Chapter Text
Rumi looked up at the blue barrier that caused so much suffering among those trapped below it. The Honmoon. It was a powerful barrier that separated the realm of the demons from the normal world, trapping every demon below it.
They were starving. Demons needed to consume human souls to survive, well, technically that wasn't true. The demon king, Gwi-Ma, needed souls to survive and sent demons to receive them to survive. He was also Rumi's father.
Demons were also nourished when Gwi-Ma fed. It was as if their strength was restored, and dampened when he wouldn't eat. They wouldn't die, but it would hurt. Their patterns would hurt.
Now they were in this situation, everyone's patterns aching due to the inadequacy of souls to their king. Rumi was suffering more than most due to her family relation to the king. They needed souls, quickly.
And so she formed a plan.
Here she stood, walking to the giant flames that surrounded her father as protection, and to make him look intimidating.
"Daughter." His voice echoed as the flames receded, revealing his physical form. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
He had short, violet hair that shaped his slim face. He had sharp cheekbones and jawline, perfect nose, and glowing yellow, slit eyes. Violet, glowing patterns adorned his skin and showed his power. His black robes gliding behind him as he walked to his daughter.
Rumi swallowed and sank to one knee, channeling strength into her voice. "Father, as you know we are all starving, you at most-"
"I can see you are suffering as well, my daughter." He spoke, calmly. He tilted her chin up to look him in the eyes. "Stand."
Rumi immediately obeyed and arose to her feet. "Yes, I am suffering as you are. However I have come up with a plan. One that will ensure you souls and that will restore our strength."
"Is that so?"
She nodded and put her hands behind her back. "Jinu and I have this idea. We can breech the Honmoon with our voices, allowing demons to go through and receive souls. From there, Jinu and I have a plan from there that will involve us to break and destroy the Honmoon." Rumi read his expression, he was interested. Her heart pounded as she then continued. "We need to take control of the source that powers the Honmoon. The fans. And we can use them to weaken the Honmoon enough to allow us to breech it whenever we want and to destroy it."
He raised an eyebrow. "What are you imposing? A demon Kpop Group?"
She felt the heat rise to her cheeks as she nodded. "Yes."
He nodded slowly, processing this idea. "Rumi, I have a mission for you, one that only you can fulfill."
Her heart rate increased as she fought back a smile.
"Anything."
He smirked. "I need you to personally kill the hunters. I need you to also kill Celine, the woman who killed your mother."
Her lips flattened and she felt her throat constrict. "My m-mom?"
Rumi's mother had died in Gwi-Ma's arms in the hands of a hunter. Celine had been hunting down Gwi-Ma and Rumi's mother for years, the two of them taking more souls than any demon had ever had. It was the Golden Age of the Demons. But she had been pregnant with Rumi and was still chasing souls with Gwi-Ma.
It made her slow and weaker. Celine eventually caught her and killed her. Gwi-Ma was lucky he had been able to save Rumi from her corpse as he hid her body from Celine. But Celine ended up finding him and Rumi, then stole her mother's body back. Rumi had never met her mother and had lived with her father ever since.
He smirked at her, viciously and menacingly. "I think it's only fair you are the one to do it, don't you think?"
Rumi felt as if she couldn't breathe.
She didn't have the heart to kill anyone. She had never taken a soul in her life, never had hurt any humans before. Typically she would monitor demons and watch them as they would take souls. Half the time she couldn't even bear to watch in the first place.
Yet for some reason, she nodded.
"I'll do it."
The words were bitter on her tongue and he grinned.
"Thats my daughter."
She should have felt pride or some sort of relief by being complemented by him. But it never came. She was going to be sick, but she asked one more thing from Gwi-Ma.
"Father, if we succeed in this plan. May you grant me one wish?"
He raised an eyebrow.
"May you erase Jinu's memories of his shame?"
She saw his jaw click and his expression harden.
"Just this once."
She exhaled and gave a small smile. "Thank you."
He nodded and crossed his arms. "Just do not forget your mission."
Rumi nodded. "I won't."
She teleported back to her home where Jinu and her friends were waiting. They were playing video games and trash talking each other. However Jinu leaped to his feet when he saw her appear.
"Rumi," he smiled and stood, hugging her. "How was it? Did he agree to our plans?"
Everyone else put their controllers down and paused their game, looking at them.
Jinu was practically Rumi's older brother. All of them were. She had met Jinu when she was very young. He was a lieutenant to her father, so he was always in her life. They had bonded over little things, and he eventually helped raise Rumi since her father was always so busy.
The boys were Jinu's best friends. Abby, Romance, Mystery, and Baby. They had known Rumi as long as Jinu had, helping raise her with him. They were all excellent singers and even taught Rumi how to sing too, however her voice was far better than theirs and they couldn't even deny it.
She straightened and smiled. "We leave tomorrow morning."
"YESSS!" Baby shouted and hugged Mystery.
Abby and Romance clapped each other's hands, doing their signature handshake they were biologically brothers.
Jinu just smiled at Rumi. "I knew you could do it."
"Shut up." She laughed and shoved him away as he tried to ruffle her braid. "You’re so annoying."
He put a hand on his heart. "Annoying?! Me?! Annoying? You’ll pay for that."
Rumi's eyes widened. "Jinu-Jinu no!"
She sprinted around the house, him chasing her as he teased her. The others laughed and tried to catch Rumi as she ran past them, but mostly observed the sibling like bond between them. She rushed to her bedroom and nearly slammed the door in Jinu's face.
"HEY!"
But before she could even react, he teleported behind her and tackled her on the bed.
"Thats not fair!" Rumi cried and tried shoving him off of her.
"Life isn't fair, tiger." He stated and immediately began to tickle her.
Rumi burst out in laughter, struggling helplessly under his wiggling fingers against her ribs.
"J-Jehehenu! Stahahahap!"
Her words were punctuated by giggles, as he smirked. He loved seeing her laugh especially after she had to deal with Gwi-Ma. Their conversations would leave a number on her, and as his job as her 'older brother', he had to keep her happy.
"SOHDHA POP!" She cried and panted as he stopped.
Rumi lay under him, panting and flushed. She smiled tirelessly at him.
"I hate you."
He lay beside her on her bed, poking her in the ribs. She bat his hand away with a giggle.
Something about her patterns made her much more sensitive to touch than other demons. Jinu had used that against her since she was little.
"No you don't." He sighed, looking at the ceiling.
"Whatever." She grumbled and looked at the same spot as him. "Where's Derpy?"
"Stealing some food." Jinu replied casually, as if it was normal. It kinda was.
"Oh." Rumi breathed.
Jinu flexed his fingers against his stomach. "Did you ask him if he'd erase my memories?"
She bit her lip and nodded. "He said he would."
Jinu smiled and looked at her, but he frowned when he saw her.
He knew Rumi, and he knew how she looked when her mind was busy and she was hiding anxiety underneath. That was bad. With Rumi, anxiety=panic attacks.
"What else?" He asked, protectively. "You have that look."
Rumi didn't look at him. "What look?"
Jinu poked her arm. "The one you have when you're thinking about something bad."
She ran her hands down her face and looked at him. "My dad, he gave me a mission.... He wants me to kill Celine. Revenge for my mom."
Jinu swallowed. "Oh."
"Yeah, and Jinu I don't know what to do." She sat upright and had glassy eyes, holding back tears. "I've never taken a soul before, I've never killed anyone. I can't kill anyone. I-I can't, and I know she's a hunter but...I can't kill anyone."
He immediately sat upright when he saw a tear escape her eyes.
Jinu knew exactly why she couldn't kill anyone, why she couldn't take souls. She didn't have the heart to do it. Rumi still had a soul, she always has, and Jinu will do whatever he can to help her protect it.
"Don't cry, tiger." He wiped the tear from her eye. "We have time, more time than we need. You don't have to worry, when the time comes, I'll do it for you. I promise."
Rumi sniffled as she looked in his eyes, searching for a reason why he would lie. But she couldn't find one. He would do it.
She immediately leaped in his arms and held him tightly.
Jinu gasped softly and wrapped his arms around her.
God, Rumi was too young for this. She was only 18, too young to have to do this. He was over 400 years old, but had the mindset of a teenager.
He would do anything for her, anything for his little sister. He would make up for the mistakes he made with his last sister. But he loved Rumi more than he loved anyone else. He would do anything to protect her, especially from her dad.
"Hey Ru," Jinu murmured as she calmed down. "Why don't we practice Soda Pop for tomorrow?"
Rumi pulled away and wiped her eyes. "Yeah-yeah, let's do that."
Jinu smiled sadly at her, following her as they walked out of the room to meet the others.