Home no longer felt like home. She also remembered this skyscraper was never meant to hold such a place in her heart. So how is it that as she wandered through the halls of the 41st floor, she felt like she had always lived here from the hundreds of years since they fell? Why is it that she felt that every step in her life led her to this magnificent realm? Her parents, Amelia, all of it.
And though nothing was the same, though this world she'd grown to love crumbled around her, she only sank further into it.
Grey wandered through the Great Hall, soaking in all the details of the heavenly palace's foyer. The checkered floors, vaulted ceilings, marble pillars spiraling towards ornate chandeliers. She hadn't seen it in so long. To her right were the colossal oak doors that led guests towards the rain dining room--where they first accepted her into their household. She grit her teeth, unable to stop looking. It just reminded her too much of that fateful day when they were all cynical, doubtful, yet considerate. She preferred that over where they were now.
A meow sounded by one of the pillars closest to the elevator. A black cat with four white paws wriggled from behind, green eyes luminous even if somber. Luca slowly trudged across the red carpet, her head and ears drooping. Not even her tail rose. Grey said nothing, but dropped to her knees as the kitten picked up her pace and dashed into her arms. They sat like that for a while, girl and pet, licking their wounds.
Grey sniffled, willing the tears from her eyes. Luca snuggled into her shirt.
"Thank you for getting us home," Grey said.
The kitten purred, licking her palm. Grey pet her between her ears.
"I promise I'll finish what we started. I promise." She gently put Luca back on the floor and stood. The castle was too quiet without Luca's motherly voice. But really, it was too quiet with everyone else gone. Trying not to think about it, Grey half walked half jogged to the library.
The columns upon columns of books made her feel like she shrank since traveling the world. An echo of cold air circulated through the dust and smell of unturned pages. Without light from the gaping fireplace, the cloudy skies blanketed the gorgeous room in dark gray. Vanity leaned on one of the reading tables. Amelia sat to her left. Namjoon positioned himself further off to the side, staring aimlessly through the window. The tinkling bell on Luca's collar made Amelia peer over her shoulder at Grey.
Grey waved curtly. Amelia nodded once in acknowledgment.
Without turning, Vanity said, "How are you handling this?"
Grey watched Luca trot over and hop onto the table. Amelia swooped the cat into her arms, most likely just needing to hold something. Grey said, "I'm not sure yet."
"Neither am I," said the Queen.
Amelia frowned softly, placing kisses down Luca's neck. "She can't talk anymore?"
"Nico used the last of his power to get us all back to Seoul. He can't talk and he can't shift forms."
A bubble formed in Grey's throat. Upset, she swallowed and busied herself by looking at nearby book titles. Luca always talked. It's what Luca does. And that easily, even her foothold eroded. It was saddening, and it was irritating and Grey couldn't pick which defined her feelings more. Fury or sorrow.
Vanity said, "From here on out, I'm the guardian of all of you. All decisions must be made with me in attendance. Of course, I trust you all, but we are severely weakened. We must be careful where we expend our energy. Is this understood?"
Since Namjoon didn't move, Grey assumed she spoke directly to her and Amelia. Amelia nodded solemnly, so did Grey. Amelia's phone buzzed in her pocket. Her best friend drew it out slowly, squinting at the notification on screen. She said, "It's a weather report."
"Open it," Namjoon said.
She pressed her finger to the glass, the audio of a video blaring through the silent library.
"This just in, what the Japanese are calling a megastorm now hovers over their shores, but shows no signs of breaking. If you watch where our cameras pan, we are showing footage sent to us by friendly sources--"
Amelia held up her phone for the others to see. The clouds were onyx, not a ray of light penetrating through the gloom. Not a soul wandered the streets. Fierce wind tore through trees and loose signs. It looked like midnight. Grey found the time somewhere on the news headlines and digital banners. It was barely noon. She listened in on the newscast again.
"Northward. The storm is moving northward due to its own cyclical wind currents. It's making a trail over the coast that will finish over the boundary of North Korea and South Korea. The President is now deciding if evacuation measures are necessary. We will have an update on the Republic's decision in a matter of hours."
The video ended. Amelia tossed her phone onto the reading table.
"The Blood Moon," Vanity said. "It's on its way."
"It's a storm?" Grey asked.
"It is an extraordinarily rare celestial outburst. There's no way to fully predict its appearance. I'm just saying if a storm of that scale makes its way towards us without leaking, it has a purpose in movement."
In other words, it was waiting to break over them.
Grey said, "You'll be at your most powerful?"
"Yes. But everything celestial will be at its most powerful." Vanity didn't have to say the word for Grey to understand. If the Queen would be more powerful, so would Solis.
"Will Luca be able to talk again?"
Vanity sighed. "Maybe, maybe not. The Blood Moon enhances the amount of power you have left. Nicolai doesn't have any more."
Grey bit the inside of her cheek. "And Anaphiel?"
Namjoon stalked from the library. Amelia watched him go, her eyes flicking to Grey and Vanity. Vanity put a hand on her best friend's shoulder. The Queen said, "Grey, I wanted to discuss that with you."
Anxiety rippled through Grey. "Discuss what?"
Vanity strode towards her and grabbed both of her hands. They were soft even if cold, and the Queen smelled of delicate perfume. "I'm not sure if all of them will wake up."
Grey blinked.
"What?"
Vanity said again, "There is no guarantee they all survived."
Her hands fell from Vanity's. "N-no. You're lying."
The Queen clasped her hands before her lap. In the most apologetic and regal tone, she said, "Grey, I'm sorry."
But the human girl didn't listen to that. Instead, she took off from the library into the hall. Grey sprinted through the winding paths, doing her best to follow the penthouse's layout from memory. The architectural structure was somewhat the same. Which meant that if she made a left from the library and a right at the fork in the hallway she'd get to the men's suites. The following corridor was just as grand, the clouds bringing darkness over the marble floors by the skylight that made up the ceiling. Doors lined both sides of the hall, and she couldn't put a name to each one, so she decided to go for each and every one.
She threw open the one first on her right.
Hoseok's body rested among several pillows. His arms were open like he'd flopped onto the stack himself. He wore the same clothes from Paris, his black tee shirt and black pants torn in some places. A smear of dirt stained his cheek. Grey ran up to him.
"Hoseok?"
No response.
She gently rested a hand on his shoulder. "Hoseok?"
He was colder than before, his skin tougher as though it were made of leather. Like overnight he turned to ice. Her parents' bodies felt like that when she'd first touched them before their caskets closed. Grey covered her mouth, stumbling back.
Was he dead?
She shook her head, fleeing from his room and ripping into the one opposite his.
Jimin's bedroom was red. Scarlet walls with gold accents that reminded her of poppies and wildflowers and the color of his lips. The Ripper laid atop his plush comforter, blood staining the corner of his mouth. His knuckles were black, the dried blood there caking over his skin. He was so pale, and when she went to touch him she detected his skin's roughness as well. Like he'd been laying there for a while, already gone. Like she touched a shell.
Grey bit her hand to keep from screaming.
On his nightstand was a framed picture of their friendship wedding. A portrait of Grey and him holding hands, a look of absolute admiration and understanding filling their eyes. How he even got that, she wasn't sure. But just having it there.
Grey trembled, her tear falling on his cheek. She wiped it off, falling onto the floor.
Was she ready for this? Could she really go room to room to see her friends, a part of her new family, reduced to stillness?
Grey cried into her shirt, rocking back and forth on the floor.
Hoseok, her Raven. Jimin, her Ripper.
Gone.
Before she realized what she was doing, she was already trudging from Jimin's room. Because she couldn't quite live with herself if she didn't find out the entire truth. Four more bodies could be waiting to be discovered. But if there was a chance that at least another one besides Namjoon still walked...
She breathed heavily as her hands wrapped around another door knob. Wailing, she opened it slowly.
Jungkook sat on the edge of his bed. Upon hearing his door open, he locked eyes with Grey. The human girl froze.
"Jungkook, you're--," she said, her voice breaking, "you're..."
He stood slowly, crossing the room in stride. She met him halfway, tumbling into his arms. His bare chest was freezing, but as her ear pressed against his body, she faintly heard his heart. Her fingernails dug into his shoulders as she clawed him closer. She pretended not to notice the way he shivered at her touch.
"Grey," he rasped.
"I'm right here," she said. She nuzzled further into his neck. "I'm here."
Jungkook placed kisses on her forehead. She leaned into them, past promises of distance and separation melting away. In fact, she purposely forgot about it. The rush of seeing him again was too much to bear. And maybe that was because having the bodyguard here now opened floodgates that she willed closed. Feelings held back and stored away poured into her body like the blush that crept to her cheeks.
Had Jungkook never woken up, Grey would not have been able to live with herself. Had he died...
"Grey," Jungkook said, diligently pulling them apart. She couldn't take her eyes off his. She was too afraid that if she did, he would fall asleep. "I have to tell you something."
Her eyebrows furrowed, but she laced their fingers together.
"What is it?"
Jungkook said, "I love you."
Grey's heart sank into her stomach. She searched for the words, her lip quivering. She wasn't able to pull back from his hands. She didn't want to, she just wasn't sure what to do.
The bodyguard said, "I have to say it. I almost died without telling you how I truly felt. And if I ever die, you deserve to know."
Grey was spinning, spinning, spinning in a dream as cold as death yet as sweet as honey.
He said, "You don't have to feel the same way." His voice wavered. "But I need you to know that. My friendship, my service, all that I am is yours. There is nothing I wouldn't do for you."
Her voice fell to a whisper. "I know."
He dropped to a knee, his chilled heart speaking through his eyes. "I'm sorry that I had to tell you this way. I'm sorry, but I don't regret it. I can't lie to you. Or me."
"Jungkook, stop. Please."
He nodded, his hands slipping from hers. "I'm sorry."
"Kiss me."
His eyes widened. He pulled himself upright. "Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Grey closed her eyes, greeting his lips. He pecked her at first, then kissed her again and again. Each time came deeper, less rushed. He seemed to be testing the waters, wondering if she would pull back. When she didn't, he stayed longer. She parted her lips for him. He obliged.
And how odd it was, Grey realized, to grasp someone's rhythm and thoughts so easily. Their kiss felt like a dance she knew all the steps to, a dance she practiced for all her life. It was unexplainable, but it just matched hers. It pulled on the taut string in Grey's heart that connected her to the Grey she used to be--the Grey she would always be.
His hands came under her legs. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Effortlessly, he lifted her up and walked them a short distance to his bed. She sank into his mattress, opening her eyes at last as he did that marveling thing he always shamelessly did.
Grey sat underneath him, a rush of color and butterflies.
He brushed a curl from her cheek. Kindly, he said, "I know that you have feelings for someone else. This is so selfish of me."
She said, "I'm being selfish too."
"All I'm asking for is this moment." Jungkook searched her face. "If you'll let me have it."
Grey was so warm she wondered if he felt the heat radiating from her. She said, "Take it."
So, he did. Jungkook held her, kissed her, allowed himself to love her while she got lost in him. He was so careful to mind the boundaries between them, never dipping below her waist with his hands. Every few seconds, he'd stop; run fingers through her hair, run a finger over her lips just to make sure she was still here, still his. She did the same to him, her heart delighting in greed. And by all three realms, it was sinful but it was everything she dreamed it would be. At last, she glimpsed through the mirror that was Jungkook and simultaneously Grey. She understood the purity. She understood just how alike they were.
He pulled away, entwining their hands. She sat up, hesitant to let him go.
Jungkook said, "You don't have to check our rooms. I don't want you to see that."
Guilt shattered her euphoria. The rest of Anaphiel lay in the surrounding rooms and she had gotten so consumed by the Assassin that she forgot.
"Hoseok and Jimin," she said.
"I'll check on them."
She nodded. A few seconds passed, the stars in their shared sky dimming as time wore on. When reality dragged her under again, she let her hands fall in her lap.
"Where's Jin?"
Jungkook went to a drawer, rifling through a series of v-necks. "Second to last door on the left."
And that was it. As quickly as they'd come together, they drifted apart.
Grey strode to the door. Before she opened it, she paused. "I've fallen for you too, Jungkook."
She closed the door between them and sighed. Her head was clearer. The panic from earlier subsided. The halls still felt dead without the angels filling them. But, she almost felt free.
Grey wandered towards the door she'd been searching for all along. Behind it was possibly her answer. Whether he was awake or not, he was home. He was hers again. That was all she asked for.
The door easily gave way as she twisted the knob.
Kim Seokjin was in front of his mirror buttoning the buttons of a crisp, white shirt when he glanced towards the entrance to his room.
Grey sighed in relief, the tears rushing back. What was it about Jin that just made her such a baby? An emotional, nervous, reckless child?
She said, "Hello, Jin."
He crossed his arms, cocking his head to the side. "Hello, Grey."
They spent time sizing one another up. Seconds of just staring that led to deeper appreciation.
He said, "I am yours before I am anyone else's, hm?"
She nodded.
He shook his head, awestruck.
"You actually remember that?" Grey asked.
He said, "I remember everything."
"So then how do you feel about that?"
He smiled. "I feel that it's always been true. You've just finally decided to say it."
She bit her lip, looking at the floor. It anchored her this spot.
Jin said, "I also feel like I've waited two and a half centuries for you, and I would fall again if it meant you would find me."
She giggled. "Even if I'm 249 years late?"
"You always love to keep me on my toes." He fixed his collar before waltzing towards her and taking her by the belt loops of her jeans. "I wouldn't ask for it any other way."
Grey smiled as he leaned his forehead onto hers. However, her joy faltered as she said, "Not everyone is awake."
He remained serious. "I can only guess," he said, taking a step back, "I wasn't conscious for any of the battle after Vanity took me out. And now that I think about it, I wasn't there for anything before that either." He put his hands on his hips. "Where did you guys go?"
Grey sighed. "I just don't have the energy to fill you in right now. But, I have one more piece of sword I need to find, so I have to go."
Jin reached for her as she left. "Can I help you with anything?"
"Not yet," she said, opening the door, "But can you take me for a walk in the garden later?"
He said, "I will do something better for you."
:::
Grey's room was three times its original size. The castle expanded its square feet and walls, including the size of her sitting room, closet, and bedroom. The walls were still a pretty gray with shimmering silver outlines of leaves as decals. The in-ceiling lights had become a crystal chandelier above her pillows. Even the floor to ceiling window that made up the furthest wall became a series of lengthy, paneled windows that could have been a balcony if there was a ledge.
She grabbed the First King's journal from her nightstand and flipped open the cover. Except this time, it was her that talked first.
"There's one more piece of you. Just tell me where it is."
I am a light that entwines eons of past and present to the current moment. Two eras collide where the last part of me rests.
"Another historical monument, I'm assuming?"
Yes, as this is a place that holds the many names that humans of another time called me, my brother, and sister. My location is almost symbolic. I am hidden among the ruins of a grand empire.
Grey gently put the book on her comforter and thought of what she already knew. Past empires included the Mongol, the British, the Ottoman. The Byzantine empire, the Mali empire. As she thought, Rowan wrote.
Your heart battles many emotions. You dance with joy yet mourn your losses. Under the surface, you simmer with a passion for revenge. There are many crossroads ahead. You choose to walk all of them.
It is wondrous, to drink sweet nectar yet cry tears of desolation. You are full, yet empty.
Grey drew a finger over his writing. No ink came onto her skin. "What do you mean?"
Grey, I see all things. My angels sleep next to me in tombs of Earth. They toss and turn, tormented with dreams that tell stories of the wrongdoings they have seen in this realm. Two of them you have seen, but the others still sleep without a guardian to watch.
The girl hesitated before asking her question. "Who else?"
Taehyung, the commander of beasts, and Yoongi, a whisper of the wind.
Grey's head fell into her hands, the shivering beginning all over again. Perhaps she might have handled the news better if she did not hear Taehyung's laughter or see Yoongi's smile after she read their names.
Four of seven crowns rust and wither. If left too long, they will no longer shine.
"What do you mean?"
The hellfire consumed their spirit, and the light that remains in their chests sputters.
They will die before the Blood Moon.
Grey struggled to breathe.
"All four of them?"
They were birthed from stars, and to the stars they shall return.
She choked on her words, holding a hand over her heart. Clutching her shirt, her eyebrows knit. The anger wallowing in her depths bubbled to the surface.
"No." She gripped the book. "They are not going anywhere."
You believe that you can unhinge the musings of life?
"Everything here is unhinged. I'm not going to sit around and watch them die."
I may offer you a solution, but it will alter the course of your journey.
"Write it," she commanded.
Take my power.
Allow our souls to become one, and my glory will overcome any obstacle should you use it correctly.
Her voice broke. "Why would you let me do that?"
I cannot bear to watch my family perish.
"You can bring them back?"
The power of the Eternal Flame has no boundaries.
Grey reined in her eagerness. A blessing had fallen into her lap, but with all miracles came a cost. She'd learned that too often in this world. She said, "And the downside?"
If you suffer defeat at the hands of Solis, then I and all of my angels cease to exist. I am entrusting you with the fire that illuminates Heaven. When that light extinguishes, there is no redemption.
All or nothing. She could not lose.
I will not be able to give you further counsel when I enter your body. Every decision is yours. Including the damnation of my realm if you do not prevail.
If you accept, you receive the life of my sons and power beyond imagining. You assume my duties as the First Scepter, Creator of the Sun. You sit on my throne.
Grey stared at the proposal.
Saying yes meant acquiring the power of a god; all living creatures, the beating waves of the sea, the whipping, wintry breeze, the heat of the sun relying solely on her.
Saying no meant watching her friends pass away one by one.
Could she do this? Become their Queen?
At the same time, she recalled one of the most powerful empires of all. The Roman empire, who's heart beat in faint echoes throughout Rome, Italy. The location of the sword's final piece.
Mention my clue to Variel and she will know where to bring you. If you would accept my ability, offer something you love to the altar, and recite the greeting between Scepters.
She closed the book.
:::
Vanity watched Luca eat from her food bowl. Something about her little jaws smacking brought a little bit of peace. Anything that made noise brought peace to the Queen. The silence around here had become even louder than her own condemning thoughts.
Nearby, Amelia slept next to the fireplace on one of the red velvet couches. Namjoon, Jin, and Jungkook were spread about the library, brooding in their own separate ways. Every now and then, Namjoon would glance at Amelia's sleeping face and sigh. On the fourth time he did it, Vanity said, "I guarantee you that she will wake up."
Namjoon grimaced, finally walking to where they lounged. "How much time do you think they have left?"
Luca meowed, frustrated that a word didn't come out instead.
Vanity said, "I am not sure they will make it past nightfall."
Jin whirled on them. "So that's it? They just die? There's nothing we can do?"
Jungkook flinched at Jin's mention of death. The Queen was a vision of grace. These moments called on her title most. Her eyes were somber, but her face stayed expressionless.
"We knew the endgame approached."
Jungkook shook his head. Jin stared at her with tears in his eyes. Namjoon balled his fists at his sides.
Vanity's head turned as Grey surged into the library. Amelia bolted upright, sleepy eyes still glazed over. The human girl had Rowan's book in her hand, but she also carried herself with a confidence not practiced, but earned.
Grey said, "The last piece of Gatekeeper is in a place that represents time overlapping. He said it's a monument that houses the many names people used to call the three of you. It's in Rome."
"The Pantheon," Vanity said.
"What is that?" Despite the reinforced steel in her gaze, Grey gently set the journal on a nearby table.
Vanity shifted in her seat. "It was a temple to old gods. Now, it's a church."
Grey looked to Amelia. "Get up. We're leaving."
Amelia bunched up her blanket and pushed it to the side. Standing, she tried to fix her messy hair. "Going to Rome?"
"We're going to Rome," Grey repeated. She cut her eyes at Vanity. "So are you."
The Queen nodded. "I suppose I can. When?"
"Now. I called the company's charter jet and they're preparing for us at the airport."
Amelia asked, "What will happen to the skyscraper if we leave?"
Grey gestured towards the remaining angels. "Namjoon, Jin, and Jungkook can look after it. We'll only be a day, if that. Let's get moving."
"Yes, ma'am," Amelia chided, shuffling away from the couch and towards the door.
Grey marched to Vanity and took her arm, linking hers with the Queen's. She escorted Vanity from the library, not daring to look back.
:::
(A/N) Glamorous reader,
Next release: 12/19 or 12/20 (December 19th or 20th)
Would you accept the power of a deity if that meant the weight of the world rested on your shoulders?
This chapter is also unedited, please don't roast my typos. I had to rush deliver this. I was typing at hyper-speed lol.
This chapter is dedicated to taeandkookieplej because you have become such an integral part of TTS fam. Your replies to my announcements, your comments, your entire demeanor in being so kind and caring is such a gift. Thank you for cheering me on. You have a piece of my heart. To yeet-ernity and beyond, sis.
If you're reading this, please inline comment and tell me to go workout. I need your moral support.
With love,
M