Mortal Masks

Chapter Thirty Three

Stolen away under the cloak of night, Chenle tries to calm his heart as best as he can. Shadows danced between the trees, and the evening air had an unnerving bite as it latched onto his bones, sending a sensation of doubt sinking into his stomach. 

He had tired to be brave for his friends, but as he followed Doyoung through the forest they found themselves in, climbing higher up the rolling hills that had once looked so bright and comforting, he was beginning to question his courage.

Things were about to get a lot darker, a lot more dangerous, a lot more complicated.

He kept his footsteps light, moving like shadow, not leaving any traceable trail. As they crest their latest hill, taking a moment to catch their breaths, Doyoung turns to Chenle, and silently, he signals that they're almost there.

Chenle doesn't have time to allow for fear to seep into his bones, as in the next moment Doyoung is continuing their trek, and in the haze of darkness, Chenle wishes not to fall behind.

As they move together, his cloak fluttering in the breeze, Chenle tries to listen to his surroundings, sensing the smell of company carried by the wind- but his mind keeps drifting.

He wonders about the institute, if it'll feel as cold and clinical as he's imagined it will. He wonders about the kind of people he'll meet there, if they're as kind and understanding as Shotaro and Doyoung, or if they're cruel, if they're greedy like those he grew up with. He wonders what will happen to him if they find out who he is, why he is there...

There!

Suddenly the air is electric, sizzling with raw power.

Before him, Doyoung stops, instinctively raising a hand out across Chenle's middle, as if to protect him, but then he relaxes. He allows his muscles to loosen, and a relaxed smile stretches across his face.

"Show off..." Doyoung mutters, and a deep laughter sounds from their right, "You shouldn't release your power like that, having it radiate off you in waves... Anyone could sense it, and find you"

As the laughter rumbles to a stop, from under the cover of darkness, a tall figure steps out from behind a tree, his smile reflecting the shining specs of starlight from above.

"How else was I supposed to make an entrance when you chose such an hour to meet?" He responds, his words aided with a nonchalant shrug that Chenle can just about make out in the darkness, "Plus, I'm not the one being hunted, I don't need to be as careful as some, and anyway, it's only the three of us out here"

"And a deer" Chenle murmurs, a strange scent causing his gaze to turn East. He could almost feel the deer move, breathe, the warmth of its lifeforce filling his soul, heating his body and numb fingers.

He misses the way Doyoung and the other gentlemen exchange glances.

"Where?" Doyoung whispers, and Chenle nods his head in the direction he's facing.

"Just over that ridge, she's grazing"

"He's good" The other man observes, the playful tone that was previously present in his voice gives way to something more sincere, "You've taught him well, I'm almost envious"

"You could've been that good if you just sat still and focused"

"I helped you that night didn't I?" He counters with a grin, "I focused then"

And yet that grin didn't manage to greet his eyes. Memories of that night, no matter how brave and well they fought were forever tinted with the feeling of fear and loss, and the knowledge that nothing would ever be the same for them again.