Death: Got You

I let go of Hyun’s dobok; he immediately falls to his hands and knees. Humans are so fragile, and even with his parentage, the travel will leave him ill for a while. I am more concerned with the seals, the one that is branded upon the hind quarters of my mount, upon my own skin at the place where neck meets spine. That sharp pain, like a lash. The voice in my mind whispering, “Erchou.”

Come.

“Are you out of your senses?” I grab War by the collar of his jacket. “Engaging in battle, when we had no business there--”

“You’re right,” he shrugs me off. “We had no business there -- so why were you there at all? Stalking some demon-spawn kid in Gyeongju -- who cares? It doesn’t concern us--”

“I have never before told you the details of all duties assigned to me, War--”

War folds his arms across his chest, “So why’s this one so secret?”

“Because something felt wrong.”

“Yeah, we’ve been feeling it for days -- what else is new?” he scoffs.

I wave my hand. “No, not that. I meant about my instructions--”

“Which were?”

“Querite, et invenietis!” I am shouting, I calm myself. Curse War for letting me slip into his argumentative influence. I exhale deliberately, counting the seconds.

“Seek and find?”

Hyun’s mentor frowns at us from where he kneels beside Hyun; the latter of the two looks as though he had nearly been sick all over the atrium floor.

“You understand what that means?” Hyun frowns.

“Mm,” his mentor nods.

Hyun frowns at me, “What’s it mean: seek and find?”

Before I can answer, War cuts in, “It means, kid, one of the angels got word that you were due for an early departure.”

Hyun bristles, looking War up and down, “Who you callin’ kid, shrimp?”

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

“We do not have time for this,” I groan.

“Sure we do,” War sets himself and motions Hyun towards him with his fingers. “Bring it, kid.”

Hyun’s mentor puts a firm hand on his pupil’s shoulder, holding him back; I do the same for War. I would easily wager that I have the more difficult task of the two.

“Enough,” I say in a commanding calm, barely loud enough for the humans to hear. War stops immediately.

“You’re siding with the humans? You’re--”

“Is that my human, I smell?” Famine practically dances out of her chambers, a cookbook tucked under one arm.

“You!” Hyun points, his mouth falling wide open. “Y-you’re-- why are you here?”

“Oh dear,” Famine smiles piteously, “you still think we’re a part of your imagination, don’t you?”

“Famine…” I say, warning.

“Famine?” Hyuns’ mentor says, his furrowed brow rising from its frown into deductive surprise. He points at War, “War,” and then to me, “So you are…”

“Death,” Hyun says.

“She’s our leader,” Conquest wanders into the atrium, but only enough to them ease themself against the bone-white door to their chambers. “I’m Conquest -- since we’re sharing. So,” they cock their head at me, “you brought the human, then.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Conquest frowns at Hyun’s mentor, “I don’t know you.”

“Sa-do -- Shin Sa-do,” he nods at them.

“You can see us too,” Conquest looks at me, an eyebrow raised.

I nod, “In the same place, at the same time.”

“Rami’el,” Sa-do says, taking half a step forward, putting himself between us and Hyun. His concern is fascinating.

“What about him?” War grumbles, fingers twitching.

Ah, I see.

My brow furrows, “He was in the dueling pair. But how could you know that -- let alone--”

“Perhaps, first,” Famine cuts in, “I feed these poor humans and we get all the stories while they eat.”

“We aren’t feeding them,” War snarls, pointing his sword at Hyun. “Death’s got orders for the kid, and you...” he trails off, motioning at Sa-do. “I don’t even fucking know what to do with you--”

I sigh, “War, please--”

“Why are you hesitating?” War rounds on me.

“Um, excuse me,” Hyun raises his hand, before immediately putting it back down. “Since, uh...since you’re, uh, all apparently real--”

“We are,” Famine smiles.

“Uh...right. Then...uh, can someone tell me what’s going on? Why does somebody apparently want me dead?”

“Not just any old ‘someone,’” Famine answers.

“Famine…” I warn. I need to speak with Hyun alone and explain all to him, not have it come to him haphazardly, but she plows on.

“These orders are straight from the archangel Michael -- which means they’re from God!”