SEVEN DEADLY SONS III

R E C A P

THE DEMONS HAVE FALLEN after a cruel battle at their homeland. Their brother, Kwon Jiyong - the strongest of them all - had been defeated by the hands of the King of Hell.

     The six remaining demons had decided to go on their separate ways. Kharon was once again stuck in Hell with the rest of the Demons’ fathers. And the Arcs had been trying their best to avoid the six sons for the sake of the devastated devils, even when it was painful for them.

     The King of Hell is now one step closer to accomplishing something that might just destroy the world. And without the Arcs and the Demons, there was no more hindrance to his success…

     Or so he thought.

     The angels and the demons have one last chance to reclaim themselves. More challenges will face them, but one final decision can finish it all.

     Watch as the sons finally end the chaos that the world will soon face. Because even the King of Hell won’t be able to stop them.

D E M O N S

BIRTH DATE: June 06, 1996

EDUCATION: 1ST YEAR students at Holy Angels University

GUARDIAN: KHARON the Third (The Ferryman)

COMMON DEMON ABILITY: Producing fire & Teleportation

• JANG HYUNSEUNG “JS”

SIN: Prince of LUST

FATHER: ASMODEUS Ruler of Realm Lust

GUARDIAN: Sphynx cat LUXURIA (Female)

POWERS: Audible Inundation: The power to overwhelm someone’s mind with lustful voices.

                     Kiss of Death: (Full Demon Power) The ability to burn someone’s soul by one kiss.

• LEE MINHYUK -

SIN: Prince of GLUTTON

FATHER: BEELZEBUB Ruler of Realm Gluttony

GUARDIAN: Hamster GULA (Male)

POWERS: Life Draining: The ability to drain and absorb one’s energy and power.

                     Soul Absorption: (Full Demon Power) The ability to take and absorb one’s soul.

KIM JUN-MYEON “SUHO”

SIN: Prince of GREED

FATHER: MAMMON Ruler of Realm Greed

GUARDIAN: Toad AVARITIA (Male)

POWERS: Knowledge Absorption: The ability to absorb all forms of knowledge.

                      Physic Reflection: (Full Demon Power) The power to take and force back all forms of memory and emotions in order to overflow the mind until the brain is unusable.

• LEE TAEIL -

SIN: Prince of SLOTH

FATHER: BELPHEGOR Ruler of Realm Sloth

GUARDIAN: Snail ACEDIA (Male)

POWERS: Catrophamancy: The ability to see distant people or places through mirrors.

                      Luring: (Full Demon Power) The power to force someone, or a group of people/creatures, to obey one’s bidding.

• KIM SUNGGYU (The Leader)

SIN: Prince of WRATH

FATHER: SATAN Ruler of Realm Wrath

GUARDIAN: Doberman Pinscher IRA (Male)

POWERS: Fear Amplification: The power to force someone to see their greatest fears.

                     Memory Manipulation: (Full Demon Power) The ability to alter or take one’s memory, and use it to bring them into never-ending darkness.

• JACKSON WANG -

SIN: Prince of ENVY

FATHER: LEVIATHAN Ruler of Realm Envy

GUARDIAN: Scarlet Kingsnake INVIDIA (Female)

POWERS: Illusion Casting: The ability to create illusions or invisible objects, places, or people/creatures.

                     Glamouring: (Full Demon Power) The power to change one’s appearance to any person or creature.

• KWON JIYONG [DECEASED] - 

SIN: Prince of PRIDE

FATHER: LUCIFER Ruler of Realm Pride

GUARDIAN: Parrot  SUPERBIA (Female)

POWERS: Empathy: The ability to copy or absorb one’s power.

                     Cloning: (Full Demon Power) The power to duplicate tens or hundreds of oneself while retaining the same strength, and ability. But the more they duplicate, the more the concentration will lessen.

W E A P O N S

  ![](https://img.wattpad.com/afbb69115f05d015e3b99d0df8ba83f768e55e4f/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f2d3735434f73676a506c4d7245773d3d2d3634323433383438322e3135356437613861323336303563653438313738303032323633352e6a7067)               

A R C S

BIRTH DATE: July 07, 1997

EDUCATION: 1ST YEAR students at Holy Angels University

GUARDIAN: PARK DONGMIN (St. Peter, the gatekeeper)

COMMON ANGEL ABILITY: Producing Lightning

• YONG JUNHYUNG -

ROLE: LEADER of the Arcs

VIRTUE: Holder of CHASTITY

FATHER: MICHAEL Leader of the Archangels

• YOOK SUNGJAE -

ROLE: FACE of the Arcs

VIRTUE: Holder of TEMPERANCE

FATHER: PHANUEL Ruler of Ophanim

• ZHANG YIXING -

ROLE: HEALER of the Arcs

VIRTUE: Holder of CHARITY

FATHER: RAPHAEL Healer of the Archangels

• PYO JIHOON -

ROLE: ADVISER of the Arcs

VIRTUE: Holder of DILIGENCE

FATHER: URIEL Instructor of the Archangels

• NAM WOOHYUN -

ROLE: MESSENGER of the Arcs

VIRTUE: Holder of PATIENCE

FATHER: GABRIEL Messenger of God

• MARK TUAN YI-EN -

ROLE: PEACEMAKER of the Arcs

VIRTUE: Holder of KINDNESS

FATHER: RAGUEL Archangel of Justice, Harmony & Vengeance

• CHOI SEUNGHYUN -

ROLE: REDEEMER of the Arcs

VIRTUE: Holder of HUMILITY

FATHER: SAMUEL Archangel of Death

---

SDS3 01: ARMAMENTS ENDOWMENT

“JIYONG! RUN! FUCKING run now!”      

“KWON JIYONG!”

“Jiyong…Jiyong don’t fucking close your eyes, you hear me! Don’t close your eyes!”

“How could you do this to me?! You couldn’t even save me after everything I’ve done for all of you! How could you let me die like this?! HOW COULD YOU?! Why didn’t you help me?! Why didn’t you help me Hyunseung?!”

“I’m sorry!”

     Hyunseung shot his eyes open, sweating and panting like crazy. He sat up and looked around the room, making sure that he wasn’t hallucinating just now. He had another dream, the same as the dreams he’s been having for the past seven months.

    “Hyunseung?” Mrs. Jang called out as she knocked on Hyunseung’s room. When Hyunseung didn’t answer her, his mother slowly opened the door, only to see Hyunseung blankly staring out his window.

     “Hey dear.” She greeted as she slowly walked towards her son. Hyunseung doesn’t budge as his mother gently placed her hand on his shoulder.

     “How are you feeling?” she asked, but Hyunseung still doesn’t answer. The action made Mrs. Jang’s heart ache.

     Hyunseung has been like this for the past seven months. After Jiyong’s death, he has been unapproachable and silent. At times he would start crying and shouting and would constantly have nightmares.

     He stopped going to school so his mother was forced to homeschool him. After everything, this was Hyunseung’s greatest downfall.

     “Hyunseung, look at me.” Mrs. Jang told him as she forced her son to look at her. She was surprised to see that there were blood trails on Hyunseung’s cheeks.

     “Oh, son…” Mrs. Jang sadly said as she wiped the tears with her hand.

    “It’s been seven months Hyunseung, and I know it’s painful, but when are you going to move on? Jiyong…he’d feel really sad if he finds out you’re acting like this. You’re suffering because of something you didn’t…”

     “His death will always be our fault.” Hyunseung finally answered. 

     Now it’s Mrs. Jang’s turn to cry. She looked straight to her son’s eyes and held his cheek, “But it’s not…and you clearly know that. You just don’t know whom to blame for his death that’s why you’re forcing it on yourself. You think it’s for Jiyong’s sake but it’s not.”

     And she was right. Hyunseung didn’t know who to blame. Was it the King of Hell who planned everything? Was it the Arcs who didn’t even warn them? Or was it themselves? The Demons didn’t know anything, and they walked right through the King of Hell’s trap.

     “When will you learn to understand that whatever you do, it will never make up for his death? All you could do right now is to be strong for Jiyong’s sake, but you’re not even doing it.” Mrs. Jang stated, making Hyunseung put his head down.

    “Did you really think I didn’t know that?” Hyunseung suddenly asked back.

     His mother sighed and patted his back. She wiped her own tears away and said, “Alright. I don’t want us to end up fighting again. After all…it’s your birthday. I called your professor today; he won’t be coming to your classes. And if you want I can bring the food here so I could-”

     “No, I’m…I’m going somewhere today,” Hyunseung answered as he looked back at his mother.

     Mrs. Jang smiled, like she knew where Hyunseung was heading,  “Okay, then I’ll see you later.”

AT LEE MINHYUK’S RESIDENCE

     Minhyuk, who was doing pushups on the floor, got distracted when he heard loud knocks coming from his bedroom door. He wanted to ignore it, but the knocking won’t stop, so Minhyuk finally stood up, wore his shirt, and opened the door, only to find his mother holding a cake for him.

     “Happy birthday darling!” she shouted happily.

     Minhyuk forces a smile and says, “Thank you, mom.”

     Minhyuk’s mother frowned after seeing her son’s reaction, “You’re not happy. I knew it…I shouldn’t have done this. I was insensitive and I was-” Minhyuk quickly stops his mother and says, “No! I’m really thankful for this. Thank you, mom. I seriously appreciate it.”

     Mrs. Lee finally smiled and showed Minhyuk the cake again, “Then let’s eat this downstairs.”

     “Oh mom, let’s eat it later. I actually need to do something right now.” Minhyuk says as he looks at his mother.

     “Now that you mention it, why are you wearing formal clothes? Aren’t you going to go to school today?” his mother asks, and Minhyuk shakes his head and answers, “No, I’m visiting someone.”

     Mrs. Lee paused for a second. Then she gave out a smile and nodded her head in understanding, “Oh, of course. You go on ahead, I’ll contact your professors for you.”

     “Thanks, mom.”

     Not like Hyunseung, Minhyuk’s been trying to busy himself after everything that happened with him and his brothers. He’s been attending classes at HAU; not like his brothers who haven’t been to the university for seven months now. He’s even exercising more just to sweat out the negativity.

     It’s been hard for Minhyuk, but he was smart enough to just move on and forget about everything like how his brothers intended to do. Nothing was going to happen if he stayed in the past. He was only going to hurt himself if he did.

     Of course, the first few months were terrible for him, but eventually, he overcomes it all for the sake of Jiyong as well.

     “Then I’ll see you later mom,” Minhyuk says as he goes out of their house right after he got ready.

     “ I should buy flowers first. “ Minhyuk thought to himself as he went to a flower shop just close by. When Minhyuk arrived at the shop, he bought the whitest rose that there was. He goes to the counter to pay for it, but then…

    “I’m sorry sir but the last bouquet of white roses were bought by that man.” The girl ( who was blushing intensely ), suddenly answered to the man in front of her.

     “Oh it’s okay, I’ll have a red one instead.” The man answered back.

     The moment Minhyuk heard the voice, he quickly turned his head to confirm if he was right. When sees the owner of the voice, he unknowingly lets go of the bouquet he was holding. 

     The man who was supposed to buy white roses as well looked back at Minhyuk with shock. But instead of saying anything, he kneeled and picked up the bouquet Minhyuk just dropped, “Here, don’t want that getting ruined right?” he said with a soft voice.

     Minhyuk slowly took the bouquet from the man’s hand and tried to say, “H-Hyunseung…”

     Hyunseung gave him a small smile, “How have you been…Minhyuk?”

     Minhyuk was about to say something, but he felt like tears were about to fall. He didn’t want to cry actual blood in front of everyone inside the shop. “Y-You should…pay for that first.” Minhyuk pointed out, and Hyunseung nodded and did what he was told.

     After that, the two went outside and walked beside each other, but they didn’t say a word for a couple of minutes.

     “How are you?” the two suddenly asked in unison.

     “S-Sorry…you answer first,” Minhyuk said nervously. He hasn’t seen his best friend for the past seven months and he wasn’t sure what to say to him.

     “I’ve been…trying. But you…you look good. You’ve been working out again?” Hyunseung asked, trying to dodge Minhyuk’s question.

     “Yeah, I have.”

     Silence.

    “S-so, boys…they haven’t been bugging you or anything right?” Minhyuk asked again.

     Hyunseung shakes his head and answers, “No, don’t worry, they haven’t. Well, that’s because I haven’t been going out. I’ve been homeschooling.”

     “I guess that’s good,” Minhyuk says before pausing. Then he suddenly remembered something, “Oh, happy birthday by the way. I almost forgot that we have the same birthday.” Minhyuk awkwardly said. Hyunseung scratched the back of his head and said back, “Y-yeah, thank you. Happy birthday to you too.”

     “Thanks.”

     Then the atmosphere becomes awkward again.

     When Minhyuk couldn’t take the tension anymore, he looked at Hyunseung and whispered, “ Fuck this. “

     Finally, Minhyuk clenched his fist with his free hand and stopped walking, making Hyunseung stop walking as well. Hyunseung turned to look at Minhyuk, but he was shocked to see that Minhyuk was now crying blood.

      “Minhyuk?” Hyunseung asked with a worried voice.

     “I missed you, you fucking idiot. Every…single…day…you guys were the only once in my mind.” Minhyuk finally says with his head low so Hyunseung couldn’t see his crying face anymore.

     Hyunseung doesn’t say anything. Instead, he quickly grabs Minhyuk and gave him the tightest embrace.

     “The same goes to me you fucking idiot,” Hyunseung stated.

     Everyone was looking at the two guys weirdly but Minhyuk and Hyunseung didn’t bother. They haven’t seen each other for seven months, and finally, they’re right in front of each other.

     “I missed you so much Minhyuk. Every day I wondered what would happen if I just had the guts to run to you, but I just couldn’t. I was so scared to face you Minhyuk…I was so scared.” Hyunseung cried, still hugging Minhyuk tightly.

     Minhyuk, who was hugging his best friend back, said, “You don’t have to be scared anymore Hyunseung. I’m here. Your Minhyuk is here and I will do everything I can to make sure you won’t feel scared again.”

     Minhyuk looked at Hyunseung and wiped his blood tears using the cuffs of his sleeves, making it stained with blood. But Minhyuk didn’t mind. He kissed Hyunseung’s forehead and told him, “Shit…I really fucking missed you.”

     Hyunseung finally smiled and wiped Minhyuk’s face as well, “Well I fucking missed you to you glutton.”

     The two parted from the hug and smiled at each other.

     “I should have done this a few months ago. I wouldn’t have been stuck in my room for seven months.” Hyunseung joked, making Minhyuk laugh. Then the two continued walking.

    “You know…I’ve been dreaming about him.” Hyunseung suddenly opened up. He thought Minhyuk would be freaked about it, but then Minhyuk took a deep breath and looked at his brother, “Me too actually,” Minhyuk answered, surprising Hyunseung on his sudden reveal.

     “R-Really? How?” Hyunseung quickly asks.

     Minhyuk doesn’t say anything for a couple of seconds before answering him, “When Jiyong appears on my dreams, he would usually ask me to give it to him. I don’t know what he means but he keeps on telling me to “give it to me,” but he doesn’t even tell me what it is.“

     “At least you get asked to give something to him. Jiyong keeps on asking me why I didn’t help him. Like he was waiting for me to reach out to him but I just couldn’t.” Hyunseung stated.

     “Well, that’s tough. But isn’t it just our inner fears?” Minhyuk asked as he looks at his best friend.

     “Maybe. So, how are our brothers?” Hyunseung asked. He hasn’t seen everyone for seven months so he thought that Minhyuk might have been seeing them since he still goes to school. But Minhyuk scratched his head and said, “I don’t know actually. Taeil, Suho, and Jackson are still enrolled at HAU but they don’t go to any of the classes. I sometimes see them, but they make sure we don’t cross paths. We’re avoiding each other and I understand that, but I just wished things could go back to the way it was.”

     “It will be hard you know, especially when not everyone is trying. But I’m glad to hear that everyone’s okay. But Sunggyu…have you heard about him?” Hyunseung asked next.

     “My mom occasionally goes to the other moms just to talk. She talked to Sunggyu’s mom before and found out that Sunggyu’s been studying abroad, and she doesn’t know when Sunggyu would come back. But I heard he doesn’t want to come back though.” Minhyuk answered, making Hyunseung sad upon hearing the news.

     When Minhyuk saw Hyunseung’s reaction, he quickly puts his arm around Hyunseung’s shoulder and says, “Hey, don’t worry about it. Sunggyu might just need a little time. And besides, he’s our leader, he’ll be back no matter what happens.”

     Hyunseung finally smiled and nodded his head, “I guess you’re right.”

     The two got inside a cab and eventually arrived at their destination, which was Jiyong’s grave. It was their birthday, which means it’s Kwon Jiyong’s birthday too. They wouldn’t mind spending their birthday at a graveyard if it means spending it with their prideful brother.

     “We’re here,” Minhyuk said as they walked closer to their brother’s grave.

     “Yeah, this was the place where I last saw everyone,” Hyunseung added. They were about to get closer to the grave when someone suddenly called them out, making the two demons stop.

     “How’s it been, brothers?”

• END -

SDS3 02: REFLECTED TEARS

“DOES IT HURT Suho?” Jiyong’s voice echoed inside of Suho’s made, making Suho’s entire body tremble.

     “ Jiyong…why are you doing this to me? J-Just, please…leave me alone! “

     “ If it hurts that much then cry for me. Cry until you’re satisfied. “

     “Boss!” Steve suddenly called out, snapping Suho back to his senses. Suho blinked rapidly, massaged his temple, and looked at his friend, “S-sorry. I just remembered the dream I had last night.”

     Steve heavily sighs and says, “This is why I miss Kai and boss Tamo. They treat me better than you. You don’t even care about me do you?!”

     “Then fucking go back to Tokyo and work for the Ravens for the rest of your life!” Suho angrily shouted at Steve, making Steve laugh instead of being scared.

     “There’s the boss that I miss!” he suddenly says, making Suho sigh and massage his temple again.

     “What do you want anyway?!” Suho shouted again as they continued to walk the streets of Gangnam with his right-hand-man.

     Suho, like Minhyuk, was busying himself after everything that happened to his brothers. He went back to his old ways, and that was being a con-artist. His mother didn’t like the idea, but she didn’t stop her son at all. She knew Suho needed to do something to occupy his mind because if he doesn’t, he might just go insane, especially when Suho’s been crying every night.

     “Like what I was trying to tell you earlier, the guys are planning a birthday party for you tonight and they were asking if you would-”

     “No”, Suho quickly says, making Steve frown.

     “What?! Come on! You ditched us last year on your birthday, now you want to ditch us again? And besides, we’re paying anyway.” Steve insisted, but Suho still declined.

     “I told you yesterday that I’m heading to the cemetery right?” Suho reminded him.

     “Oh yeah, to visit your childhood friend that you never mentioned to me before. I’m starting to think you’re just using that childhood friend of yours as an excuse. Is he even real? That Kwon Jiyong guy you keep on telling me about?” Steve asked, making Suho feel down, “His death was so real that I could see it happen every night.”

     When Steve heard that, he quickly felt bad for saying something stupid, “H-hey…I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

     “It’s okay.” Suho quickly says as he patted Steve’s shoulder.

     Steve sighed and said, “Fine, we can celebrate next time. You should go to that friend of yours. After all, you suited up and even bought flowers for him.”

     Steve then looks at Suho who was wearing a formal suit while holding a bouquet like he was finally going to ask a girl he’s been in love with for years on a cheesy date. Suho laughed and said back, “Thanks man, I’ll see you later.”

     “Yeah! Happy birthday again bro!”  Then Suho goes to his car that was parked on the side of the street and drives off.

AT LEE TAEIL’S RESIDENCE

     “I love you…”

     “I love you too…but…I can’t do this, I can’t date you anymore.”

     “What? What do you mean? Is it because I’m a guy too? You can’t handle holding hands with a guy? Is that it?”

     “No! You know that’s not true Nathan.”

     “Then what is it, John? Tell me why you can’t date me anymore…”

     “Taeil!?” Taeil’s mother suddenly called out, making Taeil quickly turn off the television. She goes inside Taeil’s bedroom and looks at him suspiciously, “What were you doing?”

     “N-Nothing”, Taeil nervously answered as he stuffed his mouth with the chips that he was holding. Taeil’s mother sighed and massaged his temple in frustration, “Are you going to spend your birthday like this Taeil? You’re just going to lay in bed watching…Romantic gay movies?”

     Taeil quickly blushed and stood up from his bed, “So you knew!?”

     Taeil’s mom sighs again and says, “Of course I know. I know everything about you Taeil…and I know you cry at night, not because of those movies.”

     Taeil quickly looked away from his mother’s eyes and said, “That’s because it’s better to do this than remember.”

     “What happened this time?” she quickly asks, like she knew something was up.

     Taeil hesitated but answered anyway, “Jiyong…I saw him again. H-He was right behind me when I was checking myself in the mirror.”

     Taeil’s mother walks towards him and hugs her son tightly, “Oh Taeil…I know Jiyong’s death is hard to erase but you need to-”

     “I’m not imagining it!” Taeil quickly says as he pushes his mother away. The action only made Taeil’s mother sadder.

     “Okay, I believe you, but how about you greet Jiyong a happy birthday instead? Wouldn’t that make you feel better?” Taeil’s mother suggested, but Taeil quickly brushes the suggestion away, “No, I can’t. I haven’t seen my brothers for seven months now. I’m not going to Jiyong’s grave. I’m a hundred percent sure they’ll be going there too. A sudden reunion wouldn’t do me any good.”

     “But Taeil…”

     “I said no.”

     Taeil has been like this for the past months now, but not like Hyunseung, he went back to his old self like Suho, and that was being the lazy bum that he was.

     He stopped going to school, but he attends them when his mother forces him to. But to not waste his mother’s hard work for paying for his enrollment, Taeil attends school when there are exams. He also passes homework, making him still a top student at HAU, which also makes it harder for the school to expel him even though he doesn’t go to school at all.

     “But wouldn’t seeing your brothers be better? You don’t have to stay too long and chat with them. If you want you could just stop by and leave afterward.” Taeil’s mother insisted.

     Taeil throws himself back on the bed and says again, “I can’t mom, and you can’t make me go. Seeing Jiyong every day is enough. I might lose it if I see my brothers. I don’t want to see them.”

     Taeil was about to take the chips, but his mother quickly snatches it away and angrily says, “Okay, I had enough of this. You Lee Taeil, will go to your brother’s grave and pay your respect, and I don’t care if you breakdown in front of Jiyong’s grave or if you get to see your brothers again, but I can’t continue on living knowing my son is tormenting himself inside this small room while watching rom-com movies, do you understand me?!”

     Taeil’s eyes widened as he gulped and answered, “F-Fine…whatever you say.”

     Then, his mother’s scary aura changed as she smiles and says, “That’s my boy. Now go get ready and wear some decent clothes. Jiyong’s a fashionista you know, he’ll hate it if you go to him while wearing pajamas.”  Then she went out of the room, leaving Taeil dumbfounded.

     Taeil sighs and finally did what his mother instructed him to do. He took a bath and wore formal clothes. Then he quickly went out of the house. It wasn’t like Taeil didn’t want to see his brothers. He just didn’t have the courage to face them. Even though it was a mutual decision, Taeil felt like he abandoned them after they parted, and he was scared to face them after that.

     He wanted to call them even once, and maybe ask if they’ve been doing okay, but Taeil never had the guts to do it, and he regretted it.

     “Taxi…” Taeil lazily shouted as a taxicab drove pass him. He sighed when it didn’t stop, and just eventually gave up. He then takes out a cigarette from his pocket. Then he hides his hand and lit it up with the fire that came out from his fingers.

     He looked at the sky and said, “Sorry Jiho ( His ex-lover )…Jihoon ( His ‘not-so-sure’ lover )…and Jackson ( His best friend ).”

     He quickly inhales and exhales the smoke. Then he chuckled upon realizing that everyone he’s close to starts with the letter J.  But his mood quickly dropped when he remembered that Jiyong also started with the letter J.

      “ Shit “, he whispers as he inhales the smoke again, but the moment he exhales the smoke, expensive-looking car parks right in front of him. The owner of the car quickly goes out and walks towards Taeil. Then he snatches the cigarette from Taeil and puts it inside his own mouth.

     “W-What are you doing?!” Taeil asked with complete confusion and shock.

     Suho started coughing the moment he places the cigarette inside his mouth. He quickly exhales the smoke and throws the cigarette away.

     “S-Sorry…I don’t smoke.” Suho casually says while still coughing.

     Taeil just looked at his brother and said, “S-Suho?”

     Suho looks at Taeil and smiles, then he pats his brother’s head and says, “Jackson wouldn’t like it if he sees you smoking you know.”

     Taeil didn’t say anything, but as expected, he started crying like the time he watched a movie where the main character died. When Suho saw that, he quickly grabbed Taeil and hugged him tightly.

     “It’s been so long, my dear brother. How are you?” Suho asks while patting Taeil’s back.

     “Y-You…a-asshole…were you just…t-trying to look cool?” Taeil asks while still crying.

      Suho laughs and answers, “Maybe.”

     “You never changed.” Taeil simply says. The two broke from the hug as Suho stated, “I’m trying not to…so maybe this time I’d be able to protect all of you.”

     Taeil doesn’t say anything but cried even harder, so Suho took out the handkerchief from his pocket and gave it to his brother, “Hey, no more crying. And by the looks of it, you’re heading to Jiyong’s grave. Save your tears for now and pour it all out when we get there.”

      Taeil doesn’t say anything as he takes the handkerchief from Suho’s hand and wipes his tears.

     “Come on, let’s go. Jiyong’s waiting.” Suho stated as he opened the door of his car for Taeil. Taeil nods his head and goes inside, and then the two drove off to Jiyong’s grave.

     “So, how have you been Taeil? You gained weight. Been staying at home I presume.” Suho says with a smirk, not even removing his eyes on the road.

     Taeil rolled his eyes and said, “Yes, I’m proud to say I’m fulfilling my duty as the prince of Sloth. How about you? Stealing from the poor again?”

     “Hey, stealing from the poor is cruel! I steal from the rich of course, makes the dough come faster that way.” Suho says proudly, making Taeil laugh.

     “Of course you are.”

     “So, have you heard from the others?” Suho asked, but Taeil just shrugged his shoulder and answered, “Nope, haven’t heard from them for seven months now.”

     “Looks like we’re the same then.”

     The two didn’t talk afterward. It wasn’t because it was awkward, it was just because they couldn’t look at each other straight in the eye without even breaking down. It just goes to show that the six still hasn’t moved on from what happened in the past.

     “We’re here,” Suho says as he parks on the side.

     Taeil goes out first, then Suho followed.

     “Flowers? How lovely,” Taeil jokingly says as he sees Suho holding a bouquet.

     “Oh please. At least I brought something, not like you who didn’t even bother bringing anything.” Suho said back, making Taeil hit him.

     “Hey! I brought myself! I think Jiyong would be delighted.” Taeil says with a playful grin.

     The two walked their way towards Jiyong’s grave, but while they were walking, they could already hear laughter from afar. They looked at each other with their eyes wide open. Then, without wasting any second, they ran towards the delightful sound.

• END -

SDS3 03: LUMINATING REDEMPTION

“I WILL A-ALWAYS…LOVE you…m-my brothers”

     “We have arrived at Incheon airport. Thank you for flying with us, and we hope to see you again.”

     “ Yeah, I’m back in South Korea. I don’t know when I’ll head back man but I’ll try to come back during the summer seasons. Don’t worry, I gave our Dean the files they needed. Yeah. What? Well, tell him to fuck off and look for another assistant. Yeah, just call me later. “ Sunggyu said in straight English before hanging up. The girl beside him looked at him impressively, but Sunggyu glared at her, making the girl flinch and move away.

     Sunggyu put his phone back inside his pocket and got out of the airplane. He took his luggage and heads out right after. Then, he saw their family driver holding a sign that said, “ Kim Sunggyu. “

     Sunggyu sighed and walked towards him, “Where’s my mother?” he immediately asked before giving him his luggage.

     The driver quickly took the bag and answered, “She’s working right now sir Sunggyu but she promised to be with you at dinner.”

     “It’s my fucking birthday and she’s not even here to welcome her son who has been gone for seven fucking months?” Sunggyu angrily asked, but the driver doesn’t say anything.

     “Where’s my coat?” Sunggyu asked as the two walked towards the car. The driver opened the door for Sunggyu and answered, “It’s right at the back sir.”

     Sunggyu goes inside and the two drove off.

     “Do you know where we’re going?” Sunggyu asked while his eyes were at the screen of his phone.

     The driver nodded his head and answered, “Yes, your mother told me about it earlier.”

     Sunggyu doesn’t say anything anymore and continued scanning his phone. But suddenly, the car makes a sudden stop, causing Sunggyu to let go of his phone.

     “What the fuck?!” he shouted angrily.

    The driver quickly looked at Sunggyu and said, “I apologize sir Sunggyu but a motorcycle suddenly made a cut in front of us.”

     The moment the driver explained himself; Sunggyu goes out of the car to see the motorcycle lying on the ground while the driver was lifting it up.

     “Hey, you asshole! You almost hit my fucking car!” Sunggyu shouted as he went towards the man with dark brown hair. The man doesn’t react, so Sunggyu angrily pulls him towards him using his collar, “You fucking look at me when I talk to you.”

     The man did what he was told. He looked at Sunggyu straight in the eyes, but then he smirks, making Sunggyu lift his hand to punch him. But before Sunggyu’s fist could make contact with the man’s face, Sunggyu’s driver runs out of the car and quickly goes to where Sunggyu was to grab his hand to stop him.

     “I apologize sir Sunggyu but it will not be wise to start a fight here.” The driver says nervously, making Sunggyu glare at him.

     People were already surrounding them, so Sunggyu finally lets go of the man. Then he looked at his driver and threatened, “Fine, let’s leave now. If not I might put out all my anger on you and punch you instead.”

     Sunggyu quickly heads back inside the car. The driver bowed in front of the motorcycle driver and goes back inside the car as well, quickly driving away so Sunggyu wouldn’t be mad at him.

     Sunggyu was known to be a mean guy, but ever since he met his brothers, everything changed. But now? After everything that happened to them, Sunggyu’s been meaner than ever. When Sunggyu moved to America, he was quiet and wouldn’t even eat properly for a couple of months. But his depression quickly escalated to anger. He became someone who everyone feared and he liked it.

     His anger was the only thing that made him normal again, and it helped him forget about everything that happened in the past.

AT JACKSON WANG’S RESIDENCE

“Good morning mom,” Jackson said as he went to the kitchen to see his mother cooking breakfast while wearing a sky blue dress like she’s about to attend prom. Jackson smiled at the sight of her. Her mother’s extraness was only one of the people who kept him sane until now.

     “Wow, you’re quite early today.” Mrs. Wang said while cooking bacon.

     Jackson goes to her and takes the packed meal placed on the counter, “It’s not like you don’t know I was going to wake up this early.”

     His mother smiled widely and said, “Oh come on, let me act surprised for once.”

     Jackson placed the meal inside his backpack and looked back at his mother, “But seriously mom, thank you for the meal you prepared for me and Jiyong.”

     His mother smiles again and goes to him, and then she kisses Jackson’s forehead and says, “You are always welcome. You should go now, you don’t want Jiyong to wait for you right?”

     Jackson nods his head and leaves, but before he could close the front door, his mother shouts, “Happy birthday Jackson!”

     Jackson doesn’t reply but gives out a small smile before closing the door.

     After the Demons parted, Jackson locked himself inside his room and stayed there for weeks. But one day, while he was sleeping, he suddenly had a dream. In that dream, he saw Jiyong sitting in front of his own grave. Jackson slowly walked towards him and held Jiyong’s shoulder. The moment he held Jiyong’s cold shoulder, Jiyong looked at him and said, “ Come to me. Every Sabbath day, you come to me. “

     Jackson felt like it was really Jiyong. He was a man who mastered Illusion casting, so he was sure that the dream he had was nothing but real.

     So Jackson did what Jiyong told him. Every Sunday, Jackson would go to Jiyong’s grave. He would go there early in the morning and clean it. Then he’d sit there all day, reading Jiyong a book he would buy from the bookstore. Jackson bought different pocket books every week just so he could have something to read to Jiyong.

     Then at night he’d lie down and look at the stars. He’d sleep beside Jiyong’s grave until morning, well if he could sleep. He usually couldn’t. He’d just be awake until 4 AM, but he still didn’t mind. It would sound creepy but Jackson was okay with it. If Jiyong wanted him to stay there every day, Jackson wouldn’t even hesitate.

     Jackson did that for seven months. Hoping that someday he’d realize why he had that dream in the first place. Why did Jiyong want him there? What was his purpose?

     “Morning prince of pride. I know you’re shocked since I only come here during Sunday’s but you know…today is an exception.” Jackson stated as he finally arrived at Jiyong’s grave.

     He took a cloth from his bag and cleaned Jiyong’s headstone. After that, he placed a mat on the grass and sat down.

     “Happy birthday man. I bought something for you by the way.” Jackson said as he took out a watch that Jiyong’s father was talking about when Jiyong died.

     He placed the watch that was placed inside an expensive-looking box in front of Jiyong’s grave and said, “That’s a fucking expensive watch and I had to work part-time at three different places just so I could afford that thing.”

     The wind blew hard on the exact moment, making Jackson smile.

     “ You’re welcome. “ he softly replied. But as soon as he did, a blood tear streamed down from his eye.

     “ Why the fuck am I crying? “ Jackson asked himself as he continued to look at Jiyong’s grave.

     “I bought a new book. It’s an erotic one this time so you wouldn’t be bored.” Jackson said as he quickly wiped his own tears. He took the book from his bag and opened it to the first page, but before reading, he looked at Jiyong’s grave and asked, “Why did you bring me here Jiyong? What do you want me to do here? Am I supposed to say something? Am I supposed to do something? If I do then you need to fucking tell me.”

     No one answered.

    Well, obviously no one would answer. But the silence made Jackson frustrated.

     “Come to me…every Sabbath day you come to me. That’s what you said, but what does it mean?”

     “Maybe he wants you to take him to church or something.” Someone suddenly answered, making Jackson widen his eyes from shock. He quickly turned around and was surprised to see who was standing behind him.

     “S-Sunggyu?!”

     “Hey big guy. You look like a fool talking to a dead person you know.” Sunggyu jokingly said, but when he sees the trails of blood on Jackson’s cheeks, Sunggyu quickly looked away.

     Jackso stood up and looked at his brother, in disbelief “I-Is that really you? I heard you were…you were studying in America now.”

     Sunggyu scratched the back of his head and answered, “Well yeah, I was. But I decided to come back here since my mom kept on calling me every night just to make sure I’m okay and it’s quite annoying so I’ll be enrolling at HAU again next week.”

     Jackson doesn’t say anything and just continued to look at Sunggyu with shock.

     “You know this is the right time for you to say something,” Sunggyu said as he finally looked back at his brother. But instead of saying anything, Jackson aggressively pulled Sunggyu’s collar towards him and said, “I thought you fucking ditched us for good you asshole.”

     Sunggyu’s gaze finally softened as he said back, “How can I leave my brothers behind? You guys are everything that I have left remember?”

     Finally, Jackson let’s go of Sunggyu’s collar and hugs their leader tightly.

     Seven months…

     He hasn’t seen any of his brothers in seven months.

     And now, on his birthday, on THEIR birthday, they get to see each other again.

     “So about that Erotica book you were talking about.” Sunggyu jokingly says, making Jackson laugh, “You haven’t changed at all…leader.”

• END -

SDS3 04: BROTHERS

“HOW ARE YOU?” SUNGGYU  asked as he and Jackson were sitting at the mat just right in front of Jiyong’s grave. Jackson took a deep breath and stared at the Jiyong’s grave, “I’ve been…okay…if not being able to sleep well perfectly described okay then yeah, I’m doing okay.”

     Sunggyu, who was also looking at Jiyong’s grave, stated, “I couldn’t sleep well either. Jiyong keeps on waking me up.”

     The moment Jackson heard about it, he quickly looked at Sunggyu and asked, “You dream about him too?”

     Sunggyu shook his head and corrected him, “No, I don’t dream about him, I literally see him, especially during the night. His image just suddenly appears in front of me so I couldn’t sleep at times. Why? You dream about him?”

     “I did actually, but I only dreamt about him once. He showed up in one of my dreams and told me to come here every Sunday, so I did, and for the past seven months I’ve come and stayed with Jiyong from Sunday to Monday morning.” Jackson answered, making Sunggyu chuckle and say, “This guy…he’s dead and he’s still very demanding.”

     “I don’t mind though. He can demand me anything and I wouldn’t mind at all. I couldn’t do anything for him when he was still alive. At least I could do something for him now even though he’s dead.” Jackson suddenly says, making Sunggyu give out a sincere smile.

     “I’ve known Jiyong ever since we were kids. But you…you’ve only met him about a year ago but you’ve done more things to him in just a few months. I know you and Jiyong were close, in a sense that you have a greater connection since you two are the sixth and seventh sons. So thank you, Jackson, for taking care of our brother to such an extent,” Sunggyu stated, making Jackson put his arm around Sunggyu’s shoulder, “Well, who else would take care of this asshole?”

     The two laughed and didn’t say anything afterward. They were quiet for a few minutes when their eyes suddenly widened from shock. Sunggyu and Jackson looked at each other and asked in unison, “Did you sense that?”

     The two quickly stood up and turned around to check what it was. Jackson even got ready to summon his weapon if bad things went down, but the two were wrong. Sunggyu and Jackson’s serious expression quickly changed into delight when they saw two men in a suit walking towards them.

     The two approaching men stopped right in front of Jackson and Sunggyu with their eyes wide open from shock as well.

     “How’s it been, brothers?” Sunggyu asked with a smile.

     Hyunseung and Minhyuk stood there, dumbfounded. They never imagined they’d see Jackson again, especially Sunggyu.

     “We’re happy to see you too.” Jackson sarcastically said since the two wouldn’t even move.

     Finally, Minhyuk and Hyunseung ran towards their two brothers and hugged them tightly.

     “Sunggyu you asshole!” Hyunseung shouted as he continued to hug their dear leader.

     “Why is everyone calling me an asshole right now?!” Sunggyu jokingly asked, but he holds onto Hyunseung’s head and hugged him tightly as well. Jackson doesn’t like physical contact but he too was hugging his brother Minhyuk tightly. The four finally broke from the hug and looked at each other.

     “It’s been so long, you look good Minhyuk.” Sunggyu stated, and then he looked at Hyunseung and added, “But for Hyunseung…you look…terrible.”

     Hyunseung glared at their leader and told him, “We’ve only met leader. Don’t make me throw you back to America.”

    Sunggyu doesn’t say anything but laughs it off instead.

     “I can’t believe it. After seven months, we’ve finally gathered together again,” Minhyuk said happily. He couldn’t hide his excitement. He hasn’t seen his brothers for so long and he thinks that his heart’s going to explode because of it.

     “Why don’t you guys greet Jiyong first?” Sunggyu suggested, and the two quickly nodded in agreement. The four sons walked towards Jiyong’s grave. Minhyuk and Hyunseung bowed in front of the grave to show their respect, then they placed the flowers that they bought for him on top of his grave.

     “How are you Kwon Jiyong?” Hyunseung asked, and even though he told himself he wouldn’t cry, a tear still fell from his eyes. Jackson walked towards his brother and takes out his handkerchief, then he wiped Hyunseung’s tears and said, “Hey, it’s Jiyong’s birthday. He wouldn’t like it if you cried.”

     “Said the guy who was also crying a few minutes ago,” Sunggyu suddenly revealed, making Jackson hit his head.

     “How dare you hit your leader!?” Sunggyu asked with an angry expression.

     “Yeah, our leader who ran away to America,” Jackson stated, but instead of getting angry, Sunggyu pouted like a kid.

     Hyunseung and Minhyuk laughed at the sudden action, making Jackson and Sunggyu laugh next. While the four were laughing, two other boys arrived at the scene, catching their breaths since they literally ran their way here.

     “Guys!” the boys shouted.

     The four sons quickly looked behind them and saw another pair.

     “Suho! Taeil!” Minhyuk shouted, running towards the two who looked tired since they ran their way here.

     “Minhyuk!” the two shouted back in unison as they hugged each other.

     “Well, there goes the idiotic trio. I never knew I’d see the day that they’d be together again.” Jackson stated as he, Sunggyu, and Hyunseung walked towards the rest of their brothers.

     “Aren’t you going to greet us as well?” Hyunseung asked. Suho and Taeil quickly lets go of Minhyuk and ran to the rest of their brothers to hug them as well.

     “I missed you guys so much,” Hyunseung stated as he continued to hug his brothers. Then Suho went to Sunggyu and hit his head, “You fucking asshole! America? Seriously? You just had to go to such a far place?!”

     “Seriously, I’m not an asshole! Stop calling me that!” Sunggyu shouted. He should be furious by now but he just couldn’t. These were his brothers. He could never be angry with his brothers.

     “Looks like Jiyong already has too many flowers. He could even have a garden here now because of it.” Taeil stated as he saw the bouquet of roses on top of Jiyong’s grave.

     Suho hits the bouquet he was holding on Taeil’s head and says, “At least we have something to give him.”

     “Don’t tell me Taeil doesn’t have anything to give him,” Jackson stated as he looked at his best friend.

     Taeil grinned and shrugged his shoulders, “Well, I was too lazy to buy anything.”

     Jackson didn’t say anything. Instead, he grabbed Taeil and hugged him tightly, “You never change. And we literally live so close to each other. I wouldn’t mind if you would just greet me sometimes.”

     Taeil doesn’t say anything but continued to huge his brother instead.

     “He was smoking earlier.” Suho suddenly butted in, making Taeil glare at him, and making Jackson glare at Taeil back.

    “Suho you idiot!” Taeil shouted angrily. But Jackson hits Taeil’s head instead and says, “I thought you quit smoking.”

     “I did!” Taeil defended, but it was obviously a lie and all the brothers knew it.

     “Okay, that’s enough. Why don’t you guys just go to Jiyong.” Hyunseung finally says, making the three calm down. The two walked towards Jiyong’s grave and bowed down as well.

     “Happy birthday Kwon Jiyong”, Suho and Taeil greeted in unison. Suho placed the flowers on his grave and added, “I promise I’ll give you a better present next time.”

     “Buy him an expensive one next,” Jackson stated. Then Suho saw the expensive-looking watch that had the words: From Wang Jackson

     “Are you lowkey bragging about your gift right now?” Suho stated with his right eyebrow raised.

     “I don’t know.” Jackson simply answers while pretending to check his nails. Then the rest laughed because of the two’s actions.

      “How about we all sit down?” Minhyuk suggested as he sat down first, then the rest of the Demons sat down as well.

      “I can’t believe we’re here again. Who would have thought that the same place where we last saw each other would be the same place we’d see each other again.” Suho stated as he looked at his brothers one by one.

     “I honestly didn’t want to come.” Taeil honestly said, but everyone nodded their heads and said in unison, “We expected much.”

     “Hey!” Taeil quickly protested, but the rest of the brothers didn’t say anything and just laughed. Then Sunggyu looked at his brother’s grave and said, “So Jiyong, are you happy? We’re all here together again.”

     “I bet he’s crying water from complete happiness,” Minhyuk stated with a smile, then everyone smiled with him.

     “How’s everyone been doing recently?” Sunggyu asked as he looked back at his brothers.

     “I’ve been going to school and just trying to busy myself. You know…to occupy my head.” Minhyuk answered, then Suho looked at him and said, “I’ve been doing the same thing too. Doing nothing just makes me remember, and it’s torturous.”

     “Tell that to Hyunseung,” Minhyuk said as he looked at his best friend with a grin.

     Hyunseung glared at Minhyuk and shouted, “It was hard for me okay?!”

     “It was hard for everyone.” Jackson suddenly stated. Then he looked at Jiyong’s grave and continued, “But even though it was hard, we still did our best to keep it together for Jiyong. And even though it was painful, and we wanted to forget about everything, we knew deep down that we didn’t want to forget about Jiyong.”

     “Well, it will be hard to forget that pink-haired guy in the first place,” Taeil stated, and everyone agreed.

     “I remembered the first time he saw his hair. Do you guys remember the time when we were staying at Jackson’s house then he literally woke everyone up because he couldn’t believe he had pink hair?” Minhyuk asks while laughing, and then everyone remembered it as well and laughed with him.

“What happened to my fucking hair!?”

“What’s the ruckus all about Jiyong?! Can’t you see it’s still too early to be screaming like that?” Suho angrily stated without even opening his eyes since the light coming from the window was too bright.

“What’s the ruckus all about?! Then why won’t you take a look and see for yourself?” Jiyong said with a loud voice, and then everyone opened their eyes and looked at Jiyong who was standing in front of Jackson’s mirror.

“What’s the problem then?” Asked Hyunseung when he sat up from the floor and stretched his arms wide.

Jiyong looked at Hyunseung like he was blind, so he pointed at his head and shouted, “Do you want me to spell it out for you?! My hair’s fuckin’ pink!”

While Jiyong was panicking, no one really cared much.

“What about it? Hyunseung’s hair is red,” Sunggyu explained.

“But mine is different, it’s pink! A man can’t have girly hair color like pink!” Jiyong suddenly blurted out, offending half of the boys inside the room.

“What kind of toxic masculinity comment is that?”

     “Nothing could beat the fact that his stepfather rented a whole hotel for us,” Hyunseung remembered.

“How about I rent the Poseidon Hotel and the seven of you could sleep there. Is the most expensive suite okay with you guys or would you rather prefer to sleep in separate rooms?”

The six sons looked at Jiyong’s step-father like they heard something crazy.

“I’m sorry but did you say rent a room or…”

“A hotel. It would be better to rest if there’s no one there right? And besides, we’re their major shareholders. They have no right to say no,” Charles continued as he looked at Taeil.

“But isn’t that too much Mr. Charles Smith?” Taeil continued, and Jiyong patted his back and told him, “Oh please, too much isn’t even in his dictionary. Now come on, the limo’s waiting for us outside.”

“I think it’s better if we just go home,” Jackson then told everyone, but the sons looked at him with a please-shut-up face, making him flinch.

“Don’t be silly darling, when Charles decides on something…he never changes his mind.” 

     “Minhyuk and Taeil’s naked image can never be erased,” Suho stated, making Minhyuk and Taeil look at him with a grin.

     “But you should be honest that my body was spectacular,” Minhyuk says with a proud smile, making Hyunseung hit his best friend.

     “Has Jiyong’s pride been transferred to you or what?” Hyunseung asks, making everyone laugh again.

     “But I remembered the time Jiyong backed us up when we were being bullied. It was the time we first started hanging out with you guys. It was shocking because we weren’t even that close with him yet.” Minhyuk explained.

“What are you doing to our brothers?”

“J-Jiyong!” The three bullies shouted in unison upon seeing the infamous Kwon Jiyong.

The moment they saw him, the guy in the middle instantly lets go of Minhyuk, making Minhyuk fall on the floor. Hyunseung and Taeil went to where he was and quickly helped him up.

“I asked you a question you dumbass. What the fuck do you think you’re doing to my brother?!” Jiyong now shouted, making all the people in the hallway quiet and curious about what was happening.

Just in a split second, they were surrounded by students from every year.

“I-I was just…asking why…”

“Why what?”

The terrified man gulped loudly and continued, “W-Well…It was just weird to see you guys…h-hanging out with them.”

“What’s weird about cool kids hanging out together? Huh, loser?” Jiyong fired back.

     “Jiyong showed his compassion to us ever since before. And even on his last breath he…” Suho stopped when he remembered it too.

 

 “I will a-always…l-love you…m-my b-brothers.”

     Everyone became quiet when they remembered that scene, but Sunggyu quickly brushed the thought away so his brothers wouldn’t feel down.

     “How’s HAU by the way? Have everyone’s lives been better ever since we were gone?” Sunggyu asked as he looked at Minhyuk who was the only one who was going to school.

     “Trey wrote an article about us again, saying that we disbanded or something. But thanks to our previous reputation, students are still scared of me, which is very convenient in my part.” Minhyuk answered.

     “And the Arcs?” Sunggyu continued. Jackson, Taeil, Suho, and Hyunseung averted their eyes, but they also wanted to hear about the Arcs, especially about their lovers.

     “They still go to school, but I never talked to them. If you ask me they look fine, they’re not even fazed.” Minhyuk stated, making Sunggyu clench his fist. But he was already tired of getting mad at them so he doesn’t say anything.

      Minhyuk looked back at Sunggyu and asked, “How about you? Heard you were studying in America. When are you going back?”

     Everyone looked at their leader, curious about his answer too. ( Except for Jackson since Sunggyu already told him about his plans earlier ).

     “I’ll be enrolling at Holy Angel University again next week.” Sunggyu finally answered, shocking everyone.

    “Really?!” the four asked in unison.

     Sunggyu nodded his head and said, “I think it’s time for me to make an effort in moving on. Jiyong’s death was painful, and we can’t do anything about it anymore. We already lost Jiyong, and I wouldn’t allow it if you lost me too. And it took me a lot to realize it. I’m your leader but I’m the first one to run away. I’m sorry everyone…maybe I really am an asshole.”

     “Everyone ran away so it’s not your fault,” Suho stated, and everyone nodded in agreement.

     “But honestly speaking…if someone else died, and Jiyong was the one who lived, we wouldn’t have been separated for as long as seven months. Jiyong wouldn’t allow that to happen. Jiyong might be the meanest, but he loved us more than anyone.” Sunggyu stated, and everyone agreed since they knew it was the truth.

     “Yeah, even though he’s dead he still keeps on bugging me.” Hyunseung joked, but those nightmares always terrified him.

     Sunggyu and the rest quickly looked at him. Then Jackson asked, “What do you mean?”

     “I dream about him all the time. He keeps on telling me his death was my fault. It’s painful but I know it’s not really Jiyong who’s telling me that. Jiyong would never say that to any of us. But I keep on having that dream every night so I feel like maybe it really is my fault.” Hyunseung stated with a sad expression.

     “I keep having them too. Like what I told Hyunseung, I dream about Jiyong as well. He would usually grab me by the hand and ask me to give it to him. He doesn’t say anything other than that. It goes on and on and on and I keep asking him about it but he doesn’t answer me,” Minhyuk said as well, shocking everyone.

    “No way, I dream about Jiyong too!” Suho quickly added.

    “Then it looks like we all dream about him,” Jackson stated, making everyone look at him curiously.

     Jackson looked at Jiyong’s grave and explained, “One night I also dreamt about Jiyong, and he told me to come to him every Sabbath day. I’ve been taking care of Jiyong for the past seven months now because of that.”

     “You serious?” Suho asked in disbelief, and Sunggyu nodded his head to confirm it.

     “B-But why? Why would Jiyong tell you something like that? Or rather, what does Jiyong want from all of us?” Hyunseung asked.

     “Who knows.” Jackson simply answered.

     “That’s crazy,” Suho stated with shock.

     “At least you guys dream about him. I see Jiyong’s spirit, which is scarier and more stressful.” Sunggyu stated. Then Taeil quickly looked at his brother and asked, “You see him too?”

    Then everyone looked at the two with confusion and shock.

     “No way, you see him? He visits you too?” Sunggyu asked, now looking at Taeil confusingly and eagerly. Taeil shakes his head and says, “I don’t exactly SEE him, but I see him in my reflection. He never shows himself in front of me, he just shows himself when I look at the mirror.”

     Then everyone slowly looked at Jiyong’s grave with their eyes wide open from shock. Suddenly they felt the hair on their skin stand because of what everyone said to each other.

     “So he shows himself to all of us.” Hyunseung summed up.

    “No fucking way,” Taeil stated, suddenly realizing something.

     “What is it?” Sunggyu quickly asked. Taeil was their master planner, and everything he’s been telling the Demons had always been right ever since before.

     Taeil quickly looked at Jackson and said, “The letter father Lucifer gave to Jiyong, where is it?”

     “Oh, I took it when we all separated seven months ago,” Jackson stated as he takes the box from his bag and hands it to Taeil who looked like he found a very big discovery.

     “What’s going on Taeil?” Hyunseung asked. He still couldn’t understand what his brother was fussing about.

     Taeil quickly opens the box and takes the letter; then he slowly read it again, like he was looking for something. When Taeil saw what he was looking for, he quickly looked back at his brothers and showed them a specific part of the letter.

     “Look at this,” Taeil instructed, and everyone did what they were told.

     One is a boy born to love and born to be loved. He will be your arms .

     A boy hungry for power and greatness will give you the greatest gift .

     A boy with quick feet will wipe your unwanted tears .

     A boy whose bidding is done by others will show you reflection .

     A boy whose flames can burn the coldest of hearts will bring you light .

     And a stubborn boy who was born to be selfless will give you your salvation .

     “All of these are somehow related to what we told each other earlier. The dreams, Jiyong showing himself to us. Don’t you think this is all connected?” Taeil asked, finally making everyone understand.

    “Whoa, I’m having goosebumps right now,” Suho stated as he started to hug himself.

     “But what could it mean?” Minhyuk asked. He was still confused about Taeil’s discovery.

     Taeil reads the letter again and says, “I honestly don’t know yet, it could mean anything. But in the letter, it says, “ these sons will make sure they bring you to the light”.  I think father Lucifer wasn’t talking about the things we already did for Jiyong in the past. I think he’s talking about something that we’d do to Jiyong in the future.“

     “Don’t tell me-”

    “I think it’s a way for us to resurrect him. “ Taeil finally explained, making everyone speechless.

    “Well, that took you long enough to realize.” Someone suddenly said, and then they turned around and saw a man also in suit, holding black roses.

     Everyone turned around and saw who the owner of the voice was.

     “Kharon?!” everyone shouted in unison. Then they quickly stood up to see their mentor slash guardian Kharon The Third. Kharon couldn’t help but smile as he looked at the Demons, “Hello my dear princes.”

     “Kharon!” Minhyuk shouted as he ran towards the phoenix to give him a hug, then the rest did the same and hugged their mentor as well.

     “I can’t believe you’re here,” Sunggyu stated.

     “We thought you died or the king of hell locked you up too!” Suho shouted, relieved to see their guardian alive and well. When they broke from the hug, Kharon looked at the Demons and said, “Of course I’ll be here, it’s my kids’ birthday after all.”

     “Wow, that’s a cheesy one,” Jackson stated with a grin, making Kharon chuckle. Then he walked past the brothers and walked towards Jiyong’s grave. He puts one of his knees down to kneel in front of Jiyong’s grave, then he gently placed the black roses in front of the grave and said, “Happy birthday my prince of Pride.”

     After a few seconds of silence, Kharon stood up and looked at the brothers.

     “So Kharon, where on earth were you-” Kharon quickly stops Minhyuk and says, “Enough with the greetings. You’ve wasted seven months already. I think that’s enough time to mourn for your brother. Because now it’s time for us to start our new mission.”

• END -

SDS3 05: WELCOME BACK

“SO, WHAT HAPPENED TO you?”      

     “I’ve been struggling to escape hell ever since the incident. Since you all have the keys of Hell, the King himself couldn’t open it so freely now.” Kharon explained as he looked at the six brothers.

     The Demons and Kharon were in a private room at a bar. Today was their birthdays, and they have finally met each other after everything that happened to them for the past seven months. And for a long period of time, Lee Taeil, their master planner, has finally discovered something that made the Demons have hope again.

     “What do you mean? Why can’t the king open the gates anymore? What do the keys have to do with it?” Minhyuk asked, then Kharon looked at him and answered, “As you all know, the keys that we acquired aren’t real  keys to begin with. Those are keys the king uses to freely open and lock the gates of hell. But since he doesn’t have it anymore, he doesn’t have control over it like before.”

     “No way. Then…isn’t that a good thing?” Suho stated.

     “I suppose it is. Because the king wouldn’t be able to send hundreds of ghouls as much as he wants anymore.” Kharon explained, making everyone relieved.

     “No wonder we haven’t been attacked ever since we left hell. But Kharon, how were you able to get out in the first place?” Hyunseung asked as he looked at their guardian confusingly.

     “Well, that’s because the gates open only once a week. At the end of Sabbath day, at 3 AM, the gates of hell would open. 3:00 AM is what everyone calls the Devil’s hour , and the reason why it’s during the end of Sabbath day is because it signifies the end of the Lord’s Day. But even though you know when the gates will open, you will still have a hard time because gatekeepers will be there to stop you. Ever since Jiyong’s death, the king of hell sent gatekeepers to guard the entrance of hell since he knows that you guys have the advantage since you have the keys. I had to defeat and outrun most of them just so I could escape.” Kharon answered.

( Which is pretty badass because gatekeepers are 10x bigger and better than a regular ghoul )

     “I’m not gonna lie, the King of Hell is a smart fella,” Minhyuk stated. Then Taeil took a sip of his beer and said, “At the end of Sabbath day, 3 AM, the gates of hell open. Then, when does it close?”

     Everyone looked at Kharon again, curious about his answer, “Good question. The gate closes at 3:59 AM exactly. That’s why I had a hard time escaping. And the ghouls the King would send out should quickly return if they don’t want to be locked out for a whole week. And normal ghouls wouldn’t be able to survive in the real world for that long.”

     Upon hearing Kharon’s answer, Taeil quickly stood up from his seat. And with a shocked expression, he shouted, “That’s it!”

     “What?” everyone asked in unison.

     Taeil pointed at Jackson and continued, “Jackson, the reason why Jiyong asked you to come to him during Sunday is because he wants you to protect him!”

     “What do you mean?” Jackson asked confusingly.

    “Don’t you get it? Now that Jiyong’s gone, you’re the strongest son amongst us all. And the reason why he wants you in his grave during Sunday is because he wants you to guard it until Monday. Remember what Kharon said? The gates open at 3AM, it’s possible that the king has plans to do something to Jiyong during those times. But since you’re there, the ghouls couldn’t approach him, and maybe that’s the reason why Jiyong’s grave is still unharmed until now.” Taeil explained, but Jackson and the rest of the Demons were still confused.

     “And what on earth would the king of hell do to a dead body?” Sunggyu asked with his right eyebrow raised.

     “He’ll be using it as a vessel to come to earth.” Taeil suddenly answers, making everyone look at him with shock and realization.

     “D-Did you just say…vessel?” Hyunseung asked with shock.

     Kharon’s eyes widened as well as he says, “Why haven’t I thought of that before? The king can’t step on earth unless he’s inside a human body. And since Jiyong is dead, the king of hell can use his body now.”

     “But why Jiyong’s body?” Jackson asked Kharon so he could further explain it. But the one who answered it was his brother Taeil, “That’s because Jiyong is the strongest demon! He’s a high ranked Demon now! Don’t you remember?! He was the only one who could open Father Lucifer’s door!”

     “Can you fucking stop shouting?!” Sunggyu suddenly shouted since he was frustrated because Taeil kept on shouting. He was already very confused about the situation, and the shouting wasn’t helping him.

     Taeil gulped because of the aura Sunggyu suddenly emitted so he quickly shuts his mouth and sat down.

     “Sorry.” Sunggyu immediately stated while massaging his temple. He didn’t mean to suddenly shout at his brother.

     “N-No…it was my fault, I was just too excited,” Taeil stated as he scratched the back of his head.

     “Even so…what Taeil said was right. Like what you mentioned to me earlier, about the dreams, Jiyong might have told Jackson to come to him because he wanted Jackson to protect him.” Kharon explained, and everyone nodded.

     Suddenly, Jackson chuckled and said, “So that’s what he meant by Salvation. I was going to prevent Jiyong from harm.”

     “So does that mean the letter is really an instruction for us on how to help Jiyong?” Suho asked as he looked at their mentor.

     Kharon took a sip from his beer and answered, “Maybe. But I’m not quite sure yet. I wasn’t able to talk to Lucifer or any of the other rulers on that matter since I’m not strong enough to open their doors. But I think this was already planned out even before it all started.”

     “So what do we do now?” Suho asked, then Kharon looked at everyone and said, “The best way for us to know more is for us to talk to the Arc’s guardian ( Park Dong Min ).”

      “I refuse.” Sunggyu quickly stated, making everyone look at him.

     “Sunggyu, I know you’re mad at the Arcs. But if you want to save your brother, it’s best if we talk to him.” Kharon stated, but Sunggyu wasn’t going to agree so easily.

     “I’m not just mad at them, I’m furious. They knew about Jiyong’s death but they didn’t even help us, we could have…”

     Kharon quickly stops Sunggyu and says, “They didn’t know about Jiyong’s death.”

     “That’s bullshit,” Sunggyu says with venom in his voice. But Kharon was going to make Sunggyu understand, whether he liked it or not, “You listen to me. The Arcs didn’t know Jiyong was going to die.”

     “They clearly know he was going t-” Kharon quickly cuts Sunggyu off and explained, “I told you, they didn’t know. They only know that someone will die. They didn’t know who it was.”

     “If that’s the case then why the hell did they attack us that day?” This time, it was Jackson who asked since he was still frustrated and angry because he had to fight his lover during that battle.

     Kharon sighed heavily like he didn’t want to say anything further. But it has been seven months, it was about time the Demons knew the truth, “You were all supposed to die that day.”

     “What?!” everyone shouted in unison.

     Kharon takes a deep breath and explained further, “Once you open the King’s gate, he will come out and kill you with no effort needed. So the Arcs were instructed to stop you from opening the gates with any means necessary, and that’s why they attacked you. But that was not a guarantee that every one of you will be saved. It was destined that one of you will be killed during the process, that’s why the Arcs gambled it even though they knew about the outcome. You might hate them but they tried their best to save you.”

     “T-that can’t be…“Suho stated with shock.

     Everyone was quiet after Kharon’s explanation. They had no idea that the Arcs were planning something like that all along. Even Taeil who has been talking to Jihoon during that time didn’t know about it. But Sunggyu was still angry, so when Kharon saw his reaction, he added, “I know you’re still mad Sunggyu. Even if I explain to you now about everything that could have gone wrong if we told you the truth I’m pretty sure you still wouldn’t listen.”

     “Then you knew about it too right?” Sunggyu suddenly asked as he looked at Kharon with his deadly stare. And for the first time, Kharon felt weak around his kids. It was no doubt that the Demons are now a lot more powerful than before.

     “Yes, I knew about it. I was the one who helped the Arcs with the plan.” Kharon revealed, shocking everyone even more.

     “You were able to tell the Arcs about it but it didn’t even cross your mind to tell US about it?” Sunggyu asked, now emitting a stronger aura than before.

     “Things could have gone worse if I told you everything.” Kharon quickly answered.

     “If you told us about it then we wouldn’t have gone to hell in the first place!” Sunggyu now shouted.

     “That wouldn’t change anything! The King would still have sent thousands, or even more ghouls on earth just to take you, and if worse things happened, innocent people would have been affected as well. I had no choice but to keep it a secret from you even though it was painful for me, but what kind of guardian would I have become if I allowed every one of you to die?!” Kharon shouted back.

     “So it’s okay to let one of us die, is that it? Do you think we’d be happy to hear that you and the Arcs sacrificed Jiyong just so we could live?” Sunggyu asked; calmer this time.

     “You don’t understand. Jiyong is…”

     Hyunseung suddenly slammed the table and shouted, “Sunggyu, that is enough! Jiyong is dead! What’s done is done and we can’t turn back time!”

     Everyone became quiet. 

     “I know what you feel Sunggyu. Every one of us knows what you feel. But Kharon is right. If they told us everything then we could have all been dead and everything we’ve done would have been pointless. But we’re alive now, and now we might have a chance to even resurrect Jiyong because of the Arcs and Kharon’s help, so please put your anger aside and think of Jiyong’s sake for now on.” Hyunseung says with a serious expression.

     Sunggyu doesn’t say anything for a few seconds.

     Then he took a deep breath and looked back at his brothers.

     “I know that okay? Did you guys honestly think I wouldn’t understand?” Sunggyu suddenly says with a sad expression.

     “Fine, let’s just say I’m thankful because of what they did, but it doesn’t change the fact that the Arcs feel like we should be thankful to them because they helped us. The pain that Jiyong’s death caused us…that’s something they overlooked. Even though we might have a chance to help Jiyong now, the torture and the hurt all of us felt during those seven months while those Arcs felt nothing at all will always be there. That’s why I’m mad.”

     The Demons felt bad after hearing what their leader really felt. He was never the emotional type, but after Jiyong’s death, Sunggyu was the first one to break apart amongst all of them.

     “It would have been better if they at least mentally prepared us or warn us about it,” Sunggyu stated with his head down. Then, Hyunseung suddenly remembered something that made him smile, “Now I get it.”

     Sunggyu quickly looked at Hyunseung, then the rest looked at him too. Hyunseung looked back at Sunggyu and said, “You told us before that Woohyun talked to you when we were at Japan right?”

     Sunggyu looked at Hyunseung confusingly, then he remembered it as well.

     “Don’t execute your plan.”

     “Oh my god, I really am drunk. You’re an apparition, aren’t you? The Arcs are in Korea so I’m pretty sure you’re an apparition. Damn, even in my apparition you Angels are still against everything we do.”

     “You don’t know what’s going to happen to you and your brothers Kim Sunggyu.”

     “That angel…was trying to warn you,” Hyunseung says, making everyone realize it too.

     “You wanted them to warn you, then there you go. One of them even went out of his way and maybe even broke the rules just to warn us. Woohyun would have been killed for betraying his Father’s trust, but he got his way to at least tell you about it. Now’s the time to stop sulking. Jiyong needs us, and the Arcs are the only ones who could help.” Hyunseung finished. 

     Now everyone was looking at their leader. Waiting for him to respond.

     Sunggyu sighed and chugged his beer. Then he looked at everyone and answered, “Fine. I’m not saying I’m happy about this but what are we supposed to do then?”

     Everyone finally smiled and looked at each other, excitement now present in their eyes. They were back in the game, and everyone couldn’t wait to start playing.

     Kharon looked at the excited sons and said, “The Arcs are still studying at HAU right?”

     “Yeah.” Minhyuk simply answered.

     Kharon looked at the Demons one by one. Everyone looked confusingly at their guardian who was smiling from ear to ear. Obviously formulating a plan that the Demons would truly enjoy.

A WEEK LATER

AT HOLY ANGELS UNIVERSITY

     “Damn its so good to be back,” Hyunseung says as he took a deep breath before walking towards the entrance of their campus. Everyone stopped the moment they saw the red-haired boy, shocked to see him back. The students even started taking out their phones just to take a picture of him.

     “ I’m not going to lie, I missed the attention too, “ Hyunseung said to himself as he continued to walk down the hallway, students still dumbfounded to see him again.

     As Hyunseung was walking, flashes of memories from before came running right in front of his eyes. Then he stopped walking in the middle of the hallway when he remembered something really important that happened at this exact same spot.

     “Let go of me.”

     “Looks like you’re still short-tempered. You never change do you?”

     “I’m not in the mood to play games with you angel. Why don’t you just fucking leave me alone?”

     “I can’t. Because you’re always on my mind. Whenever I’m not doing anything, you’re the person on my mind. When I see you, I just want to run to where you are and give you a kiss. Didn’t I tell you before that I love you?”

     “…”

     “Why can’t you love me back?”

     “I don’t love you…and I never did.”

     “You’re lying and I know it Hyunseung. I know that I’m still inside that heart of yours.”

     “Still? You never had a place in my heart…”

     “Then kill me.”

     “…”

     “Kill me right here and right now if you never really loved me. That’s what you demons want right? To kill us all? Then do it, I’m giving you your chance. I promise I won’t fight back.”

     “I’m really gonna do it.”

    “…”

     “Y-you can still change your mind Yong Junhyung…you can still walk away alive.”

     “I’m ready to face my destiny.”

     “…”

     “I can’t…I’m sorry brothers.”

     Hyunseung unknowingly held his lips as he remembered how Junhyung kissed him during that time. He wanted to cry but he pushed back the tears. He was tired of being weak. He’s been weak for seven months and he obviously had enough. So Hyunseung brushed the thought away and left the place where he once decided to love the Arcs’ leader.

     But while he was walking, someone suddenly ran to him and placed his arm around his shoulder. Hyunseung was about to attack him, but then he saw who it was so he stopped and glared at him instead.

     “Morning JS!”

     “Morning Minhyuk.” Hyunseung greets, quickly pushing Minhyuk’s hand away.

     “Looks like you’re back to normal again. So, you followed my schedule right?” Minhyuk asked as the two continued walking.

     “Of course I did. Don’t wanna be separated from you guys.” Hyunseung answered.

     “That’s good. Jackson, Taeil, and Suho and I have the same schedule but they don’t go to school so I wasn’t able to be with them. Thankfully today will be different.”

     As the two continued walking, they suddenly saw a group of students surrounding someone.

     “They’re attending school again?!” Hyunseung and Minhyuk heard from one of the students. The moment the two heard about it, they quickly knew who they were referring to.

     Minhyuk and Hyunseung walked through the crowd. When everyone saw Hyunseung, they suddenly gasped and stared at him, seconds later they gave way to the two, revealing Jackson, Taeil, and Suho standing right in the middle.

     The three smiled as Minhyuk and Hyunseung walked towards them.

    “That took you long enough,” Minhyuk stated as he looked at the three.

    “Blame this guy. We were literally waiting for him all morning at the parking lot.” Jackson stated as he was pointing at Suho. Suho quickly defended himself and said, “That’s because I was stuck in a traffic jam!”

     “Oh, so we’re supposed to blame the traffic jam then,” Jackson stated with his right eyebrow raised. Then Taeil joined in and seriously said, “Well fuck that traffic jam, I’m gonna beat his ass for making Suho arrive late.”

    Then the brothers started laughing.

    “So immature guys.”

     “Okay, that’s enough. You guys aren’t kids anymore.” Hyunseung stated as the three finally stopped bickering at each other.

     “Let’s go before our leader gets mad at us for being late.” Hyunseung then instructed so everyone did what they were told. The five Demons looked at the crowd of students who quickly moved aside like they were given a silent command.

     The Demons smirked and started walking away. Every time they would walk in a busy corridor, everyone would suddenly become quiet. The fear of everyone’s eyes made them feel powerful again. But while they were walking, the further they got, the atmosphere became darker and darker.

     “You guys feel that?” Hyunseung asked as he looked at his brothers.

     Suho smirked and said, “Looks like our leader is back.”

     The five quickly went towards the dark hall that no student dared to walk on. And as they expected, they saw their leader, Kim Sunggyu, walking at the end of the hallway with his hands inside his pocket.

     “What an entrance.” Minhyuk joked, but Sunggyu didn’t say anything. Then Sunggyu walked towards his brothers and said, “Honestly I hated going back here, but seeing everyone now…I kinda feel…excited.”

     “Of course you are,” Suho stated as he patted Sunggyu’s back. He was glad Sunggyu was finally back in Korea, especially at HAU.

     The loud and low church bell finally rings. A sound most of the Demons have secretly missed as well. The students immediately went back to their rooms while the Demons continued to calmly walk down the hallway.

     “Don’t tell me Kharon’s the school’s priest again,” Sunggyu stated as he started walking. The rest of the brother following behind him. Now the Demons were walking in their famous pyramid style formation.

     “He is actually. I saw him the other day at the chapel. He’s still wearing that stupid black priest uniform,” Minhyuk answered since he was the only one who attended school last week too.

     “And the Arcs?” Sunggyu suddenly asked.

     “They’re still attending HAU but like before they never talk to me even though we’re all classmates”, Minhyuk reveals, making Sunggyu stop walking, which made the rest stop walking as well.

     Sunggyu turned around to face his brothers and said, “They have the nerves to not even apologize to you? And to even have the guts to ignore you, a prince of hell, and a strong Demon of the underworld? Those angels should be afraid of us and should be begging for mercy at this rate.”

     “Did you purposely have to say it out loud because you sensed that we were close by?” someone suddenly says, making Sunggyu smirk and turn around.

     “ Yong Junhyung, “ Sunggyu stated as he looks at the Arcs standing right in front of the Demons.

     Hyunseung even gasped from shock. He was fully aware that they’ll be seeing the Arcs again, but he just couldn’t help but be surprised to see them after so long. Junhyung smiled as he looked at the Demons one by one. Even the Arcs were happy to see their rival slash friends again. But everyone’s smile slowly turned into a sad expression.

     The Demons saw their reaction and made a sad expression as well.

     Sunggyu, who was smirking a few seconds ago, changed his expression into a serious one as he says, “We heard from Kharon that you prayed for Jiyong’s death for a whole week during his funeral. Thank you, we truly appreciate it.”

    “N-No….that’s…” Junhyung couldn’t even form the right words. He didn’t know what to say as he stared back at the Demon’s leader. He wanted to cry. He wanted to beg for the Demons’ forgiveness after what happened. He wanted to run to his lover and hug him, but he didn’t do any of that. Instead, he stood there and continued to stare at the Demon’s leader with full respect.

     “We also heard from Kharon about what you have done for us, and rest assured we understand it. It might still take a while for us to truly accept everything, but for everything you have done…I give you my greatest gratitude.” Sunggyu sincerely said as he was about to bow in front of the Arcs.

     “Stop.” Junhyung quickly says, making Sunggyu stop midway.

    Sunggyu stood up straight and looked at Junhyung with a confused look. But Junhyung doesn’t say anything. Instead, he went down on his knees and bowed right in front of the Demons. The rest of the Arcs didn’t even hesitate to follow.

     “You are not supposed to thank us for fucks sake.” Junhyung suddenly says with his head low. Then the Demons saw tears dripping down on the floor.

     The Arcs were crying.

     “I did not want or did I ever dream to see the day that you will thank us for what we have done. And to even show us such a face…we do not deserve such kindness.” Junhyung says as the tears continued to fall.

     “There was no day that we did not regret it. Jiyong was a part of you, and we knew that his death had also become your demise. I know this isn’t necessary but I really tried. I begged my Father to help you, to take Jiyong back but never did I receive his answer. I’m sorry Demons. We’re truly sorry.” The Arc’s leader added, hurt, and regret present in his voice.

     “We’re truly sorry.” The rest said in unison.

     Sunggyu looked at the Arcs, and somehow, all the hatred that was still left in his heart slowly vanished.

     He walked towards the Arcs’ leader and kneeled as well so he could level Junhyung. Then he gently held Junhyung’s shoulder and says, “I’m gonna lie if I tell you I wasn’t angry at you all. It even took me seven months to simmer down. But like what your lover told me a week ago…What’s done is done and we can’t turn back time.”

     Junhyung slowly lifted his head to look at Sunggyu, so Sunggyu continued; “Now stop acting all weak and embrace your boyfriend like a man. You haven’t seen him for seven months, right? Go on and hold him, he’s been anxious all day you know.”

     Junhyung smiled widely as he quickly stood up from the floor. Then he ran towards Jang Hyunseung and grabbed him by the arm before giving him the warmest embrace.

     “I’m sorry.” Junhyung quickly says as he cried on Hyunseung’s shoulder.

     “Shh…stop it okay? I don’t need your apology, because there is nothing for me to forgive in the first place.” Hyunseung stated as he continued to hug Junhyung tightly.

     Jackson on the other hand quickly went to Mark and grabbed his arm so he could stand. But before Mark could even say anything, Jackson kisses his lover while trails of clear water fell from his eyes.

     “I love you. I love you so fucking much.” Jackson says in between kisses. Mark couldn’t even reply because Jackson wouldn’t stop kissing him.

     When Mark was finally able to push Jackson away, Mark looks at his lover in the eyes, but Jackson quickly looked away instead, like he was ashamed because he never even tried to contact Mark after what happened.

     “Look at me,” Mark commanded, but Jackson didn’t budge. Suddenly, Jackson’s tears turned into blood.

     “Oh, baby.” Mark says as he quickly wipes Jackson’s tears away, “Please don’t cry like that.”

     “I’m afraid to look at you…because if I look too much then I might suddenly realize that this is all an illusion and you’re not really here with me. I’m scared of losing you again.” Jackson finally says, and the words made Mark cry.

    “It’s me, Jackson, this isn’t an illusion. This is all real. And you never lost me, because even from the start you’ve always been holding on to me.” Mark stated as he continued to wipe Jackson’s tears away. Then it was Mark’s turn to give Jackson a kiss.

     The rest of the Arcs stood up as well. Lay went to Suho while Jihoon went to Taeil.

    “I missed you so much baby,” Suho said as he grabbed Lay and hugged him tightly as well.

     “I’m sorry,” Lay says. But instead of replying to Lay’s sincere apology, Suho looked at his lover’s eyes and says, “I love you.”

     Lay cried even more as Suho wipes the tears away.

     “Why do you keep on crying when we’re together? The last time I saw you, you were crying too.” Suho stated, making Lay hit him on the shoulder.

     “You’re an idiot,” Lay said as he buried his face on Suho’s chest. Suho gently rubs Lay’s head and says, “But I’ll always be your idiot.”

     “Oh god, that’s disgusting.” Taeil suddenly said when he overheard Suho and Lay’s conversation. He never really did get used to seeing the famous awkward couple act all lovey-dovey together.

     Taeil looked back at Jihoon who was just standing in front of him without even saying anything.

     “Aren’t you going to tell me anything too?” Taeil asked as he looked at Jihoon.

     Jihoon doesn’t say anything, but he suddenly grabs Taeil, moving his face closer so he could kiss him, but he quickly stopped midway and hugged him instead. Taeil and Jihoon were still unofficial. Especially when Jihoon’s aware that Jiho is still somewhere in Taeil’s heart. He was ready to give everything to Taeil, but Taeil still can’t do the same, so Jihoon never forces anything from Taeil.

     “Still not gonna say anything?” Taeil asked as Jihoon continued to hug him tightly.

     “S-Shut up…just stay there and let me hug you.” Jihoon finally says while his whole face turned tomato red from embarrassment. Not like Suho and Lay, Jihoon couldn’t be as expressive as them, especially when Taeil shows him a different reaction like Lay whenever he tries to act like Suho.

     “If you missed me that much then why won’t you give me a kiss.” Taeil suddenly says, shocking Jihoon. When Jihoon looked back at Taeil, he was even more surprised to see Taeil suddenly crying blood.

     “T-Taeil…”

     “Tell me you miss me. Hold me tightly and give me a passionate kiss. Tell me you couldn’t sleep because you couldn’t stop thinking about me. Tell me I wasn’t the only one who’s been crying when we parted. Make me feel like you want me goddamn it!” Taeil angrily says as he continued to cry blood.

     Jihoon finally broke down as he looked at the boy who he loves so dearly.

     He wiped Taeil’s tears with his thumbs and says, “I might not be good at sweet-talking like Suho, or as passionate as Jackson, or even as determined as Junhyung…but Taeil, wasn’t it already obvious how I fucking missed you? There was never a day that I didn’t miss you. There was never a day that I didn’t cry without thinking about you. And there was never a day that I didn’t want you.”

     Jihoon gently kisses Taeil on the forehead and continued, “I told you before that I’ll wait for you right? Then don’t make me break that promise and let me be a good boy for now.”

     Taeil doesn’t say anything but nods instead.

     While everyone else was hugging and kissing, Minhyuk and Sunggyu walked towards Sungjae and Woohyun who were both just standing on the sidelines with their arms crossed.

     “Hey, guys.” Minhyuk greeted as he bro hugged the two angels.

     “Don’t start crying or apologizing okay? I might kick the both of you if you do it.” Sunggyu quickly says as he looks at Sungjae and Woohyun.

     “You don’t have to worry about that leader.” Woohyun answered as he continued to look at his brothers happily reunited with their lovers.

     “I’m starting to feel kinda jealous. You know…just a little.” Minhyuk says as he looks at his brothers as well.

    “If you want someone to hug, hug me. Don’t look for someone and leave me single”, Sunggyu suddenly says without even looking at Minhyuk. The three looked at the demonic leader, then seconds later, they started laughing.

    “Oh my god, that’s adorable!” Minhyuk says as he continued laughing.

    “Don’t worry. If ever Minhyuk finds a lover I’ll try comforting you. So what do you want, the rated 13 kind of comfort or the rated 19 kind?” Woohyun joked, making Sungjae and Minhyuk laugh even more.

     Everyone expected Sunggyu to become furious, but instead, Sunggyu grabbed Woohyun aggressively on the cheek and moved closer to his face before saying, “The rated 19 kind of comfort sounds convincing. How about we try that?”

     Sungjae and Minhyuk quickly stopped laughing as they looked at Sunggyu with shock, while Woohyun on the other hand started blushing. Woohyun went back to his senses and quickly pushed Sunggyu away from him, making Sunggyu laugh out loud this time.

     “That’s a fucked up move man!” Woohyun shouted as he slowly moved away from the demon.

     Sunggyu finally stopped laughing and looked at Woohyun, “I haven’t laughed like that in a while…thank you…Nam Woohyun.”

     “W-What the fuck…why the hell are you thanking me for something so stupid?” Woohyun asked. Then Sunggyu’s expression suddenly became serious as he says, “That thank you…was for the time you warned me when we were in Japan. I should have listened to you at that time. You even took the courage to talk to the Demon’s leader just to warn me. That’s hardcore little angel.”

     Woohyun brushed the fact that Sunggyu called him little angel, so he chuckles instead and says, “Well if you did listen to me then things might have turned even worse.”

     “You’re right.” Sunggyu says, then he looks deeply at Woohyun’s eyes and says, “But I’ll try listening to you next time. I swear, okay?”

     Woohyun gulped and quickly looked away. But then Minhyuk cleared his throat and said, “Excuse us but we’re still here.”

     Sunggyu chuckled and looked at his brother, “Sorry.”

     “Whatever. But now that I look at it, aren’t you guys…incomplete? Where’s Seung?” Minhyuk asked as he made a headcount on the Arcs. Then Sunggyu looked at the Arcs and realized it as well.

     “Don’t worry about our brother. He was just instructed by our fathers to do something. You guys will eventually find out about it anyway.” Sungjae stated, then Sunggyu and Minhyuk nodded in understanding.

     “Oh yeah…I almost forgot to tell you guys.” Sungjae suddenly says. Then Sunggyu, Minhyuk, and even Woohyun, looked at him curiously.

     Sungjae looked at the brothers and smiled widely, “ Welcome back Demons. “

• END -

SDS3 06: HOLDING ME TIGHTLY

“OKAY, LET’S WRAP IT up guys!” Sunggyu shouted as he went towards everyone and started breaking them apart.

      “As much as I love to watch you guys hugging and kissing in front of us single people, I still don’t want to miss my first class,” Sunggyu continued, and Minhyuk, Woohyun and Sungjae agreed on what the Demonic leader just said.

      “Sorry, let’s just go.” Hyunseung stated, then Junhyung puts his arm around Hyunseung’s shoulder and added, “Yeah, before this grandpa starts yelling at us again.”

     “What did you just call me?!” Sunggyu then shouted, making everyone laugh.

     “Well too late for that now,” Suho stated as everyone continued to laugh.

     Sunggyu sighed and looked at everyone, “Seriously, jokes over. Let’s go.”

     Junhyung puts his hands down and nodded his head. He was a leader too; he knew when to start acting serious like Sunggyu.

     “Alright, we’ll see you guys later,” Junhyung stated as he quickly gives Hyunseung a goodbye kiss on the lips, making everyone confused.

     “What the hell are you talking about?” Hyunseung asked as he looked at his boyfriend.

     “Well, we’re going to class.” Lay innocently answered, then seconds later the Demons started to laugh again, confusing the Arcs even more.

      “You do know we have the same schedule,” Minhyuk revealed. Then Mark nodded his head and answered, “Yeah, we see you all the time, but what’s so funny?”

      Jackson held Mark’s shoulder and said, “We ALL have the same schedule baby.”

      The moment the Arcs heard what Jackson said, their eyes opened wide from shock.

      “NO WAY!”

---

 “Lee Minhyuk?” the professor called out for the attendance, seconds later the Arcs arrived inside the room.

     “He’s here,” Sungjae stated as Minhyuk entered the room next, and then the Demons followed, making everyone inside the room gasp.

      “Oh! Welcome back Demons.” The professor happily stated as he sees the rest of the Demons enter the room. He was kinda happy to see them since these boys were the school’s smartest students even though they’re the most troublesome ones.

     “ Did our professor just seriously call them Demons? “ Lay whispered to Junhyung, then Junhyung leaned closer to his brother and whispered back, “ Well they are famously known as Demons. “

     “I’m glad to see you all here again. Please sit down so we could continue with the discussions. I’m confident that the rest of you can cope up, am I right?” the professor asked, and Sunggyu and the others quickly nodded.

     The Arcs sat on their seats while the Demons sat on the other side of the room where the empty seats were. The students sitting in front of them quickly sat properly the moment the six brothers sat down. The action made the brothers smirk.

     “Okay, let’s begin.” The professor stated, then he started with the discussion.

     The Arcs and the Demons took out their notebooks and started taking notes. Everyone was listening attentively, especially when they’re still known as very academically excellent students.

     But one angel, in particular, couldn’t concentrate at all. He was constantly bouncing his leg up and down. Then he kept on glancing on his lover who was attentively listening to the professor. He wanted to listen to the discussion as well but he just couldn’t. He just saw his lover after so many months and their physical contact earlier was obviously not enough.

     The angel finally took a deep breath and took out his pen. He wrote something down on his notebook and tore the page off, then he leaned towards his brother and whispered, “ Pass this on. “   

     Lay squinted his eyes and looked at his brother with suspicion, but he quickly brushed the thought away and passed the paper to Mark, then Mark passed it to Jihoon, then Jihoon passed it over to Minhyuk, who was sitting on the other side.

      “ Minhyuk, “ Jihoon softly called out so the professor wouldn’t notice. Minhyuk looked at his right and noticed Jihoon slowly waving a piece of paper.

      He casually dropped his pen in the middle of the aisle so Jihoon could drop the paper too. Then Minhyuk took the paper and his pen back. He looked at the paper that had the words, JS, on the front. He smirked and quickly got the idea. So he quickly handed it to Hyunseung who was just sitting beside him.

      “ Special delivery, “ Minhyuk whispered to his best friend as he handed him the piece of paper. Hyunseung took the paper and looked at it confusingly.

     The moment he unfolded the paper, his face turned red.

     Inside the letter wrote:

     I’ll go out first. I’ll wait for you in the restroom. Earlier wasn’t enough so be there, okay baby?    

     - J

     Hyunseung quickly crumpled the paper before anyone could even see it, then he hid it inside his hands and burned it.

      “ Junhyung you fucking idiot, “ Hyunseung told himself as he saw Junhyung stand up. He excused himself and looked at Hyunseung first before leaving the room.

      Hyunseung looked at his brothers; who were all concentrating on the discussion. He sighed heavily then looked at Minhyuk.

      “ I’ll just go to the restroom. “ Hyunseung whispered, making Minhyuk smirk and say, “ Yeah, make sure Junhyung releases tons of it. “

     Hyunseung blushed on his best friend’s statement. So he quickly stood up and went out of the room as well to follow the Arcs leader at the restroom.

      “Junhyung?!” Hyunseung called out as he arrived at the empty restroom.

      The hallway was quiet since everyone was in their respective classrooms. So when Hyunseung realized Junhyung was nowhere to be seen, he decided to go back.

     “Fuck this, this is just a waste of time, I shouldn’t be playing around anyways,” Hyunseung told himself as he was about to leave the restroom, but someone suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled him inside one of the cubicles. Seconds later, without even realizing it, Hyunseung was already sitting on Junhyung’s lap while Junhyung was sitting on the toilet.

      “J-Junhyung…what the fuck are you doing?!” Hyunseung stated while his face continued to turn red. Junhyung hugged Hyunseung tightly from behind and answered, “Sorry, I couldn’t concentrate because of you so you take full responsibility.”

      “Why the hell is it-” Hyunseung quickly stopped midsentence when Junhyung suddenly touched his private part.

     “J-Junhyung…w-we’re seriously…doing this now?!” Hyunseung tried to say as Junhyung’s hand continued to rub on Hyunseung’s pants.

     “Yes.” Junhyung simply answered.

     Hyunseung was going to protest again when suddenly Junhyung unzips his pants and put his hands inside Hyunseung’s boxers, finally having contact with Hyunseung’s now hard cock.

     “S-Stop, someone’s going to hear us,” Hyunseung stated, now lowering his voice since he was slowly being consumed by the pleasure.

      “ That’s why you better keep it down baby, “ Junhyung whispered on Hyunseung’s ear, making Hyunseung shiver.

     Junhyung continued to stroke Hyunseung’s little boy, finally making Hyunseung release a loud moan. He quickly covered his mouth as he realized what he just did.

     “Shit, that was sexy babe. Are you sure you want me to stop?” Junhyung asked as his private part was now hard enough to poke Hyunseung’s ass.

     Hyunseung flinches when he felt the bulge on Junhyung’s pants. He bit his lip and nods his head, finally letting Junhyung do whatever he wants with him.

     Junhyung smirked on his lover’s sudden surrender. He took out his hands from inside Hyunseung’s pants and made Hyunseung lick his fingers. When his fingers were wet enough, he placed his hand inside Hyunseung’s boxers, but this time he shoves one finger inside Hyunseung’s hole.

      “ Fuck! “ Hyunseung softly cursed, now being cautious with his voice.

      “You like that?” Junhyung asked as he shoved another finger inside, making Hyunseung moan louder. So Hyunseung covered his mouth with his hands just so the sound wouldn’t escape. But Junhyung shoved in his third finger, and because of the intense pleasure, Hyunseung unknowingly puts his hands down to grip on Junhyung’s thighs. Then he moaned louder than earlier.

      “That’s right…Just let it all out, I’ll handle the drama later, just moan loudly for me baby.” Junhyung told his lover as he started shoving his fingers in and out.

     Hyunseung did what his boyfriend told him and continued to moan with pleasure as Junhyung fastened the pace of his fingers.

     “S-Shit…I’m about to…I’m about to…” When Hyunseung was about to release the load that he’s been keeping for seven freakin’ months, Junhyung quickly stops and puts his fingers out.

     “No! W-why the fuck did you stop!” Hyunseung protested as he looked at his lover angrily.

     Junhyung smirked and looked at Hyunseung, “Well look at you, a few minutes ago you were begging me to stop.”

     Hyunseung doesn’t answer but glared at Junhyung instead, making Junhyung chuckle. He leaned closer and gave JS a kiss, then he lifted him and placed him between his legs.

     “You can’t cum yet. You need to pleasure me first.” Junhyung stated as he looked at his lover who was kneeling on the floor in front of him. Junhyung unzips his pants and showed Hyunseung his throbbing cock. Then he looked at him and said, “Enjoy.”

     Without even hesitating, Hyunseung started to slowly stroke Junhyung. Then he leaned closer and licked the tip, making Junhyung moan this time.

     “S-Shit. That’s it, lick it hard baby.” Junhyung demanded and Hyunseung did what his lover requested. He ate that thing like a Popsicle.

     “Fuck, I’m about to…“And like what Junhyung did, Hyunseung stopped before Junhyung could even release his load.

      “You’re going to release all that inside,” Hyunseung said seductively as he leaned closer to give Junhyung a kiss. Then he sat back down on Junhyung’s lap, but this time he was facing him.

     Hyunseung started rubbing his private part with Junhyung’s cock, making Junhyung moan again.

     “N-No wonder you’re the prince of l-lust.” Junhyung tried to say as Hyunseung was continuously teasing him.

     Finally, Hyunseung grabbed Junhyung’s little boy and positioned it at his hole, but before putting it in, Hyunseung leaned forward and whispered, “ I love you. “

     But instead of answering, Junhyung suddenly thrust forward, forcefully making an entrance on Hyunseung’s hole.

     “Fuck!” Hyunseung shouted as he arched his back because of the pleasure. Seconds later, Hyunseung’s eyes turned bloody red. He released an aura that made Junhyung even hornier.

     “Oh yeah, fuck that feels so good! Baby I don’t remember you being this tight!” Junhyung stated as he continued to thrust in and out inside Hyunseung.

      Hyunseung doesn’t answer but looks straight at Junhyung instead. When Junhyung saw his red eyes, he quickly smirked and said, “Looks like you’re enjoying yourself. You like that? Huh?”

     “Y-Yes! I love it! I want more! Do me faster!” Hyunseung now shouted, not even caring how loud he was saying it.

     Junhyung became even harder as he heard Hyunseung say those things. So he started thrusting faster and harder than before.

     “Fuck yeah! That’s it! More! Harder baby! Harder!” Hyunseung shouted as he was moaning and gripping on Junhyung’s shoulder.

      “S-Shit…you’re so fucking sexy.” Junhyung managed to say as he continued to fuck his lover like there was no tomorrow. As the two were enjoying the pleasure, the restroom door suddenly opened, making Junhyung stop, and Hyunseung turned his eyes back to normal.

      “ Shit “, Junhyung whispered, he wasn’t expecting that someone was really going to go inside.

      “What the hell, it smells like sex here.” One of the students stated as he and his friend entered the restroom. Thanks to the aura Hyunseung released, the whole place was covered in lust and ecstasy.

     “So, when’s the exams?” one of the students asked, then the two started talking.

      Junhyung and Hyunseung looked at each other when suddenly Junhyung started thrusting again.

      “ No! Stop for a second… “ Hyunseung whispered in Junhyung’s ear but Junhyung wasn’t listening, he just continued to thrust on his lover, and even harder and faster than last time.

      Hyunseung wanted to moan so badly but he just couldn’t, the students were still inside the restroom. Hr didn’t know what to do so he bit on Junhyung’s shoulder instead, making Junhyung silently curse. The pain and the pleasure being mixed together made the two cum at the same time.

     “Let’s go.” one of the students said as he and his friend went out of the restroom.

     “I love you too.” Junhyung finally answered as he and Hyunseung were panting heavily.

      “Idiot,” Hyunseung stated as he leaned forward and gently kissed Junhyung on the lips. Then Hyunseung pulled out. He was about to stand up when Junhyung grabbed his arm to stop him. Junhyung grabbed some tissues on the side and started cleaning himself and Hyunseung. This made Hyunseung remember the first time they had sex. Even during that time, Hyunseung has already been sweet towards him.

     “We should go, classes will be over soon,” Junhyung stated as Hyunseung finally stood up, but he quickly lost balance as he felt his whole body shiver from pain.

     “Shit.” Hyunseung cursed as he grabbed Junhyung’s shoulder for support.

     Junhyung held onto his lover to help him stand properly, “It’s alright, we haven’t done it in a long time so you’re not used to it yet.”

     “Then make me get used to it again.” Hyunseung seductively says, making Junhyung smirk.

      “Don’t make me fuck you again Jang Hyunseung,” Junhyung said as he finally opened the door of the cubicle. But he quickly stopped when he saw what was in front of him.

     Hyunseung lifted his head and flinched too. It was the Demons and the Arcs, all standing in front of them with their arms crossed.

     “The professor finished the discussion earlier than usual,” Suho stated as he looked at the two.

     “Looks like you did a pretty good job JS,” Minhyuk stated as he looked at his best friend with a smirk.

     “A really good job actually,” Mark added.

     Hyunseung quickly puts his head down from embarrassment, making everyone laugh.

     “Let’s go, I’m hungry.” Sunggyu stated, then he looked back at Hyunseung and Junhyung and said, “Or are you two already done eating?”

     Hyunseung blushed even harder, but Junhyung looked normal like he didn’t just have sex with Hyunseung a few minutes ago.

     “Actually, we’re starving,” Junhyung stated, making Sunggyu smirk.

     “Alright then, let’s go,” Sunggyu instructed when everyone went out of the restroom to follow him. As they were walking, Sunggyu added, “And please you two…do it quieter next time. Your voices literally echoed in the hallway.”

     .

     .

     .

      “What?!”

---

“So, what did Park Dong Min say?” Taeil asked as he and the rest of the Arcs & Demons were eating lunch at the cafeteria at their usual seat.

     “He was surprised by the dreams and even the letter. He said he’ll be studying it more to know the meaning better. And he said he and Kharon had already talked about it too.” Woohyun answered.

     “That’s good. So what’s the mission?” Suho asked. And this time, it was the Arc’s leader who answered, “Actually we don’t have a specific mission yet, but our guardian said it’s best if we try to find out about those dreams you guys were having first. Like what Taeil explained to us, Jiyong’s trying to tell you guys something. We already know what he wants from Jackson, so we need to find out what he wants from the rest of you guys too. It’s obvious you all have a purpose, we just need to find out what it is.”

     “So that means every time we see or dream about Jiyong, we need to attentively watch it. Check if something new is happening.” Sunggyu instructed, and everyone nodded in agreement.

     “Then it means Jackson still needs to go to Jiyong’s grave every Sabbath day?” Sungjae asked.

      Jackson wipes the sauce off Mark’s mouth first before answering, “Of course, just because we’re already together doesn’t mean I need to leave Jiyong behind. I don’t want any ghoul to take him, or even come near him.”

     “Wait…don’t you think that’s a good plan?” Taeil suddenly says, making everyone look at him confusingly.

     “What is?” Sunggyu asked.

     “What if we let the ghoul think that Jackson really isn’t there. Then when it comes near Jiyong’s grave, we catch it.” Taeil suggested.

     “Then what do you plan us to do? Interrogate it?” Hyunseung asked with his right eyebrow raised.

     “Well yeah, that’s the best thing we have so we could understand what the King wants with Jiyong’s body,” Taeil stated.

     “But ghouls can’t talk, the things they say are usually programmed.” Suho explained, but Jihoon quickly added, “But Nagi talked just fine.”

     “That’s because Nagi is a ghoul molded into a human form. We don’t know how to mold a ghoul into being a human.” Sunggyu stated.

     Junhyung sighed and finally joined the conversation, “You know what, let’s talk about this when we have our meeting at the Holy Home later so we could consult Dongmin and Kharon about it.”

     “Good idea,” Minhyuk stated. Then everyone nodded in agreement.

     Jihoon sips on his bottled water and stood up, “Then if you don’t mind, I’ll just be outside for a bit.”

      Taeil quickly stood up and looked at Jihoon, “I’ll come with you.”

     Everyone looked at them with their right eyebrows raised. The action made Taeil blush. Jihoon grabbed Taeil and placed his arm around his shoulder, “Then we’ll make it quick.”

     Taeil blushed even harder as the sons started howling like animals.

     “That’s my boy!” Junhyung shouted as Taeil and Jihoon started walking out.

      “Good luck Taeil!” Sungjae added.

     The two finally arrived in the garden. Jihoon quickly lets go of Taeil and takes out a cigarette from his pocket, then he looked at Taeil and said, “Sorry but…can you…”

     Jihoon didn’t even have to finish since Taeil knew what he was talking about. He placed his finger on the end of the cigarette and lit his finger with fire.

     “Thanks,” Jihoon stated as he started smoking.

     “You know I stopped smoking because of you,” Taeil stated as he continued to look at Jihoon.

     “Really? That’s not what Suho told me.” Jihoon suddenly says, making Taeil clench his fist in anger.

     “ Suho that asshole, “ he told himself as he brushed his hair back.

     “I’m sorry,” Taeil stated.

     “It’s okay.” Jihoon simply answered.

     Taeil sighed and sat down on the bench.

     “ Read the atmosphere, you idiot, “ Taeil said to himself as he looked disappointed.

     Jihoon glanced at Taeil and saw his expression.

     “If you keep on looking like that then I’d really fuck you in the garden.” Jihoon suddenly said without even looking at Taeil.

      Taeil’s face turned red from complete embarrassment.

     “W-Who the fuck told you I wanted you to fuck me anyway?” Taeil asked as he looked away.

      Jihoon exhaled the smoke and glanced at Taeil who had a sad expression. He sighed and threw the cigarette away, then he walked towards Taeil and kneeled in front of him.

     “I’m sorry.” he suddenly says, making Taeil look at him confusingly.

     “Why are you apologizing?” Taeil asked, but instead of answering, Jihoon rested his head on Taeil’s legs.

      “When everything is over…will you promise me something?” Jihoon suddenly asked without even looking at Taeil.

      “What is it?” Taeil asked back, but Jihoon wouldn’t answer.

      “Hey, what is it?” Taeil asked again as he lifts Jihoon’s head so he could look at him, and to his surprise, Jihoon was crying.

     “W-What the…Jihoon! Why are you crying?!” Taeil stated as he quickly wiped Jihoon’s tears. But Jihoon grabbed Taeil’s hand and stopped him.

     “Will you promise me something?” Jihoon asked again.

     “I promise, so tell me what it is,” Taeil stated, now being impatient.

     Jihoon moved closer and placed his forehead on Taeil’s. He took a deep breath and whispered, “ Will you marry me?“

     Taeil’s whole body froze upon hearing Jihoon’s question. When Jihoon saw Taeil’s reaction, he quickly said, “You don’t have to answer now, and you don’t have to force yourself into it. I just want you to know that whatever happens…and even after everything…I will always be yours.”

     “Jihoon…”

     “And even if you fall in love with someone…know that I will always be here for you, okay?” Jihoon asked. Taeil didn’t know what to say so he grabbed Jihoon and hugged him tightly.

     “You can’t just fucking drop a will you marry me bomb on me all of a sudden!” Taeil stated as he continued to hug Jihoon.

     Jihoon chuckled and said, “Sorry, was it too much?”

     Taeil broke from the hug and looked back at Jihoon, “No, I’ve watched too many romcoms that this isn’t even going to make me cringe anymore.”

     “That’s good,” Jihoon said as he squeezed Taeil’s hand. Then suddenly, Taeil started crying now too, but instead of blood, he was crying water. And somehow, seeing Taeil cry water made Jihoon feel a lot better.

     “Why are you crying?” Jihoon teased even though he knew the meaning of his tears.

     “I’m fucking happy you idiot,” Taeil said as he quickly wiped the tears away.

     “Don’t tell your brothers about this for now. Give me some time so I could tell them about it myself okay?” Jihoon asked and Taeil nodded in understanding. Then Jihoon leaned closer and gave a quick peck on Taeil’s lips, making Taeil blush like crazy since that was the first time their lips touched each other.

      Jihoon laughed and said, “There will be more of that when you answer my question in the future.”

     Taeil continued to blush as he hits Jihoon on the shoulder, “stupid.”

     Jihoon hugged Taeil again and said, “Don’t leave me okay? Whatever happens…don’t leave me.”

     Taeil doesn’t say anything but nodded his head in agreement. But he wanted to ask why Jihoon sounded like he was in great pain rather than being happy like he knew something that Taeil and his brothers didn’t know about again. But Taeil brushed the thought away and continued to hug Jihoon instead.

     “ I won’t leave you…just promise me you’ll never lie to us again. “ Taeil thought to himself as he hugged Jihoon even tighter.

AFTER CLASS

Classes came by fast and the Demons were now all at the gate, ready to go home.

     “Let’s go, Dongmin is already waiting for us at home. He said Kharon was there now too.” Junhyung stated.

     “You guys go ahead, Dongmin asked me to buy some ingredients for our dinner later.” Lay stated and Junhyung nodded in understanding, “Okay then, we’ll go ahead first.”

     Suho quickly goes to where Lay was and said, “I’ll come with him and help him with the grocery bags. I have a car anyways.”

     “Good idea, then we’ll head back first,” Junhyung stated as he patted Suho’s back, then the rest left.

     Suho looked at Lay and said, “Let’s go.”

      The two went to the parking lot where Suho’s expensive car was parked. He opened the car door for Lay and went inside the driver’s seat the moment Lay got inside.

     Seconds later the engine roared and Suho drove off.

     The drive was so quiet because neither Suho nor Lay would start up a conversation. Well, they are famous for being an awkward couple.

      “You know I’ve been doing some con-artists work again since Jiyong’s death.” Suho suddenly opened up.

     “Well, that’s something you’re already used to so I guess it’s normal if you start doing it again.” Lay honestly said.

     “How about you? Have you been doing okay for the past months?” Suho asked, his eyes still on the road.

     Lay looks out of the window and answered, “I’ve been trying to do my best. I knew we’d meet again, I just didn’t know it would take this long.”

     “I’m sorry.” Suho says, but before Lay could say anything, Suho continued, “I wanted to see you. Every day I wished I had the guts to see you, I was just…Jiyong’s death was just…” Suho stopped when he felt Lay hold his hand.

     “I know.” Lay simply says.

     Suho stopped at the red light and looked at Lay, “No, you don’t know. I was being selfish, I thought I knew everything, I thought Jiyong’s death was the Arc’s fault and I believed that lie for the past seven months. And I told myself that maybe I really don’t love you anymore…or maybe I wasn’t in love with you enough to believe you.”

     A blood tear suddenly falls from Suho’s eyes. Lay quickly takes his handkerchief to wipe away the tears.

     “I don’t know about you but for me, I know you love me. Maybe not as much as you love your brothers, but I know you love me. Because whatever happens, even if you tell me you don’t love me anymore…I will always have you in my heart.” Lay says, and Suho quickly grabs him by the collar to kiss him.

     “I love you Yixing…there will never be a day where I’ll tell you that I don’t love you anymore,” Suho says.

     “I know.”

     After that, the two arrived at the grocery store to buy the things Park Dong Min needed for their dinner tonight. Lay was holding the list of ingredients while Suho was holding the basket and following Lay on the side.

     “Excuse me but where are the pastas?” Lay asked the female employee who was stacking the boxes of fresh milk. The girl looked at Lay and suddenly blushed the moment she sees his face.

     “ Not this again. “ Suho thought to himself as he continued to look at the girl drooling over his boyfriend.

     The girl quickly fixed her hair and stood up straight, “F-follow me…I’ll show you where it is.”

     Lay smiles brightly and says, “Oh sure, thank you.”

     “ Don’t fucking smile like that you idiot. “ Suho thought to himself again as he went in front of the girl, “It’s okay, just tell us where the lane is.”

     The girl saw Suho’s face and was about to blush too, but Suho was emitting such a dark aura that she felt scared instead.

     “O-Of course…it’s at lane e-eight.” the girl answered as she backed away from Suho. The aura Suho was emitting quickly vanished. He smiled widely and said, “Thanks.” Then he grabbed Lay’s arm and dragged him towards lane 8.

     “Seriously Joon?” Lay asked as he pulled his arm away from his protective boyfriend.

     “You’re jealous again.” Lay teased. Suho looked back at him and angrily said, “Hell yeah I’m fucking jealous.”

     Lay quickly blushed since he wasn’t expecting Suho to be so honest.

     “Then don’t be.” Lay simply says as he proceeded to lane eight to get the pasta that they needed. Suho sighed heavily and looked at Lay from behind, “How can I not be when everyone here is practically drooling over you?”

---

     “That will be 32$.” The cashier said as she looked at Lay with a bright smile.

     Lay smiled brightly as well and was about to take his wallet, but Suho quickly took his and paid for it instead. Lay looked at Suho with his right eyebrow raised but Suho didn’t look back at him. The girl happily takes the money from Suho’s hand.

     “Are you guys from here?” the girl suddenly asked.

     Lay looked at Suho if he was still angry, and as expected, he was, so Lay didn’t answer the question. The girl looked a little embarrassed since they weren’t answering her so Suho sighed and quickly said, “Yeah, we were just gone for a couple of months.”

      The girl smiled again and said, “No wonder I haven’t seen the two of you, I just started my part-time job here a couple of weeks ago. And you guys look like college students too, roommates?”

     Suho takes the change from the girl’s hand and takes the grocery bags. He then looked back at the girl and answered, “No…couple.”

     The girl’s eyes widened as he looked at Lay and Suho with shock. Lay was even blushing.

     “I-I see…then enjoy your day sirs.” The girl says, still shocked.

      Suho smiles victoriously and says, “You too.” Then he went out; Lay quickly following behind him.

      The two arrived at the parking lot. Suho placed the bags inside his car, then he goes inside, shocking Lay since Suho didn’t open the door for him like earlier.

     “ Looks like he’s still mad. “ Lay thought to himself as he got inside Suho’s car.

     “Let’s go, our brothers might be waiting for us,” Lay said as he was about to buckle his seatbelt, but Suho quickly stopped him.

     He quickly pushed Lay’s seat back, then he goes on top of him, holding Lay’s hand tightly.

     “J-Joon…what the hell are you doing!?” Lay struggled to say as he tried to push Suho away from him.

      “Are you seriously going to keep on making me jealous or do you just like the attention that badly?” Suho says, his eyes dark and deadly.

     “We’re fighting over something like this again!?” Lay says, still trying to push Suho away.

     “You know I don’t like it when people look at you like that. You clearly know about that fact but you keep on smiling at them like that., Suho adds.

     “Are you fucking serious right now?! Of course I’ll smile at them! It’s normal to smile like that to people!” Lay shouted, and finally, Suho loosens his grip on Lay’s hand.

     “If it’s so normal then why don’t you smile to me like that?” Suho suddenly says with a sad expression, shocking Lay.

     “Joon…”

      “Whenever we’re together, it’s either we fight, or you cry. Do you have any idea how painful it is to see you cry all the time? The last time we saw each other you were crying too. It makes me feel like I haven’t done anything but make you cry. I want to be a man for you, but if I keep on making you cry then what does that make me?” Suho honestly says, still looking deeply at Lay’s eyes.

     Lay drapes his arms around Suho’s neck so he could kiss him, when they broke from the kiss Lay says, “Me crying doesn’t lessen your manliness you know.”

     “But…”

     Lay quickly stops him and continues, “If it would make you feel better…” He pulled Suho closer to him so he could whisper in his ear, “ I cry when you fuck me hard too. “

      Suho quickly looked at Lay with shock, and the angriness he felt quickly vanished.

      “Are you actually seducing me right now Zhang Yixing?” Suho asked with his right eyebrow raised.

      Lay doesn’t answer but bites his lips seductively instead.

      “Okay, you asked for it,” Suho says as he quickly unzips Lay’s pants.

      “W-Wait! We’re actually doing it now?!” Lay shouted as Suho pulled Lay’s pants lower.

      “Don’t pretend like you didn’t expect it…and don’t worry, my cars tinted, no one’s gonna see,” Suho stated, but before Lay could protest, Suho snakes his hands inside Lay’s boxers, holding his cock   tightly. Lay moaned loudly because of the contact, it’s been so long since Suho held him like this.

      “What should I do to make people know you’re fucking mine?” Suho asked as he started jerking Lay aggressively.

      “A-Ahh…s-shit…not too hard.” Lay tried to say while he was has holding onto Suho’s shoulder.

      “I thought you liked it hard?” Suho asked with a smirk, fastening his hand’s pace. Seconds later, Lay releases his seed on Suho’s bare hands.

       “Fuck…I’m sorry.” Lay quickly said as he grabbed the tissue on the side to clean Suho’s hand.

      “Don’t worry, we’re not done yet,” Suho says as he unzips his own pants, then he lowered his boxers, showing Lay his hard and throbbing cock. He licked his fingers and shoved all three inside Lay’s hole without even warning him, making Lay moan even louder.

      “Fuck!” he shouted. 

      “Wow, this isn’t as tight as before…don’t tell me you’ve been practicing,” Suho stated, making Lay blush.

       Lay quickly looked away and answered, “I’ve been lonely without you.”

      “Shit, that’s hot babe.” Suho suddenly said as he leaned towards Lay to bite his lips, “Looks like I don’t need to prepare you then.”

      He positioned himself at Lay’s entrance, and without warning him again, he shoved himself inside.

      “Ah! You fucking idiot that still hurts!” Lay shouted as he pierced his nails onto Suho’s shoulder.

      “Well of course it will. Any toy would still be smaller compared to this thing,” Suho stated, making Lay feel embarrassed again. But before Lay could say anything, Suho started thrusting in and out.

      Lay started moaning even louder as Suho continued to fuck him like there was no tomorrow.

     “That’s it baby…come on, cry for me.”

      It went on and on for a couple of minutes until Suho finally burst out his entire loud inside Lay.

      Suho falls on top of Lay, both panting heavily after what happened to them.

      “You always know how to tame me,” Suho says, still panting loudly.

      Lay brushed Suho’s hair back and said, “That’s because I love it when you go wild on me.”

---

 “We’re here!” Suho shouted as he and Lay entered the Holy Home with the ingredients needed for their dinner.

     Minhyuk and Woohyun went to where they were and helped them with the bags. Woohyun quickly stopped when he saw a small pink mark on Lay’s neck.

      Woohyun looked at Suho and said, “Seriously Suho? You gave Lay a hickey?”

     Lay’s eyes quickly widened as he ran towards a mirror to see it for himself. And like what Woohyun said, there really was a hickey on his neck.

     “Joon!” Lay angrily shouted as he looked at Suho who was laughing with Minhyuk.

      “Car sex?” Minhyuk asked in between his laugher.

      Suho doesn’t answer but smirks instead, making Minhyuk laugh even louder. He patted Suho’s back and said, “You aggressive fella.”

      Lay quickly blushed and ran off, leaving the three laughing.

      “Damn I missed this place.” Suho suddenly says as he looked around the mansion.

      “I know right. And our things are still here too.” Minhyuk added.

      “Anyways, where are the others?” Suho asked as they walked their way towards the kitchen.

      “They’re already at the meeting room, we’re all just waiting for you guys.” Woohyun answered. They placed the bags at the kitchen counter and quickly went to the meeting room where Park Dong Min, Kharon III, the Demons, and the Arcs were.

     “Good afternoon,” Suho stated with a bow.

      “Good, they’re already here. Let’s begin.” Kharon says as everyone sat down to start the meeting.

      “So, do you have any idea about the letter?” Sunggyu asked as he looked at Dongmin.

      Dongmin, who was holding Lucifer’s letter, looked at the sons and said, “What Taeil said about Jackson is true. I’m not sure about the others, but I’m sure about one of them.”

      The Demons were shocked to hear about Dongmin’s sudden reveal.

      “What is it?” Hyunseung quickly asked.

      Dongmin looked at everyone and answered, “In the letter, it says that a boy whose bidding is done by others will show you reflection.

Kharon told me Taeil has Catoptromancy, that’s the ability to see people or places through mirrors. Lucky for you there’s no one else who could do that but me and Jihoon.“

     Taeil quickly looked at Jihoon who nodded in agreement.

     “So, what’s that have to do with Jiyong?” Suho asked.

     “I think Jiyong wants you to find him through the mirror,” Kharon answered for Dongmin’s sake.

     “But Jiyong’s dead, how am I going to find him?” Taeil asked confusingly.

     “Taeil, when a sinful person dies, where does its soul goes?” Dongmin asked, making everyone realize it.

    “In hell!” everyone answered in unison.

     “So you want me to look for Jiyong’s soul through a mirror?” Taeil asked. 

     Dongmin nodded and explained, “That’s right, but it will be very hard since you’re not looking for someone on earth. If it was on earth you could do it for a couple of minutes, but someone in hell will be somewhat impossible. I call the Father’s in heaven all the time using the mirror. It’s easy for me since I know where they are. In your case, you have to put out all your concentration just to even know where his location is. That’s why Jihoon will be there to help you.”

     “But didn’t you tell us that Jiyong shows himself to you sometimes?” Jackson asked, then Taeil quickly nodded, “That’s right, I see Jiyong when I look at the mirror sometimes. But it’s only for a couple of seconds.”

     “If that’s the case then it’s best you try to feel his energy through that small amount of time.” Park Dong Min suggested.

     “It’s a hard task but that’s all that we’ve got for now. For the rest of you, try to analyze your dreams of Jiyong so we could know about it better.” Kharon instructed, and everyone nodded in agreement.

     “And how about the plan Taeil suggested, about catching the supposed ghoul who’s after Jiyong?” Hyunseung asked.

     “I think it’s too risky, but it’s worth the shot. We only have a few possibilities, we should do all of it while we still can.” Kharon stated.

     “By the way, Kharon…why are you still wearing your priest uniform?” Suho asked out of the blue as he noticed Kharon’s black uniform.

     Kharon massaged his temple like he remembered how exhausting his day was, “That’s because the principal called for me and made me handle new exchange students.”

     “Sounds tough…for someone who hates handling people like yourself,” Sunggyu says with a grin, making the rest of the Demons laugh.

     “By the way, we missed you Park Dong Min,” Minhyuk stated as he looked at the Arc’s guardian. Dongmin didn’t want to react to what Minhyuk said but he couldn’t help but smile.

     “Likewise.” He stated.

     “That’s why our guardian decided to make a feast for you guys today,” Junhyung revealed, shocking the Demons.

     “Really?!” they asked in unison.

      Dongmin continued to smile as he said, “Let’s just say it’s a welcome back party.”

     “Hell yeah!”

---

The Demons and the Arcs finally finished their welcome back party. Kharon left to wherever he usually goes to, and the rest went back to their usual rooms.

      Everyone was already in their beds except for Jackson and Mark who were still at the bathroom cleaning themselves up.

     “Did you drink a lot?” Jackson asked as he was scrubbing Mark’s back gently with a cloth.

     Jackson and Mark were sitting on the bathtub; Mark sitting just in between Jackson’s legs.

      “Nope, you know I’m bad with alcohol.” Mark answered, Jackson still rubbing his back, “Did you?” he adds.

      Jackson chuckles and says, “Maybe a little.”

      “Don’t mess with me, I saw you chugging a bottle of beer with Jihoon a few minutes ago,” Mark says, making Jackson chuckle again.

      “If you knew about it then why did you ask in the first place?” Jackson asked. Mark then turns around to face Jackson and answered, “It’s because I want to know if you’re lying to me or not.”

     “I would never lie to you,” Jackson stated, now washing Mark’s hair.

     Mark pouted and said, “I know.”

     Jackson leaned closer and gave Mark a kiss, the type of kiss where the two would fight with their tongues. After the passionate kiss, he looked back at Mark and said, “How is it possible that you’re mine?”

     Mark laughed and answered, “I don’t know, go and ask your brothers.” 

     This time, it was Mark’s turn to wash Jackson’s hair.

      “They don’t like it when I talk about you.” Jackson revealed, but instead of feeling bad, Mark stated, “But Minhyuk told me you talk about me all the time.”

      Jackson smirked and answered, “Exactly why they don’t like it.” Then the two laughed.

      “So, what were you doing while I was away?” Jackson asked. Mark was done cleaning his hair so he turned around again and leaned his body on Jackson’s hard chest.

      “I was training like usual. Just trying to occupy my mind with whatever. How about you? Heard you’ve been taking care of Jiyong.” Mark stated.

      “I have, and even if Jiyong didn’t tell me to, I still would have done it,” Jackson honestly answered.

     Mark pauses for a few seconds before saying, “Do you think you guys could really do it? I mean…resurrect him?”

      Jackson takes a deep breath and answers, “I hope so…but let’s not talk about Jiyong for now okay?”

     “Oh, of course…I’m sorry,” Mark says. Then Jackson kisses his head and says back, “Don’t be.”

     “I missed this…” Mark suddenly says.

     Jackson gently places his head on Mark’s shoulder and said, “Tell me the other things that you miss about me.”

      Mark blushed embarrassingly but said it anyway, “I miss your warmth, the way you take care of me…” Then he turned around to face Jackson again. He held his face gently and continued, “I missed your eyes, how they intensely stare back at me whenever I look at them. Your strong hands gently holding onto me, and your lips…I missed it touching mine like it was perfectly made for that purpose.”

     “I didn’t know you were so poetic.” Jackson suddenly teased, breaking the romantic atmosphere Mark was trying to build up.

     “Jackson!” Mark angrily says.

     Jackson started laughing and said, “Sorry, I just love teasing you.”

     Mark moved closer and gently rested his head on Jackson’s shoulder, “I know.”

     “You tired?” Jackson asked, hoping Mark would say no so they could get it on . But Mark nods his head instead and answered, “Yeah.”

     Even though Mark wanted to do it too, he was still dead tired after everything that happened today. Jackson smiled upon hearing his lover’s honest answer. He pats Mark’s head and said, “Alright, anything for my little angel.”

      Jackson stood up, carrying Mark with him. Then he gently placed Mark on the counter. He took a towel and started drying him up, then he did the same to himself. He quickly wore his clothes first before going back to Mark. Lucky for Mark, Jackson doesn’t wear anything underneath when he sleeps.

     “Lift your hands baby,” Jackson instructed. Mark obliged so Jackson made him wear his shirt. Then he made him wear his boxers.

      After that, he leans forward to kiss Mark’s forehead before lifting him up and carrying him again. Jackson carried his angel towards the bedroom and gently placed him on the bed. He turned the lights off and joined Mark, cuddling him.

      “Good night baby,” Jackson says while hugging Mark.

      “Hold me tightly tonight okay?” Mark weakly stated, it was obvious he was now very sleepy.

      “I will, don’t worry,” Jackson answered.

      Mark closes his eyes. And before falling asleep, he says, “I love you. Don’t you dare leave me again okay?”

      Jackson chuckled and said back, “Leaving you was never an option to begin with.”

• END -

SDS3 07: SLEEP

“WANNA GO OUTSIDE FOR   a while?” Minhyuk asked as he looked at Sunggyu who was drying his hair with a small towel. Sunggyu looked at his brother and replied, “Sure, let’s go.”

      These two were now shockingly roommates. Minhyuk used to be roommates with Suho while Sunggyu was with Jiyong. But since both of their roommates are gone, the two were forced to share a room together. But it’s not like Sunggyu and Minhyuk don’t like each other, it’s just weird since Sunggyu used to bully Minhyuk before and the two were practically enemies. Who would have thought they’d end up being brothers and roommates in the future.

     “Damn those two are still going on with it! It’s frustrating!” Minhyuk shouted as they arrived at the balcony. Next to their room was Suho and Lay’s room, and like how Minhyuk said, the two were still doing it, making Sunggyu and Minhyuk hear every fucking thing.

      “Just let them be, they’ve been separated for seven months anyway,” Sunggyu stated, shocking Minhyuk.

      “No fucking way. You’re not mad about it at all?! What did you do to our leader you alien?!” Minhyuk jokingly says as he looks at his leader with disbelief. Sunggyu rolled his eyes and said, “We’ve been in pain for such a long time, and being with their loved ones is a good thing so they could forget. That’s what I meant about letting them be.”

     “But how about the ones who are alone? What do we do to forget?” Minhyuk honestly asked.

     Sunggyu takes a deep breath and looks at the scenery, “Being with my brothers…already makes me forget about the pain. That’s all that I need for now.”

      Minhyuk leans towards the balustrade and looks at the scenery too, “Don’t you ever wonder who we’ll end up being together with? Like, are we even going to be given a chance to find that one person?”

     Sunggyu chuckles on his brother’s sudden question, “And why did you suddenly think about that?”

     “I don’t know, maybe because I’m jealous?” Minhyuk suddenly says, making Sunggyu laugh.

      “You’re fucking jealous? Seriously?”

      “Look, Hyunseung and Junhyung are what we call the determined couple . They’re the ones who will do anything so they could be able to love each other. Jackson and Mark are the passionate couple. They’re the type of couple that when you look at them you’d feel like falling in love is such a beautiful thing. Then Jihoon and Taeil are the low-key couple. They obviously love each other and everyone knows about it except them, and somehow it’s cute. Then there’s Suho and Lay who are the…”

     “ Awkward couple. “ Sunggyu suddenly says, then he looked at Minhyuk and continued, “They’re the couple who needed the comfort. And in the perfect time and the perfect place, they used each other and ended up falling in love without knowing each other personally.”

     “Exactly! You’re getting it now!” Minhyuk says excitedly.

     “So what are you trying to tell me then?” Sunggyu asked.

     Minhyuk sighs and says, “What I’m trying to say is that looking at our brothers all dedicating their lives not only for themselves but for someone else too is just…awesome.”

     Sunggyu chuckles and says, “You don’t need a partner to feel awesome Minhyuk.”

     “Oh come on, lighten up. No man’s an island you know.”

      “And where the hell did you hear about that?”

      Minhyuk doesn’t answer and just shrugs his shoulder.

       “Then what about you? If you had someone you’re with, what type of couple would you be with your partner?” Sunggyu asked, looking back at the scenery.

      “I don’t know about that but what I know is that I’d be the type of guy who would always try my best to make my partner happy.” Minhyuk answers, just thinking about it made him smile.

      “Well you’re doing a pretty good job making your best friend Hyunseung happy so I guess you’d make a better job on your partner.” Sunggyu honestly says, making Minhyuk smile widely.

     “How about you? What type of partner would you be?” Minhyuk finally asks.

     Sunggyu doesn’t say anything for a couple of seconds before answering, “I’d probably be the possessive and the aggressive type . If something’s mine, I’d make sure that person, and everyone around us, knows he’s fucking mine.”

     “What a scary boyfriend you would be.” Someone suddenly says. The two demons quickly turned around and saw Woohyun and Sungjae holding cups of coffees.

     “Couldn’t sleep?” Sungjae asked as he and Woohyun gave Minhyuk and Sunggyu their coffee.

      “Thanks. And yeah, Suho and Lay are a little too loud.” Minhyuk stated as he took a sip of the coffee.

      The Angels stood beside the Demons, and then Woohyun looked at the two and said, “A little too loud? Then why not visit our room and listen to what we were going through a couple of minutes ago. Junhyung and Hyunseung were both screaming their lungs out. And our room literally smells like lust! Hyunseung’s just oozing this dark, sexy, aura and it’s driving us crazy!”

     The rest quickly laughed at Woohyun’s exaggerated explanation.

     “So what were you guys talking about earlier? It sounded interesting.” Sungjae asked. Then Sunggyu answered before Minhyuk could explain it himself, “Nothing really, Minhyuk’s just feeling a little lonely.”

     “Why? Too tired doing it by yourself?” Sungjae joked, making the three laugh.

     “Thank you leader, you perfectly explained to them my needs.” Minhyuk says as he glared at Sunggyu.

     Sunggyu puts his arms around his brother and said, “Oh come on, lighten up, no man’s an island you know.”

     Minhyuk quickly pushed Sunggyu’s hand away; who continued to laugh because of Minhyuk’s reaction.

     “No need to feel bad Minhyuk. For someone like you I’m pretty sure you’ve done it a lot of times now so your D probably wouldn’t be that lonely being alone anyways.” Sungjae says, making Sunggyu laugh even harder and Minhyuk blush like crazy.

     “No way.” Woohyun says, getting the picture.

     Seconds later Sungjae understood it too.

     “You’re a virgin?!” the two asked in unison.

     “Why are you suddenly interested in my sex life?!” Minhyuk shouted, still red because of embarrassment.

     “That’s so weird! Why are you working out so much then?! Guys trying to build up their muscles mostly has one goal, and that’s to be able to some,” Sungjae suddenly says.

     Minhyuk quickly shakes his head and defended himself, “That’s fucking disgusting, not all guys are like that. And besides, I’m the prince of glutton for Pete’s sake. I have an eating disorder before if I don’t exercise I’d be fucking fat right now, even worse, I’d be having cholesterol and diabetes.”

     “Well, that makes sense now.” Sungjae says, staring intensely at Minhyuk’s body, making Minhyuk cover himself since he felt like he was naked and Sungjae was staring at him for too long.

      “What gives man?!” Minhyuk shouts, making Sungjae blink and realize he was staring too long. Woohyun butts in and says, “Don’t mind him, he just has a thing for guys with nice bodies.”

      “Woohyun you idiot!” Sungjae shouted angrily, making Woohyun and Sunggyu laugh and Minhyuk blush again.

      “Don’t think weirdly about it okay? Woohyun’s just an idiot,” Sungjae quickly says, but Minhyuk was already thinking weirdly about it so he looked away and nodded.

      Sungjae sighs and says, “Nice work Woohyun, you just made things awkward between us.”

      “Then isn’t that a good thing? You two might end up like Suho and Lay,” Sunggyu says.

      “Definitely not!” both shouted in unison, making Woohyun and Sunggyu laugh again.

      “So how long do you think those guys would be doing it? Till morning?” Woohyun asked, now changing the topic.

     “Hopefully not. I’m fucking tired and I want to sleep in peace,” Sunggyu answered and the rest agreed. Then he turned around. But the moment that he did, he quickly dropped the cup he was holding when he saw someone standing in the darkness. A figure whose eyes were all covered in black.

     “Jiyong!” Sunggyu quickly shouts, making everyone’s eyes widen.

     “Where?!” Minhyuk asked, but Sunggyu doesn’t answer and starts running towards Jiyong who was slowly walking away.

     Sunggyu ran faster and was about to grab Jiyong’s arm but he couldn’t touch him. It was like he was made out of smoke.

     “ Sunggyu… “ Sunggyu heard Jiyong say before it could completely disappear. The three arrived at where Sunggyu was. Sunggyu doesn’t say anything but drops on his knees, his eyes wide from shock.

     “H-He called out for me…it was the first time…t-that Jiyong…called out my name,” Sunggyu says, now shaking and trying his best not to burst out his tears.

     Minhyuk kneels and quickly hugs his brother, “It’s okay, I’m here…it’s okay.”

     Woohyun and Sungjae looked at the two with sad expressions, then the lights turned on, revealing Taeil and Jihoon.

     “What’s going on?” Jihoon asked as he looked at the four.

     “We heard the noise and quickly ran here,” Taeil added.

     Minhyuk looked at his brother and said, “Sunggyu saw Jiyong again.”

     “What?” Taeil asked in shock.

     Sunggyu lifted his head and looked at the two, “Call everyone…”

     Taeil and Jihoon looked at Sunggyu confusingly. Then Sunggyu suddenly clenched his fist and shouted, “I said call everyone now!”

---

     Everyone was in the meeting room. It was midnight, but no one cared since Sunggyu just saw something that would surely help them with their mission.

     “So you saw him.” Junhyung pointed out.

      Sunggyu nodded and answered him, “Yeah, and not like before, his eyes were all black, and it felt like he was real. And he called out my name. That never happened before.”

     “When was the last time you saw Jiyong’s spirit?” Park Dong Min – who the brother also woke up – asked.

      “About two weeks ago,” Sunggyu answered.

      “And the Jiyong you saw two weeks ago was different because?” Dongmin asked further.

      “His eyes were normal, and he was cold and unreal. The one I saw today felt hot when I tried to touch it.” Sunggyu explained. Dongmin starts thinking for a few seconds, then he sighs heavily and finally says, “What you saw wasn’t Jiyong.”

      When Sunggyu heard of Dongmin’s conclusion, he suddenly slams the table and says, “It was him. I saw him and I-”

      “You saw his image, you didn’t see HIM. Black eyes? He felt real? You saw a ghoul molded into Jiyong’s image, not Jiyong himself.” Dongmin explained, shocking everyone.

      When Sunggyu finally calmed down, Dongmin continued, “I didn’t want to say this, but I think Jiyong’s spirit is getting farther and farther away from us. If we don’t do anything his spirit will be far gone and we can never resurrect him.”

     “What?!” the Demons asked in unison.

     “T-Then…what should we do? We need to do something!” Hyunseung quickly asked.

     “The best thing we have now is to look for him through the mirror. Us finding him will make his spirit stop roaming. This will give us ample  time so he wouldn’t completely fall to the abyss.” Dongmin explained.

     Taeil quickly stood up and said, “Then there’s no time to waste,” he looked at Jihoon and continued, “Let’s go,”

     “You can rest for now and do it tomorrow,” Dongmin says, but Taeil shakes his head in disagreement, “No, my brother needs me now. And I’m not failing him again.”

      Dongmin takes a deep breath and finally nods his head in understanding, “Then go to the holy mirror. It will be ready for you to use it.”

      Taeil bowed and left the room, and then Jihoon followed behind him.

      “But why would a ghoul do that? Why would he pretend to be like Jiyong?” Suho asked once the two were gone.

     “The King of Hell is surely the mastermind behind it. Maybe it’s a decoy for us to think Jiyong is still within our reach.” Dongmin explained.

     “But he was inside the holy home, no mere ghoul can enter the holy home,” Mark stated and the Arcs quickly agreed.

     “He’s right, the first time we got here, it was already hard in our part, what more for a mere ghoul,” Jackson explained.

      “It could mean anything, but what I do know is that the King of Hell is now stepping up his game, especially when all of you are together now. He knows you guys are more powerful than before and you even have the keys of hell. It might sound impossible but I think he’s scared of the six of you,” Dongmin stated.

      “Is he stupid? We only have six keys; Jiyong has the last piece. We can’t actually open the gate so why is he suddenly scared to the point that he’ll be doing all these stupid stunts?” Sunggyu asked, now angry just by thinking about the King.

      “He’s doing this so you wouldn’t have the chance to resurrect Jiyong. Because if you do, not only will you acquire the ability to open the gates, but you have also resurrected the most powerful Demon in hell,” Dongmin stated, finally making everyone understand.

      “So it’s all down to resurrecting Jiyong. Our main mission now is to resurrect him, and for us to do so, we need to understand the dreams, and what better way for us to do just that is to actually sleep, don’t you guys think?” Minhyuk suggested.

     “You have a point there,” Suho added.

     “Then let’s go back to our rooms and sleep. We’ll talk about this matter again tomorrow,” Dongmin stated as he stood up. The rest stood up as well and bowed in front of the guardian before leaving the room. Then one by one the Demons and the Arcs went back to their respective rooms.

      “Sunggyu let’s go,” Minhyuk called out as he looked at Sunggyu who was still standing blankly in the middle of the room.

      Minhyuk touched his shoulder, making him flinch. Then he looked back at Minhyuk and said, “Sorry.”

      “Hey, it’s okay. I know what you’re feeling, I know that you were relieved to see Jiyong again but then you realized it actually wasn’t. We all want to see Jiyong again, and we eventually will if you keep your shit together. You’re our leader remember? We need you more than anything.” Minhyuk honestly tells him.

      Sunggyu sighed and doesn’t look at his brother, “I know…I’m just a little worried that we’ll never really get to see him anymore.”

THE NEXT MORNING

“I didn’t dream about him.” Hyunseung suddenly revealed. Suho quickly raised his hand and added, “Me too. The dreams suddenly stopped.”

     Dongmin looked at Minhyuk who also answered with a sad expression, “I didn’t dream about him either.”

      The guardian sighed heavily and massaged his temple, “I knew it. We wasted so much time that we ended up with this. How about Taeil, where is he?”

      “He’s still at the Holy mirror with Jihoon. He said he wasn’t going to leave, not unless he sees even a little hint of Jiyong’s existence,” Junhyung says since he saw the two just this morning.

      “They didn’t sleep?” Dongmin asked, surprised to hear about it.

      “Taeil didn’t want to stop, while Jihoon didn’t want to leave Taeil alone, so both of them didn’t sleep.” Woohyun explained. Dongmin sighed again and stated, “Call them here, and tell them breakfast is ready.”

     Woohyun stood up and said, “Got it,” then he went to where the two were.

     “But did he find anything?” the guardian asked as he looked at the Arc’s leader.

     Junhyung shakes his head and said, “I don’t know yet, but with the looks on their faces earlier…he was obviously unsuccessful.”

      Everyone in the dining room was quiet. They were all tired. Maybe not physically, but they were exhausted mentally, especially when they all forced their brains to dream about Jiyong again, but nothing came, which made it even more painful. To top it all off, everyone had classes today too.

      “What are we supposed to do now?” Hyunseung asked, his hope of resurrecting Jiyong slowly fading. But instead of Dongmin answering his question, someone enters the dining room with Woohyun, Taeil, and Jihoon.

      “For now we need to halt our plans for Jiyong,” Kharon stated as everyone looked at him with shock.

      “Kharon, what are you doing here this early?” Sunggyu asked as he looked at their guardian confusingly.

      “I found something that might just change the whole game. I want you all to go to HAU immediately,” Kharon instructs.

      Sunggyu quickly stood up and asked, “What’s going on?”

      “It might not look like it but I saw ghouls in human forms earlier when I was heading to HAU. I attacked them and found out they were actually escorting someone,” Kharon revealed, shocking everyone.

      “Escorting someone?” Sunggyu asked in disbelief.

      Everyone braced themselves and waited for what Kharon had to say, “ S ranked Demons arrived, and I don’t know whether they were sent by the King himself, or if they were sent by your own Fathers.“

      “S ranked Demons?!”

• END -

SDS3 08: RANK

“S RANKED DEMONS?!” THE Arcs and the Demons asked in unison. Kharon went closer to where the sons were and answered, “Remember the exchange students I was talking about yesterday? It’s them.”

      Everyone was suddenly shocked by what Kharon just said. Hyunseung quickly looked confused as he added, “You were with them all day…and you didn’t know they were Demons?”

      Kharon sighed like he couldn’t believe it himself, “Yes, because if you look and smell them they’re just humans. If I didn’t get to interrogate the ghouls I wouldn’t even know. It’s embarrassing since I’m a high ranked demon myself but I wasn’t even able to identify them.”

NOTE:   It might be weird but just by one look or even by smell, Demons can sense the presence of other Demons.

      “That’s impossible,” Taeil says, trying to understand the whole situation.

      “But what did you mean when you said you don’t know whether they were sent by the King, or whether they were sent by the Rulers?” this time, it was Mark who asked it.

     Kharon finally sat down as he answered, “If they were sent by the King of Hell himself, then they wouldn’t be there in the open. They should be hiding, or they could have talked to me or they could already have attacked you, especially when all of you are still vulnerable. But they haven’t done anything, and they act like they don’t even know me.”

     “But if it was our fathers who brought them here then they could have still talked to you and would have also shown themselves to us,” Minhyuk pointed out and everyone agreed.

     “Don’t tell me they sent the ghoul here,” Dongmin suddenly says, making everyone look at him.

     “What ghoul?” Kharon asked since he hasn’t heard of that event yet. Sunggyu, who experienced it himself, looked at their guardian and answered, “I saw Jiyong last night, but apparently it wasn’t Jiyong, it was a ghoul molded to look like Jiyong.”

      Once Kharon heard about it, his eyes quickly widened.

     “Only high ranked Demons can mold ghouls into humans, which means only the King, the sinners ( who are all dead now ), and the S ranked Demons could do such a thing,” Kharon explained.

     “Then…they really were the ones who sent it here?” Woohyun asked, and Kharon nodded.

     “But why?” Sunggyu and Jackson asked in unison.

     “Eyes,” Dongmin answered. When everyone was now looking at him, he continued, “They used them to, let’s just say, spy on all of you.”

      Everyone quickly had goosebumps on the sudden reveal.

     “B-But the ghoul…he wasn’t human at all…he was a spirit. I couldn’t touch him at that time. Then does that mean…these guys are powerful?” Sunggyu asked in disbelief.

     “It looks like it,” Kharon stated.

     “Then how the fuck are we going to defeat them if they really were sent by the King?!” Sunggyu asked with a louder tone.

      “Are you guys idiots? You are Princes of Hell! You’re S Ranked Demons yourselves. You can defeat them, especially Jackson and supposedly Jiyong, who are SS Ranked Demons like the Rulers. That’s why I said if they were here to kill you, they wouldn’t be out in the open, and to top it all off, be in HAU. They know what you’re capable of, and they’re aware that fighting you will mean they’re asking for their deaths,” Kharon explained.  

      Sungjae, who was still confused, looked at Kharon and asked, “Wait a second, I’m still really confused by this. Ranks in heaven are obviously different so it would be helpful if you explain those ranks to us first.”

     Kharon looked at Sungjae and nodded, then he looked at the Arcs and explained, “Creatures living in the underworld have ranks:

     The lowest Rank, Servitors , are the pathetic ghouls. They’re weak to the point where humans can kill them too.

     Next are the Tempters, they’re like ghouls, but they’re the ghouls molded into humans who are sent to earth to tempt mortals. These guys are usually being used by the Rulers.

     Minor Lords are the monsters; most are servants of the rulers. If you want me to describe them, well they’re the big guys. If I can remember, you all saw one at the Realms of Gluttony when you visited Hell. Gatekeepers are also Minor Lords.

     Next to the list are Lords (“ A “ ranked Demons), they’re the Demons with names, and they’re the ones who possess humans. Because of Lords, Angels studied exorcism. So you can thank us for that later.

    Now for S Ranked Demons , also known as the Dukes. They are the Princes of hell and the Demons who were molded by the King himself, like the Sinners. And not to brag, the ferryman of the dead, ( Kharon ), and the Grimm Reaper, are also Dukes.

     Highest rank; the SS Ranked Demons , also known as the Absolutes , are the Rulers of the Realms, and Jackson & Jiyong. These guys are the only SS ranked demons in hell.

     And lastly, the SSS Ranked Demon, and there’s only one, and that’s the King of Hell.

     “Those are the ranks in Hell.” Kharon finished, and the Arcs (even the Demons), looked like kids who just finished an important lesson with their teacher.

     “So, these guys were sent by who knows what, and they can be easily defeated by the Demons. Then what the fuck are they doing here?” Jihoon asked, now confused about the situation even more.

     “I don’t know, that’s why I’m telling you all to go to HAU immediately to find out. I obviously can’t interrogate those students since I’m a priest, and those guys look like they don’t even know my real identity to begin with. So it’s best you guys have a chat with them instead.” Kharon stated.

     “But…”

     Dongmin, who has been silently listening since earlier, finally said, “Jiyong is important, but this sudden occurrence is also important. If we’re lucky it can even be connected to Jiyong himself, so it’s best you listen to Kharon and head there now”

     The Demons quickly stood up, and so did the Arcs.

     “Then let’s not waste any time, let’s go,” Sunggyu instructed, and everyone followed.

---

The Demons and the Arcs quickly arrived at Holy Angels University. Kharon was with them a couple of minutes ago but all decided that it would be weird if students see them come to school with the priest.

     The Demons were walking at the corridors with their famous pyramid formation, but this time, Sunggyu and Junhyung were in front while the rest scattered behind them.

     The 12 brothers were all looking around, trying to find the S Ranked Demons Kharon mentioned. It will be hard since no one could sense their presence; they’re basically like ordinary humans. But everyone agreed that anyone who stood out will 100 percent be them.

      “So Kharon said these guys are two tall good-looking men. The other one was blonde while the other one had dark brown hair,” Minhyuk explained.

      “Then what do you guys expect us to say once we meet them?” Junhyung asked, his eyes still upfront.

      “I don’t know, ask who fucking sent them?” Suho answered sarcastically.

      Woohyun chuckled and said, “That’s actually not a bad idea.”

     “Anyways, Kharon also said they had ghouls slash guards with them when they arrived here, so it means they’re rich. Do you think they’re like the sinners? Like the type that would use other people’s bodies?” Taeil asked. Jackson shakes his head and said, “I don’t think so. I think they were personally made.”

     “Like what God does?” Mark asked.

     “Exactly. I think they have their own identity to avoid unwanted attention, then the king (or maybe our fathers), did something to the minds of everyone, making them think they’re real, like how the king erased everyone’s memory of Jiyong,” Jackson explained, shocking everyone since he wasn’t really a talker.

      “If that’s the case then they’ve been here for a long time. Demons are immortals right, well except for you guys who are half Demons. They could be the type of Demons who come back and forth from hell and earth. These guys could be thousands of years old,” Sungjae explained, then Hyunseung butted in and said, “Or they could be just a few days old. Maybe they were made already as teenagers just a few days ago.”

     “Fuck, this is so complicated,” Jihoon complained as he aggressively scratched his head.

      “Let’s just be cool once we meet them, we don’t want any trouble yet. But if things get bad…Jihoon, I want you both to quickly stop time. I don’t want the students to get hurt.” Sunggyu instructed, and even though Sunggyu was the Demon’s leader, the angel nodded his head and said, “Understood.”

    “Well, get your weapons ready, I think we found our target,” Junhyung stated with a smirk as he saw two guys ( who perfectly fit the description ), walking opposite their way.

     “Move you assholes.” The blonde one told the students who were blocking the corridor.

     “Give the guy his fucking space.” The brown-haired guy added.

     “This place is fucking bull, when are we going to leave anyway?” the brothers heard the blonde guy say. While they were walking towards them, Suho squinted his eyes and said, “These guys are the S Ranked Demons? I don’t want to sound cocky but they feel so…weak.”

     “Let’s not belittle them too much Suho or you might just eat your words when they kick your butt in the future,” Hyunseung stated.

     As the two were now a few meters away from the brothers, Sunggyu’s eyes suddenly widened from shock.

     “N-No way…” he says as he stops walking, making everyone stop walking behind him.

      “What is it?” Junhyung asked.

      Sunggyu, whose eyes were still focused on the two, answered, “One of them…I already saw one of them.”

      “What? When?” Hyunseung quickly asked.

      “When I arrived in Korea…the motorcycle guy…he hit my car, then he fucking smirked at me when I got angry at him!” Sunggyu angrily says as he remembered that frustrating event.

      “Well, easier for us to start a conversation then,” Junhyung says as he watched Sunggyu bolt towards them. When the two were finally face-to-face with the Demons and the Arcs, Sunggyu grabbed the shoulder of the guy who he met before, then he angrily looked at him and said, “You asshole! How dare you show your face to me again!”

      Everyone expected him to smirk like how Sunggyu told them he’d done before. Some even expected him to say something witty, but they were all shocked when they saw what he really did.

      The handsome boy quickly pushed Sunggyu’s hand away like it was nothing, and with deadly eyes, he looked at the Demon’s leader and said, “Don’t fucking touch me.”

      The blonde guy beside him on the other hand smirked and said, “We don’t want your blood on our clothes this early in the morning; it would be disrespectful to our professor.”

      “What the fuck did you say?!” Sunggyu shouted as he was about to punch the motherfucker, but Junhyung quickly held his shoulder and stopped him, “ Didn’t you just say to act cool? “ Junhyung whispered as he saw the students already surrounding them.

      Sunggyu quickly pushed Junhyung’s hand away and looked back at the two supposed S Ranked Demons. But before he could say anything to them, the two suddenly leaves the scene, leaving the Arcs and the Demons dumbfounded.

      Did they just ignore them?

      “W-What the fuck just happened?” Minhyuk asked from disbelief.

      Sunggyu, who was still in shock, answered, “Well my brothers…we just met the S Ranked Demons Kharon was so worried about.”

• END -

SDS3 09: PAIN & PANIC

“WHO THE FUCK DO they think they are?” Sunggyu asked as they were walking their way to their room.

     “Kharon said they were S Ranked Demons, but they acted like they fucking didn’t know us! We’re basically their princes! How dare they treat us like we’re nothing!” Sunggyu continued, frustrated at the sudden event that occurred a few minutes ago.

     “Everyone in hell practically treats us as betrayers more than their princes so there’s nothing we should be shocked about,” Suho stated, making Sunggyu glare at him.

      “Just relax okay? You don’t know anything yet.” the Arcs’ leader – Junhyung – stated to at least calm the Demon down.

     Sunggyu stopped walking and looked at Junhyung angrily, “That’s exactly the reason why I’m fucking furious! We always don’t know anything! Even before Jiyong’s death, we didn’t know anything. When we were kids, we didn’t even know we were princes of fucking hell in the first place! You guys are lucky enough to know the truth upon your birth, and even now, you guys know more things than we do.” Then Sunggyu moved closer and whispered, “ I’m not even going to be surprised if you already know who those two bitches are either. “

     Junhyung quickly pushed Sunggyu away and said, “We don’t, that’s something you should understand. Just trust us and…”

     Sunggyu quickly cuts Junhyung off and says, “Trust? How dare you say such a word in front of us? We’d fucking trust you and someone will end up dead again, is that what you mean by trust? Did you guys trust us when the SOLs said we were going to kill a human? No, you despised us and even hid the fact that one of us was going to die. Jiyong trusted you…but you guys didn’t trust him and now he’s fucking dead!”

     “That’s enough Sunggyu.” Hyunseung quickly says. He didn’t want Jiyong to suddenly be involved in this stupid conversation.

     “Sunggyu, I thought we already-” Sunggyu glares at Jihoon, making him stop talking midsentence. Then Sunggyu looked back and instructed, “Brothers, let’s go.”

     Sunggyu started walking away. The rest hesitated, but followed their leader anyways, leaving the Arcs dumbfounded at the hallway.

     “Dongmin was right. It will be hard to have the Demon’s trust again,” Sungjae stated.

     Junhyung sighed, he wanted to say something but Mark quickly goes to him and said, “Hey, don’t worry leader. Sunggyu was just caught up at the moment. He got mad and just gave all his frustrations to you so you don’t have to think much about it.”

     “I know. But every time they mention Jiyong’s death…I just…” everyone waited but Junhyung couldn’t even say it. The Arcs’ expressions quickly changed too because of the sudden gloomy atmosphere.

     “Sunggyu’s right, if we trusted them more than our fears and told them the truth, things might have gone differently, and Jiyong might still be alive,” Junhyung says with his head down.

     “You know what Dongmin and Kharon told us. Telling them will only make things worse,” Lay explained, but Junhyung shook his head and said back, “We keep on underestimating the Demons even though we already know how powerful they are. The ending isn’t absolute; no one knows what’s going to happen next until it happens. We don’t know how it should have ended if we ever did have the chance to tell them the truth. We just didn’t trust them enough to believe that they might have had the chance to pull it off.”

     The Arcs didn’t say anything anymore. Because for the first time in a while, Junhyung was right. Their guardian and Kharon never did tell them the outcome if they told the Demons the truth. It was only “ stop them and one will die “, or “ don’t stop them, and everyone will die “.

     Kharon only told assumptions on what would happen if they did tell the Demons, but he too wasn’t sure. A hundred different events could have happened for every different action. They were just too afraid to take the risks.

     “That was a shitty move Sunggyu. You clearly know the Arcs had no other choice.” Suho stated, then Hyunseung walked beside Sunggyu and added, “And just because those two Demons fucked you up you’re starting to talk shit about the guys who saved us?”

     “Saved us? Is that a fancy word for just followed instructions ?” Sunggyu sarcastically asks.

     “You’re just overreacting again!’ Hyunseung now shouted.

      “You don’t know how I feel Jang Hyunseung,” Sunggyu says as he pushed Hyunseung away and continued walking. But Hyunseung wasn’t even fazed. He ran back beside Sunggyu again and said, “Then fucking tell me. Tell me what you’re feeling so we’d finally know why you’re always having these mood swings, why you’re always getting angry on the smallest things, and why you won’t accept the fact that Jiyong’s fucking dead!”

     Sunggyu finally stopped walking, and so did the rest of the Demons.

     Hyunseung walked closer to where Sunggyu was and said, “A ghoul who looked like Jiyong just simply said your name then you end up breaking down. We all miss him, and we all regret everything that happened that day…but you keep on looking for someone to blame for his death, and you keep on shoving the blame on the Arcs when they were only trying to do what they were told to do. They trusted us that we’d understand, we’re the ones who didn’t trust them.”

     When Sunggyu didn’t say anything, Hyunseung continued, “You keep on putting this topic back when everyone is trying to forget about it. You pretend as if you understand but you actually don’t. How long will it take for you to forget about the past? And how long are you going to drag as with you?”

     Sunggyu finally looks back at Hyunseung and moved closer.

     When he was only a few inches away from Hyunseung, he stated, “You have no idea how long I’ve blamed myself for his death. I tried killing myself so many times I already lost count, and in every attempt I see Jiyong save me moments before I was about to die. Overreacting you say?” Sunggyu laughs at the statement and continues, “Yeah I’m overreacting. I’m trying to understand what the Arcs did for us. I’m trying so much for everyone’s sake. And I’m trying to put up this brave look even though I’m still broken. I went back here because I wanted to? Oh, what a wonderful lie…my mom dragged me back here. I was never planning on coming back.”

     Everyone quickly had a shocked expression on Sunggyu’s sudden confession.

     “I missed you guys…yes, I did. But coming back to you was never my plan. I even hesitated on enrolling back in HAU. The only thing that made me stay was when I found out we had a chance to resurrect Jiyong. If it wasn’t for that I could have left you all again without any hesitation,” Sunggyu revealed.

     Hyunseung quickly slaps Sunggyu the moment he was finished talking, and no one even stopped him because everyone was still in shock on what Sunggyu just said.

     “You wanted to know what I’m really feeling right? Then there you go…so stop acting like you guys have everything all planned out,” Sunggyu says, his gaze now different than before.

      “But the Arcs was only-”

     Sunggyu quickly looked at Taeil and said, “Look, there you guys go again with the Arcs. If you love them so much then why don’t you just go to them? You don’t listen to your fucking leader anyways. If you ask me…I pity Kim Sunggyu because you guys don’t know how weak he already is. He’s just trying to keep it all together for his useless brothers.”

    “W-What are you talking about?” Jackson asked confusingly.

     “ Abiit potest daemonium! “ someone suddenly shouts, making Sunggyu faint in a quick second. Everyone looked at the person in front of them and was surprised to see Kharon with the Arcs.

     “What did you do to him?!” Suho shouted as he ran towards Sunggyu.

     “That wasn’t Sunggyu, it was the S ranked Demon you met in the hallway a few minutes ago,” Kharon answered as he walked towards Sunggyu as well.

     “What?!” everyone shouted in unison.

     “That can’t be. W-When did they…switch?” Minhyuk asked, now confused.

     “Probably the time Sunggyu touched him,” Kharon answered, shocking them even more.

     “That quick?! We didn’t even notice! We didn’t even notice it wasn’t Sunggyu anymore, we couldn’t sense it.” Hyunseung stated. No wonder Sunggyu was acting differently earlier.

     “I told you, I too didn’t sense that they were Demons when I met them. They might look like two ordinary students you can beat in one go, but they’re stronger than they look.” Kharon explained.

     “So it means they can posses people, even Demons. How on earth are we going to find out if someone’s already possessed? We ask them personal questions or something?” Suho asked.

     “That would be useless. When a Demon possesses a body it acquires the person’s knowledge as well.” Kharon explained, making the Demons have sad expressions.

     Taeil then looked at Kharon and said, “Then what that Demon said about Sunggyu…how he didn’t want to go back…” Taeil didn’t have to finish as Kharon nodded his head and said, “Yes, I knew about it too, even his suicides. I’ve counted it all…37 in total.”

      The Arcs’ eyes shot open from shock. It was their first time hearing about this. Suho, who was holding on to Sunggyu’s lifeless body, couldn’t help but cry blood as he looked at his best friend, “Oh Sunggyu…we didn’t know. I’m sorry we didn’t know…”

     Hyunseung even covered his mouth from shock. He said the meanest things to Sunggyu without even knowing the reasons behind it.

     Kharon sighed and looked at the Demons, “Even through hell I could see your whereabouts. Everyone had it tough, but Sunggyu…he was the one who suffered the most. So if your leader ever starts getting angry all of a sudden, or if he starts breaking down, please understand him. He’s trying his best for everyone’s sake.”

      Everyone looked back at Sunggyu with sad expressions. Then suddenly Sunggyu opens his eyes. He quickly pushed Suho away and started vomiting black liquid.

     “He’s back.” Kharon simply says.

     “Sunggyu! I love you okay? Every one of us loves you,” Suho suddenly said as he grabbed his brother and hugged him tightly. Sunggyu pushed Suho again and stood up, “What the fuck are you suddenly blabbering about?”

     “Looks like he is back,” Minhyuk stated. Then Sunggyu looked at Kharon and said, “What the fuck happened? Where the hell are those S Ranked Demons?”

MEANWHILE…

“Fucking old phoenix…he ruined everything! And I was already having fun.” The Demon with the brown hair stated as he wiped the black liquid on the side of his mouth.

     “Having fun telling the Demons about Prince Sunggyu’s deepest darkest secret? He’s going to fucking kill you if he ever finds out about this, which he definitely will.”

     “Oh come on, I did the prince a fucking favor. He’s been hiding those feelings for so long it even frustrated ME! What more on him?”

     The two S Ranked Demons were at the rooftop, sitting on the floor while looking at the scenery. They were supposed to head to class but decided to play a little before going.

     “So how did it feel Panic ? Being inside a weak prince’s body?” the blonde-haired boy asked with a smirk.

     “I felt…weak.” The boy called Panic says while laughing.

     “Well, your lifeless body did look a little pale a few seconds ago.”

     Panic quickly looked at the boy beside him and grabbed him by the cheeks rather aggressively, “What did you do to my body while I was away?”

     “Don’t worry…daddy took care of his baby very well.” He says with a smirk. The dark brown-haired demon leans closer like he was going to kiss him, but instead, he bites on his lips and pulls the piercing on the boy’s lower lips. He quickly pushes Panic away, making Panic chuckle on the boy’s reaction.

     “Painful?” he asked with a smirk.

     The boy looked back at Panic and answered, “Don’t worry…I love pain.”

     “Not as much as you love giving others pain though.” Panic adds, still smirking. Then he looked back at the scenery and said, “When are we going to leave this place Pain ? I’m fucking bored.”

      Pain looked at the boy beside him and said, “Don’t worry, the games are just about to begin.”

     “Pain! Panic! I’ve been looking everywhere for you two!” someone shouted while walking towards the two.

     The two S ranked Demons didn’t even have to turn around to know who it was.

      “What the fuck do you want? Can’t you see we’re resting?” Pain asked, still not looking at the man who was wearing a priest uniform. But this uniform was different from Kharon, it was the uniform for the priests of Rosemary High, the school that they were apparently from.

      ( If you haven’t forgotten these two are exchange students )

     “I told you two not to stand out too much remember? Then what the fuck was that stunt earlier with the Princes and those Angels?” the priest AKA their guardian asks angrily.

     “And why do you fucking care?” This time, it was Panic who asked.

     “That’s because I’m your guardian,” he says, making the two laugh at the statement. They finally looked at the priest as Pain says, “You’re a fucking Grim Reaper , not a guardian. But if you want you could go to that stupid ferryman phoenix and guard him instead…wait, what was his name again? Kharon was it?”

     “Yes, Kharon who found out that you guys are S Ranked Demons,” Grim reminded them.

     Pain rolled his eyes and said, “Oh please, it was those useless ghouls fault. I already told you before we left hell that we should have brought Minor Lords instead, but no…you don’t listen.”

     “Or would you listen better if we play a little,” Panic says as he was slowly reaching out for Grim’s crotch, but he quickly moved away before Panic could even lay a finger on him.

     “Enough with your games, the president of HAU is looking for you.” He says, making the two look at each other.

     “What does that old man want now?” Panic asks.

     “Who knows, now go. And don’t act like Demons if you don’t want people to know who you are. I’m hearing rumors that someone’s going to follow Pain later so they could picture him and put him at the school’s newspaper.” Grim warns them.

      Finally, the two stood up and looked at their guardian.

     “No one is going to know we’re Demons. Kharon and the others didn’t even know we’re Demons  if it weren’t for those stupid ghouls.” Pain says.

      Grim angrily looked at the two and said, “Nothing’s wrong if you want to be cautious, because if you two have already forgotten, you’re being chased by Lords (A Ranked Demons). If they find out who you are then it’s going to be troublesome. If both of you won’t stop I’ll…”

     “What? Kill us? So typical grim reaper.” Pain says with a smirk.

     “Grim, if it bothers you so much that we stand out then stop calling us Pain and Panic, don’t you think people will hear it weirdly?” Panic adds.

      Grim sighed and finally said, “Fine… Lee Hoseok (PRONUNCIATION: Ho-sok ) , Chae Hyungwon 

(PRONUNCIATION: Hyong-won), head to the Principal’s office now or else.“

     The two smirked again and said, “Roger that”

• END -

SDS3 10: LET THE GAMES BEGIN

“LOOK WHO WE HAVE here. It’s the Grim Reaper. I’m gonna hand it to you man, I did not recognize you.” Kharon stated as he entered a bar with his now strangely close friend, St. Peter, AKA Park Dongmin .

     Grim looked at the two and smirked, “Didn’t know you two were a couple.”

     “We’re trying to keep it private.” Dongmin jokingly said as he and Kharon sat down beside Grim at the bar area. The bartender handed them their drinks, then the two looked back at Grim Reaper.

     “So…Who sent them?” Kharon quickly asked. Grim looked at him with his right eyebrow raised and said, “What are you talking about Kharon?”

     “Don’t play dumb Grim. I’m talking about the Demons, the S ranked Demons that were brought here. What do they want with my Princes? Who sent them?” Kharon asked, trying to sound intimidating so his colleague would answer him seriously.

     “They’re not here for the Princes,” Grim answered, making Kharon glare at him.

     “That’s bullshit.”

     Grim took a sip of his beer and continued, “You wanted me to answer then I gave you my answer.”

     “If that’s the case then tell us who asked them to come here. Was it the king of hell? The Rulers? Or someone else?” this time, it was Dongmin who asked it, but calmer compared to Kharon.

      Grim smirked, “That’s none of your business St. Peter. You have your secrets, I have mine, so let’s all keep it that way before I start interrogating you next.”

     Dongmin smirked back and took a sip from his wine, “Smart as always Grim. You never do change, maybe by face, but not by attitude.”

     “I was resurrected…I don’t know…five times? Not like Kharon who was only resurrected three times.” Grim said as he looked at Kharon. Kharon looked back at him and said, “That’s because I don’t die easily like you. Which makes me wonder, if you’re death himself, then who takes you when you die?”

     Grim rolled his eyes and said, “The King of course. I wouldn’t have died five times if it weren’t for him. Two of my deaths were a part of his plans before, and the other two were because I didn’t take the souls that were supposed to be killed.”

     “And the fifth death?” Dongmin asked.

     “He just didn’t like the face that I resurrected from,” Grim answered.

     Dongmin chuckled and said, “He’s a cruel fella.”

     “Well, he wouldn’t be the king of hell if he wasn’t,” Kharon stated.

     “So, how does it feel to take care of Seven…Oh…I mean six Princes of Hell?” Grim Reaper asked with a smirk, making Kharon clench his fist upon remembering Jiyong’s death once again.

     Kharon calmed himself down and looked at Grim, “Better than you’d expect. They’re more human than most of the people on earth and even nicer than Dongmin’s holy sons.” Kharon said as he and Grim looked at Dongmin.

     Dongmin took another sip of his wine before saying, “Give my kids a break. They were already thought to kill demons before they could even talk. They’re not bad, they’re just following orders.”

     “Orders that will eventually get themselves killed,” Grim suddenly says. When Dongmin didn’t react, he continued, “We all know what happened in the battle with the Rulers and the 12 Apostles before. The Apostles followed orders, and because of those orders they lost the war that could have ended everything.”

     “What’s done is done, but aren’t you following orders as well? You brought those two here because you were ordered to, am I right?” Dongmin finally asked.

     Grim looked at the two and surprisingly answered, “I did not follow orders. I helped them escape hell. It was the best thing I could do for now.”

     Kharon and Dongmin were surprised at Grim’s answer, but they didn’t show it so Grim could explain further.

     “Help them escape? I know hell is currently in chaos right now but why would you help two S ranked Demons? Who are they and why on earth would you risk your life again for them? Do you really want the king of hell to kill you for the sixth time?” Kharon quickly asked.

     “That’s not important, isn’t it? You don’t need to know the details since my kids aren’t here for yours. The reason why we’re here is because Lords are after them. They’re very important assets, and I will make sure no one takes them from me,” Grim answered, but it only made the two guardians confused and even more curious.

     “But why? Why would Demons chase after those kids?” this time, it was Dongmin who asked, but Grim chugs his beer and stands up, “I have already told you more than I should. Goodbye gentlemen but I have to head off first.”

     “Wait!” Kharon quickly says before Grim could leave. He stood up and walked towards Grim Reaper, Dongmin just right behind him,  “Those two, please just tell me who they are. And I promise no harm will be put upon them.” Kharon honestly said, making Grim turn around to look at him.

     “Fine…they’re Pain and Panic, “ Grim finally answered, shocking the two.

     “P-Pain and Panic? T-Then…where are the rest of them? Why are they only two of them here?” Kharon asked, but Grim just shrugged his shoulder and said, “I’m not sure. They’re probably still in hell with the King’s new bitch.”

---

“Pandora was said to be the first mortal woman sent on earth. She had a box that contained seven dark emotions, and these emotions are Vengeance, Misery,

Pain,

Violence, Fear, Nightmare, and Panic . Pandora wasn’t supposed to open the box, but because of curiosity, she did, and she released all these evil emotions. But it was said that one emotion was left inside the box…what do you think it is?“ the professor asked as he looked at the students in front of him.

     Minhyuk quickly raised his hands, making the professor call him.

     “Hope sir.” Minhyuk confidently answered.

     “Very good Mr. Lee. The emotion that was left inside Pandora’s box was hope. Anyone who would want to explain further?”

     Students started raising their hands as the professor called them one by one.

     “ I’m surprised you studied this lesson too. “ Hyunseung – who was sitting beside his best friend – sarcastically stated. Minhyuk ignored his brother and continued to listen to the professor.

     “ I can’t fucking believe this, “ Sunggyu whispered, his eyes still on the professor, but his hand was gripping on his pen too much it would break any minute.

     “ What is? “ Suho asked.

     Sunggyu looked at the two men sitting at the front and said, “We’re in the same class with those assholes!”  

     “Mr. Kim Sunggyu, would you like to share something with us?” the professor suddenly called out because of Sunggyu’s loud voice. Suho sighed as he looked at their leader. Then everyone in the class looked at him, even the S Ranked Demons that Sunggyu hated so much.

     Sunggyu quickly shook his head and calmed himself down, “I apologize sir. Please continue.”

      The professor looked at Sunggyu for a couple of seconds before clearing his throat and continuing his discussion, “As I was saying…”

     “ Can you please not make your hate towards them too obvious? “ Suho whispered as he looked at Sunggyu who was massaging his temple.

     “ How could I when they fucking possessed my body without me even knowing about it? “ Sunggyu said, now softer than before. But it was still obvious he was still furious.

     “ Just let it go, we’ll just go talk about this during lunch break, “ Suho told Sunggyu. And surprisingly, Sunggyu calmed down and didn’t talk about it until lunch break.

   AFTER CLASS…

     “So what do you want us to do? Follow those assholes?” Taeil asked as they were finally at the cafeteria with the Arcs.

     “That’s not a bad idea.” Sunggyu suddenly said.

     “We’re not stupid enough to follow them.” Hyunseung quickly said back.

     “Then how will we know if they’re our enemies or if they’re actually on our side?” This time, it was Junhyung who said it. But before anyone could answer, the two S Ranked Demons arrived with their trays, making everyone inside the cafeteria quiet. Then, out of nowhere, they sat down at the Arcs & Demon’s table, shocking everyone.

     “W-What in the…” Sunggyu says as he was about to stand up, but Hyunseung quickly grabbed his arm to stop him.

     “Don’t…let’s see what these two are up to, “ Hyunseung whispered, making Sunggyu sit back down.

     “Excuse me but you’re in our table,” Lay says as he looked at the Demons oozing with black aura.

     “We’re not on your side, nor are we here to fight you.”  Panic , AKA Hyungwon , suddenly stated without even looking at the sons. The twelve quickly looked at the two who were calmly eating their lunch. Sunggyu looked at Jihoon, and in one look Jihoon knew what to do. With one snap of his fingers, the time stopped.

      “What are you talking about?” Sunggyu quickly asked.

      Wonho ( Pain ), finally looked at the sons and said, “You guys were wondering if we were your enemies or if we were on your side. We’re telling you we’re neither.”

     “ They heard that? “ Minhyuk told himself with shock.

     “Then who are you, and what the hell are you doing here?” Sunggyu asked as he stood up. Hyungwon looked at the Demon’s leader, he was about to touch him but Sunggyu quickly backed away. Then he blinked, and the moment he opened his eyes, it was already red, and he was already showing his true demonic self.

     With his now bloody red eyes, he walked closer again and said, “You try possessing me again and I swear on Jiyong’s grave I will rip you to shreds.”

     “Told you he’ll kill you,” Wonho said as he looked at Hyungwon. Hyungwon stood up in front of Sunggyu and looked at him. Then he smirked and changed himself into his demonic state as well, shocking everyone because of his eyes.

     “His eyes…it’s purple. Is that even normal?” Mark asked, but no one answered because they too weren’t sure. Wonho stood up as well and walked beside his partner, Hyungwon. Then he too transformed into his demonic state.

     “Where are our manners,” Hyungwon stated as he looked at Wonho. Wonho smirked and said, “It is nice to finally meet you our princes. I am Duke of Pain, also known as Wonho.”

     “And the one who shamelessly possessed the Prince of Wrath is me, Duke of Panic, also known as Hyungwon,” Hyungwon stated as he bowed, making Wonho bow as well.

     “D-duke of P-Pain and Panic?” Suho tried to say as he looked at the two Demons in front of them from head to toe with complete confusion.

     “Now let’s calm down, we’re not here to fight you. Who are we to challenge the Princes of Hell anyway? Fighting you will be complete suicide, the King of hell pretty much knew about it too, that’s why he tricked you and killed the strongest prince instead.” Wonho stated, making Sunggyu clench his fist.

     Junhyung finally stood up as well and walked beside Sunggyu, “Then why are you here?”

     Hyungwon quickly looked at Junhyung straight in the eye, and in the split second, Junhyung opened his mouth and said instead, “Don’t worry, we’re not here for you.”

     “They fucking switched!” Hyunseung quickly shouted.

     “That quick?!” everyone asked in disbelief. Before Sunggyu could even touch Junhyung, Hyungwon quickly went back to his body and started laughing.

     “Damn! Possessing a human-angel is way easier than a demon. I don’t even have to touch you guys.” Hyungwon stated as he looked at the Arcs, making them quickly avert their eyes.

     Hyunseung stood up and went towards Junhyung who was trying to catch his breath.

     “Y-You son of a…b-bitch…” Junhyung said, still panting. People who get possessed end up getting tired by it, and that was only for a few seconds. This explains why Sunggyu fainted when they switched back.

      “Oh, can’t handle a little switch angel?” Hyungwon asked with a baby voice, making everyone annoyed and Junhyung more furious.

     Taeil stood up and looked at the two, “You leave these guys alone. If you’re not here for us then we’ll leave you be. Just do the same and don’t come near us ever again.”

     The two looked at each other and nodded. Then suddenly, they looked back at the sons, and at that moment, Wonho fainted, shocking everyone.

     “W-What the…”

     “Don’t fucking tell me…he switched with someone!” Taeil pointed out.

     “Bingo!” Hyungwon said with a wide smile.

     Sunggyu quickly looked at everyone and said, “They didn’t touch us, so he’s in the Arcs right now.”

      The Arcs quickly looked at each other with their eyes wide open. They were confused and scared at the same time. Everyone looked normal. It was difficult to find who the fake one was.

     “Everyone calm down,” Junhyung stated, then Sunggyu quickly looked at the Arc’s leader and said, “Don’t tell me you’re in here.”

     Junhyung quickly pushed Sunggyu away and said, “Believe me…he’s not.”

     “How the hell would we know?!” Sunggyu shouted, now frustrated. He quickly looked at Hyungwon and grabbed him by the collar, “What the hell are you two doing?!”

     “We’re playing a game! You find Pain and we’ll give you a prize.” Hyungwon explained with a smile.

     “You fucking asshole!” Hyunseung says as he quickly summoned his weapon and pointed it at Wonho’s lifeless body.

     “We don’t play games. So stop this nonsense or I’ll kill him so we could all find out where he really is.” Hyunseung threatened, now pointing his weapon on Wonho’s chest. Hyungwon, on the other hand, remained calm, “Oh believe me…you don’t want us dead yet.”

     “Oh believe me we do,” Sunggyu stated, still pulling Hyungwon by his collar.

     “You couldn’t find Kwon Jiyong right?” Hyungwon suddenly said, shocking everyone. Sunggyu even lets go of his collar just by hearing their brother’s name.

     “Even if you waste years on looking through the mirrors you will never find him,” Hyungwon added, now looking at Taeil and Jihoon. Taeil was about to say something but Hyungwon continued and said, “Kill us now and you’ll never know where your dear prince is.”

     Everyone’s eyes widened from shock.

     “W-What?” Hyunseung confusingly asked, slowly summoning his weapon back. When everyone was now calm, Hyungwon smirked and told them, “That’s right. We know where the Prince of Pride is.”

     “You’re lying.” Jackson quickly says, his eyes now red because of the confusion and anger that he was feeling.

     “Well here’s the thing. You play our games, and let’s find out if I’m lying or not.” Hyungwon stated.

     Sunggyu knew they were playing tricks on them, but he wanted to risk it. If they really did know where the soul of their brother was then this will be a great chance. And he knew that the Arcs and the Demons had the same mindset.

     “Fine.” Sunggyu and Junhyung answered together, making Hyungwon creepily smile.

     “That’s better.”

      The S Ranked Demon walked towards the sons and said, “Tell me where Wonho is at the end of school hours. When the afternoon bell rings, all of us will meet at the rooftop. That’s the place where you’ll give me your answer. And please, no cheating. That includes you calling out your little phoenix to conduct an exorcism. The moment you cheat, you lose…and you’ll never get the prize you want to have.”

     “What if you cheat?” Lay quickly asked just in case they do.

     “Don’t worry, I never cheat. I just play really…really…well.” And with that, Hyungwon teleported away with Wonho’s lifeless body, leaving the Arcs and Demons dumbfounded like before.

     “He’s good…I’ll tell you that,” Minhyuk stated.

     Sunggyu and the rest went back to their normal state, then Sunggyu looked at Jihoon who nodded and snapped his fingers, making the time start again.

     “Let’s go out,” Sunggyu commanded since all the students were looking at them confusingly, wondering where the two exchange students went.

     “You heard him,” Junhyung stated as he followed Sunggyu at the gardens, the Demons, and the Arcs just right behind them.

     While they were walking, Suho went to Mark and placed his arm over his shoulder, “Who do you love the most?” he asked.

     Mark raised his right eyebrow and looked back at the demon, “God of course. Why? You thought I’d say, Jackson?”

     “It’s him, Wonho’s inside Mark’s body,” Minhyuk stated while pointing at Mark. Jackson quickly pushed Suho and Minhyuk away from his lover, “Mark loves his God more than me and he already told me that before so you two better stop this.”

     “I told you, it’s useless. Kharon told us that when Demons possess someone, they’ll acquire the knowledge and memories of that person.” Taeil explained, making everyone sigh.

     “Then how the fuck are we gonna know?” Woohyun asked.

     “How about we torture them one by one until Wonho spits it out.” Suho jokingly said, but Taeil’s eyes widened as he said, “That’s a great idea!”

     “What?!” the Arcs shouted in unison.

     “Are you fucking serious right now Taeil? You want to TORTURE us?!” Sungjae asked, emphasizing the word “torture”. Taeil shook his head and explained, “Not really of course. What I meant was to use Jackson’s power of illusion casting. We’ve done it before and it pretty much worked out fine.”

     “Insensitive much.” Mark suddenly says, remembering the time Jackson tortured him just to have information.

     “Well, you ended up being together with Jackson so it’s a win-win!” Taeil quickly says, trying to make Mark feel better. But Jackson quickly goes to his best friend and threatened him, “One more word and I’ll punch you.”

    “S-sorry, I’ll stop.”

     “No. Even though Taeil explained it poorly, he’s still right. That’s the only way we could find out where that guy named Wonho is. If we can’t question him, then we’ll might as well forcefully squeeze it out of him,” Sunggyu said, making the Arcs gulp.

     They were obviously against the idea, but they also knew that this is the only way they could do it.

      “So what do you say, leader?” Sunggyu asked as he looked at Junhyung.

      Junhyung looked at his frightened brothers and sighed, “It’s not like we have a choice.”

     “Okay, I just want you guys to know that this is still me before we start with that torturing.” Woohyun suddenly says, now sweating like crazy since he hasn’t really experienced a SS Ranked Demon make an illusion on him.

     “You do know telling us it’s still you make it even more suspicious,” Suho pointed out.

     “Our first suspect is Woohyun, torture him first.” Sunggyu quickly says.

     “Seriously?!” Woohyun stated with shock. Then Mark – Woohyun’s best friend – started laughing and said, “Thank the gods Woohyun get’s to be first.”

     “Next is Mark,” Sunggyu quickly added next.

     Mark immediately stopped laughing and shouted, “What?!”

     “Any more side comments?” Sunggyu asked as he looked at the Arcs who were now quiet. When he saw their reactions, Sunggyu sighed and massaged his temple, “Look. I’m sorry okay. I’m sorry if we have to do this to you, and I’m sorry if those bastards used you for their stupid game, but we need that prize, and that prize will tell us where Jiyong is. He could be lying but…this might be our only chance.”

     Junhyung patted Sunggyu’s back and smiled, “Hey, we understand it okay? So stop acting so dramatic again, we’re fucking not used to it.”

     Sunggyu laughed, finally relaxing everyone. Then Suho walked towards Lay and hugged him, “Yixing, It will hurt; no doubt it will hurt. But just know that whatever happens…I’ll be holding your hand throughout the whole thing.”

     “M-Me too.” Taeil awkwardly said as he looked at Jihoon, making the two blush like crazy.

     Jackson, who was going to do the honors, walked towards Mark and said, “Here we go again…I’m sorry.”

     Mark smiled reassuringly and said, “Don’t worry. It would feel nostalgic anyway.”

     When everyone was now ready, Junhyung looked at Hyunseung who looked pretty worried, “Hey, no hugs for me?” Junhyung asked as he walked towards Hyunseung.  Hyunseung touched Junhyung’s cheeks and told him, “Just endure it, okay?”

     Junhyung smiles and quickly pecks on Hyunseung’s lips, “Don’t worry, I’m good at enduring”, then he winked, making Hyunseung turn red.

     “Okay! Let’s begin before I puke.” Sunggyu quickly says as he looked at Jackson. Jackson finally lets go of Mark and looked at everyone, then, with a blink of an eye, they were at hell.

     “Not here again,” Jihoon says, remembering the time he puked all day on their first visit here.

     “Well Arcs, get ready. We’ll torture you all with everything we’ve got, and we won’t stop until Wonho fucking comes out,” Sunggyu says.

     “Don’t worry, we’ll try doing our best. So Wonho, wherever you are…get ready to lose.” Sungjae says with a smirk.

     Jackson was in his demonic state just so he could calmly do his illusion with eleven people.

     “It’s been a while since I’ve done this so I might be a little rusty…” Jackson stated. Seconds later the Arcs were now tied upside down, dead bodies just right below them while the Demons were nowhere to be seen.

     “S-shit…this feels fucking r-real…Jackson’s fucking g-good.” Woohyun struggled to say as he tried to get out of the chains.

     “W-well what do you…e-expect from a SS Ranked Demon,” Jihoon added. Then, a voice so loud echoed and said, “ Well Arcs…let the games begin. “

• END -

SDS3 11: GUESS WHO

“SO, WHAT SHOULD WE do first? Jackson’s voice asked as it echoed everywhere. The Arcs were hanging upside down, chains tied around their ankles. They were in hell a few minutes ago, but now they were in a dark room where the floor was covered with dead bodies. Everyone was aware that this was an illusion, but it felt so real that they couldn’t even believe it.

      “ We interrogate them one by one. Wonho might know the Arcs’ knowledge but if we break his concentration then he’s bound to mess it up eventually. “ Sunggyu’s voice stated.

     “Then bring it on Demons!” Mark shouted, confident that he was never going to mess it up.

     “ Then who wants to go first? “

Jackson asked. But before anyone in the Arcs could answer, hundreds of knives appeared and every one of them was pointed at Woohyun.

      “ Let’s start with you, “ Jackson says, making Woohyun gulp.

      “ We ask you a question, and you answer naturally. If we find it suspicious, those knives will slowly move closer until it pierces your flesh. And believe me, it will be amazingly painful. But let me warn you, the more it hurts, the more we’ll give you questions that you must answer naturally, do you understand Nam Woohyun? “ Jackson asked.

     Woohyun gulped again and said, “G-Go ahead.”

     “ Then let’s begin. “ With one command, a balcony appeared and Sunggyu and Jackson arrived in their demon form. They walked closer and looked at the Arcs who were hanging on the ceiling.

     “So Woohyun…What was on your mind when you went to me just so you could warn us? Why did you choose me when you clearly know I was never going to listen to you?” Sunggyu finally asked.

     Woohyun started thinking of an answer, but the longer he took, the closer the knives got.

     “Wait!” Woohyun suddenly shouted, making the knives stop moving.

     “W-Wouldn’t doing this make us really mess up the answer?!” Woohyun shouted since he was really pressured about this.

     Sunggyu smirked and said, “Don’t worry…we know what we’re doing, now answer my question.”

     The moment Sunggyu finished his sentence, the knives started moving again, making him quickly answer the question “You were the first person I saw that’s why I approached you! There was never a special reason behind it!”

      “Oh! That’s cold!” Sungjae suddenly stated.

      “You shut up Sungjae or we’ll torture you next.” Sunggyu warned, then he looked back at Woohyun and said, “But Mark told me you specifically looked for me because you knew that somehow I was going to listen to you. Even if it was unlikely, you took that risk.”

     Woohyun’s face suddenly turned red. But no one knew if it was because he was embarrassed, or because they were literally hanging upside down and his blood was already flowing down his head.

      “W-Well…that’s because…I…I…” Woohyun struggled to say, but he couldn’t think of a perfect explanation.

     “Okay, take him away.” Sunggyu suddenly instructed. Then with a snap of Jackson’s fingers, the knives and Woohyun himself disappeared.

     “Why did you take him?” Junhyung asked.

     Sunggyu looked at the Arcs leader and answered, “If he was Wonho then he’d know the answer, he didn’t have to lie. But since it was Woohyun, and he was embarrassed about it, he lied.”

     “Oh, I see. Now that you said it, Wonho would avoid it now. Smart move Sunggyu.” Junhyung sarcastically says, making Sunggyu glare at him.

     “Anyways, you’re next Jihoon,” Sunggyu stated, then the chains tied on Jihoon’s ankle disappeared and he fell on the pile of dead bodies.

BACK AT THE NORMAL WORLD…

     Minhyuk was staring at the bodies of the Arcs and their brothers Jackson & Sunggyu just blankly standing in the middle of the garden. They were all inside Jackson’s Illusion while the rest of the Demons decided to just stay out of it and leave it to their strongest brothers.

     “It’s pretty obvious that even though this is an illusion, Jackson won’t really torture them. It might not be real but we don’t want them to be emotionally traumatized.” Hyunseung explained, making everyone nod their head in agreement.

      “But Taeil, are you sure about this? What if it doesn’t work?” Suho asked as he looked at their master planner.

      Taeil nodded with confidence and said, “I’m sure about it. I talked about this with Kharon when Sunggyu got possessed. The demon that possesses someone will acquire the person’s memories and knowledge, but he doesn’t acquire his emotions . Let’s just say Wonho’s inside Mark’s body. If we ask Mark if he loves Jackson then he’d obviously say yes because he knows Mark loves Jackson, but the way he’d say it…”

     “Would be different. There wouldn’t be any emotion in it.” Hyunseung says; now understanding the whole plan.

     “Exactly.”

     “You’re a fucking genius Taeil, do you know that?” Minhyuk asks, making Taeil smile. Suddenly, Woohyun blinked, then he immediately gasped for air and fell on his knees. Suho and Hyunseung quickly ran to him to help him up.

     “Whoa, you okay angel?” Suho asked as Woohyun held onto them so he could stand.

     “T-That…is what I call an illusion.” Woohyun says, still catching his breath.

      Minhyuk chuckles and says; “You do know that wasn’t the first time Jackson used Illusion on you guys right?”

     “Well, that was different! That time it was just a small room with writings on the wall. The one he’s making now is just…hardcore. The range that Jackson could do now…just goes to show how powerful he really became”, Woohyun says as he looked at Jackson with idolization.

     “Anyway, who’s next on the torture list?” Hyunseung asked. Woohyun scratched his head and answered, “I’m not quite sure but I think before I went back here I heard Jihoon’s name being called.”

     “Well if that’s the case…” Taeil says as he walks towards Jackson. He stared at his eyes and said, “Hey Jackson, let me in.”

     Jackson, who was inside the illusion, heard Taeil’s voice and made him enter the illusion.

     “Perfect timing,” Sunggyu says as Taeil appears beside them.

     “How you guys hanging?” Taeil jokingly said as he looked at the Arcs still being chained up. But when he realized Jihoon wasn’t there, he looked down at the balustrade and saw Jihoon being chase by…

     “Are those fucking mud monsters?!” Taeil asked in disbelief as Jackson just nodded as an answer.

     “Jackson, you do know Jihoon has severe OCD, he doesn’t like…” then Taeil stops midsentence and continues after realizing what their brothers were doing, “Good call.”

     “Well now that you’re here, and Jihoon is practically having a panic attack, why not go ahead and ask him a question?” Sunggyu asked as he continued to look at Jihoon running in circles.

     Taeil nodded his head and looked at his lover(?). Then he shouted, “Jihoon!”

     Jihoon stopped for a second and looked at Taeil, “Hey babe!” he shouted back, and then he started running again.

     “Jihoon! Stop panicking and answer me okay?! What did you recently ask me when we were in the garden?!” Taeil shouted.

     “W-What?! But…wasn’t that a secret?!” Jihoon shouted, still running and making sure those monsters don’t catch him. Jackson and Sunggyu looked at their brother confusingly. They obviously didn’t know what the two were talking about.

     “But what if I answered you yes, what would you feel?” Taeil says out of the blue.

     Jihoon’s eyes widened upon hearing it, then he suddenly stopped just to look up at Taeil.

     “Don’t fucking mess with me.” He suddenly said seriously, making Taeil smile.

     “Hey, don’t give me that look, I’m serious,” Taeil says. Then slowly, Jihoon started smiling as he says, “How could you answer me in this situa-” Jihoon suddenly stopped when the mud monster finally arrives and swallowed him whole.

     “Oh!” the Arcs shouted in unison.

     “Shit. Jihoon’s not going to like that.” Lay says as he just witnessed his brother being devoured by a monster.

     Taeil looked at his brothers and said, “The search is over.”

     The Arcs were shocked to hear Taeil’s statement, and then Sunggyu looked at him confusingly and asked, “What do you mean?”

     Taeil smirked and said, “Jihoon doesn’t call me babe.”

     “So you knew?! Then why did you have to ask him that question?” Sunggyu asked.

     Taeil then smiled genuinely and answered, “Even if it was fake, I just wanted to see how Jihoon’s face would look if I did tell him yes…”

MEANWHILE…

AT THE REAL WORLD

     Jihoon, or what Taeil presumed as Wonho, blinked and started catching his breath like what happened to Woohyun a few minutes ago.

     “Jihoon!” Woohyun says as he ran to him and helped him stand properly.

     “So? How did it go?” Minhyuk asked as he and the rest walked towards Jihoon who looked really exhausted. But before he could answer, everyone went back to the real world.

     “Looks like we found our champion,” Suho says as he looked at Jackson and Sunggyu. Mark quickly goes to where Jihoon was. And without saying anything, he looked straight at Jihoon’s eyes, paralyzing him.

     “W-What the…what are you doing?! It’s not me! You’re making a huge mistake!” Jihoon shouted as he was trying to escape but he couldn’t even move an inch.

     Taeil walked towards Jihoon and says, “Stop with the act, we know it’s you in there. And besides, your surprised face when I said yes wasn’t so convincing.”

     Jihoon finally stopped struggling and looked at Taeil with shock, but seconds later he started laughing, making everyone realize it really isn’t Jihoon anymore.

     “You’re making a huge mistake, demons,” Jihoon says with a smirk, making Sunggyu feel really annoyed.

     “I really hate you…especially that friend of yours.” Sunggyu says, then he looked at Taeil and said, “Sorry Taeil.” Then without any warning, he punched Jihoon AKA Wonho on the face, making the side of his mouth bleed.

     “Seriously Sunggyu?! On my brother’s face?!” Junhyung angrily asked as he walked towards Wonho and wiped the blood off the side of his mouth. This might not be Jihoon anymore but this was still his brother’s body.

     “Oh come on, just let Lay heal him when they switch back,” Sunggyu says as he looked at Wonho who continued to laugh.

     “Just shut up already!” Sunggyu shouted, finally making Wonho stop laughing.

     “We should head to the rooftop now so this could be over,” Mark suggested, and everyone nodded in agreement.

     The Arcs teleported first, then the Demons teleported next, bringing the paralyzed Wonho with them. When they arrived at the rooftop, they saw Hyungwon sitting on the floor with Wonho’s lifeless body lying beside him, his head resting on top of Hyungwon’s lap.

     “You guys are earlier than expected, the afternoon bell hasn’t rang yet,” Hyungwon said as he looked at the Arcs and Demons, then he saw Jihoon, who was being held by Minhyuk and Sungjae since he was paralyzed and unable to move. The sight made Hyungwon smirk.

     “It looks like you already have an answer.” Hyungwon stated as he gently puts Wonho’s empty body down so he could stand. He walked towards the brothers and said, “But it’s still too early, you guys can still make up your mind. You don’t want to lose on your first game right?”

     “Stop messing with us you fucking demon.” Sunggyu angrily said as he walked towards Hyungwon and pulled his collar, “You asked us to look for fucking Wonho, and here we are giving him to you. Now give us our prize or I’ll seriously kill you and we’ll look for Jiyong ourselves.”

     Hyungwon, who didn’t even look fazed, smirked and said, “Are you sure about your answer Mr. Kim Sunggyu?”

     “We’re sure.” This time, it was Taeil who said it.

     Hyungwon pushed Sunggyu away from him and said, “Game over Demons.”

     Everyone was suddenly confused and shocked at the same time.

     “W-What do you mean?! This is definitely Wonho!” Hyunseung shouted as he was pointing at Jihoon’s paralyzed body.

     Hyungwon chuckled and said, “You guys are really bad at analyzing things. You rely too much on your powers that you forget to strategize, and that’s clearly not how you play games. If you keep on doing that, someone’s going to follow Kwon Jiyong’s footsteps eventually.”

      “But I was sure that isn’t Jihoon.” Taeil’s says, now really confused about the whole situation.

     “Well anyone who knows Jihoon personally would know that’s not fucking him.” This time, it was Junhyung who said it.

      Hyungwon smiled and nodded his head in agreement, “Well, that you are right. But here’s a little fact that might help you understand a little.”

      Everyone looked at him and waited for his little fact .

     “Wonho…he can’t possess anyone. Only Hyungwon could do that, haven’t you guys noticed?”

     Everyone’s eyes widened on the sudden realization.

     “It’s you!” Hyunseung and Taeil both said in unison as they pointed at Hyungwon, making Hyungwon smirk. Then the rest looked at Jihoon, confused about who was inside his body instead.

     “Hyungwon switched with Wonho, then he switched with Jihoon. So the one inside Jihoon now is Hyungwon not…Wonho.” Taeil analyzed, making everyone shocked even more.

     “But when did you two…” Before Taeil could finish his sentence, he remembered the time when Wonho and Hyungwon stared at each other before the games began.

     “You switched during that time.” Taeil told himself, but it was clear enough so everyone could hear.

     “Looks like he’s the only smart one in your group.” Hyungwon AKA Wonho, stated as he went towards Jihoon’s body. Then he touched his forehead, making his eyes turn white like Wonho was absorbing the life out of him.

     “W-What the fuck are you doing?!” Taeil asked as Wonho continued to absorb him. Seconds later Jihoon fainted, but Taeil was quick enough to catch his body.

     Wonho walked towards his own body. He touched the body’s forehead until its eyes opened. Then the two looked at each other, making everyone realize that everyone was back to normal.

     “Jihoon? Is that you?” Taeil asked as he looked at Jihoon whose eyes were still closed.

     “He’s not waking…” before Taeil could finish his sentence; Jihoon woke up and started vomiting black liquid like what happened to Sunggyu before.

     “That’s what I call a game.” Hyungwon – who was now back inside his own body – stated with a smirk. Then he looked at Jackson and said, “I’m gonna hand it to you, Prince of Envy, you’re a strong one. You just proved to me why you’re a SS Ranked Demon, I’m quite impressed. And your plan was good, but…” 

     “But what?” Hyunseung asked as he angrily looked at the Demon.

     “Torturing to look for Wonho? That’s a bad idea. Like what we said earlier, he’s the duke of Pain. He’s pain himself, you can’t torture him. He’s practically the one who invented torture. Just goes to show you bunch are bad analyzers.” Hyungwon explained, making the Demons clench their fist in anger. They were seriously moments away from punching the guy.

     “So what now? We lost the game, do we get a punishment?” this time it was Junhyung who asked it since the Demons were too angry to even say a word. These guys were playing them around with their little fingers, and what pissed the Demons the most was that they were playing along with it.

     “Punishment? Do you usually get punished when you lose a game? I don’t think so. But you just lost a life, which means you need to play another game.” Hyungwon finally revealed.

     “What?!” everyone asked in disbelief.

     “But that can wait, right Panic?” Wonho asked as he held Hyungwon’s shoulder. Hyungwon nodded and took a deep breath, “Looks like my partner is tired. We’ll do this again Arcs & Demons.”

     Before Pain and Panic could leave, Suho quickly ran towards the two and said, “Wait!”

     The two looked at Suho and doesn’t say anything; they just waited for him to tell them what he wanted to say.

     “What Duke Pain…I mean, what Wonho did earlier with Jihoon…what was that?” Suho asked out of pure curiosity.

     Wonho smirked and surprisingly answered, “You guys have your special powers, we have ours. Hyungwon can switch souls, I can absorb souls…I can basically kill one of you with one touch if I wanted to.”

      “W-What?” Suho asked in disbelief, even the rest of the brothers were shocked to hear about it. Wonho was about to touch Suho but Suho quickly moved away, making Wonho laugh.

     “Let’s play again. Farewell out princes.” Wonho says as he and Hyungwon bowed down, and then vanished.

      “Ah!” Sunggyu shouted from anger, releasing a deadly aura that normal people might not be able to stand.

     “I seriously want to kill those bastards!” Sunggyu shouted again.

     “But if you do, and if they really know where Jiyong is…it could really be game over for us,” Hyunseung says, finally calming Sunggyu down. Then, Mark looked at the Demons and said, “But what if they were lying? What if they really don’t know where Jiyong’s soul is and we’re just stupidly playing along with their games?”

     “They’re telling you the truth.” Someone suddenly says, making everyone turn around. The moment they turned around, they saw Kharon, back in his priest uniform. ( Well he wasn’t going to go to a club in priest uniform earlier ).

      “Those two, you can’t kill them, not because you’re not strong enough, or not because they really do know where Jiyong is. It’s simply because they’re literally the Demons of Pain and Panic. Killing them will break the balance.” Kharon suddenly explained, but it only made the Arcs and Demons confused.

     “What balance?” Minhyuk asked.

     “That two…they’re part of the seven evil emotions that escaped from Pandora’s box.” Kharon finally answered, making everyone gasp from shock.

      “P-Pandora’s box?! That’s real?!“Minhyuk asked in disbelief since they were only discussing this in class earlier.

     Hyunseung smacked Minhyuk on the head and said, “We’re fucking angels and demons. Why is Pandora so unrealistic?”

     Minhyuk massaged his head and pouted, but he doesn’t say anything anymore.

      “But why are they here?” Sungjae asked as he looked at the Demon’s guardian.

     “I’m not sure, but St. Peter and I think that since hell is in chaos, the king called out for Pandora so he could use the seven for something…well…evil. But their guardian, who is apparently Grim Reaper, helped those two escape while the rest of them are being used by the king,” Kharon explained.

     “So they’re hiding?” Jackson asked and Kharon nodded.

     “They’re basically emotions. Is that why we can’t detect they’re demons in the first place?” Taeil asked and Kharon nodded again.

     “What the fuck does the king of hell want with seven emotions?” Junhyung asked.

     “Who knows. But if he does something to those emotions, everything will crumble, not only hell, not only the earth but heaven as well. As long as those two are here, and as long as no one finds or knows who they are…we’ll be safe.” Kharon explained, making Sunggyu glare at Kharon, “Are you fucking telling me-”

     “Yes.” Kharon quickly says. When everyone’s attention was on him, he continued, “You’ll be protecting them for the time being.”

---

Wonho and Hyungwon were back at their dorm ( at HAU’s Dorm since they’re exchange students ). Hyungwon was panting like crazy after what happened earlier. He could switch souls, but doing a three-way? It exhausted him. The farther he goes away from his body, the weaker he will become. That’s why Wonho insisted that they leave because he knew Hyungwon would be tired.

     “Come on. Relax okay?” Wonho tells him as he was carrying Hyungwon towards the bed. Hyungwon looked like he was having a panic attack.

     Hyungwon needed to get his energy back, which means he needed to eat. But like the SOLs (Souls of Lucifer), they can’t eat human food. The Demons are lucky enough that they’re half-human because if they weren’t then they wouldn’t be able to eat human food as well.

     “Relax baby,” Wonho says again as he finally placed Hyungwon on the bed.

     “Hey, don’t fall asleep,” Wonho said as he took off his shirt. Then he sat on the edge of the bed and made Hyungwon rest his head on his shoulder.

      “You gotta eat first right?” Wonho said as Hyungwon bit his neck without any hesitation. Then he started drinking his blood.

      “S-Shit…slow down baby,” Wonho stated as he felt Hyungwon suck on him aggressively.

      After a few minutes, Hyungwon was done eating , and his eyes were purple again. Wonho looked at him and wiped the blood on his mouth with his bare hands. Then he slowly made him lie on the bed.

      “You’re too obsessed with these games Hyungwon, now look what it’s done to you.” Wonho scolded, but Hyungwon was already fast asleep to even hear it.

     Wonho sighed and continued to look at Panic, “Just a little more okay? We need the Princes beside us. If we’re with them we’re safe. Mother Pandora gave us a mission, and we can’t screw this up, especially when she sacrificed the others for our sake.”

      Wonho leaned forward and slowly caressed Hyungwon’s cheek.

      “I’ll do everything to protect you. Even if it means we have to be with those half-bloods.” Wonho tells him. Then he stood up and turned around to face the mirror.

      He looked at the reflection and smirked, and then he continued, “Am I right… Prince Kwon Jiyong ?”

     “ AHH! “

• END -

SDS3 12: FAILING MISSIONS

“AMEN.” SAID THE ARCS  and Demons as they finished their prayer. Then everyone started eating.

     “So Kharon had already explained to you about those two S Ranked Demons,” Dongmin stated. Sunggyu nodded his head and answered, “Yeah, Kharon already told us about them being one of Pandora’s evil emotions. And apparently, he asked us to protect those two assholes.”

     “If you ask me I’m against it. Why on earth would we protect those Demons after what they’ve done to us?” Junhyung added.

     “I know what they did was wrong but we can’t judge them easily. After all, all of you were “ destined “ to kill each other before, but look at you now.” Dongmin stated, making Sunggyu and Junhyung lower their heads upon realizing it.

    “But what does the king want with them anyway?” Taeil asked as he looked at the Arcs’s guardian.

     Dongmin took a sip of his wine and looked at the Demon’s master planner, “We’re not quite sure, but if it’s the king he’s obviously going to use them to destroy all of us. If he can possess those seven emotions, then he can never be destroyed. It’s going to be impossible. That’s why Pandora has them so she could keep everything balanced. Well…had them.”

     “We can’t harm Pain and Panic, so if the king absorbs all seven he’d be indestructible,” Taeil says; now understanding it as well.

     “Well he’s really smart, I’ll tell you that,” Sungjae adds.

     “But why did Pandora give them to the King of Hell if she knows it will destroy the balance?” Hyunseung then asked.

      “It’s not like she’s given a choice,” Lay answered.

     “Well, you do have a point there.”

     Sunggyu quickly joins in the conversation and says, “But we’re still trying to look for Jiyong, and we obviously don’t have much time. We can’t waste the little time we have left by protecting those two.”

     “They told you they know where Jiyong is placed right? Protect them and maybe they’ll tell you,” Dongmin stated, but Jihoon quickly shook his head and says, “They’ll never tell us. They’d rather have us play their games before they’d even say it.”

     “Then isn’t it obvious? Play their games and win them. They were sent here for a reason, and I think telling you where Jiyong is, is part of the reasons why they’re brought here. They’re technically on our side,” Dongmin explained, making everyone look at him confusingly.

      “On our side? They wouldn’t play us like that if they were on our side. They’re treating us like we’re weaker than them.” Mark complained, so Dongmin quickly added, “That’s because you are.”

     “That’s bullshit, we’re way more powerful than-”

     Dongmin quickly cuts Minhyuk off and says, “More powerful, yes. But haven’t you realized something? They’re training you through their games. I’ve watched it unfold through the mirrors. What they did was a way for you to stop using your powers and start using your brains. They were right. If you keep on doing this then all of you are bound to die like Jiyong. The battle that happened at hell, I would lie if I told you that you didn’t have a chance at saving Jiyong because you obviously could have won if all of you used your brains. Taeil won’t be there to tell you all what to do as soon as the battle starts. You have to act on your own.”

     “So you’re saying that we should be thankful that they’re doing this to us?” Suho asked and Dongmin nodded, “Yes. They’re the only chance you have if you want to outsmart the king.”

     “And how are we so sure that these games will benefit us?” this time, it was Jackson who asked.

     “They escaped the King of Hell, and obviously they didn’t use their powers to do so. You need to strategize if you want to win, and you need them to make a good strategy.” Dongmin answered.

     “But what if they betray us?” Sungjae asked.

     Dongmin took another sip of his wine and answered, “Then kill them. That’s the only thing you guys are good at doing anyways.”

---

     “Still not going to sleep, leader?”

     Sunggyu turned around and was surprised to see Junhyung holding two cans of beer. Junhyung walked towards him and handed him one of the cans.

     “Thanks,” Sunggyu said as he leaned on the balustrade and took a sip of the beer.

     “Things are getting a little too complicated isn’t it?” Junhyung asked while looking at the scenery in front of them.

     “A little too complicated?” Sunggyu asked back with his right eyebrow raised. Junhyung chuckled and said, “Fine, it’s getting REALLY complicated to the point of madness.”

     “That’s much better,” Sunggyu said, then he sighed heavily and drank from his beer again.

     “Hey, can I tell you a secret?” Sunggyu suddenly asked, surprising Junhyung since Sunggyu has never told him a secret in his life.

     “Yeah, sure.” Junhyung quickly answered.

     Sunggyu paused for a moment that Junhyung thought he changed his mind. But then Sunggyu took a deep breath and said, “I’m tired.” Sunggyu told him with a sad and exhausted expression. The look made Junhyung feel down, “Aren’t we all?” he asked back, making Sunggyu chuckle. But Sunggyu doesn’t say anything about it and pretended like he never said it in the first place.

     He was trying to open up with the Arc’s leader, thinking he might know how Sunggyu would feel, but as he expected, Junhyung didn’t know, and Sunggyu didn’t blame him for not knowing about it. After all, he’s not the one who lost a brother.

     “Where’s Seunghyun? I’ve wanted to ask you that the moment I realized he wasn’t with you. I just didn’t know the right timing on when I’d ask about it.” Sunggyu quickly asked, changing the topic.

     Junhyung took a sip of his beer and answered, “We’re not supposed to tell you.”

     Sunggyu rolled his eyes and said, “Well, I’d honestly be surprised if you told me about it anyway.” 

     Junhyung chuckled at the comment. Then Sunggyu looked at Junhyung with a serious expression and continued, “But if someone dies again…make sure it’s me next time.”

      “Hey, don’t say that,” Junhyung says, now with a serious expression as well.

     “Well, I wouldn’t know what I’d do if they take another one of my brothers.” Sunggyu honestly says, making Junhyung awkwardly pat his back. 

     “Don’t worry, no one’s going to die. I’m not gonna let that happen again. Whether our Fathers said someone would, or even the stupid prophecy says someone would…I’ll make sure that it never happens. This I promise.” Junhyung says with a sincere smile.

     “That’s good to hear,” Sunggyu says, but his tone wasn’t pretty convincing.

     “Tell me honestly. Do you think we can resurrect Jiyong? Like, his body could already be decayed and…”

     Junhyung quickly cuts Sunggyu off and said, “Demons don’t decay.”

     “What?”

     “We can dig up Jiyong’s grave right now and you’d see his body still intact. You can resurrect Jiyong…WE can resurrect Jiyong. And we’ll eventually know how. And that’s through pain and panic.” Junhyung explained.

     Sunggyu took a sip of his beer and says, “I fucking hate those two.”

     “I know,” Junhyung stated, and then Sunggyu continued, “But if they tell me to protect them for the sake of mankind then I don’t have a choice but to fucking love them.”

     Junhyung chuckled again and looked at Sunggyu, “I know.”

---

“Are you sure this is it?” Wonho asked as they were walking at a cemetery in the middle of the night.

     “I’m sure of it. When I first met Kim Sunggyu I switched with his driver and acquired his memory, so I’m pretty sure it’s here.” Hyungwon answered as he continued walking, trying to find the grave of the Prince of Pride.

     “Wait…” Wonho suddenly said, making Hyungwon stop walking.

     “I sense something…I think he’s here.” Wonho said as he grabbed Hyungwon by the hand, then the two started running.

     “W-Why the hell are we running!?” Hyungwon shouted as he was being pulled by Pain rather aggressively.

     “Just hurry!” Wonho shouted back. Then the two arrived at a specific grave, surprised to see at least 10 ghouls slowly approaching it.

     “Shit…Mother Pandora was right,” Hyungwon says.

     Wonho looked at him hesitantly, but he brushed the doubt away and instructed, “Forget about the instructions. Protect the prince! Now!”

     Hyungwon doesn’t hesitate and quickly summoned his gun-like weapon. He aimed it at one of the ghouls and shot him right at the head. The bullet wasn’t normal, the moment it makes contact with anyone; they would pop like a  bubble.

     Wonho summoned his weapon as well. He summoned a whip and started hitting the ghouls one by one, making them evaporate like what Hyungwon was doing. But the more they killed, the more ghouls would appear. Pain and Panic would shoot and whip them, but the ghouls who ran towards them wounded them twice as much.

     “S-shit!” Hyungwon shouted as a ghoul suddenly bit his arm.

     “Panic!” Wonho shouted back, running towards him and quickly killing all the ghouls that surrounded Hyungwon.

     “Are you alright?” Wonho asked as he looked at Hyungwon’s bleeding arm.

     “I-I’m okay…but…How many are these assholes?!” Hyungwon shouted as he continued to shoot anyone who tried to get near him or Jiyong’s grave. There were so many ghouls attacking them that Wonho and Hyungwon were slowly being pushed back until they were inches away from stepping on Jiyong’s grave.

      The ghouls were surrounding them, slowly getting closer.

     “You take the ones on the left, I take the ones on the right,” Wonho instructed.

     “T-then who’s gonna fucking take the one on the front and back?” Hyungwon complained, making Wonho smirk, “Let them come then. I can take the pain.”

     Hyungwon looked at Wonho, panic in his eyes, but he trusted his partner and nodded anyway. But before both of them could attack, the ghouls stopped moving, and then black blood started oozing out of their ears and nose. With one blow of his claw, all the ghouls were beheaded in a second, quickly vanishing in thin air.

     Pain and Panic lifted their heads and saw Wang Jackson in his demonic state. The two were panting heavily as the prince of envy approached them.

     “We didn’t do any of this. If that’s what you’re thinking,” Wonho quickly defended as Jackson looked at the two injured Demons slash evil emotions.

      “I know.” Jackson simply answered as he summoned his claw-like weapon back and transformed back into his normal self. The two followed what Jackson did and summoned their weapons back as well.

     “H-How the fuck…d-did they get out? The gate o-only opens at the e-end of Sabbath day.” Hyungwon explained as he was holding the part where the ghoul just bit him. The mark was slowly turning black like it was draining his energy.

     Jackson slowly walked towards Jiyong’s grave; glad to see that it wasn’t ruined.

     “They didn’t return when the gates were closing. They knew I wouldn’t be here so they didn’t return to hell. They just waited…but…” Jackson then looked back at the two and continued, “Thank you…”

     “Don’t thank us. If it wasn’t for our mother we wouldn’t even be here.” Wonho stated, making Jackson nod in understanding. Then Wonho continued, “Then why are you here then if you weren’t supposed to be here in the first place?”

     “I just had this strong desire to see him. Looks like this was the reason why.” Jackson answered.

     “Then it looks like you have a stronger connection with Kwon Jiyong than you thought,” Wonho stated, then he looks at Hyungwon and helped him stand properly, “I don’t think they’ll be returning any time soon so don’t worry about the Prince of Pride.”

     “We’ll s-see you tomorrow t-then…Prince Wang.” Hyungwon struggled to say as he forced himself to bow in front of Jackson.

     Jackson sighed and approached the two, “They won’t be returning here, but I’m pretty sure if some ghouls were left they’d probably go to you two, especially when he’s weak. So I suggest you follow me. I know someone who can heal you.”

     Wonho smirked and said, “We can’t be healed by an angel if that’s what you’re implying.”

     Jackson shook his head and said, “I know. But that same angel can stitch you up just fine.”

     The two looked at each other, unsure if they should come with the prince or not. But Hyungwon was badly injured, and he just got his energy back a few hours ago after their games. Wonho knew he didn’t have enough blood for Hyungwon to heal quickly. So he looked back at the prince and said, “Fine. Just make sure your dear brothers don’t kill us.”

BACK AT THE HOLY HOME

     Junhyung and Sunggyu were still at the balcony drinking beer when they suddenly heard the front door open.

     “What the…who the fuck was that?” Junhyung asked as he placed the beer down and hurriedly went to the front door with Sunggyu. The two were ready to summon their weapons as they slowly approached the door, but then the lights turned on, revealing Sunggyu’s brother, Jackson.

     The two leaders then let their guards down.

      “Jackson! What the fuck were you doing outside?” Sunggyu asked when suddenly two figures appeared behind him. Junhyung and Sunggyu looked shocked when they saw the two enter the Holy Home.

     “Why did you bring them here?!” Sunggyu quickly shouted as the two entered with Jackson.

     Hyungwon was already weak, and stepping inside made him weaker, so the moment he took a step, he fainted, but good thing Wonho was quick enough to catch him.

     “What’s going on?” Junhyung asked, shocked to see the two injured demons.

     “What the fuck happened to him? Did you fight them and felt guilty so you brought them back here?” Sunggyu asked further as he looked at Jackson.

     Jackson looked at the two leaders and said, “We were at Jiyong’s grave. These two protected him.”

     Sunggyu and Junhyung’s eyes widened from shock. They weren’t expecting them to do such a thing, and if the words didn’t come out of Jackson’s mouth then the two wouldn’t even believe it. But…

     “W-Wait…he fainted. Don’t tell me you’re inside Jackson!” Sunggyu suddenly said as he pointed at Jackson who was shocked at the leader’s sudden conclusion.

     “No way, that could be true. You’re using him just to get inside.” Junhyung said, now realizing what Sunggyu was pointing out.

     “No, it’s still me, I’m telling the truth,” Jackson said, but the two leaders weren’t believing it.

     Wonho, who knows that Jackson was telling the truth; looked down at his injured partner worriedly. The bite mark was turning black, and Hyungwon was breathing heavily. He wasn’t going to die, but if he turns weak now, it will be harder for them to go on with the mission Pandora gave them.

     “I’m not asking for anything, you can throw us away after if you want, but Hyungwon can’t be weak for too long. He holds the emotion of Panic, and I swear to the King of Hell that bad things happen when one of the emotions are down. And…” Wonho paused, and then he looked at the two leaders with pleading eyes, shocking them even more.

     “He’s all that I have left. So please…help me heal him.” Wonho pleaded, shocking the two even more. And for the first time, Sunggyu felt his sincere emotion. He felt the same thing when Jiyong died, and when he thought he could still save him. Somehow the weakness Wonho just showed made Sunggyu hate them less.

     “Wake Lay up, and bring them to my bedroom,” Sunggyu instructed. And without wasting any second, Jackson helped Hyungwon and Wonho and brought them to Sunggyu and Minhyuk’s room.

     Junhyung looked at Sunggyu and stared at him like he was reading him, making sure if Sunggyu was serious. When Sunggyu looked back and nodded, Junhyung knew that he was serious, so even though he was also a leader, he followed Sunggyu’s instructions and went upstairs to Suho and Lay’s room.

     “Lay! Wake up!” Junhyung shouted as he was banging at the door. Seconds later, the door swung open, revealing Suho, only wearing boxers, and obviously still very sleepy.

     “What the fuck man? It’s midnight, what the hell do you want?” Suho asked while yawning.

    “The dukes are here, and they’re injured. We need Lay now,” Junhyung revealed, finally waking Suho’s whole system.

     “What? Pain and Panic…They’re here?” Suho asked, shocked by the sudden news.

     Junhyung nodded his head and said, “Yes, now go wake Lay up.”

     Suho quickly nodded and ran towards his boyfriend. Taeil opened the door to his room as well and peeked outside, “What’s going on? We heard the noise.”

     Junhyung quickly looked at Taeil, who was still half asleep, and said, “Wake the others up, we have a visitor.”

AT SUNGGYU AND MINHYUK’S ROOM

     “Will he be alright?” Wonho asked as he was holding Hyungwon who was resting at the bed.

     The others were now awake thanks to them. Jackson was standing beside the window, his arms around Mark, who was standing beside Taeil, and Jihoon. Minhyuk, Suho, Woohyun, and Sungjae were sitting at the sofa. Hyunseung was standing beside Junhyung who was at the other side of the bed, while Sunggyu and Lay stood beside Wonho.

     Thankfully the room was big, it accommodated all of them.

     “He’ll be fine, I stitched his arm and made him drink the medicine that will help ease the pain. Hopefully, even though he’s a demon, his body will accept it. He was already weak. If he wasn’t then that bite mark wouldn’t be a problem for him. The pain worsened since you entered the Holy home.” Lay explained, and Wonho nodded his head from understanding.

     “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. Well, it doesn’t matter anyway, you’re used to pain right?” Minhyuk jokingly said. He was now wide-awake since Jackson pulled him out of the bed when they arrived with Hyungwon and Wonho.

     “Ignore him.” Woohyun quickly said, making Minhyuk glare at him.

     “He’ll heal soon, demons regenerate faster. And like what you said, you can’t be killed easily, but your energy is your main source of power, so just let him rest. He’ll regain his energy back.” Lay says.

     “And we called Kharon. If that ghoul somehow bit Hyungwon to track him then Kharon might help take the mark off. And like what you asked, he’s bringing bags of blood with him.” Sunggyu added.

     The room then became quiet; the only thing you could hear was Hyungwon’s heavy breathing. So Wonho cleared his throat and said, “I’m not the type of demon to say this but…thank you.”

     “Don’t. Let’s just say this is the payment for protecting Jiyong’s dead body,” Sunggyu quickly says.

    “Alright then, but don’t expect us to tell you where Kwon Jiyong is just because you helped us. We still have some missions to fulfill,” Wonho says, and the demons nodded in understanding.

     “It’s okay. We all have our missions and secrets anyways,” Mark added. Then Jihoon looked at Wonho next and asked, “And for the games?”

     Wonho smirked this time and looked at Hyungwon instead, “You should talk to him about that, not me. But he says these games are somehow connected with what you guys are doing now so I don’t think the games will stop.”

     “Wait, I’m just really curious. What were you guys doing at Jiyong’s grave?” Taeil asked.

     Wonho quickly looked at Taeil. He looked like he didn’t want to say anything, but he decided that it wouldn’t hurt if he told them the truth, “Mother Pandora told us that ghouls will be arriving to take the prince’s body.”

     “So it was her who basically helped Jiyong?” Sungjae asked, now confused.

     “No, it was a mission…and we failed it.” Wonho suddenly explained, shocking everyone.

     “What do you mean failed it? You managed to defeat the ghouls and-” Wonho quickly cuts Hyunseung off and continued, “The mission was this: ghouls will arrive to take the prince. Guard them and make sure they take it. “ 

     “W-What?” Sunggyu said, shocked and confused at the same time.

     “I don’t know what the fuck is going on in hell, but I’m pretty sure our mother isn’t the same mother who gave us a mission before we left. The King is definitely behind it. He’s once again slowly getting closer to victory. And I’m definitely sure that if we keep this up…we’ll all fail our missions.”

• END -

SDS2 13: UNWANTED GUESTS

“I DON’T KNOW WHAT  the fuck is going on in hell, but I’m pretty sure our mother isn’t the same mother who gave us a mission before we left. The King is definitely behind it. He’s once again slowly getting closer to victory. And I’m definitely sure that if we keep this up…we’ll all fail our missions.” Wonho stated seriously.

     “Then what should we do? The King just killed Jiyong. He wants his body to use it as a vessel to go to earth. He wants you two so he could complete the seven evil emotions and become indestructible, and he wants to kill us all after. Dongmin told us you can help us strategize. So go on…tell us what we need to do.” Taeil said as he looked at Wonho.

     Taeil was the master planner for the Demons and sometimes for the Arcs too. But if things are getting this complicated, then he’s out of ideas. Wonho sighed and looked at everyone, “We’re only here to send a message, but before we could do so we need to prepare you all.”

     “Prepare us? With the games?” Jihoon asked. Still pretty mad after the last one.

     “Fuck this. We aren’t even supposed to talk to you.” Wonho says as he suddenly carried Hyungwon off the bed.

     “What are you doing?” Sunggyu quickly asked.

     Wonho looked at him and said, “We’re leaving. I’m very thankful for what you did for us…but I can’t stay here. WE can’t stay here.”

    “So that’s it? You’re just going to leave us all confused after everything that you just told us?” Suho says, but Wonho wasn’t listening anymore. But when he opened the door, he was surprised to see a phoenix he was very familiar with.

     “Kharon…” he says, making everyone look at him as well.

     “Well aren’t you a bit late,” Minhyuk says as Kharon entered the room.

    “Put him down, I’ll remove the mark on his arm. And come on, I bought all this blood for you.” Kharon says as he shows them the bags of blood he was holding.

     Wonho hesitated, and Kharon saw it, so he patted his shoulder and said, “You’re safe here, so don’t worry about him. And I know you were instructed to avoid the sons as much as you can but I think today can be an exception.”

     Finally, Wonho nodded his head and placed Hyungwon back on the bed. Kharon looked at the others and said, “I need to speak with them alone, please leave us.”

     Sunggyu looked at their guardian confusingly, but he nodded his head instead and said, “You heard the old man. Let’s go.”

     Everyone did what they were told and left the room.

AT THE LIVING ROOM

     “What could Kharon be telling them now?” Lay asked curiously, but no one answered since they too didn’t know.

     “Who knows, they could be plotting on killing us for all I know,” Hyunseung stated.

     “No, I know Kharon. He’s not here to betray us after everything he’s done. He’s more loyal to us than he is to the King,” Sunggyu quickly defended. While everyone was waiting, Kharon went out of the room, his hands covered in blood, shocking everyone.

     “W-What the fuck happened to you?” Junhyung asked as he continued to stare at Kharon’s now bloody hand.

     “I have bad news and good news. What do you want to hear first?” Kharon asked as he cleaned his hand with his own shirt, smudging the blood on it.

     Sungjae looked at him disgustingly and answered, “The good news?”

     Kharon sighed and sat beside Sunggyu with the others at the sofa, “The good news is that I removed the mark.”

     “And the bad news?” Minhyuk asked.

     Kharon sighed again and answered, “The bad news is that I was too late. They know where those two are now. This means the lords will start looking for them in Seoul, in HAU, everywhere.”

    “But they still don’t know what they look like right?” Taeil quickly asked. Kharon nodded and said, “Yes. The mark just showed the lords the location, not the identity.”

     “Well isn’t that more of good news than a bad one?” Suho asks.

    “No, it’s not. It only means we’ll also be facing all the lords that are after them.” Junhyung says, now realizing why this was bad news.

     “Wait, lords are the demons with names, right? The ones who can possess people?” Lay asked. When Kharon nodded as an answer and continued, “Why would lords want them?”

     “When the demons found out those two escaped hell, almost everyone followed and chased after them. Like what we’ve been telling you guys on and on, Pain and Panic are part of the Seven Evil Emotions, which means they’re indestructible, which is why the King of Hell wants them. Now that they’re here, what do you think those lords would do to them?” Kharon asked back.

     “They’re going to possess them so they could be indestructible themselves,” Taeil says, now understanding it.

    “Oh shit,” Minhyuk says, now realizing the danger of it as well.

     “So what should we do with them?” Sunggyu asked, referring to Pain and Panic.

     “Well, they’ll be fine on their own. But I don’t know how long that will be. You don’t have to worry, lords can’t possess royal blood, which means you’ll be safe.” Kharon explained.

     “But how about us?” Junhyung asked, worried that this might affect him and his brothers too.

     “ Lords can’t possess Angels either,“ Kharon answered.

     “But we’re not angels…we’re human-angels.” Mark pointed out, and this time, Kharon didn’t answer, making everyone know that they were screwed.

     Kharon stood up and looked at the Demons and the Arcs, “Rest now, tomorrow will be a busy day. Pain and Panic will be upstairs. I know it’s asking for too much but I hope you protect them. You’ll know the reason why when this is all over.”

     The Arcs stood up and bowed in front of the guardian, while the demons looked at him and nodded their heads, like giving him a very small head bow.

     “Then I’ll be heading out first,” Kharon stated before leaving the Holy Home.

    “Okay, let’s go back to sleep,” Junhyung instructed as he held Hyunseung’s hand and goes back to their rooms. The others followed and went back to sleep, ready to face whatever challenges that would occur tomorrow.

---

“So how was your night?” Dongmin asked as he looked at everyone at the table. The Arcs and Demons were now in the dining room, ready to eat breakfast when suddenly the doorbell rings.

     “I’ll get it,” Lay says as he stood up from his seat and opened the door, surprised to see a tall model-like man standing in front of their doorsteps.

     “How may I help you?” Lay asked as he looked at the man from head to toe. The man stared at him with an intense glare for a couple of seconds, making Lay gulp on the sudden scary aura the man was showing.

    “I’m Grim Reaper, and I’m here to take my kids.” The man finally says, making Lay widened his eyes from shock.

     “O-Oh…please follow me,” Lay said as he gestured Grim to enter the holy home. The moment Grim stepped inside, he was quickly welcomed by an intense headache.

     “Sorry, demons aren’t really welcome here,” Lay said when he noticed Grim clenching his fist because of the pain. When they arrived in the living room, everyone stopped eating and looked at the tall man with shock.

    “Who the fuck is that?” Junhyung quickly asked as he looked at the tall man.

     “Grim.” Dongmin quickly answered as he looked at their new guest. Grim Reaper bowed in front of them all and said, “Good morning Peter.”

     “Who told you about this place?” Dongmin asked instead of offering him to sit down.

     “Kharon did. He said my kids were here,” Grim answered, making Dongmin sigh.

     “That phoenix…” then Dongmin looked at the Arcs and said, “Wake Pain and Panic up.”

     Junhyung, as the leader of the Arcs, stood up and followed the instructions. The whole room had an awkward silence. So Grim looked back and Dongmin and said, “Aren’t you at least going to let me join you?”

     “You don’t eat.” Dongmin shot back, making Grim chuckle.

     “Look, I’m not happy to be here either. I’m just here to take my kids and quickly leave this place. After that, we can all pretend that this event didn’t even happen, sounds good?” Grim asked, but Dongmin ignored him, making Grim chuckle again, “As always, you’re a pain in the ass.”

     Dongmin was finally going to say something but Junhyung suddenly ran downstairs. While panting, he said, “They’re gone.”

     “What?” Dongmin and Grim asked in unison.

     “Gone? Did someone take them?” Sunggyu asked, but Dongmin shook his head and said, “Ghouls can’t enter this place, nor could lords. Only higher ranked demons can get in, but as you can see, it’s still painful for you.”

     “Then where could they be?” Hyunseung asked.

     Grim sighed and looked at the angels and demons, “I know where they are. Sorry for the trouble.”  Grim was about to leave, but Dongmin stood up and said, “Who are you serving Grim? Those two…or the King?”

     Grim stopped. Without looking at Dongmin, he answered, “If you still don’t know whom I serve then you’re a fool,” then he left.

     “What was that about?” Jihoon asked as he looked at their guardian confusingly, but their guardian doesn’t answer and massaged his temples instead.

     “We’ve been having so many visitors lately that I’m starting to really feel that this is a home,” Woohyun suddenly said while he takes a sip of his coffee. Dongmin sighed again and looked at everyone, “Eat your breakfast quickly. You have more visitors at HAU.”

     The Arcs and Demons’ eyes widened upon hearing the guardian’s instruction. With just those words they knew exactly what the guardian was talking about.

AT HOLY ANGELS UNIVERSITY

     The Arcs and Demons were walking in the hallway of HAU in their famous pyramid formations. Students would usually bow, or quickly leave since everyone was showing such scary auras.

     “Everyone should be cautious. We don’t know when those lords will attack so it’s best if we all stick together from now on, do you understand?” Sunggyu instructed as he and the rest continued walking.

     “Yes, Sunggyu.” Everyone answered in unison. They arrived at their classroom and were surprised to see that neither Pain nor Panic was in the room.

     “Where the hell could those two be?” Sunggyu asked, but before anyone could answer, their professor arrived and told them all to sit down. So the Demons and the Arcs did.

     ( Demons’ sitting arrangement: Minhyuk, Hyunseung, Taeil, Jackson, Sunggyu, Suho )

     The professor called out everyone for their attendance and eventually started with the discussion. Jackson, who was the strongest amongst all of them, somehow couldn’t concentrate well. He looked at his left and then his right, checking if something wasn’t right, but there wasn’t.

     “ What is it? “ Taeil –who was sitting beside him – asked, when he noticed Jackson’s uneasiness.

     “ Something’s not right, “ Jackson whispered back.

     “ What do you mean? “ Taeil asked while still staring at the professor. And like someone answered his question, a student in the middle suddenly stood up, making the professor stop discussing.

     “What seems to be the problem Mr. Lee?” the professor asked as he puts the textbook down so he could look at the student who was just silently standing in the middle.

     Jackson was about to stand up, but Sunggyu stopped him like he was telling him to just relax and see what would happen.

     “ Death is near for all of you. “ The student suddenly said, shocking everyone. But what shocked them the most was that his voice sounded weird, like hundreds of people said it all at ones.

     “What are you talking about? Sit down.” the professor says, not showing how terrified he actually was. Then, the student started laughing and laughing and laughing until blood started to come out of his mouth.

     “ Death is near! We will take you all! “ he shouted as blood continued to pour out of his mouth.

     The students started to panic. They were about to stand up and run out of the room when Sunggyu quickly stood up and looked at the arcs, “Jihoon…now!” And with one command, Jihoon snapped his fingers, stopping time. 

     Everything stopped moving except for the Arcs and Demons, and the student who was now obviously being possessed. The rest of the brothers stood up from their seats and walked towards the students who continued to laugh.

     His eyes were red, but not like the eyes of the demon, his were bloodshot eyes like he hasn’t been sleeping for weeks. Blood was still coming out of his mouth, and veins were slowly appearing from his skin.

     “ I am facing the Princes of Hell…betrayers of the King…no demon has received such honor. “ The demon suddenly says, but instead of being touched, the demons were somehow freaked out about it.

     “Thank the gods we don’t look like that when Hyungwon possesses us,” Jihoon says as he continued to look at the demon that was swaying side to side like he was barely trying to stand.

     “That’s because he doesn’t possess us. Possessing means taking over. Hyungwon doesn’t take over, he simply switches with us,” Junhyung explained.

     “ A-angels…Human-Angels! “ the possessed student suddenly says when he looked at the Arcs. Then he creepily smiled and ran towards them, but Hyunseung quickly pushed him away and tackled him.

     “H-Help me tie him up in a chair,” Hyunseung said while he was holding the student who was trying to break free from his grasp.

     “ Touch! Touch the Angels! Touch the Angels! “ the student stated as he was reaching out for the Arcs, and then he started laughing again.

     “Fucking help him!” Mark shouted, the hair on his skin now standing because of the student’s peculiar actions. Jackson and Woohyun quickly helped Hyunseung and made the student sit on the chair. Then Jackson removed the boy’s shoelaces and used it to tie him up.

     “Well aren’t you a resourceful man,” Woohyun said when he looked at Jackson who was tying the student’s wrist.

     “Can’t we just kill it?” Suho asked.

     “Idiot, we can’t kill an innocent student,” Taeil says, making Suho scratch his head embarrassingly.

     “W-What should we do with him?” Minhyuk asked, slowly panicking.

     “Should I look for Kharon? He’s the only one who can perform an exorcism.” Lay says, but before Sunggyu could say yes, Kharon quickly arrived to save the day.

     “I felt the presence, where is it?” Kharon quickly asked. Then the Arcs and the Demons moved aside so they could show them the possessed student. The student – who was apparently still laughing – stopped when he saw Kharon walk towards him.

     He smirked and said, “ Another betrayer of the king. “

     “What are you doing here… Guecubu, “ Kharon says; now standing in front of the student. The possessed student flinched but quickly shook his head and said, “ N-no Guecubu…I am not Guecubu. “

    “You are a long way from home Geucubu, “ Kharon says again, but he was saying the demon’s name louder.

     “ N-No! Ahh! Not Guecubu! “ the demon shouted, now struggling to get out of the chair.

     Kharon placed his hand on his forehead and said, “Now It’s time for you to go home… Abiit potest daemonium!. “

     The student screamed his lungs out until blood would come out of his nose. Then, he fainted.

     “Well, wasn’t that an unforgettable experience?” Sungjae commented, trying to absorb everything that happened just now.

    “So, how did you know who he was?” Taeil asked as he looked at Kharon. Kharon, who was exhausted just by what he did, looked at Taeil and answered, “It’s just something you’d know naturally.”

    “Well, I can’t argue with that.”

     “Where’s Pain and Panic? Are they with the Grim Reaper now?” Kharon asked.

     “We don’t know. They left the holy home this morning. But the grim reaper said he knows where they are so they’re probably with him now.” Junhyung explained.

     “I hope they are. It wouldn’t be safe for them to be here. It’s best if they continue to hide until things in HAU calms down.” Kharon said, then he looked back at everyone and continued, “Arcs, would you mind putting things back in order? I need to have a word with my kids for a little while.”

     Junhyung looked at Kharon like he wanted to ask about it, but he nodded his head instead, “Okay, we’ll handle it from here.”

     “Good. Demons, let’s go.” Kharon instructed as he left the room. The Demons looked at the Arcs first before leaving, like they didn’t want to leave them after what happened.

     “It’s okay, we’ll be fine here,” Lay says as he holds Suho’s shoulder, but he was reassuring all the Demons as well.

    “We’ll be back as soon as we’re done,” Sunggyu said as he left the room. The rest of the Demons following behind him.

     “Okay then, let’s fix this up,” Junhyung stated as he removed the shoelaces that were tied around the boy’s wrist before tying it back neatly in his shoes. He then took off his handkerchief and wiped off the blood on the student’s face. Then he took a jacket from the student’s bag and made him wear it so it could hide the bloodstain on his shirt.

     Then Junhyung made him sit like he was taking a nap in his armchair.

     Woohyun took a towel on one of the cabinets and cleaned the blood on the floor. Then he threw the now bloody towel away so no one could see it. The rest of the Arcs sat back down, and then Jihoon snapped his fingers, starting the time again.

     The students who were about to run away, stopped when they realized the possessed student was sleeping.

     “W-What…what happened?” the professor asked confusingly.

     Sungjae quickly looked at him in the eye and said, “ The student was sleeping. The Demons didn’t come to class today. You were just discussing the lesson, and every one of you was listening. “

     And like a mindless zombie, the professor took his textbook and said, “The student is sleeping. The Demons didn’t come to class today. I was just discussing the lesson, and every one of my students was listening.” Then the professor blinked, and the rest of the students blinked as well.

     “Now let’s go to the next page,” the professor suddenly said. And like nothing happened, the students followed.

     Junhyung looked at Sungjae proudly, then everyone pretended as if nothing happened as well.

---

“The two S Ranked Demons are probably back at their dorms, room 402. It’s best if you meet up with them first.” Kharon instructed.

    “Why?” Sunggyu quickly asked.

    “I talked to them last night and asked them about Jiyong,” Kharon said, and just hearing Jiyong’s name made everyone listen to him attentively.

     “Pain wouldn’t tell me anything, but he said they’d only tell it to you all…only when you finish the games,” Kharon revealed, making Hyunseung laugh.

     “Games? Those stupid games again?” Hyunseung asked in disbelief.

     “They believe it can help you in the future. I too think it’s childish and crazy, but they’re the only chance we have in finding where Jiyong’s soul is.” Kharon explained.

    “Well it’s not like we have a choice,” Sunggyu said. He sighed and looked at his brothers and continued, “Let’s go.”

     Sunggyu started walking away, and the rest of the Demons followed. But Kharon quickly called out for them and said, “A lot more bad things will happen Demon.”

     Sunggyu, who didn’t turn back, answered, “Do you seriously think we still don’t know that yet?”

     Then, they were gone. The Demons quickly went to the Holy Angels University dormitory, straight to room 402 where Kharon said they’d be.

     Sunggyu knocked, but no one answered. He knocked louder for the second time, but as expected, no one answered.

     “Let me…” Hyunseung said as he held Sunggyu’s shoulder. Sunggyu nodded his head and moved aside so Hyunseung could walk closer. Then, Hyunseung started knocking softly and said, “We know you’re there, open the door, it’s us.”

     It was quiet for a few seconds, but the door eventually opens, revealing Hyungwon, now looking much better compared to the last time they saw him. Hyunseung looked at his arm, glad the mark was gone. When Hyungwon saw Hyunseung staring at his arm, he quickly said, “Kharon removed the mark.”

     “We know.” Hyunseung simply answered.

     Hyungwon awkwardly cleared his throat, then he remembered something and said, “I’m sorry, where are my manners,” then he bowed in front of the six princes.

      “How may we help you?” Wonho suddenly asked when he appeared behind Hyungwon.

      “Kharon told us to come here, he said you have more games in stored for us,” Taeil said, making Hyungwon smirk.

     “I’m surprised. You are more eager than before,” Hyungwon stated, but Wonho quickly pulled him back and said, “The games can wait, Hyungwon needs to rest.”

     “Rest? Do you guys have any idea on what happened just now? A student got possessed. If it weren’t for us the other students would have started panicking,” Hyunseung said, but Wonho only smirked and said back, “And how was that unfortunate event our fault?”

    “Well if you didn’t fucking get bitten by a ghoul then that student wouldn’t have faced such an unfortunate event.” Hyunseung fired back as he looked at Hyungwon.

     Hyungwon’s smirk quickly transformed into a glare as he said, “I got bitten because I was protecting YOUR brother.”

     “We didn’t fucking asked you to,” Hyunseung says out of frustration.

    “We were tasked to let the ghouls take his body but we risked everything just so we could protect him and now you’re blaming us?”

     “That’s enough.” Sunggyu quickly says, pulling Hyunseung away from Hyungwon so he could calm down.

    “We hate each other…I get it. But we all know what happened today, and we all know what would happen in the future. You guys have missions, the Arcs have their missions, and we have our missions. Everyone’s trying to do their missions but we end up fighting because of the same reason.” Sunggyu says.

     “We’re not trying to fight you, we’re surprised that you still don’t know that by now. So tell me, why do you guys hate us so much?” Wonho suddenly asked.

    “That’s because you guys know where Jiyong is but you won’t fucking tell us,” Minhyuk answered.

    “Okay then, I get the hate but listen to this. Someone gave us ramen so we could serve it to you. We placed it in some hot water; we’re only waiting for the noodles to soften. But you guys are too eager to eat, knowing that the noodles are still uncooked. Do you think we’ll serve you the ramen even after knowing that you wouldn’t like the results?” Wonho asked them.

    “ Did he seriously make ramen as an example? “ Minhyuk whispered to Suho but Suho only ignored his stupid question.

     “So you’re telling us you’re preparing us through the games, like how you’re preparing for the ramen,” Taeil says, making Wonho smirk, “Exactly.”

    “But we want to do the games now. We don’t care about the fucking ramen. We don’t have enough time,” Hyunseung insisted.

     “Like what I said, Hyungwon is still-” Hyungwon suddenly cuts Wonho off and says, “No, I’m okay. We’ll start the next game.”

     Wonho angrily looked at Hyungwon and said, “I said you’re still too weak. You haven’t regained all of your energy. I told you before that-”

     “I said I’m fine.”

     “Well it looks like the man wants to continue on with the games,” Minhyuk stated, then he walked towards him and said, “If you don’t want to play then stay here, we’ll take him with us.”

    Minhyuk was about to grab Hyungwon’s hand, but Taeil quickly shouted, “You fucking idiot! Don’t touch him!”

     But it was too late, Minhyuk already did.

     Hyungwon had a lot more energy compared to anyone, even though he was low in it. Minhyuk had life draining, and his powers automatically sucked in all the energy since Hyungwon was literally filled with it.

     Minhyuk’s eyes turned red while Hyungwon’s eyes turned purple.

     “Pull Minhyuk away from him!” Taeil shouted.

     Jackson quickly pulled Minhyuk away while Wonho pulled Hyungwon away. When the two separated, both quickly fainted.

     “Great, and he just fucking woke up a few minutes ago.” Wonho angrily as he was now carrying his partner up.

     Jackson, who was also carrying Minhyuk, looked at Taeil and asked, “What the fuck just happened?”

     “Minhyuk absorbed his energy,” Taeil answered.

     “But Minhyuk can control his powers. He can’t just suddenly absorb it,” Hyunseung explained, worried that his best friend just literally fainted by one touch.

     “Did no one listen to Lay? These two’s source of power is their energy, so basically they’re filled with energy. Minhyuk’s powers suddenly got triggered because of the sudden amount of energy, thus making him and Hyungwon faint. Hyungwon’s out of energy while Minhyuk is now filled with it. Apparently, his body can’t take it all,” Taeil explained, then Wonho added, “And I thought he was the smartest.”

    “Will he wake up?” Hyunseung asked.

     “Of course he will. He just needs to release all the energy that he absorbed. It will take some time but he’ll wake up eventually.” This time, it was Wonho who explained it.

    “Do you still have the bags of blood Kharon gave you?” Sunggyu asked as he looked at Hyungwon’s –once again – lifeless body.

     “Yeah, I stored it at our refrigerator,” Wonho answered.

     “Good, then he’ll be fine. We’ll worry about Minhyuk then,” Sunggyu said as he looked at Minhyuk’s lifeless body next.

    “This idiot. He faints at the time where we need each other the most.” Sunggyu added.

    Suddenly, they heard distant screaming, making everyone flinch.

     “What the fuck was that?” Suho asked with his eyes wide from shock.

    “Shit…Hyungwon, this isn’t the time for you to fucking faint.” Wonho said as he started shaking Hyungwon’s lifeless body like it was going to make a difference to begin with. Wonho’s reaction made everyone realize what it was.

    “Suho, stay with these two, and protect them.” Sunggyu suddenly instructed, shocking Wonho and Suho.

     “What?!” Suho protested. 

    “We can handle ourselves,” Wonho quickly fired back.

     Sunggyu angrily looked at the two and said, “We don’t have much time so fucking get inside and don’t come out until we tell you to, do you understand?!”

     Suho flinched and quickly nodded his head. Then he looked at Wonho and said, “Let’s go inside.”

     The two quickly went inside the room and locked the door. Then Sunggyu looked at Hyunseung and said, “JS, can you bring Minhyuk back to the Holy Home safely? He fainted. We don’t know what those lords could do with him, so it’s best if we let him stay there.”

   “Okay, but why don’t I bring Hyungwon and Wonho with me? They’ll be safer there too.” Hyunseung stated while he was already taking Minhyuk’s lifeless body from Jackson.

     “No, it’s too risky. We don’t want the lords to find them there. That’s the only safe haven that we have. I’m confident Suho can protect them here.” Sunggyu stated, and then Hyunseung nodded in understanding.

     “Jackson and Taeil will stay with me so we could see what’s going on. Now go.” Sunggyu says.

     “Alright, good luck,” Hyunseung says. Then he ran off with Minhyuk on his back.

      Sunggyu, Taeil, and Jackson continued to hear the screams from the campus, the sound made the three gulp nervously.

     “You guys ready?” Sunggyu asked as he looked at his two brothers. Jackson, who was the strongest, smirked and transformed into his demonic self. Then he said, “I haven’t had a good fight in seven months.”

     Jackson’s confidence made Sunggyu and Taeil smile, making them transform into their demonic state as well.

     “Alright. Then let’s welcome our new visitors,” Sunggyu stated with confidence as he and his two brothers ran back to the campus, only to see everyone panicking and running around. Some were even pushing the others just so they could escape the campus. But apparently, the main door was locked, causing everyone to be compiled in one area.

     “This isn’t good,” Taeil said as he looks at the students.

     Then, Kharon arrived and ran towards the two, “Where are the rest of you?”

     Sunggyu looked at Kharon, who looked like he was attacked by hundreds of students, “Things happened, we’re all you’ve got.”

     Kharon silently cursed and said, “They’re here. They’re ALL here. They’re possessing so many students that I’ve lost count.”

     “How many?” Sunggyu dared ask, not ready to hear the answer, “Almost two hundred students…or even more.”

    “Shit, that’s a lot of possessed students,” Taeil stated.

     “Are Pain and Panic okay?” Kharon asked.

     “They are. Suho’s with them. But Hyungwon is kinda…lifeless again.”

     Kharon sighed and massaged his temple, “No wonder people are panicking like crazy.”

     “And the Arcs?” Jackson quickly asked, worried about his lover.

    “They’re at the lobby fighting off some of them. Everything was just…normal…then suddenly everyone started palpitating and throwing up blood. It’s like a…”

     “Mass possession.” Taeil continued.

     “Let’s not waste any time. We need to help the Arcs,” Sunggyu instructed. And without answering, the four of them ran off and arrived at the lobby where the Arcs were.

     “Demons!” Junhyung shouted, glad they finally arrived. Well…glad some of them finally arrived. The three summoned their weapons and was about to attack the students, but Mark quickly stopped them and said, “You can’t hurt them! They’re still students!”

     “Fuck,” Sunggyu cursed, realizing it as well.

    “Stop time.” Sunggyu quickly instructed.

     Kharon quickly stopped time before Jihoon or Sungjae could even do it. The moment time stopped, Sunggyu released a really powerful aura, causing the students that surrounded them to be thrown off.

     When they thought they were safe, Lay patted on Sunggyu’s shoulder and said, “S-Sunggyu! They’re coming!”

    Everyone looked at the hallway and saw a hoard of students running towards them. Sunggyu quickly pointed at the auditorium and shouted, “There! Go inside there now!”

     The Arcs and the rest of his brothers and Kharon quickly ran inside the auditorium and locked it. Woohyun summoned his swords and placed it on the door handle; using it to hold the door closed. Seconds later the students arrived and started pushing the door open. Thankfully Woohyun’s sword is strong enough to hold it off.

     Junhyung was panting heavily as he said, “I know I’ve been saying this so many times now but…what the fuck just happened?!”

    “T-They were like…zombies,” Jihoon stated, still not believing what he just saw.

     “They’re looking for Pain and Panic, and to be able to do that they’re possessing as many students as they can just so they could find the right one,” Kharon explained.

     “If that’s the case then where are the others? Were they taken now too?” Sungjae asked.

     “Minhyuk fainted so Hyunseung is bringing him back to the Holy Home. Suho’s with Hyungwon and Wonho at their dormitory.” Sunggyu answered.

    “Will those two be safe? Suho’s strong but…with that many possessed students? I don’t think he can handle it. I think we should go to him,” Lay suggested, worried about his lover as well.

    “We can’t risk going out there, especially when those things can easily possess you. Suho can handle it. Besides, no one can sense Pain and Panic; they’ll be hard to find.” Taeil explained.

    “Then what do you suggest we do? Wait for those students to come in here and possess all of us? Or wait for a miracle to happen?” Lay asked.

    “Well, we obviously can’t fight them. We’ll get them killed, and we don’t want to kill hundreds of students,” Taeil answered.

    “He does have a point,” Junhyung says.

    “So what should we do now?” Woohyun asked since it looked like there were out of options.

    Taeil scratched his chin and analyzed the situation. Things were getting out of hand, and if they’re not able to think of a solution, they’d definitely lose before they could even battle the king. Taeil was about to say something, but suddenly, everyone heard a big explosion from outside the auditorium.

     The students stopped pushing the door.

     And everything fell silent right after.

• END -

SDS3 14: IN NEED OF PROTECTION

“WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM?” Dongmin asked   when he saw Hyunseung carrying Minhyuk on his back. Hyunseung and Minhyuk entered the Holy Home, then Hyunseung answered, “He fucking touched Panic.”

     Dongmin looked at Minhyuk with disbelief and said, “You idiot.”

     “C-Can you help me carry him to his room? He’s kinda heavy.” Hyunseung asked, making Dongmin realize Hyunseung looked really exhausted.

     “Sorry.” Dongmin apologized as he carried Minhyuk for him, then the three of them went upstairs to Sunggyu and Minhyuk’s room.

     Dongmin gently placed Minhyuk’s lifeless body on the bed and looked at Hyunseung with a questionable look, “What’s going on?”

     “Something happened at HAU. I’m not sure what it was but we heard the students screaming. Suho’s with Pain and Panic at their dormitory, while Sunggyu and the rest are checking what the commotion was about at the campus.” Hyunseung finally explained.

     The Arc’s guardian sighed and massaged his temple, “I knew it. They’ve arrived. You should be with your brothers and help them. You can’t get possessed, they’ll definitely need you there.”

     “But I can’t just leave Minhyuk here,” Hyunseung said with a worried tone.

     “Fine, I’ll go to HAU and call the Arcs back. They’re safer here than there. And when they arrive, head back to HAU. You demons are stronger when all of you are together.” Dongmin stated.

     Hyunseung nodded as an answer.  Dongmin didn’t waste anytime and immediately left the Holy Home. When the Home was now completely empty, Hyunseung looked at Minhyuk’s lifeless body and said, “You fucking idiot. Did you seriously have to faint at such an important time?”

BACK AT THE HOLY ANGELS UNIVERSITY

     “He does have a point,” Junhyung says.

     Woohyun looked at everyone and asked, “So what should we do now?”

     Sunggyu was about to answer, but he stopped when they suddenly heard a huge explosion from outside the auditorium.

     “W-what the fuck was that?” Jihoon asked as everyone looked at the door, surprised that the students weren’t pushing it anymore.

     “Go check it out,” Sunggyu commanded as he looked at Taeil.

     “No fucking way. You go check it out.” Taeil quickly says back, somehow scared of what he might see outside. Sunggyu was about to protest again but stopped when Jackson did the honors.

     “ Chickens, “ Jackson muttered to himself as he peeked through the small gap at the side of the door. Jackson wasn’t saying anything, making everyone look nervous. But then the demon smirked when he got a clearer view of what was going on outside. Without saying anything, he quickly removed Woohyun’s sword and gave it back to him.

     “Look who decided to join the party,” Jackson stated when he finally opened the door of the auditorium.

    Everyone looked outside and was surprised to see all the students lying on the floor, unconscious. But they were even more surprised to see one of Arcs strongest fighter, Choi Seung Hyun AKA TOP.

     “Is that…Choi Seunghyun?” Taeil asked in disbelief.

     “Seunghyun!” the Arcs shouted as they ran towards him to give him a warm embrace. Well…except for Junhyung who thought it was too uncool.

     “No fucking way,” Sunggyu said as he slowly walked towards the Angel. Seunghyun smiled when he saw the Demons, but his smile slowly faded, and he quickly bowed on his knees and said, “About Jiyong’s death…there was no day that I did not regret…”

     “Oh shut up.” Sunggyu quickly cuts off as he pulled Seunghyun up to give him a quick hug. Taeil walked towards him too and gave the big guy a pat on the back.

     “It’s good to see you again Seunghyun,” Jackson stated with a small smile.

     “It’s good to see you too,” Seung answered as he looked back at Jackson. Then, Kharon walked towards Seung and said, “The explosion…it was you right? What did you do exactly?”

     “Don’t tell me you fucking killed them.” Junhyung suddenly said.

     Seunghyun laughed and answered, “Do you seriously think an angel like me is capable of killing these many innocent students? I only killed the demons that were possessing them, I didn’t actually kill THEM.”

     “You can do that?!” Everyone asked in unison.

     “I can do it ten at a time. It’s not easy but I can do it just fine. Well…I didn’t train for almost eight months just to be bad at it.” Seunghyun revealed, making Sunggyu laugh.

     “So that’s why you were gone? You knew this would happen?” Sunggyu asked, and Seunghyun simply nodded, making Sunggyu laugh even more, “Of course you did. You guys always knew!”

     “I’m sorry but…what’s so funny?” Mark asked. Taeil looked at him and said, “I think he lost it.”

    “It’s best you ignore him,” Jackson added, making the rest of them laugh.

     “Sorry to break the reunion but I think we need to go,” someone suddenly says. Everyone looked at their right and saw Dongmin with the guy everyone calls Grim. They were panting heavily; they obviously ran their way here.

    “What happened?” Kharon asked as he joined the two guardians.

     “It looks like HAU isn’t the only place that’s suffering from mass possession. The whole city is being possessed. Everyone’s looking for Pain and Panic.” Grim Reaper revealed, shocking everyone on the sudden news.

     “And this must be?” Seunghyun suddenly asked as he looked at Grim from head to toe.

     “That’s Grim Reaper.” Sungjae answered, making Seunghyun slowly nod his head, “Don’t tell me he’s protecting two of Pandora’s evil emotions.”

     “Of course you knew about that too.” Sunggyu quickly added.

     “Yeah, and they’re actually Pain and Panic if you’re wondering,” Junhyung says.

     “Pain and Panic? Sounds catchy.” Seunghyun commented.

     While the rest were talking, Taeil suddenly remembered something, “Wait, if you’re here, then does than mean Hyunseung and Minhyuk are at the Holy Home now?”

     “Yes, and I want the Arcs to go back too.” Dongmin suddenly instructed, making the angels look at him with disbelief.

     “You want us to leave? You obviously need more men to help you.” Junhyung immediately protested. He wasn’t going to go home like a coward, especially when something like this had already happened.

     “You are safer there. Those lords would automatically want to possess you the moment they see you,” Dongmin explained, but Junhyung wasn’t going to back down, “No, we’re staying here to help the Demons. So don’t worry about us because we can handle ourselves. We didn’t train our whole lives just to hide when something like this happens.”

     The demons couldn’t help but smile on Junhyung’s determination. He was willing to risk it just to help them.

     “Let them stay. Like what Junhyung said, they can handle themselves.” Sunggyu stated as he looked at the Arcs.

     Dongmin sighed in defeat, “Fine. But I need someone to go back to the Holy Home to switch with Hyunseung. We need Hyunseung here more than anything.” Dongmin stated, making Junhyung nod in understanding.

     “If that’s the case, I’ll go,” Sungjae suddenly suggested as he walked forward.

     “Jihoon and I almost have the same powers, but he’s a better fighter than I am. You wouldn’t need me as much as you need him. I’ll call for Hyunseung and protect Minhyuk on his behalf,” Sungjae says.

     “Are you sure?” Kharon asked.

    Sungjae nodded his head and said, “I’m sure. I will protect Lee Minhyuk even if my entire life depends on it. So you guys don’t have to worry about him and just worry about what’s happening here.”

     Sunggyu squeezed Sungjae’s shoulder and genuinely said, “Thank you.”

     Sungjae smiled and nodded at Sunggyu’s small gesture.

     “Well, I need to go. Good luck…all of you.” Sungjae stated. As he was about to leave, Junhyung grabbed his arm and said for the last time, “You take care of yourself. Make sure no one touches you.”

     “Don’t worry…I might not be a good fighter, but I’m a fast runner.” Sungjae reminded him as he pulled his arm away and ran off.

     “So what now?” Woohyun asked the moment Sungjae left them.

      Kharon looked at Seunghyun and said, “Can you kill all the lords in the city?”

    Seunghyun looked at the Demon’s guardian and answered, “I can, obviously, but I can’t do it alone.”

     “Then who do you suggest we call?” Jihoon asked with his right eyebrow raised.

     “While I was training at the cathedral, the priests gave me a short discussion about Pandora’s evil emotions, and apparently, the one called Nightmare can kill lords in one command,” Seunghyun explained.

     “No fucking way. That would seriously be so convenient!” Taeil says excitedly.

     “But there’s no Nightmare here. Like what we said, we only have Pain and Panic.” Jackson explained, making Seung have a you-have-a-point look.

     “Well talking about Pandora’s Evil Emotions, don’t you think it’s best if we go check on my kids?” Grim suddenly suggested, making everyone look at him.

     “St. Peter told me a boy named Suho is protecting them. I’m not doubting his strength but if all those students come to them I don’t think he can handle it alone.” Grim continued.

     “He’s right. We should go back to them. Especially when they’re our top priority.” Sunggyu stated, then everyone agreed.

     Without wasting any time, all of them ran back to HAU’s Dormitory. Seunghyun killing the lords inside the possessed students who they’d run into. Thankfully the dorm was empty, and no one could really sense Pain and Panic’s presence so the possessed students didn’t even bother to check the area.

     When they finally arrived at the emotion’s room, Jackson didn’t even knock and just kicked the door in one blow, quickly breaking it. Suho, who was in his demonic state, was about to smash Jackson’s head with his hammer, but stopped mid-way when Jackson quickly held onto his wrist; the hammer just a few inches away from Jackson’s head.

     “Oops…sorry Jackson,” Suho said as he slowly pulled his hand away from Jackson’s hold.

     “Where’s Pain and Panic?” Grim quickly asked as he entered the room.

     Suho didn’t even have to answer because Grim saw Wonho holding onto Hyungwon’s hand on the bed. He sighed in relief. Glad they were still safe.

     Wonho quickly stood up when he saw their guardian, “What happened?” he asked.

     The rest of the Arcs and Demons entered the room, and then Kharon and Dongmin walked towards him, shocking Wonho even more.

     “We need to leave and take you to a safer place,” Kharon instructed.

     “Why? Are the students of HAU looking for us now?” Wonho asked. 

     Dongmin smirked and answered, “Well actually…the whole city’s looking for you now.”

AT THE HOLY HOME

“Hyunseung! Hyunseung!” Sungjae shouted when he finally arrived at the Holy Home in one piece. He entered the home and quickly locked the door, hoping that no one was able to follow him. Hyunseung, who heard him, quickly ran downstairs.

     “Sungjae? Why are you alone? Where are the others?” JS quickly asked, surprised to only see Sungjae there.

     “They’re still at HAU. My brothers didn’t want to leave your brothers behind,” Sungjae explained, making Hyunseung nod in understanding.

     “I understand. So, you’re staying here I presume.”

     “Don’t worry, I promise to protect Minhyuk with everything I can, and besides, this is the safest place for both of us,” Sungjae said reassuringly.

     Hyunseung smiled, glad Sungjae was willing to protect his brother. He held Sungjae’s hand and said, “Thank you Sungjae. I promise we’ll be back as soon as we resolve the problem at HAU.”

     “Actually, the problem just upgraded,” Sungjae suddenly revealed while scratching the back of his head. Then Hyunseung realized that Sungjae looked like his shirt was pulled by tons of people.

     “What happened?” Hyunseung asked seriously.

     “Well…the whole city is being possessed by the lords and they’re all very aggressive.” Sungjae finally revealed, making Hyunseung silently curse.

     “Then it means I really have to go. I entrust you with Minhyuk’s wellbeing.” Hyunseung finished, quickly running towards the door.

     “Be careful!” Sungjae shouted as Hyunseung finally slammed the door shut. When Hyunseung was gone, Sungjae sighed and thought, “ Should I have told him about Seunghyun? Nah, let him be surprised. “

     He locked the door, then ran upstairs to check if Minhyuk was okay. Thankfully, Minhyuk was still sleeping like a baby. 

     “I should change my clothes,” Sungjae says to himself. But when he was about to leave the bedroom, he suddenly heard a noise coming from the living room. Sungjae went outside Minhyuk’s room and slowly closed the door. Then he quickly summoned his weapon and slowly walked his way downstairs towards the living room.

     “ Shit. Were they able to follow me? “ Sungjae whispered to himself while his heart was pounding like crazy. But his nervousness was erased when he saw where the noise was coming from.

     It was actually from the mirror that was glowing brightly. Sungjae summoned back his weapon and ran towards the mirror, “Father? is that you?” he quickly asked.

     The mirror glowed for the last time, finally revealing Archangel Gabriel, Woohyun’s father.

     “Father Gabriel!” Sungjae greeted as he quickly goes down on his knees to bow.

     “ I’m glad you made it here safely Sungjae. But it looks like the whole city is facing great chaos thanks to Pandora’s evil emotions.“  Gabriel told him. Sungjae stood up then looked back at him, “Yes. But Seunghyun has finally arrived. He’s done with his training at the cathedral.”

     “ So I’ve heard. They’ll be safe…for now. “ Gabriel stated.

     “It looks like those two really are important that the lords are willing to start this much chaos just to get them,” Sungjae said.

     “ They are. But what you have to worry about now is you and Beelzebub’s son, “ Gabriel suddenly tells him.

    “What do you mean? We’re safe here. I made sure no one followed me.” Sungjae stated, slowly starting to feel the panic.

    “ The mark the ghoul left on Panic’s arm. It made them know where this place is, “ Gabriel revealed.

     “W-What, that can’t be…”

     “ They might not be able to enter, but they will break this place into pieces. Remember Sungjae, this is the only safe haven you all have left. You must make sure that nothing destroys it. “ Gabriel instructed.

     “B-But what should I do? Minhyuk…he’s not awake! I can’t protect him and the Holy Home at the same time!” Sungjae shouts, now panicking.

    “ Find a way. You are here for a reason. Protect Beelzebub’s son. They will arrive and take him. Make sure no one does. “

     Sungjae slowly puts his head down. His hands were trembling as he said, “N-No…I can’t. I’m not like Junhyung…I’m not like Seunghyun…I can’t…”

     “ That is enough! “ Gabriel suddenly shouted.

    “ You are not Michael’s son, nor are you Samuel’s. You are Phanuel’s son for crying out loud! The Face of God! The one who is set over the repentance unto hope of those who inherit eternal life. You will defend this Holy Home, and you will protect the Prince of Glutton “, Gabriel said with full power, finally lifting Sungjae’s spirit.

     Sungjae clenched his fist and quickly bowed on one of his knees, “Yes father. I will not fail you.”

     “ They’re here…good luck son. “ Gabriel finally said. 

     Sungjae quickly lifted his head to look back at Gabriel, but all he saw was his own reflection. Gabriel was gone.

    Suddenly, he felt the ground rumbling, like hundreds of people were running towards them. Sungjae gulped but brushed his fear away. He quickly stood up and checked outside the window. The hair on his skin stood up the moment he saw what was approaching the holy home. There were at least a hundred possessed humans and even ghouls running towards the house.

     “Oh dear God, please guide me,” Sungjae says as he quickly ran back to Minhyuk’s room.

     “Minhyuk, please wake up. Please wake up.” Sungjae tried to plead as he was aggressively shaking Minhyuk’s lifeless body. Suddenly he heard a loud bang. Sungjae automatically knew the ghouls and the lords were now at the door, trying to push it open.

     “S-Shit…please goddamn it…wake up! I can’t fight all of them alone!” Sungjae shouted. But it was no use, Minhyuk wasn’t waking up.

     “Fuck this.” He said as he finally gave up on Minhyuk.

     He closed all the windows inside and closed the door of Minhyuk’s room. He ran downstairs and saw all the lords and ghouls trying to open the windows, but some were already bleeding. It was obvious the power of the Holy Home was strong, even from the outside.

     But the windows were slowly having cracks. Sungjae knew it wasn’t going to take long before they break it.

      “ Angel! Touch Angel! “ the possessed suddenly shouted the moment they saw Sungjae.

     “Okay…You’ve trained all your life Sungjae. It’s your time to shine.” Sungjae told himself as he kneeled on the ground. Then he touched the cold marble floor and closed his eyes before saying, “Bless their souls Father.”

     With full concentration, Sungjae released a powerful force of lightning. Weak enough to not kill the humans, but strong enough to at least kill the ghouls.

     He quickly opened his eyes and checked if what he did actually worked. He smiled victoriously when it did. He stood up, only to fall on his knees again. What he did made him weak. He wasn’t used to releasing such a powerful force.

     Sungjae grabbed hold on the table and did his best to stand up. But when Sungjae thought it was over, he was surprised to see that he only defeated a few of them. More were ready to attack.

     “Shit! How many are you assholes?!” Sungjae shouted because of great frustration. The others, who were still alive, pushed the fainted ones who were in front of the home away and started pushing the door and windows again.

     “Those windows aren’t going to hold much longer,” he told himself as he saw the cracks getting bigger and bigger.

    Sungjae made the sign of the cross and took a deep breath, “Bless me, dear God.” Then Sungjae summoned his silver sword. He held the sword on his right hand and took an umbrella on his left hand.

     “I can’t kill those humans, but I can hit them just on the right places to knock them out,” Sungjae planned as he readied himself.

      Finally, the windows broke, and the ghouls and possessed humans ran towards him with full force. Sungjae stabbed the ghouls who approached him, while he hit the humans on the back of the head, making them faint.

     He continued to do his strategy by killing the ghouls and avoiding the possessed with everything he’s got. But they were too many for Sungjae to handle, and to top it all off, he was exhausted by the powerful force he emitted a few minutes ago. 

     The only thing that was helping him was the home itself. Some ghouls who entered would already disperse before they could even approach him, while the possessed were slowly becoming weaker. But it still wasn’t enough because they were dozens of them, all attacking him at the same time.

     While he was trying to defeat everyone who entered through the windows, he suddenly saw some possessed humans approaching the stairs.

     “ Prince! The Prince is above! “ one of the possessed shouted. But Sungjae quickly hits him before he could even take a step on the stairs.

     “M-Minhyuk…d-don’t worry…I will protect you!” Sungjae shouted, releasing another powerful force of lightning.

     Everyone who surrounded him either died or fainted. All Sungjae could do was fall on his knees again, but when he lifted his head, he gulped when he saw that more were coming.

     “N-No…I can’t…” Sungjae quickly stopped and remembered what his Father Gabriel told him. So Sungjae used his sword for support so he could stand up. But when he turned around, he was surprised to see that a larger ghoul was already standing behind him.

     It was about to pierce its deformed hand inside Sungjae’s chest, but Sungjae quickly moved aside and dodge it.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t quick enough. Instead of his chest, the ghoul pierced its hand inside Sungjae’s stomach.

     “Ahh!” Sungjae shouted in full pain.

     He lifted his sword with everything he’s got and swung it with full force, beheading the ghoul. 

     When the ghoul dispersed, Sungjae quickly looked at his wounded stomach that was rapidly bleeding. He quickly ran to an altar and grabbed the holy water. He looked at the cross that was hanging on the wall, and then he made a quick prayer and sprinkled the holy water on his open wound.

    The pain quickly shot on Sungjae’s entire body.

    “F-Fuck!” he shouted, but he clenched his fist and endured the pain. He looked at his wound. It was slowly closing, but it was still too slow to fully heal. He looked back outside the home. More were running towards them.

     Sungjae gulped and fell on his knees again. He was panting heavily. He was sweating and bleeding all over. He knew he was going to be defeated, so he raised his hand and said, “ God the Father…I surrender. “

     Everything was silent for a couple of seconds. But then, the ground started shaking, and lightning came down from the heavens, hitting everyone who came near the Holy Home.

     Finally, there weren’t any ghouls or lords left.

     Sungjae slowly stood up and held his wound to stop the bleeding. His blood was dripping on the floor; even his hands were covered in blood now too. He looked at all the lifeless bodies in front of him. Then he slowly walked upstairs, holding onto the wall for support, leaving bloodstains on them.

     He arrived at Minhyuk’s room. He entered the room and quickly locked it. He looked at Minhyuk’s lifeless body on the bed and walked towards him, but Sungjae fell on the bed because of how painful his body was feeling.

     “Y-you gotta wake u-up…man,” Sungjae said as he looked at Minhyuk who was lying beside him.

    When Minhyuk still didn’t respond, Sungjae slowly sat back up. He removed his hand on his wound and saw the painful-looking hole. He was glad that it wasn’t that deep to the point where his guts would come out.

     Thankfully the holy water was helping it heal. It was a slow process but Sungjae could feel that it was trying to close the wound.

     Sungjae slowly but surely walked his way towards the bathroom. He removed his bloody shirt and washed the wound with clean water. The first aid kit was downstairs, but Sungjae wasn’t going to risk it anymore. So instead, he added an ointment on the wound, and then he placed a clean white towel on top of it. Then he took a jacket inside one of the cabinets and wrapped it around his stomach to hold the white towel in place.

    “This will work. I’ll just let Lay heal me afterward.” Sungjae tells himself. Then he borrowed a shirt inside the cabinet again and wears it.

     When Sungjae was about to lay in bed with Minhyuk, he felt the ground trembling again. His eyes widened as he quickly went to the window to see what it was.

     “N-No…this can’t be…” he says as he takes a peek outside the window.

     His heart almost stopped when he saw more ghouls and possessed humans running towards them.

    “No! Fuck!” Sungjae shouted as he quickly looked at Minhyuk. He quickly ran towards Minhyuk, but because of his sudden action, his wound started throbbing again.

    “S-shit!” He almost fell on the floor, but he endured the pain and went towards Minhyuk, shaking him again.

    “Please Minhyuk! Please wake up! I need your help!” Sungjae pleaded, but Minhyuk still wasn’t budging. Sungjae looked at the cross again, pleading at it. But when nothing happened, he clenched his fist in defeat.

    “I can’t protect this place any longer…we need to….we need to leave.” Sungjae finally said.

    He quickly held Minhyuk’s arm and tried to teleport, but it just couldn’t work.

     Demons and Angel could teleport, Demons through fire, while Angels through lightning. But it was nearly impossible to do so if you’re exhausted or in a state of panic. Teleporting required full energy and great concentration, and currently, Sungjae didn’t have both.

    To top it all off, he was trying to teleport with Minhyuk, who was obviously a demon. His powers weren’t really effective on Demons.

     “Please!” Sungjae shouted as he tried again.

     He looked at the cross for the last time and said, “God! Please! We need to get out of here!”

     While Sungjae was pleading, he quickly heard the door downstairs being slammed open. They were finally inside again.

     “Shit! Come on powers! Work with me!” Sungjae shouted as he looked back at Minhyuk.

    He held Minhyuk’s arms tighter, and then he closed his eyes again, “Father Phanuel, I’m sorry, I can’t protect the home anymore. But please, let me protect Beelzebub’s son.” Sungjae pleaded as he tried to teleport again.

     Sungjae could already hear them running upstairs, causing him to sweat like crazy. But moments before they could reach the door, something sparked on Sungjae’s hand.

     The possessed slammed the door open, but they were surprised to see that the two were nowhere to be found.

• END -

SDS3 15: HIDE N’ SEEK

SUNGJAE OPENED HIS EYES  and was surprised that he was able to teleport away from the Holy Home. But the side effect was that he had no idea where he teleported to.

     Sungjae slowly stood up and looked at his surroundings. 

     “No way…did I seriously teleport ourselves to a fucking forest?!” Sungjae shouted with full shock, the moment he shouted, birds suddenly flew above them, startling him. He looked down and saw Minhyuk still unconscious on the ground.

     “I’m surprised you’re still unconscious. But what I’m more surprised about is that I’m still freakin’ alive,” Sungjae says. Seconds later, he started laughing.

     “Oh my fucking god, we escaped! We actually did it Minhyuk!” Sungjae shouted again, but this time, he suddenly heard a howl.

    “ Shit “, Sungjae silently cursed as he squatted out of instinct. When he realized nothing was approaching them, he looked down at Minhyuk again, but this time he giggled silently. He held Minhyuk’s shoulder and said, “You’re alive…thank god you’re alive.”

     Sungjae was about to stand up again but his stomach quickly started aching, stopping him midway. He looked down and saw that his wound was bleeding again. Soaking his clean shirt with blood.

     “Fuck.” He cursed when touched his wound, staining his hand with blood now too. Then he looked at the sky. It was getting darker, and one thing that he knew was that it was very dangerous to be in the forest at night. Especially when Sungjae was covered in blood.

     He looked around again, hoping he’d find a spot where they could rest, and to his surprise, he found a cave just a few meters away from them.

     “Okay big guy, we gotta move,” Sungjae says as he slowly stood up this time so he wouldn’t strain his wound.

     He tried to lift Minhyuk up, but sadly, he was still too weak. He just let out a powerful force that his body wasn’t used to, twice. He battled with at least a hundred possessed humans and even ghouls. He teleported himself, and even Minhyuk, to who knows where, and he has a fucking hole in his stomach.

     How the hell is it possible that he’s even alive?!

     “How the fuck am I gonna move you?” Sungjae asked as he looked at Minhyuk. But the longer he looked at him, his eyes were slowly closing, and everything around him was slowly getting blurry.

     The tiredness was finally consuming him.

      “No! You can’t fucking faint!” he shouted as he suddenly slapped himself on the face. He shook himself up and grabbed Minhyuk’s hand again, and then he started pulling him. Thankfully the mud was helping Sungjae slide Minhyuk easily.

      “S-Sorry Minhyuk but we gotta survive,” Sungjae said as he continued to pull Minhyuk’s lifeless body. The longer he was pulling, the more his wound was hurting.

     “Ah! Fuck me!” he shouted again, trying to ease the pain through cursing.

     “Come on! Just a little more! Just until we reach that goddamn cave!” Sungjae shouted again, still pulling Minhyuk with everything he’s got.

     He glanced at his wound. The shirt was soaking wet to the point that his blood was already dripping. Then, he stopped pulling just to catch his breath. But that was the biggest mistake he had ever made because the moment he stopped, he fainted.

---

“Why the fuck are we running?!” Woohyun shouted.

     Mark looked back at his best friend and shouted back, “Just shut up and hurry it up!”

     The Arcs, the Demons, the Guardians, and Pain & Panic finally escaped HAU and were now running towards an abandoned warehouse. When they got there, Seunghyun and Jackson forcefully opened the garage door and kept it open until everyone got in.

     Seunghyun then looked at Jackson and said, “Okay, let’s go.” Then the two quickly went inside, making the garage door fall behind them.

     “Okay, this is pretty dark,” Jihoon says. Seconds later, all of the demons lit their hands on fire.

     “There we go,” Jihoon said with a smile. Hyunseung, who thankfully got together with them when they were still at HAU, looked at the Arcs and said, “someone should seriously look for a switch or something.”

     “No,” Kharon quickly says, “We can’t let them know we’re here, especially since we’re with Pain and Panic now.”

     “He’s right,” Grim added.

     “Okay then. But we should at least sit down, Seunghyun looks like he could take a break.” Hyunseung added as he noticed that Seunghyun was already breathing heavily.

     He killed most of the Lords at HAU that it exhausted him.

     “I agree,” Junhyung stated as he sat down on the floor, pulling Hyunseung’s hand so he could sit down beside him. Wonho gently places Hyungwon’s lifeless body down too, and then he sat down, making Hyungwon rest his head on his thighs. The rest finally sat down on the cold floor as well.

     “It’s getting dark, and we’ve stopped time for too long. Time will start again at 12 midnight. The nonpossessed humans will wake up and realize what’s happening, and everyone will be in a state of panic,” Dongmin explained.

     “But what should we do? It looks like they’re not going to stop unless they find these two.” Suho stated as he gestured his hand towards Pain and Panic.

     “Then why not just let them take them so we can get this over with. All of us are powerful and are capable of defeating everyone, but we obviously can’t perform a mass murder, that’s just fucked up. Giving them to those lords would be our only solution,” Woohyun says, making Grim look at him angrily, “Excuse me but can you repeat what you just stupidly said?”

     Sunggyu quickly butts in so the two wouldn’t start fighting.

     “Okay, I know it looks like we’re running out of options here but we gotta think of a better way. We can’t kill everyone who’s possessed, and we obviously can’t let them have Pain and Panic. Who knows what they’ll do once they have them,” Sunggyu stated.

     “They might even be working for the King,” Jackson suddenly stated, making their eyes widen from the sudden realization.

     “That’s not entirely impossible,” Kharon stated, making everyone feel pressured even more.

     “So if ever they get Pain or Panic, it’s possible that they’ll hand them to the King. And ones the King has them all…well…we’re all doomed, Heaven, Earth, and Hell.” Taeil explained.

     “So what should we do? Just wait this off?” Mark asked.

     “We can’t. We need to find a solution before time starts moving again,” Dongmin stated.

     “I can’t kill all of those lords alone. If we want this to end we need Nightmare. “ Seunghyun stated, startling Wonho upon hearing his brother’s name.

     “Nightmare? Of course…Nightmare is the only one who can finish this. He’s the Lord Commander of the Lords . He keeps them all…well, let’s just say…behave, when we were still in hell.” Wonho revealed, shocking everyone.

     “No way, he’s that powerful?” Taeil asked in disbelief.

     “Did you know about this?” Hyunseung asked as he looked at the guardians.

     “Obviously I knew since I’m one of the elders, “ Grim stated.

Note: Elders -

The First Demons in Hell

     Then Kharon answered, “I’ve been in three different lives now so basically I’m not one of the

elders. Kharon the First was one of them. Though I do know about Pandora’s Seven Evil Emotions. They’re basically as old as hell itself, which means they’re older than the Seven Deadly sins.“

     “Let’s just say because of the Seven Evil Emotions, the Seven Deadly Sins were created.” Dongmin further explained, shocking everyone, especially the Demons.

     “So, moving on. What can you say about this guy named Nightmare?” Taeil asked as he looked back at Wonho.

     “Well, he’s mostly feared by the lords. Their greatest weakness is their names, and Nightmare knows all of it. That’s why with one command he can kill all of them.” Wonho explained further.

     “But, the King now has him. Right?” Suho asked, then Wonho sadly nodded his head.

     “Then there’s no way we could get him. The King might have absorbed him already.” Sunggyu stated.

     “No, he hasn’t. The King can’t absorb any of them unless he completes all seven. That’s why he’s causing all this. He needs Pain and Panic to be able to absorb them, and he’s wasting time the longer these two aren’t with them,” Grim explained, making him realize it himself.

     “Then we have a chance!” Mark says excitedly. Then Seunghyun looked at everyone and said, “The only thing we have to do is…”

     “Get to hell.” Everyone said in unison.

     “But it’s only Friday. The gate only opens at the end of Sunday.” Jackson explained.

     “Well, the lords got out. There’s a possibility that they have something that they used to get out of hell. We might be able to use it to get inside,” Kharon stated.

     “Wait…” Taeil suddenly said. When everyone was now looking at him, he continued, “If Nightmare was the Lord Commander of the lords, but he was captured by the King, then who’s commanding them now?”

     Everyone quickly realized what Taeil was pointing out, so they looked back at Wonho, hoping he might know who it was.

     “I don’t know exactly, but Nightmare had a right-hand man. His name is…well…he doesn’t have a name. He’s faceless and apparently, we call him nameless. If Nightmare is gone I’m pretty sure he’s the one who’s in charge of the lords now.” Wonho stated.

     “Then all we have to do is bargain with this nameless guy so we could enter hell,” Suho stated.

     Sunggyu looked at him with his right eyebrow raised and asked, “And how do you suggest we do that? Just walk towards him and ask him to bring us to hell?”

     “Well, I don’t know!”

     While everyone was thinking of a way to bargain with the demon, Wonho started thinking of a plan on his own. He looked at everyone, thinking of who might be useful, but then he stopped at a particular son. The thought of the plan quickly made him smirk.

     “Hey, why not we play a game.” Wonho suddenly says, making everyone stop talking.

     Junhyung looked at him with disbelief and said, “Are you fucking kidding me? We’re playing now when everything’s in great chaos?!”

     “Don’t worry… it’s just hide and seek.” Wonho stated, making everyone look at him weirdly even more.

     “We don’t have time for games Pain,” Grim stated, trying to stop his kid with the nonsense. But Wonho wasn’t brushing the thought away, “We hide…and the lords seek.”

     “What do you mean?” Taeil asked, suddenly interested in what Wonho was blabbering about.

     Wonho looked at the Demon’s most powerful son and said, “Hey big guy…you have Glamouring right?”

MEANWHILE…

     Sungjae opened his eyes, his wound automatically throbbing the moment he sat back down.

     “Hey! Don’t move too much!” he heard someone say.

     Sungjae quickly looked around his surrounding, shocked to hear someone actually talk to him. He was inside a cave. “ How on earth did I get here? “ Sungjae thought to himself when suddenly someone approached him, his hand on fire, giving Sungjae a glimpse of who the person was.

     “Minhyuk!” Sungjae shouted, finally remembering that he was with Minhyuk the whole time.

     “You’re awake!” Sungjae added, but his wound quickly ached again.

     “I told you to don’t move too much,” Minhyuk stated as he went closer to Sungjae. He sat down beside him and lit the bonfire that he actually made. Lighting up the whole place.

     “I woke up and found us both on the ground, and you were bleeding a lot. I’m glad I read a book about herbal healing and found some plants that kinda helped stop your bleeding,” Minhyuk explained. Then Sungjae felt the plants Minhyuk was referring to. It was gently placed above his wound.

     “Thank you. But I’m much happier that you’re okay.” Sungjae stated, genuinely glad that Minhyuk was finally awake, and to top it all off, unharmed.

    “Shouldn’t I be the one saying thank you?” Minhyuk suddenly asked, making Sungjae look at him confusingly.

     “What do you mean?” Sungjae asked back.

     Minhyuk chuckled and answered, “You won’t believe it but…I kinda heard everything while I was unconscious. About the whole city being possessed by lords, how you were desperately trying to wake me up, and…how you protected me…thank you.”

     Sungjae didn’t know why but he suddenly felt embarrassed.

     “D-Don’t mention it. I’m pretty sure you might have done the same for any of my brothers.” Sungjae stated.

     Minhyuk nodded his head and said, “Maybe…who knows…but I’m sorry I didn’t wake up when you needed me the most. I’m seriously useless. I should have helped you, or I should be with my brothers, helping them with whatever’s happening in the city. Instead, we’re stuck in the middle of nowhere, and that’s all thanks to me.”

     “Hey, don’t say that. I think we were brought here for a reason. Maybe we’re supposed to…find something here?” Sungjae said, but it sounded like he was unsure about that himself too.

     “Find something? Like what? A way to get out of here?” Minhyuk asked with his right eyebrow raised.

     Sungjae sighed and said, “No, I mean, something useful. Maybe something we can use to help the others back in Seoul.”

     “Well, maybe you’re right. But I think it’s best if we go check on your wound first before anything else.” Minhyuk stated as he was about to hold the end of Sungjae’s shirt so he could lift it.

     Sungjae quickly stopped him and started protesting, “What are you doing with my shirt?!”

     “Look…first of all, this is my shirt you’re wearing,” Minhyuk suddenly revealed, making Sungjae remember that he just grabbed this shirt from Minhyuk & Sunggyu’s cabinet. The thought of him wearing Minhyuk’s shirt suddenly made him blush.

     “And I’m just going to check if your wound is healed. Don’t think of anything weird about it,” Minhyuk stated. Sungjae took a deep breath and finally nodded his head, signaling Minhyuk that he was allowed to lift his shirt up now. So Minhyuk did. He lifted Sungjae’s shirt and slowly removed the leaves he placed before. He smiled when he saw that the wound was finally closed, “Looks like it magically closed itself. You should be thankful for my herbal techniques.”

     Sungjae was about to say that he placed Holy Water on them, and he was pretty sure that, that was the reason why it healed quickly. But Minhyuk looked genuinely happy so Sungjae decided to keep quiet about it.

     “Thank you,” Sungjae said instead, making Minhyuk smile from ear to ear.

     “Well, it looked like you’re ready to explore this place. Don’t you think it’s best we start looking for whatever it is that we’re supposed to look for?” Minhyuk asked as he puts Sungjae’s shirt down.

     He stood up, and then he gave his hand to Sungjae. Sungjae stared at it for a couple of seconds before grabbing it, letting Minhyuk slowly pull him up.

     “Thanks,” Sungjae says as he finally stood up and pulled his hand from Minhyuk’s.

     “So, where should we start looking?” Minhyuk asked.

     Sungjae looked at his surroundings, then he pointed at the far end of the cave, “Should we go deeper inside this thing? Who knows, we might find something unexpected.” Sungjae suggested. But he didn’t wait for Minhyuk to answer because he already started going further inside the cave.

     “Well I hope there are no creepy monsters inside that thing,” Minhyuk stated as he quickly followed Sungjae inside the dark unknown cave.

BACK AT SEOUL CITY

     “Are you a fucking idiot?! This isn’t the time for us to play games right now.” Sunggyu said as he angrily looked at Wonho. Wonho looked at him and told him, “Well I don’t see you making other plans. You want this to end then this is the only way. So do you want to play or not?”

     “This is dangerous. Things might fail. I’m not fucking risking another-”

     “Let’s just do it.” Jackson suddenly stated, shocking everyone since he was the last person the Arcs and even to Demons thought would agree with the stupid plan, AKA Wonho’s way of playing their second game.

    “But-” Jackson quickly cuts their leader off and said, “We don’t have much choice. We can’t let the citizens suffer much longer. We’re the only ones they have left. They might not know it yet, but we’re their only hope.”

     Everyone looked at Jackson with shock.

     “Babe, we can think of another way, not this…” Mark tried to say as he looked at his boyfriend. But Jackson tried to avoid Mark’s eyes and said instead, “Come on, we don’t have much time.”

     Sunggyu looked at Jackson worriedly, but deep down he knew he was right. If they wanted this to end, Wonho’s plan was the only way they could do it.

     “I hate to say this Sunggyu but…the big guys right. As crazy as Wonho sounds, his plan is the only plan we have that might actually work,” Junhyung insisted, trying to convince Sunggyu too.

     Finally, Sunggyu looked at their guardian. Sunggyu was going to make a decision, but whatever his guardian would say, that’s what he’d decide on. That’s how much he trusted this old phoenix.

     “It’s dangerous…I know…and we’re risking everything. And if they really do get Pain & Panic then it’s over for all of us. But Jackson, Junhyung, and even Pain are right. This is our only way to stop this chaos.” Kharon stated, finally making Sunggyu decide on what to do.

     He took a deep breath and looked at everyone, “Fine.”

     “That took you long enough.” Dongmin stated, then he looked at Seung and Jackson and said, “Well what are you guys waiting for. Open the garage door.”

     The two nodded and quickly opened the door, lifting it up so everyone could go out. Then, they let go of the door and let it fall behind them.

     “It’s getting dark.” Grim pointed out as everyone lifted their heads to look at the sky.

     “So, what now?” Sunggyu asked as he looked at Wonho, who was carrying Hyungwon on his back.

     “We try to look for Nameless. He’s the main key to our plan. If we get close to him then we’d have a better chance of getting inside hell.” Wonho explained.

     “Alright then. But where on earth would he be?” Jihoon asked.

     Dongmin looked at Jihoon like he wanted to slap him. But he insisted not to as he said, “Jihoon, you have the power to find people and places through mirrors. If you don’t want to do it then I’ll do it myself.”

     Jihoon embarrassingly scratched the back of his head and said, “Oops, I totally forgot.” So he quickly ran towards a car and checked the side mirror. He stared at it for a couple of seconds, then an image started appearing.

     “Oh…so this is the guy you call nameless,” Jihoon said as he continued to look at the image. Taeil got jealous and did it too, but he did it on the other side of the car’s mirror.

     “Faceless you say. You mean covered in cloth. He’s literally just hiding his face.” Taeil stated as he too was looking at the same image Jihoon was looking at, but at a different mirror.

     “Well, if you can’t see their faces then you wouldn’t be able to know their names, and if you can’t know their names then it will be impossible for you to exorcist him if he possesses someone,” Kharon explained.

    As Jihoon and Taeil continued to look at the image, Nameless suddenly lifted his head. Even though they couldn’t see his eyes, it felt like he was staring directly at them, startling the two.

     “Excuse me but…where the fuck is he?! We’re wasting time!” Junhyung shouted, startling the two again.

     “He’s at a rooftop,” Jihoon stated.

     “At a telephone company just a few blocks away from here.” Taeil continued.

     “Well then, it’s time for us to split up,” Kharon stated as he looked at everyone.

     Wonho gave Hyungwon to Woohyun and said, “Please…take care of him.”

     “Don’t worry, I will,” Woohyun says with a reassuring smile. Even though he somehow hated those two, he was willing to risk everything to help the people, which also means helping them.

     Sunggyu looked at Jackson and told him, “If you weren’t the most powerful demon then I’d do it instead of you. But apparently, you have more chances of surviving rather than me so it looks like I’ll have to let you go.”

     Jackson patted Sunggyu’s back and assured him, “Don’t worry, I’ll come back. I’ll never leave you…any of you.”

     “Well, you better. Because if you don’t I’ll kill you myself.” Hyunseung says with a grin. He was nervous, but he trusted his brother.

     “It’s better to return in pieces than to never return at all,” Suho then stated, making everyone look at him confusingly. But no one questioned him and just ignored his “Words of Wisdom” to avoid drama.

     “ How am I in love with such a complicated man? “ Lay thought to himself as he too looked at Suho confusingly.

     “You just arrived and you’re leaving again,” Junhyung said as he looked at Seunghyun who was also getting ready to leave. Seunghyun suddenly pinched Junhyung’s cheeks and said back, “Don’t worry, I’ll return as soon as I can. Don’t want to leave our cute leader for too long.”

     Everyone chuckled, but Hyunseung quickly pushed Seunghyun away and said, “Hands off.”

     “Oh, I’m sorry lover boy. I totally forgot.” Seunhyung jokingly tells him.

     Finally, Jackson looked at Wonho and Seung and said, “Let’s go before it gets dark.”

     Wonho and Seunghyun nodded in agreement.

     “You three…may the spirit of God be with you and your spirit.” – Jang Dong Min.

     “May the spirit of the King of Hell be with you and your spirit.” – Kharon & Grim

     The three guardians said in unison, making everyone laugh and finally loosen up.

     “Well…Kick some ass big guy.” Taeil stated as he waved goodbye to his best friend.

     Finally, Wonho, Seung, and Jackson started walking away, but Jackson quickly stopped and ran back to where the others were. He grabbed Mark’s arm and pulled him towards him. Then he gave him the most passionate kiss he could give.

     “ I love you, “ Jackson says as they parted from the kiss. Mark was about to cry, but he blinked the tears away.

     “Return to me,” Mark says.

     Jackson gently touched Mark’s cheeks and answered, “I always do.” Then he kissed his forehead for the last time before running back to where Seung and Wonho were.

     “Seriously, love is in the air when we’re with the two of you,” Seunghyun says as he, Wonho, and Jackson, finally left the scene to look for the lords’ new commander.

---

     “This is going nowhere,” Minhyuk stated as he and Sungjae continued to walk further inside the cave. It was dark, but thanks to Minhyuk’s ability to produce fire, he was able to light the way for both of them.

     “Well, it’s better to be here than to be out there with all those wild animals,” Sungjae stated.

     “At least we know it’s wild animals. In here…well we don’t have a clue about what’s in here.” Minhyuk pointed out.

     “Fine, you have a point. But it’s too late to go back now. And besides, I kinda see a light right at the end,” Sungjae suddenly pointed out, making Minhyuk squint his eyes, “Hey, you’re right. I think that’s the end of the tunnel.”

     “See, it was worth it after all,” Sungjae stated with a proud smile.

     “Then there’s no time to waste, let’s go!” Minhyuk excitedly shouted as he grabbed Sungjae’s arm with his other hand (That didn’t have fire), and then they both ran towards the light.

     “W-wait a second Minhyuk!” Sungjae shouted, making Minhyuk realize Sungjae still had a wound that was currently still healing.

     “Oh shit!” Minhyuk shouted as they stopped running. He quickly lets go of Sungjae’s hand and turned around. He then kneeled down and gently touched Sungjae’s stomach.

     “I totally forgot! Is it okay? Does it hurt?” Minhyuk quickly asked. Sungjae was about to answer but he suddenly blushed. Minhyuk looked like a father who was checking on the baby that was inside Sungjae. The thought made Sungjae blush even more.

     “L-Let go…I’m fine,” Sungjae said as he pushed Minhyuk away. Minhyuk finally stood up and looked at Sungjae. Then he smiled widely and said, “I’m glad. I thought I hurt you.”

     Sungjae didn’t know what to say as he stared at Minhyuk’s face. But before anything could happen, he quickly shakes his head and says, “I told you, I’m fine.”

     “That’s good. Well, I think we arrived at the end anyways.” Minhyuk stated as he slowly turned around, then he and Sungjae walked closer to the said light. The two were disappointed to see that the light was actually just a torch. But they were more surprised to see that in the middle was an enormous door engraved with Latin words.

     “I-Is that…a freakin’ door? Inside a cave?” Minhyuk asked confusingly.

     “What’s going on…this is crazy,” Sungjae said as he closely went to the door to touch it.

     “This is enormous. What could these words mean?” he added.

     Minhyuk stood beside Sungjae and answered him, “I know how to read Latin. I studied it before. But, let me warn you, I’m very bad at it.”

      Sungjae looked at Minhyuk impressively. Even if Minhyuk said he’s bad at it, it’s still very impressive.

     “Let’s see…” Minhyuk stated as he slowly, but surely, read the words.

     “O-Opa…Opha…num? Ophanum?” Minhyuk says confusingly, but the moment Sungjae heard it, his eyes widened from shock.

     “Can you say that again.” Sungjae quickly commanded.

     “Ophanum,” Minhyuk repeated.

     “No. That’s not Ophanum…” Sungjae suddenly says, making Minhyuk look at him confusingly, “So what? You actually know how to read Latin too?”

     “No idiot…Ophanum isn’t a word. But Ophanim is.” Sungjae stated, confusing Minhyuk even more.

     “Ophanim?” Then Minhyuk looked back at the words, reading it again, “Oh! Yeah, I totally messed it up. It is Ophanim. Good job Sungjae! But…what does Ophanim mean? Is it some kind of spell?”

     Sungjae shook his head and said, “No, Ophanim is a place.”

     “A place?”

     Sungjae looked back at the words that were engraved on the door and explained further, “A place that Archangel Phanuel rules…also known as the place MY father rules.”

     “What?!” Minhyuk shouted shockingly.

     “They teleported us to Ophanim. This isn’t earth, or hell, nor heaven. It’s the one in between all of them.” Sungjae explained.

     “Then if that’s the case, we do have a purpose here.” Minhyuk excitedly stated.

     “And whatever we’re supposed to find…it’s through this door,” Sungjae added.

     “But how are we gonna get this big thing open?” Minhyuk asked.

     Sungjae was about to answer, but a loud growl was heard just a few inches behind them.

---

“ I think I see him. Well, I don’t exactly see HIM, but I see black smoke coming out of that building, so that’s probably him, “ Seung quietly stated as he, Wonho, and Jackson, were hiding behind a car.

     “ Then it’s game time. “ Wonho said with a smirk, then he looked at the two of them and said, “The last one to get caught wins.”

     Wonho started running without even waiting for Seunghyun and Jackson’s answer.

     “That fucking idiot! He might get caught!” Seung angrily shouted as he quickly followed Wonho.

     Jackson only sighed and followed the two. Thankfully, they arrived at the building unharmed. They quickly checked the area, and then they locked the door so no one could get inside.

     “Nameless is on the rooftop like what Lee Taeil said, but since time stopped…the elevator won’t move.” Wonho pointed out, making the two sigh on the sudden realization.

     “We’re going to use the stairs all the way to the rooftop,” Seunghyun explained, finally letting it sink in.

     “Then there’s no time to waste,” Jackson stated as he started running up the stairs. Wonho and Seunhyung looked at each other, then both shrugged and followed Jackson. 5th floor, 10th floor, 15th floor…

     Those three didn’t stop.

     Well…

     Except for one who thought he was seriously going to die.

     “Let’s take a break,” Seunghyun stated, making them stop at the 17th floor. Seunghyun’s been using his powers with the lords ever since the chaos started so he’s a lot more exhausted compared to these two.

     “We should take a rest for a couple of minutes,” Wonho stated while panting heavily. He opened one of the doors, but he regretted it the moment he saw the inside of the room.

     “Holy shit,” Seunghyun stated as he saw dozens of possessed humans inside the room, all looking at them with empty eyes.

     “Good job Wonho.” Jackson sarcastically stated.

     “ A-Angel! It’s an Angel! “ One of the possessed stated as soon as they looked at Seunghyun.

     “ The other one is Prince Envy! “ Another possessed stated. Some even looked at him with fear. It was obvious they knew that Jackson was one of the most powerful Demons in Hell.

     Finally, their eyes went to Wonho, making Wonho, Jackson, and Seunghyun gulp. Everyone looked at Wonho confusingly; they didn’t know what Wonho was, they couldn’t sense it. But then they started realizing it. He was with a powerful Angel and even a powerful Demon, and they could sense if he was like one of them. There was only one reason behind it.

     “They know…run,” Seunghyun instructed, but it was so weak no one moved for a second.

     “I said they know…idiots…RUN!” Seunghyun finally shouted, startling the two and making them automatically run upstairs. The possessed humans started running too, all laughing and excited to get the emotion that they’ve been looking for.

     “ Get him. Get him. Get him. “ The possessed repeatedly said as they chased after the three.

     Seunghyun was trying to kill as many lords as he can, but the amount was increasing, like the possessed inside the building signaled the others to come there too.

     “J-Jackson! Do something!” Seung shouted.

     Jackson took a deep breath, and the moment he blinked, the possessed that were chasing after them started falling and sliding down the stairs like there was an imaginary thing that was blocking them from going upstairs.

     “Whatever you’re doing, it’s fucking working!” Wonho shouted back.

     Well, even though it did work, dozens of them were still able to chase after them.

     “Aren’t you going to at least help us?! Aren’t you Pain?!” Seunghyun shouted as he looked at Wonho. Wonho continued to run as he answered back, “I’d love to but I’d be killing the humans, not the lords. If you give me permission I’d gladly kill all of these guys with one command!”

     “Hell no!” Seunghyun shouted.

     Eventually, they arrived at the rooftop. Seunghyun quickly grabbed the door and opened it, then the three quickly then went inside and locked the door. Just moments after, the possessed arrived and started pushing the steel door open.

     Jackson looked at Wonho, and then he held his shoulder.

     “We don’t have much time,” Jackson stated.

     “It’s dark already,” Wonho added as he looked up at the sky.

     “That’s not going to hold, we need to look for that nameless guy,” Seunghyun stated as he looked back at Jackson and Wonho.

     “Something’s wrong…” Wonho stated, then he continued, “He’s not here.”

     “What the hell, he should be here. He can’t just escape.” Jackson stated.

     “The door is going to open and we’ll be surrounded.” Seunghyun pointed out. He continued to look around, but it was still too dark, “Jackson…can you light us some fire.”

     Jackson nodded his head and lit his hands on fire. To their surprise, Nameless was actually already right in front of them all along.

     Seunghyun even gulped because of how he looked.

     He was covered in white cloth and a long black coat. He was covered in blood too and was so tall and thin like he was made of bones. Even though his face was covered with cloth, they knew he was smirking underneath that thing.

      Nameless suddenly snapped his fingers, stopping the possessed humans from pushing the door of the rooftop.

     “ What a pleasant surprise…Pain…it’s been a while. “ Nameless stated, his voice sounding like thousands of people were saying it at the same time. Wonho gulped and moved back, “Not a pleasant reunion though.”

     “ So it seems…it’s been so long that I didn’t even remember your face. “ He stated.

      “We came here to bargain,” Seung suddenly stated, making the nameless quickly turn his head to look at him.

     Seunghyun gulped again as he continued, “We give you Panic…but you let the three of us inside hell.”

     “ You are not in the position to bargain angel… “ the nameless slowly stated, then he looked at Jackson and said, “ But I might listen to a request from a prince. “

      Jackson didn’t look afraid like he’s seen this demon a million times so his presence didn’t scare him at all. He looked back bravely and said, “Bring us to hell.”

     Nameless doesn’t say anything for a few seconds, but then he started laughing.

      “ As expected from a royal blood. All cunning and dictatorial…all of you, even your fathers. A trait that you all possessed from the King. “ Nameless stated.

     He held Jackson’s chin with his skeleton-like fingers and continued, “ I would love to take you my prince…but for all I know, you are a betrayer, and I don’t want the King to see me escorting a Betrayer. “ Then he looked at Wonho and continued, “ And I only listen to one Royal Blood…and that is the King himself. “

      He then lets go of Jackson and quickly strangled Wonho.

     “Wonho!” Seung and Jackson shouted with shock. Then they realized Wonho’s body was slowly fading.

     “ He’s bringing him to hell, that’s how they do it. He has the power to go back and forth in hell. “ Seung finally realized.

     “We’ll give you Panic too, just stop!” Jackson suddenly shouted, but Nameless only laughed, “ Don’t worry, I’ll be back to take little Panic soon. “

     “L-Looks like…it’s…game o-over…for me…” Wonho managed to say.

     “No…N-No…this can’t be happening,” Seunghyun says, now panicking. Then, like something triggered him, he quickly summoned his weapon and was about to stop Nameless, but the two were gone before he could even strike.

      “Fuck!” Seunghyun shouted in defeat.

     He quickly turned his head and angrily looked at Jackson, “Why didn’t you help…” But then he stopped when he saw Wonho instead. His eyes widened from shock.

      “Looks like Jackson’s illusion won’t work if he’s not here,” Wonho stated as he realized that he went back to normal.

     “W-What the…you did it? You switched?! When did that ha…I don’t even fucking care! We did it!” Seunghyun shouted happily, making Wonho laugh in victory.

     “Your plan actually worked,” Seunghyun added as he looked at Wonho with disbelief.

     “I’m glad he has glamouring. He was able to exactly copy me that it even fooled Nameless. But the moment he goes to hell, and when the king sees him, they’ll automatically find out it’s not really me.” Wonho stated.

      “Well it’s up to Jackson now I guess. All we gotta do is wait for him to return. Hopefully, he returns with a Nightmare.” Seunghyun stated.

     Then Wonho looked around and said, “And it looks like the lords are gone too.”

     Seunghyun looked up at the sky and said, “Thank God.”

      Wonho then looked at the spot where Nameless and Jackson were standing just a few seconds ago, then he said, “Well, good luck Prince Wang Jackson. Hopefully this time, the King of Hell won’t be with you and your spirit.”

• END -

SDS3 16: WHEN ALL HOPE IS LOST

MINHYUK AND SUNGJAE STARED at the creature for a couple of seconds, so it gave the beast a chance to jump towards Minhyuk while the two idiots were lagging. But good thing Sungjae snapped out of it and quickly summoned his weapon. He pushed Minhyuk away and stabbed the creature on his side.

    The creature easily shakes off Sungjae’s sword, causing the sword, and himself, to be thrown off, meters away from where Minhyuk was.

    Sungjae quickly held his stomach wound that started aching again. And when he thought that the beast was going to attack him because of what he did, the creature looked back at Minhyuk and ran towards him instead.

    “Minhyuk! Watch out!” Sungjae warned. Then he tried to stand back up.

    “What the fuck is wrong with this thing!” Minhyuk shouted as he stopped using his hands for fire, then summoned his demonic sword instead. But the moment the fire was gone from his hand, the creature stopped. Then he started looking around the place.

    Sungjae’s eyes widened from realization.

    “He’s fucking deaf! He only relies on his sight! You attract him through light!” Sungjae shouted from across the cave.

     Minhyuk, who was close to the door, saw the only thing that was lighting up the place. And that was the torch near the enormous door. He looked at Sungjae, and then Sungjae nodded like he knew exactly what Minhyuk was planning.

     The creature continued to look for Minhyuk and Sungjae who were hiding in the dark. When the beast turned around, Minhyuk quickly ran towards the torch. The beast quickly saw Minhyuk and chased after him. Before he could even bite Minhyuk, Minhyuk briefly swung his sword on the fire, causing the fire to vanish.

     The creature stopped.

     Minhyuk gulped when he felt the creature breathing just a few inches away from his back.

    “Minhyuk!” Sungjae called out.

    Minhyuk took a few steps away from the creature and shouted back, “I’m here! Near the door!”

     “S-Shit…I hate the fucking dark.” Sungjae suddenly said as he tried to slide his feet forward so he could feel if something was in front of him.

     “Just follow my voice!” Minhyuk shouted again.

     Sungjae concentrated and followed Minhyuk’s voice, but the beast growling was making him lose his focus, “Sing for me.” Sungjae suddenly commanded as he tried to walk through the darkness.

    “A-Are you fucking kidding me?!” Minhyuk shouted back as he quickly pushed his back against the door when he felt the beast walk right in front of him.

    “Just do it! Following your voice helps a lot so just fucking sing.” Sungjae angrily commanded, making Minhyuk flinch. So Minhyuk cleared his throat and started singing, “ H-hearing the sound of the morning come, I fall asleep…“

    Sungjae quickly knew the song and sang with him, “ As always have you spent the day forgetting me. How can you be okay with it so easily?“

     “ It was hard for me because I couldn’t understand why you left me, one who never changed.“

    “Just like this, we’ll slowly forget each other. Saying, “I love you”, would be useless. “ Sungjae finished as he finally hits Minhyuk’s hard chest.

    Minhyuk quickly grabbed him and held his back gently, “Gotcha.”

    Sungjae embarrassingly smiles and says, “Y-You have a…wonderful voice.”

    Minhyuk quickly blushed as he pretended to clear his throat and answer, “T-Thanks…you too.”

    Sungjae pushed Minhyuk away. But Minhyuk quickly grabbed his hand and said; “Don’t let go.”

    “W-What?”

     Minhyuk realized what he just said and continued, “I-I mean…we don’t want to separate again. It’s embarrassing to sing at a dark cave with a deaf beast you know.”

     Sungjae finally laughs and says, “I understand,” and then he tightened his hold on Minhyuk’s hand.

    “So…what do we do now? That thing is still somewhere out there and we can’t even see it. We can’t even open this goddamn door.” Minhyuk stated. Sungjae could still hear the beast’s heavy breathing; he knew he was close.

     “You might think this is crazy but…I think we need to kill that thing if we want to open the door. I think he’s a guardian so he must be the key.” Sungjae explained.

     “Seriously? That thing is…big! Can’t you just like…tame him or something? You told me this place is what your father rules right? Then doesn’t that mean…you rule this place too?” Minhyuk stated, making Sungjae realize it too.

     “Why didn’t I think of that?! This is basically my home, I could just…” Sungjae suddenly stopped when he felt something hot in his chest, then his hands started burning up.

     He thought his hand was going to get burnt so he quickly let go of Minhyuk’s hand.

     “D-did you just use your fire on me?” Sungjae asked as he “ assumed “ that he was facing Minhyuk.

     “No! I thought you used yours!” Minhyuk defended.

     Sungjae held his hot hand and asked, “Then…what just happened?”

     “I don’t know…but…” Minhyuk grabbed Sungjae’s hand again, and like what they felt a few seconds ago, their hands started burning up.

     “Ouch!” both said in unison.

     “What the fuck…I can’t touch you.” Minhyuk stated, now confused about the sudden situation. Before Sungjae could comment about it, both of them heard the beast growl, but even louder this time, making Sungjae quickly move closer to where Minhyuk was.

     “Let’s forget about the “ I can’t touch you “ part. We need to do something with that thing first if we want to get this over with.” Sungjae stated as he was pressing his back against Minhyuk’s chest.

     Minhyuk didn’t know why but his face was burning up, and his heart was beating like crazy. Sungjae, who was close to his chest, felt it too.

     “Dude, this isn’t the time for you to be nervous,” Sungjae told Minhyuk, but Minhyuk wasn’t nervous at all.

    “ How the fuck am I going to calm down when you’re literally an inch away from me. I can seriously smell your scent.“  Minhyuk thought to himself as he gulped loudly.

    “Minhyuk…” Sungjae suddenly called out, making Minhyuk flinch, “W-What is it?”

    “Don’t panic but…I want you to light up a fire again.” Sungjae suddenly instructed.

    “W-What?! Are you crazy!? That thing will see us if I-” Sungjae quickly cuts Minhyuk off and said, “That’s the point. I want you to light up a fire so he could see us. I think I know what I have to do.”

    Minhyuk didn’t want to do it, but he knew he didn’t have any choice but to trust him, “Fine,” he said with a sigh.

    “Good. I’ll tell you when it’s time to light it up,” Sungjae stated, then Minhyuk nodded as an answer.

    Sungjae closed his eyes and listened to where the beast could be. He was a big creature, so his footsteps could be heard, and so was his heavy breathing. Looks like Sungjae’s stab on his side made him a little weak. The sound was getting closer and closer, Sungjae and Minhyuk were even sweating.

    Finally, when he knew that the beast was only inches away, he shouted, “NOW!”

    Minhyuk, without hesitation, tried to lit his hands on fire, but…nothing came out.

     “Minhyuk! What the hell are you doing?! Do it now!” Sungjae angrily shouted.

    Minhyuk tried doing it again, but nothing was really coming out, “This can’t be…I can’t…I can’t do it.”

     “What do you mean you can’t?!” Sungjae shockingly asked. Minhyuk was starting to panic since nothing was coming out, he was even trying to summon his weapon but nothing was coming out too. It was like he didn’t have any powers left in him.

    “How about you fucking do it!” Minhyuk shouted frustratingly.

    “Fine!” Sungjae shouted back as he summoned lightning, but instead of lightning, fire came out of his hands.

     “What the fuck!” Both asked in unison.

     “It’s fucking fire!” Sungjae hysterically stated as he stared at his hand on fire. But the two were too busy staring at the fire that was coming through Sungjae’s hand that they forgot about the beast. Because of the fire, the creature quickly saw Minhyuk and Sungjae. He ran to where the two were and quickly hits Sungjae with his head, causing him to be thrown across the cave again.

     “Sungjae!” Minhyuk worriedly shouted as the beast started running to where Sungjae was.

     “F-Fire…put out the fire!” Minhyuk shouted as he realized that Sungjae’s hand was still on fire.

     Sungjae blinked and sat back down, but then his eyes widened when he saw the beast running towards him.

     “Oh, shit…oh shit!”

     Sungjae tried to put out the fire, but he didn’t know how, so he summoned his weapon instead, but instead of a silver sword, a demonic sword was summoned. Minhyuk squinted his eyes and realized something, “That’s fucking mine! Why the hell do you have my powers!?”

    Sungjae, who was just as confused as him, was about to answer, but before he could do so, he quickly stood up and stabbed the beast that was approaching him.

    The beast growled even louder compared to the first time Sungjae stabbed it. It was like Minhyuk’s sword affected the creature more than his own sword. But Sungjae wasn’t used in wielding Minhyuk’s sword since it was heavier, so Sungjae quickly looked at Minhyuk and said, “Minhyuk! Catch!”

     Sungjae threw the sword towards Minhyuk without any hesitation; thankfully Minhyuk caught it with ease. But it was a huge mistake since the creature could only see Sungjae since his hand was still on fire.

     “Shit…”

    Sungjae immediately started running as the wounded beast chased after him.

    “M-Minhyuk! A little help here!” Sungjae shouted as he continued to run around the place.

    Minhyuk quickly ran towards the beast and started stabbing it on its back.

    “I-It…would be fucking helpful if you…put the fire out!” Minhyuk shouted as he was trying to stab the beast without getting seen by Sungjae’s light.

     “I fucking don’t know how to do it!” Sungjae shouted back.

     Then, without really thinking about it, Sungjae summoned his own sword.

    “I can summon my own sword too?!” Sungjae stated with shock. But before thinking about the reason why, Sungjae saw Minhyuk struggling because of the lion-like creature. He quickly ran to where it was and helped Minhyuk slay the beast.

     “Minhyuk! The head!” Sungjae shouted as the creature was now attacking both of them.

     “Give me a boost!” Minhyuk instructed.

    Sungjae quickly bent down so Minhyuk could step and jump on his back. And with one powerful swing, Minhyuk slices the creature’s head off, making him and Sungjae be covered in black blood.

     “Well…there goes my chances of taming him,” Sungjae stated as he summoned his own weapon back. Both of them were panting heavily, tired because of the unplanned battle. But still, it was a glorious victory.  

     “Let’s just assume you couldn’t tame him after all,” Minhyuk stated as he tried to summon his weapon back too, but he just couldn’t.

     “What the fuck is going on?” Minhyuk confusingly asked. Sungjae took Minhyuk’s weapon and tried to summon it back, and to their surprise, the weapon vanished from Sungjae’s hand.

     “W-What’s going on!? Did you somehow…absorb my powers?!” Minhyuk shouted, pissed, and confused at the same time.

     “No way! And for what I know, you have power absorption, not me.” Sungjae pointed out, which made Minhyuk even more frustrated.

     “Then why the hell are my powers gone, and why the hell do you fucking have it?” Minhyuk asked with his right eyebrow raised.

     “I don’t know! Why don’t we like…hold hands again? I think the burning feeling I felt was this.” Sungjae explained. Minhyuk hesitated but he grabbed Sungjae’s hand and held it tightly.

     “Do you feel anything?” Sungjae asked as he looked at Minhyuk straight in the eyes. Minhyuk looked back at him, then he leaned closer and whispered, “ No, I fucking don’t feel anything. “ 

     “The fuck man!” Sungjae shouted as he pushed Minhyuk away. Minhyuk chuckled and said, “Well, I didn’t want to be the only one who’s pissed here.”

     “Look, I didn’t take your powers. Maybe I did…somehow…but I don’t know how that happened, and it obviously wasn’t intentional.” Sungjae explained.

     Minhyuk took a deep breath and said, “I know. I know that much at least.”

     Sungjae wanted to say something back, but Minhyuk saw that Sungjae’s hand was still in flames, “Can’t make it vanish?” Minhyuk suddenly asked out of the blue.

     Sungjae shakes his head and said, “Yeah, it’s different from lightning. When we use lightning, it doesn’t stay on the hand so I don’t know how to put this back.”

    “Wait a second. It doesn’t hurt right?” Minhyuk asked.

     “No.” Sungjae simply answered.

     “But Sungjae, you’re an angel, you’re not immune to fire,” Minhyuk revealed, shocking Sungjae even more.

     “But…Junhyung and Lay and…Mark…they’re immune to fire.” Sungjae stated.

    “That’s because they had sex with my brothers. Remember, they became one with each other…or something like that.” Minhyuk stated like it was really normal.

     Sungjae, who quickly felt his face turn red when he realized something, avoided Minhyuk’s look and stated, “D-Did we somehow…you know…”

     “What do you mean? Somehow what?” Minhyuk asked as he looked at Sungjae confusingly. But when Minhyuk saw his embarrassed expression, he quickly knew what Sungjae was trying to tell him.

     “No! That’s impossible! I’ve never had…especially with you I…” Minhyuk struggled to say, his face burning red now too. 

     “Then what’s going on? How was I able to absorb your powers?” Sungjae asked confusingly, quickly trying to change the topic so things won’t turn out to be so awkward between them.

     Minhyuk took a deep breath and said, “I don’t know anymore. I’m sick and tired of not knowing about what’s going on. Let’s just see what will happen after.”

     Sungjae wanted to say something to cheer Minhyuk up, but he saw Minhyuk’s expression so he decided not to.

     “Can you help me with this instead?” Sungjae asked as he waved his hand that was still on fire.

     Minhyuk looked at Sungjae, finally changing his expression into a calmer one, then he said, “Just…take a deep breath, and imagine that your hands a lighter. Just stop pressing down on it. That’s what I do and it works perfectly fine.”

     “Alright,” Sungjae stated. He closed his eyes and did what Minhyuk told him, but still, nothing happened.

     “Oh come on!” Sungjae shouted, now frustrated too. The way Sungjae struggled finally made Minhyuk chuckle.

     “Okay, let me help,” Minhyuk stated as he walked towards Sungjae, not knowing that there was a pointy stone on the ground, causing Minhyuk to trip and fall right on top of Sungjae. And in a quick second their lips touched, and the fire that was on Sungjae’s hand vanished.

     The kiss felt hot, and both of them knew that their bodies were burning up. The two lied there, staring blankly at the now dark cave. Their breaths close to each other.

     “ I’m sorry, “ Minhyuk whispered, but he still wasn’t standing up.

     “ It’s okay, “ Sungjae answered, glad it was dark so Minhyuk wouldn’t see his flustered face.

     After a couple of silent seconds, Minhyuk quickly lets go of Sungjae and sat back down on the floor. Sungjae did the same and sat down as well. He tried to light his hand with fire again so he could see Minhyuk but to his surprise, lightning came out instead.

    “I can’t produce fire anymore!” Sungjae excitedly stated. He then leaned forward and said, “Then Minhyuk…I think you can…”

     Before Sungjae could even finish, Minhyuk lit his hand on fire. Sungjae’s eyes widened when he saw that he was actually leaning just a few inches away from Minhyuk’s face. But what surprised Sungjae even more was that Minhyuk’s eyes were bloody red. He was actually in his demonic state. And he was even releasing this very intimidating aura.

     “I know.” Minhyuk simply says, his face still a few inches away from Sungjae’s.

     Sungjae gulped, surprised on Minhyuk’s sudden aura. He was used to seeing the bubbly and always smiling Minhyuk that he felt the hair on his skin stand because of Minhyuk’s sudden shift. Well, it might be new for Sungjae but Minhyuk’s always been like this, especially when he’s in a battle.

    “M-Minhyuk…” Sungjae stated.

     Minhyuk continued to stare at Sungjae intensely. He was about to say something but suddenly, the door behind them slowly opened, showing a very bright light.

     Sungjae quickly stood up, and so did Minhyuk.

     “It’s finally opening,” Minhyuk stated as he stood beside Sungjae. Sungjae flinched when their shoulders touched, but the thought quickly left when they saw a figure in front of them.

     Sungjae squinted his eyes to see better, “Father?” he asked.

     The man walked closer and saw the headless beast on the side, “Looks like you killed my pet.”

     “Y-You’re not…m-my Father,” Sungjae stated as he finally saw the face of the man in front of them.

     Minhyuk, who didn’t know who it was too, continued to look at the angelic-looking man in front of them. He was wearing an all-white cloth that looked like clothes the apostles would wear. He even seemed like he was glowing. He looked pure and innocent like this man couldn’t even hurt a fly.

     The man walked closer and suddenly touched Minhyuk and Sungjae’s foreheads, then shockingly, their bruises from their fight earlier, vanished. Even the wound in Sungjae’s stomach was completely gone.

     “W-What the…who are you?!” Sungjae quickly asked as he pushed the man away from them.

     The man smiled sweetly and made a graceful bow. “I’m glad you’re okay. Angel Yook Sungjae, Prince Lee Minhyuk…it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

     “Who are you?” this time, it was Minhyuk who asked it.

     The man smiled again and answered, “How rude of me. My name is Hope. And I’ve been waiting for the two of you.”

• END -

SDS3 17: WHAT’S YOUR NAME?

NAMELESS THREW JACKSON – THAT was using glamour to look like Wonho – inside a cell like-room. It was small, and instead of metal bars, they used bones to make up as borders. Dead bodies and skeletons were also scattered around the place, but Jackson didn’t even flinch, it was like he was already used to seeing it.

    “ Lucky for you the King’s main gate will only open during the end of Sabbath day. So for now…rest my little Pain, “ Nameless stated before leaving Jackson all alone inside the cell.

     “ I fucking got in. Apparently, Wonho was right about the plan. “ Jackson thought to himself as he stood up from the blood-stained floor.

    “ But I have to get out of here and find Nightmare. I only have a day before that Nameless guy brings me to the King. “ Jackson added as he walked towards the bars.

    He held the skeleton-like bars and checked if he could easily break it. He smirked when he knew that he easily could.

    “They’ll find out if you break that. Easy to break, but hard to escape once they find you.” A man’s voice suddenly says.

    Jackson looked at his left. It was another cell; the only thing that separated them was the skeleton bars. He slowly walked towards it and was surprised to see that there was a man chained up on a wall; his feet a few inches above the ground. His eyes were covered in black cloth. He had tons of bruises and wounds too.

     “My little Pain he said…but even without my sight I know you’re not him.” The man suddenly says, shocking Jackson.

     “I know my brother’s scent. And obviously, yours is a lot more powerful than his.” The man continued, making Jackson take a step back.

    “Don’t worry, I won’t tell. I’m not a bad guy. Well, everyone here is a bad guy, but rest assured, I won’t hurt you. Because as you can see…I’m all chained up,” the man said with a playful smirk.

     It shocked Jackson even more that he still had the energy to act so wittily even though he looked like he was going to die any second.

     “So, why are you pretending to be Pain? I don’t know how you did it, and how you fooled Nameless into thinking you’re him, but why? Why are you doing it when you clearly know Pain and Panic are hell’s most wanted.” The man finally asked.

     Jackson wanted to answer, but he was smart enough not to. This man might look like he’s been tortured for months and would be defenseless if Jackson fights him, but he didn’t trust him. Well…yet.

     “Don’t worry, you can talk, no one guards this place, they’re too scared to guard me,” the man says with a proud smile, but Jackson still didn’t budge.

     “Not a talker huh. Then let me tell you something about me. In exchange, you tell me something about you,” the man suddenly offered.

     The man took a deep breath and said, “I’ve been staying here for about a month now. I was supposed to be brought to the King but Nameless begged him to give me to him temporarily, and he promised to find the rest in exchange. So the King did, and I’ve been tortured ever since. Let’s just say Nameless was still bitter since I’ve been bossing him around before, and now that things have turned almost upside down, he wanted to brag about his new power.”

     Jackson’s eyes widened as he continued to listen to the man’s story.

     “He hated being pushed around, but he didn’t complain because he was too scared and too weak. Well, I’m not saying he’s strong now because Nameless is still too easy to trick, and he doesn’t possess my power. He can only kill lords about ten at a time, like…that’s so boring,” the man continued.

     Jackson, who was now sure on the man’s identity, quickly said, “You’re Nightmare. “

     The man doesn’t say anything for a couple of seconds, but then he smirks and says, “That took you long enough. Surprised? I wasn’t so hard to find was I?”

    “Y-You knew? You knew we were looking for you?” Jackson asked as he moved even closer.

     “Well, I heard that Nameless has started the search since they found my brother’s location, and chaos has been brought to earth because of it. I half knew Pain or Panic would quickly think of me if they wanted to fix the mess. After all…I’m the only one with the power to stop it.” Nightmare stated.

     “Then stop it, can’t you do it now?!” Jackson eagerly asked, making Nightmare laugh.

     “Do you seriously think Nameless would allow that to happen? He covered my eyes for a reason. I can’t perform mass exorcism if I can’t see.” Nightmare stated.

     “Then if that’s the case, we gotta get out of here,” Jackson stated.

     Nightmare, who’s been smirking since earlier, quickly had a serious expression as he said, “And why the fuck would I come with you? I don’t even fucking know you.”

     “I’m here to take you. Pain and Panic trusted me to take you. You’re their only hope in saving them. Nameless is coming back to earth to take Panic too, and when the King realizes who I am then all of us are dead.” Jackson immediately explained.

    “I’ve heard from mother Pandora that my two brothers are with Grimm Reaper, and they were sent on earth to find the-” Nightmare quickly stopped when he realized it. His serious expression became a smirk again as he said, “Oh my…I’m facing a prince aren’t I?”

    Jackson didn’t answer, so Nightmare continued, “They actually did it. They’re with you now, and they’re even making plans with you too. I don’t wanna sound mushy but I’m kinda proud.”

     “They’re not quite easy to handle.” Jackson commented, making Nightmare chuckle, “I presume that’s because of their games. They’re very good at it, that’s why they keep on doing it.”

     “I know,” Jackson simply says.

     “So, who am I facing? Prince of Glutton? Prince of Wrath?” Nightmare asked.

     Jackson stared at him and finally answered, “Prince of Envy.”

     Nightmare’s expression quickly changed again, but this time, it was more of fear. And Jackson swore he saw him gulp when he heard who he was.

    Nightmare cleared his throat and said, “What an honor to be…hanging…in front of one of Hell’s strongest Demon.”

     “And I presume that’s the opposite,” Jackson said seriously.

     “Well I’m not going to lie, you and your brothers are the cause of everything so you’re practically hated. But don’t worry, I’m not here to fight you. Even with my full strength, I won’t stand a chance. Though what you said about me being their only hope in saving them…well, you’ve got the wrong guy.” Nightmare stated, suddenly confusing Jackson.

     “What do you mean? You can kill-” Nightmare quickly cuts Jackson off and said, “Yes, I can kill all the lords with one command, but do you seriously think that it will be the end of your problems? Ghouls will still attack you, other higher-ranked demons will still chase after you, and the damage that it will cause on earth will greatly affect the mortals. The King will still benefit from it in the end.”

     Jackson clenched his fist because of what Nightmare just said. He didn’t know about it but after hearing about it from Nightmare, it made him panic a little.

     “Then what should we do? Nameless will be back and Kharon and the others won’t be able to stop time anymore. The humans…everyone…they’ll panic and…”

    “ Hope. “ Nightmare suddenly says, making Jackson stop mid-sentence.

    “Hope?” Jackson repeated.

     “He was one of us, and when Mother Pandora opened the box he was left inside. God sent us here with Mother Pandora as punishment, while they took Hope to whoever knows where.” Nightmare stated, and even with his eyes covered, Jackson saw pain and hurt in his expression.

     “So you’re saying this Hope guy can solve everything,” Jackson stated.

     “Well you need him, but you’ll need me too. It will be useless if you don’t have both of us. You need me to kill all the lords , you need him to turn back time.” Nightmare explained.

     “T-Turn back time? He can do that?” Jackson asked, surprised to hear the man’s power.

      “Yes, but what I remember there’s only a limit. He can turn back time from three days ago, not longer than that. But I’m not quite sure.” Nightmare added, making Jackson clench his fist harder.

     “Then we don’t have enough time. We still need to escape, and we still need to find Hope. I don’t think we can do that in a short period of time.” Jackson stated, now frustrated with the current situation.

     “Oh, giving up already? And I thought you were a tough one. Guess I was wrong. Maybe I can defeat you even in this state after all.” Nightmare stated with a smirk, almost like he was provoking Jackson.

     Jackson, who was obviously provoked, looked at Nightmare and said, “We’re escaping this shithole.”

     Nightmare smirked on Jackson’s sudden determination.

     “Just follow my lead…lower ranked demon,” Jackson said, this time he was the one who was smirking. ( Telling Nightmare that he’s a rank lower than Jackson, doesn’t mean Nightmare is actually a low ranked demon ). And before Nightmare could even react, Jackson kicks the skeleton bars, shocking Nightmare. But Nightmare didn’t say anything as he heard footsteps running towards them.

     Jackson waited for what was going to arrive, and to his surprise, it was a big creature that had hundreds of hands that looked like they were stitched together. He looked at Jackson – who was still using glamour to look like Wonho. His mouth was also enormous like he could swallow Jackson in one go.

     His saliva was dripping on the floor as he continued to stare at Jackson who was pretending to be sleeping. He looked around, confused that nothing was wrong with the cells. So he slowly walked away.

     When Nightmare knew that the disgusting guard was gone, he quickly said, “What the fuck man, I seriously thought you broke the bars. That thing could have signaled the lords and even Nameless and they’d start running here. Then we’d both be dead.”

     “I thought you said no one was guarding here,” Jackson stated, shocking Nightmare because Jackson was actually now in front of him.

     “H-How did you-”  Nightmare stopped when Jackson pulled off the cloth that was covering his eyes. Nightmare quickly closed them for a while, still not used to seeing light since his eyes had been covered for at least a month. When he slowly opened his eyes, everything was blurry, but the image became clear after a few seconds.

    “Shit, I almost fucking forgot how disgusting Wonho looked.” Nightmare stated as he looked at Jackson, then he continued, “I’d thank you and even bow in front of you but, I’m still chained up.”

     “Not a problem,” Jackson stated as he summoned his claw. And with one swing, the chains broke and fell on the floor, but Jackson was quick enough to catch Nightmare before he could fall.

     But, the chains fell on the floor, making a really loud noise. Nightmare’s eyes widened as he said, “Shit, he’s going to…” Jackson quickly covered Nightmare’s mouth as the disgusting guard came running towards the cells again. He looked around and even looked straight at Nightmare’s eyes, but then, he started walking away, shocking Nightmare even more.

     When the guard was gone, Jackson quickly removed his hand from Nightmare’s mouth.

     “W-What the hell did you do?! How did you…” Nightmare stopped when he realized something. His eyes widened as he continued, “You have the power of Glamouring…and even Illusion Casting? The King gave you…Illusion Casting?!”

     “And he was an idiot to do so,” Jackson stated as he takes a deep breath, stopping the illusion, and making Nightmare see the broken skeleton bars that Jackson kicked a few minutes ago.

     “That’s insane!” Nightmare shouted.

     Jackson quickly glared at him and said, “Stop shouting, he’d fucking hear you. And I did all this just so I could get you out of those chains. I don’t want it to go to waste by getting caught.”

     “Oh, don’t worry. That thing can’t hear, nor can he smell. He only uses the vibrations on the ground,” Nightmare explained, somehow making Jackson feel relieved just by hearing about it.

     “How many is there that looked like…that?” Jackson asked.

     Nightmare started thinking as he answered, “About a dozen or two. I’m not sure. But most of them are with the King inside his gates. A lot of the powerful demons are with him too so there isn’t anything that will be a threat for us here…well…except for Nameless.”

     “And how do we stop Nameless?” Jackson asked.

     “I call out his name.” Nightmare stated, making Jackson look at him like that was the stupidest plan he has ever heard.

     “You’ll be calling the name of Nameless? Do you know how fucked up that sounds? The guys fucking called nameless, and he’s faceless too.” Jackson stated.

     Nightmare shook his head and said, “Covered in cloth, not faceless. If we can remove the cloth, I could see his face, and I’d automatically know his name.”

     “Well if it was that easy then haven’t you seen it before already? He was working for you right?” Jackson asked.

     “He has, but he was already covered in cloth when he was given to me so I don’t know what he looks like.” Nightmare explained.

     “Alright, so that’s the plan with Nameless. But how on earth are we going to get out of here? This is my home, but I don’t have any idea on where is where, and since you’re as old as hell ( or so our guardians said ), you obviously know the way out of here.” Jackson stated.

     “Don’t worry, I do know a way out, but the thing is…the only time the gate of hell opens is after Sabbath day, and that’s like a day after today. We can obviously defeat the gatekeepers, but we can’t just forcefully open the gates. The only one who can get us out of here is-”

     “Nameless himself,” Jackson stated, realizing it now too.

     Jackson quickly looked at Nightmare and asked, “Don’t you have that kind of power too? You were the lord commander before right? Then it means you can get in and out of hell too.”

    “Before. I was the lord commander before. And only the current lord commander could have the ability to come in and out of hell. If I still had that kind of power then I could have escaped hell a month ago.” Nightmare stated, making Jackson sigh again.

      Then, after a few seconds, he quickly thought of something, “Wait, Nameless can come in and out of hell right, and then he brings lords with him, right?”

     Nightmare slowly nodded his head, not quite sure where Jackson was heading with his question.

     “What if we pretend to be lords, “ Jackson stated.

     Nightmare laughed on Jackson’s sudden statement, “You do know Nameless can find out you’re not a lord the moment he sees you.”

     “Well, I tricked him in believing I’m Pain so I think it will be okay,” Jackson stated.

     “That’s because Pain isn’t a lord. Nameless is the new lord commander. He knows all the lords’ faces and names.” Nightmare stated.

     “Then what do you suggest we do then?” Jackson asked with his right eyebrow raised.

     “We can bargain.” Nightmare suddenly said with a grin.

     “Pain thought of that too, and we both know how that ended,” Jackson stated.

     “Well, that’s because you made a bargain that he wasn’t going to benefit from. He wants something that will greatly gain him. And I know perfectly well what it will be.”

     Jackson looked at Nightmare with a questionable look, so Nightmare continued and said, “Name my dear prince…I give him a name.”

---

The disgusting looking guard was just silently standing on the side when he suddenly felt something vibrate, like falling bones. His already huge eyes widened as he ran towards the cells for the third time. He saw Nightmare still chained up, but on the other cell, the skeleton bars were scattered on the floor, and Jackson (Wonho) was nowhere to be seen.

     The guard shouted a sound that you’d hear from a dinosaur. But as he was shouting, he stopped midway. He looked down and saw long claws pierced on his stomach. He then started vomiting blood as the claw slowly pulled out of his stomach. He was about to turn around but the claw sliced his head off, making him slowly fall on the ground.

     Jackson –who didn’t look like Wonho anymore – smirked and looked down on the dead guard.

     “ That was easier than I expected. “ Jackson thought to himself.

     He looked at the guard carefully, and then slowly, his body started morphing into a creature that looked exactly like the guard that he just killed. Jackson had to take a deep breath to hold all the glamouring and illusion together.

     He was glamouring himself to look like the guard, and he was using an illusion that made Nightmare look like he was still chained up, and that the guard wasn’t lifelessly lying on the floor.

     Minutes later, someone came running towards the cells, and as Nightmare expected, it was Nameless.

     “ What happened? “ he asked as he quickly rushed towards the guard AKA Jackson. But Jackson didn’t have to answer because Nameless quickly saw Pain’s empty cell.

     “ You let him escape!? “ Nameless shouted with full range. But he took a deep breath and said, “ Well, no worries. I have dozens of guards outside. Pain won’t go very far. “

     “Pain won’t…but a Prince of Hell might.” Nightmare suddenly said, making Nameless quickly look at him.

     “ What do you mean? “ Nameless asked, his anger slowly becoming visible again.

     Nightmare smirked and said, “You got tricked Nameless. The man that you brought here wasn’t Pain, that was Prince of Wrath.”

     Jackson confusingly looked at Nightmare, and then he realized the reason why he used Wrath rather than Envy. Because if Nightmare told him he was the prince of Envy, Nameless might have known that Jackson has Illusion Casting then their plan would be useless.

     “ Impossible! “ Nameless shouted, now showing a powerful dark aura. But then, he remembered that he saw Jackson at the rooftop too, quickly making him conclude that Jackson used illusion casting on Sunggyu to look like Wonho.

     “ That Prince. That sneaky royal blood, “ Nameless stated as he clenched his fist in anger.

     Nightmare smirked. Their plan was slowly working.

     Nameless quickly looked back at the guard and said, “ You summon the others, make sure you find him, or I’ll kill all of you! “

     Jackson flinched upon the command, but good thing Nightmare butted in, “Your guards will be useless Nameless. Those stupid disgusting things against a powerful Prince like Kim Sunggyu? I don’t think so. And the King won’t be happy if he finds out you didn’t bring Pain, instead you brought that royal blood here.”

     Nameless glared at Nightmare as he said, “ I’ve been torturing you for almost a month now but you still talk like you’re the boss. “

     “I’m just naming facts here. But if you are able to capture the Prince of Wrath and bring him to the King, I think he’ll forgive you, no doubt about it.” Nightmare quickly added.

     “ I will, so you don’t have to worry, “ Nameless said as he was about to leave.

     “You won’t and you know it.” Nightmare quickly stated.

     Nameless stopped walking as he asked, “ Then what do you suggest I do? Ex…Lord Commander? “

     Nightmare smirked and said, “Let me help you. You clearly know I’m the only one here who has the chance in fighting him. Your guards and lords might be able to find him but he can easily kill them all. So let me help, and I promise I’ll defeat him.”

     “ And why are you so eager to defeat him? “

     “Well if it wasn’t for him and his brothers then…I wouldn’t be here in the first place, am I right…Lord Commander?” Nightmare stated, making Nameless chuckle.

     “ Let’s just say you do want to defeat him, but what makes you so sure I’ll trust you? “ Nameless asked.

     He paused for a few seconds, and then he answered, “If I end up betraying you…call out my name.”

     Nameless, and even Jackson, was shocked on Nightmare’s sudden bargain.

    “ What a tempting bargain you have there Nightmare, “ Nameless stated as he walked inside Nightmare’s cell.

     “ But you do know if you give me your original name, I’d be able to kill you, “ Nameless stated.

     Nightmare smirked and said, “I know, but it’s more reasons for me not to betray you.”

     “ You really are a good talker. So congratulations, I accept your bargain. “ Nameless stated as he walked closer to where Nightmare was, “ So Nightmare…what’s your name? “

     Nightmare leaned a little closer as he whispered, “ Song Mino …my name is Song Mino.“

     Nameless smiled under the cloth and quickly turned around to look back at his guard. But his eyes widened when he saw Jackson in front of him instead.

    “ YOU?! “ he quickly shouted.

    “You’re not cut out to be a Lord Commander. Like what Nightmare said, you are way too easy to trick,” Jackson stated with a smirk. But before Nameless could say something, Nightmare – who wasn’t really chained up – ran to where Nameless was and pulled the cloth away from his face.

     “ No! “ Nameless shouted as the cloth was finally off from his face. He was thin, and his skin was burnt and slowly rotting. No wonder he was covering it.

     Nightmare smirked when he saw the face, “So it was you all along.”

     Nameless quickly covered his face with his slender hands as he said, “ Y-You betrayer…you and that royal blood! “ 

     Nameless slowly removes his hands from his face as he looked at Nightmare angrily, then he shouted, “ DIE SONG MI- “ But he stopped midway when Jackson quickly pulled his tongue out and sliced it off with his sharp claw-like weapon.

     “AHHH!” Nameless shouted with full pain, blood now dripping out of his mouth. Jackson kicked his slender body and pushed him against the wall, “You only listen to one royal blood, and that’s the king right?”

     Nameless mumbled something, but no words were coming out of his mouth. The sight of him made Nightmare smile victoriously.

     “But maybe now you’ll listen to me this time,” Jackson stated.

     Nameless, who clearly knew he didn’t have a choice now, quickly nodded his head as a reply.

     “Now for the real bargain,” Jackson stated as he lets go of Nameless, making him quickly fall to the ground.

     Jackson kneels in front of him as he said, “Listen to my request because if you don’t, Nightmare will kill you right here, right now.”

     Nameless aggressively nodded his head for the second time.

     “Now…” Jackson stated as he transformed into his demonic self, making Nameless, and even Nightmare feel afraid. With Jackson’s blood-red eyes, he looked at Nameless and said, “Bring us back to earth.”

• END -

SDS3 18: ALMOST THERE

“HE DID IT!” SEUNGYUN  shouted as he and Wonho ran back to where the others were, and that was at the Holy Home. But as soon as they arrived, they couldn’t believe what they just saw.

     The windows and the door were broken, and blood and bodies were everywhere. Seunghyun quickly ran inside, Wonho right behind him.

    “What happened?” Seunghyun asked when he saw the Arcs, Demons, and the guardians, all standing near the entrance.

    “They attacked,” Junhyung answered with a sad expression.

    “But, are these all dead?” Seunghyun asked further as he looked at the bodies scattered on the floor. Park Dongmin kneeled down and checked one of the body’s pulse, “They’re alive. Sungjae didn’t kill them. He just knocked them out.”

    “But it looks like there were ghouls here too.” Suho pointed out when he saw the black blood on the floor too.

    “And Sungjae?” Seunghyun then asked.

    The Arcs didn’t answer, but their sad expression made Seunghyun know what it was. He quickly ran upstairs and saw the bloodstains on the wall, and then he arrived at a room where Sunggyu and Hyunseung were.

    “Where are they?” Seunghyun quickly asked. Sunggyu was staring at the bed that had bloodstains while Hyunseung was holding onto his shoulder. Junhyung, who followed Seunghyun upstairs with Wonho, quickly arrived at the scene.

    “They’re not here,” Junhyung answered instead.

    “Were they taken?” Seunghyun asked, but half of him didn’t even want to hear the answer.

    “We don’t know yet,” Junhyung answered.

     Sunggyu, who has been quiet since earlier, finally turned around, shocking the three since there were trails of blood on his cheeks.

     “They’re gone. I told you I wasn’t risking another brother. But now Jackson and Minhyuk are gone,” Sunggyu stated. Hyunseung turned around, he’s been crying too, especially since Minhyuk’s his best friend.

     “We can still find them,” Junhyung stated. He knew about Sunggyu’s condition; he didn’t want him to suddenly lose it.

     “Find them? Where exactly can we FIND them?” Sunggyu asked, his anger slowly showing. But when he saw Wonho standing behind Junhyung, he just exploded. Sunggyu quickly ran to where he was and lifted his collar up, “This is all your fault! If it weren’t for you those lords wouldn’t have found this place! Minhyuk should have been-” Wonho quickly cuts Sunggyu off, “We were found because we were trying to protect the Prince of Pride. It’s not our fault they attacked this place.”

    “Everything’s your fault! Ever since you arrived everything’s been a disaster!” Sunggyu shouted back, but a lot more powerful this time. His eyes were slowly turning red, and when Seunghyun saw it, he quickly pushed him away from Wonho. Sunggyu did the exact same thing to Junhyung when Jiyong died. Seunghyun wasn’t going to let it happen again, especially to the demon that they had to protect.

    “You aren’t the only one who lost a brother today Kim Sunggyu. Sungjae is gone too, and he could be dead because he promised he’d protect Minhyuk.” Seunhyung stated, but Sunggyu only pushed him away.

    “How could you even feel the things that I’m feeling right now anyway Seunghyun?” Sunggyu suddenly asked.

    Junhyung tried to calm Sunggyu down again but Sunggyu pushed him away too. Then Sunggyu looked at the two Angels and told them, “One of my brothers is missing, the other one was sent to hell and chances of him getting out of it is slim, and the other one is actually fucking dead. I’m the leader. I’m the one who should be protecting all of them, but one by one they’re taking my brothers away from me because I couldn’t even do the only thing that I was supposed to do for them.”

    “All of that wasn’t your fault.” Junhyung quickly said, still trying to calm Sunggyu down.

     “Yes, it was!” Sunggyu suddenly shouted. He took a step closer to where the two were and continued, “If ever Jackson or even Minhyuk dies tonight…I’m heading back to America. You guys can fucking save the human race for all I care. They haven’t done anything for us anyway, so I’m not going to continue on endangering my life for such pathetic people.”

    “Sunggyu,” Hyunseung finally said, holding Sunggyu’s shoulder gently.

     “You should rest for now. Let’s go.” Hyunseung stated, and surprisingly, Sunggyu nodded his head and followed him to a room where he could rest.  Ever since Jiyong’s death, Hyunseung’s been the person who’s calming his head. You could say Hyunseung’s the only person Sunggyu listens to now.

     “So what happened to Jackson?” Junhyung asked as he quickly looked back at Wonho and Seunghyun, trying to change the atmosphere after Sunggyu’s sudden outburst.

     “He made it to hell.” Wonho answered. 

     “And?”

     “We don’t know anything after. It’s all up to Jackson now if he lives or dies.” Seunghyun answered.

    Junhyung massaged his temple and stated, “Well he better live. Because if he doesn’t, we’ll lose two of our strongest demons. And we already lost one ( Jiyong ).”

     “Guys!” Taeil suddenly shouted as he ran inside the room.

     “What is it?” Junhyung asked as he looked at Taeil who looked quite excited.

     Taeil looked at the three and said, “I think Sungjae and Minhyuk are alive.”

     “What?” the three asked in unison.

     “The bloodstains on the wall. I think that was Sungjae’s blood,” then Taeil walked around the place. He went to the bathroom and saw a bloody shirt on the floor, and the sink had blood too, “He washed himself. He was badly injured so I think Sungjae tried to disinfect it.” Then Taeil continued searching inside the room for more clues.

      He kneeled down on the carpet just below the bed, closely looking at it. Wonho looked at him weirdly but didn’t say anything. Taeil smirked when he saw a small burnt part of the carpet and on the bedsheets, “They escaped.”

    “What do you mean?” Seunghyun quickly asked, starting to have hope over Taeil’s discovery.

     Taeil finally stood up as he answered, “Sungjae did it. He actually protected Minhyuk. They teleported.”

AT OPHANIM

 “Hope? You’re Hope?” Minhyuk asked in disbelief. The bright looking person smiled and nodded his head. Then he continued, “Should we talk inside?”

    Without waiting for Minhyuk and Sungjae to answer, Hope went inside the huge door, the two immediately following right behind him. Inside the door was another forest, but not like the one outside the cave, this looked like paradise. The complete opposite of what was outside.

     “This is Ophanim. Well, as Sungjae clearly knows, this place has no time. Nothing is permanent, nothing is absolute. Which means your powers can also be…mixed.” Hope explained, making Minhyuk and Sungjae quickly understand what happened earlier.

     “But Hope, what are you doing in Ophanim? Shouldn’t you be inside Pandora’s box?” Minhyuk asked, kinda excited about the whole thing because he studied about Pandora’s box.

     “Well, when Mother Pandora opened the box and released all the evil, God took the box away from her. Since I was the only good thing left inside the box, God gave me to Phanuel ( Sungjae’s father ) and he sent me here in Ophanim. A place where I could never use my powers.” Hope explained.

     “What do you mean?” Sungjae asked.

     “Well you see, I have the power to turn back time, erase all the bad things that happened so people could redo a better version of it. Though I can only go back a few days ago, it’s still a very outstanding power.” Hope explained further, shocking both Minhyuk and Sungjae.

    “Then it means you can turn back time on earth! If you are not aware, earth is currently in chaos, and the people are in great danger.” Sungjae explained.

    “Don’t worry, I know what’s happening on earth,” Hope stated, then he stopped walking and looked back at Minhyuk and Sungjae, “You were sent here to get me. But I am useless if you cannot defeat the main source. If I do turn back time, the lords will only return to do it all over again.” Hope explained.

     “Then…let’s defeat the main source.” Minhyuk stated, but he sounded like he wasn’t sure about it either.

     “The main source is the lords. And the lords listen to a commander, and that commander is none other than Nightmare.” Hope explained further.

    “Nightmare? One of the Seven Evil Emotions? But the King has him now.” Minhyuk stated.

    Hope gave out a small smile and corrected the prince, “Someone told me that he’s with one of your brothers in Hell.”

     “What?!” both asked in unison.

    “Then that means they planned about it too. They know about Nightmare…we’re actually doing it! We’re actually a few steps closer in stopping this chaos!” Minhyuk said excitedly.

     “And all we have to do now is go back to earth…with you,” Sungjae stated as he looked at Hope.

    “Only Phanuel can get me out of here.” Hope stated.

    Sungjae smirked and said, “And I’m Phanuel’s son.”

     Hope smiled like he clearly knew about that.

    “Then let’s not waste any time. Your brothers are worried, especially the Prince of Wrath. He’s a broken one, but I think his hope in the world will return very soon.” Hope stated.

    Minhyuk and Sungjae looked at each other and nodded their heads.

    “Then let’s go save the world.”

MEANWHILE…

BACK IN HELL

     “Bring us back to earth,” Jackson commanded, and with no hesitation, Nameless quickly brought them back to earth.

    Jackson looked around; they were back to the rooftop where they first saw Nameless. Then he examined if time started again. The silence made him realize that it hasn’t started yet, but he knew that they were running out of time.

     If time starts, and the people see what was actually happening, everyone will start panicking.

     “So this is earth.” Nightmare stated as he looked around.

     Jackson almost forgot that Nightmare practically lived in hell so he looked at him and stated, “Yup, this is the fucked up world we live in. If Hell had a cousin, this would be it.”  

     While the two were busy checking out the place, Nameless’s eyes started glowing. Nightmare quickly turned to him and shouted, “No!” But before he could even stop him, Nameless was gone.

     “What happened?” Jackson quickly asked.

     “He signaled the lords. “ Nightmare stated as he ran on the edge to see what was happening downstairs, Jackson following behind him. And like what he expected, the lords arrived and started possessing the people again.

     “Shit, we need to go, they’ll be after you.” Nightmare stated as he looked at Jackson who was still in his demonic form.

     “Then kill them, kill all of them,” Jackson stated.

     Nightmare shakes his head and says, “I told you I can’t, not without hope.”

      As the two were slowly losing hope, they suddenly heard a loud bang. The two were startled as they heard the door of the rooftop being slammed open.

     “These guys don’t give up do they,” Jackson stated as he saw the lords who were chasing after them before. He was about to summon his weapon, but Nightmare quickly held his hand to stop him, “No, let them see my face.”

     Jackson was confused about Nightmare’s sudden command, but he nodded his head anyway and waited for the lords to approach them.

     Nightmare quickly turns his eyes into the same purple eyes Wonho and Hyungwon had before, then, without even saying anything, the lords stopped.

     “ L-Lord Commander? “ one of them asked, fear present in his voice.

     “ No way. They still recognize him as the lord commander? “ Jackson thought to himself as he watched the scene unfold.

     “ We thought you were dead. You were a betrayer…like him! “ another lord said while pointing at Jackson.

     “ Wait…he’s a betrayer too? What does that mean? “ Jackson asked himself further.

     “Nothing is certain my children.” Nightmare stated, walking closer to where the mob of lords was. They were slowly backing away but Nightmare continued to walk closer. Then Nightmare held one of them on the shoulder and said, “ Anzu… my dear child. You have been following Nameless and have forgotten the Lords’  purpose like the others.“

     The lord, who was apparently named Anzu, started twitching. Just hearing his original name made him feel weak. Jackson was even impressed since Nightmare knew exactly who it was even though he was in a human’s body.

     “I will not kill you, only if you and the others leave.” Nightmare commanded, power in his voice.

     “ C-Can’t- “ Anzu struggled to say.

     “ K-King…N-Nameless…they are who we follow now. “ He stated.

     Then one lord at the back continued, “ Punished… lords will be punished… “

     Nightmare removed his hand from Anzu, making him fall on the floor. He was catching his breath, like Nightmares’ hold stopped him from breathing. Jackson looked at Nightmare and saw him clench his fist from anger.

     “ Don’t tell me…he cares about these lords, “ Jackson told himself but doesn’t dare say it to Nightmare.

     “We need to look for your brothers,” Nightmare said as he looked back at Jackson.

     “Okay,” Jackson simply stated, “Follow me,” he continued.

     Nightmare looked at the group of lords first, then he closed his eyes and whispered something. Seconds later, all of them fainted. When Nightmare opened his eyes back, the pain was visible in it, and Jackson knew exactly why.

     “Let’s go,” Nightmare commanded as he was about to leave, but Jackson quickly held Nightmare’s shoulder and said, “You don’t want to kill them don’t you?”

    Nightmare pushed Jackson’s hand away and said, “We don’t have a choice.”

    “That’s what my brothers and I thought before too,” Jackson stated, making Nightmare look at him with curiosity. When Nightmare’s attention was now on him, Jackson continued, “ Kill the Arcs, those were the commands. We didn’t have any other choice…so we made our own. I think you can too.“

    Nightmare doesn’t say anything but nodded his head anyway. Jackson knew Nightmare would seriously think about it.

     “Then let’s go. Pain and Panic will be thrilled to see you.”

---

“You want us to jump? There?” Sungjae asked as he looked down at a very deep looking well in the middle of the forest.

     “Well, that’s the only exit we have here. And besides, you said so yourself right? That your Phanuel’s son? Then it means you can teleport us to earth through here.” Hope stated as he pointed at the well.

     Minhyuk looked at Sungjae and smirked, “Well, then make sure we don’t die okay?”

    Sungjae, who was slowly panicking, looked down again. He gulped and started having doubts about the plan, but then he remembered his brothers on Earth. They were fighting for their lives and the only hope they have was…well…Hope. And Hope was in Ophanim, and the only way they could get out was through Sungjae.

     Sungjae clenched his fist and took a deep breath, “Alright, let’s do this.”

     “Then ladies first,” Minhyuk stated.

     Sungjae looked at Hope who nodded his head. Sungjae nodded his head back and made the sign of the cross, “Dear God, please guide me.” And without any hesitation, Sungjae jumped down the well, Hope and Minhyuk following right after him.

     “Ahhhh!” Minhyuk and Sungjae shouted as they continued to fall.

    “I think this is the part where you start doing something Sungjae!” Minhyuk shouted while they continued to fall down the deep well.

    Sungjae quickly closed his eyes and said to himself, “ Earth, bring us back to earth, bring us back to earth… “ He repeatedly told himself.

     “Nothing’s happening!” Hope shouted.

     When Sungjae could feel that they were inches from the end of the well, he shouted, “Father Phanuel! Bring us back to earth!”

      While the three were falling, a bright light suddenly appeared beneath them. Seconds later, Sungjae softly fell on the ground, Hope followed, the Minhyuk fell on top of Sungjae again.

     Minhyuk looked back at Sungjae, trying not to laugh, “I’m kinda getting used to this position.”

     “Why the fuck does this keep on happening to us!?” Sungjae shouted as he quickly pushed Minhyuk away, making Minhyuk laugh.

     Hope slowly stood up and looked around the place, “Where are we? Are we on earth?” he asked them.

     Sungjae quickly stood and looked around as well, “We’re back in HAU.”

    “HAU?” Hope asked as he looked at Sungjae confusingly.

     “Holy Angels University. This is our school,” Minhyuk answered. Then he looked back at Sungjae and added, “We need to go back to the Holy Home before time starts. And I’m pretty sure our brothers are worried after they saw the home’s condition.”

     Sungjae nodded his head in agreement and said, “You’re right, we should go.”

     “Hope, follow us,” Sungjae continued as he looked at Hope.

     Minhyuk and Sungjae walked back to the Holy Home with Hope. Luckily for them, they were “ dropped off “ at HAU since HAU was only a few blocks away from the Holy Home. But while the three were walking back, Minhyuk stopped walking, making Sungjae and Hope stop walking as well.

     “Minhyuk?” Sungjae asked as he looked at Minhyuk confusingly.

     Minhyuk didn’t answer, but he quickly transformed into his demonic self instead and summoned his weapon. When Sungjae saw what Minhyuk did, he quickly summoned his weapon as well, even though he wasn’t sure about what was going on.

     “W-What’s happening?” Sungjae asked confusingly.

     “They’re here,” Hope answered instead. And just in time, dozens of possessed humans arrived.

     “Shit, it’s the lords. Minhyuk we need to run! We can’t kill them!” Sungjae shouted as he summoned his weapon back.

     “ Fuck, “ Minhyuk cursed to himself as he summoned his weapon back as well.

     “Run!” Sungjae commanded, and without wasting any time, the three started running while the possessed humans chased after them.

     “Looks like these assholes are still hanging around!” Minhyuk shouted back as they continued to run down the streets, dodging the cars that stopped midway since Kharon and the others stopped time.

     “ Angel! It’s an angel! “ they heard someone say.

     “Why do they keep on chasing me?!” Sungjae shouted, running for his life as well.

     “Are we even close to where we’re going?!” Hope shouted back.

     “Nope!” both answered in unison But as the three were running for their lives, they suddenly felt a powerful force, and in just a second, all the possessed that were chasing them stopped running and slowly started fainting one by one.

     “L-Look!” Sungjae pointed out when they stopped running to catch their breath.

     “What’s going on?” Minhyuk asked confusingly.

     The last few bodies fell, revealing two figures standing at the far end.

     “Wait a second. Is that…Jackson?” Minhyuk asked with shock. But before Sungjae could even say anything, Hope ran towards the two men with tears pouring down his eyes.

• END -

SDS3 19: GO BACK

“PANIC’S AWAKE!” WOOHYUN ANNOUNCED  when he ran inside the room where Seunghyun, Junhyung, and Wonho were. The moment Wonho heard the news, he quickly looked back at Woohyun and said, “Where is he?” 

     “Follow me,” Woohyun answered instead as he went out, Wonho right behind him.

     They arrived at Woohyun’s room. Hyungwon was sitting down on the bed, so Wonho quickly ran to him and gave him a tight hug.

     “Well then, I’ll be downstairs if you need me,” Woohyun stated as he left the room so he could give the two some privacy.

     “Thank goodness you’re finally awake,” Wonho stated, still hugging Hyungwon. Hyungwon, who was confused about what was going on, gently pushed Wonho away and asked, “What happened?”

     Wonho looked at Hyungwon and sighed, “Where do I even start?”

MEANWHILE…

     “Wait a second…is that…Jackson?” Minhyuk asked with shock. But before Sungjae could even say anything, Hope ran towards the two men with tears pouring down his eyes.

     Jackson looked at Nightmare; surprised that he was suddenly crying blood. Then like Hope, Nightmare started running. In the middle of the street, Nightmare grabbed Hope and gave him the tightest hug he could ever give him.

     “It’s you…you’re here.” Nightmare stated, crying and hugging Hope at the same time.

      Hope, who was also crying, answered, “I can’t believe it. It’s been so long since I’ve last seen you.”

     Nightmare broke from the hug and looked at Hope, examining his face, making sure this was the person he’s been waiting for almost a hundred years.

     “It really is you. You’re right in front of me. Seeing you now makes me feel like I just woke up from a terrible nightmare.” Nightmare ironically stated.

     Hope wiped the tears from Nightmare’s cheeks and said, “Well in my case, I’ve always prayed that one day I’d end up having a nightmare. Because maybe through that, I might be able to see you again.”

     Nightmare smiled upon hearing what Hope had to say. He felt so happy that he grabbed Hope for an even tighter hug. But as Minhyuk, Sungjae, and Jackson finally arrived, the two broke apart.

     “What are you doing here?” Minhyuk asked as he looked at Jackson.

     “Shouldn’t you be with the others?” Sungjae added.

      Jackson looked at the two, confused about why they were out here instead since he knew they were supposed to be at the Holy Home too, but he doesn’t ask about it anymore since, by the looks of it, they went through a lot.

     “I kinda went to visit hell and…took him,” Jackson answered while pointing at Nightmare who was holding Hope’s hand tightly like Hope was going to vanish if he lets go of him.

     Minhyuk’s eyes widened as he looked back at Nightmare, “Wait a second. Don’t tell me he’s…he’s Nightmare?! You got him?!”

     Jackson nodded his head, then he looked at Hope with a questionable look, “And who’s that?”

     “That’s Hope.” Sungjae and Minhyuk answered in unison, making Jackson widen his eyes from shock.

     “Hope? You have Hope too?” Jackson asked in disbelief.

     Hope lets go of Nightmare’s hand and bows in front of Jackson, “It’s nice to meet you…Prince Wang of Envy.”

    Jackson looked at Hope, still with a shocked expression, “W-We did it…we have both of them.”

      Minhyuk and Sungjae looked at each other and smiled. Their hard work and sacrifices paid off after all.

      “Then where are the others? We need to go to them before-” Minhyuk was suddenly cut off when they suddenly heard an explosion. Then people started screaming. Nightmare quickly pushed Jackson and the others off the streets too because the cars started moving again. If it wasn’t for Nightmare they could have been run over by a car.

     “Thanks…Nightmare.” Minhyuk stated as he looked at Nightmare.

      Nightmare looked back at the others and said, “No problem…Prince of Glutton and Son of Phanuel.”

     Sungjae and Minhyuk were shocked that Nightmare knew them, but they didn’t say anything anymore. This wasn’t the time for interrogations.

     “What happened anyway?” Nightmare asked.

     “Kharon and the Jihoon’s power expired. Time started again.” Sungjae stated, now slowly panicking.

     “We need to hurry.” This time, it was Hope who said it.

    “Help me!” a woman suddenly shouted as she ran towards Jackson and the others.

     “Please calm down ma’am,” Sungjae stated as he held onto the girl, but the woman started vomiting blood the moment Sungjae touched her.

     “Ma’am…are you-” Nightmare quickly pulled Sungjae away and said, “Don’t touch her, she’s being possessed. We need to go.”

     Sungjae looked around. His expression quickly changed into a sad expression when he saw people running and panicking all over the place. Some were even covered in blood.

     “We need to help them. We need to do something.” Sungjae begged as he looked at the four.

     “Sungjae, we can’t help them here.” Minhyuk tried to say. When Hope noticed Sungjae’s worry, he quickly held his shoulder and said, “We’ll help them my dear angel, but we can’t help them without your brothers.”

     Sungjae finally calmed down and nodded his head.

     “That’s why we should go,” Jackson quickly added.

     “There!” Minhyuk shouted as he saw an open car parked on the side. “We should all get inside. It will be dangerous for us to walk around now, especially when we have Hope and Nightmare with us.”   

     “He’s right. We’ll have to use the main road if we want to arrive at the Holy Home faster. But it would be too dangerous so we should drive through the longest route instead to avoid hordes of people.” Sungjae explained, and everyone nodded in agreement.

     “Then let’s go,” Jackson stated as he and the rest went inside the car.

     And yes, Jackson knew how to drive.

     Jackson was at the driver’s seat, Minhyuk at the passenger’s seat, while Nightmare, Hope, and Sungjae were at the back.

     “ People are panicking over the sudden mass possession that has occurred in Seoul and apparently in Gangnam as well. The local police are trying to keep the people at bay but even they are being affected by this sudden event. Now people are starting to wonder, is this is the end for all of us? Or is it… “

      Jackson quickly turned the radio off since he noticed everyone was starting to feel the panic because of it.

     “Chaos…everything’s in chaos,” Sungjae stated as he continued to look out of the window. He felt responsible for what was happening even though it was obviously not his fault. But Sungjae just couldn’t help but feel like he needs to protect the people, especially when he’s an angel.

      Everyone was running around, being chased by possessed humans. Some were wounded, and some were lying on the floor, unconscious. Sungjae and the others weren’t even sure if those people were still alive. 

     There were buildings that were on fire too. It felt like an apocalypse.

     “I thought you were with the King.” Hope suddenly stated while looking at Nightmare. Minhyuk, Sungjae, and Jackson silently listening to the two’s conversation.

     “I was, but Nameless took me. But you, where did they take you? Did they hurt you?” Nightmare asked.

    “Hurt me? Nightmare, I was taken by angels, so they obviously didn’t hurt me. I was well kept so you don’t have to worry.” Hope answered as he leaned his head on Nightmare’s shoulder, then Nightmare gently kissed his head and said, “I missed you.”

     Sungjae, who was sitting beside the two lovebirds, started feeling uncomfortable. Then his eyes unknowingly wondered at the rearview mirror, and to his surprise, Minhyuk was staring back at him. Sungjae quickly looked away as he felt his whole face turn red.

     “We’re…here?” Jackson told them, but it was more of a question than a statement. Sungjae looked out the window and saw the damage that the ghouls and the lords have done to the Holy Home.

     Again, he felt bad about it.

     “This was all my-” Before Sungjae could even finish, Minhyuk looked at him and angrily said, “Don’t you fucking dare blame yourself again or I will kill you.”

     Jackson, Hope, and even Nightmare looked at Minhyuk with shock. Sungjae even flinched. When everything felt awkward, Jackson quickly said, “I’ll go out first.”

     Everyone inside the Holy Home heard the car’s arrival. Sunggyu, who heard it from upstairs, quickly ran down with Hyunseung. Junhyung, Kharon, Park Dongmin, and the rest followed and went outside.

     The moment Jackson went out of the car, Sunggyu fell on his knees on the sudden relief that he felt. Seunghyun and the others couldn’t even help but smile on the demons’ successful return.

     “Jackson!” Mark shouted as he pushed everyone in front of him so he could run to where his lover was. Jackson opened his arms to catch Mark. Then he lifted him up and passionately kissed him.

     “Welcome back,” Mark stated as he looked at Jackson with a bright smile.

     “Told you I’ll be back,” Jackson told him with a smile too. Then he lets go of Mark and goes to his brothers.

     “Good to see you in one piece big guy,” Taeil stated as he quickly hugged his best friend. Afterward, Suho and Hyunseung hugged next. When they parted from the hug, Jackson went down on his knees so he could level Sunggyu who was still kneeling on the floor.

     Sunggyu lifted his head and looked at Jackson, tears filled in his eyes.

     “What the fuck are you crying for? Aren’t you our leader? You should be the one who should be looking cool and calm here.” Jackson joked before grabbing Sunggyu for a hug. 

     “Welcome back.” Sunggyu simply says.

     When the two finally stood up, Kharon looked at him and said, “Just by looking at your bruises, it’s obvious that you had a tough time. So…how did it go?”

     Jackson looked back at everyone and smirked.“Finished the game with ease. And apparently, I stumbled upon a bonus.”

     Minhyuk and Sungjae finally went out of the car, the two ‘emotions’ right behind them. Everyone was shocked and didn’t move for a couple of seconds as Sungjae and the others approached them.

     Finally, Junhyung took a deep breath and ran towards Sungjae, “You fucking idiot! I thought you died!”

     Sungjae laughed it off as the rest of the Arcs ran to him to give him a hug too. The Demons went to Minhyuk and welcomed him back as well.

     “You faint one more time and I’ll permanently make you sleep,” Hyunseung stated as he continued to hug his best friend.

     “You have no idea what I’ve been through guys,” Minhyuk stated with an excited smile. He couldn’t wait to tell his brothers about his journey.

     “Well, we can’t wait to hear about it you idiotic genius,” Suho stated while messing up Minhyuk’s hair.

     “Thank god you’re alive,” Sunggyu stated as he looked at Minhyuk with a smile.

     While they were hugging each other, Sungjae suddenly started crying when he saw the Home again, “I-I’m sorry…I couldn’t protect the home…I couldn’t…” Hyunseung, who was standing beside his brothers, went to Sungjae and smacked Sungjae’s head, making him stop crying.

     When Sungjae looked at Hyunseung angrily, he was surprised that Hyunseung was crying too, but this time, his tears were water, “You kept your promise Sungjae. You protected our brother.”

    Minhyuk, who was standing beside Hyunseung, looked at Sungjae as well and said, “I know I’ve said it before but…thank you.”

     “Thank you!” the rest of the Demons said in unison, now bowing in front of the Phanuel’s son.

      Sunggyu, the Demon’s leader, walked in front of Sungjae and held his shoulder tightly, “Thank you for protecting my brother…Yook Sungjae.”

     Sungjae wiped his tears and finally smiled, the worry in his chest quickly vanished as the Arcs and the Demons continued to cheer him on.

     “You did great kid,” Dongmin stated as he patted Sungjae’s head. While everyone was hugging each other, Minhyuk’s eyes widened as he saw someone he hasn’t seen for quite a long time now, “Choi Seunghyun?!”

     Seunghyun looked back at Minhyuk and smiled, “Hey Minhyuk, you look good as always. Still working out?”

     “He just arrived earlier,” Lay added. Then, Grim, who’s been silently standing beside Wonho and Hyungwon, looked at the brothers and said, “So, whose the guys behind you?”

     Jackson, Sungjae, and Minhyuk, who completely forgot about the two, quickly pulled Nightmare and Hope forward so everyone could see them.

     “Well, we bring you…Hope and Nightmare.” The three said in unison.

    “WHAT?!” everyone shouted. Wonho and Hyungwon looked at each other first, and then slowly, they walked towards Hope and Nightmare with a shocked expression.

     “N-Nightmare? Is that really you?” Wonho asked, even though he clearly knew that he was Nightmare. He was just scared to realize that maybe Jackson was just doing an illusion and he really wasn’t his brother.

     “You still look shitty Pain.” Nightmare said with a smirk, but tears were already falling from his eyes.

     Wonho, who pushed back the tears, quickly hugged Nightmare without saying a word. Hyungwon on the other hand was just staring at Hope. He couldn’t believe their long lost brother, was right in front of him.

     “Isn’t this the part where you say something to me Panic?” Hope asked with a small smile, but like Nightmare, he too was crying.

     “You’re fucking alive. I can’t believe it.” Hyungwon said as he slowly lifted his hand to touch Hope’s cheeks gently.

     “You’re as pure as the first day I saw you,” Hyungwon added, tears now falling down his cheeks as well.

     “I missed you Panic.” Hope stated as he grabbed Hyungwon and hugged him. Then the four of them started hugging each other.

    Sunggyu and Junhyung, the two leaders, couldn’t believe what was happening in front of them.

     “They did it.” Sunggyu softly stated as he continued to look at the four.

     “They actually fucking did it,” Junhyung added.

     Kharon looked at Minhyuk, Jackson, and Sungjae, “I don’t know how you guys did it but…I’m proud of all of you.”

     “We’re proud of all of you.” Dongmin corrected.

     The three nodded their heads and smiled. They didn’t need the praise since it was something anyone of their brothers would have done too, but still, they were grateful that everyone acknowledged their hard work.

     “Anyways, I hate to break it to you guys but time started…if you haven’t noticed,” Minhyuk stated, making the four emotions break apart from the hug.

     “I’m sorry if we couldn’t properly introduce ourselves to both of you but we need to hurry inside. We’ll do this in front of the Holy mirror.” Dongmin stated as everyone ran back inside, including the four emotions.

     Pain, Panic, and Nightmare started having headaches the moment they got inside, but Hope didn’t feel anything since he was goodness himself. Everyone arrived in front of the mirror. Hope and Nightmare were in the middle while everyone was circling around them.

     “So…do they just…do it?” Suho asked as he looked at the two confusingly.

     “Nightmare will use his powers first, then Hope will quickly follow,” Grim explained.

     “So you’ll just kill all of them, right?” Taeil asked as he looked at Nightmare.

     Jackson, who knew that Nightmare didn’t want to harm the lords, looked at him with worry. Nightmare looked back at Jackson and took a deep breath, “No, I’m not going to kill them.”

     “What?!” everyone asked in shock.

     “Nightmare, you have to kill them if you want to help us end this,” Seunghyun stated, but Nightmare only looked down. Hope, Pain, and Panic looked at their brother with pity. They knew exactly what Nightmare was feeling.

     “The lords… they are my children.” Nightmare suddenly said while he continued to stare at the floor.

     “I will not kill those who have been loyal to me for over a hundred years just because of a selfish command by some angels and princes.” Nightmare continued, finally looking up at everyone. But to his surprise, they didn’t look mad at all. They actually looked like they…understood.

     “Hey, idiot…” Sunggyu called out. Nightmare looked at the Demon’s leader as Sunggyu continued, “Did you seriously think we wouldn’t understand that?”

     “We pretty much broke most of our commands too just so we could protect each other you know,” Junhyung continued, and then he looked at Sunggyu and smiled.

     Sunggyu smiled back, making Junhyung relieved that Sunggyu went back to normal after the leader’s sudden outburst earlier.

     “But what are you going to do then?” This time, it was Hyungwon who asked it.

     “If it’s alright with you, I’m only going to forcefully send them back to hell and lock them up. I promise they will never harm you again,” Nightmare stated.

     “But what about Nameless?” Seunghyun quickly asked.

     Jackson looked at Seunghyun and answered instead, “He won’t be a problem. He doesn’t have the ability to control the lords anymore. Well, most of them. But he won’t be a threat to us, especially when Nightmare’s here now.”

     “Well, I’m not going to ask how you did that but…if you’re going to lock them up in Hell again, doesn’t that mean someone has to make sure they’re…locked up?” Kharon asked.

     Nightmare doesn’t answer, but his sad expression said it all. Hope, who knew exactly what Nightmare was planning, stated, “You’re going back to hell aren’t you?”

     “I have no choice.” Nightmare stated as he looked at Hope, tears ready to pour out of his eyes any minute. Hope gulped and nodded his head, making Nightmare know he understood it.

     “Hope, you do know once you return time, you’ll be back to Ophanim too right?” Dongmin suddenly asked, shocking everyone. Hope gave out a small smile as he looked at Nightmare, “We really can’t be together, can’t we?”

     Nightmare gulped and shakes his head, “Maybe not.”

     “Fuck this.” Hyunseung suddenly stated. When everyone looked back at him, he continued, “Can’t we think of something else? These two…it’s obvious that they fucking love each other. They just saw each other after…I don’t know…a hundred years and…we’re…separating them again.” Hyunseung said with a sad expression. Junhyung even went to his lover and comforted him.

     Hope looked at Hyunseung with shock, he didn’t know the Prince of Lust would have such thoughts towards them, “Well, there is something we call destiny.” Hope stated. Then he looked back at Nightmare and continued, “We’ll meet again. Maybe if given a chance…in a different life…we’ll be together, this I’m sure of.”

     Nightmare’s tears finally poured out, but he doesn’t say anything and just nods his head. They’ve been separated for a century. The man he loved was right in front of him. But even though he was supposed to be an evil emotion , Nightmare had Hope, and he knew that doing the right thing with Hope would make him have the courage to move forward, and he’ll be sure that someday they’ll have a great future together.

     “Before we begin, I think you should say your goodbyes,” Kharon suggested as he looked at Hyungwon and Wonho.

     Pain and Panic quickly went to their two brothers and hugged them.

     “We’ll come back for you, I’ll make sure of it,” Panic stated.

     “Then I’m counting on it,” Nightmare stated as he patted Panic’s head.

     Hope looked at the two as well and said, “Hey, stop with the games okay? I don’t think the Princes will like it if you keep on stalling them.”

     Pain and Panic quickly glanced on the Demons, then they looked back at Hope and said, “No way!”

     Hope laughed and held Pain and Panic’s cheeks, “You’ve grown up well. Mother Pandora must be very proud.”

     “And I’m definitely sure she’s proud of you too Hope. After all, you’re the only good thing that she still has.” Pain stated. Hope wanted to cry again, but he knew it would only make things hard for all of them.

     “No goodbyes, okay?” Nightmare asked as he looked at his brothers.

     “No goodbyes.” Everyone said in unison. The Arcs and the Demons looked at the four brothers with pain in their chests. They didn’t know why but somehow looking at them made them teary.

     Finally, Pain and Panic moved to the side.

     “We’re ready.” Nightmare and Hope said in unison. Dongmin nodded, and in one command, the mirror started glowing.

     Nightmare looked at Jackson and said, “You are one powerful guy Prince Wang. No wonder the King of Hell is scared of you.”

     Everyone looked at Jackson with shock, but Jackson only smiled on Nightmare’s sudden comment.

     “Hope to see you again Angels and Demons,” Hope said with a sweet smile.

    “But Nightmare…the King will take you once you return to hell, right?” Woohyun suddenly asked, making Nightmare and Hope look surprised because Woohyun looked genuinely worried for them. So Nightmare shook his head and answered, “I can handle myself. And my lords can protect me for the time being. So hurry it up and finish the King of hell so we could all have a happy ending, alright?”

     “You can count on that,” Sunggyu said with a determined smile.

     “See you again kids.” Grim stated as he looked at Hope and Nightmare. Then the two intertwined their fingers together.

     “Thank you!” the Arcs and the Demons all said in unison, and then they bowed, making the two smile.

     “See you soon.” the two stated as their final words. Right after, their eyes turned purple. Hope started glowing, and Nightmare was covered in fire. The mirror was lighting up brightly as well, forcing everyone to close their eyes. Everyone felt a powerful wind that almost knocked them off. Then, there was only silence. 

     Seconds later, the brothers’ heard the school bell, and student’s started chattering. They quickly opened their eyes, surprised to see that they were back in HAU.

      They were standing in the middle of the hallway, and they looked fresh and clean like they didn’t fight off possessed humans the whole day.

     “What date is this?” Sunggyu quickly asked.

    Junhyung looked at his phone and said, “This was the day that kid got possessed inside the classroom.” ( Note: If you don’t remember, it was on SDS3 13: Unwanted Guests )

     “Hope sent us back to what happened this morning,” Taeil added.

     “Is everything…okay now?” Minhyuk asked since he felt like he was just having another Déjà vu.

     “Well, for starters, Seunghyun’s not here.” Lay pointed out.

     “We should head back to our room first. If that student gets possessed again then we just redid everything.” Sunggyu instructed, so he and the rest of the brothers went to their room.

     They entered the room and sat down. The professor arrived and took the attendance like normal, then he started with his discussion like what he did before. The Arcs and the Demons looked at the kid who got possessed. He was still wearing the same clothes too.

     “And…now,” Taeil stated since he was sure that it was at this time that the student got possessed. But nothing happened.

      The Arcs and Demons sighed, then they looked at each other with victorious smiles.

     They did it. They actually did it. And it was all thanks to two emotions named Nightmare and Hope.

---

It was already lunch break, but the brothers went to the dorms instead of the cafeteria to check on Pain and Panic. When they arrived, Sunggyu didn’t even bother to knock. He just barged inside the room, the Arcs and Demons right behind him.

     “Well, that took you longer than we expected.” A voice suddenly said.

     Everyone walked further inside and saw Seunghyun, Pain, and Panic playing cards.

     Junhyung smirked when he saw them, “Well, we were kinda busy today.”

     Seunghyun smirked back and stood up. Wonho and Hyungwon followed.

     “Good job everyone. We just made the King of Hell know we’re someone who he can’t defeat easily.” Seunghyun stated.  Then Wonho and Hyungwon walked closer to where the Arcs and Demons were.

     Hyungwon looked at the Demon’s leader and seriously said, “That’s why it’s time…”

     “Time for what?” Sunggyu asked with his right eyebrow raised.

     Wonho smirked and looked at the Arcs and Demons with an excited expression, “Time for you to meet Jiyong again.”

• END -

SDS3 20: LAST GAME

“THAT CAN WAIT. SOMETHING’S  

not right. Head to Jiyong immediately. “

     The Demons, the Arcs, and the two emotions ran to where Jiyong was buried. They were going to talk about where his soul was when suddenly the guardians felt something unnatural. So everyone quickly went to Jiyong’s grave just to check what was going on.

    And to their surprise, they saw a naked woman kneeling in front of Jiyong’s grave, and she was covered in blood.

     “W-What the…” Hyunseung said confusingly.

     Junhyung and the rest of the Arcs were even going to summon their weapons, but Suho quickly stopped them from doing so. He squinted his eyes and looked at the wounded girl closer. As he was slowly walking towards her, he asked, “Superbia?”

     The Demon’s eyes widened upon hearing the name.

     “Superbia?” Hyungwon and Wonho asked in unison.

     “Jiyong’s pet.” Jackson simply answered as he and the rest of the Demons walked towards her.

     Superbia – Jiyong’s pet parrot, now transformed into a human – turned around and quickly kneeled when she saw the prince’s approach her. Most of them averted their eyes to avoid seeing Superbia’s naked body, and when I say most, I meant the Arcs.

     Hyunseung removed his jacket and draped it around Superbia’s shoulder to at least cover her.

     “Did the ghouls come here?” Sunggyu asked as he kneeled down so he could face Superbia.

      Superbia, not like the other pets of the Demons, was able to talk ( Since she was a parrot ). So she looked back at the Demons’ leader and answered, “Yes. Attacked…ghouls attacked.”

    “Can I heal you?” Lay asked, a little concerned since she was covered in bruises.

     “No…R-Regenerate,” Superbia stated, making Lay nod his head from understanding.

     “You protected him.” Minhyuk then tells her.

     “S-Superbia…protected…her p-prince.” Superbia weakly said back. The Demons smiled, grateful that even though Jiyong was dead, she was still able to look out for him while the Demons were busy.

     Sunggyu held Superbia’s shoulder and said, “Thank you…thank you Superbia”

     Superbia nodded her head, and then she suddenly pulled Sunggyu’s hand and quickly made him hold something. She looked at everyone and said, “Good Luck,” then she transformed back into a parrot and flew away.

     “Well, that’s pretty impressive.” Hyungwon honestly said as he and the rest walked closer to where the Demons were standing.

     Sunggyu stood up and looked back at Jiyong’s grave, “So even after what happened, they’re still after him?”

     “Jiyong’s the only body the King can possess. I’m pretty sure he’ll do everything he can to take him.” Taeil explained.

     “So what should we do? Should we just take his body inside the Holy Home?” Suho stupidly suggested, making Hyunseung smack his head, “And what the hell would his parents feel if we just dig up his grave and take his dead body to a house that might just burn him?”

     Suho scratched his head but doesn’t say anything anymore.

     “Ghouls wouldn’t be attacking him for now, that I’m sure of,” Jackson stated.

     “I hope not because before Superbia left, she slipped something in my hand,” Sunggyu stated, making everyone look back at him.

     Sunggyu opened his palm and saw a small piece of old paper.

     “A letter?” Taeil asked confusingly.

     Everyone walked closer so they could see what the letter was about. Sunggyu unrolled it and quickly gulped when he and the rest saw what was written in it.

     The Time Is Near

     “Okay, that is definitely a letter from the king,” Minhyuk stated.

     Sunggyu crumpled the paper and burnt it with his bare hands, but to his surprise, the paper did not turn into ashes; instead, more texts appeared on the paper.

     “What kind of sorcery is that shit?!” Jihoon exaggeratedly asked.

     Sunggyu quickly un-crumpled the paper and looked at it again.

     The Time Is Near

     November 01, 2015

     “November 1?” Mark asked out loud.

     “What the hell. This wasn’t an attack, they were messengers,” Sunggyu stated, finally throwing the paper away.

     “Like what happened with Yixing and me when we were in Jeju.” Suho stated, then Lay added, “But at that time they said the Fourteenth Day of the Fourteenth Month. It was February 14, why the sudden date change?”

     “The king would be in his most powerful state on November 1 since it’s basically the day of the dead,” Hyungwon explained.

     “Then why didn’t he choose November 1 in the first place?” Junhyung asked.

     “Who knows, maybe he just wants this to be over quickly,” Wonho explained.

     “Then if that’s the case…” Seunghyun stated, then he looked back at the two Emotions and continued, “Isn’t it about time you tell us where Jiyong’s soul is so we could resurrect him, head over to hell, and lock that fucking king for good?”

     Everyone looked back at Hyungwon and Wonho too, excited and nervous at the same time since they realized that the moment they do resurrect Jiyong, it means they’ll now have to face the King of Hell on an actual battle.

    “Even if we tell you where he is, you still wouldn’t be able to resurrect him that quickly,” Hyungwon explained.

    “What do you mean?” Jackson asked, feeling a little irritated on the sudden news.

    “Father Lucifer’s letter,” Taeil answered instead.

     “We still need to figure out what that fucking letter meant,” Suho added.

     Junhyung looked at Wonho and Hyungwon and stated, “So does that mean you won’t be telling us where Jiyong is?”

     Wonho smirked and assured him, “Oh don’t worry…we will.”

    “Well fucking finally,” Jihoon commented. But then Hyungwon looked at the brothers and revealed, “But it’s through your last game.”

     “Again?!” Everyone asked in unison.

     “But I already played it.” Jackson reminded them, but Wonho shook his head and said, “The rules of the second game was that the last one to get caught wins. Apparently, Prince Wang…you were the first one to be caught.”

     “That’s fucking unfair! It was planned that I’d get caught!” Jackson suddenly shouted, shocking everyone.

     Sunggyu massaged his temple from frustration. Then he held Jackson’s shoulder and said, “You know it would be pointless to fight them over this”

     “Then fine, we’ll play your stupid game.” Junhyung agreed because he knew that there was no point arguing with them now.

      “Alright, but you have to be extra careful because you already lost two games. This is somehow your…last life.” Hyungwon explained with a sadistic smile.

     “ Looks like they’re back at it again. “ Sungjae thought to himself as he looked at the two emotions who looked like they were enjoying the situation.

     “Just tell us what the game is,” Hyunseung stated, starting to get a little impatient.

     Hyungwon and Wonho looked at each other and smirked, then they looked back at the Arcs and Demons and told them what the game was, “Tell us where Jiyong is.”

     “What?!” everyone shouted in unison.

     “But wasn’t that your job!” Seunghyun shouted back.

     Wonho chuckled and said, “No whining. We already gave you enough hints through all the games you’ve had so far. Like what we’ve been trying to tell you, it’s time you start thinking. “

     “This is your last game, and your last chance to prove to us that you are ready to face the King of Hell,” Hyungwon added.

     “And if we get it wrong again?” Taeil asked.

     “Then it’s Game Over”, both said in unison.

     Sunggyu smirked, impressed on these two’s wit, “You guys are really something aren’t you. So, when’s the deadline?”

    “Like usual, tell us where Jiyong is at the end of school hours. When the afternoon bell rings, all of us will meet at the rooftop. That’s the place where you’ll give us your answer. And of course, no cheating.” Hyungwon explained.

    Everyone nodded since they were familiar with the rules.

    “Well then, like what that parrot said…” Wonho paused, then his and Hyungwon’s eyes turned purple, “Good luck,” then the two teleported away from the scene.

     “And here I thought we were finally taking a break after all the chaos that just happened to us a few hours ago,” Minhyuk stated.

     The rest of the Demons and Arcs sighed heavily.

     “Anyways, they said they gave you hints right? What was it?” Seunghyun asked since he wasn’t there on their first games.

    Taeil looked at Seunghyun and answered him, “Where the hell do we fucking start?”

---

“You think they’ll find him?” Hyungwon asked while playing with Wonho’s hand. They were back at the dorms. Wonho was sitting on the floor and leaning against the wall while Hyungwon leaned against Wonho’s chest.

     “After everything that happened already, I’m pretty sure they will,” Wonho answered.

     “Well, I just hope we fulfilled our mission with Mother Pandora. I just seriously want to go back to her.” Hyungwon explained.

    “Really? You already wanna go back? I’m kinda liking it here you know. I’d probably stay here a little longer,” Wonho tells him with a smirk.

    “Are you serious?” Hyungwon asked back, but Wonho doesn’t answer him.

    “Pain, you do know the only reason why we were able to still be on earth without perishing is because of Jiyong right?” Hyungwon tells him. But Wonho doesn’t answer; instead, he leans his head on Hyungwon’s shoulder, and then he hugged him tightly.

    Wonho knew Hyungwon was right, but he didn’t want to say it.

    The Emotions aren’t made to be on earth, not like Demons who are able to go back and forth from Hell to Earth as much as they please. Emotions can last for a day or two but they’ll slowly rot if they stay for too long since the Emotions are bound to Hell. But since they have Jiyong’s soul, it made them have a small part that was connected to earth, giving them a lot more time on staying here.

     “I protected you as much as I can right?” Wonho suddenly asked.

     Hyungwon leaned further into Wonho’s arms and said, “You always have.”

     “I promise you, we won’t end up like Hope and Nightmare. I won’t let that happen. Once the Princes’ find Jiyong’s soul, we’ll be sucked back inside Hell and be automatically separated. I promise I’ll find you no matter what happens, do you understand me Panic?” Wonho asked.

     Hyungwon looked back at Wonho, but the moment he looked at his eyes, blood tears started pouring out of his eyes, “Come back to me no matter what okay?”

    Wonho quickly grabbed Hyungwon and kissed him fiercely. Then, he pushed Hyungwon down and went on top of him. Seconds later the two were kissing each other like it would be the last kiss they’ll ever have. Well, it could probably be the last kiss they’ll ever have but the two were determined that it wasn’t.

     “Pain, fuck me, make it really painful,” Hyungwon said as he was aggressively tugging Wonho’s pants down.

     Wonho leaned down and bite Hyungwon’s shoulder until blood would come out. Hyungwon shouted from the pain, making Wonho turned on even more. But, he licked the blood away and whispered in Hyungwon’s ear, “ No, you’re still too tired. “ Then he pushed Hyungwon’s hand away and stood up so he wouldn’t be tempted even more since Hyungwon was pouting from disappointment.

    “I’m not tired!” Hyungwon whined.

    “Oh baby, you just woke up remember? You know how daddy likes to fuck. You might just faint again if we do it now.” Wonho stated as he wiped the bloodstain off his mouth.

    Hyungwon stood up as well and walked towards Wonho.

    “This might be the last time we’re together you know,” Hyungwon said with a sad expression.

    Wonho kissed Hyungwon’s forehead and said in a soft voice, “I told you it won’t. When we head back to hell, and when I find you…I’ll fuck you so hard even the angels in heaven will hear your moans.”

AT HOLY ANGELS UNIVERSITY: GARDEN

     “So any ideas?” Suho asked, but everyone just blankly stared at each other.

    “The answer might already be pretty obvious if we’re lucky or, like how our lives been going, it might be pretty hard,” Minhyuk stated.

     “Have they shown us a place? Or did they somehow say a place while we were having a conversation with them?” Hyunseung asked, but Taeil answered, “They haven’t, and it would be obvious if they did.”

     “He could even be in Hell for all we know.” Seunghyun stated.

    “I’m pretty sure he’s not in hell. If he was, I could have strongly felt it.” Jackson stated, crossing out another place Jiyong might be hidden. He was confident since he went to Hell not so long ago, and since he was the son next to Jiyong, Jackson’s greatly connected to him.

    “If you could feel where Jiyong’s soul is, wouldn’t you be able to feel it now?” Woohyun asked.

    “I would, but somehow it feels like someone’s blocking it,” Jackson explained.

     “You know this is fucking frustrating, the answer could be anything. They might even be fucking with us again like the first game.” Junhyung stated, then suddenly, Sunggyu said, “Wait, what did they do on our first game?”

    “They basically just showed off how cool their powers were,” Jihoon answered bitterly since he was the one Hyungwon and Wonho used at that time.

    “Right, they showed off their powers. So…what was Hyungwon’s power?” Sunggyu quickly asked, his heart suddenly beating faster.

    Minhyuk’s eyes widened on the sudden realization of what Sunggyu was trying to point out, “He has the ability to switch souls.”

     “And what does Wonho have?” Sunggyu finally asked, shocking everyone.

     “He has the ability to absorb souls.” Almost everyone answered in unison.

     Mark, who was also feeling the excitement, stated, “Could it be? Could Duke Pain have Jiyong’s soul all this time?”

     “Well, that would explain why he’s so confident in knowing where Jiyong is,” Suho stated.

    “But this could be another trick. We might just be walking into another path that they made so obviously so we could get it wrong again,” Hyunseung stated to make everyone cautious.

    “And Jiyong is an SS ranked Demon. His soul would be too powerful for Wonho to hold alone.” Seunghyun explained.

    “But what if he’s not alone?” Woohyun suddenly asked. Then Junhyung’s eyes widened upon realizing something else, “Wait, in our first game, Wonho absorbed Hyungwon’s soul from Jihoon’s body and gave it back to Hyungwon’s own body. Could there be a possibility that Wonho gave the other half of Jiyong’s soul to Hyungwon since he can’t hold Jiyong’s soul alone?”

    “And if Jiyong’s soul is split into two, Jiyong wouldn’t be able to control the body of the person holding onto him,” Taeil concluded.

     Everyone looked at each other with shock.

     Have they finally done it? Do they actually have the answer Hyungwon and Wonho are waiting for?

    “So, do we have our final answer?” Sunggyu asked, then everyone looked at him, all confident and ready.

    “Then it’s settled. Let’s go meet Jiyong.”  

AT HOLY ANGELS UNIVERSITY: ROOFTOP

     Hyungwon and Wonho were sitting on the floor when the  Arcs and Demons suddenly burst out of the door.

    “We have an answer.” Sunggyu quickly stated while walking towards the two emotions, the others just right behind him.

     “Whoa, calm down leader,” Wonho stated as he stood up so he could face them. Hyungwon stood up as well and told them, “And you’re early again like the first time. Have you not learned anything?”

    “We’ve learned a lot actually, thanks to the two of you,” Hyunseung says with a smirk.

    “Then we’re glad the lessons paid off,” Hyungwon stated, now smirking as well.

    Wonho walked even closer to where Sunggyu was and said, “You look so confident. Do you guys really know where Jiyong is?”

    Wonho was about to touch Sunggyu but Junhyung – who was standing beside the Demon’s leader – quickly pulled Sunggyu close to him so Wonho wouldn’t be able to touch him.

    “No cheating, remember?” Junhyung simply says, removing his hands from Sunggyu’s arm.

    Wonho smirked impressively and said, “Don’t worry, I wasn’t planning to. Can’t hold onto two souls now can we?”

    Upon hearing what Wonho just said, everyone quickly looked at each other, and then they ended up smiling. Somehow they knew that Wonho and Hyungwon already knew that they have the right answer and they were just stalling.

     “We’re ready to say our answer.” Seunghyun stated.

    “Alright then. To determine who wins the game… Where’s Jiyong? “ both asked in unison.

     Sunggyu brushed his hair back with his fingers, then he walked towards Wonho and gently held his forehead. Seconds later, Sunggyu’s eyes turned red, and he was now inside Wonho’s thoughts. Then suddenly, Wonho’s eyes turned purple now too.

    Hyungwon smirked when he realized what Sunggyu was doing, “He doesn’t have a fear Prince Kim Sunggyu, you won’t find anything.”

    “He does actually,” Sunggyu said, and then he smirked when he found what he was looking for. He released his hands from Wonho, making Wonho pant heavily. Sunggyu then looked back at Hyungwon and continued, “His greatest fear is actually… losing you.”

    Everyone was surprised to hear the answer, but Hyungwon was even more surprised to hear it himself.

    He quickly looked at Wonho who was still fazed over what happened to him, but before he could say anything, Sunggyu continued, “But I wasn’t looking for his fear.”

    “What do you mean?” Hyungwon asked, now confused about what Sunggyu just did.

    “I found the fear of losing six brothers…and that obviously wasn’t Wonho’s fear. It was Jiyong’s.” Sunggyu stated, then he smirked and continued, “You two…you can give us back our brother now. He’s been afraid for a very long time.”

    Hyungwon doesn’t say anything for a couple of seconds. When Wonho finally got his composure back, he looked at Hyungwon and nodded his head.

    Hyungwon smiled, but then he looked at Sunggyu and answered, “But you cheated though.”

    “Did I?” Sunggyu sarcastically asked.

    “We don’t cheat though…we just play really…really…well,” Taeil stated with a smirk, making Hyungwon laugh since that was the exact same thing he told them on their first game too.

    Hyungwon and Wonho looked at each other. They held onto each others hand, and with a serious expression, Wonho answered him, “Well then, let’s welcome back the strongest Demon in Hell.”

• END -

SDS3 21: HIS RETURN

“SO WHAT DO WE do? Do we just dig him out?” Minhyuk asked as he and the rest stood in front of their brother’s grave.

     It was finally decided. Pain and Panic were finally going to give back the soul to the rightful owner, but it was also then that the brother realized that the two emotions were forced to go back to hell for they will perish if they stay on earth longer without Jiyong’s soul inside them. 

     “There’s still time. If you want to do something or if there is still something that you want to fulfill-” Wonho cuts Sunggyu off. He was touched with the sweet gesture, but there wasn’t time for that anymore.

     “No, you have all waited long enough. You have a duty to fulfill, and you need your brother to do it. We have our own duties, and that’s to save our mother Pandora.” Wonho stated while looking back at his partner Hyungwon, AKA Panic.

     “Then there’s no more time. Everyone, start digging.” Sunggyu instructed as he handed them the shovels.

     Everyone looked at each other, then, Sunggyu handed Junhyung a shovel as well and added, “I don’t want to put the blame on anyone but you’re partly the reason why he’s there, so now it’s time you help us dig him out.”

     Junhyung chuckled and grabbed the shovel, “I would be delighted to.”

     Everyone, even Pain and Panic, started digging out the grave like there was no tomorrow.

     “This seriously feels so wrong,” Woohyun commented, but he still continued to dig like the rest of the Arcs and Demons.

     “I feel it!” Hyunseung quickly shouted when the end of his shovel felt a hard coffin.

     “We’re getting close, dig faster,” Sunggyu told everyone. Soon after, a red velvet casket was revealed. Jackson jumped down of the hole first, and then Suho and Sunggyu followed. The Arcs wanted to help, but Jackson couldn’t help but feel protective as he hissed back, “Don’t touch him.” 

     Jihoon was surprised, but his lover Taeil patted his back and told him to let his brother’s carry the casket. So Jackson and the rest lifted the casket up before gently placing it on the side.

     The Arcs and Demons circled around the casket. Jackson, who was already holding it, looked back at his brothers first. Sunggyu nodded, signaling him to finally open it. Jackson nodded his head back before taking a deep breath.

     “Here we go,” Jackson said, finally lifting up the lid. He was struggling at first, so Suho helped him out, but the two of them couldn’t open it either, so Junhyung, Sunggyu, and even Seunghyun helped out.

     “W-What the hell. Was this…g-glued shut?” Junhyung asked while struggling, his face turning red because of all the effort he was exerting.

     “Come on guys, lift it up!” Taeil shouted, making Sunggyu glare at him, causing Taeil to flinch and shut his mouth.

     “This is impossible,” Jackson stated, finally letting go, and then the rest gave up with him.

     Sunggyu looked at the two emotions, his anger very visible in his face.

     “Why the fuck won’t it open?” Sunggyu asked Pain and Panic, but instead of answering the demonic leader, Pain looked at Hyunseung and asked him, “Hyunseung, why aren’t you helping?”

     Hyunseung was confused at first, but then he remembered his dreams about Jiyong. About him asking Hyunseung why he didn’t help him.

     “Move aside.” He told his brothers, heading to where Jiyong’s coffin was so he could open it himself.

    Everyone watched as Hyunseung took a deep breath. He held the lid, and with no effort, it opened. But the moment the lid was opened; a strong gust of wind came out, causing everyone to be pushed away from the coffin except for Hyunseung himself.

     Everyone was pushed out. Some even stumbled down and fell on their ass.

     The brothers helped each other up, but as they were doing so, a dark black smoke comes out of the coffin.

     Hyunseung stood there and looked down on what was inside with a shocked expression. Then the rest immediately got up from their feet and ran towards Jiyong’s coffin to see what was inside as well.

     The brothers couldn’t help but gasp as they finally saw what was inside. It was no doubt Jiyong, but what they expected as a rotten and decomposed Kwon Jiyong was actually a perfectly groomed Prince of Pride instead. Junhyung was right, demons don’t rot.

     “He looks like he was just placed there a few hours ago,” Minhyuk commented.

     The Arcs couldn’t help but stare at the body. Of course, they were fascinated that it looked the same as the last time they saw it, but it also made them remember the exact moment before the King of Hell killed him.

     “Jiyong,” Sunggyu called out. Everyone looked at his way and was surprised to see that the leader was actually crying, but instead of blood tears, it was water.

     The rest of the Demons couldn’t help but shed a tear as well. They couldn’t believe that they’re now standing in front of their brother, and the possibility of seeing and talking to him again was so close to happening. Even the two emotions bowed to greet the prince.

     “I’m happy for you guys, but…how did Hyunseung just do that?” Junhyung – Hyunseung’s lover and the Arcs leader – asked with confusion since there were literally five of them who were just struggling to open the damn thing and they couldn’t even lift an inch.

     Pain and Panic looked at each other, then they finally looked back at Junhyung, who was as confused as the others.

     “Remember the note. The letter Ruler Lucifer gave to the Prince of Pride. Awakening the most powerful Demon in Hell isn’t as easy as stealing candy from a baby. There is a process, and that process is already in Lucifer’s letter.” Wonho explained, to which Taeil immediately took note of.

     “So you’re not telling us anything?” Suho asked.

     Hyungwon just smirked and answered the prince, “Looks like you have another game to play our Princes.”

     “Please, enough with the games.” Minhyuk practically begged, but Pain and Panic just chuckled.

     “So if there’s a process, how about the soul? When does that come in?” Seunghyun asked.

     Everyone thought the two Emotions were going to make a riddle again and make things complicated for the brothers, but to their surprise, the two looked at them with a serious expression.

     “We’ll hand you the prince’s soul, but it’s just a soul, and it won’t do much until it finds its real shell. All we could do now is hand him to you, but not directly to the prince’s body.” Wonho explained.

     “And why is that?” Mark asked, confused why the two can’t just put Jiyong’s soul inside his body so they could all get over this.

     “Jiyong’s shell, or body…isn’t complete. There is something missing.” Hyungwon pointed out. Everyone was silent for a couple of seconds, then, their eyes widened from the realization.

     “The heart!” Everyone practically shouted in unison.

     “If we place the soul inside the body now, it’s possible that Jiyong’s soul would only consume it. So your mission now is to find the heart, and the only way to do so is by following Lucifer’s letter.” Hyungwon explained to them.

     The Demons sighed. They thought they were close to reviving their brother, but there were actually still more challenges for them to face before they achieve anything.

     “Wait, if it’s not on Jiyong, then where do you put the soul then?” Jihoon asked.

     “You’ll give it to Minhyuk, right?” Taeil, who was also the smartest of them all, asked the two emotions.

     Minhyuk was confused at first, but then he finally realized the reason himself.

     “I have soul absorption!” Minhyuk shouted in excitement.

     Pain and Panic couldn’t help but smile; glad the sons were finally learning.

     “Looks like you guys are ready.” Pain stated.

     “We’re ready too.” Panic added.

     The Demons now looked at the Emotions with a sad expression. Even though they had a bad start, they still went through a lot together. And like what the two were hoping for, the demons really did learn a lot from them.

     “So, another bitter goodbye. First, it was the Souls of Lucifer, then the old Kharon before the Kharon we have now, then Kai and Tamo, and now you guys.” Suho stated, remembering all the past demons and humans that helped them throughout their missions.

     “Well, we’re glad to be of service to you.” Pain stated while looking at the Demons. Then Panic looked back at the Arcs and added, “To all of you.”

     “Good luck finding Pandora,” Lay stated with a sincere heart, making the two smile.

     “This was crazy, and I can’t believe I’m saying this but…I’ll miss the games,” Taeil added. Then Sunggyu, who had the bumpiest relationship with the two emotions, held their shoulders and said, “Don’t die you two. Join the rest of the emotions and do your job in hell while we do ours. Good luck.”

     “Oh come on, you guys will die first before we do.” Wonho joked, but he patted Sunggyu’s hand on his shoulder, and the two smiled.

     “Hopefully we’ll get to see each other again. And we hope at that time you’re seven deadly sons, not six.” Hyungwon stated.

     “Hopefully there are more emotions when we meet each other too,” Junhyung added.

     “Alright, enough with all this,” Jackson stated. He wasn’t really forcing them to leave as soon as possible, but he didn’t want this to be harder on all of them if they stay longer.

    “The Prince of Envy is right. Minhyuk, please stand in front of us so we could begin.” Wonho stated.

     “Remember Prince of Gluttony, you must be able to transfer the soul to its body as soon as possible. Jiyong’s soul is too powerful, it might corrupt or feed over your body.” Hyungwon warned, to which Minhyuk nodded as a reply.

     The two looked back at the sons and bowed in front of them,

     “It was our honor…to serve you,”

     Without waiting for the son’s answer, Pain and Panic held both of Minhyuk’s shoulders and started chanting a Latin passage. The two emotions’ eyes turned purple, and black smoke started coming out of both of their mouths.

     As the black smoke entered Minhyuk’s body, time stopped, and the clouds turned red. The wind blew stronger and the sons had to hold their ground so they wouldn’t be blown back. Everyone watched the black smoke that was slowly showing the silhouette of a familiar man. And when the black smoke finally cleared everything fell silent.

     Minhyuk was still, but then his eyes turned red and his demonic tail and horn appeared. He opened his mouth, and without moving his lips a low voice came out and said, “ I am here. Wait for my return. “ Then soon after Minhyuk fainted.

     Sungjae immediately ran towards Minhyuk and made him rest on his arms, but before anyone could say anything, Pain and Panic started burning. The ground rumbled. It then opened and dozens of hands grabbed onto them and pulled them under.

     “Goodbye, our princes.” Pain and Panic’s last words before the ground close and the clouds cleared and the time started again.

     The sons slowly walked towards Minhyuk and Sungjae.

     “That’s it, right? Jiyong is inside of him now.” Suho stated.

     “Well, technically he is,” Mark answered.

     “Now what?” Asked Woohyun, “What’s the next step?”

     “Remember what Pain and Panic said. We have to remember Father Lucifer’s letter.” Taeil’s reminded them. Everyone looked at each other and tried to remember the roles Father Lucifer assigned to them in the letter.

     Hyunseung is a boy born to love and be loved, he will be the arms. Minhyuk is a boy hungry for power and greatness, he will be the greatest gift. Suho is a boy with quick feet, he will wipe the unwanted tears. Taeil is a boy who’s bidding is done by others, he will show the reflection. Sunggyu is a boy whose flames can burn the coldest of hearts, he will bring the light. And lastly the Prince of Envy. He is a stubborn boy who was born to be selfless, he will give you salvation.

     None of this made sense to the Demons, they didn’t know how all these will contribute to Jiyong’s resurrection, but Hyunseung, who was able to demonstrate something that no one had expected, finally realized what they had to do.

     “Arms…” Hyunseung mumbled to himself. Junhyung noticed Hyunseung’s surprised expression and asked, “What is it?”

     Hyunseung ignored his lover, glanced at Minhyuk who was lying on the floor, and looked back at his brothers, and told them, “I think I know what to do.” He then looked at the Arcs, and pointed his index finger at Seunghyun, “And we’ll need your help.”

• END -

SDS3 22: THE LETTER

MINHYUK WAS LYING IN bed. The Demons standing around it while the Arcs waited downstairs. Well excluding Seunghyun who Hyunseung claimed would be of help to them. Even Junhyung wasn’t allowed inside.

    After what happened at the cemetery, the Demons and Arcs brought Jiyong back to the Holy Home. Jiyong’s body was inside a glass case. It was inside a solemn room that had a dome window right above it so the sun was directly shining down on Jiyong’s body. The room was a prayer room, but Dongmin and Kharon removed the crosses for Jiyong’s sake and filled the room with black and red roses instead. It really looked like he was a prince waiting for his prince charming, but it wasn’t a prince charming that he was waiting for because what Jiyong was actually waiting for was his own soul.

     It was time for the Demons to make their plans. The two emotions warned them about letting Jiyong’s soul stay too long on Minhyuk’s body. If it stayed too long inside, it might consume Minhyuk and he’d end up dying. They have to think of a plan now, and they have to do it fast.

    “So what should we do?” Sunggyu asked while looking at Taeil who was their master planner.

    “Well since Jiyong’s soul is basically possessing Minhyuk’s body, then the only thing Seunghyun has to do is exorcist him out, simple as that,” Taeil explained.

    “But what about his heart?” Seunghyun pointed out. Taeil made it sound so easy when it obviously isn’t going to sail as smoothly as he expects.

    Taeil made a thinking pose. Everyone waited for him to say something, but Taeil sighed in defeat and honestly told them, “Well I got nothing.”

     “The king of hell took Jiyong’s heart. Which only means its with him in hell.” Hyunseung reminded them, making most of them sigh like Taeil.

     “So you’re telling us we need to head back to hell?” Jackson asked, worried because he just got back from hell, and he wasn’t willing to make a visit again.

    “Definitely not, it’s too risky,” Taeil stated. Making Jackson look relieved.

    “I think it’s best if we find out where the heart is exactly placed first before doing anything rash,” Sunggyu suggested, and everyone agreed.

    Taeil took Lucifer’s letter out from its box and read it again, thinking of what might help with their troubles. Hyunseung’s role was already over, so was Minhyuk’s and Jackson’s, so Suho, Sunggyu, and himself were the only ones left who haven’t contributed to anything yet.

    Jackson was there to protect Jiyong’s body during their time of separation. Hyunseung was the only one who could open the casket; this was so that no one else could take it out, while Minhyuk became the soul’s temporary host. So what were the other’s roles?

    “Reflection…reflection…” Taeil repeatedly told himself while staring at the paper. As he was holding onto the letter, something suddenly hit him, “When Jiyong died, I’d usually see him in mirrors.”

    Everyone looked at Taeil, who looked like he was talking to himself rather than talking to anyone who was inside the room.

    “Who else could help us except for Jiyong himself, right?” Taeil asked, now looking at the Demons.

    “Alright, I’ll get a mirror.” Jackson immediately stated, heading out of the room to get the mirror that was mounted on the wall downstairs. Everyone was surprised when they saw Jackson carrying the large mirror, but they didn’t say anything and just helped him place the mirror on the side.

    “Fire it up Prince of Sloth,” Seunghyun stated.

    Taeil went in front of the mirror, everyone going to his side to see it too.

    “Here we go,” Taeil stated, closing his eyes and focusing himself on the task at hand. He took a deep breath, and when he opened his eyes, it was already bloody red. He looked at the mirror, trying to summon Jiyong’s soul, but a minute went by, and nothing happened.

    Taeil almost lost balance, but good thing Hyunseung was right behind him so he was able to steady him.

     “Looks like I miscalculated it,” Taeil stated while massaging his aching head.

     “It’s okay. We’ll think of another way.” Sunggyu assured him.

      Taeil looked at himself in the mirror in frustration, “I think I can’t summon him anymore because his soul is inside Minhyuk’s body now.” Taeil concluded while glancing at Minhyuk who was peacefully lying on the bed. But the moment his eyes went on Minhyuk, his eyes widened from shock.

     Everyone looked at him confusingly. It was like Taeil saw a ghost.

     “Taeil, are you okay?” Jackson asked, but instead of answering, Taeil pointed at Minhyuk’s reflection. Everyone looked at where Taeil was pointing at, but all they saw was Minhyuk sleeping.

     “Okay, what’s going on?” Suho stated, now extremely confused.

     “I-It’s…It’s…Jiyong!” Taeil finally shouted, surprising everyone.

     They looked at Minhyuk again, but like before,  all they could see in the reflection was Minhyuk, not Jiyong. Taeil on the other hand saw Jiyong lying on the bed instead. He looked back at the actual Minhyuk, and his eyes didn’t fool him anymore, it was really Minhyuk who was lying on the bed, but when he looked back at the mirror, he clearly saw Jiyong.

    “I can see him…I can see him through the mirror.” Taeil revealed, clear tears suddenly falling from his eyes. Sunggyu immediately grabbed Taeil by the shoulder, his eyes now teary as well, “W-What do you see? What is he doing?”

    Taeil didn’t remove his eyes from Jiyong on the reflection as he answered, “He’s just sleeping there, but his chest is rising and falling. I haven’t seen him look so alive.”

    Sunggyu couldn’t help but rest his head on Taeil’s shoulder while tears streamed down his cheeks, relieved to hear what Taeil just saw, “Thank god he’s okay. Knowing that is enough for me.”

    Seunghyun smiled as he looked at the hope of the Demon’s eyes. He patted Sunggyu’s back and congratulated him. They were now another step closer to reviving their brother.

    When Sunggyu pulled away from Taeil, he suddenly went to Minhyuk and started shaking his body, “Hey! Minhyuk! Wake the hell up! We need to talk to Jiyong!”

     Hyunseung immediately pulled Sunggyu away from his best friend’s body and smacked the back of Sunggyu’s head.

    “What the hell are you doing? Do you think Minhyuk’s just gonna surprisingly wake up if you shake his body like that? Jiyong’s soul was too much for him, he needs more time to rest.” Hyunseung told their leader, trying to bring back his senses.

    “Well the more this guy remains unconscious, the more time we’re wasting,” Sunggyu said back.

    Taeil immediately went in between them. He felt a fight coming and he didn’t want that to happen especially when they’ve just discovered something.

    “Alright, let’s all relax.” Taeil stated, then he looked at Sunggyu and continued, “Hyunseung is right Sunggyu. Minhyuk needs to rest, but if you’re worried about wasting time then we should focus on something else while waiting.”

    Sunggyu sighed and finally nodded his head, “Fine.”

    Taeil smiled; glad their leader wasn’t too stubborn. When everything finally calmed down, he looked back at Seunghyun and asked him, “You have a big role in this, but can you actually do it? Jiyong isn’t exactly just a demon. He’s a prince of hell, and the strongest one too. You might get hurt while trying to summon him out from Minhyuk’s body.”

    “Other than that, you might end up hurting or even killing Minhyuk in the process,” Suho added, making Sunggyu flinch when he heard the word kill.

    “I’m not certain myself, but I’ll do everything I can not to hurt both of your brothers. I swear it with all the angels in heaven. But if you’ll allow me to, I would also like to see Jiyong’s body now so I could know what to do when the time does come. It would help if I could visualize him better.” Seunghyun stated. The Demons were obviously going to agree to it, but they looked at Sunggyu first. He’s the leader, he makes the final call. So Sunggyu took a deep breath and nodded his head to agree with Seunghyun’s request.

    “Take a close fucking look on my brother’s face angel. I don’t want you screwing it up.” Sunggyu stated, but it wasn’t really a threat, it was more of a friendly reminder. So Seunghyun smiled and nodded his head before heading out of the room to leave the Demons alone with their brother.

    Seunghyun walked downstairs, the Arcs apparently waiting for him at the dining room with their guardian, Park Dong Min, AKA Saint Peter.

    “So how was the meeting? And why the hell did Jackson bring the mirror upstairs?” Junhyung asked, a little bummed out that he wasn’t included.

    “Taeil can see Jiyong through Minhyuk’s reflection. They have a plan, but they’re just waiting for Minhyuk to wake up so they could start moving.” Seunghyun reported.

    “Well, that’s good to hear,” Mark stated, glad things are running smoothly.

    Dongmin was supposed to say something, but Seunghyun immediately spoke, “I’ll be visiting Jiyong first. Please excuse me.”

    Dongmin was surprised, but he nodded his head like he understood.

    “Alright.” Dongmin simply stated, and Seunghyun nodded his head back and left his brothers.

    Seunghyun went inside the room where Jiyong was placed. He slowly walked his way towards the body. Jiyong’s body was peacefully lying inside the glass case. Looking at him, you’d think he was just sleeping. Seunghyun knew that it was just an empty shell, but as empty as it was, it looked like it was as alive as Jiyong was a couple of months ago.

    Seunghyun bowed in front of the body to show his respect.

    “Prince of Pride.” Seunghyun called out, but he shook his head and corrected himself, “No, when I perform the exorcist, I have to call out your real name.”

    Seunghyun held the glass and looked down at Jiyong’s face, “ Kwon Jiyong .“ He said, almost like a whisper.

    Nothing really happened, but then he saw something glow. Seunghyun rubbed his eyes, thinking it was just a trick of the light, but when he called out his name again, Seunghyun finally saw the glow, and it came from Jiyong’s chest.

    “W-What’s going on?” He asked confusingly.

    Jiyong’s glowing chest was being shone by the sunlight from the window above them. He looked at the light, but he couldn’t really sense anything, but as he was staring at it, he suddenly remembered something. Something very important.

     A boy whose flames can burn the coldest of hearts, he will bring the light.

     “Sunggyu!” Seunghyun shouted, immediately bolting out of the room and running upstairs.

    “Seunghyun?” Junhyung called out when he saw his brother running upstairs. Seunghyun ignored his brother and continued running until he reached Minhyuk’s room. He aggressively swung the door open, making the Demon’s look at his way.

    While panting, he pointed at Sunggyu and commanded, “Follow me.”

    Sunggyu was confused about the sudden command, but before he could even say anything, Seunghyun ran back downstairs, so Sunggyu stood up from the bed and followed the angel, Jackson and the others following right behind him, curious to see what Seunghyun has discovered. But as curious as Hyunseung was as well, he decided to stay behind with the unconscious Minhyuk, just in case something happens.

    When everyone was downstairs, the Arcs followed as well, even Dongmin joined in. Everyone was now at the prayer room, surrounding Jiyong whose chest was actually glowing.

     “What on earth did you do?” Sunggyu asked as he looked at Jiyong’s glowing chest then looked back at Seung.

    “I called out his name, then it started glowing,” Seunghyun answered while gesturing at the place where Jiyong’s heart was supposed to be.

    “So what does this have to do with Sunggyu?” Jihoon asked while looking at his brother with a confused expression.

    Taeil sighed at his lover’s stupidity and answered for Seunghyun’s sake, “The letter. It stated that Sunggyu is a boy whose flames can burn the coldest of hearts. He will bring the light. Apparently there’s a glowing chest, and the light is right above us. Now you get it?”

    Jihoon embarrassingly scratched the back of his head, but like him, Sunggyu was also confused about what he was supposed to do. He looked at Jiyong’s chest, and then he followed the light. When he looked up, the light shone on his face, then suddenly his eyes turned red. Everyone was surprised and moved away.

    “What’s going on?” Suho asked. He was about to approach their brother to touch him, but Dongmin immediately grabbed his arm to stop him, “Leave him.”

    Suho gulped and took a step back, and then the rest followed.

    Sunggyu wasn’t moving, but as everyone was staring at him, Sunggyu was suddenly watching something unfold. He saw a vision, and it was a vision of their first battle back at HAU. Woo Jiho was there ( Taeil’s first lover ). They thought they were safe after the battle, but then Kharon arrived and grabbed Zico’s heart.

    “ Find the Heart. “ A low voice stated in Sunggyu’s ear.

    Finally, the vision stopped, and Sunggyu fell on his knees while gasping for air.

    The Demons immediately approached him, patting his back to calm their leader down.

    Sunggyu gripped on Suho’s arm, his eyes slowly turning back to normal. He looked at the Arcs, and then he looked back at his brother’s and finally told them the sudden revelation, “H-Heart…I know where it is.”

    Everyone was surprised to hear what Sunggyu just had said. Suho, who’s arm Sunggyu was gripping on, looked at his brother with this disbelief, “You know where Jiyong’s heart is?” He asked him. But Sunggyu shook his head, then he looked at Taeil, and he gulped and answered them, “No…but I know where Jiho’s is.”

• END -

SDS3 23: THE GRAVEDIGGER

“KHARON HAS JIHO’S HEART. 

  Well, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have it now but I know he knows where it is.“ Sunggyu stated as he was walking back upstairs where Minhyuk and Hyunseung were staying.

     The Demons followed them, same as Junhyung and Seunghyun, who told the Arcs to stay downstairs with their guardian Park Dongmin, AKA St. Peter.

     “So are you’re telling us we’re going to use Jiho’s heart instead?” Taeil asked, a little concerned since this is his ex-lover’s heart they’re talking about right now.

     “Yes. The King of Hell isn’t stupid. It’s already obvious that he destroyed Jiyong’s heart the moment he got a hold of it. So now we have to improvise, and the only heart that is capable of waking our brother up is Jiho’s.” Sunggyu explains, now entering the room where his other brothers were.

     “What’s going on? What happened?” Hyunseung asked the moment the boys entered the room.

     Junhyung went to his lover and answered his question for him, “Apparently we’re going to use Jiho’s heart to replace Jiyong’s.”

     Hyunseung was obviously surprised by the sudden news that he immediately bolted up from where he was sitting.

     “Jiho’s heart? Why on earth are we going to use Jiho’s heart?” Hyunseung asked, looking at their leader with a confused expression.

     “That’s what I want to know too. Jiho’s a human. Why on earth is his heart compatible with one of the strongest demon in hell?” Jackson asked back. Sunggyu started pacing around the room, thinking of a possible answer. Then, Seunghyun, who has been quiet since earlier, looked at the demons and said, “He’s the only human who survived the king of hell’s personal attack.”

     Everyone was surprised at what Seunghyun just said.  Thanks to that, everything was making sense now.

     “That’s right. A ghoul attacked him, and it used his blood to poison him.” Suho stated, then Taeil finally understood where this was going so he continued, “But thanks to Lay, Jiho was able to counter it. But is it possible that the ghoul’s blood wasn’t removed? Was it actually…absorbed?”

     “That can only be it, right? There’s no other way. The light showed me our battle at the soccer field back at HAU, and it told me about finding the heart. There wouldn’t be any reason to doubt that.” Sunggyu stated.

     “So now all we need is Kharon, right?” Hyunseung asked, and like saying Kharon’s name was some kind of summon, the door suddenly opened, revealing the Demon’s guardian.

     “I saw the light. And I have a suspicion on what it was about.” Kharon stated when he entered the room.

     “Kharon!” Everyone shouted in unison, glad to see their guardian again.

     “So you know what we have to do?” Sunggyu asked the moment their guardian closed the door behind him.

     Kharon took a deep breath and nodded his head, “You need the heart. You need Woo Jiho’s heart, am I correct?”

     Sunggyu nodded his head as an answer, then Taeil went in front of their guardian and said, “Please tell me you at least placed it somewhere we can easily retrieve it. And you did not inconveniently leave it at hell.”

     Everyone looked at Kharon, hoping what Taeil was wishing for was true. But the disappointed look on their guardian’s face already made them worried.

     “Don’t tell me…you actually left it at hell?” Jackson now asked. He just recently went back to hell to find Nightmare. He saw how chaotic hell is now, and he was not willing to make another visit.

     Kharon massaged his temple like he was trying hard to explain it well to his princes.

     “If you don’t remember. I wasn’t exactly myself at that time, so there was no way for me to place Jiho’s heart in some pretty jar and hide it in a safe place when I got a hold of it.” Kharon stated, but then he remembered the pain Taeil went through because of that event, so he immediately apologized to him, “F-Forgive me, my prince, I did not mean to talk lightly of that incident.”

     Taeil sighed and sat down on the bed beside Minhyuk’s lifeless body, “Don’t worry, I don’t blame you on what happened. The past is in the past.”

     “But does that mean you don’t know where the heart is?” Suho asked.

     “I don’t,” Kharon said with his head low, making Sunggyu curse under his breath.

     “Here we go again. Back to square one. Where on earth will we even find a heart? It could be placed anywhere in the world. We’ll never know where it is before November 1.” Sunggyu stated, now being hopeless again.

     “Well if it makes you feel better, you don’t actually have to find it. All you have to do is find someone, “ Kharon clarified, making everyone look at him confusingly.

     “What do you mean?” The Arcs’ leader asked.

     Kharon looked at the brothers seriously and asked them, “Do all of you remember the battles we’ve had? Every time we have battles, it’s always ghouls who ambush and attack us, nothing stronger than that.”

     “Well, how on earth can we forget those? It always fucking happens.” Hyunseung commented.

     Kharon ignored the comment and continued, “Well there’s actually a reason, and the reason is because ghouls are easier to control.”

     “Alright, where you going with this?” Taeil asked. He might be the master planner of the group, but he didn’t really understand why Kharon was suddenly explaining this matter to them.

     “The King of Hell cannot control them all while ruling hell at the same time. The reason why it’s easy for the King to release hundred of ghouls is the same reason why he can release hundreds of lords as well.” Kharon explained further, and finally, Taeil now has an idea of where this conversation was going.

S D S  1 0 1

(R A N K I N G S)

The lowest are

servitors

, also known as the ghouls. The

tempters,

ghouls molded to look like humans. The Minor Lords, demonic monsters that usually serve as the rulers’ servants. Lords, also known as A Ranked Demons, are the demons with names, or the demons who have the ability to possess humans. Then we have the S Ranked Demons  or Dukes. They’re the Princes of hell, or demons molded by the King himself. There’s also a sub-category under Dukes, which we call Elders. Elders are S ranked Demons, but they’re also known as the original demons. Kharon I, Grim Reaper, and Pandora’s emotions are considered Elders. They’re the demons who are as old as hell. Next in the ranking are SS Ranked Demons, also known as the Absolutes. They’re the Rulers of the Realms, and Jackson and Jiyong are the only Princes under this ranking. Lastly, the SSS Ranked Demon, and there’s only one, and that’s the King of Hell himself.

     “Someone rules them. There’s someone who has the ability to control them.” Taeil concluded, and Kharon smiled, glad Taeil was able to pick up fast.

    “If Nameless ruled the demons who have the ability to possess humans AKA the lords , then someone else is there to rule the ghouls besides the King himself.” Kharon explained further, finally making everyone understand it as well.

     “Alright, why are we only finding about this now?” Suho asked.

     “That’s right. Why isn’t he well-known? We could have already seen him once in so many of our battles. Not like Nameless, he was there when the lords attacked.” Seunghyun explained because he too has never heard of this before.

     “Well, first of all, it’s not a he, it’s a she. She is recently called the  umm

ghūla, the mother of ghouls. And not like Nameless, umm ghūla has the ability to control the ghouls without being seen, because she has the ability to see through all of the ghoul’s eyes.“ Kharon answered, surprising everyone.

     “That’s insane.” Sunggyu stated, and Hyunseung and Suho nodded their heads in agreement.

     “I’m surprised you’re not familiar with her angels. Umm ghūla is actually from heaven.” Kharon stated as he looked at Seunghyun and Junhyung

      The two Arcs were surprised. No one told them about her before.

      “Ghouls are such weak demonic creatures that they actually had the ability to enter heaven to eavesdrop and share information back to their masters,” Kharon explained further, shocking the brothers even more.

     “That’s impossible.” Junhyung immediately disagreed, but Kharon shook his head and explained to him, “That was before the battle of the 12 Apostles and the 7 Rulers. But of course, when the world was in full chaos, god the father did something about the ghouls. He assigned an angel to handle it, and the angel’s name was  Iblis. “

     Seunghyun and Junhyung practically gasped when they heard of the name. Now they know who Kharon was talking about.

     “Iblis is a fallen angel. And for what I know, he is a HE.” Seunghyun corrected the phoenix. 

     Kharon nodded his head to attest to that, but there was more to the story, “Yes, I know. Iblis was given the ability to control the ghouls. He is a fallen angel, not because he is against god. He actually didn’t have any intention to make god his enemy. But the reason why he was sent to earth is because he was more powerful there.” Kharon explained to the two angels, but even the Demons were immersed in the story.

     “So why is a male fallen angel from heaven now called the mother of ghouls of hell?” Jackson asked, now leaning near the door with his arms crossed.

     Kharon looked at him, then looked at the rest of the brothers and answered, “This is where our king did what he does best. Since Iblis practically became human, the King of Hell easily blinded him with gifts and power. He told him that he will give him a realm to rule, and provide him with all the ghouls that he desired. Of course, like most of the demons in hell, he agreed. But all those power came with a price. A price that meant his soul will be bound to the king.”

     “This still doesn’t explain why he was turned into a woman,” Taeil stated.

     Kharon smiled and reminded them the story was not yet over.

     “Now in the hands of the king, Iblis wanted to escape hell. But there was no way for him to do so by just trying to fight the king. So he made a plan. Like what happened to Lay and Kai before, Iblis switched souls with the first person he saw. This person was sinful, its body fell right on Pride’s realm. Since the realm of Pride was the closest to the King, Iblis was able to get the body, switch souls, and escape when the King was too occupied.” Kharon explained further, but Taeil looked like he was doubtful, “There is no way the King of Hell didn’t even know about his escape.”

     “Oh, he knew. But he also found out that Iblis is stronger when he’s on earth. So the king let him be. Even with a different body, Iblis’s soul was still bounded to the King. He is still under the King’s command no matter what he does.” Kharon answered.

     “Alright, so the body that Iblis used to switch was a woman, that’s why he’s called the mother of ghouls now,” Suho stated, and Kharon nodded his head as an answer.

     “Then where is…she…now?” Hyunseung then asked.

     Kharon couldn’t hide his excitement as he finally answered him, “The Gravedigger is now lurking in the streets of Beijing.”

     “Beijing?!” Everyone asked in unison. And with a grin on his face, their guardian continued, “In Beijing with her husband…who is known as Asia’s most notorious drug dealer.”

• END -

SDS3 24: SECRETS OF BEIJING

THE DEMONS WERE DOWNSTAIRS,  talking about what they have to do before meeting up with umm ghūla in Beijing.

     kharon suspected that the ghouls took Jiho’s heart from him after the battle back at HAU and gave it to Iblis as a gift of victory. So now the Arcs and Demons are planning to head to China to check if the mother of ghouls has the heart or not. They might just be wasting time with this, but this was their only solid lead.

     Kharon also told them that she wasn’t against god, but was only forced to follow the king of hell, so asking for the heart might not be too hard. What’s not easy is how they’re going to get to talk to her. Because the body Iblis is in is apparently now a wife of a notorious drug dealer, and a man with such a title won’t be willing to let teenagers like Sunggyu and the others talk to his wife so easily.

     This was their last mission, and they had to do it fast before Jiyong consumes his brother’s body for good.

     “Minhyuk, when are you going to wake up?” Sungjae asked, sitting on the edge of the bed where Minhyuk’s lifeless body was resting.

     Sungjae stared at the boy’s face, then he took his hand and gently kissed it. 

     Lay entered the room with a tray of food. He saw what his brother was doing and told him, “You do know you’re also practically kissing Kwon Jiyong’s hand now too.”

     Sungjae puts Minhyuk’s hand down. He doesn’t even bother to look at his brother, “Minhyuk has been unconscious for most of the time I’ve been close to him. He’s more fitting to be called Prince of Sloth by how many times he’s been bedridden.”

     “Close to him? Or did you mean most of the time you’ve been in a relationship with him?” Lay teased, and finally, Sungjae looked back at him and defended, “W-Were not-” He paused when he felt that he was practically blushing, so he looked away from his brother and continued, “in a relationship” he finished.

     “What is this? Another Taeil and Jihoon case?” Lay continued to tease, but then he goes to where Sungjae was and pats his head, “Lee Minhyuk will be fine. Minhyuk’s a tough guy, and he wouldn’t be called a prince if he wasn’t. You just have to hang in there.”

     Sungjae looked back at Lay and smiled at him as a form of thank you. Lay smiled back, then he pointed at the food that he brought and said, “You missed dinner. Eat it while it’s hot.”

     “Thanks, Lay.” Sungjae sincerely stated.

     Lay nodded his head and went to the door. He grabbed the doorknob, but then he stopped and looked back at Sungjae and said, “Junhyung and the others are going to Beijing first thing in the morning. Hyunseung was supposed to stay so he could protect Minhyuk, but do you want me to tell them that you’ll stay here instead?”

     Sungjae didn’t answer yet. He looked back at Minhyuk and grabbed his hand again. He remembered the time ghouls attacked the Holy Home. He felt anxious by just remembering it. He felt a little traumatized, but he nodded his head and looked back at Lay and answered, “I’ll protect him. That’s what I always do now anyway.”

     Lay smiled and nodded his head in understanding before finally leaving the room. When Lay was gone, Sungjae looked back at Minhyuk. He gently brushed his hair back before leaning close so he could kiss his forehead.

    “You know that whatever happens, I’ll protect you. You don’t have to worry about anything. But once you wake up Lee Minhyuk, I have to ask you an important question.”

---

“Just wait a little longer Jiyong. You’ll be back with us very soon.” Jackson stated while holding the glass that covered his brother ’s lifeless body.

     “Jackson?” Mark called out when he entered the prayer room. Jackson looked over his shoulder and gave out a small smile when he saw that it was his lover who entered the room, “Baby,” he called him.

     “You suddenly left the meeting. I got worried.” Mark stated, walking towards where Jackson was standing. 

     “I just wanted to talk to Jiyong for a while before we leave for Beijing,” Jackson answered, and Mark nodded his head and smiled. He stood beside him and looked at Jiyong’s body as well, “He looks so peaceful.” Mark stated.

     “Yeah. It makes you forget how naggy he actually is.” Jackson said back, making both of them laugh.

     Mark glanced at Jackson and stretched his index finger to slightly touch Jackson’s hand, “You miss him don’t you?”

     Jackson looked back at Mark and grabbed his hand before intertwining them together, “Every fucking day. You have no idea how hopeless and lost I was when he died.”

     Mark moved closer and leaned his head on his lover, comforting him, “I’ll never know, but what I do know is that you’re strong to still be standing here today. If Jiyong could just speak now, he’d definitely tell you he’s proud of you.”

     “He’d tell me I’ve gotten smaller first,” Jackson managed to joke. But when both of them were done laughing, Jackson nodded his head and agreed, “But I think he’d say so too. Jiyong never showed it, but he cared about us. As prideful as his title, he’s the most selfless. And I would do anything to get him back.”

     Mark didn’t say anything and squeezed Jackson’s hand tightly instead.

     Jackson took a deep breath, then he looked at Mark and kissed his head. Then both of them silently watched the powerful prince sleep for the last time. Because it won’t take long for him to finally wake up from his sweet slumber.

AT THE MEETING…

     “Jackson can always use some glamouring, and I could always use my powers too. It’s not that hard,” Sunggyu confidently told the Arcs and Demons at the meeting.

     Dongmin and kharon were at the meeting as well, but they weren’t as confident as the Demon’s leader was. It wasn’t going to be as easy as how Sunggyu explains it, and they both knew about it.

     “Pain and Panic did not come all the way here for you boys to just charge into battle without any concrete plan,” Dongmin told Sunggyu. But then Junhyung butted in and said, “There’s nothing else to plan. These are humans, and as notorious as they say the man is, we’re still angels and demons. They wouldn’t stand a chance. We’ve done this before with Yakuzas. It will be fine.”

     “And that ignorance would be the reason why the King of Hell will easily be able to kill you,” Kharon then stated, finally making both Sunggyu and Junhyung stop talking.

     “I researched the man we’re after.” Taeil suddenly butts in, making everyone look at his way. Taeil placed his laptop down and looked back at everyone, “Now stop quarreling like children and listen to me.”

     The guardians and the leaders looked at each other before looking back at the Demon’s master planner.

     “It was hard, but I was able to hack through the system. The man we’re looking for is named Chen Kun . Mr. Chen is a 43-year-old man who has been in the drug scene since he was 16. There’s nothing really strange about it until I saw something.” Taeil stated before taking his laptop and showing everyone the picture that was on the screen.

     The picture was a very old man walking with a beautiful woman who was apparently assisting him.

     “This woman right here is Ruby Chen, better known as Mr. Chen’s wife, but also known as the mother of ghouls, Iblis. And the old shaky man beside her is Chen Kun himself.” Taeil explained, surprising everyone.

     “Well, that is not a forty-three-year-old man,” Jihoon stated, and everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

     Taeil puts the laptop away and agreed with them, “That’s right, it’s not. Because this picture was taken fifteen years ago, and Mr. Chen was already eighty-seven years old in this picture” Taeil revealed, surprising them even more.

     Taeil then showed them the next picture, and this time, it showed Ruby Chen with a younger and better-looking man. Under the picture had the detail on when the picture was taken. It was dated a year ago.

     “This…is Mr. Chen Kun now.” Taeil revealed next, and everyone couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

     “No fucking way,” the only words Woohyun could utter as he reviewed the image, shocked that Mr. Chen aged backward.

     “Wait, Taeil. Are you sure that’s still the same man? Maybe you’re just mistaken and that’s actually his son.” Junhyung tried to explain. There had to be a logical explanation and that was the only explanation the Arc’s leader could think of.

     Taeil shook his head as an answer, “I thought so too, but Mr. Chen was never declared dead, and everyone treats this younger version of him the same way as to how they treated the older version of him. It’s like this is just normal to them. It’s like nothing happened.”

     “Did you research anything else?” Seunghyun asked. He wanted to conclude something, but he had to know if Taeil knew anything else first.

     “Yes, I did. Like what I said earlier, Mr. Chen never died, but his wife did. She died at the age of 47, and Mr. Chen was already 52 when she passed. So if we check the first picture when Mr. Chen was already an eighty-seven-year-old grandpa, Ruby Chen was supposed to be dead for forty years now, but based on the first picture, it looked like she never aged.” Taeil explained further.

     “So it means Iblis returned from the dead at that time,” Hyunseung concluded, and Taeil nodded his head to confirm it.

     “But why is Mr. Chen younger now?” This time, it was Suho who asked the question.

     Taeil closed his laptop and pointed at Suho, “That’s the strange thing about it.”

     Seunghyun scratched his chin, thinking of something as the others were brainstorming about it too. When something finally came up to him, he looked at everyone and said, “It only means Iblis has powers other than the ability to control ghouls.”

     Woohyun immediately looked at Dongmin and asked him, “Mentor, you’re as old as heaven too right? Then you must have known Iblis. Can you recall any power he must have had before the Father gave him the power to control ghouls?”

     Dongmin thought about it, but he shook his head and answered them, “No. Iblis has always been a normal angel. He didn’t have any big role before God made him the angel who controls ghouls.”

     Everyone was going to brainstorm again, but then the Prince of Greed suddenly raised his hand like he was inside a classroom.

     When everyone was already looking at him, he stated, “Ghouls are also called gravediggers right? They eat the dead, that’s what they originally do. But does eating the dead affect them in any way? Or does it directly affect Iblis?”

     Everyone looked at Suho and started discussing his question right after. He had a strong point with what he just said.

     “It doesn’t really affect the ghoul’s in any way, but I’m not sure about Iblis.” Kharon pointed out. Then Lay suddenly barged inside the room and immediately stated, “Something’s not right there.”

    “Uhm you’re already too late Lay, we already know that.” Woohyun sarcastically stated, but Lay brushed his brother off and proceeded anyway, “I got switched with Kai’s body. I don’t know if it’s because I’m an angel but I only had unlimited time to stay in his body. Since Iblis is a Demon, he might have the ability to stay on a single body longer. But…Fifty-five years? Can any demon even do that? Even Jiyong and Minhyuk who are two powerful demons still have unlimited time.”

     Everyone realized what Lay was pointing out. Because of this new information, they head back to Suho’s first question.

     “Yixing is right. Switching of souls is not permanent, and if it is possible to stay in a body for as long as 55 years then she should at least age up a little. Iblis must be doing something that’s helping him or her to stay in that body longer, and keeping it intact. And the ghouls feeding on the dead and the living might be affecting it.” Suho explained.

     “Could it be Iblis remastered his power? Something like converting death to life? Like using it for his own benefit.” Taeil speculated.

     Sunggyu looked at the guardians and asked them again, “Is that possible?”

     Kharon and Dongmin looked at each other. Then Kharon gestured at Dongmin, telling him to explain it for his behalf. So Dongmin looked back at the brothers and explained, “It’s never been done before. But with the power God the Father gave him, and the power the King of Hell gave him as well, then it might be possible.”

     “Well we got a possible answer to that, but what’s with his men? Why are they okay will all this? It’s like they don’t even care that their boss just aged backward. And come on, wouldn’t the police, or the entire city flip out after seeing him become younger?” Junhyung pointed out.

     “Could it be that Iblis manipulated everyone?” Lay asked, but Kharon and Dongmin immediately disagreed.

     “Manipulation is a high-ranked power for either an angel or a demon. Iblis won’t have that ability, especially on such a large scale. I’m sure of it.” Dongmin confirmed.

     Taeil opened his laptop again, trying to search for more clues. While searching for it, he suddenly felt something. Like a strong gut feeling.

     “Guys…” Taeil called out.

     Everyone looked back at him, but Taeil continued to check on the new photos that he just found on the ‘dark’ web. In every photo, it was like Mr. Chen’s men were following Ruby more, and not towards their boss. It even looked like they don’t care about him at all.

     “This might sound crazy but…” Taeil finally stated, looking back at everyone inside the meeting room. “I think Ruby killed everyone…maybe even everyone in the city…and changed them into ghouls.”

• END -

SDS3 25: NO PLAN

“ARE YOU TELLING US that we’re heading to an actual place called the city of ghouls? Is that it?” Jihoon asked Taeil in disbelief.

     Taeil scratched the back of his head and answered his boyfriend, “Well technically it’s still called Beijing, but you get the point.”

     Suho laughed upon hearing the witty answer, so Lay immediately hits Suho’s thigh, making him immediately stop. They were having a serious conversation, and Suho’s inability to contain himself isn’t helping.

     Junhyung awkwardly cleared his throat and looked back at everyone, “Anyways. Going back…”

     “The entire city’s filled with ghouls? That’s possible, right? Since ghouls can be molded into humans.” Seunghyun stated as he looked at Dongmin and Kharon to confirm if he was correct.

     “Well those would be called Tempters, but Tempters are usually used by the Rulers of the seven Realms. Or the 7 Sinners or Keys. But we all know you killed them off, and the Rulers aren’t in a good position to command anyone.” Kharon explained.

     “But Tempters are still ghouls, and Iblis can still control them.” Sunggyu pointed out, and Kharon didn’t say anything about it anymore since he was technically right about that.

    Junhyung sighed heavily and massaged his temple. Hearing all of this information was too overwhelming. He hasn’t heard of something this crazy before, considering the fact that angels and demons alone are a topic that isn’t normal.

     “A whole city filled with ghouls. That changes the game completely.” Junhyung honestly tells them, a worried expression visible on his face.

     Dongmin smirked while looking at the distressed Arcs’ leader.

     “So what did you two say earlier again? You can just use glamouring and powers and easily finish them off, right?” Dongmin asked, making Sunggyu and Junhyung look away in shame. As everyone was talking about how they could possibly talk to Iblis, Jackson finally entered the meeting room, joining them again after leaving without a word earlier.

     “What’s going on here?” Jackson asked, Mark right behind him.

     “Great, look who decided to come back. Thanks for joining the party again Jackson,” Taeil teased his best friend. But Mark immediately defended him and said, “Jackson was just talking to Jiyong.”

     “Oh I know, I was just teasing,” Taeil said back, then he patted the seat beside him, so Jackson sat there, then Mark sat on the other side where his brothers were seated.

     “Anyways, to give you guys a quick summary of what we already discussed, we found out Iblis was able to remaster his powers to make him stay on the shell  he chose longer than any demon could. Fifty-five years to be exact.” Woohyun explained while looking at Mark and Jackson.

     The two were surprised, then Hyunseung added, “The woman we’re after is named Ruby Chen. And we think that she’s being protected by ghouls.”

     “Well, she’s the mother of ghouls. It’s only normal for them to protect her.” Jackson stated, but Taeil shook his head and clarified Hyunseung’s statement, “Protected by the whole city. That’s what we meant.”

     Mark and Jackson looked at each other with shock. Then Jackson looked back at his brothers, “You mean to say the entire population of the city are…”

     “Ghouls.” Sunggyu finished.

     Jackson was lost for words. Beijing was a huge city. He couldn’t imagine how many ghouls were there.

     “But I think it’s not the entire city, but the majority of its population. Iblis would know that it’s safer that way. So there are still humans, and we can’t risk harming humans by mistake” Dongmin explained.

     “So what do we do Prince Taeil?” Junhyung then asked, automatically making everyone look at Taeil.

     Taeil felt the pressure once again, but he brushed it off his shoulders and stood up from his seat. He stood in the middle, and with his arms crossed, he stated, “Pain and Panic taught us something important, and that’s the art of misdirection. When we’re looking for something, we look at all the possibilities except for the obvious. We dig too deep but the answer is actually just on the surface.”

     “What are you even trying to say?” Suho asked, confused about where this was going.

     “What if we don’t need to make a plan? What if the answer to all our problems is what everyone else thinks is the wrong way to do it.” Taeil stated.

     Kharon looked at his prince confusingly and asked him, “And what is that?”

     Taeil uncrossed his arms and placed both of his hands on the table, “What if the right way to do it is just to show ourselves? We’re all here thinking of plans on how we can get in their headquarters without being seen and stuff like that, but what if being seen is what we have to do?” Taeil explained, and everyone looked at him like he was crazy.

     “Come on, think of it this way. We can’t possibly fight an entire city of ghouls. And we can’t actually hide either.” Taeil explained further.

     Sunggyu was finally getting the idea of what his brother was saying, “So you want us to surrender?” He asked him, and Taeil smile and nodded his head as an answer, “Exactly,” he told him, surprising everyone.

     Kharon and Dongmin looked at each other. They were a little worried about the idea, but they understood what Taeil was trying to say.

     “Then who’s the sheep you’re going to sacrifice? We can’t all surrender. Someone has to be the bait.” Seunghyun stated.

     Taeil nodded his head, then he looked at the brothers one by one, thinking of who the perfect person was to send off. He needed someone strong, but it can’t be the strongest. That means Jackson’s out of the picture. They’d need him more on emergency cases rather than the actual mission. But who, who would be the perfect bait.

     “Taeil?” Jihoon called out when he noticed that Taeil wasn’t even moving anymore.

     Taeil blinked, then finally, he smiled widely and shouted, “I got it!”

     Everyone looked at Taeil, waiting for his planning skills to take action. Taeil leaned over and looked at everyone closely, “This is going to be tricky, but I want you guys to bear with me okay?”

     Everyone looked at each other, then they nodded their heads and looked back at the prince of sloth. They were determined to do whatever it takes to get that heart, even if this would be Taeil’s craziest plan yet.

     “We’re ready,” Sunggyu stated. Then he looked at Junhyung who nodded back in agreement.

     Taeil grinned and lifted his fist up before shouting in excitement, “Alright! Let the ’ no plan ’ plan begin!”

BEIJING, CHINA

     Beijing, the capital city of China. It is the second-largest city in the world with 20 million residents. And apparently, half of those residents are demonic servants of the King of Hell. And those Demonic servants are being controlled by one figure, and that is Iblis.

     The Arcs and Demons have a mission, and that is to retrieve Woo Jiho’s heart in replacement of Jiyong’s. They don’t have much time because Minhyuk - the body that absorbed Jiyong’s soul - is not capable of storing the soul inside him for too long. So for the Demons to save both of their brothers, they have to move fast. But thanks to their brother Lee Taeil, a plan was made, and that plan will start with two very opposite boys.

     “I can’t believe Taeil chose you to be with me in this mission,” Sunggyu stated with his arm’s crossed in irritation. He looked at the man sitting beside him, but Nam Woohyun didn’t say anything. He just looked out of the window of the plane that they were on, irritation visible on his face as well.

     Yes, the people that Taeil chose as bait is none other than the Demon’s leader, the Prince of Wrath, Kim Sunggyu. Along with the son of Archangel Gabriel, Nam Woohyun.

    Of course, there’s a reason why Taeil chose them, and it’s not just because he wants to mess with them. First, he chose Sunggyu, not because he has fear amplification and memory manipulation, but because Sunggyu is one of the strongest. Taeil avoided Jackson because he had other plans for him, so Sunggyu who was the fifth deadly son was a perfect choice. Then there’s Woohyun. Woohyun is a good fighter, but other than that, Taeil took his powers more into consideration. Woohyun has premonition, the ability to see a person’s past, present, and future by touching them. And since Iblis has the ability to see through the ghoul’s eyes, Woohyun can redirect that by touching a ghoul to see Iblis’s current location. 

     Everyone was surprised by how Taeil thought of all this, but this only made them realize that they should never doubt Taeil’s plan, even when it sounds crazy at first.

     “We have to find a ghoul. That’s the priority.” Sunggyu stated while scanning his phone.

     “Well that wouldn’t be hard since the whole city is filled with it,” Woohyun answered, his eyes still glued to the scenery outside the window.

     When the plane landed, the two immediately got off. They didn’t bring anything with them because they knew luggage would only be a hassle, so they got out of the airport faster than the other passengers.

     “Wow, we’re actually here.” Woohyun stated, putting his sunglasses on while looking around. It didn’t really make sense though since it was already dark out. Woohyun only looked like an idiot.

    “Why do I feel like we’re a newly wedded couple and this is our honeymoon?” Woohyun managed to joke, but Sunggyu was already busy checking the map of the city on his phone to even react to it.

     “We have to find a ghoul that’s somehow connected to Mr. Chen’s drug empire so you could touch them. If you touch just anyone or a ghoul that isn’t directly connected to the Chen’s then you might have a hard time redirecting it back to Iblis, and you’ll only tire yourself.” Sunggyu explained

     “I can’t just go around touching just anyone.” Woohyun complained.

     “That’s why we’re going to find one that we’re sure is the real deal. We have to find someone who’s close to the Chen’s. Because if that ghoul is directly working for them, then it means Iblis uses him the most, and if he uses him the most, you’ll be able to redirect it back to Iblis faster.” Sunggyu immediately told his mission partner.

     Woohyun stood beside Sunggyu and looked down on Sunggyu’s phone so he too could see the map, “We should go to the busiest area in the city. Or do they have like a red district? Drugs are usually connected to clubs and prostitution, and if we can find someone who uses drugs, then our options would narrow down.” Woohyun explained, and Sunggyu nodded his head in agreement.

     Thank god Woohyun wasn’t a total idiot.

     Sunggyu searched for possible places where they could meet drug users. When he was able to search up a famous club, he showed it to Woohyun and said, “This looks promising. What you think?”

     Woohyun checked the time the club opens. It opens at nine, and luckily for them, it was already eight.

     “The travel time is thirty minutes from the airport to that club. I’m sure people…or ghouls…would already be in that area.” Woohyun explained.

     Sunggyu nodded his head and hid his phone inside his pocket.

     “Then let’s go.”

     The two were about to get a taxi when someone suddenly approached them.

     “ Travellers! You want a tour? “ The man suddenly asked in Mandarin.

     Woohyun didn’t quite understand him, but Sunggyu knew the language a little thanks to his rich family background. So when Taeil asked him to study Mandarin last night, it was easier.

     “ No, we’re fine, “ Sunggyu answered, trying to ignore the man. But the man was persistent, he continued to follow the two. 

     “Should we do something about him?” Woohyun asked, worried they might grab attention because of him.

     Sunggyu continued walking as he answered him, “He’s a scammer. He’s either here to steal our wallets, or bring us to clubs so that we’d spend our money on expensive alcohol, then he’d get a commission. It’s common in Beijing.”

     Woohyun suddenly hits Sunggyu’s shoulder, making Sunggyu stop walking. He was so ready to set Woohyun on fire, but Woohyun immediately said, “Then isn’t that a good thing?! We’re heading to a club anyway. Might as well let someone personally bring us.”

     Sunggyu’s anger mellowed down as he realized Woohyun actually got a point.

     When the scammer was able to catch up with them, Sunggyu looked back at him and said, “ You know what, we change our mind. “

     “ That’s good! I’ll bring you to wherever you want to go to the city! “ The scammer enthusiastically told them.

     Sunggyu sighed, frustrated by the amount of energy the man has.

     “ Bring us to a club. A club that can make us high as fuck. “ Sunggyu told the man. He was surprised at first, but then he grinned and nodded his head in understanding, “ Follow me. “

     Woohyun and Sunggyu looked at each other before following behind the scammer.

     “ You think he’s a ghoul? “ Woohyun whispered close to Sunggyu.

     Sunggyu shook his head before answering him, “He’d know us if he was. And you’ll somehow sense them anyway since they’re a low ranked demon.”

     “ If the ghouls would already know who we are, then shouldn’t we just stand in a populated place and let them find us first? Being seen is the main goal anyway right? “ Woohyun continued to whisper, which Sunggyu didn’t find necessary since no one was going to understand them anyway.

     “I’m pretty sure the ghouls have already seen us, and they’ve already notified Iblis about it. And if Iblis finds where we exactly are, he’d ask his ghouls not to do anything to us just yet. He’d observe us first than do anything risky. But since we haven’t done anything suspicious yet, then having dozens of ghouls attacking us won’t be expected. All we have to do now is to find him first before he does something.” Sunggyu explained.

     “But Kharon already told us Iblis isn’t technically a bad guy. Why would he even try to attack us?” Woohyun asked.

     “Yeah, that’s right. He isn’t. But he might think we are. Come on, an angel and a demon are suddenly in Beijing looking for you, and the war with the King of Hell is right around the corner. The first thing anyone would think is they’re here to kill you. So it’s only natural that you put your guard up.” Sunggyu explained further, and Woohyun finally understood what Sunggyu was trying to point out.

     “Anyway, you said you can somehow sense them too right? Then are you sensing anyone yet?” Woohyun asked next.

     Sunggyu didn’t answer first. He continued walking, and Woohyun walked beside him. But when they reached the car that the scammer was going to use to bring them to a club, Sunggyu finally looked back at Woohyun and whispered, “ If my senses are correct… “

     Sunggyu paused and looked around the area before replying, “ This scammer might just be the only human here. “

• END -

SDS3 26: CONNECTIONS

SUNGGYU AND WOOHYUN WERE  seated at the back seat of a car. The scammer wouldn’t shut up about how fun it is in Beijing during the night, so Sunggyu and Woohyun were both inches away from exploding because of how sick they are from hearing him talk nonstop.

     Woohyun glanced at Sunggyu, but Sunggyu was looking out the window in silence. It was obvious that he was already mad because of the scammer’s noisiness since his ears were already red because of anger. Woohyun was irritated himself and he didn’t even understand a single word the man was saying. Just imagine what Sunggyu is going through.

      “Shut up already!” Sunggyu finally shouted in Korean.

     Woohyun was surprised, but the driver finally shuts his mouth like how Sunggyu wanted even though he didn’t understand what he just said.

     The car ride became awkward because of the sudden silence, so Woohyun sighed and looked out the window to try and occupy his mind with whatever. But as he was doing so, he couldn’t help but glance back at the Demon’s leader.

     Just the sight of him would make a baby cry. Sunggyu was a scary fella, even before he became a full-fledged demon. But with everything that happened to him and the rest of his brothers, Sunggyu has been emitting a different type of aura, especially after Jiyong’s death. It was the type of aura that would give everyone the idea that he was ready to kill anyone who would stand in his way.

     “Stop staring at me or I’ll poke your eyes out.” Sunggyu suddenly threatened without even looking back at Woohyun.

     Woohyun flinched and immediately looked away, “Sorry,” he told him, “I just thought you looked very different from the last time that I saw you.”

      “The last time you saw me was yesterday,” Sunggyu answered with a confused tone.

     Woohyun finally looked back at the Demon’s leader and explained, “I mean…I didn’t want to address this randomly but ever since Jiyong died, you’ve been-”

     “Sadder?” Sunggyu guessed, but Woohyun shook his head and told him, “No…empty.”

     Sunggyu finally looked at Woohyun dead in the eye. Woohyun flinched again. The look on Sunggyu’s face made him look away in fear.

     “I didn’t mean to make it sound bad,” Woohyun defended.

     Sunggyu sighed and looked out of the window again, “Don’t worry, I get what you’re saying. And I guess you’re right. When shit went down on us, and when we were separated for months, I just literally drifted away. Maybe I was just tired of everything.”

     Woohyun was surprised at Sunggyu’s sudden honesty. This was a rare moment for him so he wanted to continue the conversation.

     “Did you really blame us for his death?” Woohyun asked, not even concerned if the question was too sensitive or not.

     Sunggyu and Woohyun weren’t looking at each other, but thanks to the city lights, both of them could see their reflection in the car window’s mirror.

     Sunggyu looked directly at Woohyun and answered him, “I did…for a time…but I realized I just didn’t know who to blame, and the most obvious one to blame was you guys. But you specifically did try to warn me about it, and I know you got in trouble because of it too.”

     Woohyun chuckled, remembering that time as well, “You already thanked me for that though.”

     “But I wouldn’t mind saying it a couple more times. Because after all that, it seemed to me like you were the only one who genuinely cared.” Sunggyu revealed, surprising Woohyun. Woohyun was about to say something, but the car came into a sudden halt, and the driver looked at the two and said, “ We’re here gentlemen. “

     Sunggyu didn’t even wait when he headed out of the car. Woohyun following right after him.

     When the scammer said ’ we’re here ’. Sunggyu and Woohyun didn’t expect to see a cheap-looking club that had thugs waiting outside. The smell of the sewer and trash mixed with cigarette smoke flooded their nose. It wasn’t a pleasant place to be in.

     “ You want to get high, then this is the best place. No fancy club can top this. “ The scammer stated, and Sunggyu looked at him angrily and grabbed him by the collar, “ Did you bring us here so we could get murdered inside or what? “

     The scammer looked at Sunggyu with terror, he tried to push him away but the demon wasn’t budging, “ N-no…I’m serious. This is the real Beijing. If you want the best, you need to go to w-what’s…real. “

     “Sunggyu, the man has a point. Let him go.” Woohyun dared to say, and Sunggyu surprisingly lets go of him without putting up a fight.

     “ The outside is dirty, but the inside is filled with diamonds. Believe me. “ The scammer immediately defended.

     Sunggyu finally trusted him and shoved him a couple of bucks so the scammer could finally leave.

     “ That will stop you from trying to even scam us, right? “ Sunggyu asked.

     The scammer checked the amount and grinned, “ Enjoy the night. “ Then he went back to his car and drove off without any complaint.

     Woohyun stood beside Sunggyu and the two looked at the establishment that didn’t even have a name. People were looking at them, it was obvious they didn’t belong. They looked too pretty to be hanging around in this type of place. 

     “ A few of these guys are ghouls, “ Sunggyu whispered to Woohyun.

     Woohyun looked around the area. The thugs smoking outside were already looking at them, and Woohyun was sure it wasn’t because they looked pretty.

     “ Looks like we’re in the right place. “ Woohyun whispered back.

     Sunggyu nodded his head and the two walked towards the establishment. They were close to the door, but a big man covered in tattoos suddenly blocked their way and said, “I.D.”

     “ Fuck. “ Woohyun cursed under his breath, but Sunggyu on the other hand looked like he had it all covered.

     “ We’re here to see Mr. Chen, “ Sunggyu stated even though he wasn’t sure that the man would even know a Mr. Chen.

     “ He’s not here. “ The tattooed man surprisingly answered.

     Great. It looks like they really were in the right place.

     “ Look, big guy. This will only end in two ways. You let us in, or I beat the crap out of you and we’ll both go in ourselves. “ Sunggyu bravely threatened, angering the man in front of them. Woohyun obviously didn’t know what they were talking about, but then Sunggyu pushed Woohyun away just seconds before the big man threw a punch.

     “W-What the-” Woohyun said in a state of confusion.

      Sunggyu dodged the punch and threw one back, right on the man’s jaw. Everyone around them started to get involved, so even though Woohyun was in a state of confusion, he backed Sunggyu up and punched the rest of the guys who were approaching them, the bystanders moving away so they wouldn’t get caught up by the ruckus.

     Sunggyu and Woohyun didn’t try to bring out their powers, even though it would greatly help them in this situation. They both knew it would be risky to do that with humans around. And they knew the ghouls know what they are, but they might not know WHO they exactly are yet, and showing their capability would only make them realize it.

     “What the hell did you tell him!?” Woohyun shouted as he tried to dodge the punches that were coming at him.

     Sunggyu threw a strong punch on the man’s stomach, causing him to fall on his knees before Sunggyu could use his knees to knock him out. Afterward, he looked back at Woohyun and answered him, “Just giving him an option.”

     Woohyun laughed, then his eyes widened as he saw a man with a bat approaching Sunggyu from behind. Woohyun pushed Sunggyu away like what Sunggyu did to him earlier and kicked the man’s hand effortlessly, causing him to let go of the bat.

    “I’ll take that.” Woohyun stated, grabbing the bat and hitting him and the rest of the thugs. After a few more punching and dodging, the six men were down. Sunggyu and Woohyun were panting heavily. The two looked at each other and laughed.

     “That was fucking random.” Woohyun stated, throwing the blood-covered bat away.

     “We actually make a pretty good team. We didn’t even get a single scratch.” Sunggyu said back, which was kinda unfair to the ghouls since those two are a pair of very powerful angel and demon. The ghoul didn’t really stand a chance.

     The people around the club looked at the two with fear and confusion. The attention wasn’t good for them so Sunggyu immediately grabbed Woohyun’s wrist and said, “Time to go.” Then the two went inside the club without anyone stopping them anymore.

     The club was very different from the outside, just like what the scammer said . The place was dark. The only thing that illuminated it was red lights. There was sexy music playing in the background as well. There were sofas with men drinking and playing cards while girls sat on their laps. Then smoke from who knows what covered the place.

     “This place is hot.” Woohyun commented in a literal sense, “And I think just simply inhaling would make me high with all the people using drugs here.”

     “That doesn’t matter. We have to find Mr. Chen. It looks like the people outside knew him. He said Mr. Chen wasn’t here, but I highly doubt it.” Sunggyu explained, letting go of Woohyun’s wrist.

     “Well if Mr. Chen is one of the greatest drug dealers in the continent, wouldn’t he be at a more private area?” Woohyun suggested, and Sunggyu nodded his head in agreement.

     As the two were trying to find their way inside the club, two girls suddenly approached Sunggyu and immediately started to caress him.

     “ What’s a handsome looking man like you doing here? “ The woman asked seductively, but Sunggyu wasn’t even fazed. He wanted to immediately push the girls away, but he suddenly had an idea, “ Do you lovely girls know where Mr. Chen is usually staying? “ Sunggyu asked with a suave charming voice that would make any girl go down on their knees.

     The two girls looked at each other, then they grinned and grabbed both of Sunggyu’s hands, “Follow us,” They both said in unison.

     Sunggyu turned his head and looked at Woohyun who had an impressed looked. Sunggyu shrugged his shoulders, and Woohyun just chuckled and followed behind them.

      The two girls brought Sunggyu to the second floor. The smell of sweat and drugs finally gone from their noses.

     “ This is Mr. Chen’s usual room. “ The two girls stated before letting go of Sunggyu’s hands.

     Sunggyu smirked and thanked the two. But before leaving, one of the girls grabbed Sunggyu’s hand again and slid it inside her shirt, letting Sunggyu grope her breast, “ Here’s a small taste so you’d remember who to look for afterward. “ The girl seductively stated.

     Sunggyu didn’t react much, but Woohyun was just standing behind them, trying not to laugh.

     “This only made me want to forget you immediately,” Sunggyu said in Korean.

     The girl finally lets go of Sunggyu’s hand, and both of them left Woohyun and Sunggyu in front of the private room where Mr. Chen was supposed to be in.

     “Well wasn’t that delightful.” Woohyun joked as Sunggyu wiped his hand on his shirt.

     “Oh come on, you don’t have to be so disgusted about it. When will you ever hold a woman’s breast like that again? And with consent?!” Woohyun teased, and Sunggyu looked at him angrily and said, “Okay, first of all, I don’t go around groping women’s breast, that’s disgusting. And second of all, that wasn’t a fucking woman.”

     “What do you mean?” Woohyun asked with a confused expression, but after a few seconds, he finally realized it, and Woohyun burst out in laugher.

     “Oh my fucking hell. You just groped a ghoul’s breast!” Woohyun shouted with a loud laugh.

     Sunggyu continued to look at Woohyun angrily as he smacked Woohyun’ s head to make him stop.

     “Alright, are you done now?” Sunggyu asked.

     Woohyun massaged the back of his head and brought out a few more laughs before finally calming himself down.

    “Sorry. Okay, I’m ready.” Woohyun stated, now with a serious expression.

     Sunggyu exhaled heavily and finally grabbed the doorknob before opening the door. The moment he opened the door, the two were welcomed with five men in suits. But there was no Mr. Chen.

     “Looks like the man outside wasn’t lying. Mr. Chen isn’t here.” Sunggyu stated.

     The five men were about to grab their guns, but Sunggyu closed the door behind them and changed the color of his eyes into red, automatically making everyone stop.

     “You know who I am don’t you?” Sunggyu asked them. He didn’t even have to speak in Chinese. Ghouls knew how to adapt to language anyways.

     “You’re not welcomed here, traitor.” The man in the middle spoke before standing up from his seat. “Especially that angel,” he added.

     “Being unwelcome is something I have already gotten used to. I guess it’s a perk for being a demon in general.  I suppose you guys will never know since you’re ghouls. And no one really finds ghouls as a threat.” Sunggyu answered, walking towards the ghouls, making them flinch.

     Good. At least they know he’s powerful.

     “You’re not going to summon your mother aren’t you?” Sunggyu asked, and the five looked at each other without saying a word.

     “Did you know that we were in Beijing?” Woohyun asked, now joining in on the conversation.

     “No.” The other ghoul answered.

     “ So no one has signaled Iblis yet. That’s surprising. “ Woohyun whispered to himself. Confused since he thought that the ghouls would have at least been getting ready to attack and capture them by now.

    “Our mother does not want to participate in anything regarding the King. The closer she is to you, the closer the King will be able to reach her.” The ghoul explained, which actually made sense to Woohyun and Sunggyu since Iblis was practically trying to hide from the King.

     “But that doesn’t matter, the King already knows where he is right?” Sunggyu asked, and this time, the ghouls smirked at the demon.

     “Our mother might not have a choice in following the King’s orders, but the King does not know where she exactly is.” The ghoul answered.

     “She is there, then he is there. There is no permanent spot. No permanent shell.” Another ghoul explained, and the two didn’t quite understand why they were suddenly explaining these things to them. The ghouls might have thought they would never figure it out. But that was when they were wrong.

     The two looked at each other in confusion. They didn’t know what the ghouls were talking about, but then Sunggyu’s eyes widened from realization. He remembered Wonho and Hyungwon. The two carried Jiyong’s soul separately. Could it be that…

     “Iblis isn’t just Ruby Chen!” Woohyun shouted, just right at the moment where Sunggyu got it too.

     The ghouls were surprised. They weren’t expecting the two to find it out so quickly.

     “Iblis…the reason why he has been able to preserve Ruby Chen and Mr. Chen Kun’s body is because…he’s both. He split his spirit into two.” Sunggyu explained further. He finally understood the reason why those two emotions made them play so many games. 

     The ghouls finally looked worried. They made a mistake. They spoke too much. But before they could even do anything, Sunggyu transformed into his demon form and raised his hand, immediately causing all the ghouls to freeze. Their eyes looked like they were burning. It took Woohyun a few seconds to realize Sunggyu was actually using his Memory Manipulation.

     “Woohyun, you have at least ten minutes to do this before they get back their consciousness. They won’t remember anything, but we have to leave by then.” Sunggyu said, and he didn’t even have to explain further for Woohyun to understand what he was supposed to do.

     “Alright, I’ll use the one in the middle.” Woohyun stated, walking towards the ghoul that was already standing up.

     He took a deep breath and touched the ghoul’s forehead.

     He closed his eyes, trying to get inside the ghoul’s mind. He took another deep breath, and then his hand eventually started glowing.

     Woohyun was looking at the ghoul’s present. It actually gave him the image of what the ghoul was currently looking at, which was them. Woohyun dug deeper, trying to find the other connection. The connection that Iblis was using on all of the ghouls.

     The clock was ticking, and Woohyun’s head was starting to ache. Since Iblis was connected to all the ghouls, Woohyun ended up looking through all the ghoul’s eyes as well. He would see someone eating a human, then next he’d see someone just standing on the side.

     Images of each ghoul’s perspective started to flash right in front of him. Woohyun was inches away from letting go, he couldn’t handle the insane amount of connections. But then the image stopped at an empty office. Woohyun felt his sweat drip from his forehead as he watched the room in silence. Seconds later, the door to the office opened, and the ‘person’ that he was looking for finally appeared. 

     First, it was Ruby, but then Mr. Chen followed. The two ignored the ghoul that Woohyun was looking through, but then Ruby stopped walking, and then, she slowly turned and looked at the ghoul.

     She stared at him, and it felt like she was directly staring at Woohyun. It was only when she smirked when Woohyun realized that Ruby was actually looking back at them now through the eyes of the ghoul that Woohyun was holding.

     “Looks like we have visitors,” Ruby stated.

     Mr. Chen joined her, then the two of them walked towards the ghoul as Ruby said, “No need to kill my children. I’ll ask them to bring you to me.” Then Mr. Chen took a step closer and creepily smiled, “By the way, welcome to Beijing angel and demon.”

     Woohyun quickly pulled his hand away afterward. He almost fell out of balance, but Sunggyu immediately grabbed him for support.

     “What happened?” Sunggyu asked.

     Woohyun was panting heavily as he tried to answer, “L-looks like…our plan…worked.”

• END -

SDS3 27: STUCK IN THE PAST

“SERIOUSLY WOOHYUN, WHY DID  you have to be so stupid?!” Sunggyu shouted at the man who was sitting beside him.

     “Well, how was I suppose to know the guy had a major superiority complex?” Woohyun defended, only making Sunggyu even more furious.

     “I’ll fucking kill you!” Sunggyu shouted again. He was about to strangle the angel, but the chains on his wrist made it impossible for him to do so.

     “When we get out of here Nam Woohyun. I will seriously make sure you won’t see daylight again!”

A FEW HOURS AGO

     “You heard your mother. Now bring us to them.” Woohyun stated as he looked at the ghouls who just got back from consciousness.

     The ghoul who Woohyun used was panting heavily. He looked at the angel and demon before looking back at the rest of the ghouls in the room. He nodded his head, signaling them to follow orders. Without saying a word, the ghouls escorted the two outside. They didn’t want to escort traitors, but they didn’t want to disobey their mother either. And the fact that Sunggyu isn’t just some traitor but a prince with a high rank makes it even more difficult for them.

     “Well, looks like this will be easier than what we thought.” Woohyun commented as they followed the ghouls to the parking lot at the back of the club.

    “ Let’s not put our guards down. If these assholes do anything funny, you have to draw out your weapon as fast as you can. “ Sunggyu instructed in a low voice so the others wouldn’t be able to hear it.

     Woohyun didn’t say anything back but nodded his head as an answer instead. When they arrived in front of a black car, the ghouls moved aside as one of them opened the back door of the car for them.

     “Don’t even try to do anything funny ghouls. Because I can easily remove that stupid head from your stupid and weak body.” Sunggyu warned, surprising the ghouls.

      The ghouls didn’t say anything and moved even farther away from the prince. Sunggyu smiled in satisfaction and got inside the car; Woohyun following behind him. The ghoul, who was technically their spokesperson, got inside the car right after, serving as their driver. Then the rest of the ghouls followed in a different car.

     The drive was silent. There was no need to chit-chat. They were only there to get one thing, and the was Woo Jiho’s heart. Talking to others won’t be necessary.

     Woohyun was looking out of the car’s window, keeping his guards up like what Sunggyu told him to do. Sunggyu on the other hand was meditating. He had his eyes closed, and he was taking long and heavy breaths. His hands were even turning yellow-orange like fire would burst out of them if anyone dared to disturb his temporary peace.

     Sunggyu was in fact getting ready to face the mother of ghouls. He didn’t think that a big fight would happen, but it’s best to be prepared. He remembered what these ghouls are capable of. Not as individuals, but as a large number of groups. He remembered the time they were attacked back at the university where Jiho died, then he remembered the time they had a battle at hell where his dear brother Jiyong died. Every death, ghouls were included in the picture. And the anger Sunggyu feels towards them couldn’t be contained.

     “ I will a-always…l-love you…m-my br-bothers. “ Sunggyu suddenly remembered. These were the words that Kwon Jiyong uttered just moments before he died. His chest started aching by just thinking about it.

     “Sunggyu.” Woohyun called out, grabbing Sunggyu’s arm.

     Sunggyu’s eyes shot open, surprising Woohyun because it was actually bloody red. Sunggyu almost attacked Woohyun with his hands that were inches away from producing fire, but when Sunggyu got a clear view of who it actually was, he stopped and calmed down, his eyes returning back to normal.

     “You okay?” Woohyun asked with pure concern.

     Sunggyu took a deep breath and nodded his head before pushing Woohyun’s hand away from him.

     “I was just…meditating,” Sunggyu answered him, but Woohyun obviously knew it wasn’t just meditating. And the ghoul driving knew that the prince wasn’t meditating either. He saw the power and the aura that Sunggyu produced when he opened his eyes. The ghoul couldn’t help but gulp in fear. This was truly a prince, and he’s aware of the anger that the prince has for the ghouls. If a war would be brought upon them, the last thing you’d want to be is a ghoul in the presence of the Prince of Wrath.

     “Well, we’re here.” Woohyun told the Demon’s leader.

     Sunggyu looked around and realized that they were actually now parked in front of a warehouse. There were dozens on men guarding the warehouse, but with just one look, Sunggyu immediately knew that these weren’t men at all.

     “Let’s go then,” Sunggyu stated, heading out of the car without waiting for anyone.

     Woohyun took a deep breath and followed. Waiting outside the warehouse was not Ruby Chen but actually her husband Mr. Chen Kun. He was smiling from ear to ear as he watched the angel and demon approach him.

     “Your visit was too sudden that we weren’t able to properly welcome such honorable guests. Please accept my sincere apology.” Mr. Chen suddenly stated with a low bow.

     Woohyun and Sunggyu looked at each other in confusion. They didn’t really expect such…treatment.

     “Let’s cut to the chase Mr. drug lord. Where’s Iblis?” Sunggyu asked, surprising the ghouls who were listening at the side.

     “So direct.” Mr. Chen simply answered, taking a step closer to where they were standing.

     “You’re facing him right now.” Mr. Chen added, now standing just a few inches away from Sunggyu.

     “I don’t think you’re the mother type sweetheart,” Sunggyu answered with a smirk.

     Mr. Chen was about to grab hold of Sunggyu’s cheeks but Woohyun immediately pushed the man away from the demon’s leader and told him, “We know Iblis split his soul into two bodies, and we also know that the one who has the most control is Ruby. She has a dominant soul. You’re just the scraps of the soul that isn’t useful, but necessary.” Woohyun stated, suddenly making Mr. Chen’s smile disappear.

     The sudden shift of expression surprised Woohyun. Sunggyu nudged Woohyun away in anger. 

     “ Shut the fuck up. “ He angrily whispered to him.

     Mr. Chen wasn’t saying anything anymore. His eyes were glued on Sunggyu and Woohyun, but the ghouls started to slowly approach them like they were being given a silent command. Sunggyu didn’t hesitate and immediately transformed into his demon form, making most of the ghouls stop. But Mr. Chen didn’t look threatened at all.

     “One more step from your ghouls and you and the rest of them will not see daylight again,” Sunggyu warned, his saw-like weapon now in his hand.

     Woohyun’s silver ring glowed and a sword appeared as well. He turned around and pressed his back on Sunggyu in case someone decided to attack from behind.

     “I won’t do that if I were you.” Mr. Chen calmly stated as he looked at Sunggyu.

     Sunggyu looked straight at Mr. Chen with his eyes piercing red. But he almost looked away when Mr. Chen’s eyes turned yellow. He didn’t expect that kind of color to appear.

     “Mother will not like what you’re doing my prince.” Mr. Chen continued.

     “Well, we’re not liking where this is going either!” Woohyun answered back.

     “Who the fuck do you think started it you fucking idiot?!” Sunggyu angrily shouted, causing Woohyun to flinch.

     “We welcome you to our territory with respect and you barge in here looking for Iblis like she’s some kind of low ranked Demon. We will not tolerate such attitudes, even from a prince.” Mr. Chen stated.

     “Tell your ghouls to stand their guards down. Then we will give you the respect that you want.” Sunggyu bargained, but Mr. Chen wasn’t here to negotiate.

     “Harm one of Iblis’s children and you will say goodbye to the heart that you traveled so far for.” Mr. Chen revealed, surprising not only Sunggyu but Woohyun as well.

     Looks like Iblis already figured it out. But that’s a good thing because now they’re sure that the heart actually is with her.

     Sunggyu took a deep breath and summoned his weapon back. Seconds later, he transformed back into his human state, making Woohyun follow in defeat.

     “Good, you can listen. Now children, lock them up like what mother instructed.” Mr. Chen revealed, surprising the two. But they didn’t really have much of a choice so they let the ghouls cuff them up.

     “You will regret this Iblis.” Sunggyu declared as Mr. Chen was walking away. He smirks and looks over his shoulder to look back at Sunggyu, and then he answered him, “Oh we definitely will. But there’s nothing wrong to have a little fun while the regret hasn’t arrived yet.” Then he playfully waves at them and leaves.

     “No wonder he’s a demon.” Woohyun managed to comment, only making Sunggyu even more furious.

    “Shut up already before I fucking grab and burn your fucking tongue!” Sunggyu angrily shouted, making Woohyun and the rest of the ghouls holding on to him flinch from fear.

PRESENT TIME

     “Well look at the bright side. At least now we know the heart is really with Ruby. All we have to do now is to kindly ask her to give it to us so we could go on our merry way.” Woohyun optimistically stated.

    Sunggyu was too mentally tired to even go against it, so he didn’t even try to comment on Woohyun’s stupid idea.

     “If that heart isn’t important, I would have easily wiped out their entire clan without your help,” Sunggyu told him instead. Woohyun didn’t react since he knew that it was possible.

    “So what are we going to do now? Just wait here?” Woohyun asked back.

     Sunggyu sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

     “Taeil’s ’ No Plan ’ plan is working wonders,” Sunggyu stated, sounding like he would give up any second. But Woohyun knew Sunggyu wasn’t the type to do so. The situation was just too crucial to do anything rash. Any wrong move, Iblis could destroy the heart, and Jiyong would never be resurrected. 

     “Anyways. Whether I said something to that Chen guy or not, we would still be locked up here. Apparently he was instructed by Ruby, which means they already planned to lock us up before we even arrived in this place.” Woohyun stated, not because he was trying to save himself from actually getting killed by Sunggyu after this, but because he wanted to remind Sunggyu that they were tricked.

    “Of course I knew that. I’m not stupid.” Sunggyu simply answered, unconsciously making Woohyun sigh in relief.

     “But Iblis wouldn’t want us to stay here too long. That I’m sure of.” Sunggyu assured the angel.

    “And why are you so confident about that?” Woohyun asked, and Sunggyu was once again tempted to strangle the man sitting beside him.

    “Weren’t you paying any attention at all since we’ve gotten here? The ghoul told us earlier that the closer we are to Iblis, the closer the King of Hell would be able to find her.” Sunggyu told Woohyun.

     “Then is that the reason why they’re not allowing us to see her?” Woohyun asked, and Sunggyu nodded his head to confirm it.

     Sunggyu sighed and closed his eyes again. Whatever Iblis had in store for them, Sunggyu would be ready for it. But Woohyun on the other hand wasn’t going to just sit around and meditate. He had to think of something. They can’t just wait for their doom like this.

     Woohyun was thinking so hard the veins on his neck would pop out any second. But when all his thinking juice was already used, Woohyun finally had a brilliant idea.

     “Why didn’t I think about it before?” Woohyun asked to himself, making Sunggyu open his eyes back to look at him.

    “What are you talking about?” He asked him.

     Woohyun excitedly looked at his partner and told him the idea, “You’re connected to the King, and the King is somehow connected to Iblis. If I could just find the proper tune, I might be able to find Iblis’s exact location through you.” 

     Sunggyu found the idea useful, but there was a problem, “What’s the use? We can’t do anything. Iblis wouldn’t want to see me. She’s too afraid the King would find the connection and locate her. If we do anything that would harm her, she might destroy the heart.” Sunggyu told him, but Woohyun quickly shook his head and said back, “Sunggyu, have you forgotten? I’m an angel. The King won’t be able to use me to relocate Iblis.”

     Sunggyu was finally convinced with Woohyun’s plan. He was surprised he could even think of one.

     “You’re actually right. That’s surprising.” Sunggyu stated, but instead of feeling offended, Woohyun tried to move close to where Sunggyu was so he could hold him.

     “Give me your hand so I could hold you.” Woohyun commanded. 

      The statement sounded strange for the Demon’s leader, but he nodded his head and reached out to give his hand to the angel. Woohyun stretched his arms farther until he was able to touch the demon.

     “Here goes nothing.” Woohyun stated, grabbing hold of Sunggyu’s hand as tightly as he could and closing his eyes so he could find a connection to Iblis’s present. 

     Like earlier, Woohyun’s hand started glowing. It meant that he was now looking through Sunggyu.

     Woohyun saw different parts of the demon’s life, but mostly it was Sunggyu’s past. Sunggyu was too stuck and affected by his past that Woohyun was having a hard time locating his present. It took at least five more minutes for Woohyun to finally let go of Sunggyu’s hand.

    Woohyun was panting heavily. Sunggyu was supposed to ask if Woohyun found Iblis, but his eyes widened instead when he saw blood coming out from Woohyun’s nose.

     “You’re bleeding!” Sunggyu shouted while pointing at Woohyun’s nose.

     Woohyun immediately wiped the blood away with the back of his hand. He felt dizzy. Sunggyu was filled with pain that the pain was transmitted to him.

     “Woohyun, are you okay?” Sunggyu asked with full concern.

     Woohyun took a couple of deep breaths before looking back at the demon, “Y-You…you haven’t let it go yet…” He told him, confusing Sunggyu.

     Sunggyu looked at Woohyun for a second, then his eyes widened from shock when he realized what he was talking about, “What the hell did you see?” He asked Woohyun, his anger slowly showing. But Sunggyu wasn’t really angry at Woohyun. Instead, he was angry at himself for being too careless. He forgot that Woohyun doesn’t just see the present, but the past too. And Sunggyu knew that his past wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows.

     “You’re…” Woohyun started. He was still too dizzy and weak to say anything further. The memory that he saw from Sunggyu flashed in front of him again.

     He saw the struggle that Sunggyu went through when his brother died. He saw the thousands of blood tears that Sunggyu had shed. He saw the times Sunggyu attempted to kill himself. He saw everything. Woohyun felt everything that he couldn’t help but shed tears himself. 

     Sunggyu was surprised to see that Woohyun was actually crying in front of him. He wasn’t exactly the type of guy who’s good at comforting others so he didn’t know what to do.

     “You’re…” Woohyun started again. He didn’t mind the tears as he reached out to hold Sunggyu’s hand again, “You’re still…you’re still in pain?” Woohyun asked, and the question surprised Sunggyu more than anything that he had heard today.

     “It’s been so long Kim Sunggyu.” Woohyun stated, and Sunggyu immediately pulled his hand away from the angel before looking away from him.

     “You’re a fool to think moving on is as fast as the dead bodies rotting,” Sunggyu stated without looking at Woohyun anymore.

     “But Jiyong isn’t dead just yet. We still have hope. Why are you still too afraid to accept the fact that what happened in the past already happened? Why do you keep blaming yourself even until now?” Woohyun continued to ask, and finally, Sunggyu turned back to look at him.

     “Jiyong isn’t alive either! I know that I should move on. I know that I’m hurting my brothers by blaming myself for what happened. But I was their leader. I was supposed to protect them. This is the reason why this mission means so much to me. If this fails…it only goes to show that I have failed my brothers all over again.” Sunggyu revealed.

     Woohyun looked at Sunggyu seriously, waiting for the demon to calm down. When he did, Woohyun took a deep breath, leaned on the wall, and looked at the ceiling.

     “When you took Mark away from us, our leader blamed himself to the point where our Father’s took his angelic powers away. He wasn’t able to do anything, but nevertheless Mark was saved. Not because of him, but because of Jackson. He was glad of course, but he felt so terrible about it. He felt useless. Like you, he was a leader who wanted to protect everyone. But that kind of attitude made him unable to protect himself.” Woohyun explained before looking back at Sunggyu.

     “He thought he failed us, but now he knows better. Which is why he’s not trying to prove himself to us anymore. Instead, he’s making sure to protect us better than before. You didn’t fail your brothers either, but now…you can bring one of them back. If you keep on locking yourself up, your present self will never be free. Even if we resurrect Jiyong, you will still blame yourself over it.” Woohyun told him.

     Sunggyu was about to protest, but Woohyun didn’t allow him to as he continued, “You’ve been alone with your pain for too long Kim Sunggyu. Let go of your past. Concentrate on your present. And I promise you…I will make you clearly see your future.”

• END -

SDS3 28: NEGOTIATE

SUNGGYU WAS STARING AT  Woohyun without saying a single word. They just sat there, not daring to pull away from each other’s eyes. Though Sunggyu wanted to look away, but somehow, what Woohyun said to him made him feel strange, and this strange feeling made him feel weak. He didn’t want to look weak in front of Woohyun, especially when Woohyun was his angel counterpart; his exact opposite. 

     Sunggyu had to think of something, he had to do or say something to make the situation normal again.

     “If you’re expecting a kiss, let me tell you you’re not getting one tonight sweet talker.” Sunggyu suddenly says, surprising not only Woohyun, but even himself. Thankfully, Woohyun looked away because of embarrassment.

     “W-What are you talking about? I’m serious.” Woohyun said back before clearing his throat and trying to look like he wasn’t affected by the demon’s daring statement.

     Sunggyu laughed, and the atmosphere immediately changed back to normal. Sunggyu was glad he was able to do so before things get too real between them.

    “But seriously, if there’s something bothering you, you can tell me. Maybe you’re afraid to tell it to someone close to you, so maybe you’ll be a lot more comfortable telling it to someone you’re not. Like to a stranger like me.” Woohyun said with a sincere smile.

     Sunggyu took a deep breath and looked back at Woohyun with a serious expression, “You’re not a stranger.”

     Woohyun chuckled and shook his head to disagree.

     “We live in the same house and eat at the same table, but this is the first time we’ve ever had a decent conversation. I think we can be considered as strangers.” Woohyun pointed out, and all Sunggyu could only do now was to nod his head in agreement.

      Woohyun and Sunggyu had known each other for almost two years now, and like what Woohyun said, the two of them never really chatted, which means they never became close like the rest of their brothers. The only thing that made Sunggyu have a little soft spot on the angel was back when Jiyong was still alive. Woohyun was the only one who was willing to tell them about the demon’s possible demise. He warned Sunggyu even when he could have gotten in big trouble because of it. 

     “Don’t worry. When we get back, we can…talk.” Sunggyu suddenly told Woohyun.

     Woohyun was surprised on the suggestion. But before he could even say anything, Sunggyu quickly added, “While drinking beer, or maybe wine. Casual talk you know? Nothing out of the ordinary.”

     “You’re really trying to block all the possible next big step huh?” Woohyun asked with a playful grin. Now it was his turn to tease the leader.

     Sunggyu laughed awkwardly, trying to avoid taking a step like what Woohyun was referring to.

     “I’m just being cautious. Have you seen our brothers? They’ve all been partnered up.” Sunggyu stated, making both of them laugh.

      “Well Seunghyun doesn’t have a partner yet. It’s either you partner up with me or get stuck with Mr. serious. Or he gets to partner with Kwon Jiyong because there is no way in heaven I’ll be partnered with Prince Pride.” Woohyun stated while laughing.

     Sunggyu was laughing as well. He wasn’t really thinking too much when he answered, “Oh, believe me, I’d rather be with you. Let Seunghyun have Jiyong.”

      The atmosphere immediately changed right after Sunggyu’s sentence. The two felt the awkward tension so they both had to look away from each other at the same time. Sunggyu cleared his throat and tried his best to avoid the angel. He didn’t want to see how Woohyun would have reacted. He didn’t want to see Woohyun smiling because he was able to trick him into saying those words.

     “Well I’m honored. But before we go to that level, let’s both be strangers first…who will be alive at the end of all this Beijing madness.“Sunggyu heard Woohyun say. He looked back at Woohyun, but Woohyun was already standing on his feet. Woohyun somehow managed to remove the chains, and he was now standing right in front of the door.

     “H-How did you…What the hell are you doing?!” Sunggyu asked in shock.

     “I can’t do anything further with my powers anymore; I’m totally drained. But I have to do something. You can stay here and meditate while I find Iblis myself.” Woohyun stated while inspecting the door, hoping he’ll be able to find crack it open.

     “Are you serious? Do you have any idea what position we’re in? Iblis could destroy the heart if you try to escape now!” Sunggyu angrily warns Woohyun, but Woohyun ignored the leader and answered back instead, “If she wanted to destroy it, she could have done it from the start. Why lock us in here?”

     Sunggyu tried to stand but the chains on his hand wouldn’t let him.

     “It’s better if I face her. Like what you said, the mother of ghouls doesn’t want to see you because you have a strong connection with the king of hell. If I come and talk to her, I might be able to negotiate with both Mr. Chen and Ruby.” Woohyun explained.

     Sunggyu was about to stop Woohyun’s crazy idea, but Woohyun’s hand started glowing, then he summoned his sword and sliced open the door without hesitation. 

     Sunggyu was surprised on the daring action. 

     Woohyun then looked over his shoulder and looked at the Demon cooly, “I’ll get you your heart. I promise you that I will not let you feel like you’ll fail again…because I will NEVER fail you. Ever.”

     Before Sunggyu could answer, Woohyun stormed out of the room to head to Iblis. Sunggyu was frozen in place, but then his face heated up. It was a sight to see, and its a shame Woohyun couldn’t see the fact that the strong Demon’s leader…was blushing.

     “Stupid angel.”

---

“ Okay, you have to keep it together. “ Woohyun whispered to himself while he was hiding behind a pile of boxes. 

     He wanted to look cool in front of Sunggyu, but in fact, he wasn’t sure about what he was doing. He had no concrete plan, and that’s all thanks to Taeil’s no plan plan. But all he knows is that he has to find Iblis to get Woo Jiho’s heart. And they don’t have much time either because Minhyuk can’t hold Jiyong’s soul forever. If he stays too long, Minhyuk’s body might break.

      “I can’t find the present connection anymore. The connection is too strong. Past memories won’t be any help either. But… the future. If I look for the future…” Woohyun paused for a minute. Looking through the future is too dangerous. Woohyun was always told by his fathers to avoid doing it. Looking too far from the future can bring so much danger. But then again…

     “If I just look at the future of maybe 30 minutes from now then maybe I’ll get an idea on where Iblis might be hiding in this huge ass warehouse.” Woohyun says to himself as he ran over to another pile of boxes.

     They were stupid to not have ghouls guard their cell, but Woohyun realized that there really weren’t enough ghouls anywhere. 

     Where are they?

     “Mother is waiting.” He heard someone say from afar.

     Woohyun peeked out and looked at the owner of the voice. Obviously Woohyun couldn’t sense whether the two men that he saw were humans or ghouls like Sunggyu, but he’s guessing that humans wouldn’t be walking around here so comfortably.

     “They’ll do,” Woohyun said before silently following behind them.

     He can’t be seen through their eyes so Iblis couldn’t see him. So instead, he killed the supposed ghoul walking on the right with his blessed sword, and immediately grabbed the other ghoul and covered his eyes before pressing the edge of his sword on the ghoul’s neck, so the ghoul wouldn’t try to do anything.

     The ghoul kept quiet and stood still. Woohyun took the opportunity and closed his eyes. He was already weak after what happened with Sunggyu, but he had to try again.

     With full concentration, he exhaled deeply. His hand immediately started glowing. He closed his eyes and the ghoul’s eyes started glowing now too.

     Looking through someone’s future is a lot more difficult than looking at their past. Woohyun felt blood coming out of his nose again, but he still didn’t let go. Even when his head almost felt like it would explode, he still didn’t let go.

     Images flashed in front of Woohyun’s eyes. And finally, he saw something very important.

     It was a large area of the warehouse. But instead of boxes of drugs, the warehouse was filled with hundreds of ghouls. And standing in front of them was none other than Iblis and the two bodies that he was using.

NOTE: If you’ve noticed, Iblis is referred to as she, but also sometimes as he. He can be referred to as any of the two because he’s technically both)

     “ My children. Tonight, we will face a great threat. The King has summoned me once again! “ Iblis announced, and all the ghouls were silently listening to their mother.

     “ You all know that it is beyond my power to stop the King’s commands. But it is in my power to stop the strongest prince of the underworld…Kwon Jiyong. The King has made a bargain. He said that he is willing to release his bound to me if we are able…to kill the prince. “

     The ghouls cheered loud this time.

     “ And in order for us to do that. We will destroy this heart !“ Iblis shouted, showing the beating heart in her hand before crushing it into pieces with no hesitation.

     The vision ended, and Woohyun immediately slices the ghoul’s neck before releasing him. He fell on the ground with the ghoul, his head aching even more. But Woohyun didn’t want to give up, especially with what he saw.

     “This is bad. That vision was at least a few minutes from now. I have to stop Iblis before she destroys the heart!” Woohyun stated as he immediately wiped away the blood from his nose and running off to find where the other ghouls were.

     He followed the steps where the ghoul walked to in the future vision until he arrived at a larger warehouse. And like what he saw, he saw dozens of ghouls entering a storage room. This must be where Iblis will announce the bargain with the King.

     The King doesn’t know Iblis’s exact location, but he sends his messages through her children, which are the ghouls. Iblis despises the king as much as the Demons and the Arcs, but there is nothing else that she could do. She was stupid enough to accept his gift like the rest of the demons and rulers who were fooled by the amount of power that he promised them. Apparently the power he was referring to bounded them with the king. If they don’t follow his orders, bad things will happen to them even without the need to see them like in Iblis’s case. The king can order Iblis to be burnt in an eternal flame even if he doesn’t exactly know where she is.

     But I know now you’re wondering. Why is she still hiding then if that’s the case? Well, for Iblis, it’s better to follow the King’s orders on earth instead of being tortured and chained in Hell like Lucifer and the others. Being able to walk on earth is the closest freedom she could have, and for her, that’s already enough.

     “Iblis!” Woohyun shouted the moment he entered the warehouse. All the ghouls looked his way with surprise. And as expected, standing in front was Ruby Chen and Mr. Chen Kun. Both bodies were Iblis so the two looked at Woohyun at the same time.

     Ruby looked as young as she was years ago. Taeil was right, she never really aged at all.

     Mr. Chen was about to attack the intruder, but Ruby immediately stopped him from doing so.

     “How brave of you to escape,” Ruby stated, calmer than how Woohyun expected.

     “I didn’t have my children guard you because I knew how the heart meant a lot to you. But it seems like you don’t really care if I break it now.” Ruby stated, signaling Mr. Chen to hand her over the old wooden box that he was holding. It looks like the heart could be found inside.

     “No!” Woohyun immediately shouted. The ghouls made way as he bravely approached Ruby.

     “One more step from you and I will order my children to attack,” Ruby warned, and Woohyun stopped walking.

     “There is no need for you to be afraid. I’m an angel. The King will not be able to see you through me.” Woohyun assured her, surprising the two Iblis’ that Woohyun was aware of the connection that they were trying to avoid.

     Woohyun summoned his sword back, showing Iblis that he was not there to fight, “That’s why it’s only me here. Sunggyu stayed at the cell. I know you hate the king, and I know you’re only doing what he’s saying because you want to protect your children. There’s also someone we want to protect. So hand me the heart and we’ll resurrect the prince of Pride. He will be able to defeat the King. If he does, you don’t have to follow orders from him anymore.”

     “How sure am I that he will defeat the King and not include me?” Ruby asked, and Woohyun was somehow glad that this negotiation might go somewhere.

     “How sure are you that the bargain that the King proposed to you is true?” Woohyun asked back, and Ruby and Mr. Chen were taken aback.

     “How did you know that?” She asked, the shock present in her face.

     “I heard.” Woohyun lied. He didn’t know why he lied, but he didn’t want to openly reveal his powers either, “I know the King told you that he’ll release you if you destroy Woo Jiho’s heart.”

     “And you’re stupid if you believe a word that King says.” Another voice suddenly appeared.

     Everyone looked at the entrance and saw none other than the prince of hell, Kim Sunggyu.

     Ruby was about to order all her children to attack him, but she stopped when she saw that there was actually a cloth covering Sunggyu’s eyes. It was so that the King couldn’t see through him if ever he does find the connection.

     He didn’t move close to her either. And somehow, Sunggyu’s actions surprised Iblis.

     “We all know you should never make deals with the devil. The King promised our Fathers the same powers he promised you. But look at what that lead to. They’re now all tortured and chained, and all they could see is darkness. You…you on the other hand has it easier. You left them there to die for an eternity while you enjoy your power here.” Sunggyu stated, and all Ibis could do was look away from the blindfolded prince because of shame.

     Iblis knew the Rulers. He was locked up in hell like them. She talked to the seven rulers and can even consider them her friends if the word friend is even accepted in hell. But nonetheless, they were the only once who understood each other. They were forcefully bounded by the King. And Iblis was selfish to escape and leave everyone behind for her own sake.

     “Don’t blame me on what happened to them. The rulers are bound not only to the King but to Hell itself. There was nothing that I could do.” Ruby and Mr. Chen said at the same time while clenching on their fists. It was at that moment that Sunggyu and Woohyun realized that Ruby alone is the rational thinker, while Mr. Chen is the weaker side of Iblis. But together, they form the real mother of ghouls. The mother is not purely evil, but not purely good either. This is why Kharon said Iblis didn’t really have a side. He wasn’t in God’s team, nor was he in the King’s team.

    “But there is something that you could do now.” Woohyun immediately butted in, “If you couldn’t help the rulers, then help their children!”

     “Help? If you haven’t noticed, my children and the ruler’s children do not play well.” Ruby pointed out, and Woohyun looked around at all the ghouls who were glaring at Sunggyu.

     “Oh, I know. Your children and I go way back. And I’ve killed too many of them and I know you’re tired of seeing me do so. But there’s no need to shed more blood. We didn’t come here to fight. We didn’t plan to invade and murder everyone. We just came here to get the heart.” Sunggyu said back.

    “You do know I can’t avoid attacking you and your brothers. As much as I don’t want to, as long as the King has control over me, he has control over my children.” Mr. Chen then tells them. Shocking Woohyun and Sunggyu because they weren’t expecting Mr. Chen to have a say in any of this.

     “He has control over everyone. But he doesn’t control you completely, and I’m not just talking about you. Let’s stop this nonsense Iblis. I know you don’t want to hurt us. You could have easily done it the moment we stepped foot in Beijing. But you didn’t, because deep down you know that we can help you.” Sunggyu tells them.

    “You hate the king, we hate him too. Don’t you think that’s enough for us to at least have a little trust in each other?” Woohyun then added.

    Ruby looked conflicted, but you could tell that she was really considering it.

    “I’ve seen your powers prince. I’ve seen all of your brother’s powers. I know how easily you can destroy not only my children, but me as well. And I am afraid - a word that I despise - of helping you resurrect one of the strongest demons ever lived only to be oppressed by another again.” Ruby and Mr. Chen said together, their voice blending well.

    “Iblis. As hard as it is to believe, we’re on your side.” Sunggyu stated. Then, without removing the blindfold in his eyes, he transformed into his demon state.

     The ghouls moved away out of fear, but Sunggyu held his chest and slightly bowed his head to show respect instead.

     “If the time comes, we promise…no. I promise…as the Prince of Wrath, and as the son of the powerful ruler Satan…I will release you. And I don’t negotiate like the King. There are no strings attached in my words. You just have to believe me. You just have to believe my brothers.” Sunggyu stated with sincerity.

     “Us too!” Woohyun then chimed in, thinking it was the perfect moment to do so.

     Ruby and Mr. Chen looked at each other before looking back at the demon who still had his head bowed.

     Ruby was still conflicted, but she knew that deep down the prince’s words were true. Thanks to his ghouls, he saw how these Demons grew, and how they fought for the freedom of not just themselves, but for the people of earth as well. Even when they won’t benefit from helping the people, they still do so.

     “You can defeat an army of possessed humans. You can defeat Nameless and bring everything back to normal in only a span of a day. You defeating my children would only be a warmup.” Ruby stated. Then, Mr. Chen suddenly went to Woohyun and handed him the box.

     Woohyun was surprised. He opened the box and saw the beating heart that he saw in his vision. This was no doubt Woo Jiho’s heart.

    “Don’t make me regret my decision now young prince,” Ruby stated, and Woohyun immediately looked back at Sunggyu who couldn’t actually see what was going on.

    “We have the heart!” Woohyun shouted so Sunggyu could know.

    Sunggyu transformed back to his original form. Then, with a wide smile on his face, he shouted with joy, “Thank you! You’ll definitely not regret it!”

     “Let’s see each other again at the battlefield. Maybe not as allies, but we’ll anticipate our meeting with the rest of the princes.” Mr. Chen then tells them.

    “We’ll wait for your arrival,” Woohyun said back.

    Woohyun closed the box and looked at Ruby and Mr. Chen thankfully. Ruby smiled, then, her smiling face immediately went back to being scary and serious as she says, “Now…Get the hell out of Beijing.”

• END -

SDS3 29: BEATING HEART

JACKSON AND THE OTHERS

  were in the living room of the Holy Home . They’ve been patiently waiting for Sunggyu and Woohyun’s return, but they have not heard of them ever since they left for Beijing.

    “I knew it. Following Taeil’s stupid plan was a mistake. We should have gone with them instead of staying here doing nothing.” Junhyung suddenly stated as he barged towards Taeil angrily. But Hyunseung, his lover, pulled him away from the prince of sloth and said, “We only have to wait. It’s better if we stay here and guard Jiyong’s soul and body. The risk of an ambush is greater here than in Beijing.” 

     Taeil, who was peacefully sitting beside Jackson, thanked Hyunseung and glared at Junhyung right after.

    Junhyung pushed Hyunseung’s hand away and walked back to the sofa to sit beside his brothers. He was getting worried. His brother was alone with a demon he wasn’t even close with, and an entire day has already passed and they still haven’t even heard of anything from them. It was only natural for him as a leader to start panicking.

     “Nothing will happen if you worry like that angel.” Suho reminded him.

     “Nothing will happen if we just stay here and wait.” Junhyung immediately fired back.

     The Arcs and Demons thought the two were going to fight, but suddenly, someone knocked on the door, making everyone stand in full alert.

     “Relax. Enemies don’t normally knock on the door.” Mark calmly stated as he looked at the brothers who were already getting ready to summon their weapons. 

     “Well, visitors don’t usually knock at this hour either.” Jihoon pointed out. But Mark walked towards the door anyway to see who it was so the others wouldn’t panic anymore.

     As Mark was walking closer, his heart started beating fast, and at that moment he knew who the visitor was. So he ran and opened the door. And as expected, it was none other than Woohyun and Sunggyu.

     “Miss us?” Sunggyu coolly asked.

     “They’re back!” Mark immediately shouted; practically jumping towards the two so he could hug them tightly.

     When the rest of the brothers saw who the visitor was, they quickly ran towards the door to greet the two a warm welcome. The two exhausted brothers finally entered the Holy Home. Everyone immediately gave them space. As much as they want to ask how their quick trip to Beijing was, there was something else that was a lot more important than hearing about the two’s supposed honeymoon.

     “So, how did it go?” Sungjae asked anxiously.

     “Please…PLEASE tell me you have it.” Taeil added, almost like he was begging for the answer.

     Sunggyu and Woohyun looked at each other. They both had sad expressions on their faces, and just seeing their expression alone made the brothers’ eyes widen from shock. They already knew the answer to their most awaited question.

     “N-No…this can’t be.” Junhyung said as he looked at the two with disbelief, “You…failed?” He asked them with a sad expression. Even Mark almost cried.

     “Don’t mock me, angel.” Sunggyu stated, and finally, with all jokes aside, Woohyun took out an old box from his bag and showed it to the brothers, “Failure is not an option anymore. Did you seriously think Kim Sunggyu will come back empty-handed?”

    Everyone looked at the box with shock. They didn’t know how to react anymore once the truth was revealed. Everything just came rushing in. They didn’t expect themselves to be this close to victory.

     “Is that-” Jackson didn’t have to continue because Woohyun nodded his head to confirm it.

     Suho, who hasn’t even said anything since the two arrive, suddenly fell on his knees. Without saying a word, the brothers saw tears falling on the floor. Lay was supposed to comfort him, but Jackson went to him and hugged him instead, then Taeil and Hyunseung joined in. 

     Sunggyu smiled, but clear tears were already falling on his cheeks as he looked at his brothers.

     Woohyun looked at the angel beside him and nudged him, “What are you waiting for? You’re the leader, right? Then comfort you weeping brothers.”

     Sunggyu tried to laugh it off, but while clenching on his fist, he ran to his brothers and kneeled as well to finally hug them.

     “You did it. You actually did it.” Hyunseung stated as he hugged Sunggyu tightly.

     “I wasn’t going to fail Jiyong again. I’m never going to fail any of you again.” Sunggyu told his brothers as they hugged each other tighter.

     “I’ll be a better brother and a leader, and I’m not doing it to make up for anything anymore. Because I realized that what I need is to look towards the future rather than get stuck in the past. It’s time I think about what I could do, rather than what I could have done.” Sunggyu then added.

     For the Demons, it was words that meant a lot to them as brothers. But for Woohyun, an angel who was able to get a quick glimpse of Sunggyu’s true feelings, it meant a lot more. It was huge progress that will only be realized by him.

     “ Thank you for doing your best Kim Sunggyu .“ Woohyun thought to himself as he watched Sunggyu and the rest of the Demons who were in a tight embrace.

     The angels stood beside each other and looked at the brothers with awe.

     Junhyung finally loosened up and wiped the tears that unknowingly streamed down his cheeks. Jihoon went to Woohyun and patted his back to congratulate them on their successful mission. Everyone just watched the brothers in silence. Giving them the respect that they needed at the moment.

     The Arcs knew that they had to move now to not waste time, but the angels decided to give the Demons their moment. This will be the last time they’ll hug each other as six. Because soon, they’ll be hugging each other as seven. A number these boys have not heard of in a very long time.

---

 “Thank you,” Sunggyu stated as he approached Woohyun who was silently sitting on the sofa.

     The Arcs were on standby, but Woohyun decided to relax alone before joining his brothers in the dining room. He and Sunggyu just got back from Beijing. He was as excited as the Demons were. This was a big deal for everyone. But Woohyun wanted to slow down a little. Things were happening too fast that he doesn’t even know if he’s in the present or if he’s still just envisioning everything.

     “You shouldn’t thank me. You were the one who really convinced Iblis to hand over the heart.” Woohyun answered back, and Sunggyu sat beside him without saying anything for a while. The two somehow felt awkward with each other, especially after their talk when they were chained up back in Beijing.

     The two were quiet for a couple more minutes until Sunggyu finally decided to continue their conversation.

     “So this is it. After everything that we’ve been through, Jiyong’s just moments away from being…here. From being alive.” Sunggyu told the angel sitting beside him.

     Woohyun chuckled and nodded his head, “We’ve gone through so much. And now that we’re actually on the final stage of our plan, it suddenly seems so surreal. It’s like I don’t even know what to do after this.”

     “Well, we still have the King to think about.” Sunggyu pointed out, and Woohyun chuckled again.

    “I’m confident.” Woohyun then says, making Sunggyu look at him with a confused expression.

     “Confident? About what?” He asked.

     Woohyun took a deep breath and reached out for Sunggyu’s shoulder to pat him, “That this time…we’ll win.”

     Sunggyu smiled and nodded his head. It was too early to conclude on anything, but it was also good to have a little trust in the words that came from an angel who had the power to see the future.

     “Hopefully this time you guys aren’t hiding something from us anymore,” Sunggyu stated.

     Woohyun puts his hand down and shook his head, “Don’t worry. Starting today…no more secrets.”

     Sunggyu wanted to say something back, but he decided to just reply to him with a small smile. He nodded his head again. Then he stood up from the sofa and looked at Woohyun, “Well I have to go. I’ll see you later angel.”

    “Bring Jiyong with you when you do demon.” Woohyun replied, and Sunggyu finally left the living room to join the others.

     The Demons were already inside the prayer room where Jiyong’s body was placed. Kharon and Dongmin were also with them, and so was Seunghyun who was going to perform the exorcism.

     Minhyuk was lying on two chairs that Hyunseung and Suho put together. His body was just beside Jiyong. If you looked at him, it seemed like he was just peacefully sleeping. But its only been a day, and Minhyuk’s fingers were already starting to turn black. It was a sign that they had to hurry because Minhyuk couldn’t contain Jiyong’s soul any longer. The more they wait, Minhyuk’s body might completely rot.

     “You guys ready?” Sunggyu asked the moment he entered the room.

    Seunghyun was arranging some of his items on the altar. He glanced at Sunggyu and answered him, “Just a moment.”

    “No need to hurry my prince,” Kharon commented.

    If it was the old Sunggyu, he would have already gotten mad at their guardian and told him that it’s stupid to stay calm at a moment like this. But Sunggyu nodded his head in understanding and joined his brothers instead. He knew that nothing good would come out if he gets mad and make Seunghyun feel pressured.

     “How’s Minhyuk?” He asked while looking at his brothers.

     “He’s starting to rot,” Jackson answered while pointing at Minhyuk’s fingers. It would have been strange if others heard it, but Sunggyu was actually glad that it’s only his fingers.

     “We’ll just let Lay heal him. It wouldn’t be a problem even if Minhyuk and Lay aren’t connected. Minhyuk’s absorption power will allow Lay’s healing abilities to heal him.” Dongmin reassured the brothers.

     “Well thank god for Minhyuk’s power because it would be a very big problem if they’re connected without it,” Suho stated since it meant that the two have already had sex.

     If you don’t remember, an angel and a demon can be immune to each other’s basic powers if they are connected. And one way to be connected is through having an intimate relationship with each other.

     “Seriously Suho? You just had to say that at this moment?” Taeil asked with his right eyebrow raised.

     “And besides, Sungjae would kill him.” Jackson butted in.

     “Wait, are those two even official? Or are they like Jihoon and Taeil?” Suho then asked, making Taeil hit the back of Suho’s head in annoyance.

     “What do you mean like Jihoon and Taeil? We’re not in a confused relationship. We are very much official as Jackson and Mark.” Taeil defended.

     “Oh please, you’re not even close to their relationship. Those two are almost like a married couple. If you ask me, you’re more on a Hyunseung-Junhyung level kind of relationship.” Suho answered, and finally, Hyunseung cleared his throat, immediately ending the stupid conversation.

     “Thank you,” Sunggyu stated as he grinned at Hyunseung.

     Like what the others think, Sunggyu sees Hyunseung as a leader of the group as well. He’s like the Seunghyun of the Arcs. Like the second commander who’s more feared than the first commander.

     “I’m glad that you guys are starting to be lively again.” Dongmin suddenly commented, making the brothers look at the Arcs’ guardian.

     “Well, Jiyong’s about to join us soon. We should be smiling when he wakes up.” Suho answered, and everyone agreed.

     “I suggest you give the prince a little space first when he wakes up. It would be troublesome if you swarm him. He’s been dead for months.” Kharon reminded the Demons.

     As much as they want to give Jiyong a group hug when he wakes up, their guardian was still right. Jiyong might not even know what’s going on when he wakes up. So to not confuse him, they decided to let Kharon and Dongmin explain everything to him first.

     “I’m ready.” Seunghyun finally stated, and the brothers immediately joined him at the altar.

     “What do we exactly do with the heart?” Sunggyu asked as he stood beside Seung.

     Seunghyun doesn’t answer him and instead takes the box where the heart was placed. He went towards Jiyong’s body and opened the box. He was about to put the box down, but Taeil immediately stopped him from doing so.

     “W-Wait!” He shouted.

     Everyone looked at his way. They were confused about why Taeil was suddenly stopping Seunghyun. But when they remembered who the actual owner of the heart was, they immediately gave Taeil way so he could go to where Seunghyun was standing.

     “M-May I?” He asked, and Seunghyun nodded his head and showed the heart to Taeil.

     Taeil hasn’t seen the heart yet. He wanted to check it earlier, but he didn’t have the courage to do so. But this might be the last time he’ll actually see it, so Taeil finally decided to take a look.

     He gulped and looked down on the inside of the box. The moment he saw the still-beating heart inside the box, blood tears immediately streamed down on his cheeks.

     It was an actual beating heart. He doesn’t know how it could even be possible. There was no scientific explanation for it. And as technical as Taeil may be, he understood the impossible. And though it was only a heart, it seemed like he was looking down at the entirety of Woo Jiho.

     “ I miss you. “ He whispered, whipping the tears on his cheeks, only smearing the blood more.

     Jackson took a deep breath and joined Taeil so he could look at it too. 

     Woo Jiho was Taeil’s once lover, but he was also Jackson’s friend. The others might be grateful that they have a heart to resurrect their brother, but for these two, it meant something different. Jiyong waking up means that the last living part that Jiho has would officially be nonexistent. It was both a win and a lose.

     “It’s still beating because the spirit of the owner of that heart is still fighting as much as he can to keep it alive.” Dongmin suddenly explained, surprising the others.

     “The body might be gone, but the soul isn’t. Woo Jiho might have known about this, and with the little life that his soul has left, he kept that heart beating until the end.” Kharon explained further, and the tears that Taeil tried to stop started streaming down of his eyes again because of what he heard.

     Kharon and Dongmin knew that Woo Jiho was stuck in the abyss because his heart was taken by the possessed Kharon. Woo Jiho may slowly perish and never exist at all, but for some reason, he’s still fighting for his life to keep the heart beating. It was like his final gift for his lover.

     But once his heart is with Jiyong, he can now be freed. The heart will now be recognized as Jiyong’s, which means that there is nothing else that is binding Jiho on earth anymore. And Taeil could finally move on while thinking that he can one day see Jiho again as an angel in heaven.

     “I think if Jiho was going to let someone use his heart, he’d rather have someone rich, powerful, and handsome like Jiyong,” Jackson stated to lift Taeil’s spirit up.

    Taeil finally smiled. He exhaled and looked at the beating heart for the last time, “Even when he’s dead, he still wants me to be happy. And I know that he knows that Jiyong being alive would bring me so much happiness.” He stated, and Jackson nodded his head and patted his best friend’s head like he was a kid.

     “He was always selfless like that,” Taeil added, and Jackson took out his handkerchief to wipe away his best friend’s tears.

     “Let’s say our final goodbye then. You might be able to see his reflection now after this, so make sure to thank him when you do.” Jackson stated.

     No one really knew about it except for Jackson and Jihoon. But when Jiho died, Taeil actually spent days trying to look for Jiho’s soul in the mirror. But he never did find him, and Taeil just gave up on it completely.

     Taeil gulped. He tried his best not to cry anymore as he finally bowed deeply to thank Woo Jiho for the last time.

     Jackson did the same, and to their surprise, the rest of the Demons followed.

     “I’ll see you again.” Taeil finished, and finally, he and Jackson went back to where the Demons were so Seunghyun could continue to what he was supposed to do.

     “As impossible as this may seem, I only have to place the heart inside, and Jiyong’s body will do the rest. I just hope he’ll accept it. Jiyong is a powerful demon, and this heart only belongs to a mere human. Even if this heart absorbed the blood of the ghoul that attacked him, it still might not be enough.” Seunghyun reminded the Demons. He doesn’t want to ruin their excitement, but he didn’t want them to be disappointed either if this failed.

     “So you’re telling us we might not wake Jiyong up at all?” Sunggyu asked since it was him and Woohyun who went through all the trouble to get the heart from Iblis.

     “I’m saying we have two possible outcomes,” Seunghyun stated.

     “Then let’s see what the outcome is then,” Dongmin answered.

     Seunghyun looked at him and Kharon and asked them to remove the glass case that covered Jiyong’s body. When it was removed, Seunghyun placed the box on a small table. He went to Jiyong and unbuttoned his shirt first, revealing the spot where the heart was supposed to be placed. He then wore black surgical gloves and finally took out the heart as gently as he could to not drop it.

     The demons were watching in anticipation.

     Seunghyun slowly walked towards Jiyong’s body. He was moments away from putting the heart inside, but like how their life has been recently, something always had to happen first before they get their happy ending.

     “Wait!” Someone shouted. But this time, it wasn’t Taeil but the Demon’s guardian, Kharon.

     The Demons looked at Kharon confusingly. Kharon was silent for a second, but then he and Dongmin looked at each other with shocked expressions.

     “What’s going on?” Sunggyu asked, suddenly feeling nervous because of how the two guardians were acting.

    Seunghyun was still holding the beating heart in his palms. Everything was silent for a second, but then they felt something rumbling. At that moment they remembered…that as much as the Arcs and Demons wanted to see the strongest prince live, there is still a strong King who will do everything in his power to keep him dead.

• END -

SDS3 30: PROTECT THE PRINCE

NOTE:

picture of weapons above for reference.

“THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING,”   Suho stated in a state of panic.

     Kharon’s eyes immediately turned red. And without hesitation, he stopped the time, turning the sky red as blood.

     “Join the Arcs outside. We’ll stay here and protect Seunghyun so he could perform the exorcism.” Kharon immediately instructed, and Sunggyu and the others turned into their demonic form before running outside. 

     Everyone already went out of the prayer room, but Suho stopped and decided to stay.

     “I know the two of you are capable of protecting Seunghyun, but let me stay here and protect my brothers,” Suho stated while glancing at Minhyuk and Jiyong, and the two guardians had no other choice but to agree.

     On the other hand, the Arcs who were at the dining room already went to the living room to check where the rumbling was coming from. But when they saw the Demons in their demonic state, they immediately summoned their weapons. That alone made them realize that something serious was about to happen.

     “What’s going on?” Junhyung asked as he approached the Demon’ leader, Sunggyu.

     “We’re being ambushed. They’re here to stop Jiyong’s resurrection.” Sunggyu answered.

     Jihoon looked at the Demon’s leader confusingly and asked, “What do you mean…they?”

     No one answered him, but the rest of the brothers looked out of the window as a response. Mark, who was standing beside his lover, widened his eyes from shock when he saw a horde of ghouls running towards the Holy Home.

     “No fucking way.” The only thing Mark could say at the moment. He looked at Jackson, and Jackson looked back at him and suddenly kissed him like how he always does whenever they have to go through something dangerous.

     “Get ready everyone! This is going to be a rough night!” Jackson shouted, and the angles and demons surrounded the house. Some were at the main door, while some were standing near the windows.

     “It’s 3:00 AM, the Devil’s hour. If you guys have forgotten, the King doesn’t have full control over the gates of hell anymore since we have the keys. But the gate opens during this time, which is why they’re all here.” Jackson suddenly explained while looking out of the window.

     “And who in the right mind suggested that we resurrect Jiyong at this fucking hour?” Jihoon asked, and Sunggyu looked back at the angel and answered him, “Seunghyun did.”

     “The possibility of Jiyong immediately waking up is higher when he performs his exorcism at the Devil’s hour,” Taeil explained further.

     Thanks to that, all the brothers could do was hold it together until Jiyong returns. This is the price they have to pay in order to resurrect the greatest prince of all.

     “When Iblis said she can’t do anything about these ghouls, she really meant it.” Woohyun suddenly stated when he saw Sunggyu standing beside him.

     “Well, we can’t blame her.” Sunggyu then said back.

     “I can’t believe this is happening! And Minhyuk is fucking unconscious…AGAIN!” Sungjae shouted while clenching on his sword. He remembered the time he had to protect Minhyuk and the holy home from hundred of ghouls by himself. But even though everyone is now here, he still can’t help but feel nervous.

     “Whatever happens…protect the prayer room. Protect Kwon Jiyong.” Junhyung instructed, and the Arcs nodded their heads as an answer.

     “We never get to rest huh?” Hyunseung asked as he intertwined his fingers on the Arcs’ leader.  Junhyung looked at his lover and brought their hands close to his lips so he could kiss the back of Hyunseung’s hand. 

     “I promise. This will be the last.” Junhyung reassured him, even though at the back of his mind, he knew that this was only the beginning of the great war that they will soon face ones the Prince of Pride has been resurrected.

     “For Kwon Jiyong!” Junhyung shouted while gripping on Hyunseung’s hand.

     “For Kwon Jiyong!” Everyone else shouted, and just in time, the door was kicked open by a creature that the brothers did not expect. It wasn’t just a mere ghoul. The creature was standing like a human but had a face and body of a wild boar. But it was twice its regular size. He was even holding two oversized butcher knives that were covered in blood.

     Everyone moved back as they saw the massive creature in front of them.

     “W-What in the name…is that?” Lay asked, his hands suddenly trembling just by the sight of what was in front of them.

     “Looks like our King’s bringing out his big guns this time. What realm could this demonic bitch even be from?” Taeil calmly asked. He wasn’t even fazed by the great threat that was in front of them.

     “There are a couple of dozen ghouls outside. Arcs, you take them out. We’ll take out this big guy right here.” Sunggyu instructed, and Junhyung nodded his head and finally lets go of his lover’s hand.

     “We’ll be right back babe. Arcs! You heard the demon! Let’s go!” Junhyung shouted, and he and the rest of the ghouls immediately ran out of the Holy Home. 

     The boar was about the slash them so they wouldn’t be able to escape, but thankfully, Sunggyu ran towards the creature and immediately blocked the attack with his saw-like sword, causing the boar’s weapon to hit it instead.

     The boar shouted like an animal. Its voice so loud, making the Arcs cover their ears. But Sunggyu pushed the boar’s weapon away with all his might. He was on his demon form, so his black aura caused the creature to have a quick glimpse of fear.

     “ You dare enter this Holy Home and try to sabotage a ritual that will awaken the greatest demon of all?! Give me a reason why we should not kill you mercilessly, “ Sunggyu stated, his voice so chilling that even the Demons’ hair stood. He spoke as if he was not just a single entity, but instead, he spoke as a representative of Satan, and the other Rulers who were in chains. It was obvious that the question wasn’t directed towards the boar, but towards its commander, the King of Hell himself.

     The boar naturally did not answer, so Sunggyu slightly bent his knee before jumping so high and slashing the boar’s arm in half.

     The board shouted, stumbling back. His black blood oozed out of him. The Demons thought they were going to win this battle easily, but then the boar’s hand started regenerating, and the hand that was on the ground started regenerating too.

     “N-No way,” Taeil said in shock.

     Soon after, there were now two large boars facing them.

     “Thanks a lot, Sunggyu.” Hyunseung sarcastically stated.

     Sunggyu gulped and moved away. Then, the two boars shouted and ran towards the brothers.

     Without wasting time, Jackson’s eyes turned bloody red, and with his demon ability, an ability he was able to perfect because of intense training, Jackson used his glamouring and turned himself into a large ram. Using its horns, he ran towards one of the boars and pushed it away from his brothers, claiming to battle it one on one.

     “Looks like Jackson will handle the other one.” Taeil pointed out.

     “Then this one is ours to defeat.” Hyunseung confidently stated. And with his sword, he ran towards the boar and slashed it across its chest before getting punched and thrown towards a wall.

     The impact was so hard the wall cracked.

     “Hyunseung!” Sunggyu shouted as he looked at his brother worriedly.

     “I-I’m okay! Don’t…don’t slice it…just…cut…to slow it down.” Hyunseung explained while catching his breath and wiping off the blood that was coming out of the side of his mouth.

    Sunggyu nodded his head in understanding and looked back at the boar who was trying to get up after the injury that Hyunseung left on it, “Taeil, can you try using your Luring powers on this thing?” Sunggyu asked as he looked at Taeil.

     Taeil looked at the boar and tried to use his power like what Sunggyu said, but nothing was happening. So he looked back at Sunggyu and shook his head in disapproval, “No, it’s not working. And it’s not because my powers are too weak. It’s because someone stronger is already luring it. And only the king could fit that description.” Taeil explained, making Sunggyu curse under his breath.

     “Then I don’t think I can use my powers on him either. He’s a demonic creature. I’m pretty sure fear amplification won’t have any large damage.” Sunggyu answered.

     “Then we have no choice but to rely on strength.” Hyunseung suddenly added, joining his brothers.

     Hyunseung took a deep breath and gripped on his weapon. It was hard to fight demons other than ghouls since they’re almost immune to most of their powers. Good thing the brothers did not only train their powers alone but their skills in combat as well.

     “Then lets-” Taeil was suddenly cut off when they heard a loud crashing sound that was caused by Jackson and the other boar. 

     “You’re destroying the holy home!” Sunggyu warned, and Jackson - in a form of a large ram - pushed the boar outside where the rest of the ghouls and the Arcs were so they could continue their battle there.

     “You two weaken his feet, I’ll handle his upper body,” Sunggyu instructed. And with no second thought, Taeil and Hyunseung ran towards the boar again.

    The boar was about to use one of its knives to slash them, but Sunggyu once again jumped high and slashed the boar on the chest. Right after, Taeil and Hyunseung slashed its knees, causing it to fall to the ground.

     “Sunggyu! Strike the heart!” Taeil shouted immediately, and Sunggyu ran back to the boar and pierced his sword on the boar’s chest with one strike.

     Black blood oozed out, and the boar fell seconds after.

    Sunggyu summoned his weapon back, causing it to disappear from the boar’s chest. But he immediately summoned it again, but now it appeared back on his hand.

     “That was easy,” Taeil commented while trying to catch his breath.

     “Well let’s go help Jackson and the others,” Sunggyu instructed. But as they were about to head out of the holy home, the boar’s blood suddenly started to bubble. And like it was taken out from the ground, large spiders with deformed human heads started to come out of the boar’s blood. It was a sign that the real battle has just begun.

    “You gotta be fucking kidding me!” 

ON THE OTHER HAND…

     “DIE!” Jackson shouted as he pierced his sharp horns on the boar’s breast, lifting him before powerfully slamming him back down, its blood splattering all over Jackson.

     The ground shook because of the impact, and Jackson pushed the boar off him and transformed back into his demonic state.

     He was panting heavily as he wiped off the black blood on his face. He summoned his claw weapon to help the Arcs with the ghouls that were remaining. But like what the Sunggyu and his other brothers faced, the blood on the ground started to bubble, and the spider-like creatures appeared as well.

     “You gotta be fucking kidding me!” Jihoon, who saw the spiders, shouted in disgust.

     “This is already pissing me off,” Jackson stated as he turned back to the three large spiders that appeared.

     Junhyung, who saw the creatures as well, looked at Lay and Woohyun and stated, “Go help Jackson. We’ll handle it from here.”

     “Copy that.” The two angels answered before running towards Jackson to assist him.

     “Those are fucking creepy,” Lay commented as soon as he stood beside Jackson.

     “You guys take the ones on the sides, I’ll take the one in the middle. Remember, avoid cutting any parts of them. They might reproduce.” Jackson answered.

    The two nodded and followed instructions. 

     Jackson took a deep breath first and relaxed his muscles. Transforming into creatures was hard. Doing insane illusions already required effort, but glamouring oneself needed twice the effort. But that didn’t stop Jackson. He knew not to give his 100 percent just yet in case something bigger arrives. But he also knew that this wouldn’t end if he doesn’t exert at least 50 percent of his power.

     So Jackson looked at the spider that was running towards him. As he exhaled, he immediately transformed into a black lizard and charged. He was afraid that it could reproduce like the boar, so he decided to give powerful physical damages instead of ripping it into pieces.

     The spider’s face was of a deformed man, but it still had the same fangs as a spider. It got close to Jackson and tried to bite him, but Jackson immediately hits it with his massive tail.

     The spider was thrown out, so Jackson immediately ran towards it at a speed that matched a lizard. And when he was inches away from the spider, he jumped high. But before falling, he transformed once again, but this time, into a giant. Just on the right spot, he squishes the spider with his large feet, the blood splattering on him like before.

     Jackson transformed back into his demonic form. This time, he was twice as tired compared to his first fight with the boar. Though he could still fight just fine, it seems like he may not be able to transform into large creatures for a while. So he has to trust his illusion powers first before he could use his glamouring again.

     “Jackson!” Mark shouted. He ran towards Jackson and helped him stand properly.

     The ghouls were already killed so the others were helping Lay and Woohyun defeat the other two spider creatures that were left. Jackson was about to join them, but Mark stopped him and said, “Take a breather. You’re exhausting yourself too much.”

    Jackson was about to object. There was no time to rest. He has been protecting Jiyong’s grave for months. He will not allow his efforts to go to waste just because he decided to take a breather.

     “No. Our priority is to protect the Prince of Pride.” Jackson stated, and all Mark could do was sigh in defeat.

      “Alright.”      

     The two were about to run towards the rest of the Arcs, but the grounds started shaking again, and in a distance, hundreds of ghouls could be seen.

BACK AT THE HOLY HOME

     “AHH!” Taeil shouted as he slammed his hammer on the spider so hard, its head was immediately crushed.

     “Three down, two to go,” Taeil said to himself while catching his breath.

     He was bruised all over thanks to the spider’s sharp legs. But Taeil ignored the pain and kept on going. He was not letting a mere demonic creature defeat him. After all, he was a prince, and these creatures should be fearing them, not the other way around.

     “K-Kharon…didn’t tell us about…these things.” Hyunseung managed to say while he was dodging the spider’s venomous attacks.

     A spider strikes one of its legs towards Sunggyu. It was able to injure Sunggyu’s cheek, but Sunggyu was able to step away before Taeil could jump towards it so he could slam the spider’s head with his hammer as well.

     With just one strike, the spider was killed. Sunggyu wiped the blood dripping from the cut on his cheek and looked back at Hyunseung who was still struggling with the spider that was attacking him.

    “Well, Kharon didn’t tell us about Ignis and the rest of the shit that we had encountered. I guess it’s his way of teaching us.” Sunggyu explained casually like they weren’t fighting a spider that has a deformed human head.

     “Well then…h-his teaching…sucks!” Hyunseung shouted, and finally when he saw an opening, he pierced his sword at the spider’s head, instantly killing it.

     The three were panting heavily. They were covered in bruises and blood, but the pain was manageable.

     “I can’t believe we just battled those weird-ass, demonic creatures, with little sleep. Imagine if we were even able to rest properly.” Taeil stated cockily.

     “Wait till the king brings out demons from deeper realms,” Sunggyu said back, reminding Taeil that what they faced weren’t even worthy enough to be celebrated on if killed. If ghouls are ants, these guys were insects. Literal spiders. A little creepy, but still easy to kill.

     “Hopefully that’s the end of that,” Taeil stated. But like he had a curse on saying things too early, the blood on the ground started to bubble up again, and like before, the spider creatures started to emerge. There were now ten of them, and not like before, they were bigger.

     “This is impossible!” Taeil shouted.

     “N-No…we can do this,” Hyunseung said back, trying to encourage his brother not to give up just yet.

     “If we can’t even do this. How on earth will we ever face the king?” Hyunseung then asked. And that question alone was enough to make Sunggyu and Taeil get their confidence back.

     “You’re right. We should be honored to be given a warmup by our ever so generous king. This could be training too.” Sunggyu stated.

     The three looked at each other and nodded their heads. Sunggyu smirked, and his dark aura grew bigger, “May the king of bloody hell be with us…”

      “And our fucking spirit!” Taeil and Hyunseung shouted back, but more in a mocking way than a serious chant.

      The three charged at the spiders, but to their surprise, the spiders didn’t run towards them, but to the door of the prayer room instead.

     “Shit! They’re heading towards Jiyong!” Hyunseung shouted as soon as he noticed the direction of where the spiders were heading.

     The three immediately ran towards the spiders. They were trying to kill them one at a time, but there were too many of them. And whenever the spiders’ blood would spill on the ground, more spiders would start appearing.

     “This is bad!” Taeil shouted as he was trying to push the spider that was piercing him down.

     Hyunseung, who was also struggling with the spiders that were surrounding him, looked at Sunggyu and shouted, “Leader! Do something now!”

     Sunggyu looked at his injured brothers and looked back at the door of the prayer room that was already covered with spiders. It seemed like Kharon, Dongmin, and Suho are doing their best to keep the door closed, but Sunggyu knew that they wouldn’t be able to hold much longer.

     “No! I will not let you enter that room! Not in my goddamn life!” Sunggyu shouted with his full might. He gripped on his weapon so hard his hand started to produce fire. His demonic wings appeared, and at that moment, he transferred his power on his sword. 

     Sunggyu was about to hit his sword on the ground to produce a strong force that would throw away anyone that was surrounding him. But as he was about to do so, the door of the prayer room suddenly swung open. It was such a strong force that all the spiders were thrown away from it.

     Sunggyu immediately dispersed his power and went back to normal. 

     Everything was suddenly silent as black smoke started oozing out of the prayer room. Hyunseung and Taeil ran to where Sunggyu was. The three brothers held onto each other as strong wind gusts out of the room.

     Sunggyu immediately held onto his brother’s shoulder as he felt his chest tightening. Hyunseung and Taeil could feel it too, and they couldn’t help but tremble as they watched the black smoke slowly disperse.

     “D-Do you feel that…my brothers?” Sunggyu asked, tears now falling down from his eyes.

     Hyunseung and Taeil didn’t answer. But eyes covered in red suddenly appeared in the darkness. And the three immediately went down on their knees to show their undying respect to the awakened demon in front of them.

     “Our Prince of Pride…has finally returned.”

• END -

SDS3 31: GREEDY TEARS

A FEW MINUTES EARLIER

KHARON, DONGMIN, AND SUHO  were all standing in front of the door of the prayer room, protecting Seunghyun who was standing in front of the lifeless body of both Lee Minhyuk and Kwon Jiyong.

     “What the hell is going on outside?” Suho asked as he could hear the battle cries from the other side of the door.

     “The king of hell outdid himself this time. Those are some powerful ghouls,” Dongmin commented, making Suho grip on the handle of his weapon as he continued to hear sounds coming from creatures that he was not able to identify.

     “Any minute now Seunghyun,” Suho says as he felt sweat streaming down on his forehead because of how nervous he was feeling.

     “Give me a second,” Seunghyun answered as he was trying his best not to panic. He was holding onto the beating heart, slowly bringing it towards Jiyong’s chest. He took a deep breath, and finally placed it on the right spot.

     The hole on Jiyong’s chest instantly closes the moment the heart was placed inside. Now Seunghyun just had to wait and see if Jiyong’s body will accept Woo Jiho’s heart or not.

     “Come on…come on,” Seunghyun practically chanted as he waited for any reaction from Jiyong’s body.

     Nothing happened for a while, but slowly a light shade of black and purple suddenly started appearing on the spot where the heart was placed. Afterward, the black starts spreading on Jiyong’s chest, as if he was rotting.

     “N-No…shit. This can’t be happening.” Seunghyun cursed, immediately making the guardians and Suho look back at him.

     “What’s happening?” Kharon immediately asked with a worried expression.

     “Jiyong…he’s not accepting the heart,” Seunghyun revealed, shocking the three.

     Suho immediately summoned his weapon back and ran towards his brother.  He was surprised by what he heard, but he was more surprised by what he saw. The black was slowly consuming Jiyong’s body. It even looked like his skin was going to fall off.

     “What’s happening?!” Suho shouted.

     “The heart is too weak. It’s not able to support Jiyong’s body.” Seunghyun explained, nervousness present on how he said it. He took his notebook and looked back at all the notes that he wrote down while he was training at the Vatican. But there wasn’t anything useful. He wasn’t trained for this type of situation at all.

     “Seunghyun! You have to do something!” Suho shouted as he suddenly grabbed the angel by the collar.

     “I’m trying to think of something!” Seunghyun shouted back.     

     Everyone was now in a greater state of panic. Seunghyun already warned the brothers that this might happen, but that also does not mean that he can do anything about it. He trained to exorcise Jiyong, not save his body from rotting.

     “Can you remove the heart again?! Do anything! We can’t let his body rot! This is the only way to resurrect him!” Suho shouted, but Seunghyun didn’t know what to do anymore. His mind was now completely blank because of what was happening. 

     For some reason, he was confident that Jiyong would accept the heart. But now that the result was not what he was expecting, he suddenly didn’t know what to do.

     “Seunghyun! Please!” Suho suddenly pleaded, breaking Seunghyun’s heart. Even Dongmin looked away because of pity.

     Seunghyun lets go of his notebook and looked back at Suho with a sad expression, “S-Suho…I…I can’t-”

     Seunghyun was cut off when Kharon ran towards the two. He saw that Suho was clenching his fist, getting ready to summon his weapon. Kharon was afraid that if Suho heard the words “ I can’t do anything “ from Seunghyun, Suho might just smash Seunghyun’s head with a hammer because of frustration.

      “Suho, let’s assist the others outside. I think we are more needed there than here.” Kharon stated. It was obvious that he was trying to calm the demon down by dragging him outside. But Suho wasn’t listening. He pushed his guardian away and went in front of Jiyong’s rotting body. 

     He took Jiyong’s hand and hugged it close to his face before saying, “Please…Jiyong…you have to accept that heart. You can’t give up so easily. You have to fight. We’ve all waited so long for you. You can’t give up on us now.”

     Even though Jiyong’s soul was technically inside Minhyuk, Jiyong still had control over his body, especially since he’s close to it now. He just has to prepare his body before entering it. Without a proper heart, the vessel won’t be able to hold and lock the soul in place.

     “Please my dear brother. Everyone is waiting for your return.” Suho continues to say until blood tears started streaming down from his cheeks.

    Kharon couldn’t do anything else but watch his kids in pain.

     Everything they worked hard for was crumbling right before their eyes and they couldn’t even do anything anymore because it was all up to Jiyong now.  And to top it all off, the other Demons were facing unimaginable forces outside as well. They were completely cornered.

    “Seunghyun…” Suho called out with a soft voice, making everyone look at him.

     Suho then looks at Seunghyun and surprisingly says, “S-Seunhyung…cut me open and take my heart.”

     “W-What?” everyone inside the prayer room suddenly asked in shock.

     “I’m sure my heart is stronger than Jiho’s. You guys will need Jiyong more than you will need me.” Suho revealed, shocking everyone even more.

     The selfless request made everyone dumbfounded.

     “My Prince, are you insane?!” Kharon asked as he looked at Suho, but Suho was too determined. Dongmin wanted to butt in, but he knew it was not his place. This was up to the demons now.

     “Please. I will do anything for Jiyong. Anything!” Suho now shouted with full determination.

     Seunghyun couldn’t say a word, so Suho looked back at Jiyong again. The black almost consumed his face, making Suho grab the body to hug it tighter.

     “Please Seunghyun! Just kill me! Just kill me and give my brother my heart! Please!” Suho demanded.

     Seunghyun could feel tears forming in his eyes as he watched Suho helplessly embrace the prince of pride.

     “ This can’t end like this, “ Seunghyun tells himself as he looked out the window, ready to call any Archangel who was willing to help them.

     Suho’s tears continued to pour. He hugged Jiyong tighter until a drop of his tears suddenly fell on Jiyong’s chest, and on that right moment, the black stopped spreading. Seunghyun quickly stopped walking towards the window when he saw what happened. Even Kharon and Dongmin were surprised.

     “Of course.” Dongmin suddenly stated when he remembered something.

     “Lucifer’s letter. Tears. That was written in the letter. That’s the last piece of the puzzle.” Dongmin continued to say.

     Suho confusingly looked down on Jiyong and realized that the black on his skin was slowly vanishing.

     “Suho put him down,” Seunghyun stated, immediately making Suho do so.

     “What’s going on? What happened?” Suho confusingly asked.

     “You did it Suho. I can’t believe I’m saying this but I think your love just saved him.” Seunghyun stated as Suho wiped his bloody tears away.

     “So, can you do it? Can you transfer his soul now?” Suho immediately asked.

     Seunghyun wasn’t a hundred percent sure, but after what he saw, after seeing how Suho was willing to sacrifice himself just for Jiyong, Seunghyun had to make sure that whatever happens, he will resurrect Jiyong no matter what the cause.

     “Move aside,” Seunghyun says confidently. He looked at Jiyong’s body and looked back at Minhyuk’s body.

     Jiyong finally accepted the heart. 

     Seunghyun doesn’t know what the connection was with Suho’s tears. It might be because of his undying and selfless love for his brother, or maybe because Suho has the power to take knowledge and memory that he unknowingly transferred all of their memory to the heart, which was enough to strengthen it. Seunghyun couldn’t connect it at all, but Jiyong accepted it regardless. So now he wasn’t rotting in a rapid pace like earlier. 

     But what he’s worried about now was Minhyuk. Because a few minutes ago, Minyuk’s nails were the only things that were rotting. Now it was entire fingers too.

     Seunghyun touched the rosary on his neck and closed his eyes.

     “ May God guide and lead me. “ Seunghyun prays before making the sign of the cross. When he opened his eyes, he took a deep breath and raised his right arm while his left was directed towards Minhyuk.

     “I call upon the spirit of the prince of pride, Kwon Jiyong. In the name of the Holy Spirit, I command you to return to your vessel!” Seunghyun shouted with a powerful voice, making Minhyuk move a little.

     Before saying anything further, Seunghyun takes the holy water and the bible from the side table. He then started reading a passage from the bible, and while doing so, he was sprinkling the holy water on Minhyuk’s body.

     Everyone could see that Minhyuk’s skin was burning every time the water would drop on him.  As much as Suho was worried about Jiyong, he was worried about Minhyuk as well. But he didn’t stop Seunghyun. He knew that they had no choice, so Minhyuk only had to hold on a little longer.

     “I call upon the spirit of the prince of pride, Kwon Jiyong. In the name of the Holy Spirit, I command you to return to your vessel!” Seunghyun shouted for the second time. And when he sprinkled the holy water on Minhyuk again, Minhyuk’s eyes finally shot open.

     His eyes were blood-red, and at the top of his lungs, he screamed as if thousands of voices were screaming with him.

      “Hold him down!” Seunghyun instructed, so Suho and Kharon ran to Minhyuk’s side and pressed him down.

     Seunghyun continued reading the passage written on the old bible. As he was doing so, Minhyuk’s body was aggressively shaking while blood started coming out of his mouth and nose. It was starting to get harder for Kharon and Suho to hold him down, so Dongmin joined them too.

     “I call upon the spirit of the prince of pride, Kwon Jiyong. In the name of the Holy Spirit, I command you to return to your vessel!” Seunghyun shouted for the last time as a dark smoke finally started coming out of Minhyuk’s mouth.

     When Seunghyun saw that Jiyong’s spirit was ready, he put the bible and the holy water down and finally shouted at the top of his lungs, “ Arise Kwon Jiyong! Return to the body from which you came! “

     The black smoke that was slowly oozing out of Minhyuk quickly transferred to Jiyong like Jiyong was sucking his own soul in.

     Kharon, Suho, and Dongmin backed away as Jiyong’s soul started to enter Jiyong like rapid water. As that was happening, Seunghyun lifted his hand again and continued to chant something in Latin.

     After a few seconds, it stopped, and everything became silent except for the ruckus that was heard from outside the prayer room.

     “Is it done?” Suho asked.

     Seunghyun was panting heavily as he looked back at Suho and answered, “I think it-” But Seunghyun was cut off when a strong force of wind coming from Jiyong’s body suddenly blew him and everyone else away.

      The four fell to the ground. Everything inside the prayer room was now a mess. Even Minhyuk’s lifeless body was mercilessly thrown away.

      The room was then filled with dark smoke. And for some reason, the hair of their skin was standing because of the awesome power that they were currently feeling. Seunghyun couldn’t help but gulp as he saw a figure stand in front of them. Then the figure took a step closer, giving Kharon and the others a better view of himself.

     The figure was none other than the prince of pride, standing in front of them in his demonic form. His eyes were red, and his power was so strong that Kharon himself felt terrified.

     “My prince!” Kharon immediately greeted, bowing so low his head touched the ground.

     Jiyong felt so powerful that Kharon couldn’t even cry and rejoice for his kid’s return. It was too overwhelming. He was no mere demon, and the four realized that.

     “J-Jiyong?” Suho asked as he looked at his brother who didn’t seem like himself.

      “He’s not himself,” Dongmin stated, realizing it as he saw Jiyong’s lifeless eyes.

     “He doesn’t remember who he really is. Suho, you have to wake him up.” Dongmin immediately added. But Suho was too confused to even do anything because Jiyong is obviously…awake. How on earth is he going to wake someone who is already awake?

     “He’s going to burst out all that power and kill us all. We have to do something.” Seunghyun added while his head was lowered. He doesn’t know why, but he felt scared. He didn’t know the reason, but his body didn’t want to move. He couldn’t even look at Jiyong.

     But before anyone could do anything to stop him, Jiyong walked towards the door, opening it with such a powerful force that made everything completely stop. 

• END -

SDS3 32: THE PRINCE OF PRIDE

“NO! I WILL NOT let you enter that room! Not in my goddamn life!” Sunggyu shouted with his full might. He gripped on his weapon so hard his hand started to produce fire. His demonic wings appeared, and at that moment, he transferred his power on his sword.

     Sunggyu was about to hit his sword on the ground to produce a strong force that would throw away anyone that was surrounding him. But as he was about to do so, the door of the prayer room suddenly swung open. It was such a strong force that all the spiders were thrown away from it.

     Sunggyu immediately dispersed his power and went back to normal.

     Everything was suddenly silent as black smoke started oozing out of the prayer room. Hyunseung and Taeil ran to where Sunggyu was. The three brothers held onto each other as a strong wind gust out of the room.

     Sunggyu immediately held onto his brother’s shoulder as he felt his chest tightening. Hyunseung and Taeil could feel it too, and they couldn’t help but tremble as they watched the black smoke slowly disperse.

     “D-Do you feel that…my brothers?” Sunggyu asked, tears now falling from his eyes.

     Hyunseung and Taeil didn’t answer, but eyes covered in bloody red suddenly appeared in the darkness. And the three immediately went down on their knees to show their undying respect to the awakened demon in front of them.

     “Our Prince of Pride…has finally returned,” Sunggyu stated as the prince of pride finally stepped out of the prayer room.

     Everyone felt a strong presence.

     The ghouls and demonic monsters who were attacking suddenly stopped. But before they could even see who the owner of that strong presence was, Kwon Jiyong widened his arms, releasing a very strong black force that caused all the monsters and ghouls to disperse in an instant.

     Sunggyu, Hyunseung, and Taeil looked at the scene with complete shock. Their brother just killed the enemies with one hit that they were left speechless. They thought that Jiyong was finally going back to normal, but Jiyong continues to stay on his demonic form as he started walking out of the Holy Home.

     “J-Jiyong?” Sunggyu asked confusingly as Jiyong walked past them like Jiyong didn’t even see them.

      “Jiyong’s going berserk!” Suho shouted as he ran out of the prayer room to warn his brothers. Kharon, Seunghyun, and  Dongmin followed behind him.

     “You have to wake him. He’s still not himself!” Dongmin explained to the brothers.

      Sunggyu cursed under his breath as he and his two brothers stood up from the floor.

     “He’s too strong that I felt afraid of him. His demon blood is taking over him. If you guys don’t do anything now, Jiyong will bring chaos to the world himself without the king of hell’s help.” Dongmin tells them, and the brothers immediately ran out to follow their awakened brother.

     Jackson, who transformed back into his human form after transforming into a ram earlier, looked at the area with shock. He was covered in blood because the wild boar that he was fighting exploded right in front of him. He knew the reason why. He felt the black force that killed the monsters around them. No demon could be strong enough to do that other than a SS Ranked Demon. And that SS Ranked Demon is none other than…

     “Brother…” Jackson says when he saw Jiyong walk towards him.

     The moment he saw him, Jackson couldn’t help but tear up from happiness. But he soon realized that something was wrong with him by how he stared back at him.

      “Jackson! Take cover!” Someone suddenly shouted.

     Jackson squinted his eyes and saw the Arcs running towards him. But when he looked back at Jiyong, Jiyong was already in front of him. He suddenly swung his weapon towards Jackson, throwing Jackson to the side. If Jackson wasn’t able to transform into his demonic form, he could have hit a wall so hard his bones would have broke, but thanks to his wings, he was able to stop the impact.

     “Jackson!” Mark shouted as he was about to run towards his lover, but Woohyung stopped him.

     “Don’t get too close to them you idiot! Jackson barely blocked Jiyong’s attack. Do you want to die?” Woohyun asked Mark angrily.

     “W-what’s happening to Kwon Jiyong?” Lay asked next, his legs shaking because of the strong presence the prince of pride was emitting.

     “He’s not himself. He’s in full demon mode. He’s been dead for so long that he forgot about who he really is.” Junhyung answered, feeling the terror that the rest of the Arcs were feeling as well.

     “Arcs!” Dongmin - their guardian- called out as he arrived with Seunghyun and Kharon.

     “You have to step back. You won’t be able to block him if he tries to attack you.” Kharon warned them.

     “Let the Demons handle it. We need to be at a safer distance away from here.” Seunghyun added.

     Junhyung didn’t want to leave the deadly brothers, but he knew that Seunghyun and Dongmin were right. If they stay here, Jiyong might detect them and try to kill them. If that happens, they will definitely be slaughtered.

     “Arcs, we have to go.” Junhyung finally commanded, “We are not abandoning them again, but this is a battle that they have to face alone. We’ll come back once the coast is clear.” The angel’s leader added when he saw the unsure faces of his members.

     “Alright.” Mark and the rest finally agreed.

     “ Good luck Demons. “ He whispered as he and the rest of the angels teleported away from the chaos.

     “I’ll escort my kids to a safer place. Will you be okay here?” Dongmin asked Kharon.

     Kharon didn’t even hesitate as he answered, “Jiyong is their brother. Whatever happens, he will remember them.” 

     Dongmin nodded his head in understanding before teleporting away with the rest of the Arcs.

     When the Arcs’ guardian was gone, Kharon looked back at the Demons and took a deep breath. He was about to join them, but he then remembered something, “I should wake the prince of Gluttony first.” He says before running back inside the Holy Home.

     As the Arcs made their escape, the Demons ran towards Jiyong who was walking towards Jackson with a menacing grin. They don’t exactly know why Jiyong was attacking him, but the Demons have a feeling that since Jackson’s strength is close to his, Jiyong automatically thought of him as a great threat.

     “This is bad,” Suho stated as he and the rest of his brothers continued to run towards their two strongest brothers.

     Thankfully ghouls and demonic monsters weren’t appearing anymore. It’s either they’re too scared to face Kwon Jiyong, or the King stopped sending them because he knew he was too late.

     Jackson, on the other hand, was still composing himself after Jiyong’s first attack. He held the spot where Jiyong struck him. It was bleeding, but the pain was tolerable. He took a deep breath and saw Jiyong walking towards him with a smirk. 

     Jiyong was gripping on his weapon, ready to attack Jackson again. 

     Jackson didn’t know what to do that he summoned his claw-like weapon instead. If things go bad, Jackson has no choice but to attack back.

     “Jiyong! Stop!” Sunggyu shouted as the Demons finally arrived at the scene.

     “Why are you attacking your brother?!” Sunggyu continued to shout, and for a second, Jiyong stopped.

     “I-It’s working. He can still hear us.” Taeil said when he saw how Jiyong reacted.

      Even though it was a quick reaction, it was still a reaction.

      The Demons ran to Jackson’s side and faced Jiyong. Jiyong was still in his demonic state, but when he saw his five brothers standing in front of him, the black smoke that was surrounding him slowly started to decrease.

      Taeil helped Jackson compose himself. 

     As Jackson draped his arm around Taeil’s shoulder for support, he looked back at Jiyong straight in the eye, “I guarded your stupid ass for seven months and this is his how you repay me?” Jackson asked him with a smirk, but deep down, even after being attack by him, he was overwhelmed by the fact that his brother was now standing in front of them. He was so happy he could cry.

      But Jiyong was still in his attack mode. If the Demons don’t do anything now, Jiyong might permanently become like this and kill everyone who stood in his way.

     “What now big brain?” Suho asked as he looked at Taeil, but Taeil just gulped and looked back at Jiyong with fear.

     “Jiyong was always scary, but now…he’s ten times scarier,” Taeil answered instead, making Sunggyu hit his head.

    “That’s not helping,” Sunggyu tells him angrily.

    “W-What do we do?” Suho asked.

      Before anyone could even think of an answer, Jiyong started walking towards them again, making it harder for the brothers to think. So instead of giving an answer, Sunggyu looked at his brothers and asked, “What have we done for him that will make him remember? What have we-”

     Taeil finally had an idea as he cuts Sunggyu off and shouted, “The letter!”

     Sunggyu’s eyes widened from realization. He wasn’t sure if it would work, but he took a deep breath and looked back at his brother seriously before saying out loud, “Prince of Pride. I, Kim Sunggyu, the boy whose flames can burn the coldest hearts, have brought you light.”

     Jiyong finally stopped walking towards them, surprising everyone. So Suho gulped and immediately joined in, “I, Prince Suho of Greed, the boy with quick feet, has shed tears for you,” Suho then stated.

     The brothers looked at each other as Jiyong’s black smoke was slowly dispersing around him. Whatever they were doing was fucking working.

     “A stubborn boy who was born to be selfless has brought you salvation,” Jackson says next, and the smoke surrounding Jiyong finally disappeared. But Jiyong was still in his demonic form, so the sons approached him slowly as Taeil added next, “I am the Prince of Sloth, a boy whose bidding is done by others, have seen your undying reflection.”

     Jiyong’s demonic senses were weakening. But as the brothers were approaching Jiyong, the Prince of Gluttony, Lee Minhyuk, finally arrived at the scene with Kharon assisting him.

     “Minhyuk!” Hyunseung rejoiced when he saw that his best friend was alright.

     Minhyuk was about to say something, but when he saw what his brothers were doing, he quickly joined them. Even though he was still too weak to even move, he tried to say, “I…L-Lee Minhyuk…the boy who is h-hungry for power and greatness…have given you…t-the greatest gift.” 

     Jiyong fell on his knees, dropping his weapon with him. His wings and horns were disappearing now as well. The only thing left was his lifeless red eyes.

     Kharon took a step back and watched his princes with watery eyes. Hyunseung was the only one left. The brothers looked at each other, only to realize that they were crying now like their guardian.

     Hyunseung took a deep breath and walked closer to Jiyong. When he was now just a few inches away from him, Hyunseung knelt down and gently touched Jiyong’s cheek.

     “I, the first son, the boy born to love and to be loved, has given you and will continue to give you, more than I could ever give to anyone in this world. Just please…come back to us.” Hyunseung softly says.

     The brothers waited.

     Everything was silent for a second. But then Jiyong looked up at the sky and opened his mouth. It looked like he was shouting something, but instead of sounds, black smoke came out of his mouth as well.

      The demons and their guardian took cover. 

     When it was finally over, Hyunseung, who was kneeling just inches away from Kwon Jiyong, saw something that almost made his heart stop beating for a second. A tear fell from Hyunseung’s eye when he saw blood streaming down from Jiyong’s own eyes.

     “Welcome back…my dear brother,” Hyunseung tells him.

     Jiyong blinks and looks at Hyunseung confusingly before finally saying, “H-Hyunseung?”

     Hyunseung’s emotions burst out of him as he grabbed Jiyong for a tight embrace. Hyunseung never imagined that he’d ever hear his brother call his name like that again.

    At that moment, everyone remembered Jiyong’s death again. The pain that they all felt when he died right in front of their eyes, and how they were all lost when they decided to part ways. The brothers faced so much for the past months, individually and as a group. They faced their own demons, they faced possessed humans, deadly emotions, and thousands of ghouls. They faced all that just for this single moment.

     Jiyong was finally alive. He was breathing right in front of them and they didn’t even know what to do.

     “Can someone pinch me because for some reason I don’t think this is real,” Taeil says as he just stood there while holding onto Jackson.

     Everyone didn’t know what to do. But finally, even though he was injured, Jackson removed his arm from Taeil and ran to where Jiyong was to give him his long-awaited embrace.

     “Jiyong!” Suho shouted as he ran towards Jiyong as well. Then the rest of the brothers followed, hugging their now reawakened brother. Even Kharon was kneeling to give his respect to him.

     Everyone was hugging Jiyong, happy that their brother was back. But one brother was hesitant. He stood on the side, staring at his brothers without saying a single word. Everyone was crying tears of joy, but Sunggyu was crying blood. 

     Jiyong was alive. But even after having a meaningful talk with Nam Woohyun back in Beijing, he still felt guilty. He felt like he didn’t deserve to embrace his brother after what happened to all of them. Because even after everything, Sunggyu still felt the burden as their leader. Because when things fell apart, he was the first to leave, and he hated the fact that until now it haunts him.

     Jackson saw Sunggyu standing alone so he broke from the hug and stepped away. The rest of the brothers noticed it too and did the same, leaving Jiyong alone on the floor.

     Sunggyu gulped when Jiyong looked at him directly in the eyes.

     Sunggyu was about to say something, but Jiyong weakly smiled and spoke first, “Blaming yourself for my death huh? That’s so you Kim Sunggyu.” He playfully tells his brother, but both he and Sunggyu were crying blood.

     “Jiyong…”

     “There’s no need to torture yourself anymore my dear Sunggyu. You have done enough for me and for our brothers. I have never been prouder. So please…can you stop hurting yourself now?” Jiyong asked, and finally, Sunggyu ran to his brother and gave him the tightest embrace.

     “I missed you. I fucking missed you.” Sunggyu said as he continued to hug his brother like he was never going to let go of him again.

     The demons looked at each other with great happiness. Then, Jiyong looked back at them and opened his arms wider, making the rest of them hug him again.

     “Thank you my brothers…thank you.”

• END -

SDS3 33: KWON JIYONG

JIYONG WAS LYING IN bed. After what happened earlier, his legs gave in because of exhaustion so he was forced to be carried by his brothers.

     “Give him time to rest. His body still can’t cope up, especially when the heart isn’t exactly his.” Kharon explained.

     “I’m fine old bird. I’m the strongest demon remember?” Jiyong said with a weak voice, making Kharon flick his forehead. Jiyong whined, and the six brothers who were surrounding the bed laughed.

    Kharon chuckled too and patted Jiyong’s head after, “I’m glad you’re back kid. But please, rest.” 

     As they were watching their resting brother, someone suddenly knocked on the door. Sunggyu, who was sitting on the bed while holding Jiyong’s hand, looked at the door to see Junhyung.

     “Do we deserve to face the prince?” Junhyung asked; the hesitation is vivid in his face.

     Sunggyu looked at Jiyong, and Jiyong nodded his head as an answer.

     The rest of the demons went to the side to give way to Junhyung. Then, the rest of the Arcs followed behind him. When they were all in front of Jiyong, the seven arcs bowed down, surprising the Demons.

     “As the leader of Arcs, we give you our sincerest-” Jiyong immediately cuts Junhyung off and said, “If you apologize again like Sunggyu I’ll kick your ass.”

     Junhyung looked up, and Jiyong smiled and continued, “While I was dead, my soul wandered in this dark abyss. But I could hear things, and that included your prayers for me. Especially you…Choi Seunghyun. You prayed for me every day for the past seven months. I can’t thank you enough.” Jiyong revealed, surprising the demons even more.

     “I don’t know if it’s a good thing to pray for a demon, but I thank you for that,” Jiyong added, and Seunghyun smiled back and nodded his head as a sign for “you’re welcome”. 

     “My death was not your fault. Because if you ask me, I’m grateful you chose one than all. If you didn’t let me die, the rest of my brothers would have died with me. I wouldn’t know what to do if that ever happens.” Jiyong explained, and the Arcs finally stood up.

     “Thank you Kwon Jiyong,” Junhyung stated, and it looked like he was about to shed tears too.

    “Come on, don’t fucking cry. I’m not good at handling that.” Jiyong complained, making everyone in the room laugh.

     “Welcome back prince of pride,” Mark says.

     Soon after, the Arcs’s guardian - Jang Dongmin - enters the room.

     “It really is strange to see you again prince of pride.” He stated when he saw Jiyong lying in bed.

     “Still look shitty as ever saint Peter. Looks like you still have a drinking problem.” Jiyong teased.

    Dongmin smirked and said back, “Looks like you’re still an asshole prince Kwon.” 

     It would have sounded offensive, but Dongmin was as happy as the rest. He was glad to see  Jiyong alive again. And he was happier about the fact that they could exchange insults like this too.

     “But enough about that. There are people who are dying to see you again.” Dongmin said, and right on queue, Jiyong’s mother arrived with his step-father Charles.

     The Arcs and the Demons looked at each other. Sunggyu looked at Jiyong, and Jiyong nodded his head back.

     “Let’s give them some privacy,” Sunggyu stated.

     The Demons and the Arcs agreed. 

     The Arcs went out first with their guardian. And when the Demons walked past Jiyong’s parents, they hugged them first before leaving. It was only today did they meet them again after Jiyong’s funeral. 

     Jiyong’s parents didn’t know about all this. Dongmin advised to keep it a secret from them for the time being because if the resurrection did not work, Jiyong’s parents won’t be in pain again. But when Jiyong woke up, Kharon immediately flew his way to their mansion to give them the good news.

     “M-Mom?” Jiyong called out.

     The two looked hesitant. With her eyes filled with tears, she looked back at Jiyong and asked, “Jiyong? Is that really you?”

     A tear fell from Jiyong’s eyes as he answered, “I’m sorry if I made you worry mom.”

     Mrs. Kwon didn’t even say anything anymore as she ran towards her son to give him the tightest embrace. She never thought that this would ever happen. She never thought that she’ll ever have a chance to hug her son like this again.

     “I missed you so much. I prayed every day that they’d take me instead. But thank god you’re back. Thank god.” Mrs. Kwon continued to say without letting go of Jiyong.

     Charles on the other hand just looked at the two with awe. The last time he hugged him was when he returned dead from their first battle in hell. But now he’s right in front of him, alive and breathing.

     Jiyong noticed him and looked at him with a warm smile.

     And for the first time, he called out, “Father.”

     Charles’s eyes widen from surprise. He wasn’t sure if he heard it right so he didn’t move an inch from where he was standing. Mrs. Kwon moved aside as Jiyong repeated, “I’m back father.”

     The tears finally poured out of Charles’s eyes.

     “Oh, my dear son.” He ran to Jiyong’s side and hugged him as well. After so many months, they were finally together again.  And just like the demons, their family was once again complete.

THE NEXT DAY

     “Mom and Charles will be back tonight with Jiyong’s things. They agreed to let Jiyong stay here since it’s safer.” Sunggyu tells the Demons and the Arcs.

     The sons were eating breakfast. Jiyong was back, and as much as they wanted to celebrate his return yesterday, Jiyong was still too weak to even move, so they let him rest the entire night instead.

     “I still can’t believe Jiyong is just sleeping in the other room,” Minhyuk said as he took a sip of his coffee.

     “I can’t believe it either. And I think I got a little paranoid because I guarded his door the entire night too.” Jackson said, and Taeil looks at his best friend and teases, “No wonder you look like a panda with those eyebags of yours.”

     “Hey, you look like shit too Taeil,” Jackson says back.

     “That’s because Taeil dragged Jihoon late at night and forced him to guard the door downstairs,” Sungjae revealed, making Taeil kick his leg under the table.

     Sungjae whined, and Minhyuk glared back at his brother who quickly apologized.

     “Looks like you do care,” Suho told Taeil, and Taeil just remained quiet and continued to eat his salad in peace.

     “Well, I guess we all didn’t sleep properly. I also stayed awake in case something bad happened to Jiyong.” Sunggyu revealed, and the rest of the Demons laughed when they realized how paranoid they all were.

     “You boys don’t have to worry. Now that Jiyong is awake, ghouls won’t come so easily. Even if the king of hell sends out millions of ghouls and lords, it won’t be enough. The only thing who can kill Jiyong is the king himself, and I doubt he’ll just barge here so easily.” Dongmin explained, and everyone couldn’t help but agree.

     They all felt Jiyong’s power when he woke up. For some reason, he felt a lot stronger than before. Like he wasn’t dead at all, but instead, he’s been resting and gathering his strength.

     “But if you’re still worried, Seunghyun can guard him,” Junhyung said with a smirk, making Seunghyun glare at their leader.

     “That’s actually a good idea. The Demons need to rest, and the only angel who’s compatible with him is Seunghyun,” Dongmin says, making the Arcs laugh.

     “Then take good care of him, brother.” Woohyun says, giving malice to the word good.

     “Thanks a lot, leader,” Seunghyun tells Junhyung who was just laughing. He wouldn’t have stopped if Hyunseung didn’t hit his head.

     “I don’t need fucking protection.” Someone suddenly declared, and the strong aura instantly made everyone stop talking.

     Everyone turned their head and saw Jiyong approaching them. Jackson and Sunggyu were about to stand to assist him, but Jiyong immediately glared at them, forcing them to sit back down.

     “Don’t act like I’m weak. I’ve been dead for months while all of you have been fighting these monsters. I should be able to do something useful now so don’t waste your time and energy into protecting me.” Jiyong says, and the brothers looked at each other.

     It was only natural that they’d be worried. But they forgot how stubborn their strongest brother could be.

    “We know you’re not weak Jiyong. But you’re very valuable.” Dongmin stated, and Jiyong just rolled his eyes and took a seat beside their leader, Sunggyu.

     “Fine, if you want me to have a bodyguard so badly then I’ll take that big guy instead,” Jiyong said while pointing at Seunghyun. “I’m not letting my brothers guard me.” He added.

    “ Told you, “ Junhyung whispered, making Hyunseung hit him again.

     “So be it,” Seunghyun said with a serious expression.

     Now that everything was settled, Suho looked back at his brother and said, “Are you feeling better now brother? Or do you want Lay to heal you?”

     “Babe, I can’t do that remember? Jiyong isn’t connected to an angel yet.” Lay reminded him.

     “Looks like you really have to guard his body well Seunghyun,” Woohyun teased again, and the atmosphere came back to normal as the rest of the brothers laughed.

     “Enough with the jokes. I’m fucking starving.” Jiyong said as he started shoving the food inside his mouth.

    While eating, he suddenly looked at the people around him. They were all staring at him, so Jiyong swallowed his food and drank his orange juice before saying, “Why the fuck are you staring at me like that? Don’t you know it’s rude to stare at people who are eating?”

     Without saying a word, the Demons suddenly looked teary.

     “We really can’t believe you’re here again,” Hyunseung admitted, and the rest of the brothers agreed.

     “We actually missed you big guy,” Mark added.

     Jiyong was supposed to curse them out again, but then he felt his face turning red because of embarrassment. The sudden reaction made everyone laugh.

     “Looks like you can be cute at times too Jiyong,” Jihoon stated.

     “What the fuck did you just say, angel?” Jiyong asked back, making Taeil’s lover flinch.

     “Hey, don’t curse at my brother like that.” Junhyung defended.

     “How about I kick your ass right now you good for nothing angel?”

     Sunggyu looked at the people around the table and smiled. This was like the mornings that they had when Jiyong was alive. And right now, it was happening again. He couldn’t be any happier.

     “Alright guys, let’s settle down. We haven’t had a proper celebration so let’s raise our glass and give Jiyong a toast.” Sunggyu says as stands from his seat and lifts his cup of coffee up.

     The rest found it funny, but they followed and lifted their glass of water, orange juice, coffee, and tea.

     “Jiyong, things went badly when you left. We lost our way and we lost each other. But it is because of you as well that we got together and got stronger than ever before. Starting today, things will change, because this time, we will win.” Sunggyu stated, and everyone nodded their heads in determination.

     “Let’s win together. Welcome back Kwon Jiyong.” Sunggyu finished.

     “Welcome back Kwon Jiyong!” the rest repeated as they lifted their drinks for the reawakened prince.

     Jiyong finally smiled and looked back at the Arcs and the Demons. He stood up from his seat and touched Sunggyu’s shoulder as he said, “Like what we always say…let’s kill that mother fucker.”

• END -

SDS3 34: SECOND PT.1

THE ARCS AND THE Demons were at the meeting room getting ready to conduct a plan for the upcoming war with the King of Hell. Everyone wanted Jiyong to rest, but the prideful demon insisted that they shouldn’t waste any more time and start making a plan now.

     “You literally met someone named Pain and Panic?” Jiyong asked curiously.

     “And Hope and Nightmare too. They’re part of Pandora’s emotions,” Minhyuk explained, making Jiyong massage his head in confusion.

     “They’re real people?” He continued to ask.

     “Emotions, not people,” Sungjae corrected, and Jiyong just wanted to slap himself because of how confused he was.

     The sons gave Jiyong a recap of everything that happened when he was still dead, and all that information only confused Jiyong. But even though it was confusing, Jiyong had to know all these things just in case something happened.

     “By the way, Kai and Tamo sent you a fruit basket. It’s downstairs, and they said they’ll visit as soon as they can to personally welcome you back,” Suho suddenly told his brother, and then Jiyong asked Suho to thank them for him. 

    While they were talking about their two friends in Japan, Taeil suddenly realized something so obvious.

    “That’s right! We have Kai and Tamo!” Taeil practically shouted, making everyone look at him with confused expressions. Taeil stood up from his seat and looked back at the demons and angels in front of him, “Tamo is the CEO of Ravens. Ravens is a big agency that has thousands of people who are good at fighting.”

     “Are you saying you want humans to fight demons for us?” Junhyung asked, and Taeil nodded his head to confirm it.

     “Are you crazy?” Seunghyun immediately commented.

    “Come on, let’s look at it this way. Tamo changed the principles of his agency because of us. They don’t capture angels and demons anymore, but instead, they protect them. Wouldn’t it be their greatest honor if they’re able to fight alongside us?”

     “Taeil has a point. They can be our front liners. Remember what Kharon told us? Ghouls are weak enough for humans to be able to kill them,” Sunggyu added, supporting his brother’s idea.

     “If that’s the case then I’ll inform Kai and Tamo about this. I’ll ask if he’s willing to sacrifice his men for this because even if they can kill ghouls, a lot will definitely die from this war,” Suho explained, and everyone nodded in agreement.

     While everyone was making further plans, Kharon – the Demons’ guardian – suddenly barged inside the meeting room with a worried expression, making everyone look at him with equal worry.

    “What’s going on?” Sunggyu immediately asked.

     “Please don’t tell me a hoard of ghouls are outside the Holy Home again,” Lay added.

     Kharon looked at the angels and demons one by one and showed them an envelope, “This just came. It’s a letter to all of you.” He said as he threw the envelope on the table.

    Junhyung took the envelope and saw what was written on the back of it: For the Demons & Arcs.

    Sunggyu stood up from his seat and stood behind Junhyung.

    “Who sent it?” Sunggyu asked as Junhyung opened the envelope. Inside the envelope was a letter from…

     “Father Michael?” Sunggyu and Junhyung asked in unison, surprising everyone in the room.

     Kharon – who had a worried expression on his face earlier – finally smiled and looked back at the sons, “We can plan for the war later. For now, we want you all to rest before the battle.”

      “What?” Sunggyu confusingly asked, so Junhyung opened the letter and read it out loud for everyone to hear.

Dear Demons & Arcs,

     I saw your battles from heaven, and I want to congratulate you all for your great success, especially the Demons. I know that our decisions aren’t always the best, and we know that sacrifices for the greater good will not justify our actions, but you all have chosen to save lives even with your demonic nature, and we cannot thank you enough.

     You are not alone in this battle. All the Archangels are getting ready to join you. We were once enemies with them, but we are now willing to fight with the rulers of hell, along with their sons who are more like angels than any angels that we have known.

     We have given Peter ( Dongmin ) instructions for the upcoming war. But for the time being, we would request you all to take a break and relax before the real battle begins. We know how hard you have worked, so the angels and I have decided to give you access to Ophanim, the most secluded place in the universe. A day in Ophanim is only equal to an hour on earth; so resting there for three days will hopefully be enough for you all.

     We also hope that you all get to catch up with your reawakened brother, Kwon Jiyong.

     This does not equal to the pain and suffering that you demons have endured, but I hope this can help in any way to amend it.

     That is all.

     May the God of Heaven be with you and your spirit…

     “Archangel Michael,” Junhyung finished, and everyone was left speechless.

     “You all have worked hard. But for now, let Dongmin and I handle the planning. We’ll tell you all the details when you come back from your vacation,” Kharon said with a smile.

     Everyone got excited about the news, especially when they could finally take a break and catch up with Jiyong. Well, except for a particular angel and demon.

     Sungjae looked at Minhyuk, and Minhyuk scratched the back of his head and told everyone, “We don’t exactly have great memories in Ophanim.”

     The Arcs and Demons stopped celebrating and looked at the two worried sons.

     “What do you mean?” Hyunseung asked.

     “Well, for starters, we got attacked by a large beast and almost died,” Sungjae revealed, surprising the sons.

    “Your father wants us to take a break…there?” Suho now asked while looking at the Arcs.

     While everyone was contemplating on Sungjae and Minhyuk’s worry, Dongmin – Arcs’ guardian – entered the room and immediately told them, “Don’t worry, the Fathers took the liberty to prepare Ophanim before your arrival. Now stop making excuses and get ready. When else will you be able to get an opportunity like this again?”

THE NEXT DAY

AT OPHANIM

Sunggyu emerged out of the mirror from the Holy Home. He looked around and realized that they were in a forest. The Demons’ leader was the last to enter, so the mirror disappeared behind them.

     The Arcs and Demons were now in Ophanim with bags that contained their essentials for their three-day break, which is conveniently just equal to three hours back on earth.

     “I’m still confused by the fact that your fathers want us to take a break…” Taeil paused and moved closer to Jihoon when he heard an animal howling in the distance before continuing his sentence, “Here.”

     “I told you guys, this is a bad idea. If we don’t die during the war, we’ll definitely die here,” Minhyuk said with a worried expression, making Hyunseung hit him in the head.

    “Dongmin already told us that the Archangels prepared this before we arrived, so I’m pretty sure nothing will attack us,” Hyunseung explained.

     “Are you sure about that?” An unknown voice suddenly asked, making most of them screech.

     Jiyong looked at sons and laughed, “Did you all become pussies after I died?” he teased, making Sunggyu glare at him.

     While Jiyong continued to laugh, the Arcs and Demons turned and faced the owner of the unknown voice. When they saw who it was, their expressions immediately changed into happiness.

     “Hope!” Everyone except for Jiyong shouted in unison.

    Hope looked at the sons and smiled at them before looking at Jiyong, “This must be the Prince of Pride.” He then bowed in front of him before saying, “It is an honor to finally meet you.”

     Jiyong stared at Hope from head to toe and asked him, “So you’re Nightmare’s bitch?”

     Jackson immediately hits Jiyong on the head because of his rude question, but Hope only laughed at the remark.

     “Pardon our brother. He’s been dead for so long he forgot how to act like a normal human being,” Sunggyu stated, and Hope continued laughing.

     “No worries. I’m just glad everyone is lively,” he stated.

     “I’m guessing you’re our tour guide,” Sungjae stated, and Hope finally stopped laughing and nodded his head to answer the angel’s assumption. 

     “Father Phanuel talked to me the other day and told me of your return, so I locked all my pets for the time being,” Hope answered, making Sungjae and Minhyuk remember the time they killed one of his pets when they teleported here for the first time.

     “Now follow me, everyone. Make sure you have all your things with you.” Hope stated before walking away.

     Everyone looked at each other before following behind Hope. The Arcs and Demons were wearing vacation clothes and had large backpacks on them. Taeil even had sunscreen on his face. They really looked like they were on vacation.

     “By the way, just a friendly reminder, Ophanim is the world that is in between heaven, earth, and hell, which is why you cannot fully use your powers here. Your powers might act strange, so I suggest you don’t use them at all,” Hope told them, making Minhyuk and Sungjae finally realize why their powers acted funny when they were defeating the beast inside the cave last time.

     “No wonder I couldn’t use mine properly,” Minhyuk stated. But then he also remembered the time he accidentally kissed Sungjae. The thought of it immediately made him stumble again, which caused his brothers to laugh at him.

     “You okay big guy?” Suho teased as he draped his arms around Minhyuk, but Minhyuk only pushed him away in annoyance.

     “Hey, you okay?” Jihoon then asked when he saw Sungjae’s face turning red, but Sungjae didn’t say anything and pretended like everything was normal.

     Hope brought them to the cave that Minhyuk and Sungjae entered before. But not like the time they got there, no one attacked them so they got to the end of the cave with ease. At the end of the cave was a large door. Hope opened it, and what they saw inside was a paradise that’s none like any other. It was even different from what Minhyuk and Sungjae saw before.

     “Well everyone, welcome to your temporary home for three days,” Hope stated, and everyone opened their mouth from awe as they stare at what was in front of them.

    Inside had clear blue skies, a beautiful waterfall, trees with fruits that they can’t even name, and a penthouse just a few meters away from the said falls. This was the vacation place that everyone expected.

     “That’s what I’m talking about!” Jiyong shouted before throwing his things on the floor and running towards the falls.

     “Jiyong!” Seunghyun shouted before running behind him. Thanks to their previous discussion, Seunghyun was officially declared as Kwon Jiyong’s bodyguard, which was actually a useless title since Jiyong is imaginably powerful, so Seunghyun’s just doing it so that his guardian wouldn’t scold him.

    “And there he goes,” Sunggyu said as he watched Jiyong removing his top and jumping inside the river without care.

     “I’ll show you to your rooms,” Hope stated as he continued walking to the penthouse.

     Sunggyu sighed and grabbed Jiyong’s things on the floor before following Hope with the rest of the Arcs and Demons. When they got inside the penthouse, Lay and Suho were surprised to see the four gate angels who took care of them back at Jeju when the two were on their supposed honeymoon .

     “Guys!” Lay and Suho shouted before running to them for a hug.

     “Hello, masters. It’s nice to see you two again,” the angel slash head maid stated while patting Lay and Suho’s head.

     “Masters, we have prepared seven rooms for all of you upstairs. If you need anything, please let us know,” one of the butlers explained.

     “ Who are they exactly? “ Mark whispered to his lover Jackson.

     “ Let’s just pretend that we know them. “

     “Alright everyone, you know your room buddies. Minhyuk, you can stay with Sungjae now. I’ll stay with Jiyong,” Sunggyu stated as he walked towards the stairs to put their things inside their room.

     Minhyuk immediately chased after their leader and pulled the strap of his bag towards him, “Hey! What do you mean I can stay with Sungjae now?”

     “Why? Aren’t you guys a thing?” Sunggyu innocently asked, making Minhyuk’s face turn red.

     “That’s what I thought,” Sunggyu stated before pushing Minhyuk away and walking upstairs to his room.

     “H-How did you even conclude that!” Minhyuk shouted, but it was too late since Sunggyu was already upstairs. So Minhyuk gulped and looked back at Sungjae who was talking to Woohyun.

     “I’ll stay with Seunghyun, you can stay with Minhyuk,” Sungjae persisted, but Woohyun wasn’t listening to him anymore.

     “I haven’t even properly talked to that guy yet. You’ll be fine,” Woohyun said back, and on queue, Minhyuk approached them with an awkward smile.

    “Well, good luck,” Woohyun stated before patting Sungjae’s back leaving him with the prince of gluttony.

     Minhyuk stood in front of Sungjae and cleared his throat, “So…we’re roommates,” he awkwardly told him.

     “Yeah,” Sungjae said back while scratching the back of his head to avoid making eye contact.

    Everyone was already in their rooms, so Minhyuk just gave up and took Sungjae’s things to help him carry them, “let’s go.” Before Sungjae could even complain, Minhyuk was already walking away from him. Sungjae wanted to say something, but he smiled and followed the awkward demon to their new room instead.

HYUNSEUNG & JUNHYUNG

“This is beautiful!” Hyunseung shouted as he ran towards the balcony to get a better view of the waterfalls. At the waterfalls, he saw Jiyong running away from his bodyguard, Seunghyun. The sight to them made Hyunseung laugh.

     Junhyung placed their things on the side and joined his boyfriend. He stood beside him and looked back at Jiyong and Seunghyun as well.

     “Do you really think it’s a good idea to make Seunghyun his bodyguard?” Hyunseung asked.

     “Well, Jiyong requested for him himself. There’s nothing we can do about it,” Junhyung answered, but the grin on his face made Hyunseung hit his head.

     “You’re having fun aren’t you?”

     Junhyung chuckled and continued to look at his brother Seunghyun, “That guy’s a tough fella. He’s always quiet and serious. Someone like Jiyong might balance him out a little.”

     “Well I hope you’re right about that,” Hyunseung stated, and Junhyung looked back at Hyunseung and caressed his cheek, “Are you happy?” He then asked him.

    Hyunseung smiled and kissed Junhyung’s hand before giving him an answer, “Very much. Which is why I’m scared that it might all be taken away from me again.”

     Junhyung moved closer, closing the distance he had with Hyunseung. He then kissed his forehead and told him, “Don’t worry, I’ll remove and destroy everything that will cause you pain. I’ll make sure you never feel unhappy again.”

     Hyunseung looked straight at Junhyung’s eyes and gave him a quick kiss, “I know you will.”

     Junhyung grabbed Hyunseung and kissed him deeper. Hyunseung draped his arms around his lover as Junhyung carried him to their bed. When Junhyung placed him down, he went on top of Hyunseung and continued kissing him like there was no tomorrow. The demon had to move away just to catch his breath.

     “ Slow down, “ Hyunseung whispered.

     Junhyung smirked and licked Hyunseung’s lip before sitting up. He removed his shirt and looked down on his loving, grabbing his crotch and gripping on it, causing Hyunseung to unintentionally moan.

     “Slow down? Well then, let’s make this three-day vacation worth it. Show me everything you’ve got…my sweet Prince of Lust.”

MINHYUK & SUNGJAE

Minhyuk entered their room, Sungjae following right behind him. He gulped when he saw the large bed, but he ignored it as he walked towards the sofa to place their things there.

     “I’ll sleep here,” he stated without looking at Sungjae.

     “Nonsense. I can sleep there. I know you’re a lot more tired than I am after-” Minhyuk immediately stopped Sungjae and looked back at him with a disappointed expression, “After being asleep for days?”

     “M-Minhyuk I…”

     “I have not done anything useful ever since Jiyong died. All I’ve been doing is fainting and sleeping and being a useless demon that is in need of protection,” Minhyuk suddenly stated, leaving Sungjae speechless.

     When Minhyuk saw the angel’s reaction, he sighed and sat on the sofa, “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m suddenly telling you this when I should be thanking you instead.”

     Sungjae doesn’t look at Minhyuk and decided to sit on the edge of the bed instead.

     “I heard from my brothers that you took care of me again when I received Jiyong’s soul. I don’t know why I keep on losing my consciousness every time, and the fact that you’re always there to see it makes me feel embarrassed.” Minhyuk explained.

     “What’s there to be embarrassed about? The first time you fainted, you saved me and helped me find Hope. The second time was because you had to hold onto Jiyong’s soul. No demon could have done it except for you. You weren’t useless like how you claim to be Minhyuk,” Sungjae explained, and Minhyuk finally looked back at Sungjae.

     “Thanks,” he simply said with a smile, but that smile alone made Sungjae look away. It was his turn to feel embarrassed.

     The two became quiet, and the awkwardness started to take over. If Lay and Suho were dubbed as the awkward couple, then these two might as well steal that title from them.

     “Hey…” Sungjae and Minhyuk suddenly called out in unison.

     Minhyuk cleared his throat and gestured his hand so Sungjae could continue, “Y-You go first,” he told him.

     Sungjae felt so shy that he couldn’t even look at Minhyuk, “I…I just wanted to ask you something. I’ve actually been dying to ask you about it ever since we got back from Ophanim ( which is ironically where they are now ).”

     “Sure, what is it?” Minhyuk asked.

     Sungjae took a deep breath and closed his eyes before quickly asking, “when we accidentally kissed, did you feel anything?”

     The entire room became quiet after the question was asked. Sungjae felt so embarrassed that he opened his eyes back at looked at Minhyuk to see his reaction. But to his surprise, Minhyuk’s face was now completely red. The demon was left flustered.

     “I w-wanted to ask you about that too,” Minhyuk revealed.

     The two became quiet again, but a second later, they started laughing.

     “Damn, I was worried about nothing,” Minhyuk stated, wiping his tears away after laughing so hard. When the two finally settled down, Sungjae looked back at him seriously again and asked, “So, what did you feel?”

     Minhyuk looked straight at Sungjae’s eyes and gave him a serious answer, “I haven’t kissed anyone before, but what happened between us felt…nice.”

     Sungjae sighed in relief and nodded his head, “I thought you’d feel disgusted,” he told him, and Minhyuk smiled and said back, “I thought the same.”

     “Looks like we both think alike,” Sungjae commented, making Minhyuk laugh.

     “So, can you sing for me again like last time Prince of Gluttony?” Sungjae teased, and Minhyuk finally stood up from the sofa and said, “In your dreams angel.”

     “Well, it was worth the shot,” Sungjae stated before standing from the bed as well.

      The two started fixing their things while talking about things that they might have in common with. The atmosphere felt lovely and pure.

     Innocent couple.

     Maybe that’s their new title.

• To be continued -

SDS3 35: SECOND PT.2

SUHO & LAY

“YIXING! I FORGOT TO bring it!” Suho shouted while scavenging his luggage. He was throwing his clothes out of his suitcase while Lay continued on picking them up and placing it on the bed.

     “What did you forget exactly?” Lay asked, and Suho stopped what he was doing to look back at his lover with a serious expression, “The condoms.”

     The moment Lay heard Suho’s answer, he immediately took all the clothes that he picked up and threw it back at Suho, causing Suho to laugh like there was no tomorrow. After composing himself, Suho shoved his clothes back inside his suitcase and stood from the floor to stand in front of Lay. He held him by the shoulder and kissed his forehead gently before saying, “I think Junhyung and Hyunseung has an extra.”

     Lay immediately pushed Suho away in annoyance and headed to the balcony.

     “Hey, I was just joking,” Suho defended, following behind his pissed-off lover.

     “Are you even the prince of greed or are you actually the prince of lust? All you think about is sex Joon. Sometimes I wonder to myself if the only reason why you’re with me is because of that,” Lay says with a sad expression, and Suho finally became serious.

     Suho looked back at Lay, ready to explain that what he’s thinking isn’t true, but Suho took a deep breath and looked at the view in front of them instead, “You’re beautiful.”

     Lay was surprised by the statement, but before he could even ask why Suho was suddenly telling him that, Suho continued, “I want to touch you, and feel you, and make every inch of you mine. But my greediness makes you doubt my sincerity for you. I shouldn’t have made you feel like that. This is my fault.”

     “No, I didn’t mean to-”

     “And before you tell me otherwise, then I’ll declare it now,” Suho stated, finally looking back at Lay who was looking at him too, “I won’t have sex with you for three days.”

     “What?” Lay asked, dumbfounded.

     “I won’t have sex with you…but I’ll shower you with my love in many different ways that you’d feel like you’d drown in them,” Suho told him with a determined look.

     Lay was left speechless. But after processing what Suho just told him, his face suddenly turned red. For some reason, that was the sweetest thing Suho had ever told him ever since they became lovers.

     “You’re an idiot,” Lay said, draping his arms around Suho’s neck and pulling him close for a hug, “But I love you.”

     “I know,” Suho said back, kissing Lay’s forehead again.

     When they pulled away from the hug, Lay looked back at the view in front of them, and Suho did the same. They had a perfect view of the waterfall, and on that waterfall, he saw Jiyong and Seunghyun swimming together.

     “I heard from Seunghyun about what happened during Jiyong’s exorcism,” Lay stated, and Suho didn’t say anything about it. He wanted to know what his lover thought about his supposed brave act.

     “You were willing to die and give your own heart for Jiyong. When I heard about that I thought…” Lay paused and took a deep breath before proceeding, “my boyfriend really is amazing, isn’t he?”

     Suho’s eyes widened from Lay’s sweet words, but he continued not to say anything as he draped his arm around his lover. Lay smiled and rested his head on Suho’s shoulder, and the two continued to watch the waterfall in silence.

TAEIL & JIHOON

“Taeil, do we really have to do this?” Jihoon asked as he followed behind Taeil who had a notebook on his hand. Not like the others, Taeil and Jihoon were exploring the jungle thanks to Taeil’s request. There were dozens of fruit trees in Ophanim that Taeil doesn’t even know, so it’s only natural that he’d study them.

     “I’m starting to doubt if Minhyuk’s really the smart one or if it’s actually you,” Jihoon stated, squatting at a large rock while staring at Taeil who was writing something down on his notes.

     Taeil took a blue fruit from a tree that somehow resembled an apple. While staring at the unknown fruit, Taeil answered, “Minhyuk is book smart. While I’m simply just a genius.”

     Jihoon snorted from Taeil’s comment, making Taeil glare at him.

     “Is that why you suddenly became such a tech-wizard? I never really knew you’d be able to hack systems like that,” Jihoon stated, and Taeil shoved the fruit inside his bag and looked back at the angel, “I read dozens of books about hacking before we started our mission on killing the seven Sinners. I guess I started from there and just got better as I go.”

     “ And you said Minhyuk’s book smart, “ Jihoon whispered to himself before standing from the large rock that he was on.

     Taeil proceeded to the next tree that had grape-like fruits in it. The weird thing is that its bigger than regular grapes.

     “Seriously, are we in a different planet?” Jihoon stated as he stood beside Taeil who continued writing down notes on his notebook.

     “Well, this is Ophanim. I’m getting some samples of these fruits to see if we can use it for the upcoming war,” Taeil answered without removing his eyes on his notebook.

     “Don’t tell me you’re going to eat all that,” Jihoon stated with a worried tone.

     “Who knows,” Taeil simply answered, making Jihoon sigh. This wasn’t how Jihoon imagined this vacation would be. Of course, he’s willing to follow Taeil around and help him with his research, but they were here for a break, and Taeil wasn’t exactly doing that.

     “ At least pay attention to me, “ Jihoon thought to himself, but he didn’t dare say it. Instead, he turned around and moved away from Taeil so he wouldn’t bother him anymore.

     Taeil stopped writing when he noticed that Jihoon became quiet. He looked back at him and saw Jihoon kicking pebbles like a kid. He took a deep breath and finally placed his notebook inside his bag before approaching the bored angel.

     “I’m sorry,” Taeil suddenly stated, immediately making Jihoon stop doing whatever he was doing. He looked a Taeil and patted him in the head before smiling at him, “It’s okay. I’ll do anything that you want to do. Don’t worry about me.”

     “N-No…that’s not right,” Taeil suddenly stated, confusing Jihoon, “You’ve always been like this. It’s always you who has to adjust to whatever I want. I’m not being fair to you at all,” Taeil continued to say, surprising Jihoon now.

     Jihoon wanted to say something, but Taeil quickly stopped him, “What do you want to do? This time, I’ll do whatever you want to do.” Taeil stated with a determined look.

     Jihoon became speechless, but he smiled and caressed Taeil’s cheek, “I told you right? I’ll wait for you.”

     Taeil held Jihoon’s hand that was placed on his cheek and told him, “What if I told you that I’m ready. That I don’t want you to wait for me anymore.”

     The statement surprised Jihoon to the point where he lets go of Taeil.

     “Taeil, w-what are you saying?” Jihoon asked, his eyes now becoming teary as his heart starts beating faster than normal.

     Taeil, who looked like he was about to cry too, grabbed hold of both of Jihoon’s hands and said, “Yes.”

     A tear finally fell from Jihoon’s eye. Jihoon had the power to stop time, but hearing Taeil say that single word made everything stop for him.

     “You asked me before that after everything, you want us to get married right? Then that’s my answer,” Taeil stated, and Jihoon’s shocked expression made Taeil chuckle.

     “This is the part where you say something back Pyo Jihoon,” Taeil teased, but tears were also falling from his eyes now too. Jihoon laughed and wiped his tears before wiping Taeil’s, “How did we end up with this conversation? Just a few moments ago you were writing notes about weird fruits.”

     Taeil laughed and hugged Jihoon tightly, “I had to say it eventually right?”

     “I love you Taeil,” Jihoon said instead.

     Taeil pulled away from the hug and looked straight at Jihoon’s eyes, “ I love you too, “ he whispered, and those words made Jihoon cry again.

      “You have no idea how long I’ve waited for you to say that,” Jihoon honestly told him, and it was Taeil’s turn to wipe Jihoon’s tears away. But before Jihoon could say anything else, Taeil tiptoed so he could reach Jihoon for a kiss. Jihoon’s eyes widened when he felt Taeil’s lips on his. The two of them never really kissed. The closest they had was a peck, and that was the same day Jihoon asked Taeil to marry him.

     Taeil continued to press his lips on Jihoon. But when Jihoon was finally able to compose himself, he grabbed Taeil and kissed him deeper. After a few seconds, the two lovers pulled away from each other to catch their breath. Then Jihoon pressed his forehead on Taeil, and both of them laughed.

     “You have no idea how long I’ve waited for you to kiss me like that,” Taeil stated, and Jihoon leaned close and kissed him again.

     “Don’t worry, there’s plenty of new chances for us to do that now.”

SUNNGYU & WOOHYUN

Sunggyu went out of his room to head to where Jiyong was. As soon as he closed the door, the door of the room that’s adjacent to his room opened, revealing Woohyun who was also heading out.

     “Hey,” Woohyun stated when he saw Sunggyu.

     “Hey,” Sunggyu simply said back before walking away.

     Woohyun didn’t say anything and followed beside the Demons’ leader. Sunggyu wanted to ignore him, but when they got out of the penthouse, Sunggyu finally stopped walking as he looked back at Woohyun with an annoyed expression, “Why the hell are you following me?”

     “I’m not. You’re heading to the falls too right?” Woohyun answered, and Sunggyu sighed and scratched the back of his head before walking away. Woohyun grinned and followed beside Sunggyu again, but Sunggyu didn’t say anything anymore.

     “So, how you holding up?” Woohyun asked while the two were walking.

     Sunggyu was surprised about the sudden question, but then he remembered that Woohyun might be the only person who understands his real feelings, especially when Woohyun saw it himself back in Beijing.

     “I’m still anxious, but seeing Jiyong eases me a bit. I think I’ll always be restless, but at least it’s not as bad as before,” Sunggyu honestly answered, which surprised Woohyun because he never thought that Sunggyu would even answer him.

     “I’m glad you feel that way. What happened in the past can never be forgotten since you all felt the pain of losing a brother. But at least now you can say that you conquered something that’s almost impossible. That alone shows how strong you guys are,” Woohyun stated. Then he laughed at himself, making Sunggyu glance at him.

     “What’s so funny?” Sunggyu asked.

     “I just remembered the time you grabbed a ghoul’s breast back at that club in Beijing,” Woohyun suddenly shared, immediately making Sunggyu look at him angrily.

     “Why the hell did you suddenly remember that? We were just talking about something serious,” Sunggyu stated, making Woohyun laugh again.

      “I don’t know. Every time I see you, I just remember that.” Woohyun stated, almost crying because of how hard he was laughing.

     Sunggyu stopped walking and finally faced Woohyun. Woohyun’s laughter slowly dies down as Sunggyu continued to stare at him. When he finally stopped laughing, he got ready to get scolded by the scary leader. But to his surprise, Sunggyu suddenly started laughing himself, which left Woohyun flustered.

     “I don’t know if you’re being sarcastic, or if you really found that funny too,” Woohyun said with a confused expression.

     When Sunggyu finally stopped laughing himself, he grabbed hold of Woohyun’s left shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, it was funny.”

     Woohyun sighed in relief, “Whoa, for a second there I thought you got mad.”

     Sunggyu smiled at Woohyun, but his hold on the angel’s shoulder got tighter, making Woohyun’s body stiffen, “But if you ever tell anyone about that, I will kill you before the king of hell could even lay a hand on you. Do you understand that, stupid angel?” Sunggyu threatened with a menacing smile, making Woohyun gulp and nod his head in agreement.

     “Good,” Sunggyu finished, letting go of Woohyun’s hand and walking away again.

     Woohyun took a deep breath and followed Sunggyu. When he was able to catch up with him, Sunggyu placed his hand inside his pocket and suddenly told him, “I’m glad I was partnered with you during the Beijing mission. We worked as a team, and if it weren’t for you I wouldn’t have been able to succeed, so thank you.”

     Woohyun was surprised at Sunggyu’s sudden appreciation of him, but he didn’t say anything about it and smiled instead.

     “Hey, how about we head back to the penthouse instead and let Jiyong have his fun with Seunghyun. There’s a bar area there, and it would be nice if we could have a few drinks.” Woohyun asked Sunggyu, making Sunggyu look at him.

     “Are you hitting on me?” Sunggyu asked with his right eyebrow raised.

     “Why? Are you hittable?” Woohyun asked back.

      Sunggyu stopped walking again and faced Woohyun, startling the angel Woohyun was smaller than him, so when Sunggyu got closer, he easily towered him. Woohyun took a step back and gulped, but the mischievous demon grabbed hold of his collar and leaned his face so close Woohyun closed his eyes out of instincts.

     Sunggyu smirked at Woohyun’s reaction.

     “ Let me see you try, “ Sunggyu whispered in Woohyun’s ear, sending chills on Woohyun’s spine. As soon as Sunggyu let’s go of his collar, Woohyun opened his eyes back and saw Sunggyu walking away from him.

     “Where are you going? The waterfall is this way.” Woohyun stated while pointing at the opposite direction that Sunggyu was heading to.

     “Didn’t you say we’d grab a drink? Stupid angel,” Sunggyu stated without looking back at Woohyun.

     Woohyun’s eyes widened from surprise, but then he smiled and followed the leader back to the penthouse, hoping he’d be able to learn more about the Prince of Wrath.

JACKSON & MARK 

“What are you doing?” Jackson asked when he saw his lover in the kitchen with the other maids and butlers, AKA their temporary angel guardians.

     Mark, who was cutting onions, looked back at Jackson with teary eyes. Mark smiled, and Jackson approached him and took out a handkerchief to wipe the tears away for him. Mark thanked him by giving Jackson a quick kiss, which made the four angels who were also at the kitchen, smile at the two lovers.

     “You seem like an old couple already,” the head maid commented, and Jackson took the apron on the counter and wore it too so he and Mark could wear the same thing.

     “We’re just comfortable with each other,” Jackson answered, and Mark took the apron from the demon’s hand and helped him wear it.

     “You’re quite different from master Lay and Suho. When we took care of them back in Jeju, they were a bit-” Jackson cuts the butler off and continued for him, “Awkward?” he asked, and the angels giggled.

     “Those two are like a teenage couple. It’s actually very sweet and refreshing,” Mark stated, going back to his cutting board so he could continue cutting the onions. Jackson then asked the angels if he could do anything to help as well, so one of the maids gave him a potato to peel. 

     “Should we act like a teenage couple too?” Jackson suggested with a serious expression before taking a peeler to peel the potato.

     Mark laughed and wiped the tears in his eyes with the back of his hand before answering Jackson, “I don’t want you acting and saying cringey stuff to me Wang Jackson. I already like your seriousness. It’s kinda hot.”

     “Oh yeah?” Jackson asked back, leaning close to Mark so he could give him a kiss on the lips. But then one of the butlers who were frying something cleared his throat, immediately making Jackson pull away from Mark. The angels laughed, and Mark and Jackson continued on with their duties.

     While everyone was busy, Jackson - who was peeling the potato with full concentration - suddenly said, “We should practice cooking dishes like this. My mom always did the work at home, but I want to try making something simple at least. It would be bothersome if we can’t do this when we start having kids”

     Everyone in the kitchen became silent, so Jackson looked back at everyone and innocently asked, “What?”

    Mark, who also stopped cutting the onions, suddenly felt his face turning red. Jackson just dropped the kids bomb like it was nothing, so Mark was left speechless. The maids and butlers looked at each other and sent each other some sort of signal.

     “W-We’ll…prepare the table at the dining room and come back later,” the head maid stated, and the four angels immediately left the two lovebirds alone. When they were gone, Mark covered his flustered face and stated, “H-How could you say something like that so openly?”

     “What do you mean? Do you not want kids?” Jackson asked, still confused about Mark’s reaction.

     Mark was still blushing from ear to ear, so Jackson approached him and gently held his cheek, “Do you not want to be with me forever?” Jackson suddenly asked, and Mark bit his lip and immediately grabbed Jackson for a hug.

     “Of course I want to be with you forever! I want to get married, have kids, and grow old with you. I’ll do everything for you Jackson,” Mark revealed, making Jackson chuckle.

     “And you said you don’t want me saying cringey stuff to you,” Jackson managed to say. And when Mark pulled away from the hug, Jackson leaned close to his lover and gave him a long passionate kiss.

     “Should we leave?” Someone suddenly asked, making the two stop kissing. Mark and Jackson looked at the doorframe and saw Woohyun and Sunggyu. Mark was flustered, but Jackson looked back at the two with a calm expression, “May we help you?”

     “We’re going to the bar area to get a drink, wanna come?” Sunggyu asked with his arms crossed.

     “We’re fine here. We don’t want to ruin your…intimate moment together,” Jackson teased, immediately making Woohyun feel shy. But Sunggyu smirked and draped his arm around the angel’s shoulder and said, “You know me so well brother.”

     “Knock yourself out,” Jackson continued to tease, and the two finally left the kitchen.

     “What was that about?” Mark asked, and Jackson gave him a quick peck instead before saying, “Let’s just continue what we were doing and practice cooking, shall we?”

     Marked smiled and went back to his cutting board, “For our future kids, right?”

JIYONG & SEUNGHYUN

Jiyong got out of the river and sat on a large rock to rest. He was panting heavily since he still wasn’t used to moving around, but he tries to hide that fact from his brothers since he didn’t want them to worry about him anymore.

     “You want some water? I can get you some,” Seunghyun stated as he approached the demon.

     Jiyong cleared his throat and steadied his breathing so Seunghyun wouldn’t notice him panting like he was seconds away from dying again.

     “I’m fine,” Jiyong tried to say.

     Seunghyun sat a meter away from Jiyong. While looking at the waterfall in front of them, he stated, “I’ve been following you around that I was able to notice how you’re still too weak to even walk down the stairs. But you don’t have to worry, I won’t tell your brothers. I understand why you want to keep it a secret.”

     “Well, it’s not easy being dead for eight months,” Jiyong honestly stated, which was a big surprise for Seunghyun since he knows about Jiyong’s prideful nature.

     “But the fact that I am the strongest son will never change. That is why I have to prepare my body for the battle before the war with the king. I still have to settle a score with that bastard,” Jiyong stated while gripping his fist.

     “Are you planning to grab his heart too?” Seunghyun sarcastically asked, but Jiyong didn’t find it insulting as he chuckled upon hearing the suggestion.

     “If I can, why not? But I’m planning to deliver the final blow on the king. It’s already stated that we cannot entirely kill him, but I want to be the last person he sees before we lock him up,” Jiyong explained before taking a pebble and throwing it so it could skip at the surface of the river.

     Seunghyun watched the pebble sink before asking, “Does your brothers know about that plan of yours?”

     The prince of pride didn’t answer, but Seunghyun already knew what it was.

     “I know this isn’t my place to say, but as your bodyguard, I just want to warn you that you shouldn’t think irrationally,” Seunghyun stated, making Jiyong chuckle.

     “Don’t worry, I already died, so I’m the last person you should say that to,” Jiyong stated.

     The two became quiet again. They listen to the water falling in silence. Jiyong closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He was alive, and that was a state that he never thought he’d be able to be in again.

     During the time that he was dead, he was just floating in a dark abyss. He didn’t know what would happen to him, but he somehow knew that his brothers were going to do something to bring him back. So while he waited, he meditated for months. He focused all his energy in honing his powers, thinking of different ways on how to master it. Jiyong was able to maximize his demonic potential, and he was ready to fight the king. What he didn’t expect though was his body. He prepared his mind, but his body wasn’t ready, and that pissed him off.

     “If this three-day vacation doesn’t make me stronger then I’m going to stay here for a week,” Jiyong stated before opening his eyes back.

     “Staying for an entire day here in Ophanim is equal to an hour back on earth. But as much as that sounds great, an hour wasted is-”

     “An hour well spent by the king. I know. We’re lucky to even be given three days.” Jiyong stated, and the two became quiet again. After a few more minutes of silence, Jiyong finally stood up from the rock that he was sitting on. He stretched his arms and looked at the sky before saying in confidence, “I can’t wait to defeat that fucking devil.”

     Seunghyun didn’t stand but stared at Jiyong’s back instead.

     “Hey, Kwon Jiyong,” he called out, but Jiyong ignored him. But even though he didn’t say anything, Seunghyun knew that he was listening to him.

     “I was given a power from my Father, Samuel. It’s called the touch of death. I can only use it three times in my entire lifetime. Though it might not be powerful enough to kill the king of hell, but it might be enough to weaken him before you could deliver your final blow,” Seunghyun suddenly explained.

     Jiyong’s eyes widened as he slowly turned around to face the angel, “Why are you saying this?”

     Seunghyun finally stood up and faced Jiyong with a serious expression, “Your plan…” he declared, “Let me help you fulfill it.”

• END -

SDS3 36: FAMILY

THE SONS JUST FINISHED eating dinner. Everyone wanted to spend the rest of the day together, so instead of heading back to their rooms, the fourteen sons went out and made a campfire. They circled around the fire and sat on the grass like they were on a camping trip. After everything that ever happened to them, this was the most peculiar thing to them.

     “So what now? Do we sing a song and hold hands?” Suho managed to joke, making the rest of them laugh.

     “I guess this is the part where we share our secrets,” Junhyung suggested while holding a bottle of cold beer.

     “Secrets? Like how you had crazy sex with Hyunseung before dinner?” Taeil asked, immediately making Hyunseung’s face turn red while the rest of the sons laugh at the sudden reveal. But is it even something to be shocked about? Hyunseung IS the prince of lust.

     “I’m willing to pay a large amount of money to those who are willing to switch rooms with us,” Taeil stated since his and Jihoon’s room was beside the two intimate lovers, and they could hear whatever was happening at Hyunseung and Junhyung’s room.

     No one answered since they know how troublesome that would be, and the fact that no one answered made the sons laugh even more.

     “Why? You jealous?” Junhyung asked Taeil before draping his arm around his embarrassed lover. Taeil grins and looks at Jihoon who was peacefully drinking his beer. Without any warning, Taeil showed them his index finger, immediately making Jihoon spill out the drink in his mouth.

     Everyone looked back at the two with confused expressions. There wasn’t anything on Taeil’s fingers, but the way he was showing it off made them look at each other like they were processing what it was about. Finally, the Demons’ leader got the picture first. He immediately stood up from the ground and pointed at Taeil and Jihoon before saying, “You’re engaged?!”

     The angels and demons practically gasped upon the sudden news. Even Jackson, who was eating a roasted marshmallow, dropped the stick on the ground as he looked at his best friend with his mouth wide open from shock.

     “You’re teasing,” Lay said in disbelief, but Taeil and Jihoon looked at each other and smiled like geeks.

     “Oh my lord, they’re engaged,” Mark said to confirm it, and Junhyung immediately grabbed Jihoon by the collar and started shaking him, “Why the hell didn’t you tell us!?”

     “Damn, from unofficial to engaged. You guys work fast,” Suho commented, making Lay hit his head.

     Jihoon, who wasn’t expecting the sudden reveal, took a deep breath and squeezed Taeil’s hand before looking at the sons with a serious and determined expression, “I didn’t want to tell you guys about it like this, but since Taeil already said it then…” Jihoon paused and stood from the ground. To everyone’s surprise, he bowed and continued, “Please allow me to marry Taeil.”

    Everyone was shocked by Jihoon’s sudden action, even Taeil. But Taeil stood up as well and did the same, shocking the angels and demons even more. They were left speechless that the whole place became quiet. But after a few seconds, Jiyong – who has been quiet since earlier – stood up as well and approached his brother.

     “Why the hell are you asking us for permission? Congratulations on your engagement idiot. What did you even expect we’d say?” Jiyong asked, and Jihoon and Taeil finally stood straight.

     Taeil looked back at Jiyong with teary eyes. And to his surprise, Jiyong looked teary as well. The reason is because Jiyong found out from Kharon and Dongmin that the heart that he’s using is actually from Woo Jiho, who is also Taeil’s ex-lover. Which is why this moment makes it much more meaningful to him.

     “We’re fucking happy for you Taeil,” Jiyong stated, grabbing Taeil and hugging him tightly. Taeil was flustered for a second, but when tears started pouring out of his eyes, Taeil finally hugged Jiyong back.

     “Congratulations Taeil!” Minhyuk greeted, standing up and hugging Taeil as well. The demons did the same and congratulated their brother, so did the Arcs who hugged Jihoon.

     “I don’t know why, but this is making me emotional,” Hyunseung said while patting Taeil’s head.

    While everyone was congratulating the two newly engaged couple, Jackson approached Jihoon and grabbed his shoulder tightly before saying, “You fucking make sure he’s happy. You got that angel?”

     Jihoon smiled and nodded his head, remembering the time Jackson talked to him about Taeil before as well when they were at the university garden, “You know I will.”

     Jackson finally lets go of the angel’s shoulder and smiled, “Congratulations.”

     “I can’t believe someone in my group is getting married,” Sunggyu said as he watched his brothers congratulating Taeil and Jihoon. Junhyung noticed him and stood beside him.

     “If they get married, doesn’t that make us a real family?” Junhyung suddenly teased, making Sunggyu punch his shoulder. Junhyung whined and massaged his aching shoulder, but while he was massaging it, Sunggyu told him, “We’re already family anyway, aren’t we?”

    Junhyung’s eyes widened as he looked at the Demons’ leader with shock. But before he could say anything about it, Sunggyu walked back to his brothers and broke them apart, “Okay, they’re not married yet. Let’s settle down now.”

    Thanks to Sunggyu, everyone got back to their positions and did settle down like what the leader instructed.

     “Well, that was the best way to start the night,” Sungjae stated, and everyone agreed.

     “How about we let the leaders give a speech for the newly engaged couple as the representative of the two groups?” Seunghyun suggested. Junhyung and Sunggyu glared at him, but everyone was already on board with it so the two had no choice.

     Everyone looked at Junhyung, expecting him to go first. Hyunseung patted his lover’s back and encouraged him to start, so Junhyung chugged his beer and stood up, “I’m not really good at this but I’m happy for the two of you, I really am. I know we had a bumpy start, and a bumpy middle too, but you guys are like the symbol of our friendship and love for each other. Not just as lovers, but as a family as well. The Arcs will be here, not only for Jihoon but for Taeil too.”

     Jihoon smiled and his leader and draped his arms around Taeil who happily leaned his head on his shoulder.

     “Congratulations you two! Don’t forget to invite us to your wedding!” Junhyung teased before lifting his beer. Jihoon did the same and took a sip of his beer while the other sons clapped their hands for the Arcs’ leader.

     Soon after, everyone looked at Sunggyu next. He was unsure if he should make a long or short speech, but then Woohyun, who was sitting across him, looked at him and gave him a smile. Sunggyu almost threw the marshmallow on Woohyun’s face, but he smiled anyway and stood from the ground and faced the Arcs and Demons before looking back at Jihoon and Taeil.

     “It never really crossed my mind that I’ll be giving out a speech for my brother who’s going to be married someday. But since we’re already here, let me just say congratulations. We all went through a lot, especially you Taeil. We didn’t know, and we’ll never how you felt.” Sunggyu stated, and Taeil immediately started tearing up.

     “But during those hard times, I’m glad Jihoon was with you. I couldn’t have asked for anyone else, so thank you Pyo Jihoon,” Sunggyu said, and Jihoon nodded his head and whispered, “ You’re welcome. “

     “Like what Junhyung said, we had a bumpy start and middle. From trying to kill each other, fighting ghouls, killing Sinners,” Sunggyu paused for a quick second and glanced at Jiyong, “The death of our brother, getting separated for months, assisting Pandora’s emotions, and down to resurrecting our brother again. I don’t think anyone could top the amount of crazy situations we’ve been up to this point.”

     The sons chuckled and agreed to Sunggyu’s words, warming up the atmosphere. Everyone was getting cozy in front of the campfire. Some hugging their lovers while others continued drinking their cold beer.

     Sunggyu looked back at the demons and angels one by one. For some reason, he started feeling teary. The Demons instantly noticed it, so Jiyong, who was sitting close to him, grabbed hold of his hand. Sunggyu smiled and squeezed it before continuing his speech, “ I know a lot of things will still happen, and you two will definitely face new trials that will shake up your relationship. But know that we, the Arcs and the Demons, are always here for you because we’re family. We got each other’s back no matter what.

     “That’s right,” Mark added.

     “Be happy you two, and hopefully in the future, you live peacefully with no worries,” Sunggyu finished before lifting his beer up. Everyone does the same and takes a sip before clapping for Sunggyu’s sweet speech.

     “Well then, let’s party till dawn angels and demons!” Suho shouted, and everyone lifted their beers up and started celebrating like they weren’t days away from facing the king of all evil.

3 DAYS LATER

BACK AT THE HOLY HOME

    “That’s the last one,” Junhyung stated, and Dongmin closed the mirror that they used to teleport from Ophanim. Their 3-day vacation was over, and the sons were now back, ready to face reality again.

“So, how was your vacation, sons?” Dongmin asked, and Kharon who was leaning on the doorframe with his arms crossed, looked back at them and added, “Heard from Hope that someone’s engaged.”

    Everyone looked back at Taeil and Jihoon. They didn’t have to say anything for the two guardians to approach and congratulate them. When Kharon pulled away from hugging Taeil, he looked back at the sons again and continued, “Well, as much as I want to celebrate, we have a lot of work to do.”

     “Hopefully you guys were able to rest well because things are going to become hectic from now on,” Dongmin added, and the sons immediately abandoned their post-vacation mode and became serious.

     “You said that you guys have a plan right? Then hit us up with it,” Sunggyu stated, not wasting any more time.

     “I’ll explain the details of that later, but for now you guys have visitors,” Dongmin stated, and everyone immediately went to the dining room to welcome whoever was waiting for them.

     “Look whose back.” One of the visitors stated with a smirk.

     “Kai! Tamo!” The Arcs and Demons shouted before running to them to give them a hug. When they pulled away, the two humans looked back at Jiyong and immediately bowed, “Welcome back Prince of Pride.”

     Jiyong smiled and pulled the two up before hugging them, “It’s nice to see you guys too.”

     “What are you doing here?” Seunghyun asked, and Kai and Tamo looked back at the sons with an excited grin.

    “We received Suho’s message and talked to your guardians. We’re willing to give you all the resources that we have. That includes the people, the equipment, and anything that you guys might need from us,” Tamo explained, and the angels and the Arcs started feeling excited even though they only just came back from their vacation.

     “Thank you Tamo, we really appreciate it,” Sunggyu stated as a representative of all the sons who were in front of him. While everyone was thankful for Tamo’s generosity, Kharon approached them with a serious expression, “Well, I hope you are aware that even though ghouls can be killed by humans, it will still be difficult with mere guns and bombs. A lot will get hurt, or even die before you kill one,” Kharon explained. And before Tamo could even say something, Taeil suddenly went in between them and said, “My engagement with Jihoon isn’t the only thing that I brought with me.”

    Everyone looked at Taeil with a confused expression, so the master planner took something out of his bag and showed it to everyone. It was a fruit that looked like an apple, but the texture was different.

     Kharon’s eyes widened from shock when he saw what it was.

     “Is that…the forbidden fruit?” Kharon asked, surprising everyone.

     “Forbidden fruit?” the angels and demons asked in unison.

     “I studied the fruits at Ophanim and stumbled upon this one. There were a bunch of them there so I decided to test it out. Apparently the juice on this thing can burn demons.” Taeil explained.

    The Demons were surprised on the explanation that some of them even moved away from Taeil.

     “I experimented on this and my skin almost got burned, and I’m already a prince,” Taeil explained further, and Tamo immediately got the idea and continued, “Then imagine what it could do to mere ghouls.”

     “Exactly.”

     “But how sure are you that it wouldn’t affect us?” Junhyung then asked, so Jihoon took the fruit from Taeil’s grasp and took a large bite, leaving everyone speechless. They waited for something to happen, so when Jihoon looked like he was fine, he looked back at everyone and said, “It doesn’t affect angels. It’s actually very sweet when we eat it, but for Taeil, just getting a small drop of its juice makes it feel his skin would melt.”

     “We can use that and apply it on our weapons,” Kai told Tamo.

     “I can also help bless those weapons and the uniform they’ll wear and add healing abilities to it so that the damage can be contained to a minumum,” Lay - the only healer in their group - suggested.

     “That’s a great idea. I’ll also ask Dongmin to let Hope and the rest of the angels in Ophanim to harvest all of the forbidden fruit so we could use it,” Kharon stated. Then he looked at Taeil and Tamo and said, “How about you discuss this matter with Kai and Tamo so you’d know what to do when these fruits arrive. You join them too Lay.” 

     Taeil nodded his head in agreement and gestured his hand so the two ravens could follow him to the meeting room, Jihoon, Lay, and Suho following right behind them. When they were already gone, Kharon looked back at the rest of the sons and continued, “Alright, while they discuss a strategy with the human team, I want to tell you all what we discussed with the Archangels.”

     The Demons and the Arcs sat around the dining table and looked back at Kharon, ready to listen to what he’s about to say. But just before they could even ask about it further, Dongmin joined them at the dining room and said, “The Archangels discussed this matter thoroughly. And after careful deliberation, they finally came up with a plan.”

     “What plan is this exactly?” Junhyung asked curiously.

     Kharon and Dongmin looked at each other before Dongmin could finally reveal what the awaited plan was.

     “Before the war begins…We’re going to free the Seven Deadly Rulers.”

• END -

SDS3 37: THE FINAL PLAN

“AS WE ALL KNOW, the gates of hell will open at exactly 3 o’clock AM, also known as the devil hour . That’s the only time the king and the other creatures that he’ll be bringing will be able to go out. This also means the chains that are bounding the Rulers won’t be as strong as it was when the king is present,” Kharon explained to the sons who were are sitting at the dining room while Tamo and the others are at the meeting room. Dongmin was also with them. He was sitting in the middle while Kharon sat adjacent to him.

     “Who will enter hell then?” Junhyung asked the guardians.

     “We need someone strong to fight the demonic creatures who stayed in hell, but it can’t be Jiyong since we need him at the battleground where the king will be,” Dongmin explained. So Jackson lifted his hand and volunteered, “Then I’ll go. I’ve been there already when I took Nightmare, so I’ll release our Father.”

     Everyone looked at each other with worry, but they knew that Jackson was right. He was the only one who was capable of doing this mission.

     “Then that’s settled. Jackson will enter hell as soon as the King heads out of the gate,” Kharon stated, then Sungjae looked back and him and said, “Speaking of Nightmare, how about Pandora and the seven evil emotions? It would be of great help if they join us in battle.”

      “That’s right,” Minhyuk added, and Kharon scratched his chin and considered it.

     “I haven’t heard of the Emotions ever since Pain and Panic went back to hell. But with Nightmare now with them, I’m guessing they’re able to at least gather the other emotions that the king locked up. But I’m not quite sure about Pandora though,” Kharon explained.

      “Then I’ll join Jackson. While he rescues our Fathers, I’ll search for the Emotions,” Minhyuk suggested.

     “That’s a great idea. The two can help distract each other so that they won’t be easily cornered,” Sunggyu said back. Before, he’d be anxious and talk his brothers out of this dangerous idea, but now that he’s healing, he knew his priorities as the leader, and that’s to make sure they succeed and win the war, not hide from it.

     “So how are we going to do it?” Jackson asked.

     Kharon snapped his fingers, and fire suddenly appeared in the middle of the table, making the sons move away from it. But when the fire dispersed, an old burnt paper appeared. It was a map of hell.

     “You had that all this time?!” Hyunseung asked, grabbing the map from the table and scanning it.

     “When I was locked in hell, I was able to make that. Of course, it’s not detailed, but it’s enough for Jackson and Minhyuk to have an idea on where to go to,” Kharon explained.

     Jackson and Minhyuk stood up from their seats and started scanning the map. While they were looking at it, Jiyong suggested, “If you’re going to rescue our Fathers, it’s best if you do it by random. Of course, the realm of lust would be easier, but if you do the realms by order, the demons who are guarding the next realm with be ready.”

     Everyone looked at the prince of pride and agreed to his suggestion.

     “Rescue my Father first, then do the rest at random,” Hyunseung stated while pointing at the realm of Lust, “He’s the least guarded and chained so I’m guessing he’s strong enough to fight alongside you. If you help him escape, I’m sure he’ll help rescue the other Rulers.”

     “And how about the Emotions?” Minhyuk asked.

     “That will be the tricky part. We don’t know where the other Emotions are locked up. And if they aren’t locked up anymore, we still don’t know where they’ll be hiding,” Dongmin stated.

     “How about we look for their guardian, Grim Reaper?” Mark then asked, and everyone looked back at the angel and remembered that the Emotions actually do have a guardian.

     “Why haven’t I thought of that? Grim is probably in his area where he’s safest. That’s near the gate. He has his own ghouls that protect him since he’s an Elder. If you can find him first, you’ll know where the other Emotions are,” Kharon stated while leaning over to point at an area on the map.

     “Alright, then what’s next?” Hyunseung then asked, handing the map to Jackson so he and Minhyuk could plan something out later.

     When everyone got back to their proper seats, Kharon continued, “Now we battle the king and hope we defeat him. Simple as that,” he stated, but everyone knew that this war wasn’t going to be any near simple.

     “We all know that the war will be on November 1, which is four weeks from now. We’ll have to prepare by then, but where exactly will it take place?” Seunghyun asked since it’s obvious it won’t be in hell.

     Dongmin and Kharon looked at each other before looking back at the sons.

     “Here,” Dongmin revealed, leaving everyone speechless.

     “H-Here? You mean in Seoul? With all these people?” Woohyun asked in disbelief, and Kharon nodded his head to confirm it.

     “We’ve been seeing demonic marks around the city. Those are portals that the servitors and minor lords can come out of as soon as the gate of hell opens. There’s no other place that has those marks. We also confirmed it with Kenji in Japan, and the other demons that I know around the world,” Kharon explained, actually surprising them that he knows other demons instead of the marks that he just mentioned.

     “So let’s just stop time. You and Jihoon could do it,” Jiyong stated.

     “That’s the initial plan, but stopping time doesn’t mean they’ll be safe,” Dongmin reminded them, and the sons started to look worried.

     “Then let’s make them evacuate,” someone stated, and everyone looked at the entrance of the dining room and saw Taeil – their master planner – with Tamo and the others.

     “You guys finished discussing your plans with the Ravens?” Sunggyu asked, and Suho approached them with an okay sign. Taeil, Jihoon, Lay, and Suho went back to their respective seats while Tamo and Kai stood on the side, listening to what the Arcs and Demons were planning in silence.

     “And how do you plan to evacuate millions of people smarty pants?” Woohyun asked, and Taeil smirked and looked at everyone with confidence, “We create chaos.”

     Everyone was obviously surprised at the suggestion, so they remained quiet and waited for Taeil to explain it further.

     “A week before the war, the angels can make a great typhoon around the city and the surrounding cities. Or at least make them see that a great typhoon is arriving in November so they’d have enough time to evacuate. Of course, not everyone will leave, but at least the population would reduce, and Kharon and Jihoon can stop time and contain those who stayed,” Taeil explained, and the sons couldn’t help but be impressed by the idea.

     “That could actually work,” Kharon stated.

     “But is it possible?” Junhyung asked their guardian.

     “With three weeks of preparation, I think it is. I’ll coordinate with the angels in heaven. Since the Archangels also confirmed that they’ll be joining the war, then I’ll ask if the guardian angels can help out with evacuating the people,” Dongmin explained, and the sons started smiling, excited since their plan was slowly unfolding.

     “Now that that’s settled, let’s talk about the battle,” Suho suggested.

     “Where will the King appear?” Jackson immediately asked. Dongmin snapped his finger, and this time, a large map of Seoul appeared in the middle of the table, surprising the sons.

     “We saw a large demonic mark at HAU, It’s in the middle of the soccer field where you had your first battle. We believe that the king will appear there since that demonic mark is a summoning spell that is strong enough to summon powerful demons like the king,” Kharon explained, and the sons practically sighed in frustration.

     “We started in HAU, we’ll end it in HAU. Isn’t that great?” Sunggyu sarcastically stated.

     “So do we all just wait for him there?” Sungjae then asked.

     “No. There are at least twelve marks surrounding the entire city of Seoul. We’ll have to evenly divide you guys, the Archangels, the other angels who will help us, the Ravens, and the Rulers and Emotions who Jackson and Minhyuk will hopefully be able to rescue before the battle gets too tough on us,” Dongmin explained.

     “So how are we going to divide each other?” Jiyong asked, suddenly looking excited.

     “You’ll definitely stay at HAU since you’re the strongest of us all,” Taeil stated, and then Seunghyun suddenly raised his hand and said, “I wish to join him.”

      Everyone looked at Seunghyun with shock. Not because he was willing to face the King of Hell with Jiyong, but because he wanted to fight beside Jiyong. The two haven’t exactly battle together before so the pairing was unusual.

     “Seunghyun is our best fighter. I think it is only right if he battles alongside Jiyong,” Junhyung stated, supporting his brother’s wish.

     Dongmin took a deep breath but nodded his head anyway, “Alright, Jiyong and Seunghyun will be stationed at the university. The king will definitely place the ghouls and the other demonic creatures around the city, but he’ll definitely place a few ones beside him.”

      “Then Dongmin and I will join you so you could concentrate on the king,” Kharon stated, and Dongmin nodded his head and agreed to it.

      “Don’t forget, our pets are guardians too. We’ll bring them with us in battle,” Jiyong added.

     “Remember, the two of you are only there to weaken the king while everyone else handles the other creatures that will come out on the twelve marks. So while that’s happening, you have to endure while you wait for everyone to arrive,” Kharon stated, and Seunghyun and Jiyong nodded his head in understanding.

     “Now how do we divide each other?” Junhyung then asked.

     “We need those whose powers are compatible with each other. I don’t think not every one of us knows of our powers, so it would be great if you guys can run it down for us.” Kharon stated while looking at the Arcs so they could go first.

     Junhyung, as the leader, looked at the Demons and started sharing the Arcs’ abilities, “As you all know, all of us have lightning which can help with the ghouls. Our blessed weapons also come from the silver ring that we’re wearing. You usually see us with swords, but our ring helps us summon any weapon of our choosing, like arrows, shields, and even guns.” Junhyung explained while showing the ring on his right index finger.

     “As for individual powers, most of our powers can only be activated by the permission of our Fathers. Mine is Necrokinesis , also known as anti-healing. I can cause instant death on lower life forms, but I can only weaken those who are ranked higher,” Junhyung shared, surprising the Demons ( except for Hyunseung who had already heard of it before ).

     “That’s fucking dope, I’ll tell you that,” Suho commented, and Sungjae went on next.

     “As you may know, I have the power to brainwash someone, make someone fall asleep, and even read other’s minds. It’s not really very useful for combat, that’s why I said I’ll protect Minhyuk instead of battling with you guys during the time the lords attacked and possessed everyone since my powers won’t be much of use,” Sungjae explained like he was degrading himself, when in fact, his powers were already outstanding in itself.

     “That’s pretty cool too,” Minhyuk said with a grin, and that alone made Sungjae shyly smile.

     “Anyway…” Sunggyu said before clearing his throat, “I can think we can use that. What do you think Taeil?” he asked while looking at their master planner.

     Taeil stared at Sungjae before instantly coming up with a plan, “Since time will stop, I don’t think earpieces can be of use to us. We can place Sungjae above ground, or maybe even place marks on our own so he could teleport on different locations. Since your power is mostly mental, you can send us messages on what’s happening with the others. Dongmin taught us the power of invisibility before so maybe that could help too,” Taeil explained, and everyone was left dumbfounded.

     “Taeil, you’re a fucking genius!” Woohyun commented with an impressed look, making Taeil grin proudly.

     “I haven’t tried sending mental messages yet so I’ll have to train more first, but I think I can do it,” Sungjae stated, and everyone looked back at the angel with encouragement. Minhyuk even patted his back.

     “Alright, now it’s my turn. Like Sungjae, my powers aren’t great for combat, but I have healing abilities and resurrection, which will be very helpful during the battle,” Lay explained.

     “You can join Sungjae and heal those who are injured,” Seunghyun stated.

     “You should also practice mass healing. You can mostly heal one at a time, but if you practice for the remaining month that we have before the war, maybe you can heal ten to even a hundred at a time,” Dongmin told the angel, and Lay nodded his head, determined to do just that.

     Everyone then looked at Jihoon right after, “I have Temporal Stasis, which you already know is the ability to stop time, and I also have the ability to see through mirrors like Taeil. But like Junhyung, I have a power that can only be used with the permission of our father, and that’s Chronokinesis . It’s the ability to manipulate time. It’s actually very similar to Hope’s power,” Jihoon explained, and like before, the Demons were surprised to hear about the angel’s amazing power.

     “I have Premonition, which is the ability to see the past, present, and future. Of course for the future, I can only go so far. Maybe even just 10 minutes in the future. It drains too much of my energy if I look beyond that,” Woohyun explained next.

     “I think the King can counter that, so it would be useless to use it on him,” Kharon commented.

     “But can’t it be used for something else? Woohyun can use his power to anticipate upcoming ghouls and monsters and warn us about it. He said he can only see 10 minutes into the future, so if he continuously uses his power, then the future vision would also be continuous, and Woohyun could give us a clear vision of what would happen,” Minhyuk suggested, and everyone, even Taeil who was their master planner, looked at the prince of gluttony with shock. Looks like they forgot that Minhyuk is also one of their smartest brothers.

     “Then he’ll be added to Lay and Sungjae’s team. Woohyun can look through the future and tell it to Sungjae so he could mentally warn us,” Junhyung stated, and Woohyun and Sungjae nodded their heads in agreement.

     “Now for Mark,” Dongmin stated, and everyone looked at Mark next.

     “Well, as you all know, I have the ability to paralyze someone. But like Junhyung and Jihoon, I have a power that can only be used with the Fathers’ permission, and that’s Petrification , which is the ability to turn someone, or something, into stone,” Mark explained. And like the previous reaction, the sons were surprised by it.

     “Now for my power. It’s similar to Junhyung, but you can say it’s more powerful than his,” Seunghyun stated with a teasing grin, making Junhyung roll his eyes in annoyance. While everyone was looking at Seunghyun, he continued, “It’s called Touch of Death. I can only use it thrice in my entire lifetime. I can kill even the strongest demonic creature, but I don’t think it’s enough to kill the king of hell. But I already discussed this with Jiyong, and I’m planning to use it to weaken the king instead,” Seunghyun explained to everyone.

     “So you already planned on teaming up huh?” Sunggyu teased, making Jiyong step on the leader’s foot.

     “Alright, so that’s all of it. We already know the Demons’ power, so now we know how to divide each other,” Hyunseung stated. But then Jiyong looked at the Arcs and said, “But didn’t you guys say that you could only use those powers with the permissions of your fathers? Then how will that work? Do you simply ask permission?”

     The Demons nodded their head, agreeing to the problem that their strongest just raised.

     The Arcs’ leader was about to answer, but then Dongmin stood up from his seat and said, “You princes weren’t full demons before too, but now you have demonic forms, and even have the ability to use your demonic powers.”

     “Wait, are you saying…” Mark paused and looked at their guardian with disbelief.

     Dongmin looked at the Arcs one by one. And with a proud smile, he stated, “Arcs…it’s time you become full-fledged angels.”

• END -

SDS3 38: ALL THE HELP WE CAN GET

THE ARCS WERE STANDING in front of the holy mirror with their guardian, Dongmin. As much as they wanted the Demons to stand with them, Dongmin asked if they could wait outside instead to give respect to the solemn ceremony.

     Today was the day the Arcs were going to receive their final blessing that will officially make them full-fledged angels. The Arcs, like the Demons, are sons of human mothers, but they were miracles of heaven since the mothers did not have spouses. They are considered the sons of the seven Archangels, which is why they are sometimes addressed as princes of heaven. But even with such a title, the sons were still not allowed to enter the gates of their home because they had to prove themselves first.

     The reason why Park Dongmin, also known as St. Peter, is with them is not only because he was asked to guard them, but because he was instructed to check if the Arcs are fit to be called angels of heaven.

     Of course, Dongmin himself personally doesn’t believe that the Arcs have proven themselves just yet, but with the upcoming war, they need their Father’s blessing if they want to stand against the king of hell.

     “We will be asking for your Fathers’ blessing, but know that this is only temporary,” Dongmin explained to the sons who were kneeling before him. Junhyung expected much, so he nodded his head in understanding.

     “Since it is not the official ceremony yet, there is only one Archangel who will stand as a representative,” Dongmin explained further before facing the large mirror in front of them. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and struck the mirror with lightning. The Arcs squinted their eyes, but soon after, a figure appeared in the mirror. It was Archangel Gabriel, also known as Woohyun’s direct father.

     “Father Gabriel,” everyone greeted before bowing to him.

     The room was quiet for a second, but then Gabriel took out a scroll and recited, “ Listen and obey. “

     The Arcs, who were kneeling on the floor, bowed deeper until their heads touched the ground.

     “ I, Archangel Gabriel, the angel of strength and the messenger of God, along with the rest of the Archangels of heaven, am giving Yong Junhyung, Yook Sungjae, Zhang Yixing, Pyo Jihoon, Nam Woohyun, Mark Yi-En Tuan, and Lee Seunghyun , the holy blessing that is bestowed upon us by our true Father. This blessing will become permanent based on the result of this war, “ Gabriel stated with a loud voice, and the eyes of all the Arcs started glowing.

     “ By the power vested in me, I declare all seven of you as…Seven Holy Angels of Heaven. May God the Father be with you and your spirits,“ Gabriel finished, and the clouds above the Holy Home suddenly made way as a bright light shone upon them. The Arcs looked up at the sky, and as soon as the light was gone, Gabriel was gone as well.

     All seven of them were panting heavily. They didn’t feel anything strange, but when they looked back at each other, their eyes widened from shock when they realized that all of them had wings made of the whitest feathers.

      “Wow,” Lay said in amazement while he brushed his hand over his new wings.

     Dongmin looked at the Arcs and smiled, “Well then kids…let’s start training.”

THREE WEEKS LATER

ONE WEEK BEFORE THE WAR

“A great storm is heading this way. Thousands of residents are moving out as stores and other establishments temporarily close down for the time being. The mayor of Seoul instructed everyone to evacuate as this storm might put a lot of people at risk. Other cities are also getting ready to-” 

     Kharon turned the television off and looked back at Taeil who was talking to Kai and Tamo. He then looked outside the window and saw how dark the clouds were. They knew that there wasn’t really going to be any storm, but everyone who is involved in the war can’t help but still feel scared.

     Kharon, Taeil, Tamo, and Kai were at the meeting room while the rest were training.

     “I have brought six hundred Slayers with me from Japan. My father, Kenji, stated that he will look for more if it’s not enough,” Tamo stated while Taeil was looking down at the map of Seoul. He was assigned a form teams. It was a hard task, but Taeil was making sure that each team would accommodate each other in battle.

     “That’s enough people, thank you Tamo,” Taeil stated before looking back at the human who was willing to do everything to help them.

     “Shouldn’t you face them?” Kharon suddenly asked before approaching the three. “I mean, they’re here without knowing anything. And they’ve been made fun of for believing in angels and demons without even knowing if they truly exist. You gracing them with your presence will encourage them.”

    “Are you sure about this? Your identity will be revealed to six hundred people,” Kai said with concern in his voice.

     “All of my men are loyal to me and will fight if I say they should fight. You don’t have to-” Taeil stopped Tamo midsentence and stated, “I think Kharon is right. They’re here without knowing of the danger that is ahead of them. I think it’s about time they realize that their efforts in coming here are not in vain.”

     Tamo wanted to protest, but he took a deep breath and nodded his head instead.

     “Kai, can you look for Lay and Suho, ask them to face the Ravens and let them know why they’re here,” Taeil instructed, and Kai bowed respectfully to Taeil and Kharon before heading out of the meeting room.

     When Kai went out of the room, he was welcomed with dozens of people, AKA angels. Angels started arriving since last week, and they said they were sent by the Archangels to assist them with their preparation. Kai still couldn’t believe that this was all real. Before he hated believing in something like hell and heaven, but now he’s helping them.

     “Are those the guns? Place them at the warehouse ( A large warehouse that was only constructed for three days at the Holy Home’s backyard thanks to Jiyong’s father ), so I could bless them later.” Kai heard Lay say when he went out of the Holy Home.

NOTE: The Holy Home is surrounded by a large empty land. It’s near HAU, but it’s secluded.

     Outside the home were dozens of trucks that carried weapons that were given by the Ravens. They were all parked in front of the now crowded house.

     You might be wondering if people are freaked out about the fact that there’s suddenly a large warehouse, dozens of angels, and even hundreds of Japanese soldiers arriving in their city. Well, the answer is, they aren’t, and the reason if because they can’t see it. Jackson placed an illusion on the entire area to make it look like the house is also empty because they evacuated as well. Imagine Jackson’s focus and strength to hold onto that illusion for almost three weeks now. It only shows how strong the Prince of Envy has now become.

     “Lay!” Kai called out when he approached Lay who was talking to one of the men who arrived with the weapons. Luckily for him, Suho was also with him.

     “Perfect, you’re both here,” he said as he approached the two.

     “What’s up?” Suho asked while Lay continued to instruct the man he’s talking to.

     “Taeil and Kharon requested that you meet with the Slayers of Ravens. You have to tell them why they’re here, and maybe even show them who you really are. They believe it will encourage them to fight,” Kai explained.

     Suho nodded his head in understanding, and Lay joined them as soon as the trucks started heading to the warehouse.

     “Well, it would make sense since they don’t even know why they’re here,” Suho said in agreement.

     “I know that when you and I switched bodies, I was able to know what Ravens are. But how did Tamo even get all those men? And how the hell does he get all the resources? I know they’re an association who tried to capture angels and demons, but it still confusing to me how he’s so rich,” Lay honestly stated.

     “Ravens are known to kill those who act demonically, even when they’re not really demons to begin with. You can say we became the agency that gives victims gruesome justice to those who want it. The police can’t really do what we do, but since we’re helping the society in some way, even the police and the government support our cause. Let’s just say we’re the underground cops,” Kai explained with a proud look.

     “Alright. So should we go?” Suho asked, and Lay and Suho followed Kai to the warehouse where all the Ravens were placed. The Ravens just arrived a couple of hours ago from Tokyo, so while they were resting, some angels were giving out pack-lunches to each and every one of them. It’s just funny how they don’t even know that these people are angels.

     The moment they arrived, everyone became quiet. They all faced Kai and suddenly bowed and greeted them. Suho was surprised by the action, but then he remembered, “ I totally forgot that Kai ranks 1, and is the leader of the Slayers group in Ravens ,“ he whispered to Lay.

NOTE: If you do not remember, Ravens consists of four groups: the Eyes, the Invisibles, the Blenders, and the Slayers.

     Kai faced the men in front of him and awkwardly scratched the back of his head before saying, “Thank you for that, but I shouldn’t be the one who you’re supposed to be bowing to.” He then gestured at Suho and Lay, “Please give your respect to prince Lay and prince Suho.”

     The Ravens looked back at Suho and Lay before looking back at Kai with confused expressions.

     “What is this about Kai? I know president Tamo told us to prepare for a battle here, but what’s with these princes?” A man asked while approaching them.

      Kai looked at him and looked back at the two princes, “This is Ravi, the second-ranked slayer in Ravens.” He introduced, but the guy named Ravi pulled Kai’s shoulder so he could forcefully look back at him, “Kai, what’s the meaning of this? Who are these bastards?”

     “Hey! Don’t talk like that to-” Suho immediately stopped Kai from talking and faced the Ravens with a serious expression.

     “Welcome everyone to South Korea. We thank you for coming here without even knowing the reason why, so as the representative of those who requested for you, I would like to explain why you are all here.” Suho stated, and everyone finally has their attention while Lay stood beside him.

     “A war is about to take place. More specifically, a war between heaven and hell. This war will determine this world’s future, so you being here already makes you heroes, and heroes are rewards with more than just gold,” Suho stated, but it only confused the Ravens even more.

      “What the fuck are you playing asshole? Are you here to mock us?” Ravi asked, suddenly grabbing Suho by the collar. Kai was about to pull him away from him, but Suho stopped him.

     “I understand that a lot of people see the Ravens as a joke. Even though there are people who believe in your beliefs, it still hurts when people think you’re crazy for believing in angels and demons,” Suho stated while looking straight at Ravi’s eyes.

     “So let me strengthen your faith a little…human,” Suho continued, and as soon as he finished his sentence, Suho’s eyes turned red, immediately making Ravi let go of him and stumbled back. If it weren’t for Kai, he would have fallen on the ground.

     “Y-You’re…”

     The Ravens were starting to look confused, so Suho looked back at them and transformed into his demonic state right before their eyes. The Ravens were left speechless. Some even almost fainted. Soon after, Lay followed and transformed into his angelic self as well, his feathered wings spreading out as he did so.

     The Ravens felt terrified and overwhelmed. Ravi couldn’t even say anything anymore. So instead, he went down on his knees and said, “I apologize for acting so boastful! Please forgive me…my prince!” Then all the other Ravens followed and bowed in front of them. Even the angels who were only serving food bowed as well.

     Suho smirked, enjoying the moment. When everyone stood back up, he started speaking again, but this time no one said a word or even moved. Some still couldn’t believe it so they ended up being frozen in their place. An actual angel and demon were right in front of them. Everything they believed in was actually true. They weren’t crazy after all for believing the beliefs of the Ravens.

     “I am Suho, the Prince of Greed. The angel beside me is Lay, the Prince of Charity. Seven days from now, we, along with the rest of our brothers, are about to face the King of Hell and hundred if not thousands of other demonic creatures who are here to kill us and take over this land. We know that this request is too sudden, and you may even die in this battle, but are you all willing to fight beside us?” Suho asked, and with no hesitation, the Ravens lifted their hands up and shouted, “Yes!”

     “Thank you everyone. We will not forget this. The Lord will truly bless each and every one of you,” Lay stated, moving closer to his lover, Suho.

    “Prince Lay will be blessing your armors and weapons for the battle. While Prince-” Suho cuts Kai off and continued for him, “Will be training you,” he revealed, surprising everyone, even Kai and Lay.

     “I know all of you are skilled in fighting, but we’re not here to kill mere humans. We’re here to kill ghouls and maybe even creatures who are a lot stronger. So I will teach you where to strike, and what to do during the battle,” Suho explained as he summoned his hammer-like weapon, making everyone stare at it with awe.

     Suho then lifted his weapon up and pointed it towards Ravi who bravely pulled his collar earlier. Ravi gulped in terror, and Suho smirked and set himself on fire before saying, “Let’s start with you.”

MEANWHILE…

     “I-is that…the best you can do?” Seunghyun asked while catching his breath, Woohyun and Sunggyu standing right beside him.

    “Oh don’t worry, I’m just getting started,” Jiyong stated with a smirk before cloning himself into tens.

     Jiyong, Seunghyun, Woohyun, and Sunggyu were training at the backyard of the Holy Home. Jiyong, as the strongest, was assigned to pretend to be the king of hell while he attacked Seunghyun and the others. It was an assignment that Jiyong enjoyed very much since he’s being trained by it as well.

     Jiyong is considered as the strongest because of a lot of reasons. His speed, strength, and agility are ten times better than the rest of the sons, so even without the use of his powers, the Prince of Pride is strong on his own. But that doesn’t mean his powers aren’t strong. Jiyong has Empathy, the ability to copy one’s power, and Cloning.

     During his training, he’s been copying his brothers’ powers and honing them one by one, but his favorite is always Jackson’s powers, so he would sometimes help Jackson with the illusion surrounding the Holy Home. The only problem is that Jiyong can only copy three powers at a time, and it can only last for 24 hours. He’ll have to copy them again if he wants to use them again.

    “How about a break?” Woohyun asked before falling to the grass to catch his breath, Sunggyu following right after him.

     Jiyong nodded his head and summoned his clones back. As he approached his exhausted leader, Seunghyun went in front of him and said, “Don’t forget, you’ll have to copy my power during the war so both of us could do it at the same time.”

     “We don’t even know if it’s going to work. I could copy the other Arcs’ powers, but whenever I try to copy yours, I don’t feel anything,” Jiyong explained.

     “Maybe because even Seunghyun has a limit to it. The power might be too rare that you yourself can’t copy it,” Sunggyu explained.

     While the four were talking about what they still have to improve for the upcoming war, Nagi – The first Sinner’s ghoul who Kharon spared – ran towards them, making the four look at him. Nagi bowed in front of the princes before saying, “I apologize for interrupting your training, but vans are suddenly arriving in front of the home.”

     “What?” Sunggyu asked, immediately standing from the grass. Without wasting any second, he ran to the entrance with Jiyong and the others.

     “Sunggyu!” Jackson shouted when he saw Sunggyu heading towards the entrance as well.

     “Why are people arriving? How did they know we’re still here? Did you drop the illusion?” Sunggyu asked as Jackson followed beside him.

     “No, I didn’t, my illusion is still there,” Jackson answered.

      “Then maybe they don’t know people are in the holy home so they’re just parking their vans here,” Woohyun explained, but Sunggyu shook his head to disagree to it, “That’s impossible. Kharon and Dongmin added a barrier the other day. Those who aren’t given access won’t be able to get in.”

     When the angels and demons with Nagi arrived at the front area of the Holy Home, they were surprised to see at least ten black vans parked right in front of them. Dongmin was also there.

     “Who are these people? How did they get in?” Seunghyun asked his guardian.

     “I let them in,” Dongmin casually answered, surprising them.

     “What do you mean? Why would you do that?” Sunggyu confusingly asked, but before Dongmin could even answer him, someone went out of one of the vans. To their surprise, the person who went out was…

     “Taro Yamada?!” The sons shouted from shock.

     Taro Yamada, the iron fist of the strongest yakuza group called Red Rangers, or better known as Kharon II, walked towards the sons and bowed in front of them to show his respect, “Sorry for the intrusion my princes, but I heard you needed some help.”

     Just as soon as Taro finished his sentences, scary-looking men started coming out of the vans one by one.

     “H-How did you-” Before Sunggyu could even finish his sentence, Taro told him, “I woke up the other day and suddenly I’m back to this body. Then Kharon III contacted me and told me of this war, so I immediately flew my way here with the men of Taro Yamada’s yakuza,” Taro explained, making Sunggyu and the others smile in excitement.

     “So, too much?” Dongmin asked with a smirk.

     Sunggyu chuckled and looked back at the men in front of them before saying, “Well, we need all the help we can get anyway, so the more the merrier.”

• END -

SDS3 39: NO MORE REGRETS

A DAY BEFORE THE WAR

SUNGGYU AND JIYONG WERE  driving around Seoul, checking all the spots where the demonic markings could be found to check if they were still there, or if the marks were moved. Luckily for them, the marks seem to be in a permanent position.

     “It looks like a ghost town,” Sunggyu stated while looking out of the window of the car. The entire city was evacuated thanks to the fake typhoon that the heavens created. A few people stayed, but it’s better than having millions of people still in the city. Now that there’s only a couple, the Demons, the Arcs and the others who they were with, will be able to easily protect them.

     “The supposed biggest typhoon will be having its landfall tonight. It would be crazy if they find out the typhoon magically disappeared after tomorrow,” Jiyong explained while driving. Though it is a fake typhoon, it was still raining hard outside, which makes everyone believe that it is coming soon.

     The two demons didn’t say anything as they drove their way to the last mark that they’ll be heading to, which is at the Holy Angels University where the largest mark can be found, AKA the mark where the king of hell will come out of.

     Jiyong parked at his usual spot. The moment he did, Sunggyu chuckled to himself and looked at his brother, “I never thought that I’d ever see you here again.”

     “Yeah. Kharon said that when I died, everyone who didn’t see my dead body just forgot about me. And when I got resurrected, they remembered me like I was never dead. I don’t know how that happened, but I guess it saved you guys from explaining things,” Jiyong stated, and Sunggyu nodded his head in agreement.

     “Well, while we’re already here, should we walk around the campus?” Sunggyu suggested, and Jiyong smiled and went out of the car, Sunggyu following right behind him. The two ran to the empty building, getting wet in the process. But they didn’t mind as they laughed and went inside, walking down the hallway that they’d usually walk on with their other brothers.

     “Damn, this is fucking weird,” Jiyong stated with his hands inside his pockets. “I can’t believe I’m back here again. It feels so surreal. There was a point in my life where I hated going to this university, but now I can’t deny how I missed it.”

     “The three of us were known for being the three most famous bullies, and now there’s seven of us,” Sunggyu added, and Jiyong chuckled just by remembering everything that he and his brothers have done in this university. “Things were crazy back then. If I wasn’t a prince in hell, I would be contented with my college life with you guys.”

     “If you weren’t a prince then we wouldn’t have been close with our other brothers,” Sunggyu explained, and Jiyong just shrugged his shoulders.

     Sunggyu, who was looking at every room that they walked past, asked Jiyong without even looking back at him, “Have you ever wondered what would happen if we didn’t try to look for you on the day we found out we were all demons?”

     “Who knows. I was pretty stubborn at that time and just hid at the park. But even if you guys didn’t look for me, our Fathers still would have done something,” Jiyong explained.

     “It happened fast for all seven of us so I somehow understood why you were stubborn. I guess at that time you were the only sane person. We all just went to the flow and decided to be demons with no question, but you didn’t. That already says a lot about you,” Sunggyu stated, making Jiyong chuckle again. 

     “I’m honored, but I’m the son of pride. Being stubborn is an innate power. I wasn’t sane, and I didn’t use my head. I just didn’t want to put my pride down,” Jiyong explained, and Sunggyu didn’t try to say anything about it anymore.

     The two arrived at the cafeteria where most of the drama with the Arcs took place. Being there alone made them smile from ear to ear. Jiyong even ran to where their usual table was while Sunggyu followed right behind him.

     “This is seriously fucking crazy,” Jiyong stated, looking at the table and the other table that they moved so they could sit with the Arcs. “No one changed this?” Jiyong asked in disbelief.

     “Probably because they got too scared to remove it,” Sunggyu answered before sitting on his usual spot. Jiyong did the same, and the two looked at each other and laughed like they were kids. While Jiyong admired the memorable cafeteria, Sunggyu’s smiling face vanished, and the memory of his brother’s death appeared before him again.

     “I really missed you,” Sunggyu suddenly stated, immediately making Jiyong look back at him. Jiyong was about to make a joke, but when he saw his brother’s reaction, he became serious too.

     “Hey, why are you looking like that? I’m here.”

     Sunggyu took a deep breath and looked at his hand so he wouldn’t have to look back at Jiyong. “You don’t even know how much I regretted what happened to you. I wanted to die and follow behind you. I wanted to just curse at the world and leave everything behind, even our brothers. I just couldn’t accept the fact that I couldn’t do anything for you.” Sunggyu revealed with a sad expression, almost like he was about to cry. “So this war is making me even more anxious than before,” he then added next.

     Jiyong took a deep breath and grabbed Sunggyu’s hand so Sunggyu could look back at him. When they were now facing each other, Jiyong told him, “We were weaker back then Sunggyu. We didn’t have a concrete plan so that happened. But now things have changed. We’re stronger than before. We have a purpose. And we have people helping us succeed. Nothing bad will happen. You and everyone else involved in this war will make sure of it”

     “But what if things failed? What if we miscalculated everything?” Sunggyu asked.

     “Nothing will happen Sunggyu. You have to have faith in yourself.”

     “But what if I fail as a leader again? And one of you will-” Sunggyu was cut off when he heard a loud slap. Seconds later, his cheeks started to ache. He looked back at Jiyong and realized that he just got slapped by him.

     Jiyong took a deep breath and stood from his seat before looking down at their leader with a serious expression.

     “As a leader, it’s okay to worry, I understand that. But acting like this isn’t going to help you or anyone. Our brothers and the Arcs have been soft on you because they know what you’ve been through, but it seems like nothing has changed,” Jiyong stated, and out of nowhere, he grabbed him by the collar and moved his face close to his.

     “W-What are you-”

     “Let me toughen you up again Prince of Wrath. You’re a pathetic excuse for a leader. You bring yourself down too much that our brothers are more worried about you than they are for themselves. You act as if you’re ready to head to the future, but you’re still stuck in the past as if I’m still dead. You look at me as though I’m weak and it pisses me off. Just because I died once doesn’t mean you can look down on me even until now. I don’t fucking need your protection, and so does our brothers. Protect yourself, guide us, and do great things for your own satisfaction. You’re our leader, not our fucking mother. You got that?” Jiyong stated, leaving Sunggyu speechless.

     His words pierced right through his heart, but for some reason, that was something that he has always wanted to hear. People have been comforting him, but he realized that comfort isn’t what he needed anymore.

     “You were the most feared student here, but it seems like even a loser can step on you,” Jiyong finished before letting go of Sunggyu collar and walking away. Sunggyu stood there, dumbfounded. But as he watched Jiyong’s back, something inside him started to spark. Something that has died down ever since Jiyong’s death.

     It was his Wrath.

     He felt angry; a feeling that he wasn’t able to feel for a while because all this time, all he felt was sadness and regret. And as the prince of wrath, that made him weaker.

     “What the hell did you just say to me?” Sunggyu asked while clenching his fist, but Jiyong ignored him and continued to walk away. Sunggyu’s aura immediately changed into something darker that if a human would get closer, they’d faint.

     The fire in Sunggyu’s heart finally burned up as he ran towards Jiyong and grabbed him by the arm before swinging his hand for a punch. But just when Sunggyu’s fist was only a few inches away from Jiyong’s face, Jiyong was able to grab his hand to stop him.

     Jiyong stared at his brother and smirked before letting go of him.

     “Looks like you’re finally better. Welcome back…Prince of Wrath,” Jiyong stated.

     Sunggyu was panting heavily, but he finally calmed down and lightly punched Jiyong’s shoulder before saying, “I never expected that all I needed was your tough love. Thank you…Prince of Pride.”

     “Well, I am the best after all,” Jiyong said with a cocky smile, almost making Sunggyu attempt to punch him again. Jiyong smiled when he saw his reaction, so he held Sunggyu by his shoulder and told him, “That’s it. Channel your anger because your anger is your strength. Put all that anger to the king, and use that to win this war.”

     Sunggyu held Jiyong’s hand over his shoulder and nodded his head.

     The two finally headed out of the cafeteria and walked their way to the soccer field where the King’s mark can be found. But while they were walking, Jiyong asked, “So what’s with you and Woohyun?”

     Sunggyu wasn’t even flustered when he heard the question. He just smirked and answered him, “We’re just friends. Sometimes he tries to flirt with me, but that flirtatiousness will get him nowhere. I’m just playing along since it’s fun.”

     “Why not just make things serious? Woohyun seems like a nice guy,” Jiyong explained.

     “I don’t need nice. I definitely don’t need a lover either. I already have too much on my plate to add anything else.”

     Jiyong wanted to say something, but first, he draped his arm around Sunggyu’s shoulder before proceeding, “Since you’re back to normal, let me give you some advice. Our world is already cruel enough. Believe me, you should take the smallest nice that’s being offered to you. And besides, who said having a lover will fill your plate? A lover is more like a…dessert.”

     “So is Seunghyun your dessert now too?” Sunggyu asked, immediately avoiding the topic relating to him and not wanting to be lovers with Woohyun.

     Not like Sunggyu, Jiyong was flustered. He never even imagined being together with that serious angel. And if they did end up being together, it was obvious that Jiyong wasn’t topping in that relationship, and that hurt his pride.

     Yes, he was more concerned about that instead of anything else.

     “He’s not dessert. He’s more of like…extra rice. I’m still not sure if I need him or not, but I’ll just put it aside for later,” Jiyong shamelessly explained while trying to compose himself.

     “When did you even become a love expert?” Sunggyu asked with his right eyebrow raised.

     “I’ve always been a love expert,” Jiyong defended, so Sunggyu smirked and told him, “Is that why you’ve been secretly in love with Hyunseung for almost three years now?”

     Jiyong’s eyes widened, and he immediately covered Sunggyu’s mouth like he was afraid that someone would hear it. Sunggyu pushed Jiyong away and laughed when he saw how red his brother’s ears were.

     “Anyone who would pay attention to detail would know you’ve liked him from the very start. Even during our high school years, you’ve always gazed upon him whenever we walk past him,” Sunggyu explained, embarrassing Jiyong even more.

NOTE:
I’ve always left subtle hints about Jiyong’s feelings for Hyunseung since book 1. If you noticed that, you guys are legends.

     “Did you tell anyone about that?” Jiyong asked, but Sunggyu shook his head and answered him, “No. Suho doesn’t even know about it either. His mouth is too loud he might accidentally spill it.”

     Jiyong took a deep breath and shoved his hands inside his pocket again. “At first I thought I was just attracted to him because he’s a prince of lust, but since we’re brothers, our power don’t affect each other so I realized I just really like him. But I guess the brother thing makes it weird now.”

     “You know we’re technically not brothers,” Sunggyu pointed out, and Jiyong glared at him and said, “Are you encouraging me to break my already good relationship with JS?”

     “No, I’m just stating facts. And besides, Hyunseung’s too in love with Junhyung. Even if you tell him you like him, he won’t break up with that angel. But then again, he loves you too, so he might just hug you and comfort you, which would make you feel like shit,” Sunggyu truthfully said, finally making Jiyong smack him.

     “I just remembered how sharp and annoying your tongue is,” Jiyong stated, making Sunggyu laugh.

     “Anyway, I’m just glad he’s happy. Being by his side is enough for me. I’ll be there for him as a brother, and I’ll love him with all my life as his friend. I don’t have any regrets,” Jiyong stated, and Sunggyu didn’t laugh anymore. He smiled at his brother’s declaration and draped his arm around his shoulder while they get closer to the soccer field.

     “Maybe you really do need that extra rice,” Sunggyu stated, making Jiyong push his away from him.

     Sunggyu laughed again, and Jiyong finally laughed with him. When they arrived at the soccer field, the two went to the middle and saw the large demonic mark that Kharon told them about. It was still raining hard so they ended up getting wet. They were idiots for not even bringing an umbrella with them when the weather is already like this.

     “Looks like it’s still here,” Sunggyu stated, kneeling down to touch the mark.

     “Can’t we just remove it so he wouldn’t be able to come out?” Jiyong asked with his arms crossed.

     “Kharon II and the third, and even Dongmin tried to break it, but the mark wouldn’t budge. It’s too powerful,” Sunggyu explained, making Jiyong sigh heavily. This will be his battlefield. This will be the place where he’ll finally be able to face the king; the demon that killed him right in front of his brothers that caused them to be left with so much pain.

      “Let’ go back,” Jiyong stated, and Sunggyu nodded his head and stood up.

     The two walked back to the parking, soaking wet. But as they were walking, Jiyong stated, “I hope when the king arrives, the rain would stop. Fire isn’t good with water.”

     “I know. Our fire would die down and we’ll be weaker than-” Sunggyu stopped and widened his eyes from shock. Jiyong realized it too, and the two powerful demons looked at each other like they just made one final plan that will secure their success in this war.  

• END -

SDS3 40: IT BEGINS

NOVEMBER 01, 

2:03 AM

THE DEMONS STOOD AT the main entrance   of the Holy Home with the rest of the Arcs and their guardians. Today was the day of the war. At exactly 3:00 AM, all the demonic creatures of hell and the king himself will be bringing hammock to the world.

     Most of the people in Seoul evacuated except for the members of Ravens, Kharon III’s men, and the angels, who are all over the city where the demonic marks could be found. All they’re waiting for now are the princes of Heaven and Hell.

     “My men are already in their positions,” Tamo told Taeil who looked at his watch to see that they are now an hour away from the beginning of this bloody war. The rain is still pouring outside. The initial plan was that the rain was supposed to be gone before the war begins, but Jiyong and Sunggyu had an idea to keep it there. Fire is the source of strength and power from almost everyone in hell, including the Demons, but if it can weaken the opponent, they’re willing to take the risk.

     Every one of them is now grouped into twelve according to the demonic marks around the city, including the HAU group, which consists of Jiyong, Seunghyun, Kharon III, and Dongmin.

     “You guys ready?” Kharon II asked, and Kharon the III – the Demons’ guardians – joined his kids and told them, “We’re ready when you are.”

     Junhyung and the rest of the Arcs looked at Demons and nodded their heads. Without any second thought, all fourteen of them transformed into their respective demonic and angelic form. Right after the transformation, Junhyung and Sunggyu, the two groups’ leaders, went in front of them.

     “This is it. This is the moment we’ve all prepared for,” Junhyung stated.

     “No one is going to die tonight, and we will defeat the king no matter what. I’m not going to make this long because I’ll use our victory as an opportunity for that, so all we can say now is…” Sunggyu paused and looked at Junhyung with a grin.

     “May the king of hell never be with you and your spirit,” Junhyung finished, and Jiyong immediately summoned his weapon and raised it in the air, making the rest of them follow. “Let’s kill that mother fucker!” Jiyong shouted, and everyone immediately teleported away to their respective positions, leaving Minhyuk and Jackson alone at the Holy Home.

     Jackson looked at his brother and nodded his head towards him. Their task was the head to hell and rescue the Rulers and the 7 Evil Emotions. But before they could do anything, they had to wait at exactly 3:AM in order to get in. And that is a wait that will be harder for them than the actual battle.

     “As we planned, I’m heading to Father Asmodeus first while you head to the main gate and look for Grim Reaper,” Jackson instructed.

     Minhyuk nodded his head and summoned hell’s map that Kharon gave to them. “Kharon gave us coins to get in hell. The path we’re taking is closer to the main gate, so you’ll have to move faster since the realm of lust is literally on another floor. But don’t worry, once I find the Emotions, I’ll immediately head to where you are,” Minhyuk stated.

     “No, if that happens, go to the realm of Wrath and help Father Satan while I handle the rest. We’ll meet up at the realm of pride right after,” Jackson explained, and Minhyuk nodded his head again and summoned the map back.

     The two started walking to the living room where the mirror was. Dongmin already configured it so when 3:00 strikes, it will automatically open a portal to hell. All they have to do is immediately get in since the portal will close after 30 seconds.

     “Anyways, how are our mothers?” Minhyuk asked while they were walking.

     Jackson took a deep breath and placed his hands inside his pockets. “They arrived in Japan last night. They’re with sir Kenji and Jiyong’s pet guardian. Since she’s the strongest, I’m sure she could protect them. And I heard from Dongmin that the angels ( the maids and butlers ) who we were with at Ophanim are also with them,” Jackson explained, making Minhyuk sigh in relief.

     “Well, our pets have always been protecting our mothers. Since they’re from the rulers, they’re stronger than most of the ghouls. No one has tried to attack our mothers’ thanks to them.”

     The two arrived in the living room, and everything immediately became silent right after. All they could hear was the rain outside the Holy Home. Minhyuk was about to say something, but then he saw Jackson sighing heavily. He was going to ask if Jackson was nervous, but then he realized something. “You’re still casting an illusion aren’t you?” He asked him.

     “I’ve been casting this illusion for almost a week now with the help of Jiyong. I have to hide us and everyone else involved in this war so the people of Seoul won’t be suspicious. Thankfully when 3:00 AM strikes, time on earth will automatically stop, and I’ll be able to release it,” Jackson explained, and Minhyuk looked at him worriedly.

     “Are you okay? Will you be fine?” He asked him.

     Jackson looked at his brother and assured him, “I could even hold onto this illusion for a month if I have to.”

     Minhyuk smiled and nodded his head; glad his brother was confident with his abilities. “Seriously, you’re too strong for a demon. No wonder the king wants to kill us so badly.”

TEAM SUNGJAE, 

2:12 AM

“Sunggyu, can you hear me? Are you already at your station?” Sungjae asked while holding his temple. It looked like he was talking to himself while he did it because he was actually trying to connect through their heads. Like what was planned, Sungjae’s role was to send and receive messages from the sons and the guardians. Lay was with them to heal whoever was in need of it, and so was Woohyun who is tasked to anticipate any great danger coming their way by looking at the future ten minutes at a time.

      “ This is so fucking weird. You’re talking in my head! “ Sunggyu answered, making Sungjae chuckle.

     “Well, that’s good. I already talked to the others, and it seems like everyone can hear my signal. It’s a good thing I got to connect with all of you,” Sungjae explained.

     The connection that he was referring to was the ritual that they did yesterday. Sungjae realized that in order for him to go through someone’s mind, he has to be connected with them, and that involved focus, concentration, and an hour of staring at each other’s eyes.

     “ So how you guys holding up? “ Sunggyu asked.

     “We’re good. Lay is on standby, while Woohyun is-” Sungjae paused and glanced at Woohyun who was sitting on a chair, eating chocolates. To top it all off, he had headphones on so he could listen to relaxing music. Since Woohyun is tasked to look through the future and warn them about what could happen, the angel has to be relaxed as much as he can. Even with all his training, looking through the future drains too much of his energy. Which explains why he also has chocolates on him.

     “ He’s what?“ Sunggyu immediately asked since Sungjae hasn’t answered him yet.

     “You worried?” Sungjae teased when he heard the leader’s worried tone.

     “ You’re lucky I can’t mute you, “ Sunggyu stated, and Sungjae just laughed it off and told him, “He’s getting ready so don’t worry. Anyway, I’ll end this call and get back to you guys as soon as I can. Remember, just picture my image if you need to contact me again.”

     “ Yeah, yeah. I got it, “ Sunggyu answered, and everything became silent.

     Sungjae took a deep breath as Lay walked towards him to stand beside him. The two looked out of the window to see the view of the city. They were on the top floor of the Lotte World Tower, which is the tallest tower in Seoul. Since they had one of the most important roles, it’s best if they avoid the battle as much as they can. The reason why they’re also in this building is that they have to see what’s happening so they could update the sons.

     “My heart is beating so fast I might just faint,” Lay stated without looking at Sungjae.

     “Please don’t. No one’s going to heal you,” Sungjae managed to joke, which became successful since Lay ended up chuckling by it. But the laughter died down, and Lay became serious again.

     “I’ve practiced and trained for an entire month. I was able to mass heal at least thirty people, but I feel like it’s not enough. Our guardian expected me to at least do a hundred, but I couldn’t do it. I didn’t have the strength to do it,” Lay stated with a sad tone, and Sungjae finally looked at him with an equally serious expression.

     “Lay, you started healing one person at a time to freakin’ thirty! In just a month! That is enough and our guardian knows it. You are stronger than you think,” Sungjae told him, “And if it would make you feel better, Suho told me something before we left earlier.”

     Lay was surprised by what his brother said, so he waited for him to continue.

     “Make sure Yixing gets to help a lot of people because that’s what he always wanted to do; that’s what your lover told me. And as the person who will act as everyone’s 911, I will make sure you get to heal everyone. We will not let anyone of them die. Not in our watch,” Sungjae answered with determination, and Lay suddenly started looking teary.

      Sungjae smiled and patted his back, and Lay finally took a deep breath and gathered his strength.

     “How about Minhyuk? Did he leave you any message too?” Lay then asked, suddenly making Sungjae’s ears turn red. Lay laughed at the reaction, so Sungjae looked out the window again to avoid his brother’s judging stare.

     “Based on your reaction, he did,” Lay stated, crossing his arms and looking out the window as well. “Perhaps he said something like, I’ll fuck you if we survive this war, “ Lay continued, and Sungjae blushed even more.

     “Don’t be ridiculous!” Sungjae immediately defended.

     Lay scratched his chin and thought about it again, “You’re right. Minhyuk isn’t that type of person. That line is more of Junhyung or Jihoon’s style. Since we’re talking about Minhyuk, it would be more innocent like… I can’t wait to kiss you when this war is over .”

     Sungjae’s body freezes as he looked at Lay with his eyes wide from shock. Looks like Lay just hit the jackpot.

     “Damn, you guys really are the definition of puppy love,” Lay stated, immediately making Sungjae hit him.

     While Lay was teasing his embarrassed brother, Woohyun, who was listening to music, removed his headphones and looked up at the two. “Looks like the rain is getting stronger. Are they sure that we’re safer here?” Woohyun asked them while looking out the window.

     “This storm is coming from the heavens. Do you really think our Fathers are going to harm us?” Lay asked, and Woohyun just shrugged his shoulder and took a bite of his dark chocolate.

     Sungjae glanced at his watch and took a deep breath. “I really can’t believe this is happening. It feels like yesterday when we were tasked to kill the Demons. Now we’re tasked to kill not only the king of hell but to do so with the Demons right beside us. It’s crazy.”

     “Thinking about it now, I don’t think I’d be able to even hurt them,” Lay honestly answered.

     Sungjae was about to say something, but then Woohyun placed his chocolate bar down and said, “Do you know why Junhyung and Sunggyu didn’t give out an encouraging war speech for us before we left?” He asked them.

     “They felt like it wasn’t necessary?” Sungjae guessed, and Woohyun shook his head and told them, “No, they wanted us to quickly leave because they didn’t want us to say goodbye to our lovers. That’s how confident he is that we’ll meet each other again after this war is over.”

     “But too much confidence is dangerous,” Lay pointed out.

     “Don’t worry, our leaders are different now. Just like how different our mission is. Their confidence isn’t like before because now they have fate in all of us,” Woohyun explained, and Lay raised his right eyebrow and asked him, “Why are you suddenly telling us this?”

     “Nothing, I was just-” right before he could even finish his sentence, Woohyun suddenly felt a strong force that made him hold his chest. The action immediately made Sungjae and Lay run to his side.

     “Woohyun, are you okay? What’s happening?” Sungjae asked, patting Woohyun’s back to ease him. Woohyun took a deep breath and tried his best to calm himself down. He didn’t exactly know where that strong force came from, but he knows why he felt it.

     “They’re getting closer,” Woohyun stated. And those words alone made Lay and Sungjae tense up.

     Woohyun sat properly, took a bite of his chocolate, and wore his headphones back on so he could get himself ready. Woohyun is the starting mark of this whole operation. He’s the one who’s going to officially start the war, so he has to concentrate and focus as hard as he could.

     Lay and Sungjae stepped aside to give him space. Woohyun took a deep breath and finally closed his eyes as his feathered wings appeared behind him. Even with his eyes closed, the light coming from it could still be seen. Woohyun went ten minutes into the future. When he got there, he advanced to another ten minutes, and another, putting him 30 minutes ahead of time.

     This was how Woohyun’s training went. Woohyun can look through the future, but it drains too much of his energy. If it’s too far, he might not be able to use his power for an entire day, or worse, even an entire week. So Woohyun can only go as far as ten minutes. But thanks to Taeil’s suggestion, he was able to crack the code. He looks ten minutes into the future. When he’s in that state, he does it again, and again, making it 30 minutes in total. That’s the maximum time that he could go, but that’s already a big help for everyone.

     “The demonic marks are on fire,” Woohyun was narrating as he tried to navigate his vision of the future.

     “One by one, ghouls and other creatures are coming out of them. A lot of ghouls are appearing in the mark where Junhyung’s team is placed,” Woohyun continued to tell them, and Sungjae immediately transformed into his angelic form as well and started sending mental messages to all of the sons.

     “ Ghouls will be arriving at Junhyung’s area in about thirty minutes. I repeat, g

houls will be arriving at Junhyung’s area in about thirty minutes “ Sungjae messaged everyone without opening his mouth. Even Lay heard it.

     “A lot of large monsters are coming on mark one to six, all those demonic marks are near the university where Jiyong and the others are. There are dozens of them,” Woohyun explained next as Sungjae continued to warn the sons about it. At this point, Lay was starting to get cold sweats.

     “The Ravens and the other human are able to fight back, but a lot will be injured on the first wave, specifically at demonic mark 9 where Kai and Tamo are stationed,” Woohyun explained, immediately making Sungjae warn to two, which is an easier task since they’re humans. Lay was nervous, but he also readied himself thanks to that small information.

     Woohyun continued to look around the vision. But when he tried to go inside HAU, an immense power blocked him. Woohyun’s vision started to get covered in black smoke, and suddenly, an immense power pushed him away, suddenly making Woohyun fall off the chair that he was sitting on.

     Lay and Sungjae immediately helped him as Woohyun opened his eyes to catch his breath. Without thinking about it, Lay held Woohyun’s forehead with his thumb. His thumb starts lighting up, and Woohyun went back to normal.

     Woohyun was already sweating like crazy. Sungjae and Lay were about to ask them about what he saw, but Woohyun immediately told them, “Our guardians were right. I won’t be able to look through the king’s future.”

     “You saw him?” Sungjae asked with shock in his face.

     Woohyun took a deep breath and answered him, “I could barely even get inside HAU.”

     “Well if that’s the case, avoid that place as much as you can,” Lay instructed as he helped Woohyun go back to his seat. Woohyun, who saw the chaos that was about to happen, gulped and looked back at his brothers with a serious expression.

     “Message everyone and get ready. The war begins now..”

• END -

SDS3 41: RESCUE MISSION

NOTES TO REMEMBER:

TEAM HELL: Wang Jackson & Lee Minhyuk.

MISSION: Rescue the seven Rulers and the seven Evil Emotions.

• LEE MINHYUK -

WEAPON : Sword

POWERS: 

Life Draining: The ability to drain and absorb one’s energy and power &  Soul Absorption: (Full Demon Power) The ability to take and absorb one’s soul.

• JACKSON WANG -

WEAPON:  The Claw

POWERS: Illusion Casting: The ability to create illusions or invisible objects, places, or people/creatures &   Glamouring: (Full Demon Power) The power to change one’s appearance to any person or creature.

*Also, please be mindful of the timeframe because that will change according to the scenes. That’s all, enjoy the chapter.

…

NOVEMBER 01, 2:47 AM

“ ALL THE DEMONIC MARKS

will

be activated at the same time. The mirror will automatically open, but don’t go any further for at least ten minutes. That’s what Dongmin told me ,“ Sungjae stated, AKA went inside Jackson’s head and told him.

     “Got it,” Jackson answered calmly. Not like the others, Jackson wasn’t nervous, or tense, or even anxious. It might be because he’s one of the strongest demons and his emotions are more demonic than human, or maybe because he’s just really good at keeping it together.

     Minhyuk, on the other hand, wasn’t like Jackson at all. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes to remain calm. He trained with the others and even honed his demonic power called soul absorption. At first, he could only take a soul and store it, but now he can take the soul and release it, killing the soul and the body altogether. It’s an amazing power, but Minhyuk still can’t help but feel anxious.

     “Enter hell, go to the main gate, look for Grim, save the Seven Evil Emotions. Enter hell, go to the main gate, look for Grim, save the Seven Evil Emotions,” Minhyuk continuously told himself.

     When Jackson released Sungjae’s call, Jackson looked back ta his brother and patted his shoulder, immediately making Minhyuk open his eyes. “You alright?” He asked.

     Minhyuk looked at the wall clock and gulped, “I think I am,” he answered, “I’m nervous, but I think when the war starts I’ll be able to do it. I’m just a little nervous since the last time I went to hell, Jiyong-”

     Jackson cuts his brother off and said, “You’ll be fine. You found Hope and brought him to us safely. You can do the same with the other Emotions.”

     Minhyuk didn’t answer and nodded his head in agreement.

     “By the way, Nightmare’s not an emotion, right? Then why do we call them the Seven Emotions?” Minhyuk then asked so his thought could be occupied with other things, and Jackson just shrugged his shoulders and said, “I don’t know, maybe it’s just a title.”

     “Well, Kharon told me there are Pain and Panic, who we already met before. Then there’s Nightmare who you already rescued, also known as the commander of the lords. And then the other ones are Sadness, Grief, Vices, and Despair, who acts as their leader,” Minhyuk explained.

     “Despair is probably their leader because he’s the opposite of Hope,” Jackson stated.

     “She. It’s supposed to be, she’s the opposite of Hope,” Minhyuk corrected, surprising Jackson. But just when he was about to say something, the ground started to tremble, immediately making the two loose balance. Jackson and Minhyuk held onto the sofa so they could regain themselves. The ground continued to tremble, and Jackson and Minhyuk looked at the wall clock and realized that it was already 2:56 AM. The marks were about to open.

     “This is it Minhyuk, you ready?!” Jackson asked.

     Minhyuk took a deep breath and nodded his head as an answer. “Don’t forget…t-the moment the mirror opens, release…the illusion you’re casting,” Minhyuk managed to say, and Jackson just showed him a thumbs up.

     “ Get ready everyone, “ Sungjae told the sons.

     “ May God of Heaven be with us and our spirits, “ this time, it came from Dongmin, and everyone answered a quick, “ Amen. “

     “Hey Sungjae, after thirty minutes, does Woohyun see us back on earth? Do we rescue our Father and the Emotions within thirty minutes?” Jackson asked Sungjae who paused for a second, probably to ask Woohyun about the question.

     Minhyuk and Jackson remained quiet as they waited for the answer.

     “ No, “ Sungjae finally answered. Minhyuk started getting worried again, but Jackson grinned confidently and told his brother, “Then it looks like he have to change the future again!”

     “ Alright everyone, the demonic marks will open in five… “

     four…

     three…

     two…

     As soon as the clock hits 3, the mirror in front of the two demons immediately opened a portal to hell. Without wasting any second, Jackson released his illusion and immediately jumped inside the mirror, Minhyuk following right behind him. As soon as they got in, the mirror closes.

     Minhyuk and Jackson looked around and realized that they were now in the main entrance of the hell, specifically, there were in a river made out of black liquid that the two didn’t dare to touch.

     “Coin?” Jackson asked, and Minhyuk took out two coins from his pocket and threw it inside the river. The coin slowly sinks until they couldn’t see it anymore. Seconds later, a boat emerges from the water, just right in front of the two princes. Kharon was supposed to be stationed there, but since he’s fighting with the sons, the boat was empty.

     “You know how to drive this thing?” Jackson asked Minhyuk.

     “Kharon told us it would just move on its own, so come on,” Minhyuk answered, hopping inside the boat as Jackson followed behind him. And Minhyuk was right. The moment they got in, the boat started moving on its own, bringing them to hell’s main gate. There was even a large creature with three heads that were about to attack them, but when it saw who the passengers of the boat were, it whimpered away.

     “That was a fucking Cerberus!” Minhyuk excitedly said as he watched the creature run away from them.

     “Heard that’s Kharon’s pet or something. I don’t know,” Jackson casually said as he watched the waters below them.

     The two didn’t say anything the entire ride, but as soon as the boat stopped, Minhyuk stood up and spots the enormous gate. He was about to say something, but Jackson quickly covered his mouth and pulled him down so they could hide. Without saying anything, Jackson made the boat invisible.

     The large main gate was right in front of them. There were hundreds, maybe even thousands, of demonic creatures and ghouls walking out of the now opened gate. There were eleven marks also known as portals, and the creatures were grouped together as they went out on their respective marks.

     “ Looks like this is going to be a long battle, “ Minhyuk thought to himself while Jackson continued to cover his mouth.

     “I can’t get through Sungjae anymore. Looks like Dongmin was right when he said we wouldn’t be able to contact them once we get in hell. We’re on our own now,” Jackson stated with a soft voice. “The king isn’t here. He’s probably going out using that large mark,” he then added.

     Hundreds of demons continued to walk out of the portals and the two princes waited in silence. After the ten-minute mark, Jackson finally lets go of Minhyuk’s mouth, and the two hopped out of the boat and ran towards the main gate where there were at least a few hundred ghouls left.

     While running, Minhyuk and Jackson transformed into their demonic state. Minhyuk summoned his sword, while Jackson transformed himself into a large bull and rammed his head towards a dozen ghouls. Even though they’re in hell, the least they could do is assist those who are fighting back on earth.

     “I’ll take the ones on the left!” Minhyuk answered, immediately flying towards the hoard of ghouls who was able to spot them. When Minhyuk landed in front of the portals to stop the ghouls from entering earth, the ghouls immediately started running towards him with killer intent. Minhyuk’s eyes turned red, and with a strong force, he absorbed and released dozens of souls, making the ghouls in front of him drop like flies, while the ones who tried to sneak behind him would be beheaded using his sword.

     The two wiped out the ghouls like it was child’s play. Lucky for them, most of the strong demonic creatures went through the portal first, leaving these weak ghouls behind.

     Jackson stepped on the last ghoul, and the area became quiet. All that’s left were Jackson, Minhyuk, and the hundreds of dead ghouls in front of them. It was so easy that there wasn’t even a drop of blood on them.

     Jackson transformed back to his demonic state and flew his way towards Minhyuk. “We’ll split up here. You know where to go, right?” Jackson asked, and Minhyuk nodded his head and patted his brother’s back before flying off to the main gate.

     Hell was almost empty. The king went full out and released as many demons as he could. The sons will be having a hard time, but thanks to that, Minhyuk was able to pass through the large gate without any worry. He was there to look for the seven emotions, and the first thing he has to do is look for Grim himself.

     “If I was hiding somewhere, where would I go?” Minhyuk asked himself as he stopped at the entrance. No one was there, and he couldn’t feel any presence either. All he could hear are noises from the lowest parts of hell.

     “Grim!” Minhyuk shouted with no hesitation. It was a risky move, but Minhyuk couldn’t think of anything else. The gate was empty. If Grim was hiding, he wouldn’t be able to find him if he doesn’t call out to him.

     “Grim! This is Lee Minhyuk! The Prince of Gluttony! I’m here to rescue you!” Minhyuk continued to shout, his words echoing around the place. The area was silent for a second, but then the ground started to shake.

     “Great Minhyuk, you really are an idiot,” Minhyuk stated to himself when he spots hundred of skeleton-like bodies running towards him. He summoned his weapon again and got ready for the attack, “You just had to shout and tell them you were here,” Minhyuk continued to say as the enemy got closer and closer.

     When they were only a few inches away from him, they suddenly stopped, surprising the prince.

     “What’s going on?” Minhyuk asked confusingly.

     “ Maybe next time, tell us you’re the prince of pride so we would run away from you and not towards you, “ someone suddenly whispered behind him, immediately making Minhyuk turn around, swinging his sword in the process.

     The culprit dodged it and looked at Minhyuk with a grin. Minhyuk’s heart was pounding because he wasn’t even able to sense his presence. But when he saw who it was, Minhyuk sighed in relief and summoned his weapon back.

     “N-Nightmare…you’re here,” Minhyuk stated.

     “I was near the gate because I was planning to escape through one of the demonic marks to help out in the war and bring my lords with me, but then I heard your stupid introduction,” Nightmare stated, making Minhyuk laugh and scratch the back of his head.

     “Well, I didn’t know what I was supposed to do,” Minhyuk answered.

     “Anyways, Grim isn’t here. I haven’t seen him ever since I got back. In fact, I haven’t seen the rest of the Emotions. I was just able to survive thanks to my lords. But I’m guessing they’re with Grim. Wherever he is,” Nightmare answered.

     Minhyuk might not have been able to find Grim, but he got Nightmare, and he couldn’t ask for anyone else.

     “Where do you think they are then?” Minhyuk asked.

     “Knowing Grim, he’d hide in one of the realms that aren’t heavily guarded, which means he’s probably in the first three realms,” Nightmare stated, immediately making Minhyuk smirk in excitement.

     “First three realms you say? Well then, today’s your lucky day Mr. Nightmare. I happen to be the son of the one who rules one of those realms.”

MEANWHILE…

3:32 AM

     Jackson clawed the dead souls who were trying to grab his leg. Moans were heard everywhere, and dozens of sinners were having sex around the area. If this wasn’t the realm of lust, I don’t know what is anymore.

     “This is seriously my least favorite realm,” Jackson stated while he continued to walk deeper inside.

     “I’ll have to rescue Father Asmodeus, then I’ll proceed to Gluttony and skip the others and rescue my Father next so they wouldn’t anticipate me,” Jackson told himself while he continued to claw anyone who would try to hold him.

     “Anyway, this place is too quiet. Shouldn’t there be a guar-” right before Jackson could finish, the ground started to shake again. Jackson turned around and saw a large silhouette approaching him. The souls who were trying to grab him immediately ran away as the creature got closer and closer.

      As soon as it was only a few inches away from him now, Jackson realized that the large silhouette was actually naked people sewn together, creating this huge blob that looked like a monster. Two more appeared behind it, and the sound that it was making wasn’t screams but moans instead. It was a disturbing sight, but Jackson didn’t even flinch.

     “That’s fucking disgusting,” Jackson commented, “But since I’m already, here, let’s transform into something that’s fitting for this realm.”

     As the guardians of the Realm of Lust approached the prince, Jackson transformed himself into a large snake that’s two storeys tall. He went to the one in the middle first and wrapped himself around it, crushing the creature until its bones got crushed and blood started oozing out of its body.

     The two other guardians approached him and started sucking on the snake’s skin like they were some kind of leeches. When the guardian that was wrapped around Jackson was dead, Jackson released his hold from it and shook his body, throwing off the two other guardians. When they were finally off him, he went to the one on the right and bit its upper part off, splitting him in half.

     The other guardian tried to run away, but Jackson slid towards it and did the same.

     The moans finally stopped, and the realm of lust became quiet. Jackson transformed himself back into his demonic state, his body now covered with the guardians’ blood.

     “Seriously, that really was disgusting,” Jackson stated, wiping the blood off of his face.

     Right after, he went on with his journey and finally arrived at where the Ruler of the realm was. Asmodeus, the ruler of the realm lust, was chained in a spiked covered pole while hundred of sinners were piled together, having sex with each other. The moaning sound was heard again that made Jackson annoyed even more. But thanks to that, his annoyance started oozing out a dark aura that was felt by the sinners who were there. Without saying anything, they started running off out of fear from his presence.

     Asmodeus, who was bleeding on the pole, weakly opened his eyes to see who caused the disappearance of the sinners around him.

     “Oh my…w-what a powerful…demon,” Asmodeus stated with a weak voice. But even with such high praise, Jackson went down on his knees to give respect to the Ruler.

     “Father Asmodeus, I come to rescue you. We need your assistance in this war,” Jackson stated while he was down on his knee.

     Asmodeus chuckled but started coughing blood as soon as he did it. “I knew…y-you were coming. But I w-won’t be of any help if you…j-just kneel there,” Asmodeus managed to say, immediately making Jackson stand back up.

     “You got a point,” Jackson commented as he ran towards Asmodeus and destroyed the chains that were binding him. Asmodeus fell, but Jackson was quick to catch him. The Ruler was covered in holes thanks to the spikes that pierced him. It was almost a miracle that he’s not dead yet.

     “Will you be okay?” Jackson asked him with concern in his voice.

     Asmodeus took a deep breath and tried to stand. To Jackson’s surprise, the wounds in his body started to close on its own. “The rulers can’t be killed in hell, but we can be bounded,” Asmodeus answered as the wounds healed one by one, “That’s why the king did this to us so we could be weak enough not to escape or fight back.”

     Jackson watched in awe as Asmodeus stood straight, now fully healed as if nothing happened to him. “But he’s a fool for leaving us here because he overlooked the fact that we have a rescue team,” Asmodeus stated as he patted Jackson’s shoulder.

     “I’m glad you’re safe. And I’m sure Hyunseung would be glad to reunite with you too,” Jackson stated, making Asmodeus smile and squeeze Jackson’s shoulder.

     “You’ve grown stronger than the last time I saw you. You’re too strong to only be called a prince,” he praised, and Jackson laughed and answered him, “I’m honored, but wait till you see Jiyong.”

     Asmodeus became quiet for a second. And then his eyes widened as he asked, “He’s alive?”

     Jackson was surprised by the question. For some reason, he assumed that Asmodeus or any of the Rulers would have already known about that. “You…didn’t know?” He asked him, and Asmodeus shook his head and answered, “No. We all thought he didn’t make it in time.”

     “He did make it in time. Why do you think the king rescheduled this war?” Jackson asked, and Asmodeus almost fell if he wasn’t holding onto Jackson’s shoulder for support.

     “You boys did it. You could actually defeat the king and win this war,” Asmodeus told him before letting go of Jackson.

     “We must hurry. Lucifer will be thrilled to find out about this.”

3:24 AM

     “Knowing Grim, he’d hide in one of the realms that aren’t heavily guarded, which means he’s probably in the first three realms,” Nightmare stated, immediately making Minhyuk smirk in excitement.

     “First three realms you say? Well then, today’s your lucky day Mr. Nightmare. I happen to be the son of the one who rules one of those realms,” Minhyuk said with confidence. And without waiting for Nightmare, he immediately started flying towards the realm of gluttony.

     Nightmare chased after him, his lords right behind him as they followed Minhyuk to the realm of gluttons. When they arrived, they were welcomed with a table filled with delicious-looking food. Just like the time they first visited hell.

     “Why not try it out, prince?” Nightmare teased while they stared at the table; his lords waiting right outside.

     “I’m not a total idiot Nightmare,” Minhyuk commented as he avoided the table as much as he could. But Nightmare on the other hand suddenly grabbed an apple, immediately making Minhyuk’s eyes widen from shock. “No!” Minhyuk shouted.

     Nightmare dropped the fruit and got ready for what was about to happen. Minhyuk got ready too and waited for the guardians to arrive, but a minute passed, and nothing happened.

     “Alright, are you sure you’re not an idiot?” Nightmare asked as he dropped his guard down.

     Minhyuk looked around confusingly and said, “Something’s not right here. Guardians are supposed to be attacking us by now since you held the food.”

     Nightmare didn’t say anything as he scanned the apple that was on his hand. He took the knife on the table and sliced it. But instead of a juicy fruit like how the outside looked, the fruit was actually filled with worms that Nightmare instantly dropped it again.

     “It looks disgusting, doesn’t it? But what do we know? We eat human flesh anyway,” someone suddenly said, immediately making Nightmare and Minhyuk turn around with their weapons drawn. But when the two saw who it was, Nightmare immediately ran towards the owner of the voice and hugged him. “Pain!” He shouted.

     “Seriously, can you stop sneaking up on me?! I can’t sense you guys!” Minhyuk complained as he saw Pain and Panic in front of them. Panic laughed and gave Minhyuk a hug too, which Minhyuk happily took.

     “You were here all along?” Nightmare asked before letting go of Pain.

     “The realms higher than here are heavily guarded, and lust is too close to the main entrance. Thankfully we were able to kill all the guardians here without letting anyone know,” Pain answered.

     “If I didn’t find these two they would have been captured again,” another voice stated. Everyone looked at their left and saw Grim approaching them.

     “Looks like Nightmare was right. You guys really are here,” Minhyuk stated as he looked at Nightmare with a thankful expression, “But if you knew, why didn’t you go here sooner?”

     “I have hundreds of lords with me. Do you think I could just shove them all in here? The king would have noticed. I didn’t want to take the risk,” Nightmare answered, making Minhyuk nod his head in realization.

     “Anyway, we should look for the rest of the Emotions before we proceed to the realm of wrath to rescue Father Satan,” Minhyuk instructed. But before he could get ready to leave, figures appeared in front of them.

     “That’s not necessary,” a female voice stated.

     The figures got closer until finally, the four of them could be seen. There were three women and one male amongst them. The one with the long red hair approached Minhyuk. With her purple eyes, she grinned and said, “So…this is the prince everyone here calls the betrayer. Nice to meet you, the names Despair.” 

• END -

SDS3 42: THIRTEENTH MARK

NOVEMBER 01, 2:50 AM

SUNGGYU CLOSED HIS EYES and took a deep breath as the rain dropped on his face. He was standing ten meters away from a demonic mark in the middle of the streets of Seoul. Behind him were a group of Red Ranger (Kharon II’s men) and a handful of angels. He was assigned to hold off the middle area of the city, which wasn’t an easy task especially when there are only at least fifty of them in this team. 

     “Prince of Wrath, are you ready?” an angel asked as she stood beside him. Sunggyu opened his eyes and looked at the angel to nod his head. Of course, Sunggyu was nervous, but inside of him knew that this war was going to be different. No one was going to die. They’ve prepared for this war for more than a month. They can’t fail now.

     “Tell everyone that-” before Sunggyu could even finish his sentence, the ground suddenly started shaking. Everyone held their ground as Sunggyu looked at his watch. There were only five minutes left before the marks open. The battle was finally about to begin.

     “Alright everyone, this is it! Ready your weapons!” Sunggyu shouted, transforming to his demonic form and summoning his saw-like weapon, making the humans behind him gulp in terror. The angels could feel it too, but the human felt something worse. Sunggyu was a prince, which makes him a powerful demon. The dark aura he was emitting was no doubt suffocating for them.

     “ Get ready everyone, “ Sungjae told the sons through his mind messages.

     “ May God of Heaven be with us and our spirits, “ this time, it came from Dongmin, and everyone answered a quick, “ Amen. “

     Sunggyu looked behind him and saw a few of Kharon II’s men trembling in fear. He wasn’t planning on making a speech for anyone, even to his brothers, but he knew these men needed it now.

     While the ground continued to shake, Sunggyu spread his wings and flew above his team, immediately making them look at him. With their attention now on him, he stated, “Those who are afraid can walk away now. I will teleport you to a safe place and know that you are not cowards for walking away. You have the freedom to leave, and know that your courage even after you walk away will be appreciated.”

     The crowd didn’t say anything, and no one moved a muscle even after what the Demons’ leader said, so Sunggyu nodded his head in understanding. “I’m assuming this is your answer, so listen carefully. Your presence in this war will be greatly appreciated in heaven and even in hell. You will be rewarded with more than gold, and you will be part of history that will be shared for generations to come. We will win this war, and if you believe that’s the truth, then let that be God’s will. Let that be your will.” Sunggyu finished, and finally, the humans lifted their weapons up and shouted in confidence.

    “ Alright everyone, the demonic marks will open in five… “

     four…

     three…

     two…

     As soon as the clock struck three, the demonic mark in front of them was set on fire even when it was under the rain. Soon after, the grounds opened, and ghoul’s started coming out.

     “Charge!” Sunggyu shouted, and his team ran towards the ghouls who were running towards them.

     Sunggyu flew down, stood in front of the ghouls who were approaching him, and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and whispered something, and when he opened his red eyes, he swung his sword, releasing a force so strong it sliced almost all the ghouls who were at the front.

     The people who saw what happened gained more confidence after seeing the demon’s strength. So when the ghouls finally approached them, they started attacking with no fear. Thanks to Lay, their guns and swords were blessed, so a single hit killed most of the ghouls in an instant.

     Sunggyu went closer to the mark and killed as many ghouls as he could to help his team. Other ghouls who went out had wings like the ones they encountered during their arena battle with Sinner number 07 ( Bobby Kim ), but thankfully the angels handled it for him.

     “ Sunggyu, how you holding up? “ Sungjae suddenly asked as Sunggyu sliced a ghoul’s head off.

     “N-Not…a good time…to talk S-Sungjae,” Sunggyu struggled to answer as he tried to push dozens of ghouls who were trying to attack him.

     “ Sorry but I’m only here to warn you that… “ Sungjae paused, probably looking at Woohyun so he could confirm it, “ Three large Gate Keepers will be coming out of the mark. I repeat, three large Gate Keepers will be coming out of the mark. “

     Sunggyu released his fear amplification, making the ghouls around him who were tackling him all drop at the same time. As soon as they were on the floor, he sliced them with no mercy.

     “Anything else?” Sunggyu then asked while holding onto his ear like there was an earpiece. Sungjae was quiet for a second again, so Sunggyu thought that something worse was about to happen. But what Sungjae said left the demonic leader speechless.

     “ Woohyun said that after this war, he’ll officially start courting you since you’ve been too stubborn, “ Sungjae suddenly blurted out.

     Sunggyu was about to answer but the three large Gate Keepers appeared right on time. Sunggyu flew from the ground and smirked before saying, “Well, tell him I hate fucking roses.” Then he flew towards the large demonic creatures like he had nothing to lose.

     MEANWHILE…

     TEAM MARK, 3:30 AM

     Mark paralyzed dozens of ghouls and turned them to stone as the men of Ravens crushed them into pieces. Mark was about to approach a hoard of ghouls, but someone suddenly shouted, “Prince Mark! A handful of the men are now injured!”

     Mark looked back and saw dozens of humans bleeding at the side of the bridge. Mark was assigned at the demonic mark that’s placed at Hangang Bridge with at least thirty members of Ravens. Their team was the smallest group since they were placed in the middle of the bridge. Taeil suggested keeping the numbers smaller to avoid more casualties.

     Mark flew to the injured men and immediately paralyzed everyone who was about to run towards them. Without wasting any time, he called out for Sungjae. “Sungjae, we’re injured in Demonic Mark 7. We need Lay.”

     It didn’t even take Lay a second to teleport his way to where Mark and the injured were. The war has only started, but Ly was already covered in blood. But the two didn’t have time to chat. While Mark protected the humans, Lay took a deep breath and started glowing. He bright light passed through the injured humans, and in an instant, they were healed. Lay pressed his two fingers on his ear and heard another message from Sungjae, so he patted Mark’s shoulder before teleporting away.

    The humans immediately went back on their feet, astonished that they feel better after what happened. When Mark saw that they were okay now, he immediately told them, “Suho already taught you this. Slice or shoot the head, if not strike the heart. Those are the easy kills. Put your force on the swords and not on your hands alone. Let’s go!”

     “Yes, Prince Mark!” Everyone shouted, and everyone immediately started attacking the hundreds of ghouls that are in front of them.

     The battle lasted for twenty more minutes. Mark was finishing off a handful of other ghouls until Sungjae shouted in his head, “ Mark! Evacuate the bridge immediately! I repeat, evacuate the bridge immediately! “

     Mark’s eyes widened from the news, so the angel immediately looked back at his team and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Run! Run off of the bridge now!”

     The Ravens were confused for a second, but after seeing Mark’s panic expression, the humans pushed off the ghouls and started running. Mark flew up and struck lightning to the ghouls who were chasing after his team. But while they were running, the bridge suddenly started shaking.

     “They’re not going to make it,” Mark stated as he watched his team run off of the bridge. They were still on the bridge, but the bridge was already shaking so much that most of them were stumbling and couldn’t even stand.

     Mark was frozen for a second, but as the rain poured in his face, he snapped back to his senses and did the sign of the cross before flying towards the humans who couldn’t stand anymore.

    “Stand firm!” He shouted before standing in the middle of everyone. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to teleport his entire team to safe grounds. The ground sparked, but nothing happened. Mark wasn’t strong enough to teleport thirty humans. He could do at least two to three at a time, but it would be too late for most of them.

     “Come on!” Mark shouted, the veins on his neck and arms already showing. Thunder was heard in the distance, and with one final push, the ground produced lightning, and every one of his team got teleported away to safety.

     Mark fell on his knees as blood started oozing out of his nose. That act alone exerted a lot of his energy, but he’s glad that he was able to save everyone else.

     The bridge was still shaking, so Mark composed himself and wiped the blood on his nose before flying off the bridge. The angel thought that the bridge would break, which is why Sungjae asked them to evacuate, but Mark’s jaws almost dropped when he realized that an enormous creature was emerging from the waters.

    “Oh God, please protect me.”

     TEAM TAEIL, 4:00 AM

     Taeil just killed a large lion that had two heads when the ground started shaking again. Taeil and his team were stationed near the Seoul tower just beside Kai and Tamo’s team who were stationed close by.

     The ghouls in their area were almost cleared, but as he was getting ready to approach the remaining ghouls, one of the angels in his team approached him and said, “Prince Taeil, we have a problem.”

     “What? Did someone die?” Taeil asked with a worried expression since most of the humans in his team were already badly injured and Lay was still busy healing the others at other Demonic Marks.

     “No, but I think the team at Mark 7 needs your help,” the angel explained.

     “Mark 7? That’s the Hangang Bridge, right?” Taeil confusingly asked, so he immediately flew to see what was going on, the angel flying right beside him. When they were already high enough, Taeil couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “Is that a fucking Octopus?!” he shouted when he saw an insanely large octopus clinging on the bridge. His eyes then widened when he realized something terrible, “Do you understand what this means? There aren’t just twelve demonic marks. There are thirteen marks, maybe even more. They’re just underwater.”

     “Prince Taeil, we’ll handle the rest here,” the angel stated, and Taeil nodded his head and immediately teleported himself to where the octopus was. When Mark saw him, he immediately flew to him and said, “Great, you’re here. Do you have any plans to kill this thing?

     Taeil tried to assess the situation before giving Mark an answer. This was one of the biggest creatures that they have ever seen, so doing physical damage won’t do much. All they have to rely on now is their powers.

     “ Where the fuck did the king find this thing? “ Taeil commented before adding, “Mark, listen carefully,” Taeil stated while he was staring at the creature.

     Mark was flying right beside him. He didn’t say anything as he waited for Taeil to tell him the plan. “I have the power luring . I don’t know if I can lure a creature like this, but I’ll try. You on the other hand have to turn each of his tentacles to stone. Can you do that?” Taeil asked him.

     “I don’t think I can turn his entire body to stone, but I can with his tentacles. Just remember, it will be a slow process. If he moves too much then it might not work,” Mark warned him, so Taeil nodded his head in understanding.

     “That’s where I’ll come in. If I can’t lure it, then I’ll try to act as a distraction. Now, let’s go!”

     The angel and the demon flew in opposite directions. Taeil flew to where the creature was facing while Mark flew to that back of it. Now that Taeil was closer, he realized that this wasn’t an ordinary octopus. Its skin was rougher, and it had sharp teeth. When it saw Taeil, the creature immediately shouted, its voice echoing throughout the city.

     “Not bad,” Taeil managed to say. He looked directly at its eyes and tried to use his demonic power to lure him, but Taeil couldn’t go in. The creature was still too strong, so he knew that he had to weaken it first.

     “Well, plan B. In the movies they always targeted the eyes, so let’s try that first,” Taeil stated as he quickly flew towards the creature. When it saw Taeil coming towards him, it lifted one of its tentacles and got ready to hit Taeil with it. Thankfully the demon was able to dodge it, and thanks to Mark, the creature didn’t even notice that its tentacle is already made of stone, so when it made contact with the bridge, its tentacle shattered into pieces.

     The octopus-like monster shouted in agony while Taeil celebrated.

     “That’s it! Good work Mark!” Taeil shouted, going towards the creature again so he could do the same thing. Taeil looked back at Mark first to see what tentacle he was working on. When he saw what it was, Taeil moved to that direction so the creature could use it. And as predicted, the creature tried to hit Taeil again with his now stone tentacles. Taeil dodged the attack, and its tentacles shattered again.

     “That’s what I’m talking about!” Taeil celebrated. But the creature wasn’t as stupid as he thought. Instead of trying to attack Taeil with its tentacles, the creature started removing the arches of the bridge so it could throw it at the demon instead. Taeil was surprised on the sudden shift, so when a large metal bar came flying towards him, he barely dodged it on time, causing a large cut on his arm.

     Taeil cursed and immediately ripped a part of his shirt and used it to cover his arm so it could at least stop the bleeding. “Alright, now it’s serious. You want to play with a prince? Then let me show you what foul play is,” Taeil stated in anger. He took a deep breath and with no second to lose, he started teleporting from one place to another. He was so fast that Mark couldn’t even see him anymore. Ever time Taeil would teleport; he’d land a strong attack on the creature with his hammer-like weapon.

     Thanks to Taeil’s attack, the creature was getting weaker, so when Taeil saw his state, he teleported right in front of it and used his demonic power on him again. Taeil tried to grab hold of him for the second time, and finally, after clenching on his weapon so hard, Taeil was able to take control of the creature.

     “M-Mark! I can only make him stop moving. Turn i-it to stone now!” Taeil started as he continued to stare at the creature.

     Mark immediately held the creature as its skin started turning into stone at a very slow pace. The creature was trying to remove Taeil’s control on him, but Taeil was holding onto him tight to the point where blood was already coming out of Taeil’s eyes.

     “C-Come on! Just a little more!” Taeil shouted, strengthening his luring power as much as he could.

     “God! Give me your strength!” Mark then shouted right after, his eyes lighting up as soon as he did it. His hands started lighting up as well, and the process of making the creature into stone became faster.

     When the process was finally complete, Mark shouted, “Taeil! Now!”

     Taeil immediately released his hold on the creature. And with one strong swing of his hammer, Taeil smashed his weapon on the creature’s head, giving it a large crack. Soon after, the cracks dispersed, and the creature shattered and fell on the waters.

     Taeil looked at Mark and grinned. Mark smiled back at him, but then, Taeil’s eyes started to close, and before Mark could even say anything, the demon started falling from the ground out of exhaustion.

     “S-Shit…Taeil!” Mark shouted, flying towards the falling demon as fast as he could. Before he could fall, Mark was able to catch him. Taeil weakly opened his eyes back and chuckled, “I am so going to brag to Suho that I was able to lure a creature as big as that,” he managed to say, making Mark chuckle with him.

     “Good job demon. Now let’s call for Lay and get you healed,” Mark stated, getting ready to call them. But before he could even call for Sungjae, Sungjae went in first and messaged Mark and Taeil. “ You two , if you want to live, fly away from the waters now. You hear me?! Fly away immediately! “ Sungjae shouted.

     Mark was so shocked that he couldn’t even move from where he was. But before Taeil could even snap him back to his senses, the two saw something immerging from the waters. There were at least six more octopus-like monsters coming out right in front of them.

     “No…it’s like how I predicted,” Taeil stated with shock.

     “You got to be kidding me. We can’t win this,” Mark added, ready to fly away with Taeil in defeat. But as soon as they were about to leave, the dark clouds above them suddenly moved away, letting a bright light shine towards them.

     Soon after, seven angels started flying down from the sky.

     “F-fathers?”

• END -

SDS3 43: OLD RIVALS

NOVEMBER 01, 3:32 AM

IN HELL

MINHYUK RAN HIS WAY to the realm of wrath with the Seven Emotions and Grim following right behind him. Minhyuk was able to finish his task thanks to Nightmare’s help, so now, like what Jackson told him, they’ll be heading to Satan and rescue him so he and Jackson could meet at the realm of pride right after. 

     Minhyuk was also excited to rescue his father Beelzebub, but when they arrived at the room where he’s supposed to be chained up, they found out that the room was empty, which only means that Jackson was able to get there before them.

     “Are you sure you want to go to the realm of wrath now? Can’t we just wait for the prince of Envy at the entrance? He was able to rescue Father Beelzebub without us sensing him. I think he’ll be fine,” Despair asked with uncertainty in her voice.

     Minhyuk, who wasn’t fazed by the fact that they’re running towards one of the realms with the most guards, glanced at the Seven Emotions’ leader and told her, “Jackson said he’ll handle the rest. The only way for us to go back to earth immediately is if we split the workload. And besides, I’m with seven fucking emotions. We’re practically unstoppable!” Minhyuk said with confidence.

     “Better think about that again young prince,” Grim stated because as soon as they were meters away from Satan’s door, three large snakes suddenly appeared in front of them.

     Everyone stopped running and looked at the prince of Gluttony, “What were you saying again Minhyuk?” Pain asked with a sarcastic tone in his voice, making Minhyuk glare at him.

     “Come on, they’re just snakes. Jackson has one as a pet so we’ll be fine,” Minhyuk stated, making the three snakes breathe out fire, immediately making all of them dodge the surprise attack.

     “When will you learn to shut up?!” Nightmare angrily shouted.

     Everyone stood ground and got ready to make a counterattack. Minhyuk summoned his weapon too, but Despair held his shoulder and told him instead, “We’ll handle these guys. Go help Ruler Satan.”

     Minhyuk looked at the Emotions, and all seven of them, including Grim, nodded their heads in agreement.

     “Alright. I’ll only take a minute,” Minhyuk said with confidence, making Panic sigh and facepalm himself because of how confident this prince is acting. If they didn’t know who he was, they’d think he’s the prince of pride.

     “Just go already!” Pain shouted before summoning his guns and shooting the fire-breathing snakes.

     Minhyuk ran to the door as fast as he could. The snake on the right tried to chase after him, but Vices – one the emotions – pointed her bow at the creature and shot an arrow right on its eye. The snake screamed and started breathing more fire, but it was a useful distraction that helped Minhyuk get inside Satan’s door.

     Inside the door was a dark and quiet room. Minhyuk tried to squint his eyes to get a better look on the inside, but when he realized that he could literally produce fire on his own, Minhyuk cursed at himself and immediately produced fire on his hand.

     The room lit up, but Minhyuk stumbled back when he saw piles and piles of dead bodies in front of him. Minhyuk fell on the floor, and the fire on his hand vanished because of panic. The demon took a deep breath and tried to ease himself.

     “ I can do this. They’re just dead bodies. I’ve seen worse, “ Minhyuk said to himself as he tried to stand up again.

     Minhyuk has been nervous ever since the war started, but he’s been turning his nervousness to fake confidence so that others wouldn’t know how he’s really feeling. Minhyuk might look arrogant now, but he’s only acting that way so he wouldn’t be seen as a loser by the Evil Emotions. And being called a loser is the last thing that Minhyuk wants to hear from someone.

     Once Minhyuk gained his composure, he took another deep breath and lit his hand on fire for the second time. Dead bodies welcomed him again, but Minhyuk tried to ignore them as he started walking deeper inside the room.

     “Father Satan! I’m here to rescue you!” Minhyuk shouted, his voice echoing.

     “Father Satan! Where are you?!” He continued to shout, but still, no one answered him. Minhyuk walked further inside, but as he was walking, he suddenly stepped on something soft, making him move away from whatever it was.

     “What the hell? That felt disgusting,” Minhyuk stated before looking down, but as soon as he looked at what he stepped on, his body froze in place. A second later, he immediately went down on his knees and shouted, “Jackson!”

     Minhyuk grabbed Jackson’s lifeless body on the floor and tried to shake him, but Jackson wasn’t moving at all.

     “Jackson, what happened to you? Why are you here?” Minhyuk asked, panic now taking over as he continued to shake his brother’s body. Jackson wasn’t responding, and the growing fear that Minhyuk was feeling made the fire on his hand grow bigger. The room lights up, but when he saw what was in front of him, Minhyuk covered his mouth and fell back.

     In front of him were all of his brothers hanging from the ceiling with blood coming out of their eyes. Minhyuk looked back at Jackson to try and wake him up again, but Jackson’s body was suddenly filled with worms, making Minhyuk kick him off him.

     “N-No…this isn’t real. They wouldn’t have failed this quickly,” Minhyuk told himself as his body started trembling from what he saw. He closed his eyes and tried to think of a rational reason why his brothers are suddenly dead in front of him. After a few more deep thoughts and concentration, Minhyuk finally remembered where he was. He was in the realm of Wrath. Sunggyu has a power called fear amplification, the ability to make someone see their greatest fear.

     Minhyuk’s greatest fear is seeing his brothers die.

     When Minhyuk finally had a reason to believe that what he’ seeing isn’t real, the prince took a deep breath and stood back up. “I’m not weak,” he stated, slowly transforming to his demonic self as his entire arm got covered with flames.

    “My brothers and I aren’t as weak anymore. So if you think I’ll run in fear because of something like this-” Minhyuk paused and took one final deep breath before finishing his sentence, “Then you’re dead wrong!” He shouted at the top of his lungs, releasing all the fire and energy and he absorbed, making a strong force that burned all the dead bodies inside the room.

    The room wasn’t dark anymore, and under those pile of dead bodies was Satan, chained on the ground like he was getting ready to be tortured.

     “Father!” Minhyuk shouted, running to where Satan was.

    Satan was covered in blood and bruises. His eyes were covered too, but even though he couldn’t see, he said when Minhyuk approached him, “P-prince of Gluttony…I…I a-am honored.”

    Minhyuk summoned his sword and destroyed the chains that were around Satan’s arms and legs. He then kneeled down and removed the cloth that’s covering Satan’s eyes, showing him the piercing red eyes that had scared millions of humans in the past.

     Minhyuk moved aside and bowed at the ruler as Satan slowly sat up on his own.

     “Father, there is a war above and we need your help. I know you’re weak now and you need some time to rest, but please, come with us and help save the world,” Minhyuk stated without looking at Satan. The quiet room because even quieter, but before Minhyuk could lift his head up, Satan grabbed hold of Minhyuk’s shoulder and told him, “What took you so long?”

     Minhyuk looked back at their father, and to his surprise, Satan looked like he wasn’t chained and tortured for months.

     “Come on. The king will be summoning sea creatures. We need to head to earth before something bad happens,” Satan stated, immediately making Minhyuk stand back up.

     “H-How did you know that? And…what the hell happened to you? You were just chained and bruised and covered in dead bodies when I got here. How are you fine all of a sudden?” Minhyuk asked with disbelief.

     Satan, who was stretching his arms and legs, looked at the confused prince and answered his concerns, “We are part of hell so we can’t really be harmed or killed in hell. The only thing the king can do is chain us up.”

     “And the sea creatures?” Minhyuk asked next.

     “Instincts?” Satan answered with a smirk, making Minhyuk realize that this demon really is the father of their leader, Sunggyu.

     “Let’s go now Minhyuk,” Satan stated, and the two went out to greet the Emotions who were still busy fighting with the fire-breathing snakes.

     Despair got ready to slice off the head of one of the snakes when it suddenly whimpered and slid away from them. The emotions looked at each other with confusion, but then their eyes widened when they sensed a strong presence coming from behind them. Everyone turned around and saw Minhyuk with the Ruler of the Realm of Wrath, Satan. None of them said anything, but they immediately went down on their knees and bowed to the strong ruler.

    “Ruler Satan, it is an honor to be graced by your presence,” Grim stated on behalf of the Seven Evil Emotions.

     “Arise,” Satan stated, and that single word alone made all of them stand from the ground.

     “I would love to chat more, but Jackson is already on his way to the realm of pride with the other rulers. The king is the only demon who can open Lucifer’s gate, and so is his son Jiyong. But if all six of the rulers try to open it, we might just have a chance,” Satan told them.

     “I know a shortcut to that realm. That’s the passage that we used to escape before,” Sadness suggested.

     “Alright, then lead the way.”

BACK IN SEOUL, 4:25 AM

     “S-Shit…Taeil!” Mark shouted, flying towards the falling demon as fast as he could. Before he could fall, Mark was able to catch him. Taeil weakly opened his eyes back and chuckled, “I am so going to brag to Suho that I was able to lure a creature as big as that,” he managed to say, making Mark chuckle with him.

    “Good job demon. Now let’s call for Lay and get you healed,” Mark stated, getting ready to call them. But before he could even call for Sungjae, Sungjae went in first and messaged Mark and Taeil. “You two, if you want to live, fly away from the waters now. You hear me?! Fly away immediately!” Sungjae shouted.

     Mark was so shocked that he couldn’t even move from where he was. But before Taeil could even snap him back to his senses, the two saw something immerging from the waters. There were at least six more octopus-like monsters coming out right in front of them.

     “No…it’s like how I predicted,” Taeil stated with shock.

     “You got to be kidding me. We can’t win this,” Mark added, ready to fly away with Taeil in defeat. But as soon as they were about to leave, the dark clouds above them suddenly moved away, letting a bright light shine towards them.

     Soon after, seven angels started flying down from the sky.

     “F-fathers?” Mark asked with disbelief.

     The Seven Archangels split up into different locations, helping the other teams who were on the ground, while Father Uriel and Raguel handled the sea creatures.

     “They’re here. They’re actually here,” Taeil said in disbelief as he and Mark watched the Archangel slay the creatures one by one like they were nothing.

    “ Are you guys seeing this!? Our fathers are here! “ Sungjae shouted in excitement inside everyone’s ears. Mark smiled and nodded his head to answer even though Sungjae wouldn’t be able to see him. He just couldn’t say anything. He was left speechless.

     “ Everyone, Junhyung just sent me a message. He said he’s with Father Michael right now and they’re closing in on the ghouls. They’re heading to the university soon, “ Sungjae announced, and Taeil and Mark immediately looked at each other.

     “We have to help the others on the grounds. Let the Archangels handle these krakens,” Taeil stated before jumping off of Mark’s hold. He was still too weak after what happened, but after seeing the Archangels, he suddenly felt strong again.

     “Will you be alright?” Mark asked with worry.

     “I’m fine. I can’t rest right when we’re so close to victory,” Taeil stated, so Mark nodded his head, and the two teleported to where the Kai and Tamo are so they could help them.

MEANWHILE…

TEAM HYUNSEUNG, 4:28 AM

     “ Everyone, Junhyung just sent me a message. He said he’s with Father Michael right now and they’re closing in on the ghouls. They’re heading to the university soon, “ Sungjae said inside everyone’s heads, making Hyunseung sigh in relief. He hasn’t seen or heard of his lover, so hearing about him made his worry disappear in an instant.

    Hyunseung was assigned twenty Ravens and ten of Kharon II’s men at the Gyeongbokgung Palace where the 3rd demonic mark was found. They’ve been fighting ghouls ever since the clock struck three, but the ghouls just keep on coming and coming.

     “Prince Hyunseung, we have another injured troupe,” one of the members of Ravens stated, making Hyunseung curse underneath his breath.

     “Lay is still busy healing the wounded at Mark 5,” Hyunseung stated with frustration present in his voice. But before he could say anything else, someone suddenly flew above them. Hyunseung covered his eyes from the rain and looked up and saw an Archangel approaching them. His presence alone made the ghouls stop fighting with the other humans.

     “Is that-”

    All the humans looked up as well and watched as the Archangel approached the ghouls. Without saying anything, the angel puts his palms together as if he was going to pray. Then, his hands glowed, and in an instant, the ghouls disappeared like dust, leaving Hyunseung and the rest of his team speechless.

    “Well that was easy,” Hyunseung stated as the Archangel approached him. Hyunseung was about to bow to him, but the angel held his shoulder and said, “That is not necessary prince.” He stated, but Hyunseung bowed anyway, making the angel smile and bow his head back as well.

     “Are you Raphael? Lay’s father?” Hyunseung asked, and the Archangel nodded his head to confirm it. Raphael was about to say something, but Hyunseung suddenly grabbed his hand and told him, “I have injured men. Can you heal them?” Hyunseung immediately asked.

     Raphael thought that the reason why Hyunseung asked him if he’s Lay’s father is because he was just curious, but he wasn’t expecting that he asked him about it because he needed someone to heal his teammates. The small act of kindness made Raphael smile.

     “I’ll handle it,” he stated, putting his palm together again. Raphael took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His hands started glowing like before, and then he released the light on his hand, and strong wind gusts over them. Hyunseung’s bruises healed, and then he immediately looked at his men and saw that they were now healed as well.

     “T-Thank you,” Hyunseung stated, and Raphael smiled and patted Hyunseung’s head.

     “We couldn’t come down at 3 AM because it’s the devil’s hour, so I apologize if we came a little too late. Thankfully we got here on time. I’m sensing a hundred more ghouls coming. This war is only getting started,” Raphael stated, and Hyunseung summoned his weapon and nodded his head in determination. But just when they were getting ready to head out of the palace that they were in, the grounds started shaking again.

     “Oh no, don’t tell me bigger demonic creatures are coming,” Hyunseung said with worry in his voice. Even though they had a healer with them, he knew that his team wasn’t ready to face bigger demons.

     Raphael looked around and tried to guess where the demons might be coming from, but then he furrowed his brows in confusion and said, “lords?”

     “Lords?” Hyunseung asked back.

     Raphael turned around and pointed at the entrance of the palace, making everyone look at that same direction as well. Soon after, dozens of skeleton-like bodies were seen at the horizon, surprising not only Hyunseung but the humans standing behind them as well.

     “This is bad Raphael. Those aren’t ghouls. The humans have to escape before they possess them,” Hyunseung stated. But before he could tell his team to run, Raphael grabbed his shoulder and told him, “No, wait. They’re being…controlled.”

     “Controlled? Only Nightmare can-” Hyunseung immediately stopped what he was saying when he finally realized who was coming. He and Raphael didn’t move as the lords got closer to them. When they were finally a few inches away Hyunseung’s team, the lords moved aside, revealing Minhyuk with the Seven Evil Emotion.

     “Minhyuk!” Hyunseung shouted, running to his brother and grabbing him for a hug.

     “Aww, no hugs for us?” Pain asked, and Hyunseung immediately grabbed Pain and Panic so he could hug them too. When he pulled away from them, he looked at the rest of the Emotions and said, “You actually did it. You brought them here.”

     “He wasn’t the best rescuer, but he did find us,” Despair stated, making Hyunseung look at her. “The name’s Despair. These guys are Sadness, Vices, and Grief. And you probably already know this fucker too,” Despair stated while pointing at Nightmare who happily waved at the prince of lust.

     “Thank you for coming,” Hyunseung stated, and the Emotions looked at him and nodded their head like it wasn’t a big deal.

     “By the way, who the fuck is that?” Panic suddenly asked, and everyone turned around and looked at Raphael who was only watching them in silence.

     “That’s a fucking Archangel you idiot,” Grief answered, and the Emotions immediately stepped away except for one, which was Nightmare. Nightmare ran to Raphael and suddenly grabbed him by the collar with no hesitation. “Where the hell is Hope?” He asked.

     Hyunseung was about to pull Nightmare away from him, but Raphael stopped him and answered Nightmare’s question, “Phanuel is still keeping him safe in Ophanim. I expect that you understand that it’s too dangerous to bring him here. If the king of hell gets a hold of him, then all hope will be lost.”

     Nightmare didn’t say anything and continued to hold onto Raphael. Hyunseung finally got fed-up and grabbed Nightmare’s shirt before pulling him off the Archangel.

     “We haven’t even started and you’re already grabbing an Archangel through his collar. If we want to win this war, we have to work together,” Hyunseung stated, but then, someone suddenly arrived and said, “I don’t think Raphael would be able to do that.”

     Hyunseung’s eyes widened from shock as he felt a strong presence standing behind him. He gulped and slowly lets go of Nightmare and turned around, only to see seven powerful rulers standing right in front of him.

     Lucifer, who was standing in the middle, approached the Archangel and said, “Hello…old rival.”

• END -

SDS3 44: THE FINAL MARK

NOTES TO REMEMBER:

SEVEN RULERS

Asmodeus: Ruler of realm Lust – Father of Jang Hyunseung

Beelzebub: Ruler of realm Glutton – Father of Lee Minhyuk

Mammon: Ruler of realm Greed – Father of Kim Jun-Myeon

Belphegor: Ruler of realm Sloth – Father of Lee Taeil

Satan: Ruler of realm Wrath – Father of Kim Sunggyu

Leviathan: Ruler of realm Envy – Father of Wang Jackson

Lucifer : Ruler of realm Pride and leader of the Seven Rulers – Father of Kwon Jiyong

ARCHANGELS

Michael: Leader of the Archangels - Father of Yong Junhyung

Phanuel: Ruler of Ophanim – Father of Yook Sungjae

Raphael : Manners of Healing – Father of Zhang Yixing

Uriel: Watches over thunder and terror – Father of Pyo Jihoon

Gabriel: Messenger of God – Father of Woohyun

Samael: Angel of Death – Father Lee Seunghyun

Raguel: Archangel of justice, harmony & vengeance – Father of Mark Tuan

…

NOVEMBER 01, 4:35 AM

“HELLO…OLD RIVAL,” LUCIFER stated with a mischievous grin.

     Hyunseung immediately went down on his knee, but then Jackson arrived and pulled him away from the scene. “Let these guys handle the ghouls and demons that will be arriving. We’re more needed at HAU.”

     Hyunseung was still speechless, especially when it’s his first time to see all their Fathers in one place. But even though he couldn’t think of what to say, Hyunseung nodded his head anyway and followed Jackson, Minhyuk following right behind them.

     “ I have Hyunseung. Sungjae, tell my brothers to head to HAU immediately, “ Jackson stated, and Sungjae, who is still sending messages to the Arcs and Demons, nodded his head and repeated, “ New announcement from Wang Jackson. Demons, head to HAU immediately. I repeat, head to HAU immediately. The rest of the Arcs, eliminate the remaining ghouls and demons at the marks. “

     “ Copy that. “

     “We should help out too. Let them have their little reunion,” Despair told the other Evil Emotions. “Grim is already heading to where those large sea creatures are. We should clear out the ghouls on the other streets.”

      “Alright,” Pain agreed, pulling Nightmare and running away from the scene with the rest of the Emotions.

     The Seven Rulers were now alone with Raphael. But before they could gang up on the angel, the other Archangels arrived, dropping from the sky to join Raphael. Now the two groups were facing each other, just like how the Arcs and Demons were before.

     “Well would you look at that, it’s the seven deadly sins. How’s hell? Still hot I presume,” Michael said as soon as he dropped in front of Lucifer.

     “You’re acting so cocky. Don’t forget who won the war between us,” Lucifer answered, but Michael only chuckled and answered back, “I know we lost. The Apostles lost. But looking at how things are now, I don’t feel like a loser at all. And besides, we’re not the ones who are being chained up by our own King, aren’t we?”

     Asmodeus, who was standing beside Lucifer, growled from the remark. He was about to strike Michael with his sharp claw, but Lucifer immediately stopped him. Asmodeus angrily pushed his brother’s hand away from his arm and looked back at the angel, “You’re lucky Hyunseung loves your son or I wouldn’t be letting Lucifer stop me from gauging your eyes out,” Asmodeus warned, and Michael’s expression finally softened.

     The mere mention of their children instantly changed the tense atmosphere.

     “We’re obviously not here to fight,” Mammon stated, and the Rulers finally calmed down as well.

      “Our sons proved to us that even though we’re from different races, we don’t have to be enemies. I know our beliefs are different from yours, but now it is clear who we have to defeat, and that is the king of hell,” Uriel stated, and Belphegor – Taeil’s father – looked at him and suddenly stated, “Heard your son proposed to Taeil.”

     The random question surprised everyone. Uriel didn’t say anything, so Belphegor continued, “If your son ever does anything to Taeil, I will destroy heaven myself.”

      The Archangels fell silent, but Uriel finally smiled and said back, “Same goes to your son.”

      The Archangels and the Rulers finally loosened up and looked at each other with smiles on their faces. They are old rivals, but now, they’re a team. And they’re here to help their sons win this war no matter the cause.

     “Satan, tell your son to be a lot kinder to Woohyun. The boy is trying,” Gabriel stated, making Satan and the rest of the Rulers laugh.

     “I guess Sunggyu’s stubbornness came from you then,” Leviathan commented, making Satan hit him on the head.

      “Well then, now that we’re buddy-buddies…“Lucifer stated before looking at Michael, “Let’s go kick some demonic butt.”

AT HAU, 4:35 AM

     Jiyong, Seunghyun, Kharon, and Dongmin have been fighting demons left and right since the war started. Not like the other marks, ghouls aren’t coming out from the mark at HAU. Instead, large demons and creatures are.

     “These guys are pretty easy to kill, but I don’t think my endurance can keep up,” Jiyong stated before striking a large giant.

     “This is the king’s plan. We have to make sure we still have the strength when he arrives,” Kharon warned, and Jiyong nodded his head in understanding. He hasn’t been using his cloning powers because of this, which is why he’s having a hard time. And the rain isn’t helping him either. Most of their powers come from fire, and this rain is only making it harder for them.

     “ New announcement from Wang Jackson. Demons, head to HAU immediately. I repeat, head to HAU immediately. The rest of the Arcs, eliminate the remaining ghouls and demons at the marks. “ Sungjae suddenly announced, making Jiyong and Seunghyun look at each other.

     “Looks like the ghouls at the city aren’t as overwhelming anymore,” Seunghyun stated.

     “That only means that the king will be arriving soon,” Dongmin then added.

    Jiyong took a deep breath and gripped on his weapon harder before releasing a strong force that killed three large bear-like creatures. The king was getting closer, which only means that Jiyong was getting closer to facing the demon that killed him.

     “I’m not letting this opportunity go to waste. I’ll definitely give him the final blow,” Jiyong said with confidence, and just in time, the Demons started arriving one by one.

     “Glad you can join the party!” Kharon shouted when he saw Suho and the others flying towards them.

     “Sorry, we got a little caught up with that large worm in the middle of the street. We almost couldn’t make it if it weren’t for Woohyun’s warning,” Suho stated, making Jiyong look at them with disgust. “Worm?”

     “Worm with a thousand eyes and rough scales,” Sunggyu added, almost making Jiyong vomit. The two flew beside Jiyong and Seunghyun. Soon after, Jackson and the others arrived, all looking like shit too, especially Taeil. He was already healed by Lay, but he was still exhausted after exerting so much power earlier.

      “Just a worm? Don’t want to act cocky, but I defeated a big ass octopus,” Taeil shared before standing beside Suho to boast his victory. Suho was about to make a counter-statement, but their guardian Kharon approached them and said, “The Rulers are here, aren’t they?”

     Jackson and Minhyuk, who helped with their escape, looked at their guardian and nodded their heads to confirm it.

      “Then shouldn’t they be helping us?” Sunggyu asked, but Dongmin joined them and answered for them, “They can’t. They know they can’t. If they stand too close to the king he might use them against us. As powerful as they may be, the rulers are still connected to the king of hell. It’s best if they stick with the Archangels so the king can’t take control over them.”

     “And I’m guessing the reason why Kharon is with us is because he’s not connected with the king but with hell instead since he’s an elder,” Minhyuk guessed, making Kharon and Dongmin nod their head as an answer.

     “So it’s really just us now. We started this, we’re ending it.” Minhyuk commented.

      Sunggyu looked at his brothers one by one. He said he didn’t want to give out speeches; so instead, he placed his hand in the middle of everyone and waited. The sons looked at him confusingly, but then Hyunseung placed his hand on top of Sunggyu’s, and the rest finally followed.

     “I know we didn’t have a great start with each other, and being demons only gave us more bad than good. But I want you all to remember that we’re all together because of who we are. And even though we have demonic blood running through our veins, let’s not let that define what we should really be. I’m proud of you demons. Let’s rewrite our destiny one last time,” Sunggyu stated before pulling the hands placed above him upward.

     “Let’s do it Demons!”

     Kharon and Dongmin looked at the sons with smiles on their faces. This time, even if the prophecy told them that someone was going to die tonight, the two guardians wouldn’t be doing anything about it anymore. This time, they trust the Demons and their ability to achieve victory.

      “Looks like there aren’t any creatures left,” Jiyong stated when he noticed that nothing was coming out of the large mark anymore. Fire and lightning could be seen and heard in the distance, indicating that there is still an ongoing battle in the streets of Seoul. But for some reason, the university fell silent.

     “Sungjae, can Woohyun see something ? “ Minhyuk asked while holding his ear.

     Sungjae didn’t answer, but after a second, he stated, “ No, something powerful is blocking him. Woohyun can’t go through anymore. “

     “Do you mean in the university? He hasn’t been seeing the activity at the university since earlier, right?” Taeil then asked. But what Sungjae answered next left everyone frozen in their place.

      “ N-No…he can’t see…anything. He can’t see the future anymore. Demons, you have to be caref- “ before Sungjae could even finish his final warning, the ground started to shake again. But this time, it was a lot more powerful than before. The sons immediately flew from the ground and the buildings swayed. Some even started falling because of how powerful it was.

     “This is it! I can feel it coming! We’re gotta get fucked real bad!” Suho stated, not really helping since the rest of the demons were already tensing up.

     As the ground continued to shake, the sons noticed that the rain was suddenly disappearing.

     “What’s going on?!” Jackson asked. Taeil was about to ask the same question, but then Dongmin and Kharon looked up on the sky, making the rest of the Demons do the same.

     The rain suddenly stopped, and to their surprise, the sky slowly started turning red. Before the demons could even ask what’s going on, Hyunseung suddenly fell from the sky and started clenching on his chest.

     “Hyunse-” Minhyuk was about to help him, but his body suddenly felt weak too, and he started clenching on his chest like Hyunseung was.

     The sons dropped from the sky one by one, feeling the immense pain coming from their chest. Kharon immediately flew to where the sons were and tried to calm them, but nothing was helping. Even he was feeling weak.

      He and Dongmin knew what this meant. The sky was turning into blood, giving the demons immense power. Weak demons might not be able to handle it and die in an instant, but demons like the princes of hell had to endure the process first. But even though this occurrence will make them powerful, there was a fact that they have to consider first. And that was the king of hell and the other demons fighting them will be powerful too.

      “A-Ahhh!” Jiyong shouted, blood now coming out of his eyes. Jiyong was the most powerful amongst them, making this even harder on him. If he doesn’t endure this, he might end up being weak instead of being powerful.

     “Jiyong. Calm down. You have to fight this!” Seunghyun shouted as he grabbed hold of Jiyong’s arm that was now turning black. It looked like it was rotting. The sky was finally red, causing everything to look like it was covered in blood. Jiyong continued to shout as his powers grew stronger inside of him.

     Seunghyun, worried that Jiyong might faint, took a deep breath and closed his eyes before gripping on Jiyong’s arm. “ I’m sorry Pride ,“ the angel whispered as his hand started to glow.

     “Is he-” Dongmin and Kharon looked at Seunghyun with shock. Seunghyun was actually performing an exorcism on Jiyong.

     “He’s pulling his soul out so Jiyong’s body wouldn’t end up being destroyed,” Dongmin stated as he watched Seunghyun’s entire body start glowing now. If Seunghyun couldn’t pull this off, he might end up releasing Jiyong’s soul permanently. But if he grabs hold of it just long enough for the ground the stop shaking, then he’ll be able to pull it off.

     “Come on now Seunghyun. Just a little more.” Dongmin stated as he saw Seunghyun’s own arm cracking now too like it was breaking.

     “AHH!” Seunghyun shouted at the top of his lungs, the light on his body growing even more to the point where Dongmin and Kharon had to look away. After a few more seconds of agony, the ground finally stopped shaking. The demons calmed down, and Seunghyun immediately released Jiyong’s soul and placed him back inside his body, just in time for him to fall on the ground.

      Jiyong gasped for air and touched his chest. He looked at the floor and instantly saw Seunghyun’s weak state. He immediately went down on his knees and lifted him up. “Y-You just helped me again. You’re one crazy bastard.”

     Seunghyun gave out a weak laugh. As the demons tried to compose themselves, Seunghyun looked at Jiyong and told him, “I-I’m…too weak to fight…c-copy my power.”

     “W-What? What are you talking about?”

     “Even if Lay heals me, I won’t be able to recover immediately. Y-You have to copy my power now,” Seunghyun continued to say.

     “But I can’t, remember? Your touch of death is too powerful for me to copy.” Jiyong answered back. But then Seunghyun lifted his hand and touched Jiyong’s temple. Jiyong thought Seunghyun was only trying to comfort him, but when he saw his reflection on the puddle, Jiyong saw a black mark on his cheek. Then he realized that all the demons had marks on them. Some on their necks, hand, and even chest.

  ![](https://img.wattpad.com/54fd97f09a55037fbf5096b24e670e9bf6343b46/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f78475039467a62306f5942325a773d3d2d3934383938353134362e313633353230386339373162613234643536383532363039343837302e6a7067)               

NOTE: Lust is on the upper left, proceeding to the last symbol, which is Pride.

     “Y-You’re a f-full-fledge prince now. I think you’ll be…able to do it.” Seunghyun stated. And before Jiyong could even complain, Seunghyun transferred his power on his hand and showed it to Jiyong so he could easily absorb it.

      As much as he wanted to complain some more, Jiyong took a deep breath and grabbed Seunghyun’s hand, attempting to copy his power for the last time. Jiyong felt his entire arm burn, but after a few seconds, the burning feeling stopped. Jiyong just successfully copied the most powerful ability of the Arcs.

     “Remember, that can only be used ones, do you understand?” Seunghyun asked, and Jiyong nodded as an answer.

     Dongmin went to where they were and took Seunghyun from Jiyong’s hold. “I’ll carry him to his Father and return as soon as I can. Until then, good luck.” Dongmin stated. And without waiting for others to respond, Dongmin teleported away.

     “Listen up demons. The sky turned to blood, meaning all the demons are twice as powerful as they were, while the angels are twice as weaker. The king did this during our battle with the Archangels and Apostles before, which helped us win the war. It might look like an advantage to us, but this also means that our enemies are stronger too, so I want you all to make sure you use your powers right, and not just attack heads on, do you understand?!” Kharon shouted, and the demons immediately stood from the ground and answer, “Yes sir!”

     As the sons stood in front of the large demonic mark on the ground, someone suddenly arrived from the sky and shouted, “Everyone! Move!”

     Kharon and the sons looked up and saw Woohyun’s father, Gabriel, flying right in front of them. But before they could even react to what he said, a strong force suddenly came out of the hold mark, causing Kharon and the Demons to be thrown off.

     Everyone tried to stand as a large creature starts coming out of the mark. It was almost five storeys high that all the Demons could do was watch as the demon immerged in front of them with full force.

     “What the hell is that?! Why is there another demonic creature? And it’s fucking bigger!” Suho shouted in shock.

    “That’s not a demonic creature!” Kharon shouted back, making the Demon look back at him with confusion.

     “What do you mean?” Hyunseung asked before swallowing the lump on his throat. Kharon took a deep breath and looked back at the large demon in front of them. With fear present in his voice, he answered, “That’s the king of hell.”

• END -

SDS3 45: THE KING OF HELL

Note: It’s been a while so if you want to remember the power of each Demon, I suggest you reread or simply check the first chapter entitled: SEVEN DEADLY SONS III. Now, I hope you enjoy the most awaited finale of the SDS series!

  ![](https://img.wattpad.com/c71b6d42ff16fda9c6a8675c097cf0ec90e84946/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f75433334443965486958614b32673d3d2d313039373337303834352e313639303437373939663263346231383337383331303834323133372e6a7067)               

NOVEMBER 01, 5:09 AM

AT HAU

THE SKY WAS A complete shade of red as the seven Demons stood in front of the massive monster that was emerging before them. They never knew that the King that they had mentioned a thousand times before would look something as horrifying as this. He almost looked like a titan, yet no other word would ever be enough to fully describe him.

     “T-that’s the king?” Taeil asks with shock and fear obviously present in his expression.

     His power was so strong that it was almost impossible to breathe. Everyone almost couldn’t move a muscle as the king continued to pull himself out of the enormous mark. They continued to stare at it until Kharon finally called out to them to snap them back to their senses.

     “Demons! What are you doing?! Attack!” Kharon shouts at the top of his lungs, and the seven demons immediately flew towards the king like someone flipped a switch that made them move.

     They were finally in front of the demon who started it all. They were in front of the king who not only cursed their fathers but made them go through literal hell. The fear they felt when they finally saw him instantly changed to rage. This was the demon who dared hurt them and the ones they love. This will be the end of their sufferings. This is where they’ll end it all.

     “Brothers, remember why we’re here!” Sunggyu shouted as they continue to fly towards the king. “May the heavenly god be with us till the end!”

     “Let’s kill this motherfucker!” Jiyong shouted next, and everyone cheered beside him.

     Without saying anything else, the seven demons went on their separate ways. Jackson saw that the king was still trying to pull himself out of the mark. His body was still halfway through the demonic portal, so Jackson immediately had an idea.

     “I’ll try to stop him from completely getting out of the mark to give you guys some time!” Jackson announced to his brothers. And without wasting any more seconds, Jackson flew back down and suddenly turned himself into an enormous ram. He falls from the sky, making a loud thump sound that almost shook the ground if it weren’t shaking already.

     Jackson positioned his horns towards the back of the king and ran towards him in full force. As soon as he made contact with him, Jackson’s horns pierced indie the king’s flesh, black blood instantly oozing out of it as it did.

     The king shouted, almost making the other demons cover their ears. But Jackson was unbothered as he starts pushing the king downwards.

     The king of hell tried to reach out to Jackson so he could remove him from his back, but Hyunseung arrived in front of him. Before the king could even react, Hyunseung kissed his saw-like weapon, transferring his power - the kiss of death - onto it. With all his strength exerted in his arm, Hyunseung’s eyes turned completely red as he swung his arm in full speed, throwing his weapon directly at the king’s chest.

     The king screamed again as more blood oozes out of him. And just before he could take the saw from his chest, Hyunseung summoned it back, automatically making it reappear again in his hand.

    Kharon watches as his kids start attacking their supposed king with no mercy. He realized that what the king did to them all those years did not weaken them at all. Because the truth is, their past sufferings strengthened them even more, and the king was a fool to believe that he’ll be able to defeat them after everything that he did.

     But as Kharon continued to watch, he realized something regarding the king of hell. Even though the seven princes were overwhelmingly powerful, there was no doubt that he looked weaker.

     Was it because of all the ghouls and demonic creatures that he brought here? Was it because the rulers weren’t bounded in hell anymore? Or was it because-

     “D-Don’t tell me…” 

     Kharon paused and immediately looked up in the sky. The red clouds were slowly turning back to normal. He then looked at the special watch that he’s wearing, which indicates that it was already 5:14 AM. The devil’s hour was already over an hour ago, which means the gate of hell is already closed. And when it reaches 6:00 AM, the sun will finally rise, and it would mean that-

     “Angel’s hour. The gates of heaven will fully open at six,” Kharon realized with his eyes wide open from shock.

     “Demons, hang in there for forty more minutes! When the clock strikes six, that’s when you do the final blow!” Kharon easily announces to everyone thanks to Sungjae’s powers.

     The demons didn’t answer, but they fully understood what their guardian meant by what he said, so the demons continued to attack the king with all their might.

     Jackson continued to push down the king a well, but even though he was as big as a bus, it was still not enough to slow the king down. So when Jiyong saw his brother struggling, Jiyong immediately flew toward him to tap him. And just like that, Jiyong was able to copy his power.

     “Looks like you need a hand,” Jiyong says as he clones himself into three. And just like Jackson, two of Jiyong’s clones turned into a ram and pierced their large horns on the king’s flesh as well to stop the king from arising from the demonic mark.

     This action obviously angered the king, but the Demons were prepared for such an outrage.

     Thankfully, the damage that Hyunseung did to the king’s chest was strong as his chest started to turn black thanks to Hyunseung’s kiss of death. When the other demons saw this, they knew that they had to continue targeting the chest too.

     “ You betrayers! “ The king shouted in anger, his voice sounding like it came from a hundred other voices.

     This time, as the others distracted the king, Minhyuk got close to the king’s chest to aim at it too. 

     “You’re wrong. You…betrayed us,” Minhyuk answered as he readied his weapon. He takes a deep breath and finally threw his weapon at the king’s chest as well. And as it got stuck on the king’s chest, Minhyuk’s entire arm starts burning as he positions his hand on his sword, a string of fire suddenly appears from the weapon that connects to his hand. It was an impressive trick that Minhyuk was able to do when they were training.

     Minhyuk took another deep breath as he closes his eyes. The moment he closed his eyes, an image appeared in front of him, and it was his brothers happily laughing at their lunch table at HAU’s cafeteria with the Arcs. And as they were laughing, Sungjae looked at him and smiled; it was the warmest smile that Minhyuk has ever seen before.

     The grounds continued to rumble as Minhyuk finally opened his eyes back, revealing his piercing red iris. “You will pay for what you did to the people I love!” Minhyuk shouted as he started pulling the string that’s attached to his sword. And with his power of life draining, Minhyuk pulled the king’s life out as he pulled his sword with it.

     “You will pay!” Minhyuk shouted even louder as his entire body was now covered in flames. And in one final thug, Minhyuk successfully pulls out his sword, gallons of black blood instantly streaming out of the king’s chest like it was a waterfall.

    The king falls to the ground as he touches his chest while his other hand held onto the ground so he could support his body from falling forward.

    As for Minhyuk, the fire that covered his body disappeared, and both of his hands were completely burned; not from the fire, but from the energy that he took from the king. He was so exhausted that he couldn’t even fly anymore. He starts falling at full speed, and just when he was inches away from the ground, Kharon appeared and caught him.

     “I know this isn’t the right time for this, but you are definitely not a loser prince of Glutton,” Kharon says with a proud smile, making Minhyuk give out a weak chuckle.

     While Kharon handled Minhyuk, Suho and Sunggyu flew beside each other. 

     “I’ll throw my weapon at his back, and you follow after with your hammer,” Sunggyu told him, and Suho nodded his head as an answer.

     Sunggyu then starts flying farther away from the king instead of getting closer to him. When he was already at a good distance, Sunngyu clenched on his weapon and stared at the king who he has hated ever since he read the letter that he was a son of a demon. 

    Everything flashed in front of Sunggyu’s eyes like they were reminding him of what this king did to him and his brothers. And then, he saw Jiyong. The image of Jiyong’s death, and how they buried him; their tears and their anger all mixed together. 

     “I am the Prince of Wrath, the son of Satan, and the 5th deadly sinner! You will feel my rage, and my name will become your greatest fear. Mark my words!” Sunggyu shouted as blood tears start pouring out of his eyes. He pulled his body back, and with one quick motion, he threw his saw-like weapon towards the back of the king, directly adjacent to his chest.

    The weapon flew towards the king so fast that it started burning up. And as it finally got stuck on the king’s back, Suho flew towards it. He took a deep breath, and with a grin on his face, he slammed his hammer on Sunggyu’s weapon, making it pierce on his back even deeper until the sword went through his body, making its way out of his chest that was already wounded.

     “Hell yeah!” Suho shouted in victory. But then the king suddenly turned around to face him, so Suho instantly stopped cheering so he could fly away from the enormous hand that was about to hit him like he was some sort of fly. 

     Taeil, who was also watching his brothers like Kharon, started thinking of a plan. The king was obviously not as powerful as he was before, giving the fact that all the powers that the ghouls, demonic monsters, and those large Krakens were from the king himself. The rulers also helped give him power, but now they weren’t chained in hell anymore. And then there’s the angel’s hour. All these factors weakened him.

     “But this can’t be this easy. It can’t be,” Taeil concluded as he continued to observe from a safe distance. But as he was scanning the king’s body, Taeil noticed something. In the chest area that was already turning black, there was a crack. It was as if…

     “ It’s just a shell ,“ Taeil whispered underneath his breath as he remembered the hand that that grabbed Jiyong’s heart during their first battle with him. 

     “I-It’s just a shell…it’s just a shell! Brothers! We have to crack him open!” Taeil finally announces, surprising everyone.

     Thankfully their hard work was not in vain as the damages they made as enough to give cracks on its body.

     “Crack it open you say?” Jiyong - one of his three clones that didn’t turn into a ram - said with a prideful grin as he held onto his weapon tight. “That’s way too fucking easy.”

     Jiyong looked at the crack that was already on the king’s chest. Like Sunggyu, Jiyong flew away from the king so he could have the right momentum when he strikes. Jiyong then took a deep breath and looked back at the king with the same sadistic grin that he had whenever he was trying to scare his classmates before.

     “You killed me once, and that was a mistake that will never happen again,” Jiyong says as he closed his eyes, gripping his weapon even harder. When he opened his eyes back, he cloned himself five more times. And with Jackson’s power that he was able to copy earlier, Jiyong turned his arm into a giant’s arm.

     “I’m not the strongest prince for nothing, and you will never be able to kill me again,” Jiyong confidently declared as he finally flew right down with his clones.

    The other demons were distracting the king, but with Jiyong’s immense power, the king was able to sense him. He looked up and saw Jiyong flying towards him. But before he could even defend himself, Jiyong was already inches in front of him. With a strong swing, all six of him swung at the crack on the king’s chest.

    The king shouted at the top of his lungs as his entire body suddenly slowly got covered in fire. Jiyong called all of his clones and morphed back into one, while Jackson also shifted himself back to normal.

    “He’s gonna blow!” Suho shouted while covering his ears from the king’s agonizing scream.

     The demons immediately escaped as fast as they could, but then the shaking stopped, making them stop as well.

     The king - or more specifically his shell - was engulfed in flames as the cracks grew bigger and bigger. The demons took cover as the cracks finally opened. There was silence for a moment like everything stopped right then and there. But as they waited, the king shouted for one last time until its entire body finally explodes.

     The impact was so strong that some of the demons were even thrown away. And thanks to the explosion, they were also now covered in black blood.

     With a disgusted look on Jiyong’s face, he immediately stood up and flapped his wings so he could remove the blood from it. “Okay, I wasn’t expecting that to happen.” 

     Jiyong looked around and counted all his brothers. When he saw that they were all okay, he couldn’t help but sigh in relief. Minhyuk, who was also feeling a lot better now, rejoined his other brothers as well.

     “Was that it? Did we kill him? Did we win?” Suho innocently asks. No one really answered him, but the worried expression on his brothers’ faces made him realize that there was more to come.

     The enormous titan that was in front of them was now gone, and only smoke was covering the area where he was supposed to be found.

    The seven deadly sons composed themselves and approached the smoke. They looked back at each other and gripped on their own weapons. And as the smoke finally fades in front of them, a figure emerged.

    He had large wings, horns similar to a Scimitar-Horned Oryx, red iris that was covered in black instead of white, and insanely sharp teeth and claws. His skin looked like it was made from burnt tree trunks, and there was also black smoke oozing out of him. With one glance, everyone knew who he was.

    “ Aren’t you going to bow? “ The king said with a wide sadistic smile that showed his menacing teeth.

     “Why on earth would we even bow to you? We would rather die than-”

     Before Hyunseung could even finish his sentence, his eyes suddenly widened when he felt something strong forcefully pushed him down so he could bow in front of the king. The action surprised everyone, especially Hyunseung.

     “What are you doing?!” Jiyong angrily shouted.

     The king looks at the sons and suddenly started laughing. “ You fools! “ As soon as the king stopped laughing, he summoned his staff. To his surprise, inside his staff was a beating heart.

     Jiyong’s eyes widened as he looked at the heart. “I-Is that my…heart?” Jiyong asked, his anger growing and growing even more.

     “ You say that you’d rather die than bow to me? Your creator? “ The king asked as he approached the seven. With a serious expression, his staff got covered in flames as he continued, “ Then DIE. “

• END -

SDS3 46: OUR DESTINY

“THEN DIE.” THE KING declared, and before the sons could even say anything back, he suddenly vanished in front of them.

     “W-Where is he?” Sunggyu asked as he looked around the area. “Where is he?!” 

     Everyone looked around with great caution. Kharon, who was also there, was trying to sense where the king was, but he couldn’t feel a single trace of him. He then looked back at the sky and saw that the light was getting bigger and bigger. There were only at least twenty minutes left before heaven’s gates open, and the king will be in his weakest state by then. But what Kharon is worrying about is the king might decide to escape if that does happen, so the sons have to finish him off before that.

     “He could be anywhere. We have to-” Jiyong suddenly stopped talking. 

     The Demons immediately looked at his way. But as soon as he did so, everyone’s eyes widened, and they all looked back at Jiyong with horror. 

     The king was now standing right behind him, his hand piercing inside his chest again like the time he was killed.

     “N-No…no…No!” Sunggyu shouted, his entire body burning into flames as he ran towards Jiyong and the king.

     Jackson was frozen in his place too, but when he remembered what happened before, his feet started running on their own. He was not going to let this happen again. “You demon! I will kill you!”

     The other sons also snapped back to their senses and they started running towards Jiyong. But as everyone thought that the king was able to kill Jiyong again, Jiyong’s voice could suddenly be heard in the background. 

     The prince of pride was laughing.

     Everyone stopped running when they heard their brother. And the king, who also thought that he had once again killed the strongest prince, smirked in amazement when he realized what actually happened.

     “I told you…you will never be able to kill me again,” Jiyong said, suddenly appearing behind the king, making everyone realize that the Jiyong that the king actually killed was a clone after all. 

    The king looked down on his stomach and saw that Jiyong was able to pierce his weapon on him. He chuckled to himself and removed his hand from the clone. “ You have grown powerful prince of pride that I wasn’t even able to sense that this was a clone. I’m starting to hesitate if I should kill you or not since it would be a waste. “

    “Well too bad. I’m not hesitating on killing you,” Jiyong says before immediately pulling his weapon away from him, making red blood ooze out of the king’s stomach.

     The king was about to swing his sharp claws on Jiyong, but Jiyong suddenly disappeared in front of him, making him realize that Jiyong was able to copy his power of invisibility without him sensing it. The action didn’t make him laugh anymore. “ You cunning prince. “

     Just before the king could even make his move, Jiyong reappeared again and struck his weapon on the King’s arm this time, and then instantly disappearing right after that.

     The sons watched in awe as Jiyong fought against the king on his own like it was nothing. Only then did they fully understand and grasp that Jiyong was no doubt their strongest member. And after everything that he went through, he became even stronger than any demon has ever seen before.

     The king literally created a monster.

     “What the hell are we standing here for?! Let’s help our brother!” Sunggyu finally shouted, and everyone immediately ran towards the king who was still busy attacking Jiyong.

     Jiyong did his trick again. He struck the king’s back and disappeared, but unfortunately for him, the king finally caught up with him. When Jiyong became invisible, the king anticipated his next move and grabbed hold of his neck, making Jiyong release his invisibility.

     When the king can finally see Jiyong, his grip on his neck tightened, causing blood to start oozing out of Jiyong’s nose. Jiyong tried to struggle, but the king’s anger was making him stronger.

     Just on time, Jackson arrived and transformed into a lion. He ran in the king’s direction and bit on his arm that was strangling his brother. He bit hard and then he pulled the king’s arm off with full force, making the king scream in agony.

    Jackson munched on the arm and swallowed it, while Jiyong immediately moved away so he could catch his breath.

    “T-thanks,” Jiyong told Jackson who was still in his lion form.

     Jackson growled as a reply, and the demons approached Jiyong while the king tried to regenerate his arm.

     Taeil looked at the king and realized that the regeneration was slower than normal, so he immediately looked at his brothers and told them, “There’s seven of us and only one of him. He might be powerful but we can overwhelm him if we attack together. That’s our only chance of winning against him.”

     “Alright,” Sunggyu said in agreement. “Let’s go!”

     As Taeil planned, everyone went to the king and started attacking him. Some were hitting him with their weapon, while others used their powers against him. But like what Taeil expected as well, the king was able to dodge and counterattack most of them. Fortunately, the little damages made his regeneration power become slower.

    The demons continued to attack, leaving cuts and bruises around the king, leaving him covered in blood. And as the king trying to think of a way to finally get them off him, he gripped on his staff and pierced it through the ground. Nothing happened for a second, but then the ground started shaking again.

     Everyone looked at the ground and realized that the ground was actually opening, making them step away from it since there was fire beneath them.

     The staff that the king pierced through the ground starts cracking as Jiyong’s heart suddenly becomes completely black, surprising everyone. The staff falls inside the hole, and it didn’t even take a second as a black dragon flew right out of the hole, leaving everyone dumbfounded.

    “That’s a dragon,” Suho comments with his eyes wide from shock. “That’s a fucking dragon! You guys see that!?”

    “Yes idiot, so calm down,” Taeil stated as he and the rest of his brothers continued to look at the magnificent creature in front of them.

     “ Do you see this Kwon Jiyong?! I made him using my own hands. The only thing that it needed was a heart as strong as yours, so this is practically your son! “ The king announced in excitement as he rode the dragon.

    Jiyong, as prideful as he was, looked at the dragon with amazement. “You created that using my heart? No wonder it looks so cool. But sadly for you, I’m not ready to be a single father so…” Jiyong paused and suddenly cloned himself five times before looking back at the king. “You can take good care of it when I lock you both back in hell!”

     Jiyong and his clones followed the dragon who flew to the sky with the king.

     Hyunseung and the rest did the same. Sunggyu was about to follow, but then Jackson grabbed hold of his arm and told him, “Jiyong’s getting weaker, I can feel it since I’m the son next to him. He can still fight, but he’s not in his most powerful state anymore compared to earlier. That applies to me too.”

     “Then what do we do?” Sunggyu asked with a worried expression.

     “You guys can’t exert your strength on that dragon anymore, especially Jiyong. I can only use my glamouring one last time, so I’ll handle the dragon on my own. Give Jiyong the perfect opportunity to use Seunghyun’s power so he could perform the final blow at exactly 6:00,” Jackson stated, making Sunggyu look at him with furrowed brows.

     “What do you mean you’ll handle the dragon on your own? Are you crazy?!” 

     Jackson didn’t answer his uncertain brother, so instead of saying anything, he took a deep breath and transformed himself right in front of Sunggyu.

     Sunggyu looked at Jackson with his eyes wide open from complete shock. Because right in front of him, Jackson turned into a red dragon. This was Jackson’s last power because, after this, it will take a while for him to use it again.

     “Wanna ride?” Jackson asked as he looked at their leader with a smug look - if a smug look was ever possible on a dragon.

     Sunggyu slowly closed his mouth and continued to stare at his brother who was now a full-fledged dragon. “Why are your powers so fucking cool?” He complained first before immediately hopping on Jackson’s back so they could fly towards the other dragon.

     Meanwhile, Jiyong and the others were trying to fight with the king, which was almost impossible since the dragon was blocking them. And when it started breathing fire, they couldn’t believe that the fire was green. Apart from that, the flames actually hurt them, which surprised them even more since they’re demons, and they should be immune to fire.

     “What in the maleficent shit is this?! Why do his flames hurt?!” Suho shouted as he tried to avoid the large wing that was heading towards him.

     Taeil successfully dodges the attack, and then he looks back at Suho and answered his question for him, “It’s not the actual flames that’s hurting us. You notice that it’s green right? Well, it’s green because of the poison that’s mixed into it. The flames are toxic.”

     “Oh, that makes sense. So how do we…dragon?!” Suho suddenly shouted, making Taeil look at him like he was a complete idiot.

     “Yes, I know it’s a dragon. Why are you still so shocked?” Taeil asked, but then Suho points at the other dragon that’s flying towards them, finally making Taeil understand what Suho was shouting about.

     “Holy shit, is that Jackson?”

     Jackson and Sunggyu arrived just in time. Sunggyu jumped off of Jackson and kicked the King off his own dragon. The king falls off as expected, but he immediately opens up his wings. He was about to return to the dragon, but then Jackson arrived and bit on the dragon’s left wing, pulling him away from the king and his brothers, almost like he was saying, “ You’re mine. “

      The king was surprised that Jackson was able to transform himself into such a big beast. But before he could even go back to it, Jiyong threw his spear towards him again and shouted, “Hey! Let’s do this one-on-one! No more fancy dragons!”

     Hyunseung, Minhyuk, Suho, Taeil, Sunggyu, and Jiyong all surrounded the king. They looked at him with their eyes hungry for revenge, and the king knew that they wouldn’t stop even if he summoned another dragon. 

     “ You betrayers… “ the king says again as he looks at his arm that was still regenerating. “ I’ll finish this now! “

     As soon as the king shouted those words at him, he disappeared in front of them again, but this time, he reappeared and started attacking the demons one by one. He was so fast that they could barely see him so they could dodge.

     Suho gripped on his weapon, but before he could even swing, the king approached him and punched his jaw, instantly making his vision blurry. The king then started giving Suho continuous attacks that Suho could barely even avoid. 

    Jiyong and Sunggyu immediately went to him but the king started attacking them too, now the three were fighting an almost impossible fight with the king.

     Taeil cursed in anger as he tried to follow the king’s movement which was almost impossible. But then, the Demon’s master planner thought of something. He immediately looked at Minhyuk and shouted at him, “Minhyuk! Face your weapon towards me!”

    Minhyuk was confused by the sudden request, but he immediately did what he was told, making Taeil see his reflection from the sword. Taeil took a deep breath and stared at the reflection until an image appeared. It was the king approaching Sunggyu at full speed.

     “There!” Taeil shouted, immediately throwing his weapon towards the image that he saw from the reflection on Minhyuk’s sword. And just as he predicted, his hammer-like weapon hits the king, making everyone see him as well.

     Minhyuk’s eyes widened as soon as he saw the king. And without wasting anymore time, Minhyuk threw his sword directly at the king, piercing it through his chest like what he did to his titan shell earlier.

    “I’m pulling him down!” Minhyuk shouted as the string of fire appeared from his hand again, which connected to his sword. Minhyuk took a deep breath and starts pulling the king downward.

     The king tried to remove the sword while flapping his wing upward so he could pull it off of his chest. But then Suho, who was already covered in blood thanks to what the king did to him earlier, bravely approached the king and hit Minhyuk’s sword with his hammer, making Minhyuk’s sword go through the king’s chest even deeper.

     “ You greedous boy! “ The king shouted as he tried to grab Suho with his arm, but Suho easily flew away from him.

     Jiyong, who then saw Munhyuk struggling, commanded his clones to help his brother, in which they did. 

     The king was being pulled towards the ground, and the rest of the demons went to the ground as well as Jackson continued to fight the dragon.

     The dragon was bigger than Jackson, but he was being controlled, and Jackson wasn’t. The dragon needed his owner to fight better, but the king was already being pulled to the ground while he was still left in the sky. That’s why while the others were busy with the king, Jackson was able to give heavy damages to his little pet.

     “You’re G-Dragon’s son? Then let this uncle of yours teach you a lesson you’ll never forget!” Jackson shouted as he used his tail to hit the enemy dragon.

     The dragon swayed to the side, and when Jackson found an opening, he bit on the dragon’s neck and pulled him down with the king. The dragon tried to breathe out more fire, but before it could even do so, Jackson swung his mouth and threw the dragon directly back inside the hole that he came from. 

     The dragon screamed, but as he fell inside the hole, the ground instantly closed, leaving the king with no more backup.

     “Now…it’s our turn to make you suffer.”

• END -

SDS3 47: SEVEN DEADLY SONS

MINHYUK, ALONGSIDE JIYONG’S CLONES, successfully brought the king to the ground again. Minhyuk then summoned his weapon back, leaving a hole on the king’s heartless chest. Everyone practically sighed from relief after what they did, but Minhyuk was practically drained. Because even though his power was to absorb life, using it to absorb the king had the opposite effects.

     “I think I’m gonna fucking puke,” Minhyuk commented before looking back at the king.

     Jackson then flew back down as well, now in his demonic state. Then the rest of the demons surrounded the weak king.

     The king didn’t move, but he looked at the demons one by one. Not even showing an ounce of fear in his eyes as he did it.

     “ You think you’re heroes for defeating me? “ The king shouted as blood continued to ooze out from his mouth and chest. “ Who are you even saving? The humans?! There are humans who are engulfed in all the sins in this world. They are evil, and they are worse than what demons are, and yet you sacrifice for them like fools. “

     “We aren’t fools,” Sunggyu immediately said as he looked at the king with his tired expression. 

     Like the rest of his brothers, most of them were already at their limit. Some could barely even move. But this was their final battle with the king. This was their last shot to finish off what they started; to correct the wrong things that they’ve done and to protect those who they love.

     “You’re right, humans are evil,” Sunggyu continued before taking a deep breath. “But humans aren’t all evil. Most of them have chastity, temperance, and charity. They’re diligent, patient, kind, and they have humility. They are more than you think, and their lives will always be worth saving, even by demons like us.”

     “There will always be evil, just like how there will always be demons,” Jackson then said as he approached his brothers. “But that also means that we will always be there to stop them.”

     “Which translates to us always kicking your sorry ass back to hell!” Jiyong shouted.

     Hyunseung gripped his weapon as the demonic mark that appeared in his body earlier started glowing. Without wasting any more time, he ran towards the king and kissed his weapon again before throwing it towards the king.

     As soon as Hyunseung’s saw directly pierced through the king’s stomach, Minhyuk took a deep breath and readied himself. He summoned all the life and energy that he got from the enemies that he encountered since the beginning of the war, and then exerted it all on his speed. Minhyuk ran so fast that they could barely even see him. Without anyone being able to detect him, even the king, Minhyuk slashed on the king’s other arm off before he could even realize that it was already on the ground.

     The king shouted in agony and anger again, but then Suho and Taeil appeared next, respectively throwing their hammer-like weapon on Hyunseung’s saw, piercing it even deeper inside the king’s stomach.

     Blood continued to ooze out of the king’s mouth, chest, stomach, and decapitated arms. He was weak, and yet he decided to exert his remaining energy on laughing. “ I have no…r-regrets…in creating you, “ the king suddenly said as he falls on both of his knees.

     He was no longer capable of fighting back. He was weak, and he was fully aware that before the war even started that the seven sons were stronger than ever before. These sons were both humans and demons. They were the creatures that he and god unknowingly created together, and that made the Demons his perfect creation.

     “ L-look at how p-powerful you all have…become. My job is done. You will be the ones who w-will bring havoc to the world n-now. You are demons. And w-whether you decide to s-save these worthless h-humans…you will r-realize that it is better to do e-evil than good, “ the king said with a confident grin on his face.

     The seven demons looked at each other before looking back at the demon they called the King of Hell.

     “You’re wrong,” Hyunseung answered him. “We are demons, and that is a destiny that we will not run away from, but we aren’t like you. I’ll admit, we might do some naughty and troublesome things from time to time, but that doesn’t really define who we truly are. Being demons is honestly just a cool bonus.”

     Hyunseung smiled and suddenly summoned his weapon back. And to their surprise, he turned back into his human form, showing everyone all of his bruises and wounds. He then looks back at the king and tells him, “My name is Jang Hyunseung. I am the prince of realm Lust, son of Asmodeus and Jang Yoon-jeong, and the first deadly son.”

     Minhyuk smiled at what his best friend did, so he followed what Hyunseung did and summoned his weapon as well before turning himself back into his human form. “I’m Lee Minhyuk of realm Glutton. Son of ruler Beelzebub and Lee Ae-jung, and the second deadly son.”

     The rest of the brothers looked at each other and started returning to their human forms one by one, making the king see that their demonic form isn’t their true form, but this is.

     “I’m the third deadly son, Kim Jun-Myeon, the prince of realm Greed. The amazingly handsome son of the great ruler Mammon and the even greater mother, Kim Taeryon.”

     “My name is Lee Taeil of the realm of Sloth. Son of Belphegor and Lee Taehee, and the fourth deadly son.”

     Sunggyu, who was also now in human form, touched the shoulder of the brothers who were standing beside him. With a wide smile on his face, he looked down on the king and told him, “I am Kim Sunggyu, the prince of the realm of Wrath. The son of Satan and Kim Yoo-jung, the leader of the Demons, and the fifth deadly sinner.”

     The son who was about to go next looked back at the king with his badly injured body. He was covered in so many wounds and blood after defeating the dragon earlier, and he looked like he was about to faint any minute after using up all of his powers. But Jackson stood strong. Despite everything that happened, he stood even straighter now that he was back in his human form. It was as if he was saying that he was prouder in this form more than every creature that he has transformed into in the past.

     “I am Wang Jackson, the great prince of the realm Envy. The son of ruler Leviathan and Wang Yue. The sixth deadly son.”

     Now, everyone looked back at Kwon Jiyong. 

     Unlike the others, Jiyong was still in his demonic state. He summoned all his clones back as he approached the king until he was only a meter away from him. He then looked down at him and said, “A lot of demons, angels, humans and even emotions joined us in this battle just to be able to defeat you. We proved that no matter what you are and what others say about you, we work as one. We are greater when we are united, and your defeat is the proof of that.”

     “ You can’t kill me, “ the king confidently said. But Jiyong smirked back at him as he suddenly lifted his hands. With his total concentration, an overwhelmingly bright light suddenly appeared on top of Jiyong’s palm. 

     The king squinted his eyes, but when he got a better look, his eyes widened from shock. And for the first time, there was complete fear present in his face.

     “ H-How did you -“

     “I told you, working together makes us stronger. And this little thing was given to me by a very amazing angel,” Jiyong says. And to their surprise, he suddenly transformed back into his human form.

     The action did not only surprise the king but the rest of his brothers as well. But when everyone thought that light in his hand would disappear, they realized that it only grew brighter. Everyone watched in awe as the clock finally struck six. The gates of heaven open, and the light from the sky shone directly upon the king who started to get burned by it.

     “My name is Kwon Jiyong, the prince of the realm Pride, the son of Lucifer,  Charles Smith, and Kwon Gi-ran. I am the strongest demon alive. I have been through literal hell. I have died in front of my brothers, brought pain to the ones I love, and then got resurrected with greater power. I trained until my hands bled. I cried until there was nothing left. And I have done all this to defeat you once and for all. You remember our names demon because we…are the Seven Deadly Sons. “

     Without wasting any more time, Jiyong brought his hand toward’s the king’s head and touched him. 

     The entire city became quiet, and everyone who was fighting at the other demonic marks stopped in an instant.

     Jiyong’s hand continued to glow brightly, and then the king’s head started glowing as well until his entire body was engulfed in light. The king shouted as the grounds started to tremble. Soon after, chains covered in flames appeared and wrapped around the king like they were snaked. And then dozens of hands that were coming from the ground started grabbing onto the king, immediately making Jiyong pull his hand away so he could take a step back.

     The king continued to scream as the hands start pulling him back inside hell.

     The other demonic creatures that the Rulers and the Archangels were fighting since earlier started to disappear one by one. And then the thirteen demonic markings on the ground closed.

     The seven sons continued to look at the king who was being pulled downward. He looked at them and suddenly had pleading eyes. “ H-Have mercy… “ he surprisingly begged.

     The demons lined up in front of the king. Then Sunggyu walked towards him and showed him a sadistic grin. “Mercy? Only God can show mercy, and you know damn well that we’re no god.”

     The king’s expression instantly changed. His eyes started to turn into an even darker red. But before he could even do anything, the unknown hands were finally able to pull him down, and the ground instantly closed beneath them.

    Everyone didn’t say a single word as the city felt completely abandoned.

    But as everyone continued to keep their mouth shut, a clear tear falls from Sunggyu’s eyes as he finally shouted, “VICTORY IS OURS!”

• END -

SDS3 48: AFTERMATH

HUMANS, ANGELS, AND DEMONS alike started arriving at the grounds of Holy Angels University to witness the sons’ overwhelming victory. Most of them were injured, but thankfully Lay and his father, Archangel Raphael, were going around and healing them.

     Though this was a victory, there were casualties. Out of all of them, a handful of them still met their end.

     “Hyunseung!” Someone shouted while the seven deadly sons stood in the middle of the grounds where the king was pulled under.

     Hyunseung looked back and suddenly saw Junhyung running towards him as fast as he could. And before Hyunseung could even say anything, Junhyung grabbed him and wrapped him in his arms, embracing him tightly.

     “You’re okay. Thank God you’re okay,” Junhyung said in relief, pulling away and giving his lover a passionate kiss. 

      Clear drops of tears pour out of Hyunseung’s eyes as he kisses him back. And as they were sharing their moment together, the other members of the Arcs finally arrived as well.

     Mark, who was still injured since he wanted Lay to heal the other humans first, didn’t even say a word as tears instantly start pouring out of his eyes. He looked straight at Jackson who was looking back at him with a soft smile. Jackson then opened his arms wide, and Mark finally ran to Jackson so he could hug him.

     “I told you I’ll come back to you,” Jackson said, hugging Mark tightly before giving him a gentle kiss on the head.

     “I saw you as a dragon. I looked up at the sky and instantly knew that it was you. I thought you were going to get hurt. I was so scared,” Mark said as he pulled away from Jackson’s embrace so he could look at Jackson’s exhausted expression.

     Jackson took a deep breath and wiped the tears off of Mark’s cheeks, reassuring him that he’s alright. “You always worry about me, but you don’t know how much I worry about you too. Do you even know why I trained so hard?”

     Mark didn’t say anything, so Jackson leaned and kissed Mark’s forehead first before giving him an answer. “It’s so I can protect you. So you do not have to worry about anything. I will never die and leave you in pain, and I will literally fight a dragon just to make sure you’ll be alright.”

     As soon as Mark heard of Jackson’s answer, more tears started pouring out of his eyes. He grabbed Jackson again to hug him tightly. “I love you so much,” he tells him. And Jackson hugged him back and whispers the same.

     Suho on the other hand looked at the Arcs and noticed that Lay wasn’t with them, so Suho walked away and started searching for his lover. 

     “Yixing!” He called out.

     Suho continued walking past the injured men and women alike who battled with them. But after a few more steps, he finally spotted Lay healing Kai, who was being comforted by his lover, Tamo.

     Suho sighed in relief as he approaches his busy medic lover. “Can I go next? My chest hurts a little because I’ve been worried about this particular angel all day that I ended up becoming completely restless.”

     Lay instantly stopped healing Kai’s injured leg so he could look back.

     Lay has completely drained himself after healing so many, but he continued to do so because he believed that it’s his duty. He was exhausted, and anyone who saw him would see it, but as soon as Lay saw Suho, a bright smile suddenly appeared on his face, and then it was accompanied by tears.

     “Joon,” Yixing said with a weak voice.

     Suho’s face was serious as he approached Lay. Lay wanted to say something, but then Suho grabbed his arm and pulled him towards him so he could give him a kiss. Lay was flustered for a second, but he kissed him back a couple of seconds after.

     When the two pulled away from the kiss, Suho cupped his hands on Lay’s cheeks and tells him, “I’m so fucking proud of you, do you know that?”

     Lay doesn’t say anything but kisses Suho again as an answer. The two continue with their passionate reunion, but then Kai broke the atmosphere as he cleared his throat and said, “Hello, I’m literally legless here. Can you do that later?”

     The two awkward lovers finally pull apart as they look back at their injured friend. Suho was about to get angry at Kai for disturbing their moment, but then Suho saw that Kai’s leg was literally on the side. 

    “Holy shit what the fuck happened to you man!?” Suho shouted before looking at his leg with disgust.

     Lay smacked Suho’s arm and scolded him before kneeling back down in front of Kai. “S-Sorry, I got a little bit distracted there. Let me fix that.” He then took Kai’s leg and attached it back. Lay’s hand started glowing, and the leg started attaching itself back.

      “I’m glad you’re okay Suho. And congratulations as well, you and your brothers finally defeated the king of hell,” Tamo said while he was holding Kai’s hand. “I’d stand to bow at you, but I’m kinda injured too.”

     Suho chuckled, but then he approached Tamo and patted his shoulder before telling him, “No, we defeated him, so thank you Tamo. And you too Kai, you’re a fucking badass.”

     Kai, who was holding Tamo’s hand tightly since he was literally in pain, pretended that he was alright as he said, “Don’t worry about it man. When else will I be able to brag about being able to kill a giant scorpion that literally chopped my leg off?”

     Suho laughed at the comment, and then he kneels beside Lay and tells him, “Now what can I do to help?”

     Meanwhile…

     “Are you alright? Do you feel pain anywhere? Do you want me to call for Lay?” Jihoon asked while he continuously searched for any injury on Taeil’s body.

     “Jihoon, relax, I’m alright,” Taeil tried to tell him, but the worry on his fiancé’s face didn’t change even after what he said.

     Taeil takes a deep breath and grabs hold of Jihoon’s hands before looking straight at Jihoon’s eyes. “Look at me, okay? I’m alright. You don’t have to worry about me because I’m here. I’m not leaving you, ever.”

     Jihoon stared back at Taeil before finally grabbing him for a hug, making Taeil rest his chin on his shoulder.

     “And besides, I’m the Demons’ master planner. I practically planned this entire war too so I was confident that nothing would happen to me,” Taeil managed to say, but Jihoon only hugged him tighter as an answer.

      Taeil softy smiles as he starts caressing Jihoon’s back to comfort him. He must have been so scared the entire time since Taeil could literally feel his body trembling. But even though it may look like Taeil didn’t feel the same way, he was actually anxious too. Because ever since the war started, Taeil felt like his heart was going to explode. He was worried about his brothers, Jihoon, and everyone else who was fighting in the war. Like what he said, he was the master planner, and if they fail, a big chunk of that responsibility falls to him.

     “It’s okay now. It’s okay,” Taeil continued to say, convincing not only Jihoon but himself as well.

     Jihoon took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Even though the area was filled with noise, Jihoon could almost hear Taeil’s heartbeat. And as his heartbeat comforted him, a cold breeze suddenly passed through them, and a voice whispered in Jihoon’s ear, “ It’s your turn to take care of him now. “

     “Jiho?” Jihoon asks as he immediately opened his eyes and pulled away from Taeil.

     Taeil looked back at him with a confused expression as Jihoon looked behind him like he was looking for someone. But before Taeil could even ask what was going on, Jihoon grabbed Taeil again so he could hug him tightly. “I love you so much Taeil. I’ll take care of you till my last dying breath. I promise.”

     Taeil was surprised by the sudden declaration, but he brushed it off as he hugs Jihoon back. “I love you too.”

     People might think that Jihoon has gone crazy, but he was a hundred percent sure that the voice came from Taeil’s past lover, Woo Jiho. And he was also a hundred percent sure that Jiho can finally rest in peace, knowing that the person he loves will now be in safe hands.

     “I saw what you did from the tower Minhyuk! You were seriously awesome!” Sungjae excitedly said as he stood in front of Minhyuk who was embarrassingly scratching the back of his head.

     “You were fighting the king like it was nothing, and then there was this rope that was covered in fire and you were pulling him to the ground. I was a bit worried since I couldn’t connect with you guys anymore, but I’m glad I was able to witness your final battle,” Sungjae continued to share, and Minhyuk’s face was now completely red.

     Sungjae pauses and sees Minhyuk’s reaction. He was confused for a second, but then he starts laughing when he realized why Minhyuk was as red as a tomato. “Are you shy?”

     “S-Stop it…I wasn’t even that cool. My brothers did most of the work,” Minhyuk defended, but Sungjae crossed his arms and argued otherwise.

     “Are you kidding me? You were seriously amazing. You’ve always been guilty about fainting or falling asleep whenever there was a big fight. But this time Minhyuk, you were there, and you took every moment and gave it your all. You are as amazing as the other son, and don’t you ever think otherwise,” Sungjae said with sincerity.

     Minhyuk looked at Sungjae, and he honestly thought that he was going to cry after what he heard. But then he looked away from Sungjae and shyly asked, “I-If I was that cool then…give me a kiss.”

     The request came out of nowhere that Sungjae ended up being flustered. And this time, it was his turn to turn tomato red.

     When Sungjae didn’t give a response, Minhyuk instantly felt embarrassed and got ready to tell him that he was just joking. But then he felt something soft press on his cheeks, immediately making him look back at Sungjae.

     Sungjae was blushing up to his ear, and his shyness affected Minhyuk as he started blushing too.

     “Was that okay?” Sungjae asked, not even looking at Minhyuk.

     Minhyuk touched his cheek where Sungjae left a kiss before giving an answer, “No.”

     “What?” Sungjae immediately asked as he finally looked back at Minhyuk. And as soon as their eyes met, Minhyuk suddenly grabbed Sungjae’s arm as he pulled him towards him so he could finally give Sungjae a soft kiss on the lips.

     Sungjae’s eyes widened from shock, but then he slowly opens his mouth, and the two starts kissing like lovers for the first time. The two of them didn’t say a single word after that, but they both knew that the kiss said a thousand unspoken words that they didn’t dare say before.

     “And look at Minhyuk go. He finally got the man that he likes,” Sunggyu said as he shoved both of his hand inside his pockets. He smiled at his brother, and then he looks on the side and saw an angel stealing glances at him.

     Sunggyu chuckled and took a deep breath as he looked directly at the angel named Woohyun. “And I guess it’s about time that I get mine.”

     Woohyun saw that Sunggyu was directly looking at him, so Woohyun’s heart suddenly started beating like crazy. He pretended like he was just standing around and definitely not contemplating about walking towards Sunggyu since earlier, but when he made a quick turn to avoid Sunggyu who was now approaching him, his head instantly ached after using his powers for more than two hours.

     “S-Shit…” Woohyun was about to stumble back, but then someone grabbed him just in time.

     “You alright?” Sunggyu asked.

     Woohyun was still dizzy, but as soon as he saw Sunggyu’s face, the dizziness miraculously vanished, and he immediately pushed the demon away from him. “I-I’m fine. Thanks.”

     Sunggyu stared at him, and Woohyun instantly looked away from him again. The action made the Demon’s leader laugh.

     “Where did your confidence go angel? You’ve been continuously declaring that you’ll chase after me, but then you’re acting all shy now,” Sunggyu teased, but then Woohyun ended up having a sad expression on his face, and that made the grin on Sunggyu’s face disappear.

     Sunggyu wanted to ask what the problem was, but then Woohyun looked at the ground and said, “I watched you guys from the tower and you fought with great honor and pride. Everyone got badly injured, including you, while I was safely hiding at the tower, not even lifting a finger. I do want to chase after you Kim Sunggyu, but I realized that you’re just way out of my league.”

     “What the hell are you saying?”

     “Y-You’re just…you’re the leader of the Seven Deadly Sons. You’re an insanely powerful prince and an amazing demon. I don’t-”

     “You’re seriously an idiot,” Sunggyu said as he suddenly clenched on Woohyun’s shirt. Woohyun thought that the demon was going the punch him, but then Sunggyu pulled him towards him before grabbing him for a passionate kiss.

     Woohyun’s world literally stopped as he felt Sunggyu’s tongue touch his. At that moment he thought that he was going to faint. It was the first time that Woohyun was able to kiss someone like that, so when they parted from the kiss, both of them were panting heavily.

      “That was amazing,” Woohyun said, but then he looked straight at Sunggyu’s eyes and told him, “B-But why did you kiss me?”

     Sunggyu honestly wanted to really hit Woohyun after hearing his question, but he draped his arms around Woohyun’s neck instead and asked him, “You told me before that you’ll give me a clear picture of my future if I let go of my past. If I become yours, will you be able to do that?”

     Woohyun’s eyes widened from shock, and then his shock turns into laughter.

    “A clear future isn’t the only thing I can give you, Kim Sunggyu,” Woohyun answered as he pressed his forehead on Sunggyu.

     Sunggyu smirked and gave a quick peck on Woohyun’s lips. “Looks like your confidence is back. I’m warning you though, I am a very passionate person.”

     Woohyun stared at Sunggyu’s lips before leaning towards his ear so he could whisper, “ Then I’m looking forward to our angry sex. “

     While the two were openly flirting with each other like no one was watching them, Jiyong angrily kicked a pebble before sitting down on the floor and looking at the sky. 

     “Great, I just saved the world and my brothers get to lock their lips with someone while I’m stuck here injured and alone,” Jiyong complained. But then someone stood behind him and looked down on him, blocking Jiyong’s view of the sky.

     “Want to lock your lips with mine then?” Seunghyun suddenly asked with an expressionless face, making Jiyong snort.

     “In your dreams big guy. These lips are worth more than money can buy,” Jiyong said before finally lying on the dirty floor and closing his eyes so he could finally rest.

     Seunghyun continued to look down at him. He wanted to scold the demon for lying down on the ground, but he sighed and suddenly lied beside him instead. Jiyong was surprised by the sudden action, but he ignored him and continued to close his eyes.

     “I’m surprised that my power worked on you even though you transformed back to your human form. God must have seen your sincerity and granted you that permission,” Seunghyun said while looking at the sky, the sun rising before them.

     “Maybe,” Jiyong answered. “I’d also bow and thank you too, but I don’t think I have the energy left to do so.”

     “Don’t worry, there will be more chances for you to do that now,” Seunghyun answered back.

     The two then became quiet as they enjoy the silent company of each other. And as the people around them run past them, Seunghyun took a deep breath and closed his eyes as well before asking, “What will you do now prince?”

     Jiyong thought about it for a second before opening his eyes back. “I actually don’t know, but what I’m sure of is I want to spend time with my brothers. I want to take back all the time that we wasted when I died, and then maybe start living a normal life.”

     “A normal life…” Seunghyun repeated.

     The wind blew against them, and Jiyong closed his eyes again. And as the two lie on the floor, a smile suddenly appeared on Seunghyun’s usually serious expression as he continued, “I’d actually like that too.”

• END -

SDS3 49: NO MATTER WHAT

THE SEVEN DEADLY RULERS gathered together and walked toward the Archangels. It was a strange sight, considering how they were mortal enemies for centuries. 

      “I hate to say this but…thank you, and we’re sorry for ever doubting your sons,” Archangel Michael stated, almost making the rulers grin in satisfaction.

     “Those words could have literally ended the war between us,” Lucifer managed to joke, making the rest of them laugh.

     As the laughter died down, Gabriel took a step forward and said, “Your sons proved everything that we ever thought was wrong. We are thankful to them, and we will continue to be thankful to them until the very end.”

     “I’m glad to hear that,” Satan answered, and the fourteen fathers smiled at each other, glad that after all those years, they finished not only the war that took place today but the war that has been going on between them as well.

     “But just to clarify, we’re still demons, and we will continue to tempt these humans for as long as we shall live. No hard feelings though,” Mammon then said, making the Archangel’s leader laugh.

     “Don’t worry, that was an agreement even before we came. So demons, go wild,” Michael says, and Mammon nods his head, glad that they understand the roles that they still have to play even after what happened today.

     “So what now demons? Any plans?” Samuel then asked.

     Lucifer took a deep breath and looking at his fellow rulers before looking back at the archangels. “Now that the king of hell is locked up, we’ll have to fix a lot of things in the underworld. We gotta fix the system there, and maybe upgrade a few realms.”

     “Sounds like a good plan,” Michaels said back.

     “And how about Mother Pandora?” Someone suddenly asked. 

     The rulers and the archangels all turn their heads to see the Seven Evil Emotions walking towards them. 

     Lucifer smiled at them and looked back at their leader, Despair. “As for Pandora, she’s alright now. She’s back at your realm, and I’m sure that she’ll be glad to see that her children are doing okay.”

     Despair sighed in relief, but then Nightmare heads towards Phanuel and suddenly grabs him by the collar, surprising everyone. “And Hope? How about Hope? Is he okay?”

     The Emotion wanted to pull their brother away, but Phanuel stopped them as he reached out for Nightmare to pat his back as a sign of comfort. “He is alright, and he is at peace in Ophanim. He actually talks a lot about you, and maybe after all this, I’ll let you see him, maybe just for a while.”

     Nightmare’s eyes widened from what the archangel told him, but then he finally lets go of him. They thought he wasn’t going to do anything anymore, but then Nightmare grabs him and gives him a hug, surprising everyone even more. “Thank you.”

     Phanuel was shocked as well, but then he smiled and hugged the emotion back. “Don’t worry about it.”

     “Okay, we’re all happy. Can we go back now? I really wanna see mother Pandora,” Panic suddenly says, but then Pain drapes his arm around his shoulder and tells him, “Oh come on now, when else will we be given a chance to return here? Besides…we haven’t congratulated those troublesome princes yet.”

      Pain pointed at the seven sons who were approaching them, the Arcs walking right beside them.

     Everyone, including the other demons, angels, and humans who helped with the war, stopped talking to look at the sons with proud smiles on their faces.

     “See, our games paid off after all,” Pain commented as the emotions moved away so the sons could give way to the princes.

     “It’s so fucking weird to see you all together. It’s like a collaboration that no one asked for but everyone still needed it,” Jiyong managed the say as they finally stopped in front of their fathers.

     Sunggyu stood in the center, and then he bowed, making the rest of his brothers follow behind him. “We are thankful for your assistance fathers. And we are glad that you’re all okay.”

     “You really are their leader,” Satan said as he looks at his son with a smile.

     “We’re thankful for your gratitude, but I think it’s clear who we should really be thanking here,” Lucifer suddenly said, making the sons stand back up so they could look at him.

     Without saying anything, Lucifer suddenly opened his wings and went down on one knee so he could bow in front of the seven deadly sons. The action surprised the Demons, but then, one by one, the other rulers bowed, and then followed by the emotions. Even Kharon, who was with Kharon II and Grimm Reaper, bowed in front of them as well.

     The Demons were left speechless as they watch the powerful demons bow to them like the princes that they were. But then, to an even greater surprise, Michael opened up his wings and went down on his knees too.

     “We…everyone in the kingdom of heaven…are indebted to you sons. Thank you,” Michael says before bowing his head even deeper.

     And like what happened to the rulers, the rest of the Archangels bowed, followed by the Arcs and their guardian Dongmin, who couldn’t help but be proud of them too. 

     Finally, Kai and Tamo, and the rest of the humans started bowing at them as well, and everyone who was there was now bowing at the sons, showing them their greatest gratitude.

     Hyunseung looked at them and started tearing up. He then looked at Minhyuk and grabbed his hand tightly. And then Minhyuk grabbed Suho’s hand, and the brothers all started holding hands as they watch their comrades with tears in their eyes.

     Everything that they went through was finally over. They couldn’t have done it without the people who helped them, but most importantly, they wouldn’t have been able to do it without each other.

     “I love you guys so fucking much,” Minhyuk says as he started sobbing like a kid, and everyone finally stood back up.

     Sunggyu looked at Minhyuk and ruffled his hair to tease him. And as the sons started playing and teasing each other, Archangel Gabriel suddenly walked towards them, instantly making the sons settle down.

     Gabriel looked at the Demons, and then at the Arcs. “I am angel Gabriel, and I am a messenger of God. So as you may expect, I have a message for all fourteen of you.”

     The Arcs and the Demons looked at each other and started moving close to each other so they could hear Gabriel better.

     “What? Is he going to turn rain into gold as payment because I would honestly love that,” Suho suddenly said, making Lay smack him again.

     Gabriel chuckled, and then he looked back at their fathers who were excitedly smiling too. Their expressions honestly confused the sons even more, so Gabriel finally told them what the message was about.

     “We don’t know if this is something that you all will agree upon, but it is clear that you have all have sacrificed for the greater good of humanity. We will be honored to officially make the Arcs full-fledged angels like how the Demons are now full-fledged demons, but our God the Father had a better plan.”

    “And what is that exactly?” Sunggyu and Junhyung asked in unison.

     Gabriel took a deep breath and finally revealed to them, “Arcs…Demons…as the most powerful being in the universe, God is offering you the chance to turn back into humans.”

     Everyone who was listening was shocked by the unexpected message, especially the Demons and the Angels. They could barely even say a word after what Gabriel just said.

     “H-Humans? You mean…we can…go back to normal?” Taeil asked, still in shock because he never imagined that he’ll be able to be a normal human again.

     “Yes,” Michael answered this time. “You can go back to living your lives like normal teenagers. Or to make it sound even better, you can finally rest.”

     The news was still too sudden that no one could say a single thing. But then Jiyong looked at his brothers, and then at the Arcs. “It doesn’t matter,” Jiyong suddenly said, making everyone look back at him.

    He then looked back at Gabriel and told him, “I may be the most powerful demon, but that doesn’t really matter at all. What matters is that we’re together. And whatever happens, whether we become demons, angels, humans, or even aliens…as long as we’re together, I’m fine either way.”

     The Demons and the Arcs who looked uncertain earlier finally smiled after hearing what Jiyong has to say.

     “He’s right,” Junhyung added. “We’ll be together no matter what, so father Gabriel-”

     Junhyung paused and looked at the Demon’s leader with certainty. Sunggyu nodded his head, and with great determination, he looked back at Gabriel and continued, “We humbly accept his offer.”

• END -

L U S T

-  Jang Hyunseung’s POV 

TWO YEARS LATER

I OPENED MY EYES thanks to the light that escaped from the curtains. I yawned and then stretched my arms, accidentally hitting the naked man who was sleeping right beside me. I know, you might be thinking that I’ve been sleeping around since I’m the prince of lust. But let me just correct you there. First, I’m no longer the prince of lust, and second…

     “Babe, why’d you wake up so early?” The man asked before looking at me with his cute little bedhead.

    “Sorry Junhyung, I wasn’t able to close the curtains properly last night.”

     Yes, the second one is that I never really slept around because I have been with this little fucker ever since the world began.

    “Let me just make breakfast,” I say before standing up from the bed while Junhyung went back to sleep like how he always does. I then walk towards the mirror to fix my hair. Honestly, I still get shocked whenever I look at the mirror. Because after God turned us back into humans, my hair also went back to normal. It felt so strange that I was even tempted to just color my hair red.

     I don’t really have any regrets about my decision though, and so did the rest of my brothers. In fact, turning back into a human was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. We got to finally live a normal life, and I couldn’t ask for anything else.

     But secretly though, I miss the cool powers and wings sometimes, but it’s not really a loss.

     “Do you want coffee or tea?” I then asked after brushing my hair and putting on some clothes.

     “Tea…” Junhyung lazily answered before dozing off again.

     I turned and saw the boxes scattered around the room. Junhyung and I started living together last year, and we only moved to a better apartment five days ago, but until now we both haven’t finished unpacking. Honestly, if I didn’t know any better, I’d assume that I’m the prince of sloth and not Taeil.

     “ We seriously have to start unpacking, “ I mumble to myself as I opened the door to our room, revealing Luxuria who was comfortably sleeping in front of our door even though I already bought her her own very expensive bed.

     Luxuria woke up as soon as I opened the door, and then she meowed and rubbed herself in my leg, making me smile. I kneel down and pat her head before saying, “Good morning father.”

     Luxuria meowed again, and then I finally went to the kitchen to make some tea for me and Junhyung. Soon after that, I started cooking up our breakfast, which was Junhyung’s usual: omelet with vegetables and tofu with seasoned soy sauce.

     “Perfect,” I say as I place the bowls of rice down, and just in time, Junhyung went out of our room, now with clothes and perfectly brushed hair.

     “Good morning baby,” he says as he approaches me to give me a quick kiss. “Sorry if I wasn’t able to cook. I had to finalize my senior thesis paper last night.”

     I took a seat on my usual spot while Junhyung sat on his as I answered, “Don’t worry about it. You’ve been cooking for us since we moved here. At least let me cook for once.”

     “I’m too lucky to have you,” Junhyung suddenly says before taking a sip of his tea.

     I laughed at the comment and started eating. I was waiting for Junhyung to remember something that he should be able to know since I’m his boyfriend for almost three years now, but when I realized that he wasn’t going to remember it any time soon, I took a bite of the omelet and asked him, “Do you have any plans today?”

     Junhyung, who was reading news on his phone, doesn’t even look at me as he answers, “No, not really. I don’t have my part-time job today since the shop is closed.”

     “Good, since we’ll be eating lunch with our brothers. Jiyong already chose the restaurant, as he always does anyway. Thankfully we still have time to buy gifts,” I casually tell him, hoping that he could finally take a hint.

     Junhyung continued to read the news. He then puts his cup down as he asks, “I guess that’s fine. But why do we need to buy gifts? Who’s birthday is-” 

     Junhyung stopped midsentence and dropped his mug, surprising not only me but Luxuria too. But before I could scold him for breaking another mug, he looks at me with shock and says, “Today’s June 6 isn’t it?”

     I looked at him and finally started laughing. “I can’t believe you forgot. Guess that research paper of yours really took a toll on you.”

     Junhyung immediately stood up from his seat and walked towards me, moving my chair so I could face him. He then kneeled in front of me and grabbed both of my hands. “I am so sorry. I deserve death.”

     I laughed at the remark before flicking his head with my chopstick. “You’re exaggerating. And besides, I’m not really mad. I know how busy you’ve been with our school works and your actual work. Don’t worry.”

     Junhyung pouts and suddenly leans his head on my lap. “Do you want me to give you a blowjob?”

     “You are seriously an idiot.”

     Junhyung laughs and sits up straight before leaning towards me to give me a kiss. “ Happy birthday Jang Hyunseung. I love you so much, “ he whispers to me.

    I smile and lean down so I could press my forehead on his. “ I love you too, “ I whisper back. I then push Junhyung off me and tell him, “Alright, let’s finish up so we could still have time to buy gifts.”

     Junhyung agrees and heads back to his seat. But before he could start eating, he looks at me with a serious expression and asks me, “But what are we going to buy Jiyong this year? Honestly, he looked thankful when we bought him that cactus, but I’m pretty sure he was just pretending, and that cactus is probably dead now.”

     “I will seriously hit you Yong Junhyung. And as a matter of fact, the cactus is still in Jiyong’s room,” I tell him, making him back away in defeat since he knows how serious I get when I start calling him by his full name.

     “Alright, I’ll leave the gift buying to you, but how did you finish your paper so fast? Our professor keeps on giving my paper back to me for revisions and I think I might actually just explode!”

     “Fine, I’ll help you tomorrow. Happy now?”

    “You are seriously the best!”

• END -

G L U T T O N

Lee Minhyuk’s POV

I TAKE A DEEP  breath and stare at the door in front of me. I was at HAU’s dormitory, and the room in front of me was my boyfriend’s room, Yoon Sungjae.

    Today was my birthday - as well as my brothers’ birthday - but Sungjae and I made it a tradition that we give the other a gift instead during our own birthday because it symbolizes that the greatest gift we have is each other, and so we thank each other during our own birthdays. Cheesy, I know, but I don’t care. I’m too hopelessly in love.

     I look at the rectangular box that I was holding and smile to myself. I lift my hand and got ready to knock on his dorm when a shirtless guy from the dorm next to Sungjae suddenly heads out. If I was new here, I would freak out, but I’ve been in this situation so many times now that I could just try to ignore it.

    “Good morning Minhyuk. You’re looking sharp today,” the man says, but I continue to ignore him as I fix my already perfectly wax hair, making sure that I look good before I knock on Sungjae’s door.

     “Oh, you’re going to give him a present since it’s your birthday, right? I seriously can’t understand you two,” he continues even though I wasn’t even talking to him. He then wears his shirt and approaches me with a smug look on his face, which I honestly wanted to punch. “Did you follow my suggestion last year? About the condoms?”

     “Suho! You’re seriously a piece of shit, do you know that?” I angrily ask as I look at my brother Suho who still had a grin on his face.

     “Come on now, you’re still acting like a virgin. With that body of yours, I’d flaunt it and go wild,” Suho tells me.

     I was about to seriously punch him, but then Sungjae’s door suddenly opens, instantly making me stop.

     “S-Sungjae! Good morning,” I say, trying to act calm after having an idiotic conversation with Suho who obviously enjoyed having sex with Lay all night considering the fact that he looks like he’s in cloud nine, and of course the hickeys in his exposed chest. Seriously, it’s either these two are just obsessed with each other, or Suho’s way too greedy over wanting Lay.

     “ I literally pity Lay for falling in love with a guy like you, “ I mumble to myself, but Sungjae was still able to hear it since he hit my arm after it.

     “Morning Sungjae. Hopefully, we didn’t disturb you this time,” Suho says with an innocent smile.

     “Thankfully the rooms are soundproof,” Sungjae answers with a fake smile. And before things could even get out of hand, I glare at Suho and push Sungjae back inside his room.

     “Happy birthday Minhyuk! I’ll see you two later!” Suho shouts as I finally shut the door.

     Sungjae laughs and heads to his desk so he could arrange the papers that were there. “You should be a lot nicer to your brother,” he tells me, almost making me laugh.

     I approach him and help him with his papers as I say back, “I was literally with him the other day. We played video games for hours in his house, but I found out he was just distracting me since he wasn’t finished with his final paper yet and he wanted me to be late with my paper too.”

     Instead of comforting me, Sungjae laughs.

     “So you’re not finished with your paper yet? We’re graduating soon you know.”

     “I did an allnighter and I finished it,” I casually answer as I hand him the papers.

     “Of course you did.”

     After cleaning up, Sungjae leaned on his desk and looks straight at me. “Happy birthday Lee Minhyuk.”

     I take a deep breath and look back at him. After feeling anxious all day, I finally pull out my gift and hand it to him. “Thank you, Yook Sungjae,” I answer back, and Sungjae takes the box from my hand.

     As he was getting ready to open it, I unconsciously hide my hands inside my pockets so he wouldn’t notice how I was literally shaking from nervousness. Sungjae then opened the box, and the look on his face instantly made me sigh in relief.

     “It’s a necklace,” Sungjae says as he pulls it out of the box, revealing the pendant, which was a silver angel’s wings. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”

     “It doesn’t really top the gift you gave me on your birthday last year, but I’m really glad you like it,” I honestly tell him, and the warm smile on his face made everything all worth it. This is the reason why I started getting excited on my birthday. It’s simply just to see him smile like that.

     “Can you help me wear it?” He asks as he hands it to me.

     “Of course. Turn around,” I answer before taking the necklace from his hand. Sungjae turns around, and then I stand behind him and drape the necklace on his neck before locking it in place.

     Sungjae touches the pendant, and then I lean close and kiss his neck, making Sungjae chuckle. “Thank you,” he says again.

     I take a deep breath and hug Sungjae as tightly as I could. “I love you,” I tell him before resting my chin on his shoulder.

     “I love you too. Thank you for being born, Lee Minhyuk.”

• END -

G R E E D

Kim Jun-Myeon POV 

I WAS DREAMING ABOUT  our epic battle with the king. There were ghouls and demonic creatures everywhere, and there was even a fucking dragon flying above us. I was fighting and fighting and fighting, and just when we were about to get our most awaited victory, something suddenly disrupts my dream, and that was my fucking phone that has been ringing so many times now.

     I open my eyes and angrily grab my phone to answer the call. “Steve, if you don’t have a good reason as to why you called me this early in the morning, then you better wish that you have a place to hide your sorry ass because I will seriously hunt you down and kill you.”

    “ Happy birthday boss! “ Steve suddenly shouts, making me move my phone away from my ear because of how loud it was.

    “Alright, you just pushed me in a corner here. How am I going to respond to that now?” I answer, making Steve laugh on the other line.

    While Steve started talking about wanting to plan another birthday party for me, my boyfriend - who is apparently just sleeping beside me - suddenly moves closer to me. I smile at him and drape my arm around him before giving Steve an answer, “Man, you know I’m never available during my birthday.”

     “ Oh yeah, you’re going to be hanging out with your brothers. “

     “That’s right, so just tell the boys that we can celebrate tomorrow. It’s on me,” I tell him, and I could practically hear Steve’s excitement on the other line. Honestly, I’m pretty sure that Steve already knows that I can’t do anything else on my birthday, but he’s purposely telling me this so I’d feel guilty and I’d end up treating them myself. He really is a con artist.

    “Joon? Who are you talking to?” Yixing suddenly asked, finally awake since I was speaking too loud.

     “Steve, I’ll call you later okay? My boyfriend’s awake,” I tell Steve before leaning close to Yixing so I could kiss his forehead.

    “ Got it. I’ll schedule tomorrow okay? Don’t bail on us! Enjoy your birthday! “ Steve says before hanging up.

     I place my phone back on top of the side table before looking back at Yixing who was still half asleep. “ Good morning ,“ I whisper in his ear, and Yixing moves closer to hug me tighter. He looked so hot so early in the morning that I could literally eat him up again even though we fucked for hours last night.

    “How are you feeling?” I ask him.

     Yixing scratches his eyes and answers, “I’m fine. My back still hurts though, but I’ve felt worse.” He then looks straight into my eyes and tells me, “Happy birthday.”

     I almost laughed at him because he looked like he was going to fall back to sleep any minute now, but I lean towards him and give him a quick kiss instead. “Thank you,” I tell him, and Yixing moves closer so he could rest his head on my chest.

     I caress his head and look out of the window. It was a beautiful day today, almost making me forget that the dream I had earlier wasn’t even a dream at all.

     After the war, the Archangels called for Hope, and he did his rewind powers to turn everything back to normal. After that, we were sent to this hidden chapel that was used as the Apostol’s hideout. We had a ceremony there and then all our powers were taken, and we were all transformed into humans. I don’t really know how they did it, but I had no regrets afterward.

     Every one of us spent our days with complete bliss. Humanity doesn’t know that we literally saved their lives. And even though I’m sometimes tempted to just scream to the world about every hardship we did for humankind, I look at Yixing and remind myself that the only person who needs to know about what I did was him. Who cares if no one else knows about what we did?

     Besides, I have my brothers with me too. Like what we said when father Gabriel told us about god’s message, nothing else really matters. Because what really matters is that we’re all together. It might sound cheesy, but it’s true. I don’t know what I’ll be able to do if I didn’t have those bastards.

     They’re my family.

     “Yixing, I know that last night was your birthday gift to me, but can I ask for another one? Maybe a blow job?” I jokingly asked, and Yixing - who was just sleepy a millisecond ago - became wide awake when he felt my hard dick touch him. He immediately pushed me off of him so he could sit up and look down at me with an annoyed expression.

     “I’m going to count to ten, and if your dick is still standing I’m going to chop it off and give it to Jackson’s pet snake so he could eat it,” Yixing suddenly threatens, and my morning wood instantly turns jelly.

     “You win,” I say in defeat before standing from the bed and walking towards the mirror, only to see hickeys on my chest. The sight of it made me smirk, and I almost got hard again, but I shove that thought away as I said, “You seriously enjoyed yourself last night.”

     Yixing ignores my comment and says instead. “Go home and get ready. We have lunch at 12, and mom might end up worrying about you again.”

     “Don’t worry, I already told her that I was here to receive my present,” I answer, and Yixing curses at me before grabbing my shirt and throwing it at me with full force.

     “Ouch!” I say, pretending that it hurt me, but obviously, Yixing knew that I was only pretending, so I just wore my pants and took my phone from the side table before leaning towards him to give him another kiss. “I’ll see you later okay?”

     “Okay.”

    “I’ll pick you up at 11,” I add before finally walking out of the room with my shirt still in my hand. 

     As soon as I closed the door behind me, I saw a familiar man standing in front of the other room. He was holding a long box - there’s probably a necklace inside that thing - and he looked like a complete virgin that I literally almost laughed right there.

     Seriously, how did this insanely built man be so innocent?

     “Good morning Minhyuk. You’re looking sharp today…”

• END -

S L O T H

Lee Taeil’s POV 

I ALWAYS IMAGINED MYSELF walking down the aisle after my boyfriend Jihoon proposed to me a couple of years ago. It was a dream that both of us has been waiting for, but sadly, we had to postpone it due to a couple of reasons, and one of the main reasons is…

     “This damn paper!” I shout as I slam my hands on top of my desk, almost hitting my laptop.

     I take a deep breath and close my laptop in frustration before massaging my temple. I haven’t slept for two straight days because of this damn paper. After everything I’ve done in the past, and even after successfully making a war plan that brought us to victory, my brain can’t seem to function when it comes to schoolwork.

     And that damn Lee Minhyuk, calling me late at night yesterday just to tell me he finished his. 

     “Just kill me now!” I complain before lazily standing from my seat and walking towards the mirror. I almost chuckled when I saw the eyebags in my eyes since I got reminded of the time when I was always asleep due to my Sloth nature, but I still end up looking and feeling like I haven’t slept for months.

     I rub my eyes and look back at my reflection again, but then I flinched for no reason when I thought that I saw something in the reflection even though I don’t have powers anymore. It was actually just the curtains flying around since I forgot to close the windows last night.

     Honestly, I’ve always looked back and remembered all the crazy things that we did when we were still demons. Though I experienced more heartbreaks than most of them, I still had no regrets. I have no regrets about wanting to be turned into a normal human either because becoming human means that we’ll grow old and we could all meet each other again in heaven. Which the archangels promised when we agreed to become humans.

     I think saving the world deserves us having access to heaven, right?

     “But I miss it though,” I say to myself as I walk towards my pet snail, Acedia, who was inside his own little sanctuary.

     I’d be lying if I say that I don’t miss the cool powers and the adventures. But I guess it’s something that I could just look back to as a great memory.

     “Taeil? Are you awake?” My mother suddenly called out from outside my room.

     I immediately walked towards the door and opened it, revealing my mom who was holding a cake. It actually surprised me for a second before I finally remembered something.

     “Happy birthday son!” My mother happily greets me, and the expression on my face made her realize that I literally just forgot my own birthday.

     “I can’t believe you forgot your birthday. But don’t worry, just blow the candle, come on,” my mom says as she moves closer to me.

     I smile at her and thank her before closing my eyes and making a wish. “ I wish that all my brothers will always be happy, “ I whispered underneath my breath before finally blowing the candle. But when I open my eyes, I was surprised that the one who was now holding my cake was not my mother, but Pyo Jihoon.

     “Happy birthday,” he says with a bright smile while my mother was giggling behind him.

     “W-When did you get here?” 

     “Just a couple of minutes ago,” he answers before approaching me and giving me a soft kiss on the forehead.

     My mom smiles and grabs both of us before giving us a hug. “I love you both. I’m really glad that God gave me two handsome and amazing sons.”

     “He actually gave you fourteen,” I tell her, and the three of us laugh as she finally lets go of us. She then takes the cake from Jihoon and tells us, “I made breakfast so you can eat when you’re ready. I’m heading out first okay? The other moms and I are heading to the spa, so you two be good.”

     “Okay, mom. Enjoy your day,” Jihoon answers, and mom leaves the room and closes the door.

     As soon as the door closes, Jihoon walks towards the bed and takes a seat on the edge of it before grabbing my hand and pulling me towards him so he could make me sit on his lap. “We haven’t seen each other for three days. I missed you.”

     “It was only three days,” I answer as I drape my arms around his neck.

     He stares at my face and grabs my cheeks. “You haven’t been sleeping properly again, haven’t you? Didn’t I tell you to at least get some sleep?” He then scolds me.

     I close my eyes and feel the heat from his hands before saying, “I’m sorry.”

     Jihoon doesn’t say anything and just wraps his arms around my waist before giving me a hug. “Let’s eat breakfast and then go to sleep. We’ll be eating lunch with our brothers so it’s best if you rest first, okay?”

     The two of us became silent, and then Jihoon grabs my hand that had a ring on it. It was a ring that he gave me on my last birthday, and it was also the same ring that he had on his own finger. He then lifts his hand up and gives it a gentle kiss. “ Soon, “ he whispers. “As soon as we graduate, I will definitely marry you.”

     “There’s no need to rush,” I tell him as I hug him tighter. “I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”

• END -

W R A T H

Kim Sunggyu’s POV 

I BITE MY LIP as I look down on the person below me. To be more detailed about it, I was sitting on top of him in bed while his eyes were covered with a cloth.

     The hotel room that we were in smelled like champagne and roses from last night. Since it was my birthday today, he decided to surprise me with this. Of course, I was surprised, but I was more surprised by the fact that he told me that I could do anything to him all night. Such a declaration takes a lot of courage, especially when you’re saying it to me.

     I look out of the window and saw the sun peeking out of the buildings. I can’t believe we literally had sex till morning.

     “Tired?” I ask as I looked down at Woohyun.

     Woohyun, who was sweating all over, smirked and grabbed hold of my waist. “Oh baby you know how much stamina I have left for you. You can suck me dry and I’d still have enough to fill your stomach up.”

     “You’re tempting me,” I say as I rub my dick on his, making Woohyun’s dick hard again.

    “Want me to put it back in?” I tease as I continue to rub myself on him. 

     Woohyun moans, and finally, he reaches out and removes the cloth that’s covering his eyes. He looks at me with such hungry eyes, but then he looks at the window, and the sight of the sun rising made him laugh. “We seriously did it all night. You must have been really starving,” he then says before sitting up while I continued to sit on his lap.

     I attended a leadership seminar in Hongkong, so I was gone for a week, which means I wasn’t able to see my brothers nor this idiotic angel here while I was away. Of course, I missed him, I practically only thought about him the whole time! But I’m not going to tell him that. It would make this idiot too happy, and I’m too sadistic to let that happen.

     “No, I’m just really horny,” I lie, and Woohyun leans close and kisses me before biting my lower lip.

     I lick the lip that he took a bite on and brushed my damped hair back using my finger. 

     Woohyun stares at me and leans close to kiss me again. “ You look  fucking hot right now. I seriously want to slam my cock inside of you again. “ He whispers in my ear as he starts kissing my neck and caressing my back.

     A moan escapes from my mouth as I move my hips around to feel him. Our wet bodies touch, and before I could even prepare myself, Woohyun slides himself inside of me again, almost making me moan at the top of my lungs if I wasn’t able to bite my lip shut in time.

     I clench on his shoulder, practically burying my nails on his skin as I feel him deep inside me.

     “Ride me baby, come on,” he demands, and whenever he talks to me like that, it honestly turns me on even more.

     I’ve been portrayed as this strong leader especially by my brothers, and it’s a title that I am proud to hold. But the truth is, I always needed someone to stop looking at me like I would scold them, or they had to act in a certain way to please me. I needed someone who would treat me like I wasn’t as strong as others saw me, and Woohyun became that someone.

     Of course, he was shy at first, but he was somehow the leader in our relationship. At times he would treat me like I was the most fragile thing in the world, and he’d hug me so warmly that I’d even cry. He always made me smile, and even though I don’t want to admit it so openly, I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have him.

     “ I love you, “ I whisper in his ear.

     Woohyun was trusting inside me like there was no tomorrow, but when he heard what I said, he suddenly stopped, and then out of nowhere, he came inside me.

     The two of us look at each other, and after the awkward silence, I started laughing, and Woohyun started looking embarrassed. “Did you seriously just cum inside me when I simply just said I love you?” I tease, and Woohyun pouts and leans his head on my shoulder to hide his face.

    “You just said it out of the blue Sunggyu. You rarely tell me you love me so I was shocked,” he explains, so I wrapped my arms around him and hug him tightly. 

     “I don’t usually say it enough, but I hope you understand that saying it isn’t the only way for me to let you know that I love you,” I tell him.

     “I know,” he answers before hugging me back. 

     He then looks at me before kissing my lips again. “Happy birthday my prince of wrath,” he says before finally pulling away from me. 

     “Alright, let’s rest first. We’ll be eating lunch with your brothers, and I don’t want to face them while looking like this,” Woohyun tells me as he gently lifts me off him so I could sit on the bed.

     “That sounds like a great idea.”

• END -

E N V Y

Wang Jackson’s POV 

“IS IT JUST ME or are you getting bigger?” I ask my pet snake Invidia, who also acts as my father’s surveillance camera, which is pretty weird.

    Invidia hisses, and then I smile and reach out of his tank to pet him like he was just a hamster and not a snake. After feeding him, I head out of the room and instantly smell the breakfast downstairs.

     As I got to the kitchen, I saw a very charming man wearing an apron. I smile and approach him before hugging him from the back, which surprised him a little, but when he saw me, he smiled, and it was a smile that instantly made my day.

     “Good morning,” I say, and Mark leans close and gives me a kiss.

     It’s almost a year now since Mark moved in with us. I really wanted to live together in an apartment like Hyunseung and Junhyung, but my mom insisted that we live here instead since it’s a pretty big house and all three of us could stay here. And then she talked about how she was going to give us this house when she gets older, and then went on about wanting grandchildren.

     Thankfully Mark agreed even though he was shy about it at first. And even though my mom is known to be a little extra, she really treated Mark as a part of the family, which is why I can’t be thankful enough to her. She’s really the best.

     “You’re up early. I’m still not done cooking,” he says, and I pull away and stand beside him.

     “Do you want me to help?” I ask while Mark continued to chop onions.

     Without looking at me, he answered, “I’d love to, but do you remember last time? Our soup ended up being way too spicy, and mom had to be sent to the hospital.”

     I awkwardly laugh at the remark and pretend like that unfortunate event never happened as I take a seat so I wouldn’t be able to disturb him. “Speaking of mom, where is she? Please don’t tell me she’s planning something crazy again like last year.”

     Mark laughs, probably remembering the time she paid for a kpop group and they literally performed in our backyard. It was so wild! Even our neighbors were there and I barely even knew them.

     “No, she told me she didn’t plan anything today since she knows that we have plans on our own, so she planned to meet up with the other moms instead. If I remember correctly she said that they were going to a spa and then go shopping after,” Mark answers, almost making me sigh in relief.

     “That’s good to hear,” I answer, and Mark starts placing the food he cooked on the table.

     “By the way, how’s your paper going? You stayed up all night for it,” Mark asks before giving me a cup of hot coffee and taking a seat on his own.

     I thank him for the food and take a sip of the coffee before answering, “It’s fine, but I’m still working on the results that I gathered. I tried calling Sunggyu for help last night since we have similar papers and I wanted to see how he interpreted his results, but he wasn’t answering his phone.”

     “He just came back from Hongkong right?” Mark asks, and I nod his head as an answer.

     “Then he’s probably with Woohyun. Sunggyu might not admit it, but he’s grown obsessed with him. Actually, he’s more on the possessive side,” Mark says before taking a sip of the soup he made.

     “I’m possessive with you too though,” I then tell him, and Mark snorted.

     Seriously, even though we’re not engaged like Taeil and Jihoon, we act like a married couple. Sometimes I even fart so loud the neighbors might as well be able to hear it, but Mark doesn’t even bats an eye. He’s that comfortable with me.

     “Mark…” I call out.

     Mark was busy eating, so he doesn’t even look up at me as he asks, “What is it?”

     I stare at him for a while, and every memory that I made with him suddenly flashed right in front of me. I can’t even explain how happy this man makes me feel. 

     “When we graduate,” I say, “Let’s get married.”

     As soon as I said that, Mark suddenly choked on his food like I just said the most shocking thing in the world. 

     I immediately grabbed a tissue and hand it over to him, and then Mark cleaned his mouth and looked back at me with his eyes wide open. “I-I’m sorry…did I just hear you wrong? Did you just say-”

     “Married. Let’s get married,” I tell him again, and Mark looked like he completely lost it.

     “Well of course not immediately. We have to plan it too, and then I have to ask my mom about it as well. I also have to look for a job first so I could-” As I was trying to explain myself, Mark suddenly grows quiet, and then to my surprise, tears were now pouring out of his eyes.

     “M-Mark? What’s wrong?”

     Mark takes the tissue that I gave him and starts wiping his tears. “I can’t believe you just said that so casually. Of course I want to get married, but we never really opened up about that topic so I was afraid that you didn’t want to marry me at all.”

     “What do you mean I didn’t want to marry you? I never opened up about it because I thought that it was already obvious since I already talked about kids and all that,” I explain, and Mark throws me the tissue and starts crying again.

     I take a deep breath and approach him. I then pull him out of his seat and hug him tightly. “I’m sorry if I never really opened up about it. And I’m sorry if I scared you.”

     Mark continued to cry, so I hugged him even tighter, and thankfully he hugged me back.

     “You really have your ways of saying important things like this so casually,” Mark says, and I look back at him again and give him a kiss on his forehead, and then his nose, and finally his lips. After the kiss, Mark finally stopped laughing, and then I lift my hand to wipe his tears.

     “Are you okay now Mr. Mark Tuan Yi-En?” 

     “I hate you,” he says, and I laugh and gently kiss his head before hugging him again.

     “You wish…”

• END -

P R I D E

Kwon Jiyong’s POV 

IN NORMAL DAYS I wouldn’t really be bothered whenever my pet parrot Superbia starts waking me up early in the morning, but if it’s a person and not a parrot, then my morning will automatically be ruined.

     “Master Jiyong,” a voice calls out while he continues to knock on my door like a complete maniac.

     I slowly open my eyes, and I instantly get welcomed by the chandelier in the ceiling of my expensive bedroom. I take a deep breath and then look at the window, only to see the cactus that Hyunseung gave me last year. I wanted to enjoy the moment, but then the banging continues, and I finally sit up and shout, “What the hell do you want?!”

     There was silence for a second, but then the door finally opens, revealing my personal assistant named Choi Seunghyun.

     His expression is as blank as it always was. He was wearing a suit that the other employees in our company wear, and as soon as he sees me, he fixes his tie and walks to me. He doesn’t say anything, but then he leans towards me and fixes my robe for me, hiding my exposed shoulder from his view.

     “I don’t pay you to do that,” I tell him with an annoyed expression.

     Seunghyun doesn’t falter. He ignores what I say as he reaches out and tucks my hair at the back of my ear this time. “You don’t pay me. Your father does.”

     “But I get to say if you keep this job or not,” I threaten him, but he still doesn’t look fazed.

     “Looks like I’m safe then because there’s no way in hell you’re going to fire me,” he confidently says, and I clench my fist in complete anger.

     “Leave,” I command him, but Seunghyun doesn’t even move. His stubbornness almost made me throw a pillow at him, but I didn’t want to look so childish, especially in front of him.

     It was after the war with the king. We became human and went back to our normal lives, but a month after that, Seunghyun went to me and told me that he wanted to work under me. I asked him the reason why, and he told me that he just didn’t have anything else to do, and working with me looked like fun. Of course, I said no to him about a dozen times, but he was persistent, and I ended up saying yes.

     So I fired my old assistant and hired him. And ever since then, he’s been my assistant.

     He’s only been my assistant.

     “What do you want,” I finally ask him before standing from the bed and wearing my robe properly.

     Seunghyun continues to look at me and answers, “I was able to reserve a private room at the restaurant that you wanted, and I was also able to inform our brothers about it. Do you want me to do anything else?”

     I take a deep breath and walk towards one of my cabinets to look for something decent to wear for later since there’s literally an hour left before we head to the restaurant. “No, you can leave,” I say, but Seunghyun still doesn’t budge.

     “Leave,” I tell him with a stronger tone this time, but he still wouldn’t move, so I decided to tease him as I remove my robe and strip right in front of him. I glance over my shoulder to see his reaction. I was expecting him to have the same blank expression on his face, but to my surprise, he was looking at me so intensely, so I ended up fooling myself as I grab whatever clothes that I could wear so he wouldn’t look at me anymore.

     “ You always do that, “ I whisper to myself before looking back at him.

     The two of us stare at each other. And before I could even say anything, he suddenly takes a step forward and starts walking towards me. My body freezes as he continues to approach me. And when he finally stopped just a few inches away from where I’m standing, he fixes my hair again and says, “I miss your pink hair.”

     I gulp and stare at him while he continued to look at me with the same intensity.

     “I fucking hate you,” I tell him. And like always, I lost again as I grabbed his tie and pull him towards me so I could kiss him.

     Seunghyun doesn’t even flinch as he immediately grabs my waist so hard before slamming my body back on the cabinet behind me. He holds me so tight while his tongue explored the inside of my mouth. His hunger influenced me, and I ended up wanting more.

     His hand touches my back, and then it snakes lower. He grabs me by the thighs and lifts my leg up before pressing his body against me, making me feel his hard cock on mine.

     “ Harder, “ I whisper, and Seunghyun started kissing and biting my neck.

     As soon as we pull apart from each other, the two of us start panting as if we have just run a marathon. I wanted to push him off me, but I couldn’t. I wanted him like how I wanted him 2 years ago. Like how I wanted him when we were lying on the floor, looking up at the sky in complete silence.

      I thought after the war, I wouldn’t feel lonely. I knew that I had my brothers, but something just felt empty. And when I was looking at the sky and his face appeared, I instantly knew what I was missing.

     But this angel never did anything. We’d kiss, and sometimes even fucked, but he never said a word. I never knew what he wanted. I never knew if he wanted me like how I wanted him. I never said anything either because my pride got the best of me, but the longer he treats me like this, the more I just-

     “Jiyong?” Seunghyun suddenly calls out, and I blink and realize that tears were suddenly falling from my eyes. And it wasn’t even clear tears, but blood. I realized this when I cried about a year ago too. My tears were still blood even though I was already a human, and Kharon told me that it was because I had the most demon blood in me, and there will be parts of me that will never turn back to normal.

     But this trait always pissed me off more. Because blood tears always indicated pain, and Seunghyun always knew whenever I was in pain because of it.

     “You’re crying again,” he calmly says as he pulls out his white handkerchief. He uses it to wipe my tears, and it instantly gets stained with blood.

     “I hate you,” I say again as I finally push him off me.

     I walk away from him, my back facing him so he wouldn’t be able to see my face. “I can’t do this anymore. Leave…you’re fired,” I say as I wipe the remaining tears with my own hand.

     I was expecting Seunghyun to walk away like how he always does. I cry, I fire him, he leaves me alone, and then he comes back as if nothing happened, and yet I let him stay. It was always like this, and both of us still don’t say anything. But today was different. Because before I could even react, Seunghyun was now standing behind me, wrapping his arms around me like he didn’t want to let me go.

    “I can’t do this anymore either,” he says, hugging me even tighter.

     The room was silent, but then the silence finally breaks when Seunghyun leaned in my ear and whispered, “ I love you. “

      My whole world stopped, and tears started pouring out of my eyes again, but this time, it wasn’t blood but clear tears.

     “ Do you still hate me? “ He continues to whisper, and I immediately remove his hands around me. I turn to look back at him, and then I grabbed him and hugged him this time.

     Seunghyun doesn’t respond to it for a while, but then he wraps his arms around me again as I tell him, “I’ve been waiting for you to tell me those words. Do you know that? I waited for so long.”

     “I’m sorry,” he tells me. “I wanted to tell you that I liked you the same day I asked you to hire me, but I was afraid you didn’t feel the same way. Or maybe I was just more prideful than you are. When we started this secret relationship together, I still kept quiet about it because I didn’t want it to end. I always came back because I wanted to be with you. I thought you really hated me.”

     “Why on earth would I hate the person who literally saved my life?” I ask him, and Seunghyun finally smiled, and that smile instantly filled up the emptiness in my heart.

     “Am I still fired?” Seunghyun now teases.

     “Yes,” I answer him. “Because starting today you’ll no longer be working for me. But being my lover is a lot harder than working as my assistant. Are you up for it Mr.Choi Seunghyun?”

     Seunghyun stares back at my eyes and wipes the tears in my cheeks again. He then leans close and kisses my forehead before giving me his answer. “Don’t worry Mr. Kwon Jiyong, being mine is way harder. So are you up for it?” He asks.

    I smile and hug him again. “Don’t even try me.”

• END -

SDS3 50: US

“ARE MY BROTHERS ALREADY there?” Jiyong asked before looking at the man who was driving beside him, Choi Seunghyun, also known as the Redeemer of the Arcs.

     “I called the restaurant earlier and they said that Taeil, Jihoon, Jackson, and Mark are already waiting at the private room,” Seunghyun answered while his eyes were focused on the road.

     Jiyong took a deep breath and pulled out his phone. He then saw a text message from Hyunseung, saying that he was going to be late since he and Junhyung were still buying gifts for everyone. The moment he read the message, Jiyong’s expression instantly becomes sour, making Seunghyun notice it.

     “What happened? Is everything alright?” Seunghyun asked, still not looking back at Jiyong.

     Jiyong took a deep breath and hid his phone. “No, it’s nothing. Hyunseung just sent me a message that he and Junhyung will be late.”

     When the stoplight turned red, Seunghyun removed his eyes on the road and looked at his ex-boss and now boyfriend. “Do you still like him?”

     Jiyong almost laughed when he heard the question, but he shook his head and seriously answered, “Of course not. He’s my brother that I love with all my heart, and I’m happy that he’s happy beside your stupid leader. Besides, you’re already with me so it’s fine.”

     Seunghyun doesn’t say anything, but then he leans towards Jiyong and gives him a quick kiss. The kiss surprised Jiyong, but before he could even react, the light turns green, and Seunghyun looked back at the road and started driving.

     “You’re being bold now.”

     “It’s because you’re being honest now.”

    Jiyong smirked and leaned towards his lover to give him a quick kiss on the lips. “After this, I am seriously going to suck you dry.”

     “I’d be honored.”

     The two eventually arrive at the five-star restaurant that Jiyong chose himself. Seunghyun parks the car in front of the restaurant and immediately heads out of the car to open the door for his lover.

     Jiyong chuckles and steps out of the car before saying, “I told you, you don’t work for me anymore.”

     “Don’t worry. It’s boyfriend duties now,” Seunghyun says with a blank expression. And before Jiyong could even say anything, a man that just came out of the sport’s car behind them suddenly laughs and says, “Did I just hear it right? Did he just say…boyfriend?”

     Seunghyun and Jiyong look behind them and saw Suho with Lay standing beside him. Jiyong doesn’t answer his question, but he smiles and grabs him for a hug.

     “It’s good to see you Suho,” Jiyong says before hugging Lay next.

     Suho then looks in Seunghyun’s direction and tells him, “Looks like Jiyong can finally stop complaining about how he’s the richest man in the world and he still couldn’t have the only thing that he wants, which was you if you didn’t get it.”

     “I did not fucking say that!” Jiyong immediately defends, but Seunghyun draped his arms around his lover and answers Suho, “Don’t worry, he already had me before he even knew it.”

     “Oh my god, I can’t believe you just said that,” Lay says with a disgusted look on his face, and Seunghyun laughed and patted his head as the two finally walk inside the restaurant.

      The receptionist welcomed them, and the four of them were brought to the private room that Seunghyun reserved. Waiting inside was Taeil, Jihoon, Jackson, and Mark, who were all busy talking about their senior paper.

     “What’s up fuckers!?” Jiyong shouted as soon as they got inside.

     “Looks like G Dragon is in the house,” Jackson said as he and the others stood up so they could give each other a hug.

     Taeil then approached Jiyong and angrily looked back at him when he saw the bright smile on his face. “How can you look so happy while the rest of us look like shit thanks to our papers?”

     After giving Jackson a tight hug, Suho pointed at Seunghyun and answered Taeil’s question for him. “How will he not look happy when he and Seunghyun here finally hit it off after all those agonizing years.”

     “What?!” Mark and Jihoon practically shouted from shock, while Taeil and Jackson looked like they already expected it.

     “Well I’m not really surprised but it’s about damn time, so congrats you two,” Taeil says to Jiyong. And then he looked at Seunghyun and patted his back like he was comforting him. “And good luck to you. You’re gonna need it.”

     “What the hell does that mean you four eyes?!”

     “Four eyes?!”

     While they were bickering with each other, Sunggyu finally arrived with his lover, Woohyun. The two of them were holding bags that contained gifts for all of his brothers.

     “Are you guys seriously fighting again?” Sunggyu asked.

     Everyone looked at the entrance and saw the two lovers. The first one to run towards him was Taeil, who Sunggyu thought was going to hug him, but instead, he snatched the gifts from his hand to check them. “Yay! Gifts!”

     “Let me guess, Taeil didn’t buy gifts again,” Woohyun stated, and before Jihoon could even answer for him, Jiyong went in between them and answered, “Why are we still surprised about that? He didn’t even buy me flowers when I died.”

     “Alright, let’s not go there you demon,” Taeil says, pulling Jiyong away and messing his hair like they were kids.

     While the two were bickering with each other again, Jihoon went to Sunggyu and reached out his hand to shake it. “How’s Hongkong?”

     Sunggyu laughed as he stared at Jihoon’s hand. “What are we, business partners? Come here,” he then says before grabbing Jihoon for a hug. “And it was fun and educational. I actually bought the gift there, and don’t worry, all of you guys have one.”

    “Thanks, Sunggyu.”

     As everyone settled down, the rest of them finally arrived as well, which were Junhyung, Hyunseung, Minhyuk, and Sungjae.

     “Damn, I miss the noise,” Hyunseung says as soon as he arrived.

     “JS!” Suho shouts, running towards his brother and hugging him tightly. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you. You don’t play with me anymore.”

     Junhyung, who was standing beside them, was about to pull them apart, but Minhyuk suddenly went to them and aggressively pulled Suho away before hitting his head. “How could you smile like that after doing something so evil!”

     Everyone looked at the two in confusion, so Minhyuk pointed at Suho angrily and said, “The four of us literally went out of the dorms together. I asked if we could ride with them, but this fucker just gave me money and told me to get a cab!” Minhyuk angrily explained, only making his brothers laugh.

     “Sorry Minhyuk,” Lay said with a guilty look on his face.

     “Well, you’re lucky he even gave you money. The last time we went out clubbing together and that fucker just left me in thin air. He just sent me a text and told me he already left,” Tael explained, making them laugh again while Lay grabbed his bag to hit Suho with it.

     “Alright, before we hurt each other, let’s all settle down and take a seat,” Junhyung suggested, and everyone finally took their seats, which was pretty weird for them since they unconsciously sat on the place that they usually sat on when they were still at the holy home.

     Sunggyu looked at everyone and gave out a small smile. “Wow, I gotta admit, I miss living with everyone. After we became humans, the holy home just disappeared and everything just felt like a dream.”

     “Yeah, and our guardian Dongmin disappeared with it and just left us money. It was pretty sad,” Mark honestly added.

     “I can’t believe it’s been two years since the time we defeated the king,” Hyunseung then stated. “We went through so much that there are times where I think to myself that maybe everything really was just a dream just like what Sunggyu said. But honestly, I don’t know what I’d become now if all those things didn’t happen.”

     “We wouldn’t have met each other if that was the case,” Jiyong then said, and Jackson suddenly cleared his throat and added, “Yeah, especially Seunghyun here.”

    The others were confused for a second, but then their eyes widened when they finally understood what Jackson meant.

     “Holy shit they finally hooked up,” Junhyung said with a shocked expression on his face.

     Everyone at the table started talking, some congratulating them while some - including Junhyung and Minhyuk - started convincing Seunghyun that he’s making the worst decision of his life.

     But while everyone was talking, Taeil suddenly asked, “So you guys already fucked then?”

     The table instantly became quiet, and at that moment, Jiyong’s face suddenly turned red, and everyone practically went wild.

     “Wait, who’s the top?” Woohyun asked, embarrassing Jiyong even more, which was pretty amusing since Jiyong wasn’t really the shy type, so they were just teasing him at this point.

     “Oh come on, isn’t it already obvious? Seunghyun’s the top. It’s his nickname after all. Right TOP?” Suho asked Seunghyun with a smirk, and Jiyong literally threw a bread knife in Suho’s direction.

Suho thankfully dodges it, and then he looked at everyone on the table and asked, “Wait a damn minute. I’m pretty sure most of us here got their cherries popped last night as their birthday present. So who is it? Don’t be shy.”

     Lay practically face palmed himself, while Jackson grinned and pointed at Sunggyu and Woohyun. “I’m betting a thousand bucks that these two went crazy last night considering how Sunggyu was gone for a week.”

    Everyone looked at Sunggyu and Woohyun to confirm it, but instead of feeling shy like Jiyong, Sunggyu smirked and crossed his arms before answering, “I’m actually so full that I almost canceled my lunch with you guys.”

     “Whoa!” The son practically shouted.

     “That’s my brother right there!” Suho cheered.

     “You guys are lucky,” Taeil then complained. “I was too busy with my paper.”

     “Same here,” Minhyuk and Jackson answered together.

     Everyone then looked at Hyunseung and Junhyung since the two are known to be sex addicts, but to their surprise, Hyunseung raised his hand as if he surrendered. “Nope, I was as fresh as a virgin last night. Junhyung was too busy with his paper, and he practically forgot about my birthday.”

     “Seriously Junhyung? Why am I even surprised,” Sunggyu commented, and Junhyung immediately defended himself.

     Everyone started talking about normal stuff again, which was something that they didn’t know that they’d be able to talk about again when they were still angels and demons. They talked about graduation, their jobs, and even Taeil’s marriage with Jihoon, which was followed by Jackson’s marriage announcement with Mark.

      They celebrated their birthday like there was no tomorrow until the food arrived. And after their expensive lunch - which was sponsored by Jiyong - wine was brought in, and they started having casual drinks which were partnered with a really good conversation about their past.

     “And then they got naked at the pool,” Jiyong shared, talking about the time all seven of them went on their first trip together at a hotel that Jiyong’s father rented for them.

     “How about the time we went to Ophanim? Those were the best days of my life,” Minhyuk stated, but then Lay looked at him and asked, “What are we talking about here? When we went to Ophanim to take a break before the war, or when you and Sungjae went to Ophanim and had your first kiss.”

     The boys started teasing the two innocent lovers, but Minhyuk confidently answers, “Both actually.”

    Everyone at the table laughed as Sungjae completely turned red. But as they were talking, someone suddenly opened the door, making everyone stop talking.

     They were expecting it to be a waiter, but to their surprise, it was actually their guardian, Kharon and Dongmin.

     “Kharon?!”

     “Dongmin?!”

     The fourteen of them all shouted together.

     The two guardians looked at each other before smiling back at the sons.

     “Happy birthday kids,” Kharon greeted.

    Sunggyu was about to ask what they were doing there, but then they notice the familiar boxes that they were holding.

     “W-Why do guys have that?” Taeil asked with furrowed brows.

     “Well, as much as we want to celebrate, we actually have something important to ask of you,” Dongmin answered as he opened the box that he was holding, revealing seven bright silver rings. The sight of the rings alone left the sons speechless.

     “What’s going on? Why do you have our rings?” Junhyung asked, slowly standing up from his seat.

    Kharon took a step forward and looked at the men in front of him. “We actually have a problem in hell. It’s about a troublesome demon who accidentally released the locks of the king’s thirteen soldiers. It’s a pretty hard task but…” Kharon paused and opened the box that he’s holding as well.

     The Demons’ mouths opened wide when they saw their own rings in it.

     “We kinda need the prince of hell and heaven’s assistance, if that’s alright with all of you,” Kharon finished, and the room was completely silent.

     Sunggyu slowly stood up from his seat, and then he and Junhyung looked at each other. The two leaders didn’t even have to say anything or ask their other brothers because the excited smiles on their faces already answered it for them.

     “We’re in,” both leaders answered in unison.

     And just like that, another chapter of their story begins.

• FIN -

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It has finally ended. You guys don’t know how emotional I feel about this right now because this story has been so important to me. This was the first bxb story that I ever wrote, and this is a story that I wrote with other authors back in 2014. I have given up on this book a couple of times, but after 7 years, I finally finished it.

Writing the last parts of this book seriously made me cry because I felt like I was now saying goodbye to the characters that I’ve been in love with for such a long time. 

I would never forget when we first started this book. It was a bit crazy because I was in church, and then I had this thought in my head that said “ Why don’t I write about the prince of lust? “ Yes, it was only supposed to be focused on Lust, but then my other co-author suggested we try all the deadly sins instead, thus the birth of the story.

Anyway, enough about that. I just really just want to say thank you to all of you guys. You all are the reason why I wanted to finish this, so thank you so so much.

Thank you for giving the book a chance, for waiting for my super slow updates, and for finishing it till the end. You guys mean the world to me.

I also want to give a special thank you to those who were with me ( us ) when we first started this book back in 2014. I read comments that some have kids now, and some even got married, and I don’t know how much I could thank you all enough for waiting for all those years. If I could just meet you and thank you all in person, I would do it in a heartbeat.

Thank you as well to my commenters, and even my silent readers. I appreciate you guys all the same.

Of course to my siblings who were my first readers, and even my parents who supported me with my writing journey even though sometimes they get confused by what I really write since I don’t tell them much about it.

To my co-author. Thank you for giving me the chance to continue the book. I hope you enjoy the ending that I made. Don’t worry, I made sure it’s still the same as the time we envisioned it before.

And of course, to those who just finished this when it was completed. Thank you as well!

I can’t believe that I’m about to say this, and I honestly feel like my chest is going to explode, but this is my official goodbye to SEVEN DEADLY SONS!  This was a crazy journey, and I am glad to have been with you till the very end.

It was an honor to write for all of you.

Until next time!

∙ May 27, 2014 - July 12, 2021 ∙