A fit of rustling and gasping erupted behind Grey.
Her best friend woke up at the base of the tree, swallowing air. As though she had resurfaced from being underwater, she coughed and keeled over. Grey scurried to her side, patting her on the back as her sobs howled throughout the cage.
"It's okay," Grey said, hugging her. "It's okay. You're with me."
Amelia screamed, thrashing out of the girl's grip. "Get off of me!"
Grey put her arms up defensively, keeping her distance as Amelia scooted to the edge of the bars. A guttural snarl slithered from the darkness directly behind her. Squealing, Amelia threw herself from the perimeter to the middle of the cage.
"Stay away from me! Get out of my head!"
Her best friend pointed an accusatory finger at Grey. Something pale blue and shimmering with diamonds caught her eye. Grey frowned.
"I'm real," Grey said. "This is real."
Amelia shook her head, backing up against the plastic tree. Dark circles stained her eyes, her sallow skin sharpening her cheekbones. Bruises littered her neck and arms. Her hair still flowed beautifully over her shoulders. She looked like she had not eaten, but she smelled like ecstasy. A doll that had been tossed to the side.
She scraped against the dirt ground, then scratched at the tree. Grey did not realize she was looking for a weapon until she sank back to her place and checked her nails to examine their sharpness. Unsatisfied, she curled her knees beneath her chest and hissed.
"Amelia." Grey warily took a step closer. "I promise, it's me."
Amelia spat at Grey's feet. "Liar."
"No. Friend." She lowered herself slowly before the other girl. "I will protect you."
"Just kill me already," Amelia said. "I'm sick of this!"
Grey reached into her shirt, slipping her fingers past the seam of her bra. When she found the hard thing she was searching for, she pulled it out. It was barely visible in the darkness, so she took Amelia's hand and forced it onto the hilt. Amelia gasped, fighting to snatch her hand away. Before she could, Grey tossed Namjoon's hunting knife aside while she still touched it.
"See," Grey said, clasping Amelia's hand with her own, "It's gone. I would never hurt you."
Amelia's voice broke. "Grey?"
"Yes! It's Grey!" Amelia's arms wrapped around her throat in a panicked hug. Grey grabbed her just as tight, afraid to let her go. To compromise, she spoke into her hair. "I'm sorry, Amelia. I'm so sorry."
"Where am I? What is this?"
"I don't know," Grey admitted. When they pulled apart, they gripped one another's shoulders to stay grounded. "I'm sorry. I never wanted this to happen."
Amelia sniffled. "What happened?"
"You wouldn't understand."
Her best friend balled her hands into fists. "What else can you hide from me? Can there be more?"
"Amelia, what can you remember?" Grey sat cross-legged on the floor.
"Everything!" Though she exclaimed it, she did not seem too convinced. Her eyes dropped to the floor, the wheels in her head turning endlessly. "We fought. I went to the skyscraper. Then I met her..."
Amelia jammed her palm against her forehead. She said, "Who is she?"
"Vanity."
"Who?"
"Vanity," Grey repeated.
"That was the woman in my head?"
Grey nodded solemnly. "She plays mind games. It's hard to explain. I think she used you to kidnap me."
Amelia rubbed her temples. "I kidnapped you?"
"At the cemetery. Hit me in the head with a flashlight."
"Damn," Amelia breathed, staring into the distance. "I don't remember that."
"I don't expect you to," Grey said.
"The past few hours have been a black hole. But, I still feel some things." Her head fell.
Grey moved in the hopes that her best friend would look her way. It didn't happen. "What can you recall?"
"I don't want to talk about it." Amelia shook her head.
"I won't pry--,"
"I hated you. That was the strongest thing."
Grey blinked. But she also cautiously decided what to do next. Because she had never heard those words and they were not easily misinterpreted. They hit just as hard as truth and just as hard as a lie. Amelia still trembled and fidgeted in her corner, but Grey also detected the cold radiating from her--the hostility. A coat of frost draped about Amelia's shoulders. The bitter chill of being near her enough to ward Grey away. Basking in its glory, she wasn't sure if she wanted to challenge the notion or sit a few paces back.
At least Amelia was conscious again.
Her best friend asked questions with fervor this time. One that demonstrated her clear desire to be rid of everything around her. "Grey, what is this place? What happened? Why do I smell so good?"
Grey shrugged. "We won't be here long. They are coming for us. I know they will."
"Who?" Amelia ran hands through her hair. "Who? What are you talking about?"
Well, this was it.
All the times Grey evaded answering such inquiries just to ironically be led here.
There was nothing left to hide.
Grey and Amelia were inside a birdcage. She had met Vanity. She had followed Aelith's orders. Plus, that thing called Mangrith terrorized this room. Amelia drifted in the eye of the storm. Perhaps every choice Grey made up to this point put her best friend in this position. Perhaps she was meant to be here all along.
"Amelia, before I say anything, let me confess that I've tried to protect you. It's too late to take it back but I would have done everything differently. What comes next is the truth, okay?"
"What have you done?"
"There's nothing to be afraid of," Grey said. She hoped she was not lying. She also hoped that she would have enough time to pour out her heart.
Her story began with the lake. Luca. The singles social. The Parlour. The pet store. The skyscraper. It wound about the entirety of Seoul. It explained the people that had always been there, and the people she had only just discovered. It described a curse, a sky soon to be painted with blood, and a choice. What she did not let on, was how much her heart was involved in the entire thing.
She went on about a ball, about the aftermath of it. She told about how she endured training. She even told how she purposefully began an argument to protect her best friend. How she had several best friends now, what they were capable of, the magic she had seen. Her entire adventure from start to finish.
By the time she finished, Amelia was crying. Tears of horror or bewilderment, Grey could not discern.
"Don't cry. Nothing is going to hurt you anymore," Grey said. "Nothing."
Amelia wiped her eyes, then whimpered as another flurry of tears overtook her.
"You are all that I have left," Grey continued, "There is no me without you. There is nothing to be afraid of. I would give my life for you. I promise, on my mother's and father's graves, I'll be here." There was such conviction there it surprised even Grey. But it did not matter what dimension Amelia was in, what she was like, what she thought of Grey. Amelia was her very best friend in this world and in the worlds beyond.
"I'll fight for you. Always."
Then, it hit her almost as hard as she had hit the surface of that lake.
Her heart stirred, emotions picked up by force; like wind picking up sand and spinning a whirlwind. The tornado grew, the conviction that she'd used in her voice growing into her body, filling her veins, her fingers, her toes. A thrum of energy exhilarated her, spreading like wildfire until she was a pile of cinders. She felt lighter. Ready to move. This cage was too small. She needed to break out of it before whatever burning her up inside melted the iron from the inside.
Grey fought to catch her breath, and she fought to take hold of the power that threatened to burst from her core. But, since it was hers, it listened. It yielded and calmed, breaking away as though it never came.
What the hell was that?
Amelia, withdrawn and silent, returned to staring into the pitch black outside the cage.
Let her be silent, Grey thought. She needed time to process everything. However, there was one last thing Grey needed before drifting into awkward silence and the following consequences of this night.
"Amelia," she said. Even though Amelia made no move to acknowledge her, Grey proceeded. "I am going to need that ring back."
Her friend, a shell of a person, slowly drew the ring from her finger and placed it on the ground next to her. Grey took it, watching as Amelia turned her back to her. She did not speak another word.
:::
Nico and his warriors scoped the abandoned hotel from a block away. Any step closer, his celestial energy could be detected. Any step further, they would lose vision on the building.
The Ruby Courtyard was not the hotel he remembered. He thought this the last time he came, but staring at it from the outside, it boasted the ghosts of precious guests and merriment. Hovering at a notable size, there was a broken window on nearly every floor--seventeen floors in total. The tattered awning fluttered in the wind alongside flapping drapes that wriggled through holes in the wall. Her cream walls faded to resemble a muddy, mustard yellow. The sign at the very top of the hotel seemed ready to fall to the ground.
In the 1920's, Nico would come here to have a stiff drink and a loose dance. Hanging in the lounge with a few mortal friends and a live band to keep them company, he traipsed the dance floor greeting sultans, mingling with Singaporean elite, conversing about everything under the sun with a young lady he would meet that night and never see again. The music spilling from the halls was loud enough to fill the entire street, and the lights... glittering scarlet and pearlescent spotlights that made the entire building resemble a giant apple.
He supposed that not every good thing could last forever. However, he was grateful that the Ruby Courtyard, his safe haven when he began to doubt his mission, housed a woman that Nico held dear to his heart. Hopefully she would find the same restitution that he did in those twisting halls.
"The Diamond Lounge is on the top floor. That is the best place to find her," Nico said.
"Jimin, Jungkook, Yoongi. We don't know how many irkans are in the building. Be careful," Namjoon warned.
"Try to get us at least one of the things we're looking for," Jin added.
Yoongi nodded. "We'll get what we can grab. Do a good job of stalling and we'll clean the entire hotel."
Namjoon looked to Jin. "Get under her skin. Be petty. Let us focus on being diplomatic."
"Oh, I can be petty," Jin said, grinning.
"Our Queen is still in there somewhere. She may have forgotten about her dreams and her purpose, but it is etched in her creation as it is in mine. I will try to get her back," Nico said. He missed the withered look Namjoon and Yoongi gave him.
The leader said, "Alright, Anaphiel. If we get separated, reconvene at the skyscraper tomorrow morning at dawn. Be vigilant. Be brave. Don't forget who you are."
They each went their separate ways.
:::
The Diamond Lounge reminded Jin of a sunken ship. Glass and crystal chandeliers, gray and rusted from years of being unused, dangled from vaulted ceilings. Debris and dirt covered red velvet settees and couches, white linen sheets covered a majority of the tables as well as a bar in the far corner of the room. A mezzanine floor, marked by cast-iron filigree railing hung overhead. Ivory drapes stained brown from a mixture of mud and rain wafted through the balmy breeze. A stage had been set into the wall, and he could tell by the grooves in the splintered floor that many a musician had stepped on that stage. Overall, the hotel had not been moved or shaken in decades, but it held the surreal essence of life.
Jin startled as a rat scurried across the floor near his foot. "She lives here?"
"Yes," Nico whispered. His green eyes glowed through the shadows, the glow around him unnerving even Jin. "Namjoon, what do you suggest we do next?"
"Stick to the plan," Namjoon said, leaning on one of the pillars that upheld the second floor. Nico followed his lead by examining one of the fading tapestries. Hoseok sat on one of the covered love seats, Taehyung perched next to him. Yoongi stayed near the broken window to observe every square inch where he might be able to land when he returned. Each of them took up positions around separate parts of the room, rehearsing their parts.
"She knows we're here," Taehyung said. "Why doesn't she just show up already?"
Namjoon shrugged. "Could be a tactic to make us split up. Could be a power move. She wants us to wait on her as we used to."
"It's not like she's doing anything," Yoongi said, rolling his eyes.
Hoseok leaned back on his seat and closed his eyes. "You'd be surprised. Sucking the life from everything fun, kind, or innocent takes a lot of energy."
"Quit messing around," Yoongi snapped. "Do I need to go get her?"
"We let her come to us," Namjoon said.
"Enough bickering, boys." Jin brushed a stray cobweb from the shoulder of his suit and sighed. Clearing his throat, he tilted his head to the sky and yelled at the top of his lungs.
"VANITY!"
He knew Namjoon was most likely face-palming. He knew Yoongi pondered how long it would take to lessen the distance between them and strangle him. But, Jin would follow his orders to the highest degree. They wanted drama, he would give them drama.
"I'M GETTING SICK OF WAITING!"
Chittering and screeching began in the hallway. Several pairs of feet rushed from multiple hallways to charge the Diamond Lounge. Jin tensed, his hand reaching into his coat to feel for his knife. The men behind him tensed as well. Maybe that was too dramatic.
The first irkan barreled into the room, tripping over its own long legs and arms to latch onto the nearest wall and climb. Six arms clawed through the paint, pulling and yanking up until it was on the ceiling and staring down. The second irkan did the same, then the third and fourth, halting only when they found a space where they could land if need be. Purple-skinned, deathly thin humanlike spiders foamed at the mouth on the roof. Turned at the neck like owls, each of them had three eyes that seemed to blink in sync.
Hoseok curled up on the couch in terror, Namjoon reached for his back pocket, Yoongi refused to pay them any attention, and Taehyung had caught one of them in a staring match. Nico studied each of his angels while Jin scowled as a fine trail of spit made it's way to the floor from one of their mouths. Close enough to mess up his dress shoes.
One measured click after another, her footfalls echoed into the lounge. Vanity entered through double doors on the side of the chamber. Her amber eyes brimmed with energy, two balls of freshly spun gold. The black jumpsuit she wore was form-fitting, the plunging neckline devilishly close to revealing her breasts. The black strappy stilettos she dawned were just as scandalous. She sauntered into the lounge, both hands in the pockets of her bellbottom pants. A wicked beauty, indeed.
"That is how you address your Queen?" She did not look pleased, but she did look somewhat surprised. She scanned their faces, their positions. She even swallowed. Small things that Jin noticed, and almost smiled at. Their surprise plan worked.
"You lost that title when you lost your mind," Jin said.
Vanity smiled coldly, the creases of her eyelids crinkling at the edges. "Not all who wander are lost, princeling."
"You're lost if you consider these decent living conditions. And it is so like you to quote an author to make yourself appear philosophical." Jin rolled his eyes.
Vanity chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, when did you find your confidence?"
"I have always had confidence. When did you learn how to read?"
"Brother," Vanity turned to Nico, who's mouth was hanging agape. "Put a leash on your dog before I do."
"You're the bitch here. Not me," Jin said, chuckling.
Was he acting anymore? No one was sure.
Namjoon cleared his throat. "Why did you take Grey?"
Vanity shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Vanity," Nico warned, "Make this easier on all of us. Cooperate."
"When you tell me to cooperate, it makes me really not want to," she huffed, crossing her arms. "Come back tomorrow night and I might have an answer."
Hoseok sat up. "We aren't going to wait."
"Tell us," Taehyung said.
Vanity frowned at Hoseok, completely ignoring Taehyung. "Be careful, little pigeon. Your kind scatters easily."
"Pigeon?" Jin cocked his head to the side. "Is that the best you can do? You have access to the smartest minds in this world--even the most sarcastic and you call him a pigeon?"
Before Vanity clenched her jaw, Nico stepped forward. "Vanity, excuse his behavior. We come in peace. You have taken what is ours and we only ask for it back. Killing the girl will not bring you peace."
Namjoon nodded. "She is under our protection. We are bound by our word to fulfill that promise. None of us have come with the intent to fight you or cause you harm. All we want is to have her back."
Vanity leaned onto the stage, spreading both arms out on the wood. "She is mine. Her life is mine. You knew that as soon as you took her in, and when you let her openly disrespect me." She placed a hand on her chest. "I am your Queen. You serve me.
"While that holds true, we also must serve her. That is the agreement we struck," Nico said.
Vanity's voice simmered dangerously low. "You would defy me?"
Jin crossed his arms. "Isn't it obvious? We're here."
"Jin, that's enough," Namjoon commanded. The leader positioned himself so that he stood directly in front of the eldest. With him out of sight, they could get back to the matter at hand. To Vanity he said, "Please, there must be a way that we can negotiate. We can come to a compromise."
"Give me my brother," Vanity said.
Taehyung stood from his seat. "No."
Namjoon looked at his friend, found the intensity in his gaze, and turned back around. Vanity already triggered Taehyung. The Beast's eye... a hint of green swam in the iris. That damn overprotective loyalty had kicked in. He needed to keep up the ruse, and he needed to do so quickly.
"A Scepter in exchange for a human is a lot to demand," Namjoon tried.
Vanity detached from the stage, strutting forward. "A human's freedom is a lot to demand. It presupposes that the animal has rights, a voice, worth. Humans are ilk, and if you want to support one, then you betray your own."
"Humans are the cultivators of this world. They are the change we need," Nico pleaded.
Jin hated to see weakness from his King. He especially hated when the person exposing that vulnerability did not deserve to see it. He drummed his fingertips against his leg to keep from charging at the cruel bitch.
Vanity laughed, shooting her hands out to the sides. "Nico! Listen to me! I am not sitting on your peace committee! I have discovered power! I have found the path I want to follow!"
Nico shouted, "I do not believe it! I refuse!"
"Brother," Vanity spat, and Namjoon swore it sounded foreign coming from her lips. "Instead of giving me one more chance, I will give one to you. Join The Merciless or become my enemy."
Hoseok stood, exchanging a sidelong glance with Taehyung. Namjoon tensed, finding his attention drawn to the Second King rather than Seokjin, who incredulously glanced from one ruler to the other.
Nico raised his chin. "You know what side I stand on. I will never change."
Vanity nodded, her fingernails tapping against her hips. Jin did not imagine what he was seeing. They were growing. Her nails were growing.
"Then you leave me no choice," she said.
"Give us Grey," Taehyung yelled.
Vanity's gaze crept towards the Beast. "I cannot. Neither can you."
The next sound from Taehyung was part snarl, part snapping jaws. Hoseok stepped another foot away from him. Namjoon tilted his head upwards, searching for the weakness of the spider-like nightstalkers. There were most likely more where that came from.
Were they prepared for this battle?
Namjoon peered at the room. Yoongi had already gone. Maybe they had a chance.
Maybe no one would leave this hotel.
Taehyung roared, "Why not?"
"She is protected like my deepest, darkest secret."
"Where is she?"
Like water rushing through parted streams, bulging blue veins poked through Vanity's skin. Instead of the scarlet nail polish, her nails had taken a metallic sheen. They had turned to iron. Red filled in the whites of her eyes, and when she spoke again, her voice echoed. Multiple sounds forged into one; one hundred lost souls mourning together.
"Behind my mirror, beyond the shifting hallways and haunted rooms, in the arms of Mangrith."
The blood drained from Jin.
Nico's shout echoed past the Lounge into Seoul. "Mangrith? You summoned Mangrith?"
Pure, undiluted fear paralyzed Namjoon. Not only because he had not heard that name in a millennia, but also because he had sent three of his men directly in it's path.
No one would leave this hotel.
Vanity stopped in the center of their circle. Men surrounded her on all sides, and yet, she rose above them all; the deadliest of the seven sins.
Her forked tongue flicked as a serpent's would. "I can read all of your minds. They all focus on the human girl. She serves as a distraction, and the reason why you all die."
Taehyung yelled, both hands gripping his forehead as he fell to his knees. Nico resisted the urge to run to him.
"You await anxiously to see which one of you I will turn against the other. A game within a game! Who will she pick? I have a clue. If you can still move, you have time before I finish you off."
Taehyung keeled over until his forehead grazed the floor. Namjoon raised an eyebrow to check his mobility. Jin waved an arm. Nico's head swiveled back and forth to see who she could possibly be referring to.
One man gasped, his breaths coming shallow as he stood stock still, unable to even blink.
"Hoseok!" Nico screamed.
The Raven's eyes darted in his direction. And even if he could not give one, Nico still felt his sad smile reassuring him everything would be okay as the irkans descended from the ceiling, and Vanity lunged for the kill.
:::
(A/N) Perilous reader,
Whoa. It's a bit intense, even for me. I hope Hobi makes this.
"But why are you surprised?" You ask. "You're writing the story!"
Fun fact: I have not planned a single chapter of this finale. I am just writing based on what I think the characters are capable of. No outline, no prior prep. *shrug* If it helps, my heart is beating fast.
Anyways, thank you for reading! THANK YOU!
TTS fam, there's an important shout-out below! TWO OF THEM!
If you have free time, check it out! An incredibly awesome opportunity arose and I hope you enjoy the graphics as much as I do!
AHHHH it's so exciting!
SUPER DOPE ANNOUNCEMENT: Tear the Sky placed 3rd in the Love Yourself: Tear Awards! It's the story's first time placing anywhere, and even though I'm a proud momma, I have even more reason to be thankful for you all for spending your time reading this lil' thing. You guys rock.
Woohoo for our first achievement!
Our family continues to grow day by day <3
Okay, that's all for now. (I think...) See you soon!
Next release: 9/25 (September 25th)
With love,
M