I quietly watch as Taehyung moves, glowing with unrestrained power as he takes a slow step forward, bringing the power to his palms. I watch as he concentrates, every movement calculated to increase his power flow. He finally throws it forward, producing a beam of light powerful enough to light up the night sky. The wind produced from the blast hits me, blowing my bangs off my face. I bring my hands up to protect my eyes from the dust as I squint to see what would happen.
As expected, the beam of power hits the mountain a considerable distance away, blowing it into smithereens. A dust cloud that resembles a mushroom fills the skies, turning the black skies gray.
I remember months ago Taehyung telling me of Adam, the First Aamon's power, how he'd managed to destroy mountains with barely a cursory glance. Taehyung at the time, didn't have as much control over his powers as he did now.
Now Taehyung could split islands in half, call on to the Seraphim and display incredible bursts of power as if they were nothing.
The sound waves hits just then, sounding similar to a volcano eruption. Beside me, Namjoon covers his ears, curling into himself at the sheer power of the sound. A normal human eye would've just seen maybe an avalanche or a powerful earthquake. It isn't every day that a human would be able to see the full extent of a supernatural being's power.
And then Taehyung raises his arms up, directly at the dust clouds in the skies. He makes a parting motion, immediately splitting the clouds in two, before they disappear completely.
The skies are clear again.
"Do you ever think," Namjoon quietly starts, as I turn to him, "that Taehyung has too much power?"
"I've never thought of that," I confess as I shift my sitting position on the patio steps. "But Taehyung has many powerful enemies. He may need whatever power he can get."
"How much power does he need then?"
I fall quiet. I don't know what to say.
Taehyung turns around just then, heading towards us. His eyes are bloodshot, and is his posture is tired. I cannot blame him. He has been through a lot these past few months.
It's been nearly two years since Taehyung was elected as the Fifth Aamon and the amount of things he's gone through is staggering. Taehyung has grown a resume more extensive in the past few months than some Aamons have in their entire lifetime. He has grown exponentially in strength and power, and is as calculative and careful as any other elected official.
But he remains the same - or rather, he tries to.
Taehyung's body showcases the telltale signs of PTSD and anxiety - he is haggard, his bursts of energy sporadic, his appetite and sleep schedule haywire, his overthinking driving him into a jittery bag of nerves. It pains me that there is nothing much I can do, other than listen occasionally. As the Aamon, Taehyung must show to the general public an image of etherealness - that he was a complex combination of untouchable and relatable.
Perhaps physically, he shows it well. Mentally, however, his mind still sounds like screaming banshees.
Jungkook falls instep beside Taehyung, in full wolf form. As a full Lycan, Jungkook stands taller than Taehyung even on all fours. The Seraphim behind them disappear, as Jungkook is done with his training of them.
The two of them walk quietly towards us, before I catch Taehyung's eyes clouding over, turning grey as he pauses in step.
I immediately stand, ready to run to him in case he needs me.
"What's wrong with him?" Namjoon asks.
"A vision."
Taehyung loses his balance slightly, leaning into Jungkook who immediately stops, straightening slightly to catch Taehyung.
"Taehyung -" I call.
"His Highness, the Fifth Aamon, Kim Taehyung." Both Namjoon and I glance over our shoulder to see James, one of Taehyung's member of Parliament, stand atop the patio steps, hand behind her back. "Your presence is required."
I turn back to Taehyung, whose eyes have reverted back to normal. He steadies himself, running his hand momentarily through Jungkook's fur, smiling slightly at his little one.
"I'm coming," Taehyung answers aloud, not even looking up at James.
I peer behind me again. James has disappeared.
Taehyung finally reaches us, Jungkook turning back to human form again as I place a concerned hand on Taehyung's arm.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah," he answers. "It's just a vision. I need to settle it with the Parliament. Come on."
I nod, before turning to Jungkook. "Continue your training. Namjoon will supervise."
Jungkook instinctively pouts, unhappy at being left behind but knowing the matters of Taehyung's Parliament were beyond him.
We get inside, and I shut the patio doors behind me.
"What did you see?" I ask, as Taehyung slides his hand into mine, twining our fingers together.
"Another initiate," he quietly answers, almost in a whisper as we walk.
"A new one's been born?"
Taehyung shakes his head. "His powers have just been activated. It's a proper initiate this time."
"Why is it in a vision?"
"Because a conflict will appear," Taehyung ominously answers. He stops in his tracks suddenly, staring at something before him. I follow his gaze, seeing Caine standing a small distance away.
"Azazel," Caine says. "It's time to repay the favour."
"Caine," Taehyung greets. "You have the worst timing."
Caine only smiles, glancing down at our held hands. "When duty calls."
"I understand."
Just like that, Taehyung's hand slips out from mine, and he continues walking forward towards his Parliament's meeting room.
Caine opens a portal behind him, before jutting his chin in its direction. "Come. I have serious matters to discuss with you."
I enter the portal after him, watching it close behind me and step out on the other side to see that we've made it to the seaside, with waves gently lapping at our feet. I automatically take several steps back. I didn't want to wet my shoes. It would ruin the carpet back at the Court.
"How long have you and Taehyung been together?" Caine asks, peering over his shoulder at me.
"I believe that isn't any of your business, Caine."
He replies in a half smile, shifting his focus to the far horizon.
"So Taehyung really took my advice, eh?" he chuckles, crossing his arms over his chest as I raise an eyebrow at him.
"You're playing matchmaker now?"
"I wouldn't take credit." He turns to me again, a serious look on his face. "I told Taehyung about the prophecy."
"Which one?"
"The one where love humanizes you."
I feel my irritation rise. "You told him?"
"He had the right to know."
"Caine, it was never even a prophecy to begin with. It was an assumption you and Pakal made long before Taehyung was even born."
"I had to see whether it would work."
"Foolish," I bite. "Do you see what you've done? You've set off another prophecy."
"The Sympathizer opens Humanity to defeat," Caine murmurs under his breath, repeating the prophecy verbatim. "It's different this time."
"How?" My irritation is slowly morphing to rage now as I stare at Caine adamantly crossing his arms over his chest. "You told Taehyung that any love I developed for him would humanize me and make me grow a soul. You know how he is! He would have done it out of sympathy to save me."
"I lied." Caine looks away from me, perhaps not wanting to deal with the anger on my face.
"You WHAT?"
"I lied," Caine repeats, staring into my eyes this time. "I lied to him. I told him the love *he* developed for you would save you."
"What?" I heard him just fine. I just couldn't believe my ears. "You influenced the Aamon into your assumptions?"
"I did no such thing," Caine snaps, starting to get irritated as well. "Taehyung has been developing feelings for you long before I told him."
"He's acting on *your* words." I can't believe Caine was so stupid to do that. And he still didn't realize the gravity of what he's done? 
"What if it doesn't work, Caine? What if it doesn't humanize me?"
"We'll only know when we found out."
"You actively put the fate of humanity on you and Pakal's gossip?"
"Taehyung is not a sympathizer," Caine snaps. "He truly loves you."
"Foolish! So what if he does? What if your silly belief doesn't work?"
"Then that would be the end of it!"
"You *influenced* the Aamon's decision, Caine. You have exposed the Aamon to elements of bias. As if Taehyung's previous tribunals weren't exhausting enough on him!"
"Then I will put more faith in the prophecy."
"It was never a prophecy in the first place!" I nearly roar. Why wasn't Caine seeing this?
"Hush, Azazel. Why can you not place more faith in Taehyung? He does not love you because he wants to save you. He loves you because he loves you. Saving you is a benefit. Is that such a hard concept to grasp? I can speak to Taehyung all I want but ultimately his feelings for you are his alone. Love cannot be forced."
"But why would you risk it?"
"Because I'm trying to help you. I don't want to see you doomed to Hell either, Azazel."
And that stuns me into silence. I stare at Caine, unsure of what to say.
"Now I told you I need my favour repaid," Caine continues. "But it must be done in secrecy."
"What is it?"
"It has come to Heaven's attention that a prophecy is about to come into being. The Archangels want it prevented." Caine passes me a photograph of a male child with wide brownish-green eyes and long flowing hair. "The child is said to be the harbinger of destruction, a risk to the Aamon's throne."
"Who is he?" I ask, studying the photograph in hand.
"He is the Sixth Aamon, prophecied to incite chaos and genocide."
"Taehyung is still the ruling Aamon. Only the Parliament will receive news of his successor."
Caine suddenly reaches up, placing his fingertips against my temple before his eyes glow white.
I am suddenly hit with an onslaught of power, of the prophecy Heaven had foreseen, only now made into tangible, visible form.
I hear screams of a thousand innocents, hear the foot steps of fleeing civilians. The ground is painted red and the sky is as black as coal. Smack in the middle is Taehyung staring at the young child, both completely unmoving.
The vision ends as Caine takes his hand away and I blink, collecting myself.
"What do you need me to do?"
"Kill him. As swiftly and as quietly as possible."

I stare at the photograph in my hand. The child in the photograph couldn't be more than nine. With the intensity of the gaze he has as he stares into the camera, one could easily believe he was older.
I've killed individuals younger than this child and have slaughtered even infants in the womb. I've seen children this age starved to death, , murdered and sold into slavery. I have grown cold to the brutality that was Creation on Earth, because what I've seem in Hell was so much worse.
But something bothers me as I stare at the picture. Even in picture, the child exudes an aura that was unlike most beings. He was definitely something.
I pull the scarf higher up my nose, making sure I cover the entirety of my face save for the eyes.
Pakistan is a country with a plethora of sights, sounds and smells. It is a world away from South Korea and Los Angeles, with culture being richly incorporated into the cities. In a way, it is a beauty on a pedestal of its own.
I carry the guise of a middle aged Pakistani today, an easy face that blends into the crowds no matter where I'm headed. My kameez colour blends almost seamlessly with every other person here, being white washed with faded gold embroidery.
Young men pass by me, nodding their heads as they murmur salaams in greeting. I nod my head in reply but continue on their journey.
The boy in question was part of a child-trafficking ring - forced to beg day and night before his earnings were given to leaders who amassed the wealth for themselves. He wouldn't be missed much.
I take a turn into an alley between two buildings, turning incorporeal as I rise upwards. The child would be in the building to my right, resting after taking a beating that was too harsh for his frame to withstand.
I reach the roof, morphing back to human form as I walk towards the stairs leading down. A young man sits on the roof, staring at me as I walk forward. He's very obviously smoking weed in his chillum, his eyes bloodshot red despite it being in the middle of the day.
"Are you a djinn?" He doesn't look exactly bothered by my sudden appearance.
"I am a demon."
"Oh. Then you'll fit right in."
I head down the stairs, closing the door behind me. 
The child is on the sixth floor, two flights below me.
There shouldn't be too many people in the building. Everyone in here should be part of the ring - this entire building was bought by one of their leaders. Most of the children would be out begging, and the few adults who were here would be no match for me. I walk down the hallways, pocketing the photograph in my back pocket as I search the vicinity for traces of the child. I hear a few heart beats here and there, but they are much too slow to be a child's.
I pass by one adult male, who is looking down at his phone. He looks up when our shoulders brush and is immediately on edge.
"Old man, who are you and what are you doing here?"
I see him reach into his pocket - maybe for a weapon? I strike, wrapping one hand around his neck as I lift him off the floor. He panics momentarily, wildly thrashing about before I squeeze my hand into a fist, destroying his trachea and spine. He stops moving immediately, and I quietly drop him down on the ground.
I feel a certain thrill at the action. I haven't killed anyone in a long time. It is in my nature to sin - and I was hopefully about to kill more of these bast@rds. If I were in Hell, I'd gladly eat his soul.
Souls soiled with sin were the tastiest.
I continue on my way, wiping the blood on my hands on my kameez.
No one would miss that type of person. They'd be better off dead, and they were exactly the sort I enjoyed killing the most.
I hear a child's heart beat and I round the bend. I follow the sound until it leads me into a room that was one, long, massive bunker. Multiple double decker beds line the walls of the small but long room, heavily cramped and an obvious fire hazard. I locate the lone child, who is sleeping beneath a blanket a small distance away, on the bed furthest from me, next to an open window.
This would be easy. Perhaps I could just throw him out the window. Or strangle him with the blanket. Maybe I could make it swift and crush his skull with my hands.
I walk forward, nothing but murder on my mind, and stop beside the child's bed. The child sleeps fully hidden by the blanket, his heavy breathing the only sign that something alive lies beneath.
I could take my dagger and impale him right here and now. The child wouldn't see it coming. Instead, curiosity gets the better of me and I rip the blanket off the child.
I see a flash of black hair before something kicks me across my chest. I am sent flying across the room, slamming against the wall behind me before I drop to the ground.
Who the fcuk was strong enough to do that to me?
I stand, in full attack position despite the guise of the old man I carried. I throw a burst of power forward but I hit empty air. Whatever had hit me was moving fast.
A gigantic wolf suddenly charges towards me and I duck just as it flies right over my head. I grab it by its neck before shifting my weight and slamming the Lycan to the ground.
The Lycan stares up at me, thrashing about as it snaps fangs that are probably two inches long about a foot from my face. I stare right back.
This Lycan was familiar.
"Jungkook?"
The little one immediately stills, shifting back to human form just as I switch back to the form I'd been using around him.
"Jin?" he gasps in shock. "Oh man, Mama is going to be mad."
I let go of the hold I had on his throat.
'Mad' would be an understatement.

I leap to the side again just as another round of concentrated power slams on the ground I'd been standing on moments before. Taehyung stares at me, producing another round of power in his hands.
"Doing shhit behind my back again!" he screams, throwing it in my direction.
I duck this time. Taehyung's emotions were getting the better of him and his aim is faltering.
"How many times have I told you to not act in your own capacity under my Court! You act either under my instruction or permission!"
I say nothing. There really is no way to explain myself.
Namjoon hurries forward, attempting to calm Taehyung.
"Taehyung, come on. You don't have to react with violence," he soothes as he stands before Taehyung, bodily blocking his view from me.
"Why can't I fcuking trust you!" Taehyung screams again, attempting to get around Namjoon, who still tries to bodily block him. "You were ready to kill a child! Monster!"
Another round of power is about to be shot at me when Namjoon throws Taehyung's hand upwards at the very last second. The ball of power shoots harmlessly into the skies, exploding like a firework.
I'm surprised. Namjoon is fearless.
"Taehyung, stop! You'll hurt him!"
"Oh, I want to! Not only were you ready to kill a child, you were ready to kill an initiate! You know he should be under my protection. What the fcuk were you trying to do?!"
I continue my silence, only staring at Taehyung's escalating anger. I wonder if his head would explode.
"I'm really disappointed in you," he finally whispers, still fuming with rage. "I'll take note of your actions the next time I need to find someone to trust."
And then he dramatically turns around, going up the patio steps and slamming the back door closed. He leaves Namjoon and I behind in tense, awkward silence.
"Why didn't you try explaining yourself?" Namjoon finally asks, turning to me.
"Because it wouldn't have mattered. The fact of the matter is, I tried to kill one of Taehyung's possible successors."
"At least try to talk to him. He deserves an explanation."
"I don't have an explanation," I say.
"You were just in the mood to kill his successor all the way in Pakistan for no reason whatsoever?"
"Some things you wouldn't understand."
"Some things people would never understand because you don't give them an explanation."
Well, he was right at that.
"Where is the child?" I ask instead.
"Going through a health checkup with Caine. You're not gonna still try and kill him right?"
"No," I answer. "He's already under the Court's protection. There's no point anymore."

I find both the initiate and Caine in one of the spare bedrooms of Taehyung's newest Court. The young child sits on the edge of the bed, his feet hanging off the floor with his arm connected to an IV drip. Caine does a routine checkup, a clipboard at his side as he writes notes from time to time. He looks like a nurse.
The young child looks up at me as I enter. He looks much like he does in the picture - small, scrawny, eyes a tad too large for his face and long brown hair that curled at the bottom.
"How is it that you failed the mission when the target is literally this size?" Caine rhetorically asks, not even looking up at me.
"I wasn't banging on the fact that the Aamon's Court would be in the vicinity as well."
"I asked you for one favour," Caine says, turning to me with prominent annoyance on his face. "You failed."
"And now the child is before our eyes," I snap. "Should I do the honours?"
"Don't bother. He is under the Court's protection. Heaven will not touch him."
Caine stands, signalling for the boy to lie down on the bed, which he dutifully complies. He murmurs a spell, running his fingers over the boy's injuries, which heal immediately.
"Is he really the Sixth Aamon?"
"According to the prophecy, yes."
"So this means that Taehyung's rule will end soon."
"Yes. If the prophecy comes true."
"How will killing him solve anything?"
"Those are matters beyond you."
"You and I are the Official Advisors of the Aamon's Court. If you cannot be frank with me with regard to the Aamon's matters, you are affecting his ability to rule and my ability to advise him."
Caine says nothing, resting a hand over the boy's eyes, inciting sleep almost immediately. "If you don't kill him, Taehyung will. And if Taehyung doesn't kill him, the child will kill Taehyung. He himself will see the future of this child's rule. And an Aamon killing another will throw the entire power off balance."
"Taehyung would never kill an innocent child."
"Necessity will drive you to do the necessary."
"I don't see how this child's rule could be that bad."
"The child has gone through experiences that have hardened his heart. His power will only be used for revenge."
"Show me the entirety of the prophecy," I demand.
"There is no such thing as a prophecy in entirety. We see what we are allowed to see. You know that. I showed you what I saw and what was told to me by the Archangels. I have no other information."
"Are you going to tell Taehyung about this?"
"Of course I will have to warm him. He must know of the dangers of the child. Maybe he'll send him far away so the child won't be exposed to the power."
"I sent Taehyung far away from the Parliament as a child. It didn't work. He still grew up to be Aamon. Maybe if the child is under Taehyung's guidance, he will change."
"Maybe. But it is a frightening prospect to think of his failure. I would advise him to kill this child quickly."
"You know he would never do that, no matter what the child's future is."
Caine is quiet. He knew I was right.

A knock at my bedroom door makes me look up from my work.
"Come in."
Taehyung enters, shutting the door behind him. I stare as he comes to my bed, sitting down and staring at me from my place at the study table. I patiently wait for him to start the conversation. I can tell that he's still mad, but if he came into my room out of his own free will, he'd have something to say.
"Caine told me about the prophecy - and the favour he asked from you."
I look away, focusing back to my work as I continue writing.
"I'm still mad that you acted on your own again. But I understand. You were trying to save the Court."
"I was repaying a favour," I correct. "Nothing more. Caine was trying to save your Court. If you want to, go thank him."
"I'm not gonna thank him. I'm mad at Caine for making such a cruel decision and I'm made at Heaven for carrying out the order. You know I'd rather see my Court going up in flames than kill any innocent. I understand why you did it. But it doesn't indemnify what you've done. You still tried to kill a child."
I look up at Taehyung then. "I would kill many others to ensure your safety."
"I told you I'm not going to rule forever. Let him live."
"You would take the risk?"
"I would," Taehyung answers.
"He is prophecied to only bring destruction."
"So was I. And so are you. We can change the future by working on the present."
"Taehyung, there will be *billions* of lives at stake."
"We can do it."
"What did Heaven say with regard to the child?"
"Heaven wants the child killed."
"And Caine?"
"He wants the child dead too."
"And the Aamons?"
"…you get the point."
"Doesn't that mean that the majority is against you? You are a leader, Taehyung. You're going to have to listen to advisors at some point and not charge your own way through your rule."
"I'm the Aamon for a reason."
"And you have a Parliament, advisors and other bodies watching over you for a reason."
"Then why am I the Aamon if I can't protect everyone around me? The child is innocent. I won't let anyone be sentenced to death just for existing."
"If it's for the greater good -"
"It *is* for the greater good. They don't appreciate life the way I do."
"So are you saying that since you're the Aamon, you can do whatever you want?"
"Yes?"
"No..." I rarely ever get headaches, but I can feel the telltale throb of one coming as I rest my hands against my temples. "Taehyung, think of it this way. If a train is hurtling towards a bustling crowd of oblivious humans and beside you is a lever that would shift the train's direction to only hit one person, you'd push the lever, right? You'd sacrifice one person for the greater good?"
"No?" Taehyung replies, looking at me like I'm stupid. "I'd use my powers to stop the train completely."
Okay, that was a stupid example. That was on me.
"One day, you'll have to decide for the benefit of the majority. Not everyone's lives can be put into consideration."
"Well until that day comes, I'll be standing by my beliefs. I'm not gonna kill him. I'm gonna raise him right."
"The Parliament will be in charge of raising him," I remind him.
"I won't let them touch him. Hanaan deserves a childhood that would soften his heart."
"Who?"
"The child. That's his name. Hanaan. He's gonna grow up normal."
"The Parliament would be able to train him better. They have the experience."
"They don't have the heart. If the child has me and you, at least he can learn at his own pace. He's not a showdog to be trained."
I raise an eyebrow. "You want me to raise him."
"I mean, yeah? Who else would be qualified?"
"Taehyung, I seek to remind you that I am the Son of Lucifer. I literally just tried to kill Hanaan a few hours ago. If not for the fact that you told me 'no', I would have a pillow pressed against his face right now. The child is prophecied to bring only destruction. I don't know if it'll even work."
"We can try!"
"It won't be easy."
"I know it won't be easy. Jin, I am literally the *poster child* of 'it won't be easy because he's an untrained initiate'. But if I let the Parliament take him, I might be allowing what happened to Pakal and Sobekneferu repeat itself. I won't allow them to do that to him."
I rise, coming to Taehyung. "You're going to create conflict. The Parliament is tasked with raising the initiates. If you block them -"
"Fcuk the Parliament!" Taehyung says with his whole chest. He grabs my hand, squeezing it tightly. "If I can save just one person, Jin. Just *one*. If I can at least try -"
"They'll try to stop you."
"They're always trying to stop me! I refuse to cower in fear because of them."
"Taehyung," I attempt to reason. I don't know how my patience levels become infinite when I'm with him. "You need your Parliament's support in this."
"No, I don't. I just need yours. Jin, please. Give this child a chance. He hasn't done anything wrong."
"Not yet," I remind him.
"Exactly!" Taehyung cheers, not getting my hint. He throws his arms around my neck in excitement. "We can raise him right. We can show him love and compassion and the ways to lead with righteousness!"
Taehyung's eyes are large and bright, puppy-like, almost. I wrap my arms gently around his waist to steady him since he's leaning so heavily against me.
"You're too optimistic."
"Jin, come on," he whines, pouting adorably.
I sigh. "Are you going to do this every time you want me to support your decision?"
"Do what?" he asks, batting long, innocent lashes at me.
"You know what."
He laughs then, a good, hearty laughter that makes his eyes disappear. As the laughter quiets down, he studies me with a tilt of his head, a soft smile playing on his lips.
"Will you support my decision?"
"Taehyung -"
And then he leans forward, resting his lips softly against mine as he gives me a slow peck.
"Please?" he says, straightening again.
I stare at him, caught off guard for a moment. "That's unfair."
"You know what they say," he grins. "All's fair in love and war."
I'm not amused, and perhaps it shows on my face. Taehyung's grin fades away, replaced with a sad little frown.
"You know I'll stand by my decision even if you say no."
I hide a sigh. "Alright," I finally concede. "I don't agree with it… but I'll support you."
The smile returns, a soft one this time. He leans forward again, kissing me softly before he parts the kiss.
"Thank you."
I stare at him, at his sunken cheeks and his dark circles, the wrinkles at the corners of his mouth from frowning too much. I've lived a long, long time. It is difficult to describe life when it passes you by, when the only thing that doesn't move is you. I'd always wanted to move as well, to change with the times, to age as Creation did.
Yet as I stare at Taehyung, whose eyes carry the weight of all the horrors of the world he's seen, I reconsider. I didn't want to move just yet. I want this moment to be suspended in time.
"I'll always support you." I kiss him this time, feeling him immediately respond and move with the kiss. Despite all the atrocities he's been through, Taehyung is still soft and kind, a sort of purity and innocence difficult to put into words and even more difficult to find.
My hands gently pull his shirt out from being tucked into his pants. He's still in his formal wear - a style Taehyung is almost constantly in these days as he usually has multiple meetings daily. I run my fingers under his shirt, feelings the comfort of his skin against mine.
Taehyung is always warm, warmer than most humans. The warmth of his skin is almost comforting, and I get why Jungkook always demands to be held by him.
I run my hands up his back, deepening the kiss as I pull him close. The millennia I've lived without him seem like wasted time now. Why would I even consider a life without Taehyung?
My hands travel lower, resting against his hips as I only pull him closer. I don't understand how it didn't seem to be enough. Taehyung gets the signal and he pulls himself up, wrapping his legs around my waist, our kiss unbroken.
I catch him, steadying him by securely holding him in my arms. He weighs next to nothing. I'm not sure if it's my own strength or it really is his lack of weight. I lower him gently on the bed, parting our kiss as Taehyung looks up at me. I don't understand how he says nothing, yet his eyes say so much. 
I feel his legs fall from my waist, his arms unwrapping from around my neck and resting innocently by his side. His hands are positioned next to his head, his palms open and facing me. His hair falls into his eyes and his lips are pink from the kiss. It makes him look so… sinless.
I lean forward again, kissing his cheek, inhaling his scent. He smells like warmth and familiarity. It makes no sense but I can't explain it in any other way. Taehyung smells - and feels - like home.
I move to his jaw, his temple, his hair. Every inch of him smells like home. Like I belonged here, only with him. I kiss his neck, and he laughs softly, tickled by the sensation. He takes my face between his hands, cupping my cheeks as he pulls me to face him.
He kisses me, a kiss deep enough to spark the power of Hell in me. 
Taehyung was power - and he had a whole lot of it. I wrap an arm around his waist, lifting him up slightly as he presses against me. Our bodies are molded to fit against each other like two pieces of a puzzle, like two halves of a whole.
I transfer a small portion of power into him, feeling him flinch and gasp aloud. I smile into the kiss. I loved it when he did that. Taehyung reaches up, resting a hand against the nape of my neck before he clenches the locks of my hair between his fingers.
I am forced to break the kiss, having to arch my neck back as Taehyung pulls at my hair. I feel him reach up, planting a kiss against the curve of my neck and then biting gently.
He releases the hold on my hair and I slowly shift my focus back to him.
"Are you trying to mark me?" I smirk, unwrapping my arm off his waist as Taehyung rests against the bed again.
"I don't need to," he answers, his gaze almost adamantly innocent.
I lower myself slightly, and Taehyung instinctively reaches up, a hand ready to rest on my cheek. I catch his wrist, holding it securely in one hand as I rest it on the space above Taehyung's head. He stares at me in light confusion.
"If it is a game you want to play…" I feel Taehyung freeze. I have another hand resting against his chest. I languidly the top two buttons of his shirt. "My love, I can play all day."

I sit bolt upright, awake from slumber as I feel a pain that blinds me, encompassing every fibre of my being. It feels like the top of my head to the tips of my toes are on fire, like the very skin on this temporary body was about to be ripped off.
I suppress a roar, holding back my true demon form that is about to explode out of this guise. I didn't need to breathe, I know I didn't need to, but a tightens in my chest has me panicking. Beside me, Taehyung continues his slumber, oblivious and unaffected. 
I manage to slip down to the floor, fighting the need to hyperventilate. I cannot even stand or sit up, as every touch on my nak3d body seems to intensify whatever pain I was feeling. I grab on to the nearest piece of clothing on the floor, my own pair of pants. I somehow manage to slip them on, barely able to stop shaking as I start getting lightheaded from pain.
What is going on? Was there some sort of spell on me?
I stare down at my shaking fingers, knowing I couldn't sustain this human form. True enough, the image of my human fingers starts fading - disappearing before my very eyes. My claws start to show, and I clench my fingers into a fist. I had to get out of here.
I shift, teleporting to the safest place I knew.

I slam down on the ground in full demon form, still writhing in pain as the demons around me start to scatter in panic, and then gather at the familiarity of my form.
"It is the Prince!" I hear them whisper amongst themselves. "The Rightful Heir!"
"Get me my siblings!" I roar, barely able to think straight from being so high with pain. "Now!"
"I'm here, Brother." Lilith descends from above, Pan beside her as their massive wings gently lower them to the ground. I am not strong enough to stand and greet them as they come to me. 
I am heaving from the gravity of pain that still fills me, as Pan comes to my side and lifts my upper body off the ground, making me lean against him.
"What happened to you?" Lilith murmurs, running a hand gently down my body. I nearly thrash in pain, roaring as I bite the urge to attack her for causing further pain. Pan mercilessly restrains me. He would do many things to protect his twin.
"Calm down, Azazel," he says. "We will not be able to help you if you don't let us."
I still almost immediately, tensing my entire body as I try to remain calm. My breathing doesn't stabilize but at least I wasn't trying to murder my sister for touching me.
"A power transfer," Lilith concludes after quickly analyzing me. "Someone has drained you."
What is she talking about? "I did no such thing."
She murmurs a spell, letting her hands glow with power before she slams then down against my chest. My back arches automatically, the pain hitting an all time high before it disappears completely.
I am left lying on the ground, in shock and confused.
Pan stands, pulling me up as well.
"Nice of you to visit when you need us," he greets, smiling genuinely as I steady myself.
"Consider the favour wherein I helped stop Beelzebub from taking over Hell repaid."
"You're low on power," Lilith says, cutting to the chase.
"I haven't fought in a while."
"It has nothing to do with fighting," she retorts, crossing her arms as she stares at me.
I stare back at her, not getting it. "What?"
Lilith doesn't even reply, glaring at me as if I was about to receive some revelation from the Heavens the longer she glared.
"You just had s3x with the Aamon."
I turn to Pan, surprised at both his bluntness and the fact that he could tell. 
"How did you know?"
"Asking the Demons of Lust how they know when their own brother just got bedded," Lilith screeches, coming forward to slap me hard against my arm as I take a step back in alarm. "We are the lead succubus and incubus tasked with destroying humanity through sin." She slaps me again, this time higher up my shoulder as I back up another step. "What do you take us for, fools? Why would you do such a thing?!"
I am rarely ever speechless, but I definitely am as I stare at her, aware that my mouth opens and closes several times as I attempt to say something to defend myself - only to come up with nothing.
"But -"
"He's not my boyfriend. We're not in a relationship!" Lilith mocks my voice, making it a point to make an ugly expression on her face as she belittles me. "I knew it was bull the moment you said it!"
I turn to Pan again, exasperated. "Aren't you going to defend me?"
The youngest male child of Lucifer raises his hands in apology. He wasn't going to get involved. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. I believe that was the saying.
Lilith finally deals her final blow, slapping me across my cheek hard enough that my head snaps to the side. The demons around us scurry back in fear as the sound from the slap produces a shock of thunder that rumbles and shakes the ground we stand on.
I straighten, staring at my youngest sibling as I place a delicate hand on my cheek. 
"Ow," I breathe.
"We knew because you smell of s3x," Pan says, almost completely unbothered by what just transpired. "And we also know it was the Aamon because of what happened to you."
I turn my gaze to him.
"Obtaining power through interc0urse is normal for our kind," he continues. "And we've done it for millenia. But it only works when the individual is weaker than you. Once their power supercedes yours, the action goes in reverse."
"Taehyung did this?"
"He's the only individual who could possibly supercede us in power. He was weaker the last time he was in Hell."
"Taehyung elected himself a member of his own Parliament," I say.
"…and now we know why."
I shake my head. "So what now? I won't have any powers?"
"You'll be replenished naturally over time. There is no way Taehyung can steal your powers from you."
"But now you've made Taehyung stronger than he already is," Lilith finally says. "It's a temporary effect, but to think that the Aamon right now has all your current power…"
"Taehyung isn't like that," I say. 
"He was already stronger than you before. All that power on one individual is dangerous."
"I know him."
"No one knows anyone," Lilith corrects. "You think you do, but you don't. Stop putting so much trust in one person."
"He saved you," I remind her. "He saved this entire kingdom. Voluntarily."
"Let me fall to my knees in gratitude," Lilith replies, voice dripping with sarcasm. "I am indebted to Taehyung for what he's done, but I'm not going to act like his actions are above us."
"What is it that you want, Lilith?" I ask, attempting to combat her anger with calm. 
Lilith doesn't answer, only staring at me as she continues to fume, before she looks away, sighing loudly. "Nothing. I'm sorry." She comes to me, and like a child, wraps her arms around my waist, burying her head in my chest as I instinctively wrap my arms around her.
"It worries me that you would hang around someone who could kill you."
"Believe me," I answer. "I've wanted him to kill me for a long time."
She separates the hug, back to being herself again.
"Congratulations on finding a life partner," she grins.
"Thanks, I guess?"
"If you were to marry on Earth, who would be the one to change his last name?" Pan wonders aloud.
"We share the same last name."
"Is your last name not Morningstar?"
"My human name," I muse. "And Taehyung and I will not be getting married."
"Oh? Does he not believe in it?" 
"The Sixth Aamon has been revealed."
I watch as their eyes widen, the shock crossing their faces.
"What?" Lilith breathes.
"A child from Pakistan, somewhere between the ages of six to ten. It's a prophecy from the Heavens."
"A prophecy to be prevented?" Lilith asks, knowing the significance of every prophecy.
"The child must be killed in order to protect humanity. But Taehyung won't allow that to happen."
"Why?" Pan asks.
I shrug. "It's just the way he is. He hopes to change the boy."
"Do you want us to kill him for you?"
I shake my head. "I agreed to let Taehyung try."
"And if the prophecy comes true?"
"Taehyung is hoping to change it."
"And you just…let him?"
I nod.
"He has you wrapped around his finger," Pan whispers in shock.
I couldn't deny it because he's right.
"Taehyung will only grow stronger the longer he is with you," Lilith says. "You know that's dangerous… right?"
"I do."
"You're willing to endanger all of Creation - including yourself, at the off chance that the Aamon will be able to change a prophecy."
"He's done it before," I say. "He can do it again."
"And what if he fails this time? What will you do?"
"I don't know, Lilith." I stare at my sister, staring at her disdain, disbelief and disapproval. "I'm just trying to live one day at a time."
Lilith and I lock eyes. The longer I stare, the softer her gaze becomes.
"I just want you to be careful," she finally says. "If the Aamon goes wild with the current power coursing through his veins… no one can stop him. Not even you."
"I'll be fine, Lilith," I smile, attempting to quell her worries. "The worst thing that could happen is that I come home. Permanently."

I stare as the young initiate - I refuse to call him the Sixth Aamon - run across the grass in the open fields. He is barefoot, the thickness of his callus on the soles of his feet hinting that he's used to walking around like that. He is laughing in glee, as he chases after Jungkook in full wolf form. 
Jungkook happily muses the initiate, alternating between running around in circles around him or throwing him in the air and catching him using his massive snout. I realise that this is probably the first time Jungkook's been exposed to someone his age. I am glad that he's reacting well.
"Hey."
I look over my shoulder as Namjoon comes forward to stand beside me. 
"Where have you been? You've been gone for two days."
"I had matters to attend to in Hell," I say. "I did some catching up with my siblings too."
"You know, I have no idea whether you're being sarcastic or serious."
I chuckle mirthlessly. "I'll let you use your head to figure that out. What have you been up to?"
"Studying Urdu," Namjoon sighs, as he crosses his arms over his chest and leans against the pillar by his side. "Unlike you guys, I don't have a translation spell to understand what Hanaan's saying."
Oh right. "I forgot about that." I murmur a spell under my breath, before bringing my hand up to cast it upon the air over Namjoon's head. The spell physically manifests itself as a cloud, before sinking to rest against Namjoon's face and disappearing completely.
"What was that?" Namjoon looks equal parts disgusted and intrigued, hilariously.
"The translation spell."
"I thought you said humans can't have magic caste on them."
"You're not fully human," I point out, much to Namjoon's surprise. "Your great great great grandfather was a warlock - a powerful one. He married a human, with all his descendants marrying humans as well."
Namjoon only stares at me, perhaps again, gauging whether I was being sarcastic or serious.
"Yer a wizard, Harry."
The suddenness of the sentence makes him snap out of it, although he still stares at me incredulously. "I'm a whot?"
I smile this time, sincerely. "The fraction of supernatural blood in your veins won't save you in life or death situations, but it'll allow you to withstand a slightly higher amount of magic in your body than a normal human would. Besides, a translation spell only hangs in the air around your head. It won't touch you."
"How did you know this?" Namjoon asks, after a bout of silence.
"I met your great grandfather in Hell."
"You *what*?"
"Not a good person," I sniff, leaning my shoulder against the pillar by my side. "He'll be in Hell for a while."
"What did he do?"
"A lot. But big on the list is killing his mistress's newborn son."
" *His* son?"
"His son," I confirm.
I see Namjoon's arms fall to the side as the gears turn in his head.
"Am I -?"
"Don't know," I answer curtly. "Only God determines where we go."
Our conversation is interrupted by a loud scream, before a big and screechy round of laughter. We turn to look, and see Hanaan riding on Jungkook's back. Jungkook prances about as the initiate grips on to his back by holding on to his dense fur. His tail wags in pure glee as the initiate himself grins with happiness.
Jungkook was finally, moving and acting like a child.
"How is he?" I ask.
"Who?"
"The boy. Hanaan."
"Hanaan," Namjoon repeats, as he corrects my pronunciation. "You gotta extend the second vowel."
"Ha- NAAAAAN," I repeat, just to muse him.
"He's fine. He's a tough kid."
"Tough?"
"Well, yeah," Namjoon shrugs. "Considering the circumstances he grew up in…"
"No, I meant why would you call him tough."
"Oh. You'll see what I mean."
I turn to stare at the initiate again. He's been thrown off Jungkook's back, and makes a rough landing against the ground, rolling twice before he pushes himself up. His clothes are soiled now, and he has strands of grass stuck in his hair, but he pays it no heed, as he leaps towards Jungkook again.
"You should try talking to him. Get to know him maybe."
"I don't really give a fcuk," I confess, still staring at both young children playing. "I think he's bad news." I was tempted to shoot a blast of power at the initiate, end it all right here and now, and save Taehyung from the heart break of having to fight and kill this child.
"Because of the prophecy?"
I turn to Namjoon, surprised he's in the loop.
"Jungkook told me about it. I didn't mean to pry."
"What do you think of it?"
"I think… it's just the sort of person Taehyung is."
"To risk the lives of everyone on this Earth for this one child?"
"To regard every life as precious," Namjoon corrects me. "No matter the person."
He was right. Taehyung was just that sort of person.
"It'll be alright." Namjoon looks…confident. Sure of himself. "Things will work out."
"I sure hope it does. Because if it doesn't, it'll be the end of things as we know it."
"Jin!!" I whip my head around and see Jungkook running towards me in human form, his arms wide open to embrace me.
I tense myself, bracing for impact. I may be the Heir to the Kingdom of Hell, but Jungkook was getting pretty strong. 
He makes a running leap, nearly slamming into me and throwing me backwards as I catch him and steady myself. He has his arms wrapped around my waist, his head buried in my chest.
"I've missed you!" he greets, looking up at me.
"I wasn't gone that long," I muse, tucking his hair behind his ear. It's grown long enough for his bangs to part down the middle.
"Well, the last time you were gone, you got kidnapped."
"I wasn't kidnapped," I point out, squeezing his cheek. "I voluntarily walked in."
"Right," the little one grins, rolling his eyes dramatically. "I haven't introduced you to Hanaan!" he says, parting the hug. "He's Taehyung's newest initiate."
"Yes," I remind him. "We met him together."
Jungkook's face falls slightly as the memory hits him. "You're not gonna kill him, right?" he asks in the softest of whispers. "He's my friend."
"No," I say. "Not for now."
I guess that's enough of an answer for him, as his little frown spreads into a grin. 
"Hanaan!" Jungkook yells, turning around to wave the initiate forward. "Come here. Come meet Jin!"
I look up to the imitate standing a distance away, his arms crossed over his chest as he stares almost challengingly back at me. His smiles and laughter are gone, and he has his guard up a hundred percent as he studies me.
I think I now know what Namjoon meant by 'tough'.
The initiate comes forward despite, though his eyes are still wary. He stops about two metres away from us, his gaze never moving away from me.
"Who's that?" he says, speaking directly to Jungkook. 
"My guardian angel."
I glance at Jungkook in surprise. The little one looks up to grin at me.
"He always protects me and saves me when I'm in trouble. He's a good person."
"He doesn't look that strong," the boy says. Namjoon actually snorts, covering his mouth with his hand as he hides a laugh.
"You're one to talk when you're barely four feet tall," I answer.
Jungkook makes a little 'ooo' sound, turning to the initiate, anticipating a reply.
"I'm gonna be the Aamon when I grow up. You wait till I whoop your @ss."
Namjoon laughs outright this time, unable to hold it in. Even I can't help but smirk at his answer.
"In the meantime, I'll be continuously whooping yours."
Jungkook laughs at that, turning to me. "No fighting," he teases, before I hear him in my mind. *Mama says he's a handful. Please be patient.*
I throw him a quick smile before ruffling his hair. *Fine.* "Go play."
"Don't hurt my friend, Old Man!"
I actually raise an eyebrow at that.
"He's not hurting me, Hanaan," Jungkook giggles. "He's just showing affection."
I see it register in the initiate's mind the moment Jungkook said it, and he backs down. "O-oh."
Jungkook's arms fall from around my waist and he heads to the initiate. Jungkook takes his hand and together they jog back to the clearing where they'd been playing previously. "You remember what Taehyung said, right?" I hear Jungkook ask him as they go further away.
"About what?"
"Not every person's touch is intended to hurt you. Sometimes it's affection."
"Yeah…"
"Like Jin! He doesn't hurt me. He would never hurt me."
I sit down on the patio steps, staring at the two receding forms.
"This translation spell is amazing," I hear Namjoon breathe. "Perfect Korean just came out of that boy's mouth!"
I am quiet, digesting the short exchange. "I know what you mean."
"What?"
"He's a tough kid."
"Yeah. He doesn't really know anything other than that."

I walk past the meeting room, hearing the sound of Taehyung yelling. I pause to listen. At first, I am concerned whether he's in danger or whether he's at the losing end of a diplomatic discussion, but the longer I listen, the more I realise that it isn't so much yelling than it is nagging.
I enter the room, my curiosity getting the better of me.
The initiate is seated on one of the many empty chairs, sulking in his seat while Taehyung stands with his hands upon his hips a distance away, still nagging.
"I've already told you, Hanaan. If you don't learn empathy, you're going to make your rule one of chaos and ruin!"
"What's going on?" I ask, stepping inside and closing the door behind me.
Taehyung doesn't even reply to me, jutting his chin in the general direction to look. I follow his gaze, staring at what's on the table.
"He burnt the chicken?" I say, wildly guessing what's the charred form on the table.
"It was alive before this!"
I squint my eyes at him, trying to process what Taehyung is trying to convey, but ultimately failing. "Aren't all animals alive before you kill them?"
Taehyung sighs, his arms falling to his side in defeat.
"Tell him what you did, Hanaan."
The initiate glares at Taehyung, sinking deeper into his seat. "I saw a wild chicken and used my powers to kill it."
*So?* I send the thought to Taehyung.
*He burnt it alive!*
Oh. Well that was kind of morbid. I thought we only did that in Hell.
"Why did you do it?" I ask.
The initiate shifts his glare to me. "I don't need to answer to you!"
"Hanaan," Taehyung about growls.
The boy sulks again, this time crossing his arms over his chest in defiance. "It made me feel strong."
"You deliberately tortured an innocent animal for your own amusement," Taehyung says.
"I know," is all the boy answers.
"Why?"
"Because I like feeling strong!" the initiate yells.
"Keep this up and I'm going to separate your bedroom from Jungkook's."
"No, you can't!" the boy screeches, stamping his feet wildly against the ground. "I'm going to kill you when I become Aamon!"
I glance at Taehyung, and see him glance back at me.
He was stuck.
"So does hurting people make you feel strong?" I ask as the initiate continues his tantrum.
He calms just enough to answer me. "Only weak people get hurt."
"Only weak people hurt others," I correct. "People who don't know how to show compassion will not go far in life."
He stills completely this time, staring at me. 
"I've seen where those weak people go. And it is not a good place to spend eternity. Do you want me to show you?" I let my human form waver, revealing the demon form underneath.
The initiate immediately screams, pushing himself off his chair to run to Taehyung and hide behind him. I stare at the boy as he peeks out from the side of Taehyung's waist.
Taehyung sighs aloud as he rests a hand against the initiate's shoulder.
*Man, do we really need some parenting books.*

"Chest out, back straight." I correct the initiate's posture, much to his annoyance. 
"I don't understand why I have to do this!" he groans, as he sits before the full set dining table. Namjoon stands across the table from us, back resting lightly against the wall as he stares at the initiate's training.
"The Aamon must maintain an image of perfection," I explain. "He is the representative of the Afterlife and will constantly meet with dignitaries that will dissect his every move. He must know what to say, how to act -"
"And how to differentiate spoons!" Jungkook adds in, as he sits across the table from the initiate. 
The little one joins the initiate in training regularly, mainly because the initiate only ever acted manageable when he was with Jungkook, who I only had to assume was his best friends now.
Despite being the same age - both Jungkook and the initiate were nine - the both of them were worlds apart in terms of personality and attitude. Jungkook, as usual, was a literal ball of sunshine, with the occasional tantrum normal for anyone his age. The initiate however, seemed to be in a perpetual tantrum, only occasionally having moments of sunshine. They were the sun and the moon, the day and the night.
And they were best friends, which was why they were here together.
True enough, the initiate smiles, sitting up as he straightens his posture.
"Outside in!" He cheers.
"That's right," Namjoon praises. "You're doing good."
"What do we say to compliments?" I prompt the young ones.
"Thank you," the initiate replies. "You flatter me."
"The honour is mine, Your Highness."
The initiate turns to me. "Why do they have to call me 'Your Highness'? Why can't they just call me Hanaan?"
"Because it's a mark of respect to your status," Jungkook answers for me. "It's all about respect in politics."
"Your formal address as Aamon is 'Your Highness, King Hanaan'. Do not allow other Courts to disrespect you."
"What about my title as initiate?"
"As an initiate, you have no capacity to act for the Aamon, unless Taehyung specifically grants it to you," I explain. "But if you are ever given that responsibility, your title would be Your Highness, First Heir Apparent, Mohamed Hanaan Khan Sarwani."
"That's so long!" he groans, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table.
"We do not place our limbs on the table," I remind him.
The initiate makes another dramatic sound of discontent but straightens, his hands falling to his lap.
"What do we say when we are corrected?"
The initiate glares at me again, miserable and unsatisfied. I feel a fuse about to explode.
"I hate it here! I hate this class, I hate this place and I hate. Being. An initiate!"
A small explosion of power is produces from his tantrum, throwing everything on the table upwards before it all explodes. The initiate shrieks as shards of porcelain and fragments of metal rain down on us. We cover our heads in protection, and I look up just as the rain stops.
I stare at the initiate, who is staring at all the broken pieces on the table, his pale face paler and his breathing starting to escalate.
"This is why the initiate does not throw tantrums," I say. "If you don't learn to control your emotions, you'll destroy a lot more than just plates and cutlery."
The initiate looks up at me, his eyes watering. I feel no sympathy.
"It's okay," I hear Jungkook say. "Accidents happen."
And then the initiate bolts, pushing himself off his chair and running off. The three of us stare as he slams the door behind him.
"Hanaan!" Jungkook stands. "Wait!" He runs off as well, trailing after his friend.
I turn to Namjoon as he turns to me.
"He's a lot to take," Namjoon says. 
"Definitely."
The door opens again and we look up to see Taehyung at the doorway.
"Wow. What happened?"
"The initiate had a tantrum," I explain. "He ran off."
He sighs, coming in. "Do you need help?"
"No," I say, casting a spell over the whole room. The bits and pieces of whatever the initiate had destroyed float upwards, before morphing together and restoring themselves to their original forms and slowly float back down on the table top.
"I will never stop being impressed with magic," Namjoon breathes.
Taehyung comes forward to keep the cutlery and porcelain, arranging them neatly into their respective boxes. "He'll come around," he says as both Namjoon and I move to help him.
"Who?" I ask.
"Hanaan. He's adapting."
"He's not the type of person I'm used to handling," I confess, handing the tea cups to him.
"Me too," Taehyung sighs. "Did you know about the animals he's been abusing?"
Namjoon looks up. "Animals?"
"Apparently. Jungkook found a stash of burnt animals under the patio. Hanaan keeps them all in labeled boxes."
"That's…"
"Really morbid," I finish Namjoon's sentence.
"Tell me about it."
"Maybe you should consider therapy for him," Namjoon offers.
"Maybe you should hand him over to the Parliament," I say.
Taehyung looks up to glare at me, unamused. "I can't risk exposing him to outside influence. The Parliament will turn him into their pawn. I don't know who I can trust to be with Hanaan alone. If they try to turn Hanaan against us…"
"Hanaan already seems like he's against us," Namjoon says.
"He's just a kid," Taehyung defends. "He doesn't know what's going on yet."
"Taehyung, he's abusing animals like some sort of demon child from Hell." Namjoon turns to me. "No offense."
"None taken."
"He's showing signs of being a psychopath. We need extra help."
"Namjoon, he's only been here three days! You haven't even tried to get to know him!"
"Have you seen how he acts? He'd burn a hole through me for fun!"
"He's a child who's been through a lot. You can't expect him to act like any normal child."
"So how should we handle him?"
"Read books!" Taehyung says, exasperated. "Meet experts. Get their opinions!"
"He's right, Namjoon," I agree, much to both their surprise. "We don't know how to handle the initiate because we've never had someone like him. We should equip ourselves with the necessary knowledge."
Taehyung openly gapes at me, his mouth wide open. "You're actually agreeing?"
"Partially," I say, handing the dessert plates to him. "If there is no improvement within a month, I'm dumping him with the Parliament, whether you like it or not."
Taehyung's mouth shuts immediately, forming a frown of disapproval. "Fine. In the meantime, the both of you are going to promise you'll research on how to handle Hanaan better and also try to connect with him."
"Easy. I'll just walk around in demon form."
Taehyung reaches over to smack me against my arm, and I flinch back just in time for him to miss.
"Stop that," he scolds.
"You stop," I rebut.
"Okay, enough," Namjoon interrupts, pushing us apart. "I got it. One month."

I look up from my book, pausing as I sense a change in the air. Taehyung looks up from his, his head resting against my lap.
"What is it?"
"Nothing," I say. "Let me just check on something."
Taehyung sits up as I rise, leaving the library immediately. I rush down the stairs to the ground floor, walking towards the kitchen. The twin doors that were the entrance of the kitchen are shut, and I push them open, swiftly destroying the lock mechanism that was supposed to bolt them shut.
The initiate whirls around to face me. I watch as he takes his hands off the gas knobs. He has them turned to maximum, which explained the sudden smell of gas I detected. His left hand hides a gas lighter and he backs away as he sees me.
I stalk towards him, and the child breaks into a run. I catch him by the arm, making him twist around to try free himself. I grab him by the armpits, lifting him up and quickly setting him on the marble counter top. He stares at me in shock and anticipation, perhaps expecting me to slap him. I take the lighter from him, reaching over to turn off the gas as well.
"What were you trying to do?" I growl, turning to him again. When he doesn't answer, I continue. "What do you think a measly gas explosion would do? Kill us all? The only person you would kill is yourself."
"I wasn't trying to kill myself," the initiate finally answers.
"Then what were you doing?" I try very hard to restrain my anger, to not reach over and strangle this child right here and now. It proves difficult.
"I was just trying to get stronger! I thought I could use the explosion to my advantage!"
"Your powers will not strengthen just because you have a ball of fire before you. Why are you in such a rush to get strong?"
"So people would stop pushing me around!"
"Who pushes you around?!"
"You do!" he spits. "Everyone here is always telling me what to do, what to say, how to feel. I hate it!"
I feel my temper rising dramatically as I grab him off the counter, putting him down before I take his hand and stalk off. The initiate is forced to run to keep up with me, stumbling several times as I make a bee line to the patio. 
"What are you doing?" he yells. "Let me go!"
I drag him out the patio, slamming the doors behind me and come down the steps before I cast a spell that pulls out the boxes hidden beneath.
Two boxes come out, both spilling their contents of charred animal remains out onto the grass. The initiate says nothing as he stares.
"What is this?" I growl, whirling around to face him. "Do you want to grow stronger to hurt those beneath you? Is that why you're in such a rush?"
"You looked through my stuff!" he accuses.
"You are the possible future Aamon. There is no such thing as privacy!"
The initiate screams then, covering his ears as he scrunches his eyes shut. "You're such a bully!"
"Look at what you've done!" I grab him by his forearm, forcing him to look at the remains of the animals he's tortured. "How are you any different?!"
"They're necessary sacrifices," he bites, eyes alight with anger. "Because if I don't get stronger, I won't be a good Aamon."
I mentally backtrack, staring at the initiate's face. "What?"
"Are you deaf now, Old Man? If I don't get stronger, how will I defend everyone? What use will I be as an Aamon?"
I let go of his arm and the initiate takes a step back. He stares up at me fearlessly. "You think killing these animals will make you stronger?"
"You think I'm happy to go around killing animals? Of course not! But I have to do it to make myself strong. I'm getting better at it. If I can defend my people as the Aamon, the sacrifices will be worth it."
I can count the number of times I've been rendered speechless. This probably would be included amongst them.
I take a breath, pausing momentarily to gather my thoughts. Taehyung had insisted I give the initiate a chance, and I'd been dutifully reading up on parenting books as he requested. I'd just been reading Peaceful Parent, Happy Kid when I'd been interrupted by the smell of gas. Maybe yelling wasn't such a productive method.
"As the possible future Aamon, you will be tasked with protecting Creation - be it the living and the dead."
"I know that," the initiate answers, folding his arms across his chest.
I lower myself to his level, resting my weight on one knee as I look him in the eye. "If you want to get stronger, Taehyung and I will train you. But you are young, and you are a new initiate. You don't need to be worried about protecting the world for now. The adults will do that."
"The adults where I'm from are all evil people."
"I know that. But you're not in the same place as them anymore."
"And I have friends I have to save."
"The Aamon's Court must not interfere in earthly matters."
"So what's the use of all this power?!"
"As the future Aamon, you must protect the inhabitants of Earth without attracting attention to humans around you. How will you save your friends?"
"I'll take them out of that place!"
"Won't the adults find them?"
"I'll hide them!"
"Where?" I ask. "Where will you find a place with food, warmth and shelter? Where will your friends hide? Who will sustain them?"
"Then I'll kill all the adults!"
"There must be hundreds of them involved in that business. If you kill them all, you attract attention to the Aamon's Court - attention that is dangerous. The other Courts will start asking you for favours, and you will also be held accountable for endangering the lives of others for mass murder. You endanger the Court further by signifying our existence to the humans - and they are a lethal species."
The initiate's anger and frustration grows again at my words. "I hate being an initiate."
"You can hate it all you want. It is who you are. One day, you will learn to accept it."
His gaze softens the longer I stare, and his arms fall to his side.
"So what do I do?" he quietly asks.
"Two things a friend of mine says every future ruler should have," I say, echoing Sikyung's words, "bravery and empathy. Everything else can be taught in due time. Why don't you work on that for now."
"And training?"
I think for a moment. "Train yourself to enjoy the life you have now. Lessons can be overwhelming and talks may be boring but you have people who will protect you, a friend who will play with you, a roof over your head and money to call your own. Enjoy them."
That piques his interest. "Money?"
"The Aamon's Court is rich enough to last a few centuries. And that money is yours too." I stand, dusting the dirt off my pants. "Be a kid again. You will miss those moments once things get crazy."
"Will things get crazy soon?"
I am reminded of the prophecy as I look at the initiate, of the prediction that this small, misunderstood child was going to be the one to end Taehyung's rule - and possibly his life.
"They might."
The initiate is quiet again, and he looks away to stare at the animal remains I'd strewn across the grass.
"Can we bury them?"
"Can you promise not to do this again?"
"Do what?"
"Sacrificing others to get stronger."
The initiate nods.
"I'll help you with the burial."

I stare at the young initiate digging another hole in the ground. I'd told him a cremation would be fine, but he doesn't seem to listen. The child is digging his twenty sixth hole, and we'd counted twenty seven dead animals in those two boxes. I guess he was planning to dig one hole for each.
I allow him to work on his own, watching as he now carries one carcass and carefully lowers it into the hole before covering it up again. He proceeds to the next and I watch as the sweat starts dripping off his back. 
Like most Pakistanis, the initiate is ivory white, as pale as fallen snow and had hair that was not quite black since it turned brown under direct sunlight. He may be small but he was fit and agile, maybe as a result of running around and doing so much labour. His fingers are calloused and his palms show scars from lashings severe enough to split his skin open. I'm pretty sure there are more scars on his body if he lifts his shirt up. The boy came from a difficult and harsh place, where I'm sure the adults had no mercy on a child even as young and as small as him.
The initiate would be safe here for now.
He finishes burying all the carcasses and comes to me, the shovel in his hand. He stands by my side, leaning against the shovel as together, we stare at the little cemetery he's made.
"Should we say a prayer?" he asks.
"Animals don't go to Heaven."
He turns to me, unamused. "How do you know? Have you been there?"
I guess he had me there.
"I don't follow any religion," I say. "You're a Muslim, aren't you? Why don't you say the prayer?"
He frowns. "I'm only Muslim by name," he says. "Where I was raised, religion is a privilege I didn't have."
"Just say any prayer. God will listen."
"Will He though? I've been praying all my life for Him but I never got a reply. Maybe He's punishing me for all I've done."
I turn to him. "What have you done?"
"My parents were never married," he confesses. "And I was a different colour than the both of them. They were a lot darker than me."
"Your dad thought your mom cheated," I say.
The initiate nods. "He left. She tried to raise me for a while but gave up. She sold me for a three bags of rice."
"Were they big bags?"
"Huge," he says, turning to me to grin. But the grin disappears quickly, and his focus shifts to the little graves again. "My life has been hard from the start because I was a product of sin. God is punishing me for being born."
"He would never do that."
"Why? My life already feels like a living Hell."
Again, I don't know what to say to that.
The initiate turns to me again, curiosity in his eyes. "Caine called you Azazel, but Jungkook calls you Jin. Why?"
"Azazel is my name. Jin is a nickname."
He scrunches his nose in disapproval. "What parent would name their child Azazel?"
I smirk in amusement. "Maybe Lucifer himself."
"That's a mean parent," he says.
"So were yours."
The quiet realization hits him, and the initiate's face soften as he stares into the distance.
"We are not a product of our parents." I don't know where it comes from, but I feel the need to say it.
"We're not?" he answers almost dismissively.
"We're not," I repeat. "We have our own lives to live, our own responsibilities to bear. That is enough."
There is silence between us, before the initiate raises his hands, clasping them together in the standard Muslim way of making prayer.
"Dear God," he whispers, closing his eyes tightly, "if I am to be punished, punish me only for my own sins. But if I am to be forgiven, forgive those who I have done wrong to as well."
He opens his eyes, his hands still clasped together.
"Is that it?" I ask.
"I don't know," he says. "I don't know if God is listening. Or if He even cares. But I'll keep trying." He side eyes me. "Aren't you going to pray too?"
"I haven't prayed in a long time."
"Do you believe in God?"
"I guess so."
"Well… you can start."
I muse him, raising my hands in a similar fashion.
"Do I have to say mine out loud?"
"How else would He hear?"
I sigh, but comply anyway. "Dear God," I say.
"You have to close your eyes to pretend to be sincere."
I close them. "Dear God, if this is to end one day, let it end well."
I open my eyes, letting my arms drop to the side. The initiate stares at me.
"Is that all you wish for?"
"For now, yes."
"It's a good prayer," the initiate says. "I hope He listens."
"I hope He listens to yours too."
The initiate smiles. It is a soft smile, a sincere and innocent smile that finally makes the initiate look his age.
The Sixth Aamon. Destroyer of the status quo.
I hope I could break this prophecy.

"He said that?" Taehyung coos, practically having hearts in his eyes as he listens avidly to my recount.
"Yes, I was just as surprised as you."
"I told you he wasn't that bad."
"Taehyung, I only had one conversation with him. It's not going to suddenly change everything."
"I know," Taehyung answers, smiling despite. "But we're getting somewhere, and that's a good start."
I stare at his positivity, always so blinding. "Do you know who he reminds me of?"
"Who?"
"Us."
"The both of us?"
"The three of us. Jungkook, you and I. It's like someone took a portion of us and made it into one soul."
"Why do you say that?"
"He's had to grow faster than a normal child and is as innocent as Jungkook. Now he has this sudden burden on his shoulder, yet he shares your similar worry of not being strong enough to protect everyone."
"And he lives a life thinking he's being punished for a sin he didn't make," Taehyung finishes. "Just like you."
"Yes."
Taehyung comes forward, cupping my face in both his hands. "One day you'll realize that you're wrong."
I muse him by smiling slightly, resting my hands against his hip. "The only difference is, the child is wrong."
Taehyung sighs. "You can see the fallacy in the logic of others, but not in yours."
I chuckle, leaning forward to kiss him momentarily. 
"Do not worry about me, Your Highness. Worry about changing the prophecy."
Taehyung changes position, wrapping his arms around my waist as he rests his head against my shoulder. I rub my hands soothingly along his back. "I keep having visions of the future," he murmurs. "Always of different scenarios, but with the same destruction around me."
"Done by the initiate?"
"I don't know. But he's always there with me. Either beside me or against me."
I am quiet. I hug him tighter for a moment, before parting the hug. "Sleep. Your worries will continue, but at least worry with a rested mind and body."
He nods in agreement. "You're right. I should try sleep it off. Join me?"
Both Pan and Lilith's words resonate in my mind. "Not today."

******

Part 1 of 3