"What are you doing?" Sehun asks, watching as the paraplegic man hovers around Baekhyun's door.

"I don't know." Luhan flips his hair and looks up at him. "I'm not listening to Baekhyun's thoughts, but I can feel his feelings."

"Ah. Is he worried for his parents?"

"No. He just seems really sad."

"Maybe ... maybe we can bring his parents here?" Sehun asks hopefully, trying to cheer both Luhan and Baekhyun up. "I won't let the others know, I promise, so hyung, can you please do something about it? With your strong telepathic powers?"

"His parents are dead." A new voice scares the boy, who flinches and turns to the Leader, whose hair is flying ever slightly on its own, as if blown by a very gentle breeze. Those red eyes are darkened now.

"Wha ... but you said you saved everyone ..."

"They aren't our kind. They died back in the Lab."

"I'll ... I'll tell hyung right now – " Sehun says, about to go in, but then fire appears out of nowhere, flying in the air right between Baekhyun and the door.

"He has a weak heart. Don't say anything to him." Chanyeol says quietly.

"He will have to know eventually."

"If anything happens to him, you won't get away with it." Without another word, the Leader walks away.

The next time he wakes up, a man with huge eyes is staring at him.

"Ah, you're awake." Kyungsoo says, smiling brightly as he leans back. "I'm a doctor too, in case I didn't tell you last time, and I was checking to see how your body is doing.''

"Thank you for taking care of me." Baekhyun mumbles, still feeling groggy and wondering why. Feels like there's nothing he can do, and that there's nothing to do, and that even if there is something to do, he doesn't want to do it.

"You're still recovering, so take it easy. Okay?"

"What's your power?" Baekhyun asks, trying to distract his heart from feeling so dull.

"Earth." Kyungsoo whispers. "So I can control the ground. I can make flowers bloom and grow an entire garden too!"

"That's so cool." Baekhyun replies softly.

"I also have strength, I think that comes with the power of Earth as well." Scanning the man up and down, Baekhyun thinks that he doesn't look like someone with a lot of strength at all! Especially with his narrow shoulders and small frame – this man doesn't look much taller than him. "You can say, I'm the strongest person that I know."

"Can you give me some of your strength?" Baekhyun asks, and the older chuckles.

"You sure are funny, aren't you?"

Baekhyun smiles a little sheepishly, feeling a bit better.

"Does that mean you don't have to train your body like the others do?"

"I still have to train, just that I am naturally better than everyone else." The older explains. "Just like for you. Once you Mature, you will start training too."

"Bit hard to control, isn't it?" Baekhyun scratches his head. "My power, I mean."

"You'll be fine." The doctor chuckles. "We all started out that way. You know, even your professor and Doctor Yixing ... we all had a moment when we had no idea how to control our powers."

"Mm." Hearing about Chanyeol hurts him, and the smile slowly fades away from his face. Kyungsoo takes that as him becoming serious upon hearing a serious topic and continues.

"Yixing-hyung and Leader both have so much skill now, advanced to the point where they can really twist their elements to their advantage, and one day, you will be able to do that too. Hm?"

"Mm." There is still that slight heat inside him, thumping along with the beating of his heart, constantly reminding him of that night that he held so dearly to him, but a night he knows in which Chanyeol doesn't cherish.

His body is still pumping Chanyeol's traces ... really, his feelings are to the point where he's a part of his professor now, and yet ... to think that his professor was treating him like that just to protect his own kin ...

What are you thinking? He cares, he protected you and that's all that matters. Baekhyun argues with himself. Frustrated, he clutches his head, wanting to will all the horrible thoughts and feelings out, and the older catches him by the arm.

Baekhyun still can't get used to the warmth that sparks between them, even though he's comforted by it.

"Are you all right?" The man asks him, concern lacing his voice.

"I'm fine ... just tired." Baekhyun pulls away, grabbing the blankets. "Sorry for suddenly ..."

"Oh, no that's fine!" Kyungsoo stands, tone cheerful and understanding. His smile is dazzling and sweet, and Baekhyun's annoyed that it's not cheering him up. "Get well soon, Baekhyun. I'll be there if you need me." Then he rushes off.

When he's gone, Baekhyun pulls the covers over his head, staring into space and wondering just what he should do with his feelings.

After all, he had confessed to his professor, and even though there were long periods when Baekhyun could not see him, at least now the older is here and accessible. But he had not bothered to find Baekhyun.

Is that ... my answer? Baekhyun wonders to himself. After all, it's to be expected. He had confessed, knowing that Chanyeol loves someone else. But if so, then why does his heart still twist at the thought?

Silly me. Baekhyun scolds himself, frustrated. I'm only a child.

He's told himself this so many times, but in the end ... he's still stuck here.

But it's just ... Baekhyun loves him so much that it's going to take a long time for him to overcome his feelings.

No more burdening Professor. No more feelings getting in our way.

With that, Baekhyun pulls himself off the bed, bounding around the room lightly to look for a mirror, and then finding it in the bathroom.

"You can do it! Hah!" He whispers-shouts to himself, punching the air, getting himself in position. "Go Byun Baekhyun!"

Silence. When Baekhyun peers closer, he finds that he had lost a lot of weight, looking sickly and small, and a part of him is so tempted to think: If you look like this, why do you ever expect him to have feelings for you? But he had just done his fight song and he's not going to let his thoughts bring him down, even if it's the truth.

"You'll be fine." He whispers to himself in the mirror, letting himself smile even though his lips are dry and cracked. Then he shuffles back into his bed.

And I will get better soon, so I can see my parents again.

With these two motivations, Baekhyun falls into a light sleep.

The next time he wakes up, Yixing is there.

"Doctor." Baekhyun greets, feeling much more comfortable with the older now that he has seen through the coldness.

"Didn't visit you the past few days because I was resting." Yixing says simply, but Baekhyun can tell that the older is trying to tell him that he's sorry.

"Thank you. For visiting me." Baekhyun replies softly, smiling genuinely. The older doesn't reply, just scans his hand throughout the boy's body briefly before retreating it and opening his eyes.

"Still weak, but getting better." Stretching out his hand, the doctor waves his other hand over it, and then a pill materialises and lands on the palm of his hand. He stretches it out to Baekhyun, who takes it, amazed.

"Can you ... make water appear too?" The smaller asks timidly, accepting the pill.

"... No." Silly. Yixing almost scoffs, but instead he flicks the smaller's forehead and then grabs the jug of water, pours it onto an empty glass, then stands. "If you get lonely, you can call out to Luhan and he will gladly accompany you."

"Thank you for taking care of me." Baekhyun whispers as he reaches out to hold the glass of water. "Really, for looking out for me this whole time ... and still looking out for me." Once again, the older doesn't respond and only watches silently as Baekhyun takes the energy pill, swallowing it with water before setting the glass back down onto the bedside table. With that, the older leaves the room.

Sighing, Baekhyun leans back, and wonders whether what Yixing had said is true.

"Luhan-ssi?" He calls out softly, feeling a little scared because after all, Luhan is older than him so maybe he should attach something like "hyung" behind it, but at the same time he's not close enough yet ...

Silence answers him. Shutting his eyes, Baekhyun tries to focus his thoughts onto a man with a handsome face, pastel orange-pink hair and peach coloured eyes.

Hello?

Oh, hello! That soft voice replies him very energetically, sounding quite surprised.

What are you doing right now? Baekhyun has no idea what he's doing.

I'm just playing basketball by myself. Want to come?

Ye –

Oh sorry, forgot that you can't leave the room. At that, Baekhyun pouts.

Where's everyone? He asks instead.

The little baby is probably training somewhere – he's quite excited, you know.

Ah ... Sehun?

[chuckle] Yes. Minseok is training with him. Kyungsoo is checking up on other patients and Yixing just left your room, I believe. Jongin is disappearing places to places, I can't feel him ...

You feel people? How does that work?

Well, yes, that's because I'm very advanced, you see. This man doesn't joke about this at all – he seems to be enjoying himself showing off his powers. I have trained it to the point where I have a rough estimate on everything in this submarine. That's so I can use it if I ever need anything.

That's ... so cool.

Right? No one appreciates it as much. Thank you for appreciating it.

"Oh shit." Baekhyun jerks when someone speaks, and looking up, he finds a rose gold-haired boy standing there, blinking.

"Uh ..." Baekhyun starts, and Jongin stares up at him, a very disinterested expression on his face.

"Wrong room." He says simply, then disappears again.

Ah! Minseokkie's here. He says hi.

Hi –

Before Baekhyun can finish his word, the entire scene changes in his mind, until he sees an unfamiliar place. A basketball court, and very cute eyes blinking up at him.

"Hi~" Minseok greets, blinking cutely and waving enthusiastically. When Baekhyun laughs, it's not his laugh that comes out, but Luhan's, and then the scene fades and Baekhyun's back to his room.

He says he will visit you once you're better!

Usually, Baekhyun would thank whoever had said such a caring thing, but this time Baekhyun is distracted.

You can do that? Can you ... perhaps find my parents and show me that they're doing okay? Baekhyun asks hopefully, heart thumping in his chest. Yes, he will do so much and he must sound so desperate to everyone, but he truly misses his parents, and even though they're all saying that his parents are okay, he needs to confirm it with his own eyes so his nightmares can stay as nightmares.

Uh ... I gotta go! Sorry, Baekhyun.

Oh ... that's okay. Disappointed, Baekhyun sinks down onto the bed.

Bye!

Bye...

As if he had predicted that this would end, Jongin appears again straight after Baekhyun's conversation with Luhan ends.

Wrong room again?

"Look, Byun Baekhyun." Maybe not. The older inches closer to him, eyes cold like Chanyeol's and a huge scowl on his face. "Everyone's being nice to you and all, but that's only because they pity you."

"Pity ... me?"

"No matter what happens, you never truly belong with us, half-blood." Jongin spits, and Baekhyun flinches, shocked at the venom spilling from Jongin's tone. "That's why Leader won't ever care about you as much as he cares about everyone else here. Don't for a second think that you're special to him – you're just a nothing."

With that, he disappears.

Shocked into silence, Baekhyun freezes on the bed. Never had he ever thought about it this way, but it's true – there is a raging war between two races, and Baekhyun's right in the middle of it.

They hate each other so much that it gives them joy to see the other in pain, will despise it to even touch one of the other race, and ... Baekhyun's not one or the other.

"That's only because they pity you."

That's not true. Baekhyun thinks to himself. They're friendly to me ... they treat me like they treat everyone else ...

But eventually, he will always think back to his professor, who, from the day Baekhyun woke up, had been the most distant, even though he was once the closest. There was not one glance at him, all words spoken to him were strictly formal and business-like, and there was not one visit from him.

Let's not think about this. Baekhyun thinks to himself, taking a deep, shaky breath. Eventually, he falls asleep trying to convince himself that he belongs, even though he knows in truth he doesn't really.

Earlier

"We're fortunate that your feelings for the boy haven't ruined any of our plans." Jongin stops after appearing in one of the rooms. There is a wall separating Jongin from Yixing and Chanyeol, and Jongin freezes to listen in.

He had wanted to look for his Leader, in hopes of discussing what they could and should do next. After all, Jongin, like Chanyeol, is driven by vengeance and there is no stopping his motivation.

"They will not get in the way." Chanyeol replies confidently and as a matter of factly.

"If there comes a time when you would need to choose between Byun Baekhyun and the rest of us, your decision must be clear and obvious. You should not disappoint everyone else."

"We both know that even if you say this, you don't believe that is the right answer yourself."

Silence.

"Everyone here is waiting for your command, and everyone here is looking at you with high expectations. Don't disappoint them."

"I won't."

Finally understanding what's happening, Jongin disappears, furious, and appears inside Byun Baekhyun's room.

I need to get him away from Leader as much as possible ... that half-blood.

Dirty, tainted.

"Look, Byun Baekhyun." Jongin lashes out at the boy who's blinking innocently at him, looking as if he will never destroy Monsters. But Jongin knows otherwise.

I need to get rid of him.

"Everyone's being nice to you and all, but that's only because they pity you." Jongin is so close to spilling out the reason why. Your parents are dead. But at the last minute, he changes his mind, not wanting to disobey Chanyeol's orders even though he personally believes it's for the better.

"Pity ... me?"

"No matter what happens, you never truly belong with us, half-blood." The boy is still staring at him, innocent and shocked and hurt, but Jongin doesn't care. It was his other race that had killed Jongin's family, and Jongin's not going to rest until every one of the other race gets a taste of their wrath. "That's why Leader won't ever care about you as much as he cares about everyone else here. Don't for a second think that you're special to him – you're just a nothing."

That's the nicest thing I can say to you, trash.

A few days later, Baekhyun is well enough to sit with the others for a meal together. Even so, Jongin's words stick to his mind like a chant this whole time, and he had been reluctant to sit with the others.

"Can I visit my parents now?" He asks, and Minseok brushes him off.

"They're resting, let them rest, will you?"

"Ah." Feeling awkward, Baekhyun falls silent as Minseok continues to laugh and talk with the others. Jongin's words are still in his mind, and he's not sure if it's because of them that he's feeling like this, but he's starting to agree. There is no closeness between him and the others, and no one attempts to talk to him, instead talking amongst themselves enthusiastically. Even when Sehun joins, he joins into their conversation easily and without problems.

"Man, I'm starving, haven't had beef in ages." Minseok says, cracking his neck as he settles down. Baekhyun had never really been the type that's desperate to fit in, but this time it's different. Is it because he's feeling so lonely lately?

"D-Does beef taste good?" He asks a little timidly, for the first time cutting into their conversation, sort of like how Sehun had done it. The others turn to look at him, as if noticing him there for the first time.

"Yeah." Minseok says. "Really good." Then he changes the topic with the others again, and everyone turns away from him, looking very captured by what he's saying. Baekhyun sinks into his seat, stomach growling as he stares at the empty plate. Someone takes a seat in front of him and when he looks up, he finds Jongin glaring down at him, so he quickly looks back down.

What ... am I doing here? He asks himself, fidgeting with his fingers.

"Leader!" He hears Jongin call, and he looks up quickly out of instinct before wanting to slap himself for being such an idiot. His professor walks over, hair bright and those bloody red eyes trained on Jongin. "Leader, sit with me, I need to talk to you about something."

Not a word to Baekhyun – not even a glance, as the older takes a seat next to Jongin and diagonal to Baekhyun. He's so close, Baekhyun realises, so close that Baekhyun can see the smooth skin on the man's face that screams out youth to him. So young ... only 26. How could Baekhyun have believed he was 41?

Yet so far away, because his expression is aloof and almost hostile, and Baekhyun feels as if there's a huge boulder between their hearts.

Baekhyun aches to talk to him ... but he doesn't know how to start.

Once again feeling like an extra, he looks back down, trying to diminish his presence as much as possible. Maybe he should leave the dining table ... Maybe he should just stay in his room and never leave it ... Maybe ...

Why am I here?

This time, someone finally takes a seat next to him, but Baekhyun's too afraid to look up for fear that he will feel left out again. An interesting smell fills the room eventually but Baekhyun's still too scared to do anything, head full of unnecessary thoughts that's clouding his judgement and destroying his confidence. He's staring at his plate, watching movement from the corners of his eyes but focusing on calming his feelings by staring at the never-changing white ceramic plate in front of him – until someone disrupts that too.

Blinking, Baekhyun whips his head up to find Yixing passing him a brown piece of meat, his resting bitch face still on his face.

"Try it. It will give you a lot of energy." The older says as he stands to grab another piece for himself. Baekhyun gulps, staring at the meat in front of him. It smells delicious even though it's strange, but this meat can only remind him of that one time on the top floor when he had seen someone pick it up ...

Baekhyun covers his mouth, having the urge to choke.

"Aish, what the hell?" Jongin complains in front of him before reaching out to take another piece. Flushing in embarrassment, Baekhyun takes off his hand, staring hard at the piece of meat again.

This is what I'm supposed to eat. He tries to convince himself. It will give me strength.

Summoning up courage, Baekhyun grabs the chopsticks to grab the piece of meat, and the puts it in his mouth.

Even though it tastes delicious, just as much as it smells delicious, all Baekhyun is thinking about is the chunk of meat that the Experimenters had dissected out that one fateful day on the top floor of EX'ACT Lab.

He can't take it.

Vomiting it out, Baekhyun skids his chair back, coughing.

The table is silent.

"Eat that up, Baekhyun-ah." Luhan's voice fills the air. "We don't waste food here."

"I ... I can't." Baekhyun croaks in reply, needing someone to understand.

But icy silence answers him.

When he dares look up, there are frowns on everyone's faces, and the hearty, boisterous mood had been ruined. Not wanting to make it worse for them, Baekhyun forces himself to eat the piece of meat quietly, and even after he had done that, no one reacts, as if they hadn't seen it at all.

Unable to stay here any longer, Baekhyun excuses himself and stumbles back to his room.

Never in his life had he ever felt as if he truly belonged.

But this place ... he's never belonged in a place any less than this.

"That's only because they pity you."

Baekhyun still can't truly believe that, even though it runs through his mind every second of the day.

But he can see that the first time he met all of them, they had stared at him with curiosity and wonder, wanting to see this new creature that was a blend of two races. They were only curious.

After that, no one cared too much about him. Really, Baekhyun understands that, but in the end it still leaves a gaping hole in his heart.

It doesn't help that he shares the connection with all of them, but even though the physical connection is there, the emotional connection is not.

They would smile at him gently, but there would always be something there that's forced. They would speak to him, but only briefly, so that their interaction with him is at a minimum. Baekhyun understands even without needing to hear it from them – they're doing this because he's a Monster, but also because he's a Lucky One.

Their need to welcome a Monster, and their hatred towards a Lucky One is making them treat him like this.

He doesn't belong ... at all.

I have nowhere else to go. Baekhyun thinks to himself, curling into himself on the bed. Maybe ... maybe once he's completely recovered, he can finally meet his parents and take them somewhere away from all this ... even if there is no place, Baekhyun will find it.

Because he can't get used to the food, Yixing continues making pills for him. Zhang Yixing is the only man that treats him the same ever since the day he had met the older – without discrimination, without differences. And now, Baekhyun finds himself feeling more dependent on the older, in a world where everyone else seems to abandon him for being different.

Every morning, he would give himself the fight song, because he's not sure he can face the slight hostility from all of them every day. And he would tell himself that it's understandable in the time of war, for them to treat him like this.

But it's just so unfair ... because Baekhyun hasn't done anything wrong.

At least they're trying their best, even though their sincerity is just a façade.

One day, Baekhyun can't take it anymore. In the darkness, he sits up suddenly, sweating because he's just had a nightmare.

I have to leave. He tells himself. I need to find my parents, and take them away.

Leaving the bed, Baekhyun stumbles towards the door and opens it, then rushes out.

No matter how big this place is, Baekhyun's going to find it.

But he doesn't get very far, because someone grabs his arm and pulls him back. In the darkness, Baekhyun gasps, surprised that someone's still awake and shocked that he hasn't noticed the other's presence at all – but that's because he had been running out blindly with his main focus on finding his parents.

"Where are you going?" The voice is quiet, but the eyes are bleeding red as they stare at him even in the darkness. Baekhyun's heart catches in his throat, and he hates how his heart is quickening its pace upon watching his professor's handsome face in the darkness.

"I'm going to find my parents." He whispers in reply, and the grip tightens on him a little harshly. Chanyeol's eyebrows are scrunched and he looks angry.

"You will not find them until you're recovered." The tone is cold and then Baekhyun is being pulled back into his room. He doesn't fight until he's inside, and then he tries to wrench his arm away.

"I need to know that they're all right ... please." Baekhyun pleads. He hates this so much, hates how he's weak against the man he loves, and he hates how his heart is breaking little by little every time his professor's cold eyes stare right into his own.

Was I ... really just another Monster to you?

"Stay here." The older orders strictly, and he finally lets go. Baekhyun backs away until there's a distance between them, not wanting to hurt anymore.

"I'm better now ... I really am." His voice cracks a little, and his voice is soft. "Please ... just let me see them."

Those red eyes are still watching him, relentless and not weakening one bit.

"I don't want to threaten you." The voice is soft, yet the words are deadly. Not wanting to speak to the older anymore, Baekhyun runs, attempting to push past the man and use his eyesight in the dark as his advantage, but the man captures him immediately, having his eyes already adjust to the dark a long time ago.

Chanyeol grabs him and throws him on the bed, and when Baekhyun sits up to leave again, fire prison bars rise and surround his entire bed, until he's trapped inside.

The colours from the fire paint Chanyeol's face and accentuates his red eyes and hair, until he looks ethereally fierce.

"I will keep you there for as long as I need to, if you don't listen to me." Chanyeol says quietly. Usually, Baekhyun is reckless enough not to care, and he would throw himself at the fire bars even if it meant burning himself, just so he can get to his parents. After all, he had gone through so many physical pains and injuries that no other pain scares him anymore.

But this time, he is shocked into silence. As he stares at his professor, who's staring back expressionlessly, he tries to speak, but nothing comes out. Then the man is turning away from him, leaving him alone inside the room with the fire crackling into the silence.

His professor is ... treating him just like an Experiment. Like something less than a human.

Just like that, all those interactions Baekhyun had with his professor ... the ones that he cherished so preciously and loved and kept neatly piled inside his heart ... are proven to mean nothing.

Baekhyun ... really means nothing to him.

Chanyeol had spent his nights hovering around Baekhyun's room, to make sure that he's all right and nothing had happened.

After all, the little one had gone through so much that Chanyeol's sure he will have nightmares, and if he does, then Chanyeol will be there for him.

For some reason during the days, Chanyeol never has the chance to approach the smaller, and he can't quite figure out why. Maybe this is the trait of being a Monster, and Chanyeol has always hated it but has never hated it more than this moment, because he wants to fix the problem so he can get closer to the smaller.

Now there is nothing keeping them apart, and Chanyeol can finally treat Baekhyun like his own lover rather than pretending he's anything less, yet, he never has a chance to express his feelings or get alone time with the younger, as if Fate is against them.

Then one night, the little one runs out. Afraid for the younger, Chanyeol grabs him, glad that his eyes have adjusted to the dark.

He's looking for his parents. The realisation hits him and Chanyeol scrunches his eyebrows, feeling worried and a little afraid. Never let him find out what happened to them.

Maybe his fear had caused him to treat the younger a little harshly, and by panicking, Chanyeol had become an absolute idiot and used his power against the powerless smaller.

But there's no other choice. Chanyeol will never for the life of him ever let Baekhyun find out what happened to his parents. Even if he knows this is an inevitable situation, but he wants to delay it for as long as he can, at least until Baekhyun Matures and his feelings can settle down.

This period is always dangerous for a Monster, because mood swings can be destructive.

The moment he creates the fire bars around Baekhyun, Chanyeol regrets it, especially when he can clearly see the look of betrayal and hurt etched all over the smaller's features. Still, he can't back out now – he'd rather the smaller hate him than be in unbearable despair.

Baekhyun ends up sitting on the bed, curled in such a way so that he's hugging his legs and resting his face on his knees. The fire is still crackling around him even in the dawn of the morning, when everyone wakes up and files into his room to see what had happened.

He really has me around his finger. Baekhyun thinks to himself, feeling the tears dry on his cheeks. It's not the fire that's keeping him in here, but the shock that his professor would do this to him.

"Baekhyun." Yixing's voice is clear above everyone else's, and Baekhyun looks up, finding the man staring at him.

"... Doctor." Baekhyun calls out weakly, crawling over to where the doctor is.

"I'll get him to take this off." Yixing says, voice gentle compared to everyone else's that Baekhyun's been hearing lately. "Stay put and don't get hurt."

Nodding, Baekhyun sits and watches as Yixing leaves just as Sehun enters.

"Hyung! Why are you in there?" Sehun asks, eyes wide with shock.

"I just ... wanted to see my parents." Baekhyun replies softly. Sehun is the other person that's treating him genuinely, without facades. Except this time, Sehun's expression freezes and then his lips turn down into a frown.

"Look, hyung ..." He starts, then fades off. The world is silent now, and Baekhyun notices in the back of his mind that everyone else in the room is staring at Sehun with wide eyes, as if they're all keeping a secret from him.

"I always believed that the truth was better than a lie. Even though it hurt when I found out my parents were the ones who betrayed me and got me captured back there, at least I know that they never truly loved me."

"What do you mean?" Dread is climbing in Baekhyun's heart now.

"Sehun, don't be an idiot –" Jongin starts.

"Your parents are already dead." Sehun declares.

Icy silence fills the air.

"... What?" Baekhyun's voice cracks a bit.

"They died before you were brought here ... They were SQUAOII traitors for not turning you in themselves ... They were then tortured to death."

"That's not true ... you said they were still alive?" Baekhyun is hysterical now, looking up at everyone, for the first time having the guts to meet everyone's eyes. Yet, no one dares look at him. His eyes land on Chanyeol and Yixing, who are frozen at the door. "You ... said they were resting somewhere here. Tell me it's not true."

Everyone looks like deer caught in the headlights. Yet, there is no sorrow, just ... guilt.

"... Doctor?" Baekhyun calls out.

"... It's true. I saw their bodies." Yixing says eventually, almost like a sigh.

Once again, silence infects the air.

Everyone's staring at Baekhyun now, but Baekhyun doesn't care anymore. Tears are leaking out his eyes like waterfalls and he sinks into himself, clutching his head tightly, so hard that he knows he'll pull out his hair but he doesn't care, not anymore.

So much has happened this year. He had gone through so much pain and trauma, and slowly it had driven him towards the edge, until he had lived on the edge.

This pushes him off it.

Sinking low into himself, he remembers the broken bodies of his parents in all his nightmares, except this time it's scarier because it's true it's true it's true –

A loud, broken scream pierces the air.

All the Monsters stay there, frozen and at a loss on what to do, unable to react in time. The lights are flickering on and off at a dangerously fast rhythm, as if it cannot be stopped. This time, though, Chanyeol is the first to break out of that trance, and he rushes forward, wanting to make the fire bars disappear before Baekhyun hurts himself. And in that moment, Baekhyun begins changing.

A bright silver starts creeping in from the roots of his hair and out to the ends, so fast it's like a virus that's eating away the black. Once again frozen at the sudden interruption, Chanyeol can only freeze and watch as Baekhyun finally lifts up his head, eyes shut tightly and hands still clawing at his head, pulling at his glowing silver hair.

Stop hurting yourself. Once again, Chanyeol breaks himself out of the trance and lunges at Baekhyun, wanting to stop him, but then the smaller stretches out his hand, palm facing Chanyeol's face.

That's the last thing Chanyeol sees before he is plunged into eternal darkness.

When the other Monsters recover, it's already too late.

Slowly, the lights stop flickering and the screaming ceases. Once again, everything is back to normal. The boy on the bed slowly straightens his back, face wet with tears even though he's no longer crying. His silver hair is shining beautifully under the influence of the lights above him. His eyes are still closed, and he stays still like that, as if nothing's wrong and he's only meditating.

Yixing rushes to the man who had fallen to the floor once he recovers. Chanyeol is clutching his face, and when he pulls his hand away and opens his eyes, those eyes are a glassy red, devoid of its fierce solid colour.

"Baekhyun ..." He mutters before he pushes Yixing away and reaches blindly in front of him, as if he can't see.

"Leader!" The others run towards Chanyeol, wondering why he's stumbling and reaching out his arms as if he can't see anything. Shocked, Yixing kneels there and watches as his Leader blinks his eyes furiously, but doesn't blink away the glassiness in his eyes.

"What did you do to him, half blood?" Jongin growls, about to reach up as if to attack the small form on the bed, but Yixing catches his arm, pulling him back. Baekhyun acts as if he hasn't heard anything, still peacefully on the bed as if he can't be disrupted.

Byun Baekhyun's power is Light.

"He took away the light from his eyes." Yixing says softly, staring straight at Baekhyun, not sure what the smaller is going to do next. For the first time in the last few chaotic minutes, Baekhyun twists his neck around before his eyes finally flicker open to stare straight at Yixing.

Those golden eyes are devoid of the timidness, gentleness, kindness and love that once filled them.