Kibum's head was pounding when he regained consciousness and he cursed Minho under his breath. Then he let out a groan and rolled over onto his side. He was glad Jonghyun had put him in a bed and not left him on the floor, giving his body sufficient rest. Minho seriously needed to control his temper or Kibum would sooner rather than later combust, which he wasn’t so keen on experiencing. Jonghyun was fine at least. Jinki had told Kibum he was protected by the ever strengthening bond between them, which put Kibum at rest a little. Not that he liked the bleak prospects the outcome of their relationship had, but he tried to stay positive for Jonghyun's sake, if nothing else.

The mattress shifted as Jonghyun moved and Kibum grimaced.

“Wha time izzit?” he asked groggily.

There was no answer and he squinted his eyes open to shoot Jonghyun a suffering look, redying himself to kick him. If he wanted to ignore him, he would suffer the consequences. But the gaze that met his was not the familiar, deep-brown colour of Jonghyun's eyes. Instead, black irises blinked at him slowly, the face it belonged to a blank canvas.

Kibum gasped so hard his throat burned and he sat up, nearly falling off the bed in his haste. The man (god?) watched him silently from where he had taken a seat at the foot of the bed and Kibum stared back.

“Who…?” he began to question.

Then he remembered just what had happened before he lost consciousness, and his mouth fell open.

“You’re him,” he gasped, unable to look away from the young man in front of him.

He raised his eyebrows, but somehow managed to look intimidating instead of inquisitive.

“My name would be Hades, however, in your time and world I go by Taemin.”

Great. Wonderful. How in the world had this happened? Kibum didn’t remember being kidnapped (wasn’t that Jonghyun's thing?) and he certainly had no idea why he even would be. Jonghyun was the one whose soul was priceless.

“So,” Kibum rubbed his forehead. His brain felt sore from the earlier events and thinking hurt. Simple things first. “Should I call you Taemin or Hades?”

Taemin frowned as well.

“Is that something which concerns you?” he asked moving closer, curious eyes examining his face.

“Uh, well,” Kibum leaned back a little, uncomfortable with the intense, dark gaze on him. “I have to call you something, right?”

Taemin didn’t answer and Kibum cleared his throat.

“Okay… Taemin then. Easier to pronounce.”

Taemin moved a little closer, leaning forward as if he wanted to touch him. They stared at each other for another moment, heavy silence filling the air.

“Kibum,” he suddenly said and Kibum jumped.

“Yeah,” he breathed. “That’s my name.”

Taemin's lips turned up ever so little and Kibum blinked in surprise. His smile was awkward and uncertain, but genuine all the same. It struck Kibum that this was an action Taemin rarely executed, which left him completely dumbstruck.

He had to admit, mythology had not been kind to Taemin. He was always described as a cold, unemotional being which had no care for anyone’s interest other than his own.

Looking at the young man in front of him, however, had Kibum feeling as if there was a lot mythology had gotten wrong. Yes, Taemin's eyes were cold, but there was something else glinting in them that looked somehow innocent. He couldn’t deny the intimidating aura Taemin exuded, however, he was almost certain, as he watched his awkward smile, underneath there was more than just menace.

He wasn’t so sure what to do about it, though.

“You know,” Kibum spoke after a moment of silent staring. “I think you’ve got the wrong guy.”

Confusion furrowed Taemin's brow.

“Why?”

Kibum raised his eyebrows at him.

“Well, Jonghyun's the one who’s Jinki's soulmate,” he answered slowly, watching the confusion on Taemin's face grow. “Shouldn’t you be taking him as prisoner?”

Taemin's expression went blank again and he tilted his head as if in thought.

“I know who your friend is. I spoke to him,” he said and Kibum narrowed his eyes at him. He should have known Taemin had kidnapped Jonghyun. Balling his fists, he got ready to punch him if it proved he had hurt Jonghyun. “He was merely a distraction as well as a bait.”

Now Kibum was the one who was confused.

“Distraction? For what?”

Taemin averted his eyes.

“I needed to make preparations,” he answered cryptically.

“For?” Kibum prompted.

Taemin glanced at him, hesitating.

“For your arrival and… imprisonment.”

Kibum gaped at him, barely catching the last word as it was spoken so softly.

“Imprisonment,” he deadpanned. “Hate to break it to you, but I’m just a regular human. There's nothing you could gain from holding me prisoner.”

Taemin still wouldn’t look at him and Kibum gave a frustrated sigh.

“You are wrong,” Taemin said. “You may be a simple human, however, I do need you to open Pandora’s jar.”

Kibum tumbled off the bed, backing away from him. He should have known that was still Taemin's goal, no matter how misunderstood and misjudged Kibum thought he might be.

“No,” he hissed. “Like I’m going to let you do that! And what has it got to do with me anyway?”

There was a rush of air and suddenly Taemin was right behind him, forcing him to stumble a few steps back. His eyes were dark and furious, a blazing, enchanted black fire and his grip on Kibum's arm was steel.

“Your permission is not something I require,” Taemin's voice was low, rumbling with danger. “I will open the jar. It requires nothing else from you than your presence, which I already have.”

Kibum's eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat.

“What do you mean?” he whispered.

Taemin regarded him thoughtfully for a silent moment, his eyes still filled with anger and another emotion Kibum couldn’t quite name. It looked like devastation, but he wasn’t sure what to make of that since Taemin was apparently very close to opening the jar and thus would get what he wanted.

No answer came. Taemin let go of his arm and looked away.

“Why are you even doing it?” Kibum asked, his voice barely audible. Taemin looked back at him. “What makes you think it’s better to just destroy everything instead of finding a solution?”

Taemin's eyes burned, furious once more.

“Do you not think I have?” he growled. “I should have known you are just like everyone else, judging me before you even know!”

He turned around to leave but Kibum grabbed his arm, anger bubbling up inside him. It was probably not his smartest move, since he was picking a fight with a god, but he was too furious to care.

“Excuse you, but do I have to remind you that you kidnapped me?!” he nearly shouted and Taemin turned back, looking surprised. “You don’t have the right to think I’m judgmental!”

Taemin's face hardened and he took a threatening step forward, forcing Kibum to back away reluctantly. The lights in the room dimmed. Taemin took another step and before he knew it Kibum was pinned to the bed, staring into dark, bottomless eyes.

“You should not speak of things you do not fully comprehend,” he murmured and Kibum held his breath, afraid he would hurt him.

But Taemin simply stared at him as if searching his soul. Then he sighed and flopped down onto his back beside him, letting out a soft grumble.

“No one wishes to keep me company,” he mumbled.

Kibum gave the ceiling a confused blink and turned his head, coming face to face with Taemin.

“I am always alone.”

Kibum sat up slowly, never looking away from him. He wasn’t sure how he should handle the situation, now that Taemin suddenly looked vulnerable.

“I’m sure that’s not true,” Kibum murmured reluctantly. “Your brothers want to be with you. They went looking for you high and low.”

“They searched for me as I am a threat, nothing more, nothing less.” Taemin turned his eyes to the ceiling. “My oldest brother has never even once put his trust in me. Not even when I beg.”

Kibum frowned.

“Beg?”

Taemin glanced at him.

“I have begged for him to let me live in the human realm and I have told him nothing but the truth about my intentions… my actions and feelings. He has seen how I care for the person who holds my heart, yet still he is suspicious of me.”

“But…” Kibum worried his bottom lip. “Don’t you have a wife? I mean, I know Minho and Jinki are promiscuous and everything, but… yeah… mythology never said anything about you.”

Taemin let out a soft snort.

“You are correct, they are promiscuous.” He sighed heavily. “I let her go.”

Kibum gaped at him.

“You what?!”

Taemin let out a hollow laugh.

“She was unhappy here and I loved her too much to keep her from her happiness. She lived out her days long ago and has passed on to the Land of Souls.”

“And gods can’t go there,” Kibum added, more to himself. “By the way!” He sat up straight. “I can’t be here! Humans aren’t supposed to be in the Realm of Gods!”

Taemin watched his horrified expression for a moment before bursting into laughter, clutching his stomach, as if Kibum had told him the joke of the year. He couldn’t do much else than stare at Taemin, astonished at the sound coming out of him.

“You need not worry,” Taemin said after calming down. “My castle is not in the Realm of Gods.”

“It’s not?” Kibum asked, confused. “Then where are we?”

“The Realm of Undead, where everything and nothing exists.”

A/N: Heeeey! So, this didn't take ten light years and a half xD Um... I got nothing much to say about this chapter... Those of you who don't wanna read the Kibum and Taemin part should skip the next two chapters as well Dx sorry...

So, anyway! I hope you liked it!

Love<3

Bye~!