Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

There were four. Each doomed to bring about the apocalypse. Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death.

I knew them. The children that everyone said would bring about the end of the world. I knew them. I grew up with them. They had once been my best friends.

I watched as they were raised by the kindest people you would ever meet. They were raised with love and light and I watched how that light was snuffed out in less than minutes.

They became exactly what the humans had always feared they would, but it wasn’t their fault. The humans brought their own destruction down upon themselves.

The humans created the very thing they were trying to prevent.

They created monsters.

I knew them. I knew them before they were the monsters they became. I was going to marry one of them at one point. Now, marriage is no longer an option, not with what they’ve become.

And there had been a time long before now when I would have tried to stop them. But even if I could stop them, which I can’t, I don’t think I want to anymore.

I believe they deserve to cause this destruction. The humans took the lives of two amazing men, so they must reap what they’ve sown.

I was there for most of it. We spent most of our lives together.

But this story isn’t about me. This is about them.

And you’re probably wondering what happened. Let me tell you. It started eighteen years ago, two years after the birth of Pestilence.

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Long before humans had evolved to the state they were now, there had been the gods. Young gods ruled the world, while the Elder Gods ruled the younger gods.

However, the younger gods got out of hand. They craved the power of their Elders, and sought to steal it.

A war broke out. The Elder Gods fought back against the younger gods, and the young gods lost.

As punishment, they were banished to Earth, where they would live with mortals. They would be unable to return to the Realm of the Gods until they earned power in the true way of the gods.

Most would never learn. But one would. One would learn that power came in the form of love. Power came from kindness. Power came from the love of children.

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An angry sigh was on the tip of Chan's tongue, but there were people around, so he didn't make a sound.

"They'll kill us all."

"They're meant to bring about the end of the world."

"They have to die."

That's all anyone had been talking about for the past fifty years. The prophecy that foretold the birth of four world-ending children.

Four children who would destroy the world and everyone in it. Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death. The Harbingers of the Apocalypse.

The world wanted these children dead. But they were just children.

Chan wouldn't let them get hurt. He'd been cruel once, as all the young gods had, but that past was behind him. He knew he wasn't much, he was as close to mortal as a god could get now, after all, and he had been for thousands of years. He was immortal, but he wasn't unkillable.

Neither were these children. Someone had to save them. If Chan cared for them, he was absolutely sure he could stop them from ending the world. All they needed as a loving caregiver. A caring parent.

He would be that. He would find them and take care of them. They'd be safe with him.

If he could find them before the rest of the world did.

That's why he found himself in the one realm he avoided most of all these days. The End of the World.

The Kingdom of Enderia had been his father's home. Chan wanted nothing to do with the man who banished him, but he knew this was where he'd find the first child.

Demon Child. They whispered. Pestilence. They called him.

Pestilence was supposed to be a child with skin so pale he looked dead. He was rumored to have huge dragon wings and sharp claws. They said his eyes would be the color of blood, and his teeth would be sharp enough to tear through steel.

Chan would believe it once he saw it.

It was the cries of a child in an abandoned alleyway that drew him in. Somehow, he knew this child had to be the one he was looking for. One last mercy from the child's mother had been abandoning her child instead of killing him. No mother would want their child dead, no matter what the child was prophesied to be.

And Chan was right. In a box was a small child, no older than two years old. He wasn't as horrifying as the stories made him out to be, but the stories were half-correct. He did have dragon wings, but they were barely bigger than the child. His claws had yet to grow in but his fingers were pointed. His teeth were just barely growing in, only his canines sharpened. And his skin wasn't completely colorless, but he was paler than any human would be capable of.

"Oh... hello, baby. I figured I'd find you here. Your mother must have been kind to you, at least." Chan whispered, gently picking the baby up. He stopped crying as soon as he was cradled to Chan's chest.

"You're safe now."

Jisung... The remnants whispered.

Jisung... The old gods called him.

"Jisung..." Chan whispered.

Jisung was the first of four children. He was the first of four children destined to destroy the world.

Jisung was Chan's first son. 

Chapter Text

Once Jisung was safely secured to Chan's chest, the exiled god took flight. Jisung awoke but instead of crying, he looked around in amazement as they flew through the sky. The child giggled, reaching an arm towards the sky.

Chan smiled softly. How could anyone want to hurt something as innocent as this?

Chan felt something tug around his neck and he looked down to see Jisung tugging at his pendant and staring at it in awe. Chan reached behind his neck and unclasped the pendant, letting the little boy have it.

"Baa!" Jisung babbled as he shook the pendant. "Ah ah!" The child cheered as he admired the pendant.

Chan chuckled. "You like shiny things? Good to know."

The child started crying again after a few minutes, getting bored of the pendant. There wasn't really anything Chan could do, so he just let Jisung cry, no matter how much it tugged at his heart.

As they flew, it started to rain. Chan landed to camp for the night, sitting just within the tree line of a forest for protection and easy escape if need be.

Chan was so distracted that he didn't notice Jisung had calmed down until he turned around and found the child staring at the pouring rain in awe. The baby started giggling and clapping his hands together.

Could the baby have a rain-based gift?

Gifts were what people called magic. Chan had been a god, so at one point, he had many gifts, but the only one that remained after he was banished was the manipulation of the four elements, fire, water, earth, and air.

Children didn't receive their actual gifts until they were almost five years old, but children as young as infancy could show signs of their gift.

Chan had never seen a baby so excited about rain, so maybe Jisung had some sort of gift to do with rain. Maybe summoning or creating it.

As Chan watched Jisung giggle and play in the rain, he wondered how anyone could ever want to kill this child. Jisung was just a baby, and yet the whole world wished him dead.

Chan gently picked Jisung up, setting the child in his lap. The baby giggled and bounced, happily clapping as rain fell on his head. Chan gently wrapped his wings around the child, leaving a gap so he could see the rain but wouldn't get too much more wet.

Chan's wings were curious. When the elder gods had created him, they'd modeled his wings after the original ender dragon, but something had gone wrong in creating him. Which yes, I know, the elder gods don't usually make mistakes. This time they did. Instead of having black, scaled wings, he was given mossy, blue-feathered wings. He looked closer to an avian elytrian than a dragon elytrian. When his father banished him, he allowed his child to keep his wings out of pity.

"We should probably get you some better clothes, huh?" Chan said as he watched Jisung shiver in the cold. He brought his wings tighter around Jisung and his hands sparked with harmless but warm fire, warming the child up.

Jisung giggled as he ran his tiny hands through the fire. Chan knew this would come to bite him in the ass later, as he'd need to teach Jisung that only his fire was safe to touch, but he could worry about that later.

Jisung's wings started to flutter sleepily as his eyes closed. Chan let out a sigh of relief once the baby was asleep. However, he would not be sleeping. He was too wound up, listening to the sounds around them, watching out for sounds of either man or curse. They were both his enemies from now on.

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When the sun began to rise and the rain stopped, Chan lifted as carefully as he could into the sky. Jisung thankfully slept soundly as Chan flew towards the nearest village. When he got there, what he found was a group of people with fire and swords. They didn't seem to be aimed at him, yet, but he knew what they were for.

"Hello, traveler! Heard any news about the monster children?" One of them asked. Chan felt fear, but he knew they couldn't see Jisung under his cloak.

Chan shook his head, trying to appear calm. "Is that what they're being called these days?"

The villager nodded. "They're going to destroy the world, so we're just calling them what they are. They're monsters."

Once Chan was away from the crowd, he let out a shaky breath of relief.

Monster children. How could anyone feel that way about a baby? Did no one feel empathy for these children?

Chan quickly found a seamstress and went inside, making sure to keep Jisung as hidden as he could.

"Welcome! How can I help you?" The lady at the front counter said.

Chan asked, "Do you make children's clothes? Specifically toddlers?"

The lady nodded, smiling. "Yes, we do! Anything particular style you're looking for?"

Chan frowned. "Anything warm, preferably. It gets very cold in the winters where we're going."

"Oh, would you like to get some for summer as well? Summer isn't that far away, you know."

Chan thought about it for a moment. "I guess I should."

"Alright, I will need some measurements of the little one." The lady said, pulling out a roll of tape measure.

Chan knew this was going to happen, so he secretly used his power to lock the door and disable any alarm system that she could use. He then opened his cloak to reveal the sleeping baby in his arms.

Predictably, the woman let out a terrified gasp seeing Jisung's colorless skin, small wings, and horns. She went to press her panic button, only to find it wasn't working.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. All I want is some clothes and we'll be out of your hair." Chan said with a sigh.

The woman let out a terrified squeak. "You... you have..."

Chan rolled his eyes. "Look at him, do you honestly think he'd be able to hurt you? He doesn't even have his gift yet. He's just a child."

The woman looked closer at Jisung. "He... he's supposed to..."

"Yes, he's supposed to destroy the world, but look at him. He's just a child."

The lady watched Jisung with scared eyes, watching as the boy giggled in his sleep and chewed on his fingers. She took a deep breath. "Alright, I'll get you clothes for him, but you do know I will have to call the hunters once you leave, correct?"

Chan nodded. "I'll be long gone before they even realize I was here."

Chan set Jisung down on the counter and the seamstress reluctantly measured the baby. She went into the back and came out with a pile of clothing. She helped Chan put Jisung into some warmer clothes. He whined loudly when they put shoes on him, but he stopped complaining when Chan handed him a shiny coin. The baby promptly put the coin in his mouth, but he wasn't crying so Chan let him.

Chan bundled Jisung up in his arms, walking to the door.

"Wait!" The woman said.

Chan turned around and the seamstress walked up, handing him a gray striped blanket. "Take this. There isn't another village for miles, and it gets cold at night. Just something to keep him warm."

Chan smiled softly. "Thank you. That's very kind of you."

The seamstress just shook her head. "Just... make sure you keep his feet covered."

Chan nodded and went out the door, making sure that his cloak covered Jisung. He spread his wings and took to the sky, smiling when he heard Jisung's giggling laughter.

They weren't in the clear yet. Not until they found the other three children.

One hadn't even been born yet. 

Chapter Text

Chan knew that the seamstress had actually called the hunters when he heard the thundering of hooves behind him.

There was only a second for him to get higher in the air before an arrow whizzed past his head.

Chan jerked upwards to avoid another arrow, which startled Jisung and caused the child to start crying.

All he could do was dodge and make sure that no arrows hit Jisung. Or his wings. If their arrows hit his wings, he'd plummet to the ground before he had time to heal them. It would be much harder to protect Jisung if he was immobilized.

He took a quick glance back to see a large group of armed men on horses. He had to lose them. Every second that he was still visible, Jisung was at risk.

He swerved to the right, heading towards the forest. It would be much easier to lose them in the cover of the trees.

Chan could hear them shouting, and Jisung was terrified, sobbing loudly. First and foremost, Chan had to calm Jisung down. He started humming a soft song, and eventually, Jisung calmed enough to stop crying. He fell asleep shortly after he calmed down.

Chan sent a wave of fire towards the hunters, causing them to stop in their tracks to avoid the wall of heat. They wouldn't stop following him, but it would at least allow him to get farther away from them. Then he could land in the forest and figure out his plan.

Once Chan was sure the hunters wouldn't be able to find him and Jisung, he landed and immediately collapsed.

"You'll never be able to do this on your own, my son."

Chan startled, looking up at the sky even as he knew the voice came from the Earth.

"Hello, Mother. I didn't know you still watched me."

"I watch all my children, my son."

"Why do you speak to me now? Why not then? Why not after HE abandoned us?"

"I was scared, my child."

"Huh. Scared."

"You cannot do this alone, Chan."

"Yes, I can. I can and I will."

"Please, my son. Your sisters are looking for you."

"Let them look. I will not let them compromise my children."

"Your children... Your sisters would never dare hurt them. You know that."

"No, what I know is that if they know about the children, then they are in as much danger as my kids are."

"You refer to them as your children when you only have one of them?"

"Yes, mother. They are my children. I cannot let them be hurt by a world that wishes them dead."

"Alright, my son. I will trust you. But I will not stop your sisters. If they find you, it will be through their own will alone."

"Thank you, mother."

Chan looked down at Jisung, the boy staring back at him with a quiet intelligence that most babies wouldn't possess, but Jisung wasn't a normal baby.

He had to take Jisung somewhere safe. Finding the twins could wait one more day. He just had to find a home for them. One that could fit him and his ever-changing children.

He had the perfect place.

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It... it could definitely use some work. Chan thought as he stared at the house in front of him. It was barely held together by rotting foundations and cracked wood, but it was a house.

It had belonged to his mother before she married his father and became a god. It was the only help he'd accept from her.

"Hey, buddy. Good morning." Chan said softly when Jisung started fussing.

This is gonna need a lot of work.

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"Come on, baby. Please sleep." Chan pleaded, rocking Jisung back and forth in his arms.

The baby just cried louder. Chan sighed, exhausted.

He'd spent the last ten hours replacing the foundations of the house, and for most of it, Jisung was quiet.

Then, out of nowhere, he started fussing, and when Chan tried to calm him down, he just cried harder.

"Hey, buddy. It's okay. You're okay. There's nothing to cry about. I just fed you." Chan rambled.

The bags under Chan's eyes had never been bigger. Parenting was exhausting and he'd only been one for two days.

Gods, please, will you just help me?

As if the gods had heard him, the sound of rain pitter-pattering on the roof broke him out of his thoughts. A second later, he realized that the child in his arms had quieted. This had to have been his mother's doing, and he thanked her in his head, not knowing if she heard it.

The boy in his arms was staring sleepily out the open window as the rain poured down. He had a sleepy smile on his face and his eyes shined as he looked at the rain outside.

Rain. They'd granted him rain.

Thank you, mother.

He heard the vague voice of his mother responding in his head, telling him not to worry.

And now Jisung was falling asleep. All he needed was rain and the boy would quiet.

Chan let out a frustrated sigh. There was no way he could get it to rain every time the boy fussed like this. He couldn't ask that of his mother. Why couldn't he be better with children? The only time he'd ever been around a child this young had been when his sisters were young, but he was still a child then. He'd never had to take care of them.

This was going to be a disaster.

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It didn't get easier as Jisung grew. The baby was extremely volatile, throwing temper tantrums at the smallest inconveniences. And when he learned to speak, it was much easier for him to make his discomfort known.

His first word had been "no!" and that had been when Chan was trying to feed the boy and shortly after that, Chan had received a face full of carrots.

"Come on, baby. You need to eat." Chan pleaded, holding the spoon of rabbit soup up to the child.

"No!" Jisung cried, crossing his arms petulantly with a pout on his face. "No! Wan' cookie!"

It had been a year since Chan found Jisung, and the boy was now three years old.

"It's not time for sweets, Jiji." Chan sighed, running a hand down his face.

"Wan' cookie!" Jisung cried once more.

"Please, baby? I need you to cooperate with me."

"Co- copo- copopofate? Whas dat mean, daddy?" Jisung asked curiously.

Chan sighed softly. "Cooperate, honey. And it means you be nice to daddy and daddy will be nice to you, baby."

Jisung's face fell and his eyes filled with tears and Chan panicked slightly, not wanting the boy to cry. "No! Didn' mean to! Didn' mean to be mean to Daddy!" Jisung cried, fat tears falling down the boy's cheeks.

Chan chuckled silently. "Hey, it's okay, honey. You weren't mean, Daddy just wants you to eat your food. How else will you become big and strong?"

Jisung's eyes widened. "Big and strong like Daddy?" He asked, hope in his bright green eyes.

Chan smiled softly. "Yes, baby. Big and strong like me."

Jisung beamed and opened his mouth, letting Chan feed him the soup, and he didn't even spit it out. When the food was finished, Chan relented and handed Jisung the cookie he wanted.

Parenting was exhausting, and to think he'd have four of these little rascals at some point.

If he could just find them. The twins had been born a year before, if the gossip in the village was anything to go by.

They were getting older every day and if Chan didn't find them soon, he worried he'd never find them at all.

You should sleep, my son.

Mom, I can't. Not yet.

Nothing will happen to Jisung.

You can't know that, Mama.

I know a lot, baby. I know you can't take care of him if you're exhausted like this.

"Daddy! Daddy! Look! Rain! Rain!" Jisung cried, clapping his hands together

I will protect him. And he won't even notice you're gone. The rain will entertain him.

Do you think he could have a gift related to storms?

I already know what affinity he will have. It is one that I must give him. But I cannot tell you, my son.

Of course you can't. Dad?

Your father has forbidden me from telling you anything.

It's alright, Mama. You don't want to incur Dad's wrath.

Good luck my son.

A gift given by his own mother, huh?

Gifts given to god-created creatures, such as Ender Dragons like Jisung, could only be given by certain gods. Children were claimed subconsciously by gods the moment the fates pulled their thread, hundreds of years before they'd actually be born, and when they were born, the gods bestowed gifts on their acclaimed. Those children tended to worship the gods they received their techniques from while others worshiped other gods. They could worship any god they wished, though the former was more likely.

Chan knew his kids were most likely to receive multiple affinities, yet he only knew one god who had claimed Jisung, and that was his mother. He'd heard long before they were born that many different gods were clamoring to claim the four world-enders.

Chan never even thought about claiming them. He could have claimed them long before his father banished him, and he still would have been able to give them their gifts. That was one thing that his father couldn't take away from them.

Any child that Chan had claimed before he was banished was still his claim, and he would still be the only one to bestow them with power. And his kids would most likely have worshiped him as their god, but he didn't need their worship.

Chan sighed as he looked down at the toddler. "You'll be okay without me, right Sungie?"

The child didn't even respond, mesmerized by the rain outside. A flash of lightning and a clap of thunder had the baby giggling uncontrollably.

Chan sent a quiet, thankful prayer up to his mother and smiled when he felt a vague sense of fondness wave through him. Even now his mother could share her emotions with him, albeit very weak.

Chan settled down on his couch, making sure that Jisung was within his view. He knew he probably wouldn't get much sleep, but it was still worth a try. He could trust his mother.

Thank you, Mother. 

Chapter Text

Jisung's fourth birthday came and went with little fanfare. The next summer, though, he showed his first gift.

"Come on, baby, show me what you just did." Chan pleaded with the toddler, who shook his head.

"No!" The boy shouted, just wanting to be petulant.

Chan sighed, running a hand down his face. "Come on, baby. Just cooperate with me."

Jisung's eyes widened and filled with tears. It seemed that cooperate was a trigger word for the little boy. He'd do whatever Chan asked if the man asked him to cooperate. Chan didn't even remember teaching that word to the boy.

Jisung gave a determined look and turned to the sky, which had previously been raining and then completely stopped in a split second. The boy squeezed his eyes shut and Chan could see his mouth moving, and in another split second, it started snowing.

Chan's eyes widened. Snow meant that Jisung's gift wasn't just a rain affinity. It meant he could control all types of weather.

Atmokinesis? Really, mother?

It was in his blood when I claimed him. His mother had a weaker version of it that only controlled the weather surrounding her. It is not the power that will cause the apocalypse, but it is his.

Chan mentally rolled his eyes.

"That's wonderful, Sungie!" Chan praised, picking the boy up and spinning him around. Jisung's giggles were music to his ears, and Chan laughed along with the boy. "Do you think you can make it sunny, baby?" Chan questioned.

Jisung squeezed his eyes shut once more, but nothing happened. He opened his eyes and pouted. "It won' work. I wanned to make it wain befo' but I made shnow."

Chan nodded his head in understanding. "That's alright, baby. It'll just be snowing in the summer, I guess. The humans will be so confused."

Jisung giggled. "I wike shnow!"

"I know you do, baby." Chan chuckled, picking the boy up and bringing him inside before he could get too cold. The toddler whined, but Chan assured him that they could go play in the snow after dinner.

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"Yeah, that's it. Just like that, kiddo."

Chan held his arms out towards Jisung, who looked nervous. The boy was currently in one of the lower branches of a tree, but still high enough that he could jump out. Chan was currently teaching the boy how to fly. Most children didn't learn how to fly until they were five, but since Jisung had received his gift early, Chan decided to teach him to fly earlier. Besides, most children didn't have big enough wings to fly until they were five, but Jisung had had big enough wings since he was two years old.

Chan smiled and continued to keep his arms held out no matter how tired he was. He was always going to be there to catch Jisung.

Jisung looked scared and Chan thought he might give up, but then Jisung jumped, spreading his wings out. He didn’t quite fly, as he wasn’t strong enough yet, but he did glide really well. He rode the wind right into Chan’s arms, and the god cheered when he caught his son.

“That’s great, Sungie! You did so great!” Chan said. Jisung blushed, looking embarrassed at his dad’s loud cheering.

“Why don’t we go inside and have a snack?” Chan asked, smiling when Jisung lit up.

“Snack! Snack!” Jisung shouted happily, wiggling in Chan’s arms as the man carried him into the house. Despite being a very shy child, Chan knew that food was the one way to get the boy excited.

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Two more years went by. Jisung passed his fifth and sixth birthday without fanfare. Every day, however, Chan got more and more worried. He never stopped searching for War and Famine, but he still had yet to find them. The two of them would be five years old soon. Chan could only hope that they were safe.

Jisung giggled as they flew through the sky. His wings flared out behind him as if he were flying himself, but Chan was holding him by his waist. He was holding Jisung as loosely as he could without dropping him, letting Jisung feel for just a second like he was flying on his own.

They had just made a trip to a nearby village to get supplies. Chan wasn’t too happy about bringing Jisung anywhere where humans could see him, but he couldn’t leave a six year old boy at home, so Jisung had to come with. The child was certainly not complaining. Jisung was luckily still small enough to hide in Chan’s cloak, so no one saw him. They were flying home.

Jisung let out a happy cheer as they flew through the clouds. Just as they reached the trees that marked the start of the forest path to their home, he felt a huge wave of energy coming from somewhere below him.

He flew closer to the ground to check it out, only to find a village pulsing with energy. Someone was manipulating the energy around here, but it didn't feel like it was on purpose. It had to have been a child. A scared child at that. "Jisung, whatever you do, do not let go of me." Chan said, setting Jisung on the ground and having the child hold onto his belt.

The village was barren as they walked through it. As they got closer to the center of town, they could hear shouting. Chan could feel Jisung’s fear and he silently promised the child to get him out as soon as he knew what was going on. What they found at the center of the village was a crowd gathered around an altar on a raised platform. A stage.

"For years we have been plagued by the prophecy! The destroyers of our world have slipped from our grasp for far too long! Bring out the monster!" Chan’s eyes widened as a child was dragged out in chains. He had a halo of aspen in his pink hair, flowers that symbolized fear. He was screaming and thrashing. Vines were thrashing around him, but the child looked extremely pale and thin and the vines weren't very strong. War. Chan looked over the crowd and noticed a small boy frantically trying to see over the backs of the adults in front of him. His hair shimmered as if filled with the stars themselves. His eyes were the deepest shade of blue he'd ever seen. And across his nose was a line of star-shaped freckles. Famine.

Chan crouched down to his height and tapped him on the shoulder. He squeaked and turned around, looking at him with fear in his eyes. He noticed Jisung and then the wings on Chan’s back and his eyes widened. He’d obviously heard the stories about him. The angel with green wings who was rescuing the doomed children. "What's your name, kiddo?" Chan asked.

The boy responded, "I'm Felix!"

"Can you tell me what's going on here, Felix?" Chan asked softly, trying his best not to scare the poor boy.

"They- they- they came to our house and mama told us to hide and we heard them shouting at her and we heard mama scream and they found us but Wooyoung distracted them so we could get away but they caught him and they're gonna hurt him!" Felix cried, hysterical.

Oh, they were going to do more than hurt him if Chan didn't do something quickly. But what could he do? If he tried to get the boy, Wooyoung, away right now, they'd kill him before Chan could even grab him. He couldn't use the Earth as a distraction, it was responding to Wooyoung’s fear and Chan could hurt him if he tried. And how was he supposed to get away with three children?

"Hey, Sung, I want you to take Felix and get to the forest as fast as you can, alright?"

Jisung shook his head. "Not leaving you, daddy!"

"Sungie, please. Daddy will be okay, I need you to protect Felix. Can you do that for me?" Chan asked, holding his son's hand and looking him in the eyes.

Jisung looked conflicted but he nodded and said, "Yeah, Daddy! I can protect him!"

Chan nodded and Jisung turned, holding his hand out to Felix.

He looked hesitant so Jisung smiled and said, "You can trust me! I'm like you!" He moved his wings slightly from where they were tucked against his back, showing the younger boy.

Felix mirrored Jisung’s smile with his own smaller smile, taking his hand. The two children ran off towards the forest.

Chan turned back to the task at hand. They'd already chained Wooyoung to the altar, and the executioner was sharpening his blade.

Chan pulled his cloak over his wings and weaved through the crowd. He stopped at the front just before the stage, mentally calculating how many guards there were.

Chan could hardly bear to hear the little boy's crying and screaming. He had to rescue him, but how?

The executioner finished sharpening his blade and the priest went into a speech of how they were purifying the world by being rid of one of the doomed children.

The executioner raised his blade and Chan braced himself to leap up there and stop him when there was a loud bang and bright light as lightning rained down on the stage. Strangely, none of it hit Wooyoung, and Chan’s eyes widened. He turned around and saw Jisung and Felix standing just behind the well. Jisung was focused on the stage, his hands held up as he controlled the lightning.

Chan finally got his bearings and leapt onto the stage, using his fire to melt the chains off of the boy. He didn't stop crying, but he stopped screaming as Chan picked him up and took off into the sky. People were screaming and someone had noticed Chan, but he flew as fast as he could away from the village. He made sure that Wooyoung was safely hidden within the trees of the forest before he flew back into the village in search of his other two children.

"Daddy!" Jisung shouted. The two of them were running out of the village with two hunters on their tail.

Chan raised a wall of dirt in front of the hunters, taking a sick sort of delight in the sound of them slamming into it. He swooped down and grabbed his kids off the ground, flying away before anyone else could chase them.

He landed in the forest and set down Jisung and Felix, going over to Wooyoung, who had passed out.

He had bruises from the chains, which had been too heavy for a child of his size. There were burn marks on his hands as if he'd stuck his hand into a fire. Chan felt nothing but rage as he examined the child's wounds. There was a wound on his side that looked close to infection.

"Woo...?" Felix called, fear in his voice.

Chan pulled a vial out of his satchel. The liquid inside was a shimmering pink color. He very slowly poured the contents over Wooyoung’s skin, watching as his cuts stitched themselves together and his bruises disappeared. His skin also gained a little color back.

Felix watched in awe as the potion healed his twin. Once Chan was done, the little boy sat by Wooyoung and waited for him to wake up.

They waited there for almost an hour, and Felix refused to leave Wooyoung’s side.

When Wooyoung finally awoke, it was with a scream. He scrambled backward, his back hitting a tree.

"Stay away from me!" He shouted, vines shooting out of the ground towards Chan.

Chan just calmly flicked the vines away, holding his hands up as he stood up.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Chan promised. "I'm just going to collect some sticks to make a fire." He walked just beyond the treeline, making sure that he could see them but they couldn't see him.

Wooyoung shook his head. "He's lying!"

Felix shook his head. "He saved us, Woo!"

"He could have done it to kill us himself! He wants the rewards!" Wooyoung cried.

Jisung stood up, walking in front of Wooyoung. Wooyoung recognized him from the wanted posters all over their village.

"He got you too?!" Wooyoung cried, leaping to his feet. He grabbed Jisung’s hand and tried to pull him.

"Come on, we have to run away while he's distracted!"

Truthfully, Chan wasn't distracted. He listened to the whole conversation, and he had his eyes on the children the entire time.

Jisung didn't budge. "He's not going to hurt you, I promise! He's my dad!"

Wooyoung looked at Jisung with wide eyes. "He brainwashed you!"

Jisung frowned. "He did not. He found me when I was a baby and he gave me a safe home. No one can hurt us there."

Wooyoung refused to believe it. At five years old, he'd been through so much. Trusting an adult was out of the question.

Chan was mainly just angry at himself for not finding these two sooner. He didn't know everything that had happened to them, but he knew they'd been through so much and he wouldn't let them go through anything else like it again. 

Chapter Text

Chan Highlark.
Age: ??? 
Species: Dragon.
Exiled God of War.
Magic: Elementokinesis - the manipulation of the four classical elements, fire, earth, water, and air.

Seonghwa Blazeburn.
Age: ??? 
Species: Fireborn.
Exiled God of Fire.
Magic: Pyrogenesis - generation of fire

Jisung Highlark.
Age: 2-20
Species: Dragon.
Pestilence.
Magic: Biokinesis - the ability to manipulate biological processes. Atmokinesis - the ability to manipulate the weather. Umbrakinesis - the ability to manipulate shadows. Precognition - the ability to see the future through visions and dreams.

Wooyoung Highlark.
Age: 5-19.
Species: Siren.
War.
Magic: Charmspeak - the ability to make anyone do anything he wants them to by singing. Naturakinesis - the ability to manipulate nature.

Felix Highlark.
Age: 5-19.
Species: Siren.
Famine.
Magic: Charmspeak - the ability to make anyone do anything he wants them to by singing. Superstrength - strength ten times that of the average person.

Jeongin Highlark.
Age: Newborn-13.
Species: Phoenix.
Death.
Magic: Tremor - the ability to cause the Earth to shake and crack apart. Fire Regeneration - the ability to burst into flames and regenerate.

Changbin Mistcatcher.
Age: 7-19.
Species: Witch.
No official title.
Magic: Pathokinesis - the ability to manipulate emotions.

Yunho Mistcatcher.
Age: 8-20.
Species: Witch.
No official title.
Magic: Telepathy - the ability to read people's thoughts and protect your own into others' heads.

Mingi Mistcatchter.
Age: 7-19.
Species: Witch.
No official title.
Magic: Artist's Reality - the ability to make anything you draw become reality.

Minho Highlark.
Age: ??? 
Species: Fairy.
Exiled God of Health.
Magic: Healing - the ability to heal any wound with a touch.

Hyunjin Highlark.
Age: ??? 
Species: Fairy.
Exiled God of Agriculture.
Magic: Arborgenesis - the ability to generate plants.

Seungmin Highlark.
Age: ??? 
Species: Fairy.
Exiled God of Nature.
Magic: Arborgenesis - the ability to generate plants.

Hongjoong Blazeburn.
Age: ??? 
Species: Fireborn.
Exiled God of the Sun.
Magic: Pyrogenesis - the ability to generate fire.

Yeosang Blazeburn.
Age: ??? 
Species: Mermaid.
Exiled God of Oceans.
Magic: Hydrogenesis - the ability to generate water.

San Blazeburn.
Age: ??? 
Species: Fireborn.
Exiled God of Summer.
Magic: Pyrokinesis - the ability to manipulate fire.

Jongho Blazeburn.
Age: ??? 
Species: Fireborn.
Exiled God of the Hearth.
Magic: Pyrokinesis - the ability to manipulate fire.