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With slow, careful steps, Felix left the bus, following the elder pair that were talking to each other vividly. Apart from them, only one family exited the bus. Both the family and the couple walked in the direction of the residential district that began on the other side of the street, the one on the very outskirts of the town. It was raining, huge droplets that created shimmering puddles on the cracked asphalt. Despite it being only shortly after midday, the sky was already overcast like in the early evenings.
Felix grumbled and opened his umbrella, huddling deeper into his warm jacket and pulling his camera bag closer to his body. His fingers were freezing and he hurried to pull the jacket sleeves over them.
Once he was the only one left at the bus station, he turned towards the path that led away from the rows of small houses, over a small stretch of fields, and then into a forest.
One of Felix’s flatmates, Seungmin, had told him about the castle that lay behind the forest, one that had once been the place where balls attracted royals from far and beyond, a place that shone with gold, crimson, and silver.
As a history student with a passion for photography, Felix was intrigued.
University wouldn’t start until about two weeks in the future, and he had a lot of time on his hands to discover the city they were living in.. He had already made friends with his two flatmates, Seungmin and Jeongin, two first-year students who aimed to study Vocal Performance at the same university as Felix. Both were slightly younger than Felix, with bright and energetic personalities, and the three of them got along like a house on fire.
Since they had chosen to live together for the full three years of their time at university, Felix was confident that they could become amazing friends.
During a sleepover, Seungmin had told him about places he needed to visit or discover when he heard about Felix’s passion for photography, mentioning the scenic surroundings and telling the story of the kings that had once called the castle their home. But if he should ever decide to explore, he should be careful because the castle was said to be inhabited by ghosts.
Not that this was something that would truly deter Felix. He didn’t believe in ghosts, and any possibility of discovering new motives for his ever-growing collection of pictures was one he wouldn’t pass upon.
Felix took a deep breath, curling his hands tighter around the handle of the umbrella, and starting his walk into the forest. He looked around with big eyes, shoulders drawn to his ears against the cold. The forest was beautiful, despite how silent it was. Apart from the rain rushing through the leaves, there was no other sound.
After a few minutes of walking, the trees drew back and opened into a huge clearing, and there it was.
Felix stopped and stared.
The castle was huge, with towers three times as high as the trees around Felix rising up into the sky, the main buildings made from white and dark blue stone. Broken windows glistened in the dimmed afternoon sun, mold and moss covered the walls. The ground was covered with rain-soaked, brown leaves that had fallen from the trees that stretched their cold and bony branches like fingers into the sky.
Quickly, Felix walked towards the stone-paved street that led towards the castle and he looked around in awe. Ravens were screeching somewhere far above him, he could see them flying towards one of the towers. Did they have their nest up there?
The closer he came, the further the castle loomed above him. It looked abandoned like his roommate had said - like no one had set a foot in here for centuries.
Felix shivered, his steps slowing. The huge castle hovered above him, the distant sound of the screeching ravens accentuating the threatening atmosphere.
If you leave now, your chance of discovering something truly amazing will disappear, a small voice in his head hissed.
Felix straightened and grit his teeth, walking closer to the broken door.
Carefully, he moved around the splintered wood, pulling his scarf over his nose and entering the main hall of the castle.
The rain didn’t get past the huge walls and Felix closed his umbrella, taking out his phone and turning the flashlight on with shaking hands. He wouldn’t be here for long, he just wanted to look around and take some photos and then he would be on his way again.
Taking photos in such a dark environment would be difficult. It was afternoon, technically still bright enough to be able to see without a flashlight, but the huge main hall was dark, the few, tall windows not enough to let in enough light.
The light they let in shone on the ground in dusty, bright beams, captivating Felix’s attention.
The dimmed light caught on broken furniture, chandeliers that had crashed to the floor, and rotten carpets. It was silent, the distant rain and the cawing ravens only distantly audible.
With an awed hum, Felix started to walk around the main hall, carefully taking his camera from the bag and raising it to start taking pictures. The click resonated in the empty silence.
From time to time, he had to look down where he was going to avoid stumbling. There was too much rubble laying around, but Felix just grumbled quietly and set his feet carefully,
Turning away from the window he had just taken a picture from, a huge stain on the magnificent carpet caught Felix’s eye. He frowned and walked closer, sinking into a crouch.
Was this...blood?
“I’m guessing there had been an attack here,” Felix whispered to himself and fought a shiver. There were no ghosts here, no matter what stories Seungmin had told him to scare him off.
Shaking his head, he rose again and continued his way, walking towards the huge staircase that began in the middle of the hall. It was made of Marmor and covered with crimson, rotten carpet. Felix placed his steps carefully, stopping once he was halfway up the stairs and turning around to take another picture of how the light filtered into the main hall. He grinned and looked at the photos again. They would need some editing, but… this castle was beautiful, tragically magnificent.
Somewhere above him, wood cracked and splintered.
Felix flinched, barely able to catch his camera before it fell from his fingers. His heart was beating wildly, wide eyes flitted around nervously.
“Stop it,” he murmured to himself, shaking his head quickly and taking a deep breath. “That was probably just something breaking because of...the wind. Yes, yes, the wind.” Nodding slowly, he continued walking upstairs.
But he couldn’t shake off the prickle of eyes on his back.
The stairway opened into a hallway with wood-paneled walls, decorated with golden framed pictures. A carpet covered the floor, the same that had been laid upon the stairs even though the floor of the hallway didn’t seem to be made of Marmor.
Turning on the flashlight on his phone, Felix slowly walked on, looking around with an awed hum on his lips.
The air was damp - no doubt from the rain outside that caused the dampness to settle in every corner of the building - and the dust had settled in a fine, dark layer on the frames of the portraits. In total, there were five, three on one side of the wall, two on the other.
Felix stopped in front of the first on the right side, leaning forward and carefully wiping away the dirt from the name badge next to it. “ Christopher The First ,” he read quietly. “ Son of Marie and Antoin the Third. 1689-1712. Dear Goodness, only twenty-three years…” He stepped back and looked up.
The man in the portrait was sitting in an armchair, partly turned towards the watcher. His legs were leisurely crossed over each other, his arms placed on both armrests. His expression was neutral, nothing deflecting from his gorgeous face with high cheekbones, a straight, wide nose, and full, pale lips. His hair was blond, a gorgeous shade similar to the gold of his picture frame, and it spilled out below the magnificent, five-pointed crown in fine, wispy curls.
The man was wearing green and golden, expensive-looking fabrics and the green complimented the surprisingly unusual shade of his eyes. Emerald-green.
Something about him was shockingly familiar.
Felix frowned and took a step back, shaking his head. “Just a déjà-vu,” he whispered and turned away from the portrait, his camera still halfway raised. Even though it was too dark to take decent photos, he liked to have something to hold on to.
Felix stopped in front of the next painting and stepped closer, his eyebrows furrowed. Never before had he seen such a beautiful man, not at home in Australia, not here at his university.
The man seemed to be the same age as the man in the first painting, Christopher. Carefully, Felix wiped the dust away from the name badge next to the second painting. “ Prince Minho ,” he read. “ Son of Marie and Antoin the Third. 1690-1712. ”
Felix blinked and took a step back, glancing towards the first painting again. So the two young men had been brothers? They looked nothing alike.
Prince Minho stood tall, his frame only visible from the hips up. His hands, covered with white, pristine gloves, were crossed in front of his body, resting on the handle of a sword. The sheath was partly visible and decorated with swirling patterns of crimson, golden, and blue. His clothing was dark, crimson red, and royal blue accentuating the black trousers and jacket. It made Felix think that he had once been part of an army - or he had led one.
He too was wearing a crown on his head, but his crown was smaller than the one the man in the first painting was wearing. It consisted of a band of golden leaves that sat on his light brown hair and framed a sparkling diamond in the middle of his forehead. Like the man in the first painting, this man didn’t hold an expression on his face, his beautiful features resting silently. And still, Felix was feeling the weight of his hazel eyes.
Felix gulped and stepped away from the painting, glancing around in the hallway, rubbing at his neck to make the prickle of staring eyes go away again.
He shook himself, quickly rubbing over his arms. “Stop it, Felix,” he whispered to himself. “There is nobody here apart from you.”
Maybe he should leave… but he still wanted to take a glance at the other paintings. He was intrigued.
Both Minho and Christopher had died in the same year. They seemed to be brothers. Were the other paintings also related to them?
With his flashlight lighting the way, Felix continued to the next painting, making sure the ground was safe before he looked up.
He blinked, eyes wide. “Goodness gracious.” The words escaped him in a breathless whisper.
This man could have been a model if he were still alive today.
Like Minho, his body was painted from the hips up and he had his hands crossed in front of him. He too was wearing a uniform, black with crimson and royal blue accents. His hands were gloved, but instead of white, they were red. A bow and a quiver with red-feathered arrows peaked over his shoulders.
The man’s hair was long and golden, reaching down to his shoulders and framing a sharp and delicate face. High cheekbones, full lips, emerald green eyes that were halfway closed and sent a distinctive glare towards the watcher. His crown, a golden band of leaves that framed a diamond sitting on his forehead, was painted only a shade darker than his hair.
A shiver passed down Felix’s back.
He breathed out shakily and cleared the name badge next to the painting to see who he was looking at. “ Prince Hyunjin ,” he read softly. “ Son of Marie and Antoin the Third. 1692-1712. Only twenty…” He looked up towards the prince again, feeling sorrow for his early death. He had been the same age that Felix now was as he died… in the same year as the other two.
Felix glanced back at the paintings of Christopher and Minho, before he turned around, facing the other wall of the hallway.
He should hurry. The prickle of a pair of eyes on his neck had turned more prominent and Felix didn’t want to find out who it was that was watching him.
Breathing out slowly, he stopped in front of the next painting, only glancing upward once before he cleared off the name badge carefully. “ Prince Changbin ,” it read. “ Son of Marie and Antoin the Third. 1691-1712. ” He too seemed to be a brother of the other three, wearing a similar uniform like Minho and Hyunjin.
Quickly, Felix went to the next - and last - painting.
“ Prince Jisung ,” the name badge read. “Son of Marie and Antoin the Third. 1692-1712 .”
So Felix was standing in front of a gallery of five princes, and all of them had died in the same year.
What had happene-
A crash at the other end of the corridor interrupted his thoughts. Felix jumped, staring wide-eyed into the darkness ahead of him.
It took him a second to realize that he should turn around and run , but this second was enough that he heard the howling that started as a quiet whimper and rapidly swelled into a screech. Red eyes appeared in the darkness and the screeching came closer and closer-
The floor broke away from under his feet and Felix fell with a scream.
“-ey? Are you alright?”
Heavens above, his ankle hurt .
Oh goodness, was his camera okay? And his phone?
“Hey?” A pause, then the voice turned away from him. “Hyung, I don’t know if he’s waking up…”
Oh fuck, his head was hurting too. A lot.
Felix whimpered and raised his hand to touch his forehead. It came away wet and this worried Felix enough that his eyes opened with a flutter.
A face was bowed over him, only a few centimeters away from his own, with emerald green eyes watching him curiously.
Felix flinched back with a shout, causing the other figure to flinch back too.
“Goodness,” they huffed after a second. “Don’t scare me like that!”
“ You were the one that was all close up in my space!” Felix shouted back indignantly and tried to get his breathing under control as well as stop himself from trembling. What had happened…?
The figure huffed and sat upright again and as Felix looked around, he saw four other figures standing around them in the room, or more, the circular space that was lit by torches on the wall.
More specifically, four men.
And they all seemed familiar.
One of them, a blond, tall man with green and golden clothes came closer and- did the firelight just pass through him?
Indeed.
The body of the man was translucent.
Felix scrambled back with another shout until he felt a wall behind himself, uncaring that his arm and leg collapsed before he had made it towards the wall fully.
He was seeing ghosts !
The man frowned. “Come on, don’t be like that,” he said, his voice gentle yet chiding. “We won’t hurt you.”
“Actually, we just saved you and caught you before the demon could,” a cheerful voice piped up behind the man that was walking towards Felix and another man - boy - appeared in Felix’s vision.
Like the other four men around him, he was wearing a uniform of black, crimson, and blue, but his was sprayed with streaks of purple and red blood. The handles of two swords peaked over his shoulders, and his silver, long hair was barely tamed by the golden leaf crown.
“The- the demon ?” Felix whispered incredulously, cowering deeper into himself, his trembling worsening.
The man in front of Felix turned around and hissed at the younger man. “Stop it you moron, don’t you see how afraid he is?!”
The younger man shrugged. “Shouldn’t have come into the castle then.” He crossed his arms.
Shaking his head, the other man sighed and turned towards Felix again before he sank into a crouch and offered Felix a hand. “I’m sorry that we scared you like this. We had to let you fall so the demon couldn’t catch you.” His voice turned gentle again. “My name is Christopher, I’m the head of this castle.” He motioned towards the other four men. “These are my brothers - Minho, Hyunjin, Changbin, and Jisung.” He stopped at the young man with the swords.
Felix frowned then gave a tiny gasp. “I’ve seen your paintings in the gallery upstairs,” he said quietly, looking at the four men with huge eyes.
Christopher smiled. “Yes, Changbin saw you. We watched you- since you set foot in here, actually - only like this we could make sure that the demon wouldn’t be able to get you.”
The man with the sword at his hip - Minho - stepped forward, smiling. “It would truly be a pity if such a cutie had been lost to his fangs.”
Felix blinked, overwhelmed. He kept pressing himself against the wall, but the easy demeanor of the five men showed him that they weren’t out to harm him.
Then, he remembered something. “Oh, oh goodness… I’m so sorry!” He straightened and bowed his head in a proper greeting. “I’m Lee Felix - I’m sorry for entering your home without permission. I didn’t know there were still people living here…”
One of the other men snorted. He walked forward, coming to crouch next to Christopher. It must be Changbin. He had held a spear in his hands which he now placed next to himself. “How could you - no one does know we’re still here.” He sounded sad, his deep brown eyes looking far away.
Before Felix could answer, one of the other brothers, Hyunjin - who he saw first when he woke up - caught his attention again. “This is yours, right?” He pointed towards Felix’s camera, laying where Felix had first woken up.
Felix’s eyes widened. ”Oh no, please don’t be broken…” He scrambled forward, past Christopher and Changbin, and promptly went down with a shout as he put weight on his throbbing ankle.
“Hey, careful! You just fell from a quite great height!”
But Felix shook his head at Christopher’s words and continued to crawl forward with gritted teeth until he was at Hyunjin’s side and could examine the camera. The ghost brothers came closer, Minho releasing a worried hum.
Felix’s hands were shaking as they pressed the button to turn the camera on, but he knew it was hopeless the moment he saw the cracked screen.
His eyes closed slowly and he let out a frustrated moan. Amazing. His camera was broken and he now was in the company of five worried ghosts that had once been princes and-
“Felix?”
As Felix opened his eyes again, Christopher was sitting right in front of him.
He flinched back. “Please- don’t scare me like that, oh goodness…” He bit off the pained whimper that wanted to escape his lips and carefully wiped across his brow. When he took his fingers away, they shone with blood.
Christopher frowned. “You really worry me here, Felix.” His hand raised and his emerald eyes held Felix with their gaze. “Hold still for a bit - this wound on your forehead needs fixing.”
“What are you-” A cold sensation on his hands distracted Felix and when he looked down, he saw Minho’s translucent hand lying over his own and Minho smiling at him softly to distract him.
Christopher’s hand touched his forehead, causing the same cold sensation. But this feeling only lasted for a few minutes until it turned warmer, warmer, warmer- and before it could turn hot, Christopher had taken his hand away.
“Okay,” he said slowly, smiling. “This should be healed now.”
Felix frowned. “Did you just-” He lifted his hand to his forehead, and strangely, the sharp pain of the open wound had disappeared.
Minho chuckled. “You better also let him have a look at your ankle - our hyung can fix a lot of injuries.”
Somewhere in the distance, wood cracked and broke. A sharp screech echoed through the castle.
Jisung, who had stayed in another corner of the room and just watched them, drew his swords. Their blades glistened in the light of the torches. “We might want to move somewhere else,” he said quietly, at the same time that Hyunjin was drawing his bow and Changbin pulled his spear from his back.
Christopher looked up, a frown marring his face. “He’s coming closer again?”
Minho nodded and stood. “Hells below, he must have smelled Felix and now he wants him.” He drew his sword and walked towards the other three men. “Well, who am I if I were to turn down a good fight.”
Felix looked at Christopher, eyes wide. “What’s happening? Who’s coming closer?”
Christopher smiled and his eyes started to glow. He raised both his arms and bowed forward to envelop Felix in a hug. “It’s all okay. They will fight against him and we will go to a place where he can’t find you,” he whispered in Felix’s ear and his gentle voice chased away the panic and fear in Felix’s mind.
“Close your eyes,” Christopher continued in a tender whisper. “I’ll be right by your side.”
Felix obeyed and Christopher’s body turned solid, providing something to hold on to as the world slipped from under Felix’s legs again.
“You can open your eyes - we’re safe out here.”
Shakingly, Felix moved away from where he had hidden at Christopher’s shoulder and looked around. The sharp, cold wind around him told him that they were outside of the castle again.
And indeed - they were sitting on the ground below a tree, behind the castle where the forest began again.
Felix looked around and tried to stand up, his body still shaking with adrenaline. He had to get away from here-
Strong hands kept him on the ground, gently closing around his upper arms. “Hey, hey, wait - I still have to look at your ankle. Don’t move yet.”
Felix looked at him and blinked, shaking his head quickly and trying to understand what had just happened. “So- I feel through the floor of the upper hallways because- some kind of demon tried to kill me and-” He took a deep breath. “Then I find out that there are ghosts here, of princes that died three centuries ago, and then- we teleport out of the castle so that- demon can’t hurt me again??”
Christopher smiled weakly. “Pretty much, yeah.” The smile slipped from his face, turning into a worried frown and he leaned forward, cupping Felix’s face in his hands, and only now Felix realized he wasn’t breathing properly. He sucked fresh air into his lungs, taking another deep breath until he calmed down a bit and could focus on Christopher again.
“It’s a lot, I know. We too haven’t encountered friendly humans in a long time and...” He shrugged, chuckling. “We tend to forget how overwhelming our presence can be.”
“That’s- putting it lightly.” Felix focused on the cold sensation of Christopher’s hands on his cheeks, breathing in deeply. His ankle was still throbbing.
“Are we...alone?”
Christopher nodded. “My brothers will join us soon. They didn’t have a fight in a long time though and the demon always proves a worthy opponent when he’s angry.” A dark undertone slipped in his voice, but with the next words, it was gone again. “They can’t get hurt anymore, but they can hurt him. Enough that he will give up hunting after you.”
Felix’s eyes opened again, losing himself in a glowing, emerald gaze. The forest around them was silent.
“Why would he-” Felix shook his head and started new. “Why is there a demon in your castle anyway? How-” Contemplating, he broke off and frowned.
“That’s- a long story, Felix,” Christopher said quietly and turned away. He moved towards Felix’s foot and carefully pulled the leg of his pants a bit further up. “But- I will tell it to you one day.” His hands laid on the skin around the throbbing ankle and slowly, the cold sensation turned warm, just like on his forehead before. But this time, the warmth swelled to an almost unbearable heat before slowly dying down again.
By the time Christopher removed his hands from Felix’s ankle again, Felix felt droplets of sweat on his forehead. “Ouch,” he whispered after his teeth let go of his lower lip.
Christopher chuckled. “Only an ‘ouch’? You’re brave - I know warriors who would have screamed if I mended their injuries this fast.”
“Oh, it was hecking painful, believe me - but I know how to hide the pain,” Felix answered, staring at the treetops above him.
Christopher didn’t answer, slowly pulling down the pant leg again.
Slowly, Felix sat up and flexed his foot a bit, and his eyes went wide. The pain was gone, there wasn’t even a slight soreness left.
“Oh goodness, thank you!” Felix turned towards Christopher and grinned brightly. “That’s- woah. I didn’t think-”
Christopher smiled. “My skills are powerful, healing doesn’t exhaust me anymore.” His gaze strayed to somewhere behind Felix and when Felix turned around, he flinched as he saw the other four brothers floating towards them, all four of them laughing. Their uniforms were sprinkled with something purple that hadn’t been there before.
Jisung laughed in glee as he landed, swirling his swords around in artful circles before sheathing them again and walking towards Felix. “I should thank you, human,” he grinned. His amber-golden eyes were glowing like a fire was burning behind them. “I haven’t had a fight like that in a long time.”
Felix blinked. “Uh- you’re welcome?”
Minho caught Jisung before he could dance around more and huffed as he instead chose to throw his arms around Minho’s neck. “The demon hasn’t been this willing to catch a new victim in decades ,” Minho said, holding Jisung close to him but keeping his eyes on Felix. His pristine white gloves were speckled with purple blood. “I don’t know what he sees in you, but he won’t bother you anymore.”
Hyunjin descended behind them, his open uniform jacket fluttering gently. He whistled, stretching his arms above his head. “And once again I’m sad we can’t kill him off for good,” he drawled, pouting at Christopher. “As fun as fighting him is, I seriously can’t wait until we find what will finally set us free.”
Felix frowned, turning towards Hyunjin. “Wait. So you’re caught here? Like… like under a curse?”
“Smart brat,” Changbin smiled, landing in a crouch. His spear was safe on his back again and one of his eyes was now a fiery red instead of the deep brown it had been before. “Yes, we’re cursed to live in this castle with a bloodthirsty demon that will kill off any human that tries to enter.”
“Not before we get that human though,” Christopher continued, his voice quiet and serious. “We always watch when somebody enters the castle. And in case we want to know more about them, we’ll save them before the demon has a chance to eat them - if not…” He shrugged and a shiver passed down Felix’s back again.
Christopher looked back at the castle, a solemn look on his face. “Until we find the one that will help us to finally set ourselves free, we’re stuck here. Neither of us can die - and neither can he.”
“He seemed to be surprised, hyung,” Jisung piped up, cuddling into Minho’s neck. “He asked us why we protected this human.”
“I have a name, you know,” Felix grumbled.
Jisung only glanced at him with a grin.
Christopher hummed in thought and looked towards the setting sun. “I think it’s best for you to leave before the sun goes down, Felix,” he said suddenly.
Felix frowned. “What? But I’ve just gotten to know you-”
“Don’t you have people worrying for you?” Hyunjin cut in gently and walked forward, crouching next to Felix. Up close, he was even more breathtaking than on the painting and Felix didn’t know what to do but simply stare.
Hyunjin smiled and had Felix not sat on the ground already, he would have fallen to his knees in front of this beautiful prince.
“You can come back and visit us again, you know.” Hyunjin’s voice was gentle. “We will be here - and as we said: once you come back, the demon won’t do you any harm anymore.” A dark veil passed over his eyes. “We made sure of that.”
Felix blinked. “But-” He couldn’t explain it, but the thought of leaving the five princes behind again rose a deep-rooted sadness in his chest and he just couldn’t.
But then he remembered Seungmin and Jeongin and- holy shit, how did the time pass so fast?
“Ah. Felix - open your hand.”
Startled, Felix turned towards Christopher and obeyed - and his heart nearly stopped as he felt the familiar shape of his phone. “Where did you-”
“It landed next to you as we let you fall,” Christopher smiled. “I think you should contact your friends - they seem to worry a great deal about you.”
With a gulp, Felix unlocked his phone - eternally grateful that it was still working, despite a few cracks in the display.
He looked up at the princes again after seeing how many times Seungmin and Jeongin had texted him and sighed. “Yeah, maybe I should tell them I’m okay…”
Christopher smiled, and it seemed to light up his face brighter than the rare ray of sunlight did when it hit the gold of his crown. “You can always come back to us, Felix.”
Jisung peeled himself away from Minho and walked forward until he crouched in front of Felix. His grin was basically splitting his face in half. “Alright. I’m still not sure what the demon’s deal with you is or why my brothers are so infatuated with you - but you’re okay, I guess. Maybe we can talk some more some other time.” He winked and jumped up until he levitated above Felix. “Until we see each other again!”
Felix blinked and in the next second, Jisung was gone.
Changbin shook his head with a sigh as he walked forward to crouch in front of Felix. “Don’t let him get to you. Once we get to know each other better, he will cling to you like an overgrown monkey.”
Felix grinned. “Like he did to Minho just before?”
Changbin blinked before he chuckled, startled. “Yes, exactly.” He bowed his head, a playful sparkle in his duo-colored eyes. “Until we meet again, Felix. I’m happy we got to save you.”
With the next blink, Changbin too was gone.
Hyunjin leaned forward until he could tuck a strand of Felix’s hair behind his ear. His touch was cold but surprisingly solid for a ghost. “I think we all didn’t have this much fun in a long time,” he said, glancing at Minho and Christopher briefly. “I don’t know what it is, but...something tells me you’re different, Felix.” Hyunjin smiled and leaned closer until he could press a soft kiss above Felix’s eyebrow, where his wound had been before Christopher had healed him. “Maybe...maybe you’re the one we’ve been waiting for.”
Before Felix could process his words, Hyunjin drew back and jumped until he was levitating, and in the next second, he was gone.
Felix stared at Minho, then at Christopher with wide eyes. “What does he mean?”
Minho shrugged and walked forwards, kneeling in front of Felix. “Oh, just that you could be the one that gives us the strength to finally kill this monster.” He smiled, but his eyes were sad, looking somewhere far, far away. “And maybe then… maybe then we’ll be free.”
Felix swallowed, raising a hand to touch Minho’s. It passed through the hand like through smoke but Minho still smiled like he appreciated the sentiment. “I… I would love to help you if I can,” Felix said quietly.
“Thank you.” Minho bowed, before he stood and winked, slowly lifting himself into the sky. By the time Felix blinked again, he was gone.
And again, Christopher and Felix were alone.
“Where did they go?” Felix asked, staring off in the direction where Christopher’s brothers had disappeared.
Christopher shrugged. “Either somewhere back in the castle or...or our safe space, where they are waiting for me to join them.”
Felix looked at him and this deeply rooted sadness caught him again.
The weight of continuing to live for three centuries without knowing if they would ever find peace was engraved into Christopher’s face - he looked tired. Deadly exhausted.
Felix swallowed down the urge to cry and scooted forward until he was kneeling. “Christopher…” He raised a hand to touch his face.
A strong but gentle hand stopped him, long fingers enveloping his hand entirely. “Please, call me Chris.” His voice was gentle but had gotten quieter again. He smiled softly, taking Felix’s hand between his own. His touch was still solid, like that of a real human.
“We will wait for you to come back, Felix,” he said softly. “We can talk some more then. But for now, you should go.”
“Does- does it matter if I say I don’t want to?” Felix’s eyes closed and a tear slipped down his cheek, his breath shuddering through his chest.
Chris chuckled. “Sadly...not. I know you don’t but… I can’t keep you here.” He leaned forward and as Felix opened his eyes again, Chris’s chest, clothed with gold and green, filled his vision and his arms closed around Felix.
His embrace was cold, but Felix still sank into it, wondering why it felt so damn familiar .
“Until we see each other again, little Pixie,” Chris whispered and drew back to press a lingering kiss to Felix’s forehead. “I will wait for you.”
“Wait!”
But Felix was alone again, with only the wind howling around him.
His eyes closed and he shakingly stood. Pixie. He knew this nickname. It was so achingly familiar like Chris’s entire presence, but he just couldn’t think of the reason why-
His phone rang and he flinched greatly, torn from his thoughts.
Tamping down the overwhelmingly huge urge to cry his eyes out, Felix fished the device out of his pocket and took the call. “Y-yes?”
“Felix, finally!!”
Felix flinched at Seungmin’s loud voice and at a shout that sounded like Jeongin in the background. “We’ve been trying to reach you for the last two hours! Are you okay?? Did something happen to you??”
Felix looked towards the castle one last time and slowly started to walk back towards the bus station. “I- I’m okay. I’m sorry I didn’t answer… I fell through a roof in this castle and I was out for a bit. Couldn’t find my phone”
Another shout and Felix had to hold his phone away from his ear. This time, Jeongin answered. “Oh my goodness, do you need us to call someone?? Did you hurt yourself?”
“My camera’s broken… but I’m okay, guys, seriously! I’m not hurt. But...” He hesitated.
Seungmin answered again. “But? What do you need - should we come to pick you up?”
The worry in their voices warmed Felix’s thoughts and so, he responded without further hesitation. “If you have time… that’d be cool, yes. I’m at the bus station soon…”
“Alright- I’ll get the keys!” Jeongin’s voice moved away from the speaker and rustling in the background told Felix they were getting ready to go.
Slowly, he walked through the forest back to the bus station, taking care to stay on the right path and hugging himself to get some warmth back into his body. Luckily, he had hidden his wallet deep inside his jacket so he couldn’t lose it.
“Okay - hang in there, Felix, okay? We’ll be there soon.” Seungmin’s voice was slightly muffled like he was wearing a mask and Felix had to smile.
“I’m not hurt, guys.”
“Still!” Jeongin called and the doors to their apartment closed. “You’re alone and you don’t sound like you’re doing too well!” Felix heard two sets of steps rushing down the stairs, the front door of the building opening and closing.
“Should I stay on the phone with you while Minnie drives?” Jeongin asked, his voice now closer to the speakers again.
“Please, yeah.” Luckily, the bus station was empty, no other people around and so he huddled deeper into his mud-stained jacket and sat on the bank. “I feel like if people would see me right now they would stare so hard.”
“Why that?” Their car started and rolled onto the streets.
“Because I’m covered in mud? And leaves? Jeez, I need a shower… and my clothes need a wash.”
“Then we’ll do that as soon as we get you back in the dorm,” Jeongin promised, his voice more gentle again. “Oh, and Minnie has baked cookies just after you left and he wants your judgment on them.”
Felix perked up. “Ooh, cookies? Why haven’t you told me that before I left?”
Seungmin laughed in the background. “Because I knew you would have taken over the kitchen yourself, Lix. Sorry, but I needed you out of the house - I actually wanted to surprise you and now Jeongin has ruined that.”
“Ouch! Hey, don’t hit me!”
Felix laughed at their banter and turned around briefly, casting one last glance towards the forest. The castle wasn’t visible from here and only a very few knew they would find it behind those trees.
Felix’s smile turned somber as his thoughts returned to Chris and his brothers. He would make sure he could visit them again soon - he couldn’t wait to learn more about what their lives had once been like, why had they been cursed like this, and especially… why Chris knew a nickname Felix hadn’t heard in over ten years.