“It’s a butterfly, Hyung.” He said as the other stared at the insect with intricate blue wings that had decided to settle peacefully on his index finger.

“A butterfly.” He whispered, “How fascinating.” He stared at the creature that seemed to stare back in as much curiosity as the man had possessed, before fluttering away to join the rest of its companions that were flying to the north.

“Will you be alright on your own?”

He nodded and smiled, “You should trust me more, Sungjong.” He smiled warmly. “I’ll be fine.”

The younger nodded and smiled, “Okay, I’ll be back with food. Stay safe.”

The man nodded. As soon as he left, the man made his way to the garden at the back of his house. He inhaled the sweet scent of the flowers that blossomed that spring, smiling in content as he heard the birds chirp gleefully above him.

A low murmuring was heard from the outside, making the man turn in curiosity. He remembered Sungjong’s urgent requests of always locking the door to prevent strangers entering. Immediately, he rushed inside, locking every door, and hiding behind the curtains, as he watched two passer-bys carrying a what had seemed to be a sleeping male, if it weren’t for the wooden stick that protruded from his lower torso.

“Where is this place?” One asked. He saw the various models of arrows in a tube on his back suggesting that he was the one who had inflicted the wound on the sleeping male.

“I don’t know. But it would do.” The other said. He noticed a prominent scar that began on his right temple, grimly making its way pass his eye and down to the middle of his cheek. He could tell that it was healed, but the mark was indented on his face for the rest of his life. The man looked around, and he immediately hid, pressing his back against the wall, as his heart palpitated in fear.

“Do you know who he is?” The arrow man asked.

“No. But I need to know how he knows my name.”

“But what about the cursed angel?”

“We’ll capture him after he wakes up.”

He hadn’t realized that he was holding his breath, until he felt suffocated and gasped for air. He knew what the outsiders called him.

But he didn’t know why they wanted to capture him.

~

“Sungyeol?” Sungjong shouted as he made his way to the house with two freshly killed deers he was dragging behind him, “Sungyeol?” The atmosphere was quieter than usual, but at the same time, seemed disrupted and invaded. Dropping the dead meat onto the ground once inside the gate, he curled his fingers around his blood stained machete as he crept behind the garden.

“Don’t. Move.” A deep voice said behind him, pressing a katana close to his neck. Sungjong slowly let go of the weapon and placed his hands up.

“This is my house.”

“Let us borrow your supplies.”

“You think I’d let you use my things after threatening me like this?” The blade pressed harder against his neck and he tried his best to act unaffected by the sudden action.

“He’s losing blood. I don’t think he’d survive if we don’t tend to his wounds now.” A new voice interrupted, stopping as his saw the scene. “Myungsoo.” He hissed, “What the heck are you doing.”

The said man shot one last look at the feminine male, before sliding his weapon back.

“M-Myungsoo?” Sungjong said aloud, resulting in the two strangers to look at him, “Myungsoo as in the lost child?”

“Excuse me?”

Sungjong’s head snapped to the entrance where the second male entered from, “Is there an injured person here?”

The other nodded, “I’m sorry for his behavior, but we really need to borrow your first aid kit.”

“We don’t have one.” He said. “Where is he?”

“You don’t have a first aid kit?” Myungsoo asked, “Don’t you get hurt.”

Sungjong stared at him, “That’s my business and not yours.” He shot back before rushing.

“Hyung!” He exclaimed, rushing over him, “He’s shot.” He whispered, before turning furiously to the strangers, “Who shot him.”

The other stepped forward with his head bowed, “I’m sorry, it was my fault. I thought he was going to attack.”

Sungjong glared, before turning back, “At least nothing vital was hit.” He said, after feeling around the wound. “Leave now.”

“But we-”

“Leave.” Sungjong shouted.

“No.” Myungsoo replied, “I’m not leaving until I know who he is.”

“He’s no one.”

“How did he know my name then?”

Sungjong’s eyes widened as his eyes averted to the unconscious male.

“He knows me, doesn’t he?”

“Leave.” Sungjong begged weakly, “And come back in a week’s time. He will be alive.”

Once the men were forced out, Sungjong quickly dragged the body inside, “Sungyeol!” He shouted again, seeing the taller male slowly step forward, the light from the sun shining on him, making him look as though he was glowing.

“There were men outside.” He whispered, “They said they were going to capture me. Why? Why do they want to capture me?” He asked, frightened.

“They won’t. Over my dead body.”

“Sungjong…”

“They shot Sunggyu. We have to heal him.”

Sungyeol shook his head, “I-I can’t.”

“Why? Hyung, he’s dying.”

Sungyeol raised his hand to show the intricate, white feathers that had grew on his pale skin.

“A-Already?” Sungjong gasped.

He nodded, “It’s a full moon tonight. I have no powers.”

“For how long this time?”

“I don’t know. But they’ve been progressively longer lately.”

“Sunggyu won’t survive for this long.”

Sungyeol stared at the man, “I can do this.”

“No Sungyeol, you can’t. Not when you’re like this.”

“I can do it. Nothing vital got hit right?”

He nodded, “Only muscle.” He confirmed.

Sungyeol nodded, “I can do this. Make sure you look after him while I’m gone.”

“Hyung, your transformation will become longer if you meddle with your powers now. We can just pray that you transform faster this time.”

“We can’t just sit and pray all the time, Sungjong!” He yelled in anger, “We have to at least try.”

“But what if you change permanently this time?” He retorted, “We’ll never break the curse! The Heavens will be cursed for eternity.”

“This won’t be permanent.” He promised, “I’ll be back in less than a week. Close the curtains.” He ordered, and with that, he sat down, cross-legged, beside the elder and hovered his hands above the wound. A bright blue light could be seen conjuring from his hands, as it swiftly seeped its way into the wound, closing it right before their eyes. The unconscious male suddenly took a gasp of breath, before relaxing.

“Is it done?”

Sungyeol’s eyes were still fixated on the sleeping male, “I think it is.”

“Are you okay?”

He forced a smile to hide the excruciating pain he felt under his chest and nodded, “I’m okay. I’m going to go rest a bit. But, can you do me a favour?”

“What is it?”

“This time, can you lock me underground?”

“Sungyeol?”

“I-I can’t continue to go on a rampage like this. You have to lock me up.” He begged, “For the sake of the people’s lives, Please. No matter how much I thrash around, don’t let me out.”

Sungjong nodded, “Okay.”

“And…” He began.

“What else?”

He looked up, “Tie me up.”

Sungjong sighed and stared  at the calendar, “There’s 87 days left. We won’t be able to do anything for at least 21 days of them.” He sighed, “Will we be okay?” He asked at the closed door.

Sungyeol gasped in pain, as he gripped onto the hem of his shirt tightly, the shackles of the metal cuffs rattling loudly in the echoing basement. His back curled upwards, as though trying to stop the transformation, only to have his skin teared open to let his wings rip out. The feathers on his skin were growing faster than he had ever seen, hurting more than ever.

It felt like eternity until the pain stopped and the human sized bird laid weakly on the cold floor, its eyes red with evil and darkness as he sought for prey.

Hope you enjoyed! 

Stay safe~