Concordia Discors [Chapter One]
Title: Concordia Discors [Chapter One]
Authors: akaanee and minwhore
Pairings: Chanyeol/Baekhyun, onesided!Sehun/Luhan, Kai/Luhan, Kris/Tao
Rating: PG-15
Summary: For many centuries humans and demons have been at odds. And now the battles fought rise to a crescendo where tables are turned, many are sacrificed, and hopes are both found, and lost.
Author’s Note: hi guys, we're back again keke \o/ three day update omfg we obviously love you guys l o l (yes, we already started on the next chapter >>)
Character Profiles
Prologue
Chapter One
Once upon a time, a monster with terrifying powers appeared. Nothing could stop this monster as it killed and killed and killed. Soon enough, people began to fear it just as other monsters began to follow it.
This monster was called the Demon Lord, and humans and monsters alike spoke his name with fear.
And once upon a time, a man with astonishing skills and potential was selected to fight against the monsters. He was rumored to have more talent and promise than any others.
This man was called the Hero.
And his job was to kill the Demon Lord.
Baekhyun sat on the hill, eyes steadily watching the human from a good distance away. Despite the initial impressions he had over the boy, Baekhyun soon realized that there was a quiet elegance in the way the man walked; it was a quiet power just waiting to explode. Idly, he wondered if the man was doing it deliberately. It was a great way to get people (and more so, monsters) to underestimate him, that was for sure.
“So you’re going to go through with our plan, right?” someone asked from behind him. Baekhyun rolled his eyes, turning his head slightly to look at Luhan.
“Of course I am,” Baekhyun snorted, turning back to watch the man. “It sounds interesting enough and it’ll give me something to do.”
“Besides annihilating villages and towns," Luhan muttered absentmindedly, picking at his nails. He knew how fickle Baekhyun could get sometimes. "Only you would think that getting the Hero to fall in love with you would be ‘interesting enough.’” he chuckled.
"You suggested it," Baekhyun pointed out without taking his eyes off the human, chewing on his bottom lip. Luhan smiled amusedly and held up his hands.
"Fair enough," he said. "Let it be a challenge then. How much time do you need? Six, seven months? A year?"
Baekhyun glared at him as if insulted. "I think I have enough charm in me to not take that long, thank you very much."
Luhan rolled his eyes. "You're really vain."
But Baekhyun wasn't listening anymore, his eyes watching the human boy's every action. There was fierce determination on his face as he fingered the handle of the sword on his waist, mouth set in a thin, straight line. He pulled the sword out of its scabbard, and after looking around the area cautiously, sat down near a tree and took out a cloth from his satchel.
As the light of the slowly setting sun reflected on the shiny surface of the sword, an image flashed through Baekhyun's mind, quick and hazy like bright light on water.
There was a hand outstretched towards him, small, chubby and soft, and little Baekhyun wiped his tears away, looking up at the child in front of him. He was met with a round smiling face, plump cheeks, and a bright, bright smile.
'Baekhyun,' the child called, picking him up off the ground with laughter. And suddenly Baekhyun didn't remember why he was crying in the first place.
His head throbbed with the memory and his chest ached with a kind of pain that associated with old scars. Baekhyun gritted his teeth and forced himself to focus on the present. It made absolutely no sense to think about him right now - in fact, it was better not the think about him at all.
The sword flashed again, sending another forceful wave of memories to Baekhyun's mind.
Heat. Searing, blinding heat. That was all he could feel. Fire surrounded the village, towering high amongst the quickly crumbling buildings, chasing frightened monsters out of their beds. Baekhyun's mind was reeling in panic. They found them, and now he's going to die, everyone's going to die, because despite what they were they weren't immortal --
'Baekhyun, come on!'
Two boys pulled him up from his fallen position. He gasped, the smoke temporarily clouding his sight as his friends held steady to his hands and ran through the throngs of screaming monsters. The humans attacked the big ones viciously with sharp weapons, while others focused on tearing the limbs from the smaller ones.
Quickly and quietly, they hid in the bushes. But even those weren’t safe. An arm grasped at his delicate wrist harshly, caging him and pulling him out from hiding. He cried out, sending a teary, panicked glance to his two friends who looked too terrified to even move.
The human male grinned at him cruelly. His young mind couldn’t comprehend anything but the fear that held him rooted to the ground as he watched the man raise his sword. It cut through the air and he could only close his eyes, bracing himself.
But the pain never came. A body crashed into his, and when Baekhyun opened his eyes, his friend’s body and blood were all he could see.
Crimson stained his hands, seeping into his shirt and clouding his vision. His small body quaked at the horrific sight of his dear friend dying in his arms, dying for him --
Baekhyun narrowed his eyes, snapping himself out of the memory and pushing himself up from his perch on the hill. Luhan looked confused as to why Baekhyun was suddenly getting up and Baekhyun smirked.
“I think it’s time to stop talking and start putting the plan into action, don’t you?”
Luhan could only mirror his grin, sadistic glee dancing in the depths of his eyes.
Baekhyun slowly approached the Hero, studying the human as he got closer. His hands were skillful and experienced as he slowly sharpened his sword. His face was set in a concentrated expression, determined and seemingly so focused on his task that he didn’t even feel the light perspiration that had formed on his forehead. There was an air around him, however, that spoke of kindness, of a gentleness that Baekhyun had never seen before.
A small pond sat on the opposite side of the Hero, and little monsters that looked practically like frogs gathered around the human, unafraid as they watched, completely awed by the presence of such a person. Baekhyun watched as the man spared a small smile to the little monsters before going back to his task. Light filtered in slowly through the trees and made the scene almost breathtaking to Baekhyun.
He’d never thought he’d see a day where a human, much less a Hero, would smile so genuinely at a monster.
The Hero didn’t seem to notice Baekhyun right away when he finally broke through the line of trees, entering into the small clearing silently. Baekhyun wondered at how this man was supposed to be the one to kill him when he clearly couldn’t sense a thing around him.
He stood there, still, waiting for the Hero to notice him but his patience wore thin when the human remained oblivious. Maybe he was doing it on purpose? He ground his teeth together and his palms immediately started to heat up. He panicked soon after, forcing himself to calm down and put on a friendly smile. He couldn’t spoil the fun plans so soon, after all.
“They seem to rather like you,” Baekhyun finally said. He watched curiously as the Hero stopped sharpening his sword, slowly turning his head to face Baekhyun.
The Hero scrunched up his face in confusion and Baekhyun took a moment to admire his face; he’d certainly never seen such a handsome Hero before, that was for sure.
“What?” the human asked dumbly.
“The monsters,” Baekhyun gestured to the little monsters who were now quickly fleeing back to the small pond. It seems like they realized how powerful he was, even when he was hiding his full strength. “They looked as if they really liked you.”
The human shrugged, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "They're not doing any harm; they don’t deserve to be killed. And I'm not going to kill something that can't even defend itself."
Baekhyun's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He wasn't expecting that kind of answer.
"But... you're the Hero, are you not?" he asked, glancing at the silver phoenix ring glinting in the man's middle finger. "Aren't you supposed to rid this world of monsters?"
The human blinked, before his face broke into a wide smile. "I believe that we can all live together in this world," he said quietly, solemnly, like it was a promise. "Killing... isn't the right solution. No matter what we were born as, we are all living creatures, right? We just have to find that balance."
The human's answer threw him off. He'd never met a human like this before, full of compassion and understanding. For years all he's been taught was that humans and monsters were to battle it out with each other - kill off the other race before they were killed themselves. This kind of opinion was completely new to him and Baekhyun squirmed a little in discomfort.
"I'm Chanyeol, by the way," the human said, extending an arm with a wide grin and no suspicion at all. Baekhyun could've easily killed him (which, he would have, if it weren't for Luhan's little game), but here Chanyeol was, still waiting for Baekhyun to shake his hand, smiling like there was no tomorrow. It was all very unnerving.
"Baekhyun." He took the hand and shook it, wearing the same smile on his face. "It's nice to meet you, Chanyeol."
Chanyeol used to have a perfect life. He had a complete family who loved him, lots of friends, and a constant, happy smile on his face. His family came from a long line of Monster Hunters, but it stopped at Chanyeol's grandfather, who rejected the job. He was a peaceful man, and never wanted to become a Hunter in the first place. The principle was passed down to Chanyeol’s father, who Chanyeol then inherited it from.
Everything changed though, one night when he was eleven.
And now he was forced to carry the burden he never wanted (though instead of Monster Hunter it had become Hero), forced to walk the path all before him had failed to do so. However, Chanyeol wasn't afraid, no. In fact, he was using this opportunity to try create the peace his father had always dreamed of. His father believed that everyone, monsters or human, deserved another chance.
So he didn't think twice when he extended his arm towards the boy who suddenly appeared out of nowhere as he cleaned his sword. He didn't know anything about him yet, but he was eager to. The boy only came up to about Chanyeol's shoulder, but that was okay, most people did. He had a skinny build, all sharp angles and small face and dark eyes. He looked frail, but then he spoke and his voice was like rough velvet, low and a little husky.
Baekhyun, Chanyeol tried the feel of his name on his mouth, and he decided he liked it. So he said his name again and Baekhyun smiled, his smile just a little less blinding than the actual sun.
As they walk down the familiar path that lead to Chanyeol's place, Chanyeol thought that he should be wary of Baekhyun; who knew if he was really a demon in disguise? Monsters that were able to disguise themselves fully as humans were normally the ones that were more dangerous and cunning than the usual monster.
But as Chanyeol stole a glance towards him, he couldn't help but think otherwise. Baekhyun was strolling casually beside him, hands in his pockets and an easy smile in his face, looking absolutely harmless. There was a little spring in his step and his eyes were bright, coat flapping about behind him. There was no way Baekhyun could be a monster. He probably wouldn't be able to hurt a fly.
Baekhyun had told him his story as he sat on the grass near Chanyeol's feet, watching him clean his sword interestedly. He was orphaned since fifteen, his whole family slaughtered. He had been living in the streets since then, surviving from kindness of other people. Chanyeol stared at the old pair of boots Baekhyun's wearing, the holes in his coat and the air of being uncared for in the way he slouched. He couldn’t help but feel a dull pang in his chest.
"Come journey with me," he had blurted out in the middle of Baekhyun's story, and the other looked up at him with wide eyes, surprised and confused. Chanyeol, only realizing the double meaning to his sentence, promptly turned red and waved his arms frantically.
"I - I didn't mean like that!" he squeaked, mortified. "I mean, my friends and I travel around the world, helping out villages and towns. We run into trouble sometimes, but wouldn’t you consider coming-"
But Baekhyun had fallen to his side in mirthless laughter, clutching his side as tears slid down his cheeks and nodding at Chanyeol, who was confused at the laughter but happy at finding another companion.
“You sure are funny for the Hero,” Baekhyun remarked as his laughter died down. Chanyeol found it endearing when he spotted tears in the corner of Baekhyun’s eyes from laughing so hard, smiling quietly to himself. The sentence caught his attention though. Something had been bothering him earlier on.
“Ah,” Chanyeol said, grinning nervously. He tried to make it obvious that he wanted to change the topic before he sprung it on Baekhyun. “Don’t get offended, okay? But...how did you know I was the Hero in the first place?”
Baekhyun went wide-eyed for a split second, but the look was gone so quickly that Chanyeol almost thought he had imagined it. Almost. It was, honestly, slightly suspicious.
“Oh!” Baekhyun laughed, waving his hand in the air dismissively. “Everyone knows who you are. Plus, your ring and your sword are two dead giveaways.”
But what was supposed to sound reassuring to Chanyeol only made the human more suspicious. It was unnaturally observant for a person to realize that he was the Hero just by his possessions.
“Besides,” Baekhyun continued on, oblivious to Chanyeol’s inner suspicions. “I’ve heard a lot about you while I traveled by myself. Everyone that has come into contact with the Hero has said the Hero doesn’t like to kill, and that he’s, well, ridiculously tall. Which...” Here, Baekhyun gestured to their height difference as if it could speak for itself. Chanyeol grinned at Baekhyun, temporarily forgetting his suspicion when Baekhyun replied with his own brilliant smile.
“If you don’t mind my asking though...?” Baekhyun hesitated. Seeing Chanyeol’s head tilt, a silent gesture for him to go on, he continued, “Well, if you don’t kill... then are you not going to kill the Demon Lord?”
Chanyeol’s face hardened over with the mention of the Demon Lord. He didn’t mean to do it - it was all a subconscious effort on his part - but his negativity towards the Demon Lord made it hard to smile.
“No,” Chanyeol said slowly. He thought back to all the horrors he’d seen while traveling, done by the hands of Demon Lord. “No,” he said again. “I’ll definitely be killing the Demon Lord.”
He failed to see the tiny smirk on Baekhyun’s face.
Jongin bounded over when Chanyeol entered the cottage, shouting his name and locking Chanyeol in a powerful headlock despite being inches shorter than him. Then Baekhyun stepped through the door meekly and Jongin froze.
"Um," he said dumbly, momentarily forgetting Chanyeol who was struggling to free his head from Jongin's tight hold.
The boy flashed him a shy smile, and said a quiet, "Hi."
"Jongin!" Chanyeol cried desperately, flailing arms stilling in defeat. Jongin looked down as though surprised Chanyeol was still there, quickly letting go of him. Chanyeol huffed and shook his head, blinking rapidly to clear his mind.
"Jongin, this is Baekhyun," he mumbled, rubbing at his eyes with his knuckles. "Baekhyun, this is Jongin, best friend from hell."
"Hey!" Jongin protested, lunging towards Chanyeol again, but the taller man had expected it and ducked, sending Jongin headfirst to the coffee table.
"Where are the others?" Chanyeol asked as though nothing happened, shrugging off his jacket and throwing it to a nearby chair. Jongin cursed under his breath, stealing a glance towards the Baekhyun boy who was shifting his weight from one foot to the other in the doorway uncomfortably. He seemed to be eyeing Chanyeol's bow and arrow, which had been propped up against the fireplace earlier, interestedly. Jongin narrowed his eyes.
"They've gone out," he answered without taking his eyes off Baekhyun. There was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind, uneasiness settling in his bones, and he can't help the question that spilled from his lips.
"Baekhyun, was it? I don’t mean to sound rude, but why the hell are you here?" Okay, so he meant to sound rude. Tact never had been the way he played the game.
Baekhyun, who was examining a pair of swords above the mantelpiece, jumped and turned around. He opened his mouth but before he could answer, Chanyeol answered for him.
"Baekhyun, I am pleased to announce, will be the newest addition to our herd!" he said happily. Baekhyun snorted into his hand at the term used but Jongin's eyebrows shot up to his hairline, shocked.
"But Chanyeol -- !"
"Now, now, Jonginnie. No buts," he said, wiggling his pointer finger at Jongin's direction. He opened the cooling unit they had and took out the milk, gulping it down straight from the container. Jongin and Baekhyun made similar faces of disgust. "Baekhyun's just a poor, homeless boy. We can't let him starve!"
"I know," Jongin said, exasperatedly. "But shouldn't you ask the others first?"
"I can leave," Baekhyun said quickly, stuttering a little. He had a deer-in-the-headlights look that would have been cute if Jongin hadn’t been suspicious of him. As it was, Jongin couldn’t help but glare at the boy. "If you think I'll be a burden, I can --"
"No!" Chanyeol shouted, hurrying over to Baekhyun and gripping his upper arms tightly. He sent a glare at Jongin and turned back to Baekhyun with a concerned expression. "You have to stay with us, Baekhyun. I'm sure the others will like you!"
Jongin snorted and Chanyeol glared at him again.
"...Okay," Baekhyun finally said, smiling hesitantly at Chanyeol, who in turn grinned back in relief and slung an arm over Baekhyun's shoulder.
Jongin had never seen Chanyeol like this. He was being so protective of someone he just met who could easily be someone not worthy of his trust; Jongin shivered at the thought. Chanyeol often helped homeless people, giving them money or food or a blanket, but he never took them in to join their group. Exactly what Baekhyun did to convince Chanyeol to take him in, would remain a mystery to Jongin.
He sighed as he pushed himself off the counter he was leaning on, running his hand through his hair wearily as he listened to the sound of Chanyeol showing Baekhyun around. The boy seemed harmless enough. Maybe Jongin just needed some time to get to know him.
If Chanyeol trusted him, Jongin supposed it should be good enough for him as well.
"Um," Chanyeol started awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "We -- we have permanent rooming arrangements wherever we stay, you see. Kyungsoo and Yixing together, Jongin's alone, but he often sleeps with Kyungsoo and Yixing, and Wufan with me."
Baekhyun nodded, still not getting what the problem was. He was jittery with excitement - the Hero had taken him in so easily that it was almost too easy. Even his friend (Jongin, was it?) couldn't say a word against him.
The funniest thing to Baekhyun? They hadn’t even asked him if he were a monster or human.
He's young, Luhan whispered in his mind, clearly as amused as Baekhyun was. Young and naive and far too kind for his own good.
Baekhyun couldn’t help but agree.
"So... maybe you'd like to room with Jongin?" Chanyeol continued, snapping him out of his thoughts. Baekhyun turned to him in surprise. He didn't want to share a room with the other human! There's suspicion in his eyes and Baekhyun was not as readily welcomed by that human as he was by Chanyeol. Baekhyun first needed to win over Chanyeol's trust completely before he moved on to the others.
"Can't -- can't I stay with you instead?" he asked timidly, putting on his act. He jutted his lower lip slightly, looking down shyly, and Baekhyun grinned in triumph internally as he could practically see Chanyeol melt.
"Uh, of course!" Chanyeol said after he cleared his throat, looking like he wanted to coo at him and shield him from the rest of the world forever. "I'll just tell Wufan to room with Jongin from now on. Yes, I'll tell him when he gets back. He's annoying anyway, and um, yes, of course you can share a room with me."
Baekhyun very nearly cackled in delight, but managed to restrain himself and flashed Chanyeol a wide, grateful smile instead. He was very pleased to see a faint blush in the human's pale cheeks.
Too easy.