It was when the sound of flapping wings reached his ears that Kyungsoo finally looked up. Out of the marble gray sky descended what looked like an angel, a young man dressed in a simple azure garment with wings the color of fluffy white clouds. The man landed softly on the rocky mountain top before making his way towards Kyungsoo, who was watching from his seat on the ground, curiosity –and fear—evident in his gaze. Quickly he rubbed his eyes with his hands, removing the last vestiges of the tears he had shed.

The young man smiled, acting as if he didn’t see the mortal boy’s puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks. “Hello, Kyungsoo. Goodness, you are just as alluring as the Master said you would be.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes were unbearably wide. “Who are you?” he demanded shakily, standing up with such speed that he felt faintly dizzy for a few moments.

“I am Zephyrus, the West Wind,” the young man said, bowing gracefully, “come to bear you to my Master’s palace. Since you will be married to my Master, I am your humble servant as well. Come now, child, you must be cold from waiting here for so long.”

“I-okay,” Kyungsoo mumbled, casting one last glance around him. Though the sky was icy and forbidding, and the peak they stood on desolate and lifeless, he knew this would be the last he would ever see of the mortal realm. He drank in the sight, memorizing the chill of the winds against his skin and the harshness of the stones through his sandals.

From now on, it would only be the unknown.

“I’m ready,” Kyungsoo said as he lifted his gaze to meet the wind god’s. Zephyrus smiled kindly, and in a whirl of warmth Kyungsoo felt himself being carried away from the frigid pinnacle up into the sky. The west winds that bore him were warm and calm, and the boy could only close his eyes and pray his husband would treat him with the same kindness the anemoi did.

~oOo0oOo0oOo~

Somewhere along the way charcoal bled out of the clouds, leaving pure white masses that captured perfectly different hues of the morning sky. Dawn had taken care to paint the heavens with the most beautiful shades possible, of light blue, blush pink, sunny yellow, and pastel orange blossoming across firmament. In the distance, Kyungsoo could see peaks rising out of the sea of white, these far more picturesque and welcoming than those he had left behind. The mountains were crowned with a beautiful palace, ivory columns glowing in the sunlight. The boy’s breath hitched in his throat; this looked like the home of a god, not the lair of a monster.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Zephyrus murmured knowingly, chuckling at the look of wonder on the mortal boy’s face. “This will be your home from now on.”

They landed in the palace’s courtyard, where a statue fountain of a cherubic boy gurgled happily, the falling water reflecting the sky’s plethora of colors. As the anemoi gently set Kyungsoo down the god of the west winds bowed to his new master, his chiton rippling in the breeze.

“Should you ever need me, never hesitate to summon me,” Zephyrus said before he disappeared in a quiet whirlwind, leaving Kyungsoo to explore his new home alone.

The palace was as large as it was beautiful; the moment Kyungsoo entered it he was struck by the sheer size of the halls, the height of the ceilings, and the elegance of its architecture. Sunlight filtered through the doorways and multitude of windows, bathing the palace in a welcoming light. Everything, from the floors to the graceful columns to the high ceilings, was crafted with flawless white marble.

Kyungsoo’s footsteps echoed through the empty palace as he made his way through it, feeling as though this was all a very pleasant dream. He didn’t feel afraid, not when it felt like he was strolling through the home of one of the Olympians; the palace exuded such a sense of benignity and peace that Kyungsoo couldn’t imagine being harmed while within its walls.

He spent a good part of the day wandering aimlessly through the palace’s many halls and rooms, admiring the many statues, paintings, and furniture that he found. His favorite part of the palace, however, wasn’t any of the treasures it hosted inside, but the beautiful view it presented when Kyungsoo gazed out of its many windows into the sky beyond. It was a nostalgic, slightly melancholy feeling, but a welcome one all the same, knowing that somewhere into the distance his family was still alive and well.

It was when the sun started setting that Kyungsoo realized that he was really quite hungry. That was when Zephyrus appeared once again, guiding Kyungsoo into a dining room, which had been laid out with a mouth-watering feast. As Kyungsoo ate his fill the sky darkened significantly, cerulean blue becoming deep indigo, which became inky black.

Floating candles were the substitute for sunlight. The flickering flames left eerie shadows that the sunlight had not, making quivering shapes across the walls that left Kyungsoo feeling rather  unnerved. The sense of complacency Kyungsoo had earlier in the day had faded along with the sunlight, leaving the young mortal boy steeped in a sinking pit of doubt and fear. Without the sun’s benevolent rays to chase away the creeping whispers of uncertainty, Kyungsoo’s imagination was allowed to run rampant. What would happen to him now? Where was his husband? The whole time Kyungsoo had been here he hadn’t seen even the slightest hint of another being, with the exception of Zephyrus. Was his husband lurking among the shadows, waiting for the opportune moment to pounce upon his unsuspecting prey? Perhaps this sumptuous dinner was an attempt at fattening him up before he was to become a meal. Kyungsoo suddenly didn’t feel hungry anymore, and he pushed away his plate as a sick feeling settled in his stomach.

“Is the food not to your liking, Master Kyungsoo?” Zephyrus inquired as he noted the slightly squeamish expression on Kyungsoo’s face. “I can have something else prepared, if you wish.”

“No, it’s quite alright,” Kyungsoo quickly assured him. He tensed as the west wind god’s eyes probed him thoughtfully. “I’m finished, is all.”

“Then if you are done eating, it is time to meet the Master,” Zephyrus said, and with a clap of his hands the dishes disappeared. He brought one of the floating candles into the palm of his hand before gesturing for Kyungsoo to follow him. “This way, young master.”

Kyungsoo followed the west wind god back through the palace, though without daylight warming the halls the palace seemed like a completely different place. What had once been sunny and pleasant was now immersed with shadows, the only source of light the candle that Zephyr held. Kyungsoo scrambled to keep up with the god’s longer strides, for fear that the moment he slipped out of the candle’s illuminated circle he would be dragged, kicking and screaming, into the maws of some unseen beast.

His mind was in overdrive, presenting to him speculation upon speculation of his mysterious husband. Was he a monster that had crawled out of the depths of the Underworld, searching for innocent victims? A vengeful ghost, perhaps, one with a taste for flesh. Kyungsoo’s mind quickly leaped to stories of other youths who had been in the very position he was in now, tales of young, untouched maidens who had also been sacrificed to monsters. They had been ruthlessly defiled before being devoured, and Kyungsoo’s stomach dropped at the thought. Would the same happen to him?

Gods, oh gods, please have mercy.

His guts clenched painfully. He knew the chances of being tainted then consumed were very, very high, and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. The image of his husband his mind had created quickly grew more and more nightmarish, slowly shedding all bits of humanity, morphing into an animalistic, salivating beast with hungry eyes, gaping jaws, and jagged claws to grab and tear at flesh. Kyungsoo closed his eyes and whimpered, the overdose of fear and uncertainty becoming too much for his already weary mind. He had already lost his family, and now he was going to have hislife and virtue torn away from him as well.

Zephyrus suddenly came to a stop in front of a gigantic set of double doors. He turned, his face unreadable and slightly inhuman under the candle’s inadequate light.

“Here we are, young master,” he said, rapping briskly on the door. Slowly the doors creaked open, parting to reveal nothing but blackness. The room within was so dark that Kyungsoo couldn’t see a thing. Cautiously, Kyungsoo slowly entered the room, his heartbeat stuttering erratically. He turned his head just as the doors began closing, the threshold a barrier between the world of shadow that had Kyungsoo in its clutches and the safe haven of light. He was rooted to the spot, frozen, watching numbly as his chance to escape this prison disappeared with the candle’s light.

“Good night, young master,” Zephyrus murmured before the doors swung shut with a resounding thud, leaving Kyungsoo trapped helplessly in darkness. Slowly, his heart beating desperately in its final moments, he turned around to face the unknown.

Empty blackness stared back. 

~oOo0oOo0oOo~

A/N: *shrieks and runs for cover O___O* Jongin was supposed to finally appear in this chapter, but somehow it kind of spiralled out of control and ended in the perfect cliffhanger. OTL I stopped there because allowing Kyungsoo to meet Jongin in this chapter just didn't feel right, so that'll be put off until the next chapter. ;A; *whispers* plsssss don't hate me plllllls 

BUT! Since I already had the scene where Kyungsoo meets Jongin writen out before I wrote this chapter (writing out of order huzzah!) the next update should really soon, like tomorrow!  :DDD

By the way, all of you guys should check out koimi's beautiful depiction of Pysche!Cupid, which I set as the cover of this story with her permission. It's sooo beautiffffuuuuuul~ <3