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Chapter Text

The year is Nine Hundred and Twenty-Three and it is mid Winter. The frigid snow is heavily pelting against the world outside. And the current reigning Emperor of Goryeo, Park Chan Yeol is seething over with mounting rage, and yet he still somehow manages to keep it all to himself. His Ministers have made it known that they do not trust his judgement when it comes down to his ideal marriage partner and appointed Empress. It is for this reason alone that they all have forced his hand by way of rebelliously pleading with him every day for him to marry Prime Minister Go's eldest daughter, Go Jikyun.

Though, in all fairness, the young woman wasn't all that hard to look at, with her regal appeal and well behaved gentil mannerisms. Though, Jikyun unfortunately was not who he was seeking out for his own choice of Empress candidate. From one look at her when she had attended one of his previous banquets, Chanyeol could tell that her heart was the darkest of black and that no man that ever befell her interest would ever meet a good end. Besides that, Chanyeol did not trust her father all that much. He likewise did not trust her either, and he knows that she is already in love with another man.

No matter how much she or her father tried to hide that truth from his ever scrutinizing gaze. The evidence was all there. And this was such a dangerous game that they were trying to play with him, but he will play gladly along with them, until the very end. Nonetheless, in order to avoid an actual rebellion happening, Chanyeol concedes to his Ministers' pleas for him to marry Lady Jikyun. As the Prime Minister already had so many of his Ministers on his side and he did not know if his hands were deep within his military as well. And he had a grand nuptial ceremony prepared for them soon thereafter.

Although, not before he had secretly left the palace to seek out a powerful spiritual Shaman to help him with something most important without even his closest aids knowing. And when he returned to the palace, he was almost a completely different man. As he wanted to be prepared for all eventualities, even ones that he knew would most likely end in his very own demise, all possible eventualities, endings, and outcomes considered. And Chanyeol attended the wedding ceremony, marrying the black-hearted wench, before ending everything at the banquet hall with the Emperor leading his brand new Bride in to their bridal chamber. The dim incandescence of the bridal chamber was caused by the glimmer of the firelight from the multitude of candles scattered about it.

The bed was blessed by the Head Monk that had married them before they are left to their own devices within the bedchamber. And once they are alone, Chanyeol pulled Jikyun in to the fold of his arms in a very harsh manner, because he could do that now that the wicked woman was eternally his. It is on those grounds that everything will be over once they drink the ceremoninal wine to privately conclude their wedding ceremony. Her father and his Ministers would get what they all wanted, but as a consequence, Jikyun would not, and neither would her little secret lover. Their robes of royal red stands out at the very centre of the bridal chamber as Chanyeol kept her wrapped up in one his arms unable to move within the tranquil silence of the bedchamber.

He wanted her to know that he was no mere fool when it comes down to where her heart actually lies. So, Chanyeol leaned in and coldly whispered as much in to her left ear, for good measure. And in reply to that, he had received her shock gasp, all before Jikyun forcefully removed herself from out of his hold with a most regal flourish. To which, Chanyeol's sharp brown eyes narrowed as Jikyun took out the hidden short blade from out of the fold of one of her wedding robes' sleeves. However, the Emperor had reluctantly already planned for this outcome, as he knew that it would most likely happen one day.

It was why he was the Emperor of Goryeo, and his Uncle, Park Myeon-Ryu, was not. Aside from the fact that he was his father's only legitimate Heir. Still, the Emperor knew what was about to come next, and he didn't even try to fight against it when it does happen. Jikyun moves forward to thrust her arm towards Chanyeol, plunging down the blade. For which the blade is buried deep inside of his chest cavity, which caused him to fall to the hard floor underneath their feet with the newly crafted wound leaking out a lot of crimson colored liquid in the process.

Although, Chanyeol wished that it had found rest where his heart actually lied. And an awfully familiar face steps from behind one of the large pillers that shaded him beneath the drapery of the certains that decorated the bridal chamber. Astoundingly, that familiar man was his very own Uncle, Park Myeon-Ryu. The effect of it had Chanyeol bursting forth with unbalanced laughter, which was disrupted by every little painful gasp of breath that he had to endure as he tried to breathe, because he should have seen this one coming from more than a good mile away. He should have known that his Uncle had taken interest an in the woman that he had been gored in to marrying as his Empress.

Though, interest was a exceedingly light way to put it, since the both of them have been together for a long while now. Especially if he took in to consideration the way that his Uncle was readily embracing and kissing his supposed new Empress and Wife. However, the reveal still did not make dying any less painful for Chanyeol as the world surrounding him becomes more and more on the gray side of things. Specially as he coughed up blood with each new breath that he tried to take in to his burning lungs again. He had never figured that his very own Uncle had somehow fit in to the entire equation in any sense.

On the other hand, Lady Jikyun had never really even given him an inkling that Myeon-Ryu was the man that she was secret lovers with in any aspect either. So, it was kind of an actual shock in truth finding all of this out now. Still, however, Chanyeol should have known- should have noticed. Things had long been different and difficult between the both of them after his father's death. Primarily after he had assumed the throne as his father's sole Heir Apparent.

Yet, in the end, Chanyeol foolishly had not. And now he was paying dearly for that misstep with his very own life. It was no real matter though. He was never going to let the deceitful embracing couple have their proper happily ever after. In fact he had made sure of it, because most triumphal people in this world liked to share a victory toast in celebration of obtaining that of which they had always wanted, or for gaining the successful completion of some mundane task.

For which the lovely cretinous inane couple had done just that. In the aftermath of their supposed victory, they had picked up the wedding cups from off the table after Jikyun pours in some of the specially brewed nuptial wine for them. In silence, Chanyeol watched as they crossed their arms over one another's own and took a drink from their cups that will be their very last. And then the Emperor maniacally laughed outloud even more at that notion, all through the pain that he was feeling.

He observed the rapid realization that he had wittily sentenced them to their deaths, without even having to lift a finger to do so, on their paling faces. He could see the truth of it come across their panicked faces when they fall to the table together, clutching at each other's robes in death. All in all, in the aftermath of their deaths, Chanyeol placed a curse of his creation upon their souls, the Ministers that forced him on to Lady Jikyun's direct path, their remaining family legacies, and their future descendants with the last of his living breath. From henceforth, their families would never be able to bear their very own fruit in this existence ever again, until the very day that the Emperor of Goryeo can meet his own fated one with the birth of his next life...

Chapter Text

It is now summer in present day South Korea and the atmosphere of the beach has been calm for a while. At least it was that way until the rain clouds high above start to form, and the skies fade from clear blue to grey. It begins to rain. Hard. Wind ruffles over the waves of the ocean as the storm pushes through.

The solid footfalls of one Byun Baekhyun moves slowly upon the wet terrain of the beach's sand. And Baekhyun shivers in the darkness, cold and wet from the pouring rain. Thunder echoes in the night sky overhead. He was lost, but it's not like it mattered all that much. He has no one else in this world.

So, it wasn't like anyone else was actually going to be looking for him right now. And it didn't really matter if he ever truly did disappear or something like that. He was indeed alone in this lifetime. Nonetheless, Baekhyun kept walking until he found a cave big enough for a human body to seek some sort of shelter within. And he enters through the mouth of the cave, finding a long illuminated passageway deep inside of it.

After of which, Baekhyun follows the pathway down. Even though, the nervous mess inside of his gut was telling him not to do it. That he should just wait out the rain back at the opening of the cave, and then leave when it was safe enough for him to do so. Nevertheless, Baekhyun doesn't listen to his stomach at all. He just kept walking down the passageway until he comes face-to-face with another opening inside of the cave.

In which leads him to what he can only assume was a simple tomb of some sort, at the very first glance of it. Though, it actually was not. Still, however, filled up with his mounting curiosity, Baekhyun enters the tomb to find a large human sized sarcophagus positioned at the very center of the cave. And on slow footfalls, he walks over towards it, taking in the exquisitely made structure of the coffin. It is crafted of the most expensive materials.

Materials that are no longer used in this day and age any longer. Which allotts Baekhyun with the knowledge that this sarcophagus was indeed a very ancient one. It was probably dated some time during the Goryeo period or something like that, if his history class has taught him anything useful at all. He wants to feel the structure of the coffin, so he does. The delicate fingertips of his dainty little right hand softly touch down upon the stone engraved outer structure.

With very gentle movements, Baekhyun slides his fingers over the gray stone, reading what was engraved upon it inside of the silence of his head. 'Revenge of the Emperor awaits whomever betrayed his trust.' Once the words are read out a loud in his mind, the middle finger of Baekhyun's hand is accidentally cut upon an oh so sharp part of the stone. In which he watches in horror as his crimson life blood drips down on to the sarcophagus just as thunder and lightning flash and clang through the sky overhead. And the crimson red of his blood is vibrant against the backdrop of gray stone.

The stinging pain of the new wound causes Baekhyun to bring his still bleeding finger slowly up to his mouth in order for him to suck the remaining blood from off his finger. After that, Baekhyun quickly turns away from the mess that he has accidentally made behind him.  Ultimately deciding to leave the confines of both the tomb and the cave at the same exact moment that the rain decides to finally let up it's pour down all of a sudden. And from the beach, Baekhyun safely makes his way back to his home. Where he tries to forget his strange encounter with that tomb back on the beach, by taking a quick shower and heading straight to bed early for the night.

Hopefully, Baekhyun will not have what he had encountered earlier inside of his dreams or a night terror while he sleeps soundly tonight. To which it doesn't take all that long for Baekhyun to finally drift off to sleep after his head has hit his pillow in every aspect of the word. Nonetheless, Baekhyun still somehow manages to toss and turn throughout the night. The strange dream that he was having is mostly attributed to that notion. Within the world of his dreams, Baekhyun finds himself in what appears to be a fantastical version of ancient Goryeo.

He can feel that his black hair is no longer perfectly cropped upon his head without having to see or actually touch it. His hair is now long and loose as it flows down his back with his bed clothes having been switched out for the attire of that time period. He wears robes made of soft baby blue and ivory white fabric which elegant about him when he motions around. He knows that he is adorned like a man of a time long past. Especially as he stands inside of what appears to be a large man-made faerie-like garden.

The scenery is beautiful, almost perfect, calm and picturesque. Large trees provide shade from the blazing sun, wind breezes by with a layer of coolness, and many different flower blossoms happily take it all in. And he does with a bright relieved smile of his own, because this was not a nightmare. It was a most glorious dream. Or at least it seemed that way, until a figure in the distance started to make their way over to him.

In that instance alone, Baekhyun finds himself hurriedly backing up the closer that the figure becomes to his actual person. All until his back is forcefully pressed up against the tree behind him and the figure is fully formed before his very eyes. And at the sight of this person now standing just a few feet in front of him, Baekhyun lets out a gasp of utter bewilderment in question, "Who are you?"

This unearthly looking person is a seemingly perfect male specimen with his long auburn tinged hair flowing over his broad shoulders and down his back. He has dark piercing almond-shaped brown eyes that flashes amethyst purple for a mere second or two beneath auburn eyelashes in which elegantly ornaments them. His nose is effortlessly formed below his eyes, set against a pair of tenderly alluring thin apricot pink lips that are accentuated by the man's immaculately chiseled jawline. The strange man is tall, dark, and handsome like those men that all of the women desire for a spouse from within those stupid romance novels that Baekhyun sometimes secretly finds himself indulging in, every once in a while. And he almost seems like a mystical creature of old, but Baekhyun doesn't know what that could be.

Especially with the way the man was dressed. His robes of ivory white satin over cream tinctured flesh, makes the man almost seem like some sort of great deity or faerie ilk. And the strange man says nothing to him at first. He only stares at him like he was an undecipherable puzzle or strange anomaly. To which, Baekhyun almost thinks that the man will not speak to him at all, in any sense of the word.

However, Baekhyun is ultimately proven to be most assuredly wrong when the man does speak to him with finality, stepping all the more closer to his person in the process,

"You are my fated one."

That is how Baekhyun suddenly finds himself being pulled in to the man's unwarranted yet welcoming embrace, unexpectedly. One of the man's hands comes up to cup at his chin so that the gorgeous man may join their lips together in a gentle caress. And it is at this very moment that Baekhyun jolts awake. His breathing is uneven and harsh after he awakens. And his heart is beating overly fast as he tries to reassure himself that it was in fact only just a dream.

Still, Baekhyun was not so sure, considering the fact that it had all seemed so very real to him. All down to their shared kiss. And his lips still oddly tingling in the aftermath with the sensation of the man's own lips being pressed up against them. In light of this, Baekhyun tries to shake the dream off, as nothing more than a random oddity of his every day life.

Even though, Baekhyun knows that it was most likely far from it. He gets up from his bed and makes his way to his kitchen where he fixed him a glass of clean tap water from the sink. And after drinking a few sips from his glass, he heads back to his bedroom and gets back in to bed. He pulls his blanket back over his body with slow gentle movements. And this time around, Baekhyun falls in to the throes of a dreamless sleep when lays back down.

Chapter Text

Scraping. The echoes of scraping resounded from the cave's entrance all the way from the inside of the tomb, in the meantime. And within the tomb, the lid of the ancient sarcophagus is now partially open. A pale dehydrated humanesque hand grabs on to the side of the coffin in an exceedingly eerie manner. The rest of the lid was harshly thrown away from the top of the sarcophagus with mounting annoyance.

At which point, the humanlike creature hidden inside of it, fully stands up from within the coffin dawn in his crimson colored silk Imperial Dragon robes when he does. For which the clothing that he was still wearing shows off the fact that he was not really from this time period at all. Though, at this moment, that does not truly matter to him, in any regard. Right now, he needs to locate his Fated One. The dream in which he had shared with him already gave him an idea or clue of where he might actually dwell within Goryeo.

Or was this place called something else now. Of that he wasn't so sure. He just wanted to locate his Fated One as soon as he possibly could. Nevertheless, their one shared kiss will most definitely be the one connection with his Fated One in order to help him do so, in the very end. Nothing and no one was ever going to keep them apart once he truly did find him.

He will make sure of it, because it's not every day that you get both the chance to live again and have another shot at finding love. And so, Chanyeol finally stepped from out of the coffin, in which he had been cursed to be buried within, after his unfortunate and untimely assassination by the woman that he had been ultimately forced to take as both his Wife and his Empress, and by his very own blood related Uncle. Nevertheless, Chanyeol stands firm when he does. Or at least he tries to do so with his still immensely dehydrated body. However, the Emperor was well and truly weak right now.

The Emperor's once dead body needs some form of humanesque sustenance within it in order for him regain perfect mobility once again. So, Chanyeol leaves the confines of his tomb and the cave straight afterwards. And promptly after that, the Emperor finds himself standing upon the sands of the empty beach. Though, luckily enough for him, night had already fallen over the star speckled sky. His pale weakened dehydrated skin will not have to suffer from the wrath of the bright illuminating sun for the time being at least.

With an overtly elated and appreciative chuckle, Chanyeol makes his way down the sandy breach as the coming waves crash against the shoreline. He walks until his feet meets pavement and he finds himself standing on a sidewalk that leads away from one of beach's few parking areas. A few people unknowingly waddles by him with their own business dwelling within their minds. And it all seems calm, tranquil, and peaceful, until it isn't. A shrill cry of terror fills the night air in with it's harsh chemosignals.

It brings forth pure exhilaration out in to the forefront of Chanyeol's mind when he slowly closes his eyes and takes in the immaculate scent of it all. He will not have to wait for that much longer to take in his perpetual hydrated renewal. Chanyeol focuses his senses upon where the cries originate from and find that they are in fact somewhere near him. So, he follows senses as they blindly lead to where they are, until the terrified cries are clear enough to him. Opening his eyes at the moment a frightened cry of help permeates the night air with it's call once again.

From his viewpoint, the Emperor can see a young effeminate looking male being accosted by a group of callow blockheaded scoundrels. Still, despite this notion, Chanyeol says nothing when all eyes fall on to him and they all gasp out in shock and awe at his grotesque outward appearance. Every single last one of them easily forgot their earlier behaviour at the very sight of him, dawn in his Dragon robes of crimson red with long flowing auburn tinged hair about his hulking frame whilst he carefully analyzes them and their current situation. And Chanyeol knows that they were all both completely mesmerized and utterly horrified at his physical appearance. As a matter of fact, his once brown eyes scintillate them in a glow of regal amethyst purple, tantalizing the youths under his prowess.

With the pull of his powers, the Emperor makes the unruly youths completely yeild to his command. And once they are close enough to him, Chanyeol grabs them by the napes of their necks in order to keep them in place under his behest. He then runs his own mind through the youths' own scouring for any and all useful information on this unexplored foreign world, before he ever has to actually venture through it on his lonesome. And his sudden knowledge of this world was a profoundly brutal one. In that retrospect, the Emperor decides to spare the foolish youths for now, by making them his minions, along with the young male that they had been so heartlessly terrorizing earlier on.

Although, in this case, the young male did not have to be forced to do so by the still mummy-like Goryeo Emperor. And in view of this, the boy introduces himself to Chanyeol as Xi Luhan, and thanks him for his help, all whilst he tearfully recounts his new master of his unfortunate plaint in this life. Luhan told him of how he had come to South Korea in search of his online friend, Oh Sehun, as a way to surprise him, but ever since he had stepped foot in to this foreign country, his plans have all gone completely off course. It is for that exact reason that Chanyeol decides that he will help his new underling find this Sehun fellow that he so badly wanted to see. He wasn't a completely heartless bastard, so he can do that for him as he searched for his own Fated One.

That is the information that Chanyeol happily gives his new minions when he addresses them altogether in turn. After doing this, the Emperor sends everyone, except for Luhan, off to find him the worst caliber of people for him to rid this world of. And after they are gone, Chanyeol smoothly finds them a new home base by way of the richest family in the area, which was a childless elder couple. He easily takes them over with his dexterity, making them take him in as their eccentric adopted Son. And once this is done, the Emperor finds a quiet place within his newly adopted parents' home to meditate with Luhan.

In which, the Emperor chooses to sit at the very centre of the room upon it's carpet covered floor with his eyes closed and Luhan seated at his side. He orders Luhan to picture Sehun within his mind's eye, until he can lock on to the other male's exact location for him. And after a while with little or no delay, the Emperor actually does find Sehun's location. The Mortal was in this very city, living his day to day life in the usual mundane manner that Mortals do. And contrarily, Chanyeol does not allot this information to Luhan as of yet.

Instead, the Emperor focuses the rest of his energy on telling his new minions where his new abode was located, and where to meet him once they are done with their mission telepathically. After of which, Chanyeol finally locates his saviour by the use of the latter's very own blood that was still lurking within his still overly dehydrated body. And promptly after doing just that, his underlings turn up at the backyard of his home with his desired prospects in tow. He can sense their arrival, which prompts his eyes to open in a amethyst haze. Standing up from his spot upon the carpeted floor, the Emperor grabs a hold on to one of Luhan's dainty little wrists, easily teleporting them to the backyard where his minions await his arrival.

He releases his hold upon Luhan's wrist as he scrutinizes his new source of energy kneeling on the ground before him and in front of his hastily bowing subjects. And soon after doing this, Chanyeol walks over to them calm and tranquil in silence with finality, where he grabbed ahold of one of his newly found energy sources' chins. He lifts the man's head up so that he may look in to his eyes and see in to the very core of his rotten ill bred soul. It is from their depths that Chanyeol can see all of the evil and all of the harm that the man had caused throughout his entire useless Mortal lifetime. So, it is to that end that the Emperor made the man feel the immense pain of it all for his punishment- atonement, whilst he drained the cruel Mortal of his life's essence, until he is all but a dry husk of his former self in his hold.

Ensuingly, at that instance, Chanyeol could feel the magnetic transfer of the mortal's life essence within his own body convert in to much required energy. Energy in which his body now used to refresh his dehydrated form- anatomy to a bit of its previous state. Allowing his powers to grow even stronger the more energy that his body actually takes inside of it. And in doing so, Chanyeol released his hold upon the now lifeless corpse, watching as it drops on to the ground by his feet with an all too satisfying thud. In the aftermath of that, the Emperor quietly observes the rest of his energy prospects quivering with pure unadulterated fear in the quiet atmosphere.

As it is fear that he most desirably feeds off with ardent hunger in order to stave off his greedy appetence, for now at least until he can get his hands upon his beloved Fated One. And with this inclination newly set in to place within his mind, the Emperor's mouth broke out in to a large grim astringent smile at that thought. Though, it is a smile that drops from his handsome face all too quickly for anyone that is involve's liking. As the utterly brief appearance of it is a most foreboding presence as well. One that those horrific men will never ever forget, even in the wake of their utmost dissolutions.

The Emperor of the Goryeo era will never allow that to be so, if he takes all of their abhorrent beastly heinous misdeeds in to account. So, with steady focus, Chanyeol moved on to one of his next victims, relentless in his approach. Ruthless in his handling of them as he does the same thing that he has only just done to this man as well. After of which, the Emperor lets go of the man's body callously, in the like. He repeats this in full succession, until every last one of his energy prospects have met the very same fate under his hand.

Chapter Text

Chanyeol's Dragon robes appear more gracious and fresh upon his tall stature, now that his physique had been filled out by the energy of the dead men now resting at his feet. He was now wholly rejuvenated in this life. And the only thing that was left for him to do, was for him to finally head towards his saviour's exact location. Aside from this, the former Emperor knows that he should at least change his clothes to a more modern look, but he chooses not to so for now. Still, in light of this concept, Chanyeol wants his saviour to be able to recognize him from the radiance of their initial shared dream as much as he possibly can.

That is how, the Emperor appears to his saviour when he finally does make his first appearance. His saviour is soundlessly asleep within the center of his bed. In which the boy's body is positioned in a taut fetal array as he tiredly slumbers away dressed in what Chanyeol now knows that the Mortals nowadays calls a t-shirt. The blue fabric peaks out from underneath the duvet that was so wholly blanketing his Fated One's petite slumbering form. It was an adorable sight that had the Emperor walking over towards the bed, on slow quiet footfalls.

To Chanyeol, the boy was a pure vision of serene loveliness as he slept the night away. In the same way that he was within his dream state. Only, in real life, his boy had beautifully cropped hair as dark as the sky on a moonless night that effortlessly matched his cream colored skin tone. For which his skin radiantly peaks out from below his loose t-shirt as it falls from off one of his delicate little shoulders. And the enticing shade of his oh so pretty-pretty pink lips curl in a pursed frown as he dreams.

The beautiful boy's feline-like eyes are almond-shaped and doelike with innocence shadowed beneath thick black eyelashes. And below them was his cute little button nose. Latterly, the bittersweet scent of the boy's blood filled up the nostrils of his slightly itching nose with deeply arousing temptation. The aroma is stale, if the notion of when the boy's blood had initially been spilt was taken in to actual consideration. As his saviour's precious life blood had awaken him from a long perilous nightmare of a time that, to him, that will never ever be forgotten.

Without it, Chanyeol would have still been stuck tiredlessly inside of them, trying overly hard to still figure out a way for him to get out- to finally escape it's tight grasp upon his restless soul. And now that he had his saviour right here in front of him, he was never ever going to let him go again. As the first time has been a complete mistake. And this beauteous magnificent creature would remain his forever, whether he wanted to or not. That was, luckily enough for the boy or unfortunately for him, Chanyeol's ultimate endgame.

The former Emperor gently sits down upon his boy's bed next to his saviour's slumbering form in silence with finality. To which, Chanyeol leans over the boy's sleeping frame so that he can have better access to the latter's silky cropped black hair. He slowly runs his fingers gently through the soft black strands of his hair, taking in his fated one's captivating sleep relaxed face as he does. His restless soul has waited so long to find some semblance of peace after the betrayal that befell him for over a thousand years ago. A feat in which Chanyeol will not let transpire against his person ever again now that he has returned to the land of the living.

After tonight, Chanyeol will live like a man of the twenty-first century with his fated one forever at his side. With his newfangled immortal phoenixlike prowess and outlook on life, it won't be all that hard for him to pull off. A proud smirk slides in to place over his lips as that thought crosses over in his perfectly elated mind. Afterwards, the Emperor bends his body down enough to press a sweet tender kiss upon his slumbering boy's sleep-flushed forehead, closing his eyes the second that he does so in a prompt and concise manner. And once Chanyeol pulls himself away from him, he waves his hands around a few times, until they form the perfect shape of a flying bird.

He then brings the bird up to his chest all while keeping his eyes closed. The soft sound of chant leaves from in between his parted lips as he quickly breaks up the bird when stretches the  tip of his middle finger on his right hand. Blood drips down from the open wound like gentle raindrops in a light pour down. To which Chanyeol's eyes flash open in a luster of amethyst purple light, which in turn illuminates the entire bedroom with it's brilliant hue. Using the very blood from that same finger, Chanyeol writes his name in the ancient language of the dead upon the soft milk white skin of the boy's exposed neck and shoulder, continuing his chant all the while he does this.

The Emperor's gaze was fixated upon the blood written letters, until they are all absorbed in to the boy's cream colored skin and no trace of any blood is left behind in a shimmer of ethereal baby blue light. Eventually, with little delay, the brightness fully dissipates, allowing the bedroom to fall back in to the silence of pure natural light with crystalline finality. Tonight, the Emperor leaves his boy's side. For tomorrow they will meet with each other, up close and in person. It is a meeting in which Chanyeol cannot wait to embrace his newfound love any longer than he already has too.

Furthermore, such meetings like this one must not be delayed any further. Especially if he wants his boy to readily accept him in to the fold of his heart. So, Chanyeol leaves Baekhyun's place in the very same way that he had used to come there. And on that following morning, Baekhyun happily starts his day with his morning routine as the news plays in the background on his TV, feeling way more refreshed than he did before he even went to sleep last night. At first he wasn't really paying any attention to the news, but then a reporter suddenly mentioned that a few dried up corpses were found all too recent for his liking.

The very mention of it had sent shivers up and down his spine and an odd feeling of immediate fear slowly chokes him up from within, as if he somehow knows deep down what this means- that this horrible outcome is all of his fault. Though, in truth, Baekhyun really doesn't. He turns of the TV with hurried movements, wanting to be done with the whole mess already. His bright cheerfulness fades away as his fear continues to increase inside of his chest, little by little, beat by beat. And he no longer feels like doing anything for a long while.

So, Baekhyun heads back inside of his bedroom and takes off his clothes before slipping back beneath the duvet of cosy bed. He hides his whole body under the duvet the instant that he does this. He stays inside of his bedroom well in to the late afternoon with his stomach growling protest for food. So, at that noise, Baekhyun gets up out of his bed and heads in to the kitchen to scour for his lunch, but he finds nothing that his unruly stomach wants in there. That is how he finds himself, decently dressed up in a regular baby blue t-shirt with a pair of black skinny jeans, out of his apartment for lunch.

He makes his way over to the local grocery store, because his stomach doesn't like the idea of him putting any fastfood in to it and he wants to make a homemade Chinese fried rice dish with some added pork or shimp. And on slow footfalls, Baekhyun pushes his empty cart around the store as he ponders if he should get himself something sweet to go along with his meal as well. He repeatedly goes over this inside of his mind, not realizing that he has unintentionally knocked in to another person's cart by accident whilst doing so. That is until the other male softly exclaims out his immediate worry for his person to him in a very sweet manner, dressed in petal pink hued skinny jeans and a white v-neck t-shirt, "Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry! Are you okay? Did I you hurt anywhere in the accident?"

So, Baekhyun easily responds back out with, "Oh, no, I'm fine! You don't have to worry about me or anything. And I'm so very sorry for knocking so rudely in to you. It is all my fault! Are you okay? I should've been paying better attention to my surroundings earlier on."

The kind apologetic stranger politely says with a warm smile in retort as he suggests that Baekhyun join him for some lunch, "Oh no, that's okay. I'm perfectly fine as well. And since I'm doing okay and you're doing okay, why don't you come hangout with me for lunch?"

Baekhyun cheerfully beams in counter, taking notice that this stranger's cart is filled up to the top with a lot of groceries, "Oh no, I don't really want to be a bother to you-"

The stranger smiles brightly at him once more whilst properly introducing himself to Baekhyun, "You won't be a bother to me. You can just think of it as apology luncheon, if that makes you any better. It's nothing special, really. And by the way, my name is Luhan, Xi Luhan."

Baekhyun happily replies to the sudden lunch invite, happy that he will not have to fix himself anything to eat for lunch again today and he might finally be making a new brand friend in the area, "It's so very nice to meet you, Luhan. My name is Baekhyun, Byun Baekhyun. And I would love to have lunch with you when you put it in that way."

Luhan enthusiastically exclaims as he rolls his cart up to the check up stall and excitedly paid for his groceries with a cartless Baekhyun steadily following behind him all the while, "Oh, good! Let's go. These groceries will be send over to my home by the delivery service, so we don't have to worry about them."

After Luhan is done doing this, he happily guides Baekhyun out of the grocery store to an expensive vehicle awaiting his arrival after he has relieved him of his shopping cart. A footman readily opens the vehicle's door for them and Luhan motions for Baekhyun to step inside of it. So, Baekhyun does with a fully elated smile as Luhan readily slips inside behind him with the footman shutting the door on them right afterwards. After of which, the vehicle speeds off down the road to their new destination, after the footman had returned to the front of the vehicle and climbs inside of the passenger's seat. And it does not take all that long for them to arrive to the place that appears to be supposed Luhan's home.

Chapter Text

The place is a massive sized mansion with large black gorgeous intricately crafted iron made gates surrounding it from the outside, in which the vehicle had to drive them pass, once the gates are opened up to their immediate arrival. Then they are driven up a long pathway which lead to the mansion where the vehicle proceeds to stop by the front door to appropriately drop them off right there. And the footman repeats what he had already done for them earlier back at the grocery store, only this time it was to let them out of the vehicle. To which, Baekhyun silently stands at Luhan's side staring up at the vast sized building in complete and utter awe of it. If he ever had to take a guess, he would say that Luhan comes from an exceedingly rich family background more than a well-to-do one when he had first taken sight of the vehicle that the other male had been riding around in.

Though he couldn't have guessed how truly wealthy his newly gained friend actually was to this end. Luhan's home is extremely beautiful from it's outside appearance, which was something out of a lush European fantastical dream, with it's enchanting white gloss painted walls and gorgeous gold trimmings, rather large French glass windows and wide French doors. It was all beyond the word exquisite. To the point that Baekhyun couldn't even imagine how the inside of the place even looked like at all inside of his mind, because everything was so dreamlike and completely foreign to him. It was like the Fae's dream fairyland come to life.

When the front doors are readily opened out to them, Baekhyun's mouth drops open wide with full wonderment as he takes his very first steps inside of the mansion's inner walls. And his bright and curious eyes happily takes in the gloriousness of the entire home as they walk through the large gorgeous open foyer beyond the mansion's front doors. Gold painted staircases which are elegantly set at either side of the room, leads up to the second floor of the mansion upstairs. Below and in between those staircases is a wide arch that directly leads to the first floor of the home. Although, much to his surprise Luhan doesn't lead him there at all.

No, instead, someone suddenly makes their descent down the staircase on the right side of the foyer in order to readily greet their arrival. And this person is dressed down in a simple pair of designer dark wash jeans and a plain white henley with a pair white sneakers upon his feet. A warming smile is gracing their perfect lips as they does. And this person is a man. A very gorgeous man at that who instantly reminds Baekhyun of the handsome stranger from one of his nightly occuring dreams. In part he gives him a bizarre and eerie familiar feeling.

This man is an almost inhuman specimen of the male variety. He has sharp almond-shaped brown eyes that seemingly pierce through his soul. His nose is set errorlessly beneath his dark gaze. His perfectly chiseled jawline emphasizes his desirous apricot pink lips. He has coiffed auburn colored hair with extensively broad shoulders. And he is tall- way taller than poor little Baekhyun, as a matter of fact.

"Oh, my sorry, Baekhyun! I forgot to tell you that my best friend would be joining us for lunch today as well." Luhan abruptly explains the sudden appearance of the other male to an utterly confused and bashful Baekhyun with an adorable gasp, all before Luhan appropriately and properly introduces Chanyeol to Baekhyun, "By the way Baekhyun, this wonderful guy right here is Park Chanyeol. Chanyeol this is Byun Baekhyun. So please be most assuredly nice to him, Mister!"

For which, Chanyeol most charmingly greets the stunned Baekhyun out in recounter with a soft welcoming smirk fully displayed up against his enticing lips, all the while ignoring Luhan's softcore warning tone when he speaks, "It is both a pleasure and a high honor to make your lovely acquaintance, Byun Baekhyun."

"And for me it is the same, Park Chanyeol." Baekhyun breathily whispers back out to Chanyeol in a sweet shy and polite voice completely taken in by the other male's magnetic charm. And both of Baekhyun's cheeks burn bright cherry red with his clear embarrassment when Chanyeol has taken a hold of the younger male's hand in his own in order for him to press a sweet tender kiss upon the back of it.

"Well, now that we are all introduced to one another, I'll go make sure that lunch is on it's way in a timely fashion so that we can all eat together very soon!" Luhan excitedly exclaims when he motions his way over to the mansion's extravagantly made kitchen, and after that he gently whispers a warning out to Chanyeol without Baekhyun's notice as he walks past them, "Please go easy on him, Chanyeol. 'Cause he's such a very sweet person."

"Oh, please don't rush anything on my account, Luhan!" Baekhyun quickly protests as Chanyeol gently releases his hold upon his hand after he has so smoothly rubbed his thumb over the back of it, without Baekhyun's notice of course.

"Oh, don't be silly! I'll be right back as soon as I can! So allow Chanyeol to entertain you for the time being inside of the living room." Luhan soothingly says in suggestion as he puts on a cheerful facial expression when he speaks to Baekhyun once again.

"Luhan!" A red-faced Baekhyun bashfully calls out after him as Luhan leaves them alone together in the foyer, before he addresses Chanyeol in turn, "Is he always like that?"

Chanyeol playfully replies back to Baekhyun whilst he leads him away from the foyer in to the living room area, "Not when it comes to his crush, but I'll let him tell you all about that story himself. Would you like anything to drink, Baekhyun?"

"No, I don't really like alcohol. It turns me in to a completely different person and I don't like that. So honestly, most of the time, I tell everyone that I'm allergic to it. Oh, I'm sorry. I'm running off at the mouth again. I can't help it, sorry. I always do this when I'm feeling very nervous." Baekhyun gives out a ranting explanation for why he doesn't drink alcohol after Chanyeol has offered him some of the harsh liquid to drink, all while he follows behind him towards the living room.

Chanyeol thoughtfully smiles out in reassurance to Baekhyun when he encourages him to stand on his own personal choices, "No, it's fine. In fact, I like to hear you speak, Baekhyun. You just have such a pretty little melodious voice to me. So don't be so nervous. Besides you have every right to deny drinking alcohol if you don't like how it makes you feel or how you act. So don't worry, I will not try to force it on you. How about some sparkling water instead?"

"I would like some, thank you." Baekhyun demurely responds back to Chanyeol in kind with the other male gesturing for Baekhyun to be seated upon one of the sofas within the room as he opens up a bottle of sparkling water for the three of them to drink. He then pours the bubbly liquid in to the glasses lining the tray on the coffee table set in front of the sofas. After of which, the elder male hands one of the glasses over to the boy as he blushes so prettily underneath his attentions with Baekhyun thanking him for the drink as he asks him about his connection to Luhan, "Thank you so kindly. So have you known Luhan long?"

Chanyeol earnestly answers out in turn with a warm smile set upon his lips when he looks at the shy reaction that the boy is so cutely making in front of him at that precise moment, "Oh, no, I didn't, but we became fast friends when we first met. How about you? Do you have any long-term friends?"

"No... No one has ever wanted to be my friend before, except for Luhan of course." Baekhyun dolefully says in a breathy manner with full honesty when he speaks on the topic of friends. It has always plagued Baekhyun since he was younger as why no one else wanted to ever to be his friend. So because of this Baekhyun had always been left alone. And he just couldn't truly understand it.

"And what about me? Am I not suitable enough to become one of your very close friends?" Chanyeol sincerely asks the boy about becoming his friend with complete curiosity, before he hints at them being something more than friends instead, "Or do you desire for us to be even more than that, Baekhyun?"

"I can never ask for more than I am ever allowed to have..." Baekhyun softly whispers out truthfully in recounter to the elder male, all before he ends what he is saying with a conditioned apology, "I'm sorry."

Chanyeol sweetly responds out to Baekhyun's apology with genuine understanding for the boy's unfair station in his life, "Do not ever be sorry for the way that you feel. Everyone has the right to choose his or her own friends. I had no right to push you, and I apologize for doing that, Baekhyun."

"But you didn't push me. And I don't just want to be your friend, Chanyeol. 'Cause I have never ever felt this way in my life with anyone else before. It's so strange to me how I can be so attracted to someone else like this. I don't know what to do with myself right now." Baekhyun somewhat shyly explains the strange and bizarre new sensations that Chanyeol's presence was giving to him as the elder male gently pulls him in to the secure fold of his arms.

Chanyeol proudly takes in the beautiful red blush now decorating the younger male's for the hundredth time since they have met. And when he tenderly grasps the side of Baekhyun's ethereal face with his large warm hands as he leans down to gaze in to the beautiful depths of the younger male's pearlescent brown feline-like eyes as he happily gives Baekhyun out his reassurance on breathy murmurs once again, "You don't have to do anything but give yourself over to me, Baekhyun..."

The 'for eternity' part was left unspoken- unsaid in order for the former Emperor of Goryeo to keep himself from foolishly scaring the boy away as he leans in almost caressing them lips together in a gentle press. For which, "Chanyeol, I..." was all that Baekhyun could utter out the moment that he could tell that Chanyeol was about to kiss him inside the depths of his heart. Just as Luhan returns to them with a servant and lunch cart trailing behind him as he understandably interrupts him when he is still speaking to Chanyeol out in reply with the other male brightly chiming in to their conversation about their promptly arriving food, "Lunch is ready! Oh, did I interrupt something?"

To which they both quickly jump apart with Baekhyun almost jumping ten inches in to the air with clear embarrassment and mortification written across his pretty-pretty face. And he backs away from Chanyeol with his pretty red-face, shocked at how easy he had given in to a stranger's irresistible temptation, irresponsibly he might add. On the other hand, unluckily enough for poor little Baekhyun, Chanyeol was completely and utterly smug about the whole entire situation. And in view of this, Luhan chose to leave that conversation to the side after he receives the warning expression that is written across Chanyeol's stupidly handsome face. Luhan shrugs his shoulders as he lets out a ho-hum sigh as he allows the subject matter of their conversation to be changed to a different one.

"No, you aren't! So what are we having for lunch, Luhan?" Baekhyun bashfully says to Luhan smoothly changing the subject at the arrival of their lunch as if the other male hadn't already realized that something strange had transpired between the two of them earlier on already while he was gone from their presence.

They say nothing in that regard whilst the servant spreads out the food upon the coffee table for them to eat since Chanyeol said that they would eat it in there in the living room. That is, until another servant, who is not attending to them, enters the room to relay a message to Chanyeol, "A young gentleman named Oh Sehun has arrived to the mansion, Young Master Park. Should I lead him inside?"