T h e   I n s t i t u t e

Chapter Twenty Two

‘Get up!! Eunhyuk, get up!!’

‘Go to the meeting place! You’re ready, just go!’

‘Where’s my gun?! Where’s my gun?!!’

‘Yesung stop running around on your bad ankle!! You’re going to hu-’

‘OWWW!!!’

Yesung went flying. Ryeowook propelled himself across the room to get to him. Kangin bounded off in the other direction and tried to pretend that it wasn’t his tail that had tripped Yesung up.

The room was in complete disarray. Siwon, Shindong and Kibum had already left and gone down to the meeting place, being the first of them equipped and ready. Leeteuk had resorted to slapping Eunhyuk across the face to get him to wake up. The monkey had fallen off the sofa but at least he was now on high alert. The group were dashing about the place, grabbing weapons, suiting up and making sure all their technology like the comlinks were in working order.

‘Kyuhyun, you’ve got to get to the infirmary base. You’ll be safe there with Dr Kwon and the emergency medical team.’ Sungmin said in the middle of zipping up a bullet proof vest.

‘You’re making me out to be some damsel in distress. I am perfectly capa… err…’ At that point, Kyuhyun stood up from the sofa too quickly and swayed. Sungmin rolled his eyes and took a hold of his biceps to steady him. Kyuhyun look resignedly into his eyes.

‘Just go. Please. For me.’ Sungmin pleaded. Kyuhyun chewed his bottom lip for a second and then grabbed Sungmin’s hips. He pulled the other demon in for a heart-stuttering kiss which lasted long enough that the rest of the special agents took notice with varying reactions. When Kyuhyun pulled back, it was Sungmin’s turn to get a little light-headed.

‘I’ll see you when this is over.’

‘You will.’ Sungmin whispered, his breath hitching. Kyuhyun gave him one last longing look and then slowly manoeuvred himself out of the common room. Sungmin watched him leave, fighting back emotion. Then Heechul appeared in his vision.

‘We’ve got to go, Minnie.’

‘Yeah… yes. Let’s go.’

When all of them were suited and booted with an entire arsenal strapped to them, they left the common room and hurried down to the meeting place. The area was completely packed full of people and it wasn’t even half of the regular agent troops. It was reassuring, with that in mind, considering how outnumbered they had been before. They could very well still be completely overpowered but looking around at so many faces, scared but determined faces, it finally made it feel like they might actually win this thing.

‘Regular agents with Captain Ok and Master Gong! Master Lee and the special agents with me!’ Master Chen commanded and activity burst into life. The special agents marched over to their leader and followed him and Master Lee through the Institute and up into the main entrance. It was unnervingly quiet. The grand doors were wide open, letting in a faint breeze from outside that was making the large banner at the end of the hall ripple gently. Upon it, the Institute’s emblem wafted this way and that, still proudly hung in these terrible times to remind them just who they were and who they fought for.

‘Yesung… shouldn’t you be on the helicopter to the medical station?’ Master Lee interrupted the calm.

‘If you want to try and get him there, be my guest.’ Ryeowook answered instead.

‘All we’re doing now is going out there so that the dark elf king can make his big supervillain speech, I don’t need full use of both legs for that.’ Yesung retorted, folding his arms in defiance. Ryeowook groaned, shaking his head while Master Lee smirked.

‘Is that actually what we’re doing?’ Henry asked Master Chen.

‘It is indeed. Who wants to go first?’ The old man joked. Or was he joking? He turned around nevertheless and began the solemn procession out of the Institute.

The sun was already beginning to rise, its first rays peeking out from the mountainous horizon. The air was tranquil, with only that faint wind swirling around the building and making the branches of the trees bounce and swing as if in salute to the group as they made their way cautiously down the driveway empty of vehicles. When the concrete gave out for the dirt track, they kept going until they were stood on the stretch of grass before the trees. They looked around.

Donghae was the first to notice. His sharp inhalation made them all spin around to follow his line of vision. Standing directly on top of the Institute, his long decadent robes cascading around him, was King Jaejoong. His golden crown glinted in the dawning light just as his white-blond hair seemed to shimmer. He was not alone. On one side of him was Yunho, surly and wild-looking, with a metal glove replacing the lost appendage on his left arm. To the King’s right was Hankyung. His appearance was the same as he had always been but something had definitely changed. The elves looked down at the members of the Institute with palpable contempt and the silence could have been cut with a knife.

‘We meet once more, Chen.’ The King’s voice rang out though it was soft.

‘Your father’s crown suits you.’ Master Chen replied.

‘I am here to finish what he started.’

King Jaejoong took a few steps closer along the roof. He didn’t pause at the edge, he turned the glide of his leg into a graceful swoop downwards, tumbling off the building and landing effortlessly on the ground. Yunho followed him in much the same way and then Hankyung came. He didn’t flip or twist in the air like the elves, he simply dropped straight down with a forcible impact. The grass scorched in a rough circle around him and clumps of dirt gave way to his fiery landing. At this closer distance, it was clear now how crimson Hankyung’s eyes were.

‘Why not give yourselves over to me now? Why must you foolishly prolong your suffering?’ The King questioned.

‘You are so sure that you will win?’ Master Chen rebutted.

At that the elf smiled. He turned his head to look around the forested area, the cliff, the waterfall and beyond the valley. ‘I am certain of it.’

The special agents and their leader followed the same movement of the King’s eyesight. Through the trees, along the bridge and now rising all along the opposite side of the valley were elven soldiers. Leeteuk, stood closest to the wooded area, scrutinised the appearance of the army and saw that they were wearing already battle-worn armour. They were gaunt and vacant, some had sizeable wounds that didn’t seem to be bothering them. One even had a chunk missing out of its head.

The Institute was surrounded by the army of the dead and even with their reinforcements from the regular agents, they were hellishly outgunned. They didn’t have a plan, they didn’t have a prayer and worst of all was that the elven King seemed to know this. He was watching them now with a small, smug smile creeping along his lips. He knew he was going to win, even the special agents were now coming to terms with that eventuality… but it didn’t mean they shouldn’t try.

‘Last words, Chen?’ King Jaejoong taunted.

Master Chen began walking towards his foe. Not all of the distance, just close enough. He looked the elf in the eyes. He sighed. Then he raised his left wrist with his communicator strapped to it, up to his mouth. ‘Deploy the jets.’

Donghae dived behind a fallen tree trunk and fumbled frantically to reload his gun. He jumped when a lifeless body was thrown down next to him. The elf’s throat gushed blood that it choked on in its dying moments. Donghae turned away, finished changing the clip and leapt out from his shelter. He darted through the trees, only having to defend himself twice from incoming enemies. Up ahead he could see Ryeowook shooting bolts of lightning down from a black cloud and he raced towards him.

When Donghae neared, he nodded to Ryeowook who nodded back and they began working on something they’d discussed a few days ago. Donghae threw up his hands, releasing enormous fountains of water into the air over a pack of elves. He propelled the liquid as high as it could go and then relinquished control. When the water began to descend, Ryeowook turned it into a hailstorm but not just little balls of ice, sharp icicle knives plummeted to earth and through the flesh of the elves, wounding many of them and killing some as well.

They repeated this attack in a few other areas full of elves, trying to avoid their teammates. After one hailstorm, however, Eunhyuk zipped out of the deadly precipitation and stopped before them. His arm had been badly scratched by an icicle. Luckily, his immense speed had prevented the wound from being any worse so he merely wiped some of the blood away, grinned at Donghae and Ryeowook then zoomed off again. His tactic was to sprint towards an elf, catch them off guard and then to simply pick them up and throw them off the cliff.

Donghae patted Ryeowook’s shoulder and took off after Eunhyuk with his M4 now in hand. He unloaded a dozen bullets into elven chests as he ran as fast as he could to the river. The regular agents were doing a valiant job combatting the elves on the other side of the cliff, with no short amount of help from the fighter jets but, troops of elves had been stampeding over the bridge and to where the special agents were situated, trying to overpower them. Donghae had to stop them. He made it to the copse of trees that stood along the riverbank right next to the bridge and ducked down behind a bush.

He peered through bracken leaves to assess the situation. He’d have to expose himself to do what he wanted to but if he did it quickly enough, there’d be no need to worry. Still, he lifted his wrist and called for backup by the river just as a precaution. Once he saw ZhouMi and Shindong, he leapt out of his hiding place and took control of the river flow. So close to the waterfall’s edge, the waves were formidably strong and it took a lot of Donghae’s energy just to get a hold of it. But, he held fast and began to lift the current up above the sediment and direct it so that instead of going under the bridge to get to the waterfall, it blasted over it.

The elves that had been on the bridge were sent shooting into the air and down into the valley and the ones that had been ready to march across were now stuck, hissing and yelling. Donghae could have laughed in his celebration but it was taking too much of his strength just to keep the river going where he wanted it. He just about managed to lean forwards enough and shout into his comlink,

‘Siwon, destroy the bridge!!!’

He watched three grenades fly through the air, already sparking at the fuses. He let go of the river so that they could land on top of the bridge. Siwon came running beside him and threw up a force-field just in time so that the deafening explosion couldn’t touch them. When the smoke cleared, they looked out and saw the rubble of the bridge falling into the water and being carried off the edge of the cliff.

‘Nice one.’ Donghae managed to laugh this time and he high-fived Siwon. Shindong and ZhouMi joined them in the reprieve from battle.

‘Hankyung’s protecting the king. No one can get past him.’ Shindong said gravely, wiping the sweat from his brow.

‘I bet I know who can.’ Siwon replied meaningfully.

‘But what if Heechul gets badly hurt?’ ZhouMi worried.

‘If we cover him from all angles, take out the other elves surrounding Hankyung, Heechul might be able to distract him and we can get to the king.’ Donghae suggested. The others nodded.

‘Alright, I’ll find Heechul.’ Siwon delegated. ‘You three round up the rest of the team and we’ll move in. The regular agents will have our backs while we regroup.’

The group of four jogged back into the skirmish, covering each other as they worked their way through. Siwon broke off when he spotted Heechul who had transformed into a wolf to fight alongside Kangin and to scare off the vampires that were scattered in amongst the elven army. Heechul the wolf was a vicious opponent and equally as dangerous as Kangin despite his smaller size. He could even be mistaken for Kangin if it wasn’t for the rust coloured fur mixed with grey. Siwon ran towards him and threw a force-field around them.

‘We’re going to try and get you to Hankyung. You’re the only one that might have a chance at distracting him so we can take out the king.’ Siwon cried over the ruckus. Heechul shifted back to human form.

‘He looks like he’s in some kind of trance.’ The redhead blew stray hairs out of his face as he unsheathed the two pure silver blades from their holsters around his thighs. He twirled them around his fingers then nodded to Siwon. ‘Let’s do this.’

Siwon stopped the shield and together, he and Heechul fought their way to the other special agents now in a circle, facing off with the soldiers advancing on them. When they were all stood together, the battle came to a halt. The elves were waiting in their hoards around the team, glaring at the glares sent right back to them. King Jaejoong had obviously called them to a stop. They all turned to face him, sitting arrogantly on top of one of the few trucks that had been left with protective enchantments shimmering around all him and Yunho.

‘Oh I’m glad I have your attention.’ Jaejoong smirked. In a split second, Siwon realised that Hankyung was missing from the picture in front of them. He panicked and look around, trying to catch sight of the pyro. Heechul was doing the same. But it was only a matter of time before everyone was following the king’s purposeful glance over to the Institute’s entrance. There were gasps and cries as they took in the sight of Hankyung holding Master Chen in place by the neck, choking enough to keep him still.

‘Let him go!!’ Henry yelled, materialising out of the void. King Jaejoong chortled.

‘As you wish.’ He then said to the team’s surprise. ‘Hankyung?’ He called to the pyro.

Then, with the special agents watching in horror, Hankyung engulfed Master Chen into flame and as the old man screamed in agony, he was thrown in a fiery blast through the Institute’s doors. Hankyung tossed a cage of flame around himself just before something ignited inside of the structure and the entire place erupted within a matter of seconds. It was only Siwon’s instincts that kept the team alive as he covered them with a forcefield just before the explosion could reach them.

The Institute crumbled like a great dragon shot down from the sky. It roared with flame as more explosions set off one after the other, tearing down rock and stone in colossal amounts. The cliff-side rumbled violently with the ricocheting tremors and the crashes of rubble disintegrating as they landed at the bottom of the valley. Smoke rose into the air, cascading, diluting into clouds. The beast was no more.

When the noise from the blasts had died down, the air was sombrely silent. No one could find the words. They couldn’t think, they couldn’t breathe. The Institute was demolished. Finished. It was gone forever, taking Master Chen with it. The captain had gone down with his ship. It was almost hard to believe but the evidence was too close and too immeasurable to ignore.

Suddenly, King Jaejoong jumped down from the vehicle and advanced on the group still within Siwon’s forcefield even though the upkeep was wearing down his strength. The elf didn’t look pleased with his work although the alignment of his posture suggested a good deal of satisfaction now that his plot had finally come to fruition. His brow was furrowed angrily and his lip was curled into a sneer. He reached the special agents, his protective spell meeting the edge of Siwon’s.

‘An eye for an eye, wouldn’t you say?’ He spat.

‘We never destroyed your home.’ Kibum snapped back. The King’s livid eyes twitched as they focussed on the psychic. He regarded Kibum for a few moments and sneered.

‘Of course, it would be you. I would recognise that face anywhere.’ He snarled and the special agents frowned in confusion. Except Kibum.

‘Guess it’s finally time to finish my father’s mission – execute the royal family.’ He stated, aware but not reacting to the gasps and exclamations around him.

‘Oh, you will suffer. You will die!! YOU WILL PAY FOR MY FATHER’S BLOOD WITH YOUR OWN!!!’ King Jaejoong screeched and all at once the battle recommenced.

Both protective shields came down and Kibum met with the King in furious combat. The special agents dodged out of the way to the sound of clanging swords. They had never seen Kibum fight so aggressively. He always used his brain over brawn. But it was different now and there was revenge in his eyes, he was going to kill the king, it was written all over his face as he lunged with his blade. With the regular agents gunning down the army surrounding them, the only thing left for the special agents to worry about was the ferocious Yunho charging towards them with Hankyung hot on his heel.

As Yunho got closer, it was Sungmin and Kangin that challenged him head on. The unpredictable wolf was actually allowing Sungmin to ride him and they made an intimidating sight. Yunho faced them on the battlefield, his metal hand clamping down on a battle axe and his other holding a poison-tipped dagger. The opponents raced towards each other, meeting in the middle with a resounding crash of metal against metal.

In contrast to Kibum, it was unsurprising how Sungmin fought like a maniac. Though the elf managed to deftly dart this way and that to avoid Kangin, Sungmin had him at every turn. He flung out his whip and brought Yunho crashing into the dirt, only just managing to dodge the dagger that was then aimed at an invisible target between his eyes. It grazed his cheek and Sungmin felt the sting of his flesh being sliced open. In retaliation, he pulled out the small pistol from his bicep holster and began shooting.

Yunho managed to evade some of the bullets but Sungmin got a few good hits in before the magazine emptied. When the elf realised this, he charged, wielding his axe. However, before he could get close enough, Kangin had him pinned down, making it very easy for Sungmin to wrap his whip around the metal glove and yank it off along with the axe. Then, for good measure, he lashed it across the elf’s face leaving an angry red welt.

Yunho yelped loudly at the pain but this noise didn’t agree with Kangin and he lifted his head to howl even louder. Sungmin was thrown off his back as he locked his teeth around Yunho’s middle. Blood ran down from the wolf’s mouth as his raised Yunho above his head. Then with another roar, he tossed the elf into the air and through the forest, grazing over trees and snapping through branches. Yunho was as good as dead.

Heechul’s mission was clear and he’d made it known to Hankyung as he locked his gaze through the scrimmage. The pyro was sizing him up and he tossed flashes of fire around his arms and hands in a taunting manner as if to say ‘I could take you down in one blow but I’ll wait to see what you try and throw at me first’. Heechul knew that this was just Hankyung’s battle strategy, they’d trained together enough that it was almost predictable. ‘Almost’ because it was the unpredictable nature of such a tactic that left room for trepidation.

Heechul just had to hope that beneath the hold King Jaejoong had over him, Hankyung was still in there somewhere. No, he couldn’t even hope. He had to believe. He did believe. Because if he didn’t then what use was there in keeping up the fight. What else did he have to live for now? His home was gone and his mentor was dead. Hankyung was a glimmer of light that meant perhaps, one day, things would be alright again. With that in mind, Heechul renewed his vigour.

He transformed into a cheetah and dashed forwards, using his swift agility to dodge the flames that Hankyung rained down. His pace increased to the rhythm of his pounding heart and then, as he reached Hankyung, he used a dead body to leap from and into the air above the pyro. At the pinnacle of his jump, he changed again, this time into a large snake. He used his weight to fling his body around Hankyung’s neck and once he had latched on, began squeezing.

At first, the harsh constriction made Hankyung gasp and choke, he staggered backwards, his lungs wheezing. But then he threw his hands up to his neck and Heechul felt heat seep through his scales that got hotter and hotter. He remained in his position for as long as he could but the searing pain overcame him in the end and he dropped to the ground, returning to his human form as his energy left him.

He looked down at the slashes through his bodysuit and the agonising scarlet burns that were still sizzling through his skin. He shook like an addict, his breathing shallow as his brain tried to catch up to his pain receptors. His eyes couldn’t look away from the horrific blistering across his torso and arms. Slowly, he managed to look up and found Hankyung staring at him indifferently. Was this it? Was this the end? He couldn’t fight back if Hankyung tried to take him out. He was completely vulnerable and at the pyro’s mercy. All he could do was stare back with his tearing eyes, still shaking and panting.

But Hankyung just walked away.

Heechul’s breath then came out in furious exhales as the suspense lifted. His brain finally registered the pain properly and he found himself screaming. His blurred vision darted around the rest of the field, looking for someone, looking for help. He started to see spots and knew it was only a matter of time before he fainted. He fought against the urge to sleep but it was proving far too difficult. His cries turned to real sobs as his body weakened dramatically.

Then suddenly, Donghae came sprinting towards him and fell to his knees in front of the shapeshifter. He doused his friend in ice cold water that woke Heechul in an instant. The stinging from his burns dissipated until it was replaced by only a numb feeling. It was such a relief that perhaps he could have relaxed again and drifted off but no, he had to finish what he’d set out to do. He had to bring Hankyung back.

‘Thank you.’ He rasped.

Kibum’s strength was failing him but his determination kept him going. He flung himself out of the way of the king’s rage-filled lunges whose sword work may have been better on any other day, but anger had consumed him until all he could see was the desire to kill Kibum. Kibum, of course, couldn’t let that happen. He tried to side-step the attacks as much as he could, avoid the tussles that would drain him. He needed to concentrate his mind, focus on the King and bend the elven brain to his will. But his wounds were hindering that.

The King leapt towards him again with a battle cry, flinging his sword haphazardly. Kibum twisted out of the way but ended up tripping and crashing down into the mud. He rolled away just in time before Jaejoong could attempt to stab him again. He brought up his own sword to defend himself and the two weapons collided. Kibum grit his teeth, trying with all his might to hold back the force pushing his own sword closer to his neck. Sweat rolled off his forehead in rivulets, mingling with blood from his cuts. He found himself growling as he collected what energy he had left in keeping his head attached to his shoulders. Then, with one great shout, he threw off the King and sent him flying backwards. His telepathy’s fight or flight response must have kicked in.

He scrambled to his feet. The King was trying to do the same but he was disorientated. Kibum had a chance to strike. He advanced on his target, throwing his sword down at the same time. He had no use for it now. His hand came up to channel his thoughts and he psychically gripped the elf’s throat. Kibum started squeezing, choking the life out of this genocidal monster. Jaejoong hacked and scratched at his neck where invisible bindings were tightening. He was steadily losing consciousness. Just a little longer and Kibum would have him.

That’s when Hankyung found him.

It wasn’t the pyro that Kibum saw first. It was the great dragon, made purely of fire, hurtling towards him. He dropped his hold on the King, hearing a hoarse inhalation come from the elf. He stumbled back across the ground, not knowing whether to run or duck. He couldn’t fight back, he had no power that could stop this. The dragon began descending, swooping in for the kill. Kibum ran backwards, his eyes fixed on the beast that would seal his doom.

Just as the fiery jaws opened, ready to consume Kibum into oblivion, a figure bounded in front of the psychic and he was suddenly swept up in a cloud of black smoke. The next thing he knew he was stood on the outskirts of the trees looking back at the dragon now disappearing as an infuriated Hankyung looked around in confusion. Kibum flit his eyes to his rescuer, Yesung, but his dread returned immediately upon seeing his friend.

‘Yesung! Are you-’

‘I’m fine. I’m great.’ Yesung spoke, his words were slurring. Kibum didn’t believe him for a second. Yesung’s black hair was sticking to his face from sweat, highly contrasting to the green-tinged pallor of his skin. He was grimacing and unable to concentrate on Kibum’s face as the latter scrutinized him. Kibum looked down at Yesung’s broken ankle but reeled back at the mess of open wounds all over the teleporter’s legs, particularly the bullet lodged into his thigh.

‘You need to get out of here.’ Kibum insisted.

‘I’m not sitting on the side-lines, bleeding out, when I can stay and die like a hero.’ Yesung protested but he couldn’t even stand anymore. His body slumped against the nearest tree and he painfully crumpled onto the grass below. Kibum knelt next to him, trying to adjust his limbs into a more comfortable position.

‘You’re not going to die you idiot. Just stay here.’ He commanded and straightened back up. He had to get back to the king and finish him off. Looking back out into the battle, he saw that Hankyung was prowling around the King, warding off potential threats. Kibum then tried to spot Heechul but the redhead was nowhere to be found.

‘Don’t leave me here, Kibum!’ Yesung yelled. His voice broke off into a terrible coughing fit.

‘Shut up and don’t die.’ Was all Kibum said to him before running back across the field.

He had to swerve this way and that to avoid the fights littered in his path. ZhouMi was locked in battle with three vampires but his katana blades seemed to glide through the air like silk. Shindong and Henry were paired up, back to back, knocking out head shots left and right. Eunhyuk was zipping around the entire perimeter, hurling huge chunks of debris from their fallen Institute at groups of elves like it was ten pin bowling.

A Boa Constrictor had been the wrong species of snake, Heechul thought as he gently glided through the blood-spattered mud and dismembered limbs. The dirt from the ground marred his gleaming golden underbelly but he remained hidden from eyes above him with the black scales across his back. A Tiger Snake was a better choice. He slid closer to Hankyung, keeping his mind fixated on what he intended to do before his foolish heart could stop him. There was no knowing of whether this plan would work, he just had to trust that it would.

The nearer he got to Hankyung, the more his brain clogged with thoughts, feelings and memories. There were so many things left unsaid, so many things that he hadn’t realised until now. Everything was coming to a head in what could be their final moments together. Heechul didn’t even know if he was going to survive this battle and that feeling of finality, of all things coming to an end, made him even more determined than ever to save Hankyung. He had to get to him and promise that if this really was their last day on earth, then at least there was nothing left to say.

He finally reached his target and quickly darted out to clamp his venomous fangs into Hankyung’s skin. The pyro shrieked and Heechul flitted away to a safer distance. He returned to human form and watched Hankyung fall to his knees, clutching at the vicious punctures wounds in his calf. There was still fury in his eyes but the poison was taking a hold. Hankyung began struggling to breathe though he desperately tried to keep pressure on the bite and stop the venom from spreading but it was too late.

Heechul didn’t realise he was crying until he tried to exhale properly and a shuddering whimper came out. Hankyung was dying right before his eyes. Now, there was only one thing left for him to do. He crawled across the mud, not being able to find the will to stand. He could barely contain the sobs wracking through his body. Soon he was crouched before Hankyung and his tears spilled onto the other’s face. Hankyung looked up at him. His eyes were bloodshot, the pupils’ tiny dots of black in orbs of deep, rusty orange.

‘I-I… I’m sorry.’ Heechul gasped. ‘I’m s-so sorry.’ He reached up and cupped Hankyung’s face. It was hard to tell whether Hankyung recognised him or whether the spell over him had been lifted slightly. But he didn’t fight back, he leaned into Heechul’s touch and kept his gaze even as the light in him began to fade.

‘If this is it I… I want you to know th… that I think I… I-I love you.’ Heechul wept.

He the sides of Hankyung’s cheeks where his tears had stained them. Hankyung could only wheeze and grunt. There was no power left in him to reply. Heechul knew this. He leaned forwards so that he could press their foreheads together and he closed his eyes. He couldn’t watch anymore. But he could lean in further still. Their noses met and then, softly, like a feather touching a cloud, their lips pressed together.

Then Heechul grabbed his dagger and stabbed Hankyung through the heart.

~

~

…

Hankyung… I’m Hankyung

…

I don’t think I’ve met a shapeshifter before

…

Are you sure you’re alright? I wouldn’t want to leave you by yourself if you weren’t

…

I didn’t realise you cared what I thought of you

…

Come on princess

…

~

~

Fire. Fire was all Heechul could see when he dared to open his eyes again. At first, he jumped away out of fear but, as his vision focussed, he realised that the flames were gathering into a pile of ash on the ground in front of him. He looked around frantically but couldn’t see Hankyung anywhere. The special agents were gathering near him, the elven army, having much depleted, now had come to a halt at Jaejoong’s command. The King was keeping a very close eye on the pile of ash where the last flickers of light died out into dust.

The only noise was the rustle of the wind through the trees but this faint gust began to swirl closer to Heechul. The breeze echoed in his ears at it blew through his auburn hair. Then it caught the ash and a million specks of silver danced up into the air. They fluttered like snowflakes and cascading back towards the ground. Heechul was mesmerised. But then his focus shifted back to the king and saw the unmistakable look of evil gratification.

More and more ash lifted into the air but the wind had flown by, it was doing this of its own accord. Heechul cautiously crept backwards again and rose to stand, staring at the whirlwind with fear and hope in equal measures. He could sense the same feelings in the others behind him and quickly looked over to see curious faces. When his eyes returned to the ash, it was burning up once again. The dusty flakes were transforming into sparks that engulfed into flames that roared and writhed and rose into a blaze. Heechul noticed how it was around something at its core until suddenly, the bonfire went out and the only thing left was the tall form of a man.

‘Hankyung!!’

There was no telling whether the enchantment had worn off or whether Hankyung’s memories were intact but Heechul didn’t care, he just ran straight to the pyro and flung his arms around him, holding on for dear life. The tears still gathering in his eyes fell down his cheeks but this time for utter happiness and relief. He gasped, struggling to keep his breathing regular and laughed through a sob. His heart was swelling and his stomach was whirling.

Worry flashed in him when Hankyung took hold of his arms and began manoeuvring him away but when Heechul looked up and saw a pair of warm brown eyes staring at him, an uncontrollable grin spread across his face. Hankyung reached up and brushed away a curl of red hair, smiling as well. He seemed so serene and otherworldly as he drank in the sight of Heechul but then he leant in slammed their lips together in a bruising kiss. Serenity was forgotten.

‘NO!!’ The King shrieked. Heechul pulled away in alarm, not missing the way Hankyung immediately stepped in front of him.

‘You used me.’ Hankyung growled at the elf.

‘I unleased your true nature!! You would be nothing without me!!!’ Jaejoong continued to yell. ‘I gave unlimited power!!! You would never have-’

In one blast of a concentrated inferno, the King’s shield was shattered and he was consumed by fire, his screams ringing out until they too were swallowed in flame. His lifeless body disintegrated.

Just as they had predicted, one by one, bodies started to drop. The very few remaining vampires scattered although they didn’t make it far. There had not been much left of the army but now, there was no one. The special agents couldn’t scarcely believe that it was over as they regrouped in the centre of it all amongst corpses and rubble. But steadily, as they smiled at each other and relief flooded through them, they stumbled together into one embrace. It was awkward and uncomfortable with all their injuries but it was perfect. Hankyung and Heechul raced over and were immediately suffocated with hugs.

‘You’re alive!!’ Donghae exclaimed, clapping his hands onto Hankyung’s shoulders and staring at him in amazement. The pyro sniggered until something dawned on him.

‘Master Chen…’ He muttered. Everyone’s attention switched to him from just that one quiet utterance. ‘I… I’m sorry.’

Heechul quickly went to him. ‘It’s not your fault.’ He insisted.

‘Jaejoong killed Master Chen, not you.’ Shindong added. Hankyung half-smiled. He sighed and relaxed into Heechul, not seeming entirely convinced.

‘You BASTARDS!!!’ Yesung suddenly screeched from a short distance away. ‘You didn’t even notice I wasn’t there!!!’ He was dragging himself across the ground, his broken and battered legs not an option for walking on. ‘I fought… with a broken ankle… got bloody trampled on… and then some ing for brains agent shot me in the goddamn leg!!!’ He yelled in between pants for breath.

‘Oh Yesung!!’ Ryeowook cried and ran to his aid, followed by the rest of the special agents who aww’d somewhat sarcastically. The second group hug didn’t quite work out due to the worry of completely breaking Yesung.

‘It’s finally over.’ Siwon stated after a while.

‘What do we do-’ ZhouMi’s word were cut off abruptly by a muffled yelp.

The special agents all turned to the noise and saw, to their utmost horror a crazed Yunho dragging Sungmin away with a knife to his throat. The elf was half-dead, bleeding profusely from the huge chunks of missing flesh that Kangin had ripped out with his fangs. Despite this, he still held Sungmin tightly in front of him and snarled at the group. Ryeowook was the first to his gun, aiming it quickly and cocking the trigger.

‘Wait, no! You’ll hit Sungmin!!’ Leeteuk intervened.

‘Shoot him.’ Yunho hissed. ‘He will die anyway.’ The black veins spreading across Sungmin’s cheek from the slice of a dagger were suddenly abundantly clear.

‘Then let him go if he’s no use to you!’ Leeteuk cried.

‘He is not… but the phoenix is.’ Yunho cackled, tightening his hold further still. ‘There’s still time to save this one. Just give me Hankyung.’ Blood was frothing at his mouth. ‘NOW!!!’

It was evident that Yunho thought there was some way of reviving himself using Hankyung’s powers of regeneration. This time, it was Heechul’s turn to stand in front of the pyro but his expression was conflicted as he watched Sungmin struggle to fight back with the poison taking a hold. None of them could move for fear that if any of them should take a step closer, Yunho would slit Sungmin’s throat. However, Hankyung seemed to have different plans.

‘No Hankyung!!’ Heechul shouted, making to grab the pyro but he saw beads of Sungmin’s blood collecting around the knife and promptly stayed still.

‘Hankyung, don’t!’ The demon managed to wheeze but Hankyung ignored all the protests.

Yunho started laughing maniacally. The action caused his wounds to ooze more blood. He began to lower his weapon, ease Sungmin out of his clutches… and then his laughter was cut off with the reverberating boom of a pistol. Slowly, he fell into a heap of gory limbs. The special agents gasped with shock.

‘Miss me?’

‘Kyuhyun!!!’

It was only after the recognition that Kyuhyun had come out of the forest and shot Yunho in the back that the group noticed the distant sounds of car doors slamming and the hum of a helicopter. The medical team came rushing through the trees and spread out to as many agents as possible with the less wounded assisting them. The bodies that belonged to their team were carefully carried off the field while the elves and vampires were thrown off the cliff. In the midst of the commotion, Master Lee found the special agents and let them know there was a plane waiting to take them to secure location.