Ten asked.

"I think so, now that I know what it is." Jaehyun took Ten's hand and lifted it up to the light. Ten gasped when he saw the sun sparkling through it in rainbow fractals. "Still, its beautiful." 

Ten felt his face flushing and he pulled his arm back, glaring at Johnny as he rode by with a chuckle.

"I have a question." Ten murmured 

"Hm?"

"Do you actually have a crush on me?" 

"Yeah." Jaehyun stated in that soft, bashful, tone that Johnny loved and Ten couldn't help but laugh in response and twist to look at him. He grabbed Jaehyun's pink ear and tugged on it.

"Hyung." He whined pulling his head away. The horse spooked and jerked forward, forcing a yelp from Ten. Jaehyun wrapped an arm around him, trying to steer the horse away from the others. 

"You." Jaehyun grunted, the hand on his stomach flexing before pinching him. Ten screeched, writhing in his grip on top of the panicked horse. Johnny caught up to them and grabbed the reins, cooing at the horse to calm it down. Ten covered his stomach protectively when Jaehyun laughed, taking control of the horse once more. When his arm wrapped around Ten again, his hand rested over Ten's and he laced their fingers together. Johnny cocked an eyebrow at them before smirking and falling back in line.

Eventually Ten found himself dozing, head back against Jaehyun's chest. Until a sharp pain woke him and he was falling off the horse with Jaehyun.

 

 

He didn't want to do it. He loved them. All of them, but Lucas had a better chance of survival than Ten and he couldn't even control his magic. If either of them needed to use their magic to send him home Lucas had a better chance at being able to do it.

He had to act quickly, had to take them off guard, Jisung was onto him and he managed to sneak away from his sight last night so Jaehyun probably knew. That's why Ten was riding with him today. To keep him safe. Jaehyun wasn't all that impressive though. He'd gotten Jeno killed, almost got Jaemin killed because he froze up and couldn't do what was necessary, couldn't take a life.

He understood. The thought of ending a life made his stomach twist into wretched, gnarled, knots. But someone had to do it.

Someone had to kill him.

To go home.

It was when he noticed Jaehyun's head nod forward, trying to stay awake, that he decided to do it. It was easy to coax Jaemin into speeding up the horse. It was even easier to grab his dagger and plunge it into Ten's chest. 

It scared him how easy it was.

But he had to go home.

He couldn't stay here any longer. They had to leave. This place took too much from them. Took his family. Took everything that he'd worked so hard to achieve.

Ten screamed and Hendery lunged, catapulting himself off Jaemin's horse and tackling Ten off Jaehyun's horse.

They impacted the ground with a thud that sent a shock up one of Hendery’s knees.

Home. I just want to go home.

People shouted around them and he scrambled to his feet, reaching for Ten. The next thing he knew they were tumbling downhill, through bushes and twigs, rolling in dirt and slipping through soggy moss.

They impacted with hard packed dirt and Hendery was on Ten in less time it took for him to blink.

He was so close. So close to going home.

Ten grunted, diverting the dagger and twisting it from his grip.

He couldn't lose here. Not when he was so close.

He leaped at Ten, clawing, punching, kicking, screaming. He must have looked like a feral beast and in a lot of ways he was. Ten was the only obstacle to his happy life back home. It was an obstacle he'd break down a million times over if he had to.

"Hendery, stop!" Ten sobbed. "Please! I don't want to hurt you!"

Tears.

Ten's face was drenched and he didn't know if they were his own tears dripping onto his face or if they were Ten's. Perhaps a mix of both.

A palm impacted with his chin and Ten bucked his hips, jostling Hendery off him. Then he was crawling away, arm held over his wound in his stomach, calling for help.

Ten grabbed the blade and turned as Hendery lunged again.

Pain struck him. Pain and then red. It was everywhere and he tried to scream, clawing desperately at his throat, but it came out a horrible choking, gurgling noise. Then there was nothing. A darkness that consumed him. Confining him to a limitless expanse of black. Then hands took his and he looked up into Xiaojun and Kun's eyes.

Home.

He was finally home.

 

"Ten!" Johnny screamed, he hadn't seen what happened, only heard Jaehyun shouting and his horse turning around. Johnny saw the two of them go over the side of the path and he was off his horse in an instant, running as fast as he could with the others close behind. He could hear screams, cries of pain and he didn't know if they were Hendery's or Ten's but it forced his feet to move faster, not caring that thorned bushes and twigs scraped through his clothes in the dense forest.

Then he broke through the trees and saw them. A spray of crimson coated Ten, a dagger pressed to his chest but the hand that held it loosened and Hendery’s body fell limp on top of Ten who cried and whimpered. Johnny shoved Hendery off Ten, pulling his hands from his stomach and yanking up his shirt. Three shallow wounds, none of them large enough to threaten Ten’s life, just enough to sting, but the blood. Christ, there was so much blood. Johnny followed Ten’s horrified, teary, stare. His body was trembling as Hendery’s empty eyes stared back. The smell of urine and feces mixed with the smell of the blood and Johnny grabbed Ten, dragging him away from Hendery’s body. He knew, as muscles relaxed after death, that something like this could happen but it seemed wrong to let Ten watch Hendery’s post death bowel movements when he was in such shock. He trembled so violently his teeth chattered and he gripped Johnny’s tunic so tightly Johnny thought he might rip it right off him. 

The others were nearing and Johnny knew they couldn’t see Hendery or Ten like this. They would all panic. They had been at the end of the marching order when it happened so, with any luck, Jaemin and Jaehyun were the only ones that knew exactly what happened.

“Johnny…” Jaehyun gasped for air, sweat clinging to his brow, bracing himself against a tree. His face distorted into something like pain, or maybe it was horror mixed with that look he got when they screwed up the choreography and stewed for days on end blaming himself. He thought it was his fault. 

Ten shoved Johnny away and rolled over, vomiting. Jaehyun gagged and looked away, not able to stomach the sight before him.

“Stop them!” Johnny demanded. Jaehyun held up a finger, took a deep breath and then yelled back up the hill for only Jisung to come down. 

“Not dead.” Ten winced, Johnny put a hand on Ten’s back as Ten shook his head. “He’s not…” Ten coughed and gagged and slammed his fist into the ground. “Not dead. He’s not dead. I didn’t… No. No. No.”




Jaehyun approached Ten, bag in hand. Ten looked up through his shaggy hair, still damp with blood. He’d cleaned most of the blood off himself, or at least Doyoung did. Johnny carried him all the way up that hill while he wailed. He cried and screamed like a damned lunatic, then Johnny stripped him for Doyoung to wipe down his body, with only the horses and trees giving him any privacy.

"They're divided on what they want to do." He stated. Ten eyed Jaehyun skeptically. "Before he died the mage told Lucas that if he can absorb a light mage's Mana he would have enough power to send us home. Hendery overheard and—" Ten flinched when Jaehyun said Hendery's name. Doyoung also helped Jisung clean up Hendery’s body and pull it up to where they had tumbled off their horses. Lucas and Yangyang barely flinched when they saw Hendery’s body and Ten couldn’t help but wonder if they thought about doing the same. Couldn’t help but wonder if they knew what Hendery planned to do. Maybe they planned it together. Who else knew?

"They want to kill me." Ten stated, his voice raw. It was the first  words he said. “Doyoung thinks that finding this focus is the better option. Johnny doesn't want to gamble on losing anymore of us if there's a safer option."

“Johnny wants to…” Ten’s lip quivered

“No!” Jaehyun knelt in front of Ten, grabbing his hands “Nobody wants to kill you. No. There’s a light mage in Rantick, a boy. Lucas learned a little bit about him before that mage died but not much. Half of them want to-”

“Kill him.” Ten bit his lip “Why does anyone have to die? I'm sick of death. I can't do it anymore, Jaehyun. Living every day wondering who I'm going to hurt. If it's Not magic that hurts anyone then it's because of my magic. I don't want anyone else to die."

"Which is why we're leaving." Jaehyun dropped the bag in front of Ten. "We're going to find the focus and bring it back before they even get to Rantick. We're going to stop them from assassinating this other light mage." Ten looked beyond Jaehyun where Jisung and Mark waited with horses. "Doyoung is going to stay and do what he can to change their minds." Jaehyun stated "I won't stand around and watch more innocent people get slaughtered." He reached his hand out to Ten.

Yangyang and Lucas would, without a doubt, ally themselves with Johnny. Yuta was probably the only one backing up Doyoung. The younger ones were too angry and impulsive, they would side with the plan that got them closest to home quickest. While Mark had convinced him before to stay. To trust Johnny. It seemed his opinion had changed. They all just reunited, Ten got his family back but they were… broken. All of them were broken. This was it then, wasn’t it? The solution to fix their broken family. Turn against each other, abandon each other, abandon all the morals they’ve lived their lives by for what? Survival? 

“Death isn’t the answer, Ten. They’re scared, desperate, it’s safer for all of us to leave.”

“Can you promise me that no more lives will be lost?” Ten asked, finally looking up into Jaehyun’s eyes. His throat bobbed and his eyes glazed over.

“No, but I can promise that I’ll do everything I can to avoid spilling anymore blood.” Jaehyun said it with so much conviction that it sparked a small light of hope inside him. He grasped Jaehyun’s hand before climbing onto the horse with Jaehyun while Jisung summoned a portal. Ten only got a glance of where the others argued before they spurred their horses through the portal and it closed behind them.

Chapter 21: TY Squad

Chapter Text

It should have ended. Taeyong tore apart the Lich right in front of them. Whatever he turned into mauled it until only scraps were left, so why the fuck were they barricaded in an abandoned hut trying to stop Sungchan’s bleeding? Shotaro’s magic was too slow. They had to do something. Where the hell was Taeyong?

“Hyung, there isn’t… there’s nothing left…” Shotaro sniffled, wiping tears from his eyes “My magic…”

Taeil slammed his fist on the wall, firing his last bullet through the small hole. Haechan slid to the floor, dropping his head back against the wall. They were out of options. All Taeil had left were his pistols and he needed to get closer to the Lich for that to work. 

“We have nothing left.” Haechan pressed his hand over his arm, where he’d been wounded. Taeil hissed, ripping off his cloak and tearing a thick strip of fabric from it. Haechan could barely keep himself upright, he’d lost too much blood. Taeil tied the fabric around his arm, so tight it made Haechan wince. 

They were going to die here.

Taeil felt a tickle on his hand and Amelia crawled onto Haechan’s arm. He’d usually be freaking out by this point but he barely had the energy to stay conscious. Amelia disappeared into the satchel at his side and then reappeared, a small crumb in her weird little fangs. He’d grown fond of the spider’s company since they’ve been here and he wished he’d been able to speak to animals like Taeyong, so he could thank her for always keeping watch with him. 

“Open your eyes.” Taeil grabbed Haechan’s face, urging him to stay conscious. “Can you stand?”

“It's over.” Haechan sighed

“No.” Taeil waved Shotaro and Sungchan over. Sungchan had a heavy limp and had to rely on Shotaro to stay upright. 

“Hyung, I’m scared.” Shotaro whimpered.

“I know but you need to listen to what I say. I’m going to go out the window, you need to get both of them out of here.” Taeil pressed his forehead to the boy’s, if only to stay upright. He was exhausted and it took everything to stay on his feet. Shotaro shook his head, tears leaving a trail on his bloody, dirty, cheeks. “You can do this. Don’t think. Just take them and run. Get as far as you can, okay?”

“O-okay.”

Taeil hoisted Haechan to his feet, dragging him to Shotaro by the door. He was heavy, like a lead weight, but Shotaro wrapped his free arm around him and nodded at Taeil. He lifted Haechan’s face, kissing his temple, bringing his lips to Haechan’s ear. Willing himself to say those words one last time, but his voice caught in his throat.

“I love you too.” Haechan murmured, though it was so quiet he might have missed it if he hadn’t been holding his breath. A rumble shook the hut and they all swayed and slammed into the door. Taeil heard a horrible screeching and he lunged for the window. A spider, larger than the lich, with a familiar black shiny body, stood between the hut and the Lich.

“Amelia?” He gasped.

“Hyung!” Shotaro called, Taeil hurried to the door and yanked it open, hoisting Haechan into his arms and fleeing the hut, Shotaro close behind. They didn't have to go far before they found their original path out.

"Stay here." Taeil ordered, gingerly placing Haechan on the ground. He turned around, hurrying back, fumbling with his pair of pistols. "Amelia!" He shouted, firing like a madman, unloading every bullet right into the Lich's face.

"Stop!" Someone demanded. An arrow of Light flew past him and Amelia kicked one of her legs out at Taeil, throwing him back into the dirt, sending him skidding into a tree, his pistols flying off somewhere into the bushes.

A blue shimmer appeared between Amelia and the Lich and then Taeil saw Jaehyun’s fluffy, grown out hair and broad back.

"Get to them! Heal them!" Jaehyun shouted. Jisung abandoned his horse and ran for where Shotaro, Sungchan and Haechan were hiding. 

Heal them?

God, they were going to live thanks to Jaehyun. Haechan was going to live.

Mark grabbed Taeil, and hoisted him up, shoving something in his mouth. He didn't question it, he drank the sickly sweet tonic. 

"Where did it come from?" He asked "Where's its lair?" 

Taeil nodded towards the cave and Mark propped him up against a tree. The spider scurried over, a leg separating them and Amelia let out a wretched hiss. 

"It's okay." Taeil told her, placing a hand on her leg "They're friends. They're here to help." She paused for a moment and Taeil scrunched up his nose when he saw the black blood oozing from a wound the Lich had given her.

She shrank then, until she was no larger than a penny and he could fit her in his hand. Taeil bit back tears when he realized that Amelia was as still as death. 

She was gone.

"I'm sorry we couldn't get here sooner." Mark murmured, a hand firm on his shoulder. Taeil held the spider protectively in his hands, careful not to squish her, and looked up. Ten stood beside Jaehyun in front of the Lich, his hands raised to show himself unarmed, Jaehyun had a hand on his shoulder. He was on guard, prepared to act if something unexpected happened.

The Lich lowered himself to the ground and he seemed almost small from this view. No larger than Ten.

Ten didn't speak, his brow furrowed and a form of pity hid behind his expression as he reached out towards the Lich.

"You just want peace." Ten stated. The Lich looked at its lair then back to Ten, wordlessly communicating. He reached out, taking the Lich's body, decaying hand in his. "We didn't come to harm you. We just want to go home."

It spoke then. A voice that was both deeper than a tigers roar and pierced his ears like the cry of an eagle. Caged and limitless at the same time. One but many. 

Unnatural.

"H-Home?" 

"Yes. Home." Ten gave Jaehyun a sidelong glance and he relaxed, lowering his shield. "You want to go home too. I can send you there. To your family, do you want to go?"

The Lich nodded, shrinking over itself, holding its face as though it wept but no sound came out and no tears could be seen. Ten glanced at Jaehyun once more and he backed away, allowing Ten to place his hand on the Lich's head. A radiant, white, light seemed to form a haze around them and then the Lich was simply gone. Taeil's eyes fell beyond Ten to where Taeyong was propped into a sitting position against a tree. Unconscious.

Thank God .

They survived.



"I meant it." Haechan murmured as Taeil changed his bandage. His hands ceased their movement briefly, the only indication he heard him, before going back to work. He finally told him and it was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"I want to stay." Taeil murmured. It was ridiculous. They all nearly died. Any sane person would look for a way home, any sane person wouldn't live in a world that tried to kill them at every turn, but love made people do crazy things.

"But the fans." Haechan bit his lip nervously. "Who will you sing for?"

"You." He stated as though it was obvious "It's only ever been for you. I'd rather live in a dangerous world like this, where we can be together than safe at home and forced to spend our entire lives apart."

Haechan pulled Taeil into a hug, earning a chuckle from him. This would be their home. It was horrible here, chaotic, dangerous, there weren't even any video games, but it was perfect. As long as it was with him it was home.

 

 

"How long do you think he'll be out?" Mark asked, glancing at Taeyong’s body. He gave Haechan and Taeil a crooked grin as they fell asleep together, huddled under one of the fur pelts they brought along with them. Mark rolled the small obsidian stone in his palm. It was so light, he expected a magical artifact to be something large and cumbersome but it was no larger than a marble.

"Day or two maybe." Ten suggested. It's what Jisung guessed earlier when he was treating their injuries. Mark tucked Ten tight against his chest, wrapping his arms around him to keep him warm. It was a common occurrence now, Ten slithering into laps and snuggling up to people. Usually it was Jaehyun but he was helping Jisung mend Sungchan's wounds. It was getting harder for Ten to move, Mark saw it whenever he had to mount or dismount the horse and his body was getting colder and colder. He didn't really understand it, didn't know how something living could just turn to lifeless crystal.

Ten's tense body relaxed and he dropped his head back against Mark's shoulder.

"You should sleep." He hummed, tucking the small stone into his pocket.

"I can't. " Ten sighed, looking up through the dark canopy. He didn't sleep last night either. "Do you think we made the right choice? Leaving them, I mean."

Mark sighed, resting his chin on Ten's shoulder, staring into the fire. It was the only choice for him, choosing to kill someone wasn't an option, whether or not that someone was their only way home. And then what Ten did today, when he talked to that monster it heard him. It knew what he was saying. It was just as alive as they were. Did that mean that anything they fought to get this far was the same? They've been killing innocents this whole time. They all had blood on their hands, was it already too late to make up for it? Ten turned his face and tucked his cold nose against Mark's neck.

"I killed him." Ten whispered. Mark ran his hand through Ten's hair, because he didn't know what else to do to comfort him. Though, he suspected it didn't do much at this point. When they dragged Hendery's body up to the path it finally fully sunk in. That so many of them had died, that their family was getting smaller and smaller and more would probably die. They left and Mark couldn't help but feel like it was a declaration of war. They were enemies now and some of them were probably going to be killed or at least injured by Johnny's party.

Fear was a powerful thing and right now, with Ten having killed Hendery so easily, everyone was scared. It left them all wondering who would turn on them next. Who had allies, who could kill without hesitation. Mark wanted to believe that none of them could, but Hendery proved him wrong.

"Can you play a song?" Ten asked, interrupting his thoughts.

Mark laughed. It wasn't much, he couldn't find a guitar in the city so he had Doyoung and Yuta use their magic to create something similar. He didn't get a chance to use it yet. He pulled it from his nearby pack and plucked at the strings, it was like a fading memory, the sound was so foreign to him but it brought him sudden comfort. He felt Ten take a deep breath and heard him hum along to the familiar melody. Even if it was off key and the tempo different, it was still ingrained into their memory, their voices, their movements.

Then his breathing slowed and a soft snore escaped his lips. Mark didn't stop playing, though, it wasn't anything like his guitars back home but his fingers seemed to move as if they'd been playing these notes his entire life. It filled him with a deep ache, a longing to put pen to paper, pick to strings, and weave stories of strange worlds, magic, death and life. Their story. He wanted to tell their story.

So he did. Until his voice was hoarse from the cold and singing, until his fingertips ached. 

Jaehyun knelt beside him pulling Ten into his arms. A murmur and grunt of protest from Ten had Jaehyun and Mark chuckling as Jaehyun placed Ten near the fire, enveloping them in their fur pelts.

They fell asleep that night with nostalgic music haunting their dreams.

Chapter 22: Chaos Brigade

Chapter Text

 

Johnny, Doyoung, Yuta, Lucas, Yangyang, Jaemin, Chenle, Renjun

They just left. Without so much as a word. He didn't even se Jaehyun, Mark or Jisung sneak away while he was arguing with Doyoung. He didn't even know if Ten went willingly or not, even if he was forced to leave, he should have tried to leave something for Johnny. A message, some kind of note or something but there was nothing. They didn't understand, that he was doing it all for them. To ensure they were safe, to get them home in one piece.

As far as they knew this child was some kind of savior to the people reading in Rantick. It wouldn't be easy to get to him but it was a much better option than putting everyone else at risk fighting a lich to get an artifact that might be used as a focus if Ten could use it.

Johnny looked across the fire and saw Lucas watching him, a scowl on his face.

"What's your problem?" He grunted. Lucas bared his teeth.

"You."

Johnny hadn't expected Lucas to answer and he certainly didn't expect him to be so confrontational.

"Oh get over it, Ten isn't interested in you." Johnny snorted. He saw anger flicker across Lucas' expression before he suppressed it, clenching his hands into fists. "Now isn't the time to get jealous."

"Jealous?" Lucas barked out a laugh. "Of you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Johnny barked back. He knew not to fan the flames but Lucas was really starting to pass him off.

"Look at how easy you've had it." Lucas gestured at the tent. Johnny swallowed the lump forming in his throat, nausea creeping up on him. He should have bit his tongue and kept quiet. It was true, the people Lucas loved the most were dead. He'd survived God knows what while his party has been lounging in hot springs and warm tents. He wasn't cut out for this. He couldn't be a leader to them, he didn't even fully understand the pain they've all gone through. Watching them die. Seeing their blood, listening to their last breath leave their lungs. They've walked through blood and fire to get to where they are now and he knew that it wasn't an easy feat for them.

"Lucas…" Yangyang reached over, taking his hand and Johnny saw the way the tension left Lucas' body. They were all wound up so tight and Johnny was the only one that had any outlet for that aside from violence. It had been more than just sex but he couldn't deny that it helped, immensely, to relieve the stress of being here, the stress of having their bonds shattered and reforged but with pieces missing.

"You don't know what its like to stare death in the eyes. You don't know how painful it is to be so damn helpless and let their lives slip through your fingers." Lucas spat. He got to his feet and stormed away, Yangyang following close behind him.

"He's right, Hyung." Chenle murmured from where he sat, Jaemin and Renjun leaning on each shoulder, eyes distant, staring into the fire as though they could see the faces of the members they'd lost in the flames.

"I'm sorry." Johnny sighed "I'm sorry I wasn't there to stop it."

"You couldn't have stopped it even if you tried." Jaemin echoed Johnny’s sigh. "They've lost the most. Xiaojun, Kun, Winwin, and now Ten. Lucas is going to die if they don't find a way home and Yangyang is always going to carry those scars as a reminder of everything he lost. You should apologize, Hyung. We shouldn't be fighting with each other at a time like this."

"I know…" Johnny tossed a pebble into the fire and stood, wiping off his pants and trekking into the bushes to find Lucas. He stopped when he heard heavy breathing and grunting and Yangyang's voice. He saw them through the branches and leaves, Yangyang pushed up against a tree, one hand grabbing a branch for leverage and a leg hooked over one of Lucas' arms, pants discarded and Lucas pounding into Yangyang. 

Johnny immediately retreated. It wasn't any business of his what kind of relationship they had and it would probably make Lucas unwind a bit. Maybe he'd be less pissy if he just had a good nut, got all that aggression out of his system. Yangyang certainly didn't seem to mind it. They all changed so much, Johnny couldn't help but wonder if they'd be better off making their own lives here instead of going home as these people. What would their fans think of them? Could they even be NCT like this? What would they tell their managers? Six of them were dead, their families back home would never believe how it happened… what would they even tell them?

God what if they'd been missing all this time? They'd been gone for months by now.

Maybe there wasn't a future for them back home anymore.

Chapter 23: TY Squad

Chapter Text

"Having to sleep without a tent sucks" Ten whined, squirming against Jaehyun. He grunted, opening an eye to look at him.

"Cold?" Jaehyun asked, his arm snaking around Ten.

"Don't make me say it." Ten mumbled, tangling their legs together. "I'm… horny."

Jaehyun felt his ears and face warm immediately. The thought of being intimate without Johnny didn't cross his mind. He assumed that Ten only let him do what he did because Johnny was there.

"Oh." Jaehyun whispered. He peaked over his shoulder at the others. They were just outside the cave where everyone else slept, Jaehyun was supposed to keep watch but Ten followed him, whining about Jaehyun being the warmest. Though, he suspected now, that wasn't the case at all.

He sat up pulling Ten over to his lap until he was straddling him.

"Here?" Ten asked, leaning to peer into the cave. They were just out of sight in this new position. Jaehyun ran his hands up Ten’s back under his shirt, leaning in to place a kiss on his neck.

"If you want to." He hummed. He heard Ten's breath catch in his throat, felt the shiver that rippled through his body, as if the words had the same effect on him. Ten nodded, letting out a sigh when Jaehyun's lips pressed against his neck, placing small kisses up it. He felt Ten pulling his shirt up and they separated so he could pull it over his head and toss it aside.

"Take your pants off too." Ten demanded, standing to remove his own pants then he pulled a glass bottle from his bag.

"Lube." He stated "Doyoung made it for Johnny and I."

Ten straddled Jaehyun once more, placing his gloved hand on Jaehyun’s chest, running his hand over a fresh red welt.

"Mark and I were training this morning." He stated. Ten ran his hand over Jaehyun's shoulder, and down his arm. He pulled his hand from Ten's back and peeled off the glove that covered the hard steel mechanism.

"Sorry, did I hurt you? I'm still not used to how strong it is." Jaehyun sighed. Ten shook his head.

"No." He murmured, his brow furrowed before his expression softened. He pulled off his own glove and laced their fingers together. The steel and Cystal contrasting "No I just didn't realize until now that we’re so alike." 

Jaehyun blinked at their hands. It was true. Neither had feeling in their limbs, neither was a whole. It was like a tidal wave of emotions hit Jaehyun and he had to draw in a slow breath to keep himself from getting too sentimental. Ten probably understood him better than anyone else did. They were both responsible for the death of other members. They both lost a piece of their humanity trying to protect ratjer than harm, trying to hold on to the sliver of humanity left in them,as small as it was. They were both afraid. Scared that they would be the reason more people died and they both wanted, desperately, to keep that from happening.

Jaehyun pushed Ten's shirt up and he grabbed it, a worried look in his eyes. He was self conscious of it. Jaehyun persisted, coaxing the shirt off. Jaehyun's hand now mapped out his arm, running up the crystal to where it now began to creep up his neck. The light of the moon reflected off the crystal in prisms of blues and purples, casting a ethereal kind of light onto them.

"You're beautiful." Jaehyun whispered, cupping Ten's neck and pulling him into a kiss. It was different from Johnny, so much different. There was something deeper about this. He hated to admit it, but it felt more meaningful, like they'd been running towards this moment their whole lives and it scared him. Terrified him. It had always been Johnny for him. Johnny was everything, his best friend, his first and only love, all he knew was loving him… up until now.

The way Ten kissed him made his heart thump in his chest because he thought, just maybe, Ten might be feeling the same thing. 

"Johnny will be jealous when he finds out." Jaehyun murmured between kisses. 

"He doesn't have to know." Ten whispered into his mouth, already breathless.

Though he didn't respond to it, it was an implied promise between them. A secret for just the two of them. Neither of them were just placeholders for Johnny.

Not tonight.

Ten uncorked the bottle, and poured some lube in his hand, reaching between them and grasping Jaehyun's cock. Jaehyun placed kisses over Ten's chest as he raised himself on his knees and slowly lowered himself onto Jaehyun's cock. Jaehyun cursed, letting Ten settle. They kissed again as Ten began moving, rocking his hips slowly. 

"Again." Ten hummed. Jaehyun looked up at him, confused at first. Then he saw Ten bite his lip, the flush on his cheeks deepening. Shy. Nervous.

"You're beautiful." Jaehyun repeated, kissing Ten's neck. Ten gasped and Jaehyun felt that shudder again. Not his, he knew that. Some strange connection to Ten was allowing him to hone in on Ten's emotions, the things he felt, like they could communicate without any words.

"Gorgeous." He let his teeth graze over Ten's skin. Ten bit his lip, a whimper barely slipping from him. 

"Feels so good." Ten panted "You feel so good inside me."

Jaehyun's hand rested on Ten's jaw and he tipped Ten's head to the side, exposing the part of his neck that had no signs of petrification. He began sucking on Ten's neck, pressing quick kisses to each spot that would be painted with a hickey from him. He didn't want to share Ten with Johnny anymore. He wanted Johnny to see these hickeys and know what they'd done without him. He wanted to claim Ten for his own and Ten seemed to want the same. 

Ten's hips faltered and Jaehyun realized his legs were trembling. He braced his hands on Ten's back and, without warning, lifted him. Laying him on the pelts and flipping him onto his stomach. He earned a surprised squeak from Ten before he entered him again, he lowered himself so their bodies were flush and his arm came around Ten, grasping his hand, lacing their fingers together once more.

"Jaehyun…" Ten moaned. Hips rolling back to meet each of his thrusts. "Fuck, Jae…"

Something inside Jaehyun snapped when he heard that. Despite it being easier to say, nobody called him that so for Ten to use it, turn it into a pet name that only he used… it made him groan, his cock twitching inside Ten who gasped.

He dropped his forehead against the nape of Ten's neck, thrusts picking up.

"God, Jae, I'm gonna cum soon." There it was again, that damned pet name. Ten whined pushing back against Jaehyun for more. He pulled them to their knees and reached around Ten, grabbing his cock. Ten tipped his head back, kissing Jaehyun, their other hands still entwined, resting on Ten's stomach, holding Ten as close as possible. Ten gasped, mouth open against Jaehyun's, his body tensing, clenching around him. He groaned, short thrusts and a roll of his hips sent pleasure rippling through him, his cock pulsing inside Ten. He hadn't even noticed Ten came over his hand until he was whimpering, his body twitching from the oversensitivity. He grabbed Jaehyun's wrist and pulled his hand off Ten.

Jaehyun lowered them back onto the pelts and found his spot behind him, still inside Ten. They breathed in tandem, nothing but the sound of Night Larks and the nearby creek disturbing their comfortable silence. When was the last time he held Johnny like this? It felt like it had been years. He felt a tightness in his chest, guilt creeping in when he thought about Johnny. Guilt, because what he was feeling now, with Ten in his arms, wasn't the same as what he felt for Johnny.

"I need to figure out how to work that thing." Ten muttered, his eyes on his bag. The artifact. The magical focus that was slowly accelerating Ten's Mana Sickness, he had half a mind to throw it in the creek and just beg Ten to live the rest of his days with him.

He tightened his arm around Ten.

"The artificer that made my arm told me that Light Mages are also called God-Touched, because they can do things only the gods should be able to do. They call it a blessing." He muttered

"It's a blessing if it can send you home."

You. Not everyone. Send him home.

"Is it home if I'm not with the person I love?" A bold question, a bold claim and confession.

"I'll make sure I get both you and Johnny home. I promise."

Was it rejection or just naivete? 

"Ten I want you to know…"

"Don't say it." Ten whispered "Please." 

A pang of hurt struck him but he just buried his face in Ten's shoulder, giving him a small nod. He wouldn't make it anymore difficult for Ten than it needed to be.

"Okay. I can do this." Ten shook his hands and bounced up and down in one spot before focusing on the small orb that was placed on top of a split tree trunk.

Jaehyun gave Ten a nod and erected the barrier around him. Taeyong curled up by the fire, mountains of cloaks draped over him. When he'd come to, he found himself surrounded by Jisung, Jaehyun, Mark, and Ten. Then his body went into some kind of shock. Jisung told him that sometimes magical effects could rebound and cause their bodies to react in odd ways. He had thrown up a number of times, breaking out in a cold sweat, now he was trying to warm and calm himself by the fire while Ten tried to cast magic.

He didn't know why Ten needed to be in some kind of barrier to cast it but he was happy to see them alive and unharmed.

Taeil approached him, a leaf in his hand and Amelia's body lying on it. He'd asked Taeil to bring her to him when he heard about her death. She gave her life for them and he'd be forever grateful for what she'd done. Jisung cast some kind of magic to keep her body from falling apart, to keep it preserved as long as they needed. Taeyong would find a cupcake in the city, the strawberry kind Amelia always wanted to taste, and he'd bury her with it.

"You should call Fenhorn." Taeil suggested, as Taeyong gingerly wrapped Amelia's body in the leaf, then in cloth before tucking it in his bag.

"I can't." Taeyong pulled the blankets around him. "Not until I recover."

"Who's Fenhorn?" Jisung asked. Sungchan pushed himself up into a sitting position, groaning in pain.

"Lay down." Shotaro scolded, pushing him back down "You need rest. We can't do anymore healing until tomorrow."

"Where's Fenhorn?" Sungchan croaked. Taeyong reached over and touched his hand to Sungchan’s face. He was still feverish. Sungchan grew attached to the dragon in the same way Taeil had to Amelia, so he understood his concern, but Taeyong couldn't call on her yet.

"A dragon." Taeyong stated. Sungchan’s lips curved into a half smile. "When we were summoned here we landed in another country. They said we were heroes but…"

"You didn't buy it." Mark finished, the assumption was spot on and Taeyong nodded.

"I broke into their library, found a scrying pool. Saw you guys, saw everyone alive and then I heard her. I called Fenhorn to us, she broke us out and carried us here. We got some information. If we retrieved an artifact guarded by a Lich we could trade it for the information needed to get home."

"The artifact is our way home." Mark stated. "And… not everyone is alive. Not anymore."

Taeyong felt his heart sink and he nodded in understanding, waiting for Mark to list the names. When he didn't, Taeyong closed his eyes, drawing in a shuddering breath. 

"Tell me. Who's dead and how did they die?"

"Jeno, an arrow to his throat. Xiaojun, beheaded by shifters. Winwin, he fell into a canyon. Kun and Jungwoo, strangled and burned. Hendery, Ten slit his throat. Ten and Lucas are both sick. If they don't get home they'll die. There's no cure."

"Everyone else… they're alive? Are they hurt?" He persisted 

"Yangyang is pretty beat up. Jaehyun lost his arm and Ten… Hendery attacked him, nearly killed him. He's pretty shook up about it. The others… Jaemin, Renjun, Chenle…" Mark's brow furrowed and he took a deep breath "They're angry, frustrated, heartbroken… I don't know how they'll recover from this, Hyung."

Taeyong secured the blankets around himself again. He wished he'd been there for them. They were his babies, he was responsible for every single one of them and he loved them. He had so much to make up for.

"I'm the reason we're here." Taeyong whispered. "I heard someone calling for help. The next thing I knew we were here. The Moon Child. I don't know who they are or why they need help but if they're killed it'll destroy this place—" Taeyong stopped when he looked up at Mark and saw the shock and recognition in his face.

"That's why we left." Mark breathed out, pressing a palm to his face and smoothing his hair back, grabbing a fistful of it. "Because we wouldn't kill this Moon Child. Hyung, the others are planning on killing them."

Taeyong felt the color drain from his face an he clenched his hands into tight fists under the cloaks.

They wouldn't. Not his members. They wouldn’t kill an innocent child.

"Doyoung," He started

"No. Doyoung doesn't agree with it. He only stayed to Try to convince Johnny to change his mind."

"Johnny?" Taeyong’s face twisted in pain and he bit his lip. "Why would he… he wouldn't do something like that."

"He would if he thought it was the safest way to get us back home." Jisung muttered. An explosion shook the earth beneath them and Jaehyun’s barrier shattered.

"Ten!" Jaehyun ran over to Ten, catching him as his knees gave out. Taeyong gulped, watching the crystal crack and creep further over his bare back.

"I can try again." Ten grunted, getting to his feet.

"No. Its spreading faster whenever you use magic. Let's stop, maybe Lucas can—"

"As long as I have enough strength to send you home that's all I need." He gently pushed Jaehyun away and stepped closer to the orb. "Again." He demanded. Jaehyun opened his mouth to argue, clearly conflicted, but then he closed it, jaw clenched tight and summoned the barrier again.

"We need to get to Rantick before them. If they kill that kid it'll be the same as genocide." Taeyong stated. 

As soon as Taeyong could use his magic again, he'd have Fenhorn fly them straight there. 

Chapter 24: Chaos Brigade

Chapter Text

"Any sign of them?" Doyoung asked. Chenle shook his head, clambering up onto Yangyang's horse. He spurred it into a trot, coming up beside Lucas and Renjun.

They'd been in the city for only two nights and they'd already gathered any information they needed to justify their attack. Even Doyoung and Yuta were on the fence about the decision.

This Moon Child, Lightbringer, God-Touched. Everyone talks about them being sacrificed at some kind of ceremony to take place in less than a week. The ceremony isn't something normal for these people but everyone thinks this child is the reason for the wars on their borders. Ultimately they were the ruler of Venencia. The responsibility for the monsters ravaging the land, the fighting, small towns being stricken by poverty and disease, it all fell on the shoulders of this ruler. 

If he was going to die anyway, then they might as well get what they can from this.

"He probably isn't coming." Lucas stated

"Because you know him so well?" Johnny muttered from where he rode in front of them. Yangyang shot Johnny a glare, hand flying to his sword. He was sick of Johnny picking fights with Lucas. Johnny glanced over his shoulder, eyes settling on Yangyang's sword.

"Ten's scared." Yangyang stated

"And he should be scared." Lucas added. Yangyang felt Chenle's arms wrap around his waist and a cheek press against his back. "Look what this damned place did to us ."

Us.

He meant WayV. Mutilated, murdered, driven mad. Scars that would never heal.

"Yangyang?" Chenle muttered.

"Hm?" He moved to glance over his shoulder but forgot that he'd lost all his vision in that eye. So he just looked forward again, keeping his eyes on Johnny’s back.

"Maybe Ten was right to leave." His voice was quiet and small. Yangyang didn't respond because he didn't know what to say. They were taking the shortest path home, saving as many of them as they could, if Ten didn't agree with that then Yangyang wouldn't try to convince him otherwise. 

Ten was the odd one out.

Sacrifice one to save the many.

"He wasn't." Yangyang gritted out, teeth clenched. "He abandoned us."

"I'm just as angry as you are. At them for leaving, at the things that took the others from us, but its exhausting being so angry. Do we have to kill more?" Chenle buried his face in Yangyang's back. He put his hand over Chenle's.

"You don't have to be angry. You don't have to kill anyone or anything. Leave that to me."

Yangyang tuned out the bickering of Johnny and Lucas, tuned out the chatter between the others and the steady sound of hooves on cobblestone. He gave Jaemin a sidelong glance. The boy spent too much time with Yuta for Yangyang to be comfortable with.

They talked in hushed voices when they thought the others would hear and now that Yuta seemed conflicted about whether or not to kill, Jaemin seemed to disconnect a little from them. He was in the way. He would get in the way.

If it came down to it, Yangyang was certain that Jaemin would join Jaehyun's party. Jaemin and Doyoung.

Doyoung who argued for hours about what they should do.

It didn't surprise Yangyang. Doyoung was good . An angel, really. Caring, kind, full of love. He was too soft and that would get them all killed. He wish he'd known about Hendery's plan, maybe they could have worked together to get rid of the ones that actually hindered their chances of going home. Instead, he had to rely on Lucas, with his impulsiveness and recklessness. He was strong though. Stronger than any of them, his magic was potent and he had perfect control over it.

They stopped outside the Inn they were staying at, allowing the stable boys to tend to the horses while they all found their way to their rooms.

"Lucas." Yangyang beckoned him. He followed to their room, leaving the others. He needed Lucas and that damned monkey brain of his.

As soon as the door was closed Lucas grabbed at Yangyang, already having thrown his shirt to the floor, growling out of frustration or maybe it was anger. He wasn't sure, but the result should be the same.

"Wait…" Yangyang gasped, but Lucas hoisted him against the small desk in the corner of the room, yanking off his pants and spitting into his hand. "I need to tell you something—Ah!" Yangyang winced when Lucas pushed into him.

"It can wait." Lucas growled.

"I heard them talking. Jaemin and Doyoung." He panted. Lucas didn't seem to care much about what he was saying so Yangyang gripped Lucas' hair and tugged on it. "They're going to ruin it." 

Lucas grabbed Yangyang's hand, yanking it from his hair pinning it to the wall.

"And?" He grunted, slowing his thrusts but not stopping.

"We need to stop them." Yangyang persisted, his free hand running down Lucas' chest and stomach.

Stroke his ego .

"You'll protect us, won't you?" Yangyang panted.

"Do you need me to protect you?" Lucas tipped Yangyang's head back against the wall, his thumb running up the column of his throat.

"Please." Yangyang whimpered. Lucas brought his lips to Yangyang's neck. 

"Please what?" Lucas grunted. Yangyang grimaced at the thought of begging.

"Get rid of them."

Lucas halted, peeling away from Yangyang to look into his eyes. Lucas put pressure on Yangyang's throat. Light at first, as he asked.

"What do you mean, get rid of them?" He increased the pressure and Yangyang's hand flew up to grab Lucas' wrist.

"Jaemin and Doyoung, they're going to—" He squeaked when the pressure on his throat became a tight grip, pinning him to the wall. Yangyang tried gasping for air, his body lurching in Lucas' grip. Lucas slipped out of him, no longer hard, which was in all honesty a bit of a disappointment but then again it would be more fucked up if he got off on choking Yangyang to death. He dug his nails into Lucas' arm, digging into the flesh. His head started feeling light and dizzy and flame ingnited from Lucas' hand. Black and purple flame, branding Yangyang's neck with the shape of his hand. He dropped his hand to the desk, searching for something to use as a weapon.

His hand grazed the hilt of his sword and he grabbed the scabbard, swinging it up and hitting Lucas in the side of the head with a hard thwack

He growled, loudly. Or maybe it was a shout. He meant to intimidate Lucas with it and it seemed to work. Instantly Yangyang had his sword drawn and he shoved Lucas to the ground. He straddled his waist and slammed the sword into the wood right beside Lucas' ear.

"What the fuck?" He snarled, panting, coughing and gasping for air, his entire body trembling from the adrenaline.

Lucas moved his hands and Yangyang's hand shot over to a dagger. He bought it today and it had fallen out of his sheath when his pants came off.

He slammed the dagger into Lucas' arm, gritting his teeth when Lucas hissed, jaw clenching to prevent himself from screaming in pain.

"And here I thought you were on my side." Yangyang muttered, sneering at him. "I guess I really can't trust any of you." He leaned over to Lucas' ear to whisper into it.

"I'm stronger than you. By tenfold. You think you can fucking hurt me with your magic?" 

A showy flame licked up from underneath Lucas and Yangyang jerked his head away, twisting the dagger. Lucas growled, tears spilling from the corner of his eyes. Yangyang kept his jaw settight, clenching his teeth.

He bucked his hips up, jostling Yangyang and slamming him into the ground, straddling his waist. Yangyang screamed at his, snarling, trying to scramble away and then Lucas gripped his throat again, flames bursting forth

The door swung open and Johnny charged into the room. Lucas only looked up for a brief second before black sludge shot from the air in front of him and struck Johnny in the midsection, knocking him to the ground, his sword sliding across the room. Yangyang opened his mouth, desperately trying to take in any air he could. Kicking his legs, though he couldn't find purchase on anything.

These fucking people.

People he called family. People he had once cared about and loved.

They didn't give a fuck about him and he was done giving a fuck about them.

Johnny shot to his feet and lunged, tackling Lucas. Yangyang rolled to his side, coughing, holding onto his throat, burned, raw and swelling. Lucas grabbed his foot and dragged him over with ease, his hands falling out from beneath him, he hit his forehead on the floor, nearly knocking him unconscious, but he grasped his sword and kicked Lucas off him while Johnny caught him from behind, trapping his arms. Lucas opened his mouth to speak, probably to justify himself and tell them about Yangyang planning to take out Doyoung and Jaemin. 

So Yangyang lunged for him, sword going right through Lucas' chest. He flicked his thumb over the pommel of his sword and drove it in further. Johnny screamed in pain, releasing Lucas and stumbling back, hand over his chest. Yangyang pulled his sword out and let Lucas' body fall face first into the floor. 

"Ten…" Lucas winced then his breathing stilled, leaving him lifeless. Yangyang dropped to the floor, holding his throat. God it was painful, it hurt more than losing his eye. 

"Johnny!" Yuta rushed in. Yangyang opened his mouth to speak but pain made him choke and cough. Doyoung grabbed him, forcing him onto his back so he could inspect the wound. He slipped his cloak off, laying it over Yangyang's waist. Sparing him from that embarrassment, at least. He pulled a scroll from his bag and muttered the incantation, hand on Yangyang's throat. The pain was gone, still raw but he felt the ability to speak.

Except when his voice came out it was hoarse, no more than a loud whisper. 

"Shh!" Doyoung hissed "Without Jisung, my healing takes time. Don't irritate your throat any more than you need to." 

"But—" Yangyang coughed. Jaemin knelt beside Doyoung, a cold, wet cloth in his hand, placing it on the burnt flesh on his neck. Yangyang grabbed his wrist, as fast as lightning, and he flinched.

"Don't touch me." He croaked.

"Doyoung. Johnny needs healed too." Yuta whimpered. Johnny grunted, pulling off his blood stained shirt. A puncture wound lay just above his left pec, where Yangyang had stabbed Lucas. His sword was sharp enough to pierce through a wall of solid diamond, it was the best he could find. They spent all day yesterday stealing weapons for everyone when they ran out of money and this was the one that Yangyang chose, twin blades. A partying dagger and a Blue Steel sword, the best material in this world for weaponry. It was rare and easily enchanted, as Yangyang's sword was.

What the enchantments were he didn't know but when he held one or both in his hands he felt lighter, faster, unbeatable and he was.

"Fuck I'm fine. He was attacking Yangyang." Johnny groaned. Doyoung made sure that Yangyang was stabilized first before hurrying to Johnny.

"It looks like it hurts." Jaemin murmured, looking down at the cold cloth he'd dropped. His brows were drawn, troubled, sad even.

Yangyang didn't want his pity.

He pushed himself up grabbing his nearby pants and yanking them on. Yuta grabbed his shoulder before he could retreat.

"You killed him." He stated. Yangyang looked down at Lucas. He knew he killed him, and he didn't regret it. Every last one of them could die for all he cared. What had they ever done for him anyway? They barely interacted with each other. Renjun and Chenle, were the only exceptions. He'd never even had dinner with any of the 127 members aside from Taeyong. 

Yangyang's eyes finally left the body and looked at Yuta, calculating his response.

' Clean up your mess. ' That's what Yuta's expression screamed. Yangyang shook off Yuta and stumbled towards the door. He'd wait in Renjun or Chenle's room. He wanted nothing to do with Lucas, his body, or the others.

Chapter 25: TY Squad

Chapter Text

“Why are we like this?” Ten wondered aloud. The breath Jaehyun sucked in trembled and he tightened his arm around Ten’s waist as they saddled up to the Inn they were staying at. 

“I heard that they’re called Mates here.” Jaehyun murmured. Ten scrunched up his nose and cringed at the word but he let Jaehyun continue. “It’s more than just being lovers. Our Mana… It’s like one is a seed and the other is the sunshine and water it needs to grow.”

“I heard Doyoung talk about Seeds once, when he was learning the language of this place.” Ten stated “Is that what it is?”

“Could be. It’s not the same as love or sex.”

“It’s more.” Ten hummed, finishing the sentence as if he just knew that was what Jaehyun would say. “I know. I can feel it too, the way you feel the others.”

It was like seeing a distant light but not seeing as much as feeling it. A small mote of warmth that was separated from the others. He didn’t know what it was at first but after that night with Jaehyun. After their magic bonded together, after he could feel everything Jaehyun had felt, he knew. They all had their own unique feelings, Johnny was something akin to love but Jaehyun… He was fondness, love, and joy all mingled together. The thread that connected them now couldn’t be severed, not in a million years and, Ten hoped, not by distance either. He hoped that when Jaehyun went back home that he’d still be able to feel what he’d meant to Ten. 

“You mean…” Jaehyun’s ears flushed pink as they found their room. Ten smirked at Jaehyun.

“I don’t need magic to know what you’ve been wanting all day.” He purred, walking up to Jaehyun. 

“What? It wasn’t that obvious was it?” Jaehyun squawked.

“Jae you literally bit your lip at the book vendor. You looked at my ass and bit your lip .” Ten laughed, moving to unclasp Jaehyun’s breastplate. Jaehyun smiled that devilish grin of his and his hands grasped Ten by his waist, pulling him against Jaehyun’s broad frame.

“Leave it on.” Jaehyun murmured. Ten’s eyebrows shot up and he stopped, hands resting on the metal breastplate. Then lips were on his, hungry. Like Jaehyun hadn’t kissed Ten in years. Jaehyun wasn’t a naturally assertive person so this side of him took Ten off guard, not in a bad way, though. The opposite, in fact. Johnny was so gentle with him, like he was afraid he would break Ten and even Jaehyun had made sure Ten was comfortable and always made sure consent of some form was given but this. This felt primal. Like it wouldn’t matter even if Ten refused, not that he would. 

“Fuck, Jae, what’s gotten into you?” Ten groaned, letting Jaehyun tug Ten towards the bed. A thud sounded somewhere beside them and Ten would have ignored it if Jaehyun didn’t look over and scream. 

“Jesus fuck!” He grabbed Ten and yanked him away from the shadow in their room. Ten put a hand over his heart when Mark pulled his cloak hood off. He’d jumped through the window.

“We found them.” Mark stated. That was all they needed to hear before they were securing Jaehyun’s breastplate again and hurrying out the door. They didn’t bother with their horses, Jaehyun grabbed Ten’s wrist and the three of them ran for the meeting place through the growing crowds in the streets. This was far too reckless, there were too many people that could get caught up in this. They saw Fenhorn’s massive form towering over Taeyong. Shotaro and Sungchan stood on either side of him. Of course they’d want to fight, Sungchan should be waiting at the Inn and healing.

Ten just prayed Johnny wouldn’t take advantage of Sungchan’s injuries. Movement caught Ten’s attention, a plume of smoke heading straight for Taeyong and Ten cried out, reaching his hand towards Taeyong and tossing the artifact out in front of him. A shield of light formed in front of Taeyong and the smoke exploded over the surface before dissipating and revealing Yangyang, both swords in hand.

“Yangyang!” Ten gasped “Stop!”

Yangyang looked over to him and there was something confusing in his eyes. He looked angry . Like Ten had committed some crime against him, his teeth barred like a feral animal.

“Move aside.” Johnny growled, stepping through the crowd. Taeil cocked his rifle atop Fenhorn’s crown of horns. Haechan and Jisung casting magic from further up the stairs. Ten rushed up to Taeyong with Mark and Jaehyun beside him. 

“Johnny, stop!” Taeyong shouted “This isn’t the right thing to do!”

“Yuta! Doyoung! Get your asses over here and-” Mark started, Yuta averted his eyes, guilt in them. Doyoung grabbed Jaemin’s hand.

"This isn't the right thing to do. You know that." He pleaded. Jaemin seemed torn, hesitant to choose a side but he pulled his hand from Doyoung and backed up, joining Renjun and Chenle. "Yuta…" Doyoung backed away. Yuta stepped up beside Johnny and lit up his hands with fire. 

"Step aside." Johnny repeated.

"We have the artifact, we can—"

"Lucas is dead." Yangyang growled, slashing at the shield. Ten bit his lip, trying to hold back his emotions.

"We don't want to fight you, all we want is to go home." Johnny lifted his sword, pointing it at them. An arrow whirred past Ten's ear and impeded itself into the dirt at Johnny's feet. He eyes narrowed and he gave a nod to Yuta before charging.

Jaehyun stepped in front of Ten, shoving him back as the light shield disappeared and the others ran into battle.

"Stop!" Ten pleaded but Taeil's shots were too loud and the clash of metal on metal drowned hin out.

Doyoung managed to get another shield spell out, blocking Yangyang's attack Ten and then Taeyong was by his side, his body shifting into his anthropomorphic form. Long sharp teeth and claws, silver-white fur and a growl that shook the earth under their feet. Something flashed in Renjun's eyes, some kind of anger before he lunged for Taeyong. His rage took over, and he landed three swift blows to Taeyong’s stomach before Haechan's magic shot small rocks forward, as if they were rubber bullets in a pistol. Two of them got Renjun in the chest and judging by his face they hurt like he'll.

"I can send us home. Please stop fighting." Ten choked out, but their bloodlust and rage took over. Non of them could see right from wrong in this state. Even Doyoung and Yuta were pitted against each other and neither of them seemed to budge even an inch.

What could he do to fix this?

Yangyang appeared in front of him in less time than it took to blink and slashed at Ten, cutting through his clothes and slicing his chest. Ten staggered back, grabbing at the wound.

A flash blinded him and Jaehyun screamed, a war cry filled with rage. He bashed Yangyang with his shield and hit him in the arm with his mace. Yangyang tripped and Jaehyun kicked him onto the ground, pressing the edge of his shield to Yangyang's throat.

"Touch him again and I'll crush your damn throat!" Jaehyun snarled. Jisung grabbed Ten, dragging him away as Johnny charged for them, trying to heal him.

Fenhorn let out a roar and wrapped herself around Sungchan, Jaemin thrusting his knives deep into her tail. Chenle had knocked Shotaro unconscious with one kick to the head. Yuta was on the defensive, a shield of flame incinerating each of Taeil's bullets. 

Haechan and Doyoung offering whatever support they could to their party which wasn't a lot.

"Killing an innocent child is wrong, Johnny." Jaehyun grunted, backing away, his shield blocking and deflecting each of his powerful strikes.

"Innocent? He's going to be sacrificed. He's dying anyway!"

"We can save him! Ten can send us home. We have the artifact—"

"At what cost? His life?" Johnny grabbed the edge of the shield, trying to pry it from Jaehyun's grip.

"I won't lose either of you. Not again." He growled. Jaehyun swung the mace, colliding with Johnny’s sword arm. 

"You already lost us." Jaehyun shoved him away with the shield. Yangyang, on the ground snarled at the two of them. He spat, red coating his lips and he wiped them.

Ten used the artifact again, rushing over to Jaehyun, that same shield of light blocking Yangyang's sword. Yangyang screamed, slashing at it, over and over again. Jaehyun's back against Ten's while he deflected Johnny’s attacks. A glint of purple creeping out from Yangyang's eye caught Ten's attention. Mana Sickness. The same that Lucas had. Dark Magic. Did Yangyang steal his Mana?

"Shit!" Jaehyun hissed. The shield shattered and Ten summoned the same flaming sword as when he first attempted his magic. Grabbing it and deflecting Yangyang's blade. The amount of force that the sword shattered and Ten stumbled back into Jaehyun. Yangyang thrust his sword into Ten's stomach. In the same place that bug monster pierced him. Everyone's screams muffled each other and Yangyang shoved Ten to his knees, pulling his sword out and raising it to strike again.

"Stop. Please." Ten gasped, grabbing Yangyang, pushing himself to his feet. He was bleeding so profusely he was surprised he didn't fall unconscious. Yangyang's hand trembled and Ten wrapped his arms around him.

"Baby stop." Ten felt tears well up in his eyes.

"Don't call me Baby." Yangyang snarled.

"Baby Yangyang." Ten tightened his arms around the boy. Where did he go wrong to deserve so much hatred from his Yangyang. His sweet, energetic, naive Yangyang.

"Let go!" He growled, trying to free himself of Ten but he refused to let go of him. Yangyang flipped his sword around and whacked Ten in the ribs with the pommel. "Let go, you don't get to call me that. You abandoned us!"

His heart sank. Is that what Yangyang thought of him?

"Why didn't you take me with you?!" Yangyang dropped his sword and pulled a knife from his belt, burying it in Ten's back. "I would've gone with you" 

"I'm sorry." Ten grunted in pain. Yangyang pulled the knife out and stabbed again, an again, and again.

He didn't know if he deserved it or not, he wasn't thinking about Yangyang or Lucas when he left, he was thinking about his own survival, about getting them all home.

A flicker of light caught his eye and Mark's arrow flew through the sky in a high ark. The light arrow that they'd stolen. He was aiming for Yangyang. Ten had to choose then, and in that moment timed seemed to slow for him. Maybe it was magic, maybe it was just the sudden realization that this was his time, this was his moment. It was like he was looking down two pathways, down one he could see Jaehyun, Johnny, and everyone else alive. Down the other he saw Xiaojun, Kun, Lucas and Hendery. They beckoned him, with open arms and smiling faces him or… did they beckon Yangyang. 

No.

If Yangyang had actually absorbed Lucas' Mana then he had a better chance at sending them home.

Yangyang could do it. Or maybe they could do it, if it was both of them.

That's it. Light and Dak magic are compatible, can allow them to combine their magic into something more powerful.

"Jaehyun…" Ten whispered. He heard Jaehyun whirl around, heard him shout, felt him reaching for Ten but he wouldn't make it in time.

Ten pulled Yangyang out of the path of the arrow and forced the stone into Yangyang's hand, closing his own over it.

Then there was light and warmth, mingling with cold and darkness. The arrow pierced through him. He knew he would die, had been trying to accept that since he first found out about Mana Sickness but now that it was time, he was scared. Terrified. Would they remember him with fond memories or would they see him as a coward? Someone that couldn't help them until the very end. Someone that abandoned them.

"Yangyang…" he choked out, sinking to his knees, Yangyang went with him, his hands shaking. "Please."

"Why did you leave?" He repeated. Ten ran his blood covered hand over Yangyang's hair and pressed their foreheads together.

"I'm sorry. I won't do it again. Okay?" He grasped Yangyang's hands.

"Let's send them home."

Chapter 26: Home

Chapter Text

Jaehyun tripped, falling to his knees on the pavement, hand outstretched towards Ten. 

"What just…" Johnny dropped his sword. Jaehyun felt tears welling up in his eyes. Ten had been there, right in front of him, his fingers grazed the hard crystal that engulfed Ten and Yangyang.

Gone.

They were just gone in the blink of an eye.

Jaehyun screamed, slamming his mechanical arm into the pavement, cracking it. It was all Johnny’s fault, the reason Ten suffered like that. It was his fault.

Jaehyun snarled, shooting to his feet and charging at Johnny. He tackled him, glass shattering around them.

"I could have saved him!" Jaehyun screamed, balling up his fist and pulling back to hit him, but Johnny wasn't even trying to fight back. A loud ringing pierced Jaehyun's ears and he jerked his head up to look around.

He recognized this place, the Cafe Johnny and him frequented at home.

Home.

Home .

Jaehyun released Johnny and stumbled out of the store to where hundreds of people stood in the middle of the road, looking around, dressed in odd clothes for a city like this. 

Mark sank to his knees, looking up at an advertisement. The electronic display showing the date.

Eight months.

They'd been gone for eight whole months. Was that even how long they spent in that world? He didn't know, so much of that time was spent traveling by foot or horseback the days seemed to bleed together.

"Chief…" Doyoung gasped as a large man approached them. "Are all these people… are they all summons from home?" He asked, speaking in the language of that world. The language. They could still speak it, understand it, like they were still under the effects of the summoning spell.

Magic… it still worked here.

"Yes. It seems like that's the case. I'm going to spearhead the organization of this group, help find everyone a place to stay and—"

"Jisung!" Jaehyun grabbed the boy's shoulder "Jisung, your magic! Send me back!"

"Hyung I can't." He looked down at his book, sadness in his eyes. Did he even try? "I'm not a summoner like Jeno was and magic doesn't work here."

"Try!" He barked, startling the boy "For fucks sake! Someone… Doyoung. Yuta. He's still there! Ten is still…" He turned to the others but they all gave him that same look. Nothing could be done.

Him, Mark, Doyoung, Yuta, Johnny, Taeil, Shotaro, Sungchan, Taeyong, Haechan, Jaemin, Renjun, Chenle and Jisung were the only ones that made it back. Fourteen of twenty three. 

"Sungchan!" Shotaro shrieked. Jaehyun whirled around, rushing to the boys and Johnny scrambled over, hoisting Sungchan into his arms.

"Hospital. He needs a hospital." Taeyong started pushing through the crowd. The others in towe.

Chapter 27: Four Months Later

Chapter Text

Four months later

"It's been nearly four months since the reappearance of over three hundred missing persons from all over the globe. Eleven of which are worldwide celebrities and k-pop idols from the group known as NCT. They've all gone through various testing and psychological reviews by multiple doctors but all the victims seem to be claiming a similar story. That they were abducted and transported to another planet. The search for the missing members ended today and presumed to be dead but no bodies have been found. Tell me, what do you think of this whole Alien abduction—" Johnny turned off the TV, approaching Ten's room. Jaehyun sat inside, surrounded by books and papers and news articles.

"Jaehyun." Johnny knelt beside him. Jaehyun held up a finger to silence him.

"Don't interrupt me, I think I found a way back." He hissed. Johnny sighed, pressing his palm to Jaehyun’s back.

"You said the same thing two weeks ago. Jaehyun you need to give up. The company can't keep paying for this dorm. They're dead, we need to move on."

"They aren't dead!" Jaehyun picked up a book. One of the ones that came back with Doyoung. "I can feel it. They're alive. Ten is still alive. Yangyang and even Winwin. I'm telling you, I can feel it."

"Magic doesn't work here. You can't feel them, Jaehyun. What happened between you and Ten—"

"You don't understand. You can't understand, his magic and my magic we… we're one not two." Jaehyun crawled to another book flipping it open "One not two. One not two. One not—"

"Jaehyun, Ten's gone." He persisted. "Come back to work, we need you. The company won't save your spot in the group much longer."

Jaehyun looked at him, dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. He looked down at the arm he was missing. Doctors and engineers took it for research and they refused to give it back but Jaehyun moved like he still had it attached to his nervous system.

"One. Not two. " He grunted, going back to the books. "Lightbringer. Oathbreaker. One not two. Two. Two. No. Two not one." Jaehyun muttered. Johnny looked back at the doorway where the others stood. Everyone who had come back.

"Two. One. One. Two… If its two then maybe… or more. More. I need more." Jaehyun looked back at Doyoung, Yuta, Jisung, and Haechan then back to his books. "Two. A seed. I need a seed."

It was the same nonsense he kept repeating over and over. None of it making sense.

Taeyong sighed, turning to leave. Doyoung, Yuta, Shotato, Sungchan, Mark, Chenle, Renjun, Jaemin and Johnny followed. Leaving Taeil, Haechan and Jisung.

They looked at each other before stepping into the room and closing the door.

"Jaehyun. We believe you." Jisung stated. Jaehyun's eyes snapped up to him and he scoffed.

"You think I'm crazy, like everyone else." He muttered

Taeil knelt in front of Jaehyun, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"We want to go back and we think we found a way to do it. Will you come with us?" He asked. Jaehyun studied them for a moment, blinking at them in disbelief and then nodded.

"One not two. Right?" Haechan asked, setting a small stone pillar down before Jaehyun.

One not two. It was the thing that itched the back of his mind. That drove him to these books day after day but he didn't know what it meant. Two mages sent them home. Dark and Light magic. Two. Not one.

"It's the same." Jisung sat down "They're the same magic. We don't need two different kinds of magic to do a summon. Summoner have both light and dark magic compatibility they just don't have enough magic to send people to and from different worlds. This can send us back it has both Light Magic and Dark Magic combined into one. Its one, not two."

"I'm not crazy" He stated

"We know. We wouldn't have been able to find this without your help, Jaehyun and we need your help again." Taeil added. Jisung reached for his hand, grasping it. They all sat in circle around the object.

"Let's go home."

Chapter 28: Winwin

Chapter Text

He knew his name, knew he didn’t belong here but didn't know where he came from or why he'd woken up at the bottom of a canyon with a broken arm and leg.

He did know, however, the feeling he had when he looked at those two.

Hands clasped together, contrasting crystal statues. He knew them, didn't know their names but they were his family. He loved them. He missed them.

So he sat on the stairs to the temple every day, eating the vegetables he'd grown in his small garden, telling them about the life he'd built for himself, how his magic was respected by others, how he made friends, earned money to buy a house, even had a few relationships with pretty women. 

The city didn't move them, they witnessed the "miracle" these two performed. A large scale summon that hadn't been done in hundreds of years. The priests at the temple studied them every day, tried to pry the artifact within their hands but nothing could break the crystal, not even Dark Steel or Adamantine weapons, but mages could still draw power from it. So the sovereign declared their realm saved by these two. He used the artifact to summon the forces needed to drive back their enemies, used it to restore and cultivate the land in this realm.

It was real peace that these two had provided for them and he knew they would be happy about that.

"Do you think they can figure out how to reverse Mana Sickness?" He sighed. A figure walked up to him pulling her hood down, revealing flawless pale skin and a crown of horns framing her head.

"Winwin?" She asked

"Do I know you?" He responded

"Does the name Lucas mean anything to you?" She smiled. Winwin cocked his head to the side, like a curious puppy before he gave her a small nod. "He'd like to see you. Will you come with me?"

He nodded again, touching the crystal.

"I'll be back" He murmured following the girl into the city hoping this mystery girl and Lucas could give him some answers.

 


 

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it 💖

Chapter 29: Extra Epilogue

Chapter Text

Ten whines, those wonderful noises that Johnny remembers, high pitched and needy. Begging for more. Johnny can taste Ten on his tongue, the salt of the sweat on his skin, smell the sex clinging to his travel worn body. He steps forward to a pile of soft pelts, padding the ground, the moon the only light..

"Sorry, did I hurt you? I'm still not used to how strong it is." Jaehyun sighs. Johnny watches the two of them, Ten straddling Jaehyun. Ten shakes his head.

"No." He murmurs, his brow furrowed before his expression softens. He pulled off his own glove and laced their fingers together. The steel and Cystal contrasting "No I just didn't realize until now that we’re so alike." 

Johnny feels an ache in his chest as he nears them. We walks closer and closer but they're drifting further away. Jaehyun is telling Ten he's beautiful, and he deserves that. A part of Johnny is proud that Jaehyun is showering Ten with affection but another part of him is jealous.

Jealous because they're kissing in a way Johnny hasn't kissed either of them. Jaehyun tells Ten that Johnny would be jealous and he is. He's so jealous he wants to tear them apart and claim both of them as his and forbid them from seeing each other.

It's greedy, but he doesn't care.

He wants to be the one whispering sweet nothings into Ten’s ear, he wants to be the one to give Jaehyun a cute pet name.

"Fuck… Jae…" Ten is on his stomach now, Jaehyun on top of him, sweat rolling down his temple, dripping onto Ten’s shoulder, mingling with his. Jaehyun licks it up, lacing their fingers together, crystal and steel. Ethereal and Industrial. An odd combination to see but there’s a beauty in it the stark contrast.

Then there is a light, a faint glowing. Not from the moon reflecting off their arms. A glow inside them. Two motes of desire, linking to each other as Jaehyun pulled Ten up to his knees. Ten's desperate mewls and whines echo into a cave where others lay asleep.

With their hands linked they reach their climax, Jaehyun swallowing down those beautiful noises Ten is making. He can feel them. Feel their magic pulling him in and he wants to reach out to them. He wants to follow that pull, let it bring him closer, lean into the chaos of this world but he can't. It was easy for them. They were younger than him. People didn't look to them to lead, to have the answers, to fight for the things they wouldn't fight for.

So they fade away, he ignores the pull, he let's them bind together without him. He let's them find some happiness together, gives them the freedom he longs for, so he can take on the burden to get everyone home in Taeyong’s absence.

He turns and sees a light, a voice calling to him, soft, and distant. He reaches out and grasps a hand. 

"Yuta. Doyoung. Their seeds will bring you back."


Johnny wakes up drenched in sweat, calling out Jaehyun’s name, about to call for Ten but the dim light of the room makes him remember where he is. Where he isn't. Yuta, Doyoung, Shotaro and Jaemin lay curled up together on the floor and Chenle and Mark on the bed with Johnny. He pets a hand through Mark's long hair, thumb running across a scar on his hairline.

Did he really do the right thing? If he'd pushed them so hard to get to the capital, to kill that child, maybe they wouldn't have lost so many.

He grits his teeth and slips from the bed, tiptoeing around the others and pushing the bedroom door open. He sees Taeyong on the couch of their new dorm, stroking Sungchan's hair while the boy's head was in Taeyong’s lap, face buried in his tummy, body trembling.

"Why does it hurt so much? Why do I miss her so much? He cries, and Johnny’s heart hurts, not able to do anything to ease his pain.

"Fenhorn was fond of you too. I'm sure she's just as upset, but she would want you to be happy." Taeyong murmurs. Sungchan shakes his head, sobbing harder. Taeyong is doing his best, Johnny thinks, to be there for everyone. To be the leader he wasnt able to be when so many of their members died. Taeyong is tired, Johnny sees in in his eyes, his posture. Tired of seeing his members in pain. Taeyong looks up to see Johnny who jerks his head to the bedroom where everyone slept. He turns Sungchan's head, covering his eyes and whispers a command to him. "Sleep"

Sungchan's body relaxes, his eyes closing and Johnny walks over to lift Sunchan into his arms, an easy task after the muscle he'd built from training. They all share one dorm now, the belongings of the deceased members packed up into storage. They all have their own rooms but most nights everyone finds their way to Taeyong’s, the biggest room, with a king sized bed and most nights Johnny wakes up in a pile of his members cuddling up to him. The ones that have trouble going back to sleeping in a bed sleep on the floor.

He brings Sungchan to the bedroom, placing him in the bed where Johnny had just been sleeping. Small amounts of magic can be used but only the weakest, most basic spells. Doyoung educated Taeyong on how to use one's like 'Sleep' to keep everyone calm.

He walks out to Taeyong, making sure to close the door.

"This coupling... partnership... whatever its called. It's destroying us, Johnny." Taeyong sighed, rubbing his forehead, brows drawn and jaw clenched as he grabs a fistful of hair, his face turning red. Johnny leans against the sofa, bracing himself on the back of it where Taeyong sat.

A seed. Mana that's been fused with another.

It was what Jaehyun and Ten had done. What haunted his dreams night after night. Taeyong and Doyoung have that connection, though their partnership wasn't consummated in a traditional sense. You didn't need to have sex with a partner to share that connection, as long as the gesture was intimate, or personal, something just between the people in the partnership. Sungchan was bound to Fenhorn and Johnny suspects that Yuta and Mark are as well, but it's rude to ask about such an intimate thing.

"We need to go after them, Taeyong." Johnny grits out, his voice hoarse from sleep. "You feel it too, don't you? We don't... it's..."

"Calling us back." Taeyong sighs. "We've been grasping at straws, I know, but we don't know for certain that's where they went and even if they did, how could we get back? What do we do when we find them? If we find them. We can't take that risk, we don't even know for certain that they went back." Taeyong reaches to the glass cube on the coffee table, where a spider's body lay encased. Preserved. Doyoung and Yuta did it, because the spider was something Taeyong never left out of his sight. Johnny had never asked about it, because there is so much heartbreak in Taeyong’s eyes when he looks at the spider.

"Sungchan's injuries, his doctors have done everything they can but it's... it's not of this world. Our technology can't heal necrotic damage. He's going to slowly become corrupted until he can't even recognize us. You've heard the stories from the survivors, once that corruption takes over his heart, we won't have any choice but to kill him. We can only save him if we can get him to a light mage. To Ten—"

"Ten's dead." Taeyong choked out. "I know how you feel about this Johnny, but there's no way for us to get back. Our only option is to move on with our lives."

"No. I think Yuta and Doyoung can get us back. I've had dreams and Ten speaks to me. I hear his voice and he says... Their seeds can bring us back."

"It's just a dream, Johnny." Taeyong stands up, walking around the couch and puts a heavy hand on his shoulder. "The severance between Fenhorn and Sungchan should be our priority. He's going to die, we need to make him as comfortable as we can when that happens. I need you with me for this. I can't do it all on my own."

Johnny nods, sighing, but he doesn't give up. He's determined to follow Jaehyun and right his wrongs and to get back to that dreadful world and find both of them. He's determined, more than anything, to figure out why that place won't release the grasp it has on them.