He was alive. That changed the entire game.
Luca, prepared to champion and defend any one of her charges, figured that this reunion may occur. However, she did not anticipate the confusion that accompanied finding her long-lost brother. Because laying eyes on him at the cemetery, her instinct to protect unraveled, and pure emotion overrode a millennia of training. Raw, sore, aching vulnerability stripped her naked before his gaze. It was the most human she'd ever felt.
The most useless she'd ever felt too. Cowering behind Taehyung in the hopes that Rowan would not detect the celestial energy she carried everywhere. Poor Taehyung, who lied in the face of danger just to keep her safe, fully understanding that it may cost him whatever the First King wanted to take. Whether that be a limb, his heart, his head, or things more abstract such his sense of security or his soul. Poor, poor Taehyung, coming toe to toe with his own fear and the fear of the entire realm. Unable to control himself, unable to stop the change.
The boy still slept in Jimin's lap, eyes closed peacefully. His horns were gone.
"What did you see?" It was Seokjin, crossing his arms and leaning forward to put them on his legs. "What's the matter?"
Jimin nodded. "Yeah, you have to say something if you want our help."
But, it wasn't that easy.
Luca ignored them, sinking into her own mind for retreat.
This moment mattered. This decision mattered. It decided everything. Catalyzed a reaction that would see it's way through to the time the sky turned red. All hers to make and no one else's. A choice fit for a king.
Should I tell them?
If she did not, Luca knowingly set them up. Rowan said himself in the park that he did not care about the invitation or where it came from. His appearance was not guaranteed. The only thing the First King wanted was Taehyung's allegiance, or allegiance from any one of them. Even so, say that Anaphiel charged into Vanity's abode with complete faith and confidence in their abilities. Then, just as they were to succeed, Rowan and all his strength wiped them off the face of the planet.
No matter how she weighed the outcome, it remained the same. Rowan was the beginning and the end.
On the other hand, if she did tell them, this mission transcended the typical boundaries of search and rescue. It metamorphosed into a declaration of war. It brought them from their place in the shadows to the light. It alarmed the living creatures and non-living creatures of this realm alike that Anaphiel stood against their rulers, for themselves, for humanity.
But Luca, based on her comparative knowledge in Nico, was not sure if these seven men, after centuries of loss, sorrow, and disappointment, were ready to bear such titles.
"Luca!" Jungkook shouted angrily.
Tears welled in the cat's eyes. "I will not fail you."
The room fell silent, the angels taken aback by the weakness in her voice.
Luca continued. "I will not fail you. For two hundred and forty-nine years I have been your anchor. However, I cannot protect you forever. For I find that if you rely on me to do so, then I have hindered your growth as royal sovereigns of the three realms. I am your pillar of strength, and though I always will be, it is time that you each decide your fates in this life. Whether that be life, death, or the return of glory."
Luca took a deep breath, knowing that what came next would tip the scales.
"The First King of the Eternal Realm is in Seoul. He found us at the cemetery, offered us an invitation, and asked for Taehyung's efforts in aiding The Merciless."
Even saying it aloud, Luca's heart still dropped. Jin, Yoongi, and Namjoon froze. Jimin and Jungkook blanched. Hoseok looked sick. The ticking clock above the fireplace became the loudest noise in the room. Luca prayed she did not just make a mistake.
"He's..." Jimin furrowed his brow.
Luca nodded. "He is."
Silent seconds stretched into minutes. It felt like they bled into hours. Each of them avoided eye contact, staring hard at the floor or the ceiling or something on the coffee table. At last, Namjoon, with a fleeting glance at Yoongi, sat forward on the couch.
"What does this change?"
Luca blinked. Everything, actually. It changed everything. And yet, it changed nothing. Grey was in the hands of the King or Queen, and they knew about the book. She was treading on a very thin line, but if the truth were ever to be uncovered, it would be in a moment of crisis such as this. She said, "Well, that depends on your perspective. Your original mission is to save the book, isn't it?"
They said nothing. Luca shrugged. "You know the book's location. Retrieve it."
Jungkook was the first to raise an eyebrow. "There's also Grey."
Luca stared at the youngest angel. "What about her?"
"We have to get her!" Jimin said.
"Do you?"
"No," Yoongi said. "We don't."
Jin shouted, "How can you say that?"
"There are two choices. Listen to what the cat is saying. The book is necessary. The book is what we've planned for our entire Fall. Grey was never included in those plans, meaning she isn't necessary. We have a choice to leave her. Getting her back comes from desire. We have to want to do that. She's asking us between the lines if we want to make that choice."
Luca hid a grin. Of course, Yoongi would see right through her wit.
Jungkook frowned. "So, Grey or the book?"
Namjoon's eyes widened like it all finally clicked. "That's the thing. We know for sure about the book's location. Grey's location is an unknown variable. Who's to say she isn't in the same place?"
Hoseok gasped as he clasped the meaning. Jimin said, "What if she isn't?"
"Think about it," said Namjoon. "Grey and Vanity are the ones at odds. It's almost safe to assume that Vanity took her. Vanity's style is confrontational, standoffish at best. She seems like the type to have a trophy case."
Hoseok pouted. "What are you getting at?"
"Her name means pride. It's literally defined as a person that takes deep pleasure in personal achievements. If she has Grey, she would hold her in that trophy case."
Jin groaned. "But we don't know if she has her for sure. If His Majes--Rowan-- is in town, she could be anywhere!"
"It has to be Vanity." Namjoon stood, both hands waving at his sides. "The evidence points to her. Rowan, I would assume, doesn't know enough about Grey's connection to us to take any interest yet."
Hoseok crossed his arms. "You speak like you know these things for sure."
Namjoon pointed at Luca. "You said he gave you an invitation, right?"
The cat nodded. "In Taehyung's pocket."
Jimin fished it from the sleeping boy's jeans. He peeled away the wax seal, casting a wary glance at his members before reading it aloud.
"Anaphiel, you are cordially invited to a celebration of victory tomorrow evening when the crescent moon reaches her peak. Wear your best attire, as you will have the privilege of seeing my guest of honor (previously yours) once again. She eagerly awaits your arrival. All of my worthless love, Vanity."
Namjoon turned to Hoseok. "That's all the confirmation we need."
"A party tomorrow night," Jungkook scoffed. "She's sick."
Luca decided not to think about her sister's antics, or how long gone she must be to come up with such foolishness. That was still her sister. "We should honor the invitation," Luca said.
"I agree," said Yoongi.
"Me too," Jin added, "but what is our plan? We need to carefully consider every aspect."
Namjoon said, "Before we can make any plan, we need to choose a priority. All seven of us go for the book, the girl gets abandoned. All seven of us go for the girl, there's no book."
"We split up," Taehyung said. The entire group startled at his words. He blinked himself awake, sitting up and taking the seat next to Jimin. Both of his hands rubbed the spots on his head where the horns used to be. "We're deep enough to do that."
"We could. That just lessens our fire power against Vanity," Joon said, shrugging.
Luca meowed. "You will have me. I, alone, could take her if I wanted to."
Jungkook said, "We can't send the Second King into a battle like that alone. Not when Rowan becomes a package deal."
"If Rowan shows up, we fight him too." Yoongi made it sound easy, plain.
"Yeah, and get burnt to a crisp," Jin sighed under his breath.
Yoongi rolled his eyes. "At least we'd die with purpose. Better than waiting to take the Blood Moon personality test."
"No one is dying tonight," Taehyung shouted over their bickering. "It isn't allowed."
"He's right," Joon echoed. "No one is dying. Do you know why?"
Yoongi tilted his head waiting for an answer. Hoseok couldn't take his eyes off their leader. Neither could the three youngest, or their king.
"We've Fallen, but that does not stop us from doing our jobs. We, as a Council, are the foundation of the Eternal Realm. We owe it to what our Kings and Queen created to keep it alive and fulfill their dreams. Not only that, but we promised to protect Grey. Cast the fear and reservation aside. Those are traits of a human. Not an archangel."
Slowly, the men in the room nodded.
Yoongi spoke next. "I am guilty of this as well, but all of us sank into mundane normalcy. We let our heritage, our culture, our dignities fade. I agree with our leader. It is who we are to stand in the face of adversity."
"Finally," Jungkook exclaimed. "Someone said it!"
One at a time, the electric energy coming from one member zapped to another. Luca felt it, that charge that seized one of them in the chest and put light in their eyes. She had not seen such a reaction in years. She could not even remember the last time this skyscraper held so much certainty. All she did was listen, and watch the gears begin turning.
"I am sick of always playing on someone else's terms," Jin said. "We never pull the strings."
Hoseok nodded furiously in agreement. "We defend. We never attack."
"We let her take everything. We always let her win," Jungkook said.
"I don't want to be afraid anymore," Taehyung said, more to Luca than to anyone else. Luca wished she could be in his lap just to comfort him.
"What do we do?" Jimin asked.
"Joon, give us the plans," Yoongi ordered.
Namjoon removed a bowl of decorative balls and a few figurines from the table. He spread out an old, worn sheet of paper that covered the length of the glass. Luca recognized them as blueprints; a diagram of an abandoned hotel, the rooms, separate floors, fire escape stairways. How the leader acquired this, she didn't know, but she listened all the same.
He picked up all his chess pieces, lining them in a row. They were polished and black, each of them bent into an original shape.
Namjoon smoothly transitioned from concerned bystander to natural-born leader.
"We'll split up based on strengths. If you aren't looking for Grey or the book, then you'll be with me. That means..."
He shoved the piece that resembled a raven in flight to the middle of the blueprint. After moving The Raven, he moved the piece shaped like a globe. Then came the piece that assumed the form of a wolf and finally, the piece that appeared as a skyscraper.
"The Raven, the Intellect, the Beast, and the Shadow will meet her in here as decoys," he fingered a circle around one of the mapped ballrooms, "That's Hobi, me, Tae, and Jin respectively."
The other three pieces; the moon, the sword, and the bat were kept near the hotel's entrance.
"The Wraith, The Assassin, The Ripper. The three of you are in charge of the scavenger hunt."
Jungkook nodded seriously, tapping a finger against his lips. Jimin smirked. Yoongi remained unbothered.
Namjoon looked to Luca. "You will also be with us in the decoy group. She knows you'll show up eventually, so why not give her the pleasure of seeing you early?" While Luca processed that, Joon said to Yoongi, "You'll need to walk in with our group. Slip away when you can to join your squad."
Yoongi scratched his head. "You don't think she'll notice I'm gone?"
"Let Jin and I piss her off. You winnow to places that you are familiar with. You have to get familiar with that room so that if it does come to blows, you'll be there in a flash."
Jin craned his neck back. "We are pissing her off?"
"Mostly you. Bring all the drama you have," Namjoon said.
Jin grumbled, huffing emphatically. "Fine."
"She'll be waiting for us. Irkans will be piling into that hotel like sardines," Taehyung said.
"True," Namjoon shrugged, "but not if we strike tonight."
"TONIGHT?!"
Namjoon wished he could have captured all their faces on camera. "Yes, tonight."
Hoseok laughed, his skepticism unconcealed. "You must be joking. This is a joke, isn't it?"
The Intellect shook his head. "Open your eyes, guys. Vanity is bragging as we speak. She's won until tomorrow, when we're supposed to show up. She'll have the army. She'll have the tricks if we follow her rules. If we make our own, we catch her while she's still setting up."
Taehyung pursed his lips. Jin ran hands over his face.
Jimin sighed. "It makes sense. Less nightstalkers. Less performance."
"Exactly. We walk in there, wounded and dumbfounded by how she managed to snatch Grey. We beg to get the girl back. Tell her we'll do anything. Drag it on for as long as possible. We just can't stand to have Grey away from us for so long. Then, we take what we want. And we kick her ass after."
"Solid plan," Jungkook commented.
Luca scoffed. "More like a complete gamble. Successful if you do every step right."
"I would take the gamble," Jin said. "I prefer that over one of her gaudy theatrical performances."
"I don't care, I just want to win." Taehyung leaned back onto the couch and stared at the ceiling.
Namjoon smiled. "Then our next step is the armory."
:::
There had never been this many people in the armory at once. Yoongi watched as even Luca strut down the aisle ogling several weapons. She hadn't transformed yet because she needed to save all of her strength. He hoped it would at least be worth it.
To be truthful, he was just taking up space in here. His weapons were in his room. Two trusted, faithful daggers that he could have named by now. Sharpened and ready to draw blood. They were his friends, and tonight they would double as his soldiers.
Yoongi pretended to inspect a series of knives. He was stuck on Luca's overt challenge. There, in the living room, she essentially asked them about purpose. She noted the progress from a couple months ago to now. After all, the book was their only real concern. It consumed their lives for their entire stay in this realm and when they could not find it, it swallowed the rest of their goodwill.
Yet, that changed. Subtly, but surely. Yoongi was sure that each and every one of them still wanted the book. But, a new amendment had been placed on that goal. A certain condition that they would not settle for just a book, but for the girl as well. Whether they knew it or not, their movements took on a new vigor. They were certain as they reached for tools. Confident in the way they held themselves and conversed among one another.
Her surmised that it came from one idea. If they survived Vanity and stole the journal, if they left Grey behind, would that be the end of it? Would they be able to move forward?
No.
In several weeks she molded into their Council. Made her own nook and crevice where she fit and where she contributed. Her kind words, her smile, her laughter. She stepped into the room like a breath of fresh air, and Yoongi was not exactly sure how she made him feel as though he were in the sky again. More than that, she made him feel Fallen too. She called him on his weaknesses. She impulsively acted in every situation that could have been figured out with a little more thought. She was not always light. Sometimes spotted or freckled, sometimes totally eclipsed. She was... true to her name. Gray. Indefinable.
He could not be the only one that felt this way based on how his brothers behaved. And truthfully, a bit of that triggered the humanity in him. It pissed him off.
"What are you thinking about?"
Yoongi blinked out of his trance and grinned halfheartedly at Namjoon. "Nothing."
"There's another thing you should know," said Namjoon. He lowered his voice, scooting closer until they were shoulder to shoulder. "It's the main reason why I need you to dip out while you have the chance."
Yoongi bowed his head to listen.
"It is your job specifically to find Grey."
Yoongi frowned, but nodded curtly.
"When you get her, bring her to the fight. Conceal her."
"Got it."
"Then, when I give you the signal, bring her straight to Vanity."
:::
Many, many things scared Jung Hoseok.
Scary stories, surprises, swift movement, and the slimy, disgusting animals that mortals called snakes. He detested those sneaky bastards in particular. Nevertheless, he would land in a pit of them if it meant avoiding some of the larger things. Seeing Rin was one of them.
A few years trickled by and a fist still squeezed his heart when she crossed his path in the skyscraper. He was not afraid of her recognizing him. No, that was impossible. He was afraid of how far he would go to make her remember. Because she must still know something. Otherwise, she would not wear those pearls around her neck religiously. His pearls. The ones he gave to her. She played with the necklace mercilessly when bored at her desk, yanking on a bond that Hoseok severed--which brought him to another large fear. Powerlessness.
Which, in turn, brought about the largest, most overwhelming fear that crawled underneath his skin as he selected a weapon.
Failure. A debilitating fear of failure. To protect, to love, and to return home. He could do none of these three very well in his opinion.
But, one person could. He typically went unseen or unheard. He was very observant, and had a heart eerily like Grey's. Hoseok didn't realize he was staring at Jungkook until the young man stared back.
"Don't be scared," Jungkook said. "You'll do great."
Hoseok gave the boy a sad smile. "So will you."
Jungkook looked like he wanted to go back to browsing, but couldn't with Hoseok's eyes on the side of his face. Instead of ignoring his friend, Jungkook asked, "Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Jungkook," Hoseok said, shaking his head when he figured out just what to say. "You aren't going for the book."
The youngest angel peered over his shoulder, checking to see if anyone listened. When he figured that the others were just as caught up in their thoughts as him, he answered Hobi.
"No."
"You're going for her."
"Yes."
Hoseok didn't need to ask why. He knew why. He had gone through the same exact thing.
The. Same. Exact. Thing.
Wordlessly, he pulled Jungkook into a hug. Jungkook awkwardly wrapped his arms around him, relaxing only when he realized he wasn't getting away.
"What's this for?"
Hoseok clapped him on the back as they pulled apart. Smiling softly, he said, "There is not very much good left in this human world. Embrace the good you have found. Let it have you. Go for her."
Jungkook blinked incredulously, then nodded. Self-consciously, he strolled out of the armory without sparing anyone else a glance. But Hoseok had seen the rose tint in his cheeks. As though blood actually flowed in his veins.
The boy was submerged. Almost completely gone. He had found his Rin.
And Hoseok hoped the universe allowed him this one forbidden taste of happiness when it was all over.
:::
Jimin filled his quiver with arrows. When it was full, he slid it on and snatched up his bow. It was odd to pick up this old thing. He fought more with his hands than he did with tools.
It wasn't any physical fight he was worried about.
Wait... maybe he was worried about that.
Suddenly the holster strap felt sticky and so did the bow. He shimmied the arrows off, not caring about how they spilled from the bag as soon as they hit the floor.
He did not deserve to wear those. What was he thinking?
That was his chosen weapon when he had his wings. He earned that. This Jimin was not so commendable. He was grounded, and weak, and gullible. This Jimin was timid and docile.
He wanted to run from the armory. Run from these immortals and the responsibilities. He was not in their league. He posed as one of them. He was not ready for a mission and he was not ready to look that girl in the eye.
How could he?
She was fire, and freedom, and righteousness. She was wild and compassionate. She was a woman that the human part of him was unworthy of possessing. He thought that if he did find her tonight, by chance rather than fate, she would see right through him to who he was.
An avid listener of the Dark voices.
When they spoke, they held him high. They put him on a pedestal. He had no insecurities or flaws when he borrowed their power and tasted free will. He was faster, stronger, and livelier. Better. They worshipped him, and he reveled in the praise because his shortcomings were substituted with assurance in something, even if it was the wrong thing.
Her kiss obliterated that.
He bled himself of the pleasure that came from serving no master but himself even though they screamed and pleaded for him to return. He wanted her to take that lead. Because if he ever had the opportunity, he would do absolutely that. Serve her. Get on his knees at her altar and bow. Kiss the ground that she walked on. Kiss every curve and part of her body that he so admired.
It was so difficult to want something that one did not deserve to have.
How could anyone like him come close to her? He stared into the Dark, and it stared back. He let it have a place in his life. No one else had done that but him. Just how weak was he? Why was he even here?
"Stop that." A deep, husky voice made Jimin look to the side. Taehyung beheld him sternly, raising his chin. "Do not do that. You have come so far."
"What do you mean?"
"I know when you're talking down."
Jimin looked away. "I shouldn't be here."
"Yes, you should," Taehyung said. "No complaining."
"I gave in--,"
"You came back." Taehyung stooped to pick up the bow and arrows. He handed it to Jimin. "All of us are tempted. Snap out of it." He shoved the weapon into Jimin's chest. "We're about to take butt and kick names."
"Do you think we can save her?"
Taehyung shrugged. "We'll find out."
"Do you think... never mind." Jimin laughed and gripped his bow a bit tighter.
"Spit it out."
"It's nothing."
"Okay," Tae said. He pivoted on his heel and took a step away. Jimin grabbed him by the collar.
"Do you think she'll look down on me? If she's heard what I've done..."
Taehyung measured Jimin. If Jimin would have blinked, he would have missed the gesture. Then, he said, "It might give you a leg up on everyone else."
:::
Jin waited near the elevators for the last of the group to file in. Nico graciously stood beside him, seeming every bit a King.
Life had hit them so fast. Two hundred years of desolation flipped upside down in two months. All because he let her in the doors of KSJ.
He had not seen Anaphiel like this since before the Fall. Armed to the teeth. Brimming with purpose.
Nico reined in his soldiers with a commanding glance. "Tonight, you are the Princes that govern this realm. Show it all that you can do."
Eager to do exactly that, Jin clothed himself in shadow.
:::
(A/N) Glowing reader,
Next release: 9/18 (September 18th)
Aaaaaand they're off. I hope they'll be okay.
Thank you for tuning in!
With love,
M