Final Decision

Lana opened her eyes slowly only to find herself sprawling on the ground in the middle of the forest. She sat up and looked down on her clothing and her bare hands. She was clueless how she ended up there. Wearing a night gown which was unlike her since she wasn’t particularly a fan of night dresses, she stood up carefully. The night gown looked like she belonged to a rich aristocrat family when in fact she was a simple girl.

Wait, she looked like she was part of a Royalty.

Lana started walking and realised she was barefooted. Yet, she continued walking, trying to figure out the way out. Along the way, she tried to recall what brought her to the middle of the forest. It was dark and quiet but she didn’t feel afraid. She was just puzzled.

Out of a sudden, she heard noises and began to search the source of it. Although it was unclear what kind of noise it was, she went closer to check on it. There was no feeling of fear in her; it was as though she couldn’t feel anything, just numb and lifeless.  Yes, lifeless. However, it wasn’t the time to worry about her own self. She was just curious to find why she ended up in the middle of the forest in the middle of the night.

As she approached the noise, it became clearer and she could hear the voices of people talking and laughing. It got louder and louder until she could detect the familiar voices.

“Look at how pathetic you are...”

“You can’t even stand or fight for yourself. Now, tell me how are you going to protect her?”

“You should just give up.”

“If you do, I’ll spare you but if you don’t –“

“I w-w-will n-n-never g-g-give up...”

“Hmmm, you’re taking the phrase over my dead body too seriously.”

“Hahahaha! You’re such a fool.”

Lana stepped forward to view who they were and was praying hard she was mistaken. However, her eyes landed on the familiar faces causing her world just to stop momentarily.  Before her were, Jaejoong and Yoochun. Then, her eyes spotted someone lying on the ground. It felt like everything was crushing down on her when she saw Jongin. He was bruised, bloodied and helpless. She didn’t have to think twice before running for him, ignoring the other presence. She dashed past the trees towards them but abruptly stopped when someone pulled her arm. She turned around.

It was Yongguk.

She faced him with tears streaming down. She looked into his eyes hoping he could sense her plea. However, he tilted his head and spoke in a serious manner as if a warning.

“Make the right choice, because the best choice will hurt him...”

~**~

Lana jolted up from her sleep and was sweating from head to toe, trying to catch her breath. She was shivering despite sweating and was feeling unusually cold and nervous. Her hands were shaking as she buried her face with her hands. She could feel the wetness of her face, covered in tears. She was really crying, not just in her sleep but consciously as well. The nightmare was so real that she couldn’t help but feel that Jongin’s life was in danger. She looked at the clock, it was past midnight yet he hasn’t come back.

No matter how hard she tried to forget the nightmare and brushed it away, it haunted her so much. Hugging her knees tightly, she was strongly deciding to go and look for him. Although the forest was a highly forbidden place for her, she didn’t care about anything else but ensuring that Jongin was all safe. Her mind wasn’t at peace with every second passed and eventually she put on a jacket before exiting the house towards the dark forest on her own.

Her steps were short but as she got deeper into the forest, she heightened her pace to almost running across the forest, praying to bump into at least one of the wolves. She couldn’t care less whether the vampires were out there hunting her. All she could think of at the moment is to be in Jongin’s warm embrace. She wanted to yell out his name but it seemed like her tongue was tied. Her face was completely in tears and was feeling cold. Yet, nothing could stop her from finding him.

She ran as fast as she could when suddenly her voice came back for her.

“Jongin, no!” She finally screamed.

Standing in front of her were unfamiliar faces and she knew judging from their paleness, there were vampires. Unlike Yongguk or even Jaejoong and Yoochun, these vampires weren’t ordinary. They looked even cruel than Jaejoong and Yoochun. And most importantly, their eyes looked like they just found a new prey.

No, it wasn’t her but Jongin.

Jongin and the rest of EXO looked at her and were utterly shocked to see her there. However, she wasn’t going to explain anything at the moment because in a flash, she saw Jongin and the rest of the pack being attacked by the vampires.

Jongin was dragged by two of the council vampires and was lifted above the ground by his neck. He struggled to break free and only managed to pull away from them briefly before being hauled again. Luhan raced to help him, but he was also being attacked by these vampires which appeared out of nowhere unexpectedly.

Kris grabbed the necks of the vampires holding Jongin down but was instantly thrown away by the immense strength these vampires displayed. EXO dodged few attacks but were too overwhelmed by the incredible power and strength from the council vampires. Yongguk was indeed right when he said that the council vampires weren’t the lot to mess with. Once provoked, they turned nasty and would kill any being which went against their law. And for that night, Jongin just broke the treaty by killing the King right before their eyes. No matter what reason Jongin had, they were determined to punish him. And by punish, it meant killing him.

Everything was happening too fast for Lana to react. All she could see is every member of EXO being attacked viciously, especially Jongin who seemed to have become their new target. With their great speed and strength, Lana could only watch helplessly with her heart racing at a rapid speed. She wanted to stop them, but being just a mere human among these powerful beings, she was totally insignificant. But she couldn’t just stand there and watch Jongin being hurt right before her eyes. Blood spilled out of his mouth, covering his body. He was in a terrible state and she had to intervene. She turned to see Yongguk trying his best to stop the Council members but even the Royal Prince had no control.

Jongin sprawled over the ground with a body battered with bruises and blood. Any longer, he would succumb in the hands of the many vampires attacking him. Not even the rest of EXO was spared either and they couldn’t help his fellow brother.

“You killed the King and you have to pay with your life.” One of the vampires stood before Jongin with his eyes flashing in extreme anger.

“He was with me! The King was about to take on a human –“

“Prince Yongguk, I believe you wouldn’t like to see the Royal family ceasing to exist in the future.” The vampire stopped Yongguk before he could finish. It was a threat, telling Yongguk to stop his lies before the Council had no choice but to abolish the Royal family for good.

“He betrayed the treaty and killed one of the Royals. You wouldn’t want him to get away, do you?” Another vampire joined.

“Allow us to do our job and we will oversee your action, Prince Yongguk. Whatever happened tonight was beyond your control.” A vampire stated and invented a lie to cover Yongguk’s action. They definitely were aware that Yongguk played a part in the King’s unfortunate plight.

Himchan stepped forward. “Yes, the kid made a mistake but I’m sure we can handle this in a more amicable manner.”

“Killing a wolf wouldn’t do us any good. We should maintain the peace which have lasted us for a long time.” Daehyun added, trying his best to negotiate.

However, it didn’t affect the Council one bit. They shook their heads in unison and rejected their talks on peace. “They broke the law so he has to pay for it!”

One of the vampire stepped before Jongin, who was grimacing in pain. “You have a pack of wolves, I’m sure losing one will be alright.”

Kyungsoo yelled. “Get away from him! You lay your hands on him; we won’t hesitate to break the treaty!”

The rest of EXO struggled to stand up despite the pain. They were being held by the vampires and were incapable of defending themselves. Yet, if anything happened to Jongin, they won’t think twice in losing their lives to protect their brother.

The vampire closest to Jongin flashed a smirk. “If you want war, then so be it but I don’t think you would like to see her –“ He turned to Lana who has been watching silently with tearful eyes.

“Lana –“ Kris muttered softly, realising she was there all along. If they were going to end this all, what would happen to Lana? Although he wanted to go heads on with these vampires for Jongin but seeing their condition, they were going for a losing battle. And if they really lost in this, what would happen to Lana who was supposed to be their main priority? They were supposed to protect her, regardless.

“’You do realise that if anything happens to you guys, she’s left even more vulnerable.” The vampire stared at the faces of EXO. “She has obligations she needs to fulfil.” He turned and faced Yongguk now. “And if you guys aren’t around anymore, it would only make it easier for her to become –“

“She won’t come to us.” Yongguk finally spoke. “Don’t even think about it.” His eyes fixed at the council vampire.

“If that’s the case, then I’m left with no choice but to get rid of him.” The vampire turned his attention back at Jongin who was holding the pain while sprawling on the ground with his eyes half closed. He bent down and picked Jongin up quite effortlessly by the neck and was about to twist it when suddenly, Lana cried.

“NO! STOP!” Lana screamed and held both hands up, telling the vampire to stop. “Spare his life, please... I’ll sacrifice!”

Every single of them turned to look at her. Yongguk shook his head. “Lana, don’t –“

“Promise me you’ll spare his life and I’ll –“ Lana ignored Yongguk and continued her talk with the vampire.

“What would you do, my lovely Princess?” The vampire looked at her as if he was planning to consider her words.

Yongguk and the rest of the Prince were tensed. The tone from the council vampire while calling Lana, a Princess sounded terrifying.

Lana looked down and closed her eyes before finally speaking. “Spare Jongin’s life, I beg you and I will –“ She stopped and then looked at EXO apologetically. “I will marry Yongguk and be the Queen.”

Every one of them turned wide eyes upon hearing her confession. Fortunately, the Council vampires seemed to have taken her words seriously and with careful thoughts. The vampire slowly released Jongin from his grasp and tilted his head in surprised as he watched Lana with a smile.

“What did you just say?” The vampire asked.

“Lana, what are you doing?” Yongguk approached her; however the girl’s eyes showed that she was dead serious in her words.

“Lana, don’t do this!” Luhan shouted and then struggled free from the vampire. He ran towards Lana and held her by the shoulders. “Lana, please don’t –“ He begged.

Tears filled her eyes as she shook his head. “I have to save Jongin.” She choked her words out.

“Is the deal still on?” The council vampire interrupted.

Lana looked away from Luhan and then nodded weakly. “You spare Jongin’s life and I’ll marry Yongguk. My decision is final.”

The End of Part I

Heyyy! It's finally the end of Part 1. I told you guise didn't I? The story is not ending so soon. There's still more; new chapters and new beginnings and endings to the characters. Hope to see you guise in the next part. Thank you for reading and I humbly apologise for any mistakes, whether grammatical and spelling errors or whether the story is too boring. Nonetheless, I enjoy writing and will continue to do so. Thanks for the support and see you at...

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