There were seven weapons to choose from to kill Vanity.
She needed one--the best angel--and he had to be the total package. Wit, bravery, speed, and a black belt in exterminating demons included.
Jungkook was pretty handy with that sword of his. Years of training honed him into a formidable opponent. He was loyal, caring, skilled. He also possessed a small glimpse of morality. Though she'd never really seen him fight, he was an option.
Hoseok's wings, as far as Grey knew, were not weapons. While his optimism would offer amazing moral support, she would be alone when it mattered most. That counted him out.
Jin's shadows were their own entities. They were hard to explain and harder to categorize. The best way to put it into words was calling it a black mass with lively properties. A night sky that expanded and contorted according to will. That would give her an advantage, but he was the last person she cared to work with.
Finally, Jimin, Taehyung, and Namjoon were still mysteries. Before the week was over, she vowed to discover one of their talents. It would be unwise to jump into a decision and find that someone else was stronger when it was too late.
An integral piece was missing from her analysis. She just couldn't put her finger on what exactly.
Besides that, it was time to get back in shape. She'd sat pretty for far too long with distractions, filet mignon, and finger foods. Perhaps tomorrow morning she'd go for a jog, maybe throw in push-ups and sit-ups for building muscle. There was no point in rushing a woman that could snap her in half with a flick of her finger.
All of these things she considered while getting dressed for the day and whipping her hair up into a messy bun. It hurt less to stretch her arms overhead. That was a good sign to recovery, right?
King Luca, His and Her Majesty yawned and stretched into child's pose on Grey's bed. The girl would need time to adjust to the pronoun changes, but as long as the animal stayed an animal, she would be acknowledged as a she. Grey watched her lousily tumble from the bed and smooth down frizzed hair on her front paws.
Grey woke up this morning with the intent of asking Luca who to choose for this quest, but her enthusiasm deflated before shaking her awake. As far as Nico knew, Vanity was still his sister. How did one ask another to help end the life of their sibling? The personal feelings involved would bring conflict to the task. Cat form or not, Luca would shoot the idea down before Grey could finish her sentence.
So, she hummed to herself instead and finished prepping before throwing open her bedroom suite door. The penthouse design sprawled before her, a pair of chocolate colored wooden steps leading down to the lavish living room. Raindrops clung to the floor-to-ceiling windows along with a thick coat of fog. She finished admiring the gray skies and stepped into the kitchen.
Frying eggs scented the air thanks to Jin cooking them on the stove. He spoke in a hushed voice to Taehyung, who laid bacon into a skillet by his side. Namjoon listened to Jimin speak at a table in the corner, dark eyes sparkling with content like the other man was the most fascinating thing he had ever seen. Jungkook was the first to peek his head out of the pantry at her. Hoseok was the second to pay attention as he finished sprinkling powdered sugar on a stack of pancakes.
The commotion died down like a cold breeze just blew in. Grey didn't realize it was the power of her presence until Luca trotted past her feet, unfazed by the awkward silence. She swallowed uneasily, deciding to skip the cooking festivities and reach for one of the high cabinets. With her back turned, the conversation resumed as a series of hesitant mumbling.
She grabbed a bowl from the bottom shelf and leaned on her tiptoes to reach the cereal box on the top shelf. When it pulled on her bruises, she jolted back down and held her side. Sucking in a sharp breath, she counted to ten. The room was quieting down around her again. She didn't need to look to know their eyes were glued to her every move.
After her countdown, she stretched upwards again. Her fingertips grazed the cardboard, but for the life of her she couldn't secure two fingers around the width. She fell back a second time, flinching as she pressed against a solid wall instead of stumbling. An arm extended by her cheek and brought the box to the countertop.
Jin's voice was rich in her ear. "Ask for help next time."
She matched his low volume so that the others wouldn't hear. "Not from you."
Grey peered over her shoulder to find his enchanting face set in a deep scowl. Wordlessly, he turned and stormed from the kitchen. She and the other angels watched him leave, and when the door closed behind him, they went about their business cautiously. She could not do the same. Frustrated, she glanced at her empty bowl. Her appetite had been reduced to dust.
Her nails drummed against the granite as she pondered what to do next. She could start her research early and hole up in the library until lunch. Around noon she could slip from the skyscraper and pick up something quick. Just as she was about to retire to her studies, a cold voice startled her.
"Eat."
She found Yoongi, who lowered his spoon back into his chocolate cereal. He was the part of her puzzle she'd been missing all along. He repeated himself as she stared blankly.
"Eat. You need breakfast."
Slowly, she returned to facing the counter. They called him the best fighter, and maybe that made him exactly what she was looking for. She poured a tiny bowl of cereal and splashed a bit of milk into it. As she was about to take her first bite in a secluded corner, Yoongi pat the surface of the empty seat next to him. Sit, his eyes read. She sauntered towards him, confused by how easy it was to follow his directions when she was supposed to be in charge.
She plopped down into the seat and took her spoonful.
"We like the same cereal," he said.
The same chocolate bits and flakes in his bowl floated in hers. "What do you know," Grey said dismissively. She returned to eating quietly.
His voice was low but emotionless. "Do you collect the toys that come in the boxes?"
Grey's eyebrow twitched. She did. At least, she used to when she was younger so that she could trade with Amelia at their slumber parties. "I used to," she said.
Though her answer was curt, Yoongi either ignored her attitude or missed it completely. Most likely the former. "I keep them and give them to Jimin when he has a bad day."
That was... surprisingly nice. "That's cool," she muttered.
"He likes the yellow one, Chimmy. And his second favorite is Tata, the red one."
"I'm sorry," Grey laughed, shaking her head, "I can't take this seriously."
Yoongi frowned. "Jimin's taste or me keeping you company during a meal?"
"You're not pulling a fast one?"
Yoongi scoffed. "You assume I'm flirting with you? Kind of arrogant, don't you think?" His disinterest managed to burn holes right through her confidence. Defensively, she crossed her arms.
"You've never spoken to me this much in your life. Since when have you and I ever tried to reach common ground?"
He got up from his seat with an empty bowl, and replied, "Well, never and this is probably why. To be honest, no one knows how to be in the same room as you. Thought a conversation might help you appear as something other than a paranoid watchdog. I was wrong." He wandered to the sink and washed out his breakfast. Then, he shoved his hands in his pockets and went about his day without sparing her a glance.
Grey watched him go and looked back down at her bowl when he vanished. She couldn't finish eating.
He was trying to be nice. And in response, she was the perfect jerk.
Grey tossed her bowl into the sink and called for Luca. The cat jumped from Taehyung's side and trailed her into the hallway. They reached the men's suites when Luca piped up.
"I did not hear any of your exchanges, but I can tell that they did not go well."
"My interactions with everyone in this house are cancelled today."
"Then I guess I will find someone else to talk with," Luca commented.
"I meant everyone with thumbs."
Luca glanced at her paws while Grey shoved a shoulder into the library door. Inside, the library smelled of old paper and leather. Three rectangular tables meant for reading bordered arched windows decorated by red velvet drapes. To the left was the massive fireplace that she'd fallen asleep in front of a while back. Above that was a second floor flooded with books and artwork. Candle chandeliers and wall sconces provided dim lighting good enough for seeing what was on a page.
Grey scanned the titles, the volumes, the different versions of encyclopedias. She probably couldn't count the number of years it would take to scavenge all these books with one hand. Groaning, she pulled out a chair at one of the reading tables and plopped down.
She rested her face on the desk. "Can we just Google other ways to open portals?"
Luca narrowed her brilliant gaze. "Sometimes you amaze me when you speak. Sit up. You are about to receive a crash course on the basics."
"A crash course on what exactly?" As instructed, she sat up and looked for Luca on the ground. The cat wasn't there. She scooted back and checked under the table and under her seat. A white paw landed on her forehead as she faced forward.
"On traveling through inter-dimensional pockets."
Grey slapped her pet's paw off of her face. "Did you just?"
Luca ran to the edge of the table and jumped. Grey didn't hear her land. The cat's motherly voice echoed from a few feet up. Grey twisted in her seat to find Luca staring at her from the second floor's balcony. "I can do it again."
Luca walked between the railing's bannisters, completely disappearing into one of them as though there was a secret door there only she could fit into. She appeared again by rounding the table where Grey sat. "This form of travel is as easy as breathing."
"This is how you pop up everywhere?" Grey scooted back in her chair so eagerly that Luca's back arched in warning. Clapping, Grey asked, "Are you going to teach me how to do that?"
"Goodness, no. This is my power and mine alone. I can open pathways for others, but no one can be taught how to make one."
The girl visibly deflated. "Then what do I need to know about it?"
"A little bit of everything. Listen closely, I prefer not to repeat myself."
Her tail swished back and forth, her back sinking into normal form. "There are portals from room to room and building to building. There are ones that span across countries. Then, there are ones that span across dimensions. Each takes more power than the other, respectively, and the longer I have been on Earth, the longer I have been exposed to the curse. Consequently, my ability to open them shrinks."
Luca sighed. "Pockets between dimensions are everywhere. You simply cannot see them. While they are visible to me, I can no longer control them or their destinations. Which means I cannot summon them as I once could, but only open them when they arise. Think of it as a taxi. At my best, the portal is the driver, and I can tell him where to drop me off. As my strength drains, summoning a portal is about as reliable as taking a bus; I wait for it to arrive and it leaves me at a place close to where I wish to be, but not there."
"Emotions and wings aren't enough to lose. Your powers are hit by the curse too?"
"Yes. Our powers are our light. The darkness here smothers it. When an angel is stripped from a heavenly atmosphere and thrown into the world with the power of free will, they experience sensations such as sin and temptation for the first time. The call to it is overwhelming. Strong enough to shatter moral compasses and diminish hope in returning to the Eternal Realm.
"Our abilities grow weaker as we become more like humans. So, since we are without our wings and our full strength, one would turn to the dark side to maintain at least a fragment of their identity as an angel."
Grey leaned back in her chair, processing the details. "And if you resist the dark side?"
"Your light, your powers, fade. You die. This is why we call it the darkening. As soon as we land on this planet, the battle between light and dark begins. We must choose a fate."
"Then, if you haven't surrendered, how much power do you have left?"
The cat hung her head. "I am working on reserves. As I said last night, bringing you here--ripping a pocket between worlds--severely drained me because I forced it. I can barely shift into my masculine form for more than an hour."
No wonder it was taking so long to get results. Luca had nothing left to give. Grey buried her nails in the sleeves of her shirt. All she had done was nag the cat about getting home. She couldn't recall many conversations between them where getting back to her dimension wasn't a major topic. Guilt lounged heavily on her shoulders. Without thinking, Grey rolled them back. "Is there anything you can do to help your strength return?"
"Love brings it back. Open, pure, unconditional love," Luca said dreamily.
"You're joking, right?" Grey cracked a coy smile.
"This is not a joking matter," Luca corrected.
Grey said, "I think that is the cheesiest thing I've ever heard."
Luca hissed. "Love is the strongest force to ever exist. That is why it breaks curses. It mends the soul. Rejuvenates the spirit."
"It has to take a lot to make you half of the king you're supposed to be. How many people's love do you need?"
"One," Luca announced. "A little faith from one goes a long way. I am lucky enough to have found an owner that cares for me. In these past few weeks, I have grown a bit stronger by the day."
That declaration warmed Grey's heart so much that before she could stop herself, she told Luca, "I see."
The ghost of a smile played on Luca's lips. She swiftly changed the subject. "Even so, gaining power through love is an unpredictable process. To open a hole between worlds again might take me years."
"I don't have years." Grey folded her hands in her lap.
"Then we must observe the other options," Luca confessed. "There are three of them."
Grey crossed her legs. "Let's hear it."
"The Amulet of Erilim. A necklace, that when filled with the blood of a pure heart bearer, opens the gate to the Eternal Realm."
"Where is it? Do you have it?" Grey searched one of the shelves from a distance as though the answer would wave at her from a book's binding.
"It disappeared after the First Fall along with several other artifacts. Five hundred years later and no archeologist or member of Anaphiel has stumbled upon it. It's whereabouts are completely unknown. Not only is it a lost cause, but you would not like it anyway."
"I'm not that picky about jewelry."
Luca snorted, a high-pitched meowing sound. "You would have to be a blood sacrifice. Which defeats the purpose."
"Oh." Grey's leg bounced up and down. "Next?"
"The Sword of Legends, also known as Gatekeeper."
"If this is another one that involves me dying we can skip--,"
"No one will die. This is one of the other missing artifacts. Except, unlike the amulet there is not a set of instructions that clearly demonstrate what to do with the sword once it is in one's custody. There was only one soul that ever understood the way it was meant to be wielded. My eldest brother."
Grey ran a hand over her face. "Please say he was nice enough to tell you."
"It was a weapon crafted for only him since he did not share my gift of opening portals. He considered the ability to travel anywhere a necessity as First King of the Eternal Realm. To teach himself the ritual, he logged his findings in a journal. After he vanished, so did the book."
"Any clue where it could be?"
Luca shifted her position on the ground as though she couldn't get comfortable. "No, he would not have shared any details. My brother and I... we were at odds before everything fell apart."
Grey watched as her cat went on. "I was at odds with both of my siblings at that time. It was a foreign sensation, seeing that we maintained peace for our entire existence. But ever since they returned from Earth, they were different. They spoke of punishing humans for small deeds, they became strict on Anaphiel and strict on the other classes, they spoke so much of superiority to humans towards me in an effort to persuade me of their views. I withstood it, until..."
"Until?" Grey leaned forward in her seat.
Luca's voice broke. "Until they fell. Together, my sister and brother were the First Fall."
Quiet settled over the bookshelves, over the reading table, over the library.
"You will get them back," Grey blurted. She didn't know why she said it, but she did. Luca nodded halfheartedly. "If they're here on Earth, we can get them back."
"If you knew who they were now, as I do, you would not want to retrieve them."
Luca added, "There is one thing I know about the sword. Whether he meant to or not, he disclosed this. The sword is strongest when the wielder's celestial power is the strongest."
Grey clarified, "The person holding it has to be strong to get the full effect."
"Yes. With the time I have left, there is one instance where regardless of the curse, I will regain my strength. If we could reclaim the sword by then, I'll be able to figure out how to use it. It could probably catapult you back to your realm in seconds."
Grey raised an eyebrow. "With the time you have left?"
"The curse's endgame is near."
Endgame. Like brother like sister. Grey asked, "But what about you? Will it take you and the others home?"
"There is no guarantee."
Grey shook her head so quickly that Luca's ears perked. "Then, no. There has to be another way. You said there was a third. What is that?"
"Break the curse. Commit an act of unconditional love, which is most easily done in the form of confessing your true feelings to an angel."
"Luca," Grey warned. "Don't go there. Breaking the curse has nothing to do with opening a portal, you said it yourself."
"Do not count the option out! It is an easy way to build celestial energy that could open a portal. Love conquers all! Amor vincit omnia!"
"Easy? The book and sword seems easier."
"You can escape neither your attachment to this curse nor your feelings for them. Search for the book, and you will spend the rest of your life trying to find it because you held everyone at an arm's length distance."
"They are the worst! How many times do I have to say it?"
"You are still fond of them, I see it in your eyes. Deep down, you know the truth and you are afraid to take a chance and believe it."
Grey faltered, her resolve disintegrating. Luca had her pinned. As though she were affirming her winning stance, the cat elaborated, "Forgive them and let them in. You know the answer to the question you continue to ask yourself. The cold demeanor is not who you are. Perhaps it mirrors who you once were, but if you claim to feel as intensely as you do, then feel. Accept the consequences of embracing a human heart. By your logic, if you cannot accept those then you lied to us, and that makes you no better then the men you share this house with. If you claim to risk it all, then risk."
It was what she had told Jin in her business interview.
I risk it all.
"We are done with this conversation," Grey stood from her seat and marched from the library. Angrily, she wiped tears from her eyes as she charged down the hall.
Why must every decision be so demanding? It was her turn to choose. Her turn to decide the future. And, of course, she could barely do that without affecting someone or something else. Really, she could barely do it without affecting her own heart.
At the same time that Grey's chest crunched against a plastic bag and some type of container, her head collided with a rock. The impact knocked her to the floor. Before facing her attacker, she wiped her eyes and nose and glanced upwards at last.
Yoongi's resting bitch face met hers. He used his free hand to rub a red spot above his browâthe spot where their foreheads decided to play eight-ball pool. The sleeves of his black sweater seemed familiar. Too familiar.
"If you weren't crying, I'd make you pay for this."
When his hand fell from his face, she saw the entirety of his torso. Beside her frustration, she grinned.
"You're wearing the sweater I bought you."
It was the one she'd bought the morning of the ball to apologize for barging into his room.
He looked down quickly, and flicked his gaze back onto her as she stood up. "It's comfortable," he grumbled, extending the plastic bag her direction. Warm, well-seasoned beef filtered to her nose and made her stomach growl. Yoongi said, "I bought lunch today. This one is yours."
She took the bag and let it relax at her side. It was hot against her legs. "I'm sorry for this morning."
"You don't think before you say things. Try to improve on that."
Grey really didn't think. She barely felt the sting of his comment because her mind was already racing down another track. Through his sweater, Yoongi's body hinted at framework of lean muscle. His unfeeling expression overcompensated for his ability to be kind. The callouses on his hand marked him as a participant in many battles. And overall, he just told the damn truth.
Yoongi grimaced, averting her gaze and finding a wall to stare at instead. "You're always staring at me. Stop that."
Grey checked over her shoulder and over his. The empty corridor had to be a good sign. She leaned closer, lowering her voice.
"I need your help, but it stays between us. You and I only."
He sighed. "Did you break something? Need something from the store?"
"No," she crossed her arms, "I need an ally."
A door closed further down the hall. Someone was coming. Grey looked down at the floor, trying to appear inconspicuous. Under her breath, she explained, "You know things, but so do I. And you'll be very interested in what I have to share. Think about it."
With that, she held her lunch to her chest and jogged to her room.
:::
Rowan hated having to dial on his cellphone with blood on his hands, but for this matter it could not be helped. Red splotches coated the glass where he pressed his fingers, and as he pressed the screen against his cheek, he groaned inwardly. His phone began the dialing sound, and while it connected, he dragged his latest kill further into the shadows of the alley so that spare rays from the street's gas lanterns would not touch it.
When silence rang over the other end of the line, Rowan groaned, "Could you believe that in this entire binge, I've only found two pure-heart bearers?"
Vanity cleared her throat, shuffling and indecipherable noises irritating Rowan's ears. "I'm a little busy right now, Row. I thought we agreed that we wouldn't call when we were bored."
"You say that like I care about your personal activities." Rowan tried to wipe off the blood on a brick wall. His attempt proved unsuccessful. It had dried, and now it was staining his fingers like pomegranate seeds. "What I'm saying is, two pure-heart bearers and the amulet is still not activating. Why is that?"
She giggled. More noise disturbances rattled the phone. Then, "I'm not sure. Perhaps the necklace has a preference?"
"You said you had an encounter with a bearer, right? That girl you envied. Did you kill her yet?"
"Uhh," Vanity disappeared for a moment, then said, "The soldier I sent after her never returned."
Rowan smiled. "So, she's clever too. I love a good chase. Is she still under your control?"
"I don't know where she is."
"To make up for your incompetency, I'll find her."
"Rowan," Vanity warned, "Nico is alive and put her under his protection. If you want her, it'll take more than you think."
Rowan gasped theatrically. "The sun still rises on our dear baby brother?"
"He's strong," Vanity admitted. "All of Anaphiel has gotten strong."
"Thank you for the update, lovely sister. I look forward to confronting your pest problem."
"You're enjoying that body far too much," Vanity remarked.
"You don't know the half of it."
:::
Vanity tossed her phone onto the nearby couch and scratched the back of her neck to tame her irritation. There was not a shadow of a doubt that Rowan would return to Seoul like a bloodhound sniffing out fresh prints. And, as usual, he would make a mess of things. The slaughters that surfaced on daytime news, the chaos he wreaked, the covering up she would have to do to keep the angels from seeing all Hell break loose.
A breathing, panting silhouette wheezed a few feet away in the unlit attic. It's voice was raspy, strained, angry.
"Feed me," it called.
Vanity reached into a large bowl of marinated, raw steak. "Don't rush me," she barked. Annoyed, she tossed two flanks into the void.
"I want human meat!"
"You get what I give you. You should be grateful I even brought you to this realm."
"Mangrith wants human meat!" A boisterous roar shook the entire floor. Vanity stumbled back.
Dealing with gluttonous demons were the absolute worst. But, seeing as she needed Mangrith's unholy ability to endlessly consume, she had to put up with the temper tantrums. So, she stomped her foot down.
"Mangrith, what is your job?"
"Protect book."
"It is a very special book, you see, and it is yours. Living meat will come straight to this attic to take your book. Can you let them do that?"
"NO!" Vanity's hair blew back from it's rancid breath.
"Good baby. When your father gets back, he'll give you human meat."
"Mangrith will protect book. Make father proud."
"Thank you, Mangrith."
The darkness bowed for her, a harmonious pull of every writhing shadow downward into one grand gesture.
"Thank you, Aelith."
:::
(A/N) Best reader,
I wrote two bonus scenes... I hope you loved them! Also, I can't wait to write this next chapter.
Consider it a thank you for helping Tear the Sky rank in #btsfanfiction ... like holy granola bar, guys. That's a pretty important hashtag.
Today is my last day in my trusty apartment. I'll miss it.
Next release: 7/31 (July 31st)
With love from apartment 302,
M