A thump on the door dragged Sehun from his dreams. The first was a dream he'd been having lately, of that baby dragon, still crying, reaching out to him. The second was about him dying by Kai's claws, which so far was the second time he'd dreamt it. It didn't bother him, because Sehun knew he wasn't in the past. He wasn't a concubine. He was a guard. He was in the barracks at the palace.  The last was rather strange and disturbing, where children were being being tortured and experimented on by hooded men like he'd seen in the tower. That was where the similarity ended with the tower incident. The scenes were nothing like what he saw in the tower. It seem to be in some sort of cave or an underground building. He had a feeling it was more than a dream, considering what had been going on with him lately. Dazed, lungs seared as if he was asphyxiating, Sehun buried his face in the utilitarian bedding and tried to gather his wit while willing his mind to calm. His roommate, a fellow guard, swore sleepily and stumbled to the door. “Do you know what time—what the !” Sehun jerked up, reaching for the knife under his pillow, then froze. Zia's massive, blue-pelted form filled the entire small barracks room. She padded past Sehun's roommate without a second glance, luminous golden eyes fixed on Sehun. Zi and Zia being in the palace were another addition to this lifetime. He'd heard consort Rue mentioned them in the past, but they hadn't been given to Kai, instead Lady Shin had kept them for herself. In other words Sehun was meeting them for the first time and he already love them. You’re awake! Good. Tell the servant our breakfast is insufficient. “Did they not feed you enough?”Sehun slid from bed and started dressing. It’s too plain, she complained. We like spices! Flavors! “Why do you need me, though? I left you with someone who spoke Hella to take care of you.” The little servant girl was too jumpy and stupid. It annoyed us. You don’t annoy us. “What the is happening?” Sehun's roommate said. “I don’t… Should I… What the ?” “Everything’s fine. We’ll be gone soon,” Sehun told him. Lacing up his boots, he switched back to Hella to talk to Zia. “Where’s Zi?” Being useful for once. He’s delaying the grumpy man. That’s probably bad news. Sehun found Zi sprawled belly-up in a patch of sunlight near the barracks entrance. His fur gleamed a new-leaf green in the light, his light mane almost blinding and his languid form took up most of the breadth of the hallway. Beyond him stood the grumpy man. None other than the chief security officer. The Chois seem to have a natural affinity for being grumpy. "You.” Minho crossed his arms. “Do you have an explanation for this?” “The woman tending them seemed too nervous,” Sehun told him, revising Zia's tone slightly. “They didn’t want to make her uncomfortable.” “How considerate,” Minho said deadpan. “Well, we can’t have hellacats breaking into the barracks every morning, and the emperor has his own orders. Pack your bags. You’re moving out.” . Nightmares still clung to his muddled thoughts. Sehun hadn't slept enough to think clearly. What would an ordinary guard say in this situation? He felt off-balance, like he was sixteen years old again during his first days of training at the order and didn't know how he ed up the latest training exercise. Would he just have to skip dinner, or was his crime more serious? “Am I being fired?” Sehun asked, and for the first since being called Into the palace, Sehun didn't want to leave. There were things he needed to uncover and he might never get a chance like the present. “Worse,” Minho said. “You’re being promoted. The emperor awaits." *** Sehun ensured the cats second breakfast had enough spice before Minho escorted him to Kai's quarters. He payed careful attention to every inch of corridor along the way. Every door and window, every elaborate curtain and statue, was just like it had been in the past. Nobody else lived on this floor of this wing, royal guards at the staircase note everyone passing. It would be a complicated for anyone to infiltrate if they weren't being led directly in. This time he was led to Kai's personal parlor not the study. This was where Kai mostly accept guess when he wasn't in the throne room. The last time Sehun had been here to tell the emperor about his pregnancy, Kai was reclined on an emerald velvet couch, his hand resting gently on the head of his Fae consort who was Kai's . The consort had glanced up at Sehun, then back down, cheeks reddening in embarrassment. “Sehun!” Kai had smiled indulgently."What a pleasant surprise." The sight hadn't shock Sehun. It had occurred with such frequency over the last months that he’d become inured to jealousy and only experienced a certain relief that someone was already performing a duty that Sehun himself had acquired an aversion to. But it meant Kai was in no mood for conversation. Thus he had left and had been arrested the next day, he died without getting the chance to tell Kai about the babe inside him. Sehun's heart ached at the thought of his lost babe, that he might never get to have now that he wasn't married to Kai. Forcing him mind out of the past, Sehun glanced around. Kai's parlor wasn't different from how it was in the past. It was awash with light. Propped-open balcony doors welcome a summer breeze that rustled through the curtains. Two small trees flanked the balcony, ensconced in cerulean glazed pots. On the far end of the room was Taemin, that was writing what seem to be a report or whatever the a royal secretary did. He lifted his head to nod at Sehun, and to smile at his husband. Averting his gaze, Sehun's breath got caught in his chest. Like a wild thing transplanted and tamed himself, Kai leaned back on a plush green couch, one ankle propped on his knee. Again he wasn't in his royal robes, but in red button up and maroon pants, his hair tied just the way Sehun loved– if he didn't know better Sehun would have thought Kai was deliberately wearing man bun to impress him, but that would be ridiculous. The emperor didn't know a damn thing about Sehun's likes. He cradled a mug in one hand and with the other a scruffy dog curled at his side. A pile of papers sat on the low table in front of him, untouched as Kai stared toward the open balcony. It was a soft, unguarded moment, and Sehun was more embarrassed to intrude now than he felt last night, when Kai was flushed with aphrodisiac. Nerves strung too tight, Sehun wasn't sure what he was braced for—but every moment it didn't arrive, his tension mount, especially with the way his beast was trying to come forth like it always did in Kai's presence. Last night had been hard enough to reign in the beast from wanting to get Kai off. Damn you not now. No, want, ours. For sake, he's not ours, he belongs to seven people, and more five to be chosen in a few weeks. So I beg you stop this obsession. No, want King, ours. His beast grumbled. Human bad human vowed. Sehun had to put a lot of willpower not to roll his eyes. Yeah, I did, but now isn't the time so please behave. He was leading his beast on to keep him calm, because there was no way in Varal Kai was ever going to belong to them. Not in the way his beast wanted. Kai met his eyes, and a kingly smile slid across his face. “Perfect timing. How are the cats?” his dark brows lifted, smile in place. Sehun's stomach fluttered, and he felt almost sick with himself. All Kai had to do was flash those white teeth, and Sehun's heart raced and any sense of reason or survival that he possessed evaporated into a giddy desire to please.   Sehun forgot to bow until Minho nudged him. Perhaps his tension was simply the certainty that he allowed himself to be distracted by Kai's smile. “The cats are picky eaters, apparently,” Minho said. “They’re taking their second breakfast in the small courtyard.” “Great.” Kai sipped from his mug, then pointed to the papers on the table. “Don’t look at me like that Minho. I swear, I’m nearly done with these. Taemin tell your man what I've been doing." Taemin laughed softly shaking his head. "Working on the papers and of course getting lost in his thoughts." "Traitor" Kai grumbled. “If you say so, Your majesty. I don't care how you handle your empire, just please don't keep me waiting on these. National Security is important, I need the funds so read and approve while I am being smiley" Minho shared a stern glare between both Kai and Sehun but didn't say anything else before he took his leave. "I will be back in a minute, majesty." Taemin said, on his way to the exit. "Don't go smooching your husband during working hours." Kai called after his friend. "Noted." Taemin simply said, and he was gone too. Then it was only Sehun, Kai, and the scruffy dog in the room. In the past Kai didn't have a pet dog, but then again a lot of things in this lifetime were different. There was something Sehun wanted to understand, a theory of what he'd been experiencing lately. And his mind was going wild as he gazed at Kai. “Shouldn’t you have guards with you, Your majesty?” Sehun asked, to break the silence as well distract his beast. Kai set down his mug. “You’re here, aren’t you?” “I’m the prince's guard, and you don’t really know me.” not in this lifetime. With a final scratch behind the dog’s ears, Kai stood up. “Come to the balcony. I want to show you something.” Sehun followed warily. Backlit by the sun, Kai was hard to look at—but the surprise came from behind instead. Coarse rope whipped around Sehun's left arm. Twisting on reflex, he managed to avoid a second rope aiming for his right arm. But the rope around his left arm tightened unavoidably, yanking him back against the wall. His hair scraped against the wallpaper, and his knee lifted, bringing his boot knife in range of his free hand—until he got a good look at the material retreating through the air in front of him. Not rope, but a branch from the potted tree next to him. Another branch immobilized his arm against the wall. Forcing himself to relax, Sehun return his boot to the floor, knife not drawn yet. Kai stalked toward him. This close, his broad shoulders block out the sun. "Have we never met before?" The question caught Sehun off guard. Sehun shook his head. "No, why do you ask." "Lately i keep having a sense of deja Vu, when am I am around you. Like I've known you somewhere but I can't remember." He paused, mumbling"and the dreams aren't helping." However Sehun still heard him. He wanted to ask what Kai meant but decided it was best if he didn't. Maybe Kai was having flashes of his past? Would he remember the past somehow? If he did would that be good or bad? It was unlikely for Kai to remember, no one seem to have an idea their lives had been reset. A little assured by that, Sehun allowed his mind back to the present. Shaking head as though to get a hold of himself, Kai smiled. “You’re right, Sehun, I do not know you. Not really” Eyes dark, he touched Sehun's shoulder, tugging under the taut branch. “But you don’t really know me either.” You have no idea how ing much I know you. Sehun's lungs filled with the coffee on Kai's breath. The perfumed soap on his skin. Kai's fingertips were their only point of contact, but the branch around Sehun's arm felt warm, like it was an extension of Kai too. Earth magic. Twenty-five years ago, Heechul– after losing his wife at the hands of a blood magic– had used this magic to uproot a dynasty of blood mages that had taken a part of Varal as their own. Rumors said the blood king’s bones remain caged under the forest of Lexn. Princess Taeyeon had used this same magic to suppress invaders from an unknown source, six years ago. Earning a name for herself as the nature princess. Prince Taehyung had used earth magic to trap every suitor on their way to ask for his hand in marriage and promised to marry anyone that broke though his magic. Only one man was able to break through said magic. Yoongi, and that was because he was Taehyung's fated mate, making it easy to breakthrough because Taehyung's magic recognized Yoongi. In other words, all those of royal blood, had earth elemental magic. Most the only element they had while some had more to go with. Junmyeon was the only royal with water element.  Kai's Earth magic supposed to be the weakest of his other elements, considering his body had to adjust for other magical powers, but apparently even a small amount of that magic shouldn’t be taken lightly. Sehun was embarrassed to have needed the reminder, distracted by the emperor's love of animals and reckless indulgence. Kai waved a hand, and immediately four shadow guards materialized from a certain corner of the room, each holding a distinctive weapon, Jungkook being at the center. With another wave of his hands they vanished back to the shadows. "Are you worried about my well being Sehun?" "As a citizen, I should be" Sehun said. Kai raised an eyebrow, "As you can see i am well guarded, and I have magic to protect myself if the need arise. And that's just the tip of the iceberg, meaning one of the elements I have." If he didn't know better, Sehun would have thought the emperor was showing off, from the look of superiority on his face. “Point taken, Your majesty.”The vine-like branch gently released his arm. Kai's hand found Sehun's hair, running through the golden streak and Sehun had to repress a shudder, while his beast purred contentedly"You truly have a nice hair." Eyes finding Sehun's Kai went on.“I’m promoting you to head of Hyunjin's security and since you're the only one the Hellacats seem to like, I will like you to be in charge of them. Hence new place has been prepared for you and the cats. It's not very far from Hyunjin's quarters. And your belongings are being moved." New place? Was it the place Sehun thought? But the only place not inhabited in that area had been Sehun's personal quarters in the past. Was Kai really giving Sehun his own apartments? But why? "When you're not in the order or– speaking of which, are you not supposed to be there? Your duty as Hyunjin's guard started in the afternoon." The hand his hair paused, a finger wrapping around a stand. Kai raised an eyebrow, waiting and Sehun had to jerk a little to remember he was supposed to respond. "I've been given the day off," Sehun said, his tone too low for his own liking. Just before he went to bed, he had received a message from Junmyeon through their link. Well that wasn't important right now. Minho had been right, he was being promoted. But why was he given the position as Hyunjin's head of security when there were tons of deserving candidates for it? Sehun gazed into Kai's eyes trying to catch a hint of why the emperor would do that? He didn't know Sehun, had only met him a few days ago. Shouldn't Kai hand the position to someone he trusted? What was Kai's motives? Why was he handing Sehun so much power? As the head of Hyunjin's security, Sehun had access to most places Hyunjin was allowed to be in the palace. "I really like your hair." Kai's hand finally left his hair and Sehun's beast moaned the lost of contact. His smile widening, Kai brushed invisible dirt from Sehun's shoulder. If Kai noticed the way Sehun tensed, his smile didn't falter. “Coffee?” Shaking his head, Sehun wondered not for the first time if Kai's bright smile was fake, if any of this was even real. Kai returned to the table and poured another mug for himself. “Your main responsibility will be keeping Hyunjin safe, along with the guards under you as well as keeping the hellacats happy and out of trouble. I’ll occasionally want them at dinner and during court, having them will scare the ministers to shut their mouths. And you’ll need to report on their wellbeing once a week, but other than that, you’ll all be left to your own devices. Ah, I've sent a message to your parents, your hellacats will be here within the week." Sehun's eyes widened. Kai had meant it when he said he would allow him to have his cats with him. Honestly Sehun had thought the emperor had just said it not really intending to keep his words. Or probably it would take a while before he let Lyla and Lui into the palace. To say Sehun was happy the cats would be with him was an understatement. Lyla and her brother would have company other than humans. It would be good for them all. Sehun could already picture the friendship that would bloom between the four. And maybe, they would find mate in each other. "Thank you majesty." Sehun smiled, bowing and for the first time he was genuine. A soft look crossed over the emperor's face that was almost affectionate and it had Sehun's heart racing. "You're welcome." Setting the cup down, Kai opened a box that Sehun just noticed and pulled out a revolver. "As the head of Hyunjin's security, you've earned this. I know you know how to fire one as a paladin in training." Sehun moved away from the wall. He was having more trouble than usual repressing his nerves. He accepted the gun with slightly trembling hands. Dragon breath. A gun special crafted with Kai's dragon blood and magic that could kill anything in Varal. Did Kai have any idea what that meant? The emperor shouldn't simply gift anyone such weapons. Dragon breath was exceptionally powerful, which meant weapons that used it were specially made. Few were found worthy enough to receive such gifts. It didn't need frequent bullets, like a usual gun. As long as the emperor's heart beat, then the gun would function, with endless ammunition. Though it might not be able to kill the emperor, but it could do him serious damage and could kill other royal blood. It was the main reason, it wasn't given to just anyone. I