A luminous, all-encompassing shade of lavender draped over New York City's skyline.
Grey turned on the lamp near the nightstand and curled up atop a pile of pillows. Finishing the last chocolate in Jungkook's gift, she wiped her hands on her black jeans and dragged the First King's journal onto her lap. It shuddered at her touch, the cover practically falling back as she opened it.
The others grouped in the living room if they were ready. Amelia probably blanched at their open display of weapons on any nearby surfaces. Grey giggled at the thought, remembering what it was first like to suit up for battle. Except, this evening, she was already dressed. She wanted to check the book one final time to see if there were any more riddles. Any clue at all that might prove useful when they got to the statue.
Besides, it wasn't very clear what they were searching for. It could be anything--Lady Liberty's actual freaking torch if Solis was that inventive with breaking down the sword.
The pages were thin against her fingertips and rimmed with gold. The writing from earlier had reappeared, the riddle scribbling to life along with a greeting to Nico and Vanity.
How odd, to hold a book and yet not feel an ounce of weight as a spirit physically wrote on it's insides.
Grey flicked through the empty pages, pressing her lips into a flat line when the blank sight repeated itself. Perhaps the magic only worked for Rowan's relatives. She flicked all the way to the back--and frowned when the pages beforehand whipped over her fingers like a gust of wind had blown through the bedroom. It brought her to a fresh page right after the first entry, and she silently watched what happened next.
Black cursive appeared on the pages, permanent and ethereal.
Hello Grey.
Grey swallowed her chocolate. What should she say?
"Uhh." She cursed herself for blurting that aloud. "Hi?"
How can I help you?
She scoffed. "There's a lot of things you could do--"
I feel it in your spirit. Your pure heart is burdened. I apologize for my people's plight. However, Heaven remains unguarded. Someone must sit on her throne.
Grey's mouth went dry. The First King of the Eternal Realm apologized to her.
"No, it's totally okay," she said, laughing uneasily. "It's what I'm here for. I, uhh, I just have a question about what we're looking for exactly?"
It took a while, but the words appeared.
Search for my crown. Allow your heavenly powers to guide you, and all the decisions you must make in the dawn of this new era.
She shifted on the pillows, letting her legs hang from the side of the bed. "You didn't give the others such straightforward answers."
Your pure heart is the key to the survival of the three realms.
Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I know." She closed the book and slid it into her backpack. Tugging the straps over her shoulders, she adjusted her leather jacket and strode from the suite.
So many voices filtered from the living room it almost felt like she approached a full-bodied team. They were still missing Jin. They would always miss Jin.
She sighed loudly, addressing all her friends. "Everyone ready?"
Namjoon raised his eyebrows. "You have your weapon?"
She pat her thigh where his hunting knife rested in a holster. "You have yours?"
He frowned playfully, knocking his knuckles against his head. "I think my brain is in there."
She giggled, sticking out her tongue.
"Nice jacket," Taehyung commented, a sly grin seeping onto his cheeks. She bit the inside of her cheek and still smiled. "Didn't I buy that for you?"
She straightened the green and red bow at the collar. "Yes, from Gucci." She shoved her hands in the warm pockets. "For when we go out together, remember? But it's also really warm so I couldn't resist."
Taehyung's wolfish grin lit her up inside. He licked his bottom lip. "Best purchase I've ever made."
Jimin closed his eyes, his silent laughter making his shoulders shake. He shoved Taehyung. "Shut up, will you?"
Amelia cleared her throat, cleaving the tension in two. "So when are we leaving?"
"Now," Yoongi barked.
:::
The island was large enough for the statue and a few plots of grass and trees. The angels and company fanned out where their small boat docked. The man behind the boat's controls waved them goodbye, his wide smile as empty and hollow as any other human that had been compelled.
Namjoon carried Luca in his arms, but he used a free hand to wave back at the American returning to a busier shore. As soon as he turned to his group, the serious demeanor of a leader shifted over his features as seamlessly as the sky's transition into night.
"Wraith, Beast, Ripper, scope the perimeter. Kill any irkan you come across. If you see Rowan, alert the rest of the group with a signal. You each have your own. If you see a security guard, put them to sleep."
Yoongi, Taehyung, and Jimin nodded once, wordlessly turning in separate directions and drawing their weapons.
Namjoon said, "I'll watch the seas with Luca. Assassin and Queen, you keep watch on Grey. Raven, take flight with your passenger."
Hoseok shot his arms to the side, black feathers growing over his biceps and forearms like they burst through a second skin. The majestic makeshift wings nearly touched the floor, a shade of midnight blue and shiny black. He shook them out, peering over his shoulder at Amelia, who openly gawked.
"The Raven. Because you're part bird," she said. Grey didn't think she meant to utter the statement aloud. And when her best friend blushed, her intuition proved true. "I'm so sorry."
Hoseok chuckled, brushing off the outburst. "Are you afraid of heights?"
Amelia shook her head. "I don't think so. I went skydiving once, but there weren't any half bird half man creatures there. Only a parachute."
Namjoon sucked in his cheeks to keep from laughing. Hoseok politely frowned. "The bird jokes stop here."
"Yes, sir." She warily approached him, awkwardly sliding her arms around his neck and pushing her front against his back.
Satisfied with her hold, Hoseok locked his focus onto the moon. "Don't scream."
Amelia's brows furrowed. "Wha--"
They darted into the air. Grey covered her face as wind and loose dust from the floor beat her cheeks. Her friend and Hobi catapulted into the sea of stars, his black wings strong and wide as he soared upwards.
"I should have warned her." Namjoon finally laughed. "He hates bird jokes."
Vanity gently turned Grey around to her and Jungkook. The Queen decided not to wear a jacket at all. Her sleeveless turtle neck tucked into her dark jeans and a different set of pearl earrings dangled from her ears. She looked pretty for the second time today even as her eyebrows arched in concern.
"You ready? Do you want to do anything else?"
She shook her head. "I think I know what I'm doing."
Jungkook forfeited a coat as well, his black long sleeve tightening around his muscles when he crossed his arms. His katana was at his belt, practically glowing. "We're right behind you."
"Thank you," she said. As a trio they headed towards the Statue of Liberty. A nice cover of leaves buried the cement walkway. The wind rearranged them into a different pattern with every few steps. Halfway up the path, Grey decided to pay attention.
A ring of leaves swirled in a miniature tornado that swept towards the door to the statue's pedestal.
She was within arm's length of the door when Vanity's curse carried through the breeze. She and Jungkook were a few feet beyond pressing their hands against an invisible barrier. Just like at the cemetery. Grey's confidence shriveled.
She said, "There's a ward?"
Jungkook said, "Around this piece, it seems."
"At least we know we're in the right place," said Vanity.
Grey's disappointment must have been clear. Jungkook offered her a light smile. "You can do it. We'll be right here waiting for you."
"We'll tell Hoseok to keep an eye on you," Vanity called.
So there would still be a guardian keeping surveillance. It brought her a little bit of hope. She mustered the last of her courage to grab the door handle and pull. Surprisingly, it was open. She vanished into the pedestal without looking back.
:::
Namjoon loved the tranquility of the ocean, but never quite loved the smell. Salt and maybe sewage reeked on the edge of the island. To take it in a bit better, he'd close his eyes every now and then and listen to the waves lapping against the dock. They lulled him into peace, and his peace was almost perfect until an idea flashed through his busy mind.
He glanced at Luca, who hungrily licked at her paws. "What's going on with Grey? I haven't had a chance to catch up with her."
Luca's tone was bored as she stopped licking to narrow her gaze onto the smartest angel that didn't seem to take a hint. "I wonder why."
Namjoon shrugged, playing clueless. "A lot's been going on. How is she?"
Luca rolled her eyes at his flippant response. "She is as fine as she can be."
"She didn't seem that way in the park."
"What are you on about?"
"I saw her storming down the bridge after you left. She left Yoongi in the cold."
Luca stopped grooming. "She did what?"
Namjoon nodded. "Do you know what they disagreed about?"
"No." The cat stood. "How do you know it was a disagreement?"
Namjoon tugged on his earlobe. His universal gesture for celestial hearing. Luca licked her snout, ears pricking at the new development. "Are you going to share what you heard? Or are you going to make me grovel."
"I thought you declared yourself neutral. Out of her affairs." He smirked.
"Oh, quit that. All of us are watching whether we want to or not. What happened?"
Namjoon shared the bits and pieces he had, but by the time he finished Luca stared in disbelief. Then, her tail went back to swaying like she hadn't a care in the world.
"I suppose I should have foreseen this."
Namjoon's stomach turned with the tide. "You should not have foreseen anything. You are not on a team. You do not get to take sides."
"I have taken a side," Luca corrected. "Grey's side. I support her."
"Then, in a logical sense, you're now against Yoongi."
"I will never be against any one of you. By my statements I mean that Grey will walk many paths to find one, and that one is not in scope of any of our predictions."
Namjoon sighed. "Still, Yoongi was hard on her."
"If I know him well enough, he did not mean to. Emotions are not his strong suit, and emotions are the things that fester and boil and grow within the heart in the beginnings of--" Luca cut herself off.
"In the beginnings of what?" Joon grimaced, wishing she'd fill in the blanks.
"Nothing. Forget I said anything."
Besides, the word she imagined was far too strong. The most powerful force in the world.
:::
Grey gathered that she'd stepped into a museum by the glass casings of artifacts and plaques inscribed with dates and paragraphs. Even though a coppery tinge laced the air, so did a freezing cold that mocked the outside temperature.
Her shoes were silent over the carpet, her attention pulled this way and that by the copper trinkets suspended in the various displays. A life-sized mold of Lady Liberty's foot sat by the wall. A replica of her face decorated the space above like a hanging piece of art. Smaller renditions of the statue sat on pedestals around the room.
Grey startled. The ventilation systems had vibrated to life, spewing hot air onto her forehead. But they also rustled a collection of leaves that must have found their way inside when she first entered. The pile formed a winding line through the exhibits. Not once did they stray from formation.
Grey scanned this lower level one more time. Lady Liberty's crown remained plastered to her head on every figurine. It was never shown individually. Even as she debated choosing one, none of them felt right. And she wasn't sure how she was feeling, but upon examining the small replicas, the stillness of her soul told her enough.
His crown was not in the museum.
A leaf scuffled against carpet. Grey didn't hesitate to follow the trail.
It led her to a corridor slanted with a staircase. This must have been where the chill came from. Outside's wind whipped through the tunnel and through her scarf.
A spark leapt in the darkest corner of her heart.
She was getting closer.
Grey braced herself with one hand brushing against the wall, and she ascended into a piece of Heaven.
There had to be at least ten flights. They recurred in a winding square that not only dizzied her, but warmed her aching muscles. She knew she was near the top when her heart burned through her blouse, her mouth opening to inhale more air.
The Statue of Liberty's pedestal glowed lilac.
A single flame, bright and flickering in Rowan's palm illuminated the tall ceiling and illustrations of colonial patriotism. Under the glow, the depictions seemed to speak of chaos more than they did freedom. The fire's light spread through the gaping windows, daring to heat up the last of autumn's cold.
A purple shimmer even encompassed the lonesome glass casing in the center of the room where a golden laurel perched on sapphire cushion.
The ring of leaves she'd seen earlier made sense. They formed a perfect laurel.
The First King's Crown.
Except under this display the Americans wrote it off as Lady Liberty's Original Crown.
Rowan peeled from the wall, his face gnarled with shadows from his own fire. His black eyes were bottomless.
"I knew you were the one from the moment I found you at the base of that tree."
Grey clenched her jaw, studying the man all three realms held in reverence. He wore a starched dress shirt and black slacks. He was strong. She could see it through the top buttons he didn't fasten. The Amulet of Erilim was not around his neck.
It didn't matter. He could kill her with his bare hands.
He glanced indifferently at one blazing palm, and flicked his wrist. The flame leapt from one hand to the other, sizzling into his skin and yet burning nothing.
He said, "Aelith spoke highly of you in her own way. She would gripe and complain. Urge me to send my army for one little girl. I was right in withholding my troops."
Grey said a prayer to the stars before addressing him. "You are Solis."
His chuckle was dark, mischievous. "I am none other."
"You've caused a lot of pain."
"For thousands of years," he added. "As hard I try to refrain, it is never enough."
And she felt it in her core that he told the truth. It brought tears to her eyes.
"I'm so sorry," she said. "I don't understand it. But I feel your pain."
He frowned, balling his fists. Two wisps of flame blanketed his hands. "What you call pain, I call pleasure."
"That is not pleasure."
"Not for people like you," he said, taking a sluggish step towards her.
"You knew there were wards. You knew I'd come alone. That's why you're here."
He blinked, unimpressed. "The set-up of my plan is elementary. The execution matters."
"Whatever you plan on doing to me, make it fast." She still stood by the steps. If only she could turn around fast enough, she might be able to run. But he was too fast and there were too many flights.
His lips tugged downwards at the edges. "You want me to get to the point?"
She sniffled, staying rooted to her place.
"I guess we shall proceed then, Grey."
Her name on his lips made her skin crawl. He placed his hands behind his back and said, "Has my brother educated you on the properties of hellfire?"
Grey's voice was timid, but strong. "He is not your brother."
Rowan rolled his eyes. "I assume that means no." He clapped his hands together, a ring of flame wide enough to frame his torso encircling them. The ring of embers fell, and before the flicking fire could touch cement, it landed on Rowan's arms as if it were made of solid matter. He placed one hand in his pocket and made tiny circles with his other arm. The ring of fire slung around his sleeve like a hula hoop. "Hellfire," he began, "bends to it's owner's will. Meaning I can manipulate it into whatever I want."
He threw his arm in the air, the loop flying nearly to the ceiling, painting the brick walls a beautiful lilac. Rowan snapped his fingers, the ring shrinking into an orb and then imploding. Purple sparks showered him and Grey.
"Not only can Hellfire be physical, it can also be metaphysical. Thanks to my strength in this body, it adopts whatever traits I wish."
He opened his palm over a floor buzzing with hundreds of living sparks. With one fell swoop of his hand, all of the hellfire stars assembled in a straight line. His index finger lazily flicked upward, and a wall of lavender fire as tall as Grey manifested to the side of the laurel.
Other colors spread through the flame like a watercolor painting, forming an image. A perfect portrait of an empty park bench amidst a shady canopy and wildflowers.
A tear slid down Grey's cheek.
"Do you remember this? I believe this is where you were snatched from your dimension by a certain someone you will not allow me to name."
Grey's knees turned to gelatin. While her heart already ripped to shreds from being so close to the laurel, a new pain numbed her heavenly intuition altogether, spreading thick and heavy over her resolve.
"Hellfire's metaphysical properties allow me to do this," he said, gesturing to her favorite spot in Solstice Gardens.
"You can go home, Grey. No more waiting for another portal. One has landed in your lap."
Home.
She shook her head. "You destroyed Gatekeeper. That was how Rowan traveled worlds. Rowan doesn't have that power on his own."
"I am not Rowan."
Grey yearned to taste her wind, to glimpse her nature, to return to her life. Birds called from the other side. She might have even heard distant laughter.
The First King removed the glass casing around the laurel next, putting it on the floor behind the display.
"I offer you a choice, girl."
"Take one, but you cannot take the other."
Grey closed her eyes. She trembled from head and toe, and though she hated appearing weak in front of him, there was nothing she could do to stop the torrent of emotion that stripped her raw. He gave her the offer of a lifetime.
Her voice broke. "How do I know you're being honest?"
"You have been lied to for far too long. So, I will give you my honor."
He got down on one knee, bowing his head. "I swear on all three realms that I will spare your life during this encounter."
She did not wipe her eyes, but bore her wound shamelessly. Yes, she had been lied to again and again. Maybe it showed on her, but that wasn't the most perplexing part.
Why did Solis, of all the beings on the earth, proclaim his earnestness swifter than the others?
"During this encounter?" she asked.
He nodded solemnly. "If you leave with the laurel, I will unleash Hell upon you and the angels you have come to love. I will regard you with the same allegiance as I regard them. I will not offer mercy, and I will never surrender. For generations to come, I will hover around your name as if it were my own. Your children, your grandchildren, the line you create after me will know who I am. I will also inflict a separate consequence. One you can only attribute to your own decision.
"If you return to your dimension, neither me nor my soldiers will ever terrorize you again."
Grey stepped forward, letting the anarchy of her heart guide her every step.
She approached the portal, felt it's warm aura caress her cheeks. Laughter did come from her dimension. She had heard correctly. The flowers swayed in the forceful breeze. She smelled the dirt and soil, smelt the murkiness of the lake.
She could see the real Amelia again. Resume work at The Parlour. Continue her journey to becoming an author. She could take this weight off her shoulders and put it back on the people that belonged here--that started this catastrophe.
They deserved it.
She stood at the foot of her doorway where her old self seemed to be reaching for her, and somewhere deep within, somewhere she had never seen or touched, another woman forged from fire and gold opened her eyes. Sent a tremor through her spine that was so commanding, so true, she had no other option but to listen.
Grey gently grabbed the laurel with both hands and raised it slowly, slowly, slowly until it sat on her head.
Rowan gazed at her, rising to his feet. He made no move to touch her. Instead, he sauntered past, his eyes reflecting his own flames as the image of the park bench bled over with lavender.
"I will let you decide if you are brave or a fool."
He vanished through his own doorway.
She fell to her knees at last, staring lifelessly ahead.
What have you done?
How could you throw it all away?
The weak, cowering side of her soul connected to Solstice Gardens pestered her with relentless questions.
Again and again, the woman built from hope and strengthened by her pain--the woman she was becoming--answered each and every time when asked why.
Love.
She stayed for love.
:::
Kim Seokjin drunkenly stumbled through the streets of Seoul.
He couldn't find anyone no matter where he searched. Their rooms were neat and tidy, their beds made, their luggage gone.
They were gone. But to where?
Grogginess muddled his brain, his senses. Just how long had he slept?
Through the foggy memories he recalled lightning. His body contorted and spasmed to the charge, light seizing every cell and thought until his human life flashed before his eyes. He saw rain. Faces from decades past. Forgotten wars. He smelled blood. Some was his, some was not. He saw his high rise building, saw rain falling from the sky. Saw the girl with the bleeding cat hobbling into his home. Then, the world shut down.
He drifted along a calm sea where there was no sun.
And amidst the waves he heard her voice. Singing to him. Talking. A phantom touch grazed his hands, and he could not touch her back.
But he was awake now. Alert. Ready to find her. Tell her he heard everything.
He fished his phone from his pocket, turning down a less popular side street. The bank was not a far walk from the penthouse. He hoped he could track his company credit card's activity and all the recent purchases.
Tall shops and apartments blocked the sun from touching the road. No one walked on the other halves of sidewalk. It was cold under the shade, and dark. Perhaps a bit darker than normal.
Seokjin was so eager to step into the light when a hand wrapped around his collar and yanked. He flew off his feet, barrel rolling as soon as he hit the ground to stand. But before he could gather his bearings, a face older than time hovered centimeters away from his nose.
One hand snatched Jin's shoulder. His fingers flexed on the other, opening as wide as possible before plunging into Seokjin's chest.
Jin coughed up blood, his legs giving from underneath him. In horror, he stared at the First King, grunting when the older man squeezed his heart. Blood filled his throat, spilled from his mouth.
"Since no one will choose me, I choose you," Rowan said.
Seokjin's head lolled back, hellfire spreading through his lungs and wrapping his heart in a steel cage. It hummed through his arms and legs, and when it reached his brain, he screamed.
Blackness spread through his vision like ink.
The light in his chest turned to ice, and shattered.
"Welcome to the Dark, my Prince of Shadows."
:::
(A/N) Conflicted reader,
Every action has a reaction ;) (and baby Jin just had to get wrekt.)
THANKS FOR TUNING IN TO ANOTHER MF'in CHAPTER.
Too explicit? I'll chill out.
Thanks for tuning in to this chapter!
Next release: 11/20 (November 20th) possibly earlier, no promises
This chapter is dedicated to anicecupofspilledink. I saved this chapter especially for you, because I know how you'll react to Rowan and I'm already cackling. Besides that, you are extraordinarily kind and loving. I am so grateful to have your support and friendship.
With love,
M