Chapter Text
Fools rush where angels fear to tread,
Are bonds for life forged or forced instead?
Choi Soobin stared across the room, taking in the vaulted ceilings and the unmistakable sight of painted glass. Moonlight shifted through the window panes, like a kaleidoscope, painting the dusty floor in a spectrum of otherworldly colors, the sight ruined only by the , were it and crimson splotches that covered the grown, odd patches of matte against the faintly shiny marble. The unmistakable scent of rot filled room, along with an earthy smile Soobin knew probably came from the dirt outside. This church had long since been abandoned, but even Soobin had to admit- of all places to desecrate, the Church was a bold choice, even for a demon. Just as Soobin was about to step forward, something launched from above him, landing right in front of his face.
It landed lightly, and without looking, Soobin knew who it was. The scent confirmed it, as did the foxy eyes he was looking into. This was most definitely Choi Yeonjun. The one person he was hoping NOT to see.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Soobin groaned. “Taehyun accidentally double-booked us again?”
The older boy raised a brow. “Once is an incident, twice is a coincidence, but five times this week is definitely not an accident,” Yeonjun's eyes darted around, taking in the dilapidated surroundings. Somehow, he couldn't shake off the unmistakable feeling that something was off. The cathedral was unnervingly empty, given the nature of the carnage the demon had wrecked here- it resembled the idiocy of low-level demons, but if it were…The cathedral would be filled with more demons, which were pretty terrible at hiding with their subpar intelligence. But none of the Sensors gave off any signals, and it was suspiciously quiet. WIthout thinking, his hand hoverd back to the scabbard at his hip. “It might be a good thing Taehyun made both of us come here.”
Cautiously, he started surveying the area. Soobin scoffed. “What, you don't think I could handle this alone?” Stillm, he trailed behind the older teen, making their way down the pews.
“I didn't say that. Don't twist my words.” Yeonjun continued forward, glancing back at the ruby around his neck every few seconds. A Lightwood heirloom from his mother- an ingenious ruby pendant that had the ability to detect demons slightly beyond Sensor range, lighting up and guiding its wearer to the general direction. But the stunning stone stayed as it was, without the slightest glimmer of light.
Behind him, Soobin fell silent, undoubtedly checking his sensor for any sign of demonic presence, something that generally slowed most Shadowhunters down- one of the reasons Yeonjun was eternally grateful for the necklace around his neck, no matter how much teasing he got. But even as they walked down the aisle, past the rows of empty pews, nothing seemed particularly out of place, except for the blood splattered over the ground like a painting.
“There’s nothing on the Sensor. Do you think Taehyun sent us to the wrong location?” Soobin asked. Yeonjun didn't even spare a glance in Soobin's direction before he shot that down.
“It's Taehyun- How high do you think those odds are?”
Right. Because the younger boy was a genius, and had an amazing brain capacity- he was the only one who fully understood how the admin system worked, and if Soobin's brother weren't best friends with him, Soobin was pretty sure he'd never have had the nerve to talk to him. But he was Kai's parabatai, so Soobin still talked to him from time to time. Despite that, Taehyun's brother knew just how to push Soobin's buttons.
“At least it isn't you- or we'd be in Renwick's hospital by now.” Soobin's words were met with a lethal side-eye, one that Soobin was fairly certain meant he'd be rolling his eyes or punching the living daylights out of him (or at least, trying to) if they weren't currently on a mission. Soobin gave him a saccharine smile. He caught a glimpse of white eye before the other boy turned away, looking towards the pews. Soobin knew he was being childish, but secretly, he enjoyed their banter- he barely saw the older boy outside of lessons, and missions were ironically the one place they spoke the most.
Something's off ,” Yeonjun voiced out, “There should be multiple demons here, given the reports.” Right. Soobin couldn't get past the gruesome images of disembowelled bodies, artfully arranged in a way that was hauntingly beautiful. He should be used to the sight of corpses by now, but some part of Soobin still winces when seeing them. They were people once. They were living, breathing and alive- and yet only in death, the eternal slumber, were they captured, remembered and recorded, when their bodies were nothing more than limp puppets. But a demon of lesser intelligience wouldn't have been able to do that. It was-
“We're dealing with a greater Demon,” Both of them said in unison, coming to the realisation at the exact same time.
“No wonder Taehyun sent out the two of us,” Soobin said, answering his own question. “But that still doesn't explain why we can't detect it,” Yeonjun said, panic lacing his voice, “Unless-”
Something dropped from behind them. “Took you long enough,” A deeply saccharine voice drawled. “I was wondering when you idiots would come to your senses.” The two Shadowhunters swirled around quickly, hands on their weapons immediately. A hint of silver flashed out of Soobin's hand, hurtling towards the Greater Demon. But it dodged expertly, with a grace that Soobin could only describe as floating. And once Soobin's eyes refocused, he realised the angel was….nearly angelic.
“Wow. You look younger than I thought you'd be,” Yeonjun spoke first. Soobin didn't know if he wanted to laugh or throttle him, because of all the first lines he could have come up with, he chose that. But his words were true. The entity before them was ethereal, like something out of a renaissance painting. His wolf-cut hair cascading down in gentle, soft waves, his features soft and delicate, almost eternal- because there was no age you could put on beauty. In other words, he was gorgeous, and were it not for the fact he was a Greater Demon, Soobin would definitely have a massive crush on him. But the Greater Demon simply chuckled. (He was probably a Prince of Hell, honestly- no ther demon would be able to evade Sensors the way he did.)
“Chin up, young one. You're nearly drooling.” He glanced towards Soobin, mischief gleaming in his eyes. It unsettled Soobin, as did the withering glare Yeonjun was sending him that he was desperately trying to avoid. It was undoubtedly one of his “Dude, SERIOUSLY?” glares, because of all times Soobin's gay instincts had to kick in, this was undoubtedly one of the worst. Get it together, you idiot. You're fighting a demon, for God's sake! And Yeonjun is here. Whether or not Soobin actually believed in God was a different question altogether, though.
“Aww, don't be jealous,” the Greater Demon turned, addressing Yeonjun. Soobin felt his heart stutter as their gazes met. Please get it together, Choi Soobin . The moonlight shifted as the older boy stepped closer to the demon, hitting him just right, to the point he looked like an angel. “I take it that you and your boyfriend are the idiots they sent to catch me?”
One word. It took one word for Soobin's brain the start short-circuiting. “We're not-” he started, only to be interrupted by a second voice.
“He's not-” This time, Soobin glanced back at Yeonjun. His hand quickly rose to the sliver of metal at his side, his wrist flicking towards the demon before Yeonjun could blink. Frustratingly, he still dodged it.
“You're cute,” The demon drawled, “But its going to take more than that to hurt me, and I get the feeling that we're going to be here for a long time. Why not introduce ourselves? I'll start first. I'm Beomgyu,”
Yeonjun's eyes narrowed. A name to a Greater Demon, much less a Prince of Hell, was basically an invitation for them to do whatever they wanted with you. “And were not falling for that. We're not that easy to fool,” Beomgyu’s smile remained on his face. “Pity…I thought you Shadowhunters were known for being friendly,” Soobin clenched his fists. “After all, I haven't seen a bunch as willing to sacrifice themselves for nothing.”
“Its not for nothing, its for the sake of humanity!” To Soobin's surprise, Yeonjun answered first.
“Wow, this one is poetic!” Beomgyu's voice was mocking, but for some inconceivable reason Yeonjun jerked his head towards Soobin. “Nope. He's the poet.”
Soobin narrowed his eyes at Yeonjun, taking his eyes of Beomgyu for a moment “Is this really the time to be flattering?” He glanced back at Beomgyu, who was still smiling sweetly.
“Why, are you looking at me ?” Beomgyu's voice was saccharinely sweet. “I've done nothing.”
Both Shadowhunters looked at him in disbelief, but he simply giggled. “Not yet,” he added as an afterthought, with a glee that terrified Soobin to the core.
“You mean to tell me these people killed themselves? All fifteen of them?” This time, Yeonjun lunged forward with his sword, one forged with the waters of Lake Lyn. He attempted to slice him at the neck, but faster than Soobin could blink, Beomgyu sidestepped the shadowhunter, sticking his foot out to trip him. Luckily, Yeonjun stepped over his foot, regaining his balance before stepping back.
“Pathetic,” Beomgyu mused, his voice more gravelly than it'd been a few minutes ago. “You move far too slowly.” Both Shadowhunters continued attempting to stab the demon, who expertly didged every one of his moves.
“I'm one of the fastest in my generation, thank you very much.” A sword materialised out of thin air into the Greater Demons's hand, crimson and nearly glowing in the moonlight, like molten lava. At the exact same moment, Yeonjun's blade hurtled towards the sword.
“Well then, you guys are doomed.” Beomgyu said. There was a wicked gleam in his eyes, one that Soobin knew bespoke disaster. He watched the rest of the scene unfold in slow motion, as steel clattered against whatever the crimson blade was made of, shattering impossibly on impact into what felt like a million pieces.
“Hyung!” It was all Soobin could do to shove Yeonjun back, trying to get him away from the worst of the shrapnel as he sprinted away. Yeonjun barely winced as fragments of metal sliced through his gear, nearly biting into his skin. Gritting through the pain, Yeonjun moved faster than sound, sprinting slightly forward- He moved faster than sound, a flash of light cutting through the air like an extension of his hand, hurtling towards the Greater Demon, who simply grinned, in a way that was unnervingly natural, as if e'd just heard a good joke, instead of dodged a blade. There was something nearly angelic about the scene- the faint glow of the seraph blade against the flush of Yeonjun's skin, a stark contrast to the harsh neon of Beomgyu's blade. Soobin's fingers tightened around one of the hilts of his weapons belt. There wasn't any point in throwing daggers now, given that there was a slight chance he'd hit Yeonjun. Instead, Soobin slowly moved towards the back.
Beomgyu's crimson blade remains in place, waiting and Soobin inevitably winces as it crashes. Only this time, Yeonjun's seraph blade doesn't shatter. Instead, the two begin a lethal duel, crimson and white mixed together in a deadly dance- it's almost mesmerising in the moonlight, if not for the high stakes. The two of them step closer and closer to the altar, and Soobin follows, circling them while waiting for an opportune moment between the clash of blades to come in. Soobin sidesteps the Greater Demon as they continue in their deadly dance, a back and forth that was enthralling to watch. But as their blades clash again, Soobin finally sees his opening and plunges the dagger forward, only for Beomgyu to abruptly pull back. Instead of sinking through where his heart would be if he were human, the tip of the blade barely grazes his skin, drawing a thin line of blood.
“Finally decided to step in, pretty boy? It's not nice to leave your boyfriend hanging, you know,” Soobin thrusts his blade forward again, gritting his teeth as Yeonjun assumes his previous position.
“We’re NOT boyfriends,” he says humorlessly, stepping back into a duel with Beomgyu.
Soobin has to admit, Beomgyu is fucking fast- he moves at a lightning sped, one Soobin struggles to maintain (Speed has never been his forte) But Beomgyu's moves are stupidly easy to predict, nearly too easy- almost as if- “Soobin, move!” Yeonjun's voice snaps Soobin out of his reverie, and he finds a flash of crimson hurtling towards his face- he feels Yeonjun shove him before anything else, and everything's a blur. Soobin sees the flash of Yeonjun's blade, too, as it sinks into the Greater Demon's chest.
But the crimson blade burns through Soobin's gear as it slices through his sleeve, barely grazing Soobin's skin, but close enough to draw blood. Fuck. Soobin draws away from the blade immediately, reeling back. His eyes trace the Greater Demon's limpid form as he stumbles down slightly. As his eyes follow the demon down, he finally notices the designs carved into the ground. “It can't be-”
“Yeonjun, don't let him touch you!” Soobin yells, but he's too late- The Greater Demon inches up with a surprising alacrity, collecting a drop of blood off Yeonjun's face with a sneer on his face. As his own blood drips down the Greater Demon's blade, Soobin is certain of only one thing- we're fucked . “Get out of the circle!”
“Too late,” Beomgyu’s voice is full of unbridled glee as his own blood drips onto the pentagram that has been engraved into the ground. A wave of light burst through the carved lines, setting the entire cathedral in a fiery glow that is nearly blinding. Worst of all, he can't see Yeonjun from where he is. Soobin runs desperately towards the other end, away from the Greater Demon, but as he nears the edge of the ring, an unknown force back against him, thrusting him backwards. As he lands, he hears a soft thud, which he can only guess is Yeonjun.
“We've to get out,” Yeonjun's voice is fervent, higher than Soobin has ever heard it, or else,”
But his words are cut off by a soft melody. Its soothing and discordant, almost hypnotizing, even as Soobin makes for the barrier again, this time armed with a seraph blade he quickly blesses. At first, the words seem like an unintelligible mess, but as Soobin focuses, he begins to make out lyrics:
“May the link of nature draw me: flesh of flesh, bone of my bone thou art,and from thy state, mine never shall bliss or woe.”
“Our state cannot be severed, we are one, one flesh; to lose thee is to lose myself,”
The words are hauntingly familiar, as if they were locked away somewhere in the back of his soul, drawing something from within he can't quite identify yet, much less decipher. He can feel it, though Soobin isn't quite sure how much he believes in the soul, something within him being drawn out, enmeshing with something so familiar, and yet so foreign.
“A little present,” are the last words he hears, in a delicate singsong, as the world turns back to pitch.