--

08

--

You felt all of the blood rushing from your head as you danced with Woohyun. You stared resolutely at his chest, too afraid to look up at his face. You could feel yourself ready to faint, but Woohyun steadied you on your feet.

The song seemed to last for eternity, and when it was finally over, he didn’t let go right away. Instead, he pulled you closer to him so he could whisper in your ear.

“I told you I’d get stronger so I could protect you.” You shook your head and pushed away from him, turning to leave, your head spinning. Joon intercepted you and asked if you were okay, but he could see that your face was an unsightly shade of green and whispered something to Seungho before taking you out of the ballroom.

Myungsoo watched as you turned to leave, getting ready to follow you until he heard Woohyun call for you. You stopped and looked over your shoulder, tears threatening to spill from your eyes before you were gone. Myungsoo couldn’t believe it. He called you your sister’s name. Did that make him the boy that used you to kill himself? Your first crush?

Woohyun watched you leave with sad eyes before his expression turned hard again, and he disappeared into the crowd.

“What was that all about?” Sungyeol whispered to Myungsoo. Howon, Sungjong, Dongwoo, and Sunggyu made their way over to Myungsoo, who looked absolutely murderous.

“Do you know what’s going on?” Sunggyu asked, eyeing Myungsoo’s furious expression.

“I’ll bet he does. He’s about to crush that wine glass in his hand. I’ll take that,” Dongwoo said, prying Myungsoo’s fingers off of the glass and taking it away from him.

“We know you and Woohyun don’t get along, but isn’t that a bit much for just dancing with her?”

“She looked like she was about to pass out and cry. I’m going to get to the bottom of this,” Myungsoo said, pushing past his friends and going after Woohyun.

--

Woohyun had been to the castle of Rivedon many times before. He came often to visit to train, and he wasn’t particularly welcome with the trainees, especially Myungsoo. He and Myungsoo had an unspoken power feud. He wasn’t sure when it began, or why it manifested in the first place, but things between the two of them were not... civil.

“Woohyun. Woohyun!” Woohyun sighed as he heard Myungsoo voice calling his name, but he didn’t stop walking. Myungsoo growled and ran up to him, shoving him against the wall with a snarl.

“Don’t walk away from me when I’m talking to you,” he said, eyes flashing red. Woohyun raised an eyebrow, giving him an unamused look.

“Do you want something?” he asked, shoving Myungsoo back away from him.

“How do you know her?” Woohyun blinked a few times before a smirk appeared on his face.

“Why? Jealous?” Myungsoo let out a growl and shoved Woohyun back against the wall again, this time keeping his hand on his throat.

“She looked like she was about to pass out on the floor. I heard the name you called her. What makes you think you can waltz in here like that after using her to kill yourself?” Woohyun’s eyes widened in surprise before they narrowed.

“How do you know that? And I don’t have to answer anything,” Woohyun spat at Myungsoo, gripping his arm and shoving it away from himself.

“Myungsoo. She’s asking for you.” Myungsoo heard Seungho call for him and glared at Woohyun, breathing hard before turning around and walking past Seungho. Seungho watched him leave in a huff and raised an eyebrow before turning towards Woohyun.

Woohyun’s eyes narrowed at Myungsoo’s retreating back. “Why is she asking for him?” Seungho just pursed his lips and smiled at Woohyun before turning to leave him alone in the dark hallway.

--

Myungsoo was still fuming when he made it to your doorway, but when he pushed it open and saw you sitting dejectedly on your bed, his anger disappeared immediately. He called your name softly, and when you looked up, he stepped inside.

You hopped off of the bed and went running towards him, wrapping your arms around him, and burying your face in his chest. Myungsoo was a little bit surprised, but held you in his arms anyway.

“Are you okay? What happened? Do you know Woohyun?” Myungsoo helped you back over to your bed and threw you onto it before climbing in and letting you cling to his arm.

“He’s the boy that used me to kill himself. My first crush. It’s him, I swear it’s him. He looks just like him. They have the same name. And when the dance was over, he even told me, ‘I told you I’d get stronger so I could protect you.’” You shivered slightly. Myungsoo couldn’t even begin to understand how you were feeling right now.

“He called you your sister’s name when you were leaving, too. That’s how I knew,” Myungsoo said, gently your hair. It was no longer in the fancy updo, but down and wavy. He liked that look on you.

“Do... do you know him?” Myungsoo scowled at your question.

“I guess you could say that. He has a bit of a reputation here in the land of the dead.” Myungsoo moved his arm out of your grip and wrapped it around your shoulders as you scooted in closer and leaned against his chest.

“Is he a bad person now?” you asked quietly. Myungsoo bit his lip.

“Well. He’s not my most favorite person in the world,” he said as sarcastically as he could. You let out something that sounded like a short giggle. He was making some progress then.

“He came out of nowhere, really. He’s uh... I guess you could say sort of a step brother to Seungho. Even though they’re almost a hundred years apart in age.” You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion.

“Seungho doesn’t really like to talk about himself and his relationships. But you didn’t think he lived that long without some sort of help, right?”

“I never thought about how old he was. I don’t really keep track of dates very well.” Myungsoo nodded. It was understandable, the way you lived for the first twenty years of your life.

“But he’s old. He’s bonded to a vampire name Gyuri. Now, there was a beautiful woman if I’d ever seen one. And now that I’ve met you, I don’t think I ever had before.” You scoffed and poked him in the ribs.

“Shut up. She’s beautiful, so what?”

“Seungho told me that she picked up Woohyun in the streets. He wasn’t alive, but he wasn’t dead either. She didn’t know what to make of him, but she sensed he would be powerful, so she took him in and turned him.” You frowned. So he was a vampire.

“So they share Gyuri’s blood. Seungho has more seniority over Woohyun, but Woohyun is vastly more powerful. All he did was train the entire time he was here. And he’s an .” You couldn’t help but laugh at the last part that Myungsoo added in.

“We don’t get along.” The two of you were silent until you closed your eyes and sighed.

“What I don’t understand is how he’s alive.”

“I’m sure he’d tell you if you asked. I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you.”

“I don’t really think I can face him right now...”

--

When Joon came in the morning to see how you were doing, he stopped dead in his tracks at the sight that greeted him. He took a few deep breaths and counted to twenty before taking steps towards you bed and leaning on it with a raised eyebrow.

You were asleep in Myungsoo’s arms, and Myungsoo hadn’t even changed out of the clothes he wore to the ball last night. Joon stared for the longest time until he heard you speak.

“Joon, stop staring,” you croaked out, moving so you were more comfortable in Myungsoo’s arms.

“Yeah, it’s creepy,” Myungsoo said with a yawn.

“I’m just making sure you two aren’t doing anything inappropriate,” he said through gritted teeth. Joon was really checking up on you after what happened with Woohyun. He intended to ask you about it, but didn’t expect to see Myungsoo still there with you in the morning.

“We’ve got to get up, or he’s going to stare forever,” you said, eyes still closed.

“Let him stare,” Myungsoo said.

“Myungsoo,” Joon growled. Myungsoo sighed.

“Five more minutes.”

“Myungsoo.”

“One more minute.”

“Myung. Soo.”

“Oh, alright...” Myungsoo sat up, and you whined from the loss of heat, rolling up into your blankets. “You still owe me a dance,” he said. He rubbed at his hair and frowned when he felt it sticking in all directions.

“I know, sorry.” He smiled at you fondly before carefully sliding out of bed and inclining his head slightly at Joon with a smirk on his face.

“I’m leaving. Are you happy?”

“I suppose,” Joon said suspiciously.

“I’ll see you at breakfast?” he called out as he opened the door. You murmured in approval and rolled yourself up in your blankets again.

Joon pursed his lips and reached out to shake you awake through the sheets. “Yah. Wake up. You have a lot of explaining to do.”

“We didn’t do anything, just slept. Now, leave me alone, I’m tired. I don’t want to use my legs for the rest of the week.”

“You only have a day of break before training starts again. Seungho says he has to shorten your lessons and your training so you can have time to spend with the suitors that are staying at the castle. Which means, you’ll be learning more, faster.” You made more whining noises and rolled up even tighter.

“Tell them I died.”

--

Myungsoo had a satisfied smile on his face as he made his way back to his room. Sungyeol was bound to have a lot of questions, and as he yawned, he made a mental note to find out where his friends were staying.

He passed by Woohyun in the hallway and smirked at him, raising a hand to give him a short wave. As Woohyun walked by him, he furrowed his eyebrows. He could smell you all over Myungsoo, making him turn around with a growl and shove Myungsoo into the wall. He hovered over him with angry eyes, which Myungsoo returned with another smirk.

“You have something to say to me?” The two of them stared at each other until Woohyun pushed off of the wall and disappeared down the hallway.

--

“So? Where were you last morning? Sinning it away?” Sungyeol asked as soon as Myungsoo walked through the door of their dorm. Byunghee had given them the day off right after the ball, and Myungsoo supposed that he only did that to nurse his hangover from all the wine he drank.

“Of course not. What kind of man do you think I am?” Myungsoo started to peel his clothes off and sighed heavily, throwing them onto the floor. “Woohyun’s barely been here for a day, and I’ve already had to deal with him twice. He’s not going to live at this point,” he said, searching for clothes to change into.

Sungyeol rolled his eyes. Myungsoo is still as cocky as ever, he thought to himself. Woohyun was considered, unofficially, the strongest vampire in the land of the dead, despite his young age, and he would only get stronger over time.

“I think you and Woohyun should learn to play nice. For the sake of people around you, and the preservation of the castle. You remember what happened last time you guys went all out? I’ve never heard Byunghee and Seungho swear so much before in my life.” They managed to destroy the entirety of the training field, and it took Byunghee and Seungho weeks to put it back together.

“Yeah, we’re still banned from fighting in the training field. Doesn’t mean we can’t fight outside or something.” Myungsoo pulled a shirt on over his bare chest and changed into a comfortable pair of pants.

“Hungry?”

“Not for your type of food,” Sungyeol said, pushing himself out of his bed and following Myungsoo out the door.

“Do you know where the others are staying?”

“I heard one of the attendants saying the suitors have a whole floor of the castle to themselves. Somewhere around there. Aren’t you going to go meet them?”

“No,” Myungsoo said, turning to head towards the entrance of the castle. “I have a breakfast date.”

--

When Myungsoo pushed open the door to your favorite place to eat, he could already hear you laughing. He peeked inside and saw Dongwoo sitting on one side of you, and Sunggyu on the other. Sunggyu scowled as Dongwoo continued to tell his story and laugh profusely.

“And it’s already hard enough to wake up a vampire during the day, so Myungsoo starts drawing all over his face in charcoal, and he walks around like that for a good three hours before anyone says anything to him.”

“He drew on your face too!” Sunggyu said indignantly.

“Already telling her about my escapades? Aren’t you guys supposed to be trying to win her over? Don’t make this easy for me now,” Myungsoo said, coming up behind you. You turned and smiled at him, giving him a small wave.

He stood behind you and leaned against your chair, taking a look at the food you were eating. It looked normal for once, but Sunggyu and Dongwoo were eyeing it like it was diseased.

“Vampires,” you said, shrugging your shoulders.

“I think Myungsoo was born the wrong race. He should’ve been a vampire,” Dongwoo said, leaning back in his seat and lacing his fingers behind his head. “All of your friends are vampires, you work just as hard, and I think you’re deserving of a certain little lady in our presence.”

His last comment made you choke on your food and blush slightly as you reached for the napkin to dab at your lips.

“The world has a cruel sense of humor,” Myungsoo mused out loud as Sunggyu patted on you on the back.

--

After breakfast, you were summoned to Seungho’s study. Your draw dropped as Seungho unfurled the scroll with the list of suitors that declared themselves at the introduction ball the previous night. It bunched up on his desk and continued on the floor.

“That’s ridiculous. I don’t even remember who most of these people are.”

“That’s good. The more I cross off this list, the more space we’ll have back at our castle. Who on this list is a definite no?”

Seungho helped you go through the names one by one. The ones you couldn’t remember, Seungho gave a brief description of, and if you still didn’t remember after that, it was an automatic cross off.

It felt like it took hours, and by the time you were done, there were no more than five or six names left on the list.

“Let’s see who we have here... Myungsoo. Big surprise. Dongwoo and Sunggyu, Myungsoo’s friends, another big surprise. Lee Junho... He’s a bit awkward isn’t he?” Seungho asked, looking up from the reduced list.

“He is, but he was very nice. We were being awkward together. He laughs at the jokes I tell that no one else laughs at, and vice versa.” Seungho blinked rapidly and shook his head.

“Uh... Ahn Jaehyo? He’s like another Myungsoo.” You pursed your lips and thought.

“I guess that’s why we got along so well. He talked about himself a lot, but he made sure I was laughing at least.” Seungho shook his head even harder and looked at the last name on the list. Now that was a big surprise.

“Woohyun is still on the list?” You stared down at your hands and started to fidget in your seat. You wanted to cut him. You really did, but you still had so many questions that kept you from doing it.

“So, tell me. What’s the story with you and Woohyun?” Seungho asked, rolling the scroll up and sending it towards the shelf. You opened and closed your mouth wordlessly before starting to talk.

Seungho listened as you told him what you remembered in as much detail as you could remember. By the time you were done, you had to stop to take deep breaths.

“I see. I suppose you’ll have to get his side of the story then. I can’t say I’ve cared enough about him to really ask him about his past. We may share the same blood, but he’s no family of mine.” You looked up in surprise. You knew that he and Woohyun shared the vampire Gyuri’s blood but...

“Why?” you asked.

“I suppose Myungsoo told you about Gyuri?”

You nodded.

“Did he leave out the part where Woohyun killed her?” Your eyes widened in shock, making Seungho nod. “I suppose he did. It wasn’t on purpose, but a tragic loss for the land of the dead. And for me personally.”

As you watched him heave a sigh, the dark circles under his eyes suddenly seemed more pronounced, and he looked like he aged ten years right before your eyes.

“Without Gyuri, I’ll only live for another hundred and fifty years, tops. I was started to get worried that we’d never find you before I died.”

“Can’t you... can’t you get bonded to another vampire?” Seungho gave you an all knowing smile.

“There’s the fickle thing. After a few hundred years with the same one, it’s a bit difficult to find someone else.” You gave him a sad smile.

“You really loved her, huh?”

“Of course. More than anyone else in the world. If you ever do manage to talk to Woohyun, ask him about the scars on his back.” Seungho was quiet for a moment as he watched you think.

“I didn’t love her at first. Like other High Mages, I married and got bonded because I had to. But vampire blood, it does something to you. You start to see them, and only them, and your feelings start to twist so you would always only love them. Doesn’t seem to affect the ones they turn completely into vampires,” Seungho said lightly. You could hear some bitterness in his voice.

“I’m sorry,” you said quietly.

“A thing of the past. Woohyun isn’t the same little boy from your past. You’d be a fool to think that. I suggest you start to get to know him, the real him. Though, looking at it now, I suspect there’s a side to him none of us have ever seen, when it comes to you.”

You nodded.

“If you don’t have any more questions, that’s all for today. Lessons start again tomorrow, but they’ll be shorter. Don’t think you’ll be learning less though!” Seungho said, pointing a finger at you. You laughed and stood up.

But as soon as you stood up, you felt your breath leave your chest. Your vision got dizzy, and you fell back into the chair, hand on your chest as you tried to breathe. You heard Seungho calling your name with worry, asking what was wrong.

“I can’t breathe. I’m... I’m... so tired. I can’t see...” Seungho furrowed his eyebrows until he called for Joon, worry in his voice.

Joon appeared inside of the study in the blink of an eye, hurrying towards you.

“What’s wrong? Is she okay?”

“Go find Myungsoo, and bring him here, immediately.”

--

Myungsoo was enjoying a simple sparring match with his friends when Joon shimmered in front of him, reaching out to grab his arm with a grave expression on his face.

“Come with me.” Myungsoo didn’t have time to protest before he shimmered out of the training field, leaving his friends a little bit confused.

--

Your eyes were squeezed shut as you laid back in the chair. Your face was even more pale than it usually was, and Seungho was getting antsy until Joon appeared again with Myungsoo.

“Would you tell me what’s going on?”

“Focus some energy into your hand,” Seungho said as Joon pushed him towards the chair. He saw you nearly passed out in the chair and complied immediately. Seungho picked up your hand with his own gloved hand and grabbed Myungsoo’s before dropping your hand on top of his.

Myungsoo almost jerked away in surprise as your hand started to absorb the energy in his hand, and as soon as it ran out, Seungho yanked your hands away, making you suddenly start in the chair.

“I thought so,” Seungho said with a slight frown on his face. You vision started to clear up, and you could breathe again as you sat up, holding your head.

“What happened?” you asked, massaging your temples.

“I’ll explain later, after I do a little bit more research,” Seungho said slowly. “But you. I need to talk to you,” he said, looking at Myungsoo.

--

Seungho kicked you out of his study so he could talk to Myungsoo alone. Joon stay with you for a moment to make sure you were okay before leaving to go finish his castle duties. You walked by yourself down the hallway, unsure of where you wanted to go on your last free day before you would have to start spending time with your suitors.

Your feet seemed to know where to go, because they took you out to the castle gardens. You took in a deep breath, letting the plants soothe your nerves before sitting down on the bench and staring off blankly.

You thought about your sister. You thought about Myungsoo, your obligations to the people of the land of the dead. You thought about Seungho and his lost love. You thought about Woohyun and wondered what kind of person he could be now.

“Hello.” You were jerked from your thoughts and could feel yourself getting anxious again as you looked up.

“Hello,” you said slowly as Woohyun sat down next to you on the bench. The two of you sat in awkward silence until he spoke again.

“I was wondering if... we could catch up? It’s been a while since we last saw each other.” You turned to him and stared at him blankly. You didn’t know why, but suddenly, you started to get angry, despite the pleading look he was giving you.

“You want to catch up? It’s been a while since we last saw each other? The last time I saw you, you were dead. I didn’t ever expect to see you again.”

“I can explain,” he said, turning towards you. You could hear the desperation in his voice, but your anger flared up.

“You know it’s because of you that I suffered so much for the last twelve years of my life. I mean, it was always bad, but after you died, after you used me to kill you, do you know what the High Priest did?” Woohyun opened and closed his mouth wordlessly before shaking his head.

“When the sun came up, he had be tied to a cross, and I burned in the sunlight for three hours until my skin blistered. He wanted to leave me up there longer, but my sister kept begging and crying for him to let me down. Your mother called me a murderer, a thief that took away her only son. I couldn’t move for weeks. I couldn’t eat. My sister tried for two weeks to heal me enough so I could eat properly. I was confined to my room for the next few years. Years, Woohyun. Do you hear me? If they caught me outside of my room trying to find food or getting some fresh air, they let me burn in the sunlight as punishment. For twelve years, I lived like that Woohyun.” You saw him gripping the bench until his knuckles turned white.

“Was that your way of protecting me?” you asked quietly with deadly intent. You stood up and left him speechless on the bench.

“And by the way,” you said, glancing over your shoulder with hard eyes. “That’s not my name.”

--

“What’s this about?” Myungsoo asked, sitting down in a chair in front of Seungho’s desk as he took his seat.

“We’re in a bit of a bind here,” Seungho said, pursing his lips.

“How so?”

“You still want to become a knight, right?”

“Of course.” Myungsoo spent his whole life training to become a knight. He wasn’t about to give it up for any reason.

“You’re aware of the intense training session you’ll have to leave for in the mountains after you complete your training here?”

“Yes.” He’d have to leave for a while, quite a long while.

“A hundred years in training is a long time.”

“But well worth it if I can protect her.”

“And there’s the problem.” Myungsoo stared at Seungho in confusion.

“When she absorbed your energy in the moonlight, you two must’ve been touching for a long time. Her body adjusted and now depends on you as a source of energy. That’s why she suddenly lost her breath and felt like she was going to pass out earlier. Your energy in her body was depleting, and it didn’t have enough to use.”

“So you’re saying...”

“If she doesn’t get energy from you every few months or so, she’ll die.” Myungsoo froze. “Unless she bonds with a vampire, then her energy dependency would shift to them.” It couldn’t be.

“So, Myungsoo. You have a difficult choice here. Do you want to give up your knight’s training and stay with her to keep her alive, or do you continue your training and give her up to a vampire?”