In the midst of chaos, vengeance is born.

 

     APRIL 12

 

     Yoongi and Seokjin watched Beomgyu and Taehyung from the treeline, the pair were shooting off arrows into the target that sat at the other end of the field.

     "You murdered his mother and he hasn't tried to kill you yet?" Seokjin pointed out, "Kind of sus."

     "I mean, he still could," Yoongi sighed.

     "He seems to know his way around a bow," Seokjin commented, "One properly placed arrow and bye-bye Yoongi."

     "Too much room for error, he seems like he'd just want to rip my heart out anyway."

     "Claws would make it easier-"

     "I swear to god, the two of you are so ing weird," Jungkook announced as he came from the brush to stand alongside them, setting down a case.

     "I mean not as effective as a god-killing dagger, but hey, we can't all be you," Yoongi razzed.

     "Haha," Jungkook shook his head, "If you're so worried, why don't you just ask him-"

     "How he plans to off me?" Yoongi asked rhetorically, thinking, "I think that would just ruin the surprise."

     "He offs you and it's instant death for him, no way would he risk it," Seokjin was a little too serious considering the tone of the conversation.

      "Unless he just doesn't care enough about his own life to give a ," Jungkook chuckled, "Maybe his ultimate mission is to kill Yoongi and then be offed by the great and powerful Seokjin."

     Yoongi huffed out an amused chuckle, quickly clearing his throat.

     "Who wouldn't want to be laid out by Seokjin?" Jungkook grinned, quite proud of his wordplay.

     Yoongi frowned, "What is your purpose for being out here exactly?"

     "I need a reason to want to hang with my husband?"

     Yoongi's frown grew deeper, as he shook his head, "Did you enlighten bunny boy about our plans today?"

      "Pardon?" Jungkook glanced at his husband, eyebrows raised, "Plans?"

     "Reconnaissance mission, if you're up for it-" Seokjin started and then turned to Yoongi, "The three of us spending quality time together."

     "Sounds like a dream come true," Jungkook grinned, shaking his head, "But Tae and I have plans of our own, so I'm gonna pass."

     "Plans with Tae?"

     "Actually with Beomgyu too-"

     "What am I missing?" Seokjin inquired.

      "Treasure hunt," Jungkook pulled out a crossbow from the case he had set down earlier, "Hobi found Simatra's diary, she likes to hide treasure, so-"

      Yoongi smiled, "Sounds like Hoseok just wants someone to help with the dirty work."

      "Either way, target practice," Jungkook smirked, setting it back inside.

      "Do you plan to shoot the ground," Seokjin goofed, "Shovels work much faster-"

     "I plan to shoot the gremlins that guard the place-"

      "Your plans sound fun-"

     "Yup, see ya later," Jungkook planted a quick peck on Seokjin's lips and then was off with a blink.

     "He just blew you off," Yoongi watched as the younger joined Taehyung, and then turned to Seokjin, "Trouble in paradise?"

     Seokjin rolled his eyes, "So when do you wanna leave?"

     "We should have left ten minutes ago, it's like an hour's drive," Yoongi complained, "and I don't want to be stuck at the ruins after dark, alone."

     "You won't be alone, you got me." Seokjin smiled, "The great and powerful Seokjin Kim."

     Yoongi shot Seokjin a look of disbelief as he walked off, mumbling about not stuffing him into the trunk.

 

      No less than an hour later, Seokjin and Yoongi found themselves floating by a very old castle that looked like it materialized from a century sometime near 1400 when the dark ages were in existence. It sat atop a small cliff that overlooked the ocean, on an island just off the coast. They lucked out with finding a boat rental place that was still open, usually, they were only open for tourists during the summer, but it so happened that the owner was doing some spring cleaning before the big season-opening. The grounds were plastered with "No Trespassing" signs, which were probably overshadowed by the ominous feeling that exuded from the place. It was one of Cato's first estates and where the nobles were spotted last. It was called Breybury, after the explorer that discovered the tiny island sometime in the 1700s. It was used for transporting and housing werewolves up until it was abandoned fifty years prior. Also, it had a faint odor of wet dog. 

    Seokjin and Yoongi had hoped that some things were left behind that might tell them a little more about what the nobles had planned. Jimin had learned some facts about them on his search for the truth, but they were still shrouded in mystery. What little they did know came from Demetrius who had raided the birthing compound before it had been destroyed, recovering some hard drives and filling in some relevant information from his narrative history.

      "Three boss level baddies," Yoongi started as he tied the boat to the dock and stepped out onto the dilapidated wood, "I'm starting to understand Akiyama a little more on the whole chimera thing."

     Seokjin looked up at the old building as he stepped off the boat, "They didn't do much to increase the property value-"

     Yoongi tittered, "I can't imagine financially they are well off, you got all of Cato's money?"

     "Which is funny because he's still alive, surprised I didn't have to give it back-"

     "Can't imagine ritualistic magical reawakening is written in the guidelines."

     Seokjin smirked as he walked down the creaking dock to the pathway that started the climb to the top.

 

     Jungkook took aim with his crossbow and let the bolt fly, pinning an unsuspecting gremlin to the tree behind it.

     "Nailed it," He announced as he climbed down from the rock he was propped against, retrieving the bolt and letting the dead gremlin fall to the ground with a thump.

      "That's three," Beomgyu yelled from across the path as he popped up from the woods and threw down one of his own, "Five for me-"

     "Oh, is this a competition?" Jungkook smiled, reloading.

     "It is now," Beomgyu nocked an arrow and took aim. The arrow soared through the air, making contact with another gremlin, a good hundred feet away, and pinning it to a tree, "Six."

     "Barbaric little ," Taehyung shook his head as he turned back to Hoseok, who was trying to pinpoint which side of the tree he should be digging up.

     "I think left," Hoseok grabbed the shovel that Taehyung held out and the two of them began to shovel loads of dirt from the spot. It took a good ten minutes before they were deep enough, hitting something hard.

     "Could it be that finally, we have unearthed the infamous Simatra's stash?" Taehyung spoke in a deep narrator's voice, joking.

     Hoseok threw the shovel aside and leaned down into the hole, grabbing hold of a small metal box. He pulled it out and set it on the ground with a thunk, "Heavy."

    "Good treasure maybe," Taehyung his lips, anticipating some hefty loot.

     Hoseok studied the lock, scratching his head, "Resigno."

     Nothing happened.

     "Does it say in the diary where she hid the key?"

     "," Hoseok frowned, "The key could be anywhere."

     "Locksmith," Taehyung smiled, "Easy peasy."

     "If you mean a magical locksmith, then I know someone really skilled in that area-"

     "Dare I ask?"

     "I have told you stories, mostly about my being turned into a Frog, but hey-"

     "Woh, do I get the meet the voodoo priestess that practically raised you?"

     "I haven't talked to her in," Hoseok thought, "damn, at least 15 years-"

     "Did you leave on a bad note?" Taehyung held the box up to his ear and shook it, earning a squeak that made him drop it, "What the hell, is it alive?"

     "You read thousands of books, yet you know nothing," Hoseok shook his head as he picked the box up and stuck it in his knapsack, "You don't just shake magically enchanted items, unless you like losing fingers... or ears."

     Taehyung's eyes doubled in size at the thought of the box just biting off a whole ear, "That's not a thing, no way."

     Hoseok was about to school Taehyung on the workings of enchantments, but an arrow whizzing by his head stopped him dead in his tracks, "Woh..."

     "Sorry," Jungkook called out from the distance.

     "What the hell is wrong with you?"

     Beomgyu and Jungkook ran over, skidding to a halt, both of them wearing expressions of regret at nearly impaling the surprised witch.

     "Still learning how to use this," Jungkook smiled, apologetically.

     "Did you find anything?" Beomgyu asked, plucking the arrow from the tree.

     "We shall see," Hoseok patted his knapsack and took out the diary, "Are we up for two stops today?"

     "I got nothing better to do," Jungkook smirked as he reloaded his crossbow.

 

     Yoongi yanked away the vines that covered the entrance to the desolate structure, revealing a rusted iron door that he bumped open with a stiffened shoulder. A wave of musty air pelted them, which was not surprising considering the mildew that covered the walls probably had its own ecosystem. It was dark, but the sunlight lit it up enough for them to be able to make out the layout of the room. The furniture was haphazardly covered in white sheets, and bits of paper and belongings were strewn about like someone had ransacked it and made a quick exit.

     "The apocalypse is coming," Seokjin read the message that was spray-painted in black, covering the wall above the fireplace like an indicative slogan. On the opposite wall, written equally as large, the words - "Prepare for Armageddon."

     "Original," Yoongi swiped at the spiderwebs that lined the doorway to the next room, which was empty, not one piece of furniture or even a stray trinket, it was just a giant empty space of cobwebs, "nothing in here, either-"

     They passed by several more empty rooms before deciding to split up.

     "Be careful," Seokjin patted his shoulder and then his heel.

     "Always," Yoongi waved him off.

     Yoongi saw movement from the corner of his eye and he stopped in the doorway to the next room, glancing behind him to see that Seokjin turned down the hall, out of sight. He then peered over to the window, the window where the small child was standing, hands crossed and staring at him like he was waiting to play a game and Yoongi was taking too long to join.

     "Who are you?" Yoongi whispered as he stepped in, trying not to alert Seokjin.

     "You can see me?" The boy gasped, taking several steps towards the spooked vampire.

     "Unfortunately," Yoongi muttered to himself, glancing towards the door before turning back to the child, "Of course."

     "No one has ever seen me, none of those mean people even gave me a second glance," the boy said with a saddened tone, "No one except her."

     "Do you live here?"

     "I used to," The boy walked over to Yoongi, circling him, studying him, "My family moved on, they weren't like me."

     "Like you?"

     "Murdered."

     Yoongi did not have a good feeling about this.

     "Why haven't you moved on?"

     "Unfinished business, that's what Papa told me when he went into the light," The boy humphed, "Mama didn't go into the light though, nope, mama was bad."

     Yoongi walked across the room to the door in the corner, he swung it open, but all that was inside were the remnants of a bathroom.

     The boy peeked out at him from the bathtub, playing with the tattered shower curtain, "Mama didn't like me."

     "What did Mama do?"

     "Mama made me go for a swim-"

      "She drowned you?"

     "I didn't like the water, I never liked the water," suddenly the boy's eye sockets darkened into blackness and his face contorted up into rage, his voice deepened as he screamed out, "Mama was bad."

     Yoongi froze, unsure of what to do.

     The boy hid his face and began to sob, "Mama told me I was a sin, an abom-abomination of nature"

     Yoongi looked to the door, contemplating an escape, but he feared the ghost boy would only follow him... ghost boy needed something, but what?

     "What is your name?"

     The boy peered up at him through moistened eyes, curious, "Klaus."

     "Where did mama go, Klaus?"

     The boy smiled, "Mama was dragged away."

     Mama was dragged away by what? Yoongi sighed, there was something very off about this child, he needed to be rid of this entity as fast as he could.

     "Do you know who I am, Klaus?"

     The boy shook his head.

     "I'm an angel, sent here to help you," Yoongi hoped this would work, "In order for you to move on, you need to do a good deed."

     "What good deed?" The boy asked, a new sense of hope in his eyes.

     "The people that were here before me, they had computers and weapons-"

     "They took everything," The boy confirmed before Yoongi could finish.

     "There was nothing hidden?"

      The boy smirked, "Joy hid stuff all the time."

     "Joy?" Yoongi inquired.

     "She was the leader."

     Yoongi hadn't remembered anyone named Joy on the list of nobles.

     "What sort of things did she hide?"

     "She had these thick books," Klaus climbed out of the bathtub and walked to the doorway, "She read strange words, and then terrible things happened."

     Joy is a witch, Yoongi thought to himself, "Did she just hide books?"

     "No, but she took most of it with her," The boy smiled, "But there were a few things she forgot."

     "Splendid."

     The boy ran from the room, yelling behind him, "Come on, I'll show you-"

     Yoongi followed, hurrying his pace to catch up to the tiny specter as he reached the basement door, swinging it open and letting it thump hard against the wall. The sound echoed through the room, way louder than it should have been.

     "They left quick, I think someone was after them-"

     Yoongi tread down the rickety stairs, adjusting his eyes to the stark change in light, "This is a very good deed, Klaus."

     Seokjin stopped at the basement door, sure he heard Yoongi's voice... talking to someone?

     "She liked to read the stories from mama's books, bad stories," Klaus shuddered, "bad stories that made things appear."

     "You said she was their leader?"

     "Very bossy," Klaus nodded gliding over to a stack of boxes that lay in the corner, "behind here."

     Yoongi looked down at the mess before him, bending down to try to peer behind it, making sure it wasn't a trap and this kid wasn't sending him to a bottomless pit, "Did she hide anything alive in here?"

     "No, she liked dead things," The boy sighed, "a lot of dead things."

     "A necromancer?" Yoongi said to himself, Klaus nodded.

     Yoongi shifted the boxes to the side and took out his phone, shining the flashlight into the hole, it was dusty and dark, but nothing stared back at him, all that was inside was a small plastic bin. He reached for it and slid it out, putting away his phone.

     "Was Joy the only one in charge?"

     "No, but she gave most of the orders," Klaus frowned, "Zane was always angry."

     Yoongi popped open the bin and rummaged inside, there were several files, some pressed herbs and flowers, and the pièce de résistance - a lovely external hard drive that probably held something top secret.

     “Bingo,” Yoongi held it up, smiling, “Klaus, you have been most helpful.”

     Klaus? Seokjin was confused. He nearly fell down the stairs when the clock next to him began to chime an eery rendition of Westminster, drawing out into a slow sonnet as the dying batteries finally stopped and the clock plummeted from the wall. Yoongi swung around, hand to chest, watching it hit the concrete floor and bust into pieces.

     “Seokjin?”

     Klaus' demeanor became fearful at that moment, backing up, “He-he’s one of them.”

     “Who the hell is Klaus?” Seokjin stepped off the step, kicking the splintered wood away with his foot.

     “One of who?” Yoongi asked, holding his hand up to Seokjin, to tell him to shush for a moment.

     “One of those bad creatures, one of the monsters.”

     Yoongi turned to Seokjin, “An onyx?”

     Klaus shook his head violently, “Tell him to go away or I will make him go away-“

      “Seokjin, you need to go,” Yoongi hurried over and began to usher Seokjin towards the stairs.

     “What the hell?” Seokjin protested.

     “I’ll explain later, just for now you need to go outside-”

      “Are you possessed again?”

     “No, please just go.”

     Seokjin looked around Yoongi at the blank wall, there was no one there, “Yoongi-"

     Klaus lowered his head as he grabbed the sides, shaking, trying to control himself, “Tell him now-"

     “He’s freaking out, you need to leave,” Yoongi begged, “Seokjin, please.”

     Seokjin proceeded halfway up the stairs, perturbed, thinking Yoongi had lost it. He stopped and turned back, “You're not making any sense-”

     Klaus lost control, his face contorted and his eyes rolled back into his skull, he shot forward, revealing himself to the confused hybrid as he passed through him, plastering his body to the wall. A strong wind encircled him, howling with a scornful fury.

     “GO AWAY!” Klaus roared and Seokjin took off, back up the stairs, slamming the door behind him.

     “Klaus, calm down,” Yoongi turned and watched as he landed back against the wall, breathing heavily.

     “I don’t like them, they are scary-“

     “Scary how?”

     “They tortured people,” Klaus covered his ears, “They begged for their lives, screamed in pain… I hated it, they were always screaming.”

     “Klaus, it will be okay, those bad people are gone-“

     “But your friends with him, you brought him here-“

     “Seokjin isn’t like them, he wants to stop them,” Yoongi explained, “Seokjin is a good guy.”

     “But he’s an onyx,” Klaus pleaded, “a monster-“

     “They aren’t all bad, Klaus. I promise.”

 

     Seokjin paced in front of the door, going through scenarios in his mind on how Yoongi was probably possessed again, but this… thing… was definitely not friendly. His insides were still chilled from it invading his body.

     Yoongi stepped out, setting the plastic bin down as Seokjin skidded to a halt, “I’m not possessed-“

     “What the hell happened?”

     “Ever since I came back from the dead,” Yoongi started, “I’ve been able to see… things."

     "Spirits?"

     Yoongi nodded.

     “This has happened before?”

     “Yeah, in fact, the reason Beomgyu was hurt,” Yoongi shook his head, “It doesn’t matter, he helped me find this.”

     “Klaus?”

     “Yeah, some poor murdered kid that was left behind.”

      “This is not normal, you realize that?”

      “Well, I’m not crazy, Beomgyu has seen them too.”

     “Mental stability aside, people see spirits for a reason,” Seokjin stressed, worried.

     “I’m well aware,” Yoongi sighed, not wanting to discuss his ghost issue at the moment, “I’ll figure it out.”

      “The kid is ing scary,” Seokjin frowned, shuddering. He never got scared of anything, but this was some creepy demonic nonsense he didn't like to play with.

     "He helped me find this," Yoongi kicked at the plastic bin.

      “So what’s in it?” Seokjin was determined to remove the image of Klaus's rage face from his mind.

     “Goodies.”

     “Then let’s get it back home?”

     Yoongi nodded, picking it up, “Don’t say anything to anyone about what I’ve been seeing, not until I figure it out.”

     Seokjin nodded, “Okay.”

     Seokjin watched as Yoongi shuffled off towards the boat, giving the estate one last lookover, what the hell is going on with you, Yoongi?!

     

     Yoongi set the bin on the lab counter, turning to Seokjin, "Now we just need Hobi and Jimin."

     Seokjin glared at his watch, "Hobi's still out with Jungkook and Taehyung, but I think Jimin is lurking around the castle somewhere, I can text him."

     "Already done," Yoongi pocketed his phone as he headed towards the door, "Lemme know when he's finished-"

     "Where are you going?"

     "Famished, if I don't get some blood now, I might go feral."

     Seokjin snickered as Yoongi walked out. He uncapped the bin and threw the lid aside. Jimin sauntered in moments later.

     "Hey," Jimin joined Seokjin.

     "That was fast-"

     "Yoongi said there was a hard drive?" Jimin peered in, rummaging around a few seconds before pulling it out, "Bingo."

     "Hope it wasn't a waste of time."

     "You'll have to give me a few minutes to crack the password and give it a search."

     "Take as long as you need," Seokjin commented as he pulled out a grimoire, and pulled up a stool, "I'll preoccupy myself with the rest of this ."

     Jimin nodded and walked out.

 

     A whole two hours passed before Seokjin realized it was dinner time, he set the book that he had been engrossed in, aside, and rose from his seat to stretch, hearing voices in the hallway.

     "So her real name isn't Joy?" Yoongi asked as he walked into the room, followed by Jimin.

     "Nope, it's Sooyoung Park-"

     "Why does that name sound familiar?" Yoongi's face scrunched up, trying to recall where he'd heard it.

     "Because she's an actress, she was the star of that show, Red Velvet."

     "I've never even heard of that show," Yoongi shook his head, he was sure he'd heard it before from his father, "I know her from somewhere else."

     "Anyway, what have we figured out?" Seokjin broke in.

     "Here's a wacky idea," Jimin set his laptop down, "How about we break into Genetica and take Cato?"

     "Funny," Seokjin laughed, "and how do you suppose we do that?"

     "Well, here's the thing, the nobles have detailed plans of the security system, the guard shifts, how to take out a chimera, and a very specific kill sheet on how they plan to off Akiyama, not because of how dangerous he is or anything, but because they want revenge."

     "Huh!" was all Seokjin could mutter.

     "So it's either we do it first or they're going to."

     A loud thunderous boom broke their conversation, three blasts in a row that shook the walls, shaking loose some of the plaster from the ceiling.

     "What the hell is that?" Seokjin yelled over the rumbling aftershock.

     "Are we under attack?" Yoongi tore from the room in a hurry.

 

     The resounding bangs echoed through the valley, scaring away all wildlife as creatures scrambled off into the brush, terrified.

     BOOM. 

     Another shot pulsated from the cannon's muzzle, cutting through the air with a mission. The rock surface cracked, hit with a powerful force, one after the other until the small spire collapsed under a pile of smoke.

     Hoseok lifted his goggles, swatting away the rocky dust, he crouched down to fling away the remains with his hands, digging into several inches of earth before he pulled out a folded-up piece of leather.    

     "Why are you destroying my property?" Yoongi shouted from the treeline, making his way over to Hoseok, who was now standing with the others, followed close behind by Seokjin and Jimin.

     "How else would we move an entire spire?" Hoseok pulled out two silver arrowheads from the fabric, "Question should be, why hide these?"

     "You do realize we live in a residential area and there are noise restrictions-"

     "Now you just sound like an old man," Jungkook laughed.

     "Sound spell, everyone just thinks it's a bad storm."

     "Tell that to the animals you probably permanently scarred, "Yoongi scolded.

     Seokjin leaned in to peer at the arrowheads, "Silver?"

     "Yeah," Hoseok held up one to the setting sun, reveling in the prismatic glint that twinkled from it, "A wedding gift from Yeolgwi to Simatra."

     "How do you know that?" Yoongi's eyes widened, taking the other arrowhead in his palm.

     "She wrote it in her diary," Hoseok set the arrowhead back into the fabric, "These were relics from the battle of Troy... or so she says."

     "The Trojan War?" Yoongi placed his back too.

     "Apparently Achilles was a werewolf-"

     "Okay, now I just think you're ing with us-"

     "Real or not, they're historic," Hoseok covered them back up and handed them to Jungkook, "She buried a lot of relics."

     "For what purpose?" Seokjin asked, confused.

     "She was an eccentric old bag," Yoongi shook his head, "She didn't trust anyone."

     "Did you guys find anything?" Taehyung asked, walking over.

     "Yeah, a lot surprisingly," Jimin popped a stick of gum into his mouth, "Seems their leader has a chronology ."

     Taehyung stole a piece of gum from his brother, stuffing it into his mouth, "Is it book-worthy?"

      "I mean this whole thing is book-worthy, and I have a feeling the plot twist is going to be a doozy."

     Jimin and Taehyung walked off, discussing the possibilities of what all that could entail. 

     Hoseok laughed it off, throwing his arm around Yoongi's shoulder, "So about the finder's fee?"

     Yoongi shook his head, "Consider it all yours."

      The two of them strolled off, a confused Beomgyu toddling behind them. Jungkook began to follow when Seokjin grabbed his sleeve and pulled him around and into a kiss, stopping for a moment to look into his doe eyes, "How was hunting?"

     Jungkook gave him a quick peck on the lips, "Fine, but if I had to admit it, I missed you."

     "Noble hunting isn't the same without you-"

     "I am glad to hear that," Jungkook smiled, taking Seokjin's hand in his own and pulling him along, "Come on."

 

     Jungkook managed to drag the elder upstairs to their room where he hoped they could have some much-needed alone time, maybe a nice bubble bath shared in a candle-lit bathroom, complete with a vintage wine and a back massage after. His stomach growled and he glanced down, patting it. First, he needed to eat something or his rumbling stomach might revolt.

     "You wanna go into town and get some dinner?" Jungkook asked, sitting down on the bed and sliding off his damp socks.

     "Actually that sounds like an amazing idea."

     "Then get ready, wear something... fancy," Jungkook winked as he walked to the bathroom door, "Also, easy to remove."

     Seokjin smiled as Jungkook closed the door and he heard the shower turn on, he slipped off his hoody and chucked it into the hamper, giving himself a mental high-five for making it on the first shot. He rummaged through his clothing on the left side of the closet, noticing that the right side consisted mostly of black with a few white tee shirts mixed in. His side of the closet was a little more varied, sure there was tons of black as well, but he liked a good light blue sweater here and there. He wondered if, by fancy, Jungkook meant a suit and tie ensemble or just a nice button-down and black slacks.

     "Easy to remove," He repeated the words aloud and gave a sly smile to his reflection in the mirror, so button-down it is.

 

     Jungkook ran some hair gel through his hair, fixing a stray piece before checking himself over one last time, he wasn't much for expensive clothing, but the fit of these Louis Vuitton checkered cigarette pants paired with a black flannel evening shirt that he neatly tucked in, really accentuated his fit body. He was sure to make Seokjin ravenous. He decided to loosen the top button, showcasing the pack symbol pendant that Seokjin gave him the day he turned eighteen. It seemed like forever ago now, though in time's sense it wasn't long at all. Maybe because Jungkook felt like he grew up more than a normal person in the last few years.

     "No sense dwelling on that. Tonight, it's you, the love of your life, and fun," Jungkook nodded, "lots of fun."

     

      Namjoon and Jimin had plans of their own, tonight they were going to delve in and come up with some answers about the nobles, concrete answers that would give them more insight as to who they were dealing with and how to stop them from breaking Cato out of his prison.

     "So, how bad are we talking," Namjoon searched his pockets, patting himself down and then spinning around to see if he dropped his earbuds.

     "Lose something?" Jimin set his laptop down on Namjoon's desk as he pulled the chair up so he and Namjoon could go over some of the things he discovered on the hard drive.

     "My earbuds, I thought I put them in my pocket," Namjoon peered under his desk as he sat, before opening several drawers to no avail, "Third set this month."

     Jimin chuckled, "You know Tae has a stash of all your lost items, right?"

     "Why?" Namjoon frowned, hoping he wasn't being pranked.

     "He has a knack for finding them," Jimin smirked, "He should open up an eBay shop, he could make thousands."

     "Mental note, pay Taehyung a visit," Namjoon chuckled to himself as he pulled his chair up, "Proceed."

     Jimin punched in some commands and brought up the files from the hard drive and adjusted the screen so they both could see it, "I can't help but think this was some sort of trap, there is too much here for her to accidentally leave this behind."

     "Let's assume you're right, what did they leave for us?"

     "Names, plans, cheat sheets if you will," Jimin opened up several files with detailed information on chimera anatomy, kill sheets on how to take one out, and most important of all, the names and faces of the key players, "This tells you everything you need to know about who they are and what their positions are, too convenient."

     "Sooyoung Park, born on Jeju island, five-foot, six inches, daughter of a politician and a doctor," Namjoon scratched his head, "Necromancer."

     "Our archives said she accidentally killed her parents and then tried to resurrect them," Jimin showed him a separate file, "She isn't one of the nobles."

     "I suspect during their recruiting phase that they picked up a lot of strays," Namjoon said, "My concern is how she got to be their leader."

     "They have a Djinn hybrid," Jimin gasped, "I shudder to think how Cato got ahold of Djinn DNA."   

     "I guess that depends on whether they were good or evil," Namjoon pointed out, "but knowing Cato, I'd say the latter would more fit his agenda."

     "I think I should put together the info and we present it to the rest of them tomorrow," Jimin shook his head as he shut his laptop, "easier than explaining it twenty times."

      "I agree, find out as much as you can about their hierarchy system, I want to know who we need to concentrate on most."

     "You figure out what to do about Seokjin's nightmares?"

     "Other than somehow killing Cato, no," Namjoon sighed, "I fear Seokjin is a ticking timebomb."

     "I fear you're right, I think Jungkook is the only thing keeping him anchored at the moment."

 

     Seokjin and Jungkook emerged from the restaurant, the younger rubbing his belly, he swore he would bust a button from being too full.

     "This was a good idea," Seokjin handed him the helmet as he climbed on the bike and was about to put on his own.

     "Wait," Jungkook grabbed Seokjin's arm and pulled it down, staring down the row of stores that lined the opposite side, right at the shop with the neon sign overhead that read 'Inkspiration Tattoos'.

     Seokjin peered over his shoulder and then back up at Jungkook, "You want a tattoo?"

     "I don't know, maybe," Jungkook set his helmet back down and turned to Seokjin, "Can we at least go take a look?"

     Seokjin took another glance back at the shop before returning his gaze to his husband, Jungkook looked excited, like someone seeing a grand spectacle of magic for the first time and being in awe of what was before them, his stare had not left the shop and Seokjin knew it was more than just a maybe. 

 

     Six hours later, Jungkook strolled out of the tattoo shop, plastic wrap wrapped around his forearm, covering a rather large tattoo. Seokjin walked out behind him, smiling at the back of his husband's head. He hadn't seen Jungkook this giddy in a long time and he was enjoying the radiant happiness that was pouring off of him.

     "I think it's a rather nice way to honor the castle," Seokjin raised Jungkook's arm to look over the black-lined castle that had two gray wolf silhouettes in front of it. Seokjin knew it represented the two of them. Off to the side of it sat 3 more wolves, a person in a witch hat, and a solitary bat flying over the building.

     "Now it's always with me."

     "I'm surprised you put Yoongi in there."

     "I know he hates when people assume vampires can become bats," Jungkook smirked, "...and as much as I dislike him, he's part of the pack."

     Seokjin pulled Jungkook in for a kiss, wrapping his arms around the younger, breathing him in for a moment before proclaiming his feelings, "I love you so damn much."

     "Are you okay?"

     "I'm great, thanks to you."

     Jungkook gave him a peck and then grabbed his helmet.

     Seokjin sat down on the curb, taking in the beauty of the moon, the hopeful ball of magic lighting up the night sky with a brilliance that demanded to be admired.

      "When this is all over and Cato and the nobles are dead, I want us to rebuild the castle and live there, just the two of us."

     Jungkook joined his husband, sitting down and leaning his head on Seokjin's shoulder, "Sounds perfect."

     "Maybe adopt 300 puppies and raise horses," Seokjin reminisced, "Anything we want."

     Jungkook slipped his hand into Seokjin's, intertwining their fingers, he had a feeling something was up with the elder, but he didn't want to push, not when he could picture their