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The sun had fallen for what felt like centuries ago, the sun had become a myth for the six monarchs, not a single golden ray gracing their dark world of exile. Only the blaze of fire and the always-present glow of the gentle moonlight brightened their new reality. Humanity was at its darkest point, filled with gruesome deaths and resentful souls.
Blood dripped Seoho’s chin, his thirst and hunger more than satisfied though his desire to slaughter more was insatiable. Sharp eyes honed in on many, nimble movements blurring to the common eye as one man after another fell to the ground, necks a smeared mess of red, impaled stomachs gushing the same color, mouth sputtering out their last bloody breaths. It was disgusting what he had become, his heinous act of uncontrollable impulses showing clear on the blood and death that stained him and his soul.
Hwanwoong much preferred his sword rather than the sharp nails and gnashing canines Helios so graciously gifted him as well as the other monarchs after damning their existence. It brought him a sense of humanity, a reminder that no matter how many necks his teeth tore through for the sake of sustenance, he was no uncivilized monster like the cursed servants his sword slashed through were. He was still human, and his sword was all he needed to prove that to himself.
“Keep the boy safe!” Youngjo shouted from afar.
Hwanwoong whipped his head around to the desperate wail of a vulnerable boy crying in fear and despair. The boy sobbed, defenseless where he stood. Hwanwoong needed to get to him quick, protect him.
His sight of the boy was soon obstructed by the cursed servants blocking his path. He firmly grasped his hands around his sword, planting his feet into the ground. He was surrounded.
Kill.
The voice whispered. Hwanwoong shook his head. He raised his sword and slashed at the servants in front of him.
Kill.
Nails slit across his back. Hwanwoong cried out in pain, retaliating with his sword piercing into a servant’s stomach. But there were too many, he was outnumbered, and the voice only grew louder.
Kill!
A faint whisper turned into a deafening scream. Hwanwoong dropped his sword. Kill them all. The thirst for blood was overpowering.
He lurched forward at the servant, tackling him to the ground, stabbing his hand through his chest as if his arm were his sword. Another servant scratched at his back, but Hwanwoong could barely feel it, vision going red as he sprung onto the servant, limbs latching around him and teeth tearing into his neck.
“Hwanwoong, stop!”
The shout was clear in his ears, snapping him back into reality, a mangled corpse laying cold and bloody below him. The servant barely resembled a human anymore. It was a horrible sight.
Hwanwoong blinked, disturbed. A hand directed his chin up, to look away from the corpse, thumb wiping away the blood that dribbled down his lips. Seoho’s face was in front of his, a disturbing amount of blood smeared over his mouth and a long cut spanning over his cheek and nose. Though, Hwanwoong focused on Seoho’s eyes, gentle and calming.
“It’s over,” Seoho whispered.
Hwanwoong blinked again, eyelashes fluttering as he processed the information before letting out a shaky sigh. He reached his hand up, palm cupping Seoho’s cheek and painting it with the blood of the servants he had slaughtered. Seoho didn’t mind, however, why would he when he had done the same?
“They won’t be coming back until the blood moon,” Geonhak informed them, holding a sniffling boy in his arms. Youngjo sighed in relief, filthy hand just about to reach out and run a soothing hand through the little boy’s hair before hesitating. He dropped his hand, leaning his forehead into Geonhak’s shoulder.
“We need to go,” Dongju urged the others, walking over to the couple knelt on the ground. Keonhee laid a hand on his shoulder.
“Let them be,” he mildly placated. Dongju glanced up at the taller, looking back at Hwanwoong and Seoho. They seemed to be in another world. He nodded compliantly, following Keonhee out of the forest filled with corpses.
Hwanwoong fell forward into Seoho’s chest, tears brimming at the corners of his eyes. Guilt hung heavy on his shoulder, a claw ruthlessly dragging down his heart. He felt dirty, the taste of inhumanity metallic and bitter on his tongue. He couldn’t fool himself with excuses any longer. He was a monster.
A pitiful sob ripped out of his throat. His heart hurt, it ached. He wanted so bad the life he once had.
“Humans feel emotion.”
Tender arms wrapped around the crying boy, pulling him close against a warm body.
“Humans cry and feel anger,” Seoho said, laying back, his head resting on a corpse as he pulled Hwanwoong closer to his chest. “And humans feel love. No monster can feel that.”
The previous life they had was now a distant memory; this was their new reality. Laughter felt inappropriate many of the times now, not that there was much to laugh about anyways. But maybe Hwanwoong could let himself smile just this once, let the warmth in his chest temporarily lift the weight of guilt off of him. Just this once, Hwanwoong would allow himself to feel human.
“I love you.”