A/N: This took so long to figure out ._. while I’m not the happiest with the ‘fight’, it’s the best I can do…..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Ana!?” Ken knelt down beside her, dropping the bag to the ground.
BANG!
He manages to dodge in time as another bullet lodges itself in the pavement behind him. Ravi stands guard in front of Hyuk and Hongbin, looking up at the buildings.
“There!” He hisses at a moderately tall building.
“Wait a minute!” The vampires hear a female voice from the rooftop, “One of them looks familiar!”
“Julie!” A gruff voice rasps. A light clink is heard as the bullet is pushed out of Ana. She groans as she sits up, rubbing her head where she got hit, “Fuck that hurt. I’m tired of getting shot.”
A minute later, none other than Julie ran out of the building. Ana and Ken quickly moved to Ravi’s side, the maknaes behind them. Julie skids to a stop, “Ana??”
“Julie!”
Ana freezes as a middled-aged, heavy set man rushed toward the traitor of a sister and harshly grabs her arm. His gruff voice complimented the rough, patched up clothes that were at least five years old. A belt of ammo was thrown over his shoulder and a pistol was in the holster over his left hip. His black bushy hair stuck out from the camouflage ball cap, his long beard frayed and scraggly. Robert: Her so-called guardian.
“What the-?”
“Get them back to the hotel. I’ll catch up,” Ana mumbles to her boyfriend as she stares down the two.
Ken glances at the pair before nodding, “Let’s go, guys.”
The man stalks up to the dark haired woman, yanking Julie to him by her arm.
“Da, it’s Ana.”
“Hmph,” her father sneers, “No it’s not. That ungrateful whore is dead an’ gone.”
All the hurt, the pain caused by these two rushed back to Ana, a growl slipping from her throat. Ana was fuming. “Sorry to constantly disappoint, Robert.”
His eyes snapped to hers.
“Impossible,” he lowers his gun, but not by much, “I made sure of it.”
“What did you say, asshole?” she growls.
“Don’t ya swear at me, ya little bitch! Don’t ya dare raise your voice at me.”
“No, I will. What the fuck do you mean you made sure I died.”
It was then she really took in what he was wearing. On top of his old clothes was all new equipment. Ammo belt strung across his chest, new knives strapped to his legs and a shiny new rifle in his hand.
“You fucker. Killed me for insurance money. Guess the government’s money wasn’t good enough for you.”
He spat at her feet, “It was the only good thing I got outta ya. But what did I expect from a whore’s bastard.”
Ana’s fists tightened, trying to reign in her anger.
“That bitch went around sleeping with every man in town,” he snarls, “Someone needed to put her in her place.”
“‘Put her in her place’?! Who are you to say what her place is? You think a lowlife like you has any authority over what someone does with their life,” Ana growls right back at him, “Why would any one submit to a drunk, sexist asshole?”
Julie cackles, “You would have followed your sweet old ma to the grave if it weren’t for us. You’re lucky we took you in.”
Ana snarls, “Fuck you and everything you ever did to me, you asshole.”
“That’s it! I’m tired of your ungrateful ass!” he screamed. Robert aimed at her head, pulling the trigger. Ana dodged, slide to his side and punched him with all her strength. His body flies into the building’s side, a sickening crunch sounding out. Ana’s body is surging with adrenaline and when she turns to Julie, the human is on the ground in shock, her wide eyes staring up at Ana. Taking a deep breath, Ana stares Julie in the eye, “You’re not worth it.”
With that, Ana turns back towards the hotel, leaving the last of her human life behind.
A/N: Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve updated this story. Life kinda gets away from me and also I got a lot of other stories on my mind. Plus, Corona~~~
~~~~~~~~~
“Now, Ryn, we can explain,” Berrin steps in front of Ravi.
She stares at Berrin for a moment before glaring at Ravi. Ryn spins on her heel and grabs Leif’s hand. As the two leave, Berrin sighs before looking to the rapper, “Don’t worry. I’m sure everything will be alright.”
“Alright?! She looks ready to kill me!” Hisses Ravi. Berrin places a hand on his shoulder, before going back to the deer, “Come on, we should get this salted so darn maggots don’t get it.”
~~~~
A couple hours later, Ravi carefully approached his master to let her know that dinner was ready. Leif tells him that he and Berrin will be joining as well. He kept his head down throughout the meal. The guys chatted about the random happenings around the village, updating her with what she missed. She never smiled though, always looking at him whenever he dared to look up at her through his lashes.
It was as the two were leaving that Leif grabbed Ravi’s shoulder, “Ravi, Ryn and I were talking earlier and she wants to take you away.”
“What?” Ravi’s eyes widen as his mind begins to race. Was she going to dump him in the forest? Give him to a different owner? Killhim??
“None of that,” Leif gives him a smile, “She wants to take you away from the village to…”
He looks around before giving Ravi a reassuring squeeze, ‘She wants to train you. I can’t say it out loud, please understand.’
Leif’s voice echoes in Ravi’s head, startling him.
‘Yes, I am speaking to you. I’m a telepath. We can talk about this another time. Be packed by tomorrow morning.’
With that, Leif and Berrin leave the younger standing there, dumbfounded.
I’m going to say this now with news of Hongbin leaving VIXX:
The only reasons I would stop writing for idols are as follows:
They are in a relationship/getting married
They have passed away
They are under investigation for certain crimes
If they leave the group, they are still in my heart. Look at Kris, Tao and Luhan. We still love them despite leaving back in 2014/15.
I won’t remove any stories that I’ve posted because they were written when I was a fan of them. Of course things can change. They do all the time, but they don’t change how I felt at the time of writing them
Many an adventurer had been given this quest and yet for some reason, none have completed it. The king had sent out a call for help a few months ago. Apparently, a dragon had taken residence in the mountains nearby and was terrorising the farmers and their livestock. In any case, their lost was your gain.
So here you were, scaling the Eastern Mountain as the began to set. As you neared the cave entrance, a roar shakes the ground beneath your feet. You draw your sword before cautiously entering the cave. The next sound, however, stopped your heart: A scream. A very human scream.
You race into the cave, praying that you weren’t too late.
There!
On the floor was a man laying face down under a higher quality blanket surrounded by piles of gold. The treasure room. Blasted creature must be nearby. He groans as you nudge him, “Sir?”
You had to get him out of there.
“Sir!”
He shoots up with a yelp, stumbling backwards over himself with wide eyes. “What are you doing here? Are you here to slay me?” His warm baritone voice was heavy with resignation. Almost like he was expecting this.
Your brows furrow, “No. I’m here to slay a dragon. Not a human.”
“Uh…yeeah..that’s me.”
“Impossible,” you scoff.
“You can thank my father for that. Because of him, my family’s been cursed to become human as soon as night falls.”
You raise an eyebrow.
“I’m telling the truth! Do you see a dragon around here?” He flails his arm at the cavern, exasperated. Quickly looking around, you huff as you sit back on your heels, “Say you are telling the truth, what about the farmer’s livestock?”
“I do have to eat, don’t I? I never take more than my fill when I need to.”
You cross your arms as your eyes narrow at him. He rolls his eyes, “If you don’t believe me, then you can just leave,” the man stands, letting the cloth fall to the floor. ‘Why is he naked?’
“The other mercenaries were the same. Always coming at sunset and getting pissed when they meet me. I might move just for some peace and quiet.” You hear him mumble to himself. Out of curiosity, you find yourself following him further into the cave. Towards the back behind the mountain of gold was a little alcove with a small bed and piles of books. He spins when he hears your armour clanking about.
“Why are you staying?” His brows furrow, “
“I don’t know. I’ve never really been in this situation before,” you look down at the sword in your hand with a sigh. As you sheath it, you look back up at him, “If you are cursed like you said, that means you’ll turn back at sunrise, right?”
He looks away as his gives you a quick nod. You glance back around at the cavern, thinking. After a moment, you take a deep breath before pulling at the straps on your gauntlets. As you’re working on the other hand, the man’s attention snaps back to you, “Wha-what are you doing?”
“I shouldn’t be in any danger until morning comes, going by the curse. I’ll be damned if I wear this armour when I don’t need to.”
“Don’t you need help to put it back on?”
You give him a cocky smirk, “Not my armour. Made it myself so I don’t need another pair of hands.”
He starts to frantically look around before diving for something as you continue to take off your armour. When you look up, he’s wearing a deep red robe with gold trim.
“You got a name?”
“Uh..Hyuk,” he blinks as his cheeks flush while he fumbles a book.
You studied him as he goes about what he was doing. He had boyish good looks but there was an underlying charm that aged him perfectly. If you were to assume his age, he would be about mid-twenties. ‘If he’s human anyway.’ Hyuk was well fit too. While he was naked, you hadn’t really paid much attention, but now you could. Abs peeked out from where the robe crosses over at his waist. His hair was warm brunette and just fell over his eyes. That’s where your breath got caught in your throat. Bright orange and red with gold flecks and thin pupils stared back at you. The eyes of a dragon.
‘Wow I’m an idiot.’
He must have sensed your realisation since he started to back away.
“So you were telling the truth?”
“Yes,” his voice was quieter than before. Why did this pain your heart? You look away to think again before asking, “And you really don’t terrorise the kingdom?”
Hyuk shakes his head, “Honestly, I like being human. I get to read books and learn about the world without being afraid that warriors will come kill me.”
“I’ve heard tales of a couple witches that live in the northern woods. Maybe they could be of help?”
He gawks at you, “The northern woods?? I heard that area can be treacherous for a dragon. The northern tribes are not as forgiving as this king.”
“I’ll be by your side. We can move at night and sleep during the day,” you get up and walk over to him, “You can trust me.”
“Why? You came here to kill me!”
“I came to kill a dragon that was threatening the kingdom and since you are not doing that, I hold no ill-will towards you.”
He gazes into your eyes for a moment before nodding.
“When would you want to leave then?”
You smirk and go back to your armour, “We can leave now if you’re ready.”
A giant smile graced his lips before he starts to gather his stuff.
You hadn’t had much interaction with Hakyeon, but goddamn is he terrifying when he is on a mission. Granted he is the royal family’s secretary, so making the palace run smoothly is his job. Still it didn’t help calm the bundle of nerves settling in the pit of your stomach as you raced back to the palace.
Right as Ravi plops you down, your eyes met Ju-ang’s, who raises an eyebrow as you try to make yourself presentable. You turn to Ravi, ready to ask him about what happened back there but he cuts you off.
“We’ll talk when Hakyeon is done.”
Your eyes narrow, “Only if I’m allowed to stay.”
“Either way, there isn’t time.”
He escorts you and Ju-ang to the main lounge where all the other girls are waiting. Quite a few of them had annoyed looks on their face like how dare their time be wasted like this and others were quietly talking with each other. A couple of girls shot death glares at you, no doubt because of your nightgown but oh well. At least it was one of your nicer ones.
The door slams open, two guards rushing to their positions on each side of the doorway as Hakyeon gracefully strode forth, clapping his hands to grab everyone’s attention.
“Listen up, if I call your name, you are to step forward and form a line.”
Your hands begin to shake as you watch one after one walk up to stand in front of the man. Then he stopped and took a moment to glance amongst them.
“All thirty-six of you are dismissed. The Crown Prince has decided that you may return to your respective kingdoms.”
Oh shit that’s most of the group. You and Ju-ang share a look, both shocked and relieved that you both got to stay.
“Now, if you may, go collect your—“
“I’ll take it from here,” Jisoo, the Queen Dowager’s high matron interjects. You didn’t even hear her come in, “By orders of the Queen Dowager.”
“Very well.” Maybe it was just you, but Hakyeon seemed to get rather tense with this order as he gave her a slight bow. She turns to the women, “Gather your things, We’ll make preparations for your journey home, but you are not stay in this building any longer. We have a guest home that will serve as your in-between home for now.”
Why did that not sit well with you?
“The rest of you, go about your regular business.”
Then Hakyeon’s bright red eyes fell upon you, “Why aren’t you properly dressed?”
You looked down at the robe that you had through over your nightgown earlier that morning, “I wanted to see the sunrise, sir. I simply lost track of time…” You quickly lied.
Hakyeon stares at you for a moment but doesn’t say anything before discussing something with the guards at the doorway. Ravi taps on your shoulder and gestures for you to return to your room. As soon as you were beyond earshot of everyone else, you turned to him, “Why was Leo there?”
“He’s a friend of Hyuk’s.”
“So? What could he do to help? He’s just a hu—“
“I got Hongbin’s message but I was swamped. Figured I’d run into you and ask. What’s going on?”
Your eyes widen as you turned to see Hakyeon with a very concerned expression on his face. Ravi sighs heavily, “You’re not going to like it, hyung.”
“Then spit it out.”
“Y/N saw Hyuk drain Sarah of the British Isles.”
“Fuck, I’ll need to bring this,” his eyes shift between you and Ravi, “to the prince’s attention. He won’t be too happy to hear about this.”
“He already knows. She went to Hongbin’s this morning. That’s how we found out.” Ravi, the little shit, ratted you out.
“Certainly explains the nightgown. In any case, at least I don’t have to deal with his anger. His mother is already more than I can handle.”
You looked between the two, confused. Yeah you heard rumours about the Queen Dowager, but nothing definitive. Especially relating to anything about the upcoming wedding.
“Can you explain to me exactly why she’s more than you can handle? I’ve only heard rumours about her from the other girls.”
Hakyeon stared at you like you just grew another head and then it grew its own second head.
“H-How—?”
“She’s not from this universe,” Ravi rushes out under his breath. He looks at you, eyes telling you he’s sorry. The secretary pinches the bridge of his nose as he takes a deep breath.
“The Queen Dowager has been ruling the Empire ever since His Majesty passed away unexpectedly when the Crown Prince was 16. She has basically trapped him in his study forcing him to learn nonsense upon nonsense in order to become Emperor. The wedding is her latest stunt. She specifically choose to invite unfavourable women. Those that had been spoiled a little too much by their parents, but I was the one who opened the call to other families.”
“Hence why I’m here…in a way.”
“Yes. It was an attempt to throw her off, which worked for a little bit, but I fear she’s gaining her footing again. She has more than half the council on her side since she has been keeping the economy strong.”
Ravi groans, “She’s getting harder to touch. Prince Taekwoon won’t like this.”
You swear you see the corner of Hakyeon’s lip curl up slightly.
“No, he won’t.”
“Perhaps there’s something in her study? Or her room?”
The men exchange a look before turning back to you.
“Perhaps, but for now, try now to draw attention to yourself. With less potential brides around, actions are more noticeable.”
You nod solemnly.
“By the way, why were you at Hongbin’s so early in the morning?”
You stumble over your words, “I-I wanted to know more about vampires and since I thought he was the only one that knew I wasn’t from around..here..that he wouldn’t judge me for not knowing.”
Ravi places a hand on your shoulder, “Y/N, we won’t make fun of you. Also, there are five of us that know you’re not from here. Hongbin’s shit at keeping secrets from us. But seriously, you can ask us anytime.”
“Thank you.” That probably the first smile you had since that night happened, but now…now your world is crumbling in on itself and you’ve barely seen Leo enough to keep you grounded.
A/N: I miss Hongbin’s twitch channel even though he always streamed at 5am my time…. ._.
Also, I know this isn’t for everyone, but I really do love Skyrim and wanted to write this so please enjoy （＾ω＾）
~~~~~~~
You were walking home from a long day at work. You missed the last train and you weren’t in the mood to deal with the rambunctious taxi drivers at this hour. In any case, it was a nice night, the full moon high in the sky. In fact, you were too busy staring up at it that you didn’t notice the person walking your way. Before you could utter an apology, the ground opens beneath the two of you, hurtling you into darkness.
~~~~~
“By the nines!!” A rough voice exclaimed, startling you awake. You scramble to your feet, your eyes meeting that of a strange man wearing armour. Next to you was the guy you had bumped into but where the hell were you.
“Who are you?”
You turn back to the one that woke you. Actually, his armour is somewhat familiar. It’s kinda like…
“Get down!” He jumps on top of you, covering you from something. Loud thunder rumbles from the sky. You think he’s crazy until a dragon to flies over your spot. As it soars away, the man next to you groans as he starts to come to. Soldier guy climbs off of you.
“Sorry about that. That dragon just attacked Helgen and I barely escaped with my life.”
HELGEN???? AM I IN SKYRIM??
“Helgen? Are..are you on your way to Riverwood?”
He nods, “Yeah, my uncle’s a blacksmith there.”
“May we come with you? I’m Y/N. We were sent here from another dimension.”
The soldier takes a step back, eyes wide, “A plain of Oblivion?”
“Not really. More like a different universe. It’s hard to explain. Anyway, what is your name?”
“I’m Hadvar. What about him?”
You look back to the only other person from your Earth, who is looking around with wide eyes. Oh damn, he’s beautiful. Warm brown eyes and strong, sharp features. Shame romance has to be thrown aside for the time-being. You kneel next to him and gently ask, “Hey, what’s your name?”
His eyes snap to yours, his shoulders relaxing ever so slightly once he noticed your clothes versus Hadvar.
“Lee Hongbin. Where are we?”
“Tamriel. Skyrim. More specifically in the Hold of Whiterun.”
Hadvar clears his throat, “We should get going. I don’t want to stand around while that dragon is flying about.”
You nod and stand before holding a hand out to Hongbin. The three of you make your way to the small town of Riverwood.
“Perhaps we could go alert the Jarl of Whiterun for you?” You suggest as you walk.
~~~~~~~~~~
Two Years Later:
“Do you ever think of home?”
You lower your bow to look at Hongbin as he gazes out at Lake Ilinalta as the sun sets.
“We are home,” you quip as you turn back to the target, wasting no time in shooting at its dead centre.
He shakes his head, “No I’m taking about Earth.”
You don’t say anything for a while.
“Honestly? No I don’t. I do miss somethings but overall, I’m happier here.”
Hongbin shifts back to the view.
“Air conditioning and phones would be nice to have again,” he murmurs, the gentle breeze rustling through his hair. The two of you haven’t explored the idea of marriage in this world, either too scared or worried that you’ll suddenly be snatched from this world too.
“True,” you sling your bow over your shoulder, knowing where his thoughts actually were. Their friends and family. Making your way over to him, you lean against the fence beside him. You sigh, “Even if I wanted to go back, the issue is how. We are able to teleport all over Skyrim, wield magic, even possessing the Thu’um. Despite all of this, it’s not strong enough to send us back. Before we took on Alduin, I came to peace with being stuck in this world.”
Hongbin shoots up, “Wait, the Elder Scrolls! What if those could help us? We should talk to Paarthurnax.”
Your heart constricts seeing him like this. It wasn’t the first time he got in this slump, but lately it’s happening more often. He started to bounce down the stairs leading to the North Road. When he looks back at you, his smile falters.
“Y/N?”
Your head falls forward, “Sorry, Hongbin. I’m heading to Solstheim in a few days. There’s been tales of a greater threat rising in the Northern part of the island. But…let me know if you are successful.” You can’t help the sad smile on your face before turning to go back inside the manor.
“Everything alright, my Thane?” Rayya asks, startling you as you close the door.
“Yes, Rayya.”
You don’t see Hongbin that night.
~~~~~~~
He never returned to the manor before you set out for the island of Solstheim. You finally had a moment to get to the bottom of the mysterious cult followers that had pursued you throughout Skyrim. Miraak, the first Dragonborn, was beginning to stage his return from Apocrypha. Although it took a while, you managed to foil his plans. As you returned to Skyrim, you couldn’t help but worry about what the afterlife will hold for you. You weren’t religious, but being the “champion” of multiple Daedric Princes did not bode well. Also, would you still go to the plains of Oblivion if you made it back to Earth? A pain settled in your heart. Hongbin. Your eyes drifted towards the Southwest as the Northern Maiden docked.
Did Hongbin manage to talk to Paarthurnax? Did he find a way? You knew couriers were good but you didn’t believe they could receive messages from other universes. Then again there were those strange letters you two always got from “a friend.”
“Thank you,” is all you say as you disembark and make your way through Windhelm. Once you were outside the city walls, you conjure up the map, quickly settling on your home, Lakeview Manor. A moment later, you are standing in front of the grand building you built with Hongbin. As you unload in your collection room after greeting the bard Llewellyn, your housecarl Rayya wanders in.
“Honoured to see you, my thane.”
“Rayya, have you seen Hongbin in the time I’ve been gone?” You asked as you hang up the last axe.
She shrugs, “Master Lee has not returned since before you left.”
You zone out, darker thoughts of what could have happened to him starting to swirl about in your mind. Shaking your head, you turn back to Rayya, “Very well. I will sleep here tonight and then I’ll be off in the morning.”
Rayya bows as you leave for your bedroom. As soon as your head hit the pillow, you were out.
~~~~~
That morning, you were off again. This time, High Hrothgar called your name. If Hongbin was going to the Throat of the World, it makes sense that he would talk to the Greybeards. As you walked into the main hall of High Hrothgar, Arngeir greets you, “Dragonborn.”
“Arngeir,” you give him a small bow, “I was wondering in Hongbin made his way through here.”
“A couple years ago, he did, yes. Asking about teleportation between universes. Although, we do not possess that kind of knowledge.”
You nod before bowing yet again, “Thank you.”
Making your way out to the courtyard, you teleport up to the Throat of the World, home of Paarthurnax.
~~~~~
“Ah, Dovahkiin. It has been a while,” the old dragon greets you as he lands upon the worn down word wall.
“Paarthurnax, my friend. How have you been?”
The dragon simply lowers his head, “Peaceful as always. But I feel that you have not come here to krosis. Talk.”
You sigh, “That is true. I’m looking for Hongbin.”
“He seeked mindoki. Knowledge. Of other worlds. We Dovah do not have such knowledge.”
You hum to yourself as you think, then an idea hits you, “Did he say anything about the College of Winterhold.”
Paarthurnax nodded, “That he did. Trust your instincts, Dovahkiin.”
You give him a bow before pulling up the map. Off to the College.
~~~~~~
“Haven’t seen him for a year now,” the old orc Urag gro-Shub grumbles, “Was going on about how this universe has so much magic but can’t travel between other universes.”
“Yup, that sounds like him,” you murmur, “Thank you anyway.”
As you turn to leave, Urag shouts, “If you find him, tell him we would like to see our Arch-mage sometimes.”
“Will do!”
Where in Oblivion is he? You don’t even bother with your map as you leave the college, preferring to walk for a change. It’s clear that he’s been busy since you were gone. Arch-mage of the college at the very least. What other faction has he joined in your absence? Your feet take you on the western road. You stumble across bandits here and there, but nothing really slows you down. It was when you arrived in Dawnstar something felt off. Making your way to the northern end of the town, you find exactly what you’re looking for. The Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary.
“What is life’s greatest illusion?” The Black Door’s raspy voice asks.
“Innocence, my brother.”
“Welcome home.”
The door opens and you walk in, taking care to be cautious. In the opening ahead, you see a familiar jester. And he sees you.
“Wait, oh wait. I know you! Yes, yes from the road! Cicero never forgets a face! And you helped me! You helped poor Cicero! You talked to Loreius, got him to fix my wheel! Oh, you may have pleased me, but you have surely pleased the Night Mother. And our mother, she will never forget.”
“So you were transporting the Night Mother? Clever way hiding it right under everyone’s noses.”
Cicero jumps up and down, “Yes! Silly guards never suspected Cicero!”
“Cicero, what are you going on about n—“
You gasp.Hongbin.
“Oh Listener, look who has joined the brotherhood!”
He looks worse for wear. His posture is slumped, his cheeks hollow and bags under his eyes.
“You little shit!” You hit him, every word punctuated by with each punch, “I go on a hunt for you all over Skyrim only to find you here in raggedy town.”
The commotion caught the attention of everyone in the sanctuary and now we had an audience. He pushes you off of him and crosses his arms, annoyance dripping from his words, “What do you expect me to do? Just sit around and wait for you to return from whatever quest you’re on?”
“Listener, why is there intruder in the sanctuary?” Nazir drew his blade.
“Silence, dear Brother,” you quickly say pulling down my scarf, “I entered here fairly. Seriously, Hongbin. Did you think I wouldn’t find you? We’re dragonborn. We stick together.”
His eyes narrow, “Just like how we did to find a way home or on your journey to Solstheim?”
“You had asked me if I wanted to go home. I did not. You were dead set on finding out if you could so I let you explore that instead of tagging along on another quest with me. There was a rising threat that had to be dealt with. With or without you and I had already made plans with the captain to leave. You never directly asked me to join you, so I didn’t want to drag you down.”
Hongbin stares at me before looking around at the faction.
“Don’t you all have contracts or work to take of?” He snaps. Everyone scrambles to get away. Nazir places a hand on Hongbin’s shoulder, not saying anything before heading down into the main hall.
“Let’s go to my room.”
He leads you down the hallways into the depths of the sanctuary. On your way, you almost run into a little girl with glowing eyes.
“What a lucky faction to have a vampire on their side,” you state, catching her off-guard.
“Wow, you realised it faster than any other member that’s joined.”
You smile, “I have a friend who’s a vampire. I also was one for a moment before I found a mage in Morthal that helped me change back into a human.”
She makes a face at that, “Why would you want to be human?”
You chuckle, “Because I don’t want Molaq Bal to have claim over my soul, but that’s just me.”
“Y/N,” Hongbin calls, standing in the doorway of his room.
Nodding at him in acknowledgement, you turn back to the girl, “We can talk later,..?”
“Babette, ma’am.”
“Talk to you later, Babette.”
As you entered the room, Hongbin closed the door behind you.
“So the last two years have not been kind to you,” you point out as you sit at the small table to the left and take in the room. It’s rather simple. A couple large bookshelves, a dresser, a mannequin and a chest in front of a double bed that’s raised on a stone platform with stairs leading up to it on each side.
“Is it that obvious?”
You give him a sad smile before sighing, “Look, I know neither of us asked for this, but Hongbin, I think it’s time that you accept that we’re a part of this world now.”
He sits across from you and doesn’t say anything for a while.
“I know you’re right. I never wanted to admit it. I didn’t want to give up hope of seeing my friends again. But…the last year kinda beat it into me. And then you were gone for so long. I did go back to the manor, but I could feel that you weren’t there. So I continued on. I found a lad in Windhelm, trying to summon the Brotherhood and accidentally accepted the contract. It’s been a wild ride from that point on.”
You reach across the table to grab his hand, stroking his knuckles with your thumb. He goes quiet again, eyes on your joined hands. After a moment of comfortable silence, he suddenly stands up.
“Well, I guess it’s time,” he declares as he saunters over to the dresser and opening the drawer, “I’m kinda glad one of my contracts had this on them so I didn’t have to buy it. Bit awkward to buy an amulet of Mara after killing a corrupt priest.”
Hongbin turns around, the amulet glistening from the torches’ light. You gasp, never expecting this from him.
“Are you..interested? In me, that is?” He gingerly asks.
You stand and make your way over to him, crashing your lips upon his.
“Yes. Since we first got here.”
He breathes a sigh of relief and kisses you again.
“You know we’re going to have to go to Riften to get married, right?”
“That I do,” he chuckles, “I also hear there’s a struggling faction down there.”
Normally when you went to the pond, there was no one to be seen. Not even any animals. It was almost as if the water had been poisoned. You had even asked your cousin about it, shocked when they had said that sirens frequent that pond. Apparently, there was a tunnel below the surface? In any case, it was the perfect spot to meditate and enjoy some peace and quiet, especially after a day of galloping through the woods.
~~~~
It had been a while since you had last came here, but damn did you need it. Your family had been pressuring you to find a suitor after your sister had gotten married last solstice and it didn’t help that she was now expecting a child here soon. You sighed as your hooves stepped into the water, finally washing off the caked on mud. The gold wrapped above your hooves glistened for the first time in a month. You couldn’t help but admire their new shine.
“Your jewellery is quite beautiful,” a soft baritone voice states.
You unsheathe your dagger as you spin to see a beautiful merman with wide ice blue eye and long blonde hair. His face reminded you of the pixies that fluttered about in the grove to the East. You don’t say anything so he continues, “I don’t mean you any harm, but if you could, would it be possible that you don’t tell anyone I’m here.”
“Why?” You ask as you pull your hooves from the water.
His head falls forward, “I needed a moment away from everything….I noticed you here a while ago, but I was nervous to say anything.”
“Is that so? But why should I trust you?”
His blue eyes bore into yours for a moment before he sighs, “Nothing I say will change your opinion, but I sincerely don’t intend to hurt anyone.”
You’re silent for a while, but this doesn’t bother the siren. He simply settles on a submerged rock a distance away and begins to pick at and inspect the grass.
“What is your name? I’m Jaehwan.”
You hesitate but your mouth answers for you, “Y/N.”
~~~~~~
Over the next few months, you and Jaehwan end up meeting at dusk. You couldn’t believe it, but every time you saw him, you found yourself falling in love with him. Just everything about him pulled you in; the way he smiled when you showed him artifacts of your people, his giggle, how his eyes sparkled in the evening sun.
One evening, the two of you finally address the elephant in the room.
“Why do you think that sirens and centaurs hate each other?” Jaehwan started.
“I don’t know about the species as a whole, but my uncle was drowned by a siren when I was a foal. Since then, my family has forbidden anyone from going close to deep water and attacked any siren that comes close to the surface.”
“Centaurs attacked us one day years ago during a trade agreement. We did nothing to initiate it. We lost quite a few good people that day. It is forbidden to go near the surface because of that day.”
You growl, “I bet it was my father. He’s twisted everyone towards his point of view. Honestly, I never got the ‘one killed one of us so they’re all bad’ mentality, but it makes me sick that he will kill sirens on sight.”
“I’m glad you’re different,” he says as he leans into your side.
~~~~~~~
It was the fourth month since meeting Jaehwan when things took a turn for the worse. Your father had learned of your nightly meetings with the siren. His fury knew no bounds and faster than you thought possible, you packed a small bag and high-tailed it from your home. You had to warn Jaehwan.
~~~~~~~
Jaehwan was there when you arrived, thankfully early.
He smiled widely, “Y/N.”
“Jaehwan, we have a problem,” you tried to catch you breath, “My dad found out.
His face fills with concern, “Then you’re saying we can no longer meet.”
Tears fill your eyes.
“I can’t let him hurt you.”
His cold hands reach for yours, “I know I haven’t said it and I don’t know how you feel, but I love you. And just like your family, my kind will have my head for this.”
“I love you, too. I will find a way for us to be together,” you squeeze his hands, “I know a couple witches in the forest. Perhaps they can help us.”
He pushes himself up to crash his lips upon yours. You swear you see tears as he pulls away, “Then until next time, my love,” is the last thing he says before sinking below the surface. You dared not stay any longer out of fear. As fast as you could, you turned to the North, running to witch’s hut.
A/N: There is a little gore in this chapter…so..uh.. fair warning (?)
~~~~~~
There was a familiarity to him, but you couldn’t place it. The prince’s dark, droopy eyes bore into yours as his advisor spun on Master Lee, “What is the meaning of this?! Were you hiding your servants from his Highness?”
Your master struggled to come up with an answer, but Sungjin, the sneaky devil was quick on his feet.
“She’s my fiancé,” he smirks, “I’m sure you can understand my desire to hide her.”
At that moment, the prince looked to his advisor.
“Minggyu,” his deep baritone reached your ears.
“Yes, you Highness?”
He turns to Minggyu, speaking in hushed tones before walking away. Minggyu turns back to Master Lee with regained composure, “The prince has chosen his bride. You shall be compensated for your service to the kingdom.”
The advisor quickly spun and made his way to you.
“Miss, if you will please follow me. Your transport is waiting for you.”
What.
He gestured to a palanquin right behind the prince’s much larger one.
WHAT?!
“Please Miss. I am not to touch you.”
That snapped you out of it. You walk right over to the palanquin and right as you were about to sit down when Master Lee ran over.
“Wait, you can’t do this!” He yells as he pushes past Minggyu, grabbing your arm harshly. He began to pull you out of the palanquin when suddenly the force wasn’t there. You fell back into the palanquin but the grip was still on your arm. That when you looked down…and screamed.
Master Lee’s hand was still holding onto you as the man wailed from the ground. MInggyu was quick to take the hand away and throw it in the dirt.
“You have touched a member of the royal family. Any compensation you were to receive is now what you are to pay back to the royal family. All of Silla will know of your family’s shame.”
The last thing you see is the raging face of Sungjin as the curtain closes and you’re lifted into the air.
Ken runs through the street with Ana not far behind, following the scream.
“What is this building?” He shouts as he skids to a stop.
“The hospital. Weren’t you here before?”
“I was a bit preoccupied that night,” he pauses, “We need to get to the basement. There’s people trapped.” With a quick nod, they race for the stairs. Sure enough, there was a group of zombies clambering over each other to break through a storage room door. What’s more noticeable is the smell of fresh human blood in the air. With a roar, Ken storms the hoard, dropping the bag to the floor, startling Ana before she joins in.
In no time they tear though the mass of zombies. Behind the door, they can hear whimpering and someone crying. With one to Ken, Ana breaks open the door with ease only to find three men curled up in the corner, the smell of blood pungent in the air.
“Ravi!? Hyuk!? Hongbin!?” Ken runs to their sides, hugging each of them, only to pause when he reached for the oldest of the three, “What are you guys doing here??”
“Looking for you!” Hyuk punched his arm.
“We overheard N-hyung’s call to the CEO. As soon as he said the city, we got on the earliest flight,” Hongbin pitches in, “Only when we arrived…”
“Those things were crawling about,” hisses Ravi, who was rather pale and was cradling his arm, “We ran here, but we barely managed to get into this room.”
Ana steps forth, “What happened to your arm?”
Ravi looks between the two before lowering his left arm. There was a good chunk bitten out of it as green veins were creep outwards. Blood oozed out, staining his shirt.
“Fuck,” Ken turns to Ana, “Can we do anything?
“I don’t know.”
“What about turning him? Would the venom be able to overcome a zombie’s?”
She stares at him before returning to look at the wound, “I don’t know. I was already a vampire when I was bitten. Maybe…”
“What the hell are you two talking about?” Snapped the youngest.
“Ana and I are vampires. Long story. Ravi?”
He stared at Ken, breathing heavily as pain shot through his body, and simply nods.
“I must warn you. This might hurt,” she says as she kneels down to grab his other arm.
“Can’t hurt more than this,” he wheezes.
She lightly chuckles before sinking her fangs into his flesh. Other than a yelp, he doesn’t react much. Ravi leans back against the wall, barely hanging on. Hyuk and Hongbin stare wide-eyed as they hide behind Ken. Ana pulls away to rip into her wrist. Ravi drinks deeply as soon as her blood touches his lips. A few minutes later, Ana pulls him away as gently leans him against the wall.
“How long do we have to wait?”
Ana shrugs, “I don’t know. Ken took overnight and I took half a year.”
Hyuk rolls his eyes, “Great, so we’re stuck here.”
“Not necessarily. Something’s telling me it won’t take long,” she stands, “Ken, stay here with him. Why don’t you two help me gather some stuff? We’ll be right back.”
The maknaes look uneasy at the idea of leaving their friend, let alone going anywhere with a vampire.
“Oh you’ll be fine, that is unless you want to be here when a new vampire wakes up.”
Hyuk and Hongbin rush to her side as she leaves the room. Cautiously, she leads them through the hallways, trying to concentrate on a specific scent. Sure enough, she found a storage room with blood and a good amount of bandages. As the guys got to work stocking up on the supplies, Ana focused on the refrigerator. Before taking any, she quickly slurped one down. Ana simply just takes all the bags she can. Why leave them to waste?
Hyuk steps in front of her, “What are you doing? The bag will be too heavy!”
She rolls her eyes, smirking, “Vampire.”
“Oh right..”
As she finished stuffing the bag, taking care to make sure nothing will break, a thud sounded in the distance. Everyone froze.
“He’s awake,” is all she says before speeding off. A minute later she returns, picking up the bag as she speaks, “He’s fine. The blood stopped the bite.”
Hyuk and Hongbin sigh in relief.
“But what now?” Hongbin’s head hangs low, “Where will we go?”
“You’re coming with us,” Ana urges them out of the room, tailing right behind, “We’re holed up in a hotel right now but we’re about to move out of the city.”
“Why out of the city?”
“Less population means less attacks and easier survival.”
Hongbin just nods before they make their way back.
When they arrived at the room, Ravi and Ken were there waiting, talking in hushed whispers.
“Trust me on this,” Ken placed a hand on the younger’s shoulder.
Ana raised an eyebrow in question.
“I’ll tell you later,” her boyfriend told her before grabbing the dropped bag from earlier, “We should get back. We’ve been gone a while.”
Along their journey, Ravi insisted that he carry the bag instead of Ana. With a roll of her eyes, she handed it over but not before saying that she owes him for the favour. He shrugs it off, “You saved my life. I’ll have to make it up to you for years to come.”
“Please don’t flirt with my girlfriend,” Ken joked as he playfully punched the younger in the arm. Right as they turned the corner, a shot rang out as Ana collapsed to the ground.
When you’re sent back to in time to early Silla, you thought that you would be stuck as a servant for an arrogant noble and his family. Then on the year anniversary, a caller from one of the prince’s comes to announce the search for a bride.
A year ago. At least that’s how long you thought it was. In any case, you had been stuck here for too damn long. All you wanted was to visit Seoul, see the sites and just enjoy a well deserved vacation, but life had other plans. So here you were, the “exotic” servant of a small village’s head noble in Silla. The only good thing about this was that your Korean skills had vastly improved. As for the family that ‘took you in’, well..simply put.. they were exactly like the rich kids at school that thought they had everything and were the shit. Master Lee was arrogant and ruled his estate with an iron fist. His wife was pregnant and has threatened you on multiple occasions for getting too close to her. She didn’t want her baby be exposed to your ‘foreignness’, treating you more like a disease than anything else. But their son. Gods their son was the worst. Sungjin would constantly harass the servants and has tried to force himself upon you several times. Gets himself a black eye almost every time.
As you went about your chores that morning, you overhear the arrival of a royal messenger. Since this was nothing new or special so you continued going about the laundry.
“All female servants to the courtyard,” Miss Song called as she walked the ground.
“What’s going on?” You whisper to Somin.
She just shrugs before your attention is drawn front. Master Lee stood tall on the small porch to the hanok.
“The king and queen have announced that they are looking for a bride for the prince. What is shocking is that every woman of the kingdom of Silla is being considered. When that day comes, all of you are to be hidden. Is that understood?”
“Yes Sir!” You all call.
~~~~~~
A Month Later:
You could hear the bells as you were huddled next to Somin. A group of you were shoved into one of the smaller buildings on the estate. You were miffed about this, but the punishment wasn’t worth it. Apparently your bladder had other plans.
“Somin, I need to go,” you shift uncomfortably, “I’ll be quick.”
“Y/N don’t! You know what Master Lee will do if he catches you!”
You sigh, “I know but I can’t hold it any longer.”
You sneak out the back door, mindful that nobody saw you. However, it was after that you should have been more careful. Right as you approached the laundry building, a voice called out, “FOUND ONE SIR!”
You freeze as the soldier ran to grab you arm, dragging you out to the open. Your eyes meet Master Lee’s before settling on the man towering over him. The prince.
~~~~~~~
A/N: So this originally was going to be Lay, but it wasn’t working out for what I had planned. Hope you liked it
Oh good. He’s here. You land next to the black cat that’s relaxing on a branch.
‘Where did you go today?’ He asks. You were thankful that your master had gifted you telepathy after meeting her now girlfriend. That’s when you met him. The black cat was laying in the sun when you two arrived to trade with the rumoured witch that lived in the woods. They clicked right away, getting so animated you had to move. As soon as you landed on the ground, Leo had bounded right over to you, sniffing you with great interest before rubbing himself all over you. Beyond that, you would just sit next to each other, waiting for you master to finish her business.
Leo was normally just happy to lay around, sometimes annoying his master by knocking things over as he walked along the shelves in the cabin. However, she seemed to be at her wit’s end so he was stuck outside most of the time. This had been concerning to you at first, but after a quick reassurance that the witch had placed a protection spell on him, you were okay with this. In fact, that gave you two more time to get to know each other. So for that month, you would swoop in and you two would explore the forest together.
‘Beyond the forest. The human village is a peculiar place at look at,’ you say as you adjusted your feathers.
‘You’re always curious about humans. Why haven’t you asked your master to transform you for a bit? It’s not that bad.’
Sometimes you get to see him as a human since his master requires his help in carrying things to the market. But still, you’ve never been a human. The very idea tended to frighten you. You’re master didn’t specialise in spells. She worked mainly with potions.
‘Well, I was also trying to help Master find something. Let’s get closer.’
You were excited. Your master had finally managed to find the perfect ring and right as you land on the windowsill, you see your master being tackled with a hug.
‘What’s happening?!’ His voice is panicked as he cries while pawing at the door.
‘They’re having alone time. Come on,’ You fly off with him yet again not far behind.
~~~~
Two Hours Laters:
“You know, I’ve always been curious but have never been able to do it. I want to see Y/N as a human,” your master says over a glass of champagne.
“Oh really?” Her fiancé asks, “It’s not that hard. Also, since she’s a familiar, it’s a little easier.”
With a wave of her hand, a weird shiver runs through you body. You flap your wings shake it, but suddenly you couldn’t get any air. Your eye line was high, but you were still on the ground.
‘Y/N, how do you like being human?’
You feel your eyes widen, moving your wings, now arms, in front of you. Your hands move as you feel the digits moving before running them all over your body.
“You too, Leo,” his master calls.
Right as you turn to face him, your eyes find his human ones. Oh.He looks different with these eyes. You could see every detail, even the small mole under his right eye. Is this really how humans see everything?? Maybe being human isn’t that bad after all.
You had gotten desperate. Your friend had managed to get a ticket for the upcoming VIXX concert but you couldn’t. Ever since you took a gap year from college, you’ve had nothing but bad luck. But a couple weeks ago, your mom had mentioned that your grandpa was interested in demonology back in the day and that a box of his stuff was in the attic. Curious, you took it upon yourself to do some digging while everyone was gone for the afternoon. You moved a bunch of boxes out of your way when you finally find it hidden in the corner. Going through the box, you find a thick book at the bottom.
“Y/N?” Your mom yelled from downstairs.
“Coming mom!”
~~~~~
After your parents turned in for the night, you begin to flip through the book. It was the usual doom and gloom that you expected but half-way through, it started going into how to summon actual demons. Biting your lip, you flipped passed the incubi, familiars, named demons to a demon of fate. All you needed was a black candle, a salt circle and a drop of blood. That…is a lot less than you were expecting. You bookmark the page and put the book under your bed. With your parents going out of town this weekend, your plans were set.
~~~~~
Saturday night and you were going back and forth. Were you really going to do this? The candle was lit. The circle was set. You had the needle in hand but was it worth it?
With a bracing deep breath, you pricked your finger. Yes. Yes it was.
As soon as your drop of blood hit the floor in the circle, you stumbled backwards as dark smoke swirled up into a man. Not just any man. It was Sanghyuk.
“What the—“
“How may I be of service?” He asks. His voice is the same but there is an echo to it, not of this earth.
“This isn’t happening.”
“Well, you did summon me, so I can assure you that this is very much happening.”
You begin to pace, frantically running your hands through your hair, “I know that, but I wasn’t expecting it to be you of all people.”
He raises an eyebrow at that, “You know me?” Hyuk then looks around the room, noticing the VIXX poster and the few albums on your bookshelf, “Ohh..I see. You’re a Starlight?”
You nod. He shuffles his feet, his suave exterior crumbling as he bites his lip. He turns away from you, mumbling to himself, “I’ve never run into this before,” Sanghyuk looks back at you, “I guess you know this part of me now. In any case, how can I be of service?”
“Well I was going to ask for a ticket to a concert, but now I don’t know.”
“VIXX’s concert?”
Shyly, you nod. He ponders for a moment, like he’s debating something. Then he nods to himself.
“For you, that would cost nothing at all,” he walks to edge of the ring, his dark eyes boring into yours. With a smirk, he extends a hand to you, “Well, do we have a deal?”
You couldn’t believe your luck. You had been on a supply run downtown undercover and had stumbled on your nemesis’s lesser known sidekicks. It was said that he rarely left the [fortress] so you couldn’t really pass up this opportunity, even if you were on vacation.
With a simple bit of acting, he had offered to help you with a “problem.”
~~~~~
“So what problems were you having again?” Hongbin asks as you approached the front door. His exhausted voice was a nice baritone, you had to admit.
“I swear the guy before had set up my pc wrong. It’ll turn on but my monitor and speakers don’t work and I’ve tried everything I could,” you smoothly lie.
As soon as he walks into the main hall, you press a button on your watch, locking down the room. Robotic arms wrap around Hongbin, bringing him to his knees, preventing him from escaping.
He looks at you, confused and only slightly worried. You raise a brow at his less that underwhelming reaction, “For someone working under Rovix, you’re not really cautious, are you? Not only that, but you don’t seem worried about the predicament that you’re in.”
He doesn’t say anything but continues to stare at you.
“I do wonder what Rovix will do. Probably won’t like that his sidekick got so foolishly kidnapped,” you chuckle to yourself.
“Bold of you to assume that he cares about me. Trust me. He won’t come,” he deadpans.
You bend down to meet his eye, smirking with a low voice, “We’ll see about that.”
~~~~~
It had been one week since you sent Rovix that taunting message of your hostage, but nothing. Not a single word. You eyes drift to the video feed of Hongbin in his cell. He was curled up on his bed, head resting on his knees, definitely not wanting to be there but seemed resigned to this being his life now. And as the days went on, you would catch him crying himself to sleep over the coms.
Something twinged in your heart. ‘What was his life before?’
~~~~~
Two months later:
“Come now Rovix! You’re normally so put together!” You yell as you fly through the sky, evading his attacks no problem, “Maybe if you still had Hongbin by your side, you wouldn’t be so clumsy.”
The hero takes aim, hitting your side with one of his lasers. Pain erupted throughout your body as you scream. Quickly, you hide yourself on a rooftop long enough to grab the healing sealant from your belt to spray it over the wound before dodging yet another strike.
“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” he snarls as he gets closer.
You take off.
“Shame. Seemed like you would’ve cared for your team,” you shout back whilst deploying an explosion that severed the top off a building. ‘That’ll keep him busy.’ Taking your chance, you make your escape.
~~~~~
Limping through the door, you make it about 5 steps before collapsing to the ground.
“Y/N!”
You felt hands grab at you but you couldn’t make them out before darkness took you.
~~
When you woke, you were in your bed. Your memory may be fuzzy but you definitely don’t remember making it to your room. As you adjust yourself, you hiss at the pain. It was slightly better but not by much.
“Oh good, you’re awake.”
You turn to see Hongbin drying his hands as he walks back from the bathroom. “You had me worried there.”
Your brows furrow at that, “Why would you be worried? Aren’t I your captor? Anyone in their right mind would’ve taken that opportunity to escape.
He goes quiet for a while, eyebrows scrunched in thought before he kneels and leans toward you before taking your hand to place it behind his head. You were confused until you felt it. Right under your fingers was a small hard bump in the shape of a square.
“What?” The word escape you.
He pulls away, letting your hand fall, and sits back, but doesn’t meet your eye as he begins, “A couple years ago, when I was seriously injured in a fight, I took on a sidekick to help manage the rising crime rate. He did well but we clashed when it came to morals. By the time I was fully healed, I didn’t realise what he had done.”
“What are you talking about?”
Hongbin meets your gaze, “Y/n, I am Rovix. The one you always fought until just over a year ago. Sejun had this inhibitor chip put in where it reduces my abilities so I couldn’t stop him. He kept me hidden in the base but the one day I snuck out, you found me. I didn’t realise it at first. I couldn’t remember you, but as time went on, I began to remember.”
“Do you think it has something to do with the chip?” You suggested, “I can try to remove it if you would like?”
“The world is so different to me now,” Hongbin stands and walks over to the window, “I guess I never noticed during my career just how much the people didn’t like me. They fell in love with Sejun; The hero that kills. That’s what they want. Not someone who sees those that terrorise people as the ones who need help finding their way. It’s made me think during my time here,” he turns back to you, “Perhaps I’ve had a change of heart.”
You couldn’t help the smirk that graced your lips.
~~~~~
“After months, you finally show your face again, Void! Were you too scared?” Taunts Rovix.
You can only laugh at that. The jetpack lifts you up to the spire of the Grand Terminal.
“And for a so-called hero, you don’t really put an effort into your duties.”
“What are you on about?” He flies up to you, piercing blue eyes meeting yours.
“You know, I don’t remember Rovix’s eyes being blue. They were always brown.”
And that’s when they turned red, but before you could move, a beam of dark light shoots up between you. Rovix backs up, startled but you can only smirk.
“Guess what big boy,” You kick off the spire, “I know your secret.”
You take off, booking it through the winding streets of downtown as lasers shoot passed you. Feeling your watch buzz, you take a sharp turn to send the signal before heading for the spot.
Just as you were almost there, Rovix manages to hit your jetpack, the explosion sending straight for the stone steps of city hall. Strong arms catch you before placing you down.
“No, it cannot be,” gasps Rovix, “You died.”
Hongbin chuckles darkly at that, “That’s what you thought.”
Over the last two months after you healed enough to operate your tech, you removed his chip. The burst of Hongbin’s power surprised the two of you, but where he used to have a bright shimmering light to his entire body, there was a dark flame. Everything about his power seemed to have transformed into the more aggressive variety. He felt powerful.
You got up to stand proudly next to him (forever patting yourself on the back for prior thinking about explosion when designing your suit).
“You see, when I sent that ransom video all those months ago, I thought you would’ve jumped at the opportunity to save one of your men. But he’s not yours. Youwerehis.”
“And now it’s time to repay the favour,” Hongbin begins to fly up to Rovix’s level, “Hwang Sejun.”
At that, Sejun roars with laughter, “YOU? What are you going to do? You couldn’t even stop criminals from tearing up the city, let alone kill anyone.”
“I gave them the chance to redeem themselves. To better themselves. You take that choice from them. You took it from me.”
With that, Hongbin pounces, driving Rovix straight into the atmosphere. You couldn’t see them anymore but the clouds would burst with light like a lightning storm. Squinting your eyes, driving your contacts to zoom in, you saw just in time Hongbin drive a powerful blow to Rovix’s sternum. Rovix’s body fell to the ground below, landing a fair few feet away from you, the hole left from Hongbin charred from his power.
You hear him land behind you, “Cutting it a little close weren’t you?”
He was bloody, covered with cuts everywhere and you could see a few bruises starting to form but overall he was okay.
“You would’ve moved. I knew you were watching,” he smirks back at you as he cups your jaw.
You couldn’t help yourself as you moved in to kiss him. He pulls back wincing in pain as you hit a cut on his lip, but he quickly kissed you back gently.
“He killed him! Lord help us! Rovix is dead!” The people wailed.
Hongbin pulls away to look out at the cityfolk gathering at a distance, before wrapping his arms around your waist and rising to the air.
“Your hero has been dead for years! You can thank yourselves for that. Now this is our city and you will pay for turning your backs on the light!” He yells to them as the clouds above darken and lightning shoots down in a flurry.
“Let’s go home,” you tell him, “We can deal with them tomorrow.”
With one more kiss, he takes off as you hold on tight.
“Where! Have! You! Been!” You punctuated every word with each hit, “It’s been months since I’ve last heard from you and the only time we’ve seen each other was weeks ago when I came here about Hyuk!”
He takes the onslaught of your hits for a moment more before gently grabbing your hands, “I know, Y/N and I’m sorry I haven’t reached out. I’ve been preoccupied.”
Before you can say anything, Hongbin speaks up, “Just so you know, this potion has to simmer for a while. Why don’t you two go catch up. I’ll send Ravi for you when it’s done.”
You see Leo mouth ‘thank you’ before leading you from the cabin. You stay back a little, watching Leo as the two of you walk a decent amount away from the cabin. Suddenly he stops, taking a deep breath before starting, “Listen…”
“Where were you, Leo?” You cut him off, crossing your arms, “Why didn’t I hear from you? I know I haven’t been much better, but I can’t help that from within the palace. You, however, could’ve at least given Hongbin a letter or something.” As much as you hated to admit it, it hurt that he didn’t make an effort to contact you.
“I’m sorry I’ve been away. My home life has been…hectic and now with what happened with Hyuk. I..I don’t have an excuse for not reaching out,” he turns to meet your eyes, looking worn down, “Though I have missed you dearly.”
Taking your hand in his, he lifts it to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on your fingers.
“You could’ve told me what was going on. At least I could give you a listening ear,” you place your hand on top of his, leaning your forehead against his own. You stand there in comfortable silence, simply taking in each other’s presence.
“You’re right,” he murmurs after a while before pulling away to brush the fallen strands of hair out of your face, “So allow me to tell what’s been happening.”
He explains that he’s expected to take up the family business and how he’s been pushed and pulled around by coworkers and family that he wants to quit. He sits against a tree, head hanging low once he’s done venting.
“So why don’t you? It sounds like it’s more trouble than it’s worth,” you tell him as you sit next to him.
“If I did, it would get run into the ground and I don’t want that to happen. I care a lot for the people that work there. Plus it would greatly hurt the empire,” he lightly laughs at that bit, but it’s sounds empty.
“‘Hurt the empire’? What are you an heir to throne?” You jest.
“Something like that,” he smirks back at you, “What’s palace life been like? Hongbin just yells at me whenever I ask him.”
“What, does he say ask me yourself?”
“Yeah,” he laughs with you.
You look off to the side, the merriment dissipating as you sigh, “To be honest, it’s been weird. I’m starting to get scared of being there. The prince began having these sessions with us, but he never speaks during them. I haven’t even seen his face yet. Then, at random times, screams echo throughout the halls….It sounds like they’re getting tortured.”
Arms wrap around you, dragging you fully into his lap as Leo embraces you.
“I know I can’t do much since we’re barely around each other as it is, but perhaps this can give you some comfort,” he pulls away and pulls a ring off his finger before taking your hand and sliding it onto your index finger. It’s a dazzling rings with silver angel wings embracing a deep blue sapphire.
“May it protect you in times of trouble,” he murmurs into your neck. Right as you turn to look at him, you meet his eye. His gaze is warm and welcoming as his dark eye flicker down at your lips. He dives in, capturing your lips in a tender kiss. You couldn’t help the surprised noise that escape you but you quickly melted into the kiss. Pulling away, you try to catch your breath before kissing him again. He pulls away this time, leaning his head against yours, “I’m sorry that I made you feel like I wasn’t interested in you anymore. Trust me when I say I won’t leave you.”
You give him a quick peck on the lips, “I forgive you.”
He goes quiet for a moment before taking a bracing breath, “Y/N, there’s something I need to t-“
Ravi clears his throat, “Sorry to interrupt but Hongbin has finished the potion.”
Leo’s head falls forward.
“Very well,” he stands, offering you his hand.
Taking it, he effortlessly pulls you up, “You were saying?”
“Nevermind. It can wait,” he softly smiles. You eye him suspiciously before heading towards the cabin as Ravi stayed back with Leo. Right as you were walking into the cabin, you overhear Ravi say, “Your hair was starting to change.”
What does he mean by that?
~~~~~~
It was during beginning of another session when something out of the normal happened. You both were in your usual spots, reading a book this time, then councilman Jaehwan barges in out of nowhere, “L- YOuR HigHNEss!”
Your book flies out of your hand. You can barely hear them. Man, you wished you were a vampire just so you could hear them.
Wait a minute.
Your eyes narrowed at that. Never have you felt the urge to be a vampire, especially given recent events, even more so that you were in the presence of the crown prince and not Leo. But something in your gut was telling you it was okay.
Jaehwan hurried over to you, quickly bowing before apologising, “I’m quite sorry, Miss Y/N, but I have something to discuss with his Highness in private. May I ask you to leave?”
“Um, okay?”
He helps you stand after you gather up your things before leaving.
~~~~~~~
Ju-ang and you were relaxing in the lounge between your rooms in what had become your free evening. After the Jaehwan’s weird interruption, you settled next to her on the couch, telling her what had happened.
“Weird. I wonder what he was desperate to talk to the prince about. Isn’t he usually upbeat and loud?”
“Yeah, he is,” you couldn’t help but wonder if it had to do with Hyuk. Everyone knew Jaehwan watched over the younger vampire but was the prince in on it?
“Did you hear the new gossip going around?”
You shake your head. She looks at the door before leaning in to whisper, “Some of the girls believe that the screams are because of the Crown Prince. That he’s taking the girls he rejects and keeps them for food.”
“What?” You shift in your spot, unsettled, “That doesn’t make sense. Why would he then order us to have body guards?”
Ju-ang tilts her head, “Y/N, that order came from the Queen Dowager. Chelsea has one of the order scrolls.”
Putting aside your notebook, you curl further in to your blanket, “That’s not what I heard from Ravi and he used to be his personal guard. Even so, I don’t get a bad feeling from the prince when we’re in sessions. Granted he never says anything to me. Never even heard his voice.”
“Says you. He won’t stop asking me questions about everything. It’s really unsettling. Especially when he brings up humans and death.”
“What??”
Before she can respond, a scream rips through the air. You both freeze, fear paralysing you. Just as you scramble to your feet to go get Hongbin’s potion, the doors burst open as Ravi falls to the ground, fighting off a blurry figure.
You try to sneak around them, pulling Ju-ang with you, however your feet had other plans. Tripping over your skirt, you fall straight into an end table, shattering the vase. Pain erupts from your arm as the pungent smell of blood fills the air and the assailant freezes. You gasp.
Hyuk.
His wide bright red eyes lock onto your wound and right as he pounces, the window shatters. A young woman barrels through, skidding to a stop in front of you two, waving her whip around before aiming right for the younger vampire. The whip digs into Hyuk’s neck, stopping him just shy of a foot from you.
You couldn’t breathe. You had to get out of there.
“Y/N, NO!” Yells Ravi but you can barely hear him as you run away. Clutching at the ring, you race through the halls, trying to get to the garden. If you could at least get to the tree line, but nothing was looking familiar, logic far from your mind. Frantically, your eyes search the walls for a familiar painting, sculpture, anything. Did you make a right turn there or a left? The screams echoing in your head would not leave you alone.
Right as you turn the corner, you run into something hard.
“Y/N?,” a familiar voice stammered. Your eyes widen as you look up to meet Leo’s bright red eyes.
This continued on for the months that followed. Any time Ryn needed to leave the village, Ravi would join. In the times away, she would switch between training him in tracking and how to handle the blade. Just like this trip, the sword felt heavy in his hand but the weight was becoming more and more familiar with each passing day. But as he barely managed to block her swing, sending him to the ground, a soft voice rasped, “At least you learn fast.”
Ravi stares at Ryn, eyes wide. “You…spoke?”
She rolls her eyes before swinging again. Ryn didn’t speak again that trip or even for a while after, but if she didn’t have his attention before, she certainly did now.
~~~~
One night as Ravi served up the venison stew he made to the crew, he told the four of them his life in 2019, of the people he missed and world he knew. He also told them his actual name, preferring to go by Wonshik.
“You’re from 2020?” Berrin asks.
Wonshik’s brows furrowed, “Yeah?”
“Looks like we found our new recruit!” Leif and Berrin clank their wooden cups together, cheering.
“What?”
“Everyone here is from around the world at different times. Neri, our chief, has been here the longest out of anyone. He was from Italy, studying Norse history at college before being teleported. No one knows why we’re chosen and not everyone that is teleported makes it to us. All we know is that we all usually come from years of 5. I’m from 2010. Berrin is from 1915 and Ryn is from 2015,” explained Leif.
Wonshik looks at them, his brain screaming that this was impossible and yet…it made sense. No one batted an eye at him when he first arrived and there was always a feeling of acceptance, aside from being forced to serve Ryn.
Later that night Wonshik snuck off to Leif house in search of answers. The older let him into the main room, the fire giving the room a dim glow.
“What’s this all about?” He asked with a tired sigh.
“Ryn spoke last time we went out. Has she always been able to speak?”
Leif’s eyes widen for a second before a small smile graces his lips. “It means that she’s really starting to trust you. Yes she can speak but it’s up to her when she does. It’s not my place to tell you her past but I will tell you this: It began after her Trial.”
“Her Trial?”
Leif nods, “It’s how you truly join the Clan and become one like us.”
~~~~~
Since then, he hasn’t been able to think of much. He looks down at Ryn who’s leaning close to the branch, arrow pulled back, ready to aim.
“I know you asked.”
“Huh?” Gasps Wonshik, caught off guard by the comment.
“There’s more to the Clan than meets the eye.”
“How so?”
Ryn looks up at him before looking back. Wonshik groans, “How am I to know if you won’t tell me?”
The arrow flies from her bow; A deer cries out in the distance. Without another word, she descends from the tree. Wonshik sighs again before trailing after her.
As he cleans the deer, Ryn reaches her arm out for a raven to land. Attached to its feet was a small piece of paper with only two words: Vidar Knows.
Get away. Get away. Get away. You just had to get away. Your heart was pounding as you raced amongst the trees. As you rounded a large oak, the edge of your long skirt caught on a bush, yanking you to the ground.
“Where are you??” The gruff voice of your to-be-husband screamed. With a renewed surge of adrenaline, the fabric rips in your fists, freeing you from the foliage. You bolt, now able to run fully without restriction. You didn’t want this. Not like this. Today was supposed to be the happiest day of your life..or so you were told. But your parents were impatient and put you in an arranged marriage. Of course they didn’t bother to learn about who they signed their child to. You had heard rumours and you had hoped they weren’t true but when he showed up the ceremony smelling strongly of alcohol, you couldn’t take it. So you ran.
You don’t know how long you had been running but just as you were about to collapse, something caught your eye.
There.
In the distance were ruins, overgrown with various plants. Perhaps you could hide there? But as you ran for it, you didn’t see the ring of mushrooms circling the stony structure. Rounding the corner, you slip and fall. Wasting no time, you manage to crawl under a pile of vines. They barely covered you, but you hoped it was enough.
“Who are you?” A baritone voice as smooth as honey inquired, sending shivers down your spine. You turn to see a man towering over you, his clothes made from giant leaves and what looked like petals in some areas. There was something under the cloak he wore but you couldn’t exactly see what. The man’s hair fell into his bright blue eyes, but the most startling thing about his eyes was his pupils, sharp feline slits. Definitely not human.
“Who are you?” He asks again. There was concern in his eyes as he knelt beside you.
As his hand raised towards you, your eyes fell upon the tattoo on his skin, an eye encompassed by a triangle, the iris matching his own eyes. His fingers meet your jaw and you can’t help but flinch. His brows furrow, but he pulls away.
“Y/N!! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU??” Your fiancé stumbled amongst the trees nearby. The suddenness startles the stranger causing bright blue butterfly wings to snap out from the cloak as he looks off in the distance. He kneels over you, shielding you as your fiancé stomps by, grumbling to himself.
The moment the two of you can no longer hear him, the man (or you guess fairy) removes himself from you, walking away. When he returns, handing you a leaf filled with water, he nods at you to drink. You’re so parched that you didn’t stop to think. As soon as the water trickles down your throat, specks of light begin to shimmer in the air around you. In fact, the cuts on your arms and legs begin to mesh back together until there was no trace of a wound other than the trails of blood.
“He will not find you here. Now that you have consume something of my world, you can never leave. I’m sorry, but it was the only thing I could thing of.”
You crawl out from under the vines and look out at where he was. Instead, there was a wall of the same shimmering light radiating from the line of mushrooms.
“May I know your name?” The man asks you, pulling your attention away from the light. He stands near a doorway in the ruins, holding his hand out to you.
“Y/N. What about you? What’s yours?”
“Sanghyuk,” he says as you take his hand.
Turning your back on the world, you let him lead through the door, feeling a tingling sensation throughout your body as wings grow from your back to match his.
Maybe, just maybe, this was better than what you could’ve hoped for.
It was just as Tolan said as you approached mountain. Smoke rose from the side of the mountain as the remains of the Hall of the Vigilant still burned. Tolan had mentioned that the Hall was burnt down a while ago, so you didn’t investigate. You did spot a few corpses scattered outside, but no Tolan in sight.
“Shit.”
You start to run up the mountain along the winding path, following the trail of splattered blood. Stopping outside the entrance, you kneel down to the dead Nord leaning against the lit torch, a pendent of Stendarr dangling from his neck. Tolan wouldn’t have waited upon seeing this, a dark feeling settling in your gut. Drawing your sword, you quietly enter the cave.
Sunlight filled the cavern from gaps in the ceiling. Across from your small outcropping, Nordic ruins formed a gate leading further into the crypt. A small waterfall to the left falls to the stream below. What looked like a dog stayed in front of the closed gate, but smoke surrounded its form.
Making sure to keep quiet, you kept close to the ground, using the shadows to your advantage. That’s when two voices reached your ear from the distance.
“These Vigilants never know when to give up,” a gruff nobleman’s voice spat, “I thought we’d taught them enough of a lesson at their hall.”
“To come in here alone…a fool like the rest of them,” a woman agreed, her voice deep and smooth like honey.
Tolan. Slowly, you creep behind the giant pillars until you were near the gate. The dog had yet to spot you, but the other two were far enough away. So you stab the hound before he can alert them.
“He fought well though. Jeron and Bresoth were no match for him.”
The woman chuckled, “Ha. These two deserved what they got. Their arrogance had become insufferable.”
“All this talk is making me thirsty. Perhaps another Vigilant will wander in soon,” groaned the man.
“I wish Lokil would hurry it up. I have half a mind to return to the castle and tell Harkon what a fool he’s entrusted this mission to.”
“And I have half a mind to tell Lokil of your disloyalty.”
“You wouldn’t dare. Now shut up and keep on watch,” she threatened before turning to walk back your way. Hiding behind the pillar, you waited, listening closely.
You jump out, quickly ramming your sword through her chest.
“Who’s there?!”
Scrambling to your feet, you just barely miss the spike of ice that wizzed past your head. Pulling out your dagger, you take aim, throwing it at him. You don’t care if you missed but it bought you time. He turns, if for but a brief moment, giving you the opening you needed. With all your might, you bring your Elven sword down, cutting him in half.
Taking a moment to collect yourself, you look around, spotting the chain to open the gate. After riffling through the vampires’ pockets (finding a fair bit of septims too), you turn to continue on, only to stumble across Tolan’s body next to two other vampires.
With a heavy sigh, you kneel by his side. Reaching over, you gently close his eyes before sending a quick prayer to Stendarr for him.
As you stand, you murmur to yourself that you might as well carry on. Going through the gate, you continue along the path. A small creek flows through, taking over the footpath of the tunnel before opening into an open area. Creaking reached your ears, instinct driving you to draw your sword.
Ahead were three skeletons quickly taking aim. You chuckle to yourself. Skeletons were nothing. Your sword was swift, cutting through their spines with ease, canceling the magic within. As they crumbled to the ground, the sound of another gate opening echoes in the air. A vampire runs at you, her hand hands glowing red as she focuses on you. Dizziness sets in, making you lose your footing a bit.
Just as she approached you with a dagger, you grab the one from your thigh, jamming it into her neck. She collapses to her knees, coughing up black blood. With a swing of your sword, you let gravity pull the blade right through her.
Continuing onwards through the tunnels, you end up in an open room that’s in fairly good repair. Across from you is a doorway set back between two columns with large gargoyles on top. This wasn’t like any other cave you’ve ventured into before. What is down here?
The room didn’t have much in it when you opened the door. There was a pedestal with a ruined book on top but that was really it amongst the rubble.
A nearby voice reaches your ears. “I’ll never tell you anything, vampire. My oath to Stendarr is stronger than any suffering you can inflict on me,” the man promised. Sneaking out onto the balcony, you spot a man in rags on his knees. In front of him stood two vampires, a woman and a man. The man paces in front his prisoner.
“I believe you, Vigilant. And I don’t think you even know what you’ve found here. So go and meet your beloved Stendarr,” the sinister voice of the man taunted right before he slits the man’s throat.
As they walk away, you were slightly taken aback by the vastness of this cavern, proudly shrouding the circular plateau surrounded by a lake from the outside world. Various archways decorated the plateau, hiding the center from your view.
“Are you sure that was wise, Lokil? He still might have told us something. We haven’t gotten anywhere ourselves with…,” questioned the woman. Ah so this was Lokil. You make your way quietly down the stairs to the balcony’s right.
“He knew nothing. He served his purpose by leading us to this place. Now it is up to us to bring Harkon the prize. And we will not return without it. Vingalmo and Orthjolf will make way for me after this,” he spat.
“Yes, of course Lokil. Do not forget who brought you the news of the Vigilants’ discovery.”
You could hear his smirk, “I never forget who my friend’s are. Or my enemies.”
“Master!” Yells a voice next to you right before you’re tackled to the ground. Flames erupt from your hand, throwing him off of you. Drawing your sword, you slice right across his abdomen up to his shoulder. Rich red blood seeps out as he falls to the ground. A human? You can’t stop to wonder what he was about as Lokil and his partner rush at you, sparks emanating from his hands.
You dodge a fireball, shooting frost back at the woman. As she cries out, her hand frozen, Lokil takes aim with his dagger. Seeing an opening, you swing hard, guiding the blade through his neck. As his head rolls to the ground, you shoot frost once more before jumping up, driving your sword through her chest.
Panting as you wipe your sword, you go back over to the man that Lokil had slain earlier. There wasn’t much left on him but as you go to turn away, you spot something under his leg. Moving him out of the way, you snag the journal, flipping through the pages. ‘Notes on Dimhollow Crypt’ by Adalvald. So this was Adalvald. Shame, You thought to yourself as you cross the bridge.
As you pass under the first row of arches, you notice lines on the floor branching from the pedestal in the middle. Smaller pedestals were strewn about along the lines. Of course there was a button on the central one. With a sigh you press the button on the center pedestal. A spike rips through your hand. Purple light shoots up from the circle line but only one of the lines. Yanking your hand away as the spike retracts, you take in the light while you wrap cloth around the wound. The light went to the first pedestal that you had passed. Then it stopped along the line where the next one was but that pedestal wasn’t lit. Walking over to it, you give it a slight nudge. The pedestal glides easily to where the light hit the line. Instantly, it lit up, continuing onto the next line.
So you go around moving them to their respected positions. When it came to the last one, the light glows brighter as it reconnects to the center. Suddenly, the ground begins to shake as the floor lowers a bit and a stone monolith rises from middle.
You don’t move for a moment before walking towards it. Right before you can touch it, one of its walls lowers…only to reveal a man inside dressed in the same vampiric armour the others were wearing. He falls to his knees, letting you see the Elder Scroll on his back. As he stumbles back to his feet,his gaze finally falls upon you, his eyes a bright glowing yellow. “Unh..where is..who sent you?” His honey voice asks.
“Who were you expecting?”
He shrugs, “I was expecting someone ..like me at least.”
“Are you a….?”
“Vampire? Yes.”
“Why were you locked away like this?” You inquire. Perhaps you should have read Adalvald’s notes after all.
“That’s…complicated,” he wavers, “And I’m not totally sure I can trust you. But if you want to know the whole story, help me get back to my family’s home. Should be on an island west of Solitude. By the way.. my name is Hakyeon. Good to meet you.”
