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Wonwoo these days, has forgotten a lot of things. Being imprisoned for a long time does that to you.
He has forgotten what the sky looks like, he has forgotten how fresh air feels like, has forgotten what being safe is like. Sometimes, he thinks, he also has forgotten how to live.
Maybe that's why he stopped trying to leave the place anymore.
That is until he met him.
Is it possible to fall in love with someone you haven't met yet?
Because he did.
From the very first moment he saw him, Wonwoo already recognized him. From his tanned skin that looks like it has been kissed by sun, reflecting the kind of warmth that doesn't exist in the labyrinth. To his eyes that burns with fire, with passion burning making it so much alive. Every emotions reflected to them as if he was not afraid to let the enemies know how he feels. He looks as reliable as how he heard about him, body built with experience and power.
They didn't talk at first. Only because there was no way to. But Wonwoo noticed him, saw him, knew him. So he watched him. Protected him even, just like he did before to someone else. Before it ended badly. Wonwoo doesn't want him to end up badly.
Wonwoo doesn't know how long he's been in the labyrinth, but it's long enough that even the monsters that captured them has given him respect. He's still their prisoner, their plaything, but he has surpassed anybody else in the arena. He used to fight for his life every night, now he only does it when the monsters deemed someone strong enough to fight him. Quality entertainment, a cyclop told him once. They want the fights in equal footing because they want it to long and brutal.
But since the man, a child of Hephaestus, came into the shithole, Wonwoo learned to count back the days.
Usually, the older ones try to toughen up the new recruits. Tossing them around, make sure they always take the blunt before them, play around with them. As if them too, has lost any humanity in their body. And usually, Wonwoo doesn't care. But not this time. Nobody will touch him and Wonwoo made sure of that. He already made a mistake once, he's not gonna let it happen again.
"You're Jeon Wonwoo?" the demigod asked him, finally coming to talk to him in one of the matches that none of them are participants.
Wonwoo never liked watching the fight, regardless if it's monsters versus demigods, or demigods versus demigods. He hates it all. But this is the only time a prisoner is taken out of their cells, or some of them, including him if he wants to. And he did, so he made sure to be present in the audience.
To his surprise, it was the child of Hephaestus who came towards him.
"Do you know me?" Like how I know you?
"You've been missing from camp... for three years. You've been declared dead"
Wonwoo wasn't surprised. If he's being honest, he thought it's been longer than that. It felt like he's been down here for half of his life.
"Can I ask you something? There's someone I'm looking for. But nobody can remember her. Has she been here?"
And then the demigod showed him a folded photograph of two teens. One is the demigod in front of him, and the other is of a girl. They're laughing in the photo, with the guy's arm around her shoulder and the girl's around his waist. They look happy.
He stared at it. Unsure how to answer.
Of course nobody could've told him, nobody remembers nobody here. When you're forced to fight— no, to kill somebody, sometimes you do drastic measures to justify their death. Or to make it easier. So it's rare here for somebody to remember who's already dead. Because sometimes, it's easier to think that you're killing faceless and nameless object.
But Wonwoo remembers her.
Remembered the child of Athena being so fierce. She was quick, and agile, and smart. She had outwitted the monsters so many times that they put her together with him. She remembered him too. And she promised that they will leave together. Wonwoo remembers everything about her because he remembers every story she has told.
He remembers him from all of her stories.
She was so in love with him that Wonwoo has fallen in love with him too.
I tried to protect her, he wanted to say, now I'm going to protect you too, but he didn't speak.
"Please. Her name's Azi. She's a child of Athena. She's been missing for 5 months" and she's been dead for three.
"Why are you here?" He asked instead.
"I followed her trail"
"Your quest team?"
The silence was loud as it met his his question and right then, Wonwoo knew that the demigod wasn't issued any quest. He came here on his own, willingly. Because he's desperate to see her. And now Wonwoo has to be the one to tell him the truth and to keep him alive.
"Do you even know what place is this? You can never leave"
"I can. I will. Because I will find her"
And Wonwoo's long forgotten what heartbreak is too. But he felt like there's a snake trying to eat his heart, slowly. The desperation in his voice is killing Wonwoo. Especially knowing that it would meet nothing at all.
"What's your name?" He asked, even if he already knows. Every letter etched in his heart, written by the girl herself.
"Kim Mingyu"
"Mingyu... you better leave here fast. Once they knew that no monster is match to you, they would start putting you up with another demigod"
"I can fight them"
"I know... but can you stomach killing them?" The shock is evident in Mingyu's face but Wonwoo isn't finished yet, "The fight doesn't end until one of you dies, Kim Mingyu. So if you don't want to be killed or be a killer, find a way to leave" Like how your lover tried again and again.
Wonwoo kept his distance since then. Satisfied by the knowledge that no one is touching Mingyu. He knows the other guy is still stuck on having monsters as his match, but Wonwoo could only be so thankful for so long. One of these nights, he knew that the monsters would realize that he has been faking his power, trying to purposely weaken it after Wonwoo had advised him to do so. And when that happens, Wonwoo doesn't know how to shield him from that kind of horror.
Because killing someone will never leave your mind. Killing multiple someones is enough to destroy your mind.
Jeon Wonwoo's is beyond repair.
And he would make sure that it won't happen to the child of Hephaestus.
"I'll play with him" Wonwoo told Antaeus, the half giant who is the one responsible for the arena.
"Ah, child of Nike"
"He is powerful. He's tricking you. Let me fight him. And I would make it worth your while"
It didn't take long convincing him. Antaeus, although brutal and smart warrior, is easy to trick. Something he had learned from her. All he cares is power, a challenge. And Wonwoo is gonna give him that.
"You're going to fight me tomorrow, so I need you to do somethings for me" He didn't bother greeting Mingyu, immediately pulling him until they are in the back of the audience where he knows Antaeus and his guards of monsters won't notice them.
"Wha-"
"Listen carefully. Before the fight starts, challenge him. That's your way out. Make him swear on the river of Styx so he wouldn't go back to his word"
"What challenge?"
Wonwoo inhaled deep and for the first time since Mingyu came, he looked him straight in the eyes to show him how serious he is.
"That if you win, you get to walk free. Without any creature here; demigods or monsters, coming after you"
"If I win..."
"Yes"
Mingyu meets his stare, equally serious if it weren't for the confusion in there.
"You said it's a fight to death" Wonwoo nodded "I'm not gonna kill you! I'm not gonna kill any demigod! Will find another way—"
"There's no other way!" Wonwoo almost screamed, thankful that the audience are loudly shouting. None of them even paying them attention.
Before Mingyu can protest, Wonwoo opened his left hand. And on his palm is a necklace with eight beads on them. Each bead designed differently, showing their— her time at camp. Before she was unfortunately imprisoned here.
He watched as the realization dawns on Mingyu, eyes shining with tears as his hands shakes when he tries to touch the necklace.
"Why... why do you have that?"
"Because I killed her"
The audience are loud as they surround the two of them. Mingyu standing in the other side of the arena as Antaeus watches them with glee in his eyes.
He waits for Mingyu to do as he asked. Unmoving even if the Gorgon has already signaled the start of their match. But Mingyu didn't move.
"What are you doing? What are you waiting for! Challenge him!" Wonwoo told him.
"Why did you kill her?" Was what Mingyu asked instead. Because she asked me. Because it was the better fate. She can't stand it anymore, she wanted an out. She wanted to die. So Wonwoo killed her. Because if he didn't, if he was the one who died, nobody else would protect her.
"Kill me" Wonwoo answered instead.
But Mingyu shook his head and started to walk towards him. Mingyu summoned a sword in thin air and then attacked him. Instead of fighting him, Wonwoo stood his ground. Trusting that even if Mingyu didn't follow his plan, he'd find a way later to leave. Once he had avanged his girlfriend's death.
But as soon as there's only inches in between them, Mingyu turned his sword around. Instead of pointing it to Wonwoo, it is pointing to him instead. It was too late when Wonwoo realized what was happening.
"NO!" He screamed. Mingyu's body slumping on him, making him stagger back as he held the boy in his arm, "What have you done?"
"I... will never be a killer... And you... you will live. With all of our blood in your hands" Weakly, Mingyu shoved his own camp necklace to Wonwoo's chest.
And Wonwoo held it there, until the anger fades in Mingyu's eyes and with it... his life.
For the first time in a long while, he remembered what anguish feels like.
He had failed, yet again, to protect someone. But this time, that someone took what he assumed was an already dead heart in their dying hands.