27
Touch
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27
--
Myungsoo’s eternity stone blinked slowly as Seunggi hovered over him. Kiseop was blessed with the power of speed and made his way as fast as he could to the mountains to drag the man to the castle with nothing more than a hurried explanation. Joon and Seungho left in order to explain what was happening to their guests and to make sure of their safe returns home. The knights were gathered around his bed, and you sat in the corner of the room, grave expression turning your pale face even paler.
“I wish all of you would’ve hovered like this back when they were training in the mountains. Then I’d at least be able to grab one of you to volunteer for my experiments,” Seunggi said, shooing some of the knights away so he could move to the other side of Myungsoo.
The door opened, and Seungho came sweeping in, looking more and more tired as each second passed. “Seunggi, how is he?”
Seunggi pursed his lips. “Well, the good news is, his energy and powers are still in tact. The only thing that’s been drained is his actual life force, his will to live, I guess you could say. I knew it was one of the Arch Mage’s passive powers, but to actually see someone live through it, I’m genuinely curious, though I know my curiosity has no place right now.”
“Seunggi,” Seungho said tiredly, sitting down in a chair Joon pushed behind him.
“He’s hanging on. Turning life into energy is a natural task of the body as a warlock, but turning energy back into life is a little bit tricky. I’m going to need a few things, and I’m going to need silence.”
--
For the next few days, the castle was deathly silent. As long as the castle was quiet, you had hope that Myungsoo would be okay. Woohyun tried in vain to comfort you, but for some reason, no tears fell, despite how sad and guilty you were feeling. People avoided you as you sat in the gardens with a distant look in your eyes.
Just as well, you thought. In a momentary lapse of memory, you’d nearly killed the replacement to the High Mage, your bodyguard, and perhaps, even your friend. You closed your eyes, and an image of his face, giving you a fond look appeared, reaching out with his hand to-
Your eyes snapped open. You’d never paid too much attention to that image before, but you suddenly stood up and ran for the room you shared with Woohyun, your husband. Joon was in there cleaning up and making the sheets when you burst in through the door and made a beeline for your jewelry box. He turned around as you dumped the contents onto your dresser and searched through everything until you found what you were looking for.
“Are you okay? What are you-”
“Me. He was waiting for me, wasn’t he?”
Joon froze in his spot as you turned around and held up the other half of the eternity ring you’d seen Myungsoo wearing a numerous amount of times. He pressed his lips together into a thin line, unsure of what to say.
“That explains all those images, those dreams- they were flashes of memories. We were in love, weren’t we?”
Joon shuffled nervously, his eyes shifting from you towards the door. “I’m not really-”
“Then what happened? Did he leave? Is that why I’m married to Woohyun? Why did he leave me?”
“He left you because he had to leave you. He didn’t have a choice.” You whirled around to see Woohyun standing by the door, an unreadable expression on his face. You were too wrapped up in your feelings and revelations to notice the tint of sadness in his eyes. He was afraid of this. Not afraid of you finding out about Myungsoo, but afraid you’d feel the only reason you’d married him was because Myungsoo left you.
Woohyun closed his eyes and squeezed back the hurt. All he wanted was for you to love him.
--
Woohyun sat down and explained everything to you as your memories fell into place. The hold Woohyun’s blood had on your mind loosened, and you covered your mouth as an expression of horror appeared on your face. This entire time, Myungsoo was suffering so much because of you, but he didn’t say a word as long as you were happy.
This time, as Woohyun finished his explanation, the tears fell. Your body was wracked with gasping sobs, and Woohyun held you, your hair and murmuring his apologies. Your heart was in shambles.
Woohyun, your husband.
Myungsoo, your possible true love.
Woohyun, the vampire that gave you the gift of eternal life and happiness.
Myungsoo, the warlock on the verge of death because of you.
A piercing alarm broke the deathly silence of the castle. You looked up from Woohyun’s chest, wiping tears away from your eyes as his expression darkened.
“They wouldn’t... That’s not a drill, is it? But Myungsoo is still...” Woohyun picked you up gently and laid you on the bed before brushing a kiss against your forehead.
“No, it’s not a drill.”
--
“At last. Let them see the fearsome army I’ve built for Armalis. Soon, their world will be ours, and we’ll own both sides of the land!” The High Priest chuckled to himself as he gently your sister’s face in the carriage. Her power was completely drained, taken by force this time, which made it even more painful than it already was. She wanted no part in what the High Priest was planning, but the High Priest planned for that.
He was camped out at the edge of twilight, where the two worlds blended together. The eerie lighted darkness glowed red, as if it were anticipating the clash between Armalis and Rivedon. He would give the High Mage and his kingdom a chance to see the cause of their downfall for a few days until he would attack.
“Ah, victory is sweet, wouldn’t you say, dear?” The Arch Priest shuffled feebly away from him with a shuddering sigh. She couldn’t bear his touch. The High Priest sneered at her but retracted his hand. “In due time, my sweet. That sister of yours will be no more, and I will control all of the life in the lands. I will go down in history as the High Priest that conquered Death!”
--
Myungsoo was conscious when the alarm sounded and all of the knights sprang into action, leaving him to struggle feebly to a sitting position as Seunggi frowned.
“You shouldn’t strain yourself. It’s taken me days to get enough life into you to get you to wake up.”
Myungsoo’s vision swam, making him groan and lie back down. He squeezed his eyes shut and took slow deep breaths, just like his training taught him.
“What’s going on?” he whispered. The alarm suddenly ceased, the last remnants of it echoed through the castle walls before Myungsoo’s ears started ringing. It did nothing to help the headache threatening to split his head in two.
“Exactly what you saw. The alarm of your castle sounded, and then everyone left you here with me to do their duties. I’m not exactly sure what you’ve been preparing for since I’ve been out of touch in the mountains.”
Myungsoo’s eyes snapped open again, earning another sharp jab behind them. “The High Priest. Armalis. They’re attacking.”
--
“Why aren’t they attacking?” Dongho asked with a frown. Seungho watched from the border of the town and pulled out his telescope. He could see the High Priest sitting on top of his carriage at the edge of twilight with a smirk on his face. In front of him sat nearly a thousand troops, and Seungho was sure most of them were reanimated.
“Maybe we should attack him first. Gain the element of surprise.” Eli narrowed his eyes in an attempt to see better.
“No. Maybe that’s what he wants, sitting out there in plain sight. Our first priority should be moving the citizens to safety. I have a feeling the High Priest won’t stop this time,” Soohyun said.
All eyes turned back to Seungho. His age was starting to show. The roots of his hair were coming in grey, and he got tired easily. “Arrange for the evacuation of the citizens in the towns surrounding the castle. Send Mir to the imps. They owe me a favor.”
Soohyun barked a few orders, dividing the knights up as Joon handed Seungho another cup of water. “Joon, I don’t think I’m going to live through this battle.”
Joon’s faltered as he reached for the empty cup, but he didn’t say anything. There was nothing for him to say if the truth was apparent.
--
“You don’t look so good, Seungho. Don’t tell me this is the last payment I’ll be collecting from you,” Mir said. He frowned as Seungho coughed and smiled at him. Seungho moved up to his study, sitting right in front of his portrait of Gyuri.
“I’m afraid it might be. But don’t worry, you can still hound Myungsoo for payments.” The imp colony was tucked away in a hidden spot and could only be found by other imps that already knew where said spot was. Imp colonies were rare because most imps were nomads like Mir, wandering around the land to make a living however they chose.
“Heard that he’s looking about the same as you these days.”
A smile twitched in the corner of Seungho’s mouth. “I believe he’ll be okay. There’s someone here very dear to him that he could never leave again.”
--
Dressed in your armor, you stood outside of Myungsoo’s room, hearing him ask Seunggi questions about you. You weren’t sure how you could face him. After marrying Woohyun, forgetting about him, and the way you treated him, you were amazed he was still worried about you.
“Ask her yourself. She’s been standing outside of the door for the past few minutes. Come in,” Seunggi said, making you huff.
“Does that come with age, that being able to know who’s outside your door? Because Seungho is pretty good at that too,” you said, pushing the door open and stepping inside. You avoided Myungsoo’s gaze for a moment, looking everywhere but at him. Seunggi chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.
When your eyes finally settled on Myungsoo, you saw him frown. “Why are you here?” You flinched at the accusation in his voice, and his eyes softened as he saw you take his words the wrong way. “I mean, what are you doing here? I heard the alarm. Shouldn’t you be out there?”
“The High Priest hasn’t attacked yet. It’s been a day. He’s just sitting there, waiting for something.”
Myungsoo’s frown deepened. “Have you seen your sister?”
You shook your head. “No, I haven’t. Seungho won’t let me look either, and I’m not sure I want to see what he’s doing to her,” you said, clenching your fists.
Seunggi sighed as he saw Myungsoo’s eyes narrow. “Myungsoo, another few days and maybe you’ll be up and walking again, but you are in no condition to go running off into battle. Do you hear me? Your body won’t be able to take the strain of battle.”
You took off the upper pieces of your armor and laid them on the ground before sitting down in a chair next to his bed. “Seunggi, I’d like to talk to him alone, if you don’t mind. It won’t take too long.”
Seunggi blinked a few times before pursing his lips. “Well, I could use a bit of a break. I need to replenish my supplies, too. I guess everyone will be too busy or gone to help me around here.” He wandered over to the door and opened it up before stepping out and sticking his head back inside. “If I’m not back within a reasonable time, please come looking for me. I will probably get lost.”
You nodded as Seunggi gave you a stern look and disappeared. Myungsoo took in another round of deep breaths before pushing himself up into a sitting position again. This time, his head was clearer as he turned his eyes towards you.
There was a familiar silence between the two of you before you spoke, something you found a little bit comforting. “I remember,” you said.
Another silence.
“You remember.”
“I remember.” You pulled out the necklace you were wearing for him to see. The other half of the eternity ring you two had gotten so long ago. His hand absently moved towards his around his neck as he stared at yours. Then his eyes moved up to your face, and he couldn’t understand the expression on your face. “I’m sorry.”
Myungsoo breathed out a sigh. He expected you to be angry. He expected you to throw a fit, to cry, to yell, to question. But you were strangely calm and more apologetic than you should be. Especially after what he said to you before he left for training.
“Woohyun explained everything to me. All those things I did- All those questions I asked, I’m so sorry. I had no idea and-” You stopped when Myungsoo shook his head.
“I don’t blame you for anything. I blame my bad genes, the world order, and the Fates. Especially the Fates. I’ve heard they can be exceptionally cruel.” An unwilling smile pulled at the corners of your mouth, and Myungsoo took is as a success on his part. “We can’t really afford to dwell in the past right now. We’ll figure this out after this is all over.”
You swallowed and nodded. He was right, after all, as he often was. You stood up and pulled your armor back onto your body. “I should probably find out what’s going on right now.”
“You should probably go look for Seunggi first.”
--
Two days passed and still no movement from the High Priest. Seungho wanted to be on the front line of first responders when he mobilized, but the knights forced him to rest in his study, knowing he would be the first to know when the High Priest made his move.
Joon sat next to Seungho, staring at the portrait of Gyuri. Neither of them said anything until Seungho reached for his tea and took a sip. “I remember you from somewhere now.”
“Do you?” Joon asked, playing with his fingers.
“Something about a farm and hired help. Care to fill me in? I’d like to know before I turn to dust.”
Joon pursed his lips. “Did you know that I’m about the same age as you? Maybe a couple years younger. And by years, I mean, years, and not decades.”
Seungho blinked a few times. They’d never talked about Joon’s age before. There was never really a need to because he seemed like a strapping young man. Demon. Seungho knew demons lived for a long time, but they never actually stuck around long enough for him to ask. “Really?”
“Really,” Joon said with a smile. He leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers behind his head. “Your parents hired me when I was the demon equivalent of a kid, marked for manual labor. I was never destined for the higher level stuff.”
“So... we’ve known each other since we were kids.”
“Yep. Best friends growing up, in fact, until Gyuri came along. I was about to confess to you when she snatched you away from me.” Seungho blinked a few times at Joon’s confession. Joon closed his eyes and let out a slow sigh. “But I don’t really mind that we fell out of touch. I heard you were happy, so I just let it go.”
“Hard to let go of something like that after so long,” Seungho said quietly.
“We’ve both had plenty of time. It’s time to let go.”
--
You were roused from your slumber by the shouts of the knights coming from outside. Woohyun was already up and getting dressed, pausing only to give you a passionate kiss before running out of the room to join the knights. You threw off the covers and grabbed your own armor, dressing with practiced speed.
Your heart was racing underneath the armor, and a chill went down your spine. Everything still felt surreal to you, even as you ran through the empty castle hallways and stopped at the gates to feel a low rumble underneath your feet.
The knights were lined up at the front to guide the troops. You saw Kiseop nearly run into Soohyun as he came back with a status report. “Soohyun, we’re completely surrounded.”
Soohyun took a deep breath and lowered the front of his helmet. “This is it.” He turned around to face the knights and troops that could hear him. He started the call of fidelity to Rivedon, and it ended with an echo of silence.
Myungsoo watched everything from Seungho’s study. Seunggi so handily installed a window overlooking the rest of the castle and the town. The High Priest’s army looked like ants crawling across and destroying whatever was in their path. He rode on top of an ornate carriage, smug look on his face.
He still wasn’t fully recovered, only able to walk and jog for a little bit until he became winded. Seunggi said he would make a full recovery after a few weeks. He wasn’t sure there were going to be a few weeks for him to recover.
“At long last. We meet again,” the High Priest said, standing up on top of his carriage. From far away, he looked so small and insignificant, but his voice carried with him years and years of malice and ill intentions. “Looks like the years haven’t been treating you well, Seungho.”
Seungho suppressed a cough and shrugged. “I’ve lived a very fulfilling life. So, tell me again why you’re doing this? I don’t see anything you could gain from this.”
The High Priest scoffed. “Of course you wouldn’t. I am here because I want to do what no man has done before.” You shivered as you felt the High Priest direct his gaze at you. His laughter rang out through the land as his troops began their attack.
“I want to conquer Death, and it starts with the death of Death itself! I will not stop until you are destroyed!”
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