[ Chapter XXXVI ]

Keres

It’s been more than a week since Hakyeon fell unconscious after absorbing all of Jaehwan’s powers. When he woke up, the memories of being warped by lightning frightened him a bit. Even when the sky fell dark and a storm started to brew, Hakyeon hid from the sight of the sky flashing above him. He was quite traumatized by what happened at first but when he realized what had happened to Jaehwan after the transfer, he felt apologetic and decided that he had no time to be scared any longer.

He has finally awakened his powers as a Demigod. Not only that, he was able to summon Jaehwan’s power from the Heavens and bring out lightning from his very own body. He was no longer powerless and all that was left to do was being able to control those powers. Each and every one of them.

However, Jaehwan was not so fortunate. He had lost his powers as a mighty God. The powers in which he had inherited from his long lineage of powerful Gods from the Heaven. Now, he was nothing more than a human or what seems to be a human. He was now more vulnerable than ever, and for the first time in his life, he had fallen ill. His fever wouldn’t go away and his face was paler than ever.

Hakyeon has never seen Jaehwan in such a state even though they’ve known one another for so long. Jaehwan had always been so energetic and positive as if he was invincible. But seeing the state that his friend was in right now, because of him, he felt sorry once again.

Ravi decided that it was best that he had attended to Jaehwan’s aid now that the latter’s health could be in danger at any moment until they’ve found a cure. The Underworld had no pharmacies or medicine to cure fevers or humanly diseases, so Ravi ended up day and night in his laboratory, trying to find a cure for Jaehwan. Both Hakyeon and Hongbin agreed that it was the best decision they could make and Hongbin was confident in his ability to handle his studies alone.

“You guys seriously worry too much. I can handle myself,” Jaehwan tried to persuade them. “Just go and let me rest, I’m sleepy.”

Jaehwan has been constantly telling the other three that he was fine and that they didn’t need to worry about him. But anyone could see that he wasn’t fine at all. Even his smiles were weak and he had no energy to joke either.

Ravi sighed.

“We’ll check up on him again later. How’s the training for you both?”  He asked.

“I’ve gone through all the notes and references you had told me to read. There’s nothing left except to practice them now. But don’t worry, it won’t take long,” Hongbin was confident.

Hongbin had always been a fast learner.

Hakyeon, on the other hand, was still trying to get used to both of his newly acquired abilities. One that was passed on by Jaehwan and the other was being descendent of the Goddess of the Moon. In his blood, half of the Underworld existed. That half had a dark power that was waiting to bring chaos around him but thanks to his mother’s gift, those powers were suppressed as much as possible.

As long as Hakyeon could control his dark powers, he would not be consumed by the evil and thanks to Jaehwan’s powers that were from the Heavens, along with the Moon, his training was going better than expected.

Training alone was hard since there was no one to guide him but he knew very well that everyone was already too occupied with their own business. He didn’t want to keep relying on others for everything and knew that it was time that he tried to solve the problems he had for himself. He’s never felt so determined to doing anything until now, he was determined to master his powers and seek out Taekwoon. He wanted to be on par with Taekwoon, in order for his words to be heard.

*   *   *   *   *   *

 “Do you know where Taekwoon is keeping Soo-ah?” Hakyeon decided to ask Ravi during dinner one night.

“It’s in some old abandoned cemetery for prisoners. She’s locked up in the Tower that was once used for guards to keep the place away from trespassers but later on, the evil took over and no one went near that place ever again. It seems that those who were buried in the grave, would occasionally lurk around the cemetery and waiting for the right moment when their prey would show up. Even the residents around would never dare walk near that place. Even Gods have their fears. If they let their guard down even for a second, they could end up being possessed by the evil just like humans would.”

“Then, we need to get Soo-ah out of there as soon as possible!”

“Do you even think she’s alive still? I mean… it’s been five years right?” Hongbin joined in.

“As far as I know, the people that live around that area can still hear voices up in the Tower from time to time. So, there is still a possibility that she’s alive.” Ravi said.

Hakyeon decided that he wanted to rescue Soo-ah right away, especially now that his powers were getting stronger and his mentality was able to sustain itself. He’s also got the Moon in his possession that can fight away the darkness if he were to ever get attacked. Hongbin also asked to go along with him because it would be too dangerous if Hakyeon went alone. Ravi had to stay behind to aid Jaehwan’s illness but he was sure that the two could handle themselves in their current state.

Since the Tower was one of the most visible architectures in town, Hakyeon and Hongbin decided to walk towards higher grounds and look where it could be located instead of walking through town blindly. The perfect place was the hills that watched over the entire landscape of the town. The same place in which the Water Mills would be if they were still in Pinewoods.

The Underworld, unlike Pinewoods, however, spreads across the entirety of the world. Even the town itself took up most of the lands that were visible from the hills. From afar, they could see the mist that covered up the Forest of Nightmares and even further, they were able to see the mansion in which Taekwoon was hiding inside. Ravi had already told them where they could find Taekwoon but they had to be patient, they had to wait until they were fully ready to confront the Ruler of the Underworld himself.

“Look!” Hongbin shouted out. “That must be it!”

Hakyeon saw a single Tower hidden amongst the dark foggy sky, peeking out from the clouds. That was where they had to go to. The two wasted no time at all and headed towards the same direction at their sighting and just as they thought they have finally arrived, they were halted to a stop when a large steel gate stood in their way.

Just from standing on the other side of the gate, however, the two could already feel the chilling atmospheres of the cemetery. The eerie wind howled around them, giving them a very uneasy feeling of what could be lying ahead, waiting for their arrival.

“Boost me up Hongbin-ah. I’ll get to the other side and open the gates for you.”

“Okay.”

Hongbin knelt in front of the large gates and raised Hakyeon’s light body far enough for him to climb over to the other side.

“Okay. Open the gates for me.”

“… Sorry, Hongbin-ah. But it’s best for you to stay here after all. Just wait for me. It’ll be quick I promise.”

“Wait! What are you-“

Hakyeon left Hongbin in a hurry, locking the younger on the other side. He knew that it would be dangerous to go alone but at the same time, he didn’t want to put Hongbin in danger as well. Especially when the younger didn’t even know who Soo-ah was. If the rumors are true, Soo-ah may or may not even be alive anymore.

Hakyeon cast a spell around him that he learned from Ravi, in order to cover up his scent from the dead. It was a protection skill that would allow the caster to conceal his or her presence.

As he approached the Tower, sorrowful weeps could be heard from up top. It could have been Soo-ah’s voice or it could be someone completely different.

The doors to the Towers were fortunately or even unfortunately unlocked for Hakyeon already. As Hakyeon stepped inside, he could feel the emptiness of the atmosphere. There was nothing but a flight of stairs that led up to the top. The Moon he had with him, started to respond to the darkness and Hakyeon was feeling uncomfortable because of his surroundings. But he had priorities, and that was to find Soo-ah.

*   *   *   *   *   *

Hakyeon lit up a torch he found on his way up with some spare matches and started to walk up the long spiraling staircase. The Tower was old and the gravel floorings felt as if the place could start crumbling down at any moment. Hakyeon stayed close to the walls in case he accidentally slipped. There would be no second chance if he had fallen.

As he reached further up top, the cries could be heard even clearer and louder. Hakyeon clenched at his chest, trying to calm himself from the haunted vibes around him.

One step at a time, Hakyeon finally made it to the top or what seems to be a door locked tightly in front of him. He swallowed deeply and called out her name.

“Soo-ah? Are you in there?”

No reply. But the crying could still be heard from the other side.

“It’s me. Cha Hakyeon. I’ve come to rescue you.”

The crying stopped.

Hakyeon placed his ears closer towards the door in order to listen for a sign of life.

Suddenly, a loud banging came from the other side, making Hakyeon jolt in surprise. He could feel his heart racing faster and faster.

“Soo-ah?” He bravely called out again.

Silence.

Then, a gentle knock was heard in response after a moment.

“Hakyeonie?”

It was Soo-ah’s voice. She was still alive. Just as Hakyeon had hoped.

“Soo-ah? Thank goodness! Stay back. I’ll try to get this door to open and get you out of there.”

Hakyeon tried to pry the locks open with his swords but they didn’t budge at all. It was a special lock that required something much more in order for it to be opened. But Hakyeon had the perfect solution for that. Ravi knew that Taekwoon had locked Soo-ah inside the Tower and suspected that it would not be easy for anyone to get her out just from common tricks. He invented a special mechanism combined with his own magic in order to help Hakyeon. It was a set of keys that could morph through any shape or sizes of keyholes. But the real trick to this item was the explosive magic that it would give out once the key is inside the lock. It was a destructive solution but there was no other way.

Hakyeon quickly placed the keys inside the lock and chanted the spell that Ravi had prepared for him, in order for the explosion to go off.

The lock, along with the door, blasted right open. Hakyeon was stunned at how powerful the spell was since he’s only heard of how it worked and never actually saw it for himself.

“Soo-ah? Are you okay? Where are you?” Hakyeon called out her name as he tried to make his way inside through the smoke of the explosion. “Soo-“

Suddenly, a hand reached out for his arms, making him shocked from the sudden surprise.

It was Soo-ah.

“Hakyeonie?”

She was paler, way paler than he remembered her to be. Skin to the bones and both her lips and skin were dry. Her hair grew long, covering most of her body, she was malnourished to the point that Hakyeon almost couldn’t even recognize her. She did not look the same. She had been trapped here for five years with no one to care for her.

Hakyeon felt his heartache at the sight of her condition and couldn’t help but feel sorry that he was the cause of her suffering.

“Soo-ah! Are you okay? I’m sorry I couldn’t come here earlier to save you.”

“How did you get here?” She asked in a very weak voice.

“Jaehwan helped me along with some other friends. I’ll introduce them to you later. We have to get you out of here first!”

Hakyeon held her bony hands and led her out towards the door. Ready to escape this creepy place. Just then, he was held back by something.

“We can’t leave. He’ll be mad…” she said.

“Mad? Who?”

“Taekwoon…”

“Forget about that! No matter how powerful or how much he’s changed, he has no rights to treat you like this… I’m sorry Soo-ah, I promise to make things right again. So let’s get out of her first and talk later okay? Come.”

“I said…”

“Huh?”

“We can’t leave…”

“Don’t worry okay? Let’s go.”

“We can’t leave. You can’t leave.”

“What-“

Suddenly Hakyeon could feel his body being weighted down from the darkness that appeared around him. They started to wrap around his feet, making him unable to escape. Forbidding him to move. He turned back to see what was happening behind him and to his horror…

“Soo-ah!??”

She was emitting a massive amount of darkness and the room was filled with strands of shadow that moved and lurked every wall and ground it could reach.

“You can’t leave… Cha Hakyeon can’t leave here. You must stay here. For eternity… LIKE YOU DESERVE IT!!”

She let out a painfully loud pitch scream and glared right at Hakyeon. Hakyeon could feel the killing intent she suddenly had and knew immediately, that he was in danger.

She approached him closely while staggering left and right. She stared at him directly with eyes that were ready to devour him whole. Hakyeon could not move. She reached out for his neck and soon, strangling him tightly. Trying to kill him.

“What are you doing? Soo-ah… it’s me… Hakyeon. Don’t you recognize me?” As he tried to make her come to her senses and grasp for air.

“Of course I remember you. You… it’s all your fault!! It’s your fault that I’m here!! It’s your fault he locked me up here!! That he took me away! Tricked me! BOTH OF YOU TRICKED ME!!!” She yelled in an even angrier tone and tightened her grip even more.

“Stop Soo-ah…”

Hakyeon could feel that he was losing his focus. He had couldn’t move his body to fight back and get away. It was getting harder to fight for air and his neck was in pain from Soo-ah’s grip, her hatred.

“YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN BORN! IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT!”

Just as she was about to finish him off, a strong wind glazed across the room. A dark chilling wind traveled across the walls and dispersed the strands of Soo-ah’s darkness that lurked. Another sharp wind hit right at her hands, making her scream in pain and finally letting go of her grasp. As Hakyeon fell to the ground and hurriedly grasping for air to stay alive, he heard footsteps coming into the room.

“Are you okay?” The sound from behind asked him.

Hakyeon looked back to see who it was but before he could do so, Soo-ah attacked him and the stranger one more time.

“Stand back.” He said.

The tall, short navy blue-haired boy stood in front of Hakyeon and protected him. He cast another powerful wind and pushed Soo-ah back. The two battled at the very top dungeon of the Tower. Hakyeon’s visions were still blurred from almost losing his conscience and before he realized it, the stranger was overpowering Soo-ah and defeating her.

She let out a painful scream and wrapped herself in darkness, escaping.

“I won’t forget this! I will be back for you Cha Hakyeon! Jung Taekwoon!!” Was the last thing she said before she vanished.

Hakyeon finally felt his strength back from his knees and tried to stand up.

“Here. Let me help you.” The stranger gave Hakyeon his hands to help him up. “Are you okay?”

‘Yes. Thank you.’

Hakyeon has never seen the boy before but he felt a strangely familiar aura from him. He was taller than Hakyeon and even a much bigger build than him but his face was like a child’s, a familiar child.

“That’s good to hear. How did you get up here though? You could’ve gotten yourself killed Cha Hakyeon.”

“You… you know me?”

“Of course I do. You should know me as well. In fact, we’ve known each other as long as you and Master Taekwoon have known one another.”

“Master?”

The boy nodded.

“It’s great to finally meet you again. I’m Hyuk.”

A/N:

So who's confused af after watching The Closer MV but like obsessed af with every song in the album ??

I actually liked the MV a lot, it's so artistic and visually stunning but it answered NOTHING about the questioned we had for Conception LOL

(Can I slap Hyukbin for telling me that the MV would reveal the mysteries?)

Fun Fact #11 - I did not think I would release this chapter exactly on Halloween aka VIXXOWEEN!

Fun Fact #12 - I hate horror... 

Fun Fact #13 - Hyuk's reveal was planned since pre-chapter 1. I even spoiled a bit to some of you readers when I reply your lovely comments *wink* That Hyuk has a new form. We finally get to 'hear' him speak!