Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Prolog

The king had lost his mind.

The kind needs to be stopped.

We have to take him down.

Every being in hell and even many on earth felt when the king of hell fell.

His last cry of rage was roaring through each of them, sicking deep into their bones.
Many went down with their try but it was their sacrifice to save hell from its gone-crazy king.
He was the first one, he had been king for an uncountable time, longer than humans had existed. He had been there before it even became hell, had created it when more and more humans showed their rotten sides.

But at some point, even the king of hell could not carry their sins anymore.

His mind was poisoned by them, by the sheer endless creativity humans could show when it came to being cruel to each other and to other living beings.
The king, never resting with observing and judging their sins had lost his faith and his mind slowly followed.

Until he was taking hell into madness with him.

They had to seclude him and with that the madness that had befallen hell. Not able to get rid of him completely because his energy was bound to hell itself they had gathered the strongest spirits and gods. Some of them had sacrificed their lives to seal him within an unbreakable room they had created.

At least they thought it was unbreakable.

Chapter Text

Lightning was flashing in the pitch-black dark that had surrounded the trist grounds of the battlefield.

Gang Moon-jik

Gang Moon-jik

Gang Moon-jik

A deep voice called his name.
Moon-jik felt his body raising from the ground or was it?
He looked down only to find it still lying there, his hand peaking out in between the bodies of the dead soldiers that had tried to defend their commander until their last breath.
Some of them had been his oldest and most loyal warriors.

He averted his eyes and blinked at the man floating in the air right before him. The flashing lightning that illuminated the man’s silhouette burned in Moon-jik’s eyes, he squeezed them together to be able to see the other. He had not seen a man like this one before and Moon-jik felt the urge to bow respectfully, with the authority and wisdom the other radiated. His stunned state, however, and hovering in the air, no feeling at all of his body, he found himself unable to.

The other reached his hand out to him.

„I’d like to offer the role of Yeomra to you, commander Gang Moon-jik. As my successor-“

„Father.“
A quivering voice from bellow interrupted, and Gang Moon-jik looked down, watching his son running towards where his body was lying and tearing other dead corpses away from his.

„Where are you father? Father.“

Gamgrim’s voice sounded in the otherwise deadly silence of the battlefield.

„Father.“ His voice cracked weakly while both of them watched him.

A bitter feeling spread through Moon-jik when he remembered the touch against his hand, heard his son’s quiet voice. He had been only half conscious then, his body already too weak. The other’s hand had been so warm against his, with the cold of death already spreading through his body.
His heartbeat had quickened then, only a tad bit, when the relief of his son’s touch revoked his will to live again.

Then it was gone and Moon-jik realized he never before had felt true despair before.

In the next hours that passed and life was leaving him, his mind had been surprisingly clear and he had wondered why his son would leave him behind, was angry at first but then the memories started, like a movie, playing right before him and finally he saw clear.

„As my successor, would you like to govern the Afterlife for the next millennium?“

Moon-jik, listened while he was still watching his son, digging through the bodies, calling out for him. Surely he knew already that he would not find him still alive a second time, but the human mind was always good at ignoring the unwanted truth.
He saw Gangrim’s tears threatening to fall and how his first rushed movements slowed down with the truth sinking in.

„It’s all my fault.“

He mumbled, if only he would have realized that much sooner, what his actions had done to his son. How him being possessed with having the perfect successor, even though the war was already won, had totally messed up his son’s head.
He had to make up for that.

Even though…
The face of his wife suddenly flashed up before his inner eye, her sweet smile, her laugh, the way she liked to mock him and was probably the only person alive who dared to, because she knew he got away with it.

Moon-jik pressed his eyes together, knowing that if he took the offer his soul would not met hers in her next life again. He had to save his son’s soul from the torture of the seven hells, had to make him understand instead. Moon-jik was unwilling to give up on him yet, and his wife would do the same, even though it meant they would never see each other again, not even in the next life.

Gangrim had stilled, sitting there alone and with the weight of possible being responsible for his father’s death. He did not know that Moon-jik was already too far gone to be rescued, the only thing he did know was that he was still alive when he had left him behind.

Moon-jik swallowed the heavy lump in his throat.

„So… I accept.“ He lifted his head and faced Yeomra, „However, allow me to change my appearance.“

Because for what he planned in order to save his son’s soul, it was imminent that Gangrim would not know that he had become the new king of hell.

As Yeomra he would be able to help his son after his death. To remedy the mistakes he made.

Chapter Text

Yeomra had not really thought that his sons would get along after his death, but he had hoped it would not end as bad as it did.

It was painful to watch.

Haewonmak with his compassion and dread of unnecessary deaths had attacked villages under his brother's command and it was tearing on him.
He was torn between having to follow his brother’s orders because he still saw him like that, his brother, he still wanted them to get along, was seeking a bond with him, especially after their father was gone.

But Gang-rim could not forgive.

The jealousy was making him blind and unable to see anything but all his misery in Haewonmak.

Haewonmak who had taken his father from him, not only once but twice, by going into battle with him and failing to protect him.

The base he had set for their relationship with his ignorance had lead to that. He wanted his sons to work together, those two combined would have been impossible to defeat.
Gangrim, being the strong warrior, and Haewonmak the strategist that would also stop unnecessary bloodshed.
He had underestimated Gang-rim’s anger and jealousy though. How much his son would feel wronged by that. Had underestimated how much Gang-rim had looked up to him and that his actions towards Haewonmak had felt like a blow to him.
His mistake was to not tend to both at them at the same time, to think that Gang-rim would learn by losing against Haewonmak.

Yeomra should have known better. Or rather Moon-jik should have because Yeomra did.

Haewonmak fell to the ground, his dark blood drenching the snow around him, and helplessly Yeomra watched Gangrim getting ready for the final blow.

The little girl stopped him. It was her death sentence.

Yeomra avoided his eyes when Gang-rim cut her throat and when he looked up again he saw Haewonmak reaching for her.

Gang-rim broke down too and with his last breath, his tears sipped into the cold ground beneath him. He probably did not understand himself where they even came from.

Yeomra would give him time to understand.

-+-+-+-+-+-

When the bodies of his sons were delivered to his wife, she sat with them for hours, out on the cold winter ground, not caring for the freezing temperature making her joints stiff.

Their housemaid put blankets on her shoulders and begged her to at least drink some warming tea, but she did not even turn her head to acknowledge her begging.

While Haewonmak was not her real son, she had taken him in just as if he was. Had dried his tears when Gang-rim was not willing to spend time with him outside the chess games and training sessions Moon-jik had ordered him to have.

She had hummed a soft song to him until he would fall asleep when nightmares of the cruelties he had experienced would wake him up with a scream at night. It was always her that heard him and went over, taking the shaking and sweating boy in her arms and rocking him softly, while humming a special song she had reserved only for him.

Yeomra knew she had one for Gang-rim too but the boy always was saying he did not need her babying because he was too old for that.

Silly boy.

Sometimes she would not take that and just sit with him until he gave in and suddenly looked very happy, cuddled up in his mother's arms.

Now his face was cold and expressionless while she held him close in one arm and Haewonmak in the other.

The soldiers did not tell her how they died exactly, left out that it was Gangrim that killed Haewonmak, and did not talk about the corpse of the little girl that was lying next to them.

But she was not stupid, she saw what had caused the wounds. She knew what weapons Gang-rim used.
And she had watched them thrifting apart, had tried to calm Gang-rim’s ever-growing hate against his brother. Helpless she had to witness how that only added fuel to the brightly burning fire of Gang-rim’s hate about the Khitan orphan.

Because even after all those years, growing up together that was all Gang-rim saw in Haewonmak. The enemy orphan that stole away his parents and killed his father.

Yeomra felt so sorry for leaving her like this, he wanted to break the afterlife rules and talk to her, hold her and give her some comfort.
Instead, he hugged her, knowing she could not see or feel him.

Her breath got caught in her throat then and her sobbing calmed down a little. His heart almost stopped when she whispered his old name.

„Moon-jik.“

She took a shuddering breath brushing over both their faces carefully.

„Moon-jik, why did they have to end like this.“

Yeomra collected her soul five years later, she had been alone, had sent everyone else away.

When she exhaled her final breath Yeomra noticed the ornament made of silver clutched tightly in her hands.

He had given it to her when he had stated his love to her for the first time.

She had turned him down.

Yeomra did not even know that she had kept it.

Chapter Text

„I want to be a warrior, but not one of those who simply follow the will of their leader, I want to be one whose able to think for himself and acts after what his heart is telling him.“

„That might be a hard life to live“

„I know and I want it to be.“

Yeomra watched Yeosol’s life. He was born a slave, but Yeomra had made sure his master would be a generous one that treats him well. Yeosol’s master even made sure the boy got a good education, including teachers that trained him the art of fighting and thinking critical.

Yeosol was loyal only to his master until his last moments, dragging him through the dessert, in the searing heat without a drop of water.

Yeomra was also observing, when Yeosol used that freshly bought spear to cut off the man’s head who was spitting on his master’s corpse. He saw how easily he killed the man attacking him, despite him crawling on an all fours only an hour ago.

He was a good fighter, which made him useful and being captured instead of killed but Yeomra had already known, that it was not his time yet.

Watching Yeosol made him wonder of how his wife’s life would have been if she would have been born a man instead of a woman. She had been from an influential family, the youngest girl of three children, one boy and two girls. Her family was different than most, otherwise she never would have turned 20 without being married. Yeomra himself had been over a decade late to marry as Moon-jik, partly because his parents had died young and he grew up under the care of the king’s general, only focusing on becoming a good soldier.

As a man, Sol-Yeo would have been a great politician, an advisor for the king who would have brought a lot of change or would have been assassinated for their boldness.

Watching Yeosol, Yeomra noticed soon he was not much of a politician but rougher, talking much less than Sol-Yeo had. Actually, he was a little like her during her last years, when she had retreated and stayed to herself.
But just like Sol-Yeo, Yeosol valued his freedom more than anything else, it was what his master had given him with his last wish and other’s not accepting did not interest him. His master’s words always had been the only ones he cared for.

That’s why Yeosol ignored the general still treating him like a slave and rejected the Mongol General’s offer to become one of them, despite the high position he would have had.

After the death of his master, Yeosol was following his own path and let no one else decide about him anymore.

Until he died himself, using his body to shield the princess.

Yeomra held his breath when the spear went deep into Yeosol’s flesh, making an awful sound that he should not have been able to hear over the sizzling fire and screams on the battleground.

A second time he had to watch the death of that one soul he only ever felt truly connected to.

This life was what she had been wishing for.

Yeomra watched the warrior gasp, clutching the handle of the spear.

His former wife had asked him for a life as warrior, to understand her husband and her son’s deaths better, to may be able to see them again if she led a similar life as them.

Yeomra’s tongue lay heavy in his mouth when she begged and stated her reasons. He could not tell her that even living a life as a warrior, would not help her to meet them again. That they were not going to follow the circle of resurrection for another thousand years. That by then her soul would already have vanished.

He had granted her wish either way and gave her the life of Yeosol.

With a heavy heart, Yeomra watched Yeosol attack the Mongolian commander, saw him stumble backward. Yeosol held the broken parts of his spear over his head and as if the destruction of his weapon was connected to his will to life, he broke down to his knees.

Yeomra felt his chest constrict when Yeosol’s shoulders slacked, his head sank down and he inhaled his last deep breath. Yeomra heard it, as if he had been sitting right in front of him. Yeosol exhaled, his body curling into himself but he never lost his grip on the broken handle of his spear.

Other guardians around Yeomra were already collecting the many souls that had died that morning but the king of hell had claimed this one for himself.

He straightened his back and called out his name.

Yeo-sol.
Yeo-sol.
Yeo-sol.

The warrior’s soul left its body and shakily stood up, he lifted his head and looked at Yeomra, beside the strands of hair hanging into his face in front of his eyes, their intense gaze almost made the king of hell stumble. Yeomra had to inhale a shaky breath, because they reminded him so much of his wife whenever she was upset.
He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to compose himself, before he continued.

„I have an offer for you.“
„I never was fond of offers, I’m dead, shouldn’t I be free now, why should I agree to what binds me?“
Yeomra smiled and offered his hand to Yeo-sol, his wife never had been one easily convinced, not in her first life and even less in her second.

„Let me show you.“

When their hands touched, Yeomra felt the warmth of life again for the first time since he had died.

Chapter Text

“Normally everyone can decide for its own weapon but I thought you might prefer a spear.“

Yeosol reached for the weapon Yeomra was offering him, it was heavy, the blade was shining in silver, black and red, the colors in thin curvy lines spreading over it.

He let it spin one time to get a better feeling for it before he inspected it closer.

The handle was sturdy wood, heavier than what Yeosol had ever used before but it lay perfectly balanced in his hand. There were some fine carded lines he could feel underneath his fingers and Yeosol turned the handle to take a closer look.
Surprisingly it was not an engravement but an ornament, made of silver that was perfectly worked into the handle. Bringing it closer to his face, Yeosol noticed it showed a goose in front of birch tree blossoms.

It seemed familiar but Yeosol was sure he had never seen something like this during his lifetime.

„If you don’t want it, you can choose another one of course.“

Yeosol grabbed the handle tighter and looked at Yeomra, who had been observing him closely. In his eyes something Yeosol could not quite place yet. With everyone else, it would have made him rebellious but with the king of hell, he did not mind. In fact, he even felt flattered in a strange way.

„I take it.“

-+-+-+-

Even though Yeosol had decided to take Yeomra’s offer, afterlife gave him a freedom he had not had before.
His master was always treating him well, made sure he had proper training, that he had enough food, and everything else he needed to have a good life for a slave.
Other people than his master and most people in his household let him feel his status very clearly though.
Not that he cared much for their opinion but especially as a child it often made him angry.

Just like even after his master had declared him free it was not really accepted.

In the afterlife, people finally treated him differently.
Sure, he was still new in hell, therefore ranking lower than most but they treated him respectfully. It led to him letting go of his constant anger and frustration. He started laughing more again, feel lighter and enjoy simply being.

He was thaught about the rules of hell, the hierarchy structure with Yeomra on top. Watched trials and also find out by doing so that while he respected the gods of the hells he hardly respected most prosecutors. Maybe because they reminded him too much of the authorities when he was alive. Maybe he just hated their attitude. But for him, it was clear that if Yeomra offered him to be one of them he would decline. No way he could work with one if they kept giving such horrendous reasons if a soul was clearly innocent.

What he enjoyed most was roaming the hell, sometimes alone, sometimes with a group of guardians and their defendant. Some of the areas were breathtakingly beautiful even the volcano fields had a fascinating beauty to them in his eyes. He often would sit there, his spear handle in his hands while running his fingers along with the ornament.
Doing so always calmed him and gave him a feeling of home. The ornament had something familiar, Yeosol knew it had a special meaning, he just could not remember which.
Maybe he should ask Yeomra about it but the god of hell was occupied and he only met him when the other was checking on him and how his training and studies were going.

Training was another thing Yeosol had a lot of fun with, one of his favorite training partners was Haewonmak. While he seemed clumsy at first gaze he was a very good warrior.
Having the memories and skills of his former life, Yeosol was not an easy opponent during training and a lot of guardians were failing to get to him, Haewonmak, however, was easily keeping up with him.

Haewonmak also seemed to enjoy training just as much as him, using every free minute on the grounds to improve his skills.

That was how they often ended up sparring with each other. While training with Haewonmak, Yeosol learned another very important lesson, surprisingly no one had told him about.

They could die in hell but it was not permanent.

It could hurt a lot too, depending on the cause of ‚death‘ the pain might last for a moment and then subsided as quickly as the sting of a sharp needle. But stretching the moment of pain, for example by not pulling out the weapon the pain stayed too until the body was healed again. But once it was the pain subsided instantly, which made it very easy to forget that it hurt as soon as it was gone.

Haewonmak had managed to ‚kill‘ him during a fight. In Yeosol’s defense, it only worked because he was unprepared for Haewonmak to actually slice his sword right through his neck.

For a few terrifying seconds Yeosol gargled blood and grabbed his throat, not feeling the pain at first because of the shock paralyzing his body.
Yeosol was choking and unsuccessfully trying to keep his splashing blood inside of him, and then suddenly he could breathe again and the skin under his fingers was smooth and even, no sign of a cut. The stinging pain was gone again the moment he felt it. Only the blood on his neck and fingers was left as evidence but that too dissolved into dust right before his wide, surprised eyes.

Stunned Yeosol stared at his hand.

„We cannot die?“

„Not that easily.“

Haewonmak shrugged his shoulders, not offering much of an apology. He let out a shocked scream though when Yeosol rammed his spear right into his own heart.

That actually hurt worse than the wound that had lead to his death.

But as soon as he pulled the spear out, his body instantly healed again and with the last drop of blood, the pain was gone too.

Yeosol gave Haewonmak’s shoulder a squeeze when the other was still gaping at him, bringing him out of his daze.

„Why would you do that?“ The guardian asked him in a high-pitched voice, grabbing Yeosol’s shoulders and shaking him.

„What? I thought we cannot die. Don’t tell me you didn’t try when you find out?“

Haewomak sighed deeply and rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache.

„I made at least sure I really cannot die from it. What if your heart is your vulnerable spot?“

Yeosol only laughed and nudged his shoulder hard enough to make Haewonmak stumble back.

„Want to go another round?“

„You’re crazy.“

Haewonmak shook his head once more in disbelief and readied himself for another round. That one Yeosol reciprocated his move from the round before.
Haewonmak was awfully dramatic about it for someone just doing the same to him.

His training continued sometimes with Haewonmak, sometimes with other guardians. One of his most interesting sessions he had with Gangrim.
He was not the leader of a group for no reason but Yeosol sensed tension from him.

Gangrim might seem collected on the outside but Yeosol quickly noticed that with the right buttons pushed he easily was provoked. Yeosol could not shake off the feeling that Gangrim was carrying a heavy package on his shoulders. When he found out that Deokchun and Haewonmak, Gangrim’s team leaders both had no memory of their past life, he kept wondering if there was a connection.

But even with them being his training partners almost as often as he and Haewonmak, he could not get Gangrim to talk.

-+-+-+

After Yeosol had been in hell for a century and was familiar with the afterlife and its rules, Yeomra ordered him to join him for a mission.

There had been two vengeful ghosts of parents that had lost their children shortly before their own death and were not ready to rest until they avenged them. While the souls of the children easily got through the trials as paragons the problem lay in them begging for their parents’ souls to be saved.

The rules of hell stated they needed to be incinerated but alone for the cruelty of their deaths they would have deserved mercy.

Yeomra turned away from the crying kids. Before he was gone to take care of their parents, Yeosol grabbed his arm.

„Yeomra.“
He said softly but in a begging tone when he noticed they were in the living world now, feeling the vengeful spirits close. Yeomra had sent a team that was standing right before them and that seemed to be struggling a lot with their task.

„I will take care of it, go back to the afterlife.“

Yeomra ordered them and they nodded and quickly vanished, obviously relieved to no longer have to deal with it.

„Do you really have to incinerate them?“

Yeosol reached out to grab Yeomra’s sleeve in a tight grip, remembering the kids crying for their parents. It simply was not fair.
Instead of pushing him away for the audacity of grabbing him, Yeomra took Yeosol’s hand in his and turned around to him, giving him a look that was so sad that the other slowly let go of his sleeve, holding his hand instead.

They looked at each and Yeosol was suddenly hit with a wave of feelings that almost made him stumble and forget to breathe.

Why are his eyes so familiar?

A loud crash nearby got them both out of their trance and both let go from each other, heading to the direction it came from.

Together they managed to calm the vengeful spirits down before they could cause more harm in the living word and Yeosol was amazed at how good Yeomra was with words, not the powerful ones he spoke as king of hell but the emphatic soft ones he used now to calm down the vengeful ghosts until they turned into the humans they had been before.

When Yeomra lifted his arm Yeosol jumped in front of them, begging him to not incinerate them, but he realized quickly that the other had not summoned his fire.

„Step aside Yeosol.“

Yeomra asked him with a calm voice and Yeosol did, trusting the king of hell to make the right decision.

Yeomra brought them back to their children.
They fell into each other’s arms and Yeosol did not know why he did that but when they watched them glowing up with the special allowance to reincarnate, he stepped closer to Yeomra until their knuckles were brushing against each other.

„Isn’t that against the rules?“

„I make the rules.“

Yeosol smiled at him and when the king of hell actually smiled back, he could not stop staring at him.

To Yeosol, Yeomra’s smile was like a beacon in the freezing dark. Blinding and one of the most beautiful things in existence.

Shortly after that, Yeomra asked him to become Commander of Hell, explaining that he would be at his side from now on if he accepted, helping Yeomra with his tasks. Yeosol did not even have to think about it.

He said yes.

Chapter Text

Commander of Hell was much different from being a guardian or a prosecutor. And Yeosol could not say that it was in a bad way.
He was very surprised though, that the king of hell not only asked him for advice quite a lot but actually seemed to value his opinion.

And he was not the only one that was surprised.
Almost everyone in hell had been irritated about his position, almost no one understood Yeomra’s intention of making someone like him, who had only been in the afterlife for a century, his right-hand.

Yeosol had heard from the prosecutors anything but subtle gossiping in between trials that it was very unlikely for their king, and that he usually was only accompanied by his thousands of years old and loyal warriors and did not allow anyone to get too close to him.
Not even to mention that there was no one of that title before, why would they need someone now all of a sudden?

The newly appointed Commander of Hell clearly saw the jealousy about the special treatment but he could not care less. He liked being around Yeomra and assisting him, from the moment he had met him after his death he had felt comfortable in his presence.
And ever since that moment their eyes had crossed when he thought he had to stop Yeomra from incinerating the parents that turned into vengeful ghosts, Yeosol felt himself glancing at him more often.

That was how he noticed that his king was looking at him too.

They did not rest often. Yeosol wondered if Yeomra ever did at all. but with his promotion, Yeosol moved into a room in the king’s castle.

Despite how the castle made of sand looked from the outside it was surprisingly comfortable.
Cold and Heat did not matter much because while they were able to feel it it was not connected to an uncomfortable feeling if it was too hot or too cold, but Yeosol noticed the stones surrounding him were warm, the floor reminding him much of his master's rooms but finer.
The bed was full of cushions and it was a shame he did not really use it.

Not for now at least.

Yeosol still trained with Haewonmak and Gangrim but the times got a little less than before.
If Yeosol was honest he would love to spar with Yeomra. Until now he had not seen him fighting much, only use his fire as a warning.
He would just love to see him fight with a weapon for once, see how his body moved when he dodged an attack. How his coat would whirl around him.

However, instead of the training grounds, Yeosol was currently stuck with paperwork. At least Yeomra was in the same room with him. His concentration had slacked off after a while of reading one of the most boring reports he ever laid his eyes on and he caught himself staring at his king who was furrowing his brows at the roll he was holding, his hair neatly bound into the bun he was also wearing during the trials. Only the headpiece was missing.
With his hair up like this, his sharp cheekbones were much more visible and Yeosol’s gaze wandered to his ears that he kept rubbing in between when he was deep in thought.

I want to rub them too, just to see how he reacts.

Of course, right when the thought crossed his head Yeomra had to look up at him, and for a moment Yeosol wondered if he was powerful enough to read his thoughts.
Only to test it, he thought of something ridiculous. Haewonmak in Deokchun’s dress, the seams ripping because it was way too small.

Yeomra did not laugh, not even when Yeosol cracked-up himself over the picture he created. The king of hell was either really good at keeping a pokerface or he could not read Yeosol’s mind. Yeosol decided it was the second because even Gangrim would have at least turned up the corner of his mouth.

-+-+-+-

Now that Yeosol did not travel with guardians anymore, the trials of the Filial Impiety hell were the only ones he attended.

Yeosol always found many of them very fascinating though, the stories the sand would replay, often ones that were causing a lot of emotions for him.
He never had met his parents, at least he could not remember them. The closest to a family he had were his master and his wife or rather their housemaid.
Still, for some reasons the stories that most affected him were those of mothers losing their children, they made his heart clench painfully and grasp onto the handle of his spear that he kept carrying in his pocket in a reduced form. Holding it and tracing his fingers over the ornament somehow comforted him especially during these trials that got to him. He often would feel Yeomra's gaze on him then but in those moments he could not bring himself to return it.

On the other side, one of the things Yeosol loved most about the trials was when people who were truly deserving it had to face punishment. Having seen so many injustices during his lifetime he felt satisfied to see that riches and status did not matter here. It purely came down to the soul's actions during its lifetime.

This and of course stealing glances from the king of hell, ruling over his court.

The current trial was a grey zone, Yeosol honestly was not sure how to decide this case. Wondering about Yeomra’s thoughts he glanced at the king of hell, who was listening to the prosecutors continuing accusations, wearing a thoughtful expression and rubbing his ear.
Almost as if he could feel his gaze, Yeomra looked at him and their eyes locked until one of the prosecutors asked for the king’s opinion on a matter concerning the defendant.

Yeosol smiled when Yeomra had to ask the prosecutor to repeat his question.

-+-+-+-

Yeosol did not know why but it was always different when Gangrim and his team came to the Filial Impiety hell court. At first, he was not sure about it but now that they were here the third time he noticed that Yeomra’s whole gaze changed. Subtle of course but for someone who was able to watch him as closely (and also did that very often) as Yeosol it was obvious.

Last time they had failed to prove their souls innocence or rather had seen that it truly was not during the trial. This time though all of them claimed their soul was a paragon.

Currently, Gangrim had a fierce debate with the prosecutors and Haewonmak was shaking with held-back anger. Deok-chun was nervously glancing at him. The reaper was only a hair width from exploding just like in training when Yeosol was taunting him a little bit too much.
Yeosol turned his head to Yeomra who was noticing it too.

Before Gangrim, who noticed his state too, could calm him down he already exploded.

„BULLSHIT!“

And there we go.

Admittedly a little amused about what's going to come but trying to hide it, Yeosol leaned back in his seat.

Gangrim turned around and Yeosol was sure that he gave Haewonmak a warning stare but the other ignored him completely, fixating the prosecutor instead.

„Haewonmak!“

Gangrim’s voice had a dangerous edge to it.

„What? Don’t tell me you don’t think the same, all of you.“ he made a half-turn, outstretching his arms, his coat dramatically flying around his long legs.
„You all know he is talking total garbage, he even knows himself.“ He pointed at the prosecutor again who scowled at his accuses and continued.
„Who writes this shit down, huh? Are you two prosecutors competing with each other about who can write the most ridiculous verdicts?“

Haewonmak walked to the prosecutor and the guy stumbled back when he suddenly was in his face. Only Gangrim grabbing his teammate's flying coat was keeping him from touching the shivering guy who was pressing his back into the prosecutor’s stand, trying to get out of his reach.

Meanwhile, Yeosol noticed that considering the current turmoil Haewonmak caused, Yeomra was staying surprisingly quiet. He was simply watching, while Gangrim was trying to get control back and Deok-chun was nervously glancing at her teammates, the king of hell and back.

„That’s enough Haewonmak.“

„But-“

Gangrim squeezed his arm and Haewonmak finally met his face and after a short staring duel, he groaned and flattened his coat. Quietly he walked back to where he had been standing before.

„Haewonmak.“

Gangrim scolded him again and the other gave a theatric sigh before he bowed to the court.

„I’m sorry for being a little too enthusiastic I’m just really allergic to shit-talk.“

Yeomra stopped Gangrim, who already inhaled air to berate Haewonmak properly.
„You can talk about respectful behavior in court with your team members later Gangrim, you better spent the rest of your trial time for your defendant like you’re supposed to.“

Haewonmak flinched a little when he realized that his outburst was not helping at all and the prosecutors had the nerve to viciously grin at him.

Yeosol had to agree with him though, the statement of the prosecutors was ridiculous but Haewonmak’s behavior was not suitable for the court and he had played directly into their cards. They had successfully achieved one of them to lose their control.
The three were lucky that Yeomra seemed to be a little more generous with them.

Haewonmak stayed quiet and in the back for the rest of the trial. Kneeling next to Gangrim who squeezed his shoulder every time he only even dared to shift. In the end, Gangrim’s arguments were confirmed and their soul was resurrected.
Yeosol watched Deok-chun and Haewonmak falling into each other's arms and jumping happily while Gangrim just stood next to them, seemingly unfazed by their joy. Yeosol did not miss the spark of guilt and longing in his eyes and when he watched them. In Yeomra’s eyes, he found a similar emotion.

His guts told him there was more to it and a totally different feeling hit him suddenly that almost made him get up and hug all of them.

Chapter Text

Strange things were happening lately.

Numerous souls were being punished in the pits of hell and one might think it was impossible to keep an eye on all of them, however, it was necessary to do so. To know if they really would receive the punishment they deserved. The gods of the separate hells knew about the souls that suffered in their pits and Yeomra also had an eye on them.

That was why it was even more surprising that some suddenly went missing.

If they had escaped their torment grounds somehow they still would have to wander around hell, there was no possibility for them to leave without Yeomra’s knowledge.
Despite that fact though, Yeomra could not locate them.

He and Yeosol had been traveling through hell, searching for clues after Yeomra received the bothersome news that now even a handful of souls at once had vanished. It had happened before that one, two, or even three were lost, but there were almost one hundred years between the cases. Yeomra had sent out his warrior to find them. Without any success.

Yeomra had had many other things to worry about back then and thought they would reappear in the end, because there was nowhere they could go after all. But none of them had returned and with the cases increasing it was nothing he could take lightly anymore.

After they inspected almost every part, they came to areas now that were not too well-known, even for Yeomra. Something was scratching at the back of his head, a feeling that he was forgetting an important part about this area. Deep in thought, he took the wasteland that seemed never ending in trying to remember when Yeosol’s walked up next to him.

„That’s strange.“
Yeosol stared straight ahead, brows furrowed and Yeomra turned to look at him questioningly.

„What do you mean?“

„I feel fear.“

The warrior took Yeomra’s hand and put it on his chest, where Yeomra could feel his quickening heartbeat.

Yeomra held his breath.

Yeosol’s skin felt shockingly warm against his palm, but that was not possible they were in the afterworld. Was his mind playing tricks on him?

„Can you feel it? How quick my heart is beating? It’s out of fear. Something around here is making my skin crawl.“

Yeosol let their hands sink down and when he slowly let go their fingertips brushed, the feeling caused Yeomra’s heartbeat to quicken too but not out of fear.
He cleared his throat and tried to activate his senses properly.

This part of hell was a very distant one, hardly anyone ever went there. Yeomra looked around, looking for anything out of the normal. No one seemed to be present except them but he had to agree with Yeosol, it was as if something was watching and while Yeomra was the king of hell and his mind was connected to every part of it, he felt disconnected. As if he was looking at his garden through a haze.

Out of a sudden, beasts made out of dark shadows, attacked and Yeomra was so surprised about not feeling their presence before, he was stunned and only Yeosol’s spear going right through the beast was saving him from a direct bite.

„Thank you.“

„I’m commander of hell, it’s my job to protect my king.“

Yeosol smiled at him and charged for the next attacking monster.

Yeomra’s heart was definitely beating faster now.

-+-+-+-

After they had successfully fought off the shadow monsters, Yeomra, unfortunately, had to go back, he had trials to attend and other important business to take care off.

He left a few of his warriors to investigate the area further, receiving their reports. Especially about those shadow beasts that came out of nowhere and that had a for Yeomra unreadable energy signature.

Yeomra made an internal note that he would roam the old library for more information later. There must be something written about those beasts and also that part of hell. He could swear that at least about that special area the old Yeomra had something mentioned to him before. It was during his first days becoming king of hell and he got a lot of information at once though. Back then it was still hard for him to deal with the sudden flood of information he got.
By now he was able to deal with his expanded memory and knowing quite a lot of things. But during his first years, he was simply overwhelmed with everything.

The library had not seen him for too long anyway, it was overdue he paid a visit and he wanted to show Yeosol anyway. As commander of hell, he should have the possibility to go there and educate himself anyway.

In the end, he was so caught up with other things that he decided to give Yeosol the authorization to roam the castle freely and visit the library himself. Not that Yeosol used that access for the library much.

-+-+-+-

Yeomra sighed this trial was a tiresome one.

The guardians did not even defend their client properly, believing that this case was already a lost one.
Well, it was but it did not change the fact that it was their job to at least try.

He glanced at Yeosol, who was furrowing his brows and had his arms crossed in front of him. His posture was the one of a warrior but something about his eyes and the way he flinched his nose was reminding Yeomra so much of his former wife. It was like he was able to bring her back only by looking at Yeosol. Their character was not that different either.

“You soldiers should be ashamed, threatening an old defenseless man with your weapons.“
Moon-jik had just stepped out on the streets and noticed a woman’s voice, speaking loudly and full of anger.

A few feet away one of his soldiers was standing with his weapon raised threateningly, in front of him stood a young woman, with outstretched arms, shielding an old man was kneeling on the ground behind her.

„This has nothing to do with you, get out of the way or I make you, crazy goose.“

While most people would have been intimidated facing a soldier with a drawn weapon she got more annoyed instead. She puffed out her chest and rose her chin, eyes sparkling with anger, and Moon-jik had to admit she really had something of a wild goose.

The soldier was young, not very experienced, and easily irritated. The fact that a woman was standing her ground against him, surely rubbed his pride the wrong way. Moon-jik saw him tightening the grip on his sword and decided to step in before blood would be shed.

The old memory suddenly had hit Yeomra while he was still staring at Yeosol and he rubbed his temples, trying to concentrate on the trial.

Yeomra snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed Yeosol was looking at him with a smug grin on his face. His wife had always smiled exactly like that when she was planning something to tease him.

However, while Yeosol was her reincarnation and had shown more and more of her characters with the years spent in the afterlife, Yeomra was very unprepared when he did exactly that, teasing him.

„I know I’m a more interesting sight than our very unmotivated guardians here but it is time for your verdict my king. Except you rather sentence me. If it’s a hundred years in your bed I will gladly comply."

The court went quiet. Not only the court, but the whole hell also seemed to have frozen and was holding its breath.
Yeomra was looking at Yeosol, stunned, unable to say anything, his mind completely blanc.

He felt everyone’s eyes on the both of them but all he registered was Yeosol’s smug grin.

Yeomra tore his eyes from his commander, blinked and lifted the roll with the verdict, staring dumbly at it, he managed to state a suitable punishment for the soul in a much steadier voice than he thought possible, got up, and vanished.

As soon as he was in the safety of his private chamber in his castle, he held his hands in front of his face and felt the heat of his cheeks against them.

He was blushing.

He never had blushed since he became Yeomra, he did not even know it was possible.

What was that?
Had Yeosol actually been flirting with me? Or was it just to tease me?

This was unexpected, and Yeomra had no idea how to handle it.
He should calm down, it was probably nothing but a joke.

Yeomra pressed his hands harder against his face and groaned, this was not how he imagined things to go 400 years back when he convinced Yeosol to join his side.

What did I think though?

To have his wife’s soul near, only to make sure that it would not vanish to somewhere he could not follow so soon?

It was egoistic, Yeomra knew, he should have come clean with Yeosol the moment he made that offer. Not giving him the full information was like tricking him, maybe his decision would have been a completely different one if he had known about his life before.
Maybe he would have wanted to move on, finding a better soulmate that would not choose immortality and leave him behind.

„You left so quickly, did something urgent come up?“

Startled Yeomra turned around and remembered that he had granted Yeosol access to every room, even his private ones.

He was scolding himself for that foolishness now.

Yeosol smiled his warm smile, mixed with the smirk from before and Yeomra felt his thoughts melting away.

He cleared his throat.

„Has the next team already arrived at the trial grounds?“

„Yes, my king.“

„Thank you, for letting me know.“

„Of course.“

Yeosol hinted a bow, an amused grin still dancing around his lips. He turned around to leave but stopped mid-turn.

„My king?“

Yeomra had a hard time holding Yeosol’s gaze, his ridiculous hook-up line still sounding in his head.

„Yes?“

„The flushed cheeks suit you.“

Yeomra needed another moment to compose himself before he was able to follow his commander.

The prosecutors, still the same as during the first trial, were giving them strange looks when they arrived back at the court. After a warning glance from Yeomra, they quickly lowered their heads though and pretended to read through their rolls.

To Yeomra’s increasing headache, the news had spread quickly.

Haewonmak was staring at him with unnerving big eyes, that were switching between him and Yeosol constantly and made it hard for the king of hell to keep his cool.

Deok-chun, while being much more subtle than her colleague, was also blinking up at both of them every so often, only Gangrim kept a neutral gaze and concentrated on their case.

Yeomra almost wanted to congratulate himself that even when he failed to teach him compassion, he was at least not noisy.

Chapter Text

It was her, Moon-jik almost wanted to laugh about the coincidence.
The very same woman that had been accusing the soldier ironically turned out to be the woman, he got introduced to as his possible future wife.

Sol-yeo was her name.

She was surprisingly friendly and polite, Moon-jik almost thought she had forgotten about them meeting before. Until they were not alone and her smile fell.

„So, soon-to-be-general, how is your suppressing soldier doing?“

„I released him. My men and I are here to keep the people safe not threaten them.“

Sol-yeo raised an eyebrow at him, not yet fully convinced but her posture relaxed a little.

It was surprisingly easy to have a conversation with her. They talked about strategies and politics, and Moon-jik had the feeling everything he said was analyzed by her. Her sharp gaze told him that she was not struggling to follow his words. He also did not miss her filling his cup as soon as it was less than half full.
Sol-yeo seemed to be a strategist like himself just that hers were not for war.

When he left later, cheeks warm from all the wine, the thought of being married, which always had seemed like an annoying necessity, caused a spark of joy in him.

Moon-jik giggled at the funny feeling spreading through his body and made his way home.

-+-+-+-

Yeomra blinked with the memory that hit him out of nowhere.
If only he had made better decisions later in life. Then his family could have had a better ending. But that was why he became Yeomra. To make up for that.
Sighing he picked up the book about the history of hell one of the former Yeomra’s had written, to continue reading.
It was very detailed, and he felt like he had spent weeks in earth-time on only the introducing chapter about the different flora and fauna you could find.
He learned a lot of new things but not what he was looking for.

„Are you fine?“

Yeosol looked up at him from the book he was reading, a detailed guide to different methods to use one's aura more effectively in a fight and let it sip into one's weapon.

„Why shouldn’t I?“

„You were smiling and had had a distant look on your face and then your face fell as if someone had hit you.“

„Old memories.“

Yeomra mumbled and held the book higher to shield himself from Yeosol’s piercing gaze.

„A love that ended badly?“

Yeosol asked, a little too close to the truth for Yeomra’s liking. He really got more like his wife or always had been but living as a slave he suppressed this side of him more. Not that Yeomra had watched every second of it.

„So I’m right?“

Yeomra still did not answer, this was not a conversation he wanted to have. Even with his wife talking about his emotions was something he had always been bad with. Aside from that, it would have been more than awkward to talk with the reincarnation of his wife about the life of them together. It just felt wrong. Or maybe Yeomra was just afraid that Yeosol remembered his old life and figure out what he did.

„Don’t worry my king. I will help you to learn to love again.“
Yeosol said suddenly and then got up and excused himself for his training session with Haewonmak, leaving Yeomra behind with a fast-beating heart, wondering if he had just misheard.

He gave up reading for now and decided to check with his warriors if they had found out more about the problem of souls vanishing.

-+-+-+-

A connected trial.

It had been at least a century since the last one.

Even while they were unable to feel discomfort due to heat or cold, the sight of the volcano of the damned always caused memories of getting burned in Yeomra. But it was not the reason he was actually feeling warm now.

Yeosol -for whatever reason because he could not really be bothered by the heat either - had opened his upper clothes, showing his chest.
Yeomra was awfully distracted, no matter what he did his eyes kept switching back to Yeosol.
The worst was that according to his smirk, he was fully aware of it.

The god of murder knew his place and was too loyal to make a remark but he obviously had noticed Yeomra’s distraction too.
And Yeosol, being the tease he had become over the years, only opened his clothes further and shrugged his shoulders when the god of Murder raised his non-existent eyebrows at him.

Yeomra sighed and massaged his temples, not because he had a headache but more to shield his eyes from glancing at Yeosol because no matter how hard he tried that was where they ended up every five minutes.

He kept his hand at the side of his face that was turned to Yeosol, using it as a shield. It was much better like that and he managed to concentrate until the end of the trial. Relieved he sighed at the end and leaned back. Combined trials always were a little more complicated because there was more to take into account.

Still trying to avoid Yeosol’s gaze he turned to the Yeomra and asked him who would be next in his court.

When Yeomra heard that the next trial in the murder hell was for a defendant of Gangrim, Haewonmak, and Deokchul he decided to stay a little longer to watch the beginning of it. His real reason of course was to see Gangrim and how he is doing with his punishment, but no one in hell knew about their shared past.

He was just chatting with the king of hell about the late cases of souls gone missing when Yeosol walked over.

His commander wore a smirk that made Yeomra wary of what he was going to do or say. Yeomra’s eyes glanced down fully on their own when Yeosol brushed his hand along his own collar and then used it to fan himself with some air.

The king of hell swallowed thickly and forced his eyes higher, to meet Yeosol’s. The smug grin was the only warning he got.

„Is it hot in here? Or is it just you?“

Yeomra heard a faint gasp that sounded a lot like Haewonmak and a surprised squeak that could have been Deok-chun. He could not check, because all he managed was staring at Yeosol with an open mouth - like everybody else present, even the god of murder.

„I have to tend to an important matter.“

He finally broke out of his stupor, voice slightly higher than usual, and then vanished, hoping no one had noticed the tint of red already spreading over his cheeks.

Chapter Text

Even with that stern expression and the clear rejection every part of her was showing, Sol Yeo looked stunning.
Moon-jik lowered his head to not stare at her inappropriately and bowed to her, holding his hands out to her.

„I know you said you don’t want to be my wife, and I will accept that, but please take this gift at least. It does not bind you I give it freely. See it as a thank you for the enjoyable conversations, barely anyone speaks as bold and honest to me as you do.“

„Should you not keep that present for the woman you are going to marry?“

Moon-jik only laughed amused and straightened his posture, meeting her eyes.

„I had this especially made for you. I would never dare to offer it to another. Please take it, and if you throw it into the pond it is yours to decide.“

Furrowing his brows at him once again, she finally took it.

„My lady.“ He bowed one last time and turned around to walk away, heart heavy with his sadness, but he was not surprised. She had her own will and he would not force her to go against it.

He rather stayed alone than see her wither in an unhappy marriage.

-+-+-+-

Yeosol had not been sure the first time but this time he had clearly seen Yeomra’s blushing because of his words.

If you asked Yeosol the king of hell so many were afraid of was actually really cute.

Yeosol always had felt a connection to him, that he could not quite name but if he was honest, at first he was more interested in teasing him. The moment he realized that he had a special effect on Yeomra, he just had to inspect that further.
But along all that exchanging of gazes and further inspecting his thoughts were filled more and more with the king of hell.

Yeomra seemed like a cold and stern man but Yeosol was spending enough time with him to know it was far from the truth.

When he started to watch him more, Yeosol noticed all kind of things, the way his brows furrowed slightly when he disapproved of something, how his gaze became soft when a soul had lived a hard life, how his mouth sometimes twitched or he absentmindedly touched his ear and rubbed it between his fingers, when he was thinking.

And by now Yeosol often enough could not concentrate because he was staring at Yeomra instead.

He especially valued the few rare times they were in the library together, Yeosol was unable to study because all the time his eyes kept switching to Yeomra and he just loved watching him reading a book, occasionally furrowing his brows or raising them astounded.

Thinking back, Yeosol always had enjoyed being around him but now he had gone a step further.

Yeosol felt restless when they were separated.
When Yeomra was next to him, he wanted to reach out, brush over his cheek or wrap his arm around him.
Suddenly it was not enough anymore to be just in his presence, Yeosol wanted to stand closer, wanted to touch him, run his fingertips over his skin.

He had told the goddess of betrayal about this sudden urges and she had let out an excited scream, eyes shining with amusement while she had declared.

’You are in love.’

Yeosol had not much experience with romantic love, except a small crush as a child on an older girl and then in his teens another boy, but he had seen real love in some memories of defendants.

He came to the conclusion that the goddess of betrayal was right when Yeomra stared at his chest and got so very distracted over the sight and Yeosol’s heart was beating faster at the thought of the other’s hands brushing over his chest.
Or him lying underneath him, face all flushed.

It was funny, really, that he had to die to feel find someone that made his heart beat faster than anyone could during his time alive.

-+-+-

„I flirted with him again but all he did was running away and then he just pretended it never happened.“

Yeosol sighed and let himself fall to the ground frustrated.

The goddess of betrayal chuckled next to him.

„Well, maybe you should actually tell him how you feel instead of using bad hook-up lines and embarrass him with those in front of everyone. He obviously likes you everyone else would have been punished for that.“

„I also told him in private I’m going to make him happy. After I watched him remembering a lost love.“

That had the goddess of betrayal curios and she instantly was next to him on the ground.

„He did? What makes you so sure of that?“

„Just the way he was smiling and the soft glance in his eyes. I know how people in love look.“

„Do you?“

She clicked her tongue.

„Well, I would love to see our king with a look of love for once, all I know is his stern expression. Made me wonder if he is able to have other emotions than being angry at all.“

„So you never saw him happy with someone?“

She found that question very funny, judging from the laugh she broke into.

„Yeomra? Happy? Or even with someone? You are the only one next to his warriors who are even allowed to stay in his castle. Besides.“

Quickly she was at his side again, grabbing his arm. Yeosol flinched away, knowing that gaze all too well.

„You have a room there too don’t you why not invite me over? We’re good friends after all.“

„You just want to find out more to gossip, therefore no.“

„Too bad.“

She sighed and leaned back on her hands.

„Then you have to solve your flirting problem on your own.“

„It’s not that your solutions are very helpful.“

„Well I made you realized you are in love with him, didn’t I. You probably would never have figured it out on your own.“

„I’m not stupid, I was figuring it out already you just gave me a push.“

„You would have needed another 100 years at least. And know you’re procrastinating. You want him right? So let him know.“

She was right about that.
Yeosol wanted Yeomra as he had never wanted anything else before.

-+-+-+-

After his talk with the goddess of betrayal, Yeosol got even bolder.

He stood even closer to Yeomra. Purposefully let their finger’s touch when he handed him trial rolls. Stretched his legs under the table until his feet touched Yeomra’s while they were both doing paperwork.

Yeosol was wondering what it was that held Yeomra back because he was sure the god of hell was aching for him too. He saw the longing in his eyes when they fell on him, even on his lips. His stares when Yeomra opened his collar more.

They were in the library together again, and Yeosol hardly took care of which book he had grabbed. Opening it at a random page he glanced over it and noticed he had picked a book about old rituals, not exactly his field of interest.
He wanted to close it again and put it away when he got an idea.

„Yeomra?“

They were at a point that he was allowed to call him that, simply Yeomra even though he only did when they were alone.

„Yes?“

The king of hell looked up from his book questioningly.

Good, he had his full attention.

„I cannot really understand what is written in this book, can you explain it to me?“

Yeomra glanced down at the book he held and raised his eyebrows.

„Since when are you interested in rituals?“

Yeosol simply shrugged his shoulders.

„I thought I try something new for once. Can you help me?“

Obviously still skeptical, Yeomra got up and walked over, he got next to Yeosol and leaned down, when the general did not hand over the book or held it higher.
Yeosol felt his coat touch his arm and he turned his head to look at Yeomra’s face, close to his, while he was taking in the instructions on the page.

He reached out with one arm to point at a drawing on the page.

„So this circle is for a strong banning spell, it works with-.“

And that was where Yeosol zoned out, eyes fixated on the other’s high cheekbones. He had his hair bound back, like always in the library and he had taken off his scarf, showing his long neck. Only in the privacy of them being together like this Yeosol was able to enjoy the sight.

He leaned in a little closer and, getting bold again, he blew against Yeomra’s neck, smiling when goosebumps clearly formed before Yeomra jerked back, pressing a hand against his neck and looking at Yeosol, cheeks flushed.

„Yeosol.“ It was probably meant as a warning but it did not sound like one at all.

Yeosol smiled up at him.

„I’m sorry I was distracted with another ritual I would love to try with you.“

Yeomra did not react so Yeosol tried to be a little more direct.

„I think that ritual is what we have our beds for, considering we are not really sleeping here.“

The blush got deeper and Yeomra was still holding his neck. Yeosol licked his lips, intentionally slow and the other’s eyes shifted down. Yeomra let out a quiet sigh, but when Yeosol reached out for his other hand, their fingertips touching, he blinked and got out of his daze.

Quickly he turned around and was gone before Yeosol could ask him to stay.

-+-+-+-+-

„I don’t know how to get him to act.“

Frustrated, after his latest failed attempt of flirting with Yeomra, Yeosol was complaining to the goddess of betrayal.

Lately, he even cherished her more because she was listening to his frustrated rambling. Even though she was not hiding the fact that she found his frustration very amusing.
Amusing and beautiful.

She chuckled and patted his leg.

„You keep throwing bad pick up lines at him. He probably thinks you’re only playing with him. Get yourself together and actually show him what you feel if you are unable to communicate your feelings.“

„I might just do that.“
Yeosol got up and brushed the dust from the ground off his clothes. She shielded her hands from the bright sky and looked up at him. Cheering him on.

„That’s the right spirit. What can he do, ban you from hell?“

Yeomra actually could, but that would not stop Yeosol from trying.

Chapter Text

Chapter 9

Moon-jik was tired he had been up all night to plan a strategy that would be useful if they had to go to war, so he could present it to the king. He had been going with only a handful of hours the last three days and if asked he would say he was preparing for his audience with the king but the truth was he still could not forget Sol-Yeo.

„There is someone who wants to talk to you, my lord.“

„Tell them to come back later.“

„She is very insistent my lord.“

Moon-jik looked up at that.

„She?“

Suddenly Sol-Yeo showed up and gave him a half-hearted bow.

„I accept.“

She looked at him, eyes clear and strong-willed as ever.

„I accept your offer for marriage.“

She bowed again and left, leaving Moon-jik and his servant stunned with her boldness.
Moon-jik instantly sent a message to her parents, asking for her hand.

They did not let him wait as long as she did.

-+-+-+-+-

Saying Yeosol was frustrated was an understatement.

Since his last attempt, Yeomra had even been avoiding situations of them being alone together.

Yes, he had a lot to do and there were things troubling him. Yeosol had heard that souls still went missing. Even more regularly now.
Yeomra had been very troubled over this. Sending more of his warriors to find them. Until now none of them had come back successfully.

But Yeosol still could not help his frustration concerning their relationship with each other.
He just knew there was something between them. That they had a connection that went deeper than simply king and general.
Yeosol was a direct person, it was not for him to dance around a subject and not face it.
With Yeomra avoiding him, he got only more certain of his feelings. It was time to talk and act.

They were in another trial together again and he had been glancing at Yeomra all the time. He had been looking back at him only once and then quickly avoided his gaze again.

It only strengthened Yeosol’s decision to talk to him after the trial, no matter what.

He walked up to Yeomra, ready to talk to him, determined to not let Yeomra find another excuse to flee.

„Yeomra.“

Yeomra turned to him, meeting his gaze directly for the first time since he started to avoid him.

„Yeosol. I just wanted to ask you if you join me to search for the missing souls.“

The request was so far from the conversation Yeosol thought they would have that he blinked at the other surprised for a moment.

„Yes, of course.“

He mumbled, wondering why Yeomra suddenly asked for his presence again.

They went to another isolated area, a little further from the one they had visited last time.
When they were walking a small path between fields of magma, Yeosol realized it was only them. None of the ever-present guards with their rattling chains was near.

Curios he glanced at Yeomra. The king of hell kept looking straight ahead, walking next to him, while their shoulders were brushing. His soft, deep voice was clear and loud in their silent surrounding.

„There was a general once, he was a great leader and warrior. He had all a man could dream of, a wife he dearly loved and who loved him but with the years that came the war got all his attention.“

He stopped for a moment when a bubble of hot magma exploded a little further from them.

„While he loved her dearly with the increasing amount of enemies the general’s king had to face he spent less and less time with her to concentrate on his army and on defending the country. Not only did he leave her for years to go to war, but he also insisted on having his son close, taking him from her as soon as he was able to hold himself in a saddle.“

Yeomra stopped and put a hand on Yeosol’s arm. They waited for the stone constellation in front of them to change until it formed a little path that led upwards to a lone, flat platform.

„His reasoning was that he needed to teach him early so he could be a great general too. Unfortunately, he forgot about the most important thing. He needed to die first, to realize his mistake.“

They had arrived at the top of the platform and Yeosol reached out for Yeomra’s wrist when it leaned heavily on the side they were standing on, luckily it stopped after a few seconds.
Hesitantly, he let go again and they both walked to the further end.
Yeosol was surprised to see the beautiful forest spreading out in front of them while the area they came from was only hot and dead earth. From the ground bellow, the rocks had been blocking the view and he would have never imagined such a complete change of landscape.
The lighting was interesting too, it reminded Yeosol of the early morning hours when the sun is setting but not fully in bloom yet. Calming.

He wondered if the king of hell had really brought him to this place to search for the lost souls. They had only been wandering while Yeomra was telling a tale.

Yeomra turned to him and Yeosol tore his attention from the amazing view. the mood changed and a heavy sadness emanated from the other suddenly. Yeosol had to hold himself to not reach out for his shoulder or hand in an offer of support.

„Only in the hours of dying, he realized he had lost sight of the most important thing.“

„What was that?“

Yeosol asked quietly, despite already knowing the answer.

„Love.“

The king of hell whispered and avoided his gaze. He took a step closer to the edge and took in the view. Yeomra cleared his throat and blinked and Yeosol realized he was trying to break the growing tension and get out of the situation, instead of allowing it to become more intimate.

Yeomra, king of hell, was a coward when it came to his feelings.

Yeosol kept his eyes on him while the other purposefully stared ahead, to avoid his gaze.
He wanted to give him a few moments, in case he might decide to not run away but finish what he had started and simply watched him. Eventually, Yeomra spoke again, his voice not as deep and stern as usual.

„Beautiful isn’t it?“

And Yeosol, ignoring the landscape around them was only looking at Yeomra. He traced his beautiful side profile. Took in the reflection of the light on his high cheekbones, the tip of his nose, his lower lip.
How it lit up the waves of his curly long hair, that he was wearing open for once.

And Yeosol answered with a soft, dreamy voice.

„Yes.“

Something about the way he had said it must have startled Yeomra because he blinked and turned to him, looking curious.
His gaze changed when his eyes met Yeosol’s. He closed his mouth that he had opened, probably to ask something, and swallowed thickly.

The longing has never been so prominent in Yeomra’s gaze before and Yeosol knew he would have to act now or lose his chance for another hundred of years.

Reaching out for his arm, he turned and slowly stepped closer to Yeomra. He stopped when the tip of his right foot bumped against Yeomra’s.
Carefully, to not startle Yeomra, Yeosol brushed his fingertips along the other’s arm, feeling the rough structure of his coat underneath until it changed to the soft collar.
Yeomra made escaped a soft sound, when Yeosol lay his hand against his cheek, brushing into his neck and burying his fingers in his thick, soft hair.

He caressed Yeomra’s cheek with his thumb, watched him closing his eyes and leaning in.
His heart was beating faster, the intimacy they shared right at this moment felt so familiar and so comforting.

Yeomra tilted his head back and parted his lips when Yeosol brushed along his lower lip.
The sight of his lips suddenly causing such a strong overwhelming desire within Yeosol he had to hold himself back to not lose himself in it.
He moved slowly, withstanding the urge to grab Yeomra and ravish his mouth, and only pressing their lips together softly instead.

Yeomra’s beard tickled his chin and his lips were so soft that Yeosol wanted to press against them harder, instead, he withdrew. With their noses still touching he opened his eyes. Yeomra’s were still closed but he did not make a move to lean in again so Yeosol stepped back, pushing down the need to do exactly the opposite.

He was stopped by Yeomra’s hand clutching his arm tightly and before he could process what was happening the king of hell was in his arms and his lips hungrily on his.

Yeosol inhaled through his nose and stumbled back with the force Yeomra pressed against him, he wrapped his arm around his waist and pulled him closer. The king of hell was still grasping Yeosol’s shirt tightly and his mouth was pressing hard against his as if he was dying and trying to suck up his life energy to survive.

It seemed like a dam inside Yeomra was broken down through Yeosol’s sweet kiss and now every emotion he had held back the last hundreds of years was washing over him and Yeosol was hit just as hard by the force of them.

He felt something wet under his fingers when he cupped Yeomra’s face and broke their kiss for a moment to look at him. Yeomra opened his eyes and looked at him through a layer of tears. Yeosol had never seen the king of hell cry before and was speechless with the sight, his heart almost unable to stand it.

„I missed you so much.“

Yeomra whispered, his voice breaking and then he buried both hands into Yeosol’s hair and pulled him into another mind-blowing kiss until both their lips went numb.

If only Yeosol had known that it would be their last moment of intimacy he would have tried to value it even more.

Chapter Text

“What made you change your mind? Why did you agree to marry me?“
Moon-jik held his wife’s hand and brushed over her knuckles, watching her relaxed face, where sun rays shining through the leaves above drew blinding patterns on her light skin.

„Because you were the best choice out of the bad I had?“
She laughed and then gasped, brushing one hand over her pregnant belly.
„Ah our child is already at your side, it seems.“

„Or he does not like if you are lying.“

She hummed and smirked at him before she stated more dreamily.

„What made me change my mind? I had to put on a play to get rid of all the men my family brought for me to marry. You were the first who respected my simple no. I think that was when I fell in love with you.“

-+-+-+-+-

Yeomra was in a bad mood. An Awfully bad mood.
He looked at the current group of guardians and the prosecutors arguing and once again, like uncountable times before, within the last hundred years, he thought back to the kiss he had shared with Yeosol.

For a moment he closed his eyes and saw the other looking back at him after the first soft touch of their lips, his eyes looked just like the ones of Solyeo and Yeomra’s longing reached an unbearable level.

Absentmindedly he brought his fingers to his lips.

Yeomra had no idea how long they had been kissing, Yeosol’s hands were running along his back underneath his coat. His own had slipped under the collar of Yeosol’s, brushing over his firm chest.
Their kisses had turned from desperate to heated, and Yeomra wanted to feel so much more. Wanted to be closer. Not once since he had become the king of hell he had felt desire for anyone. Now, however, with Yeosol’s lips on his and his body pressed against his mind and body were driven by need.
Need to feel skin, to be closer, to-.

A sharp pain shooting through his body made him break away and sink to the floor.

„Yeomra.“

Yeosol cried out and kneeled down next to him, grabbing his shoulders concerned.

„What is going on?“

Exhaling a deep breath when the pain subsided and his body relaxed again, Yeomra took Yeosol’s arm and let himself be dragged up on his feet. He still held onto Yeosol, trying to process what he had just felt.

„One of my warriors just died.“

„Died? You mean actually died?“

Yeomra nodded, eyes wide. He tried to feel the energy that was suddenly gone again, tried to grasp it but it was completely gone.

„I thought that’s not possible.“

„It never happened before.“

Yeomra mumbled.
Or did it?
Something in the back of his head seemed to lit up but he could not grasp it.

„I felt the pain of the warrior's death and then their energy was gone as if it had never existed.“

„Can you locate where that happened?“

Yeomra tried to concentrate again, where he had last felt his warrior. It was vague.

„Hold onto me and be prepared to fight.“

Nodding, Yeosol took his hand and reached for the handle of his spear to summon it in its full form.

Concentrating on the approximate location the warrior had been last, Yeomra teleported them there.

They had been here before.
Yeosol had said he could feel fear when they were here last time. Yeomra had not felt it back then, now he did.
The grip on his hand tightened and he looked over at Yeosol who was staring at the open field in front of them.

„Something is wrong, just like last time I feel fear but there is something else. It makes my skin crawl.“

Yeomra followed his gaze, he shuddered with the emotions he was hit with. The other was right, there were strong emotions bundled up in the area but they felt faint. As if they were there but also not.

„There is something.“ Yeomra stared straight ahead. He could see nothing but he was sure that his eyes betrayed him.

„I can’t feel its presence, how I usually do with things going on in hell. But I sense something, it makes the hair in my neck stand up.“

Yeosol let go of his hand and placed it on Yeomra’s shoulder, motioning him to stand back.

He took a few steps forward and then stopped.

Yeomra wanted to follow, but Yeosol held his hand up to hold him back. Then he seemed to reach for something, took another step, and was gone. There was a short moment when Yeomra thought he saw a reflection but then it was gone again.

Quickly Yeomra rushed over where Yeosol had been standing and ran into him when he resurfaced again.
Yeosol steadied him, gripping both his shoulders.

„It is dark in there, I can’t see much but I feel a strong energy in there. I did not move much but it probably gets complicated to find the way back out once you go in deeper.“

He turned around and stretched his arm that instantly vanished again.

Yeomra wanted to reach out too but Yeosol stopped him.

„No. It is in your realm but you can’t feel its presence, your warrior has died around here, maybe because of it. We don’t know what it means. You are the king of hell you should stay out of it as long as we don’t know if it's safe. You have your duties as king of hell. Let me inspect it.“

„But what if I can’t feel the warrior’s presence because he is inside there?“

„When I was in, could you still feel my energy?“

Yeomra got what Yeosol meant.

„It was weak, but I knew you were still alive.Yes.“

„Then its most likely the warrior is really dead, but I bet they died inside of it. I could go in and back out and was fine. Your warriors are connected to you and your life energy aren’t they? What if this is especially attacking you?“

Yeomra looked at the thing before him and furrowed his brow.

„I bet the lost souls are in there, you can’t feel them and this is the only place we know, that is somehow blocking you out. Let me try and find out what is going on.“

„No. What if whatever is in there is going to kill you too?“

„We have to do something, last time we were here I could not feel the fear already but now it’s almost suffocating. What if it will become bigger and then take over more of hell?“

„I don’t know maybe we should find out more first. I could look at the library.“

„Haven’t you been looking for something concerning this area since we have been here last? You can continue searching for written information and I will go in there and find and try to find out more from the inside. I promise I will come back but you have to promise me to not go in there. I have a bad feeling concerning that.“

Yeomra did not like the idea at all.

„I can send warriors in to find out more.“

„And lose more of them? Aren’t they connected to your energy directly? It will only weaken you.“

„How will you find your way back out?“

Yeosol leaned down and kissed Yeomra softly.

„Once I found out what’s going on and how to solve it, I just know I will find you again. I know we are connected. Wait for me and promise me to not go in there, no matter what happens.“

„Yeosol-.“

Yeomra wanted to protest, wanted to tell him that he should stay, but Yeosol kissed him, and when he was just about to melt into the kiss. Yeosol pushed him away, stepped back, and vanished, leaving Yeomra behind with only the taste of his lips and his longing.

That was almost two hundred years ago and if he would not still feel Yeosol’s energy Yeomra would have gone crazy with worry.

He had to admit that he was about to break his promise very early, only to find out the entrance was blocked. Yeosol’s doing, Yeomra just knew. Maybe he should not have allowed him to browse through the library, because he obviously learned some things by doing so that he was using now.

After spending a lot of time in front of the place Yeosol had vanished, starring at the shimmering in the air where he had stepped into. Yeomra had given up eventually and decided to go to the library to find out what was going on and help Yeosol by doing so.
Hopefully, the other’s stubbornness would also make sure he stayed alive.

Yeosol had promised to come back after all.

He had been in there for almost 200 years if he survived that long he will come back.

Yeomra sighed and got up when the argument in the court below was getting too annoying to bear for his already tense nerves.

The prosecutors and guardians both instantly fell onto their knees when he shouted at them to be quiet.

He took a look at the poor soul, shivering in its restraints, and took over the trial, questioning the defendant himself, too annoyed to stand more of the discussions the prosecutors and guardians were having.

Chapter Text

”Gangrim is too young to see the war yet!”

“He is old enough to ride a horse and his mind is sharp the sooner he can see the war the sooner he will understand his enemies. I will keep him safe, no harm will come to him.”

Moon-Jik wanted to kiss her cheek but she pushed his hand off her shoulder and turned away. He sighed but did not follow, he knew his wife well enough not to.

“I know you will but you can’t protect him from his own mind.”

When he saw Gangrim shaking with the aftermath of his nightmare for the first time he remembered her words but the dreams stopped eventually and Moon-Jik thought they were just that some bad nightmares, growing children sometimes had.

-+-+-+-+-

Yeosol had sent him a message. Yeomra had no clue how he managed that and according to it the other also was not sure if it would get to him.
But it did.

When he opened the piece of paper his heartbeat instantly quickened and he sat up straighter when he noticed Yeosol’s writing.

I’m not sure if this will reach you I was only reading about sending messages to someone you have a strong connection with and just remembered it, feeling lonely in this utter darkness.
I just wanted to let you know that I'm fine and you don't have to worry. Sorry for keeping you waiting I will make up for it once I’m back.
When I am, I will show-

Yeomra had no time to read through the rest of it because he could feel the clear presence of ghouls spreading in the forest of blades and of course Gangrim’s current soul was the cause for their appearance. Sighing he made his way there with two of his guards.

This one would bring trouble, Yeomra already had a bad feeling when he had entered the realm of death. He just did not know that this trouble would even go on after his trials were through and his soul moved on.

His mood did not get any better when the soul failed to show any respect and Gangrim was nowhere to be found, leaving Haewonmak and Deokchun alone with the increasing amount of ghouls and a soul not showing any signs of cooperation.

The fact that the soul was a paragon was not of much interest for Yeomra right now. Especially when it decided to run up to him and grab him. Haewonmak followed and stood stupidly next to them. Yeomra could not believe that he had to tell him to get the soul off for him to finally move.

He sighed, looking up at the artificial sky, and begged internally that Yeosol would be back soon because he was slowly losing his patience and he really missed the other’s calming presence.

Tiredly he watched Haewonmak rolling over the ground with the soul that obviously did not understand in which situation it was in.

-+-+-+-

Haewonmak told him Gangrim would take care of the vengeful spirit and then the ghoul attacks would stop but whatever the guardian was doing he should have been long done with that.

Yeomra decided to check up on him, disguised as Haewonmak.

Only to find that his son was carefully brushing the dirt off a vengeful spirit as if it was a very precious treasure he was digging up. His movement showed clearly that Gangrim was not planning to burn the body.

„You sure like to mess with the living world. It’s your hobby.“

Yeomra stated, irritated about what Gangrim’s plan was. Didn’t he know that they were not to interfere with the living world? If he continued this madness it was much likely that it would affect the afterworld too.
He pressed on when Gangrim only ignored him.

„He should be incinerated, so why bother unearthing him? To give him a funeral? Or let the world know where he’s buried?“

Finally, Gangrim reacted and stopped what he was doing to turn around.

„His mother. She’ll never know the truth. Let’s give him a proper burial.“

That actually caused a faint sting in Yeomra’s heart, about how he had left Gangrim’s mother behind. The questions she must have had after both her sons returned to her death too only a few years later. She had found out parts of the truth. The most painful ones at least.
He would not let his emotions get the better of him though.

„A proper burial, We’re the ones about to get buried. With both brothers dead, do you feel sorry for her?“

This was not about his past life, it was about Gangrim breaking the rules of the afterlife. Yeomra needed to find out how far he was willing to go to help this human when he was not ready to save his own father the time he could have.

„Are we in saving private Ryan?“

Too overwhelmed by his feelings, despite telling himself he would not, Yeomra summoned his flames, forgetting he was disguised. Gangrim, however, did not even notice that Haewonmak was not able to summon fire. He summoned his weapon and blocked the fireball Yeomra was throwing at the grave.

„Let’s burn him. Afterlife Law, Article 8.2! A vengeful spirit must be eliminated and its body incinerated immediately!“ He threw more fireballs at Gangrim and he dodged all of them.
Why was he protecting the vengeful ghost at all cost?

„Are you breaking the law?“

Gangrim did not answer his question but used his leadership position over Haewonmak instead.

„You are disobeying my orders.“

Yeomra seized the fire, surprised how much Gangrim was fighting for this vengeful spirit. A human he did not even know very well. There was something in the other’s gaze that made Yeomra curious enough to let him continue whatever he was planing.
At least for a little longer.

Determination.

„Go back. I’ll catch the vengeful spirit.“

He watched Gangrim leave and while he was annoyed about him breaking his rules, it was the first time he finally saw his son disobeying them.

For another human, for the truth to be revealed.

Yeomra sighed and some of his annoyance was fading.

He walked over and looked into the grave where the soldier’s corpse lay, face down.
Kim Suhong, brother of Kim Ja-Hong.

Yeomra’s interest was piqued.

If this case would help his son to finally start crying for others, he would take it, even if the hell was swarmed with ghouls.

-+-+-+-+-

Yeosol was walking quietly all by himself. By now his senses were used to the pitch-black darkness. He was in a place that was in hell but at the same time felt disconnected. Like it was separated through strong forces.

It had been unnerving at first, finding your way here, because using common senses was useless. The darkness was so thick and suppressing, no light Yeosol could produce himself was going through it.

Yeosol had learned to trust his instincts.

Only to get to a point where he felt confident moving around cost him years.

It might seem crazy to even try and find anything in here, but a feeling told him it was important to stop whatever was lingering here to keep it from getting to Yeomra.

But still, it was hard, finding your way through impermeable darkness while he constantly felt fear and by now even anger, unable to tell if it were his own feelings or caused by whatever was hiding in the dark. The thought of the promise he made was all that kept him sane.

When he was shortly from giving up and trying to find his way out again, falling to the ground frustrated, he finally realized that he had to move away from safety.
His fear had kept him away from the lingering energy that he was feeling constantly.

Yeosol was not even avoiding it on purpose it was simply his natural instinct from keeping away.
He probably had only circled around it all the time. Not taking more steps towards it but keeping the same distance all the time.

The only way to move on was to force his way towards it.

Sure that he was finally on the right track, Yeosol was filled with a new wave of energy. He would be able to do this.

From now on he let his increasing emotions lead his way.

His skin crawling uncomfortably and cold sweat breaking out was a sure sign he was going the right way. He learned to control it a little but not suppress it, it was his only lead after all.
The closer he got the more certain he became.

There was something in the dark, something untamed and Yeosol had a bad feeling about it, but whatever it was he would keep it away from Yeomra.

Even if it meant that he had to fight whatever there was waiting, alone.