Winter 1/3

(warning for violence. a summary can be found here if you choose to skip this chapter)

“It’s like magic!” Junhong said in awe, examining his healed leg. There was not a mark in sight, and his skin was as soft as before he was caught in the trap. Across from him, Himchan kneeled back, wiping his forehead tiredly. He gave Junhong a small smile, and the nymph clasped his hands, “I cannot thank you enough.”

“It is my pleasure,” the half-god responded, and Jongup wordlessly laid a hand on his shoulder. He seemed to relax at the action, and Junhong realised that Jongup did not need to say anything for him to feel comfortable; they had a bond that had been developing over thousands of years, a bond that ran so deep Junhong could only dream about it.

“Thank you, Himchan,” Yongguk said. “I will see you later tonight, after I show Junhong the Underworld in its entirety. You should rest.”

“I have many things I want to do, but resting is not one of them,” Himchan said mischievously, intertwining hands with the silent god beside him. He gave Junhong a wink, which made the nymph blush again, before he and Jongup were making their way towards their own room.

“He has a unique character,” Junhong noted to Yongguk, and the lord placed a hand on his back to lead him out of the castle.

“He is often very outspoken, as well, much to my misfortune,” Yongguk said, with a soft sigh. “But he is one of my closest friends.”

“Jongup as well?”

“Indeed,” the god confirmed. “They are the only two who stay in the Underworld with me.”

Junhong wondered if Himchan and Jongup were like Yongguk’s family, since he did not see his siblings very often. From what he had seen so far, Himchan and Yongguk were definitely close, but he did not know much about Jongup yet.

“What does Jongup do?”

“He leads souls to the Underworld after their death, and assists me in guiding them to their destination. Honestly, his importance rivals mine.” He paused, and the corner of his lips lifted, “It is somewhat strange that the god of messaging cannot speak well, but he manages to get the job done.”

Junhong tilted his head.

“I thought he was only silent because of my presence...”

Yongguk looked at him, his smile disappearing. “No, I would not accept it if he were to treat you coldly.” Junhong shivered at the dark tone behind his words, but he knew the god intended well. “He does not mean any harm by staying quiet, I assure you. He only talks comfortably to Himchan, and it took twenty years for them to begin courting in the first place.”

“Twenty years!” Junhong breathed, eyes wide. He could not imagine waiting that long to be with Yongguk. It was difficult to imagine not courting Yongguk within months, let alone decades, with how well they got along. Junhong knew the tension between them would have only grown with time, if they had decided to dance around each other instead of being direct. “I am relieved it did not take us that long,” he said honestly.

The god smiled, as if knowing what he was thinking.

“As am I.”

He stopped walking, and Junhong finally noticed that they had walked away from the castle’s torches, and to the docks of the castle. The castle was surrounded by water, which looked pitch black in the darkness, and seemed to span as far as Junhong’s eyes reached.

They were alone.

“There are three places for the dead,” Yongguk started explaining, but paused to see if Junhong had heard of them before.

“Elysium, Tartarus and the Asphodel Meadows,” the nymph supplied, knowing his lore off by heart, from the endless stories he was told when he was young. Yongguk nodded, feeling proud. Junhong’s eyes lifted from the black water, and flickered to the distance, where he could see the shape of three islands.

“Are those...?”

“Yes,” the god said, carefully watching his reaction. “From your left, it’s Elysium, then Asphodel, then Tartarus.”

Junhong stayed silent as he examined the islands. They were nothing like he had ever imagined.

He had always thought that Elysium, the isle of heroes, would be an ethereal place, where the trees gave jewelled fruit, and the people drank from liquid gold, but other than the castle in the centre of the island, Elysium did not seem so special. Perhaps the story was embellished to be entertaining from a child’s perspective. The castle was huge, and a pristine white, but Yongguk’s black castle seemed more imposing.

Asphodel did not look much different, but there was no castle, and flowers grew from the ground. Trees covered the land, where soft grass was not in place. Even if Asphodel was the field for the ordinary, Junhong thought it looked far more appealing than Elysium.

“Are those who go to Elysium much more privileged than those who go to Asphodel?” Junhong asked suddenly.

“Yes, but not by far,” Yongguk answered. “Asphodel is commonly seen as the land of the average, but that is not true. Good people go to Asphodel, whereas only truly great people go to Elysium.”

He did not talk about Tartarus, but Junhong did not need an explanation. Everyone on the Surface knew that Tartarus was the land of the evil.

Junhong often had nightmares of Tartarus as a young nymph – it was filled with rapists, murderers and abusers, doomed to an eternity of suffering. His nymphai had assured him that he was a good person, but he was always scared of the mere possibility.

“...Do you know where my nymphai are?” Junhong asked quietly.

Yongguk looked at him, before looking out at the islands. “They are in Asphodel... I believe they are happiest there, even if it is no Elysium.”

“I thought so,” Junhong looked out at the island and imagined his nymphai dancing on the grassy plains, together. Safe, and away from the humans who had killed them. It was bittersweet, and Junhong could not help but feel loneliness gnawing at his chest; if they had not shielded him from the humans’ cruelty, surely he would not be with Yongguk now.

“I would like to go there, as well, when I pass,” he said, feeling nostalgic.

“You will never have to,” Yongguk said fiercely. Junhong looked over, his eyes widening at the conviction in the god’s voice. “I will keep you safe.”

“I know, I know,” Junhong smiled, brushing a kiss over Yongguk’s forehead, and again where his eyebrows caused a crease. He could not possibly feel any safer, when it caused Yongguk distress to even think of him dying.

“If we are wed...” Yongguk said quietly, “then you will never have to worry about death, at all. For you will be considered a god, also.”

Junhong had never heard of a semi-mortal marrying a god, but he supposed it would make sense, that they would become immortal. It would only cause pain for a god to marry someone who could die in a fraction of their lifetime.

“Would I have to stay in the Underworld forever?”

“Of course not,” Yongguk said, as if the thought was ridiculous. “All gods have free access to the Surface, and as my betrothed, you would have access to the Underworld and Olympus, like my siblings and I.” His voice trailed off, embarrassed to have talked so much about their marriage, when they had only known each other for a few weeks, and only began courting a few days ago.

Junhong looked at him shyly. He had not known that Yongguk had thought so much about their future together. He felt a warmth blossom from within him, and he blurted,

“I do not think it will be a matter of ‘if’ we are wed, but when.”

Yongguk looked up at him with an expression of surprise, which quickly melted into fondness. Junhong was pulled into his embrace seconds later, and as they stood there with each other in their arms, he had never felt more in love.

Yongguk insisted that they returned to the castle after Junhong had begun to tire. He could not stop yawning, and his eyelids were becoming heavy.

“I hope your room will be satisfactory,” Yongguk had told him, as he opened the door to Junhong’s sleeping quarters. In the middle, there was a giant ‘bed’, something Junhong had never slept in before. The nymph had only ever rested in soft grass, or in trees – never in something that resembled this. Still, when he tentatively laid on it, he found that it was as soft as the clouds.

Yongguk watched as he sprawled on it, releasing a soft sigh of pleasure. The bed seemed to curve to his body, and he had never felt more comfortable.

The god smiled, amused at the nymph’s euphoria. “I will come to return you to the Surface, second thing in the morning.”

“Second?”

“I have an appointment with the gods, which I cannot miss,” he explained. “You may sleep for as long as you wish.”

Junhong pulled himself away from the bed, to quickly walk to his lover. He pressed a quick peck to his lips, before stepping back. He looked away shyly, “Good night, my lord.”

“Sleep well, my love,” Yongguk said warmly, before he left, closing the door on his way out.

Junhong could not help the red that bloomed over his cheeks, and he threw himself on the bed, trying to fall asleep quickly. The quicker he slept, the quicker he could see Yongguk again.

Sleep washed over him like the tide, before he was pulled under its waves, sleeping peacefully in the calm and quiet.

When he woke, it took while for him to remember where he was. The darkness reminded him of the night on the Surface, although he knew the Underworld was just naturally dark.

He had not slept for so long in years.

The nymph reluctantly moved from the bed and prepared for his day. Yongguk was still probably away in Olympus, but he could bathe before the god returned. If Yongguk took a long time, he could even explore the castle more, or talk to Himchan.

Taking a bath would wake him up, Junhong decided. Still hazy from sleep, he stumbled out of his room, and headed for the grand staircase. So far, he had only seen the bathing springs, his room, and the entrance, and he was curious what else could be in such a towering castle.

He wondered what Yongguk’s room was like, and immediately flushed red.

When Junhong approached the grand staircase, his eyes fell on the person who was waiting at the entrance. A wide smile broke out on his face and he flitted down the stairs, running to embrace Yongguk. The god’s arms wrapped around him immediately, and the nymph beamed down at him.

“I did not think you would be back this early,” he said brightly, and Yongguk’s body tensed. His skin was cooler than Junhong was used to, but he supposed Olympus would have been colder, being in the Skies. He was even wearing Olympus’s white robes, instead of his usual black cloak.

“I wished to rush back to you,” Yongguk spoke, his eyes bearing into Junhong’s for a moment too long. The nymph linked their fingers together.

“Will you bathe with me before we return to the Surface?” he asked hopefully. The smile on Yongguk’s face dropped, and his hold on Junhong’s hand tightened.

“In a moment. I stopped by the Surface when I returned here, when I realised you might be hungry,” he said. His voice lacked any emotion, and Junhong uncomfortably pulled his hand from the tight grasp. Looking unaffected by the nymph’s subtle rejection, Yongguk produced a pomegranate from thin air.

“I hope you do not mind that I took one from your tree,” Yongguk said before splitting the pomegranate in his hands, digging the seeds from its core.

“Of course not!” Junhong murmured, touched that the god had thought to get him food. The nymph knew not to eat food that was sacred to the Underworld, but he could still eat the fruit from the Surface with no repercussions, especially since he had created it. Perhaps Yongguk was acting odd because he was not sure whether he could take fruit from Junhong’s tree.

The god fed his lover silently, his stare never relenting. The nymph shifted nervously after he ate his first seed, but accepted the second mere moments later, still touched that Yongguk had gone through the effort of bringing him food. The seeds tasted more delicious in the Underworld than on the Surface, and they awoken a hunger inside of him that he did not realise he had.

Junhong had bitten down on the third seed, its rich flavour flooding his mouth, when he suddenly realised something that made him freeze. Fear churned in his stomach.

“Lord Yongguk... how come this fruit did not immediately disappear in the Underworld?” he asked slowly, praying that Yongguk had an answer.

To his horror, only a grin split on his lover’s face. But instead of warming him up, like all his smiles before, Yongguk’s grin made Junhong’s blood run cold.

Fruits from the Surface could not survive in the Underworld, Yongguk had told him that yesterday. Only sacred fruits could. And if he had just eaten sacred fruit, then –

“I-I...” he stammered, confusion and fear mixed in his voice. But Yongguk had been so kind, so caring, Junhong had trusted him with his life. The betrayal stung, and he took a step back, no longer knowing who he could trust in this unfamiliar castle. Yongguk advanced on him, a predatory smirk on his face. His eyes darkened and he reached out to grab Junhong’s tunic, his fingers twisting into the material and causing the nymph to shake in fear.

“Y-Yongguk, what are you doing?” he trembled.

“Beautiful nymph,” he crooned, pulling Junhong closer to him. “I can understand why Yongguk is so infatuated with you.”

Junhong squeezed his eyes shut, and tried to push the god away – to no avail.

Suddenly, the god’s body slammed into a wall as the sound of footsteps thundered into the entrance. Junhong opened his eyes to see Yongguk held against the wall, struggling against an invisible force.

“Yongnam!” a deep voice roared, and Junhong turned to see another Yongguk stride in, an expression of pure hatred on his face. Realisation dawned on the nymph, and he removed the uneaten pomegranate seed in his mouth, his stomach beginning to churn with sickness. The man who had given him pomegranate seeds was not his lover, but the Lord of the Seas – the only god whom Yongguk did not trust.

Yongnam was unable to be moved as his brother – the real Yongguk – approached him. Yongguk’s veins pulsed with rage, and he delivered a swift punch across Yongnam’s face, one that would have certainly snapped the neck of any mortal man. Before Yongnam could recover from the hit, Yongguk used both of his hands to crush his throat, squeezing with all of his might, as if trying to kill him.

“You bastard!” He shouted, his voice revibrating the castle.

Yongnam’s face was red from the lack of air, but even if Yongguk tried his best, he could not die. Knowing that only made Yongguk angrier, and vicious wind began to slice into Yongnam’s skin as the god focused all of his rage.

“I had to take something from you, like you took something of mine,” Yongnam rasped, and was immediately punched again. Even when he was being beaten, his grin did not fade, and his gaze flickered over to Junhong.

The nymph was watching the fight with tears in his eyes, and he released a small sob when Yongnam looked at him. Yongguk had his hands around Yongnam’s throat, but it felt like he was the one choking. He began to cry as he realised he had abandoned his family – the forests and Youngjae – and he could not keep them safe anymore. At the sound of his lover’s sniffling, Yongguk’s face only became more enraged, and the wind whipped around him at dangerous speeds.

“Junhong does not belong to me, just like how Himchan does not belong to you,” Yongguk growled, and the crack of Yongnam’s neck snapping filled the room. “I ought to send you to Tartarus, where you will rot for all of eternity.”

“Oh, brother,” the man smirked. “As if Natasha will allow you to do that.”

Yongguk broke his nose with the next hit.

It brought him great satisfaction that even if he could not kill his brother, Yongnam would feel the excruciating pain that would make any man wish for death. Yet, throughout the hits, his leer never left his face. In fact, with every broken bone, his eyes only darkened.

“I would have ruined him,” he said slowly, his eyes flickering from Junhong’s and back to Yongguk. He his lips, making Junhong stifle another sob, and Yongguk released a strangled growl. Suddenly, the force holding Yongnam against the wall disappeared, and he fell to his knees, on the floor. He looked up at Yongguk with a triumphant grin, before his entire body twisted unnaturally, his back arching until each of his bones cracked. He released a strangled yell, but Yongguk did not stop.

Junhong felt a hand curl gently around his own, and he realised that sometime during the fight, Himchan had come downstairs. The Atlantean tried to guide him away from the scene, only to be met with reluctance. “Come with me,” he said quietly, “a pure nymph should not witness such violence.”

Through his tears, Junhong followed him. He was shuddering large ugly breaths, his entire body shaking, but he was slightly comforted by the warm hand Himchan placed on his shoulder.

“Himchan, my love,” Yongnam called, when they had reached the top of the staircase, just loud enough for the Atlantean to hear. He was breathing heavily, unable to defend himself from Yongguk in the Underworld. “Come back with me. The Oceans still call your name.”

He looked broken, calling for the half-god.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Himchan brought Junhong away, and towards his own room which he shared with Jongup. He ignored every one of Yongnam’s pleads coldly, and allowed him to suffer under Yongguk’s hand.

“Do not fear,” the Atlantean told the nymph, as he closed the door. “Yongguk will do everything in his power to ensure that you will not remain here.”

As much as Junhong trusted Yongguk, he knew there was nothing to be done. Eating sacred food from the Underworld meant you were kept there for all of eternity – he knew the stories.

“Why did Yongnam do this?” the nymph said quietly, his voice trembling. “I have done nothing to him.” He did not even know that Yongguk and Yongnam were twins before today. Yet, Yongnam seemed to know so much about him already; that he was in a relationship with Yongguk, and that he created pomegranates. The nymph shuddered, realising that the Lord of the Seas had been probably watching him for the past few weeks.

His fingers in Junhong’s shirt, his face with the dark leer. Junhong had no doubts that if Yongguk had not arrived sooner, Yongnam would have taken something else of Junhong’s.

Himchan looked at Junhong and sighed.

“It is my fault.”

Junhong looked up at him. Had he told Yongnam about their relationship?

“Yongnam and I have a bad history,” the Atlantean said shortly. “It is quite a long story, but I do not mind telling it to you, if you wish.”

Junhong said nothing, unsure of whether he could trust Himchan now. The man sighed at his silence, sitting down next to him on the bed. He still maintained a respectful distance, but Junhong was staring at him with a distrustful gaze.

“I would like to know,” the nymph said, after a moment’s pause. He did not think he could hate Himchan more than he hated Yongnam.

“When I grew up in Atlantis, I was quite well-known for my looks,” Himchan began. “I know it is not modest to say so, but even some gods were envious of my beauty. They often invited me to their events to stare at me, and I could not refuse.”

He fidgeted uncomfortably. Junhong could understand his dislike of being treated like an object – the thought of thousands staring at him for hours made his skin crawl.

“It was at an event where I met Yongnam and Natasha,” Himchan continued. “Yongguk does not lie when he says that his brother is greedy. Yongnam took one look at me, and asked for my hand in marriage.

Of course, I rejected him,” Himchan added hastily. He did not want Junhong to jump to conclusions. “I would be mocked if I married someone I did not even know, and besides... I already had someone else whom I had my eye on.”

That must have been Jongup. The nymph waited for the half-god to explain how they had met, but instead, Himchan continued on.

“The Lord of the Seas did not take the rejection well... He was enraged that some mere half-mortal had the audacity to reject him.” Himchan’s eyes lowered, and when he spoke next, Junhong shuddered at the pain in his voice. “He sunk my village into the seas and told me to reconsider his offer.”

Junhong’s eyes widened, horrified. To kill thousands of people because one person did not fall to your feet was ridiculous.

“You ran away,” the nymph guessed.

“Jongup rescued me,” Himchan corrected, and smiled sadly. “He knew I would be safest here, where I cannot die, and Yongnam cannot force me to leave. But if Yongnam could not have me, I suppose he wished to take away Yongguk’s only joy.” Himchan looked at Junhong, eyes softening when he saw the nymph’s tear tracks on his cheeks. “Young nymph, Yongguk loves you far too much. He will not keep you here forever.”

“I hope not,” Junhong said softly, looking down at his lap. “I have a friend on the Surface, and a forest to care for.” Thinking about them again made his will not to cry weaken, but he clenched his fists. He had cried enough tears, and would not cry anymore.

“I promise you will return to them,” Himchan said sincerely. There was no hint of a lie in his voice. “The Sky Goddess always arrives after Yongnam and Yongguk have had an argument. I am sure she will be on Yongguk’s side, in this argument.”

Hope filled Junhong’s chest. The Sky Goddess was powerful, and fair – she would surely allow him to return to the Surface in mere hours.

“When will she arrive?” he asked eagerly.

“Soon, young nymph. I will not lie, I will enjoy every moment she is not here, for Yongnam is being beaten like he deserves.” Himchan smiled. They could both still hear the sounds of Yongnam grunting in pain below. “Unfortunately, his pain is only temporary, since he will heal as soon as he returns to Olympus, but it is still a small victory.”

Junhong looked down, not wanting to admit aloud that he felt the same. It felt wrong to harbor such negative thoughts towards anyone, let alone his lover’s relative. “May I ask a question?”

“Is it something you cannot ask Yongguk?” Himchan asked. “If it is, I cannot guarantee an answer.”

“No, it is a question I only just thought of,” Junhong assured him, and the half-god nodded at him to continue.

“May gods enter Asphodel?” the nymph asked curiously. The innocent hope in his voice was overwhelming. “I heard that it was possible for gods to enter Tartarus, so... I would like to hear from my nymphai again, even if it is a message passed through someone else.”

Himchan saw how hopeful he looked, and it hurt him to tell the truth.

“Gods cannot enter Asphodel or Elysium,” he watched as the hopeful expression on Junhong’s face crumbled, and the nymph looked down at his hands. “We are forbidden from every island, except one. Tartarus is an awful place, where gods and humans alike can be banished, but Asphodel and Elysium are reserved for only the dead.”

“I will tell you now, Junhong,” the Atlantean said. “Almost all tales and lore about the Underworld are lies. But every story you have ever heard about Tartarus does not even come close to the horrors that the island is capable of.”

“Lord Yongguk rules it, correct?” Junhong tilted his head. For a moment, Himchan wondered how the God of Death had such an adorable nymph as his lover.

“He does. And Yongguk is capable of many horrible things as well,” the Atlantean said honestly. “But he is fair and impartial, and he will never inflict pain on anyone unless they deserve it. Especially not you.”

“I trust him,” Junhong said quietly. “He is not a bad person.”

“He is not,” Himchan agreed. “His bad reputation is caused from Yongnam, mostly.”

“Because they look similar?” the nymph guessed.

“Indeed. Yongnam will most likely return to Olympus and tell all the gods that Yongguk kidnapped you and trapped you here himself.” Junhong’s expression contorted into one of outrage, and Himchan continued. “Yongguk will not do anything to stop it. He does not care what others think of him, even if they are baseless lies.”

Junhong stayed silent, but every part of him protested the injustice. Yongguk was so impossibly kind, and yet his name was tainted by his brother – someone who was supposed to be his family.

He was so deep in thought, that he did not realise that the fighting stopped below them. Himchan was more alert, his body tense as he tried to listen in. His face relaxed moments later, and he stood, offering a hand to the nymph.

“Come, the Sky Goddess has arrived.”

When Junhong descended the stairs, he was not expecting to see the goddess looking enraged, Yongguk standing with his arms crossed and Yongnam crumpled on the floor. Jongup had arrived as well, standing in a corner silently.

“Natasha,” Himchan said, announcing his entrance. Junhong followed him from behind, looking nervous. His eyes immediately sought out Yongguk, and he was relieved to see that the man was unharmed. Yongguk was still seething at his brother, but he seemed to relax when he saw his lover safe, and no longer crying.

“Himchan,” Natasha said, nodding in acknowledgement, and Himchan moved to be close to his lover, his hands immediately wrapping around Jongup’s waist. Yongnam’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the two, but neither of them could care.

Natasha’s gaze moved to Junhong, and she strode over, clasping his hand in hers. “You must be Junhong.”

“Yes, um, my lady,” he said nervously, eyes flickering to Yongguk. He was afraid to make a bad impression on the sibling that his lover actually liked.

“From you, Natasha is fine,” she said warmly. Junhong admitted that even though she was intimidating, he felt naturally charmed by her. “Yongguk has told me so much about you. I was hoping that we would meet in better circumstances.” She said the words with venom directed at her brother who was currently sprawled on the floor.

Junhong allowed himself to look at Yongnam for a second. He had never seen a god in such a disgraced position, but he felt a burst of satisfaction from it. Yongnam was no longer leering at him, but scowling, as if it was Junhong’s fault he was here..

“I don’t regret it,” Yongnam announced and Yongguk hissed at him.

“Do not worry, young nymph,” Natasha said kindly, ignoring her brothers. “Tell me, how many seeds did you eat?”

Junhong was not sure why it mattered, but he answered truthfully. “Two.”

“Three.” Yongnam interjected, before his sister could say anymore. Yongguk’s head snapped to Yongnam, and he glared. The Lord of the Seas smirked. “He bit a third.”

The goddess’s eyes flicked. “Is this true?”

“Y-Yes... But I did not eat it,” Junhong said, blinking when Natasha sighed, a frown pulling at the corners of her lips. Yongguk delivered a sharp kick to his brother’s side, spitting out a litany of curses.

“I am sorry, Junhong, but that means you must stay in the Underworld for three months of the year,” Natasha said, and Junhong’s eyes widened.

“Three months?” Yongguk asked, enraged. “You are the Goddess of the Gods, and you cannot shorten three whole months?”

“Yongguk...” Natasha started.

“No,” the man growled. “You can do better than that.”

“I cannot, Yongguk,” the woman said patiently, no fear on her face even when Yongguk’s expression darkened. “It is beyond my capabilities.”

“Bull,” Yongguk snapped, and Junhong’s eyes widened. He had never heard the god sound so angry.

“Calm yourself, Yongguk,” Natasha ordered, crossing her arms elegantly. “You will receive justice. Yongnam will return with me to Olympus, and will not return here without your expressed permission, unless he truly wishes to be banished to Tartarus.”

“Why would I want to return to this hell anyway?” Yongnam sneered, and Yongguk’s anger flared again. Before he could try and beat some manners into his brother, the Lord of the Seas disappeared in smoke, no doubt fleeing to Olympus.

“You cannot stop me from seeking vengeance, sister,” Yongguk didn’t turn to face Natasha even as he spoke, fists clenched by his sides. He spared a glance towards Junhong, eyes hardening when he saw his love’s bottom lip trembling and the remains of tear tracks down his face.

“I’ll be back,” he muttered a promise.

“Yongguk, don’t you dare –” Natasha began her threat, but the God of Death was gone.

Junhong was left staring at the hard stone floor, where Yongguk disappeared.

The Sky Goddess sighed, and turned to Junhong. “I must leave as well, to ensure they do not start a war in the Skies. Last time that happened, the Surface froze over for centuries.”

Junhong thought she was joking, but she only looked grim.

“It was a pity we met such an unfortunate situation, but I hope you enjoy your stay here,” she said finally, squeezing his shoulder.

“I will,” he said, mostly out of politeness. She gave him a sad smile, before she too disappeared in smoke, following her brothers into the Skies.

Sorry for the late update! I'm on holidays now, so hopefully they'll come quicker now.

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