Chapter 2: The Awakening of Light

..."In the darkness, even the faintest spark is a promise of the dawn." – Baekhyun...

Baekhyun had always been a dreamer.

Even now, as he sat in his small apartment, staring at the empty space before him, his mind wandered. A faint buzzing in the back of his head refused to go away, like a flickering light bulb on the verge of going out. But it wasn't just the buzzing—there was a weight, a presence, like a forgotten piece of himself tugging at the edges of his consciousness.

His phone vibrated on the table. Without thinking, Baekhyun reached for it. A text from a friend he hadn't spoken to in months.

“Are you okay? You’ve been acting strange lately. Call me when you get this.”

Baekhyun smiled faintly. It was the sort of text that would have been funny to him before—the kind of thing he might have brushed off with a snarky reply. But now, the words seemed to echo, distant, like an old song he used to love.

He dropped the phone and leaned back, eyes closed. The buzzing in his head grew louder, pressing against the sides of his skull like it wanted to break free.

It started in the middle of the night.

Baekhyun had always been able to ignore his dreams—just another facet of his overactive imagination. But this time, it was different. This dream wasn’t a figment of his creativity or a random collection of thoughts. It felt… too real.

He stood on a rooftop, the city stretched out below him. A strong wind blew, pulling his hair behind him, but there was something else. Something deep inside him that resonated with the wind, as if they were connected, as if his very soul danced with it.

And then, the light.

It wasn’t like any light he had ever seen. Not the warm golden hues of a sunset or the cold fluorescent lights of a street lamp. No, this was pure—a brilliant, blinding light that seemed to exist beyond time itself. It surrounded him, filled him, and for a brief moment, Baekhyun felt… whole.

But that feeling didn’t last long. The light flickered, dimmed, and vanished.

Baekhyun awoke with a start, gasping for air. His room was dark. Silent. Normal.

Except, his hands… his hands were glowing.

Now, here he was, sitting in front of the same empty space, the buzzing still vibrating in his mind, when it happened again.

The light.

It flashed across his eyes, just like in the dream. Baekhyun stood, his legs shaky as the sensation of power surged through him. He clenched his fists, and the light pulsed once, twice, until he felt it. It wasn’t just light—it was energy, pure and unrestrained. He could feel it crackling in his veins, making him dizzy with its intensity.

He could hear the hum of it, like the world itself was singing.

Baekhyun stumbled to the door, his heart pounding in his chest. His mind was racing, but there was one thing he knew for sure: he couldn’t stay here. Not like this. There was something waiting for him outside. Something he needed to find. Something that felt… right.

He stepped outside, the cold night air biting at his skin. As he walked down the street, trying to make sense of his thoughts, he felt it again—a tug. A pull. The energy was leading him, guiding him.

The further he walked, the stronger the pull became, until finally, he found himself standing in front of an abandoned building. Its windows were shattered, the paint peeling from the walls, but there was something about it that felt... important.

Baekhyun hesitated for only a moment before stepping inside.

Inside, the building was dark, the only sound the echoes of his footsteps. But as he ventured deeper, a familiar presence filled the air.

“Baekhyun.”

His heart skipped a beat at the voice. It was low, steady, and full of warmth.

He turned around quickly, his breath catching in his throat.

Standing in the middle of the room, illuminated by a soft glow, was Jongin—Kai, as he once called him. But this wasn’t the same Jongin he remembered. This man had an aura about him that felt… different. Powerful. His eyes glowed faintly, and his presence was undeniable.

“Kai?” Baekhyun whispered, his voice cracking.

Jongin nodded slowly, his expression unreadable. “It’s me. Or, at least, it was. I’ve been waiting for you, Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun took a tentative step forward. “Waiting for me? What’s happening? What’s going on?”

Jongin’s eyes softened. “You’re waking up. We all are. You remember what we were—what we had—don’t you?”

Baekhyun shook his head. “No. No, I don’t. I remember us, but… everything else is like a fog.”

Jongin stepped closer, his hand reaching out. Baekhyun’s instinct was to pull back, but the moment their hands brushed, a surge of energy passed between them, sharp and electric. Baekhyun gasped, his whole body trembling with the force.

“Baekhyun,” Jongin said, his voice gentle but urgent. “We were Guardians—twelve of us, connected by the Tree of Life. We were chosen to protect the balance of the worlds. But something happened. There was betrayal. Red Force took hold of some of us, and the rest of us were scattered.”

Baekhyun tried to process the words, but it was like trying to catch smoke with his bare hands. “But… why me? Why now?”

Jongin's gaze hardened, and he stepped back, looking at Baekhyun with a mix of sadness and resolve. “Because we need you. The others need you. You have a power that no one else does.”

Baekhyun clenched his fists, feeling the light flicker within him. “What power?”

Jongin gave him a small, knowing smile. “Light. The light you saw in your dream. It’s your core. You’re the last piece of the puzzle.”

Baekhyun stood still, his mind a whirlwind of confusion, disbelief, and wonder. “What do we do now?”

Jongin stepped forward, placing a hand on Baekhyun’s shoulder. “Now, we find the others. We wake them up, and we stop Red Force from destroying everything.”

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