“W-What happened?” He croaked out, looking at his friend who was avoiding his gaze. “Woohyun?” He asked in pain.

“Are you okay?” The said man asked back, obviously still unable to process the ordeal.

“I’ve seen better days.” Myungsoo replied, wincing as he tried to pull himself.

“You shouldn’t do that.” Woohyun quickly said. “Besides, you practically died, I don’t think you should overdo it.”

“Died?”

“You don’t remember?”

Myungsoo blinked, staring at the other blankly. “I remember… A bright blue light.” He concluded.

“It’s better if you just let him explain.” A new voice interrupted, resulting in the two men to turn their heads to him.

Woohyun stood up, seeing the tall male with his head bowed down behind Sunggyu, “Sunggyu.” He breathed out.

“Explain what?” Myungsoo added, confused at the serious atmosphere.

“Do you mind…” Sungyeol whispered to Woohyun.

“Look after him.” He replied back, before standing up and leaving with the elder.

“How are you feeling?”

“Like .” Myungsoo replied groggily, “I don’t remember anything.”

“It’s common to forget.” He replied.

“Did something happen? Something that’s unexplainable?” He asked, “Is that why everyone’s staring at me like that?”

“Like what?”

“Pitifully.” He spat.

“No one’s looking at you like that.” He whispered, “They’re just afraid.”

“Of what?”

“Of me.” Sungyeol replied almost instantly, taking the man off guard.

“Why? Aren’t you in the same boat as everyone else?”

“I’ve heard of many things as I grew up.” Sungyeol replied, ignoring the question. “That he’s beautiful. He’s manipulative. He’d kill you. He’s dangerous… Do you believe that?” He asked, showing no more emotion in his eyes.

“What?” Myungsoo felt more than confused, and he felt the hairs slowly prickle up, as his surroundings felt colder and hostile.

“He’s cursed. He’s an angel, stuck in the human world. He’s not really an angel. Nor is he a human. He’s really nobody, but everybody relies on him.”

“The cursed angel?” Myungsoo uttered out.

“The cursed angel.” Sungyeol repeated grimly, “Do you believe in him?”

“I’ve spent my whole life hearing stories about him. How could I not?”

“You said you spent your life trying to find him. So you could kill him. Why?”

“They say that he was the reason why this country was filled with evil. They said that to break this curse, he must die.” Myungsoo replied.

“You believe that?”

“That’s what everyone says.” Sungyeol stood up, ready to leave, before Myungsoo halted him, “Do you know him? Have you seen him?”

He paused, “Countless of times.”

“Is… he really dangerous? He isn’t, right? That’s why you and Sunggyu are trying so hard to protect him?”

“And what makes you think that we aren’t dangerous?” Sungyeol asked, sitting back again, “What makes you think we’re here to protect the earth?”

“Because Sunggyu is my brother.” He stared back with just as much intensity, “And I saw my brother risk his life to find me that night. I saw how scared and guilty he was when he uttered my name. You fake emotions and put on a façade, but your eyes give away every single lie that you’ve kept.” Myungsoo replied in a low voice, “And your eyes tell me that you’re not who you say you are.”

Sungyeol’s heart began to palpitate, as he turned his head to the campfire.

“You’re-”

“Get some rest.” Sungyeol replied coldly before leaving.

~

“I couldn’t tell him.” He whispered, “But I think he knows.” He sighed, cuddling himself tighter as he tried to retain the warmth.

“He’s a smart kid.” Woohyun replied, “And he doesn’t like being kept in the dark. He won’t be mad. But he will be the longer you hold it. Especially when you say that he’s suspecting it.”

Sungyeol sighed and stared at Sunggyu for assistance, “He’s right. Woohyun knows him more than everyone here. But even I can tell that he’s very observant.”

“He says he’s going to kill me.” Sungyeol replied.

“He won’t.” Woohyun quickly interjected, “He’d never harm a fly. It’s all a façade he puts up.” He said, avoiding the men’s gaze, “Because he grew up feeling that he wasn’t strong enough.”

Sungyeol sighed for the nth time, before turning, “I’ll get some rest.” He said quietly, before staring at Sunggyu in pain, “I’m turning tomorrow at dusk.”

“Tomorrow?” Sunggyu exclaimed, “But it hasn’t been a month.

“There’s only 2 months left.” He whispered, “It’ll become more frequent.”

“B-But, that’ll halt our search for the second angel.” Sungjong interrupted with anguish, “It’ll be a week, maybe even two, if it gets worse.”

“What transformation?” Woohyun whispered, although loud enough for all three pairs of eyes to avert their attention to.

“Sungyeol transforms into a demonic bird every month.” Sunggyu explained, “But since his end is nearing, it’s becoming more frequent.”

“Demonic?”

“He’ll kill everything he sees.”

“T-Then what will happen to us?!”

“He’ll have to escape tonight and leave us for a week. And when the week comes, then he will come back?”

“How? The forest is a large one. He would get lost. He might be seen. He might be killed!” Woohyun listed, frightened of the unbeknownst future.

“He is an angel.” Sungjong reminded, “He has majestical powers that no human can ever explain.”

“I must leave now.” Sungyeol whispered, “Look after Myungsoo.” He added after slight hesitation.

~

“Where is Sungyeol?”

“He went hunting.” Woohyun tried, “Please rest.”

“I need to see him.” Myungsoo replied, “I have questions I have to ask. I’ve been asleep for 3 days. He can’t possibly be still hunting.”

“He left early this morning.” Sunggyu entered, making the two men look at him, “You just missed him, but he will come back in a few days.”

“Why is he hunting at this time of day? And with whose weapon?” He asked.

“There is food down south.” Sunggyu replied calmly, “He is hunting for them. We’re running low.”

“With whose weapon?”

“His own.”

“He doesn’t have a weapon.” Myungsoo replied nonchalantly, “He told me.” He added, silencing the elders, “He’s the cursed angel, right?” Myungsoo asked quietly.

“I love you.” He whispered sensually against the other’s lips. His breathing became heavy as the three words escaped his lover’s lips.

“It’s forbidden.” Myungsoo whispered back.

“But I love breaking the rules.”

“You’ll only kill me in the end. You’re cursed.”

The man traced a finger along the hunter’s scar, before leaving feathery kisses all over, making him breathless, “But you’ll let me.”

“I’ll let you.” He murmured, closing his eyes in bliss.

“Let me have you, Myungsoo.” The said man opened his eyes to see the beautiful man’s brown orbs slowly turn a red devilish colour, his smirk teasing him, as he wrapped his slender fingers around Myungsoo’s pale neck, depriving him of oxygen.

“Sungyeol!” Myungsoo gasped, as he sat up in his peaceful dimly lit tent. He looked around, feeling his neck as though the scene had actually occurred.

It would have been almost impossible for the man to return to his slumber after the dream. His heart was still hammering and he continued to perspire at the thought of the demonic creature in his dreams. He crept out of his tent, tiptoeing quietly as he manoeuvred around his elder brother and friend.

“Where are you going?” He jumped, turning around to see the feminine man staring back.

“What are you doing awake?” Myungsoo asked back.

“I’m watching, tonight.” Sungjong replied.

He nodded, “I needed some fresh air.” He said after some time, “Nightmare.”

“Ahh.” Sungjong nodded in acknowledgement, “I get those. If you want to be alone, there’s a river up north. Only 5 minute walk. Bring a weapon in case.”

Myungsoo muttered a small thank you, before gripping onto his weapon and heading to the river.

~

It may have been a fragment of his imagination. After all, it was around 4 hours past the midnight. Nonetheless, Myungsoo couldn’t help but stand alert beside the tree as he stared at the large bird, who had laid injured on the forest floor. The muck and dirt, as well as blood had tainted its white intricate feathers, as it made a small purring sound from the pain.

Myungsoo didn’t know whether to approach the creature that was about 3 times larger than him, or watch it die there in front of his eyes.

He let out a low monotonous whistle, to attract the bird’s attention, enveloping his fingers around his weapon tightly in case the other became frightened and lost control. The creature weakly lifted its head to the noise, before dropping its head low, as though not wanting to be seen.

The hunter proceeded to approach the strangely majestic creature. He noticed that it’s eyes were red and devilish, but the pain behind it had been prominent. It let out a small growl as it sensed Myungsoo approach it, but it was too weak to move or attack.

“Are you okay?” He whispered, his eyes landing on the large wound above the creature’s abdomen, “It’ll get infected.” He continued, because standing up to search for any form of flora to bandage the wound from infections. “What are you?” He continued to ask as he touched the intricate feathers of the bird like creature that glowed under the moonlight.

It looked up, with its pained eyes. It’s red, glowing beads slowly losing its colour to a dull brown. Myungsoo felt hypnotised by the change, and soon did not realise the slow decrease in size under his fingertips. He gasped, as he saw the feathers shedding quickly, leaving him in a pool of pearl silver feathers.

The creature became bright. As though it was holding the sun in its hands. Myungsoo squinted, trying to see the bird, but his eyes were throbbing in pain at the bright light. Eventually, he closed them, and waited until the light dimmed, praying that the creature hadn’t just been summoned to the world of the dead and disappeared.

He felt the light subside, but his eyes remained closed, as though scared of seeing what was in front of him. His heart was pounding in his chest and his breathing was rapid.

“Please don’t kill me.” A weak voice whispered.

The hunter’s breath hitched slightly, before he slowly opened his eyes to the source of the noise. “S-Sungyeol?”

“Don’t kill me.” He repeated, “You can kill me after I break the curse. But not now. Please.” He begged weakly.

“You are the cursed angel.” He whispered, mainly to himself.

“How did you survive?”

“What?”

“When you were met with the bird. How did you survive?”

“B-Bird?” He furrowed his brows slightly, before realisation hit him, “You were the bird?”

“Every month, the angel will turn into a devilish creature, who will kill everything and anything that goes in its way.” He replied, as though reciting from a book, “How did you survive?”

“It was injured… I guess it didn’t have strength to do anything.”

Sungyeol shook his head, “I can see everything that it does. And even when it’s about to die, it will fight until its last breath. I don’t know why it stopped for you.”

Myungsoo stared the ground, pulling a flower from the earth, “You transform every month?”

The other fixated his gaze on the calm but confused hunter, “Yes.”

“You were the one that saved me when I got shot?”

“Yes.” He repeated.

“And Sunggyu when Woohyun shot him?” He asked once again in a quieter voice.

“Yes.”

“So you have healing powers?”

“Yes.”

“Any other powers?”

Sungyeol hesitated slightly, “Yes.”

“Will you kill me?”

“Never.” He replied.

Myungsoo let out a small shaky breath, still staring at the flower that he was twirling between his fingers. He looked up, “How can I trust you?”

“I may be cursed, but an angel is an angel.” He replied, “And as an angel, it’s my duty to protect you.”

“So you’re what? My guardian angel?”

Sungyeol smiled, “You can think of it like that. I’ll protect you for as long as I live. I promise.” He said, “And an angel never breaks their promise.”

Myungsoo let out a low chuckle, looking at the glowing angel, “Then I hope you’ll keep your word.” He replied, handing him the pink, delicate flower. “My life’s in your hands.” He smiled. Sungyeol returned the smile and looked at the flower that stood proudly between his fingers.

“I had a dream.” Sungyeol began after a moment of silence, reminding Myungsoo of the one he had before, hairs instantly stood up, as he still felt the fingers around his neck. He gulped.

“Dream?”

He nodded, “The Heavens were speaking to me.” He replied, “That’s the only time I have dreams.” He looked down.

“What did they say?”

He shrugged, “I didn’t understand myself.” He replied. His eyes were engrossed in the flower that he was still holding, as Myungsoo watched his other hand slowly reach to his chest. He smiled, “They said something about a rhythmic beating behind here.” He said, “That the pace changes depending how you feel.”

Myungsoo reached to his chest to try and detect a beating. It was strong, and fast, similarly to when he was being chased, but he hadn’t been running. “What does it mean?”

“I’m not sure.” He replied, “But they said the more you like something, the quicker it goes.” He chuckled, “I never noticed that there was something in there.” He whispered, “It’s beating so quickly it hurts.” 

Guess who is still alive? :D Okay okay I'm sorry if I took so long to update xD And I really have no excuses because I've been on holidays for like half a month now...and I've literally slept till 3pm and then watched videos till 8pm, eat till 10pm and then go back to sleep so I apologise hahaha to make up for it, this one is like twice the length so I guess it's kinda a double update ish?

Till next time! Stay safe and well :)