When I gain consciousness, I feel like my head is being split into two and was forced to be opened. I groaned from the inside of my throat and slowly opened my eyes. Chaerin was the first one I see and even though there were a lot of things I wanted to ask, I can’t open my mouth to speak.

She smiled at me and said, “You really always surprise me.” Chaerin reached up to brush the hair covering my right eye and continued, “I didn’t know I would get a Pax by all of people.”

I knitted my eyebrows, meeting them in between and she seemed to understand the gesture. Chaerin explained it to me, “In the monster world, Paxes are known to be terrifying creatures. They are like the monsters for the monsters. But my mother, after we left the Terribilis Locus, told me that they weren’t. Paxes are the most important people in the society. You see, their blood are magical, even though we aren’t sure of what it would do and they would never kill a monster.”

I swallowed. Then why was she so shocked and scared a while ago after learning I was?

“You see, my mom only said this to me a year ago and have been the reason why I am digging out my father’s documents.” She continued, as if answering my question and Chaerin started to become fidgety, looking at everything aside from me, as if she was uncomfortable in her seat. “He started researching about Paxes and he used himself as the experiment.” She swallowed and looked at my eyes. “My father is a Pax, Dara. We have it in our bloodline.”

She sighed. “My mom said that all of his family was killed because of that. She had to run to protect me because she was pregnant with me that time. GD, however, was already being trained under YG that time. It was a good thing that sangjanim kept his family background for us.”

Chaerin reached for something behind me, and motioned for me to sit up. I did what I was told to do so obediently and sat up. She handed me a clay cup of tea, which I can tell from its smell. There was still smoke escaping from the mouth, which means it’s still hot.

I accepted the cup and drank the tea, all of it in one go. After a few seconds, I found that my throat is now moist and I can already talk. “I understand that I am a Pax.” I said and placed the cup back to the bedside drawer. “But Chae, I don’t understand what can I do? So what if I am a Pax if there is a prize over my head?”

“I-“ She stammered at first. “We’ll know if we find those documents.”

“But my life is at stake!” I reasoned out.

She heaved a sigh. “And so is the whole humanity! If we don’t search for the answers, everyone’s going to die. You do know what does that Esurient do first-hand right?”

“But I am monsters’ enemy number one!” I reasoned out again.

Chaerin looked desperate when she said, “But you are the only one they can’t hurt!”

“What?” I said, my voice now toned down. “How can they not hurt me?”

“Well, it’s because a Pax’ blood has a special property that we need to know that somehow makes them invulnerable with monsters. They can’t hurt you with their powers.” She answered. “We just need to hide that tattoo of yours to deceive them of your identity because even if you’re invulnerable with their powers, they can kill you with weapons.”

Chaerin pointed at something and I trailed her finger to my right shoulder, the cloth covering it ripped. She must’ve done it herself or it must’ve been ripped open during the impact I felt when I took Chanyeol’s Esurient off. Nonetheless, I have a permanent tattoo by my shoulder, crossing my collarbone with its red ink.

 ☧

It was the symbol for Pax. The symbol for peace. The symbol for goodness.

It was too large to begin with, starting with the edge of my shoulder, crossing my collarbone and ending before the start of my . The tattoo was loud and proud with its red ink and I begin to think that Paxes are proud that they are one. And I have to be too.

I ripped the sleeve that was dangling limply from my arm and fully exposed the tattoo. It somehow glowed and a smile crept up to my face.

“Out and proud.” Chaerin commented.

I laughed. “Of course.”

“Anyway,” She says, cutting me off from my little presentation and I look at her with wild eyes. “I brought you here back at our house. I can’t transport you to Terribilis Locus with that tattoo peeking out from your shoulder especially that it’s glowing in the dark.” I raised a brow and she nodded. “Anyway, I brought you here in the mundane world. In the mayor’s house, in other words.”

“What?” I said, perplexed.

She shrugged. “Mom was totally fine with it since my stepdad is out for a country meeting. The mundane world are fussing over what happened at the haunted house in Gyeonggi-do and my stepfather is very worried it would happen to Big Bang too. So the whole country decided to have a council meeting to discuss about the issue.”

“Mom already knows you’re a Pax.” Chaerin winked at me. “She’s going to like you.”

After I dressed up into a tank top and women’s boxer shorts, we went out to go to the kitchen, where Chaerin’s and GD’s mother was waiting for us. Since I have worked here before, I knew they have a long table over-filled with food, contrary to my house. It was a good thing that Chaerin’s family only hires one housemaid and luckily, she was out for a vacation until the mayor comes back. Chaerin’s mother, whom I haven’t met because she doesn’t go out of her room when the mayor is at home, prefers to have one less mundane in the house. After all, she’s a monster herself. And GD said to me before that mundanes have a special smell they don’t like. When I asked Chaerin why GD doesn’t complain with mine, she said before that maybe it was because I am a VIP. Now, we know the truth: It was because I was a Pax.

She smiled and as if to answer my question, she said, “You’re really a Pax. I can smell you all the way from here, sweet and calming. Just like Oolong tea.”

I subconsciously smelled myself.

She laughed. “Oh dear, you can’t smell yourself. Only monsters have the ability to distinguish the smell of each one. Vampires smells like dry blood. Werewolves smells like fur carpets. Monsters smells like static or maybe electricity. Mundanes smells like rotten food. Pax smells like your favourite food—it varies from a person. I observed from my husband, who is also a Pax and has been there with me while I was pregnant. Every month, my food urges change and his smell also changes.”

Chaerin motioned for me to sit down and I obliged, sitting across her mother while she took the seat next to me. “Thank you for accommodating me.” I murmured, bowing my head.

“It’s fine.” She waved her hand. “And just call me Uri Eomma.”

I nodded.

She smiled. “After all, I’m going to be your mother-in-law, right?”

I blushed in embarrassment and fidgeted.

“Please take care of my son when you come back.” She said, and her smile changes into something sad. “I’ve never had the chance to take care of him or teach him both mine and my husband’s power, the one being passed on to future generations. He was never so fond of me when I went back just to teach him.”

“I’m sorry.” I murmured. “He’s a very good man.”

“Of course.” She agreed, smiling and have taken interest on the food on her plate. “He’s a very good man, my son.”

That was the end of the conversation. It was so awkward that I have only eaten a piece of the roasted chicken and a couple of the macaroni salad. Chaerin, however, ate until she can’t take it anymore.

“I’m exhausted.” She explained, full.

After the dinner, I went to the room Uri Eomma said she dedicated for GD. It was located at the end of the hallway and was constantly locked to keep it away from the mayor. I opened the door using the key and stepped inside.

One wall was full of his baby pictures, all of it before his 100^th day. They told me that mosnters are classified only when they reached their 100^th day, to give their parents the chance to be with their child even just for a moment. The next walls were all candid and stolen shots of him in the training grounds, the haunted house and the town itself. It must’ve been taken by both of them.

And I realized, they really love him.

I lied on my back on the bed, looking up at the ceiling where a very good picture of a baby GD smiling at me, without his heavy black eyeliner, piercings and dishevelled hair. He looked perfect.

I slept in GD’s room and was woken up by Chaerin the next day. She said it was time to go.

We gathered our things after I have changed into a button-down, which was hidden beneath a sweatshirt. It had hidden the tattoo perfectly but we were worried that if winter exits and summer comes, the sweater and button-down combo won’t work anymore.

I bid my farewell to Uri Eomma, who have given me something as a gift. It was a photo album.

“It’s G’s baby pictures.” She said, smiling at me. “Hope you could find it entertaining because it’s a hologram. And, oh, it can transform into a bracelet for better handling and safekeeping.”

She pressed a button, located at the hole in the word P and the album transformed into a beautiful bracelet, the letter G hanging from it.

We bid our goodbye and transported into the haunted house using Chaerin’s powers.

As soon as we got back, I sniffed the air and smelled gun powder from it. I panicked and quickly ran inside.

Unlike before, the voice didn’t greet me and it made me more nervous. I searched all the rooms in the ground floor until I saw them at the dining area, all of their faces planted on the floor.

“GD!”

Because I hae cliffhangers, the next update would take time after this cliffhanger.

Note: The tattoo of a Pax can only be seen if he/she had used his/her powers. Can either be they used their blood or have protected themselves from a monster.

So if you're very brave, you can try knowing by letting a monster hurt you. But if you're not, you can use your blood. If you don't know how, then wait for the following chapters to know what a Pax' blood can do and why are they being killed.

Thank you for all the support x