One: The Legend of EXO (Chapter Six)
Title: One: The Legend of EXO
Rating: PG-13
When darkness descends the Dragon shall rise,
Along with twin moons and the Thief, King of Lies.
When Phoenix takes flight and sun covers sun,
When evil is vanquished, the Twelve become One.
Chapter Six
"How come I never see you around anymore," Henry asked. They sat in the noisy auditorium, waiting for the election candidate speeches to begin. "Did you get yourself a girlfriend?"
Xiumin shook his head. "Nah, just been busy."
"With what?"
"Uh..." Henry was his best friend, his partner-in-crime, but it felt weird telling him about the strange lights, old pieces of paper and his fluke accident with the coke bottle. It was a separate world, one that he wasn't sure he had the right to share. So he settled for something close to the truth, though equally unbelievable. "I've been helping Lay with his campaign."
Henry stared incredulously at him. "But you hate him."
Xiumin shrugged. He was pretty surprised with himself too. Lay had actually been civil ever since he had bribed them into joining his campaign. Besides, the jerk had upheld his part of the bargain, helping them discover their latest clue (Xiumin had decided that 'coincidence' was no longer in his dictionary). He was stuck with Lay until they could make sense of everything and if he was really honest with himself, he didn't really mind. Not that much, anyway.
"You're going soft, bro," Henry yawned, propping his feet on the seats before him and ignoring their occupants' dirty looks. "What happened to our crusade against the establishment?"
That was Henry's agenda, not his. He had joined in the pranking and trolling merely for the thrill of rule-breaking, an escape from his mundane life. It was certainly enjoyable, shocking the masses and popping over-inflated egos in the process, but his intentions were not as noble. Personal grudges seldom were.
Xiumin glanced around at the now-silent auditorium. It was here, exactly a year ago, that he had prepared to publicly humiliate the boy who he had despised since first grade. Though Lay stood on stage as he had last April, here he was, sitting nice and quietly in his designated seat, far, far away from the sound system backstage.
Thunderous applause echoed in the auditorium as the ever-pompous Hangeng left the podium, dipping into a showy bow as his posse of brainless jocks hooted loudly in the audience. Beside him, Henry made a face of disgust.
The back of his neck prickled as Lay walked calmly towards the podium. His speech was perfect, delivered as smoothly as he had done during the rehearsal. So why did Xiumin feel as if something bad was about to happen?
It was then that he saw it. A dark shape circling above the stage, visible only when it passed beneath a stage light. It looked like a bat with a large head and tiny wings that flapped so quickly they were a blur.
And then it attacked. The thing swooped down and flew straight at Lay, aimed at his face.
Xiumin jumped to his feet.
Suddenly, everything froze. It was as if someone had pressed pause, capturing the auditorium in a giant frame. The students around him sat still as statues and the place was utterly silent, save for the tiny fluttering of wings.
His eyes scanned the room and found Tao, who too had stood. Xiumin let out a sigh of relief as the shock wore off and the rational side of his brain snapped back to attention. It was only Tao's power at work. Still, hearing about it and experiencing it first hand was totally different.
He jogged forward and was the first to climb onto the stage, Kris, Luhan and Chen not far behind. Lay had backed away from the podium, his face white with fear.
"What is that...?" Xiumin slowly approached the thing, which wriggled in midair like a fly caught between two fingers. It was a creature of some sort, whose body had the consistency of solid shadow. Red eyes glowed brightly above its open mouth, filled with rows of sharp teeth. He flinched when it snapped at him.
"Whatever it is, it's resisting my power," Tao whispered. Beads of sweat lined his forehead; his lips were pursed with concentration.
Without warning, the creature broke free of the invisible hold and zoomed towards him. He raised his arms to shield his face, but the hit never came. Luhan stood with a hand raised before him, his eyes focused intently on the thing.
"Thanks." Telekinesis was pretty handy when it came to stopping scary, weird-looking bats.
But Luhan wasn't the only one with power. Xiumin lifted his own hand, trying to recall the icy coolness in his fingertips the last time he had used his power.
Pretend it's a bottle of coke.
When he opened his eyes, the creature had finally stilled, a film of ice on its motionless wings. Even its ferocious eyes had become dull, glassy orbs. A smile slipped onto his face. His last stunt in the locker room hadn't been a fluke; he was a real live Iceman, minus the kickass superhero suit of course.
Luhan dropped his arm and let the thing crash to the floor. It splintered into a dozen pieces which evaporated almost instantly, leaving behind only a few tendrils of inky smoke.
"We'll talk about this later," Kris said quietly. Tao was slumped against his shoulder, a grimace on his boyish features. The poor kid looked exhausted.
They obeyed, returning to their seats while Lay walked unsteadily back to the podium. When time began to flow once again, Lay continued his speech, stumbling over words, his eyes seldom leaving the paper clutched tightly in his hands. Whispers filled the auditorium. Gone was the Secretary who, a moment ago, was brimming with charm and confidence. In his place was a quiet, timid boy overcome by stage fright. Xiumin almost felt sorry for him.
He joined in the polite applause when Lay finished, even though his hands felt as if they had become lead. Within the past few minutes (Tao-time included), he had learned a lot more about his new life. It was clear from his weakened hands and Tao's exhaustion that though controllable, their powers were extremely energy-draining. And although he had no idea what the creature was or where it had come from, Xiumin knew that it had not attacked indiscriminately. Whatever it was, it was after the six of them.
Xiumin just hoped it didn't have too many friends.
Continue
Rating: PG-13
When darkness descends the Dragon shall rise,
Along with twin moons and the Thief, King of Lies.
When Phoenix takes flight and sun covers sun,
When evil is vanquished, the Twelve become One.
Chapter Six
"How come I never see you around anymore," Henry asked. They sat in the noisy auditorium, waiting for the election candidate speeches to begin. "Did you get yourself a girlfriend?"
Xiumin shook his head. "Nah, just been busy."
"With what?"
"Uh..." Henry was his best friend, his partner-in-crime, but it felt weird telling him about the strange lights, old pieces of paper and his fluke accident with the coke bottle. It was a separate world, one that he wasn't sure he had the right to share. So he settled for something close to the truth, though equally unbelievable. "I've been helping Lay with his campaign."
Henry stared incredulously at him. "But you hate him."
Xiumin shrugged. He was pretty surprised with himself too. Lay had actually been civil ever since he had bribed them into joining his campaign. Besides, the jerk had upheld his part of the bargain, helping them discover their latest clue (Xiumin had decided that 'coincidence' was no longer in his dictionary). He was stuck with Lay until they could make sense of everything and if he was really honest with himself, he didn't really mind. Not that much, anyway.
"You're going soft, bro," Henry yawned, propping his feet on the seats before him and ignoring their occupants' dirty looks. "What happened to our crusade against the establishment?"
That was Henry's agenda, not his. He had joined in the pranking and trolling merely for the thrill of rule-breaking, an escape from his mundane life. It was certainly enjoyable, shocking the masses and popping over-inflated egos in the process, but his intentions were not as noble. Personal grudges seldom were.
Xiumin glanced around at the now-silent auditorium. It was here, exactly a year ago, that he had prepared to publicly humiliate the boy who he had despised since first grade. Though Lay stood on stage as he had last April, here he was, sitting nice and quietly in his designated seat, far, far away from the sound system backstage.
Thunderous applause echoed in the auditorium as the ever-pompous Hangeng left the podium, dipping into a showy bow as his posse of brainless jocks hooted loudly in the audience. Beside him, Henry made a face of disgust.
The back of his neck prickled as Lay walked calmly towards the podium. His speech was perfect, delivered as smoothly as he had done during the rehearsal. So why did Xiumin feel as if something bad was about to happen?
It was then that he saw it. A dark shape circling above the stage, visible only when it passed beneath a stage light. It looked like a bat with a large head and tiny wings that flapped so quickly they were a blur.
And then it attacked. The thing swooped down and flew straight at Lay, aimed at his face.
Xiumin jumped to his feet.
Suddenly, everything froze. It was as if someone had pressed pause, capturing the auditorium in a giant frame. The students around him sat still as statues and the place was utterly silent, save for the tiny fluttering of wings.
His eyes scanned the room and found Tao, who too had stood. Xiumin let out a sigh of relief as the shock wore off and the rational side of his brain snapped back to attention. It was only Tao's power at work. Still, hearing about it and experiencing it first hand was totally different.
He jogged forward and was the first to climb onto the stage, Kris, Luhan and Chen not far behind. Lay had backed away from the podium, his face white with fear.
"What is that...?" Xiumin slowly approached the thing, which wriggled in midair like a fly caught between two fingers. It was a creature of some sort, whose body had the consistency of solid shadow. Red eyes glowed brightly above its open mouth, filled with rows of sharp teeth. He flinched when it snapped at him.
"Whatever it is, it's resisting my power," Tao whispered. Beads of sweat lined his forehead; his lips were pursed with concentration.
Without warning, the creature broke free of the invisible hold and zoomed towards him. He raised his arms to shield his face, but the hit never came. Luhan stood with a hand raised before him, his eyes focused intently on the thing.
"Thanks." Telekinesis was pretty handy when it came to stopping scary, weird-looking bats.
But Luhan wasn't the only one with power. Xiumin lifted his own hand, trying to recall the icy coolness in his fingertips the last time he had used his power.
Pretend it's a bottle of coke.
When he opened his eyes, the creature had finally stilled, a film of ice on its motionless wings. Even its ferocious eyes had become dull, glassy orbs. A smile slipped onto his face. His last stunt in the locker room hadn't been a fluke; he was a real live Iceman, minus the kickass superhero suit of course.
Luhan dropped his arm and let the thing crash to the floor. It splintered into a dozen pieces which evaporated almost instantly, leaving behind only a few tendrils of inky smoke.
"We'll talk about this later," Kris said quietly. Tao was slumped against his shoulder, a grimace on his boyish features. The poor kid looked exhausted.
They obeyed, returning to their seats while Lay walked unsteadily back to the podium. When time began to flow once again, Lay continued his speech, stumbling over words, his eyes seldom leaving the paper clutched tightly in his hands. Whispers filled the auditorium. Gone was the Secretary who, a moment ago, was brimming with charm and confidence. In his place was a quiet, timid boy overcome by stage fright. Xiumin almost felt sorry for him.
He joined in the polite applause when Lay finished, even though his hands felt as if they had become lead. Within the past few minutes (Tao-time included), he had learned a lot more about his new life. It was clear from his weakened hands and Tao's exhaustion that though controllable, their powers were extremely energy-draining. And although he had no idea what the creature was or where it had come from, Xiumin knew that it had not attacked indiscriminately. Whatever it was, it was after the six of them.
Xiumin just hoped it didn't have too many friends.
Continue