Chapter Text
Rumi sighs leaning back against Jinu’s chest, breathing in the fresh air as she looks up to the warm sky. Soft clouds slowly move across the sky as she smiles taking in the orange and pink sunset, the golden sun shining on her skin, making her feel warm, even as it moves into night.
They were at the hunters house outside of Seoul, the whole group relaxing after a hectic week of performing, doing interviews, and fulfilling their idols duties.
Rumi looks over as she watches Zoey and Mystery by the creek, looking for colorful stones, Mystery holds out a shiny blue stone that he found to Zoey, whose face brightens taking the stone that he was offering with a huge smile.
Abby, Mira, and Romance using the old archery set up, Abby fires a shoot but only hits the outer ring, Romance laughs loudly, pointing at him as Abby scowls at him. Mira chuckles before lining up her shot, hitting the center of the target easily. Mira turns around with a smile as Abby lifts Romance up, spinning him around who hasn’t stopped laughing.
Baby and Min-ho sit by the fountain, Baby waving his hands as he tells a story, Min-ho nodding along, a smile on his face as he continues sketching in his sketchbook, looking up and down, as Rumi sees the loose outline of Baby on the paper.
Rumi smiles, her heart feeling so full as she watches her family all around her, there was no where else she would rather be than right here.
“What are you thinking about, love?” Jinu asks, Rumi tilts her head up, looking up at him, taking in his features, the soft smile on his face, the gentle breeze brushing through his hair.
“Just happy,” She says, Jinu nods, leaning down, pressing a soft kiss on her forehead, Rumi sighs happily, before she hears Abby’s voice across the yard.
“Jinu! Rumi! Come on, the sweet potatoes are ready,” Abby waves them over, Rumi begins to stand up, ignoring Jinu as he groans, muttering about wanting to stay longer, she can’t help but laugh softly kissing his cheek.
Holding hands, they make their way over to the campfire, watching as Mira and Min-ho carefully pull out the sweet potatoes that were roasting on the coals of the fire. Sitting next to Mystery, Zoey on the other side, Rumi shivers, feeling a blanket being placed over her as she smiles at Jinu in thanks.
“Would you rather be chased by one giant chicken or twenty normal sized chickens?” Zoey asks the group as Mystery unwraps hers and his sweet potatoes.
“Hm, twenty normal sized chickens, because I’m faster,” Baby answers, Romance looks at him confused.
“You could probably outrun the giant chicken faster because it would be easier to hide from it once you go around a corner,” Romance argues, Baby looks at him with narrowed eyes before shaking his head.
“Can it be twenty tiny chickens?” Min-ho asks, as Baby and Romance argue in the background on who would be faster.
“That makes no sense, you can’t even outrun our fans!” Baby yells to Romance who sputters pointing his finger at him.
“Twenty normal chickens, they would run out of stamina before me,” Mira says, taking a bite of her sweet potato, ignoring the two arguing. Rumi laughs as the group answers the question. It was never a dull moment with all of them, the whole group talked over each other.
“I don’t have to outrun our fans because I like talking to them,” Romance yells back, Min-ho holding Baby back from climbing over Abby and Mira to fight Romance as they yell at each other.
“I would fight the giant chicken and win,” Abby says, causing the group to pause, everyone watching him before they all begin laughing. They finish their sweet potatoes, no silence filling in between them as they all talk to each other.
Never did Rumi think that this was how her life was going to be, but she wouldn’t change it for anything, reaching her hand into her pocket without thinking about it, she rubs the totem, feeling the smooth stone against her thumb.
The touch calmed her down, she still had so many questions, but being here with them, Rumi didn’t have to worry about it all of the time, she could lean on them, they would always be there for her.
“You’ve been doing that a lot,” Mystery says, startling Rumi out of her thoughts, her eyes snap over to him, seeing him looking at her hand in her pocket. Giving him a sheepish smile, Rumi pulls her hand out of her pocket, hearing Jinu telling Abby and Baby that he would bake for them tomorrow since they wanted more treats, both of them groaning.
“Just, thinking a lot,” Rumi answers, Mystery watches for a moment, before nodding, he’s always been the most observant one of them all.
“You don’t have to worry about it Rumi, we’ll figure it out, together,” Mystery says, Rumi smiles, nodding and knocking shoulders with him gently.
“Thanks Sung-ki, I know we will,” Mystery seems to accept her answer, returning the shoulder nudge with his own.
The group all headed over to the tree, they were planning on heading back to the penthouse, sometimes the fresh air out here was refreshing, and just the break that all of them needed before they continued with their busy schedules.
Rumi looks up at the tree that she grew up with, all of her memories flowing through her mind, hearing Mira and Zoey coming over to her.
“We have the big showcase soon, we’ll have to begin practicing like crazy tomorrow,” Zoey says, Rumi glances over to her as both of them stand on either side of her.
“I am going to run you guys to the ground,” Mira deadpans, but both Rumi and Zoey laugh, Rumi bumping hips with Mira as she finally breaks, a smile forming on her face. Rumi loved being Huntrix, performing for their fans, seeing the Honmoon shine gold everyday was one of her favorite sights. Knowing she got to do it with her girls made her emotional.
“We know, you’re a real drill sergeant,” Rumi jokes, the other girls laughing with her, out of the corner of her eye, she can see Min-ho on the phone talking to his manager Tae, probably details for his next art show that he was working on.
To her left, Rumi sees the boys putting out the fire, Baby pouting as Abby pours another pitcher onto the fire. Romance patting Baby’s head as Mystery brings over more water for Abby. Rumi shakes her head at their antics, they were always full of life now that everything had settled down.
Rumi looks to her right, seeing Jinu at the shed, putting away the other logs that they didn’t use, Jinu makes eye contact with Rumi, she feels her heart speed up as she sees him smile seeing her.
They both begin walking to each other, she always felt as though there was a magnet to wherever he was, the pull inside of her wanting to be close to him.
But then the ground shakes, and Rumi gasps, seeing ripples through the Honmoon, fear building inside of her as a patch of the Honmoon shatters, golden shards flying through the air. She sees Jinu looking at her shocked, just a few steps away.
A gash in the Honmoon, and a giant hand emerges out of the ground, dark purple, black smoke surrounding it as it moves across the grass. Instinct pulls Rumi as she summons her sword, seeing the hand move toward both Jinu and her.
“Jinu!” Rumi calls out running toward him, Jinu turns around, frozen from the sight in shock, Rumi can hear Zoey and Mira yelling, the sounds of their weapons forming as they rush toward the hand. The boys voices calling out from behind them. The world shook, as if the Honmoon was trying to repair itself, but unable to.
What was this?
How could the Honmoon break ?
This couldn’t be happening, Rumi reaches Jinu just as the hand almost reaches them, but then she suddenly feels something knock into both of them, seeing a flash of orange hair.
“Min-ho!” Mira yells out, she slashes her gok-do through the air, aiming for the hand, Zoey throwing her knives at it, but it doesn’t stop. The ground cracks underneath her feet, making it difficult for her to balance, falling over hard.
The hand sweeps forward, knocking both Mira and Zoey off their feet. Rumi’s eyes widens seeing the boys rushing forward to help, Abby leading the charge.
“No, Byun-chul, stop!” Rumi calls out, trying to stand up fast enough, she has to do something. She couldn’t let something happen to her family.
The hand swats the boys shoving them to the ground, Romance falls first, Mystery follows him as he tries to stop his fall. Baby stumbles as Abby gets hit by the hand first.
“No!” Jinu calls out as he stands, running toward the hand and the boys, pulling out his dagger, Jinu jumps, slashing the hand hard. Falling forward, the fingers and palm pins down the boys, Rumi watches in horror as the ground cracks, the hand pushing into the ground, taking the boys down with it.
They were gone.
“What… just happened?” Zoey asks, the aftermath of what just happened thundered in Rumi’s mind, one minute everything was perfect, then they were ripped apart.
“The Honmoon broke, it was supposed to be impenetrable," Rumi says quietly to herself, looking down at her hands, she shakes as her mind races. Suddenly, she feels arms wrap around her, everything seems to be frozen but she can feel the familiar weight of Jinu’s arms around her as she tries to catch her breath.
“It’s okay, we’ll get them back,” Jinu whispers into her ear, Rumi shakes in his hold, pulling away for a moment and taking in the sight. The ground ripped up, Min-ho having moved over to Mira, who’s staring at the ground angrily, her expression tight, gripping her gok-do tightly.
Min-ho looks devastated, they had explained everything to him, he had told the guys that he didn’t care about them being demons, Rumi knows he’s staying close to Mira because they need each other. Zoey leaning down as she hesitantly reaches out, touching the ground where the guys were dragged under, her hand trembling, Rumi shakes her head, they couldn’t waste any time.
“We have to get them back,” Rumi says, she won’t let Gwi-ma take her family, fear strikes through her as she thinks about what would happen to them.
“How are we supposed to get to them? The Honmoon is still golden,” Zoey speaks, her voice light, Rumi can hear the sadness in it, as she looks up at Rumi. The Honmoon had sealed back over once the hand pushed the boys down.
“There has to be a way to get down to the demon realm,” Min-ho says, his hand reaching up to rest on Mira’s shoulder, who shrugs it off immediately, Mira looks at Rumi. Her eyes, full of fire, Rumi nods to her, they wouldn’t stop until they found a way down there, to get them back.
“There is a way,” Celine’s voice breaks through the tense atmosphere, all of them turn to look at Celine. Standing in front of the hunters house, her eyes taking in the scene, the ground ripped up, before she looks at Rumi.
“Celine, Gwi-ma, he broke through the Honmoon, how-” Rumi feels the words catch in her throat, Celine nods, she heads closer to the group.
“I don’t know how Gwi-ma managed to break through the Honmoon, but it is clear he was after something,” Celine says, Rumi sees Jinu look down at the ground, his fists clenched at his sides.
“He was after me, I tricked him, he must have wanted to get back at me,” Jinu says, Rumi steps closer to him, sliding her hand into his as his eyes squeeze closed.
“It’s not your fault Jinu,” Zoey’s voice is soft, Mira scoffs before looking at Celine.
“There’s no point in waiting around and blaming ourselves, you said there was a way, how do we get to them?” Mira says, her voice having the smallest waver at the end of the sentence, Rumi feels her heart ache, she was right, they had to do something.
Celine stands still for a moment, a far off look in her eyes before she walks forward, “Aunt Bo-ram sat me down one day, she told me that there was something that only the leader of the hunters should know, the knowledge passed down when the previous hunter leader was to pass off the mantle to them, something that should never be used unless completely necessary.”
Rumi watches Celine carefully, as she stands in front of the large tree in the center of the property, Rumi can feel confusion spread through her, before Celine turns back to them, gesturing for her, Zoey and Mira to come forward.
“There is one way to enter the demon realm, even after the Honmoon turns gold,” Celine begins, reaching forward and tracing a symbol onto the bark, three indents form on the trunk of the tree. Rumi gasps as she sees the outline of their weapons in the empty slots. Celine turns back to them, looking at the group.
“You must place your weapons here, and a way to the demon realm will appear, however, you will not be able to summon your weapons when we are down there, the connection between you and the Honmoon will not exist, you must bring your own weapons,” Celine explains, walking over the shed, pulling out her own sickles, before pulling out three other weapons, steel versions of their sword, gok-do, and knives.
Rumi can’t remember the last time she wasn’t connected to her weapon, or the Honmoon, but she would do it, for the guys, they had to get them back.
“When we are down there?” Mira asks, looking at Celine curiously but easily accepting the normal gok-do, swinging it for a moment as if to test it.
“While I have never been down there, I have read many scripts from the previous hunters about the realm,” Celine answers Mira, before looking at Rumi, “And I wish to help return your family back to you, anything I can do to help.”
Rumi stares at Celine, she hasn’t fully forgotten everything that’s happened, but Celine had been trying, reaching out to see how Rumi was, meeting up occasionally, and the few times that they would come out here the hunters house together.
“Okay, let’s do it, we have to get them back,” Rumi says, summoning her sword, walking forward and placing it into the trunk of the tree, a wave of blue waves spread out after it’s in it’s place.
Mira silently moves forward, putting her gok-do in, her hand trailing the tree for a moment as Zoey places her knives in as well. For a moment, nothing happens, before the lights flash, the trunk of the tree swirling with patterns, twisting and turning as the wood moves, opening up a passageway. Cool air ruffles through her hair, and Rumi shivers.
A dark tunnel stood before them from the opening of the tree, this was it, they had to get them back. They prepare to begin heading down, adding weapon holders to the outfits, Rumi sees Min-ho reach into the shed, pulling out a large baton, testing out the weight.
“You’re not coming Min-ho, you’re staying safe up here,” Mira’s voice cuts through the air, Min-ho pauses before turning and facing his sister who’s standing behind him with her arms crossed.
“I’m not going to just sit here and do nothing Mira,” Min-ho says, standing up to his full height, Min-ho was just slightly taller than her, but Rumi knows how stubborn both of them are.
“You can wait with Bobby and Jelly, tell them what’s happening so they can cover for us,” Mira says but Min-ho shakes his head.
“I can’t just…” Min-ho begins looking down for a moment, Rumi feels her heart ache at his sad tone, “I have to do something, Youngho, I need to get him back Mira, just like you need to get Namhae and Byun-chul back. I can’t do nothing.”
Mira stands silently for a moment, the siblings staring at each other before Mira finally sighs, a small nod, Min-ho breathes out in relief.
They stand in front of the tunnel, Rumi feels emotions turmoiling through her, dread, fear, but the smallest bit of hope as well, they would get them back, they wouldn’t stop until they did. Rumi feels Jinu’s hand slip into hers, she looks up at him, seeing the emotions in his eyes as he squeezes her hand.
“Let’s get our family back,” He says, Rumi nods, turning back to the tunnel, unsure of what was going to happen, but she was ready, they all were.
The tunnel was a tight fit. Dark, damp, and stretched for what felt like forever. Celine lead the way, holding a small flashlight. Rumi could tell she was worried, more than worried, by the way her brow furrowed and the look in her eyes.
Celine had been doing more lately, with trying to show she cared about Rumi’s life. Once a week she’d check with both groups at the penthouse, providing any help they needed with idol life. She joined them for a “family dinner” one night, cooking with Jinu. Rumi appreciated her efforts. It felt like Rumi had known Celine her whole life, but barely knew anything about her. Now, it felt like meeting someone new.
Celine led the way, followed by Mira, who was still not speaking, her whole energy hard, like stone. Min-ho was close behind her, and Rumi couldn' t help but feel terrible for him; he and Baby had grown so close. Zoey was doing her best to stay strong, Rumi could tell, but she knew it was only a matter of time before she broke down. Rumi and Jinu brought up the back.
The guilt Jinu had too. feeling was all over his face. It wasn’t his fault though. Somehow Gwi-ma had broken through the Honmoon, something should have never been possible. And, he did it so he could get his revenge on Jinu for escaping, bringing the others with him.
It seemed like they were crawling through the tunnel for hours, but it must have been almost twenty minutes, before the tunnel’s ceiling grew taller, allowing them to stretch out and walk. The walls were close together, vines wrapped around the dirt.
”I never thought I would have entered the demon realm,” Celine said, a little quietly. “It’s… strange. To think about. We’re the first hunters to ever had steeped into the demon realm”
Rumi agreed internally. But, it was worth it. If she could save her family, keep it from being torn apart. It had to happen. She never knew her parents, but this family, she found, and had chosen. And they would not be taken from her.
As they descend the cool air turns warmer, more dry. Like heat from a deep, ground fire. They would find them. They had to.
______
The smell of smoke and dust were the first thing Abby registered. The heat prickled his skin. Something familiar. His eyes fluttered open, vision blurry, seeing dark purple black bruises of a sky above, hazy with heat. It took several seconds, longer than what Abby would have liked. His head was pounding, as he tried to blink, collecting his thoughts.
What happened…
Someone shifted next to him and Abby’s head turned to see the soft lavender shade of Mystery's hair. He could see Romance next to him, stirring, beginning to stir up. Abby tried to pull himself up, but the world spun around him, the ground, the stone beneath him unforgiving under his hands. He could see Baby on his other side, not moving.
Then, the deep, bone rattling sound of a laugh. It chilled him to his core, and Abby froze, halfway sitting up. Ice gripped his heart.
No, they couldn’t be here, not again.
They were supposed to be safe.
He was supposed to protect them. He promised them, Jinu promised them. They’d never come back to the demon realm ever again.
The flashes of the hand, coming up from the ground, streaks of purple, the ground shaking. The screaming from Zoey and Rumi. Jinu yelling out for them. Mira’s call of his name.
At least…Jinu was safe. Min-ho, Zoey, Rumi, Mira. They were safe.
The temperature of the air became hotter, as purple and pink flames began to lick up, toward his feet, Abby grabbed Baby, who was finally blinking awake, yanking him away from the fire.
No, no, no.
“You thought you could escape me?”
The words echoed, curled through the smoke in the air, rich and smooth, like velvet draped over a blade.
Abby thought he would never have to hear it again. Gwi-ma’s voice. But, they were supposed to be free. They defeated Gwi-ma’s claim on their lives.
But hearing it once again, Abby felt pure fear.
He managed to get to his feet, Mystery following him, holding up Romance, whose looked terrified. Abby reached down to pull up Baby, light in his arms.
“Guys- guys, we have to get out of here-” Abby started to say, hearing the panic in his voice. Romance shook his head.
“How- why, how did we get here?”
Under his hair, Mystery’s expression tightened, “We sealed the Honmoon. How could Gwi-ma bring us here, down?”
Baby made a noise, holding tight onto Abby’s arm. Abby’s own breath shook. He wanted to tell them it was a nightmare, that they’d wake any second. But the stone beneath them was real, the smell of sulfur biting sharp into his lungs.
And then came the laugh again. Louder this time. Everywhere at once.
It felt just like moments ago, the sunshine warm on his skin. Mira’s soft laugh, Romance’s gentle touches. The chatter from Baby and Min-ho, one of Min-ho’s hands gently pushing back Baby’s hair. Mystery’s smile as he stared at Zoey’s bright smile. Rumi and Jinu, fond, gazing at the group. The smell of the grass and gentle smoke.
It was moments ago, yet now it felt like a lifetime. He was back here, where only the painful memories resided. It didn’t feel real, but the dais he knew well, where Gwi-ma ruled, told him otherwise.
The flames grew hotter, brighter, and Abby knew. There was no escaping this. He pulled Mystery and Romance closer, trying to shelter them all. It was mostly to comfort himself. Romance was shaking. Mystery holding onto Abby just as tight. It felt like Baby was holding his breath.
“Did you truly believe that I could be stopped? The Honmoon, those hunters, they had the power to stop me? My power only grows,” At those words, Gwi-ma’s flames burst into a blaze of blistering heat. Abby took a step back, bringing his family with him.
Romance shifted, and Abby fought to keep him close, but his love, his Namhae was brave, stepping forward, a bit in front of Baby and Mystery.
“You, you don’t have any power over us. Not anymore.”
For a moment, silence. The flames hissed and curled like serpents, the air vibrating with their heat.
Then, Gwi-ma laughed. Not the booming, bone-rattling laugh from before, but a low, indulgent chuckle, “Oh…yes. Romance. It has been some time since I’ve talked to you, but then again, not as long as you were here. A once royal prince, then a demon. Have you already forgotten what it was like? The pure lonely existence you had here.”
Abby could see a flash of emotion in Romance’s eyes, but it vanished, “No matter what you do to us, the love we have for each other, will never change. You can’t control us anymore. I’m not afraid of what I used to be.”
Abby wanted to wrap Romance in arms and kiss him, to chase away the shadows in his eyes, but he couldn’t. But, he still inched closer, Mystery and Baby by his side.
“Ah…but fear is not the only chain, Romance. What of longing? What of desire?” Gwi-ma’s flames flickering to cast shadows across Romance’s face. “You speak of love as if it makes you strong. But I remember when it made you weak.”
“I’m not, anymore,” Romance said, but Abby could hear the small waver in Romance’s voice. His hand came up to rest on the small of Romance’s back.
“But you are. You always will be. You give, and you give, but what did you get in return? You pour yourself out, and leave only a hollow shell. And everyone expects it. Everyone demands it. And you give.”
“No- that’s not, we don’t do that,” Abby interrupted, unable to be quiet now that he could feel the slight trembling in Romance’s body at Gwi-ma’s words.
“Abby, ever the protector, aren’t you?” Gwi-ma’s attention turned to him, and Abby could feel the weight of the demon king’s attention. Like a tidal wave crashing him against the rocks of that deep, buried weight of self-loathing.
“You think your anger, your passion, protects everyone else,” Gwi-ma’s voice slithered, finding any crack, any purchase it could grip onto, “But your anger consumes. It’s all you are. You call it protection, but tell me, how many times has your wrath put them in greater danger?”
“Stop-” Abby choked out, the ash in the air catching in his lungs, the heat from Gwi-ma’s fire felt like it was infecting his veins, “You don’t get to twist this-”
“But I’m not, I don’t have to twist anything. I only speak to the truths you keep hidden inside yourself. I know you, Abby, I know what you are. You rage because you love, but rage can never build. It can't build anything real. It only destroys.”
It was like Gwi-ma’s words sliced through the air, deadly, precise, and like a knife in Abby’s heart.
“He doesn’t destroy,” Mystery’s voice cut through the heat, clear and steady despite the tremor in his frame. He pulled himself up straighter, his hand stayed tight on Abby’s sleeve, anchoring him. “Abby is always there for us. He builds. He creates the foundation we stand on. He’s the reason we’re still together.”
For a moment, Abby’s throat closed up. His chest ached, not from the smoke, not from the fire, but from the weight of Mystery’s words.
There was a ghost of a smile flickering in Gwi-ma’s flames.
“Foundation?” he purred, “Is that what you call him, Mystery? A shield for you to hide behind? A wall to lean on, while you keep your own secrets tucked safely away?”
Abby shook his head, a hand moving to Mystery’s shoulder. They were all linked. One hand on Mystery’s shoulder, the other resting on Namhae’s back, Baby holding onto his arm.
“You envy him, don’t you?” Gwi-ma whispered. “You envy them all. Their strength, confidence. Their fire. You are always at the edges. The shadow. The one who supports, but is never chosen first. Alone.”
“No,” Mystery snapped, his voice trembling. “I’m not, I don’t-”
But the crack was there. Abby could feel it in the way Mystery’s hand shook against his arm, in the way his gaze dropped, just for a second.
“You watch, you ache, you long for the warmth given so freely to others. You carry it like chains, and it drags you down, down, down…”
Before Abby could break in, through the smokey, spell-like energy floating in the air, Baby spoke, voice quiet, a little unsure, but still there.
“You really love the sound of your own voice, don’t you? Ever get tired of the whole ‘I know your deepest, darkest secret’ act? Because personally, I’m bored . ”
Mystery’s eyes widened. Romance gave a startled, breathless laugh that quickly choked off. Abby blinked down at Baby.
Gwi-ma’s flames flickered, almost in amusement.
“Baby.” He drew out the word like pulling an invisible thread, “Always hiding behind someone else, always talking, never moving. You speak, but when the moment comes, you sit. You wait. You let the world carry you forward while you do nothing.”
Baby’s face flushed, his mouth opening, then shutting
“The way you live, without trying. It is not just laziness, it is surrender. It is the soft rot that eats at the edges of your soul. You will never rise, because you never try. And one day, even your so called family will grow tired of carrying dead weight.”
Baby stiffened, whatever bit of defiance crumbled, He pressed his face back against Abby’s shoulder, muffling his sharp breath. Abby felt his small frame trembling, and rage roared in his chest all over again.
“Don’t talk to him like that,” Abby spat. “He’s not dead weight. He’s family. And he doesn’t have to fight alone, because none of us do.”
“It won’t matter in the end.” Gwi-ma’s laughter rolled through the air, richer now, triumphant. The flames rose higher, curling like serpents until the four of them stood in a cage of violet fire.
“Oh, how precious you are,” he crooned, “A trembling little family, clinging together, whispering words of love and loyalty as though they can shield you. You think your devotion makes you strong, but it is only a chain I can tug whenever I please.”
The heat pressed down, suffocating, forcing Abby to hold Mystery and Baby closer, to anchor Romance with his touch.
“You are bound by your sins, your pasts, your flaws. You will never escape it,” Gwi-ma whispered, each word precise, echoing like a curse.
Abby’s chest tightened, panic threatening to rise, but when Romance took a small step forward, that feeling lowered.
“You can do whatever you want to us, but you won’t be able to reach them, above,” Romance said, despite the heat, the way Gwi-ma’s presence blistered down on them.
Romance reached behind him, to take hold of Abby’s hand. His grip was strong, sure, reassuring. Abby drew in a shuddering breath, letting the warmth of Romance’s hand and the weight of Mystery and Baby pressed close remind him that they weren’t alone.
“Jinu only surprised me once, when he saved that half demon girl. But now, I think I understand him. He’ll come for you all, and those hunter girls will be with him,” Gwi-ma sounded, almost, thoughtful
Abby’s chest tightened. The words should have offered hope, but with Gwi-ma, every acknowledgment felt like a warning.
“They will come for you. And I will be ready. I look forward to it, welcome it. I have unfinished business with him. With them…”
Whatever Gwi-ma continued to say, whatever unfinished business it was, Abby wasn’t sure, but it did not sound good. He swallowed, trying to get some moisture in his mouth. He knew Gwi-ma was right. Jinu, Rumi, Zoey, Min-ho, Mira. They would find a way to get to them. And they would be in trouble. Gwi-ma would use him, and the others, as bait. The thought made the bit of anger flickering in chest, intensifying.
“Don’t, whatever you have planned, just, leave them please, you have us, it’s…it’s enough,” Mystery started to say, and the tone in voice made Baby reach forward to steady him.
”You can beg for their lives, but you won’t be here to hear them, when they come for you. How they’ll plead for you, hoping you’re alive. Ah, their despair…”
That fanned the flames in Abby’s chest and he surged forward, not caring how Gwi-ma’s fire cage singed his arms and chest, the burn clearing his mind, “No!”
Seeing Abby’s action, breaking through he fire, Romance followed, calling, “Sung-ki, you and Youngho try to run, we’ll distract him!”
Abby didn’t glance back running toward Gwi-ma, not truly thinking what he was doing. He only knew he wanted to do something. Maybe get one of them out of there. Maybe make Gwi-ma hesitate, shock him, something.
But Gwi-ma only laughed and the ground lurched, making Abby and Romance stumble, hitting the ground with his knees, hard. He could hear Mystery yell out.
”Youngho, run!”
”Your defiance, so small, so futile, but it is entertaining. However, I do not have any more time for your pathetic attempts to stop me. It’s time for you all, to sleep. My plans don’t involve your participation anymore.”
Abby tried getting up, but it was like his feet were in cement. Looking down, he saw this shimmering purple crystal wrap souring his legs like a shell. He saw another purple crystal shell around him.
No .
Next to him, Abby could see the same crystal wrapping itself around Romance, hardening, shining. He reached for him.
Please. Not like this.
He glanced back, Mystery was quiet. He was covered in a glowing chrysalis, luminescent purple.
“Sung-ki!”
Behind him, Baby’s panicked gaze was covered in his own chrysalis.
”It’s okay Byun-“
Baby’s words were cut off by the silent shell. The chrysalis around Abby was up to his neck, he couldn’t move. The last thing he saw was Romance, whose eyes held a thousand unsaid words but his gaze held only love.
”I love you…”
The world went violet, then dark. Gwi-ma’s laugh was cut off. It was only silence.