Ateez Fantasy Au - Tumblr Posts

| in love and lore | seven |

pairing: ateez x fem reader

genre: fantasy/daemon/soulmate au

warnings: some cursing, overarching yandere behavior ( i think that's it )

summary: the daemon king and his seven black generals. names and faces of these eight had changed over the years as each new king was crowned, but their reputation as the most powerful daemons always remained the same. upon hearing the rumors one of the seven led the charge of the nearby battle, you should have stayed close to the encampment. you should have never wandered out on your own. but you did, and your life would never be the same again. good or bad, you would just have to wait to find out.

“There’s no need to be afraid, angel.” His words were a breath against the side of your neck. “You’ve done so much for us, let your king now return the favor.”

wordcount: 9.3k

| six | seven | eight |

a/n: okay, so i won't lie, this chapter was like super nerve racking for me to post. and i think it's because a lot of questions are answered in this one and the thought of them not being satisfying makes me anxious. and i think that's one reason why i struggled with this one, but in the end, i'm, happy with the way it turned out, so i hope you all are too. it certainly ended up longer than expected, nearly doubling in length. oops. as always though, i appreciate and adore all your feedback, love and support! :)

~

May I come in?

You were startled by the abruptness of the voice inside your head, the panic you had finally began to quell coming back in full force. The fact he was here and speaking to you not only serving as a swift reminder of what had happened earlier in the night but of everything that was still to come. Of the answers they had all but promised you at this point.

Can you give me a verbal response, angel? As much as I may wish I could at times, I can't exactly read your mind; only the thoughts you outwardly project. And even then, only those from a close distance.

You mulled over your answer, wondering just what it was you wanted. You had come back to camp willingly enough with Jongho when he had promised answers upon your return, but you kept seeing Hayoon's face as she was left to bleed out every time you closed your eyes, followed by the blood that had slowly dripped from Hongjoong's hand. And then way her father had looked you. The guilt he had thrown at you as he ordered you to help, pinning all the blame on you. As though you had been the one to slice her throat and not the daemon grinning gleefully before him.

And was he right? Was it really your fault? After all, you could have saved her. You could have prevented her death if you had just moved.

"Just... just give me a second," your voice was soft, a mumble against the skin of your legs, "...please."

You had been so angry earlier. Your emotions wild and out of control by what they had done. So much so, you had wanted answers then and there, determined to know your role in all this. But now that you were here, you didn't know what it was you wanted. Not anymore.

You didn't want to talk with Hongjoong anymore, not really. Not after the scene you had witnessed earlier. You were no stranger to death. You had seen more death in your twenty years than anyone your age should have ever seen, but this was different. This wasn't just another meaningless death in the war. This wasn't a battle kill. This wasn't a soldier killing another because it was kill or be killed. This was someone killing purely for the sake of the act. Hayoon might have overstepped her boundaries when she had began speaking so brazenly to Hongjoong, but had that truly warranted her death?

All her crimes had been against you. It had been you she had insulted and you that she had threatened to expose and kill. And though Jongho had claimed she had still broken their laws when she had threatened your life, was it still justified when she hadn't known?

She had died because of you. Forced to bleed out because of you. And you hadn't done a single thing to prevent it. Not one single thing.

Perhaps this was why her death clung to your skin, because despite it all, you knew her father was justified in his guilt. Hayoon's death was on your hands just as much as theirs and no matter how hard you had scrubbed at them, the blood wouldn't come off. Your hands had been forever stained.

You wanted answers. You needed answers. You needed to know why they kept slaughtering people in your name. You needed to know what they had done to you and what they planned on doing with you. But the uncertainty of it all terrified you. What if Hayoon had spoken the truth? What if the truth was everything you feared? That this was all just one big game to them and you were just another means to an end. That you were nothing more than a pawn used to get the humans and now that your use was gone, you and your siblings would be executed like all the other half-daemons.

Or what if it was something else? Something worse than death. Something that prolonged your use to them.

You let out another sigh, pulling your legs in closer as a shiver coursed through your body. All you asked and yearned for the past few days had been answers to the questions running through your mind, but now that they were just within reach, you were hesitant. Terrified of what those answers would be and terrified of what was to come once you had finally gotten them.

And if the unknown didn't scare you enough, the path to it did. It had been easy to be frustrated with Hongjoong before, but now that you had met him, you wondered how you had ever dared to utter any of these frustrations out loud. You had known who he was all along, even without any outward confirmation, but nothing could have prepared you for what the daemon king was truly like. Even if he hadn't killed Hayoon in front of you, the short exchange you had with him beforehand had been nerve racking enough. His aura was large enough to fill the entire room, the raw power and strength exuding from it had left you feeling so small and insignificant inside it. And now that man was requesting to meet with you and you alone.

Alone with the daemon king.

If you had told yourself where you would be two years ago, you would have laughed. To think someone of your status would be requested to meet with the king of daemons wasn't just ludicrous, it was near impossible to believe. You had heard the rumors of what this man was like your entire life. Of course you had wondered what he was like before and wondered how he would compare to his father before. You had wondered, just like everyone else had wondered about a man of myth and legend, but you had never expected to actually meet him face to face. You hadn't wanted to ever meet him.

But here you were. In the middle of the daemon's encampment with the daemon king asking to come speak with you. Even with the direction your life had recently taken the past few weeks, it still felt strange. It felt surreal, and left you half-believing that this really had all been some sort of hazy, fever dream. That at any moment now you would finally wake up.

You wished you would wake up. Wished that it was nothing more than a dream. That it was just a nightmare and any second you would wake up. That you would find yourself back in your shared bed with Soomin and laugh about it once you had calmed yourself down.

But this wasn't a dream and you wouldn't be waking up any time soon. This was real. And you had no choice but to accept the fate you had taken when you had stumbled upon your first injured daemon so long ago. The moment you had chosen to save him, you fate had been sealed. The Black Angel had been born and you had no choice but to accept the consequences of your actions.

Take your time, angel. I'll be waiting for you outside.

His response brought you back to reality and you briefly wondered how long you could make him wait before he grew too impatient with you. It was a futile thought, though. What good would prolonging this meeting do for you? You couldn't live like this anymore. The uncertainty of your life and what was to become of you was driving you crazy. You needed answers and this was the only way you would be getting them. If it ended up being the death of you, then so be it. At least you wouldn't have to keep living with the unknown hanging off the back of your neck.

Knowing what you needed to do and doing it were two completely different stories though, and you fought the urge to slink further into the water of the tub. You could mope all you wanted, fight all you wanted, but there was no changing what was to come. As terrifying as it all may be, you would just have to get it over with. Otherwise who knows what lengths they would go to next.

You still waited to leave the tub until the water grew too cold to stand any longer and were careful to keep your gaze away from your body as you got out and dressed. You didn't think he would dare to abuse his power in such a way, especially if he checked in with you before coming inside, but you didn't want to chance it and were grateful your eyes had been closed when he had first spoken to you. If he had been spying on you in the last few minutes, all he would have seen and heard was the back of your eyelids and the shaky exhales of your breath.

There was some relief in knowing he couldn't read your thoughts, though his vague explanation had confused you. What had he meant when he had said he was only able to read the thoughts you outwardly projected? How did you project a thought and had you been doing it unknowingly all this time? Was this they reason why he and the others had heard certain phrases you had said in your head? Was this what Wooyoung had meant when he had said they wouldn't willingly read them? That they had no choice in the matter when you kept projecting them all along?

The thought caused another sigh to fall from your lips, fully knowing this was just another unknown that was to be added to your growing list.

You took your time making yourself presentable, pulling on the spare set of clothes laid out for you and running Hyunwoo's comb through your damp hair. It was a stark contrast from the way you had looked when you first met him, but you felt more at ease with the plain, baggy clothes. This was the real you. A poor, simple half-daemon with just a few items to her name. Not the girl he had seen at the ball, dressed in an outfit worth far more than she was herself. That was a lifestyle you would never obtain. Not because you would never be able to afford it, but rather society would never come to accept it.

Once you were dressed and ready, you were unsure of what to do next, fighting the part of you that yearned to slip inside the bed next to you and pretend as though you had fallen asleep. Was he still listening to you? Did you just have to speak out loud once more and he would hear you? Or did he expect you to reach out to him in person? He had said he would wait for you outside the tent, so had that been a hint for you to go outside and meet with him there?

You knew you were overthinking the matter, but your anxiety over the impending conversation clouded your brain and made it near impossible to come to a decision. You could feel his presence on the other side of the fabric that separated you, the intensity of it adding to the nerves coursing through you. You didn't want to go out there. You didn't want to see him again, but what choice did you have? You needed answers and you wouldn't run now that they were finally being offered. No, you would brave the explanations they would give you, if only for your own sanity, and then you would decide whether running away was a valid plan or not.

Your hands shook as you approached the entrance, the fabric of the tent nearly slipping through your fingers when you pulled it to the side to peer outside. Just as you expected, Hongjoong sat at the table next to Jongho. He had changed into something more casual, hair loose and wet from his own bath, and though the crown was long gone, he still appeared every bit the king he had been at the ball.

The two had been conversing quietly with each other, but their conversation fell to a close when they heard your approach. Both sets of eyes were quick to lock onto your figure and despite the easy smile each sent your way, you had to fight the part of you that yearned to disappear back inside the tent.

"Why don't you retire for the rest of the night?" Hongjoong spoke to Jongho first, motioning with his head for him to leave the two of you alone for the time being. "I'll cover the rest of your watch."

"Of course," Jongho replied, bowing his head. He rose from his seat without question, making his way over to you and ushering a soft, "Goodnight, angel," before giving your shoulder a reassuring squeeze and one last timid smile.

"I didn't wake you, did I?"

His stance was relaxed as he stood up, and he appeared much calmer than he had been when you had first met him earlier. He had seemed so angry with Hayoon and the others then, angry enough to kill though none of it made any sense. And yet, he presented as nearly a different person this time around. Simply smiling at you as though your earlier interaction had never occurred.

You simply shook your head, finding it hard to find your voice in his presence once more. There was so much you wanted to ask, so much that you wanted to say, but you found it difficult to put your thoughts together well enough to form a coherent question with the way his golden eyes took you in at this moment.

"Why don't we head inside, then?" He motioned for you to step back inside, hand landing at the base of your back to guide you when it took a second to process what he had just said. "It will be warmer in there than it is out here."

You let him guide you back inside with little fight, acutely aware of the fact you were now completely alone with him. He directed you to the small table and chairs set up to the left, pulling out one of the chairs for you to sit before taking the other.

"I know a lot has happened to you in the past few weeks," he began once the two of you had seated and you had a hard time fighting back the scoff his words brought. A lot? That was an understatement. Your entire life had been turned inside out since you had first met Seonghwa so many weeks ago. "And I know you have several questions you wish to ask me," he continued, ignoring the negative reaction his words had pulled from you, "but before I answer those, I feel it best to ask you something first. How familiar are you with the way daemons' politics work?"

His question caught you off guard, brow furrowing as you tried to figure out what politics had to do with your current situation. "About as much as you would expect," you attempted to keep your voice even, briefly wondering if you should address him in any specific way. "There's you, the daemon king and the seven generals who carry out his orders. Beyond that, I'm not too sure. Your kind has never been very open with sharing your ways of life."

"That is the base of things, yes," he replied, and though you saw the way his brow twitched at the connotation your tone had held, he didn't push you on it. "The golden crown has been sacred to my bloodline for many generations now, passed down to the next male heir whenever the current ruler dies. And each time the next king is born, seven other daemons are also born amongst our ranks, each with a different daemon ability unique to the sacred Black Order. These daemons are what your humans refer to as the Seven, and are born with the sole purpose of serving the king as his personal guard."

You had a hard time not interrupting him as he spoke, feeling as though he had just repeated everything you had just said. You already knew all of this, and even the few minute details you hadn't, you hadn't cared to learn about. Not when this had nothing to do with you. Not when it did nothing to explain why you had been marked with his sigil or why they seemed to have such a hard time letting you go.

"Now, all daemons possess some of the old magic in their blood, a substance we often refer to as maetha, but only those of the royal bloodline or those born to serve in the Black Order possess a unique ability in addition to what every daemon is capable of."

"But that doesn't make any sense," you spoke up before you could stop yourself. You knew the majority of daemons didn't have a unique ability of their own as you and Hyunwoo were the only two half-daemons you knew who possessed one, but you had always assumed it was just because half-daemons didn't carry enough of magic in their blood to present one and it was only who your father was that allowed you and Hyunwoo to have one. "My blood's healing capabilities. Hyunwoo's affinity with metals. Why-"

"Because of who your father was." Hongjoong interrupted, and his answer took you by surprise. Not because he seemed to know exactly who your father was, the color of your blood had long been a testament to that, but rather that your assumptions on the matter had been right. "You and your siblings are obviously the children of Minsu, one of the generals from my father's guard and the one who served as an ambassador between us. The color of your blood is all but proof of it."

"I'm well aware of who my father was."

No one would ever speak the truth to you or your siblings, but you had always known exactly who he had been. How could you not when your blood was as black as the horns on each of the generals' heads? You had never come to terms with how exactly you felt about the matter, finding it easy to push it to the side when it was a subject kept under wraps. After all, you had never even known the man, as his death had come just mere weeks after you and Hyunwoo had been born.

But you knew the legends and the rumors. The humans might have never outright spoken about your tie to him, but you had heard the stories and rumors they whispered about. Of how he had gone crazy and killed one of the councilman's youngest daughters in a fit of rage. Of how they had no choice but to take revenge for what he had done, even if his death would trigger an entire war.

Everything you had heard about the man said how terrible he was. Of how ruthless he had been. The perfect picture of what one of the Seven were rumored to be like. He had killed your mother for god's sake and would have killed you and others if the humans hadn't have stopped him.

But you also knew the stories Soomin had told you. She had been ten when everything had gone down, and though her memories of these years became hazy in the aftermath, she still held snippets of memories from a life before. Their deaths had hit her the hardest, and yet she refused to speak of it, not wanting to burden you and Hyunwoo with the pain she now carried from it. But she had spoken snippets here and there, ever questioning the event in her mind. Your father couldn't have done it. Not when he had seemed to care for each of you. Not when he had seemed to care so much for your mother.

"Then you may be interested in knowing how uncommon that is because the Black Guard is prohibited from having children."

The statement caught you off guard, pulling you from the memories of your father. You hadn't know that. Hadn't known that on top of the taboo of your mixed blood, you were also an illegal child. Hadn't known you were someone who should have never been born. No wonder the daemon soldiers had given you so many strange looks when they saw your blood. It hadn't been because of your ability to heal with it or that you were a half-daemon, but rather just the color itself. They had known what it meant. They had known you were someone who should have never been born.

"So, you are going to kill me then." Your voice shook as you spoke, the realization of what his words meant bringing to life the worst of your fears. If they weren't going to have you killed for being a half-daemon, they would kill you for being a half-daemon with black blood. Both you and your siblings.

"No, we're not going to kill you." He was quick to rebuke your statement, shaking his head and softening his expression once he saw the fear that filled your eyes. "Your birth may be considered illegal by daemon rule, but you are so much more important than you realize, angel. Important enough to make me more than willing to make an exception to the rule. After all, killing you would be akin to killing-" He paused, the look he gave you in that moment impossible to read. "Ah, but I'm afraid I've begun to get ahead of myself. Do you know why the Black Guard are prohibited from having children?"

You shook your head, relieved at hearing your death was not in the foreseeable future - at least for now - but nervous at the implication he had made when he had been about to explain the reason why. Did that mean they did have a further use of you? A use that trumped the fact you should have never existed in the first place.

"My family did not always rule the daemons. Before we sailed to this land nearly a millennia ago, we were nothing more than just another faction in a world divided by madness. I was not alive at the time, but I'm told Dalnim was a very different place than the land inhabited by the humans here in the place we have come to call Haemosu. The magic was stronger there, where every living being contained maetha. Even the earth, herself, is said to hold traces of it. But as beautiful as it was, the power it blessed us with was also a curse. Civil unrest plagued the inhabitants, each one desperate for the power others held. Wars were constant, each family desperate for more.

"My family yearned for a new life away from the chaos of the old world, so they, along with any other daemons who were willing to go with, left and sailed north to start anew. And to prevent the destruction and chaos that had plagued them before, a spell was put into place, preventing anyone outside the golden bloodline and those born to protect it from being born with any abilities outside the basics maetha allows us all."

"So, that's why the Seven are prevented from having children? Because they can produce more people like Hyunwoo and I? And you're afraid of anyone else who might hold a little power in case they decide to overthrow you?"

"I will agree the morality of the spell is ambiguous at best," he replied, noticing the sarcasm in your tone. "But over the millennia it has been in place, the daemons have lived in relative peace. They've thrived in harmony amongst each other without fear of what's to come. Each of them more than willing to sacrifice a little power at the chance of a peaceful life."

"Hmph, I wonder what that's like." Your arms crossed, scowling at the hypocrisy of his words. All you had ever known was a war divided in war. You had grown up under the very same circumstance he had stated the daemons came here to escape and it was all because of them.

"May I remind you that it was your humans who started this war. Not us." Hongjoong's voice was lined with thin agitation, brow twitching once more at your words. "And it was your humans that were so insistent on continuing it after my father died."

"What are you talking about?"

"Forget I said anything. It doesn't matter. Not anymore." He shook his head with a sigh, and you were surprised to see the way his eyes had appeared sunken for just a moment. As though he was remembering something he had come to regret. "If we were to talk about the logistics of this war, we would be here all night. And I believe there are other topics that would interest you more, am I correct?"

Your lips twisted as you mulled over what he had just said, his reaction to it all the more compelling. He was right in his assumption you were more interested in your own fate at the moment, but his statements towards the war had caught your attention as a direct contradiction to what you had believed to happen thus far. The humans had said the daemons had no wish for peace after their king had died, but Hongjoong had hinted towards a different story. One where the humans were the ones denying peace. And the reaction it had pulled from him all but proving something more had went down than what either had told you.

"As I was saying earlier," he began, taking the time you had mulled over his previous question as an excuse to continue, "the spell written back then was not as flawless as first expected. While it did almost completely prevent any future abilities from appearing in daemons outside the royal family with the exception of the Seven, it failed to prevent abilities from appearing in the male born children of the Black Guard, a problem only discovered decades after the spell had been written. There was talk of rewriting the spell, but the power and time it would have taken ultimately made them decide against it, using the loophole as an excuse to keep the Guard's sole focus on protecting and serving their king."

"Wait, you said only the male born children, right? But what about me? Doesn't that mean I should be like my sister? That I shouldn't have an ability?"

His mention in the flaw had been quick, but you had caught on to it with ease, seeing it as just another flaw in your own existence. As though you hadn't already been told your life was one giant mistake, it seemed Hongjoong wasn't done yet and swiftly delivered another blow towards you. Was there anything about you that was normal? That was supposed to exist and be for a reason? Or were you really just one giant mistake? A flaw in the system.

"Not necessarily. The spell has waned over the centuries and a few daemons with unique abilities have popped up every hundred years or so, but-"

"So," you interrupted, too frustrated by what he had explained to you thus far to notice he hadn't even remotely began to answer any of the questions related to what you were doing here now, "you're telling me, that not only am I a half-daemon, but the half-daemon child of someone who wasn't even supposed to have children in the first place, and now I'm some anomaly in a spell? Is there anything else I should know about myself?"

"I understand the circumstances of your birth may seem a bit... odd, but that doesn't change the fact your life still holds a purpose. You're not a mistake, angel. You're not someone who just slipped through the cracks of an ancient spell. There are a few others who the spell allows to be born with an unique ability. You are one of those people. In fact, you are someone I've waited a very long time for."

His hand reached across the table in an attempt to calm your fidgeting ones, but his fingers only briefly brushed against the tops of your hands before you pulled them back. His face was soft, too soft, gazing at you with genuine sincerity. As though he truly believed what he was saying to you. And the moment you pulled back from him, he almost seemed hurt.

"You're not making any sense. There's nothing special about me." You pulled your hands close to your chest, eyeing him closely from across the table. Why was he being so nice to you? Why did he seem to care so much for you? "I'm just..." Just what? A mutt? A halfbreed? An abomination? All of the above? "You said it yourself. I should have never even been born."

"Perhaps your birth was forbidden on multiple accounts, but that doesn't change the fact you were still born. Or that the maetha that flows through each of our veins chose you. Out of the millions of daemons tied to it, it chose you. You are so much more than the mutt everyone has made you believe you are."

"Chosen? Chosen for what?"

You shook your head, not quite grasping what he was trying to say. Or why he had gone such a roundabout way to try and explain everything. All it had served to do was create more questions than answers and make you feel worse about yourself than you had before. it didn't tell you anything you had wanted to know. It didn't tell you why he or the others seemed to have such a keen interest in you or why Seonghwa had attacked you that night and branded you with the sigil of their king.

"The abilities of the golden bloodline are passed down from generation to generation, with each new heir inheriting the abilities of both his parents, securing a stronger heir with each new generation. When I was born, I gained all the abilities passed down through my father's bloodline and then the one my mother possessed."

"Well, I'm sure that's quite nice for you getting to be all powerful and all, but what does this have to do with me? What does any of this have to do with me?"

"Fucking hell." Hongjoong let out a string of curses at your sarcasm once more. They were nothing more than a breath, but you could still make out the first few as he leaned back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair, either exasperated by your statement or the fact you had still not gotten it. But if it was supposed to be obvious, it wasn't. At least not to you.

"The only daemons born with an ability is the next heir to the throne, the members of the Black Guard, and any other male heirs born to these eight men. However, you might recall I said I inherited the ability of both my parents, including my mother. And while it is true a few anomalies have been popping up, the mate of the daemon king will always be born with an ability."

"What are you saying?"

You could feel the blood draining from your face. The implication he made was clear, but it was so incredulous, you refused to believe what he was trying to imply. You had to have read into his wording wrong. He must have been hinting at something else. He had to have been hinting at something else.

"You're her, angel. The woman I've waited just over a century for. You're my mate."

You laughed.

You couldn't help it. It was just so ridiculous, the laughter had bubbled up before you could stop it, sure that this was all some big joke.

"What the hell are you talking about?" You choked out, but your laughter began to trickle away when you glanced back up at him and saw that damned sincerity in his eyes once more. He sure didn't look like he was joking. In fact, he almost looked offended you hadn't believed him. As though the fact you found it absolutely insane and proceeded to laugh in his face had hurt. Either that, or he was just one hell of an actor. "I don't know what you're going on about, but that was a joke, right? You're not actually serious?"

What did he even mean by mate, anyway? You knew daemon relationships worked differently than humans, rejecting the traditional marriage seen by humans, and referring to their significant other as their mate. But that didn't explain why he was calling you that now. You weren't his mate. You didn't even know him.

"Why would I joke about something like this?" He leaned forward, the intensity of his gaze making you squirm in your seat. You were sure he was joking. He had to have been joking, but the way he was looking at you made you begin to think otherwise.

"Other than the fact that it's absolutely crazy?" You couldn't stop the panic that began to bubble inside you. "Or the fact that I have no idea what you're even talking about? Mate? What the hell does that even mean?"

"Every daemon has a mate, someone designed and molded by the maetha to be a perfect fit to them. And in order to guide the two to each other, they're shown visions of each other-"

"Well, then that just proves you're lying." Your arms crossed. "I've never had a vision of you before. Or anyone else for that matter."

"A flaw on your human side, I'm afraid." He continued without skipping a beat and you began to wonder just what lengths he would go to convince you otherwise. How long he had been setting this up to come up with an answer for each question you threw his way. Of how much effort he put into a ploy that only served to see you hurt. "Half-daemons have mates just like daemons, but the way their human blood reacts with the maetha dilutes it, preventing the visions from ever occurring. At least, that's our best working theory at the present moment."

"Is there nothing about this that doesn't sound absolutely insane to you, or is it just me?" Your fingers dug into your arms, trying hard to control the panic his words stirred up inside you. It was insane. All of it was absolutely, fucking insane. "You're the king of daemons and I'm what? A mutt. Just a fucking mutt. And sure, I have an ability, but people slip through the cracks. You said so yourself. That doesn't mean I'm your mate. And to try and convince me otherwise is just cruel."

"I know how crazy this may seem for you, but I assure you it is all true. I'm not trying to convince you of something that isn't true. I've been seeing pieces of your life ever since you were born, after all." He reached across the table, grabbing your fidgeting hands in an attempt to calm your movements and prevent you from hurting yourself. "Every year on your birthday, I'm able to see, hear, and feel everything you do for just a moment. It's similar to how one of my own abilities work, but I don't get to choose when it happens or reach out to you in any way. I simply get to experience your life as you do for a few brief moments."

"I don't believe you." You shook your head, still incredulous to it all. It couldn't be true. It just couldn't.

"On your eighteenth birthday, you and your brother snuck out of the city to catch a glimpse of Sesang's comet. You laid out on a blanket in a nearby field, staring up at the sky and talking for hours. It was the middle of winter, so it was freezing, but you didn't care. You talked about running away, leaving the humans behind and starting a new life away from it all, but it was nothing more than a wishful fantasy. Where would you go with the war going on?

"And then your eighth birthday was the first year you had gotten a cake. Your sister had saved up enough money to buy the ingredients for one. She had even managed to get candles for you to blow out and make a wish. Your brother had stated his wish was to be able to have cake everyday for the rest of his life, but you had remained silent when asked about yours, stating it wouldn't come true if you said it and you really wanted it to come true. Ever since then, I've always wondered what your wish could have been and if it ever came true for you."

Your face grew hot as he spoke, fully aware everything he was saying was true. You had snuck out of the city with Hyunwoo on your eighteenth birthday, as the lights and walls of the city had blocked your view. Soomin had been frantic when the two of you had returned in the middle of the night, nearly frozen to death but giggling like fools. She had berated the two of you for what felt like an eternity for doing something so stupid.

And then your eighth birthday was the first time you had gotten cake. There had only been enough for one, but you hadn't minded sharing with Hyunwoo because the two of you were so close and shared everything anyways. You had felt so silly when you had made your wish and blown out the candles on your side, but even now, almost thirteen years later, you still held on to that wish and hoped it would continue to hold true. That you would always have your family by your side.

"I'm not saying I believe you," you found it impossible to look him in the face now, body growing hot as the realization he could actually be telling the truth sunk in, "but if you really are telling the truth, then why didn't you just take me that first night? If you knew it was me, why did you just have Seonghwa put this stupid mark on my chest and send me on my way?"

"Because I knew how badly you would have reacted. Look how hard this is on you now. How do you think you would have reacted if I had Seonghwa bring you back to our base that night and explained everything there?"

You had to admit he did make a valid point. If he really was speaking the truth and you were his - god, you couldn't even say it in your head - stealing you away then would have made you livid. But it didn't make up for the way they had still treated you instead. The way they had stolen you from your home and family still made you angry. The ploy might have not been as terrible in his mind as the first, but it was just as cruel to you. You had gone through so much in these past few weeks, unsure of what their true motives were and what was to become of you. It made you almost wish they would have just taken you that first night instead. The stress of it all had nearly eaten you alive. It had nearly torn you apart. And for what? For them to come out and say it had all been because you were supposed to be the mate of the daemon king and they wanted your ability to pass down to the next heir?

"There's something else I still need to explain to you," he continued after a few moments of silence and you did look up at him in that moment. The realization he had more to tell you made your heart skip a beat. What more did he have to say? Could it possibly get any worse than it already was?

"My mother's ability is a strange one, allowing bonds to be created between different individuals. By consuming one's blood, I can create a bond between myself and another that will tie us together. In a sense, it allows a part of myself to be imparted upon each person I mark, allowing me to share my strength with them and vice versa. Each of my generals hold such a mark, strengthening each of us through it. And when I realized it was you who was the Black Angel that night with Seonghwa, I marked you through him. The mark on your chest is a physical sign of the bond that now ties you to each of us and why you were most likely left with the feeling as though a part of you was missing. In some ways, it was, as pieces of yourself transferred to each of us as the bond took hold.

"I didn't want to mark you in such a way. Not without you having any prior knowledge on the matter, but I had little choice. I wasn't expecting you to be there that night. I wasn't expecting to see you until we breached Maehwa, but then you appeared. And though I always suspected it might be you who was the Black Angel, it was still a shock to see it was true. To know it had been you who had saved all those lives." He paused, hands tightening their grip on your own. "I knew how much danger you would be in if the humans ever found out what you had done, and I couldn't just have Seonghwa take you back no matter how much both of us wanted that, so I did the only thing I knew to secure your safety for the time being."

"You could have been wrong though. You could have marked the wrong person."

"No," he shook his head, the hint of a smile appearing as he took you in. "It was you. We both could feel it. The moment you walked into that room, we knew. Your voice, your mannerisms, your aura. It was all you, the woman we've waited so long for."

"We? What do you mean we?"

"When I marked the others, I never expected the bond between us to be as strong as it was. It brought us together in a way that no other king and his guard had been before. We were stronger, faster, more united than my father or his father before. A part of myself now lives within each of them, just as a part of them lives within me. And the tie that connects me to you, also now connects you to them. Because you are my mate, you are now also theirs."

Your eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

If you weren't so certain he hadn't been lying about the first part anymore, you would have never believed him now. You would have laughed at him again. But just as before, his face held no trace of a lie. It was just as sincere as before. Full of a longing that would have had you wanting to move in closer if you weren't so shocked by what he was telling you in that moment.

"Even before they were officially my guard, I had always been so close with them. We grew up together, trained together. They're the closest things to brothers I'll ever have, so when I was instated as the new king and they officially became my guard, the bond that snapped into place felt natural. It heightened everything we already knew and felt, bringing us closer together than we had been before. When each of them saw the next vision I had of you on your eighteenth birthday, we knew immediately what it had meant. That they were now tied to you just as I was and who was I to neglect them of that bond? The very one I had given to them?"

"But," you struggled to speak, fighting the rush of emotions that had sprung up, "but you said every daemon has a mate, so I couldn't be theirs too, could I? Not when they-"

"You'll remember I said previously that the members of the Black Guard are not allowed families of their own, because of this, they are the only daemons who do not have a mate when they're born. The ancient spell which gives them their ability and rank also prevents a mate from being bound to them."

It made sense. In it's own twisted way, it did. And it explained so many of the interactions you had with each of them. It explained the way Seonghwa had reacted that first night when he saw you, the way Jongho was always so bashful around you, and it even explained the conversation you had had with Yeosang before you had known he was a daemon. Of how he had said a partner was something he had never thought could be his and the implication that it could come true now because someone like you had told him it could.

You could feel your face growing hotter with each passing moment, suddenly seeing every little interaction with each of them in a new light. They had known. All along they had known exactly who you were. It was why they always seemed to fawn over your attention, squeezing their way in to catch a moment of your time. And it was why they all acted so aggressively whenever you were insulted and threatened, and explained the hungry glint in each of their eyes when they had observed you in that golden dress earlier that night.

Your eyes flickered over to where it still laid draped across one of the privacy screens, shivering as you saw the meaning behind it in a new light. You had been so sure they had put you in it for the exact reason Hayoon had said. As nothing more than a way to mock the humans, but that hadn't been it at all. Perhaps, a part of it might have been a way to get back at them for all they had done to you, but it had really been nothing more than a way for them to show the humans exactly who you were there with. All but claiming you as your own.

"Let me get this clear. You're telling me that I am not only supposedly your mate, but I am also now the mate of each of your seven generals? Like, all of them?" You drew your hands out from under his, his touch hot and heavy against yours. "And I'm what? Just supposed to accept all of this? I'm just supposed to be okay with all of this?"

"I know this is a lot to take in, y/n, but-" He attempted to calm you down, but you couldn't even look at him in that moment, feeling more vulnerable before him than you ever had before. Never in your life had you felt as bare and exposed as you did now.

"A lot? A lot is a fucking understatement." Your voice was rising, and you clambered to your feet, nearly knocking your chair over in your haste. "My whole life I've been told I'm nothing and that I'll amount to nothing, and now you're here telling me I'm supposed to be your mate. The fucking daemon king's mate. It's..."

It was what? Cruel? Degrading? To know that they only reason they had ever shown you an ounce of kindness was because you were supposed to be their mate? And what if you hadn't been? What would have happened then? Would you have had a knife to your throat instead? Because you served no other purpose towards them?

"You all keep going on and on about you had no choice in the matter. That you had no choice but to mark me with this stupid, fucking bond, and no choice but to kill Hayoon or that other lady. But you're wrong. You," somewhere inside you, you found the strength to look up at him once more, eyes narrowing as you met his gaze, "you have no idea what it's really like to not have a choice."

God, the temperature in the room seemed to have increased steadily in the past few minutes, leaving the air stifling and making it harder to breathe with each intake of air. It was starting to make you lightheaded, and you swayed on your feet. You needed to get out. You needed air.

"Angel-" His hand caught yours as you went to move away and the way he looked down at you nearly made your heart stop.

"I... I can't do this anymore." It was a struggle to speak as time went on, chest tightening with each passing moment. You couldn't stay here for much longer. Not with him. Not with any of them. You needed space to think, to breathe, to calm yourself down. You couldn't do that with him here. Not when he was the source of the panic currently consuming you. "I need space. I need to think."

You didn't wait to be given permission and pulled yourself from his grip. He let you slip away with little ease, making no attempt to try and stop you as you dashed to the entrance of the tent.

"y/n, please believe me when I say that none of this was meant to hurt you. The last thing any of us want to do is hurt you."

Would he be saying that to you if you hadn't been his mate? Would he have shown you, someone who's existence his kind had hated for centuries, would he have shown you kindness if you hadn't been his mate?

"You'll have to forgive me when I say I don't believe you," your voice was soft as you paused at the exit, hand tightening its grip on the fabric of the tent as you processed his words, "as it certainly hasn't felt that way on my end. My life has been nothing but confusion and misery since I met you."

You didn't have to look at him to know the impact your words had on him, cutting deep. And though you felt no regret in saying them, it still made you pause for a second longer, wondering if this was the right way to leave things. Wondering if you should explain just why his words had cut you the way they had.

But how could you? How could you stop and explain when you weren't even fully aware of the answer yourself? And what little you did understand only made you all the more anxious to openly admit out loud. Because what if you were right? And the way you had been treated was solely reliant on the bond between you. And that you would have been tossed aside like all the others long before if you hadn't.

No, you couldn't. You wouldn't. Not now. Not after everything he had done. Not after everything they had all done. You had suffered enough as it was. You didn't need to suffer any more by putting yourself out there more than you were already.

You forced yourself to move, throwing back the flap to the tent and forcing your legs to move beneath you before he had a chance to change his mind and force you to stay. You didn't know where you were going, nor did you really care. You just needed a place away from him> Away from all of them. A place where you could be alone and breathe. A place where you could process the overload of information he had dumped on you without him and the others breathing down your neck.

To your relief, the others weren't around when you exited. After everything you had just been told, you didn't want to face them. The mere thought of seeing them now that you finally understood what was going on only made your stomach churn. You didn't know how you would be able to face them after tonight, and wondered if it would have been better to continue living in ignorance. If the uncertainty of what was to come was better than this.

You took off through the camp, ignoring the daemons still milling around and doing your best to control your breathing. Your hands still shook and your chest was tight, but you felt as though it was a bit easier to breathe out here.

And though the idea of running did strike you in that moment, you had no real intention of following through with it. Could you even run away when Hongjoong had the power to bring you right back to him with little to no effort on his part? And even if he somehow couldn't? Where would you go? Nearly every city had either been destroyed or overtaken by the daemons, and Maehwa was out of the question after the events that had transpired earlier in the night. The humans would never let you stay with them. Not after you had inadvertently caused the death of one of the councilman's daughters.

No, you just needed to get far enough away to where you couldn't feel their presence any longer. You needed far enough away to where you could feel like you were by yourself. But the moment you made it to the edge of the tents, you were stopped in your tracks. Not by one of the daemon guards, but a force that you couldn't even see.

There was nothing in front of you, nothing visible that you could see, but you could feel it. An invisible barrier blocking your path and preventing you from escaping any further. You could feel it thrumming in front of you as you cautiously brushed up against it, solid beneath your fingertips.

You knew this was your doing, remembering all too well the way the humans' fists had bounced off something similar earlier in the night. Except this time it wasn't in place to keep the humans in, but you.

You laughed.

Nothing about this was remotely funny to you, but the realization you were trapped inn here with them was the tipping point of it all, seeing once again your choice being taken away from you. A pitiful reminder that you were little more than a prisoner here with them.

It didn't take long for the laughter to transform into tears, shoulders shaking at the sobs that began to rack your body, finally releasing the swell of emotions you had held up inside you for so long. Every fear, every frustration, every worry, came rushing out of you in that moment and you collapsed against the nearby tree, body curling in on itself once more as the weight of the situation came crashing down on you.

You had thought your fate had been sealed the moment you had become the Black Angel, but you were wrong. Your fate had been sealed the moment you had taken your first breath and destiny decided to tie you to that man and nothing you said or did would change it.

~

@layzfeelit @calirix @seonghwarizon @yunho0o0o0o @blglmgk01 @marievllr-abg @ddeonghwva @rosie-hao @malyxsoulpersonal @kirooz @violetpenguinkris @woosmaid @eggyomelet @wooya1224 @mulanateez @kimi-kiwi @eastleighsblog @baguette-atiny @yourleftsock @dear-dreamie @uriruwi @purplelady85 @camzpetite @peachesandcream-9 @beautysirens @peachy-yabbay @seonghwaholic @honeyedtalisman @nichobins @fl0r4f4wn @avantalem @seojonneh @is4b3ll3s @ahhhhhhhhhghh @slutforheeseung @hyunjiminssi @knucklesdeepmingi @mrcarrots @wxnderingthoughts @moni-cah @hazel42 @blaaiissee @anushka-k @peppermint-tea-life @all-black-darling @not-everything-is-so-primitive @naiify @sophxom @kuleo26 @doublebunv @halotopicecream @shakalakaboomboo @craxy-person @kawaiikels @tito-the-mermaid @wellwwhynot @nikinonikki @freyaniobe

just let me know if i missed you, the tag didn't work, or if you want to be added/removed! :)

| in love and lore | eight |

pairing: ateez x fem reader

genre: fantasy/daemon/soulmate au

warnings: some cursing, mentions of death and violence

summary: the daemon king and his seven black generals. names and faces of these eight had changed over the years as each new king was crowned, but their reputation as the most powerful daemons always remained the same. upon hearing the rumors one of the seven led the charge of the nearby battle, you should have stayed close to the encampment. you should have never wandered out on your own. but you did, and your life would never be the same again. good or bad, you would just have to wait to find out.

“There’s no need to be afraid, angel.” His words were a breath against the side of your neck. “You’ve done so much for us, let your king now return the favor.”

wordcount: 14.5k

| seven | eight | nine |

a/n: ahhh, it's finally here and so much longer than i originally planned. when i first started this chapter, i planned on it covering the entirety of their travels back to the daemons' kingdom, but here we are, and you'll come to see that journey will be for the next chapter and we're still outside maehwa by the end of it. oops. but i am super happy with how this came out. don't really know how it did or what possessed me, but it did and it's here. so i hope you all enjoy. :)

also, taglists will be moving to reblogs as i think you guys are so awesome and cool, a singular post can't contain you all so those will be following here in a few moments after this posts.

~

"May I sit with you?"

You glanced up from the pen and paper in hand at the voice that spoke above you, though it was done out of habit than to see who it was. You already that piece of information, having felt his gaze on you for the past half hour.

You had done all you could to avoid Hongjoong and his generals over the past few days, but any success you had found hadn't been on your part, but their own attempt in giving you the space you desperately craved. While you had woke up early and spent the past hour curled up next to the barrier to watch the sunrise by yourself, you had been well aware of Yeosang's nearby presence and wondered if he would ever make a move.

You met his eyes briefly before turning back down to the paper before you, simply shrugging your shoulders instead of bothering to verbally answer his question. You didn't quite have it in your heart to refuse him, but you did hope the defensive stance your body had taken at his presence would have been enough to deter him. It didn't, not that you had really expected it to, and he simply took your silent response as an excuse to set down on the ground next to you. Not quite close enough to be touching, but close enough for you shift your stance a bit before busying yourself with the paper you had been doodling on in an attempt to clear your mind. It had worked well enough up to this point, but his new proximity to you caused your anxiety to spike once more.

He had to have wanted something. While your attempts at completely avoiding them had been futile, none of them had approached you in the manner Yeosang now did. Any interactions with them had been brief and awkward. There was much they wanted to say. Either to apologize or convince you in some manner, but they held their tongues, fully knowing you didn't want to talk about it at this point.

The constant guard from before had been dropped from that night, and though you had more time to yourself than you had ever had since they had brought you here, you found little relief in the matter. Not with the barrier you had run across that first night remaining up and present. They had claimed it was simply an added precaution to keep you safe after the incident at the masquerade, but you weren't an idiot. You knew they had simply exchanged one guard for another. The thought of running had crossed your mind more than once since that first night, though not in the way they were worried of. Part of you did want to run and escape this fate that had been placed on you, but you knew it wasn't something you could or would succeed in. And even if you did, where would you go? You had nowhere to go or anyone to run to. But the fleeting thoughts you had made of it must have slipped over in their minds as well, and the barrier was the needed precaution they had taken to keep it from happening.

Honjoong had claimed they could only read the thoughts you outwardly projected, and only then when you were within a certain proximity of them, but without any other explanation of the process, you struggled to understand what exactly he had meant by it or how you could control it yourself. Based on your past experiences, you were certain things had slipped through, but without knowing which thoughts had or hadn't, it was impossible to tell just how much they had gleaned from you in the meantime. And with the way you struggled to control the panic that took root in your stomach each time you saw one of them, you had the sinking suspicion they knew more than they let on. The glances they sent to each other when they thought you weren't looking was all the evidence you needed of that fact.

"Hongjoong has informed us that the treaty talks have come to a conclusion."

You tensed at the mention of him, shifting your position against the barrier you had been using as a backrest. And though your eyes stayed focused on the sketch in your lap, you caught the way Yeosang's body extended past the barrier out of the corner of your eye, a fact that had your grip tightening its grip on the pencil in hand.

You hadn't seen Hongjoong since that night.

Wanting nothing more than to be alone, you had strayed near the edge of the camp long into the night, contemplating over everything he had told you. You had run through everything he had said over and over, and yet, you still struggled to make sense of it all to this day. No matter which way you wrapped your head around it, parts of it would still not make sense. You couldn't have been his mate. Not when you weren't a daemon. Not when you were someone who should have never been born. And then, if it was true, and you truly were his mate, then he shouldn't have been fine with the fact as much as he seemed to, not with the giant gap between statuses. Not when he was a king.

As much as you knew you should, you had yet to divulge the information to Soomin or Hyunwoo. You were well aware telling them could perhaps give you some much needed advice or reassurance, but the courage always left you the moment you opened your mouth. You didn't know how they would react or whether or not they would hate you for it. And you could already hear the teasing statements Hyunwoo would make from it, only serving to fuel the flustered state the knowledge left you in already.

The two of them had taken the occupancy of a nearby tent after the masquerade, Jongho's statement of them being brought back with you proving true when he had allowed you a brief visit before your talk with Hongjoong. It was there that you had returned to that night once your tears had finally dried up, unable to go back to your own tent at the prospect of being forced to see him again. Neither one of them had been asleep when you had slipped inside and had been quietly conversing on the edge of one of the cots when you had appeared.

Your sudden presence had surprised them, as well as the state you were in, but they hadn't tried to press for anything more than whether or not you were safe for the time being. They were curious as to what had happened and the meaning behind their behavior, that much was obvious, but you hadn't had the courage to tell them. So when Hyunwoo offered up his bed instead of pressing you further, you had nodded your appreciation and curled up inside it without another word.

But as much as you had wanted to hide inside that tent forever, it was impossible. Despite never telling them where you had gone off to, Mingi had still been waiting for you outside the tent when you had woken up the following afternoon, chatting idly with Hyunwoo. Though he had made no mention of anything that had occurred the night before or why you had retreated into your siblings' tent, you had felt the concern he extended towards you all the same, and it had been impossible for him to completely hide the care that had laced his tone each time he had spoken.

You had never been entirely comfortable with any of them before, but this... This threw away any sort of progress you had made towards it since you had met them. You didn't know where you stood with them anymore - not that you really had before - let alone how to act around them now. The revelation of your newfound relation to them hung heavy in the air each time you were forced to interact, leaving you feeling more vulnerable than ever. It was impossible to look them in the eye, let alone stop the blush that came creeping up the back of your neck whenever they referred to you by those damned nicknames of theirs. Each use of 'angel' or 'pretty' only now served as a sharp reminder of how you were now stuck here with them, sealed to a fate you had no control over.

You had been right when you had told Seonghwa how harsh reality could be at times that night so long ago, and though you had hated how clueless you had been before, you almost wished you could have your ignorance back, almost preferring the anxiety it had brought over the anxiety the truth brought with it.

"We'll remain here for a few more days to ensure everything is properly instated, but preparations for the journey back to Taeyang have already begun." If he noticed your discomfort, he didn't show it, continuing on with his previous train of thought as he gazed upwards at the city's walls. "If you wish, I can escort you back to the city and help you gather anything you might wish to take with you."

"How generous of you," you murmured, "allowing me the time to grab a few comforts of home before stealing me away."

Up to this point, no one had explicitly mentioned what was to happen now, and if Hongjoong had been going to, you had left before he got around to it. You weren't completely clueless, however, and were able to read between the lines. If Hongjoong really had told you the truth, and you really were their mate, and they really intended to act upon this fact, you knew you wouldn't be staying here. You knew you would be left with no choice but to go down south with them, and the casual mentions the others had made of this had all but secured this fact for you. And yet, despite fully aware of what was coming, it did little to lessen the blow upon finally hearing it.

"Would you prefer to stay here with the humans, then, and continue the life you had led before? A life where you were overworked, insulted, and hated?"

"No," your body tensed, "but that doesn't mean I wish to go with you either."

"Then where do you wish to go? What is it that you wish to do if it's neither staying here and continuing the life you had before nor a new one with us?"

"I don't know," you shrugged, "somewhere..."

"Somewhere you could open up your own shop? A place where you could do whatever you wanted on your own terms and no one else's?" he answered for you, the corner of his lip tilting up. "We could give you that you know? Perhaps not in the exact way you always imagined, but we could give you anything you needed to grow and brew whatever it was you desired."

His words were a reference to a time that now felt like a different lifetime altogether, a time where you had been clueless to his true identity and in awe of the attention and kindness he had extended your way. A time where you had thought him nothing more than a concerned human who had truly seen you for who you were and not for the blood running through your veins.

Upon first discovering he was a daemon, you had originally thought it had been nothing more than an act. Something to get you to drop your guard and pin the murder of Hak Seongmin on you. But now that you knew exactly what was going on, the weight of his actions hit in a different way. And the implication he had made when he had mentioned what it was he yearned for if things had been different hit you hard in this moment.

You had thought his wish had been odd at the time. The idea that someone like him could never settle down and find someone to marry had seemed impossible with his attractive features and suave personality, but now you understood. For the majority of his life, he had been told a mate and family was something he would never have. That he had been born with the sole purpose of serving and protecting his king. And yet, everything had changed when Hongjoong had been crowned and the bond between them had snapped in place. Unlike you, the life he had craved was now at the tip of fingers.

"Was anything you said that day true?"

With all motivation to draw thrown out the window, you dropped the pencil you had been fiddling with into your lap and exchanged it for a loose strand at the edge of your sleeve.

"I know how it might seem from your view, but let me assure you everything I told you that day was true." His gaze was trained on you, but you refused to meet it. "The only thing I hid from you that day was the fact I wasn't human."

"And what if," you found it hard to speak, afraid of the answer to the question that had been burning in your head for days now, "what if I wasn't your mate? Would you have treated me with the same kindness you had shown me that day? Or would you have turned the other way like everyone else and simply let me die?"

Ever since you had gotten over your shock and come to accept everything Hongjoong had told you was very well true, the question had haunted your thoughts. What if you hadn't been their mate? What would have happened then? Would they have treated you with the same kindness they had shown you by your deeds as the Black Angel and the people you had saved, or would they have killed you where you stood when Seonghwa had revealed your identity? Was the only reason they were kind to you and treated you like everyone else simply because you were their mate and nothing more? And if things had been different, would you even still be alive?

Yeosang was silent for a moment, brows furrowing as he mulled over his answer to your question. Each moment that ticked by only serving to further fuel your insecurities, telling you what you had known all along. That things would have been different.

"You're right on the account that things would have been different, but not in the way you're assuming."

This time you did look up at him, eyes narrowing at the way his reply ended up being a response to your thoughts and not the question you had verbally asked him.

"Sorry." He had the decency to look ashamed for a moment, fingers digging into the ground beside him as he frowned. "It's just, without any proper training, you're akin to an open book. The heightened emotions from the past few days has made your thoughts and emotions overflow to the rest of us whether you mean them to or not, and sadly, we have very little means to block them out."

His apology felt sincere, but it didn't stop you from pulling your legs in closer, feeling more embarrassed than you had before now that you knew just how much they must have gathered from you. The pitiful looks they had sent you the past few days now worse than before.

"It won't always be this way though. We can teach you to control them, if you'd let us. Though you would probably excel the most with Mingi. Out of us all, he's always been the best at maintaining his thoughts."

"You said things would have been different," you replied, returning the conversation back to the question Yeosang had avoided earlier. "Different how?"

"Well, you did save Seonghwa's and the others' lives, so we would have happily followed through with our promise to repay you for your deeds and ensured your safety through the war's end. After that, well, it's a bit hard to say what Hongjoong would decide, but I imagine he would have extended an invitation for you to come back to Taeyang with us and hired you as a healer based on your natural talent and daemon ability."

"Forgive me when I say I have a hard time believing that." He might have said he had yet to lie to you, but that didn't mean he hadn't hidden things from you before, and you had a hard time believing he wasn't hiding something now when his claims of truth seemed so far-fetched. Perhaps they would have extended an offer your way, but you doubted you would have been given a choice in the matter, and would have only landed yourself in a similar position to the one you had before with the humans. Only this time with daemons calling you names instead of the humans. "And even if you are telling the truth, and you would have kept me alive to the end, would you have still done it if I had no healing capabilities? Or would it have just been a way for you to get a hold of my blood and use me as the humans have?"

"I understand how it might all appear from your view and I'll be the first of us to admit your worries do not come completely unwarranted. The daemons have not always been kind to those without a pure lineage and hundreds, if not thousands, of people have suffered and died under this obsession they've had. For it was the daemons who hunted down and killed the half-daemons when the war began and not the humans. And it would be easy to blame that occurrence and any similar one on the former king and his growing paranoia, but it was from centuries of prejudice that carried those acts to fruition and nothing I say or do will ever make up for it."

"You hunted them down?" It was hard to keep your voice level at the wave of disgust that coursed through you. You had known the daemons often killed your kind for no other reason than their hatred for your existence, but hearing how they had actively been hunted down for something they had no control over was something else altogether. "Why?"

"Hongjoong's father was not a nice man, and he craved power more than anything else. And the more time went by, the more his lust for it increased, and with it, came paranoia. He was afraid of anything and everything that could challenge him for it, including Hongjoong who he kept under a strict watch. He knew Hongjoong had the power to overthrow him, just as his father had overthrown his grandfather, so he did everything he could to ensure that would never come to pass." Yeosang's body had become tense as he spoke, his previous relaxed state hardening. "So, when the war began and he heard the humans had decided to gather up as many half-daemons as they could for the war efforts, the order to hunt and exterminate any and all half-daemons was given. It's the reason why the war hit the borders so hard in the beginning; the daemon troops under orders to burn them all to the ground, no matter whose side they were on."

"And you wonder why I was thankful to have been born among the humans," you retorted, voice full of bitterness.

"Things are changing though. Hongjoong is not the man his father was. When he heard what his father was doing, he recruited us to do everything we could to save as many of his people as he could, but there was only so much we could do before it was too late. There were only so many people we could save."

"And why's that? Why did he care? Why did any of you care?"

"Now that is a question that requires a long and rather complicated answer, one that I am unable to fully answer myself, but I will do my best to explain to you what I can." His head tilted, black eyes catching yours, and for the first time since he had appeared you didn't look away. "Has anyone explained to you or mentioned what my ability is?"

You shook your head, wondering what that had to do with the topic you were just discussing, but you knew better than to question him on it. After all, you did hold some curiosity to what his and the others' daemon abilities were.

"I can create illusions, making those around me see, feel, and hear whatever it is that I wish them to. Take this butterfly for example." A hint of a smile reappeared on his face as he reached his hand out for the insect, allowing it to take rest on his finer. "It's not real; simply an image I'm projecting inside each of our heads at the moment." To prove his point, he raised his opposite hand to swipe at the bug. To your surprise, his fingers ran through it as though it was only air, causing the image to ripple for a few seconds. "Believe it or not, it took years of training for me to pull off tricks like this one. Tasks such as changing my appearance or disappearing from view entirely took little more than innate talent, but mimicking another living being to where it was believable was something much harder altogether."

The butterfly's wings extended, taking off from Yeosang's hand to make the short trek over to your knee. You eyed it closely, in utter disbelief to discover it wasn't real. That it was nothing more than an illusion the man next to you had created for you to see. Everything about it felt real, down to the way its wings fluttered in the breeze to the way its feet tickled your skin as it moved along the back of your left hand.

"It's the same guard ability your father had."

"You knew my father?" Your lips twisted, teeth pulling at the bottom corner of your lip, unsure of just how this revelation made you feel. On one hand, you had no desire to learn about the man who had destroyed your family when he had killed your mother, especially not that you now knew just what sort of man he had served, but another part of you was curious. Curious to know if he really did match the rumors or if perhaps there might have been a chance there was some truth behind Soomin's hazy memories of the man.

Yeosang nooded. "When the new members of the guard pop up, the current members devote quite a bit of time training them up and teaching them how best to utilize their abilities. Since I shared the ability of you father, we spent quite a bit of time together in my youth and we were quite close before he was sent to Maehwa." He paused for a second, and you could feel the way his eyes had traveled back to you. "Did you knew your brother looks just like him? So much so, it took me by surprise the first time I saw him, and for a second, I thought it might have actually been him until I saw his eyes." The butterfly on your hand vanished then, causing your eyes to lock on his for a split second. "But I see now that you were the one to inherit them instead."

You struggled to control the way your stomach twisted at his words and were quick to divert your eyes. The light expression on his face showed he hadn't meant anything negative by them, but that didn't stop the wave of insecurities that hit you as he commented on the one feature you had spent years wishing you could change and the reason behind them.

"You're a lot like him, you know?" Yeosang's voice softened and a hand was placed on top of your shoulder. "A little stubborn, maybe, but incredibly selfless and kind. Someone who could see beyond the status of daemon and human. He would have absolutely adored you."

"Just like he adored my mother?" you rebuked his statement, pulling back far enough to cause his hand to drop.

"It's not that simple."

"What do you mean? He killed her, didn't he? What more is there to tell"

"It's... complicated." You were quick to see the way Yeosang had tensed up again, dropping his gaze back to his lap. "And though I played a small role in an attempt to stop the events that occurred that night, it's not my story to tell. If you wish to hear what happened, you would need to speak with Hongjoong. It's his story to tell."

"No, you can't leave it at that." You shook your head, forcing him to meet your eyes. You weren't going to play that game again. You weren't going to let them keep their secrets from you and brush off your questions. "He was my father and it was my mother, so I think I have a right to know. So, tell me, did he kill her?"

"I'm sorry, angel, truly, but I shouldn't be the one to explain that night to you. Trust me when I say you need to hear it from Hongjoong. After everything he went through to get here, he deserves to be the one to tell you." And despite the way his words frustrated you, you could see the desperation in them, as though he truly believed it would be best if you heard it from Hongjoong. "But something you should know is that your father was a good man. He knew I wasn't fully daemon, and yet, he never once treated me differently for it. And it was him who helped me gain the courage to finally tell the others."

You couldn't stop the sharp inhale his words brought, eyes widening as you process what he had just said and wiping away any remaining thoughts you had about the conversation before for the time being. He had mentioned it so casually, that you had almost missed it, caught up in figuring out what it was he had hinted about.

Yeosang wasn't fully daemon.

Yeosang, one of the Seven, and one of the highest ranking daemons in this part of the world, wasn't even fully daemon.

"My father was full-blooded, but my mother was a half-daemon like yourself. Because of that, it's not something anyone would be able to know unless they tested my blood for it, but still enough to where many daemons would shun me if they knew. So, when my horns and eyes turned black on my thirteenth birthday, I was shocked to say the least. The thought of being a member of the Black Guard had never once crossed my mind due to my lineage, so I was certain a mistake had been made. Why would the maetha choose me? Someone the daemons considered impure? And I was terrified. I knew what it was like in the capital and what they thought of those like me, and I was terrified of what they would do to me if anyone found out." He shifted, pulling his right leg in towards him and wrapped his arms loosely around it. "So, when I discovered I had inherited the guards' illusion ability, I used it to hide the new color my features had taken and prevented myself from being sent away."

You struggled to wrap your head around what he had just revealed to you, barely hearing the words that followed as your brain was too busy repeating the fact Yeosang wasn't fully daemon. More daemon than you were and with enough of their blood running through him to easily pass as one, but none of that changed the fact he was just like you in some ways. Someone who didn't quite fit into the status quo of the world.

"But they found you?" You straightened up, taking in his figure next to you in a whole new light.

"No," he shook his head, "in the end, I went to them on my own accord."

"Why?"

"Out of spite and a broken heart," he huffed, but a hint of a smile once again appeared and the slope of his shoulders relaxed. "There was a girl in my village that I fell in love with when I was around sixteen, making me more motivated than ever to continue keeping my identity hidden. For if I did, I would be able to stay there and live the normal unassuming life I craved. But, you see, she had only ever been stringing me along. She thought I was sweet, but could never see beyond the fact I wasn't fully daemon and thought I was someone beneath her. She craved a life outside that little village, so when someone else came along that she thought could fulfill her needs, she broke things off with me in the cruelest of ways. At the time, it nearly broke me, and I couldn't stand to be there any longer, so I left to fulfill the destiny that I had denied for so long. Any concerns I had previously had before didn't worry me anymore. If I ended up dead because of it, then so be it. I didn't care anymore."

"I'm sorry." It was you who reached out for him this time, resting your hand on top of his as a wave of empathy rolled through you. You may have never had your heart broken before, but you understood exactly what it was like to experience a rejected and turned away based on something you had no control over.

"I'm not," he shook his head, smile widening as he looked at the hand on top of his own. "If I had stayed where I was, I would have been miserable. At the time, I didn't understand why I was chosen, and perhaps a small part of me still wonders why the maetha chose me of all people, but ever since you showed up in the picture, I think I've finally begun to understand."

"I wish I could say the same." You retracted your hand, pulling it back around your legs as his words brought you back to the reality that surrounded you, reminding you just who it was you had been comforting. "No matter which way I run through things in my head, it just doesn't make any sense. A little over a month ago I was just another half-daemon trying to survive in this crazy world, and now I'm being told I'm the mate of the daemon king and his seven generals. It's just a lot in a small amount of time, and I'm having a hard time processing it all."

You stuck your chin against the top of your knees, looking up once more at the walls that had been your home for the past twenty years. There had been a time when you had yearned to leave them behind, but not like this. Not when your path only led you to another prison. A different city, but with the same walls that had tormented you as a child.

"My whole life I've been seen by nothing more than my status as a half-daemon. It's dictated my entire life, telling me what I can and can't do because of it. And not once has anyone ever taken the time to see what lies beyond it. To see me, the real me. Not the half-daemon y/n. Not the Black Angel with the magical blood. And not your stupid mate. Just me. Just y/n. And lately," you took a deep breath, shaking in the exhale, "I've been wondering if she's even still there."

You hadn't meant to tell him any of that, but the words had fallen out before you could stop them, fueled by his earlier revelation and you could feel his gaze on you as you finished, heavy with unspoken sympathy.

"You mentioned you were here to escort me back to the city, right?" You spoke up before he had a chance to reply, not wanting to hear what his response might have been. "I don't like it, but if I'm left with no choice in the matter, then I do wish to take you up on that offer. I don't have much, but there are a few items I would rather not part with."

"Of course."

If he wanted to push you further on the matter and prod your brain for what exactly you had meant by any of your earlier thoughts, he didn't. Instead, he followed your lead and pushed himself back up to his feet, stretching out the muscles in his back. When the action caused his shirt to lift and reveal the toned surface beneath, you immediately turned your gaze unable to stop the heat that rose up inside you.

What the hell was wrong with you?

It wasn't like you hadn't ever seen a shirtless man before, let alone other more intimate areas. So, maybe, it wasn't in that specific context before, but rather in the numerous injuries you had healed in your lifetime, but never once had you felt that rush through you before and you only hoped it hadn't leaked through the bond. The last thing you needed was for them to realize a part of you was physically attracted to them and use that to their advantage. You didn't think you could survive if they did.

"Just give me a second to get the barrier down." If Yeosang noticed, he did a hell of a job hiding it, rolling out his shoulders once more before turning to the barrier behind you.

"This was you?"

He shook his head. "No, the barriers are all San's doing."

"It's his daemon ability?" you asked, head tilting as your hand brushed against the invisible wall.

It seemed so obvious now that you knew, the feel of it beneath your skin strangely familiar to the daemon you had danced with so many nights ago. The energy in which it thrummed feeling distinctly of him, and the only explanation you had for the strange phenomena was the bond that now tied you to him-

- Maybe that was also the explanation for the way you had reacted to him earlier and the reason your heart was still beating just a smidge too fast. Yes, that had to be it. Why else would you have felt that way?

"How does he maintain it? It's been up for days." And you would know, having snuck off more than once the past few days for no other purpose than to see if it was still there or not.

"Barriers of this scale and complexity require the use of his blood to create and maintain, but if you're still curious about it, you should ask him. He could explain it all better than I would be able to and says he would be more than happy to give you a demonstration as well."

"He says?" You looked back at Yeosang as your hand dropped back down to your side. "You're talking with him right now? How?"

"Through the bond," he replied. "It ultimately stems from Hongjoong's ability to speak with us at any distance, though the bond limits the rest of us to a certain distance. With a little training, though, not only can you learn to control those thoughts, but you can also learn to direct them to certain individuals instead of everyone within distance."

"Is that all it does? Just sort of like everyone's mind together?"

"No, it affects each of us in different ways, and some more than others."

With the barrier now down, Yeosang motioned for you to follow him. You paused for a second, tentatively reaching out with your hand and half-expecting him to by lying to you. But your hand wasn't stopped this time and merely slipped through the air. Whatever barrier had held you back the past few days was finally down.

"Take Seonghwa for example. His ability only allows him to teleport to places within a certain radius around him, but the bond gave him the ability to also teleport directly to anyone else he's attached to, no matter the distance," he continued, guiding you in the direction of the city's gate. "That's why it was so devastating when it was him who had been injured in Binna. If it had been any of the rest of us, Seonghwa could have gotten them back to the rest of us, but it just had to be him. And by the time we realized just how severe it was, he had already lost too much blood. If he had tried to teleport to one of us, he likely would have died. Our only chance of saving him was keeping him there on the off chance you would show up. And you did." He looked back at you, gaze softening. "I know things have been rough for you since that night and things might have happened in ways they shouldn't have, but if you only knew what it had been like for us. To not only have Seonghwa alive and safe, but to have finally found you. It was... overwhelming to say the least. Enough so, that even Mingi lost his grip on his mind for a moment."

"And now that you've found me," your arms wrapped around your body, finding it hard to control the shiver his words elicited, "what do you plan on doing with me?"

It had been a question that had plagued you since your emotions had finally settled down and you had regained a grip on your mind once more. In your initial panic, you had left Hongjoong as quickly as you could, needing time and space to process the overload of information he had just dumped on you. And it was only once you had calmed down that you realized the amount of question you had for him now that you were thinking logically once more. He had claimed you were their mate, but he had never gotten around to stating what it was they intended to do with you because of it. Did they plan on accepting you and forcing you to play the dutiful mate? Or did they plan on rejecting you for something as trivial as your mixed blood?

Hongjoong's words and actions from that night had all but confirmed acceptance, and the others' only then served to reaffirm this thought. But you felt no relief from it, instead you wished the opposite would have been true. It might have hurt to have been rejected, knowing full well it had only been because of your lineage, but it wasn't anything you hadn't been through before. It wasn't anything you couldn't have handled.

It would have hurt, yes. You may have faced enough rejection over your lifetime to have become used to it, but that didn't mean it still wouldn't have stung in some ways. But it would have made sense. He was the daemon king and you were just a halfbreed. Just a mutt. Your father might have been someone of a higher class, but you weren't. And you never would be.

That was why you were so confused as to why each of them seemed so intent on accepting it. How each of them thought it was normal for someone of their status to be with someone of yours just didn't make any sense. Not when you were someone history had dictated would never belong in their world, and just because they seemed fine with it didn't mean the others would. You hadn't been around many daemons in your life, but you knew the reaction it would pull. You knew they would never accept you as one of them. Because you weren't. The sooner they came to realize this small fact, the better.

"Well, you are our mate," Yeosang replied, and you were unable to control the shiver his words brought this time. "We were hoping you would accept it. Accept us."

"And what if I don't? What if I say I don't want any of this? That I don't want any of you?" It was hard to speak, throat tightening on you as the inevitable hit you once more. "Would you accept my refusal and let me be?"

Your answer was in the silence which followed your question. The length it took him to come up with a suitable reply all but telling you what you had already known to be true. That there was no way out of this. It didn't matter what you wanted. It didn't matter what you thought. They had decided your fate when they had bonded you to them. The only choice you had in the matter was whether to try and fight it or just give in and accept it.

"Is that what you want?" Yeosang did his best to keep his response level, but you heard the way his voice still wobbled, hinting at the emotions that wavered treacherously beneath his carefully calculated expression.

"I don't know," you sighed, "but it would be nice to be given a choice. To have time to process everything and come to my own conclusion without you all butting in and deciding it for me."

"And if we had, would you have accepted us then?"

This time it was your silence that answered his question. The uncertainty of the situation making you pause for a second as he turned the table towards you. If things had been different, and it hadn't been forced on you in the manner it had, you honestly didn't know how you would have responded, but you had an inkling it would have been similar to how it was now. While you harbored strong frustrations towards each of them for taking your choice away from you, that wasn't why you were so hesitant over it all. That wasn't why you were so terrified at the prospect of being their mate.

If you were able to put your insecurities and frustrations aside, you thought things might have been different. There was no mistaking the physical attraction you felt towards each of them, the earlier incident evidence of that, nor the inward pull that had you yearning to get in close and stop avoiding them. Whether this was because of the bond that Hongjoong had put in place, the fact you were mates, or something else, you weren't sure. After all, you had felt some sort of connection to Seonghwa before the bond had taken hold, left in of the man before you.

You still remembered the strange pit that had formed in your stomach when you he had drank of your blood. Of all the times you had proffered your blood to heal another, it had never felt like such an intimate act as it had that night. At the time you had just assumed it was your nerves, terrified of the man in front of you, but what if it had been something more?

And though you didn't know them, not yet, at least, the attentiveness and kindness each of them had shown you during your time with them had been nice. You would never admit it out loud, but you had enjoyed that time with them more than you ever had with the humans. Having plenty of time to rest and recharge, being treated as a normal person, it was more than anyone had ever given you before. Never in your life had anyone ever treated you in such a way before. To have looked beyond your slit eyes or the lack of horns on your head and treated you kindly. It would have been the best week in your life if it hadn't been for the fact your life had hung in the balance.

And yet, there had been a reason they had chosen to look past what others had been unable to. They hadn't seen you as either daemon or human, but they hadn't seen you for who you truly were either. No, they had simply seen you as their mate and then treated you accordingly. And that singular fact hurt more than it would have if the opposite had been true. If they had simply treated you as the halfbreed you were.

"I'm aware that all of this is probably normal for you, that finding out your someone's mate is a more joyous occasion, but nothing about this is normal for me. It's foreign, confusing, and more than a little overwhelming. Having and finding your mate might simply be a way of life for you, but it's not the way I grew up where who we ended up with was a choice rather than something decided by fate. And though it might be a bit different for you than most daemons, Hongjoong has known about me my entire life and has had two decades to think things over and make a decision. And I didn't get any of that. I had it forced upon me before I even knew what was happening, so forgive me, pleasse," you took a deep breath, hands clenching at your sides and causing the nails to dig into your skin, "if I seem to have some reservations about it all."

"Which are perfectly valid, however hard they might be to here." As you neared the city's entrance, Yeosang reached out to you, pulling you to a stop next to him so that he had your full attention. "And though it may be wrong of me to ask this of you after everything that's happened, could you at least give us a try? Things may have started off badly, but is there nothing we can do to redeem ourselves? If it's time you need, we can give you that. All we ask, all I ask, is that you give us another chance before throwing it all away. Please, angel, I'm begging you."

The desperation in his voice caught you off guard. The way his eyes pleaded with you in that moment made your stomach twist and you were unable to hold his gaze for more than a few seconds as the feeling of vulnerability hit you once more. Here was one of the Seven, one of the most powerful beings in your world, all but begging for your forgiveness for the wrong he had done you.

You didn't know what scared you the most in that moment. The raw emotion buried within his words, the way he was looking at you as though you were the only thing that mattered, or the fact it was working.

You didn't want it too, still hurt and bitter about what they had done to you, but goddammit, he was right. As someone who had grown up helping others, you had grown up believing that everyone deserved a second chance at life, no matter what they had done. It was why you had been so willing to save the injured daemons. It was why you had been willing to save Seonghwa. Because who were you to decide whether or not they died? People made mistakes all the time and these mistakes were bound to hurt others, especially the ones closest to them. So, who were you to deny them that second chance when they seemed more than willing to change? When they were all but begging for you to let them redeem themselves?

"You said you can give me more time," you spoke slowly, trying to keep your own emotions under control. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

Yeosang straightened up, the grip in which he held you with tightening at the hopeful prospect your response elicited. "In whatever way you needed. We would ask that you still come with us to ensure your own safety and wellbeing, but we won't rush you into anything that you're not comfortable with. We can do things on your time if that's what you so wish."

"My time," you echoed his words, letting the implication of them hit. It wasn't ideal. Not since you had been forced into this whole ordeal to begin with, but it did offer you some small comfort knowing that the way things could and would proceed from here on out could be done at a pace and way you were comfortable with. "And all of you would be okay with that?"

"Of course. Anything you may need or want, we'll do. All you have to do is ask."

None of it truly changed what would happen, and you were fully aware that despite how you felt, you would still be going with them. It all just boiled down to whether you would go willingly or by force.

And yet, there was still some relief in knowing you now had time. You may have very well been in the same position you were before, having no real say in whether you got to stay or go, but there was some ease of mind knowing you could do things on your time, that you had some time to sort through your thoughts and feelings and not be forced into anything else you weren't comfortable with. There was peace in knowing you had some of the power in your hands, in knowing you still had some control over how exactly your fate would play out. It wasn't much, but it was more than you had before.

"Okay," you took another breath, doing your best to stop the blush that was creeping up the back of your neck at his words. You knew he didn't mean they would do absolutely anything for you, not if it meant losing you, but it still made your stomach flop. "I'll think about it."

~

Do you need something?

You jumped at the voice that rang out in your head, breaking the inner monologue you had been mulling over for the past twenty minutes in your attempt to decide whether it was a good time to approach him or not. Looking up, you saw Hongjoong had stopped sparring for the moment to talk with a daemon soldier, but his gaze had turned in your direction, brow raised as he awaited your response.

Can we talk?

To your surprise, he nodded. You hadn't known what exactly you were doing when it came to talking to him through the bond, but it seemed as though whatever you had done had worked and gotten through to him.

You had little time to celebrate your accomplishment, quickly noting the way he grabbed a nearby towel and wrapped up his conversation with the lesser daemon before making his way over. After talking with Yeosang the day before, you had spent the majority of that day and night thinking over everything he had said and what it had meant for you. And the more you pondered over it, the more you came to realize what your next step would have to be. Talking with Yeosang could only do so much. If you truly wanted to hash out what was to happen with you now and set the boundaries you wished to set, you were left with no choice but to speak with all of them. But first, you needed to clear a few things up with Hongjoong.

It had taken you nearly an hour to gather the courage to go through with it once you realized it was the next reasonable step for you to take, and then another once you had narrowed down his location in the camp. When you had seen what he was up to, you very nearly retreated then and there, especially since Wooyoung, San, and Jongho had also been there. This wasn't the first time you had found them here, often catching sight of one or two out in the fields on your way to some corner of the camp. And though you often diverted your eyes and hurried along, that hadn't stopped you from sneaking a few peaks as you did, especially today.

You had retreated to a nearby tree, doing your best to shroud your body in shadows as you attempted to wait him out before fully giving up. And though your eyes had done their best to focus on the sketchbook in hand, it hadn't stopped them from peaking over the cover every so often. You had told yourself it was to check and see if Hongjoong was free yet, but the excuse never covered the way your eyes lingered for a few extra seconds before returning to your lap.

You knew they were skilled, but it was still something else seeing them in action. Even if they weren't using their full potential against each other, it was still clear to you why none of them had ever been stopped before. Your eyes had struggled to keep up with their movements, not just from the speed in which they moved, but the way their muscles had rippled, eliciting a very similar feeling to the one with Yeosang before.

"C'mon, why don't we go somewhere a little more private?"

You jumped once more at his approach, quickly shutting the sketchbook in your lap and hoping he didn't take notice of the fact it was him who you had been drawing. Only once it was safely tucked away did you take the hand he extended towards you and allowed him to help pull you to your feet.

You struggled to get a read on him, taking quick note of the distance he had put between the two of you since the last time you had talked. He was guarded, more so than he had been the last time, and you were quickly reminded of the way things had ended between you. Of the last words you had said to him. And though they had been the truth, you still began to regret them in that moment, fully aware of the way they had cut him and how you would have never dared to say it if it hadn't been for your own heightened emotions.

"I'm sorry if anything I said or did that night hurt you," you started once he had led you back to the place where it had begun between you. "It's just, everything happened so fast and nothing you said or did could have prepared me for what you said and I panicked."

"You have no reason to apologize. You were right in what you had said. I never should have bonded you to us then. Not without your consent, and in doing so, I had hurt you." He leaned against the table that took up the center of the room, looking everywhere but at you. "It was just so overwhelming finally seeing you after all that time that I didn't think. I was terrified of losing you, and after everything I had been through to finally get to this point, I acted on impulse to make sure I never would. It might not feel this way from your view, but I did it for you. Everything I did was for you. To ensure your safety. To ensure your happiness. And yet, I've already failed."

You sunk down on the edge of the bed, the effect his words had on you making you unstable. The intimacy in his tone making you all the more uncomfortable, even more so since it was coming from him. Even with all the time you had spent processing everything, to not only be in his presence, but at the end of his concern, was still so strange. You weren't used to this type of attention, this care and concern they all seemed to shower onto you, and it only added to the insecurities that had plagued you since he had revealed you were their mate.

"What you did wasn't right, and I'm still struggling with my frustrations towards you all for it, but after talking with Yeosang and thinking over some things myself, I think I might be willing to give this all a chance, but," you raised your hand before he had a chance to respond, "I still need to clarify a few things with you and the others first. And then, if I'm comfortable with the answers you give me, maybe we can work something out. Or at least make me more willing to go with you."

"Of course. Please, ask away."

He did his best to contain the reaction your response gave, but you still felt a shiver of excitement roll through you in that instance. And though you didn't know exactly how you knew it, you were fully aware that emotion hadn't been your own, but the man's next to you. His emotions momentarily leaking into you through the bond that linked you.

"In a minute." You shook your head. "Not only do I think that it would be best if everyone was present for them so I can hear from you altogether, but there's still something I need to discuss with you before we can move on to that."

"Your father," Hongjoong answered for you. "Yes, Yeosang said you would probably come asking about it."

"I need to know what happened. If he was innocent, and someone else is to blame for my mother's death," your breath shook, the thought of finally discovering what had gone down that night was nearly overwhelming, "I think I deserve to know."

"I'll tell you, but," he lifted a finger to stop the rebuttal that began to claw its way out of your throat at but, "it won't be easy to hear. And I don't doubt you'll wish to be alone once the story has been told in full. If you wish to talk to us about making things work, I doubt you'll feel much like talking once we're done here."

You took a deep breath, the ominous message behind his words making you shiver. Yeosang had said things were more complicated than they seemed from the surface, but both had hinted at the truth being hard to hear. And why was that? Because they had allowed the thought of your father actually being a good man to bloom? And to hear he had still snapped and killed your mother would only serve to make it worse for you than it had been before?

"Then I guess you'll just have to wait." You set your face and nodded your confirmation. Hard to hear or not, this was something you still needed to know. Especially if the rest of them had also played a role in it all.

"My father was not a kind man, and he did many terrible things during his reign as king. He craved the power his position held and did everything he could to gain more, no matter the cost. He loathed the fact that I was stronger than him, that I could take everything away from him if I so wished, so he did everything in his power to ensure I kept my place beneath him." His words mirrored a similar sentiment Yeosang had held towards the the former king and you were quick to notice how they elicited a similar response from him. "And as time went on and the daemons became less happy with his rule, his paranoia became increasingly worse and only served to add to the cruelty he showed them. It was clear that someone needed to put a stop to it, and that I was one of the only daemons who was able to stop him, but I didn't know how. I was stronger, but he knew my weaknesses and played them to his strengths. He knew how close I was with my own guard and had no shame in exploiting it. He may have been no match for me, but my guard was not and they were the ones who suffered whenever I stepped out of line."

"He hurt them?"

It was just as much a statement for yourself to process just exactly he was hinting at as it was a question to him, absolutely appalled. When Yeosang had mentioned the previous king had been cruel, you had expected a cruelty akin to the rumors you had grown up hearing about daemons as a whole. You hadn't expected to hear of a man who was so jealous of his own son and the power he held, that he actively hurt others to make sure he did exactly what he wanted him to.

"My father took great pride in the ability he obtained from my grandfather, the one that allowed him to take control of another person's body so long as some of his blood had entered their system. For reasons we never did quite understand, it did not work against me, nor was I able to use it against him, so all I could do was stand and watch as he made them enact his cruelty on them, themselves." Hongjoong shuddered, and despite everything he had done to you, it didn't stop the wave of sympathy that filled you in that moment. "They always insisted it was fine. That it wasn't my fault, but how was it not? If I so much as questioned anything he did or showed the slightest ounce of disobedience, they were the ones who suffered for it."

"But they were right." You stood up from your seat on the bed, cautiously approaching him and placing your hand against the one he had braced against the table behind him. "It wasn't your fault. That blame lies on your father. Not you. And no matter what he might have said to convince you otherwise, he's wrong."

"Thank you." He seemed surprised by your presence, but he didn't push you away. Instead, he only leaned further into you, shifting his body closer towards yours. "That means a lot coming from you, even if I don't quite believe or deserve it. But, you didn't come to me to hear about my past, but what happened to your father." He paused for a second, taking a deep breath before continuing. "You see, your father may have been one of the king's guards, but he hated the man he had become. He refused to stand by and allow the cruelty to continue, so one day he approached me when my father was out of town. He told me what he had been thinking and proposed a plan to assassinate my father. It was a good plan if done perfectly, one where no one would end of being killed, but before we could follow through with it, it fell through. Despite the precautions we had put in place, my father still somehow received word of something going on. And I swear, if it wasn't for your father or Seoyun, all of us would have probably died that night."

You shook at the wave of fear that coursed through you in that moment, tightening your hold on his hand as you blinked back the tears his sorrow caused. The pain and anguish that filled him was nearly overwhelming, and it was only a fraction of what he had felt that night.

"Angel, I'm so sorry." His frown increased when he looked up to see the tears that lined your eyes, suddenly aware that he had slipped and allowed his emotions to flow over into you. "I didn't-"

"It's okay." You shook your head, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze to tell him it was fine. "I don't mind. I mean, can I really complain after the hell I've probably caused you to go through because I can't control mine yet? You don't have to worry about keeping them locked away, at least not for my sake."

He nodded, though you still felt the emotions pull back from you in the moments that followed. "Seoyun was able to settle his rage before anything got too out of hand, and to ensure something like this never happened again, he sent Minsu away to the humans. And for the next fifteen years, I didn't dare step another foot out of line; at least not until you suddenly appeared in my life."

"This Seoyun you mentioned, who is she?"

"A... childhood friend and someone who's saved our lives more times than I can count. You see, she's one of the daemons who have seemed to slip through the cracks of the spell and was born with a unique ability. Without her ability to influence others' emotions, we never would have been able to quell my father's rage when he got worked up."

You nodded, wondering why he had paused in mentioning his relation to this woman and if it meant what you thought it meant. You didn't care. Really you didn't. You knew Hongjoong was your mate, but that didn't mean that you wanted him in that way. At least not yet. And if he had past relations with other women, you didn't care.

"But, like I said," Hongjoong continued, pulling your thoughts from Seoyun and what might have occurred between the two of them before, "your father was sent to observe the humans and I didn't dare to try anything else until my first vision of you appeared. Even to this day, I can still see it clearly. Of Minsu's face staring down at you as though you were the most precious thing in the world. If the shock of you finally being born wasn't enough, it was knowing you were Minsu's daughter. And unfortunately for all of us, I wasn't able to hide my emotions well enough and it wasn't long before my father found out."

"He killed them, didn't he?"

You had known it was coming, but it did little to lighten the weight of it as the realization sunk in. You had never known either of your parents; at least not long enough for you to count, but knowing the truth still hurt because it changed everything. You had had your suspicions over the years through Soomin, but knowing that he had truly loved her, had truly loved you, sent you reeling.

"We tried to stop him. Once I recieved word he was traveling to Maehwa, Yeosang and I raced after him, but we were too late to save your mother. Fortunately, Minsu had some warning, as you and your siblings were gone by the time my father arrived. And to ensure he didn't spend the next weeks hunting you three down, Yeosang used his ability to fake your deaths."

You were silent, fighting the wave of emotions that soard through you. Hongjoong had been right when he said the truth would be hard to hear, but not in the way you had expected. Hearing your father was actually a monster would have been easy to hear compared to this. Compared to the knowledge his and your mother's deaths were all because of you.

"No," Hongjoong shook his head, hearing the direction your thoughts had taken. The hand under yours slipped out, reaching for your chin and forcing you to look up at him. "It wasn't your fault. If anyone's to blame, it's me. If I had done a better job at hiding it, he never would have found out and your parents would have never died. It's my fault, angel. Not yours. It's my fault for not standing up to my father when I should have. So if you have to put the blame somewhere, put it on me."

It was strange; mourning people you had never even known. Mourning a life that had never been yours and yet, could have if things had only played out a little different. For years, you had kept everything bottled up inside, hiding the pain behind a mask of anger. And now that the anger was gone, there was nothing to stop the sorrow that had built up all those years.

You're a lot like him, you know, Yeosang had said. He would have absolutely adored you.

At the time you had hated those words, hated him for comparing yourself to your father, but now, now they sent a wave of warmth flowing through you.

"I won't lie, part of me wants to, but I can't and I won't." You closed your eyes, understanding now why Hongjoong had warned you about hearing the truth and why Yeosang had insisted it was him you hear it from. "Because it's not true. It's not right. Your father's sins are not your own and he's the only one we have the right to blame here, however hard it may be."

At the time you had hated those words, hated him for comparing yourself to your father, but now, now they sent a wave of warmth and encouragement flowing through you.

"Angel." The word was nothing more than a breath and before you knew what was happening, he had pulled you flush against him and into a tight embrace.

You tensed, fully aware of just who was holding you as though his very life depended on it. But at the soft, mumbling "Thank you," that followed, you allowed yourself to slowly sink into his touch, wrapping your own arms around him. After everything the both of you had gone through to get to this point right here, this was something you both needed.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have." Hongjoong was the first to pull back, stepping fully away. "Do you wish to be alone?"

"No," you shook your head, "You may stay if you wish. I... I might have more questions for you in a moment."

"Of course," he nodded, "whatever you need."

He guided you to back to the bed and you sank down along the edge with little resistance, giving your legs some much needed rest before they collapsed on you. He sat down beside you, far enough away that you had enough space to be comfortable, but close enough to know he was there if you were to need anything.

"You came after me, why? You could have just left me and the others to die, but you didn't. Why?"

"Because you were my mate. I would have done anything and everything to keep you safe."

“But I was a halfbreed.”

"Perhaps when I was younger I might have cared. I'm not proud to say that I viewed half-daemons differently then and I could blame it on the way I was raised and the community I grew up in, but I should have known better. I should have known that one's lineage or blood had nothing to do on their character." He took a deep breath, carefully gauging your reaction out of the corner of his eyes. "It was your father who helped to change my view, as well as other members of my guard who had spent their first few years of life differently than I. So, when it came to be known that Yeosang wasn't fully daemon, I realized everything my father had told me was wrong. They weren't a pest or scourge so many daemons liked to claim. They weren't any less than those pure of blood. For how could they, when one of them had helped to save myself and the other guard members from my father's wrath so may times?

"And never once did I ever think negatively of you for your lineage. In fact, I cherished it. Because I knew through you, change might finally come."

"I think," you spoke after a few moments of silence, "I think I'd like to have that talk with you and the others now."

"Are you sure, angel? You don't have to, we can-"

"No, I'm sure." You nodded. "Knowing the truth of what happened to my father might have been difficult to hear and it might be a while before I can fully take in what happened, but there is also great relief in it as well. I'll now mourn for them and the life that could have been, but knowing that my father was innocent has lifted a weight on my shoulders I didn't even know was there. And for the first time in my life, I'm... I'm proud to say he was my father." Tears pricked at your eyes, the weight that was lifted at admitting those words causing another wave of emotions to course through you. "And after everything you've just told me, about him and the others, there are other questions I wish to ask, but feel as though it would be better if everyone was here."

"If that is what you wish, then I will call them."

"Thank you," you replied, doing your best to wipe the last of the tears away and to straighten yourself up before the others arrived.

At no surprise to you, Seonghwa was the first to arrive, teleporting next to you mere seconds after Hongjoong had informed you they were on their way. You had expected him to pull such a move, wanting to beat the others to you, but you still jumped when he suddenly appeared beside you.

Mingi and Yunho were next to arrive, whispering between themselves as they entered the tent. Their words fell away when they saw you sitting in between Hongjoong and Seonghwa on the bed, and they each sent a reassuring smile in your direction alongside their greeting.

San, Wooyoung, and Jongho followed closely after, the dust scattered across their clothes and the hair that clung to the back of their necks and face showing they must have continued sparring throughout your conversation with Hongjoong.

The last to arrive was Yeosang, and his appearance quickly brought back everything Hongjoong had said about him. How he had saved your life when he used his ability to make the former king believe you to already be dead and how he had also used it to save the others from him as well.

Just what had they gone through before? Hongjoong mentioned no specifics when it came to the way his father had punished each of them, but the pain you had felt through Hongjoong was all you needed to know. The suffering they had gone through at his hands was something you could never fully understand, but it didn't stop the burst of sympathy that came through you or the sudden urge you had to comfort them. To tell you how sorry you were for the pain they had endured and how you wished you could have been there to ease it.

But that would have to wait. Now was not the time nor place for it, and if you wanted to get to that place, you would need to secure your footing with them now. You couldn't afford to let yourself get pulled into their lives when you were still wondering just what your place with them was.

"I called you all here because I've done quite a bit of thinking these past few days," you began, eyes trained at the hands fiddling in your lap, "and despite things starting off rather badly, after talking with Yeosang and Hongjoong, I think I might just be willing to give this whole thing a try. To give you all a try, but I do have some final questions for all of you before I make my final decision. The first being what exactly would it look like if I were to accept?"

"I should think it would be obvious," Hongjoong began when the responsibility of the answer fell on him. "You are my mate, and through the bond that now binds us all, you are also theirs. Each of us are in agreement to treat you as such. You'll be taken care of, given anything you may require or desire, and when the proper time comes, you'll become queen."

"And you're all okay with that?" Your voice shook, unable to ignore the fact Hongjoong had just explicitly stated he had full intention of making you his queen when the time came. But you pushed it aside for the moment, choosing to focus on the more important topic at the moment; the one that your fate balanced upon. "This whole sharing a mate thing, I mean. You're all okay with it?"

"It was a bit strange at first, sure," Mingi was the one to respond first, beating Hongjoong. "I don't think any of us were expecting it to happen when Hongjoong was crowned and the bond reached its full strength, but you have to understand the bond between mates is unlike anything else, and many consider it to be the most sacred aspects of the maetha inside us. As someone who had never experienced this feeling until a few years ago, I'll be the first to attest that it's not something you can just easily push aside. And the additional bond that ties us all together only further intensifies those feelings."

"It's not very often mates end up rejecting one another, and there's good reason for it," Yunho continued. "You might not feel it quite as strongly as us due to your human side, but I'm sure even you can feel it to some extent, especially with our other bond. A yearning that starts in the pit of your stomach, growing stronger with each passing moment you spend together and subconsciously pulling you in closer, filling you with a desire that becomes harder and harder to ignore. And then that terrible aching in your chest when you're apart from each other, growing worse the longer you're away. Not enough to kill you, but enough to drive you to near insanity."

"It's why the Black Guard are born without mates." Seonghwa added at your side, and you were quick to note the truth behind Yunho's earlier words. At some point in the conversation, Seonghwa had placed his hand down on the bed behind you and you found yourself slowly leaning back into it, nearly closing the gap between you. "To neglect them of a bond that powerful would be torture and they would never be able to fulfill their roles and put the king before any and everyone else. Hongjoong knew this, so when we discovered what had happened when we each saw the vision of you on your eighteenth birthday, he wasted little time in deciding what would happen and that we would all just share you."

"It might be strange, but we've almost spent a century together at this point. Our entire lives have been spent leaning and trusting on one another. The idea that we would now all share a mate felt more natural than any of us had expected. And as someone who's always yearned to experience a relationship such as this, it was like a dream come true." Jongho's face tinted pink at his confession, and the sincerity in which he looked at you in that moment almost caused you to blush.

It was the very same sincerity that traced each of their features, all but ensuring each of them were speaking the truth. As crazy as it was to you, none of them seemed bothered by the fact they would be sharing you, nor show any trace of jealousy, at least at the moment. Not even Hongjoong, who made no motion to rebuke any of the their statements, caring more about them and their own wellbeing than being upset by the fact he would be sharing his mate with each of them.

"I'll admit you've each put up a pretty convincing argument," you began after a few moments of silence, "but you're all skipping over a rather important piece of information, especially if you're convinced of treating me the way you claim you will. How are the other daemons going to respond to this? This bond between us and your history with my kind might have made it easier for each of you to accept me, but what about the others? What will you do when my presence causes an uproar? Because believe me, it will."

“If anyone were to speak ill of you or attempt to harm you in any way, they’ll be dealt with accordingly-”

"In which case you don't mean murdering them, right?" You quirked a brow over at San, knowing exactly what the hand of justice looked like to the daemons. Hongjoong might have not been his father, but his past actions had shwon he was just as willing to kill for the right reason. "You can't just go around killing anyone and everyone who has wronged me in some way. Not only is that a terrible way to foster a better relationship between daemons and my kind, but it makes me feel terrible," you continued, stopping him or anyone else who tried to rebuke your sentiments. "And besides, if you did, then just about everyone in this world would be dead, including each of you."

"You make a valid point, but," Mingi responded, elbowing San in the side to get him to shut up before he said anything else that might have upset you further, "if anyone dared to threaten your life or safety, none of us can guarantee that we would be able to reign in our wrath the way you might want us to. We're not quite as merciful as you are, angel."

"Not that anyone would ever be able to make it that far though," Wooyoung piped up. "None of us would ever let anything happen to you. Your safety and happiness are our top priority."

"Perhaps there may be times when death is unavoidable, but I hope you would only act on it if my life was actually in danger and there was no other choice. Otherwise, I would prefer not only for you to not kill them, but to let me deal with it on my own. I may not be very capable in a fight, but I can handle a few nasty words thrown my way. I've had my whole life to practice, after all," you sighed, already fully aware of the chaos your presence was going to cause and wondering what the hell you were thinking to consider willingly subjecting yourself to it.

"Which leads me to another important note. If this is going to work, you're going to let me do things my way and on my own time. I'm still beyond frustrated at you all and the way you forced me into this. And though coming to learn your actions might have been done with a pure intent, that doesn't excuse them or change the fact they still hurt me. For weeks I was left confused and terrified for my life. I thought I was going to die, and then you dump this crazy, fucking mess on me, leaving me even more confused and terrified than I was before." You paused for just a moment, catching your breath. "My whole life I've been told I'm nothing and that I'll amount to nothing. I've been called any and all the names for a person of my status and have been rejected because of it more times than I can count. And sure, you learn to ignore it after a while, otherwise you'll drive yourself insane, but that doesn't mean it doesn't still hurt. Each and every insult and rejection slowly chipping away at me." You pulled your knees up to your chest, burying your chin in between them. "And when everyone around you holds that same sentiment towards you, it only takes so long for it to start creeping in. You can only tell yourself it's not true for so long before you start to fall for their lies. Before you start to believe it yourself. So when you tell me something completely different than what I've been led to believe my entire life, it's... hard. And it hurts. It hurts because..."

I know if I wasn’t your mate, none of you would have made a passing glance in my direction. 

You didn't dare voice it out loud, not quite ready to bare yourself that much to them, but at the way Seonghwa's arm tensed behind you, you knew you had just done it again and each one of them had heard the words that had just rang through your head.

"And believe me when I say I don't blame you for it. After all, why would you?" Your words were soft, muffled against your legs as you sunk further into yourself. "I mean, you're the fucking daemon king and his seven generals; the most powerful men in this part of the world. And I'm what? Just someone who was lucky to be born. So why would any of you have ever given me a passing thought if it wasn't for the fate that now ties us altogether?"

"Angel-"

"No," you shook your head, cutting Yunho off. "I didn't tell you any of that to gain your sympathy or pity, so please don't give it to me. It'll only make things worse for me. I only wish for you to understand why I reacted in the way I did. To understand why I hold so many reservations towards it all and why we have to do it my way for things to work. Because if we continue down this road you've started, it's not going to end well for any of us."

“Take any and all the time you need, angel,” Wooyoung responded. “We’ll be here waiting whenever you’re ready.”

“Even if it takes years?”

“We’re daemons, remember, pretty?” Seonghwa doesn’t miss a beat beside you. “Once you start nearing a century, a few years is nothing.”

“And what if it was a century?”

“I’ve waited that long already, what’s another one?” Hongjoong returned. “Especially now that I’ve finally found you.”

“If that’s what you believe, then you’re crazy,” you huffed, but a hint of a smile tugged at your lips. “No one is worth that long of a wait.”

“Then I guess we’re all just crazy,” San hummed from across the room. “Because I, for one, think you are more than worth the wait.”

At the murmur of agreement that traversed the room, you found yourself burying your head in your legs once more. No longer from an attempt to comfort yourself, but from the way their words left a blush to bloom across your face. Never in your life had anyone expressed this sort of sentiment towards you, and you struggled to control the way your stomach flipped at the thought. 

And for the first time since you had met them, you couldn’t help but wonder if maybe this life wouldn’t be too bad. If maybe the fate that had tied you to them wasn’t the end of the world. That maybe, just maybe, a part of you was almost happy to be their mate. 

~

a/n: taglists will now be in a reblog :) thanks for all your love and support

Fire of My Passion

group : ateez

pairing : poly dragon!ateez × reader, dragon!seonghwa × reader

genre : angst, fantasy, mature

word count : 13.2k

warning : slight gore (murder, abuse), death threat, murder intent, depiction of attacks and casualties, mentions of people getting hurt, psychological anguish

a/n : this is a fic based on @thelargefrye 's dragon!ateez universe !! honestly i really love the fics, i've been recommending it everywhere. if you haven't checked it, please read them first before you read this >:) you can find the dragon!ateez fics here here (m, mdni) here (m, mdni) AND BY THE WAY SMALLS IF YOU'RE READING THIS, I'M SO SORRY IT TOOK SUCH A LONG FUCKING WHILE IDK WHAT I WAS DOING ASOGHOSIGOSIJ I STARTED BULLSHITTING AND I CAN'T STOP

There were things that Seonghwa was used to; calm surroundings, his books in the library, his mates, and his clan. Everything was in order, as it should be since generations before and he loves it. This castle is his home, his sanctuary, where his past happened and where he will establish his future. All were as they are supposed to be.

That was until you came.

"Sunyeol, no!"

Just the sound of your voice was enough to ruin his whole day.

The voices made Seonghwa snap his head to see you running after a hatchling not too far behind him, a little boy named Sunyeol who was holding something in his hand, running past him with glee while you were in tow. Less than three months ago, Seonghwa didn't have to worry about being aware of things around him when he sleeps as the clan was secure in the mountains but now, his mates were sleeping with someone who could potentially kill them without having to lift a finger. How will his ancestors react upon learning that he and his mates, high-ranking members of their clan, were sleeping with the enemy and have mated with the enemy and even brought said enemy to their home, their little safe haven? To be frank, Seonghwa didn't know which part was worse but he resented himself for not preventing you from being admitted into their lives. Because as usual, the witches do whatever they want and everyone was simply supposed to go along with it despite the pain and anguish. So imagine his fury when he saw members of his clan being happy with you. He hated it. He hated YOU so much.

Seonghwa's steps halted when he saw you cornering the boy and alarms started blaring off in his head. The scene was just too reminiscent of the countless murders of both adults and hatchlings in his life. "Alright, Sunyeol, you give me my stone back or else," it was obvious (to you and the hatchling at least) that you were being playful, it was nothing but a ruse to make things fun and the hatchling looked very much happy and engaged, "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way," each step you took made Seonghwa's heart beat louder in his chest, ringing in his arms like drums, "And we both know we don't want me using the hard way," the smirk on your face was menacing to him, it was a sign of threat. At that point, Seonghwa was no longer even looking at Sunyeol, his eyes transfixed on you, on how you were preying on that little hatchling boy.

In a flash, Seonghwa had you pinned onto the wall, his arm pressing onto your chest suffocatingly in a diagonal angle, using his sleeve to separate you from him because he couldn't imagine the disgust, the utter uncleanness, the absolute filth on your skin latching onto him. "Is that your ploy, witch?" Seonghwa's eyes narrowed as he glared at you with seething hatred, the pure anger that his eyes conveyed was enough to have your stomach sink in fear. "You come here, you pretend to be this nice little witch when the truth is you were just waiting for the opportunity to erase our entire existence, right? And this is how you start? From our precious hatchlings?" smoke started coming out of Seonghwa's mouth and fear struck you deeply. You were confused because you were playing with a hatchling, helping Mingi with his duties one second, and the next thing you know, you were about to die in the hands of a high-ranking dragon for being playful. You tried to claw his arm off of you, desperately trying to get oxygen back into your lungs, but it was apparent from his grip that Seonghwa's aim was to kill as he was seconds away from murdering you.

Had it not been for Sunyeol's cries, asking Seonghwa not to hurt you, you would have surely lost your life that moment. Even when the boy was brazenly tugging on Seonghwa's shirt harshly, screaming at the top of his lungs to let you go as tears streamed down his chubby cheeks, Seonghwa still hesitated to let you go. In his head, he was only thinking of the fact that he might not get a chance like this anymore, to get you in such a vulnerable place that he could just take your life so easily. But the sound of the boy's cries seemed to remind him that he couldn't just make a decision about not only his but his other mates' mate single-handedly. Surely the council will disapprove and his mates (the ones that like you at least no matter the small number), will have his head on a stick.

With resolve wavering (as much as he hated to admit it), Seonghwa let you go, pushing you off to the floor where you croak, struggling to breathe despite being able to feel the oxygen fill your lungs again. With a last glare sent your way, Seonghwa turned on his heels to leave but not before reassuringly patting Sunyeol on his head.

Truly, Seonghwa had no idea as to how and why would his kind be so accepting and understanding of your kind. Since they were merely hatchlings, they were already warned about what witches do, what they were capable of. Cautionary tales of how witches put enchantments on dragon folks lure them to their dwellings and make them turn into their dragon form before killing them. Their scales were sold as armour to dragon hunters, their teeth turned into necklaces that serves as wards with runes on them or ornaments like trophies in their homes, their blood drained to be used as an elixir or potion, and the rest of them were either put on display as a reminder of what they managed to kill, unable to get eternal rest or let just thrown away carelessly as if they were nothing. Those who were killed like that died a gruesome death with the lucky ones got to die in their human form. Seonghwa could never forget the time Hongjoong burned down an entire village filled with dragon hunters when he saw his father's dragon bones propped in the square as if he was nothing more than a statue while his mother and brother were killed in front of it. How he took his family who were already gone, into his strong talons and stayed there as everything burned around him. That day Hongjoong unwillingly became the clan's leader, shouldering the burden and the pain that he was yet to be ready for.

You can ask anyone and they'd say that Park Seonghwa is benevolent, he is kind and understanding, and he is compassionate. But he truly drew the line at you and your kind. He would never forgive you for just entering their lives and messing things up. Things might seem okay and good now, but he knew that the likes of you would only bring pain and misery to their lives, he knew it. It's hard being someone who can see things clearly but not wanting to mess things up as too much was on the line.

For now, all he could do was keep an eye on you and prepare for when he needed to defend himself and his mates, his clan. He'd give his life for them but moreover, he'd take your life to salvage them.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Thankfully for Seonghwa, you spent the next several days cowering in the shadows. He walked around in pride whenever he saw you clutching your chest when you saw him before turning around on your heels and running away. Usually, you'd be walking around with Wooyoung or Yeosang, Mingi would only be around you when you were working with him and he convinced himself that it was simply because he saw you as nothing more than a coworker, nothing romantic. But the three seemed to know nothing which means you hadn't told them that Seonghwa almost killed you. To that, Seonghwa gave you trust points for not being a tattle tale.

It felt refreshing not seeing your face so often as before. One might even able to see the little spring in Seonghwa's steps and the slight smile that was returning after months of not seeing it.

But of course, all good things must come to an end.

One fateful day, after the sun has long set and the halls of the castle was illuminated by candle lights, Seonghwa walked out of the library to be met with the sound of hurried steps.

"Hyung, they came! They fucking came!" San cried out, panting when he reached Seonghwa with Yunho next to him, looking equally distraught. Confused, Seonghwa looked at San and Yunho with clear confusion in his face, "Whoah, whoah, whoah, calm down there," despite his calmer tone, Seonghwa felt uneasy from how his two mates were acting. "Dragon hunters attacked the border residence, we have casualties," the words that left Yunho's mouth froze Seonghwa's body.

He didn't remember what he said, he didn't even remember moving because when he came to, he was at the place where the hunters attacked. A good dozen were being treated for trap wounds, cuts and bruises, and not far from where they were, five bodies covered in white cloth laid still. People were crying over their burnt houses and while there were only two burning houses, it was two to many.

"Where are they?" Seonghwa's voice was eerily calm and stern, an absolute darkness filled his aura and both San and Yunho could feel it. "They ran off to the woods, we have three patrols chasing after them," that was all Seonghwa needed from San for him to transform and chase after the hunters himself. It wasn't hard for him at all as his eyes managed to catch their thermal signature and they were mocking the dragons they killed, obnoxiously yelling how the tip was worth the gold they spent and it just angered Seonghwa even more.

Moments passed like a second and the next thing Seonghwa knew, he reemerged from the forest drenched in the blood of the hunters he just... exterminated. His eyes was golden and face hard, wildness and fury apparent and for a moment he seemed soulless, like a simple sentient being whose job was to kill and had no remorse nor any emotions whatsoever. Not even San nor Yunho dared to got close to him as they didn't know how Seonghwa might react. Heck, they didn't even know what was going on in Seonghwa's mind as he walked past them towards the castle. Neither of them would have guessed nor expected for Seonghwa to immediately target one person in particular.

You.

Dripping blood, he was making a trail everywhere but he didn't care. No, he couldn't care less about the mess he made. He was going to do what he should have done from the beginning. He should have protected his kind, he should have protected his mate, he should have made sure that you had no chance to hurt them even for a bit.

Luckily for him (but unluckily for you), he saw you walking from the path in the garden, seemingly coming out from the forrest it led to. And everything clicked in his head. You were the one who tipped the hunters in the first place. You were the cause of the despair that befell them. You were everything Seonghwa thought you were and more.

Just as you stepped back into the castle, Seonghwa ambushed you, pushing you off of the steps and out onto the grass. The impact didn't wound you but it surely knocked the breath out of your lungs, causing you to choke as you tried to retrieve the oxygen that was oh so harshly forced out of your body. "I should have killed you when I had the chance," Seonghwa's voice was cold as ice, void of any emotion and it frightened you. You began scrambling backwards only for Seonghwa to take steps closer to you and it was only when the moonlight hit him that you realized that he was drenched in blood. "How could you?" He caught up easily and grabbed you by the hair, pulling you up as you hiss in pain, "What could you have possibly benefitted from killing innocent people?" When you were at eye-level with him, you were able to take notice of the tears brimming in his eyes, some had dropped onto his cheek and mixed with the blood before pooling on his sharp chin. "We let you stay with us and this is the thanks we get? You tipping those hunters where we live and letting them attack us? Attack the people who are precious to us? The innocent people whom we swore to protect and you made us break our promise for what? What did they promise you?" At this point, the hand that gripped your hair had moved to the side of your head as his other hand gripped the other side with his thumbs on your cheeks, smearing blood that penetrated your nostril harshly but it wasn't as bad as the pressure Seonghwa was putting on your skull. "S-Seonghwa," you whimpered, your hands gripping his in an attempt to pry him off of you. The tears in your eyes did nothing to stop Seonghwa from trying to crush your skull. He was in anguish, he was mourning, he was betrayed and he didn't even have his trust in you in the first place. So how could he have let this happen?

Your fingers had begun scratching his hand as you cried for him to let you go, begging to not kill you while proclaiming that you did nothing, that you didn't know what he was talking about. But he didn't care, he didn't want to care anymore because he was hurt, he was angry, he wanted to punish you for what you did because how dare you deny the truth when it was so glaring?

"P-please Seonghwa, don't k-kill me," you cried, managing to grab his thumb and still trying your best to remove his grip on you. "I didn't do anything." "I should have killed you the second you stepped into this place, I should have killed you like you deserved after exterminating us like vermin." Emotions were running too wildly in Seonghwa, every emotion that he never realized he had were running through his body like crazy, controlling his mind and action to the point that he didn't even realize that he was crying hard at that point. Though tears blurred his vision, he was still able to see the look of absolute fear on your face.

Your brain was swirling with ideas on how to escape the situation because the last thing you wanted was to die in the hands of your mate's mate. And then you got the idea, you found your escape.

"T-think about Y-yeosang a-and Wooyoung! Think of how much," you momentarily paused to adjust to the feeling of Seonghwa's fingers digging into your skull and you were sure that it was permanently dented. At the mention of his mates, Seonghwa seemed to come to momentarily. The grip loosened slightly but his hands were still caging your head so while it gave you a little bit of hope that you'd be able to keep your life. "Think o-of how much they'll resent you if you were the one to make me disappear," it was apparent that your tactic was working, Seonghwa's sharp nails slowly relaxed from your scalp, allowing you feel the sting from the breeze that brushed through your hair. "Let me make myself disappear, that way they'll hate me and not you and it'll be much easier for them to move on.

Your words struck Seonghwa rather deeply as he considered your words, thinking that you had a point and he'd get an easy out with his mates. As someone who was always level-headed, Seonghwa was rather surprised at himself for being taken over almost completely by his emotions and even more so that he was even considering listening to you. It was truly a cursed day and the quicker you were gone, the quicker he can move on and forget about how shitty it is.

When Seonghwa's hand let your head go, you finally realized how warm his touch was because as soon as he let go of you, the breeze blew rather harshly and goosebumps rose on your skin. Or maybe it was the realization of what just happened, you were going to have to leave your boys without saying goodbye. Technically speaking, it was just Yeosang and Wooyoung and probably Mingi, but you think it was better for your sanity to believe that the only reason Mingi would miss you was that now he didn't have anyone to help him with the hatchlings. And God, leaving the hatchlings that you had grown so close with. Just as a couple of them proclaimed their love for you because they thought you were so cool and kind and loving and they wanted to see more of your grimoire, Weiss. How were you going to move past this life? The life that you never expected but found to love despite the obstacles in every way. How were you going to survive waking up all alone when you've been so accustomed to waking up with Wooyoung and/or Yeosang in bed with you. Their dragon warmth that could not be replicated no matter how much you asked Weiss (because he didn't want you to accidentally burn him) helped you through rainy days and anxiety-filled nights. It was one of your favourite things about them and they'd be more than happy to provide it to you. But over anything else, you can't believe you were leaving them just because your life was on the line.

Just as you were about to say your goodbyes to Seonghwa (not that he was going to care, but it was just polite that way), when he suddenly grabbed you by the neckline of your top, pulling you close to his face so he could speak lowly with his teeth bared and body vibrating. "I'm letting you off for now but make sure I can't find you, you hear me? I'm letting you off because I don't want Yeosang and Wooyoung to hate me for killing you no matter how fun it would be. Because believe me when I say that I have made a list of how to kill you in an excruciatingly painful and slow way that you would actually much rather kill yourself than have me spend my precious time and energy on you," each word was like a stab to your gut but the pain it inflicted was nothing compared to the fact that you actually believed him. Genuinely, you know for sure that he wouldn't hesitate if you gave him the chance.

Seonghwa then pushed you by your chest, not so hard that you fell but just enough to send you reeling slightly, stumbling before running off into the darkness in the woods. The last thing you remembered was Seonghwa's golden eyes turning back to their normal dark brown colour shining in the darkness as he returned to the castle. It was all you could think of as you travelled through the safety of the shadows that the trees cast, thinking that even if Seonghwa were to send his dragon guards at you, you'd still be able to feel the safety of the idea of being hidden so organically.

You must've run beyond your strength because the next thing you know, you stumbled down a hill and you fell rolling down. The impact all over your body seemed to bring your realization back a little because when you finally landed limply on the clearing of the meadow at the bottom of the hill, everything came crashing down to you. How you were so close to losing your life in the hands of your mate's mate, how you were accused of doing something you didn't even understand or know and weren't given a chance to defend yourself or even to provide your point of view, how you selfishly traded your love for your own life like a coward, and how you might not be able to see your mates again anymore. It was only then and there that you cried, your throat turned raw when you screamed out of agony. The pain of falling down and your ankle twisting was nothing compared to the pain of being separated from your mates and you couldn't even imagine what Yeosang and Wooyoung would wake up to, how they would react. For now, you for sure know that they'd have nothing but hatred towards you and you were willing to burden it all if it meant that they would be kept safe. Maybe Seonghwa was right, maybe whatever happened was your fault somehow, maybe you brought them bad luck or maybe there was a reason that you couldn't even think of at that moment. But you stood firm on your resolve that you were doing this for your boys, for them all.

As painful as it was for you, you wiped the tears off your cheeks and stood up straight, letting the pain all over your body drive you by reminding you of what was important. You could still see the castle where you had resided for more or less three months, the towers were slightly covered by trees but you could never mistake it, and you could never forget what it look like. But you couldn't focus on reminiscing now, not when you can't shake Seonghwa's accusation that you were the cause of their despair. So with a shaky breath, you cleared your mind and summoned Weiss who opened itself up for you with no question as your hands raised.

"Let's get to work."

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

The past three weeks had been hell for everyone in the castle, especially for the residence. It was nothing like Seonghwa expected whatsoever. He had thought that by eliminating you, their lives would be much different and for the best. Never could he have imagined that the situation was much more complicated and dire.

"How is he?" Hongjoong asked, looking tired and stressed.

The head healer sighed and shook her head much to his and Seonghwa's disappointment. "Well, what do you know?" Although Hongjoong tried to sound confident, it was obvious that he was beyond worried, there was a slight quiver that indicated fear and while other people couldn't have noticed it, Seonghwa knew Hongjoong well enough that he was truly fearing for their newest addition. "Well... He's... Mourning, sir, the simplest explanation is that he was separated from his mate for too long that his mental state just... Broke," she explained timidly in a slightly bowed stance as to avoid Hongjoong and Seonghwa's gaze. At the mention of Wooyoung's mate, Seonghwa's body froze slightly, it was as if his body was involuntarily reacting to the trigger word or words in this case, immediately reminded of the scene where he drove you away by threatening to kill you. As far as Seonghwa knows, nobody else knew about that incident, no one knew he had almost destroyed you that night and that he didn't even see where you had gone to. He was just glad that you were gone. This, however, the news that Wooyoung suffered a mental break and Yeosang became so weak that he injured himself in a patrol was something Seonghwa didn't expect. In all honesty, he felt bad, he felt as if he was responsible, but he didn't want to believe that it was his fault so he put those thoughts on the back burner, trying to focus on how to better the situation instead.

The explanation didn't make Hongjoong feel better though as he couldn't really comprehend what is it that made Wooyoung experience such a devastating break. He tried looking at the two assistant healers but they too were avoiding his gaze as best as they could. "That's stupid," Hongjoong groaned in frustration, hands rubbing at his face harshly, "The oracle said he's our mate and if you haven't figured it out yet he's with his mates right now so you must be wrong!" he growled, terrifying the healers but didn't let them respond as he turned and walked away, yelling to them one last time, "You better come up with a better explanation and treatment plan for him!"

With a last glance spared to Wooyoung's bedroom as the healers reentered, letting the sound of Wooyoung moaning and crying in pain escape, Seonghwa followed behind Hongjoong. Maybe it was best for him to tell Hongjoong what he did, what he had done to Wooyoung's... mate. No matter how much they denied that a dragon could mate with a witch, they have to consider that fact now, especially with Yeosang's incessant and teary attempt of convincing them. The mood in the castle had gone down considerably and at a pretty drastic speed. One could argue that it was the stress of handling the dragon hunter issue and rebuilding the ruined houses and also calming the people down, ensuring their safety with double the patrols which obviously took time to assemble and set their working schedule. It was a miracle that all of them were still functional even though barely. Though, Hongjoong's dedication of time and effort to accommodate the situation was proven fruitful as they have yet to see nor sense another attack from dragon hunters. The patrolmen hadn't even sensed witches or their runes or potions around, meaning that it was more likely than not safe for them. Hongjoong and the others took this as a win as one issue is at least resolved. For now.

Other than Wooyoung and Yeosang, Mingi seemed to receive the third biggest hit. It had been a while since Seonghwa saw him practice his sword skills, abusing the life out of the dummy they usually use for practice and even managing to break three with a wooden sword for practice. As a carer of the hatchlings, Mingi was never expected to be the best in fighting as his main priority was protection over the little ones. While basic fighting skills were needed in order to protect the hatchlings if needed, none of them had ever seen Mingi letting out so much frustration and emotion which made him look terrifying. Thankfully, the children would provide him with some comfort, allowing him to still feel some semblance of warmth as he took care of them but once his duty ended, he would... clam up and go back to his sword practice. Yunho, San, and Jongho on the other hand looked detached even during their duties. While their quality of work wasn't affected, their mood does and it made them even more unapproachable, especially with the glare that Jongho and San would give to the other patrolmen. Yunho would more often than not venture off by himself, excusing it as him wanting to check something out by himself before involving the others.

"I went to the Oracle again," Hongjoong sighed as he and Seonghwa reached a secluded part of the castle, "I... Asked them about this whole thing," with his back against the cold stone wall, Hongjoong was able to lean his head back and just closed his eyes. Seonghwa sidled close next to him, his hand circled and rested on Hongjoong's hips to pull him close, the sudden act made Hongjoong open his eyes to look at his mate before accepting and just letting him get as close as he want. "What whole thing?" Seonghwa asked, his thumb began rubbing on Hongjoong's hips gently in an attempt to comfort the man. "Apparently... It was true," Hongjoong's head dropped to rest on Seonghwa's shoulder, feeling the absolute weight of responsibility burdening him so heavily that it was as if he could crumble then and there, "(y/n)... She's our last mate," an incredulous scoff escaped Hongjoong's mouth as if the words left a bitter taste in his mouth. Almost immediately, Seonghwa's body tensed up and froze, not believing his ears. "Yeah, I was surprised too," Hongjoong nuzzled his head deeper into the crook of Seonghwa's neck with his eyes closing once again, "What are we supposed to do? That little witch ran away and now once again we're left with cleaning her mess. How are we supposed to make sure that Yeosang and Wooyoung will be okay? They have truly mated with her so they're suffering greatly," Seonghwa felt Hongjoong lifting his head up slightly and when he looked down, he saw his strong leader's eyes brimming with tears, a rare occurrence that truly broke his heart, "How are we going to help them, Seonghwa? Why can I protect everyone else but them?" Seonghwa was quick to envelop the man in a tight hug despite he himself slowly becoming affected by his mate's words, he knew he had to be strong so Hongjoong could momentarily falter.

"Don't you even worry," Seonghwa said firmly, unknowingly using his own words to convince himself as well, "We're gonna get through this. We're going to be okay."

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to anyone else, Yunho had taken it upon himself to venture off again. He had been feeling something... odd in certain areas, as if something was calling for him, wanting to be found and rescued by him.

It was odd.

Every day, Yunho woke up to the feeling of wanting to venture a little bit further out than his usual patrol would take. There was something about the hills that called to him but every single time he got closer, he found himself walking back to the clan. And each time he returned to his people, there was a sense of longing and sorrow. Today, however, he woke up and sense that he felt different than the previous days. He couldn't quite explain it, but he sensed that whoever or whatever it was that was calling him is reachable now. So he rushed to the path that called onto him, fully hoping to see something new, some kind of explanation.

What Yunho didn't expect, however, was the sound of a mountain troll roaring followed by the sound of branches crunching but louder. Immediately, Yunho got into his battle stance, thinking that the troll sensed his presence and wanted him gone from the area. His ear and thermal sensors were able to pick up where the beast was coming from and where it was headed easily. However, what intrigued him was another signature that was much smaller and seemed familiar. It was only when he saw you being thrown to the ground by the mountain troll as if you were nothing but a book.

"Fuck," You groaned, trying to get up and running away but the monster grabbed you by the leg and dragged you closer to it. You were already so weak from trying to run away from the brute, and it was getting so frustrating and hopeless as you were a lot smaller and weaker than the thing. To be frank, you could've taken Weiss out and performed magic to daze the monster so you could make your escape but that would be counterproductive as it would leave a signature and you were trying to not get caught or found by anyone. So equipped with only your with and your desperation to survive, you tried your best to pry the hand of the monster off of you by throwing whatever your hands could grab from the ground at it. But it was no use, it had no effect whatsoever and it even looked unbothered. A loud cry was ripped out of your throat when you felt its claws sink into your skin, to ensure that you wouldn't go anywhere and it was then that you realized that you were facing the last moments of your life without having your task completed.

Thankfully, Yunho stepped in just as the troll was about to drag you by your injured leg to its dwelling, possibly to be torn apart and eaten by its group. With unmatched strength and clean movements, Yunho easily sliced the monster's arm off of you and sent it running to the other side, growling, howling, and injured. Yunho could've run after it to finish the job like how he was trained to do, but he was more worried about you. When he turned his back to offer you some help, you weren't where you initially were and it made Yunho panic slightly as he hadn't even gotten the chance to talk to you. His eyes darted around to see you limping away in the direction from which you were running away from. "Hey!" Yunho called out, jogging to catch up with you easily as you were injured and he was not human.

To be quite honest, Yunho actually felt glad that he saw you again after a long while. There was a sense of relief that came with seeing and confirming that it was indeed you; his chest felt lighter as if a weight has been lifted off and he actually felt... happy. Said happiness was ripped away from him however when he first noticed that you weren't where you were on the ground. "What are you doing?" his hands shot out as you stumbled slightly, situating them near your body so if you were to fall, he could catch you, "We should be getting you back to the castle! You're injured!" he exclaimed, cringing when he saw your bloodied leg that you still forcibly use to stand. It felt odd for him to be so nice to you especially since your nice gestures had been reciprocated with nothing but disdain and rejection from him for months.

Much to his surprise, you barely spared him a glance as you shook your head whilst simultaneously producing Weiss into the open air. Oh, how the tables have turned. "Go away, Yunho, I have important work to do," ouch. "Like hell you do, you need to be taken care of right now," your stubbornness was almost endearing to Yunho at that moment as it reminded him of his mates, specifically Hongjoong. It was no secret that the leader has his priorities set on his pride and his pride only so more often than not, they were forced to use force on their leader to make sure that he gets his rest. So out of instinct, Yunho held your elbows so he could usher you to the castle to get some help and hopefully some answers. But his heart stopped in his chest when he felt you slap his hands away as you turned to look at him. Yunho's eyes widened at the impact, completely stunned and surprised. You were glaring at him but he could see that it wasn't hatred, not from how your bottom lip was trembling and tears were brimming in your eyes. "Don't make this harder than it has to Yunho, go away," you said before turning around and going back to "work" just a little bit further away from Yunho.

Yunho followed suit and he was about to scold you for not wanting his help when he watched what you were doing. Your hands moved in almost a graceful manner, going into your pocket and producing a white powder to spread on the grassy ground as you recite a spell. Slowly, a translucent film-like barrier appeared from the place where the powder was spread and up to the sky. He didn't know how tall it was, but he had a good idea of what it exactly was. "You put up a barrier to keep us inside," Yunho muttered as his eyes slowly trailed from the barrier down to you who had moved further away to continue the process. "Were you trying to imprison us?" the question had no malice in them but the way he immediately thought the worse of you made you flinch slightly, "Of course not, if I wanted to do that, Wooyoung wouldn't have been able to visit my cottage," you sighed before continuing your work. Immediately, Yunho's eyes widened at your revelation, "How did you know that? Have you been spying on us?" again, he didn't mean any harm, it was just that he was in such a state of shock that it caused him to have a poor choice of language. Still, you didn't know that and it still hurt. "No, I was never spying on you all. I was making sure that you all were safe from hunters," you planned on concluding your explanation there, clapping your hands to get the remnants of powder off before limping away.

Of course, your exit was not made easy. Yunho grabbed your arm and turned you to him, this time looking at you with genuine worry in his eyes. "(y/n) please, come back with me to the castle, you need help from the healers!"

You had been hoping for months that one of them other than Wooyoung, Yeosang, and Mingi would reach out to you and asked you to stay just as Yunho was doing. But you couldn't shake off the fear Seonghwa had struck you. You couldn't even go back to living in your cottage as you were afraid that he might find you just to make sure that you were really gone or that Wooyoung or Yeosang might find you and brought you back or even just told him that they saw you back in your cottage. You couldn't risk it and you couldn't risk going to your mother's place as they could sense the dragon off of you and they might enchant you to tell them where they were. So you hid in plain sight, you set up camp in the meadows, right where you fell off after your encounter with Seonghwa and stayed there even after your barrier was set up and it was a good thing that you did because, during the past three weeks, several hunters got close to the area and you had to drive them away with enchantments and monsters ran rampage that almost broke the ward in the barrier. You had pride in your work, everyone inside was not able to look past it and those outside can't peek in except for you. If they even thought of venturing past, the barrier would incept their minds and lead them to go back to the clan instead. Of course, they were able to go out past the barrier, but not from the front entrance that you set which was the area of your camp, they were very much welcome to use the path past the river. You mostly patrol the front entrance and every once in a while, you were able to see some of them with other patrolmen. Mostly Yunho and Jongho, but you remembered seeing Yeosang and how weak he looked just three days after you left. You really wanted to hold him, hug him, tell him that you were sorry for leaving without saying anything but it was for his own good. And then you saw Wooyoung in your cottage. You didn't mean to follow him per se, you were just making sure that in his frantic state, the hunters wouldn't find him or he wouldn't do anything stupid. You even had to enchant him to go back and that was the last time you saw him.

It took everything in you to not give up and tell Yunho everything; what had happened and most importantly, how much you wanted to go back home to them, be with them. But you couldn't. You don't belong there with them.

"I'm sorry Yunho," you whispered. Before he could ask what you meant, you had placed your fingers on his temple, the touch allowed your powers to permeate Yunho's mind and sent him into a frozen state. You could feel his consciousness lowering ever so slightly as you recite the spell that would make him think that this was a dream and send him home. Yunho could feel it, your magic coursing through him and it felt warm, it felt nothing like what his elders told him a witch's magic was like. As you and him connected on that deep of a level, unbeknownst to you, Yunho was able to feel your pain, fear, longing, and love that wasn't just for Wooyoung and Yeosang, but for every single one of them including his clan. It was his first taste of pure and genuine love and devotion and he felt safe in it. Just before Yunho lost consciousness completely, he said something that surprised you as it was the first time someone had managed to peek out from your mind spell. "W-What about Yeosang? What about Wooyoung? They- we, we need you." A soft, sad smile appeared on your face and you shook your head at him, deciding to say something that you had no idea he would take to heart completely.

"He'll be fine. They both will, take care of them for me please."

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

The guilt was eating Seonghwa inside and out.

It had been a week since Hongjoong's revelation that you were supposedly their mate too and he felt like he was going insane. Days spent putting out one fire after the other with Hongjoong but thankfully it wasn't literal fire like the ones before. The things he had to handle were mostly over his mates being so unfocused they made mistakes in their jobs. San accidentally hurt himself during patrol, gashing his own leg by mistake when he tripped and fell down the stairs so harsh he had to be put to rest for two days. Jongho looked so worn out that he actually broke down crying one night to Seonghwa, saying that he didn't feel quite right and it was exhausting knowing something's wrong but not knowing where to start fixing it. Yeosang and Wooyoung were still in the same state; Yeosang's weak with cheeks hollowed, lifeless as he remained catatonic in his bed while Wooyoung reached a new level of despair; only saying "(y/n) please come back, i need you," as he made numerous attempts to travel out of the castle to find you only to pass out not even three steps from the garden. Frankly the only functional ones were Mingi and Yunho, keeping up with their duties while filling in wherever they were needed. Yunho was especially surprising because he suddenly spend his nights in Wooyoung's room, accompanying and making sure that he was okay before leaving to rest himself.

But everyone had their limits and this was it for Seonghwa.

He couldn't admit this before but he felt that his chest was hollow, his heart beating without his heart being there and his passion diminishing. Even Hongjoong took notice of this when he noticed Seonghwa slowly skipping his meals and remained to himself for the majority of the time, not saying anything when it wasn't truly dire. This, of course, led to fights between the two eldest as Hongjoong was afraid that he would be the last one standing, holding onto every last bit of remaining sanity in the group desperately while his partner was reduced to something similar to Yeosang. Seonghwa kept trying to convince Hongjoong (and himself) by repeating over and over again that he wouldn't, that he had a better grip on his sanity and control over his urges than Yeosang because he had never done the mating ritual with you. But of course, what he neglected to tell Hongjoong was the fact that he was so guilt-ridden that he has been functioning on anxiety for a couple of days and he had been travelling outside for a bit every day in hopes to see you. For the first time ever, Seonghwa was actually disappointed that he didn't see you anywhere near the castle and not even your cottage every time he checked there.

You truly did believe that he would end you and somehow he disliked that. The idea sent a bitter taste to his mouth like poison or rancid meat.

Now, however, he had to put his feelings and stress aside because he had to deal with Wooyoung who had once again left his bedroom without anyone noticing to venture out of the castle in search of you. With frantic steps, Seonghwa looked for Wooyoung, hoping that he'd be in the garden where you and he once spent hours cultivating and replanting herbs to be used or studied, or in the library where you spent the whole night reading dragon folklore to Wooyoung while stroking his hair, or even in the kitchen where you two stole cookies in broad daylight as a challenge to see if either of you were as subtle as you claimed. It surprised Seonghwa how he know so much about your behaviour yet claimed that he had no care for you whatsoever. Maybe he had been too stubborn to admit the fact that despite your identity, the connection was truly there and it was strong. His stubbornness also exists within the actions that he made namely not telling anyone else that Wooyoung had once again made a crazy escape in a very unwell state because he thought that as the oldest and the second in command, the last thing he needed to do was to involve people who were resting and made it seem like he couldn't handle certain issues by himself. God forbid that.

Suddenly Seonghwa remembered where you would sometimes take Wooyoung when you couldn't find the herbs you needed to make your (demonic mind control) potion. "Shit, he better not be there," despite his complaining, Seonghwa transformed as he jumped up to fly to where he thought Wooyoung might be. It was at the bottom of the hill where there were tons of stumps where mushrooms could grow freely and due to the type of wood growing in the area, there was one type of mushroom, a special and rare one, that could either heal someone's ailments and clean the body or kill them when consumed incorrectly. He remembered you talking about that because you had once prepared the drink for Seonghwa after he spent two weeks dealing with an issue with the neighbouring clan and was so close to passing out. Of course, back then he accused you of trying to murder him and slapped the glass off your hands harshly so that there was a large red mark on your skin for the next couple of days. Ironically, when he did pass out, he was brought back to good health by your mushroom incense which made him throw up all the toxins and fatigue that accumulated in his body from his neglecting it so bad which to stay true to his hatred towards you, he claimed that his body was rejecting whatever it was you used to incapacitate him and decided to just be better so he could fight you off.

From the sky, Seonghwa could barely see anything through the thick trees but he tried his best to sense Wooyoung. After all, he was weak and slow, it shouldn't be too hard to locate him. It wasn't until he heard sobs and a voice calling out for your name so brokenheartedly that Seonghwa dove down and transformed as he reached to ground to see Wooyoung lying on the dirty ground limply as his hands tried to pull the grass so he could crawl to his destination. Seeing him like this made Seonghwa's eyes water and his heart clench so painfully harshly that he thought it might stop beating. This was all his doing, it was all his fault for making a single-handed decision out of his sheer stubbornness and trauma, incapable of considering the fact that his mates might have been right about you because he thought he knew best.

"Wooyoung," he called out, wiping the tears that were cascading down his cheeks as he crouched down near the man who looked so broken and lost and abandoned. Wooyoung didn't even acknowledge Seonghwa's presence, he kept trying his best to pull himself forward more but the lack of strength in his body did nothing but gave him frustration. "Wooyoung," Seonghwa tried calling him again, his voice cracking slightly as he grabbed the younger dragon by the shoulders to stop him from moving more and potentially hurting him. The sight of his dirty, tattered shirt was something Seonghwa didn't look forward to finding out. To his surprise, Wooyoung was able to shrug his grasp off of him, making his escape by using whatever was left in him to stand up. "I need to see (y/n)," he croaked, lifeless eyes staring forward at seemingly nothing, "She needs me, she's calling for me," though he said with little to no facial muscle movement, the tears that sprung from his eyes indicated just how desperate he was.

The thought of scooping Wooyoung and simply taking him away flashed in Seonghwa's head. It would be so easy to just grab him and take him away, God knows it would be best for the both of them. But Seonghwa felt in his gut that he wouldn't be able to cope with the knowledge that he has once again done something that was against what his mate wanted. Another thought flashed in Seonghwa's head, was he about to let his mate do something that could potentially end his life? Not on his watch. So how was he going to convince Wooyoung to return home?

Seonghwa's deep thoughts were cut short when he heard rustles coming from the darkness in front of them and soon cloaked figures emerged from the shadows. The second they stepped close enough, Seonghwa could smell the stench on them, the stench of dead dragons. "Dragon hunters," he muttered to himself, highly alert and swiftly pulling Wooyoung back against him. It didn't even matter to him that Wooyoung was thrashing like crazy, sounds and words from Wooyoung's mouth muddled together, making him incoherent. While this just made Seonghwa panic more, as his brain immediately thought of ways how he could get both himself and the inconsolable younger dragon out of there safely, the hunters seemed to find Seonghwa's state of panic highly amusing.

One of the hunters took his hood down to reveal his face which was half hidden by a headpiece made from intricately placed dragon scales with sections that go down his jaw to his chin decorated with dragon teeth. It was highly disrespectful to wear the carcass of such majestic creatures like that but of course, those hunters don't care, the more ridiculous they looked the higher regard they got from their fellow hunters.

"Looks like we have our work half done for us, boys. We can get the crazy one to the Head of the Coven and have her turn him into a puppet for children's show or for the circus," he laughed with boisterous laughter following after him. "The taller one we can use for accessories. Did you see the colour of his scales? We'll make bank with a lot left for ourselves," the hunter's eyes zeroed in on Seonghwa as if Seonghwa was a treasure that he had been looking for.

Horror struck Seonghwa and dread washes over his body at the mention of his dragon form. It was his fault that the hunters found them, he led them here because he couldn't be bothered to take the hard way and be discreet as he looked for Wooyoung. Not to mention his stubbornness and need to prove himself that led to him not alerting the others that Wooyoung was gone and that he needed help was going to be the reason his other mates will blame themselves if anything were to happen to them both.

"Get them, but make sure you don't nick their skins, I want to make sure we can get the best price," the same man said simply, cockily looking down at Seonghwa and Wooyoung as if he was sure that he was going to get the both of them. His confidence effectively struck his companions positively as they soon took menacing steps forward, seemingly to corner Seonghwa. Between making sure he had a secure grip on Wooyoung and trying to find a way to escape, Seonghwa couldn't even estimate the number of hunters around them. Were there more? Are they surrounded? What weapons do they have? Which clan did they come from? What do they want? There were thousands of questions running through Seonghwa's head which didn't help with him concocting a way to escape.

For some reason, Seonghwa was calling to you in his head. It was odd, he didn't know what it was exactly that you could've done and to be quite frank, he had always mocked you for it, calling you useless and unnecessary because he couldn't be bothered to learn about your power. Despite that, he was calling for you in his head because he had a feeling that you would know what to do to deal with the hunters and even how to deal with Wooyoung and perhaps even calm him down a little. The grip Seonghwa had on Wooyoung was trembling slightly, he was slowly consumed with uncertainty and anxiety and he feared that the hunters must have had something on them that made Seonghwa feel like so. According to their words, they must have had witches living among them and they have been helping these hunters capture dragons. He could only assume that those witches are powerful too because Seonghwa felt his legs trembling and his chest tightening, he was slowly being overcome with anxiety and while he was still able to function, Wooyoung was wailing. With each step the hunters took closer to them, the more sure Seonghwa was that it would be the end of him and Wooyoung. His grip slipped ever so slowly but he still tried to hold on to the younger dragon, he wanted to hold on. Because however, the situation will end, he wanted to be selfless and be there for the mate that needed him.

When a sound popped out from the left side of the hunters, Seonghwa was damn near using the last of his sanity to turn into his dragon form and breathed fire at whoever made that sound. But it was a good thing he didn't because he immediately recognized you standing there, looking seemingly harmless but he noticed the determination in your eyes and it was enchanting.

"And what the fuck are you supposed to be?" One of the hunters scoffed at you, thinking that you must be a joke.

With a raised eyebrow, you whipped Weiss out and shoved both hands into your skirt pockets. "The last thing you'll ever see, unfortunately," in a split second, your gaze shifted to Seonghwa and though you spoke in a low, almost whisper-like tone that seemed to sound louder than it actually is and echoed in his ears, "Duck"

As soon as Seonghwa's front side made contact with the ground with Wooyoung in his death grip, he heard something sizzling that was followed by the smell of something burning and men screaming around him. Seonghwa couldn't look around as the sound of men screaming into the night was deafening and it caused his body to freeze in utter shock. The only thing he could see was you standing a little far away from him and Wooyoung, face emotionless with hands covered in a thin layer of white powder and your chest slightly heaving. Seonghwa didn't know what was happening and frankly, he was rather hesitant to find out because whatever it was you did wasn't good.

Your eyes met Seonghwa soon and his stomach dropped, he had never seen you like that before and he suddenly felt the urge to say a lot of things to you. He wasn't sure what those things were, but he knew there was too much to say. He was about to get up and run to you when you lifted a hand to him and shook your head, "Run," you said simply, taking small steps to inconspicuously return to the safety of the shadows. Though he wouldn't admit it out loud, Seonghwa felt his heart clench when you told him to run, to go AWAY from you instead of TO you. He could only assume that you would be happy that he finally wanted to be close to you but instead you were acting so cold and dismissive towards him. The screams of men in pain snapped Seonghwa back to reality, however, realizing that all of the hunters were in fact distracted enough that they wouldn't even attempt to follow him if he were to safely return home. You had provided him with an escape.

So Seonghwa did what he thought he should do despite the aching feeling of uncertainty about whether or not he or any one of his mates would see you again, he had to prioritize and at that moment, Wooyoung seemed more important than anything else. He grabbed Wooyoung and moved to pull him up despite him wailing for you, calling out your name and trying to claw his way out of Seonghwa's grip. "Wooyoung, snap out of it!" without hesitance, Seonghwa slapped Wooyoung across his face which seemed to stun him enough to focus on Seonghwa, "We need to get out of here! We don't have time to spare or chances left!" Desperation palpable in his voice and the eyes that conveyed a thousand emotions finally penetrated into Wooyoung's mind and for the first time in weeks, he was able to give a sound response. Slowly, Wooyoung nodded and stood up, wincing as he realized just how sore and weak his body was while Seonghwa followed suit. Hastily, Seonghwa pulled Wooyoung further away from the group of wailing men, "You need to turn and fly away home, okay? Call for help, and I'll distract them as best as I could to make sure they don't follow you," Wooyoung opened his mouth to say something but Seonghwa raised his hand to stop him, "You are in no condition to argue with me, just trust me and do as I said."

Of course, even with Seonghwa's order, Wooyoung's heart still yearns for you, he wanted to be with you after being separated for so long. Hoping that he would be able to make eye contact with you, Wooyoung glanced to where you were standing only to be met with the sight of shadows casting through the woods. "Go!" Seonghwa growled, pushing Wooyoung slightly away when he only stood still. Reluctantly, Wooyoung shifted and flew back as quickly as he could to the castle, roaring in the air in hopes that someone from the clan heard him.

Seonghwa was too preoccupied with making sure that Wooyoung was okay that he neglected to see the leader of the hunter group coming at him with an obsidian blade. He only realized what was happening when he caught his shadow moving from the corner of his eyes and even then, Seonghwa knew that it was too late for him, he was going to be stabbed with a poisonous blade and he could potentially die. Things started to move in slow motion and his eyes closed, defeated, as he waited for the pain to strike him whilst he continuously reassured himself that even though he was going to die, he managed to get Wooyoung to safety first.

The sound of the blade taking flesh in between flesh was gut-wrenching to Seonghwa and he could only imagine how the stone would interact with his dragon blood, turning everything toxic and rotting his flesh from the inside out.

He waited and waited, but the pain never came. When his eyes finally opened, he was beyond shocked to see you in front of him, the blade nesting in your right shoulder as you stared up at the hunter dead in the face. There were a lot of things that Seonghwa didn't expect from you and on the very top of that list were you jumping in front of danger for him, putting your life at risk for him. He expected you to do that for the others, even Hongjoong (since he's the clan leader), but not him. Never him.

"Wrong move," you spat and before either he or Seonghwa could react, you pressed your powder-covered hands to his face. Then Seonghwa saw it, he saw the man's face sizzling under your touch in the areas where his dragon scale helmet was and around its area. As if it wasn't enough, you mumbled spells that soon caused blood to leak from the man's eyes, his pupils constricting to the point that they were mere dots as his throat vibrated with the agonizing cry he let out.

Only when the man dropped to the ground at your feet that you let your arms fall to your sides. Slowly, you turned to Seonghwa and Seonghwa could see the more relaxed expression on your face. Then his gaze dropped to your body, specifically to your blood-drenched hands. He didn't know whether it was the hunter's blood or yours, everything was just too messy for him to see clearly and he didn't even know where to start looking. "(y/n)..." he called out reaching out to take your arm in his grip gently but you scurried away abruptly as if you were scared, you would've continued if it wasn't for the tree that you accidentally hit, making you wince from the pain of the blade. "Please don't kill me," you whimpered slightly, inching to the side of the tree in hopes that you could make a quick exit. The words somehow struck Seonghwa deeply, he was well aware that he was the one who threatened to kill you in the first place but he never realized that you would be so affected by it. The fear in your eyes when you looked at Seonghwa without the safety of hunters to excuse your presence somehow bothered him. Just a couple of weeks ago Seonghwa would've taken great pride in instilling such crippling fear into you, but now he just hated how you wanted to get away from them now. From him.

"You're hurt..." Though his voice was wavering slightly, Seonghwa tried his best to keep a strong front, wanting to show that he wasn't letting his emotions get the best of him. And it worked, you only took further steps away from him because you felt that he was being so stoic and perhaps he was giving you a false sense of security just to trap you and kill you. So you quickly shook your head at him, not wanting his words to influence your decision to go back into hiding and plan a better strategy to protect them.

With every faltering step back you took, Senoghwa seemed to want to follow and it scared you. He wasn't taking more steps than you but his strides were longer. Right then and there, you could feel a pull to him, a pull that you've experienced with Wooyoung and again with Yeosang when he finally opened his heart to accept you romantically. The feeling was warm and comforting, reassuring of your safety and life despite the poison that was entering your bloodstream. You had been so focused on Seonghwa that you didn't even notice the little trick the leader hunter pulled to ensure incapacity towards any of his enemies, dragons or not. The poison he used was deadly to dragons, capable of paralyzing them in 30 seconds and completely killing them in 20 minutes. While it wasn't as deadly to humans, you didn't have much time until you grow weak in your tent and die slowly for days whilst locked in your own body, able to feel everything but unable to do anything.

Thinking that the chicken dance you and Seonghwa were doing could last a while, you decided that you should just make your escape so you could treat your wound as soon as possible. With a smile thrown at Seonghwa, your feet took their position to run, "I'm glad you both are safe." Seonghwa's body went into an immediate state of panic as he heard you say that, alarm bells started going off in his brain knowing that that was your way of saying goodbye. He had been so determined to find you and bring you home, how could he just let you go? It wasn't like he was trying to force you to come with him or even kidnap you, but he wanted to bring you back home where you belong. The home that Seonghwa had so selfishly taken away from you and for what, pride? In the name of trauma? Nothing could excuse his behaviour and that was why he wanted to make sure that he could make up for it. And he couldn't do it when the person he wanted to make up to isn't there.

As you turned around to flee, you felt something shoot up your spine and your vision turned black. The pain made you want to scream and you could've sworn you were screaming in pain. But in reality, your face was lax and your body swayed to the side, gravity doing its job pulling you to the ground when all strength left your body. The last thing you hear was the sound of someone calling your name, then a couple more that was followed by flaps of wings and rushed steps. You must've imagined things. Out of all, however, Seonghwa's voice was more prominent and you could've sworn the palm that supported your head as you fell belonged to him. Well, you must've been beyond delusional which means the poison was doing such a marvellous job. This was maybe the sound that was sending you off to the afterlife and to be honest, you could be hearing worse.

Now all you had to do was welcome what comes next.

Whatever it was.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

"Hyung?"

Seonghwa's head snapped up to the door when he heard someone calling for him. The door to your room was shut with a heavy thud and Mingi came walking in with some things in his hands. "I thought you were told to rest," the younger sighed, displeased that his older mate was disregarding the words of healers who had instructed Seonghwa to take it easy on himself. Seonghwa shook his head as his gaze dropped back to the woman sleeping on the bed, looking like a corpse with how she was unmoving and unresponsive but still alive as indicated by the flush on her cheeks and lips. Since when do Seonghwa think of you like that?

Though Mingi was worried for him, Seonghwa only waved a hand dismissively at him, "No, I... I put her in this situation, I should take care of her."

When Seonghwa brought you back to the castle, not only were his mates up and about due to Wooyoung's warning (and being absolutely surprised that Wooyoung was functioning normally), but they were preparing to save you and Seonghwa. So when they saw Seonghwa in your arms, they thought that you had died. Chaos ensued when Seonghwa reassured everyone that you weren't dead but were definitely dying if you weren't treated immediately. Coming to his senses first, Yunho scooped you from Seonghwa's arms and carried you to the house of the head healer just outside the castle area followed by Yeosang who regained some strength at the mention of you and also Wooyoung. As soon as you were out of sight, Seonghwa dropped to his knees, legs lost all strength as tears poured out of his eyes, coating the skin of his cheeks in a glittery sheen. That was when he grabbed Hongjoong's hands and confessed to what he did, how he threatened to end you because he thought you helped orchestrated an attack. He confessed how he almost did kill you that night, how he single-handedly exiled you because he thought he was doing what was best for everyone. He confessed how it was his fault Yeosang and Wooyoung almost lost their minds and how the others were suffering, not realizing that it was because their mate was told to stay away from them.

That night Seonghwa received nothing but confused, cold glances from his mates even as he was being patched up. It wasn't that they hated him for what he did nor were they mad, it was just the fact that Seonghwa kept such a big secret from them. Moreover, after Wooyoung recounted how you had saved him and Seonghwa from out of nowhere which prompted them to ask Seonghwa how you got stabbed by an obsidian blade. Of course, Seonghwa told them everything, he told them about how you jumped in front of him with no hesitance which saved him completely from danger. Then there was a conversation of dragon's honour, how they should never bite the hand that fed them (literally or not). Mingi was the first to innocently bring up the fact that you had been but nice and generous to Seonghwa but he had only returned your kind gestures in utter disdain. Hongjoong defended Seonghwa by saying that despite his actions, he did not break a dragon's honour as you had never saved his life before. Then surprisingly, Jongho backed Mingi up by saying that the dragon's honour doesn't only apply to live-saving situations, it also applies to general, mundane situations which prompted Hongjoong to snap at the youngest, saying something along the lines of "If I remembered correctly, you wanted to stake and burn her to see if, and I quote, 'she smells like rotting eel like the rest of her coven' when she first came to us" which was not received well by Jongho.

Now, five days later, you were still not up but the tension amongst his mates had died down and things had started to turn for the better. The warriors were less antsy and got even more confident with the additional good news that Yeosang was finally cleared to come back on duty 3 days ago. Wooyoung was once again able to function normally, returning to his studies with the healers whilst sharing the recipes he learnt from you during the time you lived together. Hongjoong was finally able to calm the council and was able to address the questions regarding the citizen's safety with more assurance. Mingi brought the good news that you were back to the hatchlings and they were more than elated, immediately asking Mingi when they could see you again which made him so happy. And Seonghwa felt much more at ease with knowing that you were there with him, knowing that they were once again whole despite your comatose state. One thing for sure though, you were never left alone without anyone's watch. Wooyoung, Yeosang, and Mingi had taken it upon themselves to sleep in your room with you with Mingi dragging a (not so) begrudging Yunho with him. Jongho would only stand guard outside your door in the afternoons when everyone else was too busy with their own duties while San would stand guard inside your room but away from you, both were still feeling awkward because they had been so bad towards you and they didn't feel their fussing over you would be justified. Hongjoong would keep watch from afar and through his staff, asking questions directly to the healers or (not so) casually asking the members on watch about your condition during their supper. Seongwha remained a constant by your side though, adamant about being there when you woke up. He would do his duties from his seat and only leave when absolutely necessary and even then, he would rush and make sure someone was in the room with you.

Whilst keeping watch on you, Seonghwa made the realization that you were the difference that they needed. It could be because of the fact that you were destined to be mated with all eight of them, but it was also possible that it was because you were... you. Never had he experienced such a drastic difference that happened with a person's absence and presence. It was as if you forged their life force, your mere presence elevated their energy in more ways than one. He had been a fool to let his ego cloud his judgement.

Mingi walked towards you with a gentle smile on his face, his hand gently placing a flower crown on top of your head, "Hi there, I... made this when I took the hatchlings outside to learn about nature. They missed you so much," he wanted to say how he missed you too, but the presence of Seonghwa only made him swallow his own words. Mingi then turned to the older male, sighing when he saw his eyes busily darting through scrolls for different businesses that Seonghwa needed to tend. "I'm worried for you, hyung," Mingi confessed, eyebrows scrunched in slight frustration at the older's stubbornness. "I said I'm fine," Seonghwa sighed, putting his scrolls down on the desk next to him to look at Mingi with a small smile, "Don't worry about me, okay? I know my limits and I just want to make sure (y/n) comes out of this okay," he reassured him. It seemed like Mingi wanted to say something, but the stare Seonghwa gave him made him shut his mouth as if telling him it was pointless to argue with him, he wasn't going to budge. So Mingi simply nodded and left the room after giving your hand a gentle squeeze to return to his evening duties.

Once he was back alone with you, Seonghwa thought that it was best for him to focus back on completing his task, he was quite behind already and he didn't like leaving his duties like that. But as he was about to delve back into his scrolls, he couldn't help but look at your sleeping figure and his legs automatically took steps closer to you. Every time he looked at your face, he couldn't help but remember the frightened look on your face the day he almost killed you. While he used to find pride in it, now he couldn't help but be embarrassed of himself, embarrassed of how he threatened someone who bore no arms as it wasn't a noble thing of him to do no matter the person. Above that, he was embarrassed of himself for treating his mates' mate like that. The regret played over and over in his head as if to mock his lack of judgement and he knew he deserved it, he was willing to bear the shame brought by his own stupidity and more if it could bring you back. The healers kept reassuring him that you would be up but they couldn't really know when and that scared him, the uncertainty and vagueness only made him stress more.

With the gentlest of touch, he traced your hand that was resting on your stomach, flipping them over to graze over the burnt skin as he winced, imagining the pain you must've felt. Turns out, when you burnt that hunter's face with the powder you had, the direct contact made your own skin burn and while it will heal, the pain you must've endured was more than you should have felt. "I'm sorry..." tears built in Seonghwa's eyes as his eyebrows furrowed tightly, creating a crease in the space between, "When you get out of this, I'll make sure to pay you back a thousandfold, you hear me?"

The lack of answer made Seonghwa fall to his knees by your bed with your hands still in his grip. His face rested by your hip as he cried hard, body shaking and hands trembling with overwhelming emotions. Seonghwa didn't even know why he was crying, it wasn't like you were dead despite him seeing your unresponsive body. He was glad that you were back with him despite not knowing how you would react when you finally came to and realized that you were back in the dwelling of the person who claimed wanted you dead if you ever showed your face again. But he knew a lot of them wanted you there with them and he knew you knew that fact too whilst also knowing that before this, the majority of them disprove your existence amongst them and had even pulled petty pranks as hiding Weiss in the dungeons for three days which caused you to panic and even stated their disdain towards you and your kind right to your face. So really, what was Seonghwa crying about?

"I'm so sorry," Seonghwa's voice cracked from raw emotion like he never felt before, his cheeks wet with tears that dropped and pooled on your bed. He tried looking up at you again, but he couldn't bear the sight for long before he hunched over with his face on your stomach, crying even harder. His lips kept mumbling apologies like it was a prayer or a mantra, not knowing what else to say to you as he felt his transgressions towards you had really crossed all the lines that exist in the world. But even then, especially then, you showed him nothing but kindness and genuineness. Seonghwa gripped the blanket over your body and the shirt you were wearing tightly in his hands as if to anchor him to reality, whatever it was.

A sudden touch to his head stopped Seonghwa's cries almost immediately because he thought he was imagining things, maybe his mind was starting to play tricks on him. Seonghwa snapped his head to your face only to be greeted with the sight of you smiling gently at him, your eyes lively and smile like a fresh breath of spring that made his chest bloom. Then he felt your fingers carding through his hair slowly and gently as if the action was filled with nothing but affection.

"Purposeless tears can kill your fire, dragon. Why are you wasting them?" though your voice was cracked from the dryness of your throat, it still sounded melodious to Seonghwa.

For the first time ever since you knew all of them, Seonghwa cracked a smile, albeit a teary one. He gently took the hand that was on his head and pressed them to his lips before moving them to his cheek where he kept it to enjoy the warmth of your life with his thumb gently caressing the inside of your palm. The initial fear of you rejecting him died within seconds, now being proven that you only had love and care for him just by how you were gazing at him. Seonghwa didn't even care if it was his imagination or if it was the delusional side of his brain trying to compensate for his guilt because he was seeing actual proof in front of him. Proof that you woke up from him opening his heart to you.

"No one could kill you, my fire, I won't let anything kill you."

And you believed him.

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@chloepurpy @cutie-wooyo

just want yeosang to use that deep voice of his as he makes love to witch yn 🤪

[ DEEP LOVE 18+ ] —— yeosang and you spend some time while wooyoung is away.

pairing : dragon!yeosang x witch!f!reader (background poly ateez) genre : dragon au, fantasy / medieval, smut warnings : language, unprotected sex, monster cock!yeosang, pet name (princess)

“how long will wooyoung be gone?” yeosang ask, his body bending over yours as his voice basically caresses your ear. his bare chest presses into your bare back as he bends you over the table you had been attempting to clean since breakfast was over.

“till around noon,” you say as a moan rips through your throat as you feel yeosang’s fingers touching your clit before running through your slowly dripping wet folds.

the black haired dragon hums as his other hand gropes your breast, tweaking your nipple. you let out a breathy moan as you make a sad attempt at arching your back. yeosang presses a loving kiss your scarred shoulder before he trails his kisses up your shoulder, neck, and jaw before he kisses your cheek.

“you gonna let me fuck you then? fuck you right here on this table and leave you full of cum for wooyoung to come home and see?”

you let out a moan at the image of your red haired mate walking through the front door to be greeted with your cum-filled pussy. how wooyoung would probably eat you out before fucking your pussy as yeosang either fucks your mouth or wooyoung.

“a-ah! please fuck me, yeo,” you beg as you rub your ass against his hard cock. the length alone sliding against your ass is enough to make you shiver in excitement.

yeosang let’s out a chuckle, “such a needy princess, aren’t you?” he teases before lining his cock up with your entrance and then slowly pushing inside.

“o-oh, f-fuck! sangie, yeosang! hmm,” you whine out feeling the fullness of yeosang’s cock inside you. the dragon pins you down to the table as his holds your hips in a tight grip. he waits a moment before he begins thrusting into you at a pounding pace that has the whole table shaking.

the small cottage is filled with the sounds of your moans and his grunts and words as he calling you his “dirty princess” and asks “are you going to hold my cum until woo gets home?” “you going to let him eat it out of you while i fuck him?”

“y-yes! yes, yeo— fuck, yeosang! please fill me up! please cum in me, your cock just feels so good,” you cry out feel his cock stretching out your tight walls as you desperately try to clench around him. “fuck so big,” you add as you feel your eyes start to roll in the back of your head as you grow closer to climax.

“fuck, princess, are you growing closer to coming? you gonna come?” he asks, his breath ghosting over the shell of your ear and you clench as how deep his voice is in the moment. you can tell he’s probably also growing closer with how his hips stutter and rhythm getting thrown off a little bit.

“yeo, can i come? will you come with me?” you ask as you feel his hand making contact with your clit once more as he vigorously makes tight circles on your bud.

“o-of course you can, y/n, let go whenever you want,” he says as he kisses his mate mark that rest next to wooyoung’s. you remember how wooyoung was a little grumpy about yeosang marking you right next his own, but hopefully got over it.

you do finally come when you feel yeosang bite down on his mark. you let out a loud moan as you clench hard around the dragon’s cock as he finally comes as well.

you let out a small groan as yeosang rests on top of you for a few moments before you start to worry about the two much access weight on the wooden table. “yeo…” you mumble catching his attention as he sits up. you can’t help the series of whines that leave your lips as your mate pulls out of you.

yeosang let’s out a laugh before he’s turning you over on your back and adjusting you further on the table. “make sure you look pretty for wooyoung. you know how much he loves eating this pussy, princess.”

“especially since it’s filled with sangie’s cum,” a new voice says and you looked through fuck-dazed eyes as wooyoung appears next to yeosang. you can’t help but clench at the sight of the two dragons looming over you and you know you are all in for whatever is about to happen the rest of the day.

tag list (bold means unable to tag) : @frankenstein852 @watamotee33 @kawennote09 @mixling-blog @hwal0v3r @marahleiwhen @harry-the-pottypus @rdiamond2727 @sanniesbum @marvelahsobx @voidcupidz @khjcoo @mysticfire0435 @exfolitae @kangskims @cvpitvno @lzvxndxr @dementedaly

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LIBRARY OF ILLUSIONS : A WITCH'S SABBATH ... a mature series

PREVIOUS CHAPTER | M.LIST | NEXT CHAPTER

pairing : prince!yeosang x mercenary!witch!f!reader

genre : fantasy, berserk inspired, dark, smut, implied enemies to lovers

word count : 3.7k

warnings : language, slight thoughts of murder, killing / blood

smut warnings : unprotected sex, monster fucking, big dick!yeosang, dom / sub dynamics, knife play, anal play, shadow hands, name calling (slut)

traveling to the fantasy section, you soon find yourself throat to throat with the guardian of fantasy, the real question that you find yourself asking is do you want to kill the prince or fuck him.

you felt a surge of anger course through you as you walked through the forest. an annoyed huff came from behind you, and you had to stop yourself from turning around and snapping the neck of the person who huffed at you.

no... you couldn't snap his neck.

he was a client, paying you to escort him from his kingdom to his uncle's where he can find safety. safety away from the assassins that are out to kill him like they did the rest of his family. it’s odd how usually that at the thought of something like that would send a chill down your spine, but this time… nothing. did this character not have any sympathy for the prince?

“ugh! slow down, you’re going too fast!” the prince said and you find yourself stopping and turning to see him a few feet away from you. he was out of breath and hunched over. it was obvious he still wasn’t use to walking despite having been doing it for a while now since the start of your journey.

"we would be there already if we weren't continuously stopping," you say as you felt your annoyance level slowly rise. why this was happening you aren't too sure, maybe this was just how your character felt towards the prince.

you couldn't help but note how the prince's attitude and mannerisms are a complete one-eighty compared to the princess from the adventure section. you were honestly starting to wish you had picked another section to try an complete, or at least wish this one was more... pleasurable to complete. you can only assume your trial for the fantasy section was to protect the prince, but for how long you weren't sure.

you at least had to admit how beautiful the prince who

"are you trying to say its my fault that we aren't to my uncle's kingdom yet?" yeosang's voice is full of offense as he breaks through your thoughts.

"well, you're the only one out of the two of us that is out of breath," you spit back. two of us... something felt wrong about your party number, like there should be more than just the two of you. "it's honestly concerning how often you are getting out of breath," you add as you feel a smirk painting your lips, "tell me... are you secretly getting fucked by something? is that why you are out of breath?"

"w-what? how dare you say something like that to me! i'm a prince! the heir to a throne and you dare say such vile things to me?" you can tell he's embarrassed by your words thanks to pink hue that colors his cheeks. but then his embarrassment seems to vanish as he looks at you with a smug face that only the rich could make. "i should be asking you what you fucked to lose your humanity?" you felt something inside you start to boil. you wanted to so badly to avoid conflict with the prince, so instead you turned on your heel and started to walk away. you hoped he would just shut up and follow you, but he didn't.

"everyone knows how inhumane and beastly witches are, you've probably fucked a whole hoard of demons and monsters for your powers."

you felt your teeth grind against each other as you stopped in your tracks. then without thinking, you turned on your heel around to yeosang to see him looking at you with slightly wide eyes. like he wasn't expecting you to turn around like you did, so suddenly.

"what the hell do you know, princey," you say, anger flaring up inside of you as you started taking careful steps towards him. with every step you take forward towards yeosang, he takes shaky steps backwards. "you're just some prince who has lived a life of luxury behind his palace walls. you know nothing about the world and how it works," you spit at him in full rage.

yeosang's back hits the tree trunk, eyes still wide in shock as you step extremely close to him, your nose pressing harshly against his own. your breath fanning over his face as you're sure he's holding his own.

"i can leave you to die out here, and it wouldn't bother me a bit. there's no one here but us. so i would be a little nicer to the person who can protect you," you say as you notice how yeosang nervously wets his lips and his cheeks gain a rosy hue. "do you understand me?"

yeosang nods his head as much as he could, your close proximity restricting his movements. "words." you tell him.

"y-yes... i understand," he tells you and that's when you back away from him and continue on down the forest path.

yeosang says nothing as he follows behind you. you thought it was weird how despite how light his footsteps were, you could still here them. still here him trailing close behind you as if worried you would leave him behind.

it was all too weird. you missed ▇▇▇▇ and ▇▇▇▇ deeply and wished they were here because you knew how well they were at mediating you and yeosang. well... maybe not ▇▇▇▇ so much as he was much like you and found the prince's mannerisms rather annoying.

you hate how you couldn't remember their names. much like when you were in the adventure section, the guard and and advisor and captain where all but a blur of nothingness. but this time was different. this time you could picture ▇▇▇▇'s pink hair that would seem like it would bounce when he walks and ▇▇▇▇ with his gummy smile that was quite a rarity in itself.

you missed them both. why weren't they here? they were always with you. always. this just all felt wrong. ▇▇▇▇ and ▇▇▇▇ should be here with you, they were a part of this story as well. at least... you think they were.

you felt like your thoughts were swimming around. you couldn't tell which thoughts were actually yours and which thoughts weren't. but then... why would there by thoughts that aren't yours?

you can feel your head getting a little fuzzy from all these thoughts, but you try your best to shake it off. as much as he gets on your nerves, yeosang is still your job to protect and you can't let yourself get distracted too much.

yeosang is your priority.

"it's getting late... do you think we should stop and set up camp?" yeosang's voice breaks through your thoughts and you come to a slow halt as you turn to the prince. you look at the handsome male, admiring his features as he looks up at the setting sun.

you notice the way his nose slopes downward and his lips are just a nice amount of plush and you can't help but imagine how he would– no, stop.

then you allow your eyes to glance up at the sky to also admire it.

"sure, we can set up for the night," tell him before turning and the two of you venture forward until you find a good spot a little off the path to camp for the night. as always, you set up most of the camp while yeosang did the simple task of collecting firewood.

however, it was suppose to be a simple task until you heard his screams rip through the trees. immediately on high alert, you grabbed your board sword and ran to where you heard the prince screaming. that's when you found yeosang surrounded by grotesque looking monsters. the prince held onto the firewood like it was his only lifeline, and you couldn't but note who utterly helpless he looked. he truly was a prince in need of saving. a damsel.

without thinking you immediately started cutting down the monsters, surprising one of them and killing them with ease. the earned the other four's attention as they all turned to you, ready to kill for possibly interrupting their dinner.

the monsters started hissing at you or at least it sounded like hisses, but you knew that this was only the language those creatures spoke. but it would make no difference – they would be dead soon anyway.

"listen you shit-hissing fuckers! if anyone is gonna kill and eat that human its gonna be fucking ME!" you say as you charged towards the monsters. killing them was a lot easier than you thought, they were simply lower level monsters they only acted purely on instincts. nothing more and nothing less.

when you were done, you found yourself covered in the monsters' blood. it painting both your skin, clothing, and sword. you easily flicked off the blood that was on the large sword you held before you clipped it in place on your back.

you turn to look at yeosang who had since fallen to the forest floor, clutching the firewood protectively to himself. he truly did look helpless as he looked up at you with wide eyes. you could tell he was feeling all sorts of emotions; fear, anxiety, helplessness... arouse.

wait, what?

"did that arouse you?" you asked without thinking. your eyes void of any emotion as you looked at his too full of emotion eyes.

then his eyes turned to anger as he stood up, "w-what! how dare you ask a prince that! know your place, witch!" he says fully offended that you would ask him something like that. "and what was that about being the only one that can kill me, huh!? what kind of bullshit is that? you're suppose to protect me, not–

"and i did protect you or where you too stuck in your erotic thoughts that you missed me killing those creatures for you," you interrupted him, anger slowly starting to build up inside you. "a little thank you would be nice."

"a little... a little "thank you" its your fucking job to protect me, witch! that's all you're good for is fighting and killing. you gave up your humanity in order to kill things– people, and that's all–

you couldn't stand hearing him talk anymore and immediately jumped at him. yeosang, of course being a poor fighter and slow reactor, didn't have time to think as you're shoving him to the ground and a knife pressed to his throat.

"do you know how easy it is for me to kill and devour you. i could do it right now, and literally no one in the fucking forest would be able to stop me. they aren't here to save you. no one is here to save you, little prince. and i could be making a lot more money right now if i turned you into the dark army. i would be granted thousands and thousands more gold for fucking killing you than the amount you're offering me to protect your little helpless self," you say, teeth clenched together as you pressed the knife dangerous more close to his skin.

"p-p-please," he manages out, tears welling up in his eyes and you would have honestly thought he was scared if it wasn't for his obvious erection that was brushing up against you.

"please what, prince?" you say, trying to hold back the mocking tone, as you notice a faint, thin line of blood trailing down his neck from where your knife is pressed.

"please," he starts with a shuddered breath, "please fuck me."

"fuck you?" you say with a laugh, but it wasn't genuine. no this was anything, but that. you were laughing and mocking him. "i thought i had no humanity? why would you want a monster fucking you? unless..." you trail off with another laugh as you sit up, straddling him.

his clothed erection rubbed nicely against your clothed cunt and you couldn't help but grin as you rolled your hips. yeosang immediately let out a startled moan as his face flushed a bright red.

"unless my little prince likes when monsters fuck him. are you a monsterfucker, yeosangie?" you mock him and he opens his mouth in an attempt to argue with you, but you simply roll your hips to shut him up. "if i had known this would shut you up, i would have fucked you at the beginning of this journey. taken you right in front of everyone and after every fight. you would have liked that wouldn't you?"

yeosang can only let out a string of moans as he tries to roll his hips up to gain any sort of friction or pleasure.

"do you want me to fuck you, yeosang?" you asked as you let your knife trail over his clothed chest before stopping at where his belt was. you noted how the belt had his family crest on it... well not much of a family now since they're all dead.

"y-yes! yes, please fuck me," he says as he attempts to move his hands, but suddenly two dark shadow hands shoot up from the ground and grab his own. the shadow hands pin yeosang's own above his head, and you notice the slight surprised expression on his face.

it honestly made you want to laugh at him. at how seemingly innocent yet sinful the prince was.

"i bet this has always been your dream to be fucked by a powerful monster. did you touch yourself at night alone in your tent to the thought of me ravaging you and turning you into a hopeless mess?"

yeosang could only moan at your words as he watched you drag your knife down his shirt, easily cutting away the rich fabric and exposing his toned chest. this reveal honestly surprises you a little to see how toned and muscular he is, but you think its because he has always opted to wear stuff that was larger than him.

you feel a chill run over him and goosebumps appear on his skin as you trailed your nails down his abs. "f-feels good," he whimpers and you can't help but grin at how you touching his abs was making him feel good.

"you know... do you really deserve to be fucked by me? have you earned the right to be fucked by a powerful monster?" you say suddenly stopping and retracting your hands and knife away from him. a look of panic crossing over his face and yeosang is about ready to beg. he opens his mouth to speak but a third shadow hand appears and shoves its fingers in his mouth, gagging him and stopping him from talking.

you can see through the slightly transparent hand that yeosang is greedily sucking on the fingers, tongue wrapping around them as they start to thrust in his mouth. you notice how some drool begins to spill from his mouth, but he doesn't seem to mind.

you make quick work of his shirt, ripping it off of him with ease before letting the shredded fabric lay around the two of you. if yeosang is surprised then he doesn't show it, obviously too occupied by the fingers in his mouth. the shadow hands pinning his hand above his hand have moved from pinning his wrist to interlocking its fingers with his.

the whole sight before you if nothing less of erotic and you wonder what people would say if they saw such a prince like yeosang reduced to nothing but a fucked out mess.

you slowly slip off of him and he immediately whines around the fingers at the loss of contact with you. but his whines don't last for long as more shadow hands shoot up from the ground. two immediately go to his chest, groping him and pinching his nipples and you smile at the gargled moans that leave his stuffed lips.

the other two shadow hands were quick to move yeosang's legs, holding them up in the air and basically bending him in half. your eyes trailed along his lower half before you raised your knife gently and began along the seam of his pants. you tossed your knife carelessly beside you before you’re ripping the seam of his pants and exposing both his cock and ass to air around you both.

"who would have known you have such a large cock for such a bratty and rude prince. do you even know how to use something this big?" you tsk'ed and yeosang only moaned around the fingers as you took his rather large member into your hand. you couldn't help lean down and lick a long strip up his length before flicking your tongue at his slit.

yeosang's whole body twitches at the feeling and you can tell he's growing more and more excited by the second with how hot his body is getting. you continued to lick his cock, but never fully taking him in your mouth before you're trailing your tongue down his length, to his balls, and finally to his puckered hole.

you can't help the slight ego boost when you see him clench around nothing, and that's when you suddenly get the thought to give him something to clench around. that's when another hand appears and starts playing with the prince's ass. you notice how euphoric yeosang looks and you can't help, but want to tease and mock him until he's crying.

"i knew you were nothing but a slut wanting to be fucked," you said as you started to remove some of your clothes. your large board sword resting next to yeosang and you make quick work to remove you own pants, revealing your wet cunt to yeosang who honestly looks like he's about to fall in love.

you feel him squeeze the shadow hands and you remove the one in his mouth, he's breathless and drool is all over his chin and dripping down.

"p-please, please ride me. use me to get off," his voice is hoarse and there's a thin layer of sweat starting to cover him. you hover over him, your cunt gently grazing over his cock and you feel him attempt to thrust up before the shadow hands holding his legs open stop him.

"is that what my little prince wants?" you ask and yeosang nods his head so fast that you think he might give himself whiplash. you give him a quick peck to his cheek before the shadow hands holding his legs disappear and you, yourself, slowly lower them enough for you to straddle him. your dripping cunt hovering over his thick cock and its when you're sinking down on him does the shadow hand at his ass slowly start to enter a finger.

you feel the prince shudder and moan and twitch underneath you and you have to try and bit back a moan from how he stretches you out. yes, it was nothing like mingi's cock, but then again the adventure guardian wasn't human, while yeosang is a human.

when you fully bottom out, that's when you remember that this isn't your story. you aren't some powerful witch hired to protect a prince. just like how you weren't a princess who was trying to take her kingdom back with the help of pirates.

it's also when you realize that you haven't seen the key of the fantasy section.

"yeosang..." you trail off as you begin to ride him. the prince – guardian – whatever he was looks at you with a dazed look. "where's the key, yeosang?" you ask, trying your best to control your voice. you needed to keep sounding intimidating to him.

"key...?" he says, voice breathy as you clench around him. you feel his tip hit your sweet spot making you let out small moans. the shadow hand ruthlessly thrusting its fingers inside of his ass, stretching him out and making him a moaning mess. fuck, you needed answers from him.

"yes, yeosang, the key! the key to the fantasy section! where is it?"

"no... i don't– fuck! please don't leave me, y/n. not again. i can't... i can't lose you again and again. stay here with me, please!" he begs, tears running down his face as he realizes what's going to happen.

"i can't stay here, yeosang. i don't... fuck, i don't belong here. not when i can't remember ▇▇▇▇ and ▇▇▇▇. not when i have someone waiting for me," you tell him as you slow down your movements but still wanting that release you know is approaching.

"its not fair..." he whispers with a soft moan as you lean down to rest your forehead against his own. "i love you. its not fair how you're always ripped away from me– from us. each and every time."

you can't help but feel your heart clench at his words. why do you feel such longing for him, you don't even really know the fantasy guardian and yet...

and yet it feels like you do. like you've met him before, but not just once but a thousand times before this moment. before the library.

you make the shadow hands disappear, freeing yeosang's hands and you immediately feel him hold you close to him as he thrust up into you. tears running down his face and you do your best to kiss him away before you feel him stilling inside of you, pumping you full of his cum. this climax feels bittersweet as you rest your head in the crook of his neck.

"i'll always love you, y/n, please don't forget that," he whispers in your ear before you feel everything slowly fade to darkness.

when you wake up, you're back in the library. the keeper of keys is setting a cup down on the table in front of you. your eyes meet for a second before he's turning to leave without a word. you feel panic rush through you and you reach out to him, grabbing his wrist and stopping him.

he looks like he's about to kill you for touching him and you immediately retract your hand. "umm... did i... did i pass yeosang's trial?"

"yes, congrats; however, mingi and yeosang are often the easiest ones to pass. the other guardians are not as such and will do things to make you fail. trick you, break you, seduce you, and even try to love you. but if you want to pass you cannot let their story pull you in. understand?"

"yes. i understand," you tell him and the keeper nods before he's disappearing once more between the vast shelves of the library. you look down at your key ring to notice yeosang's key having joined mingi's. "i understand completely."

library tag list : @sanjoongie @yoonguurt @anyamaris @kpop-stories-21 @stardragongalaxy @kwanisms

network : @cultofdionysusnet

THE YULE DRAGON … holiday one - shot ( 17+ )

pairing : poly!dragon!ateez x witch!f!reader

genre : dragon au, fantasy au, holiday au, fluff, angst

word count : 4.3k

warnings : language, mentions of dragon hunters, talks about death, light injury but nothing major, one death threat

suffer tag : @sanjoongie and for anon who asked about any new chapters

note : very excited to write this, so let me know what you think! also here is a link to what y/n's dress at the yule gala looks like!

the winter month draws near and the clan prepares to celebrate the yule dragon festival for the first time in years. knowing this is wooyoung's first one with an actually clan, you want to make sure everything is perfect.

when you woke up in the morning, you noticed how snow had slowly begun to fall and lay on the ground. you also couldn't help but notice how the dragons around you seemed to have been in good moods. smiles on their faces as they walked around and some even greeted you with warm smiles.

when you arrived at the nursery, the hatchlings all immediately greeted you. most of them run up and tackle you to the ground.

"miss y/n! miss y/n! did you see the snow?" one hatchling, jiyu, asked and you couldn't help but laugh as you nodded and pushed some hair out of her face.

"yes, i did. very beautiful isn't it?"

"not as beautiful as you, miss y/n!" another hatchling, minjae, said. the other hatchlings couldn't help but agree with minjae and you couldn't help but laugh at them all.

"prince mingi said that we will be able to celebrate the yule dragon festival this year!"

"the yule dragon festival?" you remember wooyoung telling you about the holiday years ago when you first met. you can't help but feel excited knowing he's going to enjoy a real one this year.

"yeah! it's been years since the clan last held one," seeun says and that quickly catches your attention. years? you thought the holiday was a yearly thing?

"alright, little ones, let's go ahead and get ready for the day," mingi comes in and ushers the hatchlings away from you in order to gather them in a line so they could eat.

you push your curiosity down for later as you go over to help mingi with the hatchlings. you watch the hatchlings with a warm fondness as they eat and talk to each other, and the rest of the day goes by in flash with you and mingi taking care of the young dragons.

"miss y/n, have you ever experienced a yule dragon festival before?" one of the hatchlings asked as they were laying down for a nap. the question of one hatchling seemed to have caught the attention of a few others around you two.

"not a proper one with a true clan, but me and wooyoung used to do a small celebration before we came to the clan," you said as you remembered your time with wooyoung back in your cottage. you can feel your cheeks heat up as you remember the first time you both celebrated the yule dragon together.

"do witches have any special holidays?" another hatchling, siyu, asked.

"we do but they're not like the yule dragon one. we focus more on what we are thankful for and mourning those that have left us," you explain.

"that sounds sad."

"sometimes it is sad, but then you have to remember that even those that left this world are still with us in spirit. watching over and guiding us on the right path of destiny," you say.

"but miss y/n, you don't have to be sad anymore because you have all of us!" one hatchling said with the others immediately agreeing and you couldn't help but smile at all of them.

"okay, okay, everyone," mingi says as he comes in and immediately calming all the hatchlings down. "its time to rest, not get excited."

"but prince mingi," minjae says looking towards the tall prince, "don't you agree that miss y/n doesn't have to be sad anymore, since she has all of us now?"

"of course," mingi says as he bends down to pet minjae's head, "but miss y/n still has a right to miss those that she lost. we all do. now come on, everyone, time to rest!"

you can't help but smile at how some of the hatchlings groan at mingi's words, but nonetheless all lay down in their little nooks. you and mingi go through and make sure each hatchling is comfortable before you leave the nesting room.

you watch as mingi closes the door behind him before he's offering his arm to you. you take his arm with a smile as he escorts the two of you back to the main palace wing.

"i meant what i said though," mingi begins and you look at him with a raised eyebrow, "that you have a right to be sad about those you lost, but also know that hatchlings are right as well and that you have all of us now. the hatchlings, me, wooyoung, yeosang, the others, and even the clan. you have all of us."

"thank you, prince mingi," you say, reaching up to press a kiss to his cheek and he smiles at you before quickly pressing his own kiss to your lips. "also," you speak up after you two continue to walk, "what did the little ones mean when they said its been years since you all had a yule dragon festival?"

"well... we haven't had one since hongjoong's parents and brother were killed. hongjoong didn't want to have a large one with the whole clan, so this is the first time in five years that we have celebrated it as such," mingi explains and you nod your head in understanding.

"what caused him to suddenly change his mind?"

"well you and wooyoung of course," you wanted to laugh at mingi's answer. more like just wooyoung, you think. you decide to remain silent as mingi guides you through the palace.

"this will be wooyoung's first yule dragon with an actual clan in years," you note as you notice many dragons setting up and decorating the palace corridors with festive decorations. you can't help but feel excited knowing that wooyoung will be able to experience the real thing after so many years of not having it with an actual clan.

your mind goes back to when you and wooyoung would celebrate together back at the cottage. both of you dressing up, decorating the cottage, and spending the entire night together. wooyoung taught you the dances that he learned. even when you weren't celebrating the dragon holiday, you would find wooyoung and yourself dancing and just enjoying each other's company.

"hey, mingi?" you caught the dragon's attention and he turns towards you as you continue to speak, "is there... a way i can help set up the festival?"

"oh! umm, i think so. seonghwa is usually in charge of things like this, but i volunteered to help him this time, so..."

"do you need help?" you ask, feeling an excitement bubble up in your stomach.

"of course you can help," mingi says, a wide smile on his face and you mirror his smile, beaming up at him. the two of you share a quick hug, mingi lets out a small laugh at your excitement, almost not expecting it.

"thank you," you say, pressing a kiss to his cheek before you are separating yourself from him. you notice the blush that covers his cheeks and ears and you have to stop yourself from pouncing on the tall dragon from how cute he is.

as the next week goes by, you spend your time helping the dragons in the clan to decorate for the yule dragon holiday. at first some of the dragons were reluctant at accepting your help, but slowly and eventually they allowed for you to help with the decorations. sure they didn't trust you with the important stuff, but that was okay.

you only wanted to make sure everything was perfect for wooyoung, he needed to have the best yule dragon after everything he has done for you. you also wanted to make sure the clan had a good one as well, but wooyoung took priority in your heart.

"wow, look at these decorations, darling," yeosang's voice snaps you out of your thoughts and you look down from your spot on the wooden ladder to see your lover looking up at you with a smile. you finish hanging the silver garland before climbing down the ladder and yeosang is quick to press a loving kiss to your lips.

"thank you, me and the hatchlings made them," you say, feeling rather proud from how all the decorations have been turning out. many of the other clan dragons complimenting you on your hard work.

"you've been working so hard, a lot of the clan members are grateful for your help," he says as the two of you begin walking out of the grand hall, where the yule gala will be held tomorrow night. other dragons are busy around you all finishing up last minute details, with most of them stopping to bow at yeosang before scurrying away to finish their task.

"i have something for you, princess," he says once the two of you are out of the grand hall and you give him a confused look which only makes him smile. "it’s custom for everyone to wear special outfits, rather a little too fancy if you ask me, but people really enjoy it," he begins as the two of you continue to walk down the hall.

"and i bet you completely forgot to make sure you are prepared for the gala," yeosang teases and you felt yourself get flustered at his words. "but don't worry because you wonderful mate has taken care of you," he says as you both stop in front of your chamber doors. "i hired a seamstress to make you a dress and thankfully she managed to finish it in time."

"wait, yeosang– you... you didn't, you shouldn't have."

"but i did, and i wanted to. my darling, you have done so much, let me give you this," he says, cupping your cheeks before leaning over and kissing you. you feel yourself melt into the kiss as you press yourself closer to your lover, arms wrapping around his waist. the two of you only separate when you're out of breath and yeosang presses one last kiss to your lips before he's pulling away and opening the door to your bedroom.

when you stepped inside, you were completely shocked at the dress that rested on the mannequin in the center of your room. you had honestly never seen a dress more beautiful in your life and you felt yourself tear up because of it. you felt like you didn't deserve a dress as gorgeous as this.

"it's beautiful, yeosang."

"you look absolutely beautiful, my fire," seonghwa says when he sees you walk into the grand hall.

the gala had been going on for several minutes, hongjoong lighting the ceremonial flame that burned in the center of the clan. you were amazed at the flame and its rather unique color, and mingi explained that this flame could only be lit by the leader of a clan and that it in order to celebrate the first dragon.

you honestly couldn't look away from the flame, almost like it was meant to entrance you.

"thank you, prince seonghwa," you said, bowing slightly to the eldest dragon prince. seonghwa could only smile as he took your hand into his before pressing a kiss to the back of your hand.

"make sure you enjoy yourself," he says, not yet letting go of your hand. "i want a dance before the night is over."

"of course, your highness," you say, a small smirk taking over your lips before seonghwa is nodding and making his leave. he does unfortunately have other people to see and talk to.

your eyes scan around the grand hall, looking for the head of familiar red hair and you feel your heart skip a beat when you finally find him. wooyoung looked absolutely handsome in his outfit and you were glad to see that he matched the other princes. it made your heart flutter knowing that wooyoung was being accepted by the clan.

you made your way over to your first lover, your feet picking up speed when you two made eye contact. you felt like it had been forever since you last seen wooyoung – however it had only been a few hours. you had been so caught up in making sure the festival and gala were perfect for him that you had completely forgot to pay the red-headed dragon attention.

so you immediately wrapped wooyoung in a tight hug once you were close enough. wooyoung was quick to return the hug, holding you close to him as he inhaled your scent before pressing a kiss to your neck.

"my y/n, you look so beautiful," he says as he twirls you around, the white-silver fabric that was decorated with beautiful shimmering stars and moons. wooyoung had seen the dress, yeosang having shown him before you and he knew you would look beautiful in it. but of course, seeing you actually in it he was blown away by your appearance.

"are you having a good time, woo?" you ask, heart beating rapidly waiting for his answer.

"of course i am," he says with a smile, "mingi mentioned how you helped out with this whole thing. any reason why?"

"you, of course," you say, both your hands linking with his. "this is your first yule dragon with an actual clan in a long time. i wanted to make sure it was perfect."

"oh love," he says, gently pulling the two of you off to the side, "you didn't need to do that. it would have perfect no matter what because i'm celebrating it with you. back at the cottage... i saw the two of us as our own little clan. and the yeosang joined," wooyoung says and you can't help but laugh at his last comment. despite mating and bonding with yeosang, wooyoung still couldn't get over the other dragon coming in basically setting up camp in your little cottage.

"you love yeosang, don't try to fool yourself," you tease and wooyoung grumbles a little bit before rolling his eyes.

"whatever."

you were about to say something when the sound of a familiar tune filled the grand hall. you turned to see a lot of the people gathering at the center and began dancing. you noticed mingi pulling yunho behind him to the dance floor with many of the other dragons cheering for the two tall princes. following them, you see yeosang and san dancing and you were a little surprised at seeing the blonde guard dancing and smiling as him and yeosang looked at one another.

"wow, who knew san could smile," wooyoung says and you crack a smile before turning to your lover.

"shall we join them as well?" you ask and wooyoung nods before he's pulling you towards the dance floor and you two quickly fall into a rhythm of the dance. the music easily guided you as you and wooyoung danced, you felt your whole attention center in on your lover and it felt like it was just the two of you.

you got flashbacks to when you and wooyoung would dance in your cottage. how back then it really was just the two of you and no one else, but now you were surrounded by people that even if they all didn't welcome you, they welcomed wooyoung. and even if you didn't feel welcomed at first, you have mingi, yeosang, the hatchlings.

seeing wooyoung smile and laugh and enjoy himself made you feel like you were on cloud nine. even if he wouldn't say it out loud, you knew wooyoung enjoyed being a part of the clan.

you felt the music guide you and your thoughts, as the music began to slow down you found yourself and wooyoung also slowing down. wooyoung pulling you close to him, his arm coming to wrap around your waist to hold you close to him.

"i have you had your ceremony?" wooyoung suddenly asks, snapping you out of your happy daze. you knew immediately what he was talking about.

"not yet, i was waiting till after the gala was over," you say, feeling a lump form in your throat at knowing what you would have to do later.

just like dragons, witches also had their own traditions and such. not as public as the yule dragon, but more intimate to each witch. celebrating those that you left you in this world. wooyoung has been with you during this ceremony like you have been with him for his. you don't know how many nights you have fallen asleep, crying in wooyoung's arms because of all the witches that have died.

"do you want me there with you?" he asks, and it takes you a moment to think about it.

"no, i'll do it alone this time."

"are you sure?" you nod your head, you didn't want to ruin wooyoung's good time here with your own traditions and ceremonies.

when the music changed once again, you pressed a kiss to wooyoung before stepping away, telling him you needed some fresh air.

"let me come with you," he says as he starts to trail after you, but you stop him.

"it’s okay," you say, hand out to stop him, "i'll be right back."

you don't give wooyoung a chance to say anything as you're turning and making your way to one of the many garden doors that lead out into the courtyard.

once the cold air hit your skin, you let out a sigh as you made your way over to one of the stone benches that overlooked most of the courtyard and even down further into the clan. the yule flame burned brightly a short distance away and you couldn't help but walk over to it. the flame reminded you of the flame that you would light for the umbra ceremony.

the flame burned brightly and you almost felt like a moth from how you were being drawn to it.

which is how you found yourself in front of it. the noises from the grand hall behind you is like static as you look at the flame, letting it consume you. you got flashbacks to when you would set up a room of candles for the witches that you lost, the flame from those candles burning brightly into your mind.

"why are you out here," the cold voice snaps you out of your thoughts and you turn to look at hongjoong with wide eyes. the prince looks at you with a stern expression, his cold eyes burning into your body.

"i was just... just getting some air," you tell him, refusing to fully make eye contact with him.

hongjoong lets out a 'tsk' sound before he's coming to stand next to you, looking up at the flame. you're surprised by how close hongjoong, this is probably the closest he has ever gotten to you without trying to kill you.

"mingi told me how you helped decorate for the festival," he said out of nowhere after the two of you stood in silence. "i guess witches can be good for something," he adds and you feel yourself deflate at his harsh words.

"i did it for wooyoung," you said wanting to make it clear that you were only doing it for your first love and no one else. "this is his first yule dragon with an actual clan in years," you add.

"and i'm sure witches are the reason why he had gone for so long without experiencing one with a clan," he says back.

"perhaps," you say as you clench your fist together tightly, "but wooyoung is here now with a clan," you turn your head to look at hongjoong, taking in his form once more. his lavish outfit and vibrant blue hair standing out against the dark night. he was the epitome of what a leader of a dragon clan should be in the fact that he always had that air of authority around him. everyone respected him and if they didn't respect him then they feared him.

you, unfortunately, feared him more than you respected him. the dragon oracles say that you two are mates like you are with the rest of the princes, but you knew hongjoong refused to acknowledge you as his mate. you were a witch, the thing that killed his parents and brother and forced him to take the role of leader too soon. you wondered if you and hongjoong would ever get along.

you notice how the flame reflects against hongjoong's skin and then something hits you.

"please excuse me, prince hongjoong," you say suddenly before you are rushing past him. hongjoong doesn't say anything and you don't know if he watches you leave as you are too caught up in rushing back into the palace.

you run to your room, feeling out of breath as you enter your chambers you share with wooyoung before going over to the large trunk that rested at the foot of the bed. you quickly dig through the trunk and pull out a set of candles. all three a beautiful rose color and it reminds you greatly of your mother.

"what are these for mother?" you asked, looking up at your mother as she handed you the three candles. they were different from the ones you were use to lightly for the umbra ceremony and you wondered why she was giving them to you.

"these are special candles, y/n, i made them myself so you can use them when you need them the most," she explains, her voice seeming ever cryptic.

"when i need them the most?" you echo and she nods, a tight-lipped smile painting her features.

"they are for the one who will need to say goodbye the most."

you gripped the candles tightly as you raced back to the courtyard and was surprised to still see hongjoong standing there. somewhere deep inside wants you to believe he waited for you, but you know that's impossible.

"prince hongjoong," you say as you approach him. "i want to thank you for letting wooyoung into your home. i know that... you despise me and my people, you lost your parents and brother after all. and i know you probably don't care but i want to share something with you."

hongjoong turns to look at you, his face void of emotion as he watches you set the three candles down between the two of you. you crouch down, kneeling front of the candles as hongjoong stands towering above you.

"the umbra witches have their own ceremony, we light candles in order to remember those that have left us and this world. we do this as a way to remind us that while they have left this world physically, they are still here with us spiritually," you pause in order to take a deep breath, licking your lips before continuing.

"my mother made me these candles when she was still alive. she told me that they were for someone who needed to say goodbye, and... i think she made them for you."

"what the hell are you talking about?" hongjoong asks, voice full of surprise and anger. "i don't need any of you stupid umbra witch shit," he adds and you notice his fist clenches with his rage.

"please," you beg, voice straining as you plead with the prince, "take the candles, it will bring you peace, prince hongjoong."

you feel a sudden shock as you are grabbed by the collar of your dress. you're pulled up from your kneeling position, face dangerously close to an enraged hongjoong as he bares his teeth at you. in the moment you are reminded that you are at the mercy of a clan full of dragons whether you liked it or not.

"i will never," he jaw clenched tightly as he speaks, "ever, forgive your damned people for what they did to my family. my people. so don't think so damned candles will change that. you will never be my mate and just know that if it wasn't for yeosang and mingi that i would have burned you at a stake a long fucking time ago."

hongjoong waste no time in throwing you to the ground, your hands skidding across the stone pathway harshly and you flinch at the sudden burn of skin. you turn to see hongjoong's eye burning, like he will kill you if you say anything else to him.

you then watch him destroy two of the candles, his foot coming down harshly on them and you feel like a part of you is being ripped apart as you watch him. he's about to do the same to the last one, but you move and grab the last candle. the last one your mother made.

then without thinking you stand up and run away from the prince. you clearly made a mistake in thinking that you could get hongjoong to open up just a little bit. you felt tears begin to form in your eyes as you ran, clutching the candle close to your chest as you collapsed in the one of the many decorated halls.

you looked down at the candle once more, the image of your mother's smile flashing inside your mind as you caressed it. you knew this candle was for hongjoong. he was the one who needed to say goodbye to those he lost, but it was obvious that now wasn't the time.

"y/n!" the sudden call of your name makes you snap your head up to see yeosang rushing towards you. face full of concern and he drops down to the floor next to you. "y/n, what's wrong, why are you crying?" he brushes the tears away and you open your mouth to say something before a sob escapes instead.

you throw yourself into his arms and he arms them around you protectively. you hold your mother's candle close to you as you allow yourself to cry in yeosang's arms. yeosang doesn't say anything, only letting you cry as a comforting hand runs over your hair.

"it's okay, y/n, i'm here," he says softly, holding you closer to him. "whatever made you sad, don't think about it anymore, okay? cause i'm here to protect you."

and so the night comes to an end as you spend the rest of it in yeosang's arms, allowing him to hold you closely as you mourn for the loss of your mother and the hate hongjoong bares for you. 

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everyone walk up NATGIG just updated!!

Not all that Glitters is Gold -> 06

series pairing: (fem) princess!reader x seonghwa x san x wooyoung. eventual polyamory.

series masterlist | previous chapter

Part Six: a rest-stop, illusions, and a begrudging truce.

series rating: 16+

series genre: action and adventure. romance. angst. fluff. suggestive. fantasy au.

series warnings: character death, blood and violence, weaponry, injury, suggestive content, mxm content, language, monsters. (will only be using chapter specific warnings for things not included on this list.)

summary: as a princess fleeing a royal assassination attempt, you have no choice but to put your trust in a band of three thieves in order to reach the kingdom of kuroku alive. however, amongst magic, deceit, and the bounty hunters that are hot on your trail, you realize that you might have stumbled upon a relationship far more complicated than what meets the eye.

chapter details beneath the cut ->

Keep reading

This is probably one of the best fics I’ve read because I finished it in 2 days it would’ve been less if I didn’t have to work but best believe I was still sneaking in a chapter or 2 every time I could. I love it so much and this author should get praised because truly amazing I couldn’t put it done and I’m so excited for this chapter. Anyways any Atiny who want a good fic this one.

Inception

Ateez Ot8 x Reader

Chapter 39

Big thank you to @rocker7898 for editing for me!

Waking up was the last thing I really wanted to do. I couldn’t force myself back to sleep even though I was still tired. I peeked through half lidded eyes, only a faint light glowing through the fog outside the window. Having that almost permanent mist low on the land would take some getting used to. Looking at it, it made me feel almost isolated. Not being able to see very far beyond it gave a sense of loneliness I never would have considered. I stretched, turning away from the window. The room was still chilly, goosebumps immediately trailing over my skin when I pulled my arms out from under the blankets. It was toasty in the covers, Jongho providing more than enough warmth. I really wanted to sink back into them.

I shifted a bit closer, hoping my movements wouldn’t wake him. One quick peek up at him determined I hadn’t. He slept peacefully, the forbearance I was used to seeing from him gone under the guise of sleep. There was no hard set to his jaw or furrow between his brows. He was incredibly handsome. Being able to observe him like this, I could visualize the differences between him and San. Though brothers, the two shared very little in appearances. Just another thing that set the two of them apart from one another. I reached out just enough to let my fingertips brush his chin, delicately running them along his jawline.

The room around me steadily getting brighter as the sun fought its way through the fog. Hints of it caught Jongho’s fiery hair, setting the color of it alight. I took a strand of it mesmerized by how soft it was. The rest of me itching to touch more of it.

“If you’re waiting for me to ask you to keep touching me, you’ll be waiting forever.”

I was startled by his voice. The sound of it ladened huskily, heavily with sleep. I pulled back, thinking he would be upset at how cavalierly I had been touching him while he slept. I hadn’t retreated but a couple of inches before his hand caught my wrist. I met his eyes, noticing for the first time the flecks of bronze that matched the color of his dragon. He slowly pulled me back to him, letting my fingers delve into his red waves. I curled around them, the sensation of it between my fingers better than I imagined. Emboldened, I moved closer, playing with them freely now that Jongho had more or less given me permission to.

His eyes slipped shut again, a deep exhale shuddering out of him. I wondered if he might go back to sleep under my ministrations. He was content in letting me more or less pet him. Neither of us saying a word while the world around us began to stir with the morning sunrise. I was glad I had come to him last night. I got the sleep I needed, the sleep that I knew I wouldn’t have gotten by myself. He comforted me, taking my mind off what had happened and then consoled me. Letting me stay here with him, laying with me when I asked him to. I let my eyes linger over his face again. Taking in every detail shamelessly, while his eyes were still closed.

I tilted my face towards his, and before I could talk myself out of it, I pressed a chaste kiss against his lips. His entire form jerked as if I had electrocuted him. Pulling his lips from mine and eyes flying open to look down at me in shock. His reaction made me flustered. I quickly pulled my hand back, cheeks pink.

“I’m sorry. I sho- Mmh!” His mouth covered mine clumsily, swapping his shock to me.

I fell into his kiss, letting my eyes close and palm land on his bare shoulder. It was different than the ones I shared with Mingi, or Yeosang. Jongho was somewhat hesitant, like he almost couldn’t believe it was actually happening. He didn’t demand more from me than what I offered, simply happy to accept what I was already willing to give. It was endearing and made me feel like I was a treasure worth taking care of. Our lips parted briefly, Jongho moving over me, giving the both of us a more comfortable position to drink one another in again. The fullness of his mouth pressing to mine is a little less hesitant now. I hiked one of my legs high on his hip, his hand coming down to cup the back of my knee, holding it to him. The action gave him room to slot his body against mine. His lower half settled between my parted thighs easily.

“Is this okay?” He asked quietly, body tense as if he were ready to move the second I told him otherwise.

“Yes.” I answered, wanting his warmth back.

I couldn’t keep from trailing my hands over the bare skin of his back. He felt unbelievably warm. Temperature much higher than mine, but with the cold morning I didn’t mind. I wanted every inch of his warm skin against mine. Wanted his heat to drown me, fill me so there was no room for the cold, the loneliness, or heartache. It wasn’t until I ran my hands up his back higher, my marked palm coasting over his shoulder, that an indescribable rush of intense pleasure shot through it. Shooting up my arm sending tremors down my spine and leaving my hand tingling. I wasn’t the only one. Jongho’s body began trembling violently, quickly snatching my wrist to pin it above my head while his breath came out in harsh exhales.

“Fuck.” He panted, squeezing his eyes shut tightly, but not before I caught a glimpse of the brown and bronze flickering to a yellow. My body felt… strange. Like an out of body experience almost. But not like it was when Yunho healed me. No, this one felt like I was floating weightlessly. I was suddenly hyper aware of everything around me, the mark on my hand pulsing, sending aftershocks of lingering desire through me.

It was bizarre, but I didn’t want it to stop. The sensation addicting even as the feeling slowly subsided.

“What was that?” My voice came out breathlessly, like I’d been running for a mile at full speed.

“My mark. We all have one similar to yours. It’s the direct line between you and my dragon.”

“Then, you feel it too? The…” I had a hard time finding words for the restlessness within me.

Jongho nodded. “Yeah. It’s sensitive I guess you could say. But it’s proof of our connection. It wouldn’t feel like that if we weren’t bonded.”

“It’s intense.”

“It’s designed to be. Your transition of power resides there. What you felt was only a taste of it.”

Having it explained to me, I could feel it. The underlying buzz of energy inside me.

“Hongjoong said the passage of power only occurs during mating.”

“He’s right. Complete transition will only take place when the bond between dragon and mate is sealed. You won’t be capable of wielding anyone’s ability until that happens. But touching our marks are a peek behind the curtain so to speak.”

“Is it always so arousing?” The question slipped out before I could so much as think about exactly what I was asking.

Jongho smiled slowly, the grip on my wrist loosening enough for him to run his thumb up the inside of it. He kept going, until the tip of his thumb made contact with my mark, reigniting a remnant of the pleasure I had experienced earlier.

“Are you asking for yourself, or if it affected me like that too?”

I stared up at him, not missing the amusement that twinkled there.

“Both.”

He dipped his head a bit lower. The end of his nose brushing mine while a soft hum left him.

“Yes, it’ll always be like that.” He supplied nonchalantly. “As for me…”

He let the answer trail off, ends of his hair ghosting along my cheek while he tilted his head to bring his lips within an inch of mine.

“Yes. It excites me.”

I was sure the dark heat swirling in his bronze-tinged irises was reflected back in  my own. My body arching into his on its own, silently begging him to continue where we had left off. 

That was until the door swung open at that exact moment. The sudden entrance of the newcomer caught Jongho off guard more than it did me. He jumped off me, my eyes barely catching the redness in his cheeks, nearly matching the color of his hair. However, my vision was obscured by the pillow he threw over me as an attempt to hide me.

“Oh?” I recognized the teasing voice immediately. “Did I interrupt something?”

“Wooyoung, what the hell? Since when did you decide it would be okay to invite yourself into my room?” Jongho growled.

I smooshed the fluffy pillow to peek over it. Wooyoung leaned against the doorway of the bedroom casually. His body posture would indicate he wasn’t in the middle of being scolded as he brushed off Jongho’s complaints.

“Since no one could seem to find Y/N this morning. I came to wake you so you could help me find her. I didn’t realize I’d be walking in on two virgins trying to defile each other.”

Jongho sputtered, the shade of red on his cheeks deepening. Rivaling the color his soft locks were now. I bit my lip to hold in my laughter. Wooyoung was doing enough of that for the two of us anyway. Instead, I clicked my tongue.

“Bold of you to assume I’m a virgin.”

Wooyoung choked on his laughter, coughs now wracking his frame while Jongho whirled on me surprised. It was my turn to shed some amusement. The situation at hand incredibly comical.

“Am I wrong?” Wooyoung grinned wickedly, looking me over carefully.

“You are. Sorry to disappoint you.” I teased.

He shook his head. “I’m not disappointed. Intrigued is more like it.”

He took a few steps into the room, arms crossing over his chest.

“Who was it?”

“Why do you wanna know?”

“Because I think I can have some fun with this information.”

I gave a noncommittal sound. I flipped the little bit of blanket I still had covering me back to slide out of bed. Wooyoung watched me closely, brows lifting when I paused next to Jongho.

“I think I’ll let you stew on that information.” I directed at Woo, before giving my attention to Jongho. “Get dressed and I’ll meet you at breakfast?”

“Uhm, yeah. I’ll meet you…” He agreed slowly.

I smiled brightly. Feeling lighter than I had in a long time, I blew him a quick kiss before heading towards the door, skirting around Wooyoung who was clearly not ready to let the topic drop.

“You’re really going to let me simmer with this?” He pouted, trying to appeal to my weakness of puppy-eyed gazes.

“Yep.”

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10/10 would recommend reading this

[player 1117] ── 0006 star in mist

💌 parings: obessive!gamecharacters!ateez x villainess!oc (ft. txt) 💌 genre: royal fantasy au, obessive & dark romance, eventual smut. 💌 contains: - 💌 word count: 1.6k words

:̗̀➛ 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 + 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 :̗̀➛ 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭? :̗̀➛ 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞? :̗̀➛ 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭? (for all works)

Nightfall.

You patted your purple gown nervously, the bracelet Hongjoong had given you dangling on your bare skin. Dressed in a similar purple suit, Soobin adjusted his amethyst cuff-links, looking at his reflection in the mirror. "Have you decided on it?"

You froze slightly, looking up. Soobin turned his head back, his light brown eyes boring into yours. "The request."

"I...don't know." You replied truthfully. It's not that you don't like Hongjoong, but you definitely have no romantic feelings for him. "Brother, I only remember him as a playmate."

"Then if he want to marry my little Star, he should court you." Soobin walked over to you, gently caressing your hair. "Eternity's Star deserve all good in the world."

Tears sprang to your eyes at his words. You smile as Soobin beamed fondly at you. "The ball is starting soon, General San would be here soon." He removed his hand from your hair, giving you a once-over. "My little sister is so beautiful. I wonder who would be the lucky one to have you as his wife." He sighed.

You laughed. "I wonder which lucky lady would have you for a husband, Brother." You said cheekily. Soobin grinned. "And which unlucky one would have the Eclipse of Eternity as their husband." He snickered. You slapped gently at his arm. "Don't poke fun at Beomgyu, he is going to throw a fit if he hears that."

Even though your tone was serious, the smile on your face told Soobin another story. "You agree with me, Y/n."

Someone knocked on the door, interrupting your conversation with Soobin. San entered, looking devilishly handsome. Dressed in a black suit with a corset on his waist, San stood proud and tall, his feline features highlighted by his slicked dark purple hair. As he bowed in greeting, your eyes landed on the person behind him and widened.

Jongho raised his head, his dark eyes meeting yours. He looked different. His hazel hair that usually fall in front of his eyes were combed back, falling to the sides of his head. He was wearing a similar black suit as San, except that he was wearing a detailed vest with a silver chain and a red ruby brooch dangling on his chest pocket.

He looked nothing like the stray magician you've known for the past seven months.

Jongho feels more like... a noble. He looks like a predator from the wild, one that has locked in on their prey.

And you are his prey.

"Greetings to the Moon and Star of Eternity. If you would follow me, I will escort the both of you to the ball along with my brother." San spoke as Soobin inclined his head in consent. You stared at Jongho, finally snapping back to reality when Soobin gently nudged at your side. You flushed, embarrassed.

The corner of Jongho's lips curled, and San, who had turned his head just in time, witnessed it. His eyes travelled thoughtfully back to you, whose pretty face was now blushing pink. Warning Jongho to behave with his narrowed eyes, San lead you and Soobin through the hallways and corridors of the castle to the ball.

Like in Eternity, Jongho walked behind you. You could feel his intense eyes on your back every time you took a step, and you tried to resist the urge to turn back to look at him.

On the other hand, Jongho's eyes were indeed on you. He always knew that you were beautiful, but it was his first time seeing you like this.

At the magician tower, his teacher once told him of a story where a magician was in love with a woman in his village. He would write love letters and compose poems for her. He would perform little magic just for her. When the woman had died due to an accident, that magician was so devastated that he gave up his own immortality to be with her.

Jongho didn't understand back then. He thought that it was ridiculous and sappy. Why would anyone do such cringe worthy things for another?

But now he understood.

Is this the so-called 'love' Teacher mentioned?

Strangely, it does not disgust Jongho like he thought it would.

When he was laid dying on the streets of Eternity, he thought he would be gone for. He failed Hongjoong, he failed San.

But you came. Like the first rays of sunlight to the dark sky, you found him. Saved him.

Jongho has heard of the Star of Eternity during the years of his travels. Strangely enough, there were two sides of rumours about her. The first rumour was that she was a spoilt and haughty princess, bratty and rotten. The second, however, reveals that she is a kind and beautiful princess.

Evidently, you are the second.

So Jongho stayed. When the Yeonjun had summoned him, Jongho immediately revealed his identity to them. Why would the Sun of Eternity keep him away when Jongho is the heir to the Magician Tower? If such a strong and talented person could protect his sister, what reason would Yeonjun give to let Jongho go?

Beomgyu had argued that Jongho is the youngest son of the famous War General in Mist. But so what? Mist and Eternity are on a good relationship and Mist never attacks Eternity on their conquering quests.

Mingi had asked why Hongjoong consider Eternity as a place to conquer. Eternity is rich in animals and nature, including precious minerals like amethyst.

Hongjoong's answer was always you.

Jongho's eyes fell on the bracelet on your wrist. Does he know what it is? Yes, he does. He even strengthened the magic on it. But no, he would never warn you what it is. Jongho wants you, but he knows Hongjoong wants you as well. So did Hwa.

But he didn't mind sharing. If it means to have you...

Jongho would do anything.

Hongjoong sat upon his throne, his eyes sweeping across the vast ballroom. Near him, Wooyoung yawned, slumping on his throne. "This is so boring. Why do we even celebrate this when that old man isn't even here?"

"We must uphold the traditions our ancestors have set, Prince Wooyoung." Seonghwa spoke from behind Hongjoong. Wooyoung stuck his tongue out at him, looking at the crowd below the banisters. "And San isn't here yet... Boring."

Hongjoong crossed his legs comfortably. "Wooyoung. Stop whining." He warned, although his voice contained a certain fondness for his younger half-brother. Wooyoung pouted. "Joongie..."

"The Royals of Eternity has arrived!"

As if on cue, the door of the ballroom opened. Without realising, Hongjoong held his breath, his eyes on the group that just entered the room. Seonghwa's lips clipped together tightly, bearing his nervousness with composure. Wooyoung craned his neck for a better look, quickly spotting you.

“Is that the Star?” He whispered, before letting out a gasp. “Jongie! He’s back!” He stood up in excitement.

Normally, Seonghwa would have chided him for his behaviour, but his mind was occupied with you. You've grown up safely, looking more and more like the figure in his dreams. He scanned you slowly, his heart racing as San approaches the throne.

"Your Highness." San kneeled, as Jongho did the same from the back. Soobin bowed with a hand on his chest, while you curtised. Hongjoong put a hand up. "You may rise. Greetings to the Moon and... Star, of Eternity."

Hongjoong could not keep his eyes off you. You look older. Your body was clad in the finest purple gown, with decorations of silver on you. As you nervously put your hand in front of you, Hongjoong saw the bracelet upon your pale skin.

"Thank you for inviting us, your Highness." Soobin said. You carefully looked up to the throne, only to see Hongjoong smiling at you.

"You are very much welcome here, Prince Soobin. And Princess Y/n." Hongjoong added, his voice softer as he spoke your name.

Hongjoong was looking like Hongjoong in Utopia: Flaming red hair parted to the sides, the rubies hanging on his ear and those intense, fierce eyes. Seonghwa had his long hair held up by a single red ruby hair pin, his corset similar to San's but in red. And then...

Your eyes met the male next to Hongjoong's throne. He raised a brow at you, before his features flexed into a friendly grin. He had raven hair, pouty lips and a mole under his eye.

You know who this is.

Jung Wooyoung.

The younger half-brother of Hongjoong. One that was neutral towards the original Y/n, like San. He would get into trouble many times, yet Hongjoong always forgives him.

A real spoilt brat. That’s what many players call him.

"Thank you, your Highness." You removed your gaze from Wooyoung and lowered your head. Hongjoong’s voice spoke from above. "I hope that you will enjoy the ball."

Soobin bowed once more and left with you next to him. Jongho made to follow, but San grabbed his arm, warning him with his eyes. "You, come with me."

Exchanging a look with Wooyoung from above, San headed off towards the exit. Jongho nodded his head at Hongjoong and Seonghwa in greeting, before turning his body and following his brother.

Wooyoung scowled. "That nasty brat. And I was actually worried about him." He complained, getting up from his throne and hurried off after the two before Hongjoong could dismiss him. Seonghwa shook his head.

"The brat calling another child brat." The attendant commented, earning a chuckle from Hongjoong. "Just leave him be, Hwa." He said, his eyes still on you. "I suppose they have a lot to gossip about."

Hongjoong leaned backwards, his hand reaching to his wrist. "She's beautiful, isn't she, Hwa?" He sighed. "Finally, our little Star in Mist…"

"D’you think she’ll stay?" Seonghwa questioned. You were now chatting with your brother as you sipped on some punch. Hongjoong shifted in his throne, red flashing in his eyes.

"Oh, Hwa." He said. "She will."

previous // next

thank you so much for waiting!! time now is 0347 right now lol

omg lsf comeback... 'easy' got me in a chokehold? it's so lofi coded along with swan song???? like seriously it's so my vibe!!! le sserafim really, i can't decided between 'easy' and g-idle's 'revenge' which would be the soty frfr. easy is just so, wow.

do you know about the awards ceremony drama? oh no how do we gatekeep hongjoong like this?? i thought it was really unfortunate for the poor fan who erm... you know what i'm saying, and well deserved to that jiwoong hater! like seriously huh??? what's wrong with jiwoong? and those poor idols at the venue (changbin is going to text wooyoung and laugh at him fr)... but hongjoong is indeed the captain! #hongjoongforpresident /j

next thing, i would like to thank you for supporting this series so far! i'm so proud and grateful that 1117 ended up on a recommendation list for the first time! thank you again for acknowlegding my work!

and do send in questions about the series! the more you ask, the more world-building i can do! i'll see you all at the next chapter!

➳ pernament taglist: @wonwooz1 @kwanienies @yeodeulz @enhacracy @leyittara @lonewolfjinji @sousydive @joshuahongnumbers

So I am watching The Haunted Mansion (2003) and I can’t help but think this can be a yandere story and obviously as an atiny I had to think who from ateez best fits to be Mister Gracey and who best fits to be Jim Evers

Also if you don’t remember the story basically mister Gracey was in love with Elizabeth and they were going to marry but his butler didn’t like her and killed her and he was hit with grief so he unalived himself and the mansion gets cursed then you go to present time and Jim Evers and sara Evers (his wife) are real estate agents and mister Gracey’s ghost still haunts the mansion and sees a flyer of Sara and she basically looks like Elizabeth so he thinks it’s her and call them saying he wants to sell his mansion and they agree but obviously he just wants Sara to be his cause he thinks it’s Elizabeth and he wants to marry her and kill her so they can be together in the after life

Totally gives off yandere vibes