FIREFALL, OR IN EXO WONDERLAND ▷ COMPLETE

Identified Flying Object

CHAPTER 4: IDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT

The butterfly descended slowly from the tree branches and made its delicate steps on the edge of the man’s sword. He lifted the sword higher, the light from the butterfly and the reflected light from Above splicing into one.

His penetrating dark eyes scanned his marred territory. His thick brown eyebrows were driven together. His nose was as straight as his weapon, though not as sharp. His broad forehead was a fine, pale canvas, marked by lines and pastel red splashes of increasing rage. His face was a masterpiece, but danger won’t sanction such appreciation of art.

It’s a predator’s task to lure its prey and Eun-soo was distracted.

“Just stop what you are trying to do!” the man charged forward.

Kai vanished into a cloud of smoke.

Lay vanished behind the trees.

Tao held out his hand and his ring glinted. “Eun-soo ah, stay here.” He whispered to her ear. “I’ll take care of everything.”

Eun-soo’s face froze in mid-smile. Her wind-blown hair stayed stiff like bent wires of an uncanny sculpture, and so was everyone else. The man was holding his sword in a dangerous, neck-chopping angle with his mouth gaping in an unfinished threat.

The butterfly remained still, and will still remain beautiful for time had been stopped.

Perfect!

Tao carefully forced the man’s strong grip open and seized the sword from him. He tossed the sword to the bushes next to Lay. Thank God, it didn’t hit him. Tao took several steps back and returned to his original pose and position, protecting Eun-soo from this unexpected attack. Then, he brushed his ring with his thumb.

The butterfly flew away from the man. His face was drained of colour when he saw that his hands were empty. His arms were dropped limply to his side. Amidst all these confusion, Kai appeared behind him and locked his arms against his back. A little carelessness and now the attacker was defenseless. Held in a vulnerable position, there was nothing the man could do. He wriggled helplessly as Tao gave him a punch to the face.

The man flinched.

Tao reeled back and gave a lopsided grin. He struck again—THUMP!—and again—THUMP!—and again.

“STOP!”

A sudden scream rang across the forest. Kai brusquely shoved the man until he fell flat on his face. Tao stood in guard lest the man would strike again.

The butterfly hovered between them and elongated into a rectangle shape. Honestly, it resembled more like a boy’s grin than a rectangle. However, people had seen a boy without a grin, but never a grin without a boy! And how is a grin rectangular? Lay emerged from his hiding to have a closer look of what was happening. Under the grin, a pair of arms and legs began to appear, followed by a lean body. Above the grin, a pair of small, shadowed eyes and a well-defined nose began to appear, followed by a shock of scruffy hair.

Eun-soo could recognise the image formed at once. “Baekhyun? Oh, is that you?”

Baekhyun nodded. Eun-soo hid her mouth behind her hands.

“Don’t hurt him. He’s truly the man you’ve been looking for...” he spoke.

His voice was swallowed by her racing thoughts. She could finally see the one she had dreamed of in front of her—literally in front of her, breathing in the same air as she did, not in a dream. He looked even better in person; Baekhyun was no longer a vague apparition haunting her every night, but a human the clearest he could be.

There was no fear, no darkness, no haunting emptiness—only relief as he gave her a direct reassuring gaze. He was here with her. She reached out her hand to touch his face and feel that he was real, only to feel only her own fingertips. She took a sharp breath. A single tear ran down her cheek. Baekhyun brushed his fingers against her eyes to wipe her teardrop away, but her reddened cheeks went through his palm.

“I’m sorry, Eun-soo. I’m only an image made of light, and only of light shall I be.”

“I understand.” She returned his gaze, and through his translucent eyes, she could see the soaring trees, Lay’s blanched face and Tao’s amazed face.

“Waa~” Tao stared in wonder. “Your eyes do have dark rings. Do you use eyeliners?”

“Eyeliners make me see better in the dark.” Baekhyun replied.

“Is that true?” Tao asked.

“I am seeing in the dark right now.” Baekhyun’s voice fell. He cleared his throat with a grunt. “So anyhow, why did you guys beat up the Dragon Warrior?”

“WHAT?” Lay, Kai, Tao and Eun-soo formed a question choir.

“He’s the one I’ve been trying to introduce.” Baekhyun patted the defeated man on the back. “Yah, Kris! You can stand up now!”

Kris got up on his legs and brushed himself off all the dirt again. He looked pretty bad. His image as a warrior was in ruins. His left cheek was bruised and his lips were badly cut.

“So, your name is Kris?” Lay examined Kris from head to toe. “Then, why were you trying to attack us like a madman?”

“I don’t know who you all are, or what do you all want.” Kris hissed at Lay. “I’m only trying to be sure.”

“You’re only protecting yourself, aren’t you?”  Lay clamped his hand tightly over Kris’s mouth. “Then you should be!”

Eun-soo tried to stop Lay, but Tao and Kai were holding her back.